Spirit of Fire
Title: Spirit of Fire (Part Two)
Author: his_angel16
Parings: Chanyeol/Jongdae, Kris/Yixing, Luhan/Minseok, Sehun/Tao, Kyungsoo/Joonmyeon, Jongin/Baekhyun, slight!Chanyeol/Baekhyun
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Angst
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I own the plot, not the people. Any actual likeness to any given person is purely coincidental.
Summary: Chanyeol is fire; fire is destructive, harmful, chaotic, nearly uncontrollable. He learns how fragile life is; what it means to love someone so much that you would die for them. With sacrifice, he learns that fire can also mean warmth, light, and a new beginning.
Warning: Character death (I'm sorry, but please, don't kill me. It's okay, I promise.)
The sun hit Chanyeol in the face and he rolled over, reaching out blindly. When his fingers grazed nothing but cold mattress, he frowned, opening his eyes. Jongdae wasn't beside him any more. He got out of bed, frowning even more when Jongdae wasn't in his bed either. He hurried downstairs, finding Jongin and Baekhyun cuddling on the couch. Jongin was asleep, head resting against Baekhyun's shoulder as he started dozing off, too. He continued down the hall, passing by the practice rooms and peering into all of them. He found Yixing and Kris in one, meditating while they tried no to laugh at each other. He found that Minseok and Luhan were back from China, working on perfecting their teamwork as Tao watched from against the far wall. He kept going until he reached the library. He went inside and went straight to the chamber, finding Joonmyeon sitting there by himself.
“Hyung, where's Jongdae?” he asked, taking his seat.
“They went to pay their old friends a visit,” Joonmyeon replied. He looked up from the table, frowning slightly. “They left early, hoping to be back by tonight. Why? Is something wrong?”
Chanyeol shook his head. “Nothing's wrong.” He smiled, biting his lip. “Jongdae and I kind of agreed to hook up.”
Joonmyeon smiled. “That's good. I've worried about the two of you. You can both be so dense and stubborn. I’m really glad you were able to smooth things over quickly.”
“Which friends were they going to go visit?”
“The ones from the orphanage where they grew up. Jongdae was fourteen when they left; Kyungsoo being thirteen; and Sehun, twelve. They logged a lot of years at that orphanage. It was their home for a very long time.” Seeing the pout on the younger's lips, Joonmyeon laughed a little. “Don't worry, Chanyeol. They'll come back. This is their home now. We are their home.”
Nodding, Chanyeol told himself to relax just as Luhan came rushing in, Minseok and Tao with him. “What's the hurry?”
Luhan ignored him, looking at Joonmyeon. “Something bad is going to happen,” he stated, Minseok reaching out to take his hand. It anchored him, but he was still a little pale. “In the near future-like, the next twenty-four hours-someone is going to attack Sehun, Jongdae, and Kyungsoo.”
Joonmyeon stood up. “Who? Is it Kihwan?”
Luhan shook his head. “I wouldn't be able to describe them correctly.” He looked down as he bit his lip, finding his lack of descriptive words a problem.
“Paint them,” Chanyeol said, gaining everyone's attention. “You did that to all of us before you met us. Why wouldn't it work now?”
“Chanyeol, you're a genius!” Luhan hurried from the room, Minseok going with him.
Tao blinked at Chanyeol. “That's something I never thought I’d hear,” he muttered, crossing his arms. “Park Chanyeol, a genius?”
Rolling his eyes, Chanyeol stood up to follow them, Tao and Joonmyeon doing the same. When they reached Luhan's room, Yixing and Kris were there, frowning at the painting in front of them. The paint was still drying, but it was very clear and very vivid. Luhan was sitting on the floor, Minseok next to him.
“What is it?” Tao asked, going to look at the painting. He froze, eyes hardening.
“It's them,” Yixing mumbled, remembering back to their first encounter with the three younger ones. “I can still hear the sound of his nose snapping under the force of the board.” He reached out, fingers running along the man's slightly distorted features. “How did they recognize them? They don't even look the same.”
“Sehun kind of looks the same as he did,” Kris replied. “And Kyungsoo's eyes are distinctive.”
“We have to go help them,” Joonmyeon said.
“I think so, too,” Chanyeol agreed. He frowned. “But, who do we send?”
“How about a repeat?” Tao crossed his arms over his chest. “How spooked do you think they would get if the three of us showed up again?”
Yixing grinned. “Especially since you haven't aged at all in seven years.” He nudged Kris. “Think we can take them on?”
Nodding, Kris turned to look at Joonmyeon. “We'll bring them back safely. Try not to worry, okay?”
“I'm going,” Chanyeol growled. He glared at Kris, hands clenched into tight fists. “I'm not going to stand here and wait, wonder if Jongdae is okay or not. I’m going.”
“I kind of feel the same way.” Joonmyeon offered him an apologetic smile. “I want to go, too.”
“Then it's settled,” Minseok stated, clapping once. “Joonmyeon, Chanyeol, Tao, Kris, and Yixing will go. Luhan and I will make sure Baekhyun and Jongin are kept safe.” He smiled at them. “Go bring our boys home.”
Jongdae had Kyungsoo and Sehun behind him, glaring at the group of men before them. Sehun was holding Kyungsoo's hand tightly, still terrified of them after seven years. It was to be expected since they carried him off with every intention of selling him to someone.
“Get the hell out of our way,” Jongdae spat.
“We can't do that,” the one man replied. His nose was crooked, looked too warped for his face. “I remember you three brats. Where's your friends now?” He pulled a gun out, pointing it at them. “You'll do exactly what I say unless you want to end up dead like your friend did.”
Kyungsoo frowned, glancing down at the body of one of their closest friends. She had been shot because of them, killed because she knew who they were, what they were. “What do you want from us?” he asked, speaking up. It startled a few of the men in front of them since their at their last meeting, Jongdae did most of the talking.
