Empire | ATEEZ

040

Seonghwa had taken the title of boyfriend and caregiver very literally and refused to let me out of his sight for the following month as I recovered, bringing me to and fro checkups, fixing my bandages, cooking, he was there for all of it.

Any and every sign of the Big Bad Wolf, of the 'bad news' that he used to be, was long gone, replaced with soft touches, reassurance, and protection to the point where it was almost suffocating.

I didn't have it in me to push him away.

It could have been guilt, I thought to myself as we lay in his bed, my head resting in his lap as he leaned against the headboard, reading aloud from a book he had ordered Wooyoung to get him earlier. Guilt over the fact that he hadn't been there when the accident happened.

Sometimes I could see it in his eyes; flickers of it which were quickly replaced by the usual darkness again when he caught my stares. It made me sad and yet, I didn't have it in me to mention it.

We had discussed it several times, fought over it, and Seonghwa always ended up apologizing anyway.

I sighed, lifting myself up and getting to my feet and stretched my arms over my head, desperate for some fresh air, for a walk, for some freedom.

The quick intake of Seonghwa's breath and the sound of the book dropping to the floor made my heart sink a little as he immediately mumbled, "What do you need, princess?"

I hesitated for a moment before turning around to face him, looking more like a love-sick puppy than a criminal with his messy blond hair and wide eyes. He would give me anything.

"Lasagna."

〄

"You know, I really thought it would be the other way around," I mumbled as I placed another sheet of pasta atop the almost-finished lasagna, glancing at the oven to check whether or not it was hot enough before I added, "I thought you were going to cook-"

"I am cooking," Seonghwa stated from his spot behind me, wrapping his arms a little tighter around my waist as he leaned his head on my shoulder, seemingly unfazed and unconcerned with the obvious lie.

The sound of the television at the other end of the room was mostly background noise mixing with the music from the speakers. Still, I couldn't help but pick up on fragments of the reports about the disappearances.

"Seonghwa," I mumbled to which he simply hummed, "You know, the wound has healed completely now and it's really only the soreness bothering me if anything, so how about letting me be a real part of Empire now?"

I felt nervous for some reason, yet I forced myself to keep speaking, needing to get it off my chest, to let him hear it.

"I want to go on missions with the rest of you, not just fix you up after you return. I want to help. I want to fix the mess Nocturne has made, and I really think that Empire could set a good example-"

My words faltered as I felt Seonghwa pull away, cold replacing the places where his arms had just been, where his head had rested on my shoulder, "Nari, we're criminals. Good examples aren't exactly a part of our business plan. We've done-"

"You've never done that, though," I said, pointing at the television with my hand which was completely covered in béchamel sauce, "That's so much worse. Besides, I've broken the law as well. We're on the same side now, so how is it still not enough? How am I still not enough?"

Seonghwa's eyes widened slightly at that, "You've, what-? When?"

"I've used a gun without a license, stolen it, as a matter of fact. And, uhm-" I paused, feeling my cheeks flush as I searched my mind for something that would prove my point until I remembered the mission I went on with Mingi, "I went to a casino."