Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Yeon seiun was dreaming again. Dreaming of the grey haired boy in the hospital.

In Sieuns dream, the boy with grey hair cried.

In Sieuns dream, that boy was her. She had known it since the first time she saw him. The short boy with grey hair and magenta eyes. When she looked at him, she saw herself looking back.

Their eyes met, for a brief moment, then the boy walked past her. He walked toward the bed of wires and tubes.

He walked towards the boy with orange hair.

He walked towards suho.
His suho.
Not her suho.

Sieun watched him cup Suho’s face, careful not to
move the oxygen mask.

Sieun watched his hand fall.

Sieun watched him turn back to her.

She saw his face break.

She watched him cry like he had lost his soul. Watched him curl into himself, tears flooding the hospital room. Sieun watched it all.

Chapter Text

“My name is Ahn Suho. I was bitten by a radioactive spider and for the last 3 years, I have been the worlds one and only spiderman. Or I shouldve been, but I was in a coma for a year and I only got my memories back two months ago. Also my name isn’t Spiderman its Angel-spider but you get the message. Wait- can I start over?”

Baku sighed and turned off her phone, slipping it into the pocket of her jeans.
“Suho, this is the fifteenth time.”
She ran a hand through her faded red hair and crossed her legs.
“Why do you need a video so badly?”

Suho slumped in her chair. “Memories, Baku. I want to have this video in case something happens again.”

“We’ll tell you if something happens,” she raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, because that's what happened last time,” Suho scoffed.

Baku had the decency to look a little guilty.
“That was different, Suho. You know it was.”

Suho pulled down her mask and stood in front of the mirror. She took a good look at it. Baku did an amazing job of making it, so well, in fact, that Suho suspected someone else had also been working on it.

Her new costume was a white bodysuit that covered all the skin above her thighs. They had designed it in a way that Suho could wear it under her uniform. The base was white but the inside layer stopped it from being sheer. Right in the middle was a navy, almost black spider, surrounded by lighter blue wings. A hoodie in matching shades was added at Suho’s request.

The mask was her favorite part though. There were two pairs of eyes on each side, a larger one for Suhos actual eyes, and a smaller pair around suhos cheekbones. The larger eyes had their own pair of wings too, they curled like eyelashes. It was definitely an upgrade from that wannabe gangster hoodie that zipped up to her face that she used to wear in middle school. The zipper always got jammed and drove very claustrophobic suho crazy.

Baku’s phone rang at the same time Suho’s did.

“Let’s try again another time, Suho. Maybe its just an off day,” she said, looking at her phone. “Juntae’s calling the chat.”

Baku answered and put it on speaker.
“Hey-“

Juntae ended the call.

Something was wrong.

Suho opened the chat from her phone.

We’re being held by hyeongshin
6:15
With a link to their location.

“Fuck,” she swore and immediately put her mask back on. Suho pulled the hoodie over her head and opened the window of Sieun’s apartment. She turned to Baku, who had just slid into her shoes.

“Need a lift?”

She shook her head.

“Hyuntak isnt answering me,” Baku lets out a deep breath, running a hand through her hair.

“I’ll meet up when I make sure she’s okay.

Suho nodded. She stepped onto the ledge of the window and turned to Baku once more.
“Call me if you need me.”

Baku scoffed.

“Watch your head,” she smirks.

“Fuck yourself,” Suho glares at her.

Baku blows a kiss.

Suho shoots a web at the building across the road and swings.

Oh, how she’d missed this.

Suho loved how it felt as she swung through the city. Suho loved the adrenaline rush, loved the blurred colors of the city lights, loved the power she had, the power to fly.

She also loved how much faster she could get around without the stupid traffic. How she had just left Sieun's apartment and now, she could see Sieun choking a much taller girl with a belt.

The fact that Sieun could look so beautiful like that was insanely ridiculous.

Suho shot a web at the boy who was sneaking up behind Juyang, sticking him to the wall. Juyang grabbed the boy's fallen baseball bat and shoved it into Juntae’s hands as she elbowed another one in the nose.

“You’re late,” Juyang laughed.

Suho caught a pair of Union members and swung them towards another one.

“Traffic was crazy.”

Suho dodges the Union member who tries to stab her from behind, plucking the knife out of her hand and throwing her with the others. There’s only a few left and she gets rid of two with a flick of her wrists and Suho’s head fills with an uncomfortable pain-

Sieun.

Suho sends more webs to her left. She sees Sieun’s
belt snapped on the ground.

No.

Suho closes her eyes, letting out a shaky breath. When she opens them, Gayool is crouching down next to her.

“You okay,” she asks gently, holding her hand towards Suho.

If Gayool is here, then Sieun is fine, but Suhos heart doesnt stop pounding in her ears until she sees Sieun standing behind her.

Suho nods, “I’m okay.”

“So,” Baku's voice leaves the speaker of Juntae’s phone, “how are things with you guys?”

Suho looks at the Union fallen around her.

Gayool grinned, tucking a strand of her long, green hair behind her ears.

“We kicked their asses of course.”

Sieun sat down next to Suho, and if her hand just so happened to land onto Suho’s, it was just a little accident.

“What about you guys?”

Baku's laugh echoed through the alleyway.

“Us? Isn’t it obvious?”

“We smashed the shit out of them!”

 

They meet up for drinks after Gayool can feel her legs again.
Drinks as in, convenience store drinks, because they were all broke high school students.

