City (e)Scape 9/?
Title: City (e)Scape
Progress: 9/?
Pairing: To be decided
Rating: PG-13 ~ NC-17
Warnings: Graphic violence, blood/gore, sexual situations (more to be added)
Summary: In a grisly future, healers and hunters are bred for the specific purpose of keeping order for THEM. But when IT starts to revolt and draft wary healers and hunters to create its own army, it’s obvious that someone is on the inside. Jonghyun and Kibum, the child prodigies of THEM are out to settle the score and find out what really happened - even at the sake of their own loyalty.
A/N: Title is a play on the term ‘cityscape’, which is basically ‘the view of the city’; it’s about wanting to break free from the norm, to escape the life you’re born into, to find yourself and others and do what you want to do with your own life.
[ Prologue] [ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] [ 5] [ 6] [ 7] [ 8]
--
Cigarettes and coffee was Kibum’s breakfast one morning, as he sat on the step of the pawn shop and watched the people mill about the streets. Shops had opened, the market was thriving, and people were actually smiling. Kibum hadn’t seen adults smile like this in such a long time, right alongside their children as they moved from shop to shop and bought all sorts of goods and trinkets that THEY had once outlawed.
He watched as children played in mud puddles and parents tried to control them, he watched as even though parents were reprimanding their children they were doing it with a smile. It was the first time Kibum had seen Innocents act so freely, so pleasantly, and even as they saw him, sitting on the step and watching them all, they didn’t even blink an eye. His face had been plastered all over the city once, along with Jonghyun’s. They had been elite, they had been the best.
It was like… what was it like?
Kibum brought the cigarette to his lips and puffed, feeling the smoke swirling in his mouth before he sucked it into his lungs and held it there for a second as he thought.
It was like finding out that the scary dog down the block actually had the heart of a puppy.
He exhaled.
No, not quite.
He picked up his coffee mug to take a sip.
It was like that grouchy old man down the street that had the shot gun, threatening to shoot you if you stepped on his property, and then finding out he’s just lonely and is trying to protect himself from falling in love again.
Kibum shook his head; that was a dumb analogy.
The point was, as he sat there quietly on the stoop and watched the people mill about, they weren’t afraid of him anymore. Like they knew he had a hand in ending THEM.
And for once, Kibum thought, it was nice to not have people run away from him in fear as soon as they saw his face.
The door opened and Jonghyun sat down next to Kibum, with his own coffee resting at his lips, his elbows at his knees as he joined in the unofficial spectator sport.
“They’re beautiful,” Kibum commented, watching as a little girl ran by with a kite made out of string and paper.
“Yeah,” Jonghyun leaned back on a hand and let his coffee cup rest on the top of his knee. “I wonder if this is how things used to be. You know, before the Black Out.”
“Maybe,” Kibum shrugged, finishing off his coffee and stubbing out his cigarette on the step his feet were resting on. “We might not ever know.”
“Do you think Jinki can do it?” Jonghyun asked, looking up at the dingy sky. “Make everything back to how it used to be?”
“He caused it,” Kibum shrugged yet again and stood up, dusting off the butt of his pants. “I’m sure he could fix it.”
Jonghyun smirked, “If not by accident.”
“Nothing great is done on purpose,” Kibum said as he disappeared into the pawn shop.
--
“Watch where you’re stepping--!”
“Omo, hyung I’m sorry~”
Taemin instantly hopped off of the alchemy circle Jinki was creating, biting his lip and looking awfully apologetic as he distanced himself from the circle. Jinki wasn’t too perturbed, though; Kibum had spilled coffee on it when he tripped over Minho’s big boot, Minho himself had sneezed while he was sitting on the floor and chalk dust flew everywhere, and Jonghyun… where was Jonghyun?
“Oomf - ah, sorry, I just-”
Taemin had backed right into Jonghyun’s chest, startling the older man but making him laugh as he pat Taemin on the shoulder.
“It’s alright, don’t worry about it,” Jonghyun said easily.
Over the past month there was still tension between them all - well, them being mostly Jonghyun and Minho - and they were slowly overcoming their differences but it was hard. Their trigger fingers were itching in this sudden peace, all of their training having been thrown out of the window as soon as THEY had been defeated. Stir-crazy was an appropriate term for the boys as they all wandered around and got used to the new feel of the city, of the world, and while they were happy that they had a hand in it all, boys will be boys and you can put the wolf in a cage, but the wolf is still a wolf.
Taemin smiled prettily and Jonghyun averted his eyes, moving to the kitchen so he could get a glass of water. Kibum was standing at the stove, attending to whatever he was cooking.
“… Is that…” Jonghyun peered over Kibum’s shoulder, his eyes widening with delight. “Oh fuck yes is that meat?!”
“THEY were controlling some farms that were off the radar,” Kibum said. “THEY had the whole market wrapped around their finger so the commoners couldn’t get any meat or good food. But now the farmers are sharing and it’s not much, and it’s sort of expensive, but I was at the market today and I couldn’t help myself.”
Jonghyun was absolutely delighted, clapping his hands and leaning forward to smell the meat - Kibum elbowed him in the chest to get him away, snapping about getting dog drool all over decent food. Jonghyun wrinkled his nose and went and sat down on the one tattered couch they had, some dust pluming up as he coughed and waved it away. Taemin sat next to him, leaning over and whispering,
“I tried to smell it too but he said he didn’t want fairy dust getting on the food.”
Jonghyun snorted, “He gets like that when he cooks. It’s best to just not disturb him.”
Taemin pouted, and Jonghyun ruffled his hair, unable to resist doing so with the cute expression on Taemin’s face. Minho, from his seat on the bed with his back against the wall, watched the interaction with a sharp eye - Kibum could feel the heat of Minho’s glare and it wasn’t even directed at him, so he cleared his throat and called out.
“Minho yah, can you help me with something?”
Everyone glanced up at that, even Jinki who was concentrating so hard on reading his notes and drawing the circle. Minho unfolded his long frame and stood up, giving one last smoldering look to Jonghyun, who stuck his tongue out maturely in response, and then moved into the kitchenette with Kibum.
