efelixer

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Our Lover (Ao3) is away at war (down for maintenance) and We don't know when they'll return (it's scheduled for about 3 hours)

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too spicy 🔥💗 #aespa

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i’m going to be taking a break from writing for a bit, i’m so sorry🥺i just need to focus on other things right now…i’ll still be using this blog though so if anyone wants to be friends i’m down

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Devil's Landing | Chapter 12

Old West!Ateez x Named Reader

Chapter 12- 306

word count: 1.9k

Description- an unknown narrator tells of recent events

Story Warnings- it might get dark. slow burn. shit attempt at bashing societal and gender norms. sexism. smut. shop owner yeosang. saloon owner wooyoung. bartender san. sheriff hongjoong. butler yunho. deputy mingi. wood carver jongho. gambler seonghwa. feelings. warnings added by chapter.

Chapter Warnings- nothing really. not edited.

Author Note- I had a lot of fun writing this chapter!

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Chapter 12- 306

Things have been different around here lately. It’s very rare that things get different, but they are now. I started noticing it one morning right away. When I woke up the air felt unfamiliar. It smelt like something had happened. 

The town bell rang as usual when the sun reached just under the clouds. Perhaps six o’clock in the morning. I rise from my single bed, adorned with stark white sheets. I quickly head to my ensuite bathroom to release myself. We must move quickly if we wish to reach the dining hall by the scheduled time. 

I brush my teeth and my hair and dress into my morning clothes. Almost everything we wore was white, except the blue pin clipped onto our shirts. Written upon the pin was our number, our identity. My pin reads 306.

I remember from before that I did have a name to be called by. My memory is clouded however, and I cannot remember exactly what that name was. I had been here for maybe five or six years now. A continuous routine for years on end tends to block out what life was like before. I don’t mind it though; I quite like it here. At least I think I do.

I exit from my room into the hallway. The other doors around me open as well, revealing some of the boys from the town. The town contained several housing units for boys aged 10-17. Once you turned 18, you were taken to be with a woman and into a new housing unit for families. That explains why one of the doors did not open that morning. 

I gave a quick wave to my peers before we all headed towards the dining hall. Not much words were exchanged, as talking was to be contained for working hours. 

That was when I saw the first abnormal circumstance. A group of elders—characterized by the golden pins they wear—were huddled together outside of the breeding house. The house was situated directly in view of all the male housing units to give the males something to hope for. It wasn’t unusual for elders to be grouped together, but this particular group looked anxious. They whispered harshly to each other, seeming almost like an argument. Once they noticed the town boys exiting their units, they quickly ended their exchange. They must not have noticed the time. That is highly unusual.

I continued to walk to the dining hall despite the interesting view. The dining hall was on the outskirts of the town, near the woods. You passed the breeding house, the stables, the farm, the church, and the gardens before reaching the large building. It was surprising how much could be fit in this deceivingly small town, but the elders made sure we had everything we need.

The dining hall was always a welcome building to walk into, especially on hotter mornings like this one. All the boys lined up to get their breakfast, no women to be seen. We were told that the girls were in the kitchen, which was a closed off room in the back of the hall. Before the boys woke up, the girls would set out the food so they wouldn’t be seen. 

I remember girls from my past, well, at least one. I can’t remember her face or what she was to me, but I do remember her presence. It wasn’t an unwelcome one.

I don’t think twice about why the girls here can’t be seen. It’s just how it is. Why question how things are if they work just fine? As I said, I’m happy here.

Today’s breakfast was eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and fruit. The food was always delicious, made fresh before every meal. Our town grew the fruit and vegetables and kept most animals on the farm. Whatever we didn’t have, the elders would provide. They rode out into the woods on horsed to an unknown place that carried what we didn’t have. The elders said it was unsafe for us to leave the town, so we never questioned why we couldn’t join them.

I filled my plate up with food before heading to my seat at a table. Once everyone was seated, the Elders went and got their food. They had a special table that was elevated on a podium, overlooking everybody else in the hall.

The older men sat down at their table, and the younger faces looked at them, awaiting. 

“Good morning, children!” The loud voice of the head elder boomed through the hall. His presence was intimidating, demanding all attention on him. He was tall, almost a head taller than the rest of the elders. He was just as old though. His hair was grey, but it was thicker than most men’s hair his age. He had wrinkles here and there, but his age was mostly told through his eyes. You could see a lifetime in them. Years of trial and tribulation could be seen through his eyes. The number 1 was engraved onto his gold pin.

“Today is a beautiful day that we have been blessed with. Please join us in prayer.” The elder continues as the every head in the room bows. “Dear heavenly host, we thank you for this meal you have placed before us. We ask that you bless us through this meal, and allow us to thank you through our hard work. Thank you using me to speak to these found souls. Amen.”

Heads arise once more after the usual morning prayer. We wait for the elders to take a bite of their meal before we begin ours. That was when the next unusual thing happened. I would have missed it if I hadn’t glanced towards the elders at the exact moment it happened. I was swallowing a piece of bacon when I noticed the head elder point at me. It was only for a split second, but I caught it. I looked away like I didn’t see anything, but in my head there was a slight panic. Surely I hadn’t done anything wrong. I always follow the routine perfectly.

I try to forget about it as the day goes on, making myself believe that they were pointing at someone behind me or next to me.

The rest of the day went on as any other day. After breakfast, I made my way to the field that I worked on. I harvested vegetables and planted some more. I honestly loved my work. Nothing makes me happier.

That night I dreamt that a giant pointer finger chased me through the woods.

———————————

The next day it wasn’t just elders that were whispering. Outside the dining hall after breakfast, a group of boys around my age had gathered together. I couldn’t make out what they were talking about, but it was highly unusual to see people whispering about anything. I made my way over to try and join the conversation.

“What’s going on?”

“You didn’t hear?” A boy with big blue eyes peered up at me.

“Someone ran away.” Another boy with dusty blonde hair confessed.

“Ran away?” Why would someone run away? Things are great here. “Who?”

“We don’t know.”

“Huh.” I huffed before walking away to my field. I never heard of someone running away from here before. I couldn’t even imagine running away.

————————————

It was today when things started to really get weird. It was today when the elders talked to me directly.

It was after dinner time, and I was heading back to my unit. The sun was beginning to go down. Perhaps eight o’clock in the evening. I was one of last ones to enter my building, well, except I never entered my building. I never entered my building because a rough hand grabbed onto my arm and turned me around.

“Come with me.” I heard the voice before I could decipher who I was seeing. It was an elder. The one who is usually at the right hand of the head elder. Number 2. His hair wasn’t as grey but it was thinner. He was shorter and skinnier, but still just as intimidating. I didn’t think twice before I started to follow him.

He lead me to a building that I had seen the elders go in before, but I wasn’t quite sure what it was. I hesitated before entering, scared that I was being tricked in some way. The elder leading me insisted I enter by beckoning me with his hand. So I did.

The inside of the building was dim, lit only by lamps instead of overhead lights. It was just one room, with a grand table situated in the center of it. Around it was chairs, and sitting in those chairs was non other than the elders. 

It was at this point I was convinced that I definitely did something wrong. Whatever it was that I had done, I would have to make them understand that I didn’t know I was breaking any rules. It was the truth. 

Before I could open my mouth to plead my case, the voice of the head elder eased my worries. “I can see you’re frightened, son. Do not worry, you are not in trouble. Please, sit.” He gestured towards an empty chair at the end of the table.

“We actually need your help.” The head elder spoke again once I was seated. 

My help? That is what I wanted to say, but I was afraid to speak. Instead, my mouth just bobbed open and closed like I was a fish.

“You may speak, son.”

“My help?” I finally get out.

“3 and I will be heading out of town soon, and I want you to come with us.” He gestured towards 3 who was sitting to his left. He was a hefty man, probably the youngest out of the elders.

“Me? Isn’t it unsafe for me to leave the town?”

The head elder chuckles. “You are not going alone. I will be there to protect you, along with 3.”

Of course, how could you be so silly to ask such a question. “Why me?”

“Why do you question your elders so much?” My face instantly blanches, before a chuckle leaves his mouth once again. “No troubles. We chose you because you know the place where we are going. It’s where you were from before we rescued you.”

Where I am from? I know that I wasn’t born in this town, but I can’t remember anything about my past life. 

“I’m not sure I will be of much help to you. I do not remember much of where I am from.” I confess.

“It’s not so much of what you will remember. It’s more about what the people there will remember.”

Confusion washes over your face, but you pay no mind to it. 

The elder continues. “I’m sure you have heard of someone running away. We tried to keep the news contained, but gossip seems to be a sin no one can avoid. Well, we have reason to believe that the person who ran away is staying in the place we are going. We will have to make sure we are careful. The place we are going is where the devil lies.”

The devil? 

“I hope you accept coming with us, although you don’t have much of a choice.”

“I accept, of course. I accept.” 

“Well then, 306, pack your things. We head out to Devil’s Landing tomorrow.”

[efelixer]

Devil's Landing | Chapter 11

Old West!Ateez x Named Reader

Chapter 11- Baptism

word count: 2.5k

Description- Yunho comes to find you at the canyon

Story Warnings- it might get dark. slow burn. shit attempt at bashing societal and gender norms. sexism. smut. shop owner yeosang. saloon owner wooyoung. bartender san. sheriff hongjoong. butler yunho. deputy mingi. wood carver jongho. gambler seonghwa. feelings. warnings added by chapter.

Chapter Warnings- THERE IS SMUT IN THIS CHAPTER. it is marked off so if you want to skip, you can but I do feel as though it is slightly important to the story. self deprecating thoughts. this chapter is not yet edited, so sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes, but I wanted to go ahead and get it out

Smut Warnings- it's not too descriptive. it's my first time writing smut so I'm a bit embarrassed :\. making out. fingering. vaginal penetration. loss of virginity.

Author Note- my first time writing smut, so lets see how this goes! I'm really nervous about what you guys will think, but I hope you like it!

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Chapter 11- Baptism

You don’t know how long you had been sitting alone in the comfort of your den before Yunho found you. He came walking through the canyon like your knight in shining armor, except you cowered in fear when you saw him. Not in fear of him, but in fear of what he might think of you. 

You assumed he rode in on Firefly and left him at the top of the canyon before coming down. He was in his usual attire with a large bag on his back. He slowly approached you, noticing your tense frame.

“Hey, Bo.” You don’t answer. You have your knees to your chest, eyes peeking out. 

Yunho sits down next to you, but far enough away to let you know that he doesn’t mean any harm. He doesn’t say anything else for several minutes. He just stretches his legs out in front of him and stares out at the water.

“I was worried about you.” There are those words. Those dreaded words that always seem to leave his mouth when you two are alone. Why does he have to be worried for you? You suppose it’s a sign that he cares about you. But why must you always make him worries? You suppose it’s a sign that you aren’t any good for him.

“Harper is worried too.” He eventually says. “She’s not mad.” That was one of your worries, but the anxiety of disappointing Harper has not completely disappeared. You think you might have to actually see her face and hear her voice to be absolved of that concern. Of course you would have to return to the house to do that and face the person you fear the most. Seonghwa. You can’t even imagine his wrath. 

“You remind her of her brother. He always seemed to get into trouble without trying.” You perk your head up at that. Your curiosity still never fails to get the best of you.

“What happened to him?” Your voice comes out frail, having not been used in a while. 

Yunho looks at you for a moment, contemplating on whether or not he should tell you. 

“What happened to him is what Harper worries might happen to you if you aren’t careful.” He finally says.

“I don’t want to be a burden.”

“You aren’t a burden, that’s not what I meant.” He pauses. “If you opened up more, I think you would find yourself having a much easier time.”

You drop your head again. The solution is that easy? Maybe for anyone but yourself. Maybe for someone without so many damaging secrets. 

“Why don’t we head back?” He speaks again after you don’t respond. “We can get you some food and a good night’s rest.”

“I don’t want to go back.” You shake your head. “At least not yet.”

Yunho smiles, probably expecting your answer. “Then let’s stay here for the day.”

You look at him, head still resting against your knees, and nod.

—————————————

You and Yunho talk for a while, well, Yunho talks for a while and tries to get you to participate. You appreciate that he isn’t bringing up what happened, as you’d prefer to never have to deal with it again. You know that it’s not realistic, but you hold on to that dream for now.

“Can I sit closer to you?” Yunho asks out of the blue. You did notice that he sat a considerable distance away from you when he first got here, but he wouldn’t have made you uncomfortable if he sat closer.

You nod. He looks almost excited to be able to be in a closer vicinity to you and your heart beat races for a quick second before you command it to slow. You can’t reward yourself with feeling any of the warmth he radiates. Not after what you’ve done.

“I brought a warm blanket if want to go swimming again. Oh, and a change of clothes! I figured you might be here so I prepared this time.” He smiles at you after rambling.

You try your best not to smile back at him, trying to relish in your pain as much as you can. You can’t help but feel the corners of your mouth raise, however. You don’t deserve him.

You look out at the water, thinking a refreshing dip might be just what you need. Perhaps like some sort of baptism. Go in a murder and come out brand new. Wishful thinking once again, but maybe you should give it a try.

“Would you like to teach me how to swim?” Your mind thinks back to resting on the back of Yunho as he wades through the water. You remember teasing him, saying you wouldn’t need to learn how to swim if you could always ride on your back. At the time, you weren’t completely joking. Now, you aren’t sure if you’ll always have Yunho, so maybe you should take your fate into your own hands.

He looks surprised at your question before proclaiming that he would love to.

Yunho stands before helping you to your feet. He hesitates before removing his clothes, more aware of your presence now than before. You look away to give him some privacy.

When you turn back he’s already in the water, looking at you with round eyes.

You look down at your clothes. Should you take them off now that you have nothing to hide? Back in your town, a woman was never to be seen without clothes, even when laying with a man. But that was before, and this is now. 

You reach for your shirt to bring it over your head. When the fabric of the shirt is removed from your head, you see that Yunho’s back is now facing you. For a split second you wonder if his face is red. Does he think you are beautiful enough to blush about? How selfish of you to think of such physical things in your situation. You don’t deserve to feel beautiful. You don’t deserve him.

You continue to remove your garments of clothing including the binding on your chest. You walk through the water as much as you can before just your head is peeking out and you’re standing on your tippy toes. 

“I’m behind you.” You say to Yunho who still has his back to you.

“Oh, right!” He exclaims for rushing to turn around. “Okay, where should we start?”

You chuckle at his question. “I don’t know, you’re the teacher.” 

“Yes, right, I’m the teacher.” He mumbles to himself before slowly getting closer to you. 

He moves himself behind you, grabbing onto your waist. You gasp at the feeling of his hands on your bare skin, but you quickly compose yourself. You must focus on the task at hand.

“First, you should practice the arm movements.” He moves his hand to grab your arm, demonstrating the circular movement your arm should make.

You try to concentrate on mimicking what he just showed you, but goosebumps continue to rise on your skin wherever his hands go. 

After he deems your lackluster arm strokes acceptable, he moves to stand in front of you once again. This time he just holds your hands, and any heat felt in your lower abdomen quickly makes it way to your heart. You look down at your hands in his, and can’t help but think how perfectly they fit together. If only everything else was as perfect.

“Now you need to practice kicking.” You look up at him when he says that, concerned that your feet will have to leave the safety of the ground. He notices your nerves. “Don’t worry, I won’t let go of you.”

He has no idea the weight of his words as you let your feet float up from beneath you. You feel your upper body start to lose balance, but Yunho quickly steadies you. Once you feel safe enough to start kicking, you do.

“That’s probably enough for now.” Yunho says after a couple of minutes. 

“But I still don’t think I can swim.”

He chuckles. “You most likely won’t be able to until we have several lessons.” 

“I don’t want to leave the water yet, though.” You know when you leave the water Yunho will suggest heading back, and you just aren’t ready yet.

He looks at you knowingly, but nods his head. “Okay. Just hold on to me for now.”

————ALERT! ALERT! SMUT AHEAD ALERT! ALERT!————

You expect Yunho to turn around again, wanting you to climb onto his back, but he doesn’t. He continues to face you, holding his arms out. 

You ignore the blush on your face as you reach your arms out to hold onto his neck. Your legs follow, wrapping around his waist. 

And oh, does time stop. You’ve never been so close to him. You feel him all over. His breath on your face, his chest on yours, his skin between your legs. You’ve never been so close to anyone.

You don’t know why it doesn’t feel wrong. You’ve always been told that women should be ashamed to be with a man in any way, but right now you feel anything but ashamed. You feel holy. You feel as though you should be placed upon an altar and worshipped. Perhaps you were right about being baptized.

If you’re going by the look in his eyes, Yunho seems to feel the same way as you do. He kisses you before you can take another breath. It’s unlike any of the kissing you’ve done before. It reminds you of the dream you had. The good part of the dream.

Your hands find purchase in his hair, while his move from your waist to your legs, commanding you to get as close to him as possible. 

His tongue makes its way into your mouth, warm and wet and causing you to moan. You’re embarrassed by the sound you make at first, but Yunho echos you at the sound.

His mouth leaves yours, kissing across your jaw and heading to your neck. He sucks at a particularly sensitive spot above your collar bone, making your legs lose purchase around his waist. He catches you before you can fall, however. 

You both look at each other in shock before he starts to laugh. You can’t help but follow in his pursuit. “Maybe we should head out. You can lay the blanket down.”

His eyes widen in surprise and concern at your suggestion. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything.” And you really haven’t. Your mind is clouded by lust, but you’ve never wanted to be with anybody more. Any doubts that you had about yourself are lost for the moment, and you aren’t going to look for them anytime soon.

Yunho carries you out of the water, placing a kiss on your lips every few steps. He puts you down when you reach dry ground and he quickly goes to rummage through his bag for the blanket. He pulls out a navy blue garment, and hurriedly lays it out on the ground. It’s just about big enough for the both of you to lay on. How convenient.

