Unlock Arc II - Chapter Thirteen
Title: Unlock Arc II
Authors:
renichifreak and
yeonah
Chapter: 13/?
Fandom: SS501, cameos by KARA, U-KISS, Super Junior and BEAST
Pairings: KyuSaeng, HyunMin, SooBum (may be other pairings in the future)
Rating: PG-16
Warning: Angst, AU, Fluff
Summary: Not everything is as it seems, and for those who are as far from normal as you can get, life is a bleak existence. The only ones who can truly understand what these individuals go through are those...just like them.
A/N: YoungSaeng and HyunJoong are played by
renichifreak and KyuJong and JungMin are played by me.
"Oh, this can't be good at all," HyunJoong muttered to himself as he walked down the hall to KyuJong's room, look of worry clear on his face. He was sure they had probably relayed the information to KyuJong about the meeting and his mandatory attendance, but he figured that he would still meet him and check on him and YoungSaeng.
Speaking of, he wasn't sure how YoungSaeng would react to KyuJong being away from him. If JungMin weren’t passed out like the dead, he would have brought him along, but as it was, he wasn't sure what to do.
Once he reached the room, he knocked on the door before opening it, peeking his head in. "Hey, you two."
KyuJong had tried to break the news to YoungSaeng that he would be gone for a few hours as gently as he could. He would have brought his boyfriend to stay with his parents, since YoungSaeng was comfortable around his mother, but both his parents were under watch by the hunters again and they all had been restricted to staying in the underground hideout for a while.
He hoped the meeting would be short, but from what HyunJoong had told him about previous meetings, they were anything but.
Rubbing YoungSaeng's back gently, KyuJong looked up at HyunJoong with a smile. "Hey. Time to go?" He didn't know what they wanted with him, but it was clear he wasn't being given a choice in attending.
It was difficult, but YoungSaeng knew that he had no choice but to agree to KyuJong leaving. 'It's only a couple hours,' he kept repeating to himself as HyunJoong arrived.
He didn't understand what they would want with KyuJong, but for his boyfriend's sake, he put on a strong face, which would likely crumble the instant he left the room. It had been a long time since he had been taken away from that place, but even now, the idea of being alone terrified him.
HyunJoong sighed before nodding. "Yeah. I wish I could tell you what to expect, but even I have no idea in this situation."
"Whatever it is, we'll deal with it," KyuJong smiled. He looked back YoungSaeng, lightly cupping his boyfriend's face and kissing the corner of his lips softly. He rarely kissed YoungSaeng fully on the lips, knowing that YoungSaeng wasn't comfortable with that much intimacy yet.
"I'll be back before you know it, okay?" he whispered. "If you need anything, RyeoWook's in the infirmary, and HyungJoon's with the others in the training room. JungMin?" He looked up at HyunJoong.
"Drooling on my pillow," HyunJoong remarked in an attempt to lighten the mood a little. "If you need to, you can go to my room and stay with him," he told YoungSaeng with a smile.
Trying to smile and failing miserably, YoungSaeng nodded his head before hesitantly kissing KyuJong as reassurance for them both. "I'll be okay."
Feeling YoungSaeng's lip brush ever so slightly against his own, KyuJong wanted nothing more than to tell HyunJoong, screw the meeting, he wasn't going anywhere. He didn't want to leave his boyfriend. YoungSaeng had been making progress, but KyuJong was still scared for him, so scared, no matter how well he hid it.
"It's just for a few hours, then I'll come right back," he whispered softly, touching their noses together in an eskimo kiss before reluctantly pulling back slowly. Drawing in a breath, he stood up, looking at HyunJoong. "Let's get this over with then."
Watching the two leave the room, YoungSaeng remained where he was sitting before slowly crawling out of bed. Shifting from one foot to the other nervously, he finally decided to simply take a shower, hoping that it would pass some time.
HyunJoong looked at KyuJong out of the corner of his eye as they walked toward the meeting room. While he understood why KyuJong was tense, he also knew that only part of it was due to the meeting. "How did he take it when you said you have to leave?" he finally asked.
KyuJong bit on his lower lip, hands stuffed into his pockets as he walked. "He tried to be okay about it...but...” YoungSaeng had no idea how easily KyuJong was able to read right past his expression, see the panic and fear in his boyfriend's eyes.
"Can we try and make this quick?" he asked, looking up at HyunJoong. He knew HyunJoong had no control over what happened, but he couldn't be away from YoungSaeng for too long.
"I'll get you out of there as quickly as possible. After all, technically, we're defying doctor's orders since both HaRa and Wookie have said that he needs to be by you until they say otherwise," HyunJoong pointed out. "If I have to sit there and listen to them drone on and on as usual, I will, so don't worry about a thing."
"Do they listen to HaRa and Wookie any better than they listen to you, though?" KyuJong asked. The people in their cell, he'd figured out, were something of a joke to the others at times. HaRa had never quite mastered the ability to make people outside the cell listen to her, too polite at times, and RyeoWook wasn't much better since he was tinier than practically everyone.
