Archive of Our Own

In, out, in, out, in, out. Remember, nice and steady. It’s just like breathing.

It’s when Kyungsoo is working on his hats he remembers his mother the most.

In, out, in, out, in, out. Line the stitches up evenly, Kyungsoo.

As he sits facing the open window, with the gentle breeze caressing his cheeks, he can clearly recall his mother’s swift and practiced hands, gracefully putting together her latest creation. He remembers the colors she loved to use (Bright colors - it makes the hat really pop!), the ribbons she tied onto the base (You can never go wrong with a nice, silk bow.), the flowers she sewed onto the brim (I’m very impartial to daisies, you know.).

But mostly, he remembers her voice. Her words of guidance as he put his first hat together (You want to stitch those lines parallel, Kyungsoo.), the praise and encouragement she gave him as he presented her with his own designs (It’s absolutely lovely, Kyungsoo.), her humming that eventually turned into full song as she worked on a piece (Shall I sing you a song, Kyungsoo?). It’s that voice that plays in his head as he works on his own hats, even now, years after her death.

In, out, in, out, in, out. What shall I sing for you next?

Kyungsoo gives the thread on his needle a little tug, and starts to hum an old favorite his mother loved to sing.

“I like that song,” a quiet voice from his opened bedroom door says. “You sing it a lot, 'specially when you make hats. ‘S nice.”

At Kyungsoo’s door, Jongin stands with a shy smile on his face, and a steaming mug he has to hold with both of his tiny hands.

“Can we come in?” Jongin asks with a small pout, rounding out his puffy cheeks even more than usual.

Kyungsoo stretches his neck to look behind Jongin, but doesn’t see anyone else in the doorway. He tilts his head and asks, “We?”

A black cat peers from behind Jongin’s legs, and carefully walks in front of Jongin.

“Me and - ,” Jongin tries to gesture towards the cat, even though his arms are full.

Ahhh. Jongin has an affinity for animals, and somehow, always manages to befriend them. They almost come to him like a magnet. Today, his new friend must be this cat.

Kyungsoo smiles and carefully puts down the needle and thread he’s been using, along with his hat. “Of course, little guy. C’mere.” He pats his lap for Jongin to sit on. Jongin pads over, dragging his feet across the floor (a habit Kyungsoo knows he’s previously told Jongin to try and fix), while watching the mug in his hands carefully, trying hard not to spill any of the hot liquid inside.

“We - “ Jongin glances at the cat, who is now curiously circling the room around Kyungsoo, then pauses to balance the cup in his hands and continues. “ - I mean, I made you some tea. Thought you might want some ‘cause you’ve been workin' all day.” He tells Kyungsoo as he hands him the warm cup.

Kyungsoo takes the cup from Jongin’s hands, places it on the desk, and wraps his hands around Jongin’s waist to lift him up. “Really?” Kyungsoo grunts as he places Jongin on his lap and the younger squirms around on his lap for a second, settling in. “You must be getting really tall if you can reach the countertops all by yourself now, Jonginnie.”

Jongin blushes slightly, and breathes out a tiny, “I guess so,” as his eyes take note of all the clutter on Kyungsoo’s desk. Usually, Kyungsoo’s desk is extremely orderly; he keeps little drawers on the top of it to organize all the different pins, threads, flowers, bows, buttons and feathers he uses for his hats. (Everything should have a place of its own, and remember to always put things back in their place. It makes things much easier.) But right now, he has quite the assortment of materials splayed out on top of his desk while he works on his current order.

“Whatcha workin’ on?” Jongin questions with a tilt to his head, pointing to the current hat-in-progress sitting at the center of the table.

“Ah,” Kyungsoo starts, picking up the hat in question, “This is for Lady Tiffany. She’s coming to pick it up later tonight.” He gives the almost obnoxiously tall, neon pink feather he had just finished sewing on a single flick, sending a tiny poof of glitter flying off the hat and onto Jongin’s nose. Jongin makes a small whine of protest and proceeds to start shaking his head back and forth in an attempt to get the glitter off, and Kyungsoo laughs.

“Sorry, bud. It’s a bit much, but that’s exactly Lady Tiffany’s style. She’s…” Kyungsoo eyes the flashy hat in his hand as he tries to come up with the right word. “... Larger-than-life, and her hat will be too, once I’m done with it.” He turns the hat over in his hands once again to do another assessment of his work so far. Maybe he can add another layer of fuchsia netting over the top of some lace, and possibly even add some ribbon detailing...

“Hi, Kyungsoo! Hi, Jongin!” a voice chirps from the doorway. Both boys turn around to see a pig-tailed Yerim, grinning from ear to ear, bouncing with excitement.

“The parade is about to start! Come watch with us! It’ll be so much fun - I heard they’re giving out flowers and candies!”

"I don’t think you’ll be needing any more sugar, Yerim.” Seulgi shows up from behind Yerim and pats the younger girl’s head and then goes for her sides, sending the younger into a fit of giggles. It takes a few moments for her to calm down while Seulgi just chuckles, looking away from the Yerim and towards Kyungsoo, who still has Jongin sat on his lap.

“But yes, it’ll be fun. You should both come. It’ll be good to get some fresh air.” She says, giving Kyungsoo a pointed look.

Kyungsoo gives back a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry, but I have to finish this hat by tonight. Lady Tiffany is coming to pick it up right before closing.”

Seulgi sighs, and nods understandingly. Brushing a long strand of hair out of her face, she smiles at Jongin, who is still seated in Kyungsoo’s lap. “You wanna tag along, Jongin? We’re all going together.” Seulgi gestures behind her to a group of the other kids working in the hat shop. Kyungsoo’s eyes follow the direction Seulgi gestured towards, and can see Seungwan standing behind Joohyun while she’s braiding the latter’s hair, and Sooyoung arguing over candy distribution with Mark and Johnny in the corner of the outside hall. He chuckles to himself.

“Is it alright if I go to see the parade too?” Jongin asks, with his head turned back, eyes excited, looking up at Kyungsoo.

“Of course you can go, Jonginnie. Just be safe, okay?”

Seulgi grabs Jongin’s hand after he slides off of Kyungsoo’s lap. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to him, you know that.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“We’ll see you later then, Kyungsoo. Good luck.”

Jongin leans down, dragging along Seulgi - whose hand he’s still holding - along with him, to talk to the cat. “Do you wanna come too?”

The cat looks up from the spot on the floor it decided to curl up in, and simply blinks. Jongin giggles.

“I’ll bring you back lots of candies!” Jongin exclaims, as they all get ready to go out. Kyungsoo’s not sure if Jongin is talking to him or the cat. His confusion only grows when the cat replies with a long drawn out meeeeooow.

Before they reach the door, Kyungsoo calls out, “Jongin?”

Jongin turns around with a questioning tilt to his head. “Yeah, Soo?”

“Thank you for the tea. Have lots of fun, okay?”

Jongin smiles big, showing all of his teeth (and the gap in his mouth from his recently missing front tooth). “Bye-bye, Soo!” He says to Kyungsoo, and then turns and also says his goodbyes to the cat. “Bye-bye!” Jongin says again. Soon, he and all the others are gone.

Kyungsoo can still hear some of the kids’ laughter and shrills of loud excitement drift in through his second story window. Kyungsoo chuckles, fondly, and as he shakes his head from side-to-side (again, out of fondness), the light from the sun shining through his open window reflects off of the sequins from his current work-in-progress, reminding him of the work he needs to get done today.

Picking up the pink hat, Kyungsoo holds it up to the window, carefully inspecting his work so far. For a cocktail hat, it’s a bit big, and perhaps a tad over the top. The bundle of bright, pink feathers surrounded by a sea of glitter and sequins seem to be extra flashy when it’s resting on top of the veil of fucshia netting and lace. It’s definitely too flashy for Kyungsoo’s tastes, but Kyungsoo knows Lady Tiffany will adore it. She has been a regular at Sheep’s Shop for quite some time, always coming in to get her custom hats designed and dresses tailored for all of the different great and fancy events she frequently attends.

This event is no exception; it is what is expected to once again be the biggest ball of the year, after all. Ever since the first year the kingdom waged war with its neighbors, the King himself had announced a ball in celebration.

Celebration, Kyungsoo scoffs to himself, as he rummages through the assortment of things splayed out on the desk.

The cat has decided to make itself comfortable, sunbathing near the windowsill on top of his desk, lying on top of all of his things. Kyungsoo waves his hands and mutters a, “Shoo, shoo!” to get the cat to move, so he can get back to work. Kyungsoo ends up on the receiving end of a withering look of discontent, but the cat relents, and hops off the desk, only to land in Kyungsoo’s lap. It’s not what Kyungsoo was aiming for, but it’ll have to do. In compensation, Kyungsoo reaches his palm out to rub the cat lightly on the head, right behind his ears. He can hear the cat begin to purr, satisfied, and watches as the cat curls up again and gets cozy on his lap.

“Thank you.” Kyungsoo says to the cat, and then shakes his head once he realizes he’s talking to a cat.

Eyes once again scanning the desk, Kyungsoo locates the pink roll of thread he was looking for with a small but accomplished, “Ah-ha!” as he sets out to find the pair of scissors he swears were just in his sight a second ago. He starts to hum his mother’s favorite tune, accompanying the cat’s purring.

In all honesty, Kyungsoo is sure the ball is just a distraction - something to boost the morale of the citizens, who all have felt the effects of the war that continues to wage on, even after so many years have passed. A way to keep the citizens’ guards down, and unquestioning of the throne. The King throws lavish parties and balls, and sets up extravagant parades in support of the war, and all of the citizens can get lost in the glamor if it all, and allow themselves to succumb to the temporary solace it brings.

But Kyungsoo can’t bring himself to enjoy any of it. Not the balls, or the parades. Not after Seungsoo -

“Ouch!”

Kyungsoo pricks his finger on the needle, and out of surprise, drops everything and cradles his hands. His actions send Lady Tiffany’s hat, along with the thread and needle he was using, and the mug of tea sitting on the desk, flying. His pricked finger starts to bleed, and the cat shrieks an alarmed MEOW! and jumps off his lap as the still-piping-hot liquid pours out of the cup and onto the floor, narrowly missing both the cat and his pants. Kyungsoo mutters an apology to the cat, while grumbling to himself about the mess.

What have I always said about using your thimbles, Kyungsoo? You don’t want to end up like me, with calloused and rough fingertips.

“I can fix that.”

Kyungsoo yelps in surprise and whips his head around to find a blond-haired man, a bit taller than himself, leaning against the doorframe of his room, with an amused glint in his eye and a cocky hitch to his eyebrow.

“Excuse me?” Kyungsoo doesn’t remember hearing the bell of the front door go off, alerting him to new customers.

“I can fix that, if you’d like.” The blond-haired man repeats, tipping his head towards the mess all over the floor.

Kyungsoo’s face reddens at the realization of being caught, clumsily spilling everything onto the floor, and almost killing the cat with his scalding hot tea.

“N-no, that’s okay, it’s my mess and I wouldn’t want to trouble you - “ he stutters.

“It’s no trouble at all.” The stranger says, as he leans off of the doorway and takes a few steps into the room. His cheeks are a slight shade of pink, and his hair seems to be roused up and wild, reminding Kyungsoo of a lion shaking its mane. “May I come in?”

“Well, I’m not exactly sure why you’re asking, when you’re already standing in the room…”

The man laughs. Kyungsoo thinks it makes him look handsome. “I suppose you’re right.” He shrugs off the cloak draped over his shoulders, and proceeds to hang it on the coat rack near the entrance. The cloak is a dark, deep blue - almost black, dotted with silver. Kyungsoo thinks he catches some kind of animal motif on the back, too. There’s something off about it, but Kyungsoo can’t quite put his finger on it.

The wild-haired man’s hands single clap snaps Kyungsoo out of his thoughts.

“Alright, then.” He brings his hands up, and as Kyungsoo’s a bit distracted noting how pretty this man’s hands are, said man does a fanciful wave with them, and then, as a big breeze suddenly hits Kyungsoo’s face, things start coming to life.

Lady Tiffany’s hat soars up from its abandoned area on the floor, landing neatly on top of Kyungsoo’s desk, alongside the pink thread and needle Kyungsoo had been using just a few minutes before. It almost looks like life was moving in reverse when the spilled mug picks itself up off of the floor and seemingly un-spills itself, as liquid begins appearing back into the cup while it’s moving across the floor and back onto the desk as well. Pieces of used ribbon, unwrapped, begin to re-wrap themselves and slide into the drawers of their assigned places, and buttons float into the containers they’re usually kept in. It seems like multiple ghost hands reached out to straighten out Kyungsoo’s work space, and Kyungsoo is fascinated, if not a bit frightened. He can’t decide which; he just continues to stare at the scene enfolding in front of him with big, round, unblinking eyes. Kyungsoo even swears the few potted plants he kept in his windowsill look greener, livelier.

The second all movements cease and the dust settles, Kyungsoo spins around to look at the man responsible. “So, this - ” he gestures almost wildly to his desk, which still has a flurry of what Kyungsoo is pretty certain is magical activity going on around it, “ - is what you meant by ‘fix’?” His eyes are still wide, almost bulging, and his breathing is heavy, mostly out of surprise.

Kyungsoo, like any citizen of Exodus, has heard of magic. Of course he has. There are real life witches and wizards out in the world, and even quite a few within this very kingdom’s walls. However, Kyungsoo has never actually seen a magic-user in his life. Listening to stories and witnessing the actual events itself are completely different, he notes to himself.

“Give me your hand, please.”

Without actually waiting for an answer, the man grabs Kyungsoo’s left hand, and does another wave of some-sort with his other available hand. Kyungsoo stares in awe as the spot of blood that had formed on his pricked finger completely disappears, not even leaving a single trace of blood. It even feels like he never pricked himself with a needle in the first place.

Kyungsoo sucks in a breath, trying to comprehend what’s going on, before he raises his voice to ask, “So, you’re a wi - “

“A wizard, yes.” The wizard straightens out the cuffs of his sleeves and continues, “I am a wizard. To be exact, I’m Wizard B - “

“Hey, there he is!”

The two of them whip their heads around to the source of the sound. 

“The king has been searching for this wizard!” a soldier, standing on a parade float peering in through the open window, proclaims, finger pointed at the blond-haired man.

“Yes, our captain has said to bring him in if we find him.” another soldier standing towards the back of the tall parade float chimes in.

“What are you all doing, go and get him!” a third soldier shouts.

The wizard sighs in exasperation, but quickly replaces his annoyed expression with a dashing smile. “And that,” he bows with a flourish, “is my cue to leave.” 

As the wizard heads towards the balcony doors across the room, he pauses, looks at Kyungsoo and smiles. “Thank you for looking after my cat.”

“Your cat?”

As the question crosses his lips, Kyungsoo spots a black feline run across the room and jump up into the wizard’s arms.

“Oh, your cat…”

 “Au revoir!” The wizard, with a disinterested looking cat cradled in one arm, waves to Kyungsoo with the other.

“Wait, you forgot your - “ Kyungsoo spins around to the coat rack and hurriedly rips the dark blue fabric off of the wooden pole.

“ - cloak.” Kyungsoo says to no one, with his arm held out, holding the Wizard’s cloak in his hands. The room is now empty, almost eerily so, as if no one had been there.

Where would the Wizard have even escaped?

Kyungsoo runs out to the balcony and looks down from the ledge, hoping to spot a wild-haired blond man running across the streets with a black cat in tow. He sees nothing but the ongoing parade and parade goers enjoying the festivities.

Walking back inside, Kyungsoo shuts the balcony doors, and even the windows for good measure. He sits back in his chair and stares at the ceiling of his bedroom.

Did that even happen?

Kyungsoo sits back up to peer at his desk. The organization to his previously cluttered desk, along with the un-spilled contents of his work, seem to say so. The Wizard’s cloak still cradled in his arms seem to say so.

The boy sighs and shakes his head as the cuckoo clock sings, signaling the new hour. Taking another deep breath (Take a deep breath and focus, Kyungsoo. It'll be okay.), he heaves himself up out of his seat and back onto his feet, still holding the cloak in his hands.

Time to get back to work.

***

Some days at Sheep’s Shop are busier than others.

On busy days, every second seems to be filled with tailoring, sewing, creating, measuring. Fabrics will be stretched out across all the different available surfaces waiting to be cut into something new, rolls of ribbon and thread lying about, pins and needles scattered variously throughout the place. Customers will come in at all hours of the day with their various hats, dresses, and suits asking for adjustments or re-sizings. Some customers come in with nothing but an idea of a dress in their heads, and ask the workers to spin their ideas into creation. It’s on those days Kyungsoo feels like he’s in a rush.

However, on slower days, like today,Kyungsoo spends his time finishing up older projects or doing little touch ups here and there to different pieces; an extra stitch in that blue dress he resized the other week, maybe fix a button here or there. He might reorganize his workspace or even tidy up the shop.

Normally, with a big ball like the King’s Annual Batallion Ball coming up in the next month, the shop is filled with customers coming in to get their outfits perfectly fitted or made for the occasion. But with the King’s parade being held today all throughout the kingdom, Kyungsoo’s barely seen a soul in the shop all day. After finishing the hat he was previously working on, Kyungsoo moved on to fixing a few hems and setting up new mannequin displays in the front window of the shop.

Honestly, If it wasn’t for the earlier magical encounter with the Wizard, Kyungsoo would have categorized the day as dull.

Ding!

The front door’s bell goes off, and automatically, while he’s still adjusting the brim of the hat onto the mannequin in the front window, Kyungsoo greets the new customer.

“Hello, welcome to Sheep’s shop, how may I be of service - oh!” Kyungsoo says in surprise, as he finally looks up from his work. “Lady Tiffany!”

A woman comes in, clad in a lacy soft pink wrap dress, topped with an off-white wide brimmed hat, practically drowned in an assortment of artificial flowers, and wielding a pink sequined leash with a fluffy white dog attached on the end.

“Hello-o-o, my dear!” Lady Tiffany sings with a wink. “I’ve come to see my favorite hatmaker. How are you, Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo smiles. Lady Tiffany, for all her dramatics, is actually one of Kyungsoo’s favorite customers. Her personality is loud and bold, just like her style. It’s quite a bit of a contrast to Kyungsoo himself, who is quieter and simple. He likes that. She always brightens up the shop when she comes whooshing in with all of her bright smiles and cheery demeanor. Creating hats and dresses for her is always fun too, even if it’s styles and designs he would never normally go for.

“I’m fine, thank you.” Kyungsoo kneels down to pet Prince, the tiny fluffy white dog standing at Lady Tiffany’s feet. Kyungsoo lifts his eyes to meet Lady Tiffany’s while he continues to pet the dog’s fur. “And how are you, Lady Tiffany?”

“Oh, absolutely wonderful! Especially now that I’ve run into you, dear.”

Kyungsoo also loves the shower of compliments he receives from Lady Tiffany, even if they embarrass him enough to make his ears go red.

Lady Tiffany reaches a hand out to life Kyungsoo’s chin. “You quite look handsome, Kyungsoo. But a little different… I can’t quite place it…” She turns his face over in her hand and scrunches her eyebrows, looking so intensely at Kyungsoo’s face his ears start to burn up again.

“Have you - “ she starts, but cuts herself off with a shake of her head. “Have you finished my hat?” she says instead.

Kyungsoo isn’t sure what Lady Tiffany was about to ask him, but chooses to go past it.

“Yes, just this afternoon, actually.” Kyungsoo moves to grab the hat from behind the front counter. When he emerges out from behind the desk again, flashy pink hat in hand, Lady Tiffany eyes light up in excitement, and she claps her hands.

“Oh, Kyungsoo!” She lets go of Prince’s leash - which makes the dog start running around rampant around the store in complete freedom - and grabs for the hat in his hand. “It’s absolutely beautiful!” she squeals. With her other free hand, Lady Tiffany rips the white floppy hat off her head in favor of trying on the new cocktail hat Kyungsoo has just made for her. Kyungsoo guides her to a mirror in the shop to see her reflection, where Lady Tiffany starts spinning around in circles and modeling the hat with various dramatic poses.

The extra fuchsia netting and lace really did pay off, Kyungsoo thinks to himself. It adds another dimension to the cocktail hat, making it more dramatic than before, more deep, instead of just tall because of the sparkling neon feathers attached to the top.

“How is it, darling?” Lady Tiffany asks Kyungsoo as she strikes yet another comically dramatic modeling pose, with Prince barking in the background.

Kyungsoo laughs, shooting her a genuine smile in the mirror. “Amazing on you, of course.”

Lady Tiffany laughs, and starts to spin again when her eyes catch something in the corner that cuts her laugh short and makes her come to a complete stand still.

“Kyungsoo, what is that?” Lady Tiffany questions, pointing her finger to the Wizard’s cloak neatly folded up and sitting on the countertop near the cash register.

“Oh, that?” Kyungsoo walks over to pick up the cloak off the counter. “It’s just some wizard’s cloak. He left it here earlier today when - “

Seemingly out of nowhere, Lady Tiffany is behind Kyungsoo, and before he can even fully reach out to pick up the cloak, her hands lock around his wrist and spin him back around to face her.

“Wha - “

“Kyungsoo,” Lady Tiffany’s voice is harsh, and suddenly gone of any trace of the previous playfulness it held. “Which wizard?”

“What? I don’t know - “ Kyungsoo sputters.

“Which wizard does that cloak belong to, Kyungsoo?” Lady Tiffany demands. Her gaze is steely, and Kyungsoo’s alarmed, for all of the years she’s come into the shop and for all of the years he’s known her, he’s never seen her like this.

“I don’t know! He just came into my room earlier with his cat, and helped me clean up my stuff that fell - ”

“Help,” Lady Tiffany scoffs with a roll of her eyes. “Right. I should have known the moment I saw you...” She lets go of Kyungsoo’s wrist but grabs both of his shoulders instead, squeezing hard.

“Listen to me, Kyungsoo.” Lady Tiffany’s voice is lowered now, but it’s almost menacing in a way. “You need to be very careful of that wizard. You need to be very careful of all wizards in general, but especially that one. Okay?”

Kyungsoo takes a second too long to respond, so Lady Tiffany shakes his shoulders once and shouts, “Okay, Kyungsoo?”

“O-okay, Lady Tiffany. Okay.” he stutters.

“Okay. Good then.” Lady Tiffany replies curtly, letting go of Kyungsoo’s shoulders. Kyungsoo stretches them a bit, doing small circular rotations of his shoulders, trying to get the stiffness out of them. He did not know Lady Tiffany had such a strong grip.

Patting herself down quickly, Lady Tiffany calls Prince over, who had started wandering down the hall towards Jongin’s room he shares with some of the other boys on the first floor.

“Prince! Come here, boy!”

The tiny dog emerges from around the corner and being completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere in the room, happily prances over and barks excitedly at his owner.

“Kyungsoo,” Lady Tiffany says, voice going back to its previous lightful color, “would you mind being a dear and wrapping up this gorgeous hat for me?”

Kyungsoo coughs once before he speaks. “Of course. How about a pink box topped with an even pinker bow?” he offers, hoping to lighten the mood.

Lady Tiffany smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “That would be lovely, darling.”

Kyungsoo rummages around in the closet next to the front counter to find the box he’s looking for, pulling it out and quickly shutting the door before the rest of the boxes topple over. He’ll leave that problem for someone else to solve. Grabbing the roll of hot pink ribbon he spots lying on a desk a few steps away, he makes his way back to the front counter to wrap up the latest creation he’s made for Lady Tiffany. 

“There we go.” he states as he finishes tying up the bow at the top of the box. “For you, Lady Tiffany.” Kyungsoo hands the wrapped up box over to Lady Tiffany, who gives him a small smile.

“Thank you, dear. I should be going.” Tugging on her leash she turns to her dog. “Come along, Prince.”

Woof, woof! The dog fights against the leash, seeming like he wants to linger around longer, as if he’s waiting for something.

Suspecting he knows what the dog is after, Kyungsoo gets down on his knees again to meet the dog on the floor. “Sorry, Prince. Jongin’s not in right now. He’s at the parade.” He reaches out to give the dog a last quick pat on the head and ruffle behind the ears, and gets back up from the floor. “Maybe you’ll catch him next time.”

As if the dog understood exactly what Kyungsoo said and got the answer he was looking for, he relents and lets Lady Tiffany pull him away to the shop’s front door. Jongin is great with animals, and Prince is no exception. Whenever Lady Tiffany comes to the shop, Jongin and Prince always play together. The dog was probably waiting for Jongin to come out of his room so they can do just that.

Being the gentleman he was raised as, Kyungsoo goes to open the front door for Lady Tiffany, but she beats him there. Before Lady Tiffany turns the doorknob of the front door to exit, she spins back around to eye the cloak still sitting at the counter, and takes another look at Kyungsoo.

“Kyungsoo, dear.” She gently grabs his hand. “Please be careful.”

The way she holds his hand, with both of her hands cradling his one, reminds him of his mother.

Oh, my little Kyungsoo. She’d grasp one of Kyungsoo’s hands in both of hers. Your hands are just like mine - a sewer’s hands.

“Yes, Lady Tiffany. I will.”

Lady Tiffany doesn’t smile like Kyungsoo thinks she will, but instead nods once, almost as if it was to reassure herself, and caresses his face with her right hand. She mutters something under her breath that Kyungsoo can’t make sense of, pats his cheek once, and leaves.

The shop, now empty as it was before, seems a little lonelier - and a little heavier, after Lady Tiffany’s words of warning still ringing through the place. The cloak is still folded up on the countertop, looking completely harmless to Kyungsoo.

What was Lady Tiffany worried about, anyways?

Eyeing the cloak, Kyungsoo walks over to the counter and gingerly picks it up in his hands. Unfolding the dark blue fabric, he inspects it with his eyes. The deep color of the fabric reminds Kyungsoo of the ocean. Or maybe the night sky. The sparkling silver scattered throughout the fabric would match with the stars in a late night sky. There’s still something about the cloak Kyungsoo can’t quite grasp…

Squinting his eyes for a better look, Kyungsoo jolts in realization. Those dots of silver are moving! And the blue fabric seems to shift through different shades of blue - dark blue to almost black. Kyungsoo realizes exactly what it reminds him of now: space. The deep dark skies of space. Turning the fabric around in his hands, eyes wide in shock, Kyungsoo finds the image of a whale on the back.

A whale? In space?

Now, with eyes bunched up in confusion, Kyungsoo turns the fabric over to continue his inspection, until he finds a tear in the fabric. Setting down the cloak back on the wooden surface of the counter, Kyungsoo takes a closer look at the rip in the cloak. The deep blue doesn’t seem to shift in the area immediately surrounding the tear, nor do the dots of silver sparkle as much. In fact, they seem dull and gray.

“I can fix that.” Kyungsoo says to himself, reminiscent of the blond-haired wizard from earlier.

