#jongho red wicks

[littlefireball]

ᴊᴏɴɢꜱᴀɴɢ|ʟᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ꜰᴜ*ᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴏᴛʜ ʜᴀʀᴅ (ᴍ)

ᴀʟᴘʜᴀ ᴊᴏɴɢʜᴏ x ᴏᴍᴇɢᴀ ʏᴇᴏꜱᴀɴɢ x ᴏᴍᴇɢᴀ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

ᴘᴀʀᴛ 2 ᴏꜰ ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ʜᴏʀɴʏ

ᴀᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀʟᴘʜᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴏᴍᴇɢᴀ

ʟᴏɴɢ ꜱᴍᴜᴛ|ᴛʜʀᴇᴇꜱᴏᴍᴇ|ᴏᴠᴇʀꜱᴛɪᴍᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ|ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴇ ᴏʀɢᴀꜱᴍ|ʙxʙ|ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴᴇᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴍᴘʀᴇɢ|ᴅᴏᴍ & ꜱᴜʙ

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 2.2ᴋ

"So, who first?" Jongho toys with the belt in his hand, flashing a wicked smile. His pheromones are intoxicating, sending you both into a frenzy of desire. The anticipation is palpable as you both yearn to be the one to succumb first, eager for him to ravage you relentlessly.

"We both want you…" you murmured, a blush coloring your face.

"Yeah, please." Yeosang chimed in.

Jongho caresses yeosang's waist, the gentle touch giving him goosebumps and moaning for more.

"You, an omega, how dare you to dominate my other omega, huh?"

"No, that's because I'm in my heat…"

"Oh, so you help her? Is that true?Yeosang, I need words."

"Ye…yes."

"It seems you two make friends, huh? You don't need me anymore?"

"No, of course no!"

"Is that so?"

Suddenly, without warning, he plunged straight into yeosang's hole, pushing it as far as it would go, causing him to let out a loud moan.

"Ahh please, jjong! We both need you."

"I know, I know." His tone was teasing, his fingers stroking yeosang's skin back and forth, but not moving.

"Want to be fuck? Y/N?"

"Yes, please."

"Say my name."

"Please, my alpha."

"Good." Jongho's hand slid down, his touch igniting a fire within Yeosang as he caressed him, spreading the pre-cum along his shaft. The gentle strokes sent shivers down Yeosang's spine, causing him to lean back against Jongho's chest, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Do you dominate her? Hm? Show me how you make love to her," Jongho whispered in Yeosang's ear, his lips brushing against his skin, teasing his sensitive spots. Pressing his chest against Yeosang's back, Jongho pushed him down, guiding him into your warmth.

"Oh fuck!" A simultaneous arch of your backs as Yeosang finally felt the exquisite sensation of being enveloped in heat.

"Fuck her with me," Jongho urged, planting a tender kiss on Yeosang's temple before thrusting deeply. Yeosang followed suit, his movements syncing with Jongho's, each thrust sending waves of pleasure coursing through your bodies.

"Ah~fuck~" Moans and cries filled the room as they moved in unison, your passion escalating with each thrust. Jongho's rhythmic movements created a symphony of desire, the sound of your bodies colliding echoing in the air. Yeosang, though not as large as Jongho, brought a different kind of intensity, each stroke sending a jolt of electricity through their bodies.

"Ah, yes, oh, God!" The room filled with the symphony of their pleasure, their voices blending in a chorus of ecstasy. Jongho quickened his pace, the sound of their bodies colliding, mixing with the slaps of flesh, creating a crescendo of desire. His balls slaps yeosang's ass while yeosang's cock keep rubbing your inner walls.

Their bodies move in perfect harmony, the intensity building with each passing moment. Your breasts bounce, cries fill the air, and Yeosang's eyes drink in the sight before him, a tableau of passion and desire.

"Ah!Ah!Ah!" Jongho presses firmly against Yeosang's waist, drawing you both closer as your chests meet, allowing him to penetrate deeper. With each rhythmic thrust, he leans in, creating a powerful motion that resonates through your body. You adjust your position, bending your legs to enhance the sensation, feeling Yeosang's breath on your face as you close your eyes to fully immerse yourself in the experience.

The weight of both men on top of you adds a hint of intensity, making it slightly challenging to catch your breath. You find yourself gasping for air, your throat feeling dry, yet the pleasure overrides any discomfort as your moans escape effortlessly.

"Keep going, jjong!" "Such a slut huh?" He spanks yeosang and leaves a red mark but not painful enough to make him scream. He bites his lips as everything is overwhelming. Your warmth and wetness wraps his cock so well while his hole is being filled with heat and excitement.

Both of their cocks twitch when they thrust so deep and so hard. It feels like Jongho wants to break through the limitations of both of you. Your hands are secured over your head while yeosang tighten with each thrust, the slight pain causing you to close your eyes tightly.

"Hmmm…" "Let me see how you make out." Yeosang listens to Jongho once more and kisses your lips. You open your mouth slightly, letting him slide into your mouth, your tongues rubbing against each other, exploring, licking, and sucking on each other's lips.

"How good you are." Jongho's thrusts grew more intense, eliciting a muffled cry from you that was quickly silenced by his kiss. His hands gripped Yeosang's waist firmly, leaving red marks on his smooth skin as the passion between them escalated.

As your lips parted, a shared scream filled the room, the intensity of your connection echoing off the walls. "Slow down, Jjong!" you managed to gasp, the overwhelming sensations leaving you breathless and dizzy. Yeosang too felt the rush of pleasure building within him, his body trembling as the desire reached its peak, a trail of fluid marking the intensity of the moment. The fluid secreted in his hole overflowed to the point where it slid along his thighs to the ground as his legs were shaking constantly.

"Cum and I'll slow down," Jongho's words are a tantalizing promise, pushing you both to the brink. You both reach climax and Yeosang cums all in your cunt and you juices also cream his cock fully. But it is not the end. With a swift motion, he lifts Yeosang and lays him back on the bed, his lips trailing down his neck in pursuit of his mutual climax.

"Ah~" Yeosang arched his back, wrapping his legs around Jongho, inviting him to delve deeper into their shared passion. The rhythmic motion of Jongho's thrusts reverberate through the room, the bed creaking in time with their fervor. Once more, Jongho's movements intensify, sending a surge of pleasure through Yeosang as he reaches the pinnacle of ecstasy.

"Oh shit!It hurts!" "Hold on, babe." Yeosang's muscles feel like they're being ripped apart, and the pain is unspeakable. Jongho's size grows even bigger, and he keeps pounding into the deepest part of his body. He kisses Yeosang's lips, biting each other fiercely, and there was an atmosphere of passion in the hot kissing scene. Their tongues were wildly entwined, and their kisses were no longer gentle, but filled with desire and fervor.

Not knowing how much time passed, but only knowing that Jongho keeps thrusting wildly, completely emptying the yeosang's body. Once again, he pulls yeosang up and sits him on his lap, stroking his buttocks back and forth. The softness of it makes him desire more, squeezing and stroking it from time to time.

Jongho's huge size is too much for him to bear, but at the same time, yeosang is so excited that every time rubbing and pushing as it sends a tsunami of heat all over his body. He looks at Yeosang's cock with erection and arches a satisfied smile.

"Wanna cum?" "Hmm…" He was already too dizzy to speak.

"Help him, Y/N." You, who have only been watching them and resting, are suddenly brought back to reality. Following his words, you sit obediently behind yeosang and touches Yeosang's slightly hard cock with your cold hand.

"oh fuck! Y/N." His breathing quickens with your movements. It started with your warmth, but now it's your frigid touch that's making him moan. Jongho increased the pace and intensity, and the stimulus simultaneously pushed Yeosang to climax again and cum all on your hand.

The sight of Yeosang climaxing and leaning on his shoulder in a pitiful manner shook Jongho's heart and all the heat rushed to his tip. He makes a hissing sound and after a few thrusts, he cums and leaves his mark on Yeosang's body.

"Good job, my boy. rest first, okay?" he softly strokes through yeosang's hair, tucking a stray strand behind his ear before placing a soft kiss on his forehead. Yeosang nodded and closed his eyes, as if opening them would take all his strength. He lays back on the bed and watches as Jongho shifts to straddle you.

"So, you resting well?"

"Yes, please, I want you."

"How hard do you want me to fuck you?"

"Just fuck me as your doll, jjong." His ego is satisfied by your words and becomes even more strengthened. He lifts your chin and kisses you. Speaking of which,it seems to be the first time you've ever kissed each other. The inexplicable sensation brings tears to your eyes, and you wrap your arms around his neck, letting him take over control, robbing you of your sweetness and air.

He thrust into your cunt mixed with yeosang's sperm, a sensation he'd never felt before and one he was extremely addicted to. Your scent is not only peachy sweet, but also the scent of vanilla. Oh shit, he loves these scents so much. He totally loses control of your scents as he throws his head and thrusts very deep. No words can describe his craziness and speed; there is no gentleness but only raw emotion and endless lust.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!!" That's what you can say and in your mind. You have no idea how many times he thrusts and how long the painful feelings take over you. His size seems to have become bigger than last time. You couldn't help but moan loudly to express your excitement and pleasure.

"You take me so well." His dirty words make you so dizzy. You open wide your thighs more to let him can fuck you harder and deeper. Your fingers are gripping the bed sheet and turning white. Your forehead is covered with sweat. The pain of him penetrating your most intimate space is a little too much for you to bear, but it's not as painful as it was before. You let him slam into your depths, pushing both of you further into orgasm.

"Jjong, I can't hold it anymore." "Then cum with me, my girl." These words make your heart erupt like a fountain of emotions, soaking every corner of your body. "AH fuck!" You lift your head when climaxing, but Jongho doesn't stop. The pheromones from both of you have been acting as fuel for his desire. "I can't get enough of you both." He picks you up and places you on top of yeosang, not leaving your genital cavities, and continues to thrust.

"Fuck her with me again, sang. i want to see you cum." jongho murmurs on your chest, dropping crushing kisses on your chest, licking over the hickey that yeosang has marked on you. Yeosang listens to him and carefully presses his cock against yours, feeling like he's going to break through your limits.

Now there is only a thin wall separating their cocks; they can feel each other's thrusts clearly. What a wonderful feeling it is. Jongho can watch you both moaning; Yeosang can feel your warmth wrap around his cock while watching his lover. For you, everything is overwhelming. Their breaths intertwine and their scents fill your nostrils; Jongho's movements are fast and powerful, causing you to groan; Yeosang's thrusts are not rough but the slow in and out teases you in the same way.

"Both of you are so delicious, so perfect for me." Three of you finally lose all of sanity and control in this nonstop and crazy sex. Not knowing when to stop or should I say none of you want to stop. Lust takes over your bodies, desire takes over your mind. Mating, Breeding, and Cumming are the only three things in your mind…

Luckily, the three of you remembered to bring Rocky and Aurora back after five more rounds.

-

Your bond with Yeosang had grown stronger and more comfortable since that day, a change that did not go unnoticed by the rest of the group.

"It looks like you two are getting along better," Yunho observed between bites of his buckwheat noodles. You both shared a smile in response.

"So, what have you been up to together?" San's unexpected question left you two momentarily speechless.

"Umm…just helping each other out when needed!" you replied with a chuckle, trying to steer the conversation back to safer ground. But suddenly, a wave of nausea hit you, causing your food to come rushing back up. You covered your mouth in a panic, trying to contain the unexpected regurgitation.

"Are you okay?" Yeosang asked, his voice laced with concern as he rubbed your back. In a strange turn of events, he too began to feel queasy. Unable to hold it in any longer, both of you rushed to the restroom and vomited, with Jongho following closely behind. He instinctively patted your backs, a gesture of comfort that seemed almost second nature to him.

"Are you two so close that you synchronize even when you're vomiting?" Wooyoung teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh, nothing like that!" you quickly dismissed, trying to downplay the situation. But Jongho's next words caught everyone off guard.

"They just get pregnant at the same time," he said, causing a collective gasp from the group and they almost squirt.

And in that moment, it became clear why your relationship with Yeosang had improved so significantly.

tag list: @angelsaway

[xuchiya]

"stuck in this fairytale" || choi san || series || thirteenth part

| genre: prince! san. fluff. angst. adventure | mentions: cursing. | here's the first part

back to masterlist | chapter 14

As the fire engulfed you, the present dissolved away. When the light faded, you found yourself standing amidst ancient stone walls, adorned with torches flickering against tapestries depicting dragons and flames. You blinked, questionably on your newfound surroundings. One moment you were with Jongho, using himself to shield you from the flames of the dragon.

And now, you were somewhere else entirely. Although the walls and tapestries seemed eerily familiar, the air was different—thick with the scent of smoke and incense. Faint murmurs of voices reached your ears, mingling with the distant clang of metal and the low hum of tension. Ahead, through a great hall dimly lit by torches, you saw a gathering of courtiers and warriors, all wearing expressions of tense anticipation. Your brows furrowed as curiosity took hold, and you stepped cautiously out of the shadows.

“Silence!”

The booming voice made you jump, scrambling back against the stone wall. Heart pounding, you peeked around the corner. There were people, some clad in torn and mud-streaked garments, others in dented armor. All bore the marks of war—burnt cloth, dirtied faces, desperation in their eyes. This was no Choi palace you recognized. It was something far older, far less grand—a crumbling seat of power held together by fear.

“King Choi! Please, these awful creatures are killing our people!” one man shouted, his plea joined by murmurs of agreement from the gathered crowd.

And there, standing tall and imperious at the center of it all, was the man who answered them. His armor gleamed gold, his long wine-red cape sweeping the floor, and atop his head sat a crown. This man was unmistakably San’s great-grandfather. His features bore a striking resemblance to San's, though hardened with arrogance and a cruel glint in his eyes.

It hit you then—you were witnessing the past, the origin of the curse that haunted the Choi bloodline and the princes who bore its weight.

“Bring it forth!” the great-grandfather commanded, his voice sharp and unyielding.

