#luhanfanfic

Mystic Part 3

When I wake, my room is dark, moonlight shining in through a small port window. An eerie silence fills the room, and my own breathing is loud in my ears. I turn over, my hands searching the mattress for the phone, my fingertips running over the smooth fabric of the duvet. After a few moments, I feel the cool metal and turn it on to see that it is two in the morning, blinking as my eyes adjust to the bright light. As much as the thought scares me, Maybe at this time in the night there are less people around, and I can make an escape, or at least try to get a sense of the building a little more.

I hesitantly climb out of the bed, my feet thudding as they hit the carpet. I try to go quickly, before I can overthink everything. Quietly making my way to the door, I press my ear to the laminate surface and listen for voices. I don’t hear anything, but I worry there could still be guards outside. I listen for a few more moments, holding my breath, and am still met with silence. Painstakingly, I grasp the chilling metal of the door handle and ever so slowly turn, cracking the door and peering out.

I can’t make out the surroundings, the hallway is much too dark, but I sense no presence of others. I guess maybe there aren’t guards after all, not yet at least. I try to think back to the day before when I was brought to my room, trying to remember the floor plan. All I remember seeing was white hallway after white hallway, all of them looked the same. A little exploring couldn’t hurt, and if I get caught, I’ll just say I was trying to find a bathroom. That’s only half of a lie, as I have no idea where the nearest bathroom is.

Holding my breath, I ever so slowly creak the door open more, until there is enough space for me to slink out. Cautiously closing it behind me, I try to make out where I am, to get a sense of direction, but due to the lack of windows, it is pitch black. I walk for a few moments, feeling my way, when I hear a hushed whisper and footsteps. My heart stops dead in my chest, and I freeze, flattening myself against the cool wall.

I can’t see them, but I hear the footsteps and voices grow closer and louder. I squeeze my eyes shut, praying to god that they don’t notice me. I should never have even left my room, why couldn’t I have just stayed still? What did I think was going to happen?

“Did you see in the messenger? Yixing is onto us, I think he knows that girl has something to do with us. I told them we should have waited longer since the last threat, I told them he was going to know this disruption had something to do with us,” A voice whispers, coming closer down the hallway.

“I know, Master is gonna be so pissed in this meeting. What if Yixing is planning something right now? He’s totally gonna wanna save that girl from us. If this fails all of our plans will have to change. The largest process is already underway, but it will take time. They already suspect us, so what stops Yixing from doing something to ruin us?” Another hushed voice utters, sounding urgent.

They think Yixing would want to save me? What has happened between Yixing and this place. What process are they talking about? That must be related to what Minseok meant when he said EXO has something they need. The mention of the meeting they’re heading to fills me with dread, as I’ve gotten the message that they may be analyzing all that I said in the chat? My breath hitches when I sense them walking directly past me, and I am terrified they will bump into me or hear my breathing, hear my heart beating a million miles a minute. I bite down on my lip in exasperation, tensing my whole body, urging myself to not make a single sound. I hear their footsteps grow louder and louder, and then thankfully more quiet as they pass me. My body relaxes, and I release my lip from between my teeth.

I try to continue to eavesdrop as they continue on farther away, inching my way along silently to follow their voices.

“They brought up Kris and Tao as well, it’s only a matter of time before the other members find out about it. I think what we need to do is let them find out, and turn them against Yixing. They’ll lose it if they found out Yixing was one of us.”

One of them? Yixing was part of Anonymous? I keep following them, desperate to hear more of the conversation, and find out where this meeting room is. If I figure that out, I could spy for information to help me get the fuck out of here. If I’m brave enough to do that...

“Yeah, but then they’d find out about Luhan. Why would they side with us then? I mean I’m down for anything that helps us get what Yixing has. If we lose that, I don’t even wanna know what would happen,” the man seems to shudder, and I can hear the fear in his hushed tone.

Just then, I feel a firm grip on my arm, and I’m  jolted to the side, my face burying into the mystery man’s chest. I let out a yelp of surprise as he covers my mouth with his hand, his firm grip locking me into place.

“Fucking idiot,” the familiar voice hisses into my ear, Tao.

“What was that? Who’s there?” One of the whispering men asks, defense clear in his tone.

“It’s just me,” Tao speaks, still keeping me locked in his grip, his voice threatening. “Shouldn’t you guys be on your way to the meeting?”

“U-uh y-yes, yes sir!” One of them splutters, and I hear their heavy footsteps scurry off.

“You don’t have a brain, do you?” Tao whispers, his lips brushing against my neck, making me wince. “You’ve been here for about twenty four hours and are already getting yourself into all sorts of trouble. Do you know what would have happened if someone else found you?”

I tremble with fear, cringing at his close proximity, his lips still trailing my neck.

“If it were someone else, they would’ve brought you to the basement,” He chuckles, his voice dark. “I’m not gonna do that this time, lucky for you. But I was coming to get you, actually.”

I struggle to escape his tight grip, but he only holds me tighter, his fingers digging into my skin, his palm pressing firmly over my mouth. I think about biting him, but decide against it, as I don’t need to get myself into even more trouble tonight.

“Someone has requested your presence, and I was coming to bring you to see him, he’s sure gonna love you,” I can hear the arrogance in his tone, I’m sure he’s smirking.

He removes his hand from over my mouth, clasping my wrists in one hand and putting the other on the small of my back, roughly leading me down the hall. Who the hell is he taking me to see? I don’t have a good feeling about it. I can’t trust anyone around me, and from what I heard those men saying, things already aren’t going the way they’ve planned. They’re not gonna be happy with me, I know that much.

“Aren’t you even gonna ask where I’m taking you? Are you really that timid?” He asks, quickening his pace slightly, causing me to stumble over my feet. The hallway is pitch black, how does he know where he was going?

I choose not to reply, remaining silent as he yanks me down the hall.

“Why do you assume the worst of us, (Y/N)? Do you really think we’re that bad?”

I laugh, rolling my eyes.  “What, do you think this place is some sort of paradise?” I ask incredulously.

“Some people do, actually.”

“Just yesterday you and Kris said this place was fu-”

His hand is slammed over my mouth, stopping me before I could even finish my sentence. He grips my neck harshly, shoving me against the wall. He moves closer, his face inches from mine, his lips against my ear.

“You. Do. Not. Speak. Of. That. Ever. You never repeat what we told you, got it?” He spits, his tone full of anger. His breath tickles my ear, and my throat closes from his tight grip. I whimper, and he lets go, dropping me to the ground. I gasp for air, shaking from the shock of his assault.

“Now come on, I’m taking you to Jongdae,” He growls, grabbing under my arm and yanking me upwards, practically dragging me the rest of the way.

