(no subject)
Title: Apologia Pro Vita Sua (Epilogue)
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 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Chapter 23 | Chapter 24 | Chapter 25 | Chapter 26
Banner by angelinaii
PV by murasaki_plum
Donghae knew that posture better than anyone: slouched back in his office chair, one leg propped up on the desk while clicking away at a keyboard balanced haphazardly on his knee.
"Working on your trust fund?" he grinned as he ventured further into Kibum's home office, leaning over the other's shoulder to glance at the neatly lined rows of data and the numbers that accompanied the columns.
Reaching out a hand behind him to tug Donghae closer, the other man smirked. "There was a surge in the markets last night. I'm being scrupulous in my investments." Which was one way of explaining why every row bore the name of one of Aoki's known victims, with a neat sum set aside for the ones yet to be discovered--there were sure to be more, judging by H&E evidence. Even if the police had stopped looking, Eeteuk knew about them. That alone meant their families, at least, would get some kind of closure.
Whistling and taking the opportunity to nuzzle Kibum's ear, Donghae returned his attention to the screen. "That's a lot of memorial contributions, looking to write them off?"
"I want to give them a decent send-off," he shrugged, sipping coffee from a cup that wasn't his. "It's good to have Kyuhyun back to his old self. It would've taken me maybe two hours to come up with their passwords and pin codes by myself." Not that he was being boastful; H&E had put their accounts into the one bank affiliated, if only peripherally, with Eeteuk's triad. With a disk opening their system to hackers with a grudge, it hadn't been a stretch to assume their codes would be similar, if not identical to those brought back by Hankyung and Henry from wallets taken as mementos.
"A decent send-off for them and probably three generations?" Donghae raised an eyebrow, nonetheless impressed by this new side-project.
Kibum shrugged, too tired to look beyond the immediate logic of spreading the funds before H&E could trace them. Passing the coffee back over his shoulder, he tapped a few keys, adding another column; this one, exclusively directed toward rebuilding a run-down hotel in the Bottoms. Decent apartments were always scarce and it didn't hurt to do something for the community.
"Anything I've missed?" he asked, covering a yawn with the back of his hand as he glanced up.
Donghae grinned and kissed Kibum's lips, murmuring against them. "If you don't do anything about Eunhyuk's limp anytime soon...I'm kicking you out."
"You can't kick me out, I'm rich," Kibum chuckled, cupping the back of his neck with a gentle hand. "That's already being taken care of. Try to keep him in bed until..." He trailed off to the sound of halting footsteps shuffling into the room and a very disheveled Eunhyuk yawning in the doorway behind them.
"Morning, twinkle toes," Donghae greeted him with a smile.
"Bite me," Eunhyuk muttered as he got his barely functioning limbs to take him closer to the other two, and grinned victoriously when he got to his destination.
"Already did that last night." Donghae said cheekily and winked at Kibum.
Kibum snorted, kicked his leg off the desk, and released his lover from his grip. "Should I be jealous?"
"Why? You were there." Donghae argued playfully as he wrapped an arm around Eunhyuk's waist and the other over Kibum's shoulder.
"He has a point," Eunhyuk stated earnestly and earned a laugh from the other two men.
"If I were you, I wouldn't agree with Donghae too much," Kibum warned with a wide smile, "you know he likes to get you into trouble."
"Hey," Donghae whined as Eunhyuk nodded in agreement. "Not all the time."
"Just most of the time." Kibum snickered as Donghae pulled him into a kiss to shut him up.
***
Kangin entered the dimly lit office just as men in dark suits stepped out. Though their was ample daylight outside, Eeteuk had kept the wooden blinds shuttered for most of the week. It helped to conceal the reddish-tinge to his eyes and the tired lines that came with it. With Ryeowook's release from the hospital, Kangin had hoped it would lend extra time for them to rest, but Eeteuk saw otherwise. With the news streaming in from the crime families in Judoh, sleep had to wait.
"Whose spokesmen were those?" he asked, perching himself on a corner of Eeteuk's desk.
"I've lost count," the other man responded, rubbing a hand over his face to erase the fatigue. "They all want the same thing." He cracked a half-smile. "We've become very popular."
"Losing twenty power players to the faceless man does that." Kangin leaned over to pick up the manila folder that had been left on the desk's surface. Photographs of men, either hollowed out or cleanly dismembered, were clipped to each page of the report. The source given to each of their deaths had been an easy one to confirm for the Judoh police department. The dons in Judoh were aware that Aoki was Choi's 'man', and the fact that he remained alive was particularly damning. Some reasoned that the cause of so many deaths among H&E's hierarchy had to do with Choi's insatiable need for power, most had other theories. "Has Choi sent any men yet?"
Eeteuk stretched his back, arching before settling back down. "Not yet, but he will." As with any game, the ball was in the other man's court now; he would have to retaliate. Nodding to the photographs, he pressed his palms together. "Hankyung and Henry did a good job, don't you think? Very faithful imitation."
So faithful, in fact, that the massacre of Judoh was fighting for every column inch in the papers with the speculation surrounding the assassinations. Yesung's misinformation only succeeded in adding more fuel to their fire and Choi couldn't claim ignorance, not when his entire city was buzzing with gruesome details and absurd theories.