Leaving the magical cloak - which is really the only word Kyungsoo feels can describe a cloak with animated, moving fabric - on the counter, Kyungsoo runs upstairs to his room to grab his sewing kit. He could use a machine, but the cloak seems so delicate Kyungsoo doesn’t want to take any chances and ruin it. He’ll have to do it by hand. (He’s always preferred sewing by hand, anyway. It’s the way his mother liked to do everything, too.)

As he descends back down the stairs, Kyungsoo feels an odd chill crawl up his spine. He looks over the railing of the staircase and sees a lady waiting at the front counter, accompanied by a few of what Kyungsoo finds are oddly shaped men dressed in mix-matched top hats and suits. 

The woman has one black-laced gloved hand stretched out and is touching the cloak set on top of the wooden surface of the counter. Her lampshade skirt seemed to have more volume to it than most skirts Kyungsoo has seen, and the metallic, dark red fabric glistening under the light gives the ensemble a chic if not slightly intimidating look. Kyungsoo can’t make out her face under the almost too-large brim of her black hat, but with that odd chill dancing along his spine and spreading goosebumps on his skin, he isn’t sure he wants to.

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo begins, words suddenly heavy on his tongue. “I didn’t realize anyone had come in. I didn’t hear the doorbell go off.”

The woman doesn’t look up, but clears her throat to speak. “This is a lovely cloak you’ve got here, my dear.” The woman’s voice drops on the words ‘my dear,’ almost menacingly, making it sound less like an endearment and more of a threat somehow. Kyungsoo is fond of Lady Tiffany calling him affectionate words such as dear or darling, but coming from this fearsome stranger? Kyungsoo is more than a little creeped out.

“Now where exactly did you come across it?”

It was in this moment Kyungsoo reached the bottom of the steps only to look directly into the face of the Witch of the Waste. He gasps. The sewing kit in his hands falls to the ground.

The Witch laughs wickedly.

“I see, my reputation proceeds me. Unless it’s my beauty that has stunned you!” She chuckles darkly, laughing at her own little joke. “Now tell me boy,” her voice booms, “where did you get this cloak from?”

“I-I…” Kyungsoo’s too shocked to get the words out.

Standing besides her are her henchmen, who lean in closer, threateningly. The movements they make leave a trail of black slime in their wake, and as Kyungsoo reassesses the henchmen, he finds they aren’t even men at all; they are black blobs formed into a vaguely human shape. When the Witch’s hands move in the air, to brush her hair out of her face, their sunken eyes follow. Their skin is goo-like, and seems to be melting as they stand in the middle of the shop. Kyungsoo shudders.

“I asked you a question! Answer me!” the Witch practically roars, voice echoing throughout the shop.

“I-I didn’t come across it, the wizard left it here, he forgot it, his cat - “

“His cat. I see.” The way the Witch so suddenly calmly speaks makes Kyungsoo more afraid than when she was practically yelling just a second ago. “I suppose I should have known the second I saw the traces of glamour all over you.”

Kyungsoo’s about to ask her what she means when something in the air stirs. The Witch’s eyes seem to brew a storm, and they flash a dark red - red, like spilled blood. Her lips, which are the same shade of red, don a twisted smile on her face that would almost make Kyungsoo think she looks quite pretty, if she wasn’t absolutely terrifying.

“That’s a weak protection spell you’ve got there. Tiffany really seems to be losing her touch.” The Witch shakes her head in mock disapproval. “Tsk, tsk.” She brings her hands up in a sudden flourish that makes Kyungsoo flinch. “But I suppose it gets the job done, since I can’t kill you.” Her eyes narrow. “For now, at least.” She cackles. “I’ll just have to curse you instead.”

Before Kyungsoo even has time to scream, the Witch has casted her spell, radiating the room in a hue of red and white lights and causing a cloud of dark gray smoke to encase everything in sight. But almost as quickly as the lights and smoke had appeared, they vanish, leaving Kyungsoo to stare at the Witch of the Waste in all her frightening glory.

“My regards to Baekhyun.” she says, nose stuck up in the air, not even looking at Kyungsoo, as she wraps herself up in her ash gray fur wrap. With another poof of smoke, accompanied by a hard and bitter cold but short breeze, the Witch, and all of her blobby henchmen, are gone.

Kyungsoo lets out a shaky breath he didn’t even know he was holding.

What is going on? 

It takes him more than just a few moments to catch his breath. His heart is still beating rapidly, and it almost physically hurts his chest. Kyungsoo moves to go sit down in one of the chairs scattered throughout the shop, when he catches his reflection in a half mirror installed against the wall behind the front counter.

“No, no, no, no, no.” Kyungsoo frantically rubs his hands all over his face.

“No, no, no, no, no!” Kyungsoo screams. He runs over to the full length mirror he previously showed to Lady Tiffany when she was trying on her new hat. Somehow his movements feel heavier, and he seems to need a lot of breath just to get across the front hall of the shop to the mirror he’s searching for.

When he reaches his destination, his gasp is so loud it echoes and bounces off the walls of the empty shop. “What happened to me?” Kyungsoo all but shrieks.

In the mirror, Kyungsoo sees an old man staring back at him. His back is hunched, hair practically white, and has wrinkles so deep they’re like valleys stretched across his face and hands. With trembling hands, Kyungsoo brings up his now wrinkled and marked hands to touch the reflection in the mirror, only to immediately bring it back to his face. The only reason Kyungsoo can even believe it’s himself staring back in his reflection, is his eyes. His signature doe eyes looking directly back at himself, set into a face that doesn’t seem to belong to him, calm him just a little, enough to start breathing again normally.

“That was fun, Seulgi!” Kyungsoo can hear Jongin exclaim through a small opened window on the other side of the shop. “Can we go again next time?”

Oh no, Kyungsoo thinks to himself. Jongin can’t see me like this. No. No one can see me like this.

As Kyungsoo hears the kids’ laughter and excited chatter grow louder the closer they approach, he gathers his wits and bolts for the stairs up to his bedroom, but not before snagging the Wizard’s cloak off the front desk.

In his room, door shut tight, and seemingly safe for now, Kyungsoo lets out a big breath. He’s panting a lot after that trip up the stairs. Being old has seemed to take a physical toll on his body, and not just on his looks. His legs feel weak and he might possibly even feel a bit faint, so he moves to lay down on the bed, cloak still tightly gripped in his hands.

There’s a series of knocks on the door, followed by Jongin’s small voice. “Soo? Are you sleeping?" 

Kyungsoo quickly wriggles himself under his blankets. “Uh, yeah, I was just napping, Jongin.” Kyungsoo tries to cough enough to clear his throat; even his voice doesn’t sound the same as an old man.

“Oh, well, I brought you guys some candies from the parade, do you wanna try some? They’re really yummy - “

“I’d love to, but I think I caught a bit of cold,” he coughs some more to try and emphasize his point. “No candies for me, unfortunately.”

“Soo’s sick? Do you want some more tea - “

“No! N-no, don’t come in! I, I don’t want you to get sick, Jonginnie.”

Kyungsoo can practically hear Jongin pouting. “Okay, Soo. Get well soon.”

“Thanks, Jonginnie.”

Before he can breathe a sigh of relief, he hears another knock on the door. This time, it’s Seulgi.

“Hey, Kyungsoo. Are you alright? Jongin just told me you’re sick. Do you want me to bring you anything?” she asks, voice concerned.

“No, that’s quite alright. I don’t want anyone else to catch a cold. I’m sure it’ll pass.”

“Oh geez, you sound awful. Are you sure you’re okay? It really wouldn’t be any trouble to whip you up some soup or make you some hot tea - “

“No, I’m fine! Just tired.”

There’s a pause, and then Seulgi replies. “Well, alright then. Let us know if we can do anything for you, okay?”

“Yes, thanks, Seulgi.”

“Of course, Kyungsoo. Sleep well.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t breathe again until he hears her retreating footsteps grow soft enough that he can’t actually hear them anymore. Sighing in relief of not being seen, he finally relaxes his muscles enough to lay comfortably on the bed, and loosen the hold on the cloak he’d been keeping in a death grip in his hands.

All this over a cloak?

No, all this over that wizard. The blond wizard with the cat. Baekhyun, Kyungsoo remembers the Witch calling him. Wizard Baekhyun. This is his fault.

And what was that about Lady Tiffany that the Witch mentioned? A protection spell? Could Lady Tiffany also be a witch? Kyungsoo has known her for years, how could he not have figured it out?

How can he become young again?

Can he become young again?

Curled up in his bed, hidden under his cocoon of blankets, Kyungsoo falls asleep to all of the confusing thoughts swirling around in his brain.

***

Kyungsoo’s free-falling.

The air whips past his face so fast that tears gather in his eyes, and his hair is a mess. His arms and legs are scrambling, trying to find some kind of purchase mid-air, but they meet nothing. Blinking past the tears and the harsh wind, Kyungsoo opens his eyes to search from side-to-side, only to be met with darkness. His throat tries to let out a scream, only to be swallowed up by the encompassing darkness, lost to the void.

Then, Kyungsoo looks down.

Suddenly, the surrounding darkness disappears and is replaced with complete chaos and destruction.

Through clouds of ash and smoke, Kyungsoo can see buildings crumbling and catching on fire. He can hear the screams of the people, begging to be saved. He screams along with them, but his cries are drowned out by the noise of the gunfire and bombs attacking the city down below. 

Boom, boom, boom. 

Three successive bombs detonate on the city below, causing a mass explosion. More buildings leveled, more fires started, more people crying out for help.

Boom, boom, boom.

The sound of the bombs detonating rings in Kyungsoo’s ears.

Boom, boom, boom.

“Kyungsoo!”

Boom, boom, boom.

“Wake up!”

The pounding on the door of his bedroom startles Kyungsoo awake.

“Kyungsoo-o-o-o!” He hears Yerim whining through the wooden door. “Wake up, wake up, wake up!”

Letting his nerves calm down and his heartbeat return to a normal pace, Kyungsoo takes some deep breaths. Moving to sit up in his bed, the bed creaks just as loudly as his joints do as they pop back into place, making him groan. His limbs really feel so heavy today, as if someone tied weights down to his body. He’s sore everywhere, and sluggish.

“Yerim,” Seulgi’s voice drifts through the door, softer than little Yeri’s higher (and almost shrill voice). “Don’t be so loud. Kyungsoo’s sick - he needs all the sleep he can get.”

Raising his arms as high as he can get them (which isn't anywhere near the top of his head), Kyungsoo stretches his limbs out, wiggling his fingers. His knuckles crack. Kyungsoo can’t recall ever being so sore and achy everywhere in his whole life.

“Oops,” Yerim loudly says, but immediately tries to soften her voice into a whisper. “I mean, oops. Sorry, Kyungsoo!” Her whispering voice is sharp and harsh, and almost as loud as her normal voice that it’s a bit comical. It's cute. He'd smile if he wasn’t so distracted by the pain in his joints and limbs.

Yerim continues whispering through the door, “I just wanted to show you Baekhyun’s castle! It’s moving! Look, look!”

Baekhyun? Where has he heard that name...

Then the memories from the past day come rushing to him all at once. 

The cat. 

The Wizard.

The Witch.

The curse.

Gasping out loud, Kyungsoo scrambles off the bed to look in the standing mirror next to his desk. An old man stares back at his reflection in the mirror. The same old man he stared at in the mirror’s reflection yesterday. Him.

Seulgi’s voice cuts through his thoughts. “Uh, Kyungsoo, is everything okay?”

Clearing his throat, Kyungsoo coughs, and says in reply, “I, um, everything is fine!” The gruffness of his voice makes him cringe. He coughs a few more times to try and get the invisible frog out of his throat.

“Oh, geez. He really does sound sick.” Yerim grimaces.

“Yerim, shh!” Seulgi admonishes Yeri from the other side of the door. “Sorry about her, Kyungsoo. Yerim and all the others got excited about the castle. I didn’t realize she ran all the way over here to tell you about it.”

“I just wanted to show him Baekhyun’s castle! You can see it right outside!” Yerim whines to Seulgi.

Baekhyun’s castle. Kyungsoo tears his eyes away from his reflection in the mirror to look through the window above his desk. There, far off in the distance, Kyungsoo can see something big moving. Or at least he thinks it’s big - the curse seems to also have worsened his eyesight.

“Since you’re up, could I bring you something to eat? Food can help a cold, you know.”

Distracted, Kyungsoo just mumbles a quick, “Sure, yes, please.” as he continues to stare outside. He vaguely notes hearing something like, “Of course. Be right back,” from Seulgi and Yerim before their voices disappear altogether. 

Squinting his eyes, he stares harder at the scene far beyond his little windowsill. Kyungsoo thinks he can make out the silhouette of some oddly shaped contraption making its way through the remote fields towards the further parts of the kingdom. Towards the Waste.

Could that really be Wizard Baekhyun’s castle? There have always been rumors of The Moving Castle that wanders in the outskirts of the kingdom belonging to the infamous Wizard Baekhyun, but no one really knows for certain. For one, the Waste isn’t somewhere many people try to venture. And for another, the castle moves - how could someone hunt down a moving fortress?

But if Kyungsoo finds the castle, he might find Wizard Baekhyun - the wizard who seems to be at the root of this whole mess. He needs to find him. Maybe he can reverse the curse set upon him by the Witch of the Waste.

Another knock interrupts his thoughts. 

“I’m not sure how hungry you are, so I brought you a lot to eat. Feel free to save some for later.” Seulgi’s voice says softly through the door.

Kyungsoo hears her set the tray down on the ground.

“I'll leave it out here for you. Get well soon, Kyungsoo.” 

“Get well soon, Kyungsoo!” Yerim parrots, much more piercingly.

This time, Kyungsoo actually does smile, despite his current situation. “Thank you, Seulgi. Thank you, Yerim.”

“You’re welcome!” Yerim shouts back at the same time Seulgi replies with a softer, “No problem.”

After hearing the sound of the pair’s retreating footsteps, Kyungsoo breathes out a sigh, in both relief and resignation. He is going to travel to the outskirts of the city, locate this Moving Castle, find Wizard Baekhyun, and get this curse fixed - and in that order.

Scanning the room, Kyungsoo looks for supplies. The castle was on the move, so Kyungsoo figures he’ll be traveling far away, and for a while. He rummages through his closet to find a stack of blankets he uses to sleep and some assorted fabrics he uses for his craft. Grabbing a small throw blanket, he sprawls it out on top of the bed, and begins packing a various amount of items for his journey. As he quickly pulls the tray of food Yerim and Seulgi brought over inside his room and packs it away, Kyungsoo says another silent thank you to the two.

This will have to do, Kyungsoo thinks to himself, a bit sullenly. Packing had let his mind wander, mulling over all the horrible consequences that might happen to him on this crazy journey he has barely mapped out in his head.

What if he can’t find the castle? What if he does? Is it even Baekhyun’s castle, or all the rumors wrong? Can Wizard Baekhyun even lift the curse? Can anyone?

Shaking his head, Kyungsoo clears his mind of his muddled thoughts and questions. He has to do this. It’s his best option, as crazy as it sounds.

Returning to the task at hand, he wraps up all his supplies in his blanket, tying it up in a makeshift pack, that he wraps around the length of his own back. Turning around to face the mirror, he straightens himself out. The old man staring back at him - or, his own reflection - has determination set into his features. His jaw is set, and his stance, although hunched over from what looks like years of gravity weighing down on him, seems solid. Kyungsoo spots a straw boating hat, hanging off of the corner of the stand up mirror. Stretching his limbs he grabs the hat from the top of the mirror and places it on his head.

There, he nods at himself in the reflection.

Looking away from the mirror, Kyungsoo spots the cloak on the floor of his bedroom. He must have thrown it off the bed when he bolted awake earlier to Yeri’s knocking at the door. Before he can change his mind, Kyungsoo grabs the cloak and packs in his sack. This way, he can return it to the rightful owner, Kyungsoo thinks to himself.

Quickly taking a peek out of his bedroom door, Kyungsoo notices the shop has yet to open for the day, leaving the premises empty. As quickly as his old, creaky joints can take him, he hustles down the stairs, and heads for the front door. Once he makes it outside without having been spotted by any of the other shop workers or children, Kyungsoo leans over and lets out a breath of relief he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. 

Just as soon as he feels safe enough to take a quick breather, Kyungsoo suddenly feels a warm hand sit on the small of his back, and he yips. (Although, being old and all, it comes out as more of a dying frog’s last croak.)

“Oh, I’m very sorry, sir. I just wanted to see if you were okay.” a gentle-sounding voice reaches his ears.

Kyungsoo is certain he knows that voice, and when he looks up from his hunched over position, he confirms his own suspicions. Yixing, the shop owner, is looking down at him, with a friendly but also concerned expression etched onto his face. Kyungsoo completely forgot that Yixing was arriving back to town today after his small out-of-city business trip.

“You looked exhausted, maybe like you might need to take a rest. Would you like to come inside for some tea?” One of Yixing’s hands still lays on Kyungsoo’s back, while the other gestures towards the door of the shop Kyungsoo just escaped from just moments before.

Laughing a bit nervously, Kyungsoo responds, “Thank you so much, sir, but, uh, I was just on my way. I have somewhere important to be.” Internally, Kyungsoo cringes. He still isn’t used to hearing the croaky timbre to his usual deep and steady voice. It’s unsettling.

“Oh,” Yixing starts, slightly tilting his head to the side. Something in his expression shifts, and for a second, Kyungsoo thinks he’s been made; caught before he even had the chance to run away past the street that Sheep’s Shop sits on. But just as quickly as his expression shifted into something intangible, Yixing’s expression falls back to the previous look of concern he had for Kyungsoo.

“Well, if you must be on your way,” Yixing begins again, letting his hand slip away from Kyungsoo’s back as he walks towards the door of the shop. Kyungsoo watches as Yixing’s hand reaches for a wooden cane - that Kyungsoo does not recall previously being there - leaning against the wall and picks it up. Using both hands to pick up the cane, Yixing turns back to Kyungsoo. “Then please take this with you. It will help on your travels.” With a dimpled smile on his face (one that Kyungsoo is sure all of the shop’s customers fall for), Yixing extends his two hands out and offers the cane up to Kyungsoo.

With a feeling of genuine gratitude stirring up in his chest, Kyungsoo accepts the cane from his shop owner. “Thank you.” Kyungsoo says.

“May your travels be safe, and destination be reached.” Yixing says in reply. “Good luck, sir.” The shop owner smiles again, and the image of Yixing smiling down at him brings Kyungsoo back to the first time Kyungsoo met Yixing.

A scared and sad young Kyungsoo had come into the hat shop, tightly gripping his mother’s hand, almost clinging to her. The pouring rain from the summer monsoons had drenched them both completely, and their sloshy footsteps had water following them into the store. The pounding of thunder could be heard, and it made Kyungsoo cower closer into his mother’s figure.

Kyungsoo remembers that day vividly, because the stormy, gray skies had looked exactly how he had felt. The pounding of the rain against the earth and thunder in the sky couldn’t drown out the sounds of his broken heart; broken from the missing space of his brother, and the constant crying of his mother. 

It had also been a long and tiring day, for Kyungsoo and his mother had been traveling for a long time, to find someplace new to start over. They had gone from store to store looking for lodging or work, and had been rejected from each and every one.

But the second Yixing had spotted them, Yixing had immediately invited them into his shop for a sit, fetching blankets and setting a kettle of water to boil on the stove. Before his mother could even ask, Yixing had even offered her a job at his store. It was then that Kyungsoo had looked into the man’s face and seen true kindness for what felt like the first time in a long time. It felt like the sun was starting to finally peek through the clouds and bid the stormy weather goodbye.

"Thank you," Kyungsoo says sincerely.

As Kyungsoo looks away from Yixing’s smiling face to test out the new cane, he feels a bit of encouragement for the first time today since he suddenly decided to set out to hunt down Wizard Baekhyun and his Moving Castle. He feels like he really may be able to do this. 

Kyungsoo gives Yixing one last look, returning his smile with a smaller one of his own. With the cane he gained from a kind soul and his newly found confidence, Kyungsoo sets out on his journey. His steps almost seem lighter, and his feet seem certain of where he’s going, even though he doesn’t know the exact location of the Moving Castle yet.

Maybe he really will find the Moving Castle, and the wizard that supposedly comes along with it. Maybe he can reverse this curse.

Well, Kyungsoo’s about to find out.

***

The time on his watch reads 4:35 PM.

Kyungsoo hadn’t thought to check the time as he left, but he supposes he left around 8 in the morning, right before the shop unlocks its doors and declares itself open for business, considering the fact that the shop was still quiet and empty in the main floor when he left. That means Kyungsoo has been marching towards the outskirts of the city for a good 8 hours at least, in search of the Moving Castle. 

He’s exhausted. His feet ache, his back aches, his arms ache - everything aches. Kyungsoo hurts in places he didn’t even know people could hurt in. Joints practically screaming, Kyungsoo kneels down to sit in the grass for a rest. Placing his walking stick next to him, he gives another silent prayer of thanks to Yixing, for the cane. Without it, Kyungsoo doesn’t think he would have even been able to make it this far. He didn’t realize how much easier it seemed to make the task of walking, despite how painful it still can be for him in his old age.

Kyungsoo unties his makeshift pack and unravels it out on top of the grass. He picks out the thermos and bread to snack on as he takes in his surroundings. From this distance, Kyungsoo can’t even see the town of Market Chipping, of which he just fled. But Kyungsoo can still see the castle of the kingdom standing proudly at one of the highest points of the Royal City.

The incoming breeze refreshes him just a bit, just enough to make him feel comfortable in the sunny spring day. The hat was a good idea, Kyungsoo realizes, or he might have burnt up in the heat. He actually recalls making this hat himself, weaving the fibers and molding the cylinder top and shaping the wide brim. The ribbon he tied to the base of the hat is a deep red, almost maroon color. At the time, he had been debating whether or not to add some kind of ornament to finish the hat off, but decided against it. However, looking out into the field with its abundance of flowers, Kyungsoo is tempted to pluck one just right for the hat.

As he scans his surroundings in search of a nice flower, sudden movement catches his eye, making him freeze. Moments later, he swears he hears whispering from somewhere within the grass and flowers.

Kyungsoo drops his bread and tea on the blanket, picking up his cane for self defense. “Who’s there?” Kyungsoo asks cautiously, standing up. When nothing happens, Kyungsoo continues. “Come out now, or - “

“‘S me, Soo!”

Kyungsoo gasps at the sight of little Jongin popping out from the tall grass a few feet in front of him, frantically waving.

“Jongin? What are you doing here?” Kyungsoo’s voice is almost accusing.

“I, well, I - “ Jongin stammers nervously.

“How did you get here?”

“I, um - “

“Jongin, it’s so dangerous!”

“I-I-I…”

“Who told you you could come all the way out here alone, practically out into the Waste - “

Suddenly, Jongin bursts into tears.

Shocked, Kyungsoo cuts himself off a tiny gasp, and stops to really look at Jongin for the first time since he appeared in front of his eyes a few moments prior. His brown hair is a mess, the curls all disheveled from the breeze and the long trek, and his cheeks look red and puffy from over exertion. The tears running down his face just makes his face look even more puffy, and Kyungsoo’s heart twists. Jongin doesn’t mean any harm - Jongin never means any harm. Letting out a breath of air, Kyungsoo calls Jongin over, arms open wide for a hug.

“C’mere, Jongin.” Kyungsoo says, careful to be gentle.

Peeking out from behind the hands he had been crying into, Jongin looks over at Kyungsoo cautiously.

“It’s okay, c’mon. It’s just me.”

Slowly, Jongin makes his way into Kyungsoo’s embrace, and Kyungsoo moves his hand to wipe the rest of the tears from Jongin’s face.

“I’m sorry, Jonginnie. I didn’t mean to get mad at you like that.” Still holding Jongin in his embrace, Kyungsoo guides the both of them to sit down, Jongin in his lap. “I was just worried. It’s dangerous to be wandering out alone. Something bad could have happened to you.”

Sniffling, Jongin responds. “But I’m not alone. Jongdae came with me.”

“Jongdae?”

Emerging from the grass, the black cat from the previous day pads over towards the two of them, stopping at Jongin’s feet. Kyungsoo swears the cat is almost glaring at him. 

Reaching out one of his hands, Jongin starts rubbing the top of the cat’s head, and the cat leans into his touch. “I saw you leave the shop, so I followed you, and Jongdae followed me. Jongdae walked with me the who-o-ole way here.” The cat purrs under the small boy’s touch, looking not at all as hostile as it was a moment ago.

So many questions run through Kyungsoo’s mind, and he doesn’t know which one to ask first.

“The shop?” Jongin had seen him in the shop? Kyungsoo thought he was only seen by Yixing, and even then, Yixing didn’t seem to recognize him, considering Kyungsoo was now an old man.

Kyungsoo’s eyes widen in realization “Jongin! You can recognize me?”

Jongin turns his head away from the cat to look up at Kyungsoo, questioning tilt to his head. “What do you mean?”

“Jongin, how did you know I’m Kyungsoo?”

Reaching up, Jongin puts his hands on Kyungsoo’s face, and starts playing with his cheeks, rolling them around. “Well, you look a little different, a little wrinkly.” Jongin stretches and pinches some of the skin in between his fingers. “A lotta wrinkly.” Jongin adds, with his face scrunched up like he just ate something sour. 

For the first time today, Kyungsoo laughs. It’s a big, hearty laugh, one that resonates in his bones, creating a deep sound that is carried off into the air. 

“But you’re still Soo.” Jongin’s stops playing with his face and looks him in the eye.

Smiling, Kyungsoo says back, “I’m still Soo.” With a kiss to the forehead, Kyungsoo murmurs to Jongin, “Thank you, Jonginnie.” 

Giggling, Jongin squirms a little in his seat on Kyungsoo’s lap to get settled. Noticing the food splayed out on the blanket in front of them, Jongin licks his lips. Kyungsoo chuckles as he picks up his previously abandoned loaf of bread.

“Here, Jongin, have some,” Kyungsoo says, breaking off a piece of the loaf and offering it to Jongin. He must be hungry considering the long trek out here. Watching the boy happily munch away, Kyungsoo picks up the cheese and tears off a chunk to offer to him too, which Jongin happily accepts.

The cat makes a low meow noise, which catches Kyungsoo’s attention. Kyungsoo leans over to pet the cat, but the cat hisses at him and flinches away, while continuing to eye the food with what Kyungsoo thinks is interest. Taking the thermos, Kyungsoo pours some of the drink into the lid and lays it down in front of the cat. Head tilting, the cat seems to contemplate accepting Kyungsoo’s peace offering. Maybe the cat recalls the previous day’s events where Kyungsoo had almost scalded the creature alive, Kyungsoo thinks to himself. Slowly though, the cat begins drinking out of the thermos cup, and seems content enough.

“Soo looks kinda shiny...” Jongin says in between bites.

