Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jisoo tapped his fingers against the desk rhythmically. Across from him sat Boo Seungkwan, one of his favorite dongsaeng, an insider who befriended the whole campus since day one. Though Jisoo loved the younger to death, Seungkwan made some of the most unreasonable request at times. Perhaps, this was a testament to how close their friendship is.

"Love potion," Jisoo repeated.

"Love potion," Seungkwan affirmed.

The last tap of his finger is particularly louder, faltering Seungkwan's smile.

"Boo Seungkwan, you... what are you planning this time?"

The accused raised his hand defensively. "Hyung, hyung. Listen to me first. I know how it works. The feeling will be temporary and fake. I know you can't get anyone really fall in love with that."

Love potions are considered borderline illegal and highly dangerous. It causes the drinker to romantically obsess over the person who gave them the potion. However, true love cannot be produced through artificial means, and thus the feeling love potions created is more like obsession than affection. Most importantly, the effect is only temporary and would wear off over time, lasting merely 24 hours.

"If you know, then why?"

Seungkwan visibly wilted, shrinking into the sofa of Jisoo's apartment. "I... I just need a reassurance, hyung. There's someone I really like, but I'm sure he just sees me as a friend. Trust me, I have done everything."

Except for confessing your feelings directly, Jisoo commented internally.

"We've been good friends for a while, so I don't want to mess this up. I don't want to confess blindly without any reassurance. I don’t want to destroy our relationship without making sure first."

Jisoo sighed, crossing his arms. "Seungkwan, you do know the receiver will remember, right? They might not realize they're drugged by a love potion, but after the effect wears off, they'll be wondering why they're obsessed with you yesterday."

Seungkwan nodded ferociously. "That's exactly what I'm aiming for. I want to force him to think of me in a romantic way. Of course, he'll be confused, but then he'll definitely see me in a different light. It's a start, hyung. I want him to be interested in me."

If kneeling works, Seungkwan would be licking Jisoo's feet already.

Jisoo's eyebrows were still scrunched together, showing clear displease at the crazy idea. The effort in creating the love potion was nothing as compared to the repercussion Seungkwan or the receiver might get. Jisoo was more afraid of Seungkwan screwing this up and regretting it more than anything else.

"I'm just this desperate, hyung. Please,” Seungkwan pleaded.

His eyes travelled to the assortment of items currently placed on the coffee table, offerings from Seungkwan. Jisoo's favorite bubble milk tea, Jisoo's favorite bottle of wine, Jisoo's favorite taco, Jisoo's favorite pudding, and least but not last, obsidian brier and griffin ichor.

"From where did you get those?"

Seungkwan winked. "I have my ways and connections, hyung. Just take it."

Yes, Seungkwan was this desperate.

Unlike his friends within the same circle, Jisoo wasn't fond of bad ideas. He wasn’t much of a daredevil and would rather keep it civil. Once again, his gaze captured Seungkwan's pleading eyes.

"Fine."

Before Seungkwan could jump at him, Jisoo stopped him.

"Before that. I want to make sure you know any side effects or repercussions that can come out of this. Not the potion, but your action. If this person finds out, they won't take this lightly. It's a crime, Seungkwan."

The part siren nodded solemnly. "I come here asking for your favor knowing full well, Jisoo-hyung. I'm prepared."

Okay. Okay.

Jisoo took a deep breath. "Give me four, no, five weeks to prepare the ingredients. I want you to think it through again and again for these five weeks. If you're still up to it, bring me a few strands of your hair and their hair. After that, I'll start the brewing for one week. So, in total, six weeks. Five weeks for you to reconsider things."

"Okay. Trust me, I won't change my mind."

"Alright, but I’m still giving you time. Just take it and think about it."

Seungkwan scooted closer, giving Jisoo a look of extreme adoration and respect. "I'm taking it graciously, Jisoo-hyung. Tell me if you need anything. I'll help you."

"Don’t worry. I must check the quality of the ingredients myself. Had to be extra careful for my friend's future partner, right?"

"Hyung."

"What?"

"Have I told you I love you so much and that you're the best hyung ever?"

Jisoo winced, edging away from the sofa. "You can stop buttering up to me."

"But I'm not," the younger whined in his shrill voice, perhaps considering it to be a cute gesture. It was not. "Hyung, I really love you, really really love you so much!"

"Nope, nope, wait—"

Before Jisoo could evade, Seungkwan tackled him off the sofa.

"Cheollie, do you know anyone close to Seungkwan recently?"

Seungcheol glanced up momentarily from his phone. "Close? Seungkwan is friends with everyone. Be more specific."

Jisoo nudged at the part werewolf in disappointment. “As in they're not that close with Seungkwan before, but now they are hanging out more. Just someone who is much, much closer with Seungkwan recently. Just give me any names that come into your mind.”

Giving time for Seungcheol to think, Jisoo watched the falling leaves adorning the sight around them, and the sound they made whenever he stepped on them, the crunchiness was somewhat satisfying. The weather felt right, not too sunny and not too cloudy, making the campus’ vibes much cozier.

Eventually, Seungcheol gave a vague answer to him. "Honestly, he has a lot of friends so I don’t know who exactly you’re asking for. Maybe Chan? But they have been close for a while too. Jungwoo, maybe? Oh, wait.” A lightbulb lit up on Seungcheol’s head. “It's Jeonghan. He's recently close with Jeonghan."

Jisoo froze, not expecting that name at all. "Jeonghan?"

"Yeah. The theatre club is preparing for a play, so they've been together around campus recently."

"Oh… I never knew that."

"Well, I’m not surprised since you and Jihoon locked yourself in the lab basically 24/7,” Seungcheol teased him, grinning playfully.

Sometimes, Jisoo was thankful Seungcheol was somewhat oblivious because he didn’t catch how Jisoo’s expression fell back then. Jisoo returned his grin. "At least I'm not spending 24/7 at the gym like you do."

"Hey!"

Jisoo laughed at Seungcheol’s pouty expression. Seungcheol tried to get back at him by bumping into Jisoo’s shoulder with his werewolf strength, literally pushing Jisoo away with such a great force that he almost stumbled into the ground. Jisoo stared at Seungcheol in shock. This man had no awareness of his muscle strength at all.

"You gorilla!" Jisoo snapped at him accusingly.

“That’s why don’t play with me or I can accidentally send you flying, Soo-yah,” Seungcheol chuckled, tugging Jisoo back to walk next to him. He reached out to take off a stray leaf stuck on Jisoo’s black locks. “So, why are you asking that weird question? Anything wrong with Seungkwan and Jeonghan?”

"No, I’m just wondering..."

Of course, Seungkwan's request of making a love potion was a secret from anyone. Jisoo wouldn’t tell Seungcheol the entire truth behind his question.

At that time, the unsettling feeling in Jisoo’s stomach was too faint and weak that he brushed it off as nothing. It should've been the first sign, but Jisoo failed to notice it.

Jisoo turned the timer to fifteen minutes and set it down on the laboratory table.

The Third Potions Laboratory was empty aside from him. Currently, he was the only student brewing there, the bubbling cauldron and voices from the hallway outside filling the silence of the room. As he waited for the cauldron to do their own magic, Jisoo took his phone out and scrolled through his notification.

Once he had nothing else to do to kill time, naturally, his mind reverted to the conversation he had with Seungcheol this morning.

It wasn’t confirmed yet, but the target of Seungkwan's love potion was probably Jeonghan.

Yoon Jeonghan, an undergraduate student in the same batch with him and Seungcheol.

He was definitely famous around the campus, not only because of how unfairly good-looking he is, that people were confused whether to call him handsome or beautiful, but also because of how charming his personality is. There is this special charm of his that captivated the eyes of the people around him. He is smart and not only just by his grade, but he’s capable of doing anything efficiently and looking effortlessly good at that. He is friendly, kind, outgoing, sometimes playful and teasing, just the kind of person that would attract people towards him. Everyone is drawn to him, everyone wants to know him—including Jisoo.

Jisoo set his phone down, gnawing on his lips without realizing it. Undeniably, he had a little crush on Jeonghan. Who wouldn't have a crush on such a charming person as him?

Some people blamed Jeonghan’s vampire blood for this. Vampires are naturally gifted with their otherworldly look and they sometimes exude this superior, dominating aura that attracted the people around them, be it on purpose or not. Jisoo knew this wasn’t the case with Jeonghan.

He had interacted with the vampire a few times because of a mutual friend, and although Jisoo was flustered around him at first, interacting with Jeonghan himself dispelled any crooked first impression. Yes, Jeonghan is good-looking, but he is more than that. Jisoo enjoyed talking to him, finding his laughs enjoyable and his jokes ridiculous, and he is much more playful and wittier than Jisoo first expected. His personality is way more charming than his appearance.

No, no, no. Jisoo wiped the thoughts away quickly.

The more he contemplated it, the more he would embarrassingly admit he had more than just a little crush on Jeonghan.

But Seungkwan...

If Seungkwan really liked Jeonghan, to the point of resorting to an underhanded tactic, practically begging and groveling at Jisoo's feet for a love potion... how could Jisoo refuse him?

Jisoo had no objection. He was barely friends with Jeonghan anyway, merely acquaintances, a friend of a friend he casually talked to once in a while. Compared to how desperate Seungkwan is, what Jisoo had is a simple, fleeting crush.

This feelings would go away once the timer rang and the potion was done brewing.

Or so, he believed.

Seungkwan: Hyung

Seungkwan: I'm sure

Seungkwan: 100%

Ever since Jisoo told Seungkwan to reconsider his request, Seungkwan started messaging him every day without fail, reaffirming his decision. It had been three days in a row now. Jisoo wondered if Seungkwan would remain consistent in sending the message at the end of the fifth week. He highly doubted so.

His fingers paused, hovering above the screen.

In a spur of the moment, Jisoo typed and sent, "so who is it that you like?"

The respond came straight away, his phone buzzing at every message he received from Seungkwan.

Seungkwan: Hyung...

Seungkwan: Seriously?

Seungkwan: If you’re watching me properly, then you can definitely tell

Seungkwan: Everyone knows

Seungkwan: I’m disappointed in you

Seungkwan: Do you really have no interest in me, hyung?

Jisoo scowled, narrowing his eyes.

Oh wow, what an amazing response to someone you have asked the greatest favor ever. If this wasn’t Jisoo but Seungcheol, Seungkwan would be roasted to death.

"Jisoo, hey!"

A voice interrupted Jisoo’s thought—and it was such an unexpected voice that Jisoo’s heartbeat spiked almost immediately and he fumbled, locking his phone and tucking it away as fast as possible. The owner of the voice came into view, matching his pace once he caught up with Jisoo.

Jeonghan smiled brightly at him—almost bewitching Jisoo. "Going to class?"

"Yeah. You too?" Jisoo hoped his tone sounded natural.

"Yep. Haven't seen you with Seokmin recently. Too busy?"

There was a time where Jisoo would spend time with Seokmin, helping out with his band stuff and other projects, and Jeonghan would be there too. Seokmin was their mutual junior who needed a lot of help because of how clumsy and careless he was sometimes. It was a total of three times. Jisoo actually counted each one of them carefully.

"Yeah, a little. You know, projects and stuffs,” Jisoo laughed awkwardly. He paused once he remembered something important, and he started rummaging through his bag. "Oh, you're going to class with Seungcheol later, right? Can you pass this to him?" He handed Jeonghan two glass vials.

"Potions?" Jeonghan observed them curiously. "What is this for?"

“It's a request from Cheollie. One to resist sleep and the other to extend breathing underwater.”

“Whoa. What is he going to do?”

Jisoo shrugged. “I think you would know it better. He says it's a bet for the soccer club.”

“Oh, right. I told him that if I scored more than him in our next match, I would throw his expensive waterproof watch into the pool. It was a joke, of course, but Choi Seungcheol took our competition way too seriously,” Jeonghan chuckled, and Jisoo was surprised that such a simple noise alone sounded so pleasant, making him feel giddy in his stomach.

They arrived at the point where they would separate ways since The Faculty of Magic’s building and the Faculty of Law, Social, and Political Sciences’ building were on two different side of the campus.

Jisoo chastised the bubbling disappointment in his chest. Stupid him and his crush. This was nothing but a simple, friendly, coincidental walk before class. Nothing more, nothing special.

He began, "Well then, I’ll see you later—"

"Wait, Jisoo," Jeonghan stopped him and Jisoo was never this eager to turn around. "Can I ask you to brew a potion?"

Jisoo paused momentarily. "Sure?"

"You sound unsure."

"I have to know what kind of potion first."

Jeonghan smiled at him, and Jisoo felt weak again. "Nothing weird, I promise."

The waiting intensified Jisoo's nerves tenfold. Jeonghan, the crush he was vehemently trying to cast away, was asking him for a favor. His next words thoroughly knocked out Jisoo.

"Can you make me a love potion?"

"Jisoo-hyung. Are you astral projecting?"

Jisoo’s only response to his sharp-tongued roommate was a long, exaggerated, exhale.

Jihoon leaned over to see the pages Jisoo was reading, as well as the notes sprawled all over the coffee table. He gave a baffled expression laced with disbelief. “Love potion? In this day and age? Jisoo-hyung, what the hell are you making? Who asked for this?”

Jisoo mumbled incoherently, burying his face deeper into the couch.

"Hey, hurry and tell me," Jihoon pressed.

"Boo Seungkwan."

Jihoon was an exception. Sooner or later, he would hex the answer out of Jisoo if he was hiding a secret as obvious as this.

Now it was Jihoon's turn to sigh. "Why are you always brewing potions for him?"

This wasn’t the first time Seungkwan asked him for a potion. Potion to see in the dark, potion to resist sleep, potion to make voice louder, potion to ease someone’s nerves, potion to help focus—the list went on and on. However, this was the first time Seungkwan requested for a potion in such a serious manner, without any hint of playfulness behind it. The way Jisoo yielded to his request spoke volumes on how kind the older was.

“So, who’s going to drink that potion?”

Jisoo felt a lump in his throat. “I don't know… maybe someone he’s close with recently. Probably Jeonghan."

"Huh? Jeonghan? How so?" Jihoon blinked, staring ridiculously at Jisoo's messy hair.

"Seungcheol says they're close recently."

"Did Seungkwan say it himself?"

"Seungkwan didn't tell me. He said it's obvious and I should've known it simply by watching him."

"Then you should do so."

Jisoo lifted his head up, finally meeting the younger wizard’s gaze. "Huh?"

"Because I'm pretty sure it's not Jeonghan. It's someone else," Jihoon stated firmly as he crossed his arms, gaze as sharp and straightforward as always.

"But..."

The truth was, Jisoo knew Jihoon was right. It was probably not Jeonghan. Jisoo had no evidence apart from that one thing Seungcheol said. But now the whole situation had escalated further because Jeonghan himself requested a love potion.

The shocking declaration left Jisoo speechless.

"We'll talk about this later, okay? I'll chat with you," Jeonghan said earlier that day, before they separated ways because of class.

Just thirty minutes ago, he received a chat from Jeonghan.

Jeonghan: So, about the love potion

Jeonghan: Are you free tomorrow?

Jisoo: Yes, I’m free

Jisoo: I have class until 3

Jeonghan: I have theatre practice until 5

Jeonghan: Is 5 okay?

Jisoo: Sure ^^

Jeonghan: Alright

Jeonghan: Let’s meet up at 5 in heaven’s cloud

Jeonghan: It will be my treat

Jisoo: Alright, see you there

Jeonghan: Oh wait, you can come over and watch too

Jeonghan: If you’re free, come and watch our practice

Jeonghan: Kwan and sol will be there

Jeonghan: Soonyoung minghao too

Jeonghan: It’ll be fun!

This was where Jisoo stopped responding and started debating on whether to come or not.

There were two questions haunting his mind right now. One, who is Seungkwan's love potion intended for and two, who is Jeonghan's love potion intended for? Love potion this and love potion that. The main source of his concern was an inanimate object that had yet to be created by his own two hands.

Jihoon's statement made up his mind.

By coming to their theatre practice and watching it directly, Jisoo would have the answer to the first question. By meeting up with Jeonghan in the evening, Jisoo would have the answer to the second question. By the end of the day, he would know the answer to both questions.

Jisoo: Sure, I'll come

Jisoo: See you tomorrow

Jeonghan: See you ^^

Jeonghan: Don't sleep too late

Jisoo: You too ^^

Jisoo's heart was leaping out of his chest. The power of a single message from your crush was really scary. He clutched his chest helplessly, hoping to calm himself down, and he set the phone down without overreacting or anything.

Just bear with it, Hong Jisoo.

He would have his answers by tomorrow.

Jisoo peeked through the entrance of the auditorium. There were a few members of the theater club bunched together near the stage, and Jisoo was hesitant to interrupt them. Although Seungkwan did tell him to walk in comfortably, it was easier said than done. Jisoo was a second away towards bailing out when someone caught him first.

Thankfully, it wasn’t a stranger but only Minghao. “Hyung, so you really did come.”

The moment Jisoo stepped in with Minghao, Seungkwan noticed him and piped up energetically, quickly approaching Jisoo with his lively hops. “Hyung! Is that my americano? And have I told you I love you very much?”

“Did you just make Jisoo-hyung your errand boy?” Minghao frowned, chastising the part siren.