"Probably waiting to see if we'll make the first move, with his lieutenants and captains gone, H&E appears weak enough to take." Kangin pointed out, putting the file aside.
"They're not the only ones who have to regroup," Eeteuk sighed, setting aside his files for the day and glancing up at a Kangin who looked no worse for wear, despite the previous days' struggle. He attempted a smile, though it came across more like a grimace. "I could use a holiday... Tell me there are no more crises in the Bottoms at least?"
"There are no more crises in the Bottoms." Kangin answered as requested, standing from the desk to stand behind Eeteuk's chair. Rubbing at the tension he felt in the other man's neck, he chuckled. "I can't say the same about Judoh."
"If I'm lucky, one of these days, I'll wake up and the whole place will have gone up in flames," he chuckled, leaning into his lover's touch. Rough hands and calloused, but at least he knew them, at least they weren't trying to kill him. "Or maybe I'll get really lucky and the government will step in and take care of Heaven and Earth for me." It was just idle dreaming, but that had never stopped him before. It was what had gotten him so far and what kept him alive; a fool's dream. Opening his eyes to the darkened office, he glanced up, tilting his head into the headrest. "How is Ryeowook?"
"That kid, first day out of the hospital and he's out." Kangin half-heartedly complained, clicking his tongue as he continued to massage Eeteuk's shoulders. Technology made it simple to erase the external damage that was done to Ryeowook, but the recovery would take time. "He probably went back to the warehouse, he can't do much else."
Eeteuk nodded slowly, head bobbing in time to the quiet rumble of Kangin's voice. "And Sungmin?" he asked, closing his eyes to the memory of Sungmin's arms around the younger boy's, poorly sown up skin seeping blood when Ryeowook tried to reciprocate. Sometimes, he almost regretted Aoki dying so quickly. So easily. She should have suffered more.
"That kid just isn't right," came Kangin's proud answer. "He's probably learning new tricks to kill people or whatever him and Henry talk about, much less where they end up."
"Despite what you think, Henry tends to keep him out of trouble," the other man breathed with a smile, gradually relaxing. "Our boys..." All their boys, all their people, safe. For now. Reaching out a hand to stop Kangin's, he wound their fingers together. "How are you not as tired as I am?" he chuckled, thinking "How are you hiding it so well?"
"Willpower." he grinned, raising their entwined hands to kiss at slightly bruised knuckles. "If you're awake, I'll be even more so that I'll always be ready for when you need me. H&E is going to come after you now."
Eeteuk smiled slowly. "Yeah, they are." In that respect, he'd only bought himself a place on every hitman's list. Luckily, he had the best two in the country working for him. Shaking the pressing threat away, he moved to stand, his hand still in Kangin's grasp. "I can't wait until they start trying to buy you," he added, turning to face the other man. "Normally I wouldn't think anyone can be so stupid, but with their latest attempt..."
"They're desperate. As long as you're alive they'll never secure their power." Kangin noted, although it was something both already knew. "There's only one demand I have that could bring me back to Heaven and Earth..."
"And that is?" Eeteuk asked, arching an eyebrow in challenge. The possibility of Kangin crossing over--of Kangin sitting down to negotiate a deal with the H&E--had never crossed his mind before.
"You." he replied cheekily, lowering his head to kiss his lover's nose. "Your birthright. Until that's given, I'm happy to be stuck in Hell with you."
"Dreamer," Eeteuk accused, fingers splayed against the back of his neck to hold him in place. He kissed him once, short and strong, wishing for different days. "Wouldn't want to be stuck in Hell with anyone else."
***
Hankyung normally could care less about his appearance, most who he was sent to meet would never have a chance to have a second impression. However, he found himself worrying about it, standing in front of steam-fogged mirror and wondering if he had time to add a natural color to his hair.
"Something on your mind?" Heechul grinned at his reflection, standing half naked beside him and most definitely not looking for the glint of sharp metal that had to be hidden somewhere around here. There was nothing domestic about the scene, he told himself, it was just convenient to stay the night when he had to be in Judoh longer than a few short hours.
Not that he had to, this time, but that was beside the point.
"Don't you think I'll stand out with this?" Hankyung turned his head to the side and tugged at his hair. He opened the mostly empty drawers beneath his bathroom sink, extracting cans of unused spray dye and a few boxes of bottled hair color. "Brown...maybe gray."
Heechul considered the question, arms folded over his chest. "Somehow, I don't think we've been invited for our looks." He smirked. "Well, maybe Siwonnie." This was as far from a dual assignment as he'd ever been on, even if he didn't really buy the argument that their lover needed protection in this dragon's den or anywhere else. He shrugged. "Go for the gray."
Hankyung clicked his tongue. "Not that it'll matter, standing next to you anyway," he said, grinning at Heechul's reflection in the mirror. It wasn't that the other people's opinion at the event would matter, but there was always the risk of being remembered. A bad risk in his line of work. "I'll wear a hat."
"And dark shades?" Heechul suggested, looking through the various colors for his own peace of mind. It was good to know that if and when the mood struck, he could come and raid Hankyung's stash.
Behind them, the shower cut abruptly, Siwon wincing as he stepped out. There were still cuts and bruises that needed healing, but that would take time. It was the downside of preferring fists over guns and swords and bombs.
