We have to be Humans (because We get Scars) [1 / ?]
Title: We have to be Humans (because We get Scars) [1 / ?]
Word Count: 3, 291
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Seventeen | Junhui / Minghao, Mingyu / Wonwoo, Jeonghan / Jisoo, Soonyoung / Seokmin, Hansol / Seungkwan
Description: Minghao accidentally saves a boy with superpowers, only to find out that he has superpowers as well. Now, Minghao has to join twelve other boys as they try their best to escape from their enemies, in between learning how to use his new abilities and falling in love. superpowers!au
Author’s Note: it's minghao's birthday and i'm starting a mutants!au long fic because holidays. and chinaline who gives me way too many feels
It was late in the evening when Minghao finally left the school. The air was chilly and there weren’t a lot of people still out and about on the streets. Minghao pulled his hoodie tighter around him, zipping it up to the top, as he made his way out of the school compound.
It was the last day of school and Minghao’s class had decided to hold a class party which has yet to end. Minghao was never fond of such rowdy gatherings and so, chose to leave earlier than the others. It was probably the smartest decision he ever made - considering how few people there were on the streets now, it’ll be completely empty by the time the rest of the class decide to leave. And while that was never a good thing, it was especially so right now.
As he strolled leisurely down the street, Minghao pulled on his headphones and pressed ‘play’ on his handphone’s radio. He was just in time for the evening news and Minghao absent-mindedly listened to the radio broadcaster speak.
“... The increasing rate of missing teenagers are beginning to alarm the government.” The female broadcaster informed the listeners, her voice scratchy from poor reception. “As of now, there have been over four hundred missing teenagers since the beginning of this year - a startling jump from last year’s two hundred.”
That’s a lot, Minghao noted subconsciously as he made a turn round a corner. The street before him was practically empty, with only one or two people hurrying home. Even though this district was one of the less populated ones in the country, it was still surprising to see so few people.
Everyone’s worrying about the missing teenagers. Minghao thought nonchalantly as he pulled his hood up. He rubbed his palms together, shivering. And is it just me or is the weather getting colder?
“Experts believe that a large proportion of the missing teenagers are simply runaways,” the radio broadcaster continued, “and that only a few are victims of human trafficking. Nonetheless, the government hopes that parents will keep an eye on their children and communicate with them properly...”
Why is my house so near to school that I don’t have to take the bus, but so far that walking home takes half an hour? Minghao grumbled in annoyance to himself as he came to a standstill at a junction. Normally, Minghao would cross the road and continue down the street but it was way too time-consuming and it was so cold then.
“... Parents should also advise their children to refrain from walking alone or in deserted areas but stick to crowded places where there is a smaller chance of them...”
I’ll just take the shortcut today. Minghao abruptly decided, turning on his heel to go into an alley on his right. People rarely walk here because of the numerous bags of trash blocking the path and the many, confusing routes but it was a much shorter way home for Minghao.
The air was silent except for Minghao’s lone footsteps and the radio broadcaster’s voice, announcing some other news. Deftly, the Chinese boy sidestepped a trash bag and continued on his way where there were the unmistakable sounds of scuffling and muffled yells, penetrating the headphones.
Hold on. What was that? Minghao jolted out of his thoughts as he hastily stopped in the middle of the alley, pulling his headphones off to hear properly. There was silence and Minghao unconsciously walked forward, his curiosity getting the better of him, until he was peeking over to the other side.
There was a group of men, dressed entirely in black clothing and paired with masks, with a teenaged boy in their midst. The boy was struggling with all his might, fighting back at the men. One of the men had his hand over the boy’s mouth, which explained the muffled shouts, and another was holding the boy’s hands behind him, locked together in a tight grip. The other two men were trying to grab the boy’s legs but he was flailing wildly, striking and kicking at them that both of them couldn't even grab hold of them.
All of the sudden, the broadcaster’s words came flooding to Minghao’s head. Missing teenagers - victims - human trafficking - deserted areas.
“Oh, no.” Minghao breathed out in growing shock and terror, and he took an automatic step backwards. Run or help? Run or help? Thoughts raced across his mind as Minghao debated between fleeing and aiding.
At this moment, the man covering the boy’s mouth raised his head and their eyes met. Minghao watched in stunned silence as the man’s eyes widened in surprise. Then, he was pointing his finger directly at Minghao and yelling at his accomplices.
