Chapter Text
As Yoongi stared up at the towering cottage in front of him, he couldn’t help his mouth twist into a disgusted sneer. What an absurd display of lavish opulence, but he guessed that was one of the perks of being in the best coven of curse breakers in at least a hundred years. It had at least three main floors before tapering off into a final tower at the top, the outer decks and staircases covered in lush and blooming flora. Yoongi wondered how much junk they needed to be able to fill the thing. It had to be at least ten times the size of his own place back in Interitus and yet every window glowed with warm light. Yoongi shuttered to think of the electricity bill.
The social worker next to him motioned for him to start up the stairs first, and Yoongi steeled himself for the climb ahead. Whose stupid idea was it to build a house that took at least twenty stairs just to reach the front door? Despite efforts to pace himself, he found himself rapidly tiring about halfway up. He had no choice but to pause, grasping at the front of his shirt as he panted for air.
“Yoongi-shi?” came the social worker’s voice from behind him. Heavens above was he sick of her faux concern. She’d been assigned to his case for over a month now, and her inflection hadn’t changed in the slightest as he’d been shuffled between coven after coven. “Should I get you help?”
If he’d had the breath, he would have told her off. As it stood, all he could do was push out a determined “no” on the next exhale. Thankfully, she didn’t offer again, and after a few moments, they continued up the stairs.
By the time they reached the top, Yoongi was gasping for air again. His legs shook from exertion and his arms ached from how he’d used the railings to haul himself up. But he’d made it, and he was never going to leave again for the rest of his stay.
The social worker was already knocking on the front door, so Yoongi hauled himself fully upright and focused on using the last moments to forcibly slow his breathing. The door opened to reveal a young man with curly black hair and doe eyes. Those said doe eyes got impossibly wider as the social worker introduced them, and he quickly ushered them inside.
“I’m so sorry. Jimin-hyung was waiting to let you in through the glass door downstairs. Please take a seat while I page everyone.” The closest royal purple couch gave in nicely when Yoongi sat on it, eyes flitting about the room to take in everything as the man moved to a literal intercom system and began to speak into it. Behind the adjacent couch there was a glass cabinet and a bookshelf filled with artifacts, books, and filled glass containers. The string art sigil above them drew his attention up where he caught sight of the geometric wrought iron chandelier that lit the room in a cozy glow.
“I apologize for the miscommunication.” Yoongi was drawn back down to the voice, a man with brown hair in a side part stood next to the fireplace in front of him. His broad shoulders gave the impression of someone akin to royalty while the laid back clothes said otherwise. “We had planned for you to come up the easier route due to your condition, but I see you’ve made it up well enough on your own. I’m Seokjin. Please call me Jin. This here is Jungkook.” He gestured to the young man who had opened the door for them. “Jimin and Taehyung should be up any-” He cut off as a blonde slid around the corner on socked feet. “Moment,” Seokjin finished with a fond smile as a fourth, more serious man joined them.
“I’m Jimin,” the blonde started, “and this is Taehyung.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Yoongi,” Yoongi murmured awkwardly in the wake of Jimin’s enthusiasm.
“Would you or Soohyun-noona like any refreshments before we get started?” Jin offered.
Noona? Yoongi hadn’t bothered to remember his social worker’s name and here they were calling her noona?
“I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay for the debrief this time,” Soohyun responded as she stood. “I have other work I must get back to, but I’m sure Yoongi will be taken care of in your capable hands. Please don’t hesitate to contact me tomorrow if it turns out that this is not a beneficial partnership.” She spoke as if Yoongi had a choice in being here. Although he supposed that now that he was at the top there could come a point when he was labeled a lost cause rather than being escalated to the next level of skilled curse breaker. The thought gave him conflicted feelings. On the one hand, he’d been through so many covens at this point, he wasn’t sure he’d have the curse broken. However, at the same time, the thought of having to live with this curse forever was disheartening to say the least.
