Summary:

where Soobin is a witch-in-training whose latest assignment is to summon a familiar. He decides to call an animal spirit because he's shy but instead of the fox familiar he called, he gets a whole-ass Choi Yeonjun himself.

°•✿•°
•
•
•

"And for your last assignment of the year," their teacher took a pause to be dramatic but none of the students were interested in being teased or suspensed so she rolled her eyes and continued, "You have to summon a familiar."

Oohs and ahhs erupted around the class but Soobin subconsciously curled his toes at the idea of calling a familiar.

"As you all know," the teacher trudged on relentlessly, "A familiar is very important to every witch. They are your partner in every quest you do so it is fitting to have a familiar by the end of your first year in training. You are required to bond with your familiar over the summer so that you can start involving them in your assignments from second year."

A partner... It's not that Soobin didn't want a partner. It's just that familiars are like a thousand years old and have aided many wonderful witches. Soobin wasn't a strong witch; in fact, it was well-known in his class that he was one of the weakest in magic.

He didn't want his familiar to judge him– that was the last thing he needed. He wanted someone who would understand him and encourage him. But with his weak magic, he could probably try and summon a familiar the total opposite of it.

"You can all go now!" The teacher announced and everyone rushed out to go to their rooms since it was the last class. Soobin felt a bump against his upper arm and he turned to see his best friend, Taehyun smiling at him.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked as the two sauntered back to their rooms. "Let me guess– that you can't summon a familiar?"

"No," Soobin mumbled. "Just that... They would probably judge me for being so... weak."

"Soobin," Soobin didn't need to look at him to know that Taehyun was frowning. He knew that Taehyun didn't like it when he spoke about himself like that. But Taehyun wasn't like him. Taehyun was one of the best witches in their year. "You can do this. You'll get an amazing familiar, okay? Don't you worry about this. Whoever it is, they will accept and love you because you're awesome."

Soobin had put up a small smile when he saw Taehyun's encouraging face.

❀

That was three days ago.

Soobin was sitting in his small room, hugging his knees which were pulled up against his chest. He knew he had to do it soon– but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. And it wasn't like he could tell someone else to do it for him.

Summoning your familiar was a sacred process for any witch. By summoning them, you create the first thread of your bond. It's what makes it, but in the end, the relationship between the familiar and the witch decides whether it strengthens or breaks off.

There was a knock on the door and Soobin looked up. He loosened himself and stood up before walking over to open the door and letting Taehyun in. Taehyun slumped onto his bed and sighed, frustration etched onto his face.

"What's wrong, Taehyun?" Soobin asked, sitting next to him.

"It's... So Beomgyu summoned his familiar this morning," Taehyun said airily. "He called for an Angel Familiar, and this... guy came, called himself Kai and now they're both on my couch and they're... bonding, I guess."

Soobin smiled and tried not to let Taehyun see it. But nothing went past Taehyun's sharp eyes which narrowed.

"You're probably thinking that I'm–"

"Jealous? Yeah," Soobin grinned. Taehyun looked like he wanted to protest but then he sighed.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," he mumbled. "Maybe I am. I thought demon familiars are bad, but I think maybe angel familiars are worse. They can totally charm you and make you fall in love with them. I can't even hate that angel because he's so nice and sweet!"

"Oh Taehyun," Soobin gave him a comforting smile. "I'm sure Beomgyu likes you as much as you like him and that the presence of this Kai will not change his feelings."

"Hope so," Taehyun's voice was uncharacteristically small, as if he didn't believe himself. "But enough about me. Why haven't you summoned a familiar yet?"

"I was... about to," Soobin lied. Taehyun smiled knowingly.

"Great, let's go then!" Taehyun grabbed his hand and dragged him to the main building's practice rooms. Soobin couldn't even whine because he told Taehyun himself that he was about to do it himself. Taehyun stopped only when they were outside an empty practice room. "Deep breaths. You can do this!"

"Hm," Soobin bit his lower lip, feeling his worry flood him once again. "Which type of familiar should I summon? Which one do you think I can summon?"

"I would tell you to get an angel familiar," Taehyun said gently, "to match with your own self but angel and demon familiars require tremendous magic. Even attempting to summon one can tax you if you don't have enough magic. I don't want you to harm yourself because I think you're strong enough to handle it; it's not a risk worth taking. So, maybe you can try to summon an animal familiar. Anyone can summon them and you might get a really great partner that way."

"I suppose," Soobin nodded, wondering which animal would be good for him.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Taehyun seemed worried. Soobin shook his head and smiled at him, hiding how nervous he actually felt.

"You stay here," Soobin said. "I'll call you when I'm done."

Taehyun nodded satisfactorily and Soobin entered the dark room. The walls were made of dark, smooth stone and the floor was the same. Soobin closed the door and his eyes flickered to the unlit torches around the room.

He quickly lit them using one of the earliest spells they had learnt before going to stand in the center of the room. He had studied the summoning circle for the past 3 days so hard, that he could probably draw it in his sleep.

Willing his magic to come to his fingertips, Soobin started drawing the circle on the floor. A whitish glow stayed where his fingertips had glided over the floor, making a beautiful design on it that seemed to glow in the darkness of the room.

