Wooyoung watched as Yeosang and Jongho ran to the car, kneeling down next to Yeonjun who looked upset. Wooyoung walked over still holding San's hand, having the sudden feeling they were being watched. He looked around wishing he hadn't spotted a pair of blue eyes. It made him anxious and slightly mad that the demon was following them. San followed Wooyoung's gaze, Blue Eyes disappearing before San could see him. San pulled Wooyoung closer to him, walking over to Hongjoong and Seonghwa.
It was taking everything within his power to not go out of his way to hunt down the person who did this to Wooyoung and erase any trace that they had ever existed. Wooyoung wouldn't like that though. San kept that in mind, remaining calm. Murder was not a casual thing in the human world.
"What the heck?" Yeonjun said, crouching down to get a better look at his flat tire. This was random. Mingi and Yunho looked in the back for Yeonjun's spare, wanting to get home in case the weather got worse. But the trunk was empty, making the situation strange. So strange that Yeonjun had a feeling that maybe visiting the shaman wasn't enough. "Did we run over a nail?" Yeosang asked, crouching down next to Yeonjun, Jongho holding the umbrella over their head.
"A nail wouldn't do this. It looks like a blade," Yeonjun said, tracing the cut up tire with a frown. He got up to look around for any security cameras, taking back what he said about the Shaman. "They also stole your spare," Mingi said, finding it hecka sus helping Yeonjun look for a camera. He spotted one on top of a convenience store wondering if he should go and check it out.
Seonghwa and Hongjoong shared a look, looking at San who was more or less the same but obviously having more thoughts on his mind. The three of them agreed that it could have been demon related, hatching a plan in their head. Well they didn't really need a plan if they had San. All San had to do was look their way and problem solved.
"I'm going to go check it out," Yeonjun said, Yeosang grabbing his arm. He had had his eye on someone, the guy walking into the store. The little bell sounded like it was right next to them despite the sound of rain. Jongho caught on to what Yeosang was looking at, looking at San. "We'll come with you," They both said at the same time, Jongho taking out his phone to text San. "Hyung check your messages," Jongho said, before leaving with Yeosang. A store was not a place to get into fights or get kidnapped by a demon.
"We'll come too," Seonghwa said, all three of them turning around. "It's best if you all go home, we'll fix the tire and get back soon," Yeonjun said, with a smile. It wasn't uncommon for other AMJ competitors to pull a few shenanigans the night before to make sure a group wouldn't show up. This could be considered a threat and Yeonjun wanted to handle it peacefully. San read the message that Jongho sent him, his eyes flashing a little red. "Hyung, something walked into the store."
"I want some snacks," San said suddenly, taking Wooyoung with him as he walked to the store first. Everyone shared a look, walking behind San who stepped into the store running most of the way and really trying his best to stay calm. He failed horribly. San's eyes turned red, feeling a demon nearby. It didn't feel familiar, and it couldn't have been one of the Warden's since he knew each one. It could have been any demon. Except this one felt a bit more powerful than your average demon.
San held the door open for Wooyoung, not letting him see his eyes. He couldn't answer Wooyoung's questions if he asked. Yeonjun went to the front to ask about the camera with Seonghwa, Yeosang and Jongho. Hongjoong and Mingi stayed close to the door, while Yunho scanned the area holding Mingi close. San was involved so demons were too.
He spotted someone about his height, wearing dark clothing in the back reading the labels on the coffee and juice drinks carefully. "In the drink section," Yunho said quietly, San pouting. Must be nice to be tall enough to see above the shelves. Wooyoung had a feeling it was blue eyes, stopping San before he left for the section. What would Blue Eyes do if he knew San was there?
"Can you stay with me? I don't feel too well," Wooyoung said, hoping that would bring San's full attention onto him. He felt sick to his stomach at the idea of leaving Blue Eyes being here with his friends. Chances were though that Blue Eyes wasn't the type to mess around with anybody but San. Wooyoung had no idea, all he knew was that the two of them had to stay away from each other.
