ATEEZ Fairytale AU
Part 1: Yeosang-Beauty and the Beast
Captured by the fearsome Beast, you find comfort in an invisible companion. “Yeosang”, you smile despite yourself, holding the crumpled note to your chest. Maybe this place wasn’t so bad after all…
Words: 1.6k
Warnings:None
Dedicated to N.
Part 2: Hongjoong-Cinderella AU & The sequel
Masterlist
You always expressed a certain fondness for winter. Perhaps it was the warmth of the crackling fire, or the lazy drift of falling snow. Even now, miles away from home, scared, uncertain, captured, the biting winter draft nipping at your bare arms soothed your pining heart. Freedom was always something you took for granted. Until it was snatched out of your grasp.
The days spent locked up in the Beasts castle passed in a blur. It seemed like just yesterday that you accidentally deviated from your path, wandering the woods for your favorite wildflowers. It wasn’t long before you became hopelessly lost, your only sign of civilization being the run down, though still obnoxiously impressive, castle.
To your terror and astonishment, it wasn’t a human waiting for you behind those worn mahogany doors. Neither was it hope.
You begged and pleaded to be set free, yet the Beast was adamant in his punishment. The price for trespassing was indefinite capture. And so you spent your days and nights in your designated room, leaving only to visit the library or to join the Beast for your meals. It was treacherously lonely. Not even the brave protagonists in your favorite novels were adequate company.
That wasn’t to say the Beast never tried. He would invite you for walks and other recreational activities but he was so unused to being in others company that there was no short of misunderstandings or temper tantrums.
And so you made sure to steer clear away from him as much as possible. Especially since the incident.
You didn’t mean to upset him. You were just bored and lonely, and so you decided to go exploring. None of the doors were unlocked so how were you supposed to know that a particular wing was out of bounds. Besides, you couldn’t help yourself. You always adored flowers and the pretty rose in that crystal box was too mesmerizing to resist a closer look.
When the Beast found you, the fury in his eyes terrified you to death. You crouched in a corner of the room, never daring to move as he ripped the room to shreds. You can’t remember how you managed to get out of there. All you can recall is your blurred vision as you scurried to your room, collapsing out of sheer fright and exhaustion.
You awoke to birds chirping and a cup of your favorite tea on the reading desk opposite the bed. Wafts of steam rose from the delicate china cup as you reached for the handle. You drank it all in a few gulps, parched and fatigued from the night before.
You almost missed the folded piece of paper innocently laying there, waiting for your attention. You opened the folds curiously, a small gasp of surprise leaving your lips at the neatly scrawled penmanship inside.
I am sorry you had to see that side of him. I promise he’s not that bad. I made your favorite tea…please feel better soon.
Your Friend
Yeosang
To say you were caught off guard was an understatement. Yet it all somehow made sense. How your meals were always laid out when the Beast was too anti-social to dine with you. Or how your books always found its way back to the library whenever you were finished with them, a new set of titles always waiting to be read.
Your Friend
Yeosang
Your eyes flittered over those words again and you smiled despite of yourself, clutching the note to your chest. “Yeosang,” you whispered his name. Something about his sincerity warmed your heart. The way he addressed you so intimately as his friend. In just a few words he managed to fill that void you couldn’t escape from ever since stepping foot in the castle.
To your disappointment, your invisible friend didn’t leave any notes very often. Just when you had a bad day or felt especially lonely. You still appreciated the little correspondence you had with him immensely, saving all his notes in the drawer besides your bed. It was the only thing keeping you sane these days with the Beast being even more testy than usual.
You shut the windows to your room, the comfort that the winter breeze brought fading away as the icy air intensified. You sighed dismally. It has been a week since you had any interaction with somebody. You felt as if you were losing your mind.
You were just starting to figure out your beastly companion thanks to the help of Yeosang, who still remained vague as ever. You often thought to yourself that he might be a fleeting dream. Yet the growing pile of notes he left behind told you otherwise. That warmth he graces you with, with merely his words were too real to deny.
You laid on your mattress, rereading your little notes for the umpteenth time when it hit you out of the blue.
