Requested by: Wixies_wittle_ and Annnnnnnnnnieeeeee and PocketBear23 and herminebine
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"Run!", Wooyoung yelled.

The three sped from the house as quickly as possible, right as a branch came crashing through the window.

They ran back in the direction they originally came, now being chased by the decaying tree creature.

"This was not on my to-do list!", Changbin yelled.

"Tree try eat us!", Hyunjin screamed.

They kept running into the bushes, hoping to get away from the trees sight.

The sound of slow dragging, creaking wood, and leaves shaking kept getting closer to them.

"Oh man, what do we do?", Changbin asked.

"I don't know. Just...let's stay here.", Wooyoung suggested.

They hid amongst some crowded bushes, shielded from the light above.

Hyunjin held onto Wooyoung tightly, as he was closest to him.

"What kind of horror movie shit is this?", Changbin said.

"Something I hate."

Above them, they heard creaking sounds.

"Oh no...", Wooyoung said.

Suddenly, the bushes were pushed aside and a branch struck down, grabbing Wooyoung by his torso and yanking him upwards.

Hyunjin, who was holding onto him, was pulled up as well.

"Ahhhhhhh! Daddy help!", Hyunjin yelled.

"Guys!"

Changbin got up as the tree backed away with Wooyoung and Hyunjin in its hold.

He emerged from the bushes to see the tree making a way to the stone stairs.

"Hey! Stop!", Changbin said running after it.

The tree creaked and swayed as it stepped onto the stone pathway.

The boys in its arms became wrapped in branches that squeezed them tighter and tighter.

"Hyunjin...", Wooyoung said.

"Yes?"

"Don't be scared. Okay? You're with me."

Hyunjin slightly smiled, and Wooyoung did the same.

The tree held them in the air.

The branches slowly began to surround them more, now covering their lower body.

Changbin reached them, doing his best to help.

But honestly, who can negotiate with a decaying cherry blossom tree?

Out of the bushes behind him, Minho and San came running at the sound of the creature.

"Holy shit he's huge!", Minho yelled.

Wooyoung noticed San.

"Baby! Help me please!"

"I will! I'll get you down!"

The tree stood still in the middle of the path, holding Wooyoung and Hyunjin higher in the air.

"You two stay here, I'm going to get them down.", San said.

He went to the tree, which stayed still as it rooted itself to the steps.

San used the large branches and curves of the tree to climb.

"Get...him...first...", Wooyoung said, as the branches started to reach around his chest.

San decided to listen and went to Hyunjin first.

The little was trying to wiggle his way from the growing branches.

San used a his strength to tear the thin branches off of Hyunjin and free him.

After a few minutes of trying, enough of Hyunjin was free to get him down.

"Hyunjin, don't kill me for this.", San said.

"For what?"

"Changbin! Catch!"

San took Hyunjin from the trees hold, lifting him over the side and letting go.

Of course, Changbin was there and caught Hyunjin.

"Ahhhhhh!", Hyunjin kept screaming, even after he reached the ground.

"It's okay little dumpling. I'm here."

Up in the tree, the Stray Kids members watched as San climbed his way to Wooyoung.

The branches had closed around his neck, rendering him motionless in their hold.

"Baby! Babe...I'm here.", San said.

He began breaking the pieces of the branches off.

As he did, he noticed the deepening red mark left around Wooyoung's neck by the branches.

"I got you baby. I'm so sorry I left you there."

On the ground, the Stray Kids members watched the effort in action.

Minho helped to clean off Hyunjin, who had thorns from the tree stuck in various places.

San broke off more branches, enough to pull Wooyoung out of the trees hold.

"Let's get you down."

He used one arm to hold his boyfriend as tightly as he could so he wouldn't drop him as he climbed down.

He reached the bottom, carrying Wooyoung back to the others.

Changbin noticed the tree had blocked off the pathway up, and the branches that one held Wooyoung and Hyunjin were turning to cherry blossom petals.

"Baby, baby wake up.", San said.

They all gathered around Wooyoung.

"Babe, I'm here, we...we came back, please, you're not supposed to..."

San listened for a heartbeat, hoping against hope.

He didn't hear anything.

"Hold on, I know CPR.", Minho said.

The others watched Minho try to do CPR.

San had tears forming in his eyes as he watched his boyfriend, his eyes closed, a bruise around his neck forming over the paling skin.

Minho tried over and over again for approximately six minutes before he stopped.

"Guys...I don't think I can do anything."

Silence spread over them.

They didn't even realize the tree growing and spreading around them.

"San, I'm so sorry.", Changbin said.

San stayed by Wooyoung's side, a hand in his hair.

"I shouldn't have left him...I shouldn't have left that house...", he cried.

Minho hugged him.

Hyunjin noticed the tree covering them, and how it resembled when he and Changbin reached the dark high point on the mountain.