"They're a bunch of geezers who think that because they're older and were first generation that they automatically have seniority. I have never once seen them lift a finger to help anyone but themselves, and if I could, I would love to put them in their place," HyunJoong stated, angered as he thought about the disrespect his cell was shown when they managed to destroy one of the biggest hunter facilities in all of Korea.
"If you feel that you have to leave, do it. I'll deal with them."
Drawing in a breath, KyuJong nodded slightly. He would try to put up with it though, not wanting to leave HyunJoong to deal with the backlash of an abrupt departure. But he was feeling more apprehensive about this meeting by the second.
They reached the conference room finally, the door open. Slowing slightly as they walked in, KyuJong schooled his expression into politeness, looking at the group of people sitting around the table. All older than them.
Not bothering to bow to the men in the room, HyunJoong simply walked into the room, led KyuJong to a desk and motioned for him to sit in one of the two chairs there.
"We're here. What is so important that we have to disobey our medics for?" HyunJoong spoke up, getting straight to the point.
Sitting down, KyuJong looked at the different faces, seeing their contempt for HyunJoong there. Biting the inside of his cheek to remain silent, he turned his focus to one of the men who seemed to be their spokesperson as he sat up straighter.
"A week ago, one of our scouts was captured by hunters," the man said gruffly. "You would have already been aware of this if you have been tending to your reports as you should. SiYoon was one of our best scouts, and was privy to very sensitive information, so naturally we tried to track him down and pull him out of danger. Last night, SiYoon was killed after a week of heavy torture. We don't know if he spilled any information to the hunters."
Still not seeing what this had to do with him, KyuJong could feel dread growing at how the man's attention went to him.
"The risk that poses is too great to ignore, especially when we have the means to avoid it. Kim KyuJong, what is your power?"
KyuJong drew in a breath, chin up. "Time travel, sir."
He realized what they wanted with him a second before the man said it, heart dropping.
"Then we have a mission for you. Travel back in time, and prevent SiYoon from being captured. If capture can't be avoided, then kill him."
"SiYoon Hyung was captured at 9:43pm last Wednesday night outside of the nightclub downtown," HyunJoong stated glaring at the men. "Never say that I neglect my work and duties, Old Man, because I am far more up on information than you are."
When he addressed KyuJong, however, HyunJoong paled before getting to his feet quickly. "No. My cell are not to be used as your pawns, do you hear me?"
"Sit down, HyunJoong," one man demanded. "Hold your tongue, whelp."
"I will not sit back and allow you to order one of my team to kill a man."
"His first priority is to prevent his capture and subsequent torture and death," the first man spoke again sternly, as if HyunJoong didn't know what he was talking about. "If it is inevitable, a mercy killing is better than being left to the hunter's torture, both for him and for the information he carries."
KyuJong swallowed, sitting up straighter. "I'm sorry, but I can't go through with that," he said, trying to remain polite. "It's dangerous to change things that have already happened, the consequences-"
"-The consequences are saving one of our own from torture and death," he was overrun by one of the older men at the table. "We have considered the outcome of the mission, and none of the possibilities are even worth debating over."
"You can't know that," KyuJong shook his head, but he could see they wouldn't listen to him. He was only 17, how much could he know about his Gift?
Enough to know he changed the past once before, and a young boy disappeared into thin air because of him.
"You have not once considered the outcome properly. If you have, you would know that traveling and changing the past would only make things worse," HyunJoong debated. "And a mercy killing is still killing, or have you all forgotten that? And what kind of information did he know, because last I checked, he didn't know our location here since I was always sent to meet him above ground," HyunJoong pointed out.
The look on KyuJong's face alone told him that changing the past would not be a good thing and he would believe the younger boy since he knew his power better than anyone.
"He knew names of human supporters, and names of some trying to masquerade as human still. Preventing the past from happening could save not only his life, but also others who may have been found out," replied the older man.
"And you need to face the fact that while a mercy killing is still killing, it is infinitely better than torture that results in his death anyways. Or are you trying to tell us you would rather have his torture over your head than saving him from the pain?"
They were trying to back HyunJoong into a corner, KyuJong realized. If he refused to agree, it would be as if HyunJoong was the one condemning JiYoon to torture and death. They were removed of blame after suggesting an alternative. And if he did agree, it was no skin off their noses either; it would be KyuJong with blood on his hands, not them.
HyunJoong froze at that. In a sense, they were right, but he would much rather live with the guilt than make KyuJong. After all, he'd lived with a similar guilt for two years.
"You were the ones who taught me to never allow anyone to carry so much information along in case this were to happen. If anyone is to blame, it's you." Taking a breath, HyunJoong stared them all down. "JiYoon Hyung knew what he was getting himself into every time he would accept one of your missions. I refuse to sully his courage by risking any more people than we have to. From what I can see, the hunters are still scrambling due to the destruction of their facility. If they did indeed have the information, something would have happened by now because Hunters are anything but quiet," he argued logically.
