Archive of Our Own

“It’s going to rain soon” San said with a grin, ribs digging into his kitchen counter as he leaned closer to the window over his sink.

The only response to this statement was a meow from the only other occupant of his home, Byeol. Her blue eyes stared up at him from the small kitchen table curiously as San pushed up onto his toes so he could try and get a closer look at the incoming clouds. He only stopped practically trying to climb up onto his kitchen counter when Byeol let out a more distressed sound as San’s wet hand slipped on the countertop and likely would have bashed his head against the window if he hadn’t caught himself on the faucet.

Under Byeol’s very judgemental gaze, San slid back down to the floor and back to the task of washing all the bark he currently had piled up in the sink. It was the last of his stash after the rest had been used up over the winter. The cold made it almost impossible to gather the right ingredients so San usually spent most of the non-winter seasons making sure that he had enough to last. Sure, he could ask Mingi to get him things if he was ever in dire straits but that was expensive. Most of the time San worked in favors, not coin. It just worked easier for him to set aside enough to last.

Not that it mattered much that he was on the last of his hagwood bark, spring was coming.

The beginning of spring always began with a huge storm that rolled up the coast and through the woods, all the way to the base of the mountains.

Every year since coming here San tried to pick a different spot to watch the storm from. He always felt it coming near the end of winter, as could almost every Forest witch. Springtime was when their magic was at its peak. The coming storm always felt like a coil in his stomach, winding tighter and tighter until finally it reached its limit and burst outward. It was simultaneously exciting and terrifying.

One year, he’d sat on the cold sands of the beach, watched dark clouds form over the ocean waves and the wall of water that fell from the sky and battered the sea. He’d let the rain sink into his skin, let the waves crash around him as the ocean crawled up the shore. The waves probably would have taken him if Yeosang, who had more sense than the rest of them, hadn’t finally come and dragged him up the shore by his wrist. Mingi had been there too, had hefted a shivering San onto his back and carried him back to the Song bakery. He watched the rest of the storm through the windows with a soft warm roll pressed between his fingers.

The next year he watched the storm from the base of the mountains, from the porch of the cute cottage that his half brother had built with his boyfriend. It took longer for the storm to reach them there, San heard it long before he saw it. Thunder boomed through the trees and echoed through the rocky faces of the mountains. It made him want to leave the relative safety of the porch, to get closer to the mountains so he could more clearly hear the echo, that it could reverberate in his bones. But Hongjoong knew his brother and his impulses regarding the storm all too well and made a gentle scolding noise whenever San looked like he was going to bolt from beneath the porch. Instead of leaving the porch, San let Seonghwa drape a soft blanket around his shoulders and the three of them listened as the rain pounded on the roof.

The year after that, San spent the storm in the forest. He’d built his own little shelter beneath a dense canopy of leaves. It wasn’t perfect by any means, he still ended up mostly wet and shivering by the time the storm had passed through, but it was magical. Through wet, spiky lashes San watched as the rain hit the leaves, as it soaked into the earth. Could smell the wet, loamy dirt. Could let the sound of rain hitting the leaves overwhelm him until all other thoughts were driven out. That year he’d ended up with a cold, but it had been worth it.

This year he’d opted to stay at his own little cottage in the woods. It hadn’t been his original plan, he’d thought about trying out a cave he’d found wandering last spring or maybe even making the trip to see Wooyoung and see what the storm was like from the Garden. But the closer that the storm had gotten, the more San had felt the urge to stay closer to the house.

Once he finished up with the bark he set it aside carefully to dry. His eyes were still on the window as he wiped his hands on a raggedy kitchen towel. Byeol meowed again from behind him. She had been following him around all day, watching him suspiciously as if expecting him to leave at any moment. Definitely a very clever cat, but San would expect nothing less from his very best friend and faithful familiar.

He hefted his beautiful Siamese into his arms and carried her out to the open living room, settling into the makeshift window seat. It wasn’t really a window seat so much as it was San shoving blankets and pillows onto a ledge only barely wide enough to fit his body, but it worked for the two of them. Byeol still looked confused, but purred gently as she placed her paws on San’s chest.

The first raindrops pattered against the window about an hour after San got comfortable, his fingers fiddling with a bundle of twine that might turn into some sort of charm or might turn into a new toy for Byeol going by the way the cat was eyeing it. His fingers stilled as more droplets hit the window, rolling down the glass slowly. He watched until there were too many droplets and the pane just turned into a sheet of water, making the world outside look distorted and wobbly. It was loud too, between the rain hitting his roof and the window and just the ground outside. Even Byeol, who had stared down a particularly mean badger last season, cowered slightly with just the sheer volume. San would almost be afraid of his roof leaking if he and Hongjoong hadn’t laid layers of spells on it themselves.

To San, it was almost like a lullaby. Between the warmth of Byeol on his chest and the rhythmic pattern of the rain he just let his head tip against the window and lose himself staring out into the blurry world beyond. Sure, the instinct was there just to run out and feel the storm for himself to witness the fury of the wind and the rain, but this wasn’t so bad either. His eyelids grew heavy and he was seconds away from just letting the storm carry him into dreamland.

Only, he saw something. It was hard to tell what it was through the rain, but it was dark and tall and moving closer. It made San shift to sit up straighter, drawing a disgruntled noise from Byeol who had probably been seconds away from sleep herself. His nose pressed to the glass, San tried to make out more of the figure but it was nearly impossible. The only thing he could distinguish was that it was likely human and that they were moving unevenly.

Wiggling out from a now upset Byeol, San threw the ball of twine at her as a penance for his crimes. With the only being that could possibly judge him for his stupidity now distracted, San wrenched open the front door. Almost immediately he was hit with pounding water that whipped past him and splattered onto the wooden floors of the cottage. He could just barely hear the distressed meow of his familiar over the rain as he stepped out and quickly slammed the door shut behind him to try and save the wooden floors somewhat. Those were also laid with spells but there was only so much water damage spellwork could prevent and he’d rather not have Hongjoong chew him out when he showed up in a week or so.

Books and movies always depicted dancing in the rain as romantic. Artfully soaked clothing and laughter as people gracefully leapt through puddles. As the rain fell down on him, all San could think was ‘cold’. But after years of throwing himself into the oncoming storm it was a little easier to find his breath after the first torrent of water hit his chest and drove the air from his lungs. He didn’t know if he looked like a movie character with his hair plastered to his cheeks and soaked clothes immediately clinging to his body but judging from the way Byeol was pawing at the window and staring at him, it was more likely he looked like he’d lost his mind.

Once he’d gotten his bearings back, San peered through the heavy rain in search of the figure he’d seen earlier. They were easier to spot without the distorted, watery pane of glass between him. Still a good ways away from the cottage, but the figure dressed in all black was hard to miss even underneath the darkened clouds. It was hard to make out through the rain but San’s initial observation of being tall seemed right, and broad too.

A voice that sounded a lot like Yeosang’s said that he probably should turn back right now and go back into the house where he’d be protected by the strongest wards magic could produce.

There was something though, something else that felt like it was pressed right up against his ribcage. It was like the feeling that nearly drove him off Hongjoong’s porch, or the feeling that almost swept him away with the waves on the shore. That alone should probably have prompted him to go back into the house. But he watched the figure stumble, a hand coming out to brace them on a nearby tree and San was shoving his way past the small gate that contained his yard and striding toward the figure.

The person in black didn’t even seem to notice San approaching until he was right in front of them. Even then, the dark eyes that met his over the edge of a black mask were hazy with pain and confusion. San watched them widen with confusion, their body moving sluggishly through the heavy rain into what might be some kind of defensive position. Clearly they had either been in the rain a very long time or they’d jumped in a lake or something, the long dark coat they were wearing was drenched with water and hung heavy on their broad shoulders. It looked like it probably wasn’t keeping them warm at this point.

San put his hands up, trying to indicate he meant no harm. The person squinted at him, and it looked like their mouth might be moving beneath the fabric of the mask but San couldn’t hear anything over the roar of the rain that still surrounded them. San moved closer, trying to hear anything and the person moved again backing up slightly.

Then they crumpled. One moment they were an imposing dark figure and the next they were on the ground. It happened so quickly that San didn’t even have time to react and could only watch as they fell.

The ground was soft and squished underneath his knees as San dropped down beside the mysterious figure in black. It took a second to unhook the mask around their face, to try and figure out if they were even still breathing. But San lost his breath a little once it was pulled away, and this time it wasn’t because of the cold rain.

The face beneath the mask was young, and possibly one of the prettiest faces San had ever seen.

San awoke when the hazy, yellow, early morning sunlight crept across his bed and onto the worn hardwood floors. The warmth of it chased away the chill of the storm last night and made his limbs soft and heavy as he fought to free them from the confines of the blankets. Normally, he might lay in bed and linger in the comfortable warmth a little longer, but there were things to do.

There were always things to do on the first day of Spring. The first day where the dew didn’t turn to frost, the day when animals hesitantly began creeping out of their bunkered homes. San hadn’t even stepped out his door yet but he could feel it in his bones, his veins, the magic awakening in the forest.

Spring was always the favorite season of forest witches. There was so much magic in new life and new beginnings. Winter made the forests so quiet, with only the occasional birdsong and magic buried deeply and hidden away in every being as they struggled to survive the cold. Spring was like that magic finally snapping and overflowing into the world. It made San giddy every year, excited to tend to his garden and greet his old friends.

It meant Hongjoong would be coming down south soon too. San missed him more than he cared to admit sometimes. The decision to move away from each other had been the best one, but sometimes San looked around the tiny cottage and missed Hongjoong’s presence. His stack of grimoires on the desk or how he could never brew anything without somehow using every item in the kitchen. San hadn’t had anyone stay with him since Hongjoong moved out, he kind of missed having another presence around. Hongjoong at least had Seonghwa staying with him for most of the year.

San swung his legs over the edge of his bed, wiggling his toes on the floor and giddily happy when it didn’t feel freezing beneath them. A very pointed meow drew his attention to where Byeol was sitting patiently in the doorway, big blue eyes staring up at him. Her gaze asked all sorts of questions that he ignored in favor of reaching out to snag a well worn sweater tossed lazily over the footboard of his bed and wrestling it over his head.

Byeol kept close to his heels as he ambled his way to the kitchen, nearly tripping him a couple times as she rubbed up against his ankles.

His fridge was certainly lacking, the results of a long winter and less frequent trips into town. But that just made San more excited that it was spring! His food and ingredient stores would be full again, he could actually go into town, he could spend his whole days outside without the risk of frostbite.

Byeol leapt upon her food dish as soon as San set it down, still eyeing him suspiciously over the bowl but unwilling to let that keep her from precious food. San chewed on a handful of dried fruit, staring out the window at the first signs of green on the trees. His limbs nearly ached with the restraint to not just go running out the door and get lost in the woods for the first time in a while.

