Freefalling Kisses ~The Story - (9/?)
Title: Freefalling Kisses ~The Story
Pairing: Kai/LuHan, Kris/Tao, Lay/SeHun, &more to come
Summary:"I believe that two people are connected at the heart, and it doesn't matter what you do, or who you are, or where you live; there are no boundaries or barriers if two people are destined to be together."
Rating: 14A (violence, blood, swearing) **AU!verse
*this series is like a prologue to: freefalling kisses (oneshot)
9.
Exhaustion. It ran through Tao's veins like a calm tide, washing over his mind in a temptation to sleep. But in his line of work, there were no set schedules to follow; he clocked in eight years ago, and have yet to clock-out.
Remind me again why I do this, he groans inwardly, loose fingers combing through his untidy hair. He couldn't remember the last time he had a decent amount of sleep.
The East hallway, where all the guest bedrooms were located, was eerily empty; the morning light that shone through the windows did it no justice.
Not that it matters, Tao winces as he places careful fingers on his stomach, everyone who lives here has seen Hell twice over.
Everyone working under Lay had an unspoken past; himself included.
Deciding to take a look at his abdomen, Tao heads for the bathroom and its large mirror; pain shot through his body whenever he tried to tilt his head down to examine the wound. It had been no more than six hours since the fiasco at the club.
Tao frowns.
Even Lay doesn't know how that happened. Stopping before the rich wooden door of the bathroom, situated at the end of the hallway, something wavers in Tao as he recollects his memory of that fight, but he couldn't place a finger on what it is.
Ah, Tao's frown lifts slightly as he curls his fingers around the doorknob; a different thought suddenly surfacing in his mind, I forgot to ask Lay about those two boys...
Pushing the door open effortlessly, Tao blinks in surprise as he steps into a humid, heat-filled bathroom. The titled walls were hazy with steam from the recently used hot water as discarded pieces of clothing laid across the floor.
Mind yet to process the situation, he tilts his head in confusion; the sleep deprivation was effecting his brain.
"Thanks for knocking."
Startled, Tao jumps away from the door as his head whips around to the blind corner of his vision. Narrowing his eyes, his lips open and close like a fish out of water; a small hiss escaping his teeth as his ribs throb from the sudden movement.
Kris, wet hair pushed back and effectively away from his face, stood on the other side of the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped dangerously low on his waist.
Tao's eyes quickly drop to his feet; an uncomfortable heat rising in his cheeks.
"...sorry," he mumbles, hand reaching out for the doorknob.
But before he could even the touch the wooden frame, Kris slams the door shut and locks it. As if that wasn't enough, he steps forward to stand, with his arms crossing his bare chest, between Tao and his only way of escape.
"I think we need to talk."
Tao frowns, fingers unconsciously curling around his waist, "About what? There's nothing to talk about."
Slapping away Tao's stray hand from trying to grab the door, Kris growls and moves to stand chest to chest with Tao; his damp, firm skin glistening with tantalizing warmth.
"You know what I'm talking about," Kris whispers, the words raising the hairs on the back of the younger boys neck. "Don't you think we've been playing this game of Cat and Mouse for too long? Just tell me what I have to do to--"
"Don't." Tao warns, lips set in a grim line as neither he or Kris advances any further.
A sudden light of desperate longing shines in Kris's eyes; the deep orbs echoing that same song Tao hears in the back of his mind. But unlike Kris, Tao chose to ignore it; even if it meant his heart darkened every time.
"Why can't you be honest with yourself?" Kris hisses, biting his bottom lip as his wet lashes blink while accompanied by a frown.
Tao averts his gaze and locks his jaw with defiance; he had the right to disregard that question.
"Tao," Kris cautions, hand snaking around to pull Tao closer. But he immediately lets go when the boy suddenly cries out and pushes away; leaning against the walls and clutching his stomach as a scowl of pain contorts his face. Kris, pushing aside what he had wanted to say, rushes over to Tao and frets. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," Tao whispers, taking in a shallow breath of air before straightening up.
Kris raises an eyebrow, watching with observant eyes as Tao's lip twitches and fingers press against his abdomen in a protective manner. The tall man sighs.
"I'm not Lay, Tao. You can't fool me that easily."