Finally finishing it, Soobin finally let go and the circle seemed to glow even brighter. Soobin closed his eyes and started casting the spell for the summoning that he had learnt.

While he was chanting, he was supposed to think about what kind of familiar he wanted. And Soobin was supposed to think about a fox (it's what he settled on when he closed the door) and wanting them to be understanding and strong but instead, he thought desperately about summoning a strong and accepting familiar, the word 'demon' ringing in his head by itself as he said the last word from the spell.

Soobin opened his eyes to see the magic circle glowing as brightly as LED lights and he squinted, seeing a shadow of something large form over it. The glow took over the entire room and Soobin shut his eyes, seeing pink and red swirling behind his eyelids.

He felt the light dim and he opened his eyes to find someone in front of him that was *not* a fox. It was a human looking figure but Soobin knew from the way he was looking at Soobin and the dark clothes he was wearing, that it was a demon familiar.

The demon had pink hair and his eyes seemed to be rimmed with a red glow as he smirked at Soobin. Soobin swallowed nervously.

"I, um, how are you here?"

Apparently that wasn't anything like what the demon expected because the smirk dropped from his face and was instead replaced by a confused face.

"What do you mean?" The demon said and okay, Soobin wasn't supposed to blush that badly over a *voice* but it was hard not to.

"I was, I was trying to summon a fox," Soobin managed to squeak out and then he was embarrassed because why did he bother speaking? His voice sounded ridiculously high and he was sure that he even looked a bit scared.

The demon blinked, disbelieving what he had just heard.

"Are you telling me," the demon's voice raised a bit, as if what he was saying was angering him yet at the same time was incredulous, "that you don't want me?"

Soobin flinched, chastising himself on the inside for not even being able to summon a familiar properly. He looked at the demon, trying to think of what to say to him but he didn't have to– the demon spoke again.

"Do you even know who I am?" The demon seemed like he found the entire situation ridiculous. Which it probably was. "I'm Choi Yeonjun, the best demon familiar you can ever ask for. And you don't want me?"

"It's not that I don't want you," Soobin faltered in his words. "It's, you, I mean,"– he fumbled in his words when he saw the demon looking at him intensely with his dark eyes, paying rapt attention because his voice was getting smaller and smaller with every word. Yeonjun's pink hair was falling into his eyes but he didn't move to move them and kept looking at Soobin.

Soobin blushed and ducked his head; shit, why did he have to be so beautiful? 'Sinfully handsome' his brain supplied and Soobin swore his heart seemed to be beating heavily and his knees were growing weaker every passing second he spent in Yeonjun's presence.

A knock on the door jerked Soobin out of the disarray of his thoughts and Taehyun voice drifted in, muffled, "Soobin? How did it go? Are you in there? Open up!"

Soobin's eyes frantically went to the pink-haired demon who had raised an eyebrow at the door, as if he could see the person past it. Maybe he could.

"Can you please, please turn into a fox?" Soobin begged of him, joining his hands and shutting his eyes close. "Please, I'm begging you! Can you do that?"

"Sure I guess," Yeonjun seemed utterly confused but nodded anyway and then there was a poof of smoke where he stood. Soobin didn't wait to see the result, just ran to the door and unlocked it, letting Taehyun in, who had Beomgyu and an unfamiliar guy behind him.

"Sorry, these idiots sent me a 911 message," Taehyun rolled his eyes. "I panicked and went to check up on them without telling you because I didn't want to interrupt you."

Soobin nodded, itching to turn around and see what happened to Yeonjun.

"So... How did it go?" Taehyun asked carefully. Soobin inhaled sharply and turned around, just as a handsome orange fox strutted out of the smoke, his fluffy tail swishing and flicking behind him as he eyed them all. His eyes stopped on the unfamiliar guy Soobin had guessed was Kai.

Kai's jaw dropped open and he raised his hands, pointing a finger at Yeonjun, the fox. A lump grew in Soobin's throat, wondering if by some play of fate, Kai knew Yeonjun. He was doomed.

"Yeonjun-hyung?" Kai said, grabbing the attention of the other two who were staring at the fox in awe. Kai's face whipped towards Soobin and he looked impressed as he said, "I did not know your friend was a powerful witch, Beomgyu! To be able to call Yeonjun-hyung is a feat no one has achieved in nearly 800 years now. Isn't that right, hyung?"

Kai was looking at the fox inquiringly and if foxes could sigh, Soobin was sure that was what he did before there was another smoke screen and Yeonjun was back, with his pink hair, dark eyes and black robes. Taehyun and Beomgyu gaped at the revelation and Soobin felt his heart sink.

It's not that he was ashamed of Yeonjun or anything, and Kai was definitely speaking non-sense because Soobin wasn't a powerful witch and even the mouse in his dorm room knew that much. But Soobin was afraid of being judged by his friends for calling a demon familiar of all beings he could have called.

"A demon familiar?" Taehyun's face whipped so fast, Soobin was sure he heard the crick of his neck. "As much as I'm shocked to find a demon familiar, on top of that, the Choi Yeonjun, I also need to know why you called a demon familiar?!"

