#hongjoong x oc

[pandorasword]

Just saw your post about the members reaction to Chaeri and JK, and I wanna know what they thought about Hongjoong and Chaeri? Hell, I even wanna know what ATEEZ thought about their relationship too!

-♡♡

Hi!! 🫶🏼

I’m so embarrassed by how much time has passed since I got your message—I'm so sorry for the wait! It’s been such a busy and stressful time for me 🥹

Thank you for your question!

Chaeri as the 8th and youngest member of BTS.

BTS

The members quickly learned to consider themselves as a family. Living together and sharing everything since their teenage years, their bond has always been similar to that of siblings. This, for better or worse, includes constantly meddling in each other’s lives, both for fun and to take care of one another. This extends to almost every aspect of their lives, including romantic relationships.

It was impossible – and, in reality, Chaeri didn’t even try – to hide the growing bond between her and Hongjoong from the other members of the group. On the night of the party where they met, Taehyung and Jungkook noticed them, which inevitably led also to the last member of the 'maknae line' finding out about the news. They were the first three to know:

Taehyung was very surprised. Being Chaeri’s best friend and never having heard her talk about Hongjoong before, their union initially seemed a bit strange and rushed to him. Only later, when she confessed to him that at the party, she had approached Hongjoong with the intention of annoying him and Jungkook - who had followed her without her consent - and only later did that situation turn into something more significant, including the desire to normalize relationships among K-pop idols, Taehyung realized that such behavior was typical of Chaeri.

From the moment the relationship between Chaeri and Hongjoong became something more serious than just an excuse to create a scandal in the industry, V showed his support. However, he frequently asked her questions designed to make her reflect on her relationship, asking if it was really what she wanted or if she had just been swept up in a situation that made her feel good but that she didn’t truly desire.

The way Chaeri proudly showed off her relationship to everyone, without fear of judgment, inspired him and made him proud. It even led him to decide to be braver himself, giving the public clear hints about his own relationship, though in a less obvious way.

The first time he met Hongjoong as Chaeri's official boyfriend, one might have expected him to say the classic line, "If you hurt her, you'll have to deal with me." Instead, he said, "If she scares you to death, don't come looking for me. She scares me to death too. But I guess that's her way of showing love”.

Jimin was taken aback. He knew that the situation between Chaeri and Jungkook had reached an even more critical point than before, but he did not expect that the two would actually try to date other people. Their constant fighting, more or less hidden from the eyes of others, was causing stress and sadness for the group, which felt helpless in the face of that dramatic situation. Therefore, he tried to understand and support Chaeri's decision to date Hongjoong as much as possible.

Jimin had always been very reserved about his relationships with the media, aware of how much the K-pop scene could destroy even the most beautiful and genuine connections. Seeing Chaeri, on the other hand, not hide and proudly show the world her sentimental commitment filled him with pride. He knew that she was fighting to normalize the situation for all idols, giving them back their freedom to be human in the eyes of the public.

And while he was initially unsure about Hongjoong, Jimin warmed to him at some point. He liked how Hongjoong carried himself, and with being the leader of his group, he could guess what kind of person he was: responsible, serious, dedicated. Three qualities he believed were essential to be able to romantically connect with someone like his female teammate.

However, what impressed Jimin most was Hongjoong's approach to Chaeri's strong and overwhelming personality and the way he respected her boldness rather than trying to suppress it as many other men would have done.

Although he had never said it out loud, he was grateful to Hongjoong for standing by Chaeri's side at a time when few others could have done so, which was when she ended up on forced hiatus from the BTS.

As the oldest member of BTS, Jin had always seen himself as the “big brother” of the group, ready to offer advice or tease anyone who found themselves in a new relationship. To him, Chaeri was like a little sister, and he wanted to make sure that anyone she dated was worthy of her, which is why he began to “investigate” Hongjoong. He asked around and read articles about him and his group, eager to determine whether he was truly interested in her and not just looking for personal gain.

However, no article or information was more helpful than observing them together and hearing Chaeri talk about him. In the end, this led him to deliver his “verdict”: he approved of the relationship.

True to his style, Jin expressed his approval with a touch of humor. “So, he’s not scared off yet?” he joked with Chaeri, smiling. “Good for him! I barely lasted an hour when we met because of your bratty attitude.”

But beyond his playful nature, he also found moments to talk to her seriously. “I can see he cares about you. So just make sure he keeps caring about you as much as you care about him”

For Jin, Chaeri’s happiness was the most important thing. He was proud to see her openly embracing her happiness, knowing how much she had suffered in the past from having to keep her previous relationship hidden.

Yoongi, when he knew about her relationship with Hongjoong, didn’t comment immediately and took a step back, preferring to observe and let Chaeri share as much—or as little—as she wanted. To him, relationships were personal, and he respected her decision to make her relationship public, understanding how it could be both liberating and daunting in their world. He had always been the type to keep his thoughts on love and relationships close to the chest, so seeing her put herself out there made him feel both proud and slightly worried for her.

One evening, some time after the news broke, noticing how serious their relationship was becoming, he decided to give Chaeri a single piece of advice: “Just make sure you’re doing this for yourself. Don’t get caught up in proving something to anyone. If it makes you happy, that’s what matters.” 

Yoongi just wanted to make sure she hadn’t made the decision because she was angry or disappointed about her past with Jungkook, aware of how such emotions could lead to choices she might regret. He wanted her to approach this relationship with a clear mind and an open heart, unclouded by past wounds.

He knew Chaeri well enough to trust her judgment, and he trusted that Hongjoong would take care of her the way she deserved. But still, he kept a watchful eye, not to interfere but to be there, if she ever needed him. 

While he didn’t express it often, he deeply hoped that this relationship would give her the peace and happiness she deserved.

Ever since they’d started working together, Hoseok’d come to see her as his little sister—a role he took seriously, complete with protective instincts and a healthy dose of skepticism about any guy who showed interest in her. He’d seen her grow, struggle and evolve, so the idea of someone else now playing such a significant role in her life brought out his big-brother side in full force. In the beginning, Hoseok wasn’t entirely sure about Hongjoong. He hadn’t heard much about him before and wasn’t quick to trust anyone who’d suddenly become so close to Chaeri. 

Honestly, he didn’t like the situation at all. Chaeri was vulnerable because of what had happened with Jungkook—a relationship that had ended disastrously not long before—and all the signs, at least on the surface, seemed to point in one direction: Hongjoong was taking advantage of her to gain more fame and visibility for himself and his group. Or, at least, that was what his brain had convinced itself of the moment the “overprotective brother” alarm bells in his head went off as soon as he heard the news.

He would only come to realize, gradually, just how wrong he’d been as all the “evidence” he thought he’d gathered to support his theory started to crumble, one piece at a time. It had been Chaeri who approached Hongjoong first, and she was the one who decided to make the relationship public; moreover, Hongjoong genuinely seemed to care about her.

It took meeting Hongjoong in person to get some answers, though that first meeting felt more like an interrogation. Hongjoong would probably describe it as intense, maybe even intimidating. Despite the polite smile, Hoseok’s questions cut straight to the point: what were his intentions with Chaeri? Did he understand the level of scrutiny that came with dating her? And, in no uncertain terms, was he ready to treat her with the respect she deserved?

Namjoon, as the leader of BTS, felt a natural sense of responsibility for all the group members, but with Chaeri, it was different. Over the years, he had become particularly protective of her, looking out for her in a way that came entirely naturally—like an older brother with a younger sister. Although he wasn’t as openly intense as Hoseok, he, too, felt some skepticism and concern. He wasn’t used to Chaeri dating anyone (outside of Jungkook), and he had the sweet but misguided notion that no one was quite good enough for her.

“You know how much pressure comes with going public. Once things are out there, there’s no taking them back. I just want you to be sure this is what you really want—not just for yourself, but for the two of you together.” Living a life like theirs meant that any information shared with the public would be engraved forever, and he felt it was his duty to remind her that, once that choice was made, there would be no turning back.

He would never dare to question Chaeri's emotional intelligence by suggesting that she was choosing the wrong person to start a romantic relationship with; it was simply his instinct to protect her that compelled him to keep a watchful eye on the two whenever they were together. Deep down, he recognized her ability to make her own decisions, but the protective instincts of an older brother lingered, making it difficult for him to let go completely.

He felt better, however, knowing that Chaeri would have someone by her side while they would all be away due to the mandatory military service that, by now, was getting closer and closer.

Jungkook's reaction to Chaeri's relationship with Hongjoong was complicated, to say the least.

He knew she was a mischievous type, and when he first saw them together at that party, he became convinced—albeit annoyed—that she had set up that little act just to get back at him and Taehyung for following her to the party, despite her not wanting them there. But discovering that their connection had instead grown so serious that she had decided to make it public threw him completely off balance.

Jungkook couldn’t help but think back on all the wrong choices he had made during his relationship with Chaeri, choices that, forced or not, had led him to that moment: having to watch the love of his life fall for someone else.

The truth is that he’s never fully accepted it—and he never will. He won’t ever choose to be in the same room as Hongjoong unless circumstances force him to be there, and he certainly won’t ever choose to have even the smallest interaction with him. To Jungkook, Hongjoong would always be a reminder of everything he had lost, a constant presence of the love he let slip away. Even if he knew, deep down, that he couldn’t turn back time, a part of him stubbornly refused to accept the reality of Chaeri’s new relationship. It wasn’t that he wished her unhappiness, but he couldn’t bring himself to accept Hongjoong as a part of her life—or, by extension, his own.

Jungkook’s feeling of bitterness only grew stronger as the weeks went by. He saw Chaeri almost daily, whether at rehearsals or during group events, and every time he saw her smile because of him, it was like a quiet punch to the gut.

It didn’t help that the others had slowly begun to accept Hongjoong. While Hoseok still kept an eye on him and Namjoon was ever-cautious, they’d grown used to the idea. And to Jungkook, it felt like they were all moving forward without him. He’d find himself spacing out during conversations, lost in memories of the past, back when he and Chaeri were inseparable. It was all so bittersweet—he wanted to support her, he truly did, but he was haunted by the constant, nagging feeling that he was supposed to be the one by her side, not some stranger.

Whenever he saw Hongjoong, though, he managed a polite nod, maintaining a veneer of professionalism. But his politeness was brittle. Every interaction with him felt like stepping on thin ice, a forced act that concealed the simmering resentment he couldn’t quite shake. It was painful, and he felt as if he were trapped in a story where he’d once been a main character, only to be slowly written out. 

Everyone claimed that true love meant letting someone find happiness with another person. He was convinced he genuinely loved her.  So why was it so hard for him to accept it?

ATEEZ

Before Hongjoong decided to talk to their managers about dating Chaeri, he knew he had to discuss it with his members first. This made him particularly nervous, but he knew he couldn't delay it any longer, mainly since Chaeri had expressed her desire to make their relationship public. For example, when he went to New York to see her, Chaeri and Hongjoong posted photos from an identical location, causing the internet to be filled with theories and suspicions about whether they were dating, trolling the fans, or soft-launching a relationship.

He wasn't nervous because the boys didn't know, quite the contrary. Since the night of the '98 liners idol party, a gathering of idols born in 1998, when he and Seonghwa had returned from, and the latter had not waited more than a second to tell the others about him and Chaeri, the younger ones had not stopped teasing him, also knowing the little crush he had on her ever since she found some time to go up to them in 2019 at MAMAs and tell them how much she had enjoyed the cover of the song they had brought to the stage.

Fortunately, his fears were unfounded. The boys didn't react negatively to the dating news when he shared it, and their managers reassured them that they could handle any potential scandal. 'Having Chaeri linked to one of you would surely increase attention and, consequently, your turnover' they emphasized. Fortunately, KQ loved the media exposure this would bring.

And, what to say? The boys couldn't be anything but happy about that, could they? Their leader seemed pleased with that relationship, and their reputation would greatly benefit from Chaeri’s impact. However, Ateez would soon learn that Chaeri in their lives would become more than simply 'Hongjoong's girl who benefits his mood and our career.' 

Each member reacted differently based on their personalities and relationships with Hongjoong and Chaeri. 

Seonghwa and Hongjoong had always shared everything since they were just trainees. Being the same age and both feeling some sort of responsibility to the members had bound them together more than with the others. Because of this, Seonghwa couldn't have been unaware of the 'little' crush his best friend had toward the only female member of BTS. A crush that grew exponentially over the years, peaking in 2019.

Seonghwa teased him about it since pre-debut and never stopped, even when the two became a couple, leaving him hugely surprised. It’s a tale as old as time to have a crush on a public figure, and usually, people never end up dating them unless they get a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and for Hongjoong to get that chance? Seonghwa could think of nothing else but the fact that life always shows you something you would never expect.

Despite initial disbelief, he was proud of his member for being the first to have a public relationship, as he showed a nerve many idols did not have.

The guy also likes to tease Chaeri about how soft she can get with Hongjoong since she always tries to pass herself off as someone who is not particularly sweet or romantic. That makes her and Joong very similar, in his opinion.

Yunho was thrilled. His reaction was, perhaps, the purest and most genuinely enthusiastic of all. 

From the moment Hongjoong had confirmed his connection with Chaeri, he couldn’t hide his smile and a bit of surprise at the thought that their leader, his hyung, had won the heart of Chaeri and felt a bit bewildered at the thought that she was now a constant presence in their lives.

His excitement about the news, however, wasn’t simply about Chaeri’s fame. His happiness came from a much more genuine place. He knew how much Hongjoong’s intense work schedule demanded of him, and knowing he’d found someone who could make him smile and offer a bit of comfort was something that gave Yunho happiness.

As the main dancer of ATEEZ, Yunho felt an irresistible and inexplicable urge to talk for hours with Chaeri, who held the same role in BTS, about the dance icons they admired, favorite styles, the best methods for learning choreography, and so on. 

When it came to dance, Yunho found a new source of motivation and inspiration in Chaeri. Having the opportunity to work with her as ATEEZ’s choreographer, even if only for a limited time, made him genuinely happy; he greatly appreciated how Chaeri took each of his suggestions into account, making him feel fully included in the creative process of their performances.

While most of the others reacted loudly, swept away by enthusiasm or curiosity, Yeosang received the news of their relationship calmly and silently, as he had not yet formed an opinion about the situation; speaking without having thought it through first was not his style. Not that he was indifferent; on the contrary, the idea that Hongjoong had started a relationship with someone so significant in the music scene, fascinated him more than he let on. Yet, as was typical of him, he preferred to think deeply before saying anything.

In fact, Yeosang felt happy for Hongjoong. He knew well how much their leader had sacrificed for the sake of ATEEZ and how he had always acted as an emotional shield for the others. The thought that someone could finally take care of him, just as he did for his members, gave him a sense of peace. If Chaeri could provide that kind of balance for Hongjoong, that was already enough for Yeosang.

However, despite his reserved demeanor, Yeosang couldn't shake the thought that this relationship might somehow influence the dynamics of the group. It wasn’t jealousy or envy, but rather a healthy concern for their equilibrium. At a time when ATEEZ was growing and reaching new milestones, he feared that the notoriety of such a public relationship could distract Hongjoong or even create tensions with Chaeri's international fame.

For this reason, he spoke privately with Hongjoong to tell him that he would support whatever made him happy, but that he needed to make sure that he found the right equilibrium, for himself, for ATEEZ, and for BTS.

The ice between him and Chaeri finally broke when, noticing his somewhat distant and thoughtful demeanor, she decided to "test him" with jokes and playful remarks, trying to make him laugh and lift his spirits whenever she was around.

When San was told the news, he decided to become one of the most welcoming people Chaeri would ever meet. If Hongjoong put so much trust in her that he made their relationship public and made her an official part of their routine, it meant that he could trust her, too, and that she was certainly a special person, an idea that was later solidified as he began to get to know her more.

For him, it was new to see his captain, always so focused and dedicated to work, let loose whenever Chaeri was around. He was the first to realize that Joong didn’t just have a simple crush or attraction toward her—he was completely smitten. This realization filled San with joy, both because he could see how happy his hyung was and because teasing him about it was going to be even more fun. And oh, he never missed an opportunity to do so, knowing he’d succeeded with his jokes whenever Hongjoong threatened to beat him up.

San was among those who didn’t worry at all about the potential repercussions this might have on their group. He had complete faith in Hongjoong and their agency, and if they believed the situation could only benefit them, then he firmly believed it too.

From the start, San took it upon himself to make their dorm a bit more “girl-friendly” in subtle ways, often reminding the other guys not to leave laundry outside their rooms and occasionally bringing an air freshener or candles with softer fragrances.

Chaeri, along with Hongjoong, had started taking care of all of them through small gestures: giving them decorative items for the dorm, bringing food almost every time they met, and listening to them in moments of difficulty. For San, it was only right to make her feel like a true member of their family.

Mingi was less worried about the implications of dating someone as high-profile as Chaeri and more curious about what she was like behind the scenes. He'd seen her charisma on stage, of course, but knowing she had somehow captured the heart of their hyper-focused captain made her all the more interesting.

When she started hanging out with them more, Mingi was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to talk to her. He found himself chatting about everything. She laughed at his quirky jokes, and her genuine reactions made him feel instantly comfortable. Chaeri was even surprisingly willing to listen to his ramblings, which most people couldn’t keep up with for long.

What Mingi appreciated most was that she seemed to care about all of them, not just Hongjoong. It didn’t take long for him to open up to her the way he would to a friend, even showing her some of his scribbled lyrics and ideas—something he rarely did with people outside the group. She encouraged him to pursue his creative ideas with enthusiasm, which meant a lot to him, especially coming from someone with so much experience.

Mingi noticed little things about her and Hongjoong’s dynamic that the others might miss. Like the way Chaeri would glance at Hongjoong to see if he needed anything or how Hongjoong’s shoulders relaxed just a bit more when she was around. While he didn’t tease his leader as much as San or Wooyoung did in front of Chaeri, he made sure to join in whenever she wasn’t around.

Wooyoung was the most excited. It was almost too good to be true— despite his hectic schedule, his beloved captain had found love. And not just anyone, but Chaeri of BTS. And oh, if he wasn't a BTS fan.

His fanboy heart was thrilled, enough to make him almost obnoxious with his numerous questions towards his Hyung that went from 'Do you think she will introduce me to Jimin sunbaenim?' to 'If, technically, BTS are like siblings and we, technically, are like siblings, does that mean that if you and her are together, she is my sister-in-law and us and them will become one family?' It is unsurprising that, to most of these questions, Hongjoong simply answered with a somewhat annoyed 'I don't know.'

The vague and rather bored response to Wooyoung’s questions made the members wrinkle their noses, perhaps too eager to pry into their hyung's relationship and then into the dynamics of such a famous group as BTS. After all, he was dating an idol in one of the most prominent groups ever. He felt their captain needed to give them a few details to satisfy their innocent curiosity.

Wooyoung was the first to break the ice with her and treat her like one of the family rather than an unexpected addition to their already large group. It took only a few days before he started referring to her as 'Noona,' and he is known to blush, in an innocent and non-romantic way, at most of the things she says to him.

