Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“I love you, Christiano Bangnaldo.” 

Chan laughed incredibly loudly, before quickly shushing himself. Jeongin giggled at his antics and settled down next to his hyung, quieting down along with him. 

It may have just been his imagination, but Jeongin could have sworn that he heard a little whisper of “I love you too, baby.” just as he fell asleep, giving into dreams of light blonde hair and loud, adorable laughter. 

… 

“Jeonginnie?” 

Jeongin groaned and swatted the hand prodding at his side away. 

“Jeongin,” The voice chuckled, drawing his name out in a teasing matter. “Come on baby, you’ve got to wake up.” 

Jeongin moaned as he grabbed onto the strong arms that poked him, pulling the person down next to him. They hit the mattress with an “Oomph!” which was followed by an amused exhale. 

“Jeongin~” 

Jeongin cracked open an eye and glared at his hyung, ignoring the way Chan’s eyes glittered with affection and laughter and how close his pretty pink lips were to Jeongin’s face. 

“Five more minutes?” Jeongin weakly tried, groaning and hiding his smile as Chan seized him in a bear hug, swinging him from side to side in the hold. 

“Nope,” Chan shook his head, pulling Jeongin off the bed. “Nutrition is important, my child, and you definitely need some after-” Chan paused, his smile turning nervous and grim. 

After last night.

That was what his hyung was going to say. 

After Jeongin had burned down his room in a fit of fiery panic and ran away, tail between his legs until he collapsed and had to call his hyungs to get him. 

What a feeble, weak boy. His father’s words echoed in his ears and he wished them away, concentrating on the present. 

Memories could only hurt him if he let them, and as long as he never thought about it and kept it buried deep inside of him, it would be okay. Everything would be fine and he could move on and pretend like nothing ever happened. That he was the same, old, innocent Jeongin that he had always been. 

Except… he wasn’t. And he would never be. And that was what was breaking him. 

“Innie?”

“Let’s go eat!” Jeongin smiled brightly, looking up to face his hyung. He forced his emotions down, painting on a (hopefully) convincing smile. Chan’s brows quirked in confusion before relief flooded his body, his shoulders relaxing. 

“Alrighty,” His hyung chirped, opening Jeongin’s door with a flourish. “Lead the way, your highness.” 

They walked down the hallway to the kitchen. A delightful smell greeted him as he peered in through the open doorway.

What greeted him, however, was very unusual. 

All of his hyungs were present in the kitchen- that wasn’t the weird part. 

Minho and Woojin were cooking with Seungmin observing and teasing Minho. Hyunjin and Jisung were leaning over their phones, comparing their latest posts and their stats. Felix and Changbin unsurprisingly were together, talking softly as Changbin leaned against the younger, eyes closing momentarily as Felix ran a comb through his dark hair. 

This was all normal. 

What was abnormal, however, was the sudden hush that fell over the room as Jeongin arrived. 

Feeling awkward and small under the penetrating stares of his hyungs, Jeongin crept behind Chan, who quickly gave Jeongin a reassuring pat and sent a pointed look to the rest of them.

In a flash, Jisung started talking, taking Chan’s nonverbal hint. The others caught on quickly and followed suit, each pretending that the awkward lapse in the conversation hadn’t happened. 

Jeongin gave Chan a small smile in thanks, hoping that it didn’t look as forced it felt, and Chan returned it effortlessly. 

Jeongin sat down next to Hyunjin and Jisung, shrinking in on himself as Hyunjin fidgeted nervously and Jisung frantically fiddled with his phone. 

“Hey, hyungs. Good morning.” Jeongin said cheerily, gratefully taking a plate of eggs that Woojin passed him. His hyung didn’t say a word to him, which Jeongin found strange. Woojin wrung his hands anxiously as he turned away, not giving Jeongin his usual morning check-in. After what had happened last night, he had expected his motherly hyung to ask him how he was feeling and stress about him. He was wrong. 

