Felix jumped around in the living room, helping his mother, who had come back home along with his father for the holidays, prepare everything for Christmas Eve. A big smile was plastered on the ginger's face, when he hung some of the Christmas decorations onto the pine-tree, his parents had brought with them just a day prior.
"Felix, could you bring me the silver Christmas bauble from the box to your right?", Mrs. Lee asked her son, who answered with a cheery "Okay" and got his mother what she needed in less than a few seconds. His big smile never left his face. Mrs. Lee could only smile fondly at her son and ruffle his ginger hair lovingly when he brought her the sliver Christmas bauble with shining eyes.
The young cat hybrid lightly laughed, when his mother did that. He really had missed her and his father. Sure, the freedom he got, when they were away to lead their clan was nice and everything but being pampered like that was a little bit better.
"Do you think Minho-hyung and dad are finished with gift-wrapping the presents?", Felix asked his mother, when she hung the silver Christmas bauble onto the tree while humming a soft tune. "They would've come downstairs again, if they were, honey", she answered and continued to hum softly.
Felix mentally agreed with his mother and continued to looking in the boxes with the Christmas decorations. He was searching for a specific red and blue Christmas bauble with golden glitter on it. Minho and Felix had made it together, when they were little and it had become a family tradition to hang it on the Christmas tree. The making this Christmas bauble was also one of Felix's earliest childhood memories and one he treasured dearly. Still, Felix was unable to find it in the boxes.
"What are you searching for, honey?", Mrs. Lee asked after a while and walked over to her younger son, who was still searching for the blue and red Christmas bauble in the many boxes scattered around the living room.
"I can't find the Christmas bauble Minho and I made, when we were little", the young cat hybrid answered with disappointment in his voice. He pouted a little bit and was close to giving him up his search.
His mother looked over his shoulder into the box. An amused purr erupted from her throat, letting Felix look up to her. "You are searching in the wrong place for it", she said, which earned her a confused look from her son. She went to the large drawer with the glass door, which was pushed to the wall next to the TV and opened it to get out a little brown box.
Felix watched his mother's rather elegant but still casual movements until she stood in front of him again and gave him the little box. The ginger opened the little box and let his smile widen a little bit when he saw the item he was searching for in it.
"Since when does it have its own little box?", he questioned his mother when he carefully took the Christmas bauble out of the box, letting the little metal hook wrap around his finger before he turned to hang it onto their Christmas tree.
"Since I found this little brown box, which seemed to be perfect for the Christmas bauble Minho and you made", Mrs. Lee chuckled while watching her son fix the position of the special Christmas bauble. Felix giggled and stepped away from the Christmas tree to get a better look at it. The lights they hung on the tree weren't on yet but even without the little glowing points did the Christmas tree look beautiful in its own unique way.
"I like him like this", Felix said while looking at the tree. His eyes were shining like the lights on the tree, if they were turned on. "He does look beautiful, honey", Mrs. Lee lightly purred and pressed a short kiss on the side of Felix's head. The ginger couldn't help but lightly giggle at that.
It may sound strange to someone, who had no clue about a cat hybrid's behavior but Felix loved to hear his mother purr lightly in the presence of her family. It made the young male feel loved and protected. Maybe that was because when he was a little child he used to fall a sleep quickly, when he had his head on his mother's chest while she lightly purred or hummed. The soft vibration of his mother's chest and listening her heart beat was something that had always calmed Felix down and made him feel sleepy and content. His father had always described this sight as absolutely endearing and had made a lot of pictures when he had had a camera at hand, which was why there were a dozen photographs of Felix sleeping with his head on his mother's chest.
"Are you finished decorating the living room?", Felix could hear his father ask loudly from upstairs. "Yes we are and if you and Minho don't hurry up we will also have dinner ready before you even come downstairs", Mrs. Lee answered loudly in a rather playful and a bit teasing tone, which made Felix snicker.