But there were things he had to take care of here first.

As if his thoughts had brought it into fruition, San was taken from his thoughts by a series of light knocks on his door.

“Mrs.Kim, I didn’t expect to see you this soon!” San grinned delightedly when he pulled open the door, greeted by the sight of a small old woman bent over a cane standing on his doorstep.

“I know it’s rather early in the year, but winter wasn’t kind to my joints this year” Mrs.Kim smiled softly, leaning forward a bit on her cane, “I hope that won’t be a problem? I would have waited but my son has been worrying”

“Not at all! It’s always a pleasure to see your beautiful face” San smirked, and squawked dramatically when the older woman leaned over to pinch his side for the teasing, “I should have enough to tide you over until I can get some more ingredients”

“Thank you San, though I feel awful that I’m taking up the rest of what you have” Mrs. Kim frowned down at her hands coiled around the head of the cane.

“Between the two of us, I always save them for you anyway. It’s spring, I’ll be able to get more ingredients soon!” San assured, ducking back into the house to grab the potion for Mrs.Kim. He would have invited her in, but she’d always insisted on staying outside and waiting. San had always suspected that she was magic sensitive.

“Was the number of vials I gave you for the winter not enough? You usually don’t come by quite this early” San called through the open doorway as he opened the cupboards in search of the pre-brewed potion he knew he’d stored in there. Mrs.Kim was one of his best customers, he always kept some on hand in case she needed it. Heck, he probably would have trekked out in the snow if he’d known she’d run out.

“No, no, it should have been enough. But Sojung’s hands were aching from all the sewing work she’s been doing so I gave her one, and the new puppy they got for my grandson accidentally broke a couple of vials” Mrs.Kim sighed wearily.

“I’ll reinforce the glass next winter, and tell Sojung to stop by if she’s having any more trouble” San rounded the corner with a flask in hand. Leaning over, he carefully tucked it into Mrs. Kim’s bag so she wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of balancing with her cane.

“You’re a good boy Sannie” Mrs.Kim smiled, tapping her cane against the stone walkway, “But I do worry about you being all the way out here by yourself. Some of the folks in town were gossiping about a ship that wrecked just off the coast because of the storm. A few were whispering about pirates. Not that I believe pirates would have any business here, but you take care of yourself alright?”

“I will Mrs.Kim, don’t worry. I doubt anyone would make it this far into the woods from the water anyway” San assured gently, leaning on the door frame.

“Well alright then, I’ll be up in a few weeks then. Though please do come into town sometime soon, I want you to meet my grandson and Sojung has a few pieces of clothing for you to try on” The old woman reached over to pat his arm before turning to hobble her way down the path.

“Have a good day Mrs.Kim!” San called after her, waving as he stepped back into his home.

Only to feel the cold steel of a knife pressed to his throat, a warm body at his back.

San’s first instinct was to throw an elbow toward ribs that he knew for a fact were injured. Judging by the way the would-be attacker choked on his breath and the knife near his throat wavered, it was a good move. From there it was easy to get fingers between his throat and the hand holding the knife, wrapping fingers around a wrist and channeling just enough magical energy to make the hand spasm. The knife fell to the floor with a clang and he wasn’t exactly surprised to find it was one of his kitchen knives.

“What was that?” The body behind him was gone, and the voice was on the other side of the room, sounding half terrified.

Turning, it wasn’t hard to spot the young man almost cowering against one of the many overflowing bookshelves. He was practically half naked, which on a different day might be a very pleasing sight, but the criss-crossing bandages covering most of his torso spoke to the couple hours that San had spent patching him up the previous night. It was amazing that he was standing at all really, San was sure that he’d be sleeping for another few hours at least.

Byeol meowed from where she’d plopped down next to his feet.

“Well a fat load of good you were! You were supposed to warn me when he woke up!” San scolded her, which only got him a loud meow in response.

“What was that?” The man repeated, and San now realized he was clutching his wrist to his chest.

“Oh fuck, I didn’t hurt you too badly did I? I just channeled a little bit of energy, it should have just been like a small shock?” Not that he had the opportunity to test doing that all that often, so for all he knew his magic was going haywire on the first day of spring and he’d just managed to break his wrist on top of all the other multitude of injuries.

“Channeled energy?” The man asked, voice quieter. San breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the man rotate his wrist carefully and showing no apparent signs of pain.

“You know, magical energy? Just a little bit” San held his index finger and thumb about an inch apart.

“That was magic?” His eyes went big and round. It made him look almost kind of adorable despite the fact that he had been holding a knife to San’s throat not five minutes ago.

“Yes? I’m a witch, magic just sort of comes with the job description” Somehow his words made the young man shrink back until he’d settled back onto the couch that San had laid him out on last night.

“You’re a witch?” The words come out so soft and small that San wasn’t even sure they were meant to be heard.

“Have been my whole life. You’re lucky I am too, or you’d be in a lot worse shape. Took me at least an hour as it was to get that wound on your side cleaned and patched up” San huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Thank you” It sounded like it came out compulsively, but still genuinely. The young man was hunched over the couch, staring at his own hands like he couldn’t believe they were still there. It wasn’t hard to guess that he’d been through something traumatic, no one ended up with wounds like that from something pleasant.

“Hey, are you alright?” San asked. He moved to settle into the worn, and outdated (but still ridiculously comfortable, Hongjoong), armchair across from the couch.

The man traced his fingers over his wrist, fingers following the visible veins with short nails. His dark hair spilled forward across his forehead, hiding most of his face from view so San couldn’t even begin to really attempt to read what he was thinking. For a long moment there was only silence between the two of them, only broken by Byeol’s little feet pattering against the floor as she hopped up onto the arm of San’s chair.

“I’ve never...never met a witch before. Where I grew up, magic isn’t...allowed” He tilts his head back then and San is pinned by big brown eyes.

The idea of magic as a taboo isn’t exactly new to San. There are still a few people in town that skirt around him warily whenever he passes by. It’s not outlawed by any means here, or they wouldn’t have picked to settle all those years ago. The forests are ripe with magical energy and creatures, and some people just choose to avoid that. But he’d heard of places where magic was purged. Yeosang came from one of them, he’d only talked about a few times and even then only when Mingi was wrapped like an octopus around his back and looking like he’d punch anyone that stared at the subtle point to Yeosang’s ears for too long.

“You’ve never seen magic at all?” San said with some measure of disbelief.

“A few times, but only from a distance” The man sighed, shaking his head. Then it seemed something occurred to him quickly because he tried to stand abruptly, clearly forgetting about the multiple wounds that he’d sustained and falling back onto the couch with a pained groan, “I need to...I shouldn’t be here. I need to get home.”

“Woah, hey hold on, you can’t go anywhere in that condition. If you got on any sort of boat I’d give you a week max” San’s brow furrowed, taking in the flush he could see in Yunho’s cheek. He probably had a fever again too. “Let’s start over, I’m Choi San, a forest witch. What’s your name?”

“Sailor Jeong” The man was out of breath when he said it, probably winded from his aborted attempt to get up too fast, but the words were said firmly like a title.

“Okay good, does Sailor Jeong have a given name?”

“Yunho, my given name is Yunho”

“Yunho then, I’ll make you a deal. Stay here for a while and heal up, and then I’ll help you figure out a way back home” San offered, standing up from his chair and carefully making his way closer to the house.

“That doesn’t sound like much of a deal from your end, what are you getting out of it?” Yunho eyed San suspiciously as the witch took a seat on the edge of the couch.

“The satisfaction of not having all my hard work go immediately to waste? Plus it’s good to have an extra set of hands around here once in a while” San reached out carefully, ignoring Yunho’s initial flinch and pressing his hand to Yunho’s head. Yeah, he was definitely burning up again.

“I can’t do magic” Yunho’s eyes were so big and round again, San had to resist the urge to coo at him.

“Not everything I need help with requires magic. You’ll be fine. Now do we have a deal? I think you need to get more rest” San let a little bit of energy spread from his palm, and watched as Yunho’s dark eyelashes fluttered sleepily.

“Deal, we have a deal” Yunho mumbled, his body easing into a sleepy relaxation before he was crumpling backwards. San swore softly as he darted to cushion Yunho’s head with his palm before he could bash it too hard on the arm of the couch. Definitely didn’t need to add a concussion to the already extensive list of injuries, it was amazing he’d come out of whatever ordeal without one in the first place. Very carefully he arranged Yunho out on the couch again, huffing as he hauled what felt like mile long legs back up onto the cushions. Honestly it still felt like he had a few pulled muscles from dragging his heavy body back here the previous night.

There wasn’t much he could do for Yunho’s fever at the moment, the salves he had already applied were doing their work under the multitude of wrapped bandages across his chest and abdomen. The only thing that would help right now was for Yunho to get some rest and for San to go out and collect more ingredients to make more salve for when he changed Yunho’s bandages later.

Leaning over, he carefully brushed Yunho’s hair away from his forehead as he slept. It was hard to reconcile the dark imposing figure in the rain with the sweet sleeping face on his couch. Turning, he pointed a finger at Byeol who was still watching him from the arm of the chair.

“You’re in charge while I’m out, alright? He should sleep until I get back but you have to make sure he doesn’t go anywhere alright?” Byeol just stared up at him with her bright blue eyes but San felt like she’d gotten the message.

Then San slipped on his shoes and grabbed his bag for collecting, intent on going out and fully immersing himself in the first day of spring.

Only, as he stepped out in the newly warm air and buttery sunlight he found for the first time in his life there was something on his mind that wasn’t just the excitement over the newly coursing spring magic.

Part of him was anticipating coming home to someone in his house. And maybe that would make this spring even more exciting than the last.

San was out of breath by the time he pushed open the door to the cottage. The bright morning sunlight had faded to the dusky rosy glow of the sun slowly descending across the sky. His arms were full of what he hadn’t been able to fit in his bag. Even if the first few days of spring didn’t yield as much as he could get when everything had reached full bloom, there was still plenty out there to refill what he’d used up over the winter.

He hobbled into the kitchen to place his items on the large wooden table in there, carefully elbowing the other clutter aside with his elbows. Everything would have to be sorted in a minute, from what needed to be dried, what should go in the refrigerator, what things would need to be put in jars. It was a process and San was usually hyper focused on it, but as soon as everything was sprawled out across the table and his heavy bag was dropped unceremoniously on the floor San was abandoning it all to peer out the kitchen doorway and into the living space.

Yunho was still asleep thankfully, his chest rising and falling gently with his breath. It didn’t take long to spot Byeol curled up between Yunho’s neck and shoulder, San imagined she probably would have been on his broad chest had it not been for his injuries. She was an awfully clever cat afterall. Still San narrowed his eyes at her and she lifted her head and stared back with what San swore was a smug look.