"We'll stand in the back." Siwon reached for a towel and looked over at the pair crowding the area by the sink.
An eye roll, eyelashes lowered over a dark gaze, Heechul propped his hands on the cold enamel edge behind him. "I'm going to a prostitute's funeral and standing in the back?" he queried, determined to keep his expression hard despite the sight before him. Siwon's pretty face--and other pretty attributes--too often granted him an unfair advantage. He didn't like to feel swayed or ruled, no matter how often it happened, no matter how little he tried to let on.
"It's already surprise enough that you're going," Hankyung commented evenly, brushing past on his way out of the bathroom.
"Don't flatter yourself, I'm only going to check out the priest."
Siwon arched an eyebrow, drying off quickly. "Sure you are." He slapped a wet hand against clad hip, ignoring the cutting insult he received in response as he followed the assassin out.
"Bite me," Heechul crowed, taking a break from staring at his reflection to observe his lovers in their natural habitat. Head leaning against the door frame, he watched Hankyung retrieve a piece of carefully folded paper from his coat and hand it to Siwon; watched the other man's expression freeze in surprise for a second before he unfolded it.
"Your parents looked well," the older man murmured, a thin layer of difference separating concern from indifference. "I thought you should know you have a sister."
Long, delicate fingers pulled him into a kiss, whispered thanks pressed against his lips. Heechul didn't wait for an invitation to join them.
***
Patting his pocket absently, Yesung made his way back to the car. Behind him, hackles high, a male nurse made his way back into the newly built hospital. His visit had upset not just the staff but the patients, too, and rightly so. The police had been mandated to verify that the organ market had been shut down and to ensure that no one would profit from it, even post closure. But taking livers and hearts and lungs on ice from Judoh's discriminating upper crust was like taking candy from a child and they were just as understanding.
Shindong took one look at him and smirked. "You're enjoying this."
"One of the surgeons asked me why anyone cared what happened to a whore's kidneys after she was dead," he sighed, securing the last container in the backseat. By the time his colleagues figured out that the mandate hadn't been sent from up top but that someone had hacked their system, it would be too late to do anything about it. There would be no chance tor recall the order and no way to sanction him for obeying it. "You bet I'm enjoying this," he muttered. "That's the last of it."
"What did you have in mind for the send off?" Shindong asked from behind the wheel, toying with the hem of his uniform. He'd always wanted to go undercover, though this was just precaution and not much else.
The car engine rumbled to life. "Orders said to destroy them. Didn't specify how." Yesung considered his options, running a hand over tired features. "We'll incinerate everything." Stainless steel and ice and blood and human flesh, all mixed together. He tried to keep his tone light, he tried not to think of Aoki. Of Ryeowook.
It was a failed attempt and always would be.
"Hey, partner," Shindong's voice cut through his thoughts, bringing him back to a present where he could still act. "I say we've done enough work for one day. How about we take the afternoon off and go check out that chess game in the Bottoms? I heard there's this guy who's half machine, half human and he still can't beat a tiny, wide eyed human kid."
He cracked a smile, noting the effort. "Once we're done with this..." he mused, glancing to the man on his left, "I think I'd enjoy kicking your ass in hand to hand a lot more than watching some boring chess game."
Shindong's laugh resonated within him. "Bring it on, little man. Bring it on."
A hand on his shoulder, Yesung relaxed into his seat.
***
"Check." Ryeowook announced quietly, his gaze still fixed to the chess board.
Sungmin sighed and lowered his head in defeat. "Damn, how did that happen?"
"Again." Ryeowook corrected him with a faint smile. He absently scratched the bandage wrapped around his head. "You always attack too early, and you don't protect your King enough. When you attack like that, you leave a path wide open."
"So? It's more fun that way."
"You suck at chess." Ryeowook nodded once, and Sungmin nodded twice in agreement. He experimentally flexed and curled the fingers of his hands, the sensation familiar yet not the same. By outward appearances, nothing had changed, his prosthetics designed after his old limbs. He was still learning control; when trying to point with his index finger led to him flipping his adopted brother off or grasping at chess pieces with a closed fist, Sungmin paid little mind to it.
Setting the pieces back on the board, he made to consider a first move that only resulted in the same old, same old. Knight to G3. He grinned brightly. "I know you weren't expecting that."
"If it was anyone else, I'd think you are trying to lose on purpose." He said after he played the game in his head, it was easy for him to guess what Sungmin would choose to do just from the initial move. Despite playing this game so many times, Sungmin's style rarely changed, he liked to take Ryeowook's pieces off of the board. Kangin also played the same way, under the assumption that the less Ryeowook had to play with would ensure a defeat. All he had to do was sacrifice a few pieces to distract them while he set up the victory.
"I would never do that," Sungmin complained to the board, watching as Ryeowook somewhat anticlimactically opened with a pawn. He retaliated quickly, jumping two squares with a pawn of his own in parallel. "It's a fight to the death," he announced to the pieces lined up like soldiers on the opposite side.
Ryeowook moved another pawn, the position seemingly picked at random. He knew that within two turns, Sungmin would try to take that pawn, and even if he didn't by then it wouldn't even matter. In taking the selected pieces off of the board, Sungmin's king would be vulnerable. It always played out the same way. And yet Ryeowook agreed with Sungmin, it was simply more fun to play.
