"Yoo In, I don't think I've ever had the chance to meet your parents. Do they know what you get yourself into?" JJ asked, trying to at least include Yoo In, but not quite ready to be "nice" to him yet.
"Ah, actually, my parents are no longer with us." Yoo In said in a matter of fact way. "My biological father passed before I was born and my mother passed shortly after. I'm sure you remember Han, the one dating Ava, his dad raised me and my brother, but, well, he's not with us anymore either."
JJ furrowed his brows, a bit remorseful at having asked because of course that made sense. He'd never seen any of the boys with parents, just lawyers. It never came up and he never cared to look into it.
"Oh, well, I'm sorry to hear that." He added after a moment. He cleared his throat. "But you mentioned an 'ahjoomuh'? Who is that to you?"
"She was a friend of Han's dad. She's sort of taken care of us like an aunt, or she'd argue as a grandmother. She owns the restaurant we work at." Yoo In explained. "And like I said, she's very fond of Manon." He added with a grin. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
"She's at the restaurant most days when she isn't taking care of her grandkids. I'm sure she'll be around. I'm sure if I told her you were coming by, she'd make time to come in too." Yoo In said, giddy with the prospect of getting to show off his own "parental" figure. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
"Maybe I can make time for lunch." He offered, mostly out of guilt for having "outed" Yoo In, though that didn't seem to matter much to Yoo In as he lit up that much more.
"I'll make sure to get a table for three then." He nodded, grinning. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Lucinda made a face of surprise, though she assumed the reason why was more out of guilt than intrigue. Still, Lucinda didn’t expect JJ would even care.
“Ah cool! You guys are gonna love it!” Manon grinned with excitement.
Yoo In had never thought too much on his future. When other kids replied to questions about their aspirations with answers of wanting to be teachers, firefighters, and astronauts, Yoo In rather questioned whether or not he would get to have a future after the tumultuous event that nearly ended it all and pulled the entirety of the supernatural community out of hiding. He supposed that maybe he once had dreams of a normal future, maybe he wanted to be a librarian or a own a bookshop, but if he did have those sorts of dreams, they must have been when he was very small because he could not remember them. Instead of having personal hopes and dreams, he spent his youth fighting for the right to just exist, to stand beside those like and unlike him with equal footing. And while he certainly still strived for that reality, he had more recently started to think of his own future...and his future with Manon.
His relationship with Manon was never regarded as a fling to him (despite how Ava had felt), but it occurred to him that he hadn't really thought about a future together until more recently. With Manon getting ready to graduate soon, Yoo In knew that she would be heading off to continue her education somewhere and he knew that while they had yet to talk about it, he wanted to go with her. He wanted to follow her to school, maybe they could get an apartment together. They didn't have to have anything fancy, but it could be home for awhile and he could work to provide for them. When Manon finished school, they could always come back to the city to be close to their families, maybe they could start a family of their own. They could have a few kids, maybe they would look like Manon, but especially in the way they smiled. As Yoo In thought about his future with Manon, the little details always changed, but the fact that it was him and Manon did not.
But that peaceful future would still require some work, work that was specifically aimed at the bigger future so he and Manon COULD have that life together. Yoo In found his time frequently occupied by Manon and work, but he still managed to put some hours in with the Faction, though it certainly wasn't as much, and he no longer frequented the front lines or caused as much mischief since he didn't want to cause Manon OR JJ any (or at least too many) problems.
Today he was doing some work at one of the "field" offices before going to meet Manon to spend their usual time in between school and her extracurriculars together. The office space wasn't actually an office, but rather an old salon that had been out of business for quite some time. It had looked all but abandoned before the Faction acquired the lease with chairs peeling plastic skin and jars of acetone and barbicide jars dried up with nothing but weathered combs inside. They had gut it out and made it a working space for them, but it didn't have a finished or pristine look like the Society, rather it was just a place to meet up and share plans or sometimes print out propaganda to distribute, which is what Yoo In was doing.
He was tri-folding some pamphlets, a hefty box filled with them on one side of him while a printer balanced precariously on a plastic milk crate whirred loudly and spat out prints on the other. He was folding as fast as the machine was printing while other members of the Faction bustled in and out of a back room where several higher ups had gathered for something or other.
Yoo In, and Han even, had tried to ask what they were planning, but they had been told that it didn't need to concern them, so they should just mind their own tasks, so they did.
Han had left some time ago while Yoo In was trying to finish the pamphlets before going to meet Manon at their usual subway station. He didn't mind that Han had left, after all, he was probably going home to Ava or to meet her at an appointment for their impending bundle of joy. He was glad to help out, though he was eager to leave himself.
Members of the Faction had been coming and going from the backroom all day, some of them leaving with notably large bags full of who knows what. Yoo In imagined they were fliers or something of that sort, much like the ones he was folding right now, but he never bothered to ask. It had been a minute since anyone came out or left, so Yoo In thought that, perhaps, they were done with what they were doing and when he finished, he gathered up the pamphlet box and went to the door to the backroom to store them until they were needed.
