The Sworn ch 38
Title: The Sworn
Fandoms: SS501, Super Junior, cameos from SNSD, TVXQ and EXO-M
Chapter: 38/44 + Epilogue
Main Pairings: JungMin/YoungSaeng, KyuHyun/SungMin, KiBum/KyuJong, HyunJoong/DongHae
Minor Pairings: HyungJoon/Sunny, HeeChul/Han Geng, Zhou Mi/RyeoWook
Rating: R overall
Warning: AU, violence, angst
Summary: They paved the way for justice in a dangerous city, and swore to protect the innocent lives of it's citizens. An accident made them turn their backs and break their oath. It takes a man who sees it all to bring them back, to stop the coming darkness that threatens everything.
A/N: Our 8th story. Please comment! <3
"We'll focus the search on Mapo for now, and if we can't find anything we'll look in the neighboring district," KyuJong said, looking up at RyeoWook. "Don't tire yourself out. Once the sun goes down, maybe KiBum can try."
RyeoWook nodded, standing and stretching out his arms. "See you at sundown," he smiled, leaning over to give Zhou Mi a kiss before heading towards the back door.
"Be careful," Zhou Mi called after him. KyuJong could see the worry in the Chinese man's eyes and didn't blame him. Considering the last time RyeoWook had flown anywhere like this he'd been nearly killed, and now he was flying right into a hornet's nest.
"Well, I guess all we can do is wait now," KyuJong said, folding up the map. "I think I'll get some lunch going if anyone's hungry?"
"Hungry over here," ChangMin called.
"You're always hungry," JungMin rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall. "You didn't have any problems with him, HyunJoong?" He nodded to JongWoon, who was slumped in his chair again trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.
"No, unfortunately," HyunJoong said, sitting down at the table, well away from JongWoon. "He stayed out of my way, didn't try to talk to me."
"Was that his own choice?" Zhou Mi asked. "It's almost like you have him on a leash."
"Obviously I wasn't going to let him have free will while I was sleeping," HyunJoong snorted. "He probably would have killed me and snuck out to go after his precious crazy ass friend."
"He wasn't always crazy," JongWoon murmured, not looking at them.
"And we already said no one cares," JungMin eyed him.
"What was he like before?" Sunny asked quietly.
"SoonKyu-," ChangMin protested.
"He was…sweet, and a big dork," JongWoon messed up his hair with one hand. "Sometimes too naive, but he was a good guy. I just want to go back to that HyungJoon, my best friend, not this person who wants to take over the whole city."
"Why did you help him do all these terrible things?" KyuJong asked, standing in the kitchen doorway. "Have people killed, kidnapped... tortured? Why would you help him do that?"
"Because I was selfish," JongWoon said quietly. "At some point, he got so bad I knew he wouldn't keep me around out of friendship. I had to make myself useful to him, or else I wouldn't have been able to stay by him and look for a way to help him. I did a lot of things I'm not proud of, but if someone were to tell me it would save him, I would do it all again."
"You ruined lives," Zhou Mi said. "And nothing you've done has been to save him, but empower him to keep doing what he's done. It wasn't just selfishness, and I don't think there's a word in any language to describe your motives for what you've done. How do you live with yourself after all the pain you've put people through? Look around this room, go upstairs and look YoungSaeng in the eye and tell him you would rather he be dead right now."
"This isn't helping," KyuJong said quietly. "He can face real justice when we turn him over to the police."
JongWoon's lips quirked slightly, his eyes closing. "If you had lived life in my shoes, I don't think you'd be so different from me right now. I deserve what I've got coming…but Joon isn't in his right mind. He never deserved being turned into what he is now."
"He still made the decision to do it in the first place," HeeChul sneered. "Whether he deserved it or not is irrelevant, and it's not like you've done much to stop him."
"That's enough," KyuJong spoke up. "This conversation is pointless and is doing nothing to help DongHae. That's what we need to focus on."
JongWoon fell silent, slumped in the chair. KiBum looked around the room before getting up to follow KyuJong into the kitchen. He heard JungMin go up the stairs to check on YoungSaeng.
"Need help in here?" he quirked a sad smile at KyuJong.
"..." KyuJong didn't respond, leaning up against the counter and covering his face with his hands. "I don't know what's worse right now. Having that guy sitting in our living room, or DongHae out there somewhere being drained of his power over and over... It's too much for me to even think about right now, and it's driving me crazy that we don't even know where they are." He looked up at KiBum, the stress obvious in his haggard expression. "I don't know how long I can stay here today, I need a distraction before I fall apart and that's the last thing any of them need. Seeing the leader fall apart in the eleventh hour."
"It's not like we can do anything until RyeoWook comes back." KiBum stepped closer, lightly resting his hands on KyuJong's waist. "Why don't we go see how your flowers are doing? They always help you calm down." His eyes searched KyuJong's face.
"... Oh my flowers," KyuJong's eyes widened. They hadn't been to the shop in days. "All those cut flowers... yes, let's go," he nodded, wiping at his eyes. "Then we can pick up some take out or something for them. They can survive another hour without lunch right?"
"I'm not sure about ChangMin, but the others will survive," KiBum chuckled softly. He brushed his fingers lightly through KyuJong's hair before taking his hand. "Come on, let's go."
