yeah, no one is more surprised than me that i took this long to do this...
hi i'm jae, the mastermind behind all of your favorite blogs: @yoshit-he-dinosaur (the spawn point), @reborn-in-my-limbo (the fandom dumpster fire), and @with-me-under-the-sun (the narrower fandom dumpster fire).
there are no guarantees for how active this little blog will be, but that is partially dictated by you, dear reader. i will take requests as long as they're within reason (so probably just prompts for oneshots for now) and sfw, suggestive at most.
anon is on, don’t abuse it. on that note, if you would like to be a recurring anon, i would be more than happy to open up emoji tags for you. :)
i will write for:
seventeen
nct (all units except wish, nothing personal i just don't know em that well)
stray kids
ateez
this list may grow and is ordered in terms of comfort, however, i mostly fixate on groups one at a time, so while i like many others, i haven't been heavily involved with them to the point where i could characterize the members somewhat faithfully in a long time.
my masterlist can be found here
here's the taglist form if you wanna be able to have a first look at what i'm up to: taglist
i hope this little romp through the woods is as fun for you as it is for me! <3
If there was ever a time for Seungcheol to be nearly shitting his pants with fear, it was now. He had told himself on the drive to Jeonghan’s that no matter what supernatural voodoo witchy stuff was going on, he would remain steadfast while Jeonghan deteriorated. Boyfriend duties, after all. Past Seungcheol would understand the change of plans, he hoped.
Around three o’clock the morning after he arrived, he awoke to a loud banging on the other side of the wall. Jeonghan had instructed him to take the guest bedroom to avoid injury, which Seungcheol was going to laugh off had his partner not stared him down with a glare that pierced his lungs from top to bottom.
So he took the spare room, which turned out to be a blessing. Upon hearing the banging, Seungcheol shot out of bed like a rocket. He tried not to trip over himself as he slammed his door open and knocked rapidly on Jeonghan’s.
“Hannie?” he called out somewhat tentatively.
No response. That was fine. He totally wasn’t wringing his hands about it. Just then, he heard an ear-shattering wail from inside the room.
Seungcheol all but battering rammed his way into Jeonghan’s bedroom. He looked down to find Jeonghan rolling around on the floor with his hands gripping his neck, kicking his feet up as though he were trying to throw someone off of him.
Now, Seungcheol was a strong guy. Gym three times a week, a dedication to meal prepping, all that good stuff. But he sure as hell wasn’t equipped to tussle with an entity that he couldn’t fucking see.
Jeonghan suddenly stilled. Seungcheol knelt next to him and could see dark bruises scattered across his arms and legs. He gently lifted him back into bed and climbed in beside him. Screw what Jeonghan thought, Seungcheol was going to keep him safe.
As the sun rose, Jeonghan seemed to come back to himself. His expression remained blank, but color was returning to his face. He rolled over onto Seungcheol’s chest and mumbled, “Cheol… Hungry… Carry me…”
So of course, Seungcheol did just that. He bridal carried his love down the stairs to the quarter landing, where, as had happened to Jeonghan so many times before, he was unceremoniously shoved down the rest of the way. Naturally, he panicked, because he was heavy enough to fracture a rib even if Jeonghan wasn’t thinning out from the stress of the last few weeks.
Jeonghan and Seungcheol sighed in tandem and meandered their way into the kitchen for a casual breakfast of cornflakes. Seungcheol hesitated before asking, “Should I call Mingyu and Jihoon down?” He glanced at his phone. “Oh, look at that, they’re already on their way.”
Jeonghan scoffed. “Mingyu probably just wants to prove to Jihoon that supernatural shit is real.” He shoved a massive spoonful of cereal into his mouth and gurgled, “I’m not some fucking zoo animal.”
Seungcheol shrugged. “Well still, it might be a good idea to have some more familiar faces around that-” He was interrupted by a heavy knock at the door. He peeked through the peephole and saw three men with expressions varying in degrees of seriousness. Two were dressed in business casual, whereas the third was dressed in a cassock and clerical collar.
Seungcheol knew enough about the business of the Church to figure out why the priest in particular was there before he even opened the door. As he did so, the two nonclerical men nodded at him, the shorter of whom offered him a small smile.
“Can I help you?” Seungcheol asked, even though he already knew that he would have to before he would be rid of the three men.
The tallest man stared deep into his soul before speaking, “Is this the residence of a Mr. Yoon Jeonghan?”
Seungcheol raised an eyebrow. “Who wants to know?”
The priest smiled, not unkindly but not exactly in a trustworthy manner either. “I’m Reverend Hong Jisoo, or Joshua if you prefer. The two darling men accompanying me” — the tallest man rolled his eyes at that — “Are Wen Junhui and Xu Minghao, professional paranormal investigators.”
Minghao smiled at that and shrugged. “We prefer the term demonologists, but that works well enough, I think. My husband and I have been called by Father Joshua to assist your partner with his… supernatural troubles.”
Seungcheol bit his lip, puzzled and still a little suspicious. “I may not be religious, but I’ve seen enough ghost hunting content to know that to call yourself a demonologist you have to be recognized by the Church.”
Junhui smirked. “Oh, we’re recognized, alright.” He swiftly sidestepped around Seungcheol and wormed his way into the house. “Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be, buddy. We’ve got enough trouble on our hands with your boyfriend being possessed and all.”
The others followed him, as if Seungcheol didn’t exist at all. The kitchen table wasn’t visible from the entryway, so how Junhui knew where to find Jeonghan was beyond him. All Seungcheol could do was helplessly trail behind the group as each of them sat down at the table.
As soon as the first of the men entered the room, Jeonghan felt his chest constrict. It was like there was something inside him trying to claw its way out or escape impending judgment.
Minghao smiled at him kindly. “Hello, Jeonghan. My name is Minghao, and this is my husband Junhui and our good friend Joshua. We’re here to help you, alright?”
