31. you steal lightning for me (and I really love you for that) (2/2)
When Minseok wakes up, he smiles at what greets him.
Jongdae’s hand rests lazily by his side, but clutches Minseok’s, fingers laced. The other is wrapped around Minseok’s torso, holding him so close that Minseok can feel his heartbeat against his own chest. Their foreheads and noses touching, Minseok stares lovingly at Jongdae, whose long lashes brush against his skin.
He presses a soft kiss to Jongdae’s lips.
‘Morning, Dae,’ he says when Jongdae’s eyes flutter open.
‘Morning, Minnie,’ he replies with a small smile.
‘You’re so cute,’ Minseok chuckles.
Jongdae blushes. ‘You’re cuter! You asked if you could kiss me. That’s adorable.’
‘I’m embarrassed now,’ Minseok says, covering his face with his hands. Jongdae giggles, before he nudges them apart with his nose, and kisses Minseok firmly.
‘Don’t be,’ he says. But for a second, his smile falters, and Minseok frowns.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘This… This isn’t a one time thing, right?’ Jongdae whispers.
Minseok shakes his head. ‘I don’t want it to be, but I don’t want to force you into anything.’
‘Okay.’ Jongdae visibly relaxes. He brings Minseok closer and buries his face into the crook of his neck. Minseok shivers again when Jongdae murmurs, with his lips against his skin, ‘Kim Minseok, be my boyfriend?’ He looks up at Minseok with hopeful eyes.
Minseok smiles, and gently lifts Jongdae’s face up. ‘Of course, Kim Jongdae,’ he says against his lips.
‘Min…’
‘Yeah?’
‘Why did you come back early?’
‘I needed a break, and I really missed you.’
Jongdae nods, ‘I’m glad you came back. My nightmares are worse when you’re away. And recently, I haven’t had any nightmares when you’ve been here.’ He opens his mouth, ready to talk, but something holds him back.
However, when he sees Minseok’s patient gaze, he takes a deep breath and continues. ‘I think my nightmares are linked.’ He pauses, before Minseok gestures for him to continue. ‘I had one about being kidnapped, and this was a few weeks back. But last night, I had one bout being tortured… and’ -his voice cracks- ‘and the faces were the same. It felt like a continuation.
‘That’s not even the worst part, Min,’ he whispers hoarsely. ‘It felt so real, like a memory. And… there was so much going on, and you might not understand, but… it makes me wonder. Do we come from another planet? It bothers me.
‘But with you, it doesn’t bother me as much. And I really love you for that.’
Silence.
Minseok doesn’t say anything, and instead stares at the ceiling, still holding onto Jongdae, who watches him nervously. But eventually, he speaks up.
‘Work has been keeping me really busy, and I hate it. You’ve been so brave holding up for so long without me.’ He sighs. ‘But it’ll be over soon. I promise. And you won’t have to always keep everything bottled in.
‘I’m really proud of you, Kim Jongdae. And I really love you for that.’
He wishes that he could tell Jongdae what he really does, and why he really came home. He has too many fears about Anonymous, and the Fates & Furies, and the Lightning Thief, and maybe it would be unfair to burden Jongdae with them, but he hates keep secrets that threaten lives. Sadly, that’s basically his job description.
So he leaves it at that, and hopes it’s enough.
From the loving smile that Jongdae sends his way, he knows it is.
The walk from the station to SM Corporation is short and goes through the heart of the city. Minseok has never thought anything particular about it, except that it’s very lively.
But today, he can’t quite shake the feeling that someone is watching him.
Jun picks up on the second ring.
‘What’s up?’
‘I’m just going to pick up some coffee, do you want anything?’
‘Nah, I’m okay. Can you pick up some pastries for Sehun? He’s made an incredible recovery and is well enough to come back to the office.’
‘Okay, got it.’
The moment Minseok hangs up, he decides to take the longest route possible to his favourite café.
He weaves through crowds, turns at every corner, and aims mainly for the big public places with masses of people. It’s a technique he’s used before, and it’s so efficient that the roles are eventually switched.
‘I lost him,’ his stalker hisses into his phone. ‘Of course I’m still looking for him! … Yes I know. He can’t find us. If he does, we’re all screwed and we’ll have to blow shit up. And delete more people. … No I still don’t know if he’s the Lightning Thief or EXO’s Xiumin. … Yes, I’m doing my best! … You really are Satan. I’m hanging up now, arsehole.’
Minseok pales.
F&F are after him.
It feels like the day he confessed all over again.
He runs with a sole purpose: find Jongdae. He doesn’t care about the physical pain his body is in. He only cares about getting to Jongdae. (But this time, he takes the train.)
He runs and runs and runs, forgetting about the black grass, forgetting about the Lightning Thief, forgetting about the Fates and Furies. He focuses only on getting to Jongdae.
But his stomach churns when he reaches their home and the door is wide open. No one is inside. There’s only a note on the table that reads, ‘I’ll be back soon. -Dae’. He notices a logo in the corner: it’s tiny, but visible and clear enough for Minseok’s blood to run cold.
It’s not the F&F.
It’s Anonymous.
‘Jun! Maknae!’ Minseok pants as he bursts into the EXO office.
‘Min?’ What’s wrong?’ Junmyeon stands up immediately, and Minseok sees the concern in his face.
‘Jongdae,’ he gasps. ‘It’s Jongdae. He’s- He’s gone.’
Minseok doesn’t know how Junmyeon does it, but he has everything in his car: blankets, spare clothes for the three of them, and food to last them a week.
‘Can you see the future or something?’ Sehun marvels. ‘How the fuck are you so well prepared?’
‘I just am,’ Junmyeon smiles smugly.
The maknae looks at him worriedly. ‘There’s a really childish background story to it, isn’t there?’ His boss tenses up for a second, slightly taken aback. But then he nods sheepishly and Sehun rolls his eyes. ‘Thought so,’ he mutters.
‘How long before we get there?’ Minseok asks.
Luckily for him, the car is faster than the train. He explains the situation to Junmyeon and Sehun as Junmyeon races through the traffic in Seoul.
‘Once we get out of the urban area, I can speed us up with some wind power,’ Sehun offers.
Minseok nods. ‘How much time would that buy us?’
‘At least a day.’
He groans. ‘That’s not enough.’
‘I’m sorry, Min,’ Junmyeon says. ‘It’s really the best we can do at the moment.’
‘I know. I know, and I’m thankful.’
‘But?’ Sehun looks at him knowingly.
‘But,’ Minseok sighs, ‘it’s not fast enough. I wish I could be there now.’
‘He really means the world to you, doesn’t he?’ Junmyeon says softly.
Minseok shakes his head. ‘It’s more than that. I grew up with him. He’s the only family I have apart from you two.’ He wipes a tear from his eye. ‘The last thing I want to do is lose him.’
Sehun pats his shoulder reassuringly. ‘We’ll get to him. I promise.’
When they finally arrive at Anonymous’ HQ, Minseok desperately searches for the mini maze.
‘Come on, come on, where is it?’
‘Where’s what?’ Junmyeon asks.
‘It’s a maze, just look for a maze, about the size of Sehun’s head.’
Sehun pulls a face at that, but both immediately set to work to help him find it. Minseok runs his hands over the rocky surface, frantically searching. ‘Please, please.’
‘Looking for a way in?’ a voice pipes up from behind. The three spin round to face a young man, about as tall as Junmyeon. ‘I can help you with that.’
And before they can react, their vision goes black, they’re knocked off balance, and they fall flat on their butts.
‘Kai! You’re always so brutal with guests.’
‘Oh shut up, Lux.’
‘Whatever.’
Suddenly, they can see again, and Minseok realises that they’re no longer on the mountainside.
‘Welcome, trespassers! We weren’t expecting you,’ the first man says, faking enthusiasm. ‘I’m Lux, this is Kai, and together we are not going to let you go until you tell us why you’re here and agree to leave.’