Juntae had been kind enough to stop by the pharmacy and was bandaging up their cuts and bruises. Suho had left the fight unscathed, just a little winded, but the same couldn’t be say for the others. Gayool’s cheeks were bright red from punches she couldnt dodge in time, though her long hair covered her face so well Suho couldn’t see if there was anything else. Hyuntak had her head tilted back in an attempt to stop her nosebleed, but her eye was swollen and bruised. Teddy was rinsing her mouth next to Hyuntak, and Suho grimaced seeing the water coming out red. She must’ve bitten her tongue during the fight. Juyang held her iced tea to her bandaged cheek, grinning widely despite her injuries.

Then there’s Sieun. Sieun who still looked stupidly stunning even with a nasty purple bruise blooming on her cheekbones. Sieun who’s pouty lips were cracked and pulled down and her tired eyes were already focused on Suho. Sieun’s eyes were glossy and Suho looked away and tried to ignore the flutter in her chest and the guilt in the pit of her stomach. Suho closes her eyes. She takes a deep breath. When she opens them again, Sieun is standing beside her. Her long, brown hair was still disheveled from the fight but Juntae had pinned her bangs with two hello kitty pins when she was nursing the bruises. Her uniform had a bit of blood on it, though knowing Sieun it probably wasn’t hers, but she had put on a red windbreaker. Suho’s windbreaker. She looked up at Suho, a slight wobble to her bottom lip, but the tears in her eyes were gone. Suho didn’t want to look at Sieun, didn’t want to talk to her, didn’t want to think about her. If she did, she wasn’t sure what she might do, but she knows it would end in tears and yelling just like last time. It was so hard though. So hard not to touch her, not to joke, not to eat, not to do anything with her when she saw her everyday and she wanted Sieun more than anything in the world.

“Suho, are you okay,” Sieun asked, but her voice was empty. Suho knew she was doing it on purpose, because Sieun was the same as her. She saw it in her trembling lips, the way her eyes watered if she looked at Suho for too long, the way she fidgeted with the end of Suho’s windbreaker. The fact she was wearing it in the first place.

Suho nodded, “I’m okay. You?”

Sieun nodded.

Suho didn’t need to look to know Hyuntak was watching them.

“Will you take me home,” Sieun asked, not meeting Suho’s eyes.
Yes of course.
Suho dug her fingers into her thighs.
“What’s with the change of heart”, Suho’s voice came up a pitch higher than it should’ve, “I thought you didn’t like the suit.”

Sieun winced. She unclipped the hairpin, letting her bangs cover her eyes.

The guilt in Suhos stomach bubbled up.

“The suit looks beautiful, Suho,” Sieun whispered, keeping her head tilted down just enough so Suho couldn’t see her face.

You look beautiful.

“I’m sorry”, Suho managed out, but throat burned as she spoke, “I’m sorry, Sieun, I just don’t know how not to be angry at you.”

Sieun pushed her hair back behind her ears to look at Suho, looking her in the eyes for the first time in…..Suho didn’t even remember when the last was.

“I’m sorry,” she says. A tear rolls down her cheek. Suho doesn’t know if she’s looking at him because she wants to or because she doesn’t want the others to see.

Suho laughs. Suho laughs because she wants to cry.
“For what?”

Another tear rolls down her face. Suho digs her nails even deeper so she doesn’t wipe them away.
So she doesn’t cup her face.
So she doesn’t kiss her.

“Everything.”

Suho wants to kiss her. She wants to kiss Sieun so badly her chest feels like its going to explode.

“Me too,” she says, “I’m sorry,”

For putting the suit back on. For hurting you. For letting you hurt me. For Beomseok.

“for everything.”

Sieuns face breaks for just a second. Then she blinks away the rest of her tears and lets out a shaky breath.

Suho stands up and holds out her hand.
An olive branch.
“Let’s go home, Sieun,” she says, even though her brain tells her not to.
Suho wants to be mad. She wants answers. She wants Sieun.

So when Sieun grabs the other side of the branch Suho knows she’s fucked.

Chapter Text

“It’s a log function. Integrals are a pain in the ass. But you’re already learning this? Well, that’s unfair, you’re studying in advance.”

Sieun glares at the green haired girl flipping through Sieun's math book. “Who the hell are you?”

The girl smirkes, wiping dust off her burgundy uniform.

“You seem like a nerd,” she hummed, “How did you get in this mess?”

Sieun put her pencil case away but kept a ballpoint pen in her hand.

“I asked,” she seethes , “who the fuck are you?”

The girl giggles, high and shrill, pulling out her phone.

Sieun debates shoving her pen into the mole under her eye.

“Look here first.”

A photo of Juntae and Juyang laying side by side on the rooftop. Juyang had blood dripping into her eyes from a large cut on her eyebrow, and more leaking down her chin from her nose. Her freckles were almost invisible with the bruises across her cheek. Her shaggy, red hair was disheveled and matted. Judging by the unnatural shape of her nose, she’d probably had her face slammed into something.

Juntae was less injured but still looked like she’d bit the curb. Her glasses were broken, eyes bruised an olive green. Her lip was busted open and blood was pooling under her.

Sieun put the pen in her skirt pocket.

“To be honest,” the green haired girl continued, “I didn’t really have any negative feelings towards you, but seeing you study your ass off is pretty revolting.” Her lips curled into a snarl. “You think your life is gonna get better if you study and play tough, white mamba? That why you glared at Seongje?”

She shoved Sieun's shoulder.

