Unlock - Chapter Thirty-Six
Title: Unlock
Authors: renichifreak and yeonah
Chapter: 36/?
Fandom: SS501, cameos by KARA
Pairings: KyuSaeng, HyunMin (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. Updates will be every Wednesday <3
HyunJoong barely felt himself being laid down, but once his back hit the mattress and HaRa used her power on him, something within him suddenly snapped. Internally it was almost as if a giant door slammed shut, blocking everything he was feeling. With a loud gasp, his eyes shot open before he relaxed a moment later, breath labored and pulse far too rapid, almost as though he'd run for hours without stopping.
YoungSaeng caught KyuJong when he fell, making sure he was all right before feeling something inside him shut down. It was still there, but he couldn't reach it.
It was then that all eyes turned to the bed.
JungMin stared at HyunJoong with wide eyes before his gaze fell to the light bulb gripped in bare fingertips. There wasn't even a flicker of electricity; not in the glass, in his fingers, anywhere. The buzzing under his skin had disappeared. Staring uncomprehendingly, his hands started to shake as he scrambled to take his other glove off, gripping the light bulb’s base with both hands to be sure. There was no reaction.
KyuJong slowly sat up straight, feeling like he'd been in a car on the highway that had suddenly slammed to a stop. "What...just happened?" he asked slowly, feeling like something was missing yet not sure what. His eyes were trained on the bed, going from HyunJoong to the dead light bulb in JungMin's hands.
YoungSaeng looked at everyone in the room, all as confused as he was. There was no possible explanation for what just happened, except one. "I'm not sure, but I think HyunJoong did something..." he murmured.
HyunJoong listened as they spoke, barely able to remain awake, but if what he thought had happened actually did, then he didn't want to end it so soon. Slowly, considering the fact that his arm felt like lead, HyunJoong lifted his arm and held his hand out to JungMin.
"Grab my hand."
Looking away from the light bulb, JungMin's gaze landed on the offered hand, eyes wide behind his bangs. His own hands were shaking hard as he tried to figure out what had happened. There was no electricity. He couldn't feel it. There hadn't been an instant since he was nine where he hadn't felt at least a faint buzz in his veins, but there was absolutely nothing now.
Swallowing against the dryness in his throat, JungMin looked down at the light bulb again, placing it down on the mattress carefully. His gaze returned to HyunJoong's face, then to the older boy's hand. Actually doing what he had been told to do was harder than he thought, a nagging worry at the back of his head that this was a bad idea, a very bad idea; if the electricity suddenly came back it would shoot out of him without control.
The others were silent as JungMin hesitantly reached out, pausing for an instant before feeling his fingertips brush against HyunJoong's. When there was no sudden spark of electricity, he reached out a little further, just enough for his palm to brush against HyunJoong's before his fingers curled around the other's own, his eyes widening just a little more.
HyunJoong's arm began to shake, as his strength was all but gone and he could barely hold his arm up, but slowly, JungMin took his hand. Smiling at the redhead, he tightened the hold.
"I'm not sure what happened here, but I think I just blocked your powers," he murmured, voice beginning to slur through the haze in his mind. "'t's like they're locked up, though I doubt it'll stay that was once I'm out..."
JungMin was trying not to be distracted from HyunJoong's words, but it was hard, eyes returning to the hand holding his with a sense of wonder. Nodding, he held HyunJoong's hand in both of his own, marveling at the feel of the older boy's skin.
"Locked?" KyuJong prodded at the space where his gift usually was, only to find nothing there. It felt strange...a part of him was missing, like an arm or a leg.
"Woah." HyungJoon blinked, and then noticed that HyunJoong was having trouble staying with them. "Maybe you should...uh...unlock them, before you pass out?"
Blinking a few times to focus, HyunJoong looked at the hands holding his and sighed before nodding his head. "I don't even know how I did it in the first place, but I can try..."
"Would we be able to wait just a little bit longer, though?" YoungSaeng asked suddenly, drawing the group's attention. "Please?" He was looking at the joined hands, knowing exactly what must be going on in his friend's mind at finally being able to touch someone without the buffer of leather gloves.