“Traitor” He whispered, pointing at his eyes with two fingers before turning them back to the cat. But with his mind more at ease he turned back to the kitchen to finish putting things away that needed to be stored immediately and starting on another salve for Yunho’s wounds.

The sun had finally descended below the skyline by the time that the majority of the items(his table was still a mess) had been put away and San was grinding yarrow for the salve. There was a pot on the stove, just some vegetables in some stock that likely would be gentle enough to not upset Yunho’s still healing body.

It was the quiet shuffling footsteps that alerted him to his patient being awake. The thought that it had been a long time since he’d listened for sounds of someone else in the house made him freeze for a moment, a small pang of something hitting his chest.

Yunho entered the kitchen with cheeks flushed from sleep and rubbing at his eyes in a manner that was honestly too cute for someone who carried the title of ‘Pirate’.

“Is that magic?” Yunho asked, voice a little raspy as he peered cautiously at the pot that was bubbling on the stove.

“That’s dinner, but this is a little magic yes” San tilted the mortar a little so that Yunho could take a peek at the ground up petals. It wasn’t as if the magic that San applied was visible, but he infused a little of his energy in every step of potion or salve making. Yunho looked curious anyway, which was actually kind of refreshing. He’d looked practically frightened earlier when San had used magic on him.

When Yunho didn’t say anything else, San continued grinding. When he was satisfied he dumped the petals into the bowl to his right which he’d mixed everything else into a thick paste.

“Sit down in one of the chairs will you? I need to change your bandages” San watched as Yunho’s dark brows furrowed, seemingly torn on doing it or not, but eventually he very carefully moved to sink down into one of the wooden kitchen chairs.

He stayed perfectly still as San leaned down to gently start peeling away the old bandages from his shoulder, watching San’s hands with almost startlingly alert eyes. It wasn’t until San started very delicately but liberally applying the salve to the gruesome looking gash on his shoulder that Yunho spoke again.

“You use magic to help people.” It wasn’t a question so much as a statement, seeking confirmation.

“I use magic for a lot of things, like getting power and plumbing out into the woods” San grinned at Yunho, throwing in a wink for good measure before putting on a more serious expression, “But yes, some of the time I use my magic to help people.”

“Like the old woman?” Yunho hissed as San started to peel back the bandage on his side. Byeol weaved her way past their ankles like she was trying to offer some amount of comfort.

“Mrs.Kim is a nice lady. Her joints cause her a lot of pain and she wants to be able to keep up with her grandson. I just give her something to take the edge off the pain” San shrugged, trying not to stare at the torn skin of Yunho’s side. It was worse than he remembered. He had no idea how Yunho had even made it that far inland before collapsing.

When Yunho didn’t say anything else for a while, San let himself focus on just carefully cleaning and rebandaging all of his wounds. He tried to be gentle about it, taking note whenever Yunho would wince or let out an involuntary hiss between his teeth. It was all he had to go on because Yunho didn’t ever voice his discomfort. Which could be just a personality thing or a pirate thing, San didn’t know enough to guess.

As soon as he was done Byeol was quick to hop up into Yunho’s lap, purring as she settled across his thighs. There was something like a smile curling at the corner of Yunho’s lips as he let one large hand very lightly and hesitantly trail across her spine.

“What’s the cat’s name?” Yunho asked, using a fingertip to rub at the top of her head.

“Her name is Byeol, she’s my familiar” San laughed softly as Byeol practically threw her head back to try and get more pressure from the single finger on her head.

“Familiar?” Yunho’s gaze met San’s again.

“Right, forgot you wouldn’t know about that either. Magical familiar. She can sense and channel some of my energy, among other things” San waved a hand to encompass everything else. Byeol really was a lot more to him than just that, but saying it all out loud felt like an admission on how truly lonely he would be without her.

“You’re magic?” Yunho’s eyes were back on Byeol and the minute amount of wonder in them had San turning back to the stove to stir the pot still there to keep himself from laughing or showing whatever dopily endeared expression was on his face.

“Would you…” Yunho started softly, and then waited until San had turned around before continuing, “would you teach me about magic, while I’m here?”

“You want to learn about magic?” There was definitely disbelief in San’s tone. While he’d realized pretty quickly that Yunho was at least sort of curious about magic he hadn’t really expected him to outright ask to learn about it. Coming from somewhere that clearly disliked magic he’d expected if anything that Yunho would try to avoid it or be afraid like he had yesterday when San had only zapped his wrist a little. But Yunho’s face was open and honest as he stared up at San from the chair, his fingers still scratching behind Byeol’s ears in a way that she was clearly enjoying.

“I don’t know anything about it. I never knew that magic could be used to help people. I always heard that it was dangerous. But you used it to help me, and even when I...yesterday, you only used it to startle me. It didn’t hurt, not really” Yunho’s lips were pulled into a frown as he thought.

“I’m not going to lie, there are definitely some people that use magic to hurt others. Just like there are people without magic that choose to hurt others” Yunho looked so suddenly morose that San was quick to change direction, “But if you really want to learn about magic I can teach you some things. You’d probably be exposed to it anyway, spring is my busiest time of year”

“Thank you” There was a quiet sort of joy in Yunho’s face, but San didn’t comment on it. Instead he went back to stirring the stew and let the moment pass placidly.

The rest of the evening was quiet, Yunho still visibly tired and San far more used to conversation free evenings than he would like to admit. It was comfortable though, in a way that felt like it should probably be absurd considering the situation.

Morning found San out in his garden bright and early, huffing as he pulled and cleared away all the dead leaves that had been buried under snow. New green shoots were already starting to sprout from the earth and they’d die out if all the old leaves were left around to hinder them.

Day two of spring was always the day that San made himself start in on the more practical tasks. The first day was always a day of wonder, of indulging in the sheer excitement and the overflow of energy that had been buried all winter long. Sure, he did some hunting for ingredients but it was also for greeting animals and various magics in the woods like old friends, for celebrating new life and reviving old. It was on the second day that he had to reign it back in and really focus on the things he needed to get done. Like clearing out and weeding the garden. As many things as magic could do, there were a lot of things that needed to be done by hand.

Movement out of the corner of his eye caused San to pause and turn toward the door where Yunho was hesitantly peeking out. His hair was rumpled from sleep and he was wearing a sweater that San had no doubt left draped over some piece of furniture. It was old and stretched out, the sweater had always been a little bit big on San actually, but it settled nicely on Yunho’s broad shoulders.

“Can I do something?” Yunho seemed to find the courage to step out, his long fingers betraying his nerves by tugging at the sleeves of the sweater.

“No” San said, watching Yunho’s face fall for a moment before continuing “I don’t want you hurting yourself. But you can come keep me company if you want. I can’t promise it’ll be very interesting though, just gardening. There are a lot of books inside if you’d rather read. A lot of them are spellbooks and grimoires but there’s a few on magical history.”

“That’s ok, I think I’ll stay out here” Yunho said quickly, looking around for a moment before unsteadily lowering himself down onto a patch of grass. It took him a few moments to adjust, seemingly trying to find a position that wouldn’t agitate his wounds. Morning sunlight looked good on him, kissed across his skin and brought out tones in his hair and eyes that looked warmer.

It took longer than San wanted to admit to realize that he was just staring at Yunho. It took that moment of clarity to get San to turn back to his task instead. If anyone had asked, which the only one really out there was Yunho, he would have blamed the slight heat in his cheeks on the fact that he was out in the sunlight.

“What do you grow?” Yunho asked curiously, and San could feel his curious gaze on his back.

“A little bit of everything? Vegetables, herbs, this is one of the flower beds” San explained as he ripped away more dead leaves from around a small green bud.

“You grow flowers?” It was an innocent enough question but it was the way Yunho sounded both baffled and with that same small dose of wonder that made San turn to look back at him.

“Yes? Some are useful in potions and spells but others I just like because they look pretty” San shrugged, his garden was kind of a colorful mess but he loved it all the same. It had been San’s project from day one, Hongjoong had never really been interested in gardening beyond just making sure that he had enough of something for his next spell. San on the other hand loved making things grow, loved to coax new seedlings from the earth and watch them bloom under his care. He loved that every year his home would turn into a riot of joyful color.

“I never knew that you could do that” Yunho said quietly, thoughtfully, “At home we have gardens but only for practical things? I’ve only ever seen flowers grow in the woods.”

Yunho’s home sounded awfully drab without magic and flowers, but San didn’t voice that thought aloud.

“Just wait and see, this whole area is going to be filled with blooming flowers in a few weeks” San said instead, offering Yunho a small smile.

“If I’m still here to see them,” Yunho commented, almost sadly.

“I’m sure there will be a few things starting to bloom by the time you’re healthy enough to leave” San watched Yunho pluck at a few strands of dead grass, “You could always stay a little longer too, if you want to see the flowers. I wouldn’t mind”

“I need to go home as soon as possible” Yunho said firmly, though with the same lingering sense of sadness.

Rather than say anything in response, San turned back to clearing away the garden and let the silence settle between the two of them once again.

After several minutes of nothing but the sound of dead leaves crunching as San pulled them away and his own increasingly laboured breath did San finally hear a quiet gasp from Yunho that sounded startled and maybe even a bit terrified. He was about to turn around to ask what had happened when he felt a small tug at the sleeve of his shirt and a noise that sounded like chirping combined with something like a wind chime? It was hard to describe really, but San knew what it was either way.

San didn’t really know the names of the pixies that visited him, their language wasn’t something he could speak or understand. If he asked Yeosang he could probably translate, but he also didn’t want to ask in case it touched upon some sort of sore spot that San wasn’t aware of. Maybe this year he’d actually work up the courage, or subtly figure out a way to ask Mingi if that was a potentially unsafe question to ask.

Even if he didn’t know their names, San still had his own little names for them. The one tugging on his sleeve he called Buttercup, because they seemed to prefer the yellow flowers every year and made cute little clothing sets from the bright petals. Tulip, Rose, Iris and Poppy all hovered close by, playing among the parts of the garden that San had already cleared away

Buttercup tugged at his sleeve again and pointed over his shoulder.

It took San a second to remember that he wasn’t actually out here alone.

Yunho had scooted even further away, drawing his knees up to his chest in a way that probably pulled at his side and back too much to be comfortable. Really, he looked about two seconds away from running back into the house and shutting the door firmly behind him. Pixies actually didn’t often approach humans, so it was actually an uncommon reaction to be startled by them but he couldn’t imagine how startling it must be to someone who had never encountered magic in their life. Even those who had encountered normal fae often couldn’t imagine something so small and dainty as the pixie currently tugging at San’s sleeve, their nearly iridescent wings fluttering and catching the sunlight.

