What Doesn't Kill You: Chapter 7
Title: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger
Pairing: HanChul, KyuChul, EunKiHae, KangTeuk, YeWook, other may appear in the future
Rating: R
Genre: AU, Action, Superhero (is that a genre?)
Summary: When Cho Kyuhyun was infected with the GAM Virus, he’d thought he was going to die. Everyone who got it did. If you contracted the virus, you were as good as gone. There was no treatment, no cure, and nothing to aid you toward a quick death. It was slow, painful, and most people committed suicide-or had loved one’s aid them in doing so-before the disease took them willingly.
Or that’s what he’d thought, anyway.
Notes: This chapter would have been out last night if Livejournal had been kind. But it wasn’t. It still isn’t. I’ve had to redo the entire chapter and put in hyperlinks in Microsoft Word…but it is here now.
Chapter 6 <-------- > Chapter 8
Character Profiles
Side Story: Siwon
Side Story: Hangeng
Side Story: Yesung
---
Children! Lots of children and-hot dog? Was that a hot dog?
Donghae’s tail wagged furiously as he jumped around Shindong.
“I’m going to have to put you on a leash if you don’t calm down.” Shindong replied grumpily as he slipped on his sunglasses and continued walking down the sidewalk. “Aish, why do I have to do this? Parents are going to think I’m some kind of pedophile…” He sat down on one of the benches lining the park and sighed.
Donghae sniffed the bench. Then he sniffed Shindong’s leg because geeze the grass he’d been walking through smelled like squirrel! Where was the squirrel? He needed to find the squirrel now.
“Calm down, idiot.” Shindong muttered, “We’re working.”
The last little bit was said under his breath but Donghae, being an Irish Setter, heard it perfectly. If he’d been human he would have pouted. Instead, his ears flopped down and his tail wagged a little less exuberantly. He sat down on his hind legs and tried to hold still.
Shindong gave a soft sigh. Recon was boring, especially when they still had twenty minutes before the person they were watching got there. He put in his earphones and stood. "Alright, let's go." He began jogging, Donghae following at his heels.
Why couldn't he have been a dog? It looked so much easier for Donghae to run than Shindong. Donghae actually looking like he were enjoying himself, zigzagging behind him and in front, tail wagging.
Shindong sighed. This...was going to be a long recon mission.
---
Shindong seemed to be getting tired. Why was he tired? It was a beautiful day out and there was so much to do! So many things to smell! So many things to pee on! Donghae let his tongue hang out, panting softly as Shindong stopped by the water fountain to get a drink.
Donghae wiggled on his hind legs, trying to keep still. He wanted to keep moving. He wanted to play! No, he had to remember that he was Donghae the human. He couldn't be Donghae the dog-that-really-liked-sniffing-other-dog's-butts. He had a job to do. Right. Focus.
Shindong began running again and Donghae followed, a bit more sedately than before.
Donghae trotted easily by Shindong’s side until he heard a shriek of laughter. Laughter meant children and children meant food! His ears perked and he turned his head in the direction of the sound and paused.
A second later he tore away from Shindong and lunged. He felt himself collide with the little girl and she tumbled to the right with a scream and then something hit him and all he felt was blinding pain before everything went black.
Shindong had been changing the song on his iPod when Donghae had made a mad dash toward the street. It seemed to happen in slow motion as Donghae hit the little girl and knocked her across the road and then the Ice Cream truck hit with a sickening crunch. Donghae went flying a few feet before he hit the asphalt and then tumbled to a slow stop.
People had begun screaming, but Shindong was focused only on Donghae. Donghae wasn’t moving.
Shindong didn’t know how he got to Donghae’s side so quickly, only that he’d had to shove several people aside to get there. He knelt down and his eyes darted from the blood pooling out from under him to Donghae’s soft whimpers.
Fuck. Oh fuck, what the hell was happening!? Shindong scooped up Donghae, trying to be as careful as possible with his injuries. The movement caused Donghae to give a sharp yelp before going limp.
Donghae was heavy, but that didn’t matter. Shindong’s ears were ringing and the adrenaline coursing through his body made Donghae feel lighter than air. He was warm and bleeding and breathing. He was breathing and that was all that mattered. Heechul will kill me. Donghae was Heechul’s favorite. Heechul will kill me or he’ll have Sungmin or Yesung or Siwon do it. And they would.
