╰─➤ baby tell me one more beautiful lie,
one touch and i ignite

➳༻❀✿❀༺➳

donghyuck came to in waves. initially it was sounds that woke him up; talking, utensils on trays, hushed whispers he perhaps shouldn't have heard. it didn't matter much. it was all under water to him. and then, later, he could make out silhouettes and shadows through the lights against his eyelids. people leaning over him, more whispers...apologies.

eventually, however, it was actually the silence that roused him from his sleep. he felt as stiff as a board, like there was a rod in his back, pins and needles in one of his hands, a hot poker against the back of his neck and fire ants crawling along his jaw.

he shuddered, blinking his eyes awake fully and adapting to the low light of the sterile sick bay. one lamp was switched on and aside from all the gear sungchan used to help garnet, it was only the doctor himself sleeping on one of the other beds.

hyuck sat up and immediately regretted it when his stomach threatened to be sick and his back hurt even more. cringing through the pain he swung his legs over the side of the cot and tested his sock-dressed feet against the cold floor before slowly making his way over to the doctor. "hey," he whispered, touching sungchan's shoulder and nearly falling backwards when the man jolted awake and held up his hands defensively.

"woah, woah, woah," he hissed under his breath, realising it was just donghyuck and releasing a long sigh of relief. "god, you scared me. i never contend with sleepwalkers in the emergency room."

"i'm awake."

"evidently. and a good thing too," he grimaced and sat up to rub his eyes. "it's been four days. i didn't think i could go another hour with the others fluttering around here and disrupting my peace. we were worried you wouldn't wake up."

"four days? were my injuries that bad?" the omega subconsciously felt the back of his neck and quickly took his fingers away as though he'd been burned. it hurt like a bitch.

"i think it was an amalgamation of being beaten silly in the ring, anxiety and stress," sungchan admitted. "your adrenaline and hormones were all over the place. have you been taking the pill?"

"yes, of course."

"and is your heat due again? it must be, i think."

"yeah. any day now."

"mhm," the doctor hummed and got up to pick up one of his clipboards with a pen. he was dressed simply in tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt, looking somewhat more vulnerable than the sharp medic hyuck had come to know. "well, this puts a bit of a spanner in the works, huh?"

"what do you mean?"

"jeno and the dolls, with their influential positions, managed to have the midsummer reception moved to three days time. they've been waiting for you to wake up and i think the general consensus was that the other gangs didn't want to miss your debut either." he scribbled something down and turned to look at the omega. "you've become the latest news, it seems."

"oh..."

"i honestly wouldn't recommend going when you look like that," sungchan motioned towards his own face, implying the cut down hyuck's cheek was still grim. "and, if that heat is on its way, it would be silly."

"i don't care. i have six lethal friends and my face getting cut up means nobody will come at me. solved."

"you're foolish."

"i'm bored," he narrowed his eyes. "there's a difference."

"whatever you say," sungchan rolled his eyes and checked his watch, nodding to himself and wandering back towards the other bed. "anyways, we can discuss your idiocy with the others tomorrow. it's three in the morning."

"really? i guess i'll try to sleep..." hyuck lay back down onto the creaky cot and tried to get comfortable, immediately wishing he was upstairs in the lavish, giant bed with the others sprawled around him. he couldn't sleep like this. not when he had just woken from the deepest sleep of his life and not when the room was unfamiliar.

the lamp went off finally, and sungchan fell silent after a while. he must've been exhausted, the blonde thought, what with keeping an eye on him for about four days straight. he snuggled into the pillow and tried to imagine he was anywhere else.

it would be morning soon.

>>>>>

this time he wasn't awakened so casually, but instead by hands feeling his face and multiple loud voices calling his name. donghyuck's eyes shot open and the light nearly gave him a headache.

"ah," he winced, sitting bolt upright and looking around. renjun kept his hands where they were on his cheeks, moving his face from left to right and inspecting the damage. "good morning," the blonde mumbled as best he could through the grip.