Ignoring the shout of objection, Kris grabs the hem of Tao's shirt and easily lifts it off and over Tao's body. He sucks in a breath through his teeth in surprise. In contrast to Tao's pale complexion, an ugly mar of a black-purple bruise was spreading across the taut stomach and ribs.
"What happened." Kris orders, furious.
"When LuHan and I were fighting at the club..." Tao didn't understand why Kris was so angered. This wasn't the first time he's gotten injured. "How bad is the bruising? I think I just broke a few ribs."
Kris shakes his head and tugs Tao, gently, over to the mirrors. "I don't think you just broke ribs. You should add internal bleeding to that list."
Tao nibbles on his lip in contemplation as he sees his reflection through the slightly fogged mirror, "No wonder it hurt so much." He winces as he softly pokes at the bruise.
"I'm surprised you're conscious enough to move," Kris mutters, standing behind Tao, and still naked under that towel. "Normally, a person would be withering on the ground in pain."
Tao shrugs, clearing his throat as he avoids Kris's gaze, "I'm not a normal person."
"No," Kris hums, suddenly flush against Tao's bare back. Warm skin touched warm skin as sparks flew past Tao's vision. Fingers ghost around to tenderly touch Tao's waist in a searching manner. "You definitely aren't a normal person."
"Kris," Tao whimpers, wincing when the touches trail up and over his injury. A shiver ran down his spine, and he knows it's not from the pain.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Kris says, worry and sympathy outlining his gaze as they stare at one another through the clearing mirror. The humidity of the room was slowly lifting, but the heat lingered. Or maybe it was just Tao who felt the sudden rise in temperature.
He's in a fucking towel you retard,a small voice comments harshly. It was that inner voice of reason, or in Tao's case, the voice of irrational thought.
"Don't touch it," Tao whispers, muffling a sharp cry of pain when Kris pokes, too roughly, at his stomach; just below the rib cage.
"Sorry," the words tickle Tao's ear as he feels lips kissing the back of his neck in apology. He wasn't sure, but he swore Kris had touched his butt with his other hand, but a haze of pain and sudden euphoria settled over him; unbalancing his mind.
He's warm, Tao manages to think, realizing that he had somehow ended up leaning his back fully against Kris's chest. He felt the flame of heat travel down his body from where Kris held him tenderly around the waist, supporting his weight and making sure he doesn't fall over.
"You're burning up," Kris murmurs, resting his chin carefully on Tao's shoulder as a finger slowly caresses Tao's hip bone. The sharp line disappeared under the band of his jeans, and Tao was sure Kris was about to follow it down.
"I just need to rest, is all." Tao says, chest rising quickly as he grips Kris's wrist; right before deft fingers were about to button his jeans. "I didn't think you had it in you to take advantage of an injured person."
Tao felt the vibrations travel up Kris's body, and into his. The chuckle rang low and humorous in his ears.
"That's mean, Tao. Why would you think that?"
Tao raises an eyebrow, blinking out of his stupidor and stepping away from Kris and that overwhelming heat. He gulps away that lingering haze of want and yearning, before turning around to face Kris and that irritating grin, on those irritating lips, with those irritating eyes; all weaved together into that irritating face.
"I don't know, you tell me. You're the one in a towel."
"You're the one who walked in on me."
Scowling, Tao tsks in defeat and looks away. But then slowly turns his head back towards Kris as he eyes a familiar piece of clothing.
"Is that my underwear?"
The Tommy Hilfiger branded underwear thrown over the toilet seat was suspiciously familiar.
Kris shakes his head; a little too quickly for Tao's liking.
"What, now you're calling me an underwear thief?" Kris says, raising an eyebrow.
"You're a Calvin Klein boy, so what are you doing with a Tommy Hilfiger underwear?" Waving the topic away, Tao sighs, exasperated, and leans back against the sink and counter. "Whatever. If you're done, get out. I need a shower."
"And like I said in the beginning, we need to talk."
A menacing growl escapes Tao's lips as he rubs his eyes with a tired hand, the other resting on his stomach; that dull ache was amplifying. "Even if I'm in excruciating pain right now, I'm sure I have enough energy to kick your ass out that door Kris. Don't make me test this theory out."
Frowning, in what looked like worry and defiance, Kris lets out a half-hearted breath before grabbing his clothes; feigning ignorance as the towel shifts and slowly reveals the chiseled outline of his hips.