"Let's just sneak out the back," KyuJong said, pulling KiBum closer to give him a light kiss. "Or we can just run for it."
"Let's run," KiBum chuckled, returning the kiss before turning to lead him towards the front door. "We're going out for a bit, we'll bring back lunch later." He didn't wait to see what their reactions would be, opening the door and shielding his eyes with one hand as he pulled KyuJong out of the house.
KyuJong had to chuckle a little at the protests from those inside, closing the door behind them and starting down the stairs. "It will be good to be somewhere that smells good," he said. "So many people in that small house, it's starting to stink. At least they're clean for the most part, but the basement is a disaster."
"I'm happily staying out of there." KiBum slowed to walk beside KyuJong once they were on the sidewalk. "At least JungMin isn't threatening to make them sleep on the roof still, from what I'm hearing."
"It helps that he and YoungSaeng have the bedroom to themselves," KyuJong said. "I'm rather proud of him for doing so well with having so many people forced on him at once. Though I think YoungSaeng gets all the credit for that. I've never seen JungMin so... hopelessly smitten for someone before. It's cute."
"I'll have to take your word for it," KiBum's lips quirked. "YoungSaeng's been doing fine since he woke up?"
"He is. When I was up talking with him and JungMin, he was coherent and even making jokes," KyuJong said. "It's the most coherent I've ever seen him, even when he was cut off from the visions completely. You can tell he's happier too, having his control back."
KiBum smiled. "That's good." At least something was going right for them. "What do you want to do when this is all over?"
KyuJong was quiet as he thought about that, his expression dimming. "I'd like to be alive. At this point that's all I'm thinking about. Anything afterwards, I don't know. I can't go back to being a flower shop owner and ignoring the world like I was."
"You'd go back to being a super hero again?" KiBum looked at KyuJong beside him, holding onto the older man's hand loosely as they walked.
"Maybe... it's something I had considered even before all this started. I just wanted to feel useful again. Like I was making a difference." KyuJong looked over at KiBum with a sad smile. "I tried hiding from who I was, as did JungMin, but it didn't matter. We're super heroes, it's what we're destined to be."
KiBum smiled in return. "You never stopped being a hero. With the Sworn coming back together, I hope DongHae and I are still welcome in the group."
"You took the oath, you're as much a member as any one of us," KyuJong said. "Despite what KyuHyun says, you're a part of the team." He sighed a little and looked up at the sky. "I wish... we would have done better by him."
"We'll be able to talk with him once this is over," KiBum nodded slowly, brow furrowed. "Once the situation settles down."
"I hope so, he's a good kid," KyuJong said. He frowned a little, his steps slowing as he looked around. "Something seems... off. Can you feel it?"
"What?" KiBum blinked, slowing as well. He looked around, squinting against the sun. "No, but…what are you feeling?" He looked at his empath boyfriend again.
"Anger... rage, and fear," KyuJong said. "I could feel it in the city the past few days, but right now it feels like... it's bubbling up through the street." Somewhere in the distance a siren was going off. "Let's get to the shop, make sure it's okay." Squeezing KiBum's hand he started to walk again, a little faster.
KiBum quickened his pace as well, wishing he could send his shadows ahead of them. The siren got louder as they approached, coming from the direction of the shop.
The street the shop was on was clear, the sirens from a block over. "The city's going crazy," KiBum murmured as they stopped outside the shop.
"Seems like it," KyuJong nodded, unlocking the door and stepping in. Just entering the store made KyuJong feel better, breathing in the rich scent of earth and plants with the perfume of lowers. The air was fresher in his shop than it was outside. "No matter what happens, I don't think I could ever really give up my flowers. They're so soothing."
"They are," KiBum chuckled, closing the door after them and going to get the water set up. "JungMin seems to enjoy it when you bring him flowers too."
"Bringing him flowers was our thing," KyuJong said, touching the petals on a thriving orchid near the door. "I think it helped remind him there was a world outside his walls, and that there was still some good things to experience."
KiBum set about his usual job watering all the flowers, lips quirked slightly. "Would you still keep the shop if you return to being a hero?"
"I don't know," KyuJong shrugged. "I may have to, being a super hero doesn't exactly pay the bills."
"I can help with that once I graduate," KiBum chuckled, looking back at him. "Psychiatrist isn't a bad paying position…though more than a little ironic I guess."
"You're going to school to be a psychiatrist?" KyuJong blinked at that. "Why didn't I know that? Have you told me and I just don't remember?"
"I mentioned my field of study, but not what I was planning on doing on graduation," KiBum chuckled. "Which makes me even more thankful you helped me the way you did…it would be a little hard to be a proper psychiatrist if I didn't understand emotions."
"Or a great psychiatrist, understanding what emotions are from a clinical sense," KyuJong mused, tilting his head slightly. "Not that I ever want that to happen again."
"That would make two of us." KiBum stopped what he was doing when he heard a commotion from outside. "…What's going on?"
"Hm?" KyuJong turned towards the window. Taking a step forward, he looked out just as a bottle came crashing through. KyuJong put his arms up over his head, the glass showering down over him. The bottle that had been flung through the window exploded when it hit the ground, the flames spreading quickly over the tables and counter.