Your wet skin causes you to shiver, but your shaking only increases when Yunho turns to look at you. He really can see all of you now. There’s no where for you to hide. 

He walks towards you, his eyes never leaving yours. He grabs your hands and leads you to the blanket, laying you down before hovering above you.

“You’re beautiful.” You don’t deserve him.

You pull his face down to kiss you before you let your thoughts take over. You pull away when you feel one of his hands make its way between your legs. 

“Is this okay?” He asks.

You nod, afraid what your voice might sound like if you speak.

You feel pain as he spreads you out on his fingers, but it quickly turns to a dull pleasure. It's unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. His eyes never leave yours as he explores you, taking his time in feeling you.

“Does it feel okay?” Yunho’s voice seems to be losing strength as he continues to pleasure you with his fingers.

You nod again, a broken moan escaping your lips.

Yunho’s forehead nudges your cheek. “Please, tell me.” He breathes out. “Does it feel good?”

“Feels so good, Yunho.”

He presses a sloppy kiss to your face as he begins to rock against your thigh. You feel his arousal against you, causing more of your own to leak out onto his fingers.

It hits you before you can realize what’s happening. The deep feeling swirling in your abdomen growing and growing before it bursts. You throw your head back as your body ignites and burns.

Yunho removes his fingers, waiting for you to come back to earth. He kisses you, but you can barely kiss back, still overwhelmed by the high you just reached.

You feel him begin to move himself between your legs, something much bigger replacing his fingers. He looks at you before moving, making sure your okay with what’s about to happen.

You softly smile as you wrap your arms around him, urging him to continue. The pain returns, but again, only for a small moment. And then, you just feel full. You feel complete. You wish for nothing in this moment but to go back to that god forsaken town and free all those women that will never know what true pleasure feels like. 

You aren’t sure how long Yunho is inside you before he starts moving, time becoming a foreign concept. If a mountain lion were to stumble upon you now all he would hear is the sound of labored breaths and moans, skin on skin, and lips on lips. You surely wouldn’t mind dying in this moment at all. If Yunho is the last thing you see, feel, taste, and hear, you would die knowing that something went right for you.

————ALERT! ALERT! SMUT OVER ALERT! ALERT!————

The sun is beginning to set by the time you are finished, and you lay with Yunho, wrapped up in the blanket. 

“Do you think we can stay here for tonight?” You ask him, head against his chest.

He laughs. “Did you not get cold staying here last night?”

You remember your previous night alone, slightly shivering in the windy night. But you were alone then, you wouldn’t be alone this time. “No.”

He sighs. “Do you promise you’ll come back with me tomorrow.”

“Yes.” You don’t think about the promise you make. You just want to know that it will be just you and him tonight. 

“We should probably get some clothes on, don’t you think?” You smile at Yunho as he begins to move towards his bag. 

You look at the man whom you just have a part of yourself to. He’s perfect. He’s kind. He’s handsome. He’s funny. He’s understanding. He’s everything you need. Do you deserve him? 

[efelixer]

Devil's Landing | Chapter 10

Old West!Ateez x Named Reader

Chapter 10- Interim One

word count: 900

Description- running away seems to be a common theme in your life

Story Warnings- it might get dark. slow burn. shit attempt at bashing societal and gender norms. sexism. possible future smut. show owner yeosang. saloon owner wooyoung. bartender san. sheriff hongjoong. butler yunho. deputy mingi. wood carver jongho. gambler seonghwa. feelings. warnings added by chapter.

Chapter Warnings- a man dies. thoughts of being killed by a mountain lion.

Author Note- I'm so sorry this is such a short update. I just finished school, so from now on the length of chapters should start increasing. My inspiration has been a bit slow

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Chapter 10- Interim One

Bang!

The recoil of the gun wasn’t as bad as when you first shot it, but you still felt the impact. Maurice certainly felt an impact as a bullet found itself inserted into his shoulder. He doesn’t make a noise at the hit. Shock overtakes the pain he would have felt as his eyes widen in surprise. 

The two sitting across from him also react. Harper gasps as the sound resounds throughout the room. Seonghwa’s chair scraps the floor as he stands up from the table, looking towards you. His eyes resemble the victim of the bullet wound. 

You just stare. What had you done? You weren’t thinking. It was like the gun took over your body, and a powerful sense of justice was waiting to be released along with the bullet. It never came though. As Maurice’s shoulder starts to bleed out, you don’t feel like any justice has been served. You also don’t feel guilty. You just feel confused. 

You hear your name being called, but you can’t find any muscle in your body capable of movement. The gun is ripped out of your hands, and you hear another shot of the gun. Maurice falls limp before his body can relish in any pain.

Your eyes are the first thing you are able to move. They move to the source of your name being called. It’s Harper. She’s moving towards you now, a look of worry on her face. Is she worried for you? Surely not, you just killed a man. Well, Seonghwa killed a man. He has the gun in his hands. But he wouldn’t have had to kill him if you never shot in the first place. Why had you shot in the first place? 

You can move your hands next. They fall to your chest, feeling your heartbeat start to speed up. You move your head, looking side to side. Did anyone hear? Is anyone coming to get you? Did Maurice have men hiding out in case of an accident like this? You don’t see anyone coming from either sides.

You move your legs. You stand. Harper’s by the window now, grabbing hold of your arms, but you wrangle them out of her grasp.

You turn and run. You run because you don’t want to stay and see what your actions have caused. You don’t want to hear the worry in Harper’s voice and the anger in Seonghwa’s. They will never trust you again, and that thought is enough to cause your feet to gain speed.

You still hear your name, this time being yelled from the house. You ignore it and continue to run. Where you are going, you don’t know. You just run out and away from the town. You can’t think straight. All you can think about is the blood pouring from Maurice’s shoulder. He deserved it, didn’t he? What do you deserve then? You’re surely on the same level as him now. A sex criminal and a murderer, how different are they? 

Eventually your legs begin to tire. You look behind you. You’re far enough from the town that you feel safe to walk. Again, you don’t know where you are going, but running away seems to always be the best option for you.

Does life ever slow down? Does it ever get easier, or is everybody constantly bombarded with new obstacles to somehow overcome? Or is it just you? Trouble really does follow you. How common is it for one to be born into a cult? You were lucky to be able to get away, but it never got better. You were attacked by a mountain lion. You’ve been constantly harassed by the head of this town. You’re having to betray the ones who took you in. You shot a man. And now you’re running away once again.

If the things you’ve gone through are anything to go by, running away will do nothing. You won’t be able to escape pain. So why are you? Perhaps it’s the disappointment. If you go back to town, Harper will never trust you again. If you had any chance of proving Seonghwa wrong about you, you definitely don’t now. Hongjoong will probably be happy at your ruin. And then there’s Yunho. Will he ever look at you the same again? You can see the stars in his eyes diminishing. 

You don’t know how long you’re walking for, but you eventually find yourself at the bottom of The Stone. You make your way towards the sound of the water. It looks so peaceful. It’s such a contrast to your life falling apart. You wonder if it was ever together. 

You fall asleep that night in The Stone. Your mind doesn’t even wonder to the dangers that might be lurking once the sun goes down. It would be just your luck to be attacked by another mountain lion. You think you would let it take you. You wouldn’t fight back. It would be a suitable way to go, violent and painful. Chunks of your flesh being ripped from your bones. Seeing the light of life fading from your eyes. You were born into destruction. Your whole life has been destruction. You might as well die by destruction.

It’s too bad your mountain lion end never comes. The promise of a new day does though, and with it comes the guilt of yesterday. 

[efelixer]

Devil's Landing | Chapter 9

Old West!Ateez x Named Reader

Chapter 9- Give a Girl a Gun

word count: 2.3k

Description- seonghwa gives you a gun. let's see what happens with it

Story Warnings- it might get dark. slow burn. shit attempt at bashing societal and gender norms. sexism. possible future smut. shop owner yeosang. saloon owner wooyoung. bartender san. sheriff hongjoong. butler yunho. deputy mingi. wood carver jongho. gambler seonghwa. feelings. warnings added by chapter.

Chapter Warnings- a good dream (wink wink) turns bad. guns. mentions of underage prostitution.

Author Note- a bit of a shorter chapter, but also a turning point for the story. hope you like it!

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Chapter 9- Give a Girl a Gun

You lay in your bed thinking about Yunho. About how he had kissed you. How you had kissed him. It was amazing, something you had never felt before. Now your whole body is on fire. It took forever just for you to close your eyes, you were filled with so much adrenaline. 

It was the way he had smiled at you when he pulled away for the last time. His eyes were full of you, and you’ve never seen yourself so clearly. You were just Bo to him, and that was enough. It didn’t matter where you were from or how you grew up. He just liked you.

You slowly got tired as you continued to think about how much you wanted to kiss him again. You finally fell asleep with an angel on your mind.

You smiled at the man above you as he leaned down to connect his mouth with yours. Oh, how you loved to kiss him. 

It felt different now. Like a simmering flame turned to a molten heat. He kissed you like he hadn’t drunk anything in days, and you were the first oasis he fell foot upon. He drank you up, and you let him.

He kissed you cheeks, your forehead, your eyelids. He nipped at your ears and your neck. You felt his hands where hands have never roamed. Through your hair, down your waist, up your legs. He was everywhere and everything.

And then he wasn’t.

Then he was gone.

You were alone, once again. You were lying in a familiar bed, but it wasn’t yours. You looked around at the white walls. To your sides are identical beds. Women lay atop them, faces covered. You notice it now, how your vision seems to be clouded by a veil.

You couldn’t move. You could barely breath as you realize your situation. Had you been here the whole time? Did you ever run away? Were you ever pretending? 

A man approaches your figure, undressed. You recognize him. He’s the elder that had been with you in this room once before. He’s not going to let you run away this time.

As he climbs on top of your body, his face morphs into another familiar one. Seonghwa’s. His hands slowly climb your calves and your outer thighs. He leans down to your ear, “We all have our secrets.”

He leans back again, another face to be seen. This time it’s Hongjoong. He smiles infamously. His hands are rougher, pulling your legs to wrap around his waist. He grips you, “Your secrets are going to come tumbling out without me having to try.”

You can’t seem to find any words. Your mouth feels glued shut. As panic builds and builds, a new, calming face appears. Yunho. “I can protect you now.”

You don’t think he can.

————————————

The house is quiet the next morning. Harper is not in the kitchen, and you figure her mood at the saloon last night has something to do with her absence. Peeking out the back window, you see a feminine figure leaning against the horse’s fence. Remembering her face dropping last night, you can’t in good faith not go and see if she is all right. You hadn’t ever seen her so down.

You find her where you saw her. Her hair blows through the wind as she watches the horses trot around. Her eyes seem void of any of the charm she usually holds. Once she notices your presence, she quickly tries to grasp back on to her character.

“Bo, you scared me!”

You lean against the fence beside her. “Sorry, I saw you out the back window and wanted to see if you were okay.”

“Oh, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” She smiles sweetly at you.

You contemplate her words. You don’t want to push her, but you also want her to know that she’s not alone. She doesn’t have to bathe in her misery all alone. Not like you do. 

“I missed you last night. It would have been more fun with you there.”

“I wish I could’ve stayed as well, but I started to feel a bit under the weather.”

You stare at her and she stares back. She releases a deep breath as she knows you aren’t buying her excuses.

“Listen,” she looks back at the horses, “Seonghwa and I, we…we’re different. Our marriage is one of convenience, really. Still, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt when he goes off with other women.”

You hesitate to say anything, wondering if she is going to continue. You will admit that their marriage did seem to lack love. They were together in the alley when you first met them. You know, however, that lust and love don’t always go hand in hand.

“We grew up together here, in Devil’s Landing. We weren’t necessarily friends, but we got along enough. I was always looking after my brother, so I didn’t really have the time to make friends. We didn’t get close until my brother passed. Seonghwa had money, and lots of it. I had enough charm to make his game work better. We’re more business partners than anything. I knew when we got married, he wouldn’t always find pleasure with me. But, it’s so humiliating sometimes.” You notice tears start to fall down her face.

“I used to think maybe one day we could fall in love. Maybe being together so often would force him to treat me like more than a means to an end. You get it, Bo, don’t you? Don’t you want to be loved?” She looks back at you, and you nearly cry at the despair on her face.

Your hand finds her shoulder, trying your best at comforting. You can’t find the words to say. You could confirm her question, saying of course you want to be loved. But is that enough? 

Her situation resembles yours. She’s stuck pretending to be something she doesn’t want to be. You know words can’t be used to comfort something that runs so deep. Sometimes all you can do is listen.

————————————

Seonghwa wanted to see you later. He didn’t tell you what he needed you for, but he told you to follow him. He led you out back, close to where Harper had set up your practice shooting range. You notice new bales set up, with different targets. 

You watch his back as he walks in front of you, unable to listen to what he is saying. All you can think about is Harper and how he hurt her. Is it really his fault though? She knew getting into the marriage that he wouldn’t be able to give her everything that is expected in a relationship. You still hold foul feelings for him, however. He lacked the class to have an affair in private, and now Harper’s stuck pretending that she doesn’t care.

“Did you hear me?” Seonghwa’s voice snaps you out of your thoughts. He’s facing you now, holding something towards you. It’s a gun.

You shake your head, staring in shock at the device he holds in his hands. “This is a revolver, and you’re going to learn how to use it.”

“I’m what?” You look at him, eyes wide.

“You’re bow is nice and everything, but it’s not very efficient with what I’m needing you to do.”

With what you’re needing to do? Oh no. You knew he wanted you to shoot the men he played with if needed. Your bow would have done damage, but it wouldn’t have killed anyone. He wants you to kill, not hurt.

“I-I can’t.” You back away, ready to head back into the house.

He grabs your arm, keeping you in place. “You wanted to join me and Harper didn’t you? Well, this is how you’re gonna do it.” 

You take a deep breath. How did things come to this? Curiosity led you to maybe killing a man. You don’t think you have a choice. Hongjoong wants information, and this is the only way you can get it.

You nod your head, indicating you are willing to learn. 

He starts with explaining the parts of the gun to you. You hold on to the grip, and put your finger on the trigger when you want shoot. The cylinder is where the bullets get placed, and they exit out through the barrel.

“Let me demonstrate.” He turns around to face the hay bales.

He holds up the gun to aim at one of the bottles. A loud pop resounds through the air, followed by an explosion of glass. “When you shoot, there’s going to be a recoil. It’ll get easier to handle once you get used to it.”

You just look at him as he holds the gun out to you. Does he except you to shoot right now? You just saw a gun shoot for the first time, and he wants you to try already?

He notices your hesitance. “Don’t worry, just try. I’m not expecting you to be perfect right now.”

You sigh and take the weapon. You just want to get this over with. You aim at a jar on a higher bale. Before you can pull the trigger, Seonghwa notices something wrong with your aim. He moves to stand behind you, pulling your arm lower. “When you’re shooting a gun, you aim directly at your target, not higher.” 

You clear your throat, embarrassed by your mistake. With a bow, you always aimed higher than your target, because the arrow shoots in an arc.

You refocus your attention back to your target, this time aiming directly. You pull the trigger, and your arm immediately snaps back, causing the gun to shoot to the left of the target. Seonghwa mentioned a recoil, but you weren’t expecting something so strong. You grasp your shoulder, rubbing it to try and soothe the pain.

“As I said, you’ll get used to it.” Seonghwa mentions from behind you. “Not bad for your first time. We’ll have to keep practicing. My next game is next week, so we have plenty of time to get you ready.”

Your body stiffens at the thought of having to kill someone. Seonghwa notices. “You probably won’t have to do anything. It’s just a precaution. Let’s keep practicing for now.”

You shake off the feeling of dread, holding up the gun once again.

———————————

“They want me to kill.”

Jail cells surround you and Hongjoong as you talk to him at the end of the week. Seonghwa and Harper didn’t go out this week, but you were still expected to meet up with the sheriff.

“Well, I’m sure they’ll be left disappointed. You couldn’t kill someone even if you wanted to.”

You can tell he’s trying to get under your skin, but you can’t help but agree with him. “You’re right. I can’t kill, so what am I supposed to do?”

“I looked into one of the guys you told me about last time. Maurice Knox. He’s supposed to be at the game next week, and this time he’s going solo.”

“Okay? How is this supposed to help me?”

“He’s not a good guy, Bo.” Hongjoong looks at you pitifully, preparing you for whatever he is going to say next. “He runs a prostitution ring in the city. That may not sound too bad, but the girls that work for him are all way too young to be in that business. I’m talking fourteen to sixteen years old on average.”

Your heart sinks. The thought of those young girls being forced to do things with men makes you want to throw up. It reminds you of back home, of how the women there didn’t have a choice either.

“Does knowing any of this make the thought of killing him any easier?” Hongjoong queries. 

Does it? You quickly think about what it would be like to kill one of the elders you knew. Would you feel relief? Would people be saved because of your actions? Would those little girls be saved if you killed Maurice?

————————————

You spent the next week up until the game practicing with the gun. You still weren’t a perfect shot, but you had started to hit more of the targets. You assumed that was good enough for Seonghwa as you walked behind the couple, heading to the house on the other side of town.

Harper keeps her distance from her husband on the walk, choosing to keep her gaze forward and her mouth closed. The silence was not a comfortable one, and you suppose they hadn’t made up yet from the party.

You’re at the house before you know it, and you head around to the back window. Peering into the house, you notice the man named Maurice. He was short and round, with a mustache on his face. He wore spectacles far too small for his face. He was a caricature of a man that ushers little girls into a prostitution ring. The gun becomes heavier sitting on your waist.

Seonghwa repeated the actions of leading Maurice towards the window so he could open it. Now you can hear his voice. It’s gravely and deep. It resounds through the whole room, demanding to be heard. Your hand slides to rest on the grip of the gun.