Especially Sungmin. He’d probably enjoy it.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” The Ice Cream truck owner had gotten out of his vehicle and was blabbering in barely understandable Korean. Or was it hard to hear because Shindong was panicking so much and Donghae was bleeding out in his arms.
He shoved past the driver, past the crowd that had surrounded them, including the little girl that Donghae had saved and her mother.
“Is doggy going to be alright?” The girl asked her mother worriedly.
“I don’t know honey.” Her mother answered softly.
Shindong didn’t know either.
---
The drive to the apartment was the longest ride of his life. Donghae whimpered in the back seat, and Shindong sped as much as possible, wishing that his power could be useful at a time like this.
The adrenaline was still controlling his body, so his arms were pleasantly numb as he hauled Donghae out of the car and into the elevator. The ride up to their floor took long, too long, but Donghae had stopped bleeding thanks to Shindong’s jacket that he’d wrapped around him before putting him in the car.
As the elevator dinged and the doors slid open he realized that he’d have to put Donghae down to open the front door. Not enough time for that. He’d have to kick it down and hope that Donghae lived and they’d forgive him for breaking it.
He lifted his foot but at that moment the door swung open and Siwon smiled, “Hyung! What are you-what happened!?” His smile morphed into a look of horror and he threw the door open as Shindong stumbled inside. His energy had begun to fade, and his arms were aching, he was breathing so hard he couldn’t speak.
Kibum and Eunhyuk were in the living room with Siwon, and Kangin had just appeared from the kitchen. Kibum stood hurriedly, awkward and off balance because he’d just gotten out of his cast. Eunhyuk had leapt over the back of the couch and was racing over. “Donghae!”
“I didn’t know what to do!” Shindong gasped out, his lungs on fire. “I couldn’t take him to a vet but…”
“Hand him over-” Kibum began, but Eunhyuk had shoved in front of him.
“Eunhyuk, I need to look him over.” Kibum ground out.
“Get some gloves on.” Eunhyuk answered back tersely. Donghae was whimpering.
“I’ll get Ryeowook,” Siwon was running out the apartment door a second later, faster than they could see. What a useful power, Shindong thought bitterly because he realized that Kangin was grabbing Donghae out of his arms and he suddenly felt very very sore.
Shindong slumped down to the ground with a groan as Kangin carried Donghae out to the medical room, Eunhyuk at his heels and Kibum limping not far behind.
---
After the bleeding had been stopped, the injuries were less severe than they’d expected. Aside from a few cuts-and a large gash on his thigh that had been the cause for all the blood in the first place-Donghae came out with two broken ribs and a sprained ankle.
The hardest part had been forcing him awake to turn back into a human. The only one with any knowledge of animal anatomy was Yesung and he had no medical skills at all. By the time the makeshift surgery was finished and Donghae was awake and fully conscious everyone had been informed of the incident.
Yesung and Leeteuk had been out on their own mission during that time-a broken elbow didn’t mean Leeteuk couldn’t do recon-and Sungmin and Kyuhyun had been in the gym when Siwon had rushed downstairs to explain the details, Hangeng behind him. The fact that Hangeng was there meant that Siwon hadn’t used his gift to come find them, and that was oddly comforting. It meant Donghae was ok, right?
Sungmin had gone up to check on Donghae with Siwon, but Hangeng held Kyuhyun back. “Right now it’s just them.”
Just them. Just those that had been at the training facility. Kyuhyun swallowed back an angry retort. “Can’t I go take a shower, then?” He snapped, and Hangeng nodded, looking tired. Kyuhyun knew he was taking his frustration out on the wrong person, but he was worried and tired and left out.
He practically stomped to the elevator and glowered the entire ride up to their floor before trudging into the apartment, not sparing a glance at the opposite door that led to the debriefing room where ‘they’ were.
He wasn’t surprised to see Leeteuk there without Yesung, despite that they’d come back from their mission together. Yesung would be with the others, after all.
He was surprised that no one came to tell them that everything was ok. Kibum and Ryeowook, who had patched Donghae up, had been back for hours. The group inside the debriefing room continued talking or whatever it was they were doing until around ten that evening when Siwon walked through the front door with a small smile.
“Hey, we’re done. Donghae’s pretty hungry.”
“I’ll make him something.” Ryeowook leapt up from the couch and headed for the kitchen. The others had all converged on the hallway, Eunhyuk and Kibum in the lead with Eunhyuk making sure the others didn’t knock Kibum down.
