A/N: stream Ring The Alarm

-

Jihoon punches the air in victory as soon as he enters his home.

He did it! He did it!

He got to touch Jeonghan and almost kiss him and he dropped very heavy hints and he talked to him and all it took was a tier one demon threatening to take him away and that sounds so bad now that he thinks about it, but he did it!

Jihoon lets out a ecstatic, borderline hysteric, laugh.

He did it and now he'll be damned if Jiwoo takes Jeonghan away from him.

He calls Soonyoung with renewed determination.

"Jihoon, what's up?" It's Hansol who answers the call. He sounds distracted and Jihoon can hear the clattering of dishes.

It's now or never.

"Okay, so - there's a demon living in my neighborhood and she's trying to eat the guy I'm into. Please help me."

"Now, that's a whole ing lot. It's a joke, right?" Hansol asks, humor in his voice, but when Jihoon doesn't reply, his voice goes high pitched, "Jihoon, what?"

"If you can't take it, put Soonyoung on."

"If I can't - if I can't take it? What the , it's a demon, Jihoon!"

"Demon? Did you say demon?" He hears Soonyoung say in the background, "Again? How did he manage to piss off a demon this time? What did you do, Jihoon?"

"Put Soonyoung on! It's not the first time he's helped me with a demon!"

"Is this not alarming to you either? Babe, it's a demon! How are you guys not worried?" Hansol all but screeches.

"Because Soonyoung is badass and my best friend and he helps me out all the time! I know he can help me this time too."

"Aw, Jihoon." Soonyoung's voice is clear this time and Jihoon knows it's because he took the phone from Hansol, "You're so cute."

"Young!" Jihoon whines, "Young, please help me out! A demon is trying to ruin my chances with the guy I'm into!"

"Oh, word?" Soonyoung says, "I didn't know about this."

"Because I haven't had the time." Or the intention, Jihoon thinks guiltyly, "But I can catch you up when you come over?"

It's a question and he hopes Soonyoung isn't too busy to come over. Not that Soonyoung is ever too busy to come over when Jihoon asks him to. He always has time for Jihoon.

"Of course. What do I need to bring over?"

Now, this... this is the tricky part.

"Oh. Hm. Just bring the... theblueone." Jihoon rushes out, "And bring Hansol."

It's silent before Soonyoung takes in a deep breath, "Jihoon we will talk about why you didn't tell me you had a tier one demon in your neighborhood the moment you knew. I'll be over in a few."

Soonyoung hangs up and Jihoon feels a bit of regret.

He's in so much trouble.

-

Jiwoo slams open the door to her home.

The walls shake and shudder, jars and decorations on shelves titter dangerously. The whole house groans as she stands in the doorway before she slams the door closed.

Matthew looks up at her from the couch, trying not to grimace at the expression on Jiwoo's face. Her eyes glow gold, her skin cracking and revealing pulsating golden light, her sharp teeth bared. Jiwoo feels the tingle of Matthew's borrowed magic settle over their home when her eyes land on the tv and fake laughter rings in her ears.

Mocking. Mocking!

Matthew covers his ears just as Jiwoo opens .

A loud screech leaves , high pitched and furious. She makes her way over to the tv and pushes it off the stand. It cracks once it makes contact with the floor and she stomps on it until Matthew worries she'll puncture the floor, too. She keeps screaming as she punches the wall and leaves holes behind. She goes over to one of the less important shelves and sweeps everything off, glass and porcelain shards flying everywhere.

The sight reminds Matthew of a twelve year old throwing a tantrum over getting rejected by their crush. Of course, he would never tell her that because she'd be pissed at him. Last time he pissed her off, she didn't talk to him for two years.

"He made a fool out of me!" Jiwoo screams, "He's making me lose time - precious time! I got all dressed up so it'd be easier! This was supposed to be the last thing I had to do!"

"He got to Jeonghan before you did, huh?"

"Yes, Matthew, he did!" Jiwoo says, kicking the wall and making yet another hole. Jiwoo yanks her foot free only to kick the wall again. "He laid his hands on me - me, Jiwoo, the Ninth Daughter! He held me back to make sure I couldn't step foot into Jeonghan's home today! As if a mere human man was worth putting his hands on me!"

"He hurt you?" Matthew asks, rising from his seat, "Where?"