"Hunters are capable of bidding their time; they know they can't afford any mistakes now that their facility has been destroyed. Your faith in their stupidity is blind."
One of the other men near the end of the table leaned forward, eyes on KyuJong. "Kim KyuJong, you are the one we are speaking to, not your cell leader. You wouldn't use your power to save a comrade from death?"
KyuJong met his eyes. "I am sorry, but I can't do anything for you," he said quietly.
"Then you are no better than a hunter," the man told him coldly. KyuJong managed not to flinch, gaze lowering.
The sound of HyunJoong slamming his hands against the desk rang throughout the room, even startling a few of the elders. While HyunJoong was loud and spoke out of turn far more than they liked, he was never violent, whether it be to others, or inanimate objects.
"Don't you ever say something like that again to one of mine, do you understand me?" he all but growled, eyes hard. "You may hate it, but here, I am the one in charge and you defer to me, not the other way around."
He looked over at KyuJong. "Kyu, go back to Saeng. You don't have to be here anymore if you don't want to be," he murmured.
Besides, this was a side of himself that he didn't want anyone to see.
Looking up at HyunJoong, KyuJong swallowed. He wanted to get out of this room, but he didn't want to leave HyunJoong to these people. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly, eyes wide and worried. The others were arguing, and he'd stopped trying to focus on what they were saying, head pounding.
Calming down a bit, HyunJoong smiled slightly at KyuJong before nodding his head. "Go on. I can handle this. Take off while they're bitching at each other. And if you run into anyone, have them check on Min cause I have no idea how long this'll take."
Biting on his lower lip, KyuJong nodded and stood up. He ignored the older men in the room as he left, shoulders stiff and head spinning.
They wanted him to risk going back in time...and possibly kill someone. JiYoon. Whoever he was, he was now dead, and they wanted KyuJong to either fix it, or kill him even quicker.
And what was worse was that they had made perfect sense. Wasn't it better to end JiYoon's suffering if he's just going to die anyways? And at least try to save him? But there was no telling what could happen if he went back, even so much as a week in time.
And no matter what now, he would feel like he'd killed JiYoon with his own two hands, because even if he did nothing, he'd always wonder if he could have saved a life.
Drawing in breaths to calm himself down, KyuJong managed a tight-lipped smile when he ran into Nicole, passing on HyunJoong's message to check on JungMin. He had to get back to YoungSaeng. It hadn't seemed like they were there for long, but it had been in reality well over an hour.
KyuJong stopped outside the door to their room to make sure he didn't appear as distressed as he felt, before opening the door.
The past hour and forty minutes had been absolute hell for YoungSaeng. After his shower and subsequent mirror avoidance, he had dressed in not his clothes, but KyuJong's, not caring that they were far too big due to KyuJong being taller and more filled out than he was. Not helping calm him like he hoped, YoungSaeng had taken to pacing, which only tired him out.
He considered checking on JungMin, but let his friend sleep, knowing that rest would help him in the long run. Finally, he gave up and curled up in bed, buried under the blankets pretending that the warmth surrounding him was KyuJong.
When the door opened, YoungSaeng's eyes shot open and he looked to see KyuJong enter. Scrambling out of bed, he ran straight for KyuJong, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in his boyfriend's shoulder, relief washing over him.
"You okay? Did it go okay? What'd they want?" he asked, rambling as he tried to calm his frayed nerves.
KyuJong nearly fell backwards at the sudden near-tackle, eyes widening as he quickly wrapped his arms around YoungSaeng's frame. Looking down at his boyfriend, his heart broke in his chest, throat constricting. The older boy's distress was as clear as day, fear in the way he clung to KyuJong like his life depended on it.
YoungSaeng hadn't gotten better after all.
"It's fine, everything's fine," KyuJong said, hugging YoungSaeng close and kissing the top of his head. "They wanted me to go on some mission, I told them no, and HyunJoong's putting them in their place right now. Everything's fine, Saengie," he rocked his boyfriend back and forth.
"You sure?" YoungSaeng asked, not pulling away from the comfort his boyfriend gave him. He could tell than something was wrong, but remained quiet, knowing that KyuJong would tell him if he needed to.
At that thought, YoungSaeng paused, realizing that in fact, he might not if he felt that it would be too much for YoungSaeng to handle on top of everything else.
It took a few minutes before he felt stable enough to pull away a bit, but he managed it. "Kyu yah, you can still talk to me if you have to..." he replied, eyes meeting his boyfriend's.
In the few minutes it had taken for YoungSaeng to pull away, KyuJong had schooled his expression back to normal. The perfect actor, he smiled softly and kissed YoungSaeng's forehead. "I know," he whispered softly. "Let's go sit down, okay?" He reached behind him to close the door, before drawing YoungSaeng towards the bed with a gentle touch.
Nodding his head at the suggestion and leaning into the gently touch, YoungSaeng let KyuJong lead him to the bed. Sitting down, he tugged on KyuJong's arm, pulling him down as well. Once they were both seated, YoungSaeng dropped his head onto KyuJong's shoulder and closing his eyes, playing with the hand held in his own.
