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The kitchen table is too small to fit everyone inside so they're the only ones sitting, Yoohyun directly across from him with a firm, foreign look in his eyes. Members of his guild stand around him like a mass of funeral attendees: black suits, stiff faces, blurry countenances.
It certainly feels like one with how silent the room is as Yoojin breathes through a rage so potent that his mouth tastes like blood. He refuses to let his hands shake as he reads through the prepared family custody documents Yoohyun's HR manager gingerly placed in front of him with a quiet request to review and sign as soon as possible.
Yoojin deliberately takes his time to read through the pages, noting all the ways slippery legal jargon twisted and turned simple phrases into incongruous monsters that were supposed to deter him from examining their points any closer. Yoojin keeps reading though, taking his time and making sure everyone here knows that this is a purposeful act. And what can they do? They need his signature.
They need Yoojin's permission to take Yoohyun away.
The document is shorter than expected and he reaches the last page just as it hits 11PM. Some guild members have gotten restless in the meantime, shuffling in the quiet when their legs became too agitated from waiting.
Only Yoohyun and his HR manager, Suk Simyeong, stay as still as they came in, cold and unmoving in the oppressive silence Yoojin builds. Yoojin flips the last piece of paper to the back of the pile and taps twice to align everything neatly. He lays the document on the table, face up, and folds his hands across it; he doesn't need to look up to see how impatient everyone has gotten.
"I see," Yoojin says, blandly. "And who prepared this?"
The head of Yoohyun's legal department steps up and offers his card with two hands. Yoojin does not take it and the man lays it awkwardly onto the table.
"Yes, Kim Daejoon, I'm the head of the legal department at Haeyeon Guild. If you have any questions about any points made in the document, I will be glad to explain."
"Did I ask for clarification?" Yoojin asks, mild.
"Well, no, but most legal documents tend to be circuitous and I know it couldn't have been easy to parse-."
Yoojin cuts him off with a smile. "Then the question still stands, I didn't ask for clarification. You want me to sign my custodial rights over Han Yoohyun to Haeyeon Guild."
"Yoojin," Yoohyun says reproachfully, his face set in a look of anger. "Just sign it."
Yoojin has to hide a laugh, it's almost adorable how Yoohyun thinks he looks like anything but a child playacting, like he has any say in what's going on here.
"Han Yoohyun."
Yoojin doesn't know what face he's making, only knowing that it's the first time he's made eye contact with his little brother since he came in with guild members in hand and a demand that he signs his custody away on his lips. But he doesn't need a mirror to know it's not pleasant, seeing Yoohyun rapidly pale and take a quick glance down in automatic shame is enough.
"I didn't raise you to be rude." Yoojin says, still in that mild as milk tone. "The adults are speaking. If you want to stay and say your piece, you will be patient, you will speak politely and you will not lose your temper. Do you understand me?"
Yoohyun says nothing in a bid to act like he wasn't affected by the pall that's fallen over the room.
"Han Yoohyun, this is the only time I'll repeat myself. Do you understand me? That's a yes or no question."
"...Yes, hyung."
"Thank you," he says to Yoohyun's bowed head. "Now, as for the rest of you."
He smiles at Yoohyun's employees, steepling his fingers in front of him so he doesn't start throwing punches. Yoojin doesn't care if he's not awakened and if any of these people could flatten him in less than a second. He's furious, he's boiling in hot rage and he may actually kill someone tonight.
"I see several adults trying to coerce a minor - and yes, that's what Yoohyun is, as long as he's under 19, he is a child in the eyes of the law - into signing his rights away to a group of strangers."
Daejoon immediately understands what Yoojin is implying.
"Now, Yoojin-ssi, that's a bit presumptuous-."
"Is it? Did you or did you not just come into my home, with my child in hand, asking me to sign over the parental rights I gained when our parents passed?" Yoojin's voice is steady but mocking now. "As a guild, Haeyeon is less than a year old. You're not established, you're not important. You plan to prop up the guild's reputation off of Yoohyun's back, off of his S Class rank."
"Did any of you think," Yoojin asks, venomous, making pointed eye contact with every adult in the room. "About what this looks like? In my eyes, you're trying to groom my child."
"Hyung!" Yoohyun cries, aghast as he stands up. "That's not what's going on, you're being ridiculous!"
"Sit down, Yoohyun." Yoojin says, not even looking at his brother.
He's looking at everyone else instead, cataloging every twitch of the mouth and wince around the eyes. He knows he hits a spot when Daejoon snarls and Simyeong scoffs.
"Please calm down, Yoojin-ssi," Simyeon says, clearly not taking any of Yoojin's words seriously. "Please reconsider. You aren't able to care for Han Yoohyun's particular needs as an S Class, we can help with that financially and physically."
"I am calm," Yoojin replies, cheerful with his heart beat pounding in his ears. "If I were any more calm, I'd be dead."