Tao tried, really hard, to not openly stare.
"Do you need any help?" Kris asks, a pile of clothes in his arm and motioning with a concerned hand towards Tao and his injury.
"Just get out," Tao murmurs, energy draining him with each word.
Hesitating and torn, Kris sighs dejectedly and opens the door without another word. Tao watches with weary eyes as the bare, dragon tattooed shoulders droop with grief. Fresh air enters the bathroom momentarily before the door slams shut; a hurt ego and crushed feelings echoing around the tiled room.
Why do you do this to yourself? Even he will have his limits of being nice. Stopping running away, what are you afraid of?
"I know. I know." Tao looks up at the ceiling in thought, biting the side of his cheek before quick fingers pull at his hair in frustration.
What did Kris see in him anyways?
Unbuttoning his jeans and letting them slide down his legs, he slowly moves his body without jostling his torso too much. Touching the band of his underwear, the print Tommy Hilfiger brushing against his thumb, realization slowly dawns on him.
Tao muffles a groan.
Kris had taken the underwear.
∞
"I knew I should've stopped you back then, but I blame my own blindness for revenge, for wanting justice, for wanting destruction... Don't make me regret my decision for siding with you, YiXing... I respect you, so don't do something that'll make me hate you."
Words. They ring and ring with an endless tune in his mind.
LuHan rubs at his temples, sunlight trickling through the open window as the collar of his jacket flaps from the warm breeze. He weaves thoughtful fingers through his hair
"What a calm start," he murmurs. He had picked up an odd habit as of late; speaking to himself.
Heaving a tired breath, he gets up from his chair and heads for the door.
It's been a while since I last checked up on him. Wonder how he's doing....A sad tilt of his lips echoes his thoughts as he steps out of the room.
Almost immediately, LuHan raises an eyebrow as he slowly closes the door behind him; watching as Kris saunters by, arms full of clothes, and in nothing but a towel.
"Hi," Kris nods, unfazed and handsome face in that usual stoic expression.
"Hello," LuHan replies, slightly alarmed but not on any verges of panicking. He watches as the taut back, the firm muscles under the elegant tattoo of a faceless dragon, ripples with each sway of the hips.
Calm start. Right.Just as LuHan was about to head off in the opposite direction, a rustling of a material slithering down onto the hardwood floor grabs his attention. Turning his head back to look at Kris, LuHan snorts.
"You lost your towel!" he calls, smirking when Kris waves a free hand in a gesture meaning that he already knew.
LuHan didn't know whether seeing two naked moons first thing in his day was a good omen, or not.
~'
"Hey Baozi, how's the arm?" LuHan grins, all-too-knowingly, when the man's shoulders tense. He walks by him and pats the edgy back with a playful touch.
Ignoring the nickname with a sidelong glare, Xiumin shrugs, cheeks puffed out and mouth full of food; breakfast. His gray singlet stayed clear of the wound, which was bandaged neat and tight on his upper arm.
"He'll live," Chen replies instead, throwing LuHan an apple from the counter they were sitting at. The duo looked tired and worn out, like most of the people that were moping about the mansion. "Going somewhere?"
"Yeah, out." LuHan says, catching the apple without looking. He pats the gun under his jacket out of habit and steps past the archway leading from the kitchen towards the front entrance.
"How long are you gone? Don't forget Lay had called for a meeting in the evening!" Xiumin calls, his slightly shrill voice echoing throughout the rooms.
"I won't be gone long," LuHan calls back.
Opening the door, he shields his eyes as sunlight blinds him.
~'
It was a run-down apartment situated in the quieter, yet dirtier, neighborhood of Shanghai's corners. LuHan scrunches his nose as a foul, yet an unnameable smell lifts the hairs on his body. He takes the stairs two at a time, reaching the twelfth floor in mere minutes.
The door of room 13 is always left unlocked, yet people rarely enter and leave on their free will.
LuHan doesn't knock as he turns the rusty knob and enters. He doesn't bother taking off his shoes.
The small apartment was empty, as it usually is. There weren't any furniture or ornaments that decorated the space, only dust and cracks of paint were distinguishable of the mold and bug infected dorm.
LuHan nods in acknowledgement at the landlady, who sat in the small corner of the kitchen, stirring a mush that resembled soup. The lady waves a wrinkled finger at LuHan in her own manner of saying, welcome.