The game begins, and it seems to run smoothly. Your mind, however, cannot help but focus on Maurice. You wonder what his girls are doing in the city right now. Are they with customers? Are they crying while they miss their families? Do they even have families? You pull the gun out of its holster.

When they lay with their clients, do they where veils over their faces? Do they wish they could? Do they close their eyes and wish they were anywhere else but where they are? You hold the gun up, aiming at the unaware man.

Do they run away? Does Maurice send people after them if they do? Or does he let them go? Are they disposable? You know one thing for certain. They aren’t free, and they never will be. They are just like you. 

Bang!

[efelixer]

Devil's Landing | Chapter 8

Old West!Ateez x Named Reader

Chapter 8- The Stars From a Swing

word count: 2.9k

Description- a birthday celebration and a night under the starts

Story Warnings- it might get dark. slow burn. shit attempt at bashing societal and gender norms. sexism. possible future smut. shop owner yeosang. saloon owner wooyoung. bartender san. sheriff hongjoong. butler yunho. deputy mingi. wood carver jongho. gambler seonghwa. feelings. warning added by chapter.

Chapter Warnings- drinking. adultery.

Author Note- so I think Wednesday is official update day

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Chapter 8- The Stars From a Swing

You started your day off with a surprising question from Seonghwa. “Can you show me your bow?”

He was sitting at the table with his newspaper as usual, but today his eyes lifted from the paper when you walked down the stairs. 

“Huh? Oh, yes, you can.” Who were you to decline?

You rushed back up the stairs to get your bow out of your room. On your return downstairs, Seonghwa was no where to be seen. You looked curiously at Harper in the kitchen. She paused her activities to point to the backyard. Oh. He wanted you to shoot.

Seonghwa was leaned up against the backside of the house, waiting for you. You held your bow out to him, still hoping that he just wanted to observe the object. He smirked at your actions before beckoning towards the targets on the hay bales. “I want to see your perfect aim.”

You lowered your bow back to your side, hesitantly stepping away from the house. You knew you were a good shot, but Seonghwa’s presence intimidated you. You prepared to shoot anyway. This was a chance to prove yourself to him. 

Your nerves melted away as you drew up your bow. You aimed at a bottle closer to you, watching it explode as the arrow made contact. A breath of relief was released. You could do this, of course you could. 

Several more bottles and jars were shot before you turned your attention back to Seonghwa. He still was relaxed against the house, arms crossed. “There you go, my perfect aim.”

He chuckles. “Yeah, you’re pretty good. Where did you learn?”

That question stops your breath. Everybody still thinks you’re an orphan from the city. How does an orphan learn to work a bow? No wonder he was curious.

You don’t know how to answer his question. What could you say? Nothing makes sense. Lies always come to light, you just wish it wasn’t at this moment you had to face the ones you told. “I-I don’t know. I don’t remember.” 

He doesn’t respond. He just looks at you as he always has, and you realize that he sees right through you. Hongjoong was right. Your secrets were going to come tumbling out, and you could do nothing about it.

————————————

Harper announced that it was Wooyoung’s birthday. He was well known around town, so there was going to be a big celebration at The Mist. You had only met him once, but he seemed to have a nice and infectious personality.

You were doubtful about going to The Mist, as the last time you were there you experienced quite the embarrassment. You did want to experience the feeling of euphoria the alcohol gave you, but maybe this time you would be more careful about how you ingested it.

“You know you don’t have to drink tonight.” Yunho mentioned to you on the walk towards the saloon. You were walking side by side with him, Harper and Seonghwa a few feet ahead.

“I know.” You responded. “But, I think I want to. I’ll just be more careful.”

He smiled a tight-lipped smile, obviously feeling concern. You know he tended to express that emotion towards you, but you were hoping you wouldn’t give him a reason to tonight.

————————————

When they said Wooyoung was popular, they really meant it. The Mist was packed, full of men and women of various dress code. You recognized Ramona in her get up, as well as Yeosang. You also saw Mingi, which meant Hongjoong wasn’t far. You would try your best to avoid him.

Harper grabbed your elbow before you could address the room anymore. “Bo, I have someone I want you to meet!”

She pulled you towards the table Yeosang was sitting at. With him sat another man. “Jongho, this is Bo.”

Bright eyes looked up at you. “Oh, yes, a bow for Bo!” His smile was contagious. “I must thank you for such a request. I don’t get to make something so fun too often.”

So he was the carver that made your bow. “Thank you for making it. It’s beautiful.”

“I didn’t know you arched, Bo.” Yeosang spoke up. 

You smiled at him, not wanting to bring too much attention to your hobby, as some people have become suspicious. You don’t know how much longer you can hold on to so many secrets.

After getting to know Jongho, you look to find Yunho as soon as possible. He sits at a table with Seonghwa, sipping on a drink. Two other cups sit in front of empty chairs, and you hope they are for you and Harper as you both make your way over.

“Bo, my darling!” A familiar feminine voice sounds behind you as you sit down across from Yunho. You turn to see Ramona in all her beauty.

“Hello, Ramona.” You smile at her. 

“Hello, Ramona.” Harper’s greeting sounded much more tense.

“Harper, nice to see you as well.” She comes to stand between the two of you, a seductive hand on each of your shoulders. “Seonghwa, you’re looking handsome as always.”

Seonghwa’s face mostly remains expressionless as usual, but his eyes gain a certain glint to them. You recognize it as lust. You know what that emotion looks like from when the men talked about women at your home town. It was only ever lust or disgust on their features when they spoke of the opposite sex.

You’re surprised to see that look in his eyes directed at Ramona, as his wife sits directly across from him.

“Well, I’ll leave you folks to enjoy your night.” Ramona notices the tension and excuses herself from the table. 

“I see you’ve met Ramona.” Harper says, her posture straightening.

“Yes, I think she’s quite nice.” You honestly respond.

“Well, that makes two of you.” Harper looks directly at her husband when saying the words.

Yunho clears his throat. “Let’s make a cheers to the birthday boy! He should be making his way around here soon.” 

You’re thankful for Yunho’s interruption of the awkward air. All four of you gratefully take your mugs of beer in your hands, clinking them against each other. You take a small sip, learning from your mistakes.

“Is this your first drink?” Harper directs at you. You forgot they never saw you in your drunken state.

You cough nervously. “No, actually, Yunho and I were here one other time.” You leave out all the embarrassing details.

———————————

As the sun goes down, so does the drink in your cup. You and Yunho kept each other in conversation as Seonghwa and Harper seemed lost in their own. Harper seems to gets angrier as Seonghwa continues to talk. She eventually stands from her seat, excusing herself from the saloon. You couldn’t catch exactly what she said as she left, but it was something along the lines of, “This is no such place for a lady.” Her words confuse you, but you let them go just as she does.

What helps you release the negative emotions is the fuzzy feeling that once again enters your body. It’s not as intense as the last time you were here, but it gets the job done. Just as you empty the liquid from your mug, San makes his way through the tables with a pitcher of ale. A very intoxicated Wooyoung hangs on his arm.

“My friends! Thank you so much for being here on my very special day!” The birthday boy’s words don’t come out slurred, but instead very pronounced.

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Yunho delights.

Wooyoung plops into the chair next to you, where Harper once sat. San fills the empty cups on the tables before drifting to another table. 

“Hey, I remember you, pretty boy!” Wooyoung points in your direction. There’s that word again, however, this time it lacks the feeling that Yunho attached to it (or you attached to it). Your cheeks still burn at the word nonetheless.

“His name is Bo.” Yunho allows Wooyoung to remember.

“Ah, yes, Bo! It’s so nice that you are here on my very special day!” 

You smile at the boyish charms next to you. “Of course.”

You look over at Seonghwa, noticing muffled voices. You’re surprised to see that Ramona has pulled up a chair to his side. They continue to whisper to each other before they stand, hand in hand. You look in confusion, locking eyes with the man. Is he going to leave with her? Why would he do that when he’s married? Maybe you don’t quite know the rules of marriage.

Before he leaves the table, he confirms your suspicions. He walks past you, putting a hand on your shoulder before leaning down close to your ear. “We all have our secrets.” 

Your stomach tightens. Not only is he doing something he probably shouldn’t, he has also confirmed he knows that you hide something. You gulp as he walks towards a set of stairs with Ramona. You watch as they ascend to the second story, entering a room. Not much of a secret if you sneak away in front of a room full of people.

You find yourself angry with him. How could you not be? He’s lying with another woman behind his wife’s back. You think you have a better idea of why Harper exited in such a poor mood.

The voice you wanted to hear the least tonight interrupts your thoughts, causing your anger to grow.“Looks like you’ve gotten used to alcohol, Bo.”

You glare at the sheriff, raising your cup towards him before taking a gulp. “All thanks to you, Hongjoong.”

“I’m here to help in any way I can.” He drinks from his cup as well.

Despite Wooyoung’s drunken state, he seems to notice the energy between you and the sheriff. “Guys! You can’t be rude on my very special day!”

You tear your eyes away from your enemy, opting to stare down at your drink. He’s right. How could you be so careless to let your emotions go astray? Perhaps if you drink more, the power of the fuzzy feeling will grow, and only happiness will exist. You wish to go to the aloof nature you survived in that last time you were drunk. You chug down the rest of your drink.

“You okay?” Yunho speaks softly to you from across the table.

“I’m great!” You smile at him. He’s the sweetest man you’ve ever met. You wish you could make him feel how he made you feel. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay as long as you are.” He returns your smile.

You notice Hongjoong looking suspiciously at the interaction, but this time you are able to ignore the anger starting to bubble under your skin. You’ve reached your high.

“You’ve ever played darts, Bo?” Wooyoung asks giddily from your side.

“Darts? What is that?”

“So you’ve never played? Oh my, now we just have to!” He pulls you to your feet before you can say anything.

Yunho jumps to his feet. “I’ll join.”

“I can’t wait to see this.” Hongjoong stands as well.

You’re dragged to the other side of the saloon, where a circular board sits on the wall. Small, feathered missiles stick into the circle. Wooyoung goes to pull them out. They look like tiny arrows.

You go to grab one, but accidentally grab onto the sharp end. “Ouch!” 

“You can’t hold onto the pointy side.” Wooyoung says matter-of-factly.

Yunho grabs your hand to make sure you’re okay, but once he notices no puncture wound he lets go. You wish he would hold on forever. Who knew drinking would intensify your feelings towards him? You aren’t complaining. He makes you feel so whole. 

“Okay, watch me.” Wooyoung demonstrates throwing the dart at the target on the wall. You’re guessing that he’s aiming at the tiny red circle in the middle, but his dart ends up hitting the floor.

“Yup, that’s how you do it!” He exclaims with his hands on his hips.

You take a dart in your hand, excited to show off your incredible aim. You aim as Wooyoung did, pointing your dart towards the target. One, two, three! You throw the dart. Wow! It almost hit the ceiling. 

Both Yunho and Hongjoong snicker behind you, but their laughs contain different tones. 

You and Wooyoung continue to throw darts at the target, missing each time. Yunho and Hongjoong take their turns as well, faring much better.

———————————

As the night closes to an end, people leave The Mist, including Hongjoong and Wooyoung. You and Yunho make your way out as well, enjoying the cooler air the night has to offer you. You walk slowly, stumbling over your feet every now and then. Yunho keeps you up right, lacing his arm through yours.

“I don’t want to go home yet.” You mumble.

“I figured.” Yunho chuckles. 

“Let’s go see the canyon!”

“It’s way too late for that. But I know somewhere we can go.”

“Where?”

“Yeosang’s place has a swing in the back.”

“A swing? Yeosang?”

“Yea, he owes me after tricking me into thinking he was getting burglarized.” He nudges you playfully.

“Oh yeah, he definitely owes you one. How could he do that?”

Yeosang lives surprisingly close to The Mist, just a couple of buildings down. Yunho quickly knocks on one of the windows before shouting, “I’m gonna be in your backyard!” 

Surely he’s a bit drunk too. You don’t know if he drank as much as you, but his actions have you giggling like a child. He takes your hand before walking you around the house. 

Yeosang’s backyard is small but comfortable. Several plants and bushes line the ground, and the green stands out on the desert floor. A white wooden swing sits on one side of the backdoor. It’s a perfect place to watch the stars. You imagine Yunho coming here a lot, staring up at his favorite place. You’re honored that he’s decided to share this with you.

You sit next to each other on the swing, kicking off the ground to rock back and forth. You gape up at the night sky, a thousand tiny sparkles staring back. “Why did you start pretending, Bo?”

Your drunken state dims your surprise to the question, words flowing out of your unfiltered mouth. “I don’t think I ever had a choice.”

“What do you mean?”

You sigh. “I have another secret, Yunho. I know we said no more of those, but I’m telling you now.”

He looks at you. “Sometimes secrets are hard to tell. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

You look at him. “I want to. I want to get it out.”

You breathe in. “I’m not from the city. I’m not an orphan. Well, I sort of am. Where I’m from nobody really has parents. I don’t what the name of the place is, but it’s somewhere deep in the forest near the city. I ran away. That’s how Harper found me. I ran away because they found me out. It’s awful there, Yunho. You’re given a number the day you are born, and that’s your name. The women can’t do anything. They stay indoors all day and wear hoods over their faces so they won’t be seen. All they do is wait until they must bear a child. That’s when I ran away. When I was supposed to lay with a woman, that’s when I ran away. It was awful, Yunho, it was so awful.” You breathe out. Tears roll down your face, but you can’t even feel them. You feel numb, but so much relief. 

Yunho doesn’t say anything for a while, taking in what you’ve told him. “I’m sorry.”

He pulls you into his side, allowing you to sob into his shirt. You don’t need him to say anything else. This is enough. 

Your tears eventually cease, and you just rest into Yunho. He encourages it, wrapping his arm around you. You like this spot. You assume Yeosang isn’t creepily looking out the back window, so you’re all alone. Alone with Yunho and the stars. 

“I’m glad you told me, Bo.” Yunho speaks up. “Now I can protect you. You don’t need to worry or be afraid. You’ve got me.”

You look up at him. “You’ve got me too, Yunho.”

He smiles and looks at you curiously. “I don’t know what it is about you. Whatever it is though, it makes me happy.”

You kiss him. It’s not as much of a kiss as it is a light brushing of the lips. You’ve never kissed anyone before so it’s the best you could do. You’ve never even thought of kissing anyone, but in the moment Yunho was the best thing the universe had given you. He was different. He wasn’t like the men in your town. This is how things were supposed to be. 

He kisses you. He really kisses you. His hands cup your cheeks as his lips fit into yours like they were meant to be. He feels your innocence, so he guides you. You barely have to move. You just let yourself be moved by him. 

As he pulls away you see the stars. They aren’t in the sky this time, however. They lie in Yunho’s eyes. You kiss him again. You kiss him again and again and again. You kiss him until your lips are numb.

By the time you pull away for the last time, you find yourself to have been kissed sober. Your mind is clearer than it’s ever been. “I really like you, Yunho.”

“I really like you too, Bo.”

[efelixer]

Devil's Landing | Chapter 7

Old West!Ateez x Named Reader

Chapter 7- The Devil of Devil's Landing

word count: 2.8k

Description- Hongjoong is scary and Yunho is the best (I'm sorry I'm so bad at descriptions)

Story Warnings- it might get dark. slow burn. shit attempt at bashing societal and gender norms. sexism. possible future smut. shop owner yeosang. saloon owner wooyoung. bartender san. sheriff hongjoong. butler yunho. deputy mingi. wood carver jongho. gambler seonghwa. feelings. warnings added by chapter.

Chapter Warnings- cult flashback

Author Note- hope you guys are enjoying the story!

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Chapter 7- The Devil of Devil's Landing

Getting back to the house proved to be a problem for you and Yunho. With your constant shivering and worry about your shirt, Yunho sensed there was only one solution. By the time you two had made it back up to Firefly, he was dry and warm enough to lend you his shirt. He politely turned his head away while you switched your wet one out for his. It was at least two times bigger than you as the sleeves covered your hands. You were fine with it being ill fitting as long as your binding was hidden once again. 

The ride back seemed awkward, at least for you. Yunho seemed to understand that your uncomfortableness was coming from his shirtless torso, so he tried to keep his distance as much as he could on top of the horse. 

“Please don’t tell anyone, Yunho.” You plead once again to the man behind you, trying to get your desperation across.

“I won’t, Bo. I just want you to be safe, okay?” He says softly. “Can you promise me you’ll be safe?”

“I’ll try.”

————————————

“Then allow me to help you.”

The older man reached out to your clothing from behind you. Before he could make contact with you, however, your survival instincts took over. You bolted to the door on the far side of the room. Well, you tried at least. You got past two of the other men beside you before their realization kicked in that you were trying to escape. Hands grasped your arm roughly, tugging you to the ground. 

“Let her go.”

Let her go. He knew. Of course he knew. Why else would you be so adamant to not remove your clothes. Now the whole room knows. You’re on the ground, surrounded by betrayed and deranged men. You were never one of them. You could never be one of them.

When the hands released your arm, you took no time to further hear out the elder. You continued your path to the door and ran. You ran past the farmers milking the cows, you ran past the grazing horses, you ran past the house you were born in. The house where a beautiful girl was born, burdened by her sex and destined to hide forever. You ran until you reached the forest and didn’t stop until you knew they weren’t following you.

You were haunted the whole time. The faces of the men who realized you were a woman before their very eyes. Their features turned from ones of indifference to disgust and anger. But what haunted you more were the women on the beds. Through the whole thing, they didn’t move a muscle. They were faceless, motionless, and emotionless. You were never one of them. You could never be one of them.

