お帰り [Welcome Home] - Chapter Twenty-Two
Title: お帰り [Welcome Home]
Authors: curionenene and yeonah
Chapter: 22/?
Fandom: SS501 + Epik High Cameos
Pairings: KyuMin, HyunSaeng
Rating: PG-16
Warning: Angst, AU
Summary: Black and white... white and black. It isn't always possible to tell what is good and what is evil; and four players in the never-ending fight for freedom would know. In a world where things are painted by shades of grey, taking a stand could mean life or death. And the struggle to be free, truly free, may tear them apart until there is nothing left but ash.
A/N: KyuJong, HyunJoong, and Tablo are played by curionenene , while JungMin, YoungSaeng, HyungJoon and Mithra are played by yeonah .
YoungSaeng padded down the hallway quietly, a new bottle of medicine in his hands. The pill bottle from before had been close to running out, so he'd slipped out while HyunJoong was sleeping and his fever was still down to buy more, in case something went wrong later. He was hoping nothing did, but you never know...
Reaching out for the doorknob, the felinefolk opened the door quietly and stepped into the room...and paused.
“Is that so…wow, I never knew!” HyunJoong’s voice rang out through the room, sounding much more cheerful than earlier on, and if not for the slight hoarseness in his voice, you’d have never known he was sick. There was bright smile on his face, like he was amused, or extremely pleased by something.
"Well, it's not something talked about a lot, but it's true!" Sitting on the bed across from HyunJoong was HyungJoon, the bunny boy's ears flopping slightly as he nodded enthusiastically. Seeing the door open, he looked up with a smile. "Hey YoungSaeng hyung!"
YoungSaeng blinked at them. "Hi." When had HyungJoon gotten in here?
HyunJoong turned, and his smile grew as he waved at YoungSaeng. “Hey! HyungJoon sshi was just telling me about how bonds can affect humans. Did you know that the human’s lifespan lengthens? I didn’t!”
Before YoungSaeng could reply, however, HyunJoong turned to HyungJoon, and the smile grew sweet. “You’re such a wealth of knowledge HyungJoon sshi!”
HyungJoon grinned sheepishly. "I just remember what I hear. And really, drop the 'sshi', HyungJoon is fine."
Something about the affection didn't settle right with YoungSaeng, the felinefolk biting on his lower lip with one fang as he placed the medicine down. "That's interesting. How are you feeling, Hyun?"
“Hmm…? Great!” HyunJoong replied, before tilting his head with a childish grin. “Well, okay. A little feverish still, but HyungJoon distracted me from it.”
"Knew I was good for something," HyungJoon laughed. "I just stopped by to see how he was doing, heard through the grapevine he was sick. Looks like you're getting better though, you should be up on your feet in no time!"
YoungSaeng settled down onto the bed next to them, feeling a little awkward.
HyunJoong nodded, his own laugh mixing with HyungJoon, not really detecting YoungSaeng’s awkwardness probably because he was preoccupied with tweaking HyungJoon’s bunny ears. “Hehe…well, thanks for stopping by. I’ll be fine with YoungSaeng here now.” He turned and looked at the felinefolk with a trusting smile.
Blinking, YoungSaeng started to smile back, but anything he could have said was overrun by a loud squeak of laughter from HyungJoon at how the child played with his ears. "H-hey! That tickles!" he laughed, half-heartedly trying to bat HyunJoong's hands away with a wide grin on his face.
HyunJoong only grinned, attention turning back to HyungJoon as he only doubled his efforts, leaning forward slightly so that he could avoid HyungJoon’s hands. “That’s what makes it fun!”
"Y-yah!" HyungJoon yelped before dissolving into a flood of laughter, squirming around as he tried to avoid the small hands. Leaning back as HyunJoong leaned forward, he finally tipped over the edge of the bed and landed on the floor with a yelp, feet sticking up in the air.
HyunJoong collapsed into a pile of giggles at the hilarious fight. “Oh, HyungJoon, you’re such a walking disaster!” Clutching his tummy, he turned to YoungSaeng as if expecting the felinefolk to be laughing along as well.
Watching them, YoungSaeng felt a surge of something he couldn't describe, and even as he felt it he knew it was stupid, there was absolutely nothing wrong with them playing around, and if it helped HyunJoong keep his mind off the fever then it was even better. HyungJoon was the type to have an easier time cheering people up, it was good he was here.
Catching the look HyunJoong cast him, the felinefolk swallowed a bitter taste in his throat and smiled, somehow managing not to make it look forced.
HyungJoon groaned and sat up, clinging to the comforter. "You are mean," he huffed, blowing his ears out of his face and pretending to be put out when there was a wide grin on his face.
“Yeah, yeah.” HyunJoong chuckled, before pretending to be aristocratic and bombastic as he gestured at the door. “Be off with you!” He managed to say before completely collapsing into giggles.
"Ay aye, cap'n," HyungJoon saluted him like a drunken sailor, pushing himself back up to his feet, and waving cheerfully at both of them before walking out the door, but not without crashing into the doorframe first.
HyunJoong chuckled when HyungJoon went off, flopping back onto the bed, giggles still escaping him. “You have such a weird friend, Saeng ah.” He commented, looking up at the felinefolk, eyes bright and happy for the first time since he fell sick.
"That he is," YoungSaeng gave a long-suffering sigh, shoving back that annoying part of him that wasn't all that happy his friend had come to visit when he'd cheered HyunJoong up so much. "How long were you awake for? Sorry I wasn't here."
HyunJoong blinked, thinking for a moment. “Not too sure… maybe half… where were you by the way?” A hint of worry came into HyunJoong’s mind as he looked the felinefolk up and down. “I hope you didn’t get hurt…”
"Hm?" YoungSaeng blinked, then his smile slowly became more genuine at the concern. "No, I'm fine. I just went to pick up more medicine in case we ran out. Speaking of which, I think it's time for another pill. How's your temperature?" He asked, reaching out to feel HyunJoong's forehead lightly.