Jeonghan nodded slowly, trying to force air into his lungs, the success of which was minimal. Junhui nudged his husband. “Maybe you should go poke around the rest of the house. Let us talk to him.” Minghao nodded and flitted up the stairs.
Junhui moved closer and took Minghao’s empty seat. “Minghao is clairvoyant, so he’ll be able to sense any abnormal energy and, if we’re lucky, figure out why this entity is bothering you.”
Joshua, who had been oddly quiet since entering the house, piped up. “Is there anyone else who will be joining us today?”
Junhui whipped his head around. “There better not be.”
Seungcheol responded from the corner. “We have two friends who decided to make the trip down of their own accord.”
Junhui sighed. “I would prefer to put as few people in harm’s way as possible.”
Seungcheol dropped his head in irritation. “Junhui, I can’t do jack shit about it.”
A knock at the front door. Seungcheol went to open it, finding Mingyu and a very annoyed Jihoon on the other side.
“This had better be worth my time, Gyu,” Jihoon muttered as he pushed past Seungcheol without acknowledging him. “Three hours in the car would be a huge waste.”
Mingyu nodded at Seungcheol as he followed his boyfriend inside. “Even if it’s not, it’ll be good to see Jeonghan again, right?”
“I guess.” Jihoon shrugged as they reached the kitchen. “Who the hell are these guys?”
Junhui’s eyes narrowed. “A demonologist and a priest, if you wouldn’t mind respecting us as such.” Joshua’s arm shifted under the table, but just as he went to move it up, Junhui grabbed his wrist, a silent warning. “We’re trying to conduct business with your friend here, I’m asking you kindly once and only once to stay out of the way.”
Minghao came back downstairs just as Joshua broke free from Junhui’s grasp and revealed a crucifix in his hand. Jeonghan audibly hissed in response, a combination of fear and unbridled rage in his expression. He made to jump out of the chair, but Junhui shot up and pinned his arms. “Hey, big man, little man, you both look strong. Help me keep him stationary.”
Mingyu was on Jeonghan immediately. Jihoon muttered something, probably “I’m not little,” before following suit.
Junhui turned to Minghao. “What did you find out?”
Minghao swallowed thickly. “Remember when we talked to Jeonghan’s neighbors on the way over and they said they had smelled burning flesh between residents when there was no sign of a fire?” Junhui nodded. “The odor hit me like a truck as soon as I reached the top of the staircase and the primary bedroom was smoking. I stood in the doorway and I saw three children splayed out on the floor on fire and there was an elderly woman standing in the bathroom smiling at me in the most unsettling way.”
Junhui blinked slowly before turning to Mingyu and Jihoon. “Get him on the table. On his back. We’re doing this the old-fashioned way.”
Seungcheol spoke up from where he had been posted up against the doorframe. “If you hurt him, any of you, I will tear you limb from limb and force everyone else to watch.”
Junhui rolled his eyes. “The only one who’s hurting him is essentially himself trying to get that malignant force out of him, Mr. Overprotective Teddy Bear.”
Maybe it was the eyeroll, maybe it was the less-than-gentle giant’s condescending tone as he insulted him, but Seungcheol’s fist connected with the demonologist’s jaw faster than either of them could process the shift in the air. Minghao gasped. Joshua stared at them, amused.
Junhui rubbed his sore jaw and glared at Seungcheol. “So now that the obligatory display of violence from a loved one is out of the way, get him on the table.”
Mingyu and Jihoon lifted Jeonghan out of the chair and placed him on the table as gently as they could. Joshua opened his mouth, but before he could dispense any spiritual influence, Minghao exclaimed, “Wait!”
All eyes turned toward the fairy-like man. “We should place him on a piece of furniture that bears significance to him.”
Seungcheol was undeniably lost for a moment before it hit him. He snapped his fingers. “His rocking chair! He loves that thing.”
Minghao nodded and instructed the boys to carry Jeonghan into the living room and sit him in the rocking chair. No sooner had he touched it that Jeonghan began squirming, having previously gone relatively limp in his friends’ arms.
Mingyu cried out as Jeonghan’s teeth sank into his forearm. “Guys, he’s getting bitey, what do I do?!”
Junhui nodded at Joshua and the priest brought his crucifix back out. He began chanting, “Ecce Crucem Domini! Fugite partes adversae! Vicit Leo de tribu Juda, Radix David! Alleluia!”
As Joshua recited his prayer, Jeonghan began thrashing and screaming. The veins near his eyes turned black as whatever entity that had preyed on his psyche began to take full control of his consciousness. Seungcheol was scared out of his wits. Here he was in an old, dark living room, curtains drawn shut, watching the love of his life in so much pain. He wanted them to stop, he wanted to tell whatever evil resided inside of Jeonghan to take him instead. But he was powerless.
Seungcheol didn’t know how long he disassociated, but when he finally tuned back in, it was all over.
Black. As far as Jeonghan’s eyes could see. Darkness. Oh, shit, my eyes are closed. He slowly opened his eyes to see his boyfriend, his two best friends, and three strangers staring back at him.
“What the fuck just happened?”
Junhui held out his hand. “Hao, gimme some sage. I’m gonna go kick that old hag’s sorry ass.”
Minghao chuckled and complied, then turned his attention to Jeonghan. “Hi, honey. Are you feeling okay?”
Jeonghan groaned and slumped against him. “What even is okay, mysterious elven man in my home?”
Minghao giggled. “Well, as far as we can tell, you’re not possessed anymore.” He turned his head to face Joshua. “Right, Father?”
Joshua nodded, a proud smirk painting his features. “This property and its inhabitants should have no further issues, thanks to me.”
Junhui came storming down the stairs. “You’d better not be taking all the credit, you pompous zebra-collared ass.”
Seungcheol scooped Jeonghan up. “Well then, if that’s all, I’m taking this one up to bed. All of you, get the hell out.”
Minghao grabbed both Junhui and Joshua by the ears and dragged them out the front door, with Mingyu and Jihoon following close behind.
