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The morning air was cold and crispy, almost enjoyable if one ignored the occasional stink of the garbage trucks brought about by the wind.
Kim Namjoon, the High Warlock of Seoul, was particularly annoyed by that. All he wanted to do was to spend his Monday morning walking by the Han River and reading the latest number of his favorite gardening magazine, but he had been summoned by the Institute, and one could not say no to the Institute.
Or, they could, but relations were already tense and fragile enough, and Namjoon didn’t want to complicate them any further. He also had another reason.
That’s why he had postponed his glorious morning plans and was now getting to the designated location in the North of town. He had taken the chance to walk there and do a little exercise, but he was starting to regret it. Besides, the other option he had, creating a portal, wasn’t particularly attractive, considering the reason why he had been summoned.
It looked like a mysterious portal had been opened very close to the Institute, in a hidden hook of a shabby alley, and had never been closed. The fact that a portal had been opened there in the first place was worrying, but that it was still open, was very suspicious. As a matter of fact, portals tended to close up on their own after a while, at a time decided by the warlock who had made them.
If someone had created a portal in a back alley, with the intention of leaving it open while hiding it behind dumpsters and fences… that someone might have been planning to harm the institute, or to summon demons in the city center, or Raziel knows what. That was what the shadowhunters had told him.
It might as well have been a prank of an unexperienced wizard, but one could never, ever be to careful, and the shadowhunters liked to be plenty careful, as Namjoon had found out collaborating with them over the course of the past few months.
So, he had woken up to a distressed call by the head of the Institute, Min Yoongi, urging him to get to the location as soon as possible. If only they had been on more informal terms, he would have told him to get his ass there immediately. But they weren’t close, and he still was the very much respected High Warlock of Seoul.
In truth, Namjoon wasn’t that close to any of the shadowhunters of the Seoul Institute. He tended to be pry of them, because downworlders knew too well the dangers of getting close. These included being used as a self-service machine whenever nephilims needed you while never getting any true recognition and still being despised for being born the way you were.
The first rule to avoid this, was to charge for services, and Namjoon’s didn’t come cheap, that’s true. He also had to admit that the shadowhunters at the Institute were better than what he had expected, and, in fact, he had also been invited to Min Yoongi’s birthday party just a couple of days before.
He knew that the invitation had been done to preserve appearances and keep good face with the resident downworlders, but he had... enjoyed the party. The other few downworlders invited had been a pleasure to talk to – especially the Head of the Seoul Vampire clan and the leader of the biggest Seoul Werewolf pack – and the resident children of the Angel were not that bad. Only the ones coming from Idris dared use mockery in their tone or send disdainful looks in his direction, but only when his back was turned the other way.
Despite the enjoyable evening, resentment between their kinds went way too back to just brush it off. Namjoon thought that ditching his walk by the Han river to fix this dangerous portal situation was definitely a step forward.
He grabbed a cup of iced coffee from a street cart and finally reached the Institute grounds. The designated meeting spot was close by, and he got there in just a couple of minutes.
Some of the Institute shadowhunters were there as well.
There was Jeon Jungkook, the Seoul superstar, who everyone thought would come to be the most famous shadowhunter of his generation.
He had dark eyes, darker hair, and a smug grin plastered over his face most of the time. His ability to wield an angelic weapon was renown, even in Idris, where gossip had spread that he had more angelic blood in his veins than other shadowhunters. That was incredibly stupid and impossible, but it gave a general idea of how he was perceived. At only nineteen years of age, he spoke five languages fluently and was thoroughly skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Namjoon liked him, even if the boy could sometimes be even too interested in his craft. He always hung around him when he worked at the Institute, as if he could learn magic. Sometimes he had the sensation the boy looked up to him, but it made no sense.
There was Kim Taehyung, an excellent shot with a great ability to think in situations of distress and elaborate plans in face of danger.
Both his eyes and hair were slightly lighter than Jungkook’s, and his skin was golden. Namjoon had been thoroughly impressed by his insights and strategical ability the few times he had worked with him. He could find his way in the dark, track demons like it was nothing, and he was damn good with a sword, but his weapon of choice was anything he could throw – knives, daggers, throwing stars. And he never missed. His only “fault” was that he had been caught in a “scandal” with regards to his too-friendly relations with the Head of the Vampire Clan. Nothing had been denied (where they in the 12th century?), but nothing had been confirmed (maybe they weren't in the 21st either). So, Namjoon understood how he seemed very wary of others and was not the most talkative with people he didn’t know. From his position, he couldn’t blame him.
Everyone thought Taehyung and Jungkook to be Parabatai, as close-knit as the two of them were, but, quite inexplicably, they hadn’t taken that decision yet.
And last but not least, there was Kim Seokjin.
He was the oldest of the three, long black hair and skin as smooth as porcelain. He had trained in Idris with Min Yoongi before moving permanently to the Seoul Institute. He wasn’t usually the one to take the lead on a new plan or tell the others what to do, but whenever there was any doubt, he had the answer. In fact, it looked like whenever one of the other shadowhunters was distressed, he knew what to do, what to say, how to fix the situation. It didn’t come as a surprise that Min Yoongi often asked for his help to check over diplomatic letters with Idris. When it came to combat, Seokjin was swift, intuitive and incredibly agile, and had incomparable endurance. His weapon of choice was a kindjal that had been in his family for generations, but he was good with katanas and spears, and excellent at improvising and making every random object into his trusted weapon. Namjoon had his fair share of opinions about Seokjin.
