4:30AM, Saturday morning

It was the beginning of Winter Break-the whole country had shut down its educational system for 2 and a half whole weeks for one thing-CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

And of course, what did you do with that knowledge?

You decided to NOT do anything that first weekend, opting instead to try and recover lost sleep, so there you were, while most other people went out, you were happily curled up in your bed....sleeping well....

...........Until your eyes flew open as you heard a commotion coming from somewhere close by.

Sitting up in your bed slowly, not sure if you were still in dreamland or not, you strained your ears in the dark, and hearing nothing, you sighed and fell back into the bed, rolling over and inhaling your clean pillow scent-

-but you jumped out of bed as a shout and a *THUMP* sound-that was ing real, and it was coming from......your living room? Oh, hell, no.

You reached out underneath your bed and felt around on the floor, spreading your fingers around like a spider, touching around until you felt the cool handle of the metal baseball bat you kept for safety.

Being a woman, living alone in a foreign country-you took no chances. There was something usable as a weapon in each room in your house-even your bathroom had a ping-pong paddle right next to your toilet.

Throwing your sheets back with your other hand, and quietly unclipping your phone from the charger, you secured your feet in your house slippers, tightened your grip on your Louisville Slugger, and crept towards the door of your bedroom slowly.

Exiting your room and making your way slowly down the steps, one hand carefully on the banister and avoiding all the stairs that you knew were creaky, you got to the bottom floor and frowned-

Wait, that noise isn't inside.........it's outside.....on the street in front of my house!!!!
 

Feeling only slighty better when you the hallway light and saw that your door was still securely locked and nothing was out of place in the kitchen, you lowered your bat slowly-

-only to clutch it quickly to your chest as you heard a grunt, a soft pop, and a cry of pain from outside.

damndamndamndamn-

Your mind was like a broken CD as you dashed to the curtains in your living room, left the lights off, and quietly tried to peer through your blinds to see what was going on without giving yourself away-

-and you gasped as your eyes adjusted to the darkness outside, with the help of one lone streetlight still on-

-there was a full on brawl going outside; from the looks of it, one guy was lying face down on the cold pavement while 2 other guys double-teamed one lone fighter-

-you couldn't make out anyone's faces, but as one guy and his friend punched the last man, he stumbled into the light and you got a flash of blue hair as he dropped to one knee-

.

Blue Hair.

Tattoos.

You knew only one person who had hair that color.

.My.Life.

You threw open the door to your house and hurried outside into your driveway, creeping along the line of rhododendron bushes you had lining the pathway as Jongup dodged another attack the best he could-

-as you approached from the darkness of your lawn, you could hear cursing form one guy and rough mocking from the other man trying to kill Jongup, but that didn't worry you-

-what worried you was the fact that Jongup wasn't talking back-

-rather, the skinniest one outside was clutching a hand to his side as blood seeped through his fingers, his breathing was heavy, and his trusty knife was nowhere to be seen. He was defenseless and alone-

-whelp, not completely alone. You were there now, and suddenly there was an anger erupting from your soul, a fire and fury so great that it filled your body with lava until you thought you would erupt from the very force of it-

"C'mon, ya little punk, show me whatcha got!!!How are ya gonna protect your little lady in her home when you can't even defend yourself here-"

-that was all you needed to hear form the unsuspecting man directly in front of you as he crooned teasingly to a fallen Jongup on his knees in informal,very rude Korean, holding Jongup's own beloved knife in his hands as he danced back and forth in a taunting manner-

-reaching your baseball bat all the way to Japan, you twisted your hip and pivoted with all the weight you could muster on one leg-

-and your swing connected squarely with the back of the man's HEAD with a thundering *THWACK*as you screamed/screeched in one breath, "GETDAHAWAYFROMHIMYOUUGLYMOTHERAH!!!"

Jongup's eyes flicked up in surprise as the same time the other guy's did, your first target dropped to his own knees, screaming as he was now bleeding from his ears, but you were in a full rampage as adrenaline and rage took over your system completely-

-stepping over the man trying to crawl away from the sudden angry foreign woman who quite literally appeared from the shadows, holding his head in anguish-

-you took a swing at the second guy, who was a little bit smarter and dodged away-

-your second swing missed him by a hair as he pulled out a chain of his own, and Jongup called out from the floor,"Noona, look out-ugh!!!"

-more blood seeped from his wound as the guy swung his chain and stepped towards you threateningly-

-but that step turned into a jump back again as you screamed,swinging trusty Old Faithful in your hands again, "Get back-GET BACK, NOW!!!"

