Fic: Catch Me pt. 3

[kpopbigbang]

Baekhyun and Tao get back from China a day after Changmin had come to visit Kyungsoo’s restaurant. Sehun’s still muttering angrily about how he hadn’t been allowed to slip a little poison into Changmin’s food, and Junmyeon’s still frowning with disapproval whenever Jongin walks by, but it had all been worth it. Baekhyun is back safe and had succeeded in snagging the Time Control DNA for Zitao. They put the vial in the brick oven safe next to the Stones, and Jongin fervently hopes Changmin doesn’t raid the restaurant as he had promised.

“It’ll be fine,” Junmyeon tells him, “it’s not like he can do much of anything with myself, Sehun, and Kyungsoo here. That’s not much of a match for a SWAT team, and he knows that.”

“But he doesn’t know who you are,” Jongin points out.

“He’d have to be a complete imbecile not to suspect it,” Junmyeon returns, “and we both know he’s absolutely brilliant. We’ll be perfectly safe. Now let’s go, or Yifan will have our heads for being late.”

It’s rare that all of them meet in one place, but with Baekhyun making Twelve, it was time they all met each other. Taking a car is too risky, especially considering the possibility that the restaurant is being watched, so Jongin teleports as many people as he can to Yifan’s house. Junmyeon, Kyungsoo, and Sehun are the last ones, and he collapses in a chair next to Zitao, exhausted at having hauled everyone several miles back and forth in such a short span of time. Well, everyone but Lu Han. It’s far too risky for him to be anywhere except NIS, especially right now, but Jongin knows he’s listening in, probably piggybacked on Yifan’s mind, watching.

Baekhyun catches Jongin’s eye across the room and Jongin feels his throat go dry when the Light Stone raises his hand and crooks a finger at him. A clear demand. Zitao snickers, clearly having seen the exchange, and gods help him, Jongin can only stumble to his feet to sit squished between a smirking Baekhyun and a very disgruntled Yifan. Baekhyun latches onto his hand, gripping it tight, and Jongin feels a little bad, realizing that the other ten giving Baekhyun looks must make him feel uncomfortable. You got me into this, Baekhyun had told him. So Jongin had. He squeezes Baekhyun’s hand back and swallows.

Introductions are made before Yifan launches straight into their plan of attack.

“I flew to France myself to check up on the lead Baekhyun has there concerning a fashion designer.”

“You flew flew?” Minseok asks.

Yifan’s eyebrow twitches, but he nods. Better not to risk a potential security issue. And Yifan’s a very, very fast flier. “I got his DNA myself, rather cleverly.” He looks impressed with himself, and Jongin only just manages to keep his face in check. He would love to roll his eyes. “We have a lead on Lightning,” Yifan continues smoothly, nodding at Jongdae, “in Japan. Wind might also be there.”

“It’s a little up in the air,” Jongdae cuts in, grin splitting his face, and half the room groans. Only Chanyeol titters, though he covers it up quickly with a cough.

“Yes,” Yifan clears his throat, “or LA, we’re not sure yet. The tricky one is going to be Frost.”

“What about Fire and Light?” Chanyeol frowns.

“We have no idea,” Junmyeon admits. “Which is why Frost will be tricky. We want to ask him whose DNA it is we need.”

“Light is hard to find,” Baekhyun finally speaks up, “because it can look like anything, even another power if the person’s good enough.”

“Who’s going for Frost?”

Jongin knows he’s on the list along with the Baekhyun; that much is obvious. “Zitao will go with you both for extra protection, but the rest of us are going to follow the other leads and keep up pretenses here,” Junmyeon says. “I imagine Changmin will have the restaurant watched, so we need to make sure it appears as though we’re conducting business as usual.”

Teleportation, Light, and Time against Frost? Fair chances, Jongin thinks. He could probably take Frost by himself so long as the person isn’t too inclined towards martial arts. But that’s why Zitao is going, and Baekhyun clearly doesn’t want to be anywhere Jongin is not. It makes him pleased and he smiles faintly, realizing a moment too late he’d squeezed Baekhyun’s fingers again and that they were squeezing back. Jongin blushes. The last thing he needs is someone else to kiss (though he admittedly wants it).

They stay for a quiet dinner, not wanting to draw attention by being rowdy, and once Jongin regains his strength, teleports the ones that need transportation back home. By the time he’s done, Baekhyun’s waiting for him in bed. They’d been sharing it ever since Baekhyun had arrived, and as much as Jongin wishes he could just have it to himself, he’s far too exhausted to care. Baekhyun’s sweet anyway, tucking the covers around him and making sure his pillow is fluffed. “They overwork you.”

“Not rebelling,” Jongin tells him, drooling a little.

“I wasn’t suggesting that.”

Baekhyun lies parallel to Jongin, head a lot closer than Jongin is comfortable with it being. But it’s calming, having Baekhyun’s smile so near and their bodies almost touching underneath Lu Han’s quilt. “I heard you made out with Changmin. Taking one for the team?”

“Something like that. He was sexy, though,” Jongin admits, eyes closing. He doesn’t want to think about it, honestly. He’d done it to keep Changmin’s eyes away from China while they nabbed DNA, and it had worked. Jongin had kept Zitao and Baekhyun safe, and that’s all that matters.

Jongin feels Baekhyun’s finger trace his cheek, and it’s a line against his skin that burns so hot, it’s almost painful. “Just so you know, I’m a better kisser.”

“So you’ve kissed Changmin, have you?”

“I’m always the better kisser,” Baekhyun tells him.

Jongin can’t even help his eyes opening, squinting underneath the heavy weight of sleep. There’s a little glow of light to Baekhyun’s skin, and he looks almost angelic. Maybe it’s the exhaustion, maybe Baekhyun’s drawing him with some sort of Light ability, maybe it’s just plain attraction, but the next thing Jongin knows, Baekhyun’s mouth is against his. It’s gentle, sweet, even when Baekhyun licks against him and slides a tongue into his mouth sending sparks down to Jongin’s toes, his stomach curling in on itself happily. Baekhyun’s skin is as smooth as Jongin remembers (as he slides Baekhyun’s shirt up to touch it,) his hair as soft (as Jongin threads his fingers through it), and he loses his ability to breathe as he drowns in the sensation of it all.

“Better than Changmin?” Baekhyun asks, pulling away a minute to smile as Jongin gasps. Maybe it’s because he’s really attracted to Baekhyun and not so much attracted to Changmin or maybe it’s because Baekhyun is finally on their side and Jongin feels like he’s already conquered, like Baekhyun is someone he can actually have while Changmin will never be that for him ever, but Jongin’s nodding.

