strangertides

[strangertides]

{10} - Paradise Gardens - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Book Two to Hotel California

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humour

Pairing: Ateez X Reader (Focus on San, and slight focus on Hongjoong, and a bit of Yeosang at the end)

Words: 11,371

Warnings: Mental Illness. PTSD: mentions of past trauma and violence, anxiety, depression. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: I honestly wasn't expecting for this chapter to even be a thing, but I think it's much needed in terms of plot and character development, so I really hope you all enjoy it! Plus, Wooyoung smut next chapter~ 👀 As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Also, gentle reminder that I don’t do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight - Part Nine

Standing just outside the entrance to the garden, there’s a certain intensity that lingers on your features. Your eyes remain fixated on the golden handles, practically glaring down at them as your brows furrow in concentration. A slight frown pulls at your lips, but still, you, nor the doors, move.

“Practicing your telekinesis, Baby?” A soft chuckle sounds from behind you.

You blink, but do not respond, opting to continue staring intently at the handles of the door.

“I think Jongho’s blood has long since left your system.” San steps in beside you, amusement tugging his lips upwards in the corners. “Besides, I’m not sure if it would even be capable of giving you such a power.”

“It’s not that,” you sigh, finally shifting your gaze from the door and towards your feet.

Immediately, concern is pulling at his features as his one hand finds purchase on your lower back. “Then, what is it?”

You spare a glance at him out of the corner of your eyes, your shoulders deflating all the while. It’s been two days since Jongho made a full recovery, you having pulled him out of the veil between worlds. You thought it would be a good idea to slowly reintroduce yourself to certain places in the house, but unfortunately, you seem to be having some difficulties. Perhaps starting with the garden was not the wisest decision.

“You’ve been glaring at the door to the garden for the past twenty minutes.” San says, his thumb gently stroking against your back. “If you’re not ready, don’t force yourself-“

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready, San.” Your voice is small, but you still manage to cut him off. “There’s not really a good timeline I can follow. I just don’t want her to have a hold on me any longer. It’s not fair to any of us.”

He smiles assuringly at you. “I understand.”

“I just didn’t realize how difficult it would be.” Again, you avert your gaze to your feet.

“I’m right here, Baby.” His fingers press the slightest bit firmer into your back. “I won’t let anything hurt you. I promise.”

Raising your head, you spare him a small smile. Subconsciously, you lean into his touch.

“What brings you to the garden, anyways?” You decide a slight change in subject might help distract you.

“Me?” His eyebrows quirk upwards slightly. “I came to check on my plants.”

Your eyes widen in genuine surprise. “Your plants?”

“Yes.” He grins, a slight chuckle falling from his lips. “My plants.”

At your quizzical look, he’s quick to shift his arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer into his side.

“Fruits, vegetables, you name it,” he tells you. “I grow them all.”

“Really?” 

There’s a genuine curiosity in your voice that he hasn’t heard for quite some time now, which only makes his smile widen. “Would you like to see?”

At your eager nod, San shifts forward, opening the door to the garden and helping you step through the threshold. His arm never leaves your body for one second, guiding you through the flowers and to the greenhouse in the back corner.

You don’t realize how tense you become as soon as you step foot into the garden, but San does. Your eyes flit every which way, taking in all of the details of the once decimated space and noticing how everything looks exactly as it did before Miyeon destroyed it. There’s even a few different types of flowers blooming around the place now, including snapdragons and hyacinths.

Your breath hitches in your throat.

The moment your sight lands on that sparkling fountain in the centre of the garden, you stop breathing. You haven’t even realized that you’ve frozen to your spot, planting your feet firmly on the ground as you stare at that mass monument before you. Only when you see San stepping in front of you, gently guiding your gaze to his own do you register the sudden way your chest heaves with shallow breaths, the male cooing to you all the while.

“It’s okay, Baby.” He assures you lowly, noting the way your gaze continually wants to dart passed him and back to the fountain behind him. 

“Hey, hey, look at me.” His hold is gentle on your arms as he stands before you, and that’s when you realize that you can no longer hear the sound of trickling water echoing throughout the space.

The water hovers there, as if frozen in time, yet not solid like ice. It is suspended in a state of limbo, and you just know that the male standing before you has everything to do with it.

“Just keep your eyes on me, Baby.” He begins to slowly walk backwards, guiding you through the garden and past the fountain. “I’ve got you. I promise nothing will harm you here again.”

You keep your eyes locked on his, the soft brown of his irises peering out at you through a concerned brow.

“That’s it,” gently, he encourages you. “We’re almost there.”

It’s brief, but you still manage to nod. Your breathing seems to be evening out, too.

“You’re doing so well, Baby.” His voice is tender, his hands sliding down your arms in order to hold your own in his. He squeezes them softly. “Just keep your eyes on me.”

Again, you nod, swallowing lightly as you reach the greenhouse.

Shifting both of your hands to his right one, San reaches behind him with the greatest of ease to open the door to the greenhouse. He doesn’t even need to look behind him as he guides you inside, giving your hands another small reassuring squeeze as the door falls shut quietly behind you.

“There,” he smiles. “Safe and sound.”

You smile weakly in return.

“That wasn’t so bad, now, was it?” He gently shakes you hands still held in his own.

“No,” you take a deep breath, the smell of crisp apples, along with various other fruits greeting your senses almost immediately. “I suppose not.”

“I’m so proud of you, Baby.” San’s voice is but a whisper as he brings a hand up to cup the side of your face.

Your eyes flutter shut, leaning into his touch more than you realize.

“Thank you, San.” You breathe out, heart rate finally returning to normal the more time you spend with him like this. “It may not have been perfect for my first try, but I’m glad you’re with me.”

“Of course, Baby,” his thumb strokes tenderly over your cheek. “I will always be here for you; I’m glad I could help.”

A brief silence settles over the both of you as you let the moment linger. Your breathing evens out, shoulders relaxing as he continues to observe you carefully.

“So,” you blink a few times in mild curiosity, attempting not to let your gaze wander too much. “Your plants?”

“Ah, right!” His whole demeanour perks up. “What would you like to see first?”

“Anything and everything you wish to show me.”

The smile that stretches across his face lights up the whole greenhouse. Gently, he shifts his hand back into your own, pulling you along with him as he guides you through a space which appears much larger on the inside than the outside. Certain plants are grouped together based on climate and soil conditions, and you notice the slightest changes in temperature around them. It’s as if those particular sections are weather controlled to be different than the others around them.

Looks like their magic runs deeper than you could have ever imagined.

“I’ve always grown the basics,” he explains, leading you through his vegetable garden. “Sometimes it changes depending on the season, or what we all feel like having, but I always have tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, carrots, zucchini, cucumbers, and bell peppers.”

San takes a moment to crouch down in front of his tomato plants, running his fingers gently over the leaves and pruning a few while he’s at it. Softly, he coos to the fruit, and the small encouragements he seems to give the plants makes you smile.

“How long have you had them?” Your awe filled gaze sweeps over the produce before you, taking in the vibrance of their leaves and the quantity of their fruit.

“Ever since I got into cooking,” he explains, watching you fondly. “So, my whole life.”

“Wow,” you breathe, turning to face him once more. “You’re incredible, Baby!”

Immediately, a vibrant blush begins to creep up his neck, settling onto his cheeks as he stutters in his spot.

“I understand why you have such a vendetta against grocery store produce now,” you chuckle fondly. “You’ve been spoiled with fresh, homegrown food since the beginning.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” he grins. “Just wait until you see the orchard.”

Your entire body freezes, lips parting in mild shock. You blink a few times, the corners of your lips slowly tugging upwards. “You mean to tell me that there’s an orchard inside this greenhouse?”

He nods proudly. “Follow me.”

Again, San gently guides you towards the back of the building, and you notice how there seems to be a separate section placed off to the side. The whole building seems to be shaped like an ‘L’, large windows spanning either side. As soon as you round the corner, the greenhouse opens up into a vast space, all different types of plants continuing to span the area.

“There’s almost one of each kind in their respective rows, but some of the fruit trees we have to make special visitations for.” He explains.

“Special visitations?” You repeat, taking in the large orange tree in front of you.

“Unfortunately, not all plants can be acclimatized to our greenhouse.” A slight frown tugs at his features. “I’m working on making sure they can be, but for now, we have special farms I usually like to visit to get those specific products I’m missing.”

Realization crosses your features. “That’s still really cool.”

“You think so?” He grins, his eyes crinkling at the sides. “I mean, not all the trees in the orchard here are mine, per se.”

You tilt your head at him in inquiry.

“Joong would probably murder me if I touched his lemon tree.” San says. “Well, other than when I harvest the fruit to be used in a recipe. He can never say no to lemon squares.”

“Hongjoong has a lemon tree?” Your eyes scan the rows, seeing a large plant with vibrant yellow fruit hanging from its branches a little ways down the row you’re currently standing in.

“Yes.” San confirms with a nod. “Yeosang grows his own jalapeños, too. Hwa and Yunho are very adamant about caring for the various berries we grow, but I have a few favourites of my own.”

“What are your favourites, then?” The way you look at him, with wide eyes filled with nothing but curiosity, sets his heart racing.

He smiles. “I’ll show you.”

Leading you down the path with a spring to his step, San takes only a single right turn before stopping before a somewhat smaller tree than all the others.

“This one’s a little newer than the rest, but I’ve grown quite fond of it recently.” His eyes trail over the tree in front of him.

Large fruit hang heavily from the branches, very particular in shape. Their pastel pink skin fades into hues of white and orange, soft fuzz coating the sides.

“Peaches?” Your voice is nothing short of tender as you focus on him standing beside you. 

“I’ve taken a fond liking to them recently.” He hums.

“You don’t say,” you grin, almost knowingly. 

A moment later, and your gaze is shifting around the area, noting the other fruit hanging from the branches around you. 

A gasp escapes you as you excitedly waddle over to the tree right before your very eyes, the fruit hanging in abundance in vibrant shades of red, yellow, and green. “Mangos?”

A fond chuckle escapes the male as he walks up beside you. “Would you like one?”

No verbal response is needed. Not when you eagerly shake your head, turning your awe filled gaze to stare deeply into his own eyes.

Your whole body practically vibrates in excitement, gaze darting from one fruit to the next. You can practically smell the aroma drifting through the branches, and it makes you smile instantaneously.

Softly, San reaches out before you and plucks a fruit fresh from the branch, tracing his thumb over the side of its skin. Carefully, he takes your hand back into one of his own, placing the fruit delicately into your palm as he smiles.

The wonder filled look you wear means everything to him in this moment. The fact that he can see your lips part, eyes shining with nothing but adoration sets his heart racing.

“I love mangos.” You admit, voice nothing but a tender caress to his ears.

“So I’ve heard,” he smiles, chest warming at the way your hands hold onto that fruit so delicately right now. “Mingi enjoys raiding them for smoothies.”

“And he didn’t invite me…” you click your tongue, shaking your head in mock disapproval.

“To be fair, he had been pestering me for a mango tree for quite a long time before I finally gave in.” He admits, dragging the sole of his foot against the ground as he averts his gaze.

“Did you-“ you blink, heart skipping a beat as realization settles over you. “Did you start growing these for me?”

“Of course, Baby,” he confirms, wrapping his arm around your waist and pulling you into his side. “I started growing quite a few things for you, especially once I learnt that you enjoy fresh fruit so much.”

Your entire being warms, nothing but fondness flooding your veins as you rest your head gently on his shoulder. Your eyes flutter shut as you breathe out a content sigh, “I don’t deserve you.”

“Nonsense, Baby.” Almost immediately, he shakes his head, completely appalled by your words. “You deserve everything I have to offer, and so much more.”

“I meant it in the sense that you’re too good to me,” you chuckle, wrapping your free arm around his own. “I can’t think of a single person that I know of who can say that their lover started growing specific fruits just for them.”

“Of course I would,” his reply is immediate. “Only the best for My Baby.”

A content hum escapes you. “I appreciate that, Sannie.” A pause. “I appreciate you.”

He shifts closer, turning to place a gentle kiss onto the side of your head. “I love you, Baby.”

You smile, sinking further into his side as you feel yourself fully relax. “I love you, My Aquaman.”

You don’t even need to look at him to know a large, giddy smile stretches across his features from your words. You can feel it just in the way his whole body shakes lightly in happiness beside you. Although it’s faint, you swear you can also hear his heartbeat thundering beneath his skin.

A sense of calm washes over the both of you as he leads you back to the main area of the greenhouse. Wordlessly, he places a tender kiss onto your cheek before somewhat reluctantly pulling away from you to begin tending to his plants. You, on the other hand, sit yourself nearby, watching him fondly as he begins to work.

“So, you’ve been cooking all your life?” Your legs begin to swing back and forth as you rest that mango beside you on top of the table you’re currently sitting on.

“For as long as I can remember, yes.” He confirms, pruning his plants lightly. “It came quite naturally to me. Plus, my powers always help make it easier.”

“What’s your favourite thing to cook?” You observe him eagerly.

He spares a glance over his shoulder, the corner of his lips quirking upwards softly. “Anything My Baby desires.”

“San!” You laugh, shaking your head lightheartedly. “I’m being serious!”

“So am I.” He hums, shifting on to the next plant in the row. “Though, if I have to choose, I do enjoy cooking old family recipes. It’s always nice to discover how tastes have changed and been passed on with each new generation.”

“How many unique family recipes do you know, then?” Your ankles are crossed as your hands support you on either side of the table.

“Oh, probably over a few hundred thousand.” He replies, nonchalantly. “Give or take.”

Your jaw drops, “That’s incredible!”

“It’s nothing.” He shrugs, the tips of his ears turning red.

“You should teach me sometime.”

The statement you make is casual, but it still causes San to freeze in his spot, nearly dropping the dead leaves he’s gathered in his one hand. 

Slowly, he turns to face you, nothing but hope shining within his gaze. “You really mean that?”

“Of course I do, Baby.” Your legs finally still as you smile down at him. “I would love to cook with you, and besides, you shouldn’t have to prepare all of the meals. I want to make things for you and the other guys from time to time, too.”

In the blink of an eye, he’s before you, his hands on either side of your body as the pile of dead leaves now rests on top of the table. They appear almost as if they’ve been thrown haphazardly across the surface, his whole body trembling as he clings onto the edge for dear life.

“You want to cook for me?” His voice is small, hopeful as he tilts his head downwards, avoiding your eyes for the moment.

“I can’t promise it’ll be as good as your own food, but I would like to at some point; yes.” You nod once, quite firmly at that.

“Baby,” he swallows thickly, and his gaze says it all.

Nothing but love for you is seen in his eyes, which are shining with unshed tears. His lips are slightly parted, tongue darting out to wet them as his arms continue to shake as he holds himself steady against the edge of the table. Softly, his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows, his heart racing uncontrollably in his chest.

“My baking is a little better than my cooking, but-“

You don’t even get to finish your thought, for his arms are around you, pulling you flush against his chest. A sob wracks his chest, tears of unfiltered joy falling onto your shoulder as he holds you close.

Gently, you card your fingers through his hair, holding onto him just as tightly as he clings to you.

“I didn’t realize you’d have this type of reaction,” you chuckle, rubbing his back comfortingly with your free hand.

“It just means a lot to me,” his voice is low as he mumbles the words against your neck. “More than you’ll ever know.”

Tenderly, you press your lips onto the side of his head. “I know how much you love cooking, San. I would be honoured to be able to share in that passion with you.”

His grip tightens ever so slightly as he nuzzles his face into the side of your neck. This is everything he’s ever wanted, and so much more. Finally, he can share his passion of doing what he loves with the person that he loves most in this world. Something he’s always longed to do.

“Just, don’t tell my mom.” You joke, watching as he pulls away to glance into your eyes.

“Why not?” His brow furrows.

“She’s been trying to teach me how to properly cook for years.” The corner of your lips quirks upwards. “I always told her that I was fine on my own.”

“Did you, now?” He quirks a brow playfully.

“I know how to follow a recipe, boil water, and cook eggs.” You shrug. “That’s all I’ve ever needed before.”

A dramatic hand is placed over his heart. “Oh, Baby, you hurt me so.”

“I’m not that bad a cook,” you roll your eyes teasingly. “I can cook, I just choose not to.”

“Which will make us cooking together all the more special.” He hums, eyes crinkling at the sides as he smiles at you.

“Exactly.” You loop your arms around his shoulders. “I want to spend more time with the people I love, doing what they love to do.”

“Oh?” His brow quirks, a certain mischievous gleam suddenly shining within his eyes. “Don’t say that, Baby. We’d be tempted to never let you leave your bed again.”

Your back straightens, a heat blooming on your cheeks as you slap his arm playfully. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I know, Baby.” He chuckles. “You’re just so pretty when you get flustered.”

“And you’re very handsome when you’re excited about something.” You grin. “So, I guess we’re even.”

He returns your smile. “I guess so.”

Sliding your hands to rest on his shoulders, you give them a firm squeeze. A sense of calm passes over the both of you, his own grip finding purchase on your waist.

“Shouldn’t you be tending to your plants?” You quirk a brow teasingly.

“I could,” he hums, “but that would mean spending less time with you.”

“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere anytime soon,” you poke his cheek affectionately, watching as that dimple of his appears almost instantly.

“Well, if I did things like I normally do, I’d be done in a flash.” He says. “Doing this by hand will most certainly take me longer, meaning you can spend more time with me.”

“How you normally do things?” You tilt your head curiously.

“It’s quite easy to manipulate plants once you get the hang of both the oxygen and water they consist of.” He explains.

Your eyes widen, lips parting in awe.

“There are still aspects of us and our powers you have yet to see,” he winks, a smug grin tugging at his features.

“So I’ve been told,” you exhale somewhat breathlessly. “And just how do you normally do things?”

A light squeeze to your waist is all you receive before San steps to the side. Gently, he takes your one hand in his as he motions to the tomato plants in front of you.

“Watch closely.” His voice is low right by your ear as he leans into your side.

Fixating your gaze on the one plant he’s yet to prune, a gasp escapes you as you see the leaves beginning to sway. Carefully, the dead leaves separate from the plant, moisture collecting on the fruit almost instantly before sliding downwards. The droplets seem to gather in one place before floating in the air and moving to the next fruit, doing the same in succession.

A gentle breeze drifts passed, and you catch the faintest scent of peaches in the air this time.

“I use the moisture in the air to mist them, and then depending on the plant, the excess water is given back to the soil for the roots.” San’s voice is gentle, a fond look resting on his features as he takes in your expression of pure wonder once more.

“That’s amazing!” You squeeze his hand, whole body practically vibrating in excitement. “You’re incredible, Baby!”

“It’s nothing,” he attempts to shrug you off again, despite the vibrant blush creeping up his neck.

“So, then,” you stand back onto your feet, walking over to observe the tomatoes he’s just tended to. “How long does this usually take you?”

“Minutes at most,” he replies, eyes shining as he watches you crouch beside the plant. “Seconds at best.”

“Wow.” You blink up at him in awe before pushing yourself back to your feet. “So, you were only doing it manually today to spend more time with me?”

“I figured you could use the distraction,” he shrugs. “Besides, I wanted to impress you, and show off my greenhouse.”

“Well, it worked.” You nudge him gently with your shoulder. “Count me impressed on all parts.”

“I guess it’s a bonus I got to show you this, too.” He hums, nudging you back.

“I’m always interested in spending time with you, regardless of what we’re doing.” You admit softly. Then, just as tenderly, “I’m always interested in you.”

A low, pleased rumble shakes his chest.

“The feeling will always be mutual, Baby.” His voice is but a whisper as he pulls you into his arms.

“Well then, why don’t you finish up here, and then we can go bake something together.” You hum. “I’ve been meaning to make those cookies Reina mentioned when she saw the two kitchens the other day. Those are probably the only things I know how to bake off the top of my head recipe wise.”

“She was supposed to send me the instructions for how to make those.” San grumbles under his breath.

“I think she lied,” you smile lightly. “She only makes them for certain occasions.”

“Like what?” His brow furrows.

“When I need a pick me up.” You reply, stepping away from him lightly. “She only taught me how to make them after-“ the words catch in your throat as your expression falls. “I think I know why she mentioned them this time around.”

“Reina knows?” His brow furrows slightly, worry shining in his eyes as he watches your whole visage drop.

“Reina can be very perceptive when she wants to be.” You say, a small sigh escaping your lips. “Especially when it comes to me. We practically know each other better than we know ourselves.”

“I thought your sister was the only one that knew?” San frowns slightly.

“Reina figured it out, so I told her.” Your one hand comes up to rub at the side of your arm. “She knew- knows about my mental health probably better than anyone, my sister included.”

“She’s a good friend.” He observes.

“Yeah.” You smile, a soft nod to your head. “She is.”

“Alright, Baby,” San gently cups the side of your face, brushing his thumb tenderly against your cheek. “Why don’t you meet me in the kitchen, then? I’ll finish up here, cut up that mango for you, and then we can make those cookies together. How does that sound?”

You begin to nod. “Okay.”

A wide smile is all that you receive in response as you turn back to the table you had just been sitting on. It takes nothing to grab that fresh mango in your hand once more, turning to exit the greenhouse in the next second.

“Baby,” San’s somewhat urgent call of your name causes you to turn back to face him. “Will you be okay in the garden on your own?”

Warmth blooms in your chest at the care he continues to extend towards you.

“I will be.” You nod, somewhat firmly. Though, at the worried look he sends your way, you smile reassuringly at him. “I promise to call you if I need you. So, please, San, take your time.”

“Alright, Baby,” he breathes out a low sigh. “I’ll be right there.”

A final nod is all you give him as you turn back towards the greenhouse door. You can feel his eyes watching you the whole time as you take your leave, pausing only briefly to take a deep breath before exit the building once and for all.

The first thing you hear as soon as you shut the door behind you is the trickling of that fountain. You can smell the sweet aroma of the flowers drifting through the air, and it offers you comfort as you keep your back turned to the scenery behind you. The whole time, a small mantra of ‘nothing can hurt you now’ and ‘you’re okay’ runs through your head, taking deep breaths to help steady yourself for the time being.

You can get through this.

She cannot hurt you anymore. You won’t let her.

Turning around, you face the garden.

For a moment, you do not move. That single mango is clutched lightly in your hand as you swallow thickly, taking in every detail of the garden before you like the very first time. Again, you can see the meticulous detail that has gone into every aspect of this space. 

A space designed for you. 

For you and only you.

This is yours. You won’t let her take what this space means away from you, or them for that matter.

You take a small step forward.

The bench where you had that lovely talk with Hongjoong that one day still rests to the side. The foliage is a bit thicker than all those months ago, though. There seems to be a few symbols now carved into the wood, and you just know in your gut that they’re there for your protection.

You take another step.

There are all of the peonies, lilies, roses, and forget-me-nots lining the same path you took the very first time Hongjoong showed you this place. Stepping in beside them now, you lean over to take in their scents just as you did before, letting those better memories replace the single bad one.

Finally, you acknowledge the fountain.

Turning to face the sparkling water, you watch as it shines, trickling down each level of the carved stones. Despite your best efforts, your gaze flits to the very spot Miyeon held you down upon, submerging your head beneath the crisp, crystal clear liquid until your lungs burned for air.

You swallow thickly.

Blinking a few times, you step in closer.

She’s not here, but you are. You are still breathing. Despite everything she did to you that day, you are the one that emerged alive on the other end.

You sit on the edge of the fountain.

It’s a little difficult to keep your breathing under control, but you know that you need to do this for your sake. You’ve always been a very logic driven person, and doing this will prove to yourself once and for all that you are okay. Not only are you proving that she can no longer hurt you, but that these places have always been, and will always be safe. She was the one anomaly that caused you harm, not the fountain itself.

You close your eyes, allowing the sounds and scents of the garden to overflow your senses and lull you into a sense of security just as they’ve always done. This space has always offered you comfort, and you allow it to do so once more now.

With each passing second, you begin to relax more and more.

“Baby?” A somewhat tentative call of your name causes your eyes to flutter open to see San standing at the entrance to the garden. He takes a small step towards you. “When I couldn’t find you in either kitchen, I got worried.”

“I’m okay, San.” You breathe out, lifting your gaze to meet his concerned one. “I needed to do this.”

Carefully, he sits beside you on the edge of the fountain.

You look down at your hands, watching your thumb gently trace over the skin of that mango still held in your grip.

“I don’t want her to taint what this place means to me any longer.” Your voice is soft, barely above a whisper, yet he still manages to hear you loud and clear. “She doesn’t get that satisfaction. I’m not going to let her make me fear my own home.”

His expression softens, reaching out to grasp one of your hands in his own.

A moment of silence.

“It hurt, San.” You swallow thickly, squeezing your eyes shut as you feel the beginnings of tears stinging at the corners. “I thought my lungs were going to burst from how badly they were burning inside my chest.”

His free hand comes up to rest gently on your back as he shifts closer to you, nothing but concern in his gaze as he watches you break down right in front of him.

“I thought, ‘this is the end.’” You admit lowly, and you feel the way he stiffens beside you. Your grip tightens in your lap. “I wanted it to be the end.”

A soft call of your name escapes him as no more than a worried breath.

“As much as I wanted to live that day, I still have no idea how I survived as long as I did.” The confession weighs heavy on your shoulders, eyes blank as you stare at the cobblestone path beneath your feet. A brief flash of that conversation with Wyno the other day passes through your mind. “I should have died. I think a part of me did die.”

This time, it’s his turn to swallow thickly.

“I just don’t think I wanted to acknowledge it until now.” You finally look up to meet his gaze, the first of your tears sliding down the side of your cheeks. “Yet, I’m still here,” you smile weakly, “and I’m glad that I am.”

The hand that had been resting on your back comes up to cup the side of your face.

“I don’t know how long it will take me to get better, but it’s time for me to stop hiding my pain and pretending that everything is okay.” You lean over to rest your head against his shoulder. “I didn’t realize what I needed to do before, but today has really helped. I think I had just been avoiding it, honestly.” You swallow the sudden dryness in your throat. “Thank you, San, for being patient with me, and for always being there.”

A small smile is sent your way, his arm wrapping around your waist to pull you in closer to his side.

“I’m here for you, Baby. Always.” He rests his head on top of your own as his voice drops to a mere whisper. “I’m sorry you had to suffer at her hands. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you like I promised I would.”

You feel a tear land on top of your head, but with how firmly he’s holding onto you, you do not dare move. He needs this just as much as you do right now.

“Not a day passes by where I don’t blame myself for what she did to you.”

“San-“

“Please, Baby, I need to get this off my chest.” His voice is strained.

You remain silent, shifting the slightest bit closer to him in response.

“We all have regrets about that day: leaving you by yourself, not taking even a minute to think when Stella came to get us, letting you get that hurt.” He takes a deep, stuttering breath inwards. “For all of our powers, we couldn’t even sense her breaking through our wards. The moment we got back to discover you like that, our entire world stopped. I thought to myself, ‘this can’t be happening. This isn’t real.’”

He tightens his grip subconsciously around you.

“And when you told us everything she did to you…” his eyes squeeze shut, vivid images of your beaten and battered body filling his vision as more tears fall. “If I could have subjected her to an endless hell where her suffering never ceased, it would have still been too kind.”

You remain silent, waiting for him to continue.

“It was all my fault. I kept telling myself that maybe if I didn’t fall for her advances twenty years ago, that maybe if I just ignored her like Jongho did, then maybe we never would have gotten so tangled up in her web of lies. Both Wooyoung and I-” His voice breaks as a sob wracks his chest. “If we never agreed to a relationship with her in the past, she would have had no reason to hurt you.”

“Sannie-“

“I know,” he sniffles. “I know you already told us not to think like that, but it’s true. How could it not be true?”

“You do not control other people’s actions, San.” You gently stroke your thumb over the back of his hand, your own heart rate calming with each word that you speak. “None of us do. We could have never predicted she would do this to us.”

Softly, he nods along with your words, lips pursing slightly. “Those three days you were unconscious after the fact were the worst days of our lives.”

You squeeze his hand, heart aching inside of your chest.

“None of us knew what to do.” He admits lowly. “I think it hit Wooyoung, Hongjoong, and Seonghwa the hardest. We didn’t know if you were going to survive. We blamed ourselves for everything. We thought-“ his breath catches and his whole body shakes with his sobs. “We thought you would want nothing to do with us anymore the moment you woke up. We thought all the memories we made together would mean nothing, and you’d go back to hating us for everything that we did to you. Even worse than before.”

Gently, you shift upwards, guiding his gaze to yours with your free hand.

“I could never hate you for what she did to me.” You stare deeply into his eyes, and you watch as his chin begins to wobble slightly from his emotions. “It is not your fault, San.”

For a split second, nothing is said between the both of you. It’s as if the entire garden goes silent, too, the flowers stilling as you gaze into each other’s eyes.

That is, until he’s collapsing into your arms. A wail tears from his chest as his entire body shakes, face buried into the side of your neck. Countless apologies fall from his lips, his fingers digging harshly into your back as he holds you close. You swear that he believes that you’ll slip right through his hands if he doesn’t.

Softly, you coo to him, your own chest stuttering every now and then from the weight of your own emotions. Though, with every breath you take, you feel better. Right now, you’re revelling in the comfort of his embrace as much as he is doing the same with you.

Looks like the both of you really needed this.

“You no longer have to apologize to me, San.” You say gently, pulling away to wipe the tears from his eyes. “You saved me, in more ways than one. You all did. Now, we just need to get passed this, and we will. Together.”

He nods softly, rubbing at his nose with the back of his hand.

That’s when you notice, the trickling sound of the fountain has stopped.

Sparing a glance around you, a gasp of awe nearly falls from your lips. All around you rests the water from the fountain, floating in a thin dome-like shape. Patterns dance within the water, swirling like mist around your head.

“Are you doing this?” Your once sad eyes which are now filled with wonder make him smile faintly.

“I haven’t in a long time,” he admits lowly. “This really only happens when I lose control of my emotions.”

Your eyebrows droop in worry. “Sannie-“

“It’s like a protective barrier,” he explains, the corners of his lips quirking upwards as he begins to make the water swirl slightly faster around you. “Nothing can get through it right now. Well, except maybe Mingi, if he really wanted to.”

Realization crosses your features. “You did this for us.”

His gentle smile says it all.

Tenderly, you cup his face in your one hand, thumb stroking along his cheekbone as he leans into your touch.

“I want you to know that this space will never be able to hurt you again.” He breathes. “Not while I’m around to protect you. I’ll make it so that not a single drop of water can suffocate you, nor will anyone be able to force your head below the surface again.”

Slowly, he begins to trail the water back into the fountain, the familiar trickling filling the space once more.

Your heart swells in your chest, a warmth unlike anything you’ve ever felt before flooding your veins as you let his words sink in.

“And I will be here to help ease those doubts whenever you have them.” You say, staring deeply into his eyes as you do so. “Recovery is a tricky path, so no more blaming yourself for things that are both out of your control and not your fault.”

“The same goes for you, Baby,” he nudges your knee playfully with his own.

You smile faintly. “Okay.”

In one swift movement, he steals the mango from your hand. “Come on, we have some baking to do.”

You giggle, and the smile that lights up his features in response sets your heart racing.

“I’ll be right there, there’s just something I need to do first.” You stand with him, stretching out your back all the while. At the way he quirks his brow at you, you’re quick to shoo him away. “I promise I’ll be right there this time.”

“Alright,” he replies, somewhat skeptically. “I’ll go get the ingredients ready.”

“Alright, Baby,” you chuckle, watching as he disappears behind the doors to the library in the next second.

For a minute, you simply stand there, allowing the atmosphere of the garden to surround you fully for the second time that day. Then, you’re taking a deep breath to steady your nerves. There’s another male you wish to speak to right now. A male who you know cherishes this space as much as you do.

You brush lightly against that red string.

Instantly, Hongjoong appears in front of you, worry creasing his brow. Only, before he can say anything, you’re speaking.

“I’m sorry.”

You can tell he’s caught off guard by your words, for he blinks in surprise at you.

“You made this space for me, and I let her taint what it means to the both of us.” You avoid his gaze for the moment, shame washing over your entire figure as your shoulders curl in on yourself. “I know how much thought you put into this house - into everything that you do, and I was willing to push that aside because of one bad memory in this place.” You pause. “Because of her.”

“My Love-“

“When did you add the hyacinths?” Your voice is somewhat small, eyes briefly darting up to catch his gaze.

You notice he swallows thickly, averting his own gaze somewhat nervously.

“The day after everything happened.” He replies after a moment, clearing his throat all the while. “I added them as soon as I saw what she did to this place.”

You nod your understanding, heart squeezing painfully in your chest. “And the snapdragons?”

“The day after that.” His voice is rough as he now avoids your gaze.

You take a step in towards him, and you notice how his bottom lip is caught between his teeth. His hands tremble, and his eyes shine with unshed tears as you gently reach up to cup his face in your palms. Yet still, he refuses to meet your eyes.

“Hongjoong,” your expression falls the slightest bit, “please, look at me.”

Hesitantly, he complies with your wish.

“You haven’t stopped blaming yourself for this, have you?” Your tone is soft, synonymous with the tender caress of your thumbs against his cheeks. “For what she’s done. For what she continues to do to us.”

The first of his tears begin to fall from his eyes.

“How can I not?” His voice cracks, giving away just how broken he feels inside. “You couldn’t even look at certain parts of this house after she tarnished our sacred space. I should have protected you better. I should have known-”

His eyes squeeze shut, more tears falling freely down his face and onto the skin of your hands.

“It’s not your fault, Hongjoong.” You brush his tears away gently. “I made you believe it was, and I cannot apologize enough for that.”

“No-“

“I want you to be honest with me right now,” you cut him off almost instantly. “Did you think me avoiding this place was because I didn’t want to be reminded of you? Of how you thought that I felt you failed me?”

His silence speaks volumes.

“When did you really add those hyacinths, Hongjoong?” You search his gaze, feeling the way his whole being practically deflates in your hold. “I know you’re well versed in the language of flowers, and the fact that they’re purple says a lot to me.”

A brief pause as he hesitates in his response.

He looks down at his hands.

“Three days ago.” The admission feels like a condemnation on his part.

The day you got back from the dragon’s nest after falling from the sky. The day you slept for nearly twenty-four hours due to your high emotions and trauma response. The day he saw first hand just how scared of him you could be.

Your argument over how to get Jongho back probably didn’t help one bit.

“Oh, Hongjoong,” your expression falls, heart aching as you fall to your knees before him. Gently, you press your forehead to his hands, tears gathering in the corners of your eyes for the second time that day. “Words cannot express how much I regret ever making you feel like this. I was never avoiding reminders of you. I love you. I was avoiding her, but in doing so, I hurt you. I’ve never once blamed you for any of this, but I can only imagine the doubt you must have felt, especially over the last few days.”

The violent sobs that wrack his body tell you everything you need to know as he collapses to his knees in front of you. Almost instantly, he falls into your embrace, and you begin to gently card your fingers through his hair, cooing to him all the while.

“You are not responsible for any of this, Hongjoong.” You voice softly. “I’m sorry for ever making you think that, and I’m sorry I kept my true emotions from all of you. I should have been more honest with how she was affecting my memories of our spaces. Maybe then this all could have been avoided.”

You feel him shake his head against you. “You were only doing what you thought was best for you.”

“Sometimes what I want is not what I need.” You mutter. “I wanted to avoid her, and in turn I’ve been avoid our home and all of you. What I needed was to realize that, and to understand that nothing has changed. The only variant was her, and you have all ensured that she cannot hurt me anymore.”

“Nothing will ever hurt you again.” He tightens his grip around you, managing to get his breathing back under control. “Not while I’m here to protect you.”

You chuckle fondly. “It seems all of you share that sentimentality.”

He cracks a halfhearted grin. “So it would seem.”

As they should. As they always will. Even if it’s the last thing they ever do.

You hold him tighter.

“I’m sorry, My Love,” you breathe out, making sure to keep your voice low as you bury your face into the side of his neck. “I won’t allow her to get in-between us again.”

Turning his head slightly, Hongjoong presses his lips against the side of your temple. He lets his kiss linger for a while, holding you to him as if you may just slip right through his arms if he doesn’t.

“I appreciate you saying all of this to me, My Love,” he hums, finally managing to get his emotions back under control. “You have eased my mind more than you’ll ever know.”

The corners of your lips twitch upwards, a brief memory of your shared conversation flitting through your mind from the last time the two of you had a heart to heart in the garden.

“All is well between us now, My Love.” He places another kiss to the side of your temple. “At least, I think it is.”

He pulls away to stare into your eyes, searching your gaze for any signs you might be hiding something from him again. Something that you believe might burden him if you admit to.

“I think so, too,” you smile faintly, leaning in to peck his cheek lightly.

“I believe there are some others that might benefit from a conversation like this with you, too.” He says casually, standing back to his feet and helping you back to yours almost immediately

“I believe you’re right.” You hum, settling into the comfort of his embrace with his arm around your shoulders. “For now, San is expecting me in the kitchen.”

Hongjoong quirks a brow, “Is he, now?”

“We’re baking cookies.” You grin, wiggling excitedly in his hold.

“Finally succumbing to his desires of cooking with you, are you?” Hongjoong teases.

“I was the one who suggested it.” You reply, beginning to exit the garden with Hongjoong right beside you.

He laughs, “Even better.”

Your brow quirks, somewhat knowingly. “I have a feeling that he’s not the only one with those types of more… domestic desires.”

“No, he most certainly isn’t.” Hongjoong grins. “I’m quite certain we all have things we wish to indulge in with you at some point that aren’t apart of our greater indulgences.”

“Everything I do with you guys feels like a greater indulgence,” you admit. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been this spoiled in my life.”

Hongjoong smiles wide as you both enter the kitchen together.

“Get used to it, Baby,” San glances up from the counter where he’s already taken the liberty to lay out some bowls and baking ingredients. A grin tugs at his lips, an eagerness unlike anything you’ve seen before shines within his eyes. “We enjoy pleasing you more than you’ll ever know.”

It’s slight, but you cannot help the way your breath hitches in your throat. Though, what really gets you is the not so innocent smile San sends your way as you meet his gaze.

“Yeah, yeah.” You huff out a laugh, playfully rolling your eyes. “It’s the corset pictures all over again.”

The two males share a look.

“Well, if you’re offering…” Hongjoong grins deviously.

You slap his arm teasingly, mouth parting in shock, “Joongie!”

“You’re the one who brought them up,” San singsongs from behind the counter.

You shake your head, a loving smile pulling at your lips as you separate from Hongjoong in order to join San behind the counter. You can hear them chuckle as you mutter to yourself about your ‘damn horny Kings’ once more.

Not even a minute later, Hongjoong takes his leave. Well, it’s more of San pointedly glaring at him until Hongjoong casually says that he has some other things to attend to. You laugh at this, poking San on his cheek again as you tease him about monopolizing all of your alone time.

“Is it that bad that I want you all to myself sometimes, Baby?” He wraps his arms around you, burying his face into the side of your neck all the while.

“Not at all,” you hum, practically melting into his embrace.

The next hour is spent with him in the kitchen, laughing and joking around as you teach him how to make your favourite cookies. Every word you speak, every instruction you give him, he listens to eagerly, insisting that he do all of the heavy mixing. It’s only when the cookies are finally in the oven, you standing at the sink cleaning what you can of the used dishes, that you feel him step up behind you once more.

“I love you.” His arms are wrapped securely around your waist, his chest pressed firmly against your back as he nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck.

You smile, relaxing into his touch. “I love you, too, Sannie.”

“Thank you, for indulging in multiple of my hobbies with me today.” He says lowly, squeezing your waist a little bit tighter. “It truly means more to me than you’ll ever know.”

“Of course, Baby.” You turn your head just as he rests his chin on your shoulder, managing to place a tender kiss onto the side of his cheek. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a while. I’m just glad we finally got to.”

He giggles, a large grin spreading across his face as he holds you close. Even when you finally finish the dishes, and the timer dings on the stove, he refuses to let you go.

“Sannie! My cookies!” You whine, though it comes out more of a laugh than anything.

“What about them?” He hums, waddling around the kitchen with you in his arms.

“They’re going to burn!”

He shakes his head against your own. “No, they won’t.”

In the blink of an eye, he’s removed the trays from the oven, setting the cookies aside to cool. Another blink, and he’s back to holding you in his arms as the oven cools down.

“You’re worse than a koala.” You tease, poking his arm lightly.

He whines in response, a pout tugging at his lips that you manage to catch in the reflection of the glass paneling of the cupboards. “I’m the cutest koala, though, right?” 

You chuckle, “If you say so.”

A loud, scandalized gasp escapes him. “I’m the cutest koala, and you know it!”

“Do I?” You hum, clearly amused by his antics.

“I’m not letting you go until you admit that I’m your cutest koala.” He tightens his grip, burying his face into the side of your neck once more. Only this time, he begins placing tender kisses against your skin, managing to tickle you all the while.

You begin to squirm in his grip, desperately attempting to free yourself as you giggle.

“Okay, okay!” You practically melt into his embrace. “You’re my cutest koala.”

You can feel the smirk that pulls onto his lips as his chest shakes in laughter. “Victory.”

“Now, will you let me go so I can finally taste our baking?” You struggle to waddle yourself over to the now (hopefully) cooled cookies on the rack.

Instantly, he’s in front of you, offering a cookie to you while he holds one for himself in his other hand. Graciously, you take it, breaking it in half and smiling at the softness that greets you. The inside is still a bit warm, too.

“I can see why these are your favourite,” he hums, nodding in approval as the sweet treat melts in his mouth.

“Looks like you owe another thing to Reina,” you joke, popping the rest of your cookie into your mouth.

“Maybe I’ll help you set her up with Sudaem in thanks.” San wiggles his brows suggestively.

Your brow quirks eagerly, “I like the way you think.”

Grabbing a plate from the cupboard, you place some cookies on top of it. You have some other males you wish to see before the day is done, and besides, you didn’t just make these for you.

The way each male’s eyes light up as you peek your head into their spaces, bringing with you a plate of cookies has your heart warming. San, of course, follows behind you like an overexcited puppy, revelling in his brother’s praises of your baking as much as you are.

Honestly, you’re just glad that they’re enjoying the sweets so much. So much so, in fact, that you see both Jongho and Wooyoung fighting over the ones you left untouched in the kitchen when you return. Never would any of you have expected Yeosang to be the one to swoop in and steal the plate right from their hands, though.

The chase that ensued was comical, ending with a broken plate and scattered cookie crumbs across the floor. You swear you even see Seonghwa shed a tear when he walks out of his tailor shop to see the catastrophe right before his eyes.

“Don’t worry, boys,” you chuckle. “I can go make more.”

Which is exactly how you find yourself making a few more dozen batches with San, both Wooyoung and Mingi eagerly sitting at the counter the whole time to keep you two company.