“I remember you, kid,” another one said. “Those eyes of yours are hard to forget.” He laughed, pointing at Sehun. “And aren’t you the one Choi carried off? How did you find your way back to them?”
Sehun's grip on Kyungsoo's hand tightened. He knew he looked scared, that he was trembling with fear even as he tried desperately not to. It only made them laugh at him, laugh at how they could scare him even with him being all grown up. He heard Kyungsoo whisper to him that he would be okay, that he and Jongdae would protect him. But he was tired of being protected, tired of feeling small and weak.
“We're going to take you for a little walk.” He pointed down the street, toward the alley. “Get moving.”
Jongdae kept a close eye on them as he backed the younger two toward the alley, toward the same alley as seven years ago. His eyes flickered to the gun in the man's hand, to the body of their friend, before it went back to their faces. He was slightly intimidated by them this time around. He wasn't as naïve as he had been when he was a kid. He knew life was short, that he wasn't invincible. He was very breakable and so were his dearest of friends. He wanted to get Sehun and Kyungsoo out alive if possible. But he was already calculating that at least one of them would be seriously hurt, even killed.
“If I let you do whatever you wish with me, can they leave without being harmed?” he asked, keeping himself firmly between Kyungsoo, Sehun, and the group of men approaching. They were in the alley, nearly backed up against the same wall as before. The ground still had scorch marks from the lightning that hit it because of him.
“Sorry, kid, but we aren’t negotiating today.” He motioned for Jongdae to take a step forward. “And if you think you're going to use your power, lightning rod, you can forget it. Before you could take out all of us, your friends would be dead. The same goes for you two.” He looked at Kyungsoo and Sehun. “We'd have a bullet in your buddy's skull before you could take all of us down. So, cooperate, and none of you end up with metal in between your eyes.”
“What is it that you want exactly? If you wanted to kill us, you'd have done it,” Kyungsoo said, drawing their attention.
“We want to play a little first.” The man closed the distance between himself and Jongdae, smile sinister as he whipped his hand out, hitting Jongdae across the face. He chuckled as he staggered, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “If either of you two move without our permission, your buddy here dies.” He hit Jongdae again, looking up at seeing the pained looks on the other two's faces.
“Look away, Sehun,” Kyungsoo murmured, reaching up to shield his eyes.
Sehun caught his wrist, shaking his head slightly before he lowered Kyungsoo's hand back to his side. “I'm not a baby, Kyungsoo hyung,” he replied, eyes hardening. “If growing up has taught me anything, it's that I can't show any sort of weakness. I'm not going to become someone's prey, someone's target ever again.”
“Even if that happens, we can keep you safe. Jongdae and I, we-”
“Aren't going to be able to protect me forever. The sooner we all grasp that concept, the easier all of our lives will be.” Sehun looked at the elder, smiling a little. “I'll be fine, even after we all go our separate ways, hyung. You've kept me safe, both of you have. But it's time that I stand on my own feet, with my own strength.”
Kyungsoo winced as Jongdae let out a yelp, turning his attention back to the elder. He was barely on his feet, blood running down his chin from his split lip. “We might not make it out of here alive.”
Shrugging, Sehun let go of Kyungsoo's hand. “Stand perfectly still, hyung. Everything will be fine.” He closed his eyes, trying to block out everything else. The wind picked up slowly, unnoticeably, as Sehun concentrated. He wasn't trying to fight back, wasn't trying to knock the men off of their feet. He was listening to the wind, hearing it speak to him. He smiled, opening his eyes as he stared at Kyungsoo. “We'll be okay. We won't die here today.”
“How do you know?” Kyungsoo looked around cautiously, using only his eyes, but he couldn't see anything. “What is it that you know and I don't?”
“The wind will guide them here. We just have to be patient.” He looked over at Jongdae, frowning before he turned his attention to the first man. “Can we take turns? Can I take Jongdae hyung's place?”
Grinning, the man nodded as he shoved Jongdae to the side. “Come here.”
Sehun walked forward, smacking Kyungsoo's hand away. Looking over his shoulder, he smiled crookedly at him. “Just for a little while, Kyungsoo hyung. I’m going to take his place just for a little while.” He turned forward, bracing himself as the first hit came.
Coughing, Jongdae looked up from his place on the ground. He saw the first few hits connect with Sehun's face and he shook his head slowly. “Sehun, what are you doing?” he asked, but his voice was drowned out by the roaring of water. It confused him. Why could he hear water? He looked over as a large wave crashed down against the ground, swiveling around everyone in order to hit the man in front of Sehun.
“What the hell? We said no powers!” the second man spat. He aimed his gun at Sehun, firing. His eyes widened as the bullet stopped right in front of him, Sehun smirking as Tao appeared by his side. “You...!”
Kris and Yixing dropped down next to them, hand in hand, before they grinned at the shocked group before them. Chanyeol and Joonmyeon came from the other side of the alley, a big grin on Chanyeol's face until he saw Jongdae. He hurried forward as Joonmyeon went to Kyungsoo.
“Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?” Joonmyeon asked, hands flitting around as he checked for any injuries.
“I'm not hurt, Joonmyeon.” Kyungsoo smiled at him. “I didn’t have the chance to play hero. Sehun beat me to it.”
“Jongdae, can you stand?” Chanyeol questioned, gripping his arm. He helped the other stand before he glared at the spooked group in front of them. “I should kill every last one of you.”
Shaking his head, Jongdae squeezed Chanyeol's hand. “They aren’t worth it.”
“You're all freaks!” Choi glanced at the others of the group. “I don't care which one you shoot, just kill them!” He closed his eyes as he took aim, gun firing a second later. All that could be heard were loud bangs, empty shells clattering to the floor.