He makes his way to Jiwoo, who breathes heavily and looks at him with humiliation and unease in her eyes. She holds her breath and unclenches her hands. She exhales and shakes her head. Matthew inspects her arms, her face, while she tries to calm herself down.

"He didn't hurt me. He just grabbed me." Jiwoo reassures at last, patting Matthew on the chest. Her hands slide upwards until they rest at the nape of his neck. "But now we have to work a little harder. Tonight. Midnight. That's when I can go into his home again."

Matthew leans down to kiss Jiwoo, arms coming up to hug her around the waist.

Jiwoo hums, speaking into his shoulder in a tired voice, "This birthday present is coming to be more troublesome than we thought."

-

Soonyoung bursts through Jihoon's door, pushing Hansol into the house with an urgency that makes Jihoon startle. He slams the door shut, locking it and throwing Jihoon his bag.

"Young, what's wrong?" Jihoon yelps, wobbling from the weight of the bag. Hansol backs away from his boyfriend, taking the bag from Jihoon and setting it down.

"Babe, you're scaring me." He says, voice tight and worried.

"Jihoon, this is not good." Soonyoung says, taking his pocket knife out and slicing his left palm. He draws a sigil on Jihoon's door with a finger of his good hand using his blood, he slams his bleeding palm on the center of the sigil once he's done, "This house belongs to me, no one who means harm can come through."

"Young, you're freaking us out." Jihoon says, pulling Hansol close. "What's going on, Young?"

"There's one of the Nine Daughters in your neighborhood, Jihoon. I felt her the moment we turned the corner, this is serious." Soonyoung asks, pacing around Jihoon's living room. Blood drips down his fists and onto the floor, "She's been here for how long?"

"She's a tier one and - and they're a big deal, right? She's a tier one and she's a big deal, but I don't think she's that big of a - " Jihoon stutters out nervously.

"How long has she been here, Jihoon!" Soonyoung snaps, glaring at him. Soonyoung never glares at him.

Oh, I ed up. I ed up real bad.

"Two or three weeks, I think."

"." Soonyoung says with feeling, taking a seat on one of the chairs in the living room. Jihoon and Hansol follow suit on the couch across from him. Soonyoung runs his hands through his hair, uncaring of the blood, and pulls out a black leather book from his bag, hands shaking, "This... this is not good."

It's the book Jihoon never thought he'd have to use. It's the book that has information on the Nine Daughters and their mother. Surely, Jiwoo can't be that powerful.

Soonyoung hands it to Jihoon, eyes wild, "Which one is she?"

Jihoon takes it and flips through the pages, passing colored illustrations of beautiful women sat on the same white and gold throne until he spots Jiwoo. She's wearing a red mini skirt with an off the shoulder top to match, nine stars floating around her head like a halo. She's sitting on the throne, legs crossed and looking down her nose at Jihoon. And even though it's an illustation, Jihoon can almost see the gold around and wrists glitter.

Jiwoo, Ninth Daughter, Completion.

God. Oh, no.

Jihoon feels his hands go cold and points at her, "That's her."

Soonyoung takes the book from Jihoon and his whole body deflates once he sees Jiwoo. He takes in a shuddering breath, leaning back in his seat.

"Okay. We got lucky. This is manageable." Soonyoung sighs, rubbing his face in relief with his clean hand.

"What do you mean lucky?" Hansol asks, "How is having one of the Nine Daughters around lucky?"

"Lucky as in, this should be easy to solve. Jiwoo only feeds every ten years or so. Only when absolutely necessary. She hasn't kept a man in centuries. Not since Matthew. As far as I know, he's the only one she's ever kept."

"Matthew, her roommate?" Jihoon says, blinking in surprise, "Wait, Matthew is centuries old? But he's not a - "

"A demon or a witch. No, he's human." Soonyoung says, "One that's very, very old and can do magic. As a witch, I have my own magic. He doesn't, he borrows from Jiwoo. He's a pet. Jiwoo keeps him young and by her side. They're lovers, have been since she decided to keep him. True love, he said once."

"Huh." Jihoon says, leaning back on his seat. "So then she's trying to keep Jeonghan?"

