8-Teez Makes Chaos (spanking fic)

Heart of a Leader - Part 2

Yunho could not sleep. He twisted and turned restlessly, his mind haunted by what he had done. The moment he closed his eyes, all he could see was Hongjoong's face staring at the mess on the floor. Yunho didn't even know what the expression had been. It could have been anger, horror, disappointment, or all three.

But worse than all that, was Hongjoong not coming to punish them. Was he so angry that he had to wait this long to calm down? Or was he so disappointed that he had just given up on them? This was the worst thought of all. The suspense was killing Yunho. He just wanted it to be over.

Earlier that night he had gone down to the matz hyungs' room, but Seonghwa had gently turned him away, telling him to leave the leader alone for now. It scared Yunho.

He rolled over and almost screamed as he saw a dark silhouette hovering beside him.

It was Wooyoung.

"Dang it, Wooyoung. Don't sneak up on me like that."

"I can't sleep, Yunho," Wooyoung whispered forlornly. "I feel too anxious."

Yunho sighed, and scooted over to let Wooyoung sit beside him. The two sat, staring miserably into the dark. The only comfort was each other's presence.

*          *          *          *          *

Seonghwa smiled in greeting as the Ateez members wearily stumbled into the dining room for breakfast. But his sharp eyes scanned Yunho and Wooyoung, taking in the dark circles under their eyes. He shook his head sadly as he carried the cereal and milk over to the table.

"Hongjoong won't be joining us as he is resting," he announced at he saw everyone glancing around at each other. "Since he and San aren't well, I've called the manager and had their schedules cancelled."

"Is he okay, hyung?" Wooyoung blurted out, looking extremely concerned. Yunho kicked him from under the table.

No, thanks to you two, Seonghwa couldn't help but think a little bitterly. "He is just very tired." He paused then added, "As you know, he has been working hard on that project for us."

A small whimper sound came from somewhere around the table, and Yunho shut his eyes. He felt like he had been given a hard blow with those words. Why did Seonghwa have to word it like that?

Seonghwa filled up a bowl with a generous amount and headed to his shared bedroom.

Hongjoong was awake. But he was clearly not himself. His face was pale and his mouth was drawn.

"Can you sit up?" Seonghwa asked, placing the bowl on the bedside table.

Hongjoong shook his head. Instead, he propped himself up on his elbow and carefully took a spoonful of the cereal.

Seonghwa sat on the bed beside him. "Hongjoong," he said suddenly, staring down at his hands. "What are you going to do about the kids?"

Hongjoong paused in his eating and looked at Seonghwa. His expression was a little annoyed. "I don't know yet. I haven't had time to think about it."

Seonghwa nodded in understanding, but his hands fidgeted nervously. "Hongjoong," he said again. "Let me do it. The kids are a wreck right now."

"Oh, poor them," Hongjoong snapped. He pushed the bowl away from him and collapsed down onto the pillow. After a long tense silence, he finally spoke again. But this time his tone was softer. "I don't know, Seonghwa. It was me they wronged, but if I do it, will that just be revenge? But you weren't involved, so it hardly seems fair."

"I am their oldest hyung. I am already involved."

Hongjoong just shook his head. "Let me think about it a little longer."