Life in Purgatory ch 37

[saengiephile]

Title: Life in Purgatory
Chapter: 37/40
Rating: R
Pairing: KyuJong/YoungSaeng, HyunJoong/JongWoon, JungMin/Zhou Mi, Kevin/KiBum, HeeChul/SiWon
Crossover: Super Junior, DBSK
Genre: Angst, AU,
Summary: Society is crumbling; salvation walks the earth once more.



The night before, HyungJoon had contacted his mom and told her she'd have visitors for Christmas.  She'd been ecstatic, to the point she hadn't asked who the plural was for.  As far as she was aware, KiBum was still in America.

And then there were the two boyfriends to introduce, which was going to be...interesting to say the least.

"KiBum?" HyungJoon called as he and SooHyun stepped into his and Zhou Mi's apartment.  "Kevin?"

The door to Zhou Mi's room opened, KiBum's head popping out. Since Zhou Mi was pretty much living with JungMin at that point, he had let the two sleep in his bed. "Hey, hyung, we'll be right out. You call mom?"

"Yeah, she knows we're coming," HyungJoon said.  "I warned her I'm bringing guests, she doesn't know about you yet," he grinned at his brother.

"She's going to kill us," KiBum grinned back at him. "Just a sec, we're just getting out of the shower," he said before closing the door.

"Are you sure that your mother is going to be able to handle so many surprises?" SooHyun asked, looking around the apartment.

"Ma's tough, she'll be fine," HyungJoon smiled, dropping down onto the couch to wait.  "Sit down, they might be a while."

"That's fine, I think I'd rather snoop around your room instead," SooHyun said, going to HyungJoon's room to open the door.

"...Uh...I don't think you want to do that," HyungJoon flailed, jumping back to his feet and hurrying after him.  His room was a complete mess, without a trace of SooHyun's influence because HyungJoon hadn't slept in his room since meeting the other man.

"Why not?" SooHyun blinked, already turning the handle and pushing the door in. Or he tried to at least. There was a mountain of junk on the floor that he only got the door open halfway before the door just wouldn't move any farther. "Oh... oh... dear," he said, peering inside. "Joon... this is digusting."

"I know, please don't go in," HyungJoon whined, wrapping his arms around SooHyun's waist and pulling him away.  "I wasn't the best at keeping anything clean, Zhou Mi usually got me to do it, but since he was always with JungMin for the last couple weeks...yeah."

"Tomorrow, I'm coming over with trash bags and hazmat suits," SooHyun said, letting himself be pulled away and closing the door.

"It's not...that bad," HyungJoon pouted, sulking as he brought SooHyun back into the living room to sit down.

"It's bad enough," SooHyun said, sitting down next to him. "No wonder Zhou Mi seemed so relieved when we found each other."

"I doubt he was worried about just the state of my room."  HyungJoon moped, glancing back towards Zhou Mi's closed door.

"Probably not, though I'm not really sure what he would be worried about then," SooHyun said. "He's a very... intimate kind of person isn't he?"

"Intimate?  Yeah, I suppose you could say that," HyungJoon nodded.  "He gets very close to people, opens up easy.  I'm glad he has JungMin."

"Do you miss hanging out with him all the time?" SooHyun asked, glancing over at him.

"...Yeah..."  HyungJoon slumped a little in his seat.  "He's my only friend, y'know? My best friend."

"I guess I can understand," SooHyun said quietly. "I'm not as loud as he is, and I won't be like him in every way, but I can hope that we'll become as close as you and Zhou Mi are."

"I don't doubt we will," HyungJoon gave SooHyun a small smile.  "Closer.  It's just hard because for so long, it was just him and me, he was the only person I could turn to, who could help me out of being less sloth-like and do something."

"I guess you were lucky that the first one you met and lived with for so long was Patience," SooHyun said, returning the smile. "Even if he wasn't your opposite, I can so where his limitless patience would come in handy."

"Yeah..."  HyungJoon trailed off, looking down at the floor.  "He's been acting really weird lately.  I don't think even JungMin knows what to do anymore."

"Weird how?" SooHyun asked with a small frown. Everyone had been saying Zhou Mi was acting weird, that he had been since even before he had met all the rest of these people. SooHyun wasn't sure what Zhou Mi's normal personality was like at this point.

"Yeah...he's usually a little on the manic side, but now it seems like everything and anything sets him off, and he has shadows under his eyes from not sleeping."  HyungJoon sighed softly.  "He won't say what's wrong either."

"I wonder if his dreams have been bothering him more," SooHyun said, looking down. "I can't even imagine what he's been going through in seeing that night after night."

HyungJoon just closed his eyes, wishing he could do something to help his friend.  "And what about your nightmares?" he asked quietly.

"What about them?" SooHyun shook his head. "It's not something you need to worry about, not today. It's Christmas, and we're going to see your mother. Let's just focus on that, okay?" SooHyun said softly, putting his arm around HyungJoon's shoulder.

"Okay," HyungJoon nodded, wrapping his arm back around SooHyun's waist and leaning a little against him.  He could get used to having someone beside him day after day.

The door to Zhou Mi's room opened a minute later, Kevin stepping out and fussing nervously with his collar.

"We're ready," KiBum said, glancing between SooHyun and HyungJoon with a smirk. "Should we give you two a moment alone?" he teased.

"No, we're ready," SooHyun said, patting HyungJoon's arm and scooting forward to get to his feet. "Right Joon?"

"Yeah," HyungJoon pouted a little before standing as well.  "At least the bus system lines up well, though it would be easier if one of us had a car.  I don't want to bother JungMin and Zhou Mi on Christmas."

"And they probably don't want to be bothered," SooHyun nodded, taking HyungJoon's hand when they were both standing.

"Poor Mi, this will be his first Christmas here without spending it with you hyung," KiBum said. "Mom's going to ask about him."

"I'm sure he'll survive," HyungJoon shook his head going to the door.  "We'll tell her he finally got a boyfriend, she'll be thrilled.  Then bring up that we have boyfriends too."

Kevin made a slightly panicked noise in his throat.