"Either she's planning on keeping him like she keeps Matthew or it's feeding time for her." Soonyoung mutters mostly to himself. He bites his lip before he looks at Jihoon intently, "This guy... He's not bad right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Jiwoo... she doesn't just feed on any man. She's very... specific. Like I said, she only feeds when she needs to and the men she feeds on... They're all bad. Really bad." Soonyoung stresses, staring at Jihoon intently.

Jihoon blinks at Soonyoung, understanding coloring his face, "No! He's not bad at all!"

Soonyoung raises an eyebrow in surprise, "Really?"

"Yes, really."

"What does he do?"

"Well, he works at the same place as Hansol."

"Oh, word?" Hansol asks, leaning forward eagerly, "What's his name?"

"Jeonghan Yoon."

"Oh... Him." Hansol sighs, "Tall, thin, brunette bimbo. A pretty boy. Annoying, but nothing bad. Awkward, clumsy, stubborn, but he doesn't go out of his way to make other's life hard. He's surprisingly bitter. I called him an airhead once and he's hated me since."

"Oh... As far as I know everyone in the neighborhood loves him. All the housewives talk wonders of him to me. He's wonderful with kids, with new people, he likes cats." Jihoon says.

"He can be charming." Hansol admits reluctantly, "When he wants to be."

There's an awkward silence as everyone ponders the situation.

How did Jihoon not know? How did this happen? Can they save Jeonghan? What exactly does Jiwoo want with Jeonghan? To eat him? To keep him?

"I thought Jiwoo was a tier three. I thought she just wanted to eat." Jihoon sighs, "I wanted to handle it by myself, I didn't think she was a tier one until she read my mind. She did a good job of passing as a tier three demon. I would've told you sooner if I had known she was a tier one, or a Daughter for that matter."

"Would you have told me there was a tier one demon in your neighborhood if she wasn't after the guy you like?"

"... Of course I would've!"

Soonyoung gives him a pointed stare, a disappointed stare, and Jihoon knows that Soonyoung knows him too well to lie like this.

"Okay, I wouldn't of had. I would've tried to handle it. But then I realized she was after Jeonghan and I don't want him to die. So I called for help. I am willing to get help and why would I get help from anyone when I have you, Soonyoung Kwon, my best friend, to help me?" Jihoon trails off, eyes not meeting Soonyoung's. He's horrible, he knows, only reaching out for help when someone he cares about is in danger, "Now it turns out she's one of the Nine Daughters. I'm in over my head. And nobody - nobody - can help me other than you. You're the strongest witch I know."

Soonyoung preens at the praise, "Okay, that makes things better. You're lucky that you're my best friend and that I love you very much."

"Babe, you shouldn't be this easy." Hansol says, rubbing tiredly at his eyes.

"Oh, please as if you wouldn't do the same for Seungkwan."

Hansol shrugs, "At least I huff about it instead of purr like a cat the moment he praises me."

"Hey, hey - it's not bad that I like reassurance from my best friend that he loves me."

Hansol just shrugs, turning his face away. Soonyoung frowns but doesn't continue to argue.

"Alright, so he's not a bad guy. So we don't know exactly what she plans on doing with him." Soonyoung says, rubbing his face, "We're gonna have to talk to her."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Jihoon says, "Talk to her? She'll try to kill us!"

"Not me, at least. We know each other."

"What about us then?" Hansol asks, scandalized. "Do we not matter?

"Oh, you'll be fine." Soonyoung reassures, "I'll protect you, babe."

"You know her?" Jihoon asks, "Since when?"

Soonyoung rises to his feet, waving a hand dissmisively. "We crossed paths once or twice. She's excellent to talk to."

"That's insane. Is it allowed to be friendly with them? She's one of the Nine Daughters."

"Yeah, one who had to become one, one who only ever kills men when she needs to feed, one who found her soulmate and decided to keep him even if she has to run away from her sisters every time they find her." Soonyoung says gently, placing a hand on Jihoon's shoulder, "If this guy really is good and she's trying to feed, I'll talk her out of it. Peacefully, preferably, but I will do what I must. I've know her to be agreeable, so it shouldn't be too hard. If he's not a good person, then... I will look the other way."

Jihoon glares at his best friend, opening his mouth to argue but Soonyoung stares back just as hard.

"She only feeds on horrible people, Jihoon. Abusive people. People with no morals and no sympathy towards others. We can't be sure he's a good person. I believe... Jiwoo is not inherently bad. Not like the other Daughters, at least."