Kyuhyun knew that there was a problem the moment he walked into the debriefing room to see Donghae throw a cup of coffee on Sungmin and storm off, limping and in pain, face twisted in fury.
Kibum grabbed Donghae on his way out, “Idiot, what are you-”
“Don’t touch me!” Donghae yelled back, shoving past him, the pain killers he’d been given the only reason he could even stand.
Kibum took a step back, surprised by Donghae’s tone.
Kyuhyun had never seen Donghae angry before. It was an unnerving experience. Eunhyuk had gone after Donghae, shooting Kibum an apologetic look. The younger man simply turned to Sungmin with a cold stare. “What did you do?”
Sungmin wasn’t intimidated. “Donghae’s injury ruins the entire mission setup.” He began peeling off his shirt, thankful that the coffee had only been hot and not scalding. “I merely suggested that Kibum take on Donghae’s injuries for the time being since they weren’t fatal.”
If Eunhyuk had heard this, he probably would have been just as furious. As it were he was probably getting the full rant from Donghae anyway. Kibum, on the other hand, didn’t seem angry or surprised at all by Sungmin’s suggestion.
“…I’ll talk to him.” He murmured softly.
“No need, we’ll substitute Ryeowook for Donghae.” Heechul finally answered, not looking up from his computer screen. Kyuhyun almost jumped. He’d forgotten that Heechul was even there.
“Ryeowook?” Leeteuk questioned aloud.
“He’ll be with Yesung and I.” Heechul repeated, finally looking up, his expression neutral. “He can shoot a gun, and Yesung and I will cover him for anything else. He’s the only person we can easily move between groups.”
Heechul stood, shutting his laptop and slipping it into his briefcase. “Yesung, go tell Ryeowook. I’ll need to debrief him on the new plan and make some adjustments.”
Yesung nodded, heading out of the room silently.
“What were you guys talking about?” Leeteuk finally broached.
Heechul was halfway to the door himself. “Hm?”
“Earlier. In here.” Leeteuk motioned around the debriefing room. They all knew he was referring to the ‘useful’ members holing themselves up all day.
Heechul gave a small smile, the sardonic twitch of his lips that was altogether mocking and placating. “Nothing important. Don’t worry about it.” A warning, one that they all heard.
Kyuhyun swallowed and stepped aside as Heechul walked to the doorway. He paused upon spotting the other boy. “Kyuhyun-ah, you should be practicing.”
And then he was gone, Sungmin following behind silently.
---
It was muggy and hot inside, and the smell of potting soil and a pollen was suffocating.
Ryeowook eased the plant into the pot, carefully sifting more soil over the exposed roots. He could feel a piece of Styrofoam digging its way under his fingernail and ignored it.
He always came to the greenhouse to relieve stress. There was something soothing about the smell of earth and a dozen or so flowers. He didn’t have to worry about the flowers judging whether or not he was useful. And there was a lot to be stressed about.
He'd gotten to the kitchen to prepare Donghae's food when the other man had stormed into the apartment, furious. Ryeowook had decided that Donghae hadn't wanted food and had headed to the roof to avoid the argument he knew was coming.
“Hey,” Yesung’s voice cut through the silence and Ryeowook almost jumped. He hadn’t even heard Yesung come in but he knew he must have knocked. Yesung always knocked.
“Hi.” Ryeowook managed back, trying to still the beating of his heart at the small shock. He turned back to his plants and felt Yesung come up behind him, peering over his shoulder.
“It’s pretty.” Yesung reached out and brushed his fingers along the petal of a flower sitting on the shelf. “What kind of plant is it?”
“It’s called adenium obseum.” Ryeowook supplied, “I have to replant it soon. I just got it so it hasn’t grown much yet but it’s usually much larger. It’s used in Tanzania as arrow poison for hunting.”
Yesung withdrew his hand quickly, as if burnt, and began wiping his fingers on his jeans. “It’s poisonous!?”
Ryeowook laughed softly. “Only the sap. Not the leaves.”
Yesung paused, and looked down at his hands warily.
Ryeowook grabbed the pot he’d been working with and picked it up, hefting the plant up into his arms and heading for the other side of the greenhouse. Yesung followed. “Why did you come up here?”
“Because of Donghae’s injury, Heechul hyung wants you to come with us for the mission.”