Run. Definitely run. Minghao promptly decided before spinning around to flee. To his utmost horror, he tripped over an abandoned trash bag and down he went like a bag of flour. On instincts, Minghao broke the fall with his hands, saving himself from a broken nose and landing stomach down, but he was still in a daze from the sudden change in balance.
Then, Minghao felt hands groping and grabbing hold of his legs and he freaked out, a burst of adrenaline shooting throughout his body and he kicked blindly at his captor.
“No, no, no!” Minghao yelled frantically as he was dragged backwards by his legs. The hard ground scratched at his stomach, tearing his thin hoodie and school shirt, and Minghao tried to kick at his apprehender but the lack of sight made it extra difficult for him to land a single hit.
“Quick, shut him up.” One of them hissed under his breath and Minghao was suddenly flipped onto his back, his breath knocked out of him and two men looming menacing above him.
Running on fear and adrenaline, Minghao didn’t think. As quick as lightning, Minghao relied on his b-boying skills and twisted one of the men’s legs with his own. The man fell and Minghao kicked at his head with all the strength he had, knocking him unconscious.
“You - What?” The other man was taken aback and he didn’t take long to recover his composure. Growling fiercely, the man advanced on Minghao and clenched his fist before letting it fly.
“No!” Minghao sprayed out his hands in a defensive action when the man’s fist slammed against a barrier. The impact sent the man recoiling and he flew backwards, hitting the brick wall and then collapsing to the ground.
For a moment, there was complete radio silence as everyone else watched the translucent, glowing force field, that surrounded and had protected Minghao from the man’s fist, simmered and then disappeared without a trace.
What - What was that? Minghao wondered, half in awe and half in shock, as he let his arms drop to his sides.
“Mutant. Another bloody one.” The man who was gripping the boy’s hands growled lowly, his eyes full of hatred and disgust.
Minghao jerked at the harsh tone and words before frantic words were spilling out of his lips, pleading and desperate. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Just let me go and I won’t tell anyone.”
“Do you think we’re fools?” The other man snapped, taking a step forward towards Minghao who flinched. Then, he laughed without humor as he muttered bitterly. “You mutants are all the same, aren’t you? Crazy freaks, that’s what you all are!”
“Oh, shut up.” There was a new voice and Minghao watched with bated breath as the boy knocked the man apprehending him with his head.
The man let out a shout of pain as he released his grip on the boy in favour of clutching his head. The second man hissed furiously, “don’t let him go!” but he was a second too late and the boy vanished from sight.
I’m going crazy, aren’t I? Minghao asked himself, panic rising within him at the sudden change in events. That boy literally disappeared into thin air!
“Hey,” there was voice by his ear and Minghao flinched again. The boy was now beside him, squatting down, and his voice was urgent. He grabbed Minghao’s hand and pulled him to his feet easily.
“You - You were there - Now you’re here - You -” Minghao stammered eloquently, his eyes wide as saucers as his brain tried to keep up but failing miserably. “I’m crazy, aren’t I?”
The boy tilted his head at Minghao, almost curiously, before hissing. “Run!”
“Get them!” One of the still conscious men ordered in pure fury but Minghao and the boy were already off and running for their lives.
His heart pounding in his chest, Minghao ran with the boy as fast as his legs could carry him. Adrenaline was pumping in his veins and the threat of the men behind them made Minghao ran even faster but he was tiring, the earlier events having already sapped most of his energy.
Oh, let’s just stop. Minghao thought quite calmly in his head despite feeling like his legs were on fire. The need to stop running and take a break was overriding his common sense. What’s so bad about getting killed by those men, anyways?
As if he heard his thoughts, the boy turned his head back, squeezed Minghao’s hand encouragingly and commanded, “don’t you dare stop running!”
But I want to, Minghao whined in his head, his eyes falling shut, and suddenly, there was no longer concrete beneath his feet but soft carpet, and he was no longer running but standing still.
Minghao opened his eyes slowly and found the boy staring at him in bewilderment. “You can teleport?” He demanded loudly.
The Chinese boy opened his mouth to answer but that instantaneously seemed like a lot of effort - effort that Minghao no longer had. Instead, he leaned forward, falling into the boy’s warm embrace and promptly fainted.
Minghao opened his eyes and forced them shut almost immediately. The ceiling light was way too bright for his eyes and it made his head hurt. Groaning, Minghao turned his head slightly to his right as he rubbed his temple with his hand.
