Angel Maker 12/27
title: Angel Maker
chapter rating: R
warnings: violence
summary: Mathematically gifted Oh Sehun makes a miscalculation that could cost him his life when he agrees to run an errand for an old high school acquaintance. The job brings Sehun face to face with much more than he'd bargained for and suddenly he has to question the binary makings of his existence, eventually ending up coming across the most delicate secret hosted by a quasi-governmental data bank.
story notes: See the foreword for more information on the story.
Sehun stared at the empty spot next to him. The scent remained on the pillow, but the deer eyed male wasn't there anymore. Outside the window it was still gloomy, the Sun not having climbed above the horizon yet. The room was untouched: the mattress, empty on the floor, the towel hanging on the back of the chair. The book Luhan had been reading before they'd gone to bed was on the edge of the desk. For a moment his ears were ringing with his blood rushing and Sehun sat up quickly, panic settling in. He looked around relentlessly, but there was no sign of Luhan. He even went as far as tossing the thick covers aside to make sure the cream haired male hadn't simply shifted to sleep in another position under them.
Luhan was definitely nowhere in his sight. A little too quickly to avoid feeling light-headed Sehun jumped out of bed, the floor cold against his bare feet. He checked the time without really finding a reason as to why. It was half past three.
The house was almost eerie in its silence as he hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen. The light was on but the room was empty, as was the dark living room, the upstairs bathroom and the master bedroom. Even his mother hadn't come home. Sehun felt out of breath from running around like this as he returned to the kitchen once more. The empty glass Luhan had drunk from yesterday was still set to the side on the table where Sehun had moved it; but on the countertop, there was another glass, an inch of water left in it. It was placed aside neatly but an air of hurry hung about it. Sehun stood aimlessly in the middle of the room staring at it. Luhan must've gotten out of bed to drink... But if so, where was he now?
"Luhan?" he called out at last.
No reply.
His heart was pounding fast and his hands felt frozen. Sehun retraced his steps all the way to when they'd gone to bed. He'd told Luhan to move up onto the bed because the older hadn't wanted to sleep alone. That was the last thing he remembered from before having fallen into a dreamless state of sleep. Somehow during the time he'd been asleep Luhan had gone missing.
Had Kris and Tao come back? He wondered if they had, how had they gotten in without anyone having been there to open the door. Biting his lip hard enough for it to hurt, thus concluding this wasn't a dream in itself Sehun stepped to the entrance hall. The sneakers were gone.
But something had come to replace their absence: on the doormat was a note. Sehun swallowed, squatting to pick it up. His heart was still thudding in his chest like no tomorrow, but it wasn't as much from the exercise anymore as it was from fright. He was thoroughly worried about what had happened to the fawn-like young man. Opening the poorly folded piece of paper his eyes ran across the quickly, hardly precisely but yet quite meticulously and neatly written words that began smaller and grew larger toward the end of each line.
I'm sorry Sehun
I've caused you trouble but don't worry
See you, I'll drop by the cafe.
The fourth line was the shakiest, and it took Sehun a second to realize it was a phone number, not an actual sentence. He kept swallowing the thick saliva forming in his mouth, chewing his lip until he could taste blood.
Trouble? No trouble had come out of Luhan staying over, not really. Sure, Kris and Tao had appeared out of nowhere, but unless they'd come back and forced their way in that hardly counted as trouble.
He heard taps against the door and windows, lifting his gaze quickly, bouncing onto his feet. Not considering it at all the brunette speedily unlocked the door and pushed it open.
Gentle small raindrops poured down onto the walkway and the strip of overgrown grass, smudging the dark red letters of blood, the syllables running across parts of the lawn and the path to the street, his eyes fixed on the evenly sized thick puddles that jumped off the ground screaming their message to him: "Don't touch him."
Trouble.
Sehun swallowed, his brain flat lining.
Slowly the rain messed the words into a shallow sea of red that seeped to the grass and between the large square stone tiles, rendering it unreadable and inexistent everywhere but in his head. The scent of the downpour erased the thick odour of the blood, but it was stuck in his nostrils and made him feel sick with each inhale. The gag reaction brought him back to reality, and Sehun pressed his palm across his mouth, holding his breath, not even noticing how freezing cold his feet felt.
