*Not  beta read

Seonghwa woke with a stat at the sound of banging at his door. Quickly scrambling up from his spot not he couch and forgoing his slippers, he walked to wards his entry way. A quick glance through the peep hole assured Seonghwa it was safe and he threw open the door before hastily pulling his visitor inside.

"What are you doing here?" The agent hissed through clenched teeth. "Wasn't it you guys who insisted that Hongjoong stay at my place so he wouldn't be seen with Ghouls?"

San just sook of Seonghwa's grip from his arm and huffed while raising a small cooler he was carrying. "Relax, I made sure I was out of camera view. Besides, we said someone would be by with food." A pause. "How is he?"

Seonghwa sighed and ran a hand over his tired face while he turned and shuffled back into the living room. "I just woke up. I'll go check on him." The agent glanced at the cooler still clutched in the Ghoul's hand. "The kitchen is through the door to your right."

San nodded before turning to go place his 'care-package' in a safe spot. Lightly knocking on his own bedroom door, Seonghwa opened it just a crack to peek inside. The room was still mostly dark but, through a small crack in the curtains, the agent could just make out a small curled up lump on the bed. 

Not wanting to wake the other, Seonghwa tiptoed back out of the room and closed the door gently. Turning on his heel, he made his way into his kitchen where San was still putting away brown wrapped packages  tied with twine that didn't look much different from what you would receive at a butcher's chop shop. The agent had to surprises a slight shiver thinking about exactly what was going into his fridge.

"He's still asleep," Seonghwa announced upon his entry.

"Not surprising," San replied as he placed the last packed in the refrigerator and shut the door. "He's been thrugh a lot. There is a chance he might not even wake up at all today."

Seonghwa frowned but nodded his head with pressed lips. San looked over and noticed the agent's slumped shoulders and tense posture. The Ghoul sighed.

"I know I've said some things in the past but," San leaned a hip against the counter, "He is lucky to have you, you know?"

The agent's lips quirked up on the side just slightly before it dropped just as quickly. Seonghwa mimicked San's pose, leaning fully back against the adjacent counter with a heavy breath. He tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling above.

"Crazy, isn't it?" San lifted an eyebrow at the agent's words and prompted him to continue. "The CCG was all I knew. For years, I have dedicated my life to it. I would have thrown myself into the fire at the drop of a hat if they asked me to." Seonghwa lowered his head. "Now, in a matter of months, I'm willing to sacrifice all of that for a guy I barely know."

San stared at the other man in the room for a moment before huffing a small laugh from his nose with a small grin. "Yeah, sounds pretty crazy to me."

The statement seemed to break the lingering tension in Seonghwa's body and he threw his head back with a full belly laugh that was enough to bring a small tear to the corner of his eye. The agent wasn't sure what he was laughing about anymore, San's comment or the sheer ridiculousness of his situation. Somewhere in a small part at the back of his head, he knew he was fucked, but he couldn't really bring himself to worry about it that much. 

Once Seonghwa had calmed down after a moment, a few more words were exchanged followed by strict instructions from San on taking care of Hongjoong's feeding, the agent found himself standing once more in his entry way. He stared as the door clicked behind the Ghoul's retreating back. The air, once light, became to fill once more with the stifling stench of stress and worry. 

"You're wrong," Seonghwa found himself whispering to the empty space. "I'm the lucky one."

XXX

Gasping, Jongho wiped the sweat off of his brow with the back of his hand, the dredges of his nightmare ticking just at the edge of his consciousness and the haunting ghost of laughter ringing in his ears. The agent glance to his side and noted the time, just after eight in the morning. Jongho figured he should get up now seeing that he wouldn't get anymore sleep now. 

Jongho reached over to move his blanket when his hand brushed something solid. Looking over to his other side, he was met with Yeosang's sleeping face. It was the third time that the other had woken up befor the sandy Jongho had completely forgotten that the other agent had come over. They had barely gotten through a movie before Yeosang was yawning like crazy. A nurse had let it slip to Jongho that Yeosang hadn't been getting much sleep while the younger was in a coma. Jongho had to fight just to convince the other to sleep in a proper bed.

