(no subject)
Title: Apologia Pro Vita Sua (Chapter 19)
Authors: Scorpions angelinaii, murasaki_plum, nemesis_cry
Characters/Pairings: All (kangteuk, shichul, kihae; potential kyuwook, eunkihae, shihanchul, yeshdong, yewook, minry)
Rating: PG-13 to R
Genre: AU, organized crime, postcyberpunk
Summary: In a world where money and crime go hand and hand, survival is not determined by the fittest, but the ones who will fight to live.
Warnings: violence, swearing, sexual situations
Introduction and Chapter 1 | Chapters 2 & 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18
Banner by angelinaii
Eeteuk stared down with the eyes of a man who never slept. Fixed gaze, eyelids unblinking. What little light shone from above left eerie shadows on his face, coating white skin in ash-colored tints. His arms were tight with tension under short sleeves, fists hidden by the edge of the table but most likely clenched. Yesung knew the deal: pain of one kind substituted in favor of another that could be dealt with. And Eeteuk couldn't afford to display what he really felt, not in a place like this.
"Was I right to call you?" he asked, glancing between the two men and the severed hands on the table between them.
"You were." Eeteuk said, his voice barely audible.
Kangin squared his jaw, biting the inside of his cheek before speaking. Clearing his throat, he looked over at Yesung. "Is that all you needed to know?"
The coroner stood from his seat on a squeaky stool, edging in between the men to prod at the right hand with gloved fingers. Reddened lines were hollowed into the palm, carved in almost elementary handwriting. "Have any idea what this means?"
Kangin's fist banged the table as he almost reached to the man's hand to pull it away. How dare he touch... But he couldn't and luck would have it that he knocked the table instead, metal rattling against metal even as he barely felt the pain course through his arm. Eeteuk gave a slight shake of the head as if to say: 'no, stand down, this isn't the time'.
"Tag," he read out loud, closing his eyes. A child's game; tag, you're it.
And whoever was playing had Ryeowook.
"No. We don't." Eeteuk looked up, shook his head. "Sorry, Officer. Doesn't ring a bell."
"That's all, then." Yesung nodded, his voice as detached as it was on the phone. "If anything comes up, call. The wounds indicate that the vic may still be alive."
"Wouldn't worry about that." The coroner covered the hands with a sheet and began to cart them away. "Doubt they'd waste their time on a Bottoms thug. That's what they pay me for."
"Walk away," Eeteuk interrupted before the man could finish, before Kangin could do something they'd all regret. He wasn't a vindictive man, when all was said and done, but the mob had taught him one thing: you didn't screw with family.
Yesung led them out, hands thrust deep into his pockets and clutching the material hard enough to tear. "Eeteuk..."
"Do your job. Keep the cops out of our hair as long as you can." Eeteuk looked at him, through him. "And find out the coroner's name and license plate number. He needs to be dealt with."
Not a vindictive man. Not at all.
"On it." Yesung nodded, pretty sure that he'd take care of the coroner himself.
With no parting call, no whisper of thanks, Eeteuk reached for his cell, sending a coded message to everyone concerned. They'd know what to do, even if he didn't.
***
Donghae stepped on the gas on their way to Kyuhyun's warehouse, but even so, they couldn't hope to catch up with Eunhyuk. The runner left no trace as he went in, peeking behind a metal door that had been left open by the rust holding it in place. No light shone within, a flock of birds startled by his presence flying from the ground and out through an opening in the roof when he approached. He nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Kyuhyun... hello? Anyone in here?" he called out shakily, anxiety gripping him as irrationally as a horror movie in the dead of night. Flipping on the light, he rushed over to the body on the floor. Kyuhyun was sprawled on his back, the only motion to indicate he was even alive the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, the blond's eyes open yet unseeing.
"Oh shit... okay... shit..."
Fingers skimmed the younger man's shoulders, cold skin meeting every touch. Like a cadaver, Eunhyuk couldn't help think, manically patting the other man's cheek in hope of a reaction.