"I–," Soobin didn't know what to explain to him. Yeonjun once again decided to take things into his own hand and spoke before Soobin could.

"It seems your friend doesn't want me," he drawled. "He was trying to call a fox and somehow, by a mistake, he seems to summoned me."

"A mistake?" Kai echoed, looking flabbergasted. "Using this much power  by mistake?"

"It's okay, I suppose," Yeonjun sighed. "I understand the implications of calling a demon familiar; so if you want to send me back, boy, let's just get this done with."

Soobin didn't miss the frown on Yeonjun's face as he spoke those words. Taehyun nudged him, making him look away from the handsome demon that seemed sad to go back.

"Don't send him back," Taehyun said immediately. Soobin was surprised. He expected Taehyun to say the opposite. "Soobin, do you understand who you have summoned?"

"Choi Yeonjun?" Soobin said weakly, questioning what the big deal was.

"That's one of the strongest demon familiar you can summon!" Taehyun said, his eyes turning wider as if to show Soobin the importance of his words. "800 years, Soobin! That's how long witches around the world haven't been able to call upon him and you, you did it! You honestly cannot send him back."

"But," Soobin was even more sure now that he must send Yeonjun back. If Yeonjun was as strong and as coveted as they all said, then he was definitely not someone who will take Soobin's weak magic very lightly. "But I'm not strong enough to be paired with him, Taehyun."

"What are you talking about?" Yeonjun's voice was demanding, and Soobin didn't want to look at him, too scared to face rejection and mocking from some thousands of year old demon who was also incredibly good-looking. "You aren't weak at all. You are what we call, a Bomber Witch. I mean, I think. Can you perform simple spells but not those which require quite a bit of magic?"

Soobin nodded and looked up at him, for the first time in his life feeling like maybe there's a good reason as to why he is how he is. Yeonjun smiled and Soobin couldn't shut the part of his mind which told him that it was the prettiest smile ever.

"Then you are a Bomber Witch," Yeonjun said, his hands resting on his hips as if that was final.

"Um, excuse me, Sir Yeonjun," Beomgyu piped up and Soobin tried to keep in his smile upon hearing the way Beomgyu referred to him. "What is a Bomber Witch?"

"Just Yeonjun is fine," the demon said, raking his hand through his hair and Soobin felt his heart flip at the sight. "A Bomber Witch is somewhat of a rarity. They have more magic than a witch normally does, which results in their bodies trying to keep it suppressed so that it does not overflow. Because of it, they can perform either incredibly simple spells, or incredibly powerful ones. It's like their magic is quite extremist."

Relief and happiness seemed to flood through Soobin's entire body and for the first time, he didn't feel like a failure. Like maybe, he hadn't done anything wrong; just that he had been doing things wrongly.

"Wow," Taehyun said, turning to look at Soobin. "See? I told you, you aren't weak! And you have an amazing familiar who is also incredibly knowledgeable. You deserve this."

Taehyun hugged him, something he didn't do very often but when he did, he really meant it. Soobin smiled and hugged him back, feeling happy that he always had a friend who believed in him more than he believed himself. Behind Taehyun, Beomgyu seemed to be conflicted, looking at them hugging and Soobin realised he was feeling jealous so he released Taehyun and turned to face Yeonjun.

"So you don't mind being my familiar?" He asked shyly, shutting down the part of his mind that said that someone like Yeonjun won't like him enough to be his familiar. Yeonjun hummed and said,

"Why not? You're pretty cute."

Okay, maybe Choi Soobin had a crush.

✿

Part 2

✿

You know when they say that someone's world has turned upside down? Yeah, that's what Soobin was going through.

His world had changed so drastically, it was like it had taken a complete 180° plot twist. And he wasn't sure if he was totally loving it.

As Soobin sat in his bedroom, alone for once in so many weeks, he thought back to everything that had happened and how it had changed from before.

It all started with Yeonjun's appearance. Yup, Choi Yeonjun, the one and the only, one of the strongest demons in all 3 realms with soft, pink hair and dark eyes which seemed to burn red when he looked at Soobin intensely (which was practically always), who wore dark tight clothes that were contrasting to his fair skin and his pretty lips and– yeah, you get the point.

Soobin was more whipped than he could tell you in words, and he wasn't sure if he was hating that either. Yeonjun didn't seem to be totally dense either; he was very much acting suspiciously enough for Soobin to wonder if the pink-haired demon might actually care about him.

Soobin's mind reverted back to the day when he accidentally summoned Yeonjun...

❀

The teacher's mouth was open in shock.

Soobin shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. Yeonjun, who was standing next to him– actually, he was hovering a feet above the ground but–, seemed to be casting bored glances around at the whispering and staring students. Except there was this gleam of curiosity in his eyes.

"You– he– what?" The teacher tried to make a coherent sentence but his words seemed to be failing him and Soobin just wanted to run out of the classroom and back into his large bed. "This is... This is extraordinary!"

"I guess you can call it that," Yeonjun finally rested his eyes on the older, slightly balding teacher in front of them. "Or you could call it just a normal occurrence that happens when a witch tries to summon a demon familiar. Or in his case, an animal familiar that turned out to be... me."