“Shiny? What does that mean?”

Seemingly ignoring his question, Jongin goes on. “Jongdae… He looks shiny too,” he says as he looks straight at the cat. 

The cat’s ears twitch as if they can hear the boy, and looks up at Jongin, meeting his stare. Kyungsoo rolls up a few small pieces of bread and sets it down in front of the cat, stealing its attention back away from Jongin.

“So, Jongin, where did the name ‘Jongdae’ come from?” Kyungsoo decides to ask instead. “I didn’t see a nametag on the cat.”

Jongin freezes.

“Jongin?”

“I… I made it up!” Jongin says, cheeks going red.

“Ah, I see,” Kyungsoo chuckles as he pokes Jongin’s cheek. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed over. ‘Jongdae’ is a cute name.”

Looking up, the cat - Jongdae, Kyungsoo corrects himself - scowls at Kyungsoo. Or at least Kyungsoo thinks Jongdae would be scowling if cats could do that. As Kyungsoo looks at Jongdae, Kyungsoo wonders why the cat was even at the shop in the first place. Why was Wizard Baekhyun’s cat all the way back in town, when the wizard’s castle was far off in the Waste? Kyungsoo contemplates.

“Jongdae,” he says out loud, addressing the cat. The feline brings his head up and blinks at him. “You’re Wizard Baekhyun’s cat.” Kyungsoo feels slightly foolish for directly speaking to the cat, but the cat seems to be paying attention to him, so he continues. “Can you bring me to him?” Picking up the wizard’s cloak from the grass, Kyungsoo holds it up and extends it out to Jongdae. “Can you bring me to Wizard Baekhyun?” Jongdae just stares at him. “Please?”

That seems to do the trick. Jongdae abandons his tea and bread and moves towards the cloak. Putting one paw on top of the fabric bunched up in Kyungsoo’s hands, Jongdae observes the material, before blinking back up at Kyungsoo. Then, with a confident-sounding meooow, Jongdae goes off, without waiting for the two humans to catch up.

“Jongdae, wait!” Jongin shouts to the cat, while Kyungsoo hurriedly packs up everything and folds it back up into his makeshift pack. He quickly grabs Jongin’s hand, and the two of them scurry off to follow in Jongdae’s footprints, towards the Waste.

***

Kyungsoo knows the second they step into the Waste.

The green grass they had been trudging through for what seemed like an eternity abruptly comes to a stop, nothing but dead, dried up grass and dirt ahead. It’s almost like an invisible barrier was drawn straight down the line, suddenly separating the beautiful hills of the kingdom from the abandoned land of the Waste. 

The sky is dark, embracing nightfall, and the air is muggy but somehow cold, thanks to the waves of fog that had seemingly rolled in the second they reached the abandoned plains. Or, at least they would only be looking at empty fields if it wasn’t for the density of the fog. For now, Jongin and Kyungsoo can only make out the dirt directly around them, following the sounds of Jongdae’s periodic meows.  

At first, the constant calls from the cat were comforting, something familiar in these strange, dark lands. Now, however, it’s almost maddening. It’s the only sound they’ve heard for miles and miles and miles. Maybe after the first mile or so, Kyungsoo realized that the Waste was eerily silent. No birds chirping, no sounds of wind whistling through the trees. Just a rotting wasteland.

Kyungsoo finally understands why no one ventures out in the Waste. This isn’t a place for any living thing.

A chill runs down his spine.

Coughing to get some of the tension out of his chest, Kyungsoo holds a tighter grip on Jongin’s hand and picks up the pace to follow Jongdae closer, until he smells something burning. He hiccups in his movements, making Jongin give him a questioning look, but Kyungsoo dismisses it as soon as it came. He could have sworn he smelled firewood burning, like a campfire, but he could also just be going crazy from the long journey.

But then, Kyungsoo hears it. Just the fact that Kyungsoo is hearing anything outside of Jongdae’s calls and their own footsteps is surprising enough for Kyungsoo to instantly stop in his tracks, but the various odd sounds itself makes Kyungsoo frozen in complete alarm. The screeching sounds of metal bits scraping against each other and the creaking of mechanical joints gets louder and shriller as the seconds go by. Kyungsoo can make out the sounds of smoke and air releasing, making a hiss noise, like at those factory mills Kyungsoo has often walked past back in town. Then, there’s the deep, loud thunks that seem to vibrate the ground they’re standing on. Kyungsoo can feel the sounds like heartbeats resonating through his entire core.

Kyungsoo tightens his hold on Jongin’s hand like a vice, and turns to him. “Jongin, do not let go of my hand, alright?” 

The little boy doesn’t respond, but nods his head up and down as he continues to stare off into the fog, towards the direction of the noise. 

“Jongdae!” Kyungsoo yells. “Where are you?”

Kyungsoo squints his eyes and sees a small black figure a bit off in the distance, moving further away. “Jongdae, come back - “

Then, the fog suddenly separates, and looming above them is a ginormous, moving hunk of random assorted bits of metal and wood. It’s as if a metal junkyard decided to glue itself together through nail and wood. The pipes sticking out of the top of the structure spew smoke into the air, making the air in the immediate vicinity smell strongly of firewood and maybe coal, and also making the air hot enough for Kyungsoo to sweat. Kyungsoo watches the structure wide-eyed in wonder, as it continues to hiss and moan and groan, and as every bit of the building itself seems to move with each breath. It’s as if the structure itself is alive.

This is the Moving Castle.

The building’s mechanical chicken legs bring it closer to the group, and before Kyungsoo realizes it, the castle is walking over them, and for a second, Kyungsoo thinks the whole thing will collapse and crush him. But then it passes as soon as it came, and Kyungsoo realizes with a start he has to catch that castle. From the rear view of the castle, Kyungsoo can see a brick staircase leading up to a door. With Jongin in tow, Kyungsoo starts running as fast as his heavy and tired legs can take him.

Jongdae is already sitting on the ledge, waiting as the two catch up. Once Kyungsoo gets close enough, he throws his walking stick onto the front steps and latches his hand onto one of the railings. With the arm still holding onto Jongin, Kyungsoo pulls him up and places him on the front steps along with Jongdae and his cane.

“Soo!” Jongin shouts over the noise of the castle, extending out his hand. Grabbing onto it, he huffs out a panicked breath. With all the last bits of strength he can muster, Kyungsoo hauls himself up onto the staircase, and with a sigh of relief, he opens the door to the Moving Castle.

***

Kyungsoo’s not sure what he was expecting when he stepped foot into the castle, but it surely isn’t this.

The inside of the Moving Castle looks just like any average home. 

Well, a dilapidated home littered with heaps of junk from the inside and out, but a home nonetheless.

“Hello?” Kyungsoo calls out into the castle. His call comes out breathy, as he's still recovering from his entrance into the castle. “Is anyone home?” he tries again, breath starting to even out as he sets his cane against the front door’s entrance.

With no response, Kyungsoo and Jongin approach further into the castle. Spotting Jongdae on the mantle of the fireplace, Jongin immediately pulls Kyungsoo along, and sits down to pet him.

“Thank you, Jongdae,” Jongin quietly whispers to the cat as he pets him. Jongdae purrs in response. 

It’s odd, Kyungsoo notes to himself, how the outside of the castle was so warm from all of the smoke, but the inside is so cold. Another shiver crawls up Kyungsoo’s spine.

There’s a large, cushioned chair in front of the fireplace, right next to a pile of wood, so Kyungsoo bends down (at the protest of his back) and picks up a few logs to feed the fire as he sits down in the chair. Instantly, the fire blazes brighter, and he puts his hands out to enjoy the heat. His eyes start slipping closed as exhaustion begins to take him. 

“Man, oh, man. That is one nasty curse ya got there,” a voice says, followed by a low whistle. “That witch has really got her work cut out for her.”

Kyungsoo eyes snap open. “Who’s there?” 

“It’s me!"

Kyungsoo whips his head around, but can’t find the source of the voice. “I must be dreaming,” he mutters to himself. That’s it, this all must just be a bad dream.

“Yoo-hoo, over here." 

Kyungsoo stares in bewilderment in front of him. The fireplace. The fireplace is talking to him.

“A… talking... fireplace?” Kyungsoo asks, cautiously, almost afraid of an answer.

“No, genius, a talking fire. Me.”

Kyungsoo’s not sure if that’s any better.

“Welcome to the Moving Castle,” the fire’s deep voice booms. “I am Chanyeol, the greatest and most fearsome fire demon in all the land!” As he speaks, his flames reach higher and burn brighter, as if he’s trying to show off.

Jongin, who had moved closer when the fire started talking, claps his hands in awe and giggles. Kyungsoo, however, eyes the fire demon up and down, skeptically. 

“Uh huh, right…” Kyungsoo says. “So if you’re such a powerful demon, what are you doing here? In a fireplace?”

Chanyeol’s flames burst into a deep orange, maybe in annoyance, and then answers. “I power this entire castle - without me, this heap of scrap metal doesn’t move! It can’t!” Huffing, Chanyeol seems to turn his head to the side and slightly mutter under his breath. “I also may or may not have made a deal with Baekhyun back in the day, but that’s not important,” he says with a wave of his orangey, flaming hand. “What’s important,” Chanyeol says, back to speaking in his large, loud voice, “is your curse.”

“A deal with Baekhyun? Wizard Baekhyun? Then this is his home, right? But I don’t understand, did he curse you to stay here - " 

“I said we made a deal, he didn’t curse me.” Kyungsoo can make out the angry shape of his eyebrows and annoyed scrunch of his nose in the midst of the flames. “Hey, grandpa, do you wanna know how to break your curse or not?”

“It’s Kyungsoo,” Kyungsoo corrects the fire demon with a huff.

“Fine, Kyungsoo, do you wanna break your curse or what?”

Kyungsoo eyes the demon skeptically. “Can you do that? Break my curse?” 

Chanyeol laughs, the sound loud and booming, echoing throughout the room. “Of course I can! I am Chanyeol, the greatest and most fearsome - “

Kyungsoo cuts him off. “Yeah, yes, I got that. 'Chanyeol, the greatest and most fearsome fire demon in all the land,'” Kyungsoo repeating his words from earlier, in an unimpressed and monotone voice. “But how are you going to break my curse?”

“Ah, not me, but we.”

“We?”

“I’ll make a deal with you. If you can break my contract with Baekhyun and set me free from this castle, then I will reverse your aging curse,” Chanyeol says with a confident nod to his head.

“Why can’t you just break my curse?” Kyungsoo asks.

“Jeez, you’re just full of questions, aren’t ya?” Chanyeol says, a little exasperated. “Listen, and listen up good.” The fire demon leans in, making Kyungsoo lean in to meet him in the middle. Jongin, who’s still next to Kyungsoo watching all of this happen, leans in with him. “Us demons and wizards - us magical folks - we don’t make promises. We make deals. Exchanges. There’s no transaction without a transaction fee, if ya get what I mean.”

Kyungsoo nods, and Chanyeol goes on.

“Ya see, Baekhyun and I, we struck a deal, once upon a time,” Chanyeol says with a sigh. “And now, I’m stuck here in this hearth, powering this humongous pile of crap, stripped of much of my power. But,” Chanyeol begins again, with a glint in his fiery eyes, “if you help me get out of this contract with Baekhyun, then I can gain all my powers back and BAM!” Chanyeol’s flames pulse a bright red, just once, emphasizing his statement. “Bye-bye, curse.”

Kyungsoo contemplates the decision silently, brows scrunching in deep thought.

“Think any harder, and you’re gonna break your face,” Chanyeol says with a laugh. “Look, I know you’re assessing the deal and whatnot, but I’ll tell ya right now, Baekhyun’s not gonna be able to help you.”

“And why not?”

“Again, with the questions.” Chanyeol shakes his head and goes on. “For one, the wizard is hardly ever home. Lately, he’s spending all his time outside. And when he is home, he lives like a ghost - here one second, gone the next. Off doing whatever it is he’s doing wherever it is he’s doing it. Ya know how it goes.”

Kyungsoo does not know how it goes, but he lets Chanyeol continue.

“And for another, well, that curse of yours wasn’t placed by any run-of-the-mill magic user. Your curse was done by none other than the Witch of the Waste herself, the most powerful and most evil magic user in the entire kingdom. Maybe even all of the kingdoms combined." 

“Yes, I know that, but - “

“Hold up, you know you got cursed by the Witch of the Waste and yet you still think Baekhyun can help you? Listen, pops - “ 

“Kyungsoo,” he corrects the fire demon again.

“ - whatever. Listen, Baekhyun and the Witch of the Waste got a long, ugly history together. There’s no way in Dante’s Inferno he’ll help you, or even be able to, if she really decided to mess with you. Frankly, I’m the best chance you’ve got.”

“What does any of that even mean - “

“Enough questions, do we got a deal or not?”

Kyungsoo takes a second to think, and then sighs. It honestly can’t get any worse. Plus, if what Chanyeol says is true, then… “Deal.”

Chanyeol grins this toothy grin that would creep Kyungsoo out if he wasn’t such a puny, unmenacing little fire. “Excellent.” The fire demon rubs his hands together before extending one out. “Let’s shake on it.” 

“You want me to touch a fire? And burn myself? Are you serious?”

“I would never hurt my fellow co-conspirator. Scout’s honor,” Chanyeol says, crossing the fingers on his other hand.

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and reaches his hand out to shake Chanyeol’s. “Fine, then.”

The second their hands meet, instead of burning his hand like Kyungsoo thinks is going to happen, Chanyeol bursts into a bright blue color, sparks flying up past the hearth, making Kyungsoo and Jongin jump, before the fire demon reverts back to his normal hues of orange.

“What was that?” 

“That, my friend,” Chanyeol looks at Jongin and corrects himself, “excuse me, friends, plural, with an ‘s’ at the end there.” Jongin giggles. “That, my friends,” Chanyeol repeats, giving Jongin a wink, which in turn makes Kyungsoo scowl, and pull the boy closer to him, “is the binding of a contract. Congratulations!” Chanyeol’s flames seem to be dancing, glowing in and out all over the fire hearth, and Jongin claps his hands together in excitement. Kyungsoo continues to scowl. 

Maybe he made a mistake. 

Time will tell, he supposes.

For now, Kyungsoo decides to stop worrying for the night and gets comfortable in his chair, pulling Jongin onto his lap. The little boy curls up into him, and calls Jongdae over to join them. The cat slinks over from his spot on the mantle, and slips into Jongin’s lap, purring as he’s rewarded with soft pets and scratches in his sweet spot, right behind the ears.

As Kyungsoo drifts off to sleep, he can faintly hear Jongin talking to Chanyeol, introducing himself. Jongin must really like Chanyeol, Kyungsoo notes, since he hardly ever introduces himself first to a stranger. Despite Kyungsoo’s slight annoyance at the fire demon, he smiles. 

And just like that, he falls asleep.

***

Boom, boom, boom. 

The scene before him is all too familiar. Kyungsoo, free-falling, surrounded by war planes that bomb the city below. Kyungsoo feels tense, like there’s a string or rope wrapped around him, restricting his movements, even as he’s free-falling through the sky. His gut clenches.

Boom, boom, boom.

This time, however, before the dream can continue, Kyungsoo is shaken awake.

“Soo, wake up!”

His eyes open to find the daylight streaming in through the windows, and Jongin staring up at him.

“Were you dreaming a bad dream?” Jongin asks him, concern in his small voice.

“Yeah, just a bad dream.” Kyungsoo ruffles Jongin’s hair. “I’ll be okay. Thanks, Jonginnie.”

Boom, boom, boom.

“Someone’s been knocking at the door,” Jongin says, pointing towards the entryway. 

Kyungsoo suddenly feels deja vu, remembering how he woke up just yesterday with little Yerim pounding on his door, excitedly rambling on about the Moving Castle. It’s almost laughable how he is now waking up in said castle just a day later, but a hundred years older.

As Kyungsoo gets up from the chair, he hears shuffling steps coming down the staircase above. Turning towards the sound, Kyungsoo sees a young, black-haired boy running down the steps in a rush.

“Coming,” the young boy’s voice says, before he coughs and repeats in a deeper imitation of a man’s voice. “Uh, I mean, I’m coming!” Grabbing a cloak that was draped across the dining table, causing a bunch of objects that were piled on top of it to fall and clatter to the floor, the boy wraps it around himself. Kyungsoo and Jongin both watch in fascination as the boy’s face instantly transforms into that of a bearded old man as he puts the hood over his head. Clearing his throat, the boy descends the small staircase leading to the door, and as he turns the knob, the color wheel on the right starts spinning. When it lands on blue, the boy opens the door.

“Hello, Mr. Mayor, good morning,” the boy says in his old man disguise.

A man in a fancy suit stands on the other side of the doorway, accompanied by other men also in fancy suits. “Good morning to you, sir. Is the Great Wizard Jenkins home?”

“I’m afraid he is out at the moment. I speak for him in his absence.” The boy’s voice seems like a dead giveaway to Kyungsoo, but Mr. Mayor doesn’t seem to notice.

“Well then,” Mr. Mayor says, in a boisterous voice, passing an envelope. “Here is an invitation directly from the King to the Great Wizard Jenkins. The time of war is upon us, has always been upon us, and he is formally calling all wizards and witches in the kingdom to stand together and fight. The details of instruction are inside that letter. Make sure it gets to the Great Wizard.”

Hearing news of the war makes Kyungsoo sick. He hurries to stand, Jongin helping him to his feet, but his back cracks and his joints groan, from a night spent sleeping on a couch.

“Of course, sir. Good day.”

“Good day." 

Shutting the door and walking back up the small staircase, the boy takes off the hood, his face morphing back into his young face from earlier. His eyes land on Kyungsoo and Jongin, and surprised, he tilts his head questioningly, asking bluntly, “Who the heck are you two?”

Without waiting for an answer, the boy moves to the middle of the room, taking off his cloak and draping it over the dining table once again, then setting the letter on top. In the light of day, Kyungsoo can see all the dust particles that rise up from the movement. He can also still see all of the trinkets and such scattered all across the floor from when the boy dropped them just a minute ago.

The boy spins back around to the two intruders, cocking an eyebrow up in question as he asks, “Well?”

Before Kyungsoo can say anything, Jongdae bumps into the young boy’s legs, making the boy look down in surprise. “You’re back!” he exclaims, picking up the cat. “Oh, how I’ve missed you!” Hugging the cat and giving him lots of pets, the boy narrows his eyes at Kyungsoo and Jongin. “Did you steal him?”

Kyungsoo scoffs. “What? No! Jongdae followed us around, and then led us to this castle. If anything, we brought him back.”

Jongin silently nods.

“Who's Jongdae?” The boy asks.

“The cat,” Kyungsoo replies.

“You named the cat Jongdae?”

“Not me, him,” Kyungsoo says, gesturing to Jongin.

Sehun eyes the two of them oddly. “So the cat - Jongdae - let you in?”

The flames from the fireplace pop up. “That would be my doing. Good morning, kiddo.”

“Don’t call me that, Chanyeol,” the young boy says, annoyance in his tone. Turning back to Kyungsoo and Jongin, he asks, “Okay, so Chanyeol let you in, but what’s your purpose here?”

Kyungsoo is about to tell Sehun all about his curse, and how he has come here to demand Baekhyun relieve him of it, but he finds himself suddenly unable to speak. The words are on the tip of Kyungsoo’s tongue, but it's like they're literally stuck in his throat. The only word he manages to choke out is ‘curse,’ making Sehun look concerned. 

“A curse?” Sehun asks, confused.

What's wrong with him? Kyungsoo was fine just a second ago, before he tried to tell Sehun what the witch had done to him. Could the witch have cursed him to never speak of the ill she's done to him? That must be it.

Chanyeol swoops in. “They are my guests, Sehun. Do they need any more explanation? They even brought the cat you love so much back.”

“Well, I guess that's true. And if Chanyeol let you in, then I guess I can trust you.” Putting Jongdae down, Sehun shakes Kyungsoo’s and Jongin’s hands. “Nice to meet you. I’m Sehun, Master Baekhyun’s apprentice.”

“I’m Kyungsoo,” Kyungsoo says somehow finding his voice returning to himself, then gesturing to Jongin. “This is Jongin.”

Jongin, as shy as he is, only manages a quiet, “Hello.”

“Thank you for bringing Jongdae back home,” Sehun says, “and sorry for accusing you of stealing him.”

“That's okay,” says Kyungsoo.

“Since Master Baekhyun is gone, that makes me in charge,” Sehun announces, with a proud puff to his chest. Kyungsoo thinks he’s maybe 11 or 12 years old. He’s cute, if not a bit brash.

“You wish,” Chanyeol says under his breath, just loud enough for Jongin to hear him, making him giggle. 

“If you’re Wizard Baekhyun’s apprentice, then who’s the Great Wizard Jenkins?” Kyungsoo asks Sehun.

The young wizard’s apprentice laughs. “Oh, Wizard Jenkins is no one. He’s a disguise. Master Baekhyun has many disguises, and for many different reasons.”

Before Sehun can go on, there’s another knock at the door, accompanied by a ringing bell.

“Porthaven door again!” Chanyeol announces.

“Huh, must be a customer. One sec,” Sehun says. “Feel free to sit.”

Jongin walks off to play with Jongdae, instead, so Kyungsoo goes to sit, until he glances out the window. Outside, the sun is shining, and he can see the beautiful coastline glistening off in the distance.

How did they get here?

“We’re really not in the Waste anymore, huh,” Kyungsoo trails off, to no one in particular. He can hear the sound of Sehun opening the door, and the voice of an elderly woman float in from the entryway.

“What can I help you with, ma’am?” Sehun says in his mock elderly voice. Kyungsoo glances over and sees he’s wearing his hooded disguise again.

“I’m here to see if you have any spells to help with my garden. My petunias just aren’t blossoming well this season."

“Right this way, ma’am,” Sehun says as he helps the elderly woman up the steps. He leads her to the shelves and cabinets in the corner of the room, and pulls up a chair to start rummaging through them. “I’ve got just the thing for you,” Sehun mumbles, as he begins pulling out various bottles and vials of various colors, shapes, and sizes.

There’s another knocking at the door, and the front door’s bell goes off.

From the firepit, Chanyeol waggles his eyebrows and motions towards the door. “What are you doing, go answer the door!” he hisses. 

Opening the door, Kyungsoo finds a young girl waiting on the other side.

“Hello, mister, my mommy sent me here to get a spell.”

“Oh, uh, come in.” Kyungsoo says, opening the door all the way and moving aside for her to come through. Sehun looks like he’s wrapping up his transaction with the elderly woman, so Kyungsoo motions the girl to come and sit down while they wait for him to finish. 

Eyeing Kyungsoo up and down, the little girl asks curiously, “Mister, are you the Great Wizard Jenkins?” 

Not letting Kyungsoo answer, Sehun interrupts, laughing. “This grandpa? The Great Wizard Jenkins? Please,” he scoffs. Fixing his disguise, Sehun asks, “What’re you here for, miss?” and then leads her away to the cabinets and drawers of potions and spells.

“Little brat,” Kyungsoo mutters under his breath.

Chanyeol laughs. “Agreed.”

“Alright, so take this powder,” Sehun says to the girl, handing her a paper bag, “and sprinkle it on the sails of your boat. It should make the winds blow in your favor.”

The little girl thanks Sehun, handing him a few coins, and runs off.

“Busy day today,” Sehun muses, back to his normal kid voice. 

“So, is this what you do?” Kyungsoo asks Sehun. “Sell potions and spells to people all day?” 

“Well, that’s a part of it. I make a few of them myself, but Master Baekhyun takes care of most of ‘em. I’m still learning. He gave me a great big spell book to study out of. Here, I’ll show you!” Sehun decides, as he excitedly runs across the room to find the book. It takes him a few moments to locate it, as it’s buried under a pile of what looks like junk to Kyungsoo, but what Sehun gingerly seems to place back after pulling his book out from underneath it all.

“Ta-da!” Sehun exclaims, opening up the book on the table, and motioning for Kyungsoo to come over and look at. Jongin, curious, follows to look at the thing up close, too.

“This is my spell book that Master Baekhyun gave to me to study. There’s all kinds of spells in here. Right now, I’m trying to master a levitation spell."

Clearing his throat, Sehun places a pen on top of the book, and says some words in some language Kyungsoo can’t even begin to decipher. The pen wiggles, and Sehun stares at in intense concentration, willing the thing to move, but the little movement it had produced ceases, and Sehun sighs in defeat.

“Pfft,” Chanyeol’s voice chimes from the firepit. “Tough luck, kid.”

“Be quiet, Chanyeol - “

There’s another knock on the door, breaking the fight apart. 

“Incoming, it’s the door to the Royal City,” Chanyeol says, signaling Sehun to get up and put his disguise back on.

“The Royal City?” Kyungsoo asks, confused. “But we are all the way on the coastline, that’s nowhere near the city - “

Sehun turns the doorknob, and this time, the dial spins to red, and when the door opens, Kyungsoo can see members from the royal guard at the doorstep. He moves in closer.

“Is Wizard Pendragon home? His attendance is needed at the royal palace immediately. It’s about the war effort.”

“Sorry, soldiers, but Master Pendragon is out right now. Care to leave a message?" 

The soldier who spoke moments ago pulls out an envelope, almost identical to the one Sehun previously received for the Great Wizard Jenkins, and hands it to Sehun. “Pass this along, then. Make sure Wizard Pendragon receives it.” The soldiers turn to leave.

Getting closer, Kyungsoo can see the outlines of the royal palace behind the soldiers. He gasps. How did they possibly get here? Does the castle really move that fast? How did these people not notice a giant moving hunk of metal and wood on robotic chicken legs stroll into the Royal City? 

“Of course, sir. Good day to you,” Sehun calls out, shutting the door.

“How…” Kyungsoo starts. “What…” he can’t seem to find the words to ask. “When - “

“This is a magic castle, remember, pops?” Chanyeol replies, nonchalantly. 

Kyungsoo’s too shocked to even be mad about the nickname.

“But we didn’t even move!” Kyungsoo cries. His head is spinning.

“We didn’t need to,” Sehun answers instead, still standing in the doorway. “This door is enchanted.” Sehun turns the doorknob again, and this time, the dial spins to green. “See?” As Sehun opens the door, Kyungsoo gets even closer, and peers his head outside the door frame.

Kyungsoo’s jaw drops, and his eyes are as wide as saucers. “The Waste?”

Somehow, after all that’s happened to Kyungsoo in the past few days, he continues to be surprised. 

Laughing, Sehun pulls at Kyungsoo till he comes back inside, and shuts the door. “You get used to it. Let’s have breakfast, Kyungsoo.” Sehun drags Kyungsoo back up the stairs of the doorway and sits him down at the dining table. “You too, Jongin.” 