“Can you get that for me?” Kibum nodded his head up to the cupboard above the stove, where one of the spices he needed was located. He wasn’t too short to get it, but Minho complied and grabbed the container, setting it down on the counter.
Jonghyun huffed.
Kibum snapped, “Shut up you’re too short to get it anyway, asshole.”
Jonghyun sniffed, “No need to be rude.”
Taemin distracted Jonghyun by asking him to play a game with him.
“How are you holding up?” Kibum asked, trying to start conversation with Minho. Usually, Kibum had come to learn, if Minho wanted to talk then he started conversation. He spoke when he wanted to and stayed quiet most of the time. But that didn’t stop Kibum from trying - he was still slightly bitter towards Minho for the rough treatment, the molestation, and for causing multiple fights between Kibum and Jonghyun but Kibum could forgive.
Well alright he couldn’t really forgive but he could forget because now the five of them were in this together and it wouldn’t do to hate one of his comrades.
Jonghyun was a good exception, though, Kibum was reminded as he heard the idiot’s laughter while he and Taemin played a card game.
“Fine,” Minho gave his famous one-word answers, and Kibum took it as a sign that he just wasn’t in the mood to talk. He tended to get pissy when someone else was handsy with Taemin; it was his defense mechanism, since he probably didn’t want anyone messing with his healer.
“Don’t pay attention to him,” Kibum said, their conversation quiet with the background noise being Taemin and Jonghyun laughing and slapping the table for their game as well as Jinki mumbling under his breath while reading his notes. “I’m just happy to have him out of my hair.”
“Does he bother you that much?” Minho asked, and oh, Kibum knew that was a prying question on purpose.
But Kibum shrugged, flipping the meat over in the pan and checking on the rice. “When you’ve been with the same person for over fifteen years, they tend to wear on you.”
“I wouldn’t know,” the taller replied quickly, and Kibum glanced up at Minho to see him with honest eyes. “Taemin and I never fight or get angry at each other.”
“Then you got lucky in the partner selection,” Kibum said, his voice coming off clipped.
He heard Minho exhale through his nostrils, and then felt the man’s large hand resting on his lower back, the heat radiating through Kibum’s sweater to his core.
“You did, too.”
Minho’s hand disappeared and so did his presence as he moved to the card table Taemin and Jonghyun were at; Kibum looked down at the sizzling meat, trying to remember the last time he’d even eaten something that didn’t come out of a ration pack. He vaguely registered a small scuffle with a lot of curses and what sounded like Jonghyun being picked up and set aside forcefully, and then he felt the hunter right next to him, perturbed waves rolling off of his aura.
“Hey,” Jonghyun said softly, tapping the floor with his booted foot idly. “Um, Minho said you wanted me.”
Kibum glanced up and looked at Jonghyun, taking in his hair that was getting a bit shaggy, his big eyes, his cheeks that were slightly sunken in from the lack of activity and sleep. He took in the broad shoulders that seemed too wide for his frame, his eyes traced over his jaw line, and Kibum smiled lightly, shaking his head as if to clear it.
“Do me a favor and set the table,” Kibum settled on.
Jonghyun hesitated, he wanted to prod further, but he obeyed, starting to set the dinner table, but not without throwing a glass at Minho’s head.
Taemin shrieked “not it!” for the clean-up task.
--
The five sat out on a hill that was starting to grow vegetation, the Earth slowly coming around as Jinki figured out one remedy for all the dry, deadness. It wasn’t exactly what he was going for but it was close, he was so close, and as he dripped the mixture onto the grass in what used to be a park, as he poured it into the last lake in the world, things were coming around. Wildlife was scarce, it was almost like the Earth was back at the beginning, when evolution was taking place and it was going to take a while but it was something. Flora was spreading quickly, strange and exotic plants that had never existed before, but it was beautiful just the same.
Kibum sifted his fingers through the grass and Taemin was busy making a wreath out of some weirdly shaped purple flowers, humming to himself and sitting so close to the other healer that their knees were bumping. Jinki was on the other side of Kibum, rambling about the DNA properties of grass and how he was amazed he could replicate it what with all of his limited resources, Kibum just smiling lightly and listening, probably paying more attention to Jinki’s wild hand gestures than the words themselves.
Jonghyun and Minho were standing, though, next to each other and a little apart from everyone. Minho’s arms were folded over his chest loosely, and Jonghyun’s hands were in his pockets, both of them just observing the trio.
“I don’t care what you want,” Jonghyun finally said out loud. When Minho turned his head and arched a brow, the older man knew he had the hunter’s attention. “I don’t care if you want to fuck him or love him or… or whatever. But I swear to God if you hurt one hair on his head, you will be so fucking sorry and my gun will be shoved so far up your ass you’ll taste the powder.”
Minho chuckled and reached to wrap an arm around Jonghyun’s shoulders, bringing the shorter man into his side, Jonghyun making a surprised sound as his hand rested on Minho’s stomach to steady himself. The position was foreign, it was strange and Jonghyun didn’t want to like it but Minho’s scent infiltrated his nostrils, thick with testosterone and leather and Jonghyun straightened himself but didn’t move away.
“Who said I wanted him for myself?” Minho asked, shrugging a bit as he looked over at Kibum; the dingy sun was a bit brighter today, highlighting some of the copper highlights in the healer’s growing hair, the locks growing lush and thick once more. “I know how to share.” Jonghyun tried to process Minho’s words, but obviously he wasn’t doing it quick enough. “Can you?” Minho glanced down at Jonghyun, who looked back up at him with large, confused eyes.
Chuckling, Minho released Jonghyun and the hunters separated, Jonghyun ignoring how warm his side was from the contact.
“You’ll learn.”
Jonghyun was still having a hard time believing that Minho was a ‘good guy’, even as he watched the taller hunter crouch between Kibum and Taemin and laugh, showing his rare smile more and more with each passing day.
--
“You have a handsome smile,” Kibum said one day, in the research lab as he and Minho waited for Jinki to finish his shift.