Sieun scoffs, “You ganged up on my friends because I looked at your girlfriend?”

In truth, Sieun didn’t really know who ‘Seongje’ was, nor did she care.

“You’ve done a great job pissing her off. That’s why you have to come with me.” She narrows her eyes, putting her phone away. “And she’s not my girlfriend.”

“Of course you could choose to stay though, if you don’t care about your friends, but Seongje will find you anyways. Always does.”

She leads Sieun out of cram school and to an old apartment complex. Two more people join them, matching ugly smiles and haircuts.

“Up here,” one of them says, nodding towards the rooftop door.

Sieun feels as though she’s been punched in the gut.

Juntae. Juyang

Sieun repeated their names in her head to keep her mind occupied. To keep her brain from wandering, from remembering Suho on that roof.

Juntae. Juyang.

Sieun bit her lip, trying to keep her breathing normal.
‘Suho’s at home’ she reminds herself. Suho was at home, probably asleep.
“What the heck,” she hears faintly.
She climbs another step.
“She’s already given up.”

Juntae. Juyang.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Juntae. Juyang.

Sieun’s hand gripped the railing .

Suho.

Juyang let out a pained whimper when she saw Sieun. She was lying in a mix of her own blood and bile. One of her eyes had begun to swell. Juntae’s lip had stopped bleeding, the blood on her face was now dried. The frame of her glasses had broken, and one of the hinges had fallen off completely.

“You have no idea,” a new voice leered, “how long Ive been waiting for this.”

Juyang coughed.

“The fuck?”

A scoff. A pair of shoes stood across from Sieuns.

“It’s a little late to be scared now, don’t you think? You were so tough a few days ago-“

A finger under Sieuns chin forced her face up. Sieun watches the fabric of a grey sweater pull back.

“-you really hurt my feelings, glaring at me.”

Knuckles collided with Sieuns jaw but Sieun felt nothing.

“Come on now,” she gripped Sieuns face harder this time, “woo me with those pretty snake eyes of yours.”

The purple haired girl from the bus stop.

Another punch, harder this time, sent Sieun falling backwards. She stepped on the back of Sieuns head, sending her face into the floor with a sickening crack. Her nose erupted in pain. When she tried to stand, a kick to the stomach sent her flying backwards.

“Do you always do this bitch? Think your pretty eyes can get you out of this shit?”

Her hand grabbed Sieun by the hair.

“That shit doesn’t work here, baby.”

She slammed Sieuns head into the wall. She punched her in the stomach, kicked her in the ribs, and hit her again and again and again. Sieun’s body was consumed by the pain. She couldn’t think, couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.

“What the fuck is wrong with you,” She snarled, “this is boring as fuck. I’m going to throw you off the fucking roof.”

Suho

Her mind shuts down after that. It takes her a few seconds, or.. maybe minutes? It could’ve been longer. She only wakes up when her knuckles start to burn.

Sieun doesn’t know how she ends up on top of the purple haired girl. She doesn’t know why her hands are covered in blood. She doesn’t know when she snapped. She just knows that everything fucking hurts. She knows that she’s tired.

“Sieun!”

Sieun begins to fall.
Her eyes feel heavy.
She sees Suho.

“Suho,” she slurs, her vision blurring.

A tanned arm catches her before she falls.

“Suho-,” she repeats.

“-I’ve missed you.”

 

Sieun was dreaming again.
She dreamt of a boy in a grey hoodie. She had one just like it. They were in the hospital, both of them. Their beds were next to each other. The boy had an oxygen mask over his mouth. Sieun had an IV drip in her arm. The boy was in a coma, like Suho had been. But he would wake up. Sieun knows he will. The boy was fighting, she could see it. Another boy came in the room. His hair was a faded red, and he wore a jacket over his uniform, but Sieun couldn’t see his face. The boy reached for the grey-hoodies hand and cried.

Why are you crying? She wanted to ask.

He’ll wake up, she wanted to say.

Sieun couldn’t speak. She couldn’t move. So she closed her eyes, and slept, ignoring the cries of the boy in the jacket.

He’s gonna wake up

 

When Sieun opens her eyes, Suho is sitting beside her. Suho's hand was holding hers gently. She was still in her Eunjang uniform, but she had her red windbreaker on. Today, her bangs were clipped to either side of her face, though the shorter strands had managed to escape. The rest of her long, brown hair was tied into a high ponytail. Her foxy eyes were blank and bloodshot. Suho’s lips were bitten and pink, her nose was a similar color.

Sieun squeezed her hand.

She watched her snap out of her daze, eyes softening when they made contact. She moved Sieun's hair behind her ear, smoothing it down. When Sieun attempted to sit up, a gentle hand slid under her shoulder to help. Her whole body ached, and from what she could tell, most of it was bandaged.

Suho’s eyebrows furrow and her lips pull down into a frown. For a second, just before her lip begins to wobble, Sieun thinks she might be angry, but when her face breaks and her cheeks flush, Sieun knows better. Suho’s arms just barely wrap around Sieun’s neck, just enough to be called a hug.

