drabbles; mama!au
these are drabbles i've written for shiritori. let me know if you're interested in more explorations of that au or possibly a longfic? :)
standby
lay/sehun | pg-13 | 1535w | angst, mama!au, dystopia
"He’ll come back soon enough," Seohyun says and watches Yixing pacing around the room. It's unnerving to watch and rises worry and anxiety within her, too, but for the sake of both their sanity, she tries to stay calm and composed.
Nothing is certain in this world. The apocalypse has come sooner than expected, surprising the special ones - a very few people with powers exceeding those of a normal human. In their history, those special ones have been chased after and murdered, accused of sorcery and witchcraft associated with the devil, although the real devil would be humanity itself, or at least the power hungry ones, and yet, despite humanity being so destructive, continuously exploiting nature and committing crimes against one another, Seohyun couldn't think of leaving them to their own fate. She wants to save and protect, unable to bear watching children and innocent souls being swallowed by the darkness that the Third World War has brought upon them. That's why she's here, following a small group of people that has sworn to bring back balance to the world and turning it back into a brighter place, bit by bit.
"He's been away for so long," Yixing says quietly, as if he didn't want to disrupt the silence around them, a silence so rare to find when outside everything is crumbling down, crashing and dissolving into dust and ashes. And this little peace is only possible because of the few people they have gathered who are put on standby to keep this place safe.
It's Kyungsoo who is shielding them with his ability to control earth and soil, creating a thick wall that keeps the danger away, and Sunyoung who refuses to use her powers as weapon. She is creating a second sonic barrier around them instead, giving everyone inside that barrier the illusion of peace when doom is just a few feet away.
"They'll come back," Seohyun says, tone more confident than she feels. She can't let their healer lose his patience and run out recklessly, leaving everyone behind only to find his beloved one. They need Yixing. He is their ray of hope, his magic bringing the most weakened bodies back to vitality. Without him, they could never survive the war.
"And Sehun is going to come back with them. He promised you, and he never failed to keep his promises, right?" She adds in a forcedly cheerful voice.
"Right," Yixing says, but he doesn't sound convinced.
Two hours later Jongin appears out of nowhere, one hand clutching his other arm, expression grim. There's grime and dirt all over his face that Seohyun is quick to wipe away with a damp towel while Yixing works on the gash that Jongin has been putting pressure on in a poor attempt to reduce the bleeding.
"Where is Sehun?" Yixing asks, eerily calm, but Seohyun can sense he's anything but that. "Why didn't you come back together?"
"He's still out there," Jongin says and winces. Yixing apologizes immediately for using too much pressure and pulls away, the cut on Jongin's arm now smaller and scabbed. It's good enough for Jongin, but he can see Yixing still staring at it. They all know Yixing wants to heal them completely and get rid of all wounds and bruises, not wanting to leave behind even a scar, but Junmyeon has ruled that out. Yixing is only supposed to work on bad injuries and help them heal up enough to function and continue work. He is not supposed to exhaust himself by doing too much.
"Sehun," Yixing says all of a sudden and looks up, meeting Jongin's eye. "He's not in danger, is he? Is Junmyeon still with him?"
Jongin can't hold the gaze. He looks down to his feet.
"We got separated," he whispers.
Jongin has offered to go and look for both Sehun and Junmyeon right away, but Seohyun has stopped him, insisting that he would need some rest first, otherwise he might not be able to make it back home in his current state. They all might have great powers, but they are not invincible. They might have greater endurance than the average human, too, but they can only last for so long until they collapse as well.
Yixing is feeling more and more anxious with every passing second, but he knows to be reasonable and watches over Jongin's sleeping form instead, wishing it was his lover who was back in the safety of their HQ, and not Jongin. It's an awful thought, considering how unsafe their current location is. They've been staying in a small basement in the middle of a ruin that used to be South Korea's capital, once blooming and buzzing with life. Now it's just a sea of cracked concrete, covered with remnant of buildings - stone, beton and shards of glass everywhere, at least from what Yixing remembers from his last trip outside, weeks ago. There are barely any buildings left.
