Crossing Boundaries for Fire - Chapter 3
Title: Crossing Boundaries for Fire
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Violence, X-Men!AU!AR, Angst, Romance, Comedy
Summary: While governments around the world work hard to rid their lands of mutants, a group of mutants seeks out a safe place to hide from the prejudice of humans.
Warnings: Language, mentions of drugs
Authors: tees2mai & zaboomafoo76
Beta: princess_jaded
Prolougue | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four |
June 4th, 1963 - Seoul, Korea
2:31 PM - Heaven’s Bed and Breakfast, Seoul
“Mokpo?” Kyuhyun asked incredulously, staring at Donghae with a confused expression on his face. “Um, hyung? China is north, while Mokpo is like the southern tip of Korea. Going to Mokpo would be counterproductive...”
“Oh, my adorable little brother...” Donghae said, chuckling and clapping his hand on Kyuhyun’s back with more force than necessary. “Obviously we’ll take a boat to China.”
“Oh, yes, obviously,” Kyuhyun scoffed, miffed at not having thought of that himself.
“Why can’t we just go through North Korea like I planned on doing?” Hyukjae asked with a frown. “I mean, I highly doubt that our government told the North Korean government that I escaped.”
“They’d blow you up whether you were a mutant or not,” Kyuhyun said, rolling his eyes as if it were obvious.
“You’re so narrow-minded,” Hyukjae said, frown deepening. “But I get your point. Donghae hyung, how do we get to Mokpo from here without being detected? We can’t exactly walk; none of us have a car, and if we went by bus or taxi, I’d be recognized.”
Donghae pursed his lips, thinking it over. He didn’t actually plan on taking a boat to China from Mokpo. The solution had slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself, and now he had to cover for himself. “Oh, well, back in high school...” Donghae began slowly, “I had a friend that liked going to parties and bars. He can make fake IDs for us so we can bypass security people.”
Kyuhyun snorted. “Hyung, you were a partier back in high school?” he asked with a chuckle.
Donghae gave him a tight grin. “Of course, little brother. Don’t you remember? You covered for me on several occasions when mom asked where I was.”
Kyuhyun blinked dumbly for a moment before nodding vigorously when Hyukjae gave him a questioning stare. “Oh, right, of course!” Kyuhyun exclaimed. “Yeah. I covered for you. And now here you are, covering for me!”
Hyukjae’s brows furrowed in confusion while Donghae mentally smacked his forehead.
“I mean-” Kyuhyun stammered, sensing the fact that Donghae really wanted to kick him. “I mean that you left home with me, and you’re keeping me safe despite me being a... mutant.”
“What are brothers for?” Donghae asked, grinning and wrapping an arm around Kyuhyun’s shoulder. Kyuhyun forced a grin and leaned into Donghae’s embrace briefly before finding it awkward and standing up.
“Yes, well, I’m going to go...take a walk...” he said, nodding and backing toward the door slowly.
“Don’t be seen,” Donghae warned, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles on the mattress. “Well, don’t be seen by anyone that would take you in. And don’t be out too long.”
“Yes, hyung,” Kyuhyun sighed, opening the door and slipping out.
Donghae watched Kyuhyun leave and almost rolled his eyes at how stupidly they had almost given themselves away but had to stop since Hyukjae was still in the room. He turned and smiled at the other boy instead and ran a hand through his hair. Slipping out of his jacket, Donghae set it aside and bent over to take off his shoes.
"Do you regret it?" Hyukjae's voice broke the silence, making Donghae look up. Donghae stared at him confusion and Hyukjae continued. "I mean, do you regret running away with Kyuhyun? Leaving your life behind for him?"
"Ah..." Donghae sat up straight and put his hands on his knees, trying to think of an appropriate answer before it looked like he was taking too much time. He had a childhood flashback: his life before working for the government, and smiled sadly, while looking into space. "Sometimes... sometimes, I do. Sometimes I think of the what if's..." he said slowly, before quickly adding, "I mean, what if Kyuhyun hadn't been caught and all that..."
Hyukjae nodded quietly, caught off guard by how soft and sad Donghae's voice had gotten as he spoke. "Sorry if I'm asking things that are too personal... I'm just curious and all." He shrugged. "What’s Kyuhyun's power anyway?"
"It's alright." Donghae smiled at him, "You can ask me anything- oh! Kyuhyun's power?" He looked at Hyukjae. "Look, it's kind of dangerous... a little... a little more than yours and it's something he's yet to come to terms with. It's why he's so.... rude? It's his defense mechanism so people don't see how scared he is.... when... when he's more comfortable I'll let him tell you himself," Donghae lied easily, nodding earnestly at Hyukjae.
"Oh." Hyukjae smiled back at him, gums peeking out of the side of his smile, making Donghae smile wider back at him. "I understand." His eyes softened in understanding and for the first time in a while, Donghae felt like an asshole for lying. He felt a bit of guilt taking over his heart as he watched Hyukjae's innocence trust him completely.
Run away, he wanted to scream at Hyukjae. Run away from me, I am a monster.
But Donghae passed him a chocolate bar instead and laid down, pretending to be exhausted.
-
2:43 PM - Heaven’s Bed and Breakfast, Seoul
Kyuhyun wandered around the motel, bored to his wit’s end. He felt like an idiot for nearly blowing their cover, and he never really liked the feeling of feeling stupid. He hated it, actually, and decided to drown his miseries in a bag of obnoxiously crunchy chips. Kyuhyun was the sort of person that could be cheered up by food, so he indulged himself with Donghae’s money.
The tangy barbecue danced along his tongue as he munched loudly on the snack, alerting all those in earshot of his presence with the crunching and the rustling of the bag. He didn’t want to have to sit in the same room as Donghae and that mutant, so he wandered aimlessly about the motel. It was a small little thing, with only two floors and perhaps a dozen rooms on each floor.
Kyuhyun was just turning to head back the way he came when the supposed agent Donghae had met up with nearly barreled into him.
“Oh, sorry,” the man, Siwon, apologized, smiling politely and grasping Kyuhyun by the shoulders as he walked around him.
Kyuhyun just ducked around the corner, frowning and watching with narrowed eyes as Siwon made his way to the final door and knocked on it. Bringing more chips to his mouth, Kyuhyun watched the door creak open and a larger man with short hair stick his head out and look expectantly at Siwon.
“What?”
“You’re Kim Kangin, right?” Siwon asked, hands folded in front him as he took on an expression of innocence.
Kyuhyun munched on a barbecue chip, amazed at how agents could do that so well, how they could just change their emotions in an instant. He was still getting the hang of it, as he had always been known for having volatile emotions.
“So what if I am?” the other man asked, eyes narrowing.
Siwon smiled before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a badge, expression morphing into one of complete and utter seriousness. “I’m with the government. I would like to question you about the mutant you’re holding in your room while we wait for the problem to be dealt with.”
“What sort of questions?” Kangin asked, slipping out of the room, shutting and locking the door behind him.
“Oh, just how you came across the creature, what its abilities are if you know them, and,” Siwon continued, gesturing for Kangin to begin walking down the hall, “what sort of compensation you would like for putting yourself at risk for the sake of society’s safety.”
“Oh, well now you’re talking,” Kangin said, grinning and stuffing the key into his pocket as he followed Siwon. Kyuhyun’s eyes widened in alarm, and he quickly leaned back and hid behind one of the couches while Siwon and Kangin passed right through the room and entered an office.
Once the door was shut, Kyuhyun got up and crept toward Kangin’s room. Apparently there was a mutant in there. Kyuhyun grinned and rubbed his hands together; now was his chance to earn some points from Donghae and the government for catching one. Never mind that Siwon and the Boss already knew about it, that was just a tiny, irrelevant detail.
He wiggled the doorknob, a frown returning to his face when he found that it was locked. But, he was a resourceful agent. Or, at least the intern of one. He knew how to deal with this sort of thing.
Reaching into his pocket, Kyuhyun found and pulled out his pocket knife, a gift from the old man that made Donghae’s coffee every morning. It was a useful little tool, and Kyuhyun slipped one of the mechanisms into the knob and picked the lock in no time.