HyunJoong made a face at the mention of medicine. He gave a comfortable, long-suffering sigh, leaning a little into YoungSaeng’s cool hand. “Like I said, it’s still there, but I feel a lot better. The bath must have really helped.”
His skin did feel much less warm than before. "That's good," YoungSaeng smiled in relief. "And that's what you get for sticking your dirty hands in my hair," he chuckled, standing up and going to get water for him.
HyunJoong pouted before grinning. “Well, if it gets my fever down, I’d gladly stick my hands in your hair any day…”
Then he added almost as an afterthought. “Although running my hands in your hair sounds nice, even if they aren’t dirty. My hands I mean…”
YoungSaeng rolled his eyes, coming back with a glass of water. "There are other ways to get into a bathtub than being dropped in." Registering the second half of his master's words, he blinked, somehow imagining an adult HyunJoong playing with his hair.
"I'd much prefer it if your hands were clean next time," he muttered, hiding the red of his face as he got the medicine ready.
HyunJoong chuckled, and although he didn’t see the red on YoungSaeng’s face, he knew the felinefolk was embarrassed for some reason. “So if my hands are clean, that means I can run them through your hair?” He quipped, a mischievously look on his face.
Eyeing HyunJoong out of the corner of his eyes, YoungSaeng sighed. "As long as you take your medicine first," he said, trying to focus on taking care of his master and not HyunJoong's hands in his hair. He sat down on the edge of the bed, offering the water and pill. "If the fever keeps going down like this, we might even be able to get you some fresh air for a bit."
HyunJoong’s eyes brightened at that, although it was not clear if that was at the thought of running his hands through Youngsaeng’s hair or the thought of going out for fresh air. He definitely was more willing to take the medication though, swallowing it without much complaint.
Watching the child take the medicine, YoungSaeng smiled faintly as he made himself more comfortable beside him. Tablo was right...the fever was getting better. HyunJoong was a fighter; he wouldn't need another bond to keep from burning up. "Where do you want to go when you get better?"
“Hmm…” HyunJoong thought about it, rubbing his chin. “Anywhere with a nice tree to sit under and see the blue sky really…I haven’t done that in ages. And it would be nice to do that with you.”
He grinned then, reaching out to gently run a finger down YoungSaeng’s ear. “You’d like that too wouldn’t you? Curled up in cat form, taking a nap under the sun?”
Breath hitching slightly as it always did when people played with his ears, YoungSaeng surprised himself by not jerking away from the touch, instead giving in and letting his eyes flutter shut as his ear twitched in response. "It sounds nice," he murmured. "I know of a spot we could go like that..."
HyunJoong was just as surprised when YoungSaeng didn’t pull away. It was too much of an effort to pull his hand away, so he didn’t. But he hid his surprise, continuing as if nothing was different. “Really? And where’s that?”
"Hm...it's a park not far from here, on top of a hill. It's really nice, though it's been a while since I've been there..."
With his eyes closed, YoungSaeng found he could imagine it was adult HyunJoong playing with his ears again, and the thought didn't scare him...it was actually...rather nice.
HyunJoong closed his eyes as well, smiling, “Yes…that does sound nice…” But the minute he closed them, he regretted it somewhat. The medicine was beginning to take effect, and his eyelids were beginning to feel very, very heavy - too heavy to reopen. “Mm…I’d really like to…go…there someday…”
Opening his own eyes and blinking as HyunJoong's words started to slur, YoungSaeng took in the sleepy expression and smiled. "We can go once you feel better," he said, carefully shifting so he could help HyunJoong lie down. "Sleep now, all right? I won't be going anywhere."
“Mmm…okay…” HyunJoong mumbled as he nuzzled into the pillow, his breath slowing into a dream-like pace. “…Promise?”
YoungSaeng's gaze softened as he tucked the comforter around the small body. "Promise," he whispered, reaching out and gently brushing locks of soft hair out of HyunJoong's face.
With that in mind, HyunJoong drifted off into a deep sleep with an expression as soft as the pillows he lay on. His hand never did leave the proximity of YoungSaeng’s body, and now, it gently clung onto YoungSaeng’s sleeve even as he slept.
Noting the hand on his sleeve, YoungSaeng's smile widened slightly. After a moment he carefully laid down on the edge of the bed next to HyunJoong, watching over him as he slept until his own eyes closed and he drifted off as well.
************************
KyuJong awoke to the smell of human straight in his nose, and he blinked, wincing as he detached himself from the skin that his nose had been buried in.
“Oh…” He muttered as he slowly sat up and looked down to see a still sleeping JungMin beside him. Rubbing his messy hair, he smiled a little, remembering murky contents about last night.
Stirring faintly at the movement, JungMin mumbled something incoherent and shifted closer to the warmth beside him, half curled up around KyuJong. Seeming to realize that the upper half of that warmth was no longer there, he squirmed slightly before slowly opening his eyes, blinking up at KyuJong through bangs that fell haphazardly into his face.
KyuJong’s lips curled up and he leaned down to kiss JungMin gently on the cheek. “Well, that’s quite a change… I don’t need to wake you up without you trying to dismember me for once.”
JungMin's response was to wrap one arm around KyuJong's shoulders and pull him back down onto the mattress, kissing him on the lips before burying his face in the other man's chest, clearly trying to fall back asleep. So he was comfortable, sue him.
KyuJong sighed ruefully. “Yah. As much as I don’t want to get out of bed as well, you know that we have work today, right?”
"Even hunters sleep in sometimes," was the muffled response against KyuJong's chest, JungMin not relinquishing his grip. "Just a few more minutes?"
KyuJong shook his head, running fingers through JungMin’s hair, chuckling. “Alright, you big baby hunter. A few more minutes. Then we’ll have to get up.”
Chuckling, JungMin hummed in contentment at the fingers through his hair. "Don't tell me you wouldn't enjoy a bit more time too." He managed to tilt his face up slightly so he could see KyuJong, lips quirked upwards tiredly. Though honestly, that was the best sleep he'd had in a long time.
“That’s not the point.” KyuJong poked JungMin’s neck. “The point is that we have a mission and we should do it properly.”
