Seonghwa gasped as his back hit the wall. Reaching up, he gripped the two hands that were grasping at his throat. The only thing that he could see in front of him were two brightly Ghoulish eyes staring back at him as the air rapidly left his lungs. Struggling, the agent tried to pry himself free.

For one locked up, this Ghoul was surprisingly strong. Coupled with the fact that Seonghwa had been taken by surprise and the pain in his back, he had few options of getting out of this situation. Thinking quickly, Seonghwa reared his head back as far as he could given the wall's proximity and rocketed himself forward with all the momentum he could muster. His head made contact with the Ghoul with a 'thwack' while the agent pushed forward.

The captive cried out in pain as the two's foreheads collided, and the Ghoul shuffled a few steps backward, stunned, as the hands holding Seonghwa back released their grip. The Ghoul moaned as it held its forehead where the impact happened. Seonghwa, now free, reached into his holster for his gun. He quickly pointed it at the crouched-over occupant in the room.

"Stay back!" Seonghwa cried as he prepared to fire his weapon. He slid a foot towards the still open door, hoping that he could slip away and close the opening before the turned and hunched over Ghoul could flip back around. The last thing he would need is to kill a Ghoul in lockdown and start an investigation unnecessarily. "Just stay there and don't move."

At the sound of the agent's voice, the Ghoul's shoulders drew up tightly by its ears. The groaning stopped, and the prisoner seemed frozen. Seonghwa, taking advantage of the pause, cautiously took another step backward and towards the door. Seeing no movement from the Ghoul, the agent slowly continued to work his way towards the exit. Just as the man was near the door to escape, the Ghoul straightened and turned around just the slightest bit. Seonghwa froze.

XxX

Mingi tapped his foot impatiently as he stared at the home screen of his phone.

No new notifications.

Sighing, the boy leaned back on the couch. His eyes glanced at the clock hanging on the wall before groaning. He threw an arm over his eyes and slid farther down in his seat.

Only fifteen minutes had passed since the operation had started.

He hated this—the waiting.

Mingi shifted his eyes to look at the small blinking tablet that Seonghwa had given him. Four red dots slowly moving greeted his vision. Locations. It was a feeble peace offering to get Mingi to stay back home he realized now. Yes, he knew that his friends and boyfriend were moving but it didn't tell them the state of their health. Actually, the tablet really didn't tell him anything. Not any facility movement or about any Ghouls being housed that could be potentially dangerous.

Sighing once more, Mingi stood up from the couch and walked over to the window. It was dark out, a stark contrast to the harsh lighting in Yunho's apartment. Utopia was located on one of a side alley streets and usually saw more foottraffic from shoppers than actual cars but they could still be heard off into the distance.

Since he grew up away from the city, Mingi had found that sound annoying at first. It was as if people here never rested and were always going somewhere. Now, he found a sort of comfort in the mundane noise that broke the deafening silence and was grateful for it at the moment. Anything to keep him at least a little distracted from the waiting and his destructive thoughts. 

Just as Mingi was losing himself to the calm of the night, he heard the sound of a car door close. Curious, the brunette focused his attention back out of the window. The alley was mostly dark with a single lamp post providing minimal light but Mingi was still able to make out the slender figures of two men walking away from a black town car.

Immediately, a sneaking suspicion crawled up Mingi's spine. Acting on pure instinct, the brunette immediately ran and switched off the light. Sneaking back over to the window, Mingi leaned his back against the wall next to the window and peered out through the curtains, careful not to jostle them too much. The alley was dark and the intruders probably weren't looking up above the cafe, but the barista didn't want to take his chances.

From the angle he was at, Mingi couldn't see much. With the overhead street lamp, he caught their shadows walking closer to the cafe which let the brunette know his initial instinct was right. They were here for something. Were they looking for Yunho? Wooyoung? San?

From Yunho's apartment, Mingi obviously couldn't hear anything that the two were saying as they approached the door to the cafe. Once they were close enough, Mingi lost sight of the men all together as they disappeared underneath the small awning protecting the wooden door.  The brunette sucked in a breath, holding it in his chest despite knowing that no one could hear him. Mingi was suddenly hyper aware of every noise in the apartment as he waited. The creaking floor, the humming of the water heater, and the cars continuing to zoom past on the Main Street just a few yards away. 

ten seconds....thirty....one minute turned into two of just waiting. Finally, a dull thud sounded causing Mingi to jump slightly at the suddenness of it. There was a brief pause where the brunette waited, the breath he was holding onto earlier choked in his chest, before there was the sound of a scuffle and Mingi could see the very top of the two figure's heads once more. Watching through the window, the barista stood and traced his eyes over the other's movements. They seemed to have accomplished whatever they had come for and were now heading back towards their car.