Standing in the front yard staring up at the house, Mingyu shoulder checked Jihoon in the temple. “So, do you believe in ghosts and demons now?”
Jihoon rolled his eyes. “Sure, if it’ll get you to shut up about ‘em.”
“Okay, I’m outta here,” Seokmin nervously remarked, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “I don’t think mass auditory hallucinations fit the bill for a cute cottage in the woods.”
Seungkwan nodded in agreement. “And I am calling Seungcheol, by the way. Pretty sure he has the right to know when his boyfriend is acting certifiably insane.”
Jeonghan’s eyes widened. “Kwan, I already told you that I don’t want you to do that.”
Seungkwan placed a steadying hand on his shoulder, gentle but firm. “I’ll have him come here. That way he can’t just drag you back because he’ll be able to see how you’ve very clearly begun to put down roots.” He pulled away just as gently. “Now we have to go before Seok passes out from fear.” He turned to head back down the stairs.
Seokmin glanced back before following after him. “Bye, Jeonghannie.”
As they left, Jeonghan dropped to his knees and leaned his head against the bannister. He was so very exhausted. His brain whirred with potential strategies for dealing with Seungcheol. He knew the only reason that his boyfriend would try to convince him to move back to the city was because he cared about him so deeply, but dammit, Jeonghan wanted to prove that he could get through shit standing on his own two feet. He slowly dragged himself down the hall and promptly collapsed back into bed, feeling unnaturally tired, even with his objectively crappy sleep quality as of late.
A frantic knock sounded at the front door, waking Jeonghan up. He’d be a rich man if he had a crisp 50,000 note for every time that happened. He sighed, knowing exactly who was trying to bust his door down. He glanced at his alarm clock. Two hours? He managed to get two hours of uninterrupted sleep? Maybe things were looking up.
Jeonghan yawned and stretched his way down the stairs. He ceremoniously swung the door open, and there, in front of him, was a very, very anxious Seungcheol.
“Jeonghan, my baby!” Seungcheol cried out as he wrapped his arms around the smaller man. “Seungkwan told me you were dying!”
Jeonghan had to violently suppress the urge to roll his eyes. Figures. Of course Seungkwan would be melodramatic to get what he wanted as soon as possible. Instead, he let himself be enveloped by Seungcheol’s strong arms. Despite all of his complaining, he missed boyfriend hugs, so sue him.
Jeonghan smiled softly, rubbing Seungcheol’s back. “Hi, Cheol, I’m glad to see you,” he whispered. That was odd. He could’ve sworn his voice was fine when Seokmin and Seungkwan were there.
Seungcheol pulled back slightly to pepper kisses all over Jeonghan’s face and neck. He then held him at an arm’s length and narrowed his eyes as he looked him over. “You sound hoarse as all hell, sweetheart. Have you been eating well? Drinking plenty of water?”
Jeonghan blinked in disbelief. Come to think of it, he couldn’t remember the last time he ate or finished a full bottle of water.
Seungcheol must have been able to read the slight panic in Jeonghan’s eyes, because he began strutting toward the kitchen, tossing a firm “I’m making you some soup” over his shoulder.
Jeonghan padded after him, the hardwood feeling abnormally cold against the soles of his bare feet. “Hey, Cheol, is it chilly in here to you?”
Seungcheol placed a pot on the stove and looked back, cocking his head. “Hmm… no? But I do tend to run hot, so maybe it is and I just didn’t notice.” He shrugged and began digging through the pantry for the stash of soup that Jeonghan always kept in his kitchen for health emergencies. At least he was prepared for his boyfriend to play superhero.
“So…” Jeonghan began as he slurped his soup. Chicken noodle, not a bad choice. “Seungkwan told you that I was ‘dying.’ Did he elaborate at all?”
Seungcheol raised an eyebrow at him in mild disdain, like he was a child acting out of turn. “He told me something about demons in the house. Now, would it kill you to wait until your voice is on the mend before you try to have an intense discussion with me?”
Jeonghan shook his head. Through a mouthful of soup, he attempted to say, “There’s no time to wait,” but it sounded garbled and all he truly succeeded in doing was spewing broth everywhere.
Seungcheol rolled his eyes fondly. “I should’ve known that you would try to keep trucking along until the end.” He took Jeonghan’s empty bowl and spoon and moved to the sink to wash them. “When Seungkwan called, I heard some incoherent rambling in the background punctuated by the occasional scream. I’m guessing Seokmin was with him and you made him piss himself?”
Jeonghan chuckled softly despite himself. “He was fidgeting like crazy, like, the entire time the two of them were here.” Suddenly, his smile dropped and he fixed Seungcheol with an empty stare as his head dropped to the side. “I mean, I know I’m probably possessed, but you’re not scared of me, are you, Choi Seungcheol?”
Seungcheol swallowed thickly and shook his head. “N-No, of course not, my love.” He gently carded a hand through Jeonghan’s hair. How much longer had it gotten? “We’re going to figure this out together, alright?”
Jeonghan smiled back at him, though there was something off, almost sinister, at the edges. “Okay.”
Seungcheol pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Why don’t you go try to get some rest, yeah?”
Jeonghan slumped against him, as if his body took those words as gospel. “Sounds… good.” He let Seungcheol carry him up to bed.
Across town, Hansol and Wonwoo cautiously stepped back into the church. Joshua was seated behind his desk this time, fixing them with a knowing look. “Any updates?”
Hansol bit his lip. “Father, he’s… definitely acting like there’s influence.”
Wonwoo nodded begrudgingly. “Apparently his boyfriend was called in to smooth things over, but I think this might be a case too difficult for him to crack.”
Joshua sighed and rose to his feet. “Well, Wonwoo, you’re definitely right about that.” He reached into the bottom drawer of the desk and slammed a book almost as thick as the Bible itself onto the tabletop. “I think it’s time I take matters into my own hands.”
Wonwoo let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “So we’re free to go? For good?”
