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The smoke wafts up from the ground as the cigarette makes contact with the ground, the soft snow on the ground swallowing the lit bud almost instantly. He watches for a moment as a flicker dies down into smoke, soon mixing in with the slush on the ground underneath his boot.
His next inhale is not of smoke but of the cool night air, sharp and fresh as it fills his lungs, a reflection of the moonlight’s beams taking a physical form he felt like.
And then suddenly more crunching from behind him alerts him to a new presence, although he could feel the other approaching, new he would be approaching long before he could ever hear him.
“And here I thought I was going to be alone for the night.” Heeseung turns to face the newcomer, lips curled in a greeting smile at his friend.
Jongseong gives a slight huff at the words, crossing his arms, one would think it would be the cold as the slight expression causes his breath to curl into the air. The black of his bomber jacket only disrupted by the bold splashes of red that accented in stripes on either sleeve. The other man had tied his hair away from his face. The moonlight only brought out the blond highlights throughout his otherwise black head of hair.
“And what? Let you have all the fun, Hyung?” His eyebrow is raised, showing off one of the slits there, it seemed to further animate the action.
Heeseung shrugs then. “Doesn’t seem like it would be so bad.” He finds his smile hasn’t really left his face.
That is until the silence falls back in between them, and the rest of their surroundings seem to come into further focus. The splash of colors against the damp of black asphalt, the buzzing of the signs above them, almost as if they were still trying to figure out whether or not they wanted to go out.
It made him all too aware that they were alone for the moment, bringing up thoughts, and even feelings that he did not want to think about at the moment. He can see that the other man feels it too in the way that his expression, changes, softens.
Heeseung knew the other man to be brash and bold in his actions, not much could make him pause if there was something that he needed to do or wanted to do. Some part of him relished in being one of the things that could give that part of his otherwise fiery nature pause.
“Hee–”
“Hyung!”
He had in the moment never been more excited to feel Sunoo’s familiar weight behind him nor the sound of his voice crashing into his ears. Joyful and melodical, much like the owner itself. Heeseung smiles at the younger as he adjusts the younger on his back, recently having dyed his hair a summery blond seemingly determined to bring the daylight hours with him even into the cold of night.
“Sunoo.” He smiles at him, the younger pressing his cheek happily into his shoulder causing the warmth of the younger’s scent to crash into his nostrils in a pleasant waft something like honeysuckle and sugar.
Sunoo secures his piggy back by locking his arms together, hands left to drape in front of his jacket. “You should’ve let us know you were back sooner.” his eyes sort of narrow into slits then as he gazes at Heeseung, although there was a bit of a pout on his lips as he said the words.
He gives Sunoo a bit of a sadder smile in return. “Sorry…”
It just wasn’t time yet.
“I’m sure hyung will have all the time in the world to explain.” Jungwon’s voice filters into his ear and his visage is almost as he remembered it last.
Large eyes encompassed by a sweet face, the only crucial change was the stark black hair he’d last seen the younger man with was now a bright red. He could see the younger man searching his frame, the same look in his eyes that he could see in Sunoo’s.
He doesn’t have too much time to take in Jungwon as his attention turns to the other figures that had come with him, the familiar faces of Sunghoon, Jake, and Riki. The rush of relief that settles through him is more than welcome once he realizes that they’re altogether, in a fast food parking lot, but together nonetheless.
He notes the small changes in them, Sunghoon’s hair white like frost, Jake’s new honey blond hair, Riki’s increase in height. It solidifies the moment to his memory and all of the small changes, only wondering what else he would discover with a little more time.
“We should get going, the night isn’t getting any younger.” Sunghoon’s voice cuts through the bout of silence, his expression is as level as he’s ever seen it. Heeseung thinks it matches the cold silver that the other’s hair was currently dyed. “I’m sure we’ll have time to talk afterwards, right?”
The small smile he had on his lips sort of dies at that and he clears his throat nodding, adjusting his grip a little where he’s supporting Sunoo as he continues to cling to his back.
“Right.”
Traveling to the location is done in mostly silence, save Sunoo talking to him about most of everything that has been going on. It was as if he’d been prepared for the opportunity at any moment.
“Oh! And there’s this new restaurant that just opened up, you’ll love it Hyung!” Sunoo’s arms squeeze him a little bit from where they’re still wrapped around his shoulders.