Even though peace was being restored, there were still renegade troupes that were trying to take back what had been taken away from the world. There had been an attempt on Jinki three days prior when the scientist had been walking back from the grocer - it wasn’t like he couldn’t defend himself, but his knowledge was so precious that they couldn’t risk anything happening to him. So, they watched him in shifts, accompanied him to work and anywhere else he needed to go.
Minho glanced over at Kibum, arching a brow. They were leaning against a wall in a deserted hallway outside of Jinki’s main research lab, the building practically empty save for the few people inside of that room. Despite the grunginess of the world outside, the world inside the halls of this building were bright white with some new chemically engineered lighting that ran off of dead solar cells. Against the wall as they were, the black of Minho and Kibum’s clothes stuck out like a sore thumb.
“I mean it,” Kibum said, shrugging, glancing up at Minho. “You should smile more. People might actually like you.”
The hunter couldn’t help but feel the twitch of his lips as he replied, “You like me just fine.”
Kibum’s smile seemed to be self-satisfactory. “Doesn’t mean you can’t smile more.”
Minho pushed off of the wall and turned, raising his hands to rest on the surface behind Kibum’s head, his strong arms caging the healer against the wall. Kibum’s chin tipped up a bit in a show that he wasn’t going to back down, his eyes meeting Minho’s as he arched a finely trimmed brow.
“Do you take offense to my compliment?” Kibum asked, the smirk tugging on his lips obviously contagious as Minho’s lips curled as well.
“Haven’t I told you that your mouth would be so much better while occupied?” Minho answered Kibum’s question with a question, their breaths mingling as the hunter leaned closer.
“Haven’t I said that you should back up such ludicrous claims?”
Stalemate. This happened more often than not, the two of them exchanging a clever word banter that would end in neither of them backing down or agreeing on anything. Usually they were interrupted but here in this research lab while Jinki was busy in his lab for the next five hours or so, there was no one to pull them apart from each other.
Well, no one brave enough.
Apparently today Minho was feeling like proving his point, his lips crashing to Kibum’s mouth as Kibum immediately yielded to him, fisting the lapels of Minho’s leather jacket as he pulled the hunter flush against his body. Kibum’s cheeks flushed and images of Jonghyun flashed through his mind but he squashed them down as Minho’s tongue sought out the roof of his mouth, pressing against it and making the healer’s knees tremble with delight. Minho had the smaller man pinned against the white wall, acting as a splatter of the finest ink against the surface as Minho’s mouth moved to graze over Kibum’s sharp cheek bones.
“Your hunter isn’t here to save you this time,” Minho breathed out, the tiniest bit of menace underlying his words.
Kibum didn’t reply for a moment, contemplating the situation, all sorts of scenarios filtering through his head. He blinked, the action long and slow, keeping his eyes shut for a few moments, but when he opened his eyes he smirked up at Minho.
“Good.”
That was the straw that broke the camel’s back as Minho hefted Kibum up and slid the healer’s body along the wall until Kibum’s back hit a door, Minho twisting the knob and spilling them inside of the room. Kibum’s legs wound around Minho’s waist as he kept their chests flush together, and even as Minho deposited him on a table roughly, Kibum’s ass throbbing a bit from the hard surface meeting his body so harshly, Kibum kept their lips locked.
The healer’s fingers were on the hunter’s button and fly, deft fingers undoing the fastenings quickly and easily, pushing them down a bit; he wouldn’t lose to Minho, he couldn’t. But Minho was mirroring his every move, his fingers wrapping around Kibum’s cock and the healer’s head dropped back as he squeezed the base of Minho’s cock, the two of them jerking each other roughly, fingers squeezing and pulling and pushing and Minho’s teeth were scraping over Kibum’s neck, the healer not even in the right state of mind to tell him to not leave any marks. He could feel bruises forming wherever Minho’s strong fingers came into contact with his skin and he scooted forward on the table so their dicks could press together, heat building up between them, the leather of their clothes stifling as they moved together.
But it wasn’t enough, it was never enough and Minho had the upper hand right now, with Kibum on the table and the hunter standing tall. So Kibum pushed at Minho’s chest, breaking contact with him before the healer hopped off the table and slid down onto his knees, grabbing Minho’s erection with spindly, hot fingers and running his tongue along the underside. Degrading as it was, Kibum now held the upper hand as Minho’s fingers tangled in his chocolate hair, tugging blindly as Minho let out a pleasured pant, his big eyes narrowing and fluttering as he looked down at how Kibum’s face easily swallowed his erection.
It was foreign, a cock shoved down his throat as he started to let Minho fuck his face, fingers tangled in his hair to guide him back and forth. Spit was dribbling down Kibum’s chin, he couldn’t swallow and every time he tried his muscles contracted and Minho thrust just a bit harder, the tip of his dick tickling Kibum’s vocal chords. The healer moved his hands to grip at Minho’s hips, stilling them so he could pull off of his erection and gasp in a breath, his lips chapping with the stretch and his cheeks flushed from lack of oxygen. But Minho’s cock looked so perfect, glorious, shining with Kibum’s saliva and red with need.
Kibum smirked, running his finger down a vein, “A little pent up, are we?”
Minho grabbed the base of his dick and slapped Kibum’s cheek with it, “Don’t act like you don’t know.
Kibum would have been offended with the slap, if he didn’t like the venom lacing Minho’s words, if he hadn’t liked how Minho’s tone of voice shot straight to his own dick. But he wasn’t offended, and Kibum covered it up with a scoff and a roll of his eyes, letting his tongue slowly, teasingly trail over the tip of the hunter’s erection, dipping into the slit. Minho hissed, fingers tightening in Kibum’s hair to almost a painful degree; Kibum breathed out cool breath over the hunter’s erection.
“Maybe I don’t know,” Kibum said, a rather bold move on his part.
He knew Minho could move fast, but Kibum’s head was spinning when Minho hauled him up and threw him face-first onto the table, yanking the healer’s pants down and running the tip of his cock along the crack of Kibum’s ass cheeks, all the while with his fingers tangled in Kibum’s freshly grown locks.
“You’re playing with fire, Key,” Minho growled, his lips close to Kibum’s ear, the heat from his chest permeating the back of Kibum’s leather jacket.
