o8. Make a Deal with the City 2/2
Title: Make a Deal with the City 2/2
Character(s): Kangin, Leeteuk
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 4700
Summary: Eighth installment, part two of two (see previous here). The hunters are finally getting somewhere with their mission, but it might be one step forward, two steps back.
References: Story Archive
Notes: Special thanks to meitachi for the short-notice beta! ♥
The next day is dreary, and Kangin wakes up late in the afternoon to the sound of rain pattering on the hotel window. Leeteuk is propped up next to him, nestled warmly in the blankets with the computer on his lap, updating his weblog. Keeping a journal is encouraged by the guild shrink for all hunters, considering the impossibility of making regular appointments. Kangin has one too, not that he uses it much (except for that one time when he uploaded an old photo of himself out cold on the floor, perfectly outlined by empty beer bottles like a murder scene, the caption proudly reading, "Fuckin' A").
He drags himself into a sitting position to share his partner's mountain of pillows and blinks fuzzily at the screen. The clock in the lower right-hand corner registers with a gravelly, "Shit, it's late."
Leeteuk pauses in his typing to share his half-full mug of coffee, which tastes exactly what crappy hotel coffee promises to taste like. It's lukewarm on top of being disgustingly sugared, as usual. He finishes it anyway.
"Look," Leeteuk says, rotating the laptop for him to see. Kangin adjusts the tilt of the screen, which displays an online newspaper archive that they keep bookmarked. The article is dated July 25, 1996, from The Star-Ledger. 'Terrorists suspected in Newark massacre...' Several other browser tabs contain similar pages, all reporting on the extremely violent incident at a private school that resulted in thirty-six killed, including students as young as thirteen. Kangin stares at the numbers and reminds himself it was primarily vampires involved, so who knows how old they actually were, but a heavy feeling settles like lead in his gut anyway. It hits a little too close to home.
Leeteuk clicks on another tab, and this article header strikes an interesting note: 'Couple connected to mass murders?' It describes a man and woman who were both found dead at the site, neither of which had any relation to the school.
"Guess they were the hunters Brian mentioned." The writer hints at an association between them and the supposed terrorists (of course, there's not even the smallest mention of Shiwon), but there was no conclusive evidence.
The article includes two grainy photographs of the individuals, positioned side-by-side with a caption that identifies them as Jinsang and Hyesu Lee. Kangin doesn't read much into the images, just black and white pixels to him, but Leeteuk stares at the pictures for a long time and adds a few more fingerprints to the smudged laptop screen.
Kangin skims more of the article. They'd been married in Florida and had only lived in New Jersey for a year, but it seems they moved around a lot in between. The writer posits a number of shady reasons, but most likely it was out of habit for hunters - even ex-hunters - to never stay in one place for long. Both husband and wife graduated from high school, and like many hunters, didn't seem to have the time for or interest in college. Kangin never saw the point of getting a degree himself, but Leeteuk had thought differently and gone to university (only to drop out after two years).
The article mentions a few expected skirmishes with the law, no details. Kangin isn't surprised - it's the nature of the job, and despite what pop culture says, vampires don't turn to dust when they die (they're not nearly so considerate). Instead, they leave behind very solid, often very messy corpses. One of the advantages of belonging to a guild is that they offer a degree of aid and protection when it comes to, well, clean-up. In the worst-case scenario, you'll get a really good lawyer (Kangin is well-acquainted with the law firm hired by Skylar). He wonders which guild they were with and considers calling up Shindong... But on second thought, the less Skylar knows, the better.
"So how the hell do we actually find Shiwon?" Kangin mutters, dredging up the motivation to get out of bed. Laziness is well and good, but not when there are things to do and vampires to see. It's the promise of excitement (that high he gets when confronted by something fanged and feral, the action, the instinct) that finally gets him moving.
Leeteuk pushes the laptop away to sink lower on the bed and stretch out, arms rising above his head before dropping limp to either side. "Hmm..."
"Is he even in town right now?"
"He was here for Christmas," Leeteuk points out unhelpfully, and Kangin makes a sour expression in response. Christmas was months ago, and it was the guild that gave them the head's up. 'Shiwon's in residence, lay low for a couple of weeks.' How nice of him to be home for the holidays. But Kangin isn't going to sit around and wait for a memo, if they even bother to do that much now. He wouldn't be surprised if the next message told them to drop everything and get their asses out of town, and oh, by the way, they're finally being discharged.
"We could always go about it the usual way," he says with thinly-veiled zeal, a grin tugging at his mouth, since the usual way has a tendency towards violence. "He can't be harder to find than our real target."
Leeteuk has rolled over onto his stomach, staring at the computer with his chin in his hands, the light from the screen washing over his face. He lifts his gaze. "Let's visit City Hall."
There's a pause while the meaning of that statement registers, and Kangin nods. "I guess if Shiwon's in control, some of the head officials will know him."
Leeteuk doesn't shrug so much as he rolls over again, then slides until his head tips backwards at the edge of the mattress and he stares upside-down. "It's a start." He closes his eyes and threatens to slip further until Kangin moves around the bed, grabbing his ankles and dragging him back to safety.
"Field trip?"
Leeteuk raises his head with a slight smile. "If you promise me you'll behave."
* * * * *
The rain comes down in torrents the next day, making their field trip soggy and cold and altogether unpleasant. They slosh through puddles the size of small lakes from the car up to the steps leading to the polished front doors of a solid steel block of a building. Going in, Kangin imagines an epic criminal drama that involves impressive displays of force (broken tables and chairs, awed spectators, cowed vampire-cohorts and pencil-pushers) in order to get in contact with Shiwon.
What happens is that their shoes squeak on the tile floor and they drip trails of rainwater up to the secretary (a pretty young woman twirling a cheap ballpoint pen between her manicured fingers) and no, they don't have an appointment, would they like to make one? Okay, sure, if it's soon. There aren't any openings available until four o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Kangin and Leeteuk exchange now-or-never glances. It's really important, they insist. Is it an emergency? Well, maybe if you mention the name Shiwon Choi...
The secretary drops her pen. It rolls off the desk, hits the floor in a clatter of plastic, and stops at Leeteuk's toe. He bends down to pick it up and hands it back with a placating smile.