Heeseung smiles at this, a chuckle escaping his lips. “You’ll have to take me then.”
“We’re here.” Jongseong’s voice brings him back to the present.
Heeseung turns his attention from Sunoo and to the building in front of them and the surrounding area, a lot more bleak and dark from the city that they'd come from.
He wasn't sure if he wanted the city lights back or here in the darkness where he would remain distracted for at least a little while.
Sunoo's voice had come to a halt and he felt the younger one beginning to slip from his back, the younger one landing on the ground with a soft thump of his shoes against the asphalt, giving Heeseung a heartwarming smile when they locked eyes again.
"This is it?" Jongseong comes up next to him, arms crossed as he assesses the space in front of them.
It looks rather abandoned in the hindsight of what it should be, or rather what should be outside and around the area, there was seemingly nothing but broken glass, cracked concrete and weeds growing up through the cracks.
It almost seemed like a metaphor for the current state of his life.
"It should be." He confirms.
Sunghoon comes up on the other side of Jongseong, he can see the other's chest from here expand in a meaningful breath. "There's certainly something here."
Without further preamble the silver haired man walks towards the abandoned building Jungwon following behind, soon followed by Jake, and then Riki who then turns back when he realizes that Sunoo isn't following.
"Hyung." The youngest of their group regards Heeseung briefly, and he isn't too sure how he's supposed to read the inflection in his eyes before they're trained on the blond who'd he addressed.
Sunoo's eyes peer over at Riki, expression looking thoughtful as they travel between him and Heeseung.
He gives the younger what he hopes is a reassuring smile. "Go ahead, I'll be behind you."
Sunoo seems satisfied with that heading off with Riki, their forms getting a little farther away as he continues to stand there.
"They'll come around." Jongseong remarks standing just in front of Heeseung, he can see the slight way that his body is leaning, ready to follow the others.
As if the invisible string that seemingly tied them together was tugging at them.
There were sometimes that Heeseung wondered at all if he were still connected, but the slight pull in his chest confirmed that there was something still there, that he hadn't been totally ejected from their graces.
He huffs at the words. "Yeah, Hoon is waiting for an explanation so he can have a further excuse to knock my block off."
The other man's eyes briefly flash at that, and he regrets bringing up, relighting the tension that hung in the air between them, it was becoming tangible again. The words left unspoken, feelings left hung in the air, the push and pull that he'd allowed to happen.
The steps that led them to the present.
The other man hums. "But they missed you, that hasn't changed." Jongseong gives a tight smile, the set of earrings adorning his ear catching the moonlight. His head turns back towards the line of boys heading towards the building. Sunoo and Jungwon's bright tuft of hair shining brightly under the light at this distance, giving a marker for their location, reassured him a little that everything wasn't going to go immediately sideways.
"We should go. They're going to think something is wrong." The other turns away from him in the briefest moment silence falls between them.
Oh, but there was, and he was itching to clear it all up.
"Jay..."
The familiar nickname whispered softly immediately has the other man turning back to him, pausing in all motion as their eyes search each other again, waiting for Heeseung to continue.
The bright patch of hope in his eyes.
What about you, did you miss me? Is stuck in his throat, thick in his chest, yet clear as a bell rings in his mind both true for the other man and himself.
Heeseung looks away then, pushing away the thought, shaking his head. "Nothing. Let's go."
He ignores the way Jongseong's eyes brighten down as they make their way over to the group, who had been poorly trying to hide their interest in whatever bout of conversation that they'd been having, or either they weren't trying to hide their curiosity. Either way they're glad no one makes a comment of it as they head into the abandoned building, as cracked and flawed and nearly taken over by nature as the rest of the outside had been.
"We're probably lucky that this place hasn't collapsed in on us yet." Jungwon wrinkles his nose as he takes in the space, the fire in the palm of Jake's hand proving some more clarity to what was around them.
"We should probably try heading down below, I doubt there's going to be anything here waiting or us." Sunghoon pulls out a weapon, the blade glinting under the cold light.
"Sunoo, do you think you might be able to see anything from above?" Jake asks the fire flickering against the planes of his face.
Once again making Heeseung realize how much had changed and how much hasn't as the younger man greets him with a tiny smile.
It was just as warm as he remembered.
Sunoo nods looking up to the ceiling for a moment before he's floating up to one of the beams, hanging from it as he gazes at the area before he finally points, eyes sort of narrowed in that direction. "There."