‘The fucking nerve!’ Minseok hisses. ‘You blind and kidnap us and expect stuff from us?’
‘Why, yes, of course,’ Lux smiles. Minseok glares at him, and stands up, thrusting his palms out in front of him. He feels the cold seep in his bones, while a frosty tingling dances down his arms and into his fingers.
‘Don’t,’ Junmyeon warns. ‘Don’t use your ice on him already.’
‘Oh no! Let him, it’ll be fun to play,’ Lux says.
‘Look, we’re just looking for his friend,’ Sehun cuts in. ‘Could you try not to irritate him before he freezes us to death? Let’s try and be civil?’
‘You’re still trespassing, that’s not very acceptable, and he's the one threatening me!'
‘Look, let me get our boss, I’ll be right back, please don’t try to murder each other, Chen hates paperwork,’ Kai says. Minseok sighs, still glaring at Lux, but nods nevertheless. ‘I’ll be back.’
A minute later, he walks in, tugging the so-called Chen along behind him. Minseok doesn’t even get a glimpse of his face before Chen is high-tailing it out of there.
‘I’m too young to die, I can’t go in there, I’ll be massacred, don’t make me go in there, Kai!’ Minseok hears Chen wail. He frowns. Chen’s voice is familiar. Really familiar.
‘Your boss is an absolute child,’ Junmyeon whispers to Lux, who nods, slightly ashamed.
‘Chen, they’ll kill us if you don’t show your face.’
‘But-’
Lux sighs exasperatedly and unfolds his arms. He slouches over, grumbling about bratty children, grabs Chen’s arm and yanks him into the room.
Chen’s eyes go wide, but not as wide as Minseok.
Junmyeon and Sehun stare confusedly at Minseok, whose eyes suddenly narrow.
‘You,’ he spits vehemently, storming over to Chen and poking his chest violently. ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’
‘What’s going on?’ Kai asks, raising an eyebrow at the two. He shuts up immediately when he sees Minseok’s murderous look.
‘DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING CLUE HOW WORRIED I WAS, ARSEHOLE?’ Minseok fumes. ‘YOU DISAPPEAR WITHOUT A HEADS-UP, LEAVING ONLY A FUCKING NOTE. AND THE DOOR WAS WIDE OPEN. I THOUGHT YOU WERE KIDNAPPED.’
‘I’m sorry!’ Jongdae/Chen squeaks. ‘I’m really, really sorry.’
‘You better be,’ Minseok says through clenched teeth.
‘I’m really confused,’ Lux pipes up. ‘You know each other?’
‘I’d call him my boyfriend,’ Jongdae whimpers, ‘but he looks like he wants to kill me, so I don’t think that’s a good idea.’
‘You could’ve at least closed the door!’ Minseok whines, punching Jongdae’s shoulder. ‘Or, I don’t know, not use a post-it with the Anonymous logo on it. You’re part of a group wanted by the government!’ He pouts, and looks to Jongdae with eyes full of hurt. ‘I was really fucking worried.’
His boyfriend stares at the floor guiltily. ‘I’m really sorry!’
Minseok sighs. His shoulders slump, the tension easing out of him, and he raises his gaze to meet Jongdae’s. Hugging him tightly, he whispers, ‘I’m just really glad you’re safe.’
Jongdae breathes a sigh of relief, and hugs Minseok back. ‘I love you.’
‘I love you too, you idiot.’
They pull apart and smile at each other.
But their happiness is short-lived when a low rumble echoes throughout the room.
‘What was that?’ Lux says.
Another rumble. Jongdae curses. ‘Shit. I think it’s an earthquake. Kai?’
‘On it.’
And in the blink of an eye, they’re all falling through black smoke.
They land with a thud on the metallic floor of what looks like a spaceship control room.
‘Kai,’ Lux breathes out.
‘I’m sorry!’ he squeaks. ‘I panicked!’
‘Where the fuck are we?’
‘I think we’re at the spaceship.’
Junmyeon tenses up. In a very calm and steely voice, he asks, ‘What spaceship?’
‘Have you heard of the F&F?’ Jongdae says. At Junmyeon’s and Minseok’s nods, he continues. ‘Yeah, it’s their spaceship.’
‘Why do they have a spaceship?’ Minseok questions. Flashes of the conversation he overheard come back to him, and he tries to hide his panic.
‘I really don’t know, that’s why we were checking them out,’ Lux explains.
The Lightning Thief can’t find out. Anyone who finds out has to be deleted.
Minseok closes his eyes, and breathes. ‘I have a really bad feeling about this.’
‘So do I.’ Sehun bites his lip.
‘I don’t think I can get us out,’ Kai mumbles. ‘I’ve already used up to much energy.’
‘That’s okay,’ Jongdae reassures. ‘I’ll find us a way out.’ But he doesn’t sound too sure of himself.
‘I have a proposition,’ Junmyeon announces after a pause.
‘Yeah?’ Kai says.
‘We’re two teams with information on F&F, we’re trapped in their spaceship, and Min and Chen know each other. We should collaborate until we get out.’
Lux tilts his head in contemplation. ‘That’s not a bad idea. Alright, you go first. What do you know?’
‘They’re bad, like really bad,’ Minseok blurts out. ‘I overheard them say that they’d delete anyone who found out something about them.’
‘Delete?!’ Junmyeon looks at Minseok suspiciously. ‘Are you sure?’
‘100% certain.’
‘Well that’s not worrying at all,’ Lux announces. ‘Got anything else?’
‘They created the Wastelands,’ Minseok offers.
At that, everyone raises an eyebrow. ‘Are you really sure?’
‘I know it’s hard to believe, but I found a warehouse a few miles from your HQ in the Wastelands, and I overheard them talking. I’m not making this up.’
Sehun says, ‘What about you? What do you know about them?’
‘I think they’re linked to my nightmares.’ Everyone’s gazes swivel round to Jongdae, who hasn’t said a word so far. While everyone else looks confused, Minseok’s face has worry and fear written all over it.
‘But-’
‘That would mean my nightmares aren’t nightmares, but realities,’ Jongdae sighs. ‘Yeah, I know. Sucks. Balls.’
‘What nightmares?’ Lux demands. ‘You’ve never mentioned any nightmares.’
Minseok shakes his head. ‘He never talks about his nightmares, unless they’re really bad.’
‘How would you know?’ Sehun wonders.
‘We live together.’
‘That’s not the point,’ Kai cuts in. ‘Chen, how bad are these nightmares?’
‘Really bad,’ he utters bitterly. ‘I get kidnapped and taken into space, then experimented on until I can’t eat, before another space craft attacks, takes me hostage, and tortures me. It’s absolutely lovely, isn’t it?’
‘No wonder you don’t talk about them,’ Junmyeon breathes out, his eyes full of concern.
Minseok walks over to his boyfriend and back-hugs him tightly. He kisses his cheek, whispering into his ear, ‘Even if they are real, I promise that I won’t let that happen to you ever again.’ Jongdae stays quiet, and when Minseok looks at him, he notices a tear glimmering in the corner of his eye. ‘We should change topics. We might be running out of time.’
Junmyeon nods. ‘Should we introduce ourselves? I’m sure Lux, Kai, and Chen aren’t your real names.’
‘I’m Kim Jongin, Lux is Byun Baekhyun, and Chen is Kim Jongdae, and we make up Anonymous,’ Kai smiles, making the most of a more civil atmosphere. ‘What about you?’
‘We’re EXO-’
‘Wait really?’ Baekhyun/Lux gasps. ‘You’re EXO?’
‘Um… yeah?’ Junmyeon says uncertainly.
‘You’re so famous in the criminal world!’
Sehun looks at him disbelieving. ‘What.’