"What's the score now?" Kyuhyun asked as he entered the room carrying a bag containing their lunch.
"5:0, well, in a few moves it'll be 6:0." Ryeowook answered as he watched Sungmin make an aggressive yet ill-timed move. Even though he was having difficulty acclimating to his new limbs, he had no problem with his newfound technology induced telepathy.
His brother darted a look away from the board, but it did nothing to impede his concentration. It wasn't as if he was focusing at all to begin with. If he sensed that something had changed with Ryeowook he didn't let on. It was symptomatic of his relationship with Henry. Things were, they didn't need to be explained.
Another move left his King open to diagonal attack.
Kyuhyun approached the board with a critical eye, smiling at the easy invitation.
"Don't tell him," Ryeowook warned, moving his Bishop in warning. It was a second chance, not that Sungmin ever realized it. Instead, he simply hurried to take one of his Knights, head shooting up suddenly.
"What?" his brother asked aloud, thinking he'd figured it out. They could replay the move if he had. He wouldn't mind.
"I think... yeah, gotta run." He grinned, pushing himself up to his feet. "Henry's back from Judoh."
"It was going to be a checkmate anyway." Ryeowook made his final move and tipped Sungmin's king over. "Your turn."
"We'll eat first, play later. It'll end up as a draw." Kyuhyun grinned at his prediction.
"That's because you cheat."
Eyes glimmered with mirth. "I cheat?" he repeated, stealing the words from the other's lips even before they were fully formed.
Ryeowook nodded firmly, hiding a yawn behind his palm. "Yes, you do. Like that." It would be a while before the others found out, not that it would change anything. Kangin would grin proudly for no reason at all, Eeteuk would tell him it was only justice that he should get something back after what he'd been through.
Kyuhyun had called it a lucky coincidence. Ryeowook liked that response best. Coincidence was probability and he liked the thought of cheating the odds.
"You would," the other man chuckled in his head, the sound unheard of out loud. "Feeling tired?" he asked, laying a hand on his arm as he knelt by him. "The doctors said you should rest..."
"I'm fine." Ryeowook's reply hit Kyuhyun with enough force that he actually winced. "Stop worrying about me." He added as he turned his attention on resetting the chess board.
"You don't have to pretend to be okay if you're not," he said as he placed his hands on Ryeowook's shoulders and carefully turned him to meet his gaze. "The more you push yourself, the more we'll worry."
Dark, round eyes fixed on his. "One game," he murmured, turning the board in his direction with an uneven hand. "No cheating." Before Kyuhyun could reply, he advanced a white pawn two squares in front of his King.
"No cheating." Kyuhyun mimicked Ryeowook's words and opened with the same move. "And if I win, you can't complain about taking a nap with me."
"What do I get if I win?" Ryeowook queried as he took Kyuhyun's pawn off of the board.
Kyuhyun chanced a soft smile. "You can complain."
Satisfied, Ryeowook turned to the board, attention focused on the game. Kyuhyun watched him, the lines etched into his skin like early wrinkles, the strand of white hair above his left temple spelling the terror he'd experienced. His hands shook when he moved his pieces, stilled only when he pressed them beneath his thighs. They hovered over the board, measuring, considering.
Kyuhyun waited, food forgotten, sleep forgotten. If he wasn't careful, he could waste away just watching the man in front of him. It was tempting to open the connection, to chance a look into his thoughts, but he had promised. Dragging his knees under his chin instead, he waited, watching, listening for the rhythmic breath interrupting the silence.
A soft whisper filtered through, but not in Ryeowook's breathy tones. Something else.
"Let's play another game..."
Frozen in place by no other force than his own mind, Kyuhyun stared blankly ahead, through Ryeowook, through the faint connection, following the signal.
The message was not repeated.
Ryeowook looked up, quirking a half-smile. "Your move."
THE END
Authors' note (Scorpions): Many thank yous to our readers. We sincerely appreciate your feedback and support. While this chapter marks the close of this story, the three of us have no intention of abandoning Apologia 'verse quite yet. We may team up again or write independently on one-shots expanding on what happened after the events of APVS.
Author's note (RA): I'd like to thank Anthy and Mia for dragging me kicking and screaming into the Suju fandom. I had a fun time working on this fic with the both of you, thank you for letting me tag along. I hope we'll get to work together on something again in the future.
Author's note (Mia): About two months ago, someone showed me the Knock Out video and pointed to Heechul saying: "doesn't he look like a demented Pippy Longstocking on crack?" I agreed and laughed and went on my way. So imagine my surprise when that same someone started coming up with ideas to co-author a massive multi-chapter fic with that same Heechul. It's been two months, twenty-seven chapters and a few rewrites later and I can't believe this baby is out and ready to go into the world. Thank you, my amazing fellow Scorpions, for having me along for the ride. So when do we start on our next opus?
Author's note (Anthy): I can't believe we did it, much less that we fell into this fandom. Thank you so much, RA and Mia, for bringing your special brands of awesome to the table and helped me morph a small idea into many. The discovery and research that each of us had put into this made this world even more special in my heart that I'm far from ready to let go. Thank you for keeping me sane, I couldn't ask for a better id and superego for this unique psyche of ours. Until our next project, ILUSM. ♥
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 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Chapter 23 | Chapter 24 | Chapter 25 | Chapter 26
Banner by angelinaii
PV by murasaki_plum
Donghae knew that posture better than anyone: slouched back in his office chair, one leg propped up on the desk while clicking away at a keyboard balanced haphazardly on his knee.