"I feel like someone is approaching," Sunyoung murmurs. Yixing turns his head to look at her, unfazed by her sudden appearance. She is quiet, not making a sound when she moves, though Yixing presumes it's all thanks to her unique power. He has gotten accustomed to that by now.
"Sehun or Junmyeon maybe?" Yixing asks. He is not too hopeful, although Sunyoung's intuition is usually right, her hearing enhanced by her sonic abilities. At least that is his explanation.
"Sehun, I think," Sunyoung whispers. "He's with someone."
Yixing is balling his hands into fists, unclenching and clenching them again as he waits yet again. Seohyun has instructed him to stay behind to be safe, although his own safety is what he is worried about the least when he still doesn't know what state Sehun is in. Is he okay? Is he injured? Yixing doesn't want to think about all the possibilities and tries to keep his imagination under control.
It's another few excruciatingly long minutes until a tall stranger is carrying his boyfriend in with Seohyun in tow who is cradling a child in her arms, close to her chest. The child could only six or seven years old, ten at most, but Yixing only has eyes for his boyfriend.
"Sehun." It's barely a whisper, but he sees Sehun reacting to it, the faintest of smiles on his lips, lashes fluttering.
The stranger introduces himself as Yifan, but Yixing ignores him, attention solely focused on Sehun whose breathing seems too shallow. Sehun is put down gently on the mattress where Jongin has been sleeping on earlier, and Yixing works his healing magic again. Only this time, he isn't sure if he can save the only life that means something to him. Sehun is weakened, not because of injuries, but because of over-using his air manipulating skills, and recovering that once used up completely is almost impossible.
"Ge," Sehun mutters, but is shushed by Yixing who takes one of Sehun's hands to gently squeeze, to transfer some life back into Sehun.
"Don't speak," Yixing says. He can barely hear his own voice, but he knows it must be trembling. "Rest."
And Sehun just smiles, head falling back onto the mattress.
"Yixing," Sehun says. He's smiling too brightly, although he's still not back to full health yet. After Junmyeon came back, he decided for Sehun to stay at the HQ and not set foot outside for the next few days until they can be sure that his survival chances are high enough to go onto the next mission.
"You worried us to death," Yixing murmurs, but he can't be upset with Sehun when the younger male is beaming at him like that. He has always been too soft on Sehun, lacking the strictness that Junmyeon uses to keep Sehun's recklessness at bay.
"I know, and I'm sorry about that," Sehun says. He is sitting on the ground now, back leaning against the wall, and Yixing scoots closer to rest his head against Sehun's shoulder.
"I just couldn't leave the poor boy there in midst of an earthquake. I had to shield him and that wore me out. We were lucky Yifan saw us from above. He picked us up and flew us back to HQ, following my directions," Sehun explains quietly. It's not a new story for Yixing who has heard it all from Yifan, but that doesn't mean he won't let Sehun recount it. He likes listening to Sehun's voice, more so, after fearing that he might have lost Sehun this time he cherishes every moment they have together.
"The old you wouldn't have saved the child," Yixing says quietly, eyes closing. "The old you was selfish."
Sehun laughs softly at that. "That's true. The old me wouldn't, but the new me did. I knew you would do the same if you were in my shoes."
Yixing smiles, not confirming, not denying. He isn't too sure if what Sehun said is true. He isn't that selfless, not anymore. Two years ago he might have put his life on the line to save another life, but now that there is someone important who he might leave behind all sad and devastated, he wouldn't. Now he would do anything to be able to return.
support
suho-centric, hinted!suho/seohyun | pg-13 | 1001w | mama!au, light angst, dystopia
"Any questions?" Junmyeon asks and looks around, searching for any signs of disapproval. They are sitting around the only table in their facility, the dinner table, and everyone seems to mirror each other's grim expression. If they are doubtful of his decision, they don't let it show. They know that he has had a hard time thinking of the best solution for their group.