Joshua nodded and flipped an envelope at Hansol. “There’s the rest of your pay. I’ve had my eye on that house for years and never before have I had the opportunity to rid that property of its poison. I’ve got some friends I need to call to help me exorcise that sinner.”
“Wait, you can’t just throw us away!” Hansol spluttered. “We could still help you!”
Wonwoo clamped a hand down onto his shoulder and began steering him towards the door. “We’ve done our part, buddy, let’s get out of here while we still can. What’s about to go down is much too intense for us to bear witness to.”
As they left, Joshua smiled to himself. All the pieces were lined up exactly where he wanted them, and it only cost him a few notes in return. Perfect. He turned his attention to the phone on his desk and began dialing.
One ring. Two rings. On the third, a lilting voice pealed through the receiver like a bell. “You’ve reached Wen and Xu Consultancy, how may I help you?”
Joshua chuckled under his breath. “Oh, Minghao, don’t put up that silly front with me. I know your secret.”
Minghao giggled, possibly the most gorgeous sound Joshua had ever heard. “Alrighty then, Shua, what can we do for you?”
Before Joshua could respond, he heard a muffled “Give me the phone” in the background, and soon a new, deeper voice spoke. “Quit sweet talking my husband, Hong, and just tell us what you want.”
Joshua grinned. “Don’t worry, Junnie,” he purred softly. “I’ve got plenty of affection for both of you.”
A sharp exhale, one prickling with irritation. “What. Do you want. Father Joshua.”
“There’s a house on the west side of the woods, I’m sure you’re familiar,” Joshua replied. When he received no response, he continued. “There’s a new resident and the patterns my… employees have been noticing are intensifying at a dangerously rapid rate. I need your help with exorcising him.”
He could feel Junhui’s smirk through the phone. “I guess we’ve got our work cut out for us, then.”
A scuffle, then Minghao’s voice returned. “Count us in, Father. They don’t call us the best in the business for nothing.”
Jeonghan wasn’t sleeping. The nightmares were too intense. He was getting restless, literally. Every time he would wake up, he would just bury his face in the pillow and scream. He thought about calling Seungcheol, he really did, but he didn’t want him to worry. All of this would probably wear off soon, and it wasn’t like there were demons in his walls, right?
He also debated calling Mingyu and telling him that things were getting more serious, but… were they really? Everyone had bouts of nightmares sometimes, everyone had periods of poor sleep. It probably had something to do with the moon phases or something. Had he checked the lunar cycle lately? He rolled over to check his phone and caught a glimpse of the clock. Four A.M. Motherfucker. Guess he was going back to sleep.
When Jeonghan finally wormed his way down the stairs that morning, no sooner had his feet hit the first landing that some force shoved him down the rest of the way. He hit the living room floor with a thud and a groan. He could already see bruises forming on his knees and forearms.
Jeonghan sighed. He probably should’ve been a bit more surprised by the fall, but this was becoming normal. He had dealt with similar forces shoving him onto his couch and into his bed, even over his kitchen chairs. The stairs were a new occurrence, sure, but he was more than accustomed to forcibly flopping around the house.
A knock sounded at the door. With a heavy sigh, Jeonghan dragged himself over to unlock it. Ideally, he would never have any visitors before noon, but Lady Luck didn’t seem to be favoring him lately.
As he swung the door open, he was all but tackled by a similarly-sized body. Jeonghan almost fell on his ass.
“Jeonghannie! It’s so good to see you!” Seokmin squeezed him even tighter somehow, at the very least anchoring him upright.
“For the love of all things, Seokmin, you can’t just launch yourself at people with no warning,” Seungkwan sighed from behind, rubbing the bridge of his nose. When Jeonghan finally wormed his way out of Seokmin’s vice grip, he turned to him. Noticing the dark circles under Jeonghan’s eyes and his overall ghostly pallor, he gave him a onceover complete with an eyebrow raise. “It looks like you’ve settled in well.” The sarcasm dripped like molasses from his voice.
Jeonghan forced a tight smile. “Yep, living the dream!” He skillfully dodged Seokmin’s attempt at another embrace, the latter settling for pumping his fists in the air and yelling, “I want a house tour!”
“Uh-huh…” Seungkwan glanced up and down from the staircase behind the door to what was probably a Jeonghan-sized dent in the hardwood before asking, “So, are you gonna let us in or what?”
Jeonghan shrugged and beckoned for the two to follow him inside. Seokmin, like the over-excited child that he was, barreled through the living room shouting, “Housewarming party!” to which Seungkwan called after him, “It’s not a housewarming party with only three people, dumbass!” Jeonghan just stood there trying to regulate his breathing.
“So, what are you guys doing here?” he inquired.
Seokmin shrugged. “Seungcheol told us your move-in date but we got too caught up with work and stuff so we weren’t able to make the trip until now.”
Seungkwan sighed. “I wanted to give you a bit of a heads up but the overgrown puppy over here wanted to make it a surprise.” He narrowed his eyes at Jeonghan. Seriously, would he stop doing that? “You look like you haven’t slept in a solid three weeks, what the fuck is wrong?”
Jeonghan shrugged. “Nothing’s wrong, I’ve just been having a difficult time adjusting to the new environment, I guess.”
Seokmin popped up on his other side. “Oh don’t give me that, Hannie. You’ve been here for almost three weeks, you would’ve adjusted by now.”
Jeonghan’s eyes darted around before giving up. “Okay, fine. I got told by my neighbors that in the past there has been reported paranormal activity in this house. I’m a little spooked by it, I guess, and some mildly wild shit has been happening. I literally got shoved down the stairs right before you guys showed up.”
The younger boys blinked at him before looking at each other and nodding. Seungkwan pulled out his phone. “Right, well, I’m calling your boyfriend because you’re shakier than a field of beaten corn.” No sooner had he raised the phone to his ear that Jeonghan dove to smack it out of his hand. “No! Don’t call Cheol!”