Jongho is a private person who, unlike many other group members, highly values his privacy and, therefore, deeply respects others' boundaries. So, he didn't seem particularly interested in the news of his hyung's relationship. After all, it was normal for them to have partners, right? The only difference was that the girl was one of the country's most famous and influential figures. At first, Jongho thought that it might have been better for the group's well-being and harmony if Hongjoong had found love in someone who wasn't always in the spotlight, but in the end, he was indifferent to their relationship as it was their business.

For this reason, at first, he couldn’t understand the cheerful atmosphere with which almost everyone else had welcomed the news. It wasn’t the first time one of them had started dating someone (obviously keeping everything strategically out of the spotlight), and to him, the fact that Hongjoong was with a famous person rather than an ordinary one didn’t make any difference. That’s why he didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic.

However, as time passed and as Chaeri became more and more embedded in their group dynamic, Jongho could not help but get to know her better. He noticed that despite her fame, she approached everyone with humility, a quality that many celebrities in their circles display only when they are in the spotlight. Although he was less experienced than her, who had debuted five years earlier, it happened more than once that Chaeri asked him for advice on how to keep her voice so steady during performances, which amazed him and filled him with pride.

His respect for her began to change drastically for the better when, after a movie night organized by the group, she stayed behind to help tidy up, despite the fact that it was late and she had a busy schedule the next day. When Jongho told her she did not need to, she replied that it was nice to contribute, since she now considered them a second family.

I wanted to thank @littlestatesman for helping me a few months ago by giving me more information about Ateez than I had, and especially my Boo, @alixnsuperstxr who helped me with the entire drafting of everything written. Thank you so much for your friendship and support ❤️

taglist: @alixnsuperstxr | @bts-dream | @enchantingbrowneyedgirl | @ycuvi | @cosmicwintr

[thatblvckboyy]

Hong joong x male listener smut audio

Hong-joong just love how tight and warm you are the perfect stress reliever for him when he got home from work all stressed out

[atzaurora]

╰┈➤ ɪɴᴛᴏxɪᴄᴀᴛɪɴɢ

[˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗] mіძᥒіgһ𝗍 mᥱᥣ᥆ძіᥱs

❥ 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓: Hongjoong

➤ 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈: fem!idol!songwriter!reader x idol!songwriter!hongjoong

➤ 𝒕𝒚𝒑𝒆𝒔: imagine (smut)

➤ 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑: group members, good friends

.ᐟ.ᐟ𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔.ᐟ.ᐟ: 18+/smut/suggestive content, MDNI!!!, unprotected sex

➤ 𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: Stuck in the studio late at night with Hongjoong and who knew, what you were writing in the song would turn into reality...

➤ 𝒘/𝒄: > not counted <

➤ 𝒂/𝒏: as you can see I changed my theme for my blog >.< I hope y'all like it! anyways enjoy this fanfic with Hongjoong

if you have any ideas or wishes let me know, requests are open

here's my [𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕]!

[𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕]here!

about me, my writings, request rules [𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆]

It was late at night, too late to form a straight thought around all of the work in front of you.

Being in the songwriting position alongside Hongjoong could be a blessing and a curse at the same time. You loved writing songs, putting your all into the lyrics but you hated how long you and him had to stay up sometimes just to find the right words.

Eventually the words came to your minds as you sat there scribbling it down onto a piece of paper and testing out some beats that could fit the vibe of the song. Hongjoong groaned, leaning back into his chair, his hands covering his eyes in exhaustion.

"Shit, it's so late already," he glanced at you, lowering the hands from his face. "Do you want to go to sleep? You must be tired already?"

You smiled at how he looked out for you but shook your head. "No, it's alright. Plus, we both should write the song. I don't want to leave you to it all alone."

He nods approvingly. "Yeah, you're right. But before you collapse please tell me, we can always continue tomorrow, okay?"

"Yes, I know, but I'm fine, I'm not that tired." It was sort of a lie to be honest because in fact you were tired already. You turned back to face the paper.

Hongjoong’s eyes lingered on you for a moment longer, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips before he turned back to his notebook. The two of you worked in silence, the only sounds being the scratching of pens on paper and the occasional sigh of frustration. The lyrics were shaping up nicely, weaving a tale of forbidden desire and hidden passion.

As the night wore on, the words on the page grew increasingly sensual. The group had agreed earlier on doing a song a little more explicit than usual just to test it out.

Hongjoong’s voice softened as he read aloud a particularly provocative line. “Your touch ignites a fire, burning with forbidden desire…” He trailed off, his eyes flicking up to meet yours. There was something different in his gaze, something darker and more intense.

You felt a shiver run down your spine, the atmosphere in the room shifting palpably. “That’s... perfect,” you whispered, your voice barely audible.

Hongjoong’s eyes stayed locked on yours, a small smirk forming on his lips. “Yeah? You think so?” He leaned closer, his hand brushing against yours as he reached for a pencil. The contact was brief, but it sent a jolt of electricity through you.

“Definitely,” you managed to say, your voice trembling slightly. You tried to focus on the paper in front of you, but the proximity of Hongjoong was making it difficult to concentrate. His cologne, a mix of cedarwood and vanilla, was intoxicating.

As the song continued to take shape, the lyrics grew bolder, more explicit. You could feel the tension building between you, an unspoken understanding passing between the two of you. Hongjoong’s touches became more frequent, more deliberate. His fingers would linger on yours a moment too long, his knee would brush against yours under the table.

It was becoming harder to ignore the growing heat between you. Finally, Hongjoong put his pen down, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied sigh. “I think we’ve got something really special here,” he said, his voice low and husky. “Don’t you think?”

You nodded, your heart pounding in your chest. “Yeah, we do.”

Hongjoong’s gaze was intense, his eyes dark with an emotion you couldn’t quite place. He reached out, his fingers gently tilting your chin up to meet his gaze. “You know,” he murmured, his thumb brushing over your lower lip, “some of these lyrics... they make me think of you.”

Your breath hitched, the air between you charged with electricity. “Hongjoong...” you whispered, your voice trailing off as he leaned closer

“Tell me if I’m out of line,” he said softly, his lips just inches from yours. “But I can’t stop thinking about you. About us.”

Before you could respond, his lips were on yours, soft and insistent. You melted into the kiss, your hands tangling in his hair as you pulled him closer. The notebook and pens scattered to the floor as Hongjoong lifted you onto his lap, your legs straddling his waist.

The kiss deepened, becoming more urgent. His hands roamed over your body, exploring and caressing. You could feel the hard evidence of his arousal pressing against you, sending a thrill of excitement through your body.

Hongjoong’s lips trailed down your neck, sucking and nibbling, leaving a trail of hickeys in his wake. You moaned softly, your hips grinding against him as you sought more friction. His hands slipped under your shirt, his touch sending shivers down your spine.

“God, Y/N,” he groaned, his lips returning to yours in a heated kiss. “You have no idea what you do to me.”

You rocked your hips against him, feeling the heat between you growing. “Show me,” you whispered, your voice breathless.

Hongjoong didn’t need any more encouragement. He lifted you effortlessly, carrying you over to the couch in the corner of the studio. He laid you down gently, his body covering yours as he kissed you deeply.

Your hands fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against yours. He helped you, shrugging off his shirt and tossing it aside before returning his attention to you. His hands slid under your shirt, pushing it up and over your head.

His lips found your breasts, sucking and licking, drawing soft moans from your lips. Your fingers dug into his shoulders, your body arching towards him as he continued his ministrations.

“Hongjoong, please,” you gasped, your need for him growing unbearable.

He smiled against your skin, his hands moving to unbutton your jeans. “I’ve got you, baby,” he murmured, his voice low and filled with promise.

As he removed the last of your clothing, you could feel the cool air of the studio against your heated skin. Hongjoong’s eyes roamed over your body, his expression one of pure desire. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, his lips capturing yours once more.

His hands and lips explored every inch of you, leaving you breathless and wanting. When he finally positioned himself between your legs, you could hardly stand the anticipation.

You felt his body heat radiating against your own skin, making you feel hot despite the fresh breeze from the air conditioner.

He took his dick into one of his hand, the other one holding your waist down, in a firm grip. His tip grazed your hole, drawing circles around it.

“Are you sure?” he asked softly, his eyes searching yours for any hesitation.

“Yes,” you whispered, your voice filled with need. “Please, Hongjoong.”

He entered you slowly, the sensation overwhelming. You gasped, your nails digging into his back as he began to move. The rhythm he set was slow and deliberate, each thrust sending waves of pleasure through your body.

“Y/N,” he groaned, his lips finding yours in a searing kiss. “You feel so good.”

You could only moan in response, your body arching towards his as the pleasure built. His hands gripped your hips, guiding you to meet his thrusts.

Your hips lifted away from the soft fabric, which each thrust, only for him to take your sides and press them down. "Come one, doll, stay put."

The sound of your combined moans and the slap of skin filled the room, the intensity of your connection leaving you breathless.

His cock slammed harder into you, burying himself deeper and hitting your gummy spot. "R-right there," you whimpered, grabbing onto his wrists.

As you reached your peak, Hongjoong’s name fell from your lips in a breathless cry. He followed soon after, his body tensing as he found his release.

Your liquids mixed inside you, finding their way around his length and leaking out once he pulled out of you.

The two of you lay there for a moment, catching your breath. Hongjoong’s hand brushed a strand of hair from your face, his eyes filled with tenderness. “Are you okay?” he asked softly, his thumb caressing your cheek.

You nodded, a smile spreading across your lips. “Yeah, I’m more than okay.”

He chuckled softly, pulling you into his arms. “Good. Because I don’t think I can ever get enough of you.”

You snuggled into his embrace, feeling content and happy. As you lay there in the afterglow, you couldn’t help but think that this night had changed everything.

[crimsonbubble]

IM BOUTA TWEAK IN THIS BITCH BRUH

the slow smirk omG HES GETTING HEAD

I need him in a way that concerns humanity

[kiwiraccoon]

In the Twilight

Ateez x OC

Word Count: 2678

Summary: She lives with eight men, it was planned by all their parents. They spend hours together and hours apart. They do things together, for each other, and on their own. She reads by her window and they join in. They fall in love first, and she falls harder one by one.

Notes: FLUFF that’s all

part 1

The pages on my book glow in the twilight of the setting sun through my window that I sit next to regularly. The words stick out against the beige pages and I lose track of time while reading. It’s a common occurrence causing the boys to interrupt my time to call me for dinner. If they didn’t I would skip the meal unintentionally.

“Your dress will get wrinkled like that.” A voice calls out from the other side of our decently sized library. He walks into the room with grace that calls attention to him even if he doesn’t want it.

“Will it now?” I jest, a smirk growing on my face as I close my book with just my finger holding its place. He continues walking towards me and I can do nothing but watch his elegance. I’ve learned much from him about etiquette, and how to hold oneself in a pleasing manner. If it weren’t for him I would be curled up on my windowsill and slouching in a very uncomfortable position.

He chuckles, “It will.” He moves to stand near where I sit allowing himself to see the beautiful landscape I find myself wanting to paint from memory many times.

“Did you come here for something?” I ask not out of annoyance, a feeling I never have towards him, but out of curiosity as he usually has something in mind for us to do when he does gain the courage to interrupt my time.

“I’m just enjoying the view.” He says softly looking out to the landscape and I look down smiling, opening my book once again. I know he has an idea but refuses to pull me away from my book when I am not at a perfect stopping point. He understands my love for words on pages and their stories better than any of the others.

“There are other windows, Seonghwa.” I say with a small laugh at his antics, but continue reading as to finish the chapter quickly.

“But none have this beautiful view.” He says simply, and without looking I can feel his eyes on me rather than the view outside causing a small smile to form on my face.

“It is quite nice isn’t it.” My pages turn as he ponders his next words. I can feel the way he wants to ask me a question but his morality refuses to let him ‘bother’ me. I always found it cute how he would wait for hours if he had to just to be sure he wasn’t intruding on my time alone. The way he would either grab a random book of his own to occupy his mind with or simply just sit on one of the couches and enjoy the ‘view’ before him.

“Indeed,” he breathes in for a moment obviously fighting his inner turmoil. “Uh… Do you have a book mark?” The way his voice shakes but also peaks in both curiosity and worry makes my smile grow once again and pull my eyes to him.

A chuckle escapes my lips, “nope.”

“Well then,” he clears his throat and steps closer to where I sit, “do you mind remembering the page you are on?” I see the way his Adams Apple bobs as his swallows down his stress. I never truly understood why he felt so scared or uncomfortable with gaining my attention. But I admire his consistency even if I do wish sometimes he would just give in to his desires and whisk me away without a question.

“May I ask why, Seonghwa?” I put emphasis on his name as I memorize my page number and close the book. Without missing a beat I hear a slight laugh blow through his nostrils as I haphazardly toss my book into my windowsill and turn my body to face him more. 

His hand reaches out in request for mine, “I would like to show you something.” The smile on his face never fails to make my heart stutter, he has one of those dazzling smiles that anyone would give their all to see again. Or just leave them wishing they could have the beautiful image painted in their mind just for them to see.

“Oh alright then.” I take his slightly larger hand in mine and let him pull me from my seat. He places my hand in the crook of his elbow as he leads me out of the room and to this mysterious place I can’t wait to see.

“What were you reading?” He questions breaking the silence and creating a comforting atmosphere, well more so adding to it as I have never found myself even slightly on edge in his presence. Over the years we have grown close, maybe it was because we saw each other often through our parents meeting or maybe just because for some reason we are just puzzle pieces who only fit comfortably with one another.

When our parents sat us down and told us we would be taking over the residence we both smiled to each other and silently agreed to celebrate later alone. This was before we found out about the others, but even then we still celebrated in the moonlight with our favorite wine. “ A beautiful romantic scene.”

“Will you tell me about it?” He smiles down at my encouraging me to tell him about the scene he so wishes he didn’t drag me away from but couldn’t wait much longer.

“Well, a charming prince took his beautiful princess to the gardens in the middle of light rain to dance… and then you showed up” I smile back up at him to show him that I didn’t mind and simply enjoy his presence no matter the time.

He slightly squeezes my hand against his arm, “I’m sorry to interrupt.”

A soft giggle escapes me and causes me to cover my mouth before responding, “I like your interruptions.”

“Is that so?” His smile grows more and we make our way out of the long hallways and into the larger rooms of the main area.

“Mmhmm.” I hum, “you always take me somewhere nice.” It’s common that he would whisk me away to a nighttime stroll through our garden, or even through our many halls just to let us get time alone and enjoy each other's presence. But other times he would take me out for a horseback ride and we would find ourselves in a beautiful landscape that would make me gasp and him laugh. I would spin around and dramatically fall into the grass laughing while he would slowly walk over and look down at me as if I hung the stars. He believes it to. Especially when we stargaze at night, he swears I placed each star just for him to look at, and I wish I did but I would do it so much better.

“Are there any interruptions you don’t like?” He asks.

“Wooyoung, Yunho, and Jongho sometimes.” I admit chuckling as he gasps when I say Yunho’s name. “Let me explain. Wooyoung always takes my books away when I’m at the best part then reads them himself, Jongho just sits there silently and stares I usually don’t mind but sometimes I can only feel his eyes and I can’t focus, and Yunho. Well, he makes the silliest jokes at the worst times. I will be reading a really intense or sad moment and all of the sudden he’s making a joke about one of our cats falling earlier in the day.” 

“And yet you never tell us to go away.” He shakes his head and pulls me towards our massive ballroom leaving a confused look on my face. 

“I could never… the ballroom?” I ask now pulling away from his arm and spinning a round the open space that has recently been cleaned. I can see decorations around the room along with the placement of large tables specifically for the food and drinks to come.

“We have the ball tomorrow.” He reminds following me around the large space elegantly.

“Ah right, tomorrow. I almost forgot.” 

“You forgot. Do you have a dress?” He corrects, and asks me a question he knows the answer to. Seonghwa is always prepared, possibly even weeks in advance. Sometimes I worry if he even spends time just to himself and not worrying about what’s to come and how to help all of us to prepare.

I laugh at his question, “I know you have made me one already.” More often than not he spends most of his time creating clothes for us, but he enjoys making me dresses the most. I remember him saying that creating dresses gives him more room for creativity than a simple suit for the guys. And I can’t help but agree and have zero rebuttal.

“You know me well.” He pulls me to him softly be the arm and smiles down at me. I swear his smile if enough for me to die happy but I would be doing an injustice to all the other guys in this estate. All of them hold a piece of my heart whether they like it or not. 

“Always,” I whisper patting his chest before looking around the room and smiling to myself. “It’s beautiful in here.”

I see him shake his head slightly in the corner of my eye. “You light up the room more than you know.”

“Oh really?” A blush finds its way creeping up my face and I turn away from him pretending to look around the room again. I don’t know why but suddenly I feel nervous under his gaze. Maybe it’s the intimate moment we are sharing, but we have shared many before. So many that compliments are normal conversation topics for us, and even though I get flustered never once has my blush made me want to turn away.

“Yes.” He places a finger under my chin and turns me to look at him once again while giving me a small smile with a smirk mixed in. He clears his throat, “do you have someone accompanying you?”

“All of you usually accompany me throughout the night, you know, I never have just one.” I state smiling at the memory of what they all tend to do throughout the night of a ball. Hongjoong accompanies me during the toast and first dance. Yunho makes me laugh when I grow bored. Yeosang and I whisper amongst ourselves about the music. San helps me relax when I feel there are too many people. Mingi steals me for a dance when he feels I haven’t danced enough. Wooyoung tugs me to the balcony at just the right time to get fresh air and chat. And Jongho takes me to my room when he notices my fourth yawn. Finally, Seonghwa makes me feel like I belong yet stand out all at the same time.

“Would you mind if I whisked you away for a dance this time?” He asks knowing he rarely gets a chance to dance with me thanks to the others. And for some reason he now feels the need to do so, but I can’t help but think how cute his invitation is.

I smile and tuck a piece of hair behind his ear and whisper, “I would never mind, Seonghwa.”

He leans his head down to connect with me and close his eyes letting out a sigh of relief, “good.” 

In the moment I can’t help but think how perfect it would be to just give in to temptation. “How about a dance now?” I ask pulling away to look into his eyes that always remind me how pure he really is.

“There’s no music?” His eyebrows furrow causing me to let out a small laugh and shrug.

“We don’t need music.” I pull him into position and start a simple dance enjoying the moment of peace and serenity with the one person who gives me that feeling just with his presence. He leads me into the dance and we hold eye contact the whole time, fully embracing a moment we claim as ours.

“Is this like your book?” He questions with a little smile on his face.

“No this is our own moment not written on pages but in history. Everything that is done is history whether it was written down or not.” I explain fully believing my words and hoping he understands what I mean. I want us to make history together, our own history that maybe no one else will ever hear but it doesn’t matter to us.

