A House is Not a Home, part 2
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The team finally calls it a night just before sunrise, packing up and driving away as the sun peaks over the horizon. They leave some of their bigger and bulkier equipment, knowing they'll be back in a few days and won't have to unload all of that stuff again. A couple hours later, Yunho calls a coworker and gets the name of his marriage counselor. Yunho then calls the counselor, setting up an urgent appointment for the next day.
Changmin lays back against Yunho's chest as the other talks to the counselor. The adrenaline rush from the attack had blocked the pain as they'd talked to Jaejoong immediately afterward, but now, hours later, his throat aches and throbs. Every breath scrapes and scratches as he draws it in. The very thought of attempting to talk makes him cringe.
As if sensing his thoughts, Yunho trails soft fingers over the marks on Changmin's neck. Changmin sighs, leaning into the gentle touch and closing his eyes. He listens as Yunho wraps up the conversation, verifying their appointment time, then flips his phone shut.
Yunho presses a kiss to Changmin's temple as his now-free phone hand strokes through Changmin's hair. "You doing okay, baby?" he asks, just above a whisper. Changmin nods. "Tired?" Another nod. "I'll stay right here, okay? I'm not going anywhere. So why don't you just try to get a little sleep?"
Changmin immediately tenses up, eyes flying open, as he shakes his head in an emphatic 'no.' Panicked, he grasps at Yunho's hands and clutches them in his own. His breathing quickens, his injured throat not making it any easier to gasp in air. Yunho holds him tighter, whispering quiet reassurances in his ear. "Alright. It's alright. It's okay, Min. I've got you. You don't have to if you don't want to, baby. You're okay."
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Yunho calls in to work the next day, putting in for all his saved vacation time. "I'm not going back to work until all this is taken care of," he answers Changmin's questioning look. "They can live without me for a while, and I'd rather not leave you alone here right now." Changmin flashes him a blinding smile in reply. After that, Yunho gets in touch with the priest from his childhood church. After explaining the situation, the priest promises to make the trip to the house as soon as possible.
"As soon as possible" turns out to be just a few days later. The house stands quiet for the moment, Yunho and Changmin cuddled on the couch and watching TV while Jaejoong and Minho go over footage from the previous night. A knock sounds on the front door, and they all jump just a little. After a short pause where they all look at each other and grin just a little, Yunho pushes up to answer the door.
He doesn't return right away, and Changmin can hear the quiet drone of low voices from the front hall. Changmin sits up, remembering to relax his neck when the tension sends twinges of pain through the still-healing bruises. Once all the way up, he pads out to the hall.
The priest in the doorway notices him first, meets his eyes with a warm smile on his round face. Then Yunho turns to him and reaches out a hand to pull Changmin close to him. "Hey, Minnie. I'd like you to meet Father Kim, the priest from the church my family attends." He turns back to the older man. "Father Kim, this is Changmin." The introductions are made light-heartedly, but Changmin can see the apprehension in Yunho's eyes. The priest obviously knows about their relationship, and Yunho is waiting for the judgment.
Apparently, Father Kim can see it, too. "It's very nice to meet you, Changmin," he replies before facing Yunho. "And relax, Yunho. While I may not be able to officially give my blessings on this relationship according to the church, I'm certainly not going to berate you for it, either. Jesus loved everyone whether it was considered taboo or not, and I follow his example."
The tension drains from Yunho's shoulders, and Changmin grins when the priest sends him a quick wink. "It's nice to meet you, too, Father," Changmin rasps out, his voice still recovering from the injury to his throat.
The bright smile fades from Father Kim's face, to be replaced with pure sympathy. He looks Changmin over from head to toe and takes in every scratch and bruise. "Oh, you poor boy. All this from whatever is in this house?" Changmin and Yunho share a quick look before nodding. "Well, then," the priest announces, determination powering his tone. "Why don't we sit down and figure out what we can do for you?"
They quickly usher him into the house and settle him into one of the plush chairs in the living room. When they offer him a drink and he asks for a tea, Changmin takes a step towards the kitchen then hesitates. He takes in as deep a breath as he can manage, but before he can get any further, Yunho lays a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Minnie," Yunho says as he walks past. "You should sit down and relax a bit more. I'll get the drinks."
Changmin squeezes his hand as Yunho passes then turns back to take his place on the couch and meets Father Kim's gaze. "It… kind of all started in the kitchen," he explains. "At least to the point where it was strong enough for me to notice. It feels kind of silly to be afraid of my own home, but I can't seem to talk myself out of it anymore."
They sit quietly for a few more minutes until Yunho returns with the drinks. Then, they immediately get down to business. Yunho and Changmin fill Father Kim in on everything they'd been through and witnessed. Jaejoong joins them shortly after and provides any evidence his team had caught up to that point. Father Kim listens to all of it patiently, occasionally jotting down notes in his notebook or asking questions. By the time they finish, the red glow of sunset bleeds through the living room windows.