"I don't think so, my dear", Mr. Lee responded. His voice was now nearer and soon enough he came downstairs along with Minho. Both males were packed with presents, which had been rather sloppily wrapped in gift wrap paper. They made their way to the Christmas tree and set the presents down beside it. Mrs. Lee and Felix mustered the presents with an raised eyebrow. They looked like Minho and Mr. Lee had tried really hard to make them look presentable but ended up failing. It was their first year doing this task. Normally Mrs. Lee and/or Felix would do it.
"Next time we will take care of the presents again", Mrs. Lee whispered to Felix, who nodded in agreement. Mr. Lee and Minho heard them though. "What's that's supposed to mean?", Minho asked slightly offended but the playfully tone wasn't to miss. He put his hands on his hips and looking at them with a light tilted head. "Yeah. Explain", Mr. Lee agreed with his older son and crossed his arms standing beside Minho.
Mrs. Lee and Felix looked at each other for a brief second and began to laugh, causing them to almost fall. "The gift wrap looks a little bit sloppy", Mrs. Lee commented while still laughing a little. "It looks like the work of little children", Felix added trying to contain his laughter and failing miserably. Mr. Lee gasped, acting like he was offended and so did Minho.
"Alright. Minho take care of your brother while I take care of your mother", he then said to Minho. "Don't worry about that, dad", Minho responded and cracked his knuckles with a playful glint in his eyes. "Oh no. Felix we have to run", Mrs. Lee said dramatically but also playfully. Soon enough a playful chase was started.
The atmosphere in the house was as light as it could be. The occasional giggles and playful yells reminded someone of a bunch of happy kids playing with each other, even though the opposite was the case.
Cat hybrids were often labeled as childish because of such behavior. It had nearly become a stereotype some years back. Of course cat hybrids had a playful nature but that didn't mean they were childish or immature. They simply kept their "inner child" alive, which resulted in situation like this one were the parents played with their children like they were the same age.
Mr. Lee had caught his wife at some point in the chase. He had his arms wrapped around her middle and didn't plan on letting her go, even if she continued to squirm and hit him playfully but weakly. Felix was still chased by his brother, who in the end caught him and pulled him down on the couch.
"And now say that again with presents", Minho wanted from his brother, who refused by shaking his head, so Minho began to tickle him. Felix laughed hysterically to the point where he began crying.
"Mum. Help me. I am being tortured", the ginger said between his breathless laughs. Minho really had no mercy on him. "That's what you get for being so mean", Minho stated, continuing to tickle the ginger with a wide smile on his face.
"My poor baby is being tortured. Let me go, you evil man", Mrs. Lee said playfully to her husband trying to get out of his iron grip once more. "You know I will never let you go, dear", Mr. Lee answered and gave his wife a short kiss on the neck, which made her stop squirming. "Stop making everything so cheesy", Mrs. Lee answered and lightly elbowed her husband.
Minho had suddenly stopped tickling Felix and looked over at his parents, who now shared a short sweet kiss on the lips. Felix looked up at his brother being a little bit confused but then caught onto the fact what Minho was probably thinking. Their parents were mates and Minho was probably reminded of the fact that they knew nothing about Minho finding his destined mate in Jisung.
Felix sat up and slightly tapped his brother's shoulder, so he would look at him, which he did but before the ginger could say something their father spoke up. "The two of you can go upstairs if you want. Your mother and I will prepare dinner and call you down when it's finished" he said. This was the perfect opportunity for Felix to drag Minho upstairs and talk to him in private.
"Alright. We will be upstairs then", Felix said cheerily and got up from the couch. He dragged Minho along by the older's arm and made his way upstairs to his room. He closed the door and then faced Minho, who still looked a little bit surprised that his younger brother suddenly dragged him upstairs.
"You need to tell mum and dad that you found your mate", Felix then blurt out. Minho raised a brow and crossed his arms defensively. "There is no need to. Not now", the older dismissed while not looking at his younger brother. Felix huffed for a short moment he wouldn't let this opportunity pass.