Kibum couldn’t help the smirk that curled his pretty lips, exposing his teeth as he turned his head to the side, cheek pressed against the cool surface of the table.
“Burn me.”
The pain that spread throughout Kibum’s body was excruciating, splitting him from the inside out, his fingertips and toes going numb as Minho shoved his cock all the way into Kibum’s ass in one thrust. Kibum almost screamed, but Minho’s hand covering his mouth muffled the sound, vibrating the hunter’s fingers and palms as tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. His knees trembled and gave out, leaving his lower half hanging off of the table, his hands scrabbling to hold onto the edges to keep himself on the surface, the weight of Minho’s body helping keep him positioned.
Minho’s lips were still by Kibum’s ear and he heard the uneven breathing, he heard the faint traces of curses and grunts and moans and they were so quiet, like Minho didn’t want to give away that he was actually taking pleasure out of this, and Kibum snarled against Minho’s hand and bit, his teeth sinking into the hunter’s fingers in an act of retaliation.
The hunter ripped his hand away, blood spattering over the table and dripping down his fingers, this time the curse that left his lips being audible. He moved his hand under Kibum’s chin, forcing his head up, the blood dripping down Kibum’s neck to his collarbones, smearing on the table as Minho’s fingers gripped his jaw and bent his back in a weird angle - Minho thrusted and right away Kibum saw white, his eyes fluttering as pleasure sparked through his entire body.
Minho was about precision in anything he did, and this was no exception as he kept Kibum anchored in that position, his head upturned to look at the ceiling, the burning at the base of Kibum’s skull going unnoticed as Minho continued to ram into his body. Kibum’s dick was hitting the underside of the table and his knuckles were turning white from their grip on the corners, tears leaking from his eyes to rush down his cheeks to his jaw where Minho’s bloodied fingers were keeping a grip, the tears and the blood mixing together to spill over Minho’s hands and fingers and create an abstract pink picture on the table.
Nonsensical mutterings were leaving Kibum’s lips, he couldn’t form a single coherent sentence with the warmth of the blood trickling down his neck and the jolts of continuous pleasure rocking his entire body. His mind was blissfully fuzzy, eyes rolling to the back of his head as he bucked his body back onto Minho’s dick, and when Minho’s other hand moved to stroke him off in perfect time with his thrusts Kibum lost it, his mind going completely blank as he came over the underside of the table and Minho’s hand, the hunter’s fingers slipping in the blood and tears smeared over Kibum’s neck as he followed the healer into orgasm, filling him up to the brim.
Kibum’s knees sagged and his grip slackened on the table, and the last thing he saw before he passed out was Minho’s face, his lips turned down in a soft frown and his eyes looking strangely apologetic.
--
“Is this what you meant by sharing, you tall fuck!?”
“Is it unsuitable? Because I can’t really take it back.”
Kibum could hear people talking, though it sounded muffled, like he was underwater and they were sitting on a ledge high above him.
“What the fuck do you think!? Your fucking - fucking flaming charisma and shit knocked him out cold! Is he even gonna wake up!?”
“I think he’s coming to now… Kibummie hyung, are you ok?”
The healer fluttered his eyes open and was assaulted by bright lights, courtesy of Jinki shining a flashlight in his eyes to check his cognitive reactions before pulling away. Kibum gave a delayed reaction of swatting at Jinki, though the scientist was far away from him now, and he registered Taemin sitting next to him on the couch.
Jonghyun was instantly on the ground, hands on Kibum’s legs as he peered closer, resembling an eager, worried puppy all too much.
“Hey, are you ok?” the hunter asked, and Kibum’s head lolled for a second before he took in Jonghyun’s big eyes, his tight lips, and the way he was gripping onto Kibum’s pant legs.
Kibum smiled a bit and reached out to touch Jonghyun’s hand, “Yeah… I’m fine.” He shifted a little bit, and then immediately took back that statement. “Jesus, fuck…”
Minho looked all too satisfied, leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest. Taemin beamed from next to Kibum, looking like a girl that had just been told the juiciest gossip of her life.
“What was it like? Did you feel anything?” Taemin asked, on his knees with his hands fidgeting in his lap as he leaned precariously close.
“I felt… fuck,” Kibum wrinkled his nose and swished his tongue around, tasting the stale blood from earlier on the backs of his teeth. “Gross, you got it in my mouth…” he raised a hand to wipe along his neck, feeling for dried blood, but felt nothing.
“I gave you a bath~” Taemin was really too chipper for Kibum to deal with right now, and Kibum glanced over to look at those excited blue eyes and that pretty smile, and then let out a soft groan.
“Thanks,” he tipped his head back against the couch and Jonghyun scooted closer, if it was possible, and if he had a tail it would be thumping on the floor.
“But - Kibum,” Jonghyun was speaking softly, though insistently. “What did you see?”
“When?” Kibum spat out, obviously irritated at being bugged so quickly upon awakening from however long he had been sleeping.
“When you climaxed,” Jinki said simply, and Kibum turned his head a bit to see Jinki sitting at the rickety kitchen table, Taemin’s knife in his hand as he worked on whittling a piece of wood.
Kibum blushed, “I didn’t see anything. I mean - was I supposed to see something?”
Jinki pursed his lips, either concentrating on the small kitty he was making, or displeased with Kibum’s answer.
“Another test will be administered,” the scientist said.
Taemin tensed, Jonghyun cursed, Minho chuckled and Kibum just stared blankly at them all.
“What the fuck am I missing out on?”
“I thought,” Jinki started, shrugging. “That Minho would have been the key. But he’s not. So now it’ll be process of elimination until we figure out who is the key.”
“… What, and I’m the lock?” Kibum asked, snorting slightly.
“Both you and Taemin are the locks,” Jinki said, as easily as if he were relaying the weather. “And we need to figure out how to unlock you.”
Taemin gave Kibum was looked like it was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it came out a bit dimmer than either healer would have liked. Kibum sagged against the couch, feeling his eyelids grow heavy once more, and as he fell asleep he felt Jonghyun’s head nestling into his lap, the healer’s fingers playing with the hair idly before he finally drifted off, images of treasures chests and constellations dancing in his head.