Truly, you’re grateful for moments like these. They make you remember that everything will be okay, even if the path you’re walking is still uncertain. The fact that they’ll all be with you every step of the way only makes it that much sweeter, your heart warming as you simply enjoy the moment with Your Kings that this evening brings.

The next day, you spend training with both Mingi and Hongjoong. You want to get out some pent up frustration, and the practice had been long overdue. Luckily, you do not do anything too intensive, simply going over everything that you’ve already learned, and working to perfect it as best as you can.

You all agree that it would be best to save the teaching of new techniques for next week.

The day after that, you brave Yunho’s art room. The exchange is just as emotional as the garden, the two of you falling into each other’s embrace for comfort as you are so prone to do. It is much needed, and you find that with each space that you reclaim, you can feel yourself regaining parts of yourself that you had thought you had lost.

Well, perhaps not lost, per se, but those parts that have now undergone a strong rebirth.

Now, you are stronger, and feeling much more secure in both yourself and your relationships with all of them. Although everything is still a bit rocky, you’re happy with the progress that you’re making, and you just know that they feel the exact same way as you.

Over the next three days, you rotate where you spend your time. One day is spent in the garden, Mingi being the one to join you this time. The next is spent with Yunho again in his art room. He claimed to want to paint you again, and you certainly were not going to deny him. The final day is spent with both Jongho and Hongjoong in the library, simply relaxing in each other’s comforting presence as you spent the time reading together. 

Each day, you feel better, until a full week has passed since that day in the garden with San. 

There’s a funny feeling in your chest when you wake up that morning, a sort of tightness you haven’t felt in a while. A tightness which you think you’re starting to understand.

It’s time to let go.

Taking a deep breath in, you exit your room.

The steps that you take down the hallway are careful, each movement precise as you approach the two rooms that rest at the end. The moment you reach the one door, you peer through the window, noticing how the lights seem to be turned off. No one appears to be using the studio for the moment, and before you can open the door, you stop yourself.

Suddenly, your mouth goes dry, and your hand which had been hovering above the handle slowly retracts back to your side. You don’t even need to look down to feel the tremble in your hand.

Perhaps you’ll do the other thing you had in mind first, and take it from there.

Turning back to face the end of the hallway, you walk towards the music room. Not much has changed about the space since the last time you saw it, save for the brand new baby grand piano that sits near the large bay windows. Even Yeosang’s violin rests in its regular spot, perfectly placed and shining in the light of the midmorning sun.

You smile softly to yourself, remembering the very first time he played for you.

Turning back to the piano, you slowly approach the bench. Gently, your hand trails over the lid, propping it open carefully as you attempt to keep your hands from shaking.

You are safe.

She can’t hurt you anymore.

Tugging the bench out, you sit before the keys, feeling a comforting brush of fur against your leg. Looking down reveals Kuroo staring up at you with those wide, golden eyes of his. Of course, he’s quick to hop onto the window bench, curling up in the exact same position that he was in the very first time that you played in this room.

You think back on that now, and what it meant to you then.

Gosh, you feel like an entirely different person now compared to only a few months ago. Then again, you probably are.

You spare a glance down at the keys.

That most certainly isn’t a bad thing. After all, this time when you play, you’ll be playing for you.

Taking another deep breath in, you begin.

You start with a familiar favourite like always, the opening notes of Moonlight Sonata filling the room as you lose yourself to the music.

For about forty minutes, you go through multiple classical pieces you’ve known since you were young, allowing the melodies to surround you and comfort you like they always have. You fumble a few times on certain songs that you haven’t played in a while, but you have long since stopped caring. Right now, this is for you, and you aren’t attempting to be perfect. In fact, that’s the whole point.

Though, that’s not all you came here to do.

For a brief moment, you pause, allowing the stillness of the silence of the room to settle over you. You take the time to stretch out your back, cracking your knuckles while you’re at it before straightening in your seat. There are two more songs you wish to perform for yourself as a final goodbye to the person you once were, and everything that you’ve been through. Only, you know that the lyrics can be taken a certain way, and the last thing you want is for any of them to believe that you’re singing about them.

So, you tell them.

These next songs aren’t about you. You drop your void for the moment. These are for me. So please, do not think the words are aimed at any of you. I need this. For me.

Alright, Petal, It’s Yunho who answers you first. We understand.

You smile, somewhat sorrowfully. Thank you.

Just as you go to close your void, you hesitate. Then, probably against your better judgement, you decide to leave it down for the time being. After all, you did promise to be more open with them about your emotions going forward.

The opening notes to Adele’s Someone Like You fill the room not even a moment later. You begin to perform for yourself, for the life you lost, and for the person who you are sure to become.

The perspective you decide to take with this song is your current self singing to your past self. The past self that you lost when Miyeon finally broke you is finally being acknowledged, and, oh, how fitting some of the lyrics seem to be to your exact situation.

You never thought you would settle down, so to say, but you were proved wrong in the best of ways.

Looking into mirrors the first few days and seeing your face shortly after the incident had happened had been a challenge. Every time you saw yourself, it felt as if you were looking at a ghost. A ghost of yourself that you hadn’t realized you needed to let go of in order to begin healing like you so badly needed to do.

“Never mind, I’ll find someone like you,” Your old self will continue to strengthen your current self. After all, people do not change over night. However, that being said, you need to let your past self go in order to thrive in the present.

“I wish nothing but the best for you, too.” Now, you picture yourself having a conversation with your old self, her saying this to you in your current state.

“Don’t forget me, I beg,” Still your past self urging you never to forget the good memories you’ve always had with her.

“I’ll remember, you said.” Your current self reassuring your past self that you’ll never forget, but you’ll still be okay.

“Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead.” The corner of your lips quirk upwards, a sense of melancholy settling over your being as you continue into the second verse.

The whole time you sing, your thoughts and feelings echo shameless through each of their minds. Graciously, they follow along with your journey, tears gathering in their eyes as they see you talking to yourself and assuring yourself in ways that they know only you can.

No matter what, they will still support you in whatever ways that they can. Right now, they will do so by listening and understanding all that you are doing for yourself through your music. Yet, there is no denying that all of you understand that you are saying goodbye to your past self in your own way.

The second you reach the final verse, your own tears begin to fall. Saying goodbye to a part of yourself that you had been stolen from you, that had been torn from your very soul is no easy task. However, with each word you sing, you feel a weight lifting from your chest. Slowly, you begin to feel lighter, and by the time the final notes ring out in the room, your smile has brightened, and you can breathe a bit easier.

Now, for the final, and possibly most important song.

This time, when the opening notes for Panic! At the Disco’s This Is Gospel ring out, you imagine that it’s the part of yourself that you are saying goodbye to singing to your current self, reassuring you that everything will be okay.

With each note, your voice becomes stronger, solidifying who you are in this moment, and who you are surely bound to become.

“If you love me, let me go.” The tears you had managed to get under control only minutes before stream freely down your face as you repeat the phrase of the song once more.

This song has always meant a lot to you, and now that you can fully apply it to your current situation, you find the lyrics truly resonating with you. Especially the next ones that fall from your lips, “The fear of falling apart.”

This is you telling yourself that everything will be okay.

“I won’t give up without a fight.” There is extra emphasis put on those words in particular, even if you are currently unaware of that fact.

With every note that you hit, and every word you sing, your voice becomes stronger. The music rises in a crescendo as you finally break free of all of your past worries and doubts. Finally, you lay your old self to rest, and as the final notes ring out through the air, you feel like a newer, stronger person.

You close your void.

For five minutes, you simply sit there at that piano, letting everything you’ve just expelled through your playing linger around you in the room. A soft smile rests on your features as you keep your eyes closed, wiping at your final tears that cling to your cheeks.

For the first time in a long time, your head is clear, and those lingering fears and doubts begin to recede.

The feeling of a gentle hand placing itself onto your back makes you jump slightly. Turning your body, you blink your eyes open to see Yeosang standing behind you, tears of his own having cut tracks down the side of his face.

“Dearest-“

You nearly knock over the bench as you stand to your feet, wrapping him in your arms as he does the same for you. He holds you tightly, cradling the back of your head gently in his hand as you bury your face into the side of his neck. Soothingly, he caresses your spine.

“Thank you,” he swallows thickly, “for sharing this with us.”

You tighten your grip around him, a peaceful smile pulling at your lips.

“Thank you for listening.”

[strangertides]

{9} - Paradise Gardens - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Book Two to Hotel California

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humour

Pairing: Ateez X Reader (Slight focus on Jongho)

Words: 12,135

Warnings: Violence. Arguments and verbal fights. OC gets some sense slapped into them by Reina, literally. Mentions of blood and of small cuts being inflicted to a wrist to draw blood. Mental Illness: mentions of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: Not me staying up to post this when I have work in a few hours lmfaoooo anyways, this chapter turned out much longer than I expected! So, yay!! I'm quite happy with how it turned out, cause I feel like the stress of the situation is a sort of catalyst to the argument that ensues. I'm just glad I was able to get in everything that I wanted. It definitely starts off a bit tense, but the ending is quite light and happy. Also, potential smut next chapter anyone? 👀 As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Also, gentle reminder that I don’t do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight

The moment Yeosang feels you brush against his mind, he’s appearing in Reina’s apartment.

“Sweet baby, Jesus.” Reina places a hand over her racing heart as he now stands across from her in the living room. “You weren’t kidding when you said they can just appear.”

“I told you,” you chuckle, moving over to stand beside him. 

You notice that she rests just a tad bit shorter than him as she looks him over, her arms crossed over her chest.

“So, you’re Yeosang.” She takes a moment to look him up and down. “The musician.”

“And you’re Reina.” His brow quirks slightly in amusement. “The best friend.”

“The one and only.” She grins, tucking the tome further beneath her arm. “Though, you had longer, blond hair the first time we met.”

Yeosang spares a glance at you out of the corner of his eyes. “That I did.”

Briefly, you lean into him, explaining lowly what Reina remembers of the incident.

He nods in understanding.

“So,” Reina’s voice draws both of your attention back to her, “you play the violin.”

“I do.” Yeosang confirms with another brief nod of his head.

“A little birdie told me that you learned a specific melody for her.” There’s a knowing lilt to her voice as she says this. “Well done.”

The corners of Yeosang’s lips quirk upwards. A certain pride begins to fill his chest seeing as he cannot get a read on Reina’s thoughts anymore. There seems to be a spell blocking her mind from his, keeping her opinion of him secret. Though, from what she’s implying right now, he assumes that he’s gotten her approval. Or at least, some of it.

“You can do your best friend interrogation later,” you step over to playfully nudge her shoulder. “We’ve got another pressing matter to attend to.”

“Right, right,” she waves you off as the two of you step back over to Yeosang. “Sorry, I can’t help it. Now that I know, I need to make sure they pass my inspection and everything. They may be Kings, but I’m still your best friend.”

You snort out a laugh just as Yeosang places a hand onto each one of your shoulders.

“You know that your approval of them won’t change how I feel.” You grin. “Also, brace yourself: bend your knees, and close your eyes. It helps with the nausea the first few times.”

You barely make out the confused furrow of her brow when Yeosang is teleporting the three of you back home. Once the foyer is in view, you notice Reina stumble forward, and you immediately move to steady her on her feet.

“I warned you,” you chuckle, helping her straighten back upright.

“I don’t think there’s a proper warning for that.” She grumbles, brushing some stray flyaways out of her eyes. She blinks a few times after that, further clearing her vision.

From down the hallway, you notice a few of the other guys file out of Jongho’s room. The commotion must have drawn their attention, and you watch as Reina tenses ever so slightly as the commanding presences of the Kings of the Realm washes over her. The worried pull of their brows could definitely be mistaken for looks of irritation.

Only, she doesn’t have a chance to dwell on it all that much for Sudaem is stepping out of the room.

A gasp of awe escapes Reina, bypassing all of the males to walk right up to the gorgon.

“You must be Sudaem.” She extends her hand out to the female. “I’m Reina, baby caster. Nice to meet ya!”

Sudaem seems taken aback by Reina’s forwardness, and you can only chuckle fondly as you lightly push your best friend into the room.

“We can do proper introductions later.” You finally step into Jongho’s bedroom, seeing that he hasn’t moved a single inch since you last left him two hours ago. Stella seems to be absent as well. “We’re on a tight schedule here.”

“I’ve prepared everything that I could,” Sudaem addresses you. “There are a few things left that the spell requires, other than the caster’s performance.”

“What else does the spell need?” You inquire, watching as Sudaem moves over to the side to grab her own spell book that has been resting open on top of the dresser this whole time. Wordlessly, she hands it to Reina.

“It will need your blood, since you are connected to him in such a way currently.” She says, bringing a brass bowl filled with ash root, along with a few other things, over to you.

Carefully, Reina places her own tome down onto the dresser, balancing the other spell book effortlessly in her hand. You can see her eyes darting over the words on the page, and you just know that she’s taking in all of the instructions with excruciating detail. Her mind is practically racing behind her eyes, suddenly feeling the pressure of this moment building on her shoulders.

“This is a complex spell.” She comments, worried gaze darting over to you.

“It is.” Sudaem is the one to answer, a nod to her head as she holds the bowl beneath your wrist.

You turn to look at the males standing at the side of the room. “I’m going to need a blade.”

You can see the hesitation on their faces even before they say anything.

“If this is going to work-“

“We know, Dearest,” Yeosang grimaces. “We just don’t ever like seeing you injured, no matter the context.”

“I understand that,” you incline your head. “But-“

“I’ll do it,” Hongjoong steps forward, a small dagger appearing in his hand and glinting beneath the candlelight that illuminates the room.

The curtains have long since been drawn, blocking out any and all natural light. Even the door to Jongho’s room has been closed since you’ve all reentered it, only the faint flickering of the flames causing shadows to dance over the walls.

Carefully, Hongjoong grabs your wrist in his free hand, thumb gently stroking over your unmarred skin. He glances upwards briefly, noticing how you nod subtly at him. A small, reassuring smile tugs at the corner of your lips.

“How much blood is needed?” He directs his question towards Sudaem, not even bothering to break eye contact with you.

“At least five drops.” She replies instantly, holding the bowl steady all the while.

Hongjoong nods his understanding, and you can sense the tension in the room radiating off of the others as he brings the edge of the blade to your skin. A flick of his wrist and blood begins dripping into the bowl beneath you. Yet, as always, the pain of such a wound never comes, and from how intently he seems to be staring at your wrist, you know that he has something to do with it.

Not even ten seconds later, Hongjoong’s thumb is tracing over the small incision. Smooth skin replaces the open wound as he heals you without another word, turning his sharp gaze briefly to Sudaem. She scurries away, moving beside Reina with the bowl after hearing his silent command loud and clear.

This should be plenty of blood, anyways.

“All that’s left is to cast the spell,” Sudaem says, and you notice how everyone’s gaze suddenly turns to Reina.

She blinks. “No pressure, or anything.”

“If you can summon the Eight Kings without knowing what you are, you should have no issues with this spell.” Sudaem comments, and you sense the slightest bit of reassurance leaking into her tone.

Your brow quirks slightly.

Taking a candle into her hand, Reina holds it just above the brass bowl that Sudaem clutches beside her. Lightly, she tilts it, allowing the wax to begin dripping into the mixture periodically. Steam begins to rise from the bowl as Reina begins chanting, focussing her energy into casting this spell for the time being.

The bowl bursts into flames, Reina’s voice echoing throughout the room and commanding your attention. Faintly her eyes begin to glow, the whites taking over every visible colour as an intense wind kicks up inside of the room.

You hold your breath, feeling Hongjoong place a comforting hand onto your shoulder just as you reach for Jongho’s own. You can tell that you’re not the only one holding on to another as a lifeline in this moment, worry clear on all of your features as you glance between Reina and Jongho continuously.

The blaze within the bowl begins to die down, along with the wind. Not even a moment later, all of the candles go out, and the room is shrouded in darkness.

Subconsciously, you tighten your hold on Jongho’s hand.

A blink, and both Mingi and San have relit the candles, bathing the room in a warm amber glow once more. The bowl still smokes, but no longer are Reina’s eyes glowing. The only difference seems to be the rise and fall of her chest as she desperately fills her lungs with air.

“Did it work?” She meets your gaze, a sort of hesitance to her voice.

Some complicated spell that was, there weren’t even multiple components to it.

Quickly, you turn your head to face Jongho, noting the steady rise and fall of his own chest. You don’t notice any physical changes, so you lean into him, lifting your free hand to caress the side of his face.

The whole room goes still, anticipation lingering throughout. Not even the flickering sound of the flames can be heard as you all watch Jongho intently, waiting for that tell tale sign of movement beneath his lids.

Except, it never comes.

Your whole body freezes, heart suffocating painfully inside your chest.

“It didn’t work…” your voice is small, words nothing more than a whisper on your lips.

Tears begin to well in your eyes as your throat tightens. You were betting everything on this spell, not even bothering to think of the consequences of it not working. You had faith in Reina, and you had faith in him.

“You must have done something wrong.” Mingi rounds on Reina, a stern frown pulling at his features.

The gorgon shakes her head, devastation clear on her features. “She didn’t.”

“Did we have all the proper ingredients?” Yunho directs his question towards Sudaem, stepping in beside the stunned gorgon.

Sudaem stands there, hands trembling as she clutches the bowl in front of her. Her lips part periodically, like a fish out of water as her snakes begin shifting restlessly over her head. Her slate grey eyes shine with unshed tears, fear freezing her to her spot.

“It should have worked,” she whispers, whole body beginning to shake. “We did everything right: the ingredients, the preparation, the caster.”

“We knew there was going to be a possibility that it wouldn’t.” Seonghwa keeps his voice low, though you can still hear the panic seeping into his tone.

“Are we sure it was the right spell?” San begins pacing, his hand coming up to support his chin as his mind races with what to do.

“It has to be,” Sudaem answers lowly, blinking a few times to clear her vision. “There’s no other spell he could be under, and this is the only one I know to bring him back.”

You opt to remain quiet, mind reeling with all of this information, and lack there of around you. Desperately, you attempt to come up with a solution for a problem you don’t know all of the variables for, drawing a blank each time.

Hesitantly, Reina shifts over to the dresser. She places the spell book in her hands gently on top of the wood, pulling her own tome closer to herself. Slowly, she begins flipping through the pages, skimming through the words until she finds the section she’s looking for. Once she does, her eyes dart over the lines quickly, brain scrambling to comprehend everything going on around her.

A call of your name from her draws your attention.

“Don’t dissociate just yet, and get your ass over here.” Reina states, quite firmly, without taking her gaze away from the book.

Wordlessly, you move over to her side.

“Dissociate?” There’s a hint of worry to Wooyoung’s voice.

Reina points to the page for you to read before turning around to face the others in the room.

“She’s about to get into her own head again,” she blinks, crossing her arms as she leans back against the dresser. “Can you not see the signs?”

A low warning growl escapes San’s lips.

“Don’t growl at her.” You turn your head to look at him from over your shoulder, brow tugging downwards disapprovingly. “She’s only trying to help.”

Without waiting for a response, you turn back around. Reading the words on the page explaining the ‘Veil of the Hypnos’ spell keeps you grounded for the moment, head spinning with what you can do to save Jongho.

“You all need to keep talking.” Reina instructs. “I’m still new at this whole witching thing, but tell me everything you know about this curse he’s under.”

The several males all share a brief look, but it’s Sudaem who speaks first. Calmly, she explains all that she knows about the spell to Reina. Everything that she’s already told you.

Your body goes still, mind churning as you hear the details once more.

“So, he’s stuck in a plane between this world and the next.” You state, blinking blankly down at the page before you.

“Every second lost he could be straying further from his body.” Sudaem confirms, fingers nervously wringing together. “Not to mention what else creeps through the veil.”

You swallow thickly, lips pursing into a thin line. Softly, you begin to nod to yourself.

Reina spares a look at you out of the corner of her eyes. “I know that look.”

“We just need to bring him back to his body.” You’re somewhat just speaking out loud at this point, but you do not shift your eyes away from that page open before you.

The words ‘connection’ and ‘high emotion’ practically glare back up at you.

You turn to look at Reina.

A silent conversation seems to be happening between the both of you. She tilts her head in inquiry, to which your eyes widen exasperatedly. A moment later, her brow furrows in concern while you begin to nod quite eagerly.

“No.” Her tone is firm as she shakes her head. “No way in hell.”

“What?” There’s an even bigger look of worry pulling on Wooyoung’s face as he looks between the two of you.

“Three-hundred and fourteen seconds.” You say. “That’s all you need to give me.”

“That’s just over five minutes.” Hongjoong’s brow furrows in confusion, his arms crossing over his chest.

“Read the page and tell me that that’s not what it’s implying.” You practically slap your hand over the tome open on the dresser beside you. “I can bring him back."

“There is no way I am putting you under the same curse as him just so you can, what? Stumble your way through the veil and attempt to find him?” She replies, her eyebrows practically raising into her hair as her voice rises in pitch. “I am not killing my best friend. That spell hitting you is suicide.”

A hushed understanding passes over the room and panic immediately seizes each male.

“You’re thinking what?” Seonghwa’s eyes look about ready to bug right out of his head, needing to rest a hand against the wall for support.

“Not if I’m prepared for it!” You counter. 

“We’re not putting you under to lose you, too.” San’s voice is firm, a hint of desperation shining through as he looks to you.

“Petal, we need to think this through.” Yunho’s worried tone comes through, his heart pounding restlessly in his chest.

“I have thought it through.” You turn to them. “If this is the only way we can get Jongho back-“

“It’s not the only way.” Sudaem cuts in, her eyes somewhat glazed over as she stares at the ground in thought.

“It doesn’t matter!” Wooyoung is frantic, crossing the distance between the two of you in an instant and holding you at arms length. “We just got you back! We can’t lose you again.”

“This is my choice, Woo.” You reply, placing your own hands gently atop of his own and sliding them from your shoulders.

“No,” San shakes his head. “You’re not thinking clearly.”

“This is insane.” Mingi begins pacing, pulling at his roots once more.

“I’m thinking perfectly fine.” You reply calmly, turning meeting Hongjoong’s wide eyed gaze. “Wasn’t it you who told me that the first step to sanity is embracing the insane?”

“Now is not the time to be arguing about this.” Yeosang crosses his arms over his chest. “Dearest, you can’t say something as reckless as that right now. We might lose our brother, don’t make it so we lose you, too.”

“You won’t lose me.” You shake your head.

“You don’t know that!” There’s genuine fear in Seonghwa’s eyes as he falls to his knees. He looks about ready to start pleading with you in a moment, genuine desperation clear on his features.

“The spell didn’t work when we tried it on Jongho to bring him back,” Hongjoong attempts to keep his voice calm, levelheaded. “What makes you so certain it will work to bring the both of you back this time?”

“I’m connected to all of you, aren’t I?” Your gaze darts around the room, and you notice how Mingi, Seonghwa, and Wooyoung have all started to cry.

“Starlight-“

“Hold the fuck up!” Reina cuts in, furious gaze locked on you. “Are you negating the fact that I will not be casting such a spell on my own fucking best friend?”

“Reina-“

“Don’t you, ‘Reina’ me! I’ll admit, we’ve done some stupid fucking shit before, but this takes the cake!” She slams her hand on top of the dresser beside her. “Do you realize what you’re fucking asking of me? In front of them no less?”

Her free hand points in the several male’s direction, clear panic on her features.

“I understand-“

“I don’t think you do!” Her eyes blaze with an unrivalled fury, the whites of her eyes beginning to glow.

“Um, excuse me-“ A timid voice attempts to cut through the thicket of booming arguments being thrown around the room.

“They would be doing the exact same thing for me right now if I had been the one to actually get hit!” You counter, arm flinging out in the direction of the bed Jongho rests upon to point at him. Briefly, your gaze darts around the room. “You’re telling me that none of you would be thinking any differently if you knew that this was your only option left?”

“There’s a difference, Dearest,” Yeosang grimaces. “We are not human.”

“Excuse me-“ The voice is a little firmer this time, but still gets ignored.

“Don’t you dare play the entities card on me right now.” The tears of frustration you so desperately attempt to hold back begin to streak down your face. “What happened to us being equals?”

You fail to miss the side-eyed glance Reina gives you, backing away slowly from the rising tension in the room.

“That’s not fair, and you know it.” Mingi’s voice is low as he freezes in his spot.

“No, what’s not fair is the double standard you all have when it comes to doing things for me.” You counter, voice rough with the rawness of your emotions. “So, you all can risk your lives for me whenever it pleases you, but when I wish to do the same for one of you it’s suddenly not okay? I’m the reason Jongho is in this godforsaken mess in the first place. Am I not allowed to want to right my wrong? Am I not allowed to want to save a man I love?”

“You know we’ve never blamed you for this, Baby.” San states, wiping away his tears using the back of his hand.

“Petal, we’ve talked about this,” Yunho grimaces slightly, taking a half step towards you only for you to avoid his reach.

“If this is the only option we have, then I will gladly sacrifice myself for someone that I love.” You see the devastation on their faces as soon as the words are out of your mouth.

“But, what about us?” Wooyoung’s voice is small, probably the quietest you’ve ever heard him.

“What about you?” You cross you arms over your chest, a slight frown pulling at your features.

“Are you that desperate to ignore our own feelings on the matter?” San meets your gaze, and you can feel your throat tighten.

“Of course not!” You immediately reply, shaking your head.

“We swore that we would always protect you, and now you want to risk your life for a plan that might not even work?” Mingi shifts restlessly from foot to foot, his hair sticking out in odd ends.

“We don’t know it won’t work.” You reason. “Besides, I’ve survived much worse than some measly little curse.”

Collectively, their breaths hitch.

“Don’t go there.” Seonghwa’s hands brace himself on the floor, his tears spilling freely onto the hardwood beneath his palms.

A low, warning call of your name sounds from Reina.

“We have already almost lost you more times than we ever thought we would,” Hongjoong states, keeping his voice low. “Don’t add another mark to the tally.”

“Then, what are we supposed to do, Hongjoong?” Your hands desperately run over the top of your head, fingers digging into the skin of your skull.

He remains silent, the others offering no other solutions, either.

“This is my choice,” you breathe out. “A choice I know all of you would be making if that were me on that bed right now.”

“Do you even hear yourself right now?” Wooyoung replies, quite exasperatedly. “Your guilt is blinding you from reason!”

“You think I’m doing this solely out of guilt?” You turn your gaze to the younger demon standing near you, your eyes blazing with a sort of pained fear. “That’s not fair and you know it.”

“Do you think that we don’t know exactly what you’re going through right now? That we don’t understand exactly how you’re feeling?” Seonghwa’s voice is strained, glancing up at you through tear filled eyes. “What’s not fair is you making light of the worst night of our lives.”

Your breath catches, and you swear your heart stops. A second later, and your hands are balling into fists at your sides.

“Do you really think that night was any better for me?” Your eyes are bloodshot from all the crying you’re doing, voice cracking as your whole body shakes. “You only got to see the aftermath. I had to live through it! I’m still living it. Every time I close my eyes, if I don’t watch my every goddamn thought, she is there. She is everywhere I look, and she continues to torture me even in death. She has woven herself so deeply into my life that each time I think I pull a thread loose, another appears to take her place.”

“Petal,“ Yunho takes a concerned step towards you again, nothing but sorrow pulling at his features.

“Do you think I’m not terrified to wake up every morning, only to discover that this has all been some elaborate fabrication that she has made in my mind to continue torturing me with?” Your admission has them all freezing in their spots, tears beginning to fall freely down all of their faces. “I never want another person to experience even an ounce of pain that she made me suffer through, and now Jongho could fucking die because of my mistake!”

“Don’t make his sacrifice into something horrific.” Mingi shakes his head, voice barely above a whisper as he attempts to reign in his emotions for the moment. “He would have done what any of us would have in that situation.”

“That’s exactly my point!” You raise your hand a bit exasperatedly in the air. “You cannot avoid the truth that’s always been right in front of you. That’s not fair at all.”

“You think that it’s fair to Wooyoung that you avoid the dance studio because of what she did to you in it?” Yeosang’s voice cutting through the darkness of the room surprises even you. He keeps it steady, watching you with a cautious gaze the whole time.

The aforementioned male remains quiet, a new sense of stillness travelling through the room as Wooyoung suddenly avoids your gaze when you look to him.

“Do you think it’s fair to Seonghwa that you do the same to his tailor shop?” Yeosang adds lowly. San places his hand onto the elder’s shoulder in worry, but Yeosang just shrugs him off before continuing. “You haven’t even looked at the art room or the garden since everything happened. Do you think that’s fair to Yunho? To Hongjoong?”

“Yeosang-“

Yunho’s own worried protest gets cut off by the aforementioned male.

“You haven’t even touched the piano since that day at your parents house,” he continues, keeping his tone steady as he watches you physically trembling before his very eyes. He can tell that you’re doing whatever you can to hold yourself together at this point in time, but you’re simply a moment from falling apart. “Do you think doing something this reckless will reclaim those parts of yourself that you lost? Have you even tried getting them back?”

A brief silence.

“Maybe I don’t want them back.” Your voice is barely above a whisper, yet you fail to realize exactly how your words sound to everyone in that room.

Reina’s eyes are wide as she watches the crestfallen expressions overtake each male’s face. He gaze darts around the room, noticing how nearly all of them barely keep themselves together, whole bodies shaking as the two tallest males fall to their knees.

The sound of the slap reaches your ears before you feel the harsh stinging on your cheek. 

A gasp of surprise escapes Sudaem, her hands coming up to cover her mouth in shock as she stares at the scene before her. Reina’s hand still rests in the air, your head turned harshly to the side as several low warning growls resonate throughout the room.

No matter what the circumstances might be, you are still their Queen, and they will do whatever they can to protect you.

Little do any of you see the way Jongho’s fingers twitch subtly in his sleep.

“How dare you fucking say that in front of me.” Reina’s voice is low as she pulls you upright and holds you firmly at arms length. “Do you even know how that sounded? Directed at them of all people? Pull yourself together. Now is not the time to be arguing about this. You said it yourself, time is of the utmost essence! Sudaem has been trying to tell you all something for the past ten minutes. So, pull your head out of your ass, and stop being a selfish, heartless crab!”

This seems to snap you out of your angry stupor, blinking at your best friend a few times to clear your head. Only, just as you begin to nod along with her words, Reina is torn from you, being pinned to the wall by her throat.

“Don’t you ever speak to My Divine like that again.” Seonghwa’s voice is low as he leans into her, nothing but a harsh whisper on his lips. The eldest looks completely crazed right now, tears streaking down his cheek as his eyes flash in warning.

“Raise your hand against Our Queen like that again, friend or not, and it will be the last thing you ever do.” Wooyoung seethes, gaze pitch black as he stands just behind the eldest for the moment.

“Seonghwa, Wooyoung,” you manage to step over to them, pulling them away from Reina in an instant. “She’s right.” 

Your best friend crumples to the floor, coughing slightly as she attempts to catch her breath.

Turning to face all of the males once more, your shoulders deflate. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“We can talk about it later,” Yunho’s voice is soft as he helps Mingi back to his feet. “Okay, Petal?”

A small nod is all he receives in response.

“Geez! You weren’t kidding when you said they’re extremely over protective.” She wheezes, using you as a support as you help her back to her feet.

“You were the one brave enough to slap me in front of them.” You chuckle, feeling all of their eyes on you.

“More like stupid enough.” A weak smile tugs at her lips as she leans on you for the moment. She lets out a chuckle of her own, teasingly nudging your side. “Well, stupid is as stupid does.”

“She’s slapped you before?” There’s a hint of irritation in Mingi’s voice when he says this, head tilting forward the slightest bit in disbelief.

“We’ve been roughhousing since we’ve been young.” You shrug. “She’s the only one allowed to slap me, and I’m the only one allowed to slap her. Only when we’re being ridiculous, of course.”

“She still hurt you.” San stands tense across the room, hands balled into fists at his sides.

“Because I was hurting you.” You meet his gaze briefly before turning back to face Sudaem. “My apologies, you were going to say?”

The gorgon straightens a bit in her spot, clearing her throat as she feels everyone’s eyes on her. Nervously, she shifts from foot to foot, her snakes falling silent around her as their tongues flick out to scent the tension slowly dissipating from the air.

“I was just going to say,” she looks to you, “this isn’t our only option.”

Your brow furrows. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, there’s another spell that will put you under, and enable you to walk through the veil without having to use the ‘Veil of the Hypnos’ curse.” She explains.

“Then, what are we waiting for?” You take an eager step forward.

“Petal, we need to talk about this,” Yunho’s worried voice reaches your ears, the events of the past ten minutes still swirling through his mind.

“Hang on a moment, I’m not done,” Sudaem raises a hand in the air in a halting motion. “This one does indeed have a time limit, and you cannot wander too far from your body lest you actually wind up lost in the veil forever.”

You swear you see Mingi pulling out his hair again just as Wooyoung turns around with an exasperated huff.

“There’s no winning with this, is there?” Hongjoong sighs, shaking his head.

“How does it work?” You motion for Sudaem to continue.

“Well, again, since you’re connected, you would have the best chance of finding him if put under.” She begins. “Your mind would essentially be transported to the space between realms and set to wander freely for about five minutes. Then, we’d have to pull you and whoever you’re holding on to back out. At least this way we guarantee you won’t die on contact from the initial casting of the spell.”

“And if I can’t find him?” You spare a glance at all of them around the room. “What then?”

“Then, we’ll take it from there.” Seonghwa sighs, running a hand through his hair.

Your lips tighten into a thin line, turning back to face Sudaem as your thoughts race. Shifting, you rest a hand on top of the dresser to support yourself with as you look down at the ground. Blinking a few times, you think everything over.

“This all has to do with the mind being separated from the body, right?” You spare a glance at Sudaem.

“In a way, yes.” She confirms. “The body cannot live without the mind.”

“What if the mind had a physical attachment to this realm? Would that give me more time? Would it make the spell easier?” You meet her gaze, and you know she can see the gears turning in your mind.

“It’s possible, but I’m not sure.” Sudaem replies honestly. “It might make it easier when you get called back to your body, though. You’d have a direct path back to it, no matter how far you were.”

You nod your understanding, turning to face the several males standing off to the side once more. One brush against all of their strings lets them know exactly what you’re thinking.

The several males share a look.

“We don’t like this, but at least it’s a better option than the other one.” Yunho crosses his arms over his chest.

“We’d rather it be one of us that goes under.” San adds, lifting his head to meet your gaze.

“There are things worse than just mist floating around inside the veil.” Seonghwa breathes out, somewhat shakily.

“Then, I’ll be quick. If anything happens, I’ll tug back so you know to pull me out right away.” You state rather firmly, turning back to face Sudaem. “What do I need to do?”

Sudaem spares a glance around the room, the faintest hint of apology on her features as she meets the King’s gazes. Then, taking a deep breath, she begins.

Which is exactly how you find yourself sitting on the edge of Jongho’s bed, his hand held tightly in yours not even five minutes later.

“We’re going to need more of your blood.” Sudaem holds that brass bowl in her hands once more.

Mingi, Wooyoung, and San all curse under their breaths.

“I will gladly bleed again,” you state, rather firmly. “I will bleed as many times as it takes to ensure that this works, and he comes back to us. It’s what I would do for any of you, and I know you would all do the same for me.”

Any words of protest that had been building on their lips fail, frustrated looks of understanding passing over their features. You’re right, and even though they don’t particularly like this, they’ll deal with it. They have to.

Again, it’s Hongjoong that gently slits your skin, taking your pain and making sure to heal you as soon as possible. This time, though, Sudaem paints a symbol over the back of your hand, mirroring it on Jongho’s as his is still held firmly in your own.

Softly, you brush up against that maroon string in your mind before grabbing ahold of it as tightly as you can. This string will be your lifeline to him, and you hope beyond everything that your theory of it guiding you to him is correct.

A second later, you feel the rest of the guys doing the same to you. You don’t even need to look at any of them to sense the worry and slight hesitation that they all have lingering in their thoughts, for you sense it loud and clear through the mind links.

They move in closer.

“You’ll have just over five minutes if this all goes well.” Sudaem tells you, moving over to stand beside Reina who holds the one spell book in her hands.

“Angel, are you sure about this?” Wooyoung’s frantic voice reaches your ears, and you can see the concern still clear as day in his gaze as he looks at you.

“Positive.” You nod, and despite the shakiness to your breath, you believe that this will work.

“Any sign of danger, and you immediately contact us to pull you out.” San reiterates, cupping your cheek and forcing you to meet his gaze. “Okay, Baby?”

“Okay,” you nod your understanding, briefly leaning into his touch before turning away from him.

“We’re right here, Petal.” Yunho steps closer, sitting beside you on the bed and placing a hand onto your back in comfort.

You smile. “I know.”

Lovingly, you brush against their strings. Although it’s slight, you can just tell how much that simple notion helps them to relax.

Lifting your head, you turn to glance at both Sudaem and Reina. “I’m ready.”

Two nods from either female greet you in response. 

“Remember, send a pulse through the bond after every minute that passes so I know how much time has elapsed, and that I have left.” You spare a glance at them out of the corner of your eyes. “After the fifth one, if I don’t tug back immediately, wait fifteen seconds, and then pull me out.”

Nods of understanding are seen around the room from all of them, and you notice how Yeosang comes to kneel beside you. A blink, and he’s grabbing your free hand into his own, clinging to you for dear life. You don’t even have to look at him to know how worried he is. Not only that, but how remorseful he is for the way he spoke to you. The sorrow is written all over his face.

He will never forgive himself if they can’t pull you back out. The last thing he wants is for your final memory of him to be his harsh tone reminding you of your own trauma responses. He knows it wasn’t right of him to say those things and make you feel worse than you probably already do. Especially right now.

“Let’s do this.” Determination shines in your eyes as you look down at Jongho resting on the bed. Silently, you tug on that maroon string connecting your mind to his, sending reassuring thoughts his way.

I’m coming, Baby Bear. You swallow, somewhat nervously. Wait for me.

Not even a moment later, Reina begins immediately focusing on the page before her, while Sudaem holds that bowl close by. Softly, Reina begins chanting, her eyes beginning to glow white as power surges through the room. You can feel the mark on the back of your hand beginning to burn, and when you look down, it begins to glow a deep red. Again, a breeze picks up throughout the room, shifting the flames as shadows dance along the walls.

Then comes the silence, followed immediately by the darkness of all of the candles going out once more.

A blink and the flames are reignited.

“Did it work?” Hesitantly, Reina glances around the room.

All eyes are drawn to the bed where they see your limp body resting in Yunho’s arms. Your eyes are closed, and the symbol drawn in your blood glows faintly. Luckily, your chest seems to rise and fall steadily in even breaths. Faintly, all of the males in the room brush against your mind, holding onto that connection for dear life.

Your five minutes start now.

The first thing you notice when you go under is how light your body suddenly feels. It’s as if you’re floating upon a cloud, swaying gently with the breeze.

Your brow furrows, and groggily, you begin to blink your eyes open. Slowly, you begin to stand.

Fog surrounds you on all sides, a bright light shining from behind you. Turning reveals a faint archway, multiple colours streaming through the pale golden light. Familiar colours which seem to stretch out and attach themselves to you.

Sparing a glance down, you nearly jump back in surprise.

There, resting peacefully on the ground, is your sleeping body. You notice your arm stretched out to the side, and following the path it makes reveals Jongho’s body laying directly beside yours. Your fingers are intertwined, a faint red glow emanating from your hands.

At least you have a marker to make it back to.

Backing up slightly, you watch as those colours stretching out from the archway move with you. A moment later, and they seem to pulse with movement.

Your eyes widen in understanding. A minute has already passed.

Turning around to face the vast expanse before you, you attempt to peer through the fog. The faintest outlines of a maroon line can be seen in one direction, and you cling harder to that string in your mind.

Gently, you give it a small tug.

Something roars in the distance, and you feel your blood run cold. Whipping your head from side to side, you fail to see anything close by. Yet, that doesn’t prevent you from putting one foot in front of the other quickly in order to begin following that faint maroon line further into the mist.

The only sounds that reach your ears are that of your breathing, and the constant repetition of your feet scraping along the ground. Frantically, your eyes dart around you in search of any signs of movement, or shapes through the mist. You have a creeping feeling of being watched, and you know to trust your instincts for the moment, especially when in a place like this.

Feeling the second brush against your mind, you quicken your pace. Again, you tug lightly on that maroon string, and this time, a low growl sounds in the area, much closer than before.

You follow it.

“Come on, Baby Bear,” you mutter, eyes desperately scanning the mist for something. Anything. “Where are you?”

With every step you take, you notice that faint maroon line becoming brighter and brighter. The fog seems to be thinning too, and you can begin to make out faint shapes in the distance. One seems to be much large than the three surrounding it, and as you get closer, you begin to see corpses of… things lining the ground.

Limbs are twisted in odd angles, black blood splattered against the pale grey ground. These things appear creature like in shape, some having leather wings like bats, while others are more dog like, but they’re all about the same size. Not to mention they all seem to be that same pale grey colour as their surroundings.

Just as you feel that third brush against your mind, you see them.

A large brown grizzly bear fends off the last three of these creatures. One gets trapped in his maw, while another is torn apart by his claws. The last creature manages to jump on his back, sinking it’s own claws into his skin as he cries out in pain. Only, the bear manages to roll over quickly, crushing the smaller creature beneath its tremendous weight.

He stands back to his feet as he shakes out his fur, starting with his head.

You’d recognize that movement anywhere, and before you can stop yourself, you begin sprinting towards him. Another frantic tug is given to that maroon string and you watch as that bear lifts its head in your direction almost instantly.

Warm, brown eyes meet your gaze, and you swear you see that maroon line leading directly to him light up with a vibrance unlike ever before. In a few bounds, he’s reached you, nuzzling his snout into your neck and stepping in as close to you as he can.

What are you doing here? His voice sounds a little frantically inside of your mind, and you physically breathe a sigh of relief.

I came to get you. You brush your hands over the top of his head tenderly, wrapping your arms around his neck and practically sinking into his soft form.

It’s dangerous here. You shouldn’t be-

Neither should you! You immediately cut him off, pulling away to stare deeply into his eyes.

The fourth brush is felt against your mind.

We need to hurry back, I only have a minute left before they pull us out. You motion behind you with your head.

How do you know which way you’re going? I’ve been lost in here for days. The furrow of his brow is clear, even while in his bear form.

You smile. I’ve got my lights to guide me home.

Instantly, you picture connecting his string to all of his brothers inside of your mind, and the way you feel the land around you begin to tremble lets you know that they’ve all felt it. Only, you have less than a minute to make it back to your bodies before they’re pulling you out.

Subtly, you notice Jongho’s eyes glance over to the low glow of the colours attached to your form. Bending down, he motions for you to craw onto his back. 

Hop on.

Without hesitation, you do.

Jongho immediately takes off into the fog, chasing those colours that drift through the air and connect you to all of them back home.

