Jihoon's fingers strummed a song comprised of pure love, his soft hums wrapping around the melody like a warm lover's embrace. 

Soonyoung looked at his surroundings. Their family full moon gatherings were never that special, just a fire and typical things like making lunar water. But tonight looked different. The trees were wrapped in tiny white lights, they were surrounded by candles, there were pots of white and dark blue moon flowers, Aurae held a huge white candle that carried the familiar scent of roses with a huge smile on her face, and everyone decided to dress nicely. Including his boyfriend, dressed elegantly in a white suit. It was as if the moon was everywhere around them. A small grin washed over his confused expression. "Are you going to sing your question? Because I don't know if my body's prepared for that", he joked.

"No, but I'll save that for later." The charming smile on Seokmin's face never left as he walked over and held his boyfriend's hand in his own, the family members around them gushing like teenage girls. "For 14 years, you've been the reason behind my signature smile. For 14 years, it has been my mission to keep that incredibly heart-warming smile on your face no matter what. For 14 years, you've been my alarm clock; just the sheer thought of being able to look into your loving eyes has me rushing to wake up. For 14 years, you've been the number one thing on my mind. For 14 years...from strangers to best friends to boyfriends, you and I have been inseparable and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. The first time you held my hand, I almost passed out from forgetting to breathe. The first time we kissed, I sang love songs to my plants for months. You bring out my inner-dork, hyung. I would be your dork for all of eternity if you'd let me. So, I must ask..." He pulled out a tiny box and got down on one knee, not caring about any stains. "Soonyoung Kwon, will you marry me?" The box was opened to reveal a sterling silver Celtic knot band.

Soonyoung was absolutely speechless. The smile on his face was so wide, he feared that his face would rip. "A-Are you--...I-I... Yes, Of course!"  He could not control the giddiness he felt as the ring was slipped on his finger, pulling his fiancé up to his feet and sharing a sweet kiss as everyone cheered around them. 

"It's about time, hyungs!" cried out the youngest.

The couple could do nothing but giggle like little schoolgirls as they looked into each other's eyes and stayed in each other's warm embrace.

"Alright, my two favorite dorks, I have a gift for you...Dad, c-come help me. It's so heavy!" Her smile faltered as she struggled.

"Coming, Mom!" Seungcheol ran to help Aurae carry the very large candle over to them. 

The other members of the family snickered at the nicknames, though already used to it. Chan called them that when they enrolled him in elementary school many years ago and ever since, it stuck.

"Seokmin planned tonight a month ago, so I had enough time to make this. This candle represents your love, from the dried rose petals to the two silver wedding bells hanging from white ribbons. This candle will last a year if you burn it for an hour a day. You will light it on the big day and when it reaches your one year anniversary, you will find a surprise hanging on the wick. We are all so happy for you two and love you so very much." She sniffled and added a fake sob for theatrics, "You all grew up so fast!"

Seungcheol playfully punched Soonyoung's shoulder, who was wiping happy tears, with his free hand. "I always knew you two were meant for each other. And, that you'd get married first."

Jeonghan lazily sat on a log, eating a slice of cake. "This is why I love our full moon parties. Everyone leaves happy." 

The soft music stopped abruptly and all eyes turned to Jihoon, his own eyes narrowed. "Hyung, that was the last piece of the delicious cake... How could you?"

"Oh hush, you don't even like sweets."

"That cake is the only exception!", he whined.

The only female in the small crowd chuckled. "Alright you two, let's not fight. Ms.Spell makes us cake all the time. Besides...". She paused to look at all the smiling faces around her. "This is a moon of celebration and love. It's getting late anyway, so we should probably clean up and move our things to the table next to 'ole Rosie."

Mingyu ruffled Chan's hair. "Yeah, and don't you have a test tomorr--?"

"SHHHH!"

Seungcheol smirked knowingly. "Go study."

The teen grumbled as he began to walk back home.

"And don't use your laptop! I know you just watch Michael Jackson videos on it!"

"AW MAN!"

Jun turned to Minghao. "Do you have any assignments to be working on?"

The boy shook his head. "Nope. My main teacher is a hippie. She doesn't believe in homework or projects."