He elbowed the door open, pausing when he heard some voices inside.
"-can't believe it's going to be so easy. All of their higher ups in one place plus a few explosives? Why didn't we do it earlier?" One voice snickered.
"I heard that both Laughlins are going to be there AND Rundin Dalca. Their whole organization will be in chaos." The other replied, which made Yoo In's chest squeeze tight with anxiety.
Explosives? Higher ups? Laughlins? While Yoo In was no stranger to criminal activity done on the behalf of the Faction, actual acts of terrorism that had a potential body count was not something that weighed easily on him.
He dipped back out from the door, trying to be as quiet as possible before setting the box down outside of the backroom and shuffling off. He wrestled his phone out of his pocket as he hurried to leave the building, texting Manon.
Where is your dad???? _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Manon was sort of in her own world, a bubble of puppy love. Yoo In seemed to fit in her life like the perfect missing puzzle piece, and she could say she felt the same way about herself in his life. They always made time for each other no matter how minimal, her parents even seemed to have warmed up to him. One her week days, it was school and extracurriculars, both of which Yoo In escorted her to and from when he was able. He would carry her duffle for her, and peel cuties for her on the side of the rink while she skated. On the weekends she’d do her homework at the restaurant, she’d talk Korean with everyone and even help bus tables if it got busy; she was happy to help and felt like she fit right in.
Of course she had though about the future, college and law school. She imagined Yoo In in a studio apartment with her; cooking dinner while she sat at the table studying. Even though that future was far enough away, she could hear the faint chopping of cabbage in her ears and feel the warm afternoon light spilling in through thin tulle curtains. It was something she looked forward to, and she only wanted it if it was with Yoo In.
She was currently wrapping up college prep when she saw her phone jittering on her text book. It was Yoo In, but he was asking about her dad, which was unusual.
She quirked a brow before leaning over her phone and thumbing a reply on the keyboard.
He’s going to some board meeting tonight for the city. Why?
Yoo In let out a quiet curse under his breath as he narrowly dodged another Faction member, trying to keep his composure enough to not rouse suspicion. It must have worked, despite his nervously sweating brow, because the member didn't say anything and continued to brush by.
Where is the meeting? he texted back, though he suspected it was either at the Society or perhaps one of the city government buildings. Either way, time was of the essence and he needed to know where to run to. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
I’m not positive. Maybe city hall? I can try asking him but I think he’s already there and will be too busy to reply. Manon replied, still confused about the sudden interest in her dad. Yes they were getting along but she would’ve never considered them close or friends.
"Shit." Yoo In uttered again before shoving his phone into his pocket and rushing off towards city hall. He didn't want to scare Manon, especially if he could stop whatever was set into motion.
Meanwhile, at city hall, everyone was gathering, just as Manon and the other Faction members had said. Everyone who had any weight to throw around at the Society was present, including Rundin Dalca and his most trusted confidants which included Joshua, the older and younger Laughlins, and even a young woman who could have certainly passed for human save for glowing white eyes that shone brightly against dark brown skin named Giselle. Settling in on the other side of the table were several stuffy older men who looked like any one of them would call someone something indecent if not worse.
"Full offense, Rundin, I don't think this is going to go as smooth as you hope it will." Joshua commented quietly.
"Well, it has to, I have dinner with my family later." JJ uttered as he glanced at his phone, perhaps at a message from his wife.
"Same for me. I have to pick up mon petit from work at the office." Jer said in reference to the youngest Laughlin child who had recently started doing office work at the Society as a part timer. His words were as heavily accented as ever
"We're not looking for big victories today, just little ones. It should be fine." Rundin assured as he straightened himself out before standing up, every one of his associates standing up with him. They all reached across the tables to offer their hands for a shake, though no one on the other side seemed eager. "Shall we begin?"
---
Yoo In continued to run towards city hall, even opting out of attempting the subway. As traffic and crowds began to condense together for the early evening rush, he met a brief standstill. He weighed his options of wedging through the crowd or waiting for it to clear up. Neither seemed like a viable option. He stepped away from crowd and shook out his limbs as smoke began licking at his heels, the soles of his shoes quickly melting into a gummy substance beneath him. He and twin had learned that if they focused their fire on their feet, they could get themselves airborne, they had also learned that for whatever reason, if they fully shifted to their true bulgae form they could quite easily manipulate their gravity, a testament to perhaps a dragonlike lineage. With a spurt of flame, he propelled himslef upwards and when he was far enough above the crowd, whose eyes were all on him, he shifted into a fiery beast in the air. He tilted himself sideways and used the nearby building to leap from, pouncing from window to window in a way that left angry, orange pawprints melted into them.