Even after the sound of the car door slamming shut broke the silence of the alleyway, Mingi didn't bring himself to move. He stood there, statuesque, for a full five minutes after the figure's departure, counting the seconds in his head. Cautiously, the brunette mustered the courage to move as he shook out the stiffness in his legs. 

Moving slowly, as if someone could somehow see his movements, Mingi made his way towards the door of Yunho's apartment, into the hallway, and down the stairs leading to the back part of the cafe. As soon as he walked past the break room, the barista paused to collect himself before opening the swinging door into the main dining area. Mingi did his best to try and stick to the shadows stretching across the floor to avoid being seen but it was difficult since most of the walls were made up of windows.

Finally at the door, Mingi gripped the deadbolt. With a fortifying breath, he twisted the lock open and pulled the door just the slightest amount, afraid of what he would find on the other side. Peering through the crack he created, the barista scanned the door mat and didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Gaining a bit more confidence and wondering if he had worried for nothing, Mingi opened the door a smidge wider. Maybe he was overreacting. It was quite possible that the two figures were just company men who had recently gotten off of work and wanted some coffee or cake to unwind from a stressful day. 

Still seeing nothing of note, Mingi stuck his head through the larger crack of the door and peeked through. Turning his head left and right, the brunette didn't see anything amiss and stepped outside. Nothing.

Sighing and feeling relief at the supposed false alarm, the barista turned on his heel to head back inside. Just as he reached for the door, he noticed something sticking on the back of it, lodged into the wood.

An arrow.

XxX

"Congradulations, Mr. Choi, it looks like you can go home today."

Jongho looked up from the book he was reading and let out a sound of joy. "Finally!" He huffed in celebration before he realized who was still in the room with him. He snapped his head around and smiled bashfully. "Oh, sorry."

The nurse, seemingly amused with his outburst just chuckled. "It is quite alright. Being cooped up in the hospital is no one's first choice. Should I make a call for someone to come get you while I gather your discharge papers?"

"Oh no, that's ok." Jongho shook his head. "My...boyfriend...will be back any moment now." He felt his cheeks warm, still unused to the term.

The nurse just nodded in understanding and didn't comment further. Turning on her heel, she made her way towards the door. Just as she was about to exit, the door opened, revealing Yeosang with two drinks in his hand.

"Oh, pardon me." The nurse said kindly with a smile before ducking out of the doorway.

Yeosang just nodded politely before crossing the room. He handed Jongho one of the drinks in his hands. "Everything still okay?"

"Yeah," Jongho nodded. "She said I can get out of here and go home soon. She's going to get the papers."

"Oh, you're going home?" Yeosang questioned absently as he toyed with the cap of his drink and avoiding looking at the other. "That's good."

Noticing the subtle body language of the other, Jongho frowned. After knowing Yeosang for awhile now, he would consider himself fluent in his tells. Something was wrong.

"You don't want me to go home?" Jongho questioned softly, testing the waters.

"No, I do." The sandy brunette shook his head. "I just worry about you being home alone while you're still healing.

Jongho paused, thinking about this for a moment before smiling cheekily. "Kang Yeosang," He started. "Is this your way of wanting me to ask you to stay with me?"

The older agent's cheeks instantly colored. "What?" He sputtered. "N-no! I'm just worried you will hurt yourself again!"

The other agent chuckled. "Easy, don't pop a blood vessel." Yeosang huffed. "I don't mind if you come over but aren't you injured too?"

"Well, then we can check on each other," Yeosang shrugged as if it explained everything. "You know, accountability and all that."

Jongho smiled softly. The sandy brunette would never admit it, but he really had the softest heart. It was one of his favorite things about the other- the way he showed he cared but never outright saying it. 

"Yeah, okay."