“You’re awake!”
Minghao opened his eyes slowly and found himself face to face with a dark haired boy. He was leaning forward, elbows on the bed. The boy was young, younger than Minghao himself, and the back of his hair stuck out distractingly.
“Where am I?” Minghao croaked out rather than asked. His throat felt so dry and it kind of hurt to speak.
Instead of answering, the boy reached for a cup of water Minghao didn't notice earlier. Handing it to Minghao, the boy advised, “maybe you should drink first. You were out for like a day.”
Pushing himself up into a sitting positioned, Minghao accepted the cup gratefully and downed it in one go. The cool water soothed his parched throat but something the boy said was nagging at him.
“Hold on, I was out for a day?” Minghao demanded, placing the now empty plastic cup on the bed. From the corner of his eye, Minghao subconsciously realized that he was in an unfamiliar bedroom. “What happened?”
“Don't you remember?” The boy asked curiously, leaning forward further. Then something flashed in his eyes and he jumped to his feet. “I almost forgot. Jisoo hyung told me to get him once you woke up.”
“Jisoo hyung?” Minghao echoed in confusion, the feminine name foreign on his tongue, feeling like a pounding headache was about to come. “Who's that?”
“Jisoo hyung? He's just the person who healed you.” The boy tossed over his shoulder dismissively. He was already at the bedroom door and before Minghao could ask another question, the boy slipped past the door and was gone.
Left alone in the bedroom, Minghao surveyed his vicinity. Like he had noticed earlier, he wasn’t in his bedroom as he had initially thought but rather, in a stranger’s. There was a bunch of personal belongings scattered around the bedroom, ruling out the possibility that it was a guest room.
The bedroom was decently sized with the bed Minghao was on in the middle of it, one side facing the bedroom door and the other facing the windows. The windows were closed but the curtains weren’t drawn and Minghao glanced out to see a cloudless, cobalt blue sky.
What time is it? Minghao wondered before remembering the boy’s words. He said that I was unconscious for a day. He frowned, as he forced himself to recall the previous day’s events.
Graduation party - walking home - human trafficking - running and running and running. Minghao moaned as everything came rushing back like water from a broken dam. That boy - he could turn invisible and I - I -
“No way.” Minghao took a sharp intake of breath as his memories came back. He held up his hands and examined them intently. They didn’t look any different from before but Minghao could still remember how he had generated some sort of protection which had shielded him from an attack. The memory was almost embedded in his mind. Could I do it again?
Concentrating all his might on his hand, Minghao thrust out out his right hand in anticipation, expecting the translucent barrier to appear once more. “Go!”
Nothing happened.
“Argh!” Minghao groaned in disappointment as he let his hand fall to the bed, knocking the cup off. What was I thinking? How can someone like me do something as amazing as that? The Chinese boy berated himself as he leaned over to grab the cup.
“I would advise you not to move so much yet.” A new voice spoke up, soft yet authoritative. Minghao glanced up; the bedroom door had opened without him knowing and the boy from earlier was standing by it, along with an older looking boy.
This must be Jisoo hyung. Awkwardly, Minghao straightened up as he explained, “I was just trying to get the cup.” He pointed lamely at the fallen cup and the older boy smiled.
“Don’t worry about the cup.” The older boy, Jisoo, smiled as he walked forward and Minghao’s jaw dropped. He watched as the cup rose in the air before settling in the older boy’s hand.
“You - The cup -” Minghao stuttered as he pointed at Jisoo then at the cup in his hand before finally giving up. “I’m officially crazy.”
The two boys seemed amused by Minghao’s statement. “You’re not crazy.” The younger one corrected and Minghao stared at him.
“Are you going to start flying or something?” Minghao asked with no small amount of malice and the boy grinned, moving forward.
“Chan, go prepare him some food.” Jisoo instructed, stopping the other boy. He all but shoved the cup into Chan’s hands as well and he frowned.
“Woe is me for being the maknae.” Chan muttered under his breath but obeyed nonetheless.
After making sure that the door was closed, Jisoo finally turned to Minghao and introduced himself. “I’m Jisoo.”
“I know.” Minghao answered without thinking and Jisoo stared at him. “I mean, the other boy kind of told me.”
Jisoo continued to stare at him.
“What?” Minghao asked, fazed and uncomfortable.
