#spellbks

its like surfacing from a lake of mud. his whole body feels heavy, weighed down and his hearing is muffled— distorted. there is an ache in his head as the moonchild finally pushes himself to sit up, only to groan as the world seems to teeter on it’s axis. 

" m'fine, " he slurrs, taking a moment to let the earth resettle. 

he doesn't remember what happened— the last thing he recalls is rinsing some of the dishes in the kitchen of his bakery. it had been a long day, over sixteen hours to get two big last minute orders done.. he was thinking about what to order for takeout while he finished everything.. 

kibum opens the door and he is hit with an image he thought already lost to years of isolation. it can’t be, he thinks, hand tight around the door handle. he doesn’t dare to make the first move, can’t do that when that face is right there, holding the same power over him it did almost nine years ago.  

❝ kibum, leave, ❞ maria is the first one to break the silence. her voice is not like the usual and this is what brings him out of a terrified stupor. tawny eyes flick to her, the question obvious in his gaze. ❝ this is a private matter, go. ❞

but matters that involved adonis never ended well. he did want to turn and leave, pretend he hadn’t been there, that he hadn’t just seen the one who plagued his dreams with nightmares of what ifs and memories of what did happen. yet he stays, with hands about to shake and a body aching to close the distance and let himself go.  

❝ maria? what’s going on? ❞ kibum asks, voice even if a bit low. it is obvious to him his manager seems distressed and he is not going to abandon her. he observes the man again and he realizes not without disappointment that he’s not adonis. he lacks that cruel presence only a sociopath could display without even trying. ❝ who are you? ❞

this treacherous, stupid idea dances inside his head. asks him what if adonis has changed. what if he came here looking for kibum. what if he did love him. kibum’s lungs ache as he attempts to quench this thirst threatening to get him lost down a memory lane that ought to be forbidden. but he cannot overlook that the similarities between the image in his head and the one in front of him are uncanny.

❝ what do you want? ❞ he ventures out as he steps into maria’s home, closing the door behind him. 

Lucky rolled his eyes as he watched the little pest crawl its way back to Taemin, shaking his head. “Well, forgive me for being squeamish around demons. Around nasty crawling things. Around demon nasty crawling things. Is she done? I know you could have done a cleanse without that little thing here too. You are doing that just because you know how much I dislike having demons around.” He squinted as he pointed an accusing finger at Taemin. “Next time, at least make the thing look cute!”

    [ ▲— THE WITHERED REMNANTS of his heartstrings are inevitably tugged at, painfully, for each word that’s thrown his way. With each sentence spilling over familiar lips, Noah easily recognizes the swell of hurt in his chest he’s been willing away for months. It shouldn’t be there. But it seems like for every glass wall he builds another one starts to crumble. He’s stunned, mouth opening and closing several times over as the words that dance at the tip of his tongue refuse to be pronounced. Imprisoned in his mind. 

When Taemin turns his back towards him, Noah lowers his head, teeth sinking into his lower lip before he sighs. Palms press against weary eyelids for a second or so, words digging into his flesh like razorblades before they suddenly stop, followed by footsteps that are quickly growing more and more faint. And just like that, he snaps out of his momentary trance, determination flaring up in icy hues before he sets off too. It doesn’t take him too long to catch up to the other, drawing a sharp inhale before reaching our to curl cold fingers around Taemin’s wrist to stop him.