When Jongin pads over carefully, and takes a seat at the table next to Kyungsoo, Sehun begins setting the table. Rummaging through all of the junk on the table’s surface, he finds a stack of porcelain plates collecting dust, and picks up a rag from the cabinet behind him to wipe them off, before tossing the rag back on the cabinet and delicately placing one plate in front of each person. Opening up the lid of a silver serving platter, Sehun takes out a big loaf of bread and some butter. Using his shirt to wipe the knife he found lying on the table, Sehun cuts the bread up, and sets them on top of each plate.

“Breakfast is served!” Sehun declares, as he sits down to eat his slice of bread.

Being a guest, Kyungsoo tries not to visibly shudder at the lack of cleanliness in the castle.

As Kyungsoo brings the bread to his mouth to eat, he notices a basket of eggs sitting on the corner of the table. “Sehun,” Kyungsoo calls the young wizard’s apprentice’s attention. “Are those eggs?”

Glancing up from his bread, Sehun replies. “Yep. And the platter right next to it is bacon. I was hoping Master Baekhyun would be back to cook some for breakfast.”

Kyungsoo excitedly claps his hands once as he springs up from his seat and boasts, “I’ll do it!’

“Whaddya mean, Kyungsoo?" 

“I mean, I’ll cook,” Kyungsoo replies back to Sehun, as he grabs a pan he previously noticed hanging on the wall next to the firepit.

“Soo’s good at cooking,” Jongin says quietly from his seat at the table.

“I mean, that’s great and all, but Master Baekhyun does all the cooking. Not because he's a good cook or anything, but mostly because Chanyeol only listens to him.” From the corner of Kyungsoo’s eye, he can see the fire demon nodding vehemently. “Once, he made poached eggs, but I’m pretty sure it was just egg water.” Sehun winces.

Kyungsoo, laughing, replies, “Well, if I’m cooking, I’ll never make you eat egg water.” He sets the pan on top of Chanyeol, earning protests and push back.

“Hey, what’re ya doing?”

“Making breakfast, Chanyeol.”

“Listen, pops,” Chanyeol grunts, as Kyungsoo tries to force the pan down on him.

“My name is Kyungsoo." 

“Right.” Chanyeol moves on. “I know you’re new here and all, but the kid’s right. If you’re not Baekhyun, I don’t listen to you.” Chanyeol pushes against the pan, but Kyungsoo doesn’t seem to be giving up. “Even if you’re Baekhyun, I might not listen to you.”

“I seem to have noticed an awfully nice, cool bucket of water over there in the corner. Chanyeol, would you like a nice bath?” Kyungsoo lays the sarcasm on thick.

“Are you crazy, I’m a fire - “

“Exactly, so you’ll help me, right?" 

“No way, gramps!“

“This is how it’s going to work,” Kyungsoo suddenly says harshly, “it’s either the water bucket or I let your fire burn out. You pick.” Bringing his voice down lower, Kyungsoo whispers, “Or I can tell Wizard Baekhyun all about our little deal…”

Gulping, Chanyeol concedes. “Alright, alright. Yeesh. I’ll do it, but don’t expect me to be happy about it.”

Satisfied, Kyungsoo smiles. “Thank you, Chanyeol.” Finally setting the pan down on top of Chanyeol’s flames, Kyungsoo calls out, “Can one of you hand me the bacon, please?”

Jongin, with Sehun’s help, picks up the dish with bacon on it, and they walk it over to the fire together. Thanking them both with a pat to the head, Kyungsoo begins frying the strips of bacon on the pan, being careful of the sizzle.

“Whoa, you’re really cooking!” Sehun exclaims, as he looks on in amazement. “Chanyeol’s actually listening to you!” Suddenly frowning, Sehun turns to Chanyeol. “Why don’t you ever listen to me?”

“Why would I take orders from a kid who doesn’t even know a simple levitation spell?” Chanyeol says, rolling his eyes.

“Hey, I’m still working on it!” Sehun pouts.

The bickering is interrupted by the front door. The dial spins erratically and then lands in black, and the door is flung open. With a poof of smoke, Wizard Baekhyun makes his arrival to the castle.

"Master Baekhyun," Sehun completely abandons Chanyeol amidst their argument, running to greet him at the entrance. "You're home!"

"Hey, kid, I was talking to you!" Chanyeol yells after him, then grumbling to himself about kids and their lack of respect these days.

The first thing Kyungsoo notices is the wild blond hair. The second thing he notices underneath the wild blond hair is how tired the wizard’s entire appearance looks. The wizard’s eyes carry hallow bags underneath them, and his face is set in a deep frown. The buttons at the top of his dress shirt are undone, and his shoulders sag under an invisible weight sitting on top of them. 

The wizard quietly chuckles, and even that seems almost forced. "Yes, my apprentice. I'm home." Slowly trudging up the stairs with heavy limbs, he asks, "Is this bacon I smell?"

"Um, well yes, but - "

"Oh, I see we have guests!" Baekhyun suddenly proclaims in a bright timbre, despite how exhausted he looks. His movements suddenly lighten, as if he didn't seem like he was on the verge of death just two seconds ago.

Noticing the scene before him, Baekhyun says, "And the guests are cooking? Sehun," the wizard turns to his apprentice, "you're making the guests cook? Now, that's not any way to treat guests," he says with a tsk.

"I told Kyungsoo he couldn't, but he insisted! And Chanyeol actually listened to him!" The boy says, exasperated.

Chuckling, Baekhyun pats his head on his way to the fireplace. "Why does everyone keep doing that?" Sehun wonders to himself.

"You must be Kyungsoo," the wizard says, extending his hand. "Wizard Baekhyun. Pleased to make your acquaintence."

“Kyungsoo,” Kyungsoo responds, with a single nod of his head. He reaches out his hand to meet Baekhyun’s half way, but when their hands make contact, Kyungsoo swears he feels a sudden spark.

Baekhyun eyes their hands for a moment, before letting go. "Let me," he says to the pair of guests, making the two of them move aside so the wizard can take over.

This feels familiar, Baekhyun’s pattern of saying instead of really asking.

"Excuse me, but I've heard about your cooking skills, and I must insist," Kyungsoo states, shoving the wizard right back. "Don't want little Sehun over there eating egg soup again. I think he's traumatized." Kyungsoo reclaims the pan from Baekhyun, shooing him to the table, along with Jongin.

Chanyeol sputters with laughter. Baekhyun glares at the fire demon from his seat at the dining table. "Shouldn't you be busy greeting me, the wizard of the castle?"

Rolling his eyes, Chanyeol speaks. "I can laugh at your expense and say hello at the same time. It’s called ‘multitasking.’ Here, I'll show ya.” Clearing his throat, Chanyeol continues. “Hello, Baekhyun, our cookless wonder. How ‘bout some nice egg water after your long trip out. Pffffffttt,” Chanyeol says as he erupts into more laughter.

Baekhyun glares at the fire demon as he continues laughing hysterically. Jongin, finding Chanyeol amusing, giggles also. Baekhyun turns to the giggling boy, and smiles.

“I don’t think we’ve been acquainted, have we?”

Jongin goes silent, and shakes his head back and forth, indicating a ‘no.’

“I’m Wizard Baekhyun,” the wizard says, slowly extending his hand out, “and you are?”

“Jongin,” the boy replies, carefully shaking hands with Baekhyun.

“Jongin,” Baekhyun says, “would this happen to belong to you?” he whips out a blue rose from behind their previously interlocked hands. Jongin’s eyes go wide in delight, and laughter bubbles from his voice.

“Thank you,” Jongin says to Baekhyun, as the latter places the flower into the small boy’s hands.

“You’re very welcome, Jongin." 

“Cheap tricks,” Chanyeol says to no one in particular, rolling his eyes.

“Can someone please hand me some eggs?” Kyungsoo asks, trying not to reveal his smile at the exchange.

“Hey, Jongin, want to see another magic trick?” Baekhyun asks, a mischievous gleam in his eye.

Jongin nods, and Baekhyun grins. Lifting his hands, he waves them in the air, and immediately, some of the eggs from the basket on the table are floating in the air. Wiggling his fingers, each flying egg makes its way towards Kyungsoo’s cooking station at the fireplace. 

Kyungsoo gasps, whipping his head around to the dining table where everyone is currently seated. Baekhyun just shrugs and says, “Take your pick!” making Jongin giggle all over again.

Grumbling, Kyungsoo reaches his hand out to grab one of the eggs, when it starts spiraling out of reach. Grunting, he moves up to his tip toes to reach at another one, when that egg also spins away from his grasp. Kyungsoo glares at Baekhyun, who shamelessly grins, and then cracks them all onto the pan, tossing the eggshells in the fire to feed Chanyeol, no work from Kyungsoo needed.

“That’s wizards for ya,” Chanyeol tells Kyungsoo, in between his munching. “They’re showoffs - all of ‘em!”

From behind him, Kyungsoo can hear Baekhyun speaking. 

“And that’s how you do a levitation spell. Do tell me you’ve been practicing, Sehun.”

“Of course, Master Baekhyun!”

Laughing, Baekhyun replies, “I know.” 

Baekhyun is still grinning from his spot at the dining table when Kyungsoo turns around to grab everyone’s plates for serving, and the plates are already floating mid-air, right in front of Kyungsoo’s face. With an internalized sigh, he plucks each plate from the air one by one, setting each place before Baekhyun wiggles his fingers around to bring each plate back to the table.

Meeeeeeeoooow, Jongdae calls to Kyungsoo from below, brushing up against his leg to get his attention.

“Oh, I didn’t forget about you,” Kyungsoo says, reaching down to drop some bacon and eggs into his bowl. “Eat up.”

Satisfied, Jongdae immediately begins nipping at his food.

Kyungsoo joins the table for breakfast. For a few long moments, the house is mostly silent sans the sounds of everyone eating, and the crackles of the fire still burning. Looking up from his plate, Kyungsoo studies Baekhyun from across the table. The wizard looks mostly the same as when he first saw him, in the doorframe of his bedroom back at Yixing’s shop; wild blond hair, button nose, droopy eyes, and a little handsome, actually. But right now, he looks tired, run down. Kyungsoo noticed how tired he looked as he had walked into the castle earlier, but now, Kyungsoo can make out the details of the deep, dark bags under his eyes, and how his eyes droopy eyes seem to droop even more under the weight of exhaustion.

Kyungsoo recalls how just yesterday, Lady Tiffany had warned him against the wizard. She made him seem dangerous, untrustworthy. But right now, he doesn’t really seem like anything to be afraid of. 

Sehun, mouth half-full, gushes over the food. “Wow, Kyungsoo, this is so yummy!” Bits of food spray out of his mouth as he speaks, but Sehun doesn’t even flinch. “Can you cook for us forever?”

Internally, Kyungsoo cringes at the display of a lack of manners, but externally, he thanks the boy for the compliment when Baekhyun interjects.

“I don’t think Kyungsoo and Jongin can stay forever, Sehun. I’m sure they have places to be,” Baekhyun tells him. Turning to Kyungsoo, Baekhyun asks, “What brings you two to my castle anyway?” 

Kyungsoo exchanges a series of looks with Chanyeol over the table, deciding it best not to bring up the fact that he's here to break his own curse by breaking the fire demon’s contract with Baekhyun. “We, uh, actually have nowhere to be! We were traveling, actually, when we stumbled upon this place, with Jongdae’s help, of course, and, uh,” glancing up at the ceiling, Kyungsoo notices all the collected dust and spiderwebs, and suddenly the idea hits him. “I’m here to clean! And, uh, cook. I’m here to clean and cook. Chanyeol let me in, and he agreed; he even agreed to let Jongin stay here as well.”

“Jongdae?”

“They named the cat Jongdae, apparently,” Sehun cuts in.

“Is that so,” Baekhyun says, eyeing the two guests curiously. There’s a split second Kyungsoo thinks Baekhyun knows he’s lying, and that he made a deal with Chanyeol to break him free of his contract, and that he’s actually not even an old man because of the Witch’s curse. But the moment passes, and Baekhyun goes on. “Well, I suppose we could use the extra help around here.” Standing up, Baekhyun moves to leave. 

“Master Baekhyun, where are you going?” Sehun asks.

“Chanyeol, move the castle 200 kilometers southwest, towards the forests and away from the Royal City,” Baekhyun tells the fire demon, as he dumps his leftovers into the fire.

“Sure, sure,” Chanyeol replies half heartedly, more focused on eating than actually listening.

Baekhyun kneels down to pet cat’s head. “Welcome back, Jongdae.” The cat peers up at him, and deeming him uninteresting, goes back to his food without a second glance. 

Sehun wipes his mouth on his hand. “You didn’t finish your breakfast!”

“I have some important matters to attend to. Like dealing with that for one,” Baekhyun says as he stand back up and points at Kyungsoo. Immediately, a piece of parchment paper flies out of Kyungsoo’s pocket, stopping right in front of Baekhyun, fluttering. Before anyone can even question what the piece of paper is, the parchment bursts into a fiery of blue flames, and for a few seconds, a logo of some sorts, made up of shapes and runes, burns brightly, and then disappears altogether.

“What was that?” Sehun asks.

“That was a warning.”

“A warning?"

“A warning from the Witch herself.” 

Sehun gasps as he realizes what Baekhyun is saying. “The Witch of the Waste?” He spins around to Kyungsoo, squinting his eyes. “Are you in cahoots with the Witch of the Waste?”

“Of course not, she - “ Kyungsoo chokes again, unable to finish his explanation of how the Witch cursed him into an old man.

Baekhyun steps directly in front of Kyungsoo, and looks at him intensely enough that the latter turns away, almost embarrassed. “Hm, I see.”

“See what, Master?” 

“It's nothing,” the wizard tells his apprentice dismissively. “I'll be headed out.”

“But you just got back - “

“Sehun, I can trust you to take care of everything while I'm gone, right?” 

“Right!” Sehun exclaims, successfully distracted. “I'm always in charge when you're gone, remember?”

Chuckling, Baekhyun pats Sehun’s head. “Of course you are,” he says, exchanging a look of amusement with Chanyeol over the boy’s head. They understand who's really in charge.

Turning back to the two guests, Baekhyun smiles. “Welcome to the Moving Castle, Kyungsoo and Jongin. Enjoy your stay.” Baekhyun looks directly at Kyungsoo and winks.

For some reason, Kyungsoo blushes.

Jongin waves. 

Chanyeol rolls his eyes.

And with that, the wizard is gone once again.

***

Kyungsoo gets to work right after breakfast.

The place is an absolute mess. Practically every surface is covered either in dust, trinkets, garbage, or all of the above. There are books and papers scattered everywhere on tables, counters, shelves, the floor. Random household object such as plates, cups, cushions, and even a candelabra cover every surface. Then there were an assorted amount of things that Kyungsoo weren’t sure of what they even were that he had no idea how to address; bottles containing fizzing or bubbling liquids, voodoo doll-looking statues, masks of creatures Kyungsoo hasn’t ever seen before in his life. Cobwebs hung all over the ceiling and in practically every nook and cranny, and mold was growing in cracks and small spaces that haven’t seen the light of day in a long time. 

Enlisting Jongin’s help, Kyungsoo begins cleaning the castle. 

“Let’s start with the first floor and work our way up,” Kyungsoo tells Jongin.

Jongin nods.

“Good luck, this place is a toxic landfill. You’re gonna need some dark magic to clean it up,” Chanyeol tells the two of them.

“Thanks for your confidence, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo replies. “I’ll be sure to throw anything toxic I find directly into the fire.”

“Don’t you dare - “

“First, the trash,” Kyungsoo ignores Chanyeol to tell Jongin. “Just toss out anything that looks like garbage into the fire, okay?” 

“Like this?” Jongin asks, picking up some stale bread from the table and throwing it into the flames, Chanyeol complaining about the taste.

“Exactly.” 

They spend hours picking up various things to throw into the fireplace, Chanyeol only complaining a marginal amount of the time. After a while, Kyungsoo’s back is practically screaming in protest from bending, and Jongin is sat next to the fireplace, taking a break now that most of the junk is gone, while chatting with Chanyeol. 

Why anyone would seek out his company, Kyungsoo isn’t sure.

Sehun comes downstairs from sleep, and notices the amount of de-cluttering that has happened in his absence.

“What’s going on? Did we get robbed?”

“We’re cleaning,” Kyungsoo replies, as he begins reorganizing what’s left.

“Need some help?”

Kyungsoo looks up to smile at the young apprentice. “Help would be lovely, Sehun. Thank you." 

Sehun smiles in return, and runs up the stairs to fetch some brooms, mops, and buckets. The three of them spend the rest of the day completely turning the house around, scrubbing the floorboards squeaky clean, and dusting the place from top to bottom. With Jongin and Sehun’s help, Kyungsoo cleans just about everything, top to bottom. It’s when Kyungsoo goes to clean Baekhyun’s bedroom that Chanyeol stops him.

“I wouldn’t go in there, if I were you,” Chanyeol says in warning. 

“I’m upstairs, you can’t even see me. How do you know what I’m about to do?”

“I run this house, gramps. I see all, and know all, and I am telling you right now - you do not want to go in there.” Kyungsoo could hear the sparks popping in Chanyeol’s flames even from the second floor. “If you thought it was a mess down here, up there in Baekhyun’s room is a whole other mess.”

“Yeah,” he hears Sehun join in. “Baekhyun’s never even let me into his room before. I think it’s haunted.”

Kyungsoo hesitates. 

“Just clean the bathroom or something - but be careful of the cabinets! Baekhyun’ll freak if you mix all those bottles up. He’s got some weird sense of order going on in there,” Chanyeol cautions him again.

Sighing, Kyungsoo turns around and marches straight into the bathroom to clean instead.

By the end of the day, the entire place is spotless, save for Baekhyun’s room. 

It’s when the day turns into night that Baekhyun arrives home for the second time since Kyungsoo’s been a guest at the castle.

The dial to the door spins, and when it lands on black, it swings open all the way with a thunk, and Wizard Baekhyun once again emerges from smoke. 

“Welcome home,” Kyungsoo greets him, from his seat next to the fireplace. He has a book in his lap he picked off of a shelf while he was cleaning, and Jongin and Sehun lay on the floor together, listening to Kyungsoo read aloud. At their feet, Jongdae is curled up sleeping, soaking up the warmth from Chanyeol’s flames.

And the castle is spotless.

“Home has never looked better,” Baekhyun says, lips turning up at the corners. Kyungsoo notices a mole he has right above his lip. “I like what you’ve done with the place.”

“Isn’t it amazing, Master Baekhyun?” Sehun says, as he walks over from his spot on the floor. When he meets Baekhyun at the top of the entrance’s steps, he excitedly launches into a rundown of their day, which consisted mostly of cleaning, then eating, then playing around the house with Jongin and Kyungsoo. He talks so much and so fast that his face practically gets red before he takes another breath to speak some more. 

“Sounds like you had quite the day,” Baekhyun says, chuckling. He pats Sehun’s head.

“Stop doing that!” the young apprentice complains.

“Can’t help it, Sehun. You’re just so cute.”

“I am not cute, I’m manly!”

That has everyone laughing, which has Sehun pouting.

“There’s some dinner for you on the table,” Kyungsoo tells Baekhyun as soon as they’re all done laughing.

“Ohhh, Kyungsoo made some yummy stew for dinner - he even made dessert!” Sehun shares excitedly, pout completely vanished. 

“I’m not very hungry; I think I’m going to go up to my room and sleep. Thank you, though,” Baekhyun replies, voice heavy.

Looking at him now, Kyungsoo thinks he looks worse than the first time he’d went in and out of the castle. Somehow, the bags under his eyes are impossibly deeper, and a few shades darker, looking like huge bruises under his eyes. His hair, instead of the wild, stylish mess it was before, is now flat, lifeless on top of his head. His unbuttoned shirt has mysterious black stains, and even a sizeable hole near the sleeve, that Kyungsoo suspects looks like a singe mark.

“Yeah, you do look pretty horrible,” Chanyeol tells him. 

Baekhyun doesn’t even have the energy to give a witty retort back. So instead, Kyungsoo glares at Chanyeol for him.

As Baekhyun moves to walk up the stairs to his room, he wobbles a little, and his movements are strained, Kyungsoo can tell. Sehun grabs one of his arms to support him. “I’ll help you up the stairs, Master Baekhyun.”

“Thanks, Sehun,” Baekhyun says, ruffling his hair again. This time, Sehun doesn’t complain.

When the two make it up the staircase, Kyungsoo turns to Chanyeol. “What exactly does Wizard Baekhyun do that makes him… like that?” Kyungsoo asks him.

“That’s a question for him. I can’t really answer that.”

“Why not?” 

“Just ask him sometime,” Chanyeol says, avoiding the question.

“Is he always out for so long?” Kyungsoo isn’t sure how long the wizard was out before he came in the first time earlier that morning, but since then it’s been over 13 hours.

“Sometimes, he’s out for much longer. Much, much longer…” Chanyeol trails off, looking sullen. Chanyeol annoys Kyungsoo, but even in the two days since Kyungsoo has known him, he’s grown fond of him. He’s only ever seen Chanyeol laughing, smiling, or being sarcastic and a tad obnoxious. The dark look on his face right now has Kyungsoo worried and too afraid to push the topic further.

“Master Baekhyun’s asleep now,” Sehun’s voice drifts over from the staircase as he descends from it. “He was asleep the second he hit the bed - maybe even before he hit the bed.”

“Good,” Chanyeol says, no sarcastic remark attached. It’s almost eerie.

Kneeling in front of Chanyeol, Sehun speaks in a hushed tone. “Chanyeol, I’m worried about him.”

“Me too, kiddo, me too.” Chanyeol replies solemnly.

The air is thick with tension, so Kyungsoo decides it’s time for bed. “Jongin, let’s go to sleep, too. It’s getting late.”

Rubbing his eyes, Jongin agrees, getting up from the floor to grab Kyungsoo’s hand. The two of them go towards the corner of the room, where they set up camp. Earlier while cleaning, they found an extra mattress, and had dusted it off, adding new sheets and blankets to it to make a bed. Jongin had insisted they make a blanket fort around it, which Kyungsoo happily obliged. Making their way into their little cocoon, they say goodnight to Sehun, who goes back upstairs to his own bedroom after wishing them a goodnight as well. Jongdae pads over, plopping up onto the mattress to snuggle with Jongin.

“Goodnight, Chanyeol,” Jongin says sleepily.

“Goodnight, Jongin. Goodnight, gramps.”

“My name is Kyungsoo,” Kyungsoo says, with no real threat behind it. 

“I know.”

Chanyeol’s flames keep them warm as they drift off to sleep.

***

This time when Kyungsoo sleeps, there’s something odd about his dreams.

It’s the usual scene: Kyungsoo free falling mid-air, bombs dropping on the little town below, flames enveloping the land. 

But in the distance, Kyungsoo sees a bird, far off in the distance, slowly but surely approaching.

Kyungsoo doesn’t know why he bothers noticing this single bird in the midst of all the chaos, or what it means, but he does, and somehow, it calms him.

***

Kyungsoo spends his time cleaning.

The castle, as big as it is, always can use a scrub or sweep here and there.

The place somehow collects dust at what Kyungsoo thinks is twice the rate of any non-magical household; he’s never dusted so much in his life. Of course, he can’t prove this theory, or even find a preventive measure against the collection of dust, so he begrudgingly busts out the feather duster every few days to do a quick dusting.

A deep scrub of the floorboards, sinks, or bathtubs takes a lot of time and effort. Kyungsoo’s arms get tired just thinking about the amount of strength it takes him to scrub everything. He’s pretty sure, even in his old age, he’s gained some decent muscle from scrubbing the house all over. 

Kyungsoo much prefers sweeping, as it’s better on his back. Dusting requires Kyungsoo to climb up onto boxes or chairs to reach shelves and spaces towards the ceilings, or to crouch down onto the ground to get into those nooks and crannies that dust likes to hide in. Scrubbing means Kyungsoo has to get on his knees for a while, which makes his joints and limbs sore the next morning. But sweeping only requires Kyungsoo to move around the house in one position, which his body enjoys.

Even if Kyungsoo is now more familiar with his old body, that doesn’t mean he’s comfortable in it.

Sweeping also means he gets to make Chanyeol squirm as he lifts him up on his single last log to sweep out all the ashes from the fireplace, putting the fire demon back in his place before he’s too scared Kyungsoo will leave him to burn out. Kyungsoo would never let Chanyeol burn out, but Chanyeol doesn’t need to know that. For now, Kyungsoo thinks it’s amusing to watch the Chanyeol, ‘the greatest and most fearsome demon in all the land,’ be squeamish for a moment as he goes about his cleaning of the day.

As tiring as it is, however, Kyungsoo likes keeping the castle clean. Cleaning gives his mind time to rest, as he’s focused on the tasks at hand. It’s also cathartic.

Sometimes, cleaning the house is feels a little like cleaning your soul, Kyungsoo remembers his mother saying when she would clean the entire home somedays. Later, home became the hat shop, and his mother would clean the whole store, almost to the point where it sparkled. The shop’s window’s were the shiniest on the block, and the displays in the window were once filled with quite a few of her own creations. 

Kyungsoo spends his time cooking.

With four other mouths to feed outside of his own, Kyungsoo devotes a lot of his time to cooking for the lot of them.

He’s spent so much time inventing recipes and trying them in his lifetime, that now he can whip up any dish with the finesse of the gourmet chef at the King’s palace. Pastas, pies, cakes, casseroles, puddings, stews, roasts - Kyungsoo’s made them all.

When he runs out of ingredients, Sehun often accompanies Kyungsoo to the market at Porthaven on the weekends when the stalls are busiest. The seafood is freshest there, since the town is next to the coastline. Kyungsoo often buys so much produce that they had to start bringing Jongin along as an extra pair of hands. Some of the old market ladies absolutely adore Jongin, and give him some free candies or even fresh produce for a pinch on his cheeks.

Jongdae always seems to like when they come back with fresh fish. He meows happily everytime Kyungsoo fries it, and purrs afterwards when he’s full, lying on his side near the fireplace, trying to absorb some of Chanyeol’s heat.

Kyungsoo actually enjoys the time he spends cooking, always has. It’s one of the times he’s most content. He remembers spending afternoons with his mother in the kitchen, learning recipes from her, and taste testing all the food before she served it. Almost always, it was delicous, and it made not only Kyungsoo’s belly full, but his heart as well. 

Kyungsoo spends his time worrying.

In between the time he takes cooking and cleaning, Kyungsoo spends a lot of his time worrying.

He worries about his curse, about Chanyeol’s curse, about how long he’s been away, if everyone back at the hat shop are okay, if Jongin and Sehun are safe, if they’re getting fed, if they’re happy, if they have enough wood for the night, if the prices at the weekend Porthaven market will keep rising.

He also worries about Baekhyun. 

He worries about his safety, his lack of sleep, his constant absence. What exactly is he doing all the time that keeps him away from the castle for so long, practically everyday? Why won’t he ever rest? Why are Chanyeol and Sehun both so worried for him?