“No, of course not! Jisoo-hyung is the one who offered to buy it.” Seungkwan made a beeline towards his drink, pausing when he noticed the other plastic bag on Jisoo’s hold. “Hyung, did you buy drinks for everyone?”

The witch nodded, giving a sheepish smile. “Just colas and sprites, though. The americano is because you specifically requested it. Here, share it with everyone.” Jisoo handed them over and Seungkwan accepted them gratefully.

“You can sit anywhere and watch us, hyung. Thank you for this! I’ll make sure to give it to the others and make them thank you!”

Before Jisoo could even say that Seungkwan didn’t have to do that, the siren was already running back to his group. Jisoo was only doing this to be polite, so it would be embarrassing if they started thanking him.

When Seungkwan presented the small gifts to the theatre members, some of them looked at Jisoo in acknowledgement, offering a friendly wave or a nod. There were a few familiar faces Jisoo recognized, including Jeonghan, who flashed him an unfairly charming smile and making the weird feeling in his stomach return.

“I’ll be working over there, so feel free to drop by if you’re bored by their rehearsal. Maybe you can give us a hand or two,” Minghao said, pointing towards the side entrance of the auditorium, where the logistic teams were busy making props and painting backgrounds.

Eventually, Jisoo awkwardly settled on the third-row seat near the edge. There were a few people sitting in the very first front row, and Jisoo figured out that they must be the theatre directors and writers, instructing the cast to start their practice run.

He didn’t hold any interest in theatre or plays, but it was fascinating to see a group of people being immersed in their practice. They were collectively investing their time and effort in this and it was clearly shown through their team dynamic.

Soonyoung was as Soonyoung as ever and Seungkwan was as Seungkwan as ever. Whenever the self-proclaimed tiger missed his lines for being too excited, Seungkwan reprimanded him. On the other hand, when it was Seungkwan’s turn to make a mistake, he overreacted, apologizing profusely for destroying the play. Both of them were more or less in the same breed of being too dramatic.

Then there was Jeonghan, the stable ground of the cast. He didn’t need to be as bold as Soonyoung or as expressive as Seungkwan to make his presence known. During the run, he was attentive towards the whole cast, occasionally helping by signaling them when it wasa their turn. If he made a mistake, he would laugh sheepishly, offering a sweet apology to the team before moving on.

Jisoo noticed Seungkwan had been falling into the same mistake again and again. Even from far away, the souring of his mood was quite detectable. Seungkwan looked guilty for wasting their time until Jeonghan finally stepped in, placing a comforting hand on the younger’s shoulder, encouraging him. The change happened in an instant. Seungkwan visibly relaxed, and even though the guilt was still clear in his conflicted eyes, they managed to continue and finished the run adequately.

The chemistry between them was unquestionable. Jeonghan was supporting Seungkwan attentively, while Seungkwan drew out the playful side of Jeonghan, both exchanging what seemed to be a joke between their breaks. The exchange of gaze, smile, and laugh between them was too familiar—too comfortable.

If this wasn’t a confirmation, Jisoo didn’t know what was.

The pang on his chest was too noticeable to be ignored. Jisoo exhaled, letting go of his clenched fist. He didn’t need to be reminded of the question he was haunted with and the situation he was trapped in. He should go somewhere, at least not here, not staying any longer and basically confirming his jealousy towards Jeonghan. With a heavy, throbbing heart, Jisoo swallowed the lump on his throat and moved towards the side of the auditorium, finding Hansol and Minghao working on a stage prop together.

“Hi, hyung,” Hansol greeted him, waving with his large paint brush.

Jisoo blinked, taken aback when he processed Hansol’s light brown hair. It was a completely unexpected change. Hansol, who used to have his dark brown hair for ages, now had it in a lighter brown shade, giving him a fluffier and younger look.

“Sollie, your hair looks so good,” Jisoo breathed in amazement.

Hansol held a strand of his hair, rubbing it together between his fingers. “It’s so dry, though. I had it blonde yesterday, but it didn’t look good since the bleach damaged it too much. That’s why I decided to go with this color.”

“Did you take a photo of it? It must have looked good.” Jisoo crouched next to Hansol, leaning to see his hair closer. “Did you dye it yourself? You did a great job with it. Everything looks clean and neat.”

“No, Seungkwan helped me do it, both with the bleach and the dye. He said he can’t trust me doing it on my own.”

Jisoo chuckled. Of course, Seungkwan had been babying Hansol since forever, much to the latter’s occasional displease.

“You should try dyeing your hair too, Jisoo-hyung,” Minghao commented.

“Me? You know I can temporarily change my hair color with a potion, right?”

“You and your obsession with potions…”

The older laughed at the cute, exasperated reaction from Minghao. “Anyways, I’m quite bored here. Anything I can help with?”

What started with a simple question derived from half courtesy and half boredom resulted in Jisoo helping them for more than an hour. He helped Hansol with taping and shaping carton boxes, as well as collaborating with Minghao on painting the sky for their background.

The team was completely task-focused, barely noticing that the practice had ended.

"Whoa, why are you helping, hyung? Hey, Minghao, why are you troubling Jisoo-hyung!" Seungkwan nagged as soon as he arrived.

Minghao shot him a look. “Says the one who made him buy an americano. Plus, Jisoo-hyung offered first.”

“Jisoo-hyung also offered to buy my americano.”

Jisoo was about to comment on their bickering, but he caught sight of Jeonghan walking towards him and he immediately panicked. Jeonghan’s smile was dangerous for Jisoo’s poor heart and he wasn’t ready for it.

The vampire sat cross-legged next to Jisoo and he looked somewhat apologetic. “You know I didn’t invite you to come just to make you work, right?”

“Don’t worry, I’m free. Plus, Minghao does seems like he need help.”

It was quite known that Jisoo had a soft spot for Minghao, both sharing the same fate of foreigners studying abroad. Scratch that, Jisoo had a soft spot for everyone, especially his friends who are younger than him. He was just this kind.

Jeonghan noticed something, suddenly bringing his face closer to Jisoo’s, leaving merely a few inches between them. Jisoo had never seen Jeonghan’s face this close, and he held his breath as Jeonghan lifted up his hand, his palm cupping Jisoo’s cheek and his thumb swiping something off Jisoo’s face. 

Jisoo felt himself melting from the simple touch alone.

“There’s paint on your cheek, but they’re dry already.” Jeonghan’s voice was so close to his ears and Jisoo’s mind spun. “Wait here, I’ll get you a tissue.”

Jisoo took his sweet time comprehending what had happened, hopefully gathering himself before Jeonghan returned. He failed his task successfully, still a flustering mess as Jeonghan came back with a pack of wet tissue. Instead of offering the wet tissue to Jisoo, Jeonghan once again invaded Jisoo’s personal space, not that Jisoo was complaining, holding a sheet of wet tissue up against Jisoo’s cheek. Jeonghan’s other free hand sneaked behind Jisoo’s neck to hold him still.

Everywhere Jeonghan touched him tingles. As much as he would like to, Jisoo tried not to close his eyes. It would be painfully obvious and awkward if he did. Their current situation was quite conflicting, honestly. Jisoo wanted this intimate moment to be over and not over at the same time. He prayed the blush painted on his cheek wasn’t that obvious.

“And we’re done,” Jeonghan pulled away, satisfied with his work.

The thundering in his heartbeat was too loud, causing a delay in Jisoo’s response. “T—thank you.”

"It's five now. So, should we go?"

“Huh? But Seungkwan says you have a meeting after this.”

"It’s okay it’s just a short briefing, like a wrap up for the day, so I can skip it. And I made a promise with you, so that’s more important than this," Jeonghan told him, standing up and straightening himself, before offering a hand for Jisoo to take.

"Are you sure it’s okay?"

"Don't worry, come on.”

The encouraging smile gracing Jeonghan’s lips was too captivating to be refused.

So, Jisoo took Jeonghan’s hand and let himself be pulled.

Chapter Text

Heaven’s Cloud was a café right outside of university, and it was one of the most frequented spots for students to go to when they have breaks between classes. It had been a while for Jisoo, though. Unlike his first and second year of university, now Jisoo would rather spend time in his apartment, if only he wasn’t brewing potions in the laboratory.

"What do you want to drink? It's my treat,” Jeonghan offered, putting his face in front of Jisoo’s to catch his attention.

Jisoo tried so hard not to instinctively draw back. "Um, vanilla latte."

“Alright. Go ahead and find a seat first.”

Picking a seat near the corner, Jisoo sat down and watched as Jeonghan ordered their drinks at the cashier. It wasn’t surprising at all to see Jeonghan chatting in a familiar manner with the baristas and waiters there, and he even waved at some of the other students sitting at a nearby table. He was famous and very sociable, after all. A lot of people knew and were friendly with him.

Again, Jisoo felt this twisted feeling resurfacing inside of him—a feeling he wanted so badly to get rid of.

Jeonghan soon brought their drinks and sat in front of Jisoo. “So, how is our practice today?”

“It’s amazing. I think it’s great.”

“Really, you think so?”

The way Jeonghan perked up encouraged Jisoo to give more details, so he nodded reassuringly. “Yeah, you guys are really good, especially Soonyoung and Seungkwan. Once they stopped joking around, they’re like a completely different person.”

“What about me?” Jeonghan suddenly showed a small pout.

“Of course, you’re good too,” Jisoo added hastily, feeling the blush return. “You’re amazing. I can’t believe this is your first play.”

Jeonghan laughed at how Jisoo took his teasing seriously. “Thanks. Well, it’s not exactly my thing either, but Seungkwan begged for me to be in the play just this once. He said I’ll be able to attract a lot of audience and help the club get out of a sticky situation. To be honest, I’ve fallen quite deep into it. This might not be the only time I help out.”

Jisoo wasn’t sure how to react to that. Seungkwan asked Jeonghan to help with the play this one time, and Jeonghan said he would probably do more in the future. It was looking good for Seungkwan, just not for him—why is Jisoo even thinking about this?

“I'm also surprised by how high quality the props are. They're all handmade with amazing details," Jisoo quickly added, trying to direct his mind elsewhere.

"I know. Minghao is especially strict with the props and background. You know how he treats his art project with great care and having such high standards for himself. We’re a little behind the schedule, so thank you for helping out.”

Thinking about how dedicated and focused Minghao was brought a smile into Jisoo’s lips. “No problem, it’s fun for me too. Minghao actually did ask if I could help next week too. If I’m free, I’ll help out from time to time.”

“That sounds great, Jisoo.”

The way Jeonghan said his name with such a blinding smile was unfair.

Jisoo was excited at the prospect of seeing Jeonghan more often, but Jeonghan was probably only thinking about how an extra helping hand would help them chase the deadline. He had to remind himself not to get carried away. They were just friends, and Jeonghan was Seungkwan’s crush. There was no place for Jisoo at all. He should focus on why he came here to meet Jeonghan in the first place.

“So, uh, about the love potion…” Jisoo began.

“Oh, right.”

Be professional, Jisoo reminded himself. Currently, he was advising someone who is not familiar with the way witches and potions work.

“I’m going to explain to you about what love potions are and how they work. I don’t want you to get a misconception about them. I don’t advise you to use love potions because they can’t actually produce the true feeling of love. The most they do is induce a temporary feeling of obsession or attraction. Once the effect is gone, it will leave the drinker wondering what makes them feel that way for the last 24 hours or so. The potion is technically safe and wouldn’t leave a lasting effect, but it might affect your relationship with the drinker after the situation."

Jeonghan pursed his lips, his eyes fixated on the cup of americano on his side of the table. "I actually know more or less about their effect.” He paused, deciding on his words carefully. “I’m just curious. I want to know what it feels like to have their attention on me. I know it won’t change anything. I just…” When Jeonghan looked up, the shine in his eyes were almost said, yet his lips were smiling, telling Jisoo that he knew how pathetic this might’ve sounded. “You can say I’m just doing it on a whim."

Yoon Jeonghan, the Yoon Jeonghan that is loved by the entire student body, was hopelessly in love with someone who is apparently, according to him, out of his reach.

Jeonghan is in love with someone.

"Who is it for?" The question slipped out of Jisoo without thinking, his expression controlled and stiff.

"Do I have to tell you?"

Right. Jisoo was a nobody. He had no right to know who Jeonghan was actually in love with. That was a slap to Jisoo’s cheek. The feeling of Jeonghan’s touch was no longer there, leaving him with a stinging pain.

“No, no. Of course, you don’t have to tell me.” Jisoo felt weirdly empty now, but he forced himself to respond and smile.

Jisoo, be rational. Get a grip.

Jeonghan needed the sincerest, wisest advice Jisoo could give, and not the useless affection growing inside Jisoo. Within a split second, Jisoo came into an epiphany, holding onto himself tight, and made a decision.

What happened between Seungkwan and Jeonghan as well as what happened between Jeonghan and the person he likes didn’t matter to Jisoo. None of them did. What mattered was that they requested Jisoo a love potion and Jisoo would make sure they understand the weight of it thoroughly before coming into a decision. As a good friend, it is Jisoo’s duty not to cross the line more than necessary.

When Jisoo spoke again, his voice is firmer, eyes staring straight at Jeonghan without any hint of doubt. “If this person is important to you, I’d rather give you the advice of not making the love potion, especially when you’re not familiar with potions and their nature in the first place. You might not be prepared for any repercussions following after, especially your relationship with them.”

It was exactly the same advice he gave to Seungkwan, and Jisoo continued. “Anyway, it’s perfect timing, I’m actually gathering the ingredients for a love potion. I’ll give you four weeks to think, Jeonghan. Please think carefully if you really want to use the love potion or not.”

Finally, he ended with a smile, getting rid of any unnecessary feelings inside of him.

“Feel free to ask if there’s anything you’re curious about.”

Jisoo knew he hadn’t been sleeping well lately.

Whatever self-hypnosis he put on himself to stop thinking eventually wear off. Frankly, he had given up. There was no way to deal with this lingering feeling. They kept on reappearing at the surface, popping up like bubbles. Just as gathering ingredients and brewing potions needed time, Jisoo needed time before he could completely eradicate these feelings. It couldn’t be done in a single night.

Yes, time would do the trick. For now, he just had to bear with it.

Jisoo and his half-asleep state accidentally bumped into someone’s shoulder. Out of everyone he could run into in the campus ground, it had to be Jeonghan.

“Jisoo, are you okay?”

The witch murmured, rubbing his eyes sleepily. “Need coffee, I suppose.”

Jeonghan stifled a laugh, before patting Jisoo’s shoulders. “Come on, I’ll buy you coffee.”

At the offer, Jisoo completely woke up, the reality of who he was talking to finally sinking in. “Oh, no. No need to, that was just me and my sleep talk.”

“Well, you’re highly efficient, walking while sleeping at the same time. Come on, you helped Minghao yesterday. Let me at least get you coffee.”

“You treated me last time.”

“That was for the potion. This time is for helping us out.”

Turning it down would be rude, and Jisoo wanted to maintain at least a good image of a friend in front of his friend’s future boyfriend. If all things went well, then Jeonghan would be Seungkwan’s boyfriend. Well—Jisoo hoped things would go well between Seungkwan and Jeonghan.

“Just this once, okay?”

Jeonghan affirmed. “Just this once. Next time can be your treat.”

As they walked together, Jisoo let his mind drift away, staring at the bushes along the pathway absentmindedly. This way, he wouldn’t have to process the rapid beating in his heart and the clench in his stomach.

“You smell kind of like roses and mint,” Jeonghan commented, catching Jisoo’s attention.

Jisoo curiously sniffed himself. “I do? Maybe it’s the ingredients I’m working with.”

“Can witches tell what each other has been brewing yesterday based on the smell of their clothes alone?” Jeonghan wondered, tilting his head curiously.

The sudden question, which unknowingly to Jeonghan was extremely relatable to witches, made Jisoo laugh. “We do, actually. I can sometimes tell what Jihoon has been brewing the other day from the smell of lavender and fresh algae alone.”

“Fresh algae? It must’ve smelt fishy.”

A second wave of laughter, this time had Jisoo practically holding into his stomach and wheezing. He tried to explain it as best as he could to the confused Jeonghan in between his laughter. “You, oh my god—you just made a pun. Lavender and fresh algae is usually one of the ingredients made for an invisible potion. So, I guess, Jihoon making an invisible potion does smells fishy.”

The gears turned in Jeonghan’s head and he finally knew why Jisoo was literally dying from laughter. “Oh wow, I must be a genius in making pun without knowing the context.”

“You really are. You have talent for this.” Jisoo wiped the stray tears away with the sleeve of his cardigan. “Your pun woke me up completely.”

“Glad I could be of service,” Jeonghan said in a customer service kind of tone.

Jisoo explained after regaining his composure. “We usually use a perfume specifically made to neutralize our scent. We tend to work with a lot of ingredients with different smell. If they mix together and linger in our clothes, trust me, they won’t smell heavenly at all. I forgot to use mine today, so yes, roses and peppermint.”

Thank goodness he wasn’t dealing with a much more scandalous ingredient yesterday.

“Really? That’s convenient. So, it neutralizes any scents?”

“It does, aside from naturally body odor. I should be close to scentless after using it.”