About an hour later, the two were fully dressed and standing at the door of the hospital, ready to exit into the blistering cold. It was already pretty dark out and Yeosang kept trying to stealthily breath hot air into his hands while telling Jongho he was fine even when the younger kept offering his gloves. Together they walked down the street where they could hail a taxi. Since both of them had technically been patients at the hospital the whole time, neither had a car available.

"So," Yeosang started as he bounced on his toes to generate warmth. "Have you told Eden yet that you're planning to transfer back?"

Jongho shook his head. "Not yet. I plan to first thing when I get back."

The brunette smiled. "Good. Should be a rather painless transition."

"I just hope the Director approves it." Jongho shrugged. That would probably his biggest obstacle he faces when trying to get placed back on his old squad.

Yeosang frowned. "Why would it be a problem?"

"There shouldn't be, I hope," The younger said. "But Eden really pushed for me to to be on his team so I just have a feeling that they won't want to let me go that soon."

"Well, if he really feels that way, maybe he should take it up with me." Yeosang grumbled petulantly. "You did what you went there for. There should be no reason for you to stay."

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure if that is true." Jongho fired back. "We still don't really know all that much about Lady Red or why some of her lackeys happened to be there that night. This whole thing just feels like one big puzzle and we're one piece away from figuring stuff out."

"Well let that be Eden's problem then." Yeosang shrugged. "Our original mission was to find and stop the Butcher and we're no closer to figuring out his identity than we were in the beginning. Everything is tangling into one big knot and no one knows where the start or end of the string is. It's a mess."

Jongho groaned, "I just think that we all collectively need a break. Any more of this and I think my head is going to explode."

"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Yeosang smiled before reaching out and lightly squeezing Jongho's arm in reassurance. The younger smiled.

Just then, their taxi pulled up to the curb and they piled in. The younger agent didn't say anything when Yeosang gave the taxi driver Jongho's address as if it were his own. Instead, he settled down in the back seat and laid his head back on the headrest and smiled. He felt a warmth settle in his chest.

He could get used to this.

XxX

"Hongjoong?"

Seonghwa felt like he had been punched in the gut. All the air in his body suddenly left him in a rush as he stared at the nearly foaming out of the mouth boy in front of him. He looked different than he last saw him. Once a bright cherry red, his hair was now as white as snow, matching his bleak surroundings. It had also been cropped shorter and was sticking up just slightly as if he had run his hands through it repeatedly. 

Hongjoong, regaining his balance from being pushed away and not realizing that Seonghwa was standing before him, barred his teeth and a near inhuman sound resonated from his chest. Two black as coal eyes stared back with their blood red center. The near feral Ghoul hunched his back  as if ready to strike. If it wasn't for the sedatives in the boy's blood, Seonghwa was sure that his Kagune would be out swinging menacingly. 

"Hongjoong," the agent started desperately, hands out in front of him in a placating manner. Checking to make sure that the camera to the room was at his back, just in case it turned back on, he pulled up the mask just slightly. "It's me, Seonghwa. I'm here to get  you out of here." 

The other didn't seem to register the person in front of him talking and instead he launched himself forward and swiped. Quick on his feet, Seonghwa sidestepped the strike but stumbled back a few steps. Frustrated that he missed his target, Hongjoong whipped back around tried again. 

"Hongjoong!" Seonghwa cried out. This time he managed to catch the other by his forearms as he fought to keep his fingers away from his face. "It's me! Listen!"

The Ghoulish boy struggled for a moment against the grip holding him back before his body suddenly froze. He blinked and the glazed, unfocused gaze sharpened for just a moment. Seeing this change, Seonghwa loosened his grip on the other's arms just slightly.

"S-Seong-" Hongjoong choked out, his voice waiflike and thin, probably from lack of use and minimal water. Seonghwa felt the edges of his vision go blurry and a sob choke in his chest.

"Yeah," He exhaled with a sniff. "Yeah, it's me."

Hongjoong paused for a moment and stared, taking in Seonghwa's face before a switch seemed to flip. His confused, near expressionless face crumpled and the Ghoulish boy pulled his forearms away and took a few steps back. Hongjoong collapsed in on himself and held his stomach tightly.

"H-Hungry," Hongjoong mumbled. He lifted his right hand to hold over his head, wincing. "H-hurt."

