captain-needs-threopy - Tumblr blog

captain-needs-threopy · 9 months ago

Text

Crying, laughing, screaming all the emotions I didn't ask for

Amazing as always ❤️

Inception

Ateez Ot8 x Reader

Chapter 49

Finally, the moment of truth everyone! Grab your tissues! As usual, big thanks to @rocker7898 for editing! <3

Yunho’s POV

Leaving her knowing what would happen was undoubtedly the hardest thing I had to do. As much as I wanted to be selfish and be the mate she needed, I couldn’t. I never loathed my gifts as much as I did in the moment I realized they would prove useless to her. If the situation were different, and she needed me, I would have laid everything I had at her feet to be her first choice. Instead, I was stuck here, my feet rooted to the floor of the front foyer, belonging to the home of the dragon that would be taking my place. I stared down at the dark marble, seconds away from letting the unbearable pain in my chest swallow me. A deep sigh to my left hardly registered as Hongjoong was the first to make his way through the front entryway, deeper into the castle.

“I need a fucking drink.”

With hardly a thought, I followed him into the nearest sitting room, drinking not being a half bad idea. Hongjoong ran a hand through his hair, attempting to fix the disheveled silvery mess, while his eyes scanned the cart stocked full of various liquors. I didn’t bother waiting for him to choose, swiping a bottle of whiskey before carrying it across the room and perching myself on one of the windowsills. I popped the top off, bringing the drink to my lips for a few large gulps to get myself started.

“This sucks.” Wooyoung huffed, dropping himself haphazardly onto one of the couches.

He threw one arm over his eyes, grumbling under his breath as San took the open seat beside him. I didn’t bother vocalizing my agreement, we all felt the same way about it. I could feel the sea of emotions riding the bond between us, mirroring my own restlessness and misery. Underneath it all was another emotion that I knew didn’t belong to any of the seven currently in the room together. My grip on the bottle’s neck tightened as I shoved the thought of tapping into that connection further down, where it was hopefully inaccessible. Maybe after a couple of bottles it would be.

Easier said than done when the bond between us and Yeosang flared to life.

Mingi’s expression twisted in despair, his eyes slowly meeting mine from across the room. I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat burning more than any whiskey, as I looked away. While that single gentle thrum in my shared bonds pulsed beckoningly, I could feel my heart breaking. The desire to slip into that moment with Yeosang, to feel what he felt with Y/N, was overwhelming. Even more so when I considered the possibility that it might be the only time I’d get to experience at least a sliver of that happiness.

With great effort, I lifted the bottle again, drowning that urge and my heartache simultaneously.

“What if…” San’s voice was quiet, but it pierced the silent room as if he had shouted, the tremble in it catching everyone’s attention.

He rubbed his palms over his thighs, gripping his knees to keep them still as he took a steadying breath.

“What if this does break the bond?”

The silence that followed was different from before, his question leaving a lingering tension that put all of us on edge, more than we already were. No one dared entertain the thought, not even with the risk of it happening as we spoke. I let the whiskey drop from my fingers, the glass thunking onto the windowsill, garnering the room’s attention.

“Does it matter? I still intend on making her queen of Lodor if she wants it.”

My words were sharp, San quickly looking away as he shifted uncomfortably across the room. It didn’t matter whether the bond between Y/N and I disappeared, bond or no bond, I knew what I felt for her.

“Even if it meant risking any future mate?” Hongjoong challenged my words, lifting an eyebrow as he brought his own liquor to his lips.

I leveled a glare on him, latching onto the irritation he sparked within me.

“If my dragon ever wanted someone else, I wouldn’t.”

“And when it came time to relinquish your throne and you have no heir to give it to, what then?” Hongjoong hummed, unperturbed by my hostility.

“My throne would belong to her heir.” I snapped, standing from the windowsill to face Hongjoong head on.

The animosity I turned to him coated the room like thick miasma, the others glancing between us, some in shock and the rest wondering if they should mediate the tension. Hongjoong finally realized he had pushed too far, his undisturbed demeanor changing to the defense as I squared up to him. He set his own bottle down, eyes filled with warning as he looked up at me.

“You’d hand your kingdom to Merene?”

“I’d hand my kingdom to the heir of its queen. Regardless of whether they were mine or not.”

The lopsided grin that overtook Hongjoong’s face irritated me beyond belief, part of me ready to rip him apart if he dared condescend me. I took half a threatening step his direction before his words stopped me dead.

“Good.”

“Excuse me?”

I wasn’t the only one filled with confusion. Everyone snapped their surprised eyes his way, his smug expression betraying nothing. Even Seonghwa seemed lost, searching Hongjoong’s change in attitude for any clues as to what he was thinking.

“Just making sure we’re all on the same page.” He hummed, knocking back the rest of his drink. “I’m inclined to drink myself to the brink now rather than later. I imagine the moment we lose our bond with her it won’t be pretty. What say you?”

He pointedly looked at me before turning his attention back to the liquor cart in search of a full bottle this time. Jongho rolled his eyes, Seonghwa huffing out a scoff before deciding to leave the room altogether. I watched him go, wondering exactly how the conversation between him and Y/N went the night I left them alone in the kitchen. Something was off with him when it came to her. Seonghwa didn’t let things get under his skin, and if it did, he certainly never showed it. Out of the eight of us, he was the most reserved. There were probably less than a handful of people in his life that he trusted enough with his thoughts and feelings and one of them was planning on getting shitfaced.