The crowd parted as soldiers entered, dragging something behind them. Your breath caught when you saw it—a massive dragon, its scales shimmering faintly despite the soot and grime marring its body. Chains wrapped around its limbs and wings, holding it bound, yet it still thrashed and roared, defiant even in its captivity.

Your heart clenched as you saw the pain in the creature’s eyes. It was wounded, its movements sluggish, but its spirit unbroken. It tried to snap at its captors, the fire in its belly threatening to ignite despite its weakened state.

“This,” King Choi proclaimed with a wicked grin, “is the first flying dragon! A gift from the heavens and Goddess themselves, now brought low by my hand. With it, I shall secure my dominion over these lands. None will dare challenge the might of the Choi Kingdom!”

The crowd cheered, but you recoiled in horror. The dragon wasn’t a gift—it was a creature of Brigid’s creation, a being meant to protect, not destroy.

And then he arrived.

A man burst into the hall, his presence commanding silence even before he spoke. He was unarmed but bore the aura of a warrior. His long hair was tied back, his fiery gaze fixed on King Choi. It was Brigid’s lover—the true king of this land.

The king’s presence was commanding, his gaze piercing. He was a force, radiating a calm yet indomitable strength. Yet there was a tenderness to him, a gentleness that seemed to connect him to something beyond the mortal realm. He was no ordinary king; he was a guardian, chosen to rule with Brigid by his side.

In that instant, you understood why King Choi hated him. Power could only be wielded through fear or respect, and the true king had earned the people’s respect effortlessly. King Choi had no such love from his people—only control through fear. San’s great-grandfather looked upon the true king with burning envy, and you could almost feel the dark intent simmering within him.

“You have gone too far, Choi!” he roared, stepping forward. “This creature was born to guard and nurture the balance, not to be a tool for your tyranny. Release it!”

King Choi scoffed. “You dare challenge my rule, dragon tamer? You who hide behind the shadow of gods?”

“I challenge you not as a dragon tamer but as the rightful ruler of this land,” Brigid’s lover declared. “Your greed and false leadership end today!”

The two men clashed with a ferocity that left the hall trembling. You watched, frozen, as the battle raged. The dragon, sensing an ally in Brigid’s lover, thrashed harder against its chains, its roars echoing through the hall.

Then suddenly the scene shifted, you panic as you thought you were being brought back but, you saw a shadowed figure slip through the halls toward a chamber. You were confused once again, your feet glued to the ground but you knew you had to follow what it was since the scene changed and you had to be a blind witness to know the truth. As you rushed towards the chamber, the door was left ajar.

You feel your face losing its color as you come to realize what will happen. It was an ambush. A dagger gleamed in the dim light as the figure struck swiftly, silencing the king before he could even draw breath. You watched in horror as the true king— Jeoyoung, his blood pooling like liquid fire on his sheets. He whispered a name—a name that seemed to ripple across the walls, carried by an unseen wind.

Moments later, Brigid herself appeared, drawn by the call of her beloved. Her fiery hair was like a storm, her expression a mix of anguish and fury as she saw the lifeless body of the man she cherished. Her cries of grief turned to roars that shook the foundations of the palace, her fury resonating through every stone. 

San’s great-grandfather emerged from the shadows, his face twisted into a smug grin. “Your power was wasted on him, Goddess,” he sneered. “This kingdom belongs to the strong, not to those blinded by love.” 

But Brigid was undeterred. Her fiery gaze met his with terrifying resolve. “You, scavenger, have no idea of the powers you’ve unleashed,” she hissed, her voice dripping with wrath. “You seek a kingdom, but you have gained only a curse.”

Raising her arms, Brigid summoned the winds, igniting them with a fire that burned with the brilliance of a thousand suns. Flames crackled and burst around her, yet the King Choi barely flinched, too intoxicated by his perceived victory. But Brigid’s rage was just beginning. 

“You have stolen, deceived, and murdered. For this, you and your bloodline shall pay,” she intoned, her voice echoing like thunder. “From this day forth, every descendant of yours will be hunted by the dragons you so lustfully sought. They shall know neither peace nor prosperity, for they shall be pursued by the very fire that consumed your greed.”

The sky darkened, and through the palace windows, you saw shapes gathering—pseudodragons evolving, growing larger and more fearsome under Brigid’s power, as they circled over the palace in ominous spirals. King Choi watched, his expression shifting from smugness to terror as he realized he could no longer control what he had stolen.

“Goodbye, King Choi.” The place changed into somewhere open but few trees surrounded them. As Brigid cradled Jeoyoung’s trembling body in her arms, the chamber was steeped in an overwhelming silence. Only the faint crackle of distant flames and her quiet, agonized sobs filled the air. Jeoyoung’s once vibrant sapphire eyes were dimming, his chest rising and falling with the shallow breaths of a man at death's door. 

Her hands, glowing faintly with fiery embers, trembled as they hovered over his wounds. She had tried everything—every ounce of her divine power—but no matter how fiercely she willed it, the spark of life in him was slipping away. Her curse, uttered in a rage so potent it shook the very foundation of the Choi Kingdom, still lingered in the air like an unrelenting storm cloud.

"My sapphire love, please..." Jeoyoung’s voice was barely above a whisper, each word soaked in agony yet steady with conviction. Blood trickled from the corner of his lips, staining his once-pristine robes. "Do not punish the generations to come for the sins of one king."

Brigid’s tears streamed freely, sizzling against her fiery cheeks. Her hands cupped his face, her voice breaking as she murmured, “Shh, my love, please don’t speak. Save your strength.”

Jeoyoung’s trembling hand reached for hers, his fingers icy compared to her eternal warmth. He guided her gaze to his. Even as death tightened its grip, his sapphire eyes still held the tenderness of a man deeply in love. "Look at me..." His breath hitched, his voice fragile yet determined.

Brigid sobbed harder, leaning into his touch as though willing her warmth to stave off the inevitable.

"Remove the curse," he pleaded, his thumb brushing faintly across her cheek.

Her entire being shattered at those words. She shook her head, her fiery locks falling over her face. "I can't..." she whispered, her voice broken, her heart fracturing under the weight of her own actions. "What has been done, is done."

Jeoyoung's lips quirked into a faint, bloodied smile. “Of course you can...” His words were strained, but his affection shone through even in his final moments. "Tomorrow will come... and kindness will still live in your heart. The wind will always find its way to the right direction."

The air around them seemed to still, as if the world itself held its breath in mourning. Jeoyoung’s final gaze never wavered, even as his body grew colder. His voice faltered, a mere whisper in the storm of her grief. "The fire within you... will always ignite the passion of love."

And with those words, his hand fell limp. His sapphire eyes dulled, staring into eternity. Brigid’s anguished scream pierced the heavens as her divine essence flared with the intensity of a thousand suns.

The searing light of the past dissolved into the chaotic present. The weight of what you had just witnessed crushed your chest, leaving you breathless. Your vision adjusted as the sounds of the present—roaring flames and distant shouts—came rushing back.

"Jongho!" you gasped, stumbling forward. He lay on the ground, his arm burnt and the remnants of his clothes reduced to charred fabric. His breaths were shallow, and his face contorted in pain.

Panic surged through you as you dropped to his side. The memory of Jeoyoung’s parting words echoed in your mind, a chilling reminder of the curse’s origin. You pressed your trembling hands against Jongho’s uninjured shoulder, the urgency of the moment pulling you from the sorrow of the past.

"Stay with me, Jongho," you whispered, your voice cracking. Tears blurred your vision, but your determination burned brighter. Jongho looks at you, “You saw it?” Your eyebrows furrowed, “W-what?” “The dream … King Jeoyoung. The lover of Brigid." Your eyes widen, with a shaking breath, you spoke, “You—”

Jongho chuckles as he looks at you then to the raging dragon in front of both of you, “Seems like we aren’t stuck in this fairytale.” The moment you first found yourself inside this story, it felt surreal—a tapestry woven with threads of wonder and confusion. At first, it was as though you were an outsider peering into a living narrative. The curse that plagued the Choi lineage was merely a tale, and the role you were thrust into felt distant, as if it belonged to someone else.  

But as the story unfolded, piece by piece, the weight of your role became undeniable. You weren’t just a visitor or a bystander. You were the key. The burden of lifting the curse, unraveling its origins, and shouldering the pain of generations began to press heavily upon you. It wasn’t just about San or the dragons or even Brigid—it was about you.  

The realization struck like lightning the moment you uncovered the truth. Your lineage wasn’t just an ordinary bloodline. The fire coursing through your veins wasn’t a coincidence. Your ancestor was none other than the Goddess of Fire herself, Brigid. The fury that birthed the curse, the anguish that burned through time—it was your legacy.  

And now, bestowed with the power of the true king, Jeoyoung, you understood what needed to be done. His final words echoed in your heart, resonating with a meaning far deeper than you could have anticipated.  

"Tomorrow will come and kindness will still live in your heart. The wind will always find its way to the right direction. The fire within you will always ignite the passion of love."

The key was not some ancient relic or arcane spell. It was the very essence of what had been stripped away from Brigid when her heart broke: Kindness, Hope, the Rightful Path, and, finally, Love. These elements, torn from her soul, needed to be restored. They weren’t just concepts—they were the fragments of Brigid’s heart, left scattered across the ages.  

Now, you were no longer just a participant in this tale. You were *one with the story.* The curse wasn’t merely a mystery to solve—it was a part of your destiny, tied intrinsically to your very being. The path forward was clear, but its weight threatened to crush you.  

As you stood amidst the chaos of the present, the oppressive heat of the dragon’s breath against your skin, the enormity of it all threatened to overwhelm you. Looking up, your eyes met the piercing glare of the dragon. Its gaze was fierce, primal, and filled with an ancient rage that sent shivers down your spine.  

You froze, the intensity of its eyes locking you in place. It was a glare you recognized, one that clawed deep into your soul. It brought you back to that moment with San in the library, the way his eyes had burned with something you couldn’t quite place—something raw, untamed, and undeniably powerful.  

But this was different. This dragon wasn’t just a creature; it was a manifestation of Brigid’s wrath, her heartbreak given form. Its very existence was a reminder of the curse that had plagued the Choi line for generations.  

Your heart raced as memories flooded back—Jeoyoung’s bloodied smile, Brigid’s anguished sobs, and the haunting words of the curse. You had witnessed it all. You weren’t just here to observe; you were here to change the ending.  

Clenching your fists, you forced yourself to stand firm under the dragon’s gaze. The weight of the curse bore down on you, but within you burned the fire of your ancestor. You were Brigid’s blood, a spark of her divine flame, and now you carried the power of the true king.  

“The elements…” you whispered to yourself, the realization settling over you like a rising dawn. Kindness, Hope, the Rightful Path, and Love. These weren’t just words—they were the very essence of what Brigid had lost and what you needed to restore.  

Summoning every ounce of courage, you took a step forward, meeting the dragon’s fiery glare head-on. “I understand now,” you said, your voice trembling but resolute. “This isn’t just about breaking a curse. It’s about healing what’s been broken. It’s about restoring balance to the fire, the wind, the very essence of this kingdom.”  

The dragon’s roar echoed in response, shaking the ground beneath your feet. But this time, you didn’t flinch. You were no longer just a character in this story. You were its heart, its fire, and its hope. 

taglist: @passerbyforfun . @seongwars . @candied-czennie . @ffenjoyerdazme

[rems-writing]

Eight makes one moan (part one)

Pairing: idol!Jongho x witch afab!reader

Genre: smut with a bit of plot

Wordcount: 1,738 words

Rating: nc-17

Nets: @mirohs-aurora-society @othersideoutlawsnetwork @illusionnet

Happy six years to these crackhead pirates!!!!!!!!

It had officially hit six years for Ateez. Even though you were introduced to them somewhat during the Deja Vu era, you fell in love with them through their song Desire and have officially dubbed yourself an Atiny during the Guerilla era. As you were blasting every single album series alongside Zelena, Regina and Robin watched from afar with adoration in their eyes and small grins on their lips. The events that had occurred throughout the quaint town of Storybrooke had taken a toll on you. 

After all, you were dubbed as the Demonic Ace for a while. 

Thanks to Henry and his penmanship as the current Author, your DNA had been rewritten and you were known as the Angelic Ace. Thanks to Merlin, your self inflicted glass heart curse was lifted and you could feel again. Thanks to Regina casting one more curse, all the kingdoms were united and Storybrooke was safe once more. 

Which leads us to now. 

“9024 KICK THAT DRUM!”

“MY EGO IN THE SHOW!”

You and Zelena were singing Crazy Form and doing the choreo the same exact way as Ateez had done it. However, you both were old hags (as in old people stuck in young people’s bodies) so you felt your joints ache with every single step and jump you guys did. Once the song was over, another track came up. 

And it was your favorite track off the album. 

“HOW THE FUCK DOES SAN SOUND LIKE THAT?!”

“I DON’T KNOW, Z. BUT IT’S SEXY AS HELL!”

“HELLO?! SEONGHWA’S PART?!”

Whilst you two were freaking out and doing a poor yet original dance to Arriba, Regina came over and turned down the volume, leaving the both of you to groan in frustration. Robin simply chuckled and walked over to you two. 

“Sorry if we paused your fun. We do have reservations at a restaurant in New York so we kind of have to get going.”

“OH SHIT! I FORGOT IT WAS TODAY!”

“LAST ONE TO THE CAR ISN’T A REAL ATINY!”

“YOU BITCH -”

Zelena cackled and sprinted away. You decided to cheat a bit and use your magic to trip her, causing her to fall and curse at you while you floated away. You got to the car first and you were about to sit in the front seat when you heard Regina clear her throat behind you. 

“You know the rules, sis.”

“BUT I GOT HERE FIRST, GINNIE!”

“I know. I would’ve let you sit in front if Robin wasn’t tagging along. Since he is though, you got to sit in the back.”

You grumbled in annoyance as you sat in the back. Zelena teased you and you decided to get back at her by summoning a large june bug and having it fly around her. It was hilarious seeing a mop of curly red hair fling about as she tried to swipe away the bug. You made the bug disappear and she flipped you off. Soon, the four of you drove out of Storybrooke and made your way towards New York. 

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

“I’M SEEING MY MAN LIVE!”