‘Yeah!’ Baekhyun nods excitedly. ‘Only the most successful criminal groups get hunted down by EXO! I feel so flattered.’ He smiles giddily. ‘Is it true that it’s only the three of you? I heard that Xiumin once single-handedly stopped a dragon from destroying Seoul, is that true too? What about-’
‘Since when do you know shit about the so-called “criminal world”?’ Jongin/Kai demands.
Baekhyun blushes. ‘Iamthesonofamafiaboss.’
‘What the fuck?’
‘We don’t have time for that,’ Minseok interrupts. ‘To keep it quick and simple, I’m Xiumin, real name Kim Minseok. The shorty is Kim Junmyeon, the surprisingly clumsy Suho. And the tall foetus is the Maknae, otherwise known as Oh Sehun. We’ve covered everyone, and I would really like to do something about F&F. Can we all agree that we need to take them down?’
There seems to be a unanimous hum of agreement. The only person to waver is Junmyeon.
‘Jun?’
‘I- No one gets hurt, right?’
‘’Course not.’
After a pause, he finally agrees. ‘Okay.’
It surprises Minseok that of all people Junmyeon is the one to hesitate, but he says nothing.
While everyone else agrees to split up and check the spaceship for any suspicious activity, Minseok focuses on finding an exit that can opened and Jongdae sees if he can work the CCTV in the control room (if there is any).
He doesn’t like being alone, and he feels like people are following him. But that only drives him to find the exit faster.
The spaceship is extremely big. He doesn’t know how much of the first floor he’s covered: it feels like a lot, but every new room he discovers makes him feel like an ant inside a mountain. He backtracks a lot, too, to make sure he doesn’t get lost, since there don’t seem to be any maps that could help him find his way back.
And he really does need to find his way back because suddenly, the floor starts to rumble, and Minseok loses his balance. His first reaction is to find Jongdae.
From above him somewhere, a loudspeaker crackles to life. ‘I have some good news and some bad news,’ Jongdae says. ‘The good news is that I’ve found an exit. The bad news is that we can’t use it because I’ve accidentally launched the spaceship, I don’t know how to stop it, and Kai still doesn’t have enough energy to teleport us all.’
Minseok wants to simultaneously cry and facepalm.
‘WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN’T STOP IT?’ Minseok yells as he bursts into the control room ten minutes later. (He got a little bit lost.) Jongdae cowers in fear.
‘I’M SORRY! I know I’ve fucked up, but I really don’t know how to stop it.’
At that point, the four others file in, pale faced.
‘Please tell me that was a joke,’ Baekhyun pleads.
Jongdae shakes his head.
‘We’re screwed, we’re so screwed,’ Sehun mutters.
‘How long before we start orbiting Kyo?’ Junmyeon asks, surprisingly calm.
‘I think it will take us two minutes, it’s quite a fast spaceship.’
Junmyeon nods, before pulling out his phone. The others watch curiously as he dials a number, and puts it to his ear.
‘Hey darling,’ he says, once the person on the line picks up. ‘There’s an emergency, and I really need your help.’
‘I have a surprise for you,’ Minseok faintly hears Junmyeon’s “darling” say.
The door to the control room swings open, and Junmyeon’s jaw drops as six other men walk in, while the one at the front smiles sheepishly.
‘Hi, honey.’
Five minutes later, all twelve of them are sat around a large table in one of the neighbouring rooms. Despite being slightly (read: very) angry at Jongdae for creating this mess, Minseok clutches his hand tightly. Nobody has said a word so far.
Junmyeon, who’s sat opposite him, clears his throat. ‘I guess I’ll start with some explanations.’ He looks especially at Sehun and Minseok, who watch him expectantly. ‘I’m married, and that’ -he points at the man who called him honey- ‘is my husband. He’s part of the Fates and Furies. And I have been well aware of that for several years.’
His husband waves politely at them, flashing them a friendly smile. ‘Hi, I’m Lay. It’s nice to finally meet Junie’s best friends.’
Sehun nods back at him, but glares at Junmyeon. ‘I’d say the same to you, Lay, but I never knew about your existence until now.’
‘Yeah, Lay, how come we never knew you were married?’ one of his companions says.
Minseok puts his hand up, and cuts in, ‘Sorry to interrupt, but can we just introduce each other all first and then skip to the explanations? We’re in the middle of a crisis and I don’t think discussing Old Man Myeon’s love life. Sorry, Jun.’
Junmyeon just grumbles at the nickname while Sehun snickers.
‘Sure thing,’ Lay says, still smiling. ‘I’m one of the Fates with Luhan and Tao.’ Luhan nods politely in acknowledgement, while Tao raises a hand. ‘And the Furies are Kyungsoo’ -Lay points him out, but Kyungsoo ignores him completely (‘Rude,’ Minseok mutters)- ‘and those two dorks, Chanyeol, and Kris.’ Chanyeol grins lopsidedly, and Kris stutters out a protest, to which the six F&F members roll their eyes and tell him to shut up. He is a dork.
Minseok gasps. ‘You’re the one who was following me!’ he exclaims, directing his shocked gaze at Chanyeol, who smiles sheepishly.
‘Oh, you heard me?’
‘I told you he would. He’s Xiumin, of course he would. It’s exactly what I told you,’ Kyungsoo hisses.
‘Explanation, guys!’ Baekhyun pipes up. ‘Less banter, more information!’
‘Can’t you introduce yourselves first?’ Tao raises an eyebrow at him.
‘To keep it short and simple,’ Baekhyun says coldly, ‘I’m Lux, and the others are Kai, Chen, Xiumin, Suho and Maknae. Happy? Now can you please tell me that you can get us out of this mess, and maybe first explain why you have this massive spaceship at your disposal.’
‘It’s really complicated,’ Lay says.
‘Don’t care, try to make it simple.’
Kyungsoo sighs. ‘Okay, so there’s this planet called Earth, and we’re all from there, and basically Earth was dying so everyone had to leave, and everyone on Kyo born before the year 2004 was born there and arrived here on this spaceship. Our own parents were the ones to take care of the journey, and had to wipe everyone’s memories of Earth and replace them with fake memories of Kyo because otherwise they were all too panicked about losing some people they knew. Horrible yes, but we don’t give a shit because we have no other choice. And the six of us are in charge of making sure that no one finds out, but obviously that failed. So that’s that,’ he explains, rambling.
There’s a stunned silence from EXO and Anonymous. The F&F look at them for a reaction, but all they get is an indifferent Minseok who turns to Jongdae.
‘Dae, are you okay?’ He grabs his boyfriend’s hand, and stares, concerned, into his eyes. Jongdae squeezes his eyes shut, and takes a deep breath, but he nods. ‘Okay. Good.’ To the F&F he asks, ‘So what did you mean by deleting people?’
Kyungsoo glares at Chanyeol, and Luhan speaks up. ‘If anyone finds out about us and what really happened, we’re supposed to wipe their memories clean and send them to another planet. “Delete” is a really clumsy and really weird way of putting it.’
‘Has everyone got the answers they need?’ Lay asks. ‘Because I’ve got some bad news. And it’s really bad.’
‘How bad?’ Junmyeon bites his lip nervously.
‘We’re-going-to-crash-and-burn-but-quite-literally bad.’
‘What? How come?’ Chanyeol demands.
‘We haven’t got enough power to turn back or change trajectory. This spaceship was never supposed to take off, so there’s no fuel, and it’s just been running off the rest of the battery power from its last flight, which was kind of six years ago…’ Lay looks at Jongdae pointedly, who stares at the floor.
‘I’m sorry,’ he says. Minseok puts his arm around his shoulder comfortingly.
‘What planet are we headed for?’ Kyungsoo asks.
‘Yong.’
‘Isn’t that the storm planet?’
Lay nods.
‘If only we had the Lightning Thief…’ Kyungsoo grumbles.
‘That’s what I don’t get. We’re three intelligence groups of some sort, and none of us have figured out who the Lightning Thief is…’ Sehun muses. A murmur of agreement echoes around the room. But Minseok sees Baekhyun and Jongin stare at Jongdae, who goes bright red.