JungMin wasn't fully paying attention to what was being said. Holding HyunJoong's hand palm up, he traced along the lines of his skin, played lightly with the other boy's fingers curling and uncurling them, and threaded his own fingers through the spaces in between. Finally he just switched his grip around so that he could clasp their hands together completely, fingers intertwined and thumb brushing the back of HyunJoong's hand.
Finally he managed to rouse himself enough to realize what had been said, eyes flickering up to HyunJoong's face and how close he was to losing consciousness. Biting his lower lip, JungMin nodded a little and reluctantly pulled his hands back, withdrawing them into his lap.
Feeling his stomach drop as JungMin pulled away, HyunJoong managed to push himself up a bit. "Once I figure out how I did it, me and you'll practice it, 'kay?" he told him, only loud enough for JungMin to hear. Taking a deep breath, HyunJoong closed his eyes and tried to open the door that had slammed shut. After a moment, he managed to do it, but it took the last of his energy to do so as he finally passed out.
Lips quivering slightly, JungMin drew in a breath as he felt the electricity come surging back. As expected, it tried to shoot out of his hands and he pressed them further into his lap to stop the sparks from going too far. Watching HaRa check HyunJoong's temperature, he picked up his gloves with trembling hands and pulled them back on, the leather feeling too rough now.
A little caught off-guard by the sudden return of his gift, KyuJong's form flickered for a moment before solidifying. "We should probably get him to his room," he said, standing.
"I want to get rid of his fever, but I'm not sure if using my healing would be productive at this point," HaRa frowned, looking down at the unconscious boy.
YoungSaeng sighed as he felt his power rush back, darkening his eyes slightly before relaxing again. Looking at HyunJoong, he tilted his head. "I don't think his power can be active if he's unconscious, so if you were going to try something, even just reducing the fever, now would probably be the best time to try," he suggested to HaRa.
Looking at JungMin, he smiled softly. "I think you're the only one strong enough to carry him back, Min. Kyu and HyungJoon are still out of it from their powers."
JungMin nodded, biting his lower lip as he carefully made sure his sleeves and turtleneck covered as much skin as possible before shifting slightly. "Someone help get him on my back then?"
KyuJong tottered over, and between him and HaRa they were able to get HyunJoong sitting up and then leaning against JungMin's back, the redhead getting a secure grip on his legs before standing carefully. HaRa followed him to the door, so that she could heal HyunJoong once he was in his room.
Stepping out into the hallway, JungMin headed down to HyunJoong's room and waited for HaRa to open the door. The roommate wasn't in, so JungMin padded over to HyunJoong's bed and sat down on the edge. HaRa helped him get HyunJoong off his back and lying down, tucked under the bed sheets.
JungMin watched as HaRa used her healing to ease the flush in HyunJoong's face and return him to a somewhat more healthy color. Sighing finally, she straightened. "I got the edge off of it, so it should be more bearable, but the best thing for him will be rest."
She started towards the door, and blinked when JungMin didn't follow. "You're not coming back?"
Pressing his lips together as he looked at HyunJoong, JungMin shook his head. "I'll keep an eye on him," he said with a small smile to the girl. She nodded with one of her own and let herself out.
JungMin curled up on the edge of the bed, looking down at his gloves before watching HyunJoong sleep.
******************************
When HyunJoong finally managed to open his eyes, he realized he was no longer in KyuJong and YoungSaeng's room, but his own. The lights were out and the curtains drawn, thankfully as he felt the headache return, but fortunately far more manageable than before. He felt horrible, but nothing like earlier.
Looking around, he carefully pushed himself up only to nearly jump in surprise at seeing JungMin. 'Did he bring me back here?' he thought as he continued to watch the redhead.
Blinking owlishly when he saw HyunJoong starting to wake up, JungMin grinned when the older boy looked at him. "Morning sunshine. Actually, I think it's dark outside, but whatever. How are you feeling?" He couldn't exactly check his temperature, but he looked loads better, so that was a start.
HyunJoong reached up to rub the sleep from his eyes as he mentally took stock on his condition. He was exhausted, and his head was still ringing, though at a much more tolerable and normal range. He was groggy and ached all over, but that would be from both the fatigue and stress his body just went through as well as still being sick.