His teeth shine through his smile, “you have a way with words.”

“Well I do read and write often.” I jest smirking at his smile. Our relationship will forever amaze me at how we can be serious yet challenging to each other in a joking way no matter the situation. Whether it’s alone in the middle of the night or in the dining hall with the others watching our interactions. Of course one would insert themselves and steal our thunder but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I could listen to you speak all day.” He admits leaning our heads together once again letting his vulnerable side show in this moment. He has shown it many times with me and every time I can’t help but do my best to memorize every single moment even if it’s only fleeting.

“My voice would grow hoarse.”

“And yet I would still listen and when you can’t speak I will still be near.” He replies swiftly throwing me for a loop, it usually takes him a moment to think of what to say and now he knew exactly how to respond. With words that left me stumped and flustered more than normal.

I pull away and look into his eyes with a furrow in my brows, “now it is you who has a way with words.”

He laughs at my response and continues our dance. There is nothing but our breath and footsteps creating the music around us. Music would do nothing but pull us away from our own thoughts that run wild in the intimate moment that I can’t quite understand is doing to my emotions. “Would you like to see your dress?”

“No,” I reply simply.

“Why not?” His brows furrow as his spins me around in front of him.

“I know it is beautiful because it is you who made it.” My words catch him off guard and I can only tell by the way he only slightly loses his footing. 

He again clears his throat before regaining his footing and meeting my eyes. “Why do you think that?”

I send a smile his way and grip onto him a little tighter hoping he can feel my emotions through my touch. The emotions I can’t quite understand fully myself. “I always follow you because I know that whatever you see fit for my eyes to lay upon must be beautiful in your eyes and I wish to appreciate all the things you find worthy.”

“Yourself?” He asks quickly looking into my eyes more seriously and pulling me slightly closer.

My head tilts slightly to the side quickly, “what about myself?”

Our movements slow as the dance reaches its end. “I find you beautiful.”

The blush I had just cleared my face of rises once again and I can’t help but lean into his chest to hide away. He chuckles at my response and rubs my back to soothe any embarrassment I might be feeling. “And I appreciate myself maybe not as much as I appreciate you and the others but enough.”

“Appreciate is not the word I would use.” Our dance ends and we just hold each other close as we finish our conversation.

“What word would you use then?” I ask and start to pull myself away but he refuses to let me go pulling me in closer.

“Admire, adore, treasure, the list goes on.” He admits.

“Then I do ado-“

“Ah there you are! I have been looking for you!”

[hwalyn]

director’s cut ➛ my career is basically over !

prev | masterlist | two

A/N guess who’s back and FINALLY starting the katie fic !!

SYNOPSIS! katie was always the top of her class, her projects and assignments were the ones teachers used as examples in class, and she never, ever got a failing grade. so why is her professor now telling her that a soundtrack is going to make or break her grade? and why does the person helping her have to be one of the members of the group she’s listed as her personal enemies? can this final be turned in safely?

[sweetiesicheng]

hongjoong

* - personal favorite ; ! - popular (over 50+ notes) ; ☆ - (over 100+ notes)

last updated : 09/24/24

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> practice !

- you’re a part of a group of trainees and after your monthly evaluations, you practice with one of your friends who helps you teach you how to produce.

> one morning *!☆

- you’re spending the morning doing some work. hongjoong eventually gets up and spends some time with you before heading out.

|

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[atolua]

𖥻  WAKE UP CALL ˒ 𝐞𝐭𝐚.  autumn  of  2021   

EDITION .. when ed sheeran said, “my bad habits lead you to me.”

FEATURING .. kim hongjoong  ˚ mention of other teezers

CW(S) .. intentionally overworking one’s self  &  lua’s literally ateez’s guardian angel

MONA SAYS .. barely scraped myself out of writers’ block for this.

“stop doing that..” hongjoong grumbles, a yawn falling off right after.

lua momentarily halts before continuing to card her fingers through his tangerine tresses. it tells the tired leader that she did hear him, but she doesn't want to listen. and deep down, he's happy about it.

after numerous events occurred in the first half of this year, hongjoong can't recall the last time he actually took a break. (yes, he knows going to the toilet doesn't classify as one.) still, his workaholic side tries to lift him off the sofa, only for lua to bring him down again.

this time, she forces the younger to lie down and rest his head on her lap. “stop it, kim hongjoong. you're not going anywhere until you get enough rest.”

oh no, the government given name.

“fine, i'll just close my eyes for an hour.” he finally concedes, mainly due to the fear that she'll revoke his playing with his hair privilege.

one hour is joined by two, then five. and the sleepy leader only comes to realize this when his alarm clock goes off. it isn't loud enough to wake up the whole building, let alone lua—

“moon?”

the girl in question stirs a little from the sound, but he quickly turns it off before she can fully wake up. a good thing too, because it gives him some time to observe her. and the longer he looks at her, the more his guilt churns in his stomach.

at some point, she could have moved him and settled into a more comfortable position. or she could have even woken him up so they could go back to the dorms—then again, he might tell her to go ahead and fall back into producing..

regardless, she chose neither of those options.

it doesn't matter if that means she'll be dealing with neck pains or an aching spine for the rest of the day, or maybe even the week. what's important is that her friend finally gets the break he's been neglecting.

now that is the real alarm that wakes hongjoong up.  

(after that, he cut down on his all nighters. and despite not knowing what sparked this change, the other members shared the same emotion: relief.)

❑ TAGLIST  ..   @stealanity @ateezivy @cixrosie​ 

[mi-rae07]

Kim Hongjoong : Fight For Me (Part 3/3)

Pairing : Kim Hong-joong (Ateez) and named character (Park Helena)

___________

Helena brushed hongjoong's bangs off of his forehead as he slept peacefully beside her, his bare upper body covered with the blanket. He looked so beautiful like this, so vulnerable but so perfect. And as helena thought about what hongjoong must have gone through, sacrificing his body and his happiness in order to bring her benefit, it made him all the more beautiful to her.

She had kissed each of his scars tonight, each of them proof of the love hongjoong had for her. It was ironical, cheating as a form of love? Anyone would find it stupid, but she understood.

Helena leaned forward and kissed his still sweaty forehead, hongjoong giving a satisfied sigh before nuzzling closer towards her uncovered upper body. Helena smiled and wrapped her arms around him before resting her head on top of hongjoong's, breathing heavily.

Helena frowned as she felt hongjoong mumble something weakly against her chest, that not really being coherent to her.

Helena : can you say that again for me, love?

Hongjoong : please don't leave me.

His voice sounded so broken, so desperate. It sounded like the result of everything this man had gone through, before and after meeting her.

Helena : hongjoong.

Hongjoong : I love you so much, please don't let go of me.

Helena : I won't baby, I won't.

Helena pulled back as she felt hongjoong's tears wet her bare skin, her thumbs coming to wipe them off as she pecked his swollen lips before whispering

Helena : I won't ever leave you, my love.

____________________________

That night hongjoong had no nightmares.

____________________________

Helena looked up as hongjoong walked down towards the dining room, his head lowered and his hands clenched beside him. He knew what had happened last night, his memories were still quite intact. And it embarassed him, how easily he had given up.

Helena : good morning.

Hongjoong said nothing. Instead he sat down opposite her on the dining table before quietly eating his breakfast.

Helena : do you feel okay?

Hongjoong said nothing.

Helena : hongjoong, I need to know. Do you feel fine?

Hongjoong : no, but that's not your problem.

Helena : hongjoong I…is this about last night? Because I-

Hongjoong : I was under the influence of a drug last night. None of what I said, or did last night was in the right mind.

Helena : are you saying all of that was false, then?

Hongjoong : helena please-

Helena : I can't have you keep lying to me, hongjoong!

Hongjoong : helena I can't be with you! I'm trying to fight it back but you're not making it fucking easy for me!

Helena : because I want you! Because I don't care if you're infertile, or cheated on me, or whatever the hell you've done. Let the world think I'm fucked up for this, let the world think you don't deserve me, let them think whatever the fuck they want! I still love you, and I know you love me too. So stop fighting me, hongjoong.

Hongjoong stared at helena for a long time, almost making her think he would give in. but he didn't. instead hongjoong stood up before walking away, leaving helena high and dry.

_______________________________

Helena was going through some paperwork when the door to her office room suddenly opened, revealing park jejun. She looked back at her work as soon as she saw him, trying not to walk over and punch the man right in the face. But she kept her composure as she asked in a cold voice

Helena : who let you in?

Jejun : nobody really has to?

Jejun shut the door behind him before walking closer to helena, making her roll her eyes. Ugh, how she hated this man.

Helena : stand 5 meters away from me, jejun. I will not have you invading my private space.

Jejun : we've fucked like, a million times before, helena.

Helena chuckled, looking up at jejun as she said

Helena : and all million times I had to pretend I was feeling good.

Jejun : you little-

Helena : please. Give me a break, jejun-ah.

Jejun : and him? That little shit of a secretary of yours? He makes you feel good?

Helena : more than you could even imagine, as a matter of fact.

Jejun : he gives you nothing, helena. No money, no power, no mansions-

Helena : I can give all that to myself all well, jejun. I don't need anyone to give me material things, I'm a CEO. Hongjoong gives me happiness, and love. Something no one else could ever give me the way he does. So get out before I report you for having drugged my man's drink last night.

Jejun groaned in anger, taking a flower vase that was on helena's desk before smashing it against a nearby wall, causing a loud shattering sound. Helena did not flinch, just continuing to stare at jejun with bored eyes. But she looked up when the door to her office burst open, revealing a panting hongjoong as he eyed around the room in worry.

Helena : hongjoong?

Hongjoong glared at jejun who was now looking at him with furious, walking inside before asking

Hongjoong : why the fuck is he here?

Jejun : do I need to give you an explanation?

Hongjoong grabbed jejun's collar, taking jejun aback by his actions.

Hongjoong : no, but for drugging my drink last night? Probably.

Jejun : you didn't die, did you?

Hongjoong : unfortunately. Now pay for it.

Jejun : what?

Hongjoong : pay for what you just broke, bastard.

Helena : hongjoong-

Jejun : you think I will?

Hongjoong : it's either that, or I force it from you.

Jejun cursed under his breath and lifted his fist to punch hongjoong, making helena's eyes widen. But before she could say anything hongjoong had already caught jejun's fist in his, jejun's fist shaking in his hold as he tried to use all his strength against hongjoong. But it was of no use, hongjoong was clearly much stronger. And before jejun could process anything more, hongjoong had kicked him right in the gut, making jejun cough as he stepped back in shock. Helena stood up from her seat as hongjoong said

Hongjoong : I tried to play nice and you wouldn't stand it.

Hongjoong stepped forward and punched jejun in the nose this time, making him groan as he held his bleeding face.

Hongjoong : you drug me, kill me, I don’t fucking care. But you step in here and cause trouble to her, I will not stand it.

Jejun looked up at hongjoong with shocked eyes as hongjoong said

Hongjoong : so fucking pay for the damage and leave, jejun. Also, do yourself a favor and don't return.

Jejun huffed and took his wallet out before throwing a bunch of notes on the floor, walking out of the office angrily and in part embarassment. Hongjoong rolled his eyes and picked up the note from the floor before placing it on helena's table, saying to her in a nonchalant voice

Hongjoong : I'll call the maids in to clean the mess for you.

Hongjoong was about to turn around and leave when helena said

Helena : show me your hand.

Hongjoong : it's fine.

Helena : hongjoong, listen to me.

Hongjoong let out a breath and brought his hand closer to her, helena's eyes softening as she saw the small bruises on them.

Helena : you keep getting hurt.

Hongjoong : this isn't much big of a deal, helena. It'll go away-

Helena : come with me.

Hongjoong : what, why?

Helena : to put medicine, of course.

_______________________________________

Helena : why did you do it?

Hongjoong : do what?

Helena : fight for me.

Hongjoong looked down at helena who was slowly taking care of his bruises, being as gentle as possible.

Hongjoong : I wasn't, I was taking my anger out on what he did to me yesterday.

Helena : liar.

Hongjoong : believe it if you want, it doesn't matter.

Helena : and how long am I going to have to keep trying?

Hongjoong : stop trying, helena.

Helena : I'm not used to that. We wouldn't be sitting here in this building if I could do that easily. I don’t give up on the things I love.

Hongjoong : I cheated on you, helena.

Helena : yeah? So if I cheat on someone as well, does that make us equal? Then will you stop fighting me?

Hongjoong looked away, his eyes closed in frustration.

Hongjoong : stop doing this.

Helena : I won't stop until you give in.

Hongjoong looked up as helena brought his bandaged hand towards her lips and kissed it, whispering softly

Helena : I want you, and I will never stop wanting you until I have you. So fight all you want, but I'm not going to stop.

________________________________________

2 months later :

Helena entered her penthouse after having gone out for half the night, small amounts of alcohol still pumping through her veins. But it was small, it didn't matter. It helped take her mind off of how hongjoong was so resilient in fighting against her anyway.

Hongjoong : why are you so late?

Helena turned around and smiled at the sight of hongjoong standing right behind her, his eyes sleepy. Of course, it was 2am.

Helena : were you worried, hongjoong-ie?

Hongjoong : I was annoyed, helena.

Helena snorted and was about to walk forward when hongjoong said

Hongjoong : you have to stop buying me gifts.

Helena : gifts?

Hongjoong : yes, gifts. First it was flowers, now it's cars? Helena you can't waste your money like this-

Helena : no money spent on you is wasted money, my precious.

Hongjoong : stop calling me that.

Helena : you used to like it.

Hongjoong : not anymore so stop.

Helena : m'kay, precious.

Hongjoong groaned as helena chuckled, stepping forward to move to her bedroom. But she paused right on her tracks as she heard hongjoong say

Hongjoong : can I leave?

Helena frowned, turning back to face hongjoong with now confused eyes

Helena : leave where?

Hongjoong : it's been 3 months, helena. I…when will I be able to leave here? Leave this place?

Helena : you…want to leave?

Hongjoong : yes, yes I want to leave.

Helena felt her heart racing at the thought of losing him.

Helena : hongjoong I-

Hongjoong : I'm tired, helena. I'm tired of having to do something I don't want to do. Can't you understand? We can't be together, we must not. Please just fucking let me go.

Helena's heart dropped as she stared into hongjoong's teary eyes, only coming to a realization then that maybe…maybe she was hurting him by doing all of that she was doing. Maybe he just doesn't want her anymore.

Helena : okay.

Hongjoong : what?

Helena : yes, fine. Leave if you want, hongjoong. Leave me, leave this house, leave everything.

Hongjoong : I-

Helena : no! you cheated on me thrice, but I still kept forgiving you, I still kept fighting for us. And even now, even to this very moment, I have been the only one fighting for this relationship. But a relationship can only stand if the both of us fight for it, it cannot be a one person battle. So if you're tired of me, as you always have been, then go! Fucking leave and don't ever return.

Hongjoong stared at helena as she scoffed and whispered

Helena : I'm sick and tired of you anyway.

And before hongjoong could reply helena had already walked back towards the door, stepping outside the penthouse and going god knows where.

______________________________

Helena had been driving aimlessly around the entire city for god knows how long. She swore she could even slowly start seeing the sun rays by now. But she still couldn't go home, her tears wouldn't let her. Her blurry vision had almost failed her many times, but she swept the car away right at the second it was about to hit someone. But it could be anytime now, and she still couldn't stop. Hongjoong's words kept running through her mind, each of it stabbing the wound in her heart even deeper.

And before she could process it, a truck was coming her way at a very fast pace. And this time, her vision had failed her. But even at that moment, helena thought of hongjoong's smile, the sounds of his laughter, and swept her car away almost suddenly. But it was still of not much use, as the car skidded and struck a hard surface, causing helena's head to hit the steering wheel.

Helena groaned as she heard the sound of her phone ringing, quickly blinking her eyes open as she felt blood drip down her forehead and in other places she didn't bother to look. The light from the phone made her pick the phone up with her trembling hands, smearing blood all over them in the process as it's caller ID read "My love".

Helena picked it up almost instantly. And the first thing she heard was a sob.

Hongjoong : please come back! I'm so sorry, I'm so fucking sorry. I didn't mean it, any of it. I want you to come back home please, please!

Helena smiled at hongjoong's already scared voice, that small movement causing her pain as she said in a broken voice

Helena : I can't.

Hongjoong : what…helena? Where are you-

Helena : hongjoong, it's alright even if you don't leave now. Because I am going to.

Hongjoong : what? No, no! helena please, what are you saying-

Helena : I have always…always loved you. No matter what you have done to us, or to me.

Helena could hear hongjoong's sobs get louder from the other side of the call as he pleaded desperately

Hongjoong : no no no, no you cannot leave like this. I said I was sorry, I don't want you to go away, helena.

Helena : I love you.

And hongjoong's broken, scared sobs were all that could be heard as the phone skidded away from helena's now limp hand, a drop of her tear flowing down her eye and mixing along with the blood as she finally closed her eyes.

_________________________________

Hongjoong had found helena almost an hour later. He had tracked her phone and had found her smashed car. He had taken her out, his chest heavy with loud sobs as the ambulance he had called earlier arrived, taking the both of them to the hospital. And throughout the way hongjoong had held helena's hands, whispering apologies against her ears as his tears fell onto her body drop by drop.

He regretted everything.

And by the time they had reached the hospital, the nurses had told hongjoong that helena had lost too much blood, and that she needed a blood donner. Except her blood type was AB-, which was hard to find at that moment. And then hongjoong had volunteered, because his blood type was the same as hers.

And throughout the next hour blood had been pumped out of hongjoong's body, which was then used to save the life of his lover. And as he laid side by side to helena's unconscious body, he thought,

I have wronged her in so many ways and yet she always kept fighting for me. Now I am going to fight for her, until the moment I die.

__________________________________

Helena opened her eyes with a small groan as her eyes slowly adjusted to the bright light, hongjoong being the first thing she saw.

Hongjoong : oh god, you're awake! Do you feel okay? Fine? Does it hurt anywhere-

Helena : hongjoong.

Hongjoong : yeah?

Helena : why are you here?

Hongjoong : what do you mean why am I here? You got into an accident, helena! I almost thought I'd lost you-

Helena : you're not supposed to care. You're supposed to leave.

Hongjoong pressed his lips together, letting go of his hold on helena's hand as he said slowly

Hongjoong : I can't.

Helena : stop playing with me-

Hongjoong : I know, I'm sorry. But I won't leave. Yesterday night, I got to feel what it would feel like to actually lose you, or be away from you and I…I can't let that happen anymore. It tears me apart.

Helena : what are you trying to say, hongjoong.

Hongjoong : I'm trying to say that I'm going to stay with you from now. Just the way you fought for me, I'm going to fight for you. For real this time.

Helena stared at hongjoong, not yet being able to comprehend him completely.

Hongjoong : I have too many scars, too many wounds, but I'll bear it. I'll bear it all for you, the same way you did for the past decade. We can take it slow this time. Fall in love slowly, get engaged slowly, marry slowly, think about children slowly, everything will go on it's own pace. But I want you to stay with me, please.