"We will," he murmured, amused. "Once we're up. Until then, I'm enjoying this far too much." He managed to pull himself up enough to kiss KyuJong again, hands moving up to tangle in the ankou's soft hair.
“At this rate, we’ll never be up.” KyuJong muttered, but didn’t pull away from the kiss, gently leaning down instead.
"Spoilsport," JungMin chuckled against the other man's mouth, one hand trailing down from KyuJong's hair to his neck as he kissed him slowly, taking the time they had both been too impatient for last night.
“It’s being responsible.” KyuJong retorted, although by now, he was nearly all ready to chuck responsibility out of the window and just lay lazily in bed with JungMin for the rest of the day.
"We can be responsible after," the human whispered, kissing the corner of KyuJong's mouth and shifting closer.
KyuJong was about to chuckle and reply when he suddenly straightened, sitting ram-rod straight, a hostile glare directed at the door.
Blinking at the sudden reaction, JungMin sat up as well, wide awake now. "...Is someone there?" he whispered, flattening his hair with one hand and looking around for something to wear.
KyuJong nodded, quickly climbing off the bed. Thank goodness that as an ankou, he moved a lot faster than normal humans, and had no problem fetching his clothes off the floor and dumping them where they couldn’t be seen.
Quickly switching to some new clothes, KyuJong quickly lay on the floor, chaining himself to the bed leg where they had prepared the fake handcuff just in case of a situation like this.
Shaking himself out of his stupor, JungMin got up and hurriedly pulled on clothes as well, making sure he looked professional before checking that all signs of last night was hidden.
He just had time to cast KyuJong a glance, biting his lower lip, before there was a knock on the front door. Steeling himself and getting into his hunter persona, JungMin walked to the door and glanced through the peephole. Hiding a scowl, he unlocked the door and opened it. "Yes?"
Belatedly, KyuJong realized he hadn’t put on his pixie guise, and quickly muttering a few words, his form shrank again. Thankfully, JungMin hadn’t opened the door immediately, so the three rather intimidating hunters outside hadn’t seen.
“Park JungMin?” the one who was obviously in charge asked, and not waiting for an answer, he continued. “You’re to follow us. There is an emergency mission. We have just been informed of an anti-hunter activity in the vicinity.”
JungMin eyed them. "I see. I'm assuming I will be debriefed at HQ?" What kind of mission could it be? How many people were needed for it, if he was being sent and he'd just joined the night before?
He turned around and walked to where KyuJong was chained, unlocking him from the bed and pulling the 'pixie' up roughly by his collar before turning back to the hunters.
“No, you’ll be debriefed on the way. The anti-hunter organization is already beginning to act.” The hunter said curtly, obviously impatient.
KyuJong winced when JungMin pulled him up, but he quickly bowed towards the three hunters before running back to gather JungMin’s weapons and tools he would conceivably need for the mission.
They were moving fast. JungMin wondered what was going on, baffled. They hadn't been out of the anti-hunter HQ for long, what could be going on that they hadn't heard about while there?
His confusion didn't show though, as he pulled on his hunter cloak and took his gun from KyuJong without looking at the ankou, attaching it to his belt. "Understood," he said simply, stepping out of the apartment and flicking one finger at KyuJong to follow, closing and locking the door behind them.
KyuJong quickly ran out of the door before JungMin could close it on him, and quickly he bowed his head, following after his master. But he was just as confused as JungMin on the unknown anti-organization movement. Had there been something going behind their backs?
The hunters handed over a thin file to JungMin as he began to explain. “A report came in last night about the illegal movement of a demon. It’s a delicate process as you can imagine, and our leaders were wise in deciding it would be a good time to cripple them, as well as capture the demon for ourselves.”
Following the hunters, JungMin opened the file and read as he walked, eyes going over the contents. A demon? That by itself wouldn't be that concerning (there were several hundred demons running around the city right now), but from the file he could easily see this wasn't an ordinary demon, or even a rare one like Mithra. This was a demon that had no business being on this plane in the first place.
Of course the hunters would want to take this chance to capture it.
"Where is this demon being taken?" he asked, going through the paper again before slipping it back into the file. He wanted to pass the file to KyuJong to read, but there was no opportunity to do so with the hunters right there.
“We don’t know as of yet, but we know where they’re going to hold the ceremony.” The hunter said bluntly. “Come, we mustn’t linger. They might be already starting for all we know.”
KyuJong was itching to read the file, but he knew he couldn’t, not without the others around. But a demon who couldn’t exist on this plane without help… that narrowed it down quite a bit, and KyuJong could only think of a few that the anti-hunter organization would dare to bring into this world…
Nodding curtly, JungMin walked briskly along beside them, resisting the urge to look back at KyuJong. His knowledge of demons was limited to those on this plane only. Who could blame him? They were never supposed to encounter any other kind of demon...
Just what was the organization doing?
The streets were mostly clear, which quickened their process as they seemed to head in no direction in particular to JungMin. But upon closer inspection of their surroundings, he remembered something he heard once, about the different centers of energy in the world and how one was located near the edge of Seoul...
That was where they were going to transport the demon from - KyuJong reached to the same conclusion as JungMin. And biting his lip, he wondered what exactly the organization was thinking. This was already risky without the possibility of hunters getting in their way, which was already happening as of now.
There was no choice then - KyuJong and JungMin would have to do something to inhibit the hunters from disrupting the ceremony.
There was no chance to warn the organization that there were hunters on the way, but hopefully they would have planned for interruptions. If Tablo was aware if this, he at least would have made plans in case they were ambushed. But there was no way of knowing for sure...
So they would have to interfere somehow...but how to do that without risking their position inside the Hunter HQ? They couldn't afford any more suspicions than they had already gathered. So they had no choice but to bide their time and wait.
The closer they got, the more even JungMin was able to sense something. And for him to be aware that there was something unusual about this place...
Had the organization already begun the ceremony?
KyuJong had sensed the unusual levels of energy way before JungMin had, but had kept it to himself, wishing to buy more time for both the anti-hunter organization, as well as himself to think of a plan. But it was soon obvious that even JungMin was able to sense something, and he quickly dropped the façade, gasping slightly and stopping in his tracks.