‘Chen,’ Baekhyun hisses and nudges him harshly in the ribs.
‘Ow! What was that for?’
‘You know very well what that’s for,’ Jongin scoffs.
Everyone turns to stare at Jongdae.
‘What is it for?’ Minseok asks curiously.
Jongdae blushes. ‘Yeah, um, about that…’
Baekhyun rolls his eyes. ‘Cut the crap, Chen. Just tell them.’
‘This was not how I planned to die,’ Jongdae sobs to himself. To everyone else, he says, ‘Right. So. I’m the Lightning Thief. Yup. That’s me. I’ve had a nice life. Thanks. Please don’t kill me.’
There’s a long silence.
‘You’re the Lightning Thief?’ Minseok stares at Jongdae, narrowing his eyes.
‘Yes.’
‘Are you kidding me?’ he sputters. Junmyeon and Sehun look at him worriedly. ‘I spent the last fucking month looking for the Lightning Thief and he lives with me?’ Jongdae smiles at him sheepishly. ‘Don’t give me that smile, Kim Jongdae. Now you’re going to tell me that you didn’t mean to strike down Sehun, and that it was just an accident because you’re that clumsy.’ He stays silent. Minseok glares. ‘Are you fucking kidding-’
‘What! I panicked…’
(‘Uh-oh, lover’s tiff,’ Sehun whispers to Jongin. They snicker.)
‘Any other confessions you’d like to make before I blow a fuse?’ Minseok sighs exasperatedly.
‘No, I don’t think so…’ Jongdae furrows his eyebrows in concentration. Suddenly, he pales. ‘Ah. Yes. I did break your favourite mug. That wasn’t the neighbour’s cat.’
Minseok whimpers. ‘I’ve wasted a month of my life. I’m never getting that back.’
‘As much as this is amusing, I kind of really want to get home,’ Luhan interrupts. ‘We don’t really have time to waste.’
Jongdae regains some colour, looking less scared, and says, ‘If the battery’s capacity is large enough, it shouldn’t be a problem. It’s literally what I’ve been trying to do for the past year.’
‘This is an absolute fucking mess,’ Minseok mutters darkly.
‘What do you need?’ Lay says to Jongdae.
‘The battery and a window. If I can see where I’m getting the energy from and where I’m storing it, it can take just a few minutes,’ Jongdae explains. ‘Is there anywhere everyone can stay? I don’t want anyone to get electrocuted accidentally.’
‘I can sort that out,’ Kyungsoo volunteers.
‘Okay, you do that. Everyone follow him, and I’ll take care of the lightning guy,’ Lay says. (‘I have a name,’ Jongdae offers. Minseok’s glare silences him.) ‘Being a healer and all, if anything happens, we’ll both be alright. Luhan, I’m relying on you for communication. Tao, buy us some time. Make sure we don’t crash, please. And Jun,’ -his gaze softens slightly- ‘control the kids.’
‘No one is murdering anyone on my watch, I promise,’ Junmyeon smiles. He pecks his husband quickly. ‘Alright, children, let’s move.’
By now, Minseok has calmed down slightly. He nudges Jongdae gently, and whispers in his ear, ‘We’ll be okay,’ before kissing his cheek. He walks away with the rest of the group, while Jongdae sighs and mentally prepares himself for what’s to come. (It’s like exercise. He doesn’t like exercise.)
‘What did you say to him?’ Sehun asks Minseok once they’re out of earshot.
‘That we’ll be okay,’ Minseok replies casually. Truth is, he’s terrified out of his wits. But he doesn’t want Jongdae to panic. Dae’s already got a lot on his plate… he says to himself.
‘Why?’
‘He’s kind of finding out that his nightmares are real.’
‘Oh.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Hey, hyung?’ Sehun says.
‘Yes, maknae?’
‘You two are really cute together.’ He grins at Minseok, who blushes.
‘Thanks, you little shit.’
(‘That was uncalled for.’
Junmyeon, who’d been eavesdropping, scoffs. ‘That’s never uncalled for.)
‘Well that was anticlimactic,’ Sehun announces once they’re safely on the ground. Minseok wants to argue but he has a point. It was surprisingly easy for Jongdae to harness the lightning and use it to fuel the spaceship and save the day.
Not that he’s complaining.
Everyone files out of the spacecraft. But instead of walking away, they group together and start chatting about collaborations and giving people’s memories back. It’s a sight that makes him laugh, considering how they’d tried to kill each other early that day. And it’s a sight that makes him grin: they’re sassy. They’d be fun as friends.
‘Um…’ a voice pipes up from behind him. ‘Min?’
Minseok turns to smile at Jongdae. ‘Yes, Dae?’
‘You’re not still mad, are you?’ He looks small and lost and fragile, and Minseok’s heart breaks because he’s not used to seeing Jongdae like this. And he doesn’t like seeing him like this. Not one bit.
‘Not anymore.’ He wraps an arm around his waist, and leans his head against Jongdae’s shoulder. ‘You think you’re going to be okay?’
‘With what?’
‘The whole Earth-and-your-nightmares are real thing.’
Jongdae stops to think for a moment. ‘Eventually. As long as you’re there.’
‘Always.’
(Minseok really loves the feeling of Jongdae’s lips against his.)
Since the spaceship landed near the Anonymous HQ, they walk back, where Junmyeon’s car awaits them. It’s along the way that Minseok stops abruptly.
‘Okay, I can’t do this anymore,’ he says, turning to Jongdae. ‘I found a glass bottle with lightning in it. Please explain.’
Jongdae’s face goes the brightest shade of red yet, and he starts stuttering uncontrollably. ‘Y-Y-You found the b-bottle?’
Meanwhile, Jongin rolls his eyes and Baekhyun pulls a bottle out of his pocket. ‘Here, let me show him,’ he says, and takes the cork out.
But nothing happens.
Minseok raises an eyebrow while Sehun snickers. (‘You really are a little shit,’ Luhan says. Sehun nods and grins.) Jongdae finally recomposes himself and takes out another bottle.
‘That was one of the early versions,’ he mumbles. ‘This is the final one.’
Everyone holds their breath.
He pulls the cork out.
Lightning of every single colour imaginable bursts out in all directions, before freezing completely. After a second, the beams of light shatter like glass, leaving tiny orbs of light hanging in the air like fairy lights.
‘I left the other day because it was finally ready and I wanted to test it out. I’m sorry I only left a note,’ Jongdae explains, trying to keep his voice steady. ‘Do you… Do you like it?’
‘You cheesy motherfucker.’ Minseok shakes his head. But when he looks up at Jongdae, he knows that everyone can see his red cheeks, giddy smile, and maybe even the tear in his eye. ‘I love it.’ He hugs Jongdae. ‘You’re so sweet and thoughtful, and I really love you for it.’
‘Oh thank goodness,’ Jongdae breathes, grinning goofily. He leans forward to kiss Minseok, who meets him halfway.
Everyone cheers.
A month later…
‘High-fucking-five!’ Minseok cheers when Jongdae wakes up. ‘That’s a whole week without a single nightmare!’
‘All thanks to you, Snowflake,’ Jongdae grins, quickly pecking Minseok’s lips.
‘You’re so cheesy, Sparky,’ Minseok says. He grabs Jongdae by the waist- ‘And I really love you for that -and kisses him firmly. He feels Jongdae’s smile against his lips, and he melts a little inside when kisses back with just as much vigour.
‘If we keep this up, we’ll be late for the meeting,’ Jongdae breathes out, pulling apart.
‘They can wait. I’d rather be with you.’
‘You always say things like that.’
Minseok grins lopsidedly at him.
‘And I really love you for that.’
Author’s note: I probably butchered your prompt, and gosh powers aren’t even that prominent. Oh well. Too late now.