Ryeowook almost dropped the plant.
He hurriedly corrected his hold and slid it to the ground safely, before turning to Yesung with wide, disbelieving eyes. “Are you serious? But my power won’t help.”
“You’ll be fine.” Yesung answered.
“I can talk to plants and I can hear them, but they never talk back. How could they? They’re just plants.” Ryeowook sighed. “I can’t control them or anything cool like that. They’re just stupid plants. Sometimes I wonder if I even have a power at all.”
“Of course you do. We’ll find a use for it eventually.” Yesung gave a weak grin.
“There is no use for it. What could you do with this kind of gift?” Ryeowook sighed, reaching out to brush some dirt off of a leaf. “Yesung hyung…do you really think I can help?”
“Of course.” Yesung’s hand was warm on his shoulder. “You can do it.” Ryeowook turned to see the older man smiling, “Come on I’m hungry. Want to go and eat?”
Yesung always had so much confidence in him…Ryeowook wished he were able to believe in himself just a fraction of what Yesung did.
---
Kyuhyun took a sip of his orange juice and swallowed. The sound seemed loud in the silence and his gaze went to the remote sitting on the coffee table, begging him to pick it up and turn the TV on.
His eyes flickered to his left, to where Kibum sat on the other couch, casually flipping through a magazine. He was very obviously not reading it, his eyes fastened on the man on the loveseat across the way.
Donghae was glowering, hunkered down on the loveseat with pillows pushed under him to elevate him properly-Kibum had directed Leeteuk from the couch-and he was staring down at his hands, blatantly ignoring Kibum’s gaze.
Eunhyuk sat beside Kyuhyun, looking utterly lost as to what to do.
The moment Kibum had come into the room and Donghae had spotted him the older boy had stated that Kibum wasn’t allowed near him at all.
This had led to a rather large fight between the two, in which Kibum called Donghae immature and stubborn and said that the mission plans were going to be completely ruined because of it. Then he’d limped over to the couch and sat there and that had begun the one-sided staring contest.
Eunhyuk cleared his throat but neither Kibum or Donghae looked at him. He let out a small sigh a few seconds later and turned to Kyuhyun, silently seeking commiseration.
Kyuhyun was simply confused because he had no idea what to do when two people in a threesome were fighting. Hell, he didn’t know what to do when couples fought. And he wasn’t even certain if the three of them were a threesome or if they were simply really close friends. He’d never seen-or heard-them do anything sexual like Heechul and Hangeng.
He let out his own sigh and leaned back against the couch. “Should we turn the TV on?”
“Kibum said we can’t.” Eunhyuk mumbled, fiddling with his hands. He looked like he wanted to grab the remote too. The tense silence was awkward. “He said that until Donghae agrees to let him take on his injuries, he isn’t allowed to watch TV.”
“I’m right here!” Donghae shot back petulantly, pressing down further against his pillows, eyes trained ahead at the wall. “And that’s fine. I don’t need the TV.”
“You don’t want Kibum hyung to take on Donghae’s injuries either so why don’t you just ignore him?” Kyuhyun finally asked.
“I can hear you too.” Kibum drawled, turning a page.
Eunhyuk’s eyes darted to Kibum and then back to Kyuhyun. He leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “Donghae may have the useful power but Kibum is scary when he’s angry.”
Kyuhyun opened his mouth to say more when Heechul walked down the hall and into the living room and pointed at him. “Come on kid.”
“Where are you guys going?” Leeteuk asked from the doorway, his right arm in its sling, looking tired. He’d come out when Donghae and Kibum had begun fighting and then retired to the kitchen for some coffee when he’d seen that the argument wasn’t going to escalate.
“I’m taking Kyuhyun out on a mission.”
“A mission?” Leeteuk’s brow furrowed. “But until Friday we don’t have anything planned.”
“It’s something that just came up.”
Leeteuk pursed his lips, but gave a small shrug-and a wince as his arm moved and his elbow began to ache, “Ok, how many people-”
“Just Kyuhyun and I.” Heechul gave a small grin. “We’re going to get Donghae a present. To cheer him up.”
Donghae blinked, looking up from glaring down at his lap. “A present?”
Heechul leaned over and patted him on the cheek. “A good one, dongsaeng, I promise.” His gaze locked onto Kyuhyun, who was still staring in barely veiled confusion. “Let’s go.”