Kyungsoo thinks he’s thought up every possible answer to his questions, but he can’t pinpoint which one is the right answer, or if any of them are the right answer. Kyungsoo thinks he’ll go crazy from all of the thoughts that have been rolling around in his head.

Kyungsoo hasn’t had the chance to really voice his concerns; Baekhyun is hardly ever home.  Whenever he is home, he comes in, always in a puff of smoke, clothes and hair messy, droopy eyes sleepy, and the bags under his eyes just a little more prominent than before. Sometimes, the wizard goes straight to bed, dragging his limbs one by one up the stairs to toss himself into his bedroom for a short night’s rest before heading out again early in the morning. Sometimes, the wizard stays up to eat, complimenting Kyungsoo’s cooking and exchanging greetings with everyone and listening to how everyone’s day went. He might help Sehun out with a new spell he’s working on, or show Jongin some of his magic for fun.

He always smiles and laughs, though, even through his exhaustion.

It makes Kyungsoo’s heart flutter just a teeny bit.

Kyungsoo also doesn’t want to intrude, but he’s dying to know.

Worrying about someone is a way to show you care about them, Kyungsoo’s mother used to say to him, when he complained to her that she was babying him too much.

Kyungsoo’s beginning to think he might care for Baekhyun a little too much.

It’s okay to worry about someone, Kyungsoo. It’s okay to care.

***

The smell of something burning wakes Kyungsoo up one morning.

His first thought was, Oh great, Chanyeol burned the house down, but as he comes to his senses, he can hear the clattering of pots and pans and realizes it’s coming from the fireplace. Alarmed, since no one else besides him cooks, he cautiously makes his way towards the hearth, wielding his cane just in case an intruder has entered the house. When he gets close enough to see the figure at the front of the fireplace, he’s relieved. It’s no intruder, just the owner of the moving castle. At the helm of the fireplace, Baekhyun is fussing with some pots and pans, waving his hands at the smoke.

“I do hope you’re not going to attack me with that,” Baekhyun smiles amusedly, as he points at the cane Kyungsoo wields in his hands.

Kyungsoo smiles back sheepishly as he brings the cane down and lays it against the wall. “I thought there might be an intruder in the castle.” 

“So you thought to beat them up with that enchanted stick?” the wizard laughs, turning his attention back to the fireplace.

“Enchanted stick?” Kyungsoo questions, looking at the cane. “What do you mean?”

This makes the wizard pause. He spins around to face Kyungsoo. “You mean you didn’t know you were wielding a magical cane?” Baekhyun asks back, picking up the cane from its position against the wall without asking. “It’s of very nice quality wood, too. I’ve been looking into making a couple different things with this type of oak.” Handing it back to Kyungsoo, Baekhyun continues. “Whoever gave this to you must really care about you a lot. This type of oak has protective qualities and is good against all weather - it even absorbs most charms very well. Many witches and wizards use it for their flying brooms, as it helps with their navigational spells. Or, at least the witches and wizards who actually fly these days. Anyways, it’s fairly hard to come by.” Baekhyun resumes his work at the stove, despite the increase of burning smoke. “I mean, I assumed you knew, since that was probably your ticket into the castle. Only magical beings, or beings enchanted by magic, may enter here. Did Chanyeol not tell you?”

Kyungsoo’s head spins with this new knowledge. Yixing gave him that cane at the start of his journey. Where would he have even gotten this kind of cane? If what Baekhyun says about entering the castle is true, did Yixing know where he was headed? Is that why he gave him a magical object? Could it be that Yixing is a wizard too? Kyungsoo remembers what the Witch had said about Lady Tiffany, implying that she’s also a witch. Is everyone he knows actually a magic-user? 

Baekhyun turns around and notices the pale look on Kyungsoo’s face. “Kyungsoo, are you okay?” Baekhyun asks, concerned. He helps Kyungsoo sit down in a chair. “Let me bring you some water.” 

When Baekhyun returns with a glass of cool water, Kyungsoo gulps it down, begins asking Baekhyun questions. 

“If only magical beings can enter the castle, then how did I get in?”

“Well, like I said, your cane was probably your ticket in here. Also, you had a protection spell casted on you as you came in; you and Jongin both. You see, magic-users and creatures, for the most part, can see the leftover glamour from spells casted by other magic-users and creatures,” Baekhyun explains.

Suddenly, Lady Tiffany’s mention of Kyungsoo looking odd that day he was cursed, and the Witch knowing Lady Tiffany had even placed a protection spell on him, makes sense.

“There’s something else off about the two of you, however…” Baekhyun mumbles to himself, low enough for Kyungsoo to miss what he says.

“What about Jongdae?”

“Jongdae’s my familiar, he lives here. But also, Jongdae’s no ordinary cat.” He doesn’t elaborate, so Kyungsoo decides to let that one be.

“Can you fly too? Broomstick and all?”

Baekhyun grins, his canines showing. “Not quite.”

“What’s that mean?”

Baekhyun just laughs, as he gets back up to tend to the pan.

“Does that answer all of your questions, Kyungsoo?”

It doesn’t, and Kyungsoo has a ton of more questions, but for now, he chooses to let it be. “For now.” 

Baekhyun smiles at him. “For now, then.”

Kyungsoo gets up to inspect what Baekhyun’s been up cooking.

Baekhyun sighs. “I know it looks bad,” he admits, the tips of his ears turning pink in embarrassment.

Kyungsoo thinks it’s cute.

“But I can fix that,” Baekhyun says, echoing his previous self, that first day in the shop that Baekhyun appeared in his life.

It makes Kyungsoo smile.

“Here, let me,” Kyungsoo tells him, carefully scooching the wizard to the side. “Why did you suddenly decide to make breakfast, anyways?”

“Well, you always cook for everyone, so I thought… maybe… I could cook for you?” Baekhyun lifts the end of his sentence as if it’s a question, sounding unsure of himself. Kyungsoo hasn’t seen too much of Baekhyun, but what he has seen, is a never-ending stream of confidence and easy-going smiles. This side is new to him. It might be a little charming. Cute. Just a bit.

“Hmm,” Kyungsoo hums. Deeming the eggs salvageable, despite the brown color, he scrapes the eggs off the pan and places them in a bowl. “So this was all for me, huh?”

Baekhyun sheepishly nods, and now the tips of his ears and cheeks are red now. He breaks eye contact and looks away from Kyungsoo.

Okay, maybe Kyungsoo finds it really cute.

“That’s kind of you. Thank you, Wizard Baekhyun.”

“You can just call me Baekhyun, you know. It’s fine,” the wizard says, half into the air, not giving Kyungsoo eye contact.

“Thank you, Baekhyun.” This time, they make eye contact that the both of them look away from, shy.

“Hey, could you two maybe keep it quiet? Some of us are still trying to sleep,” Chanyeol complains, as he finally awakens for the day. “And what’s that burnt smell? Because it sure ain’t me.”

“Baekhyun tried to cook breakfast,” Kyungsoo says nonchalantly.

“HA, I’m sure that turned out well, judging by the smell in here.”

Kyungsoo gives Chanyeol the eye. “Great, actually. Here, try some,” he says, as he tosses a piece into the fire.

Chanyeol whines, complaining about how he’d rather be eating more gasoline than Baekhyun’s burnt eggs, which doesn’t mean much to anyone considering he’s a fire.

Eventually, the whole house wakes up and comes to the table for breakfast. Even Jongdae is up and waiting next to his designated food bowl at the foot of the fireplace.

Sehun, as usual, gushes about the food. “Wow, this all looks so - “ he pauses when he gets to the burnt eggs on the table. “What’s this?”

“Eggs,” Kyungsoo answers him.

Sehun tilts his head quizzically.

“I made them,” Baekhyun says, admittance disguised as nonchalance.

Instantly, Sehun snaps his head back into place, and perks up. “Wow, then I gotta try these!” As he starts piling some on his plate, he smiles, but it seems almost forced.

“You don’t have to pretend to like them, Sehun, I know I’m not the best cook - " 

“No,” the boy says, around a bite of burnt eggs, “they're…” he swallows them. “Edible.”

“You’re such a kiss-up,” Baekhyun laughs, reaching over to ruffle Sehun’s hair.

Sehun grins. “You love me for it, though. Right, Master Baekhyun?”

Baekhyun hums. “That I do." 

Taking the bowl of burnt eggs, Kyungso shovels a good portion onto his own plate, and then passes it to Jongin. The little boy eyes the eggs skeptically, but out of politeness, takes a tiny portion for himself as well.

Baekhyun beams at the both of them. “You all are just too polite! You don’t have to eat these if you don’t want,” he says, taking the bowl from them.

“Just don’t pass that thing over here,” Chanyeol says from the hearth. “I already tried those monstrosities earlier, and I’m still trying to get the taste out of my mouth. Yuck.” 

“Well,” Baekhyun concedes, “almost all of you.” They all laugh.

They spend the morning like that, eating together, talking together, and laughing together. Even Jongdae comes over to sit on Jongin’s lap.

Just as Kyungsoo is about to get up to clear the table, Baekhyun leans over it, and reaches out to touch the flower set in the middle, in a glass vase. It’s the same blue rose Baekhyun gave to Jongin that first morning they were in the castle. It feels like so long ago now, since that very day, and the flower proves it. The petals have all withered, and the stem is dried up, even though water still sits in it. But as Baekhyun touches the flower’s base, it begins to come back to life.

“Whoa!” Sehun exclaims, leaning so close into the table that he’s practically laying on top of it.

Jongin’s eyes go wide, and his mouth drops.

Kyungsoo, however, instead of looking at the flower, is watching Baekhyun’s expression. He starts out with a serious look of concentration on his face, one that makes him look more mature than his smiling, entertaining self, and one that makes him look more alive than the dead look he sports whenever he comes home after a long time away. As the flower rejuvenates itself, Baekhyun’s lips quirk up and he smiles crookedly, in a kind of smirk. Once the flower’s completely back to the way it looked when he originally presented it to Jongin, he smiles at his success. Baekhyun really seems to enjoy the admiration and praises he receives from Sehun’s comments and Jongin’s excited applause; his smile is so big, Kyungsoo can see his canines, and he seems to be glowing.

“There,” Baekhyun claps his hands together, as if he’s patting them dry, “much better.”

“It’s so pretty, Mister Wizard,” Jongin says, touching Baekhyun’s hand to grab his attention. 

Baekhyun gives Jongin a soft smile, and squeezes his hand back. “Thank you, Jongin.”

“Master Baekhyun, that was amazing! You have to teach me how to do that!”

“I don’t know, apprentice, that’s a high level magic spell...” Baekhyun says, trailing off.

“Please, oh, please, oh, please, Master Baekhyun!” Sehun pleads.

“Maybe after we clean up,” Baekhyun tells him. “Now go set up for the day.” 

“Fine,” Sehun laments, as he gets out of his chair and grabs Jongin's hand. “But don’t think for a second I’m gonna let this go!”

“I don't expect you to,” Baekhyun laughs, as Sehun and Jongin run off.

Kyungsoo really likes the sound of Baekhyun’s laughter. It reminds him of the melodic wind chimes his mother hung outside of their kitchen window. Whenever the breeze caught it, the chimes would sing, and he could hear birds off in the distance join along in song.

While Kyungsoo is off in thought, Baekhyun comes up from behind him. “Allow me,” he says softly, sneaking behind Kyungsoo to grab his plate and glass.

“You don’t have to clean,” Kyungsoo tells him.

“Oh, but you cooked, even when I tried to do that for you. At least let me do this.”

Kyungsoo watches him as he goes around the table gathering all the dishes and cups. “Why do you want to help me?” The question is out of his mouth before he realized it was even sitting at the tip of his tongue.

“You cook and clean for us everyday,” Baekhyun says to Kyungsoo. “Before, we got by, but now…” Looking directly at Kyungsoo in the eye, he continues. “But now, it feels like a real home. Sehun has new friends to play and laugh with, Chanyeol isn’t half as bitter as he used to be, even the cat seems to be more content living here, and I - “ he cuts himself off.

“And you?” Kyungsoo asks softly, not breaking eye contact with Baekhyun.

“And I, well, I’m happy coming home to this,” he puts his hands up in the air, gesturing to all of the house. “I’m happy coming home to everyone,” he finishes, as he gestures this time to the direction of Sehun and Jongin setting up shop for the day, while Jongdae follows them around, carefully watching over them, and Chanyeol tells them jokes from his place at the hearth.

Kyungsoo watches them all alongside Baekhyun, with a warm feeling in his chest. Baekhyun’s words resonate with him. Home. Mulling the word over in his head, Kyungsoo realizes that as much as he misses the hat shop, he doesn’t mind this being home at all.

He says the word out loud, just once, to really savor the feeling. “Home.” He hums. 

Kyungsoo doesn’t notice the fond look Baekhyun gives him, as he turns to take the dishes to the sink.

***

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo asks the fire demon one night, when the others are all asleep. “What exactly is the contract that binds you here, to this house?”

“Ohhh, sorry, pops. I’m gonna have to pass on that question, since I can’t actually tell ya the answer to it,” Chanyeol replies. 

Kyungsoo’s just about given up on correcting Chanyeol on the nicknames. “Why not?”

“Well, why can’t you speak about your curse?”

“But you said you weren’t cursed.” 

“Technically, no, but the contract almost works like a curse in a lot of ways. Not being able to speak about it is one similarity. It was in that darn fine print.”

“If you can’t tell me about your contract, and I can’t ask Baekhyun about it, then how do you expect me to break it?” Kyungsoo huffs. 

“Oh, so it’s just ‘Baekhyun’ now, is it?” Chanyeol asks, with a mischievous grin on his face, showing all his teeth. “So, when did that happen?”

“When did what happen?” Kyungsoo questions, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Chanyeol.

“You and Baekhyun.” 

“What are you talking about? He just told me to call him Baekhyun, when he made me breakfast that one time, and - “

“Oh, I understand now.” If possible, he grins even wider. Just how many teeth does Chanyeol have?

“Understand what?”

“The fact that you like him. And he also might like you, who knows,” Chanyeol says. “He doesn’t make breakfast for just anybody.” Kyungsoo won’t admit it out loud, but Chanyeol’s statement makes Kyungsoo’s heart flutter, just the teensiest bit.

“I-I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kyungsoo stutters.

“Well good thing that I-I-I,” Chanyeol mimics Kyungsoo, earning a glare from the latter, “do.” He clears his throat. “Listen, Elder Kyungsoo.”

Well, that’s a new one. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes.

“Baekhyun’s cooking for you - “

“That was one time - ”

“ - and staying home for you, and you even got him saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you!’ I am telling you, he didn’t do that before."

Kyungsoo moves to say something, but Chanyeol interrupts him once again.

“Oh, and don’t think I didn’t notice the looks you give each other when you think no one’s looking.” He makes a barfing motion with his hands. “Gross."

Baekhyun had been at home more often lately, resting up and spending time with everyone around the house, to Sehun’s - and even Jongin’s - delight. He helped Kyungsoo out around the house when he could, too, not that he was much help with all of his jokes, charm, and laughter. It was distracting. Kyungsoo doesn’t necessarily think any of that has any direct correlation with him, though.

“Open your eyes, gramps, he likes you.”

Kyungsoo’s heart betrays him and the fluttering becomes thumping.

“I have to warn you, though,” Chanyeol says, ominously, “be careful, Kyungsoo.” His words echo Lady Tiffany’s from so long ago, that day he was first cursed. It makes Kyungsoo shudder just thinking about it.

“Warn me of what?”

“Baekhyun.” 

“Baekhyun?”

“Look, he’s sort of got a reputation.” The fire demon leans in. “‘Baekhyun, King and Devourer of Hearts,’ is what they call him. It’s said that he eats the hearts of beautiful people - men or women, and all in between.” His fire cackles and pops, echoing in the silence of the castle. 

“That’s just a rumor,” Kyungsoo tries to wave it off.

“Rumors always come from a place of truth, Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol’s use of Kyungsoo’s actual name has him completely frozen, contemplating his words.

“He lures them in with his charm and good looks, and then - BAM! - you’re a goner, heart torn out straight through your chest.” Chanyeol leans away. “I hear it’s not a pretty sight.”

“He doesn’t actually eat hearts, does he?” Kyungsoo shudders again, this time, from the grotesque imagery he imagines from Chanyeol’s story. “I mean, why would anyone do that?”

“Well," Chanyeol starts with a sigh, "a witch or wizard’s power comes from their heart, you see. If someone were to take it and eat it, even a normal human being, then that person can grow immense power.” Chanyeol’s flames flicker a deep red in the darkness of the night. “However, nothing comes without a price. If someone - human or magic-user or even magic creature - were to consume the heart of a witch or wizard, they become deathly ill; their bodies weren’t meant to house such magic, and, soon enough, the power consumes them. I hear they often go crazy before the power is strong enough to physically kill them, however.”

“What about the witch or wizard whose heart gets eaten? What happens to them?”

“Well, a witch or wizard without their heart becomes soulless, and eventually, they become evil. Darkness consumes them, and all their magic becomes dark magic as well. It’s an ugly thing,” Chanyeol says, in a somber tone. “It’s what happened to the Witch of the Waste.”

“Her heart was eaten?” 

“Well, probably. All that’s known for certain is that her heart was stolen.” 

“By who?”

“No one knows, but I have my guesses.”

“You don’t suspect - “

“That Baekhyun stole it?” Chanyeol hums. “I did. I don’t anymore, though.” 

“What makes you say that?”

“I’ve told you before, the Witch and Baekhyun have a long, complicated history together.” Chanyeol sighs. “They actually used to be in a romantic relationship.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes go wide, in shock.

“I know, I know. You’re surprised, right?” Chanyeol goes on. “Well, once upon a time, Baekhyun, ‘King and Devourer of Hearts,’ was roaming through the lands, looking for the next pretty soul to snatch up for his collection of broken hearts. I call it his ‘playboy phase.’”

Kyungsoo’s leaning in so closely, his eyes start to slightly water up at the smoke from the fire, but he doesn’t lean back, for he’s too invested.

“Anyway, he runs into the most beautiful witch he’s ever laid eyes on, and immediately sets his sights on her. The witch - her name was just Taeyeon at the time - had heard of Baekhyun’s reputation, and was uninterested. But he kept pursuing her, until eventually, she gave in. However, she didn’t just ‘give in’ - she really fell for him; she fell in love with Baekhyun. So one day, she declared her love for him, and offered up her heart in exchange for his.” Chanyeol looks directly at Kyungsoo. “And when I say she gave him her heart, I literally mean that,” he pauses, placing emphasis on his next words. “She literally gave him her actual, physical heart, because, as we all know, witches and wizards are the most over the top and dramatic creatures on this earth.” Chanyeol says, rolling his eyes, before continuing. “But Baekhyun rejected her and left.”

The grip Kyungsoo already had on the armrest of the chair tightens. 

“She was heartbroken. But before she could really even grieve about it, and before she could put her heart back, someone had stolen it in the dead of night. The second she realized her heart was missing, knowing Baekhyun’s reputation, she went after him, seeking vengeance and her own stolen heart. And Baekhyun’s been on the run from her ever since.” 

Kyungsoo sits with this information, letting it sink in, before he asks, “What makes you think he didn’t do it?”

“At first, I, like everyone else, assumed it was him. I mean, it only makes sense, right? Powerful playboy wizard known to steal the hearts of people turns out to actually and literally be stealing and eating hearts this whole time? Oh, and the timing was pretty convenient,” Chanyeol adds. “However, I was already with Baekhyun at this time, in the middle of the contract that binds me to this castle.” Chanyeol lifts his hands in the air, the gesture referring to the castle. “He really did care for her, I saw it with my own eyes. And when he heard of Taeyeon’s missing heart, his first reaction wasn’t to run, but to help her. He wanted to help her find it. But the second he realized she was going to kill him, he ran.”

“That didn’t seem suspicious to you?”

“Look, if Witch Taeyeon was after me, even before she became the Witch of the Waste, I’d run for the hills, too. She is, and always has been, one of the most powerful witches in all the land. Honestly, I’m not sure if Baekhyun would stand a chance against her. Besides,” Chanyeol goes on, “if he did steal her heart and eat it, he would have become exponentially more powerful than he already was, but nothing about his powers changed as she continued to grow more and more evil, consumed by dark magic.” Chanyeol sighs. “Plus, I also know why he had to reject her.”

“And why was that?”

“Mmm. That is something I am not obligated to tell you.” 

“What? Chanyeol - ” 

“I physically can’t tell you why - it’s a part of the contract.”

“But you made the deal with him way before any of that happened, I don’t understand - “

“It’s not about that. It’s about what happened when we made that deal, and that’s all I can say.”

“But, wait - “

“Anyways, don’t let this cloud any of your judgement or your feelings. You just have to know this going in. Which, to be honest, I’m afraid you’re already all in.” 

“Hold on - “

“You can break my contract, I have faith in you. I picked you for a reason.”

“What does that - “

“Goodnight, gramps.” Chanyeol turns to sleep, setting the fire to a dim glow, and effectively ending the conversation.

Kyungsoo has so many questions, that he’s unsure of where to begin. Is this why Baekhyun’s always out? To search for the Witch’s missing heart? Or did he really steal the Witch’s heart in the first place? Then what is he always leaving for? Who has her heart? Can her heart even be returned? What kind of evil has grown while her heart has been away?

The questions consume his mind as he eventually goes to bed and drifts off to sleep.

***

Kyungsoo spends the next day busying himself with chores, in a feign attempt to keep his mind occupied.

Sehun and Jongin both ask if something is wrong, but Kyungsoo brushes it off as a ‘revived enthusiasm for work’ and continues to vigorously scrub the floorboard and power dusts everything in sight. 

“I don’t know, Kyungsoo, that looks a little too aggressive for ‘enthusiasm’ if you ask me,” Sehun tells him, as Kyungsoo continues to clean.

“Well, it’s a good thing no one asked you then,” Chanyeol remarks to Sehun. “Go play upstairs or something, and leave him alone for right now.”

Sehun finds it even more odd that Chanyeol of all people comes to Kyungsoo’s defense, but not wanting to argue, he takes Jongin upstairs, suggesting a game of hide and seek. 

“You’re gonna take your arm out, you know,” Chanyeol comments, as Kyungsoo continues to furiously clean everything in sight. Chanyeol thinks if the floor sparkles anymore, he’d be blinded.

Ignoring Chanyeol, Kyungsoo grunts and continues sweeping, dusting, scrubbing, and scraping.

The fire demon only sighs and leaves him to his work.

By the time Baekhyun comes home that day, Kyungsoo’s cleaned the entirety of the bottom floor twice, and cooked enough meals to last until the end of the week. Kyungsoo’s exhausted, tired to the bone, and he’s slumped over in his seat at the fireplace when the wizard waltzes in.

Baekhyun is in an oddly good mood when he comes home today, completely different from the usual zombie mode he tends to come home in. It takes everyone by surprise. 

“Master Baekhyun, welcome home!” Sehun chirps, as he runs up to greet him at the door like always.

“What’re you so happy about, Baekhyun? Share some happy with the rest of us, I think some of us could use it,” Chanyeol says to the wizard.

“I come bearing gifts!” Baekhyun proudly proclaims, smiling, while big floating bags follow behind him.

“Ohhhhhhh!” Sehun squeals.

“Gather round, gather round,” Baekhyun sing-songs, as he leads everyone to the center of the room. Sehun pulls Jongin with him, and Kyungsoo turns his chair around to watch. 

Snapping his hands, the bags drop immediately onto the floor with a graceless thunk and Baekhyun walks up to them to start digging through. “First up is….” pulling out a stack of colorful books, Baekhyun lays them down in front of Jongin. “I noticed you and Kyungsoo finished your pile of books recently, and I thought you might like some new stories to read for bedtime.”

Jongin smiles, carefully plucking the first book at the top of the pile. Flipping through it, his smile grows wider. “These are really for me?” Jongin asks the wizard.

“All for you. And Kyungsoo, I suppose, since you read them together.”

Jongin smiles so big that everyone can see his missing tooth on the side. “Thank you, Mister Wizard.”

Crouching down to Jongin’s level, Baekhyun replies, “You are very welcome, Jongin.”

“Alright,” Baekhyun says, as he gets back up to his feet. He reaches back into the same bag and pulls out another book, but this time he hands it to Sehun.

Sehun grabs the book and reads the cover title out loud. “‘The Beginner’s Guide to Flying Your First Broomstick?’” He jumps up and down, pure excitement radiating from head to toe. “Oh, Master Baekhyun, you’re gonna teach me how to fly?”

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed your specialty in weather spells - particularly in wind navigation,” Baekhyun says as Sehun beams. “That is an extremely useful skill for flying witches and wizards.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” 

“Brooms are harder to come by these days, but we can pick one up later, when you start to familiarize yourself more with that handy guidebook,” Baekhyun informs Sehun.

Sehun runs up to hug him. “Thank you so much!”

Smiling, Baekhyun hugs him back. “Study up, apprentice.”

“Of course, Master Baekhyun!”

“Oh god, Sehun freely flying about everywhere is gonna be a nightmare,” Chanyeol moans.

“Ah, Chanyeol, don’t think I forgot about you.” Pulling out some logs, Baekhyun piles most of them up on top of the piled wood collected at the foot of the fireplace. With the few he still has left in his hands, he tosses them into the fire.

“Mmmm, yum, yum, yum, yum... “ The fire demon makes noises of content. “Evergreen trees make the best firewood. Why don’t you get these more often?" 

“It’s not as common anymore, Chanyeol. I had to go to quite the lengths to secure those logs, so enjoy those. I even got you some kindle.” Tossing a bag to Chanyeol, the fire grabs it and starts tearing through the thing to munch up all the various bits of paper, wood, fibre, and hair.

Kyungsoo isn’t sure how enjoyable it really could be, but Chanyeol seems to be really enjoying himself, so he’s happy for him.

“Where’s Jongdae?” the wizard asks, scanning the room for any signs of the feline. Jongdae shows up, rubbing against Baekhyun’s leg before sitting and looking up directly at him. It’s like he knows to expect a treat. “Ah, there you are. Couldn’t forget about the resident cat and my familiar, now could I?” he says as he pulls out various cat toys and treats from his bags. Jongdae immediately moves towards the catnip, meowing at it in want, until Jongin walks over and tells the cat he’ll help him, opening up its contents and plopping it into his bowl.

“There you go, Jongdae,” Jongin says, as he pets the cat from head to tail as the cat enjoys his treat.

“Finally, Kyungsoo.” 

Kyungsoo looks up, and Baekhyun is smiling down at him, holding a box up to him.

“What is it?” 

“You’ll see,” Baekhyun says, as he takes Kyungsoo’s hand in his to walk him over to the table. Kyungsoo hates how it makes him blush; they’re just holding hands. He can see Chanyeol sniggering to himself from the corner of his eye, and he turns around to glare at him, but the fire just winks.