Eyes widening, KiBum backed up with his hands over his face. The heat from the rapidly spreading fire washed over him, bringing with it a wave of dizziness. "KyuJong?" He shouted, moving his arms out of his vision to try and see where his boyfriend was. The path to the door was blocked by the flames.
There was no answer, a wall of fire building. The flowers and plants decorating the floor smoldered from the heat, a haze of smoke filling the room. A few seconds later KyuJong jumped through the flames, stumbling a little as he coughed from the smoke. "Ki... KiBum," he wheezed. "Can't breathe."
KiBum's arms went around KyuJong and pulled him away from the flames, trying to put out the few embers clinging to his boyfriend's clothes. He brought them down to the ground to avoid the smoke, coughing. "We have to get out of here." But he couldn't see an exit, the heat of the flames leaving him dizzy and disorientated.
"There's... a fire escape... upstairs," KyuJong said, trying to catch his breath. "Door's... nailed shut... can try... breaking it down." He coughed hard, putting his sleeve over his mouth.
KiBum looked for the stairs; the fire hadn't spread there yet. Rather than reply and inhale more smoke, he wrapped his arm around KyuJong and urged him to crawl along the floor to the stairs.
The smoke got worse the further up the stairs they got, KyuJong barely able to keep his eyes open as they reached the door. When he looked back down, the flames had reached the bottom of the stairs and were starting up the woodwork.
************************
The billow of smoke in the distance caught JungMin's attention from the bedroom window. His eyes narrowed in confusion, and he stopped talking to YoungSaeng to go to the window. "…What's going on?" That was coming from the direction of the flower shop...
YoungSaeng got up and looked out the window around JungMin's arm. He frowned slightly at hearing the sirens. "I... oh no," he breathed out. "JungMin, you have to go. KyuJong... fire... the shop. Go."
Eyes widening, JungMin didn't need to be told more than that. He turned and ran out of the room, barreling down the stairs. Not even looking at the people in the living room, he pushed open the door and left the house. KyuJong was in danger…his best friend, the man he'd believed was his only friend left for two years, was in danger.
"The hell..." HeeChul had been stretched out on the couch, blinking as JungMin ran past.
"Fire," YoungSaeng was coming down the stairs, startling those in the living room. He pointed at Zhou Mi. "Go, save them!"
Zhou Mi didn't even ask, just getting up from the table where he'd been sipping at some tea and left the house after JungMin. He at least stopped to stuff his feet into shoes first, something he noticed JungMin had forgot to do and grabbed his as well.
JungMin didn't even slow at the realization he'd forgotten his shoes; no time to go back for them. At least the street was mostly clear.
That changed though as he got closer to the flower shop. When he turned the corner, the street was a mess. People were rioting, looting the various shops around them. The police struggled to contain the crowd. And the building KyuJong's flower shop occupied the first floor of, was engulfed in a blazing fire.
Careening around the corner and nearly running right into JungMin, Zhou Mi panted a little as he looked up at the burning building. "Oh no... that's KyuJong's shop right?" he said, pushing JungMin's shoes at him. "Get those on before you burn your feet!" Zhou Mi didn't wait for him, running straight through the crowd into the burning building. The police and fire trucks couldn't get through, too many people in the streets wreaking havoc.
"KyuJong!" Zhou Mi yelled, leaping through the flames. His clothes were on fire, and he didn't care. The moment he'd entered the building, his skin had hardened into diamond. Not even the heat of the flames could touch him right then. It hadn't taken much thought to realize KyuJong and KiBum had come here after leaving the house, especially with YoungSaeng's yelling about there being a fire and to save them. "KiBum!"
Hearing a faint call from the second floor, Zhou Mi made his way through the flames and up the stairs, taking them two at a time. The stairs nearly gave way under his feet, the flames turning the supports into char. If it was even possible, the second floor was worse than the first floor. The smoke and haze thick, the floorboards smoldering from the heat below. It wouldn't be long before the whole building gave way. He spotted KyuJong and KiBum down the hall at a boarded over window, the two huddled in a corner.
"Come on, it's not safe up here," Zhou Mi said when he reached them.
"Take... KiBum," KyuJong said, looking up at Zhou Mi. "The fire... he can't-" KyuJong coughed, unable to speak.
KiBum wasn't much better off than KyuJong; being more in-tune to the shadows meant his tolerance for light and heat had dropped drastically. "We couldn't get the fire escape open," he opened his eyes at Zhou Mi, breathing heavily. He felt the structure creaking and groaning around them; how much longer could it hold?
"Move!" Outside, JungMin had quickly jammed his feet into his shoes and ran for the entrance. He was driven back by the flames, eyes wide. He wasn't like Zhou Mi; he couldn't get in that way.
No sooner had he realized that then a part of the structure groaned and sagged. He could hear screams from higher floors; people were trapped. The whole building could give at any second.
Looking around desperately, JungMin saw the fire escape to the second floor. It looked old and unused, but it was better than nothing. He had to get those people out…including KyuJong and KiBum. He reached the fire escape and pulled it down, starting to climb.