He pushed the door open before entering the room cautiously, unsure of what kind of dangerous mutant awaited him. He checked the tiny closet and under the bed, frowning yet again when he couldn’t find the mutant. He entered the bathroom and clicked on the light, nearly having a heart attack at the sight of a woman tied up and gagged in the bathtub.
The woman looked up at him in shock, fear passing through her eyes before vanishing and being replaced by steely impertinence. She was in obvious, desperate, need of help, but it was clear she wasn’t going to beg for it, nor did she want the help from Kyuhyun.
Her arms were bound behind her back by a crudely knotted tie, and what looked like a sock was stuffed in her mouth, held there by a shoelace tied around her head. The woman’s dress was tattered, revealing an intricate, blue-white tattoo along her arms and shoulder blades. Her makeup was smudged and her hair a mess, but she still looked beautiful.
Kyuhyun crouched down to better look at her, and her dark eyes shifted to an icy blue as he leaned closer, trying to determine her abilities. She snarled through the gag, and Kyuhyun jumped back in shock when the air around the woman got indefinitely more frigid and the woman’s eyes flashed dangerously.
“I’m going to take a wild guess and say you control ice...” Kyuhyun said, seeing the frozen droplets of water hanging from the faucet in the tub. “Come with me,” he said, turning back to the woman and reaching for her. He yelped in shock when his fingertips brushed against her skin, sending shivers through his body at the incredibly low temperature.
“Look, you obviously need help. So not cooperating with me would be very much to your disadvantage... woman,” he said, realizing he didn’t know her name. “I’m-” he stammered, forcing himself to say it. “I’m a mutant too. And the person traveling with me and my hyung is a mutant. We’re going somewhere safe.”
Curiosity shone in the woman’s eyes for a brief moment before filling with distrust again.
Kyuhyun sighed and pulled out his pocket knife, and the woman shrunk back in fright as it neared her face. “Stay still so I don’t cut you,” Kyuhyun grumbled, gripping the base of her skull to hold her steady as he sliced carefully through the shoe lace. Once that was out of the way, he pulled the sock out, and the woman began to heave and cough.
“That came from the bastard’s foot,” the woman muttered as soon as her coughing fit subsided. “....Who are you?” she asked warily.
“Kyuhyun,” Kyuhyun replied, gesturing for her to turn around so he could slice through the tie holding her wrists together. “And you are?”
“Jessica,” the woman replied. “And yes, I manipulate ice. What’s your ability, kid?”
“Don’t call me kid. I’m rescuing you, here,” Kyuhyun said, scowling as the knife slowly cut through the thick material of the cheap tie. “I... don’t want to say my ability,” he said slowly, being careful not to blow his cover. “It’s... embarrassing...”
“Well, whatever,” Jessica replied, rubbing her wrists once the tie was removed. “Thanks for the help. I’m out of here.”
“Wait, what?” Kyuhyun asked, staring incredulously after Jessica’s retreating figure before following her out of the bathroom. “I just rescued you! You could at least show a little gratitude!”
“I’m not going to kiss you, if that’s what you mean,” Jessica said, rolling her eyes and going through Kangin’s suitcase, grabbing the smallest shirt and pair of shorts of his that she could find. Not caring in the least bit that Kyuhyun was in the room, Jessica pulled her dress down to her waist and put the baggy shirt on before kicking the dress off all the way and pulling on the shorts. The shorts were way too loose, so she tied them up as tightly as she could.
Kyuhyun, on the other hand, stared at her back, red in the face and completely stunned by Jessica’s figure and the fact that she had stripped in front of him.
Jessica turned back around and patted him on the head. “See you, kid.”
“Hey, wait,” Kyuhyun said, coming out of his reverie and snatching her wrist, yelping and shaking his hand when it nearly froze. “Stop doing that!” he exclaimed, glowering at her. “I just rescued you, and I already told you. My hyung and I are with another mutant and we’re headed somewhere safe. You should come with us.”
“You may find this hard to believe, kid,” Jessica began, ignoring Kyuhyun’s protests. “But I don’t really trust people after being kidnapped by Kangin. So I’ll pass on that offer,” she said, pulling out a baggy hoodie and pulling it on, keeping the hood up. “Goodbye.”
“Jessica!” Kyuhyun exclaimed, grabbing the back of her hoodie as she attempted to leave again.
“I’m older than you, kid,” Jessica said, impatience clear in her voice. “That’s noona to you. Now stop being so persistent and let me leave.”
“At least talk to my hyung first,” Kyuhyun ground out, his patience on the verge of completely dissipating. “He could give you supplies if he’s unable to convince you to go with us.”
“Why are you so insistent on me going with you?” Jessica asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
Because Kyuhyun wanted to capture her. But he couldn’t really say that. “Mutants should stick together,” he answered carefully. “Now will you come with me to the room we’re staying in?”
Jessica looked him over skeptically, calculating the risks. “Fine, I will,” she said, still watching him suspiciously. “But one wrong move and I’ll freeze your ass.”
“Whatever,” Kyuhyun said, waving the threat off. “Let’s go before that guy holding you comes back.”
-
3:11 PM - Heaven’s Bed and Breakfast, Seoul
Donghae had almost closed his eyes when the motel room door practically banged open and Hyukjae's voice made him open his eyes again.
"Who on earth is that?" Hyukjae asked, standing up from his bed. Donghae quickly got off of the bed, hand subtly moving closer to where he had kept his gun, taking in the woman who had come in with Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun looked at them both before quickly shutting the room door and pulling Jessica in further towards Donghae.
"Hyung. This is Jessica noona... I just saved her!" He said, looking straight at Donghae. "She's a mutant too."
Donghae stared at Kyuhyun before turning to Jessica who looked like she had gone through hell. Hair messy, wearing baggy men’s clothes, and her make-up was smudged. She had an annoyed expression on her face and emitted a chill he knew only he could feel. Jessica rolled her eyes at Kyuhyun's statement.
"Jessica..." Donghae began carefully, standing up and extending his hand out to her, "I'm Donghae... I'm so glad my brother helped you out," he said earnestly, eyes softening up at her. "Do you want something else to wear? Those look too large for you," Donghae observed as Jessica looked at his hand strangely and he put it down. "Ah, sorry..." he trailed off, turning around and taking out a pair of Kyuhyun's pants that would be small enough to fit her and a sweater of his own. "Here," he offered, holding the garments out for her.
Jessica looked between them skeptically before taking the clothes, fingers brushing over Donghae's.
"How can I be sure you're trustworthy?" She asked, looking between the three guys in the room. Hyukjae answered for them.
"They're helping me... I just escaped from a government prison and Kyuhyun... he got kicked out of his house. Donghae hyung is his brother, me and Kyuhyun are mutants, but Donghae hyung is helping us... We're getting away from here," he told her assuringly, and it was the sincere look and hope in his eyes that caught Jessica off guard and made her nod.
"Alright." She licked her lips. "Fine, but if either of you even take a peek into the bathroom... I'll freeze off your balls." She glared at them, making Hyukjae unconsciously put his hand over his groin and Kyuhyun make a face at her. Donghae chuckled and shook his head, wanting to make her feel comfortable.
"Don't worry; I'm gay... I'll make sure these two don’t try anything." He assured and Jessica looked over him before nodding again and slightly limping towards the bathroom. The door locked and the shower turned on before Donghae turned to Kyuhyun and gave him a look. Just how the hell had Kyuhyun off all people found another mutant and made her trust him? Was Jessica the mutant Siwon had told him about?
He felt the new power settle in his body and figured what she probably was, but before he could begin to question the smug look on Kyuhyun’s face, Hyukjae beat him too it.
"Ew... That better not be the face you make when you think you're going to get some."
Kyuhyun gaped before scowling at Hyukjae, more than ready to retort, when he remembered what Donghae had said. His eyes widened in shock and his jaw dropped as he whirled on the agent, horror on his face. “You’re gay?! Since when?! But... but you’ve seen me get dressed before! Oh, my god!” he exclaimed, panicking.
“I realized my sexual preference in high school,” Donghae said stiffly. “And I don’t see why it matters if I’ve seen you get dressed before, little brother,” he practically snarled. “I assure you, I’m not into pedophilia or incest.”