Baekhyun sets the box on the table, and urges Kyungsoo to open it up. Curiosity getting the better of them, Sehun and Jongin join them at the table as well, standing on tip toes to try and see the top of the box.

Carefully untying the ribbon, the box comes undone, and inside, is another box, with a handle at the top. No, not a box, but a…

“A sewing kit?” Kyungsoo breathes, turning around to face Baekhyun. “You got me a sewing kit?” Kyungsoo recalls mentioning, briefly in passing, that he liked to sew, that he actually used to do it for a living. “I can’t believe you remembered.”

“I remember everything you say,” Baekhyun says simply. His smile is small, but honest, and his face doesn’t waver. The tips of his ears and his cheeks don’t go red like Kyungsoo thought they might, and he doesn't stutter, or look embarrassed, or even look away from Kyungsoo’s stare. 

It’s almost unnerving. It feels like Baekhyun can see right through him - right down to his very core.

Kyungsoo thanks him. “Thank you, Baekhyun.”

Placing a warm hand on his shoulder, Baehyun squeezes it once. “You’re welcome, Kyungsoo.” As he lets go of Kyungsoo’s shoulder, he adds, “maybe you can make something for me someday.” 

Kyungsoo goes to sleep that night, staring at the sewing kit he placed next to the mattress before he tucked himself and Jongin in for bed. His chest feels a little funny the longer he looks at it; light, but heavy, warm and hot at the same time.

His heart, Kyungsoo realizes, might already be wavering.

***

The next morning, Kyungsoo wakes up with the sewing kit staring at him in the face.

As he cooks and cleans all morning, his eyes and mind keeps drifting back towards the sewing kit and the wizard who brought it to him. His heart flutters, maybe trips over itself a few times, and Chanyeol gives him a knowing look, but doesn’t say anything.

It’s almost unsettling when Chanyeol chooses to stay silent.

Later, when he’s rearranging some of his belongings, Kyungsoo comes across the wizard’s cloak again. It falls out of the makeshift pack Kyungsoo had made for the journey to the castle so long ago. He had emptied out all the other contents, but realizes the cloak got left at the bottom of the bag, forgotten. Pulling it out, he carefully holds the fabric in his hands, getting lost in the deep blue of space. Unraveling it with his hands, he finds the rip in the back, remembering how he had gone to find his sewing kit to fix up the stitch just moments before the Witch showed up into his life to curse him.

He shudders.

“Hey, what’re you doing with Baekhyun’s cloak?” Chanyeol asks, popping out from the fireplace.

“Fixing it,” Kyungsoo decides, as he moves to grab his new sewing kit. Setting it on the table, alongside the cloak, Kyungsoo opens up the sewing kit to locate the appropriate thread and needle. However, what he finds, is the second he opens the kit, suddenly stacks and stacks of trays pop up, more than what Kyungsoo thinks can actually reasonably fit inside that one single sewing kit. When he touches a tray to peek at it, even more open up, and Kyungsoo is flabbergasted.

“Ah, an enchanted compartment spell, I see.” Chanyeol comments.

“A what?”

“Basically, the sewing kit is enchanted to hold much more than it looks like it can,” Chanyeol explains.

There’s what Kyungsoo thinks is hundreds of different needles, pin cushions, measuring tapes, and diferent colored threads of various thickness and length lining tray after tray. It’s overwhelming. Navigating his way through the blue threads, Kyungsoo finds a deep blue dark enough to blend in with the rest of the cloak, and after selecting a needle, he very carefully closes the kit.

“I told ya, wizards love to show off.”

Kyungsoo ignores him, and begins to sew the ripped fabric together as he absent-mindedly sings an old song his mother used to sing.

“Actually, gramps, this is a waste of your time. The whole cloak is magic, from the thread to the ridiculous moving picture on the back. I don’t think that a non-magic user will be able to - “ he cuts himself off as he looks at Kyungsoo’s finished product. The patch up hardly visible, and he notices that even the area of the rip, the image still continues to move. “I see,” Chanyeol says, tone even.

Kyungsoo’s about to ask him what he means, when he’s interrupted.

“That’s a nice song you were singing, just now,” Baekhyun comments, walking up the stairs from the entryway. 

Kyungsoo blushes. He didn’t realize anyone but Chanyeol had even heard him.

“What song was that?” Baekhyun asks, as he approaches him.

“Just an old song my mother liked to sing,” Kyungsoo replies, nervously looking away.

“Does she sing as lovely as you do?” Baekhyun asks, grinning, flirting. 

That's ridiculous, Kyungsoo thinks to himself. What would Baekhyun be doing, flirting with an old man. He clears his throat to speak. “Even better,” Kyungsoo says, before his smile falls. “Or, she did.”

“Oh,” concern in his tone. “I’m sorry,” Baekhyun says, as he places a warm hand on Kyungsoo’s arm. “I’m sure she was as lovely as you in every way, if not more.”

The warmth from his palm is comforting. “She was.” Kyungsoo smiles at the wizard, and changes the subject. “I made this for you,” he says, holding up the cloak. “Or, well, I fixed it for you. There was a tear in the back - “ 

“Oh, my cloak!” Baekhyun claps his hands in joy. “I thought I left this back at that hat shop!”

The mention of Yixing’s shop makes goosebumps form on Kyungsoo’s arms. “Um, I just happened to come across it while cleaning, and I noticed the tear, so, I, uh, fixed it,” he finishes (not so) smoothly. 

Baekhyun hums. “Help me with this, will you?”

Baekhyun doesn’t so much as ask as he does directs Kyungsoo to aid him in wrapping the cloak around himself. When he’s finished helping the wizard wrap himself in the cloak, Kyungsoo realizes their faces are so very close together; close enough that Kyungsoo can count Baekhyun’s eyelashes if he really wanted to. Baekhyun looks directly in his eyes, unblinking, and Kyungsoo’s heart races. For a moment, he can feel the wizard’s breath on his face, and he panics, quickly turning to look away, busying himself with putting his supplies away.

“Master Baekhyun, you’re home early,” Sehun greets Baekhyun as he, Jongin, and Jongdae walk in from the outside balcony.

“Ah, Sehun, just the wizard I wanted to see. Would you mind going upstairs to find the basket of dried herbs in the hallway closet? I have a project for you - “ 

“I’ll do it!” Kyungsoo quickly interrupts, seeking for a place to hide away for a second while he calms his own heart. Before anyone can say anything, Kyungsoo goes up the stairs as fast as his creaky, old body will let him. 

What’s the matter with him? Kyungsoo feels like he has no control over his own heart when he’s around Baekhyun. He takes a few deep breaths before locating the basket and heading back downstairs. As he descends down the steps, he can hear Jongin giggling.

“What’s so funny, Jongin?” the wizard asks the little boy.

“Um, well, Jongdae said you look ridiculous in your cape, Mister Wizard,” Jongin replies.

Sehun and Chanyeol burst out in laughter, which Kyungsoo interrupts. “Jongdae said that? What do you mean, Jongin? He’s a cat.” 

Jongin freezes. He hadn’t realized that Kyungsoo was back.

“Jongin?” 

The little boy looks like he’s in a state of panic, halfway ready to cry, and halfway ready to flee. “J-J-Jongdae…”

“Yes?” 

“J-Jongdae said that…”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Chanyeol groans, “The boy can talk to animals.”

“What?” Kyungsoo tilts his head in confusion, wondering if he heard the fire demon right. “Jongin can talk to animals?”

Suddenly, things start making sense. Jongin’s love for animals, and the animals’ love for Jongin. He doesn’t talk to people much, but he’s always talking to animals, and playing with them. Kyungsoo recalls how whenever they would go out, pets and animals would come flocking to him; birds followed him around, even landed on his hand sometimes if he reached out, and dogs always listened to him even better than to some of their owners. Kyungsoo thinks of how Jongin played with Prince, Lady Tiffany’s dog, and how he met Jongdae, who helped him follow Kyungsoo and later showed them the way to the castle.

He looks back at the little boy in question. “Jongin, you can talk to animals?”

With a tear rolling down his eye, Jongin nods once. Kyungsoo gets on his knees and wipes at Jongin’s tears with his hands. “Hey, it’s okay, don’t cry.” But the tears keep rolling. “Jongin, why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“You were the first person who found me and wanted to keep me,” the little boy cries. “Everyone else thought I was weird, and didn’t want a little brother who talked to the animals all the time.”

Kyungsoo remembers years ago, when he found Jongin wandering alone, down the road near the hatshop. Jongin was maybe 4 or 5 at the time. He had asked the boy why he was alone, and all of a sudden, he had bursted into tears. Bringing him into the hatshop, he fetched him some warm tea and waited with him while he calmed down enough to explain how he was lost, and he didn’t think anyone was coming for him. Yixing had walked in then, and took one look at Jongin and basically adopted him into the mis-matched family, because that’s what they all were at the shop; a group of people who had nothing in relation between them but understanding and a new home. 

“Well, I would love a little brother who talks to animals,” Kyungsoo says. 

“Really?” Jongin asks carefully, peeking out of his hands.

“Jongin, I already love you so much, and nothing’s going to change that. It’s amazing you can talk to animals, and that’s not going to make me want you any less. We might not be related, but I chose you, and you chose me, so we’re brothers, okay?”

“Promise?” Jongin sticks his hand towards Kyungsoo, pinky finger out, sniffling.

Smiling, Kyungsoo interlocks pinkies with him. “Promise. Forever.” He pulls Jongin in to kiss him on the forehead. “Love you, Jonginnie.”

“Love you, too, Soo.”

“Now, wipe those tears away and help me with dinner. Can you do that for me?” Kyungsoo asks. 

Jongin nods, and grabs Kyungsoo’s hand to gather ingredients to prep dinner. Jongdae follows them, brushing up against Jongin in what Kyungsoo thinks is a sympathetic kind of encouragement.

“Chanyeol, are you… crying?” Sehun asks the fire demon, leaning in to get a closer look at his face.

Chanyeol’s flames flare, making Sehun jump back in surprise. “No, of course not,” he says, unconvincingly, as he clears his throat and rubs his eyes. 

Sehun laughs in his face. 

Baekhyun just smiles.

***

Kyungsoo’s about to go to bed one night when Baekhyun has a complete and total breakdown. 

The wizard comes running down the stairs in nothing but a towel on his lower half, and in full panic mode.

“I’m ruined!” he cries, “I’m absolutely, positively ruined!”

“Oh, boy, here it comes,” Chanyeol says under his breath. “It’s been a lo-o-ong time coming.” 

“What is happening right now,” Kyungsoo says to no one in particular. Just as he voices his question out loud, the walls begin to ooze a green slime, and house begins to starts swaying. Jongin clings to Kyungsoo’s side, terrified eyes darting back and forth from Baekhyun to the slime on the walls.

“This is going to be the end of me, I swear it!”

“I haven’t seen him like this since boyfriend number 3,” Sehun comments.

Baekhyun’s cries turn into screams that shake the whole house, and he finishes his flight down the stairs and lands in the chair Kyungsoo usually sits in next to the fireplace. He splays his limbs all over, starfish style, still crying.

“My life is over, do you hear me?”

“Yeesh, who hasn’t heard you, Baekhyun? You were screaming high enough that the whales in the Atlantic Ocean probably swam away, distressed. Now their migration patterns for the season have been completely disrupted, congratulations.” Chanyeol remarks sarcastically. 

Now that the crying has stopped, he begins sighing loudly and dramatically. “Who cares about the whales when I’m ugly,” Baekhyun laments.

“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo says carefully, while he slowly approaches the wizard. “What’s going on?” 

“Take a good look,” he replies, pointing to his hair. 

Kyungsoo first notices that his hair is a new color: black. But right before his eyes, the color changes to a deep blue, almost reminiscent of his cloak.

Chanyeol whispers to Kyungsoo, “Psst, hey, gramps, did you mess with the cabinet in the bathroom?”

Kyungsoo whispers back, “I only rearranged it a little!”

“Oh god,” Chanyeol moans, “those bottles are his hair dyes! He religiously dyes his hair on a schedule - I told you not to touch them!”

“Wait, all of this is over his hair?” Kyungsoo hisses.

“He’s a wizard, Kyungsoo, they’re all extremely vain.” The fire demon rolls his eyes. “Anyways, fix this, since you created this mess.”

Baekhyun hadn’t heard any of their exchange, since he started crying again in the middle of it. Kyungsoo thinks his limbs are literally starting to melt and become puddles, just like the pool of tears that somehow collected at his feet. 

Sighing, Kyungsoo decides to take Baekhyun back up to his room. When he grabs one of his arms, however, Kyungsoo realizes he’s actually melting; his skin is sticky, stuck on his clothes now, and Kyungsoo can hardly hold him up. Wizards, Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, exchanging a look with Chanyeol. So dramatic.

Trudging up the steps, Baekhyun slowly starts becoming more solid and less sticky. Once Kyungsoo gets him to the top of the steps, Baekhyun can almost support himself fully. The second before he opens the door to Baekhyun’s room, he realizes he hasn’t actually ever been inside it, so he braces himself.

What he’s met with is really not what he was expecting. Chanyeol had made it seem like the place was a landfill. It was messy, but it was a colorful, fun mess; much like Baekhyun himself. Every inch of space was covered in something. On the floors were random trinkets or colorful chests splayed out everywhere in a seemingly random order. The walls were covered in random patterns of paint, spiral wind chimes hanging from the ceiling across from a 3D model of the solar system also hanging from his ceiling. There was a rainbow canopy draped across the large bed, and above the headboard was an image of a moon. Directly across from it on the opposite wall, was a ginormous mirrored panel shaped like a spiraling sun. Kyungsoo thought they complimented each other very well. The room overall compliments Baekhyun very well, he thinks.

Trying not to get too distracted, Kyungsoo lays Baekhyun down on the bed.

Kyungsoo doesn’t know where to start. “It’s not bad,” he tells the wizard. 

“‘Not bad?’” Baekhyun repeats, suddenly getting angry. His hair quickly changes into a deep, fiery red; it reminds Kyungsoo of Chanyeol when he gets angry. “What do you mean it’s ‘not bad,’” the wizard spits out, hostility lacing his tone. He gets up from the bed and yells in Kyungsoo’s face. “This is horrible!” His hair turns orange. “I’m ruined!” he cries and slumps back down in the bed, his hair going back to the deep blue color he had on just moments before.

His hair color must change with his mood, Kyungsoo realizes.

Using Baekhyun’s hair color as an indicator, Kyungsoo quietly approaches him again, reaching out a hand to softly pat him on the arm that’s closest to him. “Baekhyun,” he says, voice measured, “it’s just hair. You can dye it again.”

“‘Just hair?’” Now the mop on top of Baekhyun’s head is a bright firetruck red. Great.

Kyungsoo doesn’t have the patience for this. It’s late, he’s tired, and he finds the wizard is being a complete child.

“Baekhyun!” Kyungsoo explodes, surprising Baekhyun enough for his hair color to change instantly to purple. “This is absolutely ridiculous - you can dye it back! It’s fine! You’re not suddenly ugly now that your hair is a new color you might not like! You’re handsome in a lot of other ways! Besides, hair’s not even that important!” Kyungsoo’s rambling now, “It’s what’s inside here,” Kyungsoo says, shoving a fist into Baekhyun’s chest where his heart is supposed to be, making him wheeze, and his hair turn green, “and here,” Kyungsoo continues, this time shoving Baekhyun’s temple, “that count!” Kyungsoo’s on a roll. “You’re smart, funny, loving, caring, thoughtful when you want to be, and brave.” Kyungsoo takes a breath to continue, noticing that Baekhyun’s hair is now a silver, almost white. Kyungsoo isn’t sure what that’s supposed to indicate, but he goes on. “You’re also clever, very, very clever.”

Baekhyun is silent now, staring at Kyungsoo with wide eyes. The slime from the walls retreats into the lining of the wood, and the shaking of the house has long since stopped.

“And those things are way more important and way more beautiful than your hair,” Kyungsoo finishes with a huff.

Baekhyun’s hair turns into a soft pink, like cotton candy, or sakura blossoms in the spring. It matches the faint dusting of blush across his cheeks. “You really think all that?” he asks quietly, reaching out a hand to hold Kyungsoo’s. “About me?”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo says, squeezing his hand. “Yes I do.”

A small smile spread on Baekhyun’s lips. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo replies. 

Baekhyun, instead of letting go of his hand, tugs it, until Kyungsoo’s leaning over the bed.

“Sleep,” is all he says, tugging Kyungsoo even closer, opening up the sheets so they can snuggle in.

“Sleep,” Kyungsoo repeats, truly half asleep at this point.

“Good night, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun whispers softly.

“Good night, Baekhyun.”

***

Instead of dreams of death, destruction, and chaos, Kyungsoo dreams in soft pink.

***

In the morning, Kyungsoo wakes up to the sunlight streaming into his face. Groaning, he turns around to go back to sleep, when he realizes he’s not alone.

In surprise, he snaps his eyes open, finding a sleeping Baekhyun a few inches from his face. 

It takes a few seconds for Kyungsoo to recall the events of last night that led him here, right now, in this moment.

“You’re ridiculous,” Kyungsoo grumbles to himself, reaching out a hand to smooth the crease in the Baekhyun’s brow as he sleeps, and brush a strand of pink hair from his face. The mole on his upper lip is more noticeable from this angle, up close.

The wizard smiles, before he speaks. “But you like me anyway, right?” he peeks one eye open.

Kyungsoo flushes a bright red, realizing he’s been caught. “You’re alright, I guess,” he mutters.

“Just ‘alright?’” Baekhyun has both eyes open now, full of mischief. “I don’t know, Kyungsoo, I recall you saying I was something along the lines of amazing, yesterday.” 

“I never said that.”

“Oh, but you did say ‘smart’ and ‘funny’ and - “

Kyungsoo untangles his legs from Baekhyun’s and proceeds to kick him.

“ - oof,” Baekhyun cries. "You know, for an old guy, you sure have quite the strength," he complains.

Kyungsoo freezes. In all of last night's sudden chaos (and soft feelings), he forgot about his age. Baekhyun makes him do that sometimes, but lately it's been more and more frequent. Kyungsoo just... feels so different when Baekhyun's around.

Sighing, Kyungsoo detaches himself from Baekhyun and leaves the bed, which is followed promptly by noises of complaint from the wizard.

“Come back, it’s cold,” he whines.

“You can have a nice, warm breakfast when you come downstairs.”

Baekhyun pouts.

Kyungsoo doesn’t know what comes over him, but he leans over and quickly kisses Baekhyun on the forehead. “Cute,” he breathes.

It’s Baekhyun’s turn to blush. “You think I’m cute?” he squeaks out.

“Only sometimes.” Only all the time.

Without saying anything else or embarrassing himself any further, Kyungsoo scrambles out of the room (almost tripping over a pile of books) and shuts the door on his way out.

When he arrives downstairs, Kyungsoo finds Sehun and Jongin wrapped up together on the mattress, sleeping away peacefully, Jongdae watching over them. He coos at the sight.

Wiggling his eyebrows, Chanyeol greets him. “Good morning, lovebird.” 

“Shut up, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo retorts, as he picks out the ingredients for breakfast.

“You two looked awfully cozy this morning.” 

“Shut up, Chanyeol,” he repeats, feeding Chanyeol a moldy piece of cheese he found in the pantry. 

Chanyeol coughs. “Yuck, what was that for?”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, ignoring him, and hums as he puts breakfast together. While he’s cooking, Sehun and Jongin wake up, and help Kyungsoo set the table, and eventually, as Kyungsoo finishes flipping the last piece of toast, Baekhyun comes down the stairs to join.

“Good morning, everyone,” he greets, sitting down at the table. Looking directly at Kyungsoo as he sets his plate up, he smiles fully, eyes crinkling. “Good morning, Kyungsoo.”

“Good morning, Baekhyun.”

“‘S everything okay?” Jongin asks, touching Kyungsoo’s arm as he passes by. Poor Jongin got the fright of a lifetime last night, and right before bed, too.

Kyungsoo pats him on the head. “Yeah, everything’s okay.”

Baekhyun has the decency to look a little sheepish. 

Warming up a can of tuna, Kyungsoo serves Jongdae his breakfast, and then joins the table last. As he sits down, Baekhyun makes an announcement. 

“How about we all go to the meadows today?” 

“Alright!” Sehun shouts, excited, pumping his fist in the air.

“The meadows?” Kyungsoo asks.

Taking a big bite of toast, Baekhyun replies, “It’s this lovely patch of fields up north, sat next to a lake. We can stay there today, splash around in the lake, have a picnic. It’ll be fun.”

Kyungsoo hums in approval. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun calls out, “350 kilometers to the north, please.”

“Aye-aye, captain,” Chanyeol answers sarcastically.

The castle moans and groans as it moves through the backlands of the Exodus kingdom. Baekhyun takes Kyungsoo’s hand and leads him to the balcony to watch as they descend upon the meadows. They gradually leave the lining of trees and rolling hills until the scenery turns into fields of poppies, roses, and gardenias, cradled by a sparkling blue lake. It takes Kyungsoo’s breath away. 

“We’ve arrived,” Baekhyun says, softly into Kyungsoo’s ear. He has his arms wrapped around Kyungsoo, holding onto the railing, enveloping him in. Kyungsoo feels comfortable in his embrace, which almost scares him.

“Soo, Soo!” Kyungsoo hears Jongin shout excitedly from inside.

Pulling away from Baekhyun and his warmth, he goes to Jongin. Grabbing his hand, the two of them step outside the front door, into the meadows, with Sehun, Baekhyun, and Jongdae following closely behind.

The sun shines down on them, so they splash around in the water to cool themselves off, and when they get tired of that, they lay on the blankets Kyungsoo set up to sun bathe in the warm but breezy afternoon.

Later, after a nice picnic by the lake, when the boys are running around chasing Jongdae out in the fields, Kyungsoo finds himself alone with Baekhyun for the first time since the morning, when they woke up next to each other. Kyungsoo, from his seat in the grass, looks up at Baekhyun, who’s standing closer to the lake, head tilted to catch the last rays of sunlight. The wind blows softly through his pink locks, and Kyungsoo thinks he looks beautiful like that. He has to admit that he is quite fond of the pink hair. 

“Me too,” Baekhyun replies, face still tilted towards the sun, but now smiling.

Kyungsoo hadn’t realized he said anything out loud. He blushes.

There’s a moment that the clouds cover the sun, and Baekhyun brings his head down and turns to look at Kyungsoo, smiling big enough that he can see his canines, even from his seat on the grass. Kyungsoo’s heart falters, and his breath stutters. 

It’s in that moment that Kyungsoo finally realizes he’s in love with Baekhyun.

Kyungsoo tries to catch his breath.

In, out, in, out, in, out.

Kyungsoo can’t pinpoint the exact moment it happened; it was easy, he supposes.

Falling in love with Baekhyun was just like breathing - easy, natural.

He just hadn’t realized it until now. 

Baekhyun walks back over. “Is everything alright?”

Kyungsoo wants to shout it out, tell Baekhyun he loves him, and to look at him with rose colored lenses forever. But voices chime through his head. Be careful, Kyungsoo. Both Lady Tiffany and Chanyeol had warned him.

He has to know.

“Did you steal Taeyeon’s heart and eat it?” he blurts out, before he can help it.

Baekhyun completely freezes.

“I see you’ve been talking to Chanyeol,” he says slowly, carefully.

“He doesn’t think you stole it or ate it, and I don’t think so either,” he pauses to catch his breath, “but I have to know, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun eyes him, with a look Kyungsoo hasn’t seen before. He doesn’t know if he should be afraid.

“No, I didn’t steal her heart, nor did I eat it,” he says, after a lengthy pause.

“Then why - “

“I couldn’t love her, though. It was impossible.” There’s a sad smile on his face, and it breaks Kyungsoo’s heart, even though he doesn’t understand the feelings behind it.

“A long time ago,” Baekhyun starts, “there was a young wizard. He had lost everyone he ever loved to the war, and wandered across the earth, alone. For a long, dark period of time, this wizard thought he’d be alone forever. Until, one day, he came across a fallen star.”

Baekhyun sits next to Kyungsoo, side-by-side, their legs touching, but he’s not looking at him.

“The fallen star had befriended him, and became a light, shining in the darkness. After that, the fallen star and the wizard became family, and the wizard felt so happy to not be alone anymore, and the fallen star was happy finding his first real friend. But soon, the wizard learned that fallen stars, once they land, don’t live for very long.”

The sun begins to set in the distance, the orange hues of the sky reminding Kyungsoo of Chanyeol’s flames.

“So, one day, the wizard made a deal with his beloved friend, the fallen star. He offered up his heart to the fallen star, in order to keep the star alive forever, alongside the wizard. However, the wizard knew, that if the fallen star were to ever physically leave him after taking his heart, that he would die. Therefore, the wizard made it that if the fallen star did decide to take his heart, then he could never leave his place in the wizard’s home, for as long as they both shall live.”

Baekhyun turns to Kyungsoo, and looks at him directly in the eye. “And the fallen star agreed.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t know what to say, so Baekhyun speaks for him.

“I couldn’t fall in love with Taeyeon, because I could never give her my heart, Kyungsoo. I don’t have one. So when she offered me her heart, saying she loved me, I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t do that to her."

“So you left,” Kyungsoo finally says.

“So I left.” He breathes a sigh before continuing. “Do you know what it’s like to live without a heart, Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo doesn’t answer.

“It’s fine for a while; nothing feels different, at first. But after some time has passed, you start to feel… empty.” Baekhyun picks a flower from the grass. “I tried to fill that void by finding people to love me, admire me. I thought that maybe, maybe I could learn to have a heart again if I just found someone to love, someone who loves me.”

Baekhyun beings plucking the petals off the flower, one-by-one.

“It didn’t work.”

Kyungsoo watches the flower petals falling off one-by-one.

He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not.

Can he love me? Kyungsoo thinks. He doesn’t have a heart.

“I’ve been trying to track down Taeyeon’s heart for years,” Baekhyun says, despair in his voice. “This war won’t stop until I do.”

“The war?” Kyungsoo questions. “The war has been going on for much longer than most of us have been alive. What does the Witch of the Waste and her heart have to do with it?”

“She didn’t start the war, but she’s been continuing it for years. It’s the consequences of her stolen heart. I’m afraid that whoever has stolen it, has consumed it, leaving her soul to rot. It’s made her into something… evil.”

“Wait, is that what you’ve been doing when you go out?”

“I scour everywhere, looking for any signs of her heart. I pick up on rumors, or myths, and follow them. It often leads me to the warlands.”

Kyungsoo gasps. “Don’t tell me you’ve been going into the battlefields, Baekhyun, that’s dangerous!”

“I do what I must,” Baekhyun replies. His mouth is set in a firm line. Kyungsoo doesn’t like seeing him without a smile.

“Baekhyun, you can fix a lot of things, but you can’t fix a war.”

