Archive of Our Own ^beta

Issue #1. Little Witch:  Freak! Public menace!

Lee Donghyuck isn’t proud of this.

There is, however, an undeniable truth: he shouldn’t be ashamed of asking for help. Of working as a team, even. But he isn’t used to this.

Since Donghyuck was a kid, when his parents forbade him to use his powers and do anything that wasn’t study and play, he has always been an individualist. When he was allowed to experiment with his powers during his adolescence, he did it alone, refusing the option of having a mentor trained by the government.

Someone that throughout the years gained the title of the Nation’s Hero and became the symbol of the city doesn’t need help. Everyone knows that: Lee Donghyuck doesn’t collaborate, because he’s strong enough by himself. Lee Donghyuck does his own job, clean and fast, and leaves no damage behind. That’s his best trait.

Therefore, it isn’t a surprise that when Jaemin arrives at the place Donghyuck has summoned him to, there is a smirk dancing on his lips. It’s obvious he was in the middle of a mission, though, because he’s wearing his superhero suit.

Donghyuck never admits it, but he loves Jaemin’s suit: it’s black and clear blue, and even though from outside it looks like it’s made of regular fabric, Donghyuck knows it’s made of rubber. That’s how Jaemin keeps the electricity within his body, since otherwise he risks electrocuting people by accident. His hands are completely bare for that same reason: it’s the part of his body he uses to attack, even though he can open certain zones of his suit depending on his needs. Donghyuck hasn’t seen him in action too often though, but it’s better that way for both of them.

Despite the fact Jaemin doesn’t reveal his face or his identity to anyone, he has stripped off his mask before walking into the alley. It’s fine because people will think he’s just a young boy attending some superhero themed party. Donghyuck doesn’t have to worry about hiding his identity, but he still considers that Jaemin is both very brave and very foolish for being so casual about it.

Jaemin’s smile shines as he approaches Donghyuck into the dark alley, his slim and long figure contrasting against the lights of the main street.

“Make out time?” he asks, but it’s not a question. Not really.

Donghyuck has the temptation to laugh, but his boyfriend is ridiculous in a bad way, so he isn’t so content about it. Jaemin is holding a collar with one of his hands, impatiently twirling it between his fingers. It’s that collar that allows them to touch each other, or for that matter, what allows Jaemin to touch anybody, since the collar is capable of concentrating all the electricity itself, and so Jaemin’s skin stops behaving like a wet wall socket. Donghyuck adores the collar. It’s a gift fallen from heaven.

“You left your duties just because you thought I wanted to make out?” Donghyuck retorts, incredulous.

Jaemin halts, confusion flashing across his face.

“Yes?” he attempts, tilting his head to the side. Donghyuck realizes that he’s trying to figure out if Donghyuck is toying with him or not, but that’s pretty understandable. A normal person would have summoned him in a different place, maybe at a café, if they simply wanted to chat. “You don’t call me at midnight unless it’s for that.”

Jaemin has a point, but Donghyuck decides to ignore it. Yes, they make out in dark alleys sometimes, but just because Lee Donghyuck, the apple of the city’s eyes, can’t afford being caught with his tongue in Coulomboy’s mouth. He could barely afford being caught with Coulomboy without his uniform, being just Na Jaemin, because Donghyuck’s identity is out in the open and that would make Jaemin the target of many enemies. Such enemies wouldn’t know that Jaemin can kill them with just one touch, but Donghyuck isn’t going to put his boyfriend in danger just because he can defend himself. That would be crazy.

Donghyuck sighs. “I don’t want to make out. Wait, I do want to make out, but I didn’t call you for that.”

Disappointment invades Jaemin’s eyes, and if Donghyuck wasn’t used to people giving him the puppy eyes when he has them at his mercy, he would fall for it. Damn, Jaemin even looks cute. But when Donghyuck doesn’t cede, Jaemin’s expressions travels from disappointment to caution.

“Then for what?” he mutters. “Are you about to lecture me?”

That’s not so far from the truth. Donghyuck wishes that a solid lecture would push Jaemin to change his ways, because that would make their lives so much easier. Dating another beloved superhero that doesn’t hurt his enemies and listens to the government’s rules wouldn’t affect Donghyuck’s reputation. But dating Jaemin, who once blew up the mayor’s car because he intended to denominate all superheros that didn’t work for the government as illegal, would be a huge scandal.

“Maybe,” Donghyuck admits. He steps forward, looking up at Jaemin, observing how Jaemin tenses up at the proximity. Jaemin hurries up to lift his collar and secure it around his neck, just in case Donghyuck brushes against him by accident. “You heard about the building?”

Jaemin has heard, of course. Everyone has, and it would be useless to deny it. “The one that collapsed today?” he asks, nonetheless.

Donghyuck displays his best weapons, inching closer until he can settle his hands on Jaemin’s chest. Then he stares up at Jaemin, eyelashes fluttering, and enjoys it immensely when Jaemin has to visibly swallow down the knot in his throat.

“You seem to be updated,” Donghyuck points out with a smile.

“Don’t look at me like that, demon,” Jaemin whines, but his gaze finds Donghyuck’s lips very interesting. Donghyuck parts his lips on purpose, and Jaemin has to make a great effort to snap out of the enchantment, eyes closing. “I don’t know anything. You think it was one of us?”

Jaemin might be lying, and Donghyuck is well aware of that. He loves Jaemin, but he isn’t the most honest person in the world: if he has to hide his missions from Donghyuck, he will, just so that Donghyuck doesn’t have to suffer any remorse. Donghyuck suspects that sometimes they work for the same aim, but in different ways, and when Donghyuck is about to catch a bad guy and he arrives just to find that the guy is tied to a chair and has his nose broken, or maybe his arm, there is a chance that it was Jaemin’s doing. But there are many heroes in the city, so he can’t be sure. It’s just a possibility.

“It was one of us, yes. That building belonged to a magnate that is known for exploiting the employees,” Donghyuck explains. He remains close to Jaemin, but it’s for the sake of reading his expression, of finding any sign that betrays him. “It’s not the first building of his that collapses. So I’m all about giving him what he deserves but, whoever is doing this, is not taking into account the damage of demolishing a building in the middle of the city.”

Jaemin lifts his eyebrow, interested. “So that asshole deserved that shit. Why don’t you just let them fuck him up?”

“Because it’s affecting innocent people?”

The reason humors Jaemin, but that’s not shocking coming from him. Donghyuck has known him for so long that he can read his mind, and right now Jaemin is looking at him like he’s the cutest creature in the universe, as though wanting to protect the innocent is too idealistic and unrealistic.

“Collateral damage,” Jaemin whispers, pupils glimmering.

Donghyuck would smack him, but there is a high chance Jaemin will smack him back. After all, when they first met each other, they weren’t on goods terms and they fought a few times until Donghyuck realized that Jaemin wasn’t bad, just unethical. And well, when he straddled him and pulled his mask away, he found out that Jaemin was his classmate. That cute boy that ditched half of their classes – Donghyuck should have suspected – and for whom Donghyuck looked at the door hopefully before the lecture began. After discovering his identity, Jaemin didn’t leave him alone, and even if it was impossible to convince Jaemin to work for the government, Donghyuck came to the conclusion that Jaemin could do other things for him. Like kissing.

“Well,” Jaemin begins upon Donghyuck’s long silence. He straightens up, intertwining their hands in a discreet attempt at pushing Donghyuck’s hands away from him. “I left a girl hanging off a skyscraper while I blackmailed her, so I should get going.”

Donghyuck gasps, horrified. “You were doing what?”

Jaemin withdraws, aware that he has to leave now or he will never be able to do so. Donghyuck defends people’s well being, whether they’re horrible or wonderful persons, and it’s evident on Jaemin’s face that he prefers to avoid the scolding. Donghyuck still tries to grab him by the symbol on his belt, but Jaemin is faster than him and unlocks his collar before Donghyuck manages to touch him. That way Donghyuck can’t hold him back unless he uses his own powers, and Jaemin knows that Donghyuck is incapable of using his powers on his boyfriend.

“Hey, babe,” Jaemin calls him as he walks away, a smirk blooming once again on his face. Donghyuck freezes in his place, because a part of him is conscious that Jaemin has lied to him, and he does have information, but he’s about to run away from him. Jaemin whispers, “Perhaps, and just perhaps, there is a tiny, tiny rumor among common people that it was Little Witch who blew the building up.”

Those are the worst news Donghyuck could have ever received.

Issue #2. Crisis On Campus.

“Aha,” Mark agrees, nodding his head. “You’re fucked.”

Friends, Donghyuck thinks, are supposed to be there to support you even when your ideas are suicidal. Mark ignores that, that’s pretty clear, because when Donghyuck slides on the chair next to him in the dining room to complain about Jaemin and Little Witch and all those superheroes that give Donghyuck and his kind bad fame, Mark is unbothered.

After all, it’s not Mark’s problem since he’s not interested in the superhero life. In fact, befriending Donghyuck was an accident, because Mark had recently arrived for college and he had no idea about the superhero culture. Not knowing who Donghyuck was, Mark had noticed that he was alone all the time, so as the kind boy he is, he had decided to approach Donghyuck. It took him three weeks to realize why everyone at the campus stared at Donghyuck or why he had been alone to begin with. Donghyuck had assumed that Mark knew, so when they made their respective discoveries, they laughed at each other for weeks.

“I hope it’s not Little Witch,” Donghyuck moans again. “I have never met him. Her? People say that he’s a boy. Coulomboy knows him, I’m sure, but there’s an odd code of confidentiality among their kind.”

Mark doesn’t show excessive interest, biting down on his sandwich instead. His lack of curiosity has always favored Donghyuck, for he never asked why Donghyuck is dating Jaemin, and Mark refers to Jaemin as Coulomboy for the sake of his safety. Mark doesn’t pry, because he understands that Donghyuck isn’t a regular friend, that he doesn’t have a regular life. Mark would never get angry at Donghyuck for not sharing certain secrets.

“Won’t the government let you check his file card?” he suggests.

Donghyuck wishes that he could have access to other heroes’ profile, because that would facilitate his job to unconceivable extents.

 Donghyuck releases a short laugh. “Of course not. There’s a law to protect our data from other superheroes.”

This time, Mark frowns, leaving his sandwich on the plate. For some reason, that information bothers him, though Donghyuck can’t guess why.

“What’s the point of that?” Mark questions, looking at Donghyuck like he’s the responsible of this decision.

“Because it wouldn’t be the first time one of the good guys turns bad, you know?” Donghyuck bends over the table, defeated. He supports his forehead with his palm, and Mark has to incline his head to be able to look at him. “Imagine someone becoming a villain but knowing all the real identities of other superheroes.”

It would be a disaster. Family, friends, even acquaintances would become targets, and no one could stop the danger, because every superhero in the city would be scared of exposing their loved ones like that.

Mark comprehends it, but he still has to guts to remark, “What about you?”

Donghyuck was nearly born with this disadvantage. His powers weren’t something that he could hide, and when he was a kid, he could accidentally change the gravity of the room if he just fell asleep. Once he intoxicated his classmates because he was so sleepy that he converted all the oxygen of the room into carbon dioxide. After consecutive displays of his powers in public, trying to hide that he was bound to become a hero was futile; so Donghyuck decided that yes, he would become the symbol of the city, of the nation if they needed one, and that he would work to change people’s fears towards their collective.

“Sacrificial lamb.”

Mark snorts. He crosses his hands over the table, however, resignation plastered all over his semblance. “What do you need from me, then?”

“You’re too smart,” Donghyuck observes. A pang of remorse spreads in his chest, but he needs help, even if he hates to admit it. Sometimes he asks Mark for favors, but not big favors. Apart from his friendship, Mark turned out to be very valuable, not only because he has a huge network of people, but also because he’s a computer nerd. He can hack into almost any organization, though Donghyuck’s favorite trick is to hack into the newspaper’s website to bait villains with fake news. “I need you to spread the rumor that I’m looking for Little Witch. Can you do that?”

Tilting his head to the side, Mark affirms, “I can do that. But do you really want Little Witch after your ass? And do I want to put you under that risk?”

“We don’t,” Donghyuck replies, which is the plain truth. Then he lifts his right hand, interlacing his index and his middle fingers, feigned solemnity in his eyes. “I will try to find reinforcements, yes? I promise.”

Mark squints at him. “Not Coulomboy.”

Considering that Jaemin made clear that he shared Little Witch’s morals, the fact that Mark thinks that Donghyuck would resort to him is pretty funny. They are together, but they don’t work together. Donghyuck wouldn’t be surprised if he found proof that Jaemin helped Little Witch with this mission, but if that’s the case, he’s going to ground him without make out sessions for two months. Okay, maybe just one.

“Not Coulomboy,” Donghyuck promises, lips stretching into an amused smile.

Issue #3. Team Wanted!

Donghyuck remains true to his promises, even if he doesn’t like them. That’s part of being a superhero, his reality, and if he wanted to break promises and create his own moral code, he would have taken a different path.

But he didn’t, and that means that if Mark is disposed to help him just in exchange of Donghyuck collaborating with other superheroes, Donghyuck has to follow that rule. The first issue he runs into is that, as he told Mark, he can’t contact other superheroes easily. There is a way, however, a way that he would have preferred to avoid, but that is his only hope right now.

When superheroes were established in the country – when people realized that they were necessary – it became a business. There were many procedures to create a superhero: sometimes they were born that way, sometimes they were a consequence of a failed experiment, and sometimes they just had advanced technology that gave them advantage over common humans.

That led to the birth of one of the biggest superhero training companies: SHcreative. They saw the gold mine that a failed experiment was, and they converted them into an actual practice to turn humans into superheroes. Often this took place when the future heroes were fetuses, and afterwards the company took the babies into their care as if they belonged to them. They trained them since their childhood, formed teams, gave them names and roles, marketed them all over the country. Donghyuck was aware that the company had passed to the government’s hands, but he still hated it: the whole concept, the invasion of rights, the fact that they were creating what others were born with. That they were undermining what made Donghyuck different.

Since Donghyuck is a loner, SHcreative is his unique chance to find other superheroes to collaborate with. Deciding not to ponder much about his decision, he shows up at the main office of their company, there where they have their training fields. Donghyuck doesn’t wear his superhero suit, because everyone knows his face, and the receptionist spirals into something akin to panic when she recognizes the boy that is approaching the reception.

“Mr. Lee,” she breathes out, standing up and almost knocking her chair down.

Donghyuck is used to this kind of treatment, so he’s unfazed at her reaction. She’s young and small, Donghyuck would say that she’s a minor, and the tattoo on her neck denotes that she’s a superhero too. Someone must have forced her to fill this position as a punishment, and Donghyuck wonders what she has done.

“Don’t worry,” Donghyuck soothes her, waving his hand down so that she sits again. She does, eyes wide and dropping down like she’s wearing a rock in her pants that drags her down. “Inform whoever you need to inform, but I need a few guys to back me up for a… mission.”

“Yes,” she says, but she doesn’t move. Her gaze is fixed on Donghyuck’s face, as though he was a piece of art found after a millennium, and Donghyuck would swear not even Jaemin looks at him that way.

“Uhm,” Donghyuck begins, glancing around. Maybe he got the wrong person. “It’s urgent.”

Power is a curious thing. Donghyuck doesn’t belong to the company, but he belongs to the country somehow: he has an immense power, with its cons and its pros, and it will never cease to amaze him. His power reaches a limit in which he can turn around a normal day and make 200 employees to work for him, so that he chooses which team or superheroes he prefers to work with. Donghyuck has never liked being treated like a king, because it separates him from everyone else – and at the end of the day, he’s just a 20-year-old boy with regular interests and hobbies. See, apart from the fact that he managed to meet Jaemin, his job sucks.

But Donghyuck complies and lets people shower him in compliments while he waits. The receptionist isn’t the only one that looks at him with enamored eyes, and Donghyuck makes a mental note of wearing his suit and mask next time, if only to express his annoyance behind it.

After half an hour, Donghyuck is led into a room with a double mirror, and he can’t hide his surprise when he notices that there is a string of young boys and girls on the other side of the mirror, backs straight and posing.

“What is this?” Donghyuck asks to the man that has guided him. He’s almost an elder, and that must be the reason they thought he could handle Donghyuck. “Am I supposed to pick this way?”

“That’s the idea,” the man answers with a nod. “All of them are equally trained, and they are our most skilled workers. Every one of them is part of a team, but you can choose to work with them individually instead of the whole team, if you wish.”

Donghyuck isn’t listening anymore, however. His eyes scan everyone on the other side, their suits, their expressions, their lame ass team names that are printed in the middle of their chests.

His fleeting attention is captured by the last boy in the room. And here is the thing: Donghyuck knows that he’s attracted to the bad side of people, even if he tries to destroy it, and that’s why Jaemin is so fascinating in his eyes. This boy, though, doesn’t look dangerous, but he looks pissed. As though someone forced him to stand there like a piece of meat about to be bought. The process is pretty much that, so he’s right, and Donghyuck likes that unlike the rest there is no desperation in his face.

Donghyuck plants his hands against the mirror, coming closer to look at him better. “Who is that?”

The man is shocked for a second, but Donghyuck admits that he recovers from it incredibly fast, he can give him that. “That’s Lee Jeno, sir. His team is small, only other two boys. He’s the oldest one.”

Donghyuck isn’t satisfied with the answer. “Powers?”

“Supernatural strength. Mind reading.” The man sends him a concerned look. “However, I would recommend choosing a different one, sir.”

The smile that blooms on Donghyuck’s face is inevitable. There’s something wrong with Lee Jeno, Donghyuck just feels it, and he loves a good challenge. It might be his attitude, considering that he’s staring ahead like his worst enemy is on the mirror, but that’s what Donghyuck needs to deal with Little Witch: passion.

“He’s on the menu, isn’t he?” Donghyuck asks, feeling happier and happier by the second. Jeno turns his head to the side like he heard such offensive remark, and Donghyuck wonders if he can, if he’s so mad just because he can hear people’s terrible thoughts. “I want him.”

Issue #4. And Then Came Lee Jeno!

Lee Jeno is, indeed, a problem. And so is his team.

Donghyuck loves it, because he has never fought fire with fire, and he’s finally sensing his chance to try. The other two boys are Jisung and Chenle, and perhaps because of Jeno’s influence, they are just as irritated as him. The difference is that while Jeno isn’t aggressive – far from it, Donghyuck discovers – Jisung and Chenle are.

Donghyuck finds out soon, because when they’re alone in Donghyuck’s apartment, the first thing he asks as a joke is, “Which one is the sidekick?”

And Jisung tries to punch him in the face.

Jisung fails, needless to say, because Donghyuck is faster than him and changes the gravity around him, so Jisung ends up floating in the middle of the living room, head down and legs kicking the air.

“I’m sorry,” Jeno apologizes, visibly dismayed. He hasn’t tried to stop Jisung, however, and Donghyuck would bet his own life that he laughed both at Donghyuck’s joke and the fact that Jisung attacked him. “They- we aren’t used to working with others.”

“It’s a pleasure, Zero Field,” Chenle chimes in, using Donghyuck’s hero name, as he spins around to inspect Donghyuck’s house. Donghyuck will have to keep an eye on him, since one of their trainers warned him that Chenle doesn’t have a good sense of individual property. Chenle dedicates him an exasperated look and asks, “Can you get my boyfriend down now? He’s pretty arrogant, so it’s better for him to keep his feet on the ground.”

Donghyuck complies, though he barely softens the fall for Jisung. Jeno offers him a hand to stand up, since experiencing changes of gravity potentially converts people into a clumsy mess, but Jisung stands up by himself, swaying to the sides and grasping the nearest table for support. He makes sure to glare at Donghyuck all the way through, though.

Before leaving the SHcreative facilities, Donghyuck set an immovable condition for them to work together: they wouldn’t use their double identities in private. It was just fair, since Donghyuck doesn’t have the advantage of concealing his real name. The three of them know where Donghyuck lives, which was a proof of trust; still, he needs to cover his back, and their names are the perfect exchange for that.

They sit around a coffee table, where Donghyuck spreads the newspapers from the last days, all of them highlighting the story of a serial building destroyer. Donghyuck explains to them his suspicions, what approach they should take, and where to get information. Bringing up the fact that Donghyuck suspects it’s Little Witch doesn’t settle that well with them, but that is natural.

“You know Coulomboy?” Chenle gasps when Donghyuck mentions Jaemin. He ignores his real name, of course, but Donghyuck is pretty amused at how Chenle’s eyes shine with expectation at the revelation. “That’s so fucking cool.”

“I’m sorry but-” Jeno begins, laughing. It’s not a happy laugh. Jisung grabs Jeno’s arm in an odd attempt to shut him up, but before he can even speak, all of them and Donghyuck included know what Jeno is going to say, “You think you can stop Little Witch?”

Donghyuck wasn’t joking, but Jeno seems to have assumed he was. Little Witch has an extended, bad fame, and he has as many retractors as supporters. Earning your own fame in a city full of superheroes is almost impossible, which means that Little Witch is one of the strongest superheroes out there. Donghyuck would be lying if he said he doesn’t feel a bit intimidated, so he can just imagine how much Jeno idolizes him.

“Alone? No. But aren’t you a mind reader?” Donghyuck points out, inclining forward to look into Jeno’s eyes. Unlike his team, Jeno isn’t awed by Donghyuck’s whole being, and returns a solid gaze that could be interpreted as a challenge.  Donghyuck knows how to get under people’s skin, though, so he grants Jeno his sweetest smile and adds, “Plus, rumor has it that Little Witch likes pretty boys.”

Shocked would be an understatement to explain Jeno’s reaction. He isn’t flustered at first, leaning more towards confusion and indignation, and he sits up straight with the clear aim of putting distance between Donghyuck and him.