He figured it made sense for an abused pixie to be fearful of something stronger than he was. And this way, perhaps they could buy themselves more time.
Hearing the gasp, JungMin looked back at KyuJong. He understood what the ankou was trying to do, but his persona wouldn't allow for any delays. At least they had a little bit more time... "Come on," he scowled, pulling on a few locks of hair to get the 'pixie' moving again. "What has gotten into you?"
But KyuJong stubbornly dug his heels in, giving a whine of protest, pretty much the same way a tantrum-throwing child would. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the other hunters getting restless, and knew that he would probably be in for some punishment soon.
Sure enough, one of the hunters stepped forward, scowling. “Hey, newbie, get your thing under control. We’re wasting time!”
Mentally apologizing for this, JungMin hit KyuJong across the face at the resistance, once again making it sound worse than it was. Fisting a hand in the ankou's hair, he pushed him ahead of them roughly. "Walk," he snapped.
Rolling his head away from the slap, KyuJong minimized the damage done - but not that much so that there was still a mark left on his face. There was nothing to do the hand in his hair from hurting however, and he whimpered as he was forced forward, beginning to walk, but most reluctantly.
The stalling worked, but JungMin could see the way the other hunters watched them. Nothing for it. Suppressing a sigh, he continued to walk, occasionally shoving KyuJong forward again when the 'pixie' was walking too slow.
But then, as they got closer and closer to the transfer point, the reluctance to walk forward became stronger with each step, and KyuJong found himself acting less and actually needing to force himself to move forward.
Then suddenly, the ankou let out a strangled gasp as he fell onto his knees. He’d just felt a ridiculously strong wave of energy, and in this state, he was entirely unable to resist it.
It could only mean one thing.
The transfer had already happened - the demon was here.
A ripple ran through the hunters present; even they could see why the pixie was acting this way now. Even JungMin shivered, eyes widening slightly. He'd never sensed this much energy in his life.
No wonder the demon didn't belong here.
One of the hunters cursed. "Get moving," he snapped, and JungMin yanked KyuJong back to his feet as the other hunters hurried on ahead. The distraction was useless now. "How bad is it?" he whispered once they were far enough ahead.
KyuJong swallowed, biting his lip and resisting the urge to cling onto JungMin. “It’s bloody strong…we can’t allow the hunters to even interrupt the ceremony or something will be bound to go wrong.”
JungMin swallowed thickly. "Great. How are we supposed to do that?" He pulled KyuJong along after the hunters, keeping up the visual pretense, but at the same time keeping them far enough back that they could talk for a moment. This was beyond anything they'd dealt with before.
“Without breaking our cover, I really have no idea…” KyuJong admitted. They were way in over their heads, even for an ankou like him. “We’ll have to just go along and see.”
Nodding, the human bit his lower lip and ran faster to catch up to the other hunters. Hopefully the organization would be done with whatever the demon was here for by the time they got there...
But from how fast the power was rising the closer he got, he doubted it.
It was harder for KyuJong to move now, and he had to grind his teeth together in order to move forward. Every fiber of his being was screaming out at him to change into his full form and whisk JungMin out of here, but his conscious mind couldn’t allow it - their situation was too fragile at this moment. They couldn’t afford to blow their cover.
Soon, the agents from the anti-hunter organization became visible, as did a brightly glowing ball held down by chains that could only be the demon.
JungMin glanced over the faces visible, his eyes widening as he found one familiar. Standing at the front of the group, it was impossible to mistake the large rabbit ears for anyone else.
What was HyungJoon doing here?
It took a moment for it to click. HyungJoon was the one keeping the demon bound, arms up slightly and eyes a glowing white as he looked up at the demon. The wave of power coming from the young man was dwarfed by that of the demon, but still far too powerful to be normal.
KyuJong blinked, distracted for a moment as his eyes landed on HyungJoon… So he was right after all - he had sensed an abnormal amount of power from that person…but there was no time to think about it - from the looks of it, HyungJoon’s concentration and power was entirely focused on the demon, so much so that he probably hadn’t even realized the arrival of the hunters.
Looking around, KyuJong slyly said a spell that would give the agents protecting HyungJoon more strength and speed to help them in protecting HyungJoon while he did his task.
Unlike the one they were guarding, the other anti-hunters had definitely noticed the sudden arrivals. The hunters had realized HyungJoon was the one to aim for, but any bullets they fired veered off-course and were imbedded harmlessly in a wall.
Biting his lip, JungMin joined the other hunters in their assault, but purposely made his own attacks veer away from their intended target as well. He would blame it on the spells the guards were casting. One of the hunters rushed forward with a knife in hand, the others doing the same and engaging the guards directly.
KyuJong bit his lip, not knowing what else he could do. Watching rather helplessly at the side-lines. He could possibly help HyungJoon in transporting the demon, except he had no idea who the demon was, and if he suddenly chipped in, HyungJoon might possibly lose concentration and the whole thing would go to waste.
As it was, he continued to cast protection spells over the guards, and also over JungMin so that he wouldn’t get hurt.
Completely oblivious to what was going on around him, HyungJoon's gaze remained focused on the demon, lips moving as he spoke, though the words couldn't be heard. He seemed to be making progression with whatever he was doing, arms lifting a little more as the power around him rose accordingly. The chains holding the demon rustled slightly, but didn't break, the demon itself seeming caught up in the ceremony.
Keeping up the pretense of being a hunter, JungMin had joined in on the attack, making sure the other hunters saw him participating. His lips quirked upwards as he felt KyuJong's spells over him, before he frowned as he was forced backwards. Going along with it, he let the guard maneuver him to the edge of the room.
No one noticed an additional hunter who had snuck in while the guards were preoccupied, slipping around the edge of the room and settling into the shadows, only the silencer on his gun visible as he sighted on HyungJoon.
KyuJong nearly had a heart attack when JungMin was slowly pushed back, frantically casting safety spells on him. So much so, that by the time he sensed someone else in the room, it was too late.