A warning screech echoes in the distance and you hear Jongho curse lowly.

Stay low to my back, the ones with wings are ruthless. He instructs, picking up his pace the slightest bit.

You do as told, clinging to his fur for dear life as Jongho races through the mist and back to that bright archway that begins to shine faintly in the distance. Luckily, you don’t see anything chasing you, but you know better than that. The faint flapping of wings, and pounding of feet upon the ground behind you lets you know that more of those creatures are giving chase, and they don’t seem to be relenting anytime soon.

With each passing second, you can see that archway getting closer and closer. Faintly, the outlines of your bodies can be seen laying on the ground, not having moved a single inch since you left them there about four and a half minutes ago. In fact, you’re positive that fifth brush will be coming at any moment now. You just hope you can both make it in time.

The second you feel that fifth brush against your mind, you go tumbling from Jongho’s back mere feet away from your body.

A frantic call of your name is heard above the hissing surrounding you, feeling pain erupt on your arms as claws dig into your flesh.

Blinking up at the creature, you see a sight that tears a shriek from your lips. It has no face, except for a jagged slit of a mouth where its chin should be. Rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth greet you as its lips pull back in a what appears to be a gleeful grin. Leathery wings protrude from its arms, it’s claws pinning you in place on the ground as your blood spills from your wounds.

The faintest hissing of the word ‘human’ on the air draws your attention. A horrid hissing that is filled with excitement the more it echoes around you by varying creatures, all of whom begin to step out of the fog and surround the two of you endlessly.

A blink, and the creature is swiped from above you, being torn in half by Jongho’s claws.

You can feel your heartbeat in your ears, blood rushing through your veins as you roll over quickly to avoid another dog-like creature pouncing on top of you. Luckily, you roll right into your own side, eyes wide as you see Jongho a mere foot from you.

A frantic call of his name escapes your lips as you reach out to him, knowing you only have mere seconds before you’re pulled out of this veil and back to reality. So, you fight with everything that you are to hold on for as long as you can. Until you can feel his hand in your own.

It’s as if the word around you moves in slow motion. You begin to feel an unfamiliar tug at your mind, pulling you backwards through the archway by your head. It’s as if a hook has been placed right behind your forehead, jerking you backwards unforgivingly as Jongho shifts back into his human form. Desperately, he reaches out to you and his own body with each of his hands, fingers just brushing against your own. 

At the same time, the creatures surrounding you all lunge. Snarls sound all around you as they attempt to reach you before you can escape, hissing about not letting such a delicacy leave.

The last thing you see is a wall of creatures swarming you as you pass through the veil. You experience a brief feeling of falling, your hand tightening around something warm as you sink into the abyss surrounding you.

You close your eyes.

A gasp escapes you as your whole body jerks upwards in Yunho’s arms. Blinking a few times, you clear your vision, noticing how you seem to have slid off of the side of the bed and onto the floor. Still, Jongho’s hand in held in your own.

Your breathing is frantic as you heave air into your burning lungs, head turning every which way to gather your bearings. Yeosang rests beside you, clinging onto your opposite hand as he presses it to his forehead. The chest your back is pressed against belongs to Yunho, and you notice the others surrounding you with looks of complete worry on their features.

Your whole body aches, but you force yourself back onto the bed, much to their discontent.

“Dearest,” Yeosang reaches out to you, brushing one of his thumbs near your chin.

You shrug him off, glancing a hint of red now lining his skin.

Breaking your hold on his hand, you wipe at you nose. Pulling away reveals your own blood, and you begin to wonder just how long your nose has been bleeding for.

No wonder they all look so worried.

“Are you okay?” Hongjoong kneels in beside Yeosang, placing a gentle hand onto your thigh. Though, with how badly you feel him shaking against you, you cannot tell if it’s more for him or for you at this point.

You nod, turning to face Jongho on the bed.

“I had him.” Your voice is no more than a whisper, tears leaking out of your eyes as you look down to see him still in that calm state of sleep. “He was right there.”

You practically collapse on top of him, sobs wracking your entire body as you pull your intertwined hands up to your chest. It’s faint, but you swear you feel his fingers tighten against your own.

The room is quiet around you, but it seems somewhat brighter than before. Someone must have opened the curtains to let the natural light of day in around you. It’s warm, and you swear you can feel a ray of sunlight shining directly onto your cheek as you keep your eyes closed for the moment. Warmth of which is mirrored in the way a hand tenderly caresses the back of your head.

“My Darling,” a rough voice, strained from lack of use over the past day and a half, reaches your ears. “Why are you crying?”

Your whole body freezes, breath catching in your throat as your heart skips a beat inside of your chest. Tentatively, you shift your head, peering up at him through tears which blur your vision.

A blink, and they clear, falling upon your cheeks like rain against a windowpane.

Your lower lip quivers as you watch him sit up with you in his arms, his warm, brown eyes searching your face carefully. His hand that had been gently cradling the back of your head shifts to cup the side of your face tenderly, brushing away your tears with his thumb.

A moment of stillness travels throughout the room.

In the blink of an eye, you’ve fully collapsed into his arms, a fresh round of sobs tearing from your throat. Your whole body shakes as apologies fall endlessly from your lips, hands desperately clinging onto him as if he may disappear again at any given moment.

Softly, he shushes you, cooing gentle reassurances in your ear as he rocks you back and forth while in his arms.

“I’m okay.” He keeps his voice low, holding you to him as desperately as you cling onto him. “You’re not at fault.” Your breath hitches. “You’re not at fault.”

You sob harder.

“We’ll be in the foyer.” Reina’s soft voice reaches your ears, and you assume she’s guiding both herself and Sudaem out of the room to give you all some privacy.

More apologies fall from your lips a you bury your face into the side of Jongho’s neck. With your void down for the moment due to the requirements of the spell, they can all tell that you’re no longer just apologizing to the youngest anymore, but to all of them. Yourself included.

“It’s alright, Darling.” Jongho strokes a hand tenderly down your spine as his brothers all come to sit around the edges of his bed. “I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere.”

“It’s good to have you back.” Yunho nods once, quite firmly, at his younger brother. His voice is strained, and it’s not just from seeing you in such a fragile state yet again.

Jongho smiles faintly. “It’s good to be back.”

Desperately, your hands cling to the front of his shirt.

“I should have listened to you,” you’re babbling at this point, but you don’t care. “I didn’t think-“ a sharp, stuttering inhale, “you almost died because of me.”

“Hey, hey,” Jongho grabs you gently by your cheeks, pulling you away from him so you can meet your gaze. “Stop that right now. I know how worried you were about your sister. Do you not think I’ve experienced that same worry when you are threatened?” He rests his forehead against your own, staring deeply into you eyes. “It is not your fault.”

“But-“

“No ‘but’s!” He places a finger against your lips, soon beginning to wipe away the dried blood with the edge of his blanket. “I wanted to help you, to protect you, and I would gladly do it all over again in a heartbeat.”

You fall silent, fingers curling the slightest bit tighter against his shirt.

“I thought…” you squeeze your eyes shut.

A brief look is shared with his brothers around him, and his heart squeezes painfully as they divulge with him their memories of the final moments before, and shortly after, he succumbed to the spell.

Jongho’s grip tightens around your body, his voice low, “My Darling, you know I could never blame you for this.”

Your breath hitches in your throat once more.

“You are not at fault.” He breathes. “I sincerely apologize that I ever made you believe that you were.”

You shake your head, sniffling all the while.

“But I did, Darling.” He rests his chin on your shoulder. “I hurt you when you were in such a fragile state, and now you won’t stop blaming yourself for something that was completely out of your control. If anyone is to blame, it’s that fucking bitch.”

Low growls of agreement sound from around the bed.

Slowly, you begin to calm down, yet all you can do is nod your head.

“What-“ Jongho’s breath catches in his throat, “what happened while I was out?”

The whole time his brothers share with him their memories of the past thirty-three hours or so, Jongho sits on his bed completely still. You swear that he’s stopped breathing all together, his chest barely rising and falling as you continue to cling onto him for dear life.

The second you feel something wet land on your shoulder, you pull away to stare into his eyes.

Tears stream endlessly down his face, a look full of nothing but painful sorrow resting on his features.

“You-“ his voice trembles, and he can barely get the words out. “You fell.”

Again, you attempt to shake your head, “no-“

“You fell because of me.” Utter devastation suffocates his very soul, guilt beginning to rise and crush his heart from the inside out.

“It was a misunderstanding.” Your hands now rest on his shoulders as you sit in his lap, your legs resting on either side of him.

“My Darling, I am so sorry-“

“You have nothing to apologize for.” Your voice is firm as you cut him off.

“Neither do you.” He responds without a second of hesitation.

You fall silent for a moment, blinking shamefully as you avert your gaze. “Yes, I do.”

Finally, you turn to face the other seven males still in the room with you. Luckily, Jongho settles you between his legs, wrapping his arms around your waist and holding you to his chest for support.

Glancing upwards, you look around at the males before you.

“I apologize for what I said earlier.” Your voice trembles the slightest bit with the weight of your emotions. “I didn’t mean those words to come out the way they had, but they did. I shouldn’t have kept everything bottled up for so long inside. I should have told you, and I should have considered your own feelings towards the matter.”

“Baby,” San’s worried voice reaches your ears, his eyebrows drooping as he watches you avert your gaze to your hands.

“I should have been more honest with you all about how I was feeling.” Your thumbs begin to nervously rub over one another. “I never meant to hurt any of you.”

The males all share a brief look.

“We were all in the wrong.” Hongjoong says, words barely above a whisper. “We should have known you were barely holding it together all this time.”

“How can you know if I don’t tell you?” You exhale a low breath, allowing your eyes to flutter shut.

“Dearest,” Yeosang goes to reach out for you before stopping himself. Almost shamefully, he retracts his hand. “I apologize for what I said to you. It wasn’t the time, nor place to dump that on you, nor was it right of me to do so.”

“But you were right.” You spare a glance upwards to see Yeosang staring down at his own hands. “By avoiding reminders of her, I had inadvertently been avoiding all of you. That’s not fair to any of you, or what each of those spaces mean to us, and I apologize that it took me this long to realize that.”

“We weren’t lying to you when we said that we would get through this together,” Wooyoung cracks a small, hesitant smile in your direction.

Softly, you nod, wiping at your eyes all the while. “I was so focused on my own trauma, I neglected your own.”

“We all deal with things in different ways.” Mingi clears his throat, bringing a hand up to dry his tears.

“That’s no excuse for what I did.” You reply. “For what I said.”

“You were right, though.” Seonghwa swallows thickly. “If that was you, we would have done whatever it takes to get you back. Consequences be damned.”

Jongho squeezes your waist slightly, assuring you that his brother speaks nothing but the truth.

“Aren’t we all a great pair,” you chuckle teasingly. “Letting our emotions always control us.”

A snort is heard from Wooyoung. “Maybe not always.”

Even his brothers shoot him playfully incredulous looks.

“Only when it comes to each other,” Hongjoong sighs, somewhat wistfully as he finally stands back to his feet.

“If you start having doubts again, or anything of the sort, you tell us right away, Baby.” San meets your gaze, a somewhat firm look shining behind his eyes. “Okay?”

“The same goes for me with all of you,” you take the time to look around at all of them once more, seeing them smile softly at you in response.

“You do not have to suffer alone, Petal,” Yunho smiles assuringly in your direction. “Your worries do not burden us at all.”

You nod, shifting off of the bed with the help of Mingi and Seonghwa.

“I guess some habits are just that hard to break.” You sigh.

“Baby steps, My Love,” Hongjoong moves over to the door, a gentle smile tugging at his features as he looks back at you. “Baby steps.”

Wiping at your eyes a final time to ensure there’s no more evidence of your tears, you begin to exit Jongho’s room. You don’t even need to look their way to know that they all follow closely behind you.

Breaching the foyer, you see both Sudaem and Reina conversing softly on one of the front couches. Both spell books rest closed on the table before them. However, as soon as Sudaem senses you, she’s hopping up from the couch, he snakes shifting almost bashfully over her head.

Her gaze darts to Jongho just off to your left. “I’m glad to see you well again, King Jongho.”

Reina stands, a small quirk to her brow.

Without wasting another moment, you walk directly over to the two women and wrap them in your arms.

“Thank you.” Your voice is low, nothing but raw gratitude seeping from your tone. “For everything.”

Softly, you feel Sudaem rubbing your back while Reina pats you gently.

“I’m glad I could help.” Sudaem whispers, pulling away to stare deeply into your eyes. “If you ever need anything else, you know where to find me.”

“I appreciate that,” you smile, nodding as you step away to give them both some space. “Know that the sentiment is shared.”

“Anyways, I best be going now,” Sudaem shuffles slightly on her feet, reaching over to grab her spell book from the coffee table that rests beside her. “I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome.”

“Wait, how will I be able to contact you for lessons?” Reina’s eyes widen ever so slightly, and you recognize that almost desperate look shining within anywhere.

The corner of your lips quirk upwards knowingly.

“If you ever need me, send word with Stella.” Sudaem smiles, and you watch as Reina nearly swoons.

“Okay,” she nods, quite enthusiastically.

“It was lovely meeting you!” Sudaem directs the comment towards your best friend as she waves goodbye, her snakes hissing happily.

“You, too!” Reina waves back as Sudaem walks over to the guys for the moment.

“Uh, would it be okay if one of you-“

“Already on it,” Yunho smiles lightly at the gorgon, teleporting her back to her own domain in an instant. In a blink, he’s returns, straightening out the front of his shirt slightly.

“So,” you wiggle your brow teasingly at Reina, “Sudaem, huh?”

“Shut up.” Reina grumbles, pushing you playfully.

“She’s sweet, isn’t she?” A knowing smirk tugs at your lips as you watch your best friend avert her gaze somewhat bashfully.

“So,” Reina clears her throat, composing herself a bit better for the moment, “introductions now, or later?”

You motion to the guys with your hand, letting them decide for themselves if they’d like to introduce each other to your best friend. Your void has long since been back up, so you take the time to brush against their minds now.

Immediately, they all brush back.

“I think introductions are a great idea,” Hongjoong says, a small quirk to his lips. “After all, you helped save our brother.”

She nods, a kind look resting on her features as they all incline their heads to her in thanks.

“Hang on a second,” you lift a hand once more in a halting motion as you look at Reina. “How did you know that Yeo was what he was when he dropped me off?”

“I’ve seen portraits,” she shrugs, “but I didn’t know their names. My gran was adamant about not,” she clears her throat, nose scrunching as she prepares to imitate her grandmother, “incurring the wrath of the Eight Kings by invoking their names.”

You can’t help it, an amused snort escapes you.

“So, I recognized him, but I didn’t know which one he was until you told me his name.” She explains, to which you nod your head. “I am very interested to learn which ones are which based off of what you told me.”

Just then, a loud mewl is heard from the hallway leading to your room. A loud gasp is escaping Reina’s lips as a black cat struts into the room, tail flicking back and forth eagerly in the air.

“Is that Kuroo?” Her lips part, an excited smile pulling at her features.

Softly, Kuroo weaves his way through all of your legs, brushing languidly against both yours and Mingi’s the longest. A moment later, and he’s trotting over to Reina who bends down to extend her hand out to him. Cautiously, he sniffs at her fingers before beginning to rub his face all over her.

Giggling, she begins to scratch at his head, Kuroo beginning to purr loudly all the while.

“Well, aren’t you just the handsomest man of the hour.” She coos, chuckling as Kuroo chirps back happily in response.

“Oh, no, don’t say that.” Wooyoung sighs, almost exasperatedly. “It’ll go straight to his already overinflated head.”

“But he’s so cute!” She coos, picking him up to hold him in her arms. “And fluffy!”

A content mewl greets all of you in response.

“Kuroo is Sammy two-point-oh.” You say, watching as understanding passes over Reina’s features. “Just less of a troublemaker.”

“Ah,” she nods, rocking him gently in her arms, “I see.”

Softly, she begins cooing at him once more, and you can just tell that he’s just loving every second of it.

“Okay, so,” you quirk a brow, “introductions?”

“Oh, wait,” Reina’s lip quirks mischievously in the corner, “can I guess?”

You snort out a laugh, gaze darting to the males beside you who shrug nonchalantly. “Be my guest.”

“Hang on, there’s actually one of you who I’ve been dying to know whom is who since she told me.” She admits, eyes scanning over all of them. “I know him,” she motions to Yeosang with her chin seeing as she holds onto Kuroo for the moment, “but which one of you is Yunho, the painter?”

Said male’s brows raise slightly in amusement, waving his hand to indicate that he is who she’s looking for.

“I would give you a thumbs up, but my hands are full,” she chuckles. “Either way, nice.” An approving nod is sent his way. “So far, you’re my favourite.”

The looks all several of his brothers send him in mild disbelief has a laugh falling from your lips.

“It was the portrait, wasn’t it?” You turn to look at Reina, a grin tugging at your features.

“Literally, why isn’t it hanging right there?” She shifts Kuroo over to her one arm, motioning to the central wall behind the front desk. “Guy paints what is presumably the most beautiful portrait of a gorgeous lady you’re all in love with, and you can’t even display it in your front foyer?”

Reina tuts, shaking her head teasingly.

“Don’t give them any ideas,” you whisper lowly.

Mingi tilts his head slightly in acknowledgment. “She does have a point.”

“See!” Reina replies, somewhat exasperatedly. “The cat dad understands!”

“Cat dad?” Mingi quirks a brow.

“Are you not Mingi? The one who got this little rascal for her?” Reina pats Kuroo lightly on the butt, receiving a small whine from the cat in response.

“I am.” He confirms. “How did you-“

“He rubbed against you the longest out of all of you,” she blinks, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. In the next moment, she pulls the cat away to brush her nose against his own, a teasing lilt to her voice, “besides his mommy.”

A hand comes up to muffle your laughter as you hear Kuroo complaining loudly. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say he’s embarrassed. He jumps down from Reina’s hold quite quickly after that, strutting away back down the hallway and towards you room.

You walk over to Reina, flinging an arm around her shoulders as you lean on her teasingly for support.

“Okay, so,” you grin, “You technically know four of them.”

“That I do,” she hums, gaze briefly darting over to meet Jongho’s. She sends him a polite smile, noticing how he nods briefly back. “Let’s see, we’ve got the cook, the dancer, the tailor, and the one who should have told you he liked playing with knives sooner.”

At her words, Hongjoong’s eyebrow twitches.

“Ah-ha!” She points at him, a knowing smirk tugging at her lips. “So, you’re the one she got with the steak knife.”

A snort of laughter is heard from Wooyoung at this, and even Yeosang, San, and Mingi all have a hard time suppressing their chuckles.

“You’re lucky, then,” Reina continues, a devious look shining behind her eyes as he quirks a brow. Despite your attempts to stop her, she holds you off from covering her mouth. “Normally, she just threatens to stab you instead.”

“Reina,” your voice is a bit exasperated as you whine out her name.

Despite the fact that they all quirk their brows in some way, Wooyoung looks the most visibly eager to learn more.

“What else does she threaten to do to people?” He leans the slightest bit forward, excitement gleaming in his gaze. Though, he knows that he’s not the only one dying to know.

“Well, not so much actually threaten, but she has very vivid rants about certain people.” Reina hums knowingly. “My ex is one of them.”

“Yeah, well,” you turn to look at her. “He deserves to get his dick ripped off and shoved down his throat for what he did to you.”

“Case in point,” Reina chuckles knowingly, motioning to you beside her with her hand. “Though, I’d say that was one of your more tamer ones. Wouldn’t you?”

You shrug lightly, a slight hum escaping you.

“Anyways,” she turns her attention back to the three remaining males she’s yet to identify. “I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that you’re the dancer,” she points at San, “he’s handsy,” she points to Wooyoung, “and you’re the ‘pretty boy’.”

Seonghwa’s eyes look as if they’re ready to fall out of his head for the second time that day as both Wooyoung and you burst out laughing.

“Oh, you were doing so well, too.” You pat her on the back.

Lowly, Seonghwa begins to grumble about being referred to as handsy once more, crossing his arms over his chest. A large pout tugs at his features all the while as his brothers all chuckle around him.

“It was one time!” He frowns.

“Oh, it was more than once,” the corner of your lips quirk upwards in a knowing grin. At the way his pout deepens, you’re quick to add, “I never said I didn’t like it.”

“Ew!” Reina slaps your arm teasingly. “There are children present!”

“Children?” Yeosang quirks an amused brow.

“Yeah,” Reina snorts. “Me!”

“Oh, please,” you roll your eyes. “Who was it that called me to drive her to the ER because she got her-“

A hand is slapped over your mouth quite suddenly, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips. Not even a moment later, her face is contorting in disgust as she pulls her hand away, wiping her palm on your sleeve, seeing as you licked her.

“You are gross.” She sticks her tongue out at you.

“You love it.” You playfully bat your eyelashes at her in response.

“Yeah, yeah,” teasingly, she gives you a light shove while rolling her eyes.

None of the males across from you can prevent the way loving smiles pull at their features as they watch you interact with you best friend. It seems as if the more time you spend with her, the more you relax. A fact of which they could not be happier about. Besides, you seem to be having fun.

“Anyways, you’re half right about Woo being handsy number two, though,” you motion to the aforementioned male with your chin.

“Hey!” He whines, a dramatic pout tugging at his features.

“You’re still in second place, Sunshine.” You grin fondly, mirth dancing behind your gaze as you meet his own.

“Oh, damn,” Reina says. “I really screwed up at the end there.”

“You were off by one each, if you rotated them to the left,” you pat her back assuringly.

“My bad,” she smiles somewhat nervously.

“At least you didn’t say Mingi was the cook,” San grins, his eyes crinkling at the sides.

“Hey!” Said male whines.

“To be fair, I thought he was handsy at first,” Reina shrugs.

Yunho immediately bursts out laughing, slapping Mingi on his back as the younger male begins to turn bright red.

“He definitely could be,” Hongjoong sighs, shaking his head somewhat fondly.

“If you think I’m bad with my fantasies…” Wooyoung trails off, immediately taking off down the hallway as the elder male begins to chase after him.

Reina laughs, looping her arm around your waist. “I can tell it’s never a dull moment with these guys.”

“You have no idea.” You smile lovingly at them, seeing the way Kuroo now chases after Wooyoung, too, with Mingi in tow.

“Well, now that that’s settled,” she turns her head to you, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “Wanna give me a tour of the house?”

[strangertides]

{8} - Paradise Gardens - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Book Two to Hotel California

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humour

Pairing: Ateez X Reader

Words: 8,715

Warnings: Anxiety and PTSD, minor mental illness. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: Okay, so I totally forgot to write an authors note before posting lmfaoo. Anyways, this chapter is a bit meh in my opinoin, but it really sets up the next one in my opinion. But finally!! Reina!!!! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Also, gentle reminder that I don’t do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven

“What do you mean, ‘he’s not awake’?” Your eyes are wide, heart thundering inside of your chest as panic seizes you.

It’s been over twenty-four hours since you’ve gotten back to the house from the dragon’s nest. In that time, you’ve nearly slept for the entire day, only waking up for brief portions to either eat something, or use the bathroom. Honestly, you feel like you could probably use a few more hours still, but your worry for Jongho takes precedence over everything.

Currently, you find yourself sitting at the kitchen counter, the several other males standing around you precariously.

“It’ll be okay, Dearest,” Yeosang reassures you. “It’s probably just the after effects of the spell.”

“Really, he’s just sleeping it off.” Wooyoung shrugs, almost nonchalantly, but you can still see the tension in his shoulders. 

There’s concern in his eyes that he cannot hide. In all of their eyes. Concern that they cannot hide from you.

“What aren’t you telling me.” It’s not so much a question, but a demand.

“Baby…” San’s expression falls.

“I know you guys don’t sleep. At least, not like I do.” Your voice is calm as you do whatever you can to remain level headed at the moment. “You said it yourselves, he should have been up by now.”

A grimace lingers on all of their features.

Hongjoong sighs, his arms crossed over his chest as he looks down at his feet. “We think the spell he got hit with is more intricate than we first believed. We can’t even reach out to him in his own mind.”

“So, it’s the spell that’s put him in a comatose state?” You blink, taking a deep breath inwards as your fingers dig into the skin of your thighs.

“We’ve already tried every countermeasure that we can against all of the spells known to cause these effects.” Seonghwa’s gaze falls, as if ashamed to be telling you how they’ve failed both you, and their brother like this. “It seems our magic has no affect on it at all.”

“We’ve been browsing the library all night,” Yunho runs a hand through his hair, his eyes bloodshot and bottom lip nearly raw from worry.

Mingi fares no better. His hair still sticks up in odd angles, and he cannot prevent the way his jaw twitches every few minutes. You don’t even need to get your next question out to know that they still haven’t found anything.

Your head shifts, staring down at the counter before you. Blinking blankly, you attempt to wrap your mind around this turn of events. You thought Jongho would have been fine by now, but clearly there’s more going on than meets the eye.

Heaving a great sigh, you stand to your feet.

Immediately, all of their attention darts to you, both San and Wooyoung even going so far as to reach out in your direction. However, it’s Yeosang that reaches you first, grabbing your wrist gently in his one hand.

“Dearest,” there’s nothing but concern on his features as his brow furrows, a hint of fear shining through in his eyes.

“Don’t worry,” you offer him a small smile, “I’m not going to disappear on you again.” The conversation you had leading up to this moment was rough, but you managed to get through it. Together. “I just want to see him.”

Your words seem to assure them enough, for Yeosang is releasing his grip on your wrist in the next second. Still, that does not prevent them all from following behind you, and entering the youngest’s room with you.

Again, you sit yourself on the edge of the bed, the early morning light of the sun streaming through the open windows. Gently, a breeze drifts through, and the cool touch of wind offers you some semblance of assurance that things will all turn out okay. Eventually.

Lifting a hand up, you caress the side of Jongho’s face, his features reflecting nothing but a peaceful serenity.

At least you know that he’s no longer in any pain.

Steadily, his chest rises and falls with every breath, your thumb stroking languidly against his cheek as you look him over. There’s a sadness in your eyes that you do not try and hide, the guilt still tugging freshly at the wound in your heart. Despite their constant reassurance, you still blame yourself. You honestly don’t think you’ll be able to breathe again properly until you see his warm, brown eyes staring back at you once more.

“I need you all to be honest with me right now.” You keep your gaze fixed on Jongho’s sleeping features for the moment as you take a deep breath. “Is there a possibility that he can die?”

A brief silence greets you, and you have your answer before any one of them speaks.

“Yes.” Yunho breathes, his shoulders deflating at the reality settling over all of you. “If we can’t figure out the spell that was used, or how to counteract it, there’s a possibility that it could claim his life.”

“Or worse.” Mingi’s voice is barely above a whisper, yet you still manage to hear him.

Your blood runs cold. “Worse?”

Wooyoung swallows his suddenly dry throat. “He could remain in this state forever. Neither living, nor dead.”

You close your eyes, fingers pressing a little firmer into Jongho’s cheek as you attempt to ground yourself.

“Well, the spell was meant for me.” You reply, exhaling shakily. “What better way than to torture you than always keeping me just out of reach?”

Their silence speaks volumes.

Slowly, you begin to retract your touch from his face, grasping his hand in your own instead.

“At his base level, is Dimitri considered a caster?” Your eyes search Jongho’s features for any slight shift you can find.

“He is.” Hongjoong confirms lowly.

Your mind begins churning, thoughts flitting every which way as you attempt to wrap your head around things. Briefly, you recall that conversation with the two younger harpy sisters and Sudaem.

“Are there levels of magic different than your own?”

A grimace before Mingi is replying, “there are.”

You hum in understanding.

“What are you thinking?” There’s a minor curious gleam in Seonghwa’s eyes as he looks at you.

You turn to face them, determination beginning to bloom on your features. “We need to talk to Sudaem.”

“The gorgon?” San’s brow furrows.

“The leader of the gorgons.” Yeosang hums, understanding passing over his features.

“Are we sure we should be informing a gorgon of all people that Jongho has been incapacitated?” Wooyoung looks between his brothers, a grimace on his face.

“I don’t think we’ll have any issues concerning that.” The corner of Yunho’s lips quirk upwards as he shifts his gaze back to you.

“I know I probably know less about this stuff than all of you as it stands,” you begin, taking a deep breath in, “but will you let me handle it? You guys can be a little intimidating when you want something.”

“A little?” Mingi grins knowingly, and it warms all of their hearts to see you quirk one in response.

“Should we call for Stella, then?” Hongjoong smiles faintly at you, noting the way you nod your head lightly in his direction.

Seonghwa clicks his tongue twice quickly in succession.

A blink, and Stella appears circling over your heads. She lets out a concerned caw, immediately landing on your shoulder and nuzzling her beak against you.

You giggle, her feathers tickling your neck. “I’m alright, Stella.”

She begins poking the tip of her beak affectionately against your cheek, and you realize that she’s placing little kisses onto your skin. The fact that she coos each time she does so has you smiling, much to the irritation of the others. Yes, they love seeing you happy, but not when it’s from a bird who is clearly rubbing in the fact that she can flirt with you so openly during a time like this while directly in front of all of them.

“Stella.” Seonghwa warns, his lips tugging downwards at the corners.

A few sassy clicks, and an annoyed twitch of the eldest’s brow lets you know the type of reply she gave him.

“Okay, Stell, enough teasing the men.” You bring your hand up so she can hop onto it. “I’ve got an important task for you now.”

Instantly, the raven straightens, puffing out her chest as she stands at attention. She meets your gaze, nodding for you to continue.

“I need you to contact Sudaem,” you begin, laying out your instructions very clearly.

The whole time you speak, Stella remains silent. She nods her head in understanding at every detail you give her, noticing how the males around you barely even move, letting you take charge once again. The amount of trust alone they continue to show you warms your heart, even more so this time around.

The second she disappears from your hand, you’re standing back to your feet.

Wooyoung’s brow furrows. “Where are you going?”

“To change.” You reply simply. “I don’t think appearing before the leader of the gorgons in my pyjamas is going to make me look very intimidating.”

“You’re plenty intimidating in your pyjamas, Baby.” San nods assuringly, recalling the image of you appearing in the kitchen with a baseball bat held in your hands.

A snort of laughter escapes you as you head towards the door. “Only you would know, Pretty Boy.”

You manage to pat his shoulder lightly as you walk passed, a knowing grin tugging at your lips. Though, what you fail to see is how San freezes, a dopey grin spreading across his features as your words wash over him.

You called him Pretty Boy.

He giggles, his fingers twitching excitedly at his sides. 

He only wishes the circumstances were better.

Ten minutes later, and after freshening up slightly, you make your way back towards the foyer. You see all of them already waiting for you, Stella perched on Hongjoong’s shoulder.

“Did she agree?” You address your question towards the raven who caws eagerly in response, wings flaring and managing to hit Hongjoong square in the nose. You snort out a laugh. “So, how long have you been waiting to do that, Stell?”

The raven hops off of Hongjoong’s shoulder, the male glaring at the bird in irritation as he spits out a feather rather unceremoniously. She pays him no mind as she glides over to you, landing gracefully on your own shoulder and cooing affectionately.

“At least she didn’t poop on you this time.” Yeosang deadpans.

“This time?” Your hand comes up to muffle your laughter. “Stella!”

An innocent caw greets your ears, feeling her shift from foot to foot on your shoulder.

“To be fair, she was just a newborn at the time.” Yunho chuckles.

“Who hasn’t she pooped on at some point.” Seonghwa sighs, shaking his head.

Another soft snort of laughter escapes you as you turn to look at the bird perched on your shoulder. Casually, she avoids your gaze, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d say she’s embarrassed.

“We’re getting off topic.” Hongjoong frowns, arms crossed in front of his chest.

A blink, and you’re composing yourself, though none of them miss how your entire demeanour drops instantly. It almost makes Hongjoong regret bringing up why Stella is here in the first place.

“Sudaem is waiting for her summons from you.” Mingi tells you.

“She’s agreed to meet with us, then.” You nod your understanding.

“What, exactly, is it that you are planning, My Love?” Hongjoong meets your gaze, a curious gleam shining in his eyes.

“Simply getting an expert’s opinion on some things.” You reply before turning to Stella. “Bring her in.”

In the blink of an eye, both her and Yeosang have disappeared. A moment later, they’ve reappeared before you with Sudaem in tow. You can see the way her snakes shift nervously over her shoulders, her steel grey gaze darting every which way around the front foyer.

“Sudaem.” Seonghwa inclines his head in greeting.

“Hello.” She bows back, her whole body trembling as her hands begin to wring themselves nervously in front of her body.

You step forward, a gentle smile on your face. “Thank you for agreeing to come on such short notice.”

“Of course!” Her head perks up, snakes hissing lightly in response. “You said you needed my help, and as your friend, here I am!”

A sense of relief washes over you at her words, and you find yourself taking her hands in your own. Gently, you give them a firm squeeze, meeting her gaze.

“What seems to be the problem that you summoned me into your home?” She tilts her head somewhat curiously, gaze fixated on you. Almost as if looking around at the several other males surrounding you is too much for her at the moment.

“You are familiar with the two most powerful clans of casters, correct?” You inquire.

Immediately, she nods. “I am. The Ciervo, and Sintra.”

“Then, you are familiar with their spells?” You continue, and understanding washes over the rest of the males in that room with you.

“For my part, I know practically all of them.” She blinks at you, a mild confusion lining her words.

You nod once. “Follow me.”

Without waiting for a response, you turn on your heels. Her one hand is still held in your own as you guide her down the hallway and into Jongho’s room, leading her over to the comatose male on the bed.

“The only details you need to know are that he was hit by a spell about thirty hours ago or so, and he hasn’t regained consciousness since.” You state, releasing your hold on her hand to sit beside Jongho’s resting form. “I was hoping you might be able to help identify the spell he’s been hit with, and offer a solution for it.”

Sudaem searches your features, noting the worried tug of your brow as your one hand moves to hold onto the male’s beside you. She can feel the weight of the other seven King’s stares on her back as she stands before you, and she cannot help but shift from foot to foot.

“I understand you are under no moral obligation to help him,” you are quick to continue as you take her silence for hesitance, “But, please, Sudaem,” you swallow thickly, your eyes shining with unshed tears, “Please, help him.”

A firm nod is all you receive from the gorgon as she steps closer. “I’m not much of a healer, but I need to check his vitals.”

A soft ‘okay’ is all she hears from you as you shift slightly to allow her to get closer. Only, your hand on her shoulder stops her before she can so much as touch him.

“We do not know each other all that well, but I do consider you my friend, Sudaem.” There’s a hint of a warning in your tone as you meet her gaze, your fingers sinking a little firmer into the skin of her shoulder. “I appreciate you doing this.”

Gently, she places her own hand on top of your own. Understanding passes between the both of you as she nods once firmly, the corners of her lips twitching upwards in a thin smile.

She’s heard your message loud and clear. If she so much as tries anything to deceive you, and hurt him further, you will not hesitate to do to her what you did to that harpy the other day. Perhaps even worse. Besides, the several males standing around the room might also have something to say about it this time, too.

“I will need to know a few more details about his condition.” She begins her assessment of his being, starting with checking his pulse.

You watch her carefully, motioning for her to ask what she has to.

“When the spell hit, did he suddenly lose consciousness?” She directs her questions at you, her snakes shifting to rest against her back and out of the way for now.

“No, he had about ten minutes before he went under.” You reply, somewhat shakily.

“Was it a delayed hit?” She glances upwards as she leans over him in order to meet your gaze. At your confused look, she’s quick to continue. “Did the spell take time to take effect?”

“No, it was instant.” You avert your gaze to the floor, thumbs beginning to rub over one another as the vivid memories appear in your mind once more. “It appeared only a physical spell at first.”

“He bled.” Not a question, but a statement.

You still nod solemnly in confirmation, feeling a reassuring hand place itself onto your shoulder. Turning your head, you see Hongjoong standing there, Seonghwa right beside him.

“This might be an odd question, but do you remember the shape of his injury?” Sudaem stands back to her full height. “Sometimes the cuts can resemble a symbol related to the type of spell used.”

Briefly, your eyes glance over to both Wooyoung and Yeosang. You watch as the younger of the two steps forward, a small notebook appearing in his hands along with a pen. A quick flick of his wrist and the shape of Jongho’s wounds are drawn onto the paper, which gets torn out and handed to the gorgon in the next second.

A furrow immediately pulls at her brow. “I see.”

Your heart skips a beat in worry, eyes practically begging for her to tell you something. Anything.

“Can you tell me anything else about what happened afterwards?” She turns towards you, a sort of softness taking over her features as she sees the anxiety ridden state you’re in.

“What would you like to know?” Your voice is small, somewhat unsure of yourself.

A sight and sound of which Sudaem never thought you would be capable of. You seemed so confident at the meeting with The Three Sisters. You must really be worried.

“Anything and everything you can tell me that happened from the point of the spell hitting him, onwards.” She replies honestly.

You hesitate. Not even the seven males surrounding you are privy to all of the details of what happened after Jongho had been hit with the spell.

Comfortingly, they all brush against your mind, letting you know that they’re all right here for you if you need them. With that simple notion of support, you understand that you are not alone, and that everything will be okay.

Taking a deep breath, you begin your recollection of the events that took place immediately following Jongho jumping in front of that spell for you. The whole time you speak, you keep your gaze locked on the floor in front of you, not daring to look around the room. The memories threaten to consume you, that overwhelming sense of guilt creeping up your throat and nearly choking you out by the time you get to his final admission before he passed out. However, you neglect to tell her exactly what he said.

“He managed to speak after ten minutes of fighting against the hold of the spell?” She blinks, somewhat amazed. “That’s impressive.”

This catches your attention, your head whipping up to look her way. “What do you mean?”

“If my theory is correct, he was hit by the ‘Veil of the Hypnos’ spell.” Sudaem says, addressing all of you.

A collective sharp intake of breath from the males around you has you looking around at all of them in worry. “What? What does that mean?”

“I didn’t think it were possible.” Mingi frowns, beginning to pace restlessly back and forth at the side of the room.

“Only a powerful caster could perform such a spell.” Sudaem continues. “He should have fell under the effects immediately, but he didn’t.”

“The 'Veil of the Hypnos’ is a dangerous spell. If it doesn’t kill the person on contact, they become lost in the veil between worlds, mind left in an eternal sleep.” Yunho explains, turning to look at you with clear worry in his eyes. “If the victim wanders too far, they can never return to their own body.”

You swear your heart stops. Pure, unaltered fear begins shining behind your eyes as you frantically look around at all of them.

“Dimitri will pay for this.” Wooyoung seethes, hands clenching into fists at his sides.

“Dimitri was the one who cast such a spell?” Sudaem spares a glance around the room.

“It was meant for me.” You reply lowly, and you swear you hear her breath hitch.

“You will need an equally powerful caster with the same stores of magic held within them to pull him out of such a state. One that hails from the big two at the very least.” She says, voice firm.

The several males grimace from around the room.

“Their aid will not come freely.” Seonghwa states, somewhat pointedly. “At least not the ones we know.”

“But Dimitri’s not from the big two.” Your brow furrows in confusion. “Right?”

“He’s not directly from them, no.” she meets your gaze. “However, he has lineage, and he is the most powerful outside of them. You will need someone on par with him magic wise. Someone with the ability to summon the Eight Kings.”

Your brow quirks.

“There are a few things that work in our favour already.” She goes on to say. “One: that he took so long to succumb to the spell’s effects means he’s still fighting against it. Two: you inferred that you were the one that transported the both of you home despite you still being human. That means his blood is still running through your veins, correct?”

Your mouth parts only briefly, considering her words. You clear your throat. “It is.”

“Am I wrong to assume your blood also runs through his veins currently?” She inquires.

“Your assumption would also be correct.” You answer immediately.

“Then, he’s also tethered to you right now, even unknowingly.” She nods, somewhat to herself. “We’ll need to gather a few things first, and I’ll have to return to my home to grab the spell books we’ll need. You need to get that caster here as soon as possible, though. Every second you waste is a second he could stray further from his own body and mind.”

Immediately, you spring to your feet, moving to exit the room. You know what you have to do.

“Where are you going?” There’s a hint of worry in San’s gaze as he watches you dart across the space between Jongho’s bed and the door.

“I have to make a phone call.” You reply, not even bothering to stop as you reach the hallway. “It seems a catch up with my best friend is long overdue.”

“Angel, are you sure now is the time-“

“Reina is a Ciervo witch.” Yeosang cuts Wooyoung off.

A stunned silence passes throughout the room.

“But is she practicing?” San’s brow furrows as he watches you disappear from sight.

“It doesn’t matter. She had enough power to summon us, even unknowingly.” Hongjoong says, all of them quick to exit the room after Sudaem. “Besides, she won’t be alone.”

“You will only be able to help this caster so much.” Sudaem interjects, halting in the front foyer with Stella on her shoulder. “You may be able to lend her a portion of your strength if need be, but his will be a task meant for her and Your Queen.”

A brief pause where they think over her words.

“Because their blood runs through each other’s veins.” Yeosang observes.

“Correct.” Sudaem inclines her head. “That small fact may end up being the deciding factor on whether or not this countermeasure works or not.”

“What do you mean?” Mingi steps forward, frown tugging at his brow.

“How often have you heard of someone reversing the effects of the ‘Veil of the Hypnos’ spell?” Sudaem fidgets, somewhat warily. 

Their expressions drop.

“It’s no easy task, and there’s a possibility that it might not work.” She admits, her snakes shifting restlessly over her head. “Especially if this caster has never performed such a spell before.”

“It will work.” Your firm voice cutting in from the side draws all of their attention to you for the moment.

Sudaem blinks at you in mild shock at how determined you sound. “How can you be so sure?”

“It will work because we say it must.” You reply, tucking your phone into your back pocket. “We take care of each other, because that is what we are meant to do. There’s no room for failure. Not this time.”

“Petal,” Yunho’s worried voice reaches your ears.

“I know for a fact that if that was me, you’d all be saying the exact same thing.” You watch as they all straighten at your words. “You would never stop until I was safe. Is it that astounding that I would want to ensure the same for any of you?”

The way they remain quiet is answer enough.

“We all know what we have to do.” Your firm nod confirms it as you step beside Yeosang for the moment. You turn to face Sudaem. “I will be as quick as I can, but knowing everything I’ll have to explain, I’ll be an hour at the very least.”

“Are you sure she’ll help you?” Sudaem shifts slightly from foot to foot, Stella releasing a worried coo from her shoulder.

Softly, your head begins to nod. “She will.”

“Then, I will need some assistance gathering the supplies.” Sudaem’s grey gaze darts around the room.

Both Mingi and Yunho share a look.

“We’ll help you.” Yunho steps forward, Mingi right behind him.

“Once we’ve gathered the supplies, I’ll set everything up and await for your return.” Sudaem turns back to face you.

“Alright,” a simple nod of understanding accompanies your words. You meet her gaze. “See you soon.”

