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1dffchallenges · 5 years ago

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Pure Coincidence

Written By: @tinyfelthat

Characters: Katharine/Louis

Summary: Katharine (literally) runs into Louis while getting coffee on the morning she and two of her best friends are leaving town for a wedding. Little does she know, she'll be seeing him again, and sooner than expected.

Author’s Note: I threw this together at the very last minute, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

Warnings: Some language

Pure Coincidence

On the day we left for Boston, it was raining and I’d run out of K-Cups for my coffee.

***

FRIDAY, ABOUT 8:45 AM, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

I was supposed to meet Marnie and Niall at their apartment (after we graduated, they immediately moved in together, and I was so happy for them). I never minded being the third wheel, because they always made sure not to exclude me, except on their date nights, of course. Instead of heading straight to their place, I had to stop at Wawa for a cup of coffee, because I was doing all of the driving. We were taking my car, after all. As luck would have it, I walked straight into somebody while trying to open my umbrella when I was leaving Wawa, and I spilled my coffee all over both of us.

“Hey! Watch it!” he snarled at me.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t see you. Can I buy you a coffee to make it up to you? I have to replace mine anyway.” I gestured with the empty coffee cup in my hand.

“Yeah, okay,” he said as we walked in. “But watch where you’re going next time. I have to go home and change now. I’ve got a long drive ahead of me and I don’t want to spend the whole time sticky and smelling of coffee.”

“Me too! I’m headed to Boston for the weekend with my two best friends. We’re going to a wedding.”

“No way. I’m headed up the same way for my cousin’s wedding. Well, third cousin. Twice removed, maybe? I don’t really remember. He’s a really cool guy, though, from what I remember. But I haven’t seen him since we were in elementary school. I was really surprised he invited me. He even made me a groomsman.”

“Huh. Well, ours is a friend from college. She’s having a huge wedding, and the invitation said open bar, so I am ready for that, especially considering that the groom’s best man is my ex and I’m a bridesmaid.”

“Hmm, that really sucks.” The guy sipped his coffee. “Thanks for the coffee. I gotta go back and change otherwise I’ll get caught in traffic and won’t make it to the rehearsal dinner.”

“Okay,” I said. “Good luck with the wedding. I hope your cousin is as cool as you remember him being.”

FRIDAY, ABOUT 12:15 PM, SOMEWHERE ON I-95

“Ugh, I gotta pee,” Marnie complained. “Find the nearest rest stop.” I glared at her in the rearview mirror, and she reluctantly added, “Please.”

“The next rest stop is in two miles,” Niall said from the passenger seat as we passed a sign that said so. “Marn, can you make it two more miles?”

“Yeah, okay.”

There was a silence for a moment, so I said, “Did I tell you guys why I was late this morning?”

“Actually, you didn’t,” Marnie said.

“So, I was out of K-Cups.”

“As you often are,” noted Niall.

“Yeah, anyway, so I had to go to Wawa for coffee. And I was trying to get my umbrella to open as I left and I walked right into this really cute guy. Coffee all over both of us.”

“Mhm,” chorused my friends.

“Well, I offered to buy him his coffee to make up for the fact that I’d spilled mine all over the both of us, and we talked for a little while we were in line to pay for the coffees…”

“Coffees, plural?” Niall asked. “He had other people with him that you offered to buy coffee for?”

“No, dumbass, I’d spilled mine all over him, so I needed a new one too. Anyway, he’s going to Boston for a wedding this weekend also.”

“No way!” Niall said. “Did you get his number?”

“Nah, he was in a rush and I didn’t get a chance to ask him for it. I don’t think I even got his name.”

“That’s terrible, Katharine,” Marnie said. “Do better next time.”

I pulled into the rest stop and said, “Do you guys want anything to eat? It’s just about lunchtime.”

“Yeah, I could eat.” Niall answered, as Marnie said, “Sure, but I gotta pee first.”

“I gotta pee too,” I said. “But then we should get some slices of pizza. Are you guys good with that?”

They nodded, and Niall added, “I’ll get gas while you two use the bathroom and I’ll meet you in there.” We all got out of the car, and Niall got in the driver’s seat while Marnie handed me my purse. He leaned out the car window. “See you in a bit.”

He drove off, and as we walked in, I said to Marnie, “Whoever is done first should get in line for the pizza.” She looked over at the growing line and agreed.