“Are you kidding me? Do I look like I have the skills to seduce a freaking modern delinquent superhero?” he asks, face twisted with a frown. Donghyuck grins, lets his thoughts run wild, and watches how Jeno’s cheeks start becoming a bright pink, eyes widening. “Okay, I heard the answer in your mind. Don’t say it out loud.”

Chenle looks back and forth between them, not catching on to the exchange, “Why not?”

“Are you two flirting in front of us?” Jisung groans. He doesn’t hide his disgust, and Donghyuck feels quite offended this time: flirting with Jeno isn’t gross. He’s beyond cute, actually, even if he looks like he would prefer helping Little Witch instead of Donghyuck. “You don’t want to get into that game, trust me.”

Donghyuck trusts him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t stop, for he has just discovered Jeno’s weakness – no matter how many inappropriate thoughts he has caught in people’s minds, a good pick up line manages to turn him into a mess. Maybe no one dares to hit on him for that same reason, because it’s scary and invasive to have someone around that can hear every one of your thoughts. Every hero has at least one weakness, right? Jeno’s is direct flirting. Donghyuck’s is handsome bad boys.

Even though Jeno isn’t fond of seducing Little Witch, like Donghyuck calls it, he doesn’t permanently refuse. Donghyuck indulges him, pretends that they can forget about that strategy, but a glance traded across the table is enough to tell Jeno that, if their plan doesn’t work, they will have to resort to that sort of persuasion.

Working as a team makes Donghyuck realize two things: one, it isn’t as humiliating as he presumed and it brings a sense of security; two, time flies when he’s fighting to impose his ideas. They’re so engrossed in their schemes that, when Donghyuck lifts his head from the papers, he sees the moon instead of the sun through the window.

“We should leave,” Jeno announces then, but it’s an order, because Chenle and Jisung jump out of their seats like their lives depend on it. It must be normal though, since Jeno doesn’t give any sign of surprise. He looks at Donghyuck and continues, “We can meet tomorrow at this time, if you want to.”

Donghyuck nods, because there isn’t much he has to do. The superhero duties are more important than college, and at this point Donghyuck is shameless about skipping classes. And hanging out with other superheroes subsides his loneliness.

However, when Chenle and Jisung walk out the door, Jeno doesn’t. Donghyuck should be scared, because Jeno closes the door, and then they are alone inside Donghyuck’s apartment. A part of him whispers that he should prepare to attack, but Donghyuck’s body is petrified as Jeno turns around to face him. Jeno doesn’t attack, that’s just a stupid fear of Donghyuck, because why would Jeno do something like that?

Instead, Jeno’s face stretches into an adorable smile.

“What are you doing?” Donghyuck grumbles, torn between feeling flattered or scared.

Jeno ignores his question, sinks his hands in his pockets and pulls out a bracelet. It’s pretty, clearly made of gold, and it’s going to raise questions – at least from Mark. When Jeno inches closer, Donghyuck extends his arm without considering it twice, and that display of trust throws off Jeno’s confidence for a second.

Still, he clasps the bracelet around Donghyuck’s wrist, his skin soft and delicate when he brushes against Donghyuck. Eyes flickering up back to Donghyuck’s face, Jeno tells him, “This blocks your thoughts from getting into my head.”

It’s very considerate on his part, but Donghyuck knows how it feels to repress or limit your powers, so he lies, “It’s unnecessary, I don’t mind it.”

Jeno’s reaction is unexpected. He laughs, laughs so hard that Donghyuck has the urge to silence him, but he doesn’t have a way to do so. Instead he stares up at Jeno, dumbfounded, wondering how someone that looks so tough on the outside can become so angelic when laughing.

And when Jeno recovers from his fit of laughter, he holds Donghyuck’s wrist and caresses the bracelet, eyes crinkling up in satisfaction. “Though I appreciate all those compliments, it’s hard to focus if you’re thinking about how good I smell. Or how dark and sensual my eyes are.”

For once, it’s Donghyuck’s turn for the shame to hit him without mercy. He understands now: even if Donghyuck isn’t actively thinking about how attractive Jeno is, those thoughts still cross his mind from time to time. Jeno can catch every single one of them, and to be honest, Donghyuck hasn’t controlled his brain in the whole afternoon.

It’s evident that Donghyuck is speechless; not only speechless, but also blushing red, so Jeno withdraws without a word. The next look that Jeno gives him, however, is void of amusement.

“I won’t say anything about Jaemin,” he whispers, pupils becoming larger as Donghyuck returns the look. Donghyuck’s pulse races, his blood turns cold, his legs tremble, and beyond all that, it’s Jeno’s black eyes that push him to the edge. “See? It’s dangerous to let someone into your head.”

Issue #5. The Secret of Coulomboy!

Jaemin can’t read minds, but he can read Donghyuck.

It’s the first time they meet in two weeks and Donghyuck has been smart enough to propose that they should invade Mark’s flat. Ideally, they have to avoid their own houses, and Mark’s flat is better than a dark alley or a rooftop terrace.

Donghyuck has been too busy for Jaemin, at least for this: Jaemin’s hands under his shirt, his lips latched onto Donghyuck’s neck as he travels up to his jaw. When they meet in the thousandth kiss of the night, Donghyuck doesn’t remember that Mark will come back home sooner or later and will find them on his bed, because Jaemin looks at him like he’s the only person that matters. Sometimes Jaemin just wants to cuddle and kiss instead of talking, and tonight is one of those nights. They don’t need to discuss anything – Donghyuck has questions, but they’re not more important than Jaemin’s mouth – since they express their feelings well enough with their lips.

Jaemin rests for a second, bumping their noses together and smiling down at him, and Donghyuck takes a second to respond to the gesture. He doesn’t know why his mind is suddenly flooded with reflections, with their future, with will we have to hide forever? Jaemin notices that tiny moment of doubt. Donghyuck entangles his hands in Jaemin’s hair to bring him down and drown back into a kiss, yet it feels different this time, and Jaemin pulls away with a slight furrow of his eyebrows.

“What’s wrong?” Jaemin asks him in a whisper.

He caresses Donghyuck’s cheek with his thumb, cupping his face with his palm. Donghyuck is about to deny that he’s troubled, but he makes a big mistake: when he moves his hands away from Jaemin’s hair, the bracelet Jeno gave him gets caught in a strand of hair. Donghyuck never wears jewelry, since it’s not practical for combat, so Jaemin’s hand flies to grip his wrist before Donghyuck can hide it.

It’s curiosity, maybe his hero sense, that drives Jaemin to inspect the bracelet. It’s a game too, like he’s disposed to tease Donghyuck for wearing a bracelet, but then Jaemin flips Donghyuck’s wrist, and the words engraved on it are too big and clear for Jaemin to laugh.

“What is this?” he mutters, sounding breathless. There’s a hint of panic in his eyes when he gazes at Donghyuck, who stares back at him with guilt painted all over his expression. And Jaemin hesitates for a moment, pondering if asking is the right decision, but in the end he jumps into it, “Who is Jeno?”

There is a reason why Donghyuck doesn’t have an answer for that. It has been two weeks of spending his time with Jeno, every day, often without Jisung and Chenle because it’s Jeno who takes the final decisions for the whole team. Two weeks of discovering how smart he is, how considerate, yet also stubborn as hell. Two weeks of finding ways to tease him out loud, to let Jeno experience how it’s like to play push and pull without knowing every single thing the counterpart is thinking.

Donghyuck should be able to say that Jeno is just business, work, but when he opens his mouth, the knot in his throat grows so thick that he becomes mute. Jeno isn’t business: he’s cute and kind, and the first mainstream manufactured hero Donghyuck has ever known. Jeno is far from the idea Donghyuck had formed about them. According to Jeno, he doesn’t mind the pejorative nickname his kind has received, but Donghyuck knows that it must hurt.

“I shouldn’t answer that.” Donghyuck gulps. “Confidentiality.”

Incredulity shoots across Jaemin’s face. He gets off Donghyuck, blinking in confusion as though this could be a dream or maybe a nightmare. Donghyuck just wants to wipe away that expression with kisses. Even if Jaemin sits up, not looking at him, Donghyuck looks for his hand over the sheets and intertwines their fingers. Jaemin allows him to touch him, but Donghyuck swears that he can hear the wheels turning inside his head.

“Are you jealous?” Donghyuck whispers, very careful. “Because I’m wearing a bracelet with another boy’s name?”

It’s not the first time they discuss this issue, so liking other guys isn’t new for them. When they started dating, Donghyuck had a massive crush on one of their classmates, apart from Jaemin. They even went onto several dates, at the same time Donghyuck was getting to know Jaemin. Back then, Jaemin gave him green light to do whatever he wanted. I don’t own you, he had explained, I like you.

Donghyuck ignores if that statement still stands.

Jaemin licks his lips before taking a peek at Donghyuck’s face. “Should I be?”

“I don’t know,” Donghyuck replies with honesty. Before the silence swallows them, Donghyuck recognizes the chance he has been waiting for, the perfect bait for Jaemin to bite. He squeezes Jaemin’s thigh to grab his attention, and right when he’s studying Jaemin’s face, Donghyuck spits, “Should I be jealous of Little Witch?”

Donghyuck is sure that, when people say life never ceases to amaze you, this is what they mean: Jaemin’s mouth falling open, looking at Donghyuck with a mixture of horror and shock.

That’s all the proof Donghyuck needed to gather: Jaemin didn’t obtain the information from rumors, it was directly from Little Witch. Damn, Donghyuck should have confronted him about this earlier. During the past few months, Jaemin had canceled their meetings more than once, which was quite odd. Donghyuck had assumed that it was either because Jaemin was involved in something big and bad, or it was because a boy. He breathes in peace now that he knows it’s the latter, though Little Witch isn’t exactly innocuous.

“Come on, it’s obvious you know him well,” Donghyuck insists, breaking into laughter. Jaemin shifts on the bed, scrutinizing Donghyuck as if he doesn’t comprehend why he isn’t mad. Donghyuck wants to brush it off, because after all, he’s more interested in why Little Witch is being destructive rather than in why Jaemin likes him. “Did you tell him I want to meet up?”

That’s easier for Jaemin to confirm, neutral territory. “Yes, but I can’t force him, okay?”

“He has the upper hand, huh?” Donghyuck notes, lifting his eyebrows in skepticism. He crawls on Jaemin’s lap, and even though Jaemin is still embarrassed after getting caught, Donghyuck doesn’t let him live it down. He presses a kiss on the tip of Jaemin’s nose, and then pries, “For how long?”

Jaemin whines, which is not usual in him.

“Donghyuck…,” he protests, uncomfortable with the question. But Donghyuck slings his hands over his neck, caressing his collar, to bring him back to reality: Jaemin doesn’t seem to remember that they trust each other, that he doesn’t have anything to fear or to hide in front of Donghyuck.

It works, because Jaemin closes his eyes and surrenders, “Fine. Around six months.”

Donghyuck hasn’t expected Jaemin dating someone for so long without telling him, but he doesn’t comment on it. “Is he pretty?”

“Aren’t you nosy, Zero Field?” Jaemin attacks, unable to suppress a smile.

“Would you prefer talking about his great personality, Coulomboy? About his real name? About what does he do when he’s not destroying buildings?”

Jaemin throws his head back and snickers. Donghyuck might not know Little Witch personally, but he knows enough to be aware that this conversation would make no sense. In front of Donghyuck, Jaemin can’t praise Little Witch’s ability to blow up buildings, for example.

“Point taken,” Jaemin admits. He leaves a peck on the corner of Donghyuck’s mouth, and looping his arms around Donghyuck’s waist, he finally replies, “He’s really pretty. I wish you could see him without his mask.”

Donghyuck tilts his head to the side, “You could show me.”

“Aren’t you manipulating me now to do the dirty job for you?” Jaemin jokes. As Donghyuck bends forward for a kiss, Jaemin even moves his head away, making fun of him. His eyes glimmer when he whispers, “Introduce me to Jeno, and I will introduce you to Little Witch.”

It’s tempting, but nearly impossible. Jaemin won’t carry through with his part if they make a deal, not because he won’t want to, but because Little Witch doesn’t obey orders. If he obeyed orders, he wouldn’t work against the law, and Donghyuck wouldn’t have to chase after him.

Except that now, Donghyuck is curious about him for another reason: the way Jaemin’s eyes light up at the mention of his name.

Issue #6. He who blushes last…!

Donghyuck has told Mark that he’s too nice a thousand times, but he doesn’t learn. It becomes worrying sometimes, because even if Mark looks capable of looking after himself, Donghyuck is afraid people will take advantage of him. Other times, Donghyuck is grateful that Mark is a soft kind-hearted boy, because any other person would throttle Donghyuck for making out with his boyfriend on his bed and behind his back.

There are a couple of crimes there as well – trespassing, tainting of private property? – but Donghyuck blames it on Jaemin’s influence.

“Your boyfriend forgot to take this,” Mark announces as he slams down Jaemin’s phone on top of Donghyuck’s books.

Donghycuk startles, since he hasn’t seen Mark arrive at the library and less approach him. He experiences pure dread as soon as he recognizes the phone, because yes, that’s Jaemin’s phone, and he’s about to receive the scolding of his life for leaving behind something so important. They can trust Mark, but if it was any other boy, Jaemin’s identity would be in danger.

“I’m sorry?” Donghyuck tries, displaying his best apologetic expression. “There were a bunch of girls in front of my apartment building and we couldn’t just-”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Mark dismisses him, but he isn’t bothered by Donghyuck’s excuses. He takes the seat next to him, and crouches to take his own books out of his bag. “I didn’t look at it, so you don’t have to worry. But I can unlock phones and if I can, that means many people can.”

It’s stupid, but Donghyuck’s hand trembles as he grabs the phone and finds a safe place to hide it. At this time of the day, Jaemin must have found out that his phone is missing, but then again he doesn’t have any other way to contact him, unless he decides to attend some of his classes. That would raise suspicions though, for Jaemin has never talked to him in public.

“How does he even survive alone?” Donghyuck grumbles in concern. Exhaling a deep sigh, he whispers to Mark, “I didn’t tell you, but he has been working with Little Witch.”

Mark’s eyes widen, but he seems to believe Donghyuck right away. “Swear it,” he challenges. His shock doesn’t last, however, because his stare falls on the book Donghyuck is reading, and Mark can’t help but snort. “Is that why you’re reading about Little Witch?”

Out of embarrassment, Donghyuck shuts the book close. That worsens the situation, because the cover of the book depicts Little Witch as a girl, and a high pitched laugh bubbles out of Mark’s mouth.

“Don’t laugh at me!” Donghyuck shushes him, reaching out to cover his mouth. Mark does it himself, trying to drown his own laughter before they get kicked out. Donghyuck says in a small whine, “This is part of my job.”

The book isn’t contributing much, but Donghyuck is desperate. While he was making out with Jaemin, Little Witch was destroying yet another building, and in the process a bakery and a gym were converted to ashes – there was no one inside, and Donghyuck suspects that’s the only reason Little Witch acts at night. With his powers, Little Witch would never be worried about being discovered, for he can manipulate what people see, think and believe.

That’s why Donghyuck is so scared of him, even if Little Witch doesn’t have a criminal record of using his powers to hurt people. But if he wanted to, he could make Donghyuck believe he hates Jaemin, for example. He could make Donghyuck believe that he doesn’t have any powers, to the point Donghyuck would be unable to use them due to such conviction.

“I’m sure that dude would be offended if he saw the book you’re reading,” Mark remarks, and to insist, he snatches the book from Donghyuck. Upon inspecting the cover, he cracks up again. “Why the fuck is this girl wearing lingerie as a superhero suit? I hope Little Witch doesn’t frequent libraries.”

“Give me that,” Donghyuck grunts, ashamed.

But Mark is right: the book doesn’t give any valuable information, and Donghyuck should be inventing ways to make Jaemin speak. Knowing how Little Witch looks, for example, is pretty is useless, except for the fact that Donghyuck will be ready not to stare at him for longer than necessary.

At least Donghyuck can share his worries with someone. While Chenle and Jisung call him exaggerated, Jeno agrees with him and understands why Donghyuck is so keen on stopping him. After a few weeks, he’s also the only one who meets up with him every night in his apartment – his dedication to the cause is fishy, and Donghyuck suspects that it has something to do with how Jeno’s eyes glint when he looks at him.

Donghyuck doesn’t complain. Jeno isn’t mere company for him or a way to mitigate the hero’s loneliness, because Donghyuck wants to keep him when all of this has ended. He wouldn’t confess this to anyone, but some night he falls asleep with his fingers caressing the bracelet, which has become a great sign of respect and privacy. Donghyuck wonders if Jeno feels lonely too, despite being in a company surrounded by other heroes, and that leads him to wonder if Little Witch feels that way as well. Dating Jaemin has taught Donghyuck that heroes like him suffer a much more severe case of loneliness, and the need of fixing that is in Donghyuck’s nature.

His curiosity brings him to directly ask Jeno one night, when they’re already rolling up a dozen of maps which they were using to track down Little Witch’s movements.

Jeno has been pretty content all night, perhaps because their work seems to point to good results, or maybe because they’re so familiar around each other that Donghyuck found himself holding Jeno’s hand a couple of times. Jeno didn’t retreat, and Donghyuck wishes within that it wasn’t just because he was too focused to notice his touch.

After rolling up the last map, Jeno flashes an endearing smile at him, and it’s then when Donghyuck sputters, “Don’t you ever feel misplaced?”

The question takes Jeno by surprise, and it’s evident why: rather than curiosity, it comes off as an attack. Reproach. Donghyuck panics, waving his hands as though that gesture could explain his thoughts until he continues, “I mean with Jisung and Chenle around, since they’re together and all that.”

Jeno’s semblance relaxes at the explanation, his fingers loosening around the map.

“All that,” he repeats, amused at the choice of words. Donghyuck couldn’t say kisses, hugs, giggling in the middle of the night, because for some reason it’s too embarrassing in front of Jeno. “Is this your way of asking if I have a boyfriend?”

It’s a joke just to tease Donghyuck, but it’s also his chance to make his intentions clear. Donghyuck has never been a coward and he isn’t going to start now.

“Yes.”

Only one word is enough for Jeno to notice that Donghyuck is serious. This isn’t flirting anymore, a few compliments thrown here and there so that Jeno remembers how handsome he is. Donghyuck is sincere, even if for Jeno it might be unbelievable. Donghyuck has hope for him, and he doesn’t expect Jeno to look at him like others do: like he’s that famous superhero whose purpose in life is to serve the nation and not have his own private life.

Eyebrows shooting up, Jeno replies, “You assume I like boys?”

Donghyuck’s eyes crinkle up in mischievousness. “I know you do.”

Perhaps because Donghyuck doesn’t hesitate for a single second, that spikes up Jeno’s interest. He settles his hand on Donghyuck’s thigh, like he intends to pinch him if he says something offensive, and asks, “How so?”

Donghyuck could be wrong, or for that matter, he could be dealing with a guy that lies to himself about his sexuality. Jeno wouldn’t be so calm if that was the case, so Donghyuck is pretty confident. He swears that if he has misinterpreted Jeno’s glances, smiles, and touches for the past weeks, he needs to visit a mental hospital.

Instead of expressing it with words, Donghyuck unclasps his bracelet. As an automatic reflex, Jeno stops him before Donghyuck can pull it away, pressing the bracelet against Donghyuck’s wrist. Jeno’s breath hitches, and when Donghyuck flickers his eyes up, he recognizes the fear in Jeno’s face.

“Are you scared of my thoughts?” Donghyuck says, feeling his mouth dry. Getting rid of the bracelet has a bigger meaning, but Donghyuck understands how it works. It would be similar to stand naked in front of Jeno, except the mind harbors things that are much more important. Donghyuck can lie with his body, but not with his mind. “I want to do this.”

Even though Jeno vacillates, he seizes the bracelet with his fist. Nothing changes for Donghyuck, but it’s obvious it does for Jeno. The train of thoughts must be so sudden, so harsh into his mind, that Jeno has to close his eyes. Donghyuck holds Jeno’s chin, keeping his head up, with the intention of taking in every tiny reaction in his face.

If there is something about Donghyuck’s mind, it’s that inhibitions don’t exist. It’s the only place he’s free for real, and sharing that with Jeno feels right for some strange reason. Donghyuck wants Jeno to like all about him, not just what Donghyuck presents to the outside world.

When Jeno manages to open his eyes, he’s in a daze, unable to focus on Donghyuck’s face. Donghyuck caresses his jaw, trying to bring him back, and after a few minutes Jeno seems to recover his ability to recognize his surroundings.

“Well,” Jeno says, voice extinguishing into hoarseness. “I guess I should ask you on a date now?”

It’s Donghyuck’s turn to be coy. He’s twenty, a hero that the whole city admires and looks up to, and yet he’s a failure at romantic relationships. His only relationship is also his biggest secret, and that means he has never enjoyed things that normal people do enjoy on their daily lives: going on dates, holding hands in public, introduce his boyfriend to his parents.

It’s a bit hard to admit it, but in the end Donghyuck confesses, “I have never been on a date.”

“Never? What about Jaemin?” Jeno looks surprised, but a quick read of Donghyuck’s mind gives him the answer. He isn’t upset, even if the reason is a bit sad, and Jeno smiles his sweetest smile at Donghyuck. As if that isn’t enough, he intertwines their fingers together, tightly holding his hand. “I see. Then I’m taking you on a date.”

Issue #7. Enter: Little Witch.

Old habits die hard, and although Donghyuck loves counting on Jeno, Chenle and Jisung, he finds himself waking up in the middle of the night, alone, with the biggest hunch he has had in years.

It’s past 2 a.m., so it’s not a nice time to alarm his partners. Donghyuck scrambles out of bed, grabs a handful of maps from the living room’s table and then he extends them on the floor, anxiety creeping on his skin.