"I know, I know," Seonghwa was quick to run to the other, grabbing at the boy's shoulders. "You'll feel better soon. We just have to get you out of here."

"N-No!" The sound of Seonghwa's voice seemed to alert Hongjoong to something and his head snapped upward. The boy response seemed panicked and like he wanted to say something else when the vacant look went back in his eyes. As if he were no longer present in the conversation but his the pupil of his eyes kept darting back and forth like a ping pong table. Finally, Hongjoong's whole body went limp and Seonghwa was quick to catch him.

Just then, the room was bathed in a flashing red light and an alarm blared from above followed by running footsteps.

"We have to go!" Yunho yelled as he appeared in the doorway, panting. He gripped the doorframe to maintain balance and he was sweating and rumpled. He must have faced some difficulties too.

"Why is the alarm turned on already?" Seonghwa asked as he adjusted Hongjoong in his arms, hoisting him into a bridal carry. It would have been more effective to put him on the agent's back but he was afraid that would expose Hongjoong in case someone were to come up from behind.

Yunho just spared a quick glance at the boy in the agent's arms before shaking his head. "I don't know but I don't really want to stay and find out."

Seeing no reason to argue, Seonghwa nodded and headed for the door. Together, the small group ran as quickly as they could towards the entrance that they had come from. They knew that the others would have probably heard these sirens now as well and were making their next moves accordingly. 

Heading down the hall, a few guards, hearing the sirens, ran out from their posts with Q-guns in hand. Yunho was quick to pull out his Kagune tail and swatted the weapons out of the way. with a sharp wack to the back of the guard's necks, they were out cold and they continued on.

They ran into at least four more guards before they had made it out but Yunho was swift to take care of them all seeing as Seonghwa's arms were occupied. As soon as they reached outside, however, they screeched to a halt. At there feet were at least ten already knocked out guards.

"Took you all long enough!" A voice called from above. The two infiltrators looked up into a nearby tree to spy Wooyoung standing on a branch with his glowing wing-like Kagune at the ready and his red eyes blazing. "San is already at the van. We need to move."

Without wasting anymore time, Yunho and Seonghwa raced forward towards their get-away vehicle with Wooyoung watching their backs. From behind, the agent could hear a few cries of pain, probably from any guards following, but tried his best not to pay it any mind. For a fleeting moment, Seonghwa considered how crazy this all actually was, a CCG agent helping a group of Ghouls break out another Ghoul.

The thought caused the man to look down at the boy in his arms. Hongjoong's face was pale with clammy beads of sweat clumping on his forehead. His breath was shallow and uneven and his face was pinched in what the other could only guess was some form of pain or discomfort. Seonghwa felt a squeeze in his chest.

With renewed resolve, the agent doubled his pace and, quick as lightning, the group managed to make it to the van and pile in with Yunho taking the seat behind the driver's and Hongjoong situated next to him. Before the door was even fully shut, San, in the driver's seat, put the vehicle into gear and peeled out from their hiding spot. So far no one seemed to have managed following them this far but they weren't going to take their chances.

"What about Wooyoung?" Seonghwa asked as San rapidly spun the steering wheel to turn down a side road. He was going dangerously over the speed limit but, luckily, it was late enough that they didn't really run into too many cars and those that they did, the tattooed Ghoul's reflexes were good enough to swerve around them.

"He'll be fine." Yunho answered since the other was busy driving. "He has the quickest Kagune out of all of us and he will make sure that no one is following. He should be able to meet us at the cafe later."

Seonghwa saw a small clench in San's jaw at Yunho's answer but the dual-haired Ghoul didn't bother to add anything so the agent left it at that. He figured he didn't really know these guys well enough to comment and would just have to take their word for it. They hadn't disappointed thus far.

"How is he?" The sudden voice brought the agent out of his musings and he looked up to see a pair of concerned eyes looking at him through the rearview mirror before flickering down to the person in Seonghwa's arms.

Realizing it was the first time San had spoken, Seonghwa cleared his throat. "He definitely could be better. He said he was hungry before he passed out."

From the mirror, Seonghwa could see San purse his lips into a thin line and Yunho sat silent for a moment before speaking.

"Seonghwa, which way to your house?"

"What?" San piped up from the front. Seonghwa was equally as shocked. "Why are we taking him to an agent's house? Didn't you hear Seonghwa? He needs food."