Helena : you're being real?

Hongjoong : as real as I can get. I know we have a lot to work on, but for you, I'm willing to try.

Helena stared at hongjoong for a long time, before finally saying

Helena : I'm willing to try too.

Hongjoong smiled widely, leaning forward and kissing helena's forehead before whispering

Hongjoong : I love you.

______________________________________

[shadequeen712]

Book of Shadows

Chapter Two - The Ghost of Sweet Revenge

Genre: witch au, demons, angst, poly relationship

Pairing: Seonghwa x Hongjoong x OC, San x Wooyoung

Warnings: Morally ambiguous characters, light torture (just bondage really) and a lot of dark magic

Notes: I know Wooyoung seems like a super possessive, jealous boyfriend right now, but I promise he’ll get better. And since this is a dark magic au, pretty much all of Ateez is gonna be morally ambiguous in this one. Hongjoong leans towards the darker side of morality for sure. It’s not quite a warning, but please keep it in mind. 

The smell of saltwater assaulted the senses, and the ship rocked like a warning. Hongjoong steered the Horizon peacefully despite the horrible weather conditions, humming an old pirate tune to himself as he navigated the murky depths. The sky was blackening faster than he would have liked, but he knew they still had time to reach land. If rain were in the air, he would be able to smell it. But all he could sense was the sea below, guiding him like an old friend.

He was so focused on the ocean that he failed to notice a warm presence creeping up behind him. He nearly startled when he felt arms suddenly wrapped around his waist. Hongjoong smiled down at the long fingers knitted together, decorated by a single silver ring, engraved with the star-like crest of their coven. Hongjoong bore an identical tattoo on the back of his neck. Each one of them had the same mark- the mark of a witch, the symbol of their power.

"You're up early," Hongjoong said, half-turning to face Seonghwa. "You didn't have to get up with me."

Seonghwa tucked his face into Hongjoong's neck, speaking into the warm skin there. "You didn't have to get up without me. It's too cold when you're gone."

Hongjoong hummed, "The ship was too rocky for me to sleep. Besides, someone has to steer this thing."

"I thought it was Mingi's turn to steer the ship."

Hongjoong shook his head. "He's still fast asleep. And we both know he won't be getting up until this afternoon."

Despite the lack of moisture in the air, thunder crackled in the clouds above. Flashes of lightning revealed ghastly faces peering down at them like angry gods of old. Hongjoong felt the hair on his arms stand to attention, and he knew that this was no ordinary storm.

"Seonghwa, wake the others," Hongjoong ordered quickly, unraveling himself from the man's arms. Seonghwa stared at him in alarm, still disoriented and sleepy. But Hongjoong couldn't begin to explain the danger they suddenly found themselves in. He feared even speaking the name of the fearsome creature would seal their fates.

Seonghwa rushed off, seeing the grim look on Hongjoong's face. Hongjoong lingered, staring up at the sky, listening.

And then he heard the distant wailing, like a banshee proclaiming their imminent deaths. Hongjoong shut his eyes, feeling his insides turning. He knew what was coming, and why the creature was sent to find them. To find him. The magic they had, the magic stolen from the heavens to protect them from hunger and despair, belonged to the stars. Hongjoong was born into magic, but the others weren't as lucky. They were the outcasts of the world, the forgotten and the uncared for.

When he found Seonghwa standing on the roof's edge of his mansion, ready to throw his life away from the sheer unfairness of it all- Hongjoong didn't hesitate to call on the stars. He wished and prayed with everything in him, hoping that the stars would fill Seonghwa with light and laughter, with joy and life, so he could live to see another day.

Hongjoong never expected the stars to answer him. At that young age, he didn't understand that those distant stars were actually old souls, the souls of witches passed over. So when the lights came like he asked, filling up the empty rooftop that would soon be Seonghwa's grave - Hongjoong didn't waste a second. He took the light in his hands, whisked Seonghwa away from the edge, and fed him the stars.

Humans can never possess magic. It is the most absolute of magical rules, one that Hongjoong knew very well. And still, he could not leave this boy alone to die. Hongjoong knew that one day, the stars would punish him for stealing their souls, for interrupting their peaceful existence in heaven.

But now, the stars were angry with them. The souls were gathering in the heavens, coming to reclaim the magic that was never meant to be theirs. But Hongjoong would be damned if he let them take away everything he had ever worked for.

He gripped the wheel of the ship, feeling the light from his inner star glow. He started to pray again, but not to the old witches looking down on them with hatred. He prayed to the only power strong enough to fight them off.

If the forces of light would not accept them, then he would turn to their enemies, the shadows.

...

Aurora woke up in a cold sweat. She could still feel the light brush of Seonghwa's lips on her neck, and the smell of saltwater lingered as if she had recently been out to sea. Aurora wasn't sure why she was dreaming of Hongjoong's time out at sea, or why she was dreaming about him at all.

It made absolutely no sense to her. Aurora had said all but two words to the man, promised him a solution that she didn't even have, and then left as quickly as she came. And now that she had a moment of clarity, in which she realized that she was not an all-powerful witch like the rest of the coven but just an ordinary human with impressive manifestation abilities, she also realized that she was not the person they needed.

Hongjoong's rejection might have had something to do with her sudden dip in confidence. Also Wooyoung's outright disdain for her presence wasn't helpful either.

After visiting Hongjoong, Seonghwa had explained everything he could about what they needed from her. Like he said, she was a human with the heart of a witch. There were a few human souls that possessed an affinity for magic because they believed with everything in them, and apparently she was one of those rare individuals. And after hearing the news of her ex's untimely death, Aurora was not one to argue.

According to an ancient spell, a human's love could reverse the curse of a demon. It wasn't as cliche as true love's kiss, and not nearly as simple. She would have to learn to love Hongjoong, and he would have to learn to love her. With their mutual feelings overriding the dark magic, the old woman's skin would slip off of Hongjoong like an uncomfortable dress. Or at least, Seonghwa hoped as much. It was his first time attempting such an old magic after all. It was the stuff of fairytales.

Once Aurora heard her true purpose in all of this, that instead of learning magic or manifesting a happy ending, she would have to work for the attention of a man that wanted nothing to do with her, she promptly asked for San to take her home.

She just couldn't believe that this was what it came down to. Love? It was ridiculous. How could love fix a demon's curse?

The sound of a meow at her window startled her. She sat up in bed, looking out at the windowsill where San sat perched, getting drenched in the early afternoon rain. She crawled over and peered right into his big yellow eyes. "What do you want?" She asked.

He meowed again in response, pawing the glass.

"I'm not letting a grown man in my room," Aurora asserted. "Especially not one with a surly boyfriend."

"You're a grown woman," San said as a cat, which scared the shit out of Aurora, "And Wooyoung doesn't mean to be rude. He's just a little possessive."

"A little?" Aurora challenged. "I hugged you, and he glared at me like I grabbed your ass or something."

San rolled his eyes, and instead of waiting for Aurora to welcome him in like the last time, he simply leapt onto her bed from outside like the glass was invisible. He settled into a ball by her legs. "I don't care what he thinks. He's not my fucking owner."

"Have you told him that?" She asked. The urge to run her hand down his furry head was almost overwhelming, but she resisted. Things were just too weird now, with him actually being a real person. And Wooyoung was literally going to kill her if she put so much as a fingertip on San.

"I shouldn't have to," San said. He rubbed a paw over his face. "But no, not yet."

Aurora hummed, having already known the answer before she asked. "Again San, I'll ask. What are you doing here? What do you want?"

"You know why I'm here," San accused. "I want you to come back with me and save Hongjoong."

Aurora shook her head, throwing the sheets over San's tiny form and standing up from the bed. She stretched in place, not caring about her bare thighs or her head scarf. It was San that invaded her room without permission. "No can do. I'm not romancing someone that's already in a relationship. It's unethical. And it's weird that Seonghwa wants me to do it in the first place."

San growled and fought his way out of the covers, looking up at her with a sour face. "So putting a hex on someone is fine, but flirting is unethical?"

Aurora was reminded of Emery, how she wished him dead out of pure anger. She knew that it was wrong, and that she was going to be punished for it somehow. But to her, at the time, he had deserved it. Destroying a love as deep as Hongjoong and Seonghwa's, there was no excuse for that. They had done absolutely nothing to her.

It also might have been the fact that she knew, and I mean she really knew, that she had no chance in hell of winning over Hongjoong's heart. The man was simply impossible.

"Do you know what I have to do?" Aurora asked, walking towards her closet and shuffling through its contents, trying to find something to wear. Clearly the coven wasn't going to let her off the hook. "It's a hell of a lot more than flirting."

"I know that if you don't help him, he's going to die," San said with a chilling certainty.

Aurora paused at that, not knowing what to say. It's not that she didn't want to help Hongjoong. She still longed to see the man smile, to meet the badass witch of her dreams. But she felt so unworthy of attempting something like this, so unworthy of trying. How could she even dream of loving him? Better yet, how could she dream that he would love her back?

"Is there a way I can call you? I just need some time to think," Aurora decided.

San stood up from the bed suddenly. Aurora hadn't even noticed that he shifted into human form. He was much taller than her, looking down at her with a solemn expression. Aurora bravely stared back, waiting for him to speak.

He surprised her when he turned his head to the side and said, "Kiss my ear."

Aurora raised both eyebrows. "Huh?"

"Just do it," San demanded. "You said you wanted to learn magic."

She hesitated, but something inside of her just screamed to try it, to take the leap. So she leaned over and brushed her lips against his ear. San leaned back, satisfied. "A simple whispering spell. Now, I'll be able to hear anything you want to say to me. If you call me, I'll hear you."

"Really? That's so cool!" She exclaimed.

"I can teach you much more than this. I could help you make potions, learn the essential herbs. We could contact any dead relative that you wish to speak to. Anything you want, really," San proposed. "Just promise me that you'll really consider it. Hongjoong needs you."

She wanted to escape his imploring gaze that was convincing her by the second. Aurora knew that the coven was desperate, that they would do anything. She wasn't going to make them wait long. She just had to gather herself, and find the courage to do the impossible.

"I will," Aurora promised. Another promise that she wasn't sure how to keep.

Apparently, this was enough for him. Before she could say anything else, San walked right into her open closet. She stared after him. "San?"

But he had disappeared, vanishing between the rack of hanging clothes. Aurora stared into the empty dark space, her mind wandering.

...

"Did you convince her?" Seonghwa asked as soon as San crossed the threshold of the bookstore. He attempted to read San's facial expression, to find an inkling of hope in the man's blank frown.

San grinned at the question, waving away his concerns. It was an odd reaction, considering everything. "She's gonna do it."

"How can you be sure?" Seonghwa asked, trailing the man as he walked past the dimly-lit bookshelves and dispelled the illusion that hid their home from passersby. Pausing to turn and lock the front door with a flick of his hand, Seonghwa's long stride easily matched San's quick pace. He peered into the younger man's soul, awaiting an answer.

"She loves magic too much to refuse," San assured him. "Give it a day, and she'll be calling."

Seonghwa sighed. He just couldn't find it in himself to relax, despite San's optimism. From what he had seen of Aurora, she was strong-willed and hopeful, but also fragile and reckless. Although she might be determined to help, if something frightened her, or challenged her in a way that she couldn't handle, she was going to run. It had already happened once, thanks to Wooyoung's unacceptable attitude. And Hongjoong, Seonghwa couldn't even begin to deal with him. If anything would drive her away, it would be the intimidating members of his coven.

That left the job to more friendly members, like himself and San. Maybe Yunho if he could get the man to return from his trip to Atlantis, where he was busy finding a sea spell old and powerful enough to break Hongjoong's curse.

The rest of the coven was out of the question. Mingi was off in some far corner of the world, trying to pretend like everything was fine. Bringing him back right now would only increase the tension that everyone could feel, the faint strain on their magic due to the curse. Yeosang was busy searching every corner of every library and apothecary, hoping to find a way to save Hongjoong. Seonghwa didn't really want to interrupt him, because it was his way of staying busy and coping all at once.

Wooyoung occupied himself with scouring the cosmos for answers, reading the constellations in the hopes that it may give them some insight. The stars were much older than the sea, and the source of their magic, so Seonghwa left him to it, hoping for the best.

San was responsible for befriending Aurora, a position that he volunteered for. It was a fine distraction, and he honestly just liked being around her, away from it all. Any other time he was asking the spirits if they knew a way to break the spell, or if they knew any weaknesses of Azazel's that they could use. So far, there was nothing.

Seonghwa himself was busy threatening every lower-level demon he could find for information. Most of them echoed the same thing, that Azazel was unstoppable, that he was an all-powerful king of Hell, and that the coven was doomed to fail since they crossed him the first time. Seonghwa liked to throw holy water on the ones that were particularly nasty about it, the ones that laughed at the prospect of them facing off Azazel like it was the funniest thing in the world. It pissed him off to no end.

"I hope you're right," Seonghwa said. "Thank you for trying. It's up to her now."

San shook his head. "You don't need to thank me." He paused in his stride, turning to face Seonghwa in the middle of the hallway. It was sudden and confrontational, something that Seonghwa was unprepared for. "Aurora is my friend," San asserted, looking up at the older man pointedly.

"Of course-"

"I won't be a part of your plan. I like her, and I won't lie to her," San continued. "I know that you want to save Hongjoong, but please don't break her heart in the process."

Seonghwa was at a loss, feeling his stomach sink at the implication. San started up the grand staircase without another word, towards the room where he knew Wooyoung was waiting for him. He stared after the younger man, letting the weight of his accusation settle onto his shoulders. The weight somehow made him feel sick.

Seonghwa walked up the staircase after lingering for too long, thinking. He walked down the dark hall, and opened the door to his lover's stagnant room. "Hongjoong?"

The rumpled sheets did not stir. Seonghwa peered into the darkness, trying to make out the shape of Hongjoong's gray head of hair. He crept forward, his heart thumping for no apparent reason.

The reason became apparent, when he pulled the sheets back and stared at the empty space where Hongjoong was supposed to be.

...

Hongjoong liked walking through memories. It was his way of coping with the current reality, of dealing with the day to day. The memory he chose was an old one, when the coven were not yet witches but still young boys, playing their hand at being pirates. Hongjoong was born a witch, but the others weren't so lucky. They were rotting away in orphanages, on the streets, abandoned by their families for each a different reason. Yunho and Mingi came as a package, but the rest he found by traveling from city to city. He was looking for lost boys, ones that needed him. He hoped to assemble a family, to forge an unbreakable bond so that he would never have to face the reality of being alone again.

Seonghwa was not abandoned like the others. He was the son of a nobleman, highborn and well-fed. His life was easy, so easy it was boring. Hongjoong could see that the boy was bored, that he longed for adventure much like he once did.

Seonghwa approached him first. After he saved his life and filled him with magic, Hongjoong intended to abandon him. He was good at staying unseen, but Seonghwa was much too observant. He found the shadow witch before he could slip away, and practically begged to come with him; to join the crew.

Hongjoong shouldn't have let him come. He was trouble from the moment he stepped aboard the ship. His rich family caused quite a fuss looking for him. And Hongjoong soon realized why Seonghwa was so desperate to escape his home life. He was arranged to be married to a palace official's daughter; a woman that he was not in love with.

Seonghwa was too much like him, in love with the idea of adventure. He couldn't be bogged down by the formalities of the palace. So Hongjoong rescued him, putting a price on his own head in the process. He became the feared Pirate King, the ruthless man that ransacked the houses of noblemen. If only they knew he was so much more than that.

Giving the crew magic took a lot out of him. Giving humans immortality was no easy feat. It took the help of many witches, and a few demons, to accomplish what he wanted. Well, not really their help. Just their blood, and their souls.

He knew it was wrong. But Hongjoong was never a good witch. He lived in darkness, in shadows, and preyed on the weaklings he came across. It was simply his way of life. And Hongjoong would do anything for his boys. Anything to see them live, to see them thrive. And he knew that Seonghwa was really going to love magic.

The blood of his victims was the base of the spell, and their souls were the potion. He never told his boys what it was they were drinking, just told them to drink it entirely. And one by one, the spark of magic touched them, filled them with life. They never aged, and they grew more powerful by the day. Never again would someone manipulate or hurt them. They were more than able to protect themselves.

The blood magic took a toll on Hongjoong. It was the type of thing that wore on a person's soul, and seven deaths on a person's conscience- that was the kind of thing that attracted demons like no other. Demons loved the smell of blood, the smell of death on a person's hands. Hongjoong had a lot of death on his, and Azazel was a slave to his cravings.

Hongjoong figured it was simply his karma. He never should have taken the lives of helpless witches or friendly demons. But he never expected Azazel to punish the entire coven along with him, to use the blood magic as a weakness, a way to torture his boys. It was something he should have seen coming.

He paid the ultimate price for crossing paths with a king of hell. And for his many sins, he was finally going to die. In some ways, it was a relief.

Hongjoong watched the girl from the shadows, curious about why Seonghwa had brought her to him in the first place. And then San had told him, waltzing in to her bedroom like he lived there, and persuading her to try her luck at winning his heart. Hongjoong nearly laughed at the prospect. Who would want a heart as black as his?

The girl was lost, much like his boys were so long ago. She wanted magic just like they had; he could feel it. But he was no longer in a position to give it to her; to help anyone but himself. Hongjoong still had some powers lingering inside of him, but none strong enough to shed the skin he was trapped in; the skin that was killing him.

There was a link to her. Hongjoong couldn't figure it out, but the link was there. For some reason, he could feel her. And she could see into his past, much more than any human should be able to. She truly was a human with the heart of a witch.

Hongjoong settled into the corner of her room, content to watch her decide. He was more curious than anything. It was impossible, and she knew it too. But since he was bored, and she had sparked his interest, he kept watching.

Aurora turned towards him, like she could sense him sitting there. It was like she was staring right at him, unknowingly. He struggled to stay silent.

She turned away at the call of her grandmother, bounding out of her room with a youthful energy he couldn't even fathom. It was at that point that Hongjoong noticed the spirit in the room, trying to manifest himself into a physical presence. He narrowed his eyes at the young ghost, wondering who had the audacity to haunt such an innocent girl. The spirit was still struggling to manifest, as it was fairly new and had no focus. Hongjoong stood slowly, approaching him.

"Leave this place," Hongjoong said. He hated the raspy tone of his voice, the lack of bass in it.

The spirit seemed to consider his order, but ultimately decided to ignore Hongjoong. The witch wanted to laugh, but really it wasn't funny at all.

Hongjoong took hold of the spirit with one hand, capturing its essence with his bare fingers. "I told you to leave."

The ghost struggled, wanting to linger in her room. His aura glowed red with anger, with vengeance, and then Hongjoong understood. He wasn't just any spirit, but a vengeful one. Getting rid of him was not going to be a simple task.