"It'll be fine," KiBum said quietly to Kevin, squeezing his shoulder gently. "Mom is very accepting, she'll love you. Just like your mom loves me."

"I'm still going to be worried," Kevin leaned against KiBum slightly.  "I don't want this to go bad, for your sake."

"Well me either but I know our mom," KiBum said, giving him a reassuring smile as they followed HyungJoon and SooHyun out into the hall.

HyungJoon locked up after them, the group heading down the hallway towards the elevator.  "You know now that she knows you're here, she'll want you to visit more often," HyungJoon smiled back at KiBum. "Your quiet days are over."

"We're only here for another week or two," KiBum said, shoulders slumping.

"Still don't think you're getting away with just the one visit," HyungJoon chuckled.  "Did you get most of your sightseeing done at least?"

"Yeah, we've been a lot of places," Kevin nodded, holding KiBum's hand.  They hadn't gone out often or for very long after the attack by the horseman of Famine.

"Now it's just nice to sit around the apartment and relax a bit," KiBum said. "We really are grateful that you and Zhou Mi let us just kind of take over the place."

"Yeah, well...Mi and I need to talk about what we're planning on doing after all this is over, he's probably going to move in with JungMin properly since he practically already lives there," HyungJoon sighed.  They got into the elevator, the older brother leaning against the wall.

"I'm sure there will be a great deal of planning on all our ends about who goes where," SooHyun said, an arm going around HyungJoon's waist.

"I'll be glad to go home to our apartment," KiBum said to Kevin with a sigh.

"Yeah, at least we have that figured out," Kevin smiled back at KiBum.

"Why are you both talking in English again," HyungJoon pouted at them as the elevator door opened and they stepped out into the lobby.  "You're not talking about me are you?"

"Of course not hyung," KiBum said with wide eyed innocence. "Why would you think we were talking about you?"

"Because you told me you would," HyungJoon grumbled, obviously not believing the look he was given.  "My brother is so mean to me," he pouted at SooHyun.

"But...we weren't talking about him," Kevin blinked, looking over at KiBum.

"No, but half the fun of tormenting him is making him believe we were," KiBum chuckled softly, still speaking in english.

"Maybe it would be better if you just ignored him," SooHyun said, giving HyungJoon a sympathetic smile. "Or tease him back."

"What would I tease him about, he already knows Korean," HyungJoon blinked at SooHyun.  "Oh! I can tell Kevin all the embarrassing stories from when he was little!"

"What stories?" Kevin perked up, switching back to Korean at that.

"That's not a threat when Mom's going to be telling embarrassing stories of you too, hyung," KiBum said. "I wouldn't stoop that low."

"...."  HyungJoon pouted back at SooHyun.  "Well now what am I supposed to do.  Umma's going to keep us both embarrassed."

"Try not to let him get to you, you are the older brother," SooHyun said, nudging him a little.

"He's never acted like an older brother," KiBum said. "People always think I'm the older one, and he's the younger brother."

"Or we're both twins," HyungJoon shook his head.  "It's mostly cause of his grandpa face though," he pointed at his brother.

"I like KiBum's face, and what stories?" Kevin wasn't giving up.

"I do not have a grandpa face," KiBum scowled, trying to kick his brother in the back of the legs.

"Yes you do!"  HyungJoon tried to dodge the kick and yelped.  "That's why people think you're older, even though you're four years younger."

"... Well you still look like a turtle!" KiBum shot back.

"Turtle?" SooHyun looked at HyungJoon, looking him up and down. "Huh. Never noticed that before."

"...I'm not a turtle," HyungJoon flushed, trying to kick KiBum back.  "Don't turn my boyfriend against me."

"It's not a bad thing, I like turtles," SooHyun said. "I think they're kind of cute." KiBum made a gagging sound, clutching at his throat.

"...Thanks," HyungJoon flushed.  They'd reached the bus stop by then. "So...then...I'm cute?"

"Don't, you're killing KiBum," Kevin laughed, pulling KiBum's hands away from his throat.

"Very cute," SooHyun nodded, leaning in to give HyungJoon a light kiss.

"Oh god, ew, kill me now, please," KiBum whined to his boyfriend, burying his face in Kevin's shoulder.

"I think this is payback for walking in on us kissing," Kevin patted the back of KiBum's head in sympathy.  "It's weird though, if it weren't for the opposites thing, you two look so alike it could be you kissing SooHyun."  Breaking the kiss at that, HyungJoon sputtered a protest at Kevin.

KiBum pulled back as well to give Kevin a scandalized look. "Excuse me?"

"He's right, or HyungJoon kissing Kevin," SooHyun said causally. "You two really do look quite alike. I think it's the eyes."

"The jaw's a little different though," Kevin nodded, cupping KiBum's face with both hands.  "And the cheekbones."

"Why are you two doing this," HyungJoon whined.

"Maybe we should just ditch them and go see mom on our own," KiBum said, pulling his face out of Kevin's hands. "They're being weird."

"Aaaaaand there's the bus, run for it!"  HyungJoon hurried to get on.

"Don't leave without us," Kevin pouted, catching and holding onto KiBum's hand.

"But you're being weird!" KiBum said, though his hand tightened around Kevin's as they boarded the bus. He wouldn't have really ditched Kevin, he didn't feel safe enough to be without him.

Settling into a seat next to HyungJoon, SooHyun just shook his head at him. "No wonder KiBum has so much fun teasing you, it's too easy."

"It is not," HyungJoon grumbled, pouting at SooHyun.  He couldn't stay miffed at the other man for long though, not that he'd been mad in the first place.  Behind them, Kevin was trying to placate KiBum with cute looks.  "I'll find something to tease you about, one day."

"And when that day comes, you'll agree with me just how fun it is to tease," SooHyun said, leaning over to give the man a small kiss to his cheek. "But I'll stop until then," he said quietly.

"No you won't," HyungJoon chuckled, wrapping his arm around SooHyun and returning the kiss.  "And that's fine.  Keeps us from getting too nervous."

"Nervous? Why?" SooHyun asked, smiling brightly a him. "Don't be nervous, I'm here."