A few minutes later, I was drying my hands on a paper towel, and walking out of the bathroom, when I spotted the guy I’d spilled coffee on that morning getting in line for coffee. I stopped, briefly, staring. Or at least I thought it was brief, because the next thing I knew, Marnie was standing next to me. “Earth to Katharine!” she said, waving her hands in front of my face. “Do you need more coffee?”

“Yeah, probably. You won’t believe this, but the guy I walked into this morning is here.”

“What?!” she exclaimed.

“Shhhh,” I quieted her. “You’re going to blow our cover.”

“Cover?”

“Yeah,” I said, “I don’t really want to make him think I’ve told you about him.”

“But you’re going to go talk to him, right?”

“Okay,” I said uncertainly, “What do I say though?”

“Fancy seeing you here? I don’t know! Just be yourself.”

“All right. I’ll see what I can do. I’ll meet you at a table.” I started walking away.

“And don’t forget to get his name!” Marnie whisper-shouted after me.

I got in line behind the guy, and feigned surprise. “Wow! Who’d’ve thought we’d end up at the same rest stop after this morning?”

He turned around, shock registering on his face. “Hmm, I think you’ve been following me.”

“I don’t even know your name, let alone what kind of car you’re driving,” I teased.

“Louis Tomlinson,” he extended his hand. “And you are?”

“Katharine Redwood,” I said, and we shook hands.

“Well, it’s nice to officially meet you Katharine,” Louis said.

“Likewise. I gotta get back to my friends though. I promised we’d get some pizza. I know it sucks at rest stops, don’t look at me like that,” I added as he made a grossed out face at me.

“At least get sandwiches instead. The pizza here is so sad.”

“Yeah, but it’s a tradition we’ve had since college, so…”

“Yeah, okay, I get it,” he said. “Go, get back to your friends.”

“I need one more thing from you before I go though,” I said, my voice surprisingly not wavering despite how nervous I was. “Your number.��

“Oh. Yeah. Sure. Gimme your phone.”

I surrendered my phone to Louis and he punched in his number. He handed it back with a coffee emoji next to his name and I laughed. “Here, let me text you so you have mine.”

K: Katharine Redwood

Now you have my number too

L: Thanks. Saving you as a contact :)

I gave Louis a wave and returned to my friends, who, of course, had been watching us interact from afar with rapt interest. They also had gotten me pizza while I’d been talking to him, which I really appreciated.

“So?” they asked.

“His name’s Louis and I got his number.” They cheered and I shushed them. “Shut up! He’ll hear you.”

“What kind of name is Louis, though? Is he French or something?” Marnie asked.

“What? No. I think he’s probably from Philly, like us. Somewhere near there, anyway. I assume. I don’t actually know.”

“Sounds kind of pretentious if you ask me,” she said.

“He didn’t name himself,” I reminded her.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Marnie agreed as we finished eating.

We got up, throwing away our trash, and walking back to my car. We climbed back into the vehicle and got back on the highway.

FRIDAY, ABOUT 2:00 PM, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

“I don’t know why we decided to drive instead of flying,” I complained. “I can’t find a parking spot anywhere.”

“Just go to a parking garage, Katharine,” Niall chided. “Honestly.”

“But it’s for the whole weekend, and they’re so expensive.”

“We’re splitting the cost, remember? Let’s just find one and park in it,” Marnie agreed with her boyfriend.

“Okay, fine,” I conceded.

I drove into a parking garage, and found a spot. We got our suitcases out of the trunk, and walked the few blocks to the hotel where the wedding would be held. We got our room keys, and made our way to our separate rooms. When I got in mine, I set an alarm on my phone and collapsed into the bed for a short nap.

FRIDAY, ABOUT 5:45 PM, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

I woke up suddenly to someone pounding on the door. Disoriented by my surroundings, I sat up slowly, and looked around, my eyes landing on the digital clock on the nightstand.

“KATHARINE ARE YOU ALIVE IN THERE?” Marnie shouted, her voice muffled by the door. I got up and threw the door open. “Shit,” she cursed. “You’re supposed to be ready by now! We have to be at the rehearsal dinner in half an hour!”

I looked down at myself, and looked back up at Marnie in her dress, made up perfectly, and let loose a stream of curses that would’ve made a sailor blush.

“We can do this,” she mumbled. “We can do this,” she repeated, more confidently. “Go take the fastest shower of your life, and I’ll get out your dress and your make up.