She nervously assumes they're associates of Shiwon's (everybody in this town seems to think so), and after some careful playing along, she surrenders a phone number that Leeteuk copies onto the back of his hand. Kangin tries to walk away with her cell phone number too (a consolation prize for the lack of exciting illegal activity), but Leeteuk snatches his elbow and leads him towards the doors. The waterlogged, half-drowned look isn't doing him any favors, Leeteuk confides under his breath, very seriously. Kangin scoffs: a little bit of water never hurt a man (especially one as handsome as himself).
The drive back to the hotel is painstakingly tedious, the radio mixing with the swish of windshield wipers and incessant sound of rain. Leeteuk sits with his hand flat over his knee so the number doesn't smudge, but the ink is already slightly smeared.
Kangin starts peeling off his jacket and shirt before they even get into their room, leaving both in a wet heap near the door that Leeteuk immediately berates him for. Kangin obliges by taking the clothing and flinging them into the bathroom instead, where they smack against the wall and plop into the bathtub. Leeteuk tosses a few towels at him in exasperation.
When they're both relatively warm and dry, they sit at the table, dial the number on Kangin's cell, and put it on speaker.
The phone rings and rings. Meanwhile, Kangin digs around in their belongings and retrieves a squashed pack of cigarettes. Leeteuk has his fingers buried in the fluffy white towel draped around his shoulders, eyes on the display screen.
Someone finally picks up with the tail-end of a conversation, "-got it already, geez!" There's a huff of breath crackling across the line, then, "Hello?"
"Hi," Kangin counters with a stick between his lips, lighting up. "Shiwon around?"
"He's not here, sorry!" chirps the voice (male, fairly young). "Want to leave a message?"
Well, at least they seem to have the right place. "Actually, if there's a number I can reach him at... It's important that I talk to him."
"How important?"
"Very." A strange feeling settles over him that he can only characterize as 'dread.' Not the alert sensation of a vampire in proximity, not even the hair-raising instinct of something uncanny going on, just a blanketing notion of I'm-not-going-to-like-this.
"How important?" the speaker asks again with overtones of exaggerated patience while Kangin inhales cigarette smoke. "Are we talking 'aaah, there are alligators in the sewers after all!' or 'I've got a corpse on my hands, what do I do with it?' kind of important?"
Kangin replies with a coughing fit and bursts of interrupted swearing. With a puzzled, concerned expression, Leeteuk looks at him and mouths, 'alligators in the sewers?'
"Hello?" There's a muffled sound, followed by a stifled shout of, "I am not harassing another telemarketer! Do your homework!"
"What the fuck?" Kangin finally explodes hoarsely, ignoring the scattering of ash across the table. "Who is this?"
"Uh... I'm Donghae, and I live here."
"Where the hell is 'here'?"
"Oh, I can't tell you that. I was raised not to tell that kind of thing to strangers-Hey!"
A commotion of voice and noise travels across the line, ending with a different speaker apologizing, "Sorry about that. Who's calling?"
The new voice is deeper, calmer, and less likely to raise Kangin's blood pressure to undiscovered heights. He relaxes a fraction. "Look..." Oh, screw it. "I'm a hunter. My partner and I are on the trail of Vince Nádasdy, who, in case you're unaware, is bad fucking news. From what we hear, you don't want him in town any more than we want him breathing, so if you could hook me up with Shiwon's number, that would be swell."
"...I see," comes the response after a digestive pause. "Could you hold on a moment?"
"Holding." Kangin breathes out and sets the cigarette between his lips. Leeteuk rests a hand atop his, fingers sliding smoothly over callused knuckles.
* * * * *
It's a bit like willingly walking into the web of the spider. Or the den of the lion. Or the something of a something. Leeteuk has heard several variations of this story.
The elevator rocks as it arrives at the fifth floor, doors sliding open with a cheerful ding to reveal a stretch of softly-lit hallway. They pass by the numbered rooms (evens on one side, odds on the other, back and forth all the way down) until they reach 505 on the left. Everything so far is ordinary: an ordinary building in an ordinary neighborhood, not too wealthy but a far cry from destitute. Leeteuk isn't sure what he expects here - a trap, perhaps, or maybe just a quaint little chat over tea (with a snack, he'd hope, but with vampire hosts he wouldn't count on it). He lets Kangin do the knocking, as usual; never let it be said that Leeteuk isn't a considerate partner, and hitting things does tend to make Kangin feel better.
There's a thump on the other side, an alarming shout of, "I'll get it!" and then the door is abruptly swept open by a boy with a manic grin on his face. Leeteuk glances over at Kangin, whose expression gives away his feelings of dismay and mounting irritation.
"So you guys are really hunters, huh?" says the kid - well, the young man, or young vampire, or not-so-young vampire. Leeteuk has to keep his options open. The voice strikes a note of familiarity, and when the first thing that comes to mind is alligators, Leeteuk remembers. What did he say his name was?
Donghae (that's the name) gazes intently at Leeteuk for what feels like an uncomfortably long time. Leeteuk has the urge to shut his eyes, to not see and not be seen. But Donghae then switches his focus and engages Kangin in a staring contest - the former grinning and the latter glaring before finally barking out, "The hell are you looking at?"
"Stop being a freak and let them in," orders another voice from within the apartment. Donghae's t-shirt is stretched as someone grabs a fistful of it from behind, pulling him away. He's replaced by another boy who scowls at his friend but smiles for them, flicking hair out of his eyes. "Sorry about him, he's on his way out anyway."
"Come on, Sungmin! I've never met a hunter before!" He makes them sound like exotic animals. Leeteuk imagines himself as an alligator swimming lazily through murky water as he slips into the room.
Sungmin smacks Donghae in the chest with a jacket, turns him around and pushes him towards the door. "Don't be an ass and go to work."
Donghae puts up a fight, hands gripping either side of the frame, and Leeteuk resists the urge to place a bet. Donghae is taller, but not really heavier, and Sungmin has better leverage. Kangin nudges Leeteuk in the ribs, muttering from the corner of his mouth, "Fifteen bucks says he goes sprawling." Leeteuk doesn't get to accept or reject because a new voice from behind makes them both jump.