Watch the third step. Looking down, JungMin saw the third rung on the ladder was rusted through and wouldn't hold his weight. He exhaled shakily and skipped the step, continuing to climb.
Still inside, Zhou Mi had his shoulder under KiBum's arm, trying to get him to the stairs. The floor under his feet buckled and they were pitched to the side. Zhou Mi held onto KiBum tightly, trying to keep them steady. "We'll go up another level, try to get out," he said, looking behind them to see KyuJong trying to follow.
Luckily the stairs up weren't barricaded like they had been from the first floor, Zhou Mi slowly getting KiBum up and depositing him in the hall before going back for KyuJong. There were five people trapped on the third and top floor, a family. The fire escape had bars over the windows and the lock to open them was jammed. Zhou Mi may not have been a strong individual, but with his diamond hard skin he was able to knock the bars out of place enough to get the window open. The children squeezed out through bars easily onto the fire escape followed by the parents.
"Okay, time to go," Zhou Mi returned to KyuJong and KiBum, both of them nearly passed out from smoke inhalation.
JungMin met the family halfway on the fire escape. He got out of the way to let them go by. "The third rung at the bottom is rusted, don't step on it," he said loudly over the roar of the fire and the crowd below. "Is there anyone else up there?"
"Three young men," the mother said as she went by, trying to keep the children calm.
JungMin turned to keep going when the whole building groaned again. There was an echoing crash from inside, and he gripped the edges of the escape to keep from falling off.
The floor had given out. KiBum landing hard on his side, the breath knocked out of him as sharp wood splinters tore through his clothes. He barely had the concentration to reach for KyuJong, to check if he was okay when the building collapsed on top of them.
Zhou Mi was more or less unscathed when they fell through from the third floor to the second. He had just got back to his feet when he heard the groaning from over their heads. Looking up, his eyes widened and he dove on top of KyuJong and KiBum, trying to protect them both. KyuJong was unconscious at that point, which was probably a good thing.
The sound of snapping wood and bricks tumbling was all Zhou Mi heard, not feeling the debris hitting him. He did cry out once, when the floor below them gave way and all three of them tumbled back down to the first floor.
Unable to see what was going on inside the building and alarmed by the shout he heard, JungMin stopped at the blocked second floor entrance to the fire escape. He pried the wood off with his hands, ignoring the scrapes that resulted. When he looked inside though, he could see the hole in the floor and ceiling, and the debris that fell through the hole.
They were under all that. Pale, JungMin turned and made his way back down to the ground, dropping the last few feet. The front of the flower shop was a lost cause, he couldn't get around the flames there. But if they were just on the other side of the wall…
JungMin hadn't ever wanted to use his ability again. Nothing good came out of being able to explode things, just a hair-trigger temper and collateral damage. He didn't deserve to call himself a hero, when all he could do was break things and hurt people.
Backing up, JungMin chose a spot on the wall that wouldn't be supporting the weight of the whole building (or what was left of it). He looked down at his hand, as three small orbs of light formed on the tips of his fingers. Each barely the size of a bead. As he watched, they grew to the size of marbles.
He might not be a hero…but he was damned if he was going to stand by and let his friends die in there.
With a sharp motion, he threw the first orb at the wall. The brick exploded into pieces, leaving a good-sized hole. Not big enough. He threw the second, then the third to widen the hole further before running to the opening. "KyuJong? Zhou Mi?!" He shouted, struggling to see movement in the flaming wreckage of the flower shop.
There was no response, debris still falling from the floors above onto the pile. At least a half ton of material and fallen, and that didn't even include the three men trapped in it. Somehow though, Zhou Mi had been able to keep the full of weight of it from crushing KyuJong and KiBum under him. Neither were conscious after that second fall, and Zhou Mi was sure they were bleeding or had broken bones. "JungMin!" he called, attempting to use his hand to push some of the debris off of them from the side. It was the shortest distance to being free, too much was sitting on top of them.
JungMin could see something moving nearly, perking up when he heard Zhou Mi. Thank God. "Mi!" He wouldn't be able to clear the rubble off of them by hand…and the rest of the building could fall at any moment. "I'm going to clear you a path, cover them!"
If he aimed wrong…
No. He couldn't think like that. If he didn't try, they'd die.
Taking a step back, JungMin gathered two more balls of energy on his fingertips. Judging the rubble carefully, he threw the first and exploded the debris between him and Zhou Mi. The second orb cleared the way further, JungMin's heart leaping in his throat when the building groaned but held.
He leapt into the building through the hole in the wall, pulling the last of the debris away from Zhou Mi and the others. "Can you move, Mi?" He found KyuJong underneath the man and seized his best friend by under his arms, dragging him out from under Zhou Mi.
"Yeah, get him out of here," Zhou Mi said, pushing KiBum as best he could out of the rubble. When he was sure KiBum was clear, he slowly inched his way out, the bricks falling off his back and into the small hole he had made. Rolling clear, he got to his feet and hooked his arms under KiBum's and pulled on him towards the small opening JungMin had made.
JungMin focused on getting KyuJong out of the building, lifting him up once he was clear of the rubble. He climbed back out into the street, coughing from the smoke. Glancing back to see Zhou Mi following with KiBum, JungMin moved away from the building. They were just in time, another crash echoing inside the building.