Jisung seemed to struggle with a response, looking to Hyunjin for help.

“Good morning, Jeongin,” Hyunjin said with a smile. A thin, uncertain smile. Jeongin looked down at his plate, wondering if he had done something wrong. Jisung, his talkative, chatterbox of a hyung, couldn’t speak to him- which was a sure sign that something was off. Hyunjin, who always curled himself around Jeongin and pulled him into hugs, sat far away. Not to mention he had called Jeongin “Jeongin” instead of one of his dozens of cutesy nicknames. 

Looking around at his other hyungs, Jeongin began to notice strange things about them. For one, all of them seemed to either be avoiding Jeongin’s eyes or sneaking careful looks at him. 

Minho and Woojin were cleaning up the kitchen table, putting away various ingredients. Minho was silently putting the eggs back into the fridge, not making any flirtatious comments towards any of them.

Seungmin had finished cleaning up his area and had sat down, staring blankly into a cup. Upon further inspection, Jeongin saw the cup was filled with a white substance- milk. Seungmin never drank milk. It was always coffee, every single morning. 

The silence in the small space was tense and suffocating, and Jeongin didn’t know if he could bear another minute of it.

So he ended it. 

“Okay, enough of this.” Jeongin stood up, crossing his arms as he stared at each of his hyungs. “What is up with all of you?” 

“What- what do you mean, Jeongin?” Felix asked, his arms flailing around at his sides in a slight panic. 

“Oh come on, hyung,” Jeongin sighed, exasperated by his hyung’s feigned ignorance. Before any of them could deny his claim, he continued. “All of you are acting so weird! Like, Jisung hyung can barely form a sentence, Minho hyung isn’t flirting with anyone-”

“I don’t flirt with everyone !” |

“-And Seungmin hyung is drinking milk. Milk . Need I say more?” 

A long pause held out before Changbin turned to the others, a tired expression on his face. “Can we tell him now? He’s already figured out something’s up.”

Chan sighed but nodded, standing up to walk out the room. “Team meeting in the living room. Now.” He added when none of them moved to get up. 

As they all herded into the room, Jeongin felt his nerves act up, anxiety beginning to build up in his chest. What was so important that his hyungs needed to call a meeting to talk to him? Were they going to ban him from further missions? Oh god were they going to kick him off the team? His heart plummeted into his stomach as he ran over the possibilities. He couldn’t deal with being kicked off the team-  as dramatic as it sounded, he couldn’t live without his hyungs.

“Jeongin?” 

He jerked, snapping back to reality as he looked at all of his hyungs, sitting around the living room table in a circle. There was an open space left for him and he quickly sat down in it, his eyes flitting about nervously, catching his hyungs’ eyes.

“Jeongin there’s something we want to talk to you about. It’s… It’s very important.” Chan stated quietly, glancing around at the others. They all seemed content letting Chan speak, opting to remain quiet. 

“Are you- am I off the team?” Jeongin whispered tentatively, his eyes closing shut as he waited apprehensively for an answer. 

What he got was a sharp bark of laughter. Looking up, he caught Seungmin’s amused eyes with his own, wide, shocked eyes. “Off the team?” Seungmin giggled, clutching onto Hyunjin’s sleeve for support. “Jeonginnie we may be idiots sometimes but have a little faith in all of us!” 

Jeongin frowned, still confused, but beginning to feel less concerned. 

“Innie, we’d never just abandon you like that. You’ve proven time and time again that you can do this. You’ve had a couple of setbacks, but you have shown us that you belong with us, and none of us wants it any other way.’’ Changbin ruffled his hair, pressing his hand to Jeongin’s cheek gently. 

Jeongin smiled shakily at his hyung, leaning into the older’s side. Changbin let out a little huff of laughter as he carefully wrapped his arms around Jeongin, pulling him into a comforting hug. Jeongin let his hyung embrace him, melting into the warm hold.