San couldn't help it, letting his anger get the best of him for a split second, the guy in the back of the store coughing lightly. San looked at him, collecting his powers to make sure the guy had a clean death. Not that he deserved it. San hesitated when the guy coughed again right afterwards, making San think that it wasn't because he used his powers on him. If it was human, it wouldn't have coughed.
Mingi grabbed one of the nearest available drinks, handing it to Hongjoong who had started coughing out of nowhere. "You okay?" Mingi asked, Hongjoong taking the yogurt drink fully leaning into Mingi. No, he was not okay having momentarily lost the ability to breath thanks to San. He was really mad about something after the train ride.
San looked at Hongjoong, his angry expression turning soft. He didn't want to hurt Hongjoong. Then again he wasn't even thinking about Hongjoong when he used his powers. San tried to focus, closing the distance between him and Wooyoung. Wooyoung looked down at San who put his forehead on his shoulder with a small pout. San would stay with Wooyoung till Yeonjun checked the cameras and he wouldn't be mad.
"Sorry," San mumbled, Wooyoung pulling him into a hug, patting his back. Wooyoung had no idea what happened and he wasn't about to ask. San looked at the guy at the back of the store, his head still on Wooyoung's shoulder. The guy found what he was looking for, walking past San and Wooyoung to head to check out. He was wearing a black mask, San looking at the corners of it. He hugged Wooyoung, walking them to the snack section to avoid a fight.
There were traces of blood on the mask, San confirming that the guy was a demon.
"May I have a copy of this to take to the station?" Yeonjun asked, Seonghwa and Jongho looking at the person waiting behind them. He looked ordinary, but something about him felt off. "Sure thing," The lady at the front said, Yeonjun taking out his phone to record. He was right about the slashed tires and it wouldn't be hard to find the guy.
Seonghwa and Jongho both were more worried about the guy behind them, sharing a look. Jongho subtly pulled Yeosang towards him, Seonghwa pulled Yeonjun towards him, throwing his hand over his shoulder. "Thank you," Yeonjun said, sending the video to a friend who could figure out who it was and what company they were from. Yeosang had his eyes on Yeonjun, looking down at the small bucket filled with pens sliding one up his sleeve in case.
Seonghwa and Jongho seemed to be worried. Yeosang had no idea why but he was going to be careful. But he was the one who spotted someone suspicious. "You guys done shopping?" Yeonjun asked, taking Seonghwa's hand that was on his shoulder walking to the door. Jongho took Yeosang's hand, Yeosang turned around to look at the guy, briefly spotting his blue eyes. He shouldn't have looked. His eyes were scary and were most likely going to haunt his dreams.
"Made any enemies this past week?" Seonghwa asked, Yeonjun looking up at him. "You remember the scuffle back in Santa Monica?" Yeonjun said, Seonghwa laughing. "It's hard to forget," Seonghwa said, remembering how others had to call an ambulance while they ran away.
"I'm suspecting they're one of our competitors from AMJ," Yeonjun said, showing the video to Wooyoung who was in San's arms. Wooyoung looked at the video frowning at the guy who only had a hat on. Whoever it was wanted to get caught. "Is it a warning to back out?" Wooyoung asked, Yeonjun shaking his head no as he showed Hongjoong, Mingi, and Yunho the video too.
Seonghwa had already seen it with him, recognizing the guy. He had seen him on the way to Yeosang's office in the elevator once, not sure why someone from Hongjoong's own company would slash Yeonjun's tires. "More like telling us they know we're here," Hongjoong sighed. They had demons to deal with it and now humans too.
Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong, wondering if the guy was only pretending to be apart of the company. Was he like a spy? "We'll need a spare," Yunho said, focusing on the situation at hand. "We should call someone," Wooyoung said, Jongho looking outside. "It died down enough," Jongho said, Wooyoung grabbing one of everything because San only chose one thing. San looked at Wooyoung, thinking back to everything that he bought for him earlier already. They would need a new car to take back all the things that Wooyoung got for him.