Kyuhyun clamped his mouth shut, guilt filling his eyes when he realized that he had nearly blown his and Donghae’s cover. Again.
“Just kidding, hyung,” Kyuhyun chuckled nervously. “You know? Joking around with you...”
Donghae sighed quietly before reaching out and ruffling Kyuhyun’s hair, pressing a little harder than necessary to secretly punish Kyuhyun for his slip-up. “Silly little brother,” he said, light humor in his voice. “Walk with me.”
“Hyung?” Kyuhyun squeaked, feeling Donghae grip his arm and drag him toward the door. “Wh-what about Hyukjae? And noona?”
“We won’t be gone long,” Donghae said, turning the knob and pulling the door open. “Oh, and Hyukjae?” he said, glancing at the redhead. “Tell Jessica noona that my brother and I are going for a walk. Don’t leave the room, though. It’s dangerous.”
“Uh, sure, hyung.” Hyukjae nodded, falling back onto the bed in a sitting position, a newly opened bag of chips in his hands. “We won’t go anywhere.”
“Good boy,” Donghae said, flashing Hyukjae a smile before forcibly dragging Kyuhyun out of the room.
“Ow!” Kyuhyun yelped when Donghae squeezed his arm far more than necessary. “Hyung! What is going on? Where are we going? What are we doing?”
“Walking,” Donghae gritted out. “Must you ask so many questions?”
“Well you’re dragging me off without an explanation, so of course I’m going to ask questions!” Kyuhyun retorted, trying to wrench his arm free from Donghae’s vice grip.
Donghae raised an eyebrow at Kyuhyun and let the other’s arm go. "Right, like I'm letting you give me shit after you almost blew our cover! Where the hell did you find her and why didn't you tell me before finding her?" he demanded.
Kyuhyun glared at him as they continued to walk. "Are you really gay?!" he demanded back, finding it hard to keep his voice down.
Donghae stared at him blankly. "That's irrelevant. That was me saving our asses so she would trust me. And you need to keep your shit together and not get us caught!" he hissed. "They'll get suspicious and this Jessica doesn't seem like an idiot, so if I make up a story, smoothly play along with it. What have you told her? Where the fuck did you find her?”
Donghae wanted to know. He was angry Kyuhyun had gone and saved Jessica without informing him. What if something had happened?
“I was wandering around this motel, completely bored, when that Siwon guy pulled Kangin out of his room to talk to him,” Kyuhyun explained, still glowering as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I went inside and found her bound and gagged in the bath tub. I thought we could bring her in with Hyukjae,” he shrugged.
“And what have you told her?” Donghae asked suspiciously, not liking Kyuhyun’s story too much. “Did you say any other stupid things that could blow our cover?”
“No!” Kyuhyun exclaimed indignantly. “I didn’t say much. I told her that I’m a mutant and that Hyukjae is a mutant. I told her that you’re my brother, and when she asked me my ability, I told her I didn’t want to say because it’s embarrassing. Happy?”
“Not really,” Donghae replied flatly. “You could have gotten yourself killed! What if she wasn’t a friendly mutant? What if Kangin or Siwon walked in on you two while you were escaping? What then, Kyuhyun?!”
“I was just trying to be useful!” Kyuhyun insisted, frustration bubbling up in his chest. “I’m sorry I keep screwing things up! I don’t mean to! I just want to be a good agent.”
Donghae’s eyes softened in sympathy as Kyuhyun breathed heavily, grimacing to keep any unwanted sounds from slipping out of his mouth. He raised a clenched fist, furiously rubbing at his eyes to prevent frustrated tears from spilling out.
Kyuhyun was just a kid. He was sixteen years old, and yet he was already thrown into the world of adults, thinking it was okay to hunt down and deal with mutants. It was unfair, and a pity too. Kyuhyun really was a smart kid, and he had so much potential to be a better person. But it was too late already; he knew the things the government did, and now, he was involved as well.
Donghae sighed quietly before placing a gentle hand on Kyuhyun’s shoulder. “You’re tired, Kyuhyun. We’ve had long days, and it’s starting to get to us. Go on back to the room and get some more sleep,” he said, ruffling Kyuhyun’s hair fondly.
“What about you?” Kyuhyun asked, returning his hands to his sides after smoothing his hair back down.
“I’m going use the phone booth out back to call the Boss,” he said quietly. “I’ll let her know about the mutants I - about the mutants we caught,” he corrected himself. “You get some rest, okay?”
“Yes, hyung,” Kyuhyun mumbled, a bit startled at how Donghae went from yelling at him to treating him so nicely. He suspected it was just from years of practice of masking his emotion as an agent, but Kyuhyun decided not to dwell on it.
“After consulting the Boss,” Donghae continued. “I’ll tell you the plan. Prepare to leave by tomorrow morning, okay? And if the others ask why we left, tell them you just wanted to talk to your hyung privately. And let Jessica sleep on the bed. You and Hyukjae can share the other bed, and I’ll get the cot.”
“Why do I have to share the bed with Hyukjae?” Kyuhyun asked, frowning. “He smells. I’ll get the cot, hyung. You can share the bed with Hyukjae.”
“You really should refer to Hyukjae as Hyukjae hyung, Kyuhyun,” Donghae said, chuckling. “And fine. You can sleep on the ridiculously uncomfortable cot while I share the comfortable bed with Hyukjae. If that’s what you really want.”
“It is,” Kyuhyun nodded after only a moment of contemplation. Surely soreness in the morning was better than having to share a bed with the smelly mutant. “Should I tell them to pack up for us to leave tomorrow?”
Donghae shook his head. “No, they don’t have anything with them. You can pack up our stuff while I make the call though, right?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.
Kyuhyun nodded. “Of course. I’ll do that now, hyung.”
“Good,” Donghae said, returning the nod. “Oh, and Kyuhyun? Do try and get along with the others, alright?”
Kyuhyun sighed as he continued to walk back towards the room. “Yes, hyung. I’ll try...”
Donghae smiled after Kyuhyun before running a hand through his own hair and heading toward the back door. He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together in his jacket pocket, feeling the familiar tingle of nervousness run up his spine that he got whenever he needed to call the Boss. The Boss wasn’t one to mess with, nor was the Boss the kind of person whose bad side you wanted to get on. One slip-up with the Boss and your career was over. One had to remember to always speak formally, and the Boss was always right.
-
3:47 PM - Phone Booth outside of Heaven’s Bed and Breakfast, Seoul
Donghae paced in front of the phone booth and took a deep breath before stepping inside. He went over Kyuhyun's story in his mind and thought about how he had bumped into Siwon before getting to the phone. He had told him about what Kyuhyun had done and Siwon had quickly run to stall Kangin from finding out. Pulling out loose change, Donghae inserted it into the coin slot. He then dialed the number he had been made to memorize on his first day of work and continued to dial special extensions until the phone began to ring.
Making sure the door was shut again, Donghae held the receiver between his ear and shoulder as he slipped off his bracelet and shook his hand around. Jessica's power had been swelling in his body, waiting to be given the opportunity to show itself. Although he already knew what her power was, he needed to figure out how strong she was. While he stretched out his fingers, he touched a small puddle of spilled coke on the counter and watched it freeze up instantly.
He wanted to experiment more when the line was picked up and a sharp voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Hello, Donghae..."
Donghae grimaced.
"I hear you've got some news for me."
Donghae sighed inaudibly and played with Hyukjae's power instead as he began to tell the Boss everything he had found out and his plan. Talking to the Boss was probably one of the only times Donghae felt something akin to guilt.
-
3:49 PM - Heaven’s Bed and Breakfast, Seoul
“Hey, where did Donghae hyung go?” Hyukjae asked, sitting up when Kyuhyun entered the room alone. “Are you and your brother okay?”
“We’re fine,” Kyuhyun replied, quickly crossing the room and opening the suitcase to start packing. “I just wanted to talk to him. Alone. Where did noona go?”
“She’s still in the bathroom,” Hyukjae answer, crossing his hands behind his head and lying back down. “Girls take really long showers, Kyuhyun. And she’s the singing sort too. When is Donghae hyung coming back?”