"Daddy, look."

Changbin looked down the path.

A few feet ahead of them, was a gate.

"Guys...we're back.", Changbin said.

Everyone looked up.

San smiled at Wooyoung.

"We're home baby...you made it back."

--------------------------------------------------------------

"That's wild bro.", Mingi said.

"Yeah. So, can you help us?", Felix asked.

Felix was on a FaceTime call with the Ateez members back in Korea.

Yeosang wasn't home at the time, but Mingi was, and knew just as much as Yeosang did about the mountain.

"Okay so I advise you not to go through the gates.", Mingi said.

"Yeah we got that part.", Jeongin said.

"But something you may not know is that Yeosang wasn't the first person to come back from the gate."

"What? But the article Felix read said he was.", Chan replied.

"Oh no, he was just the first to come back alive. At least a dozen people have made it back. Just...not...you know."

"Well we won't let anyone die. Do you know how we can get them back?", Seungmin asked.

"First we-"

A knock came on the door.

Chan got up, going to open it.

When he did, he was shocked to see Minho, Hyunjin, Changbin, and San carrying Wooyoung.

"Hey, tell Mingi we found them!"

The members crowded around them.

But the reunion was cut short when they saw Wooyoung.

"Oh no...", Felix said.

"I can't let him go Felix...I just can't.", San said.

The Ateez members were still in the video call and heard San's voice.

"San! Where are you? I can't see your face.", Jongho said, pushing Mingi aside.

San heard their maknaes voice, and the tears immediately started again.

Chan guided him over, and he placed Wooyoung on one of the couches.

"Jongho, guys, hi.", San said, going to the phone.

"My baby!", Hongjoong yelled, now pushing Jongho out of the way, "San, are you okay? It's been like five years!"

"I'm...not okay."

"Why? What's wrong? And where is Wooyoung?"

San looked behind him at his boyfriends face.

"He didn't make it hyung."

The Ateez members all got quiet.

In the background, Felix was calling around for anyone who could come and help them, and also make sure the others were okay.

"But...when did he..."

"Not too long ago."

"Man...I don't even know what to say."

San just sat there, unsure of what to say as well.

As time went by, officials came by to assess the situation.

Hyunjin was checked for injuries, and told he was okay.

San was checked as well, but frankly he didn't care if he was hurt. All he could think about was Wooyoung.

As for him, the officials took his body to the examiners office.

San sat on the outside small steps, watching as the officials car drove away.

"San, is it okay if I sit by you?", Chan said.

San nodded.

Chan sat down next to him.

"He meant everything to me, Chris."

"I could tell."

"We've been together for three years. I was supposed to attend my first pride festival with him next year, in the hopes we made it out."

Chan listened.

"But I lost that. I lost him. All because of that mountain over there. That...trap."

"I'm so sorry for your loss San. I can't possibly know how hard it is to lose a member, let alone one I'm in a relationship with."

"Hmm. It's something I don't wish on my worst enemy. No one deserves to feel this pain...no one."

Chan pat him on the shoulders.

"If you need someone to talk to, you're always welcome to come see us."

"Thanks. I will."

--------------------------------------------------------------

(Time Skip - Two Months Later)

Little Hyunjin was backstage at a concert.

It wasn't his concert of course, but it was an Ateez concert.

He got VIP tickets, courtesy of San, and got the opportunity to be backstage with the members after the show.

"Aww, he's so cute!", Yunho said, picking up Hyunjin.

"And he's tiny! I like him. Can we keep him Hongjoong hyung?", Mingi asked.

"No. We can't keep the baby."

Hyunjin laughed, still being held by Yunho.

San was finishing taking off his mic.

"Anymore VIP?", he asked.

Before Hongjoong could reply, a young man came running into the backstage area.

"Hold up! Hold up! Oh my gosh...I am out of breath..."

San stared at the man, at his cherry blossom pink hair.

He walked closer to him, as the Ateez members, and Hyunjin (who was completely unsupervised) watched.

"Whoa...I was almost late. I got VIP tickets. Um...hi."

San smiled at him.

"What's your name?", he asked.

The man smiled, blushing.

San loved the way his smile looked. He always has.

"Umm, I'm Jung Wooyoung. I'm a dancer. I...uh...wanted to be an idol like you all but..."

Yeosang saw him, walking to him.

Wooyoung noticed him.

"Yeosang. Look, I'm sorry."

"Wooyoung, I missed you so much."

"You did? But...I thought after I didn't switch companies with you..."

Yeosang hugged him, he pulled San so he could join in.

Pretty soon, everyone was hugging this pink haired Wooyoung.

"This is the best day of my life.", Wooyoung said, "The Ateez members just hugged me, and I was reunited with my Yeosang."

"And Choi San thinks you're cute.", San whispered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. By the way...are you still interested in being an idol?"