“AS IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY SEEN HIM LIVE LIKE HUNDREDS OF TIMES!”

“STILL THOUGH!”

Long story short, Regina and Robin surprised you and Zelena with tickets to see Ateez live. Since it was their sixth anniversary, they decided to host an event. Not only did you two receive tickets, but you also got backstage passes so you would get to see your man in person. You were freaking out, but not as much as Zelena was. It dawned on her that she would meet her bias. As the two of you were getting ready for the backstage meet & greet, the former Wicked Witch paced back and forth. 

“Oh God. What if Yeosang thinks I’m too old?”

“You’ll be fine.”

“What will WooSan think of me?”

“Again. You’ll be fine.”

“Is it too late to back out now?”

“Good God. Get a grip, girl!”

You grabbed Zelena by the shoulders and made her stop pacing before shaking her out of her nervous stupor. 

“You’ll be fine. Just be yourself! Well… don’t admit you’re a witch. At least… not yet.”

“But doesn’t Jongho know?”

“Yeah, but he didn’t tell his other bandmates.”

“But Yeosang is in the group chat with us.”

“We never mentioned witch activity in said group chat when Yeosang was added. Right?”

“Well… no.”

“See?! Problem solved! Now come on. Let me finish your makeup.”

Soon, the two of you made it to the venue and showed your passes to the security guard before entering one of the vacant greenrooms, where all the members of Ateez stood. You saw a few Atinys and interacted with them while Zelena shyly said hello and mainly just talked with Yeosang, who introduced her to San and Wooyoung. When you got to Jongho, he pulled you aside and looked around to see if anyone was looking. As soon as the coast was clear, he kissed you hard. It caught you off guard yet you kissed back immediately and gripped his nice biceps. 

You were the only one that had the privilege of touching them. 

“I missed you, honey.”

“I missed you too, my bear.”

The two of you connected foreheads and stayed like that for a while. Even though you guys could handle the long distance relationship, the feeling of having each other in both of your arms was that of elation and relief. 

“After the concert, tell Zelena that you’re staying behind. I told our manager to retrieve you after the show.”

“Am I going to stay the night with you?”

“Only if you want.”

“I would love to.”

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

The concert soon ended and you told Zelena that you’ll be spending the night with Jongho. The two of you shared a knowing look before she departed. When you found their manager, he led you to an empty dressing room. You thanked him and you saw Jongho sitting on the couch waiting for you. He looked up and smirked before standing up and walking towards you. He picked you up bridal style and carried you out of the room before exiting the venue through a back door. A van was waiting for you guys and as soon as you two hopped in, the doors slid shut and the van took off. A minute down the road and you two were making out like nobody’s business. Jongho’s hands gripped your waist while he kissed down your neck and your hands tangled in his hair. You were biting down on your lip to prevent any moans from escaping. Soon, you two approached the hotel you were staying at and as soon as the van doors slid open, Jongho grabbed your hand and the two of you exited the van before sprinting into the lobby. You guys ran into the nearest vacant elevator and Jongho pressed his floor button before he turned to you and attacked your lips once more. Once the elevator reached his floor, he hoisted you up and over his shoulder before walking towards this huge penthouse suite that the guys rented out for their stay here. He kicked open the doors and set you down on the couch. When you gathered your bearings, you noticed the amount of rose petals and fake lit up candles surrounding the room. 

‘Aww! He’s so romantic.”

‘He truly missed you.’

‘Wait… why is he coming back with his members?’

Your eyes widened when all eight of them approached you. The seven of them kept a respectable distance while Jongho walked towards you and knelt in front of you. 

“Before you freak out, let me explain.”

You nodded slowly and signalled for him to continue. 

“I talked about this with my members. You know me. I am a man who doesn’t share, especially when it comes to the love of my life. However, I realized… that sharing you with my fellow bandmates isn’t so bad. That doesn’t mean you’ll date all of them. God no! It’s just… I’ve had this hidden fantasy about seeing you get fucked by all the members and I honestly want to make it a reality. There’s just one thing missing.”

Jongho grabbed your hand and kissed the back of it.

“Your consent.”

You were in shock to hear about this. Sure, his bandmates were attractive as hell and you couldn’t deny that some of them were wrecking you (mainly Yunho and San). However, to initiate something as huge as this? Even though Jongho said he was ok with it, you didn’t know deep if you were ok with it. Furthermore, you also thought about what would happen if you didn’t do it. Sure, Jongho and the rest of Ateez will understand, but you’d feel bad for not indulging in one of his fantasies. He indulged in so many of yours. 

Might as well return the favor. 

Right?

“Um… ok then. I think… I’ll do it.”

“Are you sure? Because once we get started, there’s no going back. Unless we do something that you definitely don’t like. In that case, we’ll back off.”

“I’m positive, Jongho. I want to try this out. I’ve got nothing to lose.”

Jongho smiled his precious gummy smile and hugged you tightly before kissing the side of your head. When he let go, he turned around and saw the 98 liners approach you first. Jongho caressed your cheek and kissed your lips lightly. 

“We’ve arranged it in the order of our unit tracks.”

OH! OK THEN!

“Matz first.”

Seonghwa and Hongjoong kissed both corners of your mouth delicately and retracted slowly. 

“WooSanSang second.”

‘Can’t wait for Zelena to hear about this!’ You thought in the back of your mind.

“YunGi third.”

The tall towers leaned down to whisper in your ear sensually. 

“Hi there, angel.” Yunho said in your left ear deeply. 

“Hey there, baby girl.” Mingi said in your right ear deeply and huskily.

You gulped nervously as they retracted themselves. 

“Lastly, me.”

You saw Jongho kneel in front of you once more and smirk before kissing the tip of your nose. He soon retracted and signalled for Seonghwa and Hongjoong to go first. The 99 liners and Jongho soon all backed up and went into the separate rooms the penthouse had. Seonghwa sat on the couch and pulled you onto his lap while Hongjoong held your chin and made you look up at him. 

“Ready to have some fun?”

[lavandulacosmos]

Inktober Day 27: BEAST [ATEEZ x John Wick] 

Manager!Hongjoong, Concierge!Jongho & Assassin!San

The creak of the handset filled the lobby as Jongho hurried to mitigate the disaster already happening right before him, noting the blood and dirt streaks on the freshly cleaned floor. He was charging them all extra - only Seonghwa-hyung knew how to keep the Seoul Continental clean. “Am I a parrot to repeat myself?" Jongho asked, handing out a head slap to the rumpled assassin currently dirtying up the front desk. "I did not leave blood on the carpet," San defended himself, and Jongho just rolled his eyes even as Hongjoong let out a derisive laugh. "Oh, this will be good." "You forget your place. I am the owner of the Seoul Continental and I am in charge of the Gwishin. You don't get to question my decisions, only the High Table can-" "-but hyung you are part of the High Table too-" "- and the Red Cat's actions will be weighted and will be judged according to their rules, too. But not by you." Hongjoong said, voice barely above a sinister whisper and ended the call with measured force. The phone survived. Jongho sighed in relief. "And they think you are the beast protecting this place, Jongho," San whistled, even as the full force of Hongjoong's ire honed in on him. "You are lucky this is a neutral territory or I would be tempted to put some more holes into you." "Truly a beast," San chuckled and ducked low as Hongjoong chucked the phone at his head. Jongho knew it was another lost cause even before it hit the marble with a loud crash.

[ATEEZ days - Part 8]

Continuing the John Wick AU mini story from Day 25 & 26~ (Insp.: x)

[applejongho]

tagged by @ye-xiu! ty al! rules: answer + tag nine people you want to get to know better and/or catch up with!

favorite color: red and purple! NOT related to jongho's hair colors. i think.

last song i listened to: ... halazia. i have five halazia tabs open bc of the arrangement.

last film i watched: i am not really a movie person so i honestly cannot answer that 😭💀 legit the last movie ive seen might have been barbie. from last year.

currently reading: just finished reading the cruel prince (holly black) and want to read the wicked king (holly black) as well as babel (rf kuang).

currently craving: weirdly not anything? maybe some water. i think im a little thirsty.

currently watching: once again not a movie person 😭💀 havent watched anything in ages.

coffee or tea: coffee. i do not like any type of tea 🫣

tagging (no pressure): @booskwan @seonghwacore @ravenlotus @blossom-hwa @hongssami @chestnutbeomie @skzfaker @silverdune @straykats

[little-lazuli]

𝚃𝚊𝚐 & 𝚆𝚒𝚙 𝙶𝚊𝚖𝚎

rules: post the name of all the files in your wip folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have wips.

tagged by: the amazing @thelargefrye , mahalo nui loa for the tag 🫶🏽🫶🏽

just a warning, somewhat long with little snippets and summaries for almost all of them, hope y’all enjoy 🤗

tagging: idk that many people 💀 so here’s some of their majesties, @jacksons-goddess-gaia @atiny-piratequeen @spooo00oky and anyone else wishing to play :)

K-pop wips

As I Told You: A whole class of college students and their professors who are meant to be returning home from a field trip finds themselves missing. No one knows where they went. Only to wake up one morning to find the missing folk returned and something off about them (manifest inspired au)

Box: Donghyuck reaches his limit and explodes, unloading like Pandora’s Box

What Do You See? Someone is kidnapping idols. It takes six months and five kidnappings to realize the pattern, as well as who just might be kidnapped next

Out: Jongho is the tenth victim and finds himself surrounded amongst his fellow kidnapped chingus

Outgrown: Donghyuck feels like his members have outgrown him. So why does he find it so hard to do the same?

Fairytale Extended Universe

Sister: Wicked-Witch!Seulgi wants to know where her sisters are, only to find out they are imprisoned in the Emerald City by the Wizard

Theater: Werewolf!Seungcheol and Vampire!Taeyong make common cause in an effort to defeat the Evil Queen

Consolation: Werewolf!Chan (Dino) spends his last minutes imprisoned in the Evil Queen’s castle alongside miner-dwarf!Donghyck and lost-boy!Jeongin before he set to be executed

Poison & Medicine alternate ending

Goodbye Light: Changkyun is unintentionally left at the mercy of foes and villains after a disagreement with his fellow superhero/heroine members

Magical Society Extended Universe: Jongho wakes up in the Joseon Dynasty with magical powers. However, he quickly learns that he isn’t the only one who came from the future, nor is he alone in having magic

Drunk serenade: You drunkenly serenade your bf/gf [insert idol name]

Expire: guard!Jackson hates that he fell in love with the dirty prisoner set to be executed… you (royal au)

Reign: king!namjoon, your husband has been away at war for a while now. Long enough for his political enemies to make a move on you and your/his families. Are you able to protect his reign without him by your side? (Iliad au)

Whirlwind: Assassin!Jisoo’s next target is you

High Tide: Serial-killer!Jennie makes a mistake when she forgets to get rid of the body in yalls trunk, revealing her…. bloody hobby to you once and for all

Acrimonious Garden: You and Rosé have very different perspectives on what it means to save the world

Pain: It wasn’t her fault she was labeled a horrible queen, a cruel queen, an evil queen. Nobody understood Lisa like you did, and that was the problem

starry night: Solar is the captain of her makeshift pirate crew… granted the title pirate is very loose considering it’s the twenty-first century and it’s not royal navies she has to avoid, but rather zombies

The prices we pay: werewolf!chan + werewolf-hunter!you = bad combination

Breathing Melatonin: Chanyeol has sleeping issues. You have a high libido. Do what you want, as you will

Honey Mango: Beekeeper!Mingi cuts a deal with you for some of your best products from your mango farm

Leave Me Lonely: today was supposed to be the day you and Jaebum said I do. Yet all you could do before closing your eyes forever was say, I love you (mafia au)

stay: what was harder, having a secret relationship or having some of [insert idol’s name] members dislike you?

Red Bottoms: Tonight was supposed to be a fun night out with friends. Yet here you are having to call spouse!idol to come and bail you out of jail

Made in the shade: you and hongjoong come from two entirely different worlds (grease au)

convicted: runaway-convicts!exo-sc find refuge with you. A lowly, quiet neighbor in your small town (inspired by the movie Labor Day)

Four Horsemen au (BTS hyung line)

Deranged: the tale of pestilence, a year has gone by since the armies of heaven and hell waged war upon earth. Though demons struck fear in the hearts of humans with easy, the true threat to humanity was those of white wings (jin)

Decimation: the tale of famine, three years into the human genocide, humanity sits on the brink of extinction. Yet aid comes in the most unlikely of forms (suga)

Dominion: the tale of war, the fifth year of the apocalypse is waning. The demons of hell have scurried away, whilst the angels make their final move towards human extermination. Yet, a rude awakening awaits them as the wrath of war awakes (j hope)

Descent: the tale of death, the seventh year of the apocalypse greeted humanity with a kiss. Heaven has fallen and hell has closed their gates, humanity make a resurgence. However, all good things come to the end, death has awoken, and awaits to feast upon all three realms of existence (rm)

Starships: "This foreign exchange program better be worth it" you thought as you signed into your Starship account. All you had to do was spend four hours of your day teaching english to your assigned foreigner whilst you learned a new language from them in return. It would have been easier if you could do this face to face, but N00000o, Ms. Rona decided to have everyone be put into quarantine. Now you had to waste away four hours, everyday, for the next semester, talking on a screen to some guy or gal you'll probably never meet. How ridiculous (college au)

Midnight Misfits: sugar spouse au

Three’s a cloud: jaehyun was flirty and single. johnny was angry and horny. you had an idea aka you and johnny sandwich jaehyun as a way to teach him a lesson

Lunar Kiss: werewolf!Jaebum is reluctant and in rut. You are a human. His human though so…

Luxury: Your whirlwind relationship with up and coming CEO Wonho was sudden, perfect and immaculate. That is until you find out he’s the heifer trying to buy out your entire childhood neighborhood, your home and your job (ceo au)

She’s a monster: You’re trapped reliving the same horrible day again and again. Watching Jackson draw his last breath in horrific and terrifying ways over and over. You didn’t know what the problem was. Until you did. And it broke your heart when you did (Groundhog Day au)