It was obvious someone had pulled the trigger, and that it had hit its mark.
Authors: curionenene and yeonah
Chapter: 22/?
Fandom: SS501 + Epik High Cameos
Pairings: KyuMin, HyunSaeng
Rating: PG-16
Warning: Angst, AU
Summary: Black and white... white and black. It isn't always possible to tell what is good and what is evil; and four players in the never-ending fight for freedom would know. In a world where things are painted by shades of grey, taking a stand could mean life or death. And the struggle to be free, truly free, may tear them apart until there is nothing left but ash.
A/N: KyuJong, HyunJoong, and Tablo are played by curionenene , while JungMin, YoungSaeng, HyungJoon and Mithra are played by yeonah .
YoungSaeng padded down the hallway quietly, a new bottle of medicine in his hands. The pill bottle from before had been close to running out, so he'd slipped out while HyunJoong was sleeping and his fever was still down to buy more, in case something went wrong later. He was hoping nothing did, but you never know...
Reaching out for the doorknob, the felinefolk opened the door quietly and stepped into the room...and paused.
“Is that so…wow, I never knew!” HyunJoong’s voice rang out through the room, sounding much more cheerful than earlier on, and if not for the slight hoarseness in his voice, you’d have never known he was sick. There was bright smile on his face, like he was amused, or extremely pleased by something.
"Well, it's not something talked about a lot, but it's true!" Sitting on the bed across from HyunJoong was HyungJoon, the bunny boy's ears flopping slightly as he nodded enthusiastically. Seeing the door open, he looked up with a smile. "Hey YoungSaeng hyung!"
YoungSaeng blinked at them. "Hi." When had HyungJoon gotten in here?
HyunJoong turned, and his smile grew as he waved at YoungSaeng. “Hey! HyungJoon sshi was just telling me about how bonds can affect humans. Did you know that the human’s lifespan lengthens? I didn’t!”
Before YoungSaeng could reply, however, HyunJoong turned to HyungJoon, and the smile grew sweet. “You’re such a wealth of knowledge HyungJoon sshi!”
HyungJoon grinned sheepishly. "I just remember what I hear. And really, drop the 'sshi', HyungJoon is fine."
Something about the affection didn't settle right with YoungSaeng, the felinefolk biting on his lower lip with one fang as he placed the medicine down. "That's interesting. How are you feeling, Hyun?"
“Hmm…? Great!” HyunJoong replied, before tilting his head with a childish grin. “Well, okay. A little feverish still, but HyungJoon distracted me from it.”
"Knew I was good for something," HyungJoon laughed. "I just stopped by to see how he was doing, heard through the grapevine he was sick. Looks like you're getting better though, you should be up on your feet in no time!"
YoungSaeng settled down onto the bed next to them, feeling a little awkward.
HyunJoong nodded, his own laugh mixing with HyungJoon, not really detecting YoungSaeng’s awkwardness probably because he was preoccupied with tweaking HyungJoon’s bunny ears. “Hehe…well, thanks for stopping by. I’ll be fine with YoungSaeng here now.” He turned and looked at the felinefolk with a trusting smile.
Blinking, YoungSaeng started to smile back, but anything he could have said was overrun by a loud squeak of laughter from HyungJoon at how the child played with his ears. "H-hey! That tickles!" he laughed, half-heartedly trying to bat HyunJoong's hands away with a wide grin on his face.
HyunJoong only grinned, attention turning back to HyungJoon as he only doubled his efforts, leaning forward slightly so that he could avoid HyungJoon’s hands. “That’s what makes it fun!”
"Y-yah!" HyungJoon yelped before dissolving into a flood of laughter, squirming around as he tried to avoid the small hands. Leaning back as HyunJoong leaned forward, he finally tipped over the edge of the bed and landed on the floor with a yelp, feet sticking up in the air.
HyunJoong collapsed into a pile of giggles at the hilarious fight. “Oh, HyungJoon, you’re such a walking disaster!” Clutching his tummy, he turned to YoungSaeng as if expecting the felinefolk to be laughing along as well.
Watching them, YoungSaeng felt a surge of something he couldn't describe, and even as he felt it he knew it was stupid, there was absolutely nothing wrong with them playing around, and if it helped HyunJoong keep his mind off the fever then it was even better. HyungJoon was the type to have an easier time cheering people up, it was good he was here.
Catching the look HyunJoong cast him, the felinefolk swallowed a bitter taste in his throat and smiled, somehow managing not to make it look forced.
HyungJoon groaned and sat up, clinging to the comforter. "You are mean," he huffed, blowing his ears out of his face and pretending to be put out when there was a wide grin on his face.
“Yeah, yeah.” HyunJoong chuckled, before pretending to be aristocratic and bombastic as he gestured at the door. “Be off with you!” He managed to say before completely collapsing into giggles.
"Ay aye, cap'n," HyungJoon saluted him like a drunken sailor, pushing himself back up to his feet, and waving cheerfully at both of them before walking out the door, but not without crashing into the doorframe first.
HyunJoong chuckled when HyungJoon went off, flopping back onto the bed, giggles still escaping him. “You have such a weird friend, Saeng ah.” He commented, looking up at the felinefolk, eyes bright and happy for the first time since he fell sick.
"That he is," YoungSaeng gave a long-suffering sigh, shoving back that annoying part of him that wasn't all that happy his friend had come to visit when he'd cheered HyunJoong up so much. "How long were you awake for? Sorry I wasn't here."
HyunJoong blinked, thinking for a moment. “Not too sure… maybe half… where were you by the way?” A hint of worry came into HyunJoong’s mind as he looked the felinefolk up and down. “I hope you didn’t get hurt…”
"Hm?" YoungSaeng blinked, then his smile slowly became more genuine at the concern. "No, I'm fine. I just went to pick up more medicine in case we ran out. Speaking of which, I think it's time for another pill. How's your temperature?" He asked, reaching out to feel HyunJoong's forehead lightly.
HyunJoong made a face at the mention of medicine. He gave a comfortable, long-suffering sigh, leaning a little into YoungSaeng’s cool hand. “Like I said, it’s still there, but I feel a lot better. The bath must have really helped.”