“Which brings us to this,” Chan stated softly, bringing Jeongin’s attention back to the matter at hand. “We need to ask you something, Innie, and it’s very important. So please, can I ask you to listen without speaking for a couple of minutes?” 

Jeongin nodded, miming zipping and locking his mouth shut. His hyungs seemed amused by the action, but that brief moment of entertained mirth was gone as Woojin spoke, replaced by tension and fear.  

“Jeongin, you know how much you mean to all of us, right? You matter so much to me. Before you came into our little group of Heroes, I never had a moment of peace.” 

Jeongin could tell that Jisung and Felix wanted to blurt out some mock-offended yells but they managed to refrain, respectfully staying quiet. 

“I worried, so much.” Woojin’s eyes turned slightly glassy as he uttered the words. Minho quickly put an arm around his shoulders and Chan grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together. Woojin smiled at the two before clearing his throat, continuing his story. “Every day I worried that one of us wouldn’t make it back from a mission. That I’d lose one of them. It haunted me and soon I became so paranoid that I was shutting myself off from everyone, hoping that it would make it hurt less when they left me. I kept doing that until you showed up.” 

Jeongin’s eyebrows leapt up, confusion settling in his features as he gazed at his eldest hyung. 

“The moment you joined our little group of misfits, scared and inexperienced, I realised something. I couldn’t keep pushing everyone away. I had to step up and help you and the others. If you hadn’t shown up Innie, I don’t know if I would have stayed this close to the others.” 

Jeongin’s mouth parted slightly in shock as he stared at his hyung. He had never known that his delightful, sweet, caring hyung had gone through all that. It did explain Woojin’s motherly tendencies and his protective, nurturing personality. Jeongin didn’t know what to say. Luckily, he didn’t have to. 

“The reason why I worried so much, Innie, was because these idiots mean a lot to me.” Woojin paused, his eyes meeting Jeongin’s hesitantly. “So much more than you know.” 

“Jeongin, you’re with us now because we wanted to tell you something.” Chan took a breath before sitting up straighter, his serious ochre eyes meeting Jeongin’s. 

“Jeongin, we’re all in a relationship- All eight of us.” 

Before Jeongin could even begin to process what his hyung had just said, Felix gently added, “And we want you to join us.” 

When he finally processed the words, his heart sang with joy and surprise, and a smile as radiant and large as the sun broke out on his face. His hyungs were dating? His hyungs were dating! And they wanted him to join them! They wanted him to be with them, forever, and Jeongin couldn’t wait to accept. He couldn’t wait to go on dates with them, and fight Villains together, and walk hand in hand, and kiss them and-

And he desperately wanted to say yes.

Except… 

He couldn’t. 

“I-I-” Tears filled his eyes, hot and heavy, as he clutched his chest, nails digging into his skin. Years of torment echoing in his mind, he looked up at his hyungs and whispered brokenly, “How could you like a monster like me?” 

The silence was deafening

Jeongin stole a quick glance at his hyungs, dreading what he would see. They all looked shocked- expressions varying from horror to disbelief to panicked confusion. Jeongin knew it would be mere seconds before he was bombarded with questions and rushed to continue. 

Tears flooded his eyes as panic clawed at his chest, pushing words out of his mouth. Memories flashed behind his eyes and he squeezed them shut, wishing the painful images away. “You can’t- You can’t like me. Not like that, hyungs. He doesn’t- He won’t let me. He won’t let you . He’ll hurt you, just like he hurt me, and I can’t let that happen, I can’t- I can’t!” 

Arms wrapped around him tightly and Jeongin continued crying, weakly pushing against the person’s chest. 

“Who’s going to hurt us, Jeongin? Who hurt you?” 

Jeongin’s ears rang as the memories stabbed his mind, relentless and painful. 

Angry, blazing eyes. Bleeding knuckles clenched into fists. Yells and screams and insults hurled at him one after the other, cutting into him as deep as knives. 

“Jeongin? Are you-” 

“My dad.” 