“What’s your name?” Jisoo questioned, smiling fondly.
“Oh.” Minghao flushed in embarrassment before hastily answering. “Minghao. Xu Minghao.”
“Hello, Minghao.” Jisoo smiled wider, friendliness emitting from him in waves. “How are you feeling right now?”
“Crazy.” Minghao replied in a heartbeat.
Jisoo stared at him patiently.
“Out of sorts. Weird. Confused.” Minghao eventually admitted, cracking under the older boy’s gaze. After a second, he emphasized. “Very confused.”
Jisoo laughed and patted Minghao’s head before replying. “Well, you being out of sorts isn’t unexpected. You have been unconscious for more than a day already. I’m not an expert but I’m guessing that you lost consciousness because of shock and overexertion.”
“Shock and overexertion.” Minghao repeated, processing the words slowly. Hesitantly, he pressed on. “So, erm. Did I really - erm - produce a barrier?”
Jisoo frowned slightly before inquiring. “Do you mean a force field? Because that’s what Junhui told us.”
“Yeah, that thing.” Minghao eagerly agreed before insisting, “so I did then? I did create a force field and I’m not crazy, right?”
“No one ever said you were.” Jisoo pointed out before reiterating. “You’re not crazy.”
Relief blossomed within Minghao and he unexpectedly reached forward and hugged a surprised Jisoo. “Thank you, thank you.” He mumbled into the older boy’s shoulder.
Minghao hadn’t realized it until then but he really didn’t want to be crazy and it was such a huge relief to know that he wasn’t. Perhaps, the man calling him a crazy freak had affected him more than he expected.
“Wait,” Minghao broke apart and stared at Jisoo. “Who’s Junhui?” The Chinese name was both familiar and foreign to him at the same time.
“Junhui? He’s the one who you saved yesterday.” Jisoo answered before adding afterwards as an afterthought. “And also the one who saved you.”
The face of the boy who could turn invisible at will popped up in Minghao’s mind. Finally, I know your name. Junhui. Minghao thought, feeling strangely at ease.
“So, what exactly happened yesterday? Who are you guys and what’s up with the superpowers? Do everyone here have one? And what are mutants? And why were people after the boy - Junhui?” Minghao suddenly blurted out, question after question pouring out of his mouth relentlessly.
Jisoo looked quite taken aback by the onslaught of questions and he managed a small smile. “You have to slow down if you want answers, Minghao.”
Minghao opened his mouth to ask a question when Chan appeared, holding a platter of food. “Delivery's here!”
Upon smelling the aroma, Minghao’s stomach growled loudly and his hand flew to it in embarrassment. “Sorry.” He automatically apologized.
“Don’t be.” Jisoo chuckled and the platter flew from Chan’s hands to land nicely in front of Minghao. “Eat. You haven’t ate for a day.”
At that, Minghao all but devoured the food laid out in front of him as Chan excused himself. The food wasn’t anything extravagant or fabulous but sandwiches and milk never seemed as appetizing as before. After his third sandwich, Minghao finally took a pause.
“You can move things with your mind.” Minghao began, facing Jisoo. “Like Jean Grey.”
“Telekinesis.” Jisoo supplied helpfully. “That’s one of my superpowers.”
Minghao was curious. “What’s the other?”
Not saying a word, Jisoo touched Minghao’s face where there was a small scratch. Within seconds, Minghao felt a surge of energy and even without looking, he knew that the scratch was now gone.
“Healing.” Minghao whispered in undisguised amazement. “That’s so cool.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Jisoo modestly dismissed Minghao’s words. “The others have way better superpowers.”
“There are more of you guys?” Minghao asked, feeling even more intrigued by this new piece of information.
Jisoo nodded his head, affirming the younger boy’s statement.
“That’s really awesome.” Minghao beamed, forgetting the traumatic events for a second. Then, he deflated and cautiously asked. “But the men from yesterday? They wanted to catch Junhui and later me? What actually happened?”
Jisoo hesitated before elaborating. “I don’t think I should say anything. I wasn’t at the scene and I don’t want to give you any false information.”
“But -” Minghao began but Jisoo silenced him with a shake of his head.
“If you want to know what happened yesterday, you should ask Junhui.” Jisoo advised before rising to his feet. “Come on, let’s go see him now.”
Pushing the empty platter aside, Minghao slipped out of bed quickly. The desire to know was nearly overwhelming and he followed Jisoo to the door, one thought - one name - in his head.