There are seven buildings left from the corporation, four down, and when Donghyuck puts the maps together and traces the lines between the destroyed ones, he realizes: Little Witch is following a pattern, an order. Donghyuck knows which one is next. He doesn’t know when, however.

That’s the main reason Donghyuck decides to part alone, though he texts Mark so that he’s alert if Donghyuck doesn’t show up in class tomorrow. He picks up Jaemin’s phone as well, for it wouldn’t be weird to cross paths with him if he’s collaborating with Little Witch. And it makes him feel safer. Wearing his superhero suit after a while does wonders as well: he can visualize himself, a purple spot through the city with white photoluminescent gems around his waist and hips. Most people think the gems are a boasting display of fortune, but their purpose is to maintain Donghyuck with his head up and his feet down when he applies the changes of gravity on himself. Years ago Donghyuck used to wear a cape for the theatrics as well, but once a villain caught him by the cape and Donghyuck has never dared to sport it again.

Donghyuck knows the city like the back of his hand; he could walk through it with his eyes closed, so in a matter of minutes he locates the right building. Instead of trespassing right away, he analyzes it from the base, since he doesn’t want to trap himself into a building that might explode anytime.

However, there is no trace of any superhero around. The locks haven’t been forced, the silence is absolute, and Donghyuck’s senses don’t inform him from any presence. Considering that Donghyuck can control gravity and impede that the whole structure crumbles down on him, he isn’t excessively afraid of taking the risk and stepping inside. He opens the main doors by changing the gravity in the locks, though it takes a few attempts, and walks around in darkness until he finds the elevator.

If this isn’t the building Little Witch is going to attack, at least Donghyuck should go to the rooftop to check if any of the other buildings are near. Besides, he considers new options: Little Witch isn’t a noob, and if his pattern was so obvious to Donghyuck, perhaps it’s a bait. And if it’s a bait, the place where any superhero would like to meet is the rooftop – Donghyuck hates clichés, but hey, superheroes can be terribly cliché. Hollywood has hurt them a lot.

High places give Donghyuck advantage: he’s a bit scared of flying, but his powers allow him to float in the air if he wishes. Little Witch doesn’t have a similar power, not that Donghyuck knows of.

The rooftop is empty when Donghyuck arrives, much to his dismay. The big green sign of the company rises from the middle of the rooftop, flashing so much light that Donghyuck can’t see the starts above him. He stays there despite his disappointment, because a hunch has never failed him, and he refuses to go back home with empty hands.

He sits under the sign, takes Jamin’s phone out, and tries to unlock it for fun. Jaemin is so dumb that not only he’s capable of leaving his phone behind, but also setting a picture of Donghyuck and him as his lockscreen. Not a regular picture that could be mistaken for a fan asking for a photo with his favorite superhero: it’s a picture that they took when they first started dating, and they’re kissing – if you can call eating each other’s mouth kissing.

A smile invades Donghyuck’s face as he blinks at the phone, but then the screen becomes black, and Donghyuck feels his heart skip a beat. The reflection of the screen shows there is a boy behind him, and Donghyuck turns around so fast that the phone flies out of his hands.

It’s not his imagination: Little Witch is sitting behind him, on the edge of the skyscraper, his legs closed and his hands on the cement, reclined against the abyss. Donghyuck is speechless, frozen as he locks eyes with the boy. Little Witch smirks at him, taking advantage of the fact that his mask hides every other feature of his face except his eyes and mouth.

Bumping into Little Witch in person is nerve-wrecking, Donghyuck realizes, worse than anything his imagination could supply. His suit alone is intimidating. It’s all black, and from his waist up, it’s a see through top with a black veining pattern that extends all over his torso and creeps on his neck and face like the roots of a tree. His mask accentuates his gaze, pupils as black as his suit, and there is glitter around his eyes; Donghyuck would believe it’s for aesthetics purposes, but a superhero never wears unnecessary elements on his suit.

“You shouldn’t be here,” is all what Little Witch says.

His voice sounds so cold that it cuts the air between them, and Donghyuck becomes aware of the situation, of the danger. His body pushes him to kneel on the floor, slamming his fist onto the ground; it works, because a wave of modified gravity extends forward and upwards from the floor, direct to Little Witch.

But when Donghyuck stares up again, Little Witch isn’t there anymore, not on the edge, not in front of him even. Then Donghyuck hears his laughter, and before he spins around to face Little Witch, he feels a torment of embarrassment raining on him. Little Witch was already manipulating his mind so that Donghyuck believed that he was on the edge of the building, but he wasn’t. That proves that he’s way smarter than Donghyuck, because he wasn’t reckless enough to show himself.

However, this time Little Witch is standing on his feet, barely one foot away from him. Donghyuck startles and jumps back, much to his own disgrace, and loses any type of self-love in the process.

“That wasn’t very polite of you,” Little Witch points out, still laughing. It’s impossible to discern if Donghyuck’s attack bothered him or not, even if it was on a mirage created by him. Donghyuck didn’t know that, anyway, his aim was to attack Little Witch. “Let’s try again. I’m Little Witch, and you are?”

It’s difficult for Donghyuck to trust him. He doesn’t shake hands with his opponents, rarely talks to them to convince them out of their plans, and overall, Donghyuck doesn’t introduce himself. He could make the effort to believe that someone from another country has never heard of Zero Field, but not Little Witch. Asking for an introduction is pure mockery.

Before he can analyze how it will be interpreted, Donghyuck frowns and spits, “You don’t know who I am?”

“I know,” Little Witch replies. He curls his hands around his waist, and his eyes glint under the light of the sign, becoming green like two emeralds. Then he softly scolds Donghyuck, “But don’t be so arrogant.”

A voice within Donghyuck reminds him that this is the same guy that kisses Jaemin. He can be bad, because Jaemin isn’t an angel himself, but he can’t be extremely bad, right?

“Lee Donghyuck,” he utters. The war inside him prevents him from being rational, or maybe it’s the way Little Witch has all his attention on him, or the fact that Donghyuck suddenly understands why someone would have depicted his suit as lingerie. “You know my real name. What’s yours?”

Donghyuck hates that Little Witch falls into a deep silence, staring at Donghyuck like he could eat him and Donghyuck would be just an appetizer. Donghyuck also hates that his eyes are so pretty, a shade of familiarity in them, as though he’s one of those persons that look reliable at first sight. It’s because of Jaemin, because Donghyuck is aware that they have him in common, and maybe if they weren’t superheroes on a rooftop, they could just go for coffee and laugh at how irresponsible Jaemin is.

Donghyuck’s question is shameful, more characteristic of a kid or a noob, but Little Witch doesn’t make fun of him. He runs a hand through his hair, looking up at Donghyuck, and sentences, “My name is something you have to earn.”

“I’m not here for your name.”

“I know why you’re here,” Little Witch cuts in before Donghyuck can explain. He dismisses Donghyuck with a wave of his hand, “You wanted to find me and I left clues for you to do so. Next time remember that I don’t attend calls like a dog. That will have to be you if you want to meet up with me.”

The confidence which he talks with erases any thoughts from Donghyuck’s mind, leaves him blank. It takes him several seconds to recover and grunt, “This isn’t a friendly meeting, Little Witch.”

“It’s an useless meeting,” the other agrees. Little Witch takes one step closer to him, defiance in his eyes. “I’m doing the right thing, and you just want to stop me because you prefer a clean, harmless city that commits crimes by leaning on the law. Because it’s the law, right? And you, Lee Donghyuck, stick to the law no matter what. But I’m going to destroy every single office this son of a bitch owns, and if I have to, I will destroy every ministry until someone considers modifying the law.”

Slapping Donghyuck would have had the same effect, except it doesn’t infuriate him. Little Witch isn’t threatening him: he is giving him the reasons why Donghyuck is in the wrong side. Donghyuck doesn’t wish to hear them. Little Witch is setting a bad example by taking the justice by his own hands, but he has a point; if a law hurt people, would Donghyuck still follow it?

“You’re destroying innocent people’s properties,” Donghyuck reasons, but his defense sounds weak in comparison.

“But I’m saving thousands from exploitation.” There is no hesitation in his voice or in his posture. Little Witch is aware of what superheroes like Donghyuck think of him, and if he cared, he would have stopped long ago. His gaze, however, makes Donghyuck feel like he’s being pitied, as Little Witch adds, “It’s just not labor exploitation, Donghyuck.”

Hearing his own name in Little Witch’s lips agitates Donghyuck. It’s hard to remember that people know him, that maybe he’s a familiar face for Little Witch, yet a part of Donghyuck suspects that’s not the reason Little Witch is so comfortable using his name.

Looking down at Little Witch is like staring at a shadow that can fade away any moment, and Donghyuck feels nervous as he whispers, “Are you trying to-?”

A smirk flashes through Little Witch’s face.

“I am,” he confesses. All of a sudden, Donghyuck has the feeling that Little Witch is too close, so close that he can feel his breath on his lips. This isn’t a mirage. If Donghyuck wanted to, he could reach out and hold Little Witch in place so that he doesn’t escape. But Donghyuck remains petrified, and Little Witch suggests, “Think about it.”

Donghyuck’s aim was to protect the building, but also to trap Little Witch. It has changed now, since his body doesn’t respond his orders, as though every muscle prefers to obey Little Witch. Little Witch is disposed to work with him, to drag Donghyuck into his plans and make Donghyuck’s ethics crumble down.

And then, Little Witch releases a soft snort and adds, “Ah, by the way, can you give me Jaemin’s phone?”

The question breaks all the tension in the air. “Did he-”

“He’s busy, I’m just doing him a favor,” he interrupts, before Donghyuck can ask if Jaemin sent him on purpose. Donghyuck has no option, so he hands him the phone, and Little Witch makes sure their fingers touch, a smug smile on his face. Unlike Donghyuck, Little Witch doesn’t wear gloves, and Donghyuck can’t help but wonder how it would have felt if he had bare hands as well. “Thank you, pretty.”

Then the mirage surrounds Donghyuck, Little Witch disappearing from his view, and even though Donghyuck knows that he’s still there, he can’t see Little Witch anymore.

Issue #8. Lie to be you.

Donghyuck doesn’t choose the best moment to tell his team what happened last night.

They have reunited at Donghyuck’s house as usual, and after screaming something about not having breakfast, Jisung has invaded the kitchen. Donghyuck barely slept because of the turmoil of emotions, so he doesn’t have any strength to fight Jisung. Therefore, the three of them wind up around the kitchen table while Jisung cooks, or at least that’s how he describes it.

That’s when Donghyuck decides to drop the bomb. Waiting doesn’t make any sense, because they’re here to study their plan, and meeting Little Witch is a big turn of events that disrupts their strategies.

Jeno frowns at him across the table, a mixture of concern and disappointment on his semblance. “You went alone after him?”

It’s undeniable that Donghyuck would feel guilty even if Jeno wasn’t looking at him that way. He felt too bold last night, it was a risky move and the outcome was, indeed, bad. The only response he can give is a curt nod.

“I feel so betrayed!” Jisung exclaims, slamming the pan down so hard that all of them jump in their seats. “I thought we were a team.”

“Don’t break my kitchen,” Donghyuck warns, lifting his index finger at Jisung.

Before Jisung can consider the threat, Chenle chimes in, “You can’t trust celebrities.”

Jeno grabs Chenle by his nape, and that’s the first violent thing Donghyuck has ever seen him do.

“Don’t call him that,” Jeno reprimands him.

It’s interesting how, despite not hearing Donghyuck’s current thoughts, Jeno can tell that Donghyuck despises that title. It isn’t convenient for Jeno either, because none of them are willing to get caught in the middle of a date and appear on the cover of some gossiping magazine the next day.

“Don’t panic, okay? I do have a better plan after this… incident,” Donghyuck assures them.

It’s not a lie, for Donghyuck has spent almost the whole night finding a proper escape for this situation. A bigger team would be an advantage, but he has to adapt to his resources, and spoiling Little Witch’s determination will be a hard task.

When Donghyuck presents his idea, it’s received with a lot of criticism. Jeno is the most careful with his words, but Donghyuck is aware that he agrees with Chenle and Jisung.

However, none of them are unrealistic. Their options are scarce, and if even being on-call at night is tiresome and desperate, it’s the best way to restrain Little Witch. That’s why they consent after almost two hours, with Jisung complaining that he’s too young and he needs to sleep, and Chenle promising him that he will let him sleep during the day. Chenle sounds pretty fraudulent, though.

Donghyuck assigns one building to each member of the team, and from the moment the workers leave the place, they are on watch. The first night, nothing happens. Donghyuck lies on the base of the green sign and scrolls down his phone the whole night, hoping that no one sees Zero Field chilling on a rooftop as he checks Instagram stories. The second time, Chenle brings communication devices for them to talk through the night, and when Donghyuck pries to know where Chenle got them, Chenle blatantly tells him that he stole them from another SHcreative team. The third day, Donghyuck has to turn the device off because Chenle and Jisung are so sleep deprived that they lose any sense of shame, and Donghyuck swears he will chop his head off if he has to hear how much Jisung loves Chenle again.

The fourth night, Donghyuck spends his time talking to Jeno. They talk about Jeno’s childhood, his powers, his relationship with his parents. Donghyuck tells him that he never had friends at school, and that even if in high school there were other superheroes around, none of them considered Donghyuck a normal person. He discovers that Jeno was brought up without a sense of individuality, that he shares his room with other twenty boys, and that although he never felt lonely, the competition in SHcreative is ruthless and heartless. Jeno was shaped in a different way than Donghyuck was, but for both of them it became the reason of their maturity. Right when Donghyuck sees the first sign of a sunrise, Jeno tells him that Donghyuck has the most beautiful mind he has ever encountered.

By the fifth night, Donghyuck’s team hates him.

“I think we should call it a night,” Jisung says at three in the morning, voice sounding so lazy that Donghyuck suspects that he has just woken up from a forbidden nap.

Donghyuck is too stubborn though, and much to everyone’s disgrace, he announces, “We are not calling it a night.”

“Listen, if Little Witch was about to destroy one of these skyscrapers, he would create a mess elsewhere to distract you,” Chenle argues, and damn, Donghyuck realizes that he’s right.

His main concern differs from that, and in an attempt to change topics, Donghyuck whispers, “Don’t say that out loud. Little Witch might be there and you might give him ideas.”

Jeno’s laughter can be heard through the device, perhaps because he can anticipate Chenle’s reaction.

“Around me?” Chenle nearly screams, flooded with panic. Jisung has the nerve to laugh at him too, Donghyuck following soon after, and Chenle cries out, “Shut the fuck up, now I’m scared for real.”

Guided by his own amusement, Donghyuck tries to calm Chenle down. “Don’t be dramatic. He can’t be that bad if he’s dating my boyfriend.”

The silence that follows is deafening, horror sliding in Donghyuck’s veins and his heart contracting so hard that it hurts. Donghyuck slaps his hand onto his mouth, even though he’s alone, and it’s too late to withdraw his words.

The first one to talk is Jisung, but he merely breathes out a, “What?”

“What?” Chenle repeats. The question is filled with puzzlement, and he sounds like he’s deciding if they’re pulling a prank on him. It isn’t the first time. “Isn’t Jeno your boyfriend?”

Donghyuck has never been more grateful of being alone. That question brings an unbearable heat to his cheeks, because he supposes that yes, Jeno is his boyfriend somehow, but they haven’t even kissed. Allowing Jeno to be inside his mind is much more intimate than a kiss, but there are no set rules to define a relationship based on the use of someone’s powers.

“Jeno isn’t…” Donghyuck begins, sitting up on the green sign, but he doesn’t have time to finish his sentence.

Jisung shouts through the com device, “You’re dating Coulomboy?!”

This time, Donghyuck is too astounded to remember that he can deny it. Jeno curses, and Donghyuck wishes that they would be together right now, not wearing the bracelet, so that Jeno could lend him a hand.

Instead, Donghyuck screws up by confirming, “How the fuck did you conclude that?”

“You said that you know Coulomboy, and Coulomboy knows Little Witch, and you don’t have many friends,” Jisung clarifies, very satisfied with his own deduction skills.  “Actually, none. Just that Mark guy.”

Donghyuck would be offended if he wasn’t so busy being terrified at how Jisung has peeled his biggest secret off in less than one second. There isn’t any use in lying to Jisung after this, thus Donghyuck’s best option is to stay silent.

“Oh my god, you’re dating Coulomboy. And Coulomboy is dating Little Witch. And Jeno is dating you. What the fuck is happening?”

“It’s so obvious that you have never worked in a team,” Jeno tells Donghyuck, ignoring his friends’ blabbering. There isn’t any nervousness in his words, perhaps because he trusts his team, or he’s just used to their behavior. “You can’t keep your own secrets safe.”

Jeno is right. The only reason Donghyuck has succeeded at hiding his relationship with Jaemin for so long was that he didn’t have anyone to reveal it. Mark has known since day one. But the moment Donghyuck has made new friends, he has blundered.

 “That’s it. I’m calling it a night,” he decides, bringing his hand to his ear to take off the com device.

The last thing he hears is Jisung screaming, “You coward, don’t dare to leave n-”

Issue #9. Unmasked At Last!

Much to his surprise, by the time Donghyuck leaves the building, Jeno is waiting for him outside. It’s true that the skyscrapers they were guarding were quite close to each other, but Donghyuck doesn’t expect him to show up in front of him after cancelling the plan. He’s still wearing his superhero suit; the only difference today is that he carries a bag on his back, which catches Donghyuck’s attention right away.

Donghyuck doesn’t need a reason to meet Jeno, and he’s happy to see him, so his lips expand into a smile. “What are you doing here?”

Jeno bites his lower lip, hesitating, and Donghyuck thinks that it’s pretty funny to see a guy with such a good physique expressing that insecure body language. Not funny, but adorable.

“There is a diner near here that doesn’t close at night,” Jeno says in the end, eyes full of hope flickering to Donghyuck’s face. “At this hour it must be empty, so we don’t have to worry about getting caught.”

That’s when it hits Donghyuck: Jeno is taking him on that date he promised him. In the middle of the night, after a failed mission, while they’re still wearing their suits. As if Donghyuck wasn’t wearing the bracelet and Jeno could read his mind, he unties his bag and opens it, pulling a gray sweater from it.

“I have clothes for both of us,” Jeno announces, eyes crinkling up. “They’re just jumpers and trousers, but that way no one will look at us.”

Donghyuck runs to him, laughter bubbling up, and snatches the sweater from his hands. It doesn’t matter that they’re in the street, because excitement runs through Donghyuck as he casts off his mask, and then he grabs Jeno’s mask and does the same just to reveal that Jeno is laughing at him.

“I never had someone so happy over a jumper,” he observes, even though both of them know that Donghyuck doesn’t care about the clothes.

Donghyuck slides into the jumper and adjusts the trousers as best as he can. They are a bit big for Donghyuck’s size, but his suit barely peeks over his neck, and he fixes it by using the hood to cover his head. Once both Jeno and he look like normal boys, Jeno presses his hand against Donghyuck’s palm. It takes Donghyuck a second to realize that he wants to hold hands.

This is a first for Donghyuck too. He has never hold hands with a boy in public, and regardless of the time, it’s an experience to walk through the city with Jeno’s hand intertwined in his. Jeno is casual about it, however, and Donghyuck is amazed at how natural their conversation is, no pressure between them.

Like Jeno assured him, the diner is just a few streets away, and Donghyuck is grateful to find it empty. There is only one waitress and one cook, both of them talking behind the bar, and they don’t even glance at them when they enter. For safety, they still choose to sit in the most isolated booth, no windows around them.

They order fries and nothing more, which earns them a bad look from the waitress. Donghyuck is too entertained, too happy to care. Jeno insists in feeding him the fries, and though Donghyuck is embarrassed, he consents to it. In a matter of minutes, they have spiraled into a fit of laughter and Donghyuck is trying to clean off the stains from his – Jeno’s – sweater.

“I think I like this,” Donghyuck confesses. Liking it is an understatement, for he feels like his chest is about to explode from ecstasy. He pokes the fries with his index finger and adds, “Despite these bland fries.”

Jeno grins at him and then he extends his palm over the table, eyes lighting up. Donghyuck wouldn’t miss the not so subtle signal, thus he doesn’t vacillate before taking Jeno’s hand across the table. They don’t need to say anything, and Donghyuck can imagine how this must look from the outside, two boys wearing hoodies and holding hands, gazing at each other in silence.

“You deserve something better,” is what Jeno says after a while, his voice dissolving into a sigh.

“Don’t say that!” Donghyuck scolds him, horrified. Squeezing Jeno’s hand until he groans, because Donghyuck has no healthy limits, he encourages Jeno, “This is great. I couldn’t have asked for something better. Or for someone better.”

Jeno doesn’t seem to believe him, but Donghyuck’s words do appease him. Before Donghyuck can tell him a thousand times so that Jeno doesn’t doubt himself, the bells of the door ring through the diner and Jeno’s gaze follows the sound. It’s an automatic reflex to check the entrance, but Jeno’s expression unsettles Donghyuck, tells him that something is off.

“What sort of people visit diners at this time?” he mumbles, lowering his head.

Out of curiosity, Donghyuck turns around to analyze; Jeno whispers to him that he should be discreet, but discretion is the last thing on his mind when he recognizes one of the two boys that are occupying the booth three tables away from theirs. Donghyuck shifts on his seat so fast that dizziness flashes through him for a moment, and he secures his hood tighter around his head.

“Shit,” Donghyuck whines, not believing that this is happening to him. However, Jeno is still holding his hand, and he looks tremendously confused when Donghyuck sputters another trail of curses. “Shit, shit, shit.”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“That’s Jaemin.”

Jeno tilts his head to the side, as though the angle could change the way he sees them. “Really? He looks too small to be Coulomboy,” he concludes, an adorable frown between his eyebrows.

