#stream ateez answer

[eightmakesonebraincell]

✨️When you get this ask you have to put 5 songs you listen to, post it, then send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (positive vibes are cool)🎶

okay i'm /that/ type of person to attach myself to one (1) song and listen to it on repeat for four months straight so

1. crazy form - ateez 2. god damn - i.m 3. graduation - nct dream 4. she's in the rain - the rose 5. beautiful feeling - day6

[pffbts]

hello! just wanted to let you know that i always go back to reading a fool’s act whenever i needed to feel something haha that fic always brings me to tears i absolutely love one-sided stories! jongho’s fleeting time monologue and y/n’s internal monologue right after always hits me in the chest. it’s pretty hard to find jongho angst fics on here or ao3 so thank you for writing it and i hope you know how much your writing means to people! have a good day! <3

my goodness, anon, you're so lovely 🤧 i just went back to check that fic out and man, it's been more than 3 years. recently, i have gotten so detached to writing (except for my journaling) that i almost don't recognise myself in my past writings anymore but i'm still so grateful for your warm words, anon.

please stay healthy, safe & happy. hoping for all your dreams to come true. sending you lots of love too 💞

[makeitmingi]

Our Shared Melody

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Comedy

Pairing: Hongjoong x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Wife!Reader, IdolHusband!Hongjoong, Idol!Ateez

Summary: Ever since you got together with Hongjoong and married him, he never hid you. Despite being an idol, he took pride in showing you off and showered you with love. But now, you're both taking the next big step in your relationship and of course, he wants ATINY to be a part of it too.

Word count: 6.1K

9 months ago...

The light streaming in through the small gap in the curtains woke Hongjoong up. He frowned slightly, annoyed to be woken up. Before he could even open his eyes, he reached his hand out, only to touch the cold mattress.

"Huh?" He lifted his head up, poking one eye open to make sure he wasn't dreaming. But he wasn't, your side of the bed was empty, pillow made up and sheets cold to indicate you left early.

"Babyyyy~" He groaned out to you, hoping you could hear him. Sometimes, if you woke up first, you would cook and clean.

"(y/n)?" He called you again but there was still no reply.

Hongjoong finally sat up, taking his phone to check the time. It was nearing 11, you both weren't morning people so you wouldn't be up and about. And today, you and Hongjoong were off work.

'The number you have dialled is currently unavailable. Please try again later. Thank you.'

Now, Hongjoong was worried. He frowned and chewed on his bottom lip, sending you a text to ask for your whereabouts.

You were never, not contactable, especially on your off days. It was a safety paranoia thing that Hongjoong had when he went public with your relationship. Now, you were not answering his calls and messages on the day you were supposed to just stay in bed with each other. He was worried.

"Seonghwa. Seonghwa!" Hongjoong knocked on the dorm door. Your shared apartment with him was upstairs so he could easily go downstairs to the other members' dorms.

"Tch, the other two are sleeping. What's all the noise about?" Seonghwa opened the door, clicking his tongue.

"(y/n)'s missing." Hongjoong said. Seonghwa frowned, letting Hongjoong's words sink in.

"What do you mean by 'missing'?" Seonghwa yawned as he stepped aside to let the captain in. He had just woken up and was obviously not understanding the gravity of the situation.

"She wasn't there when I woke up. Our plans today was to stay in bed. She's not answering her phone too." Hongjoong informed.

"Okay, don't freak out. I'm pretty sure she's just busy or can't hear her phone." Seonghwa said, sitting on the couch.

"No, Hwa. Ever since we've started dating and got married, she knows how I worry about her safety, especially when she's out on her own. She would at least leave a note or text, something!" Hongjoong paced up and down.

"Something is wrong, I know it. I feel it." He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. From all the noise, San and Mingi woke up, coming out to see what was going on.

"San, you're one of her favourites. You try to call (y/n). She's missing." Seonghwa said.

"MISSING?!" San's eyes widened as he fully woke up at Seonghwa's words. He ran to his room to get his phone.

"Ignoring what you said about San being her favourite. Yes, one of you try to contact her and see if she answers." Hongjoong instructed. San nodded and tried to call you.

"Voicemail..." He frowned and tried to send you a text.

"You know, hyung. Maybe she's just out and busy, can't come to the phone." Mingi voiced out.

"No, Hongjoong says he feels like something is wrong and he's barely wrong when it comes to these feelings. Ah, don't you have that couple tracking thing for emergencies? If her phone is active, you can see where she is." Seonghwa turned to Hongjoong. Hongjoong's eyes lit up at the reminder.

"You're right." Hongjoong took his phone out to check. Luckily, your phone was still active. Although, when the ping showed where your location is, Hongjoong's eyes widened and his body froze.

"Where is she?" San asked.

"T-The hospital..." He went pale as a sheet. They wasted no time, Hongjoong borrowed San's coat and a pair of outing pants.

"I'll go with you." Seonghwa said. Hongjoong nodded and they went downstairs, taking one of the group's vans and driving to the hospital where you were.

"I-I think that's her." Hongjoong pointed, seeing your back, slumped on one of the benches under a tree.

"Wait. Hongjoong ah, I know you're worried and possibly angry but try to keep your cool until we find out what actually happened, okay?" Seonghwa stood in Hongjoong's way, hands on his shoulders.

"Okay." Hongjoong nodded. He walked over to you with Seonghwa trailing a little behind him. As he stood before you, you looked up and jumped with a gasp. You have never looked so afraid of him before and it was evident you have been crying.

"Hongjoong..." Your words came out a whisper.

"W-What are you doing here?" You asked him, eyes trailing over to Seonghwa behind him.

"Baby... I should be asking you, what are you doing here? You scared me, you weren't there when I woke up and you weren't answering your phone. I thought something happened." He said.

"I... I'm sorry, Hongjoong." You burst out crying, burying your face in your hands. Hongjoong immediately gathered you in his arms.

"What's there to be sorry about? Hey, whatever it is, we'll get through it together." He comforted.

Now, you were really scaring him. He rubbed your back as you cried into his shoulder. Seonghwa felt sad too, he wanted to comfort you but he stayed back to give you two space.

"I..." You couldn't get your words out so you decided to show him instead. Your hands shook as you fumbled for something. Hongjoong gave you some distance and helped you undo the strings of the manila folder you had with you. Digging into the contents, you took out something and handed it to him.

You watched as Hongjoong momentarily took his hands away to hold and see the items. Seonghwa looked over his shoulder, a soft gasp escaping him. You studied Hongjoong's expression and reaction.

"You don't know what that is, do you?" Seonghwa asked. Hongjoong looked up at his friend, shaking his head slightly.

"I'm pregnant, Hongjoong." You revealed.

"Y-You're what?!"

"You're gonna be a dad, Hongjoong ah." Seonghwa chuckled, slapping his friend on the arm and pulling him in for a hug. Hongjoong's body flopped, still ridden with shock.

~

6 months ago...

"Yeah, she thought I was going to be mad at her and leave her for getting pregnant! Am I that scary? You know what, don't answer that..." Hongjoong rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, I'm not that heartless. And I didn't even know what I was looking at when she showed me the scans. Seonghwa had to tell me what it was... Don't laugh at me! How was I supposed to know?" He argued, reading at ATINY's comments.

After the first trimester, you and Hongjoong decided to tell the fans the big news. Most of them have been supportive of you since the beginning so you wanted to share the happy news with them.

"(y/n)? She's just resting now. Morning sickness has not been kind to her." He smiled.

"The doctor said it should get a little better soon as we have passed the first trimester." He explained, leaning on his arm.

"Wish her all the best, ATINY, give her your strength." He fist pumped. It did hurt him seeing you suffer from the bad effects of the pregnancy and that he couldn't help.

"Do the boys know? Of course they know! They're very excited. They always want to see pictures after the check up." He chuckled.

"Wooyoung even tried to sneak into the check up appointment, saying he was the father." He scoffed.

"Yes, now I'll have 7 kids to take care of. But I have (y/n) and Seonghwa with me to help. Imagine being a kid growing up with all of them, I know it is just going to be loud and chaotic. But the boys... they'll shower the baby with so much love. I know ATINY will too." Hongjoong smiled softly.

"What's been the hardest?" Honjoong read.

"Hmm, besides the morning sickness... (y/n) has some weird cravings. I try to buy what I can but you know I can't cook..." He said.

"Wooyoung and Seonghwa have been doing some cooking for her weird combinations. We're grateful, all the boys help care for the baby like it's their own." He laughed.

"Oh! Another hard thing is the hormones. You know, she cried the other time cause I took a piece of her cutlet?" He scoffed.

"What? Now ATINY is scolding me..." All the ATINY were shaming him for stealing from a pregnant lady.

"No, that's not true! I'm not mean, I was just sharing, we always share food! And I didn't think she would CRY! There was a whole other place of cutlet... Yah, ATINY, aren't you being too biased now?" Hongjoong pouted in jealousy.

"Nickname for the baby?... I don't know, we don't officially have one yet. Mingi started calling the baby 'bun'. So everyone kind of calls the baby 'bun' now." Hongjoong sat up.

"No, not shortform of bunny. Bun... as in the bread... Mingi named my kid after his favourite bread..." He sighed.

"Yes, (y/n) agrees that it is cute too..." Hongjoong nodded reluctantly.

"Ah, can we please pick another nickname? I can say that ATINY picked it so no one can argue with me to change it." He threw his head back with a groan.

"Ooooh, you're all so creative." He leaned forward to scroll on some of the suggestions.

"I'll keep note of some of these suggestions. Little TINY? Baby TINY? That's cute." A fatherly smile appeared on his face.

Since the start of all this, you and Hongjoong have learnt to just ignore those haters and their hate comments, letting all the supportive and loving comments cover them up. It wasn't always easy but the both of you expected that.

"Oh, so actually, besides coming on here to talk to ATINY and update all of you on how baby TINY is doing, there's another reason. But it's a surprise." He informed.

"Okay, I won't keep you guys in suspense any longer. Come." Hongjoong took the phone and went out.

"Hi there~ I'm live with ATINY." He saw you moving around the living room, busying yourself with something. You looked up at him.

"Oh, hello. Hi, ATINY~" You waved to the camera, shifting slightly to hide behind Hongjoong.

"Why are you hiding?" Hongjoong chuckled. There were days whereby you just felt a little gross, especially after throwing up from morning sickness, you didn't want the fans to see you.

"There's no need to hide. See? ATINY says you look great. You're glowing, baby." He said to you. You shyly bowed your head.

"Did you tell them yet?" You asked. Hongjoong shook his head. All the comments flooded in, wondering what this surprise that Hongjoong mentioned was.

"No, it's not a gender reveal yet. That's going to be later, in a month or two. Ah, I can't reveal the surprise. What if the person we're surprising is watching the live too? That will ruin it. You'll just have to see ATINY." Hongjoong laughed. You never actually thought about that, nodding when you realised he was right.

"I'm sorry, ATINY. I do want to tell you so you can be in on it though..." You sighed.

"What? No! You can't tell them." Hongjoong moved the phone away, as if you were really going to tell the fans.

"This is my surprise. You can't ruin it for me." Hongjoong sulked. You rolled your eyes and patted his head, disappearing, presumable to retrieve some stuff.

The sound of the doorbell ringing filled the house. Hongjoong's eyes widened in excitement as he scrambled to put the phone down.

"I'll go answer the door." You chuckled.

"Can you still see? I need to hide the phone. It'll be obvious if he can see that we're recording." Hongjoong said to the fans, putting the phone on a shelf and using some items to block it.

"Hey, (y/n). How are you feeling?" Seonghwa appeared in the doorway with bags in his hands.

"I'm feeling a little better. Just tired... the usual morning sickness." You chuckled.

"Hongjoong told me you were craving this candy. He didn't say which flavour you liked so I got you all the flavours. The others will eat the ones you don't... want... What's going on with the both of you?" Seonghwa raised an eyebrow, seeing you stand with Hongjoong.

"Thank you, Seonghwa." You giggled. He nodded his head slowly, still confused at what was going on and why the both of you were acting so weird.

"We have a present for you, Seonghwa ah." Hongjoong said. Seonghwa pointed at himself.

"Here you go." Hongjoong handed the box over to him.

"Umm, okay. Thanks?" Seonghwa cast the both of you a suspicious look before sitting down on the couch to open the box. When he saw the contents, his jaw dropped.

"Me? Are you sure?" He looked up at the two of you.

"We both agree that there's no better person." You giggled. Seonghwa teared up and stood up to hug Hongjoong.

"ATINY has been watching this." You went over to grab the phone from the shelf where the fans were watching, showing them how the two oldest members were hugging each other and crying.

"So the surprise was that we asked Seonghwa to be the future godparent to our child." You showed ATINY the box. There was a picture of the most recent ultrasound, with a speech bubble that said 'will you be my godfather?' taped to it. And Hongjoong included some cute onesies and bibs inside.

"You'd think with my pregnancy hormones, I would be the one to cry first." You joked. Seonghwa broke away from Hongjoong and pulled you into a hug.

"Thank you, thank you so much. I'll protect him or her with my life." He promised.

"If anything were to happen to us, we know you and the others will take good care of our child." You smiled, patting his back.

"This baby will be the luckiest baby out there with an amazing father, godfather and all their uncles." You said to the camera Hongjoong was holding, putting your hands on your small bump.

"ATINY agrees. And also, we are now calling the baby, baby TINY." Hongjoong informed.

"That's cute. But Mingi might still continue to call him or her 'bun'." You pointed out, making Hongjoong roll his eyes.

"I still don't know how I feel about him naming my kid after his favourite food..." He facepalmed.

"It's cute! But right now, all I'm thinking about is how you're going to break it to the others that you chose Hwa as the godfather and not them. You just know a fight is going to break out so good luck with that, captain." You patted him on the shoulder.

~

4 months ago...

You felt your heart racing with excitement as you were escorted backstage by one of ATEEZ's managers. You greeted everyone as you passed them.

Today, you went to find out the gender of your baby. You didn't tell Hongjoong for a few reasons.

He has a concert to rehearse and prepare for so you didn't want him to feel guilty for not accompanying you to the appointment.

You talked to the boys about surprising him at the concert with a gender reveal and they were onboard

"You can wait in here. There's a monitoring screen you can watch. Let me know if you need anything." The manager told you. You nodded with a grateful smile as he left. The others boys, knowing you were coming, made the room comfortable for you with fluffy pillows, snacks and drinks.

'Are you here? - Yunho'

'Yes, I am. Manager nim just brought me to the room all of you set up for me. Thank you so much. - (y/n)'

'You're welcome! If you need anything else, just tell us and we'll try to get it for you. What the lady captain and baby TINY wants, they shall get hehehe - Wooyoung'

'That's really sweet of you. Thank you. I'll see you all later. - (y/n)'

You watched the concert, sad that you only came midway because you were preparing for the surprise. But you were glad the fans on social media were giving you loads of updates and content.

Hongjoong looked good performing and in all his costumes, it was funny he didn't even know you were here.

The plan was right when Hongjoong announces they will be performing their last song, they will surprise him with a recording of you where you will reveal your baby's gender. Then you'll walk out and surprise him.

"They're on the second last song." The manager came back in to get you. You stood up and walked with him.

"Be careful." All the backstage crew made sure to remove wires and items that you could trip over. Holding onto the manager's hand, he led you to one of the wings.

"So, ATINY, unfortunately we will be performing our last song soon. I hope you've enjoyed yourselves tonight." Hongjoong said.

"Nooo!!!" All the fans jeered, not wanting the concert to be over.

"We don't want this to end too. But I promise we will do this again." He chuckled and all the other ATEEZ members nodded in agreement, waving to the fans.

"Without further ado-"

"Hi, Hongjoong." Hongjoong froze at the sound of your voice. He whipped around to see your video playing on the big screen.

"Wait, what's going on?" He looked at his members, who were just looking at the screen with smiles on their faces, meaning he was the only one that didn't know what was happening.

"Just listen, hyung." Yeosang spoke into his mic.

"I bet you're surprised, aren't you Hongjoong? Hello, ATINY. Sorry for interrupting the concert. I hope you have been having fun, I wish I was there to enjoy the concert as well. I know it must be sad that the concert is coming to an end soon but you know, ATEEZ will always come back to ATINY."

At your words, the fans all cheered and screamed loudly. Hongjoong smiled, he didn't know what was going on but was happy of how supportive you truly were.

"So today, I told our dear captain that I was just going for a regular check up to see how baby TINY was doing. Which, by the way, they're fine." You stood up, showing your small bump.

"But Hongjoong, what I didn't tell you was that I know the gender of our baby now..." You smiled.

"Wait, what?!" Hongjoong yelled into the mic.

"Yes, the other ATEEZ boys are in on it too. We planned this surprise together for you and for ATINY." You laughed. Hongjoong turned to his bandmates, who laughed too.

"You guys knew?" Hongjoong asked them in disbelief. The 7 of them nodded their heads.

"Alright, let's get to it. By the way, the ATEEZ boys don't know the gender before you, they're finding out together with you so don't be too mad! Wow, why am I feeling nervous now?" You rubbed your hands together nervously.

"Congratulations, Kim Hongjoong. You're going to have... a daughter!" You revealed.

Suddenly, there was fireworks everywhere and there were cheers everywhere. Hongjoong covered his face as he broke down crying. The other boys came to hug him.

"It's a girl!" Seonghwa yelled into his mic happily. Hongjoong was so busy crying he didn't notice Jongho getting you.

"Hello, ATINY." You said into Jongho's mic and waved.

"Baby?" Hongjoong looked up to see you walked over with Jongho. Hongjoong dropped everything and ran over to give you a big hug. He cried and showered you in kisses.

"So now you have 6 sons and 1 daughter to raise." You joked. The other boys came over to hug the both of you.

"Congratulations!"

"Yay! We're getting a sister!" San laughed. You wrapped your arm around Hongjoong, holding him as he continued to cry. One arm held you while his other hand rested on your bump. He continuously chanted 'thank you's in your ear. Even if he was happy with a son or daughter, you knew he wanted a daughter.

"Who else thinks the captain's daughter is going to have him wrapped around her tiny little finger?" Mingi asked the fans with his arm raised, who all shouted loudly.

"Let's hope she's as pretty as her mother." Wooyoung teased, making Hongjoong lift a leg to kick him.

"That's not very exemplary behaviour as a father, hyung." Yunho added on, wagging his finger at the captain in disapproval.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." You whispered to Hongjoong.

"Mm-mm, don't apologise, baby. This surprise was even better, I can share it with ATINY and the others. It's more than anything I could have asked for. I'm over the moon, thank you." He kissed you.

"Awww." The boys cooed making you blush and hide your face in Hongjoong's chest.

"Thank you for all your well wishes, ATINY. I'm glad you could be a part of this journey with us and our baby TINY." Hongjoong said to the fans, straightening up and holding your hand. You reached over to cup his cheek to wipe his remaining tears.

"You're going to be a great dad, hyung." Yeosang said. The fans erupted in cheers of agreement.

"Question is whether Seonghwa hyung is a godmother or godfather?" Jongho asked, making the others erupt in laughter while Seonghwa sighed and shook his head.

"He can be both." You smiled.

"That means if Hongjoong continues to steal food from me, he'll be stealing from his precious daughter." You laughed.

"Yah, hyung! Shame on you! How can you steal food from your pregnant wife?! She needs to eat for 2, you know?" Wooyoung crossed his arms, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Jung Wooyoung, you-" The fans all laughed as Hongjoong chased after Wooyoung.

~

Today...

"I hate that I'm leaving you." Hongjoong leaned his forehead against yours, squeezing your hand in his.

"Hey, hey. I'm fine, Joong. And we don't know how long she's gonna take, your baby girl could take the whole day. Go perform for ATINY, I'll be fine." You smiled, hand coming up to lightly caress his cheek. Hongjoong didn't make an effort to move, he just didn't want to leave you at all.

Right now, you were starting your labour. You were 2 weeks early and Hongjoong was freaking out while you were cool as a cucumber. But now, Hongjoong had a concert to perform in.

"Maybe I shouldn't go, ATINY will understand." He chewed on his bottom lip. You held his chin.

"No, you are performing at that concert. Your team needs you."

"You need me, the baby needs me. I should be here, supporting you through this." Hongjoong pouted. You softened, what would you do without him? He was the best partner ever.

"I do and I'm grateful for that but I won't let you miss this concert. It's your last concert before you take parental leave so enjoy it." You giggled.

Without you knowing, Hongjoong spoke to KQ about taking some time off to help you care for the baby. He'll still promote, just not as actively. When he told you this, you cried for 2 hours from how touched you were.

"She'll still be here when you come back." You promised. Hongjoong's mother, who was also there and watching this exchange, nodded.

"Don't worry, Hongjoong ah. She's in good hands, I'll keep you updated the whole time." Mrs Kim patted Hongjoong on the shoulders. You nodded in agreement.

"I love you. I love you so much. If you need me, just say the word. I'll drop everything and come." Hongjoong said softly.

"Okay. I love you too. Have fun." You wrapped your arms around him.

"Mmm, you got this, baby. You can do this." He kissed the top of your head, letting his lips linger there for a bit. Reluctantly, Hongjoong had to force himself out of there.

"Let's go, hyung." He said to his manager, who was waiting for him. Even in the van, Hongjoong was texting you.

"Hey, captain! You're here. How's she?" Mingi asked when he saw Hongjoong walk in with the manager. Hearing Mingi, the other boys all turned to the flustered and obviously stressed out captain. Before he could reply to Mingi's question, he was ushered to the tech team to get his microphone.

"I'm freaking out, guys. She's not due for another 2 weeks. I just hate that I'm not there with her but she made me leave and come here." He said to the 7 boys.

"You know (y/n) better than any of us. She'll pull through, she can do it." Seonghwa reached over to pat Hongjoong's thigh.

"But which father misses out his first child's birth for a concert?" He groaned.

"Don't think about that. You're here, ATINY is glad you're here. It'll be okay." San comforted the captain. Seeing how stressed he was, the other boys knew to take it easy with Hongjoong today.

"Let's start the concert briefing before going for the first soundcheck." The stage director came.

Hongjoong tried his best to focus on the rehearsal for the concert, not wanting to burden the rest of the team by being distracted. But he was still worried about you. When he had breaks, he would call or text you.

"We're having our meal now." Hongjoong said, propping the phone up so he could eat and talk to you. You couldn't eat since you felt sick but you didn't want to show Hongjoong.

"That's good." You smiled. The other boys poked their heads into the screen and waved at you.

"All the best, (y/n)." Yunho fist pumped.

"Thank you, everyone. Break a leg for the concert. I've been scrolling on ATINY twitter and it looks so exciting." You said, chewing on your ice chips.

"Wish you were here!" Jongho said.

"Well, I would be if I wasn't pushing a bowling ball out of me." You joked. The other boys winced at the imagery.

"Hey, that's my goddaughter you're talking about." Seonghwa said, making you apologise. However, the call was cut short when the gynaecologist came in and you hung up without a goodbye.

There wasn't much time left for Hongjoong to be distracted because the concert was starting. He put all his focus on his stages, his solo guitar performance, his MATZ performance with Seonghwa and the little acting sequences. After all, he was someone that liked to give it his all, leave the stage with no regrets.

"Have you been having fun?" Yeosang asked ATINY, who cheered loudly. The boys panted, trying to catch their breath.

"Wow, the choreography for that dance always makes us out of breath." San laughed, handing out the water bottles and towels to all the members.

"Hope you've been enjoying the performance, ATINY~" Yunho waved to the fans.

"What about our captain? Any words?" Seonghwa turned to Hongjoong. All the fans screamed for him.

"ATINY... Actually... as we're on stage, (y/n)'s in labour right now. But she insisted I come perform tonight instead of stay by her side... Ah, why am I crying already?" He said to the fans.

"Don't cry! Don't cry! Don't cry!" The other boys and the fans started to chant.

"The labour is earlier than we expected so please, ATINY, pray for her and our baby, that she'll be safe and everything will be alright. She's doing this on her own while I am here. But I'll go to her the moment the concert is over." Hongjoong announced.

"I just want them to be okay!" He wished out loud, making all the fans cheer with encouragement. Seonghwa used a towel to wipe his tears for him.

After the performance was over, Hongjoong was the first to run off stage. He had been away from you for too long. Ripping off his mic, he grabbed his phone from his manager and ran.

"Bring my bag back to the dorm for me!" He yelled to the other manager as he left to the van.

"Good luck! Let us know how they are!" The 7 boys yelled to their captain.

"Omma? How is she?" Hongjoong, still in his sparkly stage outfit, make up and done up hair, ran over to his mother. He didn't care that he was stared at while entering the hospital.

"There was a minor complication but the doctor managed to stop it. Both mother and baby are fine." Mrs Kim informed.

"Congrats, little bro. You're a father now." Bumjoong hugged Hongjoong.

"Go see her, she's resting. She's been through a lot and needs you now." Mr Kim patted Hongjoong on the shoulder. He didn't need to be told twice. Hongjoong quietly entered the room, seeing you sleep. He removed his jacket and went to your side, holding your hand. You were absolutely exhausted.

"Joong?" You whispered, opening your eyes slightly when you felt the side of the bed dip down.

"Yes, baby... I'm here. I'm here now." His fingers brushed the hair away from your face. You quickly wrapped your arms around him, softly sobbing in his embrace.

"It was hurting so bad and there was so much blood. I was so scared..." You cried. Hongjoong's heart broke, hearing your cries.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here, it must have been so scary on your own. I'm sorry." He rubbed your back, tears in his own eyes.

"But you did it, baby. Our little girl is born and healthy. It's all thanks to you, you did it. Thank you, baby. I love you so much." Hongjoong kissed your forehead.

"I love you too." You replied.

"We heard the father is here so we brought her in." The nurse came in, wheeling the little infant bed with her.

"Go on. Your daughter needs to see how handsome her dad is." You encouraged with a soft smile. Hongjoong broke away from you and slowly approached the plastic bed. He gasped as his eyes fell on the bundled baby in the middle.

To say his daughter was perfect would be an understatement, but Hongjoong knew she was perfect. She had a mix of both your best features and his. He knew she would grow up breaking hearts.

"Hi there. I'm Hongjoong. No, wait- I mean, I'm dad." He whispered, introducing himself to the baby. You laughed, taking your phone out to video this.

"You're so squirmy." He chuckled, seeing his daughter huff and squirm in the way she was bundled.

"I'll be back in a bit." The nurse smiled. After she left, Hongjoong's parents came into the room. But all a sudden, a cry erupted.

"W-What do I do?! Help me!" Hongjoong panicked, putting a hand on the baby to try and hush her. He even tried to lightly pat her chest to soothe her but it wasn't working.

"Carry your daughter!" Mrs Kim said in frustration. You burst out laughing, seeing Hongjoong genuinely frightened.

"How?" He whimpered.

"Wash your hands first." Bumjoong said. Hongjoong ran to the sink to wash his hands thoroughly. He sat in the armchair right by your bed as his mother gently picked up the crying baby and put her in his arms. She adjusted his hands and arms so that the baby was properly supported.

"Don't be so awkward, Joong. Relax, it's your kid." You laughed, still video recording him, noticing how stiff he was.

"I'm glad you're entertained by this, baby." Hongjoong rolled his eyes. But then he tried to relax, going into a more loose hold and letting the baby settle in his arms properly.

"See? She stopped crying when she saw her dad." Mr Kim chuckled. Hongjoong smiled softly.

"Already a daddy's girl, hmm? What an angel, you're so beautiful like your mother." He looked at his child, who stared back at him.

"So, how terrified are you?" You asked.

"Very. She's already got me wrapped around her finger, imagine when the other 7 come. She'll be the end of them." Hongjoong laughed, not taking his eyes off his daughter.

"My little melody." He whispered.

"Melody... that's a nice name or nickname. Where did you come up with that?" You asked.

"A few months ago, when I was on live with ATINY, trying to find a new nickname to give her. Back then, we didn't know if the kid was going to be a girl or boy. But when I saw the suggestion of 'melody', I immediately fell in love with it." He explained.

"We don't have to name her that. But it'll be a cute nickname for her." He added, smiling down at his daughter.

~

Future...

"Clear the way! My goddaughter needs to meet her godfather!" Seonghwa pushed his way into the house.

"Hyung!" The other boys groaned, if Seonghwa was always going to use his title to get priority, that would be annoying. Seeing you make your way over, San was quick to help you.

"How are you?" He asked, guiding you to the couch..

"I'm fine, recovering well. Thank you, San." You smiled gratefully, making him smile back.

You stayed in the hospital for a little longer than usual because of the slight complications on your end. Even after you were cleared to go home, Hongjoong didn't have anyone over to visit the baby. He wanted you to heal physically and mentally from the birth before you had anyone over.

"Congratulations~" Seonghwa pulled you into a hug.

"Thank you. Your goddaughter is really cute, by the way. Beware, she already got Hongjoong smiling like a fool for her." You chuckled as you patted his back.

"I'll gladly be a fool for her then. Where is she?" Seonghwa asked, pulling away so the other boys could hug you.

"Hongjoong's changing her. They'll be out in a second." You informed as Mingi wrapped his limbs around you to koala hug you.

"We should wash our hands." Jongho said. All the boys broke apart to the kitchen or guest bathroom to wash their hands. They've been here so many times that they know where everything was.

"ATEEZ meet Kim (y/d/n)." Hongjoong smiled as he came out with the baby bundled in a blanket.

"Aww... She's perfect." The boys melted. Wooyoung had to hold Yunho so he couldn't scream. Hongjoong sat on the couch between them with your daughter cradled in his arms. They all leaned over to look at the tiny human being.

"Wait, I'm not ready. No, yes I am! No, wait. I-" Seonghwa was struggling so Hongjoong just placed the baby in his arms, making Seonghwa stop to support her body.

"Uh, hi there... I'm Seonghwa. I already love you and want to buy you the world." Seonghwa said, practically in a trance.

"Seonghwa! Please don't." You exclaimed.

"Get in line. I'm buying her the world first." Hongjoong childishly scoffed, making you slap his shoulder. The boys took turns to carry her, if they were comfortable to, of course.

"I'm still going to call you, bun. No matter what your dad says." Mingi cooed. Hongjoong rolled his eyes.

"This reminds me of when Kyungmin was born." Wooyoung whispered excitedly as the baby stared back up at him.

"Wait, kids. What's all this?" Hongjoong asked. You looked over the couch, now noticing the big stack of boxes and paper bags that were sitting in the hallway.

"Just some things from all of us and people at the company... This is nothing compared to the world I'll buy you, isn't that right cutie?" Seonghwa said, cooing to the baby in Yunho's arms. Your jaw dropped, this was not 'some' things. Yeosang and Jongho helped bring everything over.

"Guys, thank you for all this. But it's too much." You chuckled, looking through the presents.

"There's never enough for the kiddo." Yunho smiled.

"Sooooooo, when's the next one gonna be? I need to know how much time I have to prove myself worthy of a godparent." Wooyoung said, making you choke.

"Not for a while. I'm going to need to get over this birth." You shook your head. Wooyoung pouted, resting his chin on your shoulder.

"We're going to need to babyproof Hongjoong hyung's studio." Yeosang pointed out.

"Yes, we should get to it." Seonghwa nodded in agreement. Hongjoong just stared at the boys as they made plans to revamp HIS studio. But he couldn't say much, it was for his daughter after all.

You sat with Hongjoong, your arms around each other as you leaned on him. Looking at how the boys all fawned over your daughter, you just knew she was going to grow up with all the love in the world, following the footsteps of her chaotic ATEEZ family.

~

Masterlist

[a-soft-hornytiny]

Loved.

Summary: They don’t love me as much as I love them was what you thought while leaving for the better. And it was too late when they realized how important you are to them.