"Wake up, come on, you've gotta wake up..."
"Eunhyuk!" His name sounded loudly from the exit, echo sending it back from every corner. Barely did he have time to figure out it was Donghae's and turn to make his presence known that a hand shot up out of nowhere and caught him by the throat.
Kyuhyun's eyes fixed on him like glass replicas in a stuffed bird. "Why are you here?"
"It's me." Eunhyuk grabbed at the wrist and pulled, every word strained by the tightening grip on his windpipe. "Snap out of it...it's Eunhyuk. Where's...Ryeowook?"
Mechanical in his every move, Kyuhyun's head snapped to the side, then, finding nothing, to look around the empty warehouse. Nothing. Eunhyuk imagined his brain running a scan, like something a robot might do, mechanical and stupid and frightening and choking him to death. But just as quickly as the hand grasped his neck, it let go and he stumbled backwards on steady knees.
Donghae rounded the corner, rushing toward him. "We got a call. Eeteuk had to go into Judoh, everyone's freaking out... where's Ryeowook?"
Kyuhyun started up, frowning. "He's not... here." Cold eyes darted to Eunhyuk. "Your legs work. How?"
Eunhyuk coughed as he pushed himself into a standing position, staring down at Kyuhyun with anger and confusion. "I thought you did it."
"Are you hacked?" Kibum asked the second he came into view.
"Not anymore," came the swift, dispassionate answer. "There was someone..." Trailing off, Kyuhyun drew himself to full height. "Ryeowook isn't here," he repeated, looking around once more as if to double check.
Kibum ignored him. "The hacking and the murders are connected. I found a trace leading back to the Heaven & Earth gang..."
"It's a game."
"Excuse me?"
"It's a game. He wants to destroy me." Kyuhyun's voice was quiet when he spoke, so quiet it was nearly drowned in the sound of their cellphones ringing with a message alert. All three heard it, the remark disturbingly personal and hitting too close to home.
"He has him. Ryeowook." Kyuhyun said, not even bothering to reach for his phone to read the text. "Eeteuk wants us at the House. Now."
Authors: Scorpions angelinaii, murasaki_plum, nemesis_cry
Characters/Pairings: All (kangteuk, shichul, kihae; potential kyuwook, eunkihae, shihanchul, yeshdong, yewook, minry)
Rating: PG-13 to R
Genre: AU, organized crime, postcyberpunk
Summary: In a world where money and crime go hand and hand, survival is not determined by the fittest, but the ones who will fight to live.
Warnings: violence, swearing, sexual situations
Introduction and Chapter 1 | Chapters 2 & 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18
Banner by angelinaii
Eeteuk stared down with the eyes of a man who never slept. Fixed gaze, eyelids unblinking. What little light shone from above left eerie shadows on his face, coating white skin in ash-colored tints. His arms were tight with tension under short sleeves, fists hidden by the edge of the table but most likely clenched. Yesung knew the deal: pain of one kind substituted in favor of another that could be dealt with. And Eeteuk couldn't afford to display what he really felt, not in a place like this.
"Was I right to call you?" he asked, glancing between the two men and the severed hands on the table between them.
"You were." Eeteuk said, his voice barely audible.
Kangin squared his jaw, biting the inside of his cheek before speaking. Clearing his throat, he looked over at Yesung. "Is that all you needed to know?"
The coroner stood from his seat on a squeaky stool, edging in between the men to prod at the right hand with gloved fingers. Reddened lines were hollowed into the palm, carved in almost elementary handwriting. "Have any idea what this means?"
Kangin's fist banged the table as he almost reached to the man's hand to pull it away. How dare he touch... But he couldn't and luck would have it that he knocked the table instead, metal rattling against metal even as he barely felt the pain course through his arm. Eeteuk gave a slight shake of the head as if to say: 'no, stand down, this isn't the time'.
"Tag," he read out loud, closing his eyes. A child's game; tag, you're it.
And whoever was playing had Ryeowook.
"No. We don't." Eeteuk looked up, shook his head. "Sorry, Officer. Doesn't ring a bell."