“You crazy bitch,” Suho whispered, beginning to tremble. She threaded her fingers through Sieun's hair. Sieun held her tighter.
“I’m sorry,” Sieun’s hoarse voice responds. She wonders how long she was asleep.
Suho’s hand massaged her back softly, a gentle pressure against the bruised skin. Sieun blinked rapidly, trying to fight against her burning eyes, biting her lip to stop it from trembling. She felt so warm she was burning under Suho’s touch. When she pressed a kiss to Sieun's hair she wondered if she would die from the heat spreading through her veins. Suho pulled back from the embrace, and rested her head to Sieuns. She closed her eyes, a tear leaking down her face.
“Oh sweetheart,” Suho murmured. Sieun couldn’t hold down the sob that escaped her. Suho cradled her face, wiping her tears away. Sieun's heart was pounding in her ears and it scared her. The way Suho was holding her scared her. The warmth spreading through her was suffocating.
‘Sweetheart.’
Suho’s eyes darted to Sieuns lips, then back to her eyes.
“Sieun,” she whispered, breath hitting Sieun's lips and she fights the sound threatening to escape her lips. It's so, so cramped and Sieun needs to be closer.

“Sieun, I-,” she licked her bottom lip and Sieun doesn’t wait for her to finish.

She grabs Suho by her uniform and kisses her. Suho gasps in surprise and Sieun pushes her tongue past Suho's lips. Suho stops the kiss for a moment-

“-Sieun-“

Sieun kisses her deeper, hand moving to cup Suho’s face. When Suho responds to the kiss she sucks Sieun’s bottom lip, tilting her head back to gain better access. Suho kisses her softly, slowing her lips softly. Sieun’s hand slips under Suho's uniform, and she feels the warmth of her bare skin seeping through her fingertips.

Suho pulls away. Her breath fans over Sieun's lips, hands covering her own. Her forehead presses against Sieun’s cheek.

“You’re burning up,” Suho says. One of her hands drops off of Sieuns.

Sieun shakes her head, wincing when she feels her head shaking back.

“I’m fine,” she insists, “it’s just hot.”

Suho smiles and lets Sieun's head fall back into the pillow. She keeps her hand firm on Sieun’s chest, pushing her down when she attempts to sit once more.

“Suho,” Sieun pants out, her throat beginning to close up against her will. She swallows roughly against the burning sensation.
“Suho, I need to tell you something.”

Her eyes feel heavy.

“Sleep well, Sieun,” Suho says, “You can tell me everything when you’re better.”

 

Park Humin had known they’d have to fight back against the Union eventually. She’d done her best to keep Eunjang out of it for the most part, but deep down she knew it wasn’t going to be enough.

Suho sat down on the other swing and laid her head against the chain. A tired sigh escaped her lips.

“You look like shit,” Humin told her.

Suho closed her eyes and Humin got a good look at her face. Her eyes were really fucking swollen, like she’d gotten an allergic reaction, and her nose was bright red. She hadn’t bothered taking off her uniform yet either, and it was crinkled and dirty and reeked of hospital.

Suho let out a pathetic attempt at a scoff, but her voice was so hoarse it didn’t come out right.

“I feel like shit too,” she cracked open one eye to look Humin up and down, “you aren’t much better off.”

She didn’t have a response to that because Humin knew she looked like a mess. She was still in the same jersey she had on when she carried Sieun to the hospital. She’d tried to frantically scrub off the blood in the hospital but it had only left bigger, dirtier patches of brown that she knew wouldn’t come off after this. Her tears had dried hours ago, but the hollowness inside her chest had grown worse. The memory of finding her friends on the roof, catching Sieun before she hit the ground, carrying her weak and broken body to the hospital, it still felt unreal. Sieun had always been untouchable, from the moment she’d set foot in Eunjang.

Humin had known about Suho before anyone else because Sieun had told her. That was the day their friendship had really grown. She’d let Sieun tell her everything that she couldn’t tell anyone, and she’d kept quiet till the end. Sieun told her about the idiot she’d thrown a chair at in class. Sieun told her about the bullied girl who’d brought them together. She told her about their fight at the amusement park, when they’d seen webs shoot out of Suho’s wrists for the first time. She told Humin about the first time she’d fallen in love. She told her when they started to fall apart. She told her how she watched her friends kill each other, and what she’d done afterwards.

Sieun started to cry while she spoke, and Humin had cried with her. She’d held Sieun as tightly as she could and let her tears soak her sleeves.

They’d gone to visit Suho together after that. At the time, Suho was frozen. The only sign she was alive was the smallest rise and fall of her chest with the gentle sound of her breathing, just barely audible over the beeping monitors.

Suho had been small back then. Now, her cheeks were full and colored. She’d grown some muscle too, and Humin was maybe really fucking jealous of her biceps, but sometimes when she looks at Suho, she sees the girl in the hospital instead.

When Humin covers Suho’s hand with her own, Suho lets her. She turns her hand around so their palms face each other instead, then lets their hands swing in the space between them.

“I don’t know what to do anymore,” Suho says, defeated. “It really fucking hurt back then, and it still hurts but I can’t keep living like this.”

Humin doesn’t say anything yet.

Suho’s voice starts to shake when she continues.

“I don’t know how to stop being mad but I’m scared, Baku. I’m so fucking terrified.”

Suho wipes her eyes with her free hand.

“I love her so fucking much and when you called me-“

Humin got off the swing and wrapped her arms around Suho’s shaking frame.

“-I thought,” she sobs. “I thought she was gone.”

Humin lets Suho cry until her shoulders stop shaking and her tears run dry. Her arms wrap around Humin’s back and she starts collecting herself once again.

“Thank you,” Suho exhales against the fabric of Humin's shirt. She repeats it over and over again until Humin pulls away.