Word count: 1.5k+

Genre: Angst

Pairing: poly!ateez x neutral!reader

Warnings: neglect (be careful while reading) let me know if i missed something.

Notes: this is an anon request, thanks for requesting. It reminded me of the reaction i did to you distancing yourself hehe i rarely write angst and im not sure how happy i am with it but I hope it’s to your liking! 

Part 2 is up!

Taglist: after the cut (let me know if you wanna be added)

—————————————

Where did it go wrong? You thought while frantically packing your things. You had spent hours and hours to find what you did to deserve this but you couldn’t find anything. Nothing pointed towards you doing something wrong but nonetheless you were here, aggressively stuffing your things into a bag while tears were streaming down your face. 

It had started about a month ago. You should’ve been suspicious when they started coming home even later than usual, some of them not at all. Always telling you that there was a meeting at work and that they had already eaten, leaving you to sit at the dining table alone. In the beginning you had still waited for them, hoping every day that at least one of them would be there and have dinner with you but it was always the same.

“Sorry.” “The boss invited us for dinner.” “I’m so tired I need to go to sleep.” “We had take out at work.” 

It left you confused. There was a time where they fought about who can sit next to you during the meals but now it seemed like they didn’t care anymore. You had only realised what exactly was happening when you saw a picture on Wooyoung phone. A picture of them with one of their colleagues. A beautiful woman with a bright smile, surrounded by your boyfriends. 

Jealousy had immediately risen inside of you but you didn’t say anything. It was not like they weren’t allowed to spend time with other people. Instead, you let your doubts eat you from the inside. Did they eat with her every day? Was she the reason they stayed at work longer than they would normally? Was she better than you? 

The worst part was that they didn’t notice. They didn’t notice how you felt and that you were distancing yourself. You would’ve thought that at least one of them cares. But all they cared about was being with that woman. 

What hurt you the most was that they didn’t tell you about her. If they had been honest with you, you wouldn’t have created all these scenarios in your head. But they lied to you. 

“Yeosang?” You tried to get his attention by tapping his shoulder. It was rare that all eight of them were at home. You wanted to talk about it. Voice your anxious thoughts. Letting them go. “Who is that woman you all have been hanging around?” You asked him because you knew he would be honest with you. The room instantly became silent.

“Oh? Do you mean Haeun? She works with us.” Yeosang answered, not giving you a lot of information. “Why do you ask?” 

You didn’t know what to say. “I-.. I’m just curious.” You stuttered, looking down at your feet. 

“She is really fun to be around! Recently she even invited us for dinner and paid.” San said excitedly. His words stabbed right into your heart. This was worse than you expected.

They weren’t cheating on you. You somehow could feel that. It was worse. They hadn’t been doing anything with a bad intention. They simply enjoyed spending time with her. 

They took you for granted. 

From that conversation on you decided not to chase after them anymore. You didn’t wait until they came home to eat dinner. You didn’t ask them how their day was. The few messages that you got during the day, you ignored. If they wanted to tell you something they could tell you in person. 

Your boyfriends on the other side didn’t realize how much time they were spending with Haeun. And how less they were spending time with you. 

The first one to notice that something was weird about you was Mingi. He had always left you a message during the day. Sometimes about work, what they ate for lunch or when they would be coming home. And normally you would respond relatively quickly. But you didn’t answer at all.

He sat in his practice room, eyes glued on his phone. Read two hours ago. It said on his screen. Mingi had voiced his concerns to the others but they disagreed saying that you didn’t behave differently. But he missed you. He wanted to eat dinner with you. Yes, Haeun was fun and when she first got introduced to the team, it was exciting to meet someone new. But he missed the familiarity. It had always been important to Mingi that he was not taken for granted and now he was afraid that they had done exactly that to you. 

But he didn’t act on his feelings. He didn’t want to cause drama where there was none.

The second one to miss you was Jongho. “Y/n what do you…” He wanted to ask you for your opinion on his singing when he turned around and faced an empty room. Right, Y/n isn’t here. He reminded himself, immediately feeling a sting in his heart. Every Tuesday you would follow him to practice and listen to him sing. But as soon as he thought about it he realized that you hadn’t been there in multiple weeks. Jongho instantly remembered Mingi’s concerns and decided to go look for him.

When they finally opened up about their feelings and what they had been observing, Mingi and Jongho went to tell the others. 

Before they could even finish what they were trying to say, Seonghwa tried to call you. He was blaming himself for not giving you the attention you deserved. He wanted to beat himself up. It was so clear now that Mingi and Jongho had mentioned it.

How could they neglect you like this and not even notice? 

And that was the same question you asked yourself as you zipped up your bag. Just as you wanted to put your phone into your pocket, it started ringing. It was Seonghwa. You took a deep breath as you declined the call and left the apartment.

You didn’t know for how long or how far but you needed to get away. Right after getting into the taxi you had ordered, you turned off your phone indefinitely.

“Y/n isn’t answering.” Seonghwa announced, his voice shaking. 

“Get in the car. I’m driving us home.” Yunho said, leaving the room with big steps. The others following him. Yunho’s mind was racing. He wanted to stay calm. He needed to stay calm. He had to be strong. It didn’t matter how he felt, all he wanted was to see your face and make sure everything is fine. It was all just imagination. You will be waiting at home. He tried to tell himself while he was getting into the car. 

Hongjoong was trying to remember any signs of you changing while he was squeezing himself into the car. He had never been home as much as the others so it wasn’t strange for him to eat alone or to sneak into the bedroom without waking anyone up. But something had been strange. This morning, when he came out of the bathroom, he caught you staring at him. And he could swear you had tears in your eyes. But since you didn’t say anything he had assumed you were fine. This damn assumption.

When they finally arrived at their apartment, San immediately jumped out of the car and ran to the door.

“Y/n? Y/n!” He called you before he even entered the building. Wooyoung and Yeosang were right behind him. After finally opening the door they stormed in searching for you in their home. The rest followed them slowly, scared to not find you. 

It wasn’t until he heard a sob that Wooyoung slowed down. A sob? He made his way over to your room, gently pushing the door open. His eyes widened as he saw San kneeling in front of your bed, a note in his hands and his face buried in your sheets. 

“Sannie?” Wooyoung slowly walked closer to his loved one. “Y/n…” San sobbed, not able to form a sentence. “What is it Sannie?” Wooyoung kneeled down next to him, softly taking the note from his hands. As he started reading, tears formed in his eyes. 

And that was when the others finally found them. They looked at Wooyoung, hope and pain in their eyes at the same time as he slowly shook his head. Yeosang’s legs gave in as he saw the expression on Wooyoung’s face. You were gone. No no no that’s impossible he thought, staring to the ceiling with a blank face. You couldn’t leave them.

Still not wanting to believe what was happening, Yunho harshly snapped the note out of Wooyoung’s hand. 

I am going on a trip. Don’t text or call me, I need time to think. I hope you understand. I loved you so much.

His head went numb.

Loved. 

————

Tags: @jonghoisbabie @multidreams-and-desires @little-precious-baby @yunhofingers-writes @serialee @crimsonbubble @cometoceantrenches @em--ilysm @deja-vux @kawaiiloli00 @ddeonghwva @aaaaajonghooooo @sansbun @cookies-n-joong @plonys @hijirikaww @nari-nim @yunkiwii @mingi-ivity @racheloveyunho @seongsangsgf @jhmylove @lizsvcks @yunhobabygurl @leoninadecorazones @kerra-that-one-random-fangirl @star1117-archives

————

[atinycafe]

hello can i request "feeling so lonely that they have to call their lover/friend, just to get a sense and reminder that they're still there" and the one underneath it for poly!ateez? thank you, i love the way you write <3

pairing: poly!ceo!ateez x hybrid!reader (focus on mingi, san and joong) prompt: "feeling so lonely that they have to call their lover/friend, just to get a sense and reminder that they're still there" + "trying and failing to hold back their tears as they do so" includes: established relationship, implicit mention of reader having slight separation anxiety, use of "daddy" once but it's not used sexually. word count: 1.4k author's note: thank you so much omg ilysm, that makes me so happy!! hope you have a nice day/night (ꈍᴗꈍ)ε｀*) how + what to request? + masterlist

it's been tough. like, seriously tough. your cat ears perk up as your hand reaches for the phone resting on the kitchen counter.

you've been attempting to be a really good kitty, but it's just not working out. your tail sways back and forth behind you. owners!ateez have left you all alone at home for the first time. normally, when they stepped out, at least one of them would stay with you, cradling you in their arms. but this time, luck wasn't on your side. yeosang rained apologies upon your hair, muttering about a super crucial meeting regarding some important business at their company.

you totally get it. your humans are busy men. but you can't shake off the uneasiness that settles in your chest, making it tighten beneath jongho's shirt.

you make up your mind to give them a call. it's alright, you reassure yourself, confident that they won't be bothered. you're simply going to ring them up to find out when they'll be back. you can handle it.

you grab the phone and launch the calling app, pondering over whom to dial. your gaze lingers on the mere eight saved numbers, and you allow your index finger to hover over each one thoughtfully, contemplating their potential responses. who among them would be the least peeved at being disturbed during a meeting?

all of them are nice, but you're aware that a few of them tend to get super absorbed in their work. you nibble on your lower lip, feeling your fangs gently puncture tiny holes into it, recalling seonghwa's gentle admonishment about this habit. his thumb would always come to rescue, freeing your lip from between your teeth, as you taste the metallic tang on your tongue. releasing your lip, you muster the courage and press the number of your choice.

you lift the phone to your ear and patiently await the sound of the ringing tone.

the person on the other end answers promptly, causing your breath to catch in your throat.

"sorry, i have to take this call, i'll be right back you can go on without me, yunho, fill me in on what i missed once the meeting's done," you hear mingi's gravelly voice, and your heart tightens at the realization that he didn't even wait to find a private moment to answer the phone.

"hey baby, everything alright?" you hear a door close, muffling mingi's words slightly, but it doesn't hinder the tears welling up in your eyes.

you part your lips, intending to ask the question you've been mustering the courage to pose for the past hour, but instead, a choked-up sob escapes from your throat.

"baby?" this time, mingi's voice takes on a breathy tone, and you can hear him swallow hard. "what's going on, kitty? what's wrong?"

you attempt to respond, but it feels like something is lodged in your throat, causing only coughs to escape, while more tears stream down your face.

"shh, it's okay, kitten. just take a breather," his deep voice resonates through the phone. "in and out, inhale, exhale. yeah, just like that. good girl." you can hear the smile in his voice as you attempt to follow his instructions, albeit shakily.

"are you okay now, kitty? can you tell me what's wrong?" he finally asks, as he senses your breath evening out.

"miss you," you simply answer, while rubbing at your eyes. it's a simple phrase, just two words, but they manage to convey your feelings as you hear mingi hum in response.

"i'll tell the boys to wrap up the meeting. we'll be there in 20. is that okay with you, baby?" mingi assures, offering a solution to your longing.

no, it's not. twenty minutes feels far too long, and before you can concoct a convincing enough lie to spare him any annoyance, mingi interrupts your train of thought.

"actually, baby, we'll be there in 10 minutes. we'll ditch the chauffeur and have wooyoung drive. in the meantime, go to the closets and grab whatever clothes you want," he croons, waiting for a genuine response this time.

"no, hongjoong's gonna be mad," you shake your head, even though mingi can't see you. clutching the phone tighter in your hand, you recall hongjoong's expression when you had raided his closet, piling up all his expensive clothes on your bed, yearning for his scent. he had been kind, explaining gently that you couldn't do that, but you couldn't ignore the visible veins that had surfaced on his forehead upon discovering his favorite balmain suit buried beneath the covers.

"no, he won't, and even if he is, i'll tell him i gave you permission, okay?" mingi reassures, determined to ease your worries about hongjoong's potential reaction.

"okay," you reply softly, your voice carrying a mix of relief and trust in his words.

"i'll hang up then. we'll be there soon enough," mingi confirms, the anticipation evident in his voice.

"okay," you respond once more.

"love you?" mingi asks in a peculiar manner, and you understand that he's subtly requesting to hear you say "i love you." it strikes you as odd, since you never fail to reciprocate those three words.

"love you," you respond, and before hanging up, you hear a playful "mwah" followed by the disconnection of the call.

you swiftly release the phone without a second thought and make your way through each room, collecting a piece of clothing from each of the boys. as you enter hongjoong's room, you pause in front of his wide-open closet. your gaze fixates on the velvety texture of his renowned black and white balmain suit, but you opt against taking it after catching a faint trace of his scent, faded from the length of time it had remained unworn. instead, you choose to retrieve one of his cozy hoodies, adding it to the growing pile in your hands.

you make your way back to your room, tossing all the clothes onto your bed. following suit, you bounce onto the soft surface, sliding yourself under the covers. taking the gathered clothes, you form them into a ball and press it against your face, inhaling deeply. the intertwined scents of your beloved humans instantly envelop you, bringing a profound sense of tranquility.

without even realizing it, you drift off to sleep, your ears being the only things peeking out from beneath the cozy pink covers.

you gradually awaken to the sensation of gentle kisses being planted on your nose. you open your eyes slightly, only to be greeted by san's blond bangs. before you can even process his presence in your bed, you feel the comforting touch of another pair of cold hands softly scratching the base of your ears. a purr instinctively emanates from your chest, and san smiles against your pulse, relishing the soothing vibrations against his own skin, a sensation he always adores.

you manage to turn, your eyes half-closed as the light filters in, and they settle on hongjoong's gentle smile. he's still dressed in a suit, and you blush at the sight. you adore him in sweatpants and oversized shirts, but your heart can't help but flutter faster in his presence.

you hear san chuckle, his head still nestled in your neck.

"kitty, your heart's beating so fast. happy to see daddy?" he mumbles, strong hands intertwining around your waist, his palm coming to rest on your chest, feeling the gentle thud of your heart.

hongjoong's smile widens as you glance away, unable to meet his gaze due to the embarrassment. he bends down slightly, his hand reaching to gently hold your cheeks. you revel in the coolness of his touch, appreciating how his hands always seem to be refreshingly cold.

"i'm happy to see you too, kitten. i missed you so much, couldn't stop thinking about you during that boring meeting," he whispers in the quiet room. you feel san nod against you, his arms tightening around you, and he murmurs a "me too."

"where are the others?" you inquire, noticing the absence of their hands on your body, causing a slight twitch in your eyebrows.

"in the shower, they're coming soon" hongjoong answers, his smile never leaving his face as he looks down at you. you nod in response, managing to free one hand from san's grasp, reaching out for hongjoong, and the eldest boy takes your hand. he sits down next to you, his eyes never wavering from your gaze as he drops a soft kiss to your forehead.

and soon enough you feel the thumping sounds of footsteps in the hallways, approaching your door. the boys enter to find you sandwiched between san and a shirtless hongjoong, his vest and dress shirt long forgotten on the heated floor of your room.

[frenchkisstheabyss]

7 Psychopaths: Seonghwa

x Summary: You are X, a seasoned assassin, and your boss has just assigned you an unusual task. You have two weeks to gather six men for a top-secret mission that requires their unique brand of psychopathy. The trick is, you've got romantic history with all of them.

A detail that might make this a walk in the park or the fight of your life. Time to find out...

x Pairing: assassin!seonghwa x assassin!chubby!fem!reader

x Genre: angst/crime au/smut

x Word Count: 1.8k-ish

x Warnings: fingering, unprotected sex, some moments of deep/hard sex w/ scratching, sex in the desert cause danger is fun, pet names (baby), Hwa likes to talk dirty, fire, side character death via said fire, blood, teeth pulling w/ pliers, mini-explosion, a punch gets thrown, a lil enemies to lovers, strong language, tried to cover it all but lmk if anything's missing!

x A/N: This is #4 in a series of 6 stories featuring two members from TXT, two from ATEEZ, and two from Stray Kids. They all follow the same theme and can be read chronologically or you can jump around. I support the chaos.

Previous Psychopath: Wooyoung | Next Psychopath: Soobin | OR Start From The Beginning

The average adult has 32 teeth. 28 if they’ve had their wisdom teeth taken out. Seonghwa shoves a pair of pliers into the mouth of the man he has tied up in the trunk of a car, clamping the metal jaws around the first molar on the right side. The man’s screams are agonizing, his wrists and ankles fighting against the frayed rope as the root tears out of place. Seonghwa holds it in the red glow of the taillights, ignoring the blood soaked cries of his present company.

“You really should brush your teeth more'' he frowns, noting the plaque buildup on the bloody tooth before tossing it aside. “Don’t worry though. Once I’m done you won’t have any left to brush.” Seonghwa grabs him by the neck, shoving the pliers into his mouth as a mixture of spit and blood drips down the man’s chin. Gripping the next tooth in line, he rips it out much easier than the last and the screaming continues. 2 down, 30 to go.

If they were somewhere in the city Seonghwa might've done something to quiet him down. Duct tape his mouth shut. Shove a sock in there. But this is the desert, the absolute middle of nowhere, during a time when even the sun has abandoned them. There are no people for miles in either direction and any encounter with the other living creatures that stalk the desert night is sure to end in this man's death. Make no mistake. He will die either way but first, there’s business to attend to.

“You have the misfortune of having a lot of teeth,” Seonghwa grins, waving the pliers around with tooth number 4 wedged between metal, “Fortunately, I don’t have a lot of time so why don’t you tell me what I wanna know and we can go our separate ways.” “You…you’re gonna let me go?” the man blubbers, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Of course, I will.” A lie. “Don’t fuck with me, man!” “I’m not fucking with you.” Another lie. Seonghwa takes a seat on the edge of the open trunk, patting the man on the shoulder like they’re two old friends grabbing a beer. “I’ll let you go. I always keep my word.” The final lie. The biggest lie of them all. 

But it works. In seconds the man confesses to Seonghwa, a sinner in search of forgiveness. He answers every question without pause. Spills the details of who hired him for the job that led to their paths crossing. Hell, he even starts in on his troubled childhood, going on about his mommy issues until Seonghwa can’t stomach his voice anymore. “Alright, well, thanks for that,” Seonghwa sings, hopping up and tossing the pliers into the trunk before walking out of view. “Hey! Where are you going?” the man shouts, wiggling towards the edge of the trunk.

Idling a safe distance away is Seonghwa’s car, soft white headlights illuminating the horizon as classical music flows from the radio almost too lightly to be heard. He pops the trunk, retrieving a 5 gallon gas canister. “Calm down, I’m coming back,” Seonghwa huffs, dragging himself back to the other car. The man’s eyes widen when he sees the canister, what little color is left in his pale skin drains to nothing. “No! You can’t do that! You gave me your word! You’re fucking crazy.”

Seonghwa digs a lighter out of his back pocket, flicking the top off of the canister with his thumb, “I know.”

You awaken from your slumber like a sweet baby angel to the gentle sound of orchestral music. The surface beneath you is the softest you’ve slept on in days and the blanket wrapped around you must be made of some luxurious fur because regular cotton could never feel this lush. You sit up, yawning, eyelashes fluttering, and wait for your vision to adjust. As the sleep wears off you suddenly notice how dry your throat is. Then there’s the pain. You bring your hand up to the side of your neck, touching the tender spot where you were injected with something, and it all comes back to you.

Woo. Seonghwa. They did this. Where are you? The driver’s side door swings open just as the pieces shift back into place. Nearby screams muffled by the crackling of a raging fire draw you in like a moth to a flame. There’s thumping inside the trunk of the other car. You’re too concerned about if you’re next to care who’s in there. “You’re up!” Seonghwa cheers, hopping into the car and turning to check the backseat where you’ve been passed out for hours. “How’s it going, baby?” “‘Baby’, my ass!” you shout, punching him in the face. You hate to hit something so pretty but he deserved it.

“You fucking drugged me!” Seonghwa holds his nose, tapping his foot to distract from the pain, “I did it for your own good.” “For my own good? You set me up. Where’s Woo? Son of a bitch.” Blinded by your anger, you storm out of the car, charging barefoot through the desert with the blanket still around you. Seonghwa chases after you, his head tilted back to avoid a nosebleed, “You can’t just walk around out here. You’re gonna get hurt!” “I’ll get hurt?” you scoff, turning back to launch another hit in his direction.

Seonghwa grabs you by the wrist, bringing an arm around your waist to hold you to him, “Look at me and tell me you think I’d ever bring harm to you.” The aching in your neck tells you not to trust him again but your heart won’t let you forget your shared history. All of the times he’s put his life on the line to protect you before. Whatever he’s done, there must be a reason. It better be a good one. Seonghwa lets out a sigh of relief as he senses your body has begun to relax. The fire behind him has doubled in size, making it impossible to ignore.

“Who’s in the trunk?” you ask, kissing the bridge of his nose right where your punch landed. It takes everything in him not to blush. “Someone that did want to hurt you but don’t worry. I hurt him first.” “What did he want with me?” “You’re joking, right?” he laughs, “There’s a trail of corpses behind you in the name of a mission no one knows anything about. They’re coming for you. You have to stop.” This was bound to happen. An occupational hazard. When you run around fucking shit up you draw attention to yourself and it’s never the good kind.

This is the life you signed up for though. Turning back isn’t an option. “You know I can’t do that.” “Yes you can,” he says, the pain in his voice undeniable, “I’ll keep them off of you as long as I can but once they get to me—” You kiss him, letting the blanket fall to your feet as you cup his face. “Don’t talk like that, Hwa. I won’t let them touch you. I promise.” The kiss heats up rapidly. The knowledge that you still care for each other deeply drives you into a breathless frenzy.

You tear at each other’s clothes. His hands traverse your curves, massaging your ass and thighs. Your stomach. Your breasts. Your everything. Before you know it you’re laid out over the pile of clothes, his tongue rolling across your nipple as he parts your thighs to stroke your pussy. Your throat might be dry but your pussy’s delectably wet. Seonghwa dips a finger into you, humming against a mouthful of your breast as he taps his thumb at your clit. The finger inside of you curls in just the right way to make your hips stutter.

“Mmm, is my girl ready for another one?” You shake your head, nails raking up and down his back, “Two. I want two more.” “Anything for you” he smiles, feeding his fingers into you one by one. He moves his wrist in slow circles, giving you that satisfying fullness in your belly, all the while stretching you in preparation for the cock he can tell you want so badly. You reach down to stroke his length and it jumps for you like an overexcited puppy happy to see its owner. You are its owner. No amount of time apart will change that. You’re the only woman who's ever been able to get him hard as steel and you know it.

“No more fingers. I want you to fill me up” you whisper, tugging at his hair. Seonghwa picks up the pace, fingering you faster just to hear you scream his name. Your hips raise off of the ground, walls locked around his fingers. He wiggles them free, using the hand dripping with your arousal to stroke himself as he aligns with your entrance. He comes up to kiss you, pushing into you until he bottoms out, turning you into a giggling mess.

Watching you has him falling in love all over again. “Fuck, I love it when you’re like this,” he says, lifting one of your legs up and pounding into you. Each thrust is so perfectly angled to please you that you can't even steady your hands enough to touch him. In fact, nothing about you is steady. Your entire body reacts to his, obeying commands without a word spoken. “Ooh, your little pussy’s pulsing. Ready to cum for me already?” he teases, bouncing you on his cock. “Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes…” your voice trails off, nails digging deeper into his shoulders as you crack under pressure.

Seonghwa pins you down harder, slowing down to feel every moment of your release. He may have his sadistic side but his heart never softens more than when he sees you happy. And knowing that he’s the reason why? It gets him every time. He cuddles you as you come down, only peeling his body away from yours when the sudden combustion of a gas tank startles the two of you. “Aww, isn’t that romantic?” he beams. “Romantic?” “Like fireworks.” You roll your eyes, scooching over to lay your head on his chest, “Sure. Let’s go with that.”

Despite the circumstances, laying here with him is the most peaceful night you’ve had since this all began. It feels almost normal enough to pretend you don't have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Seonghwa disrupts the delusion. Someone has to do it. “Nothing I say will make you back out of this mission, will it?” You sigh, drawing hearts in the sweat that slicks his chest, “No. I have to do this, with or without you and Woo, but I’d prefer with.” Seonghwa hugs you, kissing you on the forehead, “Then ‘with’ it is.”

[peachesyeo]

Player 1117 ── ATEEZ OT8 0001 ─ into the game

THIS SERIES IS MATURE! MINORS/AGELESS BLOGS WILL BE BLOCKED!

⊹ 2k words ⊹ gamecharacters!ateez x fem!reader (ft. txt) ᭡ fantasy au, dark romance au, obsessive/yandere elements.

✧ a/n: i know you guys don't read my author's note so have fun. /: thank you @sousydive for beta reading.

✦ network: @newworldnet

⊂ warnings: -

:̗̀➛ 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭? :̗̀➛ 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞? :̗̀➛ 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭? (for all works)

This cannot be true.

You stared at the young girl in the mirror before you. She seemed no more than twelve years old, her raven hair cascades in soft waves around her shoulders, framing her face like a midnight veil. Her eyes are pools of dark brown, with mesmerizing purple swirls dancing within her pupils. 

Her skin is fair and smooth, like porcelain, with a delicate rosy hue on her cheeks that speaks of youth and vitality. Her features were exactly of the Y/n in Utopia - a small button nose, full rosy lips and high cheekbones. She wears a silky sleeping gown, one that looks exactly the same as the one you are wearing right now. 

You raised your hand to touch your face, and so did her. 

You have read many novels about transmigrating - but novels are fiction. And this is real.

“I’m… in the game?” You whispered, your shaking fingers reaching to touch the mirror. But the cool touch on the tips of your fingers told you that this is not a dream, that everything is real. You looked around, the room you were in is spacious, with high ceilings adorned with intricately carved moldings and delicate crystal chandeliers. Sunlight streams through tall windows draped in dark amethyst curtains, glowing down on you.

The walls, floors and pillars were made of the finest marble, covered with sumptuous silk tapestries of flowers. You walked towards the nearest wall, running your fingers along the fine threads that form the images that seem to come alive in the flickering light of the candles and fireplace. 

In the center of the chamber sits a four-poster bed, its canopy draped in sheer silk curtains. The bed is covered in luxurious lavender silk sheets, embroidered with the finest silver thread. You walked over to them, taking a seat. They were soft and light, like you were sitting on a cotton cloud. You stared outside of the window, trying to digest the fact that you are in the game. 

But who are you?

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. You watched as a maid entered, bowing to you. “Greetings to the Star of Eternity. The Moon and Eclipse have requested your audience.” 

You nearly let out a squeak; the maid had answered your question. As two young boys walked in, you were even more certain of it.

You are now Choi Y/n, Star of Eternity, Princess of the Eternity Kingdom.

"Y/n!" The shorter one ran towards you, lifting you up in his arms as though you weighed nothing. "How is our little Star feeling today?"

"Beomgyu! Y/n's twelve, stop carrying her like that!" The taller one chided, as Beomgyu rolled his eyes, sticking his tongue out at his older brother in response. You wrapped your arms around his neck for support, staring up at your third brother's face.

Choi Beomgyu, the Eclipse of Eternity. He is the third Prince, known for his gift of creating illusions. Utopia did not have much of Y/n's backstory, but you knew that Beomgyu was the only person spared under Wooyoung's sword, and took over Eternity as the new King.

The Beomgyu holding you has long black hair that falls into his shoulders. He pressed a kiss onto your temple, rubbing his cheek against yours like a cat. "My little Star, so precious." He cooed, ignoring the exasperated sighs of your other brother across the room. "What would I do without you?"

You looked over to your other brother for help. He put his hand on his forehead tiredly. "Let Y/n down, Gyu. Please."

"You're all work and no fun, Soobin hyung." Beomgyu pouted unhappily, placing you gently back on the bed. "Is our little Star excited to meet her new friend?"

Choi Soobin, Moon of Eternity, the second Prince born with the gift of manipulating water. He would later become the War General of Eternity, dying to San in a battle.

Soobin shared the same raven hair as the both of you, his fringe falling in front of his eyes. He seemed to have had enough of Beomgyu, sighing loudly and flexing his right arm before casually delivering a loud smack on the back of Beomgyu's head. Ignoring Beomgyu's over-dramatic whines, Soobin approached you, kneeling on one knee to be at the same eye level as you. Taking your hand into his, Soobin had a simple dimpled smile on his face.

"Y/n-ah, remember when Mother mentioned that we have guests over? They are very important people, so remember to behave yourself, okay?"

You tilted your head in confusion. "How important are they, Brother?"

Beomgyu stopped whining and exchanged a look with Soobin. The other lifted his thumb and index, slowly pulling them apart. "It’s this important, Y/n-ah."

"The point is," Beomgyu interjected, earning a disapproving look from Soobin. "They will be arriving before dinner. Yeonjun hyung had already gone to welcome them along with Mother, so we have an afternoon for you to get ready, Y/n." He grinned, one that made you nervous for no reason. "Our little Star must be pretty too."

You glanced at Soobin. The older man nodded, wearing a satisfied expression on his face as though Beomgyu finally made sense. "I got you many dresses to try on, Y/n-ah. Shall we go?" He smiled, offering his hand to you.

You were bathed by the maids before they dressed you into a lavender dress with puffed sleeves and the hem fell gracefully to your knees. Beomgyu picked a purple silk ribbon, tying it to your hair while Soobin knelt on one knee, fitting a pair of white shoes with amethyst crystals onto your feet. When you were done, Beomgyu gushed in delight, showering you with compliments after compliments.

"Our Gem, our little Star," Beomgyu cooed as your face heated up at the praises. "Looking so pretty... I mean, you are always pretty, my Star, but right now, with my magnificent sense of fashion-"

"Our Star!" A loud voice boomed, sending everyone in the room jumping. A tall, blonde hair male barged in, his eyes lighting up the moment it landed on you. You hear Beomgyu mutter a curse under his breath while Soobin puts his hand on his chest. "Yeonjun hyung, at least announce that you're here!"

Yeonjun ignored him, making a beeline towards you and dismissing the maids in the process. "Our Star, so bright and... Why is she so purple?" His face scrunched up at the sight of the little purple crystals adorning your hair, which Beomgyu had 'generously' clipped onto your hair. "Take it off, take it off. The ribbon is purple enough; Y/n doesn't have to be a grape for the Kims to see."

Choi Yeonjun, Sun of Eternity, heir to the throne. He is the oldest out of the four of you, with an ability to soothe feelings. Your face fell slightly, remembering how Yeonjun had died when you played Utopia as the heroine. He was stabbed by...

Who was it?

"You don't know fashion at all, hyung." Beomgyu grumbled, cutting you off your thoughts. Soobin and Beomgyu had been quarreling over the hairclips, and you did not want to pick a side. Yeonjun removed all the crystals in your hair, leaving only the ribbon. "There, our Star shines bright enough like this."

"Thank you, Brothers." You smiled sweetly and the three cooed in response. Beomgyu had his hand dramatically held over his heart, Soobin covered his blushing face with his gloved hands and Yeonjun proudly grinning. "Wait until Mother and Father see you, little Star. Now, shall we run along?"

You took Yeonjun’s hand and allowed him to guide you to the banquet hall with Beomgyu and Soobin trailing behind you two like bodyguards. You could hear the activity in the hall from outside, and you gripped Yeonjun’s hand nervously.

"Announcing the arrival of the Sun, Moon, Eclipse, and Star of Eternity!" The voices of the guards boomed. Yeonjun squeezed your hand as the doors opened, revealing a quiet banquet hall. You could feel many eyes staring at you, but you remained composed, walking alongside Yeonjun to the King and Queen of Eternity. The nobles you walked past bowed respectfully, and when you finally reached the throne, Yeonjun let go of your hand.

"Greetings to Your Majesties," Yeonjun said, bowing to both the King and Queen of Eternity. You curtseyed, while Beomgyu and Soobin bowed behind you. “May peace be ever in your grace.” The King, your Father, nodded. “You may rise.” The King of Eternity is never shown in Utopia, but you knew that like Soobin, he died under San’s sword. You scanned the man on the throne. He seemed to be in his forties, with the same platinum blond hair as Yeonjun and a kind-looking face. 