"Cut that out, you're going to break the doorframe again." A third person walks into view from a hallway, appearance slightly rumpled as if he'd just woken up. It's morning, but not hideously early.
"But-" In Donghae's flash of distraction, one more shove is all it takes to get him outside. Sungmin makes as though to close the door immediately, but hesitates in the face of the saddest puppy eyes in the world.
The uncertainty is short-lived. "You're late." After a decisive slam, he spins around with a smile. "Well, now that-"
Donghae shouts from the other side of the door to get in a few final words, making a last stand. "I'll remember this, don't think I won't!" There's an answering complaint from a neighbor about the noise, but Donghae's running footsteps are already fading into the distance.
That leaves four of them present and accounted for, unless anyone else is hiding in the back recesses of the admittedly normal-looking apartment. The hunters linger by the exit, noting the layout of the room: it's fairly spacious, with some clutter here and there. The kitchen is to their immediate right, and a dining table (liberally piled with books, magazines, and scattered week-old mail) takes up space towards the left with chairs also serving as coat racks. The living room boasts the same casual mess, and beyond that is a sliding glass door leading out onto a shaded terrace. Five stories up, Leeteuk remembers, with the streets below. Or maybe the parking lot, depending on which way the room faces. He recalls a mission when they'd once chased a vampire up onto a rooftop and, after a scuffle, watched him fall however many stories down. A lot more than five. He'd hit the concrete pavement (splat) and that was the end of that assignment.
Leeteuk drags his gaze away from the distant view outside (the weather's cleared up and it's sunny again), fixing on the other two who may or may not be vampires. He never got the hang of spotting them right off the bat like hunters are supposed to ("Most of them are full of shit," Kangin would say, "but I'm the real deal.").
"So," Kangin begins, confident and abrupt. "We're here. Nice den, by the way. You said Shiwon's out of town when we talked."
"He usually is," answers the one that remains unnamed (there's something familiar about his face, but Leeteuk can't place exactly what it is). His tone is disinterested - or maybe just sleepy, since he stifles a yawn before adding, "We gave him a call though, and he's interested in your mission. You're hunting Vince Nádasdy? And you're sure he's in the City?"
Kangin bristles at the implication of doubt. "Believe me, buddy, if he wasn't, we wouldn't be here. Our guild is doing jack shit to help and this is a last resort, got it? Who are you anyway, a secretary?"
Amusement filters into the stranger's expression until a full grin breaks out, full of perfect white teeth (Leeteuk thinks of toothpaste commercials, perhaps he's been in one). He isn't the least bit intimidated, still casually propped up against the wall. "Nah, I'm just an everyday university student. My name's Kibum, and that's Sungmin. You two are...?"
"Kangin," he answers shortly, and makes a curt gesture to the side. "And Leeteuk."
"Nice to meet you," Leeteuk offers by way of habit, but he goes tense and action-ready when Sungmin sidles by into the kitchen.
The boy looks young and sweet and harmless, but clarification smacks them in the face when he pulls a carton from the refrigerator, pours two tall glasses of dark red liquid, and drinks deeply from one. Leeteuk can't help but stare and shudder. He's seen worse - vamps tearing out throats or ripping into whatever body part is nearest, cracking bones in ruthless clutches while sneering at him with mouths stained bloody - but the filled glass has its own kind of horror. It reminds him of their mission, why they're chasing this guy who thinks it would be keen to fill such glasses with human blood drained from countless victims.
"Do you mind?" Kangin snaps with more than a hint of fire spark ready to set him off. They're being baited - but wait, bait is for fish, and Leeteuk thought they were alligators.
"I'm sorry," Sungmin says with such earnest innocence, lowering his gaze for a perfect second, that he can't be very sorry at all. He carries the other glass over to Kibum, who takes a dispassionate sip, then tosses his own apology into the pot.
"It's only what's necessary." He casts a knowing look at Sungmin, possibly a warning to play nice. Whatever meaning it carries, Sungmin shoots him a look in return, eyes flicking over the glass. Kibum pays him no mind, redirecting the conversation. "We were talking about Vince."
"Right," Kangin confirms with impatience scraping along his every word. "And listen, we're not here to make friends. You help us find the little shit, we kill him dead, and then we're gone."
"We're happy to help. However..." Kibum spreads his free hand and shrugs. The blood in the glass swirls from the movement (it could be mistaken for juice, but the consistency isn't quite right, the color not so clear). "We'll need to cooperate and work together. Maybe not cozily, but civilly, at least."
"Shiwon is on his way home - he has a bone to pick with Vince," Sungmin adds, then purses his lips together. "Or vice-versa."
Leeteuk's ears perk. He knows a story when he hears one (and he remembers when vampires were stories themselves, nothing more). "What's the history between Shiwon and Vince?"
Even Kibum turns to stare at the other vampire questioningly. Sungmin meets all their expectant gazes and sighs. "It's not too complicated: Vince was leading a group of rebels in New Jersey-"
"Oh, that," Kangin interrupts. "We know about that."
"Shh," Leeteuk hushes him, intent on hearing the details. This is information, this is good, this is something more.
"We happened to be around at the time," Sungmin continues breezily, and something in his tone sets Leeteuk on edge again. "I'm sure you know that Shiwon isn't the Council's favorite person, so Vince sent him an invitation of sorts. He said thanks, but no thanks. The group was a ticking time bomb, so..."
"The Newark Massacre?" There's a small note of incredulity when Kibum makes the connection, a very miniscule widening of his eyes that betrays the composure he's maintained so far. Leeteuk is reminded of all those newspaper articles and statistics. Thirty-six dead, many of them students... Most of them vampires (save for at least two).
Sungmin sets his empty glass in the sink and props his elbows on the countertop, chin in his hands. "I'd heard Vince had gotten away, but I thought he'd learned his lesson. Too bad." His smile is all teeth.
"Too bad," Kibum echoes dryly with a swarm of thoughts behind his voice, visible in his flickering gaze that wanders close but never lands upon Sungmin. His fingertips brush over his shirt, touch-and-go, not quite over the heart but close.