By the time we reach the room, my arms ache where he had gripped me, and my throat is dry. My legs feel bruised and scraped from being dragged and thrown around previously, my head spinning. I’m not sure who Jongdae is, I haven’t heard his name mentioned yet. Just another name to remember, another one in this jumbled mess. I sure hope he’s nicer than everyone else here, but I’m not too hopeful. Tao swings a heavy door open, shoving me in on my knees, and slamming it behind me. I blink rapidly as my eyes adjust to the light, the entire way here was pitch black. The room is on the smaller side, and still all white. The tile is white and glossy, cold as I sit on my hands and knees. The walls are shiny and white, almost looking plastic. In the center of the room stands a large white desk, with a striking man sitting behind it. His face is heavenly, looking as to have been carved out by God himself. High cheekbones paired with pearlescent white skin. Soft, curved lips, and angled eyes. His hair is effortlessly swept over his forehead, parted in the middle. He’s adorned in a white suit, just as everyone else here is.

His demeanor is hard to read as his eyes burn into me, watching me expectantly as I gape at him from my spot on the floor. We sit in silence for a moment, before he finally speaks.

“Have a seat in front of my desk, please.” He says, his rich, velvety voice coating the silence.

I shakily stand to my feet, eyeing him cautiously as I take a seat in the plastic chair positioned before him.

He continues to stare at me, and I detect a hint of humor in his gaze.

“You look so nervous, (Y/N), have you done something regrettable already?” He questions, his eyes glinting.

I stay silent, avoiding his menacing eye contact.

“Well, I’m Jongdae. I’m here to tell you to stop fucking around.” He says curtly, his expression stiff. “This is no joke, I can’t get into it, but if you don’t do everything exactly right, really bad things will happen. It won’t just affect you, you’ll be fucked, but so will everyone else here. That means no more subtly hinting at things, no more sneaking out of your room, no more shit, okay?”

I gulp, twisting my hands in my lap. I’ve only been here for about a day and I’m already in trouble. Images of my parents being affected by these crazy people flash in my mind, and I wince at the horrible thoughts.

“You are never to say such vague things to Yixing and the others ever again. Now get out of my office” He breathes, gesturing for me to leave. I furrow my eyes in confusion, was that really all he had to say to me?

“Okay?” I retort, warily glancing towards the door.

“That’s all I had to say, you can leave now. Tao should be waiting out there for you,” He continues, still wearing a nonchalant expression, eyeing me lazily.

I stand from my chair shakily, feeling a little shaken up and confused over tonight’s events. I cross the room, my ears ringing in the silence throughout the room. Feeling paranoid, I look over my shoulder to see Jongdae still staring at me intently. Avoiding eye contact, I turn my attention towards the door again, grabbing for the handle.

“(Y/N), by the way,” he says just as I began to turn the handle. I freeze, closing my eyes in exasperation and gulping as I hesitantly turned back to face him.

“Stop thinking Yixing will save you, even if he finds out, he isn’t going to do anything. He can’t even if he wanted to”

And with that, I forcefully pull the door open and walk out of the room, the pressure of his knowing words seeping into my veins, clouding my brain, and causing chills to spread across my skin.

After the awkwardly silent walk back to my room with Tao, I lay on the soft bed, gazing at the ceiling in the dark. There is a slight silver cast from the moon through the window, heavenly illuminating the room. A million thoughts swirl through my mind, as I let the silence wash over me and relieve me from the overload of emotions that have built up over the past twenty four hours.

I get lost in my thoughts, thinking of my family, my friends, my job, the things I have left behind. What I will become? And how long I will be here? I try to think of ways to manipulate the system, to get myself out of this situation and get back to my life. Each idea seems more far fetched as the last. To my frustration, I can’t seem to concoct a solid plan. I don’t even know where the hell I am in the first place.

My eyes move to the window. It’s small, I’m not sure I could even fit through it if I tried. It doesn’t  seem to open either, just a small porthole. I could possibly break it, but I’m not sure how far I’d even make it. For now I have to sit still, and try to wrap my mind around everything.

I then hear a ding, breaking me from my daze. I turn over to reach for the phone, the screen lit up. I hold it to my face, blinking rapidly as my eyes adjust to the sudden brightness. Once my vision clears, I read the notification, saying there’s a chatroom open. It’s four in the morning, but I decide to enter, as I surely am not falling asleep anytime soon.

(Y/N) has entered the chat

Jongin: The new member is here!

Junmyeon: Welcome, (Y/N).

Yixing: Welcome, what brings you here this late at night?

(Y/N): I couldn’t sleep I guess, just have a lot on my mind.

Junmyeon: I would imagine so, you must be thinking about EXO a lot as you are a newfound member.

Yixing: Yes, a lot to adjust to.

(Y/N): Yeah, my mind is just a little all over the place I guess. But everyone here seems nice.

Yixing: Yes, we want to be welcoming to our new member.

Jongin: Why do you guys talk like robots to (Y/N)? Stop being so formal lol.

Junmyeon: This is an organization after all, we’re just being professional.

Jongin: Yeah but it’s just weird, you guys are always so rigid all the time these days.

(Y/N): I think maybe it’s just awkward because I came so suddenly.

Yixing: It’s just that as the leaders Junmyeon and I have to deal with a lot so we remain more professional I guess.

Jongin: How professional do you have to be? This is just a charity organization.

Yixing: Maybe I’m just a pure soul who takes my charity very seriously.

Jongin: -_-

Junmyeon: How would you prefer us to talk, Jongin?

Jongin: Umm idk maybe not such punctual grammar? Not talking like eighty year old english men? Using some abbreviations from time to time?

Junmyeon: To be honest I’m not that fond of texting in the first place.

Jongin: Maybe don’t use words like fond? Just a suggestion lol.

Yixing: Junmyeon just has some advanced vocabulary, that’s all.

Jongin: You guys are just weird lately. Why can’t you be like you used to? You never used to be so stiff and secretive.

(Y/N): Maybe they’re dealing with things personally?

Jongin: That could be true, are you guys depressed now or something? lol.

Yixing: I think we’re the same as we’ve always been.

Jongin: Are you kidding???????? God I wish others were here to back me up on this one...

Junmyeon: You guys are cray.

Jongin: Oh god please don’t.

Junmyeon: Don’t what?

Jongin: Cray? I’m cringing so much, you really sound like my dad or something right now.

Junmyeon: I’m only trying to use the slang.

Jongin: I can’t listen to this.

(Y/N): Sorry but I agree with Jongin on this one lol.

Jongin: See?

Yixing: I have to agree Junmyeon that was pretty bad.

Junmyeon: Now you guys are just attacking me. I am leaving.

Junmyeon has left the chat

Jongin: So sensitive….. Maybe he is depressed.

Yixing: I don’t think you have to worry about that.

(Y/N): This is entertaining me.

Jongin: You’re right lol this must be funny for you.

Yixing: This messenger can get interesting at times I guess.

Sehun has entered the chat

Jongin: Sehun!

Sehun: Oh, Yixing is here.

Yixing: I see you’re still upset with me.

Sehun: Don’t act like that.

(Y/N): I feel like I’m watching a personal dispute.

Jongin: Don’t mind Sehun, he’s sober right now so he’s gonna be salty as usual.

Sehun: Why do you always call me that? I think I have every right to be salty. And this new member, you guys are stupid to trust her.