Junhui.
Word Count: 3, 291
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Seventeen | Junhui / Minghao, Mingyu / Wonwoo, Jeonghan / Jisoo, Soonyoung / Seokmin, Hansol / Seungkwan
Description: Minghao accidentally saves a boy with superpowers, only to find out that he has superpowers as well. Now, Minghao has to join twelve other boys as they try their best to escape from their enemies, in between learning how to use his new abilities and falling in love. superpowers!au
Author’s Note: it's minghao's birthday and i'm starting a mutants!au long fic because holidays. and chinaline who gives me way too many feels
It was late in the evening when Minghao finally left the school. The air was chilly and there weren’t a lot of people still out and about on the streets. Minghao pulled his hoodie tighter around him, zipping it up to the top, as he made his way out of the school compound.
It was the last day of school and Minghao’s class had decided to hold a class party which has yet to end. Minghao was never fond of such rowdy gatherings and so, chose to leave earlier than the others. It was probably the smartest decision he ever made - considering how few people there were on the streets now, it’ll be completely empty by the time the rest of the class decide to leave. And while that was never a good thing, it was especially so right now.
As he strolled leisurely down the street, Minghao pulled on his headphones and pressed ‘play’ on his handphone’s radio. He was just in time for the evening news and Minghao absent-mindedly listened to the radio broadcaster speak.
“... The increasing rate of missing teenagers are beginning to alarm the government.” The female broadcaster informed the listeners, her voice scratchy from poor reception. “As of now, there have been over four hundred missing teenagers since the beginning of this year - a startling jump from last year’s two hundred.”
That’s a lot, Minghao noted subconsciously as he made a turn round a corner. The street before him was practically empty, with only one or two people hurrying home. Even though this district was one of the less populated ones in the country, it was still surprising to see so few people.
Everyone’s worrying about the missing teenagers. Minghao thought nonchalantly as he pulled his hood up. He rubbed his palms together, shivering. And is it just me or is the weather getting colder?
“Experts believe that a large proportion of the missing teenagers are simply runaways,” the radio broadcaster continued, “and that only a few are victims of human trafficking. Nonetheless, the government hopes that parents will keep an eye on their children and communicate with them properly...”
Why is my house so near to school that I don’t have to take the bus, but so far that walking home takes half an hour? Minghao grumbled in annoyance to himself as he came to a standstill at a junction. Normally, Minghao would cross the road and continue down the street but it was way too time-consuming and it was so cold then.
“... Parents should also advise their children to refrain from walking alone or in deserted areas but stick to crowded places where there is a smaller chance of them...”
I’ll just take the shortcut today. Minghao abruptly decided, turning on his heel to go into an alley on his right. People rarely walk here because of the numerous bags of trash blocking the path and the many, confusing routes but it was a much shorter way home for Minghao.
The air was silent except for Minghao’s lone footsteps and the radio broadcaster’s voice, announcing some other news. Deftly, the Chinese boy sidestepped a trash bag and continued on his way where there were the unmistakable sounds of scuffling and muffled yells, penetrating the headphones.
Hold on. What was that? Minghao jolted out of his thoughts as he hastily stopped in the middle of the alley, pulling his headphones off to hear properly. There was silence and Minghao unconsciously walked forward, his curiosity getting the better of him, until he was peeking over to the other side.
There was a group of men, dressed entirely in black clothing and paired with masks, with a teenaged boy in their midst. The boy was struggling with all his might, fighting back at the men. One of the men had his hand over the boy’s mouth, which explained the muffled shouts, and another was holding the boy’s hands behind him, locked together in a tight grip. The other two men were trying to grab the boy’s legs but he was flailing wildly, striking and kicking at them that both of them couldn't even grab hold of them.
All of the sudden, the broadcaster’s words came flooding to Minghao’s head. Missing teenagers - victims - human trafficking - deserted areas.
“Oh, no.” Minghao breathed out in growing shock and terror, and he took an automatic step backwards. Run or help? Run or help? Thoughts raced across his mind as Minghao debated between fleeing and aiding.
At this moment, the man covering the boy’s mouth raised his head and their eyes met. Minghao watched in stunned silence as the man’s eyes widened in surprise. Then, he was pointing his finger directly at Minghao and yelling at his accomplices.