You didn’t miss the subtle wink the raven-haired woman beside him gave you. Sending a sweet smile towards your Mother, the Queen of Eternity, you turned your attention to the two other presence in the banquet hall. 

Yeonjun turned towards them. “Greetings to the Queen of Mist, and Prince Hongjoong. May peace be ever in your grace.”

You froze slightly at the name, but quickly recovered when Yeonjun gently tickled your side, telling you to bow. When you straightened back up again, your eyes met a pair of golden slits. Kim Hongjoong gave you a soft smile, but you quickly looked away, your heart pounding.

Kim Hongjoong, the Prince of Mist. The one who the original Y/n had fallen in love with, and lost both her life and her kingdom to. When you played as Jiwon, Hongjoong seemed to be a normal, sweet Prince who was loyal and polite to her even if she was a commoner. However, when you played as Y/n, he was evil, nasty and horrifying. 

The Queen of Mist inclined her head slightly. “Greetings to the Sun, Moon, Eclipse and Star of Eternity. May peace be ever in your grace.” She turned to look at Hongjoong, who too bowed, echoing the greetings. When he was done, you grabbed onto Yeonjun’s sleeve, hiding your face in it. 

“Seems like the Star is a little shy, Mira.” Mira is your mother’s maiden name. Yeonjun patted your hair consolingly as your mother laughed. “Oh, Ayang. She'll recognize you soon, you even carried her as a baby.” 

The Queen of Mist and your mother seemed to know each other, seeing that they were addressing each other by a first-name basis. You peeked out from behind Yeonjun, avoiding Hongjoong’s gaze as you looked towards the Queen of Mist. She chuckled at your cute reaction, beckoning you. “Come here, little Star, let Auntie have a good look at you.”

“It’s not fair!” Beomgyu burst out dramatically. “You always favored Y/n, Auntie Ayang!” 

You blinked, confused at the turns of events. What is happening? Didn’t Beomgyu and Soobin say that they are important guests? And why is your Mother now walking towards the Queen of Mist, holding her hand as she speaks?

“Here.” Yeonjun pushed you out from his side gently. “Go say hi.” You carefully took a few steps forwards, still refusing to look at Hongjoong as you grip your dress tightly. “Y-your Majesty…”

“It’s Auntie Ayang for you, my little Y/n.” The woman bent down slightly while your Mother stood next to her, smiling. “I am your Mother’s best friend, little Star. This is a family event, we can be casual with each other.”

Your heart thumped loudly at this piece of information. So Y/n and Hongjoong had already known each other before Y/n went to the Kingdom of Mist for… For what?

Why.. Why can’t you remember?

“Now, shall the dinner start?” Your Father’s voice pulled you out of reality. You blinked rapidly, and quickly followed Yeonjun as everyone settled down on one table. Unfortunately for you, Hongjoong took the seat next to you. 

“Hello, Y/n. I’m Hongjoong.” Hongjoong introduced himself in a small, shy voice, his golden, snake-like eyes upon you. “I hope we’ll be good friends with each other.”

You stared at him, your brows furrowing unconsciously. Then you blurted out, “I don’t want to.”

“Don’t want to do what, Y/n?” Yeonjun didn’t catch the whole conversation and had fetched a napkin for you. You frowned at Hongjoong, your lips forming into an adorable pout. 

“I don’t want to be friends with Kim Hongjoong.”

previous // next

➳ series taglist: @tenebrisirae @mayonnaise-on-toast @lavishloving @hrts4hanniehae @sousydive @ddaeing @huachengsbestie01 @icouldntcareless22 @anxiousskylar @devilzliaison @saintriots

➳ pernament taglist (ateez): @watermelon2319 @levishun

➳ pernament taglist: @sousydive @yeodeulz @oddracha @jaerisdiction @yukichan67 @evidive @onysmamas

[fivestar-outlaw]

New Horizons (Park Seonghwa) (Ch.1)

Chapter 1: Turnips

Pairing: Park Seonghwa x Fem!Reader

Words: 2.0k+

Warning(s): None

A/N: aYO first story on this blog, hello everyone. I hope you enjoy this self-indulgent series. I lub Seonghwa so I knew he had to be the first one posted here.

Reader is implied to be living in the US bc uh TIMEZONES ARE FUCKY and i didnt realize how reliant i was on mine (PST) when looking up KST

Italicized is English, just an fyi

Summary: Attempting an all-nighter while playing Animal Crossing alongside your bias, you didn't expect your turnip prices to be such a high amount... nor did you expect Park Seonghwa to actually accept your offer to sell his turnips on your island.

Series Masterlist | Navigation

You take a small bite of your snack before you made your avatar walk around your island. Seonghwa's livestream was playing in the background and he, too, was playing Animal Crossing. You made sure to stop and talk to the villagers who you came across outside, pull up some flowers before they overwhelmed areas on your island, and dug up some fossils, which you set aside to get assessed later. Right now, you planned on taking your turnips you bought from Daisy Mae to Nook's Cranny. With the help of time travel, your game was set during the day rather than matching the bold 4:40 am on your phone.

It was a chill all-nighter. None of your classes assigned homework over the weekend, you had the weekend off from your part-time job, your roommate was out of town until Sunday... You didn't mind ruining your already rocky sleep schedule to play Animal Crossing along side your bias.

Before you got into Ateez you already had been learning Korean, figuring having a language degree would help you with future careers. You had been a fan of Ateez for awhile. You adored all of their personalities and enjoyed their music, but for some reason you gravitated towards Seonghwa. You then started collecting albums when you had the extra money and made sure to check into their live streams when you could. Seonghwa even pulled you out of your Animal Crossing burn-out too which you were grateful for.

Currently, you finally got your avatar to Nook's Cranny, your turnips in tow. It was the last day to sell and the previous prices were all bellow a hundred bells. So you prayed to the Lord Tom Nook and hoped for good prices. You tapped the check prices and waited eagerly to see how much they would take for the turnips. Your eyes widened when little Timmy answered the prices.

660 bells.

You immediately sell your turnips to them, making a lot of bells in the process. Finally, you could give Tom Nook a sizable amount of money towards your last loan payment.

Seonghwa's voice, sounding frustrated, caught your attention. You looked at the livestream and saw he was holding his switch up. You could make out that his turnip prices were a mere 34 bells and he mentioned the prices have been like that for him all week.

"That sucks." You murmured to yourself.

For the hell of it you quickly type up in chat that you'll let him come sell his turnips and added the price being offered. You saw how fast the chat was going but you decided to tempt fate. After double-checking for any spelling errors you hit send.

The chat stuttered for a bit, your message right in the middle. You figured it was on your end but then you saw Seonghwa's eyes widen and watched as he scrambled to touch something on his phone. He spent a few moments typing and then hesitating on whatever he just did. You heard him sigh, tapping his phone before setting it down off screen in front of him.

Then, you saw a notification pop up on your end. Curiously, you opened it and when you did, your eyes nearly popped from your head.

Seemed as though Seonghwa, through the Ateez account, direct messaged you.

'Can I sell my turnips after stream?' It read. You immediately go and click the profile, just in case it was someone trying to pull your leg. All that did was lead you back to the official account. You tried it again a few more times just in case but it was the same result.

Seonghwa actually messaged you.

You could hardly contain your excitement coursing through your veins. You took a deep breath, switched your phones keyboard over to Hangul and carefully typed up your response despite your shaking hands. You had to pause several times on what to say but after a few minutes you responded.

'Sure! Just let me know when I should open my island and I can send you a code. I apologize for any mistakes in this message. I figure it would be more comfortable for you ^^.'

You hit send and put your focus purely on the livestream, your game forgotten about. You watched as a few moments passed by and saw Seonghwa glance towards his phone. A small smile grew on his face as his eyes trailed back to his game.

You focused back on yours. You got those fossils assessed (all were ones you already had), visited Brewster, found a gyoird, and stopped by at Marshal's house. You still cringe at how you accidentally told him yes when he asked to move. You caught it too late and the game saved the decision. Your little squirrel you spent hours island hopping for was leaving.

"I'll miss you buddy." You sigh to yourself as he told you he'll miss the island. None of your friends still played nor had space on their islands to save him for you. Maybe Nookaz-

"Yes!" You heard Seonghwa exclaim and you glance back over to his stream. "Cephalobot wants to move." He had such a big grin on his face as he proceeded to tell the robotic octopus villager to move. You couldn't help but smile along with him before focusing back on your island.

About an hour passed when Seonghwa said goodbye to the stream, making a heart with his hands, before shutting it off. You stifle a yawn and grab your phone, bringing up the messages between you and the offical Ateez account. You weren't sure if you were to message first or if you should wait for him to message you. You stood up from your chair and stretch your limbs, hearing a few satisfying pops.

You glance down at your phone and promptly sit back down.

'Ready when you are.'

You smile and start heading to your airport to get a code for him when you passed Marshal's home. You stopped your avatar when an idea popped into your mind. You picked up your phone and quickly typed up a message.

'If you don't mind time jumping to get an empty spot on your island and don't mind swapping friend codes, I have Marshal ready to move if you want him. I accidentally said yes when he asked to move. Only if you want to of course. :)'

You hit send, took a deep breath of air, and looked away from your phone, too nervous to see his reply.

"The worst he will say is no. And understandably so." You say to yourself under your breath. You didn't want to even look at the message but decided to calm your nerves. You turn back to your phone and saw he messaged you back.

'That would be great. Thank you, Atiny. Give me a few more minutes please.' You then saw he sent his friend code.

"Okay, what the hell?" You couldn't believe it. "I guess he really is serious about this game." You chuckled and pressed the home button. You typed in his friend code, making use of the Switch's touch screen and sent him a friend request.

You saw you were immediately added back. You take another deep breath and open your game back up. You went to your airport and opened the gates up for friends. You let your avatar stand idle as you waited. You figured he'd have to time travel a day to get Cephalobot in boxes and then travel again to have an empty plot for Marshal.

You got up from your spot and quickly got a drink of water. You couldn't stop the yawn escaping past you lips, the lack of sleep is starting to hit. You quickly return to your couch and plug your switch back into the dock since the battery was getting low and grab your controllers, the game appearing on your TV screen now. You unlock your phone and opted to lay on your side on the couch, viewing the new message Seonghwa sent.

'Almost ready. Hopping back on now.' His message read.

'Gates are open :)'

A minute passed when you got the notification a friend was arriving to your island. After the little animation finished you see his avatar walk into the airport. You quickly do a little wave and walk out, seeing he is following. You lead him to your Nook's Cranny and wait outside as he goes in to sell his turnips. You simply wait outside so you could take him to Marshal next when you see another message pop up.

'Can I buy the cabinet?'

'Go ahead. I am outside and will take you to Marshal when you are done.' You smile and do nothing to stop another yawn from escaping.

A few moments pass and his avatar walks out of the store. He stays still for a moment before he does the little 'joy' reaction, which you return. You then start heading to Marshal's home with Seonghwa in tow. If sudden tiredness hadn't washed over you, you'd probably much more outwardly excited.

You finally get to Marshal's home and watch as Seonghwa's avatar enter; you opted to stay outside again. Another yawn left you and you had to blink a few times to keep your eyes open.

"I'm just not built for all-nighters anymore..." You mumbled to yourself. You realized sitting up may help keep you awake, but you were just too damn comfortable laying down as you were. Your eyes droop but you were trying your best to stay awake to see him off your island.

You hear the door in game open and close and see Seonghwa's avatar leave. He did another joy reaction and stayed like that for a moment. You get on your phone again and saw he had sent a message.

'Thank you again, Atiny <3 your island is cute.'

'You're welcome, Seonghwa'

You watch as his avatar heads back into the direction of your airport, though, you did not stay awake long enough to hear your game let you know that a friend has left the island.

---

You woke up about eight hours later feeling like you were hit by a car. You couldn't tell where you were for a moment, what time it was, what year it was,and your stomach ached with hunger. Finally, your eyes fully adjusted to being awake, though you didn't have the energy yet to lift yourself up off what you know realized was your couch.

You lay there contemplating life, cursing your past self for trying to do an all-nighter. You glance around and saw your Switch controller and phone on the floor. You then look to your TV and saw it was off. You had a half drank glass of water on the coffee table and an almost finished snack.

You finally sat up, making sure to stretch your limbs. You felt more awake now. You pick up your phone and curse at the low battery life. Quickly you unlocked it and then nearly dropped your phone, the messages between you and the official Ateez account were still open.

You played Animal Crossing with Seonghwa.

You played Animal Crossing with Park Seonghwa.

You take a deep breath to calm every emotion hitting you and get up to turn your Switch back on. You grab the controller and immediately look to your friends list.

He still had you added.

"Should I unfriend him...? He didn't unfriend me but..." You sighed. You go in and change the time and date to match real life before opening the game up. You quickly press through the usual Isabelle announcements.

When your avatar exited the house you noticed you had in game mail. You figured it was probably a goodbye letter from Marshal. You had your avatar open the mailbox and to your surprise, Seonghwa had sent you a letter and a present.

'Thank you again for letting me sell my turnips and for letting me have Marshal. Let's send gifts!'

You favorite the letter and take the present. You opened it and felt immediate excitement. He sent you a piece of artwork you knew you for sure didn't have for the museum. You could barely contain your excitement at the prospect of being Animal Crossing buddies with Seonghwa.

[sanccharine]

10 | spiralling...

hogwarts au

pairing: hufflepuff!tzuyu x slytherin!reader genre: fluff, slice of life word count: 2.1k

warnings: swearing, mentions of injuries

summary: whether on the field or during class, you never shied away from trouble. and in your sixth year, trouble seemed to follow you like a shadow, though you couldn’t complain. especially when that series of misfortunes led you to the transfiguration prodigy, chou tzuyu. includes: ateez’s san and wooyoung, red velvet's yeri, txt's yeonjun, viviz's sinb

status: ongoing a/n: i feel like i make slytherin!reader unnecessarily angsty, like babygorl (non-gendered) life isn’t that serious, go stream crazy form and relax ! also thanks to @eternallyghosting for the moral support (and stopping me from throwing my laptop at the wall)

masterlist | chapter 9 | chapter 11

You’ve been avoiding Chou Tzuyu. 

Much like how she’s been avoiding you. 

Well… you didn’t know how accurate the second statement was. Of course, you would have to address her at some point to come to that conclusion. 

After Tzuyu had run away from you, the first thing you did was head to practice. But the ground where you agreed upon was devoid of people. Gulping, you made your way to class, ignoring both your crushing guilt and your restless arm. 

While you were grateful Tzuyu, or Kang Yeosang for that matter, were nowhere to be found. You still had to face your friends. 

Wooyoung and San were seated at the very back, very uncharacteristic of the latter, but you guessed the situation asked for it. Both Yeonjun and Yeri were there with them, engrossed in what was probably a retelling of the morning. The second pair was very clearly showing their backs to the professor. Fortunately for them, the teacher seemed not to care one bit because, for one, Wooyoung wasn’t even taking this subject. 

As you sneaked your way in, the professor rolled his eyes at you before turning back to drone on about the class. Avoiding questioning eyes, you made it to the back of the class just as Wooyoung noticed you. Taking a spot at the empty table to his left, you held your breath as four pairs of eyes turned to you. 

In an instant, Wooyoung pressed himself to your side and took your left arm. “You didn’t say anything did you?” He pushed up your sleeve up to the elbow. “Did Madam Yun give you the healing potion—ugly green in colour?” He turned your arm around. “Did she give you anything else? It doesn’t seem to have worked, hmm.”

Even if you wanted to, you didn’t have the strength to yank your hand from Wooyoung's care. But you didn’t. 

Knowing him, he expected answers so you obliged with a groan. “No, I didn’t say anything. Yes, I had the potion. No, she didn’t give anything else. This is just a side effect, it will be gone by the end of the day probably.” 

You avoided his eyes when Wooyoung tilted his head in question, unconvinced. 

San opened his mouth, no doubt about to ask how you were doing, after all, he was the last to see you at the clinic. But Yeri beat him to it. 

“Eunbi is pissed, you know,” Yeri confessed, having been at the practice you missed. 

“Does she know?” you asked, as you tried to gently pry your hand from Wooyoung’s grip. 

“No, but it won’t be long before she finds out,” Yeri said. She seemed detached, but you noticed. Underneath her table, she crossed and uncrossed her legs, shifting almost as much as the gears in her head. 

“She won’t be happy,” Yeonjun said as San nodded. 

“Woo and Sangie did their best, but I don’t think it’ll do much—”

You interrupted San, finally yanking your hand from Wooyoung. “That’s right!” you almost yelled but caught yourself just at the right moment. “What were you and Yeosang thinking? Lying to Lee? What if she wasn’t in the mood to play along with you?” 

“We were thinking that you, of all people, didn’t deserve to get expelled for punching that asshole." Wooyoung rolled his eyes and moved to your hand again, straightening out your sleeve. 

“I doubt Yeosang thought that—”

“He’s not as cold as he looks, you know,” Wooyoung cut you off as he moved to button your shirt, undeterred by the blood stains. “Just a stickler for rules, otherwise, he’s basically harmless.” 

“It’s true,” Yeonjun piped in. “He’s actually very cute.” 

Both you and Yeri threw Yeonjun a questioning glare, not really understanding how that statement was relevant to this conversation but went with it anyway. 

“Regardless, if it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t be sitting here,” that much you could agree on. Wooyoung had moved to your tie and fixed it up as well. “Besides, with both of Lee’s star pupils having your back, there was no way she would’ve expelled you.” 

That was the type of faulty thinking you never entertained in all your years at Hogwarts. 

“Tzuyu definitely wouldn’t have let it happen,” Wooyoung barely got out the words, almost as if it was an internal thought that had made it to his lips without his decision. 

If that was true, then why did she turn tail the second she was alone with you?

You couldn’t help but frown at the thought. 

Wooyoung finally pulled away from you when Yeri spoke up again. “So how do we handle Eunbi?” 

Happy that it doesn’t directly involve him, Wooyoung relaxed in his seat and bared his dimples at the rest of you. 

Handle Eunbi? There was no such thing. What she says goes, and most of the time, you trusted her decision without question. 

“Well, if she knows, it's her decision to bench me—”

“There's no way she’s benching you!” San said, appalled but cringed when he realised how loud his voice had come out. 

“There’s no point stressing about that,” Yeonjun added, nonchalantly. “She simply can’t afford to bench you—”

“And since Lee is on your side, it's all up to Eunbi,” Yeri concluded. “She won’t bench you.” 

But that was never your worry. 

Frowning, you hid your trembling arm underneath the table as you turned your attention to the class. However, not before catching Yeri’s grimace.

When you exited the class later, you attempted to apologise to the professor on behalf of your friends. Unsurprisingly, you received an irate get out! from him. 

The rest of the day passed you in a blur, you just followed your friends around. And when it came to the classes you shared with Tzuyu, you decided to skip them for the day. Instead, you grabbed your broom from your dorm and headed straight for Jeongyeon’s tunnel. The time through the one that connects under and out the other side of the Ravenclaw tower. If you stayed close to the water, even stray students who skipped class like you should miss you. 

Within just seconds in the air, you knew something was wrong. Before you could nosedive into the lake, you brought yourself back down. While you didn’t crash face-first into the dirt, you did stumble off your broom. Not a promising sign when you have a game in less than a week. 

Ignoring the way your left arm was shaking, you gripped your broom in your right and walked back to where you were. Once again, you mounted your broom and lifted off. This time around, you were stable, floating in the air but in place—classic first-year challenge. Although, it was normal to feel some sense of movement when seated on a broom—you were flying after all—it wasn’t supposed to be as obvious as it was. 

Almost like a bee, you buzzed in place, twitching forwards and backwards from time to time much like your arm does. And when you tighten your grip on the broom, you just tip forward, ready to be thrown off the broom again. This shouldn’t be a problem, as a Beater you didn’t need both hands on the broom. So when you lifted your left arm away, not only did the broom straighten but also stopped acting up. 

Flight came easy to you. But you couldn’t rejoice just yet. 

Making circles above the lake was no difficult task, it was as if you were never injured in the first place. 

The problem lay where you lost complete control of your left arm from the elbow down. 

It was just thrashing around to your side, completely useless. And in the moments where you did gain some semblance of control, your muscle pulled, shooting jabbing pain up your arm and forcing you to stop flying before you could take a dip in freezing cold water. There was absolutely no way you'd be able to hold a bat, let alone aim or deflect a Bludger. 

And when you switched arms, hoping to use your right as the batting hand, you might as well be possessed with how you jumped across the air on your broom. 

As the sun began its descent down the sky, you decided it was time to return to your common room. You could fix this problem, you had to, you had a week to so… well, less than.

That night, you skipped dinner as well. 

Unfortunately for you, Eunbi decided to do the same. 

As you rose from the couch, your excuse was already on your lips. “Listen, you have to understand—”

Eunbi gestured for you to stay seated, as she made her way right to your side. “Give me your arm.” 

Following orders, you pulled up your sleeve and raised it. 

“It looks fine,” then she pressed on your palm, and your hand shot out of her grasp. “Never mind.” 

This is the first night all over again. 

The creases formed by Eunbi’s frown seemed deeper under the dim lights, ageing her much older than she was. 

You wanted to ask her questions. How did she find out about your arm so quickly? Did she hear about your fight? How much of it did she hear was accurate? Who had told her? Did she know about Lee’s interference? Or about Wooyoung and Yeosang’s? Well, really Tzuyu's. What did she think about Hyukwoo? What did she think about you? Your actions? What happens now?

Every question running through your mind was another second Eunbi stayed silent.

“Did you skip your classes today?” 

Now that was the last question you thought she’d ask. And who snitched on you?

“Yes,” you said with a blank expression. 

“Did you practice?” she asked, for a second, her eyes flitting to the lake. 

“Yes,” you nodded. “But just flying” 

“How did your arm affect you then?” she asked, catching your eyes again.

“It wasn’t… It wasn't great.” 

“Okay,” Eunbi nodded to herself. “We’ll have to use the same method from second year.” 

“But it’s not just weak, I have no control—”

“Well, it’s our best shot. And Madam Yun says it should go away—”

“You spoke to Madam Yun about this? When did you get the time—?”

“That doesn’t matter,” Eunbi shrugged as she folded her arms, physically defending herself even when her words were dismissive. “I want you to practice whenever you can and always with someone. Preferably with Yeri, of course."

Eunbi paused to consider something.

"Did you try to fly handless?"

Now, why didn't you think of that?

"No, I didn't."

It wouldn't be hard for you, not really. But in a game, especially with your role, accuracy was vital. Automatically, as one hand swings the bat, the other will find its place on the broom. You simply couldn't afford to steer handless.

Eunbi seemed to come to the same conclusion.

"That's not a problem," she nodded. "Whether you want to fly or bat with that hand is your choice but whatever you choose, focus on consistency, not strength.” 

 Although she didn’t explicitly say the words, it was clear she believed your hand wouldn’t be cooperating in time for the game. Perhaps, she was right. 

“Don’t get all mopey about it,” Eunbi said, gently smacking your right shoulder. “If anything goes south, we can figure it out on the spot.”

When you just stared at your hand, Eunbi grabbed your chin and forced you to look at her. 

“Just practice and keep me updated daily, alright?” Eunbi ordered. “We’re not losing the game, trust me.” 

You nodded, believing her. 

“Now that’s over with,” Eunbi sighed, and folded her arms again. “I heard you soiled my Transfiguration textbook.”

Shit.

You don’t even know where it was. 

Last you remembered, you’d thrown it to the ground before you charged at Hyukwoo. Or was it at Madam Yun’s after you'd been dropped there by San? 

Eunbi scoffed with a roll of her eyes. “I’ll get you another textbook but don't expect a free pass this time. We'll annotate it together and I'm testing how well you've studied so far. "

Yeah, that was deserved.

"We can figure that out sometime after the game, and try not to destroy it this time.” 

With another pat on your shoulder, Eunbi headed for the dorms. 

“I’m sorry,” you turned around in your seat and called out. "Really!" 

“Whatever,” Eunbi threw a hand in the air, clearly too tired to care about this. 

“Hold on, are you going to sleep? Now? Did you have dinner?” 

“I had a bread roll—”

“Are you serious right now—?”

“Tell me what to do when you’re not being all sad and shit. You go eat dinner,” Eunbi said in a flippant manner as she took the stairs. 

“Eunbi!” 

“Goodnight, Y/N,” and with that she disappeared.

any feedback is much appreciated.

a/n: literally nothing happens in this chapter im sorry. also if you all are sick of reading the same fucking day for like the last four chapters, you don't understand HOW SICK i am of writing this stupid day. like slytherin!reader stop fucking crying waah waah waah i dont want to hear it !!

taglist: @someone-who-likes-broccoli @tatliegilim

send an ask to be added !

[herarcadewasteland]

Spin, Dare, Hide: The Chase

A/N: im not very happy with the ending but i decided against smut. felt a little weird given the situation so its just slight violence and a pretty dull end in my opinion

-18+, slight violence, swearing, jisung is a little shit, ateez kinda yandere

-ateez x reader, mentions of skz because Han Jisung is your bff

2 of 2, part 1 here

-------

previously:

Hearing none, just a slight shuffle you were sure you made, you opened your eyes just in time to see his large hand twisting the cold water tap for the shower. You gasped at his hand, his dark eyes peeking around the curtain just as ice cold water poured down onto you from above, your eyes closing as you shrieked at the cold, hands raising to try and block some of the stream. They were soon tugged down though, a new face hovering above yours as you thrashed about in the tub, heart racing as you glanced up.

-----

“It’s so cold! Please! Let me out!”, you cried to Seonghwa, Wooyoung’s gaze heavy as he held you to the bottom of the filling tub, cold water splashing onto them as they watched with indifference. 

A simple throat clearing had the water stopping, both men pulling you from the tub as you coughed and shivered violently in their grasp. Your hair clung to your forehead as you made eye contact with Hongjoong, his smirk nothing short of the same evil he displayed when the bottle landed on him first. Now you were at his mercy fully, all of them had control over you as per the rules. Knowing your kinks made it all the more eventful for their plans, the mischief floating behind the danger sending you in a spiral of lust and panic as the fear settled in your chest. 

“We’ve waited so long for this, bunny. We’re all so excited to play with you now.”, his giggle was as concerning as it was arousing, his eyes steady on yours while you trembled in front of him, “I can sense your terror, bunny. It’s…”

He paused, taking a long breath through his nose, the two holding you upright laughing menacingly as the smirk grew darker on their captain's face.

“Addicting.”

Your blood ran colder than the shower, your eyes brimming with tears as Wooyoung dragged you forward and out of the washroom while Seonghwa hummed a tune that you would describe as a horror movie soundtrack before a jumpscare. It truly felt like a jumpscare when suddenly you were downstairs, 5 sets of other eyes on you as you were pushed into the room. 

“She couldn’t hide well enough after Hwa~”, Wooyoung mocked you with a pout as you crossed your arms over your chest, body trembling as San approached you slowly like you would a wounded, scared animal. 

“Is the poor princess soaked? You know what would dry you off?”, he shared a look with one of the men behind your shaking frame, “running.”

You shook your head rapidly, mind racing as you thought over what he could mean before you were nudged towards the open doors further in the room that led to the forest on the property. Your eyes widened and you whimpered, pushing back against the hand on your chilled back.

“NO-”, you pushed back against the hand harder, “please no- anything but that! I’ll be good for you!”

Your tears overflowed as you put everything on pause with your promise of good behaviour, eyes trained on you with a different intensity. 

“How good are you willing to be for us, doll?”

Jongho posed the question, Yeosang coming to stand in front of you, his large hands on your cheeks to ensure you showed no dishonesty in your answer as you sighed heavily. 

“As good as you want me to be…”, your voice was a whisper but the anticipating silence allowed it to reach the ears of the boys, their responding approval setting a small spark alight in your tummy as you trembled from the cold. 

A deep voice in your ear made you jump slightly in Yeosangs’ hold, his eyes dark but kind as you held his gaze.

“Good girl. I knew you would make the right choice. None of us would have liked to punish you for denying us what’s ours, after all.”

You nodded once, eyes darting between them before you settled on Jongho. His eyes seemed gentler than his elders, the small manic glint being hidden perfectly as he caught your gaze. Your eyes clearing of tears just enough to reach out in his direction, seeking comfort as you shivered. The hand coming back to push you towards the man who accepted you in his arms with a small smile, his body warmth raising goosebumps over your skin as you caught your breath past the chill in the air.

As you fully calmed, body warmer and no longer shaking, you noticed how they all watched you carefully, that knife back in Seonghwa’s pretty hand while he stared you down. It was a dare. A challenge. Displease me, it screamed. You couldn’t decide what would be the better fate, running outside in the middle of the night and into a forest while being chased by eight men you had felt safe around for many years, or face Seonghwa and his knife as the others watched. 

The choice was made for you swiftly as San gripped your arm, pulling you from the heat source you had found in Jongho, his eyes glinting as you were dragged into San’s hold. 

“Remember the kindness we just showed you before you get any funny ideas out there~”, He whispered in your ear, his soft lips brushing your ear as you shivered in fear once again. 

“Now, now, Sannie. We haven’t told her the new rules to our game.”, Hongjoong stepped forward, a hand on San’s shoulder as he made his way to your front. 

His gaze traced over your exposed skin heavily, the lust clouding his eyes being displayed almost proudly as his hand left San’s shoulder to rest on yours. A slight massage was his treat to you as you held eye contact when he made it after he had had his fill of eye-fucking you. 

“Our rules are simple. You run, your time out there alone is limited to five minutes so run well. We follow when those five minutes are over. When we catch you, you get a little hurt because, well, you ran away from us didn't you?”, he laughed at your confused expression, his own darkening as he leaned forward so his lips nearly touched yours as he whispered his next words, “We don’t appreciate watching you leave us in such a rush. It has to be punished somehow, don’t you think?”

The smirk he wore was killer as he leaned away from your lips, his pretty eyes dark with the predatory gleam you saw before the game started and in the bathroom. San’s hand was on your jaw, your head being moved in a nod despite your clear resistance. A smirk shot at San before Hongjoong was focused on you again, his eyes slightly wild with emotions as he clicked his tongue.

“We chase you until we find you. And then we use you. Mhm. You’d like that though, wouldn’t you? Being passed around like a toy for eight men who you tossed in the friend-zone for so many years without another thought. I know you would. We all know how badly you want to be used like a dumb little doll for someone capable.”, his lips found your ear, San’s smirk on your neck where he had attached his lips sending chills down your spine at the sudden stimulation, “We are all more than capable of handling a dumb doll. I would suggest you don’t test our limits with your petty little attitude. It won’t be fun… for you~”

A throat clearing had him pulling away, his hands leaving you to San’s wandering ones. 

“The only other rule? You… cannot hurt us. No rocks, booby traps or long sticks to whack us with. You hurt us, we hurt you more. Simple rules honestly.”, his tone was flippant as San nudged you towards the open doors.

Hums of agreement followed the end of Hongjoong’s speech, your eyes tracing over each man again to gather some, any small amount, of information on how each would be in the woods as they chased you down. You assumed Seonghwa would wait for you to get tired, pouncing when you’re down. Hongjoong seemed to be the type to hunt you tirelessly, searching every tree for your shadow. Yunho was unreadable when you met his eyes, a sort of guarded look coming over them. Yeosang seemed the most predictable in your head, calm walking, taunts called out to you as you trembled behind a tree. San, to you, as he pushed you to the door seemed like he would also stop at no end to get you, setting small traps or corralling you in the direction he wanted you.