The argument was worth it, however, as Jongho reached out and brushed some of the hair back from Yeosang's forehead where his birthmark would be on display. The movement seemed to stir him, however, and the older agent's nose scrunched up as if being tickled. After a moment, he blinked open his eyes.

"Morning sleeping beauty," Jongho joked with a grin. "How are you feeling?"

Yeosang blinked slowly, as if his brain hadn't registered who was sitting beside him. After a few more blinks, Jongho watched the clarity form in his irises. Finally, Yeosang made a small noise as he placed his hands on either side of his torso and hefted himself into a sitting position stiffly with a wince.

"What time is it?" Yeosang said with a croak in his voice from disuse. 

"Just after eight," Jongho answered. "Your ribs still sore?"

"A bit," The other reluctantly admitted while placing his hand over his clothed torso. He ran his thumb over the side and feeling the ridges of bandages underneath. Yeosang glanced to the side and noticed Jongho's phone on the nightstand. "You message him yet?"

"No," The younger shook his head. "I tried calling last night but it just kept going to voicemail."

"Voicemail?" Yeosang rose a brow. "That doesn't sound like him."

"I know," Jongho confirmed with pursed lips. "Think everything is okay?"

"With that guy? Who knows." The sandy brunette finally managed to place his feet on the ground and stand up with a groan. It was for only a second before a pair of arms wrapped around him and helped him stand. He smiled up at the younger gratefully. As much as he put up a brave front while helping and pushing in the wheelchair at the hospital, it definitely was not appreciated by his poor battered ribs.

Together they shuffled across the bedroom floor and out the door to Jongho's small couch where the stronger deposited Yeosang in favor of making breakfast. He quickly set to work and put on a pot of coffee before opening up his fridge, frowning at the meager selection staring back at him. He figured all that time in the hospital didn't help his lack of groceries and everything was either unfit for human consumption or a condiment. Sighing, he closed the door and just reached into a cabinet for two coffee mugs.

"Do you want creamer and sugar?" Jongho called out to Yeosang in the living room over his shoulder as he set to ready the coffee maker.

"Just black." Came the reply back. 

Nodding to himself, Jongho placed the filter in the pot and fished out some coffee grinds from a container. Just as hew as finishing that and filling the carafe with water, there was a knock on the door.  The injured agent paused for a moment. He wasn't expecting anyone today.

Confused, the younger put the pot back in the sink and wiped his slightly wet hands on his sweat pants to dry them before walking towards the door. He cast a quick glance to Yeosang as he passed the living room to see him scrolling on his phone and bundled up in a blanket. Jongho couldn't help but smile.

Once at the doorway, Jongho leaned closer to look through the peep hole. Spotting nothing there, his curiosity bloomed. Opening the door, he glanced down and saw that there was a small package left at his door. Frowning, Jongho leaned down to pick it up. He hadn't ordered anything. Maybe. it was meant for his neighbor.

Turning it around in his hands, that train of thought was quickly squashed as he noticed his name on the address label. Shrugging, Jongho turned and walked back inside, the door shutting behind him. He walked back towards the direction of the kitchen.

"Who was at the door?" Came Yeosang's voice from the living room.

"Just a package." Jongho called back. He set the small box down on the kitchen counter and grabbed a sharp knife from the block and made to cut open the box tape. He wondered what it could possible be. There wasn't a return address available and it was rather light.

Taking the knife to tape, Jongho made a clean line down the center and made sure that he could open it easily. Once the tape was cut, the agent set aside his knife and pulled open the flaps. There was a small bit of tissue protecting the contents. He reached out to pull it aside.

Jongho dropped the box and screamed. 

XxX

Smack.

