#admin ay

Living in a lake town was really quiet in the winter. Houses on the shore were empty, the residents floated through the streets boredly, and the occasional dedicated fisherman sat on the docks with their hook in the water. Summer, when the sun obnoxiously beat on everyone’s skin, was when the town was as busy as Times Square. Well, at least you liked to think it was. You had never been.

Very often you would be able to spot the people who were in town for a vacation. They were louder, younger, and brighter amongst the residents who grew tired of seeing the same things every day. In technicality, yes you were also a lifelong resident, but in your heart you were just like the fresh faced tourists that drifted through annually.

“Honey–”

You jolted in your spot at the sound of the voice behind you. Knowing exactly who it was, you winced as you turned around to face your mother.

“Jesus kid, how many times do I have to tell you about being so close to the lake? It isn’t safe!”

Your groaned as your mother yanked you away, her grip paralleled with that of a bear’s. Part of you wanted to whine about how overbearing you mom was being, but you also understood it.

Your dad had died in the water. His boat too small and too far from the shore on such a stormy night. So rather than complaining whenever you were denied permission to go play in the deep water with friends, you would listen and find something to do by yourself.

“Hey, Mom? Could you at least let me go?”

Steps faltering, she did as requested and rubbed her hands on her pants. Your mother cleared her throat before speaking again.

“Go stop by the corner store before coming home, alright? We need more juice and and eggs.”

You sighed and nodded, splitting from your mother. You decided to go ahead and run the errand as you had nothing else to do. A loose rock on the ground kept you entertained throughout your journey as you kicked it, not having to pay much attention to your direction. You knew the town like the back of your hand.

Getting to the shop did not take long, with it being located two blocks away from the boardwalk, just on the edge of the gated residents. It’s where all the rich people lived, or stayed rather, in their large lake houses during vacation. The area was beautiful from what you could decipher whenever you got curious enough to peek through the gates.

As you walked in you saw a boy looking quite exasperated as he dug in his pockets. The cashier, Donghyuck (you were familiar with him, he typically worked the day shift)(he might have also been in your class once? He tended to stay to himself), tapped his foot loudly against the floor.

Finally, the boy huffed and dropped his hands.

“Sorry, I’ll just take the milk then.”

You noticed the pack of gel pens that the boy also had placed on the counter. Donghyuck began to slide the pens away before you stepped in.

“How much are they?”

The boy jumped as you settled next to him. Donghyuck looked at you tiredly.

“10 bucks.”

The boy gasped, eyes wide as he looked at you.

“Oh, no, you don’t have to!”

You smiled, “Don’t worry about it. Its my good deed of the week.”

Donghyuck snorted at the conflicted look on the boy’s face.

“Just take it, man.”

You hummed as you slid a ten dollar bill from your pocket and handed it to Donghyuck.

“I’ll pay you back, I swear.” said the boy.

You rolled your eyes. Then, an idea made way into your head.

“How about you tell me your name and you can help me carry my groceries home?”

“Its Renjun,” the boy said, shy smile stuck on his face as he took his now paid for items and followed you to the produce section.

        You and Renjun fell into a comfortable rhythm as you talked. It wasn’t as if you were conversing about anything profound, just small talk. Unlike most small talk, filled with forced smiles and awkward pauses, it felt like you were catching up to an old friend. You learned that Renjun was only staying the summer with his aunt (she stayed in one of the fenced off lake houses) and that he liked to draw in his free time (hence the neat gel pens he were struggling to buy). Renjun learned that you lived with your mom in a condo above a flower shop (his eyes lit up at the fact).

Time flew, and before the both of you knew it, you were standing right in front of the said flower shop. Renjun began to turn around, but you couldn’t help that you wanted to stay with him longer.

“I guess I’ll just–”

“Uhm, do you want to come inside?”

Even to your own ears you sounded terribly desperate. Despite that, Renjun grinned.

“Sure, I mean,” he frowned, “is that okay? With your mom?”

You nodded, “Don’t worry about it.”

Your mother being fine with Renjun would be an understatement. She was quite charmed with how polite he was. She even had the gall to wink at you (very conspicuously, may you add) when you recounted the events that led to you becoming friends.

Your mother giggled at one of Renjun’s stories about his friends back at his home town. Then, she shot up at the sound of her phone alarm dinging.

“Ah, I have to pull my lasagna out the oven.” she scurried into the kitchen area.

Renjun leaned towards you, making eye contact. He mouthed the words “I love your mom,” causing you to snicker. Your mother placed the lasagna on the kitchen island and started decorating the countertop with other food items.

“Hey, sweetie, ask Renjun if he wants to stay for dinner!”

You rolled your eyes, as if Renjun couldn’t hear her.

Said boy glanced out the window and gasped. The sun was starting to set on the horizon. You caught on and placed a reassuring hand on Renjun’s shoulder.

“Actually, Mom, I don’t think he can. He was probably supposed to bring his milk home a long time ago.”

Renjun gasped again, “I totally forgot about the milk.”

Your mother laughed at that.

“That’s fine! I’d love to have you over another night, though.”

You looked at Renjun hopefully, and he smiled back at you.

“Of course, thank you for having me over!”

You stood up, making your way towards the door, “I’ll walk you out.”

You watched as Renjun gathered his things and shuffled your way. Once out of the building you both could hear your mother yelling from out the window.

“Come by whenever you want, young man!”

Your mother’s enthusiasm cracked him up, and the sound made you feel giddy. When he finally calmed down, Renjun cleared his throat and started rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. You tapped your foot, trying to think of something to say.

“If you don’t have anything to do, you can come over tomorrow and hang around the shop.” You said, ending more on a question.

“Definitely.” Renjun said.

You didn’t notice the tightness in your chest until it was gone. With that, Renjun waved and finally left. He vanished around a street corner, and the remnants of his shadow followed.

        The next day, you were awoken by the sound of your phone dinging. You groaned and grabbed for the device. The screen said that it was five past noon, which caused you to groan again. Getting your sleep schedule back in check will be a pain.

Still sleepy, it took you a second to find out what was the cause of the noise that woke you up. It was Renjun, causing your eyes to open a little wider. He had sent a string of nervous messages; they asked when he should come over and apologized if he had woken you up. You chuckled before a yawn overcame you. So he was an early riser? For some reason that didn’t surprise you.

Eventually, you managed to get dressed and come down stairs into the flower shop. You jump as the first thing you see is Renjun tripping through the door, your mother rearing behind him.

“Look who I found out and about!” She chirped.

You rolled your eyes, unable to help the goofy smile growing on your face. Renjun walked towards you hand held up, and you appropriately responded to the gesture by high-fiving him.

“Sorry I didn’t text back, I just woke up a few minutes ago.” You had the sense to look embarrassed

Renjun shook his head, jabbing a thumb towards your mother’s direction, “Its cool, your mom told me all about it.”

