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"eungi! what are you--?" jinki chased after his snake, its scaly body slithering through the cracks in his tables. it slipped under the farthest wall, disappearing completely. "eungi-ah! what's wrong with you! i need to use that ammonite for a customer!"
the sudden ding of his bell sounded the arrival of someone entering, halting the brunette's scolding. he huffed before reaching the front of his shop, rubbing his eyes tiredly and blinking slowly. he had been attempting to make a bundle of self-empowering jars for a kind boy who had entered yesterday. his name had been jimin, and he had seemed so delighted to be getting some products to be helping with his crafts. jinki was hoping to finish it today, but that didn't seem possible anymore.
"aish, you could at least try to look happy to see me," kibum scoffed, a light smirk on his face as per usual. he was adorned with a black wool sweater and beanie, dark grey leggings covering his legs and dipping into his white vans. of course he'd still be fashionable in the middle of summer.
"yah, how could i be when you're dripping sweat all over my store?" jinki retorted, sending a distasteful frown toward the younger's clothing choice. he looked good, really good, but it was fucking july and he was wearing all black. he was going to get a heat stroke, jinki was sure.
"hey, you gotta make some sacrifices to look good," kibum defended, shrugging his shoulders for added effect. "besides, i've added a long-lasting charm to my lemonade to stay fresh."
"yes of course, because a sugary drink will definitely preserve one's sweat." jinki's frown gradually formed into a vaguely fond smile. "now, what is it that you want? a fan? maybe some, dare i say, summer clothes?"
"goddess no!" kibum grimaced, disgust decorating his face before he continued, "i came because i needed some more pine needles and sage. i've been using rosemary in place of it for weeks now."
"and you expect me to just pull it out of my ass?" the older said, raising an eyebrow despite shuffling through the drawers and hidden compartments below the counter. he skimmed over the countless labels, fingers delicately brushing over the willow wood.
"yes, actually."
"okay, here you go." jinki shoved the needles and sage into a small pouch while also adding a bit of rose quartz, placing it in front of kibum. "you're kinda my friend i guess, so it's half off."
"aw, i still have to pay for it?" he whined.
"if you keep opening your mouth it's gonna be an added twenty thousand won (~20 dollars)."
kibum accepted the pouch with an honest smile, holding his other hand in mock surrender as he shook his head in submission. he peaked into the small bag, raising an eyebrow when he saw the pink stone.
"what's this for?" he asked curiously, eyeing it with a sense of awe.
"it's whatever. for healing and shit," jinki said, waving off the younger's questions casually. genuine rose quartz wasn't exactly hard to come by, but it wasn't cheap either. the rock of it was bound to be a bit more than whatever, but kibum didn't push it.
before he could pay and say his goodbyes, jinki's phone suddenly began ringing. the brunette froze up before reaching to answer it with a sense of dread, holding a finger up to his friend to silently ask to wait a moment.
"ah, mom! hi."
"jinki. come home. we need to talk." his mom's voice sent a shiver down his spine, his entire body paling as his pulse raced. his eyes were wide, hands trembling as he held the phone to his ear.
"a-ah... yes, of course," he replied a beat later, voice shaking a bit. the line ended shortly afterwards, but he stayed frozen in place. his body became numb with apprehension and anxiety, so much so that his familiar felt it, eungi's form slithering over the countertops and around his arm in concern.
"jinki? hyung? are you good?" kibum's voice cut through the tense silence, breaking the older's trance. the fashionista was looking at him with sincere worry in his eyes, trying to read him for whatever could have happened.
"heh, y-yeah," jinki said, sending a weak smile that looked more like a grimace over to kibum. "just- just need to talk with my mom. nothing... nothing big."
he started locking up drawers and the doors, face uncharacteristically blank. eungi uneasily flicked her tongue in and out as she watched him, her beady eyes eyeing his every move. he paid her no mind though, continuing to clean up the shop and turn off the lamps and blow out the candles. he pushed past kibum, who was still extremely worried and confused, and started fiddling with the locks of the main doors.
