Frore
frore (adj.) - frozen, frosty
Pairing: Park Seonghwa (Ateez) x GN!Reader; Genre: Hybrid/Shapeshifter AU, Angst, Fluff, Romance; Rating: sfw, NC-17; Warnings: Mentions of smuggling, bad guys that held hybrids captive and smuggled pelts, indication that the source of these pelts are not animals, inhuman conditions for the hybrids -> barely dressed, malnourished, freezing, busting an organisation, mentions of weapons and bullet proof vests, (should you not be comfortable with this you can skip the memory (the italics part) and get to the more fluff stuff) hybrid seonghwa, arctic fox antics, a short mention of the past mistreatment and lastly a kiss; Wordcount: 2.896; Event: Winter Hearts from kdiarynet; Prompt: Number 13 - “Snowflakes getting caught in your/their/his/her eyelashes”
Summary: After you rescued an Arctic Fox hybrid, who never experienced the world outside of his cage, you showed him whatever you could think of. With the winter season approaching you had the chance to let him experience something his hybrid part had yearned for.
A/N: I, uh, went a little overboard with this... I think.. but I couldn’t stop myself or my brain.. it’s crazy how my brain constructed this criminal story from such a harmless prompt.. please don’t question that
“Is everything ready?” You asked with a hushed voice, brushing a few strands of hair out of your face. You glanced around the area with a grim expression.
A barely used roadway had led you to this old and racked factory in the middle of nowhere. A few dead trees stood around, the branches brustling in the cold wind.
You glanced over your shoulder to your team that secured their bullet proof vests and checked their weapons.
“We’re ready. Team Bravo and Caesar are going to the backdoor, Team Delta will make sure to secure the area and our team will storm in through the front.”
The commander waved with his hand in the air, giving silent signals to the teams which moved accordingly. “You should stay back. We don’t know how many are in there.”
“Sorry but no. I’m going to tear this building apart. These monsters are involved with illegal practices,” you growled and turned your focus back to the front door.
“Fine, but don’t come at me. I warned you.”
You shrugged with your shoulders and walked over to the front door, waiting for your team to follow.
All of them had the same grim expression as you. They got ready and with a small nod all of you agreed to limit your communication on hand movements.
Another nod and your team broke the door, kicking it open and storming into the factory.
You quickly followed them, narrowing your eyes due to the dim light inside. You scanned the area and noticed transport boxes over transport boxes at one side of the room. With a simple motion you told your team to back you up, while you hurried over.
You grabbed a knife and torch, flashing the light over the closest box. An address overseas was written on top of it. Your stomach churned in distaste. You moved to another box, silently making a note in your mind that a different address was written on it. You took a deep breath and clenched the torch between your teeth so you had both your hands free to cut the box open.
A low growl escaped your lips when you opened the box and saw all the pelts within it. You didn’t have to guess to know that all those boxes were stuffed with illegal pelts.
You squeezed your eyes close and swallowed dryly. You didn’t want to imagine how those animals had to live in horrible conditions before they were tortured and killed.
“Let’s go”, you harshly whispered and turned away, going deeper into the factory. You stopped at another door and let your team break this one down as well.
Your team stormed into the next room, suddenly yelling various orders around. You were barely able to understand what they shouted. With bated breath you rushed into the room as well.
Overwhelmed with the situation, you stopped at the entrance again, staring in disbelief at the room in front of you.
A dozen cages were lined on the two opposing walls, each of them occupying a different kind of animal. You saw polar bears, white tigers and a few albinos.
The animals fled into the furthest corners of their cages, eyes anxiously trained on your team and the smugglers fighting with each other.
Your team still shouted orders around, pinning most of the culprits to the ground. The rest still ran around or chased the missing men to the backdoor.
You swallowed and ran a hand through your hair. You didn’t expect a situation like this. All the intel you had only told you about the smuggler ring and their base. Nothing had mentioned they used this building as a factory farm.
“We got all of them”, the commander approached you, nodding sternly, “we bring them to the cars. What should we do with the animals?”
You blinked a few times, still processing the information, when another voice suddenly spoke up. “We are not animals.”
You turned around with wide eyes, staring at the person in the cage where you had seen the polar bear moments ago. You gasped in shock and clutched a hand over your mouth. “All of you?”
The hybrid nodded and carefully stepped closer. Their eyes fixed you and the commander, suspicion evident in them.
You took a quick look at their appearance, noticing they had barely any clothes on and were barefoot. You didn’t even have to ask if the others had more clothes on. “I’m so sorry”, you whispered, breathing heavily to prevent the tears in your eyes from falling.
“Demand a bus and lots of warm clothes! Contact the hybrid rescue organisation and get these bastards out of my sight,” You ordered your team. “Find the keys to the cages and ascertain the evidence, especially the boxes we saw.
You clenched your jaw, trying to avoid the thought about the pelts inside of those. You had to think clearly now and keep a cool head.
