Ateez | One-shots

One Day At A Time | Jeong Yunho, Park Seonghwa

You were used to looking out of your window on a whim, as if you would see your husband walking back in his uniform any second now. Of course, that would be a rare coincidence- if you did look up and see him actually walking home. As the wife of a soldier, you were used to feeling disappointed when you would see the empty road that led to your house.

You were also used to the feeling of your heart sinking whenever someone else in uniform stopped by. You couldn't help the feeling- as someone whose husband was one of the eight trusted agents of the King, you had to be prepared for the worst- even though you knew nothing could ever prepare you for the bad news that was bound to come one day.

But you still weren't used to opening the door to the man who wore the same uniform as your husband, bore the same titles- both at work and at home.

"Yunho," you breathed, your heart twisting painfully but you managed to put a smile- the least you could do to return his bright smile. "Come in, it's cold outside."

Yunho patted your back- a gesture that had taken you months to get used to. "How have you been?"

"I've been well, I was just out collecting berries today," you said to distract him from scanning you- a habit of his. "You want some?"

Yunho glanced at the small basket that held fresh cherries and he popped one in his mouth, nodding. "Where's Byeol?"

As if on cue, Byeol, your three years old daughter came rushing in with her usual shout of 'dad!', jumping into Yunho's arms who swung her around and kissed her cheek before hugging her tightly.

You still weren't used to your daughter calling someone else her father. Every time you saw Yunho and Byeol interacting with each other as if they really were father and daughter, you wanted to go in a corner and cry your heart out. It wasn't that you weren't grateful to the love Yunho gave Byeol- he really lived up to being Byeol's father, he always made sure of that- but it was only that you wished Byeol's real father had gotten more time with her.

Seonghwa. Byeol's father. Your first and only love. Now he really was a star, up in the sky, far away from your reach, just like his name.

You broke out of your trance when Yunho looked at you, mumbled something about how you were going to set the table and almost rushed to the kitchen. You took out the hot pot from the oven- a dish you had learned from Seonghwa's mother- just in time to save it from burning. Setting the plates, you took a few deep breaths, pushing the thoughts of Seonghwa out of your mind- for now.

You could never push him out for long. Something always reminded you of him. Byeol was a living reminder of him too- with eyes just like Seonghwa that made you wonder if he saw the world differently. His eyes just had a different sparkle to them, something you hadn't seen in someone else's eyes.

Even Yunho reminded you of Seonghwa at times- especially with his subconscious gestures like patting your back, wiping your mouth if you got something on it, rubbing your hands when it was cold, or just...

Looking at you like he was now. As if he was trying to read you. You could never meet his gaze when he did that. You used to shy away from Seonghwa when he did that as well. You finally looked up and raised your brows, pointing at his plate where you had put a big chunk of the pasta. Yunho exhaled, pouring himself water and taking a few gulps.

"Is everything alright at work?" You managed to ask. You weren't allowed to ask much, and asking wouldn't get you answers anyway- Yunho wasn't allowed to say much about work. You knew that from Seonghwa too- you always teased him and pushed him into telling you something, but he would always laugh and shut you up with either a glare (rarely) or a kiss-