Chanyeol was glad that they had forgotten about him and Jongdae of to the side. He was slightly mesmerized by the fact that Tao and Yixing managed to keep the majority of the bullets at bay. The stragglers were picked off by Kyungsoo, stalagmites shooting up every so often to collect the ricocheting fragments. He was still smiling as he glanced back at Jongdae, finding him smiling back. He was turning his head back around when he saw it. Three of the group had noticed they were pretty much unprotected, little lambs waiting to be devoured. It only took him a second to act, without hesitation, without really thinking at all. The sound of three pistols firing echoed loudly, as if they were more important that the other attempts. Chanyeol had turned in the blink of an eye, arms wound protectively around Jongdae as metal pierced his flesh.
It wasn't slow-motion like in the movies. One second he had been standing beside Jongdae and the next, he was collapsed on top of him, slightly crushing the smaller. The second after, Kyungsoo had imprisoned the shooters in a solid earthen tomb. All they had left was each other and their pistols. Yixing had hurried over, Joonmyeon next to him. Kris hung back with Tao, trying to keep Kyungsoo and Sehun from crowding them.
“Chanyeol,” Yixing stated, shaking him slightly. “Joonmyeon, help me get him off of Jongdae.” They worked quickly, carefully getting Chanyeol on his side. Jongdae was covered in blood, most of it his own from being beaten, but the splatters across his shirt and face belonged to Chanyeol. Yixing frowned, watching as Chanyeol coughed, blood spurting from his lips. He placed his hand on the younger's arm, wincing as realization hit him.
“What is it?” Joonmyeon asked, reaching out to take Jongdae's hand. He knew the younger wouldn't want to hear it, but it was something that had to be said.
“One of the bullets punctured his left lung. It's filling up with blood.” Yixing ran a hand over his face. “I can try to heal him, but he might drown in his own blood before I can get the bleeding to stop.”
“You have to try,” Jongdae said, eyes burning. “You can't let him die, Yixing!”
Chanyeol couched again, more blood splattering against the ground. He reached out, hand shaking as he pat Jongdae's knee. “Don't worry...” His voice was pained, breath shallow as he was slowly running out of room to breathe. “Hyung...take him...home.”
Nodding, Joonmyeon got to his feet, easing Jongdae to his. He turned his head away at seeing the first tear slip down the younger's face. “Come on, Jongdae. Yixing will take care of him.”
Jongdae shook his head. “No, I’m not leaving. I’m not leaving him!” He pushed against Joonmyeon, frowning at seeing it was useless. He still hadn’t fully recovered from the beating and he wasn't in any position to fight against Joonmyeon. “I'm not leaving him.”
“Kyungsoo, go with them.” Yixing wiped the back of his hand over his forehead, pursing his lips at the sweat already collected there. “Tao, Sehun. I need both of you over here.” Yixing waited as they hurried over, Kris hovering not too far away. “Tao, I need you to slow down time for him, just momentarily. If I can get a decent start on this, we might be able to save him.” He glanced at Sehun. “Try to get some air into his lungs.”
“How?” Sehun pursed his lips, kneeling next to Chanyeol's head.
Yixing shook his head. “I don't know, just try. If using the wind doesn't work, then breathe for him.”
“Like CPR?” Sehun scrunched up his face. “I'm not comfortable with that.”
Tao flicked his arm, making him wince. “Sehun, it might help Yixing save him. Do you really want Jongdae to live the rest of his life alone? Do you want him living with the knowledge that Chanyeol died because of him?”
Sehun frowned, nodding once before he scooted closer to Chanyeol's head. He tried to use just the wind to help Chanyeol breathe, but it wasn't working too well. He glanced at Yixing, finding beads of sweat trickling down his face. Turning his eyes to Tao, he found him concentrating, trying to slow down Chanyeol's time before he died. They're both trying really hard to save Chanyeol. What am I doing? I’m not capable of a damn thing! He reached out, pinching Chanyeol's nose closed as he inhaled deeply. He closed his eyes as he leaned forward, covering the elder's mouth with his. He exhaled into him, opening his mouth to inhale another breath. Breathing into him again, he lurched backward, coughing and spluttering as blood dripped from his mouth.
“Ew,” Kris muttered, taking a step back.
“You okay?” Tao asked, eyes wide as Sehun stared at the blood on the ground. “Sehun, answer me.”
“I'm fine.” He avoided Tao’s questioning eyes, moving to breathe into Chanyeol again. He hated every second of it, but it seemed to help rid Chanyeol's lungs of the blood pooling in them. He spit out blood a few more times, the taste of copper thick on his tongue. It was making his stomach churn, but he kept himself from getting sick only by thinking of Jongdae, of not wanting his hyung to be along in this world.
“Just a little longer, Sehun,” Yixing informed him. He knew that Chanyeol's lung was healing, bu he would have to get the bullets out to heal the other wounds. Pursing his lips, he looked up at Kris. “Come dig the bullets out of his back.”
Kris pointed to himself. “Me?” Gulping, he shuffled backward a little. “I don't know if I’m the best person for that.” He rubbed the back of his neck, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
“Damn it, Kris, get over here!” Tao shouted, voice sharp. It echoed through the quiet alley, Kris nodding quickly as he scurried over. He braced himself as Yixing handed him a pocket knife. He steadied his breathing before slowly cutting the shirt around the entry wounds.
“What if I hurt him?” Kris looked at Yixing, frowning.
“I can heal whatever happens to him. Just dig the bullets out. You might only be able to get two of them out and we might need to take him to the hospital for the third one.” Yixing offered Kris an encouraging smile. “You can do it. I know you can.”
Kris nodded, biting down on his lip as he watched the tip of the knife dig into Chanyeol's skin. He winced, prying the first bullet out. It hit the ground with a tinkling that he never wanted to hear again. He took a second to collect himself before reaching out to dig the second bullet out of his back. He scrunched his face up as it put up a fight, but he managed to get it out. He watched in awe as the holes began closing, Yixing trying to get all of the bleeding to stop.
“Is he going to make it?” Kris felt his heart pounding hard in his chest, worried about Chanyeol more than he would admit to anyone. He was, after all, the younger's legal guardian while growing up. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.