[ Chapter 10 -->]
Progress: 9/?
Pairing: To be decided
Rating: PG-13 ~ NC-17
Warnings: Graphic violence, blood/gore, sexual situations (more to be added)
Summary: In a grisly future, healers and hunters are bred for the specific purpose of keeping order for THEM. But when IT starts to revolt and draft wary healers and hunters to create its own army, it’s obvious that someone is on the inside. Jonghyun and Kibum, the child prodigies of THEM are out to settle the score and find out what really happened - even at the sake of their own loyalty.
A/N: Title is a play on the term ‘cityscape’, which is basically ‘the view of the city’; it’s about wanting to break free from the norm, to escape the life you’re born into, to find yourself and others and do what you want to do with your own life.
[ Prologue] [ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] [ 5] [ 6] [ 7] [ 8]
--
Cigarettes and coffee was Kibum’s breakfast one morning, as he sat on the step of the pawn shop and watched the people mill about the streets. Shops had opened, the market was thriving, and people were actually smiling. Kibum hadn’t seen adults smile like this in such a long time, right alongside their children as they moved from shop to shop and bought all sorts of goods and trinkets that THEY had once outlawed.
He watched as children played in mud puddles and parents tried to control them, he watched as even though parents were reprimanding their children they were doing it with a smile. It was the first time Kibum had seen Innocents act so freely, so pleasantly, and even as they saw him, sitting on the step and watching them all, they didn’t even blink an eye. His face had been plastered all over the city once, along with Jonghyun’s. They had been elite, they had been the best.
It was like… what was it like?
Kibum brought the cigarette to his lips and puffed, feeling the smoke swirling in his mouth before he sucked it into his lungs and held it there for a second as he thought.
It was like finding out that the scary dog down the block actually had the heart of a puppy.
He exhaled.
No, not quite.
He picked up his coffee mug to take a sip.
It was like that grouchy old man down the street that had the shot gun, threatening to shoot you if you stepped on his property, and then finding out he’s just lonely and is trying to protect himself from falling in love again.
Kibum shook his head; that was a dumb analogy.
The point was, as he sat there quietly on the stoop and watched the people mill about, they weren’t afraid of him anymore. Like they knew he had a hand in ending THEM.
And for once, Kibum thought, it was nice to not have people run away from him in fear as soon as they saw his face.
The door opened and Jonghyun sat down next to Kibum, with his own coffee resting at his lips, his elbows at his knees as he joined in the unofficial spectator sport.
“They’re beautiful,” Kibum commented, watching as a little girl ran by with a kite made out of string and paper.
“Yeah,” Jonghyun leaned back on a hand and let his coffee cup rest on the top of his knee. “I wonder if this is how things used to be. You know, before the Black Out.”
“Maybe,” Kibum shrugged, finishing off his coffee and stubbing out his cigarette on the step his feet were resting on. “We might not ever know.”
“Do you think Jinki can do it?” Jonghyun asked, looking up at the dingy sky. “Make everything back to how it used to be?”
“He caused it,” Kibum shrugged yet again and stood up, dusting off the butt of his pants. “I’m sure he could fix it.”
Jonghyun smirked, “If not by accident.”
“Nothing great is done on purpose,” Kibum said as he disappeared into the pawn shop.
--
“Watch where you’re stepping--!”
“Omo, hyung I’m sorry~”
Taemin instantly hopped off of the alchemy circle Jinki was creating, biting his lip and looking awfully apologetic as he distanced himself from the circle. Jinki wasn’t too perturbed, though; Kibum had spilled coffee on it when he tripped over Minho’s big boot, Minho himself had sneezed while he was sitting on the floor and chalk dust flew everywhere, and Jonghyun… where was Jonghyun?
“Oomf - ah, sorry, I just-”
Taemin had backed right into Jonghyun’s chest, startling the older man but making him laugh as he pat Taemin on the shoulder.
“It’s alright, don’t worry about it,” Jonghyun said easily.
Over the past month there was still tension between them all - well, them being mostly Jonghyun and Minho - and they were slowly overcoming their differences but it was hard. Their trigger fingers were itching in this sudden peace, all of their training having been thrown out of the window as soon as THEY had been defeated. Stir-crazy was an appropriate term for the boys as they all wandered around and got used to the new feel of the city, of the world, and while they were happy that they had a hand in it all, boys will be boys and you can put the wolf in a cage, but the wolf is still a wolf.
Taemin smiled prettily and Jonghyun averted his eyes, moving to the kitchen so he could get a glass of water. Kibum was standing at the stove, attending to whatever he was cooking.
“… Is that…” Jonghyun peered over Kibum’s shoulder, his eyes widening with delight. “Oh fuck yes is that meat?!”
“THEY were controlling some farms that were off the radar,” Kibum said. “THEY had the whole market wrapped around their finger so the commoners couldn’t get any meat or good food. But now the farmers are sharing and it’s not much, and it’s sort of expensive, but I was at the market today and I couldn’t help myself.”
Jonghyun was absolutely delighted, clapping his hands and leaning forward to smell the meat - Kibum elbowed him in the chest to get him away, snapping about getting dog drool all over decent food. Jonghyun wrinkled his nose and went and sat down on the one tattered couch they had, some dust pluming up as he coughed and waved it away. Taemin sat next to him, leaning over and whispering,
“I tried to smell it too but he said he didn’t want fairy dust getting on the food.”
Jonghyun snorted, “He gets like that when he cooks. It’s best to just not disturb him.”
Taemin pouted, and Jonghyun ruffled his hair, unable to resist doing so with the cute expression on Taemin’s face. Minho, from his seat on the bed with his back against the wall, watched the interaction with a sharp eye - Kibum could feel the heat of Minho’s glare and it wasn’t even directed at him, so he cleared his throat and called out.
“Minho yah, can you help me with something?”
Everyone glanced up at that, even Jinki who was concentrating so hard on reading his notes and drawing the circle. Minho unfolded his long frame and stood up, giving one last smoldering look to Jonghyun, who stuck his tongue out maturely in response, and then moved into the kitchenette with Kibum.