"I know," Yunho answered back flatly. "But if they have Hongjoong's identity now and know he has been broken out, they will most likely look into his background and whereabouts. He works at the cafe. We will be the first ones under watch."

"Then he can hide at my place." San countered. "I don't work at the cafe and I haven't been seen around Hongjoong that often in public."

The blonde in the back just shook his head. "You're around enough and Wooyoung works at the cafe and you are with him all the time."

San huffed but didn't say anything more. 

"Why me, though?" Seonghwa asked mildly confused. It wasn't that he was unhappy keeping Hongjoong safe but he wasn't fully sure if t was the best decision at the moment. 

Yunho didn't turn his head but his eyes landed on Hongjoong who was still sleeping with his head on Seonghwa's shoulder. "He trusts you." The blonde started. "You know the ins and outs of the CCG to keep him safe and you're new enough in his life that it might keep the agency off his trail for awhile."

"But what do I do about food and stuff for him?" Seonghwa asked. He wasn't exactly sure how to take care of a Ghoul and he didn't want to do anything to hurt Hongjoong but he wasn't willing to go out and hurt another person.

"We'll take care of it," Yunho answered. "You won't have to do anything. He will probably need quite a bit at first to regain his strength but we don't eat all that often."

"You're not going to go out and hurt someone," Seonghwa asked hesitantly with a furrowed brow. "Are you?"

There was a chuckle from the front seat. San was looking towards the back again. "For someone who hunts Ghouls for a living, you sure have a lot to learn about us."

The drive to Seonghwa's apartment continued on in silence. The only talking being the agent periodically giving directions when the group was for sure no one was following them. During the whole remainder of the drive, Seonghwa couldn't keep his eyes off of Hongjoong. His breathing seemed to have mellowed out some but he would occasionally shudder as if he were cold. Not thinking anything of it, the agent reached behind the sleeping Ghoul and tried to pull him closer to keep him warm. The other two in the vehicle didn't say anything.

After a few more minutes, San pulled up to Seonghwa's building and put the car into park. 

"We'll drop you off here." The shop owner said. "Someone will be by in the morning with food for Hongjoong. He should be sleeping off the sedatives and needs rest so I doubt he will wake up any time soon."

Seonghwa nodded and worked to gather the sleeping boy in his arms again as Yunho stepped out to let them through. the agent hadn't noticed this before when they were escaping but Hongjoong felt extraordinarily light. He wasn't sure if it was just because he was on the shorter side or that week locked up really did a number on him.

"Make sure to cover his head from any cameras." Yunho instructed as he got back into the van. Seonghwa nodded as he watched the van back up and head back in the direction they had just come from.

Taking precautions to hide Hongjoong's identity, Seonghwa made sure to tuck his head a bit closer to his chest. This way, any cameras at the entrance would only see a head of snow white hair. Once secured, the agent made his way into the building and into the elevator. It took a bit of fumbling, but Seonghwa finally made it to his door and managed to type his door code in and open it.

Once inside, the agent headed straight for his bedroom where he placed Hongjoong softly down onto the bed. He looked incredibly small laying there but much more relaxed than when they had first gotten to him. Seonghwa had a lot to process after this night and he wasn't exactly sure how to feel. He was torn between elated that they managed a rescue but also a sense of duty to the job he had been training for for years. 

Seonghwa's eyes darted over to the flash drive on his night stand. He had pulled a lot of random files the night he had infiltrated the data room and he had a sinking feeling that he wasn't going to like what he would find on it once he goes digging. Everything he had known about the CCG and Ghouls kept being proven wrong and it was setting his mind into a tail spin.

Deciding there was enough excitement for the night, the young agent sighed and went over to his closet to pull out a spare blanket. Grabbing the first one he saw, he threw it over his shoulder and headed towards the door of his room. He knew that they had shared a bed previously but didn't want to assume and scare Hongjoong when he woke up. Everything was probably already a lot to process and Seonghwa didn't want to add one more thing.

With a last glance over his shoulder, the agent made sure Hongjoong was safe and really there before he flipped off the light to settle on the couch.

XxX 

"You're back!" Was the first thing Yunho registered before a body slammed into his with a fierce hug. 

Chucking and slightly stunned, the barista was quick to reciprocate as he threw an arm around Mingi. "Hey, was everything okay here?"