“I don’t know what you’re feeling exactly,” Humin begins, “but I’ve had experiences with best friends and unnecessary secrets that were completely unnecessary and ended up with someone being hospitalized-“

Suho gave her a confused look.

“-and I’ve learned a few things.”

“Yeah,” Suho lets out a dry laugh. “Bless me with your wisdom.”

“For the sake of our sisterhood bonding, I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. Anyways, I have this really stupid best friend who was even stupider back in middle school. And this stupid best friend wanted to deal with some weird fighting stuff without telling her super understanding, sexy, amazing best friend.”

Suho rolled her eyes, but Humin felt proud at the sight of the small smile on her lips.

“Shit went down, and the stupid best friend ends up in a fight with Na Baekjin.”

Suho’s smile falters.

“Fortunately, the best friend figured out where she was and found her in time. She fought Baekjin instead.”

“Did she win,” Suho asks, but she already knows the answer.

Humin kicked Suho’s leg.

“She got her ass kicked, that's what happened. Baekjin’s a demon. She almost died during that fight. Baekjin fucked up her arm and it never healed correctly. Her friend had to drag her to the hospital even though her own leg was broken. It healed, but she had to give up taekwondo, couldn’t fight anymore. Not like before at least.”

Humin jumps off the swing and sits on the grass instead.

“After that, they realized that keeping secrets is stupid and just makes shit harder later. The only way friendship’s last is if there’s trust and if you’re willing to give and take. Otherwise it’s just gonna get fucked up eventually.”

Suho doesn’t say anything to that, just joins Humin on the grass. She lays down with her hands behind her head and her eyes to the sky.

“I’m going to take down the Union,” she announces.

Humin watches her chest rise and fall. Suho hadn’t been the girl from the hospital in a while. Humin wouldn’t let her be that girl again.

“We’re going to help you,” she responds.

“I was counting on it,” Suho smiles. “Give and take.”

Chapter Text

“Oh my god, Sieun,” Hyuntak gasps at the room door. She’s wearing a black, sleeveless top that exposed her midriff under her open uniform. Her hair tied up in a high ponytail today.
“What did that bitch do to you?”

Gayool winced at the sight of Sieun. She couldn’t see the girl's face, but her tall frame shuddered and her lips pulled down, concerned.

Sieun smiled, putting down her math book.

“How are you feeling,” Hyuntak asked gently, placing her hand on Sieuns bandaged one.

“I’m fine,” Sieun replied, then remembered where she was and how she looked.
“Actually, not really.”

Baku raised her eyebrows with a disapproving frown.

“You’re in the hospital cuz you got the shit beat out of you, and you're studying? Crazy bitch,” she scolded.

Sieun groaned when Baku ruffled her hair, swatting her hand away when she passed her five second free trial period.

“Juntae’s on the way,” Gayool told Sieun, taking a seat on the chair beside Hyuntak. “I asked her before we left. She’s coming with the class one girls.”

Baku jumps away from Sieun to mess up Gayool’s green hair instead.

“Humin I swear-“

“You should’ve said something earlier, beanpole! Now we have to leave,” she pouted, crossing her arms dramatically.

Gayool kicked her in the shins.

“Are you high?”

“What the fuck,” Baku yelled, way too loudly to be hospital appropriate. She put her hands on her hips, down at Gayool, who was still legs crossed sitting on the chair.

“Everyone knows the three guest rule.”

Sieun gave Baku a quizzical look. Baku winked back. Whatever the fuck that means.
Hyuntak gave in after a while. Baku was ridiculously adamant about the whole thing, and honestly Hyuntak didn’t deny the girl anything. Sieun thinks it’s because she has a big, fat, gay crush on Humin.
Gayool stays a little longer but also has to go to her job. She bids Sieun farewell and then the next group comes in.

 

“Hey, Sieun,” Juyang sang as she, Juntae, and Teddy came in.

Sieun smiled at them. Her mouth was starting to hurt a little.

“How long are you staying,” Juntae asked, concern written on her features.

“A few more days,” Sieun assured her, “It’s not as bad as it seems.”

Teddy shyly came towards her and placed a convenience store bag in Sieun's lap.

“This is for you,” she muttered, tucking a loose strand of blond hair behind her ears.

A bag full of soda.

Juyang cackled.

“Who gets a hospital patient a bag of coke”’

“Who shows up empty handed?!” Teddy yells at her, face erupting into flames. She pulled her hoodie out from under her uniform to cover her red face.

Sieun felt a little flustered, her own face heating slightly.

“Thank you, Taeho,” she said.

Teddy cleared her throat and kept an unbothered expression, but the tips of her ears were still flushed red.

“Anyways, is it true,” she asked, examining Sieuns bruises, “that you beat up Seongje? Did you really take down the wolf?”

Seongje, the purple haired bitch.

“I don’t remember,” Sieun replied honestly, “but I think I did without meaning to.”
Because, honestly she didn’t. Sieun tried but she couldn’t remember anything after she got on the roof.

Unfortunately, she did remember shoving her tongue in Suho’s mouth while sick with a high fever.

Teddy paled with a grimace. She always seemed a little scared of Sieun.

The smell of pizza filled the hospital room. Juntae closed the door, holding a pizza box in her hand. She must’ve gotten it while they were talking.

“Lets eat,” she announces with a proud smile.

Juyang squealed, “You’re the best bro! How’d you think of this, Einstein?”

“Perfect timing.”