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"There is a need", Felix argued. Minho looked at his brother not feeling very confident right now. Felix had a determined glimmer in his eyes, which let Minho lightly bite his bottom lip, knowing His younger brother wouldn't let this opportunity pass if he could help it.
"Jisung is your official boyfriend now, isn't he? You can't hide that from them forever. Besides they will recognize his scent on you at some point in the future. Better tell them now than let them find out by themselves", Felix reasoned and looked directly into his brother's in the eyes.
Minho turned his gaze to the side, avoiding eye contact with Felix. He didn't want to tell his parents just yet. He didn't feel confident enough to do it. What if they expected him to one day marry a beautiful girl and have a family?
"I am scared of their reaction to it", Minho mumbled low. Felix's ears twitched, when he heard it and his eyes softened. "There is no need to be afraid, hyung. They will probably be excited to hear you found your destined mate with eighteen. They are our parents for the gods' sake. They love us and we love them", the ginger said with a softer voice than before.
The older thought about it for a short moment. He knew his parents loved him and Felix with all their heart but the topic of the mate being of the same gender never really came up, so he didn't know what to expect at all. He lightly bit his lips again, which Felix noticed.
"If you feel unsure or insecure. We can do it together if you want" Felix offered and this made Minho look at him in an instant with wide eyes. "You found your mate?", the older asked without thinking. The ginger only laughed and shook his head. "But I am pretty sure I am not only into girls", he said and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Knew it", Minho laughed lightly, which earned him a glare from his brother.
Suddenly Felix stuck his pinky out. Minho stopped laughing and looked a little surprised at Felix's pinky and then the younger's face, who looked rather serious. "And should everything go to shit we will still have each other", the ginger said and he meant it. Minho couldn't help but lightly grin at that. His little brother had seemingly changed a little bit since the start of the school year. He linked his pinky with Felix's.
"Forever and always", the older promised. "Forever and always", Felix repeated.
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"Seungmin. Would you mind if I locked those two up in a wardrobe?", Woosu asked his younger redheaded half brother, while they both hung up some Christmas decoration from Dowoon, which the vampire had brought around three hours ago. The warlock's gaze was focused Wonpil and Dowoon, who obviously flirted with each other. They have been doing that for the last two hours and it was in some way very frustrating to watch, considering they weren't dating.
Samuel sadly couldn't join in on this fun because he went away with his mother to celebrate Christmas Eve, like Byungho and Eve but they kind of did it in the last minute.
"You know what? I wouldn't mind at all", Seungmin responded to Woosu's question and fixated the decoration on the wall with a short spell and also casted an illusion over it. One of the two older males should finally bring up the courage to confess. They were so obviously in love with each other it hurt.
"I hate the fact that they aren't dating", Woosu added and also fixated the decoration he had in his hand on the wall, casting an illusion spell over it as well. "Same here. It's just painful to watch. One of them should finally get the courage up to ask the other out", the redhead agreed while nodding.
Woosu seemed to think about that for a short while. "Maybe we can get them to finally start officially dating through a trick", the warlock suggested and looked at Seungmin like he was expecting the younger to come up with an idea. Seungmin had to refer from laughing. For one because Woosu just expected him to alway have a little prank plan in mind and secondly because he actually did.
Seungmin couldn't help but grin a little, which let Woosu's eyes begin to shine a bit. "Fill me in on your brilliant idea", the warlock said, mirroring the redhead's grin. Seungmin used his demon voice to explain his little plan so Wonpil and Dowoon would notice nothing but in all honesty they were so caught up in their own little world that he probably wouldn't have noticed anyway.
"It's a very simple plan but he could just play truth or dare but with a variant, meaning we play in pairs and with partner switches. We just need to carefully ask them truths and in the end we can dare them to kiss properly or we do what you said and make them stay in Wonpil's wardrobe for ten minutes", Seungmin explained with his demon voice. Woosu lightly snickered.