"Um, still feel sick, but not as bad. It's more normal now." He paused, tilting his head at JungMin. "Did you bring me back here? And have you been here the entire time?" HyunJoong asked, cheeks flushing slightly at the idea.
JungMin blinked at him, nodding. "Yeah. In case it gets worse and you start...uh...convulsing or something," he lied. "Or die. Not really a good thing. But I can help with that. Instant defibrillators!" He realized he was babbling again and switched topics. "Are you hungry? I don't think the caf's closed yet, I can get you something."
HyunJoong found himself instantly paling at the idea of food. "I think I'll pass on that," he said dryly before pausing again. "Hey Min, what exactly happened earlier? It's kind of all a major blur..."
The redhead blinked. "Well...we found out that you can do something more than just detect who has powers?" Shuffling a little, he pursed his lips. "You can turn powers on and off, or something like that. Gave HyungJoon and KyuJong one hell of a whiplash I think."
Listening to what he said, HyunJoong nodded. The backlash from unleashing said power had left him so disoriented that at the time, he could recall not even knowing up from down. One thing, however, seemed so clear in his mind. Looking down, he found himself staring at his hand.
"We held hands, right? I wasn't just dreaming that, was I?" he asked, frustrated that he was having so much trouble remembering things. His forced rest had been full of strange dreams and thoughts.
JungMin blinked, and bit his lower lip as his cheeks flushed. "We did," he said, and it was hard keeping the smile from his face, lips quivering as he remember how warm and soft and solid HyunJoong's hand had felt, so different than when he held it with the gloves on. He had liked it, a lot.
HyunJoong's lips turned upward at the confirmation. "I kinda hoped I wasn't hallucinating that," he replied. "Because God knows, that fever had me seeing some strange things." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Sorry for it being so short, though...letting you touch things and all..." he found himself apologizing.
"Why are you apologizing?" JungMin raised an eyebrow at him, bouncing lightly. "It was amazing, you have no idea how much it means to be able to do it for even a second." He grinned widely, eyes bright. "Thank you, thank you, thank you~!" Finally unable to contain himself anymore, he scooted farther up the bed and wrapped his arms around HyunJoong in a hug, fever or no fever.
Finding himself being hugged, HyunJoong froze slightly before relaxing, returning the gesture. There was something about the redhead that he just found himself liking.
Scooting back after a moment, JungMin wiggled happily, grinning. The whole incident had made him feel a lot better. "So, uh. I should probably let you rest, now that we know you're not going to keel over dead." Nodding to himself, he stood. "Is there anything I can get you before I go? I guess food's out, how about water?"
"Um, water would be good, actually. We have some in the mini fridge in the corner of the room," HyunJoong pointed out. He really didn't want JungMin to leave, but he'd been there for however long he'd been unconscious for...
Nodding, JungMin padded over to the fridge HyunJoong had pointed to and crouched down, opening it. He picked out a bottle of water off the shelf and closed the fridge again, standing and bringing it over to HyunJoong. "Here you go," he grinned, holding it out. "HaRa says you aren't going to class tomorrow, nurse's orders or something like that. The others offered to take notes for you."
Accepting the water bottle with a smile, HyunJoong looked around, noticing that his roommate hadn't returned apparently. He was probably off with his girlfriend. "So um, what'll you be doing now?" he asked for lack of anything to say.
JungMin shrugged lightly. "Dunno. Maybe try to sleep." 'Try' being the operative word; staying still for so long had sent the electricity in his veins on the fritz, and he doubted he'd be able to stay still long enough to fall asleep. "Or homework." He wrinkled his nose in disdain.
"Well, I'm wide awake now, and if I promise not to do anything, we can always go down to the gym and let you burn off some of that energy," HyunJoong suggested. He was well aware that he should be resting, but he needed to move around, if just to relieve the aches, some caused by lack of movement.
The redhead blinked, and frowned lightly. "Are you sure you should be up? You looked like the living dead before." He definitely didn't want to turn down the offer of more time with HyunJoong, even if it was only for his own selfish reasons, but he didn't want the older boy to overexert himself.
"Otherwise, I'll just be sitting here staring at the ceiling all night. I doubt my roommate's coming back any time soon," HyunJoong pointed out, pushing himself to the end of the bed. He blinked away the lightheadedness, but it was infinitely better than it had been.