Mingi was… more difficult to read when you met his eyes. He just radiated excitement and nerves as he held your gaze. You gave up on trying to figure him out, your gaze catching on Wooyoung who stood with his arms crossed behind San, a smirk on his lips as he licked over them with a slight tilt to his head. Wooyoung was… terrifying for you. The way he watched your every move, focusing in on every slight tremble he caught with a nearly mocking smirk, the look in his eyes the longer he watched you. You could only take a wild guess and assume he would somehow know exactly where you were at all times. 

San’s hand nudged you further forwards, your feet out the door. You made frantic eye contact with Jongho who watched you with no expression on his features, a slight quirk to his lips the only inclination you got as to him noticing your eyes on him. He seemed like the least likely to put in too much effort, possibly a combination of Yeosang and San. You had no more time to ponder as San shoved you forwards roughly, your knees buckling slightly and causing you to stumble into the slight light of the moon. The pale shine hid your sight of the boys, but judging by the gasps that reached you when you turned to face them, the lighting was doing you favors despite the fear you felt as your heartbeat against your chest. 

“Go on, pet. Time to run.”, Seonghwa’s voice brushed past your ears like the breeze, the moonlight fading enough for you to make out their figures in the doorway, stood shoulder to shoulder as they watched you back away slowly. 

Even in your fear you couldn’t deny the beauty they radiated from the doorway as the moon shone down on them, their features illuminated and hair shining. They looked angelic with their hands in their pockets, loose clothes flying around them just slightly, billowing and accentuating the fluff to their hair.

The only thing that distracted you from the evangelical sight before you was the illuminated darkness in their eyes as they watched you, unblinking. A smirk from Wooyoung let you know that they knew how good they looked at that moment. That same smirk shook you from your thoughts, your legs carrying you backwards a little faster until you turned and booked it towards the trees. 

“Five minutes, pet!”, Seonghwa called after you as your footsteps echoed across the stone of the patio, “Run while you can~!”

And run you did. You ran until you could no longer see the lights of the house, couldn’t feel their harsh gazes on your back despite the trees blocking you from view. The branches stung as they cut into your skin, small beads of blood trickling down your heated cheek from the cut on your cheekbone as you smacked others out of the way to avoid more injury before they came after you.

Your eyes slowly adjusted as you ran, anticipating the fallen log ahead of you, you prepared yourself to jump it. Your breaths came a little harsher as your mind focused on getting over that log with no difficulty, you forgot about the eight boys ready to prance after you. 

“Oh bunny~!”, Jongho’s voice echoed through the trees, every noise seeming to stop as branches snapped in the distance, “It’s time to play!”

Your focus was removed from the jump, your feet catching the edge of the log and sending you tumbling across the forest floor. Leaves stuck to you in small smudges of mud, your cuts stinging from the touch of the same mud as you rolled to a stop a few feet away. A large sigh left you as you sat up, your hands picking out leaves from your hair when you felt your ankle twinge.

Of course you had to go and disable yourself slightly for one of the most important situations you had ever faced. It felt like life or death for you as you heard distant laughs shared between your hunters, a faint humming reaching your ears a little closer than the laughs. You could only think about how bad it would be if Seonghwa caught you in the darkness of the woods, that knife glinting tauntingly in the moonlight through the trees as you stumbled onto your feet, ignoring the pain in your leg as you ran further. 

You had no idea where you were in the expanse of trees, the area foreign and confusing to you like a corn maze that had no actual way out. It made your adrenaline pump, your eyes scanning every shadow as you crept your way towards a decently sized tree. It wasn’t in the rules that you couldn’t climb a tree and wait them out as long as you could while they searched the forest floor for your tired body.

You took a few ragged breaths as you slowed to a stop in front of the tree, a snap to your left causing your head to snap that way in search of a figure to go with the noise. You found nothing but the barely lit trees in your search, hands trembling as you reached for the thickest branch you could find, pulling yourself up the tree slowly and painfully, your upper body strength nowhere near where it would have needed to be for a smooth climb. 

Your climb ended in a painful success, your sight just high enough to see a few figures passing through the trees at least a mile away from your tree. Your breath coming back to you slowly as you panted as quietly as possible, making sure not to have a limb hanging too far off any branch in case one of them found you and were able to pull you from your spot. 

“Doll~ I know you’re around here, you left some pretty obvious footprints over here!”, Jongho called for you again, his voice scarily close. 

As you looked down towards where you had seen about three of them moments ago, you noticed they were no longer there. You panicked, glancing around the surrounding area with frantic eyes until a sharp tug on your leg had you slipping from the branch, your hands grasping a thicker branch tightly as you hung above open air.

A sharp laugh followed and you glanced down, San’s eyes shining up at you from the ground as you noticed Jongho a few branches below you. You gasped and tried to pull yourself up only to be stopped by a ‘tsk’ from above you as Yeosang popped out from around the tree, his lips tugged into a mocking smirk.

He must’ve gotten up there when you were resting, his light footsteps translating into tree climbing. You huffed a breath that was equal parts annoyed and fearful as you tried to swing yourself onto a new branch. Your efforts were quickly stopped by Yeosang who had lowered himself to the branch above yours, his legs coming down to press on your fingers. 

One hand slipped off the branch, the pain on the small bones too much for you to keep your grip. You swung dangerously over San, your body swaying like a flag in strong winds as Jongho laughed quietly at your panicked squeal when your other hand slipped just slightly. Yeosang took advantage of your fear, drawing your attention to him as he mockingly dangled his booted feet over your hand. He didn’t hold your attention for long, the rustling and snapping of branches approaching you gaining it all as you watched the rest of the boys gather around San at the base of the tree, varying degrees of amusement on their faces as Yeosang called something down to them with a smirk. The blood rushing in your ears blocked their voices as your hand slipped further, your scream catching in your throat as you fell into the open space. 

The halt in conversation was clear to you now as the murmurs stopped, your senses overloading in fear and allowing you to register your hand being held by a larger one, faces of slight concern and amusement meeting your eyes when you opened them after you gathered enough courage to unclench them. Glancing up, you met Jongho’s eyes, the sweetness in them deceiving you enough for you to call up to him as he held you steady just a meter or so above the now predatory gazes of the other boys. 

“J-Jongho please! Pull me up!”, your eyes clouded with a fresh round of tears, the boys cooing as they dripped down your cheeks slowly. 

A mocking giggle carried up the tree, Hongjoong’s smirk staring you down when you glanced down at them once more. 

“He won’t help you, bunny. He’s prepared to drop you the second I say so.”, Seonghwa seconded his statement with a laugh built of danger, “And I say so.”

The grip on your hand left instantly, your heart freezing as everything seemed to move in slow motion, Jongho’s kind eyes getting farther from you as Yeosang became a slight shadow up in the tree. Your back hit the ground with a thud seconds later, your eyes closing as you cried out in pain, your hands cradling to your chest as your breath left you all at once.

The heat of their gazes never left you once as you rocked side to side and coughed, tears slipping down your scraped cheeks rapidly as you opened your eyes slowly. Hongjoong was crouching above you as Seonghwa crouched beside him, his knife flipping tauntingly above your beaten body as you coughed some more. 

A cold hand ran over your cheek as you caught your breath, your eyes squeezing shut as the owner of the hand placed a kiss on your forehead before you were in strong arms, your eyes opening slightly to see San’s features glancing down at you every so often before the events of the night caught up to you and you were out cold. 

When your eyes blinked open next, you were back in the house, a red light surrounding you and hurting your eyes just enough for you to let out a whimper, your hands reaching to rub at your eyes only to stop halfway, a harsh press of metal against your wrists. The cold had you bolting upright as much as you could, a thick material around your neck choking you and pulling you back down to the bed with a grunt passing from between your slightly dried lips. 

“I’d stop fighting it if I were you, princess.”

“It really will do you no good, little baby.”

“Wouldn’t want to hurt our poor bunny further.”

“You say that like our dumb little pet isn’t getting punished anyways.”

A light growl from Yeosang had them all silencing, watching him as he walked up to your tied down figure on the bed. The red light made his hair look orange, the fluffiness contrasting with the darkness in his gaze as he landed a slap on your already stinging cheek. Your head snapped to the side with the force of it, a few cheers coming quietly as you huffed before fixing him with a harsh glare, your lips parting to tell him off before another slap landed and your head was flung to the other side.

Your jaw ached, tears welling up in your eyes, ready to drop at any second before a cough catches your attention. You turn your head to the end of the bed where your feet lay tied to either side, Yunho crouched between them, the colour of his eyes nearly gone as his pupils dilate when he meets your gaze.

Another cough drags your attention from the giddy smile Yunho sends your way, Wooyoung waiting for your gaze just behind him as he adjusts his obvious erection in his pants. When you meet his eyes though, he’s not adjusting and blatantly palming himself as you furrow your eyebrows, noticing the others in similar states of arousal throughout the red lit room.

A scoff left you before you could contain it, eyes darkening further around the room as the lighting seemed to dim. The silence that took over the space was unsettling, your arms unconsciously tugging at the restraints to escape the situation before large hands roughly gripped your ankles, tugging you to the limit of the chain attached to the collar they had on you. You coughed roughly, tears escaping your eyes as you lost your ability to breathe so abruptly. 

“Don’t you dare even think about telling us off. You have no power here. We do. Learn your place and learn it fast or else there’ll be bigger repercussions. We don’t want that for you, pet.”, Seonghwa’s voice was cruel as landed a few harsh slaps on your thigh from his place on the bed beside you. 

You watched him silently as he flicked his knife open, the blade appearing before it vanished in the next second, the smirk on Seonghwa’s face a warning as he moved away for Mingi to sit down beside you. His large hand stroked over your thigh where his elder had hit, his expression soft as he held a giddy smile like Yunho, who had moved up between your legs. He was nearly in contact with your core, his breath fanning against you through your pants as he shuffled even closer. Mingi watched him carefully with you, the expression on his face filled with much more love and adoration for the man between your legs opposed to the confusion and fear in your own as you watched the tall men carefully. 

The others were much less focused on the two up close and personal with you, their collective gaze on your expressions, studying every face you made to gauge the situation. 

“It’s time we start this properly boys. Get ready, bunny.”

You whimpered as your collar was tugged on harder, your wrists tugging against the restraints once more as Seonghwa approached you once the two cleared your personal space. The smirk on his pretty lips was only cruel and dangerous as he knelt above you, his head tilted as he watched you struggle below him. 

“We’re gonna have so much fun, pet.”

His voice echoed through your head as you allowed yourself to cry. The night's events overwhelmed you so suddenly, the blade slicing shallowly through your skin on your torso doing nothing but numbing you slowly as they broke you down, bit by bit. One at a time. Maybe they did love you, but as you closed your eyes and a slap landed on your cheek, Hongjoong’s disappointed expression hovering over your pained one before a sharp hit to the back of your head had you out cold. 

You would never really know how that night portrayed their love for you, but you knew for certain, you would never love them back. 

------

also, happy ateez day! and thanks for reading :)

[hwaightme]

In memoriam

THIS IS 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI FOR STAR'S SAKE (nsfw tags under the cut) (masterlist) (join taglist)

⚪ pairing: seonghwa x afab!reader ⚪ genre: angst (sorry seonghwa), smut, time leaping, magical realism ⚪ summary: what would you do to get your life back? what would you do, if you found out that you could turn back time? park seonghwa knows his answer, and does not care for the price he has to pay. ⚪ wordcount: 8.3k ⚪ warnings/tags: husband!hwa, language, implied major death, crying, time leaping, barista!san, magical cafe, turning back time, grieving, discussion of habits, a whole lot of coffee, hope, love, loss, lmk if anything else ⚪ taglist: @doom-fics @legohwas @acciocriativity @justhere4kpop @honey-lemon-goose @byuntrash101 @shakalakaboomboo @starillusion13 @hongthoven @cqndiedcherries @uwuheeseungie @hoshischeekss @frankenstein852 @charreddonuts @miriamxsworld ⚪ a/n: after severe ult bias wreck, I have been in a -state-, and after listening to suggested songs (under cut) + me generally loving the film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and the book series Before The Coffee Gets Cold... this happened. Hope you enjoy, much love, all reblogs, comments thoughts and notes welcome~

⚪ nsfw tags: no protection, cum inside, praise, seonghwa being very soft, everything is very vanilla tbh, slow sex, slight overstim, focus on feeling of closeness

⚪ playlist: suffering for love by eden (a/n:what sparked this), somewhere by o3ohn, dancing with your ghost by sasha alexa sloan, holo by leehi, stay here by gaho, i wanna cry by seori, not too late by ateez

The ticking of the clock, giving rhythm to his trepidation, the second hand measuring out the beating of his heart devise a believable steadiness. In two minutes and three seconds, you were going to brush strands of your hair behind your right ear, sighing at the necessity for the repeated motion. You were curled up the impromptu reading nook that you had crafted out of an array of pillows and a throw – items that Seonghwa had meticulously picked out to fit the interior of your shared apartment, now a creative installation with you as its centrepiece.

He was exactly where he had been, and where he would be should he wish to relive this moment again: leaning against the dining table, hands pressed into the edge of the lacquered wood, coolness spreading to his trembling fingertips, stuck in a permanent dilemma. He studied you as though you were a heavenly mirage, admiring every inch of your form as faint fragments of the sun streamed through the window and graced your delicate skin. Seonghwa was never sure whether the glow that enveloped you, that blissful haze so innate, so intricate, was from the mellow rays or from the boundless light that you possessed, so strong that it permeated through you, and yet too precious for this mortal world. So, he had settled, even then, for the only explanation that seemed logical, no matter how irrational the concept seemed to someone who had not had the chance to know you.

“Angel, are you sure you don’t want me to get you anything?”

There it was, the brush of the hair, that dazzling smile, heart-melting expression as you turned your head towards him, placing a finger down on the cream-coloured page to mark your line of immersion.

“Yes, Hwa I’m good. Though actually, if you could grab some more gochujang paste, that would be great. I promised your mom a recipe exchange so not running low on ingredients is probably a good start.”

He beamed, though the incessant ticking induced a heaviness in his chest. That was right, in a week’s time his mother would be visiting the two of you with a crate of goods from home, and you would spend the day cooking together, constantly shooing Seonghwa out of the kitchen so that he ‘would not interfere with the production line’. And then, they would not let him leave until he tried every dish.

“One of these days my mom will kidnap you, I swear.” He responded, running a hand through his hair to mask his agitation.

“Well, I am already dressed like her kid, and I do like naps.”

“Now for humour…”

“… I know, I know, much better than you so she’ll figure the switch out straight away.” You winked, and before Seonghwa could respond, returned to the novel, your attention drifting from the conversation in a matter of seconds. How could he not love you?

That morning you had been cheeky enough to steal one of his shirts, parading in it and uttering phrases in dialect, in as low a voice as you could muster, eliciting amused laughter from Seonghwa. The light blue and white striped linen suited you more than it did him, he had decided. At least, it suited the joy that you experienced when he, faking vexation from your antics, had wrapped you in his arms, peppering you with soft reminders of his adoration on your cheeks, nose, lips.

In thirty seconds, he was to push himself away from the table, amble towards you, and plant a kiss on the top of your head, resting his forehead against you before bidding you farewell. As he diligently completed the actions, you reached out to grasp his wrist, and pulled him closer. In nine seconds, you let go. In three, he mumbled he would be right back. And just as the clock showed three twenty-seven in the afternoon, he leaned down to put a pair of sneakers on in the entryway, and pushed the front door open to reveal a stunning, infinite expanse of white. Without fear, he stepped in, and was consumed by the pure, cleansing hue. The ironic embodiment of you.

It was overwhelming the first time. The migraine that had persisted then almost detracted him from the process, however as the number of attempts had grown into a routine, or rather, a habit, so did his resilience. Now, as he woke up from the trance, blinking away the blur that had occupied his vision, barely any physical trace of his venture remained. All except the dull ache. But that was a given, the torment was an old guest to his weary soul.

He was back. Back in the same café, sat at the table in the far corner, away from curious eyes, right by a living wall of ferns and succulents, so carefully tended to that Seonghwa had never once seen a single leaf be wilted; he would not put it beyond this place achieving a floral immortality – it was either that, or they were meticulously replaced to give the illusion of continuity. Even so, what would Seonghwa not give for that oblivious paradise? An easy listening instrumental track filled the air with semi-acoustic guitar and gentle waves of metal brushes on the drums. The rumbles and short hisses emanated from behind the counter, guiding Seonghwa’s gaze to the owner and main barista of the café, who was languidly cleaning a metal beaker while keeping an eye out for any new customers. Even though he knew full well that while the remnants of the time shift were still suspended in the air, the space, completed in white and wooden tones, disappeared from the consciousness and vision of a passer-by.

Gradually, feeling returned to Seonghwa’s hands and feet, and he stretched his hands out in front of him, scrutinising the digits. Was it really the dark chestnut table that he touched? Was it really your hair that he caressed and your voice that entranced him so? The disentanglement from what had been and what could be was always the most agonising aspect of his commitment. But for the sake of keeping you in the present, this was the least he could sacrifice. As he blinked away the last of his emotion, steeling himself for the day ahead, Seonghwa turned to the large shop window to peer at the metropolitan commotion. The forlorn palette of greys that guided his interpretation was reflected in every building, every cloud that threatened catastrophic storms, every scowl on a stranger and in the cold concrete. Nothing new. Just a setting to let time pass by him.

As his heart beat to the pitter-patter of seconds, washing over him, Seonghwa hesitantly trudged to the counter and fished out the black leather wallet you had gifted him for your three year anniversary, stopping to brush his thumb over your picture that he inserted into the transparent compartment. A candid shot of you under the magnolias, a light squint of the eyes and scrunch of the nose as you had tilted your head to greet the sunshine that streamed through the brilliant white canopy. After the photo was taken, you had found a branch that had been snapped by the wind, and took it home, tending to the young blossoms that were protected by proud leaves, leaping into the air excitedly as they unfurled to reveal their apex of beauty. That time, you had admonished Seonghwa for not even sparing a glance at the flowers while complimenting them, but he was sure in his decision to not take his gaze off you.

“That’ll be three thousand won.” The barista sighed, a concerned smile on his lips as he studied the dark-haired man before him. The regular floated in a torpid melancholy, though his amiable expression and impressively polite discourse, be it with him or with another customer, had never let what he had seen on the first visit slip and shatter.

“Here you are. Thank you, San.” Seonghwa answered absent-mindedly as he handed the owner three glossy paper bills.

“Not a problem.” The barista and owner of the café Memento added the amount to the cash register with practiced motions, hands moving on their own accord.

Fluid, intrinsic, skilled. A repetition that served to mark the end of Seonghwa’s weekly visit. Except here, there was no way to guess what San would choose to do next, even though his uniform, his environment were all the same – there was no comfort in awareness of the future, and while that was a reminder that Seonghwa had successfully returned, the notion had recently begun to induce a subtle hum of distress within him. At least he was lucky enough to have found a temporary aid to the predicament.

“Back so soon?”

It was not Thursday, that much Seonghwa knew. For the past couple of months he visited strictly on Thursday mornings, and would be able to sustain himself and hold out until the next unscheduled visit, but one cemented in his routine. But the last few days had unfolded as though the universe itself was against him, proving that calamity was always lying in wait for the first sign of tranquility. He was distressed, on the verge of tearing himself and everyone around him apart - had he the power of Atropos, the floor would be decorated with abstract snippets of existence, grotesque and grim, but at least the act was committed at his own volition. Some fragment of control still remaining, albeit in his fantasies. This was why his feet led him here, to café Memento, through the heavy downpour outside which he had to experience in full force due to the ill-timed breaking of his umbrella. Seonghwa’s coat clung to him in a drowning desperation, giving him a sullen, forlorn appearance of a lost man. With haphazard motions he attempted to slick his hair back so that the accumulated raindrops would cease to run down his face, though that did little comically little.

Fumbling in the entrance of the café, the young man watched as the barista, turned passive confidante, stepped out from behind the counter, raising his index finger into the air as a sign to wait before disappearing behind the staff door. In his absence, Seonghwa attempted to peel the trench coat off, discovering that, for the most part, his shirt had been protected well by the waterproof material. So, it was almost like that evening he had been replaying in his mind the last three days, but not close enough. It was late June then. He was wearing a light cotton t-shirt, jeans, and converses, enveloped in the monsoon’s sudden attack while he had been circling the apartment complex where you lived, cursing himself. He had been more rain than man then. But the personal likeness did not matter, so long as he could get the coffee and take his practically assigned seat in the corner.

“Here, a towel, your collar’s getting damp, and let me hang the coat to dry… you absorbed a whole raincloud, didn’t you?” San had reappeared, and made a beeline for his friend, who was still standing at the door, water dripping onto the welcome mat, blending with the invisible chains of grief that were his loyal followers. A small, yet dazzling smile in thanks was shot in the barista’s direction as the dishevelled man accepted the towel, commencing to dry off his hair and neck.

“Certainly felt like it. And thank you. Sorry for barging in like this, I really don’t know what-”

“You want the usual, right?” the interjection cut right to the truth. Of course, what was Seonghwa thinking? After so many weeks of asking for coffee that he, in fact, despised, sitting in the same place and leaving the present to see visions of you, it would take someone who knew nothing at all to assume Seonghwa wanted anything else. Even the most distant acquaintance would probably make the rights guess. It was obvious that he was here to see you. He needed to, or his frustrations would eat him whole.

“Right.” Unintentionally curt, Seonghwa muttered his response while wiping down the droplets from his feverish skin. Concerned preoccupied him as he wondered if illness would prevent him from seeing you. No, he could not get ill. He still had so much material to cover.

“Figured. Life’s got you down?” either happily disinterested, or deciding to ignore Seonghwa’s shift in attitude, San continued in the same level tone as he finished hanging up the trench coat on the rack that stood in a corner by the door, obscured by an overgrown potted palm tree. Stretched over a couple of hooks, it looked every bit like a damp scarecrow, eliciting a sharp exhale through the nose from its owner.

“You could say that.”

“So down, that you walked here, in the rain?” using his beige apron to dry off his hands, the broad-shouldered man asked. Truth be told, it was not confirmation of his friend’s troubles that he was after. It was the cry, the realisation that he was going too far.

But much to the café owner’s dismay, Seonghwa saw no evil in his choices, instead choosing to rationalise them, supress the abysmal distress each one would inevitably bring by considering everything except the future. To this man, who obediently followed San to the counter, and waited for him to walk back around and take his usual spot, the suffering that came with each veering of the path was a divine, cleansing punishment that, at the end of it all, still brought him joy.

“Well, metro, then the walking in the rain.” Seonghwa stated as-a-matter-of-factly, draping the towel over his neck after gesturing to San whether it would be fine if he could keep it for the time being, and with a quick nod from him, gave a quiet word of gratitude and wiped a stray droplet that was threatening to roll down his forehead with the corner of the white fabric.

“Nonetheless, aren’t there… other ways?”

Seonghwa stared at the large coffee machine as though it was a beast, in slumber until the next press of a button, to avoid making eye contact. His mind had been far too hazy since early morning, and the myriad of repetitive work meetings had exhausted his ability to keep up appearances. He was toeing a line, a couple of phrases away from completely snapping, and studying the tiny coffee splatter stuck to steel decal at the top of the machine took off some of the edge, forcing him to refocus on the desire to wipe the damn spot away.

“Nothing like a nice hot americano to save the day.” He mumbled, glancing at San, only to be met with a questioning eyebrow and pursed lips.

“You literally do not even like coffee.”

“And you own a café, but drink decaf.”

“Touché. Alright then, the usual it is…” the battle was short-lived, overtaken by a tense quiet, subsequently filled by the ambient rumbling, shuffling and clinking – the sonorous colours of any ordinary coffee shop. It was clear enough that there was too much left unsaid, only to dissolve in the drink like a sugar cube turned sour. What was there to admonish? Love? Devotion? Never before had San seen such dedication in a customer when it came to the specially prepared beverage, he concluded as he murmured the incantations, concentrating on making the coffee bloom to its fullest. In situations such as this, he pondered what his life would be like had he not inherited this café, and along with it, the power to control time.

The torrential downpour outside was not letting up, and the droplets that accumulated on the shopfront’s awning were hammering down onto the pavement, spilling over and composing a cacophony. Seonghwa observed the enchantment, attempting to mentally follow the steps for the pourover, but ultimately failing even though San had gone through them, diligently, on the first three visits. As the grounds, with the beans freshly roasted and the final product all made in-house, were being wetted by the hot water pouring from the long spout of a black gooseneck kettle, cradled in the barista’s steady hands, the morose bystander imagined the city to be one big coffee cup, with the solemn concrete jungle resembling the rise and falls of the grounds’ dunes, taking and taking more of the rainwater and leaving behind exhausted, breathless shells called citizens. From far away, there was a unity, a name for the powder-like substance turned to a paste, but look closer, and each grain was lonely in its own special way, only there to dissolute, and diffuse into a bitter potion.

“Here.” As soon as the last of the substance was extracted and joined forces with the fluid in the cup, San set it on a white plate with a black rim, and carefully positioned the beverage onto an elevated portion of the counterspace, right above the display of baked goods and desserts, almost empty – reasonable, considering the late hour after a busy day.

“Thank you-” just as he reached out to grab the cup, excited to finally flee to his safe haven, the barista stopped him on his tracks.

“Seonghwa, hate to be that guy, but are you sure you do not need any other help at all?” the apprehension in his voice made the taller man’s stomach churn. Did he have to raise this point now, of all times? When Seonghwa wanted nothing more but to curl up in your arms and sink into a divinity only you two could share? He was not in the headspace to even mention the existence of alternatives. In his view, there was only one right path to follow, and it was one mapped out in scars on his heart.

“What are you insinuating?” he narrowed his eyes, hinting at an undercurrent of hostility.

“Nothing! Just, you know… This is meant to be temporary. There are only so many times you can bend time to your will before it snaps you.” Already anticipating a complete disregard for his warnings, San explained his worries much like he would explain the menu to a newcomer.

“But it’s all fine-” he gripped the plate tighter in his hands, lifting the ceramic off the counter and watching the liquid lap at the edges, a deep mahogany ocean. As he caught the glint of the lamplight reflected in its ripples, he could not help but search for the glimmer that was always in your eyes.

“Until it won’t be. Seonghwa, I know what this means to you, and I can see how you change after each leap but… I am worried.”

“Well… don’t, seriously. It’s fine. I just… I just need this. Okay?” he was met by a shake of the head, and a lean forward – San took the towel by its edge, and slipped it off Seonghwa’s neck, leaving it exposed to an unfamiliar chill. In a strive to supress the shiver, the exasperated man continued, choking out the words through a well-mannered filter: “And don’t I look like I am simply asleep when I am out there?”

“True that. Head down like the table is a pillow.” The barista responded, seemingly unperturbed as he flung the towel into a basket hidden under the workspace and wiped his hands on his apron. When he did not make any further attempts to prolong the fruitless discussion, Seonghwa’s feet moved on their own accord, spinning his body around, ready to dive into his long-awaited oasis.

“Alright then… catch you… later?” he threw out over his shoulder, casting San one final glance before striding towards the table, area dimly lit, but so cosy, promising the echoes of his real home.

“Mhm. I’ll be where I usually am. Not that you need me, but still. I’ll keep watch.”

“I appreciate it.” Words thrown out only to be swept away by the air conditioning, meaningless in the sense of emotion. Mentally, he was already in transit.

As Seonghwa settled into the chair, he felt lighter. As if the mere anticipation of seeing you once again was already capable of lifting some of his ache. He concentrated on the cup before him. A simple number, with the only decoration being those black lines, reminiscent of lines of misfortune that occupied an individual’s life. Ironic how this was to be his fated cup. The contemporary chalice that gave him the power to enjoy the moments he had mourned. As he did in every iteration of his new ‘always’, he pictured you, sat in front of him, in this very café, drinking the bitter black coffee, breaking out into a grin as you slipped into a child-like enjoyment. This black and white cup was the one you had held in your hands, commenting on how you and Seonghwa should try and find a similar set. To this day, he could not fulfil this little dream of yours. Maybe they were not being made anymore, and nothing merely similar would be up to standard.

Your figure became clearer and clearer before his eyes, until he could not distinguish between what should be, and what indeed was. This stage was the trickiest, for with every fibre of his being Seonghwa wanted to reach out to you, place his hand over yours and whisper just how much he missed you, how afraid he was that you were gone, not for good, not for evil, simply gone. It took training, resilience, and patience with himself to go further back, rewind the time until he hit the desired mark, and as the image was comparable to reality before him, he shut his eyes, and took a tentative sip of the coffee.

A flash. Pure white, drumming of the rain turning into deafening tick, tock, tick, tock. Sensation that felt like his body was turning inside out, collapsing and regrowing as he felt the ground beneath him, and the sky’s tears beating down on him, streaming down his face. With this, he regained his balance and sense of direction, and pressing a hand right above his brows to shield his vision from the rain, peeked at the scene. Just as he had expected, it was the little square, the pagoda with no proper roof to shield him, the paths, lit by weak yellowish streetlights. He was ready to go back home. To see you. To play the scene out and devote himself to you once more. There was a limit to what far removed, isolated worship could do.

He pushed himself off the soaked wooden seating that framed the inside of the pagoda, and stumbled out, still dizzy from the leap. Massaging his temples with the hand he had used as a visor, he tried to soothe at least some of the stinging, until it turned into a dull ache that was easier to handle, more customary. Before long, it melted into the buzz, the anticipation for what was to happen next.

He commenced a countdown in the form of footsteps as he stalked toward the complex, fully aware of you watching him from the windows. That was what you were going to say… later, but you were going to say it. You were going to reveal to him just how worried you had been, how you wanted him to come back as soon as he shut the door, and how his action had torn you apart. It really had been over nothing at all, but much like in the present, his week had gotten to him, but now there was no escape, except to break his routine, and sink into the feeling of you. Your voice, your caresses, your love. The world was moving slowly as he strode up the stairs to the entrance doors, fingers automatically finding the passcode although he could not consciously recall it. One step, two, and he was at the staircase that wound around the elevator, choosing the former to alleviate some of the tension.

To no avail. Instead, the adrenaline pumped with more vigour, causing his rationality to grow blurry and pulse to go haywire as he spurred himself on. Only a few more steps. And there would be you. Thirty seconds. Fifteen. He was at the door to the apartment. Seonghwa stilled himself, glancing back to take note of the trail of moisture that he had left, mentally apologising to the cleaners that would have to handle the mess the next day – he would hear them chiding ‘whoever this person was’ in the tomorrow of the past at precisely six thirty-eight in the morning.

He had only returned to this scene once before. A while back. And had promised himself to not do it again because of the toll it had taken on him. But desperate times called for desperate measures. And he desperately needed you. The familiar flicker of the lightbulb at the end of the hallway, footsteps that he could make out from behind the door as you approached were setting him ablaze. There you were. You. No one else. Not a replacement, but really you. It was your fingers that pinched the door chain and slid it out of position, your hand that took the door handle and pulled it in, it was you who was standing before him, teary-eyed, but obviously relieved to see him.

You were about to approach him and wrap your hands around his torso when you noticed just how soaked he was from facing the elements after his stress-induced outburst. He had chosen to exit the apartment instead of uttering as much as a single word aside from the command to not follow, leaving you disconcerted and peering out of the window into the starless night. It was a simple, common domestic argument that had set him off. Something or other about the arrangement of cutlery in the drawer, that then moved to the discussion of plates in the cupboards, and eventually grew into a back and forth about interior design. Any other day, Seonghwa probably would had stayed and talked it out, but this outburst which now served to be a perfect anchor for his travels, was the result of pent up emotion. It was odd, but he was grateful for having let his feelings overflow that day, otherwise this previous moment, this ethereal intimacy would not have been so prominent in his mind.