"You're cheesy," HyungJoon smiled in return, leaning over to peck him on the lips.  "I'll try not to be nervous, I've just never had a boyfriend or girlfriend before so I've never brought anyone home before."

"You have to had a girlfriend, hyung," KiBum said, leaning over the back of HyungJoon and SooHyun's seat. "Don't you remember MinAh? From kindergarten? She used to follow you around the neighborhood."

"...Just because she followed me doesn't mean she was my girlfriend," HyungJoon whined.  "I didn't even know her that well, she just...followed me everywhere."

"That's kind of cute," SooHyun chuckled. "What happened to her?"

"One of the other boys in their class gave her his banana milk," KiBum said. "Hyung was sad for weeks afterward."

"I was not!" HyungJoon turned around and pointed at his little brother threateningly.  "I thought we said no embarrassing stories, I have a lot more blackmail on you than you do on me."

"How is it embarrassing?" KiBum protested, putting his hands up. "You said yourself you didn't know her," he said, sticking his tongue out.

"You're still telling stories about me, with the goal of embarrassing me," HyungJoon stuck his tongue out in return.  "Should I tell Kevin what happened when you decided to try your hand at skiing when you were ten?"

"..." KiBum's eyes narrowed and he looked away. "Here's our stop!" he chirped, pushing Kevin out of the seat.

SooHyun blinked, looking out at the street. "This isn't our stop."

"No, it's our stop, come on Kevin," KiBum said, getting to his feet.

"But I thought we were going to see your mom?" Kevin blinked, grabbing onto the back of the seat to avoid falling over.  "And I want to hear what happened."

"What's wrong KiBum, you were just doing the same thing to me," HyungJoon grinned.

"I was not, and you're not playing fair," KiBum said, flicking his brother in the forehead. "Nothing happened Kevin, he's just trying to embarrass me but it's not going to work!"

"Seems like it is," SooHyun chuckled.

Yelping, HyungJoon covered his forehead.  "It is fair and you know it!  That girl was creepy!"

"If we're not going can we sit back down?" Kevin flailed when the bus took a hard turn.

"Okay fine," KiBum muttered, sitting back down and pulling Kevin into his lap. "She wasn't creepy, she was cute."

"You were like three years old or something, your memory isn't that precise," HyungJoon grumbled.  "And no more about her or anything else or you know what happens."

"Yeah yeah, whatever," KiBum grumbled unhappily, burying his nose in Kevin's neck. "My brother is a jerk," he muttered against Kevin's skin so only his boyfriend would hear.

Kevin chuckled, wrapping his arms around KiBum.  "You're not going to tell me what happened, are you," he kissed KiBum's hair.

"Nothing happened," KiBum whined. "My snowsuit wasn't buckled right and my pants ended up falling down, that's it."

Kevin giggled at that, smoothing down KiBum's hair.  "Probably wasn't easy to ski that way."  HyungJoon was laughing silently against SooHyun's shoulder.

"Wasn't so much skiing as it was rolling down the hill," KiBum said, huffing a little. "Can we talk about something else now please?"

"Okay," Kevin kissed KiBum's cheek.  "Someone pulled my pants down in the middle of the high school cafeteria one year.  We even?"

KiBum looked up at him, a small smirk on his lips. "You didn't have to tell me that," he replied in English. "But thank you, it does."

"Someone would have probably told you eventually," Kevin chuckled.

"Okay, we're here," HyungJoon announced, standing after ringing for the bus to stop.

"Does it bother you they're probably talking about you in a different language?" SooHyun asked HyungJoon, getting up as well.

"We're not talking about him!" KiBum whined.

"It does bother me, I should probably try to re-learn english, or at least enough to tell," HyungJoon wrinkled his nose at SooHyun.  The bus slowed down and they got off, HyungJoon shivering at the chill in the air.

"Now you're getting me in trouble," KiBum pouted as his boyfriend when they were off the bus, poking him in the nose.

"Well which way is it now?" SooHyun asked, looking up and down the street.

"This way," HyungJoon pointed as he started to walk.  The closer they got, the more nervous he became.  "She's going to kill me for not telling her you're home," he looked back at his brother.

"I'll tell her I threatened you with bodily harm," KiBum grinned. "I beat you up once, I can do it again."

"Why am I being beaten up?" HyungJoon whined.  "And that was an unfair fight."

"I didn't say I was going to beat you up for real, I'll just tell mom it wasn't your fault you didn't tell her," KiBum said, rolling his eyes. "She'll get over it, it's her Christmas present."

"I hope so," HyungJoon fidgeted, turning into the driveway as they reached it.  "Well...here's home," he looked back at SooHyun before turning to the doorway.

"You should go first," Kevin pushed KiBum beside his brother as HyungJoon knocked on the door.

"Why me?" KiBum balked, digging in his heels. "Hyung should go first, she's expecting him."

"But you're her present KiBum," HyungJoon saw what Kevin was trying to do, stopping KiBum from hiding behind them with a wide grin.  "Go on!"

The front door opened.  "KiBum?! It is you!"  Their mother pulled him into a tight hug.

Flailing at the suddenness, KiBum was glad his mother had a tight grip or he would have fallen flat on his ass. "Uh... hi... Mom," he said, trying to return the hug and glare at his brother at the same time. "Merry Christmas?"

"I didn't think you were coming back!" she smoothed out his hair, not letting go.  "Oh I've missed you so so much, how's America?  Are you eating right?  You've gotten so tall!"

"I've missed you too, America's good, no food is as good as yours and I'm still shorter than HyungJoon," KiBum replied. "Now, can we go inside please?"

"Oh, right, I'm sorry," she smiled widely, pulling back and cupping his face.  "I'm just so happy to see you.  Come in, it's too cold outside."  She opened the door wider and stepped back so they could all file inside.  "You brought friends?" She asked, smiling at Kevin and SooHyun.

"Yeah, uhh," KiBum unbuttoned his coat, looking at Kevin with a nervous smile. "Why don't we sit down at talk? We have so much to tell you Mom."

"Yes, of course," their mother chuckled.  "You must be frozen, I'll get something warm for everyone to drink."