---
The meeting was going about as well as Joshua had worried it would and as horrible as Rundin had hoped that it wouldn't. Their counterparts clearly had strong anti-supernatural sentiments which made negotiating any and all propositions regarding the ensuring of the safety and wellbeing of supernaturals nearly impossible.
They had just settled into a break and the stuffy men left the room, leaving Rundin and his associates to slump in their chairs in an annoyingly defeated manner.
"This is impossible." Jer Senior groused. "They don't even want to budge on anything. How can they expect us to work with what they have, or truly HAVEN'T, given us?"
"They don't WANT anything to work." Joshua commented with a sigh. "I suppose we should all start texting partners that we'll be late." He said, already pulling out his phone to do so.
Everyone else followed suit, but JJ stopped when he heard a ruckus outside of the meeting room. He furrowed his brow and stood up to poke his head out the door. He saw people, including the men they were meeting with, gathered at the wall of windows. JJ drew in closer, peering over the tops of heads to try and see what they were looking at.
"It looks like a dog!" One of them remarked, because it did.
It appeared to be a golden dog with bright orange and red flames lapping at it's body and it's feet. It had large teeth that made it impossible to close it's mouth, leaving a tongue to loll out and flap in the wind. To everyone else, ths was an impossible animal, however, JJ knew this being. He knew of him before he got to actually know him.
"Yoo In?" He said to himself, but before anyone could question whether or not he knew this flying dog, or even before JJ could find out if this was the other Park brother, there was a ground shaking boom and a flash of light in the room where they had gathered.
---
Yoo In skidded to a stop on the building across from city hall as glass exploded outwards and several bodies went flying from where the windows had once been. He watched in horror as they fell through the sky and towards the ground, but despite his surprise and fear, he couldn't help but feel selfishly grateful that none of those people were JJ.
But he couldn't see JJ anymore either.
There was a shrill alarm going off from the building and people cried out as they either rushed away from the scene to seek out safety or attempted to help any of the injured. It was hard to see, but he hoped that JJ was either helping or BEING helped. He wanted to get closer, but he could hear the people below and even in the building crying out blame towards him. Of course the source of the explosion would be the fiery hound, or so it would seem.
As the sound of sirens encroached and people more fervently pointing him out and placing blame, Yoo In became more and more aware of how this looked and already knew how this would play out for him if he lingered.
For now, he would have to hope JJ was okay and fall back.
---
It was JJ's groans of pain that led Jer to him. The older werewolf had ripped off his jacket and used it to smother the hot embers and flames eating at what remained of JJ's clothes. His face was cut from glass and some of his skin was red from burns, but it was his right arm and side that looked like it had suffered the most trauma with open wounds from where he'd been burned badly and, if him trying to cradle his chest was any indication, perhaps some broken ribs from the force of the explosion.
"Tu vas bien, tu vas bien." Jer assured shakily as he scooped up JJ then, despite the groans of agony and protest. Joshua came over to help him while Rundin and Giselle tried to gather whoever they could and help them out of the scene.
---
((FF))
The nearest hospital was quickly overwhelmed by patients. Apparently there had been several explosions in the building and as a result many were injured and some were even worse off than JJ as he laid in a hospital bed in the hallway, still groaning in pain with Jer by his side as they waited for his turn to be tended to. Jer had his hand in JJ's allowing him to hold onto it while he used his other to dial for Lucinda. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Manon was home now, but she hadn’t stopped texting and calling Yoo In. His last message to her was too foreign and without explanation, and the lack of response made her more concerned, warranting several unanswered phone calls. She was pacing around her bedroom, anxiously tapping on her phone, probably texting her cousins for comfort or reassurance.
Lucinda was in the living room though, unaware of anything at all. She knew her husband was going to be out late, even before he texted her to tell her so, that was just his way and Lucinda knew that. JJ was a workaholic but in truth Lucinda was too, that’s why it worked with no offense. She was even curled up in her recliner, knees propping up her tablet as she worked. Her tablet pen swiveled across the screen with concentrated accuracy, the reflection of a new character design for Konami reflected in her blue light blocking glasses. She only paused when her phone rang on the arm of the recliner. She saw it was Jer, her father in law. They had always been close, Jer was her best friends dad, Lucinda had spent so many weekends and vacations with the Laughlin’s it was a little surprising that she and JJ hasn’t dated sooner.
“I already know Jay is gonna be late, if you’re checkin in for him?” She answered, tucking the phone between her face and shoulder, still sketching away.
"Non, non, Lucinda, it isn't that." Jer spoke hastily. "I need you to come to the hospital, JJ is hurt."
JJ bit back his groaning when he realized his father had called Lucinda, not wanting her to become more frantic than she was sure to become. He'd been hurt before on jobs, but nothing that merited calling Lucinda like this. He squeezed Jer's hand tight instead. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
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