(Y/N): Sorry?

Jongin: Sehun stop it oh my god.

Sehun: (Y/N), I’m gonna say this once and one time only. I have no interest in talking with you nor do I trust you, but if you know anything about someone named Luhan, please reach out to me.

Yixing: Sehun, that’s enough.

Sehun: You’re so fucking frustrating. Why shouldn’t we talk about it? What the hell are you hiding?

Yixing: I’m not hiding anything, we’re all in the same boat with this. I’m getting a call though, I have to go. It was nice talking to you, (Y/N).

(Y/N): Yes, you too Yixing. Talk to you later.

Yixing has left the chat

Sehun: He is so infuriating.

Jongin: He honestly kind of is. Why don’t we get to know everything that goes on? I don’t think it’s fair. We’re all adults -_-

Sehun: (Y/N), remember what I said about Luhan. Do you know anything? Have you ever heard that name?

Jongin: Sehun are you kidding me? Leave her alone.

Sehun: Don’t you think this is suspicious? We all know Yixing knows something more about what happened to him. Then she randomly joins, and Yixing is the one to tell us to trust her and that it’s all fine. It’s fishy as fuck.

Jongin: I think he just wants to be nice to our new member.

(Y/N): I’m sorry for the confusion, I promise I have no ill intents. I don’t even know what’s happening to be honest.

Sehun: See? That’s my point. She doesn’t know what this group is, she doesn’t know why or how she got here. The logical conclusion would be to kick her from the chat and have her delete the app. Why is it that Yixing is just having her stay? Why is she staying with no questions asked?

Jongin: Sehun, you’re looking too much into it.

(Y/N): I completely understand why that would seem suspicious, but I promise nothing is going on.

Sehun: Then why are you staying? Enlighten me.

(Y/N): Yixing told me they were looking for a new member anyways, so I decided to see how it is.

Sehun: Bullshit. Absolute bullshit.

Jongin: (Y/N) I’m sorry about him, he’s still really vulnerable after what happened with Luhan.

(Y/N): If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?

Jongin: Um…. long story short, we had three members leave the group. Tao and Kris left, but they gave goodbyes. Luhan, we simply never heard from again. He was in the group long before Tao and Kris, and we were all very close with him, especially Sehun.

Sehun: I’m leaving.

Sehun has left the chat

Jongin: He’s still really upset about it, we all are. I just don’t understand why he’d never say goodbye, and why we can’t contact him at all anymore. Junmyeon and Yixing refuse to talk about it. It’s so frustrating. It’s not only that either, I’m confused over Tao and Kris as well. It was all so sudden, and Junmyeon and Yixing haven’t been the same since that happened.

(Y/N): So you think they’re hiding something?

Jongin: Yes, definitely. At the same time I know they wouldn’t hurt us purposely, so maybe they’re hiding whatever it is for a good reason.

(Y/N): That could be the truth. Sometimes when dealing with dangerous things, it’s better to keep the truth and protect those you love.

Jongin: You sound like you’re talking from experience.

(Y/N): I guess so, yes.

Jongin: I hope we can become closer. I have to go now, though, you should get some sleep as well. You don’t wanna mess up your sleeping schedule.

(Y/N): It’s already messed up lol but yeah you’re right.

Jongin: I’ll talk to you tomorrow, goodnight.

Capítulo 6.

En la nave nodriza, Hancock despertó en una cámara estéril, estaba rodeada de paneles brillantes y máquinas que zumbaban con energía.

Los extraterrestres, la observaban desde una plataforma elevada. Al notar la consciencia de esta, se apresuraron a comunicarse.

Uno de ellos, ocultando su rostro bajo una especie de máscara se presenta como Xyra, utilizando un aparato para realizar las respectivas traducciones de lenguaje se permite intercambiar diálogos con la mujer humana a la cual retuvieron por segunda vez.

Ella notando para sí misma que no consigue hablar, su garganta demasiado seca. Había perdido la noción del tiempo y ya no sabía si habían pasado días o semanas desde su secuestro.

El ser explica en un tono frío que están interesados en el linaje de Luffy, a quienes llamaban "Portador del Sol y de la Alegría", cuya voluntad ha alterado el destino del mundo.

Hancock sintió un estremecimiento desde lo más profundo de su ser, al no conseguir observar el paradero de Belle, su hija. Pero fue más su temor al darse cuenta de que su bebe ya no estaba dentro de ella.

Entre gruñidos y una ira tal que sorprendió a los sujetos que la observaban temiendo que pudiera liberarse. Hancock despertó un ansia de venganza que no había sentido nunca, ni siquiera en sus años más rebeldes luego de haber sido liberada de la esclavitud.

Intentando concentrarse en lo que decía el sujeto, Hancock empezaba a desesperarse, pero por más que intentaba zafarse no lo conseguía, estaba débil.

Según lo que entendió del extraterrestre, eran una raza de otro planeta se hacían llamar zorathianos del país Zorothos, le explicaron con una frialdad aterradora que analizaron a su hija y descubrieron que la mezcla de los genes de entre Luffy y ella produce seres con un potencial único: fuerza física, Haki innato, y una resistencia casi sobrenatural. Solamente querían probar esa teoría, pero habían descubierto más de lo que esperaban, por lo que fue necesario volver a traerla consigo, sobre todo cuando se percataron de su nuevo embarazo.

Sin embargo, los zorathianos, obsesionados con su propio ideal de perfección, desecharon a Bella, no sin antes extraer suficientes muestras de ADN de la pequeña, porque buscan un varón humano para liderar un ejército de híbridos, ya que no pudieron someter a Luffy, sería más fácil con un niño de su propia decendencia criado por ellos.

Al saber que Hancock se encontraba nuevamente embarazada (un varón, según sus escáneres), planearon extraer al bebé y criarlo como un arma para conquistar galaxias, aprovechando el poder latente del linaje de ambos padres.

—¡Dejen a mi hija entonces, ella no tiene nada que ver en esto! — gruñó, sus palabras roncas envueltas en la tos que se siguió por el esfuerzo de soltarlas—¡Es solo una niña! Ni siquiera sé si Luffy es su padre...—Esa última frase se desbordó de sus labios mientras sentía sus ojos arder por las lágrimas.

Odiaba tener que volver a sentirse vulnerable, humillada y herida emocionalmente. Imágenes de sus demonios pasados volvieron a atormentarla como si de un deja vu se tratara.

El extraterrestre la observaba en silencio sin comprender del todo las emociones humanas, las cuales parecían ser más un estorbo a sus ojos.

—No lo recuerdas porque así lo quisimos, pero en efecto ambos son hijos del mismo progenitor—confesó, un acto de mínima compasión hacia la humana.

Ella abre los ojos con sorpresa, ante tal revelación, después de todo sus instintos eran ciertos, Belle siempre fue hija de Luffy. Ahora todo tenía sentido.

—¿Dónde están mis hijos? —reclamó, su expresión paso de tortuosa a decidida en cuestión de segundos. Su voluntad se fortalecía, debía ser fuerte por sus hijos.

