Pray for the Wicked | ATEEZ

22.

I stared out at the city through the open window, chewing on a piece of orange as I heard the door to the bathroom swing back open and, without a second thought, turned around to look at the son of Lilith as he sauntered back into the room, toweling his wet hair, naked from the waist up.

My eyes widened at the sight and I choked on a mouthful of fruit as I felt my face heat up with embarrassment the moment I forced myself to turn away, coughing and straightening myself a little as I tried to regain my breath.

It had been a good idea to get out of the sun, I realized, folding my legs underneath me while fanning my face a little with my hands.

Later in the afternoon, we'd be able to go back out without trouble when the sun was lower in the sky.

Glancing back across my shoulder at Hongjoong, I decided that it had been a good idea to not just get out of the sun, but to get inside as well and rest for a bit. He looked tired, drowsy.

My eyes trailed to the helmet on the bed as I reached for another piece of fruit. "I didn't realize that the heat would make you ill," I mumbled, not meeting his eyes as I offered him the food, "Here, you should eat something."

Hongjoong was silent for a moment, and I felt slightly disappointed at the sense of awkwardness and hostility that seemed to have settled over us only to immediately regret the thought as he said, "Why are you refusing to look at me?" his voice laced with bitterness.

"I'm not," I huffed, looking down at my hands instead which were sticky with juice from the orange I had been eating only for my breath to catch as, in what seemed like the span of a couple of seconds, the son of Lilith had materialized in front of me, grabbing my chin and forcing my eyes to meet his.

"You would make quite the demon with all of those lies you tell, Dahlia," he said, his grip tight enough for me to feel the obsidian rings on his fingers digging into my skin.

"What happened to you?" I scoffed, trying to push him off as I mumbled, "Did the heat get to your head? I liked you much better before-" but my words faltered as he squatted down in front of me, now face-to-face, and his dark eyes aligned with my grey ones.

"You're so innocent," Hongjoong said, his voice laced with that of a smirk which made me feel small underneath his stare, "It's almost funny how flustered-"

"I'm not innocent," I mumbled, cutting him off as I finally managed to push his hand away, but he stayed exactly where he was, hot breath fanning my face.

"Please," Hongjoong scoffed, "All I wanted was for you to look at me, and now," he made a move as if to caress my cheek which was still flushed, burning, when I once again swatted his hand away.

"Did I not betray you in Odeion?"

"What? Would you like me to praise you? I said that you were innocent, not naive. Anyone in Hell would be able to confirm that. You not only betrayed me but your family as well, the mother you preached about in Odeion, the mother who hurts you-"

As soon as those words left his lips, I felt the waves of embarrassment from before, the sea of lingering guilt, churning, changing into familiar pools of dislike and defensiveness that washed over me before settling at the bottom of my stomach in a pit of darkness that resembled his eyes.

"Don't you dare talk about her," I said, my voice cold and hard as I felt a chill run down my spine.

"I'm not blaming you," he immediately added, and I knew that he wasn't, but, nonetheless, I found myself unable to fight the cold talons of fear wrapping around my heart at the reminder that I had, in fact, betrayed her.