$200 Pizza: you and Changbin rack up a debt you can’t pay, luckily the auntie who runs the shop is willing to let y’all work the debt off for the whole day in exchange

Deep Patience: kyungsoo’s goal in life was your happiness. As such, hearing that you desire to have a kid, he has a plan to surprise you with such wonderful news for your birthday. One problem though… according to his calculations, he only had one day left to enact his plan

Oopsie: Wonho saves the day after you slip in the tub

Twisted dreams: Taeyong notices you acting different after a series of nightmares (ghost au)

Push & pull: Pirate!Mingi is washed ashore a beach village and taken in by you and yours. He looked forward to the day he could repay you for your kindness and seek your hand in that of love. Yet the universe spits in his face as it seeks to exact vengeance for his past in the worst possible way (pirate au)

Haunting: the spirits haunting your house works hard, but Ghost-hunter!Johnny works even harder (ghost harder au)

Well damn: you and soobin, besties who have been tip toeing around some unspoken emotions find yourselves stuck at the tippy top of a unmoving rollercoaster

Walker: Geumhyuck had one job. Watch the kids. You thought he had the job taken cared of. Well if that included him getting stuck in your baby’s walker, then he greatly succeeded

Asoiaf wips

Shades of a Man: Shady Shin, the waterbending gangster of the Republic Triads makes wakes as Dorne’s first ever ice merchant (Lok crossover)

Divine Affliction: Princess Eska of the Northern Water Tribe becomes the High Chiefess of Hardhome (Lok crossover)

Perpetual Storm: Jason Grace, demigod son of Jupiter falls in love in his second life, to a woman named Argella Durrandon. And then Aegon made his landing in Westeros (PJO crossover)

The Apothecary: Lee Fletcher awakes in Westeros and founds a citadel of revolutionary healing (PJO crossover)

The Knight of Floods: Percy awakes in Westeros and rises in ranks of nobility following his defiance of the Lannisters in the War of the Five Kings (PJO crossover)

Webbed Fingers & Cheese: Percy wakes up on the shores of the Three Sisters and works his way into becoming the Lord of the isles (PJO crossover)

Westeros On Earth: the continent of Westeros finds itself attached to Greenland and facing a potential religious persecution and invasion from the superpowers of 1400s Europe

The Lady of Dragonstone: OC Female Baratheon twin sister of Stannis Baratheon who is sentenced to rule Dragonstone following her aid in getting Queen Rhaella and her retinue to escape before her brother’s assault on the island

A Tale of Two Heirs: The love story of Brandon Stark and Shireen Baratheon

From The Depths: Ursula the Sea Witch arrives in Westeros (ouat crossover)

Bitter Work: An earthbender creates a refuge/oasis in Dorne (atla crossover)

Trial At Heart: Drogon burns Jon after he kills Daenerys and takes Jon back in time (time travel fix it)

A Wine A Day: Male OC Redwyne defends the Reach from Euron Greyjoy

Lost Lion: Jaime saves Aegon and Rhaenys, escaping with them to Essos and taking refuge in the Ruins of Valyria itself

The Witch of Harrenhal: Medea of Colchis conquers the Riverlands and learns what it means to be human (PJO crossover)

What if Viserys was competent? No golden crowns for this clown

What if the Rhoynar kept their magic? Waterbending in Dorne?????

What if Jon Snow never joined the Nights Watch Part 2?

Frozen Fires au: Jon Snow, the bastard son of Brandon Stark & Ashara Dayne

Harry Potter wips

Something Blue: Harry gets Fred something blue as a wedding gift

Crossover Idea: Ron and Tonks are blasted out of the sky during the Battle of 7 Potters… the blast has Ron waking up in [insert new world name].

Regards: In retaliation for Ruldolphus Lestrange’s death during the Battle at the Department of Mysteries, Rabastan & Bellatrix attack the Burrow and kidnap Ron

The Black Bastard: An illegitimate child of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black makes his mark on the Wizarding World

The Story of Celesta Prewett: Fabian Prewett’s daughter finally meets her paternal relatives

The Story of Yo Jinwoo: Part fairy-wizard male oc who falls in love with Ginny Weasley, not knowing she’s already in love with the one and only Harry Potter

Vanishing Series

Outtakes: Witch Weekly Issue #6799

Hiraeth Series

Outtakes: The Silver Grimoire - The private grimoire of the silver quartet

Alone: Ron’s sorting

War: Muriel Prewett meets her match in Astoria Greengrass

War Part 2: Ron and Daphne leave the Prewett estate to join the war

Thief: Ron and the quartet are caught by Bill Weasley ditching school to sell the items of the Room of Requirement

Pink: Ron saves Daphne from boiling solution in year two

M.A.D: Tracey explains nukes to the silver quartet

Accident: Theo uses sectumsempra on Ron

Scared: Ron temporarily disappears in the chaos of the 1994 Quidditch World Cup

Lady: Daphne becomes the lady of Greengrass following her parents’ murders

[ateez-icons]

𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗲𝘇 𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀 - 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲.

[itsapapisongo]

fiat lux | choi jongho

Cast: Demon Hunter!Choi Jongho | Werewolf!Seo Changbin | Female OC

Genre: Action | Horror (lite) | Non-Idol au | Supernatural

Synopsis: In a line of work where teamwork is preferred, Jongho prefers to be on his own. Or the one where Jongho bites more than he could chew.

Word Count: 5.5k

Content Warning: Allusions to suicidal tendencies, arson, language, mention and appearance of demons, and scenes depicting supernatural action and violence.

Author's Note: Happy Belated Birthday, @jonghoh, this one goes out to you. Hope you like it. And, yes, before you ask this is set in our little Hunter/Slayer-Verse and even ties to something else I'm working on.

Taglist: @jonghoh | @blossom-hwa | @lixesque

“INTERESTING STORY HERE.”

Jongho narrowed his eyes and groaned inwardly. He pretended he hadn’t heard Changbin and kept his eyes focused on the three-screen monitor, as though he’d found something worth writing down on his notes. He hadn’t. He just needed to pretend to be busy enough for Changbin to change the subject.

Or so he hoped.

“Very interesting,” said Changbin, his voice rising and falling in a scathing tone. “Some weirdo apparently burnt down an old orphanage near Soguem.”

“Is that so?” Jongho muttered, turning to look at his laptop. “A bit morbid for my taste.”

“Did the demon hunter’s stomach turn at the mere mention of arson?” Changbin smiled. “Oh, please, say it ain’t so.”

Jongho clenched his jaw and exhaled through his nose. His eyes drifted between the monitors and his laptop, where photographs of abandoned locations, mutilated bodies, and archaic writings had been on etched walls and floors; some of the latter had been done with blood. Initially, he chalked up these strange, sporadic occurrences across the country as the work of a serial killer striking every six months or so.

Now, as he focused on details he’d previously dismissed, he was beginning to see a pattern. This wasn’t the work of a serial killer, but of multiple people. One might have thought they were toying with power beyond their comprehension, but Changbin had commented that these assholes knew exactly what they were doing.

“Find anything new?”

“Beyond more and more maimed bodies?” Jongho rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “No.”

“Bummer.” Changbin chuckled. “So, Jongie, about that fire. . .”

Jongho glanced over his shoulder to glare at Changbin. He wasn’t surprised to see him lying on his work table, head dangling lopsided from one end, as read from his phone and chewed on a piece of beef jerky. He felt Jongho’s eyes, raised his head, sat upright, and smiled a wicked smile that displayed his sharp canines. There was a malicious, if teasing glint in his eyes—though, more in his right red iris than his blue left iris.

Changbin seemed to glow in the dim-lighting of the room as his pale complexion gave away to his lycan nature. The full moon had passed two nights ago, which meant he was still recovering from a rather exhausting run through the woods. If his clothes were any indication—basketball shorts and a loose-fighting, sleeveless T-shirt—it seemed he’d been working out. The glossy shine of his skin confirmed it, as perspiration rolled down his forehead and biceps.

“I have no idea what you’re—”

Changbin sighed. “Jongho, I know.”

Jongho frowned. “Know what?”

“About your little vengeful side quest.” Changbin crossed his legs and idly tilted his head to the side. He shrugged, pouting. “I’m more than a little aware that this—” He pointed at the monitors. “—isn’t just a job.”

Jongho clenched his jaw yet again. He reluctantly met Changbin’s gaze, though looked away out of anger and shame.

“What if it wasn’t a job?” he asked, his voice low.

“Then it’s personal.”

Jongho pursed his lips then muttered, “It wasn’t. It was a dead end.”

Changbin sighed dramatically. “You’re not lying, which is saying something,” he grumbled.

One second he was on the work table, the other was standing to Jongho’s left, glowering at him, thick arms on either side of his waist as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. If it weren’t for the fact that Jongho knew him better than anyone, he’d say he was intimidating; but he’d seen him pout like a petulant child whenever he was ignored or complain about having eaten all of his snacks two days after going grocery shopping. His stance and facial expression were nothing if not amusing because he was trying too hard.

“What are you going to do? Pout at me until I decide to change my mind?”

Changbin shrugged, rolling his eyes. “If it works, who am I to knock it?”

“Can’t argue with that . . .”

“Listen, man, I’m more than happy to help you fight, trap, and/or completely obliterate demons, but I’m not here to help you self-destruct.” Changbin leaned on the desk, making the monitors wobble as he crossed his arms. “I have no problem stitching you up and doing recon with or for you, but I have my limits. We don’t know what these creeps are capable of nor do we know what they want.”

Jongho saved the data he’d been analyzing, punched up his notes, then turned off the monitors and closed his laptop. He leaned back on his chair, tilting his head back on the headrest.

“Your point?” he asked.

“My poi—Jesus, you really are a numbskull.” Changbin gaped at him. “All muscles and no brain.”

“Yah!” Jongho snapped, kicking the chair as he stood to meet the other’s height. “Watch your mouth.”

“YAH!” Changbin closed the distance between them, showing his canines as he snarled. “You watch your mouth. I’m older than you.”

“So what? Want me to bow and apologize?”

“I’m this close from biting your damn—” He closed his eyes, counted to three, then exhaled through his nostrils. “One thing is getting jobs and fighting Oddities. The other is going out your way to indulge a death wish.”

“I’m not indulging a death wish.”

“You think I can’t smell your wounds or that I didn’t hear you stitching yourself up? You think I didn’t smell the kerosene off you? I may look stupid, but I sure as hell ain’t.” Changbin sniffed him. “You still reek, by the way.”

Jongho gave himself the once-over. He had made sure to remove his clothes and burn them. He had made sure to wash, disinfect and stitch his wounds, but apparently he hadn’t done a good job at taking a shower. That, or Changbin’s nose was more acute than he could ever imagine.

“How did you even find out?” he asked, lowering his head and facepalming.

“Besides you lying to me about the job . . .” Changbin shoved his phone in his face, wiggling it as the familiar logo of a white bird against a blue background came into view.  “Take a guess.”

Fucking Twitter.

“Social media is a blessing and a curse.” Changbin clicked his tongue. “This shit’s been trending for twenty minutes. You came back less than an hour ago. It’s not a hard puzzle to solve.”

“Fuck.”

“That’s what I thought when I saw the headline. ‘Fuck’, I thought, ‘there he goes again, on his own, looking for trouble and finding it without a problem’.”

Jongho closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. It had been a long night. Longer than most with enough aches to go around and less bloodshed than usual. The latter was a silver lining, though he didn’t know if it was the sort of situation he should be looking for in the near future.

Blindly, he reached for his chair, rolled it forward, and sat on it. He glanced at Changbin and heaved a heavy, dejected sigh.

“This whole thing is more than just a little personal vendetta. I wasn’t entirely responsible for burning the orphanage.”

“Oh?” Changbin raised an eyebrow. “You had an accomplice.”

“I was the accomplice.”

“The plot thickens.”

●

It started with a text.

HAVE SOMETHING THAT MIGHT INTEREST YOU.

MEET @ 2330 HOURS. BONG MANOR ORPHANAGE.

Nothing weird about it. Only people who knew of his “ministrations” could reach him. Burner phones were useful in his line of work. Once the job was done, the burner phone was promptly destroyed and the client would have no way of further contacting him unless he explicitly wanted to.

Most of the time, he never spoke with them again. He had, however, one or two repeat clients that had somehow attracted the attention, hatred, or fascination of an Odd One and required that he, yet again, removed the threat from their lives. He always was surprised to hear from them, but a job was a job.

The text had come from someone that had been referred to him. A quick check confirmed it as the client—a Mr. Shin Ung—was neighbors with an eldercy couple he’d helped get rid of a gwisin that had been haunting their apartment. Though that wasn’t his expertise, he still remembered how to handle ghosts; something had sunk in from his time in the Corps.

He had driven to Soguem the previous day for a job. Having another job fall on his lap hours before he left was a-okay in his book. But why Mr. Shin Ung thought Jongho would find the orphanage interesting was beyond him. He wasn’t about to back down, though. A bit of more money in my pocket, he thought as he parked in front of the orphanage’s gates. According to their research, the place was closed after an incident, but none of the sites and sources he looked into seemed to give a concise answer.

“By the way you’re describing this place, it’s giving me Amityville Horror vibes,” said Changbin when he told him about the job. “I have two guesses as to why this place is closed. Lack of funds or, well, foul play.”

“Whose?”

“Probably of the . . . odd kind.”

Jongho frowned, but nodded as he stared at the orphanage. Even from where he sat in his car, he felt a chill run down his spine. The way the shadows enveloped every inch of the structure wasn’t natural, giving it an ominous and unwelcoming aura.

“Are you sure you’re okay on your own?”

He could have sworn he heard worry in Changbin’s voice, but it could have been him looking for sympathy where there wasn’t.

“I work better alone.” Jongho rolled his eyes and was thankful it wasn’t a video call. “Plus, you need to rest.”

“I do love me some rest. But, y’know, I also love me some peace of mind.”

“Meaning?”

“In layman terms? Just be safe.”

“Roger that, fangs.”

“Hey, asshole, I’m a werewolf!” Changbin’s sudden rise in pitch made Jongho pull the phone away from his ear. “And that’s derogatory to vampires.”