Watching him, JungMin floundered for a moment, not sure what to do. Finally he gave in and shuffled over. "Need help?" he asked, holding out one gloved hand. "Before you fall on your face. Or run into the door."
Smiling at the extended hand, HyunJoong took it and allowed JungMin to help him up. He swayed a bit at the dizzying effect of being sick and moving, but he was glad for JungMin's secure form in front of him keeping him from falling over.
Easing beside HyunJoong so he could lean on him if needed, JungMin helped him to the door and to his shoes, nudging them slightly with his foot so HyunJoong just had to slip into them rather than bend over. "You better not try anything at the gym, at this rate you're going to brain yourself on something," he teased.
HyunJoong bit back the smile. JungMin was just too sweet. "It may not seem like it, but I do know my own limits," he explained with a fake pout as he slipped his shoes on and opened the door after grabbing his keys.
"Uh-huh, before or after you pass out?" the redhead laughed, stepping out into the hallway with him. Once the door had been closed and locked, they started down the hallway towards the door. "At least there's no stairs. And people." The hallways were empty; it was late, and the majority of students were either studying or sleeping.
"In my defense, I had no idea it was my power reacting to me being sick, so that doesn't count," HyunJoong pointed out. Of course, he wouldn't mention the few times he'd passed out from overexertion. JungMin didn't need to know that.
"Of course it doesn't," JungMin teased. He had to bite his tongue when he wanted to ask if HyunJoong thought he'd be able to do what he'd done again. The older boy was sick still, and JungMin knew he'd try without thinking if he knew how desperately the redhead wanted to hold his hand again.
"What kind of equipment's at the gym?" he asked instead.
"It has a bit of everything. We have a lot of sports teams here, so there's plenty for everyone," HyunJoong explained. "Treadmills, ellipticals, rowing machines, a track, free weights. You name it, it's probably here."
Grinning widely, JungMin bounced as they walked. "What should I try then? The track? Treadmill? Maybe I could set the treadmill super fast, that'll get rid of energy for sure!"
Except that he'd probably fly right off. Energy, yes. Fit, no.
HyunJoong chuckled, fiddling with the hand still holding his. He missed the warmth that he recalled from the redhead. "If I recall, I'm not the only klutz here, so how about sticking to the track for a while, or just setting the treadmill at a normal speed?" he suggested.
"Not as fun, but okay," JungMin pouted. It might be for the best too; he tended to shoot off electricity while running, and he didn't want to short anything out.
"Woah, it's dark out," the redhead mused as they stepped outside and headed for the gymnasium. Realizing the weather, he turned belatedly to HyunJoong. "...You don't have a coat on." He hit himself mentally for being an idiot, letting go of the older boy's hand to rub his back lightly.
"I think it'll be okay. Between the heat from the fever and your body heat, I should be okay till we get to the gym," HyunJoong replied. He really didn't feel like turning back since they were over half way there already. He also enjoyed the hand on his back a bit more than he probably should, but he kept silent.
JungMin pursed his lips. "As long as you're sure." He couldn't try to send warmth to HyunJoong without the jacket to act as an extra buffer, so he just kept his hand where it was as they headed towards the gymnasium. Once they reached the door, he looked at HyunJoong; it was locked. "You have the keys for this?"
Nodding his head, HyunJoong shifted a bit closer to the redhead as they walked to the gym. Pulling out the key, HyunJoong opened the door, sighing as the warmth hit. "The equipment room is this way," he told him, tugging him toward the right.
"Okay," JungMin chirped, following happily. Bouncing along, he looked around curiously. "It looks different at night." He knew the pools were at the other end of the gymnasium, the thought making him shiver. He watched HyunJoong practice, but he still didn't like that room too much.
"I actually like it better at night. No one else here to distract me." Feeling the shiver, HyunJoong looked over, head tilted. "You okay? Cold?" he asked.
Blinking, JungMin smiled and shook his head. "You kidding, I'm nice and toasty," he grinned. He had tried to avoid the group who'd tried to push him into the pool, but it wasn't something he could do forever; they shared a phys ed period after all. And he'd seen them snickering at him, and heard their jokes. It was all he could do to bite his tongue and ignore it. "Are we just about there?"