"How is he?"
The lady, eyes heavily lidded with drooping skin, shakes her head solemnly in a quiet motion. She had long lost her voice when the mafia cut her vocal cords some many years ago.
LuHan frowns at the answer, pained. Floor creaking under his careful steps, LuHan reaches the only bedroom of the apartment.
He collects his breath before turning the doorknob, his heart skipping a beat with anticipation. What if the old lady was wrong? What if he was better?
But that build up of hope dies; crumbling to ash.
"It's a nice morning today," LuHan says, closing the door behind him gently; the lady eyeing him from the kitchen while stirring her soup.
The lone figure, sitting on the edge of the bed while staring up at the small window near the ceiling of the bedroom, doesn't respond to LuHan's intrusion. In fact, to LuHan's dismay, it was as if the boy was sitting in the exact position and place when LuHan last saw him a month ago.
His soft hair, freshly washed, was sticking out everywhere. At least the old woman is doing her job, LuHan thinks, crouching in front of the boy with a soft smile. He tries to not waver when the blank gaze doesn't even recognize his presence.
"How are you feeling today?" LuHan calls, placing a tentative hand on the boys frail knee. His lips tremble as emotions swell in his chest, "Do you remember my voice?"
LuHan bites his bottom lip when he doesn't get a response; not even a blink of the eyes.
"Hey," he softly calls, reaching up to brush the pale cheek with the back of his hand. He grins, tightly, when eyes finally flicker towards him from the physical contact.
The boy hums, a low questioning tune as he pokes at LuHan's hand; his eyes were void of any emotions or thoughts. The shine from the sunlight reflected with a dull light.
"Did you miss me?" LuHan whispers, fingers gently wrapping around the cold hand and squeezing it with warmth.
"Jino?"
-tbc.
okie. lots of taoris lol
and some of luhan's past is revealed.
but this is only an introduction B] teehee
things will start picking up in the next chapters, so bare with me (>.<)
i'm sorry if you find the little kailu painful ;a; i'll make up for it soon~!
and xiumin and chen finally make their appearence ;u; even if they only said a few lines OTL
along with jino keke weren't expecting that, were you? lol
Pairing: Kai/LuHan, Kris/Tao, Lay/SeHun, &more to come
Summary:"I believe that two people are connected at the heart, and it doesn't matter what you do, or who you are, or where you live; there are no boundaries or barriers if two people are destined to be together."
Rating: 14A (violence, blood, swearing) **AU!verse
*this series is like a prologue to: freefalling kisses (oneshot)
9.
Exhaustion. It ran through Tao's veins like a calm tide, washing over his mind in a temptation to sleep. But in his line of work, there were no set schedules to follow; he clocked in eight years ago, and have yet to clock-out.
Remind me again why I do this, he groans inwardly, loose fingers combing through his untidy hair. He couldn't remember the last time he had a decent amount of sleep.
The East hallway, where all the guest bedrooms were located, was eerily empty; the morning light that shone through the windows did it no justice.
Not that it matters, Tao winces as he places careful fingers on his stomach, everyone who lives here has seen Hell twice over.
Everyone working under Lay had an unspoken past; himself included.
Deciding to take a look at his abdomen, Tao heads for the bathroom and its large mirror; pain shot through his body whenever he tried to tilt his head down to examine the wound. It had been no more than six hours since the fiasco at the club.
Tao frowns.
Even Lay doesn't know how that happened. Stopping before the rich wooden door of the bathroom, situated at the end of the hallway, something wavers in Tao as he recollects his memory of that fight, but he couldn't place a finger on what it is.
Ah, Tao's frown lifts slightly as he curls his fingers around the doorknob; a different thought suddenly surfacing in his mind, I forgot to ask Lay about those two boys...
Pushing the door open effortlessly, Tao blinks in surprise as he steps into a humid, heat-filled bathroom. The titled walls were hazy with steam from the recently used hot water as discarded pieces of clothing laid across the floor.
Mind yet to process the situation, he tilts his head in confusion; the sleep deprivation was effecting his brain.
"Thanks for knocking."
Startled, Tao jumps away from the door as his head whips around to the blind corner of his vision. Narrowing his eyes, his lips open and close like a fish out of water; a small hiss escaping his teeth as his ribs throb from the sudden movement.