“Okay,” I mumbled, still half asleep.

“Get in while the water’s still cold,” she instructed me. “You need the shock to your system to wake you up.”

I nodded and gave a pseudo-salute.

FRIDAY, EXACTLY 6:11 PM, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Breathing hard, Marnie and I ran out of the elevator and into the ballroom. The rehearsal dinner was only for the bridesmaids, groomsmen, and close family of the bride and groom. We, thankfully, did not have to wear matching outfits for this, but Niall was not allowed to come, even though he was Marnie’s date, because there were ‘already too many people coming to the dinner.’

“We made it!” I choked out.

“Yes, and you’re actually on time,” Lily, the bride, said, sounding a little surprised.

“Actually, we’re four minutes early,” Marnie corrected her, looking at her watch.

“Hmm, so you are,” Lily agreed, and floated off to greet someone else.

Marnie and I found our seats at the table, and I looked around. I was glancing around the room, trying to gauge which of the younger men might be single, when I locked eyes with someone familiar. Rob, my ex and the best man, was standing across the room staring at me. I saw him making his way over so I turned and tried to make conversation with Marnie. Unfortunately, she was engrossed in a conversation with Lily’s sister.

“Shit,” I cursed under my breath. We’d had a messy breakup and I didn’t really want to talk to him. I’d broken up with him and I knew he was still in love with me. Every time we ran into each other, it was beyond awkward, and I was the one who had introduced him to his best friend, Oscar, the groom, which is how he ended up as the best man. Every day leading up to the wedding, post-breakup, I cursed myself for having made the introduction.

Before Rob reached the table, I pulled out my phone, desperate for a distraction and a way to ward him off. I ended up texting Louis, out of all the people in my phone, hoping that his rehearsal dinner wasn’t about to start, like mine.

K: Hey, hope your cousin hasn’t turned boring :P

L: Haven’t gotten the chance to say hi to him yet actually

Running late

K: To your own third (?) cousin’s rehearsal dinner??? Shame on you

L: Yeah I know

I’m one of the groomsmen too

K: How’d that happen?

I thought you said you hadn’t talked to him in forever

L: Idk

I think his fiancee wanted a huge wedding with a big bridal party

And he didn’t have enough friends or something

K: Oops

L: Anyway I gtg I’m about to get to the hotel restaurant where they’re having the dinner

Marnie shoved my shoulder. “Stop looking at your phone. They’re about to start serving the food. What’re you so smiley about anyway?”

“What?” I said, looking up. “I’m just texting Louis.”

“Oh, setting up a booty call for later?” she winked.

“God no! I was just trying to avoid having to talk to Rob.”

“Well, you’ve been successful. He’s over there talking up one of Oscar’s cousins. Looks like he’s trying to set up a post-dinner hook up.”

I snorted. “He’s not that smooth, I promise. Watch.”

As we spied on the interaction from afar, Oscar’s cousin slapped Rob across the face.

“Ooh,” Marnie cringed, “That’s going to leave a mark.”

“It’s what he deserves,” I laughed.

Just then, the door to the hotel restaurant burst open, revealing Louis. “Sorry I’m late!” He apologized to the room at large.

“You’re all right,” Oscar called to him. “They haven’t started serving the food yet. Just find your place card.”

Meanwhile, I’d gone wide-eyed. Marnie turned to me and asked, “Isn’t that your guy?”

“Mhm,” I squeaked.

Thankfully for me, I wasn’t seated anywhere near Louis and was able to avoid him for the rest of the evening, escaping to my hotel room as soon as it was acceptable.

SATURDAY, ABOUT 2:15 AM, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

I was having trouble sleeping because I was worried about the Louis situation and the unfamiliar bed wasn’t helping. I was going to have big bags under my eyes in all of Lily and Oscar’s wedding photos. I got out of bed, and texted Marnie to see if she was awake. She was, so I grabbed my room key and padded over to her room down the hall. She’d told me Niall was snoring like a lion so I would have to knock loudly. I banged on the door and got no response, so I hit it a little harder. Finally, I heard some movement from the room. The door opened to reveal, not Marnie or Niall, but a disheveled and sleepy Louis.

“Oh my god. I’m so sorry Louis. I was trying to find my friend’s room. She must’ve given me the wrong room number,” I said in a rush, backing away from the door slowly.

“Katharine?” he asked.

“Yeah, it’s me,” I squeaked.