Yixing frowned, eyes unblinking as Chanyeol coughed up more blood before his body stilled. He slowly shook his head, hands shaking as he withdrew them from the younger. He reached out, placing a hand on Sehun's arm. “That's enough, Sehun. You don't have to breathe for him anymore.”
Sehun's eyes burned as the words sank in, clicking slowly into place. “We couldn't do anything to save him...” He was too distraught to care that his voice cracked. Tao was by his side instantly, arms out to hug him. He looked up through blurry eyes. “We couldn't save Chanyeol hyung. What are we going to tell Jongdae hyung?”
Tao wound his arms around the younger, feeling tears seep into his shirt. His own eyes were filling and he blinked to try to fend them off. “It's okay, Sehun,” he murmured, trying to comfort him. “It's okay. We did our best. Sometimes, it just isn't enough.”
Yixing heard Sehun's broken sobs, Tao crying quietly next to him. He didn’t dare look over at Kris, knowing the elder would be just as bad as Sehun, if not worse. He blindly reached for his hand, wrapping his fingers around Kris’s. He squeezed the elder's hand, eyes never once leaving Chanyeol's body. “I'm sorry. I couldn't save him.”
Kris shook his head. “You tried, Yixing. That's all that matters. Thank you for trying.” He sniffled, using his free hand to wipe at his eyes. “Come on. We should go home. We need to let Jongdae know.”
“What about...?” Yixing couldn't make himself say his name. He felt like dying himself, but it was an overly emotional feeling, something that would dull with time. He felt Kris tug gently on his hand before he let himself get pulled to his feet.
“We'll come back. After we inform Jongdae and the others.” He refused to look Yixing in the eye, choosing to look at Sehun and Tao instead. “We should call Jongin. He can teleport all of us home in one go.”
Tao nodded weakly, pulling his phone out, but it was already ringing. “How did you know to call?” he asked into the device, chuckling humorlessly. “Of course Luhan would be watching. Come get us, please.”
It didn’t take long before Jongin was in front of them, expressionless mask in place as he held out his hand. He ignored the tears streaming down their faces, trying to hold himself together. He almost lost it when he glanced down, seeing Chanyeol's lifeless body. He shuddered before looking quickly away. He didn’t want to see that, a dead body. He closed his eyes once everyone was holding onto his hand. In a puff of smoke, they were in the living room, Joonmyeon and Jongdae sitting on the couch.
“Where's Chanyeol?” Jongdae asked, voice tight. He didn’t miss the way they all cringed at hearing his name. “Where is he?”
Yixing sniffled, dropping into the empty space in front of him before he looked up into the younger's eyes. “I did everything I could, we all did, but it wasn't enough. We couldn't, I couldn't...”
Jongdae stopped hearing after that. He felt numb, like he could float away since his anchor was no longer there. There was no actual hole in his heart, but he felt as if there were. He was in shock, mind unable to truly comprehend that Chanyeol wasn't coming back, that he wasn't going to come rushing down the stairs with a smile on his face, chasing Baekhyun down to shove ice down his shirt. Or smile at Jongdae. It wasn't until Joonmyeon tried to get him to move that he lashed out, not physically, but with his power. It ricocheted off of the one wall, scorching it in the process, before shattering the mirror above the television. The sound was deafening, but Jongdae didn’t even wince. It was nothing compared to how he felt inside.
“Jongdae, being upset is normal, but I won't tolerate you using your power in a harmful manner,” Joonmyeon scolded him. Although he was trying to sound angry, his voice didn’t hold the emotion. It sounded flat, even to his own ears.
“Hyung, will you come to bed?” Kyungsoo asked, sitting down next to him. Jongdae hadn’t moved in hours and he was well passed worrying everyone. They knew he liked Chanyeol, but they didn’t know it was so powerful already. Kyungsoo had spent the first few hours consoling Sehun, getting his washed up and the taste of blood out of his mouth.
“Not until Chanyeol comes home,” Jongdae whispered, eyes trained on the wall. He ignored the younger's sigh, feeling the couch dip beneath Kyungsoo's weight as he shifted, settling in next to Jongdae more comfortably. “Go to bed, Kyungsoo.”
“Not without you.” Kyungsoo settled even more into the couch, finding Sehun joining him on Jongdae's other side. He was nearly cried out, but he kept sniffling, trying to keep the waterworks from beginning again.
“Go away, Sehun.” Jongdae heard the venom in his voice, the bitterness rolling off of his tongue. He didn’t mean for it to come out as harshly as it had, but the walls h had built up around him had crumbled. And there was no way he could keep the flood of emotions from drowning him.
“Do you really want me to go away?” Sehun asked, voice quiet. He was fighting back another wave of tears, but they weren’t for Chanyeol this time. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for Jongdae's next words.
“Yes, I want you to go away. Leave me alone.” Jongdae watched as Sehun nodded before he stood up, tears already streaming down his face. “Kyungsoo, you need to go away, too.”
Sehun waited quietly for Kyungsoo to stand up, knowing Jongdae was only sending him away so that he could comfort him. He pressed a quick kiss to the top of Jongdae's head, wiping at his eyes. “I'm so, so sorry, hyung. I wish there was something I could do to bring him back. If I could take his place, I would. I don't want you to be alone anymore.”
Jongdae remained quiet until everyone filed upstairs, going to their own rooms. He got up, movements mechanical as he walked toward the library. Pushing open the door, he headed for the chamber, the torches lighting his way. A few tears escaped at seeing the fire. It brought more pain with it than he imagined. Reaching the circular room, he walked to Chanyeol's seat, finding that everything looked the same. Easing himself into the chair, his vision blurred as he touched the sigil in front of him.
“I'm sorry, Chanyeol,” he mumbled, voice cracking. “I'm so sorry. How could you be so selfless, so willing to die?” He closed his eyes, leaning forward to bury his face in his folded arms. His frame trembled as he sobbed, the sound dying as he fell asleep. Tears stained his face, some having fallen to the table, splattering in smaller drops around Chanyeol's sigil. He had succumbed to unconsciousness completely, not even stirring as the sigil below him began to glow.