They're quick to follow his direction, Jake being the first to head over into the darkened corner, fire in his palm and Sunghoon quick to follow behind.
Heeseung lingered behind, watching the back, he was beginning to feel a prickle on the back of his neck. He watches as Sunoo descends from the beam, Riki fully helping him to the floor with an outstretched hand before the three of them are moving to meet the rest of the group.
“There’s a door.” Jake confirms searching around the seams of what would traditionally be a door, but there was no handle signifying how to open it. He huffs pulling back from the outline, Sunghoon soon doing the same.
“Step back.” Jongseong steps forward cracking his knuckles.
Jakes and Sunghoon immediately cleared the space for him, and Heeseung’s eyes widened at what he knew the other man was going to do.
“Ja-” His voice is cut off and it’s already too late, the other had already punched the outline, the shape already cutting the shape out of the wall. It fell inward and he waited for the loud thunk that would inevitably ring out.
But it never does as Jongseong has moved in front of the rectangle slab gently lowering it to the floor, only then can Heeseung release a sharp breath and relief. Soon the other man is looking in his direction, their eyes locking.
“Lead the way.”
He’s immediately more aware of the weight that falls upon him from all of their gazes, different from when they had met up in the parking lot. Some of their attention had been drawn elsewhere, but here in the dark, it was a lot more prevalent.
Heeseung merely nods. “Jake?”
The other perks up a little immediately coming up to his side as he leads the way down the nearly pitch black hall, it almost seems endless as they keep walking. And there’s almost a certain drop in his stomach.
Was he wrong?
Have the past two years and a half been for nothing?
But then he smells it, the rot, the blood.
They were definitely in the right place.
“Jakey, put out your fire. We’re going to have to be silent from here on.” Heeseung directs the thought out, and it feels a little awkward, a little out of practice.
But he isn’t met with resistance, and for that he’s thankful as the fire goes out and blue soon replaces the warmth of Jake’s light. As they come around a corner they’re met with the sight they were looking for, the group of hooded figures, unmoving.
“Look at all of them…” Jungwon’s voice sounds terrified in his mind even with his best attempts to hide it. “Maybe we should’ve accepted the wolves’ help?”
Heeseung’s head whips around at that, and he doesn’t need to throw his thoughts towards them to communicate the confusion that clearly shows across his face. And at the mention of this he gets a brief flash of a name and face he doesn’t recognize, the man is tall, longish black hair.
K?
And he immediately shuts it down not wanting to see anymore, gritting his jaw a little bit, as he turns his attention to the figures.
“And what? Have them alert these things that we’re here?” Sunghoon scoffs. “We end this tonight.” His grip tightens on his weapon.
Heeseung looks at Sunghoon’s face, determination flashing across his features.
“But we don’t know how many more places are like this. We might not be able to do it alone.” Riki’s voice filters in.
“Then we cross that bridge when we get to it. We’re at least prepared for tonight.” Sunoo searches between them before his gaze falls upon Heeseung. “ Right, Hyung?”
Heeseung takes a moment before he nods in agreement. “Sunoo’s right, we cross that bridge if and when we get to it.”
There’s a bout of silence and he knows that it is one of agreement, and soon more weapons are being pulled out and he feels the familiar weight of his own staff fill into his own hand, there was a familiar groove where his own hand fits properly.
He locks eyes with Jongseong when he feels his gaze fall over him, warmth, and some disbelief in the other’s gaze, their hands slightly brushing, sending a warm tingle up through his spine. It was as if to say: You still have me, yes I missed you.
And Heeseung thinks to himself if he would have been able to prevent this unspoken tension if he’d just been less cowardly. Would things be different? Would words have been left unspoken, would everyone be happier?
Would he be happier?
If he pushed against fate, what would the outcome be?
He couldn’t risk them, never them.
Heeseung finally breaks away from the gaze, as he turns his attention back to the shrouded figures, the rot, the blood. He knew that this would be the step forward, whatever he may see, he was going to try to make the best outcome.
He was going to protect them, and maybe they would hopefully understand, he just needed them to make it through this. Create the future that he’d been too cowardly to watch, to let play out in his mind.
A weight on his shoulders he didn’t want to burden.
He grips his staff.
Heeseung thought at one time that he could predict the future.
Now he knew for certain he could.
Now, he was making the future theirs.