KyuJong held YoungSaeng close, running his free hand along the older boy's arm and whispering soft reassurances into his ear. YoungSaeng didn't need to know what had happened in the meeting; KyuJong didn't have to tell him about it, as YoungSaeng had phrased his sentence. There was no way YoungSaeng would take what had happened easily, and KyuJong's heart was breaking enough without seeing any more distress in his boyfriend's eyes.
"Feel better?" he whispered after a few minutes, kissing the top of YoungSaeng's head.
"A little," YoungSaeng explained quietly, finally relaxing completely. "I was just panicky because that's the longest we've been apart and I didn't know what to do," he explained.
The time traveler closed his eyes, nuzzling against YoungSaeng's hair softly. "You didn't want to go see the others?" he asked quietly.
"I didn't want to disturb JungMin ah since he needs to rest as much as possible," YoungSaeng explained before pausing. "And I don't really know the others well enough yet to be comfortable without you there."
KyuJong wanted to point out that YoungSaeng knew HyungJoon, HaRa and Nicole, but his voice was stuck in his throat. Swallowing, he nodded a little and kissed YoungSaeng's temple lightly again. "Why don't you get some sleep, you'll feel better when you wake up," he whispered.
Although he wasn't sure of his own words. When YoungSaeng woke up, it would probably be the exact same again, and it killed KyuJong to be completely unable to help.
Knowing KyuJong as well as he did, YoungSaeng shrugged his shoulders. "They're always with the others," he said. "Maybe with a little more time, I'll be able to." Or a lot if what just happened was anything to go by.
"Will you sleep, too?" he asked, moving to look up at him. "From what I've heard, those meetings are anything but stress-free." He lay down, however, pulling KyuJong down as well.
"I will," KyuJong nodded, though he knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep right away. He didn't believe YoungSaeng when he said it would just take a little more time, not responding to the older boy's words.
Instead he pulled the blanket up over them, tucking his boyfriend in gently and kissing his forehead. "Get some sleep," he whispered, shifting slightly to tuck YoungSaeng's head under his chin like always.
Settling in, YoungSaeng closed his eyes and carefully allowed his breathing to even out. Now that he was calm, he noticed that there were a few things that KyuJong was carefully avoiding and he couldn't help but feel hurt by not being trusted anymore. Had he really fallen that far?
Listening to YoungSaeng's breathing even out, KyuJong gaze remained half-focused on the headful of black hair. Not needing to pretend to be okay anymore, KyuJong bit down on his lower lip, his expression wavering now that YoungSaeng couldn't see it anymore.
He had thought YoungSaeng was getting better...hoped he was getting better. The time traveler wasn't an idiot; he knew it would take a long time to get over those past two years. But they were past the second month, halfway through the third, and YoungSaeng couldn't be in even HyungJoon's, HaRa's or Nicole's company without KyuJong there. His voice was so quiet he could hardly be understood, he wouldn't allow anyone other than KyuJong or his mother to touch him (and even then, KyuJong knew to be careful), and less than two hours separated in a familiar location made the older man fall apart.
Progress was so slow, it seemed there was no progress at all. And KyuJong, usually optimistic, couldn't help but wonder if he would ever get his boyfriend back.
He couldn't help YoungSaeng at all. Nothing he did was helping.
Tears spilt over KyuJong's cheeks, and the time traveler had to bite down harder on his lip to keep from making any sound. It wasn't clear if it was because of the breakdown, the meeting, or everything all at once, but the tears wouldn't stop. Little by little, he was losing the boy he loved. And it didn't look like he would ever get him back.
Resting his face lightly against the soft black hair, the tears kept coming. There was no sound other than a slightly unsteady breath and the occasional sniff, no movement other than a slight trembling in his shoulders. But even though the tears were silent, the heart breaking to pieces in KyuJong's chest wasn't.
He had no idea how long he lied there, breathing in the smell of shampoo in YoungSaeng's hair. KyuJong had enough sense to turn his head to the side, rubbing his face against the pillow to remove the incriminating tears from his red cheeks, before burying his face against YoungSaeng's hair again. He clutched his boyfriend close to his chest as he finally fell into an uneasy sleep, as if he could still somehow protect him.
Once he was sure KyuJong had fallen asleep beyond his breathing, YoungSaeng finally opened his eyes slowly. He shifted carefully to keep from waking his boyfriend and took in the swollen eyes and flushed face, his heart falling apart right then and there.
It was his fault that KyuJong had been crying. He was the one who hurt the usually well-composed young man to the point of tears.
Maybe he wasn't trying hard enough to get better. Maybe he needed to just suck it up when people were too close for his liking, or eat more even when he felt like he would throw up from the small amount he was given.
Maybe if he wasn't so weak he could move past things, if just for KyuJong, because it hurt so damn much to know that KyuJong was so close to the point where he figured that YoungSaeng was beyond saving.
Closing his eyes and fighting back the tears of his own, YoungSaeng hid his face against KyuJong's collarbone, falling asleep for real this time.