Jeonghan tilted his head in wonder. “But usually, you smell of something floral.”

“I do?”

“Yeah, but not like roses. A softer floral tone. Also, a hint of vanilla and honey.”

“Do vampires have great smelling?” Jisoo blinked, unaware of such facts.

“Don’t lump us with werewolves. Our heightened senses are more into sight and hearing. We’re only sensitive to the smell of blood, not body odor like Seungcheol.”

Now that Jeonghan mentioned it, Seungcheol once mentioned Jisoo smelled like a combination of flower, honey, and vanilla. Exactly like how Jeonghan described it.

“Did you really smell it or did Seungcheol say it to you?”

“I did.”

“How?”

Jeonghan glanced at Jisoo and his gaze remained, making Jisoo overly conscious for the entire moment. It took all he had not to shrink under the vampire’s bewitching gaze.

“I wonder,” Jeonghan settled into that answer, returning his eyes on the road.

They finally reached the coffee truck and as they waited for their drinks, Jisoo unconsciously stared at Jeonghan’s side profile, secretly admiring his sculpted feature. Apparently, Jisoo didn’t realize himself how he wasn’t being not so subtle.

"Is something wrong?"

Jisoo’s heart leaped out at the sudden interruption. Him and his stupid mushy brain. "No, I'm just wondering. Didn’t you sometimes help out with committee work?”

"Yes, I did. Why?"

It was only to change the topic, but thinking about it, Jeonghan was indeed everywhere and all over the place. He knew Seungcheol, Mingyu, and Chan through soccer, knew Seungkwan, Soonyoung, Hansol, and Minghao through theatre, knew Jihoon, Wonwoo, and Jun through committee work. This was probably why he was more or less considered in the same circle of friends as Jisoo does.

"So, soccer club, theatre club, and also Seokmin’s band. Aren't you busy and overworked from doing too much?"

"Well, I’m not doing all of them at the same time. Right now, since I’m busy with theatre, I’m cutting on soccer practice until the play is over. And I only helped with the band and committee a few times, I didn’t do it as much.”

They were interrupted when their coffee was done. Jeonghan took the two cups and handed one over to Jisoo as he continued, “Anyway, my major is pretty much laidback so I have plenty of free time.”

Jeonghan was majoring in law, specializing in magical law enforcement, pretty much on an entirely different spectrum compared to Jisoo who is majoring in witchcraft, specializing in potions.

"Really? I don't think law is that easy."

"It isn't, but we don't have to lock ourself in the lab and watch the cauldron brew for hours."

Jisoo grinned sheepishly. "Exactly why I lost track of time."

Jeonghan’s expression turned to concern. "Seungkwan nagged about you a lot, you know. He said you always skip eating and drinking, and you just don’t sleep when you're in the ‘zone’, he said."

One of the perks of rooming with Jihoon was how their habits were similar. Once they were in deep focus, they would lose track of anything including taking care of themselves. It was also one of the reasons why their friends were against the idea of them being roommates in the first place. There’s no way they could take care of each other when they couldn’t take care of themselves well.

Even though Seungkwan was younger, he sometimes took the role of the mother hen of the group, telling them to take vitamins religiously and often nagging at them to take care of themselves as responsible adults. Jisoo was quite amazed by how the part siren knew his habit and behavior at the back of his hand. It was as if the younger was taking care of the older better. Yes, Jisoo might do him favors from time to time, but Seungkwan was literally checking in Jisoo’s condition every other day. He was attentive and reliable indeed.

"Yeah..."

"Just like earlier, you’re so sleepy that you even bumped into me,” Jeonghan pointed out.

"I know... I'm sorry,” Jisoo said, feeling quite apologetic and literally drooping. But there’s no way he could change this habit in a blink.

As if reading his mind, Jeonghan offered. "Should I check in from time to time?"

"Check in?"

"I'll just text you as a reminder for you to drink, to eat, and to sleep. Something like that. Oh wait, I should call instead. Seungkwan also said you usually toss your phone away somewhere."

Jisoo blinked at the unexpected offer, his mind torn between the conflicting feelings.

He was excited at the prospect of Jeonghan taking care of him and contacting him more often—which quickly changed into a self-scolding moment.  Yes, Jisoo admitted it, putting a lid on his feelings was almost impossible, especially when he and Jeonghan were unexpectedly growing closer these days. A quick check of reality and rationality was exactly what Jisoo needed.

There was a lot brewing inside Jisoo’s mind and not just about potions.

“No, you don’t have to—I mean, it will be troublesome for you,” Jisoo stuttered out, his internal thought was all messy and jumbled. He wasn’t sure what he truly wanted either.

“No, really, it’s just a text or a phone call. It won’t be troublesome for me at all. I can’t promise I’ll be that consistent, but at least we should try.” Eventually, Jeonghan shrugged, trying not to be pushy and feeling awkward himself. “If you’re uncomfortable about it, it’s alright.”

“No, no. It’s fine. I just think it would be a waste of your time.”

“No, don’t worry, Jisoo. I’m the one who offered so I clearly don’t mind at all.”

Jisoo should refuse but rejecting Jeonghan’s offer might have made him sound unfriendly and distant, especially when Jeonghan was insisting and pleading silently with that agonizingly handsome look of his. In the end, Jisoo caved in.

“If you’re really sure, then… it’ll be great if you can do that for me.”

Jeonghan’s expression brightened up almost immediately. “Sure! I’ll do that for you.”

Oh no. Jisoo just literally dug his grave deeper and deeper.

Jisoo was in a state of half-awake and halfway off to dreamland.

In this hazy state, he was more or less still aware of his surroundings yet his senses were muted. He knew there was a cauldron brewing in front of him and the impending deadline chasing his throat within a few days. Other than that, his mind was empty, completely blank and devoid of any unnecessary thoughts, making room for him to just zone out and rest momentarily.

The vibrating on the laboratory table jolted him awake, his eyes widening in panic. Jisoo prayed to whatever god was out there that it wasn’t the cauldron on the verge of spilling or exploding, but thankfully it was just his phone.

“Oh my god,” he groaned. After the initial shock, Jisoo had another mini heart attack at the name flashing on his screen.

Yoon Jeonghan.

He was suddenly compelled to fix his appearance, combing down his hair and tidying up his robe, even though they were only having a voice call and not a video call.

“Hi?” Jisoo timidly greeted.

“Jisoo, sleeping or brewing? You’re gone for like three hours.”

Both, actually. Jisoo responded with an empty, tired laugh.

It had been exactly a week since Jeonghan started “checking in” on him, and Jisoo swore his bad habit of getting too immersed in his project was never this bad. It was just one of the periods where he was extremely busy, barraged with assignments and projects whose deadline coincided within the following week. The busiest time of Jisoo’s life was the peak of his abandonment.

Out of all the time it could happen, Jeonghan just had to be there and watch Jisoo at his lowest up-close. What a shame, an embarrassment, a blight to the family’s honor. At this point, Jisoo knew himself he was being delirious and halfway to hallucinating.

“Are you sure you can help Minghao out tomorrow?”

“Yep. I’ll go home today and get some sleep after this is done,” Jisoo reassured.

“Jisoo. Jihoon said you didn’t come home last night.”

Oh, wow. That traitor.

“I—I, uh, I went home and Jihoon wasn’t there.”

“So, you went home for change of clothes and went back to campus?”

Right on the mark.

Jisoo heard a sigh from Jeonghan’s end, then came the vampire’s voice. “I’m going there right now. Lab three, right?”

Panicked quickly rose within Jisoo. He was such in a pathetic state right now and Jeonghan can’t see him like this. “Jeonghan, I promise I’m fine. I took a nap just now in the lab. I also ate a sandwich and is drinking enough water.”

“Jisoo.”

Whenever Jeonghan speaks in that tone, Jisoo resisted the urge to just shrink and listen. “Yeah?”

“It’s four now and you just ate a sandwich for lunch?”

Jisoo pulled his phone away faster than the speed of light to check the time, and indeed he cursed under his breath at the number shown there. Did Jisoo lose track of time while he’s drifting between being awake and asleep? Then why has this cauldron not finished brewing yet? He didn’t eat the sandwich for lunch, but for breakfast, and there’s no way he would tell Jeonghan that.

“I’m taking your silence as a no. Wait there, I’ll be on my way.”

The call ended abruptly before Jisoo could even complain.

Jisoo stared at the screen of his phone in disbelief before he slumped, feeling the rest of his energy drained. Jeonghan was going there to meet him soon and Jisoo didn’t have any capacity left to handle this. He almost slammed his phone down into the table, but he was reminded of how expensive it was, and he conveyed his frustration by glaring towards his cauldron instead.

“And why the hell haven’t you finish brewing already?”

Right, Jisoo was completely out of it.

“I swear, Jeonghan, I’m not usually this… disarrayed.”

True to his words, Jeonghan arrived in the laboratory in less than fifteen minutes, bringing a cup of coffee, a bottle of water, and a muffin together with him. “I know. You said that countless of times, but I’m starting to doubt your words, Jisoo-ya.”

Jisoo frowned at the food and drinks Jeonghan bought him. “You don’t have to do this.”

“It’s alright, I wanted to buy a coffee for myself anyways. Seungkwan said that students are not allowed to eat in the lab, but you’re a special exception to many rules because you’re the professors’ favorite? He also said you like chocolate, so I bought this chocolate muffin for you.”

Seungkwan might be exaggerating a few words, but Jisoo was indeed an exemplary student loved by the professors, and he was privileged enough to even get his hands on the potion laboratory’s keys. He was basically allowed to use them 24/7 as long as the campus ground was open.

“Here, eat up,” Jeonghan unwrapped the muffin and handed it to Jisoo because the witch looked too hesitant. “Do you want me to feed you?”

Jisoo immediately reacted, snatching the muffin away from Jeonghan’s hand. “It’s okay, I can eat on my own.”

Jeonghan huffed in amusement.

“Jeonghan, thank you.”

“No problem.”

The muffin tasted good and only then did Jisoo realize how hungry he was. He took tiny but enthusiastic bites, and he was halfway on devouring the muffin when he noticed that Jeonghan was staring at him quite intensely. It was suddenly hard for him to swallow the muffin, and he wondered what made Jeonghan stare at him like that with such a disapproving, intimidating look. Wait, that’s wrong. It wasn’t disapproval or disappointment at all. There was something sweet and melting behind his gaze, showing more intense concern and care.

“Uh… why are you staring?” It was getting really hard for Jisoo to focus on eating now.

“Just wondering how did you forget to drink and eat,” Jeonghan said mostly to himself, propping himself on his elbows, still keeping his eyes on the witch and noting the apparent eyebags on Jisoo’s cat-like eyes.

Under normal circumstances, Jisoo was usually strict when it comes to taking care of himself or following certain routines as he was a naturally responsible person. However, when it comes down to his potion projects, food, drink, and sleep always come second in his priority list. He was sometimes too stubborn and even forced himself to endure.

It was quite surprising considering the fact that he was attentive to other’s need, such as reminding Minghao to eat more and to take his time on eating slowly, listening patiently to Jun when he was ranting about something, advising Seungkwan to not overthink or stress himself too much, when Jisoo himself lost basic human decency at times like this.

“It’s just… sometimes I have a lot of thoughts in my mind,” Jisoo offered a vague explanation.

“And yet you still make time to go home and take a bath. So, you can clean yourself but you’ll skip eating and drinking?”

Jisoo shrunk, avoiding Jeonghan’s sharp gaze. “When I don’t take a bath for a while it feels uncomfortable. And taking a bath also helps, actually, they help me relax and reset myself, helps me clear my mind.”

“Is this why you go back to work right away after a bath?”

“Perhaps.”

“You’re really all over the place, Jisoo.”

Jisoo was expecting Jeonghan to hold the same disappointed look, but Jisoo was surprised to find him smiling tenderly, turning what was left of Jisoo’s heart into mush. Jeonghan’s fingers were suddenly on the back of Jisoo’s head, patting him gently.

“Well, at least I’m here now,” Jeonghan told him and Jisoo tried not to choke on his muffin.

Are his ears red right now? He hoped Jeonghan didn’t realize it, or even if he did, Jisoo hoped Jeonghan considered it a side-effect from his beyond exhausted condition. Jisoo’s heart was beating rapidly despite his sleepy state and the combination really didn’t work well.

Once Jisoo finished the muffin, Jeonghan had him drink from the water bottle.

Doing simple task of eating and drinking suddenly became an extreme challenge when your crush is there boring a hole straight into your figure with his gaze. Why does this feel more tiring than three days straight of bonding intimately with your cauldron?

“Thanks, Jeonghan, you really saved me.” Jisoo tried to offer his tired smile. He did feel better and now he felt sleepier than ever. He could lay his head down on any flat surface and fall asleep within seconds. As he unconsciously rubbed his eyes, the gesture was understood well by Jeonghan.

“Do you want me to watch the cauldron for a while? You can sleep and I’ll wake you up if things go wrong.”

As always, Jisoo’s instinct was to always reject someone’s kindness out of courtesy. “No, no, that will be too—”

“I’m free for an hour before the theatre meeting, so I’ve got time to kill. I’ll just wait here and watch your cauldron while you sleep, how about that?” Jeonghan had learned to twist his words a little, making it harder for Jisoo to refuse.

Jisoo eyed Jeonghan carefully. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. What should I watch for?”

The witch pondered for a moment before telling him. “If there’s a color change or if it leaked through the cauldron. If it’s emitting smoke or a mysterious smell, let it be. It’s normal.”

“Alright.”

“Just don’t hesitate to wake me up, okay?”

“Don’t worry, leave it to me.” Jeonghan gave him one more pat on the head to convince him.

Jisoo gave Jeonghan one last look of confirmation, to which Jeonghan responded with confidence. He was hesitating, but he propped his hands up on the table, folding it underneath him and laid his head on it anyway. Jisoo thought there’s no way he could sleep so easily, not when Jeonghan is there, the main source of this thunderous beating in his heart, the exact cause of the butterflies in his stomach.

But he slept anyway, and honestly, it was one of the best sleeps Jisoo had these days.

Chapter Text

“Hyung, Hansol, can you help lift this background up?”

At Minghao’s request, Jisoo looked up from the panel he had been painting on, and he figured out that Minghao was planning to carry the largest panel they had to a better spot so he could finally work on it.

“Sure,” Jisoo answered, putting his brush in an instant and heading towards Minghao.

The three of them with an additional member from the prop team situated themselves around the panel, coming up with a plan to move it efficiently and effectively.  In the end, they decided that two person would lift the panel from the edges, while the other two would support the upper side so the panel wouldn’t fall sideways.

“Careful there, Hansol, lift it from the bottom, not from the side,” Minghao instructed.

Hansol nodded, putting his muscles to good use with a grunt. “Gotcha.”

The panel wasn’t that heavy, but it was quite wide and since it was the center piece, they must treat it with utmost care. They shuffled slowly under the unstable pane and managed to move it towards the location Minghao chose without successfully.

Minghao’s voice kept on directing them even when he sounded a little out of breath. “Okay, careful, careful. Now set it down here. One, two, three!”

They set down the panel with a thump. Jisoo exchanged small high fives with Hansol and the other members, while he offered a warm smile at Minghao.

“Are you going to stick the clouds up next?” Jisoo questioned as he watched Minghao picking up an aluminum ladder, setting it in front of the panel so he could reach the higher parts. “I’ll help you out. It’s kind of unstable, so be careful.”

Considering how Minghao was on the leaner side, it was difficult for him to carry the panel and the leader, yet he did it without batting an eyelid. He was truly dedicated to his craft that he wouldn’t mind doing the heavy lifting if it meant completing a masterpiece.

Today, Jisoo was finally helping out the props team of the theatre again. For better or for worse, he had reached the end of his downfall last week, submitting all assignments and reaching deadlines, coming out of his hellish schedule in one piece. He spent the last few days basically sleeping around the clock after pulling what felt like three days of all-nighter nonstop. Needless to say, his phone was bombarded by notifications and they only stopped once Jihoon told the group that Jisoo was okay and that he was finally having his long awaited beauty sleep.

With things settling down, at last he could help Minghao and Hansol properly, and he didn’t have to battle sleep while holding a paintbrush anymore. Rather than ruining the background, Minghao feared Jisoo would fall headfirst into a bucket of paint.

“Hyung, can you hold this up?” Minghao prompted and Jisoo was quick to help him.

Even though Jisoo had proper sleep this time, he was still distracted. He should be at the top of his game since he had plenty of sleep already and he was free from any pressure now. At least, until he saw that. The circumstances haunting his heart, distracted for a week thanks to the agonizing period of assignments and deadlines, had now returned at full force. Jisoo preferred that compared to this.

Right, the love potion. And one more thing…

Jisoo regretted entering the auditorium first rather than heading straight towards the prop team. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have to see that sight.

The chummy and comfortable gesture between two friends, Seungkwan draped all over Jeonghan’s shoulder, whining on how he kept on making the same mistake, and Jeonghan smiling at Seungkwan so fondly, patting the younger’s head and encouraging him, the sight so warm and tender and… intimate. It was nothing, it should be nothing. Seungkwan had always been touchy and close with his friends. Maybe Jisoo’s mind hadn’t completely recovered. It was the only explanation of how devastated he feels.