At last he managed to shift backward, pulling into the entrance hall, his other hand squeezing the note between his fingers. He swallowed the ill taste, the fresh wind gently stroking his hair and wrapping itself around him as if to embrace. Shivering, his senses beginning to return to reality the brunette pulled the door shut, standing still staring at the wooden surface.
He needed to get out of here. That was the first thing in his head, the only thing he could properly think of. Somewhere, anywhere else was better. The discomfort he felt toward his home had gotten a whole new meaning. His legs feeling like jelly Sehun climbed the stairs up, quickly picking his bag off the floor. He emptied it onto the mattress in favour of stuffing a clean shirt and underwear to the bottom, adding a book at random for something to do, and making sure his wallet and keys were back inside before flipping it shut. Rushed, he switched into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt at random, only now realizing the other's clothes were gone, too, as well as the shirt Luhan had borrowed.
Where to go? He hopped about on one foot pulling on a sock. He could go to the cafe - but Suho would most likely get really worried if he'd find Sehun back on the sofa. At a time like this the brunette was more than upset about never really having made friends.
The note remained on his bed where he'd abruptly dropped it in favour of freeing his hands. Quickly picking it up Sehun stared at the number at the end. He frowned, scrunched his nose, pursed his lips, and then dug his phone from the bag where he'd left it. Punching in the number Sehun listened to the busy ring back and then the female voice announcing the number was unavailable at the moment.
He cussed. What other options had he?
Jongin.
Throwing himself at the bag once more Sehun went through the pockets. At last he located the paper napkin in the pocket of the jeans he'd worn the previous day. It was broken where the corner had rubbed against the fabric, but the number was still intact.
Sehun stopped to consider. Did he really want to ask Jongin for a hand after what the other had brought upon him?
Jongin did owe him big time for this all.
He inserted the number, his hand shaking considerably. Somewhere else the phone he was trying to reach was ringing. Then, soon enough the line crackled and the lazy voice replied, "Uhhuh?"
"Jongin?" Sehun breathed out, feeling a mixture of relief and annoyance and panic.
"Hmm? Who is this?" replied the man at the other end.
"Sehun. Listen, I--"
"Huh? Sehun? What's up?"
"I need a place to stay. Just for a bit. Like, a few hours at most. Uh. I'll explain, but--"
Jongin spoke, but clearly to someone else, his voice a bit distant like he'd brought the phone a bit further: "I'll be right with you. Just sit tight, ok?"
"Jongin?" he asked, swallowing. Was this really okay?
"You said you need a place? I was just going home."
"Can I visit? I know it's a lot--"
"Yo, yo. Calm down. Breathe, you know? I don't think I've ever heard you talk that much." Jongin let a laugh.
The statement made sense. Sehun was certain he'd never spoken as much in his whole lifetime as he'd spoken with Luhan the previous day. The brilliant, politely behaving boy of the bottomless eyes had this strange effect on him, for sure.
"Anyway", the other continued, "I live pretty close to the cafe, so come there and I'll pick you up on the way, ok?"
"Thanks. Like. You've no idea."
"You'll have to explain yourself though."
"Anything."
"Don't promise stuff you can't handle", Jongin laughed and hung up.
Now equipped with a temporary plan of sorts Sehun picked a light cardigan off the hanger in his closet; pulling it on, the bag in one hand he rushed downstairs to push his feet into the sneakers. He picked an umbrella from a tall ceramic flowerpot by the door (his mother's eccentric idea of interior decoration that his father had quietly accepted), pushed the door open, and stormed into the rain without paying as much as a glance toward the dark red small puddles remaining amongst the grass.
He hit the early morning-slash-late night traffic jam, traveling in the packed subway with more wet umbrellas and people in 7-11 uniforms and other such clothing. Close by stood a young man, maybe a few years older than himself, suited up like Jongin the other night, reading a Korean-Chinese phrase-book. His pouty, focused face reminded the brunette of a squirrel. Sehun looked down at his own feet trying his best to ignore people, counting toward millions in his head to focus his mind into something different. One plus one is two, one plus two is three, two plus three is five, three plus five is eight... F (n)=F (n-1)+F (n-2) with F (0)=0 and F (1)=1; thus F20 is 6765.