Watching her go into the kitchen, HyungJoon grinned nervously at his brother.  "Sorry."

KiBum punched his brother lightly in the shoulder, scowling at him. "You're forgiven," he grumped, getting his coat off and helping Kevin's with his.

"Come on, you missed her, don't pretend," HyungJoon chuckled, taking SooHyun's coat and hanging both of theirs up in the cupboard.  Slipping out of his shoes and setting them aside, he stepped into the house.  "You'll find here a lot cleaner than the apartment, SooHyun."

"I think a landfill is cleaner than the apartment," SooHyun said into HyungJoon's ear when he stepped up behind him.

"Let's go sit down in the living room," KiBum said, taking Kevin's hand to pull him further into the house.

"Is not, you've never seen a landfill," HyungJoon huffed, poking SooHyun's waist and following the other two to the sitting area.

"It's a nice house," Kevin said, looking around curiously.  "Oh look, is that a picture of you?"

KiBum glanced at the picture Kevin was referring to, shaking his head. "No, that's HyungJoon... we looked identical growing up. His eyes are just slightly bigger than mine."

"Oh, so you're the picture beside it then," Kevin pointed.

"Yeah, that's him," HyungJoon sat down next to SooHyun, glancing towards the kitchen.

Their mother came back with a tray of tea for them, setting it down.  "This should warm you up, dinner will be soon.  I'm glad I made extras!"

"Thanks," KiBum brightened, reaching out to pick up a cup of tea, handing it to Kevin. "Um... before dinner, HyungJoon and I have something we want to talk to you about," he said, fidgeting a little. "Umma... this is Kevin, the roommate I told you about?"

"Oh," she brightened, turning to Kevin.  "It's nice to finally meet you, KiBum talks so highly about you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kim, it's nice to meet you too," Kevin smiled politely, sipping at his tea.

"You've been helping him learn English as well?  I hope he hasn't been too much trouble."

"Not at all," Kevin shook his head.

"He's lying, I've been a horrible bother," KiBum smirked at Kevin. "But he has been helping me with English, and I help him with Korean." Taking a deep breath, KiBum looked at his mother with a tense smile. "Umma, Kevin is my boyfriend."

"Your boyfriend?"  The woman looked confused for a moment before she understood.  "You're dating? That's...that's wonderful KiBum, I'm so happy for you," she smiled widely.  "How long have you been together?"

"Uh... a little over three years now," KiBum said, blinking a little. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"Three years? Are you scared of your mother KiBummie?" she shook her head sadly.  "I'm sorry about him, waiting that long," she said to Kevin, who smiled widely.

"...Um, yeah?" KiBum said. "Of course I'm afraid Mom, this is a big deal to me.. how would I know you're going to react?"

"It's okay, KiBum ah," their mother leaned over and placed her hand on his arm.  "I don't think any less of you for being interested in guys, as long as you take good care of yourself.  You're my baby boy, but you're an adult now."

"It's not really okay Mom," KiBum said, his expression hurt. "I just told you something big and important in my life and you treated it like a joke."

"Sweetie, I didn't mean it as a joke," she shook her head, moving closer and smoothing out his hair gently.  "I just want you to know it doesn't bother me, that's all."

"Well okay, as long as you feel better," KiBum said, pulling away from the touch and getting to his feet. "I need some air, I'll be back," he said, glancing briefly at Kevin as he left the room to go back to the door.

Watching his brother go, HyungJoon sighed inwardly.  What had that been about?  Seeing the hurt expression on their mother's face, he tried to cheer her up with stories about university.  Fidgeting nervously, Kevin excused himself quietly and got up to follow KiBum back to the entranceway.

KiBum had already put on his shoes and coat, standing on the porch, debating about just leaving right there but he didn't want to leave without Kevin.

Pulling his shoes and coat on, Kevin opened the door and peeked out.  "KiBum?"  Seeing his boyfriend out on the porch, he stepped out and closed the door after him, shivering.  "What's wrong?"

"How did your parents react when you told them you were gay?" KiBum asked, not looking back at him. "Did they laugh at you? Make a joke at your expense?"

"Well...no, but that didn't sound like laughing at you to me," Kevin frowned, stepping up behind his boyfriend.  He wrapped his arms around KiBum's waist, resting his chin on the other man's shoulder.

"This was the single most important thing I could have ever told her, something I hid for three years because I was scared," KiBum said. "Scared that she was going to disown me for being gay, and she acted like I was being silly for being worried about it."

"But that means that it doesn't bother her, right?" Kevin murmured.  "She isn't going to disown you, she didn't look disgusted or shocked or anything.  That's a good thing, KiBum."

"That's not the point Kevin!" KiBum said, pulling away so he could turn around look at his boyfriend. "You don't understand either do you?"

"What do you mean, I do understand," Kevin frowned, looking at KiBum. "Wasn't the important part of this to find out if she was okay with us?"

"Yes, but I didn't really want to be laughed at for it," KiBum said, looking away. "You should go back inside, it's cold out here."

"I'm not going back in without you," Kevin sighed softly, taking KiBum's arm and resting his cheek against the older man's shoulder.

"I'd rather be alone right now Kevin," KiBum said.

Looking up at his boyfriend, Kevin pulled back slowly.  "Okay," he said quietly, reaching up and brushing his fingers against one cold cheek.  "Don't stay out too long, you'll freeze."  He turned back towards the door, opening it and slipping inside.

****************************

KiBum didn't come back in for another hour after that, his cheeks flushed and fingers frozen. Pulling off his shoes, he hung up his coat and went in search of everyone else. Dinner was probably over by that point.

The others were still sitting around the living room, talking quietly.  Kevin noticed KiBum come in first, looking up at him worriedly from where he was sitting next to their mother.

She looked up as well, smiling sadly when she saw her youngest son before standing.  "I'll finish up dinner then," she smoothed out her dress and turned to go into the kitchen.

"...I'll help, Mrs. Kim," Kevin got up and followed her.

"No, Kevin, sit down," KiBum said. "I'll do it," he said, following after his mother.