“What?” 

“My dad,” Jeongin whispered, pulling away from Changbin’s protective embrace. “He’ll never let me be with you. So this is pointless.” His voice broke as he uttered the last words, standing up to leave.

A hand grabbed onto his wrist, frantic and desperate. Jeongin didn’t look back, instead opting to try and tug his arm away from the tight grasp. 

“Jeongin,” Jisung started, moving to stand next to him. He removed his hand from Jeongin’s wrist and moved it to Jeongin’s shoulder. “Jeongin, please. Wait.” The words were whispered so softly and tentatively that Jeongin paused in his steps. “What do you mean by that?” Jisung prodded gently, leading him back to the rest of the group. 

Seeming to sense his trepidation, Minho took his hand in his and leaned close to him. “It’s okay Innie, just talk. We’ll be quiet and listen.” 

Fueled on by his hyungs’ support, Jeongin just barely managed to find his voice to continue.

“I- um, my childhood wasn’t the best, to say the least. My mother was always sick or tired, so I had to take up a lot of responsibilities around the house. That included taking care of him . My father.” 

The two words were spoken with such atypical bitterness and despair that Jeongin wasn’t surprised to see his friends look up with immense concern and shock. 

“He came home late every night- if he even came home, that is- and I preferred it that way. Mostly because whenever he returned home it was always in a drunken stupor. He was dangerous that way.” Jeongin’s hands shook and he squeezed Minho’s hand, taking comfort in the firm grip Minho gave back. Jisung took his other hand, grounding him, keeping the haunting memories at bay. 

“Why did that make him dangerous, Innie?” Hyunjin hesitantly asked, his voice wavering slightly. 

Jeongin suppressed a shudder, finding the nerve to carry on. “It made him easy to anger. And when he was angry…” Jeongin shut his eyes, not wanting to see the looks on his hyungs’ faces as he told them, “He hurt me.” 

“ What did you say?” 

Jeongin snapped his head up at the husky growl, staring in disbelief at Changbin. His hyung’s dark eyes were stormy, crackling with icy anger. Jeongin had never seen his hyung like this. It was impossibly scary but also insanely hot at the same time. 

Felix gave him a half-grin, his eyes shining with muted amusement, and Jeongin felt the tips of his ears go red as he realised the blonde boy must have been listening in on his thoughts. Great, his hyung had heard him thirsting over Changbin. Just perfect. 

Noticing that his hyung was still waiting for an answer, Jeongin hurriedly responded. “I- um, he- he hurt me.” Felix’s small grin was wiped off his face immediately, replaced with a horrified, shocked look. Changbin didn’t even have to tell him to continue- his expression did it for him. 

“It started off small,” Jeongin said, his voice shrinking slightly as he went on. “He’d push me sometimes, yell at me, take away meals, that kind of stuff. It got worse later. That was why I ran away to the roof that night after your mission and after Romeo… kissed me. All the yelling reminded me of him.” 

Jeongin could see the understanding bloom in his friends’ eyes and forged on, not wanting to acknowledge it.

“Mom would never defend herself against his attacks- verbal or physical- so I ended up taking it all for her.” 

“Oh, Jeongin.” Chan exhaled shakily. His hyung looked like his heart just shattered. And he wasn’t the only one. 

The pure pity in Chan’s voice made Jeongin shrivel up and wince, not wanting the sympathy. “It’s fine hyung, really it doesn’t even matter-” 

“Yes, yes it does.” Minho glowered, squeezing Jeongin’s hand tight. 

“Why’d he do it? What did you ever do to him?” Hyunjin asked, sounding like a kicked puppy. 

