Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Plants need special care, and Jongdae has been learning the ins and outs of every plant he takes care of. Outside of the necessary sunlight requirements, most plants respond particularly well to moonlight, being placed under the rays of the moon during specific lunar phases can activate specific chemical properties of the plant, making it more power and thus more magical.

Currently, Jongdae is rehoming an epiphyllum oxypetalum, also known as a Queen of the Night, or orchid cactus, to encourage more flower growth. It’s getting over what he would call a ‘common cold’ as far as plants are concerned. It’s a gorgeous plant that prefers to cling to rocks, trees, or other shrubs. Jongdae has this one with a small trellis.

“We’ve discussed this before,” he whispers to the small cactus, “that you need a bigger home. We have to stop getting sick.” Like any living thing that needs special care Jongdae was taught the importance of talking to his plants (though during the day when he was alone he could be caught singing).

“I’m heading out,” Junmyeon puts on his denim jacket, Gully, his raven familiar with her distinctive gurgling croak, moving from her perch to his shoulder. The crisp spring air lending itself to be just chilly enough to warrant more coverage. “Don’t stay much longer, there’s things I need you to do tomorrow before your trip.”

Jongdae pouts at Junmyeon calling him entering the Cave of Companions a ‘trip’ as it's hardly something as trivial as a trip.

“I’m just repotting this, it's stunted and keeps getting brown leaves no matter how much I talk to them.”

Junmyeon walks back towards Jongdae, Gully hopping back onto her perch sounding one of her ‘knocks’, as Jongdae likes to call it, in what Jongdae has dubbed and recognized as impatience. But Junmyeon pays her no extra mind, so Jongdae doesn’t either.

Jongdae notices the dirt under his short finger nails. Junmyeon runs his thumb and forefinger up the stem of the plant where it weaves throughout the trellis, sitting in its new pot but not completely settled. His index grazing the top of one of its leaves.

His gaze connects with Gully who flies in their direction. Jongdae ducks his head out of habit and caution, as Gully lands on Junmyeon’s shoulder.

“They're not sick, but it needs more feed than I realized, so it’s no wonder you’re having trouble getting them better, though I can’t deny they're much better than last week.” Junmyeon takes a handful of the infused soil Jongdae had been working on all week and begins to fill in the open gaps until he’s gently patting the soil on top, whispering magic into the soil, and into their roots, Gully at his side.

Jongdae just watches, disappointed again. Junmyeon sees his expression and wipes his dirt covered hands on his jeans and clasps him on the back of his neck. “It’s nothing you did wrong, they just needed a little extra more than what you can give.”

“It’s just…” Jongdae pauses, not wanting to seem petulant, but Junmyeon understands. He’s known Jongdae, worked with him, for quite a while now, catches on to his frustrations better than Jongdae himself most of the time.

“It’s frustrating,” Junmyeon is patient and his teacher voice is back, “I get it. I wasn’t able to do half of what you’re capable right now before I met Gully,” she sounds in what Jongdae assumes is agreement, unable to speak with Junmyeon’s familiar, “and I know you’ll surpass me.”

Jongdae scrunches his nose is dislike, Junmyeon taught him everything he knows about plants and their properties, and becoming better than him seems like a far distant dream. But before Jongdae can defend his own mentor’s honor Junmyeon cups his hand over his mouth and giggles , “I mean, you’re most likely to surpass me, but I am this districts resident green witch so I’d prefer you to become the best somewhere else.”

“You’re annoying,” Jongdae whines, kicking Junmyeon’s foot without any real malice.

Junmyeon laughs and his familiar makes noises that Jongdae can only assume is supposed to be raven laughter. She’s probably mocking him.

“Sing to them,” Junmyeon notes, his steps echoing on the hardwood floor of the indoor area of the nursery, “they tell me they love when you sing to them.”

Jongdae blushes, he usually doesn’t sing with Junmyeon around but he has been caught and claimed it was because he thought the plants liked it better. Junmyeon smiled then, his eyes disappearing in glee, and he agreed with Jongdae and now encourages it on the daily.

He’s a terror, Jongdae has learned.

Jongdae sings to the queen of the night, moving its pot to the large bay window to receive the most amount of moonlight, and gives it new fresh water for the soil. He can feel the magic flow through the soil and into its roots.

“He's right,” he says aloud, to himself and the plant, “I don’t have enough magic to give.” He tickles a leaf and feels the magic playfully swipe back.

When Jongdae returns to his home it’s to Baekhyun reheating leftovers and his tabby cat familiar following him around their apartment, meowing loudly to Jongdae’s ears, but probably a host of swears to his witch begging for extra food.

Their apartment is small by Jongdae’s standards and cozy by Baekhyun’s, who claims they’re lucky they even found an apartment with a second bedroom at their price point. They cleanup after themselves after every meal, hardly even letting it wait for another day, because if they did that it would get filthy faster than they can could keep up. It’s better this way with Noodle, Baekhyun’s feline familiar, who purposefully knocks things off counters and tables when it gets too cluttered for him to roam easily.

Baekhyun works in marketing as his main source of income, but keeping their apartment in good shape is also beneficial when he has the occasional customer come by for a cleansing when a house call is out of the question. Sometimes love sickness spells shouldn’t be performed at the clients residence, it’s bad form to the person who also lives there.

As a general rule of the apartment, and as two witches they have a few, Jongdae doesn’t get involved in Baekhyun’s love sickness spells, and Baekhyun doesn’t touch Jongdae’s plants that hang in the few open corners of the apartment and on their tiny outdoor balcony, or the succulents that sit on the windowsill.

Jongdae is thankful when he notices there’s a clean plate on the counter next to the reheated food for when he's ready.

“Noodle told me you were coming, you’re welcome,” is Baekhyun’s hello. Noodle rubs against Jongdae’s legs in greeting. Jongdae refrains from picking him up, he’d prefer to not get cat hair all over himself at the moment.

“Thaaaank you~” Jongdae singsongs, navigating through their tiny apartment so he can place his bags down and shower off the dirt and magic from work.

When he emerges it’s to Baekhyun going one step further and plating food for Jongdae, his own dirty plate still on their small kitchen table that’s cluttered with a mixture of junk mail they haven’t gotten rid of and some of Baekhyun's spell books.

There’s a vibration in the room, coming directly from Baekhyun. He has something to say but isn’t saying it. “I can feel your energy from here,” Jongdae tells him, filling a glass of water from the sink.

“I’m just excited,” Baekhyun chirps, placing the plate down for Jongdae. He’s being too domestic. “Like, it’s about time you went and got your familiar.”

Jongdae pouts. “Is it really?” Jongdae takes a large bite of food, stopping himself from saying anything more. Most people make the journey once they’ve come of age, between sixteen or eighteen, depending on your family and your own abilities. Jongdae is closer to thirty than he is to twenty, but he's been putting this off for a plethora of reasons.

“Yes!” Baekhyun exclaims, “You’re so good at sensing energies and shit and it’s annoying that you can’t see how much of you is being wasted by not having a familiar.”

Jongdae shoves the food to one side of his mouth, puffing his cheek out like a chipmunk or squirrel that’s carrying their food around to bury for later, and screw manners because this is Baekhyun who not only talks with his mouth full, but also has been Jongdae’s friend since childhood and his roommate for several years.

“I’m not that good at energies,” Jongdae admonishes, because it’s true, “I’ve just known you forever and yours is so loud. And I’m not wasting my magic by not having a familiar.”

“You’re just wasting your potential.” It’s the same argument that’s been frequently brought up for years; Jongdae doesn’t see it as a waste, and brings up his usual defense.

“There are plenty of powerful witches that don’t have a familiar,” Jongdae states.

“Because they can’t. You can,” Baekhyun emphasizes. Jongdae swallows the food in his mouth and holds up a hand for Baekhyun to stop, wags his finger back in forth to indicate ’No more’ but Baekhyun plows on anyway, “And it’s wasted that you’ve denied and put this off for years.”

“I haven’t denied it,” Jongdae supplies, “I’ve just not wanted to,” the you know why remains unsaid. “And this argument is null because it's happening tomorrow night.” Jongdae deflects, and gives Baekhyun a look that he hopes Baekhyun can tell means, drop it, please.

Noodle jumps into Jongdae’s lap, a white flag from both of them that Jongdae knows is sincere when Noodle doesn’t even try to beg or steal from his plate, instead content to lounge and purr while Jongdae finishes his meal.