“Since when do you get along with vampires?”

“Aish. Just call me when you’re done.”

Before Changbin hung up, Jongho could hear him muttering under his breath.

“Good to know he worries,” he muttered as he gave his phone a cursory look and put it in his pocket.

He cracked his knuckles, gathered his gear, and got out of the car.

●

WHEN HE REACHED the orphanage’s entrance, he found the front door slightly ajar.

“So it’s going to be like that, huh?” Jongho reached for an arrow in his quiver and nocked it in his recurve bow’s drawstring. “Sure, an open door creaking against the creepy breeze. Nothing weird about that.”

There were no signs of forced entry. It was if someone had a key and forgot to close the door on their way in—or out. He inhaled, exhaled, then kicked the door in with enough force to knock it right off its hinges. With a heavy, echoing thump, he watched it land on the foyer and lift a thick cloud of dust and mold.

“Honey, I’m home!” He stepped through the threshold, heard the door creak and a crack beneath his boots, and shrugged to adjust his quiver. “Sorry about the door. I forgot my key.”

The depilated foyer gave way to a large, empty landing and an arched staircase that led to the second floor. There were several doors to his left and right: three on each side, with the middle doors being the tallest and more ostentatious. All but the furthest door to the right were closed and chained up. The open door which had been broken into and left—surprise, surprise!—slightly ajar. That struck him as a terrible omen and he gripped his bow tighter, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Jongho clenched his jaw, shaking his head as he muttered mid-laugh, “Okay, sure, okay, I’ll bite.”

He looked around. Beyond the door being open and the chains being broken, tossed aside like an afterthought, nothing seemed out of place. This, so far, was the only sign of forced entry. He paused after walking past the middle door to his right, reached for a flashlight, and illuminated his path as he inched closer to the open door.

As he glanced around, focusing on the state of the walls, floors, and ceiling, he noticed that the place had survived a fire. Not a big one, he thought, but enough that the structure suffered nonetheless because he wasn’t stepping on dust but on ashes. Several spots here and there had been spared but there were sizable scorch marks on the wooden floor and walls.

Jongho reached the door, braced himself, and stepped through it. And the second he did, his flashlight died. Great, was his first thought. This was followed by a string of expletives (“Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me!”) and muttering about how expensive the flashlight had been only for it to not work when he needed it the most.

It was pitch-black. He moved slowly, guiding himself through sheer instinct and sound. His steps and soft breathing were deafening in the silence, enhanced by the creaking beneath his boots. He bumped into something, reached for it, and realized it was a chair; he set it upright, pushed it to the side, and stayed still.

The room grew eerily cold then suddenly warm. Jongho sniffed and grimaced, closing his eyes as the pungent and familiar smell of demons became all he could smell. It was like smelling something rotten that had been burned with gasoline. Or, at least, that’s how they smelled to him. Demons had odors that were distinctively theirs, though depending on their breed it tended to vary. Whoever had made this place their home was in sore need of a holy bath.

“I’m starting to think there’s no such thing as soap in Hell,” he whispered, waving a hand inches from his nose. “Jesus wept.”

Jongho stilled and glanced over his shoulder. There was someone near . . . so near that he could feel them behind him. He turned, took aim, and pulled on the drawstring. Shooting in the dark wasn’t smart, he knew, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Just as he was preparing to loosen the arrow, a human-like silhouette appeared in front of him. The demon stench was briefly replaced by . . . was that jojoba?

He took a step backwards, trying to discern the silhouette’s features but it was too dark.

The silhouette simply leaned in.

“You might smell nice,” he said, aiming around where he thought a chest would be, “but it won’t stop me from shooting an arrow straight between your eyes.”

“It’s not like you’re gonna miss,” said a haughty, feminine voice. “Then again, you might just end up with an arrow in your foot.”

“Wha—”

There was light: blinding, blazing blue, and breathtaking. It took his eyes several seconds to adjust. When they did, he saw a young woman, perhaps a few years older than him, staring at him with an amused, if exasperated expression in her freckled face. She was taller, lean, clad in casual clothing, and stood as if she knew the place like the back of her hand.

“Hey,” she said. “You lost?”

“I’m—ugh—that’s too bright.” Jongho lowered his bow, instinctively returning the arrow to his quiver. Slowly, his hand reached for the knife in his belt. “I’d like to keep my sight, if that’s okay with you.”

“Oh? Sorry.”

The light’s intensity dwindled enough for Jongho to see her without squinting. She was still staring, though he found himself looking at a blank canvas; she gave nothing away beyond the fact that she wasn’t afraid. As he took her in, focusing on the details he had missed, he noticed that the light wasn’t a flashlight or a torch or a flare—the light came from her. In her palm, as though captured in a perfect buble, a ball of blue-white light floated above her skin.

“That’s a neat trick,” he mumbled, nudging his chin at her hand.

She looked between him and her palm. “It’s child’s play, but thank you.”

“Magic like that isn’t child’s play.”

“Depends on your disposition to learn magic.” She shrugged, looking past his shoulder. Her eyes drifted back to him and smiled tightly. “Listen, I’d love to discuss magic and what not, but we’re being watched.”

“You smell them, too?”

“Smell them. See them. Feel them. The whole damn trifecta.”

Jongho gave his dark surroundings the once over, reminded himself he couldn’t see a single thing beyond “Those that mean—”

“That I’m doing all three right now? You betcha.”

“You sure as hell don’t lacky modesty, huh?”

She smiled, shrugging. “If you got it, flaunt it.” She squinted, looking past his shoulder yet again. “We got a stalker. He strikes me as the intense sort of Peeping Tom.”

Jongho glanced over his shoulder. He could make out the end of the room and the shadows that enveloped it. This seemed to be a common room of sorts, where people could sit and talk or read. The furniture had been pushed to the corners, the carpet pulled to reveal a rotting wooden floor, and there was something akin to dry blood covering mostly every surface Jongho laid his eyes on.

“He’s there,” she whispered, leaning close to properly illuminate the room. “You see him?”

On a corner, near another door, the shadows moved. It was a slow, almost imperceivable  movement, but it was there, and it was staring back. Two perfectly round, orange eyes were staring . . . waiting . . . then blinking . . . as a beastial, visceral snarl bounced off the walls.

Jongho felt like gulping, but he fought the impulse. Instead, he slowly reached for an arrow, nocked it, then gingerly pulled the drawstring back. “I see him,” he told her. “And he’s not very happy with us here.”

“They rarely ever like company that’s capable of, y’know, killing them.”

“Whenever you’re ready . . .”

“Well, damn, aren’t you a gentleman?”

Jongho’s eyes widened, his ears suddenly burning, as he felt her gaze on the back of his head. He could also hear her snickering.

“Now!”

He blinked, raised his bow, and loosened the arrow when she reared her hand back then thrust it forward, hurling the blazing ball of light at the corner where the shadows were moving. general direction. With a sound between a hiss and a snarl, the shadows took shape and evaded the light, which burst against a wall with a sudden high-pitched screech that reminded Jongho of a banshee.

Jongho’s aim was true, but the arrow didn’t make much of an impact.

Suddenly, right before them, the thin and grotesque silhouette of an umbra was glowering at them. It was made of darkness, as though it were absorbing every shadow in the room and growing in height because of it. The demon’s eyes were now literal balls of hellfire, its mouth was a gaping maw with fangs as sharp as and the size of wakizashi, and its head was decorated by a crown of sixteen horns that scratched the ceiling.

“We got a biggun!” she exclaimed, though with intrigue rather than horror. “Big fellow, aren’t you?”

The umbra hissed, raising a thin, but sharp-clawed hand. “GO AWAY NOW!” it roared with the voice of a legion. “OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!”

“If this is about the door I kicked in . . .” Jongho infused confidence in his voice, though knew it wasn’t enough to conceal his trepidation. “I’d like to say I’m sorry but I’m not.”

“As much as I like to give these things a fair amount of sass,” she side-eyed him, mouth pursed into a thin line, “now’s not the best time.”

“If not now, then when?”

She raised an eyebrow, tilted her head to the side, and nodded. “Fair point,” she conceded. “Fill him with arrowheads. I wanna hang Christmas ornaments off him.”

“Oh, I like you,” muttered Jongho, half-smiling.

He heard her scoff. “Easy there, Katniss. We just met.”

Jongho noticed that his aim had been true, but the arrow hadn’t made much impact. It wasn’t meant to. At least, not initially. Following her suggestion, he nocked another arrow, aimed for the umbra’s thorax, loosened it, and repeated the process until he had fired three arrows in each rib.

“Whatcha got in those arrowheads?”

“The works!”

“The works? What does that—watch out!”

She pushed him. Hard. He lost his balance, hovered off the ground, then landed on it with a crash so loud that his teeth clattered and he swore he dislocated his jaw. He didn’t have time to groan or yelp, let alone react to the pain as a wave of nausea overwhelmed him and his ears began to ring. In the midst of this cacophony of high-pitched screeches and hisses, he felt something nipping at his skin.

He opened his eyes and saw nothing. It was pitch-black and reeked of burnt flesh and rotten eggs. It took him a second to realize what had happened. The arrows had done their job, but not completely. The magic and blessings upon the arrowheads were meant to both burn and poison it. The metal, which was blessed, would poison it target, whereas the magic upon it would cause a burning sensation that would increase in intensity until the poison kicked in.

“What the fuck is happening?”

Jongho could barely hear himself speak. Whatever was nipping at his skin, slashing his thighs and his shoulders, were now whispering his name and threatening him with his worst fears as they craved his flesh and his soul.

“It seems like your ‘works’ worked!” she screamed above the dull roar of the umbra’s snarling.

Jongho clicked his tongue and groaned. “It was supposed to kill it!” he yelped back, gritting his teeth. “Why isn’t this fucker dead?”

“Well, apparently—ugh—I can’t talk like this!” She hissed. “FIAT LUX!”

The room exploded with light. The shadows retreated, bursting through the door they had come in through, roaring in pain as it landed with a heavy, if sluggish thump on the foyer. Jongho blinked but only saw white, his vision blurry, his entire body aching. Slowly, the blinding light returned to the small blue-white intensity she had conjured in her palm.

“That was cool, but I think you may have blinded me.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“I don’t think—what are you doing?”

Jongho paused, feeling her gently touch upon his forehead and over his eyelids. A soothing, cold sensation spread across his face and his neck then his entire body. He blinked and saw her fully: the shape of her face, the length of her hair, the tan complexion, could even count the freckles on her forehead, nose, and cheeks.

“You—” he began, unsure of what to say or feel. “Who are you?”

“Qian Li,” she said, offering her hand to help him off the ground. “I’d love to know your name, but we gotta finish this first.”

“Introductions can wait?”

Li smiled. “They sure can.”

If you say so, he thought. Jongho gathered his bearings and followed her as she sprinted out of the room. She conjured yet another ball of light, one for each hand, and aimed at the umbra as it dragged itself towards the broken down entrance door.

“Are you in a hurry?”

“LEAVE—UGH—ME!”

“You wanted us out and now you want us to leave you alone?” Li tilted her head, her brow furrowed in anger. “Which one is it?”

The umbra shuddered. It was now nothing more but a thin shadow resembling an elongated human corpse, shivering in pain and fear at the presence of light. Slowly, it solidified, gaining depth, a sturdier shape, and a face that mirrored Li’s, though in a state of decomposition.

“YOUR SOUL IS PURE, BUT HIS—” the umbra paused, its lack of eyes disturbing as it focused on Jongho. “—IS IMPURE!”

“Am I seriously being judged by a demon?” Jongho clicked his tongue. “I’ll show you impure, alright!”

Li glared at him over her shoulder, raising a finger up to her lips, and shaking her head.

“You got a name?”

The umbra shook its head, slumping back to the ground. It made no other attempt to move or fight back.

“Shame.” Li pointed a finger at it, her expression eerily calm. “Shed a light wherein darkness reigns. Purify that which is impure. Fiat Lux.”

The umbra screeched as it began to burn. It was instantaneous, as if spontaneous combustion had occurred. Jongho watched in awe. He had fought his fair of demons, but had done so with his own two hands as opposed through magical means. The little magic he knew was used to conceal his scent or his car, which was practical but could only get him so far.

As the umbra burned—ceasing to exist, turning into ashes then nothing at all—Jongho couldn’t help but feel this whole thing was a trap.

●

“HOW DID YOU find this place?”

“Something was trying—emphasis on trying—to nest in my friend’s house,” Li replied, her tone casual for someone who just committed arson. “That umbra had been trying its damndest to torment her. Turns out she was an orphan in this place.”

“So you just . . . followed a shadow demon here?”

Li nodded. “It wasn’t the main priority and it was a pain in the ass, but it was worth it.” She chuckled, then cleared her throat. “And you? How did you find this fucking creep fest?”

Jongho blinked, turning to face her and grimacing at how the question was chafing at his curiosity. She was leaning on a goldenrod ‘73 Ford Pinto, arms crossed, head held high, her gaze on the flames that consumed the orphanage. Even from this distance, they could feel the heat emanating off the place.

“Someone contacted me.” He reached for his burner phone in his pocket, looked for the message, and showed it to her. “Sadly, I didn’t find anything interesting seeing as we came across each other then we found that umbra.”

Li stared at him for a second then shook her head disapprovingly. “You don’t know this person and you decided to come and investigate on your own?” She tossed phone at her. “Are you daft?”

“No, I do this all the—”

“You randomly answer messages, pop up in haunted places, and just go in without backup?”

“I’m discreet. I work well on my own. Why do I need backup?”

“Because you might get yourself killed.” Li blinked, disbelief palpable in her silence. “How does that sound?”

Jongho clicked his tongue. He knew what he was doing. He knew what he was capable of. Some people were okay working with others. Some worked better alone. He believed that collateral damage could be easily avoided if there weren’t any distractions. Thus he was a strong believer in working alone and had disdain for those that paired up against Odd Ones, despite his reluctant respect for the concept of teamwork.

“Sounds like it’s something I can handle.” He shrugged. “I was taught that death was part of the job.”

“Ugh.”