El extraterrestre corta la comunicación, al percibir la amenaza latente en la mujer humana.

En efecto, Hancock recobra sus fuerzas, un atisbo de su linaje Amazona. A pesar de tener una herida en su vientre bajo, que a duras penas se interesaron en suturar, ella consiguió liberarse de sus ataduras.

Sin embargo, ellos no la dejarían escapar tan fácilmente, un campo de energía se activó, conteniéndola, haciéndola caer al suelo, mientras siente los efectos de un dispositivo que intenta suprimir sus recuerdos nuevamente, sin embargo, Hancock se resiste a volver a sufrir aquello, activa su haki de conquistador el cual se expande como una onda que arrasa todo a su paso.

Los seres no pueden resistir y caen al suelo perdiendo la consciencia.  Hancock utilizando todas sus fuerzas se mueve por el lugar, la debilidad de su cuerpo la hace tambalear y perder fácilmente el equilibrio, pero el amor por sus hijos le impide rendirse. Aquello parecía una pesadilla y deseaba que así fuera. que pronto se despertara y a su lado estuviera su amado Luffy, su vida perfecta, al lado de sus pequeños hijos. 

La exemperatriz pirata avanzo dentro de la nave, algunas puertas le impidieron el paso, estaban reforzadas por cristales que ella nunca había visto en su vida. En general todo parecía tan extraño, pero eso quedo en segundo plano cuando escucho ruidos que procedían de otra zona de la nave. Hancock sabía que debía actuar rápido, no sabía qué clase de cosas le estarían haciendo a sus hijos, y nunca podría perdonarse no haber podido protegerlos.

Entonces se encontró con uno de los seres que, hacia su patrullaje matutino, el ser se quedó inmóvil al verla y antes de que esta se moviera para atacar alzo sus brazos en señal de rendición, gesto que no consiguió que la mujer humana cambiara de expresión defensiva.

El ser parecía aterrorizado frente a Hancock, claramente temía por su vida. Hancock reconoció rasgos distintos a los otros que había visto y dedujo que se trataba de una hembra de aquella extraña especie. 

Ella la tomó por su delgado cuello de piel oscura, apretando.

—¡¡Llévame con mis hijos ahora!! Y si les han hecho algo, sufrirán las consecuencias todos ustedes, sean quienes sean— gruño intentando controlar su ira, ignorando su herida. No podría perdonar tan fácilmente a aquellos seres.

La extraterrestre la llevo hasta la cámara donde se encontraba Belle, la niña estaba dormida al parecer, reposaba en un aparato similar al que Hancock había estado. 

Hancock la tomo en sus brazos aun preocupada por su estado. 

—Tranquila cariño, todo estará bien. Pronto iremos con papá—la abrazó sintiendo un poco más de alivio. Aunque aquellas palabras también eran para sí mismas. 

—¿Mamá?— susurró Belle, mientras una lagrima se escurría de su ojo derecho. Se sentía tan bien en los cálidos brazos de su madre, siempre supo que  vendría por ella. 

El ser veía la escena algo contrariada, en los múltiples estudios que habían realizado sobre los humanos, predominaba en muchas ocasiones la crueldad, el individualismo y sus ambiciones, era por eso que siempre sucumbían a las guerras y en muchos casos parecían buscar su propia extinción. pero frente a ella no veía esos seres que le habían hablado toda su vida, solo veía a una madre intentando proteger a sus hijos a cualquier precio. Los zorathianos no compartían los mismos sentimientos que los humanos, pero había algo que, si comprendía de las emociones humanas y era el instinto de supervivencia y protección de los tuyos, era algo que ella si podía entender. Pues, aunque no sabía muy bien que hacer, aquellos gestos humanos llamaron su atención. Ella no podría seguir siendo parte de aquello, quería ayudar a estos seres humanos, aunque le costara su vida. 

Hizo un intento por comunicarse con la pequeña, pues había escuchado que en los experimentos que le habían realizado, se veía un notable crecimiento en su cerebro en zonas relacionadas con el lenguaje de los zorathianos. La pequeña había estado aprendiendo de manera acelerada a comunicarse con ellos sin necesidad de aparatos traductores. Aquello hizo que no la desecharan como inicialmente se había previsto, sino que siguieran experimentando con ella. 

El ser le hablo de forma psíquica a Belle, y esta respondió mirando hacia él.

—"Soy Terapi, puedo ayudarles a volver a su planeta. Dile a tu madre que confíe en mí". 

—¿De verdad lo harás?—Belle se froto los ojos con somnolencia, pero una sonrisa se formó en su rostro—. Papá te lo agradecerá mucho!!—sus palabras llamaron la atención de Hancock.

—¿Estás hablando con eso?— Hancock se dirigía a su hija, pero su vista iba directa al ser con clara desconfianza—Cuidado con lo que haces—le amenazo.

—Se llama Terapi y es buena, nos quiere ayudar mamá!

—¿Como es qué?—pregunto la exemperatriz, pero no pudo terminar la frase, pues al parecer habían encendido la alarma en toda la nave lo cual ajustaba la seguridad. 

—"Debemos irnos ya".— le dijo Terapi a Belle y esta le transmitía el mensaje a Hancock.—"Intentare sabotear el viaje e ir de regreso a su planeta, si no nos volvemos a ver ofrezco mis disculpas en nombre de mi especie, hare lo que pueda por remediarlo, algunos de nosotros valoramos las otras formas de vida, ustedes solo se vieron envueltos en un conflicto que no les corresponde, por favor escóndanse hasta que sea seguro"—dicho aquello se marchó, no sin antes revelar el paradero del bebé. 

Hancock tomo a Belle y busco un lugar donde esconderse, revisando que no hubiera cámaras. aquello fue una tarea difícil pues su herida cada vez le pasaba más factura. Así que en vez de esconderse decidió a ir en busca de su bebé. Deseaba que aquella extraterrestre no la hubiera engañado y puesto una trampa. Literalmente aquello era su única salvación. 

La nave empezó a moverse de manera estrepitosa, haciendo que Hancock perdiera equilibrio en varias ocasiones, sin embargo, su voluntad de rescatar a sus hijos y salir todos con vida de allí  era mucho más grande, lucharía si tuviera que hacerlo, aun si tuviera que entregar su vida, lo haría sin dudar. Dada la emergencia, intentando seguir el camino que le dijo Terapi, el cual la llevaría hacia donde encontraba el bebé.

 Hancock pudo llegar hasta la entrada de una sala, desde el exterior se podía notar distinta a las demás habitaciones, esta contenía una puerta con seguridad que le hacía saber que no podría entrar sin ser forzada. Hancock miró a través de la estructura trasparente que la protegía, pudo observar a lo lejos a un bebé humano encerrado en una capsula, nadando en un líquido extraño. Hancock supo de inmediato que se trataba de su hijo, el cual no dejaron que terminara de formarse en su interior. 