So much for not getting hair all over his clothes.

There is a part of Jongdae, that he isn't as ready or willing to admit, that is relieved that he’s finally going to the Cave to bond with his familiar. Baekhyun is right, and maybe that’s the part that Jongdae doesn’t want to confess to, that he’s currently reached a block with his magic and has limitations to what he can and cannot do. There’s a level of frustration that outweighs whatever qualms Jongdae has had for the past few years in getting a new familiar.

They're not a replacement. They will only lead you farther and deeper into your own abilities.

Learning different magic, a new branch outside of weather, helped refocus Jongdae, and helped ground him and moved him forward. Learning about green magic from Junmyeon was therapeutic in a way he hadn’t anticipated when he realized storm casting was currently impossible. Mentally and magically. Not on his own and not after what happened.

There’s a silent truce, and Baekhyun does the dishes while Jongdae lounges on the couch with Noodle after taking care of his personal plants. He hopes, not for the first time, that his familiar will get along with Noodle. They should, considering how close Jongdae and Baekhyun are, but familiars are also their own beings, and a little animosity isn’t unheard of when it comes to clashing animal types.

Baekhyun joins them in the living area shortly after, watching the game program distractedly while he watches Noodle cuddling up with Jongdae.

“Don’t be jealous,” Jongdae teases, knowing it bothers Baekhyun how much his own familiar is drawn to someone else.

“I’m not,” Baekhyun pouts, “it's just unfair you let Noodle comfort you more than you let me.”

“Do you need to take one of your own tonics?”

“I’m not suffering from love sickness, ugly.” Baekhyun kicks Jongdae’s leg, jostling him and Noodle who flicks his tail in annoyance with a meow. “But Noodle is right, you do need to calm down. I can make tea, if you want.”

“Sure, but only because you’re clearly babying me and I’m going to take advantage until further notice.”

In passing Baekhyun plucks a hair off of Jongdae’s head. “This is for the curse I’m going to put on you when you least expect it,” he teases. Dutifully, Noodle follows.

It’s only a few minutes later that Baekhyun is handing Jongdae his favorite mug, steaming with a calming chamomile tea. Jongdae makes a mental list of things to prepare before he sleeps, since he’s leaving directly from Junmyeon’s shop to the cave: his pendant (which he wears everyday regardless), his smoky quartz crystal for clarity and focus, his journal should he need to write his intentions down.

He’s been told a list of ways he may summon and be found by his familiar. Most annoying of all was Baekhyun saying Noodle just walked up to him before he could even try to call him forth. Jongdae instinctually knew he wouldn’t be as fortunate.

With a goodnight wave from Baekhyun, Jongdae goes to get ready for sleep, to set his intentions for tomorrow night. The moonlight is bright in his room and the plants he has along his desk bask in its light. He lights a candle his mother made, and is able to shut out the noises from his apartment and outside his apartment window while he meditates on his goals and visualizes his familiar.

He used to panic about entering the Cave; waiting and waiting with nothing but blank darkness, without a familiar to claim him. It’s happened before, rumors of those entering the Cave of Companions only to return without a familiar, devastated and distraught.

Jongdae’s been having dreams though, dreams that he brushed off because he’s never been one to seek answers or knowledge through the astral plane. His dreams slip from him just as easily as anyone else's do, but when Junmyeon asked and he admitted he didn’t keep a dream journal he bought him one and handed it to Jongdae the next morning.

And it's yielded interesting results. Jongdae had been having a reoccurring dream, of sorts, that he couldn’t make heads or tails of. No animal presented itself, but he frequently dreamed the color green, as grass, hedges, and rolling mountains. It wasn’t all as innocent, however. One particular night he dreamt of getting lost in an intricate maze and woke up to the sensation of what he could only describe as bugs crawling across his skin.

When he mentioned all of this to Junmyeon he had said it means Jongdae is environmentally conscious, and greedy for Junmyeon’s job as the districts green witch. Jongdae smacked him on the arm while Junmyeon laughed, and stopped asking for interpretations from his not-funny boss.

He knew that there was a common thought on dreams featuring bugs, but without knowledge of what kind of bug it could have meant anything from confusion to fertility. So, another dead end.

Jongdae wakes to the incessant buzzing of his phone and a crick in his neck. He dreamed about… he thinks he dreamed he was tied up by rope in the middle of the forest. But it’s completely expelled from his mind when he realizes the buzzing of his phone is because Junmyeon is calling him. He’s late.

“Hi,” Jongdae says, with his best not-just-woken-up voice while putting on the first pair of jeans, the ones from yesterday, and trying to pull himself together. “I’m sorry, I’ll be there soon.”

“Okay,” Junmyeon’s reply is casual, he isn’t irritated or upset that Jongdae is already ten minutes late for work. Great, now Jongdae can feel guilty about that, too. “Just don’t forget your supplies for tonight.” That's his firm boss voice, and jeez, Jongdae did almost forget his bag of items for the Cave.

He quickly finishes dressing himself, remembering to grab an extra sweatshirt since it’s still early spring and he’ll be, essentially, without protection when venturing into the woods and the Cave. He grabs his bag with his notebook and crystals, brushes his teeth as fast as possible, and combs a wet hand through his hair. He rushes past Noodle who is sitting on the back on the sofa while Baekhyun is sitting in his pajamas shoveling what looks like egg into his mouth. He takes a look at Jongdae and then at the time and a panicked sort of groan escapes him.

“I didn’t even know you were still here!” he bemoans.

Jongdae hates being late. It’s one thing to be within a five minute bracket, but another to be almost an entire hour by the time he makes it to Junmyeon’s on the other side of the city.

“I bet Noodle knew I was home,” Jongdae stuffs his feet into his shoes at the entrance of the door, swinging his arms through his jacket.

“Hey,” Jongdae can hear Baekhyun get up and place his plate of food on their small coffee table. One of his feet won’t smush itself properly into the shoe, getting caught on the heel. “Apologize to Noodle,” Baekhyun is holding the gray tabby cat with one hand cradling his butt, the other his chest, offering him up for Jongdae to express his apologies.

“He totally did know though, didn’t he?” Jongdae gruffly asks. “I don’t have time Baekhyun, I’m already late.”

“Junmyeon doesn’t care and we both know that.” Jongdae gives him a disbelieving look. “Junmyeon doesn’t care today,” he amends. “Noodle, however, cares that you blame him for your own carelessness about not setting your alarm.”

“Are those his words?”

“Yes,” Baekhyun replies, lifting him closer to Jongdae’s face. Noodle meows, a low displeased sound. “For the most part, at least.”

Jongdae gives him a small scratch under his chin in apology. Baekhyun moves him so he’s cradled against his chest.

“I can’t believe it’s happening!” Baekhyun is excited enough for the both of them. His excitement surpasses Jongdae’s by double and then some. Jongdae can’t help the small frown that sneaks past him. He snags his keys from the hook besides the door and does the signature pat down; keys, phone, wallet.

“I’ll see you later,” Jongdae opens the door and turns to leave.

Baekhyun squawks from behind. “Wait!” he calls out and Jongdae whines. “Good luck.” Jongdae hears a mrrp from Noodle as Baekhyun gently drops him to the floor and immediately embraces him in a hug while he’s already halfway outside their apartment. “Stay focused and clear your mind and have intention.” He keeps his grasp on Jongdae as he lists his advice, then moves his body away. “Be patient.”

“I know,” Jongdae responds, “I really have to go.”

“Okay. You grabbed the keys for my car, right?” Baekhyun, for all his teasing, is just as nervous as Jongdae is. The only difference is Jongdae is much better at hiding his nerves, masking it in his frenzy to get to work. And these nerves made it so that he completely forgot that he was going to take the car today, so he could drive directly to the Cave, which would otherwise be two bus trips and a long walk. Jongdae smiles and pushes Baekhyun off and away from him, grabbing the spare key to Baekhyun’s Honda with him.

“Thanks!”

Jongdae makes it to Junmyeon’s faster than he thought he would, mostly because he was able to avoid public transportation, and by the time he gets there he’s only forty minutes late, which is better than the hour he originally thought he’d be.

Junmyeon has him get to work immediately, but he checks on the queen of the night, and their leaves are already looking healthier.

He’s already forgotten about his dream.