In the blink of an eye, her, Stella, Mingi, and Yunho all disappear from sight.

Without wasting another moment, you turn to the remaining males.

“One of you needs to drop me off at Reina’s.” You say. “And it has to be Yeosang.”

Their brows all quirk at this.

“I need to test a theory I have.” You tell them. “See if she remembers him from the incident at the mall.”

Understanding flashes across their features, but you can still see the grimaces San, Wooyoung, and Seonghwa send your way.

“If she knows nothing of her heritage, then it may take some convincing on my part. I might need some help from all of you for that.” You step in closer to Yeosang’s side as he places a hand onto your lower back. “Maybe don’t attempt to rearrange the furniture in her apartment this time.”

The last thing they see is a slight upturn to the corner of your lips before you’re disappearing from sight.

The sight of Reina’s familiar red front door has you smiling slightly. You haven’t been to her apartment in months, but you cannot help the memories that invade your senses as you see the small scratch in the paint. It had been put there by accident by her when lugging in that old recliner with you last year. That’s not to mention all the other dings and dents put into her walls from the two of you over the years moving things around that you probably shouldn’t have.

You smile softly to yourself.

Gently, you take Yeosang’s hand in your own, intertwining your fingers as you subtly glance around the hallway. At least no one is around to have seen you both suddenly appear.

Taking a deep breath in, you knock.

Some shuffling is heard on the opposite side of the door before loud footsteps draw closer. A click of the lock later, and the door is swinging open to reveal your best friend. Her dark brown hair is tossed into a messy bun, an oversized hoodie wrapping around her frame.

“Geez, when you said you were close by with your one significant other, I didn’t think you’d be this close. What were you doing, waiting in the lobby?” She teases, grin tugging at her features. She swings the door wider, finally taking note of who you stand beside. Her gaze darts back to you almost immediately. “You should come inside.”

“Oh, he only came to drop me off.” You say, squeezing his hand lightly in your own.

“Just wanted to make sure she got here safe.” He smiles, squeezing back.

Reina stares intently at Yeosang, narrowing her eyes. “Have we met before? You seem really familiar.”

Something sparks within your gaze, a small sense of relief flooding your veins. 

Good. You can work with this.

“When we ran into each other briefly at the mall that one day,” you watch her carefully. “Remember?”

Her frown deepens, sparing a brief side glance at you. “Yeah. I think so.”

“Anyways,” you turn to Yeosang, placing a gentle kiss onto his cheek. “I’ll call for you when I’m ready to be picked up.”

"Alright, Dearest,“ a knowing look is shared between the both of you as he smiles. “You two have fun, then.”

With a final, reassuring squeeze to your hand, Yeosang is releasing his hold on you. A gentle smile rests on his features as he makes a show of walking all the way down the hallway and towards the elevators before disappearing once he rounds the corner.

You turn back to Reina. “Boy, do I ever-“

Your words die in your throat as she tugs you inside, somewhat frantically. Immediately, the door to her apartment is slammed shut, the locks clicking into place before she’s turning to face you with a wide-eyed look.

“Do you know who that was?” Her gaze is wild as she presses herself against her front door, as if blocking the only path Yeosang could take to reach you in this moment.

“Uh, yeah,” you shoot her a sceptical look, “Yeosang. One of my significant others.”

“No, that’s not-“ she sighs. “Do you know what he is?”

“Reina, you’re not making much sense right now.” You cross your arms over your chest. A hint of amusement dances on your features as you watch your best friend shift her gaze everywhere around her apartment but at you for the moment.

Heaving a sigh, she pushes herself off of the front door. She begins to make her way towards the living room, grabbing your wrist as she walks passed to drag you along with her. After sitting you on her couch, she crouches in front of you, as if she were a parent about to explain something extremely important to her child.

“Have you ever noticed anything strange happen when you’re with him?” She begins, watching your every expression carefully.

“Define strange, Reina,” you quirk a brow, almost knowingly.

“Strange as in things you can’t explain happening.” She replies, her hands coming to rest on your knees as she leans into you. “You know, like, supernatural.”

You nearly laugh from how paranoid she suddenly looks. “Rei, if you have something to say, why don’t you just come out and say it?”

“Well,” she hesitates, “you remember that day we ‘summoned’ something?”

“Vividly.” The corner of your lips quirk upwards.

“I know it was essentially an unspoken rule between us not to bring it up, but…”

“You ended up summoning the Eight Kings of the Realm, and now they’re my significant others and I’m their Queen.” Your eyebrow twitches playfully.

“This isn’t time for jokes-“ her breath catches in her throat. “Wait, what?”

“What?” You tilt your head slightly, blinking at her expectantly.

“You know who- what they are?” She replies, a bit incredulously.

“Of course I do.” You chuckle. “I’ve known for quite a while, actually.”

“How long have you known?” She asks, observing you carefully.

“Remember that spontaneous weekend trip I took all those months ago?” You inquire, seeing her nod her head in understanding. “Since then.”

“Fucking hell.” She curses under her breath.

“How long have you known?” You turn her question back on her.

“Only for about two months now, but I didn’t know you were in a relationship with them all.” She breathes, falling backwards slightly in order to sit on the floor before you.

“Wait, how do you know?” You shift forward, heart beginning to pound in anticipation in your chest.

“This might sound a bit crazy, but apparently I come from a family of casters?” She sounds a bit uncertain of herself as she says this, as if she’s still trying to wrap her own head around things.

“Oh my god, this will make things so much easier.” You breathe a tremendous sigh of relief.

“Wait, how do you know that?” Her face scrunches, looking at you suspiciously.

“We have so much to talk about.” You say, leaning back and getting comfortable on her couch.

“Should I get the blankets?” She grins, a sudden teasing gleam in her eyes.

“Sure,” you grin right back. “We may be here for a while.”

Two minutes later, you both have drinks and have swaddled yourselves in your favourite blankets like you always do for movie nights at her place. She sits across from you on her couch, legs tucked in beneath her as you mirror her position.

“Boy, do I have a lot to tell you, Rei.” You sigh, taking a sip of your drink as you hold it in your lap. “Honestly, I just need to talk to someone about it all, too. Are you okay with that? I’m not joking when I say there’s a shit ton of things we need to catch up on. I’ll try to be as quick as I can, though. Time really is of the essence right now.”

“You and me both, honestly.” She breathes, taking a sip of her own drink. “You go first, and then I’ll share mine.”

You nod your understanding. “Okay, well, here goes nothing…”

So, like every good catch up session you’ve ever had with her, you begin at the very beginning. You watch her every expression intently, noticing how her mouth drops as you recall the dress incident, and how she visibly starts shaking when you get to the very first dinner you ever shared with the eight of them all those months ago.

“You stabbed the Captain of the Eight Kings and you’re still alive?” Her eyes look about ready to bug out of her head. “Damn, he must really love you, then.”

“Oh, you have no idea,” you smile, a fond chuckle escaping your lips.

The way her jaw drops once more as you go on to tell her about the next two weeks after that has a sort of nervousness tugging at your features.

“They kidnapped you, and held you hostage?” There’s nothing but absolute horror on her features as she looks at you.

“Yes, but no?” You shrug mildly. “I could literally do whatever I wanted, except leave them.” The shocked look she sends you has you continuing immediately. “It sounds a lot worse than it was. Honestly, I laid into them pretty good after two weeks had passed. Threw a mug at Wooyoung’s head, made them feel horrible for what they had done, you name it.”

“Did it hit him?” Her brow quirks.

“No, he dodged it.”

“Shame.”

“Reina!” You laugh in disbelief.

“What?” She blinks at you. “It’s the least that he deserves after fucking holding you hostage!”

“They let me go places!” You’re quick to defend them. “Sure, it wasn’t ideal at the start, but I never felt trapped when I was with them.”

She nods her head in understanding, eyeing you cautiously. “Are you aware of their powers.”

“I am very aware of their powers.” You confirm with a nod.

“I mean this in the best way a concerned best friend would, but you do realize they might be mentally manipulating-“

“Don’t even go there.” Your tone is sharp, gaze suddenly dark. “I’ve had this conversation with them before, and I trust them when they say that they haven’t, and never would use that aspect of their powers on me.”

She raises her hands in her own defence. “Just making sure. I didn’t sense anything off about your mental state, but I’m not as skilled as my grandmother.”

“I know they sound really bad, but please, Rei, let me finish my story.” You reach across and squeeze her knee.

She motions for you to continue. So, you do.

The moment you get to the mall incident, you notice her tense.

“I remember bits and pieces about that day, but it all felt like a dream to me.” She admits once you get to the part of running into her in the washroom. “I had hoped it was all a dream. Even after my grandmother sensed the possession, and made sure that I had been fully cleansed, I didn’t want to believe it. It’s all still pretty blurry.”

“I’m sorry, Rei,” your expression falls. “I never meant for you to get involved like that. I had no idea who Miyeon was until the very next day.”

Reina visibly starts shaking in anger as you tell her about the argument you had gotten into with them over everything after running into her at the mall.

“Are you kidding me?” She seethes.

“Reina, let me finish!” You shoot her a look, and she falls silent. For now.

The more you speak, the more you can visibly see her relax. You don’t go so far as to tell her everything that occurred between them and Miyeon, for those are not your memories to share. However, you give enough context so that she understands where they stood in their relationships at that point.

“You know, the stories my grandmother has been telling me about these Eight Kings of the Realm sound nothing like how they really are.” She comments. “I’ve yet to determine if they’re good or bad, but at least they can admit when they’ve made a mistake. Their love for you seems genuine, which is saying something.”

The knowing look sent your way does not go unnoticed by you.

You smile somewhat tensely.

“You’re telling me.” You agree. “Every day they kept surprising me, and every day I could feel that wall I had put up to try and protect myself from their advances slipping.”

“Wait,” her eyes flash, a worried pull to her brow, “they never… they never forced themselves-“

“Fuck no!” You’re quick to shake your head, going so far as to raise your hands in front of you for emphasis. “You know my own views on consent, and when I tell you that they are on the exact same level as I am, please believe me.”

Her brow quirks, and even though you think it’s subconscious on her part, she begins to nod her head.

“This doesn’t mean I approve of them, yet.” She states, looking at you through playfully narrowed eyes.

You raise your hands in your own defence, shifting your position slightly as you continue your story. You don’t realize, but there’s a certain fond look that begins to take over your features as you recount certain memories with the eight of them. A loving look, which Reina immediately picks up on, smiling to herself all the while.

“So, Mingi gave you a cat you’ve secretly always wanted. Yeosang played your favourite melody on his violin for you. Yunho brought you to see a horse they got for you named after a horse from your favourite series. San cooks your favourite meals whenever you want them,” Reina lists off, lifting a finger for each male counted. “They literally created your dream home to live in together, complete with a grandiose library and garden…”

“But wait, there’s more.” You wiggle your brows.

Reina tilts her head, a knowing grin tugging at her lips. “‘More’ you say?”

At the way you nod eagerly, she motions for you to continue. You can tell she’s listening intently to every word you have to say, opening up more to the idea of these eight men the more you tell her.

“Okay, I’m still wary of them a bit, but they do seem to genuinely care for you.” She observes.

“Believe me,” you smile softly. “They do.”

Her jaw drops, a gasp escaping her lips when you tell her about the portrait Yunho has painted of you.

“Okay, they are literally pulling out all of the stops and romantic gestures I can think of.” She pats the top of the couch excitedly. “Need me some freaks like that.”

“Oh?” You quirk a brow. “Are they beginning to get your approval?”

She hums, pretending to think about it for a moment. “Debatable.”

“Reina!” You laugh, her right along with you. 

Honestly, you haven’t felt this light for a while. You seriously missed being able to talk with your best friend about everything, and the fact that she already knows to a certain extent what they are saves you from having to both explain things, or leave certain things out of your retelling. It’s quite refreshing.

“I’m not liking this handsy one too much.” She frowns disapprovingly, her arms crossing over her chest. “Negating the fact that he took you to see literal dragons, he sounds like a piece of work.”

“Aren’t we all?” You hum, the corner of your lips quirking upwards. “Believe me, he will never make that mistake again.”

Reina’s brow quirks as you go on to explain the weeks that followed that incident, noticing how she remains quiet throughout it all. That is, until she’s leaning across the couch to smack you on your arm. Quite harshly, too.

“You fucking hypocrite!” She smacks you lightly a few more times after that as you lean away from her with a whine. “Fighting fire with fire only burns you both in the end.”

“I know, okay! Let me finish!” You swat her hand away.

After you finally explain that talk on the balcony that you had with Seonghwa to her, you notice how she leans back slightly on the couch.

“Huh,” she nods, somewhat to herself. “I’m honestly surprised it took you that long to play something on that piano. Even if you weren’t necessarily playing it for them.”

You shrug, “I had other things on my mind.”

“Fair enough,” she raises a hand along with her words.

A smirk daces across her features as you inform her of the very next set of events that followed.

“Didn’t like you swooning over WayV, did they?” She chuckles.

“No,” you laugh along with her. “Not particularly. But I will say, the payoff was quite sweet.”

“Didn’t pin you for one to enjoy jealous sex.” She deadpans, and you nearly spit out your drink in response.

“It wasn’t like that!” You attempt to defend yourself.

“Mmhmm,” she hums knowingly, “sure.”

“You’re the one who sent me the pictures of me in that corset.” You mumble, and this time, it’s her turn to almost spit out her drink.

A loud cackle greets your ears. “Then, you’re welcome!”

“Yeah, yeah,” you wave her off with a playful roll of your eyes. “Anyways…”

As you continue, even you can tell your whole body goes tense. You know what’s coming next, and you’re not too particularly fond of relieving those memories again so soon after telling Wyno. However, Reina is your best friend, and talking to her is one of the easiest things in your life. It always has been, and it always will be. You know that you’ll always be there for each other, and nothing will ever come between that.

The moment you mention Miyeon infiltrating your new home, you watch her expression drop. Horror paints her features as her whole body goes still, the blanket falling from her shoulders. Tears begin to line her eyes at each new detail you reveal to her, silently beginning to trail down her cheeks as she notices the pained look resting on your face.

Silently, she reaches over to grab your hand in her own, shifting closer to you on the couch. In any and every way she can, she offers you comfort for the tragic events that you have suffered through at the hands of that jealous and downright evil demon. She only wishes that she could have been there to offer you support when you needed it most.

“I am so deeply sorry you had to go through that,” she meets your gaze, the both of you sniffling as you cling to each other for dear life. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you.”

“It’s not your fault, Reina,” you shake your head, assuring her in your own way. “I appreciate you saying that, but don’t put that on yourself. You supporting me now is all I need.”

“Of course,” she pulls you in for a hug. One which you gladly return. “I’m here for you, babes. You know I am.”

“That I do,” you smile, sinking a little deeper into her embrace as you hold her tighter. “The same goes for you with me. I’m here for you, too.”

A simple nod is all you receive in response, but you don’t need to look at Reina to know that she’s smiling, too.

Pulling away after another minute holding one another in each other’s arms, you meet her gaze. You feel as if another tremendous weight has been lifted from your chest, words coming much easier after that. 

Time seems to just be flying by as you continue to recount your adventures to your best friend. The way she gasps and starts hitting your knee affectionately when you describe gifting each male one of your pieces of jewelry has you chuckling fondly.

“You gave Hongjoong the One Ring?” Her jaw drops. “Okay, I believe you. They really are special.”

“I told you.” You grin.

“That still doesn’t mean they’ve earned the ‘Reina seal of approval.’” She shoots you a look. “They’ve gotta pass the best friend test first.”

“I don’t think they’ll have to try very hard.” You joke.

“No, I don’t think they will.” She confirms with a grin before turning dead serious in the next moment. “Though, if they hurt you, I am not afraid to curse them for it.”

You grimace, and she immediately picks up on it.

“Too soon?” Her brow furrows in worry.

“It’s not that, it’s just,” you let out a sigh, “another reason why I’m here today.”

“Wait, did one of them actually get cursed?” Her eyes widen dramatically, worry pulling at her features.

“You could say that,” you mumble. “I’m getting there, I promise.”

“Okay,” she nods. “Please, continue.”

Again, you pick up right where you last left off, explaining to her everything that has happened to you since you brought the eight of them to meet your parents. The events seem to fly by until you’re finally arriving at the start of this past week.

“If I ever meet this Malik guy, it’s on sight.” She raises her fists, mocking punching him in the face.

“You and me both, sis,” you hum, a small quirk to your lips upwards.

You make quick work about telling her what happened with Mina, then Wyno, and then the harpies, until finally, you reach the event that you had really been leading up to. You notice her little quips and encouragements have all stopped for the moment as you begin to curl in on yourself. Nothing but worry is on her features as you fight off the tears that wish to gather once more in the corners of your eyes as you explain what has happened to Jongho.

“Okay, first of all, that was not you fault,” she gets you to meet her gaze. “I would bet anything in the entire world that he doesn’t blame you either. Not after everything you’ve just told me about him and his brothers. So, get those lingering doubts out of your mind. They have no precedent being there.”

You can only offer her a solemn nod in response.

“You said he’s trapped under the ‘Veil of the Hypnos’ spell?” Her brow furrows as she stands from the couch. Disappearing down the hallway, she continues speaking the whole time, calling over her shoulder, “I remember my grandmother mentioning something about it, hang on!”

Not even a minute later, she returns. A book is held in her hands. One which seems familiar, but you can’t quite place your finger as to why as you dry your eyes. With one knowing look from her, you suddenly remember why.

In her hands rests the spell book she used to summon the Eight Kings with. Flipping it open, she sits beside you on the couch, skimming through the pages until she finds the right one.

“Ah-ha!” She grins, pointing to a specific heading on the one page. “Here it is.”

The two of you briefly read over the page, and you have just the right mind to catch glimpses of ‘connection’ and ‘high emotion’ before you’re sparing a glance at her.

“So,” you nudge her shoulder lightly, “are you going to tell me about how you found out about all of this?”

Closing the book gently and resting it on her lap, Reina begins to rub her fingers over the detail work on the cover.

“Well, remember how I mentioned that I couldn’t remember much about what happened at the mall that one day?” She begins, to which you nod your head. “I couldn’t distinguish what was real, and what was a dream. It was my grandmother who sensed something was off. We went to visit her about two months ago, and she could immediately tell I had been possessed by a demonic entity of sort. She just couldn’t understand how this entity could no longer reach me. I realize now that I have both you and those eight males to thank for that.”

She spares a glance up at you, and you place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“My grandmother was quite blunt about it, and she cussed out my own mother for not telling me what I was.” Reina’s lips quirk upwards, as if recalling the memory now. “You know how passionate my grandmother can get.”

“Oh boy, do I ever,” you chuckle, recalling the amount of times you’ve seen her start cussing someone out in Spanish over something. “Really, though, she’s a lovely lady.”

“You don’t have to deal with her every day,” Reina sighs dramatically. “Anyways, that’s when my gran started asking me a bunch of questions. I told her I read something with you from this,” she shakes the tome in her hands, “spell book, and she nearly flipped. Started chanting in some ancient language, going off about protection spells and such. That’s when she realized there already were protection wards placed on both me and my mind.”

“I’m guess she was able to sense who put them there?” You quirk a brow.

“Bingo.” Reina turns to look at you. “Which is when she started freaking out and saying that I needed to start my training to learn how to be a proper caster to protect myself. The stories of the terror of the Eight Kings were soon to follow, apparently passed down from generation to generation.”

“Do you believe them?”

“Not anymore.” She shakes her head.

“Then, you’ve deduced part of the reason why I’m here right now?” You place a hand onto her shoulder.

“Other than wanting to see me,” she shoots you a playful look which you mirror, “I figured it out.”

A moment of silence.

“Will you-“

“Do you even have to ask?” She cuts you off with a pointed look.

“I should have known.” You let out a sigh, a grin pulling at your features.

“You said this gorgon - Sudaem - will have prepared everything by the time we get there?” She inquires. “All the ingredients, and the proper spell book?”

You nod in confirmation.

“Well, then,” she stands to her feet with a firm nod of her head. Tucking the tome beneath her one arm, a look of determination crosses her features. “What are we waiting for?”

[strangertides]

{7} - Paradise Gardens - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Book Two to Hotel California

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humour

Pairing: Ateez X Reader

Words: 8,120

Warnings: Anxiety and PTSD, mental illness, and inferred depression. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: Emotional turmoil is always a fun thing haha but I promise there is light at the end of the tunnel! Next chapter should be a bit longer hopefully, so I hope you'll excuse these shorter ones for now. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Also, gentle reminder that I don’t do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six

Falling.

The harsh whipping of wind against your skin is all you can hear as you tumble towards the earth. Each breath is a struggle as you attempt to fill your burning lungs with air, the pressure of such an altitude detrimental to your every move. Your chest aches, throat scraped raw with the shrill shrieks of terror that escape you as you tumble through the sky. Tears leak from your eyes uncontrollably, lids squeezing shut in tandem as you can barely get a grip on your surroundings.

Everywhere, all you can feel is pain.

Free falling has always been described to you as a feeling of utter weightlessness, but there isn’t a cell in your body that you cannot feel. All of which are heavily screaming at you in terror. 

Never have you been able to feel the full weight of your heart as you do right now, every twitch of your fingers sending jolts of unpleasant electricity racing up your arms. The cold of your body slicing through the air is unlike any sensation you’ve felt before, and with every foot lost, you gain momentum.

Is this how it all ends? After nearly killing a man that you love, having him admit your worst fear for the moment that you are to blame, and having your heart nearly burst from your chest at the sheer pressure of its pulse, you will land upon the earth like a falling star?

Your skin begins to heat, replacing the utter cold you had been feeling only moments before.

You don’t want to die. Not like this. Not now.

You got yourself into this mess, you can certainly get yourself out of it. Though, you have no idea how far the ground is from you. You could make impact at any second, and you count yourself lucky that you’ve lasted this long already.

Concentrating hard, you focus in on your room back home. Perhaps you can simply transport yourself onto your bed, and forget that this ever happened for a little while. Hopefully, you won’t be disturbed, either. None of them will probably want to see you, anyways. Not after what you’ve done to their brother. 

Yet, no one will be able to blame you as much as you blame yourself. The guilt begins to eat you alive, mind darkening into that familiar negative territory the longer you allow your thoughts to go unchecked.

A sob tears from your throat.

Faintly, you feel several worried brushes against your void. Three are much more urgent and firmer than the others, constantly keeping pressed up against you as their strings all hum furiously with movement.

What would happen should you choose to open your mind to them? Would they forgive you? Would they figure out what’s going on and leave you to suffer? 

No. You know that they wouldn’t. They could never.

But then, how long would it take for them to find you?

Too many thoughts continue to race through your mind, clouding your better judgment and drowning you in self-doubt. Your emotions are all over the place, but the constant ache in your chest reminds you of the harsh reality that has just occurred. Honestly, you just wish you could numb the pain.

How much time do you have left? You seem to be falling for quite a while. Perhaps you started from a higher altitude than you had originally realized. Jongho’s blood is still running through your veins, after all.

Again, several frantic brushes against your void are felt, much more urgent than the first.

Fear grips you once more as you attempt to crack an eye open. You can barely see through your blurred vision, the wind whipping passed you and stinging you all over. All you can recognize is mountains, and a large lake that seems to be getting closer and closer with each passing second.

Another scream of absolute horror rips passed your lips. You feel as if your heart is about to burst from the intensity of its beating within your chest. The ground below gets closer and closer, and your mind scrambles with what to do.

Only one thought begins to get clearer and clearer: you need help.

A glint of gold flashes out of the corner of your eye, and your whole body shakes as a tremendous roar pierces through the air. A presence begins to fall alongside you, large and ominous, but you do not feel threatened. No. Instead, you are relieved; comforted in an unfamiliar way as a faint glow begins to emanate from your brow.

Suddenly, it’s as if the whole world stops.

No longer feeling the intense harshness of the wind as it whips passed you, you crack open your eyes.

A level view of the surrounding mountains greets your gaze, and it is then that you realize that you are gliding through the air. Your hands grip onto something solid beneath you, and when you look down, you see scales beneath your fingertips.

Not just any scales. 

Dragon scales.

The dragon is unlike any that you have seen before, the sheer size of it spanning at least fifty metres in length. The scales are a matte black, gold weaving throughout the cracks between and glinting beneath the light of the moon. Spikes line the crown of her head, golden veins lining the horns which protrude from her skin. Seamlessly, she blends into the night surrounding her, nothing more than a dark blur against the clouds.

You don’t have to meet her gaze to know that it’s a deep gold.

A second later, and a dark blue dragon circles around the larger one’s back, followed by a green amphiptere who’s tail flicks worriedly behind her. Both shift to fly closer to you, situating themselves above the large dragon you rest upon and flanking you on either side.

Silent tears continue to stream down your face the entire flight back to the dragon’s nest. Luckily, it seems as if you’ve managed to teleport yourself quite close by. 

Fifteen minutes later, and that little cliff face is in sight, an albino wyrm slithering restlessly back and forth.

Mon is the first to offer you help down from the large dragon’s back, sliding up beside you and allowing you to grip onto him as you climb down. Both Xiron and Yerra hover close by, offering their assistance in any way that they can.

A blink, and Wyno is standing before you.

You don’t even have a chance to say anything before both of her hands are coming up to cup your face tenderly. Nothing but concern can be seen in her golden eyes as she searches your gaze.

“My Child,” her voice is low, steady as she searches your bloodstained face. “What happened?”

Several frantic brushes are felt against your void, each male trying desperately to reach out to you. You know they’re probably worried out of their minds right now, but the feeling only makes you feel worse.

For the third time that day, you break down.

Immediately, Wyno wraps you in her arms, your whole body collapsing into her hold. Sobs wrack your entire form, tears streaming seemingly endlessly from your eyes as your grip tightens around her. Gently, she strokes your back, cooing comforting words into your ear as she begins to calm you down. 

You can faintly hear worried whines coming from the three young dragons surrounding you. Soft coos of their own escape them as you feel them tenderly nudge their heads against your lower back and legs. A reassurance that they’re all here.

“Shh,” Wyno brings a hand up to cradle the back of your head. “My Child, let it all out. I’m right here; you are not alone.”

You sob harder.

“Whenever you’re ready, My Child, know that I will listen to whatever it is you have to tell me.” She assures you.

Your void rumbles. Urgently, each male attempts to reach out to you, desperate for an answer.

Faintly, you brush back.

The instant you finish brushing against their strings, their attempts to contact you strengthen tenfold. 

You nearly stumble on your feet, legs threatening to give out at any moment. The constant feeling of them pressing against your mind only makes your mood drop further, your throat tightening as your emotions consume you.

“I can’t-“ you shake your head, whole body trembling in her embrace. “I can’t-“

“Let’s get you inside,” Wyno keeps her voice steady, wrapping her arm around your waist carefully for support as she begins to guide you towards the cave.

A minute later, and she’s sat you down in a small wicker chair. Another, and a steaming cup of tea is handed to you, the three young dragons surrounding you on either side. A cloth rests in her hands as she dabs the damp material against your skin, cleaning the now long since dried blood from your features.

Slowly, you manage to get your breathing under control, thanking Wyno lightly. She sends you a small, tense smile back. Once she’s finished cleaning you up and attending your wounds, she pulls a silk robe around her shoulders. Then, she’s sitting across from you.

“Do they at least know where you are?” Calm are her words, gentle in her inquiry.

You shake your head, taking a light sip of your tea.

“Do you want them to know where you are?”

A brief pause where you consider her question. 

A blink, and you’re shaking your head yet again. 

“At least-” your voice comes out raw and strained. You clear your throat. “At least not for now.”

“I do not know what happened, My Child, but do not underestimate the lengths they will go to find you.” She addresses you cautiously. “They would tear the whole world apart looking for you.”

Your gaze drops, a sadness taking over your features.

“Do they at least know that you’re safe?”

“I-“ you sigh, squeezing your eyes shut as your head begins to pound beneath their constant bombardment. “I don’t know.”

Wyno inhales a deep breath before making a clicking sound twice through her teeth.

A blink, and Stella appears hovering in the air between the two of you.

Softly, the raven coos at you, circling lightly around your head as she sees the state of distress you seem to be in.

More clicks can be heard from Wyno, Stella landing on your shoulder and standing at attention. You swear you almost see the raven nodding in understanding.

“Do you have anything on you that Stella can bring to them to let them know you’re alright?” Wyno turns her golden gaze to you.

“Uh,” you swallow lightly, blinking all the while. “Yeah.” You clear your throat. “Yes.”

Moving your hands to the back of your neck, you unclasp the necklace you always wear. The chain hangs precariously from your hand, the replica of Arwen’s Evenstar dangling like a gem in the somewhat dim light of the cave.

“I have told Stella not to let them know where you are until you are ready to see them, but they are stubborn.” Wyno informs you. “They might demand she tell them. They may search her mind, or force it out of her with their powers. Either way, she will stay with them until the task is complete, and I summon her again.”

You nod your understanding, watching as Stella gently clasps your necklace in her beak by the chain. Another soft coo is heard from her.

“She wishes you well,” Wyno hums, somewhat approvingly. “Also, that she’ll peck out the eyes of whoever hurt you.”

You manage a small chuckle at that. 

“Thank you, Stella.” Your lips pull upwards weakly in the corners. “But I did this to myself.”

A concerned caw greets your ears.

“Hurry, Stella,” Wyno inclines her head. “Before they start tearing the realms apart.”

In the blink of an eye, the raven has disappeared from sight.

Your gaze falls to the cup in your hands, thumb tracing the side of the ceramic gently. Your shoulders curl in on yourself, but at least you immediately begin to feel some relief from their constant brushing against your void. Still, you recognize those same three strings - one royal blue, one lavender, and one yellow - all humming faintly in worry, even more so than the others.

“Now,” Wyno draws your attention back to her once more as she sits forward in her seat. “What is it that you believe you’ve done that warranted you crashing to the earth like an astroid of old?”

Your whole body stills, and you swear you forget to breathe. Finally, that feeling of numbness you had so desperately been hoping for begins to spread throughout your body. It starts in your chest, creeping outwards as you continue to stare down at the cup of tea held desperately in your hands.

Your lips part, only to close shortly after. No words escape you despite the fact that it all wants to come spilling out. You don’t want to burden Wyno with your problems. Problems of which you hadn’t realized had still been bothering you until today.

“Speak, My Child.” She keeps her tone steady, but still tender all the same. “It is best not to allow these thoughts to fester, lest they continue to consume you. I promise that I will listen, and provide my best insight should you desire it.”

Mon soon slithers beneath the legs of the chair, resting his head by your feet and nudging you in comfort. Xiron comes to sit on one side of you, while Yerra takes the other. Faintly, you register the feeling of a wing wrapping around your back in comfort. Turning your head, you see a translucent blue hue shining beneath the light of the cave. You smile weakly.

“I-“ Again, your voice catches in your throat. “I don’t know where to start.”

“Begin wherever you deem it necessary for me to understand.” She smiles assuringly at you, a hand reaching over to squeeze your knee.

Softly, you nod your head. Taking a deep breath in, you begin.

You do not start at the very beginning, no, but you go far enough back where you deem all of these current issues started. 

Naturally, you begin with Miyeon’s torture. You explain to Wyno every minute detail of that day that demon appeared in their domain. Nothing is spared, and you divulge to her the hurt you had undergone. The hurt you’re still suffering from because of her. Facts of which even the males have never been privy to, lest they recall the state your body had been in when they arrived back home.

The way you can see her jaw clench, claws sharpening into points as she curls her hands into fists on her lap has you shifting in your spot. Low, threatening growls escape her with each exhale, her fangs on full display as her lips curl back over her teeth.

Luckily, none of the males seem to appear at any point. Looks like Stella is keeping them away for the time being. A fact which helps your shoulders to relax, even unknowingly, the longer that they stay away.

Quietly, Wyno takes your one hand in hers, listening to everything you have to tell her. She is able to calm herself enough to allow you to continue, patiently sitting beside you the whole time and offering you comforts in her own way. You don’t seem to realize, but when you are explaining what happened three days after the events of Miyeon, your whole visage begins to glow softly.

Recovery is a tricky path to navigate, but even she can tell that those eight males have helped you in more ways than you realize. You spoke true two days ago, and you understand that. Even if your state of mind seems to be battling your logic and reason for the moment.

Sometime during your recount, you manage to finish your cup of tea. You place the empty cup down, only for Yerra to gently rest her head in your lap. The young dragon nuzzles into you affectionately, nothing but worry shining within her eyes. Though, she cannot help the way they flutter shut once you begin to stroke your free hand over the top of her scales.

The more you speak, the more you seem to relax. The words flow from you like a steady stream, cleansing your soul with each second that passes. The fact that Wyno simply just listens is more than you could have ever hoped for right now, and you’re grateful she’s letting you get it all out.

When you finish your recount of the harpy meeting, Wyno finally allows herself to let out a snort.

“You certainly did put that chicken in her place, My Child.” She grins, noticing how your lips quirk faintly. “Only a true Queen could do that.”

You can feel your cheeks heat, thanking her lowly before continuing.

Finally, you begin to breach the events of the last twelve hours. Of course, you remain vague about all of the explicit details, but from the knowing look in Wyno’s gaze, you can tell that she’s long since figured that out.

“Yes, I had assumed something of the sort,” Wyno nods, recognizing how you begin to slow down in your retelling as the most recent memories begin to consume you. “I can smell him all over you.”

A grimace crosses your features as your fingers begin to subtly press a little firmer into Yerra’s head. She appears to be sleeping, eyes closed as her chest rises and falls evenly while resting in your lap.

“You consumed his blood.” Not a question, but an observation.

“And he consumed mine.” You confirm.

“Which explains how we found you tumbling through the air earlier.” Wyno nods.

Your brow furrows. “I did that?”

“My child, who else could it have been?” She chuckles. “You have already divulged that the eldest’s blood allows you to glance spirit souls. Is it not so farfetched to believe that the youngest’s could allow you to teleport?”

“No.” You rub the tips of your fingers together gently over the skin of your thumb, mocking the way they would trace over your therapy pebble. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Now, tell me what warranted all of this.” She squeezes your other hand reassuringly.

You take a shaky breath in, averting your gaze in shame as you confess to everything that has just happened to you.

The whole time, Wyno remains quiet. Her golden eyes scan your face carefully, noting every small twitch of your brow and downturn of your lips. She can hear the pain you fight through with each word. The guilt, self-doubt, and remorse you hold onto comes through loud and clear.

Your gaze is haunted, and a chill runs down your spine. There are tears in your eyes as you admit to what Jongho said right before you disappeared, whole body trembling as you succumb to your emotions once more.

Faintly, you register Mon slither out from beneath the chair.

“My Child, please look at me,” Wyno’s voice is gentle as she shifts forward on her chair to get closer to you.

You raise your head, whole body nearly jolting as you feel something being placed carefully onto your shoulders

“Do you truly believe those were all of the words that he wanted to say?” Wyno reaches forward to help Mon wrap your jacket around your upper body.

Your whole body deflates. “I don’t know.”

“After the evening you have just told me the two of you had shared, do you truly believe that he would blame you for this?” Wyno attempts to reason with you, hands rubbing over your arms lightly in comfort.

“How could he not? It’s all my fault.” You choke on a sob.

“Tell me, My Child,” she manages to get you to meet her gaze and you notice her eyes flash, “do you blame them for what happened with that one?”

You blink, caught off guard by her sudden question. “Of course not! I could never-“

“Do you not think that they do not blame themselves for everything she has done, and all that she continues to do to you?” Wyno continues to reason.

“But it’s not their fault! I-” Your voice catches in your throat.

Wyno quirks a brow, looking at you expectantly. You fall silent.

“We act in ways we deem appropriate at the time in which these incidents occur. It is not your fault you were deceived; you do not control the actions of others.” She holds you firmly in her grip, squeezing your arms reassuringly. “You do not think I cannot still see the guilt that clings to them for ever allowing you to reach such a broken state at another’s hands?”

You remain quiet.

“You nine are all more alike than you think.” She hums. “Yes, you probably could have taken a moment to think things through, but when someone you love is at stake, logic is not always your friend.”

“Jongho still got hurt because of me.” You reply lowly, eyebrows drooping as you stare at the ground.

“You said he jumped in front of you. Not once, but twice, correct?” She tilts her head knowingly.

You nod your head.

“Then, that was his choice.” She shifts her hands to hold your own in her grasp once more. “He could have let you been hit both times, but he chose to save you. I have known him far longer than you, My Child, and were he feeling truly petty, he would have let both those weapons meet their marks. Do not twist his efforts to protect and help you into something that they are not. I have seen the way he looks at you. How his aura shines alongside your own. Do not make the man you love into a heartless monster. Least of all towards you.”

Tears begin to gather in the corner of your eyes for the nth time that morning, and you do whatever you can to blink them away.

The sun begins to rise over the horizon.

“Just because you blame yourself, does not mean that they will.” Wyno is a bit blunt when she says this, but you know it’s all spoken with good intent. “You made a mistake, and it seems as if this was the final piece which shattered the glass you had been looking through to keep yourself sane.”

“My Child, you are trying so hard to be brave, and strong when you haven’t allowed yourself proper time to grieve who you once were. Whether any of you wish to acknowledge it or not, that woman did kill a part of you that day. You may not have ceased to breathe, but she certainly destroyed a portion of who you once were. A portion you may never get to reclaim, nor should you want to.”

Wyno takes a moment to pause, inhaling deeply before she continues.

“I did not lie when I said that you have become stronger because of what has happened. Everything in your life leading up to this moment in time has made you who you are. As much as you wish to believe that you are passed this trauma, it will live with you every day until this whole rebellion is complete.” She states. “Whether it will end in victory or death, that has still yet to be determined. Do not create more issues where none lay.”

Your hands begin to shake, the numbness that had been felt throughout your entire body receding.

“But this is an issue, Wyno!” You practically spring to your feet, barely registering the huff of surprise Yerra lets out as she just catches her head from hitting the floor. “I indirectly hurt their brother. I nearly caused the death of a man I love because I let fear control me. How could they even bear to look at me now after what I’ve done? This incident has only just solidified that I’m barely holding myself together. I can put up a brave front, and act like I’m fine, but I’m not! I’m no Queen, and I need to stop pretending to be one.”

Wyno takes a moment to observe you carefully, golden eyes trailing over your figure as she watches you tremble in your spot. Your admission seems to have surprised even you, your eyes wide as your chest heaves.

“What is it you are truly afraid of, My Child?” She stands to her own two feet slowly.

At the way you remain silent, she’s quick to continue.

“Do you truly believe that they could hate you for this? For anything, for that matter?” She takes a step closer, staring you down all the while. “Do you believe they would turn on you for worrying about your family in the same ways that they worry about you? You have already confided in me that they've told you that they do not blame you for this. Is it not within yourself to believe them? Have they ever lied to you, least of all when your own feelings are concerned?”

Your hands cling desperately to the edges of your jacket, tears beginning to stream down your face as you watch her approach. Faintly, you register Mon brushing up against you back and holding you steady.

“Even now, I would bet all of the jewels in all of the realms that they are continuing to reach out to you in that mind of yours to know that you’re safe.” She says. “To know that you are still alive and breathing.”

Sure enough, you feel the faint brushes of assurance from all seven of them as soon as she says this. All several of their strings continue to hum in worry.

“Do you know how difficult it is to convince that Captain of theirs to change his mind when he sets his own course of action?” Wyno comes to stand before you now, placing her hands onto your arms reassuringly. “None of them have the ability to be patient when your safety is at risk, let alone your own personal wellbeing. I would bet anything that they wanted to appear here instantly after pulling the information out of Stella using any means necessary. However, they held off. For you, because that is what you asked of them.”

Your breath hitches slightly in your throat.

“Your Eight Kings do not particularly enjoy taking orders, or listening to others who attempt to command or control them.” Her tone is firm as you meet her gaze. “However, they will always listen to you.”

A blink, and you’re swallow thickly.

“No, My Child. There is no need for you to pretend to be their Queen,” she wipes your tears away so gently as she cradles your face in her hands. “You already are.”

You lower lip wobbles and she pulls you back into her embrace. One of her hands supports the back of your head while the other strokes comfortingly over your spine. Again, you bury your face into the side of her neck.

“Whether you know it or not, whether you acknowledge it or not, they have always viewed you as their Queen.” She whispers lowly into your ear.

A shudder wracks your chest as you attempt to catch your breath.

“Let me ask you this, My Child,” she tilts her head so that it rests against your own. “If the roles had been reversed, would you not have done the same? Would you not have given anything to protect him in the moment, if you had been able to?”

“Without question.” You breathe, tightening your hold subconsciously around Wyno’s back.

“This is not the first time you have experienced each other being injured in front of your very eyes.” Wyno says, and your mind flashes to the very first time you had ever met the dragons. “I’m sure it will not be the last.”

You let out a shaky chuckle. “No, I’m sure it won’t.”

“Then, cease this pointless self-blame you seem to be so adamant to condemn upon yourself.” She pulls away to stare deeply into your eyes. “Acknowledge your emotions and allow your mind to rest. It does no good to dwell on the things we cannot change. I’m sure those Kings of yours would tell you the exact same.”

The corner of your lips quirks slightly. “I tell them that all the time.”

Wyno shoots you a playfully incredulous look. “Well, there you go, My Child. Afford yourself the same leniency.”

Darting your gaze to the floor, you let out a small sigh. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Suppose?” Wyno chuckles. “My Child, I am always right.”

A playful wink is sent your way, and you cannot help the soft puff of laughter that escapes you.

“Now, go get some rest.” She motions for you to follow Mon who brushes his head against your back again in comfort. “You must be exhausted.”

A nod is all that you can muster in response as you allow yourself to finally relax. A wave of intense fatigue washes over you, body instantly slouching as you turn to face Mon. Slowly, you trudge after him down a side path leading deeper into the cave, eyes blinking tiredly as Wyno’s words echo through your mind.

She’s right. Your emotions were high, and you overreacted. You didn’t even give them a chance to calm you down before you unknowingly transported yourself away. Still, it doesn’t make what Jongho said in the moment hurt any less, even if that might not have been what he meant.

Perhaps this is exactly how Seonghwa felt all those months ago when he royally screwed up. He did look the most concerned out of all of them, a sad understanding on his features as you practically clawed at your own face in worry.

Speaking of, you’re pretty sure you’re body is still covered in blood despite Wyno cleaning your face. Only, you cannot find the energy to care right now. Not when Mon seems to lead you to the nesting area, nudging you towards what you assume is his own bed.

With the help of Mon, you’re laying down, allowing the wyrm to settle close to you for warmth as he wraps himself protectively around you. Softly, he coos to you, and without another word, you allow the gentle rumbling of his chest to lull you to sleep.