Before Baekhyun can reply, Sehun and Jongin interrupt them.

“We saw ships in the sky!” Sehun reports. The boys are both panting, like they ran all the way across the ends of the meadows to come back and share the news.

“Ships?” Kyungsoo asks.

“Battleships.” Baekhyun’s lips form a tight line.

"They looked like they were headed towards the forests," Sehun says.

"The forests? Why would battleships be headed towards the forests?" Kyungsoo questions.

"Not the forests." Baekhyun's hands form into fists at his sides. “Everybody, get into the house right now.” He immediately begins packing up all their belongings, and the boys help.

Kyungsoo gulps. The next place directly after the forests is the center of the kingdom: the Royal City.

Gathering their things, they all head inside to the castle, dread heavy in the air.

When they get inside the castle, night has fallen, and Baekhyun tells Chanyeol to floor it through the fields and back towards the forests. 

Sensing the tension in the air, he doesn’t say anything and just listens, as he pumps the house with his fire, moving its limbs through the terrain. 

The sounds of the castle’s moans and groans lull Kyungsoo to sleep.

***



Boom, boom, boom.

Kyungsoo’s free falling, just like always. But this time, he’s much closer to the ground than he usually is. The flames from the tallest of buildings almost reach him, the heat of them licking up his spine. He shivers. The smoke invades his lungs and he coughs.

Boom, boom, boom.

It’s not as bad as the screams, though.

Sometimes, the more he dreams the same dream, the screams of the people from the nameless city sound a lot like his past ghosts.

Boom, boom, boom.

Movement catches his eye, and as he turns his head, something hits him, envelops him. He looks up, and realizes that a bird, bigger than a human, is holding him, catching him from his freefall.

He should be scared, but somehow, he feels safe.

***

Kyungsoo wakes up to the sound of singing.

It’s an odd contrast to the way he ended the night, the dark and heavy mood choking the air.

Shall I sing you a song, Kyungsoo?

Getting up from the bed, Kyungsoo realizes Jongin’s gone, which is surprising since there isn’t much that Jongin loves more than sleep.

The singing stops, cut short. 

“Good morning, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun greets, reaching out a hand to help Kyungsoo to his feet. His bones crack, and his joints creak. He’ll never quite get used to this old body.

“Were you singing?”

Baekhyun laughs, his eyes crinkling. Kyungsoo thinks he looks beautiful like that, happy and laughing. “Why, yes I was.”

“Any special occasion?” Kyungsoo doesn’t think he’s ever heard the wizard sing before. It’s nice.

“Yes, in fact, a very special occasion indeed.” Grinning a toothy grin, he announces, “You’re going to be making chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast today!”

“We don’t even have any chocolate - “

“Ta-da!” Sehun pops out of the kitchen, holding up a bag of chocolate chips. “Baekhyun took us to the market this morning for groceries! He said we could have pancakes.”

“That’s an interesting to say for someone who doesn’t even do the cooking around here.” 

“Jongin asked, and c’mon,” Baekhyun pleads, as he grabs Jongin, picking him up, and shoves his face into Kyungsoo’s. “How can you say no to that face?”

Baekhyun’s right, as annoying as he is. The pout Jongin has on his face is unbearable.

“You all planned this, didn’t you?” Kyungsoo sighs, walking up to Sehun and grabbing the bag of sweets from him.

“Yes!” He shouts in glee.

“That we did,” Baekhyun laughs again, big enough that his mouth turns into a square shape.

Before Kyungsoo begins cooking, he grabs Baekhyun’s arm, gaining the wizard’s attention.

“Yes, Kyungsoo?”

“I just wanted to say thank you for being honest with me, yesterday.”

Baekhyun stares at him.

“And I also want you to know,” Kyungsoo says, voice low, “that I don’t like you any less than before.”

Baekhyun looks down at his shoes, then back up at Kyungsoo. “Really?”

“Really. You can always be honest with me.”

Baekhyun beams. “Okay, Kyungsoo.”

Later, after breakfast, and after breakfast clean up, Baekhyun goes to leave.

“Please, be careful.” Kyungsoo looks him in the eye, pleading. Now that he has a clearer sense of what exactly it is that Baekhyun does, he’s infinitely more worried. 

“I will be, I promise.”

“Pinky swear?” Kyungsoo feels like a child, holding out his pinky to the wizard, but Jongin always seems so reassured after a pinky promise, so he gives it a shot.

Baekhyun smiles softly. “Pinky swear,” the wizard says, as he interlocks pinkies with Kyungsoo.

***

Kyungsoo waits for Baekhyun to come that night, worrying his lip between his teeth, as he paces near the front door. He keeps glancing at his watch.

“What’s that, Kyungsoo?” Sehun asks him, peering at the watch on his wrist.

Stopping in his tracks, he moves to show Sehun his watch. It’s nice to have a distraction from all the worrying he’s been doing.

“This is a watch,” he tells the young wizard’s apprentice.

“And what’s a watch do?”

"It tells time."

“It tells time? What would you need to know that for?”

“You know to know when to do what; when to eat, when to sleep, when to go to bed,” Kyungsoo explains.

“Pfft, well that’s dumb,” Sehun scoffs. “Why would I need a watch to tell me what to do when I have Master Baekhyun to do that?” Sehun says with a roll of his eyes. He walks off, finding interest in something else.

Kyungsoo laughs, a real, tear-jerking, genuine laugh. It feels good, and it calms him.

Feeling better, Kyungsoo goes to sit down in his usual seat near the fire. He and Chanyeol talk as the night gets darker, and eventually Kyungsoo falls asleep.

***

Baekhyun comes in when the fire is low, and everyone in the house is asleep. As he tiptoes his way into the house, he notices Kyungsoo still in the chair by the fire, completely asleep. He must have waited for him. It warms his heart. (Or, he supposes it would if he had one.)

Looking at Kyungsoo now, asleep, in his most vulnerable state, Baekhyun sees the lines of his curse fading off as he breathes in and out. He recognizes the doe-eyed boy from the hat shop, that one, sunny day, in town. He smiles, fondly.

Gingerly, Baekhyun picks the boy up from the chair, to lay down on the mattress next to a sleeping Jongin.

“Good night, Kyungsoo,” he whispers, kissing the boy’s forehead.

He hopes Kyungsoo has sweet dreams that night.

***

One day, Kyungsoo finally figures out what lies behind the black dial of the door. 

Kyungsoo blames it on curiosity, but mostly, it was the constant worrying that was eating Kyungsoo up alive.

While everyone else in the house, including Chanyeol, goes to sleep, Kyungsoo makes his move.

Every creak of the steps leading down to the front door make Kyungsoo pause to turn his head and make sure no one’s caught him. Once he gets to the door, he sets the dial to black, turns the handle, and steps out.

At first, darkness greets him; he’s consumed in shadows.

“Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo calls out.

In the next second, red flashes before his eyes, and he sees flames, everywhere.

“Baekhyun!” Kyungsoo calls out, this time, distressed. He starts running.

“Baekhyun!” he continues calling, but there’s no response. When Kyungsoo looks up, he realizes exactly where the flames are coming.

It’s like his nightmares have come to life, but he’s stuck on the opposite end.

His blood pumps heavily through his veins, and he turns around, but he can’t see the door to the house anymore. Kyungsoo keeps running, fearing for his life.

Every time a bomb lands in the distance, the entire earth seems to shake. The feeling resonates in his bones.

It's infinitely more terrifying in real life than in his nightmares.

Suddenly, a burning tree falls, and lands right in front of him. Then, behind him, the same thing happens, and a few moments later, Kyungsoo is surrounded by a thick ring of fire.

He spins around, trying to find an exit, when something grabs his arm, pulling him up out of harm’s way, and into the air. Kyungsoo looks up, to see a big bird carrying him with his talons.

Kyungsoo’s jaw drops. It looks almost exactly like the bird in Kyungsoo’s nightmares. The same bird that had plucked him as he was falling from the sky.

“Kyungsoo, what do you think you’re doing here?” the bird yells at him.

Recognizing the voice, Kyungsoo does a double take.

“Baekhyun?”

“Yes, Kyungsoo, it’s me.”

Despite their current surroundings, Kyungsoo laughs. “So this is what you meant when you said you could fly?”

Kyungsoo can’t completely tell, since Baekhyun’s head is that of a bird and all, but Kyungsoo thinks he’s being glared at.

“We are going home, right now, immediately.”

Kyungsoo gulps. He hasn’t really heard Baekhyun’s voice that dark before.

When they return home, Baekhyun goes off, waking up the whole house.

“Why would you leave on the black dial, when you know you’re not supposed to?” he yells at Kyungsoo.

He doesn’t let Kyungsoo respond before continuing.

“Kyungsoo, you could have died! Kyungsoo, what would I do if you died?”

Chanyeol’s awake and silently watching the fight enfold, while Sehun is frozen on the steps, afraid to move. Jongin cowers in his blankets.

“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo raises his voice at Baekhyun just as loudly as Baekhyun did his, “what would I do if you had died?” Just the thought of it, Baekhyun dying in one of those horrible warlands, has Kyungsoo choking up. “What any of us do if you had died? Me, Sehun, Chanyeol, Jongin - heck, even Jongdae! He’s your familiar!”

Baekhyun is silent.

“What will I do if you really do die, Baekhyun?” he whispers now, tears spilling over. “You come home at odd hours of the night, sometimes the next morning, smelling of smoke and looking like you had just gotten run over by a steamroller three times!” Kyungsoo hiccups. “Baekhyun, I was worried. I’m always worried. What are you doing out there in those warlands all the time?”

Slowly moving forward, Baekhyun reaches up and wipes the tears from Kyungsoo’s eyes. He doesn’t apologize, but he offers up an explanation.

“Like I told you before, I spend most of my time trying to track down Taeyeon’s missing heart.” Kyungsoo sniffles as Baekhyun continues to wipe his tears away as he speaks. “It sometimes leads me into the warlands. And while I’m there, I usually will try to take down a ship or two.” 

“Why?”

“I’m not actively seeking to fight on any side of the war, Kyungsoo. I do often just end up there, honest.” He continues wiping Kyungsoo’s tears, and Kyungsoo focuses on the warmth of Baekhyun's palms cupping his face. “But when I do end up there, I see those ships going off to bomb some new city, and without really thinking, I go to stop them. I can’t let them go. Especially not when I think I can stop at least one.”

“Is that all?"

Baekhyun drops his hands from Kyungsoo's face. “Well, yeah, just about. I can’t do much else in the war and still keep my anonymity.”

“Okay.”

“I’m not going to apologize for trying to do what I think is right, Kyungsoo.”

“I know.” Kyungsoo grabs his hand, loosely holding it in his. “I just want you to be safe.”

Baekhyun pauses before replying. “I know.”

***

Kyungsoo’s dreams are static that night.

***

In the morning, Baekhyun announces at the breakfast table that he is going to the King’s Annual Battalion Ball.

“Why would you wanna go there, to that aristocratic, war-celebrating, white tie affair?” Chanyeol queries.

“Well, the King’s been calling for me and all my aliases,” Baekhyun states.

“Exactly,” Sehun interjects. “Haven’t you been avoiding them on purpose?” he says, pointing to the abandoned and unread piles of mail Kyungsoo organized on the shelf near the front door.

“Yes, and it’s finally time I answered them.” Baekhyun begins clearing his plate away. “I have some business with the King.”

Kyungsoo has a bad feeling in his gut. 

“And what business do you have with the King that you can’t postmark him a letter or something,” Chanyeol says from the hearth.

“If I’m going to finally end this war, I’m going to have to go straight to the source.”

Everyone pauses.

“Master Baekhyun,” Sehun tries to say, before Chanyeol interrupts him.

“What makes you think you can just waltz into the King’s castle and make him end this war? Have you gone mad?” Chanyeol screams at him, flames so high, Kyungsoo can feel the heat of them even from his seat. 

Baekhyun replies evenly. “Someone told me I was brave once, but in reality, I’m a coward.” He stands up from his seat. “I’ve been trying for years to end this war behind the scenes, but it’s amounted to nothing, while more and more lives have been put on the line. It’s time to try something else.” Baekhyun looks up at Kyungsoo. “This is me being brave.” He looks away from Kyungsoo and stares at everyone. “I’m not asking for your support, or for you to join me. I’m telling you that I’m going because I want you to know.”

“The King, if he doesn’t immediately ship your butt over to some battlefield kingdoms away like all the other wizards he’s called to war, is going to arrest you for treason! Treason, Baekhyun!” Chanyeol sputters at him, flames, burning bright. “It won’t matter that you’re a wizard; no magic can get you out of that prison once you’re in and you know that!”

“I’ve been on warlands before, Chanyeol.”

“Yeah, and you’re lucky to have made it out alive! You’re absolutely - “

“How can I help?” Kyungsoo interjects.

Everyone turns to stare at him. Kyungsoo straightens up in his seat and clears his throat. “How can I help, Baekhyun?” he repeats himself. 

Baekhyun smiles. “Can you do something for me?”

“Anything.”

“I’m going to need an outfit for the ball. I was hoping you could help me with it.”

Now, Kyungsoo smiles too. “Of course.”

***

That’s how Kyungsoo ends up in this position, later, holed up in Baekhyun’s room (amidst large protest from Chanyeol, who he can still hear screaming from downstairs), with a shirtless Baekhyun, taking his measurements.

Baekhyun giggles when Kyungsoo sticks the measuring tape under his arms to take down his armspan.

“Don’t move,” Kyungsoo warns for the tenth time.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help it. I’m ticklish,” he whines, trying in a vain attempt to stifle his own laughter.

Kyungsoo punches his side.

“Ow!”

“I’m not warning you again.”

“Alright, alright. You’ve sure got a nasty arm for a grandpa.”

Kyungsoo, rolling his eyes, quips back. “You’ve sure got a weak tolerance for such a ‘great and powerful wizard.’”

Baekhyun takes it all in stride and laughs.

Kyungsoo doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of that sound. It makes him smile, even when he feels a little queasy about why he's taking in Baekhyun's measurements.

"You know," Baekhyun starts, "when you smile, your lips make a heart shape, has anyone told you that before?" He tilts his head and grins at Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo's cheeks are tinged with a bit of pink, from being looked at so closely. He chooses to ignore Baekhyun and continue with his work. “Okay,” Kyungsoo says, looking at his notes. “We’ve got the upper body measurements, now for the - “

When Kyungsoo looks over, Baekhyun’s already got his pants on the floor, so now, all he has on is a pair of briefs.

“Oh my god - “

“I’m just speeding along the process, Kyungsoo. We don’t have much time; the ball is just around the corner.” He has the audacity to wink.

Kyungsoo pinches him this time, and Baekhyun yelps, making Kyungsoo laugh, despite the situation.

Grabbing his tape, Kyungsoo does the fastest measuring of his life.

“There, now please put your pants back on.”

“For an old man, Kyungsoo, you’re very innocent,” Baekhyun comments, putting his clothes back on. “It’s kinda cute.”

Kyungsoo groans.

“Just tell me what kind of an ensemble you want,” Kyungsoo says, trying to change the topic.

“I’d trust anything you make, Kyungsoo. You pick.”

Kyungsoo hums, tilting his head to really look at Baekhyun. He stares long enough that it’s Baekhyun’s turn to be squeamish, making Kyungsoo chuckle.

“What about an all black attire?”

“Is that not too somber?”

“It’ll be a nice contrast to your pink hair,” Kyungsoo notes. “Besides, you’re going to make a point, not to have a fashion show. You’re going to want people to take you seriously and understand that you mean business." 

“Hmm… black it is.”

“Now, where to get fabric,” Kyungsoo muses, as he packs up his things.

“What do you mean?”

“Fabric for your suit.”

Baekhyun laughs. "Kyungsoo, open your sewing kit back up."

Kyungsoo’s confused, but he does as he’s told. He unlatches the lock on the kit, and the dozens upon dozens of trays pop back open, pristine as ever.

“Now reach inside, towards the bottom of the box.”

Kyungsoo’s still as confused as ever, but he listens to the wizard. After all, he’s the one who got the sewing kit in the first place.

As his hand goes in, he realizes the space inside the box is much deeper than it looks on the outside. He has to put more and more of his hand inside the box, and he still hasn’t reached the bottom. His hands touch something, so he pulls it out. Rolls of fabric come out of the kit, and Kyungsoo’s jaw drops, amazed. He goes back in, and pulls out more and more rolls of different materials; satins and silks and velvets.

“You’ve got all the materials you need right there.” Baekhyun says, smug grin on his face.

“Magic really is something else,” Kyungsoo says in wonder, sifting through the various rolls and bits of fabric he just pulled out of his enchanted sewing kit.

“It truly is, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo immediately sets to work.

***

It takes him a few days of late nights and skipped meals, but Kyungsoo finishes the suit just in time for the ball.

Banging on Baekhyun’s door, he urges the wizard to come downstairs after trying it on.

When he walks down the steps, Baekhyun's smiling, in his fancy new clothes; the spitting image of a princely figure. Kyungsoo wills his heart to be still.

It’s chic, and elegant, and especially nice considering it’s all custom handmade.

In the end, Kyungsoo decided to go with a black velvet suit that had dark gray lining and lapels. The white shirt inside deviates from the classic look and has ruffles on the collars, going up the neck. A thin, velvet ribbon ties the shirt up, giving the look a new edge, while still tying the overall look together.

As Baekhyun turns around in the suit, Kyungsoo thinks the black was a good decision. It makes his legs look longer.

“Well? How’s it look?”

“You look… handsome,” Kyungsoo decides.

“Just handsome?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head and sighs, fondly. “I’ll tell you more when you come back later.”

“Oh, really?”

“Eugh, will the two of you cut it out, already.” Chanyeol complains, interrupting them. “I still think this plan is absolutely ridiculous.”

“I know, Chanyeol,” the wizard says. 

“You’re still gonna do it though, aren't ya?”

“Yes, I am.”

Sighing, the fire demon relents. “If ya need me, ya know where to find me.” 

Baekhyun grins. “Thanks, Chanyeol.”

“So,” Kyungsoo begins as he makes last minute adjustments to Baekhyun’s suit, “what exactly is your plan again? Just walk up to the King in the royal courtroom and demand the crossfire ceases?”

“Something like that.”

Grabbing the lapels of his jacket, Kyungsoo pulls Baekhyun close up to him. “Don’t you dare die on me.”

“I won’t.”

“And don’t get imprisoned, either. I have a lot of talents, and none of them involve jail breaking.”

Baekhyun laughs. “I won’t go to jail,” he says, in reassurance.

Letting go of his jacket, Kyungsoo straightens it out. “Then it’s time.”

“It’s time,” Baekhyun echoes him, a solemn look forming on his face.

“Master Baekhyun, Master Baekhyun, Master Baekhyun!” Sehun comes running down the stairs. “Here are all the potions and spells you requested!” he says, as he holds up a bag of assorted bottles and packets.

“Thank you, Sehun. What would I do without you?” Baekhyun says, as he starts packing away various things into the various extra pockets he requested Kyungsoo sew into the lining of his suit.

Now he understands why.

He’s preparing for a fight.

Kyungsoo looks away, trying to stomach the eerie feeling of deja vu, from years ago, when his brother left for the war, and never flew back home.

“Alright, this is it,” Baekhyun says, tucking away the last bottle that fits. “I’ll see you all tomorrow, when the war has ended.”

“Don’t you think that’s being a little optimistic?”

Kyungsoo gives Chanyeol the eye, making the fire demon look sheepish.

As Baekhyun turns to the door, Kyungsoo steps in front of him.

“Please,” he whispers, “Come back to me. Come back home.”

Baekhyun takes Kyungsoo’s face in his hands. His thumb smooths over some of the deep wrinkles on his old face. “I’ll always come back home to you,” he breathes, kissing Kyungsoo on the forehead before he leaves.

Kyungsoo blushes furiously.

Chanyeol chimes in with a low whistle. “Someone’s got it bad,” he says, mockingly.

“Shut up, Chanyeol.”

This time, when Baekhyun goes out, the dial doesn’t spin to black, but to red, for the Royal City, and Baekhyun is gone.

***

Kyungsoo only waits half an hour before following after Baekhyun.

“Where are you going?” Chanyeol questions, as Kyungsoo goes to the front door.

“After Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo answers confidently.

Chanyeol doesn’t comment for a moment, just observes him as he puts himself together. Kyungsoo used some of the leftover fabric to fashion himself a simple enough suit to blend into the crowd.

He had been planning this since the moment Baekhyun declared he was going to the castle to confront the King.

“You really love him, don’t you?” Chanyeol asks, no hint of a joke in his tone.

“I do.”

“Thank you.”

Kyungsoo looks at the fire demon. “For what?”

“For caring for him, for keeping him safe. For making him happy.” Chanyeol sighs. “He’s my best friend, ya know? I know I complain a lot and say a lot of things, and yeah, I’m also dying to escape this castle,” he looks at Kyungsoo as he says the rest, “but he’s my best friend, and he’s family. I love him, too.”

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol share a smile.

“Hey, Kyungsoo, I’m not sure what you wanted with these protection charms, but I got them and - “ Sehun cuts himself off when he takes in the scene before him. Kyungsoo’s dressed in a fancy suit, and ready to leave out of the red door, and Sehun puts two and two together. “Are you going after Master Baekhyun?”

“Yes, I am. Sehun,” Kyungsoo says, “I actually have a favor to ask of you.”

“I’m in.”

“I haven’t even asked you for the favor yet - “

“You were gonna ask me to fly you to the royal palace and help sneak you in since you can’t get in through the main entrance, right?” Sehun asks, confidence in his form, knowing he's right.

“It’s dangerous, and if you want to just drop me off and come right back, then you can - “

“Master Baekhyun took me in when I was abandoned on his doorstep and no one else wanted me.” Sehun looks at Kyungsoo, determination in his features. “I’m going. I would do anything for him.”

Kyungsoo hadn't known this about Sehun, but he had known how much the boy loves Baekhyun. He was prepared for the boy to agree and made the proper preparations. “Well,” Kyungsoo says, pulling another suit out of the closet near the entrance. “I guessed your measurements, so I hope it fits.”

Sehun’s eyes light up, and he grabs the suit, running upstairs to try it on.

“You’re really gonna take the kid with you?”

“He loves Baekhyun just as much as I do. And I honestly didn’t think he’d be willing to stay home when he knows exactly what Baekhyun’s up to.”

“It fits, it fits!” Sehun yells, as he runs down the stairs, new broomstick in hand. He looks spiffy, the red velvet suit a nice contrast to Baekhyun and Kyungsoo’s suits. "You did a really great job, Kyungsoo. This looks great!"

“Thank you, Sehun." Kyungsoo turns his attention back to Chanyeol. "Looks like we’re off,” he says.

The fire demon sighs. “Careful out there, Sehun. There’s supposed to be some wind resistance tonight.”

“I’m great with wind navigation,” Sehun replies, unworried.

Turning back to Kyungsoo, Chanyeol says, “Keep them both safe. 

Glancing at Jongin, asleep on the bed, curled up with Jongdae, Kyungsoo tells Chanyeol, “Keep Jongin safe. I’m trusting you with him. And that means Jongdae too, since he loves that cat.”

“How about a deal, gramps?” Chanyeol smiles, all teeth, no sarcasm or bite.

Kyungsoo smiles back. “And what do you propose, fire demon?”

“I’ll keep Jongin and Jongdae safe, if you keep Baekhyun and Sehun safe. Deal?”

“Deal,” Kyungsoo answers, and this time, when he goes to shake hands with Chanyeol, he doesn't hesitate. Kyungsoo thinks about how far he and Chanyeol have come since that first night he stumbled into the castle. His heart squeezes as he realizes he loves Chanyeol, too. It's a different love than the kind he has for Baekhyun. But important all the same.

“Now, it’s about time you left. I wouldn’t trust Baekhyun to not do anything completely stupid and risky for too long.” Kyungsoo thinks he sees a single tear welling up in the fire demon's eyes.

Kyungsoo, even with his heavy heart, laughs, agreeing. “Let’s go, Sehun.”

The two of them make their way out the door, and into the Royal City.

The door clicks shut behind them.

***

“Sehun, please tell me you’ve flown this thing before,” Kyungsoo pleads as they’re flying through the air roughly, bumping into the tops of trees and buildings and consequently scaring any birds in the same general airspace.

“Of course I have,” Sehun replies, confidently. “Master Baekhyun took me riding on it last week.”

“What?” Kyungsoo screams, grip on Sehun’s small waist even tighter than before. “You’ve only ridden on this thing once? And it was with Baekhyun in tow?”

“No, Kyungsoo," Sehun exasperatedly says as if he's explaining something to a child, "Master Baekhyun was at the helm of the broomstick.”

This is it, Kyungsoo decides. They’re going to die before they even make it to the ball.

“Hey, I think I see the main palace!” Sehun lets go of the broom to point ahead of them, making the two of them suddenly tilt to the left.

“Sehun!” Kyungsoo yells. “Both hands on the broom!”

“Oops! Sorry, Kyungsoo!”

Kyungsoo looks over Sehun’s shoulder - which isn’t hard considering the kid is 12 and has yet to go through most of his growth spurt - and sees the palace like Sehun had just pointed out.

“Do you see that domed structure attached to the main palace?” Kyungsoo says.

“Yeah,” Sehun replies.

Just like Chanyeol had said, the wind begins picking up, so Kyungsoo has to yell to be heard. “Head towards that! That’s where the ball is going to be!” A gust of wind whooshes past them, spinning the tail of the broom enough that Sehun has to readjust it.

“Gotcha!” Sehun chirps, leaning further in, making the broomstick fly faster, as it veers towards the castle.

Kyungsoo thinks he’s going to be sick.

***

Somehow, miraculously, against all odds, Kyungsoo and Sehun make it to the domed building in one piece.

“I’m alive?” Kyungsoo says when the land on the ledge of the roof.

Sehun scoffs. “Don’t act so surprised, Kyungsoo. I told you,” he says, puffing out his chest, “I’m a great rider.”

“Sure, sure, Sehun, whatever you say.”

“So, how do we get in?” Sehun asks, peering into the building through the skylights. “Are we gonna drop in through these windows?”

Kyungsoo joins Sehun, and peers through the glass, to see the crowds gathered on the dance floor below.

“I don’t think that’s going to work. Too dangerous. Also, we need to be inconspicuous.”

He hears Sehun wander off some steps away from him, towards the edge of the rooftop. “Is a window through the side of the building leading into a hallway inconspicuous enough?” Sehun asks Kyungsoo as he looks over the ledge.

“I mean, yes, that would be pretty inconspicuous, but how would we go through an open window on the side of the building - “

“Levitation spell, Kyungsoo.”

“Leviation spell?”