Jihoon looks down in shame. It doesn't matter if Jihoon has only seen Jiwoo's bad side, he can't help but trust everything Soonyoung says. So, if Soonyoung says that Jiwoo isn't all that bad, that she must have a reason to be doing what she is, then he will trust. "Alright, sorry."

"Don't apologize. C'mon, let's see if we can solve this."

-

Jeonghan leaves his room with shame in his heart, sticky hands, and shaking legs. He washes his hands, cleans his room and tries to calm down.

Jeonghan's heart has not slowed down since Jihoon left his house. His faces turns an embarrassing shade of red whenever he thinks about Jihoon.

He cooks dinner with shaky hands and sweaty palms, stomach full of butterflies. It's like he's in middle school again, noticing for the first time how mean girls can be and how bossy boys can get.

It's pretty embarrassing.

He eats but doesn't taste anything, he blinks when his eyes burn because he's been staring at his tv for a while. He looks at the tv but doesn't see anything.

When he finally comes back to himself, he notices it's gotten dark. His living room is full of shadows that fill him with unease so he turns on the lamp next to the couch.

7:36 p.m.

Should I text him? What should I say?

Jeonghan fumbles with his phone, deleting and writing his message until he settles for a simple 'thank you for you help today'.

He waits for a reply. And waits. And waits and waits and waits.

7:39 p.m.

Jeonghan leaves his phone on the cofee table and tries to focus on his tv.

He can't. He can't! He has the small urge to go to the window and peek through his blinds just to see if Jihoon is still at home or whatever, but it feels like it'd be pathetic of him to do that.

Eight p.m. turns into nine p.m., which turns into ten p.m. and Jeonghan feels a little sad he never got a reply.

He shuts his tv off and does go to his window to peek at Jihoon's home before heading to bed. He can't see very well. It's abnormally dark even for ten at night.

All of Jihoon's lights are off. Not even his porch light is on. The other neighbors have all their lights off, too. It's strange. Maybe he should call Jihoon, to check if he's alright.

No. No, that'd be a little clingy. Maybe he freaked out because of how close I got to him today. Oh, god. I made him uncomfortable didn't I?

Jeonghan backs away from the window and breathes in deeply.

I'll apologize when I see him again. Everything is okay.

He comes back to the window and notices that it's gotten even darker, almost impossible to see past his porch steps. It makes Jeonghan tense. He checks his phone again.

12 a.m.

Oh, no. Oh, no.

Jeonghan's breathing quickens. It had been ten at night just a few minutes ago. What's going on? Is it Jiwoo's doing? Is she coming to find him?

She can't touch you, remember? And she can't come in.

His fingers tremble as he dials Jihoon's number only for it to go straight to voicemail.

"." Jeonghan breathes, hands trembling harder. He dials Jihoon's number a few more time to no avail, his messages don't even send.

I'll have to go and find him.

He doesn't want to, but he feels scared. The thought of the sigil Jihoon drew on him reassures him a little, but he'd feel safer if Jihoon was with him.

Jeonghan leaves his house lamp on, opening the blinds slightly so he'll be able to see the light from outside. As he puts on his jackets and shoes, he decides not to turn on his phone's flashlight so he doesn't draw attention to himself. With house keys in pocket, Jeonghan steps out of his house and leaves his door unlocked just in case.

Jeonghan quietly makes his way across the street, lighting his path with the dim light of his phone's screen. He feels something brush his back and Jeonghan stumbles, whirling around to find nothing but darkness.

Jeonghan stares at nothing for a second before he turns back around.

Everything is quiet. So unnaturally quiet. No rustling of leaves from wind, no insects calling out, no babies crying, no cats meowing or dogs barking. There's nothing.

But he doesn't feel alone.

There's a car parked outside on the curb of Jihoon's home that Jeonghan sees fairly often which means one of Jihoon's friend is over.

He makes it to Jihoon's door and knocks. It sounds outrageously loud and Jeonghan flinches. He waits but no one answers. Jeonghan turns to his phone again.

12:09 a.m.

He dials Jihoon's number again.

Jeonghan hears nothing but the tone of Jihoon's voicemail. Cold sweat breaks out on his brow, heart beating furiously in his chest for a completely different reason from earlier.