I hope you like it anyway <3
(unedited)
Jongdae’s hand rests lazily by his side, but clutches Minseok’s, fingers laced. The other is wrapped around Minseok’s torso, holding him so close that Minseok can feel his heartbeat against his own chest. Their foreheads and noses touching, Minseok stares lovingly at Jongdae, whose long lashes brush against his skin.
He presses a soft kiss to Jongdae’s lips.
‘Morning, Dae,’ he says when Jongdae’s eyes flutter open.
‘Morning, Minnie,’ he replies with a small smile.
‘You’re so cute,’ Minseok chuckles.
Jongdae blushes. ‘You’re cuter! You asked if you could kiss me. That’s adorable.’
‘I’m embarrassed now,’ Minseok says, covering his face with his hands. Jongdae giggles, before he nudges them apart with his nose, and kisses Minseok firmly.
‘Don’t be,’ he says. But for a second, his smile falters, and Minseok frowns.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘This… This isn’t a one time thing, right?’ Jongdae whispers.
Minseok shakes his head. ‘I don’t want it to be, but I don’t want to force you into anything.’
‘Okay.’ Jongdae visibly relaxes. He brings Minseok closer and buries his face into the crook of his neck. Minseok shivers again when Jongdae murmurs, with his lips against his skin, ‘Kim Minseok, be my boyfriend?’ He looks up at Minseok with hopeful eyes.
Minseok smiles, and gently lifts Jongdae’s face up. ‘Of course, Kim Jongdae,’ he says against his lips.
‘Min…’
‘Yeah?’
‘Why did you come back early?’
‘I needed a break, and I really missed you.’
Jongdae nods, ‘I’m glad you came back. My nightmares are worse when you’re away. And recently, I haven’t had any nightmares when you’ve been here.’ He opens his mouth, ready to talk, but something holds him back.
However, when he sees Minseok’s patient gaze, he takes a deep breath and continues. ‘I think my nightmares are linked.’ He pauses, before Minseok gestures for him to continue. ‘I had one about being kidnapped, and this was a few weeks back. But last night, I had one bout being tortured… and’ -his voice cracks- ‘and the faces were the same. It felt like a continuation.
‘That’s not even the worst part, Min,’ he whispers hoarsely. ‘It felt so real, like a memory. And… there was so much going on, and you might not understand, but… it makes me wonder. Do we come from another planet? It bothers me.
‘But with you, it doesn’t bother me as much. And I really love you for that.’
Silence.
Minseok doesn’t say anything, and instead stares at the ceiling, still holding onto Jongdae, who watches him nervously. But eventually, he speaks up.
‘Work has been keeping me really busy, and I hate it. You’ve been so brave holding up for so long without me.’ He sighs. ‘But it’ll be over soon. I promise. And you won’t have to always keep everything bottled in.
‘I’m really proud of you, Kim Jongdae. And I really love you for that.’
He wishes that he could tell Jongdae what he really does, and why he really came home. He has too many fears about Anonymous, and the Fates & Furies, and the Lightning Thief, and maybe it would be unfair to burden Jongdae with them, but he hates keep secrets that threaten lives. Sadly, that’s basically his job description.
So he leaves it at that, and hopes it’s enough.
From the loving smile that Jongdae sends his way, he knows it is.
The walk from the station to SM Corporation is short and goes through the heart of the city. Minseok has never thought anything particular about it, except that it’s very lively.
But today, he can’t quite shake the feeling that someone is watching him.
Jun picks up on the second ring.
‘What’s up?’
‘I’m just going to pick up some coffee, do you want anything?’
‘Nah, I’m okay. Can you pick up some pastries for Sehun? He’s made an incredible recovery and is well enough to come back to the office.’
‘Okay, got it.’
The moment Minseok hangs up, he decides to take the longest route possible to his favourite café.
He weaves through crowds, turns at every corner, and aims mainly for the big public places with masses of people. It’s a technique he’s used before, and it’s so efficient that the roles are eventually switched.
‘I lost him,’ his stalker hisses into his phone. ‘Of course I’m still looking for him! … Yes I know. He can’t find us. If he does, we’re all screwed and we’ll have to blow shit up. And delete more people. … No I still don’t know if he’s the Lightning Thief or EXO’s Xiumin. … Yes, I’m doing my best! … You really are Satan. I’m hanging up now, arsehole.’
Minseok pales.
F&F are after him.
It feels like the day he confessed all over again.
He runs with a sole purpose: find Jongdae. He doesn’t care about the physical pain his body is in. He only cares about getting to Jongdae. (But this time, he takes the train.)
He runs and runs and runs, forgetting about the black grass, forgetting about the Lightning Thief, forgetting about the Fates and Furies. He focuses only on getting to Jongdae.
But his stomach churns when he reaches their home and the door is wide open. No one is inside. There’s only a note on the table that reads, ‘I’ll be back soon. -Dae’. He notices a logo in the corner: it’s tiny, but visible and clear enough for Minseok’s blood to run cold.
It’s not the F&F.
It’s Anonymous.
‘Jun! Maknae!’ Minseok pants as he bursts into the EXO office.
‘Min?’ What’s wrong?’ Junmyeon stands up immediately, and Minseok sees the concern in his face.
‘Jongdae,’ he gasps. ‘It’s Jongdae. He’s- He’s gone.’
Minseok doesn’t know how Junmyeon does it, but he has everything in his car: blankets, spare clothes for the three of them, and food to last them a week.
‘Can you see the future or something?’ Sehun marvels. ‘How the fuck are you so well prepared?’
‘I just am,’ Junmyeon smiles smugly.
The maknae looks at him worriedly. ‘There’s a really childish background story to it, isn’t there?’ His boss tenses up for a second, slightly taken aback. But then he nods sheepishly and Sehun rolls his eyes. ‘Thought so,’ he mutters.
‘How long before we get there?’ Minseok asks.
Luckily for him, the car is faster than the train. He explains the situation to Junmyeon and Sehun as Junmyeon races through the traffic in Seoul.
‘Once we get out of the urban area, I can speed us up with some wind power,’ Sehun offers.
Minseok nods. ‘How much time would that buy us?’
‘At least a day.’
He groans. ‘That’s not enough.’
‘I’m sorry, Min,’ Junmyeon says. ‘It’s really the best we can do at the moment.’
‘I know. I know, and I’m thankful.’
‘But?’ Sehun looks at him knowingly.
‘But,’ Minseok sighs, ‘it’s not fast enough. I wish I could be there now.’
‘He really means the world to you, doesn’t he?’ Junmyeon says softly.
Minseok shakes his head. ‘It’s more than that. I grew up with him. He’s the only family I have apart from you two.’ He wipes a tear from his eye. ‘The last thing I want to do is lose him.’
Sehun pats his shoulder reassuringly. ‘We’ll get to him. I promise.’
When they finally arrive at Anonymous’ HQ, Minseok desperately searches for the mini maze.
‘Come on, come on, where is it?’
‘Where’s what?’ Junmyeon asks.
‘It’s a maze, just look for a maze, about the size of Sehun’s head.’
Sehun pulls a face at that, but both immediately set to work to help him find it. Minseok runs his hands over the rocky surface, frantically searching. ‘Please, please.’
‘Looking for a way in?’ a voice pipes up from behind. The three spin round to face a young man, about as tall as Junmyeon. ‘I can help you with that.’
And before they can react, their vision goes black, they’re knocked off balance, and they fall flat on their butts.
‘Kai! You’re always so brutal with guests.’
‘Oh shut up, Lux.’
‘Whatever.’
Suddenly, they can see again, and Minseok realises that they’re no longer on the mountainside.
‘Welcome, trespassers! We weren’t expecting you,’ the first man says, faking enthusiasm. ‘I’m Lux, this is Kai, and together we are not going to let you go until you tell us why you’re here and agree to leave.’