Still, with his lingering powers and his boredom, it was a task that Hongjoong was up for. The last thing Seonghwa needed was another thing on his plate, when all his attention was on the lost cause of saving Hongjoong. He could do this much for his lover at least. And for the girl caught in the middle of it all.

"Come with me, now," Hongjoong hissed. And he clenched the spirit's aura in his fist until it howled. He could hear the girl returning to the room, looking for something. He dragged the ghost into the shadows, and away from Aurora for the time being.

...

Aurora felt a chill go down her spine, and she didn't know why. Her room felt strange- like it wasn't hers, and she felt the desperate urge to leave. Luckily her grandmother called her and she had the excuse to fly out of the room like a bat out of hell.

"Yeah?" She asked her grandma, who was clearly unsatisfied with her empty kitchen. She analyzed the sparse shelves of her fridge, sighing.

"We need to go to the grocery store. We can't survive off of delivery for much longer," Grandma said. Aurora jumped at the chance to leave the house, where she suddenly felt unsafe for the first time in her life.

"Okay, let me get my shoes," Aurora said. She slowly walked through the hall, hovering outside of the doorway. The dark feeling that had been there, so full of anger and resentment, was gone. She had felt it suddenly, the feeling that someone hated her guts, and wanted her dead. She wasn't sure how or why or who, but she didn't care. As long as it was gone.

She calmly slipped on her sneakers, and grabbed her jacket and purse. She stared into the empty room, at the corner where she could have sworn she saw a pair of eyes in the dark. Aurora knew it was probably the result of watching one too many horror movies, or maybe it was a lingering spirit from her walk through the ghost world with San. Either way, it had frightened her. Magic was a lot more frightening than she could have imagined.

"Come on, Aurora," her grandmother called from the front door. Aurora rushed out of the room with a full body shiver, dreading having to sleep in her bedroom at night.

She followed her grandma out the door, trying to calm her worries and think through the offer that San made to her. Learning magic was her lifelong dream, but was she willing to through away her dignity and risk her life to get it? It was no ordinary curse that plagued Hongjoong. He had angered a powerful demon, and if she got involved, she was likely to do the same.

Still, she couldn't help but feel for the witch even though she barely knew him. Hongjoong risked everything to save his coven, only to mark himself for death as a result. He cared for the witches so much that he threw away his life, and now they were doing everything they could to save him. How could Aurora do nothing when she was the key to saving his life? She might've been a killer, but she wasn't heartless.

Aurora's mind wandered as she roamed the aisles of the grocery store, picking up ingredients to make pasta. Her grandmother was right- they couldn't live off of DoorDash any longer. Her grandmother was busy touring the garden section for new pots, so she parted ways with her to make her way around the store. Aurora was trying to decide between making spaghetti and alfredo when a chill went up her spine, like someone's ghostly fingers were running along her back, up and down, up and down. She rotated her head, trying to shake the horrible feeling of cold fingertips on the back of her neck.

"You bitch," a faint voice suddenly whispered into her ear. "I'll kill you."

Aurora dropped the jar of spaghetti sauce she was holding, and the glass shattered across the tiled floor. Store-goers stared at her, watching her hands shake mid-air as tears welled in her eyes. Aurora whimpered, realizing all at once who the ghostly presence was that was following her around. She never thought that he would haunt her, or that he would know to hold her responsible for his death. It wasn't as if Aurora took a knife to Emery, but somehow the boy knew that she was the cause of his pain, and that was all that mattered.

Aurora wasn't equipped to handle a vengeful ghost on her own. She had no choice but to ask the coven for help. And if she asked them for help, they would expect her help with Hongjoong in return.

A store worker came to assess the damages in the aisle. Aurora greeted them with a shaky smile, promising to pay for the broken spaghetti sauce. Then she went to find her grandmother, to tell her to finish shopping without her. She had somewhere to be.

...

San came quickly at Aurora's call, almost like he had been waiting for it. He grinned at her, going in for a hug before he took in her sullen expression. His smile dropped, worry overtaking him in a split-second. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Aurora couldn't help but to cry at his concerned tone, sobs raking her body. He was going to find out how evil she was, how horrible of a person. If he though placing a hex on someone was bad, what would he think when she told him the truth? San would be disgusted at the sight of her.

She couldn't find the words. All she could do was cry because Emery's ghost was going to haunt her indefinitely. She cried even more because she knew that she deserved it. Wishing harm on someone for any reason made her a bad person, and even though there was no direct evidence linking her to Emery's murder, Aurora knew in her soul that she was the one who killed him.She knew Emery's personality; how angry he could get. He was going to haunt her until she died herself. He practically said as much in the store.

"Aurora, I need you to tell me what happened," Seonghwa said. She didn't even know when he had gotten there. Aurora called San to pick her up outside of the store, and now she was making a scene in the parking lot. People gawked at her as they walked in with their kids in hand, avoiding her like the plague. San must have called Seonghwa when she wouldn't answer him, because he knew that the man could get through to her. His comforting presence momentarily distracted her from worrying, as he gripped her shoulders lightly and turned her towards him.

"Emery," was all she could get out, before more tears escaped her eyes. Aurora was never much of a crybaby, but the thought of getting haunted by a ghost that she murdered was enough to make her inconsolable.

"Who the hell is Emery?" San demanded, as if he was going to bring him back to life and kill him all over again for making Aurora cry. Aurora managed to smile at him, though the tears made it look more like a grimace.

"Aurora," Seonghwa called, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "If you don't tell me, then I'm gonna have to pull it out of you."

She wondered what exactly he meant by that. Seonghwa didn't give her long to ponder over it, as he reached over and cupped her cheek with his large, warm hand. Aurora closed her eyes at the sensation, her cheeks warming under his touch. He rubbed the skin with delicate fingers, smoothing away her tears. Seonghwa truly had a talent for comforting people, because Aurora was already feeling better.

She opened her eyes to look at Seonghwa, peering at him through wet lashes. His gaze was not nearly as soft as his touch. The look in his eyes was so intense that he almost looked angry, and if he hadn't been smoothing over her round cheeks, she would think that he was. She wondered why he was looking at her so intently, and then she felt a tugging sensation at the corner of her mind.

"I want you to show me this person named Emery. Can you do that for me?" Seonghwa asked. He sounded out of breath, as if the effort of prying into her mind was taking the wind out of him.

Aurora felt Seonghwa prodding at her memories, prompting her to reveal everything about Emery. She was reluctant to show him what happened, to show him the source of shame that made her burst into tears. But she knew that Seonghwa would find out about her crime one way or another. There was no way she could hide such a huge secret from him.

"I'll show you," Aurora agreed, her heart thundering. Even the thought of him seeing what she did filled her with dread. What choice did she have, really? She couldn't hide her true nature any longer.

Seonghwa smiled, pleased to have her permission. He closed his eyes, feeling for the person named Emery that haunted Aurora's thoughts. As Seonghwa focused on searching her mind, San whisked them into the spirit world and away from curious onlookers.

...

Hongjoong cursed, having lost his grip on that God forsaken Emery Watson. He was a slippery spirit, the kind of ghost that no one could pin down for long. It was just his luck to have a nasty poltergeist on his hands when he didn't have the strength to ring its neck. And Emery was the worst of all, because not only was he angry, but he was also entitled. He believed that his life was robbed from him, which it technically was, but he also believed that he did nothing wrong in the first place. And Hongjoong knew for a fact that he had wronged Aurora, because he had seen it in his dreams. While lying around in his bedroom, breathing in the darkness, Hongjoong dreamed of Aurora. He dreamed of her at school, kissing an undeserving boy named Emery Watson. He watched as he touched her, coaxed her into submission and made her vulnerable for him. Then he saw the stupid boy discard her like she was nothing, and slut-shame her in front of everyone. Hongjoong writhed in bed with clenched fists, wanting to dig his overgrown nails into Emery's eye sockets.

And then he saw the way Aurora roasted him alive with nothing more than a look, and suddenly he felt intrigued. Her dark gaze was deadly, but also strangely beautiful. Hongjoong was surprised that such a cheerful-looking human had fire within her, enough to sear her enemies without so much as a spell. She made the boy turn and run without uttering a word, something that only the most powerful of witches could accomplish. Aurora was more than a human with the heart of a witch. She was a human with the potential to be the most powerful witch that ever lived. More powerful than him, even.

But now, that stupid ghost was going after her. He had already slipped away from the prison Hongjoong made for him in the spirit world. He had slithered back to Aurora like a little snake, and whispered threats into her ears that made her cry. Hongjoong seethed with the audacity of this boy, who somehow believed that he could intimidate a witch. Lingering spirits like him were usually hunted down by reapers, but Hongjoong couldn't wait for one to show itself. He had to get rid of Emery before he hurt Aurora.

Hongjoong snatched the boy up when his lips brushed Aurora's ear, tugging him along by the hair at the crown of his head. Emery looked much like he had in life; he had pale skin and curly hair that extended past his ears. It was perfect for Hongjoong's fingers to latch onto, yanking at the strands so hard that the boy screeched. He dragged him all the way from the grocery store in town, back to the prison he crafted out of shadow and bone. He actually used Emery's own body to make the cage, stretching his ribs out to make the bars, and fashioning his phalanges into chains. The shadows held the bones together so they wouldn't rattle too much, and the essence of the boy's flesh kept his spirit bound.

So how Emery escaped from the cage the first time, Hongjoong wasn't sure. He stared at the boy, watching as he groaned in pain from the skeletal hands latched onto his ankles. The hands rose out from the ground, keeping him firmly tied to the spiritual plane. Shadowy tendrils clenched around his wrists like handcuffs, keeping him from banging against the bars of the cage. Emery's head lolled as he moaned, coming to and glaring at his captor.

"Let me go, you bitch!" Emery spat. His face was a frightening mask of white, with dark pits for eyes and bared teeth. The anger made him scarier, causing his form to glow bright like an overheated lamp. Hongjoong couldn't care less how much energy Emery used. If he used too much of it, his soul would simply evaporate like fog in the autumn air. With Hongjoong's current appearance, it was no wonder that Emery used such a foul term. The withering skin of this form was deceiving, because underneath, Hongjoong was alight with furious energy. He felt more alive than he had in weeks, wondering how he was going to torture this evil spirit. Should he send him straight to hell, or play with him a little?

"Hyung?"

Hongjoong turned to see San making his way toward him, followed by Seonghwa and Aurora. San was guiding the both of them, as Seonghwa held Aurora in his arms and focused on finding out the truth. Hongjoong recognized the stance, understanding at once that Seonghwa was looking into her mind.

"San," Hongjoong greeted. "I was just handling this vengeful spirit named Emery."

At the sound of the boy's name, Aurora opened her eyes and broke the psychic connection. Seonghwa came to a second later, releasing her in favor of holding his forehead. Hongjoong knew that forming a psychic bond took a lot out of a witch, especially when it was not their specialty. He wondered what must have happened for Seonghwa to use such a taxing method of getting information.

Aurora took an unbalanced step forward, teetering on her feet like a newborn baby. The psychic bond took a lot out of her too, but she seemed to be recovering quickly, at least enough to recognized the ghost imprisoned before her eyes. "Emery?"

Emery looked up at the sound of her voice, yanking at the chains on his hands and feet. "You!"

She flinched back with wide eyes, horrified of the skeletal cage that he was trapped in. "What the hell is this? Why are you stuck here?"

"You're the one that killed me," Emery accused, his voice a horrible garble. It was like he was still choking up blood and trying to speak despite all. His form glowed even brighter, so bright that Aurora had to avert her eyes.

Hongjoong stepped in between Aurora and Emery, blocking her gaze. He glared at the spirit and his chains tightened to the point of pain. Then Hongjoong turned to face Aurora, trying not to panic at the fact that she interrupted his torturing session. "I found him lingering around your house, and again at the store. I brought him back to the spirit world and chained him up here."

Aurora looked Hongjoong up and down, confused at how he captured a ghost in his condition. "You were in my house?" She asked.

That was a valid question. Hongjoong panicked even more, blood leaving his face as he scrambled to find a suitable excuse for watching Aurora from the shadows. "I wanted to ask for your help. Personally." It was about the farthest from the actual truth that Hongjoong could get, but telling the girl that he followed her home because she intrigued him would not go over well.

"You want my help?" Aurora echoed, tilting her head to the side. "But you told me that I couldn't break the curse."

"I was wrong," Hongjoong admitted, because he was. He underestimated Aurora. He had no idea how powerful she was when he said that. He didn't know her strength of spirit, or her ability to kill someone with a look. If Hongjoong really admitted it to himself, he was mildly attracted to her. In a way, she was almost as fucked up as he was.

"Hongjoong," Seonghwa said, stepping forward with a pointed gaze. "What are you planning on doing with him?"

Just like always, Seonghwa could see through his pretense, straight to the darkness of his heart. Without Hongjoong saying a word, Seonghwa already knew what he intended and why he was keeping it a secret. Hongjoong had always loved him for that, because Seonghwa knew him better than anyone. However, at times like this, where he was practicing dark magic that no righteous person should see, he wished Seonghwa did not have such insight.

Because he knew that Seonghwa knew, Hongjoong sighed and came clean. "I was gonna torture him a bit. It's been a while since I've seen such a sleazy soul."

San didn't look very surprised to hear of Hongjoong's dark intent, but Aurora was taken aback. When she pictured the badass witch that put his life on the line for his boys, she never imagined that he would do something like this. Instead of being disgusted by his sinister nature, Aurora felt intrigued. Where San had shied away from cursing others, Hongjoong seemed the type to relish in doing so. While Seonghwa fussed Hongjoong out for his immorality, San worked on freeing Emery from his dark chains. The hedge witch was practiced with unruly spirits and could hold Emery with his power alone; no bondage necessary.

However, Emery was more vengeful than San anticipated. As soon as the ghost was free of his bony chains, he tackled Aurora. He flew past San and flung himself at her with such vengeance that no one could have prevented it. He slammed her into the ground and hissed at her like a wild animal, baring his teeth at her with black pits for eyes. Because of his relentless anger, Emery had begun the transformation into a depraved spirit. He looked more inhuman than before, more like a typical ghost in a horror movie.

Aurora didn't have a moment to brace herself before Emery was choking the life out of her lungs. Like this, he looked a bit like a flickering candle, burning red hot with anger and bloodlust. She contemplated life with what little consciousness she had left. Perhaps dying like this was what she deserved for killing him so easily. If that was the case, then she would submit to the cruel whims of fate.

Emery was yanked off her suddenly with the force of a typhoon and slammed into the ground. Seonghwa raised his arm, lifting the boy into the air and choking him out single-handedly. He looked at Aurora with concern. "Are you alright?" He asked, to which she nodded.

San hovered above her, checking the condition of her neck. She could tell it would bruise, but she felt like a little choking was the least of what she deserved to be honest. San frowned, letting his fingers brush the tender skin. Suddenly his hands glowed blue like cold stars, and she felt a chilling sensation wash over her like a cool shower. She shivered at the feeling at first, but then the pain ebbed, and her neck felt as good as new again.

"You're gonna be okay," San assured her with a smile. He cradled her head in his lap, blocking her view of what Seonghwa and Hongjoong were currently doing with Emery. Whatever it was couldn't be good.

...

Seonghwa held the boy up in the air, suspended by an invisible force. Emery flung himself around, shaking his legs and clawing the invisible hands on his neck desperately. Hongjoong looked on proudly, letting a devilish smile overtake him. Watching his lover fly off the handle always got him going.

"How dare you touch her," Seonghwa said, his voice thinned with anger. "I was thinking about helping you move on, and you do this? You really think you're innocent?"

The hands around Emery's neck squeezed and squeezed, and his aura became blue with the closeness of second death. Ghosts could actually die multiple times, if a powerful enough witch or demon took it upon themselves to try. That was how souls lingered in Hell for so long, getting tortured by kings of Hell like Azazel. It was how Hongjoong spent decades serving the demon, bringing him souls to wash in day by day.

"Darling," Hongjoong called, when it looked like Emery was near the end. "Maybe we should leave him to San? I was going to torture him a bit, but killing him twice might be excessive."

Seonghwa took Hongjoong's opinion into consideration silently, still grasping the spirit's neck. After a few moments, he released the Emery and let him drop to the ground. "Maybe you're right."

So it was decided that San would appease Emery and walk him through his cherished memories, as he did with every ghost that lingered in the human world. That way, he could feel connected to his life, and not be caught up in the circumstances of his death. Ghosts had a tendency to focus on the negativity and pain, rather than the good parts of their human existence. It was San's specialty to ease that pain and help them find happiness again, so that they could cross over.

Emery seemed unwilling at first, but with a searing look from Hongjoong and a threatening raise of Seonghwa's hand, he became a lot more cooperative. San assured them that he could handle the bratty spirit, and that he would be back in time for dinner. Hongjoong opened a portal to the manor with what little strength he had left, and the three of them walked out of the darkness together.

As soon as they crossed the house's threshold, Seonghwa steered Hongjoong into the nearest bathroom to check him for injuries. Though Hongjoong felt like his old, all-powerful self, he was still in the body of an elderly woman. Surely torturing vengeful spirits was not good for his joints.

"We'll only be a second, Aurora," Seonghwa said. "There should be plenty of leftover food in the fridge, if you want to help yourself."

Aurora nodded, still kind of in shock from it all. She wandered off in the direction of the kitchen, faintly remembering the way from her first time in the mansion. She passed the stairwell to upstairs, where the portrait of Hongjoong in all his red-haired glory hung like a centerpiece in a museum. She lingered, staring at the powerful witch that exhausted himself to save her from a vengeful spirit. Even in his current state, he was putting his life on the line for others. How could she not help someone that generous?

When Aurora walked into the kitchen, an unfamiliar man stood chopping up vegetables and sliding them into a sizzling pan. He had round cheeks and intense, dark eyes that zeroed in on the vegetables with precision. He wore a tight-fitting black sweater and jeans, with silver chains hanging from the pockets that jingled when he moved. His black hair fell over his forehead and covered his eyes as he leaned over the cutting board. If not for his pouted lips and puffed cheeks, she would have been fully intimidated by the witch.

He honestly looked like the lead singer of a rock band to Aurora. She stood, bewitched by his presence for a few seconds until the sharp voice of Wooyoung broke her out of the enchantment. "You look like a wreck," he said unkindly, stalking past her and into the kitchen like he owned he place.He slid onto one of the counter bar stools and tapped the table in front of the mysterious chef. "Jongho, are you getting high again?" Wooyoung asked, trying to catch the witch's attention. Jongho finally looked up, blinking at the new presence in front of him. He did look kind of high, but not so much that he didn't notice Aurora standing in the kitchen doorway and shuffling her feet together awkwardly. He smiled brightly, beckoning her inside.

"Come on in, I was just making dinner," he invited. Aurora listened, walking closer to the kitchen island and standing next to Wooyoung. "And to answer your rude ass question Woo, no I wasn't getting high."  

