Where is he?

Namjoon is walking down the street, the warm street lamps barely lighting their path. Namjoon has his hand on Hana's waist, pulling her to his side as she wobbles drunkenly down the path. She giggles, looking up at him with a strange admiration in her eyes, her cheeks flushed.

He's nearby, watching. 5 minutes.

Namjoon frowns, nodding his head curtly. The man will most likely approach him from the alley they'll pass by soon.

His mind wanders, looking around sternly. Suddenly, he feels Hana slide her hands around his waist, pulling him closer to her. He stops walking, looking down at her flushed face. She beams happily.

"Thank you for walking me home," She mutters, barely coherent.

"It's okay," He chuckles awkwardly, beginning to walk again.

Hana continues mumbling to herself, occasionally looking up at Namjoon for confirmation of whatever she has said. He smiles, trying not to giggle at her adorable, puppy eyes. He nods occasionally, sometimes dropping a little hum in response. The only words he can actually understand from her are "Right?" "See?" And "Am I wrong?".

He has no idea what she is talking about. He can't keep an eye out while trying to decipher what she's saying. He'll ask her tomorrow.

There.

Namjoon's eyes dart to the left, looking across the road at the alleyway, almost hidden by overgrown trees. Standing, just barely in the shadows is a tall figure. Namjoon can hear him swinging something around in his fingers, the occasional ting reaching his ears.

He stops paying attention to Hana, staring at the stranger angrily. He narrows his eyes, tensing as they move past the alley. The figure doesn't seem fazed by Namjoon's awareness of him. It's almost as if he has confidence in his strength, still believing he has the element of surprise on his side. He could not be more wrong.

"Namjoon?" Hana mutters, following his gaze, "Are you okay?"

"Just keep walking," He mumbles soothingly, gently rubbing the exposed skin on her waist with his thumb. She shivers, but turns her attention away from the alley, staring forward.

"Who was that?" She whispers. Namjoon hears the subtle steps of the man as he moves quietly out of the alley.

"Don't worry, it's okay," Namjoon smiles down at her, using the opportunity to observe the man out of his peripheral vision. He is sauntering across the road, his hand deep in his pockets. He is walking quite casually, but Namjoon spots him quickly glance around the abandoned street. He's making sure they are alone.

Perfect.

Hana frowns at him, his excitement reflecting in his eyes.

Don't kill him, Namjoon. Z sighs.

I promise.

The man is quite close behind them. Namjoon can feel his presence and smell the stale scent of cigarettes and sweat. Hana tenses, finally realising there is something very wrong happening behind her.

He steps on a dry leaf, directly behind Namjoon.

Namjoon smirks.

I'm going to fuck you up.

Swiftly, Namjoon moves Hana in front of him, gently pushing her towards a gate. She bumps into it, staring in horror at the man. Namjoon spins around, his leg sweeping under the man's feet. The guy stumbles, almost taken completely off guard. He staggers back, glaring at Namjoon.

He is wearing black clothes, a small knife glinting in his hand. He is holding it firmly, watching Namjoon warily.

"You have two choices," Namjoon growls, "One: You leave, right now. Or Two: I'll beat the shit out of you and you'll be going in the back of a police cruiser... your choice,"

The man smirks, relaxing slightly at Namjoon's words. He begins chuckling, staring at the young university student with mocking eyes.

"Whatever you say, kid," The man grunts.

Wrong choice.

Namjoon suddenly hops forward, his leg coming up to kick him in the chest. His food collides with him, a satisfying gasp escaping his lips as he falls back, landing on his ass.

Namjoon doesn't give him enough time to get his breath back, moving forward to kick the knife away. It flies from his hand, spinning on the road into the distance. He hears it hit the curb on the other side. The man looks at Namjoon, his eyes no longer mocking him.

He reaches for Namjoon's ankle, his large hands clawing threateningly. Namjoon steps away easily, quickly kicking him in the gut as he turns his body towards him.

"Call the police," Namjoon mutters to Hana, not taking his eyes off the man for a second.

He hears Hana fumble with her phone and dial the number. As she begins talking to the operator, the man tries to lunge at Namjoon again. He steps to the side quickly, almost losing his footing. The man takes this as his opportunity to leap forward again, pushing Namjoon to the ground. The wind leaves his lungs, almost winding him.

The man struggles to climb on top of him, wrestling with Namjoon's limbs. He manages to straddle him. His eyes dance with mirth, pulling his arm back and punching Namjoon in the jaw. He can hear Hana becoming hysterical with the operator.

The man hears it too.

Namjoon look out!

He lifts Namjoon by the collar, slamming him into the ground before standing up. He begins bearing down on Hana.

Namjoon kicks the back of the man's knee, causing him to fall forward.

He turns to glare at Namjoon, only to meet his knee. Namjoon hears a crack as the man's nose breaks from the kick to his face. He slumps to the side, groaning in pain.

He glares up at Namjoon, but before he can react, he hears the sirens in the distance. He scurries to his feet, giving him one last disdainful look.

"Oh, no you fucking don't," Namjoon chuckles, storming towards him. He shoves him into the fence, his bloody nose splattering slightly. Namjoon kicks his shin, bringing him to his knees. He struggles with Namjoon's grasp, panicking slightly.

