Pleasant.

Everything about Junmyeon was pleasant, from his ironed clothes to his perfectly styled hair and his mild-mannered smile.

Luhan was somewhat fascinated by the fact that he, of all the witches here, would be some sort of a leader to them. Organizer, he corrected himself. Minseok had been adamant about witches not having a leader, and judging by the witches he'd come in contact with so far, Luhan easily believed him; all of them seemed to have big, dominant personalities.

So far, the meeting wasn’t any different from their annual library conference, where every staff member was invited to get updated by the higher ups. Junmyeon had talked about the recent perception of witches, how many had been caught in the act (quite a few) and how many had been prosecuted (none), kindly asking them to watch their backs. He briefly mentioned two witches switching to serve the government instead, which was taken by the audience with scoffs and silent sneers.

Most of the upper witches seemed bored at this point, with no one showcasing it harder than Jongdae, who actually yawned loud enough to garner a brief, judging look by Junmyeon. Luhan was obviously not bored at all - in fact, he was nervous about possibly being called out, being a new face. Junmyeon had glanced at him earlier, but aside from a surprised look, he hadn’t said anything and continued his speech.

“Now that we have this out of the way, there’s a reason why I requested this gathering.”

The way the invitation had kept bugging Minseok seemed like a pretty pushy request in Luhan’s books, but it was clearly not his place to judge.

“Some of you might have noticed that we have an increase in demons and spirits recently.”

People were exchanging glances, and Luhan could see lips moving, but the ever-present murmur of a wary crowd was kept in by magic, creating an ominous silence.

Junmyeon gave them five seconds to word whatever comment had been resting on their tongues.

“They’ve been larger and more vicious than what we’ve been used to. I think Minseok can confirm this.”

Everyone was looking at them and Luhan could feel his body go rigid under the attention.

“I can,” Minseok said calmly. “They’re different.”

Minseok’s posture didn’t change but his expression grew a little sharper. Admitting to them being more dangerous seemed to naturally call for Minseok to look like this wasn’t an issue for him at all. Like it wasn’t too much work, like he hadn’t been lying in bed with a fever not too long ago.

Junmyeon shot him a thin smile before addressing the crowd again.

“I don’t know what might have caused this, and I don’t think any of you know more than I do?”

Another five seconds of vague shrugs, knitted brows and exchanged glances. The boredom was fading from their faces, though.

“Thought so. We’re suspecting political reasons,” Junmyeon began, shifting his weight to get more comfortable, “According to Jongdae, they’re not forming here - it might be a deliberate action, like someone from outside the town planting them here on purpose. Yifan is already on it and, with the support of Sehun and Zitao, we should get to the root of this very soon.”

Everyone seemed to know these names, but Luhan was still hung up on the fact that someone would plant demons on purpose. This kind of political warfare was somewhat logical, yet terrifying - especially if the government wasn’t ready to fight them off. If these witches were somewhat wary, he could only imagine the fear growing within the government.

Junmyeon raised his voice a little despite the hall staying magically silent - he must be seeing the growing wariness on people’s faces.

“We don’t know if they’ll pose an actual danger to us - unfortunately, Kyungsoo didn’t attend. Since you’re close, could you maybe get in contact with him about this?”

The last question was aimed at Minseok again, whose eyes flitted to the pitch black symbol on the table before nodding.

Junmyeon clapped his hands once.

“Good. Let’s stay alert and remember that there’s no shame in using your ring should you encounter something unexpected or dangerous. Whatever is going on has not been planned by one person, either, so there’s no reason why we should face it alone. Baekhyun, I’m counting on you to keep our streets safe.”

Luhan saw him throwing a vague salute towards the podium, receiving a thin smile in return. Apparently, this had been the last point on the agenda and with a single wave of Junmyeon’s hand, the hall was suddenly filled with noise as the magic was lifted.

“And that’s it for today” he half-yelled over the noise. “Anyone have anything to say? Good. Have a nice evening, everyone.”

Chairs scraped over the ground as more than half of the people got to their feet immediately. Most of the higher witches stayed seated, chatting among themselves, some more seriously than others.

Next to him, Minseok remained seated as well.

“Let them leave,” he instructed calmly. “I wanna talk to Junmyeon.”

Luhan nodded. As of now, Junmyeon was standing by one of the tables, conversing with Yifan and two other intimidating-looking witches.

Luhan watched them for a bit, mentally zoning out. This meeting had been like every other aspect of witchcraft he’d witnessed so far - deceivingly ordinary for most of the time. He still had a dozen questions lingering on his tongue, yearning to find their way out, even if they’d go unanswered. What meant ‘using the ring’? Was Baekhyun, the vulgar guy in the leather jacket, really the one responsible for covering the streets in spells? Who were Sehun and Zitao, and who was Kyungsoo? Apparently, Minseok was close to him, but Luhan had never heard him say this name before. What on earth had Yifan been talking about, and, last but not least, what was the relationship between Minseok and Jongdae?