“Yes,” Jongin says, and swallows as Baekhyun cuddles up next to him, nose to Jongin’s chest, and a happy smile on his face that Jongin wants to stare at forever.

“Go to sleep,” Baekhyun orders, with a gentle push to Jongin’s shoulder.

His exhaustion comes back in a rush, adrenaline bleeding out of him as Baekhyun settles down, even though he’s laying quite comfortably in Jongin’s arms. A strange feeling bubbles up in Jongin’s chest, and it takes a moment to recognize it.

I’m content, Jongin thinks, amazed, and it’s moments before Baekhyun’s breathing lulls him to sleep.

-

The next time they kiss is at Bora Bora.

Frost lives in Bora Bora. It’s the strangest place for Frost to be, because it’s still warm, even after the war, but it had remained relatively unaffected, and thus makes an even better vacation destination than ever before. Although, Jongin thinks, it’s actually a perfect hiding spot for someone associated with freezing. Minseok looks like he wants to cry when he hears; he can’t imagine a Frost Stone living in constant heat.

Jongin has never been to Bora Bora, so they can’t teleport there. It’s an ordeal, and one that requires a lot of finagling, but Yifan manages to score them a small cargo plane whose pilot doesn’t question Jongin’s masked face. Baekhyun clings to him the entire flight, squeaking every time the ship runs into turbulence , felt a thousandfold since the airplane is so much smaller than a 747.

When they alight, Baekhyun shoves Jongin into the bathroom while Zitao talks to the pilot in rapid Mandarin. He kisses Jongin just this side of desperate and is only breathing regularly, puppy grin back in place after they pull apart.

“I’m glad we don’t have to fly back,” Baekhyun says, and skips out the door before Jongin can get a word in edgewise.

Bora Bora is beautiful, a precious slice of the earth left alone by the war.

For a moment, they act their very young ages and find the nearest public beach, falling into the water even as their shirts hit the ground and laughing through the taste of salt and sand and clean air. Jongin relishes being able to strip off his mask and know that Changmin will not see him.

They find a place to stay that’s a little under the radar, just in case, though they know they won’t be there for long. Zitao goes out to buy food, taking some money Junmyeon had given them and promising to be back within the hour.

He’s gone for forty-five minutes before Baekhyun latches onto Jongin’s arm, eyes sparkling, light curling around them, and the way he glows takes Jongin’s breath away. They kiss in the middle of the cottage, gentle, tender, and Jongin speculates on its meaning.

They only break apart when they hear Zitao stumbling through the door with bags, and Jongin wonders if maybe he moved away too fast because Baekhyun’s eyes are sad when he looks at him next.

There’s only one bed, and the three of them sprawl over it together after they eat, intent on searching for Frost in the morning. They hadn’t been given a time limit, and in a place as nice as this, what’s the hurry? No one’s looking for them here.

Baekhyun manages to wheedle his way into the middle of Jongin and Zitao on the bed, face snug against Jongin’s shoulder, arms tucked against him, back pressed to Zitao’s spine and Jongin has to fight to not dip down and kiss him again. He thinks Zitao would certainly have something to say about that.

Kissing can wait.

Using the information from Junmyeon, the next morning is an early one, and they track Frost to a cottage on one of Bora Bora’s mountains. Zitao hikes ahead of them a little, eyes tracking every rustle of the leaves, ready to time-freeze anything that moves suspiciously.

They don’t have to hike very far before a figure appears in front of them. Zitao moves fast, hand outstretched, but ice spreads across their feet, trapping them before they can move. Zitao breaks it with a knife that had somehow materialized in his hand, but Jongin holds out a hand to stop him.

Frost is not alone.

Jongin is suddenly very glad that he has two other people with him because Frost is accompanied by Telepathy and Healing, two DNA samples Baekhyun’s already managed to get which is sort of a bummer; why couldn’t it be two people they didn’t already have?

But Frost is smiling, all three of the former Stones are smiling, and Jongin’s glad he’d stopped Zitao from acting on his own. They’ll need a strategy to take the other three down.

“You don’t have to fight us for it,” Telepathy says.

Jongin blinks.

“For Junsu’s DNA. That’s why you’re here, right? He’s the only one of us you haven’t gotten.”

The light on Baekhyun’s hands stutters, as if he’s thinking too fast to keep it steady. Frost holds out a test tube, swiping the inside of his mouth a cotton swab before plopping it into the container, sticky with spit. “There,” Frost says, “now you have it.”

“What-” Jongin starts, voice flat. Zitao drops his knife in shock, and it pings against a ice on the pathway, even as it breaks and frees their feet.

“I guess I’m the first one you haven’t had to fight,” Frost muses, and then throws a dirty look at Telepathy and Healing.

“C’mon, Junsu,” Healing says, hands raised, “that one came at me before I could say a single word. Not my fault.” He’s pointing at Baekhyun, and Jongin slides closer to him subtly, in case they’ll need to teleport out.

Telepathy steps in between the two of them, smile still gracious, and Jongin frowns again because he still can’t remember why he looks familiar. Something about the cheekbones, Jongin thinks, or his eyes. They’re gentler than he had expected.

“We’ve been waiting for you,” Telepathy says, and then cocks his head to the side, “and you recognize me because I used to work for the NIS.”

“Jaejoong ,” Baekhyun says from beside Jongin. He’d somehow closed the rest of the distance between them, and his nails are digging painfully into Jongin’s forearm.

Frost introduces himself as Junsu and Healing as Yoochun. Jongin vaguely recalls their names in Baekhyun’s notes, and he relaxes a little. Jaejoong gives them a blinding smile. “We don’t have much time, so listen closely.”

Baekhyun’s grip doesn’t relent. “We’re not in a rush.”

“No, you really are,” Jaejoong says, “because Changmin and Lu Han are almost here.”

“Changmin couldn’t have followed us,” Jongin scoffs. They’d been extra careful.

“There’s always a way for Changmin,” Jaejoong shakes his head, “always, Kai. It’s a little disappointing that you don’t already know that. Now listen closely.” He pulls a data pad from his pocket, keying in a code before handing it over. “A definitive and accurate list of the former twelve and their current whereabouts.”

“Even Fire and Light?” Baekhyun asks, grabbing the data pad eagerly.

“Yes,” Jaejoong nods, “though I’ll save you the trouble of looking through that and just tell you: it’s Yunho and Changmin.”