—————————————

The rest of the week passed in a blur. You spent most of your time at the shop with Yeosang. When you were back at the house, Yunho was barely around, so you never found the time to talk to him. You were scared that he was avoiding you, even though he did nothing to make you believe that. 

Harper and Seonghwa hadn’t gone out again, so by the end of the week you had nothing to report to Hongjoong. Scared of the repercussions for empty hands, you thought trying to talk to Harper or Seonghwa would get you something. Harper was obviously your first choice.

On one particularly sunny day, she was relaxing on the front porch. She looked nice, opting for a pair of fitted slacks and a button up shirt. It looked like one of Seonghwa’s. You joined her. “Hey, Harper. Do you think you could set up that shooting range you were talking about?”

“Today’s a perfect day for that, isn’t it? Let’s do it!” You followed her to the backyard after she gathered some empty bottles and jars of various sizes from the kitchen. You grabbed your bow as well.

“I’m going to grab some hay bales from the stables, you stay here.” You pace around the backyard, thinking about what you are going to say as you watch her walk away.

Where do you and Seonghwa go all the time? You’ve asked that question before, and it’s gotten you nowhere. 

What is that scar under Seonghwa’s eye? That question might be too straightforward. 

How come you are so secretive about what you and Seonghwa do? It’s not particularly a bad question, but it might seem like an attack.

“Could I come with you and Seonghwa the next time you go out?” Your question slips out when Harper comes back with the bales.

“Oh!” She gasps, surprised as she sets the bales down around sixty to seventy feet from the house. “I’m not sure that’s a great idea. You probably wouldn’t enjoy yourself. It’s boring, you know, work and stuff. Why, did you need something?”

“Oh, no, I just thought I would ask. I figured I wouldn’t be able to.” You were unable to come up with an excuse as to why you were asking to go out with them in the first place.

You give up on your conversation with Harper, since it’s not going the way you had hoped. 

Harper sets up the bottles and jars on the hay bales. She stacked some of the bales on top of each other to create different heights. 

Your bow feels good in your hands once again, and you are confident that nothing will go wrong this time around. If you were trying this earlier in the week, your arm would be reeling in pain trying to pull on the bow. Now, the wound hasn’t completely scarred up, but the pain is mostly gone.

You aim and you shoot just like you had done to the cactus. You’re surprised that your injury hasn’t affected your aim as the arrow causes the glass of a bottle to explode into tiny pieces. 

“Wow! That was great, Bo!” Harper exclaims from somewhere behind you.

You smile, slightly embarrassed. “Thanks.”

You focus your attention back onto your targets, shooting several more to pass the time. Harper stays and watches.

————————————

That night, you sit peacefully on your bed reading one of the books Harper loaned to you, when you hear a knock at your door. You quickly shut the book and make sure you look presentable before you go to see who your visitor is. Its Harper, dressed up and ready to go out for the night.

“You’re coming with us.” She declares with a sly smile.

“I am?” Surprise and excitement seep through you.

“It took a lot to convince Seonghwa, but you are. Come on, we need to go.” She beckons you out of your room.

You follow Harper down the stairs to find a strict looking Seonghwa. He speaks, looking at you pointedly. “Listen to me. You follow what I am about to say precisely.”

You nod, urging him to continue. You’ll do whatever he says if it means you get to go with them. If it goes well, you might become a regular on their trips out.

“My wife insists you have perfect aim. While I find that hard to believe after finding you in the middle of the desert with a mountain lion on you—she is quite convincing. Your skills could become valuable to us, as sometimes our job gets dangerous. You’ll take your bow with you, standing outside a window at the back of the house. You won’t be seen and you won’t be heard. Your only job is to pull your weapon out when I give you a signal.” He puts two fingers under  his chin to showcase the signal.

Nerves rise at the directions you are given, reluctant to pull your weapon on any human. You hope it doesn’t come to that. 

For a split second you wonder what Yunho would think of you doing this. Would he be worried like he usually is? Would he be angry at Harper and Seonghwa for possibly putting you in danger? Or would he wonder why you are so tempted to go along with them? Would he suspect you of something? You think Yunho has become the person you want to disappoint the least. He must never find out about this.

“Okay, I can do that.” You confirm.

——————————

You walk the same path as the one you followed Harper and Seonghwa on. Seonghwa declares further instructions about halfway through the walk. “When we get to the house, you walk around back. It’s important that you aren’t seen. When we enter the house, I’ll make my way over to the window to open it.”

Your bow is situated on your back, hidden underneath an oversized, brown leather jacket Harper loaned to you. 

You come up upon the same house as the couple entered last time. Seonghwa nods at you to head around back and you do, heading to the same window that you used to spy. How ironic. Maybe if you had asked to join them in the first place, you would never have been propositioned by Hongjoong to spy. Or maybe you would have. Maybe Hongjoong would have found you no matter what.

You duck underneath the window, peeking over the sill to peer into the house. It is still filled with several men in suits, but they are different from the last time. 

You get nervous when the crowd begins to move towards the window, but you notice it is Seonghwa’s doing. He leads the crowd, making sure he ends up as the one closest to the window. He faces towards the men, his hands behind his back. Slowly and steadily, he reaches for the latch at the bottom of the window, unlocking it. 

The voices are muffled from outside, but Seonghwa has said something to the group to move towards the table to sit. Before he heads away from the window, he slightly lifts it open. When he leaves, you take it in your hands to continue to lift it, until it’s halfway open. You hope no one notices the slight gushes of wind entering into the room.

You can hear the voices clearly now. They speak of terms you have never heard before, probably relating to the game they are playing. 

The night goes on undisturbed. As Harper collects the large pile of money on the table, no one reaches for any weapon. You are relieved that no signal is given. The only thing you learned from the night was the names of the people playing. That should be enough for Hongjoong for the time being.

As you see Seonghwa and Harper starting towards the door, you start walking down several buildings and around. You lean against the side of a building down the street, waiting for them to come to you. 

The walk back is silent. Harper carries a pleased smile on her face. Seonghwa’s features remain expressionless, but at least they are not angry. A smile appears on your face as well. Maybe this would be easier than you thought.

—————————

One of the days you were working the shop with Yeosang, Hongjoong had ventured in to tell you to meet him at his office at the end of every week. That’s where you were headed now in the dead of night.

After you heard the door shut to every room in the house, you snuck out the front door. Now you head through the back door of the sheriff’s office. 

Hongjoong sits in front of the very jail cell he held you in, a cruel smile on his face. “I’m glad you followed directions.”

“Of course,” You start. “But I don’t think I have much of a choice.”

He snickers. “Of course you have a choice, Bo.”

You silently glare at him as you head towards him. “Well, I have information.”

“Do tell, do tell.”

“I know the names of the people they met with this evening.” You give him the names.

“How did you do it? Did you stay in your little hiding spot like you did last time?”

You nod. “They actually wanted me to come.”

“Already? Harper likes you more than I thought.”

More guilt than you were already feeling comes rushing in at his statement. The reminder that you are betraying one of the closest friends you have here has you looking down, ashamed.

Hongjoong catches on to your shame. “You don’t have to do this you know.”

You look up at him, surprised, but all you see is his silly little smirk. He’s playing with you. “Why does it have to be me?”

“Who else could it be? You’re new around here. We don’t get many new people, so my choices have been limited.”

“And if I don’t do this anymore, you’ll make my life a living hell?”

“More than it already is, yes. You’re hiding so many things, Bo, I can see it. You’re about to burst at the seams.” He leans back in his chair. “You know, this is working out perfectly. Your secrets are going to come tumbling out without me having to even try.”

“You don’t know me, Hongjoong.” You snark, anger bubbling up in your stomach at his assumptions.

“No, I don’t. No one does. You don’t even know yourself.” He leans forward now, elbows on his knees, chin in his hands.

“And are you any different? You’re just like me, hiding. You think you can scare and intimidate people so they don’t see the real you.”

He stands up now, heading towards you. “Aw, do I scare you, Bo? Intimidate you?”

He’s face to face with you now. You demand yourself to not look away from his eyes, not wanting to show any truth to his jabs. “Don’t worry, Bo. I’m not gonna be your destruction. You are.”

You scoff at him. “I can’t be any more hurt than I already am. You may have scared me once, but you don’t anymore. I see right through you.”

“That makes two of us, then.”

You still refuse to look away from him, which seems to only anger him further. “This is my town, Bo. You can’t win. Not here, you can’t.”

“The devil of Devil’s Landing. Are you where the name comes from?”

“I’m glad you finally caught on.” He laughs darkly. “It’s past your bedtime, little cat. I hope you give me something more than names next time.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, sheriff.” You nod your head curtly before turning and heading out the door.

———————————

You jolt in shock to see Yunho sitting at the table when you walk back through the front door. “I heard the door shut earlier. I figured it was you; you like to sneak off.”

“I’m sorry if I worried you.” You’re sincere as you make your way over to him.

“I didn’t want to go after you. You’re free to make your own decisions, after all. I just wanted to make sure I was awake when you got home, to make sure you’re okay.”

“Thanks, Yunho. I’m okay.”

“You tired?”

“Not really, surprisingly.” The adrenaline from the conversation you just had with Hongjoong still remains in your system.

“Me neither.” He chuckles.

The room slows to a comfortable silence before Yunho speaks again. “Do you plan to grow your hair out?”

You cough at the unexpected question. “Oh.”

“I mean, just because it’s sort of growing now, and I didn’t know if you were gonna cut it to look more masculine, or—“

“I want to grow it out.” You interrupt his rambling. “It’s never been this long before. Do you think I should cut it?”

“Well, it’s up to you. I know some guys in town that keep it long, so that wouldn’t be unusual.”

“It’s the first thing I’ve done to make me look more ‘feminine.’”

“If it helps any, I think it looks pretty.”

Your cheeks grow red at his confession. No such word has ever been used to describe any part of you. You tell him that. Now his cheeks grow red.

“Well, you are. You are very pretty, always have been.”

“You’re pretty too, Yunho.” 

“No one has ever called me that either.”

“I find that hard to believe.” You say honestly as you stare at him. He’s beautiful, inside and out. 

He stares down at his hands before looking back at you. “I’m glad you’re here, Bo. I’ve never met anyone like you.”

“I’ve never met a girl disguised as a boy either.” 

He laughs. “I mean it, though. I’ve never worried about someone like I worry about you. I would have gone back to sleep tonight if it was anyone else that snuck out. I wonder what that means.”

“That’s what friends do, I think.” You’ve never had friends before, so your statement is hesitant.

“Friends.” His expression seems to drop for a moment, and your heart goes with it. “Yeah, that’s what friends do.”

[efelixer]

Devil's Landing | Chapter 6

Old West!Ateez x Named Reader

Chapter 6- The Stone

word count: 3.3k

Description- your relationship grows with yunho in unexpected ways

Story Warnings- it might get dark. slow burn. shit attempt at bashing societal and gender norms. sexism. possible future smut. shop owner yeosang. saloon owner wooyoung. bartender san. sheriff hongjoong butler yunho. deputy mingi. wood carver jongho. gambler seonghwa. warnings added by chapter.

Chapter Warnings- inaccurate descriptions of canyons (sorry I'm not a geographer or whatever), yunho gets naked (not sexual)

Author Note- sorry for the longer break for the update. it's a chapter more focused on relationship building, but I'm pretty proud of it so hope you enjoy

---------------------

Chapter 6- The Stone

When you walked through the front door, Yunho’s face was not one of anger or disappointment—but one of worry. The minute you see his face, you decide that’s the worst option of the three. Disappointment and anger you could handle, because they are feelings directed outward, at you. Worry is internal, and you caused him to battle with it. 

“Where were you Bo?” He exclaimed as he got up from the table where he was sitting, heading over to you. “I told you not to go anywhere!”

“I’m sorry, Yunho.”

“Where were you?” He repeats.

You struggle to find an answer, searching for a lie. “I-I thought I heard something outside, and I just got carried away.” 

Yunho’s face drops. “Bo, please, I know you’re lying. There was no burglar at the store when I went to help Yeosang.”

You figured this would happen. You and Yeosang didn’t plan anything farther than getting Yunho out of the house. 

When you don’t answer right away, Yunho speaks up again. “Bo, friends tell each other these things. You can trust me.”

Can you trust Yunho, though? He hasn’t done anything to prove that you can’t, but he’s also known Harper and Seonghwa for a long time. When you tell him that you were following them, will he tell them? 

“I was just curious.” You start. “I just wanted to know where Harper and Seonghwa were going. I turned back around as soon as I saw them enter a house, I swear.”

Yunho puts his hands on your shoulders. “It’s because I didn’t tell you what they did, right?”

“I mean, it didn’t help that you didn’t, I guess.”

He huffs and looks down at his feet. “I would’ve gone with you if you were so desperate to go.” 

You don’t know if that answer is truthful or not. He didn’t tell you what they did for a living in the first place, why would he go with you to spy on them? Maybe he just wants you to be safe.

“I’m sorry, Yunho. I keep causing trouble. I really just want a break.” You chuckle dryly.

“Then give yourself a break, Bo.”

You look up at him. “How? It seems trouble finds me even when I don’t seek it.” 

“Come with me somewhere tomorrow, after you get some sleep.”

“Where?”

“Somewhere trouble won’t find you.”

—————————————————

The next morning, you find Seonghwa at the table with a fresh wound under his eye. You suppose that’s what happened after you left your hideout. You look to Harper quickly, making sure that she is okay, but she seems unscathed. They both aren’t acting any different. Harper slaves away in the kitchen while Seonghwa looks down at a newspaper. 

You decide not to question Seonghwa about his scar. You don’t want to draw any attention to what you did last night, or what you might do in the future.

Yunho comes downstairs shortly after you. “Ready?” He directs at you.

Before you can answer, Harper proclaims, “Oh, are you guys headed somewhere?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna take him to see The Stone.”

“The Stone? Well, all right. Stay safe, you two.”

Stay safe? You thought Yunho was taking you somewhere trouble wouldn’t find you.

“You ready to go?” Yunho directs his question towards you.

You nod, still unsure about where you two are going. 

Yunho leads you out the back door, heading towards the stables. “It’s a bit of a distance away, so I figured we could ride out on Firefly.”

You already had hitched a ride on Luna with Seonghwa, but you were so distracted by the pain in your arm, you couldn’t quite remember what it was like. The excitement of riding the horse diverts your anxiety for the time being.

Yunho attached leather reins to Firefly’s head before leading her out of her stable. When out of her cage, he lays the saddle on her back. “Because you’re a beginner, I figured we would just ride together. You’re smaller as well, so it shouldn’t be much trouble for her.” 

He helps you on top of the horse, before hopping on behind you. He folds his arms gently around you—not tight enough for you to feel smothered, but you’re held close enough to him to feel his breath on your ear. The unrecognizable feeling you get sometimes with him pops up in your stomach again. This time it’s harder to ignore, as it lingers while he’s so close to you.

“The ride will take a bit—around an hour, but it’ll be worth it when we get there.” Yunho interrupts your thoughts. 

Yunho grabs hold of the reins, and Firefly starts her light trot away from the town, heading into the unknown. Your nerves start to creep back up your spine, unsure about your destination. However, you begin to match your breaths with the man behind you, calming your system.

Around fifteen minutes into the ride, you break the silence. “Can Firefly go any faster than this?”

Yunho laughs lightly at your question. “She usually can, but with two people on her back it’s not particularly smart.”

You nod in understanding. He continues. “Once you get more used to riding, you can take her for a run.”

“I’d really like that.” You smile.

The ride continues mostly in silence, expect for Yunho checking in on you every once in a while. It’s not an uncomfortable silence, however. You feel secure with Yunho behind you, as you enjoy the slight breeze on your face and the warm sun on your skin.

You know you are getting closer to your destination when Yunho begins to pull on the reins to slow Firefly down. You are confused at first, as the landscape before you looks the same as everywhere else. Nothing special sticks out. However, as Firefly slows her pace, you notice a sudden drop in the sandy rock that paves the desert.

“We’re here.” Yunho speaks before dropping to the ground. He helps you off Firefly with his hands on your waist, introducing once again the unfamiliar feeling. He takes your hand to lead you towards the drop off. “This is The Stone.”

You startle a few steps back once you realize just how sudden the drop was. It’s over one hundred feet down. It seems to look almost like a crack in the earth. 

“It’s a canyon,” Yunho explains. “the closest one to us.”

“A canyon?” You question. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“Pretty cool, right? In a minute, I’ll take us around to the bottom, we can walk through it.”

“You can take us down there?” You point towards the bottom of the pit, staring in shock.

“Isn’t it amazing?”

Once overcoming your initial fear of the unknown formation, it is safe to say The Stone is beautiful. The drop isn’t as intimidating as when you first saw it, and as you look towards the other side, you find yourself wishing to leap inside. It might seem like a rash idea, but your intent was nothing but to feel free. You yearned for it when you wanted to ride the horses, and you yearn for it now. The freedom of riding on the back of a running horse, the freedom of falling.

Yunho was right, no trouble would ever find you here, you would be sure of it. Nothing could ruin this place. You’ve decided it’s yours—or at least yours and Yunho’s.

You look at Yunho with astonishment. “It’s wonderful, Yunho. Thank you for bringing me here.”

“Of course, Bo.” He smiles at you, his eyes warm. 

———————————————

Firefly wasn’t able to take the path down to the bottom of the canyon, so Yunho tied him to a nearby desert tree. The trail was multiple levels, and there were several times Yunho had to grab you by the waist to help you down. Every time his hands touched you, your skin warmed more and more. It was more frightening than the actual path itself.

“This is where we go in.” Yunho says once you’ve reached the bottom. 

You look up to see two parallel cliffs towering above you. You can’t believe you were just up there. You walk side by side into the split rock. Your neck feels strained by how much you keep looking up, but you can’t keep your eyes off how the rocks seem to touch the sky. 

“Do you like it?” Yunho ponders.