Juntae giggled, swallowing a bite. “Three reasons. First,” she looked at Sieun, “the hospital food is gross-“

Sieun had to agree.

“-Second, Teddy bought a lot of soda-“

Teddy’s cheeks turned pink.

“Third,” Juyang asked.

“Big-back Baku isn’t here.”

 

When Sieun was discharged her friends had wanted to meet for fried chicken, in light of Baku’s favorite chicken place reopening. It was supposed to be all of them, but Juntae and Juyang were both busy, Teddy had a family reunion she was forced to attend, and Suho was a fucking superhero who was currently stopping a bank robbery because apparently the police don’t do their jobs. She’s probably going to be taking a nap afterwards. Now it was just Baku, Hyuntak, Gayool-

“-I can’t stay,” Gayool said apologetically, “I have to cover a shift at work.”

-not Gayool.

“What,” Hyuntak whined, “don’t you have a gig tonight?”

“What can I say, I’m a strong, independent woman,” Gayool sighed. She swung her bag on her shoulders, and paused as she was walking away, turning with a glare, (or what Sieun assumed was a glare considering her hair covered her eyes).

“Do not show up or I will murder all of you.”

Hyuntak snickered when Gayool was finally out of earshot.

“We are going tonight.”

“Oh totally,” Baku grinned widely.

“What about you Sieun?”

“I can’t,” Sieun said, gathering up her take away bags, “I have to catch up on studying,” she lied, feeling just a little guilty when Baku pouts. Not enough to stay though.

“Boo you’re no fun.”

Sieun responded with her finger and an eyeroll.

“Bye bye, Sieun,” Hyuntak said.

Suho made sure the helmet over Sieun's head was properly secured before she leaned against her motorcycle.
Sieun froze when Suho looked at her. It wasn’t a subtle, split second glance that she was beginning to get used to after almost three months of being shut out. Suho was really looking at her. Her eyes were warm, so warm they turned Sieun's legs into jelly. Sieun watches the tips of her ears turn red, watches her fidget with the tips of her shirt, watches her smile, almost shyly.

“Sieun,” she starts, her voice shaking just a bit, “I was wondering, if you aren’t too tired,” her cheeks were turning darker, “maybe, we could do something?”

Sieun knows what she’s trying to say, butterflies erupting in her stomach, but she needs to hear Suho say it clearly.

“We’re meeting up in an hour, aren’t we,” she asks, keeping her face as normal as possible.

Suho looks away, clearly flustered.
“Well, yeah, I guess. But I was wondering if you would do something with me.” She snaps her eyes shut and takes a deep breath. “There’s this nice coffee shop l thought you might like, a-and you know we have some things to talk about so I thought we could talk there.”

Now, Sieun does try to be as level headed as she can about this, but holyshitSuhojustaskedmeonadate.

“Just us,” she asks innocently, fighting against the smile threatening to bloom across her lips.

Suho nods and her face is fully red now. She’s still sliding her fingers across the ends of her uniform.

“Like a date?”

Suho hides her face in her hands, making a strangled noise. “Y-yeah,” she stammers out.

Sieun’s face starts to burn as well, but it’s hidden under the helmet, so all Suho sees is the shy smile that makes her cheeks ache.

 

Sieun gets punched in the back of her head while she’s walking home. She catches sight of a black haired girl and realizes it’s one of Seongjes bitches. The one who was guarding the door.

Suho is waiting for me

Ever since that day with Seongje, Sieun's heart had stopped beating out of fear.
It beats from adrenaline.
It beats for the feeling Sieun got when she heard the sound of a finger shattering underneath her umbrella. It beat for the satisfaction of watching Seongje’s bitch crawling away in tears, her broken finger in her mouth and hand on her bruised-

“Wow,” a velvety voice purred, “kudos to you!”

Sieun looked for the source.

Crouching on the wall of the building by the alley was a girl with short, orange hair, wearing a fedora. A really ugly fedora.

She gave Sieun a short applause, looking her up and down.

“You sure showed Seokhee. She’s been needing a good beating.”

Sieun narrowed her eyes and kept her umbrella close. It’s one of the union girls.
“You with that bitch,” she asks.

The orange haired girl laughs, a small snort escaping her.
“Of course not. I mean Seokhee is in the Union too, but I’m not with her, if you know what I mean.”

She jumps down.

“That doesn’t matter. I just need to tell you something but happened to see the fight.” She paused. “What was I supposed to tell you?”

Sieun rolled her eyes. “If you don’t have anything to say, fuck off-“

Suho is waiting for me.

“-I’m busy.”

The orange haired girl smirked. “Aww, you’re shaking. Did you know that?
“You’ve been shaking since the fight ended.”

She walked closer to Sieun, keeping eye contact. She had eyes like an owl, a light brownish color. She seemed to be around Baku’s height.

“At first, you weren’t used to it. You were shocked,” she stepped closer, “you were scared-“

“Cut the crap,” Sieun hissed, the girl's predatory gaze beginning to unnerve her.

The orange haired girl grabbed her chin, bringing their faces close-
“-but now you like it-“
-her breath hit Sieun’s lips-
“-you like the tension-“
-their noses nearly touched and Sieun backs away sharply, back hitting the wall-
“-you love the thrill. Everytime you fight, you get used to it, better at it. You become stronger without realizing. You feel pleasure when you destroy your opponents the way you want.” She smirked at Sieun’s discomfort.