"jesus, you scared us," renjun sighed, letting him go at last and stepping back a bit to join the other six crowding the med bay. "how do you feel?"

"like shit, if i'm being honest," hyuck furrowed his brows accusingly at them. "no thanks to you lot. i could've died out there."

"it was a real life simulation of what you'd really face on missions," chenle replied, but he didn't seem so keen on it anymore. "to be honest, we weren't entirely sure you'd even make it through the first round. the fact that you kept going to spite us is kind of amazing."

"and incredibly stupid," jisung added.

"thanks guys, i'm so glad i've exceeded expectations," hyuck huffed sarcastically and slid his legs around to sit on the edge of the cot and stretch his feet. he'd been uncomfortable all night. "anyways, i heard the reception got moved. you may as well have gone without me. look at my face."

the others wore varied apologetic expressions and jeno moved forward to lean against the rickety bed beside him. "we wouldn't take your win from you like that. you earned it, and that cut could actually heal into a very interesting scar."

"can we all pray that it just heals and disappears?"

"if you'd like," he smirked. but his face displayed concern that he didn't often show, and he cut to the point. "unfortunately, without a killer instinct we'll have to keep you around at least one of us at all times. i'm not sure you've heard, but the debut of a doll from garnet has been a pretty big deal in the past and you six are considered treasures now. with high value and all that crap. so can you promise you won't go off on your own at the party? it's no holiday living here, but out there i can assure you people have ideas even more grim than ours."

"okay. i promise," donghyuck nodded once. "i wouldn't want to be on my own anyways. i don't know anyone."

"you can stay with me," jaemin winked cutely and earned a round of scoffs from the others. "what?"

"you're the representative, idiot," chenle rolled his eyes. "you're jeno's side piece for the night."

"is it my turn again?"

"it's always your turn," renjun arched his brow. "have fun pretending to like people. the fake smile suits you well."

"i'm sensing agro," donghyuck pursed his lips. "is this something fun or...?"

"it's pretty boring, usually," mark hummed. "we've all tried representing the harem but like, who wants to listen to leaders being passive aggressive with each other when you could dance or raid the food table?"

"it's always me," jaemin sighed. "as the mafia-raised child."

hyuck wondered if jeno relied on jaemin more than he let on. if they were as close as they sounded, perhaps it was a matter of internal trust that ran deeper than thought. they must've known each other better than they knew themselves.

the leader stretched out his arms beside him and it was only then the omega noticed they'd all rushed down and hadn't bothered getting dressed. it made his heart skip a beat. "well, i'm glad you're awake," jeno hummed, ruffling hyuck's blonde hair, "and i bet you're starving. let's eat and then show you the decade we've decided on. your outfit is quite lovely."

donghyuck perked up at this, realising he'd probably missed more than he would've thought having been out cold. "really? oh, i need to see this." he got up, finding a pair of his shoes to the side that he must've been in before getting here and he tugged them on, patting down the loose trousers and baggy shirt he'd been lent. once he was standing upright and feeling a bit better for it, jeno moved some of his hair off his neck from behind and inspected the scabbing teeth marks that had gouged deep into his skin. they were healing since that girl didn't have an alpha's sharp canine's, but it still felt awful.

"i'll need to cover this for you at the party," jeno murmured and let the hair fall back. "does it hurt?"

"quite a bit."

"mhm. we'll think of something. let's go."

>>>>>

the tailors hadn't slacked off, donghyuck had decided once he was standing in their studio after eating, having his wounds cleaned and was back on his feet like normal. summer sun shone through the windows of the glass-walled space and lit up the outfits laying dormant on the tables.

the talented team of six had tirelessly worked on these clothes to have them ready in time, and when the omega had apologised for pushing the date out, they had seemed more glad to add finer details to the outfits that would've had to have been skipped had the plans followed through. "it's a blessing, really. they were a little drab before, but i think they'll turn out nicely on the night," one of them winked.

hyuck was listening from the changing room — a curtain pulled over an alcove in the wall — and he emerged completely dressed with a little spin, quite literally sparkling. "what do you think?" he couldn't show the others yet or it'd ruin the surprise on the night. but the tailors were audience enough when they gathered around him with excited noises.