-The man lunged forward towards you, whipping his chain over his head-

-but Jongup threw out his own leg, causing the man to trip and fall with a grunt on his own momentum on his hands and knees-

-and you pounced on him, slamming your bat down hard onto his back and arm as he tried to protect his face multiple times, screaming with each hit, "DON'T*thump*GO*thump*NEAR*whack*HIM*thud*AGAIN!!!"

-so enraged with you and your hitting, you didn't notice the first guy shakily raise a gun in your direction until it was too late, and Jongup yelled in alarm-

*pap*!!!!*pappappap*!!!

.........There was silence as you whipped around in shock, certain that it was Jongup who was shot, not you-

-the gun slipped out of the first guys's hand as he fell on his face, 6 bullet holes in his back as Jongup looked confused-

-but to your immense relief, it was Daehyun and Himchan who stepped from the shadows, guns drawn as they hurried to your side, Himchan's gun smoking as he began helping Jongup gingerly to his feet and Daehyun securing the guy beneath your feet, who was now groaning and holding his arm, which you shattered on that last swing-

"Noona, are you alright?!"Daehyun was now looking you over quickly, as he saw that there was blood on your clothes, and you shook your head slowly, "Not mine.............not mine.......not mine.......he he....ha.ha.ha........hehhehheh...."

You were trembling all over as your grip was still tight on your bat, and Himchan noticed this as he began to support/carry Jongup into your house, "Daehyun-ah, get her into the house."

Daehyun tried reaching for the bat, but you pulled back from him with wide eyes, shaking harder, and he immediately understood-noona's in shock- as he said quietly, "Okay, I'm going to lead you inside now, noona-it's alright, you are safe."

He slowly holstered his own gun and took careful steps towards you, keeping his voice warm and quiet and repeating himself as he reached out one hand, slowly, as though approaching a wild animal, and took the hem of your robe, trailing his hand up until it lightly rested on your shoulder-

-with the lightest application of strength, the Busan man held you around your waist and led you back up your driveway as down the street, your closest neighbor's lights in her living room as people began to wonder what in the world was going on out there-

You were led to sit down on your sofa, and Jongup was already being tended to by Himchan as the older man had already dragged some blankets and set up a makeshift cot on the floor, where the blue haired one was groaning in pain as Himchan produced a small first aid kit from his jacket and began to clean the wound, "Aaah-that ing stings...!!!"

Himchan waved off Jongup's flailing hands as he spoke to Daehyun brusquely," Since Yongguk is out of town, Zelo and Youngjae are coming to help.....clean up. They will be here any minute-we have to clear out before the police arrive. Grab noona's bat, her robe, his outer jacket, anything that has blood-leave no evidence here."

Daehyun nodded while he set a cup of tea down in front of you, pressing his hands on either side of your face so that the lingering heat would bring back your color, "Two guys are dead.....but the last one, the one that noona got to, is still very much alive."

Himchan's eyes turned to shards of solid black ice as he said chillingly, "Bring him to my basement. He is lucky he only has a broken arm-for now.We will get him talking, but until then," Himchan's eyes softened as he looked at you in concern-

-for you still hadn't let go of the bat, and now you were shivering harder as Daehyun put a blanket around your shoulders and squeezed them slowly, as your adrenaline began cooling off in slow degrees-

Daehyun looked at you with pride and warmth as he chuckled, "Noona-you beat some tonight-but more importantly, you saved Jongup's life. I'm proud of you."

-Finally, you raised far away, glassy eyes at Jongup, who was laying back, his teeth clenched as the wound bubbled over, reacting strongly to the iodine that Himchan found underneath your sink-

-and you loosened your grip on the floor, letting it fall to the floor with a clang as you sighed and fainted into Daehyun's surprised arms....

................................................................................................................................................................................................................

SOMETIME LATER, SATURDAY STILL

.........When you opened your eyes, you found yourself looking up at the ceiling of your living room, I didn't hang that frame in my bedroom-what room is this?

It was dark as you turned your head, allowing your eyes to adjust to your home as you realized where you were, Why am I downstairs? I'm not a sleepwalker......

Sitting up slowly, someone else groaned in the room-

-your eyes settled on Jongup's sleeping form, stretched out in your recliner under a light sheet,lightly snoring as he turned to his good side-

-and suddenly it all came back to you, causing a sharp pain to go through your head as memories of what happened earlier shuffled through your head at blazing speed-

-a gang fight, blood, wet pavement, heavy breathing, a knife, a baseball bat, gun shots,screaming-

You gasped and clutched the sides of your head at the pain, curling into yourself and taking staggered breaths until the pain subsided somewhat.

Shakily getting off the sofa and wobbling by Jongup, you made your way to the kitchen and splashed your face with cold water, shivering at the frigid temperature before going, life, and sticking your whole face underneath, holding it there for a good minute before coming up for air.