---
Kyuhyun hadn’t ever expected Heechul to take him on a mission. He still wasn’t that good with his mental flashdrive and until he could archive that information efficiently he figured he wouldn’t be of much help for anything.
Also, there was the fact that Kyuhyun was certain Heechul didn’t like him all that much and his own odd feelings he got whenever he was around the older man.
They’d walked for twenty minutes before finally getting into the busy downtown district. Heechul had casually paid for their bus tickets and sat down in a seat near the back. Kyuhyun reluctantly sat beside him, feeling awkward at being so close to the other man.
He wanted to ask him what this mission was about-because getting Donghae a present really didn’t seem like a mission at all-but then Heechul shifted and his leg brushed against Kyuhyun’s and it became much more difficult to focus on anything at all with their legs pressed against one another, shoulders bumping with each right turn.
The bus came to a stop and Heechul nudged him with his elbow. “This is our stop.”
Kyuhyun almost jumped at the contact. “Ah, right.” He stepped into the aisle and nearly stumbled to the door, Heechul following behind silently with a bemused expression.
“Come on, you want something to eat?”
Kyuhyun had stepped off the bus only to have Heechul grab his arm and drag him down the street.
“Something to eat?”
“You didn’t eat breakfast, right? Well I haven’t, so even if you have we’re going to get something. You can’t go shopping for presents on an empty stomach.”
Why me? Why did you ask me to come with you if you’re just shopping for presents? Why didn’t you ask Hangeng hyung? He wanted to ask these questions but instead, “Leeteuk hyung said that the government is looking for you. Shouldn’t we go someplace quieter?” Less conspicuous?
Heechul scoffed. “Don’t you know that the best way to hide is in plain sight? Besides, the government has more problems to deal with than our lunch date.”
Kyuhyun knew that Heechul hadn’t meant lunch date like that but he still felt his cheeks heat up a little as Heechul led him into a small café. Heechul slumped into the booth opposite Kyuhyun after ordering from the flustered waitress-he’d ordered something for Kyuhyun as well when the younger boy hadn’t answered right away but he didn’t know what it was-and Kyuhyun took the opportunity to study him.
It seemed so awkward sitting here with him, dressed as he was in his stylish black coat and maroon knitted beret-the red mixed with his new blonde hair only made his eyes stand out even more sharply. He looked kind of like a model, which was probably why the waitress had been so nervous and giggly.
Kyuhyun lifted a hand to his face and let his gloved hand run along his cheek. Even though he couldn’t feel the oiliness with his fingers he could still feel the tiny bumps of his acne. He bit the inside of his cheek and leaned back in the booth.
The waitress arrived a few minutes later with their food and drinks. Heechul hadn’t made an attempt to talk to Kyuhyun during that time, seemingly ignoring him as he stared out the window at the people on the streets.
Kyuhyun looked down at the glass of juice and his pastry and then over to Heechul’s coffee and buttered croissant. His meal looked utterly childish in comparison, and well, Heechul had gotten it for him so did that mean he just assumed Kyuhyun only liked sweets?
“How can you drink that?”
Heechul blinked, looking up from his meal. “Drink what?”
“How can you drink your coffee without…” Kyuhyun trailed off, unable to say more.
Heechul’s lips twitched up into his usual smirk and he reached for his coffee again. “Styrofoam.”
“Huh?”
“It’s not biodegradeable.” Heechul supplied, as if that was all the answer that Kyuhyun needed before taking another sip.
“But the coffee itself…” Kyuhyun continued, and Heechul rolled his eyes in annoyance and leaned forward.
“Idiot, I don’t want to talk about this anymore. It’s too hot to taste it if it spoils. That’s all.”
Kyuhyun remained silent after that, grabbing for his juice. Too hot to taste if it was spoiled? So anything that touched Heechul’s lips would rot, wouldn’t it? Kyuhyun swallowed, trying to think of eating rotten food. His stomach churned at the thought and his juice suddenly tasted sickeningly sweet. He swallowed and pushed his pastry aside. He didn’t feel like eating it now.
Not when he saw Heechul tear off a small bit of his croissant and pop it into his mouth and all he could imagine was the croissant turning to ash.
“You’re not eating.” Heechul muttered, taking another swig of his coffee before placing the half-empty cup down. “Well, we’re almost late anyway. Come on.”