HyunJoong looked at him a moment more before letting it go. JungMin knew he was there if he needed to talk. "It's just around the corner," he replied.
Grinning wider, JungMin resisted the temptation to run on ahead, keeping pace beside HyunJoong. Finally turning the corner and seeing the door ahead, he brightened and opened it for them, blinking at the darkness inside. "Echo~..."
HyunJoong laughed when JungMin's loud voice bounced off the walls of the empty room. Closing the door behind them, he flipped a few switches, lighting up the room somewhat, though not too much since bright lights made his persistent headache worse.
JungMin finally let go of HyunJoong to bounce into the center of the room, spinning around and looking at all the machines. "Cool~!" He flounced over to a treadmill, poking at it. "I wanna try this, but I don't think it would take well to being accidentally zapped." Pouting, he continued to inspect the equipment, picking up one of the large free weights and yelping when he nearly dropped it. It was heavier than he thought.
Laughing at JungMin's reaction, HyunJoong walked over and picked up the weight, returning it to the rack. “Maybe you should start smaller, Min," he teased lightly, smiling crookedly. "And I'm sure it'll be okay. The belt on the treadmill is rubberish, so that should help."
"You fit people make me sad," JungMin pouted at him, poking at HyunJoong's abs. "And the belt might be rubber, but the controls aren't. Sparks fly." He looked around and tried a smaller weight, able to lift this one.
"Maybe I should take off the sweater...” He looked down at it, biting his lower lip. Exercising wouldn't be pleasant with it on, but there was a reason it was on, to stop himself from zapping anything.
HyunJoong felt his muscles contract slightly at the poke, chuckling at the pout on JungMin's face. "I'm sorry that I've been training more or less since I was old enough to walk," HyunJoong chuckled before calming at JungMin's dilemma.
"I'm sure that you'll cook in that sweater. Why don't we call this practice, as well? Start out slowly on the machine, slowly up it and see when your body starts reacting to it," HyunJoong said. That had sounded much better in his head...
Thinking about that, JungMin wrinkled his nose lightly as he looked down at his sweater, picking at the material. "If I shock it and it goes haywire, save me from being killed?" he chuckled, trying to ease the nervousness in his mind.
Finally he put the weight down and shrugged out of the sweater, pulling it up and off of his head and tugging his shirt back down when it tried to follow. He was wearing a tank top underneath, nothing special since he hadn't been expecting to take the sweater off.
Placing the sweater down on a bench, JungMin made sure his gloves were still on fully, uneasy with his arms bare as he stepped up to the machine.
The moment JungMin removed his sweater, HyunJoong found his attention wholly focused on the redhead's lean arms and flat stomach, which he caught a glimpse of when he was pulling off the sweater. Blushing at the direction his thoughts were going in, he cleared his throat loudly and averted his eyes, but was unable to fight the smile playing on his lips.
Blinking at the sound from HyunJoong, JungMin looked over his shoulder at him. Confused at first by the blush and the smile, he grinned after a moment, turning slightly red himself even as he teased, "like what you see?" Turning back to the machine, he hit a button curiously and squeaked when it started moving right away and he had to start walking quickly to avoid falling off the end.
At the playful taunt, HyunJoong opened his mouth and returned the gesture. "Absolutely. I wasn't expecting such a nice body under there from the way you were talking." And what a nice body it was, too. Grinning when JungMin nearly faceplanted, he reached up and pressed a button, reducing the speed a bit to help JungMin get used to the machine, careful to avoid touching bare skin, which turned out to be far harder than he imagined.
JungMin obviously hadn't expected a comment in return from how he stumbled, turning the same color as his hair. He also let off sparks, something he hurried to try and reduce. Mouth opening and closing like a goldfish for a moment, he gave up and focused on not falling off the machine instead, trying to avoid making contact with his arms.
HyunJoong smiled slightly at JungMin before looking around, spying a pile of mats not far away. Walking over to them, HyunJoong plopped down and watched JungMin focus on the treadmill. "Hey Min...Do you maybe want to see if I can do that again?" he asked. "What I did earlier, I mean."
Finally getting into a steady rhythm, JungMin watched his hands and arms to make sure he wasn't going to start shooting off too much electricity. At the question, he blinked owlishly and looked up at HyunJoong. Biting his lower lip, he pushed back the giddiness that made him want to say yes right away, wanting desperately to try holding his hand again. The brief contact had been amazing.