He let his gaze wander back to the highest plateau, slow and subtle, only to see the chair empty-

“I see you finally replaced me, huh?”

Luhan flinched while Minseok didn’t even bother turning around.

Undeterred, Jongdae walked around the table to casually place a hand on it, hovering over them.

“Took you long enough.”

His voice was smooth, stronger than Minseok’s, and laced with a more vivid temperament that was reflected in his eyes as well.

“I did not replace you,” Minseok only said, calm and refusing to take the bait.

“Sure,” Jongdae said, voice dripping with sarcasm as he eyed Luhan, who suddenly felt really ridiculous in his pretty costume. Jongdae only huffed under his breath, the sound more condescending than and comment might have been, and Luhan felt the heat sneak up his cheeks.

Then he looked back at Minseok, acting like Luhan wasn’t even there.

“So, did Yifan give his blessings?”

“What’s it to you?” Minseok only asked back without his usual sharpness. If Luhan didn’t know any better, he’d say Minseok sounded slightly downcast.

“Nothing,” Jongdae shrugged. “But I know you don’t like to think for yourself, so…”

“Are you done insulting me?” Minseok only asked, and something flared up in Jongdae’s expression, an annoyed tick sparking dry wood.

“You’re insulting yourself, at most,” he hissed, throwing a glance at Luhan, “going for low-hanging fruit because you think you think you’re not capable of doing any better-”

“And you would have been better?” Minseok cut him off, still no will to fight in his voice or posture - he just looked resigned. “You know that how exactly? Jongdae, what do you want from me? Would you actually want me to change my mind now ?”

Jongdae looked furious still, his hand balled into a fist on the table, but he didn’t have an answer to that.

“Jongdae? I need you for a bit,” Junmyeon called over to them, and Jongdae subtly rolled his eyes.

“Have fun with your pretty boy toy,” he spat, turning to leave. Minseok raised his voice just enough to call after him.

“When will you replace me, Jongdae?” he asked, only for Jongdae to flip him off without looking.

“No ing need, thanks for asking.”

Next to him, Minseok sighed and Luhan kept his eyes on the table, feeling mostly awkward. So Jongdae was his ex-lover.

Having heard the last exclamation, Baekhyun added his own two cents from the neighbouring table but Minseok tuned him out like Yifan had done earlier.

For a moment, it was rather silent, with the muted sounds of people chatting and getting ready to leave.

“Don’t mind him,” Minseok said eventually, sounding tired. “He was actively trying to be ty, so don’t give him the time of your day.”

Luhan nodded. Sure, he’d be a liar to say he wasn’t hurt by the other’s words at all, and next to Jongdae, he was probably a really ‘low-hanging fruit’, but it was true that the other had been trying to mess with them, and that staying unbothered would be the best follow up. Sadly.

Luhan wished he could talk again already - he was starting to connect the dots between Jongdae and Minseok and would like to get some verbal confirmation.

“Come, I think he’s done,” Minseok said quietly, ripping him out of his thoughts.

They got to their feet and approached Junmyeon, who was standing at the sidelines now, flipping through a small notebook and scribbling something on already filled pages.

“You got a moment?” was all Minseok asked, and Junmyeon immediately looked up, the notebook forgotten, the pleasant smile reappearing.

“Minseok. Sure. I was wondering what you were up to today,” he said, clearly eyeing Luhan. There was no contempt or lewdness to his stare - he was simply mildly interested.

He gestured them over towards a delicate-looking door, and they followed him into a small, clean-looking room. Like the hall, this room was made of light stone as well, with plants and colorful shawls adding a sense of liveliness and comfort to it. Closing the door completely cut off any noise, and Junmyeon didn’t wait a second before he started to talk.

“How are you holding up?”

Minseok only shrugged, taking a seat in one of the four, plush couches placed around a small table.

“I’m fine. Nothing I can’t handle.”

Luhan sank into the seat next to him, faintly wishing he could either talk or disappear altogether.

“I didn’t mention it earlier, but Yifan had a vision,” Junmyeon began as he sat down opposite to them.

“He saw something demon-like that was as big as a house, dripping into the alleyways from above, threatening to suffocate you.”

The mere image made Luhan feel uncomfortable, and Minseok, too, had put down most of his steely facade, allowing worry into his voice.

“And was I facing it alone? Did he see that, too?”

Junmyeon didn’t reply immediately, and Minseok sighed.

“Thought so.”

“He did see someone else with you,” Junmyeon insisted. “And judging by his description, it has to be you.”

Luhan couldn’t help grimacing. Great. He’d be right there, in the wrong place at the wrong time, potentially making things worse for Minseok, instead of easier. 