At the question, Mingi's body seemed to stiffen and he pulled back from the hug. Yunho could instantly tell that something had happened and was on alert. The barista didn't waste anytime and reached to hold the brunette by the shoulders while he did a quick once over with his eyes to see if everything was alright. 

"I'm fine!" Mingi was quick to reassure his boyfriend as he saw the panic overtake his face. "Well..." His eyes drifted over to the coffee table in Yunho's living room.

The barista, seeing where the other's eyes went, followed. When he caught what had the other's attention, he felt his blood freeze. 

"Where did you get that?" Yunho said on the tail end of an exhale. He felt like he had been punched in the gut.

"I didn't really see who left it." Mingi answered as he walked closer to the coffee table. He stood over it and looked down at the arrow like it was some kind of curious museum piece. "Two guys left it stuck into the cafe door."

"Did you make contact with them?" Yunho could feel his heart beating in his throat. What could the arrow mean? Was it the same people that San and Wooyoung told him about or the people who had captured Mingi? Were they back for him or just leaving a message?

"No, no!" Mingi waved his hands out in front of his body. "I just saw them through the window.  Two guys with a black car. I waited until they left to see what they were doing by the  door."

Yunho felt himself relax just slightly at this news but his curiosity was peeked.  A bit more focused now, Yunho squatted down to get a better look at the arrow. It was pretty similar to the ones shot where Mingi was captured but had its differences. It was a bit more modern looking and new. The ones at the cult gathering were old and made of wood with a plain iron tip, more homemade looking.

"And they just left it? No message?" The barista asked.

Mingi shook his head. "No, nothing that I could see."

Yunho frowned as he looked back down at the arrow. He wasn't sure what this meant but they would for sure have to be careful now. He wasn't sure what was worse. The CCG possibly knocking on their door or some crazy cult. Yunho knew one thing for sure though.

They were being watched.

XxX

The sound of retching was the only thing that could be heard in the small tiled bathroom. It continued on for a few more moments before it was followed by a flush. With a huff, Eden managed to pull himself away from the toilet bowl for a moment as he leaned against the cool tiled wall, his face clammy and covered in sweat. He ran a hand through his damp hair.

The symptoms were getting worse. 

Sighing, Eden managed to pull himself up from the floor. Opening his medicine cabinet, the agent pulled down a pill bottle. Twisting off the cap, he poured two into his hand an popped them in his mouth, dry. Closing the cabinet, he took a look at himself in the mirror with his hands on either side of the sink.

The bruises on his face were finally turning yellow and green as they healed but the dark bags under his eyes stood out starkly against his pale skin. The grey had spawned even more and his cheeks looked sallow. His energy was drained and the blood underneath his skin seemed to itch in irritation.

Suddenly, there was a ping and Eden pulled out the phone from his pocket. It was an alert from the office. Eden's eyes widened as he read it. 

"Break in at Wonderland. Need you in ASAP."

Eden felt the a tug at the corner of his lip as he read the message over again. 

"Well, I'll be damned." The agent whispered to himself. "The sun-of-a-bitch did it."

Unable to hide his amusement, Eden stood up straight from his position at the sink. He did a cursory rinse of his mouth before turning. Stepping out of the bathroom, he grabbed his jacket and a hat before slipping on his shoes and heading out the door.

This was sure to be entertaining.

Notes:

Hello! I hope everyone had or is having a happy holiday. This chapter was extremely hard to write and sorry its not as exciting or long as others. I will try better next time. I'm still not fully back from hiatus and updates will still be rather slow though. I'm still not fully motivated to write and I still have a lot going on in my life. While my mom is doing better, my new job is extremely draining and time consuming, on top of other family issues and money struggles.

That being said, I do have some things to look forward to in January, however, that will hopefully motivate me and get me writing more. I have tickets to two Ateez concert dates (bought before money struggles) and by some strange miracle, I some how got into their LA fan sign. I wasn't expecting to actually get in and almost missed the email. I am extremely fortunate and grateful as these last few months have been emotionally and physically exhausting to a near breaking point. I'm still struggling with finances and have taken to selling most of my photo card collection to pay for the flights but I'm going to make it work come hell or high-water and it will be worth it. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will try to update again soon but mostly expect updates during extended breaks so I have more time to write.