Saturday night
The air outside the castle was crisp and clear. Night had settled deep, stars sharp against the black sky, and a fire crackled in the stone courtyard. The flames threw gold light across everyone's faces, chasing the cold away.
Han sat cross-legged on a log, fully recovered, with a skewered fish in his hands. No wobble. No dizziness. Just him, turning the fish over the fire like he hadn't spent weeks barely able to stand. Across from him, Taejoon was doing the same, though he kept glancing at Han every few seconds like he still expected him to tip over. Old habits.
Around the fire, everyone was packed in tight. The Alpha Boys — Harrison, Lorenzo, Ace, Adriel, Hudson, Caleb — all sprawled out, arguing about the best way to roast a fish. The idols — Jace, Kai, and their Adriel — were bunched together, already looking more polished even in casual clothes. Alexander sat slightly back, watching all of them with a quiet look on his face.
Past the circle of light, both vampires and werewolves stood guard. Still. Silent. Their eyes caught the firelight, but they didn't interrupt. This was a family moment, and even security knew it.
"Mine's cooking faster," Lorenzo declared, holding up a charred fish. "Because I'm skilled."
"Because you put it in the actual flames, idiot," Harrison said, kicking dirt at him. "That's not cooked, that's cremated."
"Still edible," Lorenzo bit into it, then immediately regretted his life choices. "Okay, not edible."
Everyone laughed. Han actually laughed, loud and easy, no pain behind it. Taejoon watched him for a second too long before remembering his own fish was burning.
"Trade me," Han said, already holding his perfectly cooked one out to Taejoon. "Before you poison yourself."
"Shut up," Taejoon muttered, but he took it. Their fingers brushed. Neither of them pulled away fast.
Ace, who was filming again, zoomed in. "For the archives," he said when Taejoon glared at him.
The conversation drifted, the way it does around fires. Hudson was telling a story about Caleb trying to "help" in the kitchen last week and nearly setting a towel on fire. Caleb defended himself: "It was for warmth!" Jace was shaking his head, while Kai just smiled into his fish like he was meditating.
Then Harrison stretched and said, "We should stay a few more days. Before we head back to the human world." He glanced at Alexander. "Re-enter society. Resuming our daily lives as idols and all that."
"You mean go back to screaming fans and no sleep?" Ace groaned. "Yeah, can't wait."
Jace shook his head, more serious. "We can't. We have shows lined up. Two comebacks. Three variety recordings. The company's been blowing up our phones."
"Our Adriel" — the idols' one — nodded. "If we don't go back soon, our manager's gonna have an aneurysm. And we've got that new song to record."
The fire popped. For a second, the mood went quiet. Leaving meant real life again. Schedules. Distance. Not all being in the same castle.
Alexander was the one who sighed. He poked at the fire with a stick, watching sparks rise. "I'm going to miss this," he said simply. "All of you. Like this. No titles, no politics. Just… us."
Han went still. So did Taejoon. They weren't the only ones.
Jace looked up at Alexander, then smiled, soft. "Then visit. You should come to the human world sometimes. See what the screaming fans are like. We'll get you backstage passes."
"You'd hate it," Kai added, deadpan. "Too loud."
"Probably," Alexander said. But he was smiling too. He looked around the circle — at the Alpha Boys bickering, at the idols leaning on each other, at Taejoon and Han sitting shoulder to shoulder. His voice went quieter, but firm. "I will. And just so we're clear… it's not only Taejoon and Han who are my sons."
He met each of their eyes, one by one. "All of you are family now. After everything… you're mine. All of you."
Nobody spoke for a beat. The fire crackled. Somewhere past the walls, a wolf guard shifted, but the sound was distant.
Then Hudson snorted. "Sap."
"Shut up, Hudson," Lorenzo said, but he was blinking fast.
Caleb was already wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "Don't make me cry before I eat this fish."
"Too late," Ace said, and his voice was rougher than usual. He wasn't filming anymore.
Han looked down at his fish, but his throat was tight. Taejoon didn't say anything. He just knocked his knee against Han's, solid and there.
Jace laughed, watery. "Family, huh? Guess we're stuck with you old man."
"Guess so," Alexander said, and the corner of his mouth turned up.
Everyone chuckled then. Soft at first, then louder, until it was real laughter again, echoing off the castle walls. The guards didn't move, but if you looked close, one of the vampires had the smallest smile.