Minseok must have thought something similar, because he groaned, to which Junmyeon reacted immediately.

“Minseok,” he began seriously, keeping eye contact with him, “Yifan’s visions might have never been wrong, but they don’t show everything. We don’t know what will lead up to it or what’s going to follow. You do not have to do this alone.”

Minseok didn’t reply, looking strangely somber.

“By telling us about it, he gave us the option to change this future, too. Keep that in mind,” Junmyeon added, a little more gently. Luhan had never seen anyone talk to Minseok like this, and instead of closing off, Minseok simply exhaled, lips closed tightly, eyes flitting to the table for a second.

“I came here to ask a favour of you,” he said, changing the topic.

Junmyeon let him be, and nodded encouragingly.

“I’m assuming it has something to do with your company.”

“Yes. He’s human, and a demon latched on to him,” Minseok explained curtly. “The stains won’t leave, so I thought you might be able to take a look at him.”

Junmyeon nodded vaguely, thoughtful gaze trained on Luhan.

“Anything unusual you noticed?”

Minseok and Luhan both shook their head.

“Alright,” Junmyeon relented, slipping into the couch closer to Luhan, facing him.

“What’s your name?”

Immediately, Luhan looked at Minseok, who gave him a small nod.

“Luhan.”

Junmyeon’s expression scrunched up just a little as the concealing spell was lifted, and Luhan shifted awkwardly.

“I see. Where are the stains?”

Luhan rubbed away at the cream on his neck, and Junmyeon actually chuckled, reaching out to thumb over the skin.

“Moonfruit cream? Crafty as usual, Minseok.”

To Luhan, he said, “spells wouldn’t have worked in here.”

Luhan nodded. It was nice of him to explain it, nice of him to treat him like a normal person instead of the vermin he apparently was to witches.

“Can you extend your hand?”

Obediently, Luhan offered his right hand, feeling his pulse flutter under Junmyeon’s thumb gently pressing into his skin.

“He’s good with humans,” Minseok explained while Junmyeon closed his eyes, seemingly feeling for something. After a few seconds of silence, Junmyeon opened them again with a hum.

“Seems normal so far. My magic is rooted in blood though, so I’ll need at least a drop to work with.”

Luhan shrugged.

“Take it. As long as you don’t expect me to cut myself open…”

Junmyeon smiled, reaching into his jacket to retrieve a small box containing needles, all wrapped in cotton. He took one out, and Luhan dutifully looked away. He didn’t mind the prick, but watching a needle pierce your skin wasn’t all that pleasant either.

“And we’re done,” Junmyeon hummed. He handed Luhan a cotton pad to press his fingertip into, wiping the needle on his own pointer finger.

There was no way he could think of the little drop of blood saying anything about him, and when Junmyeon put the finger to his own lips, Luhan couldn’t help grimacing.

“It’s safe, don’t worry,” Minseok muttered, and Luhan hoped he was right. If he had some rare, infectious disease he hadn’t known of, he’d rather not find out by infecting the head organizer witch of the capital.

Junmyeon’s expression remained scrunched up as he was interpreting whatever Luhan’s blood was saying about him. Ultimately, he shook his head.

“Can’t say I’m feeling anything unusual. There’s definitely very weak remains of a demon inside him, but aside from that…”

Minseok sighed, while Luhan slumped in relief. He should probably be disappointed over the lack of an answer, but at least he wasn’t suffering from a deadly disease. Or, to be more precise, none a blood witch would detect. Whatever certainty that equaled.

“I’m sorry, Minseok.”

The way he said it made it sound genuine - Junmyeon sounded pretty genuine in general. It was terribly easy to trust him, and if Minseok didn’t seem to do just that, Luhan would be wary.

“Maybe you should ask Kyungsoo about it?”

Minseok nodded.

“Yeah, I was planning on doing that next. It’s alright, thanks for checking.”

Junmyeon shook Luhan’s hand as he sent them off, even going so far as to touch Minseok’s shoulder, reminding him to use the ring, should he ever need help.

“You too,” Minseok said surprisingly. “You don’t need to manage everything by yourself, either. Don’t forget that.”

The words echoed around Luhan’s mind as they returned to the alley, walking down the quiet, deserted street until they were back inside the town, flooded with darkness, scents and sounds that were somewhat dirty and yet comfortingly familiar.

He was both tired and strangely high-strung, buzzing with the new impressions and information this meeting had brought up.

Minseok was oddly quiet on the way home, too, leaving Luhan alone with his thoughts.

“In the end, he didn’t find anything,” Minseok sighed as he closed the door. It was the first time he’d spoken up ever since they left the Walpurgis. “Sorry for wasting your time.”

Luhan made a negating sound as he carefully took off his earrings, placing them on the kitchen table.