Jeongin’s heart clenched and he realised it was now or never. He wouldn’t be able to tell his hyungs if he didn’t do it now. Jeongin sighed and looked down at his lap, unwilling to meet their eyes as he muttered, “I didn’t- I don’t like girls.” He went on bitterly, ignoring the jarred silence that followed his statement. “It got worse when he saw me with my friends. He just assumed that I was gay and went completely ballistic with the insults and hits. I mean he wasn’t exactly wrong but-” 

Suddenly, Jeongin was enveloped in a warm hug, which just got warmer as more arms wrapped around him, holding him close. His words were caught immediately in his throat, reluctant to come out. Jeongin felt unexpected tears well up in his eyes, spilling over as he gradually let himself relax in the embrace. 

“You’re safe now, Innie. We’ll never let you get hurt.”

“Never?” 

“Never.” 

Eventually, they pulled away from the hug, tears streaking down all of their cheeks. 

Felix took his hands and stared directly into his eyes with the most loving gaze Jeongin had ever seen. “Innie, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You are beautiful, Jeongin, and absolutely adorable, and we love you for who you are. And besides, all of us are majestic gays, so you’re really just one of us.” 

Jeongin giggled at his hyung, trying to ignore how flushed he felt after hearing Felix’s sincere compliments. "I really had no idea that all of you were gay." He felt like such a doof for not noticing all this time. 

“Well, Woojin hyung is bi and Chan is pan but yeah, we’re all super gay for each other.” Minho cocked his head to one side and wondered out loud, “It wasn’t obvious?” 

“No! No, it wasn’t!” Jeongin exclaimed as he felt his cheeks warm up. His face was flaming and he knew his hyungs could see it by the amused grins on their faces. 

“Really? I mean we didn’t try to hide it.” Jisung teased and Hyunjin nodded along, full lips turned up in a smile. 

“Well, I don’t know! I thought you all just really liked skinship or something,” Jeongin mumbled, looking down at his lap. “I don’t know, I guess I was just clueless. I wasn’t sure why you would like me- I’m so… flawed.” 

“None of us are perfect, Jeongin. It’s alright to feel these emotions and talk about them.” Changbin voiced, slinging a comforting arm around Jeongin. 

“But hyung, you’re practically perfect yourself. You’re always so calm and collected in battles and you always know how to make others feel better with your charming a-”

“Don’t you dare say aegyo,” Changbin warned, although the corners of his lips ticked up in a badly restrained smile. “Also, I’m nowhere near perfect, Jeongin.” Changbin’s voice grew serious, his eyes flickering down. 

“Really?” Jeongin asked, meeting his hyung’s eyes. 

“Really. I didn’t have the best relationship with my parents either. They didn’t hurt me or anything, but they definitely didn’t like me and my idiot boyfriends here.” Changbin elbowed Chan and Jisung, and Jeongin assumed from the gesture that they had been the first to form their relationship. 

“I had no clue,” Jeongin said simply, not knowing what else to say. 

Changbin laughed softly, giving Jeongin a small smile. “Well, I have changed a lot since then. I used to be a scared, little boy who was so unsure of himself and was ready to give in to his parents’ twisted reality. They desperately wanted to shape me into something I didn't want to be. It got much worse when I came out to them. They had always been neglectful but that was the last straw, I guess. They kicked me out and I moved in with Channie. Sometimes I can slip back into that reality, and I need some help finding my way out of it. Luckily, when I was little, I had two very special people who saved me. And soon enough, that two became seven. Now, hopefully, it’ll be eight.” 

Jeongin found himself grinning widely at Changbin’s words, feeling his heart resound profoundly with them. He was still curious about one thing, however. 

“Okay so if that’s how the three of you met,” He looked at Chan, Jisung, and Changbin, “Then how’d you all meet?” He glanced at the rest of his hyungs. 

“Well, it’s a really long story but here’s the shorter version.” Jisung began, his eyes sparkling and animated as he recounted the memories. “Chan met Woojin and was completely whipped for him, and he introduced Bin and me to Woojin. Woojinnie then joined us shortly after. Then, soon after that, Chan’s Aussie bro Felix came to visit our little group and Binnie was completely whipped for him. I’m talking literal hearts floating around him. It was hilarious yet absolutely adorable at the same time-”

He was interrupted by a small exclaim of protest from none other than the lovestruck Binsual himself but Jisung carried on unabashed.