Verlo en aquella capsula le produjo un gran sentimiento de ira y desesperación, así que apartando a belle para que no saliera lastimada, uso toda su fuerza para destruir la puerta de entrada. De inmediato las alarmas se encendieron y la tecnología de seguridad corto la iluminación de la zona, aquello no impidió que siguiera adelante, pronto aparecieron más seres, esta vez venían armados, las armas eran totalmente distintas a las que Hancock había visto alguna vez.  Buscaban volver a someterla o dejar inconsciente a ambas, sin embargo, no disparaban.

—Dicen que si disparan pueden afectar al feto, madre—explico Belle, frunciendo sus cejas. 

—Ya veo, quédate detrás de mí—respondió Hancock dirigiendo a la niña detrás de ella. 

Hancock no tenía muchas opciones, solo defenderse, pero le preocupaba que al atacar ellos amenazaran a su hijo. No podía confiarse. También le preocupaba que si bien, ella podía deshacerse de ellos, aun en su estado, no sabría cómo sacar a su hijo de aquella capsula sin afectarlo. Para su frustración, no sabía qué tipo de experimentos estaban haciendo con él y aquello la aterraba.  

En medio del caos, decidió que primero acabaría con aquellos seres inmundos, había aprendido a odiar a los hombres, pero estos seres no eran muy diferentes a ellos en sus acciones. Luego de acabar con ellos, luego decidiría que hacer. Debía hacerlo rápido, su mente trabajaba a toda velocidad, pero ella tenía desventaja pues estaba herida y debía proteger a sus hijos, y ellos eran muchos más. 

Pero cuando había empezado la batalla, para sorpresa de todos, la nave recibió un fuerte golpe en otra zona, lo que alertó a algunos de los extraterrestres a dejar a Hancock y enfocarse en lo siguiente que había golpeado la nave. Para la aún más sorpresa de Hancock y su hija, escuchó su nombre y el nombre de Belle ser gritado a los cuatro vientos, la voz claramente reconocible por ellas, era Luffy!!!

—PAPÁÁÁÁÁÁ!  AQUI ESTAMOSSS!—gritó  Belle a todo pulmón, respondiendo a los gritos de Luffy. 

—Cariño!!—expreso la exemperatriz sintiendo sus ojos picar, a la vez que el dolor en su vientre se intensificaba, lo que hizo que perdiera el equilibrio, pero con el alivio de que su amado los salvaría. 

Lo siguiente fue notar como toda la nave se convertía en goma y una parte de ella se rompía en dos pedazos en las gigantes manos de su amado, que la tomaba como si de un juguete se tratase. Hancock pudo observar el gran ojo dorado de Luffy como estrellas brillantes, observando con entusiasmo, desde un pacillo de la nave hasta donde ellos se encontraban, a pesar de que daba algo de terror el ojo gigante, sintió algo de ternura al ver la reacción de Luffy al conocer la nave extraterrestre, aunque aquella sensación fue efímera, ella se encontraba muy mal, pero al menos ya estaban a salvo.

 Aun no sabía cómo era posible que Luffy las hubiese encontrado, y como si su hija pudiese leerle la mente le dio la respuesta a esa pregunta, la niña había salido muy inteligente después de todo, y al parecer haber vivido esta experiencia la había hecho madurar mucho más de lo que sería a su edad. 

—Mami, fue Terapi, estoy segura de que cumplió su promesa, seguro estamos en la tierra, y nos llevó hasta papá—dijo Belle con felicidad y entusiasmo.

—Si debe ser eso—concluyó Hancock tomando a belle en sus brazos, los seres disparaban sin parar a Luffy pero sus armas no funcionaban ante su despertar.  

Mientras tanto, madre e hija intentaban rescatar al bebe, sin éxito aun, pues no entendían como funcionaban aquellas maquinas.  cuanto Hancock ya empezaba a hartarse y considerar la idea de romperlo todo apareció la ser que las había ayudado, Terapi. 

—Si haces eso, morirá irremediablemente, déjenmelo a mí. —dijo ella, siendo traducida por Belle. Hancock se apartó para dejarle hacer. aun sin comprender del todo por qué las ayudaba. 

La zorothiana estaba gravemente herida, posiblemente por sus mismos compatriotas, al resultar ser una traidora. y por todo eso Hancock se sintió sumamente agradecida por su ayuda, pues sin ella no habría sido posible seguir con vida y mucho menos rescatar a sus hijos.  

Terapi empezó a teclear cosas que Hancock no entendía y mucho menos Belle, pero aquello consiguió que la maquina donde se encontraba el bebé drenara el líquido, pudiendo entonces sacarlo con mucho cuidado. 

Hancock lo tomo en sus brazos, era tan pequeño y delicado, y le parecía el bebe mas hermoso que había visto en su vida, a pesar de la situación, lo abrazo, pero su corazón dio un vuelco al darse cuenta de que el bebe parecía estar ahogándose. No lloraba. 

—Rápido, deben apresurarse en llevarlo con un médico de su especie, sino el niño no sobrevivirá. —Empujo a la exemperatriz y su hija para que se dieran prisa y añadió —De hecho, calculo que las posibilidades de que sobreviva son de 0.0000001%, lo siento—,Hancock quedo en shock ante lo que acababa de oír, pero la adrenalina la obligo a moverse rápidamente. 

—No, no, no ,no ,no, eres mi hijo, mi pequeño guerrero, sobrevivirás a esto, lo sé—murmuraba dirigiéndose al bebé. Siguieron corriendo y entonces apareció Luffy  y Hancock se apresuró a abrazarlo y pasarle el bebé. Terapi los miro con incomodidad. Luffy la iba a golpear al entender entre palabras no dichas lo que sucedía,  pero Hancock lo impidió. 

—No quiero que vuelvan nunca más a molestarnos o entonces me conocerán realmente. Díselos—amenazo Luffy con furia. 

—Yo siento lo que hemos hecho, ustedes, no merecían esto, sin duda entiendo lo que es ser humano. Aprenderemos de ustedes. No volveremos a molestarlos—dijo la zorothiana aunque sus palabras solo fueron entendidas por la niña Belle, la cual le devolvió la mirada, pero siguió corriendo junto a sus padres, pues el brazo de Luffy la rodeo. —Aunque no me recuerdes, me alegro de que me hayas respetado, aquella vez. 

La nave una vez Luffy salvo a su familia, realizo un viaje de regreso de emergencia, aunque las posibilidades de lograr llegar a su planeta eran pocas, debían hacerlo.  una gran parte de la nave quedo destruida, pero consiguieron huir sin dejar rastro. 

...............

Por suerte, el medico de confianza de los sombreros de paja, Chopper, se había mudado con ellos unos días antes para estar pendiente de Hancock en sus últimas semanas de embarazo. Así que cuando Luffy apareció en su puerta con Hancock gravemente herida, y un bebé prematuro, con la piel casi morada, tuvo que ser más rápido de lo normal para atenderlo. 