Seokmin bit his lip. “All due respect, Jeonghan, for somebody who doesn’t get freaked out by much, you’re acting like somebody murdered your family in front of you.”
Seungkwan nodded in agreement. “Also, that phone cost me like a thousand dollars so if the screen’s broken, I’m going to wring your neck and put you out of this demonic misery the old-fashioned way.”
Jeonghan frantically shook his head. “No, no, no, nobody said anything about demons. I’ll be fine. Besides, Cheol would just try to convince me to move back.”
Seokmin narrowed his eyes. “What all has been happening to you since you moved in?”
So Jeonghan told them everything. The sleep disturbances, the furniture moving, the water running at random intervals, and the sheer loss of control of his body’s position in space. As he spoke, Seokmin and Seungkwan began to look progressively more nervous, with Seokmin in particular looking like he wanted to bolt and never look back.
Seungkwan opened his mouth to presumably make a snide comment about something when the three heard a loud thud from above. They sprinted up the stairs to find… nothing. For such a loud sound, one not unlike the sound Jeonghan’s body had made at the bottom of the stairs before, there was a surprising lack of visual disturbance.
They weren’t the only ones to have heard the noise. Outside the living room windows, the two men who had been hiding from Jeonghan’s fearful eyes the past weeks were also confused. They turned and made their way back toward their truck, which they had parked around the side of Jeonghan’s house in a small clearing.
Once they got inside the truck and shut the doors, the shorter of the two glanced over at his companion. “Do you think this is what we’ve been speculating?”
The taller one shrugged as he turned the keys in the ignition and began to pull out of the woods. “I think there’s a fair chance. I’ve been watching that house for seven years and have seen five inhabitants move in and out. The activity that appears to be occurring this time around is escalating at a faster rate than any of the other occurrences. Needless to say, I’m a bit perturbed.”
The two drove across town to a small church. It was pretty worn down, the building had seen its fair share of weather and the steeple perched on the roof was hanging slightly crooked. When the two men arrived, they made their way through the chapel and into a small office, where another man was standing facing the window behind the desk. As they entered, he turned and smiled a little too sweetly at them. “Wonwoo, Hansol, how nice to see you.”
Hansol bowed his head in greeting. “Hello, Father Joshua.”
Joshua lifted Hansol’s head to meet his eyes. “Have you been watching that house like I asked?”
Wonwoo cleared his throat from the doorway and nodded curtly. “We have.”
Joshua peered around Hansol and smirked. “Wonwoo, sweetheart, I’ve told you before, my office isn’t boobytrapped. You don’t have to cower in the doorway like a cornered animal.”
Wonwoo rolled his eyes. “I only came here to report and obtain my cut of our payment, I really don’t see a need for all the pleasantries.”
Hansol sighed. “Why do you always have to be so hostile?” he muttered.
“That’s a good question, Hansol,” Joshua purred. He pulled away and began rummaging through his desk drawers, pulling out a file. “Let’s see, who’s occupying that house now…?” He began flipping through papers, shaking his head slightly.
Wonwoo’s eyes widened. “How do you have access to property records?”
Joshua shrugged. “Perks of being friends with the mayor. Besides, I’d say this is a worthy cause, wouldn’t you?” He stopped flipping and squinted at the page he landed on. “Yoon Jeonghan, age thirty, all previous residences are in Seoul.” He chuckled to himself. “Now why would a precious little city boy want to live all the way out here in the woods?”
Hansol smiled. “Maybe he’s really into nature?”
Wonwoo sighed. “Or he could be running an underground fighting ring. It really doesn’t matter, can we just get our pay and leave?”
Joshua let out an exaggerated sigh before digging in another drawer. “I suppose so. Here.” He handed Wonwoo an envelope.
Wonwoo opened it and began counting the enclosed bills. “Wait a minute, this is only a fraction of what we agreed upon.”
Joshua shrugged. “You’ll get the rest later. I still need you to watch Jeonghan’s house to see if things get any more… interesting.”
Wonwoo opened his mouth to argue but before he could, Joshua rounded his desk and pressed him gently into the doorframe. “I have my suspicions, darling, and I know that you have extensive experience with that property whether you’ll detail it to me or not. If you want to see the rest of that money, then you’ll tell me if the activity in the house gets more extreme.”
Wonwoo nodded nervously. “Yes, Father Joshua.”
Joshua released him just as Hansol began to move toward them. “Good. I’ll see you boys soon, then. Close the door on your way out.”
As Wonwoo and Hansol left the church, they couldn’t help but wonder why Joshua needed their intel. Being a priest, he was at war with the Satanic, that much made sense. They stole furtive glances at each other the whole drive home. At first, the pay seemed to speak for itself, but now they weren’t so sure.
okay so i edited every link in the master list just now, including the bomticc one, so every work is now accessible from everywhere. i now know how tumblr works, critters rejoice!
Jeonghan was no stranger to the strange and unusual. He was a quick-witted and sharp individual, and not much spooked him. So when he saw that an old home was up for sale in his dream city, he more or less jumped at the chance.
“Cheol, I swear I’m fine,” he said through the phone as he fumbled with his key in the lock. “As a matter of fact, I’m really excited for this change.”
“I just want you to be careful,” his boyfriend’s muffled voice came through the receiver. “You said you won’t have electricity for almost a whole week and you’re in a really secluded part of town.”
“So it’s a bit of a fixer-upper,” Jeonghan chuckled. “I’m a grown man, a little bit of darkness isn’t gonna scare me.” He yanked his wrist to the right and the lock clicked. “Gotta go, I love you!”
“I lo-” Seungcheol’s voice was cut off when Jeonghan hung up a bit too early as he threw all of his body weight against the door to shoulder it open. So the door stuck. Seungcheol was good with tools and Jeonghan knew that he would be obliterating traffic laws to visit him if he asked.
Jeonghan began dragging boxes up the stairs, the entire time wondering why the hell he didn’t ask Seokmin or Seungkwan to help him. Seungkwan would probably complain the whole time and Seokmin would definitely drop something mildly valuable but still, the process would be the tiniest bit easier.