"You should have made sure he was dead when you had the chance," Kangin scoffs. "I don't know about any vamp in-fighting or whatever, but I can give you a list of the towns he's hit and a bigger list of victims that have added to his shiny new human juicer."
Kibum ignores the glare in his direction, but glances at the remaining blood in his glass before downing it in one pointed swallow. "Yeah, we've heard the rumors."
"Wasn't there a Buffy episode with something like that?" Sungmin wrinkles his brow in thought.
"Most likely."
"Was it in season one? Or..."
"Season three," Leeteuk pipes up, only to wilt under Kangin's pained expression.
"Can we stay on topic here?" He makes the token effort, and then trashes it in favor of demanding, "Isn't it in bad taste for vampires to watch Buffy? Hell, it's in bad taste for humans..."
"There's nothing wrong with enjoying a show," Sungmin defends with a stubborn set to his jaw, but then his eyes go narrow and sly. "I bet you're just jealous because hunter women aren't as cute as the Slayer."
Kangin counts off on his fingers. "Okay, first off: so not true. Second: hello, reality versus fiction. Third-"
"So you're saying," Kibum interrupts, "that Buffy wasn't your perfect teenage fantasy?"
"Third: you are about to be dead."
Leeteuk automatically snags his partner by the coat collar, not like it would do much good if Kangin was really intent on bashing heads - and he could be, since keeping vampires alive isn't usually a priority. It feels like someone just plunged a shot of adrenaline into his system, waking every nerve. In an instant, Leeteuk is aware of the distance between them and the enemy, how far they are from the exit, and the nearest available weapon (he'd be inclined to go for a chair, and Kangin is bound to have at least one hidden knife on his person). Sungmin doesn't bat an eyelash once at the threat, and Kibum's expression doesn't change either, but they both go very motionless and attentive. Leeteuk has seen vampires blur from stillness into movement, inhuman speed at work.
Seconds tick by and nobody moves, until finally Kangin jerks under his hand. He only shakes the hold off, though, with a half-growled curse.
"Well, then," Kibum begins again, quite calmly. "What are we going to do about Vince?"
"I'll ask around," Sungmin offers.
"Take Donghae with you."
"Oh, no. No way." He crosses both his arms in front to form a large 'X' and shakes his head. "Too much risk."
"I second that," Kangin adds on impulse, and is mostly ignored.
Kibum seems to give Sungmin a considering look, weighing his words and connecting pieces of information that aren't being shared. Leeteuk foresees more background digging in the near future. "You can't keep him in the dark," he finally says. "It's not fair that I'm better informed than he is."
"That's because you can behave like a rational adult," Sungmin replies - a tad too glibly, Leeteuk feels, and a mental flag goes up. There's definitely some digging to be done later.
"Donghae is an excellent judge of character and a walking lie detector," Kibum states matter-of-factly, to which Sungmin has difficulty rebuking.
"Not all the time."
"But enough of the time." He inclines his head towards the pair of hunters. "He pegged them, didn't he?"
"Is there something we should know here?" Kangin asks, loudly and irritably, gaining both their attentions.
Sungmin rolls his shoulders in a shrug. "Donghae has Super Senses."
Like spider-sense? Leeteuk wonders. Vamp-sense?
"His regular senses are unusually acute, even for a vampire," Kibum elucidates, "but he can also pick up on a person's emotions. It's not mind-reading, and it doesn't work on everyone. It also depends on whether he's 'on' or 'off' any given day."
"That means," Sungmin puts in with a cheerful smile, "if you had come here to be hostile, we'd have known right away."
They let that sink in for a while. Leeteuk glances down to check his hands, because all off a sudden they feel rather tied.
"Goody for you," Kangin says, betraying no hint of concern, but he likes unfavorable odds. At the same time, he hates to lose. With that in mind, Leeteuk musters up his most pleasant smile.
"Deals with devils," he comments softly to his partner - but not so soft that it escapes the ears of the two vampires, whose expressions are similar in their amusement.
* * * * *
"This is really- Ow, son of a bitch."
"We should put some ice on that when we get back," Leeteuk says sympathetically as they leave the apartment building. He glances up and over his shoulder at the towering architecture, squinting against the noon sun while doing so.
"This is messed up. Completely fucked. Is my phone on? Shindong's going to call us any moment to say we're traitors and kick us out of Skylar." Kangin touches his jaw gingerly, wincing. "And damnit, no vamp should be allowed to sucker punch me and live."
He agrees wholeheartedly, especially with the last part. They'd been recounting their story about the other vampire (that fiend) who had inadvertently led them to Shiwon and his merry little band. How were they supposed to know that their new blood-sucking friends had history with the ones who got away (like fish off their hooks, slipping away with a plash, plash, plash into deep, dark water)? Leeteuk had gotten a bad feeling when Kibum's carefully neutral 'thinking' face turned into a distinct 'troubled' face, and then Kangin had made some insensitive comment without knowing (granted, he'd have probably done the same thing with a full grasp on the situation, anyway). Sungmin had gone from all-smiles to smacking Kangin a good one and yelling in his face in a blink.
("What kind of useless hunters are you?")
Leeteuk doesn't remember much else except intending to return the favor and being held back, Kangin roaring bloody murder and Kibum looking decidedly distressed while pulling Sungmin hopefully out of harm's way.
He wonders if this will actually work (he doesn't trust vampires, as a rule and as a lesson learned), and if they would actually be discharged from the guild (come to think of it, he doesn't trust them much either). Leeteuk tugs Kangin's hand down and laces their fingers together, sighing gently.
"This was your idea," he reminds.
"You're supposed to stop me when I have bad ideas."
Leeteuk gives a faint smile. It wasn't a bad idea - slightly stupid and more than just a little crazy, perhaps, but he wouldn't say bad. Kind of normal for them, actually. He looks over at his partner as they get into the car, parallel parked down the block. "Full speed ahead," is all he says.
Kangin stares at him, cracks a grin and laughs.
end
Sapphy: ...It's been a month, I don't even know what to say here. D:
There are some new things to stare at though: Cityverse Q&A and the master timeline.