Li scrunched up her nose and glared at him in a manner that reminded him of his father whenever he disapproved of him. It was contempt, plain and simple, and he had never learned how to handle it.

“You’re in the Hunter-Slayer Corps?” she asked.

“No, I’m—how did you know about the Corps?”

“Because my parents were in it.” She turned to the fire. “Before they left, that is.”

“Oh.” Jongho cleared his throat, rubbed the back of his neck. “I left, too.”

Li scoffed. “No shit,” she grumbled. “No wonder you’re so fucking reckless.”

“Hey!”

“Listen, we just met and clearly we do things differently, but you’re not going to get far if your whole modus operandi is running straight into the jaws of danger on your own.” She pointed a finger at him, her face impassive. “Lord knows plenty of capable Hunters and Slayers have died like that. The world needs more of you, not less.”

“Are you a Hunter?”

Li shook her a head.

“A Slayer?”

She shook her head again. That glint of disdain was present in her eyes.

“I’m neither nor do I wanna be one.”

“And yet here you were . . .”

“We,” Li corrected him, nodding towards the fire. “We were here.”

From the flames came a man. The fire parted as he walked through them. Covered in soot, parts of his clothes ripped and bloodied, he was carrying a rucksack and slightly limped. Jongho saw him approach with apprehensive awe, reminding himself twice to close his mouth and not stare.

“What took you so long?” Li asked the man as he threw the rucksack at her feet.

Jongho noticed the pendant hanging from his chest: a protective amulet. He noticed that Li wore hers as a bracelet.

“The usual.” The man kicked the rucksack and heaved a sigh. “Dead man’s switch.”

Which meant the orphanage had curses placed upon it. No doubt the work for the umbra that had settled in. Jongho looked at the burning orphanage then turned to stare at the rucksack. He could have swore it was moving, but he wasn’t sure; it could be a trick of the eye between his exhaustion and the dancing shadows from the flames.

“Who’s this?” the man asked.

“Shit,” Li whispered. “I haven’t even asked your name.”

“Choi Jongho,” Jongho gave a hasty bow.

“Choi Jongho meet Qian Kun” Li smiled acidly, waving a hand between him and the man before them. “This idiot works alone.”

Qian Kun titled his head to the side, the gesture identical to Li’s. He had his back to the fire, which made discerning his face somewhat difficult, but he had shoulder-length black hair and a rather pale complexion paler when compared to Li’s.

“He does?”

“Came here on his own and everything.” Li turned to Jongho and pushed her tongue against her cheek. “Like a dumbass.”

“Give the guy a break, would you, sis? He’s clearly over his head.” Kun chuckled. “You should be over your head at least once in this line of work. Though, y’know, twice is enough. Any more than that and that’s a sign your sense of preservation is nonexistent.”

Jongho stared then glared, clenching his jaw. “I love being patronized, but suddenly I’m not in the mood for it,” he snapped. “So if we’re done here, I’m just gonna go.”

“You a merc?”

Jongho flinched at the question. “No, I’m a freelancer.”

“Semantics,” Kun replied, waving a dismissive hand. “If you’re gonna hunt demons, do it for the right reasons. Money is appealing, but it doesn’t beat being alive.”

“Sure. Whatever you say.”

Jongho waved them off and walked back to his car. He thought of glancing over his shoulder, giving them and the orphanage one last look before he left them behind, but he relented. When he reached the car, he noticed that Kun was opening the rucksack; from it, a handful of translucent teal clouds flew high above their heads and slowly evaporated, as though being carried away by a passing breeze.

He knew what they were. Ghosts. At the very least, he thought, seven of them.

As he drove away, it dawned on him that they weren’t there for demons—they were helping someone pass on to the other side.

●

“ACCOMPLICE TO ARSON,” said Changbin, eyes wide in disbelief. “Wow.”

“That’s your takeaway?”

“Yeah—er—no.”

“Never mind.” Jongho rubbed the bridge of his nose, sighing. “The place was reeking with demonic essence. It was a nest. It needed to be burned.”

“So you went there for nothing?” Changbin asked, his right hand holding his face while his left arm remained crossed against his chest.

“Not for nothing.” Jongho rolled his eyes. “We managed to eliminate a demon nest which is pretty much a big win in my book.”

“Aha.” Changbin squeezed his face. “You should really reconsider how you do business. The burner phone system is flawed.”

“What, you want me to open up an office?” Jongho clenched his jaw, working it as though he were munching on something that he found disgusting. “Put up a billboard and whore myself out?”

Changbin scoffed. “No, you should find this so-called Shin Ung and get paid.”

“If he even exists . . .”

“You think this was a trap?”

“Wouldn’t be surprised, if it was.”

Jongho shrugged. Even before leaving the Corps, he’d gained the contempt of several rivals. None that he could name or remember because he had been too focused on learning about how to hunt to not die on the field. It wouldn’t be that wild that someone held a grudge or simply wanted to mess with him. He was certain of something: he was going to leave no stone unturned until he found out who really contacted him and threw him into the wolves.

The umbra in the orphanage, though tame and still in its infancy when compared to the usual demon standards, had proved to be powerful enough to momentarily overwhelm him and Li. Which meant that someone had been aware of its existence, pointed him to its nest, and waited for either him to die at the umbra’s hands or injure it enough that he would be equally injured by the end of the conflict.

“You should rest, man,” said Changbin. “We can work on this in the morning.”

“I can do it—”

“If you give me that ‘solo act’ bullshit again and I’m gonna make sure you and I are in the same room when the full moon comes.”

Jongho snorted. “Okay, sure.”

“Take a shower. You still reek of kerosene.”

Jongho sniffed his shirt and rolled his eyes. He had to blame Li for that.

[chaseatinydream]

pirate king (2) || atz

“All the dried fruit has been accounted for.”

You fight down the yelp that had almost left your mouth, trying to quieten your breathing as much as possible. Two men, from the sound of their voices, are inspecting the food stocks. You’re going to be found.

“How much salted fish?” The deeper, lower voice you heard giving commands earlier asks his partner, and you pick up the sound of a pen scratching across paper.

“Enough to last us two weeks, if Jongho doesn’t eat them all by the first.” The second voice, softer and gentler, quips and they both share a laugh.

“That kind smile hides a darker mind beneath, Seonghwa-hyung.” The speaker with the deeper voice comments with a rolling chuckle. You’re still frozen in fear as they continue to take inventory, but them finding you is inevitable.

“How much alcohol did we get?” The person she assumes to be Seonghwa asks and you hear the sound of barrels shifting. “San needs some of it to treat the wounded.”

“Enough rum to last us till Tortuga and some wine and beer on the side.” His partner replied, writing some more things down. “I’m sure we can spare a barrel or two, not many of them got injured.”

“That’s a relief.” You can hear the worry leave Seonghwa’s voice, but your panic levels are jumping as you hear them move ever closer to you. “I heard Yunho didn’t have a scratch on him.”

“Neither did Jongho.” The other man snorted. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already down here, chomping his way through the apples. Look, the sacking fell. I’ll get it.”

And suddenly the sackcloth is pulled away from your head.

You don’t have time to think. Lunging forward, you headbutt the man who removed the sackcloth from you in the face and you hear him let out a howl of pain, letting go of the sacking to clutch his bleeding nose. Your eyes dart around desperately for an escape route, but before you can move, someone slams you against the wall, the tip of a razor sharp knife pressed to your throat.

“Don’t move.” It’s the softer man, Seonghwa, although his grey eyes are hard as stone now. You can’t look away, transfixed, and he continues to speak, eyes never leaving yours. “Mingi, you alright?”

The man he addresses has a long, face with strong, defined features and narrowed eyes, tiny braids done in his cerulean blue hair. He’s tall, taller than you by about a head. He gives you a resentful scowl. “I think he broke my nose.” The words come out thickly as the man you now know to be Mingi cups both hands over his face, trying to stem the flow of blood.

Then it hits you.

He?

It’s true you’re not especially curvy and your chest has been bound by strips of cloth, but you didn’t expect to fool people so easily.

“I’m sorry.” You manage to choke out. Seonghwa and Mingi exchange surreptitious glances.

“You should get San to look at that, Mingi.” Seonghwa advises, worry written all over his face. Mingi nods wearily, blood falling through the cracks in his fingers and staining the ground.

“Let’s get this kid to Hongjoong-hyung first.” The taller man sighs, grabbing you by the shoulder with a bloody hand and pushing you towards the stairs you had tumbled down from. Pain lances up your ankle, but you steel yourself and step on it anyway.

It’s excruciating, but you don’t dare to show any weakness. They might toss you overboard. Or feed you to the sharks. You don’t know and you really don’t want to find out.

You bite on the inside of your cheek so hard you taste blood, but you manage to make it onto the main deck. Many faces turn and look upon you with surprise, then they see Mingi bleeding from the nose and their expressions turn threatening. One even draws his sword.

You flinch back into Seonghwa, who steadies you by the shoulders, while Mingi addresses the crew.

“I’m fine!” He shouts through his bloody nose, which obviously isn’t fine. “Everyone back to work, please.”

There’s a disconcerting silence as if they’re still planning on how to kill you in every way possible, but they eventually turn back to their work cleaning the cannons and securing the sheets. Mingi turns back to you.

“This way.” He says gruffly, pulling you up another flight of stairs, Seonghwa at the rear. You bite back another whimper of pain, but Seonghwa hears it.

On the quarter deck, you catch sight of a man at the wheel. He’s young, almost your age, dressed all in red with patchwork black pants. His ash blonde hair falls into his eyes and the back is done in a neat mullet. But the most eye catching thing about him is the black eye patch he has over his right eye, the confidence he stands with despite his age and how he’s steering the ship as if the oceans bow at his feet.

Something in him calls out to you.

“Hongjoong-ah, we found a stowaway in the cargo hold.” Seonghwa calls over you shoulder as Mingi forces you to your knees. The man at the wheel doesn’t take his eye off the sea for a moment, pulling a length of rope from around his waist and lashing the wheel in position. Only then does he turn around.

“Mingi, take the helm- What happened to you, Mingi?” The helmsman’s voice is almost an entire octave higher than Mingi’s, almost too cute to be a pirate’s. His eyes rake over the bloody nose on Mingi’s face, before his expression settles into a frown.

“Got headbutted by our stowaway here.” Mingi jerks a thumb at your face and Hongjoong’s one eye follows it down, coming to rest on you. His fingers dance on the hilt of one of the two cutlasses hanging at his hip.

You gulp. “I said I was sorry.” You mutter under your breath.

Hongjoong’s eye drills into you, a calm, unbothered smile on his face that terrifies you more than if he were furious. “Well, I guess I should introduce myself, shouldn’t I?” The side of his lips pull up in a smirk. “This ship is the Treasure and we’re the pirate band ATEEZ. I’m Kim Hongjoong, the helmsman and captain of this ship.”

At that, your mouth falls open. This man can’t be any more than twenty two, but he’s the captain? Hongjoong nods at the dumbstruck expression on your face, the chilling smile never leaving his face. “What about you, Royal Navy scum?”

Seonghwa and Mingi’s expressions change to shock in seconds and Seonghwa even begins to draw that wicked long kitchen knife from his belt.

You pause at that. “Royal Navy?” Your lips pull downwards in a frown. What is the Royal Navy?

“Don’t play dumb with me.” Hongjoong’s not smiling now and you feel the air drop several degrees. Your teeth want to start chattering but you force a terrified smile on your face. Hongjoong’s eyebrows lower into a frown.

“The coat you are wearing is of Royal Navy make. An officer’s, I might add. It may be beaten and torn up, but I’d recognize that rose insignia anywhere.” He jerks his chin at the red patches on the shoulders. Sure enough, you can see the rose stitched into the fabric. “So what is your purpose here? If you answer truthfully I might simply shoot you instead of having you flogged to death.”

He doesn't sound like he's joking.

Goosebumps race along your skin and you know that your face has drained of colour. You don’t even remember your own name, how are you supposed to remember where you got this stupid coat? So you start rambling.

“Okay actually I just woke up this morning in the prison of the town you guys just looted like a while ago and I kind of don’t remember how I got there so like they were talking about bringing me to the gallows for some kind of public hanging and I don’t really know why they wanted to hang me so when you attacked I just tried to escape and ended up in the harbor so I ran up the first ship I saw which was your ship and tried to get away from the fighting so I went into the cargo hold and fell asleep there so yeah.”

There's a pause.

“What?” Mingi blinks. You open your mouth to repeat it when Hongjoong holds up a hand. You close your mouth with a clop.

“Seonghwa, go help San take care of the wounded.” He orders and Mingi stiffens as if they’ve breached some kind of taboo conversation topic. The other man visibly relaxes and exhales shakily, nodding. “Yes, captain.” Then he turns around and makes his way down to the main deck.

Hongjoong turns back to you with a calm gaze. “So, according to you, you can’t remember why they would throw a Royal navy officer such as yourself into prison?”

“I’m not a Royal Navy officer.” You retort with a scowl, meeting his gaze angrily. When he raises an eyebrow, you catch yourself, swallow and lower your head. “I’m sorry.”

“Well this is certainly the most interesting story we’ve heard from a captured Royal Navy officer, haven’t we, Mingi?” Hongjoong muses to himself, running his tongue across his lips. Mingi nods apathetically.

“He’s also the youngest.” The quartermaster adds on to the back unhelpfully.

“Tell me, what exactly did you intend to do after escaping onto my ship?” He leans back with a smile, as if expecting some silly answer. You don’t have any smart ones, so you answer honestly.

“I really wasn’t thinking that far.”

Sighing dramatically at your lackluster answer, Hongjoong nods again. His one eye is a vivid green, like a poisonous snake’s that could sink its fangs into you at any moment. He seems to be contemplating something. Then he lifts your chin with a finger so that you meet his eyes even as you try to squirm away.

“Well then, Mister I’m-Not- A-Royal-Navy-Officer.” The young captain wears that same chilling smile again, and it doesn’t make you feel any better. “How about this? We’ll tie you to the mainmast so everyone can keep watch over you and we’ll feed you enough to survive, but the moment we stop at Tortuga, I’m tossing you onto shore. If I find out that you’re one of the Royal Navy swine at any moment...”