“I love it.” You say, face still pointed upwards.

Yunho takes your hand and leads you towards one side. He sits down, pulling you with him. His voice echoes across the canyon. “It’s nice to just rest here every once in a while.”

“I can see why. It’s perfect.” Your eyes scan your surroundings, taking it all in, before locking them with Yunho’s.

“Why did you come to Devil’s Landing?” Yunho’s question comes out of the blue.

You find yourself feeling comforted by the nature you’re surrounded with, allowing yourself to ease into the conversation. “I’m not sure, completely. My destination has always been unknown. I grasped at the first opportunity given to me.”

“Harper was the opportunity?”

You nod.

“If you could choose your destination, where would you go?”

“The sea.” You say without hesitance.

“The sea?”

“I’ve always wanted to go, since the first time I read about it. It seems unreal, doesn’t it? Have you ever been?”

“Once when I was younger. It’s so different from here. It does seem magical when you see it.”

“Tell me about it, please. I’ve read about it, but I’ve never heard from a person who’s been there.”

Yunho smiles at you. “I think it depends on where you go, but the sea I went to was windy. I remember my hair getting in my eyes. I had to keep moving it out of my way just so I could see where I was going. It was beautiful, though. You can’t see the end of the ocean, just where it meets the sky. And it was so, so blue. A blue you can’t really describe. The water was cold, too. I didn’t get to swim in it, but I walked through it. You could see your feet through the water, it was so clear. And the sound was so peaceful. The waves, the birds, the happy voices.”

You hang on to every word he says, trying to imagine it in your head. “Is it close to here?” You ask.

Yunho’s face drops at your desperation. “No, I don’t think so.” 

Your face drops as well. “Oh.”

“My family used to travel a lot, and the beach was one of our destinations. Once I became an adult, however, I moved away. I ended up here, far, far away from wherever they are.”

“Did you want to leave them? Or did you have to?”

“I guess both.”

You don’t press him further, as you can see the topic of his family upsets him. 

“If you could choose your destination, where would it be?” You ask the same question to him that he asked you. It seems to brighten his features, so you feel happy in your decision.

“Good question.” He smiles. “As I said, I used to travel a lot, so I think I would choose a place like I’ve never seen before. Maybe, the moon.”

“The moon? The one in outer space?”

“Well, yes. It looks pretty cool from here, wouldn’t it be amazing to actually be on it?”

“I’ve never really thought about going to space.”

“I think about it a lot. I guess space is to me as the sea is to you.”

The more you talk to Yunho the more you feel drawn to him. Everything about him seems to light a spark inside of you. Your heart grows warm when he smiles, and goes cold when his face drops. His laugh is like music, and his eyes are like a painting. You could listen to him on repeat, and stare at him for hours. You’ve never dreamt of feeling like this towards anyone, but you don’t want to stop it. The feeling scares you, but it’s also addictive.

You don’t notice how long you’ve just been staring at each other, until a sound coming from inside the canyon draws your attention away. It sounds like running water.

“Is that water?”

“Water?” Yunho questions until realization crosses his features. “Oh yes, how could I forget!”

He pulls you to your feet, holding onto your hand as he pulls you towards the direction of the sound. You stop when you reach an opening. The cliffs round out, creating a large space that is filled with water. The cliffs narrow again on the other side, leading the headwater into a stream.

“I can’t believe I forgot about this!”

“Wow.” You answer absentmindedly while staring out into the water. “This just keeps getting better and better. How far does it go?”

“Well, this is where it starts, but I think it flows through the rest of the canyon.”

Your feet start moving towards the pool of water. “It’s like a mini sea.” You smile.

Yunho chuckles. “Yeah, in a way it is.”

You crouch down, letting your hands rest in the cool ripples. You feel Yunho join you by your side. “How deep is it?”

“I’m not sure, I’ve never gone inside.” Yunho smirks playfully. “Do you wanna find out?”

You smile back, tempted by his idea. You’ve never been swimming before, but you figured if it got too deep, you could just yell out. You trust Yunho enough now to know that he would help you. “Yeah, let’s find out.”

You stand up alongside Yunho, but are surprised when he starts to pull his shirt over his head. You aren’t sure why you’re surprised. Of course he’s taking his clothes off to go swimming, he’s a guy. Does that mean he expects you to as well? You quickly turn your head away from him as he reaches for his pants.

“U-Um, I’m not sure, actually. I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know how to swim.” You quickly mumble an excuse. 

You hear his footsteps retreating into the water and are relieved to find that only his chest is visible now. “Oh come on, Bo, it’s not that deep!”

You feel better now that you aren’t able to see most of him. “A-All right, but I’m keeping my clothes on.”

“Whatever you want, Bo, just come on! It feels amazing!”

You have to agree with him once your feet hit the water. It feels refreshing. You slowly inch your way towards where Yunho stands, but you’ve underestimated his height. Where the water reaches his chest, it barely reaches your neck. You’re having to stand on your tippy toes to keep your head over water, and you frantically reach for Yunho, trying to grab on to something to keep you steady.

Yunho notices your struggle, and reaches out to you as well, grabbing onto your waist once again. Your hands find his arms. “Not that deep?” You joke at him.

“Well, I forgot how short you were.” He jokes back. “If you get on my back, I can lead us further.”

He turns around, baring his back to you. You hesitate, resisting the urge to be closer to him. But, he offered, didn’t he? What are you so afraid of?

You jump to wrap your arms around his neck, legs finding purchase around his hips. “I’ll teach you how to swim one day.”

“I don’t need to know how if you just let me ride on your back.”

Yunho laughs, and your cheeks burn red at the vibration you feel through his back. 

Yunho takes several more steps until he is wading through the water. You look up once again to see the cliffs around you. You feel so small amongst your surroundings, but you aren’t scared. You feel comforted. 

“This is amazing, Yunho.” You whisper in awe.

You don’t notice the goosebumps that raise on his skin in response. He clears his throat, “I’m glad you like it, Bo.”

You rest your cheek on Yunho’s shoulder, allowing yourself to relax. The contrast of his body warmth and the cool water causes a peaceful sigh to escape your mouth. Yunho tenses under you. “I think we should get out now. Aren’t you cold?”

You lift your head and try to hide the disappointment in your voice. Even though you don’t want to get out, you understand the water must be tougher on him as he’s carrying you on his back. “I guess so.”

Once he reaches a part in the water where you can stand, he lets you down. You both stride out of the water, side by side.

Once you’re fully out in the air, shivers naturally find your body. Yunho quickly reaches for his dry clothes, and you realize your mistake in leaving yours on. But what could you have done? You rely on your arms holding yourself to try and warm up.

You turn your head away again while Yunho puts his clothes back on. He notices your shivers. “I would’ve brought a blanket if I had known we were going swimming. It’s still pretty early in the day, so once we start walking back to Firefly, maybe you’ll warm up.”

You keep hope in his statement, but you know deep down that you won’t get warm until you get out of your wet clothes. You try to smile at him and drop your arms to try and ease his worries. It seems to work, until his eyes go to your chest. You look down and your heart drops. The outline of your binding can be clearly seen through your wet shirt. 

You look up at him, seeing him staring back at your face. You look for any sign of anger that you lied to him, but all you see is concern. “Oh, Bo.”

You feel the tears come to your eyes before you can stop them. “I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.” They are the only words your brain can find. Yunho steps closer to you, but you just step back.

“Were you ever going to say anything?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never told anyone, ever.” The tears start to fall.

“Ever? No one knew when you were growing up?”

“No, you’re the first person to ever know. Well, kind of.” You wish in the moment that you could tell him everything, but you just aren’t ready yet. “It’s all so complicated, Yunho.”

“I think you should at least tell Harper.” You’re surprised that you don’t find any negative emotion in his voice, just worry.

“Are you not mad? I lied to you.”

“We all have our reasons to lie, Bo. I mean, yeah, this is a pretty big lie, but I also have only known you for a short time. It’s better I find out now than later isn’t it? That’s why I think you should tell Harper now.”

“I can’t! She told me I remind her of her little brother, I don’t want to disappoint her.”

“Bo, you remind her of her little brother because of who you are, not because she thinks you’re a boy.”

“I’ll tell her, Yunho. I’ll tell her one day, but I have to be ready, and I’m not ready.”

“I understand, Bo.” You didn’t notice he was still stepping towards you until your back was against the canyon wall. There’s nowhere for you to go now. He brings his hands towards your face to wipe your tears away.

“Are you still my friend, Yunho?”

“Of course, Bo. From now on, no more lies, okay?”

You look down, knowing that you have more secrets hidden. “O-Okay.”

You’ll tell him when the day comes, if it ever comes. For now you just need him, and you’ll say whatever you have to, to have him.

[efelixer]

Devil's Landing | Chapter 5

Old West!Ateez x Named Reader

Chapter 5- Curiosity Killed the Cat

word count: 3.5k

Description- Curiosity has sent you over the edge, but are you ready to face the consequences?

Story Warnings- it might get dark. slow burn. shit attempt at bashing societal and gender norms. sexism. possible future smut. shop owner yeosang. saloon owner wooyoung. bartender san. sheriff hongjoong. butler yunho. deputy mingi. wood carver jongho. gambler seonghwa. warnings added by chapter.

Chapter Warnings- cultish behavior. inaccurate descriptions of poker. hongjoong is conniving

Author Note- more of the members will get more story time as the story progresses, but as of now the main focus is on seonghwa, hongjoong, and yunho. I hope you guys are liking it :)

-----------------------------

Chapter 5- Curiosity Killed the Cat

“Remove your garments”

The elder’s voice resounded through your ears as the sweat dripped from your forehead. The men beside you wasted no time in following the order, pulling their shirt over their head and their pants off of their legs. You were the odd one out, frozen in time, staring straight ahead to the wall above the beds. 

“107,” The voice speaks again, this time closer to your ear from behind you. “Do we have a problem?”

Your breath picks up, rapid inhales and exhales escaping your mouth. You’re fixed in position, unable to move. You never had a plan for what you would do when it came to this. 

“I said, remove your garments.” 

You can feel eyes looking at you from all directions. The curious eyes from your sides, wondering why you aren’t following directions. Glaring eyes from behind you, demanding you to be obedient. Even hidden eyes from below you on the bed, urging you to get this over with.

“I-I can’t.” Your voice is finally found. 

“You can’t?” The elder questions you. “You can’t or you won’t?”

“I can’t. I really can’t.”

“Then allow me to help you.”

Your eyes snap open from another nightmare. Even after all this running, you still can’t escape your past. You will never forget the way you felt in that moment. The fear, not only of being found out, but also of what might have come next. If you weren’t able to get away like you did, what would have happened to you? Would they have killed you? It seems like the probable option. You were too much of a burden to keep around. Having already been given the taste of freedom, you would not sit in silence as a woman of their rules. 

Now here you are, still masquerading, even though no one is prohibiting you from being yourself. You keep telling yourself the reason why you’re doing this is because you don’t know how to be a woman. But, guessing from the different kinds of women you’ve met so far, is there any correct way to be a woman? 

Perhaps you should have been yourself from the moment you met Harper. That might have made things easier for you now. You think it might be too late to let people know who you are. The trust you’ve begun to build with the people around you would crumble, and the people who don’t trust you at all would have more reason to doubt you. There seems to be no other way than to keep pretending.

Another thought crosses your mind, brought upon you from the flashback. What if the elders find you? They didn’t chase after you immediately when you ran, at least that is what you thought because you never heard them with you in the forest. But, what if that is a part of their plan? They make you think you are safe, and they strike when you least expect it. You don’t think they would just let you disappear. Wouldn’t they be too afraid that you would tell people about your experience there? What if you go and find people to send into the town, destroying the cult? You should keep your eyes sharper starting from now, just in case their scheme is what you think it is.

———————————

Like the last time you had a nightmare, you didn’t get any more sleep once you had jolted awake. The nicest you had slept while staying here was when you were drunk off of alcohol. Perhaps you should stop by The Mist, and see if San can give you a bottle of whatever to keep by your bed, just to help you sleep better and keep the nightmares away.

Making your way down the stairs, you hear Harper already in the kitchen as usual. You expect to see Yunho there, but who you don’t expect is Seonghwa. The two men are sitting at the table, while Harper slaves away over some food.

You aren’t sure what to do with yourself. Should you ask if Harper needs help? The last time you did, she insisted she was fine, but you don’t feel comfortable sitting with the boys at the table. You still feel awkward with Yunho after the drunken incident, and you feel guilty at how you treated Seonghwa’s help. 

“Bo, good morning! Take a seat at the table, I’ll have breakfast ready shortly.” Harper makes your decision, despite being one you don’t particularly like. 

You sit in the chair beside Yunho, across from Seonghwa. The taller man welcomes you with a smile, while Seonghwa’s eyes remain downcast, glancing over a newspaper. You wonder where you can get your hands on one of those. Since you’ve been locked off from the rest of the world your whole life, it would be nice to be updated on recent news.

“Harper and Seonghwa have somewhere to be later tonight. I’ve been told I need to keep an eye on you so you don’t go wondering off.” Yunho speaks up, sparing a glance down at your covered arm to make a point.

You nod your head at him, but inside you are despising this predicament. You wish you could know where the couple were going. You suppose it is their job, but what exactly is their job? You’ve asked Yunho and he refused to tell you. You are too scared to ask Seonghwa and for some reason you can’t find the right time to ask Harper.

It crossed your mind to try and follow them when they left, but if Yunho is watching after you, that might prove impossible. Unless you can find a way to distract him. 

————————————————

“Yeosang, can I ask you a question?” That day at the boutique, you are daring with your words.

“Of course.” He answers back with his warm voice, allowing you to feel comfortable. 

“Yunho is supposed to be keeping me company tonight. I had an accident yesterday, and Harper doesn’t trust me to be left alone. I don’t blame her, but I have something I need to do. Do you know how I would be able to let Yunho feel comfortable enough to leave me be? Or if there is a way to distract him.” You ramble off to Yeosang, not caring that you barely know the man. You’re looking for answers, and running out of ways to get them.

Yeosang doesn’t seem to mind your curious asking, he just chuckles at your chatter. “Well, you could just ask him to let you be.”

You huff at his response. “You’re right, I could. But, you see, I’m trying to be secretive.” 

“Ahhh, yes, I see. If it’s a secret, why are you telling me?”

“You told me that you don’t talk that much, so I thought I could confide in you with this. Plus, I really could use the help.”

“Let me think.” Yeosang puts his finger to his chin like he is deep in thought. “I guess I could help you.”

“Thank you, Yeosang!” You smile gratefully at him. “So, what should I do to distract him?”

“I think I could actually do something. What if something supposedly goes wrong at the shop here, and I need Yunho to help me sort it out? I’ll go knocking on your door, frantically looking for him. He’ll have no choice but to come help me. You can sneak out while he’s gone, and hopefully be back before I can’t distract him any longer.”

Yeosang’s plan is perfect, you think. “Wow! Yeosang, that’s great!”

“Thank you, thank you. I’ve always wanted to pull off a trick like this, now is the perfect opportunity.” 

“I think Harper and Seonghwa are leaving after dinner time, around six, so you should come by then.”

“I can’t wait, Bo.” Yeosang smiles giddily at you.

————————————

Later that evening, you feel your nerves spiking as the time for the plan is nearing. Harper and Seonghwa are slipping on their shoes to leave the house, while you and Yunho sit at the table, watching them in silence. 

They look nice, almost too nice for an ordinary job. Harper is in one of her usual dresses, but its darker in color. Seonghwa wears a tailored suit, but a gun sits on his hip, sticking out like a sore thumb. How desperately you wish you knew where they were going. Well, you’ll know soon enough. If everything goes to plan, you shouldn’t be too far behind them when you sneak out, but far enough away that they won’t see you.

Before slipping out the front door, Harper speaks one last time, “We’ll be back soon, please be good for Yunho, Bo.” Her words hurt, oddly enough. You feel as though you have betrayed her trust by going out into the desert yesterday. Now, she does not believe you will behave. It’s too bad that you can’t follow her wishes tonight.

“Would you like to go see the horses, Bo?” Yunho asks once the front door shuts. If it was any other night, you would accept his request.

Your hesitance to answer has Yunho’s eyes widening in apology. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Bo! I forgot about what just happened to you out there, of course you don’t want to see the horses.”

His frantic apology is endearing to you, but you don’t think too much about it as a knocking sounds from the door. Your eyes widen as Yunho makes his way to go see who it is. 

A frantic Yeosang appears when the door is opened. Before Yunho can get out a word, Yeosang begins his performance. “Yunho, thank god! It’s the shop! A burglar! I need your help, please!”

Yeosang’s panic spreads to Yunho. “Oh my! Okay, okay! Um, just a second.” 

Yunho looks back at you as you stare in faux surprise. “I’m so sorry, Bo. Do you think you’ll be okay for a little bit on your own?”

You nod. “Yunho, hurry!” Yeosang urges the man to get through the door.

“Please stay here, Bo, don’t go anywhere.” Yunho makes sure to get out his last request before following the panic-struck boy out the door.

Whew. Step one, complete. You wait a couple seconds before making your way to where the men just stood. You slowly creak open the door, poking out your head to make sure you aren’t too soon to leave. Yunho and Yeosang already were halfway down the street, running towards the shop in a hurry. You squint your eyes to find two figures just slightly further. They stand arm in arm, walking at a peaceful pace. Things couldn’t be going more perfect.

You step out onto the street, keeping your head down as you pass, careful to not catch the eyes of any passerbys. You make sure to lift your eyes every once in a while so you don’t lose sight of the couple. They continue walking straight until they reach a corner, turning left. You pick up your pace so you don’t lose them.

Once you turn the corner as well, you notice many houses. You knew there were more citizens in the town than you had met, you just weren’t sure where they lived. Now, you know. Houses line both sides of the street. They aren’t quite nice as Harper and Seonghwa’s, but they look sturdy enough for the average family. 