“I know someone exactly like this. Exactly like you. That bloodlust never leaves. You can’t fool me. I can see right through you.” She giggles, it’s high pitched and girly. “Don’t worry. I didn’t come here to hurt you. I just wanted to see the person who destroyed Seongje. I must say though-” she circled Sieun, looking at every inch of her, letting out a wolf whistle when they reached Sieun's breasts.
Sieun gripped her umbrella tighter.
“-you’re a lot prettier than I expected. I can see why your girlfriend’s so obsessed with you.”

Sieun squeezes the umbrella so hard her fingers hurt. “Don’t,” she gritted her teeth, “don’t talk about her. You don’t ever talk about her.”

The other girl smirked triumphantly at Sieun's reaction. “I just remembered what I wanted to tell you,” she sings. “ You see, I really want your friend, Park Humin, to take me seriously. So you know that really tall friend of yours? Jin Gayool-“

Sieun felt her heart drop into her stomach.

 

“-I beat her up. That's what I came to tell you.” She gave Sieun a pat on the cheek. “You’re so cute, Sieun. Tell Humin Ji Hakho is waiting.”

In that moment, Sieun noticed how weak her legs felt, how weak they had been since Hakho had first approached her. She really hadn’t stopped shaking.

‘I beat her up’

The image of Gayool in the boxing ring, lifelessly still, blood streaming down her nose filled her mind.

Her hands don’t stop shaking when her legs give away. They don’t stop shaking when her pulls out her phone, smashing in the first number that comes to mind.

Suho picks up after the first ring.

 

Things had settled down since Gayool’s incident and the past week had been eventless for the most part. Apparently, Gayool had agreed to a fight with Hakho and lost, which was stupid. Teddy made sure Gayool was reminded of how stupid it was every few minutes. Aside from a few bruises, scratches, and a sore ego, Gayool was fine and nothing had really happened since then. In fact, it was calmer than it had been for a long time. Sieun knows that things can’t stay calm like this, no matter how badly she wants it to. Yeon Sieun never got what she wanted.

Suho and Sieun hadn’t gone on their date. They were spending more time than ever together and yet they were still cowards when it came down to feelings and self expression. In Juntae’s words, they were both extremely emotionally constipated.

Criminal activity had gone down in the past few weeks, which was another sign that something was going on. Suho hadn’t done anything except stop a few drug dealers last week and Sieun could see her growing restless.

‘Until the fight with Hakho, nobody should be alone for too long,’ Baku warned, a dark expression on her face. Sieun hadn’t seen Baku look like that before. “We can’t be too careful with the Union fuckers.”

Suho shuffled a step closer to Sieun, letting their hands brush.

“Gayool, stay with me and Gogo during free periods. You’re on your own during class though.”

Gayool gave a thumbs up.

“Juntae,”

Juntae paused in the middle of bandaging Gayool’s cheek.

“stick by Sieun until cram school ends. If you can go home in a taxi, if not Juyang will take you home.”

Juyang snorted. “And they say romance is dead.”

Juntae gives her a sarcastic smile.
“That wasn’t funny.”

Baku turned to Sieun and Suho with a warning glare at both of them.

“I don’t care about what’s up with you guys, put it to the side for now.”

Suho’s pinkie brushed against Sieuns.

“Suho, you aren’t ranked on shuttle patch, and you’re new to Eunjang. Nobody knows anything about you so you’re going to be the one they try to corner first.”

Sieun wrapped her pinkie around Suho’s.

“You already come to school and go home together, just stay together in between that too. Just until this is over.”

Sieun didn’t want it to be over, but Yeon Sieun didn’t get what she wanted.

“Daehyeon-“ Teddy panted, gripping Juyang's shoulders, “-Daehyeon, they’re going to Eunjang,” she stammered, a fearful look on her face. “I don’t know how many there are but they’re going for Baku!”

Sieun balled her hands into fists.

“I ran into five of them but I think Hakho is there too.”

“What did they look like,” Juntae asked.

Teddy tucked her hair behind her ear nervously.

“I didn’t see them well enough. But one had a scar on her eyebrow and the other was wearing a bucket hat.”

Juntae and Juyang both turned as pale as milk, sharing a terrified look.

“The Naksung fam,” Juyang breathed, “shit.”

Sieun doesn’t know who that is, but she doesn’t care.
She steps forward but stops when she feels a hand on her. Suho met her eyes with the same intensity Sieun was feeling, eyes sparkling with worry, fear, excitement.

“Let’s go,” Suho said, “to Eunjang.”

Moving as fast as they could, the five of them bolted out of the cram school building. Eunjang wasn’t too far, but if Hakho was already there, they needed to be their faster than as fast as possible. Juntae called a taxi and jumped into the front seat. Sieun’s leg bounced with anticipation. Suho put her hand on Sieun's knee but kept her eyes on the road.

“Get ready to run some more,” she mutters under her breath. Sieun nodded.

“Why are we stopping,” Juyang asks.

“It’s rush hour,” the driver tells them.

She curses under her breath.

“Let’s get off,” Sieun says, “we’ll be faster on foot.”

Suho thanked and paid the taxi driver and caught up with the rest of them. She caught Sieuns eye and laughed. “We haven’t done this for a while.”

“What?”

Suho’s expression drifted into something more fond. “Fight together, like this. As Suho and Sieun.”

Not Angel Spider.. Not the white mamba.

Suho and Sieun.