Kris, wet hair pushed back and effectively away from his face, stood on the other side of the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped dangerously low on his waist.
Tao's eyes quickly drop to his feet; an uncomfortable heat rising in his cheeks.
"...sorry," he mumbles, hand reaching out for the doorknob.
But before he could even the touch the wooden frame, Kris slams the door shut and locks it. As if that wasn't enough, he steps forward to stand, with his arms crossing his bare chest, between Tao and his only way of escape.
"I think we need to talk."
Tao frowns, fingers unconsciously curling around his waist, "About what? There's nothing to talk about."
Slapping away Tao's stray hand from trying to grab the door, Kris growls and moves to stand chest to chest with Tao; his damp, firm skin glistening with tantalizing warmth.
"You know what I'm talking about," Kris whispers, the words raising the hairs on the back of the younger boys neck. "Don't you think we've been playing this game of Cat and Mouse for too long? Just tell me what I have to do to--"
"Don't." Tao warns, lips set in a grim line as neither he or Kris advances any further.
A sudden light of desperate longing shines in Kris's eyes; the deep orbs echoing that same song Tao hears in the back of his mind. But unlike Kris, Tao chose to ignore it; even if it meant his heart darkened every time.
"Why can't you be honest with yourself?" Kris hisses, biting his bottom lip as his wet lashes blink while accompanied by a frown.
Tao averts his gaze and locks his jaw with defiance; he had the right to disregard that question.
"Tao," Kris cautions, hand snaking around to pull Tao closer. But he immediately lets go when the boy suddenly cries out and pushes away; leaning against the walls and clutching his stomach as a scowl of pain contorts his face. Kris, pushing aside what he had wanted to say, rushes over to Tao and frets. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," Tao whispers, taking in a shallow breath of air before straightening up.
Kris raises an eyebrow, watching with observant eyes as Tao's lip twitches and fingers press against his abdomen in a protective manner. The tall man sighs.
"I'm not Lay, Tao. You can't fool me that easily."
Ignoring the shout of objection, Kris grabs the hem of Tao's shirt and easily lifts it off and over Tao's body. He sucks in a breath through his teeth in surprise. In contrast to Tao's pale complexion, an ugly mar of a black-purple bruise was spreading across the taut stomach and ribs.
"What happened." Kris orders, furious.
"When LuHan and I were fighting at the club..." Tao didn't understand why Kris was so angered. This wasn't the first time he's gotten injured. "How bad is the bruising? I think I just broke a few ribs."
Kris shakes his head and tugs Tao, gently, over to the mirrors. "I don't think you just broke ribs. You should add internal bleeding to that list."
Tao nibbles on his lip in contemplation as he sees his reflection through the slightly fogged mirror, "No wonder it hurt so much." He winces as he softly pokes at the bruise.
"I'm surprised you're conscious enough to move," Kris mutters, standing behind Tao, and still naked under that towel. "Normally, a person would be withering on the ground in pain."
Tao shrugs, clearing his throat as he avoids Kris's gaze, "I'm not a normal person."
"No," Kris hums, suddenly flush against Tao's bare back. Warm skin touched warm skin as sparks flew past Tao's vision. Fingers ghost around to tenderly touch Tao's waist in a searching manner. "You definitely aren't a normal person."
"Kris," Tao whimpers, wincing when the touches trail up and over his injury. A shiver ran down his spine, and he knows it's not from the pain.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Kris says, worry and sympathy outlining his gaze as they stare at one another through the clearing mirror. The humidity of the room was slowly lifting, but the heat lingered. Or maybe it was just Tao who felt the sudden rise in temperature.
He's in a fucking towel you retard,a small voice comments harshly. It was that inner voice of reason, or in Tao's case, the voice of irrational thought.
"Don't touch it," Tao whispers, muffling a sharp cry of pain when Kris pokes, too roughly, at his stomach; just below the rib cage.
"Sorry," the words tickle Tao's ear as he feels lips kissing the back of his neck in apology. He wasn't sure, but he swore Kris had touched his butt with his other hand, but a haze of pain and sudden euphoria settled over him; unbalancing his mind.
He's warm, Tao manages to think, realizing that he had somehow ended up leaning his back fully against Kris's chest. He felt the flame of heat travel down his body from where Kris held him tenderly around the waist, supporting his weight and making sure he doesn't fall over.