Run. Definitely run. Minghao promptly decided before spinning around to flee. To his utmost horror, he tripped over an abandoned trash bag and down he went like a bag of flour. On instincts, Minghao broke the fall with his hands, saving himself from a broken nose and landing stomach down, but he was still in a daze from the sudden change in balance.
Then, Minghao felt hands groping and grabbing hold of his legs and he freaked out, a burst of adrenaline shooting throughout his body and he kicked blindly at his captor.
“No, no, no!” Minghao yelled frantically as he was dragged backwards by his legs. The hard ground scratched at his stomach, tearing his thin hoodie and school shirt, and Minghao tried to kick at his apprehender but the lack of sight made it extra difficult for him to land a single hit.
“Quick, shut him up.” One of them hissed under his breath and Minghao was suddenly flipped onto his back, his breath knocked out of him and two men looming menacing above him.
Running on fear and adrenaline, Minghao didn’t think. As quick as lightning, Minghao relied on his b-boying skills and twisted one of the men’s legs with his own. The man fell and Minghao kicked at his head with all the strength he had, knocking him unconscious.
“You - What?” The other man was taken aback and he didn’t take long to recover his composure. Growling fiercely, the man advanced on Minghao and clenched his fist before letting it fly.
“No!” Minghao sprayed out his hands in a defensive action when the man’s fist slammed against a barrier. The impact sent the man recoiling and he flew backwards, hitting the brick wall and then collapsing to the ground.
For a moment, there was complete radio silence as everyone else watched the translucent, glowing force field, that surrounded and had protected Minghao from the man’s fist, simmered and then disappeared without a trace.
What - What was that? Minghao wondered, half in awe and half in shock, as he let his arms drop to his sides.
“Mutant. Another bloody one.” The man who was gripping the boy’s hands growled lowly, his eyes full of hatred and disgust.
Minghao jerked at the harsh tone and words before frantic words were spilling out of his lips, pleading and desperate. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Just let me go and I won’t tell anyone.”
“Do you think we’re fools?” The other man snapped, taking a step forward towards Minghao who flinched. Then, he laughed without humor as he muttered bitterly. “You mutants are all the same, aren’t you? Crazy freaks, that’s what you all are!”
“Oh, shut up.” There was a new voice and Minghao watched with bated breath as the boy knocked the man apprehending him with his head.
The man let out a shout of pain as he released his grip on the boy in favour of clutching his head. The second man hissed furiously, “don’t let him go!” but he was a second too late and the boy vanished from sight.
I’m going crazy, aren’t I? Minghao asked himself, panic rising within him at the sudden change in events. That boy literally disappeared into thin air!
“Hey,” there was voice by his ear and Minghao flinched again. The boy was now beside him, squatting down, and his voice was urgent. He grabbed Minghao’s hand and pulled him to his feet easily.
“You - You were there - Now you’re here - You -” Minghao stammered eloquently, his eyes wide as saucers as his brain tried to keep up but failing miserably. “I’m crazy, aren’t I?”
The boy tilted his head at Minghao, almost curiously, before hissing. “Run!”
“Get them!” One of the still conscious men ordered in pure fury but Minghao and the boy were already off and running for their lives.
His heart pounding in his chest, Minghao ran with the boy as fast as his legs could carry him. Adrenaline was pumping in his veins and the threat of the men behind them made Minghao ran even faster but he was tiring, the earlier events having already sapped most of his energy.
Oh, let’s just stop. Minghao thought quite calmly in his head despite feeling like his legs were on fire. The need to stop running and take a break was overriding his common sense. What’s so bad about getting killed by those men, anyways?
As if he heard his thoughts, the boy turned his head back, squeezed Minghao’s hand encouragingly and commanded, “don’t you dare stop running!”
But I want to, Minghao whined in his head, his eyes falling shut, and suddenly, there was no longer concrete beneath his feet but soft carpet, and he was no longer running but standing still.
Minghao opened his eyes slowly and found the boy staring at him in bewilderment. “You can teleport?” He demanded loudly.
The Chinese boy opened his mouth to answer but that instantaneously seemed like a lot of effort - effort that Minghao no longer had. Instead, he leaned forward, falling into the boy’s warm embrace and promptly fainted.
Minghao opened his eyes and forced them shut almost immediately. The ceiling light was way too bright for his eyes and it made his head hurt. Groaning, Minghao turned his head slightly to his right as he rubbed his temple with his hand.