Kyuhyun was glad to get away from his food, even if he was hungry. His appetite was off and on as his stomach did flip flops. Heechul placed the money on the counter and flashed the waitress a soft smile that almost sent her swooning and Kyuhyun followed behind obediently.
---
Kyuhyun stood on the front porch of the white-washed house and wondered how they were going to get Donghae’s “present” here. He turned to Heechul in question as the other man lifted his hand to the doorbell, “What are we doing here?”
Heechul gave him a small smile, and the crazed tinge to it sent a shiver down Kyuhyun’s spine. “Just visiting an old friend.” He rang the doorbell.
“Coming!” Came the gruff call from inside, voice muffled.
There was the sound of turning locks before the door opened a few centimeters, “Who is it-you!”
By the time the man had gotten a good look at Heechul he’d already pushed himself inside, gloved hand over the man’s face as he shoved him back against the couch a few feet away. “Kyuhyun, close the door, will you?”
Kyuhyun, still standing in the open doorway, hurriedly did as he was told; watching as Heechul easily subdued the older man even as he flailed. Heechul tightened his grip on the man’s jaw, saw the color draining from the man’s face as he struggled even harder.
He gave a manic grin and picked the man up-strong, he was so much stronger than Kyuhyun thought, how could he throw the other man around so easily?-and threw him onto the ground, digging his shoe into the man’s throat.
The older man gave a choked gurgle, hands gripping Heechul’s leg, trying to get him off. Heechul remained unmoved. He bent down, resting his upper body on his knee-the knee connected coincidentally to the foot pressed against the man’s throat. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I expected you to have a bigger house, but I suppose that would have been too flashy. You were always such a modest old man.”
The man continued to choke, spitting up pink-stained saliva. It frothed at the corners of his mouth. Kyuhyun simply stared, unsure of what to do. He should have been shocked at the crazed glimmer in Heechul’s gaze and his sudden violence, but he wasn’t. To say he wasn’t afraid would have been a lie but…surprised by this turn of events he was not.
Was this man working for the government? Did they need to get some information out of him? That must have been why Heechul had brought him here! He needed him to get the information out of him. But…he’d never tried to archive anything more than a few pages of information.
He reached for one of his gloves hesitantly, tugging on the edge. “I-I could try-”
“You haven’t practiced enough yet, and we aren’t here for information.” Heechul replied coolly, heel still pressed to the man’s windpipe. “Go find some duct tape, will you?”
Kyuhyun didn’t know what Heechul was going to do but he had a feeling that it would not be pretty. He scrambled to get the tape, however, rummaging through the office shelves and the computer desk. Saying no to Heechul was impossible, anyway, so there was no point in trying to argue with him.
He found it, running back into the living room, out of breath, holding it tightly. “Here hyung.”
Heechul grabbed the man from the floor and hauled him to his feet. Heechul then shoved the man into the chair, gloved hand over his mouth so he wouldn’t scream. “Tape him to the chair.”
The man was shaking.
Kyuhyun wanted to know what he’d done to Heechul but he knew better than to ask. The man was oddly pitiful, frightened. But he was from the government. He was part of the GAM project and that made him an enemy. People like him had killed Kyuhyun’s family, had tried to kill him and so many of the others.
Kyuhyun pushed the pity aside. This kind of person didn’t deserve any sympathy.
“Your house is sound proof. A nice touch.” Heechul looked around the living room approvingly. “I suppose you couldn’t have anyone listening in on your phone calls. It really makes my job a lot easier, doesn’t it?” He took a step back, taking his hand off of the older man’s mouth.
“What are you doing here!? You’re not supposed to be here!”
Kyuhyun winced at the man’s shouting. He struggled against the tape, but the chair didn’t budge.
“Let me go! LET ME GO!”
Heechul didn’t seem affected by the man’s shouts. He looked bored as he inspected his gloves-gloves that their prisoner stared at with horror. “Your son gets back from school in a few hours, doesn’t he? Should we wait for him to come or would you like to talk now?”
The man’s face twisted in horror. “DON’T TOUCH MY SON!”
“We can talk civilly, can’t we, Instructor Cho-ah, sorry, it’s Director now, isn’t it?” Heechul gave a small laugh. “It’s been so long, we have a lot to catch up on.”
Director Cho let out a soft sob. It looked like he’d finally realized how hopeless the situation was. “…you were always unstable. I told them that you should be watched more carefully.”
“How kind of you.” Heechul’s smile was brittle. “You were always looking out for our best interests, weren’t you?”