In the back of his mind, Jongin supposes he had suspected it. He’d never said it out loud nor really even thought it, but there’s no way the two of them would be so invested in uniting the Twelve without having some sort of tie to them. The look on Baekhyun’s face says he’s thinking the same exact thing. Their job just became infinitely more difficult.

“Back then,” Jaejoong tells them, “we were-immature. We were trying to unite for all the wrong reasons, and so we scattered ourselves across the world in hopes that the newer generation would do things right.” He gives Jongin a hard look. “You don’t have time to fuck this up.”

“I know that,” Jongin says, “we’re doing what we can.”

“Do it faster,” Frost-Junsu-says, “you’re running out of time.”

“But-”

“I’ll take you out the back,” Junsu says, “Changmin’s almost here.”

“How do you know?” Baekhyun demands.

“Telepathy,” Jaejoong tells him, tapping his temple , “now go. We’ll hold them off until you can get out of here.”

Jongin snags Zitao's hand and then Baekhyun’s, holding onto them firmly in case they’re being betrayed or worse, and he follows Junsu cautiously. Baekhyun’s fingers are white, though Zitao’s grip is less firm in case he needs to let go and hit something; he looks as though that’s exactly what he wants to do.

Junsu leads them down a narrow but well-worn path, silent until they reach the bottom of the mountain. He gives them a smile. “Good luck,” he says, “and if your Frost ever needs advice, let him know he can come to me anytime.”

He leaves with a pat to Baekhyun’s shoulder and doesn’t look back, scurrying up the path a lot faster than they had come down on it.

“C’mon,” Jongin says, “we can figure out the validity of all this once we’ve returned to Seoul. Let’s get our things.”

To be safe, he teleports them back to their room, and they start packing wordlessly, throwing everything into bags. Moving all of them and their things is going to be taxing, but Jongin doesn’t see an alternative. It’s best to assume Changmin is here-it certainly isn’t going to hurt them.

-

Honestly, Changmin never wanted to see them again. But it doesn’t take a genius-or even Lu Han-to guess at where Jongin would eventually go, especially if he already has a bunch of the Stones. So Changmin plans a trip, intent on making sure DNA doesn’t stray (or hasn’t strayed) from anyone important, as much as he wishes they weren’t. He brings Lu Han with him if only because he knows he might want to meet another Telepathy Stone, despite Changmin’s history with him.

Changmin’s only been to Bora Bora once before, but he knows exactly where he needs to go, leading Lu Han to one of the mountains. The island is beautiful, and thankfully not too busy this time of year, and he’s more than happy to breathe in the fresh air and begin the hike into thinner atmosphere; he’s pretending it’s a vacation for as long as he can.

“They know we’re here,” Lu Han says suddenly.

“Of course they do. Jaejoong’s even better at Telepathy than you.”

Lu Han pouts.

“Why do you think Yunho likes you so much?” Changmin says, before he can stop himself.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Thankfully, Lu Han knows better than to pry into Changmin’s memories, and so Changmin just gives him a rueful smile. If Yunho wants to tell Lu Han about his history with Telepathy Stone wielders, than he will. Changmin doesn’t need to get in the middle any more than he already is (or even has been). He hadn’t approved of Yunho’s shenanigans back then either, though Changmin knows better than to rub it in his commander’s face.

Speaking of ancient history, Changmin’s got enough of his own to deal with, and as they crest a part of the trail, it’s waiting for them, arms crossed and sun-kissed and Changmin sighs, smile gone. “Yoochun.”

“Shim Changmin, I never thought I’d see you again.” Yoochun grins, hand outstretched. He throws a glance at Lu Han. “And the other Telepathy Stone, I presume. Jaejoong is thrilled.”

The feel of Yoochun’s fingers on his elbow are the same, the curl of his stomach when Yoochun smiles more than just familiar and Changmin makes himself think of Kai and his lips to shove back painful memories.

Changmin jerks his arm away.

“Don’t be like that,” Yoochun frowns.

“Where’s Jaejoong?”

“In the house, where else would he be?”

It’s an invitation. With another sigh, and a very enthusiastic Lu Han poking his side, Changmin gives in, following Yoochun up the rest of the path to the cottage and cursing Yunho and his orders and his inability to face any of the former Twelve without getting irrationally angry.

“Don’t blame Yunho,” Jaejoong’s voice says, and a moment later he appears in front of Changmin and Lu Han. “He has a right to be upset at everyone besides you.”

“Get out of my head.”

“Not my fault you’re broadcasting on all frequencies.” Jaejoong shrugs, and then he turns to Lu Han, cocking his head. “Well, well,” he says, and his smile brightens. “You can come with me.” He holds out a hand. “We’ve got a lot to discuss.”

“I’m only here because-”

“You’re way too late for that,” Jaejoong scoffs, “they already have our DNA.”

Changmin feels his heart sink.

“It’d be a shame for you to have come out here for nothing, though, which is why I’m going to have a chat with a fellow Telepathic and teach him a few tricks. We’ll be back in a little bit.”

“I want him returned in one piece,” Changmin calls. Jaejoong wiggles a few fingers over his shoulder.

“Coffee?” Yoochun asks, and Changmin can only follow. He knows better than to argue and besides that, he could really use a few hours rest. There’s no way Kai is still on Bora Bora anyhow; Lu Han would have told Changmin, had he sensed it. Might as well get something out of this disastrous situation, and if it’s only a cup of coffee, then so be it. Yoochun’s coffee has always been exceptionally good.

-

He shouldn’t be surprised, but somehow, Changmin ends up telling Yoochun everything. It might have something to do with the liquor Yoochun had blatantly mixed into their mugs, but Changmin knows it’s mostly because he’s never been able to keep secrets from Yoochun. Changmin’s always told Yoochun everything.

“I’ve seen some pictures of Kai,” Yoochun tells him. “He’s very handsome. Nothing like me, of course, but I can see where you’d be attracted.”

“He’s the enemy.”

“You need to stop thinking of him like that,” Yoochun says. “Don’t you want him on your side? No one allies with people that hate them.”

“I don’t hate Kai.”

“Good job making that clear, I never would have guessed.”

Changmin pouts.

“You know I’m right,” Yoochun says, one eyebrow raised.

“Fuck you.”

“Any time, baby.” Yoochun grins. “I could never tire of you. Well, your legs, anyway. Your face is a tragedy, but we can’t have everything in life.”

Changmin throws a pillow at Yoochun, satisfied when it thunks against his head.

“Buck up,” Yoochun says, “either get it together or let it go. Either way, it sounds like you’ll get your Twelve.”