“Ok, how about I grab you some refreshments before we go over the paperwork? Paperwork is awful, but refreshments make everything better.” Jin had returned from seeing Soohyun to the door, and in the face of his encouragement, Yoongi could only nod.
Ten minutes later, Jin was setting tea and pastries on the table. The others who had since sat on the adjacent couch didn’t hesitate to dig in, but Yoongi could only continue picking at his nails as he waited for someone to start.
After a few bites, it was Jin. “Do you have any questions before we get into the paperwork and what your time here will look like, Yoongi-shi?”
And for some reason, Yoongi chose to blurt, “I thought there were six of you.”
But Jin only smiled indulgently. “Yes, Hoseokie and Namjoonie are currently away on business. Hopefully, we’ll have you all better and home by the time they return though. Anything else?” Yoongi shook his head. “Ok, we’ll dive right in then.” He slid the first piece of paper in front of him. “This is your basic code of conduct for your stay. Obvious things like stealing, intoxicants, and sexual misconduct are nos. Lying is also a no as communication will be vital in making sure we’re all on the same page about your condition and how best to treat it. You’ll be required to follow your daily schedule without fail, and listen to any of the coven members regarding adjustments that may need to be made. Any questions so far?”
Yoongi took a moment to scrunch his toes in the plush, purple oriental rug as he briefly thought before shaking his head. “Great,” Jin continued as he slid over another piece of paper. “This is your daily schedule. Did any of the other covens give you a schedule?”
Yoongi shook his head, then cleared his throat. “Not to this level of detail.” The schedule in front of him was intimidating from the wakeup call to the fact that he didn’t see much time to get to do what he wanted to do. He wasn’t sure what he’d want to do, but to have every last minute planned out like this…
“It can take some getting used to, but we believe a strict schedule allows for regulation of the body and mind further releasing tensions and allowing for healing and even growth. It starts with a six am wake up every morning in order to be ready for sunrise at 6:30. Seven o’clock will start some physical activity, usually something light, before breakfast at eight. Afterwards, is scheduled time for you to chat with me about the nature of your condition. I might ask you more about how it came about, how it currently feels, if you feel there’s been any improvement while you’ve been here. Really this time is to not only help us learn more about your curse, but also another point of communication to make sure everything is going well. Every bit of information can affect your treatment plan. There will be time to rest just before lunch at noon. After lunch there will be a meditative walk followed by core reflection. You don’t need to worry about the details of those right now; we’ll teach you later. You’ll have a chance for a stationary meditation just before a light dinner at six. After that, you’ll have time for personal studies. This is a time for you to complete any homework we may have assigned you or anything else you’d like to work on. Solemn silence starts at nine o’clock. Then, it’s lights out at ten pm. Any questions or concerns?”
“What’s solemn silence?”
“All of us in this house have taken an oath of solemn silence. There will be no talking after nine pm. It is to encourage inner reflection alignment of the self…Anything else?”
“What if…I can’t?”
“You will.” The way Jin said it wasn’t so much assurance as force. Yoongi was going to do it because he had to. Could wasn’t even a question in the discussion.
“Yoongi-shi,” Jimin started. “It can be difficult to adjust, but we’re all here to help you. We’ll make sure you keep to the schedule until it becomes second nature. We’re not expecting you to perfectly execute it by yourself, but we are expecting you to trust us and do your best.”
Yoongi took a moment to digest it before nodding to continue. Jin slid over a third piece of paper. “This is your contract. Usual contract terms range from ten days to two weeks, but considering the complexity of your condition and the amount of time you’ve spent so far, we thought it would be best to have the contract continue indefinitely until the time in which we found a solution.”
“And if you don’t find a solution?” Yoongi asked hesitantly.
“We have yet to run into a case such as that. Any final questions or concerns?” Yoongi shook his head. “Good,” Jin finished as he handed over a pen with a flourish.
Yoongi took one last moment to wonder if he was crazy before he signed his name.