"Considering everything you've just told me," Father Kim starts after a long silence, "I do agree that this entity seems to be demonic. At this point, rather than just a regular home blessing, I would actually recommend a deliverance." When he sees their questioning glances, he continues. "Basically, an exorcism is done for a full human possession by a demon. A deliverance is a step under that, when a demon is present but has not fully possessed anyone yet."
Silence takes over the living room again as they all process the new information. "Alright," Changmin eventually says, "so, when do we do this?"
Father Kim smiles at him again. "There are a few things that I need to get together and ready. There's quite a bit of preparation that goes into a ritual like this, so I'll need at least a few days to put all that in place. Think you guys can hold on until Friday?"
Friday. Four days. Changmin sighs, though even he's not sure whether it's in relief or disappointment. Yunho reaches over and grips his hand before answering. "We've held on this long. I guess we can make it a little bit longer."
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Father Kim returns on Friday, just as he'd promised. With very little preamble, he fills them in on the basic process and what they should expect from the night. Then, he starts getting all of his materials set up and ready. Just under an hour later, they were ready to start the ritual.
They move from room to room, Father Kim reciting the blessing and sprinkling holy water in each place until they all feel the air clear. Changmin clings to Yunho the whole time, bracing for a confrontation in every room. Beyond the fact that some rooms take a couple more recitations than others, though, the blessing stays mostly quiet. Which only sets Changmin that much more on edge.
Finally, they're done with every room but one - Yunho and Changmin's bedroom. Changmin flinches at the heaviness as they enter. Even Jaejoong, who hadn't shown any reaction so far, presses a hand to his chest. The priest quickly recites the prayer, and an eerie laugh echoes through the room. When Changmin shudders, Yunho holds him tighter.
As Father Kim starts the second recitation, Changmin hunches over and covers his mouth with one hand. Yunho hovers over him, running a soothing hand over his tense back. "Minnie? What's wrong?" Changmin doesn't answer. Instead, when the priest starts on the third repetition, he gags and falls to his knees.
Both Jaejoong and Father Kim finally look over at Yunho and Changmin. The priest never pauses in his chanting, but both he and Jaejoong move to Changmin's side. "What happened?" Jaejoong asks Yunho quietly.
Yunho shakes his head. "I don't know. He just started acting really weird when we walked in here. Like he's sick all of a sudden or something." Jaejoong's grim frown churns the bad feeling in Yunho's stomach.
Continuing with the blessing, Father Kim moves one hand from his Bible and places it on Changmin's head. Changmin recoils. "Don't touch me!" he snarls, slapping everyone's hands away. Immediately after, he looks up at them with shocked apology in his eyes.
Jaejoong crouches on the floor, making sure Changmin focuses on him. "It's alright, Changmin. It's not your fault. This thing is cornered and pissed off and looking for any way out, including through you. You just have to stay strong. Fight it off. Let it know you don't want it here and that you won't give in to it."
Changmin pauses before nodding hesitantly. Smiling at the younger man, Jaejoong grabs his hands and pulls him up. Yunho wraps his arms around Changmin again as the priest lays his hand back on Changmin's head. Changmin flinches but doesn't pull away.
Flipping a few pages in his prayer book, Father Kim starts on a new blessing. The words are strong, more forceful and demanding. Changmin jerks and whimpers in Yunho's arms. They all watch as his shirt rips down the front, dark red scratches on his skin visible under the torn cloth.
Another tear appears, and Changmin cries out. "Leave me alone!" he yells over the priest's continual prayers. "Just go away! I don't want you here. Go away." He trails off into a quiet murmur of the same phrase over and over again. Yunho holds him tighter, mouthing the same words against the back of Changmin's neck.
Finally - years, weeks, days - a few minutes later, Changmin opens the eyes he hadn't realized he'd clenched shut. The air in the room seems lighter somehow. Brighter. Like the sun has finally moved out from behind the clouds. Changmin draws in a deep breath, and it feels like the first unrestricted breath he's taken in months.
Father Kim moves his hand, and Changmin turns to look at Yunho with a tentative smile. "It's over, isn't it?" he asks, not quite trusting his own instincts. "It's finally over."
Pulling Changmin against him in a tight bear-hug, Yunho presses a kiss to his forehead. "Yeah, Min. I think it really is."
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Changmin wakes suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. It's an all-too familiar feeling, but he tries to brush it off. The house has been quiet, peaceful even, for almost two weeks now; from all indications, they'd taken care of the problem. No matter what he tells himself, though, the oppressive feeling in his chest grows.