Fandoms: SS501, Super Junior, cameos from SNSD, TVXQ and EXO-M
Chapter: 38/44 + Epilogue
Main Pairings: JungMin/YoungSaeng, KyuHyun/SungMin, KiBum/KyuJong, HyunJoong/DongHae
Minor Pairings: HyungJoon/Sunny, HeeChul/Han Geng, Zhou Mi/RyeoWook
Rating: R overall
Warning: AU, violence, angst
Summary: They paved the way for justice in a dangerous city, and swore to protect the innocent lives of it's citizens. An accident made them turn their backs and break their oath. It takes a man who sees it all to bring them back, to stop the coming darkness that threatens everything.
A/N: Our 8th story. Please comment! <3
"We'll focus the search on Mapo for now, and if we can't find anything we'll look in the neighboring district," KyuJong said, looking up at RyeoWook. "Don't tire yourself out. Once the sun goes down, maybe KiBum can try."
RyeoWook nodded, standing and stretching out his arms. "See you at sundown," he smiled, leaning over to give Zhou Mi a kiss before heading towards the back door.
"Be careful," Zhou Mi called after him. KyuJong could see the worry in the Chinese man's eyes and didn't blame him. Considering the last time RyeoWook had flown anywhere like this he'd been nearly killed, and now he was flying right into a hornet's nest.
"Well, I guess all we can do is wait now," KyuJong said, folding up the map. "I think I'll get some lunch going if anyone's hungry?"
"Hungry over here," ChangMin called.
"You're always hungry," JungMin rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall. "You didn't have any problems with him, HyunJoong?" He nodded to JongWoon, who was slumped in his chair again trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.
"No, unfortunately," HyunJoong said, sitting down at the table, well away from JongWoon. "He stayed out of my way, didn't try to talk to me."
"Was that his own choice?" Zhou Mi asked. "It's almost like you have him on a leash."
"Obviously I wasn't going to let him have free will while I was sleeping," HyunJoong snorted. "He probably would have killed me and snuck out to go after his precious crazy ass friend."
"He wasn't always crazy," JongWoon murmured, not looking at them.
"And we already said no one cares," JungMin eyed him.
"What was he like before?" Sunny asked quietly.
"SoonKyu-," ChangMin protested.
"He was…sweet, and a big dork," JongWoon messed up his hair with one hand. "Sometimes too naive, but he was a good guy. I just want to go back to that HyungJoon, my best friend, not this person who wants to take over the whole city."
"Why did you help him do all these terrible things?" KyuJong asked, standing in the kitchen doorway. "Have people killed, kidnapped... tortured? Why would you help him do that?"
"Because I was selfish," JongWoon said quietly. "At some point, he got so bad I knew he wouldn't keep me around out of friendship. I had to make myself useful to him, or else I wouldn't have been able to stay by him and look for a way to help him. I did a lot of things I'm not proud of, but if someone were to tell me it would save him, I would do it all again."
"You ruined lives," Zhou Mi said. "And nothing you've done has been to save him, but empower him to keep doing what he's done. It wasn't just selfishness, and I don't think there's a word in any language to describe your motives for what you've done. How do you live with yourself after all the pain you've put people through? Look around this room, go upstairs and look YoungSaeng in the eye and tell him you would rather he be dead right now."
"This isn't helping," KyuJong said quietly. "He can face real justice when we turn him over to the police."
JongWoon's lips quirked slightly, his eyes closing. "If you had lived life in my shoes, I don't think you'd be so different from me right now. I deserve what I've got coming…but Joon isn't in his right mind. He never deserved being turned into what he is now."
"He still made the decision to do it in the first place," HeeChul sneered. "Whether he deserved it or not is irrelevant, and it's not like you've done much to stop him."
"That's enough," KyuJong spoke up. "This conversation is pointless and is doing nothing to help DongHae. That's what we need to focus on."
JongWoon fell silent, slumped in the chair. KiBum looked around the room before getting up to follow KyuJong into the kitchen. He heard JungMin go up the stairs to check on YoungSaeng.
"Need help in here?" he quirked a sad smile at KyuJong.
"..." KyuJong didn't respond, leaning up against the counter and covering his face with his hands. "I don't know what's worse right now. Having that guy sitting in our living room, or DongHae out there somewhere being drained of his power over and over... It's too much for me to even think about right now, and it's driving me crazy that we don't even know where they are." He looked up at KiBum, the stress obvious in his haggard expression. "I don't know how long I can stay here today, I need a distraction before I fall apart and that's the last thing any of them need. Seeing the leader fall apart in the eleventh hour."
"It's not like we can do anything until RyeoWook comes back." KiBum stepped closer, lightly resting his hands on KyuJong's waist. "Why don't we go see how your flowers are doing? They always help you calm down." His eyes searched KyuJong's face.
"... Oh my flowers," KyuJong's eyes widened. They hadn't been to the shop in days. "All those cut flowers... yes, let's go," he nodded, wiping at his eyes. "Then we can pick up some take out or something for them. They can survive another hour without lunch right?"
"I'm not sure about ChangMin, but the others will survive," KiBum chuckled softly. He brushed his fingers lightly through KyuJong's hair before taking his hand. "Come on, let's go."
