PHANTOM | ATEEZ

02.

"You sure you're up for this? We can always postpone."

The question perplexed you. Did you truly appear as exhausted as you felt? With a shake of your head, you pressed your back into your seat and shifted the car into drive.

Hongjoong reached for your hand which remained on the gearshift. The warmth of his palm resting on the back of your hand provided you with a small surge of energy, but your foot remained on the brake.

"Y/N, come on" your friend prodded. "Your eye bags are darker than they were during exam week. Did you sleep at all last night?"

In truth, you hadn't. After Yunho's proposition, the phantom returned and robbed you of almost all the energy you held on to. But by the time the two of you were able to lay the spirit to rest, the sun was beginning to rise, and you had other work to do. He was so confusing, that exorcist. He agreed to be partners but only remembered to exchange numbers with you after your pestering. Even then, he seemed disinterested in communicating with you further. It didn't make sense, after the success the two of you shared.

"Y/N!"

Hongjoong's call captured your focus, and you noticed he'd shifted the car back into park.

"That's it," he said with a shake of his head, unbuckling his seatbelt. "We're not going."

"No!" You protested, sitting straight. "I'm fine, really."

Hongjoong seemed unconvinced.

"Please," you begged. "I really want to go." Your look of defeat was enough to win your friend over.

"Alright, alright," he said with soft laughter. "But I'm driving."

Holding your hands up, away from the steering wheel, you grinned. "Deal."

With Hongjoong in the driver's seat, the trip took much longer than you'd allotted time for. Leave it to him to be responsible, obeying every speed limit and being overly cautious at traffic lights. You grew anxious with every additional minute that passed, fearing you'd be late or even miss the reason for your outing.

Your worry fluctuated, increasing every time you checked the clock. You were thankful to see you made it right on time when Hongjoong finally pulled into a city parking space a couple blocks over.

The streets were pretty much abandoned at this time of night; almost all of the stores and restaurants were closed, save for the café you were there for. A few streetlights flickered on and off, triggered by the movement of various pedestrians. You could see a swarm of bodies entering and exiting the café as you and your friend approached. Upon hearing applause, you hurried your movements, eager to make it inside before the next performance started. Just as you hit the sidewalk before the café's entrance, a surge of energy was wrenched out from deep within you, knocking you backwards into Hongjoong's arms.

Please... Not here. Not now.

"Are you okay?" Hongjoong asked, now holding you steady.

With a nod, you began to regain your balance, but the energy wasn't returning to you. The hair on the back of your neck began to rise. Whoever the phantom was, they were close, and they weren't planning on letting you go. Something inside you told you to turn your head to the right, and so you did. You were surprised to see a sole figure hovering about underneath a lamppost. Whatever it was, its motion had gone undetected by the streetlight, so it remained in shadow. You strained your eyes to make out any detail, the curiosity within you forcing you to.

Your energy ebbed and flowed with the haziness of the form, becoming clearer the less energy you had. After a moment of focusing, including the sacrifice of more energy on your part, you were able to make out some detail.