“After he makes-” Kyuhyun started to say, but he cut himself off before he could blow their cover again. “After he’s done walking around. He wanted to stretch his legs a bit,” Kyuhyun lied.
“You were starting to say 'make,'” Hyukjae observed. “What is he making?”
“I meant, like, making rounds. Because he’s walking around the motel and making sure no one is onto us,” Kyuhyun lied uneasily. “He didn’t want me to say anything so I wouldn’t make you or noona nervous, but you asked...”
“Oh.” Hyukjae curled his legs in and started to look anxious. “Did he see anyone that’s after us?” Hyukjae asked, and Kyuhyun could see the very tips of Hyukjae’s hair beginning to glow softly like embers. Clearly, he had little to no control over his power if it started to show itself in times of anxiety.
“No,” Kyuhyun answered, shaking his head, hoping Hyukjae would calm down before he set the bed on fire. “Just relax. I’m packing up so we can leave tomorrow. Hyung’s orders.”
“Tomorrow morning?” Hyukjae asked as the faint orange glow began traveling further along his strands of hair. “We’re spending another night? Shouldn’t we leave before tomorrow?”
“Hyung knows what he’s doing,” Kyuhyun replied, tossing out a few shirts so he could fit more food in the bag. Donghae had plenty of shirts anyway. “He wants us to be well rested, since we’ll probably be traveling all day tomorrow. Mokpo is really far away, after all.”
“Oh, if you insist,” Hyukjae murmured, hair slowly fizzing out back to normal.
The bathroom door slammed open, startling Kyuhyun and Hyukjae to the point that Kyuhyun jumped backwards and landed on one of the shirts he tossed, sending him tumbling to the floor, and the entirety of Hyukjae’s hair, and a pillow, were set aflame.
“Hyukjae!” Kyuhyun exclaimed, scrambling to his feet and kicking the blazing pillow off of the bed. “Look what you did!”
“I didn’t mean to!” Hyukjae yelled back, unsure of what to do and therefore waving his arms frantically as the flames that used to be his hair grew larger. “Quick! Put it out! Stomp on it or something!”
“I’m not going to risk burning myself! You do it!” Kyuhyun shrieked, leaping backwards and crouching behind the bed.
A drawn out, annoyed sigh was heard as a block of ice materialized in thin air before dropping onto the flaming pillow, extinguishing it with a loud hiss.
“I’m stuck traveling with children,” Jessica muttered, tying her hair up before easily picking up the heavy block of ice and dematerializing it, Kyuhyun and Hyukjae staring in awe as it seemed to melt into her skin. She sent them an icy glare before settling onto one of the unoccupied beds, kicking the blankets off before turning back to the still-gaping boys. “Wake me up when it’s time to move out.”
“We should sleep too,” Hyukjae said quietly, fire fading and hair returning to normal yet again.
“You’re sharing the bed with Donghae hyung,” Kyuhyun said, standing and striding over to the cot. “I’m sleeping here. Good night.”
Hyukjae stared at the tiny bed he was currently sitting on, realizing that there was no way he could sleep with anyone on it without touching and ending up tangled together. The fact that he’d be sharing with Donghae, an attractive man who just so happened to be gay, didn’t make Hyukjae feel any less nervous. He lied down, cheeks burning and having nothing to do with his mutant abilities.
-
3:48 PM - Korea Central Intelligence Agency Headquarters, Seoul
The phone rang exactly four times before it was picked up. Sunny sat at her desk, eyes racking over a file as she spoke, accepting the awaited call. "Hello, Donghae," she spoke smoothly, "I hear you've got some news for me." She closed the file in her hands and neatly pushed it aside, tapping the long ends of her nails against the mahogany top of her desk.
Donghae didn't skip a beat as he replied. "We've got two in our hands, their powers are high levels, nature related." He spoke quickly giving the more important information. "One of them knows this place, ma'am. He says there’s a lot more there. That's where the escapees were headed."
"You found two of the ones that escaped? Or that one escapee and the one being held in the motel?" Sunny questioned. "Where were they headed?" Her interest increasing with the new information Donghae had told her.
"Yes, Kyuhyun got her." Donghae answered. "England. He says there's a shelter there for them. We’re letting them believe we're helping them get there,” he explained.
Sunny lifted her hand, snapping her fingers as she signaled in the air and her assistant quickly walked into the room, coming to stand next to her. "Get me our Ambassador to England," she told him before turning her attention back to her conversations with Donghae.
"Take them to England. Call me at every place you stop. Pick up as many as you can along the way. I only want the useful ones, quietly eliminate all others. I don't have time to waste on trash." Sunny twirled a pen in her hand before quickly jotting down a few things on a piece of paper. "Take Siwon with you. When you're running low on cash let me know. I want you to do anything necessary to get as many as you can. Which route are you taking?" She began to walk out of her office and down the halls towards the lower basements where the mutants that had tried to escape were being held.
"I'm getting us to Mokpo by train and then we're figuring out a way to get to China first," he explained, sounding calm despite having been just given a difficult mission.
"Smart. Play along with them and make sure you gain their trust completely. You won’t have any trouble at the train stations," she told him. "That would be too soon to bring them in. I'll expect a call in exactly twelve hours from now. Do not fail me," Sunny stated firmly, voice showing no hint of forgiveness for those who didn't do exactly as she told them.
"Yes, ma'am. Consider it done."
"Of course, you are of my best."
There was something condescending about her tone and then the line went dead and Donghae took a moment to stand there and think about his life before shaking his head and walking back to the motel room.
On the other end of the phone, Sunny passed her receiver to his assistant and pulled her gun out as she stepped into the room where the mutants had been chained and sedated. She smiled mock sweetly at them and put the nuzzle of her gun against the head of a teenage mutant. He whimpered as she shot him, his blood spraying over her suit jacket and face. Sunny barely blinked as the blood painted her face.
A harsh silence spread over the mutants, the shock of what just happened not even hitting them yet.
"Now... let's not think about escaping again, agreed?"
-
3:57 PM - Heaven’s Bed and Breakfast, Seoul
Five minutes later, Donghae was stepping back into the quiet and mostly dark motel room. Mostly dark except the bathroom light was still on and the door was open slightly, letting a bit of the light pout out and highlight Hyukjae on his bed. He slipped out of jacket and pulled off his shirt, putting it on the floor at the side of the bed. He smiled a little at how Hyukjae was hogging the pillow and frowned realizing there was only one pillow on the bed.
He pushed Hyukjae slightly, trying to get himself a little space, but Hyukjae sat up as he was being pushed and sleepily looked up at Donghae. "Hyung?" He rubbed his eyes and Donghae smiled.
"Oh, sorry, Hyukjae. I was trying not to wake you up," Donghae whispered apologetically and undid his pants, letting them fall to ground. Hyukjae's eyes widened as he looked away quickly.
"What are you doing!?" Hyukjae whispered harshly and Donghae stopped himself from laughing at the other.
"Uh, getting ready for bed," the man in question explained, pulling the blanket up slightly and sitting on the bed.
Hyukjae blinked into the darkness of the room, happy Donghae couldn't see the taint of pink in his cheeks.
"And you're getting naked because?" He shot back, gripping the blanket unconsciously.
"Correction, I'm not naked- yet. I sleep in my boxers. I can't sleep if I have too many clothes on," he explained. "You can sleep in your boxers too if you like. You look hot, Hyukjae..." Donghae couldn't help but tease. Hyukjae's eyed widened and he was sure if there had been something in his mouth he would have choked on it.
"Ah... no, it's alright... um, want me to sleep on the floor?" He asked and earned a small laugh from Donghae.
"Nah, it's fine, we'll just have to cuddle up, okay?" Donghae teased; he didn't give Hyukjae time to process what he had said as he pushed Hyukjae down on the bed and laid down as well. On instinct, they both moved closer to each other, trying to stay on the small bed. Hyukjae looked up and realized their chests were pressed against each others and having nowhere else to place his arm, Donghae placed it around his waist after pulling the blanket over them.
"Night, Hyukjae," Donghae whispered against his ears and Hyukjae nibbled on his bottom lip nervously for a second before closing his eyes and using the lack of space on the bed as an excuse to press his face into Donghae's shoulder.
