Flower ||| Ateez

13

The Sunday before the competition, the group had decided to take the morning off and go have some fun. They had practiced all day on Saturday and were feeling confident in their routines.

Seonghwa and Hongjoong insisted they drive to a mall about an hour away. It got all of them out of the city and eased their minds about being out in the open.

The car ride was spent singing at the top of their lungs to random songs on the radio, often ending in a competition between Jongho and Lily over who could sing the loudest and still stay on pitch.

It felt good to sing again. Lily relished every minute of it, even if Jongho tried to mess with her to make her loose concentration.

She was nestled between him and Yunho in the backseat of Seonghwa's car, with Mingi in the front seat. The gentle giant had grown on Lily over the past few weeks, even though they still didn't interact much. She loved the way he fussed over Seonghwa, making sure he was taking care of himself since he focused all his energy on taking care of the others.

When they arrived at the mall, Yunho pulled Lily out of the car and placed his arm around her shoulder, keeping her close. It had become natural between them, and if it wasn't Yunho, then it was San.

"Ooo! They have laser tag here!" They heard San shout as he stumbled out of Hongjoong's car. He grabbed Yeosang's hand and dragged him forward. Wooyoung ran behind them, laughing. Hongjoong brought up the rear just shaking his head.

"That's the last time you stick me with those three." He muttered to Seonghwa. The older stifled a laugh and slammed his hand to his face to cover his lips.

The group made their way inside the large building, marveling at how big it was. It put their dinky 20 store mall to shame... This one was two stories, with a large food court and there was indeed a laser tag course on the far end. They decided to go there first, just in case there was a long wait. Submitting their names, they decided to play in teams, splitting into their dance groups.

"You are SO going down." Jongho said, poking Yunho's chest.

"You wanna bet? Shorty?" Yunho smirked when the shorter got flustered.

"I do! Losing team gets a finger flick." The boys all nodded excitedly.

Lily turned to Yeosang, "Finger flick?"

He chuckled, nervously. "Yeah, it's a fun thing we, well, they like to do sometimes. We can get very competitive, so adding in a 'punishment' makes victory even sweeter. The finger flick, it aaahh..." Yeosang paused, trying to find the best way to explain it. In the end he showed her the motion and said, "The flick goes against the person's forehead. I sure hope we win... Jongho is really strong." He said softly. Lily could have sworn she saw his eyes fog over as he thought about a past memory.

When it was their turn to enter, they clambered into the vests and got themselves situated before breaking off and heading in different directions.

When the lights shut off, Lily felt herself panic slightly, but seeing the smiling faces of her team quickly relaxed her. They watched as a few other people filed in.

"Ok," Yunho whispered. "So, it looks like there are a few other teams we have to worry about too. Let's split up. I'll go with Lily, and you three go the other way. We can divide and conquer." He said, a wide grin crossing his face.

Lily noticed Wooyoung hesitate for a second, and then nod before following his friends.

Yunho crouched down, suddenly getting serious. She followed his lead, creeping across the floor, looking for any sign of movement. As soon as a color ran in front of them, they both pulled the triggers, hoping to shut the light off on the other person. Many times, they succeeded and exchanged hi-fives. They fell into a comfortable routine and walked back to back so they could cover all sides.

A squeal came from their right and San ran past them, being chased by Jongho. Lily snapped her gun up and pulled the trigger. Jongho froze on the spot as soon as his lights went out and let out a small whine before hanging his head and shuffling to hide behind a barrier while his time counted down.

Yunho snickered and kept his eyes focused on the spot where he was hiding. When the youngest stepped out, the older immediately shot him.

"Yunho!" He cried out. "That's cheating!" He charged after the taller, yelling something along the lines of he's going to get him.

Lily clutched her stomach and laughed before she realized she was on her own. Still wanting to do good, she stayed low to the ground and started navigating the maze again. She managed to get a few of the random people who had joined in the game, but she had yet to see any of her other friends.

When she heard someone coming close to her, she stood up and pressed herself against the wall, waiting.

Then, she felt someone behind her.

Her skin prickled as fear started to claim her.

She gripped her gun tightly, then turned quickly, wanting to smash it into whoever was standing behind her.

"Whoah!" He called out and ducked under the gun. "Lily! It's just me!" Wooyoung said, laughing at the panic on her face as she clapped her hands to her cheeks.

"Oh, Wooyoung, I'm so sorry." Then she got mad and smacked his shoulder with the back of her hand. "Don't scare me like that!"

Wooyoung crouched over, trying to catch his breath, laughter still rolling off his shoulders.

When Lily's face fell, he stopped immediately and reached a hand out to caress her cheek.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just..." He paused, looking at her. It was just dark enough that Lily couldn't quite make out his face. "I..."

"Lily!" They heard Yunho call. He must have realized he had left her behind.

Wooyoung swore softly, then suddenly grabbed the girl's hand, dragging her behind him.

"Wooyoung, what's going on?" She asked, looking over her shoulder to Yunho's call. She wanted to respond, but Wooyoung was acting strange enough she didn't think she should.

When he found a corner, he stopped and dropped her hand, facing away from her.

"Woo-" She was cut off as he turned around and pressed her against the wall, his lips locked on hers. Not rough, as the motion made it out to be. As soon as he touched her, he was delicate.

Lily's eyelids fluttered for a second before they closed, and she leaned into the kiss. The sweet sensation rushed over her. She had never been kissed like this before.

Wooyoung brought both his hands to her cheeks, letting them hover there. He was too scared to place them there for too long, or even make full contact, not with how she had flinched away from his touch in the past. But he wanted to feel her. His kiss became desperate for a few seconds before they heard footsteps.

He drew away, searching her eyes, before he stepped away and ducked around a corner.

Lily stood there, forgetting where she was, who she was, what she was doing. All she knew was the ghosted feeling still on her lips.

Slowly, she brought her fingers to her lips.

She smiled.