He pulls him forward, swiftly guiding the man's arm behind his back, lifting it as far as he can. He hears another satisfying crack.

The man screams in agony, wiggling and kicking under Namjoon's weight. He places his foot on his back, holding him in place.

Namjoon looks up at Hana, feeling confident and accomplished. Instead, he finds her staring at him, her hand over her mouth and fear in her eyes. He hesitates.

Don't look at me like that... please.

"Sir! Hands in the air," Namjoon turns to see two police officers moving towards him, their guns raised. He lets go of the man, lifting his hands.

"That man there!" Hana squeaks, pointing at the man on the ground, "He attacked us suddenly! He had a knife!"

One police officer moves forward to cuff and detain the man, leaving the other to question them. They lead him to the knife and explain what happened. He tells them to go to the police station in the morning to sign official statements. They both agree, thanking the officer.

They watch the police car drive away, the man slumped forward in the back of the car. Once they can no longer see the red and blue lights; Namjoon turns to Hana.

"Hey... are you okay?" He asks.

"A-a-are you?" Her lip quivers as she looks up at him, "He was so... scary... he hit you!" She rushes forward, suddenly remembering the one hit that landed. She touches his jaw gingerly, observing the swelling as discolouration begins to blossom under his jawline. She gasps.

"We need to put ice on that..." she murmurs. Before he can protest, she is dragging him down the street. He observes her as she leads him. She is trembling, her fingers twitching against his skin. He wants to stop her so he can calm and soothe her. But, he has a feeling that what she is doing right now is holding her together. She needs to focus on him, so she doesn't focus on her fear.

He lets her drag him until they reach his house. He stops, pulling from her grip and grabbing hold of her wrist. She turns to look at him, then back at the apartment.

"Oh! That's right..." She looks up the street in the direction of her home hesitantly. She looks back at him. Namjoon can tell by the look in her eyes that she wants to go home, but not by herself, but she doesn't want him walking back by himself. She continues to contemplate this conundrum as he has an idea.

Don't you dare... Take her home right now!

"Come inside... it's late and you're obviously scared," Namjoon smiles kindly, gesturing to the comforting building. She looks at the complex, looks at him, and looks down the road, before looking back at him again. A steady flush is spreading across her cheeks. She nods.

Namjoon leads her up to his apartment, his heart thumping in his chest.

She's going to be in my apartment... overnight...

Send her home! NOW!

No. She's scared and I'm certain she won't let me walk back on my own... what choice do I have?

I swear, Namjoon, you better send her on her way or I'll...

Namjoon blocks him out, opening the apartment and stepping inside. He turns on a few lights before moving into the kitchen. Hana follows him, looking as nervous as he is. He ignores his racing heart as he pulls out an ice pack for his jaw.

"See? I'm good," He smiles.

Quite suddenly, tears start falling down Hana's red cheeks. Her face crumples as she bows her head into her hands, sobbing loudly.

Completely taken aback, he moves around the kitchen island and stands beside her. He places his hand gently on her back, tapping lightly as he puts the ice pack down on the bench.

"W-What's wrong?" He stutters.

She looks up at him, her red eyes are wide and confused.

"I am drunk! And... a guy attacked us! Then you... you beat him so easily! And now I feel sick but dizzy and... you were rubbing my skin, so my heart is racing and Iamjustsoconfusedandsooverwhelmed!"

Namjoon stares at her for a moment as her face darkens in colour. She is swaying slightly, the alcohol still in her system. She is trembling.

Before he can even stop to consider the consequences, he pulls her into his embrace. He sighs deeply, feeling her warmth against his chest. She tenses for a moment, before relaxing into his arms, allowing the tears to flow freely.

He mumbles a few comforting words, hoping she can't hear his beating heart, or the thoughts running through his mind.

Slowly, he leads her upstairs and into his room. As he gently sits her down on his bed, she looks up frantically.

"Yah... yah! YAH!" She stumbles away, staring at him like he's crazy, "What do you think you're doing? Huh?" She demands, looking between him and the bed.

"Well... I was bringing you to bed... I'll sleep on the sofa," Namjoon explains, looking between her and the bed.

"Oh..." She straightens, swaying slightly. He jumps up, guiding her back to the bed. She climbs into it, comfortably sliding under the covers without shame.

He watches her, humour dancing in his eyes. She must really not like the idea of sleeping on his sofa.

He steps forward, tucking the blankets in. Quickly, he notices she has passed out immediately. He chuckles, placing a water bottle on the bedside table.

"Sleep well, Hana," He smiles, his eyes lingering on her sleeping form. He makes his way downstairs.

"Alright, go on... growl at me," Namjoon mutters, flopping onto the sofa with a pillow and a blanket.

As long as you keep your hands, thoughts, and feelings to yourself, do whatever you want.

Namjoon frowns.

"I wish you'd explain this all to me," Namjoon grumbles, pulling the blanket over his body as he relaxes.

Soon... the time will come soon. I promise.

"Until then?" Namjoon sighs, already knowing the answer.

You'll just have to trust me. 

(A/N) 🫰🫰🫰 

Would you trust Z?