La situación era increíble para el renito, puesto que Luffy tampoco tenía toda la información de lo que había sucedido. Solo comento que había estado buscando a Hancock y Belle ya que no aparecían por ningún lado y luego apareció la nave super tecnológica y alguien le dijo que allí estaban Hancock y su hija y que estaban en peligro, así que solo actuó en sacarlas cuanto antes. Belle fue quien contó a duras penas lo que ella entendía de aquella experiencia. Mientras tanto, Hancock había perdido la consciencia poco después de que Luffy la tomara en brazos, pues había perdido demasiada sangre y ni hablar del bebé. Claramente para el medico él bebé no había terminado de desarrollar sus pulmoncitos, así que no podía respirar por si mismo, si hubiesen tardado más, seguro habría muerto, aun así, chopper no podía asegurar que sobreviviera. 

............

 Hancock despertó en la habitación, había estado durmiendo durante tres días consecutivos, escuchaba a lo lejos las voces de sus hermanas, se le hizo extraño escucharlas, que hacían ellas allí, en ese momento recordó aquella pesadilla que había tenido y sus ojos se llenaron de lágrimas, pronto se las secó e intento incorporarse, en ese momento entra Chopper, su versión humana, y observa alarmado que Hancock ya pretendía caminar. 

 —Señora Hancock, no se levante por favor, aún debe descansar—le dijo Chopper a la vez que la devolvía a su lugar. 

—Qué es esto? ¿qué paso? —pregunto confundida, a la vez que se quejaba de dolor.

Entonces sus hermanas entraron a la habitación, sus rostros apagados. Hancock podía sentir que algo estaba mal, pero al parecer nadie quería responder su pregunta. 

—Tranquila, señora Hancock, usted se está recuperando bien, Belle está bien, ahora mismo está dormida, y Luffy salió a caminar —dijo Chopper intentando calmarla lamentando que Luffy no estuviera en ese momento. 

—Yo estaba embarazada... ¿Y mi bebé donde esta? —miro a sus hermanas, sus ojos reflejaban un profundo temor.

Chopper y las hermanas de Hancock se miraron entre sí. El reno dio un paso atrás dándoles espacio a las hermanas Boa para que se acercaran a Hancock. 

—Lo siento hermana, el bebé no...- Sonia no pudo continuar la frase pues su voz se quebró—.Lo siento de verdad. 

Entonces Hancock comprendido que aquella pesadilla si había ocurrido en la realidad, y aquello fue el dolor más grande que tuvo que soportar en su vida. 

........

Luffy se había ilusionado con ser padre nuevamente, se había acostumbrado a la paz de la vida después de tantas guerras, se sentía en calma disfrutando y compartiendo su vida con Hancock, todo había sido perfecto, ella sin duda se convirtió en la mujer adecuada para él. Pensó que ser fuerte bastaba para no volver a perder a nadie, que enfrentarse a todos los que se interpusieran bastaría, pero no. La vida le volvía a dar una gran bofetada. Le pesaba no haber podido proteger a su familia, se sentía miserable, ¿de qué le servía entonces ser el rey de los piratas y ser el más libre del mundo, si aquello hiciera condenar a su familia? Se sentía culpable del dolor que experimentaría Hancock cuando se enterara de la verdad. En lo profundo de su ser temía enfrentarla, porque el rompió su promesa de protegerla y a sus hijos. 

Se cuestionaba si había tomado una buena decisión al casarse con ella. Quizá la libertad también conllevaba cargar el peso de la soledad. Las dudas de si su amor podría afrontar aquella perdida. Era demasiado, incluso para él. Un pequeño al que se le negó vivir, y el no hizo nada, no pudo hacer nada.  

Chopper le había dicho toda la verdad; El bebé no podía salvarse y Hancock no podría volver a tener más hijos en un futuro, la destruyeron. Entonces se propuso algo: los buscaría, hasta los confines del universo si fuese necesario, iría hasta aquel planeta, cueste lo que cueste y derrotaría a aquellos que los trataron como si de unos viles experimentos se tratasen, aquello no podía quedarse así. Y aunque en ese momento no tenía ni idea de cómo hacerlo, estaba seguro de que lo haría. Aquello le dio un nuevo propósito, al cual se aferraría. 

Una vez más, debería derrotar aquellos que se meten con los suyos. 

............

—Luffy... no es tu culpa, ni mía. Pero afrontaremos esto juntos. Juntos podremos con todo—Hancock envolvió a su esposo en sus brazos, ya era todo un hombre, pero con ella nunca había dejado de ser un niño, lo había llegado a conocer tan bien, que sabía que estaba tomando toda la responsabilidad el solo, ella no podía permitir eso. Sí, perdieron a su hijo, y llorarán por él todo lo necesario, pero también seguirán adelante, siempre juntos. —Si, destruiremos a todos los que nos han hecho daño. 

Luffy alzó su mirada a la de ella, sintiendo como la llama en su interior volvía a arder, como los tambores rezumbaban una vez más, y nadie lo podría detener. 

Lista de capitulos

Chapter Sixteen:

Lynn sighed as she stared at the large piece of paper on her drafting table, but the ideas did not come. Her eyes focused on the window of her apartment, looking out at the other buildings on Seoul’s skyline thoughtfully as she chewed on her lip. These sketches had to be perfect and they were due in the morning.

How she had let them sit so long was beyond her.

Lynn had kicked both Camilla and Jae out for the afternoon, needing the peace of quiet to work effectively. That had been hours ago and now the evening was dawning without any kind of progress on her part. She needed something to present. In less than fourteen hours her boss would look over her design plans and then either give them the green light or pull the plug and bring in somebody else that he trusted. She could feel the stress ripping away at her, chewing into her heart as her anxiety got out of control.

Lynn stood, sweeping her long hair into a bun on the top of her head and then making her way to the bathroom. She looked at herself long and hard in the mirror, gazing at the purpling bags under her honey-brown eyes like they would disappear if she stared hard enough. Her complexion was awful; her skin always managed to look sun kissed, but somehow it looked pale and sullen that night.  

She took in a deep breath and then opened her medicine cabinet, seeing the bright orange bottle immediately and picking it up into her hand. She popped the lid off and spilled two pills into her slender hand, hesitating as she stared down at them. Lynn frowned sadly, her eyes welling with tears as she realised she would be breaking six months without the need of assistance for her anxiety. She shook her head and put the pills back, shutting the cabinet and taking a deep breath.

“I can sort through this,” she told herself with a nod as she flipped off the light and exited the bathroom.

In truth, saying those words didn’t stop her stomach from feeling like someone had punched a hole in it. There was a gnawing emptiness inside her, aggravated by how unsettled she felt and getting bigger. Lynn paced, focusing on getting some of her emotions under control.

She pinched her cheeks, trying to bring some colour back to her tanned skin just as her apartment doorbell rang. She pouted as she walked to the door, looking through the peephole. Her heart set off when she saw his brown eyes staring back at her, as if he knew she would check to see who was there before she actually let him in.

She rubbed her forehead as she unlocked the door and then opened it, gazing at him shyly. “I’m kind of busy, Luhan.”