The list of things Junmyeon needs Jongdae to do today mostly involves preparing pick-ups for orders that were placed earlier in the week. Jongdae used to be confused about Junmyeon’s profession, believing the man was an herbal hedge witch. Rather, instead of being the one to create the tonics and potions from all of the herbs, leaves, and flowers he grows he simply supplies them for other witches.

Baekhyun thinks he’s just a glorified florist, though.

But for the trickier plants, the rarer ones that took more energy and magic, Junmyeon supplied. And for the past three years Jongdae has helped. He’s helped and he’s learned more about botany than he ever anticipated as an aspiring weather witch.

Aspiring, even though it’s been years since he could successfully cast a storm, and calling up a wind takes monumental effort. More due to the emotional effort than the magical effort, but it seems like it just crosses over at this point.

Currently, they’re doing a purification spell to distill the water for the section of remedial herbs during a lull in their day when Junmyeon speaks up. “You have an affinity toward green magic,” he keeps his head down, watching the water from the tap fill the watering can. “But I’ve noticed you never talk about it as more than a hobby or something to pass the time.”

With one can full and purified Jongdae hoists it from the counter. “I’m learning a lot,” Jongdae starts, tilting the can watching the herbs being showered. “I want to do well in green magic.” He raises the can, the stream of water ending, and hesitates.

“But?” Junmyeon prompts, as a question, for him to continue.

"Well, I can't do my storm casting and wind calling because I don't have," lost Jongdae bitterly reminds himself, "a familiar. And that's what I’m supposed to master."

With the second can full Junmyeon imbues it with a simple purification spell, removing traces of fluoride, and lacing it with magic to encourage growth without the fear of lowering the quality. "What you're supposed to do, or what you want to do?"

Junmyeon is tricky like that, never outright questioning things, simply giving Jongdae alternative statements he mulls over for longer than he wants.

"Weather forecasting, manipulation, water dowsing,” Jongdae feels his guard raising as he lists all of the things his family magic allows them to excel in, "it's what I'm good at. Really good at.”

He suddenly feels defensive by what Junmyeon has to say, what Jongdae assumes he’s implying. There’s a need of self-approval he needs to conquer as well. He’s talked to Junmyeon what happened, the barest of details, but he also knows that being in his mid-twenties without a familiar is pretty uncommon and Junmyeon is a smart enough witch to put context clues together.

“I don’t doubt that, Jongdae.”

Junmyeon picks up his own watering can and moves to the other side of the nursery to feed the flowers for arrangements, ones specifically he enchants to give off energies. Though part of Junmyeon’s business is supplying to healers and hedge witches, his main source of business comes from enchantments on plants and other floral arrangements; helping to give off magical energies to promote whatever the customer wished. Arrangements for funerals that bring calmness and peace to the friends and family, arrangements that lessen feelings of anxiety for students in university; customers who have little to no magic in their family or lives.

Jongdae stays quiet. Doesn’t know what Junmyeon is trying to prove. If he’s even trying to prove anything.

The bell on the front door of the shop chimes, and since Junmyeon still has a mostly full can of water, “I’ll take care of it.” Jongdae volunteers.

They’re short, but no smaller than Jongdae himself, with short cropped black hair and thick rimmed glasses.

“How can I help you?” Jongdae asks.

“An arrangement for good luck,” Their voice, low and clear, settles in Jongdae’s chest. “Preferably chrysanthemums.”

There are a few flowers that could help with that, but the customer is right, mums are a great option, and one he would’ve suggested. Jongdae nods and gives a warm, customer service friendly smile. “I’ll be right back, take a look around if you’d like.”

He goes to head to the back where Junmyeon is watering beds of chrysanthemums and a few other options Jongdae had in mind, maybe narcissus, depending on what the good luck is for.

“Need help?” Junmyeon asks, finishing his task and placing the can back near the sink.

“They want an arrangement of mums. For good luck so they’ll need to be enchanted.” Jongdae supplies. Enchanting isn’t something he feels comfortable attempting.

Junmyeon whistles, and Gully glides from her high perch on the other side of the nursery to his shoulder. “Did they set a color preference?”

Jongdae bit his lip, “I didn’t ask,” he admits. Junmyeon hovers for a moment before picking the yellow bulbs, before bundling them like a bouquet.

“A feeling?” Jongdae smirks.

“Less of a feeling, more of an acquired knowledge.” Junmyeon’s cheeks turned round with his self-assured smile. It was part of his magic, simply knowing. It took a while for Jongdae to understand that it was part of Junmyeon to have that sort of sixth sense. And Junmyeon is very rarely wrong.

“Maybe some narcissus as well,” Junmyeon adds. “White ones.”

Jongdae abruptly turns around to head back into the nursery for the bulbed flowers. “How many?”

“Five.” Jongdae grabs them and hands them off to Junmyeon who places them gently onto his table before moving to the front of the store to confirm with the customer that he can proceed with an enchantment. Jongdae cleans up after Junmyeon, removing excess leaves that have come loose from their cuttings.

It's only a minute, but Junmyeon is already coming back to the nursery with a small pout on his face. “We’re not enchanting these. He said there was no need.”

Jongdae feels a little silly, for assuming that when he came into the shop specifically asking for a certain flower for a certain reason that he would want it enchanted.

Jongdae covers his own mistake and lightly teases Junmyeon instead, “Stop pouting, let me arrange it you’ll give it bad energy with all of that sulking.”

After Jongdae arranges the chrysanthemum and narcissus together, yellow with blooms of white, he brings them to the store front and the customer is looking at a large fern, arms crossed and brows furrowed in focus. It’s an intimidating stare, but he accepts the arrangement graciously, and leaves with a nod of thanks.

Later, as it dawns on Jongdae he asks, “Did that customer from earlier say why he didn’t want them enchanted?”

“Said he had his own preferred method of imbuing intention and energy. He just needed the right flowers from a reputable place,” Junmyeon dismisses it with a swat of his hand. “Fine enough. He was happy with the addition of the white narcissus, so at least there’s that.”

“Oooh, you’re reputable now!” Jongdae teases, “And you mean at least you sensed he’d be happy with the narcissus.”

“Oh, did I?” Junmyeon smiles, full of teeth and eyes as crescents, like a kid. Jongdae rolls his eyes in endeared exasperation.

“Your ego is limitless.”

Jongdae is kept busy enough that by the time the shop is ready to close he’s barely had time to mentally prepare for his night. He’s panicking a bit, and calms down by doing a thorough check on the queen of the night; stalks and leaves greener than yesterday and signs of new stalks preparing to spread as well. There’s a little bit of pride laced with his happiness at how well it’s doing after only a day, even if Jongdae convinces himself it's mostly due to Junmyeon’s magic.

On the drive to the Cave, which is actually situated in a park on the outskirts of the city, Jongdae begins to pre-set his intentions. It’s less about wanting a specific kind of familiar, and more about hoping to forge a bond and steady relationship. A familiar to help him get back into his weather magic.

He can’t deny that he’s imagined a raven like Junmyeon’s; notorious for moving forward in advanced spells and magic. He’s watched Junmyeon use feathers from Gully for spells on clairvoyance and helping him see more than what was in front of him. He’s never met someone with a sixth sense, a knack of knowing what was going to happen, quite as well as Junmyeon, who doesn’t even claim to be psychic. According to Junmyeon, not many things can genuinely surprise him anymore.

Or maybe a cat, like Baekhyun. They’re common, but for good reason. Jongdae has first hand experience with the working relationship that is between Baekhyun and Noodle; one of the most useful familiars for spell casting and rituals. Teachers of magic for their witch by their own right.

Jongdae pulls Baekhyun’s Honda to a stop at a small graveled parking lot, surrounded by elevated land and encumbered with trees. The drive was short, compared to how long it would’ve taken to arrive by public transport. He turns off his phone and leaves it in the glove compartment of the car. It’s beautiful here, even at night with the surroundings hidden in darkness.

Where the Cave resides, Jongdae learned growing up, is at the junction of two ley lines; supernatural rivers of energy. He’s transported back to lessons with his mother about magic and energy; her explaining over lunch that two lines intersecting creates an even larger pocket of concentrated energy. The energy which grants those like Jongdae, Baekhyun, and Junmyeon the power to hone and manipulate the world around them. Magic.