Yes, he has a crush on Jeonghan, but then what?

The witch had come into a decision when he accepted Jeonghan’s request. No matter how much this feeling grows, no matter how much he spends time with Jeonghan, Jeonghan’s and Seungkwan’s feelings towards each other are none of his business. Easier said than done.

“Hyung,” Minghao called for him, snapping Jisoo out of his thoughts.

“Here.” Jisoo reached out for the tape and the cutter, handing it to Minghao. As the younger climbed higher up the ladder, Jisoo gave another reminder. “Hao, careful.”

“Don’t worry.”

Minghao planned to attach those small fairy lights on the background panel and cotton on top of it, trying to create the effect of glowing fluffy clouds, the lights creating an ethereal glow when it was switched on. It brought a dreamy ambience and helped the background pop more.

For a moment, Jisoo cast his gaze away, his mind clouded by the thoughts haunting him, until a sudden, loud thud shocked him.

Jisoo whipped back in surprise to find someone from the prop team had dropped a large paint bucket from a stool just a few meters away from them, and thankfully it was still tightly closed so no paint spilled out. The momentary distraction didn’t only disturb Jisoo, as it seemingly disarrayed Minghao too.

“That was dangerous,” Minghao commented with a huff, his gaze was still focused on the incident, yet his arms were reaching out towards the panel. “I—whoa!”

Just like that, the brief moment of distraction caused Minghao to lose his balance, his foot slipping from the ladder and he fell sideways. Instinctively, Jisoo’s body lunged forward, trying to catch whatever part of Minghao he could. The two of them fell onto the firm floor with a groan with a loud crash.

“Oh—ow… damn…” Jisoo heaved, most of his abdomen squished by Minghao’s weight.

Despite his own back pain, Minghao quickly rolled over, knowing how much it must’ve hurt more for Jisoo. “Oh my god—I’m sorry, hyung, are you okay?" Minghao froze and paled, realizing the blade he was still holding around his fingers, his eyes widening in horror as he saw those crimson liquid flowing down Jisoo’s arm. “Hyung! You’re bleeding!”

The impact of the fall was so severe that only now Jisoo realized his arm was stinging, finally wincing in pain. There was a long thin cut on his arm from the cutter, and although it was bleeding a lot, it should’ve been a shallow cut because Jisoo could still use his arm perfectly. Although it was clear Minghao was losing his cool now, already taking off his jacket and wrapping it over the wound.

“Wait, Minghao, don’t use your jacket, it’ll get dirty!” Jisoo stopped him, taking Minghao’s jacket off from his arm.

Hansol arrived in a flash with a bundle of tissue. There was a rare, panicked expression on the younger’s Korean American face too. “Hyung, here, some tissues. I’ll go and get help quick.”

“Guys, calm down, it’s just a small wound,” Jisoo swore it didn’t hurt badly as it looked. He tried to draw away from the frantic Minghao and Hansol, opting to press the wound using his own palm, trying to handle it on his own. Somehow, the horrified look from the younger ones calmed him down.

Minghao pleaded, his gaze looked so distressed and guilty. “Hyung, we need to press it to stop the blood. We should go to the infirmary or the hospital quick—"

Jisoo’s spoke in a firmer yet gentle tone, hoping it would soothe the youngers’ nerves. “Calm down, Hao. It will stop in no time. It doesn’t hurt so badly. Yes, the hospital is fine but I need you to calm down. You too, Hansol—"

“Did someone get hurt? Jeonghan-hyung says he smells blood.” All of the sudden, Seungkwan popped out of the side entrance, Jeonghan following in tow.

A small amount of blood wouldn’t normally alert any vampires, but the fact that Jeonghan was here made Jisoo acknowledge his current state. His fingers and arms were drenched in blood, as they kept trickling down even when he was pressing down on the open wound.

Jisoo momentary met Jeonghan’s gaze and there was a flash of something undecipherable within Jeonghan’s eyes, making Jisoo quite nervous at what was about to happen. Together with Seungkwan and Jeonghan, some of the theatre members followed suit and soon Jisoo was crowded with the members.

Oh no. He hated to be in the center of attention like this.

To make things worse, Seungkwan joined the band of panicked Hansol and Minghao. “Jisoo-hyung! You’re bleeding!”

Jisoo was the one who was wounded, but now he needed to do his best to calm the others too. “Guys—guys, calm down, it’s just a small cut. Just give me a bandage or something—”

Jeonghan came to his rescue. “You guys, stop crowding Jisoo.” His tone was firm and absolute, and he specifically pulled Seungkwan away. “Seungkwan, go and get the first aid kit.”

“Yes, hyung!”

“Jisoo, what happened?” Jeonghan asked, kneeling next to Jisoo.

Somehow, the way Jeonghan carried himself was quite unsettling. His voice was eerily lower and strained, as if he was resisting something. Jisoo gulped as the half-vampire examined his bloody wound, feeling himself shrinking and uneasy from Jeonghan’s unusually sharp gaze.

Minghao responded in a heartbeat. “The cutter. I slipped from the ladder, Jisoo-hyung caught me, and I accidentally cut Jisoo-hyung with it.”

“Jeonghan, trust me, it isn’t that bad,” Jisoo told him despite the tension between them.

Jeonghan turned to the members. “Anything I can use to wrap around Jisoo’s arm? Any clothes, any bandage—anything.”

“Here, my jacket,” Minghao was quick to offer and when Jisoo tried to refuse again, Minghao snapped at him and practically forced the jacket at Jeonghan. “Hyung, why are you thinking of such things right now! Who cares if my jacket gets dirty or not!”

“Thanks, Minghao,” Jeonghan agreed with Minghao, as he deftly wrapped the jacket tightly around Jisoo’s arm. “Keep pressing to your wound just like that. Let’s go and clean it first.” The vampire helped Jisoo stand, supporting him by the waist. It felt a little wrong for Jisoo to feel nervous because Jeonghan was holding him in such a close proximity, but he couldn’t help it.

“Wait, are we not going to the hospital?” Minghao asked them, but Jeonghan shook his head.

“Don’t worry, just leave Jisoo to me.”

Before they left towards the bathroom, Jeonghan pulled Minghao closer and whispered something in his ear. Minghao’s eyes widened in realization and he nodded vigorously, making Jisoo curious about what Jeonghan told the younger.

[“Minghao, clean the floor thoroughly. I don’t want anyone smelling his blood.”

“Yes, hyung.”]

Jeonghan gently guided Jisoo towards the nearest bathroom, which was in a pretty deserted area behind the auditorium.

When they reached the sink, Jeonghan unwrapped the jacket and helped Jisoo put his arm under the running water. Though the stream didn’t directly hit the open wound, the feeling of water flowing through the wound was extremely painful, causing Jisoo to flinch badly. Perhaps the adrenaline from before caused him not to feel the pain, but now the pain was stinging, far more stinging and throbbing, bringing tears into Jisoo’s eyes.

“It’s alright. You’re okay, Jisoo-ya,” Jeonghan cooed, although his expression was stoic and controlled.

Jisoo almost cried but thankfully he was interrupted when Seungkwan burst into the bathroom with a first aid kit.

“Hyung! Jisoo-hyung!” The siren was already ransacking through the kit, fishing out bandages, gauzes, and plasters. He propped all the available dressings on the side of the sink, preparing it to be used, and for a moment Seungkwan looked like a proper medic. “Here, Jeonghan-hyung. You can use them.”

“Thanks, Seungkwan. Can you leave us here and go back first?”

That was an extremely weird request. Seungkwan raised an eyebrow at that, exchanging looks with the equally blank looking Jisoo, but he complied anyway. There was no room for discussion, not when Jeonghan was acting somewhat forceful like this.

“Um… okay? I’ll sort out the situation outside. Please take care of Jisoo-hyung!” Seungkwan said before leaving the bathroom, leaving the two of them alone again.

Jisoo wasn’t sure what to say, feeling his throat drying up, and so he could only offer a meek, “Jeonghan?”

The running water had stopped and the silence was almost deafening. When their eyes met, their faces a breath away from each other, only then Jisoo discerned the faint glow of crimson in Jeonghan’s irises—a sign of agitation or excitement for vampires.

Right. Jeonghan is a vampire and Jisoo is bleeding right now.

Jisoo forgot how to breathe, the air seemingly stuck in his throat.

“Jisoo.” Jeonghan’s voice was thick, sending shivers down his spine. “Can I lick your wound?”

Oh. Jisoo completely blanked out and he was unable to respond in any way.

No, no, no, he understood that there are healing properties within a vampire’s saliva, capable of sealing an open bloody wound with a few licks. However, it is considered as an intimate thing to do unless it is of utmost emergency. Jisoo’s current condition right now certainly wasn’t life threatening, since it was a shallow wound and Jisoo wouldn’t definitely lose his life from it.

“Jisoo.”

The way Jeonghan called his name left Jisoo no room for discussion.

“Jeonghan… are you sure?”

The vampire narrowed his eyes sternly. “Jisoo, I’m the one asking. Respond with a yes or no.”

Oh wow, Jisoo was truly under Jeonghan’s mercy. He couldn’t feel the pain in his wound nor the blood flowing out of it anymore. For now, he could only feel the heat growing under his skin, the shivers flowing under his veins, and the deafening heartbeat in his ears.

Jisoo pressed his lips together, finally letting out a tiny “yes.”

With his consent, Jeonghan proceeded.

He lifted Jisoo’s forearm up and pressed his lips into the wound directly. Jisoo’s breath hitched at the simple contact alone, feeling Jeonghan’s heated lips against his skin. Jisoo tried so hard in not making any embarrassing noises, but he failed when Jeonghan’s tongue slowly lave along the line of his wound.

It was insane. The whole situation happening right now was insane.

Jisoo couldn’t tear his eyes at the sight of Jeonghan, his tongue trailing across the thin red line along Jisoo’s forearm, the vampire’s fangs visible between the gaps of his lips. There was this urge, this stupid indulgence of Jisoo wishing the fangs would prick his skin instead.

No, idiot. Jisoo should’ve cast his gaze away, should’ve closed his eyes and pretended this wasn’t happening.

The thought of doing so crossed his mind but their eyes unexpectedly met. Jeonghan seemed to be capable of reading Jisoo’s mind because the vampire’s piercing, dominant gaze locked Jisoo in place, those glowing red eyes ravishing his soul, hypnotizing him and sending his mind into a spiral.

Time was flowing too slowly. Jisoo was starting to lack oxygen to comprehend any intact thoughts.

After what felt like an agonizingly long three minutes, Jeonghan finally pulled away and he ran the wound under clean water once again. Jisoo was honestly in a daze, but he noticed the bleeding had completely stopped and the wound was sealed by a thin layer of membrane formed by the vampire’s saliva. Although it wasn’t as strong as a medical stitch, this was more than enough, considering that the cut wasn’t deep in the first place.

Jeonghan gently dabbed the sealed wound dry with tissues before placing a medical gauze and wrapping it with a bandage.

“Jisoo don’t do that ever again,” Jeonghan suddenly spoke to him as his skilled hand continued to adjust the bandage.

Jisoo blinked, his mind still slow and hazy. “… do what?”

“Stop minding about everyone else and mind yourself first.” Jisoo’s expression told Jeonghan that he was clueless, so the vampire continued.  “You are bleeding, so put yourself first. You don’t have to calm the others down or even hesitate to dirty Minghao’s jacket. You are hurt. Focus on yourself first, Jisoo.”

Oh.

To be honest the wound did hurt and the amount of blood oozing out of the cut was indeed something Jisoo wasn’t used to, and he knew it had to be treated quickly. Even so, the panicked expression of Minghao and Hansol kicked in his older sibling behavior. When someone is more panicked than you are, sometimes it has an effect of making you feel calmer. Yes, he might be bleeding, but his wound wasn’t anything major or dramatic. Minghao definitely felt guilty and Hansol was overwhelmed by the suddenness of the situation. There was no way Jisoo could let them be.

However, there was some truth to Jeonghan’s statement.

Jisoo cares about the people around him as they were pretty high up on his priority list. Sometimes, he cares more about them than he cares for himself. That statement reminded him of his current situation, the irony of it all. Soon, he had to give something up for the sake of his friend too. These feelings for Jeonghan—Jisoo had to give up on it sooner or later.

This is the kind of person he is.

“I’m sorry,” Jisoo muttered, more to himself.

Jeonghan faltered once he saw Jisoo’s crestfallen expression. He hesitated for a moment, but he reached out to rub Jisoo’s shoulder reassuringly. “No, it’s nothing you should apologize for. It’s good that you’re kind, but it’s just… I’m just worried.”

Please, stop it.

“You always prioritize others first,” Jeonghan said in a soothing, gentle voice, completely different from before.

Jisoo wanted to cry—and it’s not from the pain, but from the ache rooting deep inside his heart. Fate is cruel, because they always give Jisoo no option. No matter how much Jisoo tried to stop this feeling from growing, hiding it from the sun, refusing to give it water, depraving it from any nourishments… and yet it still grew.

A bud destined to never bloom, a bud destined to wilt and die.

One check and another check.

Ashwinder eggs, crescent rose thorns, emerald peppermint, powdered moonstone, dusk pearl dust, azure rose petals—the ingredients needed to brew the love potion.

Jisoo crossed all the checklist in his notebook except for the final two items as well as the most important ones: the hair of the user and the hair of the receiver of the love potion. He pursed his lips in silence, his gaze fixated at the last two points.

Today was the day to completely get rid of his feelings and prioritize his rational mind.

Even though Seungkwan already texted him that he was coming over, Jisoo’s heart jumped when the doorbell rang.  He pressed his palm above his chest, cautious as he was betrayed by it countless times, before opening the door for the siren.

“Hey.” Jisoo led Seungkwan inside. “You want sweet pea tea? I’m brewing them right now.”

“Sure!” Seungkwan immediately made himself at home, completely sprawled at the couch. “Hyung, is your wound okay? Minghao told me you won’t be coming next week.”

Jisoo hummed, pouring the tea into two cups. “Don’t worry, I’m okay now. I’m just taking next week off from helping out to completely focus on brewing the love potion.” The witch gestured towards the ingredients packed carefully at the brewing table, right on the corner of the living room.

“Uh, he is worried about your wound. He thinks it’s the reason you can’t help out.”

“Watch out, it’s hot,” Jisoo warned as he handed over the cup of tea. “Look, my arm is almost healed now, so don’t worry. I even took a photo for Minghao and sent it to him, but I don’t think he believes me. And you know I can make my own potion to speed up healing, right?”

Seungkwan narrowed his eyes at him. “You’re the one who says we shouldn’t rely on potion too much.”

Well, if you can’t make a potion on your own, you shouldn’t rely on them too much because they are of limited access to you. But if you are a witch specialized in making potion, it is one of life’s greatest guilty pleasure to try and solve problems with one you brew your own.

Jisoo shrugged, sitting sideways across from Seungkwan. “Anyways, I’ll call Minghao tonight. I hope he stops feeling too guilty about that incident.”

“You’re going to watch the play, right? We already reserved you a seat, and of course it’s the best one. If you can, bring Seungcheol-hyung and Jihoon-hyung with you too.”

“Both of them aren’t exactly the type to watch a play…”

“Exactly,” Seungkwan had his pointer right in front of Jisoo’s face. “This is why you’re the one who had to invite them, hyung. They’ll definitely come if it’s you who persuades them.”

“So, I have to persuade them too? What do I get from this?” Jisoo frowned.

“Trust me, just plead and whine a little, and they’ll definitely come. They’re soft for you.” As if Jisoo didn’t use that to his own advantage all the time. Seungkwan crossed his arms and wondered, “As for what you’ll get… I’ll treat you? Maybe a kiss from me?”

“I’ll pass.”

“Aww, but hyung, I owe you a lot. You helped with the props, invite those two stubborn hyungs and this too, the biggest favor of all—the love potion. I really don’t know how I can repay you,” Seungkwan whined shamelessly, lips pulled into a childish pout.

“Just stay out of trouble, Seungkwan-ah,” Jisoo giggled fondly at Seungkwan’s cute gesture. “And you can always repay me anytime. I’m just stocking up on favors.”

“Don’t ask the impossible from me, okay?”

“We’ll see.”

“You’re definitely one scary hyung,” is what Seungkwan would like to say, but he would rather keep it hidden. Jisoo didn’t have to know that he is one of the scariest hyungs when angered. “But really, thank you for preparing everything. It must be a trouble to collect all these ingredients. Are you going to brew it here? Wait—did Jihoon-hyung know about this?”

The witch did say he was going to brew the potion at home instead of at the lab, so the possibility of Jihoon finding out was pretty high—but Jisoo already disclosed what he was brewing to him anyways. It’s time to come clean to Seungkwan too.

“I’m just being extra careful, so it’ll be safer if I brew it at home. And honestly, I must apologize to you because Jihoon knows that I’m making a love potion. It’s really hard to hide things from your wizard roommate, but he doesn’t know who requested it or who is it for.”

A truth and a harmless lie. Jihoon wouldn’t tell anyone and he wasn’t the type of person to care in the first place.

“No, no, it’s okay. I understand,” Seungkwan told him.