Laughter spreads within their forest as they began to pick up their things. Mingyu and Seungcheol worked together to put out the fire while Jihoon blew out all the candles, the wind assisting him. Soonyoung was about to climb one of the glowing trees when Jeonghan stopped him. "You and Seokmin go home and cuddle. We can handle it, lovebirds." The two shared a smile before the younger called over his fiancé and walked back to Rosie.

When the couple was far enough, Jeonghan sat back down on his log with an exausted huff. "Jun and Minghao, climb the trees and pull off the lights!" The two complied without a word.

Seungcheol laughed, pouring another bucket of water over the fire wood. "Hey, Cinderella. If you're just going to sit there, go home. You have to wake up earlier than all of us anyway."

Jeonghan sneered playfully and slowly rose to his feet and stretched. "Thank you, Fairy Cheol Mother. My carriage was about to turn into a pumpkin any minute now." And without another word, he disappeared into the forest.

Hansol and Aurae collected the laid out items and placed them into a basket, minus Jihoon's laptop, which was taken back to their place by its owner moments ago. "Hey noona, you've been acting a little more reserved than usual today. Are you okay?"

The older girl nodded. "I'm fine.... just ...thinking about how crazy these 13 years have been. I'm so grateful that we all grew up well and that we managed to have a home. And that we managed to get paperwork done without any question. We didn't let cultures die within this slight melting pot we call a family. Jobs were easy to come by and we always had food on the table no matter what."

Hansol grinned and hugged the woman he considered to be his favorite sibling. "I'm proud of us too."

Once everyone was finished, the remaining six walked back together, loud and comical as usual.

Mingyu had everyone hanging on his every word as he told a ghost story. "And then, the door opened....crrrrrring...and it revealed the scariest looking lady ever. She had a huge knife sticking out of her head and blood oozing out of her eyes, with an eerily beautiful voice singing--"

"Tragedy strikes lovers..as the full moon hovers..."

Everyone froze as the singing voice came from nowhere. Suddenly, the figure of a woman in a traditional Korean hanbok was seen, moving towards them very slowly.

"..Holy ..." muttered the storyteller as he moved to hide behind his shorter noona.

"Death surrounds us all...Flower petals begin to fall..."

Seungcheol shook in his spot while Aurae tried to hide behind him, whispering. "I may be older, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to die first. Protect me, Cheollie!"

Hansol and Jun tightly held onto a calm Minghao, who just watched the 'ghost' with super observant eyes. 

"Blood sheds over children....The season is at its end.......ohhhhh~...and Mingyu is an idiot who can't tell turnip greens from kale..Thus ends this tale.."

Aurae and Minghao were the first to laugh, finally realizing who the beautiful falsetto voice belonged to.

Right at that moment, Soonyoung and Chan came running over with flashlights. "GOTCHA!"

Jihoon came into view with his phone, recording the moment as he snickered. "You should've seen your faces. Perfect for my blog."

"Wha..?"

Seungcheol regained his composure, a threatening glint in his eye as he slowly moved over to Jihoon, a creepy smile on his face. "...Come here, Pinky..."

"U-Uh.... no?" The boy mentioned inched back just as slowly before running off, the elder chasing after him.

Minghao took the knife headband off Jeonghan's, or the ghost's, head and placed it on his own. "That was the best prank so far this year. Seokmin hyung's voice was so bone-chilling. I cannot wait for Halloween!"

The ghost chuckled. "Just don't let this year be a repeat of what you did last year. I had to lace that hitchhiking couple's tea with some pretty strong stuff before leaving them by the road. And Hansol still checks under his bed."

"I do not!..ahem, ...I-I..I hide my.. dirty magazine... stash... there?"

A smug grin graced Jeonghan's undead face as he ruffled Hansol's hair. "Sure, I believe you."

Jun turned to still cowering Mingyu. "So, you were in on the prank too? You look really scared though."

Seokmin slid down the tree he was sitting in. "I don't think he was involved. ...Wait... then how did Jihoon hyung know he would tell that story?"

A very drenched Jihoon rejoined the group, his dress shirt clinging to him like fur clinging onto a wet puppy, as Seungcheol following behind with a triumphant look as he waved Jihoon's cell phone in the air. "The world's worst liar involved in a grand prank like this? Of course not. He told me that story this morning and I knew he would tell it again. So, I organized this when I went back to Rosie."