“Yunho, you can go back into the house if you want, but I think they’d like to meet you” San called as gently as he could, relieved at least a little when Yunho tore his eyes from Buttercup to San’s face like he was searching for some sort of reassurance.

“What are they?” Yunho asked in a whisper, then looked panicked for a moment like he might have asked something offensive.

“Pixies, a type of fae. This group like my garden and that I let them take whatever flowers they want every year. They don’t mean any harm. Sure, they can be mischievous and even vicious when they want to be, but if you just let them play and don’t do anything to them they’re nice” San remembered them pulling more than one prank over the years but they were mostly small inconveniences at worst. It was actually kind of cute that they liked him enough to do that.

“They’re...pretty” Yunho eventually said, almost shyly. He slowly dropped his knees from where they were coiled up to his chest, only a slightly pained wince any hint that the position had actually been pulling at his injuries.

“You hear that? He thinks you’re pretty” San whispered conspiratorially to Buttercup who was still at his shoulder. The small fae fluttered their wings in response, and pointed at Yunho again.

“Are you alright with meeting them, Yunho?” Though he still looked a little frightened, Yunho ducked his chin in a sort of stiff nod, “Alright, this is Buttercup, Tulip, Rose, Iris, and Poppy. Not what they probably call themselves, but those are their favorite flowers. Everyone? This is Yunho, he’s my new friend and I need you guys to be gentle with him alright? He’s hurt.”

San had never been exactly sure how much the pixies could understand him either, but Buttercup nodded their little head seriously before taking off like a dart toward Yunho. He only felt a little bad when Yunho looked slightly overwhelmed at the flurry of little pixies swarming him. But rather than looking to San for help he just watched in a sort of shocked fascination as the little fae hovered around him, chirping their little wind chime language and pulling gently at locks of Yunho’s hair.

When it seemed like Yunho wasn’t going to be calling out for help anytime soon and the pixies had actually heeded him enough to not cause any unintentional harm, San turned back to tending to the garden. As much as San wanted to just watch the wonder on Yunho’s face as he was introduced to something new, it also felt like a strangely private moment? A moment of discovery that San didn’t need to gawk at. Besides, he actually really did want to get the garden cleared out today.

San was on the other side of the cottage clearing out the last of the dead weeds from the vegetable garden when he heard Yunho laugh for the first time. It was a lot louder than San expected it to be, and went higher pitched at the end. Before San had even realized it he had stopped gardening and made his way around the side of the house.

The sight of Yunho practically giggling as a group of pixies carefully and skillfully arranged a crown of flowers into his dark hair was not something San expected to see, possibly ever, but he couldn’t deny that it was an image that was going to stick with him.

The way his eyes scrunched up in laughter as Tulip poked at his ear, speaking more windchime words that Yunho could understand but were making him laugh anyway. They’d chosen flowers in reds, purples and whites which stood out against Yunho’s dark hair. It made him look like some sort of flower prince, soft and sweet but still with an unearthly beauty. Warm brown eyes met his and Yunho lifted his hand in a tentative wave.

“You are going to throw off the growing cycle of the flower beds” San sighed, glancing to where the pixies had been using their magic to make the flowers grow prematurely so they could pluck them and place them in Yunho’s hair.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that was bad” Yunho said immediately, his lower lip almost pouting outward as he frowned.

“It’s not your fault, don’t apologize. It just means the plant probably won’t last as long this year. It’ll be fine.” Besides, San wanted to say it was worth it just to see Yunho smile and laugh for the first time. They hadn’t picked flowers that were particularly useful anyway.

“They just seemed like they were having fun, so I didn’t want to stop them” Yunho said hesitantly, his fingers going up gently to feel out the edge of a petal near his ear.

“It looks nice” San smiled, watching as Iris weaved in a last flower before flitting backwards seemingly satisfied with her work.

“Really?” It was so much different having that smile directed his way, bright and sweet and open.

“You look pretty, it suits you” Far better than the intimidating black that Yunho had appeared in, but maybe that was just San’s opinion.

“I don’t know” Yunho’s cheeks were turning a cute shade of pink, and even if San didn’t comment on it the pixies clearly noticed going by the happy little chirps and the way they poked at Yunho’s cheeks. It only served to make Yunho’s cheeks even redder.

“A regular flower boy” San teased, wiping his dirty hands on his pants before finally moving over to offer a hand to help Yunho up, “Alright, you can stop bothering him. He’ll be around for a little while.”

The pixies chirped at him but did actually listen with each of them giving a fond little pat to Yunho’s head before they fluttered away. Yunho watched them with a sort of dazed wonder, one hand clutching his side where it had been stretched from standing.

“You good?” San asked, one hand still in Yunho’s from when he’d helped him stand up. He hadn’t thought to let go.

“Yeah” Yunho said distantly, before turning back toward San slowly, “I had fun”. Yunho said the word fun like it wasn’t one that he used often.

“Good, the pixies looked like they liked you too. I did mean it, the flowers suit you” San started leading the way back to the house. It was slowly turning into afternoon and neither of them had eaten yet.

“Thank you. Uh...flowers would suit you too...I mean if you were...nevermind I don’t know what I’m saying” Yunho had brought a hand up to his face, covering it as best he could with one hand.

“Thank you anyways I think. I do admit I look really nice with a flower crown. Wooyoung makes the best flower crowns, which really he has an unfair advantage being both a dryad and having access to the prettiest flowers” San sighed, while Yunho’s face just looked rapidly more confused, “I’ll take you to meet him sometime.”

“Okay” Yunho still looked confused but let San pull him into the house anyway by the hand that he was still somehow holding. Byeol meowed as she jumped down from the window seat.

Later that night, San carefully untangled the circlet of flowers from Yunho’s hair using just a little bit of magic to keep the flowers woven together and to make sure that they’d take longer to wilt. Yunho held the crown in his hands like it would break at any second and carefully set it on the table beside his makeshift couch bed(San was actually going to make it a mission to clean out the spare room in the next couple days).

It was like meeting the pixies had erased all of Yunho’s hesitation in his quest for knowledge about magic. The following days were a barrage of questions and Yunho hovering curiously over San’s shoulder whenever he was doing something.

San was a little annoyed, but it was hard to stay that way when Yunho was so earnest about every question. From asking what San was doing, to why he was using a particular ingredient or why it had to be dried? Were there more faeries that lived around here? What was a dryad and how was San friends with one? Were there other magical creatures that he didn’t know about? Why did San have so many spellbooks? Did he really use magic to get electricity to the cottage? What did magic feel like anyway?

It probably helped that they were contrasted by quiet moments, where the two of them would settle into a comfortable silence. Yunho had actually taken San up on reading through some of the books, though he had yet to touch the ones on magical history and had instead started wading through the various books he had about flora and fauna. San had never really found them that interesting, he’d always preferred to get his hands in the dirt but Yunho had been excited when he’d found the book about flowers. He’d shown San the book excitedly when he’d found a drawing of the flowers that he remembered seeing back home.

Taking Yunho into the forest with him was also a new experience. Though only once San had deemed him fit enough to take a short walk. His expression when a large buck came through the trees to say hello had made San want to laugh, and then laugh again when Yunho bowed stiffly to the majestic creature. But he wasn’t so reserved when the family of rabbits came out from beneath the bushes, leaning down so he could rub his hands over their soft fur.

In a way, it was a new experience looking at his favorite time of year through Yunho’s eyes. Sure, San was excited every year for the season of magic and new life but it didn’t compare to Yunho’s wonder and enthusiasm over every little thing. Even tasks or items that had become run of the mill and almost boring to San were new and a source of wonder to Yunho.

For the past couple years, ever since Hongjoong had moved out, it had just been San and Byeol in the house. Sure, people stopped by often but no one stayed. No one took up space quite like Yunho did. San wasn’t used to having someone else to cook for, to talk over meals with, to show a particularly cool trick he’d found to more easily take bark off sticks. It made the house feel warm in a way, even the magic weaved into the whole structure felt warmer. Byeol seemed to appreciate the extra attention too, going by the way she now always curled up to Yunho’s shoulder to nap when she could.

Mingi showed up later in the week, a backpack over his shoulder filled with things for San. If he was shocked that San had an unexpected guest he only showed it in a raise of his eyebrows as he spotted Yunho behind him carefully tying knots around bundles of herbs(it was one of the things that San had discovered Yunho was really good at, tying complicated knots).

It really wasn’t surprising that Yunho and Mingi got along really well. Mingi got along well with everyone, it was sort of one of his charms. San was slightly jealous as he watched Mingi casually sling an arm around Yunho’s shoulders, gentle enough not to disturb his injuries but still a display of casual affection that San had been too cautious to venture into yet. Yunho was curious about what it was like in town and Mingi answered every question easily and also wiggled a promise out of both Yunho and San that they would come into town soon.

San should have known what would come next. Mingi had seen the dark coat that had been tossed haphazardly into a corner and had to know what it would mean. Mingi was also really, incredibly bad at lying.

Before San even got to the front door he could sense the magic on the other side of it.

“Yunho?” San called, quietly so that it wouldn’t carry through the door.

Yunho’s head of dark hair popped out from the kitchen where he’d been peeling apples, “Yeah?”

“I need you to go outside for a bit, out the back door please?” San asked gently, trying not to expose his own nerves.

“Is everything okay?” Yunho asked cautiously.

“Yes! Everything is fine! I just need you to go water the vegetables for a bit alright?” Yunho still looked hesitant but complied, slipping out the back door.

San took a couple of deep breaths before there was another knock at the door. Groaning softly, he made his way to the door and unlatched it.

Standing on the other side of the door, all pointy delicate features and bright red hair was his half brother Hongjoong.

“Hongjoong! I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon. Usually it takes you a couple more weeks to get lonely enough to come visit me after Hwa goes up into the mountains” San teased brightly, leaning against the doorway in a way he hoped looked casual.

“Can’t I come see my little brother just because I want to see you?” Hongjoong smiled in return, “Besides, there was a book I remembered that I’d left with you.”

It was hard to gauge whether or not Hongjoong was lying, he’d always been good at it. His secret was that he told half truths, he’d explained it to San once after he’d lied to their father in order to get San out of trouble for breaking some supposedly important artifact. He’d leaned down(while he could really, the next summer San grew a few inches taller) and thumbed away the tears below San’s eyes and told him that as long as what you’re saying had some semblance of the truth it made it easier for both you and whoever you were lying to believe it.

“What book? I can find it for you” San offered quickly, pushing the door open a little wider.

“Do-Jung’s Articles on the Fundamentals of Spellcraft, and I can help it’s a mess in here” Hongjoong shouldered his way in while San made a faux noise of outrage at the arraignment of his cottage.