“Are you on his side?” Changmin asks.

Yoochun shrugs. “I’m on my own side. Always have been. The point is: do you really have a problem?”

“Fuck you,” Changmin says again.

“Like I said. Any time, Changmin, any time.”

-

They take a plane back to Seoul the next day, and all Changmin hears in his head is Yoochun’s admonishment. Do you really have a problem? Yes, Changmin thinks, he does. Kai has always been a problem and always will be a problem, albeit a sexy one. Or maybe he’s more of a problem because he’s sexy? Changmin’ll have to take a sedative tonight to fall asleep. His head is pounding.

But the fates are not favorable.

When he keys into his apartment that night, exhausted and ready for bed, there’s a message on his phone, waiting for him. He has no idea how Kai might have gotten his number, but it’s definitely him; Changmin would recognize that voice anywhere.

He leaves an address along with a warning to come alone, and with a sad sigh, Changmin kisses his relaxing evening goodbye. He tries to call Yunho, but when his commander doesn’t answer, Changmin leaves a voice message of his own and thinks that if Kai kills him, Yunho will at least have a lead to follow.

Changmin had expected a love motel, but when he arrives at the address, finds himself pleasantly surprised; for encroaching dangerously on the city limits, it’s an actual hotel, and not a bad one at that.

Kai’s in the room when Changmin keys in, and they stand there a moment, eyes roaming over one another before Kai sprawls himself comfortably over a couch and grins. “You actually came.”

Changmin snorts.

“I was skeptical,” Kai continues, “but here you are. Have a seat.”

Changmin stays standing. “Is there something important you wanted? Like maybe to tell me you’re willing to be on our side?”

“I’m not on your side,” Kai scoffs, “and I don’t ever want to be.”

“You can’t do this alone, Kai.”

“You have no idea what I am capable of doing.”

“So then why did you call me, if we’re just going to have the same discussion as before?”

Kai grins. “Just for fun,” he says.

“For fun? What does that mean?”

In the low light of the room, Kai’s skin is practically glowing, and as he stands and walks over, Changmin has a hard time imagining the way Kai would look without the white cotton shirt covering his torso, or how he would look if he lost the pants.

“It means I want more of this,” Kai tells him. He fists the front of Changmin’s coat , and even if he had wanted to (which he doesn’t), Changmin wouldn’t have been able to stop those lips from pressing up against his or the hands that pull off his jacket and his shirt and then his belt. “If you want,” Kai says as he drops onto his knees.

And oh, does Changmin want.

It’s everything he has imagined over the past few days (for as long as he’d been chasing Kai, if he’s going to be honest), and he’s past caring about what this means. Is there such a thing as Stockholm Syndrome even though he’s had no contact with Kai at all? All that matters is how fucking amazing Kai’s lips look as they wrap around Changmin’s cock and how fucking amazing it feels as Kai swallow Changmin down whole. “Gods,” Changmin gasps, and wraps strands of Kai’s hair around his fingers and thrusts shallowly. Kai moans around him, and Changmin loses it, lets go, lets Kai press Changmin’s hips back and take control because Changmin can’t pretend that this isn’t exactly what he’s wanted all along.

-

Yunho’s waiting for him when he gets back, frown permanently etched into his face. “Please tell me you didn’t just go see Kai.” It’s in his I’m very disappointed in you voice. Changmin freezes. “Because if you did, then you’ve just given them the second to last piece of the puzzle they need to bind their powers.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Shim Changmin, how could you be so stupid?”

“What, Yunho?”

His commanding officer takes another step nearer. “I had Lu Han followed.”

“Okay.” Changmin draws out the word, waiting for a punchline.

“Like for-real followed. He keeps going back to that restaurant. Talks to the staff. I grew suspicious.”

Changmin still isn’t sure how this is related to Kai sucking Changmin’s dick (and sucking it really, really, well), but he waits. Yunho sometimes requires patience to get across his intent.

“So I fed him some information…incorrect information, that is.”

“About what?”

“About Lightning.”

“Seungri?” Changmin asks, “I thought he was in Japan.”

“He is,” Yunho nods, “hiding safe and sound, but I told Lu Han he’d come to visit because he had some important information about a weakness of Kai’s. A way to catch him.”

“There isn’t a way.”

“No,” Yunho agrees, “there isn’t, but I was very convincing and got Lu Han to believe me. I told him to keep it quiet and watch the place where Seungri was supposedly hiding to make sure he was kept safe.”

“Someone showed up?” Changmin guesses, stomach sinking.

“Yes.” Yunho nods. “And they destroyed the house. After they realized he wasn’t there, it went up in flames.”

“Fire,” Changmin guesses again, meaning the Fire Stone.

“Fire.” Yunho nods. “Though we didn’t see his face. But I didn’t hear anything from Lu Han until the embers had cooled. So I called him to my office, and he took one look at the security footage on my computer and ran out the door so fast I couldn’t even catch him.”

“He ran?”

“He ran,” Yunho confirms, “which means he has nothing left to lose.”

“But how is this related to Kai?” Changmin’s not sure they were using him as a distraction this time. If they had wanted Seungri’s DNA all they would have had to do is make Kai pop in to get it instead of sending Fire to completely demolish a building.

“I imagine Kai doesn’t know what happened,” Yunho says. “Changmin, I know you. I know exactly how you feel about him, and that’s a problem. Because once you get something in your head, once you want something, it’s all you can think about, and despite your brilliance, it narrows your vision, and you lose sight of the big picture.”

He’s right, of course. Changmin remembers one time a friend had taken him to an antique toy shop and Changmin had been so enthralled with the ancient plastic building blocks, he’d used his money for the day on an armful of sets, not even thinking about the fact that he had been using money set aside for food. It was as if his mind had been completely wiped of any rational thought as he had gotten caught up in his excitement.

“I know you wanted Kai, but Changmin…I don’t think he agreed to see you because he wants you back.”

“But he didn’t take anything. I certainly didn’t give him anything.”

Yunho crosses his arms. “Shim Changmin.”

Changmin swallows. “Y-es?”

“Where did you just come back from visiting?”

“…Bora Bora.”

“And why were you there?”

“To make sure Junsu’s DNA hadn’t been-“

Changmin trails off, brain finally pushing past the happy glow in his body and the lingering images of Kai’s mouth. In comes horror. “Oh, god.”

Yunho snorts.

“My DNA. He wanted to sleep with me to get my DNA.”

“And now,” Yunho says, “I’m the only one left of the Twelve that hasn’t had their DNA whisked away, and I’m without a Telepath to track any of them. So tell me, Changmin. What are we going to do about that?”