“And eventually we asked Lix to join and that was that. After Felix was Minho-” Jeongin didn’t miss the small look that Jisung and Minho exchanged along with the amused smirks of the others. “Hyunjinnie joined soon after and then…” Jisung paused, looking towards Seungmin. 

Jeongin looked between them, confused. “What?” 

Seungmin gave Jisung a nod and turned to Jeongin, his eyes dimming a little as he spoke. “Before I met the rest of them, I was in another relationship. It was… controlling. Unhealthy. It got to a point where I didn’t think I could escape. That was until Felix, Minho, and Hyunjin helped me. They gave me so much hope that I could finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. And then,” A smile broke out on Seungmin’s face and his eyes crinkled into little crescents. “I met you.” 

“M-me?” 

“Yes, silly,” Seungmin laughed, poking his cheek. “You. You were the little ball of sunshine that appeared at the offices one day and gave me so much joy and happiness and strength. I broke free from his control because of you.” 

Jeongin didn’t know what to say, his eyes as wide as dinner plates and his mouth gaping like a fish. Fortunately, Seungmin went on, leaning forward as he spoke. 

“Jeongin, do you want to be with us?” Seungmin cupped his face, looking earnestly into the younger’s deep eyes. The others watched him with the same sincerity, all seeming to be holding their breaths. 

Jeongin didn’t have to think for a second. “Yes, God yes, but-” 

“Then be with us, dummy,” Jisung laughed as he grabbed Jeongin and pulled him into a giant cuddle pile. Jeongin giggled and squealed as his hyungs peppered his face with kisses, laughing at the ticklish pecks. 

Lying in the midst of all of his friends- his boyfriends he realised with a little giggle- he had never felt safer. He had never felt so complete. He had no idea how he managed to get one boy, let alone eight to like him, but he certainly wasn’t complaining. For the first time in years, Jeongin wasn’t afraid of his father. He felt stronger than ever, and he knew that the feeling would never fade as long as he was with his boyfriends. 

His boyfriends Jeongin pressed his face into his hands, desperately trying to hold back a dorky, elated laugh. It didn't help when Felix, Jisung, and Hyunjin burst out singing, "It's okay, to be gay~", making them all crack up. 

Calming down, he closed his eyes, a smile on his face as he drifted off. 

Things were finally looking up and Jeongin couldn’t be happier. 

…  

Jeongin stared out into the darkness of the night, admiring the little twinkling pinpricks blazing in the sky. Stars gleamed like diamonds against the velvety, midnight blue heavens, surrounding the glowing full moon. 

He leaned against the balcony balustrade and let out a small, content sigh, breaking into a smile as doting thoughts of the others filled his mind. 

Most of the group had woken up from their group nap, everyone except Seungmin and Hyunjin, who still held each other close as they snoozed on. The rest of them had gotten to work setting up a movie night, similar to the one they had planned weeks before. The atmosphere to this one was different, however. It was… brighter. Charged with electricity. It felt like the doors to something big were finally opened, and it was their chance to explore what came next. 

A painful bite still stung his heart whenever he thought of possibly dating the eight amazing boys- a sour reminder of his father’s influence- but it was smaller than it had ever been before. That gave him hope. 

Picturing his hyungs’ faces, he could almost picture them saying- 

“Help! Help me, someone help!” 

Jeongin flinched at the screams, leaning over the railing to see where the cries were coming from. His eyes scanned the darkened streets, looking frantically for the possibly injured person. His eyes found nothing but shadows… until they locked onto a quivering figure, crouched on the street. 

Jeongin leapt over the railing without a second thought, bending his knees to take the impact of the drop. His joints cracked as he hit the solid ground but he didn’t stop, rushing over to the fallen person. 