He must've been mumbling aloud as the squirrel-like man peered his way curiously. Sehun pursed his lips and slid out of the subway as the doors opened.
chapter rating: R
warnings: violence
summary: Mathematically gifted Oh Sehun makes a miscalculation that could cost him his life when he agrees to run an errand for an old high school acquaintance. The job brings Sehun face to face with much more than he'd bargained for and suddenly he has to question the binary makings of his existence, eventually ending up coming across the most delicate secret hosted by a quasi-governmental data bank.
story notes: See the foreword for more information on the story.
Sehun stared at the empty spot next to him. The scent remained on the pillow, but the deer eyed male wasn't there anymore. Outside the window it was still gloomy, the Sun not having climbed above the horizon yet. The room was untouched: the mattress, empty on the floor, the towel hanging on the back of the chair. The book Luhan had been reading before they'd gone to bed was on the edge of the desk. For a moment his ears were ringing with his blood rushing and Sehun sat up quickly, panic settling in. He looked around relentlessly, but there was no sign of Luhan. He even went as far as tossing the thick covers aside to make sure the cream haired male hadn't simply shifted to sleep in another position under them.
Luhan was definitely nowhere in his sight. A little too quickly to avoid feeling light-headed Sehun jumped out of bed, the floor cold against his bare feet. He checked the time without really finding a reason as to why. It was half past three.
The house was almost eerie in its silence as he hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen. The light was on but the room was empty, as was the dark living room, the upstairs bathroom and the master bedroom. Even his mother hadn't come home. Sehun felt out of breath from running around like this as he returned to the kitchen once more. The empty glass Luhan had drunk from yesterday was still set to the side on the table where Sehun had moved it; but on the countertop, there was another glass, an inch of water left in it. It was placed aside neatly but an air of hurry hung about it. Sehun stood aimlessly in the middle of the room staring at it. Luhan must've gotten out of bed to drink... But if so, where was he now?
"Luhan?" he called out at last.
No reply.
His heart was pounding fast and his hands felt frozen. Sehun retraced his steps all the way to when they'd gone to bed. He'd told Luhan to move up onto the bed because the older hadn't wanted to sleep alone. That was the last thing he remembered from before having fallen into a dreamless state of sleep. Somehow during the time he'd been asleep Luhan had gone missing.
Had Kris and Tao come back? He wondered if they had, how had they gotten in without anyone having been there to open the door. Biting his lip hard enough for it to hurt, thus concluding this wasn't a dream in itself Sehun stepped to the entrance hall. The sneakers were gone.
But something had come to replace their absence: on the doormat was a note. Sehun swallowed, squatting to pick it up. His heart was still thudding in his chest like no tomorrow, but it wasn't as much from the exercise anymore as it was from fright. He was thoroughly worried about what had happened to the fawn-like young man. Opening the poorly folded piece of paper his eyes ran across the quickly, hardly precisely but yet quite meticulously and neatly written words that began smaller and grew larger toward the end of each line.
I'm sorry Sehun
I've caused you trouble but don't worry
See you, I'll drop by the cafe.
The fourth line was the shakiest, and it took Sehun a second to realize it was a phone number, not an actual sentence. He kept swallowing the thick saliva forming in his mouth, chewing his lip until he could taste blood.
Trouble? No trouble had come out of Luhan staying over, not really. Sure, Kris and Tao had appeared out of nowhere, but unless they'd come back and forced their way in that hardly counted as trouble.
He heard taps against the door and windows, lifting his gaze quickly, bouncing onto his feet. Not considering it at all the brunette speedily unlocked the door and pushed it open.
Gentle small raindrops poured down onto the walkway and the strip of overgrown grass, smudging the dark red letters of blood, the syllables running across parts of the lawn and the path to the street, his eyes fixed on the evenly sized thick puddles that jumped off the ground screaming their message to him: "Don't touch him."
Trouble.
Sehun swallowed, his brain flat lining.
Slowly the rain messed the words into a shallow sea of red that seeped to the grass and between the large square stone tiles, rendering it unreadable and inexistent everywhere but in his head. The scent of the downpour erased the thick odour of the blood, but it was stuck in his nostrils and made him feel sick with each inhale. The gag reaction brought him back to reality, and Sehun pressed his palm across his mouth, holding his breath, not even noticing how freezing cold his feet felt.