The closer to the ley lines, and where they intersect, the stronger and easier it is to tap into that energy. The Cave being there, a protected resource for witches and those part of the supernatural world, allows for the rich and vibrant community they’ve created and maintained throughout the centuries. And it’s here that many witches in the region come, where there’s an elevation in magic and energy, and the window between the physical and astral plane is open, to bind a familiar to them.

The walk to the entrance of the Cave of Companions is difficult at night, even with a flashlight guiding his way. Through dense wood and on foot worn paths Jongdae is brought to the mouth of a cave. It is exactly as Jongdae imagined, as it had been described; dark, with the sound of water flowing throughout, echoing. He checks his watch, it’s only a quarter after seven.

Jongdae walks through the entrance and immediately feels the shift of temperature and energy; it feels as if time itself has stopped. He can’t see more than a few feet in front of him as he carries a small flashlight as his only source of light. But he smells more than he can see, the earthy wet dirt and rocks, the clean scent of moving water. Working at Junmyeon’s shop provides a lot of earthen scents and magic, but Jongdae has never experienced something as pure as the magic here in the Cave.

It’s humbling, being in such a place that’s been used for centuries for witches to call forth their magical companions. Everything feels cleaner; from the air to the magic. Jongdae takes deep, stabilizing, and grounding breaths and moves forward.

For several minutes he moves without rhyme nor reason, like a pull Jongdae follows the path into the cave, seeing different paths but steadfast in following the pull and the instinctual feelings he knows to obey, waiting to see where exactly he ends up. No place he's come across seems like the right place for calling his familiar.

That force pulls him deeper into the cave, it's as if there’s a string knotted to his center which leads him until he reaches a small opening where there's a large hollow space, and water that gently cascades in small streams into a pool beneath, flowing underneath bedrock that no human can move through. The energy Jongdae feels is abundant and overwhelming in its power. It’s instinctual, to place his bag on the driest patch of ground a few meters into the hollowed area and prepare himself. Without questioning he knows this is where he needs to meditate and open the connection for his familiar. The pull from his center has stopped and Jongdae feels it relax and spread out away from him. He feels electrified, as if everything he's witnessing is through an overexposed lens, blurring into one another, smooth and flowing. Calm.

Now that he’s here, in the Cave, with all of the magic around him he is in a sort of trance, unbothered about his earlier qualms. Limits of time seem microscopic in comparison. Is that why Junmyeon was so unbothered by how late he was? Because he remembers this feeling? Or because he knew that it wouldn’t matter in the end if Jongdae was going to be late. Junmyeon probably knew before Jongdae was supposed to be at work that he would be late, his clairvoyance granting him a peek.

He checks his watch again, notices the minute hand has got stuck shortly after he last checked it, the seconds tick, tick, tick stuck in time. Jongdae begins meditating, lowering the brightness of his flashlight. There’s a stream of moonlight that beams down from where the water falls.

Jongdae prepared everything he brought; his smoky quartz crystal for focus, his journal, and his pendant he removes from around his neck.

He focuses on his intentions, his reason for entering the cave and who he is summoning. Holding his crystal at the hollow of his throat with his non-dominant hand, he uses his other to move his pendant in clockwise circles. He focuses and stirs the energy to a focal point in front of him. The shift is noticeable, and Jongdae is overcome with a calmness that he has acquired through years of spell meditation.

With his mind open, his body calm, can feel the energy from the floor of the cave, from the walls, and there’s still the point in front of him that swells and grows. The crystal is still cool against his skin, the pendant moves in its clockwise motions smooth and evenly.

There’s a sensation that isn’t unfamiliar, but that Jongdae cannot place. As if there are binds holding him in place, circling his chest, his arms, legs. With a deep breath he ceases the pendant circling, lets physics continue the motion and continues to hold the crystal to the base of his throat. He pictures himself sitting in the cave, the light illuminating the circumference of his staged area. Uses the law of attraction to summon his familiar.

Jongdae has reached his dream state, straddling the astral plane.

This moment, Jongdae concentrates, tries to visualize his familiar in the only way he can. As an energy forming with his, connected by the their magic, a give and take.

This moment, I call you to my side.
This moment, let it connect with me.

To Jongdae it felt like the experience lasted an hour at most. Which, in the astral plane, in a pocket of so much energy and the center of intersecting leys, might have been the truth. He’s still unsure what transpired, or how long, because when he returned to Baekhyun's car, familiar cradled in his hands and the sky lighter than when he entered, he checked his phone and found it to only say he was gone for the entire night, and dawn was approaching.

Time, Jongdae recalls his mother telling him, in places of high energy and magic, can bend and wrinkle in a multitude of ways.

Jongdae feels the tension when he comes back to the apartment his hand held out for Baekhyun to meet his familiar who is situated in the center of Jongdae's palm.

“And what’s their name?” Baekhyun, for all his fears and reservations, is doing his best to remain calm. Noodle is sitting tall on the back of the couch, his favorite spot, tail flicking. Jongdae knew this was going to be an issue.

Baekhyun’s always been terrified of spiders.

“Kumo,” Jongdae answers. Kumo raises one of its legs slowly, lowers it. In greeting, Jongdae muses. She’s small, her leg circumference at only about five centimeters. A pink-toe tarantula, Jongdae was able to deduce while he was still in the astral plane and Kumo introduced herself to him.

He was told, not from words, as he had expected but more of images. She hasn’t spoken to him since.

Though she’s small she has a large black body when compared to her legs, her hairs tickling the skin on his palm. At the end of each leg are her peachy pink ’toes’ as her common name describes.

Baekhyun looks pale and has his lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed leaving a line in his forehead. Jongdae knows he’s terrified, so he retracts his arm slowly and adjusts the grip on his bags which includes a lot of things he wasn’t anticipating on purchasing: a tank, substrate, and tiny water dish.

“I need to set up her terrarium.” Jongdae shuffles past Baekhyun who gives them a wide berth.

“I wanna hear about everything,” Baekhyun says. Jongdae nods, also eager to share his experience.

He clears a spot for Kumo on his dresser, placing her on his desk and intrinsically knowing she won’t move far and will wait for him to set up her home. He’s already learned the basics for tarantula ‘pet’-care. High humidity, taller enclosure rather than wider which opens on the lower half. She's an arboreal tarantula, likes being in trees, so all of this is to not disturb her web structures.

He wants to get plants from Junmyeon for her enclosure as well. It feels lacking, but when he opens the enclosure and handles Kumo into her home she enters without fuss.

Jongdae tries to connect and communicate, but it’s as silent as it was when he stopped meditating in the Cave.

He feels weird leaving her in his room while he goes to eat and talk to Baekhyun, so he gently picks up her enclosure and brings her with him into the living space.

“Are you just going to carry around her tank now?” Baekhyun asks, a teasing tone but sharpness evident, and Jongdae is tired already with what he knew was going to be trouble acclimating Baekhyun to Kumo.

“If I recall, you wouldn’t let Noodle out of your sight for a month. You'd lock him in the bathroom with you even when you showered.”

He doesn’t blame him for being scared, not directly. It’s a common fear to have so Jongdae gets it, but he just doesn’t want the potential of it to become a problem so he doesn’t mentioned how he wants to handle Kumo more than by just bringing her around in an enclosure.

They eat a breakfast of eggs and rice while Jongdae explains his experience in the Cave, the method he used to call Kumo to him. While Baekhyun doesn’t practice meditating, he does encourage it to his patients to get them to that deep space of calm before performing love sickness spells.

Kumo is on the table with them, and Noodle is sitting on one of the other chairs in lieu of Jongdae or Baekhyun's lap. He stares into the enclosure and Jongdae watches as there’s a shuffle of movement and Kumo moves, to what Jongdae can only assume, is stare back at Noodle.

“What are they talking about?” Jongdae asks Baekhyun.

“Noodle is blocking me right now,” Baekhyun replies, but from this angle he can see Noodle slowly blink at Kumo. Jongdae giggles, knowing from years of having feline familiars around him that Noodle is telling Kumo he’s safe here.

That’s one worry gone.

“He’s slow blinking at Kumo,” Jongdae coos, and interrupts their familiar bonding to scratch under his chin. “Good kitty~”

Junmyeon preemptively gave him the day off, so once Baekhyun leaves the apartment Jongdae spends the time alone to research more about pink-toe tarantula care, letting Kumo out of her enclosure.