"you sure?" kibum asked incredulously, following his hyung outside as he finished up locking the shop. "if you need anything, hyung, just...give me a call, okay? or come over. it's chill."
"do you really mean that or are you just trying to make me feel better?" jinki asked bluntly, not even turning to look at kibum as he shoved the keys in his pocket.
"hyung," kibum grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to make eye contact. "i'm serious. if you need to, you can come over."
jinki bit his lip before hesitantly nodding, eyes downcast before he gently pushed his friend aside. he inhaled deeply, sent one last glance toward kibum, and started en route to his house.
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"you follow the devil!" his mom screeched, glaring at her son with disgust and terror on her face. "you worship the one whom reeks evil and horror! how dare you! in this house!"
jinki was seated on the couch, staring at his hands that were squeezing each other so tightly his knuckles had turned white. he was biting his lip even as it drew blood, his ears getting assaulted by his mother's shouting and preaching. he managed to keep his poker face, trying not to react so that he could just get it over with already.
"you choose to walk down the path of darkness and bloodshed despite this family's best efforts of trying to guide you! we want the best for you, and in return you-" she suddenly cut herself off, finally realizing her son wasn't paying attention anymore. she practically growled as she gave him a hard slap, the sound piercing through the otherwise silent household. "you best listen to your mother, boy!"
tears threatened to fall from his eyes as pain bloomed from his cheek, but he pushed them back along with the lump in his throat. he was going to get through this. he had to.
but as she kept yelling profanities and verses of the holy bible, his resolve lessened more and more. his face became physically numb as more slaps were ushered, and soon he realized he was on the floor because of the sheer force of one. everything became white noise after that, his eyes unblinking as kicks were sent to his ribs and to his back. he couldn't tell when is father had joined in, and he wasn't quite sure if his mother continued beating him or if it was just his father. all the same, the pain blended together and the crude words faded into each other to create an indistinguishable mess.
once he was met with concrete and his body relished in no more abuse, he thought to himself how ironic it was that people who praised someone so highly would resort to something so lowly when disagreed with.
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after who knows how long of laying on the concrete in front of his house, jinki slowly stood up. his body ached and his legs wobbled, all of his muscles screaming at him to stop all movement. he could taste the metallic tang of blood in his mouth, and one of his eyes was swelled shut. his face was mostly numb, and he would bet a billion shards of genuine diamond that he looked like absolute shit.
after a bit of a struggle, he managed to take out his unharmed phone with trembling fingers. he gradually took in a deep breath, his lungs stinging from the large intake of air. slowly, he pressed on his number one speed dial and held it up to his ear as he prayed for a response.
on the second ring, kibum's voice answered.
"oh, hey hyung! what's up? you okay?"
"i- i need to take you up on-" he was interrupted by a sudden bout of coughs, eliciting a pained groan from his lips. "i need to- to come over."
"oh, holy shit you sound awful. stay on the line, okay? i'll come get you," kibum immediately replied, and after a bit of rustling on his end of the line, he asked where jinki was.
"'m fine, just- meet me at the shop," the older said through gritted teeth as he painstakingly slowly began walking to his shop that was only a block or two away. "don't worry too much, kibum-ah, just- just need some company." with that, he cut off the line.
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"whoa, whoa, hyung!" kibum said in horror when he caught sight of the stumbling jinki. he sped over to him and slung the older's arm over his head. "what happened to you? did you get in a fight? do i need to beat someone up?"
the brunette didn't answer, instead heavily leaning against kibum with a grateful sigh. countless bruises covered his once flawless skin, some dried blood crusted around a few cuts. his lip was split and his face was an angry red, his left eye swelled shut and colored an ugly purple. and that was just what could be seen at first glance, kibum couldn't tell how much damage was truly done until he took off jinki's shirt and started treating the more serious wounds.
after handing kibum the keys they entered the dark store. the younger turned on the lights, causing jinki to wince at the brightness. the former quickly apologized, gently laying jinki down on the tattered couch that was in the back room. kibum disappeared for a few seconds before appearing again with a first-aid kit and some herbs.