"Working on your trust fund?" he grinned as he ventured further into Kibum's home office, leaning over the other's shoulder to glance at the neatly lined rows of data and the numbers that accompanied the columns.
Reaching out a hand behind him to tug Donghae closer, the other man smirked. "There was a surge in the markets last night. I'm being scrupulous in my investments." Which was one way of explaining why every row bore the name of one of Aoki's known victims, with a neat sum set aside for the ones yet to be discovered--there were sure to be more, judging by H&E evidence. Even if the police had stopped looking, Eeteuk knew about them. That alone meant their families, at least, would get some kind of closure.
Whistling and taking the opportunity to nuzzle Kibum's ear, Donghae returned his attention to the screen. "That's a lot of memorial contributions, looking to write them off?"
"I want to give them a decent send-off," he shrugged, sipping coffee from a cup that wasn't his. "It's good to have Kyuhyun back to his old self. It would've taken me maybe two hours to come up with their passwords and pin codes by myself." Not that he was being boastful; H&E had put their accounts into the one bank affiliated, if only peripherally, with Eeteuk's triad. With a disk opening their system to hackers with a grudge, it hadn't been a stretch to assume their codes would be similar, if not identical to those brought back by Hankyung and Henry from wallets taken as mementos.
"A decent send-off for them and probably three generations?" Donghae raised an eyebrow, nonetheless impressed by this new side-project.
Kibum shrugged, too tired to look beyond the immediate logic of spreading the funds before H&E could trace them. Passing the coffee back over his shoulder, he tapped a few keys, adding another column; this one, exclusively directed toward rebuilding a run-down hotel in the Bottoms. Decent apartments were always scarce and it didn't hurt to do something for the community.
"Anything I've missed?" he asked, covering a yawn with the back of his hand as he glanced up.
Donghae grinned and kissed Kibum's lips, murmuring against them. "If you don't do anything about Eunhyuk's limp anytime soon...I'm kicking you out."
"You can't kick me out, I'm rich," Kibum chuckled, cupping the back of his neck with a gentle hand. "That's already being taken care of. Try to keep him in bed until..." He trailed off to the sound of halting footsteps shuffling into the room and a very disheveled Eunhyuk yawning in the doorway behind them.
"Morning, twinkle toes," Donghae greeted him with a smile.
"Bite me," Eunhyuk muttered as he got his barely functioning limbs to take him closer to the other two, and grinned victoriously when he got to his destination.
"Already did that last night." Donghae said cheekily and winked at Kibum.
Kibum snorted, kicked his leg off the desk, and released his lover from his grip. "Should I be jealous?"
"Why? You were there." Donghae argued playfully as he wrapped an arm around Eunhyuk's waist and the other over Kibum's shoulder.
"He has a point," Eunhyuk stated earnestly and earned a laugh from the other two men.
"If I were you, I wouldn't agree with Donghae too much," Kibum warned with a wide smile, "you know he likes to get you into trouble."
"Hey," Donghae whined as Eunhyuk nodded in agreement. "Not all the time."
"Just most of the time." Kibum snickered as Donghae pulled him into a kiss to shut him up.
***
Kangin entered the dimly lit office just as men in dark suits stepped out. Though their was ample daylight outside, Eeteuk had kept the wooden blinds shuttered for most of the week. It helped to conceal the reddish-tinge to his eyes and the tired lines that came with it. With Ryeowook's release from the hospital, Kangin had hoped it would lend extra time for them to rest, but Eeteuk saw otherwise. With the news streaming in from the crime families in Judoh, sleep had to wait.
"Whose spokesmen were those?" he asked, perching himself on a corner of Eeteuk's desk.
"I've lost count," the other man responded, rubbing a hand over his face to erase the fatigue. "They all want the same thing." He cracked a half-smile. "We've become very popular."
"Losing twenty power players to the faceless man does that." Kangin leaned over to pick up the manila folder that had been left on the desk's surface. Photographs of men, either hollowed out or cleanly dismembered, were clipped to each page of the report. The source given to each of their deaths had been an easy one to confirm for the Judoh police department. The dons in Judoh were aware that Aoki was Choi's 'man', and the fact that he remained alive was particularly damning. Some reasoned that the cause of so many deaths among H&E's hierarchy had to do with Choi's insatiable need for power, most had other theories. "Has Choi sent any men yet?"
Eeteuk stretched his back, arching before settling back down. "Not yet, but he will." As with any game, the ball was in the other man's court now; he would have to retaliate. Nodding to the photographs, he pressed his palms together. "Hankyung and Henry did a good job, don't you think? Very faithful imitation."
So faithful, in fact, that the massacre of Judoh was fighting for every column inch in the papers with the speculation surrounding the assassinations. Yesung's misinformation only succeeded in adding more fuel to their fire and Choi couldn't claim ignorance, not when his entire city was buzzing with gruesome details and absurd theories.