Just because things were rather disorganized and books were piled haphazardly on shelves did not make his house a mess. Or well, maybe it did. Seonghwa always looked at the house with thinly veiled horror like he was seconds away from tearing everything apart and reorganizing. San bet everything was in cute little containers and cubby holes back at their house. With every jar of ingredients neatly labeled and put into some kind of pantry. They probably didn’t have fifty acorns spilling out of the drawer of an antique desk, or a stack of books taller than a person, or papers haphazardly tacked up on the wall with reminders for things San had done a long time ago.

For a moment, the two of them look in silence. Just San and Hongjoong shuffling through the various stacks of books, fingers skimming over the spines to try and locate the right title. It only took a few minutes though, before Hongjoong cleared his throat pointedly.

“So, Mingi said there’s been someone staying with you?” Hongjoong asked innocently enough, but San knew him well enough to feel the sharpness hidden underneath the words. Song Mingi was a terrible liar, to Hongjoong especially.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes I do have someone staying with me for a little while” San bit out, continuing to search for the book. The faster he found it the less of an excuse Hongjoong would have to hang around.

“How would it not be my business? Someone staying in the house I built, with my little brother?” San could feel Hongjoong’s narrowed eyes on his back.

“Because you moved out of this house years ago and because I’m an adult who can make my own decisions?” San huffed out, turning around to face Hongjoong.

“You’re still my little brother, and I think I should have a say if he’s living with someone potentially dangerous” Hongjoong crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the bookshelf.

“And how would you know if he’s potentially dangerous? You’ve never even met him!” San tried to keep his voice even, getting too upset would just give Hongjoong more ammo.

“He’s a pirate San, of course he’s dangerous! I can’t believe you would let him stay here” Hongjoong scolded, sounding like he was ten years older than San rather than the year that actually separated their ages.

“He’s not like that! And once again, how is it any of your business who I let stay with me?” San gripped the edge of the table behind him.

“He could be conning you! Pirates will do whatever it takes to survive. You’re still my little brother, it’s my job to look after you” Hongjoong protested, pushing off from the bookshelf toward San.

“Look after me?” San laughed, and he immediately hated how bitter it sounded but he couldn’t stop the words from leaving his lips, “Is that why you only come to see me when you’re lonely?”

“What, San you know that’s not-” Hongjoong looked stricken but San interrupted before he could continue.

“But it is, isn’t it? I only ever see you anymore when Seonghwa is gone or you need something from me” San hadn’t meant to say this out loud, to spill the quiet lonely thoughts he had in the middle of the night during the winter.

Before Hongjoong could even respond the back door opened.

“Hey San? Where do you keep the...oh” Yunho looked up from the watering can he was holding and seemed to realize he’d walked in on something tense going by the way he just froze.

Hongjoong opened his mouth to speak again but San interrupted before he could.

“Get out” San said firmly, and tried to ignore how the immediate look of hurt crossed over Hongjoong’s face.

“San, what? We need to talk about this” Hongjoong protested, moving closer to San with his arms extended. To hug him? To grab him and shake him? San didn’t know but he moved out of the way before his brother could reach him.

“Get out. I’ll find the book you were looking for and have Mingi bring it to you later” San shifted so he was between Hongjoong and Yunho.

“San-”

“I said get out!” San finally let his emotions get the better of him. The way Hongjoong’s face crumpled slightly made San immediately want to take it back, to crawl into his brother’s arms like he used to and let out all his pain and frustration. As much hurt as San had been building up, Hongjoong didn’t deserve to have it thrown in his face all at once like that.

Hongjoong backed up toward the door, as if hoping San would call him back at any second. But when San didn’t he slipped out through a narrow gap in the door and slammed the door behind him.

Almost immediately San shrunk, reaching out a hand to the nearest bookshelf to keep himself steady but even that seemed a bit precarious. He probably would have made it to the floor if he hadn’t heard the sound of something hollow and metallic hitting the floor and suddenly had a pair of strong arms around his waist. It made San want to laugh if he wasn’t so drained, the first time they’d sort of hugged and he hadn’t even been the one to instigate it.

Yunho very carefully led him to the couch, placing San gently on the cushions before settling down next to him. It was easy to just lean his head against Yunho’s shoulder, to take the easy affection since Yunho had started it. To his credit, Yunho didn’t even seem phased by the closeness, with only a sort of worried look on his face as he got San settled. It even took him a few minutes of quiet to say anything.

“Who was that?” Yunho finally asked, clearly trying to keep his voice low and calm. San appreciated it even if it was sort of obvious.

“My brother.” San answered simply, closing his eyes for a moment and just focusing on the warmth by his side.

“Oh. You’re not very alike” Yunho said slowly, like he was afraid he was walking in some sort of minefield. Maybe he was, San had heard comments like that before and been hurt. He’d always idolized Hongjoong growing up, so having people say that they were nothing alike had felt like they were saying he was less. Even if they were just commenting on their physical differences. But this was Yunho, sweet inquisitive Yunho, who was letting San use his shoulder as a pillow.

“We’re half brothers. Our dad knocked up my mom during some sort of big coven ceremony while he was still married to Hongjoong’s mom” San explained, turning his face into Yunho’s shoulder. He felt one large hand start to run up and down his back.

“So you grew up together?” Yunho asked gently.

“Yeah, my mom didn’t want to have a kid and dad liked the idea of having another magically gifted child, so I went to live with them. Hongjoong is only a year older than me but he’s always felt like a big brother you know? Our dad wasn’t exactly prime father material and his mom hated that he’d had a kid with another woman so all I really had was Hongjoong” San sighed into the t-shirt Yunho was wearing, it smelled like dirt and sweat.

“And was that okay?”

“I love Hongjoong, probably the most in the world, and I idolized him for such a long time. He’s a genius you know, really gifted in spellcraft and always coming up with new genius ways of doing things. He always protected me as kids too, whenever dad or his mom were mad at me he’d stick up for me. We even moved here together even though we weren’t supposed to, because he didn’t want to leave me at home. At 16 witches are supposed to move off on their own to finish learning their craft and find someplace that their magic will be useful. I was only 15 but Hongjoong figured out a way to sneak me out and take me with. We built this cottage together.”

“But he doesn’t live here anymore” Yunho’s voice was soft and his hand had migrated upwards to stroke through San’s hair.

“No, he fell in love. With a frost witch. Who I also love, but it’s just...that’s always been the other side of Hongjoong. Even if he’s always been protective of me he’s also always been determined to be independent, at least from me. When we were kids he would go off on adventures and weird binges where he got so excited about some sort of spellwork he was doing and never invited me to go along with him. You know? When he decided to move away to live with Seonghwa he didn’t even ask me about it? He just told me one day that he was going to move out. And I know that’s his personal decision and it’s his relationship, but still it…”

“Hurt. That he didn’t really consider you in that decision” Yunho finished for him, lightly scratching at the hair at the base of his neck.

“Yeah, I love him, he’s my family but sometimes I don’t really think he considers how I feel at all” San could feel the start of tears prickling at his eyes. But it felt like something heavy had lifted off his chest. Other than long cold lonely nights where he’d cried into his pillow and complained to Byeol he hadn’t said any of this out loud. He hadn’t wanted to voice any of it, because it felt selfish that he would be so hurt over something that wasn’t even really that big in perspective. That he could also be hurt that he was cold and lonely and Hongjoong still had someone to come home to every day.

“You should really talk to him about it, I’m sure he doesn’t realize what he’s been doing” Yunho assured softly, reaching down so he could pull San’s legs over his lap so he could curl closer.

“I know” San sighed, “But not now.”

Not while the hurt was fresh for both of them, and San had nearly let all of his bitterness explode out in a single moment that would have probably meant more hurtful words than either of them would have intended had Yunho not walked in before it could get there.

Yunho just resumed stroking his hand along San’s back, letting the witch continue burying his face in his shoulder.

“I haven’t seen my family in a long time” Yunho spoke up softly, hesitantly. San lifted his head from Yunho’s shoulder to look up at him.

“Yunho you don’t have to share just because I was an emotional wreck and spilled everything” San protested, drumming his fingers against Yunho’s chest.

“I know, I just...I want to?” Yunho smiled a little, even if it had sort of a sad feeling to it, “It’s not like we didn’t have contact, I sent them letters and they tried to have letters passed to me when I was able to tell them which port we were landing in next”

“When you became a pirate?” San watched Yunho’s chew on his bottom lip briefly before he nodded.

“I know a lot of people think the worst of pirates, and it’s true a lot of them are like what you imagine. But a lot of them are like me, or at least started out like me” Yunho’s hand reached for the one that San still had on his chest, rubbing his thumb over the knuckle of San’s index finger.

“What do you mean, like you?” San prompted.

“Growing up, my family didn’t have much, you know? My dad died shortly after my second little sister was born and it was just my mom trying to keep everything afloat. I don’t know if it’s different here but it was hard over there, we only could afford to eat what we grew and even that wasn’t a lot. It cost money to go to school and that was the only way you could get a better job. I wanted to make sure my sisters got to go to school and my mom didn’t have to worry so much. The military had a minimum age of enlistment. But the pirate crews, they’re always looking for able bodied workers and are willing to pay a lot of money for them on top of whatever share you got from raids” The words just spilled from Yunho’s lips, like he’d also been holding everything inside for a little too long.

“Oh Yunho” San sighed softly, turning his hand so he could catch Yunho’s and lace their fingers together.

“I was fine, I kept my head down and worked hard and no one could do anything to me. My sisters are both doing really well in school and my mom found a more stable job that meant I could stop sending them money and start saving up to buy my way out of my enlistment. I guess that’s gone now though. Captain decided to steer us right into a storm” Yunho said with no small amount of bitterness.

“And now you’re here” San squeezed Yunho’s hand.

“Now I’m here,” Yunho confirmed, squeezing his hand back.

The unspoken ‘For now’ hung in the air between them.

“We should do something fun tomorrow” San decided.

“What are we going to do?” Yunho laughed, already some of the heaviness of the conversation easing away.

“I want to take you somewhere. How would you like to meet Wooyoung?”

San was seriously reconsidering his decision as he watched Yunho lean up against a tree, one hand pressed to his side. While he’d been healing up quickly, he still wasn’t anywhere near completely healed up. San hadn’t even considered that when he’d made the decision to take them on a two hour hike through the woods. Yunho was absolutely adamant that they keep going and San still felt something gross and guilty settle in his stomach every time he so much as heard Yunho breathe heavily or when happened to see him wince or rub over what San knew was a sore spot.