"You're burning up," Kris murmurs, resting his chin carefully on Tao's shoulder as a finger slowly caresses Tao's hip bone. The sharp line disappeared under the band of his jeans, and Tao was sure Kris was about to follow it down.
"I just need to rest, is all." Tao says, chest rising quickly as he grips Kris's wrist; right before deft fingers were about to button his jeans. "I didn't think you had it in you to take advantage of an injured person."
Tao felt the vibrations travel up Kris's body, and into his. The chuckle rang low and humorous in his ears.
"That's mean, Tao. Why would you think that?"
Tao raises an eyebrow, blinking out of his stupidor and stepping away from Kris and that overwhelming heat. He gulps away that lingering haze of want and yearning, before turning around to face Kris and that irritating grin, on those irritating lips, with those irritating eyes; all weaved together into that irritating face.
"I don't know, you tell me. You're the one in a towel."
"You're the one who walked in on me."
Scowling, Tao tsks in defeat and looks away. But then slowly turns his head back towards Kris as he eyes a familiar piece of clothing.
"Is that my underwear?"
The Tommy Hilfiger branded underwear thrown over the toilet seat was suspiciously familiar.
Kris shakes his head; a little too quickly for Tao's liking.
"What, now you're calling me an underwear thief?" Kris says, raising an eyebrow.
"You're a Calvin Klein boy, so what are you doing with a Tommy Hilfiger underwear?" Waving the topic away, Tao sighs, exasperated, and leans back against the sink and counter. "Whatever. If you're done, get out. I need a shower."
"And like I said in the beginning, we need to talk."
A menacing growl escapes Tao's lips as he rubs his eyes with a tired hand, the other resting on his stomach; that dull ache was amplifying. "Even if I'm in excruciating pain right now, I'm sure I have enough energy to kick your ass out that door Kris. Don't make me test this theory out."
Frowning, in what looked like worry and defiance, Kris lets out a half-hearted breath before grabbing his clothes; feigning ignorance as the towel shifts and slowly reveals the chiseled outline of his hips.
Tao tried, really hard, to not openly stare.
"Do you need any help?" Kris asks, a pile of clothes in his arm and motioning with a concerned hand towards Tao and his injury.
"Just get out," Tao murmurs, energy draining him with each word.
Hesitating and torn, Kris sighs dejectedly and opens the door without another word. Tao watches with weary eyes as the bare, dragon tattooed shoulders droop with grief. Fresh air enters the bathroom momentarily before the door slams shut; a hurt ego and crushed feelings echoing around the tiled room.
Why do you do this to yourself? Even he will have his limits of being nice. Stopping running away, what are you afraid of?
"I know. I know." Tao looks up at the ceiling in thought, biting the side of his cheek before quick fingers pull at his hair in frustration.
What did Kris see in him anyways?
Unbuttoning his jeans and letting them slide down his legs, he slowly moves his body without jostling his torso too much. Touching the band of his underwear, the print Tommy Hilfiger brushing against his thumb, realization slowly dawns on him.
Tao muffles a groan.
Kris had taken the underwear.
∞
"I knew I should've stopped you back then, but I blame my own blindness for revenge, for wanting justice, for wanting destruction... Don't make me regret my decision for siding with you, YiXing... I respect you, so don't do something that'll make me hate you."
Words. They ring and ring with an endless tune in his mind.
LuHan rubs at his temples, sunlight trickling through the open window as the collar of his jacket flaps from the warm breeze. He weaves thoughtful fingers through his hair
"What a calm start," he murmurs. He had picked up an odd habit as of late; speaking to himself.
Heaving a tired breath, he gets up from his chair and heads for the door.
It's been a while since I last checked up on him. Wonder how he's doing....A sad tilt of his lips echoes his thoughts as he steps out of the room.
Almost immediately, LuHan raises an eyebrow as he slowly closes the door behind him; watching as Kris saunters by, arms full of clothes, and in nothing but a towel.
"Hi," Kris nods, unfazed and handsome face in that usual stoic expression.
"Hello," LuHan replies, slightly alarmed but not on any verges of panicking. He watches as the taut back, the firm muscles under the elegant tattoo of a faceless dragon, ripples with each sway of the hips.