“No! The other one!”

“I see,” Jeno replies, strangely unconcerned over the situation. “Do you think superheroes frequent diners at four? Maybe it’s a superhero thing and we didn’t know it yet.”

Donghyuck’s mouth falls open in shock, because this is so surreal that it must be a dream – a nightmare. It’s clear that Jeno is unfazed at the fact that Donghyuck’s boyfriend, the boyfriend of the guy he’s holding hands with, is feet away from them. There is nothing wrong with this, Donghyuck reckons, but he can’t help but be nervous.

“Who’s the other dude?” Donghyuck asks Jeno, stirring on his seat like a kid waiting for food.

Jeno sends him a meaningful glance, “He’s not thinking about his own name right now, as you may understand.” Then he blinks at the nothingness, and when his eyes focus on Donghyuck again, there’s a certain coyness in them. “He’s thinking, uhm, about Jaemin.”

Suspicions strikes Donghyuck right then, and he jolts around on his seat again, his best hawk eyes ready. Much to his bad luck, when he gazes at the unknown boy, he’s already staring back at Donghyuck.

“Now he thinks about you. He knows your name?” Jeno unhelpfully informs, but then his fingers clench around Donghyuck’s hand, and Donghyuck doesn’t need to glance at him to know that, at last, he is nervous. “Well, fuck, he’s going to come over.”

Donghyuck wants the ground to swallow him, because even if he turns around like he hasn’t just scanned a stranger from head to toe, they have reached a point of no return. He can hear Jaemin and his friend’s steps approaching, and worse, he can witness every little reaction on Jeno’s face, his tension, his uneasiness.

“Donghyuck?” Jaemin calls him, doubtful.

Donghyuck feels like a child that has been caught escaping from home when he was grounded. He faces Jaemin just like that: with his most repenting expression. The other boy smiles at them, first at Jeno, then at Donghyuck, and plants his palms on their table as he bends forward.

“Good night, gentlemen,” he greets them. Jaemin has moved onto staring at Jeno, so he doesn’t witness Donghyuck’s reaction when the boy speaks. That voice is unmistakable, and Donghyuck’s blood freezes in his veins as the boy adds, “Nice hoodie, Zero Field.”

What impresses Donghyuck the most is that his hair is blond. Heroes rarely change their hair color in an attempt to go unnoticed when they’re pretending to be regular civilians. Donghyuck knows that Lee Taeyong got his identity revealed that way, after dying his hair several times with very eccentric colors, and no one wishes to follow suit. Other than that, Little Witch looks like a normal boy. A very, very pretty boy, with feline eyes and a blinding smile, but normal.

“Don’t play with him,” Jaemin protests, elbowing him.

“He likes games, I’ve been told,” Little Witch assures him, not minding the pleading look Jaemin sends him.

Donghyuck can’t move or talk, and that reduces him to a frightened coward that is staring up at Little Witch like he’s a semi-god, not just a hero like him. Little Witch must be accustomed to have that effect on people, because he isn’t surprised beyond a teasing glint in his eyes.

“I think your boy is asphyxiating,” Little Witch observes, eyes travelling to Jeno. “You are?”

Little Witch isn’t exaggerating. Jeno is shrinking in his seat, perhaps because everyone is staring at him, but the color of his face is unreal. It’s not a faint blush on his cheeks, but the color he would have if someone had tried to drown him in the sea. He looks as purple as Donghyuck’s suit, and Donghyuck worries about him, but Jeno isn’t choking, just embarrassed.

Donghyuck tightens the grasp around his hand to stop him from speaking, and warns, “Don’t tell him. He’s Little Witch.”

“Can you lower your voice?” Little Witch scolds him, scandalized. When Donghyuck blinks at him, startled, he draws an enchanting smile. “Thanks.”

An idea crosses Donghyuck’s mind right then. This is the opportunity he has been waiting for, the reason why he chose Jeno and his team, and the solution to make Little Witch’s smirk disappear.

“What’s your name?” Donghyuck spits at Little Witch, laughing when he looks at him like he’s dumb. Before he can point it out, however, Donghyuck turns to Jeno with a triumphant smile. “So, what’s his name?”

Jeno laughs out loud, almost hysterically, understanding what has just happened. He announces, “Huang Renjun.”

And Huang Renjun glances at Jeno like he’s a monster.

“How in the world?” he whispers, astonished.

Jaemin’s reaction is just as satisfying, for he’s staring at Jeno with his mouth open. That’s just further confirmation that Little Witch’s real name is Renjun, because Jaemin wouldn’t be so shocked if it wasn’t.

Donghyuck can’t contain a soft sound of happiness, because Jeno is wonderful, and someone that can make Renjun look like he’s witnessing the end of the world deserves only good things.

“See, I told you your powers are perfect to act against him,” Donghyuck congratulates him. Then he wears his most arrogant expression and informs Renjun, “He can read your mind.”

Understanding what that implies is a process well reflected on Renjun’s face. First of all, he must be thinking that Jeno is his anti thesis; while Renjun can manipulate what others see, think and believe, Jeno can read his thoughts, so he can discover his intentions before Renjun takes action. Even if Renjun manipulates Jeno’s thoughts, a little slip will let Jeno know that Renjun implemented a lie into his head.

However, the last thing Donghyuck expects is Renjun sliding onto the booth with them. He sits next to Donghyuck, thigh bumping into his, and Donghyuck has to force himself not to gasp. Renjun is so nonchalant about touching him, like they have done it dozens of times, but Donghyuck is dumbfounded at how Little Witch’s leg is brushing against him. Jaemin imitates him, although he takes the seat beside Jeno, and he doesn’t look as comfortable. He sends Jeno cautious glances. It makes Donghyuck wonder if, despite being in an open relationship, he’s changing his mind after seeing the result with his own eyes.

“Now I understand why you’re red like blood,” Renjun concludes, and for some reason, his mood returns to plain contentment. Donghyuck doesn’t understand why until Renjun inches over the table, elbows on the surface and his face between his palms, a smirk blooming on his face. “Having fun with my thoughts?”

If Jeno had recovered of his embarrassment, it doesn’t matter, because it hits him with full force again. Donghyuck is very curious of Renjun’s thoughts, though judging Jeno’s expression, he can predict what sort of thoughts Renjun is having.

“Control yourself,” Jaemin murmurs for him, even if everyone can hear him.

It would pretty funny that Jaemin is defending Jeno if Jeno didn’t look like he is dying anyhow, and Donghyuck is sure that Renjun is doing it on purpose. Donghyuck is amazed at how Jaemin knows that Renjun is going overboard without being able to prove it for sure. It speaks volumes not only about Renjun, but about both of them together.

“You know I can make you two forget all this, right?” Renjun threatens them, but he’s not serious about it. “My name, that Jaemin and I were here, even that you guys were on a date. Actually, I could make you believe that you were on a date with me instead, wouldn’t that be great?”

Renjun is toying with them, and somehow Donghyuck understands why he’s so full of himself. His powers are out of this world. Donghyuck’s life as a superhero would be so easy if he had an ally like Renjun. He could just convince the bad guys to be good, or make them believe they’re good.

Donghyuck lifts one of the fries and points at Renjun, altered, “Touch Jeno’s mind and I will make you choke with these fries.”

Jokingly, Renjun opens his mouth, and then Donghyuck finds himself feeding him the fry he’s holding. It happens in the blink of an eye, and before Donghyuck can realize that he’s being manipulated, Renjun’s lips have closed around the fry, brushing against Donghyuck’s fingers.

“Hey!” Jaemin protests, but as soon as he catches Donghyuck’s horrified expression, he bursts into laughter.

“Where’s your free will, Lee?” Renjun teases him, chewing on the fry. “This food is nasty, damn.”

Donghyuck withdraws his hand so fast that one would think Renjun is made of fire. Fire is what Donghyuck feels on his own face, because he has just fed Little Witch from his own hands, and Renjun looks so incredibly happy about it that Donghyuck feels like throwing himself off a cliff.

“Get out of here,” Donghyuck grunts at him, even if he’s not mad. He’s ashamed, however, and needs to put some distance between Renjun and him before his heart decides to explode.

“Look at the goody two-shoes becoming violent,” Renjun observes. He’s unbothered by Donghyuck’s words, but he still complies, sliding out of the booth. It’s odd to see how he offers his hand to Jaemin and Jaemin takes it, and once both of them are standing, they don’t let go. Renjun gives Donghyuck and Jeno a last smile and assures, “We are not so different, are we?”

Issue #10. The night Lee Donghyuck was kissed.

That night Donghyuck is warm.

It’s a warmness created by many reasons: the embarrassment of being controlled by Renjun, the feeling in his stomach when Renjun and Jaemin held hands as they left the diner, the blush in Jeno’s cheeks that remained alive until they were home, the urge of taking his bracelet off.

That warmth becomes comfortable later, when they have changed into their pajamas (Donghyuck’s pajamas) and Jeno has his arms wrapped around him. Donghyuck keeps laughing because Jeno refuses to reveal Renjun’s thoughts, but as soon as Jeno is about to give in, Donghyuck drowns his face in the crook of Jeno’s neck, moaning. It amazes Donghyuck how there isn’t any sort of jealousy between them: both of them are flustered for what has happened, and they don’t deny the effect Renjun had on them. But when Jeno mentions that it wasn’t only Renjun, Donghyuck freezes in his arms.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Donghyuck asks, withdrawing to look at Jeno’s face.

Jeno avoids his stare, and it’s evident that he regrets snitching on Jaemin as he timidly clarifies, “Jaemin. He tried to control them when you said I could read minds but before that…”

Donghyuck isn’t naïve. He has been dating Jaemin for so long that he should have predicted that Jeno would fit his taste, but Donghyuck never counted on knowing about it through Jeno.

Still, to dissipate that seed of doubt, Donghyuck demands, “Explain. Clearly.”

Instead of answering, Jeno groans and hides his eyes behind his arm. That’s cute, much to Donghyuck’s dismay, even if his aim isn’t making Jeno suffer another uncomfortable situation. That’s why Donghyuck hooks his fingers in Jeno’s hair, caressing down his neck so that he relaxes. Jeno responds by inclining his head towards Donghyuck’s touch.

Persuaded, Jeno sighs in resignation. “Let’s just say that if the plan is to seduce them, I should go for Jaemin before Renjun.”

“You’re wrong for once,” Donghyuck contradicts him. Jeno sends him a confused look, as though he fears having made a mistake, but Donghyuck draws a sweet smile for him. He hasn’t given himself time to process that Jaemin approves of Jeno, and perhaps that’s why Jeno is so lost. “There is someone that you should go for before Jaemin and Renjun.”

Jeno catches on the game, the corners of his lips quirking up for a second. He manages to suppress the smile in time, which doesn’t prevent Donghyuck from noticing.

“You think so?” Jeno asks, feigning innocence. He puts up his best pensive expression, and concludes, “No one comes to mind.”

Donghyuck doesn’t know why his body reacts that way, but all of a sudden he’s thinking about how cute Jeno is. About the way he scrunches his nose when he laughs, or how he has learned to joke about Donghyuck’s fame in the worst moments; about how he never felt intimidated by Donghyuck’s name, but blushed like a madman upon hearing Jaemin and Renjun’s thoughts. Donghyuck isn’t jealous per se, but he would hate if any of them made a move on Jeno before Donghyuck could.

By the time his fingers curl around Jeno’s collar, the decision has been taken. Jeno is oblivious at what Donghyuck is doing, but when Donghyuck comes close enough for their noses to touch, Jeno stops breathing altogether. Then his eyelids flutter close, lips parting, and Donghyuck swears that he has never seen someone so endearing in his whole life: Jeno is waiting for him, surrendering without a single moment of hesitation. Donghyuck doesn’t prolong Jeno’s waiting, but his chests hurts from excitement when he presses a soft peck on Jeno’s lips. Then a second one, and Jeno’s arm brings him closer over the bed, and the peck becomes a kiss, their lips brushing against each other. Jeno’s shyness doesn’t last, and Donghyuck finds himself being guided instead of guiding. It’s Jeno who licks up Donghyuck’s lips first, asking for permission, and he’s also the first one to caress down Donghyuck’s back.

Donghyuck is surprised, but pleased. And when Jeno moves his hand down Donghyuck’s arm until he has a hold of the bracelet, Donghyuck’s brain decides it’s time not to function anymore.

Jeno stares at him through his eyelashes, breathless, and pleads, “This is the only moment I need you to take this off.”

Flustered would be an understatement to express how Donghyuck feels. He is overwhelmed by the intensity of Jeno’s eyes, by the idea of getting rid of the bracelet right when his mind is running wild without chains.

“I’m just thinking about how cute you look in those pajamas,” Donghyuck lies, trying to ease his own tension.

Jeno gifts him an incredulous smile, but he doesn’t force Donghyuck to unclasp the bracelet.

“I want to hear that too,” he whispers, playing along. His mouth finds Donghyuck’s lips again, but it’s shorter this time; Donghyuck doesn’t realize it’s on purpose until he chases after Jeno’s lips and Jeno withdraws enough to prevent it. Donghyuck’s groans entertains Jeno, however, and he confesses, “I wish you could hear mine.”

The mischievous glint in Jeno’s eyes betrays him. The deal is trading the bracelet for more kisses. Maybe he has gone crazy, but Donghyuck is disposed to break the bracelet if it will drive Jeno to kiss him again. So before Jeno can reckon his answer, Donghyuck rushes to unclasp the bracelet himself. He throws it over Jeno’s head, the sound of metal against the floor resonating in the room.

Surprise fills Jeno’s expression, but it’s just for a second. The next second his mind is flooded with Donghyuck’s thoughts, and Donghyuck admits that it’s satisfying to observe how Jeno has to close his eyes and suck in a breath.

“Do you like it?” Donghyuck laughs, and Jeno releases a shaky breath.

Donghyuck inches forward and seals Jeno’s lips with his. While Jeno is still too sensitive for the cascade of thoughts, Donghyuck goes beyond that and slings his hand around his neck; he bites down on Jeno’s lower lip, and then licks it, and then bites again. Jeno can’t help but let out a weak groan.

Holding Jeno’s jaw between his hands, Donghyuck mutters, “What about now? Liking it?”

Jeno’s eyes are glassy when he focuses on Donghyuck. He never gets to reply with words, because he just replies by biting back.

Issue #11. Jaemin! He Who Walks The Shameless Land!

Donghyuck hates this conclusion, but it’s the truth: introducing Jeno to Jaemin feels like he’s introducing his boyfriend to his parents.

Mark laughs for ten minutes straight when Donghyuck explains it to him that way, and it’s impossible for Donghyuck to understand his reaction until Mark asks, “So Jaemin is your dad? Gross.”

However, that comparison is the closest description Donghyuck can come up with.

See, he has been dating Jaemin for two years. Except for public couple things – like going on dates – Jaemin is his first everything: his first kiss, his first boyfriend, his first relationship fight, his first love reconciliation. Jeno is new. Renjun is new. And no matter what, if they harm their relationship, they won’t be able to be part of their lives. Thus letting Jeno and Jaemin get to know each other is a risk, but it’s indispensable if Donghyuck wants Jeno in their lives. The little problem with Renjun will need a solution too, but Donghyuck is avoiding that topic for now.

Despite the fact that it was Jaemin who brought the idea up, Donghyuck is beyond nervous at the prospect of a three-way date. He still has to cover up to his eyes anyhow, even if hanging out with two guys could be interpreted as friends spending their time together.

On the other hand, Jeno has dressed up, at least compared to what Donghyuck has seen him wear. He has slicked his hair back, has tried to tuck his white shirt into his pants, and there’s a bit of make-up in his eyes. Perhaps Donghyuck’s legs weaken at the sight of him. They don’t speak about why Jeno wants to look handsome for Jaemin, but the knot of nerves in Donghyuck’s stomach grows bigger and bigger. Jeno isn’t better than him, and Donghyuck isn’t proud of their own strategy to relax: they make out by Donghyuck’s door for at least twenty minutes, just to realize, too late, that they’re going to show up at the date with their lips swollen.

In order to avoid the multitude, they have agreed to have dinner at a camping site. Jaemin is waiting for them there, and by the time Jeno and Donghyuck arrive, Jaemin has set up the table, their chairs, and he’s taking out the cooking tools out of his car. Donghyuck hadn’t counted on Jaemin cooking for them, but it’s evident that he was wrong.

Jaemin is oozing confidence tonight, and Donghyuck is glad to see him that way. Last time, when the four of them were together, Jaemin looked mildly scared, perhaps because he was worried about the impression Renjun was going to leave on Donghyuck. It’s Donghyuck’s turn to suffer now for the same reason. Not that he doesn’t trust Jeno: he doesn’t trust Jaemin.

When Jaemin greets them – a peck on the lips for Donghyuck, a smile for Jeno – Jeno doesn’t waste any minute to settle the mood.

“I have something for you,” Jeno announces. Donghyuck glances at him, confused, because Jeno didn’t mention that he had brought a gift for Jaemin, but as soon as Jeno sinks his hand in his pocket, Donghyuck realizes. A bracelet similar to the one Donghyuck is wearing glints in Jeno’s hand. “It won’t let me read your mind.”

Asking questions would be the most reasonable reaction, but Jaemin hides his curiosity pretty well.

“I’d appreciate that,” he says, looking into Jeno’s eyes as he lifts his hand for him.

Watching the exchange feels as intimate as it felt for Donghyuck upon receiving the bracelet himself. Jaemin is incapable of tearing his gaze away from Jeno while he places the bracelet around his wrist. Donghyuck has a hunch that the night will go well – they have just gotten rid of the most dangerous thing: Jaemin’s thoughts.

“What if you wear it?” Jaemin asks hours later, when they’re sitting around a small fire that took Jaemin twenty minutes to make.

Donghyuck doesn’t have any complaints about the dinner. Jaemin is talkative and unexpectedly, Jeno can become just as talkative if they let him. Besides, Jaemin doesn’t bother to be polite, and that breaks whatever barrier that could exist between them. On his part, Jeno isn’t coy of showing affection to Donghyuck in front of Jaemin, and far from jealous, Jaemin follows every touch of his with interested eyes.

“The bracelet?” Jeno grins. He must have received that question a hundred times before, because he inspects Jaemin and dedicates him a relaxed smile. “What do you think happens?”

Jaemin raises his hand to shush them before any of them can steal the answer from him, and then he assures, “You stop hearing your own thoughts.”

“How does that make any sense?” Jeno nearly screams, bursting into laughter. Donghyuck even has to grab him by the shirt so that he doesn’t drive himself face straight into the fire. “Oh my god, you’re a fool.”

“I’ve been trying to warn you,” Donghyuck chimes in, because to be honest, Jaemin’s dumbfounded expression is pretty funny.

“Excuse me, I’m a mastermind,” Jaemin defends himself. In resignation, he watches Jeno and Donghyuck laugh, and insists, “So nothing happens?”

Jeno nods.

 “It’s like your collar,” he says, bringing his own hands to his neck. It’s surprising that Jeno has deduced what the collar was for, and Donghyuck can’t help but amaze at how smart he is. Jeno was able to conclude that from the mere fact that they weren’t electrocuted when they touched Jaemin. “Your collar confines your powers. My bracelets confines thoughts, but I already have my own thoughts inside, so it doesn’t work for myself.”

Jaemin slides over his blanket, careful not to burn himself with the fire, and invades Jeno’s blanket without asking. Jeno blinks at him with a questioning glance, except now they’re looking at each other from a much smaller distance, and Donghyuck has to squeeze Jeno’s hand so that he doesn’t act like Jaemin is going to murder him.

“I have another question,” Jaemin announces. He has brought up his knees up, and he is resting his head on them, displaying a smile as he makes puppy eyes at Jeno. “Do you ever believe that other person’s thoughts are your thoughts?”

Contrary to his previous reaction, Jeno is impressed at the question, perhaps because it’s the first time someone asks that. Jaemin is that type of person, the one who contemplates possibilities than no one else would. During all this time, Donghyuck hadn’t even pondered about that possibility.

“It happens sometimes, when they’re too loud,” Jeno confesses, serious. His eyes scan Jaemin’s face before adding, “Yours were very loud.”

Far from flustered at the accusation, Jaemin shrugs. “I’m passionate.”

Donghyuck can vouch for that, but it’s not necessary considering that Jeno has already been inside Jaemin’s head. Jeno and Jaemin stare at each other for long, no words needed, and Donghyuck experience a sort of new fascination for what he’s witnessing.

Upon noticing that they have run out of food, Jaemin stands up and walks towards his car. Donghyuck takes advantage of that moment of intimacy to send Jeno a silent question, dedicating him a concerned glance, but Jeno stares at him with a peaceful smile and shakes his head.

Jaemin comes back holding two bottles of alcohol, and he doesn’t hesitate to cackle as soon as Donghyuck protests out loud. On the contrary, Jeno receives one of the bottles with open arms. It doesn’t matter that Donghyuck complains that it’s not a good idea, because what if someone catches the three of them drunk and spreads it around? And who is going to drive them back?

“You,” Jaemin answers, shameless, as he sits next to Jeno again. “Last time you got drunk you made a mess. So we’re hindering that tonight.”

A mess is a mild way to put it. Jaemin had to physically stop Donghyuck from phoning a newspaper to confirm that they were dating. The newspaper would have assumed that it was a joke, probably, but it was a big risk for them. They would have been monitored for months.

So Donghyuck complies, since someone has to be responsible and neither Jeno nor Jaemin are disposed to take that role. They huddle together around the fire, and while Donghyuck rests his head against Jeno’s arm, Jaemin lies on Jeno’s lap with all the confidence of the world. Perhaps it’s the alcohol, but in a matter of minutes they’re giggling about the stupidest things and Jeno’s fingers are lost in Jaemin’s hair. Jaemin chokes a few times for drinking while lying down, but not even Donghyuck can convince him to leave Jeno’s lap in peace.