Then he realizes what woke him in the first place. The bed is shaking, a small tremor just slightly vibrating the bed frame. As soon as he notices it, it intensifies; he can hear the legs scraping against the hardwood floor. Changmin reaches over, tugging on Yunho's arm. "Yunho. Yunho, wake up," he pleads, just barely refraining from shouting.
With a violent jump from the bed, Yunho's eyes snap open. He meets Changmin's panicked gaze then takes a second to process that their bed is moving. The fear and near-desperation in Changmin's eyes finally get him moving. He rolls out of the bed. "Come on, Min," he gently commands. "Get up. Get dressed. Pack a small bag for us. I'll get the dogs, and we'll get out of here."
Yunho throws on his own clothes, the first t-shirt and pair of jeans he sets his hands on. He waits until Changmin is up and moving before heading down the hall into the room the dogs sleep in. He herds both of them downstairs, clips on their leashes, and leads them out to the car. As soon as he has them settled in the back seat, he jogs back to the house.
The screams hit him the instant he opens the front door - piercing, chilling, inhuman shrieks. Yunho bolts up the stairs; he knows the sound isn't coming from Changmin, but he also knows it's a sign that something more than just the bed moving is wrong. The screams get louder with each step he makes up the stairs.
He finds Changmin crouched on the floor of the bedroom, hands clasped over his ears and pained tears sliding down his cheeks. Their duffle bag lays at his feet, fully packed but dropped only half-zipped. Yunho strides across the floor, finishes closing the bag then pulling Changmin up. He ushers the younger man out of the room with an arm around his waist.
Changmin takes the stairs ahead of Yunho, just a couple steps in front. Even that small distance is too much, though. The screaming cuts off suddenly, the abrupt silence roaring in their ears, and Yunho can only watch as Changmin's feet seem to be yanked out from under him. Each solid thud as Changmin tumbles down the rest of the stairs pierces Yunho's chest. When Changmin finally hits the bottom, his right arm twists out at a sickeningly unnatural angle with an audible crack. He releases a strangled yell as Yunho rushes down the rest of the steps towards him.
Instead of screaming now, the house fills with giddy, amused laughter. Forcing harsh breaths in and out through his nose, Changmin attempts to will some of the pain away. He grips Yunho's arm with his good hand and grits his teeth as he hauls himself up. "Oh, god, Min. Are you okay?" It's really a stupid question, Yunho knows, but he can't help asking it anyway.
Changmin shakes his head. "My arm's broken. And my head really hurts," he replies. "We can worry about that after we get out of here, though. I don't even want to look at this place anymore." Wrapping Changmin in his arms, Yunho nods his agreement and walks them both out the front door.
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Changmin tenses, preparing for the worst as if on reflex, when a cold breeze blows over his neck. A moment later, he rolls his eyes at himself, shifting closer to Yunho and out of the path of the air conditioner that had just kicked on in their new apartment. Yunho readily welcomes the proximity, wrapping an arm around Changmin's shoulders and pulling him even closer. "Everything okay, Minnie?"
Nodding, Changmin turns his head to offer Yunho a small smile. "Fine. Just, you know, being ridiculous and jumpy for no logical reason whatsoever."
Yunho frowns a little before pressing a comforting kiss to Changmin's forehead. "It's not 'no reason', Min," he reminds the other, stroking his fingers over the lightweight cast covering the bottom half of Changmin's arm. "I think we're both going to be a little bit jumpy for a while still."
"Yeah, I guess," Changmin concedes. "I just hate it. It's like… I'm not even scared of anything solid, just shadows. Things I haven't been afraid of since I was a little kid still sleeping with a night-light and my baby blanket. It feels silly."
And really, there's no good way for Yunho to reply to that. Because it is kind of silly. Except in the fact that it's not; they both know what those supposed shadows can do now. "It's late. Let's get to bed," Yunho finally suggests. Shaking off any lingering paranoia, Changmin stands and follows as Yunho walks toward their bedroom.
He pauses to flick off the kitchen light with a small tsk. "Seriously, Yunho. If you stopped leaving lights on all the time, we'd have enough money saved for that European vacation already."
"Hm?" Yunho turns to look over his shoulder. "I thought I turned that one off. Did I not?"
Changmin rolls his eyes with a fondly exasperated smile. "Apparently not since I just did."
Blushing, Yunho flashes Changmin a sheepish grin as the younger catches up to him. They walk into the bedroom together, closing the door behind them with a quiet click.
Within a few minutes, the whole apartment lays quiet. Changmin drifts off to sleep; Yunho had passed out almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, his work taking a bigger toll than he'd admit while awake. The dogs shift in "their" bedroom, Taepoong huffing in his sleep as Mangdoongie stretches then spins in a small circle before settling down again. A soft glow illuminates the hallway, bleeding out from the brightly lit kitchen.