You sat up straight, the cogs in your mind turning. It was a long shot but it was worth a try. You grabbed a piece of parchment and began writing.
Dear Yeosang
Its been a while…are you okay?
Xo
Y/N
Folding the parchment neatly, you placed it on the writing desk, allowing the slumber to wash over you.
It was still dark when you woke. The dying embers in the fireplace let out a faint glow. You shuffled in an attempt to get comfortable, aligning your pillow slightly in hopes you fall asleep, when a crackling sound made you jump out of bed to light a candle.
A lone piece of parchment lay next to you. Snatching the paper, you fervently unfolded it, smiling to yourself as you read the contents.
Dear Y/N
Why, were you worried about me?
Xo
Yeosang
You let out a snort of amusement, wasting no time in grabbing another piece of parchment.
Dear Yeosang
You wish! I was just bored that’s all…
Xo
Y/N
And thus began another deviation that would sweep you off your feet
Dear Y/N
I heard you like wildflowers. Thought of you when I saw these. Don’t forget to smile today.
Xo
Yeosang
Dear Yeosang
How can I ever forget when I have you around. Thank’s a bunch.
Xo
Y/N
Dear Y/N
Was that supposed to be funny? You’re adorable.
Xo
Yeosang
P.S
He likes it when you use Gold
Dear Yeosang
Why should I care about that? Tell me what is your favorite color?
Xo
Y/N
P.S
Thank you for the cake. You were right. It is my favorite.
Dear Y/N
Give him a chance, he’s a good person.
What should I treat you to tomorrow? Your wish is my command Princess.
Xo
Yeosang
Dear Yeosang
Are you close with the beast? Why is he like this? Why can’t I ever see you? …I want to speak to you…face to face
Xo
Y/N
Dear Y/N
…I am sorry princess.
Xo
Yeosang
You never heard from him since that day. Something inside you died a little with each unread note that formed a pile on your desk. You often wondered if he was okay. Your days once again began to pass in a blur. That little joy you have found in the castle now evaded you.
You walked with the Beast in silence. The melting snow mixed with the earth caused your delicate slippers to stain brown. The Beast grunted at your sullen expression but you didn’t care. You squinted at the setting sun; your mind occupied by one person.
“You both are hopeless fools,” he grunted, looking at you with an indiscernible expression.
You felt your heart jump out your chest when you turned towards him, mouth agape, wondering just how much he knew about your feelings towards his invisible servant.
The Beast chuckled wryly, motioning for you to follow him. You trailed behind him apprehensively, panicking when he stopped short in front of an all too familiar door. He gently took you by the hand, as if to reassure you that everything is alright, and led you to the center of the room.
He handed you the crystal box, the rose it contained withered away, a lone petal pitifully hanging on. He began telling you the story of his curse. How his pride caused the downfall of not only himself, but those closest to him.
He sighed as he explained how you was his last hope, how selfish he had been imprisoning you, pretending that he didn’t feel Yeosang’s pain every time he pushed you towards himself.
He told you that he has made peace with the fact that he must live with his sins for the rest of his lifetime. Finally, he told you to run as far as possible from the castle and when you finally made it, to pull apart the last petal because he was tired of hanging on any longer.
You were scared and confused. “What about Yeosang?”
He reassured you with a sad smile that everything will be okay. You believed him. His sincerity was so strikingly familiar to your Yeosang.
And so you ran as fast as your legs could take you, until the sun rose behind the vast mountains that surrounded you. You cradled the rose in your trembling palm, a faint whisper of gratitude leaving your lips as you plucked the lone petal just before unconsciousness claimed you.
You awoke to warmth. A feeling of contentment…home? He smiled adoringly at your sleepy eyes and your heart almost broke out of the sheer joy that simple gesture brought you. You didn’t need to ask. Something about his hands, the way they tucked your hair behind your ear, stroked your cheek, those very same hands whose words brought you so much of happiness in that dark time.
Yeosang placed a delicate kiss on your forehead, pulling you into his chest “Shhh princess, its all over now,”
You smiled and snaked your arms around his waist, basking in the safety of his embrace. You were home.