Aurae raised a brow. "Why are you wet?"

"He pushed me into the creek after he got my phone."

"That's what you get~"

The pink-haired boy donned an eerily sweet smile as he turned the other male. "..Let me give you a hug...Cheollie hyung..."

"No, get away from me...No!" And the chase began again, this time reversed.

Aurae laughed, already so used to their antics. "Okay, let's get inside kids. It's late and Jeonghan has a shift at the diner at 6am."

"I'll be fine, noona."

She scoffed. "You faint when you don't sleep over 5 hours."

Taking that as a cue, Jun swooped the ghost up into his arms and began his trek home. "Time for bed, hyung."

When they reached their cottage, the young ones helped the eldest lay out their bottles, crystals, and whatnot.

Soonyoung smiled softly as he looked at their home. "Wah, Rosie, you're always the prettiest on full moons."

His fiancé nodded in agreement, wrapping an arm around him. "That reminds me. I need to prune her vines and flowers tomorrow."

His other half leaned into him, hugging his waist. "We should get to sleep then."

"Even you know that's not what we're going to do."

Aurae covered Chan's ears, who covered Hansol's ears, who covered Minghao's ears. "Really?"

Soonyoung flushed while Seokmin waved her off. "Lighten up, noona. They're old enough. Just a week ago, I walked in on those three watching some cheesy with a blonde nurse bimbo giving it to a patient."

The three accused ran into the house before Aurae could react. "Ah, whatever. Everyone go inside and get to bed. I'll be there in a second."

Once everyone was inside, she looked over the table of things absorbing the moon's energy, then pulled out both a lavender and rose incense. Lighting them, she watched as the smoke came to life, drifting into the night sky. She closed her eyes while the wind began to pick up, surrounding her as the energy of the cool breeze cleansed her soul. "Lady Luna and Mother of the Wind, I call upon thee. I give you my undying gratitude. I ask that you protect the boys over time. They have grown so well....  Also, as I get older.. I was... wondering if you could, I don't know, point a love interest/soulmate my way too? Or give me a hint!...Like their voice in the wind or something." She bit her lip in anticipation.

"Are you a gust of wind? Because you just blew my mind."

"Is there a high concentration of CO₂ around here? No wait, it's just you, making my world hot as hell."

"Wha--?" Her eyes flew open as she turned to the source of the voices, finding a laughing Jihoon with a now equally soaked Seungcheol. "Not cool!"

The older male wrung his damp plaid tie. "Sorry, we couldn't resist."

She shook her head, a grin slipping through her annoyed expression. "What am I going to do with you two?...Alright take off your shoes and socks. I'll be back with towels."

She entered the house and found Jun staring right at her as she walked past the kitchen. Averting his eyes, she opened the closet next to their bathroom and pulled out the fluffiest towels they had before going back outside.

The two young adults were huddled up together for warmth, sitting at the table. She threw the first towel to Seungcheol and put another one around Jihoon's shoulders. "Once you get dry enough that you don't drip, head straight to the bathroom and take a nice warm shower." She started to dry his pink hair with yet another towel as he wrung out his clothes. "You ruined such nice clothes with that creek water. Guess you'll have to wear something else to the SoonSeok wedding."

He patted the girl's hand. "Sorry Purple Poodle Noona. I'll go search the thrift stores later this week."

She smiled softly as she ruffled his partially dry hair. "No need, Jihoonie. We'll look together. I need a proper dress."

He returned the smile. "Sounds lik--.."

"Dry me too, pwetty pwease."

Both stopped and stared at a pouting Seungcheol. "...Ew."

Once they were done, Aurae went off to her room and the other two shared an awkward shower. 

"I swear she likes you better. Should I just dye my hair pink?"

"..."

"I mean it. I'll do it, man. Don't even try to stop me."

"....."

"Oh, you're right. I'd never be able to pull that off. I'm already so y as a brunette. She loves it. I know it...Thanks, Jihoon." He hugged the equally male in front of him.

"Eep."