"Um, night, hyung," he mumbled back, pretending he wasn't blushing like a school girl.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Violence, X-Men!AU!AR, Angst, Romance, Comedy
Summary: While governments around the world work hard to rid their lands of mutants, a group of mutants seeks out a safe place to hide from the prejudice of humans.
Warnings: Language, mentions of drugs
Authors: tees2mai & zaboomafoo76
Beta: princess_jaded
Prolougue | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four |
June 4th, 1963 - Seoul, Korea
2:31 PM - Heaven’s Bed and Breakfast, Seoul
“Mokpo?” Kyuhyun asked incredulously, staring at Donghae with a confused expression on his face. “Um, hyung? China is north, while Mokpo is like the southern tip of Korea. Going to Mokpo would be counterproductive...”
“Oh, my adorable little brother...” Donghae said, chuckling and clapping his hand on Kyuhyun’s back with more force than necessary. “Obviously we’ll take a boat to China.”
“Oh, yes, obviously,” Kyuhyun scoffed, miffed at not having thought of that himself.
“Why can’t we just go through North Korea like I planned on doing?” Hyukjae asked with a frown. “I mean, I highly doubt that our government told the North Korean government that I escaped.”
“They’d blow you up whether you were a mutant or not,” Kyuhyun said, rolling his eyes as if it were obvious.
“You’re so narrow-minded,” Hyukjae said, frown deepening. “But I get your point. Donghae hyung, how do we get to Mokpo from here without being detected? We can’t exactly walk; none of us have a car, and if we went by bus or taxi, I’d be recognized.”
Donghae pursed his lips, thinking it over. He didn’t actually plan on taking a boat to China from Mokpo. The solution had slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself, and now he had to cover for himself. “Oh, well, back in high school...” Donghae began slowly, “I had a friend that liked going to parties and bars. He can make fake IDs for us so we can bypass security people.”
Kyuhyun snorted. “Hyung, you were a partier back in high school?” he asked with a chuckle.
Donghae gave him a tight grin. “Of course, little brother. Don’t you remember? You covered for me on several occasions when mom asked where I was.”
Kyuhyun blinked dumbly for a moment before nodding vigorously when Hyukjae gave him a questioning stare. “Oh, right, of course!” Kyuhyun exclaimed. “Yeah. I covered for you. And now here you are, covering for me!”
Hyukjae’s brows furrowed in confusion while Donghae mentally smacked his forehead.
“I mean-” Kyuhyun stammered, sensing the fact that Donghae really wanted to kick him. “I mean that you left home with me, and you’re keeping me safe despite me being a... mutant.”
“What are brothers for?” Donghae asked, grinning and wrapping an arm around Kyuhyun’s shoulder. Kyuhyun forced a grin and leaned into Donghae’s embrace briefly before finding it awkward and standing up.
“Yes, well, I’m going to go...take a walk...” he said, nodding and backing toward the door slowly.
“Don’t be seen,” Donghae warned, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles on the mattress. “Well, don’t be seen by anyone that would take you in. And don’t be out too long.”
“Yes, hyung,” Kyuhyun sighed, opening the door and slipping out.
Donghae watched Kyuhyun leave and almost rolled his eyes at how stupidly they had almost given themselves away but had to stop since Hyukjae was still in the room. He turned and smiled at the other boy instead and ran a hand through his hair. Slipping out of his jacket, Donghae set it aside and bent over to take off his shoes.
"Do you regret it?" Hyukjae's voice broke the silence, making Donghae look up. Donghae stared at him confusion and Hyukjae continued. "I mean, do you regret running away with Kyuhyun? Leaving your life behind for him?"
"Ah..." Donghae sat up straight and put his hands on his knees, trying to think of an appropriate answer before it looked like he was taking too much time. He had a childhood flashback: his life before working for the government, and smiled sadly, while looking into space. "Sometimes... sometimes, I do. Sometimes I think of the what if's..." he said slowly, before quickly adding, "I mean, what if Kyuhyun hadn't been caught and all that..."
Hyukjae nodded quietly, caught off guard by how soft and sad Donghae's voice had gotten as he spoke. "Sorry if I'm asking things that are too personal... I'm just curious and all." He shrugged. "What’s Kyuhyun's power anyway?"
"It's alright." Donghae smiled at him, "You can ask me anything- oh! Kyuhyun's power?" He looked at Hyukjae. "Look, it's kind of dangerous... a little... a little more than yours and it's something he's yet to come to terms with. It's why he's so.... rude? It's his defense mechanism so people don't see how scared he is.... when... when he's more comfortable I'll let him tell you himself," Donghae lied easily, nodding earnestly at Hyukjae.
"Oh." Hyukjae smiled back at him, gums peeking out of the side of his smile, making Donghae smile wider back at him. "I understand." His eyes softened in understanding and for the first time in a while, Donghae felt like an asshole for lying. He felt a bit of guilt taking over his heart as he watched Hyukjae's innocence trust him completely.
Run away, he wanted to scream at Hyukjae. Run away from me, I am a monster.
But Donghae passed him a chocolate bar instead and laid down, pretending to be exhausted.
-
2:43 PM - Heaven’s Bed and Breakfast, Seoul
Kyuhyun wandered around the motel, bored to his wit’s end. He felt like an idiot for nearly blowing their cover, and he never really liked the feeling of feeling stupid. He hated it, actually, and decided to drown his miseries in a bag of obnoxiously crunchy chips. Kyuhyun was the sort of person that could be cheered up by food, so he indulged himself with Donghae’s money.
The tangy barbecue danced along his tongue as he munched loudly on the snack, alerting all those in earshot of his presence with the crunching and the rustling of the bag. He didn’t want to have to sit in the same room as Donghae and that mutant, so he wandered aimlessly about the motel. It was a small little thing, with only two floors and perhaps a dozen rooms on each floor.
Kyuhyun was just turning to head back the way he came when the supposed agent Donghae had met up with nearly barreled into him.
“Oh, sorry,” the man, Siwon, apologized, smiling politely and grasping Kyuhyun by the shoulders as he walked around him.
Kyuhyun just ducked around the corner, frowning and watching with narrowed eyes as Siwon made his way to the final door and knocked on it. Bringing more chips to his mouth, Kyuhyun watched the door creak open and a larger man with short hair stick his head out and look expectantly at Siwon.
“What?”
“You’re Kim Kangin, right?” Siwon asked, hands folded in front him as he took on an expression of innocence.
Kyuhyun munched on a barbecue chip, amazed at how agents could do that so well, how they could just change their emotions in an instant. He was still getting the hang of it, as he had always been known for having volatile emotions.
“So what if I am?” the other man asked, eyes narrowing.
Siwon smiled before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a badge, expression morphing into one of complete and utter seriousness. “I’m with the government. I would like to question you about the mutant you’re holding in your room while we wait for the problem to be dealt with.”
“What sort of questions?” Kangin asked, slipping out of the room, shutting and locking the door behind him.
“Oh, just how you came across the creature, what its abilities are if you know them, and,” Siwon continued, gesturing for Kangin to begin walking down the hall, “what sort of compensation you would like for putting yourself at risk for the sake of society’s safety.”
“Oh, well now you’re talking,” Kangin said, grinning and stuffing the key into his pocket as he followed Siwon. Kyuhyun’s eyes widened in alarm, and he quickly leaned back and hid behind one of the couches while Siwon and Kangin passed right through the room and entered an office.
Once the door was shut, Kyuhyun got up and crept toward Kangin’s room. Apparently there was a mutant in there. Kyuhyun grinned and rubbed his hands together; now was his chance to earn some points from Donghae and the government for catching one. Never mind that Siwon and the Boss already knew about it, that was just a tiny, irrelevant detail.
He wiggled the doorknob, a frown returning to his face when he found that it was locked. But, he was a resourceful agent. Or, at least the intern of one. He knew how to deal with this sort of thing.
Reaching into his pocket, Kyuhyun found and pulled out his pocket knife, a gift from the old man that made Donghae’s coffee every morning. It was a useful little tool, and Kyuhyun slipped one of the mechanisms into the knob and picked the lock in no time.