The sound of the slap was the only thing heard in the rather large space of the office. Eden didn't even blink as he stared blankly at the wall to his right, head turned and the sting in his left cheek still keen. Slowly, he moved his head back front and took in the sight of the fuming director with his arm still distended from the blow. His chest was heaving and there was a fire in his eye.

"Tell me why I shouldn't fire you on the spot, Yonghwan." The director spit in his fury. "Several severely injured, including yourself, and nothing to show for it. Not to mention the only Ghoul we managed to capture at the auction escaped last night. Explain yourself!"

"I don't have anything to add," Eden just replied back stoically. He knew this would happen and reacting any other way would just make the matter worse. "We were ill prepared for the situation at hand."

"Ill-prepared!" This was apparently not the response the director had wanted. "You hand-picked this team! They are your responsibility. How dare you look me in the eye promising results and deliver me this." The director was waving his hands in rage while he turned on his heel to storm back towards his desk. He snatched a file off of it and walked back to where Eden was still standing in the center of the room.

"I'm putting the Lady Red case on the back burner for now," Director Kim said as he shoved the file harshly into Eden's chest. The force was enough to nearly knock the man off of his feet. "This is your assignment now."

Eden just took the file wordlessly and flipped it open. On the front page was a report with a picture paper clipped to the top right corner. Staring back at him was a sullen looking red head in all white clothing and deep bags under his eyes.

"Find him."

XxX

Leedo barely dropped the book he had been picking up from the table in time to catch the helmet being thrown at him from across the room. Looking up, he saw Xion standing with his hands on his hips and a determined look on his face. Leedo could barely express his grin. He had never seen the other look so serious before and it hardly suited his face.

"What's this for?" The Ghoul asked as he gestured to the helmet in his hand.

"We're going out," Xion said sternly and with a sense of false authority. 

"I thought you were suppose to ask to go out with someone, not demand it." Leedo teased with a grin. "Not that I mind though.

Xion felt his cheeks heat up with the playful quip but made an effort to push the feeling away. "I want to meet your crew."

The smile on Leedo's face quickly fell at those words. "And why in the world would you want to do that, Princess?" He tilted his head in confusion. "Besides, you already sort of met them before."

Xion didn't like this answer and shook his head. "Not officially. And I'm not just talking about them. I mean everyone. I want to know more about your world and what it is really like for a Ghoul." The former agent said stubbornly. 

"My world?" The idea still wasn't quite clicking in Leedo's head. What did he want to see so badly? "We live in the same one."

The ex-agent had to try his hardest not to roll his eyes at his rather clueless roommate. "Your world. The world of Ghouls and gangsters." It had still felt rather weird to think of the other as part of a gang. 

Leedo scoffed a laugh. "You really think of some strange stuff Princess but sure. If that is what you really want, I'll show you 'my world'." He spoke with air quotes. "C'mon. Let's ride."

XxX

"So," Wooyoung spoke from over the top of his magazine while he lounged on the break room couch as San walked in. "You drop off everything okay?"

"I think so," San answered as he took off his jacket and dropped it over the back of the couch adjacent to the other. "Everything good over here?"

"Ugh, no," Wooyoung flung his headback and groaned dramatically. "I'm so bored."

San chuckled and shook his head fondly at the other boy before he walked around from the back of one of the couches and toward Wooyoung. Once closer, he tapped the blonde's legs to move them. Wooyoung complied and lifted his feet to make room for the other to sit. Once san was settled, he put his feet on the other's lap. 

San placed his hands on Wooyoung's calves and mindlessly started to massage them slowly. Wooyoung laid his head back down on the armrest and sighed.

"You know, you're rather good with your hands." You could hear the cheeky grin without looking. San wasn't having it though and squeezed Woo's leg tightly in punishment. 

"Don't you start that," The shop owner scolded. 

"But Sannie~" The blonde whined playfully with a pout. 