Okay, now for the most important part…

Jisoo took a moment, putting his mind in the correct headspace before he leveled his gaze at the younger, as sincere and as straightforward as he could be. “Seungkwan. I have to confirm this with you for the last time. Are you sure you’re going to use a love potion for the person you’re in love with?”

Seungkwan stared back at Jisoo, his eyes unwavering. He rummaged through his belongings and handed Jisoo two small plastic bags. One bag containing brown reddish hair belonging to Seungkwan, the second containing locks of blonde hair—greatly resembling those of Jeonghan’s.

The same soft strand of Jeonghan’s blonde hair, flowing in the autumn air, the locks framing his forehead perfectly, long enough to obscure some of his vampire’s eyes and creating a captivating, elusive look. The same hair Jisoo wanted so badly to rake his hands through, the same hair Jisoo wanted so badly to feel under his touch. 

Jeonghan.

Jisoo knew it. He knew it from the very beginning, yet the revelation didn’t make it any easier for him.

“Are these enough, hyung?”

“Yeah, it’s enough.”

Before Jisoo could completely regain his composure, Seungkwan began with a resolute expression, “Hyung, thank you for giving me the time to think. I know you think I’m being impulsive and is making a stupid decision, but honestly, I’ve been thinking a lot for the past few weeks.”

Never had Jisoo seen Seungkwan this serious, his eyes shining with determination and clarity, as if he was a ray of hope lighting up within the fog of uncertainty.

“Maybe I shouldn’t use a love potion. Maybe I should try harder.” Seungkwan clenched his fist, slightly lowering his head. “And the thing is, I did try my best and nothing changed. I’m trying so hard to spend more time with him and be closer with him, but it’s just…” He took a small pause. “Now I’m scared I don’t even have any shot in this because I’m sure he considered me only as a friend. Even if I flirt with him, he still treated me the same as before.”

The feeling of love is scary. They make you irrational, they make you illogical. They make you feel fear you’ve never experienced before, the gut wrenching feeling constantly clawing in your abdomen.

With a pathetic laugh, Seungkwan continued. “I’m a little tired and I know I can’t stay this way. This is why I just want to try and have a chance. I want him to think of me once romantically, so that he has something to consider. I don’t want to confess without an ounce of chance being together with him.”

Seungkwan reached out and clasped Jisoo’s hand. “Hyung, I promise you that after I use the love potion and the effect wears off, I’m going to confess to him properly.”

Jisoo was a coward—he was nothing like the courageous Seungkwan.

“You better do, or I’ll do it myself in your stead,” Jisoo said, and he knew the words were true, coming from the deepest part of his heart.

Facing your genuine, deepest feelings is never easy, not even for the Boo Seungkwan whose emotion are as clear as a day. Jisoo could never feel prouder of Seungkwan, he had come this far and it was something Jisoo could never do.

Despite everything, Jisoo wanted to support Seungkwan—he wanted Seungkwan to be happy, and he hoped everything would work well between Seungkwan and Jeonghan, even if it meant Jisoo’s feelings was to be unrequited. It was understandable. Seungkwan went through such lengths for his own feelings, while Jisoo here was still in denial. So, if Seungkwan hesitated and was unable to take the last step, Jisoo would help him through it.

Seungkwan chuckled at his remark. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely do it. To be honest, whatever his response is after this, I won’t give up that easily. This love potion is just a start, a start for him to consider me in a romantic way. I’m already this far, so I won’t be stopping easily either.”

That’s the Boo Seungkwan Jisoo is proud of.

“If you’re going through such lengths for this, I have to make this potion work. Trust me, I’ll do my best.”

“Hyung, you’re the best witch when it comes to making potion. There’s no one else I can entrust this to but you,” Seungkwan said, leaning over to envelop Jisoo in a bear hug, making Jisoo giggle with his smothering. “If there’s anything you need, or anything I can help with, tell me, okay? Just tell me and I’ll be by your side in a heartbeat. Anything.”

Jisoo laughed at the dramatic offer. “Of course. I’ll tell if you there’s anything I need.”

Anything.

His smile faltered for a moment.

Anything—except Jeonghan.

Chapter Text

Avoiding a specific person for the whole week is easy, far easier than trying not to think about that specific person.

Jisoo tried to reduce any interaction with Jeonghan for the sole purpose of damage control. There would be less chances for screwing up if he removed one of the unstable variables in question—which was his feeling for Jeonghan. The last time they met face to face was a week ago, when Jisoo received the two bags of hair from Jeonghan and received the confirmation to continue with making the love potion. Other than that, Jisoo tried not to respond too much to Jeonghan’s texts and calls, and if they did run across each other in the campus, Jisoo always cut their conversation short.

Speaking of the devil, Jisoo’s phone vibrated from a text message and he could tell who it was from.

He ignored his phone and his gaze fell into the four labeled bags of hair placed on his brewing table, meticulously labeled the moment he received those bags. Mixing them up would be hazardous and Jisoo took extra caution in using them separately.

For Seungkwan’s love potion, brown reddish ones to blond ones, and for Jeonghan’s love potion, blonde ones to dark brown ones.

The first time Jisoo received the dark brown locks from Jeonghan, Jisoo couldn’t help but to be riddled with questions as to whom the hair belongs. Who was it that Jeonghan was trying to make the love potion for? For starters, the hair wasn’t the same shade as Seungkwan’s, and it wasn’t Jisoo’s either. It was quite a common color which provided him with no clue.

The witch shook his head furiously, chastising himself. Why would Jisoo think of the possibility of it being his in the first place? His task here was only to brew, nothing more.

The cauldron bubbled softly, the noise reminding Jisoo of the important mission he was doing right now and that he needed to focus. There was a soft tune of acoustic music playing from the speaker and the aroma of lavender wafting from the diffuser, accompanying his brewing session. This set up usually helped him get into the zone, but there was a constant dull ache in Jisoo’s heart that was distracting him so much.

After all these times, Jisoo finally admitted it with a heavy heart. He wished to be with Jeonghan. He desired to be with Jeonghan.

Jisoo replayed the short, fleeting moment they spent together for the last few weeks, walking next to Jeonghan at the same pace, hearing the gentle tone of his voice, indulging in his heart laugh, feeling elated at his charming smile, staring at his handsome side profile, marveling how good he looked every single day—simply being with Jeonghan, every one of those moment lingered on his mind. He wished for those days to continue even in the future, but no, they could never happen.

No, it wasn’t because Seungkwan, a close friend of his and the dongsaeng he treasured greatly, was harboring the same feeling towards his crush. No, it wasn’t because Seungkan fell first and deeper for Jeonghan compared to himself. No, it wasn’t because of any of that. It was simply because Jisoo was a coward.

Jisoo was a coward who denied his own feelings and hid deep within his own shelter while Seungkwan was the one out there struggling through fire and ice for Jeonghan’s affection.

The poison called jealousy and insecurity spread through his veins, turning him almost toxic. Jisoo didn’t deserve any of this, his friendship with Seungkwan, his friendship with Jeonghan, and this sickeningly bittersweet feelings. He didn’t want any of this. Until the very end, Jisoo would be the supporting hyung to Seungkwan and would be the supportive friend to Jeonghan. Other than that, he had no place between them at all.

Tomorrow, the love potion would be completed.

In two days, the play would be held.

Finally, everything would be over.

At the end of the play, the audience wasn’t roaring or giving them a standing ovation, but the excitement and exaggerated claps from their peers were enough. The play came to an end, and the curtain fell. As Seungkwan previously told them, Jisoo, Seungcheol, and Jihoon headed backstage to meet up with their friends as well as the cast members.

“You guys really came! I thought you’re not going to watch,” Soonyoung looked more energetic now compared to during the play, and he was even more elated now at the presence of his friends.  

“Really, I didn’t see any of your faces before we began. I almost blocked the two of you, you know?” Seungkwan had his hand on his hips, glowering at the two. Naturally, he was exempting his sweet Jisoo-hyung from this treatment.

“Seungcheol was late. We waited for him for so long and Jihoon was already so angry, threatening to leave. I did whatever I could to drag them both here.” Jisoo sighed deeply and the rest instantly felt sympathy for him.

“We reminded him over and over and he was still late. We literally texted you fifteen minutes before! How did you ended up taking a nap?” Jihoon snapped, directing his annoyance at the oldest.

Seungcheol didn’t hesitate to bite back. “You’re not even interested in watching. You said you’ll skip it at any chance you had. Be honest, you’re already planning to leave, right?” 

The two started to bicker and Jisoo turned to Seungkwan, obviously tired. “Seungkwan-ah, you really owe me one for babysitting those two.”

Seungkwan winked, clutching to his favorite hyung. “Of course. I’ll do anything for you!”

While Chan was gushing about how cool Soonyoung’s acting was, Jisoo spotted the prop team tidying up the panels and sauntered towards them.

“Minghao! Hansol! I’m sorry I can’t help you last week.” Jisoo gave them a sheepish smile.

“What are you talking about, hyung? You are a great help to us already. Is your wound really okay now?” Minghao made sure, even though he had called Jisoo plenty of times already.

Jisoo showed him the half-healed scab. “It’ll be completely fine in no time with my ointment.” He patted the younger’s head gently, letting a small laugh when Minghao looked sceptic. “Don’t worry, Hao. I promise you that I’m fine, so stop staring at me like that.”

It was rare to see Minghao looking sulky, his eyebrows furrowed and a soft scowl gracing his lips. Even before Minghao started apologizing profusely, Jisoo had forgiven him for the accident he had no control over. As always, the responsible and kind Minghao.

“Minghao-hyung kept thinking about it that he can’t even focus on work,” Hansol teased.

Minghao shot back, side eyeing Hansol. “What? I know you’re shaken too.”

“I’m just glad the panel is finished on time,” Jisoo said with a sweet smile, successfully diverting the topic.

“It’s thanks to your help, hyung. You definitely have to come to our dinner celebration later,” Minghao told him and Hansol gave a nod of agreement.

Soonyoung apparently overheard their conversation and he turned towards the group, inviting them all in such a loud voice. “Yeah, all of you can definitely come too!”

Seungcheol frowned disapprovingly and nudged the back of Soonyoung’s head. “No, I think we’ll have to pass. It’s your club’s dinner, after all, so we’ll skip this one. We can grab a bite on your own.”

“That’s right. Anyway, you guys need to clean up, right?” Wonwoo noticed that the other members of the club had begun tidying up the props away. “We should go too. We can always go out and eat together next time.”

Before Soonyoung could complain, Jeonghan patted the top of the younger’s head to stop him. “Yeah, I think we have to tidy up soon. We can definitely hang out together next time. See you guys, alright?” Jeonghan gave a knowing smile to the group, scanning their faces one by one. Was it Jisoo’s imagination or did Jeonghan’s gaze lingered a little bit longer when it was his turn?

The group started to disperse and Jisoo figured out this was the right time for him to talk. He told Seungcheol and Jihoon to go ahead first and he would catch up later. As Jisoo returned backstage, he looked around for a while before finally finding the person he was looking for and caught the end of someone’s sleeve.

“Jeonghan, can we talk?”

Surprise flashed through Jeonghan’s eyes and for a moment the words were stuck in his throat. “Oh, sure…” His respond was hesitant and faint, truly unlike the vampire at all.

The awkwardness between them was to be expected. Jisoo’s way of avoiding him had been painfully obvious, with the sudden silent treatment, texts cut short, most calls rejected, and their face-to-face encounters always ended abruptly. Jeonghan must’ve had an inkling something was up from the way Jisoo was behaving.

They went to a corner in the hallway, away from prying eyes and ears, and once their privacy was secured, Jisoo handed him a clear vial bottle with a lilac-colored liquid sloshing in it. Yesterday, Jisoo gave the exact same vial to Seungkwan, and now he repeated the same set of instructions for Jeonghan.

“This is the love potion you asked me to make. You can put this in their food or drink, but I recommend a drink since it’s easier and less suspicious. The taste will be a little sweet at first, then it’ll blend out and almost tasteless.”

At this, Jeonghan raised an eyebrow. “How did you know the taste? Have you tried taking it yourself, Jisoo?”

Jisoo was taken aback by the unexpected question and he blushed although he was trying so hard to look professional. “I… I did.” More specifically, Jisoo tried most of the potions he brewed as long as the supposed effect wasn’t severe or still manageable. “I have to test their effectiveness so I made one for myself using my own hair.”

Jeonghan blinked and he stifled a laugh, the simple noise was enough to hasten the pace of Jisoo’s heart. “And here I thought someone ever used a love potion on you. That’s just so like you, Jisoo. But won’t it be dangerous if you test it on yourself?”

“Don’t worry, I already planned everything so it’ll be mostly harmless,” Jisoo said, clearing his throat and trying to dampen his embarrassment. “So, um, if there’s anything you want to ask about the love potion, feel free to ask me before you use it.”

“Wait, Jisoo.” Jeonghan suddenly reached for his wrist and placed the vial back on Jisoo’s palm, puzzling the witch. “I… can we talk some other time about this? I have something I need to discuss with you, just not here. Not now. And before that, please hold on to the love potion for me. You can give it to me the next time we talk.”

Jeonghan’s touch burned, engraving his warmth into Jisoo’s skin. Jisoo hoped Jeonghan didn’t feel the thudding pulse beneath his skin.

Honestly, Jisoo wanted to say no. He wanted to give Jeonghan the love potion and end everything now. If they were to prolong this, Jisoo would waver and he would never truly move on. Jisoo tried not to avoid his eyes or lick his dry lips, trying not to look uneasy at all. “Maybe… maybe you can just take the vial now and ask me through text?” Jisoo suggested.

“But you’re avoiding me both through text and calls.”

Ouch. Jeonghan was being direct right now and Jisoo couldn’t blame him.

Jisoo opened his mouth to make another reason, but Jeonghan’s face visibly fell, his expression drooping and it was squeezing Jisoo’s heart. The witch was starting to feel bad.

“Can’t we meet up again, Jisoo?” Jeonghan asked him.

When Jeonghan was looking at him like that, what choice did Jisoo have?

“… Okay.”

Once again, Hong Jisoo was defeated.

Heaven’s Cloud was just across the street and Jisoo wished for the pedestrian light to stay red forever.

Throughout the day, he was unable to focus on class because he was dreading about his plan on meeting Jeonghan this afternoon. He was probably overthinking it and the “talk” would probably end up as nothing important. Jeonghan probably needed a more thorough explanation for this love potion as he was relatively new to this whole witchcraft thing. Jeonghan was probably being cautious because someone precious to him would take this potion and he needed to ensure their safety. Jisoo shouldn’t overthink this at all, really.

“Jisoo-hyung!”

It was like one of those cat videos where Jisoo just jumped. Clutching to his chest, he turned his head to find Seungkwan and Hansol staring back at him with equal perplex.

Seungkwan blinked comically. “Um, sorry for surprising you?”

“You look really out of it, Jisoo-hyung,” Hansol added.

“I was just—I was… zoning out.”

They stared at him weirdly, but they eventually let it go.

“Hyung, are you going to Heaven’s Cloud too?” Seungkwan asked him. “Oh, the light’s green, let’s go.”

As they crossed the street, Seungkwan abruptly latched onto Jisoo’s arm, pulling him backward to make distance between the two of them and Hansol. When Hansol looked back questioningly, Seungkwan shooed him away, signing him to walk ahead.

Seungkwan placed his chin on top of Jisoo’s shoulder, whispering in a hurry. “Hyung, I really don’t know how you end up here, but I need your mental support.”

“What? Why?”

“I’m going to do it now,” the younger stated firmly, still in a low volume.

Jisoo furrowed his eyebrows. “Do what?”

He received a nudge and a disappointed look from Seungkwan. “The love potion!”

“What!?” Jisoo yelped and a hand instantaneously clamped his mouth shut.

“Hyung!”

Still overwhelmed, Jisoo stuttered out, “I mean—why here? Why now? How do you know he’ll be here?”

“What do you mean? I purposely invited him for this.”

Jisoo’s mouth hung open and he froze in place, refusing to be tugged further. Hansol decided to enter first, leaving the two of them merely a few steps away from the café’s main entrance.

“Seungkwan… we’re out in public! How are you going to put it there without anyone noticing?”

“Hyung! Sssh!” This time, two of Seungkwan’s shut Jisoo’s mouth tight. He warily looked around before leaning closer to Jisoo and whispering in his ear. “I have my ways, alright? I know the barista.”

“Seungkwan!” Jisoo pried the younger’s hands away. He spoke in a loud whisper. “This is… this is…”

“What?”

Jisoo had so many questions he’d like to ask.

Why choose a public place instead of a more private one? Maybe Jeonghan’s or Seungkwan’s apartments, or maybe the theatre’s club room, where it would be easier to make the drink yourself and put the love potion in? For god’s sake, they were nearby campus, everyone here was at least an acquaintance of Seungkwan or Jeonghan. What if the effect of the potion was incredibly potent, making the change of behavior in Jeonghan too obvious? What if people find out?

And wait, what about Jeonghan’s promise in meeting Jisoo? He didn’t mention anything about Seungkwan through text, so maybe, it really was an impromptu performance by Seungkwan. The siren was too unpredictable that it wasn’t surprising anymore. Wait. What about Hansol? Is he going to be in a first-seat audience like Jisoo? Did Hansol know everything about this?