"ah! this is perfect. i knew i got the sleeves right," one of them clapped for themselves and played with the cuffs.

"it's almost too easy when the model is so pretty," another cooed. "although this," she frowned and motioned towards his cheek, "will need some makeup. come to us once you're dressed and we'll cover that right up."

"thank you. really."

"never a bother. i do wish you'd all picked a decade sooner though," one of the men sighed. "i thought my hands were going to fall off from all those late nights on the treadle."

"and the sequins..." someone else recounted with a distant look in her eyes.

"you guys made miracles happen. you should be proud," hyuck assured them all and turned to look in the mirror.

the twenties. they'd opted for the crazy twenties with their revolutionary fashion for women and the fun dancing at the time. donghyuck couldn't be sure what the others would look like, but the stylists had done a bit of a combination piece for him. the base was a suit, of course, with a waistcoat. but the fabric of said waistcoat was glittery and attention-seeking, made of emerald and gold. his shirt underneath was lower than acceptable from that decade but they could play around. this was the twenty-twenties after all. a hundred years of evolution didn't make them stifling tailors. his collarbones were on show for the better, and he could already picture the highlights they could play with.

he'd always dreamed of being like other omegas, the famous ones. the ones who wore makeup and highlighted their cheeks and wore earrings and had their hair in fancy styles. he'd never had any of that.

but he could now. his suit was so black it ate any light that dared to come close. he looked like royalty, and when he moved, even the darkness of the material imitated stardust. he could've cried. the look wasn't even complete yet, but tears could've welled up with how different he appeared now. he was an entire size bigger from muscle, trousers finally hugged his legs instead of hanging and his hair was shiny and glossy with fresh dye to complement his clear complexion. who was this person? where had he come from?

"you seem happy enough," one of the girls smiled from behind him in the mirror. he was. he was radiant.

"thank you. again. you guys really outdid yourselves..."

"try to take care of that pretty face," a boy said, pouting. "don't let the others rough you up too much."

"hah...i shall try."

after he'd changed back and shuffled out of the studio in his usual jeans and t-shirt, he found the others in the hallway on a beige chaise longue piled on top of each other. "i'm back."

"how'd it look?" jaemin pestered as soon as hyuck got close enough. "we saw it before it's final touches and thought it was very you. you'll match us all really well."

"it's possibly the prettiest thing i'll ever wear."

"i wouldn't count on that," jeno chuckled and got up, extracting himself from chenle and jisung's grip. "you have a lot of outfits coming your way."

hyuck grew excited at the thought of it. the future he was nearly sure he wouldn't even have a few days ago in that ring. either he was one incredibly lucky boy or very, very unlucky. however that chalked up, he'd survived everything thrown at him for the past twenty years. he felt hands take his shoulders and snap him from his reverie.

"shall we take the rest of the day as a lazy rest day?" jisung put the question out there. "i think we've all had enough excitement to last us a year."

"i'm in favour of that," mark agreed and started to lead them down the hallway towards the stairs where they'd head to the warmest, cosiest place in the manor (if you disregarded the library).

jeno was the first to reach the steps, "i would but i have so much work to do before this stupid party." he looked tired.

"leave it for tomorrow. mark and i will help you," jaemin assured him and took his arm to give him a hug. "c'mon, six hands work faster than two."

"i already ask you to do enough paperwork. i'm getting lazy."

"as long as we have music to work to i'm fine to help," mark added. the leader glanced over at him with a fond smile and shook his head knowingly.

"whatever did i do in my past life to find you boys?"

"maybe you were a saint," chenle suspected. "you're a terrible person now so you must've been given the opportunity to live a different, crazier life."

"a saint seems far-fetched," renjun scoffed. "maybe an activist, or something. for animals."

