Dum Spiro, Spero

2. Worse than any Demon

Yunho peeked his head into the sick ward, making sure Yeosang wasn't occupied with anything important before he interrupted. (Dreading the flying box of gloves.)

But Yeosang was alone and just busy with his usual little tasks of stocking his supplies in their respective shelves. He put a huge premium on hygiene and organisation and Yunho was glad for it. Not that he expected an absolute quack at Tenebra, but the medical facilities of Auresce left an impression on him.

"Hey," Yunho greeted him from a safe distance and Yeosang threw him a brief look. His overgrown blond hair was tied together in his nape and his lab coat hung over a light brown turtleneck, making him look surprisingly cosy despite his reputation here.

Enough weeks had passed since Yunho's arrival at Tenebra that the seasons were now shifting. The morning runs with San became colder and the hours of light on their hill grew shorter. Soon, they would need to switch to their winter boots to survive the slippery ice of the streets during their fights against the demons. Jongho had some harrowing fantasies about any potential slip, either saving people from an incoming claw, or throwing them right into it.

For Yunho, a steady stance was most important.

"Hey there," Yeosang said as he placed the last bottles on their shelf and buried his hands in his pockets. "Good morning. Anything you need?"

"Yeah, um, I haven't been sleeping well again. Do you have more sleeping pills for me?"

Yeosang spun on his heel to find them in his perfectly sorted stash. A bunch of sweet yellow flowers decorated his desk and the jacket he left on top of his shelf was so oversized and cosy on him that he seemed to disappear in it whenever Yunho saw him leave the building. (Rare occasions.)

Yeosang spun around to hand him his medicines.

"Here you go. But as usual-"

"Get guiding," Yunho grinned as he accepted the pills. "I know. I was on my way already." He pocketed the packaging and Yeosang rewarded him with a pleased grin. So long as his patients did as told, he was angelic. Only when they disobeyed, he turned into an S-class demon.

"Thank you. I'll see you at lunch," Yunho said on his way out and Yeosang waved him off, eager to get rid of him if that meant Yunho would fix himself up sooner.

As soon as he stepped back outside into the corridor and out of sight, Yunho let go of a long breath. The staircase to the upper floor looked daunting. It parted him with its wooden elegance from his biggest cause of dread aside from the demon in his brain and they were startingly similar in their degree.

Guiding got easier for Yunho. Not the full extent of it, he still had his righteousness, but asking for it as well as receiving it as a necessity. Before, he just wanted to be normal. But nothing was normal now, and the threat was very real when he didn't get guiding. Being an esper became the most ordinary thing compared to his demon worm.

Part of this ease was also thanks to Mingi. He respected Yunho's boundaries and didn't push him to do more than he wanted. On the other hand, Yunho also didn't feel like he forced Mingi, since his boss naturally took the lead. They balanced it out.

But still, every time Yunho had to see him, he was terrified. His heart hammered in his chest erratically and his hands were clammy. Like any good subordinate, he feared his boss. And it never got easier to submit to his mysterious character for guiding and admit weakness.

But Yunho would rather ask him than anyone else. So he gathered his courage and climbed those polished wooden stairs.

Making a point to knock, he waited patiently until he received confirmation to enter. Mingi's deep voice so early in his day chased a shudder down Yunho's spine.