"Let's just sneak out the back," KyuJong said, pulling KiBum closer to give him a light kiss. "Or we can just run for it."
"Let's run," KiBum chuckled, returning the kiss before turning to lead him towards the front door. "We're going out for a bit, we'll bring back lunch later." He didn't wait to see what their reactions would be, opening the door and shielding his eyes with one hand as he pulled KyuJong out of the house.
KyuJong had to chuckle a little at the protests from those inside, closing the door behind them and starting down the stairs. "It will be good to be somewhere that smells good," he said. "So many people in that small house, it's starting to stink. At least they're clean for the most part, but the basement is a disaster."
"I'm happily staying out of there." KiBum slowed to walk beside KyuJong once they were on the sidewalk. "At least JungMin isn't threatening to make them sleep on the roof still, from what I'm hearing."
"It helps that he and YoungSaeng have the bedroom to themselves," KyuJong said. "I'm rather proud of him for doing so well with having so many people forced on him at once. Though I think YoungSaeng gets all the credit for that. I've never seen JungMin so... hopelessly smitten for someone before. It's cute."
"I'll have to take your word for it," KiBum's lips quirked. "YoungSaeng's been doing fine since he woke up?"
"He is. When I was up talking with him and JungMin, he was coherent and even making jokes," KyuJong said. "It's the most coherent I've ever seen him, even when he was cut off from the visions completely. You can tell he's happier too, having his control back."
KiBum smiled. "That's good." At least something was going right for them. "What do you want to do when this is all over?"
KyuJong was quiet as he thought about that, his expression dimming. "I'd like to be alive. At this point that's all I'm thinking about. Anything afterwards, I don't know. I can't go back to being a flower shop owner and ignoring the world like I was."
"You'd go back to being a super hero again?" KiBum looked at KyuJong beside him, holding onto the older man's hand loosely as they walked.
"Maybe... it's something I had considered even before all this started. I just wanted to feel useful again. Like I was making a difference." KyuJong looked over at KiBum with a sad smile. "I tried hiding from who I was, as did JungMin, but it didn't matter. We're super heroes, it's what we're destined to be."
KiBum smiled in return. "You never stopped being a hero. With the Sworn coming back together, I hope DongHae and I are still welcome in the group."
"You took the oath, you're as much a member as any one of us," KyuJong said. "Despite what KyuHyun says, you're a part of the team." He sighed a little and looked up at the sky. "I wish... we would have done better by him."
"We'll be able to talk with him once this is over," KiBum nodded slowly, brow furrowed. "Once the situation settles down."
"I hope so, he's a good kid," KyuJong said. He frowned a little, his steps slowing as he looked around. "Something seems... off. Can you feel it?"
"What?" KiBum blinked, slowing as well. He looked around, squinting against the sun. "No, but…what are you feeling?" He looked at his empath boyfriend again.
"Anger... rage, and fear," KyuJong said. "I could feel it in the city the past few days, but right now it feels like... it's bubbling up through the street." Somewhere in the distance a siren was going off. "Let's get to the shop, make sure it's okay." Squeezing KiBum's hand he started to walk again, a little faster.
KiBum quickened his pace as well, wishing he could send his shadows ahead of them. The siren got louder as they approached, coming from the direction of the shop.
The street the shop was on was clear, the sirens from a block over. "The city's going crazy," KiBum murmured as they stopped outside the shop.
"Seems like it," KyuJong nodded, unlocking the door and stepping in. Just entering the store made KyuJong feel better, breathing in the rich scent of earth and plants with the perfume of lowers. The air was fresher in his shop than it was outside. "No matter what happens, I don't think I could ever really give up my flowers. They're so soothing."
"They are," KiBum chuckled, closing the door after them and going to get the water set up. "JungMin seems to enjoy it when you bring him flowers too."
"Bringing him flowers was our thing," KyuJong said, touching the petals on a thriving orchid near the door. "I think it helped remind him there was a world outside his walls, and that there was still some good things to experience."
KiBum set about his usual job watering all the flowers, lips quirked slightly. "Would you still keep the shop if you return to being a hero?"
"I don't know," KyuJong shrugged. "I may have to, being a super hero doesn't exactly pay the bills."
"I can help with that once I graduate," KiBum chuckled, looking back at him. "Psychiatrist isn't a bad paying position…though more than a little ironic I guess."
"You're going to school to be a psychiatrist?" KyuJong blinked at that. "Why didn't I know that? Have you told me and I just don't remember?"
"I mentioned my field of study, but not what I was planning on doing on graduation," KiBum chuckled. "Which makes me even more thankful you helped me the way you did…it would be a little hard to be a proper psychiatrist if I didn't understand emotions."
"Or a great psychiatrist, understanding what emotions are from a clinical sense," KyuJong mused, tilting his head slightly. "Not that I ever want that to happen again."
"That would make two of us." KiBum stopped what he was doing when he heard a commotion from outside. "…What's going on?"
"Hm?" KyuJong turned towards the window. Taking a step forward, he looked out just as a bottle came crashing through. KyuJong put his arms up over his head, the glass showering down over him. The bottle that had been flung through the window exploded when it hit the ground, the flames spreading quickly over the tables and counter.