Every time San would suggest they take a break Yunho would just shoot him a wide smile and incline his head toward the path they were on. Even if San insisted that the break was for him, Yunho would raise his eyebrows and the facade would be up. His excitement would not be deterred even if he did occasionally show signs of being in some pain. It was kind of adorable in San’s opinion, the way Yunho was bouncing on his toes as he walked and was asking questions that San refused to answer. The Garden was something that you could only experience for the first time once, and San wanted to give Yunho that moment without spoiling anything.

Quietly, he counted the oaks that they passed, his fingers trailing over the bark. After the fifth, he switched to counting the birch trees. Their white bark made them easy to spot, even as the rest of the forest seemed to blur into sameness. It was a path he’d memorized after the first time he’d been here, desperate to meet his new friend again. He’d met Wooyoung right after Hongjoong had moved up north. With endless days at his disposal, San had taken to wandering the woods. It had been by chance then that he’d discovered the Garden, but now he knew the path by heart and visited every year in the peak of spring when everything would be in full bloom.

As he brushed his hand against the last birch tree he smiled as he caught sight of a familiar figure up ahead. Another newer addition to this garden trip.

San wasn’t exactly sure what Jongho’s story was. Only that he carried himself like a soldier with a sword by his side and he’d shown up two years ago and hadn’t left since. He’d just appeared one year and had been very ready to run San through with his sword until Wooyoung had intervened and explained that San was a friend. He liked Jongho actually, a little bit serious and with a sense of humor that was a little bit quirky but could have you rolling around laughing at the most unexpected things. Plus he was very protective of Wooyoung.

“Who’s this?” Were the first words out of Jongho’s mouth as he eyed Yunho’s tall figure suspiciously. As if Yunho looked anything but soft in his new overly large blue sweater that had been a gift from Mingi and really just looked like a giant puppy bouncing with excitement.

“It’s really good to see you too Jongho, I’ve missed you a lot!” San enthused, “I’d like you to meet my friend Yunho, he’s been staying with me for a while and I really wanted him to come up and meet you two”

Yunho bent as much as he could into a quick bow, which made Jongho soften up ever so slightly.

“Could have told me you were bringing someone” Jongho grumbled but did his own little half bow in return.

“I sent Wooyoung a flying letter last night, not my fault he didn’t tell you” San laughed.

“That little brat he probably didn’t even bother reading it let alone tell me” Jongho grumbled and looked very much like he was about to stomp off to find said dryad. Sometimes San very much forgot that Jongho was younger than both he and Wooyoung.

“Anyway, Yunho this is Jongho. Garden guard and keeper of Wooyoung” That earned him a tap to the side with Jongho’s fist, but San could see something like a genuine smile on his lips.

“Does Wooyoung need a keeper?” Yunho questioned with clear amusement as San grabbed his hand to begin leading him into the Garden. Jongho snorted as he walked along beside them at the question.

“Just wait until you meet Wooyoung, you’ll understand why he very much needs a keeper” San laced their fingers together and kept glancing up toward Yunho’s face while they walked.

It was worth it the moment they passed by the woven tree entrance to get into the Garden properly. San had seen it so many times over the years but there was nothing like the first time, but it was like reliving it again to watch the emotions play out across Yunho’s face. The way his chest sank as he let out an exhaled breath of wonder, the way his lips popped open involuntarily, the way his eyes widened and darted around as he tried to take in everything all at once. San watched as his initial awe faded and was replaced by a joy that lit up his whole face. His lips curled up and he bounced on the balls of his feet again, glancing down to San giddily as if to say ‘Are you seeing this?’ and squeezing their linked fingers.

There truly was nothing like the Garden. If San’s small garden was a riot of color, this was a rebellion. There were flowers in colors that San wasn’t even sure existed outside of there. Large hedges thick with flowering vines surrounded the garden and kept it safe from the outside. Stone pathways inlaid with shiny iridescent rocks cut paths between rows upon rows of flowers. Radiant blue butterflies flitted from flower to flower, their wings practically sparkling in the sunlight. At the center was an absolutely massive tree that towered so high above them that San knew there had to be some sort of magic concealing it outside this garden. As they approached, a small door at the base of the tree was flung open.

“Sannie~!” It took less than ten seconds for San to have his arms full of a very affectionate and clingy dryad.

“Hi Wooyoungie” San laughed, hugging his friend back just as tightly. It was probably sad that one of the first things he and Wooyoung had bonded over was how lonely they felt. San didn’t actually know how long Wooyoung had been tasked with taking care of the Garden on his own, but Wooyoung was definitely someone who thrived having people around. Which was why San could never begrudge his friend for finding Jongho, who even as Wooyoung practically tackled San to the ground was staring at him with such obvious fondness.

“That’s Yunho right? He’s cute” Wooyoung whispered much too loudly into San’s ear as he looked over San’s shoulder to where Yunho was no doubt turning a very adorable shade of pink because Wooyoung and quiet were two things you could never use in the same sentence.

“So you did know San was bringing a friend?” Jongho interrupted from the side, raising an unimpressed eyebrow.

“Oops did I forget to tell you? My bad? I thought it would be more fun this way” Wooyoung grinned and started backing away just in time as Jongho started chasing after him. The two of them squawked unintelligible words at each other as they raced around the garden, Jongho even throwing his sword aside so he had a better chance at catching the very speedy dryad.

San made his way back over to a still pink eared Yunho, who was watching the whole scene with what looked to be a mix of confusion and amusement.

“So that’s Wooyoung, my best friend” San explained, taking Yunho’s hand again, “He takes care of the Garden. He’s a dryad so he’s connected to all forms of nature. Things work a little different in the Garden, it doesn’t get cold here but the plants do sort of hibernate for three quarters of the year and then bloom in Spring”

“Does everyone know about it?” Yunho asked, voice still awed as he looked around.

“Most people think it’s a legend, it’s very hard to find even if I just sort of stumbled on it the first time. I don’t know everything about it, Wooyoung is very tight lipped about how he became the caretaker here and how that works” San shrugged, it wasn’t something that he had any reason to know if there was some chance that him knowing would get Wooyoung in some sort of trouble.

“I love it here” Yunho said simply, which had San giggling which then had them both giggling.

“I knew you would, and it blooms here a little sooner than my garden. And it’s bigger” San grinned.

“A lot bigger. But I like your garden” Yunho swung their linked hands.

“Come on, let me show you around while those two idiots are still running around” San tugs on Yunho’s hand to lead him down one of his favorite pathways, filled with flowers in various shades of pink.

They continued to walk hand and hand through the Garden, and San found it was less him leading the tour and more it turned into Yunho pulling him along as he saw something that excited him. Just watching Yunho get excited and filled with wonder was enough to have San more than willing to be dragged all over. The cute way he was so animated while he rambled out weird facts about every flower he had learned about from reading all the books San owned about flowers. It made San want to just stand back for a moment and take everything in so he could perfectly remember this moment later, Yunho looking passionate and beautiful, flushed and grinning surrounded by flowers of every color in full bloom.

“San! I think this is the flower I remember from back home!” Yunho tugged at San’s hand as he crouched to kneel by a small purple flower. It took a second for San to get over the sudden sound of crashing waves in his ears to actually lean down beside Yunho and mumble out a soft ‘it’s cute’ with what he hoped was a genuine looking smile.

It was one thing to peripherally know that he’d promised Yunho to help him get home. It was another to be suddenly, starkly, reminded that the memories they were making right now might be the only piece he has of Yunho in a month’s time. It stole his breath and made his chest ache to realize he’d forgotten that Yunho wasn’t his to keep. That he shouldn’t get used to Yunho’s dumb puns as they hung various herbs from the kitchen ceiling to dry. Shouldn’t have gotten used to the way he sprawled haphazardly across the couch while he read, with Byeol always picking the most improbable place to lay on top of him. That his heart shouldn’t have decided to beat faster every time Yunho so much as smiled at him.

And San wanted to blame it on him dreading the idea that he would be lonely again. It would be easier to say that the house would feel empty without another person to fill it. That once again he would be left on his own with Byeol, with only the occasional visits from friends. But San knew the void in his life would be distinctly Yunho shaped. Warm, always so careful with his words, asked a thousand questions and looked at everything with a sense of wonder and curiosity.

The rest of the tour went by in kind of a blur, with San trying his best to give Yunho good responses and Yuho clearly being able to tell something was off. By the time they made it back to where Wooyoung and Jongho were waiting for them in the center it was dusk and they’d arranged some sort of picnic meal. Their lips were also suspiciously red, even if both of them acted like nothing had happened.

San took the opportunity to sprawl out in the grass, his head in Wooyoung’s lap. Yunho and Jongho were talking about something, San didn’t know what, even though he caught Yunho glancing his way every minute or so.

“How are you Sannie? Your letter was very short and to the point” Wooyoung asked softly, his long hair falling into his face as he leaned over his lap to look at San.

“I got into a fight with Hongjoong” San sighed, burying his cheek further into Wooyoung’s thigh.

“Was bound to happen at some point, neither of you is very good at sharing your emotions each other” Wooyoung patted San’s head consolingly, “You’ll have to talk it out soon, maybe have Seonghwa with he’s always been better at translating Hongjoong’s emotions than even he is and also isn’t afraid of calling him out on his bullshit”

It was true, and a good idea. Maybe he’d wait a few more weeks until Seonghwa was back down from the mountains and then he’d go see the both of them. Maybe he’d take Yunho with...if he was still around.

“Ok, now what’s up with that sad look. That’s the same one you were wearing when you came back from your walk around the garden” Wooyoung poked San’s cheek and he just grumbled and curled his knees up to his chest.

“It’s nothing, I’m just upset about the fight with Hongjoong” San lied.

“So it doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that you came in here looking at Yunho like he was the best thing that ever happened to you?” Wooyoung had a catlike grin on his face as he looked from San to where Yunho and Jongho were still in an animated conversation about something. Sword fighting if San had to guess from the way Jongho was holding his sword up and showing stances and Yunho was doing the same back with an imaginary sword.

“Are you going to tell him?” Wooyoung asked, more gently. His hand cupped San’s cheek, his thumb sliding over his cheekbone.

“He’s going to leave” San mumbled, just closing his eyes and concentrating on the feel of Wooyoung’s hand on his cheek.

“That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t deserve to know, and that you don’t deserve to know if he feels the same way” Wooyoung tapped his cheek.

Whatever San was going to say was interrupted by a loud, delighted sounding gasp from Yunho. Darkness had settled around them and slowly the Garden had begun to glow. As beautiful as the Garden was during the day, it was wondrous in the night. Many of the flowers and trees had some sort of bioluminescence, so that even as the sun faded from view the Garden was still full of color.

San spluttered when he was unceremoniously dumped out of Wooyoung’s lap. Yunho was there in a second, offering San a hand to help him up. Once again he was nearly bouncing with excitement and San really wanted to refuse to go with him to explore the garden, maybe suggest taking Jongho or Wooyoung who knew more than he did. But there was also a part of him that was greedy, that refused to let go of even one second he could spend watching the wild eyed wonder on Yunho’s face as he experienced something new. So when Yunho asked him, San said yes.

