Chapter Text
A young wizard stood solemnly, he had no need for a weapon, the power coursing through his veins was more than bronze or steel. He drew up his hands, and the sole onlooker stilled, anticipating the miracle they were about witness.
“ Concorporo ium ,” A spell left his lips with ease, time itself seemed to hold its breath as a red light moved from his outstretched fingers to the concoction in front of the adolescent warlock.
Then. It exploded.
Time restarted and the onlooker, a younger teen, stood, his mouth agape, now covered with the remains of the cake he and his brother had been attempting to perfect.
“Yeonjun-hyung!” He cried, wiping the spoiled whipped cream from his fringe, “You don’t have to use magic everytime we bake, dude!”
The wizard, Yeonjun, just cackled at his younger brother, now most literally dripping with cream. He stopping pointing his fingers at their dessert in progress (though now in ruins), and moved them to his brothers cheek, swiping off some of the sweet substance and popping it into his mouth.
“Mmm~! It still tastes good Kai-Kai. And it’s so boring without magic,” Yeonjun pulled out puppy-dog eyes, directing them at his brother, Kai.
Kai mumbled something under his breath, and Yeonjun isn’t sure if he’s glad or disappointed he didn’t catch it.
“That was boring anyway,” Yeonjun continued mischievously, “How about we make some lime meringue?” Kai’s eyes shot up and he quickly tilted his head as if giving a moment's consideration, though already Yeonjun knew he would acquiesce.
Lime meringue was their mother’s idea, she came up with it five years before the fire.
(It’s funny, Yeonjun once thought, about how now everything in his lifetime is defined as pre and post fire, almost like another version of BC and AD but only for him and Kai)
Kai had a bit of a sweet tooth as a toddler, but happened to also be the pickiest eater in existence. So of course, despite his immediate love for lemon meringue, he refused to eat lemons. Baby Kai’s logic was lemons “stole his colour”. You see, yellow had always been Kai’s favorite colour, and he claimed it as his own as a small child. There was a time he got mad if anything or anyone “stole it”, he thankfully grew out of this phase, but Yeonjun would make sure to never let him forget.
Lime meringue was their mother’s fix, she added loads citrus fruits to the recipe, including limes, but also lemons, though that was kept hush-hush from her youngest. To complete the dessert she safely dyed it a light green, and the dish was served with a lime slice.
It was a family staple, even after Kai lost his offense to lemons and found out the real recipe.
Yeonjun cleared the table with a swipe of his hand, looking at Kai as if to say ‘ see? I’m not entirely useless ’, though Kai seemed to be actively avoiding his gaze. His younger brother pushed an orange towards him, which was quickly joint by a knife, Yeonjun interpreted that to mean ‘ yeah, very impressive, but no more magic tricks. ’ Okay he may have added the very impressive part, but a man can dream.
Silence filled the kitchen, except for chopping, and Yeonjun smiled happily at the domestic scene… but he still decided to break it.
“So… orange you glad I messed up, now?” Yeonjun giggled merrily at his own stupid humour.
He side-eyed Kai for his reaction, hoping for a laugh or, even better, an irritated groan. Kai kept pointedly silent, and Yeonjun smirked, oh it was so on. He would make Kai react if it was the last thing he achieved in this mortal world.
He swiped a lemon from the counter an inspected it melodramatically, Kai quirked a skeptical brow, his attention now on his older brother. Yeonjun felt satisfied, it was all going according to plan.
“How long did it take you to find out lemons were in this recipe again?” He squinted his eyes as if trying to remember, and Kai snorted. Aha a small victory.
“I found out when I was nine,” Kai responded and turned back to the task in front of him. “I believe a certain person told me, I wonder who that could have been?” He added sarcastically.
Yeonjun huffed out a laugh, “I wonder,” he gave Kai back the lemon and picked up a lime instead, tossing it between his hands before speaking up again “Well I couldn’t help it my young apprentice, I could bear lime-ing to you all that time.”
Kai paused, and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing despite his best efforts. “Did you seriously just- That doesn’t even sound like lying.” Kai laughed halfway through his sentence, though it was more at Yeonjun’s face, which seemed to be practically begging for a reaction.
“Yeah but you got it!” Yeonjun fired finger guns at Kai, making small yellow sparks pop from his fingertips.
“Hyung. You’re an idiot” Kai chuckled, moving to grab more ingredients, “Think fast!” He giggled, tossing Yeonjun the lemon he had been playing with earlier, from across the room.
And Yeonjun did think fast, grinning as his mind spun to what tricks he could perform on the lemon. He could make it grow, shrink, transform it- Oh yes, that one sounds fun.
“ Rursus, uh , Figur- Facti Sunt! ” Yeonjun called, suddenly unconfident, that was… the right spell, right?
Red light blinded him, and the wizard’s heart skipped a beat. Okay, he wasn’t expecting that. He squeezed his eyes shut, bringing his hand up to his face protectively.
Suddenly the lemon hit his shoulder lightly, grounding him back into reality. Yeonjun jumped at the unexpected contact, but soon cleared his mind. And honestly, he just felt confused. His spell did something, it must have, it’s reaction was too strong to have failed, yet the fruit now in his hand felt unchanged.
“Kai…” He looked up, preparing to ask his younger sibling for his thoughts, but when he glanced up the brunette was out of sight.
“Kai!” Yoenjun’s heart now hammered in his chest, but Yeonjun was too hyped on adrenaline to notice.
He hopped the counter separating the siblings, but Kai was nowhere to be seen.
“KAI! This isn't funny,” Yeonjun’s voice was definitely laced with desperation now, but he paid it no mind.
Wide eyes spun around the room taking in details he hadn’t bothered to notice for years. Another sensation attracted his attention.