“What’re you doing here?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.

“I was looking for my friend Marnie’s room, but she gave me the wrong room number.”

“Oh. Okay. G’night.”

“Good night, Louis. See you around.” I went back to my room.

Somehow I knew that Marnie had found out Louis’ room number and given it to me in place of her own, but I was too tired to care. My trip down the hall had actually made me sleepy, so I got back into bed and fell asleep immediately.

SATURDAY, ABOUT 3:45 PM, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

“So, Katharine, you’ll be walking down the aisle arm in arm with Oscar’s cousin Louis,” Lily told me. A weird look must’ve crossed my face because she added, “You know him?”

“Not really,” I said. “Only in passing.”

“Mhm,” she said, only half paying attention, as her hair was being done, and she was reading off a list of bridesmaid/groomsman pairings.

I was church-ready, as was Marnie, so we sat together amongst the five other bridesmaids, including the maid of honor, who were all gossiping about single men they were hoping would be at the wedding. Finally, after I couldn’t take it anymore, I turned to Marnie and asked her, “Did you give me Louis’ room number on purpose last night?”

“No!” she said. I glared at her. “I swear, I didn’t realize until you hadn’t shown up after ten minutes that I’d given you a wrong room number.”

“Then how did I end up at his room?” I asked angrily.

“Pure coincidence,” she said.

“There’s no way.”

“Face it Katharine, the universe is throwing the two of you together for some reason. And I think I know what it is,” she wiggled her eyebrows at me.

“Oh shut up,” I laughed.

SATURDAY, A LITTLE BEFORE 6:00 PM, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

We were lining up to walk down the aisle when I caught sight of Louis looking pretty attractive in his tux. While I was staring, he looked up and I turned red, embarrassed to be caught in what I was doing. Shock registered on his face, and then he mouthed “Is that really you?” at me.

I nodded slightly, so as not to mess up my carefully done hair.

The music started, and we linked arms and walked down the aisle. He said something to me as we were walking, just before we separated and went to our separate sides of the altar, but I couldn’t hear him over the music.

We took our places, then the music swelled, and Lily floated down the aisle, arm in arm with her father. She looked radiant. I took a peek at Oscar and he was smiling and crying and looking like it was the best day of his life.

They had written their own vows. Oscar went first and his were touching and beautiful, but there were a few lines in Lily’s that stood out to me more than any other bit, despite its simplicity. “It was pure coincidence that we sat next to each other in that lecture hall on the first day of that semester. And it was pure coincidence that we were assigned as partners on the final project, given that we sat nowhere near each other for the rest of the semester. But it was no coincidence that we fell in love, because you really are my other half.”

By the end of the ceremony, all the bridesmaids and groomsmen were crying. We were given a few minutes with the makeup artists before we went outside to take the wedding photos. It was a chilly day in early October and it wasn’t long before I was shivering in my strapless dress. Louis sidled over and offered me his suit coat, which I accepted gratefully.

“I saw you crying during the ceremony,” he said.

“Your eyes weren’t dry either,” I noted.

Ignoring me, he continued. “You look beautiful in that dress. I tried to tell you in the church but I guess you couldn’t hear me over the music.”

I blushed and nodded. “Thank you.”

“Is that douche of a best man really your ex?”

“Unfortunately.”

“How long were you together?”

“Too long,” I said. “Oh, no. He’s coming over.”

“No, he’s not,” Louis said. “Oh, shit, never mind, he is definitely headed this way and he has murder in his eyes.”

As Rob approached, he bellowed, “WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY GIRL?”

“Um, I’m not your girl,” I said. “We broke up in January, in case you forgot.”

“Besides, Katharine’s not a girl, she’s a woman,” Marnie said. I hadn’t seen her come over and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

“I’m Oscar’s distant cousin, Louis,” Louis said, calmly, “And I saw that Katharine was cold, so I offered her my suit coat. I didn’t even know her name until yesterday.”

Rob deflated a bit. “Doesn’t explain why… never mind. Fuck you Katharine. You too Marnie. And you too Louis. Or whatever the fuck your name is.” He stomped off.

“Thanks for helping me get rid of him, you guys,” I said.

SATURDAY, ABOUT 9:45 PM, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

I was tipsy. Not enough to completely lose my inhibitions, but I was a little looser than usual. That had to explain why I was dancing with Louis the way I had all night. The wedding reception was drawing to a close. I’d had too much to drink closer to the beginning of the party, but for the most part, that had gotten out of my system due to the near-gallon of water that I had also had.