Authors:
renichifreak and
yeonah
Chapter: 13/?
Fandom: SS501, cameos by KARA, U-KISS, Super Junior and BEAST
Pairings: KyuSaeng, HyunMin, SooBum (may be other pairings in the future)
Rating: PG-16
Warning: Angst, AU, Fluff
Summary: Not everything is as it seems, and for those who are as far from normal as you can get, life is a bleak existence. The only ones who can truly understand what these individuals go through are those...just like them.
A/N: YoungSaeng and HyunJoong are played by
renichifreak and KyuJong and JungMin are played by me.
"Oh, this can't be good at all," HyunJoong muttered to himself as he walked down the hall to KyuJong's room, look of worry clear on his face. He was sure they had probably relayed the information to KyuJong about the meeting and his mandatory attendance, but he figured that he would still meet him and check on him and YoungSaeng.
Speaking of, he wasn't sure how YoungSaeng would react to KyuJong being away from him. If JungMin weren’t passed out like the dead, he would have brought him along, but as it was, he wasn't sure what to do.
Once he reached the room, he knocked on the door before opening it, peeking his head in. "Hey, you two."
KyuJong had tried to break the news to YoungSaeng that he would be gone for a few hours as gently as he could. He would have brought his boyfriend to stay with his parents, since YoungSaeng was comfortable around his mother, but both his parents were under watch by the hunters again and they all had been restricted to staying in the underground hideout for a while.
He hoped the meeting would be short, but from what HyunJoong had told him about previous meetings, they were anything but.
Rubbing YoungSaeng's back gently, KyuJong looked up at HyunJoong with a smile. "Hey. Time to go?" He didn't know what they wanted with him, but it was clear he wasn't being given a choice in attending.
It was difficult, but YoungSaeng knew that he had no choice but to agree to KyuJong leaving. 'It's only a couple hours,' he kept repeating to himself as HyunJoong arrived.
He didn't understand what they would want with KyuJong, but for his boyfriend's sake, he put on a strong face, which would likely crumble the instant he left the room. It had been a long time since he had been taken away from that place, but even now, the idea of being alone terrified him.
HyunJoong sighed before nodding. "Yeah. I wish I could tell you what to expect, but even I have no idea in this situation."
"Whatever it is, we'll deal with it," KyuJong smiled. He looked back YoungSaeng, lightly cupping his boyfriend's face and kissing the corner of his lips softly. He rarely kissed YoungSaeng fully on the lips, knowing that YoungSaeng wasn't comfortable with that much intimacy yet.
"I'll be back before you know it, okay?" he whispered. "If you need anything, RyeoWook's in the infirmary, and HyungJoon's with the others in the training room. JungMin?" He looked up at HyunJoong.
"Drooling on my pillow," HyunJoong remarked in an attempt to lighten the mood a little. "If you need to, you can go to my room and stay with him," he told YoungSaeng with a smile.
Trying to smile and failing miserably, YoungSaeng nodded his head before hesitantly kissing KyuJong as reassurance for them both. "I'll be okay."
Feeling YoungSaeng's lip brush ever so slightly against his own, KyuJong wanted nothing more than to tell HyunJoong, screw the meeting, he wasn't going anywhere. He didn't want to leave his boyfriend. YoungSaeng had been making progress, but KyuJong was still scared for him, so scared, no matter how well he hid it.
"It's just for a few hours, then I'll come right back," he whispered softly, touching their noses together in an eskimo kiss before reluctantly pulling back slowly. Drawing in a breath, he stood up, looking at HyunJoong. "Let's get this over with then."
Watching the two leave the room, YoungSaeng remained where he was sitting before slowly crawling out of bed. Shifting from one foot to the other nervously, he finally decided to simply take a shower, hoping that it would pass some time.
HyunJoong looked at KyuJong out of the corner of his eye as they walked toward the meeting room. While he understood why KyuJong was tense, he also knew that only part of it was due to the meeting. "How did he take it when you said you have to leave?" he finally asked.
KyuJong bit on his lower lip, hands stuffed into his pockets as he walked. "He tried to be okay about it...but...” YoungSaeng had no idea how easily KyuJong was able to read right past his expression, see the panic and fear in his boyfriend's eyes.
"Can we try and make this quick?" he asked, looking up at HyunJoong. He knew HyunJoong had no control over what happened, but he couldn't be away from YoungSaeng for too long.
"I'll get you out of there as quickly as possible. After all, technically, we're defying doctor's orders since both HaRa and Wookie have said that he needs to be by you until they say otherwise," HyunJoong pointed out. "If I have to sit there and listen to them drone on and on as usual, I will, so don't worry about a thing."
"Do they listen to HaRa and Wookie any better than they listen to you, though?" KyuJong asked. The people in their cell, he'd figured out, were something of a joke to the others at times. HaRa had never quite mastered the ability to make people outside the cell listen to her, too polite at times, and RyeoWook wasn't much better since he was tinier than practically everyone.