He finished unpacking his bedroom after an hour and a half of meticulous planning. The bathroom was slightly less intensive, dumping stuff in drawers was about all he had the energy to do, especially with no light. The furniture had thankfully been delivered the day before, so he had a couch to crash on as the last bit of natural light slipped through the windows.
Not having any earthly idea of how to use his kitchen appliances in the dark, Jeonghan settled for ordering Thai food from a restaurant that was, get this, almost thirty miles away. He slurped his noodles and curry while staring off into space, recalling the frantic delivery boy’s trouble finding the house. He had answered the door to an eighteen-year-old with abject terror in his eyes who had muttered something about a “demon house” before inexplicably pushing 70 to get out of there.
Jeonghan retired to his bedroom after dinner, finding that despite the early hour, the unpacking and heavy lifting had worn him out enough to fall asleep relatively easily. This ended up being quite good for him because at seven o’clock on the dot the next morning, he heard a frighteningly loud knock at the front door. He dragged himself out of bed, threw on a hoodie, and tripped down the stairs. Upon opening the door, he found two men around his age, grinning at him like they had just won the lottery despite it being the literal ass crack of dawn on a Saturday.
“Hi!” the taller of the two men exclaimed, waving his hand at the speed of light. “I’m Soonyoung, and this is Chan!” he gestured to the man next to him, whose grin got impossibly wider. “We’re your neighbors and we just wanted to introduce ourselves to you since we’re going out on a run anyway.”
Jeonghan groaned. “You’re voluntarily doing physical activity right now?”
Chan chuckled sheepishly. “We’re sorry for waking you up so early. We’re just pretty busy people even on weekends so we didn’t want to come off as rude for not introducing ourselves.”
Jeonghan laughed quietly and shrugged. “Well, I wasn’t even aware that I had neighbors. Where do you guys live anyway?”
“Wayyy over there.” Soonyoung pointed off to his left at a house so far away that Jeonghan had to squint to make out a structure at all. “The people who built these properties were small-time farmers who needed the space, and overall just private people. Now the forest has pretty much taken the land back, but we cleaned it up a bit when we moved in a few years ago.”
Chan looked at his watch. “Well, you probably want to go back to sleep and we have to hit three miles before eight so we gotta run, literally.” He chuckled at his joke. “It was nice to meet you, Jeonghan! Also, I just wanna warn you that past residents of your house have reported strange, probably paranormal activity so just be aware!” Jeonghan waved as the two jogged off over the hill. The weight of what Chan said wouldn’t hit him until he was crawling back under the covers.
When Jeonghan woke up again around ten, the memory of the throwaway warning about ghosts in his house hit him like a bus. He curled up into a ball and fumbled for his phone, frantically scrolling through his contacts. As the phone rang, he tried (and mostly failed) to regulate his breathing.
“Hello?” a voice on the other end answered.
“Jihoon!” Jeonghan exclaimed a little too loudly. “What do you know about the paranormal?”
He could practically feel Jihoon’s eye roll through the line. “I don’t believe in that shit, Jeonghan. Hang on.” He called to someone in the other room. “Gyu! Han’s asking about ghosts.”
Running footsteps were heard as Mingyu presumably barreled into the room and snagged Jihoon’s phone. “Oh my god, Jeonghan! You moved into that really freaky looking house in the woods, right?”
Jeonghan bit his lip and nodded, scanning his room cautiously. “Just got here yesterday.”
He could hear the grin in Mingyu’s voice. “Any spooky stuff yet?”
Jeonghan shook his head, but as he did, his eyes fell on his bedroom window, where there appeared to be a swarm of flies crawling around the glass. It was October, that shouldn’t have been happening. “There’s flies in my window, Gyu.”
Mingyu gasped. “That’s a sign!”
Jeonghan bit his nail. “A sign of what?”
“A sign that there’s a presence,” Mingyu furrowed his brow. “Although I can’t remember whether it means that it’s malignant…”
Jeonghan groaned. “Oh, great, just when I thought you might be able to help me.”
“Hey, hey, I probably still can,” Mingyu retorted. “Just… keep an eye out for any other ‘haunted house’ type activity, alright? I want you to stay safe.”
“Okay, I can do that,” Jeonghan replied, taking a deep breath. “Bye, Mingyu.”
“Bye, Hannie!” The line went dead and Jeonghan tried to remember how to move his legs. Just then, he heard the faint sound of running water coming from his bathroom. He crept up to the doorway and peered inside. He got there just in time to see the sink faucet dripping, but it stopped almost as soon as he laid his eyes on it.
Jeonghan was, to say the absolute least, on edge. He stumbled down the stairs just in time to see his rocking chair, his fucking beloved rocking chair, creaking like the devil as it rocked back and forth all on its own. What the actual hell? he asked himself. He shook himself off and dug through one of the unpacked boxes for a fly swatter and bugspray.
Jeonghan made the trek back up the stairs and started doing a number on the flies in the window. Or so he thought. The flies were like a hydra. He would spray the entire window and more would appear. Every time he smashed one, two more would materialize. It was ridiculous.