“So, what do we have here?” the warlock spoke up, as calm as ever.
“Oh, hi Namjoon-nim!” Jungkook’s head peeped from behind Taehyung.
“Hey, Jungkook” he acknowledged him with a nod of his hand.
“A non-authorized and apparently perpetual portal. We have no way to know who made it, or why. Jung Hoseok-nim found it last night, but we have no idea how long it’s been there, nor for what purpose. Not long, I reckon, otherwise someone would have found it earlier” Taehyung was observing the portal carefully, as if looking for a sign.
Seokjin was close by, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked tense.
“Maybe it was just a prank. There’s that option as well, an unexperienced wizard or something…” his gaze averted to Namjoon.
“Could be, I’d need to feel it with my magic to see if I can trace it to anyone, but even if I can’t, it’s probably nothing to worry about”
“That’s true, but we have to take into consideration the option it isn’t. That someone is planning something” Jungkook was crouched next to the portal, observing it up close but never letting his hand wander too near.
“Yeah. I have heard nothing alarming from the werewolves nor the vampires. No news from the fairies, but if it’s a portal, there must be a warlock involved, so…” Taehyung’s eyes fell on Namjoon.
“So, yes, why you called me here”
“Right. You can stop by Yoongi hyung later for your compensation”
“Oh, yeah, I will” Namjoon took a last sip of his drink and had the cup disappear from his hand.
He neared the portal, ready to use his magic to feel it, to see if it was leading somewhere specifically, to understand if there was a particular trace of who had made it, like the shadowhunters wanted to know…
Seokjin immediately stepped aside, and Namjoon brushed past his arm ever so lightly as he positioned himself in front of the portal.
It wasn’t too wide, as if it had been made in a rush, but if it wasn’t kept under control, it could expand and eat up more meters of the old brick wall.
Namjoon was fairly sure he could close it in a snap, but that’s not what the shadowhunters wanted. They wanted to know who, and why, and how, had created it. They wanted to know if it led anywhere specifically, and what to expect from it. After all, portals couldn’t just start popping up in random places around the city. It was dangerous. It made it easier for demons to breach through dimensions, for mundanes to find themselves in danger, and for much more to slip out of control.
The warlock planted his feet on the ground at shoulders’ width, and brought up his arms, palms facing the wall and the shiny, liquid portal. He could feel Jungkook close at his left, Taehyung slightly farther away at his right, and Seokjin far behind him, leaning on a grated fence. He looked like he would have rather been anywhere else in the world.
Namjoon wondered how much he remembered.
36 hours earlier
Seokjin stared at his reflection in the mirror, trying to understand how he wanted to knot his tie. He had already tried a half Windsor, a full Windsor and a Trinity, but none of them had convinced him.
Why did the party have to be so formal, anyway? Yoongi was turning 25, not 52.
“Just ditch it, hyung” Yoongi’s voice came from his doorstep.
“I don’t want my lack of formalities to shock the esteemed members of the Clave” he answered as he tried a Café knot.
It looked tragic.
“It’s a party… hell, it’s my birthday party. I think I get a say in this” Yoongi walked into the room.
“Then why are you wearing one?”
“It’s my first birthday since I became Head of the Institute, and I think the Clave sees this night more as a celebration of that rather than the age thing, so I have to look the part” he shrugged.
Seokjin rolled his eyes, and tried a St Andrew. Alright, that was too much, even for him. He unmade it with a snap and threw the black satin tie on the bedpost.
“Are we on time?” he asked as he adjusted his cuffs and fixed his collar.
How many buttons should he undo? Two, two were good.
“Of course we’re on time, my reputation here’s at stake” Yoongi retorted.
“That’s lucky, because if it was up to your will to live we wouldn’t even show up – Seokjin casted a satisfied glance at the mirror and turned to face the other – Cheer up! It’s your birthday!”
“Yes, and I’ll celebrate it with one hundred people who barely know me and would rather be somewhere else - but with whom I’m obliged to make small talk for the rest of the night, while in a parallel universe I could be getting hammered on the rooftop with people who actually care about me as a person” Yoongi rambled.
“Oh wow, don’t get too excited there - Jin threw on his jacket and smoothed it out - You know better than me how important this is. We’ll celebrate your birthday tomorrow and pretend it was today. Time is a social construct” he patted Yoongi on the shoulder.
“Mh, yeah, sure” the younger gave in unenthusiastically.
“But don’t worry, if there's one thing for sure, it's that it won’t be boring. Do you actually want to bet on whom will break out in a fight with the downworlders’ representatives first? My money is on Lee”
“That will definitely not happen” Yoongi sent him a deadly stare.