Author: his_angel16
Parings: Chanyeol/Jongdae, Kris/Yixing, Luhan/Minseok, Sehun/Tao, Kyungsoo/Joonmyeon, Jongin/Baekhyun, slight!Chanyeol/Baekhyun
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Angst
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I own the plot, not the people. Any actual likeness to any given person is purely coincidental.
Summary: Chanyeol is fire; fire is destructive, harmful, chaotic, nearly uncontrollable. He learns how fragile life is; what it means to love someone so much that you would die for them. With sacrifice, he learns that fire can also mean warmth, light, and a new beginning.
Warning: Character death (I'm sorry, but please, don't kill me. It's okay, I promise.)
The sun hit Chanyeol in the face and he rolled over, reaching out blindly. When his fingers grazed nothing but cold mattress, he frowned, opening his eyes. Jongdae wasn't beside him any more. He got out of bed, frowning even more when Jongdae wasn't in his bed either. He hurried downstairs, finding Jongin and Baekhyun cuddling on the couch. Jongin was asleep, head resting against Baekhyun's shoulder as he started dozing off, too. He continued down the hall, passing by the practice rooms and peering into all of them. He found Yixing and Kris in one, meditating while they tried no to laugh at each other. He found that Minseok and Luhan were back from China, working on perfecting their teamwork as Tao watched from against the far wall. He kept going until he reached the library. He went inside and went straight to the chamber, finding Joonmyeon sitting there by himself.
“Hyung, where's Jongdae?” he asked, taking his seat.
“They went to pay their old friends a visit,” Joonmyeon replied. He looked up from the table, frowning slightly. “They left early, hoping to be back by tonight. Why? Is something wrong?”
Chanyeol shook his head. “Nothing's wrong.” He smiled, biting his lip. “Jongdae and I kind of agreed to hook up.”
Joonmyeon smiled. “That's good. I've worried about the two of you. You can both be so dense and stubborn. I’m really glad you were able to smooth things over quickly.”
“Which friends were they going to go visit?”
“The ones from the orphanage where they grew up. Jongdae was fourteen when they left; Kyungsoo being thirteen; and Sehun, twelve. They logged a lot of years at that orphanage. It was their home for a very long time.” Seeing the pout on the younger's lips, Joonmyeon laughed a little. “Don't worry, Chanyeol. They'll come back. This is their home now. We are their home.”
Nodding, Chanyeol told himself to relax just as Luhan came rushing in, Minseok and Tao with him. “What's the hurry?”
Luhan ignored him, looking at Joonmyeon. “Something bad is going to happen,” he stated, Minseok reaching out to take his hand. It anchored him, but he was still a little pale. “In the near future-like, the next twenty-four hours-someone is going to attack Sehun, Jongdae, and Kyungsoo.”
Joonmyeon stood up. “Who? Is it Kihwan?”
Luhan shook his head. “I wouldn't be able to describe them correctly.” He looked down as he bit his lip, finding his lack of descriptive words a problem.
“Paint them,” Chanyeol said, gaining everyone's attention. “You did that to all of us before you met us. Why wouldn't it work now?”
“Chanyeol, you're a genius!” Luhan hurried from the room, Minseok going with him.
Tao blinked at Chanyeol. “That's something I never thought I’d hear,” he muttered, crossing his arms. “Park Chanyeol, a genius?”
Rolling his eyes, Chanyeol stood up to follow them, Tao and Joonmyeon doing the same. When they reached Luhan's room, Yixing and Kris were there, frowning at the painting in front of them. The paint was still drying, but it was very clear and very vivid. Luhan was sitting on the floor, Minseok next to him.
“What is it?” Tao asked, going to look at the painting. He froze, eyes hardening.
“It's them,” Yixing mumbled, remembering back to their first encounter with the three younger ones. “I can still hear the sound of his nose snapping under the force of the board.” He reached out, fingers running along the man's slightly distorted features. “How did they recognize them? They don't even look the same.”
“Sehun kind of looks the same as he did,” Kris replied. “And Kyungsoo's eyes are distinctive.”
“We have to go help them,” Joonmyeon said.
“I think so, too,” Chanyeol agreed. He frowned. “But, who do we send?”
“How about a repeat?” Tao crossed his arms over his chest. “How spooked do you think they would get if the three of us showed up again?”
Yixing grinned. “Especially since you haven't aged at all in seven years.” He nudged Kris. “Think we can take them on?”
Nodding, Kris turned to look at Joonmyeon. “We'll bring them back safely. Try not to worry, okay?”
“I'm going,” Chanyeol growled. He glared at Kris, hands clenched into tight fists. “I'm not going to stand here and wait, wonder if Jongdae is okay or not. I’m going.”
“I kind of feel the same way.” Joonmyeon offered him an apologetic smile. “I want to go, too.”
“Then it's settled,” Minseok stated, clapping once. “Joonmyeon, Chanyeol, Tao, Kris, and Yixing will go. Luhan and I will make sure Baekhyun and Jongin are kept safe.” He smiled at them. “Go bring our boys home.”
Jongdae had Kyungsoo and Sehun behind him, glaring at the group of men before them. Sehun was holding Kyungsoo's hand tightly, still terrified of them after seven years. It was to be expected since they carried him off with every intention of selling him to someone.
“Get the hell out of our way,” Jongdae spat.
“We can't do that,” the one man replied. His nose was crooked, looked too warped for his face. “I remember you three brats. Where's your friends now?” He pulled a gun out, pointing it at them. “You'll do exactly what I say unless you want to end up dead like your friend did.”
Kyungsoo frowned, glancing down at the body of one of their closest friends. She had been shot because of them, killed because she knew who they were, what they were. “What do you want from us?” he asked, speaking up. It startled a few of the men in front of them since their at their last meeting, Jongdae did most of the talking.
“I remember you, kid,” another one said. “Those eyes of yours are hard to forget.” He laughed, pointing at Sehun. “And aren’t you the one Choi carried off? How did you find your way back to them?”