Eyes widening, KiBum backed up with his hands over his face. The heat from the rapidly spreading fire washed over him, bringing with it a wave of dizziness. "KyuJong?" He shouted, moving his arms out of his vision to try and see where his boyfriend was. The path to the door was blocked by the flames.
There was no answer, a wall of fire building. The flowers and plants decorating the floor smoldered from the heat, a haze of smoke filling the room. A few seconds later KyuJong jumped through the flames, stumbling a little as he coughed from the smoke. "Ki... KiBum," he wheezed. "Can't breathe."
KiBum's arms went around KyuJong and pulled him away from the flames, trying to put out the few embers clinging to his boyfriend's clothes. He brought them down to the ground to avoid the smoke, coughing. "We have to get out of here." But he couldn't see an exit, the heat of the flames leaving him dizzy and disorientated.
"There's... a fire escape... upstairs," KyuJong said, trying to catch his breath. "Door's... nailed shut... can try... breaking it down." He coughed hard, putting his sleeve over his mouth.
KiBum looked for the stairs; the fire hadn't spread there yet. Rather than reply and inhale more smoke, he wrapped his arm around KyuJong and urged him to crawl along the floor to the stairs.
The smoke got worse the further up the stairs they got, KyuJong barely able to keep his eyes open as they reached the door. When he looked back down, the flames had reached the bottom of the stairs and were starting up the woodwork.
************************
The billow of smoke in the distance caught JungMin's attention from the bedroom window. His eyes narrowed in confusion, and he stopped talking to YoungSaeng to go to the window. "…What's going on?" That was coming from the direction of the flower shop...
YoungSaeng got up and looked out the window around JungMin's arm. He frowned slightly at hearing the sirens. "I... oh no," he breathed out. "JungMin, you have to go. KyuJong... fire... the shop. Go."
Eyes widening, JungMin didn't need to be told more than that. He turned and ran out of the room, barreling down the stairs. Not even looking at the people in the living room, he pushed open the door and left the house. KyuJong was in danger…his best friend, the man he'd believed was his only friend left for two years, was in danger.
"The hell..." HeeChul had been stretched out on the couch, blinking as JungMin ran past.
"Fire," YoungSaeng was coming down the stairs, startling those in the living room. He pointed at Zhou Mi. "Go, save them!"
Zhou Mi didn't even ask, just getting up from the table where he'd been sipping at some tea and left the house after JungMin. He at least stopped to stuff his feet into shoes first, something he noticed JungMin had forgot to do and grabbed his as well.
JungMin didn't even slow at the realization he'd forgotten his shoes; no time to go back for them. At least the street was mostly clear.
That changed though as he got closer to the flower shop. When he turned the corner, the street was a mess. People were rioting, looting the various shops around them. The police struggled to contain the crowd. And the building KyuJong's flower shop occupied the first floor of, was engulfed in a blazing fire.
Careening around the corner and nearly running right into JungMin, Zhou Mi panted a little as he looked up at the burning building. "Oh no... that's KyuJong's shop right?" he said, pushing JungMin's shoes at him. "Get those on before you burn your feet!" Zhou Mi didn't wait for him, running straight through the crowd into the burning building. The police and fire trucks couldn't get through, too many people in the streets wreaking havoc.
"KyuJong!" Zhou Mi yelled, leaping through the flames. His clothes were on fire, and he didn't care. The moment he'd entered the building, his skin had hardened into diamond. Not even the heat of the flames could touch him right then. It hadn't taken much thought to realize KyuJong and KiBum had come here after leaving the house, especially with YoungSaeng's yelling about there being a fire and to save them. "KiBum!"
Hearing a faint call from the second floor, Zhou Mi made his way through the flames and up the stairs, taking them two at a time. The stairs nearly gave way under his feet, the flames turning the supports into char. If it was even possible, the second floor was worse than the first floor. The smoke and haze thick, the floorboards smoldering from the heat below. It wouldn't be long before the whole building gave way. He spotted KyuJong and KiBum down the hall at a boarded over window, the two huddled in a corner.
"Come on, it's not safe up here," Zhou Mi said when he reached them.
"Take... KiBum," KyuJong said, looking up at Zhou Mi. "The fire... he can't-" KyuJong coughed, unable to speak.
KiBum wasn't much better off than KyuJong; being more in-tune to the shadows meant his tolerance for light and heat had dropped drastically. "We couldn't get the fire escape open," he opened his eyes at Zhou Mi, breathing heavily. He felt the structure creaking and groaning around them; how much longer could it hold?
"Move!" Outside, JungMin had quickly jammed his feet into his shoes and ran for the entrance. He was driven back by the flames, eyes wide. He wasn't like Zhou Mi; he couldn't get in that way.
No sooner had he realized that then a part of the structure groaned and sagged. He could hear screams from higher floors; people were trapped. The whole building could give at any second.
Looking around desperately, JungMin saw the fire escape to the second floor. It looked old and unused, but it was better than nothing. He had to get those people out…including KyuJong and KiBum. He reached the fire escape and pulled it down, starting to climb.
Watch the third step. Looking down, JungMin saw the third rung on the ladder was rusted through and wouldn't hold his weight. He exhaled shakily and skipped the step, continuing to climb.