Soobin grimaced for a second before schooling his expression back to a blank one and continued staring at the floor as if it was the thing standing in front of him on his wedding altar.

"Do you think I'm an animal?" Yeonjun turned to Soobin, a contemplative look on his face as if he was seriously considering those words. "Maybe it refers to what I'm like in bed..."

The last comment was murmured low but Soobin heard it. And he promptly turned red in the face, as he tried to suppress all thoughts connected to that. He shot Yeonjun a warning glare so Yeonjun pulled a face but kept quiet.

"Mr. Lee?" Another teacher walked into the room, his eyes snapping to the pink haired demon instantly and staying there as he walked to the teacher already inside the room. "I heard about the... incident, and was sent here."

"Yes, that, he, him," Mr. Lee weakly waved his hands in circular motions to indicate Soobin and Yeonjun as if his four words spoke everything. The other teacher eyed Yeonjun critically, which led to Yeonjun giving him the stinkiest eye Soobin had ever seen in his entire life.

"While it is wonderful to learn that you have... drastically improved in your abilities," the teacher spoke directly to Soobin, his eyes flitting back to Yeonjun every three words, "We are also concerned as to why you would summon a demon familiar. I don't think I need to warn you about the implications and consequences of this summoning?"

"It was a mistake," Soobin mumbled, looking back down, feeling like all this was turning out to be more of a trouble than it was supposed to be.

"Then are you going to sever the summoning bond and send him back?" The teacher raised an eyebrow and Soobin's head shot up, as he stared at the older man. Send Yeonjun back? If he did that, he won't ever get to see Yeonjun again... And that thought itself made him uneasy.

"No!" He said quickly and sharply that it took both the teachers by surprise. "I mean, I, um, I don't want to send him back."

The other teacher looked at Soobin just as critically as he had looked at Yeonjun; except this time, Yeonjun stepped in between the teacher and Soobin.

"If you are one of those backward thinkers who think that witches who summon demon familiars are inherently evil," Yeonjun said, his eyes flashing red, "Stay away from us. I may not know this boy much, but I know that he has a good heart. And I won't let you touch a hair on his head."

In Soobin's mind, Yeonjun was acting like he was some saviour hero. And somehow, instead of cringing at the thought, he felt warmth pool into his stomach, knowing that the other cared about him enough to want to protect him. Okay, maybe he was reading too deeply into this, but still... A boy can hope, right?

"Mr. Ahn, I think that's enough," another voice came from the doorway, and it was the headmistress this time. "While we were concerned about the intentions of a witch we're training, I think we can trust Yeonjun's words. After all, demons speak the truth when their eyes are flashing red."

Yeonjun nodded, as if approving of the headmistress and said, "Finally an intelligent person who understands."

Meanwhile, Soobin head was echoing the words the headmistress just said. Yeonjun was speaking the truth. He really did want to protect him. He wouldn't let anyone hurt Soobin. Soobin internally squealed at the thought, but outwardly, just gave a small, warm smile to Yeonjun– and Yeonjun returned it, his eyes softening almost. Or maybe that was a trick of the light or just Soobin being hopeful.

"There isn't anything else for us to say to you," the headmistress turned to Soobin, a kind smile on her face. "Just stay safe and do not let negative emotions overpower you for the next few weeks. You might feel the urges within you to be angry, jealous, sad or to hurt those around you. Do not let them take charge of you. That's all."

"Thank you, Headmistress Kang," Soobin bowed to her. She nodded, a sign of dismissal. Soobin tried to walk normally out of the classroom but he was sure that he half-ran out of there.

"Well, that was fun," Yeonjun commented as soon as they were out of earshot. Soobin snorted.

❀

Then there was the whole situation with the summoning bond and what it requires... Even the mere thought of it, made Soobin flush right down to his toes.

❀

"So..." Soobin didn't know where to start. He had led Yeonjun inside his room and had sat on his own bed, watching Yeonjun float around his room, checking it out in curiosity. Yeonjun looked at him, humming to show that he has his attention. "Um, how does this work?"

"What do you mean?" Yeonjun straightened up, raising an eyebrow.

"Um, like, do you stay here with me?" Soobin asked weakly, the mere idea of living in his small room with the pink-haired demon making his heart pump dangerously fast. "Or do you go back to your realm every time I don't need you?"

"That depends on you," Yeonjun said, swooping down next to him and flopping on his bed. "But, there is one thing..."

Yeonjun's eyes held a twinkle of mischievousness that made Soobin gulp. The demon's mouth curled into a smirk as he said the next words.

"To strengthen the bond between the summoner and the summonee, we have to sleep together for 7 nights."

Have you ever heard of people dying from shock? Yeah, that was about to be Soobin. Except he could also be dying from blushing too hard, or maybe from bursting a vein or two from the blood rush. Or maybe because his heart was pumping faster that ever.

"S- sleep together?" Soobin's voice was breathy, airy, like all the air was leaving his body with those words.

"Just sleeping, nothing else," Yeonjun said, looking amused. "Is that a problem?"