Junmyeon is not the eldest in their team, but he is the most trusted one. There is Yixing, who is older than him, but Yixing is not cut for leading a group. He doesn't like organizing and he dislikes giving orders even more. Yixing is the type of person who follows quietly and only speaks up when absolutely necessary.
Seohyun is the same age as Junmyeon and could have been leader, too, for she is smart. Junmyeon often asks for her opinion, but he also knows that she has a flaw, and that is her emotional side. Once agitated, she stops thinking and acts as intuition dictates her, often compromitting her own safety.
And then they have Minseok, who is actually the eldest. He, too, has refused to take on the role of a leader, explaining that he had neither skills nor confidence as such, so the whole group has chosen Junmyeon to be their guide and center instead. They flock around him and ask for his advice, never taking a step on their own without informing him. It's one of the first rules he has set up, and Junmyeon is relieved to see that even stubborn Jongin complies to it.
At times, Junmyeon thinks it had been a good decision to make him the leader, because he is the only one who stays calm and composed in every situation, not letting emotions take over and fog his decision making. At other times, he curses the day he accepted his role because the burden of watching over the whole group gets too much. If anyone dies outside, it would be his fault for sending them out on a mission. They all trust him too much. Like now. No one voices objection although he can sense that not everyone is comfortable with what he has chosen for them to do.
"I take it as an okay then," Junmyeon says, hoping that no one can hear the exhaustion in his voice. He spent the last night deciding on what to do after Sehun was brought back in an almost lifeless state by a stranger who swears that he has no relations to any groupings, and for Junmyeon it's hard to believe that someone could survive on his own, without a group out there inmidst of a war. Junmyeon doesn't trust this Yifan guy, and so does the rest of their group, except for Sehun himself, who claims that Yifan has saved him. Him and that mysterious child with eerily wide eyes, irises a clear light blue. That child doesn't speak, either because he is mute or traumatized, and Junmyeon hopes it's the latter. Without communication, they can't clarify the situation, and as result of such, Junmyeon can't trust them.
And yet, because of Sehun's words, Junmyeon has made the decision to keep those two with them at the HQ for a while longer, until they find out who Yifan and that child exactly are. There is a raging war outside, and Junmyeon does not have the heart to throw them out there. Who knows, there is still a chance that they might be innocent and good people, another victims of this war. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he ever finds out that more people have died because of his misjudgement.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Kyungsoo murmurs, but he doesn't object. They all simply agree, and Junmyeon hopes that he is making the right decision this time. He doesn't want another tragedy to happen. They have lost enough people and can't afford their number to deplate more. The more people with diverse powers, the safer they will be as a team, complementing each other with their powers. Even at the greater risk of betrayal that comes in a bigger group, Junmyeon wishes for at least three, four more people. The latest mission has proven how much they needed support, if only to be able to go outside and patrol in shifts.
"Is it just a bad feeling or do you have actual arguments that go against keeping Yifan and the child here?" Junmyeon asks. He needs to clarify and erase all the doubts in everyone else to keep their team safe from arguments within.
"Just a feeling," Kyungsoo says. "No justified reason."
Junmyeon nods and looks around the room once more, giving the rest of the group time to speak up. When he's met with nothing but silence, he closes the briefing and watches everyone filing out, back to their posts. Kyungsoo would continue patrolling, checking the walls he has built for them, and Sunyoung will do that, too, maybe joining Kyungsoo, maybe not. Sehun and Yixing would go back to the main room to rest until it's time to prepare the next meal. Minseok is probably going to join Jongin to both fill him in about what has been discussed just now and to help keep an eye on Yifan and the child. And Seohyun -
"Don't mind Kyungsoo," Seohyun whispers next to him. He turns to look at her and sees a tiny smile. "Because I think you made the right decision. We promised to stop the war and bring back balance, but we also promised to save as many lives as we can, right?"
