Grocery shopping with Gran Gran is usually an experience worth telling your grandchildren of.
You want to by this XXL package of chocolate? Take three so it'll be worth it. You suddenly feel like having fries with vanilla sauce for dinner? Go for it.
And, really, it wasn't much different today. Of course, I didn't have any crazy wishes like that , but still, Grandma was in as good of a mood as always - it was me who was feeling a bit off.
I thought that I should feel happy; I had a great day with Jungkook's messy family, as chaotic as it was, but there was just something spooking around my head ever since yesterday. It was mainly what Yoongi had said about being able to 're-vive the bond' or whatever and it just wouldn't let me go.
"Grandma?" I started, while letting a pack of cereals slip into the shopping cart.
"Hm?"
"I know you don't really like this topic but... what happened between witches and shifters?"
The old woman halted, eyes wide, "W-What do you mean with 'happened between'?"
"Well, I read of the mutual protection during the witch trials, but what happened after ward?"
"Ohh" She puffed out in realization, as if she'd been thinking of something inherently different, "No. I don't know anything."
I stared at her in disappointment, while grabbing a six pack of sparkling water from one of the shelves, "Are you serious? You always know everything when it comes to witches, how come you don't know this one little thing?"
"I simply don't. But if you'd be interested in witch traditions and rituals as much as in this, I might bother finding out more for you."
I felt myself pouting involuntarily.
I knew that she knew more. But she didn't want to tell me for some reason.
Gran Gran sighed, "Stop sulking like that you big baby. I'll go pay quickly, wait for me outside."
I looked at her disgruntled, really wanting to start a fight in the middle of this small grocery store, but being mature enough to suppress this irrational need. Why was she always so secretive when it came to shifters? Damn.
I followed her orders and marched towards the entrance, when the long, elegant fingers of a, by rings and colorful nail-polish decorated, hand wrapped around my upper arm.
I looked up at the owner, just to meet eyes with a red haired man, through his large, yellow tinted sunglasses.
The man was relatively tall, lean, with bright red dyed hair, high cheek bones and piercing eyes. He was wearing a fluffy, red and black striped sweater over a pair of black ripped jeans and Doc Martens, multiple silver chains dangling around his neck.
Said man was holding onto my arm uncomfortably (overstepping way-too-many boundaries by doing so) while looking down at me in interest.
"So you are a witch as well?"
I blinked for a moment, caught off guard, before shoving his hand off of me, quite perplexed by his rude actions, "What the fuck, dude."
The stranger seemed to realized his mistake, expression turning sheepish as he bowed quickly, "I'm sorry. I just over heard your conversation earlier and-"
"Do you know anything?" I asked, completely ignoring the fact that this was a complete stranger in front of me, too annoyed by the fact that Grandma didn't give me a proper answer.
"Well- yes. Sort of." The red-head leaned back against one of the shelves, filled with cleaning products, "It's not really about your question in specific. It's more about the misconception that witches are able to maintain bonds in general."
aha
I had no clue what he was trying to say.
"I'm sorry." The red-head apologized again, "I get that this might be a bit odd coming from a complete stranger. But like I said, I over heard your conversation and I thought maybe I could - should - give you an answer as I'm a witch myself. This might not be the kinda answer you were looking for but..."
I just attentively watched the stranger, who claimed to be a witch a well, waiting for him to go on.
"What I want to say is that- witches can't commit to any bonds with others. They are just... different, you know? We aren't humans, but neither are we shifters or whatever else. We aren't part of the human world, but neither are we part of the non-human world. we are a weird in-between thingy that doesn't have a slot to fit in."
Not gonna lie, I felt a bit thrown of by this man's sudden attack of mega- depressing world views, but I thought to understand what he meant to say.
As weird was it was to be getting told this in the cleaning-aisle of a grocery store.
"This isn't true. I mean.. yes. We are different than the rest, but this doesn't mean that we're forced to live in isolation or whatever." I crossed my arms, looking up at the guy whose expression started to turn bitter, "Look, my-.... my best friend is a shifter and we get along just fine. Yes, I admit it isn't always that easy with him, he is quite a handful but this clearly proves that we do have 'slots to fit in'. You just didn't find yours yet."
The man laughed humorlessly, "You don't get it yet, little one. We're just not meant to live happily like the others, you better give up on that little friend of yours."
This somehow didn't sit right with me. At all.
"Look, sir, I don't know how shitty your life is, but I'm not letting a cynical stranger who claims to be a witch tell me what I can and cannot do with my life. Back off, fucker, I have groceries and a Grandmother to take care of."
I pushed past him, striding towards the exit.
Giving up on Jungkook my ass.
"Took you long enough to find the exit." Gran Gran said sarcastically when I spotted her leaning against her ancient car, waiting for me.
"m' sorry." I mumbled, "There's was a dude who claims to be a witch as well?"
"Oh?" The woman cocked her head to the side, "Red hair? Eccentric fashion sense?"
I nodded.
"That was Hoseok-ssi. He's a good guy. Just not very good with people."
___
Hoseok watched the girl leave the store.
He hadn't meant to offend her, though he very much understood how unpleasant his words must've sounded to her.
But as much as he hated to say it; they'd been the truth.
Through out his life he'd experienced how the existence as a witch had created huge gap between himself and the people around him. He lived differently, acted differently and knew more things that the others.
He just wanted to give her a chance to get accustomed to this life of loneliness.
Because that was what witches were meant to be. Loners. Outcasts. Whatever you want to call it.
It wasn't possible to label witches as one thing. They weren't human, yet they're not not-human either.
The red-head brushed a hand through his locks, eyeing the sparkly color on his nails.
A witch and a shifter huh? Sounds like the recipe for chaos and hurting
___
ayy
xx