"Probably waiting to see if we'll make the first move, with his lieutenants and captains gone, H&E appears weak enough to take." Kangin pointed out, putting the file aside.
"They're not the only ones who have to regroup," Eeteuk sighed, setting aside his files for the day and glancing up at a Kangin who looked no worse for wear, despite the previous days' struggle. He attempted a smile, though it came across more like a grimace. "I could use a holiday... Tell me there are no more crises in the Bottoms at least?"
"There are no more crises in the Bottoms." Kangin answered as requested, standing from the desk to stand behind Eeteuk's chair. Rubbing at the tension he felt in the other man's neck, he chuckled. "I can't say the same about Judoh."
"If I'm lucky, one of these days, I'll wake up and the whole place will have gone up in flames," he chuckled, leaning into his lover's touch. Rough hands and calloused, but at least he knew them, at least they weren't trying to kill him. "Or maybe I'll get really lucky and the government will step in and take care of Heaven and Earth for me." It was just idle dreaming, but that had never stopped him before. It was what had gotten him so far and what kept him alive; a fool's dream. Opening his eyes to the darkened office, he glanced up, tilting his head into the headrest. "How is Ryeowook?"
"That kid, first day out of the hospital and he's out." Kangin half-heartedly complained, clicking his tongue as he continued to massage Eeteuk's shoulders. Technology made it simple to erase the external damage that was done to Ryeowook, but the recovery would take time. "He probably went back to the warehouse, he can't do much else."
Eeteuk nodded slowly, head bobbing in time to the quiet rumble of Kangin's voice. "And Sungmin?" he asked, closing his eyes to the memory of Sungmin's arms around the younger boy's, poorly sown up skin seeping blood when Ryeowook tried to reciprocate. Sometimes, he almost regretted Aoki dying so quickly. So easily. She should have suffered more.
"That kid just isn't right," came Kangin's proud answer. "He's probably learning new tricks to kill people or whatever him and Henry talk about, much less where they end up."
"Despite what you think, Henry tends to keep him out of trouble," the other man breathed with a smile, gradually relaxing. "Our boys..." All their boys, all their people, safe. For now. Reaching out a hand to stop Kangin's, he wound their fingers together. "How are you not as tired as I am?" he chuckled, thinking "How are you hiding it so well?"
"Willpower." he grinned, raising their entwined hands to kiss at slightly bruised knuckles. "If you're awake, I'll be even more so that I'll always be ready for when you need me. H&E is going to come after you now."
Eeteuk smiled slowly. "Yeah, they are." In that respect, he'd only bought himself a place on every hitman's list. Luckily, he had the best two in the country working for him. Shaking the pressing threat away, he moved to stand, his hand still in Kangin's grasp. "I can't wait until they start trying to buy you," he added, turning to face the other man. "Normally I wouldn't think anyone can be so stupid, but with their latest attempt..."
"They're desperate. As long as you're alive they'll never secure their power." Kangin noted, although it was something both already knew. "There's only one demand I have that could bring me back to Heaven and Earth..."
"And that is?" Eeteuk asked, arching an eyebrow in challenge. The possibility of Kangin crossing over--of Kangin sitting down to negotiate a deal with the H&E--had never crossed his mind before.
"You." he replied cheekily, lowering his head to kiss his lover's nose. "Your birthright. Until that's given, I'm happy to be stuck in Hell with you."
"Dreamer," Eeteuk accused, fingers splayed against the back of his neck to hold him in place. He kissed him once, short and strong, wishing for different days. "Wouldn't want to be stuck in Hell with anyone else."
***
Hankyung normally could care less about his appearance, most who he was sent to meet would never have a chance to have a second impression. However, he found himself worrying about it, standing in front of steam-fogged mirror and wondering if he had time to add a natural color to his hair.
"Something on your mind?" Heechul grinned at his reflection, standing half naked beside him and most definitely not looking for the glint of sharp metal that had to be hidden somewhere around here. There was nothing domestic about the scene, he told himself, it was just convenient to stay the night when he had to be in Judoh longer than a few short hours.
Not that he had to, this time, but that was beside the point.
"Don't you think I'll stand out with this?" Hankyung turned his head to the side and tugged at his hair. He opened the mostly empty drawers beneath his bathroom sink, extracting cans of unused spray dye and a few boxes of bottled hair color. "Brown...maybe gray."
Heechul considered the question, arms folded over his chest. "Somehow, I don't think we've been invited for our looks." He smirked. "Well, maybe Siwonnie." This was as far from a dual assignment as he'd ever been on, even if he didn't really buy the argument that their lover needed protection in this dragon's den or anywhere else. He shrugged. "Go for the gray."
Hankyung clicked his tongue. "Not that it'll matter, standing next to you anyway," he said, grinning at Heechul's reflection in the mirror. It wasn't that the other people's opinion at the event would matter, but there was always the risk of being remembered. A bad risk in his line of work. "I'll wear a hat."
"And dark shades?" Heechul suggested, looking through the various colors for his own peace of mind. It was good to know that if and when the mood struck, he could come and raid Hankyung's stash.
Behind them, the shower cut abruptly, Siwon wincing as he stepped out. There were still cuts and bruises that needed healing, but that would take time. It was the downside of preferring fists over guns and swords and bombs.