"nah, that was you," donghyuck rubbed the other omega's shoulder and, for a moment, pure, unrestrained relief melted over renjun's usually stoic features when he looked down. he cleared it quickly, feigning indifference, but hyuck had seen it. was he keeping a small distance because he blamed himself for what had happened? or perhaps because he thought donghyuck wouldn't like him anymore for pushing him?

he wanted to talk about it soon. he had developed a pretty good relationship with this stone-cold boy thus far and he'd be stupid to throw away what they'd shared together over a misdeed.

"yes! seven of us together yet again!" jaemin hollered from the front of the group and led them into a room that was usually locked as well. their personal rec room where they'd watched a few movies together. and done...other fun things.

donghyuck took a seat on the sofa stiffly and tried to watch where he put his lacerated hand which was covered in a bandage and where he leaned his aching back. he felt fifty years older than he had a week ago.

"you okay?" renjun asked quietly, careful not to sit on his hand when he perched down beside him.

"i'm fine. just healing," the blonde shook his hand a little, playfully.

renjun swallowed thickly and looked at that wound resentfully. "listen...i'm sorry. i shouldn't have pushed you that hard back then. i—"

"it's fine. i could've sat on the floor and let it end that way, but i didn't. you pushed me too far, but i was pushing you too."

"no, i didn't respect your limits at all..." he paused. "what do you mean you 'pushed me too'?"

"a part of me, while i was out there," hyuck hummed and sat back close to the other boy, pressing their shoulders together, "i wanted to see how far it would have to go before you'd intervene. sort of...how much did you and jeno care? you know?"

"donghyuck—"

"so i was being stupid too. you wanted to see me fight; i fought. you wanted me to kill; i wanted to see when you'd yield. because nobody has ever yielded for me in my life. no never meant no when i said it before i got here."

the raven-haired adult stiffened in his place beside him, quite unsure of what to say. they were at an impasse for who took more blame, but the air had been cleared, and so renjun relaxed a little and lay his head down against donghyuck's shoulder, careful not to get too close to his neck. "we do care."

"hm?"

"jeno and i. we do care about you. we just...we don't know how to handle you. you're not nearly as fragile as the others and i had been. you're energetic, angry, alive. jeno's only healed half-dead people before, and so...you know."

"huh. i'm a challenge."

"you are."

"a fun one?"

renjun smiled to himself, unaware that hyuck could feel the movement of his cheek against his shoulder. he too grinned to himself, and they went blissfully unaware of their matching expressions.

jaemin pulled the coffee table from off to the side towards the sofas and rested it close to both. "board games. i'm in charge and i say board games."

"uh, who died and put you in charge?" chenle quipped. "and were they blind and deaf?"

"they were perfectly of sound mind because they were me."

"jeno! tell him to sit his ass down and play rock-paper-scissors like we always do!"

"i'd rather do paperwork," jeno groaned and curled up beside mark. "someone else fix the bitch-fight please..."

"i'll fix it," jisung offered.

"not you. i don't need another a and e patient in the med bay."

"am i that dangerous?" the youngest doll widened his eyes.

the other six all stopped what they were doing to fix him a look.

"how about," donghyuck sat up straighter and held renjun's cheek to keep him stable, "we play one board game and rotate everyone's ideas?" renjun scoffed at the idea that that would ever work.

"i suddenly feel as though this is what kindergarten would've been like," jaemin hummed. "but it works. i'll accept those terms."

"oh, what?" renjun nearly choked. "why're you giving up so easily?"

"why do you doubt my character, junnie? so rude." he started setting up the game. "i happen to be a well-mannered delight. there is nobody in this room as good-natured and patient, and—"

that was all well and good before he started losing and making deals that weren't very favourable. such as selling his body instead of monopoly properties to move across the board quicker.

"ah, ow! what happened to chivalry?!" he hissed on mark's lap while jisung had two fingers inside him, making good on swapping with him in the jail box for a quick lay. jeno had warned him he was crap at monopoly, but that only made na jaemin want to prove him wrong. prove them all wrong.

he was doing no such thing.