The woman started to fix up what she'd left cooking, making sure nothing was dried out.  Seeing KiBum come into the kitchen, she shook her head.  "It's okay dear, I've got this.  Go warm up."

"Mom..." KiBum touched his mother's shoulder gently. "I'm sorry I got mad, I know you didn't mean it that way and I'm sorry."

Looking up at him, she smiled and shook her head.  "No need to apologize.  I'm sorry for upsetting you sweetie."  She cupped his cheek lightly before lowering her hand.  "I missed you KiBum, I'm sorry if this was a poor welcome home."

"I missed you too," KiBum returned the smile, pulling her into a tight hug. "It's just been a really stressful few weeks, I'm really glad to be here. You and Kevin seem to be getting along."

"He's a delightful young man," she returned the tight hug.  "Thank you for telling me.  I am worried for you...I don't want any trouble to come to you because of this.  Take care of yourself, KiBum."

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me," KiBum said, pulling back to smile down at her. "People definitely aren't as accepting here as they are in San Francisco."

"No, I would guess not," she shook her head, patting his cheek.  "And I'll always worry about you."  She pulled back.  "Want to help me get all this on the table?"

"Sure," KiBum nodded, picking up plates to bring out. "You really should worry more about hyung than me, I think he's getting used to the idea himself still."

"I worry about both of you, together you give me gray hairs," the woman chuckled, setting up another platter to carry out.

"Sorry," KiBum smiled sadly, turning to leave the kitchen. The others had sat down at the table already.

"Is everything okay?" Kevin asked quietly as KiBum reappeared, looking up at him in concern.

"Yeah, everything's fine," KiBum nodded, setting down the plates. "Go ahead and eat up."

Watching his little brother, HyungJoon frowned and decided against saying anything, choosing to focus on the meal their mom had worked hard on instead.

Their spirits picked up again during dinner, conversation turning to various tales of what both brothers (and their boyfriends) had been doing lately.  Even keeping conversation clear of anything sin or virtue related, there was plenty to talk about.  KiBum and Kevin had many stories to share from America, getting more and more animated as dinner progressed.  Their mother seemed happy with both SooHyun and Kevin, phrasing SooHyun on his school achievements.

After dinner, they gathered back in the living room again and chatted until HyungJoon started yawning (something which was happening less and less lately).  "Oh dear, look at the time, you have a long trip back," their mother fussed.  "Are you sure you're warm enough, I have a few extra scarfs and sweaters."

"We're fine Mom," KiBum chuckled, pulling on his coat and helping Kevin with his. "We'll just call a taxi, that should be warm enough."

"Come by again before you leave, okay?" she smiled at him.  "I'll pack some things for you to bring back with you."

"Thanks for having us over mom," HyungJoon grinned widely, before whining in embarrassment when she planted a kiss on his cheek.

"It was a pleasure to meet you both," the woman smiled at SooHyun and Kevin.  "Take care of my boys, all right?"

"Someone has to," SooHyun said, bowing politely to her. "Thank you for having us."

"Kevin and I will come back before we go back to school," KiBum said, giving his mother a hug.

She hugged him back tightly.  "Be safe."

"Bye mom!" HyungJoon waved as they all filed out into the cold.  Taking SooHyun's hand, he started down the patio steps to the sidewalk.

"Well, that was interesting," SooHyun said, taking in a deep breath of the cold air. "I don't know why you were so worried HyungJoon."

"I'm allowed to be worried," HyungJoon wrinkled his nose.  "What are we doing now?  It's pretty late."

"I just want to go home and sleep," KiBum said with a sigh. "Long day."

"Sleep sounds good," HyungJoon nodded, rubbing at one eye.  "Your place, or mine?" he looked over at SooHyun.  "Or are you ditching me for the night."

"Do you want me to ditch you?" SooHyun raised an eyebrow. "You can come to my place if you want, I think ChangMin is with JaeJoong today."

"I didn't say that, and okay," HyungJoon brightened.  "So I guess we're getting off at a different stop from you," he looked back at KiBum and Kevin.

"Guess so," KiBum nodded, his arm around Kevin's waist.

They walked until the bus stop, getting there just as the bus was arriving.  Climbing on, HyungJoon paid for their fare and found a seat near the back for himself and SooHyun.  "We should probably check up on the others tomorrow," he murmured, resting his head against SooHyun's shoulder and closing his eyes.

"Yeah, we can call them in the morning," SooHyun said. "What was Zhou Mi doing for the holiday?"

"I don't remember, probably spending it with JungMin," HyungJoon shrugged with one shoulder, trying not to doze off.

"Oh, does his family still live in China then?" SooHyun asked.

"Yeah, he visits them every now and then," HyungJoon nodded, cracking his eyes open to look up at the other man.  "I don't think he was planning to this Christmas, though I heard him saying something about the summertime at one point."

"I'm sure his parents won't know what to think of JungMin," SooHyun chuckled.

"I don't think many people know what to think of JungMin," HyungJoon smiled, closing his eyes again.  "If we don't get there soon, I'm gonna fall asleep."  It was the first time he'd been in danger of falling asleep all day though, and he hadn't even noticed it.

Unluckily for HyungJoon, it still took close to twenty minutes before they reached the stop nearest SooHyun's apartment. Shaking his shoulder gently, SooHyun roused HyungJoon who had dozed off. "We're here."

"Hn?"  HyungJoon cracked his eyes open, sitting up and rubbing his eyes tiredly.  "We are?"  Blinking at their surroundings, he pouted when he saw Kevin and KiBum were gone.  "They left already?"

"Yeah, KiBum didn't want to wake you," SooHyun nodded, getting to his feet. "My apartment is just a short walk from here."

"Okay," HyungJoon got up when SooHyun did, following after the younger man sleepily.  The blast of cold air from outside woke him up quickly enough, starting to shiver as he buttoned up his jacket properly again.  "After you," he stayed close to SooHyun as the bus left, not knowing where he was.

"This way," SooHyun said, taking HyungJoon's hand. "The street lights are out near my place, don't want you getting lost on me," he chuckled, leading HyungJoon down the street.

"Thank you for not letting me get lost," HyungJoon grinned sheepishly, following beside him.  "So why are the street lights out?  Power outage?"