He ends up spending most of his day going back and forth between napping and watching Kumo with his body hunched over, head pillowed on his arms. Earlier he walked Kumo through the apartment, showing her the different house plants he’s accumulated throughout his tenure with Junmyeon. Without a mental bond he can only speak aloud, so he explains the differences and their care cards. Introduces her to his crystals and the candles his mother makes and sends.

There’s a connection, they’ve begun their bond, it’s undeniable after they worked on, comically enough, a spider plant. Its browning leaves Jongdae chalks up to him lazily using water from the faucet as opposed to distilled or natural rain. Normally Jongdae needs to wait at least a day to see results of green spell casting; with Kumo it was only a few hours later that the plant showed improvement.

Relief mixed with frustration, at their clear bond but lack of communication, leads Jongdae to meditating again. He tries to forge a line of connection but is unsuccessful. He doesn’t know how familiar bonds are supposed to work, only that they’re different on a case by case basis.

Junmyeon told him Gully was shifting between forms for a year before settling on their final form, between forms communication varied. Baekhyun and Noodle have been on the same wavelength since the moment they met. No one in his family had the same issues he’s had so far. None that they warned him about anyway.

Jongdae keeps the enclosure open so that if Kumo wants to go back she can on her own. After another unsuccessful attempt at trying to communicate Jongdae takes a hot shower and when he returns it to Kumo at the top of her enclosure, spinning a web.

Going back to work was something Jongdae looked forward to. He carried Kumo in her terrarium close to his chest, her first webbings coming along, excited to get more insight in communicating from Junmyeon, and working on their magic in the nursery.

He does not anticipate that when he gently coaxes her into her hand to meet Junmyeon, for Gully to hold a different type of interest. It was a tense minute, Jongdae creating a small cage with his hands when Gully tried to perch themselves on Jongdae’s forearm and get closer to what he could only assume Gully thought was a new snack.

This was only confirmed by Junmyeon frantically screeching and grabbing Gully with both hands kicking the door open and the raven croaking throughout the entirety of the event. When Junmyeon returns it’s with a look of horror. Horror Jongdae's sure he has mirrored on his own face in his own way.

There’s a burning itch on his fingers and when Jongdae opens his hands again there’s a patch of hair missing from the back of Kumo’s abdomen. She’s clearly terrified, and Jongdae can’t do anything to help; can’t reassure her non-verbally. He brings her back to her enclosure and she quickly scuffles off his hands and onto the substrate.

“I’m sorry, Kumo.” Jongdae says lowly, securing the latch of her enclosure and trying to direct a calm energy to her. Hoping he can penetrate the wall between them by force.

He’s brought back to the present when Junmyeon speaks up, “She’s kicked out for the foreseeable future. Claimed she didn’t know it was your familiar because she didn’t feel your magic on her.”

“That doesn’t make sense, Baekhyun’s familiar knew who she was immediately,” Jongdae retorts. He doesn’t blame Junmyeon but his frustration and heart rate is still high. “Why didn’t Gully?”

“Said she didn’t smell like you, didn’t look like you.”

“Look like— that still doesn’t make sense,” Jongdae’s annoyed, once again, that there isn’t a set guideline to how familiars and bonds are forged or how they work. “I can’t even— I don’t know how to talk to her,” Jongdae admits.

The itch in his hands is becoming more than he can stand. “I need to wash my hands,” he explains, moving past Junmyeon. Holding his hands out from the rest of his body.

“What happened?” Junmyeon follows behind him.

"She got scared and kicked hairs off her back," he conveniently read about this while researching pet-care. "It’s arachnid defensive behavior. It just really itches.” He runs his hands under the warm water, lathers his hands up and gently washes, specifically between his fingers. It’s more of an inconvenience but getting it in his eyes on accident would actually suck.

“Can you tell me more about you connection,” Junmyeon’s mentor voice is on, “or the lack of it?” he gently amends.

“I don’t know, it’s just… not there.” Jongdae shuts the faucet, drying his hands on the back of his jeans. “When we bonded I was meditating and she found me. She told me her name…” he pauses, thinking if there was something he messed up. “After that I slowly left my meditative state and when we were together any form of contact was just— it was gone.”

After several minutes of Junmyeon grilling Jongdae about different things he’s done to try and forge the connection with Kumo they’re interrupted by the bell on the door signaling that someone’s entered the shop.

Junmyeon’s face slacks and his mouth opens into a long o-shape. “Yixing!” and quickly scuffles away to the front of the store. Jongdae follows behind grabbing a crate of things he helped prepare the other day in the event of Yixing’s pickup which they both conveniently forgot about in the chaos of their familiar emergency.

Yixing has his own familiar with him, a ball python, light brown with black spindly markings along her back, coiled and wrapped tightly around his left forearm and wrist. Jongdae always thought she was pretty. Yixing looks the same as the last time he came to pick up an order of medicinal herbs that don’t fit in his own tiny garden, and more dangerous plants for his tonics and potions, hair short and black, contrasting with how light his skin and familiar are in comparison.

Everyone exchanges pleasantries as Jongdae hauls the large crate of supplies on the counter. Yixing is one of Junmyeon’s best customers, and one of his longest.

“Junmyeon mentioned over the phone when confirming my order that you were in search of your familiar. I hope it was successful.”

Jongdae gave a slight nod of his head. “It was, thank you.”

“She’s a tarantula!” Junmyeon supplies and Jongdae wants to kick him at his quick and overeager reply.

“Ah!” Yixing exclaims, lifting his arm that holds his familiar, rotating his arm until her head is visible, “Jango, my familiar, their gene-type is referred to as a ’spider ball python’ because of how wiry the black markings on her back are.” She moves then, away from Yixing’s wrist and out across the counter to Junmyeon and Jongdae.

Jongdae doesn’t mean to but he snorts at the slight humor in the coincidence. He holds his arm out for Jango while Yixing gently helps uncoil her from his arm passing her over. She’s always been a social, docile girl. She reflects that part of Yixing well.

Jongdae holds her up closer to his face, the rest of her body still wrapping itself around his forearm as her tongue flicks in and out. Serpents were great for the type of work Yixing did, their shedding skin useful for spells in for illness and longevity. Constantly leaving behind negativity and illness, disallowing them to grow. A good familiar.

“Did everything go well?” Yixing asks, tone light, but when Jongdae makes eye contact it's knowing. Jongdae lowers Jango slightly from his face.

“For the most part—” he replies, but not before he's cut off by Junmyeon.

“They're not fully connected. He has no idea what she's thinking. They can't talk to each other,” he spews out quickly, “Gully actually attacked her, when I was being introduced, because she didn’t realize they were bonded. Literally just before you got here… It was messy.”

Jongdae feels the tickle of Jango's tongue on his forearm. He wants to step on Junmyeon’s foot for blabbing about his familiar problems.

“Jango can tell,” Yixing replies, and Junmyeon pouts, "but she has much better scent than a raven,” he supplies and Junmyeon still pouts but it’s less pathetic.

“Yixing is also well versed in familiar bonds,” Junmyeon exclaims, as if it was something he just remembered. “Didn’t you help an old colleague with their bond?”

“Just a friend, but all I did was talk and offer advice.” Yixing smiles, his dimple apparent on his cheek. Jongdae frequently gets the desire to poke his pinky in there, see how deep it actually goes. “He works as a geomancer now, he’s very good at what he does.”

“Geomancer?” Jongdae asks.

“He works with the earth elements, right?” Junmyeon supplies as an answer.

“It’s actually a lot more than that, but I don't understand much so it’s a little difficult to explain,” Yixing says, and returns to the original point— “Every connection is different but due to my practice of health and auras I have a very deep connection with the astral plane,” Yixing explains, and it kind of goes over Jongdae’s head. “If you’d like I can offer my help.”

Jango starts to wander, becoming more active the longer Jongdae holds her. Yixing offers to take her back and Jongdae uncoils the lower half of her from his wrist and passes her over the counter again.

“It’s only been one day,” Jongdae begins, “I want to try a few more things on my own, but I appreciate the offer.”

“Of course,” Yixing says, “but Jango is quite curious. Do you mind if we at least meet her?”

A little shocked, Jongdae nods his head in response, “Sure,” and Junmyeon shows Yixing back into the room where Kumo is in her enclosure, holding herself in the beginnings of her webbing.