He pushed the door open before entering the room cautiously, unsure of what kind of dangerous mutant awaited him. He checked the tiny closet and under the bed, frowning yet again when he couldn’t find the mutant. He entered the bathroom and clicked on the light, nearly having a heart attack at the sight of a woman tied up and gagged in the bathtub.
The woman looked up at him in shock, fear passing through her eyes before vanishing and being replaced by steely impertinence. She was in obvious, desperate, need of help, but it was clear she wasn’t going to beg for it, nor did she want the help from Kyuhyun.
Her arms were bound behind her back by a crudely knotted tie, and what looked like a sock was stuffed in her mouth, held there by a shoelace tied around her head. The woman’s dress was tattered, revealing an intricate, blue-white tattoo along her arms and shoulder blades. Her makeup was smudged and her hair a mess, but she still looked beautiful.
Kyuhyun crouched down to better look at her, and her dark eyes shifted to an icy blue as he leaned closer, trying to determine her abilities. She snarled through the gag, and Kyuhyun jumped back in shock when the air around the woman got indefinitely more frigid and the woman’s eyes flashed dangerously.
“I’m going to take a wild guess and say you control ice...” Kyuhyun said, seeing the frozen droplets of water hanging from the faucet in the tub. “Come with me,” he said, turning back to the woman and reaching for her. He yelped in shock when his fingertips brushed against her skin, sending shivers through his body at the incredibly low temperature.
“Look, you obviously need help. So not cooperating with me would be very much to your disadvantage... woman,” he said, realizing he didn’t know her name. “I’m-” he stammered, forcing himself to say it. “I’m a mutant too. And the person traveling with me and my hyung is a mutant. We’re going somewhere safe.”
Curiosity shone in the woman’s eyes for a brief moment before filling with distrust again.
Kyuhyun sighed and pulled out his pocket knife, and the woman shrunk back in fright as it neared her face. “Stay still so I don’t cut you,” Kyuhyun grumbled, gripping the base of her skull to hold her steady as he sliced carefully through the shoe lace. Once that was out of the way, he pulled the sock out, and the woman began to heave and cough.
“That came from the bastard’s foot,” the woman muttered as soon as her coughing fit subsided. “....Who are you?” she asked warily.
“Kyuhyun,” Kyuhyun replied, gesturing for her to turn around so he could slice through the tie holding her wrists together. “And you are?”
“Jessica,” the woman replied. “And yes, I manipulate ice. What’s your ability, kid?”
“Don’t call me kid. I’m rescuing you, here,” Kyuhyun said, scowling as the knife slowly cut through the thick material of the cheap tie. “I... don’t want to say my ability,” he said slowly, being careful not to blow his cover. “It’s... embarrassing...”
“Well, whatever,” Jessica replied, rubbing her wrists once the tie was removed. “Thanks for the help. I’m out of here.”
“Wait, what?” Kyuhyun asked, staring incredulously after Jessica’s retreating figure before following her out of the bathroom. “I just rescued you! You could at least show a little gratitude!”
“I’m not going to kiss you, if that’s what you mean,” Jessica said, rolling her eyes and going through Kangin’s suitcase, grabbing the smallest shirt and pair of shorts of his that she could find. Not caring in the least bit that Kyuhyun was in the room, Jessica pulled her dress down to her waist and put the baggy shirt on before kicking the dress off all the way and pulling on the shorts. The shorts were way too loose, so she tied them up as tightly as she could.
Kyuhyun, on the other hand, stared at her back, red in the face and completely stunned by Jessica’s figure and the fact that she had stripped in front of him.
Jessica turned back around and patted him on the head. “See you, kid.”
“Hey, wait,” Kyuhyun said, coming out of his reverie and snatching her wrist, yelping and shaking his hand when it nearly froze. “Stop doing that!” he exclaimed, glowering at her. “I just rescued you, and I already told you. My hyung and I are with another mutant and we’re headed somewhere safe. You should come with us.”
“You may find this hard to believe, kid,” Jessica began, ignoring Kyuhyun’s protests. “But I don’t really trust people after being kidnapped by Kangin. So I’ll pass on that offer,” she said, pulling out a baggy hoodie and pulling it on, keeping the hood up. “Goodbye.”
“Jessica!” Kyuhyun exclaimed, grabbing the back of her hoodie as she attempted to leave again.
“I’m older than you, kid,” Jessica said, impatience clear in her voice. “That’s noona to you. Now stop being so persistent and let me leave.”
“At least talk to my hyung first,” Kyuhyun ground out, his patience on the verge of completely dissipating. “He could give you supplies if he’s unable to convince you to go with us.”
“Why are you so insistent on me going with you?” Jessica asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
Because Kyuhyun wanted to capture her. But he couldn’t really say that. “Mutants should stick together,” he answered carefully. “Now will you come with me to the room we’re staying in?”
Jessica looked him over skeptically, calculating the risks. “Fine, I will,” she said, still watching him suspiciously. “But one wrong move and I’ll freeze your ass.”
“Whatever,” Kyuhyun said, waving the threat off. “Let’s go before that guy holding you comes back.”
-
3:11 PM - Heaven’s Bed and Breakfast, Seoul
Donghae had almost closed his eyes when the motel room door practically banged open and Hyukjae's voice made him open his eyes again.
"Who on earth is that?" Hyukjae asked, standing up from his bed. Donghae quickly got off of the bed, hand subtly moving closer to where he had kept his gun, taking in the woman who had come in with Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun looked at them both before quickly shutting the room door and pulling Jessica in further towards Donghae.
"Hyung. This is Jessica noona... I just saved her!" He said, looking straight at Donghae. "She's a mutant too."
Donghae stared at Kyuhyun before turning to Jessica who looked like she had gone through hell. Hair messy, wearing baggy men’s clothes, and her make-up was smudged. She had an annoyed expression on her face and emitted a chill he knew only he could feel. Jessica rolled her eyes at Kyuhyun's statement.
"Jessica..." Donghae began carefully, standing up and extending his hand out to her, "I'm Donghae... I'm so glad my brother helped you out," he said earnestly, eyes softening up at her. "Do you want something else to wear? Those look too large for you," Donghae observed as Jessica looked at his hand strangely and he put it down. "Ah, sorry..." he trailed off, turning around and taking out a pair of Kyuhyun's pants that would be small enough to fit her and a sweater of his own. "Here," he offered, holding the garments out for her.
Jessica looked between them skeptically before taking the clothes, fingers brushing over Donghae's.
"How can I be sure you're trustworthy?" She asked, looking between the three guys in the room. Hyukjae answered for them.
"They're helping me... I just escaped from a government prison and Kyuhyun... he got kicked out of his house. Donghae hyung is his brother, me and Kyuhyun are mutants, but Donghae hyung is helping us... We're getting away from here," he told her assuringly, and it was the sincere look and hope in his eyes that caught Jessica off guard and made her nod.
"Alright." She licked her lips. "Fine, but if either of you even take a peek into the bathroom... I'll freeze off your balls." She glared at them, making Hyukjae unconsciously put his hand over his groin and Kyuhyun make a face at her. Donghae chuckled and shook his head, wanting to make her feel comfortable.
"Don't worry; I'm gay... I'll make sure these two don’t try anything." He assured and Jessica looked over him before nodding again and slightly limping towards the bathroom. The door locked and the shower turned on before Donghae turned to Kyuhyun and gave him a look. Just how the hell had Kyuhyun off all people found another mutant and made her trust him? Was Jessica the mutant Siwon had told him about?
He felt the new power settle in his body and figured what she probably was, but before he could begin to question the smug look on Kyuhyun’s face, Hyukjae beat him too it.
"Ew... That better not be the face you make when you think you're going to get some."
Kyuhyun gaped before scowling at Hyukjae, more than ready to retort, when he remembered what Donghae had said. His eyes widened in shock and his jaw dropped as he whirled on the agent, horror on his face. “You’re gay?! Since when?! But... but you’ve seen me get dressed before! Oh, my god!” he exclaimed, panicking.
“I realized my sexual preference in high school,” Donghae said stiffly. “And I don’t see why it matters if I’ve seen you get dressed before, little brother,” he practically snarled. “I assure you, I’m not into pedophilia or incest.”