"Remind me to ditch my mother more often to spend time with you. You truly are a genius", Woosu complimented and patted Seungmin's head after the redhead was done explaining. The young demon swatted his hand away with a playful scowl because he actually liked that compliment.
"I take Dowoon. You take Wonpil", Seungmin instructed and Woosu nodded. The two walked towards the two older males, with innocent smiles plastered on their faces. "Hey hyungs. Can we play a little game?", Seungmin asked to get the attention of the two. When the two of them turned their attention towards the two younger males, the door suddenly rustled.
Someone tried to enter without the knocking pattern.
The three Kim brothers reacted very quickly at that. Seungmin grabbed Dowoon's arm, dragging him to Wonpil's wardrobe, pushing him inside and casting a fast spell over the furniture to make sure nobody would notice someone inside while Woosu casted another illusion spell over the whole room to hide all the decorations a second time and Wonpil went to the room door, immediately putting up a facade to hide his true emotions and feelings. He opened the door and was met with the eyes of his mother Lilith, which made him terrified but he hid it well.
"Is there something you need, mother?", Wonpil asked in a polite tone. Hearing Wonpil say "mother" made Seungmin's blood boil this instant. The young demon hadn't seen his mother in weeks but that didn't mean he hated her any less for what she did to Wonpil. The redhead walked away from the wardrobe and around the corner, so he could see his terrible mother.
"I need to talk to you and Seungmin in my office. Now", she said in a stern, demanding tone. She just stood in the doorframe and made no attempt to enter the room fully. Her piercings red eyes wandered from Wonpil to Seungmin, who now stood just two meters behind his older brother. Woosu was kind of frozen in his spot in the middle of the room.
"Why? What do you want from us?", Seungmin asked in a cold, emotionless tone and walked up to Lilith and Wonpil to stand beside his brother. "I will tell you child as soon as we are alone", Lilith answer. Her tone seemed irritated and was still as cold as ice. The focus of her red eyes landed on Woosu, which made the warlock flinched instantly.
Both Wonpil and Seungmin knew they had to get Lilith away from Wonpil's room. Meaning they had to go with their mother her office.
"Alright. Let's go to your office", Seungmin said and glared at his mother while he walked passed her out of the room without showing any fear. Lilith's red eyes followed him and in the end and Seungmin swore he saw the corners of her lips raise a bit but then she turned around, walked past him and took the lead.
Seungmin looked back to Wonpil, who just closed the door to his room behind him. In his dark eyes Seungmin could see that he was just as unsure about this situation as him.
The three demons walked towards Lilith's office without saying one word. Lilith opened the door made of dark red wood, which lead to her office with a simple hand gesture and entered the room without any hesitation.
Seungmin felt a sense of uneasiness claw at his skin when he entered his mother's office. He didn't have good memories of this room and he was sure Wonpil did neither, especially after being cursed here.
Lilith walked behind her desk and seated herself on the big red leather chair with the symbols of hell engraved on the back. The door fell shut after she was seated, letting Wonpil and Seungmin flinch. Lilith mustered her two sons for a moment.
"A war is coming" she suddenly said with a monotone voice. "It will take some time until all hell breaks loose on earth as some people might say. Ironically, this war won't be caused by your father, me or any other demon from hell", she continued like she was just casually talking.
Seungmin and Wonpil were frozen in place. They didn't dare to say a word and just stared at their mother because she was talking about a war. An actual war, where a lot of people will probably die.
"I am warning you because you are two of the three things that need to survive this war. Doesn't matter how. Just staying in the mansion would be an option. Just know I won't come to save you when you are in trouble because I need to keep a bunch of demons at bay, so they don't run loose, letting the war be more terrible than he needs to be", she explained like she wasn't talking about demonic powers and hell.
"This also means", she said and looked at Wonpil "Your curse is lifted", she continued and snapped her fingers. The spell fell off Wonpil as a kind of green dust, which disappeared immediately. "Use your freedom wisely", she said almost kindly but both demon brothers could hear the threat underneath it.