"I'm older than you, brat," Wooyoung scolded. He slid a hand through his lavender locks, looking at Aurora again. She was struck again by his beauty, the sharpness of his jaw and the cool, directness of his gaze. "You really do look wrecked. Did something happen?"

Aurora figured that this was Wooyoung's round-about way of showing concern, and answered, "There was a vengeful ghost situation, but I'm okay. San is handling it."

Wooyoung frowned at the mention of San's name. "What happened?" He asked again, this time with intensity. "Where is he?"

She sat down on a bar stool and started recounting the day's events, starting from the encounter in the store with her grandmother to leaving San in the spirit world with Emery. Wooyoung didn't bite her head off when she told him, so it was safe to assume he didn't blame her for endangering his boyfriend. She knew that he was the possessive type, but for once he seemed chill about the situation.

"Should we give San some backup? I know Seonghwa's busy with Hongjoong, but maybe we could pop into the spirit world and check on him before dinner. Walking through memories is kind of taxing, especially with that kind of spirit," Jongho suggested.

"San can handle an angry ghost," Wooyoung assured, waving off his concern. "He'll be offended if we interrupt him now."

Aurora found his trust in San to be admirable, and couldn't keep herself from saying so. "You're such a supportive boyfriend," she complimented.

Wooyoung turned to her with furrowed brows, and for a second she worried that she'd offended him. But then he relaxed, not quite smiling but at least looking slightly less guarded. "Of course, we've been together for ages."

"They really have," Jongho agreed. "Almost as long as Hongjoong and Seonghwa."  

Aurora saw the opportunity and couldn't help herself. "How did those two meet, by the way?" She was infinitely curious about their relationship, and about Hongjoong's past in particular. She wanted to know everything about him, from his first encounter with magic to his darkest secrets.

"I can tell you," Hongjoong piped up behind her. She turned in her seat to see Hongjoong standing in the kitchen doorway with Seonghwa close behind. Seonghwa's eyes lingered on Hongjoong  as if he would suddenly collapse, and it reminded her of the way parents watched their newborn babies like hawks. If Wooyoung was a possessive kind of lover, than Seonghwa was the attentive type. She wondered what kind of lover Hongjoong might be.

"I'd like that," Aurora said, smiling at Hongjoong. She decided right then and there, if he wanted her help, she was more than willing to give it. She was far too invested in this coven to back out now anyway.

...

San led the surly ghost through his childhood, trying not to sigh. He had dealt with all kinds of nasty ghosts, from abusive spouses to murderers, but it was the first time in a while that he couldn't care less about the spirit he was escorting.

It was wrong of him, he knew. Letting personal feelings mix into his duties as a medium was almost criminal, because ghosts depended on him to pass on. Usually, he could set aside his feelings in favor of helping others, but his heart just wasn't in it this time. San knew that it had to do with Aurora. He was much more attached to her than he intended to be, and now it was affecting his work. He glared into the back of the boy's head as they walked through the memories of his many sexual conquests, all soon discarded after. San supposed he should feel sorrier for the boy, given his neglectful childhood that fed into his commitment issues.

Emery's mother never gave him the time of day, always staying late at work and going out on the weekends. His father died when he was young from unexpected heart failure, leaving a dysfunctional family in his wake. It was really Emery's uncles that raised him, taking him in when it was clear that his mother couldn't be bothered. Emery took that rejection to heart, and never trusted another woman again.

That led them to college, where Emery was fucking women left and right, and then throwing them away like used condoms. Aurora was one of the many he used, but it was slightly different. San could see that the boy actually did care for her at first, that he did enjoy laughing with her and making her laugh in turn. However, when Aurora slipped up one time after they finished fucking and said that she loved him, Emery short-circuited.

Emery didn't have any women in his life that loved him. He didn't know how to handle affection from anyone but his uncles, who raised him with as much care and joy as they could, and his friends who let him sleepover often when his mother was absent. So when Aurora said the L-word to him, it was like a huge red flag in his mind. He had to get as far away from her as possible, before she could abandon him the way his mother had.

So that brought San and Emery to that time in the cafeteria, when Emery told everyone about their sexual exploits. San watched as Aurora glared at Emery like she would kill him on the spot if only she could. And he knew that somehow, through some mysterious force in Aurora's body, she had done exactly that. She had killed Emery with a single glare like the witches of old that could raise hellfire. San knew it was wrong, that Aurora was wrong for letting her anger get the best of her. But he couldn't bring himself to hate her for it. If it was him, and his first-time lover had humiliated him and threw him away like it was nothing, he might have done something unholy as well. For as good of a witch San was, he always had that one part of him that wanted to indulge in dark magic.

His brothers were the same. All of them had a little taste for the dark arts, a little bit of the shadows within them. None of them told Hongjoong, but the methods that he used to obtain their magic stained them in ways he could not fully comprehend. Seonghwa leaned towards summoning demons rather than deities, while his own boyfriend dabbled in tangling up people's lives for fun, rather than helping them find clarity within the chaos.

San sometimes felt an urge to hurt the spirits that he helped, especially when they were douchebags like Emery. His fingers itched to call forth the reapers of purgatory, to have the boy suffer for all the hearts he had broken and discarded. But the hedge witch took a deep breath and stopped himself. Although he personally disliked Emery, the boy was not deserving of such a fate. He was a shameless fuckboy, but that was about it. Other spirits had done far worse and been redeemed.

When they reached the end of Emery's memories, where he collapsed onto his dorm room bed and boiled from the inside out, their surroundings became the darkness of the spirit world again, and Emery looked a lot calmer. With a promise from San to give his friends his sports equipment, and to hide the stash of panties beneath his bed from his uncles, Emery crossed into the spiritual plane of light and San's part was over.

He did deposit the sports equipment at the houses of his friends, but he left the panties alone. The ghost could suffer at least that much humiliation for what he did to Aurora.

By the time San came home, he was too exhausted for dinner. He slumped onto the bed fully-clothed, pressing his face into the cool sheets. San wished that Wooyoung would come and leap onto his back, that he would hold him until he fell asleep. But the chaos witch was mad at him, and they hadn't slept in the same room for days. He knew it was too much to ask.

He must have drifted off to sleep, because when he came to, there was a familiar weight on his back; the very one he had wished for. Wooyoung nuzzled into the nape of San's neck, inhaling his sweet scent. San looked over his shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of his suddenly clingy boyfriend.

"Woo," San greeted, boneless and warm all over. "I missed you."

Wooyoung hummed, pressing kisses into San's neck. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Will you stay this time?" He asked the chaos witch, wondering if he would wander off into the night like he often did to practice magic. Some of the most chaotic things in life happened at night after all.

Wooyoung unglued himself from San's back, trying to get more comfortable. He landed on the side of the bed closest to the wall, the side where it would be impossible to escape without waking up San. "I'm not going anywhere." He rubbed a comforting hand across San's back, lulling him back to sleep.

San settled onto his arms with a smile, falling asleep to the gentle rhythm of his boyfriend's humming.

[pandorasword]

I've seen other authors answer questions sent to their characters. Do you? If so, I have a question for Hongjoong: which BTS member was the most "terrifying" to meet as Chaeri's boyfriend?

Hi! 🫶🏼

This is the first time I've received a question like this, they're fun to receive, so thank you! 🩷

Chaeri as the 8th and youngest member of BTS.

Hongjoong: Uhm.. I'd like to say that no one was terrifying but the truth is that Namjoon and Hoseok sunbaenim gave off a pretty intimidating aura, hehehe 🥲 but if I had to choose between the two, I would definitely say J-hope. From someone so friendly and smiling like him, you wouldn't expect so much brotherly protectiveness. But he has a lot. A whole lot.

CHAERI'S MASTERLIST

[binnie-bitch]

Milkyway of Love

(Based on ‘Woman Like Me’ by @simpracha - read their fic first before touching this)

Ateez Fanfiction Relationships: Hongjoong/Jameela(OC)/Seonghwa Word Count: 997 Tags: Mild Angst, Talking about Feelings Summary: Hongjoong and Seonghwa talk after Jameela leaves. A/N: Seriously, read ‘Woman Like Me’ before looking at this. This is just a little fanfiction for a fanfiction, like it doesn’t make much sense without the context of WLM. Plus WLM is amazing. Anyone who didn’t read it, is missing out. This is an early birthday gift for you @simpracha <3 It’s not much, but inspiration hit me. When I finish my other fic, I’ll eventually write more, cause I have more thoughts. --------------------------------------------------------------

Jameela came into Hongjoong’s life like he was a star colliding with a planet. She drew him into her gravitational pull and he bursted on impact into a million pieces. Against her winds trying to scatter his remains back into the atmosphere, he clung to her beautiful surface of fresh grass and colorful flowers. Every touch from her delicate hands broke him down further until he was nothing but dust on a molecule level. Desperate to not lose his footing, Hongjoong dug into the earth, fingers clinging to her smooth skin, planting himself into her flesh down to her bone. She let him. Then she didn’t. One moment she watered him with feather kisses and love confessions, then she ripped at his roots. Hongjoong clung to her every being with the promise to bloom into the most beautiful flower to ever decorate her land. He couldn’t risk flying back out into space, lost among the cold void, alone until the death of the universe. Jameela was perfect and Hongjoong could barely breathe in her presence. Yet, she was the air filling his lungs. He never quite understood what he was to her, if she needed him like he needed her, if his roots even reached her core. Whatever he meant to her, Jameela left. She ripped him from her earth, and he floated away, away, away. All he could do was watch as she grew smaller and smaller, a million light years apart. And as if going through a thousand year evolution in the span of a month wasn’t enough, Seonghwa dragged him into a black hole of feelings he hadn’t dared to explore since he realized them. Another confession of love that complicated this already expanding milkyway of problems. Hongjoong had to make a decision. The idea of running after Jameela was tempting, his heart aching for a better ending than her tear stained face and frustration, but that last bit of sanity still not succumbed to his obsession had him text Seonghwa that they needed to talk. Jameela was a piece of his heart, but so was Seonghwa. Jameela needed space anyway and Hongjoong couldn’t risk losing his best friends, his closest confidant for years. His own feelings had to come second. Whatever they were, he had to figure them out later. The door beeped and slipped open. Hongjoong kept forgetting that Seonghwa had the code. He paused the track on his computer, his distraction while he waited, keeping both his mind and heart busy. But the moment his eyes met Seonghwa’s, it all came crashing down again. Hongjoong swallowed. Dropping his gaze, he vaguely gestured towards the sofa. Hesitant steps filled the room. Seonghwa’s boots came into view, clean and way too many buckles that didn’t even do anything. “Hongjoong-ah-” “No.” Hongjoong looked up. Seonghwa ducked his head between his shoulders, slim fingers clinging to his pants. He was shaking. A blotchy flush decorated his cheeks, too close to the pattern on Jameela. At the right angles, damp spots glistened against the cheap light of the single lamp standing on top of the desk. Hongjoong took a deep breath. “You fucked up,” he said. Seonghwa flinched, sinking deeper into himself. “I know.” “I don’t hate you, Hwa, but-” Hongjoong shook his head, throat tight against too much that he should have said a long time ago. But if he had, would that have changed what Jameela did to him? Would it have saved them both from her intoxicating laugh and bright eyes that seemed to hold the universe? “Joongie,” Seonghwa said, voice cracking at the edges, “I don’t expect you to forgive me. Not only that I ruined your relationship with Jameela, but ours as well. I shouldn’t…I shouldn’t have. I was selfish.” “Yes, but I was too.” Seonghwa perked up with wide eyes. “What?” “I mean that I wanted Jameela for myself without once considering what it means for her. I just wanted her. We both fucked up with her.” “Hongjoong…” “And we both fucked up with each other. I can’t…” Hongjoong pressed his lips thin, eyes darting all over the room as if the bare walls and overflowing trash can held the answers. “I can’t give you what you want. Not now. I don’t even know if I ever can.” “I don’t expect you to,” Seonghwa insisted. “I know, but it’s unfair if I don’t even consider it. Whatever will happen with Jameela, if I lose her forever or not-” Hongjoong reached out and took Seonghwa’s hand, warm palm so familiar. “-I want you to be by my side. I need you by my side. As my friend, as…something else. I have to figure out what I want, and I’m probably being selfish again, but whatever I decide on, don’t distance yourself from me.” Seonghwa’s eyes grew with every word. His hand twitched where it was held, body visibly shuddering at the distress breaking Hongjoong’s voice. He blinked and a tear slipped from the corner of his eye. Hongjoong couldn’t stop himself from wiping it away with his thumb. Seonghwa tensed up at the contact, but inevitably leaned into his hand that Hongjoong couldn’t bring himself to pull away. Because everything about them was inevitable. Whatever this was between him and Seonghwa, between him and Jameela, between Seonghwa and Jameela. They could have never avoided it. Hongjoong was a fool swallowing his feelings for his friend, denying himself to just be. He still couldn’t bring himself to let go. Not without closure with Jameela, and Hongjoong was sure Seonghwa thought the same. Whatever was going to happen, he had no one else to blame but himself. He crashed into Jameela, already bruised from Seonghwa doing the same to him. But just as the universe stretched endless with billions of stars, so did Hongjoong’s love for the most important people in his life, and he wasn’t going to give up on them if he still had the energy to hold them both close.

[popnoir]

⠀⃞✦ &. 6183k ; unnameable, undefinable, unhelpfully: good     ───   as told through the eyes of kim hongjoong

characters: ateez ensemble, little house ensemble, wendy's haeyoung, dal and hada lee ( brief apperance ! )

warnings: n/a

author's note: when i was first writing this i was like okay the big intro to the friendship start and its eventual breakdown BUT everything felt so disconnected but still connected ? partly bc i wanted to shove it all in one piece SOOOO this should be read like different memories hj had during his trainee years with the gang ( tm ) so they aren’t written in a linear timeline to reflect the idk passage of memory or some metaphorical type shit. ANYWAYS thank you sososos much for taking the time to read this piece !!!!

KQ existed as a small dot on the wide landscape of the entertainment world. At the start, there are only a handful of staff, a small spark nicknamed dream, and three trainees that make up the in progress debut team. Hongjoong was one of them—the first of little stars mapping the eventual end goal: a boy group.

For two weeks, he had assumed it was just him because for two weeks, JC and Saint—the other two trainees—had successfully avoided ever being seen by him. He’d only learned they existed because of Eden who had asked: “You met the others yet?” prompting confusion and later the realization that he wasn’t as alone as he had initially thought.

Perhaps, it wasn’t intentional. Perhaps, they too had been long unaware of Hongjoong’s existence, believing that in this small corner of the world only they existed. With that in mind, Hongjoong decided to take it upon himself to break this shared delusion of the three—if only to bridge the gap that separated them from him.

Trying to find JC and Saint was easier said than done. Often, he thought he caught them lingering outside doors or around a corner. Each time he’d check, he was met with nothing but his own shadow, stretching across the floor as his only companion. Still, now that he knew about them it became easier to find evidence they were here: a small bag tucked in a corner, laces left in the practice room, patches and other odd memorabilia in places he’d never think to keep such an item. When he found them, he’d leave the items in a neat pile. The next day, they’d be gone, taken by their original owners to wherever it was they came from.

By week two, Hongjoong’s hope of meeting the twins on his own terms had become a dull flame. He struggled to keep it bright, but every attempt was returned with nothing. He was chasing his own shadow in the halls. He was seeing his own reflection to greet. He was seeing himself everywhere, and the other two were nowhere to be found. Because he stopped looking, he never expected to meet the younger of the two first. 

JC was leaning against the wall adjacent to the training room. His eyes flickered to and from—mapping the walls, the ground, and all the doors. He hummed quietly, finally looking at Hongjoong who had come to a halt a little ways from him, laptop bag hanging off his shoulder, opened as a result of his forgetfulness. 

JC stood up right, and he was far taller than Hongjoong would have expected. 

He said, “Hi.”

And Hongjoong replied, suddenly shy: “Hi.”

JC shuffled through his pockets, pulling out a small plastic bag decorated in bright pink hearts. He held it out to Hongjoong who carefully took it into his hand. As he opened the bag, JC turned to walk away. Calling over his shoulder, he said: “Thanks for finding our stuff.”

In the bag was an assortment of cookies, varying in shapes, sizes, and colors. Hongjoong shoved the bag in his pocket, stumbling after the other boy. “Wait—“ But JC had already disappeared around the corner, taking with him his precious little tune.

They met frequently after that, but these meets were always in passing. JC would spare him nothing but a glance: fleeting, so fast that if Hongjoong weren’t always watching for him he’d miss them. These meets were not concrete the way a formal introduction would be, but these meets were moments that helped Hongjoong define the younger twin JC.

For example, he was always leaving things in odd places. Behind a speaker, in a chair, outside the bathroom. Each time, Hongjoong would pick up these little items and set them in a place they could be found. Each time, JC would be found by the training room door, a bag of cookies and a thank you in return.

This time, he asked: “Do you like them?” as he handed Hongjoong the too bright, decorative bag. 

The cookies were a little sweet. If he ate more than two in a sitting, he’d feel a jolt of energy before it fizzed into a stomach ache. Despite the overt sweetness, they were baked well. He could tell a lot of thought and effort went into making them as perfect as perfect could be.

 “I like them.” He held them close as possible, as if to defend them from JC’s questioning look, the subtle teasing of his tone that hinted he was not the biggest fan of these cookies.

“Really?” JC raised an eyebrow. “Saint’s a shit baker. Everything’s so sweet and—” he shook his head, laughing a little. “Well, if you like them you like them.” He turned on his heel, walking away to wherever it was he tended to go. Hongjoong had learned it was difficult to try to catch up to JC. He blamed this on JC’s too long legs and the speed he walked as if he had to be somewhere else at that very moment

Hongjoong called after him. “Please tell Saint I said thank you.”

Thrown over JC’s shoulder, tethering along fondness: “Anything for you, Joong.”

“They’re always together,” Eden told him. “Strange you haven’t bumped into Saint yet.”

Hongjoong wondered if they were identical. Maybe he was meeting Saint when he thought it was JC, but if that were the case he would have learned, by now, how to differentiate them. So, he decided to define Saint in the unknown things of JC. Of these unknowns, there were many. He had no idea where he’d start or where he could stop and he thought it unfair to Saint to do such a thing. Saint was their own person as much as JC was. So, he threw away that decision, deciding instead to wait it out. Maybe they’d meet when he least expected it.

He did know one thing about Saint. Their favorite flavor was chocolate. Every cookie he had been given from them, consisted of some type of chocolate worked into the batter or the decoration. Chocolate chips, double chocolate, chocolate covered peanuts, chocolate glaze, and even a warm chocolate center that had hardened indicating it was left to sit for too long. If it could be made with chocolate, Saint would make it with chocolate.

JC and Saint disappeared often, hiding in places small enough he couldn't see, but big enough for them to squeeze in. These were some places in-between Hongjoong's world and the one they wanted to escape back to. 