Kyuhyun clamped his mouth shut, guilt filling his eyes when he realized that he had nearly blown his and Donghae’s cover. Again.
“Just kidding, hyung,” Kyuhyun chuckled nervously. “You know? Joking around with you...”
Donghae sighed quietly before reaching out and ruffling Kyuhyun’s hair, pressing a little harder than necessary to secretly punish Kyuhyun for his slip-up. “Silly little brother,” he said, light humor in his voice. “Walk with me.”
“Hyung?” Kyuhyun squeaked, feeling Donghae grip his arm and drag him toward the door. “Wh-what about Hyukjae? And noona?”
“We won’t be gone long,” Donghae said, turning the knob and pulling the door open. “Oh, and Hyukjae?” he said, glancing at the redhead. “Tell Jessica noona that my brother and I are going for a walk. Don’t leave the room, though. It’s dangerous.”
“Uh, sure, hyung.” Hyukjae nodded, falling back onto the bed in a sitting position, a newly opened bag of chips in his hands. “We won’t go anywhere.”
“Good boy,” Donghae said, flashing Hyukjae a smile before forcibly dragging Kyuhyun out of the room.
“Ow!” Kyuhyun yelped when Donghae squeezed his arm far more than necessary. “Hyung! What is going on? Where are we going? What are we doing?”
“Walking,” Donghae gritted out. “Must you ask so many questions?”
“Well you’re dragging me off without an explanation, so of course I’m going to ask questions!” Kyuhyun retorted, trying to wrench his arm free from Donghae’s vice grip.
Donghae raised an eyebrow at Kyuhyun and let the other’s arm go. "Right, like I'm letting you give me shit after you almost blew our cover! Where the hell did you find her and why didn't you tell me before finding her?" he demanded.
Kyuhyun glared at him as they continued to walk. "Are you really gay?!" he demanded back, finding it hard to keep his voice down.
Donghae stared at him blankly. "That's irrelevant. That was me saving our asses so she would trust me. And you need to keep your shit together and not get us caught!" he hissed. "They'll get suspicious and this Jessica doesn't seem like an idiot, so if I make up a story, smoothly play along with it. What have you told her? Where the fuck did you find her?”
Donghae wanted to know. He was angry Kyuhyun had gone and saved Jessica without informing him. What if something had happened?
“I was wandering around this motel, completely bored, when that Siwon guy pulled Kangin out of his room to talk to him,” Kyuhyun explained, still glowering as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I went inside and found her bound and gagged in the bath tub. I thought we could bring her in with Hyukjae,” he shrugged.
“And what have you told her?” Donghae asked suspiciously, not liking Kyuhyun’s story too much. “Did you say any other stupid things that could blow our cover?”
“No!” Kyuhyun exclaimed indignantly. “I didn’t say much. I told her that I’m a mutant and that Hyukjae is a mutant. I told her that you’re my brother, and when she asked me my ability, I told her I didn’t want to say because it’s embarrassing. Happy?”
“Not really,” Donghae replied flatly. “You could have gotten yourself killed! What if she wasn’t a friendly mutant? What if Kangin or Siwon walked in on you two while you were escaping? What then, Kyuhyun?!”
“I was just trying to be useful!” Kyuhyun insisted, frustration bubbling up in his chest. “I’m sorry I keep screwing things up! I don’t mean to! I just want to be a good agent.”
Donghae’s eyes softened in sympathy as Kyuhyun breathed heavily, grimacing to keep any unwanted sounds from slipping out of his mouth. He raised a clenched fist, furiously rubbing at his eyes to prevent frustrated tears from spilling out.
Kyuhyun was just a kid. He was sixteen years old, and yet he was already thrown into the world of adults, thinking it was okay to hunt down and deal with mutants. It was unfair, and a pity too. Kyuhyun really was a smart kid, and he had so much potential to be a better person. But it was too late already; he knew the things the government did, and now, he was involved as well.
Donghae sighed quietly before placing a gentle hand on Kyuhyun’s shoulder. “You’re tired, Kyuhyun. We’ve had long days, and it’s starting to get to us. Go on back to the room and get some more sleep,” he said, ruffling Kyuhyun’s hair fondly.
“What about you?” Kyuhyun asked, returning his hands to his sides after smoothing his hair back down.
“I’m going use the phone booth out back to call the Boss,” he said quietly. “I’ll let her know about the mutants I - about the mutants we caught,” he corrected himself. “You get some rest, okay?”
“Yes, hyung,” Kyuhyun mumbled, a bit startled at how Donghae went from yelling at him to treating him so nicely. He suspected it was just from years of practice of masking his emotion as an agent, but Kyuhyun decided not to dwell on it.
“After consulting the Boss,” Donghae continued. “I’ll tell you the plan. Prepare to leave by tomorrow morning, okay? And if the others ask why we left, tell them you just wanted to talk to your hyung privately. And let Jessica sleep on the bed. You and Hyukjae can share the other bed, and I’ll get the cot.”
“Why do I have to share the bed with Hyukjae?” Kyuhyun asked, frowning. “He smells. I’ll get the cot, hyung. You can share the bed with Hyukjae.”
“You really should refer to Hyukjae as Hyukjae hyung, Kyuhyun,” Donghae said, chuckling. “And fine. You can sleep on the ridiculously uncomfortable cot while I share the comfortable bed with Hyukjae. If that’s what you really want.”
“It is,” Kyuhyun nodded after only a moment of contemplation. Surely soreness in the morning was better than having to share a bed with the smelly mutant. “Should I tell them to pack up for us to leave tomorrow?”
Donghae shook his head. “No, they don’t have anything with them. You can pack up our stuff while I make the call though, right?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.
Kyuhyun nodded. “Of course. I’ll do that now, hyung.”
“Good,” Donghae said, returning the nod. “Oh, and Kyuhyun? Do try and get along with the others, alright?”
Kyuhyun sighed as he continued to walk back towards the room. “Yes, hyung. I’ll try...”
Donghae smiled after Kyuhyun before running a hand through his own hair and heading toward the back door. He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together in his jacket pocket, feeling the familiar tingle of nervousness run up his spine that he got whenever he needed to call the Boss. The Boss wasn’t one to mess with, nor was the Boss the kind of person whose bad side you wanted to get on. One slip-up with the Boss and your career was over. One had to remember to always speak formally, and the Boss was always right.
-
3:47 PM - Phone Booth outside of Heaven’s Bed and Breakfast, Seoul
Donghae paced in front of the phone booth and took a deep breath before stepping inside. He went over Kyuhyun's story in his mind and thought about how he had bumped into Siwon before getting to the phone. He had told him about what Kyuhyun had done and Siwon had quickly run to stall Kangin from finding out. Pulling out loose change, Donghae inserted it into the coin slot. He then dialed the number he had been made to memorize on his first day of work and continued to dial special extensions until the phone began to ring.
Making sure the door was shut again, Donghae held the receiver between his ear and shoulder as he slipped off his bracelet and shook his hand around. Jessica's power had been swelling in his body, waiting to be given the opportunity to show itself. Although he already knew what her power was, he needed to figure out how strong she was. While he stretched out his fingers, he touched a small puddle of spilled coke on the counter and watched it freeze up instantly.
He wanted to experiment more when the line was picked up and a sharp voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Hello, Donghae..."
Donghae grimaced.
"I hear you've got some news for me."
Donghae sighed inaudibly and played with Hyukjae's power instead as he began to tell the Boss everything he had found out and his plan. Talking to the Boss was probably one of the only times Donghae felt something akin to guilt.
-
3:49 PM - Heaven’s Bed and Breakfast, Seoul
“Hey, where did Donghae hyung go?” Hyukjae asked, sitting up when Kyuhyun entered the room alone. “Are you and your brother okay?”
“We’re fine,” Kyuhyun replied, quickly crossing the room and opening the suitcase to start packing. “I just wanted to talk to him. Alone. Where did noona go?”
“She’s still in the bathroom,” Hyukjae answer, crossing his hands behind his head and lying back down. “Girls take really long showers, Kyuhyun. And she’s the singing sort too. When is Donghae hyung coming back?”
“After he makes-” Kyuhyun started to say, but he cut himself off before he could blow their cover again. “After he’s done walking around. He wanted to stretch his legs a bit,” Kyuhyun lied.
