Junseo pushed open the heavy oak doors of the church, the faint scent of incense and polished wood wrapping around him like a forgotten promise. His ribs ached from the last encounter with Junyoung, the gangster's fist leaving a deep bruise that throbbed under his shirt with every breath, a reminder of the possessive violence that chained him even now. The afternoon light filtered through stained glass, casting fractured reds and blues across the empty pews, and Junseo's steps echoed as he approached the altar where Geonwoo stood adjusting a floral arrangement. His heart twisted at the sight of that familiar broad frame, but the fresh cut on his lip stung when he tried to smile, the metallic taste of blood lingering from Junyoung's earlier rage.

In that moment, the years peeled back like old scars. He remembered the warmth of Geonwoo's hands on his skin during those stolen nights before everything shattered, the gentle press of lips trailing down his neck, the way their bodies had moved together in quiet hunger rather than the brutal claiming that came later. Junseo's fingers brushed the invitation card still tucked in his pocket, the one that had drawn him out of hiding after eight years, its elegant script promising a pre-wedding gathering that now felt like a cruel joke. The invitation had arrived amid Junyoung's latest outburst, a slammed door and a vicious shove against the wall that left Junseo gasping, yet something in Geonwoo's name had pulled him here anyway, chasing the light he thought he'd lost forever.

Geonwoo turned at the sound of footsteps, his eyes widening with that same conflicted mix of recognition and restraint Junseo recalled from their final night together. "Junseo," he breathed, voice low and steady, but the air between them thickened with unspoken tension as Junseo closed the distance. The church's cool stone floor chilled his feet through thin shoes, grounding him against the rush of old desire that flared low in his gut, even as the violence of his present life lingered in the stiffness of his movements.

Chains in the Abyss