‘The fucking nerve!’ Minseok hisses. ‘You blind and kidnap us and expect stuff from us?’
‘Why, yes, of course,’ Lux smiles. Minseok glares at him, and stands up, thrusting his palms out in front of him. He feels the cold seep in his bones, while a frosty tingling dances down his arms and into his fingers.
‘Don’t,’ Junmyeon warns. ‘Don’t use your ice on him already.’
‘Oh no! Let him, it’ll be fun to play,’ Lux says.
‘Look, we’re just looking for his friend,’ Sehun cuts in. ‘Could you try not to irritate him before he freezes us to death? Let’s try and be civil?’
‘You’re still trespassing, that’s not very acceptable, and he's the one threatening me!'
‘Look, let me get our boss, I’ll be right back, please don’t try to murder each other, Chen hates paperwork,’ Kai says. Minseok sighs, still glaring at Lux, but nods nevertheless. ‘I’ll be back.’
A minute later, he walks in, tugging the so-called Chen along behind him. Minseok doesn’t even get a glimpse of his face before Chen is high-tailing it out of there.
‘I’m too young to die, I can’t go in there, I’ll be massacred, don’t make me go in there, Kai!’ Minseok hears Chen wail. He frowns. Chen’s voice is familiar. Really familiar.
‘Your boss is an absolute child,’ Junmyeon whispers to Lux, who nods, slightly ashamed.
‘Chen, they’ll kill us if you don’t show your face.’
‘But-’
Lux sighs exasperatedly and unfolds his arms. He slouches over, grumbling about bratty children, grabs Chen’s arm and yanks him into the room.
Chen’s eyes go wide, but not as wide as Minseok.
Junmyeon and Sehun stare confusedly at Minseok, whose eyes suddenly narrow.
‘You,’ he spits vehemently, storming over to Chen and poking his chest violently. ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’
‘What’s going on?’ Kai asks, raising an eyebrow at the two. He shuts up immediately when he sees Minseok’s murderous look.
‘DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING CLUE HOW WORRIED I WAS, ARSEHOLE?’ Minseok fumes. ‘YOU DISAPPEAR WITHOUT A HEADS-UP, LEAVING ONLY A FUCKING NOTE. AND THE DOOR WAS WIDE OPEN. I THOUGHT YOU WERE KIDNAPPED.’
‘I’m sorry!’ Jongdae/Chen squeaks. ‘I’m really, really sorry.’
‘You better be,’ Minseok says through clenched teeth.
‘I’m really confused,’ Lux pipes up. ‘You know each other?’
‘I’d call him my boyfriend,’ Jongdae whimpers, ‘but he looks like he wants to kill me, so I don’t think that’s a good idea.’
‘You could’ve at least closed the door!’ Minseok whines, punching Jongdae’s shoulder. ‘Or, I don’t know, not use a post-it with the Anonymous logo on it. You’re part of a group wanted by the government!’ He pouts, and looks to Jongdae with eyes full of hurt. ‘I was really fucking worried.’
His boyfriend stares at the floor guiltily. ‘I’m really sorry!’
Minseok sighs. His shoulders slump, the tension easing out of him, and he raises his gaze to meet Jongdae’s. Hugging him tightly, he whispers, ‘I’m just really glad you’re safe.’
Jongdae breathes a sigh of relief, and hugs Minseok back. ‘I love you.’
‘I love you too, you idiot.’
They pull apart and smile at each other.
But their happiness is short-lived when a low rumble echoes throughout the room.
‘What was that?’ Lux says.
Another rumble. Jongdae curses. ‘Shit. I think it’s an earthquake. Kai?’
‘On it.’
And in the blink of an eye, they’re all falling through black smoke.
They land with a thud on the metallic floor of what looks like a spaceship control room.
‘Kai,’ Lux breathes out.
‘I’m sorry!’ he squeaks. ‘I panicked!’
‘Where the fuck are we?’
‘I think we’re at the spaceship.’
Junmyeon tenses up. In a very calm and steely voice, he asks, ‘What spaceship?’
‘Have you heard of the F&F?’ Jongdae says. At Junmyeon’s and Minseok’s nods, he continues. ‘Yeah, it’s their spaceship.’
‘Why do they have a spaceship?’ Minseok questions. Flashes of the conversation he overheard come back to him, and he tries to hide his panic.
‘I really don’t know, that’s why we were checking them out,’ Lux explains.
The Lightning Thief can’t find out. Anyone who finds out has to be deleted.
Minseok closes his eyes, and breathes. ‘I have a really bad feeling about this.’
‘So do I.’ Sehun bites his lip.
‘I don’t think I can get us out,’ Kai mumbles. ‘I’ve already used up to much energy.’
‘That’s okay,’ Jongdae reassures. ‘I’ll find us a way out.’ But he doesn’t sound too sure of himself.
‘I have a proposition,’ Junmyeon announces after a pause.
‘Yeah?’ Kai says.
‘We’re two teams with information on F&F, we’re trapped in their spaceship, and Min and Chen know each other. We should collaborate until we get out.’
Lux tilts his head in contemplation. ‘That’s not a bad idea. Alright, you go first. What do you know?’
‘They’re bad, like really bad,’ Minseok blurts out. ‘I overheard them say that they’d delete anyone who found out something about them.’
‘Delete?!’ Junmyeon looks at Minseok suspiciously. ‘Are you sure?’
‘100% certain.’
‘Well that’s not worrying at all,’ Lux announces. ‘Got anything else?’
‘They created the Wastelands,’ Minseok offers.
At that, everyone raises an eyebrow. ‘Are you really sure?’
‘I know it’s hard to believe, but I found a warehouse a few miles from your HQ in the Wastelands, and I overheard them talking. I’m not making this up.’
Sehun says, ‘What about you? What do you know about them?’
‘I think they’re linked to my nightmares.’ Everyone’s gazes swivel round to Jongdae, who hasn’t said a word so far. While everyone else looks confused, Minseok’s face has worry and fear written all over it.
‘But-’
‘That would mean my nightmares aren’t nightmares, but realities,’ Jongdae sighs. ‘Yeah, I know. Sucks. Balls.’
‘What nightmares?’ Lux demands. ‘You’ve never mentioned any nightmares.’
Minseok shakes his head. ‘He never talks about his nightmares, unless they’re really bad.’
‘How would you know?’ Sehun wonders.
‘We live together.’
‘That’s not the point,’ Kai cuts in. ‘Chen, how bad are these nightmares?’
‘Really bad,’ he utters bitterly. ‘I get kidnapped and taken into space, then experimented on until I can’t eat, before another space craft attacks, takes me hostage, and tortures me. It’s absolutely lovely, isn’t it?’
‘No wonder you don’t talk about them,’ Junmyeon breathes out, his eyes full of concern.
Minseok walks over to his boyfriend and back-hugs him tightly. He kisses his cheek, whispering into his ear, ‘Even if they are real, I promise that I won’t let that happen to you ever again.’ Jongdae stays quiet, and when Minseok looks at him, he notices a tear glimmering in the corner of his eye. ‘We should change topics. We might be running out of time.’
Junmyeon nods. ‘Should we introduce ourselves? I’m sure Lux, Kai, and Chen aren’t your real names.’
‘I’m Kim Jongin, Lux is Byun Baekhyun, and Chen is Kim Jongdae, and we make up Anonymous,’ Kai smiles, making the most of a more civil atmosphere. ‘What about you?’
‘We’re EXO-’
‘Wait really?’ Baekhyun/Lux gasps. ‘You’re EXO?’
‘Um… yeah?’ Junmyeon says uncertainly.
‘You’re so famous in the criminal world!’
Sehun looks at him disbelieving. ‘What.’