Seonghwa’s gaze burned into you as you hugged your own form, highlighting the curves hidden under the oversized t-shirt dress that you were wearing, the argument having taken place right before bed. Hair loose and slightly dishevelled, you look to have been playing with it – something you did when you were nervous. You would inspect the ends, twirl the strange, arrange and rearrange… and then when he would place a hand on your thigh, or take your hand in his, you would become aware of your state, start counting under your breath, resuming a shared tranquility. While he could not imagine the distress that you experienced internally, it was reassuring that even if for a fraction of a second, he could bring you peace from your loud mind.

Your eyes were reddened – likely from being rubbed to convince yourself that you were not about to cry over simple things. A light tremble of your lower lip as you took in his form, with Seonghwa exuding abandonment, regret, loss… a rocking from heel to toe as you propelled yourself towards him, reaching out to cup his face while ushering him inside. Who was he kidding when he thought that this would be easy to re-enact? He was guilty as charged. This was his doing. How could he possibly enjoy seeing you in pain? The preceding events objectively amounted to nothing, but your sadness was real, how you gasped and said his name was real. This was real.

Tears sprung to his eyes as you cooed and ran your fingers through his wet hair, forgetting about your own clothing as you approached to comfort him. Seonghwa was bewildered – no, he should be the one comforting you! How was this in any way appropriate, he should be strong, he should- he was struggling to form a single coherent thought as all prior resolve evaporated like snow on a hot summer day, and he crumbled under your touch. Your thumbs brushed over his cheers, carrying away tears that he did not know he was spilling, as you called out to him.

“Hwa, my love please… if you cry, I cry…I’m sorry-”

“I’m sorry Y/N! My angel! Please… forgive me… I’m sorry… I’m so… so sorry…” Seonghwa wailed as his knees buckled under him, and barely having made it past the door frame, with you having just shut the door with a light kick of the foot, he slowly descended to the ground, with you promptly following.

“What? This was… this was just a plate, Hwa… both of us had a stressful week and-” you attempted to rationalise, failing to swallow the lump that had formed in your throat at the sight of your husband falling apart, words sounding choked out. You forced him to keep his attention on you as you searched for any kind of explanation in his widened eyes glossed over with sorrow.

“So sorry… I am so sorry I couldn’t do anything… Please I should have… I should have not let you go… I am so…” he slipped. He lost the plot, the phrases bursting out of him before he could do anything to stop them. It was no longer clear what it was that he was apologising for. He gripped the soaked denim, right above his knees, though the sensation of his fingers digging into his thighs did nothing to curb his disillusionment.

“What are you saying baby, I’m right here…” you whispered, one hand moving to pat his shoulder, gliding over the muscle and soon your arm was pulling the man closer and closer to you. He hesitated, afraid to soak your dress, though knowing that it was going to happen anyway.

“Y/N!”

“Shh, it’s okay. I’m sorry too. Come here.” Without any further waiting, he threw his arms around you. There you were. Your warmth against him as you rubbed his back, not caring for his blubbering, for his sniffling against the crook of your neck. He kept on mumbling apologies and your name, over, and over, and over again, as though those were the only words he knew, and his native tongue had otherwise departed from his consciousness.

“What has gotten into you, huh? It really wasn’t that big of a deal. I’ll even accept that I was wrong for putting the mug in that drawer.” You attempted to change the tone, adopting a more upbeat, lighthearted attitude while you wiggled to sit more comfortably. Your husband followed your every move, and soon enough you found yourselves sitting in a tight embrace right at the step that marked the difference between the entrance, and the apartment’s corridor.

“I’m sorry…”

“Okay, I get that, but what for? For being human and having a temper sometimes? We’ve been living together for two years, Hwa. Two. And you are here acting like we haven’t argued before.”

Two years. Two years, three months, and seven days, if he were to be exact. He had your history together memorised, and as he kept on leaping, the accuracy turned from weeks, to days, to hours, to minutes, and for some events, down to the second. In three, two, one – you kissed the top of his head, just like he had done to you many times.

“I am so selfish, Y/N…” he whispered, hoarse.

“Aren’t we all?”

“Not like me.”

“No one is like you, and I mean that in the best sense. What kind of selfish are you even talking about Seonghwa?”

“I exhaust you. I repeat the same things, again, and again, tire you out and take you for granted.” He tried to explain himself, but his haze was refusing to let him abide by the regular scenario, instead letting him go off script and improvise.

You tapped him, signalling for Seonghwa to lean back and look at you. When his half-lidded eyes met yours, you muttered for him to sit down properly. Obediently, he twisted his body, and did what he was told. You remained by his side, one arm wrapped around his shoulders as you guided yourself to take a seat on his lap, effectively straddling him. One leg on either side, you pushed yourself closer, until your nose was against his, and you were peering into his pupils.

“I could repeat every moment with you forever, Hwa, never get tired, and always, do you hear me? Always, feel loved.” He took your words as gospel, as a clairvoyant portrayal that he would follow.

“I’m sorry.”

“How sorry?” you blurted, not thinking straight as you breathed against his lips, almost touching. Your arms draped around him, while he positioned his cool hands on your hips, more than aware of the proximity.

“Very.”

“Prove it.”

“Let me love you.”

“Now that’s something you should repeat more often, darling.”

You were supposed to kiss. You were supposed to sink into one another and blend into a loving embrace. Where were you? Why couldn’t he see you? A panic set into Seonghwa’s chest as his eyes shot open, and no matter where he looked, no matter how hard he twisted his neck, he was only met with the vast expanse of white. But his hands-

No longer holding onto you, they reached for thin air, only to fall, defeated, disappearing into a thick cloud-like fog. He yelled out your name, but was only met with a searing, piercing tone as though from an explosion blasting right into his ears, and no sign of his voice. He tried again, rushing to cover his ears on instinct as the high-pitched screech returned, though that did next to nothing, except proving that the colourless infinity was more merciless than nature itself. Slowly understanding the rule of not disturbing the soundlessness, Seonghwa blindly felt for the ground on which he was sitting. What if you were lost in this expanse with him? Where could you have gone? His best attempt would be to try feeling for any vibrations, and send some of his own. You must be in the minimalist hellscape with him, he convinced himself and knocked on what he had decided was the ground but was met with nothing.

His fist, then arm then the rest of the body fell through a chasm and in a split second, the white was cleared from his vision as suddenly as it had appeared. Perplexed and terrified, Seonghwa looked around, only to feel that he was stark naked, in the bedroom, with you under him. Slowly he turned his head to look downwards, and was greeted by your face, contorted in pleasure as you let out sultry moans, hands gripping the pillow that was supporting your head. You looked so beautiful, angelic as you whimpered his name, while he continued to thrust into you.

The sudden transition had thrown Seonghwa off kilter, and he inadvertently slowed down, hissing as he felt your walls contract around his throbbing member. The intensity of the intimate act had returned the senses to his body at an unprecedented speed, making him dizzy. Struggling to support himself with his outstretched arms, he lowered his body until it was flush against yours, and he was on his elbows. Every micromovement was a challenge while his cock was still inside you, though counterbalanced by the fear of this divinity being replaced by the white abyss once more.

“Hwa… ah… why’d you… why’d you stop?” you asked, breathless as your eyelids barely lifted to peek at him. Some stray strands of hair were stuck to your forehead, caught in a sheen of sweat that made you look ethereal in the light that had crept into the bedroom through the window, as the storm outside had calmed to reveal a timid moon, peering from behind the heavy clouds that lethargically moved across the sky. Your lips, rosy and plump, evidently from having been against his for long enough, were slightly parted as you panted shallowly. Seonghwa further lowered himself until he was hovering right above you, unable to stop himself from giving you a soft kiss, and whispering:

“I want to love you. Slowly.”

“Didn’t feel like it.” You quipped, a ghost of a smirk taunting him, earning a chuckle.

“Sorry, you know what you do to me.”

“No more ‘sorry’, darling, just give me all of you.” You moved so your hands were clasped around your husband’s neck, and sighed as he pushed himself up and bottomed out, the fullness making you see stars.

“I love you Y/N.”

“I love you ah- too… Hwa.”

As promised, following his return from nothingness, he took things slow. With every thrust into your aroused core, he worshipped you, whispering praise after praise in your ear about how well you took him, and just how good you made him feel. Finely attuned to every change in your body, he adjusted his angle, his rhythm, until you were, once again, a whining goddess being brought to a magnificent ruin. Only this time, he was going to remember every picosecond. He noted how your eyes rolled to the back of your head underneath your lids, how your tongue flicked to the corner of your mouth, for just a split second, but enough to demand Seonghwa’s attention. In one sensual motion, he moved his cock deeper, and gave himself access for another, longer expression of his love. His tongue gingerly parted your lips, and you readily accepted him, appreciative of the caution and affection in his gesture. As you ascended in the adoring expression, Seonghwa decided that this was true timelessness. And the only one he ever needed. Only you and him, with only love between you.

Seonghwa had a habit of looking at you as though you were the only precious thing in his universe with those gorgeous brown orbs. And while you otherwise would glow at the realisation, tonight, there was something different. First, it was him apologising for ‘letting you go’, then it was him nearly completely switching character and nearly making you lose all sense of self as he pounded into you with a carnal desire, and now, it was a slow, sensual unravelling. The light pecks on your cheeks, trailing down to your neck, and the loving gaze as Seonghwa confessed his love to you as if this was the first and last time, were too much for you to take. There was an omniscience about him, otherworldly knowledge, like he was somewhere else entirely, aware of every nuance of your inner world and capable of changing your very fate. Your precious Seonghwa, your future.

Your high came suddenly and violently from the sustained length of each movement that made you concentrate on every detail, from the way in which Seonghwa had teased you by stimulating your clit with his leaking cock, to how he silenced you with a kiss, inhaling your uncontrollable moans.  As though you were a fragile doll, he embraced you as best as he could without collapsing on your chest, while he searched for the opportunity to chase his own release.

His movements began to falter as his own orgasm inched closer and closer, the knot in his stomach becoming nearly unbearable. The steady pace was broken into stutters as he rolled his hips, directing his member fully into your still-pulsating sex, the lewd melody emanating from him slapping against you only driving him further into his small death. The overstimulation was making you squirm, but you held on, and the way in which your nails dug into his back, and how you mumbled, barely audible, a soft and innocent ‘Seonghwa’ had sent him over the edge. Throwing his head back he groaned into his climax, euphoric while the viscous webs of cum painted your walls and labia as he pulled out in an attempt to control the trembling of his muscles. Rivulets of cum continued to pour from him, mixing with your sweet nectar, running down your smooth thighs. Unable to hold out much longer, he uttered your name, and in your blissful state, you responded by pulling him towards you, towards a comforting darkness.

The rise and fall, the pulse, the hum, your hand running through his hair, which was now mostly dry: all signs of you being real, being with him and sharing time and space. Seonghwa was home, everything was how it was supposed to be. You were excitedly talking about your work trip - a major design commission for a client abroad, and the post-coital somnolence was blocking his immediate awareness of this fact, until you addressed him directly.

“Mm… Hwa?”

“Yes?”

“Do you think the magnolias will be blooming once I’m back?”

“Yes, angel.”

They were a day too late.

"You have to let go, Seonghwa! You can't do this to yourself forever! You are not living!" San’s voice resounded through the café as he glowered at the man before him.

"I know you understand that I live when I am there!"

Clearly, for the state in which he had appeared in the establishment left nothing but exasperation. Pallid, his shirt crumpled, dark circles having grown even more prominent than before, the look was so uncharacteristic of Seonghwa that San needed to spend a couple minutes simply observing the customer in order to recognise him. But the stupefaction was rapidly dispelled as soon as he heard a familiar, low and dulcet voice order ‘the usual’. However, this time, this meant a ‘special offer’ from the owner himself.

“You only have so many leaps left. You know this whole thing is unstable. What if you don’t come back?” while he was aware that what he was doing was horrifically unacceptable, regardless of their so-called friendship status, San yelled across the room, only to be met with a matching boom.

“What would change?”

“Oh, you damn well know what would change, don’t do this to me.” San dismissed his customer’s challenge, slamming his hand onto the counter to control his rage.

“Look. San. I appreciate you trying to intervene, but I think that I can handle it.” The phrase, uttered by a poor soul, clearly addicted, induced a threatening scowl. After a painful minute of silence, with the two men standing, ready for a verbal duel, San fired first, promising Seonghwa’s worst nightmare.

“I can just not serve you the coffee.”

“And I can just… no, you wouldn’t do this to me.” Seonghwa had gotten used to the white flashes while he spent time with you. It was almost comforting, and had turned to be a device that brought him back to his senses so that he would not get too attached. Nevertheless, every time that he did slip into the realm, a new hope joined, that of the possibility of you escaping with him. Finding yourself in the white landscape, and promptly departing the past, following the ticking of the clock until it stopped, letting you enter the café, and return into Seonghwa’s life. San could not take this hope away-

“I will. The café is closed for business today. Because I said so. Seonghwa, get a grip. She is-” he began but was promptly shut down with a wrathful roar.

“No. She is not. Whatever you are about to say she is not.”

“Seonghwa you are not okay. Please. Please, just… please live for yourself for a second and stop looking back-”

He did not want to hear it. He did not want to hear what should have stopped him long before, prior to when he had the chance to experience the instant cure to his madness. So in a fit of indignation, he strode out of the café, not bothering to shut the door behind him. It was only a matter of time before he would be back. New day, same old scars on his heart, with each passing tick, tock, tick, tock, tearing at the amateur stitching until the wounds returned, infected by solitary lamentation, festering with cognizance of the colourless cosmos he had to battle, alone in a city of millions.

A month passed. Two. Without a word uttered about you. In silent melancholy he kept the memory of you alive, each detail in his routine turning into a memento mori, a subconscious devotion. From the chrome silver earring he chose to wear, to the loosely knit black cotton sweater, he did not have to be explicit in the pull towards the centre of his inner universe. When it was not you he saw, it was the shadows. When it was not you he heard, it was the echoes. Be it in an interlocutor, a passer-by, an illusion conjured by hope, the world seemed to be like you. All similarities, nuances, interpretations... but still so painfully distant.

Seonghwa listened to the same songs on repeat – songs that you had recommended to him over the years. Again, and again, and again until he heard them even in the lonely silence. A numbing balm to his unforgiving mind, the melodies were an extended monologue – a lifeline. At least they were not creations in the past tense. And one of your favourite artists was even on tour; a proof for the musical organism still pumping its melodic blood, one listener less. Would you go? Of course, you would. You lived for the memories. You had crafted your life to be a series of perfectly curated, picturesque moments, and time aided in cultivating the final selection to be your most precious. He had turned into a loyal spectator, watching with bated breath as the episodes passed him by, under your direction, starring you, produced by you. He could only succumb to the unchangeable fall through time and follow you until that last, unfinished sentence.

He wanted to hate you. He wanted to erase you. Seonghwa desperately wanted to banish you from his psyche, in which you were so deeply entrenched that he would answer to your name.

His love for you was his poison, and he knew that his friends were right. In the cycle, the circle he had drawn to trap what had remained of you and him, was to be his inevitable full stop. His sentence was far from being completed, and yet after what one could call his comma, he struggled to find words. Perhaps because there were none that he found worthy of ever competing with what had been. It was not possible to despise happiness itself, nor was it to not crave it. Just once more. One more time to experience that utopia. A bittersweet suffering completed in shades of a heartbreaking blue.

And that was how he found himself in that same park, under those same white magnolias. In a trance he studied your wind-swept hair, your white cotton sweater and baby blue, washed out jeans, making sure that you were wearing those earrings he had bought you for no reason in particular except to make you happy – perhaps an expensive gift for what would be only a month that you had been a couple, but your gleam had been priceless. His gaze travelled to your hands, spotting that there was still that tiny chip on your manicured left index finger.

Same words. Same motions. Like running through a script of his beloved drama, one that he knew by heart and uttered in his slumber. All going according to the heavens' loathsome plan, until your lips that were tinted with a gloss that he would find out in two weeks, and three days' time precisely was your recent favourite, were weighed down with a concerned frown, and your eyebrows furrowed.

"Why are you crying?"

Cautiously, Seonghwa lifted a hand to touch his cheek, finding a timid, glistening stream that had found its path from his eyed that widened in meek surprise. Another touch on the other side, and he rushed to wipe away the currents with the edge of his sleeve, stifling an agonising sob that threatened to burst out of his throat. His chest on fire, Seonghwa struggled to blink away the mist that settled over his eyes. He must not look away. He must not give into this cruel bleariness. Not when you were right there. You must be so worried. You were always worried about how deeply he felt, about how sentimental he got and would always wrap your arms around him, guiding him to relax into your body, whispering that everything was going to be okay. If only spectral, celestial embraces could comfort him the same.

"Happy to see you again..." he choked out, smiling helplessly as he saw your features return to your bright, hopeful beam, gaze nothing short of a window to paradise.

"Again? We've just seen each other last week, silly." You tilted your head as you responded - a motion he had seen time and time again and loved the same.

He desired to tell you. Tell you that you were meant to be. That there was a future, albeit with the horizon too close for comfort, but a future nonetheless, ahead of you with him. But he knew better than that. It would mean another lifetime wasted, and again, he would have to search space and time for signs of you. Yes, he was selfish, but how could he not be when the fruit of his love's greed was so sweet? He wanted to see all your reactions as if he had not committed them to memory.

"And yet, I feel like I have known you, and lived with you for many lifetimes."

"Then... here's to another?"

And another.

And another.

And another.

And another.

And-

[yunholuvrr]

we all need love chapter 8.

chapter summary: Yunho recounts his past; you're given the perfect opportunity to reconcile

pairing: yunho x reader

genre: workplace au, ateez ensemble, fluff, romance, angst, eventual smut, hurt/comfort

warnings: miscommunication???? so much of it????? everyone's just so silly???????

word count: 3.0k

note: sorry if this isn't too satisfying I wanted to end it kinda solidly for now while i work on a little oneshot on the side >.< but more stupid corny office yunho will come back next month

(previous chapter) (masterlist)

Yunho turns his shopping cart into the frozen aisle, wincing as he maneuvers between other shoppers and almost knocks over a stand. The store isn’t usually this packed on a Sunday, and he can’t imagine what the reason would be. Scanning the frozen dinner section only upsets him more, noting the empty space where his favorite meal usually sits.

Jiyoon was the person to introduce him to that particular frozen dinner. She’d stock up a few extras in the dorm kitchen anytime she invited him over, although they’d both forget about it by the time they were in bed. She was practically his first everything (aside from first kiss - that award belonged to a drunken teenage Mingi), and he swore he’d do anything for her. Making new friends was fun and his classes were interesting, but Jiyoon was something special. She was his top priority for the first five months of his college career.

If anyone asked Yunho why he fell so hard for her, he wouldn’t really be able to answer. She was cute, sure, he could tell as much during the orientation week ice breaker that brought them together. Maybe the way she flirted with him, teasing looks from across rooms and fleeting touches in front of others, that was just too addicting. But the more they talked, the further they drifted.

The first strike was when he invited her over to the boys’ dorm for once, hoping to introduce her to his newfound friend group. They had cleaned meticulously, waiting eagerly near the door as a twitch stream played on his laptop in the background. He heard her keychain jingle with her footsteps down the hall, opening the door to greet her before she could even knock. They exchanged a quick kiss before she scanned the room, laughing when her eyes landed on his screen. Are you one of those esports kind of guys? She sneered. He made sure not to talk about his favorite games with her again. 

A second red flag popped up after her first major exam. Much to Yunho’s surprise, she wasn’t stressed at all. He was prepared to pamper her to the gods if she so much as broke a sweat over this test, but she never did. The day after the grades were announced, he figured out why. I didn’t wanna study so I just sat next to the smart kid. Worked wonders. She admitted it so casually, as if it’s what anyone would do in that situation. Cheating wasn’t the worst thing ever to him, especially if she had been struggling and just couldn’t seem to grasp it in time. He would’ve just brushed it off. But cheating for fun? It gave him a weird feeling he couldn’t shake, but he clouded his doubts with her warm body against his.

The last straw wasn’t a massive argument. At some point the spark died. The light of Yunho’s life flickered out, replaced by good sex and surface level conversations over campus lunch and nothing more. When they finally cut ties, the feeling was mutual, and the boys cheered him on for days after, but he had no one to love the way he wanted to. No one else sparked for him like Jiyoon did. Maybe he was a fool for falling in love with a freshman fling.

“You better have a good reason for interrupting my day like this,” Yunho chuckles, opening his front door for his best friend, food in hand. With most of his grocery list successfully bought and tucked away into his kitchen, he mentally scoffed at another night of fast food.

“You would’ve been lonely without me, loser,” Mingi walks straight to the couch, unpacking the takeout on the coffee table for the both of them. 

“I had a very lovely home cooked meal planned, for your information.” 

Mingi only laughs and pats the couch beside him, “you would’ve burned the whole apartment complex down.” Yunho can’t refute the jab, instead sitting down quietly and digging into the chicken that would be miles better than anything he could make. He’s amazing at a lot of things, but cooking isn’t one of them.

“So,” Mingi bites into his own chicken wing, “how was the date?”

“More than I could’ve asked for,” Yunho wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, earning a smack from the other boy, “but seriously, she’s so fun to be around. Makes me feel like I don’t have a care in the world, except for her.”

“Somebody’s falling in love,” Mingi pokes, “it’s about time.”

Yunho ignores the way his cheeks heat up, “it’s only been one date! I’d be stupid to say I’m already in love.” Mingi nods, but he’s trying to convince himself more than anyone.

“Whatever you say man. All I know is I haven’t seen you this happy since Jiyoon.”

“We all know how that ended,” he grimaces, stuffing more chicken into his mouth.

Mingi wraps his arm around his friend, giving him a supportive shake, “We’ll be here for you no matter what happens, you know that.” Yunho gives a weak nod before silently eating more wings, giving Mingi the floor to talk about his weekend.

“... and when I finally get to the damn place, guess who walks out with Wooyoung? y/n! I guess she was helping him shop, I don’t know how we would’ve held that many clothes on his own,” Yunho perks up at the mention of you, dropping the last chicken bone back onto the table.

“She was with you guys yesterday?” 

“Oh, yeah,” Mingi stutters, “Woo dragged her along to hear about your date.”

Yunho hums thoughtfully, “What’d she say?” 

“Weren’t you on the date, too? You already know what happened?” Mingi chuckles, cut off only by Yunho smacking him playfully.

“I know dumbass, I meant what did she say about me? Was there anything that upset her?” 

Mingi shifts awkwardly, suddenly regretting ever opening his mouth, “did she seem upset?” 

“No, but she…” Yunho looks up at the boy next to him, studying his facial expression, “if I ask you this, will you promise not to tell anyone else?”

“Cross my heart,” he motions to his chest.

“Okay, it’s just. Everything was going really well, I’m sure she told you as much. But in the morning, something was off. I don’t know if I did something or if maybe she was having second thoughts or what.” Yunho lets out a shaky breath he didn’t realize he was holding and bounces his leg endlessly, waiting for his friend to process his vague concerns.

“Why don’t you just ask?” Mingi offers as if it’s the most obvious answer in the world.

“What if I’m being too forward? What if I’m scaring her?” Yunho bites his lip, but Mingi only shakes his head, internally laughing at how similar you both are.

“I think she appreciates that aspect of you,” he starts, “the way you notice every little thing is endearing. If you think she’s worried about something, give her the space to say it herself.”

“You think it’ll really be that simple?” Yunho looks back up at him, but he only has a goofy smile plastered across his face.

“I know it’ll be that simple.”

You didn’t really see the point in moving over to Seonghwa’s desk when Wooyoung was the only other person in the office and would be begging you to fill him in anyway. Regardless, you follow his written instructions, pulling up a chair across from him. Tears poke at your eyes, but the last thing you want is for your supervisor to take pity on you as he fires you.

“Hey y/n,” he starts, pushing his laptop out of the way, “how have you been doing recently?”

“I’ve been fine,” it’s only a half lie, “still getting used to everything I think.”

He hums, “and everything’s okay with Yunho?”

Your eyes widen, scanning his for any sign of if he knows, but his face is unchanging. “I think so,” you manage.

“Good! I didn’t want to blame him for your work, but I thought I’d check in,” he sighs a bit, clearly relieved he wouldn’t have to give whatever spiel he prepared.

“Seonghwa,” you look down at your lap, “am I getting fired?”

He laughs. You look up and he’s laughing as if you just said the funniest joke in the world. “If I fired people that quickly we’d have no workers, don’t worry about that.” 

You must give him the most confused face in the world, tears threatening to spill over, because he pulls out a sheet of paper and continues. “If you’re interested, this is the protocol for things like this,” he points to the first paragraph titled Warning #1, “I wasn’t even gonna count this as a warning. More like a check-in, since you’re new and I know you can do good work.”

“So I’ll still have my apartment and everything?” You stutter, embarrassed by your overreaction.

Seonghwa frowns, “I’d never do that to you. You’re still my friend, we just need to go over a few mistakes so that they don’t happen again.”

You sit there for 40 more minutes, discussing your strengths and areas of improvement. After getting over your initial fears, you felt like you were in your element. This was no different than critiques in class, in fact Seonghwa was nicer than most of your professors, noting possible changes to your workload to make your summer as comfortable as possible. At some point, Wooyoung makes his way over, even sharing some of his own warnings he’s gotten in the past. He gives you a knowing look, understanding Yunho has been weighing on your mind more than you’d care to admit.

“So, as long as you can get these done by the end of the day today, we should be back on track,” Seonghwa wraps up, shuffling a few papers to give to you, “and remember, if you need help you can always ask. I don’t bite!”

“Thank you,” you try to say as genuinely as possible, “I really appreciated this.”

“It’s my job,” he waves you off, smiling.

You head back to your desk, tasks in hand. After a few minutes of reorganizing your papers and logging into the company computer, you sigh and get to work. Barely 11am, and you’ve already felt every emotion in the world. 

“Knock knock,” Yunho strolls in with a full cup carrier, dropping one drink off with Seonghwa before heading straight to your cubicle cluster. You look at the clock after hours of staring at your screen and realize it’s already time to go.

“Hey,” Wooyoung jumps up first, eager to end work early and grab his own drink. 

“Coffee this late in the day?” You watch him grab a cup with dark liquid, saving the fruit smoothies for you two.

“Decaf,” Yunho clarifies, “although I’m not sure why he doesn’t just get something that tastes better.”

“Old habits die hard,” Wooyoung sips, hissing at the taste before drinking more, “see you guys tomorrow!”

Before you know it, Yunho replaces the other boy’s seat, rolling up next to you and training his eyes on your screen. “Long day?”

You nod, “had to talk to Seonghwa today.” This must be the first real conversation you’ve had with him since your date. You haven’t ignored him completely, exchanging good morning texts and quick hugs at work seemed to make Yunho more than happy. It’s surprising how naturally you tell him about your day, but by now your worries about him have been put on the backburner, work is the only thing on your mind.

“She’s not in trouble,” your supervisor appears behind you, making you jump, “but don’t distract her too much.”

“Of course sir,” Yunho salutes, earning a playful scoff from the older man. 

“Don’t stay here too late,” he shifts his focus to you, “it looks like you’re almost done anyway.”

“I am! Thank you again,” you wave as he makes his way out of the office. There were only a few small changes left to make before you could shut down the computer and leave, and Yunho sat quietly next to you as you completed them. He took the time to mentally rehearse his plan for the hundredth time, how he’d ask to come over and spend the evening with you, how he’d offer a discussion about their relationship because he wants you to know he’s serious about you, how he’ll hold you and let you say whatever you need to, how if he’s lucky he’ll be able to show you just how much-

“Yunho?” You wave a hand in front of his eyes, “you in there big guy?” 

The tips of his ears get impossibly red as he comes back to Earth, “Sorry, you done for the day?”

You nod, giggling nervously. You thought about inviting him over today, but if he was too preoccupied with other things, maybe it would be a bad time to talk.

“Are you doing anything after work?” He tries.

“I was just gonna go home,” you shake your head, “maybe clean up a bit and then relax.” You get up and walk towards the door, resolving to just tell him another day. Maybe you’d be less stressed about work and more prepared anyway.

“Can I,” he starts, shooting up from the chair to walk behind you, “come with?”

“Oh.”

He quickly backtracks, “it’s okay if not! You already have a lot on your plate.”

“Oh, no,” you feel your face getting hot, “I wanted you to come over I just. It looked like you were preoccupied with something.” If anyone else was here to witness this they’d laugh at you both, amused by just how embarrassing the exchange is. At least the laughter would break the tension. Instead, he just stands there mirroring your awkward posture for a few long seconds before smiling and opening the door. You follow him silently, scrambling to remember what you practiced saying to him in your head.

If someone asked you how you ended up under Yunho on your couch not even 5 minutes after walking through the front door, you genuinely wouldn’t be able to respond. Maybe it was the stress of the day culminating into a fragile ball of tension that melted as soon as you were in the privacy of your apartment. Maybe it was the memory of the last time he was here, making every inch of your body feel loved and appreciated after a stupid Mario Kart game. Maybe it was just easier for your lips to mold to his than to form coherent sentences. Yunho would agree with that.

He leans away for a breath, the tiniest trail of saliva still connecting your lips. “You know, I really did want to come over and talk to you. Not whatever this,” looking you up and down, “is.”

“I know,” you sigh, “I just. I missed you.” It’s not really what you want to say, or need to say, but it’s all you can muster. 

“Was there something stopping you from seeing me?” He tries to sound as gentle as possible, but it still comes out like an interrogation. “Like, anything you need to talk about? Or I could talk?”

His cheeks flush a particular bright red, and if you weren’t so close to him you wouldn’t have heard the way his voice trembles ever so slightly. But you are as close as humanly possible, and suddenly it hits you that maybe he has a problem of his own, maybe you were so wrapped up in your own paranoia that you’ve missed something important. “Is there something you need to talk about, Yunho?”

He sits up fully, unslotting himself from between your legs and pulling you into his arms before you can whine at the loss of contact. Your head lands just below his shoulder and you wonder if his heart is beating faster than your own. It sounds like it is.

“You mean a lot to me,” he squeezes your arm, “and I know we just met, but I want it to be clear that I’m here for you and you can trust me.” And that I’m already in love with you.

You nod, offering a small “thanks” before reaching up to kiss him again, but he pulls away. “I’m serious.”

“I know,” you sigh again, “I appreciate it, I really do.” An invisible but lingers at the end of your sentence, begging him to fill in the blanks, to do the impossible and read your mind.

“I know it’s not what you wanted out of this summer-”

“No, listen, it’s not you at all. I promise,” you look up at him and your face must look crazy because when he meets your eyes he only gets more worried. “I was scared about being myself around someone new, I don’t know. It’s stupid.”

“Is there anything I should know in particular?” He prompts. There’s never been a more obvious opportunity to be honest, a more perfectly constructed question. And yet, you can’t bring yourself to elaborate. Mingi’s voice echoes in your head, but it’s not loud enough. You stare at the tall man beside you, patiently waiting for you to respond. Just his presence alone is comforting, a welcome change to your high strung nervous system, which has only been spread thinner by catching up on work. Every part of your rational mind knows it would be okay, you would be okay, but it won’t come out.

“I don’t think so, no.”

The words float in the air, taking up far too much space. You can’t take them back. Half of you wants to get up and run as far away from Yunho as possible, his innocent presence suddenly far too overwhelming amidst your lies. The other half wants to forget this conversation ever happened as soon as humanly possible. And so when he nods in acknowledgement you lean back, dragging him down with you, hoping if you just press your lips against his hard enough, the guilt will go away.

He doesn’t mind it, even though in the back of his mind Yunho knows something’s still awry. He won’t press, he won’t come off too strong and scare you away, not when you’re the light of his life. He’ll wait the whole summer for you to come clean if he has to. And until then, he’s happy to let you kiss him like it’s all your lips know how to do. 