A sober Jaemin already lacks the basis of shame, but a drunken Jaemin is honesty personified. That’s why, after bringing the third bottle and passing it between Jeno and him a few times, he plops down back on Jeno’s legs and opens his mouth to ask the most terrible question.

“Why don’t you leave SHcreative?”

The silence that expands around them isn’t tense, but Donghyuck feels his heart race as he checks out Jeno’s expression: he’s frowning, as though he couldn’t understand the reasoning behind that question.

“They created me,” Jeno mutters as a response.

“So? Don’t your contracts end when you’re of age?” Jaemin retorts. Donghyuck has no idea why Jaemin owns that information, but judging how Jeno doesn’t contradict him, it must be true. “Drop them. There are more of us out here, you don’t have to obey orders from people as if you were a pet.”

Jaemin means it, which is the terrifying aspect of his statement. Donghyuck isn’t sure if he should silence his boyfriend, because even if Jeno looks a bit troubled, he isn’t upset. More than anything, he’s up to having a discussion about it, therefore he might have thought about it before.

“Donghyuck obeys too,” Jeno remarks, tilting his head as he looks down at Jaemin.

“Because he wants to.” Jaemin smirks at both of them, his hand curling around Jeno’s knee, his cheek rubbing on his thigh. “I obey Donghyuck sometimes because I want to, but I have the choice of ignoring him.”

Donghyuck scoffs. The only way Jaemin can ignore him is when they’re not in each other’s space; that’s it, when Jaemin can resist Donghyuck’s charm.

“Jaemin, he has a team,” Donghyuck offers.

Jaemin lifts his eyebrows, interested. All of a sudden Donghyuck remembers that he has never mentioned Chenle and Jisung to Jaemin, only that he was working with other superheroes.

“Underage?” he pries. Jeno gives him a nod, to which Jaemin responds with a pout. “Ah, shit.”

They don’t need words to understand that the sole reason Jeno hasn’t left the company is his team. As annoying as Chenle and Jisung can get, they look up to Jeno, they trust him, and Donghyuck has caught the way Jeno looks at them. It makes Donghyuck want to kiss him, every single time, as embarrassing as it sounds.

“Don’t recruit him for your side,” Donghyuck warns Jaemin.

Jaemin puckers his lips, about to throw a fit like a kid that has been denied the right to play with a toy. “Babe, don’t be like that. He has been under rules all his life, maybe he doesn’t want to be like you.”

“Like me? You mean not a delinquent?”

“Yeah.”

“Hello, I’m here,” Jeno reminds them. Despite his next words, he’s pretty content, cheeks flushed red from the alcohol. “I’m feeling pressured.”

“Step by step,” Jaemin soothes him, holding his hand. Then he drops the bottle and begins rising his fingers as he counts, “First you leave SHcreative. Then we make a team. Then we get married.”

Donghyuck lets out a little scream, drowned in the back of his throat, and flickers Jaemin’s forehead so hard that his boyfriend screams along.

“Shut the fuck up,” Donghyuck tells him, scandalized.

Jeno faces Donghyuck, amused at the exchange. “Is this how Jaemin made you fall for him?”

It wasn’t only that, but Jaemin’s cheekiness played a huge part on how Donghyuck began seeing through his façade. It was a game of pull and push, except Jaemin pulled all the time and Donghyuck pushed all the time. Jaemin had been stronger than him, so he won without trouble. Or maybe Donghyuck was just too weak for handsome boys.

“Don’t blame him, his life was too boring. I wanted him to do bad things, and he secretly wanted to hang out with the bad ones,” Jaemin lies with a giggle. The glare Donghyuck attacks him with doesn’t affect him, and he places his palm over his chest dramatically. “If people just knew that their little good hero loves Coulomboy.”

Jeno proudly announces, “Well, he can use me as a cover now.”

Donghyuck can’t give credit to what he’s hearing. Even if Jaemin and Jeno are pretty drunk by now, having the guts to argue about his public image and his dating life in front of him is overstepping a limit. And Donghyuck is about to halt this conversation – he doesn’t believe that it’s useless to fight drunk people – but then he notes the way Jaemin is gazing at Jeno.

Dongyhyuck is familiar with that gaze. It’s the same gaze Jaemin wears when he’s one second away from pushing Donghyuck against a wall, or when he drags him into a dark alley to make out. It’s dangerous, and danger escapes Jaemin’s mouth right away, before Donghyuck can process what’s happening.

“You know, people won’t judge you that hard if you date Coulomboy,” he assures Jeno, no trace of mockery in his voice.

And much to Donghyuck’s horror, Jeno doesn’t laugh it off. His pupils expand, deeper darkness taking over his black eyes, and Donghyuck’s stomach flips at the view of Jaemin and Jeno looking at each other like they’re willing to take the next step.

“You two have drunk too much,” Donghyuck concludes, a note of panic rising up his throat. He fears that they will make a mistake, that they will regret this tomorrow and they won’t be able to coexist in the future. That’s why Donghyuck grabs Jeno’s hand as he props himself up on his feet and orders, “Let’s go home.”

Jaemin is way more sober than Jeno, at least based on their ability to walk straight. They have to pick up all the trash, the food, and extinguish the fire; after leaving his bag in Jaemin’s car, Donghyuck comes back to find Jaemin without his collar, making a demonstration for Jeno as he claps at his tricks. Donghyuck has to grasp Jaemin by his ear and lead him into the car, because it wouldn’t be odd if Jaemin provoked a huge fire with his powers (he burnt down a park once because he electrocuted the base of a tree by accident, but Jaemin doesn’t like talking about it). Deciding that the best for them is to enclose Jaemin and Jeno in the car, Donghyuck does just that and resumes the cleaning by himself. He has to open the truck to put away Jaemin’s cooking utensils, and he struggles to close it alone, but he prefers that to having an intoxicated Jaemin aid him.

When he walks around the car, keys in his grasp, he realizes the backseat door is still open. With a sigh, he approaches to secure it and prevent Jeno and Jaemin from flying out of the car, but regret slaps him as soon as he has the perfect angle to see his boyfriends.

Donghyuck should have suspected that they were too silent, that they didn’t try to leave the car, that he was taking too much time to clean up. They had a strong motive to be silent: they were quite busy.

Jaemin has found his way onto Jeno’s lap, except this time it’s not his head on it, but his whole body. Jeno looks pretty content with being straddled, however, if his hands under Jaemin’s shirt are a signal to go by. But Jaemin is who has provoked this, Donghyuck has no doubt. He’s the one keeping Jeno in place, bringing him closer as he licks into his mouth, not giving a fuck about getting caught.

Donghyuck feels dizzy. Donghyuck is going to pass out.

“Did I just become the third wheel?”

The way Jaemin lifts his head to look at him is similar to a dog detecting the noise of a fly. Though upon recognizing Donghyuck, he lifts his eyebrows at him, playful. Jeno doesn’t even glance at Donghyuck, for he throws his head back like he’s too overwhelmed to care.

“I love you, babe. You’re the best,” Jaemin praises Donghyuck, and he isn’t joking. In that exact moment Jeno places a kiss on his collarbone, and Jaemin has to gasp for air, still looking into Donghyuck’s eyes. “You have the best taste.”

Donghyuck can’t tell if he should feel grateful. It’s not a compliment for him, after all, because Jaemin is appreciating that he chose a perfect boy to date, and Donghyuck almost chokes on his own saliva when he realizes that Jaemin probably played him to get to this point with Jeno too. You can’t trust antiheroes. You can’t trust Coulomboy. But that’s part of his enchant, and Donghyuck is so whipped for him, his tricks included, that he would fall for him a thousand times.

“You’re so, so drunk. I’m not going to fix this mess for you, just so you know,” Donghyuck states. He gives up, because he’s not going to meddle between two boys making out while they’re drunk, and grabs the door to shut it close.

“Donghyuck called you a mess,” Jaemin tells Jeno, very serious, missing the whole point.

Donghyuck can recall driving Jaemin’s car once, but he barely uses his own car, so he has to take a deep breath before starting the engine. One last time, he glances at Jeno and Jaemin through the rear-view mirror, just to discover that they haven’t moved an inch, nor do they have any intention to do so.

“Can you at least wear your seatbelt?” Donghyuck whines, but his complaint falls into deaf ears. He’s sure that his voice is just a buzzing sound in the background of Jaemin and Jeno’s paradise. “Okay, that’s a no. Thank you, guys.”

Issue #12. To Stalk A Witch!

Donghyuck has problems that are more important than making sure Jeno and Jaemin can walk in the next days. He’s aware that they don’t leave their respective beds in the whole day, because Jaemin’s phone is dead and Chenle and Jisung ask Donghyuck if he knows what happened to Jeno. He dropped both of them at their homes, so Donghyuck has fulfilled his job and he won’t put up with their hangovers as well.

Instead he gives Mark a call, but it’s a Saturday and it’s not that simple to convince his friend to work for him on a free day. Mark forces him to promise that he will buy him lunch later, and that’s the bribe that does the trick. They gather in the library, because Mark wants to use the rest of the time to study, and Donghyuck decides that he has to be considerate with Mark’s grades too.

Apart from investigating Renjun, the other reason for resorting to Mark is that Donghyuck needs to vent. Mark always listens, though this time Donghyuck has to convince him that yes, Jaemin and Jeno making out in the back of a car isn’t one of Donghyuck’s fantasies. That it really happened. Unlike Donghyuck has expected, once Mark believes him, he doesn’t find the situation weird at all; he claims that Donghyuck is dating two guys at the same time, so why can’t Jaemin date three?

“You should set up a marriage agency,” Mark proposes later, as he types rapidly into his laptop. Donghyuck looks over his shoulder, too nervous to sit down with him, but the system has been looking for matches for a whole minute. It doesn’t typically take that long, and Donghyuck begins to fear that Renjun somehow knew about Jeno’s powers and manipulated them. “Why are you suddenly dating everyone? Leave at least one boy for me.”

Donghyuck knits his eyebrows, staring at the screen and ignoring Mark’s statement. “Why isn’t your machine finding him?”

“Be patient,” Mark shushes him. He fists Donghyuck’s shirt and pulls him towards the table so that he doesn’t fidget anymore, and Donghyuck sits down with a grumble. Then, glancing between the laptop and his friend, Mark adds, “Can’t I go to jail for this?”

“Yes,” Donghyuck replies, uninterested. He nearly lies over the table, as though being closer to the laptop could make it give results faster. “But half of the things you have done for me would send you to jail, so…”

Mark’s horror is drowned when Donghyuck lets out a short scream, since the screen has changed and it’s showing a list of persons named Huang Renjun. They can discard most of them by their age, and then they have three results. Donghyuck can’t properly breathe at the prospect of knowing about Renjun’s real life, just like this. Mark’s skills are indeed scary. Donghyuck would hate that someone could find him through this method, but not every villain has a hacker friend, so that’s not Donghyuck’s problem.

This time, the first result is Renjun.

In the picture he’s wearing a blue shirt, smiling at the camera, and his blond hair is messy, as though someone had ruffled it before taking the picture. He looks so happy. It’s a shock for Donghyuck, who has witnessed him being cocky, arrogant, invasive and destructive, but not cute. Sometimes Donghyuck forgets that, just like him, every superhero has a double life in which they’re normal persons with family, friends and hobbies that don’t imply fighting for or against the world.

“Wow, he’s an architecture student,” Mark whistles, too impressed to hide it. He clicks somewhere on the screen, and Renjun’s picture and personal information disappears to give way to his academic record, his schedule, even his passwords for the university website. “He’s passing all his classes with honors, what the actual fuck?”

Mark is right, and Donghyuck hates this, because he has failed three classes this semester alone. Adjusting his university life and his superhero life is a challenge for him, one that he’s not very skilled at. On the contrary, Renjun is excelling in every area and he still has time to go on dates with Jaemin. Perhaps Donghyuck has found a reason to be jealous of him.

“He has blond hair here, but Little Witch has dark hair,” Mark notes, a small cough to draw Donghyuck’s attention. “You sure this is the guy?”

“He wears a wig with the suit,” Donghyuck assures him. The wig hadn’t gone unnoticed the night they ran into each other on the rooftop, but Donghyuck didn’t make any conclusions, because for all he knew, Renjun could have been bald. “He looks pretty anyway.”

That comment has become natural in Donghyuck’s head, but he has forgotten that it’s not normal for Mark. The judging look his friend gives him pushes Donghyuck to the edge of his pride, and he tries to remember that Renjun, despite looking like a regular citizen on the daily, burns buildings down.

“Uhm, okay,” Mark laughs, skeptical. Instead of brushing off Donghyuck’s observation, he licks his lips and returns to the laptop. Much to Donghyuck’s horror, a few seconds later the screen is filled with Renjun’s pictures. He even has pictures with Jaemin. Mark bursts into laughter when he catches sight of Donghyuck’s reaction and informs him, “His instagram. You can slide into his private messages to tell him that he’s pretty anyway.”

Donghyuck isn’t an aggressive person, but he would love to push Mark’s face onto the laptop right then. Instead, he plants a kiss on his cheek, which will have a better disturbing effect on Mark, and starts picking up his belongings to leave.

“I will ask him if he has a handsome friend for you,” Donghyuck teases him, but Mark doesn’t understand the joke and gives him a thumbs up, pleased.

Issue #13. On a clear day you can see the Truth.

Jeno apologizes for his behavior, but he doesn’t apologize for kissing Jaemin.

That’s how Donghyuck discovers the path that they’re taking with their relationship. Affirming that he wasn’t anxious about the outcome would be a lie, yet his nervousness dissipates when, during one of their team meetings, Jeno excuses both of them for a private moment. Jeno intertwines their hands and guides Donghyuck into his own kitchen, caressing the back of Donghyuck’s hand with his thumb. Despite the distance between the living room and the kitchen, Jeno has to close the door not to be heard, since Jisung is already wandering around to spy on them. 

“I was an idiot,” Jeno breathes out, as though he has been holding it for so long that his lungs were about to explode. “I should have asked first if it was fine by you. I don’t want to ruin anything between you two and-”

For a moment, Donghyuck can’t understand what Jeno is talking about, but when it clicks in his brain, he doesn’t hesitate to interrupt him, “Didn’t Jaemin kiss you first?”

Bewilderment crosses Jeno’s eyes. “Not really.”

Donghyuck has to make a great effort not to laugh in front of Jeno, since it would be rude while Jeno is so worried. Yet it’s incredibly funny that Jeno took the first step, when between Jaemin and he, Jaemin should be the first candidate to throw himself into such a mess. Donghyuck doesn’t judge him though, because Jaemin is hard to resist when he’s being his most flirtatious self.

“Please, Jeno, I don’t mind,” Donghyuck says, covering his mouth to repress the next laugh.

Jeno isn’t so sure, because he opens and closes his mouth several times before continuing, “I don’t want you to think I’m with you because of Jaemin, or that I’m pretending to like Jaemin because of you.”

That possibility is so wild that Donghyuck would have never imagined it by himself. He doesn’t doubt that Jeno’s feelings are sincere, but he comprehends where his insecurity comes from: he’s used to receive information that people don’t express out loud, and when Donghyuck wears his bracelet, Jeno develops odd conclusions that don’t have anything to do with the reality. It would be cute if Jeno wasn’t so anxious about it.

Donghyuck brushes Jeno’s cheek, attempting to maintain Jeno’s focus on him. He doesn’t laugh at him, because it’s evident that this is important for Jeno, and the last thing Donghyuck wants is to make him feel dumb.

“You realize that doesn’t make any sense, right?” Donghyuck asks in a sweet whisper.

“It doesn’t?”

“It doesn’t,” Donghyuck confirms. Jeno relaxes all of a sudden, the tension in his shoulders fading away, and Donghyuck takes the chance to grin at him. “I’m glad you like Jaemin even if he is like an octopus.”

Torn between his confusion and the beginning of laughter, Jeno utters, “An octopus?”

“He touches everywhere,” Donghyuck explains. “As if he had a thousand arms.”

It would be inutile to deny it, because Donghyuck isn’t asking, he is stating it. What Jeno ignores is that when Jaemin is sober, he’s just as shameless. But Donghyuck reckons that Jeno will have time to discover that and decide if he has to cut Jaemin’s hands off or not; it would do him good to have some restraint, for dating two guys wasn’t enough for Jaemin to tone his affection down.

“An octopus,” Jeno repeats, finally cheering up.

Donghyuck pulls at his hand, his chest bursting from how good feels to watch Jeno laugh. “Let’s go back. I have to tell you all something about Renjun.”

Issue #14. Donghyuck Goes Mad!

The reception of Donghyuck’s idea is awful.

Donghyuck is ready for it, however. What catches him off guard is that, among the three of them, it’s Jisung who gives him a lecture about how immoral is to step into a superhero’s real life without permission. Chenle protests that it’s unfair that Donghyuck can contact a hacker while their company doesn’t even allow them to have personal computers, but he isn’t very bothered by the unethical part of Donghyuck’s plan.

On the other hand, Jeno outright forbids it. Even if he’s aware that he can’t stop Donghyuck from doing it on his own, he claims that it’s too dangerous, that Little Witch has too much information about Donghyuck’s personal life as well; that no matter how much Renjun loves Jaemin, that doesn’t mean that he will respect Donghyuck’s well being.

Donghyuck understands that. But he remembers that boy smiling at the camera, his social media filled with pictures of his boyfriend and him - perhaps Donghyuck spent last night scrolling through Renjun’s feed instead of sleeping - and he doesn’t believe that there is real malice in Renjun.

Fighting against his own stubbornness is impossible for Donghyuck. That’s why he never assures his team that he won’t do it on his own, and the way Jeno stares at him speaks for itself. Jeno knows that Donghyuck will do it behind their backs if necessary, that it’s a waste of time to insist, to protect him.

Donghyuck doesn’t concede himself enough room to feel guilty about his decision. He waits a couple of days, however, because Jeno is all over him to prevent him from scheming. He doesn’t snitch on him to Jaemin though, which would have been the fastest way to cut the problem. For some reason, Jeno has a strong sense of loyalty, even if it’s detrimental for Donghyuck in the end.

Renjun’s university is in the north of the city, in the farthest point to Donghyuck’s university. Not only Donghyuck has to skip his classes, but also to wake up early to reach the place in time. Unlike in his campus, people aren’t accustomed to witnessing the nation’s hero wandering around, and Donghyuck senses an incredible amount of eyes on him as soon as he arrives.

To his luck, Renjun’s scheduled class takes place in a discreet corner of the faculty, so Donghyuck can hide from the multitude for a while. He’s agitated, but it’s not the bad sort of agitation. Even though he has drowned his feelings in an attempt to ignore them, it’s undeniable that he’s excited over meeting Renjun. It reminds him of the times he didn’t know Jaemin that much either, when he enjoyed the feeling of danger mixed with simple, plain infatuation.

Minute by minute, nauseas rise through Donghyuck’s throat, and when the door of the classroom opens and the first student walks out, his heart hammers so loudly in his chest that Donghyuck can’t hear anything else.

Renjun is one of the last students to come out. He’s accompanied by a tall guy that has his arm around Renjun’s shoulder, and both of them are laughing out loud. Renjun’s friend is considerably handsome, well built, and has an adorable laughter; besides, Renjun is leaning on his side like they’re keen on skinship with each other. Donghyuck can’t stop it: he feels a pang on jealousy, his stomach twisting at the view.

It’s not a surprise how different Renjun looks in this atmosphere. If his pictures affected Donghyuck, seeing him in real life acting like a normal, happy boy is beyond what he can deal with. He’s hugging his books against his chest with a smile that could bright a whole room, and his friend stares at him like he’s the only person in the universe. If Donghyuck had met Renjun under other circumstances, he would have probably crushed on him for months before having the courage to talk to him.

All of a sudden Donghyuck feels like an intruder, but he moves forward anyway. It’s then when Renjun’s attention shifts from his friend to Donghyuck and the smile he’s sporting freezes on his face, disappearing so fast that anyone would think Renjun never smiled to begin with.

Donghyuck isn’t scared, but the speed with which Renjun changes his expression is terrifying. He removes his friend’s arm from his waist, glares at Donghyuck for a split second, and then returns to the boy, “Sorry, Yukhei, I need to talk to my friend.”

Yukhei’s confusion lasts until he spots Donghyuck standing a few feet away from them. He squints at Donghyuck and tries to grab Renjun before he can move away, but Renjun is too fast, already striding to Donghyuck without hesitation.

“Wait, isn’t that Zero-?” Yukhei mutters, recognizing Donghyuck.

He never gets to listen to the end of the sentence, because Renjun pulls his arm to drag Donghyuck after him. Renjun encloses his wrist firmly, but without violence, and Donghyuck senses Jeno’s bracelet sinking in his skin. That doesn’t worry him, because his mind is set on the fact that Renjun is touching him; letting an antihero haul you to wherever they want is a bad idea, but Donghyuck is gone, and he speeds his walk to keep up with Renjun.

Renjun not only pushes him into an isolated bathroom in the bottom floor, but also shoves him into a cubicle and locks the door with the both of them inside.

Everything happens too fast. Donghyuck doesn’t even have time to step back, because Renjun pins him against the wall of the cubicle, coming so close that Donghyuck withdraws and hits the back of his head. Renjun doesn’t pity him. And Donghyuck has to accept that maybe now that he can inspect Renjun’s face from up close, a mixture of anger and fear directed towards him, his survival instinct kicks in.

“Idiot,” Renjun grunts at him. “How did you find me?”

Donghyuck is unable to breathe. His stare travels from Renjun’s eyes to his lips, as though he couldn’t hear him and had to read the words, and then up to his eyes again.