“This is Kumo,” Jongdae watches as Yixing removes Jango from his wrist and places her on the wooden work table; coiled in her ball, head peeking out from the center as she watches on as well. Yixing then gets level with her enclosure, squatting to be eye-level. “On another day I would let you handle her if you were comfortable but—”

“No need, she’s unfortunately too tense from earlier.” Yixing gently cuts him off.

That’s interesting… that Yixing knows. From Jango? Presumably.

“She’s very beautiful,” Yixing comments, standing tall from his squatted position, leaving Jango on the table as she continues to stare at the enclosure and flick her tongue out every few seconds.

Jongdae can hear the sincerity in Yixing’s voice and he's grateful, because he agrees and he knows that tarantulas aren’t universally seen as desirable as Baekhyun’s cat or even Junmyeon’s sleek black raven. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Yixing says and then takes a deep breath in, “I better get going, though. It’s been a nice visit.” He picks up Jango and has her wrap around his neck, making almost two full rotations. She’s big, definitely over two feet, but Yixing says she won’t get much bigger.

At the front of the store Yixing holds the crate Jongdae had brought to the front and bows in thanks to Junmyeon and Jongdae. “Good luck with your connection, Jongdae. Please let me know if I can help in anyway.”

“Yeah, of course… thanks.”

“Just so you know,” Yixing says, a knowing tone laced through his words, “She’s trying, too. Spiders speak softly, but have much to teach. Keep working together,” and he exits through the door, the bell ringing as he walks with his plants and familiar to his car to leave.

Jongdae walks through aisle five where there’s heating bulbs and terrarium decorations, all to reach where he buys crickets for Kumo. He can’t stop himself from impulsively grabbing a new branch for her to climb into the top corner where her webbings are.

He’s internally debating the pros and cons of keeping and feeding his own crickets to cut down on trips to the store when he spots a familiar looking person having their own internal debate in front of the basking bulbs at the end of aisle five. It takes a moment before the recognition kicks in, a moment because instead of casual clothes with undone hair he’s wearing a suit, hair gelled back stiff and to the side.

As Jongdae makes the connection that he's the man who came in to purchase a non-enchanted chrysanthemum arrangement he simultaneously looks up and they make eye contact; Jongdae sees the realization hit him in real time. Jongdae, with a box of crickets and a decorative branch in his hands can only nod his head in hello and before he can stop himself, his mouth is already moving.

“Did that bouquet bring any luck?”

“It’s only been a few days,” he replies. The man looks much older than he had when he visited the shop. Less like someone who wanted to buy flowers because he believed they granted more than a pretty sight, more like someone who would scoff at magic in general.

He’s not sure what he expected but he’s surprised at himself for initiating conversation in the middle of a pet supply store. There’s the hollow tap tap tap of the half dozen crickets jumping in the cardboard box. The man has expressive eyes and a pretty mouth. Jongdae deliberately decides to focus on a point over his shoulder instead.

“Well, come visit again once they start dying for a replacement. If you let Junmyeon, my boss, enchant them they should last longer as well.”

The man stares and blinks a few times, and Jongdae wonders if he remembers to breathe as he watches his cheeks flush a light pink.

“Okay. Thanks.”

“See you later!” Jongdae, slightly mortified at his garish attempts for small talk, promptly turns on his heels and hides on the checkout line, staring at either his own shoes or the different toys and treats for last minute purchases.

Back at the apartment, and slightly embarrassed, he explains to Baekhyun his run-in at the supply store while he carefully lets the few gut-filled crickets loose into Kumo’s terrarium. Baekhyun is sitting in the chair at Jongdae’s desk, chin resting in his hands while he watches Jongdae and thus, Kumo.

Baekhyun is quick to admonish Jongdae. “You’re usually better at flirting than that.”

“I wasn’t trying to flirt,” Jongdae berates. He really wasn’t, he was just surprised to see him. Especially dressed in a suit of all things. And why would he flirt in the middle of aisle five of the super plus pet supply store—

Baekhyun’s giggle cuts off his thought, “Intentional or not, you’ve always been a flirt.”

Jongdae frowns at that. He never means to be flirty. Most of the time he doesn’t realize what he’s doing is considered by most people as flirty. He shakes the last cricket from the cardboard box and latches the tank closed.

“I was just being nice.”

Hands supporting his own head, Baekhyun’s shoulders rise and fall in a shrug and he watches Kumo as she quickly moves from the top of her enclosure to the bottom where the crickets are.

Baekhyun lets out a wistful sigh as he continues to watch Kumo, and pointedly not look at Jongdae. “Then maybe you should stop being so nice, that way people stop thinking you’re flirting with them.” Kumo quickly snatches a cricket and begins to feed while Baekhyun wears a slight grimace.

“You don’t have to watch if it creeps you out.” Jongdae says, and Baekhyun really does frown in response.

“It’s exposure therapy,” he replies. “The more I’m around it the less it’ll affect me,” he explains. Jongdae leaves him to it, looks for the package that also arrived this evening from his mother.

“Does that mean you’re ready to handle her?” Jongdae asks, pulling out the candle she has personally made and then sent; candle making is something his mother does as a hobby, and he loves her candles.

Baekhyun lets out a low whine. “Ahh, no,” he answers. “Not yet, thank you.”

Jongdae can’t help but give a small smile at that, but holds back the giggle, grateful he’s at least trying. He lights one of the pine scented candles she sent him. He can hear her voice in his head when he read her note in the package that arrived in the mail after he told her about his inability to communicate with Kumo.

Pine is great for cultivating a learning environment and helps with your ability to be understood clearly.

When Baekhyun retires to the other room Jongdae focuses on meditation. With his pendant on and his mothers pine scented candle to promote communication he sits on the floor at the edge of his bed and focuses.

Intentions, Jongdae knows, are important.

It’s on a Thursday, a week later, that finds Jongdae handling Kumo while on a video chat with his brother.

“Freaky,” Jongdeok, slightly grainy over the wifi connection, says in response to his little brothers familiar. “Doesn’t it skeeve you out, like, at all?”

“Maybe if she wasn’t my familiar, but she’s sweet.” Jongdae replies. She’s very active right now, and moves fast across his palms, her colored ’toes’ slightly pulling with each release from his skin. It’s an odd sensation. "The more I read,” Jongdae continues, “the more I think they’re misunderstood and — honestly the more you look at them the less creepy they are.” It’s hard not to defend Kumo, who he’s learned will grow to be up to about 12cm with her leg span. She’s labeled as ‘medium-fast’ as far as growth rate is concerned.

“You just used to be so terrified of spiders,” Jongdeok tells him, “nightmares when you were sick, without fail.”

Jongdae can tell he makes a face at that remark, because doesn’t remember that. He remembers being scared of spiders, most people are inherently wary. Something to do with primal instincts and your brain screaming, poisonous! do not touch! but Jongdae always thought he held a distant respect for them. Stay in your area, no harm no foul.

“I’m serious,” Jongdeok continues, “when you were a kid you’d get feverish and hallucinate about spiders everywhere. Black, hairy spiders.” The audio is kind of patchy, Jongdae struggles to listen, hums along in response for him to continue. “You said they would be fighting each other in front of you, on top of you. One time, while you were sick on the couch mom had to calm you down because you said there was a large black and red spider following you, but when you got better you never remembered it. It was pretty weird, to be honest.”

“Yeah, I definitely don’t remember that,” Jongdae feels Kumo move across his hand and he lowers her to the desk, she steps herself off and Jongdae lets her do her own thing, her enclosure open should she want to go back in. “I mean, I never really liked them? But I also —” he hesitates, trying to find the right words, “I dunno, I kind of just distantly let them do their own thing.”

“I just think it’s funny you had all of those nightmares and hallucinations about spiders and end up with a fucking tarantula familiar,” Jongdeok explains, “like, that’s weird?”

“Maybe,” Jongdae replies. There’s a brief pause where Jongdae isn’t sure what to say next.

“Have you done any weather spells?” his brother asks, with stiff casualness.

“None that worked,” Jongdae admits. His brother nods, like he understands why. Which, Jongdae surmises, he does even if he doesn’t really get it. He tried calling a wind, unsuccessfully. He used to be able to call winds and within two minutes blustering gusts would make their way through their family neighborhood, knocking over lawn chairs and rippling the wind chimes throughout the whole block—much to the dismay of his mother.