(previous chapter) (masterlist)

[kanekoii]

NIJIGIRLS WRITER NIJIGIRLS WRITER *falls on face* requesting elira, selen, nina (and maybe scarle, koto, melo too if it isn’t too much we do not get enough of the girls in this fandom) with a crush on the reader who is just really pretty and flirty and likes to make them blush?

lyra’s notes -> OMG WE REALLY DONT GET ENOUGH OF NIJIGIRLS HERE AND AS A WOMAN LIKER (bi) I WILL FIX THAT PLZ GIB MORE REQUESTS FOR NIJIGIRLS IF YOU WOULD BE SO KIND

pairings -> elira pendora, selen tatsuki, nina kosaka, scarle yonaguni, kotoka torahime, meloco kyoran x gn! reader

genre -> headcanons, scenario

song -> answer - ateez

warnings -> alcohol mention in nina’s, not-quite relationship but also is in selen’s, mostly written in class lmao, IM SORRY I WENT SO OVERBOARD FOR SELEN'S I JUST LOVE HER SM

ELIRA PENDORA •

she's so silly omg. of course she thinks you're adorable when you try to make her blush and she does sometimes! she's pretty hard to fluster though, sometimes she'll just blush and brush it off because she isn't just going to acknowledge it! that would be embarrassing, after all. if you do get her to acknowledge it, never let go of it and tease her over it. elira won’t ever admit it, but it makes her really happy and it’s one of her ways of expressing her love for you. she teases you and you tease her, it may not be the most traditional of shows of affection but that’s what makes it special.

SELEN TATSUKI •

oh. my. god. you think you can flirt with her and make her blush? yeah no that’s not happening. she’s just gonna turn the tables on you and you’ll be the one blushing and hiding your face. she thinks you’re beautiful, adorable, every other compliment ever really. but even more so when you’re blushing because you’re getting the tables turned on you by the dragon lady. she makes it very obvious that she has feelings for you, and just in case you’re that oblivious, she’s directly said so multiple times. you’re not necessarily dating, but she’s committed to you when you decide to take that step. she’d wait a thousand years for it, so why not make the time she waits fun by making you blush and commenting on how damn CUTE you are?

NINA KOSAKA •

a bit of a complicated one for fox mom. when she’s sober, nina will be the one getting flustered. especially when you pet her ears or tails! she’s an absolute sucker for that. but when fox momma is drunk, she gets much more bold and will flirt with you openly. you’re plain wrong if you think she’ll ever shut up about how cute she thinks you are too. that’s drunk or sober though, she just loves talking about you. wether it be on stream or just to her friends, you always seem to be on nina’s mind. bring nina a bottle of her favorite wine and she’ll be kissing you all over your face and rambling about how much she just loves you! your flirting just goes right over her head most of the time, unfortunately.

SCARLE YONAGUNI •

say anything with the slightest flirty tone and she is a blushing mess. poor scarle, you’re gonna be the death of her she swears. it’s not that she doesn’t like your flirting because she absolutely does, just that she’s very shy when it comes to that. her flirty exterior washes away in your presence and she feels more comfortable to be herself around you, so she’s an absolute mess when you say anything at all with a flirty tone, sometimes you don’t even mean to make her blush! poor girl needs to get used to it, cuz she’s adorable when she blushes.

KOTOKA TORAHIME •

she’ll go along with it and flirt back, then be frantically texting her friends about it later because she thinks the fumbled. she probably didn’t but she’s not all that confident when it comes to flirting, so the first time she makes you blush girl is SO proud of herself. it’s like a game between the two of you, who can make the other blush first. kotoka loses 99% of the time but that’s okay she tries her best. you’re her beloved, so she cherishes that side of you. it makes her feel like she’s good enough for you despite her chaotic and loud nature. little does she know the aspects of her personality she’s most self conscious about are the things you love most about her, so don’t hesitate to tell her that!

MELOCO KYORAN •

she will go on for hours in some sort of flirting game. the rest of the student counsel will just sit and watch you flirt with your girlfriend and her shooting pick up lines right back at you for hours and hours. how either of you keep up, nobody knows but god is it fun. much like some of the others, it’s a way of showing affection that she absolutely loves. if you catch meloco off guard one time, she will make you pay for it tenfold by catching you off guard over and over and she will NOT shut up about it. ever. maybe you should kiss her to shut her up and maybe make her blush. okay scratch that second part but she’ll shut up for a while at least.

[hee0soo]

Blood and Magic Pt. 2

PAIRING — hongjoong x reader, WooSan, WooSanSang, Yungi, ateez x platonic!reader

GENRE — vampire au, witch au, afab!reader, vampire!hongjoong

Summary— In a world where the supernatural are part of our world, a witch manages to get into a lot more trouble than she expected....

WARNINGS — mentions of sex, Violence, attempted murder, blood, mentions of death, witches, coma

WORD COUNT — 14.3k

References used — TVD, Supernatural

Also posted on AO3

Part 1

The apartment was empty when you got home!

Wooyoung and San were out spending time with Yeosang and you wanted nothing more than take a shower and watch some TV before you went to bed.  Having the place to yourself, was something you didn´t get often so you wanted to make use of it as much as you could!

After washing up, getting dressed in some comfy PJs and filling a wine glass with ice tea, you sat down on the couch. With your phone plugged into the outlet close to you, you put on a rerun of Kingdom: Legendary War, only for you to fall asleep after the second performance!

You were glad that you had seen it already with the boys but when you opened your eyes you shook your head, a little disorientated.

The clock on your phone showed you that it was way past 12 am!

You hadn´t heard the boys come in which would mean that they either, hadn´t come home yet or they had actually managed to stay quiet for one. The chances that it was the later, was zero to none!

To make sure you weren´t wrong, you got up, unplucked your phone, tried to navigate through the dark living room without hitting your knees or elbows against any of the furniture and checked their shared room.

It was empty, so you checked if San or Wooyoung had send a message into the group chat to tell you if they were going to stay with Yeosang.

Nothing!

You had a very bad feeling about the entire situation. They would often times stay out late, but one of them would always at least send a text to make sure you didn´t worry about them not being home!

Your last option for the moment was to reach out through the familiar-witch bond you and San shared. It felt a little strained but not like he was in any danger which was a good sign.

But it still left you very unsettled!

With a quick snap of your fingers, the light got switched on, illuminating the room brightly.

You began pacing through the living room, continuously thinking about what you could do at the moment. Since you weren´t at the shop and San had placed a strict work ban on the apartment, you didn´t have any of the things you needed for a tracking spell with you. Making it impossible for you to find them through it!

You felt a small tuck through the bond. It felt tight, like someone or something was stretching it without any care and with every minute passing by it seemed to become worse and worse!

The strain left you speechless and gasping for air as the bond was thrumming uncomfortably! You felt jittery as the clock soon showed 1 am and there was still no sign of the missing feline and fox!

You were close to panicking at this point, walking to the shop would take at least half an hour and not even as a witch you wanted to walk through the dark city of Seoul this early in the morning.

Instead you did the only thing that you could think of at the moment.

“What´s got my little witch awake at this time? Did you miss me alre-?” Hongjoong voice sounded through the speaker of your phone when he picked up at the 4th ring.

“Sannie and Woo didn´t come home!” You rushed out, cutting him of midsentence.

There was a moment of silence on the vampire’s end of the line before he answered.

“Wait for me, I’m already on my way!”

The line went dead and you dropped your hand holding the phone to your ear before sitting down on the couch.

It couldn´t be more than 10 minutes when you heard a knock.

Tears had gathered in your eyes that were starting to stream down your face when you opened the door for a slightly disheveled but still handsome looking Hongjoong. His face was bare from makeup for once and he was wearing a soft looking sweater paired with a black pair of jeans.

“Hongjoong i-“ you began. Your voice sounding shaky when you spoke up and it tugged on the vampires heart strings.

The way your usually calm and collected self was now close to tears and shaking in distress was nothing he ever wanted to see again! He liked the happy and smiling version of you he got to see every day, way better.

The one that flirted with him unconsciously without even realizing and that could handle his teasing and sassy self like nobody else! Well besides Seonghwa!

 “Okay my little witch, calm down and breathe for a second with me! Where were they planning to go?”

He took your face in his hands gently, wiping the tears that had fallen and were now wetting your cheeks away with his thumbs. It was a comforting gesture that you appreciated immensely.

Basking in the comfort he gave you, you took a deep breath to calm yourself enough to answer.

“Yeosang, they wanted to hang out with Sangie but I don´t have his phone number, I don´t know where he lives and the familiar bond is starting to hurt a little with the way it´s straining…” you trailed of, swallowing down a sob.

Hongjoong pulled you in for a tight hug.

At this moment it felt like he was holding together the pieces of you that threatened to break off. Just the thought of losing the other half of your soul or his soul mate was scaring the shit out of you.

You could clearly remember the time as a child where you had thought San had ran away from you, just days after you two had officially bonded with each other.

The bond had been unstable to begin with because it was so fresh but it still hurt like hell! You were bedridden for days as high fevers and hallucinations were making it impossible for you to even eat or use the bathroom without your parents help!

And all because the sweet little kitten wanted to get you some flowers from the field close to your house, only for him to get lost on the way home!

San had refused to leave your side until you got better when he got back. Curled up at your side, hissing at your parents anytime they got to close for his comfort, he had made sure you were safe and protected!

Hongjoong, having his arms wrapped around your pajama clad figure, could already feel your skin starting to heat up as an effect of the bond being threatened by something.

He found it fascinating how San has had an entirely different but yet the same reaction to these situations than you had!

“I will call Yeosangie and see if he´ll pick up. If not, we´re gonna drive over and check it ourselves, does that sound good?” Hongjoong whispered into your ear.

You could only nod, barely registering what the male said while at least a hundred worst case scenarios were playing in front of your inner eye.

Hongjoong released his hold on you to fish out his phone from his pocket. His hand found yours to pull you towards the couch where you had slept until recently.

The phone rang a few times only for it to reach the mailbox. Tears continued to fall from your lower lash line as the merman didn´t answer his phone.

“It´s 2 am, maybe he didn´t hear it right?” you questioned shakily, trying to talk yourself into believing it yourself.

Hongjoong dialed the other boys number again put he still didn´t pick up.

He tried a 3rd time. Still nothing!

The vampire watched as you whined in worry for your friends and he himself couldn’t deny that he wasn´t getting a little nervous himself.

“Get dressed and meet me at the door. We´re driving to Yeo´s place!”

You quickly jumped up and raced into your room, only for you to come back out dressed in sweatpants and a shirt you had stolen from Wooyoung a while ago and a leather jacket you only now realized belonged to Hongjoong himself!

He had let you borrow it some time ago when you weren´t feeling to well, shivering every time the door to The Utopia was opened. Only now you found that you were wearing it regularly in front of him and that he had never asked you to give it back to him.

Slipping on your converse, you grabbed your apartment keys and phone to join Hongjoong who was already waiting at the door for you.

The bond had muted down by now and felt like it had never been strained at all, but you still weren´t calming down! You couldn´t, the fact that it had felt like that in the first place was enough for your nerves to still go haywire!

You tried to hide the trembling of your hands from Hongjoong, wanting to it least seem a little composed in front of him but the vampires saw right through it.

“Don’t do that.” He said gently as the two of you walked to his car.

“Do what?” you croaked, wincing at the way your voice cracked.

“Act strong when you don´t have to be. It´s okay to cry, I won´t judge you.”

Hongjoong eyed you from his place beside you, sneaking his fingers back between yours, letting go when you reached the car only for them to be clasped back together when you were seated in the passenger seat.

Your hand was tightly holding onto his like it were your lifeline, saving you from drowning in your thoughts!

A sleepy and disheveled Yeosang opened the door after you had rang the doorbell for the 5th time.

“Huh, y/n? Hyung? It´s half past 2, almost 3 in the morning, what do you want for Poseidon’s sake?” he whine, sleep evident on his handsome face.

It took him a second to process the wet shine of your eyes and worry etched into your form. His eyes were flitting over to his Hyung.

The vampire was looming protectively behind you. Almost like he was ready to attack anything that might came close to you if given a reason.

Had the situation not been so severe, the merman would have laughed at the obviously fond look he was giving you before they turned serious as Hongjoong looked at him!

“We-we´re sorry Sang-ah but Woo and San didn´t come home and I haven´t heard from them since yesterday morning! They were going to hang out with you and when you didn´t pick up Hongjoongs calls we came over to check if you knew where they might have gone to…”

Yeosang wasn´t phased in the slightest at the implication that you had called the vampire in your obvious distress.

Honestly how dense can someone be?

“Uhm they´re still here actually… I guess they forgot to text you that they were staying over?”

You froze in your tracks and you weren´t able to form a clear thought as you starred at the sheepish looking male!

They had been at Yeosangs the entire time?

“They are here? Both of them?” Hongjoongs voice was dangerously serious which made the merman gulp nervously all of a sudden.

The vampire’s short temper flared up at the new piece of information. It wasn´t just that he was mad on your behalf, but that he too had worried quite a bit about the vanished duo of familiar and hybrid!

You were still stunned to silence.

“They are… sleeping in my bedroom… right now?” the boy stammered, neck and ears turning red at the admission.

“Do you maybe want to come in and I’ll go wake them?”

He stepped aside to let you in. Hongjoong pushed slightly at the small of your back to get you to step in and shake you out of your stupor.

“But- if they´ve been okay this entire time… Why did the bond between me and San feel so incredibly tense?” you whispered, not being gable to process that they were indeed okay until you´ve seen them with your own two eyes.

“Well we were-“ Yeosang stopped his explanation to think carefully about his next words while running his hand through his white hair.

“We were fighting pretty badly earlier and it might have transferred a fraction of what he was feeling into your soul bond. We all were upset…”

With that Yeosang left you and Hongjoong to go wake the other two.

You didn´t know what to feel at the moment. On one hand you were glad that Wooyoung and San were apparently save the entire time, on the other hand you could feel yourself getting upset at the boys neglect to tell you if they were staying out.

Both of them were adults but this was one of the few rules you had as roommates. Everyone knew when someone was going somewhere to prevent situations like this from happening. The fact that this was a chain of unlucky events however did nothing to sooth you!

The vampire by your side sensed the inner turmoil you were facing and stepped in front of you.

“y/n?” Your name was whispered but it held so much emotion that you could only hug him tightly. Clinging to the only constant of this night, which was Hongjoong.

The vampire pried you away from his chest, only for him to lift your face with his pointer finger placed under your chin and thumb placed just barely underneath your lower lip.

“They´re okay!” he muttered.

“They´re okay…” you repeated and starred into his eyes.

None of you heard the shuffling in the next room until the door opened and a tired and guilty looking WooSan entered followed by Yeosang.

You looked over to them. Face turning to stone and Hongjoong was almost scared of the switch from vulnerable to business

“y/n? Hyung? What are you doing here? It´s almost 3 am?” San questioned. So Yeosang hadn´t explained why you were here. Good to know.

“I know San and do you want to know how I know that? It´s because I woke up in the middle of the night with you two GONE! No text! No Call! Nothing! And the best part was, our soul bond tightening so that I thought something happened to you! I couldn´t even reach any of you two!”

You had a hard time not screaming at his confused face, knowing that it wasn´t entirely their fault and you didn´t have any details on the fight that had occurred but the fear you had felt all night made you sensitive.

The felines face fell at you’re shaken up form and his eyes found yours.

San knew you like the back of his own hand and to him, your moods and facial expressions were something he knew by heart! That´s why he knew that the serious expression you were wearing was a well built facade you were hiding behind to not reveal what was really going through your mind.

Fear for their safety, Anger because they didn´t text, confusion because  of the fight you apparently knew about and Relief and happiness about them being okay.

Wooyoung had stepped around his boyfriend to attach himself to your side, apologizing over and over again. You couldn´t help but relax a little at the foxes sad whining.

Your familiar slid over to where you stood, still glaring at him.

He could understand why you looked ready to throttle him as he had felt the same thing just a week or so ago when you had let Hongjoong feed from you!

“Woo and I are okay. I´m sorry we didn´t call or text, we were…” with a side eye and a heavy sigh into Yeosang direction, San continued.

“We were a little emotional earlier and that may have leaked through the bond a little. I´m sorry, we never wanted to worry you!”

“Why didn´t you pick up your phone when we called?” Hongjoong voiced from where he stood, glaring at all 3 boys but ultimately happy that nothing happened to them.

“Mine´s silent at night.” Yeosang explained, looking a bit like he got ripped out of his thoughts as it took him a few seconds to answer.

“Mine´s at home and on silent.” Wooyoung whined into the crook of your neck.

“Mine died earlier?” San guessed and scratched at his scalp looking flustered.

You didn´t know if you wanted to hit them all collectively or hug them and never let them go again!

By now, your nerves had settled down again.

“Never do that to me again you two! I don´t think I can handle that once more!” you pinched Wooyoungs cheek teasingly and looked at San who had wrapped his arms around you and Wooyoung to nuzzle his face into your hair.

The two boys hugged you tightly before you softly pushed them away to step back, only to bump into Hongjoong who had stepped closer without you noticing.

His hands found their way to your waist, stopping you from stumbling and you felt your neck and ears heat up at the sudden touch.

“Well since you´re okay, I guess Hongjoong and I can leave now right?” you questioned, seemingly unsure as you looked at Wooyoung who had now latched himself onto Yeosang.

“We´ll talk later when we get home?” the fox asked hopefully.

“We´ll talk and cuddle as much as you´ll let me Youngie!”

Wooyoung and San seemed happy with your answer and when you let Hongjoong pull you out of the apartment, they were a bit reluctant of letting you leave just like that! What they were grateful for was the fact that the vampire accompanying you, did not look ready to just leave you alone without making sure you were okay and safe at your apartment!

Once the door had closed behind you, you leaned against the wall right next to it as various thoughts were clouding your mind. All revolving around the same thing!

Your boys were save!

“Are you okay love?” You turned your head to look at Hongjoong.

The vampire looked unbelievably soft with the way he was watching you, worried that might crash now that the adrenaline of the night slowly ebbed away and tiredness came knocking on your metaphorical door.

The nickname was new but not unwanted in any way. It made you feel giddy on the inside, adding one more emotion to the many you were feeling already.

It seemed that Hongjoong hadn´t realized that he had called you that tho so you choose to not make a smart comment on it and just nod hesitantly.

“Hmm, tonight was… A lot.” You stated, pausing in between your words.

“Let´s get you home and to bed my little witch. I´ll tell Jongho and Mingi that you´re gonna come in a little later so you can sleep in.”

Nodding, you thanked him and followed the vampire back outside.

The drive home was quiet which gave you the chance to nap a little before you got home.

Hongjoong kept looking over to your sleeping form in his passenger seat. The serene expression on your face brought a smile to his lips. It made him happy to know that you felt save enough to fall asleep in such a close proximity to him, a vampire that could easily kill if provoked!

He found the way your nose scrunched up slightly, incredibly cute and the way you softly snored next to him made him feel like he had just gotten a fresh, still warm bag of his favorite blood type!

The vampire shook his head to try and chase the fond thoughts he had about you away but it was futile! His mind was solely focused on you and his soft spot for you.

The car came to a halt when they parked and the engine got cut off. Hongjoong didn´t want to wake you but he also didn´t want to search for the keys in your pockets only for you to wake up while doing so!

Unbuckling your seatbelt he shook your shoulder gently to wake you.

You muttered something he didn´t quiet catch but in the end you stumbled out of the car, just barely preventing yourself from falling face first onto the pavement of the sidewalk.

“Careful there my little witch! No need for you to get hurt now huh?”

“hmm yeah…”

The male had to hide a snicker. He was sure that even half asleep you would try to get back at him for it!

10 minutes later, the vampire had removed your shoes and his jacket you were still wearing and tucked you into your bed. It looked to him like you were already deep asleep again but when Hongjoong turned, he was startled to find your hand wrapped around his wrist, preventing him from leaving.

Looking back at you, Hongjoong found you blinking blearily at him.

“Stay?”

If it wasn´t for his supernatural hearing he wouldn´t have heard your whisper at all.

Surprised by the sudden question, his brain short circuited for a moment and he had to take a second to process your request.

“Please?” you continued when your sleep ridden brain realized that the vampire was frozen in place.

Surely it wouldn´t do any harm If he laid down with you, right?

So that´s what he did? Hongjoong signaled for you to scoot over and make some space for him.

The male kicked of his own shoes, pulled of the sweater he was wearing and laid down next to you. His jeans were discarded and joined the rest of his clothes on the floor.

It left him in standing in his underwear and shirt which surely would result in teasing if you were more awake but that was something he didn´t mind. Knowing that the banter you two had was always in good nature!

What surprised him however was the fact that as soon as he had gotten comfortable, you curled up at his side! Arm thrown over his waist, legs tangled with his and your head tucked into his chest!

His right hand started running through your hair, before resting at the nape of your neck; thumb still stroking over your skin while his left one found the small of your back!

Hongjoong could feel your breath against his skin slowly even out as you fell back asleep and he found himself pressing a gentle kiss to the crown of your head.

When you woke up later that day the sun illuminated the room brightly. The bed was empty and you couldn´t help but be disappointed to see that Hongjoong had already left!

Letting out a sad sigh, you threw the blanket off of you just to stay seated on the mattress for a few more seconds.

The events of the night before came rushing back and your heart dropped at the reminder of the fear you had felt just a few hours ago, ending with the memory of you asking Hongjoong to stay and sleep with you! The thought of having the vampire pressed against you and you burrowing your head into his chest to cuddle with him had your heart racing!

Shaking your head to clear your mind, you finally left the bed to get dressed.

Wanting to see if San and Wooyoung were already back home, you went out into the living room but stopped dead in your tracks when you saw Hongjoong, San and Wooyoung on the couch watching Extraordinary Attorney Woo!

The vampire was nibbling on a blood bag, where he got that from you didn´t know since last you checked you didn´t have any in your fridge, while WooSan were feeding each other cereal!

Hongjoong seemed to be disgusted at the obvious PDA going on next to him and you couldn´t help but laugh at his predicament.

“Having fun there?” you quipped in amusement.

The vampires head shot around to look at you, scowling that you were obviously delighted by the sight they made. Wooyoung, who held the spoon filled with cheerios up in the air, froze at your sudden question and spilled the milk and cereal all over Sans lap.

The feline quacked at his lover’s carelessness and you had to face palm.

They truly were I picture for the gods!

Hongjoong looking more like a grumpy gremlin than a vampire on the right side of the couch with Wooyoung looking flustered and San ready to jump him, and not in a sexy way!

“Are they always this touchy at home?” the vampire grumbled.

You walked over to them, coming to stand behind the couch and Hongjoong only for you to start patting his hair. His eyes fluttered shut as he enjoyed the feeling of getting his scalp scratched and his hair played with, almost basking in it.

“Believe me when I say they´re holding back right now!”

The 3 men groaned, all because of different reasons!

The vampire for one, couldn´t believe that the boys could get even worse while the two offenders looked at you in protest and tried their best to defend themselves!

“That´s not true y/n!” San argued while wiping the milk away from his pants. You caught Wooyoung immediately staring at the wet spot that was suspiciously close to his crotch, while liking his lips.

“The amount of times I have felt single because of you two just last week is literally of the charts! Woo´s even doing it right now!”

The foxes head whipped around sheepishly, making you roll your eyes and Hongjoong pull a face as he too had caught the hybrids stare!

“If you feel so single then maybe just ask Hong-“ Wooyoung snorted but got promptly shut down by San who had smacked a cushion at his boyfriends head, gesturing for him to shut the f*ck up.

Hongjoong looked up at you but you could only shrug as neither of you had entirely caught what the fox was going to say.

The thought of you asking someone out or someone asking you out however made his temper flare up!

Unconsciously his brows furrowed at the thought. It was not going unnoticed by WooSan!

“Any way, thank you Hyung for getting y/n home earlier.” San sounded sincere when he said that but something in you though it detected something else in his tone. The way he looked knowingly at the vampire was also not missed by you.

“Yeah uhm, no problem and thanks for getting me the blood bag again.”

The vampire carefully got up from his place and ran a hand through his unruly hair. It was the first time you ever saw it not styled to perfection but he looked nonetheless handsome as ever, if not more!

“You´re leaving already?” you asked.

Hongjoong nodded carefully.

“Mhh, do me the favor a stay with the brats today. Jongho and Mingi have everything under control and you deserve a break after everything that had happened in the last few weeks!”

His words were rewarded with an insulted “YAH!” from the boys which they received a scolding look from you and the vampire for cursing.

“Fine, I’ll stay home today but only if you come pick me up tomorrow?”

The way you bargained with him put a smile on his face.

As if you even had to ask!

“Of course I will my little witch!”

You walked with him into the small hallway. Wooyoung and San didn´t dare take an eye off you, seemingly finding the interaction highly interesting.

“Thank you for staying with me last night,” you mumbled, suddenly feeling shy.

Hongjoong shook his head.

“Anytime you call, I’ll be there love.”

The vampire hugged you one last time, placed a gentle kiss on your cheek and left through the door.

Frozen to the spot you let the last 30 seconds replay in your mind.

Well if that wasn´t a new development!

You stood like that for quite some time and when you turned back to where you came from, you saw WooSan peeking around the corner.

“What?” you asked, feigning innocence.

“Of course I will my little witch!”

“Anytime you call, I’ll be there love.”

They mocked the words the vampire had said to you with mischievous smiles.

 You couldn´t help but roll your eyes at their behavior.

“Oh shut it you two!”

“Not her saying she feels single while being like THIS with hyung!” you heard Wooyoung complained quietly.

San snorted behind his hand when you threw a nasty glare at them.

“And how am I with Hongjoong, dare I ask?”

The taunt was clearly noticeable in your words but Wooyoung ignored it gracefully.

“Like two lovebirds that are just seconds away from jumping each other!”

You stared at the fox incredulously. Jaw nearly on the floor as his sentence rang in your ears!

“Oh don´t look at us like that. I´m surprised he didn´t kiss you right here in the living room!”

“Did you hit your head somewhere?”

“y/n, hyung call´s you HIS little witch! He always flirts with you and you flirt right back every. single. Time!”

“AND he called you love just now!”

“Don´t forget that he slept over when he doesn´t even need to sleep anyway, just for you!?”

You rolled your eyes at them and left for your room.

The two boys looked at each other and immediately came after you.

Groaning you flopped down on your bed, TV in the living room completely forgotten.

“Why are we even talking about this in the first place?” you spoke into your pillow.

San crawled over to where you were sprawled out, burrowing his face between your shoulder plates to nuzzle himself into your warmth.

“Because you and Hyung seem to be stuck in a loop of flirting and wanting to kiss but neither of you seems to be capable of actually doing something about it.” Wooyoung stated before dropping down on your other side.

There was a moment of silence where all three of you basked in the presence of the others, until you sighed deeply.

“It´s not like that you know…”

Wooyoung and San looked at each other over your head.

They weren´t quite sure but something in the way you said that made them feel sympathetic. It almost sounded like yearning to them!

“You know if you want to confess, we´d be your number one cheerleaders. Right Woo?” San mumbled into your ears while looking at his boyfriend.

The other nodded but you only shook your head.

“There´s nothing really to confess boys! I´d rather hear about the reason you two were so distracted last night that you forgot to tell me where you were! What did you fight about with Yeosang?”

Both knew that you tried to deflect and change the topic and they couldn´t help but feel bad about the way you wanted to avoid talking about what they could clearly see in the way you acted around the vampire.

Another knowing look was exchanged between the two before they started explaining what had happened with WooSanSang as you dubbed them.

Apparently, the merman had gotten insecure and scared of joining an already existing relationship and a relationship like theirs nonetheless!

You couldn´t blame him if you were being honest! The two boys could be intimidatingly intimate and lovey-dovey with each other while simultaneously being their biggest haters!

Multiple examples of that came to your mind!

From Wooyoung telling San that it was okay to be a little dumb and biting him every chance he gets to San pouring ice water over Wooyoungs head!

So yes, you understood why Yeosang might seem a little apprehensive about joining them in their little love bubble!

“What happened to you?” you almost shrieked the next day when you opened the front door for Hongjoong.

With wide eyes and an undeniable pout you looked at the vampires styled hair that was not missing the blonde strands you had grown to love and was now entirely black.

Hongjoong snorted at the look on your face.

“Good morning to you too, my little witch!” he laughed and this time you took notice of the way he said those words.

After Wooyoung and San had left you to your own device the day before, you had thought a lot about how your interaction with the male had usually went and it had confused the hell out of you!

You recalled all the times the vampires teasing and flirting had caused butterflies to erupt in your stomach or how he made your heart flutter whenever he was even the slightest bit worried about you.

It made your head spin and spiral head first into a whirlwind of emotions you couldn´t quite place or name!

“You coming?” Hongjoong asked when you only starred at his hair.

It was sexy no questions asked but you would miss the Hongruella a lot!

“Are you gonna continue pouting at my hair or are we going?”

“You could have at least warned me about it Kim Hongjoong!”

“Yeah but where would be the fun in that huh? Also I didn´t really plan on changing it again, it just happened!”

You stared at him, looking absolutely flabbergasted.

“How can that “Just happen!”?”

Hongjoong just shrugged, leaving you standing there as you were still in shock.

Quickly shaking your head, you hurried after him.

The drive was still filled with bickering about the new hair color as you teased the vampire more and more.

Hongjoong only rolled his eyes fondly as you giggled next to him while he was driving!

It was later that day where every ounce of peace and quiet ended abruptly!

While you were busy helping Mingi with an anti fatigue tincture, Hongjoong came barreling into the back room where you two were brewing, looking like a mad man!

His eyes seemed to spew fire and his brown orbs were slowly starting to glow red in anger! In his hand he was holding the necklace you had placed the tracking spell on just a few week before.

Jongho stood a little behind his sire, seemingly stoic as ever as he watched the older question you. The boys eyes however were shacking ever so slightly, telling you just how much he was feeling under all of the layers of walls he had built around himself and his emotions!

“Care to explain why there´s a tracking spell placed onto my pendant?” Hongjoong hissed dangerously quiet.

You were frozen in place as you stared at the angry vampire. Eyes wide and ready to bolt if necessary!

Mingi looked in between you and the Hongjoong, not understanding what the other man meant.

It was something only Jongho had known as far as you knew and that only because he was the one to get the necklace in the first place!

“Uhm I-“ you stammered, trying to come up with an explanation that wouldn´t aggravate the already pissed vampire.

“It´s an easy question little witch! Why. Does my necklace. Have a tracking spell placed on it?” The way he was saying the nickname he had for you made you feel sick!

It wasn´t fond or gentle like usually. No it was taunting, as if he was daring you to say something that might anger him more!

“I, it was just- I wanted to be able to check where you were if necessary…”

You knew, you had picked the wrong words when you saw his face get even darker.

“So you could you could keep track on me like you would on a child? Is that it?”

“What? No! I promise Hongjoong I never did that! Never!”

Your eyebrows were furrowed I concentration and you didn´t expect the sudden volume of his voice, flinching a little in surprise.

“WELL THAN WHAT IS IT? I promised you something that day, do you remember? I promised that I wouldn´t go anywhere without telling YOU! But apparently you don´t trust me enough to believe that, right?”

“No Hongjoong I-“

It was futile trying to explain it to him right now. The vampire was to angry and not ready to hear anything you wanted to say.

But that didn´t mean that you were prepared for the words that left his mouth next!

“Don´t! I don´t want to hear it. In fact I don´t even want to see your face  again!”

“Please Hongjoong I-“

 Your face fell and you wanted to cry!

Jongho and Mingi were also gaping at the vampire in shock but he ignored that and left you standing there.