"Something like that, I don't really know," SooHyun shrugged. "They go down all the time so I don't even think about it really. But it gets really dark out once people turn off their lights."

"Weird," HyungJoon frowned.  When they turned the corner, he blinked at the complete lack of lights up ahead.  "Wow, that is dark.  Don't you get a lot of accidents?"

"Not really, cars have headlights," SooHyun said. "And there aren't that many people out in the streets this late."

"Okay," HyungJoon nodded, swinging their hands back and forth slowly.  "What do you want to do tomorrow?"

"I thought we decided to call the others?" SooHyun blinked. "I figured we'd end up at Babtol's or something."

"Yeah, I mean besides that," HyungJoon chuckled.  "Unless you just want to spend the rest of the day sleeping, which is fine by me."

"Of that I have no doubt," SooHyun laughed. "Well, I think we can do a little bit of sleeping if you want."

"Great," HyungJoon grinned.  "That means you're gonna turn off the alarm clock this time?"

"Let's not go that far, I still have my exercise routine to do in the morning," SooHyun said, glancing behind them, his brows knitted. "It's a lot darker out than usual."

"It is? Just looks dark to me," HyungJoon blinked, looking over and SooHyun.  "And why can't we turn the alarm off?" he pouted.  "You're weird, wanting to wake up early to do something you can do after waking up whenever."

"Because it's good to keep your body on a schedule," SooHyun said, though he didn't look very amused. "Joon... we should hurry," he said firmly, starting to walk faster.

"Why?"  HyungJoon staggered slightly before lengthening his stride to keep pace.  "What's wrong?" he glanced around them, not seeing anything in the darkness.

"I don't know, something just doesn't seem right," SooHyun said. "Can't you feel it?"

"But nothing seems wrong..."  HyungJoon quietened as he looked around again.  "How far is your apartment again?" he asked quietly, feeling a shiver he wasn't sure was from the cold.

"Not that far, just another block," SooHyun said. As soon as he spoke, all the ambient light around them went out, SooHyun not able to even see HyungJoon in the pitch black. "..Don't let go of my hand Joon," he whispered, taking a slow step forward, his free hand out in front of him.

"Power outage?" HyungJoon murmured, though he had a bad, bad feeling it was anything but.  It was so dark it was like even the stars and moon were out.  That was when he looked up and realized, for what should have been a clear night, the specks of light from the sky were strangely absent.  Gripping SooHyun's hand tighter, HyungJoon blinked rapidly as if he could get his eyes adjusted faster.

"No, I don't think it is," SooHyun said, his hand brushing against a wall. "Just... don't let go of my hand, promise me Joon," he whispered in a plea.

"I'm not going anywhere," HyungJoon murmured, squeezing SooHyun's hand.  They took a few more shuffling steps forward before he thought of something.  "Our phones...we can use their light," he fumbled to try pulling it out of his pocket without letting go of SooHyun's hand.

A shiver down his spine was the only warning he had before a hand clamped over his mouth, a muffled yell escaping as he was yanked away, phone clattering to the ground.

"Joon?" SooHyun turned, his hand out and reaching for HyungJoon. "Joon?!" he took a step forward, his foot hitting HyungJoon's cell phone. The screen turned on, lighting up just enough for him to see, bending down, he picked it up to hold it out. Soon as he stood back up, he came face to face with someone he had never seen before. A shorter man, gaunt face accentuated by the blue lighting, and a sinister smirk on his lips.

Yelping, SooHyun stumbled backwards, shoulder hitting the wall and the phone falling from his hands. "You can't scare us!" SooHyun called, trying to find his own phone in his pockets.

"Oh, it seems like I already have," a squeaky voice said, coming from somewhere out of range of the light. "Why don't you just run along home while I have some fun with him, hm?"

The lights came back up, SooHyun wincing a how it hurt his eyes. The small thin man had HyungJoon by the throat.

"Let him go!" SooHyun started forward, only to stop when the man's fingers tightened around HyungJoon's neck.

"I said, run along home."

Choking at the tight grip, HyungJoon struggled against the other hand that pinned both his own behind his back.  If he hadn't been able to see the frail wrist of the one holding him, he would have thought he was held hostage by a robot for how unyielding the grip was.  The pressure of sharp fingernails against his throat drew blood, a red drop rolling down his skin.  Struggle too much, and his throat would be torn right open.

"Which one are you?" he asked, managing to keep his voice from shaking even though he was scared out of his wits.  "Death? War? Don't you have more creativity than sneaking up like a common mugger?"

"You think that's going to work?" the horseman laughed, his voice shrill. "How pathetic. This time around, the would be heroes are a bunch of fools, not even a challenge."

"If we're not a challenge, then why are you scared?" SooHyun said, his fists clenched at his sides. "So scared that you resort to tricks to win? If anyone is pathetic, it's you."

The horseman turned his cold lifeless eyes on SooHyun. "Brave words from a virtue, and what would you do if I crushed your opposite's throat? Nothing, because you can't."

"You're not going to win," SooHyun said, meeting the horseman's glare. "You aren't going to hurt us or scare us anymore!"

HyungJoon clenched his jaw, feeling the grip on his hands loosen slightly in distraction.  "Enough!"  He stomped down hard on the horseman's foot, tearing himself away from his grip and feeling pain across his throat.  "SooHyun!"

SooHyun charged forward the moment HyungJoon started pulling away, knocking the horseman over so he couldn't grab HyungJoon again. "We're not scared of you!" he shouted, clasping his hand with HyungJoon's.

The second they grabbed hands, HyungJoon felt the truth of that statement, fear turning into adrenaline instead.  Panting, he turned around again as the stinging of his throat faded from his mind, facing the horseman.  "Care to try that again?" he asked lowly.  "Face us properly!"

The horseman slowly rose back up to his feet, watching the two of them with narrowed eyes. SooHyun lifted his chin, staring the horseman down. "Well?"

"This isn't over," the horseman sneered, the streetlights flickering overhead. When the lights stabilized again, SooHyun and HyungJoon were alone on the street.