"jinki, what happened?" he finally asked, voice soft as he dropped formalities and faced the older eye-to-eye. when there was no response, kibum held jinki's face with utmost care, forcing their eyes to meet. when they did, tears immediately began to flow.
"ki-kibum..." jinki whimpered, voice shaking. "they- they--" he couldn't continue his sentence, sobs ripping from his throat as he laid his hands on top of kibum's, his eyes closing as he leaned into his touch.
"hey, hey babe, shh..." kibum soothed, wiping away the tears with his thumbs. "it's okay. it's all gonna be okay." he gently placed the older's face in his neck, rocking them back and forth. the sobs quieted down, and even as his skin became wet with jinki's tears, kibum continued to rock in a constant rhythm until the tears had stopped and there was only jinki's breathing. "can you tell me what happened, baby?"
jinki slowly pulled away, kibum's hands holding his face once again to wipe away the visible tear tracks. he inhaled and bit his lip in apprehension before beginning.
"my family weren't too happy about- about me being a witch," he whispered, looking down at his fiddling thumbs. "they quite literally threw me out."
"are you saying they did this to you?" kibum asked carefully, keeping his firm but soft grip on the other's face to ensure he wouldn't try and shy away like he usually does with emotional things.
after a nod of confirmation, kibum gently hugged him. he murmured comforting words into his ears as the waterworks started up again, petting his hair and rubbing the nape of his neck. he placed caring kisses along his earlobe and jawline, calming the older down further.
"we're gonna get you fixed up, okay?" kibum said when the tears had stopped. "and then we can cuddle. i know you're a big sap like that." he got up from the couch after finally letting go of jinki's face, reaching for bandages and for some bottles of medicinal gel.
kibum silently worked on his bandaging, carefully applying gauze around the older's arm where a long cut was dripping blood. he took off jinki's sweatshirt completely to have better access. kibum inwardly cringed when he saw the ugly bruising and small cuts. he made sure to not bat an eyelash as he cleaned the wounds with some herb poultices, careful to plaster a portion on a band-aid before gently pressing it over the small injuries. when he got up to get some cold compresses and cayenne pepper to mix with mullein flower oil, the weak grip of jinki stopped him.
"what?:" kibum asked softly, looking down at the half-naked boy who was draped across the couch. he looked so vulnerable, with eyes half-lidded and glazed with pain. the bandages and scratches squeezed the younger's heart.
"don't go." it was barely even a breath, but kibum caught it. he caught the desperation and he could feel how his hyung was struggling and how miserable he felt.
kibum wordlessly brought jinki closer, mindful of his wounds. he held him with gentle arms, swaying back and forth to further soothe him. jinki breathed out a small content sigh as he settled in more, ducking his head underneath the other's chin.
"hey, you got nothin' worry about, alright?" kibum assured softly, continuing his movements. "you'll be fine."
"kibumie," the older murmured, "i'm scared."
the confession caused his swaying to come to an abrupt halt; it was rare jinki was so open about things. even when he had some injuries from some stupid fight, he didn't shed a single tear.he was a calm and composed witch, though also a bit too selfless for his own good. to hear him sound so shaken was hard, and if kibum's heart didn't hurt before, it surely was breaking now. his anger toward the older's parents only strengthened as each moment passed.
he gently nosed jinki's hair, his grip growing a bit more tight. "don't be scared, babe," he whispered gently, "i'll make sure nothing will get you. i'll make sure the people who call themselves your family won't ever hurt you again."
"do you swear it?" jinki's voice was hopeful, soft, like a gullible child who hadn't matured yet or seen the real world. kibum wished that was the case.
"i swear it on my life," kibum replied, gently placing a kiss on the other's forehead to seal his promise.
"good," jinki muttered, finally relaxing his body against kibum's, muscles going lax. he was safe here. he was sure of it.