They brushed their fingers against lilies that glowed orange, and stepped over the creeping glowing purple vines that stretched across a pathway. Probably the most spectacular thing that glowed was a large weeping willow, each tendril of leaves that hung down glowed a faint blue. San let Yunho pull him beneath the branches, the soil shifting under their feet so they stumbled and laughed. It was something else to be beneath the branches and look up underneath, to be surrounded by the blue glow and have it be brighter than it was from outside. San could see more clearly, the way Yunho looked up with awe and how the blue light made him look almost ethereal.

Then Yunho looked down and back at San with that same sense of wonder on his face, his lips pulled upwards in a soft smile. San could feel his heartbeat pick up and he wanted to somehow slow it again, to not get so worked up over a smile when it wouldn’t, couldn’t mean anything.

Only apparently it did mean something.

Soft lips were pressed to his. There was a large hand holding his cheek tenderly and another gently hooked around the back of his neck to bring him closer. For a second San froze and did nothing, which had Yunho drawing backwards until San’s brain finally kicked into gear and reached out to pull Yunho in again. The angle was wrong the second time and they bumped noses, but that just meant soft exhaled laughter between their lips before they adjusted, and that was almost better.

Underneath the glowing branches of a willow, San kissed his Flower Boy.

They held hands on the walk back to the cottage in the morning. San made them stop every time he spotted a rock or log that was sturdy enough for him to climb on top of so he could kiss Yunho without him either having to go up onto his toes or Yunho having to bend down. He didn’t even have to say anything, he’d just drag Yunho to the acceptable height rock/log, hop up and feel Yunho’s arms immediately come to settle around his waist to keep him steady. The journey home took much longer than the original two hours but San found he didn’t mind.

Wooyoung had been smug when they’d walked back to the center of the Garden where he and Jongho were laying out blankets in the grass for the four of them. No doubt they looked just as disheveled as he and Jongho had been earlier which left very little imagining to do to have an idea of what they’d been doing. To San’s immense relief he didn’t say anything. Because even if joy was like a bird in his chest he and Yunho still hadn’t really talked about it yet. The moment underneath the willow had been so precious and beautiful, the thought of introducing his chaotic feelings out loud into that moment felt like it would be crushing that moment clumsily between his palms.

So instead they had cuddled underneath the stars, with Yunho pointing out all the constellations that he knew from being on the ship and San filled in the few he knew. He laid his head on Yunho’s chest and listened to the steady thump of his heart, content with just knowing that at least the smallest part of it must belong to him in some way.

They’d said their goodbyes and headed out in the morning, with Wooyoung pressing an overly loud kiss to both of their cheeks and Jongho squeezing them both with a hug that made San’s back crack in ways he didn’t know it could. He’d probably go back one more time before winter, Wooyoung experienced the season change a little more intensely than even San did. It was better now with Jongho there to ease some of the feelings of loneliness, but sometimes it just helped to have someone who understood how it felt to have your magic change with the season. San needed the company too.

Byeol meowed grumpily at them when they got back, as if they hadn’t left her more than enough food to last one day and night of them being gone. Like she wasn’t a more autonomous cat than most and could have figured out food if she was really that starving.

As San filled Byeol’s dish, he could feel that sense of comfort settle in again as he listened to Yunho talking to the familiar quietly. He was reassuring her that they still loved her and that she was going to get food soon and it was cute enough to make his heart clench then clench again when he turned around to see Yunho making himself tiny by crouching to scratch behind Byeol’s ears. When he set the dish down she quickly abandoned the offered pets in favor of the food, which had Yunho’s lower lip pushed out in a playful pout.

Maybe now was the right time to bring up what was going on between them? Wouldn’t it make more sense to just get it out in the open here and now and not leave himself wondering? Even if it wasn’t the outcome he wanted he’d still have the perfect memory of the two of them underneath the willow tree to hold onto, that in that moment Yunho had seemed to want and care for him just as much as San did.

Before San even had the chance to really decide if they should talk there was a gentle hand pressing against his shoulder and Yunho was backing him up against the fridge. Large hands wrapped underneath his thighs and pulled him up until San hooked his ankles together behind Yunho’s back. He only got a glimpse of how dark Yunho’s eyes were before he was being kissed very thoroughly.

It was safe to say that they didn’t get much talking done for the rest of the afternoon.

They didn’t get much talking done in the next couple weeks either.

Or well, they did a lot of talking but not about what they were. They talked about everything else under the sun. From whatever Yunho was reading about to what kind of spell San was working on, to even some serious topics like how San should talk with Hongjoong the next time they met. They shared stories in bed late at night, Yunho talked about his life on the pirate ship and San talked about growing up in a family of witches.

Kissing, they did a lot of that. Sleepy morning kisses, casual kisses when they were cuddled up with books on the couch, quick kisses as they wiggled past each other in the kitchen, hungry kisses like the time San had worn a shirt that had been slightly cropped and Yunho couldn’t stop running his hands over his toned stomach. There was definitely no shortage of kisses in San’s life.

They took a trip into town together, which was a much shorter walk than going all the way out to the Garden. San got to see Yunho chase both a small dog and a toddler around the Kim’s yard which was a delight that he never knew he needed. Mrs.Kim had eyed Yunho suspiciously for all of one minute before apparently being able to tell that he was just a giant puppy of a man. She squeezed San’s shoulder firmly with her small wrinkled hand and gave him a wink. Then San had been drawn into the yard chase until all four of them were panting hard in the grass.

After that they went to go see Yeosang, who was glad to finally have someone to complain to about anti-magic laws and who would actually understand for the most part. San didn’t think he’d ever seen Yeosang more passionate about something. Usually he took everything with a sort of neutral expression and explained his thoughts concisely, but apparently he just needed the right topic and audience. However the third time he’d complained about the same thing San couldn’t help but almost tackle him and squeeze him. Which made Yunho laugh and Yeosang threaten five different kinds of bodily harm.

Waiting for Mingi to show up at Yeosang’s was an option, but the two of them trekked to the bakery instead. San let Yunho go ahead while he popped into the bookshop to pick up more ink. The last bottle had fallen on the floor and broken when Yunho had attempted to lead them to the bedroom in the dark while walking backwards.

San wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation as he was walking in but the few words that he did register had his heart sinking into his stomach. Why were Yunho and Mingi talking about sailing and winter? Really there was only one thing that could be related to and San was trying very hard to think of another reason. But the two of them stopped talking when San made it fully inside the door and Mingi was greeting him overly loudly so he didn’t get a chance to ask.

After they made it back to the cottage San tried to work up the courage to ask about it. But it felt like a steeper mountain than it had been weeks ago, when he’d only just started exploring his feelings for Yunho and what it would be like to be with him. So after a few attempts to start the conversation San gave up. Yunho would have to break the news to him eventually right, if he really was still planning to leave?

Only, the clues kept piling up and the ache in San’s heart got more painful. He’d caught Yunho drawing out a careful map on a piece of paper using the new bottle of ink San had bought. It had been folded and put away before San had the chance to really look at it. Mingi stopped by and had another conversation with Yunho that San wasn’t able to overhear. Yunho mentioned his sisters and mom a lot more, wondering aloud how they were doing in school and work or if they’d like the new flowers that had bloomed in the garden. His wounds were almost completely healed too, enough that he definitely would be able to handle traveling.

San knew he should just ask. That was the best course of action. Let it hurt now so he could start healing and getting used to the thought of his life without Yunho in it after he’d filled it so full. But he couldn’t.

It was getting to be too much though, so San left the cottage for the day with the excuse that he was going to talk to Hongjoong.

Because even if they were mad at each other, he still wanted to talk to his brother when something went wrong.

“I’m sorry I’m not here to talk about why I was mad at you” San said as soon as Hongjoong pulled open the door, looking tired as he leaned against the doorframe.

“So it’s about the boy then” Hongjoong raised his brows and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Hongjoong don’t be rude and make him stand out there while you’re grilling him!” Seonghwa pushed Hongjoong’s shoulder out of the way. He looked just as radiant as ever, a face that could make angels weep and perfect blonde hair falling around his face. Once Hongjoong was successfully shoved out of the way he opened his arms for San to fall into, which he did happily, “Hi Sannie, I’ve missed you”

“I’ve missed you too. Did you have a nice trip into the mountains?” San asked, taking in the unnatural coldness of the arms wrapped around him while Seonghwa backed them into the house and Hongjoong grumbled in the background.

“I did, it was relaxing and I don’t think I’ll have to go back up until we hit peak summer I think. Hongjoong is happy about that” Seonghwa hummed cheerfully, “Speaking of my bonded, I heard you two had an argument while I was away.”

“He said he’s not here to talk about that” Hongjoong huffed as maneuvered his way around their combined body mass to reach the living room to sprawl out in an overly large chair, his skinny legs draped over the arm.

“Well then why is he here then? What could be more important than my two favorite people in the whole world getting along?” When Park Seonghwa turns his pout on you, it’s nearly impossible to do anything but what he wants. But it turned out the turmoil in San’s head could defeat even Seonghwa.

“I think Yunho is still planning to leave” San blurted out, which had Seonghwa taking a step back and resting his hands on San’s shoulders.

“Who is Yunho?” He asked gently, probably feeling out of the loop.

“The Pirate” Hongjoong supplied, clearly having told Seonghwa at least half this story.

“That’s not...that’s not who he is!” San argues and he sees Seonghwa startle, “He never wanted to be a pirate. He’s kind, and he’s gentle, he loves reading about the weirdest things and lets Byeol sleep on him whenever she wants. He’s...Yunho”

“Sannie” Seonghwa sighed, and pushed at San’s shoulders until he sat down on the couch.

“I just...I know I promised to help him get home because his family is there but I’ve gotten so used to having him around and lately we’ve been kind of more. I don’t want him to leave” San let the words just tumble out of his mouth, his worries laid bare.

“You’re in love with him” The way Hongjoong said it was simple and firm, but his eyes gave away how much he cared. He pulled himself up to a proper sitting position.

It was different hearing it out loud. San had never said that exact word in his head. He’d always edged around it, he liked Yuno, he cared about Yunho, he hadn’t let himself touch the word love. Even Wooyoung had only hinted that was what San was feeling. There was just something so final about saying you loved someone. Like once you were in love, that was it there was no getting out of it. Maybe San had the smallest hope that it wasn’t really love, that maybe if it wasn’t truly love that it would only hurt for a while if Yunho left. Like getting used to a change rather than losing someone that had become an important part of his life.