His skin did feel much less warm than before. "That's good," YoungSaeng smiled in relief. "And that's what you get for sticking your dirty hands in my hair," he chuckled, standing up and going to get water for him.
HyunJoong pouted before grinning. “Well, if it gets my fever down, I’d gladly stick my hands in your hair any day…”
Then he added almost as an afterthought. “Although running my hands in your hair sounds nice, even if they aren’t dirty. My hands I mean…”
YoungSaeng rolled his eyes, coming back with a glass of water. "There are other ways to get into a bathtub than being dropped in." Registering the second half of his master's words, he blinked, somehow imagining an adult HyunJoong playing with his hair.
"I'd much prefer it if your hands were clean next time," he muttered, hiding the red of his face as he got the medicine ready.
HyunJoong chuckled, and although he didn’t see the red on YoungSaeng’s face, he knew the felinefolk was embarrassed for some reason. “So if my hands are clean, that means I can run them through your hair?” He quipped, a mischievously look on his face.
Eyeing HyunJoong out of the corner of his eyes, YoungSaeng sighed. "As long as you take your medicine first," he said, trying to focus on taking care of his master and not HyunJoong's hands in his hair. He sat down on the edge of the bed, offering the water and pill. "If the fever keeps going down like this, we might even be able to get you some fresh air for a bit."
HyunJoong’s eyes brightened at that, although it was not clear if that was at the thought of running his hands through Youngsaeng’s hair or the thought of going out for fresh air. He definitely was more willing to take the medication though, swallowing it without much complaint.
Watching the child take the medicine, YoungSaeng smiled faintly as he made himself more comfortable beside him. Tablo was right...the fever was getting better. HyunJoong was a fighter; he wouldn't need another bond to keep from burning up. "Where do you want to go when you get better?"
“Hmm…” HyunJoong thought about it, rubbing his chin. “Anywhere with a nice tree to sit under and see the blue sky really…I haven’t done that in ages. And it would be nice to do that with you.”
He grinned then, reaching out to gently run a finger down YoungSaeng’s ear. “You’d like that too wouldn’t you? Curled up in cat form, taking a nap under the sun?”
Breath hitching slightly as it always did when people played with his ears, YoungSaeng surprised himself by not jerking away from the touch, instead giving in and letting his eyes flutter shut as his ear twitched in response. "It sounds nice," he murmured. "I know of a spot we could go like that..."
HyunJoong was just as surprised when YoungSaeng didn’t pull away. It was too much of an effort to pull his hand away, so he didn’t. But he hid his surprise, continuing as if nothing was different. “Really? And where’s that?”
"Hm...it's a park not far from here, on top of a hill. It's really nice, though it's been a while since I've been there..."
With his eyes closed, YoungSaeng found he could imagine it was adult HyunJoong playing with his ears again, and the thought didn't scare him...it was actually...rather nice.
HyunJoong closed his eyes as well, smiling, “Yes…that does sound nice…” But the minute he closed them, he regretted it somewhat. The medicine was beginning to take effect, and his eyelids were beginning to feel very, very heavy - too heavy to reopen. “Mm…I’d really like to…go…there someday…”
Opening his own eyes and blinking as HyunJoong's words started to slur, YoungSaeng took in the sleepy expression and smiled. "We can go once you feel better," he said, carefully shifting so he could help HyunJoong lie down. "Sleep now, all right? I won't be going anywhere."
“Mmm…okay…” HyunJoong mumbled as he nuzzled into the pillow, his breath slowing into a dream-like pace. “…Promise?”
YoungSaeng's gaze softened as he tucked the comforter around the small body. "Promise," he whispered, reaching out and gently brushing locks of soft hair out of HyunJoong's face.
With that in mind, HyunJoong drifted off into a deep sleep with an expression as soft as the pillows he lay on. His hand never did leave the proximity of YoungSaeng’s body, and now, it gently clung onto YoungSaeng’s sleeve even as he slept.
Noting the hand on his sleeve, YoungSaeng's smile widened slightly. After a moment he carefully laid down on the edge of the bed next to HyunJoong, watching over him as he slept until his own eyes closed and he drifted off as well.
************************
KyuJong awoke to the smell of human straight in his nose, and he blinked, wincing as he detached himself from the skin that his nose had been buried in.
“Oh…” He muttered as he slowly sat up and looked down to see a still sleeping JungMin beside him. Rubbing his messy hair, he smiled a little, remembering murky contents about last night.
Stirring faintly at the movement, JungMin mumbled something incoherent and shifted closer to the warmth beside him, half curled up around KyuJong. Seeming to realize that the upper half of that warmth was no longer there, he squirmed slightly before slowly opening his eyes, blinking up at KyuJong through bangs that fell haphazardly into his face.
KyuJong’s lips curled up and he leaned down to kiss JungMin gently on the cheek. “Well, that’s quite a change… I don’t need to wake you up without you trying to dismember me for once.”
JungMin's response was to wrap one arm around KyuJong's shoulders and pull him back down onto the mattress, kissing him on the lips before burying his face in the other man's chest, clearly trying to fall back asleep. So he was comfortable, sue him.
KyuJong sighed ruefully. “Yah. As much as I don’t want to get out of bed as well, you know that we have work today, right?”
"Even hunters sleep in sometimes," was the muffled response against KyuJong's chest, JungMin not relinquishing his grip. "Just a few more minutes?"
KyuJong shook his head, running fingers through JungMin’s hair, chuckling. “Alright, you big baby hunter. A few more minutes. Then we’ll have to get up.”
Chuckling, JungMin hummed in contentment at the fingers through his hair. "Don't tell me you wouldn't enjoy a bit more time too." He managed to tilt his face up slightly so he could see KyuJong, lips quirked upwards tiredly. Though honestly, that was the best sleep he'd had in a long time.
“That’s not the point.” KyuJong poked JungMin’s neck. “The point is that we have a mission and we should do it properly.”
