Villain kids

39

Donghyuck jolted awake, breath ragged, heart pounding like a war drum.
Nightmares weren’t strangers to him, but even those fleeting shadows paled beside the cold grip of his mother’s reign.
Yet this dream — it clung to his skin, soaked into his soul, leaving tears trailing down his cheeks and a shiver crawling up his spine.

He swallowed the heavy breaths, steadying his quaking hands, when soft voices pierced the darkness.

Through the window, three familiar silhouettes approached like guardian stars.

Mark: “Baby? You’re awake? You scared the hell out of me!”
Without hesitation, Mark dove back into bed, arms wrapping around Donghyuck, pulling him close like he could shield him from every nightmare in the world.

Jeno: “Hyuck, you’ve been crying for half an hour. Mark tried waking you... then he called me. This has never happened before. It was... scary.”

Hyuck: “What? You couldn’t wake me?”

Jaemin: “Honey, you were out of it — murmuring, crying. I get if you don’t wanna talk... but what was it? What haunted you?”

A silence hung thick like fog. Donghyuck hesitated, then breathed out the story that weighed heavy in his chest.

Hyuck:
“Mark and I stood before an altar. All of you were there…
A dragon flew in — enormous, terrifying, and... pink? I don’t know why pink, but it scared me. Everyone ran. Mark, Jeno, Jisung, and I fought it. One by one, you all disappeared.
Mark and I were the last. The dragon breathed fire. I watched Mark burn alive, and the flames didn’t touch me. I was frozen, helpless, watching him burn...”

The room hushed, the dream’s terror weaving between them.

Mark: “Baby, I’m here. I’m okay. It was just a nightmare. If a dragon ever came here, our guards, fairies, ghouls — every magic creature — would stop it. Nothing from our land could harm us.”

Jeno: “But what if it’s not from our land? What if...”

Jaemin (snapping): “Maleficent! She turns into a dragon!”

Mark: “No way she’d come here. The only exit is through the magic wand. Trust me.”

Jeno: “And why pink? If it was a dragon from our world, it’d be dark purple...”

Hyuck: “My mother’s dragon is black. It can’t be her... I don’t get any of this. Why couldn’t you wake me? It feels so strange.”

Mark: “Whatever it was, it stole your rest. I’m calling in — I’ll skip the meeting so you can sleep.”

Hyuck smiled softly, nodding.

Mark: “Thanks for coming, Jeno, Jaemin. Means a lot.”

Jaemin: “No problem. Thanks for trusting us with Hyuckie.”

Mark (grinning): “Besides the constant flirting, I’m sure Donghyuck sees you as best friends, just like Jeno.”

Jaemin (mock tearful): “Aww, I’m gonna cry!”

Laughter rippled through the room like a gentle tide.

Jeno: “We’ll leave you two now. Get some rest — coronation’s tomorrow, and we still have no clue what to wear. And honestly, I have no idea what these events are even like.”

Mark: “Don’t worry. I’ll walk you through everything. You won’t feel out of place.”