Eventually, Jeonghan gave up and just pulled the curtains closed. Over the next couple of days, strange odors would surface from his kitchen cabinets and voices would whisper in his ear whenever he closed his eyes. Sometimes, when he would wake up in the middle of the night, he would see the shadows from his bedroom furniture begin to change shape, even after he gained electricity. What he never seemed to notice, however, were the two very real, very human faces watching him through his downstairs windows.
this is your sign to go write. i'm not talking about making a cute pinterest board or playlist, thats for the procrastinators. OPEN YOUR DOCUMENT AND WRITE THAT THANG
hiiii yes it's still me, the weasel in your phone. just wanted to freshen things up to help motivate me for my next project. i'll still probably use the same content identifiers like weeble writes and the like because they're cute.
i just wanna update y’all on the happenings because i don’t want any little critters freaking out if i’m inactive for awhile. i’m moving back to school this coming week and classes start the week after that soooo it’ll take a bit to adjust my bursts of creative energy to my new schedule and find any downtime that i want to use to write. i do have plans to write a jeonghan demonic possession fic to post in october but those plans are very loose for the reasons mentioned above. for those of you who are also starting school again, i hope the year goes swimmingly! <3
Hello!! It's the ace!Seokmin anon again, thank you so much for taking the time to write my little request ❤️
It was a beautiful and painfully accurate portrayal, I would lie if I said I did not cry a little
I still feel a little abnormal some days, and indeed friendships matter as much as romantic relationships and I fail to keep that in mind a lot, this was a beautiful reminder thank you so much
hello again! i’m so glad you enjoyed it, i was really hoping that i was going about writing it the right way. the story was originally supposed to begin with the group gathering, but i’m glad i shifted things around to establish more about seokmin as a character; i hope the scenes flowed into each other well. thank you so much for reading!
Hello!! I just read 𝓫𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓸𝓯𝓯 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓷 𝓲 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓬𝓱𝔀𝓮 all in one go and I can't say how happy my little ace heart was to see some representation i wanna cry
Do you think we could have in the future some side story for ace!seokmin?
hi, you! sorry that this sat in my inbox for a week and a half, i started working on this story after seeing your ask and then i got busy with other things. but it's here now! i'm so glad you enjoyed the smau and i really appreciate your kind words. i hope you enjoy this!
💬 0 🔁 4 ❤️ 1 · ᎯᏨᎬ ᎾᎰ ᎻᎬᎯᏒᏖᏕ - ᏝᎬᎬ ᏕᎬᎾᏦᎷᎨᏁ · a/n: this is a little spinoff for bomticc seokmin. a lovely anon requested some expansion bec
a/n: this is a little spinoff for bomticc seokmin. a lovely anon requested some expansion because they appreciated the asexual representation through his character, so i figured, why the hell not! i'm so glad that my work can validate people and make them feel safe. as always, enjoy! <3
content warning: brief mentions of sexual assault. it isn't detailed in any way but i want everyone to be aware of what they're about to read.
relationships: very brief seokmin x seungcheol; implied future seokmin x joshua
wc: ~1.9k
we cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.
Seokmin was sitting in a booth in Maroon Chai, swinging his legs and sipping a hazelnut latte. Every once in a while, Joshua – who was drying mugs behind the counter – would shoot him a “you’re still here alone?” glance overflowing with pity and something… deeper and not quite readable. Well, he could stuff his pity.
Seokmin rolled his eyes and glanced at his watch. 2:20 PM. He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago. Seokmin sighed and made to leave, not missing Joshua’s pointed stare, when Seungcheol burst through the door with a jacket slung over his shoulder, looking like he had just run two miles to get there.
Joshua smiled tightly. “Hello, Seungcheol. I almost wasn’t expecting you.” He turned and began busying himself with what he knew Seungcheol usually ordered.
Seungcheol blinked before turning to Seokmin. “I’m so sorry I’m late, I was…” He paused, clearly trying to think of an excuse that would be more acceptable than whatever actually held him up, but then thought better of it and shook his head. “I’m just sorry. I don’t usually run late but sometimes things happen.”
“It’s alright,” Seokmin reassured him with a soft smile. Jeonghan and Seungkwan, ever the perfect enemies to besties trope, had set him and Seungcheol up for coffee. They had reassured him that with their track record, even if romance didn’t blossom between them, a friendship would sprout up like those flowering weeds that society groomed people into hating.
In Seokmin’s opinion, this outing was headed in the weedy direction. Seungcheol was nice, he had a good sense of humor, a warm smile, and balanced a baby face with the body of a linebacker in training better than most, despite having played baseball instead. But every time Seokmin would catch Joshua’s wandering eyes that the latter was clearly trying to disguise as routine managerial surveillance, the sinking feeling of doubt in his stomach would get slightly heavier.
“Apologies, but I don’t think we should see each other again like this,” Seokmin stated bluntly as he and Seungcheol grabbed their coats to leave the café.
Seungcheol paused, half of his arm through a sleeve. “Alright, I have to admit that I wasn’t exactly feeling sparks either.” He shrugged the rest of his jacket on and held the door open for Seokmin to walk through.
Seokmin smiled weakly. “Glad we’re on the same page, then. Have a good rest of your day, Seungcheol.” The two parted ways just outside, heading in opposite directions.
Seokmin sighed, hands buried deep in his pockets and face tucked tight into the collar of his outerwear. He couldn’t help but ponder the nature of the date. There was politeness in the air, but throughout the hour and a half the two spent together, they couldn’t penetrate the stiff energy that their conversations held. Is this how all of my dates are going to go? he wondered as he scurried home. His usual trademark bubbliness hadn’t surfaced at all in the coffee shop, which was incredibly rare.
Normally, Seokmin would snag a second date to truly test the waters. Kind of like how it’s often encouraged to try a second bite of food before deciding whether it’s truly despicable. But this time, Seokmin was too fed up to even bother. He didn’t feel a physical pull from his potential love interests the way his friends did. His pull relied on a feeling of safety and understanding, and it seemed that his receptors were burned out. He furrowed his brow as he climbed the stairs of his apartment building. Maybe he was more demiromantic than he thought? He did feel more romantic potential for himself around his single friends…
Seokmin shook his head with the hopes of clearing the thoughts from his mind. Now wasn’t the time for intense, abstract contemplation about the relative absurdity of his identity. Now was the time for curling up on the couch and rotting, preferably with a giant brownie sundae in hand and some trashy reality show or soap opera on the TV.
Seokmin was home for the week. A rare occurrence, seeing as he would often disappear for days at a time without warning. His friends hated it, but they had his location, so really, it was their faults that they often didn’t know where he was. Being home, he saw no reason why he shouldn’t invite them all over.