“You’re awake!”
Minghao opened his eyes slowly and found himself face to face with a dark haired boy. He was leaning forward, elbows on the bed. The boy was young, younger than Minghao himself, and the back of his hair stuck out distractingly.
“Where am I?” Minghao croaked out rather than asked. His throat felt so dry and it kind of hurt to speak.
Instead of answering, the boy reached for a cup of water Minghao didn't notice earlier. Handing it to Minghao, the boy advised, “maybe you should drink first. You were out for like a day.”
Pushing himself up into a sitting positioned, Minghao accepted the cup gratefully and downed it in one go. The cool water soothed his parched throat but something the boy said was nagging at him.
“Hold on, I was out for a day?” Minghao demanded, placing the now empty plastic cup on the bed. From the corner of his eye, Minghao subconsciously realized that he was in an unfamiliar bedroom. “What happened?”
“Don't you remember?” The boy asked curiously, leaning forward further. Then something flashed in his eyes and he jumped to his feet. “I almost forgot. Jisoo hyung told me to get him once you woke up.”
“Jisoo hyung?” Minghao echoed in confusion, the feminine name foreign on his tongue, feeling like a pounding headache was about to come. “Who's that?”
“Jisoo hyung? He's just the person who healed you.” The boy tossed over his shoulder dismissively. He was already at the bedroom door and before Minghao could ask another question, the boy slipped past the door and was gone.
Left alone in the bedroom, Minghao surveyed his vicinity. Like he had noticed earlier, he wasn’t in his bedroom as he had initially thought but rather, in a stranger’s. There was a bunch of personal belongings scattered around the bedroom, ruling out the possibility that it was a guest room.
The bedroom was decently sized with the bed Minghao was on in the middle of it, one side facing the bedroom door and the other facing the windows. The windows were closed but the curtains weren’t drawn and Minghao glanced out to see a cloudless, cobalt blue sky.
What time is it? Minghao wondered before remembering the boy’s words. He said that I was unconscious for a day. He frowned, as he forced himself to recall the previous day’s events.
Graduation party - walking home - human trafficking - running and running and running. Minghao moaned as everything came rushing back like water from a broken dam. That boy - he could turn invisible and I - I -
“No way.” Minghao took a sharp intake of breath as his memories came back. He held up his hands and examined them intently. They didn’t look any different from before but Minghao could still remember how he had generated some sort of protection which had shielded him from an attack. The memory was almost embedded in his mind. Could I do it again?
Concentrating all his might on his hand, Minghao thrust out out his right hand in anticipation, expecting the translucent barrier to appear once more. “Go!”
Nothing happened.
“Argh!” Minghao groaned in disappointment as he let his hand fall to the bed, knocking the cup off. What was I thinking? How can someone like me do something as amazing as that? The Chinese boy berated himself as he leaned over to grab the cup.
“I would advise you not to move so much yet.” A new voice spoke up, soft yet authoritative. Minghao glanced up; the bedroom door had opened without him knowing and the boy from earlier was standing by it, along with an older looking boy.
This must be Jisoo hyung. Awkwardly, Minghao straightened up as he explained, “I was just trying to get the cup.” He pointed lamely at the fallen cup and the older boy smiled.
“Don’t worry about the cup.” The older boy, Jisoo, smiled as he walked forward and Minghao’s jaw dropped. He watched as the cup rose in the air before settling in the older boy’s hand.
“You - The cup -” Minghao stuttered as he pointed at Jisoo then at the cup in his hand before finally giving up. “I’m officially crazy.”
The two boys seemed amused by Minghao’s statement. “You’re not crazy.” The younger one corrected and Minghao stared at him.
“Are you going to start flying or something?” Minghao asked with no small amount of malice and the boy grinned, moving forward.
“Chan, go prepare him some food.” Jisoo instructed, stopping the other boy. He all but shoved the cup into Chan’s hands as well and he frowned.
“Woe is me for being the maknae.” Chan muttered under his breath but obeyed nonetheless.
After making sure that the door was closed, Jisoo finally turned to Minghao and introduced himself. “I’m Jisoo.”
“I know.” Minghao answered without thinking and Jisoo stared at him. “I mean, the other boy kind of told me.”
Jisoo continued to stare at him.
“What?” Minghao asked, fazed and uncomfortable.
“What’s your name?” Jisoo questioned, smiling fondly.
