Echoes of Midnight

The mansion was still, cloaked in silence as midnight neared. Hoshi lay in bed, his eyes glued to the ceiling, his chest tight with a restless ache he couldn't ignore. Sleep was elusive—always slipping through his fingers, replaced by the image of a smaller male, his sharp gaze, and the feel of those soft lips lingering on his own. A curse escaped his lips as he sat up abruptly, running a hand through his hair. The room felt suffocating, too empty, too devoid of... him.

Without hesitation, he grabbed his jacket and keys, the need gnawing at his insides. Forty-five minutes later, he found himself parked in front of an old eleven-story apartment building, Woozi's sanctuary on the sixth floor.

Standing outside the balcony, Hoshi's dark eyes surveyed the scene. The lights were out, the apartment was quiet, and yet something about the place felt alive, vibrant, and intoxicating. Without a second thought, Hoshi gripped the building's cold metal pipe, climbing with ease. The wind bit at his face, but he didn't care. All he could think about was Woozi—how the smaller male had slipped into his mind like a drug.

The balcony door wasn't locked. Of course, it wasn't. Woozi wasn't the type to expect intruders. Sliding it open, Hoshi stepped into the dimly lit room, the moonlight filtering through the curtains. It was a world of its own—a creative chaos of music sheets scattered on the floor, instruments leaning against the walls, and a desk cluttered with notebooks and headphones. It smelled faintly of coffee and cedarwood, grounding yet warm.

Hoshi's eyes landed on the bed in the corner of the room. Woozi's small frame was curled up in the blankets, his breathing soft and even. Hoshi smirked to himself, his heart pounding harder than it should. Quietly, he made his way over and slipped into the bed beside Woozi.

The younger male stirred slightly but didn't wake. Hoshi studied his face, so close he could see the faint rise and fall of his chest, the curve of his lips, and the way his lashes fanned out over his cheeks. He lifted a hand, his fingers lightly tracing the outline of Woozi's lips. They were soft, inviting, and utterly forbidden.

Suddenly, Woozi's eyes fluttered open, groggy but alarmed. His gaze met Hoshi's, wide with confusion and growing panic. He opened his mouth to shout, but Hoshi was faster, clamping a hand over his mouth while his other hand gripped Woozi's waist firmly, holding him in place.

"Shh," Hoshi whispered, his voice low and laced with an unfamiliar intensity. "Don't scream. It's me."

Woozi's breathing hitched beneath Hoshi's hand, his eyes darting around in panic before locking back onto the taller male's face. His muffled voice tried to form words, but Hoshi removed his hand slowly, giving Woozi space to speak.

"Who the hell are you?" Woozi demanded in a trembling voice, his fists pressing against Hoshi's chest in an attempt to push him away. "How did you get in here? What do you want?"

Hoshi leaned in closer, his breath brushing against Woozi's lips. "I missed you," he murmured, his voice steady, his gaze unwavering. "You're the reason I can't sleep, Woozi."

The sound of his name on Hoshi's lips sent a shiver down Woozi's spine. His breath caught as Hoshi's hand brushed against his cheek, his touch searing despite its gentleness.

"Call me Hoshi," the older male whispered, his lips a hair's breadth away from Woozi's.

Woozi froze, his mind racing. The intensity of Hoshi's proximity, the heat radiating off him, it was too much. His lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

It was not a kiss, not truly. but the sheer intensity of their closeness made Woozi's knees weaken, a trembling he could not will away. Hoshi leaned in, his breath mingling with Woozi's, stealing the air from his lungs with cruel precision. Woozi's chest heaved, every shaky exhale brushing against Hoshi's face, a silent confession of the power he held.

Hoshi smirked, his dark eyes gleaming with satisfaction, as though savoring the effect he had wrought. And Woozi, trapped in the gravity of his gaze, felt his very soul slipping through his lips, drawn toward Hoshi like a moth to a flame. It was suffocating, consuming. A surrender he never chose, yet one he couldn't escape.

Hoshi's lips ghosted over Woozi's, a cruel tease, before he finally pressed a soft kiss to them. It wasn't desperate or forceful, but the tenderness was just as dangerous. Woozi's hands trembled against Hoshi's chest, his breath shallow as Hoshi pulled back, only to kiss him again. a series of soft, fleeting pecks that left Woozi's resolve crumbling.

"Stop," Woozi managed to whisper, his voice shaky. "What are you doing to me?"

Hoshi paused, his dark eyes locking with Woozi's. "I could ask you the same thing," he said with a smirk, his voice low and taunting.

Woozi's fists tightened against Hoshi's shirt, his anger and vulnerability swirling together in his gaze. "Why are you here?" he demanded, his voice breaking slightly. "Why me?"

Hoshi didn't answer. Instead, he leaned in one last time, pressing a final kiss to Woozi's lips, soft and lingering. "Until we meet again," he whispered against them before pulling away entirely.

Woozi's heart raced as he watched Hoshi rise from the bed, his movements fluid and unhurried. "Wait," he called out, his voice louder this time, almost desperate.

But Hoshi didn't stop. He moved to the balcony, giving Woozi one last smirk before climbing down the way he came.

Woozi stood by the balcony, the chill of the night seeping into his skin, yet it couldn't cool the fire burning in his chest. It wasn't anger alone—it was something darker, something deeper. His fingers ghosted over his lips, still warm from stolen touches, his breath trembling like a fragile thread on the verge of snapping.

He turned back to his room, the faint glow of moonlight revealing the chaos Hoshi had left behind—not in his space, but in his soul. His fists clenched at his sides, his voice a broken whisper. "Who does he think he is?"

Sliding into his bed, the sheets cold and uninviting, Woozi stared at the ceiling, his mind a storm of rage and shame. His heart betrayed him, aching for the man who had unraveled him with a glance and left without hesitation.

I'm pathetic, he thought bitterly, his chest tightening. He cursed himself for being so easily conquered, for letting his walls crumble under the weight of an unknown force. Yet, beneath the anger, a cruel longing lingered—a desire for the stranger's return.

And as sleep refused to claim him, Woozi lay still, the pain in his chest an unrelenting reminder of the vulnerability he despised yet couldn't escape.

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Hoshi's POV

What are you doing to me? Why you?

The questions swirled endlessly in my mind, like a storm without calm, their echoes louder than my own thoughts. I left them unanswered, not because I didn't care, but because I couldn't. I didn't know the answers.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. None of this was intentional. The vulnerability in his eyes, the crack of hurt on his face—it wasn't something I aimed to create. Yet it stirred something deep within me, something foreign and unwelcome, something that burned.

Woozi. The first time I heard his name, it was just another piece on the board, another pawn to keep under watch. A safety net. A trump card to play if Jeonghan became too far out of reach. That was all he was supposed to be—an insurance policy, nothing more.

But now? Now, everything felt off course. That kiss... that kiss was not in my plan. The way my chest tightened, the way my lips lingered longer than they should have—it was a mistake, wasn't it? No, it was more than that. It was a crack in my resolve, a fissure that I hadn't foreseen.

And worse, the addiction to it—how I craved the softness of his lips, the tremble in his breath as I held him close—none of that was supposed to happen. I should have stopped. I should have kept my distance. But I didn't.

And then there was his face, the way it fell when I pulled away. That look of raw, unfiltered pain, of confusion and anger tangled together—I couldn't stand it. Yet, I caused it. And for the first time in my life, I regretted a move I made.

For the first time, my plans had twisted in a way I couldn't control. A twist named Woozi. A twist I wasn't sure I wanted to untangle.

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