The night was bound to end with me in Louis’ bed or him in mine, but that’s not what I wanted. I mean, I kind of did, but I’d had way too much fun with him, dancing and talking and making fun of Rob striking out with every single woman he tried to hit on.

“Go on a date with me when we’re back in Philly,” I whispered to him during a slow dance.

“Okay,” he whispered back, then kissed me softly.

***

The night we danced together for the first time, it was cold and I’d run out of explanations for how we’d met.

#1dff #cliche challenge #louis

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dong-hyucks · 7 years ago

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fear is our enemy. | na jaemin [4]

➳ genre. spy!au, future!au, angst, minor fluff ➳ warnings. mentions of blood and death, character death in later chapters, swearing ➳ word count. 3.2k+ ➳ author’s note. admin cj wrote this b l e s s we are in the midst of a talented wriTER - admin. jade ➳ synopsis. [Y/N] Park, the adopted daughter of late director Park Minjun, crosses paths with Na Jaemin, a spy known for his aloof tendencies. now, they have to save her brother from an unexpected enemy.

➳ masterlists. | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8. | 9. | epilogue.

“That’s my brother sleeping,” you said, your voice soft and shaky. “And that,” you zoomed in, “is a shadow of a man with a gun.”

Slowly, your whole body began to quake. Terror consumed even the darkest depths of your body, and Jaemin’s eyes went wide. If he could have one million tries to peg your personality, this wouldn’t even be in the top ten thousand. He never thought he’d see you look so broken. The pain in your eyes was almost unbearable, and the way your stitches gnarled your—what he could only assume—once gentle features was horrifying.

Jaemin just stared at you in disbelief for a few minutes. If you started to cry, he didn’t know what he would do. He didn’t think your emotional spectrum was big enough to encompass this unbelievable amount of sorrow painted across your face—just anger and the occasional sprinkle of happiness that trickled through you daily life.

“Hey,” Jaemin’s utterance was quiet—almost inaudible—his gaze burned into your tell-tale glare, “does his phone, perhaps, have a tracking app on it?” In an instant, your eyes brightened slightly and you dashed past him to Donghyuck’s cubicle-type office.

You were sore all over, but none of it mattered. None of it fucking mattered. It wasn’t important that every time you placed your foot on the ground you flinched because it mimicked the sound of a gunshot, nor was it important that you had just left your assigned partner in the dust once again. All that you needed to find out was where Jisung was, and if he was safe. Your little brother had nothing to do with this, he was never involved. This was purely a dig at you.

Baekhyun’s words were like an unhappy spirit that wouldn’t move on. They wouldn’t let go … not of you, not of anyone. The sentence was etched into your memory with the same knife that had cut through your skin. Through the blazing heat of your anger, you could remember bits and pieces of what he had said. “Chanyeol.”

Then, Jongdae’s stammering response came back, “Park,” he had stammered, “Park Chanyeol.” Shuddering, you kept going, trying to clear your mind, but also stuffing it with new ideas simultaneously. Jaemin’s curt calls from behind you meant nothing as you walked down the seemingly endless hallway. Your breathing was unusually heavy and your heart was beating rapidly.

Jaemin’s quick pace—one he rarely took—soon matched yours, but you paid no attention to him. “Y’know, you could’ve at least waited for me. It was my idea after all.” His utterance pierced the thick atmosphere like a sharp knife. The fiery glare that you cast at him did you no good, as he shot one back. Rolling your eyes, you scoffed and shoved him out of the way to open the entrance to Donghyuck’s work area.

“What?” He paused. “No snarky comment? That’s new. I kind of like it; silence is a good look on you.” That remark set your insides ablaze. Your face burned with fury, but your mind was as cold as ice.

“Oh,” you replied cooly, “I thought you already knew I didn’t care. Would you like me to say it out loud?” The gleam of amusement in Jaemin’s eyes hardened and he sneered at you, huffing and puffing as he made his way into the chilled space. Internally, you smirked triumphantly, but on the outside, your brow was creased in worry.

As you walked into the cluttered sector of HQ, you grew surprised. Papers were strewn everywhere, computer parts were scattered about on the floor, and most of the desks were messy. Donghyuck’s eyes widened when you tapped his shoulder to bring him from the trance-like state he fell into while cleaning.