There’s a click and suddenly there’s a musket pointed at your temple. Your body seizes up in rapid panic, blood freezing over in your veins. You hadn’t even seen him move.

“I’ll gut you like a stuck pig.” His voice is warm and smooth, right next to your ear. You don’t even realize you’re trembling until he steps back, holstering the musket in his belt with an amused smile on his face. “I’d shoot you for breaking Mingi’s nose like that, but I suppose that it won’t matter if I’m going to kill you in the end anyway. Mingi, secure the boy to the mainmast and make sure not a single man on board touches him, then get San to look at your nose.”

“I got it.” Mingi sounds almost annoyed at being babied with the repeated advice, but Hongjoong just laughs.

“I’m interested to see how long you can keep this facade up, pretty boy. Don’t worry about anything.” Hongjoong’s grin is terrifying, wild like the raging sea as he strides back to the wheel, boots clicking on the deck.

“When it finally breaks, I’ll be the one to end it all for you.”

That’s the last thing you hear before Mingi marches you down to the main deck.

You’re still freezing from the chilling encounter with the young pirate captain as Mingi pushes you towards the main mast. Even the pain in your ankle doesn’t seem to compare with the numbing terror of Hongjoong’s threat. You slump in shock against the main mast as Mingi looks upwards into the rigging.

“Yunho-ah, toss me some rope!”

Seconds later, a coil of rope slithers down the mast and Mingi wraps it around your upper torso securing your arms and torso to the mast. It’s loose enough not to cut off the circulation in your arms, but tight enough to ensure you won’t be going anywhere. And honestly, where can you go? As far as the eye can see, it’s all ocean.

You thought that escaping the gallows had been a smart move. Now it seems like you threw yourself from the frying pan into the flames.

Go home, the voice in your head whispers. You tell it to shut up savagely.

Mingi finally announces to everyone that they are not to make eye contact with you, speak to you, or have any form of interaction with you as he finishes off with several skillful knots at the back.

“That includes physical contact like beating or throwing things at him.” Mingi adds on and there’s a collective sigh of disappointment from the crew.

“You sure, quartermaster?” One of the men at the cannons pulls out his musket. “An eye for an eye, he did make you bleed!”

The rest of the crew shouts agreement, but Mingi shakes his head firmly.

“We’re pirates, not barbarians.” He chides, wiping his nose once more. The blood flow seems to have slowed to a steady trickle at least. “It’s my fault for being unprepared. Besides, these are Hongjoong’s orders. Any of you want to answer to captain?”

“Absolutely not!” The crewman declares and the deck breaks out in carefree laughter. Mingi gives a tiny smile as he straightens up from tying your bonds.

Something in your chest tugs painfully.

“Well then, don’t get me into trouble with captain.” He waves them back to their work and they do so cheerfully, all the tension in the air gone. Then Mingi turns back to you with a stern scowl.

“From what you can see, the crew isn’t exactly happy with you.” He gestures at the deck with one of his long arms. “I’d suggest you keep your mouth shut if you want to make it to Tortuga alive.”

And then he turns and leaves you alone with your thoughts, a lonely stranger on a foreign ship.

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[shiberpostshere]

The Kiss Thief - Park Seonghwa Social Media AU

7. Chapter Three: Dark History Reunion✨ (Text below images)

Previous Part✨ Next Part✨

Masterlist of the AU✨

The Next Day (05.09.19)✨

The moment Jongho entered Cafe Utopia, he could feel the intimidating energy coming from the table where the much praised music technology senior, Kim Hongjoong and his friend are seated. The person who he texted yesterday, Seonghwa, is missing.

Thanks to San and Wooyoung, he now has an opportunity to befriend them.

He approaches them with heavy steps without realising how aggressive-nervous he's appearing on the outside, the expression that Yeri always mimics to mock him.

They greet him with inviting smiles. The other guy, in burgundy red sweater and black beanie, Yeosang, scriptwriter, offers him the script to read. However, the only thing he can focus on is Kim Hongjoong's mullet.

How can he even pull off a mullet like that? Is it real?

"Your voice sounds bold and clean." Hongjoong leans towards his clasped fingers, a gentle smile on his lips, "You seem a little nervous at the moment but we have enough time to practice."

Yeosang nods, "He has a great control over his voice. I feel like we've finally found someone who'll do my script justice."

Jongho's shoulders rise up with confidence.

"Wait, thank you but does it mean I get to be the announcer?" He looks expectantly at the duo.

Hongjoong settles back, adjusting his glasses. "Of course! I'm honestly surprised at how quickly I could decide."

Yeosang pushes the script further towards Jongho. "Take it with you and practice as much as you can, we'll have discussions and rehearsals before our first show."

"Thank you so much for this opportunity!" He bows gratefully, eyes glinting with happiness.

Hongjoong and Yeosang exchange glances and giggle making Jongho squeeze his brows in confusion.

"You look adorable for someone so well built but you're so tense, relax." Hongjoong winks.

"He IS cute." Yeosang adds.

Jongho is taken aback by their sudden compliments. "I just feel excited to work with you all, I've heard so many good things about you." He confesses.

Hongjoong waves his hand in the air. "The professor only tells you the good things, he doesn't reveal that I don't get enough sleep, it's a trap." He points at his now visible eyebags.

"Don't scare him away before Seonghwa comes." Yeosang says with a side eye directed at his mullet friend.

Jongho is reminded of the missing person, Seonghwa, who he messaged yesterday.

"You were going to bring along someone who's interested in audio engineering? Did they decide otherwise last minute?" Hongjoong asks with a subtly evident worry.

"Oh! Yes, (Y/N) had a class till 5 pm, she'll be here anytime now." As Jongho finishes, the cafe door opens, the bell chiming and indicating your arrival.

The class ended a little later than expected and like a mess, you had collected your things and rushed towards the cafe.

After hitting it off with San and Wooyoung so quickly you feel like you can seize anything at this point except the will to attend classes after only two weeks of college.

Dazzling Night appears like a safe getaway from the continuous routine of being stuck with studies.

"Jongho!" You call out rather loudly, grabbing everyone's attention including the two boys sitting with Jongho, wait does that guy have a mullet?

Your friend gestures you to come, you smile sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I had a class." A little panting can be heard as you speak.

"It's alright, Jongho informed us. I'm Kim Hongjoong, music technology, final year." He offers you his hand and you stare at it for a minute before realising what you're supposed to do.

"Oh right!" You shake his hand. "I am (Y/N), I'm studying law."

The other boy offers you a small smile. "I'm Yeosang, English major, second year."

You return him the same expression as his. "Nice to meet you."

Wow, this is awkward.

"You're interested in assisting our audio engineer, are you aware of any basics?" Hongjoong crosses his arms and you can detect the anime gleam on his glasses while he looks at you, awaiting an answer.

You glance at Jongho then at the two boys. Their gaze is fixated on you intently, emitting strong energy.

You gulp.

Okay, they're strangers anyway (Y/N), keep calm.

"No, I don't know much but I'm interested in learning." You answer honestly, fingers fideling on your lap.

"Can you manage your studies and radio commitments? We don't want anyone leaving halfway through." Yeosang continues his friend's query and suspicions.

Ha-ha, perhaps this was a bad decision.

Jongho squeezes your hand beneath the table.

"Yes, I think I can manage well once I begin, you don't need to worry about me dropping out halfway through." No matter how certain you wish to sound, the way they have their eyes fixed on you causes you to speak in an uncertain tone.

"Okay Hongjoong, we can tone it down now, she looks like she's gonna run away." Yeosang states before sipping his drink. "We just want fixed commitment, Hongjoong is critical when it comes to decisions regarding the show, so is Seonghwa."

Seonghwa? That's a name you know.

Hongjoong clears his throat. "Wait, I haven't used my intimidating voice for a while now, I am sorry if I sound like I'll kill you but I'm just sleep deprived." He vigorously rubs his eyes.

"They called me adorable after intimidating me." Jongho rolls his eyes.

"Now now, young man, watch your attitude." Yeosang comments playfully.

"Could've told me sooner!" You gently shove Jongho, "Also, yes, please tone it down, my left leg is ready to sprint out any moment now." You eye the door and then the mullet guy.

All the boys laugh at your remark.

"Don't worry, if something important comes up, you can leave, studies shouldn't be compromised with but otherwise we want your full attention when working with us." Yeosang smiles warmly at you.

You return to a comfortable state before studying their now relaxed postures. "So? Can I join?"

Hongjoong pushes back his hair. "Of course, if you're up for it but you need to meet the rest of the team. I'm the composer, Yeosang is the scriptwriter. Our team leader and audio engineer are still missing." He checks his ridiculously beautiful vintage watch.

"Okay" You breath out with a chuckle, eyes trailing back to his mullet. Unable to hold back your curiousity about the unusual hairstyle, you ask. "Are you wearing clip ons or is that really a naturally grown mullet?"

The owner of the mullet is taken aback by your question for a moment before breaking into laughter.

"God! I've been dying to ask that." Jongho mutters beside you, doubling Hongjoong's laughter.

You and Jongho blink expectantly.

Yeosang shakes his head, "These kids."

Hongjoong tugs his hair at the nape of his neck, huffing a sigh. "It's a real mullet. You two have been eyeing my hair since ever you came here, I was just waiting for you to ask."

Jongho scratches the back of his neck. "To be fair no one has a mullet these days but you pull it off well."

You nod at your friend's statement.

"What are we laughing about?" A heavy voice grabs the table's attention and you turn around along with Jongho.

An extremely familiar tall boy appears in your vision with another one following behind and your eyes go wide.

No way, no way, no way!

"Hey! You made it! Meet Jongho and (Y/N), our newest members that is, of course if Seonghwa approves." Hongjoong greets them both and the moment he says the name, it clicks in your head.

Park Seonghwa, Horizon High School.

"Hey, we were-" Seonghwa abruptly halts in his tracks.

(Your Full Name), Horizon High School.

You unknowingly shoot up from your seat.

"Um, (Y/N) is everything okay?" Jongho glaces from behind at the newest arrivals.

"Wait!" Mingi takes a good look at you and turns to Seonghwa before he starts giggling to himself, confusing the other three boys seated at the table.

Song Mingi, Horizon High School.

Warmth is taking over your face like a pressure cooker ready to burst merely at the sight of the boy standing in front of you, he too blinks at you as if confirming that you're actually standing in front of him.

"What's the matter? Why do you two look like you've seen ghosts." Yeosang asks whilst Mingi continues his snickering.

The giggling boy takes a seat between his friends, looking at your frozen figures amusingly.

"This is a dark history reunion." He nudges Hongjoong and Yeosang.

"Mingi!" Seonghwa glares and steals another glance at you before taking the remaining seat, the one beside you.

Jongho looks around, lost. "Dark history reunion?"

You turn around and almost slam yourself down on the seat.

Hongjoong and Yeosang are wearing mirrored puzzled expressions.

You clap your hands with over enthusiasm, "I just remembered that I have a meeting with a project partner at the library, I gotta go."

No, you don't.

"No wait, What's going on here?" Hongjoong's gaze continues shifting between you and Seonghwa while you two are busy avoiding eye contact with each other.

"Dark history reunion." The amusement still hasn't faded off Mingi's face and now he earns a death glare from you.

Seonghwa taps the table, grabbing attention. "It's nothing, she's free to leave if she's done."

You get up the moment he speaks.

Oh, this has just become way worse, way worse.

Mingi raises his brow, "What if she's here for the announcer's position?"

"No, Jongho's here for that, Hongjoong already talked with (Y/N), she's free to leave." Yeosang intervenes noticing your sudden urgent movements.

You internally thank him for that.

"I uh, well I think, I think I'll talk to you guys later." You grab your belongings in a big swoop.

"Aw no, you're leaving so soon? We just came here!" Mingi wears a wicked wide smile as he speaks.

"We can talk later, Mingi. It's not like I'm dropping out of college tomorrow! (I just might!)" You answer with a loud, fake laugh, trying hard not to grit your teeth.

Mingi hasn't changed at all. He is as you remember.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Jongho looks at you, his expression demanding an explanation.

"She knows Seonghwa too, very well!" The mischievous one strikes again.

"Oh, Seonghwa and (Y/N) are acquainted?" Hongjoong chimes in.

"Yes we are, we went to the same school." Seonghwa leaves his seat to give you way. "See you later (Y/N)."

You feel strangely assured looking at his stark red ears.

"Oh yes, yes, Seonghwa--" You take him in briefly before looking at the rest, "--and others I'll see you guys later, gotta run!"

Keeping your eyes straight ahead, you walk out of the cafe like you never even went there, half walking and half running towards your dorm room.

Song Mingi, I'm going to get you.

Pairing: College Student! Seonghwa x College Student! Female Reader

Genre: Fluff, A teeny tiny bit of smut with a pinch of angst

Synopsis: High school crushes are often silly and forgotten. However, you cannot forget the one senior, you "borrowed" once a kiss from. Years have passed and it's a memory you laugh at but what will happen if you're to encounter the same senior in a much different setting and situation? Especially during your first year of college.

A/N: THEY'VE FINALLY MET! What are your thoughts on this chapter? It's been a while since I've written so please excuse any mistakes, I will edit it for sure. Btw I am Mingi, Mingi is me.

Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! 💫

🌸Tags:

@mingiibabieee @enigmaticsal @missiopk @stardusthyuck

🌸

Please do not repost, modify or claim these images.

[in-my-world]

Heaven - One (Hongjoong AU)

Genre: fluff, angst, suggestive

Warning(s): alcohol consumption

Words: 1k

A/N: A repost and rewrite of my first multiple part AU

The roar of the wind drowned out all other sound; my hair whipping around behind me. I could feel the heartbeat under my clasped hands of the driver of the motorcycle. The nervousness and fear I felt melted away as I became more comfortable on the seat. 

Of course I never imagined I would be on the back of a motorcycle clinging to the driver. It all started because of my friend wanting to celebrate Valentine’s Day the only way two single people can; go to a club and enjoy ourselves. 

                ____________________________________________

“C’mon, it won’t be so bad,” Jules said, pulling me towards the bouncer. 

