Resolving Conflict | Ateez Superhero AU

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Hongjoong felt the weight of 6 pairs of eyes on him. Seonghwa placed down the plate. The dirty dishes were forgotten. The usual humming of the air conditioning system was gone, as if the dining room was also holding its breath as it waited for the leader to deliver the bad news.

"You read their minds?" Yeosang asked. But everyone knew very well that he already knew the answer to that.

The leader nodded.

Wooyoung opened his mouth, but Hongjoong didn't let him talk. "Let's clean up first."

All 8 members helped clear the dining table. Seonghwa and Mingi washed the dishes while Jongho and Yeosang prepared coffee and tea.

Jongho, Wooyoung, and Hongjoong waited at the table, releasing their nervous energy by shuffling in their seats, fiddling with their fingers, and constantly biting or wetting their lips. Wooyoung even stole occasional furtive glances towards the door, as if more people in business suits were going to charge in at any moment and try again.

Once all 8 mugs were set on the table and the members were somewhat mentally prepared for the bad news, Hongjoong began relaying everything he "saw" in the intruders' minds. He didn't try to sugarcoat the information. There was no better way to put it. The only way to say it correctly without missing important details was to be completely honest.

"Those people work for the government." Hongjoong tried to keep his anxiety at bay. He was already spotting the uneasiness on his teammates' faces, and the last thing they need was a scared leader.

"They found out about us, and they aren't happy about what we're doing." Hongjoong paused, giving the others a moment to digest the information before moving on. The worst part was coming. He exhaled.

"The three men who came today wanted us to see their boss. They weren't really thinking about it at that time, so their full intentions were vague. But from what I read in their minds, I'm guessing they wanted us to talk to the government so they could stop us from doing...this."

The leader paused again, which gave Wooyoung a chance to speak. "I have a lot of questions, but first, let me call San. He needs to know this." He stood up, pushing the chair backward. The chair dragged along the hardwood floor, making an abrupt screeching sound that made everyone wince.

"Wait," Hongjoong said. He looked up to make sure he got Wooyoung's full attention. "Let him rest. He doesn't need to hear this. We're the ones who are going out there, stopping the criminals. The government officials won't need San. They'll only..." The leader caught himself before he could say the words out loud. They'll only use him to threaten us like they did this morning.

"What I mean is," Hongjoong continued, "If they have weapons designed for us, they definitely have weapons for mortals too. I just don't want San to get hurt. He shouldn't be part of this."

Wooyoung didn't want to listen. "He shouldn't be part of this?" He repeated, incredulous and losing patience rapidly. "How can you say that? He's part of our team. We don't leave our teammate out. That's just not right!"

Wooyoung scanned his members, as if he was looking for someone else who agreed with him. But everyone avoided eye contact. Under this stressful situation, they became sensitive and conscious of what they wanted to say. No one was sure if their opinion would be accepted unanimously.

Hongjoong's eyes never left Wooyoung. "I never said that San isn't part of our team," he said firmly.

"But that's what you implied." Wooyoung hissed, his words filled with hurt and anger.

Hongjoong's right eye twitched, taken aback by Wooyoung's outburst. After a moment of consideration, he sighed. "Maybe this isn't the right time to talk about this. We should do this next time."

Wooyoung huffed and looked skywards. He took a deep breath before turning back to Hongjoong. "Now you're just avoiding me. Don't you understand the situation we're in? We don't have time to wait until tomorrow."

"Of course I know. I was the one who read their minds." Hongjoong raised his voice, but his words didn't show anger.

"Stop." Sensing that this argument was not going to lead them to a conclusion, Seonghwa stood up. "At this rate, you're going to wake San." He chose the next few words carefully, not wanting to look like he was helping either one of the members. "We can all decide whether to tell San later. Right now, the most important thing is to make a plan. That's what we sat down here for, right?"

Wooyoung's expression softened, understanding the reasoning behind the older's words. "Fine."

Seonghwa sat down, prompting the younger to follow. Everyone visibly relaxed when Wooyoung was seated again.

"Should we just hide, then?" Jongho broached, sounding uncertain of himself. After experiencing the terror of having a gun pointed at him, his human instinct told him he should avoid that from happening at all costs.

A few members wanted to nod, but they weren't sure whether they should agree.

"That would be the obvious choice, right?" Mingi said. "Those people are scary."

Mingi's words encouraged a few, more certain nods. That, at least, was something everyone could agree to.

"We can hide, but that means we have have to stop what we're doing, because it's too risky to keep trying. This is exactly what the government wants. Do you want to give them that?" Even though he had the authority to make a decision for the group, he wanted to listen to his group mates' opinions.

"No." Yunho was the only person who answered verbally. "But what else can we do? Fight?" He felt his voice waver at the last word. He had to clasp his hands together to stop them from trembling.

Hongjoong's response came instinctively. "Of course not." He sounded certain of himself, but he knitted his brows in worry. He wouldn't doubt their team's power, yet he couldn't imagine sending his teammates into combat. And that would mean he ran out of choices. At least for now.

Yeosang, who kept quiet throughout the whole discussion, finally broke away from his thoughts. "Don't you think we're jumping to conclusions?" He paused, making sure everyone was paying attention. "We don't know exactly what those people want yet. Communication is very important in relationships. If either of us ignore each other, there will be huge misunderstandings."

Everyone nodded as if they understood, but Hongjoong knew to ask the important question. "Do you mean we should go look for them and figure out what they want?"

"But how? We don't know where to find them," Wooyoung asked.

Yeosang sipped on his tea, waiting patiently for his group mates' attention. "Don't worry. They'll come to us."

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There seems to be difference in opinions already... The conflict will grow in the coming chapters! Thank you for reading up to this point!

How's everyone doing? I got one of my wisdom teeth removed yesterday and my left cheek is swollen now. Hope everyone else is doing fine!

- KCGG_Goddess