Sehun's grip on Kyungsoo's hand tightened. He knew he looked scared, that he was trembling with fear even as he tried desperately not to. It only made them laugh at him, laugh at how they could scare him even with him being all grown up. He heard Kyungsoo whisper to him that he would be okay, that he and Jongdae would protect him. But he was tired of being protected, tired of feeling small and weak.
“We're going to take you for a little walk.” He pointed down the street, toward the alley. “Get moving.”
Jongdae kept a close eye on them as he backed the younger two toward the alley, toward the same alley as seven years ago. His eyes flickered to the gun in the man's hand, to the body of their friend, before it went back to their faces. He was slightly intimidated by them this time around. He wasn't as naïve as he had been when he was a kid. He knew life was short, that he wasn't invincible. He was very breakable and so were his dearest of friends. He wanted to get Sehun and Kyungsoo out alive if possible. But he was already calculating that at least one of them would be seriously hurt, even killed.
“If I let you do whatever you wish with me, can they leave without being harmed?” he asked, keeping himself firmly between Kyungsoo, Sehun, and the group of men approaching. They were in the alley, nearly backed up against the same wall as before. The ground still had scorch marks from the lightning that hit it because of him.
“Sorry, kid, but we aren’t negotiating today.” He motioned for Jongdae to take a step forward. “And if you think you're going to use your power, lightning rod, you can forget it. Before you could take out all of us, your friends would be dead. The same goes for you two.” He looked at Kyungsoo and Sehun. “We'd have a bullet in your buddy's skull before you could take all of us down. So, cooperate, and none of you end up with metal in between your eyes.”
“What is it that you want exactly? If you wanted to kill us, you'd have done it,” Kyungsoo said, drawing their attention.
“We want to play a little first.” The man closed the distance between himself and Jongdae, smile sinister as he whipped his hand out, hitting Jongdae across the face. He chuckled as he staggered, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “If either of you two move without our permission, your buddy here dies.” He hit Jongdae again, looking up at seeing the pained looks on the other two's faces.
“Look away, Sehun,” Kyungsoo murmured, reaching up to shield his eyes.
Sehun caught his wrist, shaking his head slightly before he lowered Kyungsoo's hand back to his side. “I'm not a baby, Kyungsoo hyung,” he replied, eyes hardening. “If growing up has taught me anything, it's that I can't show any sort of weakness. I'm not going to become someone's prey, someone's target ever again.”
“Even if that happens, we can keep you safe. Jongdae and I, we-”
“Aren't going to be able to protect me forever. The sooner we all grasp that concept, the easier all of our lives will be.” Sehun looked at the elder, smiling a little. “I'll be fine, even after we all go our separate ways, hyung. You've kept me safe, both of you have. But it's time that I stand on my own feet, with my own strength.”
Kyungsoo winced as Jongdae let out a yelp, turning his attention back to the elder. He was barely on his feet, blood running down his chin from his split lip. “We might not make it out of here alive.”
Shrugging, Sehun let go of Kyungsoo's hand. “Stand perfectly still, hyung. Everything will be fine.” He closed his eyes, trying to block out everything else. The wind picked up slowly, unnoticeably, as Sehun concentrated. He wasn't trying to fight back, wasn't trying to knock the men off of their feet. He was listening to the wind, hearing it speak to him. He smiled, opening his eyes as he stared at Kyungsoo. “We'll be okay. We won't die here today.”
“How do you know?” Kyungsoo looked around cautiously, using only his eyes, but he couldn't see anything. “What is it that you know and I don't?”
“The wind will guide them here. We just have to be patient.” He looked over at Jongdae, frowning before he turned his attention to the first man. “Can we take turns? Can I take Jongdae hyung's place?”
Grinning, the man nodded as he shoved Jongdae to the side. “Come here.”
Sehun walked forward, smacking Kyungsoo's hand away. Looking over his shoulder, he smiled crookedly at him. “Just for a little while, Kyungsoo hyung. I’m going to take his place just for a little while.” He turned forward, bracing himself as the first hit came.
Coughing, Jongdae looked up from his place on the ground. He saw the first few hits connect with Sehun's face and he shook his head slowly. “Sehun, what are you doing?” he asked, but his voice was drowned out by the roaring of water. It confused him. Why could he hear water? He looked over as a large wave crashed down against the ground, swiveling around everyone in order to hit the man in front of Sehun.
“What the hell? We said no powers!” the second man spat. He aimed his gun at Sehun, firing. His eyes widened as the bullet stopped right in front of him, Sehun smirking as Tao appeared by his side. “You...!”
Kris and Yixing dropped down next to them, hand in hand, before they grinned at the shocked group before them. Chanyeol and Joonmyeon came from the other side of the alley, a big grin on Chanyeol's face until he saw Jongdae. He hurried forward as Joonmyeon went to Kyungsoo.
“Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?” Joonmyeon asked, hands flitting around as he checked for any injuries.
“I'm not hurt, Joonmyeon.” Kyungsoo smiled at him. “I didn’t have the chance to play hero. Sehun beat me to it.”
“Jongdae, can you stand?” Chanyeol questioned, gripping his arm. He helped the other stand before he glared at the spooked group in front of them. “I should kill every last one of you.”
Shaking his head, Jongdae squeezed Chanyeol's hand. “They aren’t worth it.”
“You're all freaks!” Choi glanced at the others of the group. “I don't care which one you shoot, just kill them!” He closed his eyes as he took aim, gun firing a second later. All that could be heard were loud bangs, empty shells clattering to the floor.
Chanyeol was glad that they had forgotten about him and Jongdae of to the side. He was slightly mesmerized by the fact that Tao and Yixing managed to keep the majority of the bullets at bay. The stragglers were picked off by Kyungsoo, stalagmites shooting up every so often to collect the ricocheting fragments. He was still smiling as he glanced back at Jongdae, finding him smiling back. He was turning his head back around when he saw it. Three of the group had noticed they were pretty much unprotected, little lambs waiting to be devoured. It only took him a second to act, without hesitation, without really thinking at all. The sound of three pistols firing echoed loudly, as if they were more important that the other attempts. Chanyeol had turned in the blink of an eye, arms wound protectively around Jongdae as metal pierced his flesh.