‘Yeah!’ Baekhyun nods excitedly. ‘Only the most successful criminal groups get hunted down by EXO! I feel so flattered.’ He smiles giddily. ‘Is it true that it’s only the three of you? I heard that Xiumin once single-handedly stopped a dragon from destroying Seoul, is that true too? What about-’
‘Since when do you know shit about the so-called “criminal world”?’ Jongin/Kai demands.
Baekhyun blushes. ‘Iamthesonofamafiaboss.’
‘What the fuck?’
‘We don’t have time for that,’ Minseok interrupts. ‘To keep it quick and simple, I’m Xiumin, real name Kim Minseok. The shorty is Kim Junmyeon, the surprisingly clumsy Suho. And the tall foetus is the Maknae, otherwise known as Oh Sehun. We’ve covered everyone, and I would really like to do something about F&F. Can we all agree that we need to take them down?’
There seems to be a unanimous hum of agreement. The only person to waver is Junmyeon.
‘Jun?’
‘I- No one gets hurt, right?’
‘’Course not.’
After a pause, he finally agrees. ‘Okay.’
It surprises Minseok that of all people Junmyeon is the one to hesitate, but he says nothing.
While everyone else agrees to split up and check the spaceship for any suspicious activity, Minseok focuses on finding an exit that can opened and Jongdae sees if he can work the CCTV in the control room (if there is any).
He doesn’t like being alone, and he feels like people are following him. But that only drives him to find the exit faster.
The spaceship is extremely big. He doesn’t know how much of the first floor he’s covered: it feels like a lot, but every new room he discovers makes him feel like an ant inside a mountain. He backtracks a lot, too, to make sure he doesn’t get lost, since there don’t seem to be any maps that could help him find his way back.
And he really does need to find his way back because suddenly, the floor starts to rumble, and Minseok loses his balance. His first reaction is to find Jongdae.
From above him somewhere, a loudspeaker crackles to life. ‘I have some good news and some bad news,’ Jongdae says. ‘The good news is that I’ve found an exit. The bad news is that we can’t use it because I’ve accidentally launched the spaceship, I don’t know how to stop it, and Kai still doesn’t have enough energy to teleport us all.’
Minseok wants to simultaneously cry and facepalm.
‘WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN’T STOP IT?’ Minseok yells as he bursts into the control room ten minutes later. (He got a little bit lost.) Jongdae cowers in fear.
‘I’M SORRY! I know I’ve fucked up, but I really don’t know how to stop it.’
At that point, the four others file in, pale faced.
‘Please tell me that was a joke,’ Baekhyun pleads.
Jongdae shakes his head.
‘We’re screwed, we’re so screwed,’ Sehun mutters.
‘How long before we start orbiting Kyo?’ Junmyeon asks, surprisingly calm.
‘I think it will take us two minutes, it’s quite a fast spaceship.’
Junmyeon nods, before pulling out his phone. The others watch curiously as he dials a number, and puts it to his ear.
‘Hey darling,’ he says, once the person on the line picks up. ‘There’s an emergency, and I really need your help.’
‘I have a surprise for you,’ Minseok faintly hears Junmyeon’s “darling” say.
The door to the control room swings open, and Junmyeon’s jaw drops as six other men walk in, while the one at the front smiles sheepishly.
‘Hi, honey.’
Five minutes later, all twelve of them are sat around a large table in one of the neighbouring rooms. Despite being slightly (read: very) angry at Jongdae for creating this mess, Minseok clutches his hand tightly. Nobody has said a word so far.
Junmyeon, who’s sat opposite him, clears his throat. ‘I guess I’ll start with some explanations.’ He looks especially at Sehun and Minseok, who watch him expectantly. ‘I’m married, and that’ -he points at the man who called him honey- ‘is my husband. He’s part of the Fates and Furies. And I have been well aware of that for several years.’
His husband waves politely at them, flashing them a friendly smile. ‘Hi, I’m Lay. It’s nice to finally meet Junie’s best friends.’
Sehun nods back at him, but glares at Junmyeon. ‘I’d say the same to you, Lay, but I never knew about your existence until now.’
‘Yeah, Lay, how come we never knew you were married?’ one of his companions says.
Minseok puts his hand up, and cuts in, ‘Sorry to interrupt, but can we just introduce each other all first and then skip to the explanations? We’re in the middle of a crisis and I don’t think discussing Old Man Myeon’s love life. Sorry, Jun.’
Junmyeon just grumbles at the nickname while Sehun snickers.
‘Sure thing,’ Lay says, still smiling. ‘I’m one of the Fates with Luhan and Tao.’ Luhan nods politely in acknowledgement, while Tao raises a hand. ‘And the Furies are Kyungsoo’ -Lay points him out, but Kyungsoo ignores him completely (‘Rude,’ Minseok mutters)- ‘and those two dorks, Chanyeol, and Kris.’ Chanyeol grins lopsidedly, and Kris stutters out a protest, to which the six F&F members roll their eyes and tell him to shut up. He is a dork.
Minseok gasps. ‘You’re the one who was following me!’ he exclaims, directing his shocked gaze at Chanyeol, who smiles sheepishly.
‘Oh, you heard me?’
‘I told you he would. He’s Xiumin, of course he would. It’s exactly what I told you,’ Kyungsoo hisses.
‘Explanation, guys!’ Baekhyun pipes up. ‘Less banter, more information!’
‘Can’t you introduce yourselves first?’ Tao raises an eyebrow at him.
‘To keep it short and simple,’ Baekhyun says coldly, ‘I’m Lux, and the others are Kai, Chen, Xiumin, Suho and Maknae. Happy? Now can you please tell me that you can get us out of this mess, and maybe first explain why you have this massive spaceship at your disposal.’
‘It’s really complicated,’ Lay says.
‘Don’t care, try to make it simple.’
Kyungsoo sighs. ‘Okay, so there’s this planet called Earth, and we’re all from there, and basically Earth was dying so everyone had to leave, and everyone on Kyo born before the year 2004 was born there and arrived here on this spaceship. Our own parents were the ones to take care of the journey, and had to wipe everyone’s memories of Earth and replace them with fake memories of Kyo because otherwise they were all too panicked about losing some people they knew. Horrible yes, but we don’t give a shit because we have no other choice. And the six of us are in charge of making sure that no one finds out, but obviously that failed. So that’s that,’ he explains, rambling.
There’s a stunned silence from EXO and Anonymous. The F&F look at them for a reaction, but all they get is an indifferent Minseok who turns to Jongdae.
‘Dae, are you okay?’ He grabs his boyfriend’s hand, and stares, concerned, into his eyes. Jongdae squeezes his eyes shut, and takes a deep breath, but he nods. ‘Okay. Good.’ To the F&F he asks, ‘So what did you mean by deleting people?’
Kyungsoo glares at Chanyeol, and Luhan speaks up. ‘If anyone finds out about us and what really happened, we’re supposed to wipe their memories clean and send them to another planet. “Delete” is a really clumsy and really weird way of putting it.’
‘Has everyone got the answers they need?’ Lay asks. ‘Because I’ve got some bad news. And it’s really bad.’
‘How bad?’ Junmyeon bites his lip nervously.
‘We’re-going-to-crash-and-burn-but-quite-literally bad.’
‘What? How come?’ Chanyeol demands.
‘We haven’t got enough power to turn back or change trajectory. This spaceship was never supposed to take off, so there’s no fuel, and it’s just been running off the rest of the battery power from its last flight, which was kind of six years ago…’ Lay looks at Jongdae pointedly, who stares at the floor.
‘I’m sorry,’ he says. Minseok puts his arm around his shoulder comfortingly.
‘What planet are we headed for?’ Kyungsoo asks.
‘Yong.’
‘Isn’t that the storm planet?’
Lay nods.
‘If only we had the Lightning Thief…’ Kyungsoo grumbles.
‘That’s what I don’t get. We’re three intelligence groups of some sort, and none of us have figured out who the Lightning Thief is…’ Sehun muses. A murmur of agreement echoes around the room. But Minseok sees Baekhyun and Jongin stare at Jongdae, who goes bright red.