“Yeah, I’m in love with him,” San admitted, voice barely above a whisper. He felt Seonghwa’s arm come around his shoulder, squeezing encouragingly.

“Then you have to let him go if that’s what he wants” Hongjoong said slowly, anticipating what was going to happen next.

“Why? Why do I have to?” San burst out, “Why can’t I keep him here with me?”

“He’s not a pet San, that isn’t a decision you get to make for him” Hongjoong reached across the table and took San’s hands into his, pressing his thumbs to the center of his palms.

“I know, I know he’s not. But he could be happy here. Yeosang left and came here and he’s happy” San sunk miserably into Seonghwa’s side, the frost witch seemed to be more than happy to take his weight.

“Yeosang chose to stay here on his own. He had nothing waiting for him back there, and it sounds like Yunho does. Maybe he could be happy here San, but you can’t take that decision for him, it’ll only be more painful in the long run” Hongjoong finally shifted so he could settle onto the couch on San’s other side and sandwich him between the two witches.

“How? How could letting him go, possibly forever, be more painful than making him stay?” San let Hongjoong tug him away from Seonghwa’s side and into his arms. His half-brother had never been much of a touch person. He expressed what he wanted through words. But he’d always offered San a hug when he’d realized he needed it. Which he didn’t always realize when exactly that was, but now was an obvious enough time.

“If you try to make him stay when he wants to go, even if he loves you there’s always going to be some sort of resentment and misery between you. It can wreck even the strongest love” Hongjoong said seriously. San could feel Seonghwa reach a hand behind him to Hongjoong.

“This isn’t the same as you and Seonghwa. He always comes back to you” San protested softly, but he didn’t have any heart in it. He’d known from the beginning that this wasn’t an argument he was meant to win. That wasn’t why he was here, that wasn’t what he needed.

“I know Sannie, this is bigger. Which is why you can’t let that happen” The arms locked around him pressed closer.

“You’re right” San finally admitted, eyes closing. There was a movement from Seonghwa’s side and he felt lips press firmly to his temple.

“When, or if, you need it you can always come here alright? Bring Byeol with you, I miss her too” Seonghwa whispered, resting his head on San’s shoulder.

San wasn’t sure how long the three of them sat there for. At least long enough that eventually Hongjoong started squirming underneath San. Just to torture him San held on a little bit longer, knowing Hongjoong was going to put up with it until he realized San didn’t really require the affection anymore. Eventually, San slithered his way out from between them, quick enough that he got to see Seonghwa topple into Hongjoong. It was kind of disgusting how annoyance at San turned into them staring affectionately once they realized they were practically cuddling with each other now.

“Are you going to stay for dinner?” Seonghwa asked once he had righted himself again on the couch.

“I don’t think so. There’s a conversation I need to have and it’s probably better if I don’t wait. I tried waiting and it’s only made everything a lot harder” If he had just asked Yunho that first day after they kissed, maybe things would be less confusing.

“Ok, we love you Sannie, always. Hongjoong and I will come down to see you soon, alright? Don’t think I’ve forgotten that the two of you also need to have a heart to heart” Seonghwa looked pointedly between the two of them.

“Love you too Hwa. See you later Hongjoong” San laughed as he opened their front door and stepped out onto the porch.

He had a long walk home to try and not talk himself out of having a conversation.

It was strange to see Yunho sitting in front of the house. He was sprawled out on the little steps that lead up to the front door, Byeol perched regally beside him. San couldn’t help but imagine a set of soft dog ears perking up when they heard him approaching, when Yunho suddenly sat up with his spine ramrod straight. The sun was setting and throwing a rosy glow around everything and it made Yunho shine.

“You look beautiful” It wasn’t San that spoke, but Yunho sounding breathless and staring at San with the kind of rapture he usually reserved for flowers or learning something new about magic, but it was different too. There was a fondness, a softness to his smile that wasn’t there for the flowers and magic.

“Thank you” San murmured, leaning over to press a soft kiss to Yunho’s lips.

“How did it go with Hongjoong?” Yunho’s hands linked around the back of San’s neck to pull him into another kiss.

“Good, we still have a few things left to work out. Seonghwa was there” A half truth was always easier than a lie.

“Oh? That probably helped. I still have to meet Seonghwa, and Hongjoong properly” Yunho said thoughtfully.

“Yeah, I think they’d like you. Or at least Seonghwa would, Hongjoong can be kind of prickly at first” San laughed softly, pressing his forehead to Yunho’s and just allowing himself to bask in the golden light for a moment. If everything was going to come crashing down when they entered the house then he was going to live in the illusion of this moment for just a little longer. Where he had a Yunho to come home to, who would ask him sweet questions to make sure he was okay and talk about meeting the important people in his life.

“I need to talk to you about something” It seemed that Yunho was going to continue to steal the words from his thoughts and say them before San could.

“I need to talk to you too,” San murmured, and offered a hand to help Yunho up. The two of them ended up almost toppling over and it left them laughing as they reached out to steady each other. Byeol meowing at their feet like she was somehow being left out. San scooped her into his arms as they stepped into the house.

Despite the warm atmosphere outside, it didn’t take long for a sort of uneasy tension to settle between the two of them. They each took a seat in the living room, Yunho on the couch that had once been his bed and San in the armchair with Byeol still cradled to his chest. Both of them opened their mouths several times before shutting them again, not sure how to start the conversation that both of them had been putting off.

“I don’t want you to leave” Finally, San was the one who broke, bolstered by the firm words of his brother and no longer able to just let the uneasiness sit inside him.

“What I-” Yunho started, but San continued before he could say anything.

“But, I know that you miss your family and I promised I would help you get back home. So I’m not going to stop you” San closed his eyes and clutched Byeol closer to his chest. He needed to get the words out before he tried to take them back.

“San, I don’t-”

“Because as much as I love you I can’t make you stay here with me” San couldn’t see Yunho’s reactions with his eyes closed, but he could hear the sharp intake of breath he took.

“You-”

“I just want both of us to make the most of however long, please. I don’t want us to be weird about it. It’ll hurt but I want a lot of happy mem-”

“San!” It was Yunho’s turn to interrupt, loudly. Loud enough that it made Byeol startle, her little pointy claws digging into San’s chest before she used it as a vault to get away.

“San, can you look at me?” Yunho’s voice was softer, closer. Tentatively San opened his eyes to find Yunho kneeling in front of him, his hands hovering over San’s knees before settling on them. He was looking up at San with the sweetest, most hopeful eyes that made San almost want to burst into tears right then and there.

“You love me?” Was what Yunho asked instead of the hundreds of other things San thought he would say. But it was so earnest, that question, so simple.

“I love you Yunho” San confirmed, unable to help himself from reaching out and cradling Yunho’s cheek in his palm.

“I love you too San” Yunho smiled, turning his head so he could press his lips into the center of San’s hand. Then he was leveraging himself up on San’s knees to lean closer. The witch got a hand up between them before Yunho’s lips could touch his.

“Wait, I didn’t just say that to convince you to stay or something. I really do love you but I’m not going to stop you or -”

“San” Yunho interrupted again, rocking backwards slightly but still very much in San’s space, “I wasn’t planning on leaving”

“What?” Suddenly all the very carefully thought out plans that he’d made on his walk back to the cottage were thrown out the window. How was he supposed to expect Yunho to say that?

“I don’t want to leave” Yunho reiterated, his face serious and no signs of hesitation.

“Then why...I heard you talking to Mingi about ships and the winter, and you were making a map! You’re always talking about how much you miss your family!” San protested. They were logical clues to follow with the knowledge he had, there hadn’t been another explanation that made sense to him.

“I do miss my family. But they don’t need me there, they’re doing good. I wanted to be able to write to them though, so I asked Mingi if there was a way a ship courier would be able to pass letters to them. I figured it might be easier for them to send me letters now too if I had a more permanent place to stay. Mingi said that ships won’t sail in winter, so I should warn them about that. The map was to make sure the letter got delivered right, none of the couriers were very familiar with the area” Yunho explained patiently, watching San’s face closely.

“Then what did you want to talk about?” San breathed out, his heart picking up into a pace that couldn’t be healthy.

At the question, Yunho turned almost shy. While he’d been so serious about correcting San’s misunderstanding, he seemed flustered now. San noticed his ears turning a shade of pink as he worked up the nerve.

“I wanted to ask if I could stay with you” Yunho finally lifted his eyes back to San’s, “I really do miss my family, but I spent years of my life doing something I disliked so that I could make sure that they could have something better. I think now I want to do something for myself. I want to stay here with you. That would make me the happiest, I think. And maybe someday I could invite my family to come visit.”

If San’s heart had been beating fast before, now it felt like there were a thousand bird wings beating at his chest.

“If you don’t want me to stay here though that’s alright! Yeosang and Mingi already said they have a spare-”

Yunho choked on the last of the words as San’s arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him forwards. It wasn’t the most graceful move on the planet, Yunho practically falling on top of San with his knees almost sliding out from underneath him on the floor, but San wasn’t letting go.

“Of course you can stay. I want you to stay” San murmured into Yunho’s hair, pressing a kiss to the silky dark strands.

“Good, because I was really hoping you weren’t going to kick me out” Yunho laughed, pushing himself up enough that they were face to face again.

“Never. Byeol would never forgive me for kicking out her favorite bed” San grinned, locking his legs around Yunho’s back.

“So Byeol is the only one who would miss me?” There was that very adorable pout again.

“I guess I would miss you too. It would be very inconvenient to get a kiss if you were that far away” San pushed forward to press a kiss to his nose. Then the two of them were giggling and pressing kisses to each other’s cheeks and head and everywhere but the lips. It escalated when fingers started digging into sides, finding all the ticklish spots between ribs and under arms. By the time they stopped they were both out of breath and smiling, laid out on the floor because they’d both fallen out of chair at some point.

“I love you” Yunho said again.

“I love you” San repeated, finding Yunho’s hand beside him and intertwining their fingers.

“I can really stay?” Yunho asked so softly that San almost didn’t hear it.

With some effort, San pushed himself up from the floor so that he could lean into Yunho’s space. Slowly, he leaned down until their lips were pressed together. It wasn’t the first time they’d kissed, nor would it be the last, but it felt important anyway. The first kiss after he knew Yunho loved him.

“You can stay forever,” San confirmed, pulling back only so that he could look Yunho in the eye.

“Then I’m staying forever” Yunho grinned and pulled San back into another kiss.

Yunho was going to see the rest of the flowers bloom.

He’d meet Hongjoong and Seonghwa, properly.

He’d be here when spring turned into summer, and when summer turned into fall and winter.

San wouldn’t have to spend another winter alone.

Yunho would be there for the next spring storm.

It might be less exciting, but San was willing to bet the next spring was going to be the best one yet.

Because the Witch had a Flower Boy who loved him.