Meanwhile, Wyno heaves a tremendous sigh as she paces back and forth just inside of the cave’s mouth. Boris’ eyes track her every movement, his head resting on the ground as he looks up at her. Repeatedly, she taps her fingers over the skin of her crossed arms, golden gaze glinting in the dark semi-dark of the cave.

For twenty long minutes, Wyno allows you to rest with the babies in the nests’ deep chamber. Long enough to sort out her own thoughts before summoning those Kings of yours here.

Making her way outside of the cave with Boris in tow, Wyno looks out upon the cliff face. Briefly, her eyes dart over to the spot where Xiron had been pinned down by an arrow, your body hunched over him for protection.

She takes a deep breath.

The second Wyno clicks her teeth to alert Stella of her request, they all appear before her. Frantic looks of concern are clear on Wooyoung’s, San’s, and Mingi’s faces, and even Yeosang is having a difficult time maintaining his composure. Seonghwa’s hands twitch, while Yunho’s gaze darts every which way in search of you.

The longer all of them go without seeing you only increases their worry tenfold. Of course, it doesn’t help that they felt a shift in your internal workings of your mind just over twenty minutes ago.

“Where is she?” Hongjoong steps forward, a wild look of desperation on his features.

“Calm yourself.” Wyno commands, raising a hand to halt him in his tracks.

Hongjoong’s eyes flash, his nostrils flaring.

“You dare tell me to ‘calm myself’ when Our Queen has been missing for hours?” His voice is low, ominous as a hint of a growl coats his words.

“She has not gone missing. She’s been here with me this whole time.” Wyno replies cooly. “I thought Stella informed you that she was safe.”

A caw is heard from the raven as she flies over to perch on Wyno’s shoulder.

“She did.” Yunho responds, somewhat bluntly. His one hand is closed into a fist, your necklace clutched tightly in his grip.

“Please, Wyno,” Yeosang begins. “We’ve been worried sick.”

“I am well aware of your urgency.” Wyno’s eyes flash, noticing how both San and Wooyoung begin to pace restlessly before her.

“Then, why won’t you let us see her?” Wooyoung snaps, clear irritation on his face as he chews on his bottom lip.

“We’ve been waiting this whole time for a summoning.” Seonghwa adds, nothing but urgency in his tone. “Please, don’t keep us from her any longer.”

“I called you here because it is easier for you to come to me, than for me to go to you.” Wyno begins, keeping her voice even and breathing steady as Boris shifts beside her.

“Are you saying that you’ll deny us entry after everything?” Hongjoong’s lips pull back in a snarl. “She is Our Queen, not yours. She does not belong to you.”

“Neither does she belong to you.” Wyno retorts, quite pointedly. Already, her patience is wearing thin.

Several low, threatening growls sound from across from her.

“We aren’t afraid to tear that whole nest apart to get her back, Wyno.” Yeosang states, tilting his head pointedly as he narrows his gaze at her. “Friend, or not.”

“Each threat you speak does not make me confident in allowing you access into my home to retrieve your beloved.” Wyno stands tall, shoulders squared as she looks across at all of them. “If you would stop to listen for five seconds, you would have already been led inside by now.”

Again, Seonghwa’s fingers twitch, but they all choose to remain quiet.

“Before I grant you access, I need to know that my own words which I have spoken in reassurance to her are true.” Wyno says, eyes narrowing pointedly. “As much as I do know you, you can all be quite unpredictable when it comes to her.”

Several low warning growls reach her ears once more.

“So, she told you what happened.” It’s not quite a question that escapes Mingi’s lips, but the hesitance comes through all the same.

“I know that because of what happened, her mind was in such a fragile state, she condemned herself to fall upon the earth freely.”

A collective stillness passes over all of them as both San and Yunho inhale sharply. Immediately, tears are springing to Wooyoung’s, Seonghwa’s, and Yeosang’s eyes. Mingi’s whole body begins trembling, chest heaving with every breath.

“No…” Hongjoong falls to his knees.

“We were lucky the bond alerted us to her distress, even unknowingly.” Wyno continues. “Even now she is still riddled with a tremendous amount of self-doubt and guilt. My words can only help her so much. She needs you.”

“Then, why are we still standing outside?” Wooyoung grits his teeth, tears cutting tracks down his cheeks as he steps towards Wyno.

A warning rumble escapes Boris’ chest, and Wooyoung scowls, freezing in place.

“Do you want to know what her biggest fear out of all of this was?” Golden eyes observe them carefully, watching every subtle twitch of their brows.

“Wyno-“

A sharp look from the dragon stops Mingi’s words right in their tracks.

“She was terrified of you.”

Their hearts drop, and each male stills in their spot. Not even their chests move as they forget how to breathe, more tears falling freely down each of their faces.

“She was terrified of what you might do to her in retribution for harming Jongho.” Wyno infers. “She believed, despite it all, that you would hate her. That you would despise her, and curse her very existence for what she’s done.”

This time, it’s Seonghwa who falls to his knees. His hands brace himself on the ground, sobs wracking his entire body as he attempts to catch his breath. All he can think of is how badly he’s failed you yet again.

Yunho places a hand onto Yeosang’s shoulder, noticing how the younger male has gone eerily quiet. Were it not for the fact that Yunho can still hear Yeosang’s heart thundering inside of the shorter male’s chest, he would have thought that the younger had died as soon as those words had left Wyno’s lips.

Immediately, San wraps Wooyoung in his embrace, letting the younger male sob violently into his neck. Both of them begin shaking uncontrollably, clinging to each other for dear life.

Behind him, Hongjoong can hear Mingi cursing. Knowing the younger male, he’s probably pacing and ripping at his hair as tears fall freely from his eyes. However, all Hongjoong can do at the moment is stare forward, nothing but the crushing weight of devastation suffocating his heart and flooding his entire being with a numbness unlike ever before.

“But she didn’t harm him.” San’s voice trembles, and he feels Wooyoung squeeze him tighter.

“It wasn’t her fault.” Yeosang states, voice sounding much calmer than he is right now.

“We would never-“ Seonghwa chokes on a sob, “could never blame her for this.”

“There is next to nothing in this world, or in all of the realms that could make us hate her.” Yunho keeps his words low, even. “Let alone blame her.”

A firm nod from Wyno is all they receive in response.

“How could she ever think we could hate her?” Wooyoung’s breath stutters with his wails, that complete feeling of devastation choking him out just as it does with the others.

“I do not think she had been thinking clearly, given the events that had occurred throughout the night.” Wyno says. “You seven should be all too familiar with what the weight of crushing guilt can do to your reason. All rational thought ceases to exist.”

A hushed understanding passes over all of them as they nod solemnly.

“Please, Wyno,” Hongjoong finally lifts his gaze. “Please, take us to her.”

Never before has Wyno seen the man before her look so utterly broken. Yet, she knows. She just knows that this is all just fallout from that reckless and selfish demon who has haunted you since the eight of them all fell in love with you. Since they chose you to be their Queen.

Softly, Wyno nods her head.

“I will take you to her.” She voices gently. “However,” they all tense, “you need to all realize why I had to go about it this way.”

“Do you truly believe that we are capable of ever hurting her?” Mingi’s crestfallen expression says it all.

“No.” Wyno shakes her head lightly. “I do not.”

“Then, why-“

San’s inquiry gets cut off by the eldest’s shaky voice.

“You did this for her.”

Wyno’s golden gaze flits between all several of the males now turned towards her. Her expression says it all.

“Come.” She turns, guiding Boris back into the cave with her. “She’s currently sleeping.”

The walk through the cave is silent, save for the few sniffles that Wyno can hear coming from some of the males behind her. Luckily, they seem to manage to compose themselves just as they reach the nesting area.

Frowns tug at their features as they don’t immediately see you.

“Where…?” Hongjoong’s brow furrows, knowing that he and his brothers can just make out the faintest hints of your scent mixed in with the rest.

“There.” Wyno motions off to the side with her head.

Shifting their gazes to where Wyno has guided them to, they see both Yerra and Xiron curled up with each other. A wing from each dragon is spread out between them, as if covering something hidden beneath.

Slowly, the two babies retract their wings as they get closer, and the sight that greets them would normally be adorable given any other circumstance.

There you rest, curled up with your arms around Mon as you sleep soundly. The babies surround you on either side, keeping you warm as your jacket seems to have fallen off of your shoulders. Mon is more than happy to be held in your arms, and he continues to let out gentle coos as you sleep, reassuring you that they’re all here to protect you.

Unfortunately, it seems as if the slight shifting around you has woken you up.

Groggily, you blink around at your surroundings, your head lifting as you attempt to gather your bearings for the moment. With the help of Mon, you manage to sit, rubbing at your eyes all the while as he slithers around your back. The albino wyrm curls around you protectively as you hear several sharp inhales come from in front of you.

You freeze, but what you fail to see is how all of them take a hesitant step towards you.

A soft call of your name has you slowly lowering your hands, somewhat cautiously. You blink to clear your vision, and the instant you see them all standing in front of you, tears spring to your eyes once more.

Nothing but concern is on each of their features as they look at you, their hearts squeezing painfully as they hear your own begin to thunder inside of your chest.

Carefully, San takes a step forward, his hand raising to reach out to you. “Baby-“

“I’m sorry.” Your lower lip trembles, the first of your tears spilling onto your cheeks. Your voice is raw, all of the events finally catching up to you as you attempt to clear your throat. You squeeze your eyes shut, whole body beginning to shake. “I’m sorry.”

Arms wrap around you instantly, and you jump as you feel yourself being pulled into someone’s chest. Unknowingly, your one hand fists his shirt for dear life.

“Shh, My Divine.” Seonghwa soothes you, rocking you gently in his embrace as his hand strokes over the back of your head. “It’s okay.”

You sob harder, more apologies falling from your lips.

“It’s not your fault, Dearest.” Yeosang keeps his voice low so as not to startle you.

“We’re not mad at you.” Mingi is the next to speak. “We could never be mad at you for this.”

“Please, My Love, do not think that we are.” Hongjoong kneels beside you, reaching out to tenderly caress your back.

“If anything, we thought we were going to lose you.” Yunho breathes, a hint of fear clinging to the edges of his words.

Wooyoung collapses in front of you, grasping your hands in his desperately. “Please don’t run from us like that again. We would never forgive ourselves if something happened to you.”

“We could never hate you, Starlight.” Mingi whispers, stepping in closer.

“Please don’t be afraid of us.” San pleads, swallowing somewhat thickly. “We could never, never hurt you, Baby.”

With each male that speaks, you manage to calm down more and more. Apologies no longer fall from your lips, and your breathing is starting to even out. It seems as if you’re able to finally begin thinking clearly with all of them surrounding you like this.

Softly, you begin to nod your head and a collective sigh of relief if heard from all of them.

Wooyoung squeezes your hands, smiling at you faintly. “Please, don’t scare us like that again.”

“We were in a frenzy trying to find you until Stella showed up.” Mingi admits, running his hand through his hair which stands on end in every direction.

“Let’s get you home, My Love.” Hongjoong stands, helping you to your feet along with Seonghwa.

A catch in your breath as you are swooped up into the eldest’s arms.

“You should get some rest, My Divine.” He pulls you tighter against his chest, holding onto you securely as if you might disappear again at a moment’s notice.

All you can offer them is a small nod in response before you’re all turning to face Wyno once more.

“Thank you for watching over her.” Yunho tilts his head in acknowledgement towards the alpha of the dragons, clutching your necklace a little firmer in his hand.

“Always.” Wyno hums, a small upturn to her lips as she watches you rest in Seonghwa’s arms. It looks as if you’ve finally calmed down, for your head leans against his shoulder, your breathing evening out steadily. “I am more than happy to provide for one of our own.”

Exhaustion tugs at the edges of your consciousness, but you force yourself to stay awake. Just enough so that you can turn your head towards Wyno.

Softly, you incline your head in her direction, blinking at her gently as you mouth your gratitude. She mirrors your movements, a tender smile pulling at her features in understanding.

“Go home, My Child,” her voice is low, nothing but a sweet caress to your ears. “Allow yourself to rest.”

A small nod is all she receives in response before the eight of you are disappearing from sight.

The front foyer is quick to greet you after that. It appears to have been cleaned, everything back in its regular place, and no Jongho in sight.

Seonghwa goes to take a step towards your room before your voice is halting him right in his tracks.

“Please,” the call is weak, but they all still manage to hear, “I need to see him."

An understanding passes over all of them, and immediately, Seonghwa is stepping towards the youngest’s room with the others surrounding you both. Hongjoong is quick to push open the door, guiding the way inside as you all follow behind. Once beside Jongho’s bed, Seonghwa softly sits you on top of the covers.

Swallowing thickly, you take in the sight of a still unconscious Jongho. He looks so peaceful, sleeping soundly beneath the comfort of his sheets. His chest rises and falls evenly, and he doesn’t appear to be in any pain, but you still cannot prevent the way your heart twists in guilt seeing him like this.

You bring a hand up to cup his cheek, thumb stroking tenderly against his skin.

“He’ll be okay, Dearest.” Yeosang reassures you, moving to sit beside you on the bed.

“He just needs some rest,” Wooyoung affirms, a slight nod to his head.

“Just like you do, My Love.” Hongjoong places a comforting hand onto your shoulder.

“Are you injured?” Mingi finally voices his concerns, noting how all of his brothers turn to observe you carefully now.

You shake your head, voice rough as you speak, “Wyno healed me.”

“We’re sorry we couldn’t be the ones to take care of you this time.” Seonghwa averts his eyes in shame, and you notice how the others do as well.

Again, you shake your head. “That’s not on you. That’s on me.”

“Petal,” Yunho’s worried voice reaches your ears.

“It seems all we ever do is apologize to each other,” you say, somewhat lowly.

“It’s hard not to feel remorse when it concerns the one you love.” Hongjoong squeezes your shoulder gently, and you’re briefly reminded of that talk you had with him in the garden all those months ago. You place your hand atop his. “Come. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

You look up at him, protests forming on your lips.

“You’ve had a long night, Dearest.” Yeosang reasons, helping you back to your feet. “You need to rest.”

“Besides, he’ll probably be all better by the time you wake up.” San assures you, a light smile pulling at his features.

A small weight is felt settling onto the skin of your upper chest, and you turn your head to see Yunho securing your necklace behind you.

“Thought you might want this back.” His voice rumbles out lowly, a faint upturn of his lips as he sees your fingers brush over the jewel hanging over your skin once more.

“Come on, Angel.” Wooyoung begins to lead you out of the room with Seonghwa. “We can talk about everything later. For now, let your mind rest. We promise we’ll take good care of you.”

You nod, allowing the comfort of Your Kings to surround you once more as you fully embrace the light of the morning sun shining through the windows. The night might have been dark, but you know. You just know that everything will be alright with them by your side. 

Jongho will be fine.

[strangertides]

{6} - Paradise Gardens - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Book Two to Hotel California

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humour

Pairing: Ateez X Reader (Focus on Jongho)

Words: 8,790

Warnings: Very suggestive content at the beginning. Cockwarming. Minor talks of kinks mentioned. Anxiety and descriptions of a panic attack near the end. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: Strap yourselves in, a rollercoaster awaits. Hehehe, as always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Also, gentle reminder that I don’t do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five

An hour passes before you’re blinking groggily up at Jongho once more. He seems perfectly content to continue holding you in his embrace, humming lightly as his hand brushes tenderly against your spine.

“Did I wake you?” He keeps his tone soft, words no more than a mere whisper on his lips.

You shake your head, burying yourself deeper into him as you feel your heart flutter contently in your chest.

“Come on, Darling,” he shifts slightly, holding you firmly in his arms as he moves to sit at the side of the bed. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

A few glasses of water later, and a nice warm bath where you hold onto each other so lovingly, you find yourself back in his bed. His arms are around your waist as you lay on top of him, his chest rumbling contently as he begins humming to you once more.

His duvet has been changed, but the two of you remain naked beneath the sheets. The feeling of your bare skin pressing against his is unlike any other, and Jongho still marvels at the tingles that erupt throughout his body everywhere you press.

He wouldn’t want it any other way.

“Thank you for taking care of me, Baby Bear.” Your voice is low, placing a tender kiss onto the skin of his upper chest.

“Of course, Darling.” He gently places his lips onto your forehead, squeezing you the slightest bit tighter. “I will always take care of you.”

“The sentiment is shared.” You hum. “I should have asked you this sooner, but are you okay? How are you feeling?”

Jongho chuckles fondly, thumbs caressing your sides. “I’ve never been better, Darling.”

You smile faintly, tightening your own hold around him. “I’m glad.”

“You have made me the happiest being alive this evening,” he continues, resting his chin on the top of your head as he tucks you in closer to him. “I wouldn’t trade this feeling for all of the realms.”

“Jongho.” The way your eyes shine with nothing but love as you pull back to meet his gaze says it all.

“I’m serious, Darling.” His chest rumbles contently. “I mean every word when I say that you are my everything. I am so deeply in love with you, that I cannot bear the thought of not having you in my life for one second. My soul is yours, and it always will be. Never forget that.”

Your breath hitches slightly in your throat, your emotions swelling inside of your chest as your heart warms.

“You are my light, my life, and everything in between, Darling.” He breathes, his hand coming up to cup the side of your face tenderly. “My forever.”

Tears begin gathering in the corner of your eyes at his words, the overwhelming euphoria flooding your veins threatening to choke you out at any moment.

“My Jongho,” you cup his face gently in both hands as you lean over him. “Words cannot express what you mean to me. What this all means to me. I love you so very much, and nothing will be able to change that. You are my euphoria, and I count myself lucky to have you every second that we’re together. You are my rock, and I don’t know what I would do without you here to stabilize me.”

This time, tears of his own spring to his eyes, his grip growing tighter over your sides. Lovingly, he pulls you down for a kiss, pouring all of his emotions into the way his lips move against your own.

He loves you, and you love him. There is no doubt about that.

Pulling away, you settle yourself back down over him, resting your cheek against his chest. The way you can hear his heart positively fluttering beneath your touch has you smiling tenderly, nuzzling against him affectionately.

“We take care of each other, because that is what we are meant to do.” You say, eyes fluttering shut as you absolutely revel in this moment in time with him. “You are mine as much as I am yours, Jongho. Nothing will ever change that.”

“Took the words right out of my mouth, My Queen.” He hums, his own eyes falling shut as the serenity of this moment surrounds him. “Whenever you need something, whatever you desire, it is yours. In a heartbeat.”

“I may not be able to do much yet,” you whisper, “but I want you to know that the feeling is shared. Whatever you want from me, whenever you need it, please, do not be afraid to ask.”

“I don’t think you’d be able to handle our desires for you if we let them go unfiltered this very instant.” Jongho chuckles, and the way you pout dramatically up at him has him kissing your forehead once more. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, Darling. You know I will.”

“Good,” you huff amusedly, “because you all seriously don’t know how insanely attractive it is when you let me catch a glimpse of those desires you all have for me. I love being wanted. I love feeling needed.”

A low, content growl escapes his lips as he rolls over, pinning you beneath him.

“Is that so?” He hums, eyes shining as he stares down at you with nothing but love in his gaze. “Then it must drive you wild to know that you are the only one we will ever want. The only one we will ever need.”

The way you physically shiver in his hold does not go unnoticed by him.

“You are the only one who could please us in such intricate ways, My Darling. A single glance, and we fall to our knees. A simple touch, and we come undone.” He voices lowly, burying his face into the side of your neck as he trails his lips up to nip at your ear. “No one but you could ever-“ he catches himself, “has ever done that to us before.”

Your one hand comes up to tangle in his locks while the other desperately clings onto his back. The small press of your nails into the skin of his back has a pleasant shiver running down his spine.

“What we wouldn’t give to stimulate you in any and every way we know how.” He continues, brushing his nose against the column of your throat. “Mind, body, soul: we want it all.”

“It’s yours,” your reply is breathless, and you can hear the way his own breath hitches. “As you give yours, I will always give my own in return.”

He pulls away to stare deeply into your eyes, the first of his tears beginning to slide freely down his cheek. He blinks.

“If it’s not mutual,” you begin.

“Then, you don’t want it.” He finishes, his lips pulling upwards tenderly as his eyes shine with the weight of his happiness. “The feeling is, and always will be, requited, My Queen.”

You smile softly, leaning up to peck his lips, “My King.”

A pleasant shiver caresses his spine.

“I could never grow tired of hearing you call me that, My Darling.” He admits, quickly wiping away his tears as he continues to stare down at you.

“Then, I shall never stop.” You hum, tenderly caressing the side of his face with the tips of your fingers. “I should probably also mention that I positively adore when you call me your ‘Darling’, Baby Bear. Almost as much as I love when you call me Your Queen.”

“And I shall never tire of letting such wondrous titles be bestowed upon you from my lips.” He smiles, leaning in to pepper kisses all over your face. “My Queen.” A kiss. “My Darling.” Another. “Mine.”

A pleased rumble escapes his chest as he pulls away to stare deeply into your eyes.

“My Darling Queen.” His voice is low, as if to not disturb the feeling of this moment surrounding the both of you. A second later, and his lips are back on yours.

The kiss is slow; sensual. No expectations, and no more than what the other is willing to give. A simpleness which allows you to fully revel in the other’s presence, tongues languidly moving together as you hum contently.

Softly, Jongho grinds himself into you, and you can feel the weight of his semi-hard cock resting against your thigh.

You moan, and he takes this time to part from your lips in order to drag his own down your neck.

“Have I ever told you how perfect you are?” He mumbles against your skin, nuzzling his face affectionately against you.

You hum, a pleasant pull of your lips upwards, “You’ve mentioned it once or twice.”

“So, what I’m hearing is: ‘not enough’.” He grins, fingers dancing along your sides as he pulls himself in closer.

You giggle, and he swear it’s one of the sweetest sounds he’s ever heard in his life.

“How about you tell me all about that later?” You meet his gaze, a certain fondness shining within that causes his heart to stutter in his chest. “For now: less talking, more kissing.”

Jongho laughs, “As you wish, My Queen.”

The next twenty minutes are spent just revelling in each other’s embrace. Your lips only part briefly to drag down the other’s skin, nipping affectionately at the other’s neck and upper chest. You’ve even managed to roll back over, resting on top of him as he holds you close.

Every touch is tender. Every kiss manages to take your breath away. The feeling of his body pressed against yours, perfectly content to hold you in his arms has you smiling the whole time. His hands grip your body firmly, one caressing your upper spine while the other settles on your thigh. Every so often, you can feel him squeezing your flesh appreciatively, only causing you to moan into his mouth.

“I could never tire of this,” he sighs blissfully, resting his forehead against your own as his eyes fall shut.

You sit up, gazing down at him with nothing but affection in your eyes. A soft smile tugs at your lips, and you can feel your heart warming as he stares back up at you with nothing but love held in his gaze.

“Jongho,” you cup his cheek, “I wish to feel you again, My King.”

His lips part in a breathless moan, “Please.”

Shifting slightly, you grasp his hard cock in your one hand. Pumping him a few times, you line his tip up with your entrance before slowly sinking down on him once more.

Your breathing deepens as you feel every inch of him beginning to stretch your walls out for the second time this evening. All of that kissing and subtle touching has made you wet enough for him to slide right back in, walls fluttering as soon as he is fully sheathed within you.

His fingers dig into the skin of your hips, a content rumble escaping his chest as he feels you resting on top of him. Slowly, you lean over him, settling yourself until you’re both comfortable once more.

A pleased hum escapes you, your warmth pulsing around him as you nuzzle into his chest.

“Cockwarming, Darling?” His eyebrow quirks slightly, an amused pull to his lips.

“I just enjoy the intimacy it brings.” You mumble, tightening your grip around him. “But if it’s too much, we can stop.”

“No, no,” Jongho is quick to shake his head, his one hand tenderly caressing your spine. “I love it all the same. I just wasn’t expecting you to be in to this sort of thing.”

You giggle. “There’s plenty that I’m in to that you all don’t know yet.”

“Oh?” The corner of his lips quirks upwards. “And just what might that be, Darling?”

“All in due time, Baby Bear,” you lean upwards to place a kiss onto the underside of his jaw. “Though, you’re all doing incredibly well with aligning with my kinks, even unknowingly.”

“Really?”

You nod.

A pleased growl escapes him. “Then, I’m glad.”

“I didn’t know you would be in to using a tail in the moment.” You spare a grin up at him. “That was insanely sexy of you.”

“I’m glad you enjoy such a part of me.” His voice is low, shifting his hips pleasantly against your own. “It means more to me than you’ll ever know.”

You hum, moving to rest your hand beside your head over his chest. Tenderly, you begin to brush your thumb over his skin, eyes falling shut as you revel in this moment with him. The way you can hear his heart steadily beating in time with your own has a smile pulling onto your face.

“Wait,” your hand stills, “You’re not telling me that you actually have a tail, are you? That wasn’t just a part of your powers?”

At the way he remains silent, you’re quick to look up at him. Excitement is quick to dance behind your irises, and you cannot help the grin that takes over your features.

“Every day I find out something that just makes you even more insanely attractive, Baby Bear.” You sigh blissfully, resting your head back on his chest.

“You mean you’re not weirded out?” His voice is a little timid; hesitant in how you may react.

“Of course I’m not weirded out!” You meet his gaze. “Monster fucker, remember?”

“Ah, but how could I forget.” He chuckles, placing his lips tenderly against the crown of your head. “I should have known you’d be interested in our demon forms.”

“Demon forms?” This catches your attention immediately, your head whipping up to look at him more intently.

“Our true demonic forms are something we agreed to not reveal to you until the time is right.” He admits lowly. “We didn’t want to ever scare you away.”

“But what about now?” You tilt your head slightly in curiosity.

“What about now?” His brow furrows.

“Would you show me if I asked?” You blink at him, somewhat innocently, and Jongho cannot help the way his heart skips a beat in his chest.

“If that is something you desired,” he breathes, fingertips beginning to tremble against your sides. “Yes.”

The smile that stretches across your features is nothing short of brilliant, a giddiness shining within your gaze as you look at him.

“I mean, only show me if you are comfortable with it, Jongho,” you say, “but I would love to see your true form.”

For a moment, all Jongho can do is blink up at you. He swears his heart has stopped beating, only for it to positively thunder beneath his chest as he continues to watch you stare down at him in wonder. The way he can physically see your excitement, feeling you begin to shake beneath his touch, warms his heart more than you’ll ever know.

Softly, you feel that faint touch from earlier in the night caress the skin of your thigh. Your breath hitches as you look down to see his tail meticulously wrapping itself back around your thigh, the spaded tip brushing against you tenderly. It’s black in colour, and quite thin, but at the firm way he holds it against you, you know that it’s strong.

Turning back to Jongho, you smile tenderly. A reassurance that he could never scare you away. Not now. Not like this. You love him too much for that.

The hands he has resting on your sides begin to grip you a little firmer, the tips of his fingers pressing into your flesh. Small points begin to prick at your skin, and you spare a glance downwards to see his nails sharpen into pitch black claws. They aren’t very long by any means, but they certainly feel deadly enough against your skin. Skin of which you know he does his utmost to cradle gentle, refusing to so much as draw a single drop of your blood despite the way they dig into your sides.

Turning your attention back to his face, you notice how he’s staring at you somewhat hesitantly still. There’s a minor fear shining within his eyes as he looks at you, swallowing thickly as your hand comes up to caress the side of his face.

“I love you, Jongho.” You lean in to rest your forehead on his, noses brushing as you assure him in any and every way you can. “You won’t ever scare me away.”

Softly, he nods, his own eyes fluttering shut as you pull away from him.

The first thing that you notice change is his skin. The pigmentation lightens, paling beneath the dull light of the moon which filters in through his open windows at the side. His jaw becomes the slightest bit more angular, lips parting to reveal rows upon rows of thin, razor sharp teeth, reminiscent of an angler fish.

You can tell he’s doing his best not to scare you still, forcing his lips to curl over his teeth in a way that hides most of them. Though, at the way your thumb comes up to trace over his bottom lip, he seems to relax beneath your touch.

The next thing you notice, is how his ears seems to sharpen into points. The tips poke through his soft strands of dark red hair, and you cannot help but reach upwards and trace a finger over the tip.

Jongho shivers beneath your touch, his eyes blinking open in the next second.

The deepest of blacks stare up at you from within hallowed eyes, glinting beneath the light of the moon. Still, you can see the faintest bit of fear shining within, and you do not miss the way his entire body tenses beneath your own. It’s almost as if he’s waiting for you to start screaming in terror at him, fingers trembling as he fights against every urge to make you stay with him were you to suddenly spring from his lap and choose to run away.

His eyes search your own. 

Jongho can hear the way your heart positively races beneath your chest, but he cannot tell whether it’s good or bad. That expression of awe is still resting on your features, and with every second that passes, he finds himself relaxing more and more beneath your touch.

Softly, your hands come up to cradle his face. Leaning in, you rest your forehead against his own. Your eyes flutter shut.

“You are so unbelievably beautiful, Jongho.” You breathe out, voice barely even above a whisper. “Thank you. For trusting me with this.”

Unknowingly, he breathes a sigh of relief, a huge weight lifting off of his shoulders.

“My Queen,” as he speaks, you notice his voice has gotten deeper, an almost eerie screech accompanying his words.

Without wasting another second, you bring your lips to his, kissing him with all you are while he rests beneath you in his most vulnerable state. You pour every ounce of your emotions into it, letting him know that you are here, and you won’t ever leave him because of this. There is no part of him that could scare you away. Not now. Not ever.

The way you open your mind up to him so he can hear all of your thoughts washing over him this very second has tears springing to his eyes. One of his biggest fears was revealing himself to you one day only for you to become so terrified of him that you refused to look at him just like how it was at the beginning of your relationship. He never wants you to be afraid of him, and with how passionately you’re kissing him now, he knows that that will never be the case.

Pulling away from him, your thumbs continue to lovingly stroke over his cheeks. A soft smile rests on your features, eyes shining with nothing but fondness as you stare down at him.

“You know,” you hum, the corner of your lips quirking deviously, “if you want to wrap your tail around me more often, I am more than happy to accommodate it.”

Said appendage tightens around your thigh.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He breathes out, shifting himself back into those familiar soft features of his human form.

Leaning back over him, you peck his lips lightly. A moment later, and you’ve settled yourself back onto his chest, humming contently.

“So, do all of you look the same in your demon forms then?” You ask, voice holding that wondrous tone of curiosity he’s become so used to from you.

“A few of us look similar in certain ways, while we vary in others. All of our fangs and claws are unique to us, though.” He responds. “San and Mingi have horns. Yunho has antlers. Wooyoung has wings. Yeosang has wings and a tail. Seonghwa has a tail like me, but Joong doesn’t really have any extra features like we do. Still, he can appear the most terrifying out of all of us.”

Your mind begins reeling at this newfound information, and your grip subconsciously tightens around him. Rapidly, you blink, mouth gaping as you attempt to find the words to say.

“I mean, at this point it shouldn’t surprise me,” you say. “But still… fuck.”

Jongho chuckles beneath you, loving the way you physically tremble within his hold from the excitement coursing through your veins. The way your warmth seems to rhythmically clench around him has a moan nearly escaping his lips.

“Feeling okay, Darling?” He grins, hand tenderly stroking along your spine once more.

“My little gremlin brain is going feral right now,” you reply honestly.

“Oh?” He quirks an amused brow. “Is it, now?”

“Believe me, you don’t want to know.” You smile, somewhat tightly.

“What if I told you that we love catching glimpses of your desires for us, Darling?” There’s a knowing gleam to his eyes as he meets your gaze.

This time, it’s your turn to quirk a brow. “Is that so?”

“We love knowing you want us as much as we want you.” He says, and you’re briefly reminded of that talk all those months ago at the mall.

“Alright then, Baby Bear,” the corner of your lips twitches upwards. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

For the nth time this evening, you allow him access to your unfiltered thoughts.

A pleased growl escapes him immediately as every emotion and desire you are feeling in this moment washes over him. He can sense your giddiness, but also your awe, wonder, and need which flits through your mind shamelessly as your thoughts swirl with these newfound revelations.

You’re curious, yes, but you’re also grateful. Grateful for being allowed a glimpse at another part of their lives. Something so minuscule to them means the world to you, and you will never forget the trust Jongho has shown you tonight by not only divulging this topic, but allowing you to glance such a state of his being.

Every thought he hears, every emotion he feels, only solidifies everything he’s already known. You are perfect for him, for all of them, and he will never forget this night for as long as he lives. An intimacy which he’ll keep to himself for as long as he can. Especially at hearing some of your more raunchy thoughts.

A low, pleased rumble escapes his chest.

“Already picturing me ravishing you in my true form?” The smirk that pulls onto his features reveals just a glimpse of his teeth which begin elongating into those thin fangs once more.

“I haven’t stopped thinking about it since you showed me.” You hum, closing your mind link off for the time being.

The snarl that greets your ears in response has you chuckling above him.

“I’m glad I’m not the only one who enjoys the thought.” A grin pulls at your lips, nuzzling yourself deeper against him for the moment.

“It doesn’t just have to be a thought, My Darling,” his voice rumbles out, low and seductive right by your ear. The way you clench around him again has him rolling his hips lightly against your own. “I thought I made it clear that I always want to make all of your dreams come true.”

“You already have,” a pleased hum escapes your lips, placing a tender kiss onto the skin of his chest.

“Darling,” the affectionate call of your name has a hint of a whine to it. “You cannot tempt me with something so unbelievable carnal, and not expect me to want to partake in it with you.”

Slowly, teasingly, you sit back up to your full height. 

You rest your hands on his chest, staring down at him with hooded eyes, “I-“

A furrow tugs at your brow, tilting your head slightly as you begin to hear something faint in the background. Looks like his blood has already heightened your senses tenfold.

Immediately, concern is pulling at Jongho’s features.

“Is everything alright, Darling?” He sits up.

You lift a finger as if to tell him to wait a moment, frown deepening as you listen intently to your surroundings.

That familiar buzz begins to sound once more.

“I think my phone is ringing.” You blink a few times, beginning to climb off of him.

“Your phone?” This time, it’s his turn to tilt his head in inquiry.

“I always keep it on silent, but I swear I can hear it buzzing from my room.” You stand, worry tugging at your features. “It only rings through if someone is trying to get a hold of me, and they call within a few minutes of the first one.”

Tossing a spare blanket over your shoulders, you’re quick to exit his room. The buzzing seems to be getting louder with every step you take towards your own, and you cannot help but quicken your pace.

Something must be wrong for someone to be calling you this late at night.

Bursting through your door, you see Jongho already standing there, a pair of sweatpants hanging dangerously low over his hips with your phone in hand. A black screen greets your gaze as he hands it to you, and you purse your lips in worry. Only, before you can so much as click the home button, an incoming call begins shining on the screen.

It’s your sister, and you don’t think twice before answering.

“Crystal?” The concern is clear in your voice. “What’s-“

A terrified sob of your name greets you in response, and you feel your blood run cold.

“There’s someone-“ she inhales shakily, “strange man-“ a crackle of static, “hurt Vasco.”

“Slow down,” you attempt to calm your sister, sitting in the chair closest to you as Jongho places a comforting hand onto your shoulder. “What’s going on? You’re not coming through clearly. Is it the baby?”

Another terrified sob of your name escapes her.

“Threatened-“ a break in the line, “tear him-“ static, “my womb.”

You swear that you stop breathing. You don’t need to hear the full sentence to know exactly what has your sister so fearful right now. Not to mention if either Malik or Dimitri broke in and hurt Vasco like she’s inferred, she must be terrified. Strange men breaking an entering is one thing, but threatening and actually hurting someone is another entirely.

“Crystal,” your voice comes out much shakier than before, your hand coming up to squeeze Jongho’s for support. “Where are you now?”

“Home!” She cries, words slurring together. “Won’t let me-“ a loud crackle, “until you get here.”

“Don’t worry, Crys, I’ll be there soon.” You assure her, doing whatever you can to calm your racing heart as you spring to your feet. “I won’t let anything happen to you, or Elijah.”

“Please,” a loud screech of static fills the line, “hurry.”

A second later, and the line goes dead.

You don’t even have to think before your body is moving to your closet, throwing on the first pair of clothes you can see. Jongho stands in the doorway, a worried pull to his brow as he watches your scramble to get ready.

“Darling-“

“We need to help her,” you cut him off, clear panic in your tone. “If anything happens to her, Vasco, or their unborn child-“

“Darling.” He manages to catch you as you pace from one side of your closet to the other, his hands holding you in place as they rest on your arms. “Take a breath. It’ll be okay, but we need to think this through first.”

“What is there to think about, Jongho?” Your own hands come up to grasp his arms, nails biting into his skin. “My sister and her family are in danger right now. Malik or Dimitri could be torturing them as we speak. You heard her just as I did, he threatened to tear Elijah from her womb!”

“I understand you’re worried-“

“Worried?” Your eyes are wide; wild. “I’m fucking terrified, Jongho. My sister’s life is at risk because of me.”

“It’s not your fault.” For once, he manages to get out a sentence without you interrupting him. “We need to regroup, and think this through.”

“There’s no time for that,” you say, pulling yourself away from him in order to toss one of your hoodies in his direction. “We need to go to her right now.”

“Darling, this might be a trap to lure you out.” There’s a hint of exasperation to his tone as he pulls on your hoodie. 

A sort of desperation shines within his eyes as he pleads with you to see reason. Something isn’t quite adding up. The call, if anything, should have come through clear. There’s nothing to interfere with the signal in their domain, and if Crystal was calling you from her home, it should have gone uninterrupted. Beside, her voice sounded… off.

Unfortunately, panic seems to be blinding you for the moment.

“If anything happens to that child I would never forgive myself.” You reply, meeting his gaze. “Especially not after that promise I made.”

“I’m well aware of that promise.” He inclines his head firmly. “But-“

“Then, we can’t waste anymore time.” You cut him off once more, grabbing his arm and dragging him from your room. You pause only momentarily to meet his gaze. “Take me to her house. Please, Jongho. I need to go right now.”

Releasing a sigh, Jongho places his hand onto your lower back, immediately transporting you both right outside Crystal’s front door. No lights are on inside, and the house is eerily quiet, but that doesn’t prevent you from shakily pulling out the key from its hiding place and unlocking the front door.

Cautiously, Jongho looks around the area, not sensing anything out of the ordinary. All of their wards seem to be intact, too. Hell, it’s almost as if nothing has happened recently, or even been around to disturb the peacefulness of the house lately.

We have a problem. His voice is quick to echo out to all of his brothers.

If you’re about to rub your special evening in-

You think I would start with ‘we have a problem’ if I were to really do that?Jongho cuts Wooyoung off immediately. This is serious.

What’s going on? There’s concern lingering within Hongjoong’s voice as he asks this, the others finally able to pick up on the worry Jongho seems to be radiating currently.

Is everything okay? It’s San, and the youngest doesn’t have to be looking at him to know the elder’s brow is furrowed.

I’m not sure yet, but just get home and wait for us to get back. Jongho instructs, and he can hear understanding pass through all of his brothers. I’ll handle things for now.

Seven faint brushes are felt against your mind, and you spare a glance at Jongho out of the corner of your eyes.

Taking a deep breath in, you open the front door.

The second thing that should have alerted you to something being wrong, is the fact that the alarm is still on when you enter the house.

Your brow furrows slightly, pushing your way into the front entrance. Jongho follows close behind, shutting the door soundlessly in the next second.

After disarming the security system, you’re quick to look around the front foyer. Nothing seems out of place, nor does anything appear broken or damaged. In fact, everything seems perfectly fine for the time being, absolutely nothing out of the ordinary that you can see.

Your heart thumps loudly in your chest.

“Crystal?” You call out cautiously, taking a light step forward into the house. You crouch slightly, eyes darting every which way. “Are you here?”

Not even the dog can be heard. No whimpers, or whines. Nothing.

“Something’s not right,” you mutter, fear clear on your features as you continue to creep towards the kitchen.

Not even Jongho can sense any other presences in the house besides your own, and his worry only skyrockets.

“Wait here.” He briefly meets your gaze, a small battle axe appearing in his left hand.

You don’t even have time to protest before he’s disappeared, reappearing only a few moments later. He shakes his head, lips tugging downwards in a frown.

“There’s no one at home.” He says, walking around the kitchen island and peering into the backyard cautiously.

“What?” Your stomach drops, a chill running over your entire body and settling deep within your bones.

Without wasting another moment, you pull out your phone. Dialling your sister’s number, you press the device to your ear. You can barely hear it ringing through over the rush of blood, but you do whatever you can to focus on that lone sound.

She doesn’t answer, so you call again.

By the third ring, Crystal finally picks up.

“Hello?” A groggy voice greets your ears, followed by a questioning call of your name. “Why are you calling me at three in the morning on a Sunday?”

Your heart stops.

“Are you okay? What’s going on?” Your voice is a bit frantic, but you don’t care.

“I’m fine.” Your sister sounds annoyed. “You’re the one who called me.”

“I thought-“ you breathe a long sigh through your nose, heartbeat continuing to race wildly inside your chest. “Nevermind, I think the dream I had was just too real.”

“Okay, well,” she yawns rather pointedly. “As long as you’re okay.”

“Yeah, yeah,” your eyes dart around her empty kitchen. “Where are you, anyways?”

“Vasco and I took a weekend trip to just get away. I thought mom told you.” She replies, and you can hear the furrow in her brows. “Why? Is something wrong?”

“No, no,” you’re quick to assure her, watching as Jongho paces from one window to the next. “I was just worried about you guys. And the baby.”

A soft snort is heard as she yawns again, quite loudly. “We’re all fine. Elijah isn’t due for another two weeks, unless he decides to come early.”

Faintly, you register Vasco’s voice mumbling in the background, only for your sister to reply that she’s talking with you.

“Alright, well, sorry for disturbing you.” You frown, turning to rest against the edge of the counter. “Go back to sleep.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?” She asks, but at the way her words are slurring together, you can tell she’s about to fall right back to sleep.

“Of course,” you smile tightly despite her being unable to see you. “Get some rest.”

A hum is all you receive, followed by a muffled ‘love you’ into the phone. You’re quick to say it back, ending the call shortly after the fact.

Running a hand over your face, you rub at your eyes. Shaking your head, you finally move to turn around.

The moment you turn around, your breath hitches in your throat.

A silver arrow is aimed directly at your heart as the man holds a red bow. A scar rests over his left eye, and he cannot seem to tear his gaze from you.

“You are far too gullible for your own good.” A deep voice greets your ears, a smirk accompanying his smug expression.

“Dimitri.” You breathe out, eyes flitting between his figure, and Jongho who stands off to the side with a grimace on his face.

“You survived me once, but not again.” He clicks his tongue before motioning over to Jongho. “Any sudden movements, and I won’t miss sinking this arrow right into her chest.”

Again, your eyes shift to Jongho.

“Go ahead, and see what happens if you call another one of them for aid.” He practically sneers, and you notice a few other figures appearing from deep within the shadows.