When he tried with Kumo there was only a breeze so minuscule he wasn’t even sure if they were even the cause.

But now it's getting late, this was only supposed to be a short call, which evolved into a video call, and it’s thirty minutes later that the brothers say their goodbyes and disconnect.

Kumo has made her way back into her enclosure, and Jongdae latches her in. He pulls for a connection again, tries for an agonizing two minutes. He feels like he’s shouting into a void, searching for something that doesn’t want to be found.

He gives up, frustrated, and goes for a warm shower.

Afterwards, while Jongdae lays in bed feeling dejected and defeated he hovers over the number in his contacts he got from Junmyeon at work last week. He figures it couldn’t hurt, since he’s apparently helped someone before in a similar situation; he texts Yixing.

Jongdae is tending and checking on the queen of the night when he tells Junmyeon about his tentative plans to meet Yixing over the weekend, and Junmyeon’s reaction is only what Jongdae can describe as guarded joy. He looks almost relieved at the prospect before quickly shuffling it away with a light cough and a big warm smile.

“I think this’ll be really good for you,” he follows up. “Yixing’s a great person.” He seems almost wistful, and Jongdae can see his thoughts go somewhere else. Somewhere that isn’t here in the backroom of the nursery.

Just as he’s about to comment on it, maybe tease Junmyeon, the bell connected to the front door chimes and both of them are dislodged from their thoughts. Jongdae takes the lead, entering the shop front to greet their customer.

It’s him again. The one who bought the mums and was seen browsing heating bulbs in aisle five. He’s in dress pants with a button down shirt, hair gelled back and wearing his usual dark rimmed glasses. He looks… expensive. And Jongdae is suddenly aware of the dirt trapped underneath his fingernails. He clasps his hands and hides them behind his back.

“How can I help you today?” He asks, beaming a smile at him. “Another arrangement?”

“Oh,” he seems surprised to see Jongdae too, like he forgot Jongdae works here. “Yes, please. I also want to buy a devil’s ivy.”

“That's a great leafy plant. They can handle a lot.”

“I know, it’s for someone else. They’re not very good at taking care of plants. I figured it’d be good for their office.” He pauses and there’s a slight blush that grazes his cheeks. “Sorry— you don’t need to know all of that.”

Jongdae waves him off, “What do they do?” he opts to continue the small talk as he proceeds to show them where they have a small selection of devil’s ivy already potted.

He seems hesitant for the briefest of moments before answering. “She’s a psychic. My mom.” Nonchalant, normal. And it is, at least for Jongdae, who nods in appreciation.

“That’s cool, man.” He gestures to the wall of leafy plants and points out the devil’s ivy. “There’s a few in the back as well should these not give the right energy."

He hovers for a moment before he grabs one from the wall. "This one is good."

"And you said you wanted another arrangement of chrysanthemums? Still not enchanted?"

"Yes, thank you.” Jongdae walks back to grab an arrangement of mums but is stopped as he calls out again. “The narcissus were good too, if you have them as well.”

“Of course!” Jongdae hopes he doesn’t sound overeager in his attempt to help this customer.

In the back Junmyeon has a pout on his face again. “I just don't understand why he wants an arrangement for a specific reason but doesn't want them enchanted for that reason.”

“Maybe because his family has magic, too. He said they’re for his mom, and she’s a psychic. He might want to do his own thing with them.”

Jongdae arranges the flowers for their still nameless customer. "Don't whine, Junmyeon-hyung. He's still coming to get the best flowers grown by us.” Jongdae lilts his voice a little. The easiest way to get Junmyeon in a good mood is to compliment and tease him simultaneously.

Jongdae returns to the front room, arrangement in hand, to find Kyungsoo staring intently at Kumo, who was in her 'work' terrarium. Jongdae got tired and daunted by carrying her whole terrarium so he decided to simply provide her with a second one. She's only started her upper corner webbings, so she's easy to spot, clinging on the glass.

“That's Kumo, my familiar.” Jongdae places the arrangement down on the counter next to the devil’s ivy that’s to be purchased as well.

Startled, the customer jumps back a little. "Oh, a tarantula?"

"Avicularia avicularia is the scientific name. Pink toe tarantula, native to South America.” Jongdae lists the facts, in bullets from memory from the site he found the information on.

He found a lot of care information, but not a lot of magical information. Apparently not many people have arachnids as familiars, and the ones that do, don’t need to be scouring the internet for information.

“She seems sweet.”

“She is. Like witch like familiar, if that’s how the saying goes.”

Kyungsoo laughs, a pretty sound. His face scrunches cutely that Jongdae pointedly ignores. Jongdae rings him up, and because he’s nosy and also trying to be the best employee possible, asks if he would like to join their customer data base.

“It’s used mostly so that we can keep a record of your previous purchases should you have any questions or perhaps don’t remember what that one herb or plant used during a spell did, if it elevated or threw off the whole thing. Quite useful.”

He’s just a pink faced blushing man, stiff hair and expressive eyes showing nothing more than attentiveness, but he agrees.

After they exchanged names, a 'Do Kyungsoo' had been entered into Junmyeon’s catalog of reoccurring customers. There’s a small smile from him as he gathers his items to leave. “See you later, Jongdae.”

Saturday evening, only a few days after reaching out to him, Jongdae brings Kumo with him to meet Yixing at his clinic. It’s his day off from working with Junmyeon, and most Saturdays involved working on his own house plants, casting small spells and charms to influence their growth. Instead he was cradling his tarantula familiar in its enclosure close to his chest to try and see if there was something a medi-witch could do to help open a pathway to communicating with his most valuable partner.

Jongdae knocks on the side entrance— instructions given when they planned this meeting— Yixing's clinic closed for the rest of the day. The forecast called for spring rain, and just as it’s beginning to drizzle Yixing opens the door, Jango wrapped loosely around his shoulders and neck. “Hey, come in!” he fully opens the door and Jongdae steps in, taking his shoes off and leaving them with the other pair by the door.

Jongdae bows, “Thank you for agreeing to help,” he raises himself and Yixing just smiles in response.

“Of course, of course—” Yixing’s familiar moves down to his arm to what Jongdae can only assume is a better view of Kumo. “She’s very curious about Kumo. She's been looking forward to this evening.”

“Really?” Jongdae’s slightly taken aback, “Is familiar relations something you do on the side or something?”

Yixing moves and gestures for Jongdae to follow him to what Jongdae assumes is a back room, one that looks a lot like Junmyeon’s nursery, but on a much smaller scale. The room is filled with greenery and dirt; mostly plants and herbs Jongdae recognizes: lavender, basil, mint, but also larger leafy plants that Jongdae is sure he’s seen, but can’t place a name.

“Hmm, yes and no,” comes Yixing’s reply to Jongdae’s question. “It’s more something that simply comes with how I practice being a medi-witch. There’s time when we need to cut off a connection between ourselves and our familiars, as well as knowing how to re-open it. Illness doesn’t pass through bonds and connections, but if you’re too open,” Yixing gestures for Jongdae to sit on one of the four padded wicker chairs available. He does, placing Kumo’s container on the short table, that’s littered with dirt, notes, and other potted plants, closer to the edge, “If you’re too open then you run the risk of putting a strain on your familiar, who will feel side-effects of your illness,” Yixing explains.

“So, yes. Witch to familiar relations are something I work with daily, but usually it is with temporarily closing connections as opposed to opening a newly blossomed one.”

Yixing removes Jango from him gently, placing her on the table, and she moves and physically wraps her body around Kumo’s container. Jongdae shifts, the wicker chair creaking in response. Yixing has always been a friendly acquaintance, and now he’s offering to help Jongdae for nothing— he asked if he could pay, and Yixing refuted so quickly— “Are you sure…” Jongdae starts to question, again, and Yixing looks authoritative in his gaze, “I want to pay you.”

“I’m receiving more discounts and freebie’s from Junmyeon that is probably causing a deficit in his sales, Jongdae.” Yixing breaks his eye contact to glance around his own greenhouse, “Most of these plants are from Junmyeon, and I owe a lot to the work you do with him. If you are able to bridge the connection with Kumo and tap into more magic and energy who knows what else you would be able to do. I’m eager to help, I hope you continue to work with him, and accept what I can offer in exchange for more of your green magic.”

That’s a lot for Jongdae to unpack. But he hooks onto the last point, “Green magic?”