“I know,” he said as he pressed two bags into her hands and then let himself inside. “Jae called and said you were trying to finish up some work but she said you weren’t getting anything done.”

It took Lynn a second to riddle out what he had said, but she was pretty sure she got the gist of it. She pressed her lips together, wracking her brain but ultimately couldn’t think of how to say it in Mandarin, so she spoke Cantonese to him in a defeated tone as she walked the bags to the kitchen. He put his hand on her shoulder, gently turning her as he smiled at her.

“In a language I understand...”

“I’m not getting any work done and she knows it,” Lynn said in English as she pushed her bangs out of her face and looked at him with a pout, “so she sends you as if you don’t distract me.”

“She actually asked Yixing to come but I told him not to worry about it,” Luhan said, his smiling turning more into a mischievous grin.

Lynn huffed and then lightly smacked his upper arm. “These drafts are due by ten am, sharp.”

“Yeah? You’ll get them done, don’t worry,” Luhan said as he began to remove the takeout from the bag.

He walked to her cupboards, getting plates out from inside. Lynn knew that he brought her food so often that he must be paying for her to eat dinner at least three times a week; she did not approve She grabbed her purse and began to fish some money out, but he just shook his head at her.

“Jae told me duck was your favourite so I brought duck,” he said as he took the lids off the containers and showed her the food. “Let’s eat and then I’ll help you get work done.”

Lynn smiled at the gesture, her lips curling subtlety. He was trying and that was sweet of him but she just didn’t know how much help he would be. This was something she had to pull from her own head. It wasn’t even that tricky, she knew what the suits looked like in her mind but not the concert wear or the throwback fashion Cam had suggested.

As if he read her mind, he took her hand and laced his fingers with her own. “If anyone is going to be able to help you with this, it’s me.”

“How humble of you,” she said sarcastically but his words brought a smile to her face.

Her heart was no better than before he had arrived; it beat just as erratically in her chest, leaving her feeling unsettled and a little nauseous. It was just that her anxiety had shifted from her work to him. Being alone with Luhan in her apartment where there was a bed and certain events could happen on that bed set off all kinds of red alarms. She didn’t think he would try anything knowing she had so much work to do, but then again, she didn’t know him as well as she would like to think she did.

He suddenly pushed a plate with food onto it into her hands and pushed her towards the living room, sitting her down on the couch and then taking a seat next to her. He shrugged off his jacket, laying it over the back of the couch and she caught herself staring at the bangles and rings he wore. Lynn had a sneaking suspicion that Cam had spilled something about her tastes to one of the guys and they had said too much.

She swallowed hard, worrying too much about his intentions. She knew it was her anxiety, but her mind told her he was up to no good. Lynn viciously pushed those thoughts aside and focused on just eating some of the food on her plate.

“What are you stuck on?” he asked her curiously as he watched her pick up a piece of duck and put it into her mouth, biting her chopsticks in thought before she began to chew.

“Everything,” she said simply after she swallowed her food. “It’s just the second outfit designs I need for you guys that I am stuck on. I don’t really like eighty’s street fashion…”

“That’s it?” Luhan asked her with widened eyes as he chuckled. “I thought you were having a crisis. Can I wear purple?”

Lynn frowned and elbowed him lightly in the side. She was having a crisis. She never had trouble reaching for her creativity before, but now it was nowhere to be found. It was infuriating and her first instinct was to blame it on him but she didn’t know why.

“Only if I Cam can put your hair in a little pony tail,” Lynn said as she stuck the tip of her tongue out at him.

“Whatever, she can do it in two if she wants,” he said with a shrug as he leaned back and ate more food. He looked up at her out of the corner of his eye and saw she was stalling, so he nudged her and then gestured to her food. “Eat. You need to get to work.”

She nodded and quickly ate her food, knowing he was right. Lynn was fully aware that she could talk about the concept all she wanted but she needed to actually get some sketches done. When she was finished she went back to her drafting table and turned on the lamp light, biting her lip as her eyes gazed at the intimidating draft paper. Luhan pulled up a chair next to her and rested his hand on the small of her back, his eyes glancing at her empty paper.

“We should all have sweaters or jackets tied around our waists,” he suggested as he watched her sketch out a group of twelve figures.

Her drawings were precise to the point where she had the members of Exo drawn in a line according to their height. She noted that three would be wearing their jackets and the rest would have them on their waist. Lynn chewed on her lip as she began to draw out some hats; a couple snapbacks, a beanie, and some hideous bucket-hats that she wanted to stab repeatedly. She also noted that the members who wore certain hats would change depending on if it was the M or K video.

“I already hate some of the patterns I have in my mind for these sweaters,” Lynn said to herself bitterly as she made a decision that they should be wearing work-boots.

He chuckled softly from beside her. “Just don’t put me in something too ugly.”

She smirked at that and continued to work. She felt the subconscious movement of his thumb against her back and it was strangely comforting. Luhan’s presence next to her felt natural and completely unintrusive, which was the opposite of what she had imagined. A part of her wondered if it was like a placebo effect because of his role as her soulmate but another debated it might be the reason why he was. Somehow, even though Lynn was an erratic, shy, and emotional mess around him at best, he provided her stable ground. She felt calm sitting in silence next to him.

Soon enough, the ideas did not stop. Lynn impatiently shook her leg as she worked, her mind six thousand miles ahead of her hand as she tried to draw out what she imagined. She drew out the throwback fashion, the suits, and even drafted some rough concert wear that she had decided she wanted to be simple. She had used the Overdose album cover that had been issued to her as inspiration and came up with something she personally liked a lot; she just hoped it wouldn’t be too hot to wear on stage.

It took her all of the night to finish drafting her sketches and Luhan fell asleep with his head resting on her shoulder sometime around three. Lynn was just happy she had somehow managed to get everything that she needed done and it didn’t look too rushed. She was careful to put dividers between each sketch and gently put them in her portfolio to be shown to her boss in six hours.

After she set her alarm on her phone, she looked around the room tiredly. Lynn let out a soft sigh as her light brown eyes drifted to Luhan. She bit her lip as she looked at the couch, knowing she should guide him to it and then get him a pillow. She had no idea what she was thinking when she woke him up and led him to her bedroom instead.

Chapter Fourteen:

Luhan stood in front of the door he was supposed to go in, knowing his stylists were on the other side, busy helping Kris and Yixing. It had been a week and three days since the incident in her apartment and it was the first time they skipped a Saturday of practice. It was Tuesday now and he was so tired of not speaking, but like every day he expected to just watch her from afar until she was ready to speak to him. He was giving her the space she asked for, but he was starting to feel just as impatient as he was worried.

He opened the door just as Kris stood from Camilla’s chair and said something to her quietly in her ear, holding her one arm. When he pulled away from her, he winked and left her in a flushed state. His mind relayed to something Lynn had said and he frowned.

What about Chen?