"Do I need to shield my eyes before I come in there?" A voice announced from the doorway. San turned his head and Wooyoung sat up fully on the couch to see Yunho standing in the entrance with his hand over his face.

"Oh like you haven't done worse with Mingi," Wooyoung said while rolling his eyes. 

"It's clear," San said, actually answering Yunho's question.

Yunho lowered his hand gratefully and stepped into the room. "Yeah, but at least no one is around to see it." Both Ghoul's on the couch just raised their eyebrow's disbelievingly.  "Oh hush you two!"

"Everything alright out there?" Wooyoung asked, deciding to change the subject.

"For now," Yunho said. "Mingi is covering the floor for a minute."

Ever since the arrow had shown up at the door, Yunho had been rather on edge and clingy regarding Mingi. There was a tension surrounding the cafe as they waited for the other shoe to drop. Mingi had assured him that he was fine and leaving him for just a moment would be okay. If anything happened, the other would alert Yunho but it did little to assuage the Ghoul's anxiety. Who knew having such a fragile creature like a human would cause so much stress?

"I still say we just find these guys and put an end to it all." Wooyoung huffed, growing impatient.

"We still aren't sure how this is all connected." San frowned as he appeased his rather hot-headed boyfriend. He definitely was as ready to put an end to all of this as he was but there felt like there was just one more piece missing.

"Has the rest of your group reported anything new since that first arrow after the fire?" Yunho asked as he sat down across from the other two. 

"Not that I know," San shook his head. "Though it could be a lie. Chan and I don't exactly see eye to eye."

"Well, if he hears anything, I hope he shares it." The taller Ghoul pursed his lips. "He is involved now along with the rest of us if they're encroaching on his territory."

"He still thinks it was a ploy by a rival gang." San frowned. "And I hate to say it, but I sort of agree."

"Why would someone do something like that?" Yunho raised an eyebrow. "It isn't like it really does anything."

"That's where you're wrong." San shook his head. "They can attack as much as they want under the guise of someone else. It shifts focus off of them onto someone else unrelated. Then, while we are distracted, they make their move. Too bad for them, they chose the wrong target to imitate."

"Has KQ gotten back to us about that new sample we sent him?" Wooyoung asked, changing the subject.

"Not yet," The taller shook his head. "Should hear back from him soon though."

Just as Yunho finished his sentence, a loud crashed followed by a shattering sound rang through he room from nearby. Springing up from their seats, the three shared a brief look of shock before sprinting out of the door and into the main dining area. What greeted them was a shock.

Every window in the cafe had been blown out and shattered glass littered the floor like glittering crystals. On the counter, a coffee pot lay cracked and hot coffee was spilling out and covering the surface. It seemed like there had been some kind of explosion. 

Just then, the three of them caught sight of something peeking out from the other side of the counter. A foot.

"MINGI!"

XxX

Xion clung tightly to Leedo's back as he sped like mad down the streets of Seoul. At first, he had been terrified of the other Ghoul's motorcycle but now he found it rather relaxing. There was just something magical about the wind kissing your face as you raced down the road, buildings passing like small pillars moving so quickly you could barely register that they were even there at all.

Plus, it helped that he wasn't the one expected to operate one of these death machines.

It was just when Xion was having such thoughts that something slammed into the left side of his body, throwing the both of them off the bike as it slid and rolled across the road with the sound of crushing metal. The ex-agent felt his body flung like a rag doll as is slammed harshly into the concrete of the road, rolling with the momentum from the crash. He choked as his rolling finally came to a stop and his back collided sharply with the side of a building, ears ringing. 

Numb. That was the only thing that he could register through the sound in his ears. Was he dead? What had happened. Vaguely, he felt a sort of wetness on his back. Was that blood? He tried to look for what had hit him, but he couldn't seem to focus his swimming vision. His breathing was shallow, and there was a rattling in his chest. Could he move at all? He tried his hardest to focus on his hand just in front of him. Slowly, his fingertips came into focus and he tried to clench his hand. There was only a slight twitch in response.