Jongho immediately ran after his sire, but Hongjoong threw him one bitter look that told him to stay away for now. The fledgling knew that he was in for it when he got home tonight…

He returned to where you were still standing frozen. Mingi tried talking to you but it seemed like you didn´t even hear him! Your mind was clouded with thoughts of disbelieve.

The entire argument kept repeating itself over and over again and you couldn´t hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over!

3 weeks later and there still was no word from Hongjoong! Apparently he really was serious when he said he never wanted to see you again and you were devastated to know that he was still talking to the boys.

Mingi, Yunho, Yeosang, even San and Wooyoung! All of them were still talking to him.

You couldn´t blame them.  None of them had done anything wrong. That was solely on you!

It wasn´t like you haven´t tried talking to him but texts were ignored, calls were getting blocked and you didn´t find it in yourself to drive to their place, not wanting to invade his space more than you had already!

Seonghwa too was trying to get his stubborn best friend to talk to you!

He was checking in regularly to see if you were still taking care of yourself only to realize that you were taking this a lot harder than he thought. Not that you were talking about it with anyone.

San had tried multiple times but was shot down faster than he could say “Familiar”!

It was a form of self preservation that much was clear to all of them and they all knew that Hongjoong wasn´t faring any better!

He was holed up in his room, only really coming out when Seonghwa forced him to leave the house and other was sulking more than his sire or fledgling had ever seen!

You had thrown yourself into work like you had never done before, working from early in the morning until very late at night, making San follow you more around to make sure you weren´t overdoing it.

To someone who didn´t know you as well as your friends did, you seemed absolutely normal. But they knew the truth!

San was launching around the backroom with you when you worked through your newest orders.

Mingi had his day off and even Jongho had taken a day for himself for once which meant that you and San were alone today! Happy for the quietness the afternoon brought.

The feline watched carefully every move you made as this wasn´t exactly an easy potion to make! It was by far not your hardest one either but this time around you seemed way more distracted than ever!

Slowly adding the last few touched to the steaming liquid you looked back at the black cat. He blinked back at you owlishly before getting up to stretch his back and legs.

“Everything to your satisfaction?” you teased half heartedly. San only meowed quietly followed by a happy purr!

Lifting your hand to pet behind his ear you started scratching gently. The cats purr intensified causing you to chuckle.

“What a good little kitty you can be my Sannie!” the rumbling sound resonating from the familiars throat stopped when his head shot around to lodge his teeth into your hand playfully.

It didn´t hurt at all and you indulged his playfulness with joy for a while before returning to the main area!

The mountain of paperwork on the desk was close to falling over! A result of 3 weeks of procrastination on your side which you slowly started to feel bad for!

San stayed where he was to take a little nap whilst you started to work through mail, deliveries and bills that were waiting to get paid.

An hour later and you were absorbed into papers that you didn´t notice the chime of the bell hanging above the door as someone entered.

“I knew I would find you soon enough my pretty little blood whore!”

You were ripped out of your thoughts and your heart dropped into your gut when you recognized who had spoken…

Immediately, your breath became erratic! Your heart started racing and you desperately hoped that San would stay in the backroom no matter what he heard!

“Heechul!?”

With wide eyes you starred at Heechul who looked ever so smug. He looked the same as when he had attacked you all this time ago if for his hair being a bit longer!

It felt like it was ages ago that you had ran away from the predator before you!

“Oh don´t look so shocked! I told you, you are mine and I don´t plan on letting go what´s mine! Not even that bastard Kim Hongjoong can save you now…” he drawled, stepping closer with every word he spoke.

You flinched at the promise and finger tips were suddenly surrounded by dark, swirling smoke!

Heechul tsked scolding.

“Oh little wit-“

“Don´t call me that!” you snapped at him. The thought of that nickname in the mouth of someone else but Hongjoong, especially Heechul, made you sick to your stomach!

“Something wrong little witch? Did I hit a nerve? Oh no I forgot! That was what that bastard likes to call you isn´t it? You and the entire place stink so much like him that I want to throw up! Are you sure that you were just friends? Smells like he drenched you in his scent!” he sounded disgusted.

Your thought went to the leather jacket you were currently wearing! The only thing you still had of the vampire!

You had thought that his scent was long gone, but to the vampire in front of you, it seemed that you were still very much smelling like him!

“Did he drink from you? That would explain it! Is that why you stink so much huh? Were you a good girl for him I wonder or are you just a dirty little whore that likes to get used by vampires? Did you let someone else touch what is MINE? Or did you let him fuck y-?”

You send him flying to the wall with one quick move of your hand! The vampire was gasping in shock. Not having expected the sudden act of self defense!

“What I did or what I didn´t is MY concern! Not some slimy assholes who thinks he has a claim on me because he liked the way my blood smelled!” You fumed.

Stepping around your desk, you watched as Heechul fell to the ground, groaning in pain! His lip was bleeding slightly and you didn´t give him a chance to get up before pinning him to the wall once more!

Books were falling out of the selves above him.

“And you know what else? That “bastard” as you´re calling him has become one of my best friends, if not THE best friend and even when I don´t deserve that at all, I will not let you speak ill of him!”

Letting out a growl that could be compared to a hungry beast, he snapped his jaws at you from where he was pinned!

Anger was not even a word you would use to describe him now. No he was furious! His eyes were glowing brightly red and his face was pulled to a grimace that made him look close to insane!

“Don´t tell me you caught feelings for this dickhead of a vampire!”

Your hold on his wavered a little but not enough for him to break free.

Realization crossed over Heechuls face.

“Oh… you did…”

Throwing his head back, he laughed manically, finding all of this highly amusing.

“That´s just great! But do tell me one thing… if your are such good friends… why has he been avoiding you like the plague?” 

The man dropped to the ground as grief over the avoidance of your friend made you lose the hold you had on him entirely! How he knew about it, you didn´t know!

You could only guess that he had been watching you for a while before he had the guts to step into The Utopia today.

Heechul used this moment to throw himself at you and lunge his fangs into the skin of your neck.

A heart wrenching scream left your mouth and you struggled against the vampire, who now sat on top of you!

It was a stark contrast to what you had felt when Hongjoong had drank from you. Instead of pleasure, there was only searing pain clouding your mind, rendering you unable to move!

San who was hiding in the back was also withering in pain as the soul bond felt like it was light on fire!

He had heard the vampires entry but couldn´t do much for you. He was just a familiar after all! No access to magic and nothing to defend you from him or aid you in your fight!

The feline could only whimper as he turned back to his human form and search for his phone. He came up empty!

Seeing as he had no use for one in his cat form, he had left it next to the giant pile of paper before you had started on the potion before following you!

The energy to fight against the strong hold Heechul had on you had left you more with every gulp he took from you.

Tears were streaming down your face as you let everything happen.

You were sure that this was the end! You felt fuzzy all over, preventing you from moving your limbs and fight against him. Feeling the magic pump through you you knew that you were done for and that it was just a matter of time until you were completely drained!

Heechul moaned. It was a nasty sound that rang in your ears and you felt disgust as his dick was rubbing into you, getting off on the feeling of killing you!

He enjoyed the way life was slowly leaving you and how your heart was furiously pumping blood right into his mouth! Cuming into his pants, he groaned in delight!

To him you were as good as dead already and he wanted you to suffer a little more before you died in the end. That´s why he let go when he came down from his high!

The vampire looked down at your lifeless form. Heartbeat dangerously slow!

“I was right… you do taste magnificent little witch!”

With these words he got up before looking over to where the brewing room was.

To him, it only smelled like cat and that wasn´t something that could threaten him in the slightest.

He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, removing the blood that had run down his chin to hide the cruelty that had take place just now.

“Enjoy the last few moments of your miserable life my dear…”

He turned around and left through the door just as you completely lost consciousness.

San used the moment Heechul had left to scramble out of his hiding place!

The sight that met him mad him cry out!

You were laying in the middle of the main room, looking like you had been mauled by a beast, which wasn´t actually that far from the truth!

Your body was covered in blood, clothes were ripped and torn to shreds and your eyes were open, starring at the ceiling!

“y/n!” he whimpered out, not daring to speak loudly in hopes of this being a disastrous nightmare.

It wasn´t!

Tears were welling up in the feline’s eyes. He couldn´t help but cry and sob!

Fear of losing you was tearing him apart and he dropped down next to you.

Wailing in desperation he buried his head into your chest, wetting the torn fabric still clinging to your body!

“You can´t die y/n! You can´t leave me! Please don´t leave me? Woo and I need you! How are we supposed to live without you keeping us on our toes? How are we supposed to live without your horrible jokes or our cuddle sessions? How are we supposed to live without you…”

Sobs were racking his body as San clung to your lifeless form.

“I need you…You´re my person since we were children! You can´t make me lose my soul… What would I do without you huh?”

San knew that he had to call for help but it was oh so hard to let go off you right now! He was scared that if he would let go, that he would lose you entirely! The rational part of him however knew that the only chance you had was if he got to his phone!

He needed his vampire hyungs!

Getting his phone felt like an excessively hard task even tho it was only 2 meters away and searching for the right number was even harder with the way tears were making it impossible for him to see clearly!

The phone rang 3 time before he heard someone pick up. San didn´t care who as he almost yelled down the line!

“Hyung help!”

“Kim Hongjoong, I swear I will murder you if you keep putting your feet on my coffee table!”

Seonghwa yelled through their home.

Jongho, who was seated on the floor in front of the couch, was playing a new game he had gotten himself. He couldn´t stop the laugh as he looked back at his sire on the couch.

The older was working something on his laptop when his own sire had yelled at him from the kitchen door.

He flinched at the furious look on Seonghwas face and hurried to take his feet of the table.

“Sorry!” he sulked, throwing his friend the best puppy eyes he could muster. Seonghwa didn´t budge.

“Seriously Hongjoong, if I see your feet on it one more time, you will have to talk to y/n about piecing you back together because I will tear you a new one!”

Hongjoongs face became hard at the mention of your name and Seonghwas face dropped. He felt like Hongjoong was overreacting!

Was it okay to place a tracking spell on him? No!

Did Hongjoong have any reason to be mad? Yes!

Was telling you that he never wanted to see you again dramatic? Absolutely!

“Hongjoong you seem to forget that I know you and I know that while you´re as stubborn as a donkey, you know that you can´t just stay away from her! y/n´s part of our friend group and she means way to much to you for this to go on longer without making yourself and her miserable! Hell you both already are!”

Hongjoong grit his teeth. Of course he knew all of that! He was stubborn, not stupid!

He had been going to the shop at least three times a week to check on you but never dared to enter and actually behave like an adult and communicate!

When your texts had stopped coming in he had been devastated but could he blame you? No, he was the one ignoring you and he imagined that his constant refusal to answer couldn´t have been easy for you either!

“Stop it Hwa…”

“No I won´t! Hongjoong, you´ve been going to see if she´s okay since the day you walked out on her and you still wear the pendant WITH the spell on it! You could have easily asked Mingi to remove it but did you? No, because behind all that frowning and refusing to accept that you can´t stand not being around her, you actually like that she was so worried about you that she made the effort to get that necklace from you!”

“Hey that was me, not y/n!” Jongho threw in and got promptly shut down by Hongjoong.

“Yeah and you´re still on house arrest for it!”

Seonghwa sighed at the childish behavior of both sire and fledgling.

“What I was trying to say, is you my friend, are whipped and so in love that it´s not funny anymore. Come with me tomorrow when I bring her and Mingi some kimchi fried rice. Please?”

He couldn´t deny that he was whipped but in love?

Hongjoong had to admit that the offer was not unappealing! He wouldn´t be alone since Seonghwa was there but he could still see you without having to stand outside the shop like a creep. How you hadn´t noticed him was beyond the male!

“So? Are you coming?”

Hongjoong nodded softly. He really did want to see you again!

The silence was cut through by the ringing of Hongjoongs phone that was placed next to him.

He didn´t have the chance to answer however as San was speaking way too fast for him to say hello.

“Hyung, help!”

The way his voice broke sent panic though his body.

“Sannie? What happened?” he questioned urgently, hoping to get a straight forward answer.

That was not the case, instead the familiar was only able to stammer unintelligible.

“Hold on San-ah what happened?”

“I- hyung- y/n she- you have to come hyungie! y/n´s hurt- someone attacked her! Vampire- he was a vampire and i- help hyung! Help….”

If his heart would still be beating, it would have stopped right then and there!

 “We´re on our way!”

The call ended abruptly.

Hongjoong threw his laptop to the side, not caring if his work was saved or not an ran to get his car keys and shoes!

“Are you okay? What happened?”

“y/n got attacked in the shop!”

Both Seonghwa and Jongho´s heads whipped around to look at Hongjoong. They jumped up, game and all forgotten as they ran after the other who couldn´t wait to get going!

The 20 minute drive got shortened significantly and Seonghwa could already see the speeding ticket in front of his inner eye.

To him, watching Hongjoong speed down the road only solidified what he already knew. Hongjoong was ready to drop everything to make sure you were okay!

Telling him to slow down but be futile so he didn´t even try.

And when they entered the shop and saw the mess that was The Utopia, with San desperately clinging onto you´re lifeless body they all understand why the feline had been so distraught on the phone!

You looked horrible! Throat ripped to pieces and covered over and over in blood!

Hongjoong took one whiff of the air and had to suppress a growl at the stench of Heechul around the shop. He was unsuccessful!

Jongho flinched at the sudden anger of his sire but otherwise focused on what was in front of them!

San lifted his head when he heard them enter.

His face was red and tear stained and his grip on you was tight, like he never wanted to let you go!

“Hyungs…” the feline sobbed. Voice hoarse and broken!

Hongjoong focused on your limp form. The vampire could hear your heart beating very faintly but still there, making his shoulders sag in relief. He weren´t too late yet!

Hongjoong zoomed over to where San and you were on the ground!

“Hyung do something I-“

Seonghwa stepped behind the distraught boy to kneel down, turning him around and forcing him to let go. The loss of contact almost send him into a panic attack and Seonghwa had to use a little bit more force to get him to let go so Hongjoong could have some space.

Jongho used the moment to make a few phone calls. For one, calling Wooyoung to be there for his boyfriend should the entire thing not go as hoped. And Mingi, Yunho and Yeosang because they were family!

Hongjoong quickly bit his wrist, causing blood to pool on his skin. He opened your mouth gently to let the red liquid spill on your lips.

Nothing happened!

The healing properties of his blood should have taken to it right away but… nothing!

Fear took a hold of him.

This couldn´t be! It couldn´t be too late!

“No… y/n come on! Come on my little witch, you can´t give up! Don´t give up okay?”

He made you swallow more of his blood but nothing changed!

You were still lifeless and without any sign of waking up.

San let out an ugly sob.

Seonghwa shushed the boy softly but he knew it was in vain.

Hongjoong on the other hand didn´t want to believe it. There was no way that this was the end! Your end! He wouldn´t let it be your end!

The vampire manhandled you to lay in his lap, like you had been on Sans not too long ago.

“Come on my love, open these beautiful y/e/c eyes for me and tell us you´re okay!” he whimpered out.

The black of your jacket caught his eye. Or more like, his jacket and it tugged on his dead heart strings.

He wanted to scream.

Even when hurt by his words, you still were carrying him with you instead of discarding him like a worn out sock!

The way you looked he was surprised you hadn´t given up already!

“Hongjoong… we have to call an ambulance!”

What the older said made sense in the other vampires ears but neither Hongjoong nor San could move! It was Jongho who made yet another call. This time to call for an ambulance!

Time seemed to stand still in The Utopia. Nobody dared to move!

Only when the paramedics arrived and you were loaded into the ambulance, hooked to various tubes and machines, did they find the will to get up and follow.

San was freaking out in Seonghwas arms.

Wooyoung came already running down the street! His hair was tied back,  a slight sheen of sweat was covering his face and his clothes told the eldest that he probably came straight from the studio and didn´t even change before hurrying here!

The fox looked panicked and Jongho couldn´t fault him for it. He too was slowly losing his cool.

“Sannie?” the red head called out when he saw his boyfriend desperately clinging to Seonghwas side.

“W-wooyoung-ie?” he hiccupped weakly, reaching into the direction he heard his boyfriend’s voice coming from.

Wooyoung immediately hug him tightly to his chest, listening to Seonghwa explaining what happened.

Shock overcame him and for once the most talkative member of their friend group didn´t know what to say! He was stunned to silence and his mind was blank apart from thinking about how short your interaction this morning had been and how much he had teased you before you and San had left.

Seonghwa went over to Hongjoong who stood there like a Sim waiting to be played with. The vampire was staring at the ambulance door that had been closed by the paramedic to ensure the best first aid he could do for now.

His face was stoic, save for the fire that was burning behind his eyes, turning them a glaring tint of red, making Seonghwa swallowed down the nerves he could feel building up. Talking to Hongjoong while in such a state could go two ways.

1. He accepted the care and comfort his sire and friend was willing to offer or 2. He was preparing to explode on sight!

To his surprise, it was a mix of both.

While rage was still very much prominent in his glowing orbs, his face crumbled more the longer he stood there.

“I will kill him and if it´s the last thing I do on this earth, I will kill him!” Hongjoong promised, forcing himself to be calm for now.

“He just had a full dosage of witch blood. Right now, you don´t stand a chance Joong-ah.” Seonghwa reminded him carefully. His voice was soft and he didn´t dare to speak louder, scared that San and Wooyoung were able to hear them talk.

The elder honestly should have expected the angry snarl leaving his friends lips at the reminder of having had your blood.

“You underestimate how mad I am Hwa!”

“But do I really? You-“

“Don´t. Say It! Not right now, not if I may not have the chance to tell her…”

Hongjoong cut him off just as the door of the ambulance opened revealing a very hectic paramedic who told them they were gonna drive to the emergency room now!

That´s how the 5 men found themselves piled on top of each other in Hongjoongs car! The sight might have been funny on any other occasion but the car was filled with tension and silence!

Yunho, Mingi and Yeosang met them in the hallway of the hospital.

San and Wooyoung barreled into their boyfriend as soon as they saw him walking towards them. Mingi looked ready to bolt any second, looking around the white, sterile walls surrounding them and only being held back by Yunhos hand holding his.

Jongho was sitting on one of the chairs, head leaning against the wall behind him and Seonghwa was sitting next to him, looking at Hongjoong who was anxiously pacing in front of the room you were being treated in.

The doctors had already taken you in when they had arrived, leaving them waiting for news.

It seemed like hours until the door finally opened to reveal a tall grown woman carrying a chart board.

“Family of l/n y/n?”

San lifted his head from where it was hidden by Yeosangs defined chest to look at her.

“I´m her Familiar and emergency contact.” He stated, voice still shaky but a little more composed.

The doctor nodded in acknowledgement.

“Follow me please so we can discuss miss l/n´s diagnosis.”

The feline shook his head before looking at his friends. Hongjoong had taken a step closer at the prospect of not hearing how you were doing.

“No, it´s okay. All of us are family. They can all hear it!”

She nodded a second time.

“Very well. Miss l/n had an unfathomable amount of luck today! While she needed a transfusion, she was already recovering by herself!

It says hear that Miss l/n is a witch, is that correct?” she questioned the group and after receiving confirmation from all of them continued.

“Right. Like I said, she definitely had an enormous amount of luck on her side. If she weren´t a witch, the amount of blood lose would have taken her life by now!”

She paused for a moment, making the males hearts drop at the new piece of information.

“But given the fact that she is coming from a magical bloodline, a strong one at that, she is doing remarkably well! Being of supernatural status saved her.”

A collective sigh of relieve rang through the hallway and the boys relaxed for the first time in many hours.

“However, it wouldn´t have taken much more and even the magic wouldn´t have been able to save her!

Right now she is in a state of unconsciousness. It´s like her body and magic have sent miss l/n into a coma to protect herself from any further damage. We sadly can´t say when she will wake up. Our best guess is that her magic has to be sure that nothing will harm them anymore. That could be tomorrow, next week or longer even! Factor such as stress or possible negative emotions can also be a cause in the length of said protection coma. We just have to wait and see for now….”

Hongjoong swallowed harshly.

If negative emotions could add to the reason of you not waking up, then your magic would surely not let you wake up when he was with you! After all, it was his fault for you being without him in the shop!

If he had just stopped being such a stubborn idiot and actually talked about what was bothering him, then maybe all of this wouldn´t have happened!

“Stop it. It wasn´t your fault and you couldn´t have stopped it even if you wanted. If Heechul-ssi hadn´t attacked her today he would have done it on a different day. It´s not your fault Hyung! All we can do is be there for y/n and make sure that she doesn´t feel alone in there! THAT is going to help, not the unjustified guilt you are carrying around!”

It was Jongho who had broken Hongjoongs pity party and the sire looked thoroughly chastised at the words spoken by his fledgling.

The boy was so much more attentive than he sometimes gave him credit for!

Turning on his heels, the guilt stricken vampire fled the hospital to escape the suffocating atmosphere of the hospital.

Wandering around the city was freeing in a sense. The rushed slowly became less and less the lower the sun set but never quite seceding.

He walked and walked, not noticing where his feed had carried him when he found himself on that very path he had met you!

The pathway where he had first saved you from Heechul and his blood thirst!

The pathway where your friendship had its beginning!

So many emotions were coming over him like a tsunami! Crashing down on him and ripping him away from every bit of sanity!

Hongjoong thought about you.

The way you light up the room when you came in even tho you were in a bad mood.

The way you teased him.

The way you smiled.

The way your eyes sparkled when you saw something you liked or when you managed to perform a spell you found hard!

The way he felt soft whenever he was close to you.

The way he wanted to always see you smile.

The way he wanted to be the reason you smiled or the way his dead heart felt like it was beating again every time he was around you!

Fuck! Seonghwa was right! He was in love with you and part of him died when he saw you lying on the floor!

The realization struck him like lightning and he was tempted to eat his own fist at knowing that he was apparently the last to catch on!

Because if Seonghwa knew, then so did Jongho! And Mingi, who would have definitely told Yunho and so on! Now all that talk about him being whipped actually made sense!

“FUCK!” he yelled, scaring squirrel with the sudden raise in volume! Quickly, it jumped into the bushes and disappeared into the dark.

The vampire rubbed his hand over his face in frustration.

Just thinking about you now lying in a hospital bed, unconscious and lifeless, made him want to cry. And rip Heechul apart!

The rage building up in Hongjoong was like a punch to the gut!

He didn´t have to think long about what he was going to do next and instead made his way out of the park!

It was time for a friendly little chat!

When Hongjoong walked back into the hospital the next morning, the nurses were more than a little apprehensive to come close to him or ask why he looked like he had bathed in blood and dirt.

The look Seonghwa sent him from where he was sitting, in an admittedly very uncomfortable hospital chair, could be compared with a mother scolding her children for dragging dirt inside the house! And with his sires love for everything clean and dirt free, Hongjoong guessed that seeing him was one big nightmare for the other.

Seonghwa on the other hand was scanning his friend for any potential wounds that needed tending to. When he couldn´t see any under all that red, he used his ridiculously long leg to push a bag towards Hongjoong. He would have gotten up but being buried underneath two piles of black and red fur, was making that bit a little hard to do.

“Go wash up Joong-ah, you look like something the cat dragged in!”

Hongjoong picked the bag up from the ground.

“How-?”

“Yunho and Mingi picked them up from our place before going home. They´re gonna come back later so we can go home for a bit. Sangie is in the cafeteria getting us some coffee!”

The explanation was simple and to the point, something that Hongjoong wasn´t used to from his friend but seeing as he had been pinned to that chair for god knows how long, Hongjoong can understand why Seonghwa seemed a little tired. Even for a vampires standard!

The younger hummed lightly, receiving a look from the other.

“You´re not gonna leave her here just to go home, aren´t you?”

A shake of his head.

“No.”

Seonghwa sighed, knowing that there was no way he could convince Hongjoong to leave again.

“How´s Heechul?”

Hongjoong shrugged.

“Been dealt with!”

“Did he suffer?”

“What do you think?”

The dangerous little smile he sported made Hongjoong seem like a psychopath but Seonghwa was used to that side of him. The side that would go on a murder spree for his family! A side he shared with him when it came to these things!

“Good!”

Hongjoong wasn´t surprised to see a satisfied look on the others face as he went back to petting the two animals cuddled up to him.

Walking out, he searched for the rest room to change into the sweater and jeans and wash his face and hands at least.

He would have to go home at some point to actually get clean and take a shower, he knew that. But it didn´t change the fact that the thought of leaving you here, made him want to hurl!

With water dripping from his face, Hongjoong stared at himself in the mirror.

He looked horrible, skin pale and with one or two cuts hidden in his hairline. The makeup he had worn yesterday was smudged on looked messy by now but Hongjoong couldn´t bring himself to care.

So what if he looked a little roughed up? He had bigger things to worry about!

Back in the hallway, he met Yeosang. The merman was carrying two cups of disgusting hospital coffee and was struggling not to spill the hot fluid.

Wordlessly, the vampire walked over to him and took one of the scorching paper cups from the younger. Wondering how he hadn´t burned his hand yet or dropped it from the heat.

“Ah thank you Hyung.” His tone was gentle and quiet, making his slight lisp even more prominent.

It still managed to prompt a little smile from the older.

“Come on Sang-ah. Let´s go back.”

Hongjoong could feel Yeosang watching him from where he was walking and he knew that the merman had some questions.

“Go ahead Sangie, you can ask!”

The younger was startled. He hadn´t thought that he had been obvious enough for the vampire to notice him looking at him.

It must have shown on his face how surprised he was.

“You´re not subtle, so spill it! What do you want to know?”

Yeosang stopped walking, fidgeting in his place a little bit to think about what it was, exactly he wanted to asked.

“Does- Is-“ he was struggling to find the right words and Hongjoong waited patiently for him to continue.

“What happened Hyung? How did this happen? Why y/n? Why was she attacked? San couldn´t tell us and Hwa Hyung was hesitant to speculate…”

Hongjoong closed his eyes, releasing a suffering sigh from his lips and past his fangs.

“What do you know about how I and she met?”

“Woo and Sannie told me you met after y/n had closed the shop one night when she walked back home. I think it was because they were with me that night so she didn´t want to take the bus!”

The vampire hummed in agreement.

“y/n was attacked that night too! The difference is that I was there to step in!”

Yeosangs expression changed with every word he heard.

“Hyung, it wasn´t your fault! Not the first one and not now!”

His words got ignored.

“I was there to help and that´s how we met the first time. That evening y/n was attacked by a vampire called Heechul. Heechul smelled the magic in her and wanted her blood to himself and wasn´t happy that I stopped him from draining her that night already. I thought that he would´ve just let it be but he didn´t.

He stalked her for months and used the fact that she was alone yesterday to get to her!”

“Okay, but how do you know all that? When did you-“

Realization set in for the mermaid as he looked closer at the vampire.

The dried blood still clinging onto his scalp, the cuts hidden away by his hair and the bag filled with dirty and destroyed clothes suddenly made sense to him and he swallowed!

“Ohhh- soo, he´s been dealt with?” He really didn´t need an answer but Hongjoong still gave him a little nod.

“He is and let´s just say that he should have kept some things to himself when found him!”

The innuendo hang in the air and Yeosang didn´t even want to know what that meant exactly. His hyungs appearance told him more than enough!

Together the vampire and merman started walking again.

To everyone around them it must look ridiculous.

The merman, beautiful, well put together and elegant and the vampire, just as beautiful but rough and dangerous looking! No wonder the doctors and nurses stepped out of the way as they passed them.

They were greeted by a turned back Wooyoung, trying to convince San to go home with him to at least shower and eat something.

It did not seem to go well.

The familiar also had turned back and was stubbornly sitting in Seonghwa´s lap, hoping he would be on his side but the hope got crushed as the vampire removed his hands from his arm.

“San-ah go home and rest a little and then come back later with Yunho and Mingi, but please take care of yourself!”

San looked betrayed at the gentle way he got placed in Wooyoungs arms. Yeosang put the cup down on the side table to help his boyfriend with his other boyfriend.

“2 hours!”

“5 and Wooyoung and Yeosnag will tell me if you´ve eaten and slept!”

“3 hours?”

“5 or I will get you home personally!”

That seemed to knock the energy out of San. He was still glaring at Seonghwa but he did stop struggling against his lovers and followed with his tail tuck in between his legs, ears pressed flat on his head!

“What happened here?”

Seonghwa rubbed his eyes, tired and also ready to go home for a bit.

“Woo turned back and said that he would take him home as soon as Yeosang came back and-“

“San wasn´t happy? I saw that…”

The older looked a bit disgruntled at having bit cut off but ultimately let it slide, used to Hongjoongs antics.

Hongjoong sat down in the chair next to your bed, scooting a little closer with it.

“Yeah…”

“You know that you can go home for a bit too right? I´ll stay here. I´ll stay with her…”

Seonghwa didn´t want to leave him. He wanted to be there for you and for Hongjoong, but he knew that the younger didn´t want that right now.

He wanted to be alone! Needed to be alone! Alone with you!

“Okay. Text me if you need something. I mean it Hongjoong!”

“I will.”

He knew he would. If there was one person he would go to with his emotions, it was Seonghwa!

And that’s how Hongjoong found himself alone with you.

You were still just as still and unconscious as when he had left to go after Heechul!

Hongjoong took the hand that was lying on top of the blanket into his own. Thumb caressing the skin it reached very gently and with enough imagination, he could talk himself into thinking that your fingers had twitched at the touch.

“I am so, sorry y/n!” his voice was shaky as he forced to words past his teeth.

“I was an idiot, I AM an idiot, for saying those things to you! I hurt you, I hurt myself and if I had just gotten my head out of my ass, this wouldn´t have happened! Because I would have been there! And now we´re here! We´re in a hospital and you- you´re in a coma….”

His freehand whipped at his eyes. Whipping away the tears he hadn´t noticed were already running down his cheeks.

“You´re in a coma because of me! y/n please wake up! Not next week, not in a month but NOW! Please?

We need you! How are Mingi and Jongho going to hold the shop up without you? San needs you and Wooyoung! I, need you! Ever since you came into my life, I have been so much happier…”

Sobs were wrecking his body, shaking him to the core and he had to stop to collect himself before he completely choked up.

“You are the light I didn´t know I needed and I can´t stand the fact that I can´t tell you all of this when you can actually hear me….”

“How do you know she can´t hear you?”

The vampire whipped around to see the doctor from the day before standing in the door.

She stepped in as he was still stunned to silence, closing the door behind her and coming over. Only to stop right in front of your bed!

“How do you know she can´t hear you? She´s not dead, isn´t she?” She repeated herself, a friendly smile on her lips as she looked at the vampire.

Hongjoong couldn´t answer, to scared of his voice breaking away entirely, so he shook his head.

“Then I don´t see why she wouldn´t be able too.

A lot of the times, coma patients who were unconscious for years and then woke up, told us after that they were able to hear their loved ones talking to them. Not all of them, but more than you think.

And I think that Miss y/l/n is a very strong woman that might surprise you if you just give her a little bit of time! Time to heal and time to come back to you”

The woman watched as Hongjoong whipped over his face to remove the tears, only for new ones to roll down again. Her eyes found his hand, still gently brushing his thumb over yours but still tightly linked with each other.

To her it seemed like the man in front of her was scared that you were going to slip away and in a way, she was right.

“You love her, don´t you?” her tone had taken a very motherly tone, reminding him just a little of the way Seonghwa had cared for him when he was first turned!

To Hongjoong, the fact that even a complete stranger was able to call him out on his feelings was mind boggling, but there was no reason to deny it.

Because it was true.

He did love you.

“Yeah.”

The admission was quiet but still very much heard.

“Then believe me when I tell you that she hears you. And what ever happened for your friend to land here? It wasn´t your fault!”

“How do you-“

“I’ve been doing this job longer than you think and know what guilt looks like.”

With that, she checked your stats before leaving the room, leaving Hongjoong behind with his thoughts.