‘Chen,’ Baekhyun hisses and nudges him harshly in the ribs.
‘Ow! What was that for?’
‘You know very well what that’s for,’ Jongin scoffs.
Everyone turns to stare at Jongdae.
‘What is it for?’ Minseok asks curiously.
Jongdae blushes. ‘Yeah, um, about that…’
Baekhyun rolls his eyes. ‘Cut the crap, Chen. Just tell them.’
‘This was not how I planned to die,’ Jongdae sobs to himself. To everyone else, he says, ‘Right. So. I’m the Lightning Thief. Yup. That’s me. I’ve had a nice life. Thanks. Please don’t kill me.’
There’s a long silence.
‘You’re the Lightning Thief?’ Minseok stares at Jongdae, narrowing his eyes.
‘Yes.’
‘Are you kidding me?’ he sputters. Junmyeon and Sehun look at him worriedly. ‘I spent the last fucking month looking for the Lightning Thief and he lives with me?’ Jongdae smiles at him sheepishly. ‘Don’t give me that smile, Kim Jongdae. Now you’re going to tell me that you didn’t mean to strike down Sehun, and that it was just an accident because you’re that clumsy.’ He stays silent. Minseok glares. ‘Are you fucking kidding-’
‘What! I panicked…’
(‘Uh-oh, lover’s tiff,’ Sehun whispers to Jongin. They snicker.)
‘Any other confessions you’d like to make before I blow a fuse?’ Minseok sighs exasperatedly.
‘No, I don’t think so…’ Jongdae furrows his eyebrows in concentration. Suddenly, he pales. ‘Ah. Yes. I did break your favourite mug. That wasn’t the neighbour’s cat.’
Minseok whimpers. ‘I’ve wasted a month of my life. I’m never getting that back.’
‘As much as this is amusing, I kind of really want to get home,’ Luhan interrupts. ‘We don’t really have time to waste.’
Jongdae regains some colour, looking less scared, and says, ‘If the battery’s capacity is large enough, it shouldn’t be a problem. It’s literally what I’ve been trying to do for the past year.’
‘This is an absolute fucking mess,’ Minseok mutters darkly.
‘What do you need?’ Lay says to Jongdae.
‘The battery and a window. If I can see where I’m getting the energy from and where I’m storing it, it can take just a few minutes,’ Jongdae explains. ‘Is there anywhere everyone can stay? I don’t want anyone to get electrocuted accidentally.’
‘I can sort that out,’ Kyungsoo volunteers.
‘Okay, you do that. Everyone follow him, and I’ll take care of the lightning guy,’ Lay says. (‘I have a name,’ Jongdae offers. Minseok’s glare silences him.) ‘Being a healer and all, if anything happens, we’ll both be alright. Luhan, I’m relying on you for communication. Tao, buy us some time. Make sure we don’t crash, please. And Jun,’ -his gaze softens slightly- ‘control the kids.’
‘No one is murdering anyone on my watch, I promise,’ Junmyeon smiles. He pecks his husband quickly. ‘Alright, children, let’s move.’
By now, Minseok has calmed down slightly. He nudges Jongdae gently, and whispers in his ear, ‘We’ll be okay,’ before kissing his cheek. He walks away with the rest of the group, while Jongdae sighs and mentally prepares himself for what’s to come. (It’s like exercise. He doesn’t like exercise.)
‘What did you say to him?’ Sehun asks Minseok once they’re out of earshot.
‘That we’ll be okay,’ Minseok replies casually. Truth is, he’s terrified out of his wits. But he doesn’t want Jongdae to panic. Dae’s already got a lot on his plate… he says to himself.
‘Why?’
‘He’s kind of finding out that his nightmares are real.’
‘Oh.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Hey, hyung?’ Sehun says.
‘Yes, maknae?’
‘You two are really cute together.’ He grins at Minseok, who blushes.
‘Thanks, you little shit.’
(‘That was uncalled for.’
Junmyeon, who’d been eavesdropping, scoffs. ‘That’s never uncalled for.)
‘Well that was anticlimactic,’ Sehun announces once they’re safely on the ground. Minseok wants to argue but he has a point. It was surprisingly easy for Jongdae to harness the lightning and use it to fuel the spaceship and save the day.
Not that he’s complaining.
Everyone files out of the spacecraft. But instead of walking away, they group together and start chatting about collaborations and giving people’s memories back. It’s a sight that makes him laugh, considering how they’d tried to kill each other early that day. And it’s a sight that makes him grin: they’re sassy. They’d be fun as friends.
‘Um…’ a voice pipes up from behind him. ‘Min?’
Minseok turns to smile at Jongdae. ‘Yes, Dae?’
‘You’re not still mad, are you?’ He looks small and lost and fragile, and Minseok’s heart breaks because he’s not used to seeing Jongdae like this. And he doesn’t like seeing him like this. Not one bit.
‘Not anymore.’ He wraps an arm around his waist, and leans his head against Jongdae’s shoulder. ‘You think you’re going to be okay?’
‘With what?’
‘The whole Earth-and-your-nightmares are real thing.’
Jongdae stops to think for a moment. ‘Eventually. As long as you’re there.’
‘Always.’
(Minseok really loves the feeling of Jongdae’s lips against his.)
Since the spaceship landed near the Anonymous HQ, they walk back, where Junmyeon’s car awaits them. It’s along the way that Minseok stops abruptly.
‘Okay, I can’t do this anymore,’ he says, turning to Jongdae. ‘I found a glass bottle with lightning in it. Please explain.’
Jongdae’s face goes the brightest shade of red yet, and he starts stuttering uncontrollably. ‘Y-Y-You found the b-bottle?’
Meanwhile, Jongin rolls his eyes and Baekhyun pulls a bottle out of his pocket. ‘Here, let me show him,’ he says, and takes the cork out.
But nothing happens.
Minseok raises an eyebrow while Sehun snickers. (‘You really are a little shit,’ Luhan says. Sehun nods and grins.) Jongdae finally recomposes himself and takes out another bottle.
‘That was one of the early versions,’ he mumbles. ‘This is the final one.’
Everyone holds their breath.
He pulls the cork out.
Lightning of every single colour imaginable bursts out in all directions, before freezing completely. After a second, the beams of light shatter like glass, leaving tiny orbs of light hanging in the air like fairy lights.
‘I left the other day because it was finally ready and I wanted to test it out. I’m sorry I only left a note,’ Jongdae explains, trying to keep his voice steady. ‘Do you… Do you like it?’
‘You cheesy motherfucker.’ Minseok shakes his head. But when he looks up at Jongdae, he knows that everyone can see his red cheeks, giddy smile, and maybe even the tear in his eye. ‘I love it.’ He hugs Jongdae. ‘You’re so sweet and thoughtful, and I really love you for it.’
‘Oh thank goodness,’ Jongdae breathes, grinning goofily. He leans forward to kiss Minseok, who meets him halfway.
Everyone cheers.
A month later…
‘High-fucking-five!’ Minseok cheers when Jongdae wakes up. ‘That’s a whole week without a single nightmare!’
‘All thanks to you, Snowflake,’ Jongdae grins, quickly pecking Minseok’s lips.
‘You’re so cheesy, Sparky,’ Minseok says. He grabs Jongdae by the waist- ‘And I really love you for that -and kisses him firmly. He feels Jongdae’s smile against his lips, and he melts a little inside when kisses back with just as much vigour.
‘If we keep this up, we’ll be late for the meeting,’ Jongdae breathes out, pulling apart.
‘They can wait. I’d rather be with you.’
‘You always say things like that.’
Minseok grins lopsidedly at him.
‘And I really love you for that.’
Author’s note: I probably butchered your prompt, and gosh powers aren’t even that prominent. Oh well. Too late now.
I hope you like it anyway <3
(unedited)