Sliding down the floor, you stretched your legs out and threw your head back against the bottom cabinet, feeling tears run down your face as you thought about what could've happened, you closed your eyes and pressed your hands into your sockets............

.............You moved your hands slowly as something warm settled over your lower body, my blanket...?

Looking up, you saw Jongup leaning heavily against the counter next to you, his face determined but pale with the loss of blood, "............That isn't a very good place to sit, sunsengnim."

You looked at him,".................Does it look like I'm moving anytime soon?Does it look like I even care?"

Jongup smirked a bit, "Why do you think I brought the blanket? You can catch a cold there. You women are weird."

You snorted, "....You know what? Fine. If this madness is what my life has come to, then I'll be down here all the hell I want to. Pneumonia,malaria-they're the least of my problems right now."

You sighed as Jongup slid down to the floor to sit next to you,as you didn't know what emotion to feel as he gingerly moved his hand from his side to take yours in his, "....................................".

it, you thought, and leaned your head against his shoulder as you listened to his steady heartbeat, and you heard him stifle a gasp, but you chuckled, "You are shy about skinship? With me? Don't worry, after today, nothing can scare me anymore."

Jongup was silent before he spoke softly, ".............But I scare you."

This was said with such sadness that you pulled back your head to look at him as he said, "This is the second time since you've known me that you have ever touched me.I, how to say........'creep you out'."

"I.........am not a bad person. I........am different, I know,but...........I think and care about things. My heart is.....all jumbled up now."

You couldn't believe it-here was the same snarky, sinister looking guy in your English class that always gave you the chills, actually opening up to you. It was the first time since you'd started giving the Matoki lessons that you and Jongup held an actual conversation-and look at the circumstances that caused this vulnerability to happen.

As Jongup looked anywhere but at you, you suddenly remembered just how young he was compared to the others, being only a little older than Zelo himself-suddenly, the tough guy image around him faded for a moment and all you saw was a sad young man,alone in his own head.

You sighed, "It's true, you used to creep me the out-," his head dipped sadly, but you put your arm around his shoulder and pulled him in closer to you, ".....But I wouldn't have stepped out this morning if I didn't believe your heart was a golden treasure."

He looked at you in surprise as you laughed,continuing, "Honestly, you're alright. I have come to accept your creepiness for what it is-truth be told, I think you have some of the greatest potential in the world. We've been in class together for a while now-and you haven't killed me yet-that's a big plus in my book." 

Jongup looked at you in wonder as he mulled over your words, his expression starting to brighten as you said, "I even got used to the knife twirling, once you peeled that pineapple for us in 3 strikes that one time-that was badass!!!"

Jongup blushed as you squeezed his shoulder, then stood slowly, "Come, let's get some food."

He made to stand up with you, but immediately hunched over in pain, hissing as he pressed a hand to his side. Hurrying over to that side, you moved the shirt slowly to reveal a gash about 13cm long, and gasped, "ing . You need to go to the hospital-"

"NO!!"Jongup let out a harsh negative as you jumped back, and he sighed, "No hospital for me. They'll see me and my tattoos, put it together in their heads, and call the police." You looked at the wound, then his worried face, then sighed, ".......Fine, but I'm gonna have to give you stitches-if this isn't closed properly, you'll bleed out-all over my good floor mats," you said in a half joking/serious manner as you led him to sit back down on the recliner as you went upsairs looking for your sewing kit.....

.......You were rummaging around in a drawer upstairs, marvelling to yourself for keeping such a weird calmness about you, when suddenly you heard the unmistakable sounds of Elsa's "Let It Go" from downstairs.

Finding the kit and heading back downstairs, you walked into the living room carefully to find Jongup folding your blankets and straightening up your things as he sang out with his phone,"Let it go~let it go~can't hold it back anymoooooore~"

You bit back a laugh as the blue haired, tattooed guy actually did a slow ballerina spin on one foot as he fluffed a pillow mid-twirl-

-but he quickly jumped as he saw you leaning against the wall, smiling, and he blushed as he said,".........I love this movie and the soundtrack, okay?! Don't judge me......."

You directed him to your TV as you said kindly, "Sit here and watch it-it's saved to my hard drive. Personally, I like the songs 'Fixer Upper' and 'In Summer' more."

Jongup looked at you with something akin to love/adoration/worship as you you left him to enter the kitchen, deciding to make a quick pasta and salad for-you looked at the clock and laughed, Breakfast at 3 in the afternoon.......I'm so healthy....

As you worked, Jongup let the movie played as he peered in form the side and shyly watched you as you worked, tossing a salad as you hummed along to Anna singing "For The First Time In Forever", and his heart thumped loudly in his chest as he blushed, ".......Is there anything I can help with?"

You smiled at him, charmed by his gentler personality, "Nope-I'm just about done now. Let's eat."