“Hacking,” Donghyuck squeaks in the end.

A frown blooms between Renjun’s eyebrows. “What the fuck? You can hack?”

It’s hard for Donghyuck to focus. Renjun is too close, their chests are touching, and Renjun’s thigh is between his legs. It’s just a damn technique to prevent Donghyuck from running away, but Donghyuck’s mind is turning and twisting because he would rile Renjun up a thousand times if that means he will have this.

“This isn’t nice,” Renjun continues upon noticing that Donghyuck won’t answer. “How would you feel if I showed up at your house? Do you think I don’t know where you live?”

Donghyuck didn’t contemplate that option, but it’s logical that Renjun would know such information. After moving places a few times, Donghyuck is used to being found out by fans, villains or the press. Renjun is too smart not to have tracked his current enemy down.

“I wouldn’t mind that much,” Donghyuck replies, and he’s completely sincere.

For the first time ever, Renjun looks puzzled.

“Are you out of your mind?” he whispers, as though it’s a secret that shouldn’t be spoken out loud. He gazes into Donghyuck’s pupils in an attempt to detect if Donghyuck is manipulating him, but Donghyuck has never been more serious. “We don’t involve our personal lives in our jobs, you know that.”

But rules are meant to be broken, Donghyuck wants to protest. His superhero life is deeply braided with his personal life, first because of Jaemin, and now because of Jeno, and although other heroes can separate both sides, it’s too late for Donghyuck.

Anyhow, Donghyuck has never been able to repress his emotions and he’s not going to learn just because of Renjun. The feeling of his chest moving against Donghyuck triggers his curiosity – he doesn’t want to call it possessiveness, because that doesn’t feel right.

“Who’s Yukhei?” Donghyuck asks then, deciding to ignore Renjun’s scolding.

He should have begun with that, because the face Renjun pulls is quite satisfying, some sort of win for Donghyuck. His incredulity is immense as he blinks up at Donghyuck.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“That guy you were with. You looked too friendly with each other.”

“Lee Donghyuck,” Renjun grunts, jaw clenched. Flanking Donghyuck’s head, Renjun’s hands become fists out of frustration, but Donghyuck feels safe; he’s amused, sated by Renjun’s nervousness, by his confusion. “Did fame unhinge you to the point you want to call dibs on Little Witch?”

“I considered it a good way to bribe you not to destroy buildings,” Donghyuck lies, shameless. When Renjun lifts his eyebrows at him, accusing, Donghyuck dares to bring up a coy smile to his face and confess, “Also yes. And your suit is very pretty.”

Renjun snorts, but the beginning of a honest smile shows up. Mentioning his suit was a good move, because Donghyuck is sure that he designed it himself and Renjun is aware that he looks pretty in it. Renjun isn’t blind. Donghyuck will stroke his ego if that’s what he likes, if that will make Renjun look a little less angry at him.

“Why do I feel that this is a trap?” Renjun says then, shaking his head.

“Maybe it is.”

That doesn’t settle well with Renjun, but he doesn’t step away. Instead, he tilts his head, enough to allow Donghyuck to press their mouths together if he wants to. Donghyuck suspects that he’s not allowed to do so, however, and the proximity of their lips sends a shiver down his spine. Renjun thrusts his body forward, making Donghyuck sink against the wall further, and he smirks when Donghyuck closes his eyes at the proximity.

“Listen, you won’t come back here,” Renjun orders him in a whisper, low, slow, so that Donghyuck soaks in every word. His gaze turns cold, and that makes Donghyuck’s brain discern something about Renjun that he hadn’t even considered before: Renjun is protecting himself under a façade. Little Witch isn’t just his superhero self, it’s a cover for the real Renjun. “We will meet as Little Witch and Zero Field, and that’s the most you will get from me. Do you understand that?”

It’s not a matter of understanding, so Donghyuck replies, “I’m not agreeing to this deal.”

Contrary to what Donghyuck expects, Renjun doesn’t argue with him. He stands straight, his hands travelling down the wall as he puts some distance between them, and looks at Donghyuck with an unreadable expression.

“You will,” he guarantees, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. “Next week, this same day, on the rooftop of building five. You know which one.”

Donghyuck’s body doesn’t respond him, so he can just watch how Renjun unlocks the bathroom and leaves with big steps. A lingering wish remains in Donghyuck’s chest, keeping him in place, and only after a few minutes of being petrified inside the cubicle, Donghyuck realizes what has happened.

Renjun has used his powers on him again. Donghyuck’s mind won’t let him skip his order. It won’t let him go without wearing his suit first, without getting into Zero Field’s skin, and it won’t let him set feet on Renjun’s faculty again.

Donghyuck wants to be close to Renjun, but Renjun can keep him as far away as he wishes.

Issue #15. In the Clutches of… Jealousy!

It’s a matter of time that Jaemin receives the update about his boyfriend’s dumbness, but Donghyuck thought he had a bigger margin to prepare.

It’s movie night with Jeno, who hasn’t asked uncomfortable questions yet, and they have winded up cuddling in bed rather than paying attention to the movie. It was an excuse to be together anyway, not like they needed one, but they’re still figuring each other out and Donghyuck is wary of becoming too demanding about affection.

At first, when a loud thud startles them, Donghyuck supposes it’s a sound effect of the movie. It isn’t. A second later he catches the sound of the balcony’s door sliding, which is enough proof that one, it wasn’t the movie, and two, it’s either Jaemin or they’re about to die.

They wait in bed as Jaemin’s steps walk all the way to the bedroom. Jaemin hasn’t even bothered to get rid of his suit, and once inside, he pulls his mask to reveal a face filled with indignation.

Any greeting dies in Donghyuck’s tongue. Even if he has fought with Jaemin a few times, he has never seen him so mad, and the shock makes Donghyuck shrink against Jeno’s chest.

“What is going on with you?” Jaemin reproaches, throwing his mask at Donghyuck’s feet.

It’s a heavy mask, and Donghyuck lets out a small whine when it indeed hits his toes. Jeno casts an arm around him, worried, but unlike him he doesn’t panic because of Jaemin’s state.

“What’s wrong?” Jeno asks, looking between them.

Jaemin releases a deep breath, in a clear attempt to calm himself down before talking. Donghyuck knows that trick of his, because if Jaemin speaks when he’s in the peak of his fury, he tends to spit things he regrets later.

“He chased Renjun to his university to hit on him,” Jaemin reveals to Jeno

The way silence engulfs them brings a blush to Donghyuck’s cheeks. That wasn’t what he intended to do, but it was the outcome of his conversation with Renjun. Even if Donghyuck figured that Renjun would warn Jaemin, he had hope that he wouldn’t be so sincere, so explicit. But Donghyuck forgot that Renjun doesn’t hold any fondness towards him; if anything, it’s the opposite. And Donghyuck doesn’t have any excuses to offer other than he has little to zero self-control and that when Renjun looks at him with those eyes of his, so inquisitive, sincerity is Donghyuck’s only weapon.

Incredulous, Jeno sits up to look at Donghyuck properly. “You did what?”

“It wasn’t in my plans! It just happened.”

“I told you he has an issue with bad boys,” Jaemin reminds Jeno. When that conversation happened, Donghyuck has no idea, but it’s unnerving that they had the gut to discuss his issues behind his back. “He can’t control himself at all.”

“Why can you meet Renjun but I can’t?” Donghyuck clicks his tongue, disapproving, because the situation is quickly turning against him.

For a second, Jaemin scans his face, not certain that Donghyuck is serious. “He’s my boyfriend?” he remarks.

“And now you’re dating Jeno because I introduced him to you,” Donghyuck defends himself. He doesn’t understand why Jaemin is so angry, and Donghyuck would prefer to avoid a fight; being on bad terms with Jaemin feels horrible, he already experienced that. “We can be civilized persons and you could formally introduce Renjun to us, but instead you’re hiding him.”

Jaemin doesn’t deny it. Because he is hiding Renjun, just like he has done for months, and even if the truth is out now, he refuses to share him. That makes Donghyuck very, very nervous, because he can’t guess what’s going on inside Jaemin’s head.

“I’m curious about how in the world you developed a crush on Renjun out of all people. You have met him twice,” Jaemin reproves him, avoiding Donghyuck’s accusation.

Realization shoots Donghyuck right then, and he can see Jaemin’s indignation with new eyes. Jaemin isn’t mad about the invasion of Renjun’s privacy, which would be the logical reason to reprimand Donghyuck.

“Are you jealous?” Donghyuck questions in a mutter. Jeno’s arm tries to retain him on the bed, but Donghyuck can’t stay still, and he sits up with his feet hanging off the bed. “Why are you possessive over him but can’t feel any type of jealousy over me?”

That question hits Jaemin with full force, for he becomes speechless afterwards. His jaw unconsciously clenches as he stares down at Donghyuck and lies, “It’s not jealousy. You don’t know him like I do. I don’t want you to hurt him just because you have a new whim.”

Frustration is a small word to describe what invades Donghyuck. Jaemin is jealous, lying to him, and calling him capricious, well aware that Donghyuck would never play with someone’s feelings. Donghyuck isn’t proud of his response, yet he can’t stop himself, so he grabs Jaemin’s mask and throws it at him across the room, right at his chest. Jaemin catches it, pulling a face full of exasperation.

“Fuck that, it is jealousy,” Donghyuck spits at him. He hears Jeno mumble something behind him, uncomfortable, but as soon as Jeno tugs at the hem of his shirt, Dongyhyuck moves him away. “You obviously left in the middle of a job just to argue with me over him.”

Breaking into Donghyuck’s home was an impulsive decision, because Jaemin wouldn’t be wearing his suit otherwise. They have always been very careful of spending time at Donghyuck’s not to get caught, let alone increasing the risk by wearing their superheroes suits. Jaemin was so angry that he didn’t care about their security, and that irks Donghyuck. Sometimes Jaemin disappears for days, no way to contact him, yet he can run to Donghyuck’s house in the name of protecting Renjun.

That’s why Jaemin doesn’t have the heart to contradict him, though he sends him a disappointed look. Spinning on his heels, he clings to his mask and leaves, and after a few seconds Donghyuck can hear how he jumps over the balcony.

His heart hammers in his chest, regret blossoming, and Jeno shifts over the bed to reach him. He slings his arms around Donghyuck’s waist and places his chin on his shoulder, and Donghyuck leans back to drown in the hug. Donghyuck is used to being alone, and suddenly he realizes that this is the first time he doesn’t have to suffer his feelings on his own, because Jeno is there to help him.

“I’m sorry,” Jeno whispers, and though there is sincerity in his voice, he’s calm. “He just needs a bit of time to process it.”

Donghyuck doesn’t accept that consolation. He remembers that just a few weeks ago Jaemin told him that he wished that Donghyuck could see how pretty Renjun was. It wasn’t a problem back then, but it is now. Jaemin was okay with it until Donghyuck entered the picture for real.

“How would you know that?”

Jeno lets out a sigh. “Maybe I shouldn’t tell you this but-” he begins, hesitant. But his doubts dissipate when Donghyuck turns his head enough to dedicate him a desperate glance, grasping at straws. “That night in the diner he was jealous of me too. His head was a mess. It’s not only because of Renjun, but because… he’s learning that if he can love more than one person at a time, so can others.”

Donghyuck wouldn’t have believed anyone affirming that except Jeno. Jeno, who could read Jaemin’s mind, is the only one who must know how he really feels. Jaemin is strong, confident, but that doesn’t mean that he was born that way. He built that confidence, and now that they’re facing a new situation, almost a challenge, he has to work on it as well. It’s ironical, because Jaemin’s resolution is what feeds Donghyuck’s own confidence, and for once they have switched roles.

Donghyuck just wishes Jaemin would have spoken his heart out, because then Donghyuck would have assured him a thousand times that he will never love him less, no matter what, no matter who. 

Issue #16. The Master Plan of Little Witch.

The fight with Jaemin kills any excitement Donghyuck could have felt for seeing Renjun again. On the opposite, it makes Donghyuck experience stronger remorse. If Donghyuck had a choice tonight, he wouldn’t be levitating all the way to the rooftop right then, but Donghyuck isn’t in control of his own decision.

At least it’s interesting to endure Renjun’s powers on him, since Donghyuck tries to resist them at first. He even intends to make plans for the night with Jeno, but every time he opens his mouth to propose it, his ability to talk shuts down as if he was a puppet. Renjun gave him the hard path: he could have forced Donghyuck to believe that he’s dying to meet him, that there isn’t anything more important in the world, but instead Renjun just convinced him that he had to show up regardless of his wishes.

It’s a display of power, a small punishment for meddling with his private life, and Donghyuck can bear it. Still, his mood isn’t the most appropriate to confront Renjun, and while he waits for him under the green sign, Donghyuck hopes that at least Renjun isn’t too harsh on him tonight.

Like last time, Renjun arrives sneakily, implanting images in Donghyuck’s mind so that he can only see a static rooftop. This time Donghyuck is capable of recognizing that it’s a simulation because the clouds aren’t moving, but Renjun manages him to scare him regardless. Donghyuck blinks, and all of a sudden there is a weight on his knees, but no sight of what’s causing it. The next second, Renjun appears, both his hands and chin on Donghyuck’s knees, gazing up at Donghyuck with a mischievous smile. Donghyuck startles and brings up a hand to his chest, which only provokes Renjun to laugh at him.

“Goodnight, pretty,” Renjun whispers without a trace of shame.

Donghyuck takes everything back. He doesn’t regret this.

“Holy shit,” Donghyuck curses, gasping. “Can you not do that?”

Renjun is unfazed at his fright. “Do what? Appearing out of nowhere, touching you or calling you pretty?”

The question has blatant intentions, and Donghyuck could cut senseless Renjun’s flirting forever in this instant; Renjun is giving him the chance to do so. Donghyuck has comprehended Renjun is one of those superheroes with a big façade when they’re working. Renjun would have not flirted with him if he wasn’t in Little Witch’s skin.

And yet, Donghyuck hears himself answer, “Appearing out of nowhere.”

The words unsaid have more weight than the words said, and Renjun’s eyes acquire a new dangerous glint.

“I will try to remember that,” Renjun assures him, but his voice indicates that he won’t.

There are several things that confuse Donghyuck. First, the fact that Renjun doesn’t have any problem with overstepping boundaries when they’re Little Witch and Zero Field, but he freaked out at university. Second, that Renjun looks like he enjoys his company, teasing him, even if Donghyuck is against him and his morals. And third and most important, that Donghyuck’s ethics seem to teeter when he looks into Renjun’s eyes, and he would be up to make a deal if Renjun offered right now.

But Renjun isn’t going to make a deal, because like a whole set of antiheroes in the city, Little Witch doesn’t obey anyone nor responds to rules set by others.

“Why are we here?” Donghyuck whispers then, careful.

The whole situation is odd. Donghyuck can’t assimilate that he has Little Witch in front of him, on his knees, in a position that requires having a minimal trust. Renjun is unbothered, and not only that, but also has been expecting Donghyuck to ask that question: the right question.

“Because I’m lonely,” Renjun replies, but his lopsided smile gives away that it’s a joke. Despite how evident Renjun is – like he knows that Donghyuck feels lonely at times – Donghyuck is still flustered at what his insinuation implies: that Donghyuck can defeat his loneliness. “And I like pretty boys, haven’t you heard the rumors?”

Everyone has, because everyone loves gossip, and the aura of mystery around certain heroes like Little Witch is always fun to destroy. Donghyuck is familiar with that, with the press trying to expose your private life because apparently people are incredible interested in it. If he remembers correctly, Renjun even has a fanclub made up of people who wants to marry him. Which, to be honest, is funny considering that there is little information about Renjun.

“Where did that even come from?” Donghyuck mutters, almost to himself.

Renjun shrugs, but seriousness displaces his previous amusement.

“A bitter ex-boyfriend was too afraid to reveal my identity but was brave enough to reveal my dating history,” Renjun confesses like it’s not a big deal. But it is. Because that’s his private life, and Donghyuck can’t help but be taken aback: it would be similar to being betrayed by Jaemin. “The journalist that wrote the article couldn’t use their pictures without consent, but she could describe them.”

Perhaps it’s a test, Donghyuck supposes. Perhaps Renjun is verifying if he can count on Donghyuck or Donghyuck will turn his back on him.

“That’s… scary,” Donghyuck comments, not daring to add anything else.

 “Story time is over,” Renjun announces. Then he snaps his fingers, and a couple of folders become visible next to him. They were already there, of course, but Renjun is an expert at dramatics. “This is for you.”

Donghyuck wonders how many things Renjun is concealing on this rooftop. He could conceal a person, a whole team, even Jaemin, and Donghyuck would believe that they’re alone. It’s part of having Renjun around, he supposes, the process of learning to trust each other to the point Renjun won’t hide anything and Donghyuck won’t fear being manipulated.

Accepting the folders with embarrassingly shaking hands, Donghyuck unclasps the first one and asks, “What is this?”

Renjun stands up, shakes off the dirt from his suit, and sits next to Donghyuck. Both of them are illuminated by the artificial green light of the sign, but Donghyuck has to admit that Renjun looks intimidating even bathed in a ridiculous neon color.

“The reason why I do what I do.” Renjun grabs the first pile of papers inside the folder and extends them over both of their thighs, pointing at the first documents. “Corruption, hidden crimes, your beloved government protecting those who you fight against.”

Donghyuck is thunderstruck. Renjun has compiled around four hundred documents that frame an incredibly amount of powerful persons as criminals. It’s likely that he has owned such documents for a long time, but instead of resorting to the law, he decided to become the law himself. And now he’s ceding these documents, his hard work, to Donghyuck, only because he wishes that Donghyuck will agree with him. It’s evident that these are copies of the real documents, but Renjun is risking a whole investigation – Donghyuck could be on the government’s side for all Renjun knows, he could be corrupted himself. Yet Renjun trusts him, and Donghyuck understands the basis of that trust: just like Donghyuck reasons that Renjun can’t be evil if Jaemin loves him, Renjun reasons that Donghyuck has a high standard for his honor.

“I can guide you through the reading if it’s too difficult for you,” Renjun taunts, noticing that Donghyuck is staring at the documents with glassy eyes.

Donghyuck grumbles, “Screw you.”

“In your dreams.”

“In your dreams,” Donghyuck corrects him, and two seconds later he realizes he has fallen into Renjun’s trap like a rock falling off a cliff.

Renjun gives him a shrug, feigning innocence. “Yeah, well. What can I say?”

Practice makes the master, yet Donghyuck has only ever received such direct insinuations from Jaemin, so he’s far away from becoming a master. On the contrary, Renjun is well versed and has the ability of muting Donghyuck just out of embarrassment.

At last Renjun laughs out loud, a clear, beautiful laugh that drives Donghyuck to gaze at him in interest. However, feeling mocked, Donghyuck slaps his arm to bring him back to the conversation, to stop Renjun from toying with him further. It works.

“Did you just hit me?” he asks in incredulity. “Lee Donghyuck, that’s not what good boys like you do.”

“Good boys like me don’t meet up with boys like you,” Donghyuck shoots back at him. “Or Jaemin. Yet here we are.”

“Because I forced you.”

There isn’t any sort of guilt in his statement; it’s just the plain truth, since he didn’t give Donghyuck any options or the chance to choose to come here. Before Donghyuck can come up with a reply that doesn’t sound idiotic, Renjun props himself on his feet, and judging the way he strides away from Donghyuck, he’s done for tonight.

“You can take that home,” he offers, signaling at the folders without looking back. In the end he spins around to face Donghyuck one last time and adds, “Next week, same day, it’s on your hands to come here or not. Then we’ll see what good boys like you do.”

Renjun vanishes in the blink of an eye, leaving Donghyuck with the words on the tip of his tongue. It doesn’t matter, after all, because Donghyuck has lost the game before he could start playing: nothing in the world could stop him from climbing this building once again.

Issue #17. Saturday in the Park with Jaemin.

As soon as Donghyuck begins to read the documents, he understands why Renjun gave him a margin of one week. It’s mortifying to realize that perhaps he would have needed Renjun’s help to read them, yet Donghyuck doesn’t give up. He puts a halt to other activities, although that pushes Jisung to show up at his door questioning why they’re not a team anymore – they are, but Donghyuck already has what he was chasing after: Little Witch at his reach.

Donghyuck doesn’t consider Jeno, Chenle and Jisung a mere team of superheroes which he works with, they are his friends (and boyfriend), even if he’s ditching everyone for Renjun. It’s a temporary measure, Donghyuck tells himself.

Donghyuck spends the whole days reading and hides the documents under his bed at night, but the gears in his head never stop turning. His focus even drives him to forget about the situation with Jaemin, though when it comes back to his mind, it’s like a tsunami. Jaemin hasn’t contacted him since the fight, and Donghyuck has managed to set his phone aside, because waiting for Jaemin to text him is hopeless.

Or so he thinks. Five days after the fight, and one day before meeting Renjun again, the bell of his house rings several times in a row, as though there were some kids playing to ring the bell and run away afterwards. Donghyuck has to gather all the documents spread all over the living room before striding towards the door, and by the time he pulls the door open, he’s panting.

Jaemin is standing outside, hands shoved in his pockets, wearing their university’s shirt – which is ironical given his absence record - and skinny jeans. A note of fear slips into Donghyuck, since it’s midday and anyone could have spotted Jaemin around his house, but Jaemin looks far from worried.

“Why are you in your pajamas?” he observes, staring at Donghyuck up and down. “Get dressed, we’re going out.”

If his presence is already odd, that order is even odder. “What? No?” Donghyuck protests out of confusion. And then he reminds Jaemin, “We are fighting.”