You expect them to enter into one of the houses, but they keep walking until they reach another corner, this time turning right. You didn’t think Devil’s Landing was so big. Of course, you had only ventured down the main street.

This street contained more houses, but they were bigger and more comparable to Harper and Seonghwa’s. You also passed what looked to be a restaurant, a barber’s shop, and a wood carver. 

The couple finally stopped at a fancy house towards the end of the street. It was two stories high and had elegant accents that made it stand out from the rest of the buildings. You slow down as they enter. You turn right at a couple of houses before the target, opting to head around back to peer in a back window.

Once you make it to the select house, you crouch down below a window, allowing only your eyes to look inside. Its interior also reminds you of where you stay and you see Harper and Seonghwa shake hands with several other men that wear expensive looking suits. Harper wears a beautiful smile, while Seonghwa’s is tense.

You notice two men standing in the corners towards the front. They are much larger than the other people in the room and their hands are clasped behind their back to make them look taller than they already are. Before Seonghwa can make his way over to a large table in the center of the room, one of the men grabs his arm. Seonghwa looks confused at first, but then he notices the man looking towards the gun on his hip. He hesitantly removes it before joining his wife to sit. It truly is an intimidating scene. 

In front of each person sat at the table lies a set of cards that you have never seen before. It looks like a game. Is this what Harper and Seonghwa do every time they leave? Play a game? You feel yourself getting disappointed, but you decide to stay and watch a little longer since you’ve already come all this way.

Before the game begins, every player puts several wads of paper cash in the center of the table. Your eyes widen at the image. In your time amongst regular civilization, you had seen much coin money, but never paper money, which you assumed was higher in value. 

Time goes by as you watch cards being flipped. It sure is boring just to watch, you wonder if it’s any fun to play. You have no money to bet, so you don’t think you would even be allowed to play.

Just as Seonghwa flips his cards over, a tense atmosphere melts through the room, you even can feel it outside. Seonghwa sits with a smirk on his face, a cockiness you haven’t seen him wear. Harper sits beside him; a slight smile graces her features as well. The other men at the table stare in disbelief. You aren’t sure what is happening, but if you could guess, you would say Seonghwa just won. 

You can’t hear their voices talking from outside, but you notice movement from the corner of the room. One of the larger men’s hands is snaking to his hip, where Seonghwa’s gun now lies. Before you can see what happens next, a hand is slapped over your mouth and you are pulled around the corner to the side of the house. 

You stare with wide eyes at the sheriff before you. He just smiles that sickly smile he wears when he’s up to no good. “A little servant boy came to me looking for you, Bo. Whatcha doin all the way out here?”

You continue to stare, unable to plead your case with his hand over your mouth. “He’s worried sick ya know? I thought I told you not to cause any trouble.”

You shake your head to try and communicate that you meant no harm, but he doesn’t let up. “Looks like you’re just gonna have to come with me.”

You furrow your eyebrows, unsure of where he is going to take you. You hope he means he’s just taking you back to Yunho. You’ll have to face the disappointment of your friends, but at least Hongjoong won’t cause you any harm.

You have a feeling that’s not where you're going, however. Hongjoong’s rough grasp on your arm bruises as he holds you in front of him, his other hand still on your mouth. He walks you down the street that you followed Harper and Seonghwa on. He turns on to the main street, and for a second you think he might just show you mercy, but he pulls you into a building before you can see the sight of your home.

Your eyes adjust to take in your surroundings. You assume it’s Hongjoong’s office as you notice several barred cells. They are empty at the moment, but one soon becomes filled as the sheriff shoves you into it.

You turn around in shock, staring at Hongjoong as he locks the cell door. Your hands grasp onto bars as you look to him with pleading eyes. Surely tricking Yunho is not cause enough to have you locked up.

Hongjoong stares back at you, still smiling. “What? I said you were coming with me. Where else did you think I was taking you?”

“Hongjoong, please, I didn’t mean to cause any trouble!” You desperately respond.

“Hey, hey, shhhh…” He puts on a deceivingly calming voice. “Let’s just talk for a bit, and then maybe I’ll let you go.”

You start to calm down, thinking that maybe Hongjoong will stay true to his word, but knowing him has your heart beating fast. You step back from the bars as he pulls up a stool to sit in front of the cell.

“You were following Harper and Seonghwa, weren’t you?”

Surely he already knew that, so it seems his question was just to taunt you. You nod your head anyway.

“I don’t blame you, Bo. Curiosity can be a strong emotion.” He continues once he knows you won’t say anything. “But you know what they say, curiosity killed the cat.”

You look at him in confusion, not knowing that anyone ever said that. He laughs at your expression before standing from his stool, moving closer to the bars. “You seem so out of touch Bo, it mesmerizes me. Where did you really come from, little boy?”

Your nerves pick up once again, worried that Hongjoong’s picked up on your masquerade. “I-I’m from the city. I’m Harper’s cousin.” You remember what Harper had said about your identity.

“Ah, yes, the city. And what is the name of this city, dear Bo?”

You keep your mouth shut, unable to answer. 

“Oh, Bo, none of that matters right now, don’t worry. I need your help with something else.”

Your eyes pry him to continue, a breath of relief escaping you at his confession.

“What you saw Seonghwa and Harper doing, it seemed like a fun little game, didn’t it?”

He waits for your response, so you nod your head timidly.

“It’s much bigger than that, you see. What they do, is a crime. And as the sheriff of this beautiful town, it’s my job to stop crime. But, sadly, I don’t have enough on them to stop their activities. That’s where you come in, Bo. You’re gonna use that curiosity of yours to get me what I want.”

You look at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Keep spying on them, like you were doing outside that house. Even better if you can get inside the house.”

“Why can’t you do that?”

“Because I’m the sheriff, they don’t trust me. They know that I want to put their empire to bed.”

You understand now why Harper was so tense around Hongjoong when you first met him. 

“I need you to get them to trust you, and then I need you tell me everything.”

You really don’t want to do this. Betraying Harper is the last thing you would ever want to do, and betraying Seonghwa would be betraying Harper. “What if I don’t want to?”

Hongjoong laughs. “You don’t have a choice, Bo. I know you have a secret. I don’t know what it is, but I know you have one, and I’ll stop at nothing to figure it out unless you do this for me.”

Uh oh. That makes things difficult. Do you choose to protect yourself, or to protect Harper? If you follow along with what Hongjoong wants, it is possible that Harper would never know you were the one to spill information. If you don’t help Hongjoong, and he finds out you’re a woman, that would not only hurt you, but also Harper.

Maybe Hongjoong doesn’t need that much on the two, maybe he just needs you to spy a little bit more. What harm could that do? It seems like the better of the two options.

“Okay, fine, I’ll do it. I’ll help you, Hongjoong. But, you have to promise me something in return.”

“I’m already promising you that I won’t try and figure you out, what more do you want?”

“Please, just listen.” You don’t mean to get an attitude with him, but frustration at the situation is growing. “Whatever you find out about Harper, please just don’t hurt her.”

Hongjoong doesn’t respond, but just laughs that insidious laugh of his. He unlocks the door to your cell. “You’re free to go for now, little cat.”

You stare out at the man who has your fate in his hands. Yes, curiosity has killed you. You’re lucky though, you seem to have nine lives.

[efelixer]

You’re writing is so good!!!! I notice this is your first fic on here but it’s already so good. I really love Bo’s character and I can just taste some juicy angst on the horizon >:)) I’ll be sure to reblog you so more ppl see your work! Cant wait for ch 5! 💖

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it 💕💕

[efelixer]

Devil's Landing | Chapter 4

Old West!Ateez x Named Reader

Chapter 4- Biting the Hand that Feeds You

word count: 2.7k

Description- Bo gets a present and makes some careless decisions that end in disaster.

Story Warnings- it might get dark. slow burn. shit attempt at bashing societal and gender norms. sexism. possible future smut. shop owner yeosang. saloon owner wooyoung. bartender san. sheriff hongjoong. butler yunho. deputy mingi. wood carver jongho. warnings added by chapter.

Chapter Warnings- animal death. blood.

Author Note- bit of a shorter chapter, but I think it's pretty exciting

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Chapter 4- Biting the Hand that Feeds You

You and Yunho sit next to each other on your floor, leaning against your bed. The minute you had sat down, your body had melted into Yunho’s side, but he didn’t seem to mind. You had been talking his ear off for the past half hour, when a question you found reasonable slipped into your head, and straight out of your mouth.

“Where are Harper and Seonghwa?”

You can feel Yunho tense under you, but he probably should have expected the question. “It’s really not my place to tell you.”

You huffed at his answer. “That’s stupid.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it.” Yunho sighed. “They’ll be here any minute. I should leave you be to sleep.”

You had gotten increasingly tired every minute that passed, but you still didn’t want to be left alone. You didn’t want to sleep. The high your body was experiencing felt too good, and you also didn’t want to have another nightmare.

“Do you have to leave?” You lift your head off of his shoulder to look up at him. 

Yunho was getting tired himself, but he felt guilty at the situation. He hadn’t done much to try and stop Hongjoong from pressuring you into drinking. But then again, what could he have done? No one goes against Hongjoong.

“I’m sorry, Bo, but I really do. You need to sleep and so do I.” You seemed to give up at that, too exhausted to try and fight it any more. “Here, let me help you get to bed.”

He stands up and puts his hand out for you to grab. Once you feel the comfort of your bed, your eyes drift closed automatically. “Goodnight, Yunho.”

“Goodnight, Bo.”

————————

You didn’t have any nightmares that night, the alcohol exhausting your body and mind. You were thankful for that. What you were not thankful for was the pounding sensation in your head upon waking. Your stomach was queasy and it felt as if every muscle in your body had just been put through extensive training. 

You would lay in bed all day if you could, but you don’t want to raise suspicions on what happened last night. You were embarrassed to say the least. You’re glad that Harper hadn’t seen you, but you don’t know how you will face Yunho. He probably thinks you’re crazy.

You do your best to try and walk down the stairs normally, but your headache causes you to wince at the sounds of pots and pans in the kitchen down below. Harper must be making breakfast.

“Bo, is that you?” Harper calls from the kitchen as you near the bottom of the stairs. “Sorry I didn’t catch you last night. Did you like seeing the horses?”

You smile and nod at her before noticing Yunho at the table. You keep your eyes downcast to avoid his, but you notice something on the table.

“Oh! I got you something!” Harper makes her way to the table to hold up a long gift box.

You take the wrapped box from her grasp and start opening it. Once you see what it is, you gasp. It’s the bow you asked for, and it seems to be made just for you.

“Jongho made it special for you.” Harper confirms your thoughts. “He’s a carver here in town.”

“I-I don’t know what to say. Thank you, really, thank you.” You look up at Harper with a smile on your face and the bow in your hands. 

“I hope you like it. Maybe we can set up a shooting range sometime for you to test it out.”

“That sounds amazing.”

Yunho interrupts you and Harper by sliding his chair out from the table and standing up. “Well, it's time for me to get going, I’ll see you later.”

He walks out the door. You look at Harper curiously, asking where he is going. “Oh, he’s got some work to do out back. Speaking of work, would you want to go help Yeosang at the shop today?”

The thought puts you off. You would much rather stay here and play around with your bow, but you don’t want to go against Harper’s wishes. “All right, I can do that.”

————————————————————————————————

The shop is slow at first. Yeosang was kind when you had shown up and took you around the shop to get used to where things were. He had you posted at the counter for now, but no one had come into the boutique until around one o’clock. 

You were picking at your nails when you heard the door open. You looked up to see it was Ramona, along with several other girls. She didn’t notice you at first, taking her time looking at the dresses the shop had to offer. You watched her touch the fabrics and mingle with the other women. You wished for a moment that you were over there with them, picking out a dress and asking them if it would look good on you. The thought fades when Ramona locks eyes with you.

“Will you look who it is girls. It's sweet Bo.” She makes her way over to the counter. You gulp, unsure of what to say.

She holds up the frilly dress she was looking at to her body. “What do ya think, Bo? Will it look good on me?”

“Um,” You freeze for a moment. No doubt the dress would look good on her. It was light pink with a similar cut to the one she was wearing the other night. It suited her well. “I think it would look fine, yes.”

She giggles at your nervousness. “You’re too sweet, Bo. We don’t get too many gentlemen like you around here, ya know?”

She looks at you with a sultriness in her eyes that causes you to swallow. “I-I’m sorry to hear that.”

She laughs again. She hands you the money for the dress before saying, “You should come by the saloon tonight. I’ll be wearing this dress.”

And with that, she glides out the door with her friends.

You must admit that you are quite bashful at the way she treats you. It makes you wonder if she would treat you the same if she knew you were a woman. Is she just playing a role, or does she truly find you entertaining? 

You aren’t sure if you will show up at the saloon after what happened last night. What if Hongjoong is there? You couldn’t survive another encounter with him. Surely Ramona wouldn’t mind if you didn’t show up. She has many customers that would be able to pay her better attention than you would. 

Yeosang’s voice brings you out of your thoughts. “How are you finding it here in Devil’s Landing so far?”

It’s not a question you can simply nod your head at, so you try to find your words. “Oh, um, I like it.”

“You don’t talk much.” He gives you a small smile. “Don’t worry, I don’t talk much either.”

———————————————

It’s around dinner time when you are making your way back home. Upon entering the front door, you are surprised to find the house seemingly empty. You thought Harper would be in the kitchen, making dinner, but there is no smell of food to grace your presence. You suppose Yunho is still out back, so you make your way over to a window on the back wall to check. You look left and right out the window, but there is no Yunho to be found. Maybe he went to the saloon. It’s around the time when you went last night, so perhaps it's a regular thing for him.

You don’t ponder too much on the absence of your housemates as the empty outdoors makes a tempting scene for you to test out your new toy. The bow is still on the table where you left it this morning, along with a bag of arrows. You grab them and make your way out back.

The house is situated on the edge of town, leading into a vast desert. You walk past the stables, making sure to say hi to the horses on your way. You want to put some distance between you and the town. It’s been awhile since you’ve had a bow in your hands, and you don’t want to risk any accidents.

You walk until the horses are still in your sight, but far enough away that you can’t hear the quiet huffs and neighs they make. You look around, eyes catching sight of a couple cacti. They stand on different levels of ground, making them good targets. 

You set yourself up to shoot at the first one. The feeling of the bow in your hands sends a rush of adrenaline down your spine. You notch an arrow. You pull back. You aim. You shoot.

You hit several inches away from where you intended, but that was expected as it has been awhile. You turn to face the next cactus. You notch an arrow. You pull back. You aim. You shoot.

You’re still off your target, but this time you hit a bit closer. There’s a third cactus, that sits higher than the other two. You turn to aim at that one. You notch an arrow. You pull back. You aim. You don’t shoot. 

You don’t shoot because you hear the sound of a deep growling coming from behind you. You mistakenly whip around to see where the sound is coming from, but the creature must have felt threatened by your fast movement. It’s on you within a second. A large cat has pushed you to the ground and is staring you in the eye.

The impact of the fall had you letting go of your bow. You put your forearm in front of your face to protect yourself, but the beast latches on. Its large fangs tear into your flesh and you wail in agony. It whips its head around with your arm in its mouth like a rag doll, burrowing its teeth deeper.

Your other arm wasn’t faring much better either. You were unable to move it, as one of the paws of the cat had it pinned down. Your situation was beginning to feel hopeless. There’s no way this animal would kill you. It probably just felt the need to defend itself against your unknown presence. You didn’t blame the animal, but you sure didn’t like having your arm in its jaws.

Just when you thought the pain couldn’t get any worse, a loud bang comes from your side. The weight on top of you is gone. The cat snarls in pain as something had hit it in its back leg. Before the animal can turn to run away, another bang resounds, and the cat falls to the ground, dead. 

You stare in shock as you look at the creature, it’s lifeless eyes staring back. You turn to look at the culprit. Sitting atop an anxious white horse, is none other than Seonghwa. He gets Luna to calm down and come stand by your prone body.

“I have half a mind to leave you out here to fend for yourself.” Seonghwa speaks first. The thought leaves you anxious as you start to shake your head rapidly.

“Please, no!” 

Seonghwa hops off of Luna. “I’m not going to, just know that I could.”

He helps you stand to your feet. You wince in pain as you try to move your wounded arm. Blood has already started to clot around two large puncture wounds, but the damage is already done. Your arm is almost completely drenched in red, and a dull throbbing is felt throughout. 

“Jesus, Bo, what were you doing out here?”

“I-I just wanted to try the bow out. I didn’t think anything like this would happen.” You look around anxiously for the mentioned weapon. Seonghwa notices your eyes and goes to pick up the bow on the ground. 

He hoists you up onto Luna, joining behind you. “You’re stupid, you know that?”

“I’m sorry, I really am.” Luna begins to trot back to the house.

“Harper’s out picking up some things, and when she gets home to find you in this state, she’s going to freak out.”

You wince at the thought of worrying Harper. You really didn’t mean for any of this to happen. It just goes to show the kind of trouble you can get into when you’re on your own. You make a promise to yourself to never go off alone again.

You apologize again.

“You should be happy it’s me that found you. Harper’s shit with a needle,” Seonghwa states. You realize what he means, and you begin to panic. Your arm is already in so much pain, the thought of a needle being threaded through your skin has you feeling sick to your stomach.

Seonghwa helps you off the horse, before leading you inside. He sits you at the table while he rummages through a cabinet, looking for something. He emerges with a sewing kit. 

“We don’t have a doctor here in town. If you’re really sick, you go to the city. This is something we can deal with here.”

“I-I don’t think I can. I don’t think I-“

“You’re gonna have to. Just sit still.” Seonghwa sits across from you, and grabs onto your hand, steadying your arm in front of him. 