"We'll stand in the back." Siwon reached for a towel and looked over at the pair crowding the area by the sink.
An eye roll, eyelashes lowered over a dark gaze, Heechul propped his hands on the cold enamel edge behind him. "I'm going to a prostitute's funeral and standing in the back?" he queried, determined to keep his expression hard despite the sight before him. Siwon's pretty face--and other pretty attributes--too often granted him an unfair advantage. He didn't like to feel swayed or ruled, no matter how often it happened, no matter how little he tried to let on.
"It's already surprise enough that you're going," Hankyung commented evenly, brushing past on his way out of the bathroom.
"Don't flatter yourself, I'm only going to check out the priest."
Siwon arched an eyebrow, drying off quickly. "Sure you are." He slapped a wet hand against clad hip, ignoring the cutting insult he received in response as he followed the assassin out.
"Bite me," Heechul crowed, taking a break from staring at his reflection to observe his lovers in their natural habitat. Head leaning against the door frame, he watched Hankyung retrieve a piece of carefully folded paper from his coat and hand it to Siwon; watched the other man's expression freeze in surprise for a second before he unfolded it.
"Your parents looked well," the older man murmured, a thin layer of difference separating concern from indifference. "I thought you should know you have a sister."
Long, delicate fingers pulled him into a kiss, whispered thanks pressed against his lips. Heechul didn't wait for an invitation to join them.
***
Patting his pocket absently, Yesung made his way back to the car. Behind him, hackles high, a male nurse made his way back into the newly built hospital. His visit had upset not just the staff but the patients, too, and rightly so. The police had been mandated to verify that the organ market had been shut down and to ensure that no one would profit from it, even post closure. But taking livers and hearts and lungs on ice from Judoh's discriminating upper crust was like taking candy from a child and they were just as understanding.
Shindong took one look at him and smirked. "You're enjoying this."
"One of the surgeons asked me why anyone cared what happened to a whore's kidneys after she was dead," he sighed, securing the last container in the backseat. By the time his colleagues figured out that the mandate hadn't been sent from up top but that someone had hacked their system, it would be too late to do anything about it. There would be no chance tor recall the order and no way to sanction him for obeying it. "You bet I'm enjoying this," he muttered. "That's the last of it."
"What did you have in mind for the send off?" Shindong asked from behind the wheel, toying with the hem of his uniform. He'd always wanted to go undercover, though this was just precaution and not much else.
The car engine rumbled to life. "Orders said to destroy them. Didn't specify how." Yesung considered his options, running a hand over tired features. "We'll incinerate everything." Stainless steel and ice and blood and human flesh, all mixed together. He tried to keep his tone light, he tried not to think of Aoki. Of Ryeowook.
It was a failed attempt and always would be.
"Hey, partner," Shindong's voice cut through his thoughts, bringing him back to a present where he could still act. "I say we've done enough work for one day. How about we take the afternoon off and go check out that chess game in the Bottoms? I heard there's this guy who's half machine, half human and he still can't beat a tiny, wide eyed human kid."
He cracked a smile, noting the effort. "Once we're done with this..." he mused, glancing to the man on his left, "I think I'd enjoy kicking your ass in hand to hand a lot more than watching some boring chess game."
Shindong's laugh resonated within him. "Bring it on, little man. Bring it on."
A hand on his shoulder, Yesung relaxed into his seat.
***
"Check." Ryeowook announced quietly, his gaze still fixed to the chess board.
Sungmin sighed and lowered his head in defeat. "Damn, how did that happen?"
"Again." Ryeowook corrected him with a faint smile. He absently scratched the bandage wrapped around his head. "You always attack too early, and you don't protect your King enough. When you attack like that, you leave a path wide open."
"So? It's more fun that way."
"You suck at chess." Ryeowook nodded once, and Sungmin nodded twice in agreement. He experimentally flexed and curled the fingers of his hands, the sensation familiar yet not the same. By outward appearances, nothing had changed, his prosthetics designed after his old limbs. He was still learning control; when trying to point with his index finger led to him flipping his adopted brother off or grasping at chess pieces with a closed fist, Sungmin paid little mind to it.
Setting the pieces back on the board, he made to consider a first move that only resulted in the same old, same old. Knight to G3. He grinned brightly. "I know you weren't expecting that."
"If it was anyone else, I'd think you are trying to lose on purpose." He said after he played the game in his head, it was easy for him to guess what Sungmin would choose to do just from the initial move. Despite playing this game so many times, Sungmin's style rarely changed, he liked to take Ryeowook's pieces off of the board. Kangin also played the same way, under the assumption that the less Ryeowook had to play with would ensure a defeat. All he had to do was sacrifice a few pieces to distract them while he set up the victory.
"I would never do that," Sungmin complained to the board, watching as Ryeowook somewhat anticlimactically opened with a pawn. He retaliated quickly, jumping two squares with a pawn of his own in parallel. "It's a fight to the death," he announced to the pieces lined up like soldiers on the opposite side.
Ryeowook moved another pawn, the position seemingly picked at random. He knew that within two turns, Sungmin would try to take that pawn, and even if he didn't by then it wouldn't even matter. In taking the selected pieces off of the board, Sungmin's king would be vulnerable. It always played out the same way. And yet Ryeowook agreed with Sungmin, it was simply more fun to play.