"That's all, then." Yesung nodded, his voice as detached as it was on the phone. "If anything comes up, call. The wounds indicate that the vic may still be alive."
"Wouldn't worry about that." The coroner covered the hands with a sheet and began to cart them away. "Doubt they'd waste their time on a Bottoms thug. That's what they pay me for."
"Walk away," Eeteuk interrupted before the man could finish, before Kangin could do something they'd all regret. He wasn't a vindictive man, when all was said and done, but the mob had taught him one thing: you didn't screw with family.
Yesung led them out, hands thrust deep into his pockets and clutching the material hard enough to tear. "Eeteuk..."
"Do your job. Keep the cops out of our hair as long as you can." Eeteuk looked at him, through him. "And find out the coroner's name and license plate number. He needs to be dealt with."
Not a vindictive man. Not at all.
"On it." Yesung nodded, pretty sure that he'd take care of the coroner himself.
With no parting call, no whisper of thanks, Eeteuk reached for his cell, sending a coded message to everyone concerned. They'd know what to do, even if he didn't.
***
Donghae stepped on the gas on their way to Kyuhyun's warehouse, but even so, they couldn't hope to catch up with Eunhyuk. The runner left no trace as he went in, peeking behind a metal door that had been left open by the rust holding it in place. No light shone within, a flock of birds startled by his presence flying from the ground and out through an opening in the roof when he approached. He nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Kyuhyun... hello? Anyone in here?" he called out shakily, anxiety gripping him as irrationally as a horror movie in the dead of night. Flipping on the light, he rushed over to the body on the floor. Kyuhyun was sprawled on his back, the only motion to indicate he was even alive the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, the blond's eyes open yet unseeing.
"Oh shit... okay... shit..."
Fingers skimmed the younger man's shoulders, cold skin meeting every touch. Like a cadaver, Eunhyuk couldn't help think, manically patting the other man's cheek in hope of a reaction.
"Wake up, come on, you've gotta wake up..."
"Eunhyuk!" His name sounded loudly from the exit, echo sending it back from every corner. Barely did he have time to figure out it was Donghae's and turn to make his presence known that a hand shot up out of nowhere and caught him by the throat.
Kyuhyun's eyes fixed on him like glass replicas in a stuffed bird. "Why are you here?"
"It's me." Eunhyuk grabbed at the wrist and pulled, every word strained by the tightening grip on his windpipe. "Snap out of it...it's Eunhyuk. Where's...Ryeowook?"
Mechanical in his every move, Kyuhyun's head snapped to the side, then, finding nothing, to look around the empty warehouse. Nothing. Eunhyuk imagined his brain running a scan, like something a robot might do, mechanical and stupid and frightening and choking him to death. But just as quickly as the hand grasped his neck, it let go and he stumbled backwards on steady knees.
Donghae rounded the corner, rushing toward him. "We got a call. Eeteuk had to go into Judoh, everyone's freaking out... where's Ryeowook?"
Kyuhyun started up, frowning. "He's not... here." Cold eyes darted to Eunhyuk. "Your legs work. How?"
Eunhyuk coughed as he pushed himself into a standing position, staring down at Kyuhyun with anger and confusion. "I thought you did it."
"Are you hacked?" Kibum asked the second he came into view.
"Not anymore," came the swift, dispassionate answer. "There was someone..." Trailing off, Kyuhyun drew himself to full height. "Ryeowook isn't here," he repeated, looking around once more as if to double check.
Kibum ignored him. "The hacking and the murders are connected. I found a trace leading back to the Heaven & Earth gang..."
"It's a game."
"Excuse me?"
"It's a game. He wants to destroy me." Kyuhyun's voice was quiet when he spoke, so quiet it was nearly drowned in the sound of their cellphones ringing with a message alert. All three heard it, the remark disturbingly personal and hitting too close to home.
"He has him. Ryeowook." Kyuhyun said, not even bothering to reach for his phone to read the text. "Eeteuk wants us at the House. Now."