He could just make out that the person was a boy, no older than a teenager, face down on the cement of the road. He crouched down next to the shaking boy, urgently asking, “Are you okay? Can you hear me? Please say something!” 

Jeongin reached out to check the boy’s breathing but was stopped by a hand shooting up to grab his wrist. Jeongin yelped in surprise, instinctively trying to pull his hand away from the other, but the boy’s grip was vice-like.

“Uh, sir? Mister? You’re- you’re hurting me-” Jeongin stuttered, tugging his wrist out of the painful hold. 

“Oh,” The boy exhaled, and Jeongin thought he could hear a grin behind the exclaim. “I’m sorry, darling.” 

He turned around and his golden eyes burned in the dark. 

Jeongin’s gasp caught in his throat as he rushed backwards, trying to move away. His foot caught on an uneven section of the street and he fell, his hands shooting to catch the ground’s impact behind him. 

As Romeo stood in front of him, a menacing grin on his face, Jeongin threw his hands in front of him, concentrating on the swirling flames that danced around his fingers and down his wrists. The air around them crackled with a sudden, blistering heat that had Romeo shielding his face for a second. Jeongin got to his feet, his hands curled into fists in front of him as he assumed a fighting stance. He paused, remembering one of Minho’s lessons about tactics and took a second to collect himself. He ran through all of the possible moves he could make before he surged forwards, catching the Villain off-guard. 

Romeo dodged his punches with unexpected grace, seemingly unbothered with the flames eating at his shirt. Jeongin focused on the Villain in front of him, watching his every move and reaction. And in a flash, Jeongin saw it.

Romeo was favouring his left side heavily and his lips turned down in a grimace every time he jostled his shoulder. That was his target. Jeongin feigned an attack on Romeo’s left before whirling to the right, slamming his fiery fist into the Villain’s shoulder. 

He grunted, holding back a cry of pain as he stumbled back. Adrenaline burning in his veins, Jeongin rushed forward, fire blazing around him as he cocked his fist back, ready to clock Romeo right in his face. He didn’t get that far. 

Romeo’s hand shot forward like a snake grabbing its prey, latching onto Jeongin’s wrist. 

“Hmph. That’s annoying.” The Villain growled, examining Jeongin’s flames with anger in his eyes. His gleaming gold irises flashed a chilling, icy blue as a tidal wave of azure flames swept across his arm, racing over to Jeongin. Blue flames swallowed their connected hands, snuffing out the luminous warm tones of Jeongin’s fire.

Jeongin’s flames were gone. Eaten away by the malicious waves of blue fire that radiated off of Romeo. 

“You thought you were safe?” Romeo laughed, a cruel sound.

Jeongin let out a pained cry as he felt a searing heat burn into his arms. He tried to pull his hands away, but the Villain’s fiery grip was too strong and the flames continued to push into his skin, relentless and torturous.

Romeo threw Jeongin’s hand down and stepped forward, caging him against the side of a building. Sapphire flames grew around them, powered by the Villain’s fury. Jeongin could feel the phantom hands on his arms. His skin still burned with Romeo’s touch, even as he moved his fingers away. 

“How many times do I have to say this?” Romeo was so close that Jeongin could feel his breath on his neck. “Yang Jeongin, you will never be safe. I will always find you, and I will always have you.” 

Jeongin’s knees shook as the Villain uttered the words, too close to his face. Romeo’s flames flickered against the wall, the blue embers burning brighter and brighter until they were almost white. 

“Well said, my son. You’ve done excellently.” 

Jeongin raised his head, looking for the newcomer with tear-hazed vision. Blinking them away, he focused on the person walking towards the two of them. 

As the black blur of a figure got closer, their features grew clearer and more distinct. Jeongin could make out his piercing mismatched eyes- one icy blue and the other golden hazel. He could see the gruesome, black stitches piecing together the person’s face, like some crude, sickening jigsaw puzzle. 

Romeo sighed and waved a hand at the other Villain in an indolent greeting. “Hello, Malum. I was wondering when you’d decide to show up.” 