I let her drag me by the wrist to the door and past the line behind a rope. 

Once in the club, the air smelled of alcohol, sweat, and the air was electric as a live band played on stage. We made it to the bar in no time, Jules dodged people with ease. We sat side by side and ordered our drinks. 

Jules turned to watch the crowd dance to the music, “oh, cute guys everywhere tonight.”

I turned leaning one elbow on the bar and watched with her. The band, which was named Treasure, caught my attention, the lead singer danced around on stage interacting with his band mates. A wicked smile lighting up his face, his voice was high but not unpleasant. His hair was dyed an unnaturally bright blue color, and his clothes were drawn one, by what I guessed was his hand. 

You snapped out of your trance to listen to Jules, “the drummer is my younger sister’s boyfriend,” Jules yelled, leaning towards me slightly. 

I nodded and turned to take my drink once it was sat down. I don’t drink regularly but with Jules by my side I let myself relax. The only person in my life I trust one hundred percent is Jules - she’s been by my side since high school and hasn’t left me since.- Sipping on our drinks we people watched until Jules made the executive decision to go meet the band as they got off stage. I hesitated before, hurrying along behind her; catching onto her arms and walking with her. 

Jules was stopped by the security guard; she stepped to the side and waved yelling over the loud dance music, “Jongho!”

I pull at her arm, wanting to go back to our stools and nurse a few more drinks. I half hid behind her’ taller frame. I underestimated her ability to persuade people; she managed to get us into the green room, although it was honestly barely big enough to be called a room. 

Jules pulled me forward, and beside her“- and this is my friend, _____, I think you met her once Jongho.” 

Jongho was fighting off the tallest member of the band, and didn’t hear her, but the guy with hair the color of a blueberry heard her. He was also the lead singer, who had bounced around the stage. 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Hongjoong,” he introduced himself, shaking my hand. 

The room was loud and chaotic, but it felt nice and warm. I felt myself relax into the atmosphere, Hongjoong finally managed to quiet everyone down enough to introduce Jules and I. 

I was feeling tired as I sat on the broken in couch, the little bit of alcohol I had was taking effect on my brain. 

“You wanna go home,” Jules asked, having noticed my blurry eyes and spacing stare. 

I nodded, feeling bad for having to drag her away so soon. 

“I’ll just get a taxi,” I said, “you stay and have a good time.”

Jules frowns, “it’s dangerous though,” she argued, worrying about me as always. 

“It’s in the opposite direction of your place anyways,” I argue back, letting out a sigh knowing I probably wouldn’t have won. 

“Which way do you live,” Wooyoung asked, he wasn’t part of the band but a friend.

I tell him where, and he grins, “Hongjoong lives close to there,” he hollered, his excitement being expressed and heard by everyone. 

“Wooyoung, what are you talking about,” Hongjoong asked, giving a scolding glance to the younger man. 

Wooyoung told him about the situation, Hongjoong glanced towards me. 

               ____________________________________________

That’s how I met Hongjoong and ended up in this situation. Trying to ignore the wind biting at the back of my palms and focus on the beating of his heart. I breathe out a sigh of relief as we stop at a red light, Hongjoong rests his right foot on the ground balancing us while we wait for it to change. I flinch a bit when his hands cover mine, but I smile at the warmth his hands give mine. 

“It’s kinda weird how close our apartments are to each other,” Hongjoong says, before taking his hands from mine and taking off. 

I was amazed that he wasn’t cold; before we had taken off he had given me his jacket. Which I was very thankful for as we zipped around the streets. I caught a glimpse of the street sign and was relieved at how close we were to my apartment building. 

I rested my forehead on his back as he rolled to a stop. He held my hand and allowed me to get off first. 

I started to take off his jacket to hand back to him, before he stopped me, “keep it, it’ll give me a reason to see you again.”

I was thankful for my wind bitten cheeks, the warmth that was taking them over would have surely been noticeable. Hongjoong avoided my eyes, his ears also turning red. 

I fixed it back on my shoulders and adjusted my footing, stepping up onto the curb. I bit the inside of my cheek trying to find something to say. 

“Good night, _____,” he said, his voice not giving away his emotions but a faint smile gracing his features. 

I was still searching for words when he started his motorcycle and waved one last time before speeding away. 

I don’t believe in fate, or destiny or whatever, but if I had to call our meeting anything it would be a coincidence. 

<PREVIOUS • NEXT >

Ask to be tagged!

[qtyanan]

The Video

Mingi sends you a dirty video on accident, and you can’t handle this secret alone. 

warnings: explicit language, suggestive content, not really smutty but kinda is??

so you and your best friend have been close with ATEEZ for a while now

the member you’re the least close to, is Mingi.

it’s not that you don’t like each other, you’re just a little awkward around each other and you don’t talk a lot.

so late one night, you’re trying to sleep, but for some reason, you’re not tired.

you’re just staring up at the ceiling, bored out of your mind now. 

as your laying there, you see your phone light up. 

when you look, you see it’s a KakaoTalk message from Mingi

you just think, ‘why would he be texting me so late?’

regardless you open the message and see it’s a video. 

in the thumbnail, all you see is that he’s laying down or something, and it’s angled at his shirt.

what the hell kind of video is this?

when it plays, you see he has a wicked smirk on his lips, then he angled the camera at his sweatpants

he starts palming himself through the fabric, his hard-on very evident.

not even halfway through the video and you back out of it quickly. 

your face his red hot and you feel butterflies throughout your body.

then he sends more messages.

‘oh’

‘oh my god’

‘delete that, I never sent that.’ 

You don’t bother replying, you just lock your phone and set it face down on your nightstand. 

it’s seared into your mind, and you can’t manage to fall asleep at all.

the next morning you text your friend to meet you at a cafe near your house. 

you’re sitting at the coffee shop table, anxiously sipping your coffee, the small clip of the video replaying in your head. 

when your friend comes up to your table, she sees the nervous look on your face, and how obvious it was that you didn’t sleep. 

“are you okay? why didn’t we just go to your house?!” she says as she sits in front of you.

“I saw something, and I’m not supposed to tell anyone, but I can’t keep this inside...” she feels your stressed energy and she makes a face at you.

“again... why didn’t we just go to your house??” 

you ignore her repeated question and quickly say, “mingi sent me a video and it’s... bad.” 

she widens her eyes at you. “and you’d rather be in public to talk about it?”

“I’d rather be under the eyes of God than to somehow have Mingi find out I told you.”

her: ???? what

“MINGI WOULD JUST KNOW I FEEL IT.” 

“I... I get that, actually. What’s the video?” 

with shaking hands, you pick up your phone and open the chatroom and hand her the phone. 

you watch her facial expressions as she watches through the whole video. you have no idea how it ends since you only watched maybe 15 seconds of the minute-long video. 

you can sense her scream coming, so you shush her and snatch the phone from her. 

“be quiet! I didn’t even watch the whole video.”

her face is somehow even redder than yours was. “You have to watch the entire thing. you just have to.” 

it makes you nervous just thinking of watching it again, but you pull up the video anyways. 

in the video, only seconds after you turned it off before, 

Mingi slips his hand under the waistband of his pants and pulls out his entire length. it’s big, and you can’t peel your eyes away from it. he starts stroking it, making the most sinful noise you have ever heard. he licks and bites his lip seductively, smirking again before ending the video. 

you sit frozen for a moment, tainted by the images you just saw. 

“we just... we just saw all of Mingi...”

you just cover your mouth and look at your friend in shock

“you can’t tell him that I showed you, you can never talk about this again.” 

-

a little bit later you both go over to your house, you plan on making some food and then watching movies

anything to make you forget what you’ve seen

but, oh wait, Hongjoong texts you.

‘hey, want to hang out?’

of course, you can’t say no to this baby

so he tells you they’re all coming over

which you and your friend both realize

Mingi will be there too

“HOW DO I KEEP THIS A SECRET?? ALL I’M GONNA THINK OF IS HIS DICK”

you know your friend has always liked Mingi, so she’s freaking out a little bit.

so they come over and you’re all sitting in your living room

mingi thinks only you have seen the video so he tries his best to act normal

he gives your friend a hug like he always does, and of course, she hugs back but gives you this emotional face

seonghwa is just like….. are you two okay

“is everything alri-”

“YEP EVERYTHING IS FINE SEONGIE THANK YOU” real smooth, girl. smooth like sandpaper.

mingi gives you a look

oh no he must suspect

hongjoong “OOOO SHE HAS A SECRET. SPILL NOW.” 

“no.”

“but :(((“

“Hongjoong, no”

“fine…”

you’re hoping it was dropped but no

jongho is being a curious lil child 

“no, now you have to say”

“jong-”

“SAY IT DUDE IM CURIOUS”

“Y/N SHOWED ME A VIDEO-”

“SHURUP FJSJDJDKDKD”

mingi just hides away and probably wants to die

“what video???” 

“uh… some random guy sent me a dirty video and i showed her” 

hopefully your little white lie is told well and you save mingi

bc they would NEVER let him live it down

“just a random guy? gross.” thank you for believing it, hongjoong

“was it hot?” 

“WOOYOUNG--”

“oh yes, god damn, it was.” CAN YOUR FRIEND SHUT UP ASDGHJKL

thank god no one is paying attention to mingi bc he is red as a tomato

knowing mingi you’ll never speak of it again, hopefully

[macchiatomingi]

stranded pt. 3

In which Yunho and Wooyoung should never, under any circumstances, be paired together for a rescue team.

“Mingi?!”

“Song Mingi! Where are you?!”

You and Wooyoung screamed into the void of the forest, panic lacing your voice and annoyance lacing his. 

How the hell do you lose an entire human being and his pet crab? Hongjoong was going to murder you both, then have Jongho rip every tree from the soil it stood in to find Mingi faster because knowing him, he was hiding either in a cave or near a large rock. 

“We need to go back,” Wooyoung started, ignoring the noises you made in protest, “we need more people, and we need a light source. It’s getting dark, we won’t be any use if we can’t even see where we’re going.”

You knew he was right; the sun was setting, painting the sky a beautiful hue of reds and purples. You looked off into the opposite direction, knowing Mingi was somewhere in this large expanse of forest, lost and scared but thankfully not alone, and you started walking back in the direction of the camp. 

You and Wooyoung didn’t speak, the two of you too afraid of what Hongjoong or Seonghwa would say upon your return with a member of your group missing. You couldn't even get the herbs that you had originally set out to find, panicking upon realizing that Mingi was gone and freaking out to the point of forgetting everything that needed to be picked. 

The two of you returned to camp to see Hongjoong sitting in the sand, curled in a fetal position with Seonghwa hovering over him with a panicked expression. Wooyoung motioned for you to wait as he quietly made his way over to Seonghwa.

As it turns out, Hongjoong had gotten a hold of San’s...special herbs earlier in the day and the effects of them still hadn’t worn off. He was in no position to lead, and Seonghwa was too tired to yell at the two of you about losing Mingi, so he sent Yunho with you both, as well as a light, to try and find the tall scared boy.

Which is how you three got in your current situation.

You all had found Mingi after about an hour of searching in the darkness, coming across a small oasis type structure near a cave. Mingi was just there, swaying his feet back in the crystal blue water as Sherb rested on some rocks nearby. Yunho tackled the boy into the water, nearly drowning him and causing him to scare everything within a ten-mile radius clean out of its skin, fur and/or shell, and also resulted in the four of you (under the watchful eyes of Sherbert the Crab) having a massive water fight.

“Wooyoung! Put me- wait no!” You were screaming with both laughter and fear as Wooyoung spun you around on his shoulders, in the water, that was surrounded by rocks. Sharp rocks. Sharp rocks that looked like they would hurt if you were to hit them at the speed you were going. The sounds of laughs and screeches as people were either tossed into the water or splashed with water reverberated throughout the forest. 

The four of you eventually grew tired of playing around like children, and after stripping down to nothing but your trousers, you and the boys lied down in the soil, staring up at the night sky above. 

“Hey, Y/N,” Mingi started, his voice slightly hoarse, almost as if he had been crying (he had), “why are those lights just...in the sky?”

“Oh,” you replied, looking up at where Mingi was pointing, “that’s the aurora borealis. The Northern lights.” you said simply.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Then make your question clearer.”

“Ooh.”

“Burn.”

“...”

Silence consumed you all until you, once again, burst into a giggling fit. The boys followed in suit, and eventually the four of you were howling with laughter. 

It was weird, being on the sea for so long, constantly being on high alert for rival pirates, none of you really had the time to be kids. 

You realized that as you lied next to the three boys, all of you were close in age, but Wooyoung, Mingi, and Yunho were only 19. Just barely adults, if they could even be considered adults at all. As your laughs died down you gave a small sigh, you didn’t really want this to end. Sure, it was stressful, but it gave you all a much needed break from the stress of the seven seas.

You were lost in your thoughts until Yunho poked you in the stomach, you turned to face him to see him holding up a small sack. Inside the sack was an assortment of berries of various colors, some you had never seen before. He held the bag out to you, and you noticed that Mingi and Wooyoung had already taken a handful for themselves. 

You took a small handful of the berries and one by one popped them into your mouth. Some were sweet, some were disgustingly sour. Very few were just right, and you knew that eating random berries from the middle of the forest was not something smart, but it was something.

Eventually, the world grew fuzzy. The auroras above grew in size, wavering and fizzling in and out of your vision. The trees seemed bigger, but also more colorful, as if they had been saturated in some type of neon light. You felt as if the cold, hard ground had suddenly become a cloud, and everything was funny.

The boys also felt this way, expressing it through various slurred sentences that your brain couldn’t bother figuring out. You eventually rolled on your side to face them, a wide grin breaking out on your face as a slightly wicked idea spread through your, shockingly functional, brain.

“Hey,” you start, words feeling heavy on your tongue, “le’s go in the cave.”

~~~~~~~

i dont know what im doing anymore but yeah this was just a giant filler and oof yeah

i feel like my writing style is changing and i cant pinpoint how but its slightly irking me since im not used to it and dlafjkljklfjklj i hope this phase blows over soon-