“You were starting to say 'make,'” Hyukjae observed. “What is he making?”
“I meant, like, making rounds. Because he’s walking around the motel and making sure no one is onto us,” Kyuhyun lied uneasily. “He didn’t want me to say anything so I wouldn’t make you or noona nervous, but you asked...”
“Oh.” Hyukjae curled his legs in and started to look anxious. “Did he see anyone that’s after us?” Hyukjae asked, and Kyuhyun could see the very tips of Hyukjae’s hair beginning to glow softly like embers. Clearly, he had little to no control over his power if it started to show itself in times of anxiety.
“No,” Kyuhyun answered, shaking his head, hoping Hyukjae would calm down before he set the bed on fire. “Just relax. I’m packing up so we can leave tomorrow. Hyung’s orders.”
“Tomorrow morning?” Hyukjae asked as the faint orange glow began traveling further along his strands of hair. “We’re spending another night? Shouldn’t we leave before tomorrow?”
“Hyung knows what he’s doing,” Kyuhyun replied, tossing out a few shirts so he could fit more food in the bag. Donghae had plenty of shirts anyway. “He wants us to be well rested, since we’ll probably be traveling all day tomorrow. Mokpo is really far away, after all.”
“Oh, if you insist,” Hyukjae murmured, hair slowly fizzing out back to normal.
The bathroom door slammed open, startling Kyuhyun and Hyukjae to the point that Kyuhyun jumped backwards and landed on one of the shirts he tossed, sending him tumbling to the floor, and the entirety of Hyukjae’s hair, and a pillow, were set aflame.
“Hyukjae!” Kyuhyun exclaimed, scrambling to his feet and kicking the blazing pillow off of the bed. “Look what you did!”
“I didn’t mean to!” Hyukjae yelled back, unsure of what to do and therefore waving his arms frantically as the flames that used to be his hair grew larger. “Quick! Put it out! Stomp on it or something!”
“I’m not going to risk burning myself! You do it!” Kyuhyun shrieked, leaping backwards and crouching behind the bed.
A drawn out, annoyed sigh was heard as a block of ice materialized in thin air before dropping onto the flaming pillow, extinguishing it with a loud hiss.
“I’m stuck traveling with children,” Jessica muttered, tying her hair up before easily picking up the heavy block of ice and dematerializing it, Kyuhyun and Hyukjae staring in awe as it seemed to melt into her skin. She sent them an icy glare before settling onto one of the unoccupied beds, kicking the blankets off before turning back to the still-gaping boys. “Wake me up when it’s time to move out.”
“We should sleep too,” Hyukjae said quietly, fire fading and hair returning to normal yet again.
“You’re sharing the bed with Donghae hyung,” Kyuhyun said, standing and striding over to the cot. “I’m sleeping here. Good night.”
Hyukjae stared at the tiny bed he was currently sitting on, realizing that there was no way he could sleep with anyone on it without touching and ending up tangled together. The fact that he’d be sharing with Donghae, an attractive man who just so happened to be gay, didn’t make Hyukjae feel any less nervous. He lied down, cheeks burning and having nothing to do with his mutant abilities.
-
3:48 PM - Korea Central Intelligence Agency Headquarters, Seoul
The phone rang exactly four times before it was picked up. Sunny sat at her desk, eyes racking over a file as she spoke, accepting the awaited call. "Hello, Donghae," she spoke smoothly, "I hear you've got some news for me." She closed the file in her hands and neatly pushed it aside, tapping the long ends of her nails against the mahogany top of her desk.
Donghae didn't skip a beat as he replied. "We've got two in our hands, their powers are high levels, nature related." He spoke quickly giving the more important information. "One of them knows this place, ma'am. He says there’s a lot more there. That's where the escapees were headed."
"You found two of the ones that escaped? Or that one escapee and the one being held in the motel?" Sunny questioned. "Where were they headed?" Her interest increasing with the new information Donghae had told her.
"Yes, Kyuhyun got her." Donghae answered. "England. He says there's a shelter there for them. We’re letting them believe we're helping them get there,” he explained.
Sunny lifted her hand, snapping her fingers as she signaled in the air and her assistant quickly walked into the room, coming to stand next to her. "Get me our Ambassador to England," she told him before turning her attention back to her conversations with Donghae.
"Take them to England. Call me at every place you stop. Pick up as many as you can along the way. I only want the useful ones, quietly eliminate all others. I don't have time to waste on trash." Sunny twirled a pen in her hand before quickly jotting down a few things on a piece of paper. "Take Siwon with you. When you're running low on cash let me know. I want you to do anything necessary to get as many as you can. Which route are you taking?" She began to walk out of her office and down the halls towards the lower basements where the mutants that had tried to escape were being held.
"I'm getting us to Mokpo by train and then we're figuring out a way to get to China first," he explained, sounding calm despite having been just given a difficult mission.
"Smart. Play along with them and make sure you gain their trust completely. You won’t have any trouble at the train stations," she told him. "That would be too soon to bring them in. I'll expect a call in exactly twelve hours from now. Do not fail me," Sunny stated firmly, voice showing no hint of forgiveness for those who didn't do exactly as she told them.
"Yes, ma'am. Consider it done."
"Of course, you are of my best."
There was something condescending about her tone and then the line went dead and Donghae took a moment to stand there and think about his life before shaking his head and walking back to the motel room.
On the other end of the phone, Sunny passed her receiver to his assistant and pulled her gun out as she stepped into the room where the mutants had been chained and sedated. She smiled mock sweetly at them and put the nuzzle of her gun against the head of a teenage mutant. He whimpered as she shot him, his blood spraying over her suit jacket and face. Sunny barely blinked as the blood painted her face.
A harsh silence spread over the mutants, the shock of what just happened not even hitting them yet.
"Now... let's not think about escaping again, agreed?"
-
3:57 PM - Heaven’s Bed and Breakfast, Seoul
Five minutes later, Donghae was stepping back into the quiet and mostly dark motel room. Mostly dark except the bathroom light was still on and the door was open slightly, letting a bit of the light pout out and highlight Hyukjae on his bed. He slipped out of jacket and pulled off his shirt, putting it on the floor at the side of the bed. He smiled a little at how Hyukjae was hogging the pillow and frowned realizing there was only one pillow on the bed.
He pushed Hyukjae slightly, trying to get himself a little space, but Hyukjae sat up as he was being pushed and sleepily looked up at Donghae. "Hyung?" He rubbed his eyes and Donghae smiled.
"Oh, sorry, Hyukjae. I was trying not to wake you up," Donghae whispered apologetically and undid his pants, letting them fall to ground. Hyukjae's eyes widened as he looked away quickly.
"What are you doing!?" Hyukjae whispered harshly and Donghae stopped himself from laughing at the other.
"Uh, getting ready for bed," the man in question explained, pulling the blanket up slightly and sitting on the bed.
Hyukjae blinked into the darkness of the room, happy Donghae couldn't see the taint of pink in his cheeks.
"And you're getting naked because?" He shot back, gripping the blanket unconsciously.
"Correction, I'm not naked- yet. I sleep in my boxers. I can't sleep if I have too many clothes on," he explained. "You can sleep in your boxers too if you like. You look hot, Hyukjae..." Donghae couldn't help but tease. Hyukjae's eyed widened and he was sure if there had been something in his mouth he would have choked on it.
"Ah... no, it's alright... um, want me to sleep on the floor?" He asked and earned a small laugh from Donghae.
"Nah, it's fine, we'll just have to cuddle up, okay?" Donghae teased; he didn't give Hyukjae time to process what he had said as he pushed Hyukjae down on the bed and laid down as well. On instinct, they both moved closer to each other, trying to stay on the small bed. Hyukjae looked up and realized their chests were pressed against each others and having nowhere else to place his arm, Donghae placed it around his waist after pulling the blanket over them.
"Night, Hyukjae," Donghae whispered against his ears and Hyukjae nibbled on his bottom lip nervously for a second before closing his eyes and using the lack of space on the bed as an excuse to press his face into Donghae's shoulder.
"Um, night, hyung," he mumbled back, pretending he wasn't blushing like a school girl.