Junmyeon nods and returns the smile. Seohyun's hand is warm on his shoulder when she squeezes it. He wishes it would last longer, but Seohyun has already left him sitting at their dinner table, as she hurries outside to find Sunyoung. He is smiling nonetheless, finding new hope and confidence in the trust that is put in him.
standby
lay/sehun | pg-13 | 1535w | angst, mama!au, dystopia
"He’ll come back soon enough," Seohyun says and watches Yixing pacing around the room. It's unnerving to watch and rises worry and anxiety within her, too, but for the sake of both their sanity, she tries to stay calm and composed.
Nothing is certain in this world. The apocalypse has come sooner than expected, surprising the special ones - a very few people with powers exceeding those of a normal human. In their history, those special ones have been chased after and murdered, accused of sorcery and witchcraft associated with the devil, although the real devil would be humanity itself, or at least the power hungry ones, and yet, despite humanity being so destructive, continuously exploiting nature and committing crimes against one another, Seohyun couldn't think of leaving them to their own fate. She wants to save and protect, unable to bear watching children and innocent souls being swallowed by the darkness that the Third World War has brought upon them. That's why she's here, following a small group of people that has sworn to bring back balance to the world and turning it back into a brighter place, bit by bit.
"He's been away for so long," Yixing says quietly, as if he didn't want to disrupt the silence around them, a silence so rare to find when outside everything is crumbling down, crashing and dissolving into dust and ashes. And this little peace is only possible because of the few people they have gathered who are put on standby to keep this place safe.
It's Kyungsoo who is shielding them with his ability to control earth and soil, creating a thick wall that keeps the danger away, and Sunyoung who refuses to use her powers as weapon. She is creating a second sonic barrier around them instead, giving everyone inside that barrier the illusion of peace when doom is just a few feet away.
"They'll come back," Seohyun says, tone more confident than she feels. She can't let their healer lose his patience and run out recklessly, leaving everyone behind only to find his beloved one. They need Yixing. He is their ray of hope, his magic bringing the most weakened bodies back to vitality. Without him, they could never survive the war.
"And Sehun is going to come back with them. He promised you, and he never failed to keep his promises, right?" She adds in a forcedly cheerful voice.
"Right," Yixing says, but he doesn't sound convinced.
Two hours later Jongin appears out of nowhere, one hand clutching his other arm, expression grim. There's grime and dirt all over his face that Seohyun is quick to wipe away with a damp towel while Yixing works on the gash that Jongin has been putting pressure on in a poor attempt to reduce the bleeding.
"Where is Sehun?" Yixing asks, eerily calm, but Seohyun can sense he's anything but that. "Why didn't you come back together?"
"He's still out there," Jongin says and winces. Yixing apologizes immediately for using too much pressure and pulls away, the cut on Jongin's arm now smaller and scabbed. It's good enough for Jongin, but he can see Yixing still staring at it. They all know Yixing wants to heal them completely and get rid of all wounds and bruises, not wanting to leave behind even a scar, but Junmyeon has ruled that out. Yixing is only supposed to work on bad injuries and help them heal up enough to function and continue work. He is not supposed to exhaust himself by doing too much.
"Sehun," Yixing says all of a sudden and looks up, meeting Jongin's eye. "He's not in danger, is he? Is Junmyeon still with him?"
Jongin can't hold the gaze. He looks down to his feet.
"We got separated," he whispers.
Jongin has offered to go and look for both Sehun and Junmyeon right away, but Seohyun has stopped him, insisting that he would need some rest first, otherwise he might not be able to make it back home in his current state. They all might have great powers, but they are not invincible. They might have greater endurance than the average human, too, but they can only last for so long until they collapse as well.
Yixing is feeling more and more anxious with every passing second, but he knows to be reasonable and watches over Jongin's sleeping form instead, wishing it was his lover who was back in the safety of their HQ, and not Jongin. It's an awful thought, considering how unsafe their current location is. They've been staying in a small basement in the middle of a ruin that used to be South Korea's capital, once blooming and buzzing with life. Now it's just a sea of cracked concrete, covered with remnant of buildings - stone, beton and shards of glass everywhere, at least from what Yixing remembers from his last trip outside, weeks ago. There are barely any buildings left.