“Can you get that for me?” Kibum nodded his head up to the cupboard above the stove, where one of the spices he needed was located. He wasn’t too short to get it, but Minho complied and grabbed the container, setting it down on the counter.
Jonghyun huffed.
Kibum snapped, “Shut up you’re too short to get it anyway, asshole.”
Jonghyun sniffed, “No need to be rude.”
Taemin distracted Jonghyun by asking him to play a game with him.
“How are you holding up?” Kibum asked, trying to start conversation with Minho. Usually, Kibum had come to learn, if Minho wanted to talk then he started conversation. He spoke when he wanted to and stayed quiet most of the time. But that didn’t stop Kibum from trying - he was still slightly bitter towards Minho for the rough treatment, the molestation, and for causing multiple fights between Kibum and Jonghyun but Kibum could forgive.
Well alright he couldn’t really forgive but he could forget because now the five of them were in this together and it wouldn’t do to hate one of his comrades.
Jonghyun was a good exception, though, Kibum was reminded as he heard the idiot’s laughter while he and Taemin played a card game.
“Fine,” Minho gave his famous one-word answers, and Kibum took it as a sign that he just wasn’t in the mood to talk. He tended to get pissy when someone else was handsy with Taemin; it was his defense mechanism, since he probably didn’t want anyone messing with his healer.
“Don’t pay attention to him,” Kibum said, their conversation quiet with the background noise being Taemin and Jonghyun laughing and slapping the table for their game as well as Jinki mumbling under his breath while reading his notes. “I’m just happy to have him out of my hair.”
“Does he bother you that much?” Minho asked, and oh, Kibum knew that was a prying question on purpose.
But Kibum shrugged, flipping the meat over in the pan and checking on the rice. “When you’ve been with the same person for over fifteen years, they tend to wear on you.”
“I wouldn’t know,” the taller replied quickly, and Kibum glanced up at Minho to see him with honest eyes. “Taemin and I never fight or get angry at each other.”
“Then you got lucky in the partner selection,” Kibum said, his voice coming off clipped.
He heard Minho exhale through his nostrils, and then felt the man’s large hand resting on his lower back, the heat radiating through Kibum’s sweater to his core.
“You did, too.”
Minho’s hand disappeared and so did his presence as he moved to the card table Taemin and Jonghyun were at; Kibum looked down at the sizzling meat, trying to remember the last time he’d even eaten something that didn’t come out of a ration pack. He vaguely registered a small scuffle with a lot of curses and what sounded like Jonghyun being picked up and set aside forcefully, and then he felt the hunter right next to him, perturbed waves rolling off of his aura.
“Hey,” Jonghyun said softly, tapping the floor with his booted foot idly. “Um, Minho said you wanted me.”
Kibum glanced up and looked at Jonghyun, taking in his hair that was getting a bit shaggy, his big eyes, his cheeks that were slightly sunken in from the lack of activity and sleep. He took in the broad shoulders that seemed too wide for his frame, his eyes traced over his jaw line, and Kibum smiled lightly, shaking his head as if to clear it.
“Do me a favor and set the table,” Kibum settled on.
Jonghyun hesitated, he wanted to prod further, but he obeyed, starting to set the dinner table, but not without throwing a glass at Minho’s head.
Taemin shrieked “not it!” for the clean-up task.
--
The five sat out on a hill that was starting to grow vegetation, the Earth slowly coming around as Jinki figured out one remedy for all the dry, deadness. It wasn’t exactly what he was going for but it was close, he was so close, and as he dripped the mixture onto the grass in what used to be a park, as he poured it into the last lake in the world, things were coming around. Wildlife was scarce, it was almost like the Earth was back at the beginning, when evolution was taking place and it was going to take a while but it was something. Flora was spreading quickly, strange and exotic plants that had never existed before, but it was beautiful just the same.
Kibum sifted his fingers through the grass and Taemin was busy making a wreath out of some weirdly shaped purple flowers, humming to himself and sitting so close to the other healer that their knees were bumping. Jinki was on the other side of Kibum, rambling about the DNA properties of grass and how he was amazed he could replicate it what with all of his limited resources, Kibum just smiling lightly and listening, probably paying more attention to Jinki’s wild hand gestures than the words themselves.
Jonghyun and Minho were standing, though, next to each other and a little apart from everyone. Minho’s arms were folded over his chest loosely, and Jonghyun’s hands were in his pockets, both of them just observing the trio.
“I don’t care what you want,” Jonghyun finally said out loud. When Minho turned his head and arched a brow, the older man knew he had the hunter’s attention. “I don’t care if you want to fuck him or love him or… or whatever. But I swear to God if you hurt one hair on his head, you will be so fucking sorry and my gun will be shoved so far up your ass you’ll taste the powder.”
Minho chuckled and reached to wrap an arm around Jonghyun’s shoulders, bringing the shorter man into his side, Jonghyun making a surprised sound as his hand rested on Minho’s stomach to steady himself. The position was foreign, it was strange and Jonghyun didn’t want to like it but Minho’s scent infiltrated his nostrils, thick with testosterone and leather and Jonghyun straightened himself but didn’t move away.
“Who said I wanted him for myself?” Minho asked, shrugging a bit as he looked over at Kibum; the dingy sun was a bit brighter today, highlighting some of the copper highlights in the healer’s growing hair, the locks growing lush and thick once more. “I know how to share.” Jonghyun tried to process Minho’s words, but obviously he wasn’t doing it quick enough. “Can you?” Minho glanced down at Jonghyun, who looked back up at him with large, confused eyes.
Chuckling, Minho released Jonghyun and the hunters separated, Jonghyun ignoring how warm his side was from the contact.
“You’ll learn.”
Jonghyun was still having a hard time believing that Minho was a ‘good guy’, even as he watched the taller hunter crouch between Kibum and Taemin and laugh, showing his rare smile more and more with each passing day.
--
“You have a handsome smile,” Kibum said one day, in the research lab as he and Minho waited for Jinki to finish his shift.
Even though peace was being restored, there were still renegade troupes that were trying to take back what had been taken away from the world. There had been an attempt on Jinki three days prior when the scientist had been walking back from the grocer - it wasn’t like he couldn’t defend himself, but his knowledge was so precious that they couldn’t risk anything happening to him. So, they watched him in shifts, accompanied him to work and anywhere else he needed to go.