You both take deep breaths as he threads the needle. You clench your eyes shut when you feel the first pinch. You wince in pain as your knuckles turn white, fists forming out of desperation. 

It takes about twenty minutes for Seonghwa to sew up both puncture wounds, and a sweat has formed on your forehead in reaction. He puts up the needle and heads back to you with a wet rag. He cleans your bloody arm as you rest your head on the other. Taking more deep breaths, you try to bring yourself back to reality.

“I thought you weren’t going to make this easy for me.” Your hazy mind has you speaking the words before you can think them through. 

Seonghwa’s features change before he snickers. “You’re right. I should’ve left you out there.”

He gets up from the table and heads up the stairs, leaving you alone. You didn’t mean to make him upset just then, but you suppose you should have thanked him instead of questioning him. Or you could have just kept your mouth shut like you usually do.

His actions do confuse you, however. At one moment, he’s coming into your room and threatening you if you don’t stay out of his sight. The next, he’s literally your knight on a white horse. Can he blame you for being puzzled?

The front door opening interrupts your thoughts. It’s Harper, and before you can hide your arm, she’s dropping the things in her hands and running over to you.

“Oh my, Bo! What happened?” She anxiously pulls your arm towards her, but drops it when you wince in pain.

“It’s okay, please don’t worry. I’m fine.”

“What happened?” She repeats.

“I-“ you struggle to get your answer out. “I wanted to try my bow out. I went too far and got attacked by an animal. I think it was a mountain lion. It just got my arm. I’m fine, though. Seonghwa found me and stitched me up.”

“He should have wrapped your arm up after.” She huffs and goes to the same cabinet where the sewing needle was. She pulls out some white cloth and wraps it around your arm. “I told you I would set you up a shooting range. Why couldn’t you wait until then to try out your bow?”

“I’m sorry. I really am, I won’t do anything like that again.” You feel tears coming to your eyes at the whole situation. You were hoping that your life would get easier by coming here with Harper, but you’ve been faced with nothing but hardships. Of course, it’s only been a couple of days, but is that a sign of better things to come or worse things. 

Harper notices your distressed expression and combs her hand through your hair, trying to calm you down. “It’s okay, Bo. I just want to make sure you’re all right.”

“I’m all right.”

[efelixer]

Devil's Landing | Chapter 3

Old West!Ateez x Named Reader

Chapter 3- Devil's Cup

word count: 4k

Description- Yunho and you bond over horses. Hongjoong's up to no good.

Story Warnings- it might get dark. slow born. shit attempt at bashing societal and gender norms. sexism. possible future smut. shop owner yeosang. saloon owner wooyoung. bartender san. sheriff hongjoong. butler yunho. deputy mingi. warnings added by chapter.

Chapter Warnings- seonghwa is scary and out of line. bad descriptions of horse behavior. gender talk. drinking. hongjoong peer pressures and is overall pretty bad in this chapter. drunk reader.

Author Note- this is my favorite chapter so far, I'm pretty proud of it. I guess I should clarify that my descriptions of the members are in no way how they are in real life. it's just for fun

----------------------------

Chapter 3- Devil's Cup

Seonghwa stared at you with such an intensity, you thought you would burst into flames. His eyes were dark and intimidating, and his hand on your mouth was harsh. His voice is quiet when he speaks, but his tone commands you to listen.

“I don’t know what your fucking game is here, and frankly I don’t care, but I don’t want to know you exist, you hear me? I don’t want to see you and I don’t want to hear you. I was doing just fine before you showed up, so I don’t need you making things difficult. When I leave this room, it’s the last time I’m going to let things be easy for you.” 

Does Harper know that he’s here? Surely not, she would not stand for this. Should you tell her about this? Even if she were to believe you, would she be on your side over her own husband? You don’t think so.

You know that you started out on the wrong foot with Seonghwa, but you didn’t think you had done enough to deserve this sort of treatment. Maybe he sees through your lies, that’s why he accused you of playing a game. That is what truly scares you. 

You don’t say anything when he removes his hand or when he walks out of the room, you just stare at him with wide eyes, trying to comprehend what had just happened. It’s safe to say you didn’t end up going back to sleep that night.

———————————————————————————

When you hear the front door slam the following morning, you decide to get up. The sound probably means that Seonghwa and Harper are on their way out, and you figure for your own safety you should abide by Seonghwa’s threat. At least for now. 

Your mind is hazy and your legs are weak as you make your way down the stairs. You jump when you see Yunho sitting at the table, but then you remember he is supposed to take you to see horses today. You lighten up at the idea, for animals are something you always look forward to. They are much less complicated than humans. Too bad you have to be with a human to see the animals. You suppose there are worse humans to go with than Yunho.

“Hey, Bo, did you sleep all right?” He must see the bags under your eyes, because there is a certain concern in his. 

You nod your head, as you choose not to use your words quite yet. He seems a bit disappointed at this conclusion, but gives you a closed lip smile nonetheless. 

“Are you ready to head out? It’s not too warm out today, perfect weather for going out.” You smile at his statement. You admire his determination to have a conversation with you. Perhaps you ought to make it easier for him.

“Yes, I’m ready. I’m looking forward to it.” You respond to him, and his eyes light up. That light gives you a feeling in your chest you’ve never felt before, but you ignore it, preferring not to add more confusion to your circumstance.

———————————————————————————

Yunho wasn’t lying when he said the weather was perfect. The previous day’s heat had caused you to break out in a sweat the minute you stepped outside. Today’s morning contained a slight breeze that cooled your neck and allowed your growing hair to blow out of your face. Speaking of your hair, it might become an issue in the warmer weather. You had seen a barber’s shop, but you don’t think you want to cut it. Maybe you would be able to tie it behind your head to keep under your hat. 

Yunho breaks you out of your thoughts, “Have you dealt with horses before?”

There were horses back in your hometown, but you never dealt with them directly. You always appreciated their beauty from afar, watching as elders rode them away into the woods, usually coming back with certain necessities that could not be grown on the land.

“I haven’t, no.” You answered his question.

“Well, they are quite beautiful creatures, but they can be a bit tense around strangers. They remind me a bit of you in that way.”

“Maybe that means they will think I am one of them, and trust me to take care of them.” Yunho chuckles at your response.

The stables were situated behind the house, but it took a bit of a walk to get to them. As you trek up to them, you notice a few heads sticking out of the windows of the equestrian home. There are two brown beasts, one with a white stripe down its nose.  There is a third one that is completely white with a black mane. They are utterly stunning, even when not staring them in the eye.

Yunho holds his hand up to you, motioning you to stop while he goes forward towards the stalls. “Hey there, Firefly, we have a new friend here to meet you today.” He puts his hand under the nose of the brown and white horse, waiting for it to recognize his scent. Once Firefly gives him permission, Yunho runs his hand over the nose and mane of the horse. He seems to be a natural at dealing with them.

Yunho had carried a bag on his shoulder, and he pulls out an apple to give to Firefly before moving on to the next one. “Hello Ivy.” He repeats the same actions he performed with Firefly to Ivy, before finally arriving at the white horse.

This horse seems to be a bit shier, even when it seems to recognize the man that stands before it. “Don’t be so timid, Luna, I’ve got a snack for you.” 

The apple seems to lure Luna to stick her head further out the window of the stall. She eats the fruit, and then runs her nose against Yunho’s hand, thanking him for the gift. Yunho then turns to you.

“I’ve got a few more apples that you can give to them. They’ll be more apt to accept you if you give them food.” He gestures for you to join him closer to the stables, but you hesitate. You don’t want to disrupt the horses’ peace by introducing them to the unknown.

Yunho notices your hesitance. “Don’t be scared. Put your hand out for them to sniff and then give them the apple. I promise they won’t hurt you.” You don’t point out that you aren’t scared of them hurting you, but actually the opposite.

You speed up your steps to stand at Yunho’s side. He hands you an apple and you make your way to stand in front of the one named Firefly. Getting closer to the animal, you notice more of the smell. It’s not an enjoyable scent, but you are able to ignore it in favor of the animal’s beauty. Firefly has a certain sweetness in her eyes that makes you feel better when you move your hand slowly to rest under her nose. She sniffs for a second, but almost immediately lays her snout in your appendage. 

Yunho’s laugh can be heard from behind you. “That was quick, maybe she really does think you’re a horse!” 

You smile at his comment as you run your hand up and down Firefly’s nose. You remember the apple in your other hand, and hold it up to her face. You gasp as her teeth make slight contact with your flesh, but relax when she huffs out her gratitude.

Yunho hands you another apple to give to Ivy. Ivy is quick to open up to you as well, but unlike Firefly’s sweetness, she contains a mischievousness in her actions. She is more vocal when you pet her mane, and almost seems to smile when you give her the snack.

When you get to Luna’s stall, you notice that the horse had made its way back deeper into her room. You turn to Yunho, defeated. He meets you at the window of her stall, to try and beckon her out. “She might be more difficult to get to know than the others.” 

He whistles at the white creature, “Come here, girl.” His tone is sweet, but demanding, and Luna trots over to his open hands. She makes sure to stand closer to the side Yunho is on, still cautious of the stranger that stands beside him. 

You jolt in shock as Yunho takes your hand to connect with his on top of Luna’s head. You relax, though, as you realize Luna does not react negatively to the new touch. You smile at Yunho, but quickly look back to Luna as you see him smiling at you. You don’t know why his stare makes you feel confused. It’s not an uncomfortable feeling, just a feeling you’ve never felt. Again, you choose not to dwell too long on it, but instead bring the last apple to Luna’s mouth.

“Let’s let them out.” You are stumped by Yunho’s words, but then notice the large fence that surrounds the stables. Of course, the horses wouldn’t be locked inside their stalls all day.

You wait outside the fence while Yunho lets the horses out to run free. He joins your side to watch the creatures stretch their legs. “Fascinating, huh?” 

“They are.” And they really were. In that moment, you found yourself wishing to be one of them. Running free, not a care in the world. Their manes blew in the wind as they picked up their pace. Sometimes they stopped to sniff at their feet, but they always looked so at peace. It must be nice.

“Maybe one day you can take a ride.” Yunho starts. “Firefly would be the easiest for a beginner like you.”

“I would love that.” You think about the way you would feel on the back of the gentle giant. To feel the wind on your face, just as they do. 

Yunho changes the subject. “Harper and Seonghwa won’t be back until late. I’m assuming that you don’t have much to do for the rest of the day, would you want to go to The Mist with me? Maybe you can get to know the town a bit better.”

You really do have nothing better to do with the time, and you are starting to feel more comfortable with Yunho, but the thought of doing something without Harper’s approval makes you uncertain in your decision. You aren’t sure why you are so dependent on Harper, but then again you think you are. She’s the first person in your life to make you feel accepted.

But, if you don’t go to the saloon with Yunho, what will you do all day? Sit in your room and drown in your thoughts? You would rather do anything else, so you accept Yunho’s offer. Surely Harper wouldn’t care about you settling into the town. She’d most likely encourage it. “That sounds like fun.”

—————————————————

It’s around six in the evening when you and Yunho make your way into The Mist. It’s quite a bit more crowded than the last time you were here, several of the tables filled up with rowdy men drinking out of mugs. You are surprised to see women flitting through the tables, filling up the empty cups of drunkards. They wear skimpy dresses that you have never seen anyone adorn. Their hair is tied up in the way Harper wears hers, but the heels on their feet stand to be at least a couple inches taller.

“Everyone’s getting off work around now, so it’s a bit busy.” Yunho looks at you apologetically when he notices your eyes go wide, taking in the surroundings. He grabs your arm to keep you close to him as he walks up to San behind the bar. 

“Fancy seeing you here, Yunho.” San smiles a cat-like smile at the taller man next to you before noticing your figure. “Bo! It’s so great to see you! Can I fix you a drink? We don’t care about age around here, so don’t worry!” 

His statement makes you realize something for the first time. You failed to think how young you look as a man. You are shorter than the men your age, and your facial features lack a masculine edge. People probably think you are in your mid-teens. The realization causes a spike in your nerves, as your identity becomes more twisted. 

The smile drops from San’s face as he notices your anxiousness. You try to come up with an excuse to not draw any more attention to this feeling. “Um, I’ve never had a drink like that before.” It’s not a lie, as the smell coming from the cups around you is not a familiar one.

San’s smile returns. “Oh, that’s no problem! We can just get you a glass of water.” He turns to Yunho, “You want your usual?” Yunho nods his head in return.

Yunho looks around the room to find an empty table, and sees a small booth in the corner. Once you both have your drinks, you head over to the seats. 

“How old are you anyway?” Yunho asks. “I just want to make sure I’m not making you uncomfortable by bringing you here is all.” You are, in fact, uncomfortable by being here, but it is not because of your age. Well, part of it is, but not in the way he thinks.

You hesitate to answer him honestly. You could play into the role that you are younger, or you could be truthful and possibly make Yunho question you. It is possible that there are men that look just as young as you, so why should you lie? Why should you continue to bury yourself in a hole, when the truth is not so hard to face? 

“I-I’m twenty. I know I look younger, but that’s really how old I am.” You rush out your answer, but Yunho doesn’t look surprised. He only laughs and takes a sip of his drink.

“You are older than I thought, but you don’t need to justify your age to me.” You decide you like Yunho in this moment. Everything he says does not fail to put you at ease.

“Sorry, I tend to want to justify everything I say or do.” Just as he smiles at you, a young woman comes up to your table. She has black hair and dark eyes, and there is no question that she is beautiful. Her dress is a dark purple and black. It’s hemline is short on both ends, and you try not to stare at the skin that she is showing. You don’t do it to be disrespectful, you just have never seen a woman so confident. 

“I haven’t seen you around here before.” You don’t recognize she’s talking to you at first as you avoid her eyes.

“Don’t scare poor Bo off, Ramona.” Yunho’s voice contains a sense of humor that lets you know that he is aquatinted with the woman. 

“Aww, Yunho, just let me have a bit of fun.” Ramona returns the playfulness. 

This woman, Ramona, and the others that walk around the bar, add more to your thoughts around what a woman is ‘supposed’ to be. In your town, women were completely submissive and seen as a lesser species of men. You knew that that wasn’t true, as you—a woman—disguised as a man, never felt lesser to your comrades. That feeling always caused you to be confused, because you thought how could you truly be a woman if you didn’t feel submissive. Yes, you were born a woman, but the choice of being yourself was taken away from you. You never were able to decide for yourself to be a woman. You know that the maiden taking care of you was only looking out for you, but where would you be now if you had the choice? Would you be back home, lying in a bed with your face covered, waiting to be filled with a child? Or would you still be here, a runaway, finally deciding your own fate?

Then you met Harper, the first woman you can remember talking to you. A woman of grace and poise. An elegance you’ve never seen before. You were nothing like her. Were you truly a woman if you couldn’t hold your shoulders high the way she did? Yes, she still cooked and cleaned like the women did at your home, but she also was free of the burden of motherhood. No one made it seem like she was expected to be a mother, but she was still a woman. 

And now you are here, with the promiscuous Ramona. Her skin on display, and her confidence resounding off her body. She is a woman too, but she is nothing like Harper, and nothing like you. Are you truly a woman if you aren’t comfortable in showing your skin? But, you also notice that Ramona seems to be working a job. You assume she is working under a man and working to please the men around her, which prompts a further question. Even when women are given certain freedoms, are they ever really free from the grasp of a man? Harper still acts in servitude to Seonghwa, and Ramona acts in servitude to the men in the saloon. Are you truly a woman if you are free?

As Ramona saunters off, your thoughts are interrupted by two chairs being pulled up to yours and Yunho’s table. You are surprised and slightly terrified to see who occupies one of them. Hongjoong. Hongjoong with his hat, and badge, and gun. You take a gulp of your water to hide your nervousness, but you feel that Hongjoong is like a wolf, and can sense your fear.

In the chair beside Hongjoong, is a man you haven’t met before. He is much taller than Hongjoong, closer to Yunho in height. He looks intimidating, but the childish smile on his face tells otherwise. “Yunho! Can we join you?” The man you don’t know speaks.

“Of course, Mingi. How was work today, boys?” Yunho doesn’t show any signs of discomfort as Harper did when speaking to the Sheriff. You wonder why Harper was so uncomfortable. Yunho’s ease does not spread to you, as you still remember the way Hongjoong got in your face.

Hongjoong doesn’t answer Yunho’s question, but instead puts his focus onto you. “Howdy, Bo, I reckon you’re enjoying your time here in Devil’s Landing?” He has a smile on his face, but his eyes hold nothing but malice. Does your association with Harper automatically make him suspicious of you? That’s your only explanation for his treatment of you, for Yunho seems perfectly fine in his presence. 

You try your best to make your voice loud enough to be heard over the voices in the room. “Y-Yes, sir, I am.” 

He chuckles. “No need for the sir, just call me Hongjoong.” 

You nod an okay to confirm you heard him, too scared that your voice will come out shaky to say anything else.

“Just water? Too good for alcohol?” Hongjoong questions your choice of drink. You don’t know why he took that route of questioning, you didn’t think you were better than anyone for drinking water. In fact, you felt a sense of inferiority. 

Yunho steps in to your defense. “I don’t think he’s too experienced in that field, we should cut him some slack.” 

You silently thank him, but Hongjoong doesn’t let up. “Well, there’s a first time for everything. You’re in safe hands, Bo, give it a try.”

Before you or Yunho can reject his suggestion, Hongjoong is beckoning San to bring a cup over to the table. The glass placed in front of you contains a frothy, light brown liquid. You don’t make any move to bring the cup to your mouth, uncomfortable with the eyes that bore into your head.

“You don’t have to drink it, Bo.” Yunho cuts in once again, but he doesn’t seem to have much authority in the situation. 