"We will," he murmured, amused. "Once we're up. Until then, I'm enjoying this far too much." He managed to pull himself up enough to kiss KyuJong again, hands moving up to tangle in the ankou's soft hair.
“At this rate, we’ll never be up.” KyuJong muttered, but didn’t pull away from the kiss, gently leaning down instead.
"Spoilsport," JungMin chuckled against the other man's mouth, one hand trailing down from KyuJong's hair to his neck as he kissed him slowly, taking the time they had both been too impatient for last night.
“It’s being responsible.” KyuJong retorted, although by now, he was nearly all ready to chuck responsibility out of the window and just lay lazily in bed with JungMin for the rest of the day.
"We can be responsible after," the human whispered, kissing the corner of KyuJong's mouth and shifting closer.
KyuJong was about to chuckle and reply when he suddenly straightened, sitting ram-rod straight, a hostile glare directed at the door.
Blinking at the sudden reaction, JungMin sat up as well, wide awake now. "...Is someone there?" he whispered, flattening his hair with one hand and looking around for something to wear.
KyuJong nodded, quickly climbing off the bed. Thank goodness that as an ankou, he moved a lot faster than normal humans, and had no problem fetching his clothes off the floor and dumping them where they couldn’t be seen.
Quickly switching to some new clothes, KyuJong quickly lay on the floor, chaining himself to the bed leg where they had prepared the fake handcuff just in case of a situation like this.
Shaking himself out of his stupor, JungMin got up and hurriedly pulled on clothes as well, making sure he looked professional before checking that all signs of last night was hidden.
He just had time to cast KyuJong a glance, biting his lower lip, before there was a knock on the front door. Steeling himself and getting into his hunter persona, JungMin walked to the door and glanced through the peephole. Hiding a scowl, he unlocked the door and opened it. "Yes?"
Belatedly, KyuJong realized he hadn’t put on his pixie guise, and quickly muttering a few words, his form shrank again. Thankfully, JungMin hadn’t opened the door immediately, so the three rather intimidating hunters outside hadn’t seen.
“Park JungMin?” the one who was obviously in charge asked, and not waiting for an answer, he continued. “You’re to follow us. There is an emergency mission. We have just been informed of an anti-hunter activity in the vicinity.”
JungMin eyed them. "I see. I'm assuming I will be debriefed at HQ?" What kind of mission could it be? How many people were needed for it, if he was being sent and he'd just joined the night before?
He turned around and walked to where KyuJong was chained, unlocking him from the bed and pulling the 'pixie' up roughly by his collar before turning back to the hunters.
“No, you’ll be debriefed on the way. The anti-hunter organization is already beginning to act.” The hunter said curtly, obviously impatient.
KyuJong winced when JungMin pulled him up, but he quickly bowed towards the three hunters before running back to gather JungMin’s weapons and tools he would conceivably need for the mission.
They were moving fast. JungMin wondered what was going on, baffled. They hadn't been out of the anti-hunter HQ for long, what could be going on that they hadn't heard about while there?
His confusion didn't show though, as he pulled on his hunter cloak and took his gun from KyuJong without looking at the ankou, attaching it to his belt. "Understood," he said simply, stepping out of the apartment and flicking one finger at KyuJong to follow, closing and locking the door behind them.
KyuJong quickly ran out of the door before JungMin could close it on him, and quickly he bowed his head, following after his master. But he was just as confused as JungMin on the unknown anti-organization movement. Had there been something going behind their backs?
The hunters handed over a thin file to JungMin as he began to explain. “A report came in last night about the illegal movement of a demon. It’s a delicate process as you can imagine, and our leaders were wise in deciding it would be a good time to cripple them, as well as capture the demon for ourselves.”
Following the hunters, JungMin opened the file and read as he walked, eyes going over the contents. A demon? That by itself wouldn't be that concerning (there were several hundred demons running around the city right now), but from the file he could easily see this wasn't an ordinary demon, or even a rare one like Mithra. This was a demon that had no business being on this plane in the first place.
Of course the hunters would want to take this chance to capture it.
"Where is this demon being taken?" he asked, going through the paper again before slipping it back into the file. He wanted to pass the file to KyuJong to read, but there was no opportunity to do so with the hunters right there.
“We don’t know as of yet, but we know where they’re going to hold the ceremony.” The hunter said bluntly. “Come, we mustn’t linger. They might be already starting for all we know.”
KyuJong was itching to read the file, but he knew he couldn’t, not without the others around. But a demon who couldn’t exist on this plane without help… that narrowed it down quite a bit, and KyuJong could only think of a few that the anti-hunter organization would dare to bring into this world…
Nodding curtly, JungMin walked briskly along beside them, resisting the urge to look back at KyuJong. His knowledge of demons was limited to those on this plane only. Who could blame him? They were never supposed to encounter any other kind of demon...
Just what was the organization doing?
The streets were mostly clear, which quickened their process as they seemed to head in no direction in particular to JungMin. But upon closer inspection of their surroundings, he remembered something he heard once, about the different centers of energy in the world and how one was located near the edge of Seoul...
That was where they were going to transport the demon from - KyuJong reached to the same conclusion as JungMin. And biting his lip, he wondered what exactly the organization was thinking. This was already risky without the possibility of hunters getting in their way, which was already happening as of now.
There was no choice then - KyuJong and JungMin would have to do something to inhibit the hunters from disrupting the ceremony.
There was no chance to warn the organization that there were hunters on the way, but hopefully they would have planned for interruptions. If Tablo was aware if this, he at least would have made plans in case they were ambushed. But there was no way of knowing for sure...
So they would have to interfere somehow...but how to do that without risking their position inside the Hunter HQ? They couldn't afford any more suspicions than they had already gathered. So they had no choice but to bide their time and wait.
The closer they got, the more even JungMin was able to sense something. And for him to be aware that there was something unusual about this place...
Had the organization already begun the ceremony?
KyuJong had sensed the unusual levels of energy way before JungMin had, but had kept it to himself, wishing to buy more time for both the anti-hunter organization, as well as himself to think of a plan. But it was soon obvious that even JungMin was able to sense something, and he quickly dropped the façade, gasping slightly and stopping in his tracks.