-

Jongin barricades himself in his room when he gets back, ignoring the pounding on the door from outside and decides to take a shower. There’s guilt edging in on him, because it’s not difficult to see how much Changmin’s attracted to Kai. Kai, Jongin reminds himself, my persona, my lie. Not my real self. Still, it doesn’t make it any easier.

Though, Changmin is rather sexy. It made sleeping with him a lot easier.

“I still don’t understand,” Lu Han says when Jongin finally emerges and hands over the DNA to Junmyeon before sitting down in front of a bowl of kimchi jjigae. “You could have plucked a hair. You didn’t have to have sex.”

“If I had popped in and plucked a hair and then left, he’d have immediately suspected something. We made out before, so I figured this would be the least suspicious. Plus, he is sexy.”

Baekhyun, who’s been leaning on Jongin’s shoulder as Jongin shovels down dinner, snorts suddenly, and stands. He doesn’t say anything as he leaves, but his nose is scrunched up, and Jongin wants to paste a sign on his back that says “kick me,” so that maybe someone could knock him down to size.

“Not sure you should say that with him around.”

“What?” Jongin takes another savage bite. “Why not?”

“Want to know what he was thinking?” Lu Han continues, “I’ll tell you. It was: ‘I’m sexy, too.’” He pats Jongin’s back as the thief chokes on a piece of tofu. “Think about it.”

Jongin doesn’t want to, not really. He doesn’t do feelings, and he’s pretty sure that’s what this mess is all about. Sleeping with Changmin had hurt Baekhyun’s feelings. But it had been for all of them, for the betterment of mankind and all that. Though, alright, Jongin has a growing inkling Baekhyun isn’t going to see it that way.

“He doesn’t see it that way,” Lu Han says. “He’s rather upset, and you should get over yourself and go talk to him.”

“More important things to worry about right now.”

“Like what?”

“Like how we’re going to get Yunho’s DNA,” Yifan says, stepping into the room, “since you up and ran off without snagging a toenail first.”

“Self-preservation instinct,” Lu Han sniffs.

“Should have slept with him,” Jongin says, and pats Lu Han’s shoulder. “Oh wait, I forgot. You already have. Too bad it wasn’t recently.”

“Jongin,” Yifan frowns.

“Jongin,” Lu Han echoes, in mockery.

“Wow, have I overstayed my welcome or what? Bye.”

“That’s not-” Yifan starts with a sigh.

But Jongin teleports away.

-

The first blast blows a hole through the brick wall of Yifan’s apartment building ten feet wide and a story tall. Wood and brick and glass spray in on them from all directions, only Sehun thinking fast enough to get a wall of wind up around them so they aren’t squashed to death. It’s only when the dust settles that he moves the wall of air over the hole itself, swirling thick and fast and keeping anything on the outside from barreling through it, at least for a time.

Yifan’s swearing. “Lu Han!”

“It’s a whole squad from NIS!”

“Changmin?” Junmyeon asks. He places a hand on Sehun’s shoulder, probably for support, but a moment later, there’s water swirling in the wind so fast, Jongin knows it will slice apart anyone that might be strong enough to get through.

“No.” Lu Han frowns. “I’ve never felt these minds before; it’s someone else.” But that doesn’t exempt Changmin and Yunho from being the ones that sent them.

Yixing’s healing a slash across Baekhyun’s forehead, blood dripping everywhere. Most everyone else is alright, and Jongin desperately wants to pop outside to get a grasp of the situation. But he knows better; they probably moved some things around in preparation of that, and if he teleports, he would most likely end up injuring himself.

Minseok moves to the wall of water and wind. “Let me make this ice.”

“That won’t hold them for long,” Yifan warns.

“Long enough for us to retaliate in kind.” Junmyeon nods. “Do it.”

It’s only seconds before the water freezes, ice several feet thick and stretching across the gap in the wall in the form of dangerous-looking icicles.

There’s at least three dozen men, Lu Han tells him, with enough artillery to level the entire apartment building and take them hostage. If they can manage to get a hold of any of them. They aren’t the Twelve for nothing.

“They’re getting ready to blast through the ice,” Lu Han relays.

“What do we need to get out of here?” Junmyeon asks.

“Zitao, Jongdae,” Yifan directs, “come with me. We’re going to empty the safe. Jongin, take Baekhyun to the roof so he can blind them for a little while. Chanyeol, you’re in charge of blowing their shit up.”

“We’ll keep them from getting inside,” Junmyeon says, a swirl of water circling his fingers.

“What about getting out of here?”

“I’ll make us a tunnel from the basement,” Kyungsoo says. “It’ll take me a few minutes.”

“I’ll go with him,” Lu Han says, “and I’ll give you all a heads up when it’s ready.”

A rumble from outside sets them scattering. Jongin grabs ahold of Baekhyun and Chanyeol, and in a moment, they’re on the rooftop, squinting in the sunlight. They peer over the edge cautiously, Jongin swearing when he sees that all the roads to the building are blocked off by numerous amounts of military. The firepower they’re packing is no joke.

“Blind them first,” Chanyeol says, rubbing his hands together, “and then I’ll tear into those tanks.”

“Can we get them to all point in the same direction? It’ll be easier to blind them and take less effort and concentration.”

“Yeah, I can get them to point at me,” Jongin says.

He’s not worried, as he’s done it before, but his hand shakes a little as he stands. There’s something different about this time; there’s more at stake now than ever. Baekhyun gives him a smile, and it’s enough to keep Jongin from throwing up.

He lifts himself up onto the edge of the building, balancing carefully. “Chanyeol, explode something so they see me.”

The rocks a few feet away do just that, fire and heat bursting forth and making Jongin sweat. It gets the reaction he’d wanted, and in a second, most of the face and guns below are pointing up at him.

And then he jumps, falling one story, two, knowing face and gun are trained on him. A second before he hits the ground, he teleports himself, and there’s a flash of blinding light as he slams back down next to Baekhyun.

He looks back over the edge in time to see Chanyeol direct a stream of fire at one tanker, and then another, and in a moment, half the block is on fire. “Nice,” Baekhyun comments.

TUNNEL IS DONE, Lu Han booms into their heads, and he sends Jongin a mental picture of it.

Chanyeol sends one final blast of heat, writing in fire onto the side of a wooden building next to a flaming tanker: MAYBE NEXT TIME SUCKERS . Jongin and Baekhyun are laughing even as they teleport down onto Kyungsoo’s neatly packed earth floor.