"Do you want that Simyeong-ssi? Because that's the only way you're getting custody over Yoohyun." Yoojin grins like he's baring his teeth.
Simyeong looks at him with eyes that practically scream yes, but he wouldn't be where he was if he were that easy to rile up so Yoojin just smiles again, softer this time.
"We aren't here to make threats, Yoojin-ssi," Simyeong replies, unflappable. "You're smarter than you appear, you know what the right thing to do is."
"Just sign the damn paper," Yoohyun grouses and rips the document from under Yoojin's elbows roughly to slam it down in front of him. "I'm sick and tired of this, I want to go back to the guild. Just stop it, hyung. I need to go back to work."
"Han Yoohyun, go to your room."
Yoohyun looks at him like he has just been slapped.
"No!" he replies, bewildered. "I'm not a kid, just - just stop this and let me go."
"Go to your fucking room, Yoohyun. Now."
And it's like a primal, primordial instinct in Yoohyun's brain was unlocked as he went into his room and shut the door without a look back. No one wanted to say he ran, but the way he was there one second and gone the next didn't help.
Guild members exchange terrified glances and no one wants to look at the growing miasma around the supposedly soft and kind older brother Yoohyun had once described. He wasn't there anymore, it was just a vision of rage and protective instinct so fervent it turned into some kind of physical manifestation of pressure that had the room sweating. The heat had actually risen to nearly unbearable in the second that Yoohyun's door shut.
"How dare you? How dare you threaten me in my own fucking home, in front of my little brother?" Yoojin spits, letting loose now that his brother was safe and away from ground zero. "Who gives a damn if he's an S Class? Did you think I sat here twiddling my fucking thumbs when he first awakened? Who do you think cared for him when he went catatonic that first day? Who do you think taught him control? Who the fuck do you think you are to tell me what's best for the child I raised?"
"His power is only increasing and whatever you did won't work long term," Simyeong reasons, the only one standing against the mysterious onslaught of dread in the air. "We didn't have to consult you about this, we're here just out of courtesy."
"Courtesy? If this was a courtesy, you wouldn't be here." Yoojin laughs, mean and loud. "We're seeing a changing world come together but the laws haven't caught up just yet. You need me, you need me because the law in my favor. But Simyeong-ssi, you fucked up the minute you tried to hold Yoohyun over my head."
Yoojin is so angry he can't even think anymore, he's just lashing out where he knows it hurts the most. He's never been great with words but he feels reborn in his all encompassing fury and he aims it all at the guild full of adults relying on a child.
"You're all fucking pathetic, just the lowest scum of the earth." he snarls. "You'd rather push my brother to the top and let him shoulder the weight of this new world instead of doing anything yourselves."
He's twisting to catch every face as he gives them his piece of mind. These faceless cowards that can't even look him in the eyes as he lays into them.
"You're disgusting, every single one of you. None of you are worth the labor your mothers' went through," and Yoojin hates himself for it, but he's always been an angry crier and he can feel the sting of tears as they fall over his cheeks. "He's just a child and you want him to carry everything himself; you see his power and think he's a good tool now, but he's a child. He didn't even finish high school."
"Every single one of you are hiding behind the excuse of his rank," Yoojin says, scathing. "None of you can even pretend you care about him as a person, I'm the only one here to protect Yoohyun."
The room is silent.
"Get the hell out of my house." Yoojin says, tired and tearful. "If you're not out in 20 seconds, I'm calling the authorities and the Hunter's Association."
"Yoojin-ssi, you're being overemotional. Please reconsider, think of your safety."
"I know my legal rights, Suk Simyeong. You won't win this. Get out."
And even though it's a futile gesture, he locks the door as everyone but Simyeong flees the room. Yoojin had to give Simyeong props for persistence because he tried to leave his card before taking a face full of paper as Yoojin threw their stupid, insulting document out with them and shut the door in the middle of his goodbye threat. He can't muster up the fear to care about any future consequences that action will have.
Yoojin wants to cry more, maybe lay down and sleep away the pounding anger-induced migraine he's been sitting in but he has a kid in the other room waiting for him. He wipes at his eyes and shakes his hands out; they had been clenched so tightly throughout the entire farce of a situation that they started to hurt. He wants to be calm in front of Yoohyun, all the anger left when the guild did.
Yoojin knocks on Yoohyun's door and waits for an answer. Most people would be afraid that Yoohyun left without saying a word, but his brother was a good boy who listened well. Yoohyun was also probably still reeling from hearing something like that come out of his mouth. Yoojin made it a point to never be angry or curse in front of Yoohyun to set a good example - to see both aimed at him specifically must've been earth shattering.
"Yoohyun, can I come in?" Yoojin calls through the door.
"Come in." Yoohyun's muffled voice replies, close and quick like he was waiting against the door.
Yoohyun is the perfect picture of misery; he's clasped his hands tight on his thighs and his back is ramrod straight and tense as he sits against the wall. He's not looking at Yoojin in the eyes and he's bouncing his right leg in a fast set pace that almost looks like it's blurring.