“It’s too small of a space between the window and the wall of the next part of the building to fly in on broomstick, but if I used my levitation spell to gently float you down and through the window and into the hallway - “

“You couldn’t even float a pen!” Kyungsoo flashes back to his first meeting with Sehun and recalls the wiggling pen.

“I’ve been practicing!” Sehun picks up one of Kyungsoo’s hands in both of his. “I got us here, didn’t I? I can do this. Let me do this for Baekhyun.” Sehun pleads. His eyes as he bores into Kyungsoo's are strong and determined, and the grip he holds on Kyungsoo's hands is unwavering.

Kyungsoo looks over the edge once, and back at Sehun, who still has his hands in a vice-like grip. He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes, and opens them again to look straight into Sehun's eyes. “You’re right, you did get us here. And you can do this. I’m sorry I doubted you." 

“That’s okay, Kyungsoo," Sehun says, letting his grip go to prepare for the spell. "Trust is always scary.”

His mother’s words ring through his head at Sehun’s words. Trust is always a scary thing, Kyungsoo. But it’s also something freeing. 

Kyungsoo decides to let go and trust Sehun. 

Concentrating, Sehun says a chant, and then brings up his hands. As his hands begin to move, Kyungsoo feels his feet suddenly lift off of the ground. He gasps.

"It's okay, Kyungsoo. I've got you," Sehun reassures him, eyebrows furrowed, and tongue sticking out of his mouth in concentration.

He’s slowly floating down, towards the window on the side of the building, and as he almost passes it, he reaches up and grabs the ledge, pulling himself up into the building. Climbing over the ledge, Kyungsoo begins to feel uneasy, as his feet don’t find any purchase, but Sehun’s still gently floating him down. Looking down, Kyungsoo sees the marbled floor of the palace hallway, and sweeps his eyes up and down the hall, making sure the coast is clear. In the next few moments, Kyungsoo feels his feet touch the floor, and he breathes a sigh of relief.

He’s made it inside.

Kyungsoo whistles three times, in quick succession, giving the signal for Sehun to start floating down as well. In the span of a handful of heartbeats, Sehun floats through the window, and Kyungsoo keeps his eyes on the lookout for any guests that might stumble upon them in the hallway. 

However, in the next second, Kyungsoo finds himself tumbling to the ground.

“Oops,” he hears Sehun say apologetically from above him, “I almost had it.” Sehun quickly scrambles off from on top of him, and apologizes again, as he helps Kyungsoo up.

“It’s fine,” he wheezes, patting his suit back into place. “We made it.”

Sehun smiles big, a shiny gleam of excitement in his eye.

But Kyungsoo can’t help but feel dread, heavy in his gut. Maybe it’s nerves. He smiles back at Sehun anyway.

They tip toe down the hall quietly, scanning their surroundings. The palace hallway is dimly lit, candles lighting the path along a long, embroidered red carpet. There are paintings on the wall, but instead of being portraits of royalty like Kyungsoo expects, he realizes they're different painted scenes illustrating the war. Kyungsoo turns away and gulps, the sickening feeling in his stomach growing, crawling up his throat, making him cough.

“What’s the plan from here?” Sehun whispers.

“Keep Baekhyun safe,” Kyungsoo whispers back. His voice is steady despite his wild heartbeat thrumming in his chest. He wills the nerves down.

Peeking around the corner, Sehun turns back around to Kyungsoo. “Guess we gotta find him first to keep him safe, huh?”

“Look for an entrance into the main dance hall.”

“Like this?” Sehun asks, pushing a heavy door open, leading into a brightly lit up ballroom, filled with dancing people in fancy attire and symphonic music.

“Yes, Sehun!” Kyungsoo smiles now, ruffling the boy’s hair. “You’re amazing.”

Sehun beams, as they both step into the King’s Annual Battalion Ball.

***

The second they step into the room, Kyungsoo is awestruck.

Marble arches, draperies, hand-painted murals, sculptures of gold, a live symphonic band - Kyungsoo doesn’t think he’s ever seen such wealth all in one room. There are an abundance of colors, swirling around the room on the dance floor, and there's a mixture of floral perfumes and freshly baked desserts wafting around the room. It's almost intoxicating. He takes a deep breath, and slowly walks further into the room, with Sehun following immediately behind him.

"Wow," Sehun breathes out from behind him. "So this is what the big buzz has been all about, huh?"

As the pair search for the wizard, Kyungsoo takes notice of the suits and dresses presented; the satin gowns, rolls and rolls of sparkling taffeta, silk top hats, pinstripe suits, and shiny dress shoes and heels, all in assorted colors of the rainbow. He even spots some dramatic feather boas in the sea of best dressed guests. Some of the outfits even look vaguely familiar, something he probably came across at Sheep's Shop, maybe something he helped tailor at one point or another. A few of the hats sticking up and out from the crowd are also creations Kyungsoo recalls having a hand in or making himself. There's even one pink hat in particular - 

"There's the King," Sehun says to him, gesturing towards the stage, where the King is sat, flanked by his sons, the eldest princes Minseok and Junmyeon. There used to be other sons, Kyungsoo thinks, but he can’t recall their names. He returns to scanning the crowd for Baekhyun.

But looking for Baekhyun turns out to be easier than he thought, when he appears directly in front of the pair.

“What are you two doing here?” he demands, face visibly upset.

“We’re here to keep you safe!” Sehun proudly declares, a piece of shrimp in his mouth, while his hand holds an entire glass of shrimp cocktail.

“Keep me safe?” Baekhyun echoes his apprentice. “And how exactly does crashing a royal event, going around using magic recklessly, and eating shrimp cocktail ‘keep me safe?’”

Sehun shrinks back, putting the cup of shrimp back down on the table he picked it up from.

“Don’t be like that, Baekhyun. We knew what you were planning was dangerous, and we came to help.” Kyungsoo cuts in.

“If you knew it was dangerous, then why did you follow me? You two need to leave right now - “

Kyungsoo shuts him up by kissing him.

It only lasts a few seconds, but in those few seconds, Kyungsoo is happy. He doesn’t care about the potentially dangerous, even deadly, situation they’re in, he doesn’t care that he probably just grossed out poor Sehun, who’s watching all of this go down. He doesn’t think about how he’s cursed or how they’re in the middle of a war. All Kyungsoo can think about is the press of warm, soft lips against his, the electricity he feels running through his fingertips all the down to his toes, and the beating of his own heart.

Pulling apart moments later, Kyungsoo keeps their faces close, close enough to feel their heavy breathing on each other’s faces. “We came because we love you.” He looks up into Baekhyun’s eyes. “I love you, Baekhyun. And I am not letting you do this alone.”

“You love me?” Baekhyun asks, in the softest, quietest voice.

“Yes, I do. And I don’t care if you can’t love me back; it’s okay. Love isn’t about being reciprocated.”

Baekhyun places a hand over his heart, or where his heart would be if he had one. He has an odd look on his face. “Kyungsoo -  

“The King would like an audience with the Mighty and Powerful Wizard Baekhyun of the Moving Castle,” a voice announces, from the top of the stage.

Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow at Baekhyun, and the wizard quickly replies, “They asked me for my name, and that’s what I gave them.” He shrugs before grabbing Kyungsoo’s hands in his. “I have to go, but wait for me. Please. I’ll find you.”

“I’ll always wait for you.”

Baekhyun smiles, a beautiful, bright smile, despite the circumstances. He unclasps their hands and leaves, trotting towards the stage, where the King sits on his throne, overlooking the crowd.

“Ewww, did I just bring you here so you can make out with Master Baekhyun?” Sehun grimaces. "When Chanyeol said Master Baekhyun liked older men, this is not what I thought he meant - "

Kyungsoo shushes him, as he pulls Sehun in to watch Baekhyun’s court with the King.

The King, still sitting on top of his throne on the stage, brings up his hands to quiet all of the guests of the ball, as he clears his throat.

“Today, my fair guests and loyal subjects of Kingdom Exodus,” he croaks, “We have a special guest for you all.” The King's voice is raspy or hoarse. If Kyungsoo didn’t know any better, he would think the King was sick. “You may all have heard of him. He is a powerful wizard, one of the most powerful in all the kingdom, and he’s here today to officially join our war efforts!”

The audience bursts into applause.

“Actually,” comes Baekhyun’s voice, making the crowd hush. “I’m here to denounce it.” He smiles, as if he didn't just insult the King's war agenda in front of his - and the entire kingdom's - face.

“Excuse me?” the King’s voice rumbles.

“I’m not here to join your war,” Baekhyun repeats himself, “but I’m here to speak against it. I do not believe in this war.”

The audience gasps.

He turns to them.

“How many of you here can even remember why this war started?” 

No one speaks up.

“This was has been going on since before most of us here were even born! Why must it continue now? Why must we suffer, and then our children suffer as well?” Baekhyun walks up the stage, closer to where the King is sat. “I’ve lost so many of my loved ones to this war, family who had to enlist per this man’s - “ Baekhyun points to the King, “ - orders. I don’t condone this war.” Baekhyun turns to the King. “And I’m here today, to beg you to end it. Bring us peace.”

“Peace?” the King coughs out, wobbling to stand up from his throne. One of the princes runs over to help him stand. “This is treason, and for that, you must die.”

No.

“Capture this wizard,” the King says, pointing at Baekhyun, “and kill him for his crimes.”

“No!” Kyungsoo screams out loud this time. He didn't think this would go over particularly well, but killed? Kyungsoo wasn't prepared for that outcome.

The King looks at him, before dark clouds of ash gray smoke begin to curl around the room. The party-goers begin to murmur in confusion and concern.

“Fancy running into you here, Baekhyun."

A chill runs down Kyungsoo’s spine. He would know that voice anywhere. 

The Witch of the Waste makes her entrance unto the scene. Her slimy blobs of henchman follow her, leaving trails of oozing black trails of goo in their wake. “My apologies, Your Royal Highness, but no one is going to kill that wizard unless it’s me.” In her next breath, she hurls a spell straight at Baekhyun, directly hitting his chest.

People scream.

Baekhyun crumples to his knees. “Welcome to the party,” he manages to wheezes out.

“Baekhyun!” Kyungsoo cries out, running towards him.

“Oh, I see,” the Witch laughs, bitterly. “You brought your latest boyfriend here with you, huh?” She throws a spell at him, and all Kyungsoo can hear is Baekhyun screaming, “Kyungsoo!” before he hears the sound of a huge crack, like glass breaking. He looks up, and he sees a pink shell surrounding him, protecting him like a shield. It must have blocked the attack.

“That is enough, Taeyeon.” Lady Tiffany emerges from the crowd, moving towards the scene. “This isn’t you, Taeyeon. What are you doing?” She makes herself a shield to deflect a spell the Witch tosses her way, and throws an attack spell at one of the Witch’s blobby henchman headed straight for her.

“This is me now,” the Witch yells, pointing at Baekhyun, “this is me after he stole my heart and devoured it!”

Baekhyun stands up, shaking off the earlier hit. “I didn’t take your heart, Taeyeon!”

“Liar!” she screams, her cries echoing off the marble arches of the room, chilling Kyungsoo down to the bone.

The Witch flings her hands around angrily, and suddenly, objects around the ballroom come to life, attacking the innocent party-goers. Screams fill the room.

There’s a curtain entangling a musician in its cloth, tables pinning guests to the wall, and a candelabra trapping a group of people in a ring of fire.

Baekhyun is throwing protection spells left and right, Lady Tiffany creates more shields, Sehun douses out fires with simple water spells, and Kyungsoo runs to help people as best as he can.

The Witch’s cackle bounces off of the walls. “Do you really think you four can really save them all?”

She’s right. They need help, and they need it fast.

Just then, the main doors of the palace bust open, making a booming sound as they fall to the ground, and a sound like an oncoming stampede approaches. Kicking up dust, forest animals of all different kinds run into the room, and begin fighting off the furniture and random household objects, defending the guests of the ball. Kyungsoo can’t quite believe his eyes.

As he’s distracted, a desk comes flying at him at full speed. Kyungsoo doesn't have the time to move, so he shuts his eyes in anticipation, but the hit doesn’t come like he expects it to, and when he looks up, a bear has clawed his way through the wooden frame. Bewildered, Kyungsoo stares until he hears a familiar voice and head peek down from the top of the bear’s back.

“Is Soo okay?”

“Jongin?”

“And Chanyeol!” the fire demon peeks out from behind Jongin.

“What are, how are, this is - “ 

“Amazing, right?” Chanyeol grins, sliding off of the bear’s back, Jongin in tow. The little boy hugs Kyungsoo tight. “Jongin called all the animals for help, and I have legs again!" 

“How?" Kyungsoo really isn't sure his eyes are making out the images in front of him correctly.

"Haven't we already been over the fact that the kid can talk to animals?" Chanyeol says nonchalantly, pointing at Jongin. "Honestly, with a few words he asked some squirrels and birds to pass along the forest, these guys just flocked to us - "

"How do you have legs, Chanyeol?"

Chanyeol grins, showing all 500 of his teeth. “Kyungsoo, you broke the contract!”

“But, how - “

The Witch screams in frustration, making them all redirect their focus. Her eyes blacken, completely losing the ring of white surrounding the pupils.

Kyungsoo hears it before he sees it. The release of bombs from a floating battleship is all too familiar a sound for him, since he dreams of it practically every other night. He also recalls the sound from his night at the warlands, right outside the black dial of the front door of the moving castle with Baekhyun. That seems almost like a lifetime ago. He dives for cover, pulling Chanyeol and Jongin down with him, as the first bombs hit the palace.

The sound of the destruction is so loud it makes Kyungsoo’s ears ring. He smells the smoke, and it takes up all the space in his lungs, making him cough. He looks up, and a good portion of the ceiling is gone, showing the floating battleships responsible for the explosion up in the nighttime sky.

If it wasn’t for the shields that were set up before the major blasts, Kyungsoo things more of the building would have collapsed.

The second bomb makes the ground shake, along with the whole building, and a side of the ballroom completely rumbles. The cries this time are louder. 

“Taeyeon, stop this!”

Kyungsoo hears Baekhyun’s voice, and whips his head around to find him.

“Give me back my heart, devourer!”

“I don’t have it, I promise you!” 

She laughs, wickedly. “If you don’t have it, then who does?”

“He does,” Baekhyun says, pointing to the king, still on the stage, huddled with his guards.

At the mention of him, the King looks up, and realizing the Witch is looking directly at him, he shudders, backing away.

The Witch pauses, head tilted, staring at the King.

Baekhyun seizes the moment to use a spell on the Witch and the King, forcibly pulling the both of them to the center of the room, when suddenly, a circle of powder dust that Kyungsoo realizes Sehun supplied Baekhyun with earlier that evening, flashes, and a force field activates. 

The Witch screams in pain, and the King howls along with her. 

Looking at the King in the magic circle, Kyungsoo can see the clear outline of a blackened heart sitting in the King’s stomach. He gasps.

It all begins to make sense.

The war never ending due to a mad, power-hungry king, who wanted to secure his position as leader of the all the land. Hearing about the immense power that a witch or wizard’s heart could give him, he stole Taeyeon’s unguarded heart in the dead of night and made off with it, later consuming it for power. But just like Chanyeol had warned, the King started going mad, and began waging wars with other kingdoms, never letting the cycle of fighting, brutality, and death end. He also fell ill, his sickly body being drained of its energy because of the magic heart in the pit of his stomach.

“My heart!” the Witch of the Waste screeches, realizing where her heart truly had been this whole time. “Give it back to me!”

Baekhyun is intensely chanting a spell, has been the whole time the three of them had stepped foot into the circle. His eyes are glowing white, and a powerful wind is sweeping through the three of them within the ring. A moment later, from the powder, flames rise. The flames, however, are black.

As Baekhyun continues to chant, the King’s body starts levitating off the ground, and Kyungsoo can see the outline of the Witch’s heart trying to physically leave his body. In the next few moments, Baekhyun’s voice rises, expelling the heart from the King’s body, and the Witch desperately lunges for it, swallowing it whole.

The circle stops, the fighting stops. Everything seems to stop in that one moment.

Then, in the next moment, the Witch’s body begins illuminating a bright, fluorescent beam of light that makes everyone turn away.

When they all turn back to the scene, the Witch’s body is collapsed on the ground, and the King’s body is now dust. The fighting has stopped, all inanimate objects going back to their former inanimated selves, no battleships in the sky. 

It is over.

The dust from the destruction of the palace settles over, and people begin getting up to escape.

Kyungsoo picks up Jongin from his crouched position that Kyungsoo had shoved him into when the first bomb had dropped.

“Ya know, you don’t look too bad when you’re young, gramps.” Chanyeol tells him, helping the both of them up.

Kyungsoo is still disoriented from all of the chaos from just 2 seconds ago to quite understand what Chanyeol is saying. "What?"

“Kyungsoo, is that you?” Sehun asks, coming up to him hesitantly.

“Of course it’s me, Sehun. What do you mean?” Kyungsoo gasps, slapping a hand over his mouth.

His voice isn’t the rickety old croak of an old grandpa, but the deep timber of a young man. His eyes go wide, as he frantically searches for something to look at his reflection in.

“Are you looking for something like this?”

Baekhyun appears in front of him, out of no where, just like always. Only now, he’s holding a piece of a broken mirror in his hands. 

Kyungsoo looks into his reflection for one moment, just to affirm his suspicions, and then tosses it aside to bring Baekhyun into his arms.

“You made it back to me,” he cries, tears streaming down his face and onto Baekhyun’s shoulder.

“I said I always would, didn’t I?” he replies, smiling into Kyungsoo’s neck.

Pulling away, Kyungsoo asks, “How did you know it was me?”

“How could I forget the cute boy from the hat shop?”

The hat shop. Did Baekhyun knew this whole time? Kyungsoo has so many questions. But instead, he asks, “You think I’m cute?”

Baekhyun grins. “Not as cute as you think I am.”

“Oh, brother,” Chanyeol moans. “I should have just died five minutes ago. Or maybe, I should have just stayed chained to the castle, just so I wouldn’t have to witness this." 

Kyungsoo lightly punches Baekhyun’s shoulder, and then turns to Chanyeol. “I still don’t understand. How are you here right now, Chanyeol?”

“I told you, you broke the contract.”

“How?”

“When you kissed me and told me you loved me,” Baekhyun interjects, “you gave me a new heart.”

“Oh,” Chanyeol rolls his eyes, “so that’s how he did it. Figures.”

“A new…”

“A new heart,” Baekhyun repeats, bringing Kyungsoo’s hand up to his chest to feel the light thumping of his heartbeat.

“I still don’t understand,” Kyungsoo pulls his hand away, “how could I have possibly done that?”

The wizard laughs, softly. “Don’t you see, Kyungsoo? You’re magic.” Baekhyun says, holding Kyungsoo’s hand in his before he can fully pull away. “You breathe life into things, make them more alive. Your crafts, the home - even me. Kyungsoo, you gave me a new heart.” He squeezes Kyungsoo’s hand. “I love you, Kyungsoo!” Baekhyun suddenly shouts out loud, for everyone to hear.

“What are you doing,” Kyungsoo says, pleasantly surprised, but embarrassed, trying to muffle Baekhyun’s mouth with his hand.

Baekhyun laughs, the breeze carrying the twinkling sound of it through the air. “It just feels so good to say out loud,” he sighs. “It feels so good to love.” He looks at Kyungsoo. “It feels so good to love you.”

Kyungsoo flushes. His heart soars. 

“I’d have to concur, except minus all the touchy-feely stuff he put in there,” Chanyeol says. “I grant entrance into the castle, Kyungsoo. Even if Jongdae led you there, I ultimately let ya stay, and I did it because I knew there was something magical about ya.” He looks over at Kyungsoo. “I just didn’t know what it was then, but I do now." 

“Speaking of Jongdae,” Sehun asks, “where is he?”

Kyungsoo looks to Chanyeol.

“Hey, I know it was my job to look after him, but he completely disappeared. M.I.A. I’ve got no idea where he is.”

“Ahem,” a voice chimes in. They all turn to the source of the noise, finding a handsome young man with black hair and a chiseled jawline. “That would be me.” He bows. “Kim Jongdae.”

Where has Kyungsoo heard that name before?

“Huh?” Sehun questions, looking at the man up and down.

Jongin pushes through to stand in front of the man. “Jongdae?” he questions him.

“Jongin,” the man, Jongdae supposedly, says fondly as he leans down. “Do you remember me?”

Jongin pokes his finger into Jongdae’s chest, and keeps it there. Looking at him in the eye, Jongin says, “Brother.”

There are tears in Jongdae’s eyes, as he picks up Jongin in a hug. “Yeah, that’s me, your brother Jongdae. He laughs, a loud, joyful laugh.

Before anyone can ask, the princes of the kingdom are running towards the hugging pair, and envelope them both in a hug.

“Jongdae! Jongin!” Prince Minseok and Junmyeon cry, as they embrace each other.

“Okay, I’m officially confused.” Sehun states.

Jongdae laughs, wiping away some of his tears, as he sets Jongin down, only for the boy to be picked up and coddled by the two princes.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t very clear. Ahem,” Jongdae clears his throat. “My name is Kim Jongdae, the missing 3rd prince of the kingdom of Exodus.” He bows low. “I went missing when I went in search of our littlest brother, Jongin, a very long time ago. I ran into the Witch, and she cursed me into a cat. I hadn’t realized that the Witch had also cursed Jongin to have no memory of us; it must be why he never came home after he went out to play one day.” 

Sehun’s jaw drops, as if nothing else today was surprising enough for him. “Jongin’s a prince?”

“Yes, yes he is. Our littlest prince,” Jongdae says fondly. His grin curls up, reminding Kyungsoo of the cat he once was.

Jongdae turns to Kyungsoo. “Thank you, for watching after my baby brother for all these years. I truly can’t ever repay you, Kyungsoo.”

“We can’t ever repay you,” one of the princes say, cutting in. “Kim Junmyeon, 2nd prince. We really can’t ever thank you enough. You brought our family back together.”

“Kim Minseok, eldest prince,” the last prince introduces himself. “Thank you for watching after my baby brothers,” he says, taking a second to look at every person gathered in their little group. “The kingdom is forever indebted to you.” 

Baekhyun lets go of Kyungsoo’s hand to put a hand on Prince Minseok’s arm. “I am sorry about your father, the King.”

Minseok sighs. “It was time. He couldn’t continue living that way. But thank you, for bringing peace back. You’ll be hearing from us again soon, Wizard Baekhyun.”

The 2nd eldest prince looks at his brothers. “I think it’s time to go. We have a lot to do.”

The three elder princes move to leave, but Jongin hesitates. 

Jongdae kneels down to speak with him. “What’s wrong, Jongin?”

“Soo’s my brother, too.” Jongin looks at Kyungsoo, and then the rest of the group. “I don’t wanna go.”

Jongdae hums and then nods in understanding. “Why don’t I come to the castle soon for a visit? How does that sound?”

Jongin smiles brightly, enough to see his missing tooth. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Ruffling Jongin’s hair, Jongdae promises to see him again soon, bringing along all his brothers.

After the brothers leave, Lady Tiffany arrives. 

“Kyungsoo, darling,” she says, smile reaching the crinkles of her eyes. She reaches out and hugs the life out of Kyungsoo. “You’re safe.”

“Thanks to your protection spell you casted,” Baekhyun comments. “Thank you for that.”

Lady Tiffany cautiously looks over the wizard. “Of course. I care about Kyungsoo very deeply, as his mother was a good friend of mine.”

Kyungsoo hadn’t known that fact before. He looks at Lady Tiffany, puzzled.

“We’ll talk later," says Lady Tiffany, smiling at Kyungsoo with a promise before turning her attention back to Baekhyun. “Taeyeon will be coming with me; I can take her to a specialized healer for her recovery,” she informs him.

“So she’s alive. I’m glad. I wasn’t completely sure that spell would work.” 

“But it did.” Lady Tiffany turns to Baekhyun, putting a hand on his shoulder and lightly squeezing before letting go. “Thank you.”

“Take care of her.”

“I will." 

When Lady Tiffany makes her exit, Kyungsoo looks at the group surrounding him. A fire demon, his adopted baby brother, a young apprentice, and the love of his life.

It’s nice to have a family again.

“Let’s go home,” Baekhyun says, grabbing onto Kyungsoo’s hand again.

Smiling, Kyungsoo echoes his sentiment. “Let’s go home.”

 

***

EPILOGUE

The war stopped pretty quickly after the ball.

Word had gotten out of the horrors the previous King had done, and the new King, the second eldest son Junmyeon, had been spending his first 100 days of reign mending past alliances with neighboring kingdoms, and effectively putting an and to the treacherous war that almost tore their kingdom apart. Soon, soldiers start coming back home. 

Jongdae visits often, just as he promised, sometimes bringing the other brothers along when they weren’t busy with their official palace duties.

Kyungsoo and Jongin, now curse free, had finally gone back to Sheep’s Shop, and reunited with Yixing, Seulgi, Yerim, and all the others.

“Where have you two been?” Seulgi cries, as she wraps the two of them in deep, warm hugs.

“Jongin! Kyungsoo! I missed you!” Yeri follows immediately after, jumping up and climbing all over them to give them both kisses on the cheek.

“Welcome back,” Yixing grins, as he sees them in the front entryway of the store.

Kyungsoo goes up to Yixing and hugs the man, surprising both Yixing and himself.

“What was that for?” Yixing laughs.

“For caring about me and my mom, all those years ago. And, for that walking stick,” Kyungsoo says, with a wink.

Yixing has a knowing smile on his face. “You’re welcome, Kyungsoo.”

Although Chanyeol's now the proud owner of two ridiculously long legs, and can freely roam about to wherever he chooses, he’s often still at the castle - just like the old days. 

“Why are you even here, Chanyeol,” Sehun complains, “go away.”

“How would this big heap of junk move around without me?”

Sehun rolls his eyes. "Whatever." He tries to hide his smile.

Chanyeol laughs (something he seems to do often these days), whole heartedly, with all his teeth showing and his nose scrunched up. "Whatever," he replies, no malice.

One day, when everyone else is sleeping, Baekhyun turns to Kyungsoo in bed to ask a question.

“Do you miss them?”

“Who?”

“Your family, I mean.”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo answers honestly. “I think I’ll always miss them, but it’s okay.” Kyungsoo kisses Baekhyun slowly and softly, with his hands gently holding Baekhyun's face, before continuing. “I have a new family now, and I love them very much.”

Baekhyun smiles so big, his canines show. Kyungsoo loves when that happens.

“Me too. I love our new family too.” the wizard says as he goes in for another kiss.

“Hey, Kyungsoo," Baekhyun says after a beat.

Kyungsoo’s about to drift off to sleep, but he hums in response. “Hmmm.”

“I love you.”

Without opening his eyes, Kyungsoo smiles. 

“I love you, too.”

And then Kyungsoo falls asleep, with deep breaths, and peaceful dreams.

In, out, in, out, in out.

Loving Baekhyun is just like breathing - easy, natural.

***