"They're a bunch of geezers who think that because they're older and were first generation that they automatically have seniority. I have never once seen them lift a finger to help anyone but themselves, and if I could, I would love to put them in their place," HyunJoong stated, angered as he thought about the disrespect his cell was shown when they managed to destroy one of the biggest hunter facilities in all of Korea.
"If you feel that you have to leave, do it. I'll deal with them."
Drawing in a breath, KyuJong nodded slightly. He would try to put up with it though, not wanting to leave HyunJoong to deal with the backlash of an abrupt departure. But he was feeling more apprehensive about this meeting by the second.
They reached the conference room finally, the door open. Slowing slightly as they walked in, KyuJong schooled his expression into politeness, looking at the group of people sitting around the table. All older than them.
Not bothering to bow to the men in the room, HyunJoong simply walked into the room, led KyuJong to a desk and motioned for him to sit in one of the two chairs there.
"We're here. What is so important that we have to disobey our medics for?" HyunJoong spoke up, getting straight to the point.
Sitting down, KyuJong looked at the different faces, seeing their contempt for HyunJoong there. Biting the inside of his cheek to remain silent, he turned his focus to one of the men who seemed to be their spokesperson as he sat up straighter.
"A week ago, one of our scouts was captured by hunters," the man said gruffly. "You would have already been aware of this if you have been tending to your reports as you should. SiYoon was one of our best scouts, and was privy to very sensitive information, so naturally we tried to track him down and pull him out of danger. Last night, SiYoon was killed after a week of heavy torture. We don't know if he spilled any information to the hunters."
Still not seeing what this had to do with him, KyuJong could feel dread growing at how the man's attention went to him.
"The risk that poses is too great to ignore, especially when we have the means to avoid it. Kim KyuJong, what is your power?"
KyuJong drew in a breath, chin up. "Time travel, sir."
He realized what they wanted with him a second before the man said it, heart dropping.
"Then we have a mission for you. Travel back in time, and prevent SiYoon from being captured. If capture can't be avoided, then kill him."
"SiYoon Hyung was captured at 9:43pm last Wednesday night outside of the nightclub downtown," HyunJoong stated glaring at the men. "Never say that I neglect my work and duties, Old Man, because I am far more up on information than you are."
When he addressed KyuJong, however, HyunJoong paled before getting to his feet quickly. "No. My cell are not to be used as your pawns, do you hear me?"
"Sit down, HyunJoong," one man demanded. "Hold your tongue, whelp."
"I will not sit back and allow you to order one of my team to kill a man."
"His first priority is to prevent his capture and subsequent torture and death," the first man spoke again sternly, as if HyunJoong didn't know what he was talking about. "If it is inevitable, a mercy killing is better than being left to the hunter's torture, both for him and for the information he carries."
KyuJong swallowed, sitting up straighter. "I'm sorry, but I can't go through with that," he said, trying to remain polite. "It's dangerous to change things that have already happened, the consequences-"
"-The consequences are saving one of our own from torture and death," he was overrun by one of the older men at the table. "We have considered the outcome of the mission, and none of the possibilities are even worth debating over."
"You can't know that," KyuJong shook his head, but he could see they wouldn't listen to him. He was only 17, how much could he know about his Gift?
Enough to know he changed the past once before, and a young boy disappeared into thin air because of him.
"You have not once considered the outcome properly. If you have, you would know that traveling and changing the past would only make things worse," HyunJoong debated. "And a mercy killing is still killing, or have you all forgotten that? And what kind of information did he know, because last I checked, he didn't know our location here since I was always sent to meet him above ground," HyunJoong pointed out.
The look on KyuJong's face alone told him that changing the past would not be a good thing and he would believe the younger boy since he knew his power better than anyone.
"He knew names of human supporters, and names of some trying to masquerade as human still. Preventing the past from happening could save not only his life, but also others who may have been found out," replied the older man.
"And you need to face the fact that while a mercy killing is still killing, it is infinitely better than torture that results in his death anyways. Or are you trying to tell us you would rather have his torture over your head than saving him from the pain?"
They were trying to back HyunJoong into a corner, KyuJong realized. If he refused to agree, it would be as if HyunJoong was the one condemning JiYoon to torture and death. They were removed of blame after suggesting an alternative. And if he did agree, it was no skin off their noses either; it would be KyuJong with blood on his hands, not them.
HyunJoong froze at that. In a sense, they were right, but he would much rather live with the guilt than make KyuJong. After all, he'd lived with a similar guilt for two years.
"You were the ones who taught me to never allow anyone to carry so much information along in case this were to happen. If anyone is to blame, it's you." Taking a breath, HyunJoong stared them all down. "JiYoon Hyung knew what he was getting himself into every time he would accept one of your missions. I refuse to sully his courage by risking any more people than we have to. From what I can see, the hunters are still scrambling due to the destruction of their facility. If they did indeed have the information, something would have happened by now because Hunters are anything but quiet," he argued logically.
"Hunters are capable of bidding their time; they know they can't afford any mistakes now that their facility has been destroyed. Your faith in their stupidity is blind."