By now your mother had snuck into the store’s back room, most likely to continue putting together a few bouquet orders. The sounds of foliage could be heard and you knew that was precisely what she was doing.

You made your way behind the cashier counter, putting on a beige apron with the words “Le Jardin d’Eden” scrawled on the front in blue. Renjun was glancing around the store; he seemed especially entranced by the orchids in the far corner. You pulled a stool next to you behind the counter and patted it loud enough to get Renjun’s attention. He got the message and sat next to you.

“So, what were you up to so early in the morning?”

“I guess you consider 9am early in the morning,” Renjun chuckled, “I wasn’t doing much. Just planning a few pieces for my portfolio.”

You parroted the word “portfolio” in curiosity.

Renjun cleared his throat and looked at his hands. “Yeah, I’m trying out for an arts school.”

“That’s so cool,” you nudged Renjun, causing him to look back up to you, “You should totally show me what you have so far.”

He smiled and let out a breath, “Totally.”

Then, a customer walked into the store accompanied by the bells on the door jingling. You got up to help, and when you finished with him a new customer walked in, and another. It seemed like a busy day, which was a bummer. You wanted to spend all your attention on Renjun. Every time you glimpsed at him he was drawing a new flower in the sketchbook that he, from what you know, conjured out of nowhere. Sometimes you met eyes with him and his mouth twitched at the corners. Attempts at smiles while his mind was concentrated on his art. He looked like a painting himself, but you blushed at the thought and continued to work.

        You fell against the door after turning the “open” sign to say “closed,” officially ending the working day. Your mother started sweeping the floors and Renjun disappeared into the back room a while ago to do something for her. He said he felt bad for doing nothing while you and your mother worked. You began to pick up cleaning supplies yourself until your mother waved her hand.

“Ah, no. Go accompany your friend, I got this.”

You rolled your eyes at your mother’s antics but internally thanked her as you approached Renjun in the back room. He was trying, and failing, to wrap a bow around a basket. He whispered what you could only guess to be swears under his breath as the bow turned out crooked.

“Do you want me to help?” You grinned at the way Renjun’s arms fell like weights to his sides.

Renjun let out a groan before answering in a whine, “Yes, please.”

You moved in front of the basket and untied the ribbon. Renjun leaned towards you to get a better view of your hands. You tried your best to ignore the way his breath was warm as it hit you. While walking Renjun through the steps it was hard to will the shake out of your voice, but you managed.

After what felt like forever, you finished tying the bow. Renjun’s brows furrowed, and for a second you thought you actually did worse than you thought until he spoke again.

“How did you manage to do that so easily?”

You laughed and shook your head.

“I said almost the same thing when my mom taught me. It just takes a couple of times until you get the feel for it.”

Renjun smiled, “I’m definitely gonna impress you with a cool bow next time I see you.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

There was a lull in the conversation, but neither of you minded. You looked over Renjun’s shoulder as he worked in his sketchbook. He had a page full of flowers that were on display in Jardin d’Eden. Everything looked perfect to you, but Renjun would grunt and fill in another part of a large hydrangea in the corner of the paper.

        That’s how you spent the next weeks. Renjun would come to the shop and distract you while you worked. At least not deliberately. You just couldn’t help your eyes from drifting to him and whatever he did. Most times he’d be drawing, but sometimes he’d also be engaged in conversation with a customer or your mom.

Finally, Renjun took you to meet his aunt. She was just as friendly as Renjun when she spoke, but was otherwise distant as she left you and Renjun to your own devices. You both would often spend time together on the balcony of her house looking over the lake when you weren’t working.

Sometimes Renjun’s friends would video call while you were with him. They were all very friendly (and loud) and would make sure to explain inside jokes to you. Especially if they were at the cost of Renjun’s embarrassment. Often you would find yourself crouched on the floor, holding your stomach from the laughter. Jeno and Jaemin, you had noticed, were the ones most often poking fun at him.

One day, Jeno popped on screen, interrupting the deep conversation you were having with Jaemin about snacks.

“Injunnie! Have you taken (Y/N) onto the boat yet?” Jeno’s eyes blinked into the camera, them being the only part of his body you could see.

Renjun coughed, face flushing as he shook his head.

“Uh, no. Not at all. Completely forgot auntie had it, actually.”

Another of Renjun’s friends, Chenle, shoved Jeno out of the way to be seen.

“What do you mean ‘forgot’? Didn’t you help your aunt repaint it the other day?”

You caught a glimpse of Jaemin behind Chenle, smirking as if he knew something. Renjun was too busy studying the lake to see you tilt your head in question. Then you remembered your mother.

“Its cool if he didn’t,” you shrugged, “My mom probably wouldn’t have let me anyway. She has a thing against the water.”

Renjun seemed to finally snap out of whatever he was thinking, as he whipped back towards you.

“You literally live in a lake town, why would she have anything against you being in a lake?”

You sighed and looked up to the sky. Stars shone, and you remembered one of many nights where you stayed out and tried to ignore your mother’s crying.

“You know how my dad was a fisherman? He died when I was little, drowned during a storm. My mom hasn’t let me swim in the lake or get on a boat since.”

Your father’s absence wasn’t something you felt often. You could barely remember him. More than anything, your disconnect to the incident was what bothered you the most. You swallowed down the weird feeling that you got from it and looked back down to Renjun. He wasn’t saying anything, but you could tell what he was thinking from the downturn of his lip and the hurt in his eyes.

“We’re sorry.” Jeno whispered, him along with Chenle and Jaemin mirroring the same look.

You smiled, “Don’t worry about it. If I’m honest, I’ve been wanting to rebel just a little and swim in the lake or something. I can’t remember the last time I did.”

“Then why don’t I take you?” Renjun blurted, then blushed. His eyes flickered to the side towards his phone screen before he looked back at you.

He took a deep breath and started again, “Why don’t I take you on my aunt’s boat?”

Jaemin leaned into the screen and somehow managed to whisper loudly as he spoke, “Sneak out when your mom’s asleep and can’t wonder where you are.”

The rest of the boys in the call grew mischievous smiles on their faces. You gulped.

“I mean, I’ve never–”  

“Of course you’ve never snuck out,” Chenle rolled his eyes and you held back the desire to frown, “There’s nothing to do there. You probably never wanted to.”

You finally did frown. You heard a smack from the phone and Chenle rocketed out of frame with a hiss.

Jeno looked at you apologetically, “Don’t take what Lele says seriously. We sneak out all the time to do stuff together, Renjun would too. You’re just a good kid.”

From there the conversation branched off. Renjun told you a story of how Jeno once actually stole candy from a baby. Everyone laughed, void for Jeno, who buried his face into Jaemin’s shoulder. Then your mother called, and it was time for you to leave.