“I'm just trying to be realistic, but you did good at inviting them. It would be nice to be on better terms with them, whether the others think the same or not. We can’t always fight on our own, and some of us should definitely step down from the pedestal”
The two came out of Seokjin's room and started walking down the corridor.
The surroundings of the Institute had been decorated for the party with warm torches, fairy lights, refreshment tables and rather sober flower arrangements. The external setting had been a conscious choice to celebrate the renovation of the Institute’s grounds, but also because some of their guests would not have been able to physically enter the Institute.
Multiple seating options had been prepared as the celebrations were likely going to last for a while: not because of beer pong tournaments or rowdy dancing, but because older shadowhunters from different institutes were surely going to use the occasion for some good old networking and work talk.
Typical.
Jin patted Yoongi on the shoulder as they reached the garden door.
“C’mon. Remember to smile when new folks present themselves. Tell your parents you’ll give them grandkids soon enough. And if you’re in danger of being bored to death, I’ll feel it and come rescue you” he sent the other a wink and tapped the juncture of his neck with his index finger, the spot where his Parabatai rune was placed.
In fact, it was the only rune that was visible on Seokjin’s skin most of the time, apart from the common Voyance rune every Shadowhunter had on their right hand. Yoongi had an identical one, tying their bodies, souls and minds together.
“Yeah, I will” he smiled genuinely.
Jin stood with his parabatai as the first guests portaled themselves into the garden, but left him as soon as they started speaking politics and new training methods, as the newcomers seemed clearly uninterested in his point of view.
He was chatting with Jungkook and Taehyung when a few of the most expected guests arrived.
The first of them was Jung Hoseok, the Head of the most numerous werewolf pack of Seoul. He had his second in command close by, a dark-haired guy with a confident stride, who went by the name of Minho.
Seokjin had almost forgotten Yoongi had told guests they could bring a plus one. Well, that doubled the chances of a fight breaking loose, and he had to admit he was more intrigued than scared by it – even though he didn’t really wanted to happen, because it was Yoongi’s night.
A few arrogant, conceited glances were sent in the direction of the children of the moon, some of the guests not even making an effort to hide it, but the two wolves didn’t seem to care much. They acknowledged the guests with a nod of their head and set to greet their host. Would they talk about politics as well? That was no fun.
Most of the guests had already arrived and the sun had thoroughly set when the vampires showed up. Their entrance had way more heads turning, circles of Shadowhunters engaged in deep conversation actually breaking apart to send challenging and distasteful stares towards the two undead people in front of their eyes.
The Head of the Seoul clan was there, Park Jimin, sporting a red velvet suit and a thick black choker made of the same fabric. He had brought with him a pale, sad-looking but incredibly elegant woman Seokjin had never seen before.
“I know I’m the best dressed but haven't your mothers ever told you that staring is rude?” Jimin actually declared loud enough for everyone to hear.
A few murmurs of surprise or indignation came from the audience, but everyone was eager to ignore the downworlders’ presence, and just went back to their drinks.
Oh yes, Seokjin thought, that one was the most likely to start a fight.
Jimin nodded for the woman to follow him, and they went to greet Yoongi. Unsurprisingly, the shadowhunters who had been talking to him suddenly dispersed. Vampires tended to have that effect, and for how open-minded Seokjin tried to be, they did occasionally scare him.
“If you’ll excuse me” Jungkook averted him from his observations and left their circle, making a beeline for someone in the crowd, or maybe just deciding he had had enough of the party. He could be a bit mysterious sometimes.
Seokjin just kept on commenting guests’ outfit choices with Taehyung and occasionally greeting a face he knew from his training days back in Idris, professors included.
The party – or the festive networking event, one could call it – was in full swing, with empty glasses and messy tables, when Kim Namjoon arrived.
He probably was the best-known among the downworlder guests, because of the services he had offered to the Institute, and hence the one who aroused the least interest from the nephilim crowd. That wasn’t necessarily a good thing, because shadowhunters were used to paying warlocks for portals and services and then dismissing any request for recognition that came from them - but at least it saved the party from the umpteenth awkward moment.
Namjoon was wearing a tailor-made deep blue suit with a white shirt underneath. The shoulders of the jacket were slightly squared, and the piece was tighter at the waist with what looked like a belt but was actually a horizontal stripe of fabric sawn into the jacket. His platinum-blonde hair was neatly coiffed with a side-part, and a few silver rings shined at his fingers.
It was funny, him being a warlock and being one of the few who didn’t have to portal to the party because he lived in the same city. He seemed lost for a moment, entering the crowded garden, looking for someone… then he spotted Yoongi, and off he went thanking his host, or updating him on some demon situation or something.
He hadn’t been collaborating with the Institute for long, having assumed the title of High Warlock only less than a year before, and considering the bad relations with his predecessor, but maybe it was this similarity with Yoongi that had prompted him to give local shadowhunters a helping hand.
For the last couple of months, they had paid for Namjoon’s services when needed, and Yoongi had occasionally called on him to report on some issue, or ask for advice on downworlder-related business. Relations were not informal yet, but they were going somewhere, at least, and the warlock was now coming to the Institute relatively often.
Seokjin decided to have another round at the refreshments table and resumed his chat with Taehyung – new weapons on the market, this time – when music started playing.