“What did you do?” Junmyeon asks, frowning at their grins.

“You don’t want to know,” Lu Han says, but he’s smiling too and high-fives Chanyeol as he pushes hair out of his face.

It takes a few minutes for them to make it down, Yifan and Zitao the final two to arrive, bags slung over their shoulders, no doubt filled with the contents of Yifan’s safe. Minseok and Jongdae take a few each, securing them around their backs and Yifan gives a particularly heavy looking one to Chanyeol.

“Are there bricks in here?” he demands.

“Gold bricks,” Yifan says. “Figured you’d be less likely to be bowled over by them than Junmyeon. Are we ready?”

“I’ve started towards the safe house,” Kyungsoo says. “I’ll close this up behind us as we go.”

“I’ll go ahead with Baekhyun to the restaurant,” Jongin offers. Thankfully, Junmyeon had brought the Stones with him before leaving the restaurant, but there’s still a lot of cash and jewels stashed away in the former brick oven that should be secured.

He doesn’t wait for Junmyeon’s nod, though he sees it in his peripheral vision as he grasps Baekhyun’s hand, and a second later, they land in the back room of the restaurant. They can hear the business bustling up front, and that’s a relief. Hopefully the NIS are cautious enough to not blast through a room full of innocent patrons. “Come on,” Jongin says.

It’ll take the others awhile to reach the safe house-an underground bunker near the ocean that Kyungsoo and Junmyeon had built years ago-but Jongin and Baekhyun move quickly anyhow, shoving the valuables into sacks in record time. Baekhyun informs the staff upfront that they are to keep the restaurant running, even if none of the regular staff show for a few days (weeks, Jongin thinks, wincing.) Their Light Stone had really taken to bossing people around, and Jongin’s surprised as the staff promise not to panic if they don’t see their bosses for awhile.

It’s a little bit of a relief, though Jongin feels a twinge of guilt because he’s sure that eventually, the restaurant will be overrun. He doesn’t expect Junmyeon or Kyungsoo or any of them to come back. Not ever.

The safe house, when they arrive, is dusty from disuse. There aren’t a lot of rooms; a kitchen, a living area, and several bedrooms scattered out towards the back. “We need to claim a big one,” Jongin tells Baekhyun, “before Yifan gets here and banishes us to the couch.”

They’ll have to share it with one or two other people, but if they play their cards right, Jongin thinks he can get Zitao and maybe Sehun; that will be tolerable, at least. More tolerable than Lu Han and Yifan, anyway. Nothing like an ex-boyfriend and control freak to ruin the mood.

“How long will it take them to get here?”

“Long enough.” Jongin shrugs. “They're a few miles away, and Kyungsoo can only tunnel so fast. They have to go around the subways and foundations. Yixing will keep his energy replenished as long as he can.”

“So we should just…wait?” Baekhyun asks, “You aren’t supposed to teleport them?”

“Can’t,” Jongin says, “because I don’t know what the tunnel looks like. I will if Lu Han sends me a picture, but otherwise, yes, we wait.”

Jongin’s not a complete idiot. He knows exactly what Baekhyun’s asking besides will we be alone, but he’s not sure what to do about it. He tries to make himself busy, putting away the valuables in the safe house’s vault, taking stock of the food in the refrigerator, thinking maybe they should make a grocery run so someone can cook later on in the evening.

But he finds himself drawn back to the bedroom, watching Baekhyun practicing with his Light, throwing colors and patterns up onto the ceiling with some of the sunlight filtering down from the tiny window up by the ceiling.

Baekhyun smiles when we sees Jongin watching, and Baekhyun crooks a finger, light swirling around the tip for a moment, hued pink. “Come here.”

Jongin stretches out on the bed, not sure what he’s thinking when his shirt rides on his stomach and he doesn’t pull it back down. He doesn’t miss the way Baekhyun’s eyes are drawn to his skin. “You’re a jerk for making me chase you all over the world,” Jongin tells him, and has to shut his eyes when Baekhyun’s finger traces the edge of his ribs.

“You’re a jerk for sleeping with Changmin.”

Jongin frowns. “That was for-”

“I know,” Baekhyun says. “You’re still a jerk.”

“But we needed-”

“You’re a jerk.”

Baekhyun slides forward on his side, finger pointing in Jongin’s face. The pink color disappears as Baekhyun wets his lips.

“I’m a jerk,” Jongin agrees, eyes fluttering shut as Baekhyun’s fingers thread into Jongin’s hair and pull his mouth to Baekhyun’s, the lights flickering across the walls dimming as Baekhyun loses his concentration and then disappearing altogether as Baekhyun rolls onto his back and sighs into Jongin’s mouth and their lips slide slick against each other.

“You don’t need to get DNA from me ,” Baekhyun says as Jongin nips at his ear, his jaw, kissing against his throat and his collarbone. His skin is so pale, so delicate. Jongin wonders how he’s managed to keep it like this; maybe it’s just the light.

“No,” Jongin agrees, letting Baekhyun tug his shirt off, “but even if I did, it wouldn’t be why I want you.” Though he has to wonder, if he had tried kissing Baekhyun instead of chasing him, would Jongin have been able to convince Baekhyun to be on their side sooner?

Their clothes come off piece by piece, and Jongin discovers that Baekhyun really likes to be bitten, loves hickeys sucked into every part of his skin, and the further down Jongin goes, the louder Baekhyun moans, the harsher he gasps.

This is different than it had been with Changmin. Changmin had been sexy, had been very good at reciprocating Jongin’s blow job and getting him off, but Baekhyun-Jongin’s infinitely more attracted to Baekhyun, to the sounds he makes, the whimpers and the stuttering of his breath, to the way his fingers curl on Jongin’s shoulders and then drag through Jongin’s hair as Jongin takes Baekhyun into his mouth and deep throats him.

Jongin has to grind against the bed to relieve some of the pressure on his own cock, moaning a little as Baekhyun pulls him back up to kiss him again, licking at the corner of his mouth.

Jongin has no idea where Baekhyun’d managed to produce lube since they’d only just gotten here, but it’s pressed into his hands, and gods, he can’t say no. Not with Baekhyun’s fingers sliding down Jongin’s dick as he thrusts his tongue into Jongin’s mouth and ok. Ok, Jongin gets it. He wants it too.

Kyungsoo’d better take a really long time tunneling the others over, Jongin thinks, as he slicks his fingers up with lube and curls them into Baekhyun’s body, entranced as Baekhyun arches off the bed with a shout, because honestly, Jongin could do this all day long.