Renjun walked you home. His hands fidgeted with the loops of his jeans the entire time. His nervous energy made you nervous. Before you knew it your home and the shop were in sight and you and Renjun hadn’t said a word to each other. That was, before Renjun cleared his throat, causing you to jump.

“You know, I wasn’t joking.”

You tilted your head, confused about what he was referring to.

“I mean, about taking you out on the boat. If–” he looked to the ground, “If you wanted.”

You tried to bite down the goofy grin you knew was trying to inch across your face. You lightly stepped on Renjun’s foot to make him look up at you.

“Honestly, I totally do.”

You didn’t realize Renjun’s hands were still moving until they stopped.

Renjun let out a breath, “Yeah?” his voice soft.

“Yeah,” you matched his softness, “I haven’t had my life-changing summer adventure yet.”

Renjun snorted as you turned to walk into the building. You’d deny the skip in your step as you made your way to your room.

        “Are you sure this is fine?” You couldn’t help from wringing your hands as you followed Renjun on the small path through the trees.

Renjun chuckled before turning around to you. It was hard to ignore how the lights of the fireflies twinkled in his eyes and the moonlight rested on his skin.

“I promise its fine,” he held his hand out to you, “to make you feel better.”

You had only known this boy for a few weeks, but all rationale initially flew through the window when you decided to sneak out in the middle of the night for the first time. So, you nodded and grabbed his hand as he lead you towards the dock. It didn’t take much time before you reached it. The water was placid and the only things that seemed to disturb its surface were the water striders gliding across and the occasional fish.

There alongside the dock, a sailboat bobbed in the water.

“This is your aunt’s?” you said.

Renjun only nodded at you before looking back at the boat. You stared at it as well. It was pretty, painted in a coral color with blue cursive letters on its side. You squinted to try and read what they said. Renjun kicked at a nearby rock and tugged on his hair.

“The Moomin,” he coughed, “My aunt, uh, she had me name it when I was little.”

You couldn’t help the teasing smile on your face, “That’s precious.”

“Please shut up before I push you into this water.”

Renjun continued grumbling under his breath, and the chokes resulting from holding back your laughter almost caused you to fall in all by yourself.

Renjun climbed into the boat first. You followed, easing your way on with Renjun’s help. The boat rocked from the movement of you both sitting down. You tensed, and both your hands shot out to stabilize yourself. Renjun sat right across from you. He touched his ankle to yours, and you eased. Your mouth still twitched in displeasure, for some reason he felt too far away.

The boat eventually stopped rocking, but your stomach still felt tingly. Renjun eyed you worriedly as you tugged at your hair. You couldn’t get your eyes to stop jumping from one thing to the other.

Renjun stood slowly and moved to sit next to you. Your breath hitched as the boat rocked again.

You shot Renjun an anxious glance, “Aren’t we supposed to be on opposite sides? Isn’t it dangerous?”

Renjun smiled, and suddenly it wasn’t so hard to breath.

“Its fine,” he took your hand in his, “Are you okay?”

You sighed and squeezed Renjun’s hand. He squeezed back.

“I’m going to be. I think.”

Renjun doesn’t speak after that. You look up at the sky and see the full moon shining bright. All the noises you hear are crickets and Renjun’s breathing beside you.

The warmth from Renjun’s hand spreads up your arms. Your stomach still feels tingly, but its different, and the thought that you could stay on the boat forever crosses your mind.

“Renjun?”

“Yeah?”

The words don’t make it out of your mouth but Renjun seemed to already know what you wanted to say, his lips pressed against yours.

As you pull out of the parking lot and into the street, it dawns on you that you don’t exactly have a place to go. Most establishments aren’t open at midnight, and the only type of people lurking outside at this time of night aren’t the type that are pleasant to encounter. Also, you have a grand total of two friends, and both like to turn in early.

Your car dings and you look down at the dashboard. Almost empty. At least there’s a gas station nearby.

You leave your car to fill up when you walk into the gas station. There’s no one else inside but the person at the register and a man in the back looking at the drinks. A little late for beer, you think, but you probably shouldn’t judge. You shrug and start looking for snacks. The aisles are littered with donuts, chips, candy and jerky.

After you you grab a pack of licorice and powdered donuts, you decide to get a drink as well. You look over to see the man still hovering by the coolers. Maybe he doesn’t actually seem all that threatening. Or maybe your lack of sleep is causing you to overlook his leather jacket and neck tattoos. Either way, you don’t make the trip around the aisles and go up to him instead.

“Excuse me.”

The tattoo man turns his whole body to look at you, scowl on his face.  However, as soon as it forms it disappears.

“Oh, sorry.”

You cock your head as he moves out your way. His voice is a little higher than you would’ve expected. He’s also really pretty. You reach for a bottle of iced coffee, still checking out the man in the corner of your eye. He’s been looking at the drinks for way too long now.

“Having trouble?”

The man startles, but tries to cover it with a stretch of his arms.

“Uh, no I’ve just been a little spaced out.” He chuckles and offers his hand to you.

“I’m Junhui.”

You take his hand, shaking it. Its a little odd, you’re used to shaking hands with old men with practiced smiles.

“I’m Y/N,” you turn your eyes towards the beer that Junhui had been eyeing, “So did you plan on buying any or is this just a comfortable place for you to stand and think?”

Junhui reaches up to scratch the back of his neck and his jacket sleeves slide down to reveal a dainty music note on his wrist.

“I mean-- yes, I was. But then I realized I didn’t really have money on me and then my thoughts ran off from there.”

You hum, deciding to indulge in this nice stranger as you have nothing else to do. You opened the fridge door and took a pack of beer. You smirked at the widening of Junhui’s eyes.

“You don’t have to--”

“Yeah, but I want to.”

You walked up to the register, looking over your shoulder at Junhui who trailed behind you.

“I can’t pay you back!”

The person at the register took your things to scan them, looking like they absolutely didn’t want to be there at the moment.

“Pay me back with your company then.”

Jun stammered before letting out an extravagant sigh. His mouth smiled, but you couldn’t help but notice the weary look in his eye.

     Jaehyun chuckled as you were moved forcefully from the room by the shoulder, wrists still tied together. Ten’s brow twitched as he bit his lip and tried to keep from decking Jaehyun in the face at that very moment. He had just about enough of the patronizing mannerisms that surfaced every time he spoke.

“What a tear-inducing departure. Nearly started breaking down, myself.” Jaehyun said, conjuring zip ties to bind Ten’s wrists together.

Ten hummed, feigning aloofness before letting calculated words fall from his lips.

“I’m sure Y/N will get over it.”

Jaehyun guffawed as he shoved Ten into the chair you previously sat in to tie down his legs.

“Surely, as will most once you’re dead. We plan on disposing of you as soon as we’re done with you. Try not to shit your pants until then.”