It wasn't slow-motion like in the movies. One second he had been standing beside Jongdae and the next, he was collapsed on top of him, slightly crushing the smaller. The second after, Kyungsoo had imprisoned the shooters in a solid earthen tomb. All they had left was each other and their pistols. Yixing had hurried over, Joonmyeon next to him. Kris hung back with Tao, trying to keep Kyungsoo and Sehun from crowding them.
“Chanyeol,” Yixing stated, shaking him slightly. “Joonmyeon, help me get him off of Jongdae.” They worked quickly, carefully getting Chanyeol on his side. Jongdae was covered in blood, most of it his own from being beaten, but the splatters across his shirt and face belonged to Chanyeol. Yixing frowned, watching as Chanyeol coughed, blood spurting from his lips. He placed his hand on the younger's arm, wincing as realization hit him.
“What is it?” Joonmyeon asked, reaching out to take Jongdae's hand. He knew the younger wouldn't want to hear it, but it was something that had to be said.
“One of the bullets punctured his left lung. It's filling up with blood.” Yixing ran a hand over his face. “I can try to heal him, but he might drown in his own blood before I can get the bleeding to stop.”
“You have to try,” Jongdae said, eyes burning. “You can't let him die, Yixing!”
Chanyeol couched again, more blood splattering against the ground. He reached out, hand shaking as he pat Jongdae's knee. “Don't worry...” His voice was pained, breath shallow as he was slowly running out of room to breathe. “Hyung...take him...home.”
Nodding, Joonmyeon got to his feet, easing Jongdae to his. He turned his head away at seeing the first tear slip down the younger's face. “Come on, Jongdae. Yixing will take care of him.”
Jongdae shook his head. “No, I’m not leaving. I’m not leaving him!” He pushed against Joonmyeon, frowning at seeing it was useless. He still hadn’t fully recovered from the beating and he wasn't in any position to fight against Joonmyeon. “I'm not leaving him.”
“Kyungsoo, go with them.” Yixing wiped the back of his hand over his forehead, pursing his lips at the sweat already collected there. “Tao, Sehun. I need both of you over here.” Yixing waited as they hurried over, Kris hovering not too far away. “Tao, I need you to slow down time for him, just momentarily. If I can get a decent start on this, we might be able to save him.” He glanced at Sehun. “Try to get some air into his lungs.”
“How?” Sehun pursed his lips, kneeling next to Chanyeol's head.
Yixing shook his head. “I don't know, just try. If using the wind doesn't work, then breathe for him.”
“Like CPR?” Sehun scrunched up his face. “I'm not comfortable with that.”
Tao flicked his arm, making him wince. “Sehun, it might help Yixing save him. Do you really want Jongdae to live the rest of his life alone? Do you want him living with the knowledge that Chanyeol died because of him?”
Sehun frowned, nodding once before he scooted closer to Chanyeol's head. He tried to use just the wind to help Chanyeol breathe, but it wasn't working too well. He glanced at Yixing, finding beads of sweat trickling down his face. Turning his eyes to Tao, he found him concentrating, trying to slow down Chanyeol's time before he died. They're both trying really hard to save Chanyeol. What am I doing? I’m not capable of a damn thing! He reached out, pinching Chanyeol's nose closed as he inhaled deeply. He closed his eyes as he leaned forward, covering the elder's mouth with his. He exhaled into him, opening his mouth to inhale another breath. Breathing into him again, he lurched backward, coughing and spluttering as blood dripped from his mouth.
“Ew,” Kris muttered, taking a step back.
“You okay?” Tao asked, eyes wide as Sehun stared at the blood on the ground. “Sehun, answer me.”
“I'm fine.” He avoided Tao’s questioning eyes, moving to breathe into Chanyeol again. He hated every second of it, but it seemed to help rid Chanyeol's lungs of the blood pooling in them. He spit out blood a few more times, the taste of copper thick on his tongue. It was making his stomach churn, but he kept himself from getting sick only by thinking of Jongdae, of not wanting his hyung to be along in this world.
“Just a little longer, Sehun,” Yixing informed him. He knew that Chanyeol's lung was healing, bu he would have to get the bullets out to heal the other wounds. Pursing his lips, he looked up at Kris. “Come dig the bullets out of his back.”
Kris pointed to himself. “Me?” Gulping, he shuffled backward a little. “I don't know if I’m the best person for that.” He rubbed the back of his neck, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
“Damn it, Kris, get over here!” Tao shouted, voice sharp. It echoed through the quiet alley, Kris nodding quickly as he scurried over. He braced himself as Yixing handed him a pocket knife. He steadied his breathing before slowly cutting the shirt around the entry wounds.
“What if I hurt him?” Kris looked at Yixing, frowning.
“I can heal whatever happens to him. Just dig the bullets out. You might only be able to get two of them out and we might need to take him to the hospital for the third one.” Yixing offered Kris an encouraging smile. “You can do it. I know you can.”
Kris nodded, biting down on his lip as he watched the tip of the knife dig into Chanyeol's skin. He winced, prying the first bullet out. It hit the ground with a tinkling that he never wanted to hear again. He took a second to collect himself before reaching out to dig the second bullet out of his back. He scrunched his face up as it put up a fight, but he managed to get it out. He watched in awe as the holes began closing, Yixing trying to get all of the bleeding to stop.
“Is he going to make it?” Kris felt his heart pounding hard in his chest, worried about Chanyeol more than he would admit to anyone. He was, after all, the younger's legal guardian while growing up. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.
Yixing frowned, eyes unblinking as Chanyeol coughed up more blood before his body stilled. He slowly shook his head, hands shaking as he withdrew them from the younger. He reached out, placing a hand on Sehun's arm. “That's enough, Sehun. You don't have to breathe for him anymore.”