Soobin's eyes ran down to the very bed he was sitting on. It wasn't small, by any means, but it wasn't made for two people either. Just enough space for them to sleep together, crowding each other's personal bubbles.

"I–," Soobin felt weak, and dizzy. And the next thing he knew, he had blacked out, a certain pink-haired demon looking at him in concern.

◉

There was a familiar softness beneath him and Soobin knew he was in his bed. But there was an unfamiliar warmth coming from his left that was trapping him between the wall of his room and the warmth. Soobin's eyes fluttered open and his breath hitched when he found Yeonjun lying right next to him, his eyes wide open and watching him instead of sleeping. His head was resting on the palm of his right hand, which he had bent as if to watch Soobin sleep was as entertaining as a TV show.

"Finally awake, hm?" Yeonjun's left hand landed on Soobin's right cheek and he caressed it softly with his thumb. A smirk drew upon his face again as he continued, "You sleep quite interestingly. Did you know you mumble when you sleep?"

"N- no I don't!" Soobin said, shivering when Yeonjun's warm touch splayed across his cool skin. "I don't... Do I?"

"You do," Yeonjun murmured, his eyes raking over the flustered witch, and for a wild moment, Soobin thought that Yeonjun was checking him out. "You say some very interesting stuff."

Soobin inhaled sharply. Oh no.

"W- what did I say, exactly?" Soobin asked, trying to keep his voice even and stable.

"Hm, something about me," Yeonjun looked away from him, his eyes landing on his own left hand which had trailed from Soobin's cheek to his jaw and down his neck before stopping right at the top of his chest. "And how I'm... quite hot."

Okay, Soobin was going to bury himself underground the moment he got put of bed. There must be a spell for that, right? Or maybe he can use a spell to dig a hole, then hop into it, then get the soil to come on top of him–

"You're so red right now," Yeonjun commented, his hand lifting from Soobin's chest, save for his index finger which was lying almost feather-light on top of him. "Don't you agree with those thoughts of yours?"

"I, uh, um, I," Soobin was so flustered, so flushed, so warm and Yeonjun was so close, so hot and his lips were just a few inches away and he just wanted to taste them once. See if they were as sweet as they looked, as soft as they seemed.

Suddenly, Yeonjun started laughing hard and Soobin grew confused.

"You're so easy to tease!" Yeonjun teased him, sitting up straight, his eyes turning wet. "Your reactions are priceless! Oh my god, I haven't laughed this hard in so long..."

Soobin sat up, but it felt like his world had come crashing down. Like Yeonjun had just broken him. Which he probably had. But Soobin's small crush had blown into something so large in less than 24 hours that Soobin felt like he could hear his heart break.

"..ey? I'm sorry, is something wrong?" And the way Yeonjun was looking at him in concern. How was he supposed to be angry with him when he was looking at him like that? "I didn't mean to be so cruel... I just wanted to tease you a bit. I'm sorry, are you angry at me?"

Soobin took a deep breath then picked up his pillow and whacked Yeonjun with it.

"It's too early in the morning for you to be making such jokes," Soobin said, his face blank of his inner turmoil. Yeonjun's face grew innocently confused.

"What are you talking about?" He said, his eyes blinking in mock innocence. "Your first class starts in twenty minutes."

Oh.

❀

And Taehyun... He had never had as much trouble talking to his friend as he had after Yeonjun entered his life.

❀

"...obin? Soooooobin?" A hand waved in front of his eyes and Soobin jerked out of his thoughts that totally weren't about a pink-haired demon. Nope, no, not at all! Kang Taehyun, his best friend since he stepped into this school, was looking at him in slight concern. "Did you sleep well last night?"

And that was enough to make Soobin turn right into a blushing mess again. He slumped down on his desk, clutching the sides of his head.

"Okay, I'm guessing you didn't," Taehyun, who was twisting in his seat to face Soobin, placed a hand on top of Soobin's head. "Do you want me to spell your headache away?"

"But you can't spell him back," Soobin mumbled, his chin pressed to the wooden desk he was slumped on.

"Him? Who's him?" Taehyun was confused for a second before he realised who Soobin was talking about. "Yeonjun? Is this about him? Did he trouble you last night?"

Trouble wasn't the right word... Cuddle probably was.

"Um, he...," For the first time, Soobin actually wondered, what if there was no rule like you have to sleep with your familiar? If he asked Taehyun that, then Taehyun, being the smartass that he is, will figure out that Yeonjun must have slept together with him. And if he comes to know, Soobin won't ever be able to face him. "It's nothing..."

"Right," Taehyun didn't seem convinced at all by his words. "And I'm not your best friend. Why are you hiding things from me?"

"I'm not," Soobin didn't know how to tell him. "Um, I have a question. Is it, is it true that you have to sleep together with your familiar to strengthen the bond?"

"WHAT?!!" Taehyun's shout attracted the attention of all the students that had come early to the class. "Sorry, it's nothing, please go back to what you were doing."

Taehyun turned back to Soobin, his eyes wider than normal but then he paused and tilted his head.

"I guess that makes sense," Taehyun murmured.

"What does?" Soobin asked.