Ten focused on the crinkle of Jaehyun’s eyes and his head’s positioning as he finished tying his left leg to the chair. Jaehyun was mid-evil monologue when he had moved just perfectly above Ten’s right knee. Ten took a deep breath and drove his knee directly into Jaehyun’s chin. He savored the clack of Jaehyun’s teeth against each other and the thud of his body as he blacked out. 

Taking advantage of Jaehyun’s dazed state, Ten broke out of his binds in record time. Before Jaehyun could fully recover Ten pulled the handgun from his waistband before checking it for bullets, then tucked it in his own.

“Considering the fact that you’ve worked with me for a year,” Ten sighed as he eased up to Jaehyun’s body, “I would think that you’d be a little more careful.”

A weak hand reached for Ten’s but he only laughed at the attempt.

“I thought I taught you better, yet alas.”

Ten growled as he snapped Jaehyun’s neck, swallowing down the gruesome cracks that rattled his bones. He didn’t have an affinity for kills that took so much strength, but having no weapons on his person (the gun didn’t count, it made too much noise) left Ten no other choice.

Using all the strength he could muster, Ten pushed open the large metal door, leading into a corridor. It was littered with plenty of doors similar to that which he had opened, but the one on the very end made of dark wood caught his eye as it clicked shut.

Hurried curses shot through Ten’s mouth as he hurried to catch up to you and the lackey that led you. The door wasn’t locked and Ten was just able to sneak up behind Yukhei, as Jaehyun called him, who was preoccupied enough with your struggling to not notice the blow of the end of a gun to his head. You let out a gasp and jumped when Yukhei’s body heavily hit the floor.

Ten mirrored the relieved smile that spread across your face as you realized what had happened.

Already moving to untie your wrists, the smirk under Ten’s breath evident.

“Hello.”

You sighed, “Hey.”

It may had not been the right place, nor the right time, but you hugged Ten regardless, and he let you. 

Ten’s lips ghosted over the shell of your ear teasingly.

“Let’s get out of here.” Ten punctuated the sentence with a kiss to your temple and a squeeze of your hand.

The loss of either your or his life less imminent, Ten took the time to look around for a way out. When Jeno and Yukhei had escorted him in, he had barely gotten a good view of the insides of the building. The both of them had been rather rough with taking him to Jaehyun. He knew that they were in an abandoned hotel from what he could tell from its exterior.

The room where you were kept was a meat freezer, amongst many other rooms that previously served as storage within the basement. The only way out was a door that led directly into the hallway of the ground floor. To the left was the lobby, and to the right, if the sign near the main desk was anything to go by, was a staircase and elevator that led to the second floor.

Ten paced back and forth in front of the staircase that led up to the door. The main thing on his mind being how to get out of the building safely. Going to the second floor and leaving through the fire escape was an option. However, the cons outweighed the pros. The stairs could be broken considering the condition of the hotel or there may have been an infinite number of phoenix on the second floor blocking their path.

At least with the path right towards the lobby’s front doors he knew how many people give-or-take were in the room, and there were many places to hide behind upon being shot at.

You tapped at the crinkle forming between Ten’s brows.

“Please don’t make that face, it makes me nervous.”

Ten bit his lip in an attempt to ground himself before speaking.

“Sorry, but I would be a little worried if you weren’t nervous.”

You laughed, “Well, I am. Almost shit my pants back there if I’m being honest.”

The air grew less thick and Ten felt his head clear as he reminded himself that there were enforcements on the way. Enforcements, meaning only two, but out of the entirety of Squalo Nero he trusted them the most.

“Alright, Y/N, I’m going to need you to listen to what I’m going to say.”

“Sure, Chief--”

You stopped yourself from saying anything else upon Ten’s glare.

“I told a few people that I was going to be here today and had them follow me up here--”

Your eyes widened, “Wait, you came to this place yourself? Like, they didn’t, I don’t know, knock you out and drag you here?”

Ten’s mouth twitched in annoyance but he answered you regardless. “No, they left a note on my door saying to come to this address to get you back.” you shot him a confused look and Ten sighed and continued to explain.

“I doubt this hotel is their base of operations. From the looks of it, it's most likely a place they scouted specifically for this. The Phoenix may be a band of rookies but they aren’t that stupid.”

You hummed in understanding and Ten took it as a signal to continue informing you on the events that were going to occur.

“In about five minutes, my colleagues are going to rush into the lobby. On my count of three, I want you to follow directly behind me out this door and to the left end of this hallway there will be a couch to hide behind. Stay there until I tell you to move. Only, when I tell you to move.”

     Hesitantly, you nodded.

Suddenly Ten left his spot next to the door and sauntered to Yukhei’s limp body and kicked it over. It felt like a rock settled at the pit of your stomach as you watched, but pushed the feeling down. If you couldn’t handle such a minimal action done to an unconscious body you wouldn’t be prepared for the sure amounts of death and blood soon to come.

You watched as Ten patted Yukhei down, eventually stopping when feeling something hidden underneath his jean jacket. The object turned out to be a handgun, not too different to the one Ten had taken from Jaehyun.

Ten checked the magazine for bullets. Seemingly satisfied with it’s unused composition, he walked back towards you and placed the gun in your hands.

The rock in your stomach came back and you found yourself stuttering through your protests.

“Ten-- I can’t-- no, I don’t even know how to use one of these things! I haven’t shot a gun let alone at someone!”

Ten laid his hand atop your head and looked into your eyes, the same message hidden in them as earlier. It’s going to be okay.

“Hold it with two hands, point it at your target, and shoot.” Ten demonstrated each move with his own gun, going slowly so you could take in his every move.

“Only use it if you’re in danger, okay? Dealing with your first blood isn’t fun and it’s not something I want you to deal with.” Ten shared a pained smile with you. Ten told you about the first person he ever killed. You knew you didn’t want to experience the same. So, you took a deep breath and nodded, your throat feeling a little too dry to say anything more.

Ten patted your shoulder absent-mindedly while passing you to walk up the stairs. You followed not to far from him. Ten held his head up to the door, frown forming back on his face as he listened intently to what was happening on the other side.

“I hear about two people moving through the hallway. I’m going to have to take them out as soon as I open the door,” Ten whispered. You could barely make out his words with how softly he spoke, but you supposed that was the point.

A crash interrupted the silence through the room. It was muffled, it seemingly coming from above. Yelling and gunshots occured next, another crash amongst the noise. You whimpered at the commotion, but Ten only smiled as he took your hand and put it on his waist. You took the hint, gripping his belt.

“One…” Ten started, you closed your eyes and took a deep breath.

“Two…”

Screaming, blood, death, the smell of freshly shot guns throughout the room.

The scared, nauseous part of you wanted to erase the images from your thoughts forever, but you knew better. So you opened your eyes stilled your shaking hands, putting all your trust in Ten.

“Three!”