Still inside, Zhou Mi had his shoulder under KiBum's arm, trying to get him to the stairs. The floor under his feet buckled and they were pitched to the side. Zhou Mi held onto KiBum tightly, trying to keep them steady. "We'll go up another level, try to get out," he said, looking behind them to see KyuJong trying to follow.
Luckily the stairs up weren't barricaded like they had been from the first floor, Zhou Mi slowly getting KiBum up and depositing him in the hall before going back for KyuJong. There were five people trapped on the third and top floor, a family. The fire escape had bars over the windows and the lock to open them was jammed. Zhou Mi may not have been a strong individual, but with his diamond hard skin he was able to knock the bars out of place enough to get the window open. The children squeezed out through bars easily onto the fire escape followed by the parents.
"Okay, time to go," Zhou Mi returned to KyuJong and KiBum, both of them nearly passed out from smoke inhalation.
JungMin met the family halfway on the fire escape. He got out of the way to let them go by. "The third rung at the bottom is rusted, don't step on it," he said loudly over the roar of the fire and the crowd below. "Is there anyone else up there?"
"Three young men," the mother said as she went by, trying to keep the children calm.
JungMin turned to keep going when the whole building groaned again. There was an echoing crash from inside, and he gripped the edges of the escape to keep from falling off.
The floor had given out. KiBum landing hard on his side, the breath knocked out of him as sharp wood splinters tore through his clothes. He barely had the concentration to reach for KyuJong, to check if he was okay when the building collapsed on top of them.
Zhou Mi was more or less unscathed when they fell through from the third floor to the second. He had just got back to his feet when he heard the groaning from over their heads. Looking up, his eyes widened and he dove on top of KyuJong and KiBum, trying to protect them both. KyuJong was unconscious at that point, which was probably a good thing.
The sound of snapping wood and bricks tumbling was all Zhou Mi heard, not feeling the debris hitting him. He did cry out once, when the floor below them gave way and all three of them tumbled back down to the first floor.
Unable to see what was going on inside the building and alarmed by the shout he heard, JungMin stopped at the blocked second floor entrance to the fire escape. He pried the wood off with his hands, ignoring the scrapes that resulted. When he looked inside though, he could see the hole in the floor and ceiling, and the debris that fell through the hole.
They were under all that. Pale, JungMin turned and made his way back down to the ground, dropping the last few feet. The front of the flower shop was a lost cause, he couldn't get around the flames there. But if they were just on the other side of the wall…
JungMin hadn't ever wanted to use his ability again. Nothing good came out of being able to explode things, just a hair-trigger temper and collateral damage. He didn't deserve to call himself a hero, when all he could do was break things and hurt people.
Backing up, JungMin chose a spot on the wall that wouldn't be supporting the weight of the whole building (or what was left of it). He looked down at his hand, as three small orbs of light formed on the tips of his fingers. Each barely the size of a bead. As he watched, they grew to the size of marbles.
He might not be a hero…but he was damned if he was going to stand by and let his friends die in there.
With a sharp motion, he threw the first orb at the wall. The brick exploded into pieces, leaving a good-sized hole. Not big enough. He threw the second, then the third to widen the hole further before running to the opening. "KyuJong? Zhou Mi?!" He shouted, struggling to see movement in the flaming wreckage of the flower shop.
There was no response, debris still falling from the floors above onto the pile. At least a half ton of material and fallen, and that didn't even include the three men trapped in it. Somehow though, Zhou Mi had been able to keep the full of weight of it from crushing KyuJong and KiBum under him. Neither were conscious after that second fall, and Zhou Mi was sure they were bleeding or had broken bones. "JungMin!" he called, attempting to use his hand to push some of the debris off of them from the side. It was the shortest distance to being free, too much was sitting on top of them.
JungMin could see something moving nearly, perking up when he heard Zhou Mi. Thank God. "Mi!" He wouldn't be able to clear the rubble off of them by hand…and the rest of the building could fall at any moment. "I'm going to clear you a path, cover them!"
If he aimed wrong…
No. He couldn't think like that. If he didn't try, they'd die.
Taking a step back, JungMin gathered two more balls of energy on his fingertips. Judging the rubble carefully, he threw the first and exploded the debris between him and Zhou Mi. The second orb cleared the way further, JungMin's heart leaping in his throat when the building groaned but held.
He leapt into the building through the hole in the wall, pulling the last of the debris away from Zhou Mi and the others. "Can you move, Mi?" He found KyuJong underneath the man and seized his best friend by under his arms, dragging him out from under Zhou Mi.
"Yeah, get him out of here," Zhou Mi said, pushing KiBum as best he could out of the rubble. When he was sure KiBum was clear, he slowly inched his way out, the bricks falling off his back and into the small hole he had made. Rolling clear, he got to his feet and hooked his arms under KiBum's and pulled on him towards the small opening JungMin had made.
JungMin focused on getting KyuJong out of the building, lifting him up once he was clear of the rubble. He climbed back out into the street, coughing from the smoke. Glancing back to see Zhou Mi following with KiBum, JungMin moved away from the building. They were just in time, another crash echoing inside the building.