"To strengthen the bond with your familiar, you need to spend time with them," Taehyun said honestly. "That's why Beomgyu and Kai spend a lot of time together. But that's in the daytime. Maybe, because demon's are more powerful during the night time, demon familiars require you to sleep together."

"Oh..." Soobin sat up, thinking over Taehyun's words.

"But," Taehyun whispered, "Are you telling me you two slept together? In that bed which is made for one person??"

"I– yeah," Soobin's cheeks resembled tomatoes as he looked away. "But just that! Only sleeping! Nothing else!!"

"Do you have a crush on him?" Taehyun asked, his voice low so that no one hears them. Soobin eyed him weakly and that was all it took for Taehyun to understand. "Wow, what a turn of events."

"You can say that."

❀

But the thing that got him the most was probably the little things that Yeonjun did for him. The small ways that he showed that he cares for him.

❀

Yeonjun continued to sleep in his bed with him for the rest of the days. It was hard to fall asleep for Soobin, what with a very living being sleeping right next to him. Sometimes, if Yeonjun didn't feel like ‘sleeping’, he would initiate Soobin to talk. They would fall asleep and Soobin would wake up in the mornings to find himself being back-hugged by Yeonjun.

He loved those early morning moments when he could relax in Yeonjun's arms, feeling safe and calm because the other was asleep. Because the moment he woke up, Yeonjun went back to teasing and joking about things that made Soobin's cheek warm up.

While he had done quite well in his last assignment for his class, there were other assignments he needed to submit before the year officially ended and Soobin was frantic to do well in them.

There was a debate among the teachers about whether he should get full marks for being able to call a demon that hasn't been called in 800 years, or if a few points should be taken off because, well, Yeonjun is a demon.

Soobin wanted them to give him as many points as possible because he wasn't good in many subjects so he needed to make up for them by being extra good in the ones he could. Summoning Yeonjun had been a stroke of luck, but he wanted the luck to run a bit more farther.

Soobin had 2 more assignments to do that week; making the Sleeping Draught potion and writing a 5-paged report on fairies and their lives. The potion took a week to make so Soobin had to check on it every day to make sure it wasn't going wrong.

He borrowed books from the library upon fairies and read late into the night, trying to find enough content to make his report while at the same time trying to make sure that it doesn't feel too stretched.

It was on one such night that Soobin found himself in his bed instead of his table where the book he was reading was kept closed, a bookmark peeking out from one end. Soobin sat up, his eyes sleepy and head heavy as he wondered how he got into bed. His eyes finally fell on Yeonjun, who was lying next to him and watching him with wary eyes.

"How did I end up here?" Soobin asked, shifting to try and jump over Yeonjun to get off the bed but Yeonjun sat up and put his arms around him before dragging him back down. "Yeonjun!"

"Sleep," Yeonjun murmured into his ear, his warm breath fanning the edges of his right ear. "You work too hard. Who will I cuddle then?"

"Why are you still sleeping in my bed anyway?" Soobin was too tired and exhausted to be even properly flustered at his own words, let alone Yeonjun's. "The seven days ended two days ago."

"You're soft," Yeonjun mumbled, tightening his grip around the witch who decided to continue reading tomorrow. "And so cuddly. And you're always cold, so I feel like warming you up."

Maybe it was his sleep-adled brain, or maybe it was the fact that Yeonjun was spouting this stuff about him that made Soobin give him a light peck on his forehead and murmuring a soft ‘thank you’, before drifting off to sleep in his arms.

It was only the next day, when he was talking with Taehyun about his report that he remembered what he had done the night before and proceeded to try and whack his head on the wall in mortification which led to a concerned and confused Taehyun to try and stop him from actually hurting himself.

❀

Then there was the very fact that Yeonjun had quite literally come running when Soobin was in danger and the first thought in his mind was Yeonjun...

❀

It was when summer vacations had started that Soobin had decided to start making some potions for himself that he could store. Unlike most of the students who had gone back to their home, Soobin was one of the few who stayed in the school even for summers, because being an orphan meant that he didn't have a real house to return to.

Taehyun and Beomgyu had gone back as well, but promised to send him messages every day to check up on him. And Yeonjun... Yeonjun continued to just be there with him, troubling him every now and then about technology and everything in between.

Behind the school was a large magical forest that housed innumerable magical beasts. It also had innumerable species of flora that Soobin required parts of as ingredients in his potions.

"I'm going to the forest behind the school," Soobin told Yeonjun, who was busy watching YouTube videos on Soobin's phone.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Yeonjun asked, looking up from his videos with attention. Soobin smiled and shook his head.

"I'll be back in an hour or two," Soobin said, picking up his basket that had his list taped to it. "Don't get into trouble while I'm gone, okay?"

Satisfied with Yeonjun's nod, Soobin left the dorms and went to the back gates where he received a pass from the guards to enter the forest. The pass served as a way to know who had entered the forest and it also had a map attached to it that marked the territories students could go into and the ones they couldn't.

For the next hour or so, Soobin busied himself with collecting as many ingredients as he could. Sweating and tired, Soobin checked his list one last time. There were ingredients that he couldn't find and would have to go to the apocethary for. Soobin turned around, thinking about how to leave when his heart dropped to his stomach.