Han leaned back, letting the warmth of the fire and the people sink into him. No chairs. No stairs. No catching him. Just here. Just now.
He caught Taejoon looking at him again. This time, Han didn't look away. He just smirked and held his fish out. "Bite?"
Taejoon rolled his eyes. "You're such a brat."
"Your brat," Han said before he could think about it.
Taejoon froze. Then he took a bite, and muttered, "Yeah. Mine."
Nobody heard it over the laughter and the fire. But Han did. And that was enough.
The laughter around the fire was still going. Harrison was arguing with Lorenzo about fish-cooking techniques again. Caleb was trying to roast a marshmallow on a stick that was way too short. It was easy to slip away.
Taejoon stood, tugging at Han's sleeve. "Come on," he said, voice low. "For a sec."
Han frowned, confused, but let himself be pulled up. "What? Did I burn the fish that bad?"
Taejoon didn't answer. He just led Han past the circle of light, past where the guards stood at attention, toward the quiet shadow of the castle wall. The noise from the fire dulled with every step, replaced by crickets and the soft crunch of grass under their boots.
When they stopped, it was just the two of them. The fire was a warm glow behind them, distant enough that they were alone but close enough to still feel safe.
Han looked at him, eyebrows drawn together. "Taejoon? What's—"
Taejoon didn't say anything. He just looked at Han — really looked, like he was memorizing him. The firelight caught in Han's eyes, and for a second Taejoon's breath caught too. Then he stepped in and kissed him.
Han froze. His brain short-circuited. Taejoon's lips were warm, and they tasted like smoke and salt from the fish, and Han's hands didn't know where to go.
Then his body decided before his brain could. His eyes shut, and he kissed back. One hand fisted in Taejoon's jacket. The other came up to his jaw, hesitant, then sure.
It wasn't long. Couldn't be, not with everyone twenty feet away. But it was real. It was them, after weeks of chairs and stairs and near-death and hands that didn't let go.
They pulled apart slowly, foreheads almost touching. Both breathing harder than they should've been.
Taejoon didn't step back. He caught both of Han's hands in his, holding them tight. His thumb found Han's ring finger, bare, and started rubbing small, absent circles there. Like he was imagining something.
"Han," Taejoon said, and his voice was rough. Not from disuse this time. From nerves. "I've been… god, I've been thinking about this since you woke up. Since before. Since you almost—" He cut himself off, swallowed. "You scared me. And then you stayed. And I stayed. And I don't want to stop staying. Ever."
Han's heart was hammering. "Taejoon—"
"I love you," Taejoon said, simple. Like it was a fact.. And I brought you here because I—"
His free hand went to his pocket. He was about to drop to one knee. You could see it in his eyes, in the way his whole body was bracing for it. For the real reason he'd pulled Han away.
"Boys!" Alexander's voice cut through the night, clear and carrying. "Alright, that's enough fresh air. Everyone head back in. It's very late."
Taejoon flinched like he'd been shot. His hand froze halfway out of his pocket.
Han blinked, dazed, still caught between the kiss and the almost-proposal and Alexander's timing.
From the fire, Harrison yelled back, "Five more minutes!"
"Now," Alexander said, and that was the dad voice. No arguing.
Taejoon closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, he looked like he wanted to commit murder. He exhaled, slow, and his thumb was still on Han's ring finger. He didn't take his hand out of his pocket.
"Of course," Taejoon muttered. "Of course he—" He stopped himself and looked at Han. Really looked. "Can we… later? I need to—"
"Yeah," Han said immediately, even though his head was spinning. "Yeah. Later. Whatever it is." He squeezed Taejoon's hands. "I'm not going anywhere. You said so yourself."
That got a small, pained smile out of Taejoon. "Right. I did." He brought Han's knuckles to his lips, quick, before letting go. "Come on. Before he sends a search party."
They walked back to the fire together. Not touching, but close. Too close for it to be casual, if anyone was paying attention.
No one was. Everyone was too busy putting out the fire and gathering trash and complaining about curfews. Ace was still trying to save his "medical documentation" of Han.
Alexander looked between Taejoon and Han as they rejoined the group. His eyes narrowed, just for a second. Like he knew. Then his expression smoothed out.
"Inside," he said. "All of you."
Han glanced at Taejoon. Taejoon's hand was shoved in his pocket, clenched around something Han couldn't see. He met Han's eyes and mouthed, _Later._
Han nodded. His lips still tingled.