Minho glanced over at Kibum, arching a brow. They were leaning against a wall in a deserted hallway outside of Jinki’s main research lab, the building practically empty save for the few people inside of that room. Despite the grunginess of the world outside, the world inside the halls of this building were bright white with some new chemically engineered lighting that ran off of dead solar cells. Against the wall as they were, the black of Minho and Kibum’s clothes stuck out like a sore thumb.
“I mean it,” Kibum said, shrugging, glancing up at Minho. “You should smile more. People might actually like you.”
The hunter couldn’t help but feel the twitch of his lips as he replied, “You like me just fine.”
Kibum’s smile seemed to be self-satisfactory. “Doesn’t mean you can’t smile more.”
Minho pushed off of the wall and turned, raising his hands to rest on the surface behind Kibum’s head, his strong arms caging the healer against the wall. Kibum’s chin tipped up a bit in a show that he wasn’t going to back down, his eyes meeting Minho’s as he arched a finely trimmed brow.
“Do you take offense to my compliment?” Kibum asked, the smirk tugging on his lips obviously contagious as Minho’s lips curled as well.
“Haven’t I told you that your mouth would be so much better while occupied?” Minho answered Kibum’s question with a question, their breaths mingling as the hunter leaned closer.
“Haven’t I said that you should back up such ludicrous claims?”
Stalemate. This happened more often than not, the two of them exchanging a clever word banter that would end in neither of them backing down or agreeing on anything. Usually they were interrupted but here in this research lab while Jinki was busy in his lab for the next five hours or so, there was no one to pull them apart from each other.
Well, no one brave enough.
Apparently today Minho was feeling like proving his point, his lips crashing to Kibum’s mouth as Kibum immediately yielded to him, fisting the lapels of Minho’s leather jacket as he pulled the hunter flush against his body. Kibum’s cheeks flushed and images of Jonghyun flashed through his mind but he squashed them down as Minho’s tongue sought out the roof of his mouth, pressing against it and making the healer’s knees tremble with delight. Minho had the smaller man pinned against the white wall, acting as a splatter of the finest ink against the surface as Minho’s mouth moved to graze over Kibum’s sharp cheek bones.
“Your hunter isn’t here to save you this time,” Minho breathed out, the tiniest bit of menace underlying his words.
Kibum didn’t reply for a moment, contemplating the situation, all sorts of scenarios filtering through his head. He blinked, the action long and slow, keeping his eyes shut for a few moments, but when he opened his eyes he smirked up at Minho.
“Good.”
That was the straw that broke the camel’s back as Minho hefted Kibum up and slid the healer’s body along the wall until Kibum’s back hit a door, Minho twisting the knob and spilling them inside of the room. Kibum’s legs wound around Minho’s waist as he kept their chests flush together, and even as Minho deposited him on a table roughly, Kibum’s ass throbbing a bit from the hard surface meeting his body so harshly, Kibum kept their lips locked.
The healer’s fingers were on the hunter’s button and fly, deft fingers undoing the fastenings quickly and easily, pushing them down a bit; he wouldn’t lose to Minho, he couldn’t. But Minho was mirroring his every move, his fingers wrapping around Kibum’s cock and the healer’s head dropped back as he squeezed the base of Minho’s cock, the two of them jerking each other roughly, fingers squeezing and pulling and pushing and Minho’s teeth were scraping over Kibum’s neck, the healer not even in the right state of mind to tell him to not leave any marks. He could feel bruises forming wherever Minho’s strong fingers came into contact with his skin and he scooted forward on the table so their dicks could press together, heat building up between them, the leather of their clothes stifling as they moved together.
But it wasn’t enough, it was never enough and Minho had the upper hand right now, with Kibum on the table and the hunter standing tall. So Kibum pushed at Minho’s chest, breaking contact with him before the healer hopped off the table and slid down onto his knees, grabbing Minho’s erection with spindly, hot fingers and running his tongue along the underside. Degrading as it was, Kibum now held the upper hand as Minho’s fingers tangled in his chocolate hair, tugging blindly as Minho let out a pleasured pant, his big eyes narrowing and fluttering as he looked down at how Kibum’s face easily swallowed his erection.
It was foreign, a cock shoved down his throat as he started to let Minho fuck his face, fingers tangled in his hair to guide him back and forth. Spit was dribbling down Kibum’s chin, he couldn’t swallow and every time he tried his muscles contracted and Minho thrust just a bit harder, the tip of his dick tickling Kibum’s vocal chords. The healer moved his hands to grip at Minho’s hips, stilling them so he could pull off of his erection and gasp in a breath, his lips chapping with the stretch and his cheeks flushed from lack of oxygen. But Minho’s cock looked so perfect, glorious, shining with Kibum’s saliva and red with need.
Kibum smirked, running his finger down a vein, “A little pent up, are we?”
Minho grabbed the base of his dick and slapped Kibum’s cheek with it, “Don’t act like you don’t know.
Kibum would have been offended with the slap, if he didn’t like the venom lacing Minho’s words, if he hadn’t liked how Minho’s tone of voice shot straight to his own dick. But he wasn’t offended, and Kibum covered it up with a scoff and a roll of his eyes, letting his tongue slowly, teasingly trail over the tip of the hunter’s erection, dipping into the slit. Minho hissed, fingers tightening in Kibum’s hair to almost a painful degree; Kibum breathed out cool breath over the hunter’s erection.
“Maybe I don’t know,” Kibum said, a rather bold move on his part.
He knew Minho could move fast, but Kibum’s head was spinning when Minho hauled him up and threw him face-first onto the table, yanking the healer’s pants down and running the tip of his cock along the crack of Kibum’s ass cheeks, all the while with his fingers tangled in Kibum’s freshly grown locks.
“You’re playing with fire, Key,” Minho growled, his lips close to Kibum’s ear, the heat from his chest permeating the back of Kibum’s leather jacket.