Standing in front of his was a magical beast, one that was twice of Soobin's height (that in itself said something). Its mouth was open, saliva pooled in it visible for Soobin to see. It's long fangs made it look every bit dangerous that it probably was. Its eyes were red with dark slits in them as it stared at Soobin in what Soobin feared was hunger.

It was like his feet were frozen to the ground and he couldn't move his body even if he wanted to. Soobin frantically tried to remember any self-protective spells but his mind was drawing a blank. The creature stepped even closer and it was like Soobin's throat choked clear all of a sudden.

A scream left his mouth and with a 180° turn, Soobin started running madly, the creature right on his tail. Soobin didn't even know where he was going, just that he needed to get away from this creature. It was tall enough that climbing trees won't help him and fast enough to stay just a few feet behind him even though Soobin was running like his life depended on it. Which it did.

Branches caught in his shirt and pants and tore at them, scratching him and leaving cuts across his limb and face but Soobin kept running, ignoring it until a swipe from the creature made him buckle his knees and he rammed against a large tree that was to his left.

Soobin coughed, air leaving his lungs at the impact, feeling the vibrations to what felt like his bones. He tried to stand up but he fell down just when he rose a feet up; his knees had given out. Scared, he turned to face the creature that was eyeing him with what looked like hunger AND anger.

Clenching his hand into a fist, Soobin thought of the most advanced defensive spell he knew (which was really basic) and opened his hand, shouting the spell.

Except nothing happened. Soobin shouted again but not even the wind blew. Soobin hated this, he hated feeling so useless, so powerless. What's the use of having all that power if he couldn't even channel it when he needed it the most? He was probably going to die out here in the woods and no one would know until the guards realise in the evening that he wasn't back and they would send a search party only to find his dead body–

The creature growled loudly and terror seized Soobin and he closed his eyes and shouted the first name he could think of, "YEONJUN!"

Nothing happened. And then, there was a loud crash that made Soobin open his eyes in shock. Yeonjun was standing in front of him, a few wisps of smoke near his legs, and a hand raised that was pointing towards the beast that was now lying flat on the forest ground.

"Roga ikcabu," Yeonjun hissed at the creature, his voice sounding dark and angry and unlike anything Soobin had ever heard. Whatever he had said, it made the creature stand up before turning away and running away from the way it had followed Soobin.

Relief flooded Soobin and he slumped against the tree trunk behind him, breathing in slowly as the adrenaline rush from the running toned down. He heard leaves crunching and opened his eyes tiredly to find Yeonjun crouching in front of him, his eyes raking over his entire body in concern.

Yeonjun placed his left hand on Soobin's right cheek and pressed his thumb on it which made pain shoot through him and Soobin flinched.

"Silly boy," Yeonjun's words had no bite, anger or darkness to it like before. Instead, they were soft and sad just like his eyes as he looked at Soobin. "Why didn't you call me before? Got yourself hurt. Where does it hurt? Let me heal you."

Soobin wanted to tell him to not worry and do anything but Yeonjun's face held a silent plea asking him to not say that. So Soobin quietly told him every place where it hurt and Yeonjun pressed him thumb everywhere he said. The pain that shot through was followed by a cooling feeling that made him know that it was healed.

"I shouldn't have let you go alone," Yeonjun murmured, his eyes resting on Soobin's chest as he hands roamed over it to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with it. Soobin curled into himself at Yeonjun's words and his eyes faltered.

He felt upset and frustrated and his hand clenched around the grass next to him. The movement didn't go unnoticed by Yeonjun, who coaxed his hand to let the grass go and trapped his right hand between both of his own hands.

"Soobin? What's wrong?" Yeonjun asked gently and Soobin pressed his chin to his neck, not wanting Yeonjun to see the tears welled in his eyes. "Hey, what's wrong? It's okay now, I'm here..."

"That's the thing!" Soobin cried out, not being able to control himself when he heard the gentleness lying underneath Yeonjun's words. Yeonjun blanched at his words and looked confused. "You are here, that's why everything is okay now. It frustrates me so much that I couldn't even protect myself. How can I protect the ones I love if I can't even do this simple thing?"

"Soobin..." Yeonjun drew him into a hug and Soobin broke down even more, clutching onto Yeonjun's (actually his...) hoodie like his life depended on it. Like he was drawing comfort from his touch and closeness. Yeonjun drew comforting circles into his back and Soobin closed his eyes, letting himself feel them. "You might not have been able to protect yourself today, but don't beat yourself up over that. With much practice, you can learn to control your own power and I will do my best to help you do that. But for now, let us protect you. Let me protect you. There's nothing wrong in being protected and cared for– I'm sure your friends would say the them. Just like you want to protect your loved ones, we want to protect you too because we care about you just the same."

Soobin felt his heart grow calm at Yeonjun's words and let his reassuring words wash over him.

"Don't kick yourself, okay?" Yeonjun mumbled and cupped his cheeks before placing a small peck on his forehead. "Come on, let's go home."

And as Yeonjun placed him upon his back and teleported them back to Soobin's room, Soobin realised how much of a home he had made in Yeonjun.