“I need your help.” Your voice softened word by word as you looked at all the cuts and bruises crowding his face. A grin played on his lips—it took away from the ugliness of the wounds. In an instant, the previous rage that had filled your body came back, and you whipped around to face Jaemin. His eyebrows flew up like they were challenging you to something, you sniffed and swiveled back to Donghyuck, trying to ignore Jaemin’s presence looming in the background.

“Always,” he smiled, “what can I do for you, [Y/N]?” Donghyuck stood up and strolled to his computer, throwing glances over his shoulder every so often. When he reached his chair, he collapsed and spun to place his questioning gaze back on you.

“Do you remember when you met my little brother?” Donghyuck nodded. “We put a tracker in his phone, right?” Nod. “Can you find it?” Nod. “Can you do it quickly?” Another nod. You pondered that fact, thinking back to your hacker days, trying to recall the day when Jisung had accidently saw you at “work.”

“Just track it,” Jaemin interjected, breaking your train of thought. Despite your obvious dislike towards him, you silently thanked him, because you weren’t sure you would’ve been able to say it without mentally shutting down. Slowly but surely, you could feel the strong wall you had built up against reality begin to crumble, and it was killing you. You weren’t doing a great job convincing yourself that you could keep it together.

Sneakily, Jaemin was peeking down at you—not in the least concerned, just validating his selfish worries. He couldn’t work with you if you were going to be a child—but you had no plans on doing so. Every time his eyes fluttered down to you, he noticed your hands doing something different. The first time, they were fiddling with your hair. The second, you were twiddling your thumbs. And, the third, your fingers flew across the keyboard, answering the security questions needed to access the tracking program.

“Damn it, Jisung,” you cursed, “how the hell would I know the name of your first pet?” Jaemin laughed humorlessly to himself—and you, being trained in picking up small noises—pivoted your head, staring at him. “Would you like to try, Na Jaemin? Since you find this funny.”

He straightened out immediately, and his solemn expression floated back onto his features. He stalked to the square letters and began to type, “F-L-U-F-F-Y,” he muttered under his breath as his long digits typed in the less-than-professional word. Pressing enter, he gazed victoriously at the screen.

“Find My iPhone is now locating—Park, fire emoji, fire emoji, Jisung’s iPhone.” As the speaker spat out the name, you looked up at the ceiling, and sent a silent prayer to anyone—or at this point anything—that happened to be listening. Fire emoji? Couldn’t it have just left them out? You just hope it found the phone fast.

“[Y/N],” Donghyuck’s voice broke the tension in the air, “it’s in the alley behind Hakoya Ramen.” He copy and pasted the address, clicked into a new window, and tried to enhance the photo of it. “The only thing back there—” Donghyuck paused for awhile, seeming to have a mental debate on whether he should let the words slip from his mouth, or not, “—is a dumpster.”

In that instant, your heart stopped, and you felt yourself careening to the left. A dumpster. A dumpster was the worst place that Donghyuck could’ve said. You gripped your temples with both hands, and Jaemin whacked the back of your head with the palm of his hand. Donghyuck looked at him as white as a piece of printer paper, and rapidly rotated his chair to face the screen. Like an owl searching for its prey, your gaze whirled to meet his.

“Standing there with your hands to your face isn’t going to get you to your brother faster,” Jaemin snorted, already on his way out. You hurried to catch up, not wanting to be in his shadow.

“I was thinking of a plan, Jaemin,” you replied, voice taut. He exhaled sharply, wheeling around on the ball of his right foot. “Remind me to never ask you to make a quick decision then.” With that, a quietude fell upon the night, and neither of you spoke until you had reached the sleek, black travel vehicle. Jaemin gave the operator a slip of paper and muttered a single word before sitting back in his seat.

“Drive.”

Arriving at Hakoya, the two of you were extremely conspicuous whilst climbing out of the van. If you were anywhere else—like on a mission, or at the airport—you wouldn’t have been noticed, but in front of the noodle shop, all customers could do was stare. You tilted your head down, partly because you didn’t want Jaemin to see the tiny tears that pricked at the corner of your eyes, and partly because you didn’t want anyone to recognize you. Admitting to being paranoid was an understatement.