Shadowhunters were no strangers to music in general, and they were no stranger to pop music either, being alive in the XXIst century and all, but most of them were definitely not accustomed to it. Pop music, hits of the month, worldwide hip-hop charts and all that. Jungkook was, though – his interest for mundane culture was maybe his only fault in the eyes of serious and respectable nephilim.
But it was Yoongi’s birthday, and even if the Head of the Institute wanted to be recognized and respected, he could not deny the boy to play some pop music. The only condition was that guests had to have been drinking for at least half an hour.
The required time had passed, so it was Jungkook’s reign now. He had actually spent a whole week putting together the perfect birthday playlist, and there it was.
A couple of the shadowhunters seemed taken aback by the sudden, very loud noise coming from the speakers, but Jungkook immediately put the volume to a reasonable level and they went back to discussing as if nothing had happened. Besides, a couple of the younger ones, probably carried along by their parents, seemed happy at the turn of events and started thumping their feet to the music.
Seokjin actually saw the eyes of the werewolf leader light up for a second and his legs move to the center of the floored garden space, then he realized that no one else had taken it as a clue for dancing their asses off and retreated to talk with his second.
Yoongi seemed pretty happy too, the music a welcome distraction, maybe an excuse to pretend he hadn’t heard what a member of the Clave had been telling him for the last 15 minutes. Jesus.
“I’ll go see if he needs a hand and if the cake’s ready” at some point, Taehyung settled his glass on the high, bar-style table they had claimed for themselves, and made for the Institute door.
Great.
Not that he could blame him, but that meant Seokjin had no one to talk with (no one he wanted to talk with), no cellphone on him to play videogames under the tablecloth, and there wasn’t even a single alcohol bottle left in his eyesight.
He waited to be entertained by the arrival of the Fairy court, but not even the Angel could have guessed when they would have deigned to show up.
He thought about claiming Yoongi for himself for a while, but as he looked for him, he found that no one other than the Consul had taken him aside to talk.
Great.
So, after a while, he simply settled on wandering around the garden, looking for alcohol and avoiding people. Maybe he would find one of the pleasant Shadowhunters of the institute to converse with. He even spotted Jungkook in the crowd, but he lost him a second later.
There were too many damn people.
After a couple of minutes, he managed to find a halfway-through bottle of champagne in an ice bucket. The group of shadowhunters at the table nearby was probably going to need it sooner or later, but he needed it now, so he grabbed it in a swift motion and made for the other end of the floor.
The gardens were mostly grass and occasional bushes of flowers, with a few pebbles pathways to reach the main doors, so they had set up a big wooden platform on the back and placed tables, chairs and stools around it. A few, more intimate tables were also scattered on the grass nearby, offering dim lighting and more privacy. While sneaking off with a bottle of champagne was definitely not a good image, appropriating one of those tables seemed acceptable.
Jin thought he had spotted an empty one and actually made a straight line for it, only to realize – when he was already too close to pretend he was going somewhere else – that Kim Namjoon was seated there.
“Hey, Seokjin” the warlock greeted him.
“Oh, hi, Namjoon-nim” Jin kind-of froze in his steps.
Namjoon stared at him for a few seconds, and nothing happened.
“Alright, bye, I guess”
“Oh, erm… would you like some?” Seokjin lifted the bottle. He knew that he looked incredibly stupid, but he didn’t want to seem disrespectful.
“Yeah, sure” Namjoon chuckled and adjusted the lantern on the table, his face now fully visible.
“Okay, alright…” Seokjin grabbed a seat, and if the round table had been a clock, he would have been a good fifteen minutes away from Namjoon. Thirty minutes was too formal, he reckoned.
The warlock materialized two clean glasses, and Jin noticed what had blocked the light from shining in his direction – a discrete collection of half-empty, half-full glass bottles. Wine, champagne, liquor, you name it. Some of them Jin was fairly sure weren’t even provided by the Institute.
He poured two glasses, the champagne still cold and bubbly, and handed one to Namjoon.
“Cheers”
“Cheers” and he downed it in a second.
“That bad, huh?” Namjoon addressed Seokjin.
“What?”
“The party” he glanced expressively from the “dancefloor” to the empty flute.
“No, no, of course not… just not many people I know” he denied the evidence.
“Whatever helps you sleep at night” Namjoon laughed and took another sip of champagne.
“Are you warlocks always this cryptic?”
“Only to Shadowhunters. Can’t risk them finding out all our good qualities and be even more jealous of us than they currently are”
“Yeah, sure - Seokjin laughed, and he poured himself another glass – So, that’s the reason you’re here, avoiding anyone who could get a glimpse of your good qualities?”
“No, well, I came to show my support to Yoongi, because that’s what this is about in the end. And I just thought it would be impolite to leave early, so I’m here getting drunk by myself”
“You are what?”
“Don’t sound so surprised, I can make the alcohol disappear from my stomach and liver with a snap of my fingers, if I need to face a mighty Shadowhunter’s scrutinizing stare. Then get drunk again. It already happened once, actually” and Namjoon downed his glass.