❀

That was quite a few weeks ago now. Summer vacation was nearing an end now and Soobin knew that he had fallen too fast, too hard. Fallen in love with someone who was a 100 times his age. Who would continue living even when Soobin died. Who probably looked at Soobin like just another witch who had summoned him than a boy worth loving.

Soobin sighed, closing his eyes as he let his head rest against the cool wall next to his bed.

"Boo!" The word echoed in the silence but instead of getting surprised like normal, Soobin made a shooing gesture with his hands.

"Go away Yeonjun," he mumbled. Yeonjun did not take kindly to this and instead took to stretching Soobin's cheeks. Finally opening his eyes, Soobin glared at Yeonjun. "I said go away, Yeonjun. Leave me alone for some time."

"Why?" Yeonjun didn't seem bothered by his words at all, instead stretching his dough-like cheeks with fascination.

"Because you're annoying and I want some peace," Soobin said, his face taut. Yeonjun paused in his ministrations and instead smirked at Soobin.

"I'll give you a piece of me," Yeonjun winked and just like every time, Soobin flushed. Except this time, he wasn't ready to take it quietly.

"Why do you always do this?" Soobin cried, his cheeks warm and his mind a mess feeling like enough was enough. If he let Yeonjun continue doing this to him, he would fall even deeper and he couldn't let his heart go down that path. "If you don't mean it, don't say such things! Teasing might be fun for you, but it's not fun for me. You're playing with me and my feelings and it's gonna hurt me in the end because you're well you. Do you know what I feel everytime you do this stuff? My stomach's beating so fast and there are butterflies in my heart– I mean, there's–"

Soobin's rant was silenced when Yeonjun placed his pink and soft lips on Soobin's own. And it was like everything around him was falling apart and the only thing he could hold onto was Yeonjun's lips, drinking him in. Soobin's eyes closed as he felt Yeonjun's hand snake around his waist and draw him flush against his warm body. Soobin's hand automatically slung around the back of Yeonjun's neck and it was only when Yeonjun let his lips go that he opened his eyes and saw the pink-haired demon closer to him than ever before.

"Did you know you're fucking cute when you ramble?" Yeonjun's eyes were flashing red and were blown wide as they raked over Soobin's flush face and stopping at his red lips. "Fuck, you drive me crazy. Did you really think that I didn't mean any of what I said? I meant every single word."

"Really?" Soobin's voice was small but hopeful. Yeonjun's eyes softened but the redness didn't stop as he nodded. "But... Does this mean you like me? Or just that you want to get in my pants?"

"While demon's are popular for being very active in bed," Yeonjun chuckled, "I don't want only that. I like you, you dumb bunny."

"Sly fox," Soobin whispered back, a smile drawing on his face before he drew Yeonjun in for another kiss. When he finally let go, Yeonjun looked kissed out, and the two of them were panting hard, but smiling just as hard too. "But how are we going to go about this? I mean... You're, well, you. You're immortal, aren't you? And I'm going to die in a few more decades. I mean, nothing's to say we'll be together for that long but I'll like that... Do you think I'm being too fast?"

"Not at all," Yeonjun smiled as he pressed light kisses all over Soobin's face. "In fact, you were so slow that I didn't know if you were dumb or if you had taken a vow of celibacy or something. As for the thing about my immortality... There are ways to make me mortal if I so desire. So for now, keep your worries aside and let me enjoy having you to myself."

And that's what Soobin did.

❀

"Shut up!" Soobin squealed as he looked between Taehyun and Beomgyu who were standing holding each other's hands. "No way! You two are finally boyfriends? God, I can't believe this day finally came!"

"Babe, what did I tell you about the G word?" Yeonjun mumbled as he placed his chin on Soobin's right shoulder and leaned his face against Soobin's who just tried hard to not smile too much.

"Right, sorry," Soobin said back but Taehyun was looking at them in amusement so he focused on his best friend instead of his boyfriend. "We can go on double dates then!"

"Ew no!" Yeonjun and Kai said at the same time and Soobin raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend.

"I mean," Yeonjun straightened up, pouting, "Can't I have you to myself? I don't want to watch these two being all gooey while we're being gooey."

"Right, that's what you want," Kai said dryly and Yeonjun sent him a wicked smile. Kai rolled his eyes before flopping back on Beomgyu's bed and shifting to the other side so that the four of them could see his back. "Leave me alone, you traitors. Making me feel like a single pringle with no one to mingle with..."

"Right, we'll do that!" Yeonjun announced loudly before picking Soobin up bridal style and rushing out of the room much to Soobin's protests.

"Yeonjun, put me down!" Soobin whisper-yelled, terrified that someone will see them. But they didn't encounter anyone till they reached his room and Yeonjun dropped him on his bed.

"Cuddles," Yeonjun demanded. "Or you know what happens."

Soobin rolled his eyes but beckoned him closer and pulling him closer, started rubbing his stomach. Yeonjun sighed and leaned back into Soobin, who smiled even harder.

Gosh, his cheeks hurt so much from smiling now-a-days but he wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

•
•
•
°•✿•°