He's in the middle of the street, on his way back to his house, when a clear voice breaks the silence around him, "Jiwoo, it's nice to see you again."

It comes from the direction of Jiwoo's home. And she's talking to someone.

Jeonghan follows the voices.

-

Jiwoo opens the door to her home after midnight.

Standing at her curb, in the darkness, is Soonyoung, Jihoon, and a man who she doesn't recognize.

"Jiwoo, it's nice to see you again." Soonyoung says, nodding his head at her. His voice rings out in the dead silence around them and Jihoon prays that Jeonghan is sleeping.

Jiwoo nods her head in return, "Soonyoung. It's been a while. I did not expect to find you here."

Jiwoo knows why he's there, had felt him the moment he protected Jihoon's property. She hadn't expected Jihoon to know him. Small world.

"I bet." Soonyoung smiles, not unkind, "I'm here to try and talk things out."

Jiwoo stays silent, eyes not leaving Soonyoung's. She steps down her porch and stands in her lawn.

"I've been told that you are trying to feed on a man from this neighborhood." Soonyoung starts, "And from what I know, the man is not... your usual type. I came to confirm if that's true. Perhaps you know something about him we don't."

"I cannot stop." Jiwoo says calmly, "I know he is not my usual type, I know he has done no harm, but it is too late for me to let him go."

"Jiwoo..." Soonyoung sighs, "He's an innocent man who has done no wrong. I cannot allow you to take him."

"I am on the final step, Soonyoung." Jiwoo continues, "You know - "

"I know, Jiwoo. I know, but this man is an innocent - "

"I'm sorry, but I need him." Jiwoo says, "I do not want him, he is not for me, but I need him. I cannot let him go. If I let him go, I will have to find someone else. I will be wasting time I do not have."

"Cut the bull. Why are you trying to take him - " Jihoon snaps.

"I am not speaking to you." Jiwoo says coldly, glaring at Jihoon. The man really is getting on her last nerve. Speaking to her as if she was a regular demon, touching her freely, getting in her way, "I do not have to explain myself to you, you are just a weak beginner who can't tell a tier three demon from a tier one demon, a weakling who can't tell a tier one demon from a Daughter. You pose no threat to me."

"Why are you trying to take this man, Jiwoo? Make me understand." Soonyoung's voice is gentle and Jiwoo's gaze returns to him.

"... I was caught by one of my sisters. The Fifth." Jiwoo says slowly, "She caught up to me and, as you know, none of my sisters approve of Matthew. They want him gone. It does not matter if Mother approves, or does not care - they do. They care, they do not approve. And so the Fifth caught up to me. I had to defend Matthew. I would never let any of them harm him. I protected what is mine. She died trying to hurt him."

Soonyoung stares at Jiwoo, shocked, "You... the Fifth? You - "

"I killed her. I killed my sister." Jiwoo says, hands clenched at her side, "She was injured. My intention was not to kill her. I just wanted to be able to leave with Matthew intact. But she kept getting back up, over and over and over again. She got up one last time and tried to hurt him again and she was already so weak, but she would not stay down."

Soonyoung takes a deep breath. "I bet your mother was not pleased."

"No, she was not." Jiwoo agrees, "She found me with ease once she found out. I thought I had lost, I thought it was over. But she gave me a chance.

"She knows I do not delight in taking innocents to keep like she does, like all my sisters do. She knows I only ever feed the scum of the earth and even then I only do it when necessary. She knows this, but she said she would overlook my tantrum if I gave her something pretty for her birthday."

"But she doesn't - "

"Have a birthday. I know. She just wants to play with me. She wants to remind me that I am at her mercy, that I should only ever worry about her getting in my way. She wants to remind me that she is Mother. And you know her, she likes collecting pretty things. I had to choose between an innocent and Matthew, and we all know who I picked, who I'll always pick. So I looked. And I found Jeonghan. So, if you want him so much," Jiwoo spits angrily, "you'll have to take him from me."

Jiwoo can feel Matthew come to stand behind her.

"I don't want to fight you, Jiwoo." Soonyoung says, frown on his face, "This will only - "

"No, not you." Jiwoo says, raising her hand to silence Soonyoung. Her gaze shifts and she points at Jihoon, "You."