Juyang fell back with a grunt.
“What the-“

Another group of girls had slammed into them, a short blonde had fallen with Juyang. Sieun recognized the one wearing a hat, Kwon Hyukjin, and the other in glasses, Park Taegi. She’d overheard Baku talking to them a few weeks prior.

The blonde sneered at them as she got up.
“What the hell is this?”

Juyang sneers back.
“Get out of the way.”

The girl shoves Juyang with her fingertips.
“Aren’t you the sub leader here cuz Baku ain’t here? That means you have what it takes to fight me, doesn’t it? You a good fighter?”

Juyang glared at her, slapping her hand away. “Yeah, fucking amazing. I’ll crush you in a second.”

“H-hey,” Taegi muttered, “Eunchan stop.”

The blonde, Eunchan, winked at her. “I’ve got this.”

She threw a fast punch aimed at Juyangs stomach before she was ready.

“Shit,” Juyang grunted as she barely managed to block it.
“What are you waiting for,” Eunchan taunted. “Come at me.”

Juyang scoffed. “You should come with a label, motherfucker, you surprised me.”

Hyukjin stepped forward. “Who are you calling motherfucker, bitch. Fuck off, we dont have time for this shit.”

Juyang held her ground.

“You expect me to let you go when youre trying to get to Baku?” She held her fists up in a fighting stance. “Not a chance.”

Hyukjin aimed a kick before Juyang could react, but Suho caught it before it hit her. She held onto Hyukjins foot.

“Woah, woah,” Suho pushed Hyukjins foot back, watching her fall to the ground, “we don’t have to be crude do we?”

“Suho,” Sieun warned.

Hyukjin swore. “Who are you?”

Suho winked at her. “Me? I’m nobody important.” She slid her hands into her blue jackets pockets.

Sieun saw Hyukjins vien pop out.

“Are you stupid? I just said we don’t have time for this.”

Suho didn’t move.

“You seem like someone who only learns the hard way,” Eunchan spat at her. “It would be a shame to have you miss a lesson!”

Suho dodged the punch that Eunchan threw.
The same couldn’t be said for Sieun.
“Eyes over here, beautiful,” Gongsam, the girl Sieun had fought a few months prior, gripped Sieuns hair tighter. Teddy sent a punch her way, which Gongsam let go of Sieuns hair to dodge. Sieun stumbled backwards as Teddy tried to get Gongsam away from her.

“Fuck off blonde,” Gongsam yelled, throwing Teddy against the wall. Teddy hissed, holding her side. Gongsam sent another kick to her stomach. “If you think that hanging out with your wannabe superhero friends is going to make you feel better about yourself,” she slapped her hand across Teddys cheek, “here’s your reality check.” Gongsam gripped Teddy’s face so hard the skin was already turning pink. “You’ve always been a stupid little whore, and thats all you’ll ever be.” She pushed Teddys face against the wall. “Just ‘cuz you don’t walk around with your ass hanging out like a slut anymore doesn’t mean you stopped being one.”

Sieun slammed her math book into Gongsam’s beady eyes, the force throwing her off of Teddy.

“Eyes over here, bitch,” she said. She held out her hand for Teddy without looking away. “Taeho, are you okay?”

Teddy let out a small laugh, followed by a moan of pain. “Aww, Sieun. You must be worried about me.”

Her hand gripped Sieun’s and she pulled herself up.

Gongsam let out a loud shriek, one hand over her eye. “I’ll fucking ki-“

A loud thud interrupted her and the three of them snapped their heads back, just in time to see Eunchan passed out on the ground, Juyang standing over her. Her face was bruised and bleeding, but her proud smile shone as brightly as her flaming red hair.

“I’m Eunjangs hyper-elbow,” she yelled, “Im Juyang! Don’t you bitches forget it!”

Hyunjik gripped Suho by the waist and ran her into the wall like a bull.

“I’ll kill all of you!”

“Su-“ Sieuns cry was cut off by a shove. Teddy had bumped into her while pushing down Gongsams face.
Sieun couldnt afford to lose focus on her own fight. Humin needed them.
She slapped Gongsams head with the math book again. Teddy gripped Gongsams purple hair, keeping her head up to give Sieun another clean hit. Gongsams nose erupted in blood and Teddy winced at the sight. Sieun hit her again in her stomach, against her neck, shoving the book into her mouth. Gongsam spat out blood but she was still awake. Sieun aimed the final blow right below her ear. Sieun heard the satisfying whip of her face, watched her eyes roll back, and finally Gongsam fell to the ground.

Teddy cleaned her hands with her uniform. “I’m glad its not me this time,” she joked.

Taegi was frozen in place, placing a shaking hand on Hyunjiks red cheeks. “Hyunjik-Hyunjik wake up! Eunchan and Gongsam are out you have to get up! Hakho can’t fight all of them,” she cried out.

Sieun scoffed as she walked past her.

“You have the wrong idea about Humin,” she spat, “She’s not a wannabe thug like you guys, intimidating people by outnumbering them. If Hakho really is alone, like you said, Baku will fight her one on one.”

Taegi glared up at Sieun through wet eyes. “We aren’t a bunch of thugs! We aren’t like that,” she yelled.

“You can act like you’re different all you want,” Suho told her, “but at the end of the day, you’re nothing but bullies.” Suho draped her arms around Juyangs waist, holding her up. “Going around starting fights for no reason is exactly what bullies do.”

“Theres a difference between acting genuine and being genuine,” Sieun continued, “thats why, when it comes down to it, Baku wont ever lose.”