There only seems to be about three males with him, but hunters, warlocks, or both, you cannot tell. Two of them move to restrain Jongho, while one makes his way over towards you.

Slowly, you raise your hands in front of yourself in a defensive stance.

“Please, I know you don’t want to do this.” You keep your voice calm; steady.

“You don’t know what I want!” He shouts, the whole house practically shaking in response.

“Then what do you want, Dimitri.” It’s faint, but there’s a hint of pity held within your voice as you address him.

Jongho’s eyes dart to you, nothing but worry shining through as he is forced to drop the hold he has on the axe in his hand.

“I want to see you dead for killing the woman I love.” He snarls, taking a menacing step forward.

“I didn’t kill her, Dimitri.” You shake your head softly. “I didn’t kill her, and you know that.”

It’s slight, but his brow twitches.

“Bullshit.” He sneers. “If you didn’t kill her, than who did?”

“We both know the answer to that,” you reply, monitoring the man who creeps closer to you with every step. You begin to shift away, using your words to casually move around the counter. “We both know it was Miyeon who killed your wife and your two children without an ounce of remorse.”

“My Miyeon wouldn’t hurt anybody.” Dimitri snaps, his bow straining as he pulls just a little tighter on the string.

“Which is why she wanted to kill me.” Your blunt refutal has his jaw twitching.

“Only, you got to her first.” He seethes, gritting his teeth in ire.

You shake your head. “Dimitri, I know you’re still in there. The real you.”

“This is the real me, you heathen!” He spits, entire bow shaking in his grip. Whether from rage, or something else entirely, you cannot tell. “Miyeon set me free, and now you’ve destroyed everything she’s worked so hard for.”

“Set you free, or made you a slave to her will?” You quirk a brow, subtly continuing to inch away from the man getting closer to you with every slow step.

“You know nothing.” Dimitri hisses, whole body visibly shaking now.

“I know that if you truly wanted to kill me, you would have done so by now.” You state, rather blankly, and you watch him freeze in his spot. “I know that from what I’ve heard, your aim is second only to King Yeosang’s, because he was the one who trained you.”

You don’t know how you maintain the steadiness of your voice, but you do recognize the three lackeys around you hesitate in their movements. Subtly, Jongho subdues the two attempting to hold him back while you keep Dimitri’s gaze focussed on you. Even the third is none the wiser, stilling in his approach as you manage to angle Dimitri away from his line of vision.

“Even now, you strain against her hold.” You observe, noticing how white his knuckles are as he grips his bow for dear life. “You know this is wrong, that this isn’t who you truly are. Which is why you continue to hesitate striking me down. I have done nothing against you, Dimitri. Miyeon has.”

Jongho takes out the third man, quietly laying his body on the floor and out of sight.

“Shut up!” Dimitri commands, voice rattling the windows with how loudly he shouts. “My love for her knows no bounds! I would do anything for her, and once she rules over the realms, nothing can stop us.”

“She told you, then, that you aren’t who she planned to actually have rule at her side?” You inquire, pressing yourself against the back door as he takes another menacing step towards you.

Jongho summons his axe back to his hand.

“I’m well aware of her plans with Malik.” He steps slightly to the side, and you notice that he’s been mirroring your every move, circling the counter on the opposite end.

The kitchen island remains the only obstacle between the both of you.

“Oh, no, Dimitri.” You shake your head, feigning concern. “It is not Malik whom I speak of.”

“There is no one else.” He retorts, rather pointedly.

“You and I know that’s not true.” You take a deep breath, eyes briefly flitting to Jongho who approaches Dimitri from behind. “You and I know that there was only ever one man she would claim the throne with, and she’d ensnare him exactly as she’s ensnared you.”

“Who?” His gaze is deadly, but there’s something deeper that shines within his eyes. A sort of helplessness within that screams to be seen as he continues to glare at you.

His brow twitches once more.

“The one who trained you with a bow.”

The arrow is loosed before you even have time to react.

The sound of glass shattering as you get thrown through the back door greets your ears, nearly muffled by the roar of anger that echoes throughout the house. You land harshly on your back, feeling the harsh sting of broken glass digging into your skin.

Luckily, no arrow protrudes from your body.

Fear grips you unlike ever before as you hear low snarling coming from inside of the house. Scrambling back to your feet, you rush back into the kitchen, seeing the silver arrow resting on the ground with blood glinting from the tip.

You just have enough time to raise your head to see Jongho appear in front of you once more. A grunt of pain escapes him as a spell meant for you hits him square in the chest.

Immediately, blood begins dripping onto the floor by Jongho’s feet, and you see him fall to his knees.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you see Dimitri begin to approach.

“No!” Your body reacts before your mind has a chance to process what’s happening.

Grabbing the discarded arrow from the floor, you practically leap over Jongho’s collapsed form. With all of your might, you swing your arm, moving to stab Dimitri in the side with that silver arrow. Your hands burn, but you ignore the sting, feeling the way blood coats your skin as the weapon meets it’s target.

Stumbling backwards, Dimitri grips at his fresh wound.

“This isn’t over.” He growls out before disappearing right before your very eyes.

You allow yourself three seconds to make sure he’s not coming back before you’re turning to face Jongho. He can barely support himself as he slouches on the floor, one hand shakily keeping him upright as he can barely lift his head. His breathing is laboured, and he can barely form the words to speak, but he still manages to lift his head.

“Jongho,” you rush over to him, tears immediately lining your vision as you collapse onto your knees beside him. “Oh, Jongho.”

Broken shards of glass dig into your flesh, but the dull sting is nothing compared to the suffocation strangling your heart right now as he falls into your embrace.

“I’m so sorry,” your chest heaves with every breath, watching as more of his blood begins to soak into the material of your sweater that he wears. It doesn’t look like he’s able to move all that much, let alone heal himself.

“Oh god,” your eyes frantically look over his upper body, mind reeling with what you should do, what you can do to help.

A vision of the front foyer greets you, and you hold him closer to your chest as you squeeze your eyes shut. You need to contact the others before this gets any worse.

Blinking your eyes open, you nearly collapse at the sight that rests before you. Your breath hitches in your throat, looking around frantically as if your mind is playing tricks on you. You can’t be back in the front foyer already, it’s impossible.

Tightening your grip on Jongho, you decide to trust your senses for the moment, despite your better judgment. Besides, he probably had just enough strength to teleport the both of you back home.

Your void falls.

“Guys!” Your voice is frantic, your fear and desperation coming through as clear as day. You swallow thickly, doing whatever you can to keep your tears at bay and emotions in check. “Help!”

Instantly, all seven of them are surrounding you.

A low curse escapes Wooyoung’s lips as they take in the sight that greets them all in the foyer. He knew they should have immediately went to you as soon as Jongho reached out to them, but he had faith the youngest would be able to protect you. Never could any of them have expect this.

“What happened?” Yunho’s voice is soft as he addresses you, kneeling in beside you as his brothers surround the two of you from all sides.

Carefully, San, Mingi, and Seonghwa all lift Jongho onto the front desk after Hongjoong clears the top of items.

Your hands tremble, and you immediately are standing right beside Jongho’s head. Carefully, you place your bloody hands onto the side of his face, noticing how he can barely keep his eyes open as his brothers begin to inspect his wounds.

“Dimitri,” your entire being shakes, fingers practically clinging onto Jongho for the moment. “He- he-“

You’re this close to hyperventilating, your chest feeling as if something is crushing you from the inside out.

“Breathe, Dearest,” Yeosang manages to step in beside you, turning you to meet his gaze in the next second.

Taking a deep breath in to steady yourself, your eyes flutter closed.

“It’s all my fault,” the words are barely above a whisper, but you know you’ve caught all of their attention. “He-“ you breath stutters as you inhale shakily. “Ambush.”

You do not fail to miss the way all of their breaths hitch in their throats.

“Petal,” there’s nothing but concern in Yunho’s voice as he takes a step in closer to you.

“No. Don’t coddle me.” You shake your head, stepping away from all of them as you feel all of their worried gazes turn towards you. “If I had just listened.”

Anger is beginning to replace the fear coursing through your veins. Anger at yourself for being so reckless and irrational. If you had just stopped to think.

“What happened?” It’s Hongjoong that asks, the sound of tearing fabric accompanying his words.

You lift your head to meet his gaze. “He jumped in front of a spell that was meant for me.”

A groan is heard from Jongho on the table, and you can just tell he’s fighting to keep his eyes open at this point. Slowly, you notice blood beginning to leak out of his mouth and you swallow thickly.

“I got a call.” You continue, pacing in front of them all as your hands run over the top of your head frantically. “I thought it was from my sister. I thought she was in danger. I though the baby-“ your voice catches in your throat. “I didn’t think.”

You still, eyes squeezing shut as you fight off your tears for the moment. You can practically feel Jongho’s blood smearing against your skin with every frantic movement of your hands over your face, but you don’t care.

“He told me to wait. He told me to think this through.” Your whole body begins trembling once more. “I didn’t listen, and now he’s bleeding out because of me. It’s all my fault.”

A soft call of your name from Seonghwa catches your attention.

“You know that’s not true.” He approaches you carefully, a look of sad understanding resting on his features.

Every step he takes forward, you take one back, shaking your head all the while. The frantic beating of your heart is the only thing you seem to be able to focus on for the time begin, ignoring the worried looks all seven males send your way.

“Just-“ you inhale sharply, chest stuttering with each breath, “tell me he’s going to be okay. Tell me I didn’t just kill a man I love.”

“He’ll be fine, Starlight,” Mingi assures you, nothing but concern dripping from his gaze as he turns to look at you. “We’ve all suffered much worse than some measly little spell before.”

You briefly glance upwards to meet his eyes. Your lower lip wobbles.

“We’ve already healed his external injuries.” Wooyoung smiles softly at you, wanting to ease your heartache as much as he can. 

Your void still rests open, and each of them can feel your unfiltered emotions washing over them. The fear and self-loathing they can sense is enough to suffocate their own hearts, and they know that it’s nothing compared to what you’re feeling yourself at this very moment in time.

“He’s going to be fine, Baby.” San nods assuringly in your direction.

“He just needs rest.” Yeosang blinks up at you, his hand resting lightly over Jongho’s chest.

Slowly, your breathing begins to even out and you approach the front desk carefully. There’s a slight hesitance to your steps as you get closer, hands continuing to shake. As soon as you come to stand beside him, you go to reach out to Jongho, but you stop yourself, hand hovering just beside his face.

“You know he doesn’t blame you for this.” Seonghwa watches you carefully, gaze darting between your crestfallen expression and trembling hand. “He- we could never blame you for this.”

“How can you not?” Your voice is broken, fingers twitching in mid-air. “It’s my fault he got hurt. It’s my fault I didn’t listen.”

“You shouldn’t blame yourself, Petal.” Yunho approaches you carefully, not wanting to scare you away. “He made the choice to protect you. We all did. There’s no fault in that.”

“And we know he’d do it all over again, too.” Hongjoong manages to meet your gaze, nothing but sincerity shining behind his orbs.

“You don’t know that,” you bite your lower lip, noticing how Jongho’s head tilts slightly in your direction.

Immediately, your hand is on him, stepping in closer as you feel your heart squeeze painfully in your chest. His eyes aren’t even open, and you fail to see the way his own fingers twitch as he aches to pull you closer into his embrace.

Lowly, you can hear him attempt to speak. 

You hold your breath.

“You’re-“ his words slur together, chest stuttering as he inhales sharply, “at fault.”

The room goes deadly silent as Jongho loses consciousness, body falling limp on that front desk.

Your entire body goes still as you forget how to breathe. Slowly, your eyes begin to sting, and the tears you had so desperately been holding back begin to spill down your cheeks. Your lower lip trembles uncontrollably, breaths stuttering with every desperate inhale of your lungs.

A step is taken backwards. Then another, and another as you begin to shake your head.

You fall, not even registering the ache in your hands, for the pain in your heart is too suffocating a feeling. Still, you continue to back away from them, retreating as if terrified of what they might do to you now.

A soft call of your name goes unnoticed by you, your whole body trembling as you see them all shift to get closer. Only, you perceive it as something else entirely, and a low whimper escapes your lips.

Their expressions fall.

Your gaze darts between one male and the next, thoughts muddled as they race through your mind. There’s a certain desperation shining within your gaze that none of them seem to pick up on as tears continue to stream down your face. Each breath becomes harder than the last, and you swear someone has reached inside and torn your heart right from your chest.

You can’t take this anymore. It’s all becoming too much. You just wish that you could be anywhere but here in this moment in time. It’s all too much.

In the blink of an eye, you disappear from sight.

[strangertides]

{5} - Paradise Gardens - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Book Two to Hotel California

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humour, Smut (let's go for a ride)

Pairing: Ateez X Reader (Focus on Jongho)

Words: 13,630

Warnings: Smut: scenting, slight hair pulling (male rec.), fingering (fem. rec.), biting, blood play and bloodletting, edging, thigh riding, marking (male rec.), minor breast play, squirting, dirty talk (lots of it), possessive talk (both ways), switch tendencies, very, very minor primal play to start, implied cockwarming at the end. Some references to Beauty and the Beast at the beginning. I think that's it, but let me know if I missed anything! This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: I really hope you all enjoy this chapter!! I honestly had a lot of fun writing it, cause it starts off really cute and then escalates quite quickly. Finally, Baby Bear gets his time to shine!! I literally cannot wait for the upcoming chapters, cause this is sort of the catalyst to them hehehe anyways, as always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Also, gentle reminder that I don’t do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four

“So, you’ve always wanted to hug a bear?”

It’s about mid-afternoon the following day when Jongho poses the question, somewhat casually. He continuously spares glances at you from over his book, but you’ve noticed that he hasn’t turned the page in quite some time. He’s really not as subtle as he thinks.

“Where’s this coming from all of a sudden?” You chuckle, eyes darting up to meet his own as your finger caresses the side of your own novel.

The two of you are currently sitting in the library. You rest on one end of the couch, legs stretched out before you as your feet rest on his thighs. Jongho has long since angled himself towards you, one hand gently resting over your ankles as you keep them crossed over him for the moment.

“Just a mild curiosity, is all.” He hums, attempting to shift his focus back onto the page in front of him.

“Nothing to do with the little comment I made towards you after the fact?” You quirk a brow teasingly.

Red begins to creep up his neck as he suddenly finds the novel before him extremely fascinating. “Just curious, is all.”

You simply hum in response, turning to the next page.

“You know,” he continues. “You’ve never really asked us to shift for you before.”

“I’m aware.” Your voice is light, a teasing lilt still found in your tone.

“If you want something, you need only tell us.” He says, staring intently at his book. “You know we’d- I’d be more than happy to oblige.”

“Jongho,” his name is but an affectionate chuckle from your lips, “If you’d like for me to ask you to shift into a bear so I can cuddle you, all you need to do is tell me.”

“I just don’t understand,” he closes his book softly, resting it on the arm of the couch beside him. “If this is something you’ve always wanted to do, why wouldn’t you have told us sooner?”

You remain quiet, pursing your lips slightly. Then, you’re taking a somewhat deep breath in.

“I just never want it to seem that that’s all I want from you.” You say, voice low as your thumb traces over the cover of your novel. “As much as I love your powers, I never want any of you to think that that’s all I care about. You’re more than that, and I never want to be selfish.”

“Darling, you do realize that that’s not selfish at all, right?” He shifts forward, hand sliding up your leg to rest over your shin now. “Especially not when we offer. Not when we want you to ask. I know for a fact that seeing that wondrous expression light up your eyes makes us all happy beyond content. The fact that we are the ones causing such joy to appear on your features means the world to us. We just want to take care of you, and if we can impress you while doing so, we’ll do it in a heartbeat.”

You lift your eyes to meet his gaze.

“We only want to make you happy,” he continues, nothing but sincerity shining on his features. “To make all of your dreams come true. All you have to do is ask.”

“Alright.” Retracting your legs from his lap, you sit forward on the couch. “I’ll do my best to be more honest and open about my desires going forward, then.”

“Please do, Darling.” He smiles, reaching over to place a hand onto your thigh. “I know I’m not the only one always dying to know what you’re thinking about. Especially when it concerns us.”

The corner of your lips quirk upwards. “The feeling is very much mutual, Baby Bear.”

Jongho’s eyebrows raise amusedly, his lips parting as red returns to his neck. “Baby Bear?”

“Yeah,” you grin, eyes crinkling at the sides as you shift closer to him. “To be honest, I’ve always wanted to call you that. Ursaring is another.”

“Oh?” A certain smugness dances within his gaze as he meets your own. “Why Baby Bear, though?”

“You remind me of one.” You reply simply, resting your head gently on his shoulder.

“A bear cub?” His brow furrows slightly, loving the way your fingers intertwine with his own in the next second.

“Just a bear in general.” You say, brushing your thumb along the skin on the back of his hand. “Big, strong, fiercely protective, and loyal. Not to mention intelligent.”

A pleased rumble escapes him at your words.

“If I’m being honest, I’ve always pictured it being you whenever I fantasized about hugging a bear.” You admit, and you feel him pull you closer into his side. “Which is another reason for the nickname. That, and you’re My Baby. My Baby Bear.”

A low, content growl reaches your ears. 

Jongho swears his heart is about to leap out of his chest, only emphasized by the pleasant hum you give him in response. The way you’re currently looking at him, eyes hooded as a loving smile pulls at your lips means the world to him.

“You can call me whatever you damn well please if it means you looking at me like this at all times.” His voice rumbles out, nothing but a low drawl as he leans into your neck. Gently, his nose brushes against your skin, nuzzling you softly. “I absolutely adore it when you do.”

“Oh?” This time, it’s your turn to quirk a brow. “And just how do I look at you when I’m like this?”

Jongho takes a moment to answer, pulling away to stare deeply into your eyes.

“Like I’m one of the most attractive males you’ve ever seen in your life.” He breathes, another pleased growl reverberating from inside of his chest. “As if you want to devour me whole. Like I’m yours.”

“You are, Baby Bear.” You smile, bringing a hand up to cup the side of his face tenderly. “Not only are you one of the eight most attractive men I have ever seen in my life, but I count myself lucky every day that I get to call you mine.”

Jongho’s heart positively flutters within his chest, his breath hitching as your words wash over him. Always, he has dreamed about hearing those words fall from your lips, and now that they have, he is flooded with an immeasurable sense of happiness. Nothing but love is in his gaze as he looks at you, leaning into your touch shamelessly as he brings a hand up to place over your own.

“Not a day passes by where I am not grateful to have you in my life, My Darling.” He breathes, voice low as his eyes fall shut. “You have truly consumed me in the best of ways. My soul has come alight again, and it is all because of you.”

“Jongho,” your expression softens, heart swelling inside your chest at his admission.

“I may not be the best at expressing myself through spoken words like some of my brothers, but for you, I will never hesitate to try.” His eyes blink open, and the sincerity you can see shining there takes your breath away. “Which is why when I learn that there are things that I can do for you, that you want, I will jump at every opportunity to do them. I only want to make you happy, Darling. Please, won’t you let me?”

“I don’t need fancy words, Jongho.” You tell him earnestly. “I value your presence. You don’t need to say anything. I find comfort in just being with you.”

Again, his breath hitches. A moment later, and he’s leaning forward to rest his forehead against your own.

“Then, will you let me do this for you?” He holds you close, voice but a mere whisper.

“Only if you let me ask, first.” You tease lightly, a grin pulling at the corner of your lips.

“Please do.” He breathes out.

Leaning the slightest bit away from him, you stare deeply into his eyes.

“Jongho,” you begin, a gentle smile now gracing your features, “Will you let me hug you as a bear?”

His eyes shine with an unfiltered glee as he squeezes your hand still resting over his cheek. “I would love nothing more.”

Parting from you, Jongho stands from the couch. He can feel your eyes on him as he steps off to the side, ensuring that there’s enough space for what he’s about to do. Slowly, his smile begins to morph into a smug grin, brushing tenderly against your mind with his own.

A blink, and a great, brown grizzly bear is standing right before your very eyes. You can hardly keep the wonder off of your face as you spring up from the couch, rushing over to him as your lips part.

“That’s incredible!” Your hands find purchase on his side, feeling the intricate softness of his fur beneath your touch.

A pleased chuckle escapes him, and you watch as he turns his head to nuzzle his snout against you. The movement practically sends you toppling into his shoulder, your arms falling against his side to support you as he snorts out another laugh.

“Don’t laugh! You did that on purpose!” You playfully scold him, hearing him huff out another amused puff of air in response.

Again, you feel him brush up against your mind. So, you let him in.

The moment your void opens to allow him access to your thoughts, an overwhelming sense of awe, wonder, and love floods him. All are emotions you direct at him. Whether subconsciously or knowingly, he’s not sure. What he does know, is that he cannot prevent the pleased hum that escapes him, reverberating against you as you continue to lean into his side.

The way you begin to nuzzle into his fur has his eyes crinkling in joy.

“You’re so soft, Jongho,” you hum, eyes fluttering shut in bliss. “Thank you for letting me do this.”

Anytime, Darling. He coos affectionately, shifting slightly in his spot. I love being able to make you happy.

His arm closest to you gently tugs you forward as he sits up on his hind legs. Ever so carefully, Jongho draws you into him, allowing your body to melt into his embrace. His touch is soft, and you can feel the weight of his front paws holding you in place as you lean into him. The fact that you bury your face into his chest has him shaking lightly in laughter, humming contently in the next moment.

Embrace me anytime you desire, My Darling. His voice echoes throughout your mind. I can never get enough of your touch.

The way his snout buries itself into the side of your neck says it all. Even the way he inhales deeply, whole body shuddering as he scents you in his arms is apparent.

My Jongho, you hum contently, relaxing fully into this moment with him as he surrounds you: mind, body, and soul. I love you. A moment’s pause. I am in love with you.

The growl that escapes his throat is low, bordering on a pleased whine as you feel him shudder within your grasp. A second later, and he’s rolled onto his back, pulling you up with him so that you’re now resting on his chest.

With all that I am, I am unquestionably, irrevocably, and earnestly in love with you forevermore, My Darling. His one paw settles gently on the skin of your back. Nothing will ever change that fact.

Your heart positively flutters in your chest. A fact of which you know he hears, for you can feel the pleased rumble shake his chest beneath you. You smile.

“You’re comfy.” You hum, settling deeper on top of him as you hug him tighter. “I might just prefer this position over Snorlax.”

I will gladly stay like this for as long as you desire, My Queen. Jongho says, eyes closing in bliss as he revels in this euphoric feeling with you.

You nuzzle your cheek against him affectionately. My King.

Another pleased growl echoes around the library, and you find yourself chuckling at the irony of it all.

You’ve really made this into a fairytale for me, huh? Your tone is lighthearted as you close your eyes.

How so, Darling? He inquires, his chest rising and falling steadily with every breath he takes.

Think about it, Baby Bear. You reply, an amused twitch of your lips upwards. We’re in the library, a place that means a lot to the both of us. I’m literally laying on top of a bear I love right now who is making my dreams come true. All I’m missing is some talking chinaware and a yellow dress.

Are you suggesting our love is a tale as old as time? Jongho chuckles, affection dancing in his gaze.

It will be. 

The simple statement from you has tears of joy springing to his eyes.

Not a day passes by where I don’t count myself lucky you ever fell for a beast like me. His voice is somewhat strained, and you feel him swallow thickly.

You are no beast to me, Jongho. You say, nothing but honesty dripping from your words. That being said, I would gladly love a beast any day over someone unworthy of my affection. Besides, maybe I prefer beasts.

Your admission leaves him slightly stunned, his grip tightening a minuscule amount over your back.

Do you, now? His response is nothing short of amused, and you swear he quirks a brow at you.

Maybe I was referring to you being beauty. You are rather handsome, Jongho. You admit, a slight warmth rising to your cheeks as you avert your gaze. His grip tightens ever so softly. Though, I thought it would be obvious by now, given the amount of jokes and hints I’ve given about it.

What would be obvious? He tilts his head slightly in inquiry.

Darling, I’m not shy about being a monster fucker. You chuckle, noticing the way his whole body freezes momentarily beneath your own. 

Don’t let Wooyoung hear you say that. Jongho huffs out an amused breath. He’ll never let you live that one down.

If the self-proclaimed master of seduction doesn’t know that by now, then that’s on him. You snort. 

Then, if what I’m incurring is correct, he begins. You’d be okay with us using our powers in the bedroom? In that context?

You smile. I’d be more than okay with it, Baby Bear. Only if you are, of course. Consent goes both ways.

Again, maybe wait to let Wooyoung know. He chuckles, a puff of air escaping his nose. He’d jump at any and every opportunity to keep you locked in his room with him for days.

You say that like it’s a bad thing. A chuckle escapes you.

With him? Jongho snorts out a laugh. Always.

Anyways, back to my original point: it’s as I’ve said before, you lift your head, meeting his gaze. You are everything I could have ever asked for.

Another pleased growl escapes him, and you notice how he wiggles his feet below you happily in response. Even his ears twitch, along with his nose.

I wouldn’t trade you for the world, Darling. He grins, loving how you shift the slightest bit upwards so you can position yourself to properly meet his gaze.

I wouldn’t trade you for anything, either. Gently, you lean down to kiss the tip of his snout. Now, want to go make your brothers jealous?

Fuck, I love you. A pleased growl escapes him as he feels you slide off of him. What are you thinking, Darling?

Let me go for a ride? The wink you send him is most certainly not innocent, especially not with the sultry way your lips pull upwards in the corners.

With pleasure. The snarl that escapes him is nothing short of feral as he graciously kneels for you to climb on top of his back.

A minute later, and you’re settled comfortable atop of Jongho, your legs resting on either side of him. Your hands grip lightly at his fur as he paces around the library so you can get used to the feeling of him moving before he takes off through the house.

Let me know when you’re ready, Darling. He says, shaking out his head as he attempts to control his breathing for the moment. 

This is everything he could have asked for, and so much more. The fact that you were the one to even suggest it makes him happy beyond belief. Nothing is better than the feeling of rubbing such an intimate moment in his brother’s faces like this. Besides, it’s all just a bit of fun, and he knows that in the long run, his brothers will appreciate how joyous this occasion makes you. Hearing your laughter is a blessing none of them knew they could ever be granted. Knowing that they are the cause of it means everything to them.

Ready! You giggle, and fuck if it isn’t just music to Jongho’s ears.

Straightening to his full height, Jongho proudly steps towards the large double doors of the library with you sitting tall upon his back.

“Onward, my valiant steed!” You call, wiggling excitedly in your spot atop his back.

A loud roar escapes Jongho in response, practically shaking the entire house as he bounds forward. The doors of the library burst open, and you cannot contain the rambunctious laughter that escapes you, along with excited squeals, as Jongho races down the hallway.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you vaguely make out Seonghwa popping his head out of his tailor shop as you run by.

“Hi, Mars!” 

One second you’re in front of him. 

“Bye, Mars!”

The next, you are not.

Your laughter continues to echo throughout the house, drawing the attention of all the males in the vicinity. The way you so effortlessly ride atop Jongho’s back has smiles pulling at most of their faces. 

Yunho watches on, amusement dancing in his eyes as you excitedly shout ‘nyoom’ from across the foyer. The word escapes you repeatedly along with exclamations of enjoyment, such as high pitched laughter mixed with short snippets of you saying ‘wee!’.

There’s a look of disbelief painting Yeosang’s face, but the sound of your laughter draws him in. Before he knows it, his own shoulders are shaking along with you, especially when Kuroo begins chasing after Jongho excitedly. Small chirps of affection escape that little black ball of fur, quipping about how he’s going to catch Jongho for attempting to kidnap the Queen.

Wooyoung wears the biggest pout on his features as he crosses his arms over his chest. “No fair.”

Vaguely, you hear him muttering complaints to San and Mingi the whole time. Two males of whom that don’t appear as if they’re fairing any better for the moment.

Hongjoong, on the other hand, looks quite exasperated. 

“Not inside the house!” His eyes are wide, hands stretched out in front of him in worry as Jongho slows down to a walk.

“Aw, come on, Joongie,” you pout dramatically. “It’s just a bit of fun.”

The loud, defeated sigh you hear him heave has your features lighting up instantly. A second later, and Jongho is back to running through the house, your boisterous laughter filling the rooms.

I’m glad you’re having fun, Darling. Jongho hums happily, bounding out into the courtyard and leaping over the length of the pool like it’s nothing.

Woah, your voice is full of awe as he circles back around inside of the house. This is incredible! You’re incredible!

Your praise means more to me than you’ll ever know. His whole body rumbles with his hum of contentment, ears twitching eagerly.

Slowly, Jongho lessens his pace, strutting towards his room with a certain gait of satisfaction. His chest heaves, a large grin pulling at his features as he enters his bedroom for the time being. The way you practically collapse on top of him, clinging to him so eagerly as a giddy laugh escapes your lips has him humming affectionately.

He shakes out his head.

Thank you, Jongho. A content sigh escapes you as you practically melt into his back, squeezing him tightly. This has been everything I could have ever asked for.

I’m glad. He hums, nothing but tender love and affection dripping from his gaze as he feels you slide off of him. Anytime you wish to experience something, do not hesitate to let us know. I am always ready and willing to provide for you whatever you may need.

I’ll keep that in mind. You come to stand before him, gripping his snout gently in your hands as you place another kiss onto his nose. There is one more thing I’d like to do before you shift back.

His eyes gleam. Anything, My Darling.

A devious grin is all he receives as he watches your hands reach upwards on his head. Not even a second later, he feels you tenderly rubbing his ears with your thumbs, massaging them gently.

Jongho practically purrs in response, the content hum escaping him involuntarily as his eyes flutter shut. The fact that he can hear you giggle in earnest once more sets his heart racing in his chest. His entire body heats as you continue to pet him so affectionately, your touch sending little jolts of electricity throughout.

One minute, your fingers are playing with his ears. The next, you’re shifting your hands to tenderly caress his face, giving him some affectionate chin rubs while you’re at it.

The whole time, Jongho continues to let out pleased hums, bordering on low growls. His breathing deepens, eyes remaining closed as he pushes himself eagerly into your embrace, nearly knocking you over in the process.

Darling, please, his voice is somewhat strained, and you swear he shivers beneath your very grasp. Don’t stop.

You giggle softly. I didn’t realize you’d enjoy this so much.

I could never tire of your touch. He admits, eyes blinking open to stare into your own earnestly. Everything only serves to become heightened when I’m like this. Sensation, touch, his eyes flash, scent.

I thought all of that was already heightened? Your breath hitches slightly in your throat, his heated stare freezing you to your spot as your hands still over him.

Now, even more so. His voice is a mere rumble, echoing alongside the low growl he lets out.

You cannot deny the way your heart skips a beat, especially as he begins to slowly back you towards the bed. His steps are precise, stalking towards you as his sheer size consumes your senses. Truly, he radiates the aura of the predator he is right now, but you aren’t scared. No. Instead, your veins flood with something else. Something far more pleasant, of which he immediately picks up on.

You smell delectable, Darling. His eyes darken, and his tongue darts out to wet his maw.

The glimpse you get of his teeth sets your heart stuttering excitedly inside of your chest.

You swear his brow quirks. I didn’t know you’d be in to this sort of thing.

You blink, somewhat caught off guard.

From the looks of things, neither did you. His whole chest shakes as he chuckles.

I think- Feeling your legs hit the edge of his mattress, you swallow the sudden dryness in your throat. I think it’s because it’s you that this is affecting me so.

A low, pleased growl reaches your ears. Is that so?

You can only nod in response, his dark eyes flashing as he stops himself right in front of you. His snout just about grazes your chest, your every breath closing that subtle gap between the both of you as he stares you down.

My Darling, he practically hums. There is something I would like to request of you now.

Anything. The exhale you give is breathless, and you swear he quirks a brow at you in response.

Nudging you gently with his snout, he pushes you back onto the bed. Each step you watch him take closer is meticulous until his chin rests right above your stomach. The way he can see your chest rising and falling with each inhale you take causes excitement to flood his very soul. He can just sense how this is affecting you, and he nearly has to stop himself from snarling pleasantly at the revelation.

Spread your legs for me. Slowly, meticulously, he pulls his head back. His maw parts the slightest bit, tongue practically lolling to the side as his gaze stares, transfixed, at the apex of your thighs. I wish to scent you.

The way your breath hitches, heart momentarily skipping a beat in your chest does not go unnoticed by him. You can feel that familiar rush of warmth heating your skin, sending a jolt of electricity all the way to your core. From the way he swallows thickly, you can tell that he knows it, too.

Jongho is a patient man, but never has he been testing like this before. Of course, your comfort and personal boundaries are his number one priority. Which is exactly why he is resisting every urge right now to push his way between your legs, bury his snout between your thighs, and breath in your scent like he longs to do. The sweet aroma of your building arousal calls to him like a siren’s song, and the longer he has you in his room, on his bed, the harder he finds it to continue to control himself.

One word. One movement of discomfort from you, and he’ll back off.

Always, he awaits your approval.

The silence that settles over the both of you stretches on, and even with your mind open to him, Jongho does his best not to intrude. From the way you’re looking at him, eyes wide and blinking owlishly, he fears he might have just gone too far.

Again, you swallow thickly, hearing your heart pounding in your ears. Then, slowly, you begin to part your legs.

The whole time, you maintain eye contact with him, and you watch as his breathing deepens. That all too familiar darkness swirls within, guttural growls escaping him with every exhale. A sound of which that has your whole body shuddering in anticipation.

My Darling, the call of your name is the deepest you’ve ever heard from him, even within your mind. The second you want me to stop, the moment you want space, he’s hardly keeping himself together, but he does. For you. You let me know right away.

I will. The corner of your lips twitches upwards. Now, scent me, My King.

You’ve barely finished thinking the words when his head is shoving between your thighs, snout pressed right up against your clothed sex. You can feel his pleased growls reverberating against your skin, his warm breath fanning over your cunt even through the layers of fabric you wear.

The tearing of cloth is synonymous with the deep growl he lets out, pushing himself deeper into your cunt as he inhales your scent eagerly. You can practically feel the heaviness of his tongue resting against your inner thigh as you spare a glance down at him. 

Never before have you seen Jongho’s eyes as dark as they are now. He looks about ready to devour you whole, and you know that he would. All you would have to do is let him.

The shredded material of his duvet catches your gaze, but the way he nudges his nose against you draws your attention back to his own. Despite the darkness shining within, there seems to be a hint of desperation coming through, especially when his whole body begins to shake.

Please, My Queen, his voice is strained, and you can feel him shifting between your thighs. It’s not enough. The barrier- he pants shamelessly, growls bordering on feral snarls as his claws shred through the bottom half of his duvet continuously. I need more.

Your stomach clenches pleasantly at his admission, and from the way he growls, you can tell that he’s noticed, too.

What is it, Baby Bear? Despite your heaving chest, you manage to lift your head to observe his every move carefully. The way you see his eyes flash once more has a smirk pulling at your features. What is it that you need?

Don’t tease me, Darling. There’s a warning hint to his tone, pulling his head back the slightest bit in order to shake his fur out. I’m already seconds away from losing control.

This time, you feel yourself clench around nothing. The way his eyes immediately lock onto the apex of your thighs lets you know just how in tuned to you he is.

What if I want you to lose control? Your hands fist the sheets at your sides, clinging on for dear life as you hear him finally release that snarl he’s been holding back this whole time.

Those are dangerous words, Darling. His breathing is ragged, and you can just tell that his claws have sunk into his sheets, grounding him as he attempts to leash his building lust for you in this moment. I would never forgive myself if I hurt you, or I overstepped any of your boundaries in favour of my own.

Your heart warms, and you find yourself sitting up in bed in order to grasp his head in your hands. Tenderly, you meet his gaze.

You have my consent to touch me, Jongho. You meet his gaze, staring deeply into his eyes. I want you to love me like you’ve always desired.

You swear he’s stopped breathing; his lips part as his whole body freezes. A moment later, and the deepest of snarls escapes him, a feral glint shining within his gaze as he looks at you.

Then, tell me, My Queen, he visibly begins trembling before your very gaze, shifting back into his human form as he kneels before you on the ground. “What is it that you desire?”

You cup his face tenderly in your hands, thumbs stroking lightly against his cheeks. “You.”

In the blink of an eye, he has you pinned to the bed, his form hovering over you. His hands rest on either side of your head, body pressing right up against your own. You can feel the pleased snarl that rumbles in his chest, his eyes searching yours briefly, as if to make sure that this is what you truly want.

Always, your comfort comes first.

“Jongho,” the sigh of his name is but a breathless whisper on your lips as your eyes hood over. “Kiss me.”

The way his left hand comes up to tenderly cup your face as he brings his lips to your own has you melting into his touch. His kiss is firm, pouring all that he is into each movement against you as he holds you to him. The way your legs part to allow himself to slot his hips against your own has him humming pleasantly against you.

Breaking from the kiss, he trails his lips down to nip at your jaw before sensually laving his tongue against your neck.

“You don’t know,” he pants, trailing his lips over your pulse, “how long,” he places, wet, open mouthed kisses along your skin, “I’ve dreamt of this.”

A breathless gasp escapes you as he bites down on the side of your neck, arching into him in response.

You pull him closer.

“I promise I’ll make you feel so good, Darling.” His voice is low, right by your ear. “I’ll take such good care of you tonight. The only thing you’ll be able to think about is the pleasure I’m giving you.”

“I want to please you, too.” You manage to speak, threading your fingers through his hair and pulling his head back so you can stare tenderly into his eyes.

“You will soon come to realize, My Queen, that pleasing you will always please me.” He replies, nothing but the deepest sincerity shining within his gaze. “This is true for all of us.”

Your lips part, heart stuttering inside of your chest as his words wash over you.

“Then, you will have to realize that the feeling is shared.” You bring a hand up to cup his cheek, loving how he immediately leans into your touch. “I thought I told you that if it’s not mutual, I don’t want it.”

A soft, affectionate chuckle falls from his lips. “You drive a hard bargain, My Darling.”

“Someone I cherish dearly told me I should be more open about my own desires,” you smile, nothing but love dripping from your eyes. “I am simply granting his wish.”

A pleased growl escapes him as his lips find purchase on your own once more. Greedily, he swallows all of your sounds, his one hand still cupping your face tenderly as his other sneaks beneath the material of your shirt. Only, you can feel him frown slightly as he feels a different type of fabric grace his fingertips instead of your bare skin.

Pulling away from you, Jongho meets your gaze. At the way you playfully quirk a brow, he’s quick to tear off your shirt.

A low groan escapes him, pleased pants falling from his parted lips as he takes in the sight before him.

There you lay beneath him, on his bed, looking like you were made just for him. Intricate lace covers your body, disappearing beneath the waistband of your leggings and sending his mind reeling. It’s in his favourite colour, too. Maroon.

Jongho’s chest rises and falls dramatically, his hands gripping your waist as he looks about ready to devour you whole.

“Did you-“ he can hardly form a coherent thought, the only prominent one being to absolutely ravish you this very instant, “did you wear this for me?”

Slowly, his fingertips trail downwards, hooking beneath the waistband of your leggings.

“Something told me that it would get appreciated if I wore it today.” You hum, a fond, knowing look in your gaze. “Go ahead, Jongho. I’m all yours.”

He growls shamelessly, “Mine.”

The sound of tearing fabric reaches your ears once more as he throws the remaining scraps of your leggings somewhere in his room. The way his eyes instantly flash black as soon as he takes in your form wearing that maroon singlet you bought all those months ago has excitement flooding your veins.

Jongho’s head spins. His hands are shaking and he can feel his cock throb beneath his slacks as he takes in the glorious sight of you spread out before him. The fact that you’re in his room, on his bed, wearing something for him has a warmth unlike anything he’s ever felt before in his life flooding his veins.

“My Darling,” his eyes trail everywhere over your figure, committing this sight to memory for decades to come. “You are so unbelievable beautiful in every way.”

A bashful smile pulls at your lips, averting your gaze to the side due to the very heat you feel emanating from his stare. The way he licks his lips only adds to the sensation, anticipation clawing eagerly at your chest.

“Jongho,” your hands slide beneath the shirt he wears and up his chest. Not even a second later, he’s torn the material off of his body, skin on full display as you drink in the sight of his bare torso. Your breathing deepens, gaze darkening as you shamelessly roam your eyes over his figure. “Fuck-“

Wrapping your one leg around his waist, you manage to surprise him. In the blink of an eye, you’ve flipped your positions, hands settling onto the skin of his upper chest. Your breathing deepens, eyes swirling with a primal sort of lust he’s never experienced form you. All he knows, though, is that he wants more.

“You really have no idea what you do to me.” Your voice is but a low whisper as you lean into him, trailing your lips against his skin. Slowly, you grind your hips into his, moans escaping the both of you as you feel his hard cock brushing against your core. “So fucking handsome, My King.”

A pleased snarl escapes him, his hands settling onto your thighs as his fingers sink appreciatively into your flesh.

The feeling of your teeth grazing his skin is unlike anything he could have ever imagined. The sheer eagerness he can feel in every press of your lips against him, nipping and sucking at his neck all the while, has his grip tightening on you. Shamelessly, moans escape him, tossing his head back as he feels you laving your tongue against the mole at the base of his throat. The second you start suckling at his skin in the exact same spot, nails teasingly scraping down his chest, he feels himself twitch beneath you.

“Fuck- My Queen,” his eyes flutter shut, heart full and nearly bursting at the fact that simply seeing his naked torso has made you this feral for him already.

It seems as if he’s not the only one with such prominent desires for the other.

The fact that your thoughts continue to wash over him, flooding his senses with your unfiltered awe, love, and now desire has his heart beating erratically in his chest. Nothing but pure want courses through his veins, eyes swirling with that all too familiar darkness as he continues to watch you bite your marks into the skin of his neck and upper chest. The way your tongue darts out to soothe the heated skin right after has him humming in content once more.

“My Jongho,” you hum against his chest, kissing directly over his heart as it positively flutters from your words. “My handsome Jongho.”

“All yours, My Queen,” his voice is but a pleased growl, a choked moan escaping him as he feels you grind yourself down onto his hard cock once more. “Let Your King fulfill your every desire.”

As soon as those words have left his lips, he’s sitting upright on the bed. A hand comes to rest on your back while the other steadies you while gripping your thigh. He pulls you closer, loving the way you cup his face tenderly only to kiss him in the next second.

Eagerly, he swallows all of your sounds, feeling your one hand come to rest on his shoulder while the other tangles in his hair. Desperately, you pull each other closer, tongues intertwined as he kisses you like you are the only thing that matters.

To him, you are.

Again, you grind yourself into him.

Moans escape the both of you, parting only briefly to rest your forehead against his own. You can feel his thighs tensing beneath you, and a small whimper escapes you from the feeling.

With dark eyes, you shift your position.

Settling your hands on his shoulders, you stare deep into his eyes. The corner of your lips twitch upwards as you see his gaze flash just as you settle your core right over his one thigh, straddling him as his hands grip your waist.