-

A extraordinarily loud wolf whistle echoes in Jongin’s head, and he shoots upright with a start. He takes a minute to realize it’s Lu Han, who is close enough to the safe house to have read his mind and discover exactly what had happened. Baekhyun groans into a pillow.

Dude, Lu Han says into Jongin’s mind, we’re close. Better get cleaned up. Yifan’s in a foul mood..

Fuck you.

He ignores Lu Han’s retort and instead kisses Baekhyun until he’s smiling, wiping at his eyes. He pulls a little more sunlight into the room, lighting up their skin. They look a wreck, and so does the bed, but Jongin thinks it’s alright. At least no one else will want to come in here, and he’s totally okay with that.

“We’d better get up.”

Lu Han relays that they’ve got about twenty minutes, and they use ten to rinse themselves off, getting a little distracted with their lips, but they emerge clean and start filling pitchers of water. The others are going to be thirsty. Jongin’s in the middle of pulling out food (because they’ll be hungry as well) when the earth beneath them trembles.

The wall of the living room starts to shake, and Jongin watches in fascination as the entire thing moves apart like it has hinges, swinging back to let the rest of the Twelve stumble inside, dirty and sweating. Kyungsoo follows in the rear, dirt moving behind him, packing in tight, and the concrete and earth wall slides backwards, not a speck of dust out of place.

Baekhyun whistles.

Kyungsoo collapses, Jongin just barely managing to dash forward and catch him before his head cracks open, and they have to scrub his brains off the floor.

“Just think. Once we can bind the Twelve of us together, you won’t even break a sweat doing that,” Baekhyun tells him cheerily, and Kyungsoo groans before passing out altogether. Jongin lifts him easily.

“Better find a nice, clean bed for him,” Lu Han cackles, swinging an arm around Baekhyun’s shoulder. “Want some help?”

“No, thank you,” Jongin says icily. “I’m capable of carrying him all by myself. Stay away from me.”

“Why does Lu Han have his crazy face on?” Yifan asks. He’s still brushing a few stray bits of dirt clinging to his jacket.

“Oh,” Lu Han says, abandoning Baekhyun to cling to Yifan’s arm, “here, let me tell you all about it.”

And that’s my cue, Jongin thinks, making a beeline for another room before Yifan can start up a lecture.

-

After enduring dirty looks from both Yifan and Junmyeon, Jongin decides it’s high time to make himself useful. The apartment and all their things had been destroyed, courtesy, Lu Han tells them, of a trigger-happy general screaming until he was blue in the face. It’s all in a pile of rubble, Lu Han had said. Jongin had been too pissed off to cry, though not enough to be blind to the way Zitao had sort of sniffled into his sleeve.

Enough is enough.

He drags Lu Han away from Sehun in order to find out where Yunho is.

“Jongin,” Lu Han coos, “what are you planning?”

“Can you give me a picture of where he is or not?”

“Are you trying to fix my mistakes?”

“I’m trying to put an end to this.”

Lu Han laughs and gives Jongin a very vivid image of an apartment. “It’s Yunho’s. He’s with Changmin and will soon be very drunk.”

Jongin considers kissing him but thinks better of it. It would only reach Baekhyun’s ears and make him very upset. And that’s the last thing Jongin wants, though as he tells Baekhyun of his plan, quietly, while pretending to make out in the bathroom, that’s exactly what happens.

“I should come with you,” Baekhyun says, pouting, “for backup.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Jongin says. “Lu Han will be watching me. But just in case, if I’m not back in two hours, raise the alarm, alright?”

They do kiss then, light around them fading as Baekhyun’s concentration slips a little. “Be safe,” he admonishes.

Jongin grins, and then disappears.

-

Changmin notices him first, hand freezing halfway to his glass and twitching a moment, like he’s deciding on whether or not he should reach for his gun. Though it doesn’t look like he has one on him; in just jeans and a t-shirt, Changmin’s more casual than Jongin’s ever seen him.

“What?” Yunho is asking. He turns a bit, lips hovering over the edge of a tumblr, and when he sees Jongin leaning against the wall, nearly drops the glass, the alcohol splashing onto his fingers. Jongin can smell it even from six feet away.

“Why would you do that?” Jongin asks.

Yunho puts his drink down.

“Kai,” Changmin starts.

“You destroyed my home. If you’re still trying to convince me to be on your side, that was not the way to do it.”

“This coming from the Teleporter Who Robs Banks?”

“Yunho,” Changmin’s voice sounds a little like a warning. He bites his lip a moment before standing. “Want a drink?”

“No,” Jongin crosses his arms, trying to channel Kai through his anger, “I want an explanation.”

“That wasn’t us.”

“Oh, bullshit. Everything the NIS does is connected to you. You are the fucking NIS, and everyone knows it.”

“But not this time. We do have people over our heads, Kai, and they did this against our better judgement and wishes. And I’m sorry for that. I am.” Changmin takes another step. He does look desperate, eyebrows bent in on each other and teeth biting into his lips. “It wasn’t us.”

“Why do you care so much?” Jongin asks. “Why are you trying so hard to get me to believe you?”

“Do you have all Twelve Stones?” Yunho asks instead of answering.

Jongin considers lying, thinks it’s definitely not a smart idea to say yes, yes, Lu Han, and I found them all behind your back, but when he opens his mouth, “yes” is exactly what comes out.

“How did you find them?” Yunho asks.

Jongin shrugs. “Lu Han, how else? Yifan and Junmyeon are the ones that kept us all together.”

He probably shouldn’t have said their real names, Jongin thinks, but oh well. It can’t be undone, and by the way things are headed-if they really hadn’t sent those guards after them-then maybe letting the identities slip won’t be that much of a bother.

“If you really think you can pull it off, if you think you can tie the Twelve together, then I will give you my DNA.”

Changmin doesn’t look the least bit surprised when Yunho says this, and Jongin wonders if maybe they’d been talking about it over the half-empty bottle of whiskey.

“That’s what you really came for, isn’t it?” Yunho asks.

It is. Jongin wasn’t exactly sure of his plan, grab a hair, get some skin underneath his fingernails, and hopefully not die in the process. Teleportation against Yunho and Changmin weren’t ever good odds, so Teleportation against Fire and Light is at best dismal.

But now Yunho’s offering.

“Why?” Jongin asks. “Why give it to me, after all this time?”

“Because I lost,” Yunho admits. “You’ve got Twelve Stones eleven DNA serums. You don’t want to be on our side so…try it. Try and see if you can bind yourselves together.”