Ten threw open the door, and within the blink of an eye he shot two rounds. The sound caused your ears to ring. Ten ran through the corridor, dragging you behind him. Your low stamina wasn’t of much help while trying to keep up, hiding you face in his back. In your peripheral you spotted the couch Ten told you about. It was a murky green and looked disgusting, but you ignored your initial disgust and crouched behind it as soon as you got close to it anyway. Adrenaline ran through your veins as Ten left you where you were, stepping around the couch and into the open space of the room.

     Ten dodged a bullet behind a nearby flipped coffee table. Grunting at his sudden impact with the floor. Ten glanced over the table to take in his surroundings. Familiar pigtails whipped through the air, attached to Yeri as she swept the floor gracefully with her leg taking down a man twice her size. Ten couldn’t help a wince. He had also fallen victim to Yeri’s hand-to-hand combat skills. To make it short he wouldn’t want to be in a fight with her again, spar or not.

Another grunt was heard right next to him, belonging to Taeyong. Taeyong only winked in greeting before popping up again to shoot.

“Shit!” Taeyong slammed back to the grown as a bullet whistled past his ear.

Ten lifted a brow in amusement. Taeyong rolled his eyes.

“My line of work doesn’t call for this type of bullshit! You usually do this stuff alone, I don’t know why you need me!”

“Because I trust you.”

Taeyong faltered at the unexpected honesty.

“Shut up and help out Yeri with me, dickhead.” Taeyong muttered the last part under his breath, causing Ten to chuckle.

     You watched as Ten and a pink headed man arise from behind their cover of the coffee table and eased towards a group of men surrounding a lady. She fought viciously yet still struggled. Ten and the pink haired men fought harmoniously together. Amongst all the anxiety that arose in your chest you still managed to find it kind of hot how confident Ten was in his movements.

Save those thoughts for later.

You sucked in a deep breath and ducked back behind the couch, still conscious of the heavy pistol that you held in your hand. You looked to your left for any uninvited guests and saw no one, but before you could turn to your right rough hands wrapped around you.

Panic ran through you and tried to fight back at whoever held you as they pulled you out from your makeshift safe haven, you dropping the pistol from your hand in the scuffle. Shrieks came out muffled as your captor clasped his palm over your mouth. Instinct took over and you bit his hand, deep voice letting out a cry as he let you go for a short second.

“Ten--!”

Your cry was cut off with a smack to the cheek. The impact disoriented you, a dull throb pulsed in your head and the surface of your skin stung.

You weren't sure how much time took place as you squished yourself against the floor, hoping to ease the pain, but it seemed like seconds when the man that assaulted you fell to the ground. Red, sticky, metallic smelling blood pooled from under his body. The sight caused you to gag.

“Fuck,” you whispered under your breath. You knew that it would probably be best to look away from the corpse, but something in you caused you to freeze.

Ten’s voice pulled you out of your trance. “Y/N, get up. It’s all clear.”

You stood, slowly, flinching at the cracks of your knees and trying to hold down the shakes you had just noticed in your hands. Your eye’s met with Ten’s wide, expressive ones. They were different from when he had been fighting. You thought back to when you had first met Ten, his ability to transition so quickly intriguing you. You and Ten had come a long way since then. As you made your way towards Ten, you couldn’t help but notice the look shared between the girl and the man with pink hair.

The pink haired man hummed, “So this is the one Ten dragged us all the way here to save.”

The girl looked you up and down, unnerving you. She sneered before opening her mouth to speak.

“Ten looked so scary when he told us about what happened. He was in such a rush that he didn’t even tell the big man about what he was up to.”

The way she seemed to direct the sentence towards it’s subject, anyone would be able to tell who she was truly trying to tease. Despite that you couldn’t stop yourself from growing flustered in Ten’s favor.

Ten cleared his throat, unbothered by the exchange.

“This is Taeyong and Yeri,” he pointed in his respective partners’ directions, “And now that introductions are over I suggest we hurry out of here.”

“Normally I would probably tell you to pull the stick out your ass but I agree.” You rubbed your shoulders, shivering as you eyed the room. The presence of all the bodies sprawled on the floor loomed over you even with your attempts to look away from them.

Taeyong laughed, “I like her already.”

Ten rolled his eyes and began walking towards the exit along with Taeyong. You started to follow until you felt a tap on your shoulder.

Yeri turned you towards her and smiled at the way you jumped at the touch. “Hey, I’m happy you’re okay. You’re really strong being able to go through all that.”

You smiled back, “Thanks, I’m still a little shaken. If anyone here should be called strong here though--”

A figure emerged from the hallway on the other side of the room. It staggered with each step, it’s lanky legs dragging on the dirty ground. You weren’t able to discern who it was until he made it into the light.

It was Yukhei, and he had a gun.

“Yeri turn around.”

She threw you a confused look before doing as you said.

“Shit!”

Time felt like it slowed down. Everybody turned to see the cause of the alarm, but not quick enough. Yukhei had already raised his arms, gun pointing to Ten. Your mind went blank, your body darting directly into the line of fire.

      Bang

    Bang

     Time went too fast. All he saw was your body writhing on the floor in pain and Yukhei flopping to the floor not too long after.

Out of all the other people the universe could have chosen to bare the mark that resided on your left wrist, it had to be you.

You stared at the timer as it changed, indicating the time until you met your soulmate down to the second. The same bitter taste that filled your mouth whenever you remembered your other half existed still present. Honestly speaking, you had no problem with whoever it might have been. They were probably one of the sweetest people you were ever going to meet.

It was the fact that you even had a soulmate in the first place. Soulmates were always displayed as ideal romantic partners. Everyone who had already met theirs spoke of how they fell in love within the first second of eye contact, and decided they would marry them within the first minute of speaking. Those who were not bound all seemed to sigh in longing as they day-dreamed about meeting the person they were meant to love for life.

You, however, were never attracted to the idea. Sure, dating always seemed nice as a concept. Loving someone was described as one of, if not, the best feelings in the world. Apparently it made you feel butterflies in your stomach and lifted your mood ten times more than chocolate ever could. But when you tried to think of practicing the act yourself, your thoughts would immediately turn into a mantra of disapproving words, as if your whole body rejected the idea

So, you could say that you were not very happy with the idea of having a soulmate, the definition of a lifetime date mate.

You huffed and violently shut the book that was in your hands, thoughts long a strayed from the history of glassblowing you were originally attempting to read.

You looked down to your wrist and saw the numbers that seemed to mock you.

-30:15:02

     You watched as the fifteen minutes turned into fourteen, then thirteen, until it drove you crazy.

Before you knew it the quiet of the library you sat in added more to your frustration, causing you to let out a pained growl.

Mark, who sat across from you, dropped the pencil he had held in his hand, startled.

His eyes widened in question and worry as he witnessed the mini-breakdown occurring in front of him. He was going to ask you to quiet down, but an angry college student sitting at the next table beat him to it.

“Dude,” Mark hissed, “What is up with you? Are you okay?”