Jaemin wrenched your arm, pulling you into the dark backstreet. As soon as you caught a glimpse of the ineffably large trash heap, you stumbled a bit, feeling your stomach fold in on itself. He caught you just as you put a hand over your mouth. The slow, flaming sensation of vomit crawling up your throat was overwhelming, but you pushed it back down with a forceful swallow. Jaemin’s steps echoed as he neared the giant garbage can.

“He’s your brother,” Jaemin chuckled, a bitter edge to his laughter, “you get to dumpster-dive.” Inching towards the metal contraption, you screwed your eyes shut and turned your nose up at the smell. It was almost unbearable, but you pressed on, hoping to locate something useful. Jaemin was showing no symapathy as he watched you dig through trash—but in his eyes, there was a glint on amusement. His gaze would’ve irritated you if a strong odor hadn’t captured your attention.

Soundlessly, you waved him over, no longer caring how much of an ass he had been. He awaited a comment, and you could sense him becoming impatient. It was only after a few minutes that you spoke.

“Please,” you pleaded, “please tell me that it doesn’t smell like blood.” Jaemin walked to the place where you were pointing, and was suddenly bombarded with the foul stench of stale blood and sweat. He wrinkled his nose in protest, but kept feeling around—for anything, really. Jaemin’s body froze as his hand came in contact with razor-sharp shards of glass. Hastily, Jaemin retracted his gory appendage and muttered a string of profanities. After the spell of pain, he went right back in. But, this time, he pulled something out. While inspecting the object in his grasp, you became as still as a stone statue.

“Goddammit,” Jaemin’s use of colorful language jerked you out of your living nightmare, “[Y/N], take the fucking thing out of my hands.” You speedily grabbed the picture frame, and watched as Jaemin ripped a portion of his black sleeve off to tie around the grotesque lacerations. Scrutinizing the rusted structure, you noted the crimson flecks that coated the outside of it. Instantaneously, the feeling of nausea—which you had become so dreadfully familiar with—washed over you. You choked on your own spit, trying to prevent yourself from heaving your protein bar up and onto the ground.

“That’s—” your voice hit a snag, “that’s Jisung.” Jaemin trudged over to you, clutching his damaged arm to his side. You recalled the picture in vague detail. It was in the summer—right after Jisung’s school was out— and all of your family, your mother, your father, your older brother, and Jisung were all beaming. It was a sight to see. Everyone in your family—happy. The picture was unusual to say the least, but it was a treasured possession of yours, and you always left it with Donghyuck for safekeeping ... at his desk.

The seriousness of what was at hand was just beginning to set in, and your knees screeched in pain as they crashed to the cement below. Your youthful body should’ve been able to take the blow, but all you could do was sob. You knew where this picture was taken, and you knew where it was stolen from. It was photographed right after a successful mission against EXO. Your recollection explained the huge smiles on everyone’s faces—everyone except for Jisung. He was oblivious to the truth, he didn’t know that his whole family was apart of NCT, and that made your heart ache. When the break-in occurred, Baekhyun or Jongdae must’ve taken the photo as well as the documents. The thought itself was chilling, and you shivered, continuing to cry.

All the while, Jaemin had already contacted HQ, getting the car to come back and pick the two of you up. In a few short minutes, he thumped the top of your head with a week-old, rotting newspaper.

“The car’s here.” His voice was strained, almost like someone was compressing it between both hands. “Get up, and let’s go.” You struggled to stand, and Jaemin grabbed your arms and roughly pulled you up, yanking you around the corner and onto the street. The van waited patiently, as you clambered into it.

It drove into the darkness quietly. The engine humming a sweet melody as the yellow lines on the road began to move faster. The air was still, but it lacked the peace that one would usually find within it. As the seconds of the clock ticked by, your anger stewed and bubbled.

“Chanyeol,” you muttered, an acidic taste flooding your mouth, “Park Chanyeol.” Jaemin cocked a brow, but you didn’t offer him another word. You peered out the tinted window, hoping that you would see a corpse on your way back—preferably Park Chanyeol’s.

You stormed back into HQ. Johnny tried to speak a hello, but you took no notice of his attempts at conversation. The look on your face should’ve been enough to send him—and others—running for the hills. Jaemin trailed closely behind you, lurking wordlessly in your wake. He knew exactly where you were going, but he decided not to disturb you, fearing for his life—and other, unmentionables he would like to keep.

When you reached Taeyong’s office, your face was beyond the color red. In fact, it was almost blue. Jaemin couldn’t tell if you hadn’t breathing out of worry or if you were really that enraged. He didn’t know which choice scared him more, but he tried to keep his cynical remarks to a minimum.

