Witch Hunt - Bang Chan x Reader (Fantasy AU)

- Chapter Eighteen -

So far. You had gotten so far. For years you had dodged, ducked and weaved away from your parents, managing to just evade them whenever they prodded their fingers in your direction. Earlier was the closest you had ever come to your parents in years, and you thought had been your bad luck spent, that from here you'd be able to resist their clutches for just a little while longer. Oh you were very wrong.

You whirled on your brother. "Mikey what the hell, I thought we had an agreement." You harshly whispered, finally understanding his odd behaviour. You had come in here fully expecting to be kept safe from your foreboding parents, but it appears as if you'd been caught in a trap.

"I'm sorry!" He whispered. "You know how they are, once they were in, I couldn't get them out." You opened your mouth to argue but your father's voice cut through the room.

"Enough." His voice was taught and loud. Even Chan shook a bit at his demeanour. All three of you stood utterly unmoving, terrified of your parents.

Your mother was standing, somehow still managing to look terrifying when cradling a cup of tea. She was wearing the same suit from before, and you guessed she had probably come straight from Hell to Mikey's house, guessing you would attempt to take refuge here. Your father stood on the other side of the table, thick glasses pushed all the way up his large nose. His dark hair was streaked through with more grey then you remembered and he was looking down at you as if you were a child.

You felt like a child again. After all these years and you still felt like a cowering twelve year old getting scolded by her parents for not remembering all the names of your spells.

"Y/N." Your father grumbled, mouth in a taut line. You'd heard that tone of voice so many times you nearly rolled your eyes on impulse. "I think everyone should sit down."

You all stood frozen for a while. Mikey moved first, heading to sit down at one of the empty chairs, but you stopped him with a hand on his chest. "Actually, can you go and take Chan somewhere else? He's beat pretty bad and needs some help." As much as you wanted to have both Chan and Mikey with you for emotional support, it was perhaps time you faced things on your own.

Mikey understood, nodding curtly. Chan looked down at you with worried eyes, not wanting to leave you. You squeezed his hand and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine, you go with Mikey." You wanted to reach up and plant a kiss on his cheek, but you didn't want your parents to know just how close you and Chan were.

He smiled at you once more before following Mikey out of the room. You watched them until they disappeared. You turned back to your parents. Your mother had been silent the entire time, but you knew she was only holding back the floodgates. Once she opened her mouth she wouldn't stop.

She sat down first, not even looking at you. Your father sat down beside her, and you took your set across from them. Your mother finally leveled her cold gaze at you, and you shivered in your seat. You could feel her power permeating the room, a thick, roiling presence that swarmed you, almost suffocating.

"So," your father began, "Where have you been these past few years." With the way they were looking at you, you felt more like you were in an interrogation room, and not seeing your parents again after years of separation.

"I've been with some school friends mostly." You mumbled, fiddling with the hem of your shirt and avoiding their sharp eyes. It was the first words you'd said to your parents in a long time, but you didn't miss it a bit.

"Was one of those school friends Tanner?" Your father asked. His voice was calm, but you could feel the tension in the room. One wrong word and all hell was going to break loose. You nodded your head.