“If you want you can turn back”, you gently said to the hybrid, who shivered violently inside the cage. “It’s too cold here and even colder outside. I’m sure being in your animal form keeps you warmer.”
The hybrid hesitated for a moment but nodded and turned back into the massive polar bear you had seen before.
“I guess you still understand me. Please, stay in your animal form as it will keep you slightly warmer. Once I get the go I will lead you to a bus. My team will hand out warm clothes to you so you can change back into your human form and get dressed before you can get into the bus. The driver will bring you to a rescue centre where you get help. I vouch for your safety,” you told them, walking along the cages and nodding reassuringly.
A few men from your team came back with various keys and you instructed them to unlock every cage. They pushed the doors open and moved to the next cage, giving the hybrids some space.
You checked on every hybrid and made sure they responded to you, even though some of them still reacted hostile towards you. You weren’t worried about it, understanding their doubt. Most of them were too weak to fight, only bones and skin and nothing else.
When you reached the furthest cage from the entrance you crouched down and tilted your head. Every hybrid so far had white fur but this fox-like one had only a few tufts of white the rest of their fur grey-ish brown.
“Hey, are you alright?”
No reaction. Alarmed, you went closer to the hybrid, scanning every detail you could pick up. Extremely thin, barely breathing and eyes closed.
“He hasn't moved since yesterday.”
You slightly jumped at the voice of the polar bear hybrid behind you. They had their arms clutched around their body, trying to suppress the shivering.
With a sigh you stood up again and took off your jacket, handing it to the polar bear hybrid. “You know him?”
The hybrid shook their head. “Not really. His name is Seonghwa and as far as I know he has stayed here the longest time.”
“And he hasn’t moved since yesterday?”
“Yeah, we got barely any food or water here. Even sleep was limited. The fear is too strong for us to relax at all.”
You hummed and crouched down again, placing a hand on his chest. A hiss escaped your lips when you felt how cold he was. You didn’t hesitate and gently picked the small body up, securing him underneath your sweater to warm him up again.
“You’re different from the others,” the hybrid behind you stated, watching your every move. “You don’t see us as animals.”
Before you were able to answer, the commander rushed back into the room. “Y/N! Everything is ready. The rescue centre was informed and a bus just arrived at the front door.”
“Good. Commander, make sure everyone in the team keeps their distance to the hybrids. I don’t want any of them to approach unless the hybrids themselves or I ordered it.”
The commander saluted dutifully and ran back out of the room.
“You heard it. Please come with me.” You smiled reassuringly at the hybrids around you and started walking out of the room while you still held onto Seonghwa.
Your team held doors open and followed your orders perfectly. Once you reached the bus two men stepped up to you with big boxes full of warm clothes. “There are blankets on each seat in the bus as well.”
“Thank you”, you whispered and motioned to the hybrids to come closer. You watched how one after the other turned into humans and received clothes, which they quickly put on.
They thanked you quietly, each of them taking your hand and brushing their cheek against it, before they got onto the bus.
You smiled and nodded every time.
“As soon as everyone is inside they are good to go.” One of your team members told you.
“Very good. Please send my contact information along with them. Should any of the hybrids feel worried about something I want to be informed immediately,” you said with a firm voice, watching the hybrids through the bus windows and how they snuggled into the blankets.
Your team member nodded and walked over to the driver, instructing him with all the new information. Once everything was settled the bus drove off with two cars tailing it as a security measure.
You watched them drive away, the vehicle getting smaller and smaller, when something moved underneath your sweater. Your eyes widened in shock, realising you had forgotten you were still holding onto Seonghwa. “Shit.”
The second you looked down, you saw two dark eyes sleepily gazing up to you.
“Hey”, you whispered, the corners of your lips tucking up slightly, “you’re Seonghwa, right? I’m Y/N. Do you feel warmer now?”
“Y/N? Hey Y/N, are you even listening?”
Blinking rapidly, you shook your head and focused on the curious face in front of you.
Seonghwa smiled cutely, tilting his head to one side. “You didn’t listen, did you? What have you been thinking about to be this deep inside of your mind?”
“Sorry, I just remembered the day we two met.” You shrugged with your shoulders. “So much happened back then and so much changed.”
He nodded slowly, a sliver of pain washing over his face from the memory, before he smiled again. “Maybe you did listen a little.”
“Huh?”
Seonghwa chuckled lowly and shook his head. “You’re still not completely here, are you? Have you noticed something? About me?”
Confused, you leaned back and took a better look at him. You still saw the dark eyes, gazing at you - just a little more attentive now. You saw the sharp jawlines and his high cheekbones, his tall and thin body. Nothing out of the ordinary. You pursed your lips, your gaze wandering down and back up again.
He chuckled again and motioned you to wait a second. As soon as he received a nod from you, Seonghwa hurried out of the room.
Only seconds later a white ball of fur zoomed into the room, jumping on top of the couch and bouncing excitedly on a pillow.