The eventual meeting was a quick affair. JC and Saint were trainees as much as he was so they couldn't miss out on practice nor could they hide from their eventual group member forever. This would be their first practice together. Hongjoong was as excited as he was nervous. How they had managed to go this long without practicing with him was a mystery, but he figured JC and Saint had found a way to bend the rules in their favor until no more bending could be done. Or, maybe they wanted to meet Hongjoong the same way he wanted to meet them.

The room wasn't big enough for JC and Saint to sit far away from him. However, he didn’t want to disturb them, come off weird, or even too strong so Hongjoong sat closer to one side while the twins occupied the other.

Saint had sprawled out on the floor, eyes shut. Soft snores left their sleeping figure, but their feet moved left and right as if trying to perfect missed steps in their sleep. They were a mass of grays and dull blues—thanks to their sneakers. From where he sat, Hongjong couldn’t make out their features, but he could see a bit of JC in their nose.

JC sat upright next to them, doodling on the floor with a black marker, making faces at his sketches and mumbling quietly as he did so. There were other doodles all around the company building. Hongjoong had seen aliens and astronauts and big flowers and fluffy dogs. He’d seen smiley faces in the places he mostly frequented, chalking this down to coincidence and not an intentional hello from the doodle’s owner. 

Carefully and as slowly as he could, Hongjoong approached them: “Hello.” In his hand, he held a jar of sand, freshly sourced over the weekend when he’d gone home to see his parents. “This is for you.”

He’d packed the sand into the biggest jar his mom was willing to give him. Then, he’d painted the bottom half blue with fluffy white clouds trailing all the way to the top of the cap. It’d taken five hours to get all this done because Hongjoong had wanted it to look as good as possible. The first two hours had been spent nursing a sunburn he’d acquired from the trip, ignoring his dads playful: “I told you to put on sunscreen”.

Jc studied the jar then Hongjoong’s bright eyes before settling on the jar again. Hongjoong added as if JC didn’t already know: “It’s sand.”

“Why?”

When he’d walked over, Hongjoong felt more confident. “It’s—it’s a gift?” But the small question from JC, and his evident confusion, led Hongjoong to wonder if maybe this was a bad idea.

“Yeah, but,” JC pointed to the jar, “why?”

“Eden-hyung said you liked the beach.” He’d been getting most of his information from Eden who would never tell Hongjoong how it was he knew what he knew about the other two trainees. 

“But that’s sand in a jar.”

“Well, the blue is the water and then the clouds are the sky. You know how they make clouds in—“

JC turned to Saint, his hand coming down hard and firm against their stomach. “Dude.” JC let out a quiet laugh. “Dude, look at this.” Saint rolled to their side, waving off JC, but the other continued to hit them though not as hard as before with how much he was laughing.

Hongjoong left the jar on the ground, leaving the room with nothing but sunburn and embarrassment to show for his efforts. The next time he saw Eden, he told him: “Just stop telling me things.” And the older gave him a look as if to say What a strange kid.

The next day, JC greeted him with a bow before their practice. The day after that, he tugged Saint to where Hongjoong usually sat, not too far but not too close to their side of the room.

Up close, Saint wasn’t that scary. Their eyes were sharp but curious, contrasting the roundness of their face—which was on the chubbier side. When Saint smiled, they did so with their whole face and when they spoke it was loud and clear even if their Korean wasn’t the best. “I’m Saint.” They pointed to themselves as if to clarify they were Saint and no one else.

There was a warmth to Saint he hadn't expected. Hongjoong had become used to a different image of Saint: an indifferent gaze, their turned back, and the quiet they would often step in, tuning out the rest of the world to sit and watch and wonder. This was juxtaposed by the cookies they baked for him which had initially led him to think perhaps Saint flickered between warm and cool moments.

Carefully, Hongjoong said: “I know.” Worried that anything else would cause the warmth of Saint to freeze. 

“I’m JC.” The twins were not nearly as similar as he had first suspected. He already knew JC was tall and he knew the twins weren't identical, but he expected more overlap. He liked JC’s style and the casualness of the way he carried himself. JC seemed friendlier from their brief meetings, but now that Saint was here—Hongjoong wondered if there was no such thing as a friendlier one between the twins. Or if this friendliness were a scale they slid along—with JC on one end and Saint, naturally, on the other.

“I know that too.”

They wait for him, expectant and eager and hopeful so Hongjoong offered: “I’m Hongjoong.”

“Thank you for the sand,” JC adds. “I’m keeping it safe.” JC’s eyes were a lot rounder — bigger. There was a twinkle of some sort of emotion. Had he known JC better, Hongjoong wondered if he might be able to name it. Still, Hongjoong figured it was a good thing as evident from JC’s smile and the volume of Saint’s earlier greeting, still bouncing against his skin as if trying to dig a way to the very center of his self.

These things—the new warmth, JC’s emotion filled eyes, Saint’s emotion filled voice, the acknowledgment of his efforts, even the fact they greeted him first—were unlocking a Pandora’s box of feelings within Hongjoong. Unnameable and undefinable—they were seeding in the pits of his stomach as if getting ready to grow something that could only be summarized, unhelpfully, as good. His skin felt electric, and fire walked up his hands, his neck, before dancing across his face.

He thought: I feel like I could do anything. He believed he could too. 

Hongjooong had so much he wanted to say to JC and Saint. They stood around him patiently as if expecting his eventual questions, silently communicating rehearsed answers between themselves.

Hongjoong wanted to ask about the beach and their infatuation with it. He wanted to ask about their parents and why they picked KQ. He wanted to ask where they disappeared to when no one was looking. He wanted to ask about the nature of these secret places and if he could come too if he promised not to tell anyone. He wanted to ask if they were ever lonely here and he wanted to assure that if they were they don’t have to be because he was here with them too. This was the only way loneliness could be soothed: in the company of others.

Most importantly, Hongjoong wanted to ask: Can we please be friends? 

All of this—and more—came out in a simple, “You’re welcome.” 

More and more trainees began to fill up KQ. Before Hongjoong knew it, there were eleven of them.  They navigated each other as if they were all strange new creatures in a strange new world. Wide eyed, hesitant, and ever so curious. They tried to be careful with their words, their actions, but fights were inevitable. Sour attitudes came and went. A too soft word could be flipped into something angry, hot. But they were trying. At the end of the day, that was all that mattered.

JC and Saint didn’t disappear anymore. Often, Hongjoong would see a flicker of their want to. Especially with Saint who was more quiet around the others, watching the other trainees cautiously, and shying away from interactions outside of practice.

“Saints like super shy,” JC had explained once, grabbing one of Hongjoong’s shoe laces and tugging. “I’m not though.”

“Uh huh,” Hongjoong swatted at his hands, crouching to fix them. It was JC’s turn to swat his hand as he relooped Hongjoong’s laces, paused, then tugged at them again.

“But they’ll be okay.” JC assured, and then, thoughtfully: “I think we’ll all be okay.”

Only Mingi could get a rise out of Saint. Everyone but Saint seemed to understand this. Mingi’s own understanding of this might have been why he pushed twice as hard when Saint did. And the 99 liners—after finding out they shared the same birth year—would follow suit, surrounding Saint and pushing and tugging until all of that quietness had become a mix of playful annoyance and feigned irritation. 

JC and Saint eventually moved into the trainee dorms with the rest of them, no longer separated by the long path they took to get home. With them, a bag each and a container of baked goods their mom made. By the time the container had made its way to Hongjoong, it was completely empty save for crumbs. Wooyoung had taken the tupperware back, licked up the crumbs, and given the container to Hongjoong with a wide grin. 

“J,” Haeyoung beamed, “You can room with me.” He didn’t mention that JC would most likely end up in a room shared with Haeyoung and three or four others. Yeosang tried to point that out, but Haeyoung shushed him loudly and repeatedly until the other boy gave up with a bit of a pout.

Haeyoung was a year younger than Hongjoong, the youngest of the 99 liners, and had befriended JC and Saint far quicker than Hongjoong had. Even Saint had talked to him first before the other trainees. He was personable and friendly and seemed to understand how the twins operated in a way Hongjoong couldn’t. 

“He doesn’t like to be called that,” Hongjoong told Haeyoung. 

“Why not?”

“Cause JC’s already a nickname.”

Haeyoung’s eyes grew wide. He walked to JC, taking his bag, and asked, “What’s it stand for?”

JC shrugged, letting Haeyoung take his bag. “No clue.” He turned to Saint, hand outstretched to take their own bag, but stilled when he noticed fat tears making its way down their cheeks. His very quiet, almost panicked “Saint—” had caught the others' attention. 

“Sorry,” Saint said, wiping at their face, embarrassed. “I just need a second.” They stepped out in the hallway, the door closing behind them.

Sadly, Yunho said, “It must be a really embarrassing name for Saint to cry like that.”

Despite himself, JC choked out a laugh. He gave Yunho a playful glare, spinning on his heel to follow after Saint. He was stopped by Mingi, tugging his hand and asking, “Do you mind if I-” He stopped short, hoping the rest of what he wanted to say was clear. 

JC looked to Hongjoong, waiting. Confused, Hongjoong nodded slowly.

To Mingi, JC said: “I don't mind at all.”

Mingi slipped out of the hall after Saint, door closing halfway. Hongjoong counted to three, only reaching two before Wooyoung tried and failed to nonchalantly walk over, trying and failing at pretending he wasn't peering out the door crack. Following him were San, Yunho, and Yeosang—all whistling as casually as possible to play up their nonexistent innocence as accomplices to the crime.

Eventually Jongho and Seonghwa found their way over. Though they at least appeared sheepish at the look Hongjoong was giving him.

“Guys,” Hongjoong scolded. “C'mon!”

Wooyoung waved him off. “Either join us or shut up.”

“Join them,” Haeyoung clarified. “I just wanted to stand next to you, Hongjoong.” He batted his eyelashes in the direction of Hongjoong. Haeyoung was the closest to the door despite being one of the last to crowd around it. Hongjoong rolled his eyes at the other, shoving Haeyoung away as gently as he could.

“You guys are like really nosy,” JC said, having joined the group in their spying.

“Can you blame us?” Wooyoung asked. “You and Saint like never talk about yourselves. We don’t know anything about you.”

Defensive, JC replied, “I talk about myself all the time.”

“Nuh uh.”

“Yes huh.”

“You only ever talk about Saint,” Jongho cut in. “And Saint only ever talks about you.” Mentally, Hongjoong thanked their youngest for stepping in as he knew just like they all did that Wooyoung and JC’s back and forth would spiral into hours worth of nuh uhs and yes huhs as their nonarguments always tended to.

JC leaned into Jongho, wide eyed as he asked: “Why are you guys talking about me? Huh? Huh?” Jongho rolled his eyes, weakly shoving JC away from him. Dramatically, JC stumbled into Haeyoung, groaning. “Why’s that guy so strong?”

Hongjoong watched the careful path Haeyoung’s hand took from JC’s shoulder to his hand, squeezing. “I only say really mean things by the way,” Haeyoung added with a grin.

JC matched his grin, a teasing lilt to his tone. “Yeah?”

“Yeah!”

Hongjoong frowned, watching the two. 

In the midst of all this, he hadn’t noticed Saint until they cleared their throat to catch everyone’s attention. They asked, “What are you guys doing?” This prompted the others to move from the door, running off in different directions.

JC jabbed at Saint’s arm, nodded once then took off after the others, making sure to grab Saint’s bag of things in the process.

“You cool?” Hongjoong asked.

Saint nodded, saying as nonchalantly as they could, “I’m cool.”

He peered around Saint to where Mingi still stood in the hall, staring dumbly at his hand. He spread out his fingers then slowly curled them, ears turning red. When he looked over to Saint, he met Hongjoong’s eyes, suddenly embarrassed at having been caught at—well, Hongjoong wasn't sure. He wondered what he’d missed while he watched the other boys.  

They spend more and more time training. While it was still fun, there was less and less time to mess around. Everything had to be perfect—an expectation from the company, but also one that came from each of them.

The air felt magnetized. There were less jokes and less talking from the others as they focused on not messing up. These days, Hongjoong couldn’t hide a bubbling irritation that stemmed from a newfound dislike for Haeyoung. Haeyoung had gotten so close to JC in the short time they’d known each other. They were always together and Hongjoong had found it harder to hang out with JC. If JC wasn’t with Haeyoung, they were training, and if they weren’t training he was with Haeyoung. 

Even now, they were together as JC helped Haeyoung work through one step after the other. JC and Saint appeared to be the only ones not really affected by the weird energy. When the twins did get irritated or annoyed, Hongjoong had learned that Saint would stay after hours to work through the dance again and again until Seonghwa came to drag them to bed. This was something only Seonghwa could do as Saint refused to listen to common sense coming from anyone else. 

For JC, Hongjoong knew he’d lock himself in the bathroom, stewing in quiet and silent anger until it fizzled out and he could be in a room with the boys without snapping or coming off as condescending. He had done this once to Yeosang, and the resulting back and forth between JC and Wooyoung only came to a halt when Saint convinced Jongho to fake tears and beg them to stop. 

Still, those times were rare. Mostly, the two were rather good at hiding things. 

The others seemed to be going out of their way to avoid him. Hongjoong understood why, but their attempts to appease his mood only made it worse. 

Haeyoung stumbled again with a frustrated sigh. “We’ve been in here forever.” 

Hongjoong snapped, “Maybe we’d get out of here sooner if you stopped fucking up.”

He had sucked up all the bad energy and let it spark, burning up the earlier tension as if it never existed to begin with. Now, there was only a nervous type of silence as the others tried to figure out exactly what to do next.

Seonghwa clapped. Once. Twice. “Let’s take a break.” His tone left no room for argument, not that anyone would try to argue against it.

JC held up the bright blue tupperware he’d come in with earlier, shooing away curious hands and the repeated questions of whatcha got there? “My mom made—'' He was crowded in an instant, greedy hands tugging at the tupperware as JC begged them to give him a second to atleast open it. San had made sure to tug Haeyoung along, making it clear to Hongjoong they were all working together to soothe the burn of his earlier outburst. He felt proud they were quick thinkers — that everyone could work together to fix his mistakes without outright chewing him out for it. But his pride was buried under all his irritation when Haeyoung leaned closer to JC, scrambling to grab something before everyone else ate it all. 

“Hey.” He hadn’t noticed Saint was standing next to him till they spoke. “Come with me.”

Hongjoong shook his head, defiant. “We’re still at—”

Saint grabbed his arm and tugged him towards the door. Hongjoong huffed but let Saint lead him out. He threw a glance over his shoulder to see JC watching him. JC raised a hand in farewell. He mouthed something, but Hongjoong wasn’t sure what.

Hongjoong and Saint leave the company building, walking aimlessly until they decide to go to the convenience store they always frequent. The college kid that worked there paid them no mind even as Saint opened up a bag of chips to snack on. They walk laps around the store, eventually stopping where all the ice cream was stored. It was the start of summer so there was still a coolness to the air the summer heat didn't swallow. In the store, the AC had stopped working, leaving the place far hotter than the outdoors. Saint pressed their cheek against the cool fridge then stepped back from it, frowning and realizing that wasn’t a good idea.

The walk had helped to clear the fog in Hongjoong’s head. Now, he only felt bad for his earlier comment at Haeyoung. He felt bad for saying it in front of the others. He felt bad that they had to defuse a situation he caused.

“You cool?” Saint asked.

“I'm cool.”

Saint nodded, shoving another handful of chips in their mouth. “You know, Joong, you're JC’s very first friend.” 

More guilt began to pool into his system. He wondered if to JC, it appeared he was jealous of his friendship with Haeyoung or worse, he didn’t want the two to be freinds. It wasn’t that. There was something else Hongjoong was finding very difficult to put into words. He felt as if there was something he was going to lose to Haeyoung. To be exact: he felt he might lose JC to Haeyoung and he wasn’t quite sure why his skin itched at the idea. He’d never thought he could ever lose Saint nor did JC’s proximity with their other friends ever elicit similar ideas. The more he thought about the whys the harder it was to understand. 

Too focused on his own thoughts, he almost missed Saint's quiet addition: “You're my first friend too.” This stunned him, and his earlier thoughts had all been stopped. Instead, he turned this admission of Saint’s over and over, allowing it to stew and simmer.

Hongjoong shook his head, suddenly tearful. “Oh c'mon, I'm sure — I'm sure other people have—”

“I grew up on some nowhere beach with just my brother after our parents bailed on us.” This was the only time Saint had ever shared anything about their parents or what they got up to when they lived in America. Finally, Hongjoong understood their infatuation with the beach even though Saint tried to downplay what it truly meant to them. “And then I came here and didn't speak a lick of the language. And I guess you can say I’m a little shy.” They joked. “Making friends was never going to be easy for me.”

Hongjoong stared at the rows of ice cream, trying desperately not to cry in the almost empty store. He didn’t dare look at Saint, knowing if he did he wouldn’t be able to control his tears. If he started crying now, he might never stop as a response to how earnest and honest Saint was being.

“You’re also my best friend.” He could hear it in Saint’s voice too. “That means everything to me.”

“Me too.” Was all he could say. It means everything to me too.

They buy ice cream for the others before heading back to the company. By now, everyone had cooled off if they hadn’t already. There was nothing left in the tupperware and Saint fake cried as they held the empty container, mourning the missed experience of their mom’s brownies.

“You guys are like animals,” JC said, watching as the boys practically ripped the bag from Hongjoong in order to claim an ice cream bar. “Wait, wait, is that strawberry?” 

Hongjong nudged Haeyoung who nudged him in return. “I’m sorry.” Hongjoong said, meeting his eyes. 

“I know.” Haeyoung broke into a smile that became a little sad as he repeated, “I know.” Hongjoong ducked his head to avoid that smile, wondering what it was Haeyoung was sure he knew and why Hongjoong was unaware of this thing that remained so unknown to him.

On one of the rare days they get off, JC asked: “Do you guys wanna meet my mom?”

It’s a last minute decision to make a day out of meeting JC and Saint’s mom. They live in Seoul next to her bakery so they’re not far from the company building. Hada closed the bakery on Sundays. She had started to do so years ago when all of her kids still lived with her.

Their house was cozy and it reminded Hongjoong of his own home and his own parents. He made a mental note to call them later.

Loudly and together, JC and Saint yelled, “We’re home!” There were rushed footsteps from the stairs, stumbling, cursing, and finally the appearance of Dal, their older sister. When JC and Saint had told everyone the soloist was related to them, nobody believed them until they called her on the phone and she promised free concert tickets.

“These are our friends,” JC said. “Friends, this is Dal.”

“You jokers have friends?” Dal laughed. “These guys are probably as weird as you.”

JC began to scream, “Mom! Mom! Mom-”

Dal rushed to silence him, clamping a hand over his mouth. “I didn’t even do anything! You’re always trying to get me in trouble. You little—”

“We're going to debut together,” Saint told Dal, glancing at where Yunho was making faces at the family pictures of JC and Saint. Hongjoong stole a look at the photos, surprised that at some point in time JC had been shorter than Saint. “As our—” Saint stopped short not sure what that word was, but also to grab Yunho from wandering farther unsupervised.

