Samhain

chapter six: where there's news

At the end of it all, the void returns.

It sweeps across the sky, an unstoppable force consuming all in its path. In the destruction, there was absolute chaos. In the emptiness that followed, there was absolute calm.

Everything is still. Silent. At peace, forevermore.

Battles long past, alliances forged, and the ceaseless struggle of order and chaos are wiped away. The cosmos are lost to time like footsteps in the snow.

And then he sees it - an enigmatic figure emerging from the abyss with a sinister smile playing on his lips.

"I'm starting to get impatient, Wooyoung."

***

The first beams of light poke their way through the cracks in his window blinds and dance on the floor until he wakes up.

"Hello, Monday," he groans, eyes half-lidded as he stares at the remains of his alarm clock scattered like confetti across his bedroom floor. He peels himself out of his bed, hand fumbling in the direction of his wand on the nightstand. With a sleepy wand wave, he conjures a repair spell, mending the clock with a melodic hum.

Rising from his bed with a stretch, he suddenly freezes in place. An all-too-familiar earthy scent clings to his clothes. Dread floods his chest when he realizes it has permeated into his bed sheets and pillows as well.

He's accustomed to Yunho's citrusy scent lingering on him - he told Wooyoung that they call it scenting. That it's an intimate kind of thing, shared between friends, family, and lovers. Wooyoung doesn't really understand it, but he thinks it's sweet whenever Yunho helps him destress during exams by pressing their wrists together as if he were dabbing perfume.

As an alpha, Yunho has an exceptionally strong scent. Because of him, Wooyoung has grown to love the smell of citrus. Scenting their way of marking their favorite people. Even though he isn't a werewolf and the effects aren't as strong as they should be, it makes him feel loved.

So why the fuck is San's scent all over him?

Wooyoung resigns himself to calling Yunho to come over to help. He glances around his room, a tasteful blend of maximalist aesthetics. Large crystal towers grace every corner, shimmering quietly in the early morning hours. Amethyst geodes, intricately carved jasper animal statues, and an assortment of agate pieces adorn every available surface.

Wooyoung ventures out of his room to find his phone. He must have been out of it after Yunho took him home last night, eyes narrowing at the sight of the TV which had been left on all night.

The intro to Mystic Medical plays on screen. Of course it is - the seemingly never-ending soap opera has been going on for twenty-three seasons and counting. Two families of vampire doctors are fighting for ownership of a hospital, and two vampires from the opposing families have to hide their secret true love.

Wooyoung doesn't believe in true love. Media these days are obsessed with fairy tales and legends from the past. Yunho loves studying fairytales, but Wooyoung can't stand them. Life isn't like that. If you lose your shoe at midnight, you aren't Cinderella. You're drunk.

He switches the channel to a game show. An elf coos at a baby dragon, trying to get it to play with cat toys and bells.

Wooyoung finds his phone on the floor of the entrance to his apartment. He picks it up and calls Yunho, who answers immediately.

Yunho didn't waste any time with pleasantries. As soon as he picks up the call, the questions start pouring in. "How are you feeling? You okay?"

Wooyoung lets out a weary sigh. "Just a little sore," he replies, wincing as he stretches, the reminder of his bruises sending twinges of pain through his body.