Director Cho shook his head, tears prickling the corners of his eyes. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t like it. But I had to do my job!” His voice cracked at the end, and he looked frantically from Heechul to Kyuhyun.
Kyuhyun avoided his eyes.
“Me too, Director Cho,” Heechul replied sweetly. “I don’t want to do this. I certainly don’t like it-well, maybe a little.” His smiled widened. “But you’ll forgive me for that, right? You’ve always been a very kind, thoughtful man.”
“P-please…”
“Please what? Please don’t kill me? Did you listen when Donghae screamed at you to stop and you made him turn and rip Bada to shreds?”
“B-Bada?” Director Cho blinked in confusion.
“His puppy, Director Cho.” Heechul patted the older man lightly on the cheek. “You’re so forgetful these days. It must be the stress of your new job. Don’t worry, this procedure is very therapeutic.”
Kyuhyun didn’t understand. Bada? Puppy? Donghae? So this was about Donghae. He should have realized that sooner. They’d gone to get Donghae a ‘present’ but Kyuhyun didn’t think that this was a very good gift at all.
His throat tightened as Director Cho began to cry. Heechul looked unaffected as Director Cho began to plead for his life.
Heechul listened to his pleas with the same manic smile, eyes sparkling as he leaned against the wall. “Well we don’t have too much time before your son returns so we need to get started, don’t we?” He began unbuttoning his jacket, “I’d hate to get this dirty.”
What was he going to do? What would he make Kyuhyun do? A part of Kyuhyun wanted to be included, but the other half wanted to curl against the wall and hope he was invisible.
And that was when Heechul pulled out the butterfly knife from his back jeans pocket.
A knife? Why a knife? Why would Heechul need that? What was he going to do with it? Kyuhyun didn’t want to be here anymore. He didn’t want to be acknowledged. He wanted to go home.
“W-what are you doing?” Director Cho managed to gasp out, eyes trained on the metal blade as Heechul deftly opened the knife with a flick of his wrist.
“I know you’ve always wondered about my gift,” Heechul twirled the knife along his fingers. “You were always asking how it felt to have this kind of ability. I’m very sorry that I won’t be able to let you experience it.” Heechul sighed. “It’s just that I can’t control it very well and I want this to last a while. We haven’t seen each other in so long, I’ll try and prolong this as much as possible.”
“D-don’t.” Director Cho struggled against the duct tape. “Please don’t. I’m sorry! I didn’t want to do it!”
“Neither did Donghae, but you made him.” Heechul replied smoothly. He was no longer smiling. His expression had gone cold. “Don’t take this personally, Director Cho. If it hadn’t been you today it would have been someone else. Perhaps Instructor Hong, or Superintendent Dokgo. I just happened to find you first.”
“P-p-please…”
“Don’t worry, Director Cho. They’ll never make you do it again. I promise.” Heechul’s smile this time was soft, cold, and dangerous. His eyes were like two black pits.
Kyuhyun swallowed.
That was when Director Cho began screaming.
---
Kyuhyun was bent over the toilet, vomiting up the little bit of his pastry and juice he’d had earlier that afternoon when Heechul came in, hands and shirt covered in blood. He casually walked to the sink and turned it on, rinsing off his gloves.
“I’ll have to get these washed.” He murmured casually. “the shirt is trashed…”
Kyuhyun looked up from the toilet in disbelief. “What did you…how can you act…?” He couldn’t finish his train of thought because Heechul was staring down at him, face devoid of any emotion, as if he couldn’t understand why Kyuhyun looked so surprised.
“We need to go before his son gets back.”
Kyuhyun swallowed, and his mouth tasted sour. He resisted the urge to vomit again. “H-hyung…”
“Aish. I don’t want to get my coat dirty.” Heechul began unbuttoning his shirt, and when he finished slipping it off of his shoulders he took one of his gloves off and disintegrated it.
Kyuhyun wondered how now, with blood stuck to his arms, he could still find Heechul attractive. His mouth went dry because Heechul was shirtless, shirtless and not making a move to go get his jacket. Watered down blood dripped from his wet gloves and trickled down his forearm, pooling at the bend of his elbow and Kyuhyun could only stare in fascination.
He wasn’t nauseous anymore, and for some reason, he hated himself for that more.