Everyone, thank you for being patient with this installment! ♥ There are exciting things to come in the story.
Character(s): Kangin, Leeteuk
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 4700
Summary: Eighth installment, part two of two (see previous here). The hunters are finally getting somewhere with their mission, but it might be one step forward, two steps back.
References: Story Archive
Notes: Special thanks to meitachi for the short-notice beta! ♥
The next day is dreary, and Kangin wakes up late in the afternoon to the sound of rain pattering on the hotel window. Leeteuk is propped up next to him, nestled warmly in the blankets with the computer on his lap, updating his weblog. Keeping a journal is encouraged by the guild shrink for all hunters, considering the impossibility of making regular appointments. Kangin has one too, not that he uses it much (except for that one time when he uploaded an old photo of himself out cold on the floor, perfectly outlined by empty beer bottles like a murder scene, the caption proudly reading, "Fuckin' A").
He drags himself into a sitting position to share his partner's mountain of pillows and blinks fuzzily at the screen. The clock in the lower right-hand corner registers with a gravelly, "Shit, it's late."
Leeteuk pauses in his typing to share his half-full mug of coffee, which tastes exactly what crappy hotel coffee promises to taste like. It's lukewarm on top of being disgustingly sugared, as usual. He finishes it anyway.
"Look," Leeteuk says, rotating the laptop for him to see. Kangin adjusts the tilt of the screen, which displays an online newspaper archive that they keep bookmarked. The article is dated July 25, 1996, from The Star-Ledger. 'Terrorists suspected in Newark massacre...' Several other browser tabs contain similar pages, all reporting on the extremely violent incident at a private school that resulted in thirty-six killed, including students as young as thirteen. Kangin stares at the numbers and reminds himself it was primarily vampires involved, so who knows how old they actually were, but a heavy feeling settles like lead in his gut anyway. It hits a little too close to home.
Leeteuk clicks on another tab, and this article header strikes an interesting note: 'Couple connected to mass murders?' It describes a man and woman who were both found dead at the site, neither of which had any relation to the school.
"Guess they were the hunters Brian mentioned." The writer hints at an association between them and the supposed terrorists (of course, there's not even the smallest mention of Shiwon), but there was no conclusive evidence.
The article includes two grainy photographs of the individuals, positioned side-by-side with a caption that identifies them as Jinsang and Hyesu Lee. Kangin doesn't read much into the images, just black and white pixels to him, but Leeteuk stares at the pictures for a long time and adds a few more fingerprints to the smudged laptop screen.
Kangin skims more of the article. They'd been married in Florida and had only lived in New Jersey for a year, but it seems they moved around a lot in between. The writer posits a number of shady reasons, but most likely it was out of habit for hunters - even ex-hunters - to never stay in one place for long. Both husband and wife graduated from high school, and like many hunters, didn't seem to have the time for or interest in college. Kangin never saw the point of getting a degree himself, but Leeteuk had thought differently and gone to university (only to drop out after two years).
The article mentions a few expected skirmishes with the law, no details. Kangin isn't surprised - it's the nature of the job, and despite what pop culture says, vampires don't turn to dust when they die (they're not nearly so considerate). Instead, they leave behind very solid, often very messy corpses. One of the advantages of belonging to a guild is that they offer a degree of aid and protection when it comes to, well, clean-up. In the worst-case scenario, you'll get a really good lawyer (Kangin is well-acquainted with the law firm hired by Skylar). He wonders which guild they were with and considers calling up Shindong... But on second thought, the less Skylar knows, the better.
"So how the hell do we actually find Shiwon?" Kangin mutters, dredging up the motivation to get out of bed. Laziness is well and good, but not when there are things to do and vampires to see. It's the promise of excitement (that high he gets when confronted by something fanged and feral, the action, the instinct) that finally gets him moving.
Leeteuk pushes the laptop away to sink lower on the bed and stretch out, arms rising above his head before dropping limp to either side. "Hmm..."
"Is he even in town right now?"
"He was here for Christmas," Leeteuk points out unhelpfully, and Kangin makes a sour expression in response. Christmas was months ago, and it was the guild that gave them the head's up. 'Shiwon's in residence, lay low for a couple of weeks.' How nice of him to be home for the holidays. But Kangin isn't going to sit around and wait for a memo, if they even bother to do that much now. He wouldn't be surprised if the next message told them to drop everything and get their asses out of town, and oh, by the way, they're finally being discharged.
"We could always go about it the usual way," he says with thinly-veiled zeal, a grin tugging at his mouth, since the usual way has a tendency towards violence. "He can't be harder to find than our real target."
Leeteuk has rolled over onto his stomach, staring at the computer with his chin in his hands, the light from the screen washing over his face. He lifts his gaze. "Let's visit City Hall."
There's a pause while the meaning of that statement registers, and Kangin nods. "I guess if Shiwon's in control, some of the head officials will know him."
Leeteuk doesn't shrug so much as he rolls over again, then slides until his head tips backwards at the edge of the mattress and he stares upside-down. "It's a start." He closes his eyes and threatens to slip further until Kangin moves around the bed, grabbing his ankles and dragging him back to safety.
"Field trip?"
Leeteuk raises his head with a slight smile. "If you promise me you'll behave."
* * * * *
The rain comes down in torrents the next day, making their field trip soggy and cold and altogether unpleasant. They slosh through puddles the size of small lakes from the car up to the steps leading to the polished front doors of a solid steel block of a building. Going in, Kangin imagines an epic criminal drama that involves impressive displays of force (broken tables and chairs, awed spectators, cowed vampire-cohorts and pencil-pushers) in order to get in contact with Shiwon.
What happens is that their shoes squeak on the tile floor and they drip trails of rainwater up to the secretary (a pretty young woman twirling a cheap ballpoint pen between her manicured fingers) and no, they don't have an appointment, would they like to make one? Okay, sure, if it's soon. There aren't any openings available until four o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Kangin and Leeteuk exchange now-or-never glances. It's really important, they insist. Is it an emergency? Well, maybe if you mention the name Shiwon Choi...
The secretary drops her pen. It rolls off the desk, hits the floor in a clatter of plastic, and stops at Leeteuk's toe. He bends down to pick it up and hands it back with a placating smile.