The loud clang that occurred when the metal structure of the picture frame crashed onto Taeyong’s desk resonated throughout the room. Sluggishly, Taeyong turned to peer at you. His eyes had a serious glint in them, one that practically spelled danger out on his forehead. But, in all honesty, you couldn’t have cared less. You stared back into his gaze with just as much ferocity. A twinkle of pride flashed across Taeyong’s features.

“I want this DNA tested,” you growled, “now.” Taeyong clicked his tongue and drummed his fingers against the chipping wood of his work space. Though his stance was cold and his statements were sharp, you could just barely hear the empathy in his voice.

“I think you’re forgetting something, [Y/N].” The wide grin that spread over Taeyong’s mouth was enough to make the terrifying dread—that had consumed you once before—come back. In his challenging glare, something else skulked. It meant something, you could tell—and it wasn’t something good. You willed yourself to think back to the actual task at hand after capturing Baekhyun.

The documents.

“Oh. Oh, God,” you murmured, dizziness swamping your being. Jaemin exhaled deeply, and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. Working with you was exasperating, but it was a change from staring at a too-bright computer screen, in a too-dark room, in a too-boring place—so he would take it.

“Didn’t you say something about a guy—” Jaemin’s ill-defined question penetrated the hushed feeling of the room jaggedly, “—Park, something?” Your eyes gained the small sparkle back, and Jaemin followed you out of Taeyong’s office as you carelessly sped down the hallway.

“Chanyeol’s in on this,” you muttered, to no one in particular, “I just have to find out how.” It hurt Jaemin as he saw you trying to place all the pieces together in you brain. He wondered if you might literally blow a gasket if you worked any harder.

“Are you sure you can handle this.” The teasing was back. “It’s looking a bit rough over there.” With a scowl that could kill a whole nation with just one glance, you glowered at Jaemin. He held his hands up in a fake surrender, waving them like tiny flags. “I was just saying.” The tone of his voice was mocking and it made your nostrils flare. At this point—steam was probably forming from your ears.

“I don’t need you to say,” you retorted, “I need you to do.” Jaemin pursed his lips and frowned. You could tell he didn’t necessarily like your utterance, but he’s been alongside you for long enough now—Jaemin knows not to complain. “Now, go down to Donghyuck and see if he remembers anything from the occurrence.”

The command was velvety and soft coming from your voice that was thick with sadness, but Jaemin complied, not daring to question you. As he disappeared into the darkness of the hallway, you finally let yourself go. You backed into a wall, and sunk into a crouch. If Jaemin saw you like this, the taunting would never end, and it would be no one’s fault but your own. Warm tears trickled down your cheeks and dribbled onto your arms. The thin liquid tormented you as the salt stains became clear on your face. You buried your face in your crossed arms and wailed. At times like these, it was helpful to have soundproof corridors.

“[Y/N], what happened?” Chenle’s innocent inquiry rang out from the other side opposite end, where the entrance to Taeyong’s office was. “Weren’t you just with Jaemin?” When Chenle mentioned Jaemin’s name, your head snapped up from where it was hanging, but you were undoubtedly disappointed. He hadn’t come back with information. It was just Chenle— which made you no happier than you had been a few moments ago.

“It’s Jisung, Chenle.” Although your reply was low and hard to hear, it cracked and broke just the same. Chenle stared at you—his eyes glazing with pity and sorrow. They fragmented your already crushed heart. “He’s gone.”

“Wh-Who would’ve done that?” Even though you had no concrete evidence, you eyed Chenle murderously. The gleam in your eye was venomous enough to kill even the most poisonous snake. He stumbled back a bit—having never seen you like this before. You could practically feel his heart beating like a nervous rabbit’s.

“I think you know who, Chenle,” you snarled, ripping yourself viciously from your place on the brick patterns, “what I need to find out—is why.” Your words were a big indicator for him, and his mouth dropped open.

“Chanyeol?” He asked. Nodding grimly, you began to walk to the computer rooms with Chenle in tow.

“I’ll tell Donghyuck to start tracking as soon as I find him.” Chenle’s declaration was music to your ears, and you faced him, brandishing a wicked smirk. He struggled with himself, trying not to run to his desk, scared out of his mind. Whipping back around, you carried on to where the light of outside met the blackness that dimmed the compound.

“Good.”

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