Samhain

chapter twelve: when they hunt

"Could've just knocked on the door. Doesn't need to be this whole thing."

He has grown accustomed to San barging into the guest house without knocking. His reasoning is that Wooyoung shouldn't have secrets, hidden agendas, or anything at all that requires a locked door.

When he asked what would happen if he walked in while he was changing his clothes, San changed the subject.

"Just now, a thought crossed my mind." San stares at him expectantly.

"A thought crossed your mind? Really?" Wooyoung returns to his homework, poking his forehead with the eraser end of his pencil. "Must have been a lonely journey."

San ignores him, continuing his train of thought. "We had a discussion, and we think it's time you made yourself useful again."

Wooyoung looks up from his books with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

The events of the past few days have put Wooyoung perpetually on edge, his nerves stretched thin like an overused rubber band. He can't shake the unease that had settled over him since that conversation with San at the bus stop. The absence of his wand only intensified his restlessness, something he was completely unaccustomed to.

Wooyoung feels like a caged animal, mentally pacing the confines of his frustration. Even though everyone around him is working with their own set of burdens, they can't help but pick up on Wooyoung's stress. The looming anticipation of Jongho's return from the nine hells added to his anxiety, but Seonghwa's repeated reassurances were the only lifeline holding him together. They clung to the hope that Jongho would return with a solution.

What's worse is that Yunho's pack is beginning to warm up to him. And he hates it. This newfound acceptance weighs heavily on his conscience. He grapples with guilt and self-doubt constantly.

He feels like he doesn't deserve it, just like he didn't deserve the quiet moment with San under the bus stop and fuck he's thinking about it again.

San walks further into the room, sitting on top of the table that Wooyoung is working at. Wooyoung can't meet his gaze and lowers his own to the book in front of him, pretending to be very absorbed and interested in the magical properties of Hungarian toads.

"Wooyoung, we want to take you hunting with us."

His eyes widen, but he doesn't look up. "Hunting? Why? I'm busy, San."

"We want to bond with you." San, as always, speaks bluntly. "You don't have to come with us, but I recommend it."

Wooyoung rubs his temples, the vivid recollection of Yunho's gruesome hunting stories echoing in his mind. "But we are bonding. And by bonding I mean we're sitting in the same room and having a conversation. Isn't that enough?"

"No."

"Well, I need a few more hours to finish this." Wooyoung absently taps his fingers on the table. "If you just tell me where you're hiding my wand, I could finish this much faster."

"No," San repeats. "Absolutely not. Will you stop trying to get me to give you your wand? You're doing just fine without it."

Damn. He thought it would work that time. Wooyoung's eyes remain focused on the textbook in front of him as he whines. "Ugh, San, you're so out of touch."

"I'm not out of touch," he says with confusion. "I'm into touch, thanks."

Wooyoung blushes. "That's not what I meant. Haven't you ever heard that expression before?"