“She´s right you know. I do love you my little witch!”

And with these words, he pressed a kiss to your joined hands.

For a few days, the 8 boys took turns in staying with you, but one thing always stayed the same.

Hongjoong did never stay away longer than 5 hours max. At this point the nurses had started to warm up to him so much that they had began to leave small goodies every now and then.

Be it a cup of blood they smuggled him, a piece of cake or just an extra pillow for his neck. He got it from them!

San was also there on a daily basis but Yeosang and Wooyoung had managed to guilt trip him into actually taking care of himself, saying that you wouldn´t want him to mop around all the time!

Instead, he focused on something you loved doing, which was running the shop!

Or at least what he could do! He didn´t have magic so performing spells and brewing was something the two other witches working there did but everything else? That was now his job!

Today it was Hongjoong and San who were sitting with you.

The familiar was turned and curled up close to your shoulder on your left side while Hongjoong was sitting on his chair on your right side.

It was silent and the vampire had his arms crossed and perched up on your bed, softly snoring as his hand was, again, holding yours.

San was purring a bit at the strengthening of your soul bond.

He could literally feel you getting better and better and he could almost hear the satisfied hum of your magic slowly becoming comfortable again.

What he did NOT expect was getting thrown off by your body suddenly shooting up into a sitting position, gasping for air.

The feline yowled in horror as he found himself on the floor, while on the other side simultaneously to San, Hongjoong also shot up!

You were sitting there, wide eyed, IV dripping into your left arm while starring down at Hongjoong, arms still perched onto the mattress and hands connected with each other!

“Hongjoong…?”

He could barely hear you as your voice was hoarse from disuse.

San turned back at the speed of lightning to wrap his arms around you and cry.

It was gut wrenching and ugly but his heart felt so much lighter, knowing that you were finally going to be okay.

The vampire let go of you to call the doctor and nurses.

They were rushing in, forcing both males away from you and out of the room.

“She´s awake hyung! She´s finally awake!” San whimpered as when Hongjoong pulled him in to let him bask in his comfort.

“I know San-ah!”

Relief manifested itself inside the vampire.

Later that day, after everyone had left again, Hongjoong stayed behind, awkwardly standing by the wall and looking after Seonghwa who had only patted him on the shoulder in assurance.

Your eyes kept track of every nervous tick he was displaying to you right that moment so you decided to help him a little.

You were dead tired and all you wanted was to go back to sleep, but you needed to get this out.

“I heard you, Kim Hongjoong…”

His eyes found yours at the admission and his brain malfunctioned for a moment.

“There was a lot of things I said over the past week so what exactly do you-“

“Your apology, for one. Or the ridiculous idea of yours that this is somehow your fault! I don´t blame you Hongjoong! I was a bitch for thinking that I had any right to keep track of you and I should have never casted that spell on your necklace. For that I am sorry!”

You weren´t mad, at least not at him!

Calmly you continued to speak.

“I should have trusted you enough to believe in your promise and when I broke that trust you had every right to set some boundaries! The fact that Hee-, HE came into the shop had nothing to do with you!”

“But i-“

You didn´t let him speak, hoping that you could once and for all snuff out the flame of guilt that was still burning in him.

“Kim Hongjoong! HE would have come after me even if we hadn´t fought before!”

You patted the mattress, signaling to sit with you. Hesitantly Hongjoong stepped closer and sat down with you and you felt closer than ever!

“I don´t blame you…”

The softness of your reassurance was all it took to break the dam.

“Please don´t cry, not because of me!”

“Do you have any idea, how hard this week has been for me? For all of us?”

 “I can imagine. I heard all of you and it was horrible! Being able to hear you talk but not being able to answer! It would have been so much easier to just tell you that I love you too!”

It was silent.

Neither of you dared to speak and Hongjoong just kept starring at you for what felt like several hours!

In reality, it was only seconds but the silence was suffocating.

Hongjoong had to process this new piece of information before he suddenly put both his hands on you checks to press lips right onto yours.

You were clawing at the shirt he was wearing, holding him by his collar to prevent him from pulling away to soon!

The kiss wasn´t gentle at all! It was desperate, messy and teeth were clashing but you wouldn´t have it any other way!

Only when you needed to come up for air a little while later you removed you mouth from his but you didn´t let the vampire pull away.

Lips hovering over his as you he insisted on more time:

“I love you!”

Taglist: @imtoanonymousforyou @brownsugarbaybee @bellamuerte1987 @woosmaid @lelaleleb @3joracha @wolfgurl2600-blog @moonminji @alykatv @jisungsdaydreamer

[snug-gyu]

K-Pop Recap Of 2023!

tagged by @wifehwa 💜💜 thank you~

Groups You Started Stanning?

ateez if that's not clear yet lol i've been listening to ateez since black cat nero but i never really got into them, actively stanning. but who would have guesses a world tour would actually pass through south america so me and the bestie went and i was done for. ateez actively altered my brain chemistry and i'll never be the same. honorable mention to txt thanks to winnie

New Ult Biases?

yeosang and mingi

Idol(s) Who Got The Most Of Your Simping?

S-O-N-G M-I-N-G-I gonna know it's over

Most Streamed Group(s)?

ateez

Most Streamed Soloist(s)?

baekhyun

Top K-Pop Song(s) Of This Year (Opinion Or Streaming, You Choose)

personally my songs this year were halazia and arriba by ateez and cover me by stray kids

Top Debut This Year

i don't follow debuts really closely so i can't answer this

Choreographies You Learned

just like, the s-class and bouncy challenges i guess. i made my cat dance bouncy

Albums/Merchandise You Bought

3 versions of 5-star, fever pt 3, the world ep1 and ep fin

New Kpop Mutuals You Made?

my atinyblr moots~💜

tagging: @changbeens @hongamon @y-eontan @ggthydrangea @jinniebit @chanrizard @agibbangs @cheekyquokka @babycatlix @yangbbokari (no pressure)

[n0v4t33z]

The Syndicate - Chapter 6 : Un-Killable

Pairings: Choi San X Female Reader, Park Seonghwa X Female Reader, Ateez X Female Reader

Genre: Lots of angst, Romance, Crime Fiction, Psychological Drama

Word Count: 5.8k

Tags/Warnings: For Mature Audiences, Language, Graphic Violence, Mentions of Illegal activities (i.e Kidnapping, extortion, assassination etc.), y/n gets roughed up by Wooyoung like twice , Slow Burn, Fluff sometimes, Work In Progress, Non-Idol AU, Mafia AU, Very suggestive at times, y/n cries alot, y/n having inner turmoil, Ateez being bad boys, Wooyoung and Yeosang are a little mean in this story tbh, Guns, Gunshot wounds, Assassination attempt(s), mentions death and acts of violence

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!!

Spotify Playlist🎵 | Series Masterlist📝

Author's Note 💌: Hi, It's been about two weeks since I posted the last chapter so I'm here to keep my promise about posting at least twice every month! Unfortunately I didn't realize how short this chapter actually is. Either way it's a good one though, there are also some parts I may fix and add onto later since I'm posting this close to 2 am and I'm exhausted so I hope you guys still enjoy it either way! ^^

‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. ✧˚₊‧⋆‧‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. ✧˚₊‧⋆‧‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. ✧˚₊‧⋆‧‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆.

A whole 2 months passes by and I notice San has become somewhat distant and has been spending most of the time either in his office by himself or in the conference room with the rest of the guys. Although Seonghwa, Jongho, Yunho and Mingi still interact with me they become very vague anytime I ask them about San. There were a few occasions where I wanted to try and see what exactly they were talking about but because there's always a goon outside the door now keeping a lookout so I could never get close enough to hear. One day I asked Seonghwa why they spent so much time in the conference room and the only thing he told me is "We're sorting things out." As for me, this whole time after I ran the 3 people’s names in the police database and nothing came up I realized these people are basically ghosts with no paper trails on the database meaning I’ve been having to investigate on foot and tailing them. The only thing San left for me as a place of reference and a place to start was a club on the east side of the city which actually turned out to be a club named "Enigma" that they own under a fake identity but another thing San left on the note is that these 3 people are brothers who run an underground black market out of it. So far everything is fine with them, no meetings with any other rival groups. If anything, these brothers definitely know how to treat their allies by providing them with weapons and other resources that are otherwise considered inaccessible to which I'm assuming this is the reason San wants to work with them. Which leads me to where I am right now, heading home after a long couple of days of consecutively tailing and observing these people. What's been really weird is that San called me at least once everyday to check in on me in the beginning but it's been 2 weeks and nothing. I sigh while I look at the dark road ahead of me, taking in the scene of complete emptiness with a beautifully glittery night sky which left me feeling a bit emotional. I slowly begin to tighten my grip on the steering wheel. I’ve had so many chances to leave but why aren’t I taking them? Have I seriously grown attached?

I reach for my phone and very anxiously I glance at the screen while I keep my eyes on the road and look at my recent calls, the last time I called San was two days ago. I stare at his name on my screen for a few seconds and decide to just hit the call button. The ringing starts and by the 4th ring I'm sent to voicemail immediately making my heart sink. He didn't answer, again. My vision begins to blur the bright headlights and the road ahead of me slightly begins to distort until warm tears stream down my cheeks then I let out a small sigh “Why? What did you do to me?” Why do I have to make things more difficult for myself? The original plan was to have San trust me enough to let me leave his headquarters, but now that he's given me that permission I can't seem to leave. Why?

I try to compose myself and wipe my tears away with one hand while I keep my other hand on the steering wheel. In the distance I see the headquarters, and realize that most of the drive home I spent it worrying about him and questioning myself. When I arrive I walk inside headquarters I notice it seems empty, and by empty I mean too quiet. There's almost always someone in the building, whether it's Seonghwa drinking his tea in the lounge, Hongjoong on his computer in the server room, Wooyoung playing cards with Mingi, Yeosang and Yunho in the living room, even Jongho's occasional little breaks after he's been working all afternoon. So when I walk over to the lounge and notice it's completely empty my stomach feels like it flipped upside down. Where is everyone? I walk around the building and no one was there except of course the goons who keep watch on the building 24/7 now so I decide I'm going to just ask one of them as to why it's so empty because this is weird.

There’s a very tall and heavy build goon outside of San's office, he was so scary looking. Although his suit made him look a little less scary. "Um excuse me but where is everyone? Why is it so empty here?" Without flinching the man simply responds with "They're sorting out a few things they'll be back soon Miss y/n." I exhale then I run my fingers through my loosely curled hair "Okay yes, but where are they? What are they doing?" Keeping a straight face without even looking at me he responds "I'm sorry Miss y/n but that's all I know." I narrow my eyes in disbelief. Does he really think I’m that stupid? "That can't be, you have to know where they are. You were given orders by San not to tell me anything weren't you?" The man stands there looking straight ahead pretending he didn't hear me. I look at him for a few seconds more waiting if he'll say anything but he never does then I clench my jaw and say through my teeth "Fine, I'll take that as a yes." I scoff and walk away to my room, when I get there I throw myself onto my bed. I lay there in bed for a few minutes until I fall asleep.

A few hours later I hear commotion downstairs, it was San and the guys. ”I’m exhausted. Now all we need is to kill that old bastard.” Wooyoung comments. ”Well at least we’re done now, I thought it was going to take a lot longer to pull this off.” Hongjoong responds. I look over at the clock and it was around 4 am then I get up and hurriedly head downstairs and notice they’re all dressed in black like they were in a robbery of some sort. All the talking stops and becomes dead silent when everyone notices I’m in the room then Seonghwa walks towards me and nervously smiles “Hey, what are you doing here? Weren’t you on an errand?” I shrug with a straight face “I just got back a few hours ago, what about you guys? Why’s everyone dressed like this? Did I miss something?” San walks up to me and pats my back and smiles “Nothing, we just went to go handle something don’t worry about it.” I furrow my brows and look directly into San’s eyes “Let me guess you still went even after I told you not to…” San shakes his head and reassuringly pats my head “Didn’t we agree to forget about this? I said I wasn’t going to..” Seonghwa, MIngi, and Yunho look over at San with a very odd facial expression then Wooyoung says “You have your jobs and we have ours. San’s allowed to do what he wants it’s not like you’re his girlfriend.” I slowly nod and give Wooyoung and San a fake smile “Of course, you’re right. I was just wondering considering I've barely seen any of you at all I was just a bit worried.” Yeosang stares right at me with a deadpan face “Why do you even care? It’s not like we’re your friends.” Gosh, I know he’s right but wow that hurt. San's expression grows dark and Seonghwa puts his hand on Yeosang’s shoulder causing him to ease up a bit then I let out a frustrated sigh. Here we go again. “Well, maybe you might not be my friend but if you haven’t noticed there are other people I am friends with.” Wooyoung lets out a mocking laugh “Oh really? They’re your friends? If they were your friends they would have told you what was going on but clearly no one trusts you. You’ve only been here like what? 3 or 4 months and you already want to be let in on everything we do? Sounds just about right for an entitled cop.” San pushes Wooyoung and angrily says “Can you ever shut up?!” Yunho and Jongho rush over to separate them, Yunho holding San and Jongho holds Wooyoung respectively. As much as I’d love to be petty with Wooyoung and drop the bomb on San that his best friend thought it was a great idea to nearly kill me, I’ll keep that to myself. All in due time I guess. I don’t want to create anymore issues for these people. I bite the inside of my cheek trying to recover from that verbal jab. This is embarrassing, maybe Wooyoung is right they do have a right for not trusting me. Just because I gave them access to all these things doesn’t mean anything, for all they know I could be leading them to a trap so I don’t blame them for not trusting me. San angrily stares at Wooyoung "Oh come on San, calm down. I was just expressing everything in everyone's mind." Wooyoung fights back a smirk and San tries to reach over to him causing Yunho to tighten his grip on him.

"You don't speak for everyone here." Seonghwa speaks up looking directly at me reassuringly. Jongho speaks from behind Wooyoung "I agree with San and Seonghwa. You really don't speak for everyone here." Hongjoong sighs and nods "She's not so bad Wooyoung. You know this. You're just being hard headed and paranoid over this situation not to mention overtly territorial over San." Wooyoung lets out a laugh "Me paranoid?! Territorrial?! I know what these cops are capable of doing?! Did you guys forget what happened to San's father?! They easily get into your head and mess with it, they're master manipulators just like Lee. She's just like him and I'm only trying to protect him from things repeating themselves." There's a long silence, evreyone awkwardly looking at eachother. That's when I step in between San and Wooyoung causing evreyone's gaze to shift over to me. I slightly part my lips to speak but then a knot grows in my throat and press them shut. Maybe it's a good idea not to say anything right now and keep the peace. All this fighting isn't going to be worth it in the end. I can't change someone's mind whose already been made. Wooyoung can think anything he wants, I just don't want to hear it anymore. I turn my back to them and walk in the direction of my room.

In the distance I hear Yunho say “Come back just give her some time alone.” followed by fast paced footsteps until a few moments later I feel someone grab my wrist then I look back and it was San. He gently tugs my arm closer to him and I look down still slightly embarrassed for running off in a cowardly way. “y/n, wait… I’m sorry some of them haven’t warmed up to you but I promise it’s not your fault. I know you were just worried.” Beginning to feel drained I shake my head “I’m exhausted, we can talk tomorrow. Right now I just want to be alone.” San gently pushes back a few strands of hair “I understand, but please pay no attention to them especially Wooyoung. Nothing he says has an ounce of truth. I need you here with me, remember that.” I let go of San’s hand and walk towards my room leaving him behind me. When I walk into my room I lay there silently for a few moments until warm tears begin to sting my eyes. Once I get rid of Captain Lee I’m going to leave this place despite how deeply in love I am, or at least try to. I can’t keep putting myself through this.

The next morning while laying in bed I hear Wooyoung shouting in a panicked voice from outside in the hallway “San, they took down all security!” I sit up and quickly change clothes while listening closely to the commotion in the hallways, from what it sounds like someone took down the people guarding the HQ gates which is still kind of far considering we’re in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly San barges into my room with a slightly worried expression and says “y/n, the cops are on their way as we speak. Burn everything you can, everything on your computer wipe it and burn it too.” He hands me a gasoline can and some matches and pats my head “Everything will be okay I promise.” He smiles nervously and before he can walk away I pull on the sleeve of his rolled up dress shirt “Why are the cops coming? Is it because of what you guys were doing earlier today?” San’s smile disappears into a straight line and a serious expression then he runs his fingers through his hair “Please don’t get mad, I know you said you didn’t want me to follow through with breaking into the evidence room but I went ahead and did it anyway. I’m sorry. I genuinely thought everything went well I swear I made sure no one followed us but I guess I was wrong.”

I clench my free hand to the point my knuckles turn white. The silence between us lasted as a long instant, and while the anger welled up in my chest. He was looking at me with his gaze of expectation for me to simply forgive him and move on but as of right now I can’t. I won't. Instead it pisses me off because it seems like everything I tell him Is being ignored. Everything that’s happening right now was because of him but what do I expect from a criminal anyway? If anything I shouldn’t even be surprised, I should have known he was going to pull something like this. I raise my hand back and throw my hand forward as hard as I can, whipping it across his face. The crack of skin contacting skin echoed off the metal walls of my room. His face then turns back to me while he slowly runs his hand along his cheek and without another word I walk away. Part of me knows and is well aware I’m running away from my problems but at the moment I was more focused on escaping the police and wiping the computer of any evidence, I can’t get caught now. Nobody can find out I was kept alive.

I run into my work room and over to the computer and begin trying to reimage it to delete all the data on the hard drive then the screen shows a percentage bar and on the bottom of it read “Time Remaining: 35 minutes” I rub my forehead in frustration and grab the tower of the computer, toss it across the room a few times until it eventually splits open then I grab the can of gasoline and pour most of it on the motherboard and the hard drive. I pull out a match from the match box in my pocket and light it then flick it directly inside the computer case immediately igniting a huge fire. After burning a few papers and files I head down the hallway and I notice Yeosang looking out the window and calmly loading his gun while gazing into the distance then I realize he was looking at the various police cars, a helicopter and a few SWAT vehicles getting in position. Someone taps my shoulder and when I turn it was Mingi, he hands me a gun and says “Good luck” I nod taking the gun making sure there was ammo “Same to you.” Out of seemingly nowhere Yeosang begins to shoot causing me to slightly jump. San immediately runs out of his office with a gun in hand then he grabs my hand and leads me downstairs towards the back exit. “We’re going to head outside, there’s a secret escape route I built in the forest so I hope you have your walking shoes on because it’s going to be a long walk.” While he opens the door I say “Where’s everyone else?” He peaks outside and says “Mingi and Yeosang are going to buy us time. Everyone else is already in the forest.” Suddenly Wooyoung runs up behind us and pats San’s shoulder. “Everything is clear, lower associates were sent to distract the feds.” San nods and says “Did you turn on the self destruct device in the server room?” Wooyoung nods and smirks “Yep, everything is in order.” He steps outside in front of San and hides behind a car outside then motions us to follow behind him and just a few seconds after giving us the signal he motions us to stop and stay low. Then I hear a familiar voice.

“Let the girl go Choi San…” My stomach drops and I look up and see that In the helicopter was my partner Detective Chris and Captain Lee looking over his shoulder and right next to them was a sniper. I tightly squeeze his hand and San turns and looks at me “You’ll be okay, worst case is they’ll shoot me and not you.” Captain Lee speaks into the mega phone and says “Give it up son, you lost and it was all because you’re so reckless. You got so sloppy but don’t worry though I’ll clean the mess you left and I’ll start by shooting your little friend over here.” The red laser from the sniper’s gun points right at Wooyoung’s head “And then you.” Wooyoung looks at San and slightly nods and begins to run towards the forest. Almost instantly he gets shot in the chest instead from the sudden movement. His body falls limply on his side while he clutches onto his chest and struggles to breathe. My stomach drops and San lets out a scream calling out Wooyoung’s name with tears welling up in his eyes in anger “I’m going to kill you bastard!!” I clutch onto San's arm holding the gun in my other hand tightly with my eyes blurring with tears. Captain Lee smirks “You know what, I take it back. I won’t shoot you that’s letting you off easy...I want you to suffer by watching all your little mobster trash die.”

Seeing Wooyoung on the ground didn’t bring me satisfaction, instead I begin to cry at the sight of his breathing slowing down. Despite everything he’s done to me I couldn’t let San suffer again, as angry and pissed off as I am with him right now for putting us in this situation he doesn’t deserve to lose his bestfriend. Wooyoung needed help and fast but the only way to get him that help is if I turn myself in and somehow convince them to step back. I hate the idea that I won't have that anonymity anymore but this is a matter of life or death. If I can prevent someone from dying then I'm sure it'll be worth it no matter how painful it is. Suddenly, an idea pops up in my head, it was one I really didn't want to do but my only hope is that it all goes smoothly. I step in front of San with my back facing the helicopter which causes San to pull me closer to him into a hug. i gently press the barrel of the gun I have onto his stomach and he leans in close to my ear and whispers “What are you doing angel eyes? Whatever is going on in that little head of yours just stop, I don’t want you to get hurt. Please.” He sniffles burying his face in my hair trying to hide the fact that he was slightly teary eyed “Sannie, do you trust me?” He talks into my neck “Yes of course I trust you.” Staying still and keeping my voice calm I say “Keep your head down and shoot the sniper.” His voice goes an octave higher while keeping his head down buried into my neck and says “What?! Why?!” Keeping my calm I press the gun a little more onto his stomach “Do it. Shoot the sniper, trust me.” From the corner of my eye I see San’s arm go up and shoot in the sniper’s direction and as soon as he shoots I move just a bit to where the sniper’s bullet hits my right shoulder. I let out a scream in agonizing pain from the impact of the hot metal burning deep in my shoulder causes me to slightly jerk forward and drop the gun in my hand. I push San with the strength from the adrenaline coursing through my veins back into the building and I run towards the helicopter while I clutch onto my shoulder with tears in my eyes. This was all for nothing, so much for getting rid of this man from the shadows.

“There’s a bomb in there! Please Captain Lee, Chris we have to get out of here and remove everyone from the perimeter!” I look back and see San was no longer in the doorway, both Chris and Captain Lee look at me in awe then look at each other a few seconds. Eventually Chris lets down a ladder, helps me climb up and sit down. He sits next to me and looks over at Captain Lee “Captain, we have to take her to the hospital now!” I lay there growing more exhausted by the second due to blood loss until I manage to mutter “Captain, remove everyone from this perimeter now or we’re all going to die.” Chris looks at me and shakes his head while he keeps pressure on my wound “No, we can’t. We have a warrant for San’s arrest we can’t just let him escape” I grab Chris’s forearm and squeeze it from the pain and slight impatience “Trust me, I know he’s going to fuck up again this won’t be the last time. The bomb, please. We have to get out of here we don’t have much time left..” Chris turns to Captain Lee giving him a worried look then Captain Lee looks down at the building for a few moments that felt like an eternity and eventually looks over at me and Chris “Alright, but only because I trust Detective y/ln and know she’ll be able to catch this scum again.” He looks over at the pilot and says “Take us to the nearest hospital please.”

He speaks into his radio “We’ve got a code 4, change of plans, we found Detective y/n y/ln alive and well. Clear the area, over.” Is he really going to act like he didn’t leave me for dead? Is this a favor that later on he’s going to try to use as leverage to somehow blackmail me? A voice answers back on the radio “Disregarding, all units will return back to the station. Over.” I did it, but this was too easy… Luckily the server room self distructing came in handy so technically I wasn’t lying. Chri’s voice interrupts my thoughts and says “So you’re alive? I’m so glad you’re okay but how? I saw your dead body, how is that possible?” I struggle to breathe then I sit there focusing on my breaths until Captain Lee sits next to the seat where Chris and I were sitting and says “Detective Bang stop asking her questions, can’t you see she has a bullet inside her?” Chris’s voice slightly shakes a bit and says “I’m sorry sir, I’m just in shock she’s alive. I saw her charred body, her police badge, everything." I feel my eyes slowly begin to close, my consciousness felt like it was slipping away until everything goes dark.

When I wake up, I scan the room and realize I'm at the hospital. That’s when it all comes back to me, I hope San is okay and he managed to escape along with everyone else. Especially Wooyoung, I really hope he made it as well. I turn and notice Chris is asleep then In a low whisper I say “Chris?” Immediately I see Chris sit up and say “Oh hey y/ln you’re up, how are you feeling?” I nod my head slightly and look down at the IV needle in my hand while he proceeds to talk “I’m so glad it wasn't anything serious, I waited for you to wake up and ask if you wanted to see your family. I’m sure you miss them. I didn’t call them right away since I didn’t want you to be overwhelmed.” I shake my head and I say in a low voice “Don’t tell them I’m alive... Please.” Chris furrows his brows and gives me an odd look “Why not?” I stare off into the distance trying not to make eye contact with him “Promise me you won’t tell anyone especially Captain Lee.”

Chris leans in close to me then I lean in a bit more and whisper “I’m going to run away. I think it’s best for me to disappear considering AS is going after me and I don’t want my family to get killed.” I still can’t believe I’m lying through my teeth, who am I trying to save? San or me? Maybe both. Chris responds in a worried tone “It’s okay we can get you into the Witness Protection Program., you can get your life back.” I sigh and shake my head “No Chris, I’m doing this without the help of the government or the police.” Chris’s jaw tenses up and sits there looking at the ground for a few seconds. “Please, don’t tell anyone Chris. Promise me. You also have to make sure Captain Lee doesn’t release the news of me being alive to the media as this is going to make it even harder for me.” He lifts his gaze and meets my eyes and smiles “Of course I promise, we’re partners after all. We’re under oath to protect one another but promise, you’ll reach out to me occasionally. I just want to make sure you’re alive and well.” I nod then I sit up “Of course as long as you keep my existence a secret, but I do have one more thing to tell you and this one is much more serious because it’s about Captain Lee.” I hope he doesn’t tell him, but who else can I trust? Besides having someone to lean on he might be of help. He scrunches his face in curiosity then looks at the door “What about him? Is it something bad?” I bite the inside of my lip then I take a deep breath and blurt out “Captain Lee works for The Obsidian Dragon, Aurora Syndicate’s rival. I know this because I saw a whole file documenting him being associated with the mafia with pictures and everything.” Chris smirks holding in a small laugh “What? Are you sure that’s not the morphine talking? Why would he even work for the mafia to begin with?” Oh no, he’s asking questions. “He was a close friend of the Choi family, specifically The Phantom. He’s the reason that the whole shootout happened, he sold The Phantom’s location in exchange for money.” Chris’ hand reaches up to his mouth then says “Wait what? So he knew who was behind all of that? No wonder he would always breathe down our necks and constantly check the leads. How much was he given?” I tap my finger on my chin “50 grand if I remember correctly.” He blinks in shock then says “Okay wow that’s quite a bit of money. Yeah, I get why you’re in a hurry to hide. You know too much.” And I know so much more but I can’t tell you the rest.

“Yep..” There was a long silence but Chris clears his throat and says “So uh I have a question and it’s kind of random...Why was San holding you like that?” I raise my eyebrow “How so? What do you mean?” He rests his cheek on his hand “You know like weirdly close, like he had a thing for you. His hand around your waist.” I shrug and look out the window “I don’t know, maybe because he thought of me as an object more than a person. His meat shield.” Hopefully by telling him everything he wants to hear it’ll help me get him off my back, even if those said answers aren’t how I truly feel at all. He can’t find out I’m protecting San. From the corner of my eye I see Chris’s eyes move from looking at the door back to me “Did he ever do anything to you?” While looking out the window I run my finger along the IV tube “I don’t know I was drugged the majority of the time I was there, I can’t remember anything.” Chris puts his head down and rubs his forehead while gently tapping his foot on the floor “I swear to god y/n if he did anything to you…” I shake my head “Nah, despite how scary he is he never put his hands on me.” He raises an eyebrow “How do you know? You were drugged the whole time..” I look down at the dusty pink blanket on my body “Because he was the one who would make the beatings stop, besides I’m sure if he did anything to me my body would remember it. Instead I just remember that evreytime I was being beat he’d scold the person doing it.” That feeling, that pit in my stomach. My eyes well up with tears and Chris reaches for my hand “I’m sorry, I can’t talk about this. Just remembering it brings it all back” Chris nods giving me a reassuring hand squeeze “I’m sorry, we don’t have to talk about it anymore. You should rest, we'll talk about it later when you feel better.” He adjusts my pillow slightly so that I'm able to lay back a little bit again. "Thanks Chris, you should nap too. You look exhausted." He gives me a weak smile "I should be watching you. It's okay." I shake my head "I insist, it's kind of weird knowing you're just watching me sleep. A nap will most definitely not hurt you." He looks into the distance and slowly nods his head almost like he was thinking whether or not he should do it "Alright, if that makes you comfortable y/ln, just know if I hear the door open I will wake up.." I chuckle nervously "Yeah, I know" I hope he falls into a deep sleep otherwise I'm screwed.

A few hours later I wait until Chris is fast asleep in his seat then I begin taking the tubes and IV’s off of me and I put on my pants and shoes making sure I also take the phone San gave me. I look over and glance over at chris to make sure he was still asleep then I carefully open the door wide enough for me to slip out the hospital. Luckily because of the lack of use my phone still had battery so I enter a gas station restroom near the hospital and call San. I anxiously hold the phone to my ear while it rang a few times then on the other line San answers the phone and excitedly I say “San?!” In a surprised tone he answers “y/n?! Where are you? Are you okay?” Relieved to hear his voice again I say in a slight hushed tone “I’m at the gas station bathroom a few blocks from the hospital, I escaped but um what about Wooyoung, is he okay?” I anxiously brush my index finger over the smooth surface of the back of the phone while I wait for him to answer. “He’s fine now angel eyes. He got a pierced lung but he’ll be okay don’t worry.” I let out a sigh of relief and smile “I’m glad he’s okay. I’m glad your best friend is still here with you.” He exhales a bit before he admiringly says “He wouldn’t have been saved if it wasn’t for you and your quick thinking, I don’t know how you did it but I’m so thankful.” There’s a long silence then he continues “ Do you want me to send someone to pick you up?” Immediately I respond “Yes please, I want to get out of here before anyone notices I’m gone” San answers me reassuringly “Don’t worry I’ll send your location to the nearest Associate just hang tight okay? Their code word will be “snow”, I’ll see you in a bit angel eyes I love you.” I gently bite my lip " I love you too. Sannie” I hear San chuckle on the other side of the line and immediately after the line goes dead. I turn and see myself in the mirror and realize I was wearing my ugly hospital gown so I decide to turn it inside out and make a makeshift tie up shirt out of it.. After I finish I sit on the counter of the bathroom and not even 10 minutes later there’s a knock at the door. I stay silent until a deep voice says “Snow.” I jump off the counter and run to open the door and see an average build man with a buzz cut and tattoos and a dark blue track suit “y/n ?” I nod then he motions me to walk behind him and says “Come on, the boss asked me to take you where they’re in hiding.” I nod and follow him into a black average looking car with dark tinted windows, his car reeked of cigarettes and the seats were pretty worn out, a nice way to blend in. Smart.

After 2 hours of driving we arrive at a parking lot at an undisclosed area since I couldn't tell where exactly we were because of how dark it was, all I know it was far away from both Ulwood and Lulens but unlike the HQ last time this location was in a city. I get out of the car and follow the heavily tattooed man into a weird tattoo shop, the buzzing of the tattoo gun was the very first thing I hear when I enter. Everyone in there (which wasn’t alot) seemed to either not notice or not to care kind of like it was a regular occurrence here. So when we make it to the back I notice a black metal door with a key pad, and as soon as he punches in the code the door clicks open and he motions me to walk inside then closes the door behind me. Which reminds me of this tough pill to swallow, I am once again under San's mercy by coming back..

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