Suddenly, like a bucket of cold water had been poured on him, Xion recalled that he wasn't alone. Carefully, he tried to shift his aching body and place his weight on his hand, wincing as the scrapes he had made contact with the ground. His vision turned red as a drop of blood dripped down from his forehead. 

"L-Leedo?" Xion croaked out, his voice coming out hoarse and nearly unrecognizable. He felt his body sway as a dizzy spell hit. He could barely make out the bike a ways away. The engine was smoking and the frame was bend unnaturally. Funny, he could have sworn Leedo only had one, but now he was seeing two.

Xion heard a sound and turned his head slightly to notice a figure that seemed to be floating in mid air. It was dressed in whit with glowing looking wings. An angel? It seemed to be holding something limp in its hands. What was it doing there?

Just then, the angel pulled its hand back past its head with its fingers pressed together and held flat. After a beat, it thrust it forward, slamming sharply into the limp figure in its grasp. There was a squelch followed by a burst of blood as the hand came back out the other side. Suddenly, the world became sharper to Xion and the ringing in his ears stopped.

"LEEDO!"

A burst from his back. Everything went white.

XxX

Seonghwa sighed as he stared at his blank notification's page on his phone. It had been hours now with no contact from the CCG about last night's activities so it was seemingly safe to say that they still had no idea that it was him that had broken into Wonderland. The agent wasn't sure if he should be worried or relieved about that bit of information. 

Now he just had to figure out what they were going to do with an escaped Ghoul in his apartment.

Tossing his phone onto the table, Seonghwa flopped back against the couch and leaned his head back over the top. Tilting his head, he noticed that outside it was starting to appear cloudy and gray with the possibility of rain. The agent closed his eyes. He never in a million years would have expected things to become this complicated. If someone had told him this is where he would end up in the academy, he would have punched them.

A creak on the floor drew Seonghwa out of his musings as he opened up his eyes. Lifting his head up, he turned his head to see a figure standing in the doorway. Immediately, the agent was on his feet and around the couch.

"Hongjoong!" The taller fretted as he took in the other's still tired and frail looking appearance. "You're awake? Are you feeling alright? Are you hungry? San brought over some food for you-" Seonghwa stopped his nervous rambling when he looked at the other. His head was downcast and his face wasn't visible. 

"Hongjoong?" Seonghwa stepped closer and leaned slightly down to try and catch the other's eye. "Are you okay-"

The agent wasn't able to finish the question when suddenly there was a flash of red and  he felt his body being flung backwards. His back was slammed into the couch, the frame digging into his skin, and a hand wound around his throat in a bruising grip. Wincing, Seonghwa reached up and grabbed at the hand around his neck, having a sudden sense of deja vue.

"H-hongjoong?" The agent managed to choke out through his shock. "W-what are you?"

"So, you're Seonghwa." A voice emitted from Hongjoong's body that did not sound his own. It was more sinister. Deadly even. Two Ghoulish eyes looked up and met the shocked ones of the choking agent. 

"I've heard so much about you."

___________________

I tried to make this chapter extra long to make up for being gone so long, I really did, but after it was all typed out, I really couldn't add much else without disrupting the flow and it ended up being one of my shortest chapters. Please forgive me!

Updates will still be slow but summer is coming up so hopefully I'll be able to update more often and have time for myself again. I'm still working on getting my motivation and spark for this story back but seeing that people are still leaving comments and follows after being gone so long lets me know there are still people that care about this story and I don't like leaving things unfinished but I'm working three jobs to try to make ends meat and any time I get for myself I usually use to sleep or go to concerts since that is one of the few things that bring me joy rn.

Things are heating up in the story but I estimate at least another 20ish chapters with the way I like to write to be able to wrap things up nicely without rushing things. Hongjoong's new hair actually plays into stuff nicely too. 

Anyway, take care of yourselves and I'll (hopefully) see you next chapter.