Now that he thought about it, Chen talked a lot about Camilla too and he had been assisting her in learning Korean. But Lynn had brought up Chen when he mentioned Kris was convinced Camilla was his soulmate because they had both said the words. The idiot had only repeated it three times and emphasised how smooth he had been. The only problem was that Luhan couldn’t recall what the words were, mostly because he had blocked Kris’ ego out after the first time he shared the story.

It wasn’t his business. For now he’d keep his nose out of it and just watch the situation from afar. Kris passed him, walking to Lynn’s small side room. Luhan watched the doorway for a few seconds, seeing her move about through the paper wall that divided her space from theirs. He averted his eyes and sat down in Jae’s chair while Yixing moved onto Cam.

He and Jae did not usually speak while she worked, but it felt more awkward now. She had proved more than once about how observant she could be and he felt like she had a good handle on her skill to figure other people out. Something about that unnerved him. He didn’t need anyone else in his head, especially not Lynn’s close friend.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” she told him softly.

He looked up at her with widened brown eyes, surprised to hear that while her Mandarin had a strong accent, she understood the language on an important kind of structural level. Her understanding of its composition was impressive and her rate of learning rivaled that of Lynn. He nodded at her, almost absentmindedly.

“She likes you,” Jae continued quietly as she applied eyeliner to his bottom lids and then smudged it. “Lynn is just…she’s cautious.”

They didn’t speak again as she continued to work. He watched as Yixing got up from Cam’s chair after what felt like a short time, but then he remembered that his friend’s hair was so short that it was probably easy to style quickly. The time it took for Cam to style Yixing was the amount it took for Jae to finish his makeup. She backed away and then just waved her hand at him, expecting him to get the gesture to move on.

Luhan walked to Cam’s chair, scratching the back of his head as he slunk down. His eyes lingered on the door to Lynn’s work station and now that he was closer he could hear that she was speaking softly. She was speaking Mandarin.

Her words were nowhere near pronounced perfectly and occasionally he would hear Lay softly correct her or help her figure out how she had make a mistake. But her Mandarin was better than he remembered it and suddenly his thoughts reminded him that they hadn’t practiced together in a week, but that didn’t mean she had stopped practicing. She had simply asked Lay to help her instead.

Luhan’s stomach knotted with jealousy as he pouted. He guessed it was wrong that he had dared to think that teaching her was their thing that they did together to bond. Mandarin is what had been drawing them closer the entire time. He sighed as Cam work her fingers in his hair, taking out a blow drier to dry the locks that were still damp from his shower. He was thankful for the sound because it made it so he couldn’t hear their conversation anymore.

Luhan knew it was stupid to get jealous over something like that be he couldn’t help it. His jealousy was something he struggled with and it often caused him to say things he didn’t mean. They were already in a tense and awkward situation; he didn’t want to make it worse.

Cam chose not to do too much to his hair, really just styled it with the drier and then ruffled out the locks so they fell a little more naturally. When she was done he stood and then sat down in the chair outside Lynn’s workspace, hearing her voice more clearly. He tried not to listen to the conversation, but his mind didn’t let him ignore such things either.

“Jae is very caring,” she said quietly, purposely keeping her voice low. “She has looked out for us for as long as we have worked together. Usually she and I are the ones who handle the management.”

Luhan found himself staring at Jae as they spoke about her, seeing the way she smiled as she began putting makeup on Kai’s face. He saw the qualities Lynn mentioned. In fact she had been the one to tell him to leave when whatever had happened at their apartment happened. He saw that fierce protectiveness, like she was stopping a bully from harassing her younger sibling.

But why were they talking about Jae in the first place?

He pursed his lips as they conversation came closer and then watched as Lay opened the door and then waved at her with a cute smile before making his way to their activities. Lynn looked down at him and smiled gently, but it didn’t calm his mood or make his jealousy recede. She motioned for him to follow and when he was in the room he heard the distinct sound of her taking in a deep breath as she shut the door.

She chose to speak to him in Mandarin, holding her arm awkwardly. He could tell that she was forcing herself to look at him, hesitant eyes connecting with his. “I’m sorry about before. I got scared.”

He chose not to say anything. It was stupid and childish but he didn’t want to have their first conversation after Lay had taught her. He felt robbed somehow.

Whatever confidence she had faltered a little at his expression and her eyes fell to the ground. He could tell by the way she bit her lip that she was weighing some kind of decision. She looked up at him and then cleared her throat.

“I don’t really know how to express all of this,” she started, her accent a little cleaner than Jae’s.

It was funny to think they her accent was much more Cantonese than American when she spoke Mandarin, but when she spoke English her accent switched to American with no sign of any Asian influence. He supposed that was what happened when someone grew up with the influence of more than one language. It was something he liked about her, a little quirk he felt proud knowing he was the only person who had probably noticed it.

Lynn bit her lip as she looked up at him again, being as shy as always. She shoved her braided hair over her shoulder and then nodded to herself, like she was giving herself encouragement. “Luhan, I am someone who gets afraid a lot…I get scared of the things that should make me happy. I get scared of becom-…”

Lynn sighed as she trailed off, her face straining as she tried to remember something. She groaned at herself, cheeks turning red, and then reached into the back pocket of her dark coloured jeans. She unfolded a piece of paper, smoothing out the wrinkles. He could see so many scribbles on it, things that were crossed out, and sections that had been completely rewritten. She bit her lip as she looked up at him, showing him her eyes before she began to read.

“I get scared of becoming attached to people…and I live so far away from you. I don’t want to go home and think about you endlessly,” she paused as she looked up at him, her eyes gaining that same fearful look she had when she had crawled away from his touch that night. “But I already do. I think about you too much and my favourite moments in Korea have been all the times that I have spent with you.”

Luhan watched as she made eye contact with him, his own mouth hanging open ever so slightly as he realised that she was literally confessing to him. The copper colour of her skin had a warm under glow and her cheeks were so flushed he could clearly see the red colour burning. She took in a deep breath and then looked back down at her paper, creasing the sides as she rotated her thumbs against the paper.

“I know I am bad at this and my feelings can be erratic and not make any sense, but I want you to know that I don’t hate you. I don’t think you’re a creep. I don’t want us to stop whatever this is,” she folded the letter and put it back in her pocket, refusing to look up into his eyes or anywhere near his face. She seemed content to look at his shoes. “Lay says this counts as a confession and that usually I’d just give you a letter to read but that felt really impersonal and I wanted to tell you myself.”

Luhan felt like the biggest jackass in existence; Lay hadn’t taken his place teaching her, he had helped her translate her feelings so she could tell them to him in the language that he spoke. He could only imagine the look Xiumin would be giving him, knowing full well what he had a problem with his jealousy. He was just glad he didn’t say anything.  

Luhan pressed his lips together and had to resist the urge to ruffle his hair. He smiled at her, reaching forwards and taking her hand in his, trying to think of the right words to say to her. Nothing came to mind that felt appropriate because ‘like’ wasn’t strong enough and ‘love’ was way too much. He looked into her eyes, shaking his head as a small laugh escaped his chest. His own words were perfect.

“A little bit.”