All those bottles had been grabbed (or conjured) by him then. Impressive.
“Well then, I hope you don’t mind if I steal some of your personal reserve” Seokjin reached to grab a bottle of Italian white wine.
“Only if you admit you’ve been avoiding the Shadowhunters as well”
“Well, yeah, fine, I have been” he shrugged and filled his glass more than he was supposed to.
“Oh, that was surprisingly easy”
“Not all the shadowhunters are as stuck-up as you think, you know”
“I’d take my chances assuming otherwise when I approach one, but thank you – and cheers” somehow, Namjoon glass was full again, and the two made another toast.
From there, it was more drinking, more drinking and – oh wait, more drinking. But conscious drinking, getting from lighter to stronger beverages, not making the mistakes Jin had made too many times when he was a teenager.
They were on cocktails when they started dropping the small talk.
“You said you’re here to show your support for Yoongi. I hadn’t thought about this aspect, I thought it was more about a gesture of mutual respect, but it makes sense. Especially since I don’t think Fairy representatives have arrived yet”
“I honestly don’t know if they will. You know, fairies… not much interested in human affairs unless it intrigues them. Guess that having a whole world for your kind helps”
“Mh… true. Most of the shadowhunters are here for the same reason anyway. The Consul is considering taking Yoongi under his protective wing. Think of it as an informal training. The Angel knows what could happen from there… but he deserves it. Twenty-four – er, twenty-five with today, is a relatively young age to run an Institute, but Yoongi has done it so well…”
“I heard you got a hand in that too, sometimes”
“What do you mean?”
“Yoongi has mentioned it in our meetings. Correspondence, tactics, and very boring yet important, of course, Shadowhunter stuff”
Seokjin chuckled, more amused than offensed.
“Yeah… yeah, but it’s mostly him”
“Don’t think so poorly of yourself. Here… - he materialized a sparkling-blue, shiny drink in a tall glass - Drink”
“I won’t transform in a rat if I do, right?”
“Uh, no, that’s the vampires', this is just a cocktail from one of the best places in town. But if you don’t trust me, you don’t have t-" Namjoon was interrupted by Seokjin taking a generous sip of the drink.
The Shadowhunter’s eyes lit up at the unexpected and pervading taste. It was delicious.
“Told you”
And then the warlock materialized a similar glass for himself, and a few minutes later there was another couple of empty glasses on the table.
By now, Seokjin’s head has started to feel a bit dizzy, and he felt like he needed to take a break. He munched on a few leftover sandwiches and focused on remaining alert and aware. You never knew what could happen, after all. He was still a Shadowhunter, a guardian and protector of humanity from the dark forces of demons and their admirers.
Almost an hour had passed since he had started wandering around, but not many guests had left. None, actually, it seemed. They were chatting more excitedly though, most of the boring work talk left behind. A couple had even dared take a few steps to the music.
He was considering trying to find Jungkook or Taehyung again when Namjoon made a sighing noise. He had thrown his head back, clearly bored.
“Are all Shadowhunters parties this lame?” he asked, his head still tilted back on the chair.
“Only the ones that are a political reunion in disguise… which is way more than I’d admit without alcohol in my body”
“Thank you for the honesty” Namjoon righted himself.
“Are Downworlders parties much different?” he inquired.
“ARE YOU JOKING? - the warlock smiled with disbelief - This is not even a party by our standards, even though I’d say we have our ranking as well… I’m not sure I’d want to take part in a Faerie party”
“So, what are parties of Lilith’s Children like?” Seokjin enquired, leaning on the table with an elbow.
“Well, to start, they’re like mundane parties, but better… - Namjoon began, then intercepted a certain look in the Shadowhunter’s eyes – Hold up. Don’t tell me you’ve never been to a Mundane party? A club? Anything?”
“Of course I’ve been… hunting for demons”
“Oh, for the love of Magnus Bane” Namjoon face-palmed himself.
“Well, I’m sorry, it’s not like we have much free time, you know”
“Mh, fighting demons and saving human-kind at every hour, minute and second of the day, I have been told…”
Before Seokjin could inquire any further on the nature of Warlock celebrations, Namjoon went on.
“At Warlock parties, everyone can be who they are and shine in their own light. Anything and everything is allowed, with the only exception of murdering each other, at least at my things. And any kind of person who knows about the shadow-world can join. Of course, then, we have the best food and the best drinks, because we know all the best places and can summon meals from the other end of the world. Literally. Most of us have been friends with infamous historical figures, so we know how to set up a night to remember and be excellent hosts to all…” he trailed off.
“So, entertain me, what would happen if this was a Warlock party instead?” Seokjin asked, expecting Namjoon to say how most of the current guests would definitely not be welcomed, but that was not what happened.
“Well, for starters, your two friends whose names I can’t recall…”
Seokjin nodded, understanding he was talking about Taehyung and Jungkook, as the three of them plus Yoongi usually worked together.
“…well, for starters, your two friends would be making out on the dancefloor with Jimin instead of taking turns sneaking out of the crowd to hook up on the other side of the garden”
At that, Seokjin actually spat the sip of water that had just gone past his lips.