“Seungkwan.” Jisoo grabbed Seungkwan’s shoulders tightly, their eyes locked together as he urged firmly. “Think again, think twice, thrice. Think more. Are you sure, here, right now?”

“I’m sure. Here. Right now,” Seungkwan responded with equal ferocity.

The two had a staring showdown, garnering looks from the people sitting inside and passing by the café.

At last, Jisoo relented. “You’re really a daredevil.”

“I know.” Seungkwan grinned, throwing himself at Jisoo, practically clinging like a koala. “Truth is, I feel like dying right now. My heart is beating so fast. It’s so fast hyung, I feel like dying.” He ended up becoming a five-year-old whining kid, so Jisoo chuckled and rubbed his back reassuringly.

“You’re going to be fine. Trust me, you will.”

Seungkwan let go of Jisoo with a huff. “I’m hoping for that too.”

They finally entered the café and found Jeonghan and Hansol sitting together. Jisoo figured out they probably decided to wait together for a while for Seungkwan and Jisoo to finish their discussion.

“You’re done with Jisoo-hyung?” Hansol questioned, starting to stand up.

Seungkwan pushed him back down. “Yeah, but now that we’re here, let’s just sit together!”

Jeonghan glanced at Jisoo as if asking for his permission, yet Jisoo had his gaze cast away, unwilling to take part in any decision making.

“Today is my treat. I owe each one of you a lot, especially Jisoo-hyung—and don’t worry hyung, I’ll treat you more some other time. Now, tell me what you want and I’ll order it,” Seungkwan told them.

Hansol perked up. “Oh really?”

“Yep, hurry before I change my mind.”

Once each of them stated their order and Seungkwan left for the counter.

Jisoo seemed lost now. Seungkwan was going to use the love potion on Jeonghan right now, right in front of his eyes. He considered getting out of this place and leaving. Instead of doing so, he placed his bag on the last empty chair, turning to leave and take a momentary break in the restroom without even speaking a word to Jeonghan. He barely reached a step when a tug pulled him back.

Jeonghan was holding to him and there was something soft in his gaze—was it concern? He leaned closer to Jisoo and muttered. “Since they’re joining us today, let’s reschedule and talk another time, okay?”

“Okay.” Jisoo’s response was short as he hastily pulled away to head to the restroom.

He went into one of the empty stalls, slumping and leaning his head back against the door, trying to calm his breathing and alleviate the tension crushing his chest. He came here knowing that he would have to talk to Jeonghan, but not to see him fall into an artificial obsession thanks to the love potion he created with his own two hands.

Jisoo had it coming.

He made the potion, knowing well how it would make the person he likes fall into an obsession with someone else. 24 hours is short and Jisoo originally planned on avoiding it entirely by staying home for the entire duration. It should’ve been easy and he wasn’t going to see the damage he had done. But now, he was going to witness the scene with his own two eyes whether he liked it or not—which he clearly didn’t like.

Can Jisoo bear seeing Jeonghan drink the love potion and harbor a temporary, fake obsession for someone else, even if that someone is Seungkwan?

Jisoo wanted to run away—wanted the world to swallow him whole so he didn’t have to be stuck in a dilemma like this.

Panic surged back into him at the realization that if he stayed for too long, he would miss the entire scene unfold and he would really lose grasp of everything. He quickly left the restroom and just in time, he breathed out in relief as he saw Seungkwan taking the tray off the counter, bringing it to their table.

"Jisoo, are you okay? You look out of it," Jeonghan asked him, his face laced with concern and Jisoo couldn’t bear looking at it for more than a second or else he would waver.

Again, there was nothing Jisoo could say but lie. "Don’t worry, it’s nothing wrong."

Why would Jeonghan worry about Jisoo when it’s obviously Seungkwan who is acting weird? Seungkwan was unlike his usual self, unusually peaked and dipped in his energy for the past few minutes. At one moment, he was distributing the drinks cheerily, and at the next moment, he sat in his chair with his mouth shut, falling into complete silence.

Right now, Jisoo could relate to what Seungkwan was feeling. Each passing second was a complete torture on their nerves. Jeonghan and Hansol weren’t completely oblivious either since they glanced at each other questioningly at Seungkwan’s weird behavior and Jisoo who was feigning ignorance.

With the somewhat vague mood between them, they reached for their drinks and Jisoo’s eyes were fixated on the person next to him—Jeonghan. Jisoo watched as Jeonghan stirred the drink, and as he placed the straw on his lips, Jisoo’s breath hitched, his mind overwhelmed with the blaring alarm, and he just lost control.

“Wait!” “WAIT!”

Jisoo clearly wasn’t thinking at all, simply acting based on what his feeling was screaming for him to do. His eyes widened in realization at how he had snatched Jeonghan’s drink away, meeting the vampire’s bewildered gaze.

Oh no.

Almost immediately, Jisoo felt guilt drenching him and he whipped his head, turning hastily to see Seungkwan’s reaction and maybe prepare some sort of reason for why he stopped Jeonghan from drinking the love potion. But instead, Jisoo met Seungkwan’s equally horrified expression and he noticed two things. One, Seungkwan was holding onto Hansol’s drink, and two, the other half of the overlapping yell actually belonged to Seungkwan.

Wait a minute…

There wasn’t any waiting. Seungkwan rose from his seat, face reddening in shame. “I—I think I got the order wrong.” He snatched Hansol’s drink away and placed his own drink in front of Hansol. “Here, drink mine first.”

The three watched with baffled expressions as Seungkwan left the table with Hansol’s drink, and he wasn’t headed to the counter—but out of the café through the back door. Now Jisoo was left to answer Jeonghan’s and Hansol’s incredibly lost expression alone.

Jisoo’s eyes darted to Jeonghan, to Hansol, to Jeonghan’s drink, to Seungkwan’s drink, to his own drink, and to the empty seat across from him, the place where Seungkwan just sat on. He stood up abruptly, almost toppling his seat over. “Don’t drink any of those, okay?” Jisoo insisted, firmly looking at Jeonghan and Hansol, getting his point across. “Okay?”

“O—okay.” “Alright.” The two meekly replied.

With that, Jisoo left to find Seungkwan.

As Jisoo stepped out through the back door, there was no sight of Seungkwan at all. He looked around desperately, moving in a panicked jog, and thankfully the younger didn’t get far away from the café. Jisoo turned into an alley and there was Seungkwan, planting his head on the wall and regretting silently in despair.

“Seungkwannie,” Jisoo began carefully.

The presence of another person startled Seungkwan. Seeing the crying face of Boo Seungkwan wasn’t a rare occurrence since he’s the second crybaby of the group, but still, it was different and it was distinctively heartbreaking this time.

“Hyung.... I—I’m sorry I chickened out,” Seungkwan started bawling, the glass of americano in his hand shaking violently.

Jisoo was quick to arrive at his side, offering a comforting stroke on his back. “No, no, Seungkwan. I… You did well, you’re doing great. Don’t worry, Seungkwan, it’s going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine.”

Seungkwan shook his head vehemently, wiping his tears away with his sleeve. Jisoo took the glass from his hand and set it down on the pavement away from them to prevent any spilling accident.

“Hyung, I… I know I’m a coward. Why else would I ask you to make this love potion except for the fact I’m a coward? I’m too scared that I can’t even confess properly.”

Seungkwan’s not the only coward. Jisoo was exactly the same.

“No, Kwannie, you’re one of the bravest people I know. Being honest to yourself is never easy, but you had the courage to take the first step. Don’t blame yourself, Kwannie,” Jisoo consoled him, rubbing his shoulder in a comforting circular motion. He cupped Seungkwan’s face, encouraging him to look up.

At Jisoo’s soothing touch, the dam broke and Seungkwan’s tears flowed down freely. His lovely and strong voice was broken, scattered into pieces as he sobbed uncontrollably. “I’m scared, hyung—I’m so, so scared. When he was about to drink that love potion, my mind spiraled. Everything felt wrong. I know the ‘love’ he’ll feel for me is fake, but it suddenly sounded like the worst thing ever. I don’t want him to ever feel fake love for me. It’ll thoroughly devastate me if in the end I know he’ll never genuinely feel it.”

Seungkwan thought he was ready for the consequences and that Jisoo had warned him enough times. He thought he had come to a decision he wouldn’t regret and began building his fake courage. It was all for naught. In front of the real deal, with reality playing in front of his face, his determination crumbled into dust.

“I’m sorry, hyung. You went through so much trouble making this and I… I’m sorry.”

Jisoo pulled Seungkwan into a warm hug. “Never mind about me, Seungkwan. Making a love potion is simple, I can make it hundreds of times without blinking. It doesn’t matter at all. The most important thing is what you feel. If you’re against doing it, then let’s not do it.” The witch pulled away to smile at Seungkwan, the familiar fondness gracing his features. “In fact, I’m glad that you didn’t go through it. I’m afraid that you will feel guilty because of it. You’re just too kind and soft sometimes.”

“Hyung…” the younger melted into his arms, into the familiar warmth of Hong Jisoo. “Hyung, I love you so much.”

The older stifled a laugh. “I don’t think I’m the one you should be confessing to right now.”

“No, trust me, in my next life, or maybe in another universe, I’ll definitely fall in love with you and not anyone else. I’ll definitely confess first, trust me.”

The two harmoniously fell into a small giggling fit, rocking back and forth gently in each other’s arms, before Jisoo stumbled because Seungkwan put his whole weight on him.

As they calmed down, Jisoo wondered aloud. “How are we going to explain it to them?”

Seungkwan stiffened, face falling with embarrassment. “I… Let’s just say I have a stomachache or something.”

Definitely not the smoothest reasoning ever yet knowing how laidback Hansol is and how attentive Jeonghan is, they wouldn’t press further on that matter.

“Huh, but wait,” Jisoo faltered, suddenly realizing one crucial fact he missed. “Seungkwan… Why did you snatch Hansol’s cup?”

Seungkwan blinked at Jisoo for a moment. “Huh? There’s no way I can just leave it that. Maybe he’ll get stubborn and drink it.”

“Huh? Why his?”

“Huh? Because… because of the love potion?”

Then, it clicked.

"Wait… Don’t tell me—Is it Hansol? The love potion is for Hansol?" Jisoo exclaimed in disbelief, unconsciously backing away into the wall.

Any traces of crying have now disappeared on Seungkwan’s puzzled face. “Huh? I mean, who else is it going to be?"

“Jeonghan... I thought it was for Jeonghan.”

It was equally surprising to see how Seungkwan’s expression morphed into another state of perplexity. He might be a theatre kid, but this was beyond expressive. “What? Jeonghan-hyung? Why?”

“You’re close with him recently, so I thought… and there are rumors too. Oh, and the blonde hair…” Jisoo wasn’t making any sense at all, his voice wavering as he recalled a conversation once held between him and Hansol.

Seungkwan said the answer out loud for him. “Ah, Hansol dyed his hair, right? It was bleached before that. I took the chance on trimming his hair, so that’s why the hair that I gave you is blonde.”

Is Jisoo an idiot? Is he this much of an airhead, oblivious person?

Everything made much more sense now. Seungkwan and Hansol had always been close. It was one of the reasons why Seungkwan was determined not to ruin their friendship without any form of insurance. It wasn’t Jeonghan, the hyung he unexpectedly got close with as they prepared for their play. It was Hansol, the closest friend he always had by his side.

Jisoo knew the exact reason why he jumped to the wrong conclusion. His feelings towards Jeonghan got in the way and it screwed his judgement, messed up with his rational mind. He was both thoroughly embarrassed and horrified at the whole misunderstanding he created himself.

Even then, Jisoo had to make sure. “So… the one you like isn’t Jeonghan? It’s Hansol?”

"Yes. The one I like is Hansol,” Seungkwan firmly stated without an ounce of hesitation.

“Tell him that directly.”

The sudden arrival of a third voice startled the two of them. Seungkwan was grateful that it was Jeonghan and not Hansol, while Jisoo felt the exact opposite.

Seungkwan’s expression turned sour, almost accusing, and Jeonghan had to defend himself. “I’m sorry. I just had to come after you two. You looked too panicked and Jisoo seemed out of it. Who knows if you two might need my help or something?”

The Siren huffed, crossing his arms. “Whatever, it’s just you. Don’t tell anyone about this. Swear this on your coffin.”

“I don’t sleep in a coffin…”

“Do it.”

“I swear it on my nonexistent coffin?”

“Good.”

Jisoo laughed at their ridiculous banter, coming out of nowhere. It brought a smile to Jeonghan’s lips.

“I take it you guys have sorted everything out?” Jeonghan gave them both a gentle smile. “Let’s go back. I feel bad for leaving Hansol alone back there.”

Seungkwan groaned loudly. “Right, what am I going to tell him.”

“Stomachache?”

“Right, stomachache.”

Once they returned to the table where Hansol was waiting patiently (he was playing games on his phone), Seungkwan immediately took his shot, targeting the bull’s-eyes in a split second without braking at all.

“Hansol, can we go back to your place and talk?”

It was a fastball thrown out of nowhere, tripping Jisoo over his feet once again.

Hansol, as carefree as always, nodded casually, unfazed by the extreme changes in Seungkwan’s behavior. Although he cast a curious glance at Jeonghan and Jisoo, he didn’t ask them anything. “Sure. So, about my coffee?”

“Yep. My treat, once again,” Seungkwan told him.

With that, the two packed up and prepared to leave.

“Jisoo-hyung, Jeonghan-hyung, see you guys.”

“See you.”

The two bid them farewell and left in a flash.

That was… quick.

Seungkwan was really unpredictable, coming as a storm uninvited and leaving once he was done thrashing around. After the whole ride of roller-coaster, Jisoo wanted to laugh how absurd the situation was. He watched as Seungkwan’s and Hansol’s figures disappeared outside of the café. Somehow, he got the feeling that things would work out well between them, and he felt relieved at that.

“So, can I drink this?” Jeonghan’s voice pulled Jisoo back out of his thoughts.

“Oh, um…”

Jeonghan’s drink should technically be safe since the love potion was made for Hansol and Hansol only because it was his hair that was used in the potion. There was almost zero possibility of Seungkwan putting the potion in the wrong drink, knowing how meticulous the siren is, so it should be safe, right?

“Can I try and check it first?” Still, Jisoo didn’t want to take any risk.

Jeonghan raised an eyebrow. “To see if there’s love potion in it? Wouldn’t it affect you too, Jisoo?”

The witch grimaced. “You heard that part?”

“I didn’t mean to, but you know.” Jeonghan tapped his ear. “Sharp hearing and all.”

“No, don’t worry, it won’t affect me. Can I?”

“Sure.”

Thankfully, there was no trace of said potion both in his and Jeonghan’s drink. No strange taste of sweetness, no trace of mana at all. Usually, when a witch brews a potion, they would infuse a bit of their mana into the cauldron for some process to take effect. Jisoo found nothing wrong with the drink at all.

“They’re fine, so go ahead. You can drink them,” he slid the cup back in front of Jeonghan.

As Jisoo indulged in his own drink, refreshing his tired throat, the witch relaxed and let his guard down. It was too soon to feel relief.

“So... love potion,” Jeonghan said almost in a tone of amusement.

Jisoo almost choked on his latte. “I’m sorry, I tried to stop Seungkwan, really. He didn’t mean anything bad. I’m sorry we got you all roped up in this.”

"No, it's okay, I know him. He likes Hansol too much that he's afraid of being rejected. It’s understandable since they have been friends for a long time.” When Jeonghan leaned forward there was a sharp, knowing glint reflected in his eyes, and Jisoo had the feeling he was screwed. “But Jisoo, if I listened correctly, didn’t you think the love potion is intended for me?”

“Um… Seungkwan became close to you recently, and you guys are spending a lot of time together. Also, it’s because the hair Seungkwan gave to me is blonde and it’s very similar to yours. Umm, I’m sorry I got it wrong. I came to the wrong conclusion…”

Jeonghan nodded, humming to himself. “Yeah, we did get close recently thanks to the play. Seungkwan is really fun to hang out with. I see him as my troublemaker dongsaeng, kind of similar to Seokmin and Soonyoung.”

It was extremely hard not to shrink under Jeonghan’s gaze. Jisoo had never felt this small before. Awkward glances and shy stares, yes, but never to the point of wanting to bolt away. He dreaded what was about to happen. There’s this shine on Jeonghan’s eyes, sharp and aware, as if he wasn’t going to miss the opportunity presented in front of him, as if he’s waiting to pounce on his prey.

“Seungkwan asked you to make the love potion and you assumed it was for me instead for Hansol. And didn’t you stop me from drinking the love potion, Jisoo?”

Oh wow, dropping the bomb just like that?

Jisoo didn’t like where this was going and he blanked out, his mind rocketing away from the space between his skull, rendering Jisoo in a malfunction state and blushing furiously.

Is it just Jisoo or is Jeonghan looking thoroughly entertained by this?

With Jisoo having no capability to talk, Jeonghan leaned forward and pounced. “Jisoo. Can I take this as a sign to ask you out on a date?”

Jisoo wished he could pause everything and process things for once. He hadn’t moved on from the fact that Jeonghan had listened in to the conversation between him and Seungkwan about the love potion misunderstanding, the fact that Jisoo stopped Jeonghan from drinking what was assumed to be a drink laced with love potion—all of them were leading to the implication that Jisoo was feeling something for Jeonghan. And now, this?