"I feel like someone is approaching," Sunyoung murmurs. Yixing turns his head to look at her, unfazed by her sudden appearance. She is quiet, not making a sound when she moves, though Yixing presumes it's all thanks to her unique power. He has gotten accustomed to that by now.
"Sehun or Junmyeon maybe?" Yixing asks. He is not too hopeful, although Sunyoung's intuition is usually right, her hearing enhanced by her sonic abilities. At least that is his explanation.
"Sehun, I think," Sunyoung whispers. "He's with someone."
Yixing is balling his hands into fists, unclenching and clenching them again as he waits yet again. Seohyun has instructed him to stay behind to be safe, although his own safety is what he is worried about the least when he still doesn't know what state Sehun is in. Is he okay? Is he injured? Yixing doesn't want to think about all the possibilities and tries to keep his imagination under control.
It's another few excruciatingly long minutes until a tall stranger is carrying his boyfriend in with Seohyun in tow who is cradling a child in her arms, close to her chest. The child could only six or seven years old, ten at most, but Yixing only has eyes for his boyfriend.
"Sehun." It's barely a whisper, but he sees Sehun reacting to it, the faintest of smiles on his lips, lashes fluttering.
The stranger introduces himself as Yifan, but Yixing ignores him, attention solely focused on Sehun whose breathing seems too shallow. Sehun is put down gently on the mattress where Jongin has been sleeping on earlier, and Yixing works his healing magic again. Only this time, he isn't sure if he can save the only life that means something to him. Sehun is weakened, not because of injuries, but because of over-using his air manipulating skills, and recovering that once used up completely is almost impossible.
"Ge," Sehun mutters, but is shushed by Yixing who takes one of Sehun's hands to gently squeeze, to transfer some life back into Sehun.
"Don't speak," Yixing says. He can barely hear his own voice, but he knows it must be trembling. "Rest."
And Sehun just smiles, head falling back onto the mattress.
"Yixing," Sehun says. He's smiling too brightly, although he's still not back to full health yet. After Junmyeon came back, he decided for Sehun to stay at the HQ and not set foot outside for the next few days until they can be sure that his survival chances are high enough to go onto the next mission.
"You worried us to death," Yixing murmurs, but he can't be upset with Sehun when the younger male is beaming at him like that. He has always been too soft on Sehun, lacking the strictness that Junmyeon uses to keep Sehun's recklessness at bay.
"I know, and I'm sorry about that," Sehun says. He is sitting on the ground now, back leaning against the wall, and Yixing scoots closer to rest his head against Sehun's shoulder.
"I just couldn't leave the poor boy there in midst of an earthquake. I had to shield him and that wore me out. We were lucky Yifan saw us from above. He picked us up and flew us back to HQ, following my directions," Sehun explains quietly. It's not a new story for Yixing who has heard it all from Yifan, but that doesn't mean he won't let Sehun recount it. He likes listening to Sehun's voice, more so, after fearing that he might have lost Sehun this time he cherishes every moment they have together.
"The old you wouldn't have saved the child," Yixing says quietly, eyes closing. "The old you was selfish."
Sehun laughs softly at that. "That's true. The old me wouldn't, but the new me did. I knew you would do the same if you were in my shoes."
Yixing smiles, not confirming, not denying. He isn't too sure if what Sehun said is true. He isn't that selfless, not anymore. Two years ago he might have put his life on the line to save another life, but now that there is someone important who he might leave behind all sad and devastated, he wouldn't. Now he would do anything to be able to return.
support
suho-centric, hinted!suho/seohyun | pg-13 | 1001w | mama!au, light angst, dystopia
"Any questions?" Junmyeon asks and looks around, searching for any signs of disapproval. They are sitting around the only table in their facility, the dinner table, and everyone seems to mirror each other's grim expression. If they are doubtful of his decision, they don't let it show. They know that he has had a hard time thinking of the best solution for their group.
