Chapter Text
Leo wanted to scold Sangwon for trailing him all the way to the door, but the wet shine in his eyes made it impossible.
The sight hooked something low in his chest — guilt, tenderness, a twist of both — and the bond between them gave a faint, unpleasant hum. Almost like a complaint.
Absurdly, the flicker of resistance steadied him. If Sangwon could still be bratty, then he’d be fine.
“I know…” Leo said, resting his hand on the doorframe to stall for just a moment longer. He tried to iron the reluctance out of his voice. “But remember everything I told you?”
Sangwon’s brows furrowed, his scowl unconvincing against the nervous way his fingers clenched the hem of his sleeve. He huffed out a sigh. “...Mhm.”
They had gone over it last night, and the night before, rehearsing rules neither of them wanted to follow.
The university forbade first-years from bringing familiars to class until after they completed Familiar Care 101 — a mandatory crash course that covered everything from feeding, handling, to magical resonance.
Tradition, some said.
Punishment, others suspected.
No one had ever given Leo a straight answer, only a shrug about incidents “long ago.”
Whatever the reason, it left dozens of familiars penned up in dorms, hearts tugging at their bondholders while lectures droned on without them.
And every year, without fail, there were incidents with restless magic breaking loose.
Leo crouched slightly, so they were eye-level. “I’ll give you plenty of food and water, and you’ve got your toys, the TV. If anything feels wrong, go down the hall to the front desk and talk to Leejeong. He’s on duty for Resident Familiars today — he’ll know what to do.”
Sangwon’s grimace was immediate. “I don’t like him.” His voice barely carried, sullen and tight.
Leo stifled a laugh.
Leejeong, who doted on Sangwon every chance he got, would be crushed to know the feeling wasn’t mutual.
“... Don’t wreck the place, okay? I’ll be back before you know it, with treats.” He hesitated, then pushed the words out. “And… I’ll miss you, too.”
The admission sat awkwardly in his mouth. He rarely said it to anyone — not even his parents.
But Sangwon perked, and Leo felt something unclench in his chest. Dog-type familiars needed words of affection spoken aloud, after all.
He reached up, fingers threading gently through Sangwon’s hair, scratching lightly at the crown before letting his hand drift down to the soft fringe that always fell across his temple.
His fingers lingered on the collar, tracing the raised edges of the silver-printed letters: LEE SANGWON.
The leather was smooth, warmed faintly by Sangwon, and the clasp clicked softly under his touch.
Sangwon could undo it in an instant, free himself whenever he chose. Still, Leo adjusted it, unwilling to risk even a whisper of discomfort.
Before he could second-guess it, Leo wrapped him in a hug.
Sangwon responded instantly, arms locking tight around him, cheek pressing into his shoulder like he could anchor himself there.
“WhosaidI’llmissyou,” Sangwon mumbled into the folds of his cloak, words mashed and muffled.
Leo smiled against his hair but the bond betrayed them both more clearly than words ever could.
It surged against his chest, no longer a steady hum but a flare of raw sincerity, a flood of trust and want so strong it left him unsteady.
Leo let it settle in his bones: Sangwon would miss him terribly. And worse, he’d miss Sangwon just as much.
Promises he wasn’t practiced in and reassurances he couldn’t quite phrase rose in his mind, but none of them made it past the tightness in his throat.
His arms tightened, careful but certain, memorizing the warmth pressed against him, letting himself believe that it would be enough for now.
When he finally pulled back, it was with a quiet resolve.
Shoes laced, cloak adjusted, he pressed his palm to the doorframe.
He whispered a ward into the grain.
It wasn’t required since the campus dorms already had their protections
His magic layered over the threshold, a weave tuned not just for security but for reassurance. Nothing unwanted would cross in, no accident or stray spell could harm him while Leo was gone.
The wood shivered under his hand as the sigils sank from sight.
A flare of warmth at his side told him Sangwon’s magic had spilled into the weave, twining with his.
The lock shimmered faintly blue, pulsing once with a resonance that lingered in Leo’s chest like an echo of their bond.
When he turned, Sangwon was still standing stubbornly, arms crossed like a shield, chin lifted as if pretending none of this mattered.
He lifted a hand, casting a soft ripple of gold that brushed Sangwon’s shoulders like a breeze.
A calming charm, no stronger than a whispered lullaby.
“We’re so dramatic,” Leo murmured, as he finally opened the door. “I really have to go now. Be good, okay?”
Sangwon huffed, every step back into the room full of fake bravado. As if he hadn’t been clinging onto Leo moments before. “Don’t forget the treats.”
Leo swallowed a laugh. “I won’t.”
The door closed between them, and the bond jolted with a sulky spark of longing, sharp enough to sting.
“Brat.”