"What's the score now?" Kyuhyun asked as he entered the room carrying a bag containing their lunch.
"5:0, well, in a few moves it'll be 6:0." Ryeowook answered as he watched Sungmin make an aggressive yet ill-timed move. Even though he was having difficulty acclimating to his new limbs, he had no problem with his newfound technology induced telepathy.
His brother darted a look away from the board, but it did nothing to impede his concentration. It wasn't as if he was focusing at all to begin with. If he sensed that something had changed with Ryeowook he didn't let on. It was symptomatic of his relationship with Henry. Things were, they didn't need to be explained.
Another move left his King open to diagonal attack.
Kyuhyun approached the board with a critical eye, smiling at the easy invitation.
"Don't tell him," Ryeowook warned, moving his Bishop in warning. It was a second chance, not that Sungmin ever realized it. Instead, he simply hurried to take one of his Knights, head shooting up suddenly.
"What?" his brother asked aloud, thinking he'd figured it out. They could replay the move if he had. He wouldn't mind.
"I think... yeah, gotta run." He grinned, pushing himself up to his feet. "Henry's back from Judoh."
"It was going to be a checkmate anyway." Ryeowook made his final move and tipped Sungmin's king over. "Your turn."
"We'll eat first, play later. It'll end up as a draw." Kyuhyun grinned at his prediction.
"That's because you cheat."
Eyes glimmered with mirth. "I cheat?" he repeated, stealing the words from the other's lips even before they were fully formed.
Ryeowook nodded firmly, hiding a yawn behind his palm. "Yes, you do. Like that." It would be a while before the others found out, not that it would change anything. Kangin would grin proudly for no reason at all, Eeteuk would tell him it was only justice that he should get something back after what he'd been through.
Kyuhyun had called it a lucky coincidence. Ryeowook liked that response best. Coincidence was probability and he liked the thought of cheating the odds.
"You would," the other man chuckled in his head, the sound unheard of out loud. "Feeling tired?" he asked, laying a hand on his arm as he knelt by him. "The doctors said you should rest..."
"I'm fine." Ryeowook's reply hit Kyuhyun with enough force that he actually winced. "Stop worrying about me." He added as he turned his attention on resetting the chess board.
"You don't have to pretend to be okay if you're not," he said as he placed his hands on Ryeowook's shoulders and carefully turned him to meet his gaze. "The more you push yourself, the more we'll worry."
Dark, round eyes fixed on his. "One game," he murmured, turning the board in his direction with an uneven hand. "No cheating." Before Kyuhyun could reply, he advanced a white pawn two squares in front of his King.
"No cheating." Kyuhyun mimicked Ryeowook's words and opened with the same move. "And if I win, you can't complain about taking a nap with me."
"What do I get if I win?" Ryeowook queried as he took Kyuhyun's pawn off of the board.
Kyuhyun chanced a soft smile. "You can complain."
Satisfied, Ryeowook turned to the board, attention focused on the game. Kyuhyun watched him, the lines etched into his skin like early wrinkles, the strand of white hair above his left temple spelling the terror he'd experienced. His hands shook when he moved his pieces, stilled only when he pressed them beneath his thighs. They hovered over the board, measuring, considering.
Kyuhyun waited, food forgotten, sleep forgotten. If he wasn't careful, he could waste away just watching the man in front of him. It was tempting to open the connection, to chance a look into his thoughts, but he had promised. Dragging his knees under his chin instead, he waited, watching, listening for the rhythmic breath interrupting the silence.
A soft whisper filtered through, but not in Ryeowook's breathy tones. Something else.
"Let's play another game..."
Frozen in place by no other force than his own mind, Kyuhyun stared blankly ahead, through Ryeowook, through the faint connection, following the signal.
The message was not repeated.
Ryeowook looked up, quirking a half-smile. "Your move."
THE END
Authors' note (Scorpions): Many thank yous to our readers. We sincerely appreciate your feedback and support. While this chapter marks the close of this story, the three of us have no intention of abandoning Apologia 'verse quite yet. We may team up again or write independently on one-shots expanding on what happened after the events of APVS.
Author's note (RA): I'd like to thank Anthy and Mia for dragging me kicking and screaming into the Suju fandom. I had a fun time working on this fic with the both of you, thank you for letting me tag along. I hope we'll get to work together on something again in the future.
Author's note (Mia): About two months ago, someone showed me the Knock Out video and pointed to Heechul saying: "doesn't he look like a demented Pippy Longstocking on crack?" I agreed and laughed and went on my way. So imagine my surprise when that same someone started coming up with ideas to co-author a massive multi-chapter fic with that same Heechul. It's been two months, twenty-seven chapters and a few rewrites later and I can't believe this baby is out and ready to go into the world. Thank you, my amazing fellow Scorpions, for having me along for the ride. So when do we start on our next opus?
Author's note (Anthy): I can't believe we did it, much less that we fell into this fandom. Thank you so much, RA and Mia, for bringing your special brands of awesome to the table and helped me morph a small idea into many. The discovery and research that each of us had put into this made this world even more special in my heart that I'm far from ready to let go. Thank you for keeping me sane, I couldn't ask for a better id and superego for this unique psyche of ours. Until our next project, ILUSM. ♥