AFFINITY.

four

A/N:

kinda long chapter, sorry!

Yoongi was busy restocking the shelves. With the beginning of spring, flu season had set in and both witches and non-magicians were all running to the apothecary to get flu potions. It was good for business, but it also meant that Yoongi didn't have as many quiet moments in the store as he usually had. It hadn't helped that none of his friends wanted to leave him alone in the shop after the whole Gain-thing. Seokjin had practically flipped tables once he had heard about it and Yoongi had spent most of the following week trying to make the other man calm down enough to let him back into the shop again.

Yoongi loved making potions, but he liked being behind the counter more. He loved sharing his knowledge, he loved the smell, the dark corners, the odd glowing potions and how he got to yell at people because he owned the place.

What Yoongi disliked though was flu tonics and fever potions. They smelled awful. Even in their thick glass bottles sealed with beeswax, they still reeked. The smell made Yoongi think about being small, still in Daegu and his mother's trembling hand on his forehead.

She had always hated when he was sick. Yoongi's magic was always weirder when he was feeling bad.

Yoongi stuffed the last bottle in place, knowing full well he would be back stocking the shelf again the next day.

Yoongi hated the flu season.

He had just stuffed the now empty box away when the bell chimed from the store. Yoongi sighed, he knew he should be happy about making money, but he really just wanted his store to himself for a few more minutes.

"I'll be right there," Yoongi yelled, grapping hold of a fresh box of dried turmeric and pickled rain beetles under his arm. Exams were coming up soon and God only knew what the Potion Majors would try and cook up as a Good Luck charm for the rest of the students. When Yoongi had graduated they had thought smelly wet socks and pineapples were the way to good luck, this year it was turmeric and rain beetles. Yoongi just hoped people didn't try to drink whatever the class cooked up. Last year the whole Academy had sprouted too big front teeth and bunny ears and while the sight had been very amusing, Yoongi hadn't been able to stand the tears of the many unhappy kids he had to tell that he was out of antidote. It had taken a month before the last bunny ears disappeared from campus.

Yoongi emerged from the back and couldn't help but frown when he heard a lot of excited whispering. Yoongi turned his head and immediately frowned at the familiar broken hat tip poking up from behind the last row of shelves. The ivy was poking up as well, tangling into knots and shaking its leaves almost nervously.

An odd pain settled in Yoongi's stomach. He didn't feel like he was ready to face Taehyung yet.

"Goddammit, Tae! We didn't come here for you to chicken out," someone huffed loudly as Yoongi put the boxes down on the counter, perhaps a little harder than he had to, but if Taehyung was to gossip he could do it in front of Yoongi and not behind a shelf.

"If you are planning to buy anything then please come to the register, otherwise get out of my store," Yoongi snapped, happy that Hoseok wasn't around to scold him. Yoongi didn't give a fuck whether people wanted to come again or not. "And you better have taken off your shoes this time, Taehyung!" Yoongi added sourly. He knew Taehyung had been by during the week Yoongi had been banished from the store. Namjoon had asked some very specific questions about how to remove mushrooms from wooden floors.

"Fuck," Taehyung hissed, the ivy on his hat sticking up like it had been electrocuted.

"He knows about your shoes? How often do you co-" the other voice tried to say before Taehyung interrupted his - Friend? - with an annoyed hiss. A string of muffled words followed and Yoongi heard a few bottles knock against each other, the clear sound of glass against glass filling the otherwise silent shop.