"What?" Wooyoung asked, San putting the snacks back, Wooyoung picking up the snacks again. "Yunho, Yeonjun, and I will stay here and fix the tire," Mingi suggested, looking up nearby tire shops. "And Hongjoong can take you all to the library," Yeonjun said, pulling out his maps to send Hongjoong the address. Thank you to the years of work for preparing them for difficult situations.
Yeosang and Jongho heard the store bell ring, the tall guy walking out of the store with his drink. Jongho poked Yeosang's side to get his attention, Yeosang dropping the pen, getting spooked. Jongho looked at the pen, reaching down to grab it before Yeosang did. Yeosang met Jongho's eyes, not sure how he was going to explain why he had felt the need to have a pen with him just in case. Seonghwa noticed too, wanting to ask when Jongho spoke first.
"We'll head to the library first then, if you don't mind," Jongho said, linking arms with Yeosang. Yeosang looked at the other, putting on a small smile as they waved goodbye to everyone who didn't disagree. Seonghwa looked at the pen that Jongho had placed on the counter before walking out, looking at the two. "That's actually where I made reservations for lunch, but maybe we should do it another time?" Yeonjun asked, looking at Wooyoung. He was still arguing with San who reached up to grab the chips he wanted to put back.
"It'll be a rain check," Wooyoung said, lifting San up. He pretended like he was going to drop him, San instinctively wrapping his arms around his neck instead of reaching for the chips to avoid falling. Wooyoung smiled when San turned to look at him, their faces barely apart. "Cheater," San pouted, making Wooyoung laugh. "I wouldn't let you fall," Wooyoung said, kissing San on the cheek as he two headed towards the checkout.
"Need a hand with the tires?" Hongjoong asked, keeping an eye on Yeosang and Jongho as they turned the corner. At least Jongho didn't push things aside like they all did. "We're all good thank you hyung," Yeonjun said, patting his shoulder. "Let's go while the rain is on our side," Yunho said with a little laugh, holding onto their umbrella as he opened the door. The rain was not going to be on their side.
Seonghwa debated going with Hongjoong or watching Yunho, Yeonjun, and Mingi change a tire in the rain wondering which he'd enjoy more. He'd never seen anyone change a tire before and Yeonjun, Yunho, and Mingi with wet hair was a site to see. "Would it be alright if I came to watch?" Seonghwa asked, Yunho side hugging him. "As long as you share your umbrella with me," Yunho said, knowing Hongjoong wouldn't have one.
San stood beside Wooyoung, who had paid for their items, watching as Wooyoung opened the water bottle he wanted, handing it to him as they walked out of the store. "I'll hold the umbrella," Wooyoung said, holding out his hand for San take. San smiled, taking Wooyoung's hand. "I'll hold the snacks," San said, reaching out for the plastic bags that Wooyoung pulled away from him. "I can manage," Wooyoung said, Yunho and Mingi laughing as they held the door for Hongjooong who walked out behind him.
"I don't think they'll allow outdoor snacks into the library," Hongjoong pointed out, taking the bags from Wooyoung. "I'll leave them in the car," Hongjoong said, making sure that Wooyoung and San knew that their snacks were safe. Hongjoong was going to walk out in the rain, Seonghwa taking his arm and handing him the umbrella.
Hongjoong smiled, not being able to hide his slight sadness. Seonghwa seemed to be uncomfortable with him, Hongjoong respecting the distance he was putting between him. It was his fault he kissed him out of nowhere yesterday. Seonghwa noticed that look, deciding to let Hongjoong assume things. He'd explain later when he had a bit of revenge.
Yeonjun hugged Wooyoung and San, pulling them in close. Not close so that they would stop holding hands, but close enough to where San could feel how much Yeonjun cared about the both of them. It was funny since San and Yeonjun hadn't known each other for that long. "Be careful okay?" Yeonjun warned Wooyoung quietly. Wooyoung only smiled, patting Yeonjun's back. "I haven't changed much," Wooyoung said, knowing he could put up a fight. Humans would be a piece of cake. Demons not so much.