At the thought of said man, I glanced back to him. Hongjoong looking unusually carefree as he surveyed his choices of liquor, not even bothering to watch his closest comrade storm out of the room. I wondered if Seonghwa had confided in him, the thought not an outlandish one. Hongjoong could keep a secret when he needed to. It would be hard getting him to admit whether he knew what was going on between Hwa and Y/N, but not impossible.

“Are we sure this is even a good idea?” San asked, grunting when Hongjoong tossed a bottle his way.

It hadn’t even been in his hands for two seconds before Wooyoung stole it, settling into his seat on the couch for the foreseeable future.

“Is there a problem with drinking away our sorrow?” Hongjoong inquired.

“Well, no, but what if something happens? Or if Y/N and Yeo need us?”

“I’m not drinking.” Jongho deadpanned when Hongjoong attempted to hand a bottle off to him next.

Hardly ruffled, Hongjoong shrugged before choosing to keep it for himself.

“Yeosang is capable of handling himself and Y/N should anything happen.” Mingi reassured him.

I took my seat by the windowsill again, looking out on the castle grounds as far as the encroaching fog would let me. It seemed Merene’s nice weather for the day wouldn’t hold out for much longer.

“I don’t doubt that, but…” San trailed off, his brows pinching together as he lost himself to his thoughts.

The seed of San’s concerns had been planted, the urge to make sure everything was fine tempting me to tap into the connection I shared with them again. I opened it only slightly, just enough to know whether they were okay when I felt the lines of my bonds fluctuate wildly. I dropped the decanter I’d been nursing, the glass shattering against the floor at my feet as my bond with Y/N pulled taut. The intensity of it took my breath away, my body feeling as if it were in freefall, nearly bringing me to my knees while I sucked in sharp lungfuls of breath.

“Fuck.” I groaned.

I never felt anything like it before, but I didn’t have to know exactly what was happening. My turmoil wasn’t my own, the stretch of the bond actually sending Mingi to his knees, his legs collapsing under him, one hand barely managing to catch himself on the couch San and Wooyoung occupied. San hissed, hand flying to his chest as if he could physically grasp the phantom pain while Wooyoung gripped the arm of the couch tightly. Jongho and Hongjoong fared no better. Hongjoong’s jaw clenched tightly while he held onto the bottle in his hand hard enough to turn his knuckles white. Jongho’s face twisted in agony, fists clenched and hands shaking. I panted heavily, my anxiety spiking as my bond with Y/N twisted, the line pulling and pulling, seconds away from snapping altogether.

“No.” I groaned, managing a couple of steps before stumbling.

I needed her. Inside, my dragon raged restlessly, demanding I get up and find her.

Go to her.

Stop her.

But I couldn’t.

Desperately, I found myself mentally wrapping around that connection between us, praying for it to hold strong. It felt like I was fighting against a moving mountain, my attempt futile until all the sudden the tension released. I gasped, slumping over in exhaustion, my body shaking with exertion I only ever experienced after rigorous hours of training. Frantically, I searched for my bond, feeling the ones I shared with the other seven kings were as prominent as they’d always been, except Yeosang’s flared to life a little more than it used to. I kept digging, reaching out to find her until finally, I felt it. Y/N. I let my body drop against the nearest piece of furniture, my eyes closing in relief feeling our connection still intact.

My eyes began to water, the tears building beneath my eyelids until they overflowed, and a single tear ran down my cheek. She was still there. Our bond hadn’t broken. I basked in its presence, soaking up every ounce of comfort it gave me. A loud groan reminded me of the others, my eyes flying open to check on them, only to find them in various states of relief. Another groan clued me in to Mingi, his blue locks peeking over the back of the couch as he shakily lifted himself back onto his feet. He scanned the room, locking eyes with me before shaking his head.

“That fucking sucked.”

The answering chuckle caught both of our attention, heads turning to find Hongjoong laughing like a maniac despite looking as if he’d been dragged behind a horse for several miles.

“Why the fuck are you laughing?” Jongho snapped, fighting to keep his own exhaustion at bay.

“Can you feel it?” Hongjoong sighed contentedly. “It’s still there. She’s ours.”

Jongho mumbled his annoyance, but didn’t say anything more. Hongjoong relaxed into his chair, wide grin never fading even as he tried to catch his breath. I followed suit, letting myself fall backwards as exhaustion overcame me. I stared up at the ceiling above me, still holding onto our bond as I let a small smile of my own slip through.

Taglist (closed):

@mia-vicious @ddaeing @milliondollarpercy @s0obinluvr @marievllr-abg

@park-simphwa @0325tiny @doggopepper @ahhhhhhhhhghh @huachengsbestie01

@dvalitaes @watamotee33 @channiespup @lunababyhoneybee @is4b3ll3s

@angelsaway @readerofallthingss @itsmeregan @dreamingofyeo @shookykookie30

@altgojo @stopeatread @r-a-v-a @hyunmikim @atinymonbebestay

@pocketjoong-reads @doom-fics @chatsgotmytongue @intancollins @blue1amory

@liniiiaa @shironi @catribohope @loveforred @hwasfavgf

@mingtina @lilbugs-things @breadedloafs @san-realblkwife @punkhazardlaw

@i-resideinthevoid @meljoongiee @mjyungi @bangtanxberm @purplelady85

@eburneon @ldysmfrst @itsurgurlyuki @bratty-tingz @i-like-puppy-mg

@blackb3ll @skyys-universe @missbangtangirl

341 notes · View notes