Breathing in and out slowly, HyungJoon felt his heartbeat gradually ease back to normal.  The tingling in his fingers where he was holding SooHyun's hand faded, and he looked at the younger man after a long moment.  "Maybe we should...go inside."  He was shaken by the whole thing.

"Uh... yeah," SooHyun nodded, glancing up to see where they were. Somehow they'd ended up right in front of his building. "Come on," he pulled HyungJoon towards the entrance.

Staggering after him, HyungJoon followed, stunned after the sudden encounter.  "That was...what happened back there?  Why didn't he try coming after us again?"

SooHyun shook his head, glancing back at HyungJoon. "I... I don't know," he said softly. "Maybe this was that... awakening thing they talked about. Like what happened to HyunJoong and JongWoon."

"Maybe...so we scared him off?"  HyungJoon touched one hand to his neck and looked at it.  No blood, though he could have sworn he was bleeding.  "...Can we just lock ourselves in your apartment now."

"Yes, and not come out again until the morning," SooHyun nodded, opening the entrance door them. "I'm going to call someone first thing tomorrow about those street lamps. It's too dangerous out there in the dark."

"...I'm unplugging your alarm clock."  HyungJoon sighed, following after SooHyun.  "I don't know about you, but I don't think I'm going to be able to fall asleep right away after that."

"Me either," SooHyun said, breathing a sigh of relief when they were inside. He led them down the hall to his apartment, unlocking it and letting HyungJoon inside. Closing the door behind them, he immediately wrapped his arms around HyungJoon and held him tight. "I don't think I've ever been so scared, I thought I was going to lose you."

Wrapping his arms tightly around SooHyun, HyungJoon buried his nose against the younger man's shoulder.  "I'm not going anywhere," he whispered.  "I promise."  His life finally had a purpose with SooHyun, he wasn't going to let anything or anyone take SooHyun away from him.

"Holding you to that," SooHyun replied, pulling back just enough so he could look into HyungJoon's eyes. "I... love you. I didn't think it was possible to love someone so quickly."

"Neither did I," HyungJoon smiled back at him.  "I never even liked anyone before, let alone...this much.  This might sound silly, but I'm happy my opposite's you."

"It's not silly at all," SooHyun said, bringing a hand up to rest on HyungJoon's cheek. "Because I'm happy you're my opposite as well," he whispered, leaning in to brush his lips over HyungJoon's lightly.

HyungJoon's eyes slipped closed, leaning in to return the soft kiss.  Maybe it was because neither of them had really been in a relationship before, but taking things slowly had suited them much more than the hasty way the others had fallen into their relationship.  Still rattled by the sudden attack, HyungJoon pulled SooHyun closer, tilting his head to the side to avoid bumping noses.

Complying easily, SooHyun's mouth moved against HyungJoon's as he shrugged off his coat, letting it fall to the floor. The hand on HyungJoon's cheek moved down to his neck and then to his shoulder, helping HyungJoon remove his coat as well, nudging them both out of the doorway and towards the couch.

HyungJoon's coat dropped to the floor after SooHyun's, the older man kicking it out of the way as he followed where SooHyun was pulling him.  Not removing his mouth from SooHyun's to see exactly where they were going, he sat down when he felt the couch beside him, dragging SooHyun down with him.

Nearly toppling over when he was pulled down, SooHyun caught himself on the back of the couch, knee pressed firmly into the cushion as he leaned over HyungJoon, a hand sliding around the back of his neck. After a moment, he pulled back, looking into HyungJoon's eyes. "Joon... I... I don't want to wait anymore," he whispered.

Looking up into the younger man's eyes through the near-darkness, HyungJoon briefly thought about how he'd never even done anything like this before (never even kissed anyone before SooHyun), before discarding the nervousness.  SooHyun was in the same position, and maybe that was why they were perfect for each other, so that they could figure things out together.

"Neither do I," he whispered in return, fingers lightly framing the other man's face before he smiled widely, inexplicably happy.

SooHyun returned the happy grin, leaning back down for another heated kiss. His fingers were working on the buttons of HyungJoon's shirt when he pulled away from the kiss. "I um... did some research... on how to um... it was very informative," he murmured, cheeks heating up in a blush.

"..." HyungJoon couldn't help but laugh at that.  "You have to research everything?" He knew his face was red too, but he was ignoring it.  "I had enough 'research' from Zhou Mi bringing JungMin over."  He fumbled with SooHyun's shirt too before he realized something.  "Maybe...we should, um...bed."  The couch wasn't exactly comfortable.

"... Right, bed," SooHyun nodded, stopping from ripping HyungJoon's open and slowly slid off of the couch. "Wait, what do you mean? You weren't... watching them were you?"

HyungJoon squawked in indignation.  "No! They were being very, very loud," he huffed, turning twice as red as before.  "The walls in our apartment are paper."  He stood up, taking SooHyun's hands and pulling him towards the bedroom.

"Oh, so you've researched the sounds then," SooHyun said, following after him. "I didn't even think about that. What kind of sounds to make."

"I wasn't researching anything, I was trying to sleep," HyungJoon whined, closing the door behind them.  "We'll figure this out like normal people, okay?  No thinking, no researching."

"Joon... we're not normal people," SooHyun said, stopping them just short of reaching the bed. "And I don't think we will ever be just... normal people," he murmured, starting to work on the buttons of HyungJoon's shirt again.

"No, true," HyungJoon pouted, before cupping SooHyun's face to get the younger man to look at him.  "But this isn't something you have to research and study like a pop quiz.  You don't have to be perfect...you just have to be you."

"I just don't want to do something wrong," SooHyun said, the nervousness in his eyes apparent. "I just want this to be special... because it's you."

HyungJoon grinned widely.  "It's already special."  Leaning in, he kissed SooHyun again softly, running his fingers through the other man's soft hair.

SooHyun didn't reply, but he agreed with HyungJoon; it was special. Up until now, he'd been waiting for that right person, and now that he had, he wasn't going to let anything get in their way. Not even his own nervousness. His fingers finished unbuttoning HyungJoon's shirt and he slowly slid the material off of his shoulders. "I love you Joon," he whispered against his mouth, an arm wrapping around HyungJoon's waist.