“Yes,” Yixing replies, moving to the edge of his seat, as if Jongdae opened a can of worms that he’s begging to excavate and explain. “Your magic… it’s very green. So we’ll start there— magic always leaves traces. Most people who are attuned can feel the presence of that magic.”

Jongdae nods, he knows this. He can feel magic everywhere; in the air, the grass, the candles his mother crafts, the food he buys from the street vendor when he and Baekhyun go shopping for spell supplies.

“Magic also leaves other kinds of traces, visual ones. Are you familiar with auras?” Yixing asks.

“Vaguely?” Jongdae answers, “I know what they are but I can’t see or read them so I don’t know what any of it means,” he admits, slightly embarrassed at how much of an amateur witch he feels in front of Yixing, especially knowing he’s only a handful of years older than him.

“No worries,” Yixing continues. “Aura’s can change from minute to minute, or hold a steady shade throughout a long period of time. Usually people have layers of various colors and shades, built on a steady base. The way it manifests itself, for me, is like a cloud,” he motions with his hands, forming shape around Jongdae’s outer body and he suddenly feels… seen.

“Junmyeon, for instance,” Yixing continues, “has always had a very blue based aura, with strong lines of silver and green.”

“Can you see my aura now? Is it something you have to focus on or is it just… how you see the world?” Jongdae asks.

“It used to be out of control, and I had to practice keeping it at bay. Now it’s as simple as switching a light for me. Generally, unless I’m working with a patient, don’t just go around looking at people with their auras. I found it to be a form of judgment that grew to leave a bitter taste behind. Of course, I occasionally slip. Especially if I don’t have Jango with me.” Yixing pauses, and Jongdae absorbs all of this information as thoroughly as possible. “Do you want to know yours?”

Jongdae, nervous but intrigued, nods. The pitter-patter of light raindrops growing to the clear signs of a rain shower. He can’t remember if the forecast called for heavy rain, but he suddenly wonders if he put the bucket out on the balcony to collect rainwater for his plants.

Yixing sits straighter, and does a full body scan of Jongdae that brings him back to now, leaves him with goosebumps. He doesn’t think it’s from anything Yixing did, more just at the reaction of being looked at so thoroughly, a layer of himself that he doesn’t even understand being seen.

Yixing sits back and re-connects eye contact. “Please know I spoke with Junmyeon before today and he’s given me permission to speak of him as an example,” Jongdae nods, completely lost and slightly uncomfortable at how formal Yixing is speaking, and not sure where this was going. “Junmyeon’s aura shows several things. With auras it’s less about defining a person and more about understanding a person. His base aura, a deep royal blue, manifests as intuition. It portrays his relationship with Gully as they are both gifted with clairvoyance, a sixth sense for that could happen. You and Junmyeon share auras as well, can you guess which?”

Jongdae shakes his head. He gets along with Junmyeon, but he wouldn’t say they have similar magical talents or could share similar auras.

“Green is abundant in both of you. It’s reflected in the work you do as witches. Your shades are slightly off, but it’s unmistakeable that due to all of the work you’ve done that you have an affinity toward green magic and have, as those without magic call it, a ‘green thumb.’”

“You said that Junmyeon’s base aura was royal blue, what of mine? Does it have anything to do with…” Jongdae shuffles his hands in the air, looking for the words, “With being unable to work with Kumo?”

“Yes,” Yixing answers resolutely, “I believe it does.”

Jongdae slumps back into his chair, glancing at Kumo’s enclosure and Jango who are still staring at each other, if that’s what it can be called. He feels relief for the first time since he’s bonded with Kumo. The first time Jongdae feels like there’s been an advancement since the moment he left the Cave. But the relief is brief, and reality slowly crashes him back down until his legs feel like lead and he’s just as confused as before.

“What’s wrong with me?” Jongdae implores, now that he’s found the relief in knowing there’s something to fix, he’s quickly back to being frustrated that there’s something to fix in the first place.

“Did you know that familiars have auras as well?” Yixing asks. Jongdae doesn’t answer, just waits for Yixing to continue, because he doesn’t see where Yixing’s thought is going. “Most of the time auras align between a witch and their familiar, and one’s base aura matching. Mine and Jango having turquoise based auras. Junmyeon and Gully their royal blue.”

Jongdae can follow the end of Yixing’s point, “Kumo and I have different auras,” it was meant to come out as a question, but Yixing doesn’t refute it.

“You have a very earthy aura on the edges, but right now it’s muddy.”

“Muddy?”

“I don’t want to come off as if I’m sounding like a doctor,” The rain is coming down heavy now, Yixing moves forward and grabs Jango by her midsection, uncoiling her and having her wrap around his wrist instead of Kumo’s enclosure, “But that’s what I am, so I’m sorry for sounding so clinical. You don’t need to explain anything you don’t want, but your aura is very intriguing. If you’re holding onto something that should keep you from moving forward, I think that would be the base of whatever is keeping you from finishing your connection with Kumo.”

Jongdae begins to chew on him bottom lip, an old habit he tries to break himself from, but always sneaks its way back.

“How is it intriguing?”

“It spirals. Its center is a dark gray, and almost like, a cloud is spirals out to a murky brown into your greens. Dark earthy browns and gray tells us that there’s blocked energy and power.”

Jongdae fixates on the first part of Yixing’s explanation, “Spirals? Like a storm? A cyclone?” Jongdae deflates, into his chair again, lower. But he can’t help himself, he opens the bottom of Kumo’s enclosure and holds his hand out for her. She comes easily.

“Exactly!” Yixing emphasizes, and is clearly excited that Jongdae has taken Kumo out. Jongdae belatedly realizes that Yixing’s never actually seen Kumo this close. He offers her for Yixing to handle, who enthusiastically holds his free hand out for Kumo to move onto.

“Do auras usually move like that? Spiral and blend to other colors?”

Yixing, with a Kumo in one hand and Jango wrapped around the other, hums in thought before answering, “I would say it’s uncommon. Most auras that I come across and study are more like static clouds, rippling off the person.”

So it’s just painful irony that Jongdae’s manifests itself as a typhoon. Okay.

Jongdae sighs. The rain outside is loud and he remembers he has to carry Kumo with him and, great; he doesn’t have an umbrella either.

“I think,” Yixing begins, gently, breaking his own contact with Kumo to give his attention back to Jongdae, “That if your aura is stuck as this brown muddy color, you need to let go of something that’s holding you back. Again, you are not obligated to tell me what that could be, if you even know what could be, but moving past that is the first step.”

Jongdae’s more than sure he knows what it is. He nods, and holds his hand out for Kumo and gently leads her back to her terrarium, locking her in so they can get home as easily as possible.

Yixing stands, and Jongdae follows suit. Jongdae, not wanting to deal with the rain in anyway with Kumo to carry, calls them a cab. It’s not a far drive, and Jongdae would rather pay for a cab than deal with a full bus with damp bodies.

They reach the side door where, after putting his shoes back on, Yixing hands Jongdae an umbrella. Jongdae didn’t even see him grab one.

“Please borrow this, you can return it to me next time.” Yixing doesn’t allow room for negotiation, and Jongdae accepts it graciously.

“Next time?” he asks.

“Yes, I’ll be in soon for another order,” and Yixing then goes to hand him a book Jongdae didn’t see him grab either, “and I’m sorry for assigning homework, but I think the best way to move forward in your bond is to do some self-reflection. Auras are great for understanding yourself. There are no bad aura colors,” Yixing stresses, “this is simply knowledge that indicates you need to work on certain aspects of your energy, and what could be blocked and why.”

Jongdae nods, trying to hide how solemn he feels inside. He’s out of hands to grab Yixing’s book, one holding the umbrella and the other arm holding the terrarium close to his chest. Yixing puts it in Jongdae’s messenger bag, loops it over his shoulder for him.

“That book might be useful to you. Skim it and let me know. Good luck Jongdae, and thank you for trusting me.”

“Thank you…” Jongdae isn’t sure what to thank first. Before he can figure out what to list first his phone buzzes and chimes in his pocket. With a glance outside he can see his ride is here. “Thank you.” Jongdae repeats, a blanket statement for now.

Yixing opens the door for him, and with Kumo pressed close to his chest with one hand and the umbrella opened in the other, covering them both from the rain, Jongdae goes to the cab.

On the drive back there’s a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder. Jongdae sighs; dejected and discouraged.