So there they all were, scattered across his living room. Jeonghan was sprawled across the back of the couch like he owned it (he didn’t, but good luck trying to tell him that). Jihoon was practically horizontal in a recliner, eyes closed, apparently trying to block out his surroundings. Soonyoung was trying to scramble onto the chair with him but failing miserably, as he was surprisingly uncoordinated in any context other than the dance studio. Yn and Joshua were settled on the floor giggling to each other. There was a perfectly usable loveseat right there but clearly proximity was of the utmost importance.
Jun flounced into the room, iced tea in hand, and catapulted himself over the back of the couch to sit next to Seokmin. In doing so, he used Jeonghan’s ass as a launchpad, earning a startled yelp and an “I told you to stop doing that!” from the other. “Seok, buddy, pal, I know you don’t drink for whatever mysterious tree dweller reason, but would it kill you to have a six pack or two in your fridge for those of us who do when you plan a hangout?” He threw his arm around Seokmin’s shoulder and squeezed a little too tight, as was his style. “Or are you scared of getting I.D.’d by a twenty-year-old who doesn’t get paid enough to care whether your license is legit?”
Seokmin shrugged. “I guess I just didn’t think about it, I’m so used to not drinking by now that it barely occurs to me outside of a bar that other people actually choose to do it.” He side eyed the man whose arm was still boa constricting his upper body. “And if you can’t get through a get-together without something like that, then maybe you need to reconsider some things.”
Jun blinked, taken slightly aback by the bite in Seokmin’s words. “That’s not- I wasn’t- It was a joke.” He slowly retracted his arm, sharing a concerned look with Joshua across the room. “Are you okay, man?”
Seokmin sighed. “Yeah, I think so… I don’t know, actually, I’ve had boring date after boring date, I’ve been having some really nice thoughts and feelings about…” He oh-so-subtly glanced over at Joshua. “Somebody. And on top of that, I’ve also been having some flashbacks that tonally are pretty much the exact opposite of those feelings.”
That got Jihoon’s attention, at least somewhat. He peeked an eye open. “Flashbacks of what, exactly?”
Seokmin bit his lip, worrying it between his teeth. “So, we all know that I kind of fit the rose-colored glasses stereotype when it comes to romance, right?” After receiving nods from the rest of the room, he continued, “Well, mine aren’t so much glasses as rose-colored contacts. I have to all but gouge my eyes out in order to be realistic.”
Yn grimaced. “Yeah, contacts are a bitch.” They smirked. “I wear glasses mostly; I only wear contacts when Vernon and I-”
Joshua clapped a hand over their mouth. “I think he’s the last person that you want to be talking about that with, darling.”
Seokmin chuckled dryly. “That’s another thing. I’m ace, we get it, we’ve beaten that horse to death and desecrated its corpse.” Next to him, Jun winced at the visual. “But I’m constantly debating whether to lean into discussions and jokes about sex and risk being invalidated or to express disgust every time and be labeled a stereotype.” He groaned, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes. “You know that emoji of the person just standing that people use to express shock or indecision? That’s the most accurate comparison I can draw.”
Jeonghan gently moved Seokmin’s hands away from his eyes, giving them a light squeeze. “I’m sorry, bub, people need to understand that you’re still a whole person and won’t function like the cardboard cutout of your orientation.” He shifted to wrap his arms around Seokmin’s shoulders before continuing, “But you were talking about flashbacks a minute ago and I don’t want you to drift so far down the river that you can’t get back to shore, so do you want to continue with that?”
Seokmin nodded. “I used to drink pretty frequently in college. Almost every weekend I would go out, get drunk, and then stumble home.” He shifted uncomfortably on his cushion. “I was seeing this one person at that time, who technically knew I was asexual but I guess lacked enough of an understanding of the orientation?”
Jun rolled his eyes. “Annnnd, here we go. Yet another self righteous asshole who can’t rotate their eyeballs around to examine their own shortcomings.”
“That’s a pretty accurate description, actually,” Seokmin admitted. “Just, you know, add in the fact that those shortcomings extended to personal crimes.”
Soonyoung cocked his head cautiously. “W-When you say personal crimes…”
Seokmin swallowed slightly painfully before recounting the night that made him go permanently sober. He spoke of the club lights that made his vision go blurry at the edges before he had a single drink. The bass thudding in his chest from the house music that was just bordering the precipice of too loud. Losing just enough of the composure that he had started to regard as a standard for himself. Being pulled off the dance floor into one of the dingy single-use bathrooms. The glass shattered on the floor, blood-red grenadine puddles pooling across the scuffed tile. The hands that wandered where they shouldn’t, attempting to claim him as their own.
By the time Seokmin finished, the air in the room had gone stale, silent, still. Everyone sat frozen, whether out of shock or fury, he couldn’t tell, like they were all scared to even breathe lest they force themselves to acknowledge their friend’s reality through oxygen intake. The only one who voluntarily moved was Jihoon, who had shot up into a ramrod straight position, causing Soonyoung to go flying towards the opposite wall, spluttering like a fish out of water.
Yn took a shaky breath before asking, “Are you okay, Seokmin?” They bit their lip so hard that Seokmin was worried they’d draw blood.
Seokmin nodded slowly. “As okay as I can be, I guess. I never saw them again after that.” He leaned back into Jeonghan’s reassuring squeeze. “Must’ve felt guilty.”
Jihoon chuckled darkly. “Please. People like that hardly have a conscience.”
Jun looked to be frozen solid, like someone had dumped a bucket of water on him. His voice barely reached an audible decibel when he spoke. “So… Can I become a boa constrictor again?”
Seokmin snorted a quiet laugh before nodding. Before Jun could move, Joshua dove and intercepted Seokmin in a bone-crushing hug, almost knocking Jeonghan off the couch. One by one, the others moved to embrace him as well.
Seokmin smiled softly. With friends like these, who needs romance? he thought to himself. He tightened his hold around Joshua’s waist. Oh, who am I kidding.