“No problem. It was interesting, after all. I was wondering though-”

“Of course you were,” Minseok groaned quietly, and exhaustion was shimmering through the playful expression.

“It’s not like that,” Luhan hurried to add, wordlessly holding out his right arm so Minseok could help him undo the bracelets, which he did. “No technical witch stuff.”

“Then what is it?” he hummed, unclasping the ones on his other wrist as well, without giving Luhan a chance to do it himself.

“Why did you take me along?”

The fingers around his wrist paused for two heartbeats.

“Because I knew Junmyeon would be there.”

“You also know where he lives though, don’t you?” Luhan asked, lowering his voice to accommodate to the close proximity they were in. “We could have just gone to see him another day like you’d planned before.”

“This was faster.”

When he reached up to retrieve the accessories pinned to his hair, Luhan drew away, shooting him a stubborn look. He wasn’t willing to play along this time.

“But was it worth exposing the entire magical community to me? Even if you were planning on taking my memory away at some point, why even bother?”

Minseok was wearing an unreadable gaze, and Luhan didn’t give him the chance to come up with another excuse.

“Why do you explain runes to me? Why do you take me to restaurants managed by witches? Why do you keep answering all my questions in the first place? You asked me why I’d bother being nice to you, and now I’m asking you - why bother taking me to the Walpurgis?”

The silence between them was thick, the mood suddenly tense and completely unlike them. Luhan was tired of playing along though, of silently trusting that Minseok knew what he was doing, because this was his life as well, and he wanted to understand.

Minseok looked taken aback by his outburst, lightly shook his head, parting his lips… but nothing came out.

For the first time since he met him, Minseok seemed out of words.

“You can just tell me,” Luhan insisted trying to stay as calm as possible. “I’m not a child. Is it because you wanted to show off a human pet, after all? Just say so, I won’t be mad. I just want to understand-”

Without warning, he was pushed against the table, the edge digging painfully into his thigh as Minseok bracketed him in, suddenly very close.

“Maybe I just wanted to see you all dressed up,” he murmured, looking up at him. Minseok wasn’t that much shorter than him, actually, but now he was tilting his head, looking up at him with his voice lowering, and Luhan swallowed. Suddenly, there were hands on his sides, slipping beneath the fabric, not nearly as feathery or teasing as usual, with Minseok resorting to broad, firm touches instead.

“Is this how you’re going to avoid answering my question?” Luhan murmured, shivering when lips ran down his neck, warm as they dragged over his skin, leaving languid kisses in their wake, finally overstepping the invisible boundary they’d been toeing for weeks.

“How about you answer me a question for once,” Minseok hummed into his skin, fingers already running down the small of his back, going lower.

“Do you not want this?”

Luhan would have loved to roll his eyes, but it was hard to accomplish that when he was shivering in the other’s hold, itching to just let go.

“Don’t think I’ll forget about it,” Luhan warned, but he already knew that he’d lost. Yes, he wanted this. Of course he did. And when Minseok wanted to give it to him now, for some reason… well, Luhan wasn’t going to decline.

So he flipped their position, some jewelry cluttering as it ended up on the floor.

“I’ll ask you again tomorrow,” he all but threatened, and Minseok shot him an almost wolfish grin.

“We’ll see about that.”

When Luhan leaned in for a kiss, however, Minseok’s hand ended up between them. In response to Luhan’s confused expression, he wordlessly tapped his own lips, making faint black stains appear around his lips.

With a slightly annoyed groan, Luhan dove in to a bruise into his neck instead, a knee pressed between the other’s legs. Minseok chuckled breathily, and it drifted off into a sigh before he pushed back again, quickly steering them to his bedroom.

They made it with a few interruptions consisting of them wrestling each other against the wall or trying to get the other’s clothes off first. It was like something between them snapping after weeks of teasing, and now neither of them wanted to hold back anymore.

Sleeping with Minseok was a little like Luhan had expected it to be after getting to know him, but the real thing was definitely better. He’d occasionally slept with people before, both men and women, but he knew that Minseok was going to be better than any of them even before he’d put a hand on him - because he was the first person willing to play, to really wrestle and push against him with no clear preference shining through. Luhan had been with submissive or dominant people, but Minseok didn’t seem to give a damn about categories, simply taking him in, touching and kissing with vigour (but not on the lips), actually smiling when Luhan managed to push him onto his back.

It was funny, Luhan thought as he drifted off to sleep much later.

Despite the way Minseok had groaned into his ear, despite the filthy things he’d done with his fingers and tongue, despite the way Minseok had painted him white, only to easily roll on his back, legs dangling off Luhan’s shoulders, offering himself up with a salacious grin… despite all that, it was that carefree, boyish smile that made Luhan feel too fluttery to fall asleep straight away.