She nervously assumes they're associates of Shiwon's (everybody in this town seems to think so), and after some careful playing along, she surrenders a phone number that Leeteuk copies onto the back of his hand. Kangin tries to walk away with her cell phone number too (a consolation prize for the lack of exciting illegal activity), but Leeteuk snatches his elbow and leads him towards the doors. The waterlogged, half-drowned look isn't doing him any favors, Leeteuk confides under his breath, very seriously. Kangin scoffs: a little bit of water never hurt a man (especially one as handsome as himself).
The drive back to the hotel is painstakingly tedious, the radio mixing with the swish of windshield wipers and incessant sound of rain. Leeteuk sits with his hand flat over his knee so the number doesn't smudge, but the ink is already slightly smeared.
Kangin starts peeling off his jacket and shirt before they even get into their room, leaving both in a wet heap near the door that Leeteuk immediately berates him for. Kangin obliges by taking the clothing and flinging them into the bathroom instead, where they smack against the wall and plop into the bathtub. Leeteuk tosses a few towels at him in exasperation.
When they're both relatively warm and dry, they sit at the table, dial the number on Kangin's cell, and put it on speaker.
The phone rings and rings. Meanwhile, Kangin digs around in their belongings and retrieves a squashed pack of cigarettes. Leeteuk has his fingers buried in the fluffy white towel draped around his shoulders, eyes on the display screen.
Someone finally picks up with the tail-end of a conversation, "-got it already, geez!" There's a huff of breath crackling across the line, then, "Hello?"
"Hi," Kangin counters with a stick between his lips, lighting up. "Shiwon around?"
"He's not here, sorry!" chirps the voice (male, fairly young). "Want to leave a message?"
Well, at least they seem to have the right place. "Actually, if there's a number I can reach him at... It's important that I talk to him."
"How important?"
"Very." A strange feeling settles over him that he can only characterize as 'dread.' Not the alert sensation of a vampire in proximity, not even the hair-raising instinct of something uncanny going on, just a blanketing notion of I'm-not-going-to-like-this.
"How important?" the speaker asks again with overtones of exaggerated patience while Kangin inhales cigarette smoke. "Are we talking 'aaah, there are alligators in the sewers after all!' or 'I've got a corpse on my hands, what do I do with it?' kind of important?"
Kangin replies with a coughing fit and bursts of interrupted swearing. With a puzzled, concerned expression, Leeteuk looks at him and mouths, 'alligators in the sewers?'
"Hello?" There's a muffled sound, followed by a stifled shout of, "I am not harassing another telemarketer! Do your homework!"
"What the fuck?" Kangin finally explodes hoarsely, ignoring the scattering of ash across the table. "Who is this?"
"Uh... I'm Donghae, and I live here."
"Where the hell is 'here'?"
"Oh, I can't tell you that. I was raised not to tell that kind of thing to strangers-Hey!"
A commotion of voice and noise travels across the line, ending with a different speaker apologizing, "Sorry about that. Who's calling?"
The new voice is deeper, calmer, and less likely to raise Kangin's blood pressure to undiscovered heights. He relaxes a fraction. "Look..." Oh, screw it. "I'm a hunter. My partner and I are on the trail of Vince Nádasdy, who, in case you're unaware, is bad fucking news. From what we hear, you don't want him in town any more than we want him breathing, so if you could hook me up with Shiwon's number, that would be swell."
"...I see," comes the response after a digestive pause. "Could you hold on a moment?"
"Holding." Kangin breathes out and sets the cigarette between his lips. Leeteuk rests a hand atop his, fingers sliding smoothly over callused knuckles.
* * * * *
It's a bit like willingly walking into the web of the spider. Or the den of the lion. Or the something of a something. Leeteuk has heard several variations of this story.
The elevator rocks as it arrives at the fifth floor, doors sliding open with a cheerful ding to reveal a stretch of softly-lit hallway. They pass by the numbered rooms (evens on one side, odds on the other, back and forth all the way down) until they reach 505 on the left. Everything so far is ordinary: an ordinary building in an ordinary neighborhood, not too wealthy but a far cry from destitute. Leeteuk isn't sure what he expects here - a trap, perhaps, or maybe just a quaint little chat over tea (with a snack, he'd hope, but with vampire hosts he wouldn't count on it). He lets Kangin do the knocking, as usual; never let it be said that Leeteuk isn't a considerate partner, and hitting things does tend to make Kangin feel better.
There's a thump on the other side, an alarming shout of, "I'll get it!" and then the door is abruptly swept open by a boy with a manic grin on his face. Leeteuk glances over at Kangin, whose expression gives away his feelings of dismay and mounting irritation.
"So you guys are really hunters, huh?" says the kid - well, the young man, or young vampire, or not-so-young vampire. Leeteuk has to keep his options open. The voice strikes a note of familiarity, and when the first thing that comes to mind is alligators, Leeteuk remembers. What did he say his name was?
Donghae (that's the name) gazes intently at Leeteuk for what feels like an uncomfortably long time. Leeteuk has the urge to shut his eyes, to not see and not be seen. But Donghae then switches his focus and engages Kangin in a staring contest - the former grinning and the latter glaring before finally barking out, "The hell are you looking at?"
"Stop being a freak and let them in," orders another voice from within the apartment. Donghae's t-shirt is stretched as someone grabs a fistful of it from behind, pulling him away. He's replaced by another boy who scowls at his friend but smiles for them, flicking hair out of his eyes. "Sorry about him, he's on his way out anyway."
"Come on, Sungmin! I've never met a hunter before!" He makes them sound like exotic animals. Leeteuk imagines himself as an alligator swimming lazily through murky water as he slips into the room.
Sungmin smacks Donghae in the chest with a jacket, turns him around and pushes him towards the door. "Don't be an ass and go to work."
Donghae puts up a fight, hands gripping either side of the frame, and Leeteuk resists the urge to place a bet. Donghae is taller, but not really heavier, and Sungmin has better leverage. Kangin nudges Leeteuk in the ribs, muttering from the corner of his mouth, "Fifteen bucks says he goes sprawling." Leeteuk doesn't get to accept or reject because a new voice from behind makes them both jump.
