Smoke and Mirrors |ATEEZ

Chapter 1 (updated)

*Disclaimer* to any new readers. If this is your first time reading this fanfic, I am in the process of editing and reviving this story. I am changing some plot lines and major parts of the already existing fic, so please only read chapters that have the word "updated" in the title, or this story will be really confusing because some new chapters will not match old chapters. Skip ahead to the chapter "What is to Come" for my information.

Rolling over my body, coving every inch of me, it glows a vibrant blue that illuminates the dark. Like a friend's caring touch, it folds over my skin, sending bolts of lightning through my arms and legs. Every sense is clogged with the natural hum of the molten energy. It comes and goes like night and day. Like the wind, they are taken from me.

I could feel him. His buzz traveled through the ground, throbbing into the soles of my feet. I could hear his laugh and smell the blood that covered his hands and stuck in his hair. A reminder of the reality that dances around me. My eyes close and my arms open, embracing the world in my open hold.

"Y/n," his familiar voice floated into my ears. The leaves around my feet brushed against my legs. A shiver slowly crawled up my spine as I let out a slow breath. The hairs on my arms stood on end, and my skin began to crawl.

"Y/n," his voice was a cold breeze over my skin. I opened my eyes. The blue smoke crawled up my legs enveloping me in a cool mist of icy blue. I leaned my head back seeing the tops of the trees loom over my head.

"Okay, now you're just ignoring me," he whined. I let out a soft laugh, feeling his arms wrap around me from behind. His chin rested lazily on my shoulder.

"Yunho, I was just meditating," I teased, squeezing his forearms till he let go. I turned to face him. He was just as I remembered every day. He is tall and slender; His eyes are deep, brown pools that are hard and fierce, but still, soften at the sight of me. His black hair swings over his eyes as he smiles down at me with a smile that puts the sun to shame. He brought his face down, level with mine; I scrunched my nose at him, my best friend.

"Meditating, right." he rolled his eyes, "That... witchery you do is freaky," he waved his hands around dramatically.

"You know better than anyone that I don't do witchery," I said, nudging him with my elbow.

He let out a small laugh, "I know. I know. I was just giving you a hard time." he wrapped an arm around my shoulders as the two of you walked through the woods. This was my place. I met Yunho in these woods when I was ten. He was always here. I didn't understand, but as I have aged all my questions were answered.

I could hear the flowing water as Yunho and I ventured deeper into the trees. My feet hit the pebbles that lined the creek bed that I knew like the back of my hand. Winter was approaching, and the water was cold. I reached down dipping my hand into the crystal liquid.

"A storm is coming," Yunho said, standing behind me. He hated the water. He hated storms. They plagued his nightmares and haunted him at every turn. Sometimes, I question if I am a good friend because I love the rain. I find beauty in the gloom of a cloudy day. My favorite song is the tapping of rain on a rustic, metal roof.

I stood up and turned to my friend, "You can stay at my place tonight." I said grabbing his large hand in both of my smaller ones.

"No, I will just stay in the treehouse," he pointed up into the trees. The end of his finger gestured to the old rotten treehouse that had resided in the trees for years. This is where I met Yunho for the first time. His long legs dangled from the decking; I couldn't help my curiosity. I always returned to the treehouse when I needed to escape. Yunho was always here. He never left.