In a bedroom two doors down, another male was quite uneasy as he held a sleeping Minghao in his arms. They shared a bed since the day Jun saved him from HoneyKettle. There was no actual label for their relationship to another, but Jun was sure he wanted to protect the boy with all his might for the rest of his life. And judging how the younger stuck to him like glue most of the time, he had no doubts about if Minghao felt the same. He gently ran his thumb over the sleeping teen's soft cheek. He wouldn't know what to do if he ever lost him...or anyone in their family. An inaudible sigh left Jun's lips as he thought about the look on Aurae's face earlier. "She must hate me now", he thought.

"Junhui, you're stiff. What's wrong?" A ruffling of the sheets was heard.

The older teen loosened his grip around Minghao, snuggling into his neck. "Don't worry, it's nothing." He placed a chaste kiss to his jawline. "Go back to sleep. You have dance class first thing in the morning."

A low hum was heard and light snores soon followed, Jun following suit minutes later.

Hours into the night, a loud cry of pain was heard from one of the bedrooms.

Hansol jumped out of bed and opened the window to let the moonlight shine on their youngest sibling. He already expected everyone to be in the room by the time he turned back. "I left the Blue Lace Agate and Moonstone out in the moon, I'll go get them." 

Jeonghan ran to the kitchen while Soonyoung went to find the box of materials they made for nights like this.

The other seven studied Chan, his eyes open and a bold shade of orange, though still very much asleep. His tan skin was now a sickening grey and veins a fiery red. Another pained cry erupted within him, smoke rising from his mouth as he began to writhe in anguish. Every tear that escaped his eyes sizzled upon touching his skin.

Fire began to creep from his fingertips, surprising everyone as they heard a blood-cuddling scream soon after.

"Mingyu, help me hold him down!", besought Seungcheol as he ran over to the young boy. "Hurry up, Soonyoung!"

Mingyu bit his lip as he ran to the other side, using a pillow to hold Chan down, so he wouldn't burn himself. "..this isn't good..the fire is new. He's gotten stronger. What do we do?", he mumbled in a panicked state.

The teen forementioned ran in and handed the box to his fiancé, who pulled out a container of salve that consisted of a blend of cooling and calming herbs; lavender, sage, and aloe vera being the principal plants.

"Soon, get me the jar of fresh aloe and foil."

Soonyoung ran off to the kitchen without a word just as Hansol returned, passing Aurae a bottle of their last harvested moon water and Minghao the storm water Soonyoung cultivated.

Seokmin then passed the box to Jun, who pulled out a few roll of bandages and a bottle of Mingyu's Sweet Dreams Tincture made from mugwort, rosemary, chamomile, mint, and star anise. He almost dropped the box when another wail of despair was heard.

Minghao practically threw the bottle of storm water on the dresser next to him, fuming as tears ran down his face. "Put him in the damn tub! He needs water! HE'S BURNING UP!... he just can't die.." Aurae hugged him close as she bit her lips anxiously.

Hansol comforted the angry teen before walking over to the suffering boy. Ripping the charred remains of the t-shirt Chan had on, he placed the Moonstone directly over his heart and the Blue Lace Agate crystal on his forehead. "This will be over soon, Chan. You'll be smiling again soon. I know it."

The writhing stopped, Mingyu and Seungcheol letting go. The tall boy blew on his own blistering hands while the unaffected eldest male held Chan's flaming hand as he sat on the floor. "You'll make it out of this one, Chan Lee. You're a fighter. Fire is your domain.... DAMMIT SOONYOUNG, HURRY THE UP!"

Soonyoung returned, his hands fumbling with the objects in his hands. "S-Sorry, I-I.."

Seokmin reassuringly pat his shoulder. "You're doing great, Soon. Now, help me apply this salve all over him. Jun hyung, be ready to bandage behind us."

Jun nodded, already unraveling the bandage. "Seungcheol hyung, put a super generous amount of that aloe gel on two sheets of foil and GENTLY wrap it around his hands."

Seungcheol nodded, complying to the family nurse. "Mingyu, do the same to your hands. Someone help him." 

Jeonghan walked in the room and took the bottle of tincture from Jun. "This is the thick one with red coloring, right? Because we're out of arrowroot, beet root powder and corn starch."

The kitchen witch nodded, a now calm Minghao helping with the application of aloe vera on his burned hands. "That bottle is the reason we're out."