“WHAT?”
“Are you blind or something? I thought that the scribble you have on your hand helped with that”
“That’s the Voyance rune and… wait, not, are you saying… Taehyung and the leader of the vampires AND Jungkook?”
“Okay, so you truly are blind”
“I… I…”
“What? Are you stuck at Before Christ or something? Even though, from stories I’ve been told by friends, it’s not like it didn’t happen then…”
“No no no - Seokjin emphatically waived his hands in front of him – That’s not what I meant, I am, in fact, very much homosexual, it’s just that I didn’t expect…”
The words died on his lips as soon as he realized what he had just said. Downworlders were generally waaaay more open-minded about these things than nephilim society, but still, Seokjin would have never shared that with someone he barely knew. If only he hadn't been drinking for the past two hours.
Namjoon just hummed.
“So, what else could happen if this was a Warlock party?” he was quick to change the subject, or at least he hoped so.
“Well, second thing that would happen is that Min Yoongi would stop sending those puppy-in-love stares to Hoseok and just go talk to him about something that’s not shadowhunter-business related”
Seokjin’s forehead collapsed on the table.
“Why am I not even surprised at this point? – he lifted his head up, settling it between his crossed arms – What are you, exactly? A couple’s therapist for downworlders?”
At that, Namjoon laughed genuinely.
“No, I’m just really good at reading people. And understanding what people want. It comes easy, after a few hundred years. Mundanes and shadowhunters alike, but the children of the moon as well. Vampires and Fairies hide it better”
“In what ways can you read them? Love, only?”
“Well, no… but that’s important. More important than you Shadowhunters would like to admit, with your idea of dying young for mundanes' ultimate salvation or something”
“Alright, so, try me – Seokjin avoided the stab at his nephilim values and sat up straight on his chair – Read me”
Namjoon’s eyes tightened to slits as his fingers tapped on the table and he tried to focus as much as he could. The music and the alcohol didn't help.
“I can’t read you well. Not enough to make a guess” he admitted after a minute.
Seokjin hid his disappointment. He would have very much liked someone to tell him what to do and to reveal to him what he wanted, because he wasn’t too sure he knew it himself.
“Alright then, let’s get even drunker and maybe it will come to your mind” he grabbed a bottle on the other side of the table, one they hadn’t touched yet. It was time to get to spirits.
Another half hour went by, and conversation flew smoothly.
Seokjin found out that Namjoon knew both Hoseok and Jimin pretty well, the second he had known for almost a century, actually, and that he had talked to both before seeking out the silence of the garden table. It seemed like the two of them shared his view, his hopes and his serious doubts about their new relationship to the local shadowhunters. That was good, mostly.
He also found out that he was at least 200 years old, because he mentioned something about the death of his dear friend Giacomo Leopardi, a renown Italian poet who exhaled his last breath in 1837, but Seokjin wondered how much longer he had lived. He didn’t know if it was respectful to ask, though.
Seokjin, for his part, told him a bit of his standard Shadowhunter life. His upbringing between Seoul and Idris, his parabatai bond with Yoongi, his now seemingly permanent residence at the Seoul Institute. The fact that he liked to travel, but that he couldn’t do that much.
They had to build better relations with downworlders. The two of them were making a clear attempt at it. That was what was going on.
At some point, Seokjin realized he was more drunk than tipsy, but it was too late to go back. The foggy haze cast on his usual proper manners prompted him to ask the first question that came up in his mind.
“Can I ask you something, Namjoon-ssi?” he leaned in his chair comfortably, leaving the half-full whisky glass on the table.
“Sure”
Namjoon had sweared not to de-drunk himself, but he looked way more put-together than what Jin expected him to be by now.
“What’s your mark?”
The question hung between them for a few, interminable seconds. In the same seconds, the music stopped before transitioning to another track. That had Jin realize just how bad his question was – you never, ever stared at a Warlock’s mark, it was disrespectful to say the least, imagine asking one about it.
One you barely knew.
But he was practically drunk and definitely curious.
“Careful what you wish for” Namjoon just said.
“You’ve glamoured it, haven’t you?” Seokjin asked.
“What if I just have it in a non-visible spot?” the warlock answered, raising one of his brows.
But something told Jin that wasn’t the case. And he was too intrigued to take back his question, but too reticent to ask again.
Namjoon settled his glass on the clothed table, and collected his hands in his lap. His stare went to his fingers, and then, in a second, he brought it up to Seokjin.
The Shadowhunter had been momentarily focused on the warlock’s hands, but they didn’t seem much different. When his gaze went up to the other’s eyes, though, looking for their peculiar shape and piercing stare…
They were black.
Not black irises and dark brown pupils, like the ones he had stared into for the whole evening. His whole eyes were black. His irises were black, his pupils were black, his sclera were black.
Seokjin swallowed audibly.
“Does it scare you?” Namjoon asked, tilting his head to the side.
“I…” Jin tried to formulate a sentence, but he was still looking into the other’s orbits, trying to find someone to look at while all he could see was pitch black darkness.
Namjoon chuckled, a hint of disappointment breaking through, and in a split second his eyes turned back to normal.