"I love you too," HyungJoon murmured in return, eyes closing.  His hands dropped from SooHyun's face to run down his chest, feeling the muscles below the material.  Slipping his hands underneath, the material was pushed up as he slowly brought his hands back up SooHyun's chest.

Gasping lightly, SooHyun's eyes fluttered at that, letting his mind readjust until he had the ability to think straight again to reach back and pull his shirt up and off. Dropping the shirt to the side, he looked at HyungJoon again before leaning in to kiss him, much firmer than before as he pulled them to the bed, nearly falling over when his knee hit the mattress and he sat down.

Staggering slightly as he ended up practically in SooHyun's lap, HyungJoon yelped lightly when the sudden lack of balance made both of them tip over, SooHyun landing on his back.  A startled laugh escaped from HyungJoon beside SooHyun's ear (he'd stopped the kiss before they fell in case they knocked heads).  He tentatively pressed a soft kiss to the side of SooHyun's neck.

SooHyun's laugh was cut off by the attention to his neck, head tipping to the side. His hands rested on HyungJoon's thighs, slowly running them up and down before sliding them up to HyungJoon's back. He leaned forward just enough so he could brush his lips over HyungJoon's shoulder, placing light kisses along his skin.

The soft brush of lips sent shivers through HyungJoon's spine, the older man shifting slightly to make himself more comfortable.  His mouth trailed slowly along SooHyun's neck to his collarbone, to his chest and back up.  He wasn't thinking really, but that didn't seem to be a problem.

SooHyun wasn't really thinking either, but that was probably more because every time HyungJoon brushed his lips over his skin he felt like his head was going to explode. Or something to that effect. Whining a little in frustration, SooHyun pulled HyungJoon back up into a kiss, one arm around his waist, the other sliding into the waistline of his jeans, curious fingers resting on his lower back.

Very startled by the hand down his pants, HyungJoon instinctively jerked away from the fingers and accidentally pushed their hips together, nearly faceplanting against SooHyun's chest.  Breathing shakily, he looked up at SooHyun before trailing one hand down to SooHyun's pants, fumbling clumsily with the button.

Unfortunately, SooHyun hadn't caught back up to speed, his brain melted into a pile of goo at just that briefest moment of friction. Despite the research, this wasn't going at all how he had thought it would, and now couldn't even get two neurons to fire in any kind of order. It took a solid minute before he could get caught up, but by then HyungJoon was pulling his pants off. Laying there in nothing but his boxers and socks, he blinked up at HyungJoon, reaching to help him with his own, still not entirely sure which way was up a this point.

Taking in the younger man below him, HyungJoon nearly fell back down when SooHyun tugged on his pants a little too hard.  He was pretty sure he shouldn't be giggling at all this, but they both probably looked ridiculous, and he honestly didn't care because it was perfect for him.

HyungJoon spared a few more kisses for SooHyun's chest (might as well since the younger man nearly pulled him down on top of him again) before letting SooHyun remove his pants.  Kicking the material off, he turned his attention to removing SooHyun's socks, which he was sure were supposed to have come off some time before except he wasn't sure when.  Scooting down the length of the bed to reach them easier, he kissed the inside of SooHyun's knee as he pulled the socks off and dropped them somewhere.

SooHyun nearly shrieked and kicked HyungJoon in the face at the kiss. "Joon!" he whined. "That tickles!" he said, nearly starting giggling as well. Sitting up a little on his forearms, he smirked at HyungJoon, looking him over. "Huh.... you're a lot more uh... defined than I thought you would be, being sloth and all."

"Sorry, I didn't know it would tickle!" HyungJoon protested, flushing at the rest of SooHyun's words.  "You don't look bad yourself."  He took off his own socks before crawling back up, kissing SooHyun's shoulder.

"So you're not going to complain about my eight a.m. exercising anymore?" SooHyun asked, eyes slipping closed at the kiss.

"I will if your alarm goes off tomorrow morning," HyungJoon ran his hands along SooHyun's sides and chest curiously, continuing the kisses.

"I think I can skip one day," SooHyun murmured, running his hand through HyungJoon's hair before cupping his cheek to draw him back up for a kiss.

Moaning into the kiss, HyungJoon let it deepen, eyes closing.  He pushed SooHyun back onto the mattress, settling himself above the younger man and pressing one knee between his legs, lips parting into the kiss.

SooHyun turned his brain off, giving up on the idea that he could stay in control during this and just let it happen. Though that didn't come without a little bit of difficult, especially since neither of them really knew what they were doing. There was a bit of fumbling, and awkward laughs, but in the end, none of that really mattered. Even if it wasn't perfect, it would always be perfect to them, because it was their first time, and they were together.

Panting a little, SooHyun's arms fell from around HyungJoon's shoulders, the sheer effort of holding them there too much for him at that moment. Breathing was difficult, especially since HyungJoon had all but collapsed on top of him. "That... was... interesting," he murmured breathlessly.

"Just interesting?" HyungJoon chuckled tiredly, regaining his breath too.  When he could feel his arms and legs again, he clumsily rolled off of SooHyun to curl up beside him, arms wrapping around the other man's waist as he nuzzled into his side.  "I'd say fantastic."

"Okay, maybe it was fantastic," SooHyun smiled, looking down at him. "That was my dream you know... it was pitch black out and then you let go of my hand. I was so scared."

"I figured so," HyungJoon murmured, kissing SooHyun's shoulder softly.  "But we're both okay, more than okay, that horseman was too scared to face us in a fair fight."

"Seems so, maybe they're getting scared now that more of us are getting stronger," SooHyun said, his eyes slipping closed. "I think they're getting desperate."

"I think so too...they know they can't beat us," HyungJoon chuckled, closing his eyes as well.  "We'll be okay."

"Yeah... we will," SooHyun agreed, hugging HyungJoon tighter. "And now, I actually believe it."

Grinning widely at the tightened grip, HyungJoon leaned up to kiss SooHyun's jaw softly.  "G'night," he murmured, drifting off happy.