“Oh.” Minghao flushed in embarrassment before hastily answering. “Minghao. Xu Minghao.”
“Hello, Minghao.” Jisoo smiled wider, friendliness emitting from him in waves. “How are you feeling right now?”
“Crazy.” Minghao replied in a heartbeat.
Jisoo stared at him patiently.
“Out of sorts. Weird. Confused.” Minghao eventually admitted, cracking under the older boy’s gaze. After a second, he emphasized. “Very confused.”
Jisoo laughed and patted Minghao’s head before replying. “Well, you being out of sorts isn’t unexpected. You have been unconscious for more than a day already. I’m not an expert but I’m guessing that you lost consciousness because of shock and overexertion.”
“Shock and overexertion.” Minghao repeated, processing the words slowly. Hesitantly, he pressed on. “So, erm. Did I really - erm - produce a barrier?”
Jisoo frowned slightly before inquiring. “Do you mean a force field? Because that’s what Junhui told us.”
“Yeah, that thing.” Minghao eagerly agreed before insisting, “so I did then? I did create a force field and I’m not crazy, right?”
“No one ever said you were.” Jisoo pointed out before reiterating. “You’re not crazy.”
Relief blossomed within Minghao and he unexpectedly reached forward and hugged a surprised Jisoo. “Thank you, thank you.” He mumbled into the older boy’s shoulder.
Minghao hadn’t realized it until then but he really didn’t want to be crazy and it was such a huge relief to know that he wasn’t. Perhaps, the man calling him a crazy freak had affected him more than he expected.
“Wait,” Minghao broke apart and stared at Jisoo. “Who’s Junhui?” The Chinese name was both familiar and foreign to him at the same time.
“Junhui? He’s the one who you saved yesterday.” Jisoo answered before adding afterwards as an afterthought. “And also the one who saved you.”
The face of the boy who could turn invisible at will popped up in Minghao’s mind. Finally, I know your name. Junhui. Minghao thought, feeling strangely at ease.
“So, what exactly happened yesterday? Who are you guys and what’s up with the superpowers? Do everyone here have one? And what are mutants? And why were people after the boy - Junhui?” Minghao suddenly blurted out, question after question pouring out of his mouth relentlessly.
Jisoo looked quite taken aback by the onslaught of questions and he managed a small smile. “You have to slow down if you want answers, Minghao.”
Minghao opened his mouth to ask a question when Chan appeared, holding a platter of food. “Delivery's here!”
Upon smelling the aroma, Minghao’s stomach growled loudly and his hand flew to it in embarrassment. “Sorry.” He automatically apologized.
“Don’t be.” Jisoo chuckled and the platter flew from Chan’s hands to land nicely in front of Minghao. “Eat. You haven’t ate for a day.”
At that, Minghao all but devoured the food laid out in front of him as Chan excused himself. The food wasn’t anything extravagant or fabulous but sandwiches and milk never seemed as appetizing as before. After his third sandwich, Minghao finally took a pause.
“You can move things with your mind.” Minghao began, facing Jisoo. “Like Jean Grey.”
“Telekinesis.” Jisoo supplied helpfully. “That’s one of my superpowers.”
Minghao was curious. “What’s the other?”
Not saying a word, Jisoo touched Minghao’s face where there was a small scratch. Within seconds, Minghao felt a surge of energy and even without looking, he knew that the scratch was now gone.
“Healing.” Minghao whispered in undisguised amazement. “That’s so cool.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Jisoo modestly dismissed Minghao’s words. “The others have way better superpowers.”
“There are more of you guys?” Minghao asked, feeling even more intrigued by this new piece of information.
Jisoo nodded his head, affirming the younger boy’s statement.
“That’s really awesome.” Minghao beamed, forgetting the traumatic events for a second. Then, he deflated and cautiously asked. “But the men from yesterday? They wanted to catch Junhui and later me? What actually happened?”
Jisoo hesitated before elaborating. “I don’t think I should say anything. I wasn’t at the scene and I don’t want to give you any false information.”
“But -” Minghao began but Jisoo silenced him with a shake of his head.
“If you want to know what happened yesterday, you should ask Junhui.” Jisoo advised before rising to his feet. “Come on, let’s go see him now.”
Pushing the empty platter aside, Minghao slipped out of bed quickly. The desire to know was nearly overwhelming and he followed Jisoo to the door, one thought - one name - in his head.
Junhui.