Teasingly, you grind yourself against him.

Moans escape both of your lips, Jongho’s gaze darting down to look at where your bodies meet. His breathing deepens, each exhale but a low growl on his lips.

“Go on, My Queen.” His voice rumbles out, eyes shining encouragingly. “Make yourself feel good on me.”

The way your fingers subtly press that much firmer into his shoulders as you begin to grind your hips down onto his thigh has a shiver caressing his spine. Already, your scent surrounds him, his skin igniting with the flames of his passion everywhere you touch. He can already feel his cock straining against his pants, just aching for you. All of you.

Tonight, though, Jongho plans to take his time.

“Fuck, Darling-“ his breath catches in his throat as he continues to help guide your movements over him, “I can already feel you soaking the material of my jeans. Is riding my thigh turning you on that much?”

“Yes.” Nothing more than a moan escapes you as your eyes flutter shut in bliss.

“Is that what you’re thinking about every time I catch you drooling over the sight of them? How badly you want to grind that tight little cunt of yours over me until you’re dripping onto my skin?” He hums, hands tightening ever so slightly around your waist as he flexes his thigh beneath you.

Shamelessly, you moan, pressing yourself down a little firmer as you continue to shift your hips against him.

“I could ride you all day, Baby Bear.” Your voice is a low drawl, the corner of your lips quirking as you stare deeply into his eyes with hooded ones of your own.

The snarl that tears from his throat is nothing short of feral, gaze flashing black. “Don’t tempt me, Darling.”

“You’re making me feel so good, Jongho.” A desperate whine escapes you, hands shifting to grasp at the back of his neck. “I fucking love your thighs. I love everything about you.”

Greedily, he pulls you back in for another kiss, pouring all of the emotions he feels into the movement of his tongue against your own. He swallows all of your sounds, helping to guide your hips against his thigh. Again, he flexes the muscles, hearing the way your breath hitches, whines becoming more and more frequent. Even your movements become that much more desperate, clinging onto him as you continue to drip onto his thigh.

Only, before you can feel that sweet, sweet release building any further, his hands on your waist still your every movement.

A whine of disappointment escapes you, pulling away to look at him with a slight pout tugging at your features.

“My Queen,” Jongho breathes, staring deeply into your eyes. “Of all the things we do tonight, I have but one final request.”

You blink, waiting for him to continue as you attempt to catch your breath.

“The first time I make you come, I want it to be with me.” His voice is low, and were he not already clinging onto you for dear life, he knows that his hands would be trembling from the sheer amount of want coursing through his veins right now. All he can see is you. All he can hear, touch, taste, smell. You are invading his every sense, and he wouldn’t want it any other way. “I want to feel your warmth squeezing me so delicately as you fucking drench me in you while screaming my name.”

Your lips part as your breath catches in your throat.

“Is that alright with you, My Queen?” He wraps his arms around you, pulling you flush against him as he buries his head into the side of your neck. “If you’d rather not wait, I can-“

“I would love nothing more, My King.” Despite the airiness to your tone, your words come through loud and clear.

His lips finding purchase on yours is all the answer you get as he holds you close. You can feel his pleased growl reverberate against you, his tongue darting out to trace your bottom lip before taking the tender flesh between his teeth.

The feeling of your fingers pressing into the skin of his back, drawing him in closer has another shiver caressing his spine. The way your hands feel, roaming all over every free inch of his body that he presents to you has a pride building in his chest. There is no doubt in Jongho’s mind that you absolutely adore everything that you see. A fact of which is mirrored in him. You are perfect in every way, and he will spend as long as it takes proving that to you tonight.

You pull away from him once more, only for your body to sink onto the floor between his legs. 

His hands begin to shake, eyes hooding over as his lips part. A breathless moan escapes him as he feels your fingers trailing up the inside of his thighs. Yet, nothing could prepare him for the feeling of you cupping him over his jeans, palm rubbing against him tenderly.

Not even a moment later, your fingers begin fumbling with the clasp of his belt, tugging the material down his legs eagerly once you’ve undone everything. The way your hungry eyes take in the bare skin of his thighs has him twitching eagerly. A dark wet patch stains the fabric of his underwear where his tip continues to leak precome, and he cannot prevent the way his stomach clenches as he sees you licking your lips.

“My beautiful Jongho,” slowly, your hands spread his legs wider apart, fingers digging into the muscular flesh. “Do you have any idea how fucking sexy these thighs of yours are?”

His lips part in answer, but all that escapes him is a moan. His cock throbs eagerly, aching for you in every way imaginable.

The minute he feels your lips pressing against the skin of his inner thigh, his muscles tense. His legs tremble, breathing deepening as you bite down quite sharply, laving your tongue soothingly over the mark shortly after. The way your eyes dart up to meet his own has his heart thundering inside of his chest.

You’re looking at him akin to how he knows he’s always gazed upon you. There is love in your eyes, that is for sure, but there’s also a certain feralness found there as well. A desperation inside that swirls with want, lust, but also, faintly, possession.

“I can’t count the amount of times I’ve fantasized about them,” you admit, and a low groan escapes him as you bite down on his opposite thigh. “So fucking thick. Perfect for riding. Perfect for marking.” Your eyes darken, glancing up to meet his own. “Perfect for me.”

Jongho’s entire body heats, getting lost in your lustful gaze. His breathing is ragged, chest heaving as he moans shamelessly for you. So badly do his eyes want to fall shut, revelling in this moment here with you, but he forces them to stay open. Like hell is he going to miss a single second of the beautiful sight that is you on your knees before him, worshipping his body just as he will be sure to always worship your own.

“All yours, My Queen,” Jongho repeats his words from earlier, but they still have the desired effect.

You moan against the skin of his thigh, eyes fluttering shut as your fingers sink into his flesh. Your hold is desperate, marks blooming all over him, painting him in various hues of red. Painting him in you.

He wouldn’t trade that for anything.

The closer you get to his aching cock, the harder Jongho finds it to hold himself back. With every mark you make on his skin, your bites become firmer, the eagerness shining through with every movement.

“Do it, My Queen,” he pleads, voice desperate and airy. “Sink your fucking teeth into my flesh. Mark me as yours.”

It’s as if you had been waiting for his every command.

Pulling away only briefly to glance up into his eyes, you see him nod in confirmation. A moment later, you’re licking your lips eagerly, a sort of daze taking over your features as you zero in on an area of his right thigh that you have yet to mark. Leaning in, you place a gentle kiss onto his flesh before latching your mouth onto his skin.

You bite down. Hard.

A loud moan escapes him, his one hand moving to desperately cling onto the back of your head while the other shreds into the duvet beside him. He can feel his thighs shaking, that familiar tightening of his abdomen becoming all the more prominent as you keep your mouth latched onto him. 

The moment he feels you pull away, tongue laving over the fresh set of teeth marks that drip faintly red with his blood, he shudders. The second he feels you wrapping your lips around the wound, suckling gently at his flesh as you moan against him shamelessly, he nearly comes right then and there.

The sensation is blinding, and he desperately holds onto whatever last bits of sanity that he has as he pulls you away gently.

You blink, seemingly coming out of your trance to see the bright red of his blood slowly dripping down the skin of his inner thigh.

His hands on your shoulders ground you, and you look up at him with wide eyes.

“Jongho, I’m so-“

“Don’t you dare fucking apologize,” his words are but a growl on his lips as he pulls you back up and into his lap. “That was one of the hottest things I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

You cannot deny the way you seem to clench around nothing at the guttural tone he uses. The fact that you can feel his emotions flooding your every sense through that open mind link still only serves to make it all the more intense.

He wanted you to mark him. He wanted you to claim him in such a primal way. You, and only you.

After all, everything that he is, belongs to you.

You lick your lips, the faint taste of cinnamon clinging to your tongue.

“Then, why-“

“You are far too good at what you do, Darling.” Jongho grins, burying his face into the side of your neck as he pulls you flush into him. “You make it quite difficult for me to keep my own desires in check.”

“What is it that you desire right now, My King?” You hum, threading your fingers softly through his hair.

“You,” he breathes, placing a tender kiss against your pulse. “Always.”

You squeeze him tighter, heart swelling with nothing but love in your chest.

“I want to consume you, so that all you can feel is me.” He keeps his voice low, his chest rumbling with each word that he speaks. “I want to build you up slowly, allowing you to feel the deepest throws of pleasure that you can before pulling you back from the edge. I want to feel you dripping onto my hand as you squeeze my fingers so delicately, teasing me for what is still yet to come. I want you to absolutely cover me in you, in every possible way, and then I want you to consume me just as I’ve done with you.”

“Jongho,” his name is but a breathless whimper falling from your lips.

“There are many things I desire to do to you, to do with you, My Darling,” he pulls away to rest his forehead against your own, noses brushing tenderly. “I wish to start with pleasing you.”

You nod, leaning forward to kiss him deeply.

“I would love nothing more.” The words are but a whisper against his lips, and you can feel the way he smiles against you.

A blink, and he’s helped you back onto your feet. Another, and he’s switched your positions, angling you so that you’re both facing the mirror at the end of his bed. An object of which you hadn’t noticed until now.

He pulls you down onto his lap.

Slowly, Jongho trails his lips over your shoulder, biting at one of the straps still holding that delicate lace singlet to your body. Teasingly, he pulls at it with his teeth, a pleased rumble reverberating against your back as he lets it snap back against your skin.

“As much as I love seeing you in this just for me,” he growls out, nipping at the shell of your ear all the while. “I think I’d prefer it off.”

His hands, which had been gently holding your waist, move. You hardly even see him tear the fabric from your body, for one second, the lace still graces your skin, but in the next, it’s been torn to shreds and tossed somewhere in his room.

The tips of his fingers ignite a fire upon your skin as he drags them up your sides. Tenderly, he moves to cup your breasts in his hands, squeezing the flesh appreciatively as his lips find purchase against the skin of your neck. His thumbs begin to brush over your nipples, feeling them harden beneath his touch and causing him to smirk.

Ever so carefully, Jongho begins to spread your legs with his own.

“There’s a sight I could never grow tired of,” he sighs blissfully, eyes darting upwards to meet your gaze in the mirror.

The way your breath hitches in your throat does not go unnoticed by him. A chuckle escapes him, hands softly continuing to knead the tender flesh of your breasts as you catch your visage in the mirror.

He has you resting in the exact same position you had been in all those long weeks ago. Your legs are hooked around his own, his head buried into the side of your neck as he begins to roll your nipples between his thumb and index fingers.

A low moan escapes you, tilting your head back to rest on his shoulder.

“Fuck, so pretty My Queen,” Jongho hums, nipping at the side of your neck as he peers out to meet your gaze in the reflection of the mirror. “So fucking pretty spread out like this, and all for me to see.”

His hands never stop his ministrations, cupping your flesh tenderly as he nuzzles his face into the side of your neck.

“Ever since that day, all I could think about was showing you how absolutely stunning you are when we bring you pleasure.” His voice is but a low drawl against your skin as he purposely places wet, open mouthed kisses along your racing pulse. “I’m honoured that I get to be the first one to do so.”

Softly, he begins to trail one of his hands down your body. His fingers dance along the skin of your inner thigh, the movement drawing your attention to his own resting just beneath yours. You can see the faint outlines of all of the marks you’ve given him in the mirror, but none are as prominent as one. One which sits proudly near the apex of his thighs, bright red and all yours.

You can feel his chest heaving against your back with every breath he takes, eyes locked on that same exact mark that yours are so focussed on. Each exhale is but a pleased rumble, grip tightening around your body as he presses you flush against him.

One of your hands comes up to tangle in his hair, the other placing itself gently over his own still cupping your breast. Your eyes flutter shut, absolutely revelling in this moment with him as he holds you close.

“My Jongho,” you breathe, feeling your body relax further into his touch.

The way you feel him twitch against the skin of your ass has a soft smile tugging at your features.

“I’m yours, My Queen.” He gladly voices his approval. “And you’re mine.”

“Yours.” You confirm, grip tightening over him slightly. A fact of which that makes his lips tug upwards, for you feel it against your skin. “All yours.”

A pleased growl escapes him, his one hand inching closer and closer to where you need him most.

You can feel yourself clenching around nothing, anticipation clawing at your chest as you blink your gaze open to meet his own in the mirror. Your eyes lock in on the way his fingers continuously dance across your skin, teasingly cupping you over your cunt.

The second his skin makes contact with your core, his eyes flutter shut in bliss. A low moan escapes him, pulling you even closer still.

“Do you see, Darling?” He bites down lightly on your neck, eyes peering into your own through the reflection of the glass. “See how wet I make you?”

As if to emphasize his point, Jongho drags the tips of his fingers lightly over your entrance, using his index and middle fingers to spread you open.

A moan escapes you at his touch, eyes focussed in on your dripping cunt as you watch yourself clench around nothing.

“Fuck, listen to you,” he groans, dragging his fingers through your folds once before circling your clit a few times. “You’re soaked, and I haven’t even done anything to you yet.”

“All for you,” your voice is breathless: airy and desperate as you continue to lean your head back against his shoulder for support.

He shudders, nipping at the shell of your ear in the next second as you feel him twitch beneath you once more. “Are you trying to make me come untouched again?”

Despite the uneven rise and fall of your chest, a devious smirk paints your lips in response. At the way his fingers begin to dip teasingly into your entrance, your lips part. A breathless moan of his name escapes you, shifting your hips in desperation to meet his every movement against your core.

His faint touches aren’t enough, and you crave more.

He smirks, “I thought I told you that the first time we both come tonight will be together, with my thick cock buried deep within your tight little cunt. Isn’t that right, My Queen?”

Your eyes nearly roll into the back of your head as you feel him bury two of his fingers within your dripping cunt. Slowly. The way your walls squeeze involuntarily around him as the wet squelch reaches your ears from the intrusion has moans falling from both of your lips.

“Yes, My King.” The hand you have tangled in his hair tightens, pulling him in closer.

A smirk pulls at his lips at your answer, loving the way he can already feel your wetness dripping onto his hand with every drag of his fingers against your warm walls. The fact that he can hear every movement that he makes within you is simply icing on the cake.

“Good girl.” His eyes flash, words nothing more than a low growl on his lips as he tightens his grip around you. 

The way you clench around his digits has his cock twitching beneath you once more.

“You like it when I say that, don’t you, Darling?” He hums, a smug upturn to the corner of his lips.

“Almost as much as I love when you call me yours.” As if to emphasize your point, you clench around his fingers.

A low moan escapes him, his head falling forward to rest on your shoulder.

“How you always know to say just what I long to hear never fails to amaze me.” He admits, voice muffled against your skin as he nips at your flesh.

A choked whine of his name slips passed your lips as you feel him increase the pressure of his fingers slightly within you. The way the digits feel massaging your inner walls so tenderly has your lips parting, breathing deepening as you feel the fingers on his opposite hand begin toying with your nipple once more.

“Fuck, My King,” your eyes flutter shut. “Just like that.”

His teeth latch onto your skin, the growl reverberating against your throat as his eyes flash black. Jongho’s lips are quick to soothe over the mark, placing open mouthed kisses along the side of your neck as he gently suckles at the skin. Only, the faintest hint of something absolutely intoxicating begins to invade his every sense, his tongue darting out to catch more of the sweet taste.

That’s when he realizes.

Pulling his head away from you, his eyes widen in mild surprise. Turning towards the mirror, he’s quick to meet your gaze, a worried, yet somewhat remorseful look greeting you.

“My Queen, I’m so-“

“Don’t you dare apologize,” your tone is sharp, cutting him off easily as your eyes narrow slightly. “I offered myself to you, tonight, Jongho. That means everything.”

Jongho can barely control his breathing as he watches you tilt your head to the side, extending your neck out to him without another thought. Glancing down, he can see the faintest trail of your blood sliding down your skin from where his teeth had been only moments before.

The feral snarl that escapes him is unlike anything you’ve ever heard form him before.

He tightens his grip.

“I’m all yours.” The admission is but a pleasant sigh on your lips, hooded gaze meeting his as you clench around his fingers still buried deep inside of you.

Jagged pants escape him, and you can feel his entire body trembling beneath your own. You can see the way his eyes are locked onto that single drop of blood which slowly creeps down your skin, his chest heaving with every breath.

The feeling of his tongue gracing your skin is synonymous with the feeling of his thumb pressing against your clit. You moan, feeling the way he traces the trail all the way back up to your throat, beginning to circle his thumb in tandem with his movements. Softly, his lips encase the bite mark he’s just given you. Deep, guttural groans escape him as he circles his tongue around the wound in time with his thumb over your clit.

Your entire being pulses, heart pounding inside of your chest as you lean against him for support. You can barely keep your eyes open, watching him through a hooded gaze in the mirror as he becomes completely enraptured by you.

You clench around him again.

Softly, he bites down over the mark, teeth sinking the slightest bit deeper into your flesh this time in order to fully create his claim over your skin. The snarl he releases when he feels your blood flooding his every sense, unfiltered and with a newfound purpose, has his eyes flashing black immediately.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you see his hand that had been massaging your breast so tenderly begins to raise. 

Bringing his wrist to your lips, Jongho peers out into the reflection of the mirror, meeting your gaze with a desperate one of his own. You can feel his hard cock practically throbbing beneath you, skin heating as this moment fully washes over the both of you.

Briefly and reluctantly, his lips part from your throat.

“Please, My Queen,” he nearly whimpers as his fingers still within your cunt, “Drink with me.”

Your one hand comes up to support his arm, laving your mouth over his wrist sensually.

You meet his gaze in the mirror, the corner of your lips tugging upwards. “With pleasure.”

The feeling of your teeth sinking into the skin of his wrist has another guttural groan escaping him. Jongho swears that his heart will leap right out of his chest this very moment, offering itself upon a silver platter for you and only you. After all, it has always been yours. He has always belonged to you.

Softly, you suckle at his skin, the taste of cinnamon with a hint of iron flooding your senses as you drink him in. 

His blood is addicting, your whole body coming alight with the flames of desire the longer you drink. You can feel the liquid burning through your system, igniting within your veins as the warmth spreads all throughout your body. You cannot prevent the way your core clenches rhythmically around his fingers as nothing but euphoria begins to flood your entire system.

The feeling of him removing his hand from your cunt draws another moan from you, but little do you realize just how dark your eyes have become.

“My Queen,” his hands find purchase on your waist as he pulls himself the slightest bit away from you. With hooded eyes, he watches your tongue trace over your lips, painted red with his blood. “Fuck- you’re so beautiful.”

“So good to me, Jongho.” You hum, attempting to catch your breath for the moment. “My handsome King.”

His grip tightens around you waist, pulling you upwards on his bed with him. A moment later, and you’ve turned, straddling his thighs as you stare down at him with hooded eyes.

A choked moan escapes him as he feels your hand return to palming him over his briefs. His cock twitches beneath your touch, chest heaving as he attempts to maintain a grip on his remaining sanity this evening.

“I can’t wait any longer,” his voice is low, nothing more than a desperate rasp as his hips involuntarily twitch upwards against your hand. “I need to feel you, My Queen. All of you.”

A nod is all he receives from you, an eager gleam shining within your eyes as you hook your fingers in the waistline of his briefs. You meet his gaze, waiting for that final bit of approval before you so much as begin dragging the material down his legs. Once you see him nod, quite enthusiastically, you remove that final piece of offending clothing.

A shameless groan escapes you as you see his cock resting against the skin of his lower stomach. The tip is red and angry, precome continuously leaking from the head as you wrap your hand around his base.

You lick your lips.

“Fuck-“ nothing more than a pleased hiss escapes you as you can feel your heart beating in excitement inside of your chest. “Such a pretty cock, My King.”

Jongho moans, and you notice the faintest bit of red beginning to bloom over his chest, creeping up his neck shortly afterwards.

Slowly, you begin to pump him in you hand, loving the way you can feel him twitch beneath your fingers.

“So fucking big, and all for me.” You shift above him, gazing down upon him with that same look of shameless lust that you’ve been looking at him with all evening. “I can’t wait to feel you inside me, stretching this tight little cunt and claiming me as yours.”

Jongho’s lips part, eyes nearly rolling to the back of his head as you teasingly drag his tip through your wet folds. Every breath that escapes him now is a mere snarl, fingers sinking into the flesh of your thighs appreciatively as he attempts to ground himself. This is everything that he could have ever wanted, and so much more.

A devious smirk pulls at the corner of your lips as you repeat your words from earlier in the day. “Let me go for a ride?”

“Please-“ a whimper falls from his lips, chest heaving as his eyes lock on the way you continue to teasingly rub your wet cunt over the length of his cock. “My Queen, please. I’m yours. I’m all yours. Claim me, Darling. Make me yours.”

His words nearly cause you to lose your balance above him, legs shaking as you steady yourself with you free hand pressing against his chest. Shamelessly, your thoughts continue to wash over him, the pure love and desire he can feel emanating from you causes his own head to spin. Never would you have been prepared for how those words make you feel, and you believe you’re starting to understand just why they all go so feral when you say that to them.

You meet his gaze, staring deeply into his eyes as you align his tip with your entrance. Ever so slowly, you begin to lower yourself down on his cock, lips parting breathlessly as you feel him stretching out your walls. 

You can feel the way his hands shake against your skin, pitch black eyes locked on the space where your bodies meet. Jongho cannot bear to tear his gaze away from the glorious sight that is you sinking onto him for one second. He needs to see it all; feel you becoming one with him in such an intimate way. The way you feel dripping onto his skin, squeezing him so delicately with every inch you take has low, feral growls escaping him with every breath.

The moment he’s fully seated inside of you, moans escape both of your lips. You clench around him, feeling him throb within your tight walls as your eyes fall shut.

“Darling,” he can barely form a coherent thought, voice breathless as he practically chants the words out affectionately. “My Darling.”

“I just-“ you pant, head falling forward as you hold yourself above him. “I just need a moment.”

Your tongue comes out to wet your lips, core continuously clenching around him as the euphoric sensation of feeling him resting inside of you washes over your entire being. The buildup from earlier has made you so sensitive, and you’re worried that if you begin to move over him too soon, you won’t be able to continue to make his wishes come true. A thought which is only emphasized by how badly you want this, too.

“Take your-“ his breath hitches, eyes squeezing shut as he feels his stomach clench in pleasure. He attempts to catch his breath, “time.”

You swallow thickly, resting both of your hands over his chest and feeling the way his heart positively thunders beneath your touch. A fact which you know that yours is echoing right now, racing excitedly alongside his own.

“Feels so good, My King,” you breathe, eyes fluttering shut as you give a tentative grind of your hips against him. You both moan. “Making me feel so full.”

“Yeah?” He hums, grinding his hips upwards slightly and loving how your whole body shudders in response. “You love having this thick cock buried in your tight pussy, don’t you, My Queen?”

“Yes,” you toss your head back, slowly beginning to find a rhythm as you grind yourself against him. “Fills me so well, My King.”

A deep guttural groan escapes him, cock twitching against your walls.

“Fuck-“ he hisses, hands tightening their grip over your thighs as he helps to guide your movements over him. “So tight. So warm.”

A choked moan escapes you, involuntarily clenching around him once more. A moment later, and you feel your stomach twist pleasantly, eyes nearly rolling into the back of your head as you lean over him.

His lips are on yours, swallowing every beautiful whimper you give him. One of his hands shift to squeeze at your ass appreciatively, helping you move over him. The other wraps around your torso, fingers pressing delicately against your spine as he holds you to him.

With every shift of your hips, he meets your every thrust, heartbeat racing right alongside your own. His head spins, and he can feel that familiar tightness building in his lower abdomen already. Every sensation is heightened, nothing but love shining in his gaze as you pull away from him to rest your forehead against his own.

“I fucking love you, My Queen,” he growls out, eyes swirling with that all to familiar blackness. “So fucking perfect, and all mine.”

You sit back to your full height, chest heaving with each breath as you still over him. The way you’re gazing down at him, nothing but that same look of tender love and affection dripping from your dark, hooded gaze has him completely mesmerized by you.

Slowly, you begin to trail your hands down his sides and to his arms, grabbing his hands into your own. With a loving smile pulling at your lips, you intertwine your fingers together, grinding your hips against his meticulously.

“I love you, My King.” The smile that pulls onto your lips is nothing short of sweet, eyes shining as you move above him.

The drag of your hips against him is slow, calculated in a way that makes Jongho’s head spin. You seem to be creating a pattern of some sort, and he cannot help but follow along with each movement that you make in his mind.

That’s when it hits him. His heart skips a beat before absolutely fluttering inside of his chest, mouth parting in a breathless moan. His eyes are staring, transfixed by the sight of his cock buried deep within your cunt as you move against him, claiming him in every way you know how.

The last threads of Jongho’s sanity snap as he feels you beginning to spell your name over him as you continue to ride his cock. His breathing deepens, every shift of your body over his own causing his eyes to darken even further. Growls escape him with each pant, chest rumbling as his fingers sink into the skin of your flesh. Barely, he contains himself.

Jongho will wait. He can wait. He’ll wait until you’ve finished claiming him in this way. For once you’re done, he will claim you.

A faint tingling sensation brushes against your upper thigh, the ghost of a touch dancing along your skin. It sends a pleasant shiver up your spine, but it’s not enough to break your concentration. Looking down reveals a thin, leathery tail with a spade-like tip wrapping itself around your leg. A sight that has you clenching around him once more.

An involuntary moan escapes you, hips faltering slightly as you feel him tighten his hold around your thigh with his tail. The way the tip teasingly caresses the sensitive skin of your inner thigh has you shuddering in response.

You turn your gaze back to him just as you finish the final letter, and you see him lick his lips.

His eyes flash, instantly pulling you down to his chest and wrapping his arms around your torso. Carefully, he plants his feet onto the mattress of the bed, rolling his hips up into yours.

The way you moan has nothing but euphoria flooding his veins.

He nips at your ear, arms squeezing around your waist. “My turn.”

The second those words leave his lips, he begins a brutal pace, thrusting up into you as he holds you to him. You body jerks with every movement, the wet sound of skin on skin filling your ears and making your head spin.

“My fucking beautiful Queen,” he growls, and the way you clench around him at his guttural tone has him smirking. “Writing your name all over this cock, as if it doesn’t already belong to you.”

You choke out a whimper, his name falling like a mantra from your lips as you cling onto him for dear life.

“Your fucking mine, Darling.” His grip tightens once more, snarls escaping him with every breath. “And now I’m going to claim you just as you’ve claimed me.”

Your eyes squeeze shut. The feeling of his cock brushing so tenderly against your walls, filling you so fully with every sharp thrust has you seeing stars. You can barely hold yourself together, the sensations overwhelming you and causing that familiar tightness to build quickly within your abdomen.

A broken moan of his name falls from your lips, your teeth latching onto his shoulder to ground yourself as more whimpers escape you.

“That’s it, My Queen.” His voice is pure animalistic as he snarls, his teeth sharpening into fangs as his fingers dig into your tender flesh. “Let yourself go. Succumb to the pleasure only Your King can provide for you.”

You squeeze him so sinfully, your essence dripping onto the skin of his thighs with every thrust he makes. You do whatever you can to hold yourself back for as long as possible, but there’s an intense feeling building within you. The sensation is unlike anything you’ve ever felt before, and with every thrust, you can feel the tip of his cock brushing up against that tender spot within you.

“Jongho, I-“ your breath catches in your throat as you gasp, eyes practically rolling into the back of your head.

“What’s the matter, My Queen?” There’s a teasing lilt to the low drawl of his words. “Going to come already?”

A loud moan is all that greets him, whines and whimpers falling repeatedly from your lips. It’s as if those are the only sounds that you can make, and given the way your cunt is squeezing him so tightly, he knows you’re close.

His cock twitches.

“Fucking come for me, My Queen.” He growls, nipping at the skin of your flesh as he does whatever he can to increase your pleasure for the moment. “Come with Your King. Fucking drench me in you.”

The very moment those words escape him, you’re tossing your head back. A scream of his name tears from your throat as your orgasm washes over you. Your whole body shakes, eyes rolling as your vision goes white. You can feel your release gushing onto him, dripping out of your tight little hole and absolutely soaking him in you.

Jongho stills inside you, a feral snarl falling from his lips are he cries out your name in bliss. He can feel his whole body tingling as he collapses completely onto the bed, your figure covering his own as he feels your release dripping onto the skin of his thighs.

His chest heaves, senses completely surrounded by everything you as he attempts to calm himself down. Lazily, he grinds his hips up into you, hearing how you whimper for him once more.

Your breaths mingle, chests heaving as you hold onto each other for dear life. Neither of you wishes to move, absolutely revelling in the euphoric bliss that floods your veins. Still, his tail remains wrapped around your thigh.

Softly, Jongho begins placing tender kisses along the skin of your shoulder and up your neck. His one hand comes up to support the back of your head, pressing his lips to yours in a slow, sensual kiss.

“You did so well for me, My Queen.” He hums against you, feeling your warmth pulse around him from his words. He leans his forehead against your own, a smug grin tugging at his features in the next second. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

Your lips part wordlessly, blinking at him as your vision finally clears. You shift your hips.

“Neither did I.”

Your admission pulls a pleased rumble from his chest, loving how he can still feel your release coating the skin of his thighs and dripping onto the mattress below.

“Are you-“ He swallows, eyes searching your features intently. “Are you okay?”

“Never better.” You smile, and he unknowingly breathes a sigh of relief.

“I was worried I was too much to start.” He admits lowly, averting his gaze briefly.

You place a tender kiss to his lips, cupping his face reassuringly in your hand. “It wasn’t too much, Jongho. It was perfect.” You manage to get him to look at you. “You are perfect.”

A content rumble greets your ears. Softly, his one hand begins to caress your spine, his tail unwinding from around your thigh. His lips press tenderly against every free inch of your skin that he can find, littering kisses against your face as he holds you close.

Another pleased rumble shakes his chest. “My beautiful Queen.”

You nuzzle your cheek against him, burying your face into the side of his neck. “My handsome King.”

“I love you, Darling.” He hums, nothing but the deepest form of sincerity and love shining within his gaze as he looks towards you.

“I love you, Baby Bear.” Your eyes flutter shut. “So good to me.”

“Always, for you.” Jongho places another tender kiss onto the top of your head. 

A brief pause before he’s speaking once more. 

“Can I get you anything, Darling?” There’s a hint of concern in his voice as he addresses you. “Water? A bath? Maybe a snack?”

You shake your head lightly, a soft hum escaping you. “Just hold me, Jongho. I want to feel you against me for a little while longer.”

A soft coo greets your ears in response, him shifting slightly beneath you so that you’re both more comfortable.

“Alright, Darling.” He chuckles, hand continuing to stroke over your spine lovingly. “Let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll make sure to take proper care of you.”

“You already have.” Your voice is a mere whisper on your lips, hearing his heart echoing alongside your own, and beating together as one.

His entire body warms. A pleasant warmth which fills his heart and spreads outwards to the tips of his fingers as he places another kiss onto the top of your head. The way your chest rises and falls in time with his own only serves to heighten the feeling.

“I’m never one to skip out on making sure you receive proper aftercare. None of us are.” He voices lowly, hearing you hum in response. “I want you to know that.”

Softly, you nod against him. A moment later, and your breathing evens out. From the way that you curl in deeper into his chest, Jongho knows that you’ve just fallen asleep.

Truly, this is everything he could have ever wanted, and so much more. Here your rest, completely naked in his arms, after allowing him the honour of making love to you for the first time. You came together, just as he’s always fantasized about. Just as he’s always dreamed. 

Never before has he felt such euphoria flood his veins. Hell, never before has he come that hard in his life, and all because of you.

You, who lays atop of him, resting soundly as he cradles you lovingly to his chest. You, who he would give anything and everything for. In a heartbeat.

Jongho wouldn’t trade this feeling for the world. From the way that your thoughts continue to echo shamelessly throughout his own mind, he knows that neither would you.

[strangertides]

{4} - Paradise Gardens - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Book Two to Hotel California

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor

Pairing: Ateez X Reader (Focus on Seonghwa, Yunho, & Yeosang)

Words: 9,390

Warnings: Petty jealousy, nasty comments and name calling, slut shaming (not done by any of the guys). Minor violence, blood mentioned and the use of it to smear against someones's back in a show of dominance, unconventional cleaning of wounds. The later half of this chapter isn't edited, so please excuse any weird mistakes. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: Here it is!!! The next part!!! I'm very excited for this chapter, and the following ones to come. I have a feeling a lot of people are going to enjoy the next one a lot *wink, wink* hehehe, anyways, as always feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Also, gentle reminder that I don’t do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two - Part Three

A vast expanse of red and golden rocks stretches on before you as soon as you transport to the harpy’s nest. The badlands are dry, raising at odd peaks which round out above your head as the sun shines in a cloudless sky. You can practically see the heat rising off of the stones as you shift your gaze, three males surrounding you.

“Their nest lies beneath the ground,” Yunho explains. “We just need to await their messenger.”

You nod your understanding. “I know this is way off, but I am so tempted to make a joke about hunting for dinosaur bones right now.”

“The only carcasses you’ll find here are from last weeks' hunts.” A feminine voice sounds from between the hoodoos. “I apologize for Riza making you wait to be seen. You should have been invited to appear inside.”

The woman is beautiful, there’s no doubt about it as she steps into your line of sight. Her skin is a pale blue, a stark contrast to the red hue of the stones surrounding her. Feathers line her arms, bright red in colour to match her hair which falls nearly to her waist. Her arms are crossed, and on the tips of her fingers, you can just make out the faintest outline of claws.

“Wow.” You cannot help the breath that escapes you in awe.

The smile she sends your way is polite, albeit apologetic, and you notice short, pointy teeth lining the inside of her gums. It appears as if there are two rows on top, the front slightly shorter than the back, and only one row on the bottom.

“These three know me, but allow me to introduce myself now,” she addresses you fully. “My name is Rita, the youngest of the harpy sisters. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

She inclines her head in your direction, blinking at you lightly with dark brown eyes.

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” You incline your head back, introducing yourself as well.

She smiles. “If the four of you would follow me, we can get this meeting underway. My sisters are waiting for us inside.”

Immediately, she begins to lead you all deep into the heart of the badlands, beginning to descend into an opening with crystals lighting the way. You notice she hardly spares a glance in Seonghwa’s direction, and his shoulders seem to relax the more time passes without her making a comment his way. 

You hum lowly to yourself, noticing Yeosang quirk a brow in your direction subtly. A second later and you’re leaning slightly into Seonghwa. “I understand.”

It’s slight, but his breath catches in his throat, a nervous smile being sent your way.

The deeper into the tunnel you descend, the more you notice other harpies peeking their heads out to look at you. All of them seem to have that same pale blue skin that glimmers beneath the light of the crystals, along with vibrantly coloured hair and wings. Some have their feathers lining their arms, while others have large wings which protrude from their backs. There are even some with more bird-like features, including beaks and plumage around their necks and eyes, highlighting their sharp gazes and pointed teeth.

“They’re just in the main chamber,” Rita says, leading you through a separate hallway once the path diverges. “I honestly don’t know why they insisted to wait inside. We literally could have taken all of five minutes to come to an agreement, but you know my sisters. Always have a flare for the dramatics.”

You can’t see her face, but you bet more than anything she’s just rolled her eyes.

“My apologies for that,” she mumbles, a slight sigh escaping her lips.

Reaching the end of the hall, Rita pushes open a large set of double doors. Stepping through, she doesn’t bother to close them as more harpies begin to fill out the grand hall where you see three thrones near the front. Two thrones are currently occupied by a female each whom both seem to be chatting with a third person, but harpy they are not. At least, not with the way their hair seems to slither and hiss with every movement they make.

“Rika! Riza! Will you act like the leaders you are and greet our guests?” Rita clicks her tongue, shaking her head in clear annoyance.

The two harpies sitting on their own respective thrones straighten slightly. The one on the middle throne immediately locks on to Seonghwa, a sultry pull of her lips upwards as she sits forwards. Her bright green wings twitch in excitement behind her, hands grasping the arms of her chair for support. Her dark brown hair, almost black, falls to her shoulders, and she’s quick to brush some strands out of her eyes.

The other, with deep purple feathers trailing down the skin of her arms looks you all over, a curt nod being sent your way in greeting before she’s turning back to the gorgon in front of her. She has bright orange hair, cropped short to her head and styled in every direction messily, but it suits her well.

“Oh,” the one on the middle throne seems to flick her gaze over to you for the briefest of moments, nothing but a look of disinterest crossing her features, “you’re here.”

“Nice to meet you,” the other one gives a tight smile in your direction. “I’m Rika, the middle sister, and this is Riza. The eldest. You’ve met Rita already, but we’re the harpy sisters.”

“Thank you for hosting us today.” You incline your head, introducing yourself quickly afterwards.

Riza snorts, rolling her eyes quite pointedly as she leans back in her seat. “Save the diplomacy, we all know why you’re here.”

Yeosang’s eyebrow twitches, Yunho exhaling a low breath as he crosses his arms over his chest. Seonghwa goes to take a step forward, but your hand on his shoulder stops him. A movement of which you notice causes Riza’s eyes to narrow where your skin makes contact with his.

“Always such a warm welcome with you.” Seonghwa huffs, not bothering to hide his irritation.

“For you?” Riza leans forward, that sultry smirk pulling onto her lips once more. “Always.”

You cannot prevent the way your eyebrows raise in response, eyes widening slightly as you blink in disbelief.

“I apologize for my sisters,” Rita directs her comment at you, another sigh escaping her as she shakes her head. “They aren’t usually like this.”

“This is the coldest greeting we’ve ever gotten from you.” Yeosang observes, tone cool and calculating as his gaze flicks over the two sisters still sitting on the thrones before you all.

Your brow quirks, gaze darting between the three sisters before you.

“Bring better company next time.” Rika shrugs, turning her attention back to the gorgon before her.

Yunho takes a deep breath to steady his building rage, but at one small brush from you against his mind, he manages to calm himself enough to stay where he is.

“Didn’t realize this meeting was for an approval committee.” You deadpan, shrugging cooly in the next second. “Not that your opinion of me matters all that much.”

“You seem to regard yourself highly.” Riza huffs, clearly unimpressed.

“I’m not one to waste my time bragging to someone who hasn’t learned the difference between incompetence and imbecile.” You shrug, and you hear Rita snort out a laugh from your left. “You’re a leader, aren’t you? Learn some respect before you demand it.”

“Oh, I like you!” Rita points at you eagerly, noticing her eldest sister practically fuming in her seat.

“Well, so far, you’re my favourite.” You turn to her, grin tugging at the corner of your lips. “You must be the head sister. You’re certainly the most mature out of the three of you.”

You notice both Riza’s and Rika’s feathers flare in irritation.

“I’m glad someone’s noticed,” Rita grins right back, back straightening as she stands a bit prouder than before. You swear a pleased coo escapes her, too.

“Oh, shut up, Rita,” Rika rolls her eyes. “You literally fall to your knees for the first person who praises you.”

You turn to Rita, brow quirking playfully. “Praise is rather flattering when it’s earned, juxtaposed to an air of preeminence.”

“Not our fault it’s a great ego boost.” Rita crosses her arms over her chest, shaking her head quite sassily at her sisters.

“You’re agreeing with the human who just insulted us?” Riza scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest as she leans back in her throne. 

If you didn’t know any better, you’d say she’s sulking. You particularly don’t appreciate the way her gaze keeps flicking over to Seonghwa, hoping for both his acceptance and support.

“Don’t dish out what you can’t dish in.” You shrug casually. “I really don’t have time for petty jealousy.”

“Me, jealous of you?” Riza replies, incredulously. “As if!”

You lean slightly into Yeosang’s side. “How old did you say they were again?”

“What does our age have to do with anything?” Rika frowns, staring down at you from her throne.

“You two are acting like young human teenagers.” You shrug, somewhat nonchalantly. “I thought I left that shit back in high school.”

“You’re really going to let her talk to us like that?” Riza shifts her gaze between the three males beside you, purposely leaving Seonghwa for last so she can stare at him with mock hurt in her eyes the longest. “Do I mean nothing to you?”

The way your breath catches in your throat does not go unnoticed by any of them. You stiffen, and it’s Yeosang who places a comforting hand onto your lower back.

Rika smirks.

“We’ve already dealt with the jealous ex, we don’t need another.” Seonghwa states, rather bluntly as his scrutinizing gaze trails over Riza’s figure. “Not that you could even be considered an ex. We were never together.”

“Yet, you kept coming back for more.” The way she smirks is nothing short of malicious, especially when she turns to look down her nose at you.

You bite your tongue to keep the retort you have building within you from escaping your lips. Only, it’s as if your void has slipped, and Seonghwa has read your mind.

“But am I with you now?” He quirks a brow, a clear look of skepticism on his face.

“You could be.” She hums, a sultry look pulling onto her features as she practically spreads herself out on her throne for him. Almost as if she’s trying to entice him in every and any way she can.

You cannot hide your appall as you blink up at her in disbelief. Your lips part slightly as your eyebrows raise, your head tilting the slightest bit to the side.

The entire room is silent, both Rita, Rika, and the gorgon looking between both you and Riza periodically. It’s as if they are waiting for a bomb to drop, noticing the way the three males practically shake in rage beside you.

“Oh, sweetie,” you shake your head, tutting all the while. “Desperation isn’t a good look on you. Frankly, it’s embarrassing. You’re the eldest of the harpy sisters? Really? I’ve met dogs with more manners than you.”

“Did you just call me a fucking bitch?” She stands from her seat so quickly, you swear it almost topples to the ground as her feathers ruffle.

“If the shoe fits.” You shrug, nonchalantly.

“You come into my home-“

“You insulted her first, Riza.” Rita cuts in, stepping in before her sister can swoop down upon you from her position atop her throne. “Not everyone is going to put up with your shit.”

“It’s about time someone put you in your place.” Rika chuckles, standing from her own throne and descending the steps to stand before you. “I think we got off on the wrong foot. I apologize for my sister’s eccentric behaviour.”

“Older sisters,” you huff out an amused breath, lips quirking at the corners. “Am I right?”

“Literally, you could not be more correct.” Rita nods along with your words, quite enthusiastically.

“Hey!” Rika shifts to ruffle her younger sister’s hair. “It’s not like you’re a pile of daisies, either!”

“Don’t we have things to discuss?” Riza calls, irritation clear on her face as she glides down from her throne to join the two of her sisters standing before you.

“We do.” Yunho replies, quite sharply. There’s no hiding the irritation on his face, that all too familiar darkness swirling within as he glares at Riza for the moment.

“I see Sudaem has already arrived.” Yeosang shoots a pointed look towards the gorgon still standing off to the side.

“Unlike some, she’s actually welcome here.” Riza replies, somewhat pointedly in your direction.

The three males don’t even attempt to suppress their growls any longer. If Riza is going to throw all sense of diplomacy out of the window, then so are they.

“Riza.” Rita hisses, smacking her sister harshly on her arm.