"Cut that out, you're going to break the doorframe again." A third person walks into view from a hallway, appearance slightly rumpled as if he'd just woken up. It's morning, but not hideously early.
"But-" In Donghae's flash of distraction, one more shove is all it takes to get him outside. Sungmin makes as though to close the door immediately, but hesitates in the face of the saddest puppy eyes in the world.
The uncertainty is short-lived. "You're late." After a decisive slam, he spins around with a smile. "Well, now that-"
Donghae shouts from the other side of the door to get in a few final words, making a last stand. "I'll remember this, don't think I won't!" There's an answering complaint from a neighbor about the noise, but Donghae's running footsteps are already fading into the distance.
That leaves four of them present and accounted for, unless anyone else is hiding in the back recesses of the admittedly normal-looking apartment. The hunters linger by the exit, noting the layout of the room: it's fairly spacious, with some clutter here and there. The kitchen is to their immediate right, and a dining table (liberally piled with books, magazines, and scattered week-old mail) takes up space towards the left with chairs also serving as coat racks. The living room boasts the same casual mess, and beyond that is a sliding glass door leading out onto a shaded terrace. Five stories up, Leeteuk remembers, with the streets below. Or maybe the parking lot, depending on which way the room faces. He recalls a mission when they'd once chased a vampire up onto a rooftop and, after a scuffle, watched him fall however many stories down. A lot more than five. He'd hit the concrete pavement (splat) and that was the end of that assignment.
Leeteuk drags his gaze away from the distant view outside (the weather's cleared up and it's sunny again), fixing on the other two who may or may not be vampires. He never got the hang of spotting them right off the bat like hunters are supposed to ("Most of them are full of shit," Kangin would say, "but I'm the real deal.").
"So," Kangin begins, confident and abrupt. "We're here. Nice den, by the way. You said Shiwon's out of town when we talked."
"He usually is," answers the one that remains unnamed (there's something familiar about his face, but Leeteuk can't place exactly what it is). His tone is disinterested - or maybe just sleepy, since he stifles a yawn before adding, "We gave him a call though, and he's interested in your mission. You're hunting Vince Nádasdy? And you're sure he's in the City?"
Kangin bristles at the implication of doubt. "Believe me, buddy, if he wasn't, we wouldn't be here. Our guild is doing jack shit to help and this is a last resort, got it? Who are you anyway, a secretary?"
Amusement filters into the stranger's expression until a full grin breaks out, full of perfect white teeth (Leeteuk thinks of toothpaste commercials, perhaps he's been in one). He isn't the least bit intimidated, still casually propped up against the wall. "Nah, I'm just an everyday university student. My name's Kibum, and that's Sungmin. You two are...?"
"Kangin," he answers shortly, and makes a curt gesture to the side. "And Leeteuk."
"Nice to meet you," Leeteuk offers by way of habit, but he goes tense and action-ready when Sungmin sidles by into the kitchen.
The boy looks young and sweet and harmless, but clarification smacks them in the face when he pulls a carton from the refrigerator, pours two tall glasses of dark red liquid, and drinks deeply from one. Leeteuk can't help but stare and shudder. He's seen worse - vamps tearing out throats or ripping into whatever body part is nearest, cracking bones in ruthless clutches while sneering at him with mouths stained bloody - but the filled glass has its own kind of horror. It reminds him of their mission, why they're chasing this guy who thinks it would be keen to fill such glasses with human blood drained from countless victims.
"Do you mind?" Kangin snaps with more than a hint of fire spark ready to set him off. They're being baited - but wait, bait is for fish, and Leeteuk thought they were alligators.
"I'm sorry," Sungmin says with such earnest innocence, lowering his gaze for a perfect second, that he can't be very sorry at all. He carries the other glass over to Kibum, who takes a dispassionate sip, then tosses his own apology into the pot.
"It's only what's necessary." He casts a knowing look at Sungmin, possibly a warning to play nice. Whatever meaning it carries, Sungmin shoots him a look in return, eyes flicking over the glass. Kibum pays him no mind, redirecting the conversation. "We were talking about Vince."
"Right," Kangin confirms with impatience scraping along his every word. "And listen, we're not here to make friends. You help us find the little shit, we kill him dead, and then we're gone."
"We're happy to help. However..." Kibum spreads his free hand and shrugs. The blood in the glass swirls from the movement (it could be mistaken for juice, but the consistency isn't quite right, the color not so clear). "We'll need to cooperate and work together. Maybe not cozily, but civilly, at least."
"Shiwon is on his way home - he has a bone to pick with Vince," Sungmin adds, then purses his lips together. "Or vice-versa."
Leeteuk's ears perk. He knows a story when he hears one (and he remembers when vampires were stories themselves, nothing more). "What's the history between Shiwon and Vince?"
Even Kibum turns to stare at the other vampire questioningly. Sungmin meets all their expectant gazes and sighs. "It's not too complicated: Vince was leading a group of rebels in New Jersey-"
"Oh, that," Kangin interrupts. "We know about that."
"Shh," Leeteuk hushes him, intent on hearing the details. This is information, this is good, this is something more.
"We happened to be around at the time," Sungmin continues breezily, and something in his tone sets Leeteuk on edge again. "I'm sure you know that Shiwon isn't the Council's favorite person, so Vince sent him an invitation of sorts. He said thanks, but no thanks. The group was a ticking time bomb, so..."
"The Newark Massacre?" There's a small note of incredulity when Kibum makes the connection, a very miniscule widening of his eyes that betrays the composure he's maintained so far. Leeteuk is reminded of all those newspaper articles and statistics. Thirty-six dead, many of them students... Most of them vampires (save for at least two).
Sungmin sets his empty glass in the sink and props his elbows on the countertop, chin in his hands. "I'd heard Vince had gotten away, but I thought he'd learned his lesson. Too bad." His smile is all teeth.
"Too bad," Kibum echoes dryly with a swarm of thoughts behind his voice, visible in his flickering gaze that wanders close but never lands upon Sungmin. His fingertips brush over his shirt, touch-and-go, not quite over the heart but close.
