Resolving Conflict | Ateez Superhero AU

Progression

"Are you sure? Did they really come out of the building Yunho went in? You're not making things up right?" Seonghwa's hands were on Minho's shoulder, and he was so close to shaking the answers out of the taller man.

"No! I'm not lying, Seonghwa-hyung!" Mingi failed to keep his voice down. He was frantic, desperate to explain himself.

"Calm down, both of you." said Hongjoong, even though he himself was pacing back and forth.

Seonghwa let go of Mingi as a horrible thought struck him. "Do you think...the headache and the memory loss...was someone was behind that too?"

"This is messed up..." Mingi ran his hand through his hair.

"Nothing is confirmed yet, except for the fact that we have another mission 2 weeks later." Hongjoong sat down next to Jongho and nursed his arm, which still ached whenever he did any big movements. And stress was not helping at all.

"But one thing is clear and it's that there's something going on with the government! Or part of it, anyway." Mingi pulled a chair out and sat across Hongjoong. "Do you think Yunho knew all along?"

Jongho heard the conspiratorial tone and immediately grew defensive. "Hyung, how can you say something like that?"

Mingi turned his head and put on an innocent face. "I'm just asking..."

Seonghwa interrupted before things can get heated. "Let's call Yunho, or any of the others. They have to know, and maybe then they'll finally see that the people they work with are dangerous, or at the very least suspicious."

Jongho knew it wasn't going to work, but it didn't seem sensible not to try at all. Besides, he didn't know what he could say to make the others understand. Yunho had said he and the others would rather stay with the government knowing the other half of the group would be safe here. It might sound like he said that out of desperation, but to Jongho it was definitely more sinister than something said arbitrarily.

Jongho fumbled with his phone. "I'll call."

Once the maknae was inside his room and out of earshot, Mingi leaned in and whispered, "Don't you think he should've been more...I don't know, more against Yunho leaving? They're brothers after all."

Seonghwa went around the table and poked Mingi's forehead. "You know nothing about them. So don't pretend like you understand. And Yunho got taken away. And we don't know if he even had the choice to come back."

Mingi made a show of rubbing his forehead, but stopped short of forming a retort when he saw the grave looks on Seonghwa and Hongjoong's faces.

"No matter what Yunho says," Hongjoong nodded towards the hallway. "We still have to prepare for the operation. It will be a crime scene after all, and it will be a chance to bring the others back."

Mingi's eyes landed on Hongjoong's bandages. "Will your arm be okay?"

"It's not a deep cut," Hongjoong lied. It was a serious wound, but it would heal before he had to do anything dangerous. That is, if stress didn't worsen it first.

Jongho decided to come out at this moment, with his phone still pressed into his left ear. The older members turned to look at him, but he stared at the wall as he spoke to the receiver.

"If you don't believe me I'll put the phone on speaker, and Hongjoong-hyung will explain it again. Seonghwa-hyung can tell you too. You'll listen to him, right? And-" Jongho was interrupted mid sentence and he sucked in a gulp of air, his right hand gesturing in the air desperately.

"Hyung, just wait, please! You ha-" The final word was cut off and lost in the air. Jongho let his left hand drop to his side and turned to the waiting members with an apologetic look.