Only Time Will Tell (Ateez/ Stray Kids Fan Fiction)

Eighteen

The months that flew by were as normal as they could get. Or at least that is how I hoped it would go. Seonghwa was overbearing and took every chance he got to hold my hand and Mingi was glued to my side as well. Yunho tried to get his other half to rehearse with him but the young rapper was too worried about leaving me alone.

They were done with the promotions for their Fever: Epilogue album and started to get the ball rolling with their upcoming World Tour. After the King of Kings aired, the group was in full swing of getting their setlist together and Hongjoong and I had the fun of booking the arenas.

Thankfully the snow was not so bad in the States so they had the dates all booked and the tickets dropped, causing most of the arenas to sell out. After getting over Christmas and New Years, it was smooth sailing from then on. Come to think of it, it went really smoothly to the point where I was self doubting a lot. Thankfully there has not been any signs of Xavier after he was arrested the day he attacked Mingi and I.

I was sitting off to the side of the stage, on my laptop working on their speeches for their Ments, when my attention was pulled away when they were laughing and yelling. They were going over the dance to 'Eternal Sunshine' and it was my favorite dance because their energy is so playful and cute. I watched them from over the screen and I couldn't help but smile. These boys looked like they were having the time of their lives and on cloud nine. The lights were flashing and they were all dripping wth sweat as they rehearsed for their first concert in Korea.

I bobbed my head to the beat of the song and mumbled the lyrics to myself as I worked on Yeosang's speech. Thankfully they did not have to be long, just a couple of sentences so it didn't take much thought. As the song came to an end, the boys were smiling and laughing together. Hongjoong came over to me to get his towel and water bottle. As I tossed the leader his things, he winked at me and my face blushed a light shade of pink.

What? Wouldn't you do the same thing? I mean look at all eight of them, it was next to impossible to not blush every time they looked at you. Try convincing the eldest member who had extreme territorial issues and was jealous of every guy who made you blush.

Speaking of the devil, he was glaring playfully at his boss and his eyes were glancing at me, making my face heat up hotter than ever. Seonghwa walked towards me and I swear his eyes were easy to get lost in. He leaned over me, his sweat dripped on the floor next to me and he turned his face so that he could flash me a smirk. Someone bumped into him and the next thing I knew his lips met mine.

He pulled away quickly, his eyes widened with shock and I sat there speechless as he landed on his hip with all of his weight. Hongjoong lunged towards the oldest and the room was filled with panic screaming and Seognhwa crying out in pain. Rolling over onto his good side, his hands gripped his now, injured hip and Yeosang was apologizing a thousand times in one minute.

"Its okay." Seonghwa managed to get out as he breathed through the immense pain. My heart pounded frantically as I closed my laptop and scrambled to get to him. Their choreographer rushed over to help the oldest to his feet and Yunho came running with a chair for him to sit on.

"How badly are you hurt?" Hongjoong asked as he pressed an ice pack on his hip.

Seonghwa's eyes rolled back as he looked at the ceiling, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to think of anything but the pain right now.

"Clearly you are hurting him more." San exclaimed as he shoved Hongjoong away from his injured brother.

"It is just a bruise." Seonghwa sighed after a few silent minutes. The crew manager came running over to ask Seonghwa a few questions and the eldest just waved him off. He got up from the chair and slowly stretched, moving his legs, running in place and jumping; the others looked at him scared that he would hurt himself.

From the way that he fell, I could have sworn that he would have popped it out or something, but right now he was proving to us that he was perfectly fine. After a ten minute break, they worked on their speeches and a couple of more songs before the crew manager called it quits and they all had a few hours to rest before the big show tonight.

I was still uneasy about Seonghwa playing it off like he was okay. But by the look on his face, he seemed to be hiding it well, if he was in any pain at all. The hallways backstage were filled as crew members ran to get everything in order for tonight. I stayed back while the boys went to the hotel to take a nap and eat before they had to come back for the show.

As I walked up and down the platform that was connected to the stage, I was in awe by how much their image had grown. I saw previous concert footage and it was ike they started out playing night clubs. Now they were filling arenas and a wave of happiness crashed over me as I held my hand over my mouth, trying to hold back the tears. I was so proud of them and I could not wait to see them shine bright as the stars when they perform this evening.

I bowed as I departed with the crew members as I tweaked a few of the lights and started walking back to the hotel. Thankfully it was two blocks down from the arena because I did not want to take a taxi back. Jamming to my music, I sang out loud to Oneus's Trickster Title Track 'Bring It On', I walked down the block. A puff of air blew out as I sang along and people stared at me as I timidly danced to the choreo.

As I got into the lobby, Seonghwa jumped up from one of the many chairs and ran towards me. All the air left my lungs as he pulled me into a bone crushing hug and he spun me around in circles. His fingers laced with mine as we walked to the elevators.

"Have you eaten?" I asked as it dinged and the doors opened.

He nodded and said that Hongjoong treated them to lunch and I was glad that they are taking the time to take care of themselves, instead of worrying about me. Ever since the incident they all have been cautious. They even came up with a buddy system whenever I had to go out to the store or to the office to speak with the CEO about how I am adjusting to the new role.

He whipped out the room card and swiped it. the light turned green and he pushed it opened. Yeosang's music was playing loudly as the water ran. I quickly ran over to the bed ad jumped o it, plopping down in the middle of it. Letting out a scream of surprise as Seonghwa leaped on top of me. He caught himself with his arms so that his full body weight was not on me and his black bangs hung down as his eyes sparkled.

His eyes were the most beautiful things in the world, they shines like they had the whole universe in them. Like a thousand stars twinkling in the night sky. I could get lost in them forever.

"How is your hip?" I asked as he pressed his lips on my head once more and he sighed.

"It is fine." He shook his head and rolled his eyes. His tongue stuck out the side of his mouth and I unconsciously lifted my head.

My heart pounded in my chest as my mind registered what I was doing. He didn't react right away as my teeth nipped the tip of his tongue. Seonghwa retracted his tongue, pulling his face away from mine and he stared at me wide eyed.

"And now I will regret ever leaving my clothes out here." We jumped away as Yeosang's voice filled the room.

My face heated up with pure embarrassment and I hid my face into his chest. The bathroom door slammed shut and he let out a low chuckle.

This was going to be a long day.

Universally, it is considered a bad idea to step outside without informing someone; but it was what I was famous for. Getting some fresh air, in the back of the arena I wrapped my arms around myself as I tried to hold in my body heat.

Propping the door open with a piece of wood, I let out a breath and it looked like a puff of smoke out of a dragon's mouth. The deafening cries of the crowd echoed through the walls of the backstage and I smiled to myself.

"I am so proud of you guys." I whispered into the winter night and a tear slipped from the corner of my eye, but I wiped it away with the sleeve of their tour hoodie.