"Do you want to talk now or do you want to take a break?" Yoojin asks, soft and careful.
It's such a different tone than what Yoohyun was sent away with that he looks up and makes blank eye contact. They're quiet for a moment, taking each other in. Yoojin should have taken more time to clean himself up, or at least pressed a cold spoon against his eyes to ease the swelling, but anyone would have been able to see he had just finished crying.
Yoojin sees the moment it clicks in Yoohyun's head and there's a flash of broken guilt on his young face before it crumples completely. He buries his head in his hands as he quietly cries and Yoojin feels the last of his anger, fear and resentment fall to pieces. He's always been weak to his little brother, and a Yoohyun guilty enough to cry, when Yoohyun never cried even as a young child was something he could have never defended against.
"Come here," Yoojin whispers as he sits on his knees in between Yoohyun's spread legs to gather him in his arms. "It's okay, baby. It's okay."
Yoohyun is bigger than him now, even at just 17, and it makes Yoojin's heart ache to see the child he raised into the beautiful young man before him break down like he was nothing but a toddler seeking comfort after a nightmare. He can feels the echoes of the past where his little brother would crawl into his bed when he couldn't sleep as he holds Yoohyun's head against his chest and lets the boy cry into his shoulder.
"It's not," Yoohyun gasps. "I made you cry. I hurt you and made you cry, hyung."
"No, no," Yoojin coos, running his hand through Yoohyun's hair soothingly, brushing back wavy strands to push a kiss onto his forehead. "That wasn't you, I was just mad at those people. My little brother could never hurt me like that."
Yoohyun gives a full body flinch and Yoojin wishes he could take it back. It was a lie, Yoohyun did hurt him, he was hurt and so disappointed to see what Yoohyun had tried to do. He's never lied to Yoohyun either and he knows that this is something they'll have to talk about together - later though, after this. Right now, he has an armful of a remorseful, tired, and crying child and like he's been hardwired to do his entire life, he needs to comfort him.
"My Yoohyun, I'm sorry I got mad at you and hurt you," Yoojin apologizes, murmuring against his forehead and rubbing slow circles onto Yoohyun's broad back. "But- but you scared me. You scared me so much."
"I'm sorry," Yoohyun replies, tears still flowing out of his eyes. "I'm so sorry, hyung. I know, I'm different and scary now and I'm not your little brother in that way anymo-."
"No, no," Yoojin takes Yoohyun's face in between his hands to make sure his little brother (his child, his entire world) looked at him and could see what he was saying was the truth. "You are, have been, and will always be my little brother. You didn't scare me like that, you scared me when you tried to leave. You scared me because I thought I must have done something terrible to make you hate me."
"I could never hate you!" Yoohyun insists, holding a hand against Yoojin's and the other around his waist to press closer. "You're the only good thing I have left. I just- I just wanted to protect you."
"I've already made some enemies and the thought that they could so easily get to hyung made me want to burn the entire world down so no one could ever hurt you." Yoohyun confesses, soft and shameful. "I would have done it too, hyung. I would've hurt everyone there who said anything against you."
"And you don't think I wouldn't do the same for you, Yoohyun?" Yoojin smiles, rubbing at Yoohyun's cheeks - they're thinner than they were months ago and a new ache builds in his chest. "I wanted to kill Suk Simyeong with my bare hands when he demanded I sign away all my parental rights."
"You're mine," Yoojin kisses Yoohyun on the forehead again.
"My little brother," A kiss on the nose.
"My child," A kiss on his left cheek.
"The reason I get up in the mornings," A kiss on the right.
"The only one who has ever made me happy," A kiss on his chin.
"And Yoohyun," Yoojin looks him in the eyes again. "We're family, we're the only family we have left. We protect each other, okay? Don't do things on your own anymore, your hyung is always here for you."
Yoohyun's shoulders fall like Yoojin took a physical burden off of him and Yoojin can't help but smile and tuck his big little brother into the crook of his neck firmly.
"Okay, alright. I'm so sorry, hyung. I love you so so so much. More than anything. More than anyone, now and forever."
Yoohyun's arms come up to wrap around him around the waist and across his shoulder, gentle and warm like he's holding something fragile and precious, like he's being encompassed entirely. It's a new and familiar feeling, something that Yoojin had desperately missed in the months that Yoohyun had been distancing himself slowly. But Yoojin can appreciate and learn to protect this blossoming understanding between with everything his weak body could give. Just as long as his little brother is around, he's good with whatever comes their way.
"I forgive you. And I'm sorry too, baby. I love you more with each new day and I will keep loving you until I'm long gone and even then. I love you so much, my precious little brother."
Yoohyun holds him ever closer and nods as he lets out a small sigh and sniffle.
"Also, you're grounded."
----
[A new skill has been activated!
Mother's Wrath (L)
Strike fear into the hearts of everyone in the affected area! Influenced targets are 5x more likely to be affected.]