Kibum couldn’t help the smirk that curled his pretty lips, exposing his teeth as he turned his head to the side, cheek pressed against the cool surface of the table.
“Burn me.”
The pain that spread throughout Kibum’s body was excruciating, splitting him from the inside out, his fingertips and toes going numb as Minho shoved his cock all the way into Kibum’s ass in one thrust. Kibum almost screamed, but Minho’s hand covering his mouth muffled the sound, vibrating the hunter’s fingers and palms as tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. His knees trembled and gave out, leaving his lower half hanging off of the table, his hands scrabbling to hold onto the edges to keep himself on the surface, the weight of Minho’s body helping keep him positioned.
Minho’s lips were still by Kibum’s ear and he heard the uneven breathing, he heard the faint traces of curses and grunts and moans and they were so quiet, like Minho didn’t want to give away that he was actually taking pleasure out of this, and Kibum snarled against Minho’s hand and bit, his teeth sinking into the hunter’s fingers in an act of retaliation.
The hunter ripped his hand away, blood spattering over the table and dripping down his fingers, this time the curse that left his lips being audible. He moved his hand under Kibum’s chin, forcing his head up, the blood dripping down Kibum’s neck to his collarbones, smearing on the table as Minho’s fingers gripped his jaw and bent his back in a weird angle - Minho thrusted and right away Kibum saw white, his eyes fluttering as pleasure sparked through his entire body.
Minho was about precision in anything he did, and this was no exception as he kept Kibum anchored in that position, his head upturned to look at the ceiling, the burning at the base of Kibum’s skull going unnoticed as Minho continued to ram into his body. Kibum’s dick was hitting the underside of the table and his knuckles were turning white from their grip on the corners, tears leaking from his eyes to rush down his cheeks to his jaw where Minho’s bloodied fingers were keeping a grip, the tears and the blood mixing together to spill over Minho’s hands and fingers and create an abstract pink picture on the table.
Nonsensical mutterings were leaving Kibum’s lips, he couldn’t form a single coherent sentence with the warmth of the blood trickling down his neck and the jolts of continuous pleasure rocking his entire body. His mind was blissfully fuzzy, eyes rolling to the back of his head as he bucked his body back onto Minho’s dick, and when Minho’s other hand moved to stroke him off in perfect time with his thrusts Kibum lost it, his mind going completely blank as he came over the underside of the table and Minho’s hand, the hunter’s fingers slipping in the blood and tears smeared over Kibum’s neck as he followed the healer into orgasm, filling him up to the brim.
Kibum’s knees sagged and his grip slackened on the table, and the last thing he saw before he passed out was Minho’s face, his lips turned down in a soft frown and his eyes looking strangely apologetic.
--
“Is this what you meant by sharing, you tall fuck!?”
“Is it unsuitable? Because I can’t really take it back.”
Kibum could hear people talking, though it sounded muffled, like he was underwater and they were sitting on a ledge high above him.
“What the fuck do you think!? Your fucking - fucking flaming charisma and shit knocked him out cold! Is he even gonna wake up!?”
“I think he’s coming to now… Kibummie hyung, are you ok?”
The healer fluttered his eyes open and was assaulted by bright lights, courtesy of Jinki shining a flashlight in his eyes to check his cognitive reactions before pulling away. Kibum gave a delayed reaction of swatting at Jinki, though the scientist was far away from him now, and he registered Taemin sitting next to him on the couch.
Jonghyun was instantly on the ground, hands on Kibum’s legs as he peered closer, resembling an eager, worried puppy all too much.
“Hey, are you ok?” the hunter asked, and Kibum’s head lolled for a second before he took in Jonghyun’s big eyes, his tight lips, and the way he was gripping onto Kibum’s pant legs.
Kibum smiled a bit and reached out to touch Jonghyun’s hand, “Yeah… I’m fine.” He shifted a little bit, and then immediately took back that statement. “Jesus, fuck…”
Minho looked all too satisfied, leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest. Taemin beamed from next to Kibum, looking like a girl that had just been told the juiciest gossip of her life.
“What was it like? Did you feel anything?” Taemin asked, on his knees with his hands fidgeting in his lap as he leaned precariously close.
“I felt… fuck,” Kibum wrinkled his nose and swished his tongue around, tasting the stale blood from earlier on the backs of his teeth. “Gross, you got it in my mouth…” he raised a hand to wipe along his neck, feeling for dried blood, but felt nothing.
“I gave you a bath~” Taemin was really too chipper for Kibum to deal with right now, and Kibum glanced over to look at those excited blue eyes and that pretty smile, and then let out a soft groan.
“Thanks,” he tipped his head back against the couch and Jonghyun scooted closer, if it was possible, and if he had a tail it would be thumping on the floor.
“But - Kibum,” Jonghyun was speaking softly, though insistently. “What did you see?”
“When?” Kibum spat out, obviously irritated at being bugged so quickly upon awakening from however long he had been sleeping.
“When you climaxed,” Jinki said simply, and Kibum turned his head a bit to see Jinki sitting at the rickety kitchen table, Taemin’s knife in his hand as he worked on whittling a piece of wood.
Kibum blushed, “I didn’t see anything. I mean - was I supposed to see something?”
Jinki pursed his lips, either concentrating on the small kitty he was making, or displeased with Kibum’s answer.
“Another test will be administered,” the scientist said.
Taemin tensed, Jonghyun cursed, Minho chuckled and Kibum just stared blankly at them all.
“What the fuck am I missing out on?”
“I thought,” Jinki started, shrugging. “That Minho would have been the key. But he’s not. So now it’ll be process of elimination until we figure out who is the key.”
“… What, and I’m the lock?” Kibum asked, snorting slightly.
“Both you and Taemin are the locks,” Jinki said, as easily as if he were relaying the weather. “And we need to figure out how to unlock you.”
Taemin gave Kibum was looked like it was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it came out a bit dimmer than either healer would have liked. Kibum sagged against the couch, feeling his eyelids grow heavy once more, and as he fell asleep he felt Jonghyun’s head nestling into his lap, the healer’s fingers playing with the hair idly before he finally drifted off, images of treasures chests and constellations dancing in his head.
[ Chapter 10 -->]