At last he managed to shift backward, pulling into the entrance hall, his other hand squeezing the note between his fingers. He swallowed the ill taste, the fresh wind gently stroking his hair and wrapping itself around him as if to embrace. Shivering, his senses beginning to return to reality the brunette pulled the door shut, standing still staring at the wooden surface.
He needed to get out of here. That was the first thing in his head, the only thing he could properly think of. Somewhere, anywhere else was better. The discomfort he felt toward his home had gotten a whole new meaning. His legs feeling like jelly Sehun climbed the stairs up, quickly picking his bag off the floor. He emptied it onto the mattress in favour of stuffing a clean shirt and underwear to the bottom, adding a book at random for something to do, and making sure his wallet and keys were back inside before flipping it shut. Rushed, he switched into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt at random, only now realizing the other's clothes were gone, too, as well as the shirt Luhan had borrowed.
Where to go? He hopped about on one foot pulling on a sock. He could go to the cafe - but Suho would most likely get really worried if he'd find Sehun back on the sofa. At a time like this the brunette was more than upset about never really having made friends.
The note remained on his bed where he'd abruptly dropped it in favour of freeing his hands. Quickly picking it up Sehun stared at the number at the end. He frowned, scrunched his nose, pursed his lips, and then dug his phone from the bag where he'd left it. Punching in the number Sehun listened to the busy ring back and then the female voice announcing the number was unavailable at the moment.
He cussed. What other options had he?
Jongin.
Throwing himself at the bag once more Sehun went through the pockets. At last he located the paper napkin in the pocket of the jeans he'd worn the previous day. It was broken where the corner had rubbed against the fabric, but the number was still intact.
Sehun stopped to consider. Did he really want to ask Jongin for a hand after what the other had brought upon him?
Jongin did owe him big time for this all.
He inserted the number, his hand shaking considerably. Somewhere else the phone he was trying to reach was ringing. Then, soon enough the line crackled and the lazy voice replied, "Uhhuh?"
"Jongin?" Sehun breathed out, feeling a mixture of relief and annoyance and panic.
"Hmm? Who is this?" replied the man at the other end.
"Sehun. Listen, I--"
"Huh? Sehun? What's up?"
"I need a place to stay. Just for a bit. Like, a few hours at most. Uh. I'll explain, but--"
Jongin spoke, but clearly to someone else, his voice a bit distant like he'd brought the phone a bit further: "I'll be right with you. Just sit tight, ok?"
"Jongin?" he asked, swallowing. Was this really okay?
"You said you need a place? I was just going home."
"Can I visit? I know it's a lot--"
"Yo, yo. Calm down. Breathe, you know? I don't think I've ever heard you talk that much." Jongin let a laugh.
The statement made sense. Sehun was certain he'd never spoken as much in his whole lifetime as he'd spoken with Luhan the previous day. The brilliant, politely behaving boy of the bottomless eyes had this strange effect on him, for sure.
"Anyway", the other continued, "I live pretty close to the cafe, so come there and I'll pick you up on the way, ok?"
"Thanks. Like. You've no idea."
"You'll have to explain yourself though."
"Anything."
"Don't promise stuff you can't handle", Jongin laughed and hung up.
Now equipped with a temporary plan of sorts Sehun picked a light cardigan off the hanger in his closet; pulling it on, the bag in one hand he rushed downstairs to push his feet into the sneakers. He picked an umbrella from a tall ceramic flowerpot by the door (his mother's eccentric idea of interior decoration that his father had quietly accepted), pushed the door open, and stormed into the rain without paying as much as a glance toward the dark red small puddles remaining amongst the grass.
He hit the early morning-slash-late night traffic jam, traveling in the packed subway with more wet umbrellas and people in 7-11 uniforms and other such clothing. Close by stood a young man, maybe a few years older than himself, suited up like Jongin the other night, reading a Korean-Chinese phrase-book. His pouty, focused face reminded the brunette of a squirrel. Sehun looked down at his own feet trying his best to ignore people, counting toward millions in his head to focus his mind into something different. One plus one is two, one plus two is three, two plus three is five, three plus five is eight... F (n)=F (n-1)+F (n-2) with F (0)=0 and F (1)=1; thus F20 is 6765.
He must've been mumbling aloud as the squirrel-like man peered his way curiously. Sehun pursed his lips and slid out of the subway as the doors opened.