Normal?
“No, wait” unvoluntarily, Jin’s hand reached across the table to close over the warlock’s.
“It just took me aback for a second. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t mean it scared me. You don’t scare me” he tried to formulate a coherent sentence, but his brain seemed to be on the verge of shutdown.
“So, you don’t care about spending the celebrations with a despicable downworlder? You know we’re not far enough from the crowds that they can’t see you. And talk”
“No… I don’t” Seokjin found enough willpower in his body to speak and shake his head at the same time.
He didn’t seem to realize his hand was still over Namjoon’s, though.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” the warlock talked.
Jin nodded feebly.
“I’ve shown you my mark. What about you return the favor?” he asked, his white and brown eyes fixated onto the other's.
“W-what?”
“Oh, right, you Shadowhunters call them runes. My bad”
Seokjin found enough balance to wave his right hand in front of Namjoon, where the Voyance rune was.
“So not only you are blind but also clueless”
“Hey hey – I’m not as drunk as I look, I drew a couple of awareness and clarity runes before the party, just in case. Always ready”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, yes, they’re on my back. And my ribcage”
At that, Namjoon only lifted his eyebrows. For a brief second – enough for Seokjin to realize, though – his eyes fell on his ribcage, enclosed by the formal suit. Then they were back up on his face.
Seokjin laid back in his chair.
Oh.
Oh.
“Hey, listen, don’t you want to… to - he coughed, forcing the wheels in his brain to work and formulate a coherent sentence - to go upstairs, maybe? I mean, I have this old scottish whiskey that Yoongi gave me, it's in my ro-”
"Lead the way, shadowhunter"
And that’s how they ended up walking hastily by the East side of the Institute building (the party was proceeding as normal in the South garden), Seokjin leading Namjoon with confident steps to the side entrance. Casting a glance behind him, he found the warlock holding onto the wall to stabilize his steps.
Alright, he hadn’t de-drunked himself.
Seokjin reached the door and swung it open. They would go through the kitchen and informal dining area, then there was a corridor, the stairs, another corridor, the stairs…
Jin suddenly flattened himself against the kitchen wall, bringing Namjoon with him by slamming an arm across his chest.
“Ouch, wait-“
“Shh” he shushed him.
A couple of seconds later three figures walked by the hall. One was Yoongi, one was the Consul, and the third one Jin didn’t recognize, but she was someone from the Idris party. And Yoongi’s office opened right on the first-floor corridor.
Shit.
“What’s the trouble, Angel boy?” Namjoon asked behind him, his words only slightly dragged.
“We can’t get upstairs… the Consul…” he tried to formulate.
“Well then – Namjoon placed his hand on Seokjin’s shoulder – You’re very lucky you decided on a wizard rather than a vampire”
He then took Seokjin’s hand and pulled him out of the building the same way they went in. They were far from the party, but Jin still cast a glance behind him.
“Where are you going?”
“I can’t just create a portal on Institute grounds. It will be sensed as unauthorized”
They had reached the North wall of the Institute, where an unassuming iron door led outside.
Seokjin opened it easily, and was hit by the loud noises and bright colors of the Seoul that lived just across his garden. The glamours on the Institute sometimes worked as too much of a bubble, in his humble opinion.
It seemed like the crisp evening breeze had sobered up Namjoon, who left his hand and simply whispered follow me with a certain urgency.
Jin didn’t really understand where the other was taking him, but at least people in the streets were not sending them weird stares. They weren’t a warlock and a shadowhunter, they were just two people.
Namjoon rounded a couple of corners and ended up in a blind alley. He waited for Jin and planted his feet in the ground, moving his hands in small circles, up, down, to his sides, and up again, whispering something under his breath.
It actually looked like he corrected himself a couple of times.
When the warlock was done, Seokjin had already had a few minutes to think about the short-term future and all of the different scenarios that could unfold. Goosebumps were running over his arms, and it wasn’t because of the portal – he had used portals plenty of times.
Namjoon turned to face him, seemingly satisfied with what he had done. The light-blue and turquoise shine of the opening illuminated the right side of his face, making his hair seem almost white.
The portal was smaller than the ones Seokjin had previously used, but nothing seemed particularly off about it.
“Have you changed your mind?” the warlock asked.
Seokjin shook his head, shaking a bit of the buzz away with it. Actually, he was feeling way more sober than he had been ten minutes ago, adrenaline kicking in.
“Absolutely not”
He took a few strides towards the warlock, grabbed onto the collar of his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss, letting the two of them fall into the portal.
When Seokjin opened his eyes, his hands were still on Namjoon’s neck, but their faces were a few inches apart.
He took in his surroundings (shadowhunters' habits die hard), realizing he was in someone’s living room. Casting a glance at the portal, he found it nestled in a wall of dark grey stones, a faint white shimmer covering the dazzling turquoise light. It was a perpetual portal.
“Comes in handy” Namjoon shrugged, observing what had caught the other’s interest.
“So, is this…?”
“My apartment, yes”
“Cool. Nice”
“You can barely see any of it”
“Oh, Raziel, shut up” Seokjin quit the small talk and tugged the warlock in for another kiss, a needier, messier one.