Jeonghan walked over to the bed. "Make room." Pouring the thick substance into a tiny bowl, he took a small paint brush and began to draw a sigil on the young ones chest, whispering his intentions. "Chan will survive and the flames will stop consuming him. He will stay protected from any further harm ensued.'  He took a step back to look at the completed sigil.

"So mote it be", he mummered,  before going back to the kitchen.

By then, the flames stopped and his skin began to return to its natural color. His veins and temperature returned to their norm, but his cries still echoed in the room.

Once he was fully bandaged, Jun gently held Chan's wrapped hand and sat on the other side of the floor as he entered a trance.

Seungcheol remained where he was, hand still gently holding Chan's other wrapped hand, staring at the floor while Jihoon held the older male's free hand. A soothing singing voice filled the room as the pink-haired teen's eyes never left their youngest.

Aurae carefully sat on the edge of the bed, gently combing her fingers through his hair, fingers damp with moon water. "Chan, you're gonna be okay. This will end in no time, okay?" She leaned down and kissed his nose as tears ran down her face. "..The pain will stop soon, Channie." 

His cries stopped as minutes passed, though no one moved from their spots, minus a pacing Soonyoung.

What seems like an hour later, Jun and Chan both emitted loud gasps of air as they both regained consciousness. Everyone gave Chan space as he sat up, removing the foil to show shaking yet remarkably unaffected hands. 

Aurae dipped her fingers in the moon water and drew a circle on his forehead. "It's all over, kid."

He hugged her and was about to remove the bandages, but the hedge witch to his right stood and stopped him. "You may be unharmed now, but your insides and spirit are still dangerously hot."

Jeonghan walked over from his spot by the door and held a cup of ice cold sage and linden leaf tea to the younger's lips. "Drink all of this then get some sleep. Everyone drink from the mugs on the kitchen table before going to bed. I'm think I'm just going call in and take an afternoon shift." Patting Chan's now cool cheek, he was the first to leave the room.

Chan placed the empty mug on his nightstand and laid down.

Soonyoung slowly walked over, taking his hand. "..Are you okay now, Dino?", he asked, voice barely a whisper.

He smiled softly, voice faint. "Yeah, hyung. Don't worry."

"...Are you sure?"

Chan turned to Seokmin, an expectant look on his face as a grin threatened to surface.

Seokmin took the cue and wrapped an arm around Soonyoung, chuckling softly. "He's sure. Now, let's go get some actual sleep." And like that, they were the next ones out, Jihoon following behind after gently patting Chan on the head. "Come on, Minggu. I'll help you drink your tea."

The tall kitchen witch smiled softly at the youngest before exiting.

Hansol walked over and collected the crystals before patting his younger sibling's arm. "I knew you'd be smiling again soon. Now get some sleep. I'm not going easy on you with tomorrow's basketball game."

Chan chuckled weakly. "Good. I like watching you struggle before you eventually lose five minutes later."

Hansol scoffed playfully, a smug look on his face before closing the window and getting into the bed on the other side of the room.

Jun picked up a sleeping Minghao from the floor, before whispering to Aurae. "The three of us need to talk. I'll be at the table."

She nodded, not moving from her spot.

Chan rolled to his side, looking at the last two awake people in his room. "I'm okay, Mom and Dad. You two should go to bed."

They stayed where they were.

"Really, Seungcheol Hyung and Aurae Noona. I feel fine and barely remember the dream ..I'm ...okay.. " And like that, he was asleep, a serene smile on his face.

Aurae covered him with a fresh blanket and grabbed Seungcheol's hand. "Let's go talk to Jun."

Finally looking up, he wiped his face and nodded, standing to his feet as he quietly cleared his throat. "You okay?"

She chuckled silently, leading him out of the room. "I was just about to ask you the same thing, Cheol." She hugged him tightly once they reached the end of the hallway. "This has been quite a night."

Rubbing his hands up and down her back, he sighed into her hair. "That's an understatement and you know it." 

"Ugh, don't do that or I'll fall asleep right now."

A slightly nervous chuckle left his throat. "You know you like it."

A clearing of the throat was heard, and both pulled away sheepishly as Jun handed them their mugs of Linden Leaf tea.

"So, as you can see, he's gotten way worse. This time, Chan was drowning in lava. It's still a mystery as to why it's happening."

Seungcheol placed his empty mug in the sink. "This is the third time in a row that it's happened on a full moon."