“Sudaem is our friend, and also the current leader of the gorgons.” Rika informs you, a light smile pulling at her features - her way of easing the sudden tension between all of you.

You notice the gorgon tilt her head in your direction when she senses your gaze on her. You bow back, a small, polite smile gracing your own features.

“She was worried Jongho was going to be attending the meeting.” Rita says, causing your eyebrow to quirk at the almost dreamy way she speaks his name. “He scalped their last leader.”

“Yeah, cause she tried to assassinate us.” Seonghwa retorts, his entire body tense as he stands beside you with his arms crossed over his chest.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you notice Riza inching closer to him.

“Talk shit, get hit.” You blink, turning back to the three sisters in front of you.

“Oh, I really like you.” Rita grins, her fangs on full display.

“You’re nothing special.” Riza mumbles, now being the sister standing the closest to Seonghwa.

Faintly, you register the side of her wing brush against his arm. 

Irritation flashes in his eyes as he steps away, shifting closer to you for the moment.

This time, you don’t even react when the eldest sister says this, turning back to face Sudaem.

“You’re still contemplating whether to join the alliance, right?” Once she nods, you continue. “Then, join us. We’ve got a lot to discuss. This affects you as much as them right now.”

“I thought we were already in agreement to join you?” Rita frowns, looking between her older sisters for the moment.

“After the way this one,” Riza jerks her chin in your direction, “has treated me, I’m having second thoughts.”

“Riza, can it.” Rika shoots her sister a sharp look. “No one wants to listen to you whine.”

The eldest harpy huffs in response, a subtle pout tugging at her lips. Again, she shifts closer to Seonghwa, almost as if she’s hoping he’ll comfort her.

Her wing brushes tenderly against his shoulder, and this time, he shoots her a dark look. He eyes her figure pointedly, disgust pulling at his features. “Don’t touch me.”

Riza clearly looks taken aback by the malice in his tone. Enough so, that she retracts her wing. For now.

“So, this alliance,” Rika begins once Sudaem has joined the seven of you. “You mentioned we’d be going up against Malik, and the sorcerer Dimitri?”

“Yes.” Yunho confirms with a nod. “Miyeon convinced Malik to stage that coup twenty years ago, and now we’re seeing all the uprisings her little rebellion cause has started. They’re determined to make a ‘New World’ for all. Dimitri has simply been caught in the crossfire: he’s suffering under mental manipulation from her, even after her death.”

“You mean you haven’t freed him, yet?” Riza quirks a skeptical brow in his direction, clearly unimpressed.

The way Yunho purses his lips does not go unnoticed by you. You frown.

“You’re weaker than I remember.” She hums, beginning to pick at her nails.

“Don’t you dare speak down to him.” Your brow is furrowed, eyes blazing with a building rage. 

You can handle insults being thrown your way just fine, but the moment something is said against someone you love, you have a little bit more of a difficult time controlling yourself. You have half the mind to tell Yunho to fuck with her own mind right now, but you’re not that petty. Yet.

“Riza, he could tear you apart in an instant if he wanted to.” Rita reminds her eldest sister.

“We’ll just call San to do it.” Yeosang shrugs, noticing how all three of the sisters seem to stiffen slightly in fear.

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Riza feigns confidence, scoffing in disbelief.

Again, she attempts to move closer to Seonghwa.

A blink and you’ve wrapped your arm around his waist, pulling him into your side and away from her. Her arm just misses brushing his, but from the faint rumble you can feel emanate from his chest, you know that he’s far too caught up in the feeling of you holding him against you to notice. 

Seonghwa practically melts into your touch, immediately wrapping his own arm around your waist as Yeosang removes his hand from your lower back for the moment. The eldest can feel his heart pounding in his chest, a certain pride swirling within as your actions wash over him. You wanted to protect him.

Perhaps his fantasies are coming true. Maybe, just maybe, you are jealous.

Riza scowls, but you simply raise a brow in her direction. If she wants to challenge you, and disregard Seonghwa’s own boundaries, you are more than happy to remind her of her place.

“You said they have an army?” Rika draws your attention back to her as she asks this.

“Dimitri’s sorcerers and hunters for one. Plus, all of the demons that have pledged their loyalty to Miyeon and Malik’s cause.” Seonghwa replies, briefly filling them in on all of their other allies, too.

“Damn sirens.” Sudaem scowls, her hair hissing along with her. “Greedy bastards. Never content with just one thing.”

“No wonder Miyeon propositioned them with an alliance, then.” You huff dryly, shaking your head.

“Did she ever try to attack you herself?” Rita asks, meeting your gaze curiously.

Your lips purse, shoulders tensing slightly. A fact which you know the harpy beside Seonghwa notices.

“Multiple times.” You say, steeling your features for the moment as you attempt to keep your voice from shaking. “She succeeded once.”

“I’m so sorry,” Rita’s expression drops, worry taking over her features as she notices how tense the three males become beside you. “The few times I had the displeasure of meeting her were rough. I can only imagine what she was like with a personal vendetta against you.”

“No one deserves that.” Rika agrees, concern shining in her eyes as she notices you swallow thickly.

“Thank you, I appreciate that.” You tilt your head in acknowledgement to their words, your lips quirking upwards slightly despite the smile being tight.

Riza seems to hum in disappointment beside you, and you notice Yeosang’s hands twitch at his side.

“Our magic should be more than enough to combat the sorcerers.” Rita continues, looking directly at you as she says this. “After all, their spells don’t work against us.”

“They don’t?” There’s clear wonder in your voice, eyes lighting up as you meet her gaze.

“You mean you didn’t tell her about us?” Riza huffs, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You weren’t important enough to mention.” Seonghwa states, rather bluntly as his sharp eyes dart beside him.

Her jaw clenches, clearly irritated by his response.

Rika chuckles. “To answer your question: yes. We can’t cast any spells of our own, but we have magic flowing through our blood all the same. Witches and warlocks do not affect us in any way, unless they choose to physically attack us.”

“That’s really cool!” You say, eyes lighting up in awe. “Having your own immunity to magic must come in really handy.”

“For sure!” Rita nods enthusiastically along with your words. “It’s like having a built in forcefield around us at all times.”

“Do you feel it if a spell gets deflected off of you, or is it undetectable when magic is used against you?” You ask, that curious gleam ever so prominent in your eyes.

A look which three males know all too well, and despite the irritation they feel towards a certain sister, they all cannot help the way fond smiles begin to pull at their lips while looking at you. It’s nice to know that you’re still curious about their world, and that you want to know more about the different creatures that reside within them. They would tell you themselves, but what better way to learn than from that species themselves?

“Sometimes we feel it, and other times we don’t.” Rika answers, a smile pulling at her features as she sees you turn your bright gaze towards her. “It depends on the level of the spell, the intricacy in it’s casting, and the power of the wielder.”

“Though, only those with casting magic in their veins can perform spells.” Rita adds. “If there’s no trace, the spell won’t work.”

“A caster doesn’t even need to have any training for a spell to work for them.” Sudaem chimes in. “Though, it depends on how much stored magic said castor has. If it’s a high level spell, like summoning or inflicting damage on an opponent, then they have to come from a strong line of casters.”

You blink, as if realizing something. Subtly, your grip tightens around Seonghwa’s waist.

“Sorry, can we just pause for a second.” You raise your free hand in the air. “You just said that a caster can performs spells properly without knowing as long as they have powerful magic stored within them?”

Riza rolls her eyes, mumbling how you need better comprehension skills. You ignore her, as do the others for now.

“Yes.” Sudaem nods, meeting your gaze. “That is correct.”

“So, say someone read from a ‘book of spells’,” you put those words in air quotes for the moment, “for fun, but it actually worked. That means that person has casting magic lineage?”

Realization crosses the three male’s faces, eyes going wide at what this means.

“Most likely.” Rika confirms with a blink.

“Why? Do you know someone who is unaware they can cast spells?” Rita’s brow furrows, head tilting in curiosity at you.

You look between the three males surrounding you, amusement dancing in your gaze. “My best friend is a witch, and none of you bothered to tell me.”

“Your best friend?” Sudaem’s brow furrows slightly. “Did she summon them or something?”

“You could say that.” You reply, amusement dancing in your eyes.

“Summoned, how?” She presses, tilting her head slightly in curiosity. “Physically?”

“No, not physically.” Seonghwa answers for you. “It was only through a mirror at first.”

A snort of laughter is heard from off to your left. “Weak ass witch could only summon you through mirrors?”

Again, you ignore her, but that doesn’t stop your brow from twitching in irritation.

“Do you remember the name of the tome you used?” Sudaem meets your gaze.

“Uh…” you grimace slightly. “No, I do not. My apologies.”

“There’s only two clans of casters that are powerful enough to summon the Eight Kings.” Rita shifts her gaze between all four of you standing before her. “What’s your friend’s clan name?”

“Clan name?” Your brow furrows before realization crosses your features. “Oh, her last name is Ciervo.”

A brief look is shared between Sudaem, Rita, and Rika. Even the three males seem surprised by this revelation, for you’ve never spoken your best friend’s last name in front of them before.

“Has she ever discussed her magic abilities with you?” Rika turns back to face you, running a hand through her hair and causing the spikes to stick up in new directions.

“I didn’t even know she had them.” You reply, somewhat in awe as you blink.

“You didn’t know your best friend is apart of one of the most powerful caster clans in the realm?” Sudaem frowns slightly, nothing but a meek curiosity in her gaze.

“I don’t think even she is aware of it.” You exhale a low breath. A second later, you meet Sudaem’s gaze. “How do you know so much about casters?”

“Subject of interest.” She shrugs lightheartedly, a bashful chuckle escaping her shortly afterwards as she smiles.

“Our dear Sudaem here has been attempting to impress the head of the Sintra clan for years.” Rita affectionately wraps an arm around the gorgon’s shoulders, shaking her lightly.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t seem to be working.” The gorgon grumbles, looking down at her feet.

“Their loss, then.” You hum, and you notice her head whip up to look in your direction.

“You think so?” She meets your gaze, a sort of hidden hope shining behind her eyes.

“Anyone who puts in that amount of dedication to learn something about the person they like is definitely worthy of praise in my books.” You smile at her, nodding your head all the while. “Don’t waste your time on someone who sounds like they don’t deserve your energy. You’re better than that. You deserve better than that.”

She averts her gaze somewhat bashfully, only causing your heart to warm.

“If you have anymore questions, just let me know.” Sudaem mumbles, her hair swaying softly around her as the serpents coo affectionately.

“Oh, boy! Do I ever!” You immediately perk up, and loving chuckles are falling from Yunho’s, Yeosang’s, and Seonghwa’s lips. “Though, I don’t want any of my questions to come across as rude, or potentially ignorant.”

“Go for it,” Rika shrugs, straightening out her shirt for the moment. “If what you’ve said about them not telling you shit about us is true, you must be curious.”

“You honestly have no idea,” you breathe, meeting her gaze.

“Then, ask away!” Rita encourages you with a soft smile.

“Okay, this might be really ignorant of me,” you turn to face Sudaem once more, “but isn’t your gaze supposed to be able to turn people to stone?”

The one corner of her lips quirks upwards. “It does.”

Your eyes widen in awe, but before you can ask, she continues.

“We have a second set of lids that cover our eyes like a film. We can retract them at any time to allow our cold gaze to freeze anyone we see fit.” She explains. “It’s clear, so you don’t notice it, but if you know what to look for, you’ll be able to tell when it’s there.”

“That’s so cool!” Your lips part, a pure look of wonder on your features as you gaze at her. “I’m still wrapping my head around learning that all of these incredible species I’ve long since believed to be mythological are real. It’s incredible, and I’m honoured to be in your presence.”

Again, you incline your head in their direction, and you notice the smiles stretching wider on Rita’s, Rika’s, and Sudaem’s faces. Hell, even the corner of Riza’s lips twitch upwards.

“You should have seen her when she met the dragons.” Seonghwa hums, nothing but pure affection dripping from both his tone and gaze as he shifts to look at you.

“Apparently, she left quite the impression. The babies imprinted on her.” Yunho adds, pride clear in the way he stands a little straighter.

“We heard Wyno gave you her blessing.” Sudaem comments, her own eyes lighting up in awe. “That’s incredible!”

This time, it’s your turn for your cheeks to warm. Averting your gaze to the floor, you mumble out a ‘thank you’.

“It’s been over one hundred years since the alpha of the dragons has granted anyone her blessing.” Rika comments, clearly impressed. “You must both be extremely special, and have done something incredibly selfless to earn that bond.”

“She did.” Seonghwa confirms, a hint of roughness to his voice.

You squeeze him tighter.

“She is.” Yeosang adds, his loving gaze turning to focus on you as you briefly meet his own. 

The smile you share is nothing short of tender, and you faintly hear some soft cooing coming from around the room. Your audience seems to be able to pick up the amount of love you have between you and Your Kings, and even Sudaem, and The Three Sisters all have to admit that your bonds are obvious.

Riza’s expression falls.

“I have been allowed to thrive thanks to them, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.” You admit, heart swelling in your chest at your own words. You speak nothing but the truth, and every person in that chamber can tell.

Three content hums from Your Kings greet your ears, each of them taking the time to brush tenderly against your void.

Sudaem smiles. “Do you have any more questions for me?”

You turn back to her, eyes lighting up with that familiar spark of curiosity. “Do I ever!”

Her whole demeanour perks up. Ever her serpents hiss excitedly.

“So, with the dual lids, do they change your eye colour at all?” You ask.

“Slightly.” Sudaem confirms. “Our natural eye colour is slate toned, but the lid makes them lighter. Would you like to see? I can’t show you my true eyes, lest you be turned to stone, but I can show you a half comparison.”

“If you’re okay with that!” You nod eagerly.

A few steps and she’s in front of you. The way her serpents slither to rest behind her shoulders to make you more comfortable as she gets closer warms your heart. Slowly, she leans in, and you watch her eyes as a clear film begins to shift over the one pupil. It raises about halfway before stopping, and you can see the bottom half of her iris is a slight shade darker than the top half.

“Wow.” Your lips part in awe, blinking a few times as you both lean away from each other once more. “That’s incredible!”

“Thank you.” Sudaem returns to her original spot, clasping her hands bashfully over the front of her body.

“Oh,” Rita teasingly wraps her arm around the gorgon’s shoulders, shaking her lightly, “someone’s getting shy.”

“Shut up.” Sudaem mumbles, her hands beginning to fiddle with each other, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

“Aw, our little Sudaemie is gonna develop another crush,” Rika joins in on the teasing, moving over to poke the aforementioned female’s cheek affectionately. “How will I ever survive my love leaving me for yet another?”

The way you see the serpents on her head begin to playfully nip at Rika’s finger has you laughing. You can just tell how close friends they all are.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you notice Riza remaining oddly quiet for the moment. Her own gaze is calculating, never once leaving Seonghwa’s profile as she studies him from head to toe. The way your hand still rests comfortably on his hip has her pursing her lips.

“You three remind me of Reina and I.” You grin, failing to notice how the three males grin slightly along with you. “Teasing and all.”

“You mean you purposely continue to flirt with others despite being in a relationship?” Riza cuts in, clear malice on her features as she feigns shock. “Kings need someone loyal to them, not an ugly whore who spreads her legs for the first thing that gives her attention.”

Both Yeosang and Seonghwa nearly lunge at her right then and there. Only, your hand raising in front of all of them prevents either male from doing so.

“You certainly have a lot of pride for someone attempting to be a home wrecker.” You reply, somewhat bluntly. “You clearly have your own personal vendetta against me, and I’ve already dealt with someone much worse than you. You’re about as intimidating to me as a chicken.” You sigh, shaking your head before pretending to think about it. “Actually, no. At least chickens are intimidating.”

Rita bursts into laughter almost immediately after the words are out of your mouth, slapping her eldest sister playfully on her arm. Even Rika has a difficult time muffling her laughter, while Sudaem can barely contain her own.

“If all you’re going to do is stand there and insult me, I’d really rather you get it all out of your system now.” You motion her towards you, clearly unimpressed by her. “I’m sure the King you’re trying to impress will love you threatening His Queen, seeing as it worked out so well for the last one.”

Her wings flare out in irritation behind her, scowl pulling at her features.

“At least I’m not some weak, pathetic mortal who needs saving every ten minutes.” Riza spits, taking a threatening step towards you.

Only, you perceive it as her wanting to get closer to Seonghwa again, given the way she goes to reach for him. So, you do what you feel is best: you push him behind you as you fully turn to face the harpy beside you.

“Sorry, how long have we been talking?” You tilt your head, almost mockingly at her. 

If she’s going to continue to be a bitch, then you’ll gladly match her energy.

Immediately, her wings spread out behind her in attempts to intimidate you. You can see the irritation shining clear as day on her features, fingers flexing at her sides as her claws glint in the light.

The way you hear all three males growl warningly behind you lets you know that her flaring her wings like that holds some deeper significance. The next words you hear only serve to confirm that fact.

“Riza, not the wings.” Rika warns lowly as a commotion begins to stir within that chamber.

All of the other harpies present begin to whisper, their feathers ruffling as more enter to see what all the fuss is about. A few even go so far as to take off into the air, hovering around to get a better view of the action that might be about to take place.

“Don’t challenge her.” Rita adds, a hint of worry shining in her eyes as she sees the dark gazes of the three males behind you.

“No, if this wannabe Queen wants to come into our home, and insult me, then she should expect retaliation.” Riza spits, rather harshly. “I’m not going to stand here and take this disrespect.”

“Riza, you’re being a huge hypocrite right now.” Sudaem grimaces, glancing between her friend and the three Kings whose black eyes are all on full display. Her serpents hiss nervously, shifting restlessly over her head.

“Can it, Sudaem.” Riza hisses, feathers ruffling as her wings flare once more. “This is between me and her.”

“I literally never took issue with you to begin with.” Your tone is blunt, a bored sigh escaping you. “You’re the one who’s had it out for me since we walked in here. Just get it all out now, I’d really rather not have issues on the battlefield.”

“Who says we’re going to align with you?” Riza’s fingers twitch once more, snarl pulling at her lips.

“So, you’ve wasted all of our time.” You nod your understanding. “Good to know.”

“No, wait! Please!” Rita reaches out for you before stopping herself. With how tense the three males look beside you, the last thing she wants to do is actually touch you. Who knows how they might react. “We’ll align with you! We have in the past, and if the sirens have truly agreed to fight with Malik, then our friends in the gorgon territories aren’t safe!”

“You’ve had my allegiance since you mentioned that fact. Besides, I really like you.” Sudaem nods firmly in agreement. “We’ll support you in any upcoming battles.”

“Thank you. That is very much appreciated.” You smile at the three other women off to your right.

They all smile back, shoulders slightly drooping in relief as they believe this issue to be resolved. Only, you know better. 

Riza still does not back down.

“Well, since we’ve now done what we came to do,” you incline your head respectfully to the two younger harpy sisters, as well as Sudaem. “We’ll take our leave now.”

“Thank you for meeting with us.” Rita bows to you, along with Rika and Sudaem. “I would extend an offer to return, but not until out eldest here learns some manners.”

Riza’s nostrils flare, “how dare you sister-“

“Can it, Riza.” Rika’s eyes narrow at the female. “Don’t shame us any further because you want to fuck her King one last time.”

The harpy purses her lips, smartly remaining quiet for the moment. From the way her wings twitch, though, you can tell she has more to say.

“We’ll be in touch,” Yeosang states, rather bluntly. “Be ready for anything.”

“We will.” Rika nods, Sudaem and Rita adding their agreement.

“I’ll walk you out.” Rita practically skips over to you, a joyful glint in her eyes as she smiles your way.

“I would enjoy that very much.” You return her expression.

Shifting back to the open doors of the chamber, you begin to make your way back out of the caves. Your right hand comes to settle on Seonghwa’s lower back, an added protection and assurance for both you and him against that piercing gaze you can feel watching your every movement.

You get all of two steps before a loud huff is heard from behind you.

“Wait.” The voice is calmer than before, but still urgent, desperate in a way.

You feel it long before you register what has actually happened. You had been expecting something like this, anyways. Considering the way Riza couldn’t resist continuously reaching out for him, you knew she would most likely try one last time.

Your hand is around her wrist before the tips of her fingers can ever graze Seonghwa’s back. There is an unbridled fury burning behind your eyes as you meet her own, shock clear on her features. With a brief look around the room, you know she’s not the only one.

“I though he told you to stop touching him.” Your voice is deadly; calm in the way a storm is before it hits.

Riza’s wings flare out behind her once more, feathers expanding to make herself appear bigger as all eyes are on the two of you. Even the males can only watch on, a certain sense of pride and smugness welling within as they observe the scene. Yet, none are as affected as Seonghwa is.

You protected him. You defended him, and made sure this damn harpy knew her place. Despite the tension and rough patches in your relationship, you chose to fight for him. A fact which sets his entire body alight, soul blazing with that all too familiar burning desire and love he always feels when he looks at you.

Nothing could have ever prepared him for this.

“Don’t touch me!” Riza seethes, ripping her wrist out of your grip and managing to catch the skin of your palm with her nails.

Blood begins to drip onto the floor of the chamber, and the three males cannot contain the threatening snarls that escape them. Long since have their eyes flashed black, immediately shifting into offensive stances as they stare down the eldest harpy before them.

Alliance be damn, she just hurt their Queen.

“Oh, so you are aware of the notion of consent.” You hum, nodding to yourself as if you’ve just learnt something astounding.

“You bitch!” She lunges. 

A screech tears from her in a blinding rage, her claws extending as she reaches for your throat.

The only assurance the three males get is you calmly brushing against their minds.

In the blink of an eye, you’ve flipped the eldest harpy over your shoulder, implementing the training both San and Jongho have taught you this past week. The fact that Riza doesn’t expect you to do this works to your advantage, momentarily stunning her, and using her own momentum against her.

She flips herself onto her stomach, attempting to lift herself back to her feet. Only, she doesn’t get very far.

Riza is forced to the ground, her face in the dirt as you step on her back, right between her wings. Each of your hands grip at the plumage of her feathers harshly, the bones groaning from the strain. Subtly, you lean in to her as you press her into the ground, your blood staining her bright feathers red.

“Get off of me!” She shrieks, arms trying, and failing to push her up from the ground. Your hold on her is too strong, and besides, every time she moves around too much, you tug on her wings, pain filled cries escaping her in tandem.

“Why should I adhere to your wishes when you continuously disrespect My King’s?” You hum, feigning innocence as you tilt your head mockingly down at her. “You challenged me first. I’m simply answering the call.”

Whispers reach your ears from around the room, overhearing some of the harpies whispering about how Riza did flare her wings at you earlier. From what you can gather, the eldest harpy sister has garnered no sympathy from the crowd.

“You wanted to test my patience. Now, you have to suffer the consequences.” You spit, tugging firmly on her wings yet again as she cries out for someone, anyone to help her. “Do not touch what isn’t yours, Riza.”

You lean in closer, dragging your foot purposely down her spine as your injured hand comes to rest between her shoulder blades. Squeezing your hand into a fist, you purposely let your blood drip onto her skin, smearing between the space between her wings as a crazed look takes over your features.

“Let this serve as your reminder,” you begin, voice booming around the room as you command everyone’s attention. “I am not some weak, pathetic mortal that you can walk all over and treat however you please. If you strike me, I will strike back. If you so much as lay a finger on someone I love without their permission, it will be the last thing you ever do. I only have respect for those who respect me, and if you ever disrespect My Kings, or me, their Queen, again, I will not be so forgiving.”

Shoving yourself off of her, you step back. Making a show of it, you wipe your hands together, cracking your neck all the while. 

Your eyes flash. “Do not test me again.”

A silence so still settles over that chamber as you step away from the stunned harpy on the floor. Turning back towards the two younger sisters and Sudaem, you notice them tense as your fiery gaze meets their own. Firmly, you incline your head.

“Thanks again for today.” Your voice is somewhat gruff as you step back over to your three Kings. “We’ll be in touch.”

The moment those words escape your lips, Seonghwa’s hand is on your lower back. You can feel the way he physically trembles as his fingers press into your skin, immediately transporting you home. The foyer greets you in the blink of your eyes, and you let out a long sigh.

The others appear instantly, having both heard your sigh, and smelt your blood.

“What happened?” The worry is clear on San’s features, the memory of the first time you came back from visiting the dragons flashing through all of their minds.

“Nothing.” Your reply is short, tone pointed as you swallow thickly. 

Jongho takes a step closer to assess your hand.

“I’m fine.” You raise your palm to him, the cuts now on full display.

“You’re clearly not fine, My Love,” Hongjoong’s brow creases in worry as he grabs your bleeding hand in his own. A single thought prevents him from healing you for now, instead choosing to take the pain away for as long as he can. He turns to the three males standing across from them. “What happened?”

Both Yeosang and Yunho share a look between each other, the corners of their lips twitching upwards seeing as the eldest cannot form a coherent sentence. A few words later, and they’re sharing their most recent memory of you putting that damn harpy in her place from mere minutes ago.

Seonghwa’s chest heaves, breathing ragged as he cannot tear his eyes from you. Hongjoong’s arm is currently wrapped around you waist in comfort, and the elder male cannot help the way his jaw twitches in slight irritation. That should be him right now. You protected his honour, and now, all he wants to do is worship you. He wants to show you how grateful he is, and show you just how much what you did for him means to him.

More than all of that, though, he wants to pull you into his arms and tell you how you just made him feel.

The warmth flooding his veins sets his skin tingling, electricity coursing through his very soul as he continues to stare at you. His eyes are hooded, nothing but that familiar darkness swirling within his gaze for you as he attempts to control himself for the moment. The fact that you went out of your way, not once, not twice, but three times to protect him today has an ecstasy unlike ever before running through him.

All he wants to do is please you. To show his Queen how grateful her King is for her very existence.

After all, it’s what he’s always wanted. It’s what you’ve always deserved.

Your voice manages to pull him out of his thoughts, grounding him to the very reality before him.

“I’m not jealous, I’m angry.” You seethe, pacing rather pointedly back and forth. “I’m fucking angry that that chicken-“ Mingi and Wooyoung both snort in laughter at this, “had the audacity to disrespect My King’s boundaries. Multiple times.”

“How do you think we felt, listening to her insult you the whole time?” Yunho hums knowingly, Yeosang quickly agreeing with him.

“Oh, insults I can handle.” You freeze in your spot as you turn to look at him. “After the shit I went through with Miyeon, I can handle some petty comments thrown my way. But the moment, the fucking moment those comments or actions get turned on any of you?”

If you were holding onto something, you would have already thrown it at the wall in attempts to dispel some of your anger.

The eight males straighten all around you, low, pleased growls emanating from their chests.

“I doubt that chicken will do anything else to you now, Angel.” Wooyoung chuckles affectionately, stepping towards you and wrapping you in his arms. “You’ve really put her in her place.”

“Yeah, and smearing your own blood over her back where her wings protrude?” San whistles lowly. “Power move.”

“I wish I could have been there to see it first hand.” Mingi sighs, almost wistfully.

“It was certainly a pleasant sight to see.” Yunho grins, eyes shining with that fondness you’ve become so used to from him. Not only that, but the way you can see that same pride lingering within sets your heart racing inside your chest. 

A look you know is mirrored on all of their faces.

“Looks like all that training is coming to fruition much sooner than we thought.” Jongho wears a smug look on his face, chest rumbling in content as his hooded gaze zeroes in on your every move.

“How did it feel, Baby?” San asks, taking a step closer to you to join Wooyoung in holding you in his arms. “How did it feel to put that bitch in her place?”

You turn to him, sparing a glance out of the corner of your eyes as you finally get your breathing under control for the moment. Gently, your hand comes up to rest on the skin of his forearm, grounding yourself as you avert your gaze to the floor.

“Amazing.” You breathe, voice barely above a whisper as you shift your gaze up to meet Seonghwa’s eyes across from you. “Like it has always been what I’m meant to be.”

“And what is that, My Love?” Hongjoong asks, an eager gleam shining within his gaze. A look which he knows is mirrored on all of his brother’s faces right now as they watch you intently, hearts beating erratically within their chests.

Your back straightens and you take a deep breath in.

“Your Queen.”

Eight pleased snarls greet you in response, Wooyoung going as far as to affectionately nuzzle his face into the side of your neck. Even San’s grip on you tightens, but you’re slipping out of their hold in the next second. Much too soon for either of the two male’s liking.

This whole time, Seonghwa has yet to stop trembling. His eyes track your every movement as you approach him, shamelessly leaning into your touch the moment you reach up to cup his cheek.

For a moment, nothing is said between you. The silence is calm, welcome as you search his face. For what, you’re not quite sure, but the way you trail your hand down to grasp his own, tugging him towards your room for the time being, Seonghwa knows that everything will be okay.

The others don’t bother to stop you, nor do they say anything as you walk passed them. Even Kuroo seems to be nowhere in sight as you shut the door gently behind the two of you.

Softly, you guide him over to your bed, sitting with him on the edge of your mattress. A blink, and your hand is back on his cheek.

“Mars,” the way you call his name, so tenderly and full of nothing but love for him as your eyes fill with concern has a shudder caressing his spine. “Are you okay?”

He leans into your touch, eyes fluttering shut as he absolutely revels in this moment here in time with you.

Still, he cannot keep himself from shaking.

“I should be the one asking you that, My Divine.” His eyes blink open, that same fond look shining through as he stares deeply into your own.

“I’m more worried about you.” You admit lowly, thumb stroking along his cheekbone as he blinks at you. “I’m sorry I let her push your boundaries so far.”

“No, My Divine,” he shakes his head, shifting all the more closer to you as he cups your own face gently in the palms of his hands. “What you did for me today, what you said, has made me so unbelievably happy. Even now, I can hardly contain myself from ravishing you on this very bed to show you just how deep my gratitude for you lies.”

You cannot deny the way your heart simply flutters from his confession, breath catching in your throat.

“The fact that you wanted to look after me, that you wanted to protect me means more to me than you’ll ever know.” He tilts your head forward slightly in order to place a gentle kiss onto your forehead. Allowing his lips to linger against your skin for as long as possible, he mumbles, “Now, let me take care of you.”

Carefully, he reaches down to grasp your injured hand in his own, pulling away the slightest bit to get a better look at the cut. He’s glad Hongjoong listened to him, allowing for him to heal you after everything that you’ve done for him today.

You didn’t even notice you were still bleeding, blinking down at the open wound. There seems to be about three small slits, the blood flow slowing, but still enough to have droplets of red swelling against your skin.

Seonghwa’s breathing deepens, intently staring down at the blood that gathers in the palm of your hand. His touch is nothing short of tender as he caresses your wrist in his hold, and from the way you can feel his finger pressing into your pulse, you have a feeling you know exactly why he’s in such a trance.

“Please, My Queen,” he’s nearly panting at this point, eyes locked intently on your hand. “May I-“ he swallows thickly, grip tightening the slightest bit on your wrist. “I promise to be gentle, just please,” his tongue darts out to wet his lips, “may I have a taste?”

Your own breath hitches in your throat, and you notice his eyes flick upwards to meet your own. You swallow thickly. “You may.”

Seonghwa’s heart positively leaps for joy in his chest, eyes flashing black as the significance of this moment washes over his very soul. The fact that you’re even allowing him to do this, and he’ll be doing so after such a monumental event that happened today, means more to him than you’ll ever know.

Slowly, and with the greatest of care, Seonghwa raises your hand slightly, leaning down all the while. Gently, his fingers hold your palm open, his tongue lightly dragging over your wounds.

The very second that your blood touches his tongue, he moans. All sense of composure is thrown to the wind as he cleans your blood from your hand, his tongue nothing more than a gentle caress over your skin.

With every drag of his tongue, those small cuts begin to heal until there is nothing left. Still, he holds you to him, laving his mouth sensually against the skin of your palm as he begins to place wet, open mouthed kisses over your hand.

Shamelessly, he moans against you, guttural groans escaping him as he begins to trail his kisses up your palm, and to your wrist. Purposely, he laves his mouth over your pulse, feeling the way it stutters beneath his lips for him and him alone.

His tongue continuously darts out to taste your skin beneath him, slowly making his way up your arm with his kisses until he can go no further. The barrier of clothing irritates him, but that does not prevent him from wrapping his one arm around you and pulling you flush into him.

A moment later, and his forehead is pressing against yours once more.

“I love you, My Queen.” He breathes, the ghost of his breath fanning over your lips and causing tingles in its wake.

“Mars-“

“Please,” his voice is desperate, and he knows this as the words escape him in no more than a whisper, “My Divine, may I kiss you?”

This time, you don’t even have to think about your answer. Hopefully, you won’t be interrupted again, either.

“Yes.”

His lips are on yours without a second thought, pulling you impossibly closer as he pours all that he is into the kiss. The way he can feel you hum against him is simply icing on the cake, and he cannot prevent the way he begins to smile against your lips.

A moment later, and he deepens it, one hand coming up to support the back of your neck as he holds you to him. The way you shift to crawl onto his lap has a pleased growl escaping him, his eyes flashing as he feels you gently push him down onto your bed.

You can taste the faintest bit of your blood lingering on his tongue, but it doesn’t bother you at all. Not when he’s holding you like this. Not when he’s kissing you like you are the very air he needs to breathe.

He groans, hands holding onto your waist tenderly as you pull away from him in order to stare down at him from your position above him. A position he has fantasized about more time than he’d care to admit.

“My Queen,” his voice is nothing more than a pleased rumble as his thumbs begin to stroke tenderly against your skin beneath your shirt. “Kiss me more.”

You smile: a simple, seductive pull of your lips upwards as you lean into him once more. He can feel the ghost of your words against the skin of his lips, and he shivers, pulling you closer, “With pleasure.”

[strangertides]

{3} - Paradise Gardens - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Book Two to Hotel California

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor, Smut

Pairing: Ateez X Reader (Focus on San & Wooyoung)

Words: 11,660

Warnings: Very suggestive content. OC wakes up needy and the guys are more than happy to provide. Morning canoodling: fingering (fem. receiving), breast play, praise, hand job. Mentions of past trauma and PTSD. Minor anxiety. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: I am SO excited for this chapter, you have no idea. First, a little sweet smut with Woosan, and then the return of everyone’s favourite dragons!!! Ehehehe, I really am looking forward to everything else I ave planned for this series, and I really hope you all are too. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Also, gentle reminder that I don’t do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two

Keep reading

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{2} - Paradise Gardens - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Book Two to Hotel California

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor

Pairing: Ateez X Reader 

Words: 9,538

Warnings: Very suggestive content, mentions of past trauma and PTSD. Minor anxiety. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: I love when things all start to fall into place! Finally, I have a solid outline of the next few chapters ehehehe I’m super excited for you all to see what I have planned, and I greatly hope you’ll all look forward to the upcoming chapters. I have a feeling a few things might shock you hehehe anyways, as always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Also, gentle reminder that I don’t do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist - Part One

Keep reading

[strangertides]

Paradise Gardens - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Book Two to Hotel California

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor

Pairing: Ateez X Reader (Slight focus on Seonghwa, San, & Hongjoong)

Words: 7,205

Warnings: Car accident, mentions of past trauma. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: Here it is! The moment you’ve all been patiently waiting for and greatly anticipating!! I know the chapter is a little shorter than the usual ones, but I feel it sets the tone for the series nicely, and frames the coming parts well. I’m super excited to show you all what I have planned, and to really dive back into the world of HC and everyone’s favourite Demon Boys hehehe As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy!~

Welcome to the Paradise Gardens~

Also, gentle reminder that I don’t do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist

Keep reading

[strangertides]

Paradise Gardens Mini Masterlist

“Eternity means nothing if I don’t have you.”

Book Two of Hotel California

➢ Paradise Gardens

[strangertides]

{27} - Hotel California - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader - Final

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Based off of This ask and Hotel California by Eagles

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor

Pairing: Ateez X Reader

Words: 14,758

Warnings: The later half still needs to be edited, sorry! Mentions of past mental Illness: Anxiety, Depression, PTSD. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: Here it is!! The final part to book one!! Ahhhhhh!!! I can’t believe how far I’ve come!! Never did I expect such a simple one shot to turn into this, but here we are!! I really hope you all like this final chapter, I think it sort of rounds things out nicely and ends on a, quite literal, high note. Also, the two songs I highly recommend listening to during this part appear in the latter half of the fic. They are named when they come up, so I don’t want to spoil them here. I do highly recommend listening to at least the second one, as it is quite significant to the story and the characters. Anyways, enough of my ramblings lol, I hope you’ll all look forward to what book two has in store! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy!~

Main Story - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight - Part Nine - Part Ten - Part Eleven - Part Twelve - Part Thirteen - Part Fourteen - Part Fifteen - Part Sixteen - Part Seventeen - Part Eighteen - Part Nineteen - Part Twenty - Part Twenty-One - Part Twenty-Two - Twenty-Three - Twenty-Four - Twenty-Five - Twenty-Six - Mini Masterlist

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[strangertides]

{26} - Hotel California - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Based off of This ask and Hotel California by Eagles

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor

Pairing: Ateez X Reader

Words: 7,671

Warnings: The later half still needs to be edited, sorry! Bit of angst to start. Mental Illness: Anxiety, Depression, PTSD. Suggestive content. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: Surprise! A bit of an early update for you all since I do want to split this final part into two chapters. I’m sure you can all probably guess what’s going to happen next after reading this one, but I figured I’ll end the first book off on a lighter note before starting the next book in the series! I really hope you still enjoy this part, I think it’s fun! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Main Story - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight - Part Nine - Part Ten - Part Eleven - Part Twelve - Part Thirteen - Part Fourteen - Part Fifteen - Part Sixteen - Part Seventeen - Part Eighteen - Part Nineteen - Part Twenty - Part Twenty-One - Part Twenty-Two - Twenty-Three - Twenty-Four - Twenty-Five - Mini Masterlist

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[strangertides]

Hi kat! When is your birthday. If you dont mind me knowing 🤭🙏❤️

sorry, i don't feel comfortable answering that :/ thanks for asking though!

[strangertides]

hongism’s kinktober 2021 masterlist

a/n: all works are 18+ and contain smut | please note that there will be no taglist this year, it took a lot of time and work to get the taglist to work last year because of the high volume of people asking to be tagged | links will be updated as the fics come out! all fics release sometime between 17:00-23:00 CST, and they will feature a afab reader unless otherwise noted. warnings will contain whether or not there are gendered terms! ❀ all works belong to me, calypso / hongism. do not copy, repost, or steal my work in any way

day 1: impregnation/begging - park seonghwa 

- warnings: language, explicit sex, unprotected sex, dirty talk, creampie, use of petnames, manual stimulation, begging, impregnation kink // fem!reader

» read here

day 2: corruption/body worship - choi san

- warnings: language, explicit sex, protected sex, infidelity!!!!, corruption kink, body worship, praise, spitting, spanking/slapping, biting, almost hate sex, dacryphilia, dirty talk, slight degradation, oral sex: m receiving, hair pulling, deepthroating, cock worship, choking, reader uses gendered slurs when talking about herself - san does not use any gendered slurs // fem!reader

» read here

day 3: cockwarming - jeong yunho

- warnings: language, explicit smut, unprotected insertion, cockwarming, plugs, idol!yunho x non-idol!reader, kinda public/exhibitionism if you think about it too hard // gn!reader

» read here

day 4: dom reader/degradation - song mingi

- warnings: language, explicit smut, cock caging, degradation, praise, ruined orgasms, overstimulation, manual stimulation, anal fingering, use of sex toys/dildos, use of a riding crop, oral sex: m receiving (but not really), some impact play/cock slapping, use of gendered slurs (directed at mingi), dacryphilia, subspace, dominant reader, submissive mingi // gn!reader

» read here

day 5: dom reader/lingerie - jung wooyoung

- warnings: language, feminization, lap dancing, strip tease, bratty wooyoung, manual stimulation, grinding, cum eating, dirty talk, finger sucking // gn!reader

» read here

day 6: verbal instruction/edging - kim hongjoong ft. jeong yunho

- warnings: language, mlm content, threesome, explicit smut, unprotected sex, almost hate sex, facials, cum eating, cum play, creampie, manual stimulation, edging, verbal instruction, spit play, hair pulling, oral sex: m, dirty talk, yunho and reader are together, hongjoong and reader are not, okay? okay. 👍, mentioned bulging, big dick yunho, not so big dick hongjoong, size kink, hotwifing, anal sex, anal creampie, anal fingering // fem!reader

» read here

day 7: sensory deprivation - kang yeosang

- warning: language, manual stimulation, blindfolds, earplugs, sensory deprivation, nipple play, marking/biting, temperature play, sex toys/vibrators, orgasm control, anal play, nipple piercings // gn!reader  

» read here

more under the cut

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{25} - Hotel California - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Based off of This ask and Hotel California by Eagles

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor

Pairing: Ateez X Reader

Words: 17,963

Warnings: Heavy Angst. PTSD and Trauma. Heavy Guilt. Talks of what happened between OC and Miyeon when the boys were gone; descriptions and recollection of past torture. Mental illness: description of suicide and a failed suicide attempt, depression, anxiety. Hurt/comfort. Talks of insecurities and uncertainty. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: Please heed the warnings carefully, this is quite an intensive chapter. I almost started crying while writing out a certain part of it, so be warned. Anyways, I wasn’t expecting for it to be this long, nor was I expecting to end it where I did, but I promise the next chapter will be full of an insane amount of fluff. I still have a lot planned for this series, so I really hope you all like this chapter! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Main Story - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight - Part Nine - Part Ten - Part Eleven - Part Twelve - Part Thirteen - Part Fourteen - Part Fifteen - Part Sixteen - Part Seventeen - Part Eighteen - Part Nineteen - Part Twenty - Part Twenty-One - Part Twenty-Two - Twenty-Three - Twenty-Four - Mini Masterlist

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[strangertides]

{24} - Hotel California - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Based off of This ask and Hotel California by Eagles

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor

Pairing: Ateez X Reader

Words: 7,464

Warnings: Intense/Extreme Violence: descriptions of past mental and physical torture, past verbal abuse, past physical abuse, Mental Illness: depression, anxiety, Extreme Blood and Gore, Slut Shaming, the guys really take no liberties with Miyeon, heavy angst. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: It’s a little shorter than the usual chapters, but I like where I ended it, so I hope you all too. Next chapter will contain all the repercussions of the trauma and events that have taken place, so you’re all in for a wild ride. Please heed the warnings, the guys are extremely violence towards Miyeon in this chapter, and it’s describes in detail. Also, Kuroo will be back next chapter, I promise! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Main Story - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight - Part Nine - Part Ten - Part Eleven - Part Twelve - Part Thirteen - Part Fourteen - Part Fifteen - Part Sixteen - Part Seventeen - Part Eighteen - Part Nineteen - Part Twenty - Part Twenty-One - Part Twenty-Two - Twenty-Three - Mini Masterlist

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