Junmyeon is not the eldest in their team, but he is the most trusted one. There is Yixing, who is older than him, but Yixing is not cut for leading a group. He doesn't like organizing and he dislikes giving orders even more. Yixing is the type of person who follows quietly and only speaks up when absolutely necessary.
Seohyun is the same age as Junmyeon and could have been leader, too, for she is smart. Junmyeon often asks for her opinion, but he also knows that she has a flaw, and that is her emotional side. Once agitated, she stops thinking and acts as intuition dictates her, often compromitting her own safety.
And then they have Minseok, who is actually the eldest. He, too, has refused to take on the role of a leader, explaining that he had neither skills nor confidence as such, so the whole group has chosen Junmyeon to be their guide and center instead. They flock around him and ask for his advice, never taking a step on their own without informing him. It's one of the first rules he has set up, and Junmyeon is relieved to see that even stubborn Jongin complies to it.
At times, Junmyeon thinks it had been a good decision to make him the leader, because he is the only one who stays calm and composed in every situation, not letting emotions take over and fog his decision making. At other times, he curses the day he accepted his role because the burden of watching over the whole group gets too much. If anyone dies outside, it would be his fault for sending them out on a mission. They all trust him too much. Like now. No one voices objection although he can sense that not everyone is comfortable with what he has chosen for them to do.
"I take it as an okay then," Junmyeon says, hoping that no one can hear the exhaustion in his voice. He spent the last night deciding on what to do after Sehun was brought back in an almost lifeless state by a stranger who swears that he has no relations to any groupings, and for Junmyeon it's hard to believe that someone could survive on his own, without a group out there inmidst of a war. Junmyeon doesn't trust this Yifan guy, and so does the rest of their group, except for Sehun himself, who claims that Yifan has saved him. Him and that mysterious child with eerily wide eyes, irises a clear light blue. That child doesn't speak, either because he is mute or traumatized, and Junmyeon hopes it's the latter. Without communication, they can't clarify the situation, and as result of such, Junmyeon can't trust them.
And yet, because of Sehun's words, Junmyeon has made the decision to keep those two with them at the HQ for a while longer, until they find out who Yifan and that child exactly are. There is a raging war outside, and Junmyeon does not have the heart to throw them out there. Who knows, there is still a chance that they might be innocent and good people, another victims of this war. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he ever finds out that more people have died because of his misjudgement.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Kyungsoo murmurs, but he doesn't object. They all simply agree, and Junmyeon hopes that he is making the right decision this time. He doesn't want another tragedy to happen. They have lost enough people and can't afford their number to deplate more. The more people with diverse powers, the safer they will be as a team, complementing each other with their powers. Even at the greater risk of betrayal that comes in a bigger group, Junmyeon wishes for at least three, four more people. The latest mission has proven how much they needed support, if only to be able to go outside and patrol in shifts.
"Is it just a bad feeling or do you have actual arguments that go against keeping Yifan and the child here?" Junmyeon asks. He needs to clarify and erase all the doubts in everyone else to keep their team safe from arguments within.
"Just a feeling," Kyungsoo says. "No justified reason."
Junmyeon nods and looks around the room once more, giving the rest of the group time to speak up. When he's met with nothing but silence, he closes the briefing and watches everyone filing out, back to their posts. Kyungsoo would continue patrolling, checking the walls he has built for them, and Sunyoung will do that, too, maybe joining Kyungsoo, maybe not. Sehun and Yixing would go back to the main room to rest until it's time to prepare the next meal. Minseok is probably going to join Jongin to both fill him in about what has been discussed just now and to help keep an eye on Yifan and the child. And Seohyun -
"Don't mind Kyungsoo," Seohyun whispers next to him. He turns to look at her and sees a tiny smile. "Because I think you made the right decision. We promised to stop the war and bring back balance, but we also promised to save as many lives as we can, right?"
Junmyeon nods and returns the smile. Seohyun's hand is warm on his shoulder when she squeezes it. He wishes it would last longer, but Seohyun has already left him sitting at their dinner table, as she hurries outside to find Sunyoung. He is smiling nonetheless, finding new hope and confidence in the trust that is put in him.