Destined {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Seventy-Five

Hyunjin's eyes snapped open to the sounds that seemed to break through the darkness of the forest that surrounded them. He hadn't been able to sleep much – not today, nor yesterday, nor the day before. Truthfully, he'd lost count of how long they'd been out here; there was too much on his mind for him to succumb to the exhaustion that tugged at his every limb, dragging down his eyes. His concern for Seungmin was slowly growing to infiltrate a vast majority of those thoughts.

The wizard had not spoken a word in days. He gnawed on his bottom lip as his eyes briefly swept over his curled form, almost convinced that he wasn't sleeping, either. His gaze flitted back to the woods around them that only seemed to grow increasingly dark, even against his enhanced vision.

"Seungmin?" he whispered, shifting slightly, allowing his gaze to flicker away from his surroundings for just a moment. He tentatively reached out and rested a hand against Seungmin's shoulder, who still didn't move. "Seungmin." His voice was a little louder now, a little tenser.

"What is it?" Finally, he spoke, shifting so his tired eyes could focus on him.

His words died on his tongue; his mind went blank as the wizard's eyes met his, so dull and lifeless it only served to deepen the worry that had already grown far too big to be healthy. Sucking in a deep breath, he pressed his lips into a thin line, forcing himself to stare deep into the redhead's eyes.

"I'm worried about you." That wasn't what he'd planned on saying, but it was true nonetheless. Something flickered across Seungmin's expression, but it was gone in nothing short of a second. "I know this is hard for you – this is hard for me, too – but this is war Seungmin. We can't afford to sit around wallowing in our own feelings while our friends that are still... still alive... fighting and risking their own lives."

His fists clenched at his sides, dirt digging its way under his nails. "We need to keep moving, and to do that, we need to work together." A fire lit in his veins as he met Seungmin's eyes once more, his own hurt and anger bleeding out of him in waves.

"Friends?" Seungmin's voice was strained, almost muffled. Anger crossed over his features, now, anger and something else. It looked a little bit like pain. "They're not my friends. I don't have any friends." His jaw clenched so tightly that Hyunjin feared he'd chip a tooth. "Everyone – everyone – only tolerates me. You think I don't see it? No matter where I look, people either only care to get my help, or they're shamelessly hostile."

He shook his head as he rose to his feet. "So don't tell me to get over myself to help your friends out."

He began to walk away, swallowed by the shadows of the dark forest as his figure grew further and further away. Hyunjin lurched to his feet as he stumbled after him, instincts keeping him from stumbling, eyes glowing golden.

"That isn't true!" he yelled, though he'd already lost sight of Seungmin. It was almost as though he'd just disappeared altogether; something tangy coated his tongue – magic. Dammit, he thought as he whirled around, eyes searching for something he knew he wouldn't be able to see no matter how hard he tried or how sharp his instincts were.

"Seungmin, I know my pack isn't the most accepting. I've seen it, I acknowledge it, but... but don't say you don't have any friends! Don't... don't assume to know how I feel!" His voice came out as more of a cry than before.

"I know I'm not the nicest person, I know I've made mistakes and I've lashed out but, Seungmin, I care about you, because I consider you a friend. And I know Jisung considers you a friend, too. And... and Minho, too, and Changbin, and if you met Felix I'm sure he'd like you, too!"

Still nothing; still that tangy taste on his tongue. He swallowed thickly, throat too dry to be comfortable as his eyes darted between the darkness looming behind the trees that surrounded him. "So please..." His voice lowered as his eyes squeezed shut, shoulders hunching. "Don't leave me," he whispered, swallowing back the tears that threatened to tip over down his cheeks.

He didn't know why he was crying, only that there was an overwhelming surge of emotion in his chest. A hand on his cheek startled his eyes open, and with them came the tears. His heart ached in a way he did not understand as he slowly raised his own hand to catch the one resting on his face.

Seungmin stood before him, the first glimmer of emotion sparking in his eyes – the first in days, it seemed. Hyunjin could barely withhold the relief that crashed through him, threatening to undo him completely. They hadn't gotten along much, and yet he felt as though they'd grown irreversibly close in the time they'd spent out on this mission; closer than he ever would've thought possible.

"Do you mean it?" Seungmin's voice was barely above a whisper, cracked and croaky, his eyebrows drawn together, almost as though in confusion. Hyunjin could do nothing but nod, his throat constricting at the sight.

Why did Seungmin look so shocked?

Slowly, the hand fell from his cheek and Seungmin turned away, shoulders tense, fists clenched tight. He walked away until he sat beneath a tree, the leaves shielding his view of the sky, of the stars, of the moon. With hesitant steps Hyunjin approached, sliding down until they sat side-by-side, arms lightly brushing.

He rubbed his eyes with his forearm, clearing them of any tears, before he turned to face the redhead, whose knees were now pulled to his chest serving as a pillow for his chin. "Why..." He cleared his throat, swallowing back the remnants of the pain in his chest that still radiated, though it had somewhat eased. "Why did you react like that?" he whispered, turning to peer up at Seungmin's face.

The redhead's grip on his legs tightened as his face stiffened, and he was silent for several moments. He remained quiet for so long that it seemed as though he wasn't going to answer. "I... I've never had any friends before," he mumbled, his eyes growing even more pained.

Slowly, he raised his eyes to meet Hyunjin's. "Wizards aren't friendly people." He sucked in a deep breath. "Especially not when they're jealous." He shook his head, turning his stare up towards the moon. "We're all selfish, power-hungry assholes." When Hyunjin opened his mouth to protest, Seugmin shot him a glare. He piped down immediately.

"I was doomed the moment Grand Wizard Moonsoo chose me as his protégé. Not that I cared, it's been my dream to succeed him ever since I was a little kid. But... it was lonely." He clutched his knees even closer to his chest, now, his expression softening.

"I don't know when or why, but... after I came here, after I met all of you, something changed. I changed. I fought for people when I was supposed to stay out of it. I cried for people I barely knew. When... when I realized how..." He choked up, and Hyunjin twitched, resisting the overwhelming urge to pull him close — reassure him. "How much it hurt to see his blood on my hands, when I realized how much it hurt me to see someone I knew dead..."

He shook his head again, burying his face in his knees, now. "I was scared. I was scared that I'd strayed too far from my goal, that I'd let myself be caught up in a battle that wasn't mine. I was scared to care, Hyunjin; I've never cared about anyone but myself. It's what made me so good at magic. Without that... without that, is my magic just weak?" His voice had lowered again, so much so that without his enhanced hearing, Hyunjin didn't know if he would have heard it.

Sucking in a deep, steady breath, Hyunjin finally reached out and threw an arm around his shoulders. Seungmin's head snapped up as he turned to look up at the wolf, whose gaze was focused solely on the night sky above. "I don't think caring about other people makes you weak. I think it makes you stronger. Wolves... we don't fight alone."

He then met Seungmin's eyes, gleaming with little flecks of gold, his face set in a serious stone. "We go in as a pack, and we die as a pack." Seungmin stared at him, blinking, and it took the wolf a moment to recognize the gleam of tears in his eyes. Seungmin rested his head against his shoulder, partially hiding his face from view. When he spoke, his voice was muffled.

"Yeah."

A/N: oKAYYY so — I'm getting back into the groove of this story, so that means I should be getting more motivated to write it. Also school is calming down so yikes

Q: What's your favourite Disney movie?

A: HMMM... it's gotta be the OG princess movies, y'all. If I had to choose only ONE tho, I'd say Beauty and the Beast. But I love all Disney movies so yknowwww

Lots of love,
~Emilie