Wait. Is Jeonghan asking Jisoo out on a date?

A date? Together with him?

“Me?” Jisoo asked, his eyes wide and round.

Jeonghan’s smug smile disappeared, showing a more serious and tense expression. “Yes, you, Jisoo. I want to take you out on a date.”

"What? What about the love potion?"

“I’m really sorry if it’s a hassle for you to make. I don’t need the love potion, actually, you can keep it. It’s only an excuse so I can get closer to you,” Jeonghan explained apologetically.

What?

Is Jisoo being delusional or is his mind hearing things?

There’s no way that his crush, the source of his suffering the past few weeks, told Jisoo he faked the need of having a love potion as an excuse to get closer to him. It happened once in a daydream, not in reality.

"Jisoo?"

Jeonghan’s voice was calling for his name. This was the reality. Jeonghan was in front of him, lips pressed together, fingers clasped tightly, eyebrows furrowed, sincerely trying to hide his nerves, though hope and anticipation flickered in his eyes. Everything was still quite chaotic and confusing for Jisoo to process, but in the end, what Jeonghan said was right.

Yes, you can take it as a sign to take me out on a date.

“Jisoo, are you upset with me about the potion?”

Jisoo responded in a heartbeat. “No, of course, not. The potion is nothing, it’s easy to make and it isn’t a hassle so don’t worry. It’s just…”

Was there any way to word out the complicated feelings inside of him? How could Jisoo explain and sort out everything?

Jisoo always had a crush on Jeonghan. He had to hide it away because he assumed the target of Seungkwan’s affection was the same person. Yet, after Jeonghan’s request for a love potion, they started spending time together, making it harder for Jisoo to let go of his feelings. Day by day, he fell more and more for Jeonghan. He struggled, reminding himself to expect nothing and to move on from his feelings, though failing miserably, only to find out that Jeonghan was apparently interested in Jisoo too.

It took a moment for Jisoo to realize that things were actually simple. He should focus on the question at hand as opposed to overcomplicating things.

Just honestly, say what is on your mind for once.

"Yes."

Jeonghan inhaled in anticipation, sitting upright in full alert. “Yes, what, Jisoo?”

"Yes, I’d love to go out on a date with you, Jeonghan.”

Chapter Text

"Here, bottoms-up."

Jihoon slammed down a suspicious black concoction, inciting an immediate scrunch from Jisoo. He shrunk on his seat, backing away from the horrendous cocktail.

The smaller narrowed his eyes. "You're not in a position to refuse. Quick."

Under the glaring ministration of Jihoon, Jisoo hesitantly grabbed the glass. At the absence of further movement, Jihoon moved closer to assert dominance, forcing Jisoo to pray in silence and downed the glass in one go.

The mixture was unexpectedly tasteless, a slight hint of sourness behind it. But what made Jisoo almost gag was the thick texture, resembling a thick cream soup. The moment those abhorred liquid touched his throat; the burning pain is immediately relished.

Jisoo turned to give a look of gratitude, yet the younger seemed to be occupied on his phone, texting someone. Wondering who it was, Jisoo got his answer the moment his phone rang a minute later.

It was Jeonghan. "Jisoo? Did you really lose your voice?"

Jisoo glared at Jihoon, the receiving end shrugging nonchalantly.

It was an experiment blowing into minor inconvenience.

Something went wrong with whatever Jisoo was brewing, either he misread a line or the recipe was a sham. Either way, when Jisoo leaned in to check his cauldron, the mixture exploded right at his face. Thankfully, it wasn’t corrosive nor explosive, merely a sudden burst of smoke with a strong odor. The incident ended up stinging his eyes and ravaging his throat, leaving a lasting burning sensation clawing at it. In an instant, Jisoo lost his voice.

If it wasn’t for Jihoon’s blasphemous ‘healing potion’, Jisoo would still be suffering from his painful throat, coughing violently. It hurt whenever he breathed in air. Though it did soothe the pain, the potion couldn’t heal nor return his voice. The least he could do was let out a weak, hoarse croak, barely above a whisper.

"So, it's true, huh. You can't even respond to me,” Jeonghan said.

“You can text him, Hyung. I’ll keep him still for the time being,” Jihoon yelled from across the room.

In fifteen minutes, Jeonghan arrived with Seokmin and Mingyu at the two witches’ apartment.

"Jisoo," Jeonghan found Jisoo on the dining table and proceeded on examining him from head to toe. “Are you okay?”

Jisoo nodded, giving a small apologetic smile, and pointed to his phone. Jeonghan got the point and checked his messages. "It's just a small incident. I'm not hurt, just lost my voice. Don't worry," was what Jisoo said through text.

Jeonghan returned to look at his boyfriend, eyes speaking of concern. He pulled the dining chair to sit closer with Jisoo, their thighs touching. His hand gently rested on Jisoo’s cheek, grazing his skin and settling on the side of his neck. "Jisoo, does it hurt?"

Jisoo typed. "Jihoon already gave me medicine. It's fine now. Just a little itchy." On cue, Jisoo coughed dryly, and he sheepishly smiled.

Jihoon shouted from the kitchen. "It wasn’t that bad, but still a little stupid, if you ask me. His voice will come back in three days or so. Drink my potion and you'll be fine."

“It doesn’t taste good, huh?” Jeonghan was an expert in reading Jisoo, or maybe it’s just Jisoo who’s easy to read. He chuckled, ruffling Jisoo’s head affectionately. “Be careful next time, Soo. I don’t know exactly what went wrong, but it could be dangerous, you know? Thankfully it’s just your throat this time.”

The witch pouted.

His boyfriend grinned at the cute display, cupping Jisoo’s cheeks, then leaning for a quick peck. “Three days, right? I already miss your voice now.”

Six months into dating and there was never a day where Jeonghan wasn’t flirting or being cheesy with Jisoo.

“Hyung! What the heck is that!?” Seokmin wailed.

The two whipped their head towards the source of the voice, the kitchen. Before they could check what happened, Seokmin and Mingyu were clambering out desperately for their lives, Jihoon following suit with a suspiciously steaming bowl with grim expression.

When he placed the bowl down, Jisoo wished he was good at apparition.

“Here. This one will help you recover quickly,” Jihoon stated sternly.

It was another out of the world concoction made by the one and only Lee Jihoon. As a potion specialist, Jisoo had his fair share of questionable ingredients, just not… not this grey, green, and purple blob of something that is moving. Is this a slime? Is that a tentacle? Why was it emitting an inaudible low moan? It would have been believable if Jihoon said he steamed a living slime and chucked it into a bowl.

“Jisoo-hyung, don’t eat that! Jihoon-hyung put a living—”

The pillow was thrown, probably charmed with a silencer spell or some sort, effectively silencing Seokmin.

Jisoo stared in horror at the bowl, glancing at the clueless Jeonghan, turning to the traumatized Mingyu and Seokmin, and finally, towards the commanding look from Jihoon.

“Jisoo, it’s not going to kill you.”

With a confident nod from Jihoon, Jeonghan tried to coax Jisoo. “Try it, Jisoo. It does look questionable, but Jihoon wouldn’t give it to you if it’s not helping.”

“Exactly,” the smaller said.

Jeonghan was right.

This was Jihoon who prepared this, not some random witch he barely knows. This is Jihoon, his closest friend, his roommate, the other half of his witchcraft coven, a brilliant witch who excels in every aspect even if he’s only specializing in charms and spells. He’s the person Jisoo can count on the most, providing excellent counsel and rational mind whenever Jisoo needed it. Despite how he looks and behaves, Jihoon is a softie for Jisoo and they know it.

One tiny spoonful and Jisoo jumped for the nearest sink.

Jisoo prepared exactly two pieces of notes for the occasion of someone talking to him.

“Hi, I’m sorry I can’t speak now because I lost my voice ^^”

“I caught a cold and I’m fine now, but my throat still hurts. That’s why I can’t speak.”

Those two notes only and the rest is through text. If any further conversation was unnecessary, he would simply smile, dismiss himself, and leave. Other than that, classes were as normal as they get.

Jisoo was surprised to find Jeonghan standing outside the lecture room. They were planning to have lunch together with the group, yet his boyfriend didn’t say anything about waiting for Jisoo.

“Jisoo,” Jeonghan called, face lighting up.

When Jeonghan was spacing out and relaxing his facial muscle, he came across more charismatic and cooler, causing people a little hesitant to approach him. His true nature emerges whenever he’s around the people he’s close with, especially Jisoo. He’s much more childish and playful, showing his sunny disposition.

Jisoo tilted his head, asking silently why Jeonghan was here.

“Hmm, I want to see you faster,” he stepped forward, intertwining their fingers together.

One of the things Jisoo notes is that Jeonghan loves taking care of him, sometimes too much. Naturally, Jisoo reciprocates the same attention, but Jeonghan milks dry all opportunity for his own satisfaction. Whenever Jisoo is sick or shows the slightest hint of fatigue, that’s where Jeonghan shines through like a champ.

“Once we get there, the kids will bother you a lot, so it’s my only time to monopolize you,” he added with a playful smile.

As if Jisoo wasn’t planning to stop by Jeonghan’s apartment later this evening.

They reached the canteen and sat down at the table long enough to accommodate 13 people at once.

Chan, the youngest, always so sweet as he leaned across the table to catch a better look of the oldest witch. “Jisoo-hyung, are you feeling better?”

“He should be, if he drinks my potion every day,” Jihoon responded, resulting in Jisoo, Seokmin, and Mingyu scowling in disagreement.

After the whole ordeal of inedible slime, Jisoo and Jihoon fall into an agreement of one liquid potion per day, nothing more and nothing less.

Jun spoke up. “How did you even lose your voice, hyung?”

“Did you not read the group chat?” Wonwoo questioned back.

“Jeonghan-hyung went too rough on Jisoo-hyung yesterday,” Soonyoung shot absentmindedly, only regretting it the split second after.

The self-proclaimed tiger received scrutinizing glares from the kids. Jeonghan looked amused, as if he liked the idea very much and it wasn’t far-fetched from the truth. If Jisoo could speak, he would be changing the topic in a flash to brush away the embarrassment.

Seungcheol took one for the team. “Hey, I heard Seokmin learned how to rap yesterday?”

The table got boisterous, Seokmin and Seungkwan falling into a rap battle, with Soonyoung and Chan hyping them up. It was almost a daily occurrence how other tables in the vicinity ended up watching them in awe or confusion. The rest of the members were used to both the chaos and the embarrassment.

Jisoo reached out for the cola when Jeonghan stopped him. "Don't you think you should avoid soda for the time being? The same goes with ice."

He pouted, bumping into Jeonghan’s shoulder lightly in retaliation. Jeonghan was right, it won’t be good for his throat, but Jisoo was still tempted.

Minghao saw their small banter and smiled. “Hyung, I’ll give you some medicinal tea later. It’ll help soothe your throat and I promise it’ll taste better than Jihoon-hyung’s brewing.”

Jisoo agreed, giving an ok sign and a bright smile at the younger. As Minghao specialized in herbology, he is well-versed in the medicinal aspect of plants. At the very least, he wasn’t ruthless as Jihoon, focusing more on efficiency as compared to decency.

“What about letting Wonwoo check on you, hyung?” Mingyu offered.

The said person sighed and countered. “You do know I’m still a medical student? Plus, I think Jisoo-hyung will be fine.” He turned towards Jisoo. “Your throat isn’t in pain, right? Let time do the rest. All you have to do is just avoid the bad stuffs and take it easy, hyung.”

Jisoo gave a double ok sign. The group should stop worrying too much as Jisoo understood his condition the most. This was merely a sore throat. It didn’t come close to the time he collapsed from a high fever. As if a loud alarm was blaring inside their heads, the members were panicking to no ends and honestly it gave him more things to worry about.

The memory gave Jisoo a small chuckle, coming out as a small huff of air.

Jeonghan wrapped an arm around Jisoo, pulling him closer. There was a hint of playfulness as he winked at his boyfriend, earning a light hit on his chest.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he does.”

Since Jisoo couldn’t speak, he relied more on physical gestures and touch.

It did wonders to Jeonghan’s heart.

Squeezing Jeonghan’s hand as they walk, tugging into Jeonghan’s sleeve when they sat next to each other, gesturing Jeonghan to come closer, writing on Jeonghan’s fingers to convey his words, the little shaking of his body when he laughed without voice, the small nod or ok signs he gave, the gentle smile and adorable frown he threw as a reaction—every single thing Jisoo did is so sweet, honeyedly sweet.

The most endearing part was when Jisoo tried telepathy without having the ability to.

He would catch Jeonghan’s attention and simply stare, hoping his intention would come across. The thing was, the only thing coming across was how cute those round, honey brown, deer-like eyes were. Nothing else mattered, nothing else was conveyed.

The exasperated expression of Jisoo when Jeonghan didn’t get it was also marvelous. Jisoo had always been expressive and easy to read, and there is this exceedingly cute charm of his that comes naturally. Even so, it escalated further into a whole new level of cuteness in his current state.

Jeonghan was unable to latch himself off Jisoo, overflowing with gentleness and affection.

The two were cuddled on the sofa of Jeonghan’s apartment, Jisoo between Jeonghan’s laps, showered by his kisses and attention. It turned a little heated when Jeonghan started peppering kisses to the side of Jisoo’s neck. Unable to make a sound, the whining and moans of Jisoo were replaced with hitched and stuttered breathing.

Jisoo struggled in his hold and Jeonghan knew the lack of voice was making him slightly conscious.

He chuckled, despite knowing his lover well. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

Instead of letting go, Jeonghan pushed Jisoo down, trapping him between the sofa and himself. The way he positioned himself, casting his shadow on top of Jisoo’s figure, the exhilaration is something he could never get used to. Drinking in Jisoo’s round eyes, widening in embarrassment, Jeonghan’s chest swelled in satisfaction.

He began kissing Jisoo’s wrist, feeling the thudding vein beneath it and smirked. Jisoo forgot how to breathe properly whenever Jeonghan’s eyes glow dimly in crimson. Here he was, his boyfriend, hovering on top of Jisoo in his whole vampire glory, fangs gleaming with want.

Jeonghan asked for permission, voice above a whisper. “Can I, Jisoo?”

Jisoo held his breath, eyes widened in anticipation. Instinctively, he felt as meek as prey, under the mercy of his predator. But this is Jeonghan, his lover whom he treasures the most, as much as the man himself treasures him. Jisoo could never refuse Jeonghan’s plea for blood, and so he nodded sheepishly.

The vampire waited for Jisoo to nod a few times as confirmation, as he couldn’t give a verbal consent. Once deemed adequate, Jeonghan smiled in satisfaction, leaning into the crook of Jisoo’s neck, inhaling the familiar scent. Jisoo shuddered as Jeonghan’s tongue started prodding against his skin, licking to prepare for the sharp intrusion.

Jisoo was melting, becoming mush, as the heat permeates from every part of his body coming in contact with Jeonghan.

When he stopped, Jisoo whined needily.

“Baby, you know the drill,” Jeonghan reminded him in a soft murmur, running his fingers on Jisoo’s cheek in reassurance. He waited patiently until Jisoo gave a firm nod.

When it comes down to Jeonghan drawing blood from Jisoo, they had to make sure the vampire didn’t go overboard. Honestly, it was hard not to. Jeonghan had to keep himself in check, but Jisoo had to keep himself safe too. If there is the slightest feeling of being too overwhelmed or drained, he could tell Jeonghan to stop, or in this case, tap repeatedly on his shoulder.

Jisoo reciprocated the gesture, fingertips sweetly grazing Jeonghan’s sharp chin. His warm gaze is trying to send a message.

“I’m okay, Hannie. Go ahead.”

So, Jeonghan dived in, pressing one last slow kiss into the veins of Jisoo’s neck, before his fangs punctured the thin layer of skin. As he sank his fangs, Jeonghan rubbed Jisoo’s side attentively, coaxing him to relax.

For Jisoo, the pain was gone in a flash, as it was replaced by warmth, spreading rapidly from where Jeonghan’s fangs and lips latched on. He instinctively tilted his head back to give his lover more access, offering and submitting himself. The thrumming of his veins was almost euphoric, causing him to shiver in anticipation of the next sensation that was about to come.

Jeonghan began sucking from the punctured wound, relishing the divine taste of Jisoo’s blood, the same way Jisoo relished the mix of pain and pleasure.

“Han—Hannie.”

It should be about time where Jisoo begins moaning out his name, a yearning for more. When a whine or moan slipped through his lips, it was extremely hoarse, like his voice is scratched on sandpaper. And it did sting his throat. In this current state, Jeonghan couldn’t hear more than his weak and breathy whimper.

It really is regretful.

Though Jisoo’s blood is as sweet and intoxicating as the most expensive brand of wine Jeonghan could ever find elsewhere, it is not enough. More than the taste, the sight of Jisoo underneath him, the high-pitched voices of his moan, wrecked and blissed, is more addicting that he kept coming back for more. Pressed together like this, Jeonghan could feel how Jisoo squirmed underneath him, his chest hammering through the thin clothes separating them.