After you guys finished eating, you sat next to him as he lifted his shirt to reveal all of his side to you. The man's upper body was completely covered with tattoo art-a dragon there, a skull there, different phrases in old Latin and Korean dotted his back with roses intwertwining the sentences; a woman sniffed a rose as a lioness stalked her prey in the wilderness-you were impressed with the beauty of it all, but you quickly threaded the needle as Jongup hissed in pain, and dipping the needle in rubbing alcohol, you apologized to him-

-as you stabbed the soft part of his flesh, and Jongup gritted his teeth and let out a hiss as occasionally you came dangerously close to muscle, but you worked quickly, and in under a half hour you were finished, his side now sporting a neat row of black stitches.

He laughed as you held up a mirror for him to see his side, "They actually blend in well with my ink."

You laughed, "That's the spirit." He looked at you, and smiled,"........Do you remember when I fought Daehyun?"

You slapped your head as you groaned, "Why must you bring that up now, of all times?"

But the skinny guy quickly pulled off his shirt, laughing, "That very night, Yongguk and Himchan hyungnim gave me a punishment-and it's here."

Taking your hand, he brought it to the speace between his pectoral muscles-

-and he carefully moved your fingers over a neat,forest green cursive script etched forever into his body:

Never help your demons,but always listen to your teacher.

Underneath this script were your initials in a smooth finish, with a small apple tattooed next to it.

Your jaw dropped as Jongup laughed," At first, I hated it,but then.....then, you grew on me, and now, it's one of my favorites."

You were all kinds of shock as Jongup put on back his shirt and took your hands in his as he said shyly, "......Thank you for saving my life this morning."

He leaned in quickly and kissed you on the mouth innocently before pulling away, smiling, and you couldn't help but smile back as he stood up in time to see the finale of Frozen, "Aaaah~I love this part!!!"

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................

8PM, SATURDAY

Himchan was on his way back over to your house to check up on things.... 

....After you had fainted, Daehyun lifted you up and laid you down on the couch properly,pulling off your robe and slippers smoothly, the tea forgotten as Zelo and Youngjae showing up a moment later at your door, guns and blades drawn.

Quickly, through gritted teeth as Himchan splashed more peroxide on his side, Jongup explained that the men had somehow followed you home after school,to kidnap you in the darkness of the early morning-and Jongup intervened, but they had kicked his phone out of his hand and he wasn't able to actually call for help,only managing to press his distress signal before the fight started. It was only the genius of Youngjae with his emergency tracking device that was able to find the tattooed one, and Daehyun and Himchan had just happened to be getting late night snacks in your area, and so were able to get to your house first.

As soon as he could, Himchan had gotten Yongguk on the phone, as Zelo tossed two dead bodies in his trunk while Youngjae and Daehyun grabbed the guy with the broken arm and hog-tied him,roughly putting him in another trunk, spraying the street with bleach water before pulling away as police sirens were heard in the distance.

....By the time the first police officer got there, your neighbors were busy explaining that they heard a fight down their street and heard a few cars pull away quickly, but since it was so dark, they couldn't positively identify any of the people involved.

The boss' voice was even deeper , as it was heavy with sleep with the time difference from his hotel room in Los Angeles-but as soon as he heard Himchan's low voice talking in a rush, he was up and alert by the time Himchan finished his report.

"And of the man that was still alive?"

"We have him still, in our loving, caring grasp. He is our......special guest."

"Do as you please with him, but make sure you leave some of him for me-I'll be on the first flight back as soon as this is over.Keep him alive until then- I have some things I'd like to tell him, personally."

"Yes, I understand.We will entertain him in the meantime."

Himchan also told Yongguk, as well as Daehyun telling Zelo and Youngjae as they met at a secret place later, of your courage, coming out of your house to save Jongup's life. And all of the men's hearts warmed as they thought about your bravery that morning.

Himchan pulled up in a different car than the one he drove that morning, in order to throw off any wandering neighbors' eyes, and he quietly let himself into your place-

-only to be shocked as the two people he least likely thought to have gotten along, were bundled up together on the sofa, sleeping well, the heater going, as Frozen was on repeat in the living room, the DVD menu playing on loop.

Jongup's face was resting on your chest as your braids tickled his forehead, your arm was around his bare upper back as you held a bottle of nearly empty vodka with the other-

-there was a small pile of Cheetos' bags on the floor by your feet, and wrappers of other things on the floor.

.............There would be a time to fight, and a time of a war was soon approaching. More blood would be shed, and people would die. But, for now...

Himchan snickered as he took a few pictures and a short video, making sure the both of you were securely tucked in before he quietly took his leave...

.......The others are never gonna believe this without evidence......muahahahahaha.....