“Now, now, Romeo,” Malum tutted. His eyes flickered to meet Jeongin’s before he chided, “Is that any way to speak to your father?” 

Jeongin’s eyes widened and he let out a small gasp, pressing himself against the wall. Both of the Villains turned to examine him at the sound, twin glimmers of amusement shining in their eyes, and Jeongin wondered why he didn’t realise it sooner. “You two are…” His voice trailed off weakly, disappearing in the suffocating night air. 

Jeongin watched as realisation bloomed on Romeo’s face, seeing how it quickly morphed into entertained disbelief. “You didn’t know?” Romeo laughed, a mocking, insulting sound. At Jeongin’s shocked look he snorted, shaking his head. “You didn’t think that I was Malum’s apprentice because I signed up for it, right?”

He would have taken offence to the blatant sarcasm if he wasn’t so astounded. “You’re Malum’s son,” he murmured before exclaiming, “Malum has a son?” Romeo gave a small nod of confirmation, patiently letting Jeongin figure everything out.

“I thought-” Jeongin whispered, locking eyes with Romeo. His golden eyes burned the same colour as Malum’s hazel eye, and Jeongin felt stupid for never realising they were the same shade. “I thought you hated your dad…” He glanced at Malum, whose gaze was now fierce and guarded. “Why would you ever partner with him?”

Romeo examined his nails with a bored expression, raising his head to look up at the building opposite of them. Jeongin looked up and his heart stopped as he realised that he was looking at his apartment- the place where his innocent, unsuspecting hyungs were.

“I knew I would need help to do this. Your friends are very… troublesome. I could go on an hour-long tirade about how you’re too good for them, too powerful, too cute-”

“Romeo…” Malum warned, raising an eyebrow at the younger Villain. 

“But I won’t- ” Romeo gave his father the side-eye as he continued briskly. “Because we’ve wasted enough time already with this futile chatter. If you want to continue this scintillating discussion we can,” Romeo took Jeongin’s hand in his, jerking him close. “At home.” 

Jeongin tensed as Romeo’s arms snaked around his waist, keeping him near. His heart threatened to burst out of his chest as the Villain leant in, seemingly to whisper something in his ear. Instead of Romeo’s smooth voice, the sound of something being uncapped resounded in the quiet of the night. 

Jeongin tried to turn to see what it was but Romeo’s hand shot out and grabbed his face, forcing his gaze back on the Villain. Jeongin was about to protest and move away when a sharp pain blossomed in his neck and he let out a small cry, stilling immediately. 

Malum pulled the needle out of Jeongin’s neck, throwing it down a nearby alleyway. Jeongin thrashed desperately in Romeo’s hold, trying to run from the Villains. His time was running out and he needed to get help, right away. 

He broke free of Romeo’s grasp and took off down the street, trying to blink away the lights blurring around him. 

“Let him go,” A faint voice sounded out, overconfident and sickeningly amused. “He won’t get far.” 

Jeongin’s vision blurred and spun, colours whirling around him. His footsteps echoed in his head and his heart thrummed in his ears. He collapsed against the side of the apartment’s wall, reaching desperately for the bright window above him. Faintly he could make out shadowed figures as they walked past the illuminated square.

His hyungs. 

A small smile slipped on Jeongin’s face as he stared up at the pocket of light, watching the shadows of his hyungs move past it. They were right there. They could help him like they always did. They would keep him safe. 

A shaky gasp escaped his lungs as his blood turned to fire , rushing through his veins like wild horses. His vision darkened and he fell to the ground, relishing briefly as the cool concrete met his fiery skin.

Hand outstretched towards his hyungs, Jeongin closed his eyes, feeling himself slip away from reality, silent words forming on his lips.  

Strong arms lifted him gently into a bridal carry, and stifling warmth surrounded him. 

“Don’t worry, Juliet, all will end well. 

“I promise.”