You ran a hand over your face, groaning into it before resting it on the table between you and him.

“I just...it's that soulmate shit getting to me again, I’m sorry.”

Mark sighed and moved his work to the side, and then proceeded to lean closer to you.

“You were seriously making a big deal out of this last night. Chill out, the person probably isn't even that bad. You’ll probably end up really liking them, y/n. You’re--”

“--Soulmates, after all. Yeah, I know, Mark. You’ve told me all this before.”  

Mark smiled at you, flinging a paperclip towards you and missing.

“And you know I’m right. Now c’mon, let’s go raid a some place for snacks. I’m tired of working anyway.”

You hummed, following Mark’s figure already moving towards the library exit.

Mark’s efforts to fix your mood were definitely helpful. Half-priced gas station donuts tended to have that effect on you. You figured, however, that the sensation Mark’s light-hearted giggles in your ears and the sugar in your mouth was only temporary as you layed in bed freshly showered.

You knew that looking at your countdown would only sour your remaining bit of bliss, but you did so anyway.

-20:00:47

     Twenty hours left. You half considered staying up all night, savoring every moment of your freedom before you met your other half. But the tug of your eyes and the fact that you had work the next day convinced you otherwise. So you shoved all thoughts of your future to the back of your mind and drifted off to sleep.

-09:12:56

     You rubbed your earlobe between your thumb and index finger, sighing as you waited in line for a smoothie.

An obnoxiously affectionate couple stood in front of you, whispering cheesy nothings in each other's ears. They were soulmates, quite obvious from the intricate tattoo-like markings they shared on the napes of their necks.

Will you and your soulmate be like them?

Did you even want that type of relationship with...anyone?

A shiver ran down your spine as you thought of you and your partner flirting with similar goofy, love-struck smiles. No, you did not.

Your chest tightened and you wanted nothing more than to get out and go back to work, away from the pressure of the universe's decisions and distract yourself with the large stack of papers you had left to file. Just then the cashier called out your name, placing your order on the counter. You grabbed the cold smoothie into your hands and rushed through the door of the small shop, earning a few curious glances on your way out.

-00:30:02

     The night air bit at your skin as you shuffled out of your small apartment. The air that escaped out of your mouth made its presence known, condensating in the air. Pulling the muffler around your neck a little higher, you made your way to the grocery about two blocks away. You were too tired to cook an acceptable dinner, so you instead decided to stock up on a few television dinners until you gained your energy back.

The bright lights in front of the grocery contrasted greatly with the soft shine of the moon above your head.

-00:15:00

     The skin on your wrist began to burn, and you rolled your eyes, immediately knowing the reason why. Your meeting was coming closer.

Despite your previous freakouts, you felt oddly calm as you strolled back to your apartment. An acceptance to your fate regardless of how much you did not think you would enjoy it.

-00:00:32

     You watched the moon follow you as you walked. It’s large craters seemed to stare back at you in wonder, and if you had an inch of artistic ability in your body you would have painted it. You settled with ingraining the sight into your memory instead.

-00:00:03

     A flash of silver was the last thing you remembered before ending up on the ground, a scrape on your knee and a bone to pick with whatever person decided to throw a door wide open without even looking at their surroundings.

00:00:00

     “Shit, I am so so sorry, oh my God.”

You rubbed at the side of your head, it baring the forefront of the attack, and scowled.

“Yeah, it's fine--”

When you looked up to see who it was it felt as if all the air was sucked out of you once your eyes met. His large brown eyes felt familiar although they had no place in your memories and a name sat on the tip of your tongue that you had not even recalled hearing before.

You sucked in a breath as you felt your wrist burn, the numbers on your timer changing from how long until you met your soulmate into how long since.

00:00:18

     You snapped your eyes away from the man once you realized how long you had been staring. He did the same soon after, realizing how uncomfortable you might have felt.

You cleared your throat.

“So...I’m guessing you're the notorious soulmate of mine?”

His head tilted and you repressed thoughts of how astoundingly adorable the gesture was.

“Notorious? What's that supposed to mean?”

You scoffed, “Nothing, don't worry about it.”

After brushing yourself off and standing up, you held out your hand.

“I’m y/n, although you probably already know that.”

Your soulmate took your hand in his, accepting the handshake.

“Taeil.”

13:05:00

      Mark’s jaw dropped, releasing a series of surprised noises. You gave him time to collect himself.

“So you really met him last night?”

The question came out cracked and raspy, and all you wanted to do was help Mark out and buy him a bottle of water.

“Yes, this is like the fifth time I've said it. Keep it together, dude.”

Mark took a deep breath, attempting to compose himself before speaking again.

“When do I get to meet him?”

“I just met him last night, can you chill out for like, one second?” You sighed, regretting telling your friend about the encounter so soon.

“Yeah, but I should know what Taeil’s like so that I can give my official best friend stamp of approval before you both start going out!”

You flinched at Mark’s words.

“I…” You swallowed, “I haven't really decided on that last bit.”

“What, going out?”

You nodded, not wanting to expand on the issue any further.

“Aren't you supposed to want to date your soulmate once you meet, though?” Mark’s eyed widened. The expression was comical, and normally you would have giggled.

However, the implications of what Mark had said was the only thing that had filtered into your mind. According to everyone else, yes, you were supposed to want to date him. By now you were supposed to be head over heels for Taeil. You sat and wondered why that was not the case with you at all.

You felt different...broken.

84:21:36

     You: hey, can we talk [read, 12:00 p.m.]

Taeil: sure??? wht is it ? [12:01 p.m.]

You: i’d..rather talk about it irl [read, 12:02 p.m.]

Taeil: alright...let’s meet at the mall in an hour? You can help me run errands! [12:04 p.m.]

  You rubbed your sweaty palms as you sat in the mall food court, waiting for Taeil to arrive. Deep breaths were the best way to calm yourself down as you rehearsed what you wanted to say in your head.

“Y/N?”

The feeling of Taeil’s delicate fingers on your shoulder caused a shock to run across your skin and you flinched before relaxing into the touch.

Taeil sat in the chair across from you before smiling.

“So...you wanted to tell me something?”

You hummed, not exactly ready to start talking yet.

Taeil nodded and slumped in his chair. His eyes seemed to dart everywhere except towards you, and you took the blatant avoidance of your stare as a chance to prep yourself.

Significant others, life partners, soulmates, you let the words bounce through your consciousness as you evaluated yours.

His eyes were deep and worried. His smile faltered yet was genuine.

“Uhm so,” you coughed, “Taeil, what do you think about...dating?”

Taeil choked and rubbed at his neck.

“Well, I mean-- I’ve done it before..?”

You shook your head.

“No, I mean you and me dating. Like, exclusively, only us two doing...romantic stuff.”

“I haven't really thought about it?”

You picked at your fingers.