"That is all I wanted to say to you. I don't care if you tell another soul about it. Just remember that nobody would believe you until it actually happened", she added with a little sarcastic smile and she was right. Maybe their friends would believe them after a little convincing but no one, who could prevent it would because who would listen to two young creatures, who suddenly knew about an upcoming war but had no proof for it?
Seungmin was also pretty sure there was no way to prevent this war from happening. If there would be his mother would have never told them this because why would she? She was the queen of hell she wasn't opposed to violence and probably saw it as a way to single out the weak creatures.
"You can go your merry way now. Enjoy it as long as you can", she them dismissed them but neither of them moved. Maybe it was out of shock, maybe out of fear or maybe because of a different strong emotion but neither seemed to be able to move their feet.
Lilith just looked at her two sons without having any kind of sympathy in her red eyes. They just looked cold, emotionless even. "I said you are allowed to go", she repeated herself with a little bit of irritation in her voice.
Wonpil snapped out of his little trance first. He must have noticed that his mother got slightly irritated, so he grabbed Seungmin's wrist and dragged the younger out of the office back to his room. The young demon didn't know where his thoughts were exactly but he surely wasn't paying attention to anything in his immediate surroundings.
He could feel his brother dragging him but everything seemed to be in a blurry or like he wasn't even in his body but just watching a movie. Just the idea of having to live through a war felt unreal to him.
Seungmin could feel Wonpil stop in his tracks before his room door. He was slightly panting and when Seungmin managed to look at his older brother he could see the other's horns and devil's tail. If Wonpil was showing his horns and devil's tail Seungmin was pretty sure he wasn't any better.
Wonpil took a deep breath before he knocked the special pattern on his door without letting go of Seungmin's wrist and entered his room, pulling his little brother along and closing the door behind him and Seungmin.
The two demon brother were immediately met with the worried gazes of Dowoon and Woosu. "What the hell did she do to you?", Dowoon mumbled loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. The vampire wanted to go towards the two demon brothers but Wonpil kept him from doing so by just shaking his head. The older demon let go of Seungmin's wrist so he could lay both hands on the younger's shoulders.
"Seungmin. Look at me", Wonpil said in a gentle voice. Seungmin absentmindedly raised his head lightly so he was face to face with his brother even though his eyes didn't focus on the other. "I need you snap out of your trance. Maybe we can't prevent the war from happening because mother didn't tell us, who will be fighting against who but we can prepare for it anyway. Maybe that's exactly what mother wants but it's worth a shot", Wonpil said still in a gentle but also firm tone.
Seungmin nodded and forced himself to slowly focus on his brother's eyes. "It isn't over yet", the older ended his little speech and the younger lightly nodded. Finally back in reality. Wonpil released a breath and showed his brother a little smile, which Seungmin returned. It wasn't the happiest smile you had seen from them but it was reassurance for the both them.
Dowoon and Woosu were completely confused and maybe a bit scared and angry at Lilith for doing whatever she did to the demon brothers because they had no clue what exactly happen. Seungmin was a bit thankful for their concern if he was honest but he hoped they didn't think much of Wonpil's little speech.
"Alright. What did Lilith do, what did she say to you? I want to know so I can be angry at her", Woosu asked with worry in his voice but also a little bit of anger. He walked towards his two brothers mustering them both with honest concern glimmering in his dark eyes. Seungmin doubted Woosu could truly be angry at anyone. He was too nice for that.
"We really didn't want to ruin Christmas Eve for you heard a little bit too much, didn't you?", Wonpil sigh and got a nod from both Woosu and Dowoon. Seungmin hated having them to hear about the upcoming war like this.
"We will tell you after we opened the presents", Seungmin suggested and walked to the little pile of gifts, which they had placed next to a miniature Christmas tree. Wonpil followed him. The young redhead picked up his present for Dowoon and Woosu, which he got for them last minute and turned around, facing them.
"Merry Christmas", he said when he gave them their presents and showed them a smile, which wasn't as happy as it used to be.