Calm start. Right.Just as LuHan was about to head off in the opposite direction, a rustling of a material slithering down onto the hardwood floor grabs his attention. Turning his head back to look at Kris, LuHan snorts.
"You lost your towel!" he calls, smirking when Kris waves a free hand in a gesture meaning that he already knew.
LuHan didn't know whether seeing two naked moons first thing in his day was a good omen, or not.
~'
"Hey Baozi, how's the arm?" LuHan grins, all-too-knowingly, when the man's shoulders tense. He walks by him and pats the edgy back with a playful touch.
Ignoring the nickname with a sidelong glare, Xiumin shrugs, cheeks puffed out and mouth full of food; breakfast. His gray singlet stayed clear of the wound, which was bandaged neat and tight on his upper arm.
"He'll live," Chen replies instead, throwing LuHan an apple from the counter they were sitting at. The duo looked tired and worn out, like most of the people that were moping about the mansion. "Going somewhere?"
"Yeah, out." LuHan says, catching the apple without looking. He pats the gun under his jacket out of habit and steps past the archway leading from the kitchen towards the front entrance.
"How long are you gone? Don't forget Lay had called for a meeting in the evening!" Xiumin calls, his slightly shrill voice echoing throughout the rooms.
"I won't be gone long," LuHan calls back.
Opening the door, he shields his eyes as sunlight blinds him.
~'
It was a run-down apartment situated in the quieter, yet dirtier, neighborhood of Shanghai's corners. LuHan scrunches his nose as a foul, yet an unnameable smell lifts the hairs on his body. He takes the stairs two at a time, reaching the twelfth floor in mere minutes.
The door of room 13 is always left unlocked, yet people rarely enter and leave on their free will.
LuHan doesn't knock as he turns the rusty knob and enters. He doesn't bother taking off his shoes.
The small apartment was empty, as it usually is. There weren't any furniture or ornaments that decorated the space, only dust and cracks of paint were distinguishable of the mold and bug infected dorm.
LuHan nods in acknowledgement at the landlady, who sat in the small corner of the kitchen, stirring a mush that resembled soup. The lady waves a wrinkled finger at LuHan in her own manner of saying, welcome.
"How is he?"
The lady, eyes heavily lidded with drooping skin, shakes her head solemnly in a quiet motion. She had long lost her voice when the mafia cut her vocal cords some many years ago.
LuHan frowns at the answer, pained. Floor creaking under his careful steps, LuHan reaches the only bedroom of the apartment.
He collects his breath before turning the doorknob, his heart skipping a beat with anticipation. What if the old lady was wrong? What if he was better?
But that build up of hope dies; crumbling to ash.
"It's a nice morning today," LuHan says, closing the door behind him gently; the lady eyeing him from the kitchen while stirring her soup.
The lone figure, sitting on the edge of the bed while staring up at the small window near the ceiling of the bedroom, doesn't respond to LuHan's intrusion. In fact, to LuHan's dismay, it was as if the boy was sitting in the exact position and place when LuHan last saw him a month ago.
His soft hair, freshly washed, was sticking out everywhere. At least the old woman is doing her job, LuHan thinks, crouching in front of the boy with a soft smile. He tries to not waver when the blank gaze doesn't even recognize his presence.
"How are you feeling today?" LuHan calls, placing a tentative hand on the boys frail knee. His lips tremble as emotions swell in his chest, "Do you remember my voice?"
LuHan bites his bottom lip when he doesn't get a response; not even a blink of the eyes.
"Hey," he softly calls, reaching up to brush the pale cheek with the back of his hand. He grins, tightly, when eyes finally flicker towards him from the physical contact.
The boy hums, a low questioning tune as he pokes at LuHan's hand; his eyes were void of any emotions or thoughts. The shine from the sunlight reflected with a dull light.
"Did you miss me?" LuHan whispers, fingers gently wrapping around the cold hand and squeezing it with warmth.
"Jino?"
-tbc.
okie. lots of taoris lol
and some of luhan's past is revealed.
but this is only an introduction B] teehee
things will start picking up in the next chapters, so bare with me (>.<)
i'm sorry if you find the little kailu painful ;a; i'll make up for it soon~!
and xiumin and chen finally make their appearence ;u; even if they only said a few lines OTL
along with jino keke weren't expecting that, were you? lol