“Sunbaenim,” Yunho offered with a big smile. 

“Yeah that!” Saint squinted at him, contemplating his release, but ultimately deciding against it. “As our whatever he said, shouldn't you give us some words of advice?”

Dal let go of JC, wiping her hand on his cheek—wet from all the licks he gave it so she would let him go. He recoiled, but was held firmly in place by Dal’s free hand as she continued to clean off her hand. To the others she said, “Being an idol is a lot of work. The industry's tough and the public's hard to please. If you're not careful you can fall into the cracks and sometimes your shit won’t sell even if you think it’s good and—” She stopped, noticing the nervousness that passed across their faces. Smiling, she said, “But I think—I know you guys will be fine. You've got each other after all.”

Jongho dryly asked, “Did you get that bit off a fortune cookie?”

Dal's expression soured as the group began to laugh. “Man whatever.”

They meet Hada on their way to JC and Saint’s room. She didn’t look that much older than Dal, and they looked nothing alike despite being mother and daughter. Her hair was dyed a bright orange that was fading at the ends and her dark roots were starting to come in. She was short, barely coming up to Hongjoong’s shoulders, and dressed in an old college sweatshirt that was three sizes too big. 

She greeted the boys with a warm smile. “Hello!”

He was taken back by how bright and bubbly Hada and even Dal were compared to JC and Saint. Hada was on her way to pick up groceries so she couldn’t stay long, but she promised the boys she’d get to talk to them later.

Though JC and Saint have the biggest room, there was not a lot in it. The walls were bare and the only spot of color were the bedsheets. JC’s was blue and Saint’s was yellow. Even the dressers were left empty. There was one suitcase they shoved their stuff in, and Mingi had taken it upon himself to start rummaging through it asking ever so often: “Can I have this?” Only to be met with Saints meaningless threat: “If you don’t get the fuck out of that suitcase.” He kept whatever it was he wanted anyways, folding it and neatly putting it inside the bag he’d brought with him for this very reason.

“We have to get you guys like posters or something,” San said, hopping onto JC’s bed. He studied the singular stuffed animal that had claimed the foot of the bed as home. It was oddly shaped, and dull in color thanks to how long it’d been in JC’s possession. It had three heads of varying sizes and only three legs since the fourth had been replaced by a patch, messily sown on. “What is this supposed to be?”

“Andy the Ant,” JC beamed. “Cute, right?”

San wrinkled his nose, slowly turning away from the ant. “Sure.”

When it’s time to sleep, they pile in the living room since JC and Saint’s room didn’t have enough space for all of them. In order to decide who gets the couch, they play Mario Kart. Dal joined halfway through and won three rounds before they kicked her out of their game. She called them sore losers on her way out, trudging away like a kicked puppy.

JC eventually won, claiming the couch as his while the others slept on piles of blankets and pillows Hada had bought so they could be as comfortable as possible.

Sleep came quick and easy as the earlier excitement from the day began to wear off. Hongjoong stared up at the ceiling, dozing on and off. He was closest to the couch so it was easy for JC to reach down, and tap his face.

“Joong?” 

“Mm?”

“Are you awake?”

“Mm.”

There was a pause. “Come up here.”

Hongjoong stumbled out of the sheets, careful to not disturb anyone next to him. He moved up to the couch as he laid down next to JC. His eyes were still shut and he was still tired as JC hooked his leg around him, shuffling to ensure Hongjoong was secure in his hold.

“Do you think they know a little bit about me and Saint now?”

“I think so.” Hongjoong murmured. He did at least. “Your mom's nice. So is Dal.”

“They'd like that you said.”

Hongjoong smiled at that and had to keep his smile from growing when JC pulled him closer. 

Very quietly, JC asked, “Joong?”

“Yeah?” He opened his eyes, suddenly aware of just how close they were.

“Do you still want to be friends with me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know.” It was too dark to make out JC’s expression. Hongjoong’s vision blurred with sleep. He wished he could see JC clearly, to make out the look in his eyes. To really know why JC would think he didn’t want to be friends.

He reached for where he thought JC’s face would be. Found his neck then went up, along his cheek, his nose, his brow. Then the corner of his mouth. His thumb pressed to his bottom lip.

Everything was still too new. Too special. He was JC’s first friend: this was a heavyweight he had to carry. One that filled him with so much grief as it denied him something else, but one that left him wishing he had known the younger JC—and the younger Saint because how could he not think of them too—before they had to leave their home on the beach.

“It’d be weird if we weren’t friends anymore,” Hongjoong murmured, his heart squeezing in his chest. 

Quietly, JC agreed, “Yeah.”

“Yeah.” 

They lay their quietly for a little longer before Hongjoong slowly moved his hand. As his hand retreated, JC ducked his head pressing his lips against Hongjoong’s thumb. Then, he said, “Goodnight, Joong.”

“Goodnight, JC.”

Sometime in the night, Hongjoong woke up, too warm thanks to the shared heat of himself and JC. He studied JC’s face, the brightness of the moon illuminating his features better. He pressed his thumb to his own mouth, suddenly aware and suddenly conflicted and suddenly sad in a way he couldn’t explain.

There was a different type of loneliness Hongjoong found himself in now. It was different from his early trainee days, when all wanted was to simply be JC and Saint’s friend. In those early days, he had orbited around them the way the moon does the Earth, dimming in brightness until they met him halfway in orbit, finally giving him the thing he wanted. He knew what everything meant in relation to himself, JC, and Saint. He knew he could break everything if he wanted to. He didn’t know if he wanted to. 

But he knew that this—the eleven of them together—was better than nothing.

[atzaurora]

[˗ˏˋ ´ˎ˗] ℱ𝒐𝒓𝒃𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 ℒ𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒔.﹙김홍중﹚(1.1k)

𖥔 student!gn!reader x teacher!hongjoong ; teacher x student, secret/forbidden lovers ⸼જ You and your teacher, Mr. Kim, are having some 'fun' in between lessons... ➤ imagine (smut) .ᐟ.ᐟ 18+/smut content, MDNI!!! teacher/student relationship, age gap (10 years, 18 & 28), unprotected sex (oral), m receiving oral sex, power imbalance, public setting (in school), dubious consent/morality .ᐟ.ᐟ

꒰🖇꒱ I've been so inactive y'all, I'm sorry :'( I'm trying post more again! hope you like this fic tho enjoyyy

if you have any ideas or wishes let me know, requests are open

here's my [𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕]! ; [𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕] here! ; [about me] ; [guidelines]! my tiktok

reblogs appreciated

It was wrong. So, so wrong. Not only was he ten years older than you, he was also your teacher. But the forbidden nature of it only added to the intoxicating allure. How could you resist when Mr. Kim had been so quick to respond to the way you flirted with your gaze, his dark eyes locking onto yours in class, silently acknowledging the unspoken tension between you?

And now here you were, kneeling beneath his desk, giving him the best head of his life, your lips wrapped tightly around his throbbing erection as his breath hitched with every flick of your tongue. ── ࣪˖ MORE BELOW

"Fuck, just like that, sweetheart," Mr. Kim groaned lowly, his voice dripping with lust as he tangled his fingers into your hair, tightening his grip. He guided you, pushing your head down further, forcing more of his thick length into your mouth.

You squeezed your eyes shut, focusing on taking as much of him as you could. His tip nudged the back of your throat, and to your surprise and satisfaction, you managed to suppress your gag reflex, allowing him to slide in even deeper. Your hands gripped his thighs tightly for support, steadying yourself as you bobbed your head up and down, creating a rhythm that had him moaning in approval.

His head tipped back slightly, his lips parting as he lost himself in the feeling of your warm, wet mouth wrapped around him. "You're doing so well, Y/N," he praised, his voice thick with pleasure, the hint of desperation barely concealed as his hips bucked upward slightly, urging you to take more.

You opened your eyes again, peeking up at him, your gaze wide and innocent despite the sinful act you were performing. The sight of your pretty eyes staring up at him while you sucked him off made him smirk, a dark, twisted smile that only fueled the heat growing between your legs. "So, so pretty," he muttered, his hand shifting from your hair to cup your cheek, his thumb gently brushing over your flushed skin.

There was something about the way he looked at you through his glasses—those deep brown eyes gleaming with lust behind the thin frames—that was absolutely mesmerizing. It was fucked up in the most exhilarating way. You could never get enough of those eyes, the way they burned into you during class when he couldn’t touch you, couldn’t act on the desires that simmered beneath the surface. He knew it, too. He knew exactly what effect his gaze had on you, and it only made his control over you more delicious.

"Come on, baby," he growled softly, his voice rough and strained as he neared his climax. "Just a little more... I'm almost there." The tremor in his voice sent a thrill down your spine, knowing how close he was, how much power you held in that moment.

You rolled your eyes back, hollowing your cheeks as you increased your pace, the wet sounds of your mouth working his cock filling the small, private space under his desk. His hips bucked again, more forceful this time, and his cock hit the back of your throat, making you gag slightly. He groaned at the sensation, his grip on your head tightening.

Moments later, you felt him twitch in your mouth, and with a loud moan, he released thick ropes of cum, spilling into your throat. You swallowed it down without hesitation, his salty essence coating your tongue as you continued to milk him, making sure to take every last drop. Only when he was completely spent did he pull out, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to catch his breath.

He cupped your chin, lifting your face to meet his gaze as he inspected you with a smirk. "Let me see, angel." His thumb tugged your lower lip down, and you obediently opened your mouth, showing him that you had swallowed like the good girl you were.

"Good job," he murmured approvingly, his voice soft but commanding. His words of praise always had a way of making your knees weak, and he knew exactly how much you craved his approval. "You deserve to be rewarded, don’t you?"

Mr. Kim leaned back in his chair, still catching his breath, and casually reached for the grade sheet on his desk. With the same pen he used for marking assignments, he jotted down a perfect A beside your name, the sound of the ink scratching against paper filling the otherwise quiet room.

You chuckled, the sound light and teasing as you wiped your mouth with the back of your hand and began fixing your hair. "Thank you, sir," you whispered sweetly, your tone laced with playful innocence as you climbed out from beneath the desk.

He raised an eyebrow, his lips quirking into a half-smile as he turned to look at you. "We’ve talked about this, darling. Call me by my name when we’re alone." His voice was gentle but firm, the authority in his tone unmistakable.

You leaned down, brushing your lips softly against his cheek from behind, your breath warm against his skin. "We’re still in school," you teased, your voice low. "I have to stay professional, don’t I?" The irony of your words was not lost on either of you, and you both chuckled at the absurdity of it all. Nothing about this situation was professional in the slightest.

He shook his head, his laughter soft and warm as he gestured toward the door. "You’d better get going, sweetheart. You don’t want to be late for your next class." His tone had shifted slightly, taking on a more serious edge now that the moment was coming to an end. The bell would ring soon, signaling the end of the break, and you needed to be gone before anyone noticed anything suspicious.

You nodded, gathering your things as you prepared to leave, but not before sending him one last mischievous smile. "See you tomorrow, Mr. Kim. Oh, and you might want to fix your pants before the students start coming in," you added cheekily, nodding toward the evidence of your earlier activities.

He glanced down, a faint flush creeping up his neck as he quickly adjusted himself, his eyes narrowing playfully at your teasing. "Go on, get out of here," he muttered, though there was no real bite in his words. He loved how you always managed to leave him wanting more, even after you’d just given him everything.

With a wink, you slipped out the door, the thrill of what had just transpired still buzzing in your veins.

[kiwiraccoon]

Numb, Emptiness IV

Ateez OT8 x OC

Summary: after witnessing the death of her family, her uncle sends her back to South Korea to live with the eight guys he had saved over the years. They seem to be almost, if not just, as mentally messed up as she is, and the goal is for her to help them and them to help her. Time heals, but it’s already been 11 years of suffering for her, can they really help?

overall notes: MDNI mental health: depression, anxiety, ocd, antisocial, agoraphobia, personality disorders, mental breakdowns. mentions and descriptions of gruesome deaths, gore. polygamy, shared female, suggestive, fluff, smut?, building relationships. THIS IS NOT MEANT FOR THE WEAK HEARTED OR UNDERAGE!! this not meant to depict real Ateez but an au, not about their real selves or real struggles, I took ideas from their real selves but again not meant to be negative towards them or anything against their image… THIS IS JUST MY MORBID MIND RUNNING WILD!

Word count: 1576 (I’m sorry it’s short)

The feeling of someone reaching for my headphones drags me out of my mind space causing me to instantly grab their wrist in a tight grasp leaving my knuckles white. I look up and meet the stern eyes of my uncle telling me to let him go and allow him to speak to me. Hesitantly I let go of his wrist and allowed him to stop my music and pull my attention onto him, still doing my best to ignore anyone else who might be in the room. “Next time, and I hope there won’t be, don’t lock your door like that.” He leaves no time for me to respond, making sure I know it’s not a request but an order while putting the headphones back in my ear. I keep my eyes down as I hop down from the island countertop and make my way back to my room ready to clean up my mess.

The second I walk into my room I’m hit with the smell of cleaning products still lingering in the air and no reminder of what happened not too long ago. I don’t have to relive my breakdown by picking up the broken pieces of my mind in the form of a mirror. I don’t know who did it, but what I do know is when I find out I will do everything I can to thank them. They saved my mind from another breakdown, one that would be much smaller but still there. I take a moment to walk into my bathroom and make sure all of the mess is gone, a mirror no longer hangs on the wall. In its place a note sticks with some clear tape.

You deserve all the good things in life. You deserve to feel. You deserve to express yourself. You deserve to be cared for. You deserve to be loved.

No name is written to let me know who left me the affirmations, and I’m grateful for the lack of one. It allows me to say the words myself without hearing someone else’s voice. I can remind myself that I am deserving. I speak the words under my breath a few times until a small smile pulls at my lips. The smile reminds me that I do have control again, my life is mine, and my emotions are mine. I turn back to my room and finally look around, multiple times. It’s then I notice something on my made bed, a little stuffed animal with a note sitting on its head.

Next time you feel alone with your thoughts, hug him tight. His name is Shiber. -San

This handwriting is different from the other note telling me that the person who wrote the affirmations isn’t San. I stare at the little dog while trying to process the information. Someone I hadn’t spoken to once has gone out of their way to give me a piece of comfort through their stuffed animal. Another smile tugs at my lips as I pull Shiber up from my bed and into my arms to hug him tight just like San said. I had to admit the comfort I gained from the interaction was something I never felt before. I felt cared for, seen, and understood just by one small gesture. 

“Thank you.” I whisper into the stuffed animal as I hug him tighter while falling back into my bed to enjoy the moment of peace and clarity. Music still floods through my mind but the extra comfort helps to make the moment feel less like a distraction and more like an outstretched hand for me to hold on to.

I don’t know how long I laid there hugging Shiber, but I do know it was long enough for someone to come knocking on my door loud enough to break through my music. I stand up holding the stuffed animal in my arms to open the door while removing my headphones from my ears. “Yes?” I ask when I open the door to see who knocked. I can’t tell if my face has returned to its bored expression or if it has changed but when I meet the eyes of Mingi he pulls me into a bone crushing hug. “What’s wrong bub?”

He hugs me tighter to his body making sure I don’t slip away from him. “I was so scared, when I heard your screams. I couldn’t get in to check on you. God I was so scared.” He confesses into my shoulder letting tears slip from his eyes onto the thin fabric of my long sleeve shirt.

I pull away from the hug to tug him into my room and close the door to give our conversation some privacy. He looks at me in confusion while tears roll down his face. I just try to make a small smile form on my face while I pull him to my bed so we can sit together in a comfortable place. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You’re smiling.” He notes letting me know that my emotions are showing.

I smile a little bit more at the fact I can show some emotion. “I broke free.” I look around my room remembering a cute little plushie that is no longer in my arms. I see Shiber on the ground and quickly pick him up to return him into my hold for comfort once again. 

“Is that what happened?” He asks, smiling through the tears.

“Uh yea. At first, all the negative thoughts were winning until I had enough. I had nothing to hide from anymore. No one was actively hurting me anymore.” I admit hugging Shiber tighter while burying my face into the soft pillow. 

Mingi moves to wrap his long arms around me letting me still hold on to Shiber while he also comforts me in the vulnerable moment. “I’m proud of you. You went through a lot and you managed to come out stronger than anyone I’ve ever known. I hope you know I’ll always be here even when you’re annoyingly happy all the time. Which is the goal.”

“What goal?” I ask pulling out of the hug again to meet his eyes.

“My life goal is to make you happy, I never cared if you showed it but I just wanted you to be happy truly. And that’s why I was so scared when I heard you breaking down. Your screams sent my body into fight mode, I wanted to break down your door so badly. I was ready to tackle anyone who got in my way.” The way his eyes shine with sincerity makes tears form in my eyes. I have never felt so loved and cared for before by anyone other than my uncle. Mingi unknowingly became one of the most important people in my life just by being here.

I pull Mingi into a hug without Shiber between us, my arms wrap tightly around his shoulders as his go around my waist. We keep close for a while just enjoying the moment together to know we are both okay and we are both happy.

“Kai di- oh sorry.” Wooyoung quickly pulls away from peeking in the door and slightly closes it leaving a slight crack. 

“Yes Wooyoung?” I simply ask not feeling any negativity due to his presence.

He pops his head back in through the door with a sorry smile on his face, “I was just wondering if you still wanted to eat some pizza?”

I let out a small chuckle and I watch as Wooyoungs face goes from embarrassed to surprised quickly and before I know it he is tackling me onto my bed in a bear hug. He laughs in the hug ignoring Mingi scolding him for invading my personal space. “You just laughed!” He leans up on his arms hovering above me with a stupid big smile on his face. He is in disbelief at what he just heard and what he sees. Me smiling and laughing at his face and I can’t help but life my hand up and poke his prominent cheeks.

“I did.” We chuckle together and he slaps my hand away in a joking way before pulling me back into a strong hug. “You’re crushing me Woo.”

“Woo!? You just called me Woo!” He freaks out again now completely sitting up above me looking at me as if I just committed arson on his favorite clothing item. I nod and smile as much as I can, which is only a little bit. “WAIT! You… you’re smiling and laughing!!!” He yells absolutely losing his mind.

“Quiet down!” Mingi hisses at his younger friend, he knows everyone has now heard. And telling by the loud footsteps coming up the stairs they are all coming to see what all the fuss is.

Wooyoung looks apologetic and starts to say his apologies until he is interrupted by the rest of my housemates running. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“What happened?”

“Is Kai okay?”

“Why are you yelling?”

“What’s going on?”

So many questions asked, causing me to laugh at the chaos ensuing in my small room. This shuts everyone up as they all look at me in confusion. No one says anything just listens to me laughing uncontrollably, they all looked to worried when they walked in and now they hold nothing but confusion on their faces.

“Is she laughing?” I hear Jongho whisper to Yunho standing beside him.