light a flame || seventeen

one ; home;run.

WONWOO

the mild march air is still too cold for jeon won woo, even with the three layers he's wearing. he readjusts his sweater and pulls his jacket tighter around his torso in hopes of warming up. he feels for his glasses to make sure they're still there; his face is so numb he can't feel them anymore.

next to him, mingyu rolls his eyes. "i told you to bring another layer. you always get cold." he pulls a blue scarf—the same one it always is—from his pocket and roughly wraps it around wonwoo's neck.

"i didn't think they'd take so long," he huffs, ignoring yet another passive-aggressive action from the younger.

"i bet vernon's messing with them again. you know how he is." vernon is a surprisingly devious being. he likes playing games—especially with the police—but he also likes to be subtle about his actions, just to get in their head.

currently, wonwoo and mingyu are waiting by their getaway vehicle, an older sports car handed down from mingyu's uncle. they're waiting for a signal from either seungcheol or vernon before starting the car, which means they're waiting in the cold and wonwoo's unhappy about it.

"when we get home, i'll make you ramen, okay?" mingyu tries, but wonwoo feels like it's more to get him to shut up. 

wonwoo's nose subconsciously scrunches as he contemplates the offer. "fine."

a door slamming open catches their attention, and wonwoo sees their eldest and youngest bursting through it. realising that that is their signal, he jumps into gear and starts the ignition. the other two slide in, and he steps on the gas pedal, taking off without another thought.

as they race through the city's streets, seungcheol holds up a thin stack of papers clipped together, a devilish grin on his face. "we've completed our collection."

their 'collection' is the files of the agents, detectives, and investigators trying to catch a group of criminals they've named perilous, a group that consists of seungcheol, wonwoo, mingyu, and vernon. some occasional help comes with the names yin and yang—their true identities are still a mystery.

mingyu whoops beside wonwoo. while vernon is the devious one, it was wonwoo's idea to steal the files. he doesn't like not having the upper hand. if their opponents know about them, he thinks they should have inside information, too.

they aimlessly drive around for a while—with the idea of losing anyone possibly tailing them. wonwoo eventually pulls into an alley, and they climb out. the entrance to their hideout is far enough that it's inconspicuous but close enough that they can escape if need be.

their hideout is an abandoned warehouse, but they only occupy a small section of it. they've managed to make it as homely as possible, with worn mattresses and old, mismatched furniture. they have a couple of portable stoves they use for cooking and staying warm, and the plumbing and electricity usually work well enough, miraculously. they've figured out a way to generate power without paying for it or alerting the authorities of their location.

one of the rooms in the back has been transformed into their office. it has a metal table with the other files set neatly on top and four chairs placed around it. pinned to the walls are photographs and handwritten notes about everyone from the police task force they're keeping an eye on.

"before we get started, i'm making ramen," mingyu declares as they walk into their makeshift kitchen.

fifteen minutes later, each of them is holding a steaming bowl of noodles as they take their places around the table. they carefully lay out the nine files side by side, a dim lightbulb hanging precariously overhead.