He figured it made sense for an abused pixie to be fearful of something stronger than he was. And this way, perhaps they could buy themselves more time.
Hearing the gasp, JungMin looked back at KyuJong. He understood what the ankou was trying to do, but his persona wouldn't allow for any delays. At least they had a little bit more time... "Come on," he scowled, pulling on a few locks of hair to get the 'pixie' moving again. "What has gotten into you?"
But KyuJong stubbornly dug his heels in, giving a whine of protest, pretty much the same way a tantrum-throwing child would. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the other hunters getting restless, and knew that he would probably be in for some punishment soon.
Sure enough, one of the hunters stepped forward, scowling. “Hey, newbie, get your thing under control. We’re wasting time!”
Mentally apologizing for this, JungMin hit KyuJong across the face at the resistance, once again making it sound worse than it was. Fisting a hand in the ankou's hair, he pushed him ahead of them roughly. "Walk," he snapped.
Rolling his head away from the slap, KyuJong minimized the damage done - but not that much so that there was still a mark left on his face. There was nothing to do the hand in his hair from hurting however, and he whimpered as he was forced forward, beginning to walk, but most reluctantly.
The stalling worked, but JungMin could see the way the other hunters watched them. Nothing for it. Suppressing a sigh, he continued to walk, occasionally shoving KyuJong forward again when the 'pixie' was walking too slow.
But then, as they got closer and closer to the transfer point, the reluctance to walk forward became stronger with each step, and KyuJong found himself acting less and actually needing to force himself to move forward.
Then suddenly, the ankou let out a strangled gasp as he fell onto his knees. He’d just felt a ridiculously strong wave of energy, and in this state, he was entirely unable to resist it.
It could only mean one thing.
The transfer had already happened - the demon was here.
A ripple ran through the hunters present; even they could see why the pixie was acting this way now. Even JungMin shivered, eyes widening slightly. He'd never sensed this much energy in his life.
No wonder the demon didn't belong here.
One of the hunters cursed. "Get moving," he snapped, and JungMin yanked KyuJong back to his feet as the other hunters hurried on ahead. The distraction was useless now. "How bad is it?" he whispered once they were far enough ahead.
KyuJong swallowed, biting his lip and resisting the urge to cling onto JungMin. “It’s bloody strong…we can’t allow the hunters to even interrupt the ceremony or something will be bound to go wrong.”
JungMin swallowed thickly. "Great. How are we supposed to do that?" He pulled KyuJong along after the hunters, keeping up the visual pretense, but at the same time keeping them far enough back that they could talk for a moment. This was beyond anything they'd dealt with before.
“Without breaking our cover, I really have no idea…” KyuJong admitted. They were way in over their heads, even for an ankou like him. “We’ll have to just go along and see.”
Nodding, the human bit his lower lip and ran faster to catch up to the other hunters. Hopefully the organization would be done with whatever the demon was here for by the time they got there...
But from how fast the power was rising the closer he got, he doubted it.
It was harder for KyuJong to move now, and he had to grind his teeth together in order to move forward. Every fiber of his being was screaming out at him to change into his full form and whisk JungMin out of here, but his conscious mind couldn’t allow it - their situation was too fragile at this moment. They couldn’t afford to blow their cover.
Soon, the agents from the anti-hunter organization became visible, as did a brightly glowing ball held down by chains that could only be the demon.
JungMin glanced over the faces visible, his eyes widening as he found one familiar. Standing at the front of the group, it was impossible to mistake the large rabbit ears for anyone else.
What was HyungJoon doing here?
It took a moment for it to click. HyungJoon was the one keeping the demon bound, arms up slightly and eyes a glowing white as he looked up at the demon. The wave of power coming from the young man was dwarfed by that of the demon, but still far too powerful to be normal.
KyuJong blinked, distracted for a moment as his eyes landed on HyungJoon… So he was right after all - he had sensed an abnormal amount of power from that person…but there was no time to think about it - from the looks of it, HyungJoon’s concentration and power was entirely focused on the demon, so much so that he probably hadn’t even realized the arrival of the hunters.
Looking around, KyuJong slyly said a spell that would give the agents protecting HyungJoon more strength and speed to help them in protecting HyungJoon while he did his task.
Unlike the one they were guarding, the other anti-hunters had definitely noticed the sudden arrivals. The hunters had realized HyungJoon was the one to aim for, but any bullets they fired veered off-course and were imbedded harmlessly in a wall.
Biting his lip, JungMin joined the other hunters in their assault, but purposely made his own attacks veer away from their intended target as well. He would blame it on the spells the guards were casting. One of the hunters rushed forward with a knife in hand, the others doing the same and engaging the guards directly.
KyuJong bit his lip, not knowing what else he could do. Watching rather helplessly at the side-lines. He could possibly help HyungJoon in transporting the demon, except he had no idea who the demon was, and if he suddenly chipped in, HyungJoon might possibly lose concentration and the whole thing would go to waste.
As it was, he continued to cast protection spells over the guards, and also over JungMin so that he wouldn’t get hurt.
Completely oblivious to what was going on around him, HyungJoon's gaze remained focused on the demon, lips moving as he spoke, though the words couldn't be heard. He seemed to be making progression with whatever he was doing, arms lifting a little more as the power around him rose accordingly. The chains holding the demon rustled slightly, but didn't break, the demon itself seeming caught up in the ceremony.
Keeping up the pretense of being a hunter, JungMin had joined in on the attack, making sure the other hunters saw him participating. His lips quirked upwards as he felt KyuJong's spells over him, before he frowned as he was forced backwards. Going along with it, he let the guard maneuver him to the edge of the room.
No one noticed an additional hunter who had snuck in while the guards were preoccupied, slipping around the edge of the room and settling into the shadows, only the silencer on his gun visible as he sighted on HyungJoon.
KyuJong nearly had a heart attack when JungMin was slowly pushed back, frantically casting safety spells on him. So much so, that by the time he sensed someone else in the room, it was too late.
It was obvious someone had pulled the trigger, and that it had hit its mark.