It took a second for his palms to find the expanse of the warlock's white shirt, feeling his warm skin through the cotton and then sliding his hands under the jacket’s shoulders to let the garment fall to the ground.
Namjoon’s hands did the same, undoing the buttons on Seokjin’s jacket and shirt with ease.
“About those marks, then…” he whispered when their lips parted for air.
“On one condition” the other answered.
“What?”
“That you remove your glamour too”
Namjoon smiled on Seokjin's lips, and when the shadowhunter’s eyes went up to meet the warlock’s again, he found a now familiar darkness staring back at him.
“Good” he said, then slid his jacket and shirt off together.
When the two grew bored of feeling each others' skin under their fingertips and tasting each others' mouths with their tongues, Namjoon showed Seokjin where his bedroom was.
Present
Truth was, Seokjin remembered everything. The clarity and awareness runes had done their job, despite waking up with a proper hangover.
Or, better: waking up, casting a glance and the warlock soundly asleep next to him, fetching his belongings, and adventuring out of Namjoon’s front door, hoping he didn’t live on the other side of Seoul.
The shadowhunter didn’t know what to do there and then. He didn’t know if it was supposed to be a hook-up and he had fulfilled his role in leaving early, or if he had to leave a note with his phone number.
He would have liked to leave a note with his phone number.
But he didn’t want to overstep, and he didn’t have time to think about it – Raziel knew what would have happened if any of the guests had seen him leave his parabatai’s birthday party and Institute Head celebrations, sneaking out of the backdoor with the High Warlock.
When Seokjin reached the Institute grounds, he had applied an agility rune and tiptoed to his room quietly. Everyone seemed to be sound asleep, and no weird questions nor glances were addressed to him the following day.
Had everyone just assumed he had gone to bed early?
Had he been that obvious in his distaste for the guests?
Whatever it was, Seokjin was glad for it. He was just too lost in thinking about what to do with the man whose bed he had fallen asleep in, after something that had been a thousand times more memorable than the party.
Then, the portal thing had come up.
Seokjin didn’t know how that could have happened. Portals were supposed to close on their own after a while, even if they were linked to a perpetual one like the portal in Namjoon's living room.
But he couldn’t say how he knew it wasn’t dangerous, so he had just stood there, and waited for the white-haired warlock to arrive.
Namjoon brought his hands up, and did what he knew he needed to do.
He closed the portal.
“Hey, wait, what?” Jungkook took a step forward.
“What did you do?” Taehyung inquired.
“Nothing - he lied, and put on his best probing expression, looking at the brick wall - I did nothing, it must have reacted to my magic and closed on its own. It can happen, but good news, it means it’s nothing to worry about. I wasn’t able to feel any signs of demonic presence, and it looks like no such being has traveled past it”.
“Oh, well, that’s something” Jungkook exhaled and put his hands on his hips.
“I wouldn’t worry if I were you, unless something similar pops up again. In that case I will try with a different approach, but I doubt it will happen twice. It must have been an inexperienced warlock who forgot to put a closing time on it… for some reason…”
“That’s too dangerous though, we need to find who they are and make sure it doesn’t happen again” Taehyung intervened.
“Yes… but as I told you, I wasn’t able to intercept anyone’s magic, nor connect it to anyone, before it reacted to my magic and somehow closed. I’ll ask about it to a couple people I know, that’s all I can do”
“Alright – Taehyung sighed – Thank you, Namjoon-nim, and sorry for calling you all the way here for nothing”
“That’s alright… - the warlock went on, letting his gaze drift behind him – I actually needed to ask Seokjin something”
The two younger shadowhunters sent each other a confused stare, but in a few second they were okay, alright-ing him and walking to the entrance of the alley, leaving the warlock and the older shadowhunter behind.
Seokjin had not left his spot by the grated fence. He had actually done it because his companions were too good at reading the emotions that popped up unannounced on his face.
Namjoon took a few steps towards him, trying to assess if he remembered as much as he remembered. If he was on the same wave length as him.
“Just in case next time you want to stop by in a less turbulent way - Namjoon produced a square piece of white cardboard between his index and middle finger - And I can assure that I have full control of my portals 99,9% of the time. The alcohol and... the other distraction must have confused me"
Seokjin took the cardboard in his hand. An address was written in black and silver characters on it.
Oh.
So, Namjoon wanted to meet again.
And he had left without a word.
“Yes… thank you...” Seokjin put it in the back pocket of his jeans, suddenly feeling as guilty as hell. He wanted to say he’d make sure to stop by and tease the other just a bit, flirt just a bit, but he couldn’t shake off the bad impression he must have given the other morning.
“Here… you also left this” Namjoon produced a small bundle of black satin fabric that had once been Seokjin’s pocket handkerchief, and later on, many more things.
Jin was quick to take it back, but the way his fingers brushed past the warlock's wasn’t accidental.
Namjoon observed the way Seokjin’s hair moved around his forehead and revealed the tip of his ears. They had turned as red as a tomato.
He hadn't managed to read Seokjin yet, but one thing he knew.
He definitely remembered.