Judging Jaemin’s expression, he hasn’t forgotten about it: he’s just trying to ignore it, to pretend that they didn’t throw harsh words at each other days ago. That isn’t healthy, in Donghyuck’s opinion, but he can’t reproach anything when he has been doing the same thing.

“I don’t care if we are fighting. Get dressed,” Jaemin repeats, unrelenting. It’s not a question, thus Donghyuck doesn’t know how to put up a fight as Jaemin announces, “I will wait outside. Don’t take too long, okay?”

It feels wrong to let Jaemin wait outside, so Donghyuck hurries up to put on some clothes. He chooses his most discreet outfit and then adds a cap, in a desperate attempt to hide his face. Donghyuck hates that the exact moment he steps outside, a man passing by recognizes him; and don’t mistake him, he’s used to this, but the problem is that Jaemin intertwines their hands, not giving a fuck about the eyes that are inspecting them, and Donghyuck chokes on his own saliva.

“What is this about?” Donghyuck mutters as they walk down the street. He doesn’t oppose resistance anyhow, since Jaemin seems to have the route clear in his head. “We can’t go out together at this time.”

“Says who?”

“Us? During the last two years?”

“Now I am saying we can,” Jaemin simply replies, but there’s a certain tension in his neck. “Want to disagree with me?”

Donghyuck doesn’t. He does disagree, yet a voice inside his head whispers that it’s a forced boundary that he didn’t wish for. A rule that he created for himself and that has brought sadness and nothing else. That’s why he doesn’t have the heart to contradict Jaemin, or maybe it’s because holding hands feels too nice to ruin it. And Donghyuck might or might not be deprived of Jaemin’s affection after not talking for six days.

Jaemin leads him into a huge park, full of people, full of noise and snack stands. Thanks to the multitude, Donghyuck doesn’t have the constant sensation of being watched, since there are many distractions around and people are minding their own business. Of course Donghyuck is bound to be identified, but he won’t know when, how or who recognized him if he doesn’t fix his stare on them.

Besides, the horror Donghyuck experiences minutes later asphyxiates any worry, for Jaemin is dragging him to a stand that rents rollerblades. The hope that Jaemin will swift away in the last second dies when Jaemin smirks at him, as if he can predict what Donghyuck will say.

“Jaemin, I can’t skate,” he protests, panicking and stepping away from the stand.

Jaemin doesn’t listen to his pleads, hands him a pair of skates, and thanks the seller with a grin, though the seller is staring at Donghyuck wide-eyed.

“You can control gravity, you aren’t going to fall,” Jaemin reminds him once they’re sitting down to slide their feet into the rollerblades.

Donhgyuck looks at Jaemin like he has gone nuts, all and at once. “Sure I am! I can’t do two things at the same time, and that includes trying to skate and trying not to die simultaneously.”

Instead of considering that maybe he didn’t have the brightest idea, Jaemin goes on one knee to aid Donghyuck with his rollerblades. Donghyuck could kick him in the face, since it’s the perfect position to do so, but Jaemin unties his shoes with so much delicacy that Donghyuck would feel like the most horrible person in the world.

“Too tight?” Jaemin asks as he finishes putting Donghyuck’s skates. Donghyuck shakes his head; the rollerblades feel fine, what doesn’t feel fine is having to stand up afterwards.

However, Jaemin doesn’t pull him on his feet right away. He remains on his knee, stares up at Donghyuck with a sigh and says, “You told Jeno that we never had a proper date.”

It’s not an accusation, but Donghyuck revealed that before he advanced in his relationship with Jeno, and it’s strange that Jeno told Jaemin that. Donghyuck supposes that from now on, they won’t be able to have secrets – not when that secret is a complaint that can be fixed through talking. That must be what brought Jeno to confide in Jaemin: he trusted that Jaemin would jump right into action, that there was a solution for Donghyuck not to be upset.

“I’m sorry, I-” Donghyuck attempts, biting down on his lower lip.

“No, I’m sorry. It’s my fault too, it’s not only about your image,” Jaemin interrupts him before Donghyuck can put the blame on himself. He signals at their surroundings with a wave of his hand, and then gazes into Donghyuck’s eyes, very serious. “I don’t want to be afraid of getting caught anymore. So what if people know that we are dating? We don’t have only ourselves to protect us, but a whole set of superheroes and… not so kind heroes.”

Donghyuck glances around; there are, indeed, some eyes on them, but Donghyuck doesn’t care much about it. It’s almost thrilling. And Jaemin is right, because if the only disadvantage is that they will become the target of their respective enemies, that isn’t enough to prevent him from living their relationship like a normal couple. There isn’t any person out there that could beat Jeno, Jaemin, Renjun and Donghyuck himself together, not to mention Chenle and Jisung.

Upon his silence, Jaemin takes a deep breath, curling his arms around Donghyuck’s calves.

“The point is,” Jaemin continues, face stretching into a smile. “I love you, Lee Donghyuck. I don’t tell you enough. I love you so much that sometimes I’m scared of myself. And you- we deserve to be happy, and I want to do normal things with you, hold your hand in broad daylight and eat in a stinky diner surrounded by dumb teenagers.”

After a fight, Jaemin never apologizes like this, and this is not a mere apology anymore. Donghyuck chokes up on the spot, because he’s overwhelmed, because Jaemin’s eyes exude sincerity and because he has missed Jaemin. His insecurity has been growing during the past few days: both of them are taking their relationship to a next level, and Donghyuck never discarded the possibility of breaking up if this fails. He loves thinking that they have a strong bond, but the fight with Jaemin got the worst of him and Donghyuck knows now that Jaemin could just opt for dating Renjun and no one else.

“Are you crying?” Jaemin whispers, inching forward with obvious fight reflected on his face. “Babe?”

“I’m not crying!” Donghyuck lies, and as soon as he does, a sob travels up his throat as to mock him.

One second later, Donghyuck finds himself sobbing out loud, tears rolling down his face as though he hadn’t cried in years and had accumulated them during all this time. And once it begins, Donghyuck is unable to put a halt to it.

It’s obvious that’s the last thing Jaemin has imagined would happen, for his shock is evident even through Donghyuck’s blurred sight.

“Hyuck, don’t cry!” he exclaims in an appalled whisper. “This isn’t supposed to make you cry!”

“I know,” Donghyuck answers, though he’s not sure if Jaemin can hear anything besides his sobbing. “I- I’m trying.”

Jaemin lets out a nervous laugh, but he cups Donghyuck’s face between his hands, thumbs drying Donghyuck’s tears away. The touch just worsens Donghyuck’s self-control, however, and Jaemin doesn’t come to that conclusion fast enough.

“People are going to lynch me for making you cry,” he warns, and the statement is not far from the truth.

Donghyuck laughs at that, which only makes him look like a mess. They’re so ridiculous, the both of them, and Donghyuck will never not be grateful for having Jaemin by his side. “I love you too.”

Not missing a beat, Donghyuck launches himself on Jaemin for a hug, and Jaemin gasps in surprise – also because Donghyuck slips due to the rollerblades, and the hug becomes a matter of holding Donghyuck so that he doesn’t sprain his ankles.

“Is that why you’re crying? Loving me is a disgrace?” Jaemin jokes, but he gladly accepts the hug. Donghyuck could have kissed him, he realizes, and Jaemin would have had to eat his tears without protesting. “I’ll get you up, okay?”

“Oh god,” Donghyuck says, which means no.

Before he can come up with a reasonable excuse not to skate, Jaemin grabs his hands and props both of them up with an ecstatic grin. Donghyuck’s world wobbles due to his lack of balance, but Jaemin is close enough to hold him by the waist and make fun of him. Not that Donghyuck cares, because when Jaemin attempts to skate backwards, he clings onto him as though desperation has invaded every one of his neurons.

“I’ll reward you if you can skate on your own in less than two hours,” Jaemin promises, his smile transforming into a diverted smirk.

Donghyuck has no option: he must succeed.

Issue #18. From the Ashes of Defeat.

Donghyuck decides not to wear his suit the next day.

Renjun does, of course, and he doesn’t welcome Donghyuck’s boldness. It’s interpreted as a challenge, which implies that Donghyuck watches how Renjun has to fight against the urge of biting the bait. Much to his surprise, Renjun manages to hold back and doesn’t reprimand him, though he’s frowning when he approaches Donghyuck.

Donghyuck has brought the folders, which Renjun takes in his arms with a smug expression, well aware of the effect they must have had on Donghyuck. It’s a hard process of acceptance for Donghyuck, but he has been working on it the whole week until making up his mind.

“So? Do you feel like blowing up buildings with me now?” Renjun questions, arms squashing the folders against his chest.

The smile that Renjun has plastered on his face reminds Donghyuck of the boy that was laughing with Yukhei. That’s because Renjun, despite being Little Witch on the outside, is showing his real self to Donghyuck tonight. Perhaps it’s not a conscious decision, but it’s there, and Donghyuck isn’t less marveled than the first time.

“I hate you,” Donghyuck assures.

“That’s a yes,” Renjun says, very confident of his own conclusion. He held the certainty that his investigation would convince Donghyuck, would make his blood boil out of frustration, since a superhero like Donghyuck would give up anything for justice. So it is a yes, but Donghyuck hates him for it. “The scheme is too big for us to play their game. We play our game.”

“I can’t tell you that you’re wrong but-” Donghyuck takes a deep breath. This is an argument he won’t win, no matter what, because Renjun is doing the right thing. “Fuck, I wished that this could be solved in a different way.”

Renjun nods, understanding where Donghyuck’s dilemma comes from. Maybe he suffered the same dilemma before diving into his plan.

“But that’s impossible.” Renjun lifts his eyebrows, curious, and Donghyuck looks up at him with what could be considered a pout – but it isn’t, Donghyuck tells himself, he would never pout for Renjun. Renjun smiles at that, “Want to play with me?”

It’s tempting. Donghyuck has never destroyed such a big structure, at least not on purpose, and still that’s not the most attractive part of joining. The seductive part of joining is Renjun himself, and Donghyuck admits that he’s beginning to experience certain signs of devotion. Maybe he should join the fan club. But he can’t throw all his ideals away in exchange for… for what? Renjun hasn’t even offered him a kiss.

“I won’t steal your toys, but you will play alone,” Donghyuck answers in the end.

“Fair enough.” Renjun doesn’t pressure him, so casual that he must have predicted the rejection. He doesn’t seem to be concerned about it though, since he has been working alone all this time. “We will need another place to meet up from now on.”

Donghyuck swears his heart stops right then, and he swears that Renjun can hear the missing heartbeat. “We- what?”

“If you want to,” Renjun hurries to add. For once, Donghyuck spots something akin to caution in his eyes, but with his mask on, it’s difficult to tell Renjun’s emotions apart. “Tell Jaemin. Jaemin will tell me. You can take your time.”

Renjun disappears before Donghyuck can remark how much of a bad idea is to involve Jaemin in this. His disappearance is just a mirage, so Donghyuck calls Renjun’s name a few times, but Renjun deliberately ignores him. Donghyuck would hate that Renjun was still there, maybe crouching down in front of him as he laughs at his desperate attempts of making Renjun show himself, so he renounces pretty fast.

It’s unnerving, because Donghyuck doesn’t need time. He will meet Renjun anywhere, anytime, as long as he has the chance to see him again.

Issue #19. Arm-In-Arm-In-Arm-In-Arm-In-Arm-In-Arm with Huang Renjun.

Renjun must hate wasting time, because he demolishes three buildings in one night. After four days, the company doesn’t own any skyscraper in the city, and the press has built a whole conspiracy theory around the events. Donghyuck feels a strange satisfaction every time he plays the videos of the buildings crumbling down, though he goes out of his way to make sure he has cleaned up after Renjun’s mess – that’s it, he checks on people who could have been affected and aids them.

There isn’t even any danger for Renjun to be accused, because the rumors of Little Witch being culpable have dissipated. Maybe Donghyuck had something to do with that; maybe, and just maybe, he convinced Mark to contact a journalist friend of his and give her false information about the case.

But then the silence arrives, that silence that was pure noise while Renjun tried to reach his aim, and Donghyuck feels lost, a bit scared of following the opportunity Renjun gave him. It’s on his hands to find him and get to know each other beyond their superhero lives, and Donghyuck is both curious and excited, but also terrified.

In the meantime, many things change in Donghyuck’s life. Although he puts an end to the collaborative contract with SHcreative, Chenle and Jisung frequent his house with a higher rhythm, and Donghyuck has to rack his brain to kick them out when it’s too late. Otherwise, they just try to crash at his place. After two weeks and a mildly passionate moment with Jeno while all of them watch a movie, he discovers that shoving his tongue into Jeno’s mouth is the most effective way to scare their friends away.

When Jisung decides that the solution is to physically fight them if they become too intimate, Donghyuck has to drag Jaemin into the picture. And damn, that does wonders. Chenle and Jisung are huge fans of Coulomboy, so Donghyuck makes them promise that they won’t bother him so much if he brings Coulomboy over one night. They promise it, and thanks to Jaemin’s power, they comply with the deal – and Donghyuck knows that both Chenle and Jisung develop a platonic or not so platonic crush on Jaemin, but Jaemin has too many boyfriends by now.

Donghyuck has to learn a big lesson: when Jeno and Jaemin hang out on their own, he must stop calling it behind his back. They need their time alone to adjust to each other, apart from the physical aspect, and though Donghyuck is sure they’re perfectly compatible, they have to discover that themselves. When their schedules allow them to, the three of them try to have dates, whether it’s just spending the day at Donghyuck’s house or going to the cinema and holding hands in the darkness.

The first time they try to have a make-out session, prompted by Jaemin, it doesn’t work out that well. Donghyuck feels that there are too many arms and legs, and even mouths, and at some point he’s being crushed by both Jaemin and Jeno’s weight – which translates into a near-death experience by asphyxiation. Afterwards, Jeno claims that they just need practice, and that Jaemin needs to calm the fuck down.

Donghyuck doesn’t forget about Renjun. If anything, his thoughts about Renjun become more and more insistent, and every time he kisses Jaemin, Renjun comes to mind. Not in an unfaithful way, but in a curious way, because it’s evident that Jaemin and Renjun see each other almost on the daily – Renjun’s instagram doesn’t lie – and Donghyuck wants in.

That’s what brings Donghyuck to take a decision, and one night they’re over at Jaemin’s house, he decides to scribble an address on a piece of paper. Sneaking behind Jaemin’s back while he makes dinner, he folds the paper and presses against Jaemin’s hand, displaying his best puppy eyes.

“Can you give this to Renjun?”

Jaemin squints at him, mistrustful. Much to Donghyuck’s embarrassment, instead of agreeing, he unfolds the piece of paper to check what it is.

“Oh man,” he sighs, though his voice is full of amusement. He gifts Donghyuck a defying look and asks, “You’re asking me to score you a date with him?”

“It’s not a date,” Donghyuck lies. Technically it isn’t, but he wishes that it was. Renjun would never attend if Donghyuck defined it that way, would he? “But tell him that it’s forbidden to wear his damn suit.”

Jaemin rolls his eyes at him, since the lie is too obvious, and turns around to focus his attention on the pan. Donghyuck lets out a small whine and hugs Jaemin from behind; Jaemin laughs, aware that Donghyuck is searching validation, permission.

“I’m glad, babe,” he whispers, soft and indulgent. He folds the piece of paper into his pocket, and Donghyuck fears that it will not make it alive by the time Jaemin meets up with Renjun. “Renjun was starting to mope around.”

For a moment, Donghyuck thinks that he heard wrong. That’s why he repeats in astonishment, “Mope?”

Jaemin snickers, which is enough proof that Donghyuck isn’t mistaken. “Sorry, I can’t hear you over the noise of my hunger.”

Jaemin talked more than he should, or just the right amount to tease both Donghyuck and Renjun, but that’s not the disturbing aspect of it. Again, Donghyuck realizes that they’re bound not to have secrets among them: Renjun and Jaemin have discussed the possibility of Renjun giving Donghyuck a chance. That changes everything, because Donghyuck wasn’t sure if it was a lost cause. Renjun didn’t seem to be that interested in him. Donghyuck supposes that he was wrong.

Then Donghyuck waits. And there is no response from Renjun through Jaemin, so he has to take a risk and show up at the location, conscious that there is a chance he will be stood up.

It’s a matter of going big or going home, so Renjun needs to have the guts to go out with Lee Donghyuck in public. At this point, Donghyuck has learned that Renjun is very protective of his privacy, and this is a test. After taking that important step with Jaemin, Donghyuck couldn’t move backwards and begin a relationship with Renjun hiding it from everyone.

The challenge for Renjun is that the location Donghyuck has chosen is a fair. A fair full of families, teens and bright lights, where Donghyuck would get recognized no matter what, and where Renjun has to accept that he can only hide his Little Witch’s identity, alone, not the identity that is building a relationship with Donghyuck.

Donghyuck is scared as soon as he arrives at the fair. He doesn’t know why, but he has figured that he will have to wait for Renjun, perhaps for hours. That’s why, when he catches sight of Renjun’s blond hair, his stomach concentrates all the nervousness until he feels like throwing up.

Renjun is sitting on a bench, legs crossed, and he looks damn fine. Donghyuck can tell that it’s a date just for the way he dressed up – that demon is wearing tight black pants and white crop top that shows a bit of his belly button, enough to make Donghyuck flounder – for how he styled his hair back and, when Donghyuck is close enough to see his face, for the fact that he’s wearing make-up.

“You are unnerving,” Renjun tells him, standing up, his eyes scanning Donghyuck from head to toe. “A fair? Really?”

If it bothered Renjun for real he wouldn’t be here, thus Donghyuck is confident about his choice. A part of him had a bad hunch, but Renjun hasn’t failed him, and he has made sure to torment Donghyuck by being the prettiest boy in the world tonight.

“If you’re brave enough to fight big corporations, you should be brave enough to date me without fear,” Donghyuck replies. Though Renjun doesn’t need to know, Donghyuck had that prepared, because at some point he knew he would have to give explanations.

It has the desired effect, because Renjun can’t hold his smile back. And don’t mistake Donghyuck, he’s weak but not that weak, so when he chokes on his saliva is because Renjun looks incredibly beautiful smiling up at him.

“You have some guts,” Renjun tells him, sweet. Having guts isn’t a bad trait in Renjun’s book, that much is clear. But then he extends his hand towards Donghyuck, palm facing upward, and whispers, “What about your braveness?”

Donghyuck’s instinct is strong enough to predict Renjun’s intentions, but the proposal is so direct that Donghyuck becomes quite sheepish.

So to make sure he’s not assuming too much, Donghyuck gulps and questions, “What are you doing?”

“Hold my hand, Lee Donghyuck,” Renjun defies him, blinking at him like a lion about to attack. “Or are you afraid?”

Donghyuck is afraid, to be honest, and he deserves the karma hitting him on the face like this. Renjun arches his eyebrows at him, and it’s humiliating that he needs to breathe deeply before reaching out to hold Renjun’s hand. He forgets his shame the moment Renjun secures his grasp around his hand, thin fingers opening his until they fit against each other.

It takes Donghyuck a few seconds to come back to his senses, since he’s staring at their hands instead of looking at Renjun. The smugness that flashes across Renjun’s face when Donghyuck finally flickers his eyes up to him is justified.

“So? Are you going to show me around the fair or…?” Renjun asks with a tilt of his head.

Contrary to his expectations, talking with Renjun is easy, and so is walking through the fair hand in hand. The sneering that characterizes Little Witch remains, but Renjun can also be sweet when he wishes. He teases first, compliments later, and comments out loud that Donghyuck is cute when he’s blushing. Perhaps that’s why he loves pushing his limits to begin with.

Little Witch, Donghyuck discovers, is a nickname that Renjun received from his mother. His powers come from his lineage, just like in Donghyuck and Jaemin’s cases, except that his parents never retained him from using them freely. Donghyuck recognizes that, considering Renjun was free to do whatever he wanted, he has to have a tight moral code after all. His parents trusted him. Renjun affirms that he loves Little Witch, but he prefers his normal life. It’s less complicated, less lonely, though the lack of adrenaline is a disadvantage. He says that he can find adrenaline in other things, in other persons, and Donghyuck forgets to breathe then. Donghyuck reveals that when he was twelve and Little Witch started creating his own fame, he felt admiration for him.

Renjun doesn’t fear confrontation either, and Donghyuck has to hold him by the waist when a guy stares at them for too long and Renjun decides that it’s a good idea to pick a fight with him. The guy escapes by backtracking in panic, which is logical since no one in their sane mind would want to fight a superhero – and less if that superhero is Donghyuck.

“Do you get into trouble this often?”  Donghyuck scoffs. It’s not only about drawing unnecessary attention towards them, but also the pity he feels for that guy.

“Did you notice the way they look at you?” Renjun ignores his question, though Donghyuck is sure that Renjun doesn’t get into fights unless he’s wearing his suit. He seems to be more worried about Donghyuck, and he frowns before adding, “Like you’re part of the fair.”

Donghyuck nods. He’s used to it. “Welcome to my life.”

Renjun loathes that answer, frown deepening. “That sucks. I forbid it.”

That’s the funniest thing Donghyuck has heard in a while, and the comical aspect is even more encouraged by how serious Renjun looks, how determined.

“How are you going to forbid that?” Donghyuck laughs.

Renjun lifts his fists. “Like this.”

“I can fight by myself.”

“You would never, you’re an angel,” Renjun retorts. And well, Donghyuck doesn’t consider himself an angel, but it’s true that he can’t just beat someone up; it would do terrible harm to his image. Not to mention that it’s against his moral to beat dumb innocent people. “Look at that, they have your mask.”

It’s an effective distraction, because Donghyuck shifts around to follow the direction of Renjun’s glance and forgets about arguing over Renjun’s violent tendencies. His mask is, indeed, there; at least fifty of them, hanging off a stand along other superheroes masks and accessories that Donghyuck can attribute to known heroes. Renjun snickers at his expression, and before Donghyuck can protest, he’s hauling him towards the stand.