“Drink it, Bo. It’ll make you feel good. Maybe we’ll be able to get to know you a bit better.” You aren’t sure what Hongjoong means by that, but the thought of the liquid making you say something you don’t want to scares you, and your hesitance to drink grows. However, you aren’t sure how much choice you have in the situation. 

You bring your hand to the handle of the cup, and take a sniff of it before you sip. The smell is unrecognizable and not soothing in the slightest. The taste is even worse. It’s warmer than you expected, and it burns as it slides down your throat. 

Hongjoong notices the wince on your face and laughs. Mingi smiles a bit, but Yunho’s face remains stoic. 

“Yeah, it doesn’t taste too good at first. If you drink it faster, it’ll be better.” You don’t wantt to go against Hongjoong’s wishes, but the thought of drinking any more is making you sick. You hold your breath and take bigger gulps, but it doesn’t get better like he said it would.

You hear Yunho sigh beside you, and he pushes his own drink away from himself, unfinished. He doesn’t make any move to stop your drinking, but he glares in Hongjoong’s direction.

You take a break from your gulping once the mug is almost empty. You have to take deep breaths to soothe the twisting in your stomach. You feel your head spinning. It’s uncomfortable at first, but soon you begin to relish in it. You imagine this is what riding a horse feels like. 

All your nervousness slips away from you, as you look up to meet Hongjoong’s eyes. The malice still remains there, but you aren’t as scared of it as you were. What a magical drink. 

Hongjoong smiles at you once again. “Feeling good?”

A weird sound escapes your mouth, and you recognize it as a giggle. “Yeah, feeling really good.” 

“I think Bo and I should be heading back now.” Yunho interrupts the transaction between you and Hongjoong. Before either one of you can reject, Yunho stands and pulls you up with him.

“What a shame, the party was just getting started.” Hongjoong pouts, but doesn’t make a move to stop you.

You find it difficult to keep in step with Yunho, but he keeps a hold on your arm, making sure you don’t fall. The walk to the house seems to take forever, in-between your stumbles and giggles. Once you make it to the doorstep Yunho speaks again. “I’m sorry I let that happen. Let’s try to get you to bed before Harper and Seonghwa get home.”

You don’t want to go to bed, this feeling is too good to sleep on. “No! I’m never going to bed.”

“Well, that’s a silly thing to say.”

“I don’t need to go bed. I’m fine.”

“Do you want Harper or Seonghwa to see you like this?”

“I think I would like to see Harper, yes.”

“I promise you that you don’t want that. Please let me get you inside, at least.” Yunho grabs your hand to pull you in doors, and you allow him that much. Once Yunho reaches the stairs, you resist once again.

“No! Let’s go see the horses again. I wanna ride Firefly!”

“Firefly is asleep right now, like you should be.”

“I’ve never seen a horse sleep, let’s go watch!”

“Bo.” Yunho grabs you by the shoulders to try and steady you. “Please, listen to me. This is my fault, I know, but I need you to just get to your room. You don’t have to sleep, just get to your room.”

“Will you stay with me? I don’t wanna leave you. You’re my friend, you know?” Yunho’s eyes soften.

“All right, just for a little bit though. And we have to be quiet.” You finally let Yunho drag you up the stairs and into your room.

[efelixer]

Devil's Landing | Chapter 2

Old West!Ateez x Named Reader

Chapter 2- A Walk Through Devil Land

word count: 3.2k

Description- Harper shows you around Devil's Landing, where you meet many new faces, some friendly, some not so friendly.

Story Warnings- it might get dark. slow burn. shit attempt at bashing societal and gender norms. sexism. possible future smut. shop owner yeosang. saloon owner wooyoung. bartender san. sheriff hongjoong. butler yunho. warnings to be added by chapter.

Chapter Warnings- talks of gender. guns (barely). hongjoong is scary. seonghwa is scary. flashbacks of cultish and awful behavior.

Author's Note- this chapter mainly serves as introducing more of the members, although mingi and jongho are still to come! hope you like it. sorry for typos, bad grammar, I'm bad at editing

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Chapter 2- A Walk Through Devil Land

You had never been in a moving ‘vehicle’ before stepping into the carriage that Harper brought you to. Led by two horses that you were more than accustomed to seeing, the black exterior was sleek but inviting. Sitting in the driver’s seat was a man that you had not seen before. Even while sitting down, he seemed to have a towering height. His hair was fluffy and he had a handsome but kind face. 

“Yunho, we have a guest joining us on our journey.” Harper gave a name to the driver, but did not care to listen to his response while hopping inside the body of the carriage. You locked eyes with him before you quickly looked away. Despite finding a friend in Harper, you wished to stay as hidden as possible from people who had yet to impose an impression. You followed Harper into the carriage.

Inside the carriage sat Seonghwa across from Harper. You do not know why you were surprised to see him, of course he would be here, he was the husband of the lady you now sat beside. He lifted his head and he surprisingly did not seem phased to see you. His eyes remained vindictive, however. You did not blame him, for you were the one who came upon him with violence. You do not blame yourself either, for the realms of this world were quite broader than what you had grown up believing.

As the carriage starts moving, you jolt and grab on to Harper’s arm. Seonghwa scoffs. “Have you never ridden in a carriage before?” Harper asks.

“I don’t think I have.” You respond. The rest of the ride was mostly quiet, except for the quiet gasps of surprise you let out every time the carriage hits a bump.

—————————————————————————————

As the horses pulled the carriage up towards the house, movement came to a halt. Seonghwa was the first one out of the wagon. “How are you feeling?” Harper ponders. 

You aren’t quite sure how to answer the question. What are you feeling? You haven’t ever put much though into your emotions, because what good do emotions do in the long run. Back home, you were taught to stay inside your role as a man. Men do not show emotions, especially ones that may make you appear as weak. Of course, you had let that rule fail when you cried in the alleyway, but perhaps it has been engrained inside of you against your wishes. So, now, what do you feel?

“I’m not quite sure.” You answer. You are scared to disappoint her with your lack of response, but Harper just seems to laugh.

“You are a man of few words, I see.” You follow her out of the carriage and you step back in awe at the house before you. It wasn’t necessarily big, but it was much more beautiful than any house that you’ve ever seen before. 

Yunho instructs the horses to guide the carriage away from the house, as you and Harper make your way up the stairs onto a wooden porch. There stands a white wooden door with an elegant handle that Harper pulls open. Tall ceilings and hardwood floors grace your eyes. You aren’t sure where Seonghwa went, as you do not see him anywhere your eyes can see. It’s not like you are disappointed in his disappearance, he did scare you quite a bit.

“Let me show you to your room, Bo.” Harper led you up an elegant but simple stairway to a short hallway that seemed to contain three rooms. She opened the door to the first room and you couldn’t believe that you were being allowed to stay here. The main thing that caught your eye was how comfortable the bed looked. It had been so long since you had lain in a bed, yet alone one that looked so inviting. You quickly walked over to and enabled your body to feel the solace of the warm mattress. You looked to see Harper still standing in the doorway.

You do not expect the next words to come out of her mouth. “I had a brother once. He’s no longer with me, but you remind me so much of him. He was quiet, but his eyes always held so much wonder.” She walked over to sit next to where you were on the bed. “I don’t doubt my decision to bring you here. Please know that I have no malicious intentions for your future, but possibly I do wish for you to fill the void that has been missing from my life for so long.”

Your eyes meet her melancholy filled ones. “I will do everything I can to bring you the peace you so wish for.” You mean what you say. 

Her grin matches her eyes. “Get some rest. Tomorrow I’ll show you around the town. We’ll make sure to get you some fresh clothes while we’re at it.” 

That night you sleep the best sleep you had in years.

————————————————————————

You are starting to feel uncomfortable in the clothes that have been adorning your body for days. They stink and don’t look much better either. You are happy that the first place Harper takes you is a boutique. While Harper picks you out several pairs of shirts and trousers, you can’t help but stare at the beautiful dresses that sit in the windows. They aren’t dissimilar from the outfits you’ve seen Harper in, and you wonder if you would look as stunning in them as she does. Probably not.

“Come here, darling, try these on.” You hear Harper’s voice from the opposite end of the shop. She holds a pair brown boots in her hand. You suddenly realize that you haven’t been wearing shoes for the entirety of your time here and hope that not too many people have caught you in that act. You take the boots from her hands and try them on. They are sturdy and comfortable and figure that these are the best shoes you have ever worn in your life. Your coming to find out just how much you’ve been missing out on all these years.

“Put this on while your at it.” You feel a weight being placed upon your head and you realize it's a hat. “Oh, you look just precious!” You take it off to observe it in your hands. It’s about the same color as your boots, but it’s brim reaches it out several inches. You’ve never seen a hat like it. You place it back on your head, since Harper seemed to like it so much.

You help Harper bring the clothing over to the checkout counter. There stands a young looking man, around the same age as her. He has dark hair that hangs around his neck, it’s only slightly shorter than yours. His face is lovely, and you wonder if everybody you meet here will continue to outshine you. He takes the clothes from you and Harper. “Who do we have here?” He inquires.

“Oh, my apologies, let me introduce you! Yeosang, this is Bo. Bo, this is Yeosang. I think you will both quite like each other! Perhaps you can help him around the shop once you get settled. It will give you something to do.” Harper exchanges your names. The thought of helping Yeosang out makes you nervous. He seems like a nice enough guy, but the more people you interact with, the more likely you are to be found out. You suppose you would have to make yourself useful eventually. How long do you expect to avoid the citizens of the town you are to stay in?

“Yes, of course, I can always use the help out around here. It’s nice to meet you Bo, welcome to Devil’s Landing.” He smiles a friendly smile at you and you try your best to return it.

As you exit the shop, Harper makes known of your next destination. “I’m going to take you to meet Wooyoung next. He’s one of my closest friends in town so I hope you like him. He also owns the best saloon in town, The Mist.” She seems excited at her proclamation, so you can’t help but get a bit excited yourself. Any friend of Harper would surely be a friend of yours.

As you walk side by side on the dusty road, Harper leads another conversation. “What are some of your hobbies? Hopefully I will somehow be able to provide you some entertainment in your free time.”

You hesitate to share your interests, as you don’t know how common archery would be around here. It was common in your home town, but you are quickly finding out that commonalities there are not commonalities anywhere else. You decide to put some trust into her anyway. “Well, I like to read. But, I also like to use a bow. I don’t know if there is anyway to gain access to a bow here, but if there is I would be more than happy to acquire one.” 

Harper ponders for a quick second on how you would have gained the skill to use a bow and arrow. The conclusion she had made about you was that you had grown up on the streets of the city as an orphan. How does an orphan obtain a weapon? That thought does leave her mind swiftly as she realizes this is the longest you have spoken to her.

She smiles at you. “Well, books are not hard to find, but a bow and arrow you shall have as well, don’t you worry!” If a bow is what it took for you to open up to her, Harper was going to find a bow. You smile back at her, a real smile.

—————————————————————

When you stepped into The Mist, a loud voice boomed before you could even process your surroundings. “Harper! Darling! How was the city?” The voice came from behind the bar. The bar was wooden, like the rest of the saloon, as well as most of the buildings you’ve been inside so far. Behind the bar were shelves of bottles that had words on them that you’ve never seen. “Bourbon” and “Liquor” were some of the words. There was several tables on the floor. On the wall there was a glass case with several guns inside, as well as a mounted bear head. The bear head did not leave you surprised as back home you and other men hunted for your food. The guns were what surprised you, you had never seen a weapon of the kind.

Harper responds to the voice. “Wooyoung, keep it down, I need you to make a good first impression on Bo here.” You draw your attention back to the man. He was cleaning glasses with another man. They both looked very happy to see you even though they had never met you.

“Oh my, a new friend!” The other man said. Harper introduced him as San. They were both very handsome, but had a playful nature that you hadn’t seen in the others you have met so far.

Behind you, the door to the saloon opens once again. Harper spares a glance, but once she sees who it is, she turns around completely to greet them. You follow suit. He’s a shorter man, but his posture is one demanding respect. He has a hat similar to yours on his head, but his clothes are much nicer. A button-up with a vest. His vest contains an odd shaped badge that’s meaning confuses you. What stands out the most on his body is the gun that hangs off his hip. You understand now that guns might be a commonality around here.

“Sheriff Hongjoong, it’s great to see you here!” Harper exclaims, and you can tell that her demeanor has changes to one of nervousness. You don’t blame her, Hongjoong gives off can aura of such confidence that no one would be able to touch.

“Hello Harper,” He doesn’t look interested in her, but once his eyes catch wave of a new soul in town, his eyes change to one of attentiveness. “And who is this, if I may ask?”

“Oh, this is Bo, my cousin.” You are taken aback at Harper’s lie, but you don’t question it. 

Hongjoong looks you up and down with scrutiny. The way it makes you feel reminds you of sitting across from Seonghwa in the carriage. Eyes filled with a certain mistrust. The only difference is, Seonghwa’s suspicion of you was earned. You had pushed him. You might be able to change Seonghwa’s mind about you with time. Hongjoong’s doubt is one given to you on first glance. He is someone you feel you don’t want to come in contact with again.

Hongjoong takes a step closer to you, until he’s leaning into your ear. You try to step back on instinct, but his hand catches the sleeve of your shirt. “You’re new around here, so let this be the only time I have to say this to you. Keep in line and don’t go around causing shit, okay little boy?” His voice vibrates against you and all you can do is nod. He steps away with a smile on his face like nothing happened. “Wooyoung, get me my usual, will you?”

You risk looking at Harper out of the corner of your eye, and she looks just as frightened as you. You don’t know what just transpired, but before you can get too worked up about it, Harper drags you back out of the saloon.

“I’m so sorry! I’m sure he’s just worried because we don’t get too many new people around here. Are you okay?” She questions you.

“I’m all right.” Worse things have happened to you in your life than a man getting in your face.

Harper breathes out. “Let’s get back home, I’ll make some dinner. Seonghwa will be hungry when he gets back home.” 

————————————

When you get home, the first thing you want to do is take a bath. You make sure the latches on the door to the bathroom are locked before you undress and unbind your chest. The water is warm, and you feel the grime, mud, and dirt soak off of you. You change into your new clothes and head downstairs to Harper.

You try to help Harper with the meal, but every time you reached for a utensil she shooed you away, claiming that the kitchen wasn’t the place for a boy. It made you think, that even with this supposed freedom that women away from your home are granted, they still are expected to do certain tasks. It seems women must pay a price no matter what.

When Seonghwa gets home, he looks exhausted. You aren’t sure what he does for work, but it must be something that causes him stress. You are surprised to see Yunho join you at the dinner table. You didn’t know he stayed in the house as well. Perhaps he is given a place to stay in exchange for his servitude.

The food is the best thing you tasted in your whole life and you can’t help but let out noises of satisfaction at the flavor. Harper and Yunho find this endearing as they smile at you, but Seonghwa makes no notice. You wish you could take this time to ask them questions. What does Yunho do for Harper and Seonghwa? What does Seonghwa do for work? What happened to Harper’s brother? Despite your wishes for knowledge, you can’t seem to open up your mouth around the two men. Harper has proved to be a comfort for you, enough to where you are able to talk, even if it is just a little bit. Yunho has a certain solace to him, but you still don’t know him well enough. Seonghwa, well, is Seonghwa.

Harper is of course the one to break the silence. “I have to go to work with Seonghwa tomorrow. Yunho, why don’t you take Bo to the stables and let him see the horses?” 

“Why do you have to go?” You blurt out before Yunho can confirm anything. You don’t wish to be apart from Harper yet. 

“Ah, well, sometimes I go to work with him, it’s no big deal. Yunho will take great care of you.” She can sense the distress in your voice, and tries to calm you down. You don’t say anything else, but the nerves still stay in your system.

“I would be more than happy to take him.” Yunho speaks up. During this whole ordeal, Seonghwa says nothing. His eyes don’t stray from his plate that he eats from. The minute he is done, he gets up without a word and heads up the stairs.

The sun has gone down once you finish your food, and you find yourself tired and ready to be enveloped by your new best friend, your bed. You say goodnight to Harper and nod your head at Yunho as a farewell to him.

——————————————

That night, you are interrupted by a dream. Well, more like a nightmare. Well, more like a flashback.

The room is long and contains a row of beds. The walls are stark white, the beds contrasting them in black. You, along with 9 other men stand at the end of the beds. They all seem calm, excited even, at the even about to take place. They spent their whole life waiting for this moment. To see a woman, to touch a woman. You had spent your life dreading this moment. For you are a woman. 

Your hands are clammy, and your forehead begins to glisten with a nervous sweat. Before you on the beds, lay the women you are to be partnered with. They wear plain cotton dresses and their faces are covered. Their legs are spread, waiting to be used. It makes you sick. That could have been you. It should have been you. What makes you better than them, that you could take the place of a man? You don’t deserve to be here. But you don’t deserve to be in that bed either, that much you know. They don’t deserve to be in that bad. 

Your nerves only get worse as an elder enters through a door at the end of the room. He stands there for a moment, before locking his eyes with yours. Surely, he knows. There is no way he can’t. Not with the dreadful look in your eye. You stand out like a sore thumb. 

“Step forward.” He makes his way behind the row of men as he proclaims. His voice is steady, but his steps are strong. You take a shaky step forward along with your row. He gets closer to where you stand, but before he reaches the end of the line, he stops behind you.

“Remove your garments.”

Your eyes snap open. This was your first time reliving that dreadful night. You hope to find comfort in your reality, but assurance never makes it way towards you. This is because of the figure that stands next to your bed. It’s barely a shadow, but you can make out it’s a man. Before you can shout, the figure slaps a hand over your mouth. Now you can see clearly who it is. Seonghwa.

[efelixer]

Masterpost

Ateez

Devil's Landing (ongoing)

old west!ateez x named reader

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12