Sehun's eyes burned as the words sank in, clicking slowly into place. “We couldn't do anything to save him...” He was too distraught to care that his voice cracked. Tao was by his side instantly, arms out to hug him. He looked up through blurry eyes. “We couldn't save Chanyeol hyung. What are we going to tell Jongdae hyung?”
Tao wound his arms around the younger, feeling tears seep into his shirt. His own eyes were filling and he blinked to try to fend them off. “It's okay, Sehun,” he murmured, trying to comfort him. “It's okay. We did our best. Sometimes, it just isn't enough.”
Yixing heard Sehun's broken sobs, Tao crying quietly next to him. He didn’t dare look over at Kris, knowing the elder would be just as bad as Sehun, if not worse. He blindly reached for his hand, wrapping his fingers around Kris’s. He squeezed the elder's hand, eyes never once leaving Chanyeol's body. “I'm sorry. I couldn't save him.”
Kris shook his head. “You tried, Yixing. That's all that matters. Thank you for trying.” He sniffled, using his free hand to wipe at his eyes. “Come on. We should go home. We need to let Jongdae know.”
“What about...?” Yixing couldn't make himself say his name. He felt like dying himself, but it was an overly emotional feeling, something that would dull with time. He felt Kris tug gently on his hand before he let himself get pulled to his feet.
“We'll come back. After we inform Jongdae and the others.” He refused to look Yixing in the eye, choosing to look at Sehun and Tao instead. “We should call Jongin. He can teleport all of us home in one go.”
Tao nodded weakly, pulling his phone out, but it was already ringing. “How did you know to call?” he asked into the device, chuckling humorlessly. “Of course Luhan would be watching. Come get us, please.”
It didn’t take long before Jongin was in front of them, expressionless mask in place as he held out his hand. He ignored the tears streaming down their faces, trying to hold himself together. He almost lost it when he glanced down, seeing Chanyeol's lifeless body. He shuddered before looking quickly away. He didn’t want to see that, a dead body. He closed his eyes once everyone was holding onto his hand. In a puff of smoke, they were in the living room, Joonmyeon and Jongdae sitting on the couch.
“Where's Chanyeol?” Jongdae asked, voice tight. He didn’t miss the way they all cringed at hearing his name. “Where is he?”
Yixing sniffled, dropping into the empty space in front of him before he looked up into the younger's eyes. “I did everything I could, we all did, but it wasn't enough. We couldn't, I couldn't...”
Jongdae stopped hearing after that. He felt numb, like he could float away since his anchor was no longer there. There was no actual hole in his heart, but he felt as if there were. He was in shock, mind unable to truly comprehend that Chanyeol wasn't coming back, that he wasn't going to come rushing down the stairs with a smile on his face, chasing Baekhyun down to shove ice down his shirt. Or smile at Jongdae. It wasn't until Joonmyeon tried to get him to move that he lashed out, not physically, but with his power. It ricocheted off of the one wall, scorching it in the process, before shattering the mirror above the television. The sound was deafening, but Jongdae didn’t even wince. It was nothing compared to how he felt inside.
“Jongdae, being upset is normal, but I won't tolerate you using your power in a harmful manner,” Joonmyeon scolded him. Although he was trying to sound angry, his voice didn’t hold the emotion. It sounded flat, even to his own ears.
“Hyung, will you come to bed?” Kyungsoo asked, sitting down next to him. Jongdae hadn’t moved in hours and he was well passed worrying everyone. They knew he liked Chanyeol, but they didn’t know it was so powerful already. Kyungsoo had spent the first few hours consoling Sehun, getting his washed up and the taste of blood out of his mouth.
“Not until Chanyeol comes home,” Jongdae whispered, eyes trained on the wall. He ignored the younger's sigh, feeling the couch dip beneath Kyungsoo's weight as he shifted, settling in next to Jongdae more comfortably. “Go to bed, Kyungsoo.”
“Not without you.” Kyungsoo settled even more into the couch, finding Sehun joining him on Jongdae's other side. He was nearly cried out, but he kept sniffling, trying to keep the waterworks from beginning again.
“Go away, Sehun.” Jongdae heard the venom in his voice, the bitterness rolling off of his tongue. He didn’t mean for it to come out as harshly as it had, but the walls h had built up around him had crumbled. And there was no way he could keep the flood of emotions from drowning him.
“Do you really want me to go away?” Sehun asked, voice quiet. He was fighting back another wave of tears, but they weren’t for Chanyeol this time. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for Jongdae's next words.
“Yes, I want you to go away. Leave me alone.” Jongdae watched as Sehun nodded before he stood up, tears already streaming down his face. “Kyungsoo, you need to go away, too.”
Sehun waited quietly for Kyungsoo to stand up, knowing Jongdae was only sending him away so that he could comfort him. He pressed a quick kiss to the top of Jongdae's head, wiping at his eyes. “I'm so, so sorry, hyung. I wish there was something I could do to bring him back. If I could take his place, I would. I don't want you to be alone anymore.”
Jongdae remained quiet until everyone filed upstairs, going to their own rooms. He got up, movements mechanical as he walked toward the library. Pushing open the door, he headed for the chamber, the torches lighting his way. A few tears escaped at seeing the fire. It brought more pain with it than he imagined. Reaching the circular room, he walked to Chanyeol's seat, finding that everything looked the same. Easing himself into the chair, his vision blurred as he touched the sigil in front of him.
“I'm sorry, Chanyeol,” he mumbled, voice cracking. “I'm so sorry. How could you be so selfless, so willing to die?” He closed his eyes, leaning forward to bury his face in his folded arms. His frame trembled as he sobbed, the sound dying as he fell asleep. Tears stained his face, some having fallen to the table, splattering in smaller drops around Chanyeol's sigil. He had succumbed to unconsciousness completely, not even stirring as the sigil below him began to glow.