"You should have made sure he was dead when you had the chance," Kangin scoffs. "I don't know about any vamp in-fighting or whatever, but I can give you a list of the towns he's hit and a bigger list of victims that have added to his shiny new human juicer."
Kibum ignores the glare in his direction, but glances at the remaining blood in his glass before downing it in one pointed swallow. "Yeah, we've heard the rumors."
"Wasn't there a Buffy episode with something like that?" Sungmin wrinkles his brow in thought.
"Most likely."
"Was it in season one? Or..."
"Season three," Leeteuk pipes up, only to wilt under Kangin's pained expression.
"Can we stay on topic here?" He makes the token effort, and then trashes it in favor of demanding, "Isn't it in bad taste for vampires to watch Buffy? Hell, it's in bad taste for humans..."
"There's nothing wrong with enjoying a show," Sungmin defends with a stubborn set to his jaw, but then his eyes go narrow and sly. "I bet you're just jealous because hunter women aren't as cute as the Slayer."
Kangin counts off on his fingers. "Okay, first off: so not true. Second: hello, reality versus fiction. Third-"
"So you're saying," Kibum interrupts, "that Buffy wasn't your perfect teenage fantasy?"
"Third: you are about to be dead."
Leeteuk automatically snags his partner by the coat collar, not like it would do much good if Kangin was really intent on bashing heads - and he could be, since keeping vampires alive isn't usually a priority. It feels like someone just plunged a shot of adrenaline into his system, waking every nerve. In an instant, Leeteuk is aware of the distance between them and the enemy, how far they are from the exit, and the nearest available weapon (he'd be inclined to go for a chair, and Kangin is bound to have at least one hidden knife on his person). Sungmin doesn't bat an eyelash once at the threat, and Kibum's expression doesn't change either, but they both go very motionless and attentive. Leeteuk has seen vampires blur from stillness into movement, inhuman speed at work.
Seconds tick by and nobody moves, until finally Kangin jerks under his hand. He only shakes the hold off, though, with a half-growled curse.
"Well, then," Kibum begins again, quite calmly. "What are we going to do about Vince?"
"I'll ask around," Sungmin offers.
"Take Donghae with you."
"Oh, no. No way." He crosses both his arms in front to form a large 'X' and shakes his head. "Too much risk."
"I second that," Kangin adds on impulse, and is mostly ignored.
Kibum seems to give Sungmin a considering look, weighing his words and connecting pieces of information that aren't being shared. Leeteuk foresees more background digging in the near future. "You can't keep him in the dark," he finally says. "It's not fair that I'm better informed than he is."
"That's because you can behave like a rational adult," Sungmin replies - a tad too glibly, Leeteuk feels, and a mental flag goes up. There's definitely some digging to be done later.
"Donghae is an excellent judge of character and a walking lie detector," Kibum states matter-of-factly, to which Sungmin has difficulty rebuking.
"Not all the time."
"But enough of the time." He inclines his head towards the pair of hunters. "He pegged them, didn't he?"
"Is there something we should know here?" Kangin asks, loudly and irritably, gaining both their attentions.
Sungmin rolls his shoulders in a shrug. "Donghae has Super Senses."
Like spider-sense? Leeteuk wonders. Vamp-sense?
"His regular senses are unusually acute, even for a vampire," Kibum elucidates, "but he can also pick up on a person's emotions. It's not mind-reading, and it doesn't work on everyone. It also depends on whether he's 'on' or 'off' any given day."
"That means," Sungmin puts in with a cheerful smile, "if you had come here to be hostile, we'd have known right away."
They let that sink in for a while. Leeteuk glances down to check his hands, because all off a sudden they feel rather tied.
"Goody for you," Kangin says, betraying no hint of concern, but he likes unfavorable odds. At the same time, he hates to lose. With that in mind, Leeteuk musters up his most pleasant smile.
"Deals with devils," he comments softly to his partner - but not so soft that it escapes the ears of the two vampires, whose expressions are similar in their amusement.
* * * * *
"This is really- Ow, son of a bitch."
"We should put some ice on that when we get back," Leeteuk says sympathetically as they leave the apartment building. He glances up and over his shoulder at the towering architecture, squinting against the noon sun while doing so.
"This is messed up. Completely fucked. Is my phone on? Shindong's going to call us any moment to say we're traitors and kick us out of Skylar." Kangin touches his jaw gingerly, wincing. "And damnit, no vamp should be allowed to sucker punch me and live."
He agrees wholeheartedly, especially with the last part. They'd been recounting their story about the other vampire (that fiend) who had inadvertently led them to Shiwon and his merry little band. How were they supposed to know that their new blood-sucking friends had history with the ones who got away (like fish off their hooks, slipping away with a plash, plash, plash into deep, dark water)? Leeteuk had gotten a bad feeling when Kibum's carefully neutral 'thinking' face turned into a distinct 'troubled' face, and then Kangin had made some insensitive comment without knowing (granted, he'd have probably done the same thing with a full grasp on the situation, anyway). Sungmin had gone from all-smiles to smacking Kangin a good one and yelling in his face in a blink.
("What kind of useless hunters are you?")
Leeteuk doesn't remember much else except intending to return the favor and being held back, Kangin roaring bloody murder and Kibum looking decidedly distressed while pulling Sungmin hopefully out of harm's way.
He wonders if this will actually work (he doesn't trust vampires, as a rule and as a lesson learned), and if they would actually be discharged from the guild (come to think of it, he doesn't trust them much either). Leeteuk tugs Kangin's hand down and laces their fingers together, sighing gently.
"This was your idea," he reminds.
"You're supposed to stop me when I have bad ideas."
Leeteuk gives a faint smile. It wasn't a bad idea - slightly stupid and more than just a little crazy, perhaps, but he wouldn't say bad. Kind of normal for them, actually. He looks over at his partner as they get into the car, parallel parked down the block. "Full speed ahead," is all he says.
Kangin stares at him, cracks a grin and laughs.
end
Sapphy: ...It's been a month, I don't even know what to say here. D:
There are some new things to stare at though: Cityverse Q&A and the master timeline.
Everyone, thank you for being patient with this installment! ♥ There are exciting things to come in the story.