“To be honest I wasn't that big on it either, but you know--”

“Everybody's saying that we should?”

Taeil smiled as you visibly relaxed in your seat. He reached over the table for your hand. Had it been anyone else you would have moved away. Perks of being a soulmate, you thought.

“Listen, I won't force you to be in a relationship with me if you don't want to, and you shouldn't let anyone else either.”

“I don’t know,” you stared at how Taeil’s hand enveloped yours, “But I guess I’m willing to think about it.”

244:00:17

     “Sweetie...are you sure that’s what you want to wear out today?”

Your mother scanned your body with a grimace. You rolled your eyes.

“What’s wrong with me wearing jeans and a t-shirt out?”

You made your way towards the front door, ready to leave, but you did not miss the smirk that played on your mother’s lips.

“I just think you could do better for your first date with your soulmate.”

Choking, you stepped out of the house. You did not even have to question how she knew about Taeil as you pulled out your phone from your pocket.

You: mark lee if your loose lipped ass did what i think it did i will not hesitate to slaughter you tomorrow. [read, 4:00 pm]

Mark: :) [4:00 pm]

244:45:30

     You could pinpoint Taeil’s figure from about a mile away, his broad shoulders standing out from the small line in front of the theater’s ticket window. Taeil had planned the date, wanting to watch a movie together and go out for lunch afterwards.

Before you knew it his name slipped out of your mouth, him jumping in surprise from your sudden call. You skipped up to Taeil’s side and hummed a tune as you watched him exchange money for two back row tickets.

A daunting feeling settled in the pit of your stomach as you waited for Taeil to finish his transaction. You felt as if you were doing something wrong, that you were out of place, but Taeil tapped you out of your reverie before you could understand why exactly that was.

245:00:07

     You shoved a handful of popcorn into your mouth from the bucket in your lap as you watched the movie. Clangoring explosions rang throughout the room as an action sequence played out on the screen. Taeil chuckled at every eager whine that escaped your throat whenever the leading characters would escape death.

Distracted by the fight scene occurring within the movie, you barely noticed it as Taeil’s hand creeped onto your knee. Uncomfortable from the sudden intimate touch, you shifted your leg away. You missed Taeil’s eyebrows crinkle at the movement before reverting back to a placid expression once again.

515:12:21

     Mark nudged your leg from his position on the floor.

“What do you want, loser?” You groaned, lifting your head from where it rested as you layed in bed, scrolling through your phone.

You gasped when Mark’s head popped up from the side of your bed, almost directly in front of your face.

“How far have you and Taeil gone?”

You felt your face warm at the question.

“I-- what do you mean? We’ve been together for, like, two weeks?”

Mark rolled his eyes as if you were feigning ignorance.

“Dude, shut up. Everyone knows soulmates hook up even sooner than that.  You haven’t even kissed?”  

You shrugged, “I don’t know, I just...haven’t felt compelled to do so?”

Mark scoffed, rolling his eyes once more. “Sure, Jan.”

Offended, you shot up from your bed and crossed your arms.

“And how far have you gone with Yukhei, Mark Lee? You met him a few days ago if I am not mistaken?”

“Stop trying to change the topic.”

You smirked and fell back down onto the bed, picking up your phone once more.

“Thought so!”

564:28:19

     “Babe, let’s break up.”

You stopped mid-sip of your coffee, your green straw a centimeter away from your face.

“Taeil...so sudden?”

Taeil drummed his fingers against his plastic cup before taking a long, thoughtful gulp and speaking again.

“Look, I’ll be honest with you. This isn’t my first time dating. I know what it looks like when someone is invested in a relationship and you...aren’t.”

Your eyes widened at the sudden frankness of your soulmate.

“Oh...okay.”

“See? You’re barely even reacting to me breaking up with you! Most people would start, I don’t know, crying or something but you’re just...taking it? As if you were waiting for this.”

You could feel your heart scrunching up while processing Taeil’s words. Suddenly, you were overly conscious of your breathing, your heart rate, and even the way your tongue settled in your mouth. Nothing was out of the ordinary, in fact, you were not affected by the event at all.

Despite your efforts to formulate a coherent sentence, all that managed to come out was a defeated sigh. Taeil reached for your hand as he smiled. It was as if he knew that the breakup was bound to happen. His patience and understanding caused your heart to swell.

You laughed when you felt tears prick at your eyes.

“I really don’t deserve you, Taeil.”

He nodded, silently agreeing.

You chuckled and rubbed his thumb between your fingers.

“Honestly, I’ve known forever that I didn’t want a relationship. Ever since I was little and my friends would talk to me about their crushes, I wasn’t able to understand any of it,” you struggled to keep going, a knot forming in your throat, “And I felt so wrong for it. Like, maybe my brain was wired the wrong way.”

Taeil’s face scrunched together as he spoke.

“Y/n, there is nothing wrong with you. You didn’t have to date me if that’s how you felt--”

“I thought I had to!”

Your face was hot and wet tears ran down your cheeks. People were staring at the commotion you were causing but you could not care less.

You saw the way that Taeil had jumped back in his seat. You took a few breaths to calm yourself down.

“I felt like I had to, okay? What normal soulmates don’t date? I had to at least try.”

A light bulb seemed to blink over Taeil’s head as he appeared to remember something.

“Actually, I know a few soulmates that aren’t in a romantic relationship! I should take you to go meet them one day.”

Weight lifted off your shoulders at the news of others being like you, and you felt your lips twitch into a smile before you could stop yourself. Taeil typed furiously into his phone, most likely texting the said people. Gratefulness swelled in your chest as you watched.

“I love you.”

Taeil’s head shot straight up, face covered in shock before calming.

You seeked to assuage the feeling by taking your mind off of it. You flipped through books but you could not get yourself to concentrate on the words laid out on the pages. You flicked through your social media apps in hopes that a post would at least make you smile, instead it caused you to feel more isolated than before.

Without warning your heartbeat began to skyrocket and tears pricked at your eyes. All attempts to calm yourself down were futile as the presence on your chest became tighter and it became harder to breathe.

Only one person came to mind that always managed to help you at times like these. You reached for your phone and tried your best to ignore the tremors of our hands as you called your next door neighbor. His number was on speed dial and in a matter of seconds you could hear his soft breaths on the other end of the line.

“Hello?”

Jeonghan’s voice was hoarse, most likely in result of waking up from a nap.

“Hey,” you took a moment to collect yourself enough to continue talking, “Sorry if I’m bothering you or--”

“Y/n, you could call me at the ass-crack of dawn and I still would not be bothered by you. What’s up?”

You felt a tear fall down your cheek from the sincerity in Jeonghan’s words. It took all of the strength in your body to keep your lip from quivering and not sound like a babbling baby as you answered.

“Can you please just, come over for a bit? I need-- I need a hug.”

“No problem. While I get there can you stay on the phone with me? Take a few deep breaths while you’re at it.”