One of the other men near the end of the table leaned forward, eyes on KyuJong. "Kim KyuJong, you are the one we are speaking to, not your cell leader. You wouldn't use your power to save a comrade from death?"
KyuJong met his eyes. "I am sorry, but I can't do anything for you," he said quietly.
"Then you are no better than a hunter," the man told him coldly. KyuJong managed not to flinch, gaze lowering.
The sound of HyunJoong slamming his hands against the desk rang throughout the room, even startling a few of the elders. While HyunJoong was loud and spoke out of turn far more than they liked, he was never violent, whether it be to others, or inanimate objects.
"Don't you ever say something like that again to one of mine, do you understand me?" he all but growled, eyes hard. "You may hate it, but here, I am the one in charge and you defer to me, not the other way around."
He looked over at KyuJong. "Kyu, go back to Saeng. You don't have to be here anymore if you don't want to be," he murmured.
Besides, this was a side of himself that he didn't want anyone to see.
Looking up at HyunJoong, KyuJong swallowed. He wanted to get out of this room, but he didn't want to leave HyunJoong to these people. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly, eyes wide and worried. The others were arguing, and he'd stopped trying to focus on what they were saying, head pounding.
Calming down a bit, HyunJoong smiled slightly at KyuJong before nodding his head. "Go on. I can handle this. Take off while they're bitching at each other. And if you run into anyone, have them check on Min cause I have no idea how long this'll take."
Biting on his lower lip, KyuJong nodded and stood up. He ignored the older men in the room as he left, shoulders stiff and head spinning.
They wanted him to risk going back in time...and possibly kill someone. JiYoon. Whoever he was, he was now dead, and they wanted KyuJong to either fix it, or kill him even quicker.
And what was worse was that they had made perfect sense. Wasn't it better to end JiYoon's suffering if he's just going to die anyways? And at least try to save him? But there was no telling what could happen if he went back, even so much as a week in time.
And no matter what now, he would feel like he'd killed JiYoon with his own two hands, because even if he did nothing, he'd always wonder if he could have saved a life.
Drawing in breaths to calm himself down, KyuJong managed a tight-lipped smile when he ran into Nicole, passing on HyunJoong's message to check on JungMin. He had to get back to YoungSaeng. It hadn't seemed like they were there for long, but it had been in reality well over an hour.
KyuJong stopped outside the door to their room to make sure he didn't appear as distressed as he felt, before opening the door.
The past hour and forty minutes had been absolute hell for YoungSaeng. After his shower and subsequent mirror avoidance, he had dressed in not his clothes, but KyuJong's, not caring that they were far too big due to KyuJong being taller and more filled out than he was. Not helping calm him like he hoped, YoungSaeng had taken to pacing, which only tired him out.
He considered checking on JungMin, but let his friend sleep, knowing that rest would help him in the long run. Finally, he gave up and curled up in bed, buried under the blankets pretending that the warmth surrounding him was KyuJong.
When the door opened, YoungSaeng's eyes shot open and he looked to see KyuJong enter. Scrambling out of bed, he ran straight for KyuJong, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in his boyfriend's shoulder, relief washing over him.
"You okay? Did it go okay? What'd they want?" he asked, rambling as he tried to calm his frayed nerves.
KyuJong nearly fell backwards at the sudden near-tackle, eyes widening as he quickly wrapped his arms around YoungSaeng's frame. Looking down at his boyfriend, his heart broke in his chest, throat constricting. The older boy's distress was as clear as day, fear in the way he clung to KyuJong like his life depended on it.
YoungSaeng hadn't gotten better after all.
"It's fine, everything's fine," KyuJong said, hugging YoungSaeng close and kissing the top of his head. "They wanted me to go on some mission, I told them no, and HyunJoong's putting them in their place right now. Everything's fine, Saengie," he rocked his boyfriend back and forth.
"You sure?" YoungSaeng asked, not pulling away from the comfort his boyfriend gave him. He could tell than something was wrong, but remained quiet, knowing that KyuJong would tell him if he needed to.
At that thought, YoungSaeng paused, realizing that in fact, he might not if he felt that it would be too much for YoungSaeng to handle on top of everything else.
It took a few minutes before he felt stable enough to pull away a bit, but he managed it. "Kyu yah, you can still talk to me if you have to..." he replied, eyes meeting his boyfriend's.
In the few minutes it had taken for YoungSaeng to pull away, KyuJong had schooled his expression back to normal. The perfect actor, he smiled softly and kissed YoungSaeng's forehead. "I know," he whispered softly. "Let's go sit down, okay?" He reached behind him to close the door, before drawing YoungSaeng towards the bed with a gentle touch.
Nodding his head at the suggestion and leaning into the gently touch, YoungSaeng let KyuJong lead him to the bed. Sitting down, he tugged on KyuJong's arm, pulling him down as well. Once they were both seated, YoungSaeng dropped his head onto KyuJong's shoulder and closing his eyes, playing with the hand held in his own.