You gasped and clapped your hands in front of your mouth. “Oh my”, you mumbled and leaned forward. Thinking about it, you realised Seonghwa didn’t have his normally dark hair but something blond, almost white hair colour. You stretched out a hand and brushed your fingers through the thick fur. “You got your winter fur! That is amazing!”
The little fox seemed to almost grin brightly, once again bouncing excitedly on top of a pillow. He ran around in a few circles and came to a halt again.
A huge smile stretched over your face. When you rescued Seonghwa it was late winter and due to his imprisonment he had never seen the light of day, preventing the seasonal change of fur. Now with the first winter and an opportunity to experience it outside, additionally to his increased health, the arctic fox hybrid finally had a change of fur.
“I’m so happy for you! How do you feel with a new set of fur? Is it as wonderful as it looks?”
Seonghwa jumped up again, show-casing how excited he was.
You glanced out of the window for the first time today, realising how bright it seemed despite the late hour. Your smile got even wider when you saw the snowflakes slowly drifting through the ground. “I think we should celebrate this.” You grinned and stood up, getting your snow boots and a parka.
The hybrid followed you with curious eyes, trailing always right behind you. He watched you getting dressed and how you stuffed your keys into a pocket before you pulled the door open.
A gush of icy wind blew into the hallway, bringing a few stray snowflakes with it, which melted as soon as they landed somewhere.
Excitement rushed through Seonghwa’s body, his instincts vibrating with energy. He giddily tapped on his front paws, his eyes flicking between you and the untouched snow outside.
“Let’s go”, you giggled and made a hand movement to usher him outside.
Seonghwa didn’t need to hear more. His tiny body leaped forward, not stopping when his paws touched the cold surface underneath him. He jumped around and whirled up even more snow.
You watched him silently with a happy smile and followed him further into the plains of snow. Since you lived quite secluded your property was pretty large, giving you and Seonghwa enough space to live in peace. And enough space covered in snow.
Seonghwa pranced through the snow. You even saw him jump head first into a snow drift, sinking into it so only his white fluff tail and hind legs stuck out.
A loud laugh escaped your mouth at the ridiculous view. You’ve never seen him this playful before - sneaky and witty were a common occurrence after he warmed up to you but playful seemed new.
Even though half of his body was stuck underneath a layer of snow, Seonghwa’s sensitive hybrid ears picked up your laughter. He dug himself out of the snow again. The second he was free again his head snapped towards you.
His heart thumped erratically within his chest, overflowing with warmth and tiny electric sparks. Seeing and hearing you laugh, reassured Seonghwa of being home and safe. He found his place with you and never wanted to leave your side.
You took a deep breath and tried to calm yourself again, feeling quite breathless now. Before you could do that though, you saw Seonghwa running towards you.
You could barely follow his movements since he appeared almost invisible with his white fur on the snow.
Only a few metres in front of you Seonghwa suddenly transformed in mid air. He didn’t slow down and crashed into you, making you lose your balance. Both of you fell into the snow and you squealed in shock.
Seonghwa wrapped his arms around your body and rubbed his face against the crook between your neck and your shoulder. “Thank you.”
You nearly didn’t catch his voice but once your brain registered his words, you smiled brightly and hugged him tightly. There was no need for you to ask what he thanked you for. You just hummed. “Always.”
For a while both of you just laid in the snow, hugging each other, until Seonghwa propped himself up.
He gazed down at you, cheeks rosy and a shy smile adorning his lips.
You weren’t sure if the colour resulted from the cold or something else. You just knew you couldn’t avert your gaze. Drawn to his sharp features and snowflakes that got caught in his eyelashes, you slowly leaned closer. You could feel his hot breath fanning over your cheeks and saw how his gaze switched between your eyes and your lips.
With a giggle you pecked his cheek and dropped back into the snow. “If you want to stay in your human form you should get your jacket. I don’t want you getting sick.”
Seonghwa didn’t answer or react at all, just staring at you with bright red cheeks and a mouth that was slightly ajar. It took him several seconds to regain his composure again. And even then his mouth acted faster than his brain. “I love you.”
You looked at Seonghwa with wide eyes, knowing that his hybrid side wouldn’t allow him to say these words, if he wasn’t completely sure of it. You knew that arctic foxes mated for life, meaning they stayed with their significant other until the day they died. You had researched a lot about the animal since the information about the hybrids weren’t as much. So you knew those three words were a big deal.
“Are you, I mean, do you”, you stammered, searching for any indication Seonghwa had doubts.
“Do you love me too?”
The question took you off guard and you felt the air leaving your lungs. You didn’t even know why since you could easily answer the question with a yes. Still, you felt your stomach fluttering and your breathing returning shallow.
Seonghwa smirked, hearing your physical reactions to his simple question. “I take that as a yes”, he whispered and leaned down, kissing you.
© all rights reserved