You nodded, the thought that Jeonghan could not see you never occurring to you as he began walking you through the breathing exercises he always used with you.

Two minutes later, you could hear the rattle of the spare key Jeonghan had in the keyhole of your front door. By now you had calmed down and fatigue had washed over you. Jeonghan worked his way through your flat towards you as you sat on the loveseat in your living room.

He plopped right next to you, not saying a word as he gently moved your head to his lap and caressed your shoulder.

“You don’t have to but, you know you can tell me if anything happened…”

Jeonghan let the proposal hang in the air, waiting for you to either respond or fall asleep, whichever came first. You shook your head as best as you could with it resting in his lap.

“Nothing happened, I just...had an episode. You’re here though, that’s all I care about.”

You felt Jeonghan’s following hum spread throughout your body and smiled.

“Of course, I’m always here for you.”

       Your body felt heavy.

Your consciousness came back in waves.

The unfamiliarity of the tape against your mouth and rope around your wrists and ankles is what came to you first. Then, your eyes slowly opened, your surroundings fuzzy and dark.

Panic didn't truly set into your being until you realized that you didn't know where exactly you were. That was when your heartbeat quickened and the crick in your neck became all too noticeable.

You tried breaking against your bindings, but the rope was too strong and tied so tight that all attempts to get out were futile.

Heart still threatening to break out of your chest, you noticed as Jaehyun’s figure seemed to materialize from the darkness in the corner of the room..

You shook as his hand moved closer to your face, large fingers rubbing against your cheek before ripping off the duct tape that had previously been stuck to your mouth. You let out a piercing screech, the burn of the adhesive being removed so violently causing your skin to burn.

“Now, now. Quiet down Y/N. No one can hear you down here.” Jaehyun said, his lips pulling into the same smile that you were growing to hate.

“Go choke on a dildo.” You spat, trying your best to get under your captor’s skin, false bravado to conceal your apprehension. Jaehyun’s smile grew bigger instead.

“Calm down. Your knight in shining armor should be coming any time now.”

Your head spinned, still trying to ground itself from the drugs that had caused you to fall unconscious in the first place. Your tongue laid dry in your mouth.

“Who are you even talking about? And how long have I been out?”

Jaehyun hummed, checking his nails as if bored of the conversation.

“I’d say about twelve hours? And the knight…” Jaehyun looked up at you.

“I'm sure you can figure that out on your own.”

Ten was the only name that came to your thoughts. More so because he was the only person that had occupied your thoughts the past week (and a day? your sense of time was clouded). Seeing Ten again before your cold dead body was thrown into a river or something of the sort seemed very appealing. Then you remembered that the said boy was also the son of a gang leader, and it clicked.

“Is it Ten? Is that what this is? I'm some type of bait for you to lure him here?”

Jaehyun laughed and began to clap.

“Congratulations! That took you a grand total of ten minutes to put together. How smart you are!”

You huffed, ignoring the condescending tone to instead evaluate the situation you were in.

Here you were in unknown location, tied up to an uncomfortable chair like a damsel in distress from a movie. The significant other of one of your best friend-slash-roomates had decided to kidnap you. For some reason Jaehyun being your captor did not surprise you. You had always gotten a strange vibe from him. At least, now you know why that was.

“Look, I get that Ten’s a bit of a bitch. But I don't understand why you couldn't just...I don't know, ask him to meet you at a Denny’s parking lot to beat his ass.”

Jaehyun shook his head as if you were a toddler trying to speak out on adult issues. “You and I both know that Ten is not the type to actually accept a childish call to duel, or whatever you're proposing.”

Before anything else could be said, a loud buzzer rang through the air. Jaehyun perked at the noise despite how grotesque it felt in your ears.

“Speak of the devil! Guess he’s here! Took rather long…”

You followed Jaehyun’s gaze towards the large metal door on the side of the room as it craned open with a sound that could compete with the buzzer at how annoying it was.

Ten emerged from the opening, two other guys flanking him as he walked in. They appeared to be younger, but from the look in their eyes you could tell they’ve seen more in life then they should have at their age.

“Jeno, you can leave. Yukhei is more than enough.”

The boy who most likely was Jeno nodded and sauntered out the room, not an ounce of hesitation in his step. The confidence and trust in the one they called Yukhei unsettled you, to say the least.

Ten looked you up and down, facial expression not falling a bit as he began to speak.

“So not only are you a double agent, you’ve also kidnapped your boyfriend’s best friend? I would say I expected more from you, but I would be lying.”

Jaehyun scoffed, “Who, Doyoung? I really couldn’t give two shits about him. The sex is good though.”

Your blood boiled as the words fell from Jaehyun’s mouth. As much as you would have liked to claw his eyes out, your hands were, quite literally, tied. Your voice however, was working just fine.

“Okay, wait. Jaehyun being an undercover dick of a boyfriend I saw coming. But you’re also saying he’s a traitor? For the wrong side, may I add...”

“That mouth of yours is gonna get you killed one day, sweetheart.” Jaehyun said, his tone sweet yet laced with malice.

Ten shot a glance towards you, his eyes telling you to shut up for once before meeting eyes with Jaehyun’s. You promptly decided to obey as you remembered that Yukhei was still very much in the room and that Ten most likely had no weapons on him.

“Jaehyun here has worked under me for he past year at Squalo Nero. I just so happened to find out today that he’s also a part of the Phoenix, a baby rival gang of hours.”

“Not so much a baby seeing how much we’ve managed to do in the past two weeks.”

“If you’re referring to Heechul, past the initial shock, that man was old and reckless anyway. And the burning down of the intel building? Haven’t your parents ever told you not to play with fire?” Ten retorted.

You observed as Yukhei’s jaw clenched by the door and Jaehyun’s nose flared, barely giving away his true emotions. As entertaining as it was to see Ten get under their skin, the reality of the situation seeped into your bones more and more as time went on.

The space behind you warmed as you felt Jaehyun step behind you and something cold was pressed against your head. A chill ran through your spine. Ten’s eyes shot open and reverted back to their previous state as he stared at you. You strained your eyes to catch a glimpse of what the cold object was, and the chill was was justified.

A gun, it was a gun.

You held your breath and squeezed your eyes shut, the only image in the back of your eyelids being your brains being blown out of your head.

Jaehyun growled, “Let’s cut to the chase. You’re gonna hand yourself over to us. Then, maybe, Y/N over here will will get back home with her skull intact.”

Ten clicked his tongue. “Fine, fine. You can let her go now.”

Your eyes shot open and your jaw dropped.

“Ten, I’m okay you-- you don’t have to--”

His eyes softened and lips pulled as he turned to look at you. The sight was so loving that if it wasn’t the possibility of your death causing tears to poke at your eyes, it would have been the surge of emotions his mien flooded through you.

It was if he was sending an unspoken promise to you.