“Let’s go.” Heechul ordered, walking out of the bathroom back into the living room. Kyuhyun didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to see the mangled body still taped to the chair, but he took a deep breath and forced himself to stand.
Kyuhyun kept his eyes trained on Heechul’s back, on the creamy expanse of skin before it was covered again by his designer coat and he continued to stare as Heechul walked through the open front door and he followed blindly.
He could smell the blood, and he almost slipped on it as he walked but he caught himself, not allowing his gaze to waver. Heechul is safe. Look at Heechul. Don’t look back, don’t look back, whatever you do don’t look at it!
The metallic tang of blood was overwhelming and he found himself bent over the flowerbed, heaving as Heechul shut the front door softly behind him.
They stayed that way for a few minutes before there was nothing left in Kyuhyun’s stomach to throw up and he wiped the bit of bile from the corner of his lips with the back of his hand. “Why?” he croaked out.
“Why what?” Heechul asked calmly, stepping off of the porch and heading for the road.
Kyuhyun stumbled after him. “Why me? Why did you take me with you?” Because there were others that would have been better. Sungmin or Yesung wouldn’t have flinched.
“You needed to see it firsthand. If you’re going to go on missions from now on, you’ll need to be exposed to this kind of thing.” Heechul began, looking at his watch. “But I supposed it’s because you’ve lost everything.”
“What?”
“Your family. They’re all dead. You’ve experience that loss. You have that hatred in you.” Heechul had begun walking again, down the sidewalk to the bus stop.
Kyuhyun followed, confused. “Everyone hates GAM-”
“It’s different. The level of hatred, it’s different. The others feel wronged, but unless you’ve lived there or experienced that loss, you don’t feel violated. That’s what it is, Kyuhyun. A violation of our rights as human beings. We can’t hope to go back to a normal life any longer. In this world we adapt or die.”
Kyuhyun stared at the half of Heechul’s face visible in the fading light. Pale, angled, harsh. He felt his stomach flip again, but it wasn’t nausea. His chest tightened and for a moment he felt like he couldn’t breathe. He didn’t know what this feeling was, and it frightened and excited him at the same time.
Heechul was opening the door into his world, the secret world where only those who had lived at the training facility had tred. Even Hangeng wasn’t allowed in this place. For some reason, that was the largest factor in his decision-and it was a decision, Heechul was giving him an ultimatum. He would see a side of Heechul that Hangeng had not and it pleased him more than he liked to admit.
Kyuhyun wanted more than just an end to this. He’d realized that halfway through Heechul torturing Director Cho. It hadn’t just been the blood and the screaming that had made him flee to the bathroom. It had been the knowledge that he hadn’t cared that Heechul was killing the man.
Heechul had inflicted pain and Kyuhyun had watched with disinterest and that had sickened him.
But now it excited him in an odd way that he knew shouldn’t be healthy.
Heechul was right.
He didn't want this to end.
He wanted revenge.
---
The door to the apartment opened and everyone turned to see Heechul and Kyuhyun walk inside.
Kyuhyun looked pale, but there was a glint to his eyes, something off about them. He looked dazed, and didn’t seem to notice that the others were there.
“You’re back! Are you alright?” Leeteuk had stood from the couch and walked over to Kyuhyun. “Kyuhyun-ah…”
“He’s fine.” Heechul replied, before dropping the bag he’d been holding onto Donghae’s lap. “Here. If you don’t want them, give them to Shindong.”
They were chocopies. Donghae could see them through the semi-transparent grocery bag, but his throat closed up at the red tinge around the handles and the soft metallic smell that lingered after him. “…hyung…” Donghae knew something was wrong.
“I’m going to take a shower.” Heechul grunted, before turning to Kyuhyun. “You should take one too.”
Kyuhyun blinked, seeming to come out of his stupor at the sound of Heechul’s voice. “Huh? Oh, yeah.” He’d almost been expecting Heechul to ask him to shower with him. Wishful thinking. Stupid of him. Why would Heechul do that?
Just because Kyuhyun had become useful to him didn’t mean anything, even if Kyuhyun wanted to believe it did.
“What happened, Kyuhyun?” Leeteuk asked again, certain that he’d get an answer now that Heechul wasn’t there.
Kyuhyun’s gaze caught Hangeng’s and he saw the other man staring at Heechul’s retreating back. A smug satisfaction filled him. He’d shared something with Heechul that no one else had.
He gave a small smile. “We just went out for lunch.”
---