They almost give the seller a heart attack, since she recognizes Donghyuck right away. That’s exactly what Donghyuck wanted to avoid. Renjun is very happy about the situation, however, and insists on buying two Zero Field masks for them. The woman sends Donghyuck a wary glance, proceeds to offer them for free, and Donghyuck shrinks in embarrassment. Renjun refuses the offer on his name, leaves the money on the stand and again drags Donghyuck away by his wrist.

It’s stupid, but Donghyuck can’t stop laughing when Renjun manages to fit in his mask. And while Donghyuck tries to soothe his laughter fit, Renjun begins to slip the other mask over Donghyuck’s head, smiling.

“This is ridiculous,” Donghyuck says.

The mask feels nothing like the original, of course, and it wouldn’t be weird if both of them got a rash after using these low quality masks. Donghyuck doesn’t mention that though, because Renjun’s smile is splendid and Donghyuck would hate to ruin that.

“I bet no one will know it’s you if you’re wearing this,” Renjun observes. He caresses down Donghyuck’s cheek, in what seems a natural gesture after adjusting the mask, but Donghyuck has to suppress a shiver. “Ironical, right?”

Donghyuck takes a peek at the stand, “They didn’t have yours.”

“Mine is high fashion, okay? Plus these fools don’t have any idea of how I really look,” Renjun points out.  There’s a certain air of superiority in his voice, and Donghyuck understand why as soon as Renjun explains, “Every time someone spots me in my suit I put a false memory of me in their heads.”

“Did you do that to me too?”

Renjun cackles at that, slipping his hand back into Donghyuck’s hand to continue their walk through the fair. It’s undeniable that, at this point, Donghyuck is pretty comfortable with touching him – a bit, he’s definitely not ready for any excessive contact – and Renjun was never timid to begin with.

“No. Why would I do that?” Renjun asks, sincerely confused. “I know you love how I look.”

Renjun says that on purpose, to get a tease out of him, and Donghyuck feels grateful for having the mask to hide his reaction.

“Oh my god,” is all he can mutter.

A grin expands on Renjun’s lips. “Yeah.”

The rest of the night progresses so smoothly that Donghyuck loses track of time. It isn’t until half of the stands are closed that Donghyuck considers that perhaps it’s too late, though none of them are sleepy given that they’re used to working at night. They still have to part ways, and Renjun propels Donghyuck to beg for five more minutes together.

(And see, Donghyuck usually wouldn’t shame himself this way, but Renjun’s laughter sounds so, so pretty, and if he has to make a fool out of himself for Renjun to laugh, he will. Once and twice and again and again. And if he has to beg for a few more seconds, to memorize the feeling of Renjun’s hand against his, he will).

“I’m throwing a party on Saturday,” Renjun announces once they have said their goodbyes.

He grabs Donghyuck after he has already turned around, and Donghyuck feels his heart beat faster, thinking that Renjun doesn’t want to let him go either. Donghyuck would prefer to spend the night out with Renjun than returning home.

Donghyuck squints at him, unsure, “You throw parties?”

“Every two months. A superhero themed party,” Renjun assures him, solemn.

“Are you fucking with me?” It’s not a joke. Donghyuck knows because the glare Renjun dedicates him could kill anyone. “You aren’t.”

“You can bring Jeno. Jaemin is coming too,” Renjun tells him. He steps forward, his grip on Renjun’s arm loosening and becoming a stroke. If he notices how Donghyuck’s skin reacts to his touch, goosebumps all over his arm, Renjun doesn’t bring it up; his eyes have a special light when he murmurs, “Tonight was nice.”

Donghyuck doesn’t feel giddy. He absolutely doesn’t feel like his chest is going to burst in pieces or like he could run thirty laps around the city without a stop.

“It was,” Donghyuck agree, hoping that his voice doesn’t come out like a squeak.

Satisfaction invades Renjun’s expression, as though he needed Donghyuck’s reassurance to feel good about the date. “I hope you leave a good impression on my friends too,” Renjun says, casual, too casual, and then he spins around to leave.

It’s inutile for Donghyuck to attempt to move while he watches Renjun walk away. He’s petrified, the last words lingering in his mind, and only when he’s alone he’s capable of understanding them.

Renjun is giving him the chance to be part of his life.

Issue #20. Now You See Me! Now You Love Me!

It’s not that Donghyuck can’t keep secrets, it’s that life works to unimaginable extents to prevent him from doing so.

This time, Chenle and Jisung invade his house three hours before Renjun’s party starts, and Donghyuck has no remedy but tell them the truth. There aren’t many ways in which he could explain why he’s trying every outfit in his wardrobe.  Donghyuck can hear Jeno and Jaemin giggle in the living room as Donghyuck, stuttering, reveals that they’re attending Little Witch’s party. Chenle and Jisung’s reactions aren’t disappointing: they stare at Donghyuck with their mouths open for so long that Donghyuck shifts his weight from one leg to another in nervousness.

Right when Donghyuck is going to ask if they’re okay, Jisung interrupts him. “This is unfair! It’s a superhero themed party, and we are superheroes. We have the right to go.”

“He invited Jeno and me. I can’t just show up at his door with anyone,” Donghyuck reasons. Jisung glowers at him, offended, and Donghyuck wouldn’t be surprised if he was plotting to follow him just for the sake of annoying Donghyuck. “Besides, I think the whole point of the party is civilians mimicking us, not us being ourselves.”

“So why aren’t you wearing a superhero suit?” Chenle remarks, pointing at the sweater Donghyuck is taking from the wardrobe in that exact moment.

Because it’s going to be strange if Lee Donghyuck shows up at a party wearing another superhero’s suit. It will spark rumors, and that’s the last thing Donghyuck wants.

“Because I’m a superhero myself?”

Chenle snatches the sweater from his hands, “Don’t wear that, it screams I’m a prude.”

“Dude, I am a prude.”

“Objection!” Jaemin shouts from the living room, and Jeno cackles out loud.

Jisung pretends to gag, “Gross.”

“Let me choose the clothes so I can live through you,” Chenle pleads then, quirking up his lower lip over his top lip. He looks adorable, Donghyuck accepts that, and Chenle already knows he has won. “Thank you!”

That’s Donghyuck’s biggest mistake, because one shouldn’t trust younger guys with what they deem appropriate to seduce a superhero delinquent. Donghyuck isn’t trying to seduce anyone, though when they’re in the car, Jeno keeps stealing glances at his legs because of the flesh exposed by the ripped skinny jeans.

All in all, Jeno is the only who bothers to wear a suit, and it turns out it’s his own suit. It doesn’t matter, because SHcreative provides exactly the same suit for every one of their heroes, and it isn’t difficult to find replicas in SHcreative’s shops. Donghyuck bought a badge for Jeno that says Lee Donghyuck, however, because Jaemin thought it would be funny to see his name in such suit. That, and Jeno is kind of theirs.

Jaemin assured that Renjun would be probably wearing regular clothes, and he was right. It’s true that almost every friend of his is wearing a superhero suit, but there are at least three guys in tracksuits. It’s obvious that it’s a private party, because Donghyuck counts that there aren’t more than twenty persons, and he prefers it that way.

The boy that opens the door for them isn’t Renjun, though he greets Jaemin as though they have known each other for years, and Donghyuck has to let them talk in the entrance for a while. However, the moment Donghyuck finds Renjun in the farthest point of the living room, Renjun looks up at him like he can sense Donghyuck’s stare.

Renjun is talking to Yukhei, who is wearing a Spiderman suit – Donghyuck didn’t know they could choose a superhero that didn’t belong to their country, and now he regrets not dressing up as Daredevil – and Donghyuck finds pretty funny that last time he was a bit jealous of Yukhei.

Renjun approaches them with a smile; Donghyuck can feel Jeno sucking a breath next to him, and that’s the most relatable thing he could do in this moment. He gives Donghyuck a sweet glance, bright eyes that makes his stomach churn, but Renjun’s attention shifts to Jeno right away.

“Jeno,” he greets, inspectiing him from head to toe. Donghyuck swears he has never seen a guy as big as Jeno be so nervous in front of another boy. “I never thought a SHcreative suit would look good on anyone, but damn.”

Jeno stutters, “Thank you.”

Renjun must be behaving well, because even if Jeno is flustered, it seems to be caused by his own shyness in front of Renjun, and not because Renjun’s thoughts are invasive. In fact, Renjun is friendly enough to pull both of them towards Yukhei, insisting that they will love him. Donghyuck doesn’t know about loving him, but Yukhei surely is an affectionate guy; completely sober, he deems it’s perfectly fine to hug Donghyuck and Jeno and comment how handsome they look. He also assures Donghyuck that he’s his fan, and that if he wants to date Renjun, it’s obligatory to give him a few signatures first.

Much to Donghyuck’s surprise, Jeno mingles with Renjun’s friends very well. He loses track of him after one hour, when Donghyuck realizes that he’s alone, sitting on the couch with a drink in hand while everyone else dances and talks. But it’s fine: he has suffered so much tension in the last few weeks that his body and mind are about to fall apart. And yes, he’s falling apart on a couch at Little Witch’s house, but Donghyuck has never felt so at ease in his entire life. He would be able to sleep here if he just closed his eyes, despite the music and the noise.

However, a tall, slim guy stops in front of him, and when Donghyuck stares up in confusion, the guy gasps out loud. There isn’t any doubt he has walked towards Donghyuck to confirm his suspicions, and Donghyuck feels like laughing.

“You’re Lee Donghyuck,” he announces, marveled with his discovery.

“I am.”

The guy shakes his head, as though he couldn’t believe his eyes and his ears, as though this is just a dream. You won’t wake up, Donghyuck wants to tell him.

“Who invited you?” he pries in the end, and it sounds more like which one of my friends knows Lee Donghyuck in the flesh?

“Renjun?”

“Wait, you’re the boy?” It sounds like an accusation, like he’s reproaching Donghyuck for lying. But when Donghyuck stays mute, the guy flounders. “The other boy?”

“I’m sorry, I’m not the other,” Donghyuck corrects him. That would be like calling Jeno his other boyfriend, and that’s close to an insult. “But yes, I guess I’m the boy.”

And then, the weirdest question leaves the guy’s mouth, definitely too private to be shared, “Do you really not mind that Renjun is already dating Jaemin?”

The thing is, Donghyuck can’t be rude to Renjun’s friends, can he? A part of him wishes to spit that it’s none of his business, but somehow it’s amusing that Renjun doesn’t update his friends about his love life. For most of them, he’s just Renjun, not Little Witch, so he shouldn’t have a problem with sharing the mess all of them have built.

“That’s funny. I have been with Jaemin for two years,” Donghyuck tells him with a fake polite smile.

“You have- what the fuck?”

Before he can process the information, Renjun sneaks a hand around the guy’s waist, sending Donghyuck an apologetic glance. “Jungwoo, leave him alone.”

Jungwoo doesn’t seem to understand that he’s playing in a dangerous territory, since he looks between Renjun and Donghyuck several times, glaring at them. Perhaps he reckons that they’re joking around, which makes Donghyuck wonder how many pranks his friends have pulled on him.

“Dude,” Jungwoo begins, furrowing his eyebrows at Renjun. “What sort of freaky shit are you into?”

While Donghyuck has the decency to blush, Renjun just replies, “All sorts of freaky shit, thank you.”

It takes a lot of explaining to kick Jungwoo away, yet Donghyuck ends up laughing at the way Renjun treats him: so direct, so shameless, that Jungwoo is incapable of looking into Donghyuck’s eyes afterwards.

Renjun plops down on the couch with Donghyuck, immediately passing his arm around his shoulders and his hand on Donghyuck’s thigh.  Even though he’s excited, Donghyuck isn’t so sensitive to Renjun’s presence, perhaps because he has lost all the tension that what was maintaining him alert.

“I have something for you,” Renjun tells him, lips curling up. “In my bedroom.”

Donghyuck laughs out loud, incredulous. “No offense, but I have heard that before.”

“Are you always this arrogant?” Renjun’s eyebrows shoot up, though it’s obvious that he’s having fun. “I do have something for you in my bedroom. Something corporeal. And no, it’s not under my clothes.”

An incredible amount of heat travels up Donghyuck’s neck. He must make a mental note not to be so cheeky with Renjun next time. “Why do you have to be so explicit?”

“You started it,” Renjun reminds him, free from guilt.

Among all the bad decisions Donghyuck can take, trailing after Renjun to his bedroom takes the cake. At least when it comes to preserve his dignity. Despite how comfortable their date at the fair was, Donghyuck can’t help but be anxious over being alone with him.

And to worsen it, they cross paths with Jaemin, whose face travels from happiness to indignation in a split second. “Wait, are you bringing the party upstairs without me?” he screams at them, not minding that anyone can hear him.

“Stay there, dog,” Renjun warns him.

Jaemin draws a pout, something that he only does under the effect of alcohol, but he obeys Renjun. The second floor must be a forbidden area, because it’s empty and quiet, and no one has dared to venture. Donghyuck likes the privacy, that’s for sure, and he feels more confident around Renjun when there’s no one watching them.

Renjun opens the door of the bedroom for him, waving so that Donghyuck steps in first. Donghyuck scans the walls in interest, and much to his amusement, Renjun has the walls full of maps and schemes, which means he works here as well. No wonder it’s forbidden to use the bedrooms.

“Sit on the bed,” Renjun chirps up, too happy to be trustworthy.

Donghyuck follows the order, however, and Renjun stares at him for a moment as though he wants to record that moment. Then Renjun walks towards his wardrobe which, Donghyuck notices, is a whole mess of clothes, and rummages through it. It doesn’t take Renjun long to find whatever he’s looking for, yet Donghyuck can’t even peek at it because Renjun turns around and hides it behind his back.

Renjun’s smile is so wide that Donghyuck fears that he has a bomb in his hands.

“You lied, it was under your clothes,” Donghyuck observes in an attempt to soothe his own tension.

 “God.” Renjun rolls his eyes. “You should be a comedian.”

Even though Donghyuck tilts his head to the side to check what’s behind Renjun, Renjun doesn’t let him catch a glimpse of it. There’s a naughty grin on his face as he strides to Donghyuck again, and Renjun doesn’t sit on the bed with him: he stands with his back straight, his chest out, and a dangerous light in his eyes.

“Close your eyes, Donghyuck,” Renjun says in a sweet whisper.

Donghyuck’s eyelashes flutter close without missing a beat, and to be honest, he’s not sure if Renjun has manipulated him or not. He can sense the will inside him, but he doesn’t know if it’s legit or just a made up sensation. It isn’t not important, not when he can feel Renjun bending down at his feet, his arms on Donghyuck’s legs for support.

Renjun’s breath ghosts over Donghyuck’s lips. The world stops turning right then for Donghyuck, who feels the ground shake under his feet, and he’s frozen in place, like levitating on the bed.

Then Renjun’s lips are on his and Donghyuck feels himself being jerked to reality. It’s a mere touch, but Renjun’s lips are wet and fit against Donghyuck’s mouth like a perfect puzzle, and Donghyuck parts his lips and inches forward, not disposed to miss his chance. Donghyuck has a hunch, and that hunch becomes real two seconds later, when Renjun pulls away and places his hand on Donghyuck’s chest so that he doesn’t dive for another kiss.

The only consolation is that Renjun looks as breathless as Donghyuck feels, his black pupils blown out of proportion as he looks into Donghyuck’s eyes. Donghyuck should be embarrassed, because his chest moves against Renjun’s palm at an alarming rate, but he’s too busy thinking about kissing Renjun again. He needs to kiss Renjun again.

 “I told you to close your eyes,” Renjun scolds him, but his voice is weak, broken. Sensing the fissure in Renjun’s smugness worsens the situation for Donghyuck, makes him more impatient, more demanding. But then Renjun mutters, “Trust me.”

And Donghyuck trusts him. The kiss never happens; instead, Renjun withdraws for a moment and shifts, and Donghyuck stays still while Renjun adjusts a cloth over his head, silky and soft, that covers most of Donghyuck’s face. When Renjun brushes his fingers against Donghyuck’s cheek, a tender laugh escaping from his lips, Donghyuck realizes it’s his cue to open his eyes.

The way Renjun is staring at him has changed, and the gap is considerable. There is adoration in his stare, even devotion, and being the target of such emotions coming from Renjun overwhelms Donghyuck. He lifts a trembling hand up to his face to feel the cloth.

“What am I wearing?”

“My mask,” Renjun answers, awed, stare fixed on Donghyuck’s face. “It’s a gift.”

It’s his mask. The mask Renjun uses when he’s Little Witch, the one Donghyuck admired so much the first time he saw him. It’s a perfect fit for Donghyuck too, as though Renjun crafted it for him personally. It’s unavoidable to touch it, to make sure that Renjun isn’t toying with him, but Donghyuck feels the characteristic pattern under his fingers.

Donghyuck stammers, “Are you serious? I can’t go around wearing your mask.”

Renjun disagrees. He releases an incredulous, raspy laugh. Ignoring Donghyuck’s excuse, he darts forward, close enough to interrup Donghyuck’s thoughts, and whispers, “You look so pretty,”

Even if Renjun has called him pretty a few times, Donghyuck is thrilled to hear it again. Coy, he pushes Renjun further by asking, “I do?”

“God, you love compliments, don’t you?”

“Actually, yes.” Donghyuck draws a smile, and for once it’s so contagious that Renjun mimics him, eyes crinkling up. “Do it again.”

Donghyuck’s heart turns wild when, instead of calling him pretty, Renjun grabs his chin and leans for a second kiss.

It’s the second one of a million.

Issue #21. Dying Wish: Three Boyfriends.

Loneliness is a funny thing.

But what loneliness really is, with three boys around, is impossible.

First of all, Donghyuck has to say goodbye to living alone. Trying to fit his schedule with three boyfriends means that, no matter what, there’s always at least one boy in his home. And when it’s not the case, Chenle and Jisung make sure they fill that spot. It’s even harder for the four of them to gather at the same time, but miracles happen sometimes. One day Donghyuck even manages to introduce Mark to them, though Renjun is scared of him because he has found out that was the hacker.

Regardless of the noise and the confusion that it brings, Donghyuck loves when all of them are together. After three months, they agree to have a weekly movie night, to ditch all their responsibilities unless someone is dying because of it. Donghyuck doesn’t expect them to keep the promise, but they do, and often Jaemin jumps in through the window in the last second, screaming that they can’t begin without him.

That’s what happens tonight, except it’s not Jaemin alone, but also Renjun. Donghyuck is sulking on the couch, lying on Jeno’s lap while Jeno has spent the last hour stuffing his mouth with all the popcorn they bought. The popcorn is down to half of the original amount. Donghyuck doesn’t have any issue with watching the movie with Jeno, but two hours ago Renjun reassured him that they would be in time. And they aren’t.

They have watched ten minutes of the movie when Jaemin and Renjun decide to plop down on the balcony, legs and arms everywhere because they were holding each other. Donghyuck isn’t a fool: he knows that they wouldn’t be late if they worked separately, but rumor has it that Jaemin gets too distracted when they’re together. Last week Renjun complained that Jaemin tried to kiss him in the middle of a fight. That, to be honest, doesn’t shock Donghyuck: Jaemin is that sort of idiot.

Jeno’s body trembles under Donghyuck, which drives him to look up: Jeno is laughing for some reason, and Donghyuck comprehends it when Jeno tells Renjun, “Do you know you look like Jaemin’s sidekick when you’re together?”

“Excuse me?” Renjun gasps, pushing his mask away to reveal a mess of blond hair and pure annoyance. Jaemin is shaking imaginary dust off his suit behind him, and displays the most aggravating grin ever. Renjun adds, “You’re not touching me tonight, Lee Jeno.”

Jeno lifts his hands as to plead innocence, “Whatever the prince wants.”

Though Jaemin attempts to watch the movie while wearing his suit, Donghyuck forces both of them to change clothes – tainting his couch with evil is forbidden, Donghyuck calls it. Luckily for them, they have slept over so many times that half of their clothes are at Donghyuck’s place, so they come back in their pajamas. Donghyuck notes that Jaemin has stolen one of his pajamas instead of wearing his, but Jaemin looks too content for Donghyuck to ruin his moment. He’s sure that Jaemin can’t tell what belongs to whom anymore.

When Renjun slips onto the couch, he separates Donghyuck and Jeno without a single trace of shame, using his feet to propel Donghyuck away from them. His determination of not letting Jeno touch him is long forgotten in favor of his own benefit. Jaemin is calmer and curls his hand around Donghyuck’s thigh to protect him.

“Why are you pushing me away?” Donghyuck protests in indignation. “The nerve.”

Renjun gifts him a sheepish smile, cuddling against Jeno’s side. Jeno passes his arm over Renjun and brings him close, and Donghyuck swears the noise Renjun makes is a purr, definitely not a human noise.

“Sorry, I haven’t seen him in three days,” Renjun excuses himself.

Donghyuck purses his lips. “You haven’t seen me in three days either.”

“We can’t have everything in life, you know?”

It’s on purpose to rile Donghyuck up, because both Jeno and Renjun snicker at the incredulity on Donghyuck’s face. Good thing that Donghyuck can just make them fly out of the couch if he wants to, and he’s about to do so when Jaemin pats down his knees.

Jaemin doesn’t mean to defend him. He glares at the three of them and says, “Hey, stop fighting and rewind the movie.”

Donghyuck begrudgingly grabs the control, but as he rewinds the movie, he grumbles, “I have a boyfriend that loves popcorn more than me, one that loves Jeno more than me, and one that loves movies more than me.”

Jeno smiles, fists a whole bunch of popcorn and pushes it into his mouth, unbothered. “Sounds like a story worth telling.”

It is.