Aurae's eyes widened. "That's very true. Full moons are when everyone's powers are at their strongest. So, maybe we were wrong before and it's a witch's doing?"

The eldest male pursed his lips in thought. "But Pilan and his talkative wife Vesta already confirmed that no witches are involved."

Jun slammed his mug down, his words laced with venom. "Those two are nothing but damn liars. I saw a figure with my own three eyes."

Aurae gasped while Seungcheol leaned in closer. "What did they look like?"

"The figure had a feminine shape, two shadows, and they wore a burgundy cloak. Couldn't see their face. And every time I moved closer to them or Chan, I was pushed back to the beginning of the journey by some uncontrollable wind."

"We'll have to talk to Gao's uncle Adam... and maybe seek guidance from Koen, The Elder Witch."

"Good idea, noona."

Aurae patted Jun's shoulder. "Well, let's use the few hours we have left of the night and sleep. Goodnight."

She stood up first, lazily sauntering to her room.

The other followed shortly, going to their respective rooms.

As the sun rose, the kitchen table filled with young adults, Mingyu cooking a tasty yet nutritious breakfast with the help of a surprisingly awake Jihoon.

Seungcheol walked into the kitchen, buttoning up one of the many plaid shirts he owns. "Uh, Soonyoung, can I talk to you?"

The younger nodded, following him to the porch.

"Look... I'm sorry for yelling. You know I love you."

Soonyoung usual cheerful smile was slightly toned down. "It's okay... I know you meant well. Plus, I'm pretty sure you still don't forgive for almost killing him 10 years ago."

"For the last time, that wasn't your fault. You may be a storm witch, but you were too young to be that powerful. That was natural lightning. Plus, Chan moved away just in time."

"...Are you sure, S.Coups hyung?"

The older boy chuckled, ruffling the other's bleach blonde hair. "Yes, Hoshi. Now, let's try to stay quiet with all these nicknames. Noon--"

"So, you're Coups?"

He laughed nervously at the new presence. "..Ahaha...Noona, what a surprise to see you here this morning."

"I live here?"

Soonyoung began to laugh loudly. "Noona! You may need to check your hearing! No one said Coups, whatever that is. I said, um, ICE CREAM SCOOPS! Oh my god, we're out! Come on hyung, let's go eat breakfast then buy some." And like that, they were gone.

Shaking her head, she sauntered to the table, yawning as a plate was placed in front of her. "Mingyu, I need you to rest those hands. I'll cook dinner tonight."

The tree of a man slumped against the counter with a sigh of relief. "Sweet, a break."

A hand stopped her from picking up her spoon. She looked up to see the soon-to-be newlyweds smiling at her. "What can I do for my favorite dorky duo?"

Seokmin urged Soonyoung to go on. "Well, Aurae noona...we just want to let you know...."

----------------------------------------------

okay....so, I'll try to get all the weird terms and items, but don't be afraid to mention one I missed!

Blue Lace Agate: a crystal that brings peace of mind with its soft, cooling and calming energy.

Moonstone: a crystal that calms overreactions to situations and emotional triggers.

"so mote it be": a witchy phrase that pretty much means "And so, it is done". It's used at the end of spells and chants to emphasize it.

Sigil: In case you forgot, it's a symbol drawn with a clear intent behind it(mentioned in chapter one, Jeonghan's witch identity).

Rosie: In case you forgot, that's the name of their house. It has rose vines wrapped around it(mentioned in chapter one).

HoneyKettle: In case you forgot, that's the name of the orphanage they ran away from(mentioned in chapter one).

Lavender incense: burned to attract love-especially of a man. Also burned for cleansing, healing, happiness and relaxation.

Rose Incense: burned to increase courage, induce prophetic dreams, house blessing, fertility, healing and attract love.

Aloe Vera: can relieve the pain of abrasions, wounds, and everyday burns. Great for the skin!

Salve: an oil-based paste with typically soothing properties.

Tincture: a medicine made by soaking herbs in alcohol(usually drinking alcohol).

Arrowroot and Corn Starch: Thickening agents.

Linden Leaf: Also known as Tilo, this plant can make you calm and/or sleepy. I always find myself snoring when my mom puts even just one leaf.

Beet Root Powder: used to make things red.