A puppy scratched at his leg.
“Can’t you see I’m a little busy right now.” Yeonjun yells, shaking his leg in an attempt to get this damn dog off.
The dog whined and, with determination, kept his claws on Yeonjun’s leg. Yeonjun gave it a glare “ Still busy.”
The dog growled slightly and Yeonjun threw it a dirty look, “See, I knew we shouldn’t of gotten a dog.” He grumbled to himself, before pausing, as a new realization hit him like a ton of bricks, “Wait, we DIDN’T get a dog.”
Yeonjun’s eyes went irrationally wider, it would have been comical if he hadn’t been so terrified.
He focused on the animal closer. Curly, light, brown hair covered the puppy’s medium frame. Brown irises met his own with a strong stare. “...Kai?”
The dog’s mouth seemed to morph into a grin before barking twice, physically shaking his head sarcastically. Oh there’s no way that’s not Kai.
Oh my god, that’s Kai.
Choi-Lee Yeonjun, you absolute idiot, the wizard thought, you actually turned your brother into a dog.
Oh this was definitely not part of the plan.
The puppy whined again, jumping off Yeonjun’s leg now he had successfully conveyed his message.
“Oh fu- oh my god, Kai! I am so… I am so sorry.” Yeonjun crouched down the dog’s level, automatically petting his curly brown fur, eyes still wide in fear. “I’m going to turn you back buddy, don’t even worry. I swear I’ll- there must be-” Yeonjun stood up, whipping his body around, trying to locate some sort of magical fix.
The boy knocked over the a bag of sugar in his panic, small crystals scattering everywhere. He quickly reached out to righten the bag, though found his elbow unceremoniously colliding with a jar of vanilla essence. The glass didn’t shatter as it fell, however it cracked and brown liquid slowly started to pour out, quickly filling the kitchen with it’s scent, a thankfully attractive one. Yeonjun was all but ready to clamber onto the kitchen counter to retrieve the jar that was slowly rolling out of his grasp.
That was until a loud bark echoed throughout the kitchen. Yeonjun stilled, redirecting his attention at his brother, who looked thoroughly unimpressed. The dog barked, quieter this time, upon realizing he finally had his brothers attention again.
He nosed the cupboard next to him, and whined, looking up at Yeonjun with literal puppy-eyes.
He couldn’t be serious, Yeonjun thought.
“N-No. No way.” Yeonjun stuttered, but kept his ground.
Kai whined and pushed harder at the door, which shook slightly at the contact, though was prevented from opening by a lock.
“I will figure it out on my own Huening-Kai, we agreed on this before.” Yeonjun turned, heading towards their small library they had set up over the years. There had to be something on human-animal transformations in there…
However the dog growled menacingly, barking loudly once more, and Yeonjun stopped in his tracks. Damn why did dog-Kai have to be so intimidating?
Yeonjun spun on his heel, scowling. However when he met eyes with Kai, he stopped for the third time. For so long it had been just them, stuck with each other their entire lives. The brothers could have entire conversations with a single glance, and Yeonjun could now see a single emotion practically radiating from his little brother. Fear.
Of course he was terrified, Yeonjun chastised himself silently, the warlock was three years older and had been out of his wits just a minute prior.
“Kai…” He whispered, sighing in defeat, “After all these years…? I don’t know, baby… are you sure?”
Kai came before everything, damn well before Yeonjun’s own pride or fears, but that doesn’t mean the wizards anxieties are magically erased.
Kai whined again, looking up and nodding, ‘ Yes, hyung. He’ll be able to help, have a little faith. ’
“I’ll try Kai,” Yeonjun mumbled, fishing through an overflowing pocket in his robe.
After a few tries (he first pulled out a pack of playing cards, for some reason there were only the black suits left, an empty glass vile that somehow lived to tell the tale of being in Yeonjun’s pocket, a whole carrot, yeah even Yeonjun found that one weird, and how the hell did a pair of worn out boots fit in there?) Yeonjun pulled out a rusted key.
It was ornate but old, gold plating stuck on stubbornly to less corroded plains of the metal.
“Here goes nothing.” The locked clicked, and the cabinet creaked open.
The area was empty except for a note and bulky letter laying untouched near the back, a layer of dust settled over them. Yeonjun grabbed the pair of items, snapping the door shut.
“Dear boys,” Yeonjun read the letter out loud, “Open this letter when you are ready to reunite with your past… I know you two may harbor resentment towards the person this information concerns, but know, he will always be there for you in a moment of concern. I hope, no, I know, that within time one of you will reach out. Yeonjun, you are a powerful young man, and so is your older brother. Together you’d maximize that power, however that is a journey to explore another time. Open this when you need it, for I’m sure you will.” Yeonjun grumbled at that part, “Best of wishes, Choi-Lee Bora.”
Yeonjun picked up the envelope carefully as if the paper may burn him. He glanced at Kai.
“For both our sakes... let’s hope Minho has grown up a little bit since we were kids.”
Yeonjun took a breath before opening the envelope, what seemed like dozens of papers burst out, like water from a broken dam. Yeonjun remembered his older brother, of course he did, but Minho made his decision when Yeonjun was 9. He had abandoned their family, broken it before it was truly shattered, and he really didn’t want to let that boy… man, now… back in. But, for Kai. For Kai he would do anything. And if that meant finding a more experienced magic user to properly, painlessly, turn him back, then damn any personal problems Yeonjun may have.
“Minho-hyung…” The name felt strange on his tongue after all these years, “I guess I’ll see you soon.”
Kai barked, and Yeonjun shook his head, bemused
He had just turned his brother into a dog, and agreed on an adventure to find his long-lost brother… what a weird ass day man.
But don’t you worry, it’s going to get weirder.