"right, while he's crying, someone pass me the dice," donghyuck reached out to chenle who handed it to him. he tossed it across the board and watched intensely as it rolled and landed finally on three. "damn. how much, jeno?"

"how much do you have?" the alpha arched his brow from across the table.

"five bucks and good will."

"hey, jaemin escapes poverty like that," renjun nodded towards the platinum blonde who's shirt was now nowhere to be seen but who's face was covered against mark's and who's legs were wrapped around jisung. "go on. you could."

"i'd sooner live on the streets bankrupt than sell my body for monopoly cash."

lee donghyuck did in fact sell his body for monopoly cash. he was embarrassed to admit it but it was a way better view of the board when on jeno's comfortable lap with him inside him. he nearly didn't care about the game with the hot butterflies skipping again this abdomen. nearly. he was technically making a comeback with these dodgy deals.

"monopoly is never innocent when we play past six in the evening," chenle sighed, paying a sum to mark who'd momentarily detached his lips from jaemin to further his metal avatar.

"what's the fun if it's innocent? this is a simulation of real life," jaemin huffed the younger boy's own words from earlier, clinging to mark's shoulders behind him while jisung took him to cloud-nine.

"is this what it feels like to be single?" chenle wondered. he glanced at renjun who was grabbing the dice to take his turn. "renjunnie, you don't feel lonely over there?"

"huh?"

"forget it. you're like a wall."

"alright then. next time you land on my property i'm bankrupting you."

"would you bankrupt someone this pretty, though?" the raven-haired boy lined his face with his hands and batted his eyes.

"i'd throw you on your ass into the streets without one of your kidneys."

chenle growled. "when you land on one of my properties you'll be wishing you were on jeno's lap right now! make some quick money, baby girl, cause i'm ready to draw blood."

the bickering prolonged throughout the entire game and the inappropriate board game behaviour made its rounds across the table. donghyuck had nearly forgotten he'd been losing when he slid back down from jeno and sat between his legs on the floor, trying to calm down from the ride. jaemin, too, was released from the two boys teasing him and needed to lean against the table for support while he knelt on the floor as well.

"i'm broke!" hyuck wiped a fake tear from his eye. "back to five dollars. but hey, not in prison."

"hah, mark's in prison though," jisung laughed. "loser."

"everyone avoid jail. you don't know where pretty boys in jail with mark end up," jeno goaded his oldest doll.

"i'm sorry, what kind of criminal do you take me for?"

"i like that. criminal," chenle smirked.

"woah, woah, woah," mark held up his hands defensively. "it was tax fraud."

"damn. just landed in renjun's place," jisung winced and moved the dog into a box with a red house. "ugh..."

"pay up," the omega held out his hand. he might've been the richest.

"i don't think i have enough. does that mean i go to jail?"

"or fuck him," jaemin offered.

"didn't ask, did i?" renjun snapped. "man, you suck at this game."

"jokes on you! i suck at a lot more than this game."

jeno ruffled the boy's near-white hair fondly and nobody pointed out what an idiot he was. truth be told, he probably already knew.

"mhm, suck this," renjun gave him the middle finger and turned to jisung. "if you're bankrupt, you lose. hand it over."

"you're really going to have him removed from the game?" jeno snickered. "stone cold, baby."

"rules are rules."

donghyuck couldn't help the laughter that poured out of him and the others as renjun stuck rigidly to the instructions of monopoly. the cheating, the sex, the backstories they gave their game personas. all of it made him giggle in pure bliss as the clock kept ticking and night fell.

between movies, more games, more lips on bodies and hands in hair, donghyuck remembered more and more why he did want to preserve this. the hard parts, like fighting and lying, didn't outweigh the wonderful parts of his life here. the parts where he never slept in an empty bed and woke up to someone wanting to have breakfast with him. or when he was upset and had someone to ask why. and the times like these when he was so happy he could burst, and they were there to laugh too. he nearly lost his life yet again a few days ago, but that fear kept him strong and wise.

he wasn't an idiot. and because of that, he would keep playing this game of house in the mafia even if there were monsters under the bed.

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...to be continued