Having his fill, Jeonghan detached his fangs and cleaned up the traces of blood with his tongue, refusing to waste a single drop. Jisoo sighed voluntarily at Jeonghan’s fluttering touches, soothing his nerves.

Jeonghan licked his fangs, breath hovering above Jisoo’s lips, meeting his lover’s teary gaze. “I can feel your excitement, sweetheart. But I think we can’t go further than this.”

Jisoo stared through half-lidded eyes, as if he was the one feeling drunk. He cupped Jeonghan’s face and pulled him closer, stopping him from pulling away. The stare Jisoo presented was unfair, cheeks flushed in pink adorably, mouth parting in shallow gasps. It made Jeonghan want to cave in.

Chuckling, Jeonghan stroked the back of Jisoo’s cheek, practically showering him with a loving gaze. “As much as I love seeing you being adorable like this, I missed your voice, my love. Let’s wait for you to recover, okay?”

The vampire closed the gap between them, capturing his lips and letting Jisoo taste his own blood. Jisoo had to remind Jeonghan that he’s not a vampire and blood tasted of iron for him, and not the ‘exquisite beverage’ Jeonghan deemed it to be.

Again, it was quite regretful to think Jisoo can’t ever fathom how heavenly he tasted.

Waking up to see the face of your lover deep asleep must be one of life’s greatest pleasures. Under the morning light of the room, eyes closed and breathing softly, Jisoo looked more like an angel as compared to a deer, more ethereal as compared to gentle.

Moving closer, Jeonghan draped an arm around Jisoo, pulling him closer. His heart must be crushed into pulp at how endearing his boyfriend is, as Jisoo unconsciously snuggled closer, burying himself in Jeonghan’s warmth. He took the chance to further press their body together, tangling their limbs, closing any gap between them.

It didn’t take long for Jisoo to stir and wake up.

His round eyes lit up as sleep gradually left him. “Morning,” Jisoo mouthed.

That was deadly cute.

Jeonghan cooed, nuzzling their faces together. “How are you feeling?”

Jisoo responded with a sleepy smile and buried himself further.

“I have morning class today, but you don’t, right? Do you want to stay here or go back?”

He shook his head, rubbing it against Jeonghan’s chest.

The way Jeonghan reverberated with laughter is pleasant. “I’ll take that as a ‘no’. So, you’ll go back?”

A nod.

“Alright. I’ll drop you off.”

Another nod.

Jisoo and his pouty lips earned a kiss from Jeonghan. Fondly, the vampire ruffled his head. “Come on, let’s wake up. Cereal?”

The two climbed out of the cozy bed, mostly Jeonghan doing all the work and pulling Jisoo along. It was quite a rare occasion considering Jeonghan wasn’t a morning person.

They silently agreed to take it easy and have a simple breakfast of cereal and toast, not a legit meal cooked by Jisoo. Jeonghan’s cooking was out of the question lest they risk burning the apartment down. Sitting across from each other on the small dining table, Jisoo hooked their feet, tangling and swinging them together from time to time.

Jeonghan watched as Jisoo swirled the spoon of his cereal, a thought nudging him at the back of his mind. Something was quite missing and he figured it out pretty quickly. Normally, a soft hum of Jisoo’s gentle voice would fill his apartment. It was an endearing and pleasant habit Jeonghan took for granted.

His fingers reached out to poke Jisoo’s cheek. “Jisoo, does your throat still hurts?”

Jisoo shook his head and began to type on his phone, so Jeonghan fished out his phone and waited for the text to arrive.

“It hurts a little when I try to speak. But when I’m not, it’s fine.”

Admittedly, it did sting to see his sweetheart in this state and Jeonghan smiled sympathetically. “Ask Jihoon to brew some more of that stuff for you, okay?”

It was obvious Jisoo didn’t like that idea, his frowning expression too much like a baby.

“Come on, let’s make you recover fast, okay? I miss your voice.”

Jisoo visibly melted. More than the frustration of losing his voice, he felt guilty for making Jeonghan worry and take care of him so much. If they switched places, Jisoo would definitely miss Jeonghan’s voice too.

He beckoned Jeonghan to come closer and turn his head sideways, and the vampire curiously complied so that he was offering his ear towards the witch. Jeonghan could feel Jisoo’s lips hovering in front of his ear and he waited for the incoming soft whisper.

Instead, Jisoo planted a kiss on his cheek.

It took one second for Jeonghan to register what had happened. When he finally turned his head, Jisoo was waiting for him with a cheeky grin. Of course, it was natural for Jeonghan to reciprocate the gesture, cupping Jisoo’s cheeks and pulling him in for a kiss. He kissed Jisoo tenderly, savoring his taste, their lips moving in tandem. As they deepened the kiss, Jeonghan held the back of Jisoo’s neck to steady him.

They eventually parted, leaving their lips wet and slightly panting.

“Being too cute like that is unfair, Jisoo,” Jeonghan murmured, adding one short kiss before he drew away.

Jisoo’s shoulder shook in silent giggle, eyes and lips crinkling in amusement. 

Well, that was adorable. Really adorable.

Jeonghan wouldn’t get over this anytime soon.

The next day, class finally ended and the sun was almost setting. Jeonghan stepped out from class together with Seungcheol and Mingyu, and he was about to text Jisoo when Seungcheol spoke first.

“Let’s grab dinner at Jisoo’s. The kids are gathered there,” Seungcheol told them, showing their group chat as proof.

Now that Seungcheol mentioned it, Jeonghan realized he hadn’t got a single text from Jisoo after lunch. Was his boyfriend busy with his cauldron again? Speaking of the devil, his phone buzzed from an incoming call, the name flashing on the screen revealing it to be Jisoo. As he slid his finger across the screen to pick up the call, Jeonghan wondered why did Jisoo called when he can’t even speak?

The answer came almost immediately, as the person at the other end wasn’t Jisoo. It was Seokmin, an alarmingly panicked Seokmin.

“J—Jeonghan-hyung? Why— I mean, hurry, quick! Please—come here quickly!”

The response was instantaneous as Jeonghan hastily asked, “Seok? What happened?”

Seungcheol and Mingyu overheard the shrill voice from the other side of the call and immediately they crowded around Jeonghan, trying to get a catch of what was going on.

The background noise of the call was indeed noisy, with vague thuds and crashes, voices of one or two people speaking loudly. Jeonghan was unable to discern to whom they belonged as it was too chaotic.

Seokmin’s high-pitched yelling came again. “Whoa! W—wait! Jisoo-hyung, wait—don’t!”

The call ended abruptly after a loud crash.

The three of them fell into silence, tension thick in the air as they stared at the ended call screen.

Seungcheol didn’t waste another moment, turning to Jeonghan’s blanked face and Mingyu’s flustered one. “We should quickly go. They must be at Jisoo’s apartment.”

There wasn’t a single disagreement with Seungcheol’s decision. On their way there, the lack of response from Jisoo, Jihoon, Seokmin, and Soonyoung was unnerving. None of them picked up the relentless barrages of calls from those tree.

Unknowingly, Jeonghan gritted his teeth, frustration and concern coming through more than Seungcheol’s and Mingyu’s.

Before the call ended, Seokmin yelled out Jisoo’s name, telling him don’t.

What happened? Did something happen to Jisoo? Is Jisoo okay? Thousands of scenarios are running through his mind and Jeonghan wishes for none of them to happen in reality.

Jeonghan’s heart was racing nonstop, dread stuck in his throat, and it felt even more choking the moment they arrived in front of the apartment. He quickly unlocked the door with a spare key and slammed the door open, only to be greeted by an extremely bizarre sight.

The whole apartment was covered in goo, a mix of dark and muted colors of black, purple, and red. The entire scene, including the furniture, flooring, and wall, were painted with slime-like substance. On a closer look, some of them were moving as slow as a snail. What reeled them back instinctively was the strong pungent smell of moss and river, as if this gooey substance was taken directly from the deepest part of a stream in a distant forest.

From one corner of the room, Jihoon was barking orders. “Seokmin, stop cowering over there and help!”

On the opposite corner, Seokmin was crouched up on the table, swatting away the slimes creeping towards him using a book. “B—but hyung! They’re trying to eat me alive! Get it away from me!”

Jisoo, the love of Jeonghan’s life, sighed exasperatedly and crosses the sea of slimes, ignoring the slimy feeling stuck on his entire body. Easily, he took the closest slime to Seokmin’s legs. The mushy creature slipped out of his fingers, free-falling into the floor with a splat. It earned another shrilling yelp from Seokmin.

“Seok, they’re not going to eat you!” Soonyoung told him off, voicing out Jisoo’s silent complaint.

Seokmin pointed at the blasphemous creature in fear. “They did! They pounced at me and ate Jisoo-hyung’s phone away!”

That explained the abrupt end of their phone call.

“Jihoon, what happened?” Seungcheol demanded. When he strode over, somehow, he managed to step on a blob and slipped, barely catching himself on the nearest wall. The werewolf gasped and clutched his chest, losing a few years of his life.

“Careful.” The warning came quite late from Jihoon.

“What happened, Jisoo?” Jeonghan met Jisoo’s eyes from across the room and the witch shrugged as an explanation.

“Accidents happened.” Soonyoung heaved an armful of slimes into a laundry basket. “Let’s just—just help us clean up and tell Seokmin to stop screaming from time to time.”

Jihoon nodded. “The slimes are harmless, they might be playful and pounce on you, but they really can’t do any harm. They’re extremely slippery, so pick them up carefully. Oh, also, don’t swallow their goo. You can get them on your skin, but don’t eat them.”

“Dully noted,” Mingyu stated, taking a mental note not to freak out too much.

Seungcheol ran a hand through his hair. He would definitely get to the bottom of this chaos later.

For now, they complied and focused on containing the slimes.

They spent tthe next hour picking up the slimes with their bare hands, mostly only the five of them, since Seokmin was wailing and shrieking too much whenever the slimes escaped his fingers. They used every container possible, from laundry baskets, buckets, organizer boxes, cardboard boxes, plastic bags—everything. When the containers were still not enough, Mingyu and Seokmin had to step out and fetch new containers either from the neighbors or the stores.

“We’ll just gather them first. Tonight, I’ll send them back,” Jihoon explained, swinging his arm to get rid of one stubborn blob, and it splattered at Jeonghan’s direction instead. He shot an apologetic look before continuing. “Yes, these slimes are summoned from my magic array. I intend to summon only one, but Seokmin messed up and create this chaos.”

The younger stared at Jihoon incredulously. “What? Me? I didn’t do anything!”

“Seokmin, your familiar practically jumped into my magic array and messed up with it!”

“The door to your room is open, hyung! Wasn’t it a witch’s rule to always conduct magic in a safe and secured place?”

“I did close it. Your familiar open it!”

“Coco didn’t do it!”

Coco, Seokmin’s familiar, is a ferret of snowy white fur with tint of blue at the ends, governing the element of water. If it wasn’t a familiar creature, the thought of a ferret opening a door might be impossible.

Jihoon crossed his arms. “You didn’t watch after your familiar, Seokmin, how would you know?”

“He’s well behaved! He’ll never act like this!”

“Hey, enough, enough,” Seungcheol intervenes, stepping between them.

For a while now, Jeonghan noticed that Jisoo was trying to speak, opening his mouth and hesitating to say something, though no voice came out.

Jeonghan helped him out. “Jisoo, are you trying to say something?”

All eyes turned to Jisoo, and the witch gulped nervously.

“I—,” the group was collectively surprised when he spoke despite his half-healed voice, still husky and cracked, slightly above a whisper. “I think It’s my fault. I stored a moss stalk on my table. I think Coco ate it and it acts like a sort of stimulant,” he paused, clearing his dry throat, “I think it’s why he became hyper, entered Jihoon’s room, and messed with the magic array.”

To be honest, Jisoo wasn’t sure as there was no direct witness to the incident. All of sudden, the magic array was evoked and slimes started popping out at an alarming rate. By chance, Coco slipped out of the room, so they put two and two together. He wasn’t sure moss stalk worked for Coco either, as there is a vast array of familiar and their interaction with certain ingredients.

Soonyoung spoke up first. “It’s not your fault, hyung, you didn’t know it would happen.”

“Yes, it’s my fault too for not watching Coco properly,” Seokmin admitted.

Jihoon reluctantly added, casting his awkward gaze away. “It’s not right to leave a magic array just like that in the open, so I’m at the wrong too.”

A smile crept across Seungcheol’s face. “Let’s take it as a group mistake then. So, we gathered them up, but what next?”

“I’ll send them back, it’ll be easy. But the problem, is this…” Jihoon gestured towards the whole mess of the apartment. “It’ll definitely take time to clean them all up.”

Jisoo sauntered over towards the younger witch and whispered in his ear. “Let’s clean up the floor first, so you can make a bigger array and send them back. Sending them back is our priority. As for the furniture… maybe we can ask for Seokmin’s familiar to help?”

Jihoon nodded in agreement and told the group out loud about Jisoo’s idea. Jihoon noticed Jisoo leaning over once again, and this time, Jihoon seemed apprehensive at what he was saying. At Jisoo’s nudge, Jihoon complied and spoke, “Please help us out, guys. We really need your help in cleaning up. Jisoo emphasizes on the word ‘please’.”

The older witch presented a warm smile towards the group, and of course, they just had to do it.  

“Of course, hyung, we’ll help!” Mingyu said.

Seokmin offered. “Let’s call the others too to help out!”

“True, they have to experience this,” Soonyoung chuckled, marveling at his slime-covered limbs.

As the group settled down and waited for Jihoon to finish his magic array, Jeonghan approached Jisoo, wrapping two protective arms around his waist and snuggling into the nape of his neck.

“You don’t know how worried I am,” Jeonghan sighed, relishing the feeling of Jisoo within his hold.

Jisoo let out a huff of laughter, gently patting the back of his boyfriend. “I know, Seokmin must’ve given you all a fright.”

The vampire frowned disapprovingly at his scratched voice. “Jisoo, you don’t have to force yourself to talk.”

“It’s getting frustrating, honestly,” Jisoo pouted, lowering his voice into a whisper to make it easier.

“I know. I’m frustrated too when I can’t hear your voice.”

Three days felt longer than it actually is. The simplest accident of losing his voice alone reminded Jeonghan of how much grip Jisoo has on his life. Jisoo was still there, by his side, but the void of his gentle voice and hum affected Jeonghan too much. They had been separated during breaks and holidays, each going back to their family, yet this entire experience is different. The feeling of missing Jisoo when Jisoo was right there felt quite surreal, as if something was off and it didn’t feel right.

Jeonghan sneaked in a kiss before releasing his hold, letting the witch go to assist Jihoon.

Just a few more days, he told himself in reassurance.

“I’ve been thinking,” Seungcheol stated, eyeing Jisoo and Jihoon respectively with his sharp gaze. The entire group stopped and waited. “This kind of accident is getting too recent. You two should stop rooming together.”

The group collectively agreed, ignoring the devastated gasps of the two witches.

The whole ordeal of Jisoo losing his voice was quite ridiculous.

As much as Jeonghan took the opportunity to shower Jisoo with attention, as much as Jisoo’s cuteness doubled with his voiceless gestures and expressive face, Jeonghan missed Jisoo’s voice.

“I miss you and your voice so much, love.”

It was the umpteenth declaration of the day.

Jisoo huffed, crossing his arms. “You’re overreacting. It’s just five days in total, Hannie.”

Now, his voice has completely returned and back to normal. Jisoo gave the props to his natural healing capability and Minghao’s herbal tea, not to Jihoon’s mystery concoction.

“Six,” Jeonghan corrected. “Six and a half days.”

After the chaos with the slimes, Jisoo and Jihoon both deemed their apartment wasn’t suitable for living for the time being. Even after cleaning every crook and nanny, there was the remains of pungent smell and the foreign flow of mana left by the army of slimes. They decided to air the place for a week or two, while each of them finds a temporary place to live.

Despite the strong encouragement from their friends to start living separately, because apparently, Jisoo’s and Jihoon’s brilliant witch brain combined together leads into unexpected messes, they managed to outplay their friends and shot down their suggestion.

Jisoo gave them the equivalent of puppy eyes, but for a deer. “We’re in a coven, you can’t separate us like that.”

Jihoon nodded, letting Jisoo cling to him. “And you guys are misunderstanding something. We’re not causing more troubles when we’re together. In fact, we back each other up. We’re both witches and we know each other’s projects well. If something happens, we can cover each other. You can’t separate us; it’ll be riskier that way.”

With that, the group reluctantly backed down.

For the moment, the two were temporarily separated, Jihoon staying with Soonyoung while Jisoo with Jeonghan.

“Jisoo?”

The witch looked up from his phone, face inches away from his boyfriend. “Hmm?”

Jeonghan shifted, pulling Jisoo closer to him, tangled together on top of the sofa. “Please hum for me.”

 “What?”

“Just do it.”

“You can’t just ask someone to hum, Hannie. It’s awkward.”

“Your awkward hum is also adorable.”

Jisoo lightly hit shoulder and Jeonghan reciprocated by kissing the corner of his lips. He observed the gentle feature of Jisoo’s face for a while, a thought crossing his mind, making him smile in anticipation.

He was going to savor Jisoo’s voice thoroughly tonight.