“Besides,” Changmin says, “if you fail, then there will be another Twelve for us to find.”

And isn’t that a comforting thought?

“Why…why did you want us so badly?” Jongin asks.

“To fix what we fucked up,” Changmin says, “to do what we were supposed to do correctly. But you’ve already accomplished more than we ever did, so at this point,” he shrugs, “we can only let you try.”

Yunho reaches into his pocket, pulling out a vial and tossing it. Jongin catches it almost blindly. “You were waiting for me.”

“Lu Han told me you were coming. Though I didn’t think he meant immediately, otherwise I would not have been so…drunk.” His smile is rueful.

“Lu Han is a bastard.”

“He’s the one that convinced me to do this,” Yunho sighs. “Damn Telepaths. I hate them all.”

“Not all of them,” Changmin hums.

Yunho sighs. “You’d better go, Kim Jongin. If you need anything, we’ll help. You have my word.”

He waves a hand before disappearing into another room, bottle of whiskey clutched tight in his hand.

“Jongin,” Changmin starts, “was-when you slept with me. Was it really just for my DNA?”

He looks just this side of desperate, like he doesn’t want Jongin to say yes, and Jongin feels a twinge of guilt. But then he thinks of Baekhyun and his fingers and the way they crook when he wants Jongin to do something, the way they tremble when Jongin has him pressed up against a wall. He thinks of Baekhyun’s smile and the way he lights up, literally, when he’s happy, and the way he sighs into Jongin’s shoulder, fits into the spaces of Jongin’s body like no one else ever has.

“It was,” Jongin says, “I’m sorry.”

He leaves before he can see the disappointment.

Junmyeon is spitting when Jongin teleports back to the safe house, and Yifan’s face is so red, Jongin swears he’s going to have a heart attack any second. But arms come around Jongin’s middle (Baekhyun’s, Jongin thinks, happiness spreading through him,) and he finds he could care less about anything except that. Light shifts at the edges of his vision, sparkling happily.

“I cannot fucking believe,” Yifan starts.

“When Baekhyun said you’d gone to-” Junmyeon says at the same time.

Jongin holds out the vial, stopping them mid-sentence. “Yunho’s DNA.” He turns to where Lu Han’s fixing his hair in a mirror, grinning at himself. “And you. You could have told me they knew I was coming.”

“But that would have been no fun,” Lu Han says. Baekhyun’s arms nearly keep Jongin from breathing.

“Lu Han,” Yifan starts, as Junmyeon looks about ready to cry.

“Oh, stop. This is all very silly. We have Twelve Stones and Twelve People and all the DNA. Now let’s do something about it.”

-

“You’re pathetic,” Yunho tells Changmin, once Kai is gone. “You shouldn’t have a broken heart over him.”

“It was really good sex.” And alright, so he had harbored a bit of a crush. Kai had been a breath of fresh air in his dull life , a point of light since the first moment when Changmin had discovered his own power of Light. He’d given Changmin a reason to live again, a purpose after losing his own. Though, in retrospect, perhaps Changmin fell in love with that , rather than with Kai himself.

“We need a vacation,” Yunho swirls his glass.

“A long one,” Changmin agrees, and sighed as Yunho’s arm came around his shoulder. “Any place in mind?”

Yunho gave him a thoughtful stare and somehow, Changmin knew exactly what his friend was going to say.

“I was thinking of Bora Bora.”

Changmin finds himself smiling. “Sounds perfect,” he admits, and they drink to it.

-

Jongin feels like a new person. The effects of the binding spell had boosted his powers a hundredfold, and to some extent, had made him able to sense the other eleven and their powers as well. He sizzled with strength; it was like a drug.

Having their boundaries expanded also meant having control issues. Chanyeol left flaming footprints as he walked around the living room, and Junmyeon accidentally doused the entire safe house in water while trying to put them out. But there were also new discoveries: Minseok could freeze anything, not just water, could crystallize with a single touch of a finger. When they woke one morning to find a couch floating in mid air, they discovered Lu Han could move just about anything with his mind and that he no longer needed an object to focus his telepathy onto a person. He could just find them.

Everyone’s powers had developed in ways they never could have imagined.

And they have so much work to do. There are areas soaked with radiation that need to be cleaned up and parts of the world outside of the Walls so desolate and broken that even with all their powers combined, it will takes years to fix. There is so much wrong that needs to be right.

But they can do it, Jongin knows. It will be some time before they start, until they have a handle on themselves not just as part of the Twelve, but as a group of friends. That is okay too, though. They’ll get through it all.

And if not, Jongin thinks, at least he has Baekhyun.

“Glad I caught you,” Jongin whispers into his ear one night, when he finds he can’t sleep.

“Excuse you,” Baekhyun grumbles, shoving him, “you did not catch me. I could have gotten away any time.”

“Yeah right,” Jongin shoots back, and finds himself unceremoniously dumped onto the floor of their room. “Ow.”

“Don’t piss me off. I can totally take you in a fight.”

Jongin rights himself, stumbling back a few steps to stare angrily at the bed. He doesn’t like being made a fool, and he spins on his feet, huffing, pretending to be suddenly interested in the hideous painting on the wall.

“Kim Jongin,” Baekhyun says.

Jongin turns. Baekhyun’s kneeling on the bed, bare chest glistening in the low light from the moon outside, and he’s got a finger pointed in Jongin’s face. He’s beautiful. The finger crooks, the corner of Baekhyun’s mouth twitching because he knows. He knows Jongin can’t refuse him.

Jongin could fight it, could wage a war of words neither of them would mean, and have a playful argument just for the sake of it, for the pleasure of riling Baekhyun up. But that would mean five, ten, fifteen minutes away from him, out of his arms and his light. Honestly, Jongin doesn’t want that. Not ever.

Baekhyun’s off the bed halfway to the door. “Come and catch me,” Baekhyun says, “if you’re so confident.”

Jongin manages to grab Baekhyun’s fingers before he can get out the door. He thinks of several things he could say, all of them cliche and terrible, and he can only imagine what Lu Han would say if he heard them. But Baekhyun leans in before Jongin can open his mouth and presses a kiss to his lips. “Admit it,” Jongin whispers, “you’re super happy.”

“Unbelievably,” Baekhyun nods.

Jongin smiles and lets Baekhyun pull him back down onto the bed.

-

Sobs ok. Thank you to A. for being a speedy beta and being generally sweet and kind. Also to an anonymous individual (hopefully you know who you are,) that enabled me to start this and said the idea was not a complete lost cause or waste of time. <3