KyuJong held YoungSaeng close, running his free hand along the older boy's arm and whispering soft reassurances into his ear. YoungSaeng didn't need to know what had happened in the meeting; KyuJong didn't have to tell him about it, as YoungSaeng had phrased his sentence. There was no way YoungSaeng would take what had happened easily, and KyuJong's heart was breaking enough without seeing any more distress in his boyfriend's eyes.
"Feel better?" he whispered after a few minutes, kissing the top of YoungSaeng's head.
"A little," YoungSaeng explained quietly, finally relaxing completely. "I was just panicky because that's the longest we've been apart and I didn't know what to do," he explained.
The time traveler closed his eyes, nuzzling against YoungSaeng's hair softly. "You didn't want to go see the others?" he asked quietly.
"I didn't want to disturb JungMin ah since he needs to rest as much as possible," YoungSaeng explained before pausing. "And I don't really know the others well enough yet to be comfortable without you there."
KyuJong wanted to point out that YoungSaeng knew HyungJoon, HaRa and Nicole, but his voice was stuck in his throat. Swallowing, he nodded a little and kissed YoungSaeng's temple lightly again. "Why don't you get some sleep, you'll feel better when you wake up," he whispered.
Although he wasn't sure of his own words. When YoungSaeng woke up, it would probably be the exact same again, and it killed KyuJong to be completely unable to help.
Knowing KyuJong as well as he did, YoungSaeng shrugged his shoulders. "They're always with the others," he said. "Maybe with a little more time, I'll be able to." Or a lot if what just happened was anything to go by.
"Will you sleep, too?" he asked, moving to look up at him. "From what I've heard, those meetings are anything but stress-free." He lay down, however, pulling KyuJong down as well.
"I will," KyuJong nodded, though he knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep right away. He didn't believe YoungSaeng when he said it would just take a little more time, not responding to the older boy's words.
Instead he pulled the blanket up over them, tucking his boyfriend in gently and kissing his forehead. "Get some sleep," he whispered, shifting slightly to tuck YoungSaeng's head under his chin like always.
Settling in, YoungSaeng closed his eyes and carefully allowed his breathing to even out. Now that he was calm, he noticed that there were a few things that KyuJong was carefully avoiding and he couldn't help but feel hurt by not being trusted anymore. Had he really fallen that far?
Listening to YoungSaeng's breathing even out, KyuJong gaze remained half-focused on the headful of black hair. Not needing to pretend to be okay anymore, KyuJong bit down on his lower lip, his expression wavering now that YoungSaeng couldn't see it anymore.
He had thought YoungSaeng was getting better...hoped he was getting better. The time traveler wasn't an idiot; he knew it would take a long time to get over those past two years. But they were past the second month, halfway through the third, and YoungSaeng couldn't be in even HyungJoon's, HaRa's or Nicole's company without KyuJong there. His voice was so quiet he could hardly be understood, he wouldn't allow anyone other than KyuJong or his mother to touch him (and even then, KyuJong knew to be careful), and less than two hours separated in a familiar location made the older man fall apart.
Progress was so slow, it seemed there was no progress at all. And KyuJong, usually optimistic, couldn't help but wonder if he would ever get his boyfriend back.
He couldn't help YoungSaeng at all. Nothing he did was helping.
Tears spilt over KyuJong's cheeks, and the time traveler had to bite down harder on his lip to keep from making any sound. It wasn't clear if it was because of the breakdown, the meeting, or everything all at once, but the tears wouldn't stop. Little by little, he was losing the boy he loved. And it didn't look like he would ever get him back.
Resting his face lightly against the soft black hair, the tears kept coming. There was no sound other than a slightly unsteady breath and the occasional sniff, no movement other than a slight trembling in his shoulders. But even though the tears were silent, the heart breaking to pieces in KyuJong's chest wasn't.
He had no idea how long he lied there, breathing in the smell of shampoo in YoungSaeng's hair. KyuJong had enough sense to turn his head to the side, rubbing his face against the pillow to remove the incriminating tears from his red cheeks, before burying his face against YoungSaeng's hair again. He clutched his boyfriend close to his chest as he finally fell into an uneasy sleep, as if he could still somehow protect him.
Once he was sure KyuJong had fallen asleep beyond his breathing, YoungSaeng finally opened his eyes slowly. He shifted carefully to keep from waking his boyfriend and took in the swollen eyes and flushed face, his heart falling apart right then and there.
It was his fault that KyuJong had been crying. He was the one who hurt the usually well-composed young man to the point of tears.
Maybe he wasn't trying hard enough to get better. Maybe he needed to just suck it up when people were too close for his liking, or eat more even when he felt like he would throw up from the small amount he was given.
Maybe if he wasn't so weak he could move past things, if just for KyuJong, because it hurt so damn much to know that KyuJong was so close to the point where he figured that YoungSaeng was beyond saving.
Closing his eyes and fighting back the tears of his own, YoungSaeng hid his face against KyuJong's collarbone, falling asleep for real this time.