But HyunJoong was also hardly in the shape to be trying something like that again. "Maybe when you're not sick?" he said, giving a tight smile.
HyunJoong sighed. "I rarely get sick, so when I do, it's usually bad and lasts a while, and honestly, I want to hold your hand again," he confessed, cheeks reddening. "I think the only reason I feel as well as I do right now is because HaRa's power is still somewhat in effect."
Stumbling again, JungMin decided to step onto the sides of the machine so he could stop running and focus on the conversation. Biting his lower lip, he felt his face burning as he thought about that. HyunJoong wanted to hold his hand.
"...I want to hold your hand too," he mumbled after a moment. "But not if you're going to pass out after a few seconds." He smiled a little more. "I can wait until you're feeling better."
The older boy laughed dryly. "You'd think after dealing with HyungJoon and Nicole, I'd have more patience." After a moment, though, HyunJoong nodded. "When I feel better, it's a date."
It was a good thing JungMin had stopped running, because he definitely would have fallen over at that. Blinking owlishly, he stared at the other boy for a long moment, unable to process that. "D-date?!" Even if HyunJoong had just meant it casually, JungMin's face instantly heated up and he didn't know what to say or do, floundering for a moment before finally just sitting down on the rubber mat of the treadmill.
Unfortunately, the treadmill was still running, which resulted in him being dumped off the end with a surprised shriek.
HyunJoong scrambled up to make sure JungMin was okay, but couldn't stop the laugh bubbling up in his throat. "Are you okay?!" he asked, as red as JungMin. There was so much dancing around between them that perhaps that phrase, as inadvertent as it was, got the fact that HyunJoong liked JungMin out into the open.
Lying down on his back, JungMin opened his eyes and pouted up at HyunJoong, still bright red and unlikely to go back anytime soon. "Your mechanical running contraption hates me." He held out his gloved hands, a bid to be helped up, still floundering after that word.
Smiling at JungMin's statement, HyunJoong shook his head and took his hand pulling him up. "It doesn't hate you. I just have bad timing when I speak."
Bouncing back to his feet, JungMin gave a silly grin, dropping his hands and shuffling a little in place. It hadn't sounded that bad though...a date. Even if HyunJoong hadn't meant it like that.
"That's okay, I like your bad timing," he laughed. "Maybe I should try something else though." He looked around the room, shuffling as he fought the sudden urge bubbling up in his chest.
"Ah, is the track through there?" he asked, pointing to a door at the other end of the room. Leaning over to turn the treadmill off, he looked down at his arms and was relieved to see that the electricity wasn't that bad yet.
Squirming again, he finally jumped forward slightly and pecked HyunJoong off the cheek before taking off towards the door.
"The track? Yeah, it is," HyunJoong told him, watching the redhead fidget with more than a little curiosity. He froze a moment later, however, when JungMin quickly kissed his cheek before running toward the door.
Staring after him with wide eyes, HyunJoong lifted his hand to his cheek and felt his lips turn up into a crooked smile. He was also unsure if it was the slight shock that had his heart jumping into his throat or something else entirely.
Authors: renichifreak and yeonah
Chapter: 36/?
Fandom: SS501, cameos by KARA
Pairings: KyuSaeng, HyunMin (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. Updates will be every Wednesday <3
HyunJoong barely felt himself being laid down, but once his back hit the mattress and HaRa used her power on him, something within him suddenly snapped. Internally it was almost as if a giant door slammed shut, blocking everything he was feeling. With a loud gasp, his eyes shot open before he relaxed a moment later, breath labored and pulse far too rapid, almost as though he'd run for hours without stopping.
YoungSaeng caught KyuJong when he fell, making sure he was all right before feeling something inside him shut down. It was still there, but he couldn't reach it.
It was then that all eyes turned to the bed.
JungMin stared at HyunJoong with wide eyes before his gaze fell to the light bulb gripped in bare fingertips. There wasn't even a flicker of electricity; not in the glass, in his fingers, anywhere. The buzzing under his skin had disappeared. Staring uncomprehendingly, his hands started to shake as he scrambled to take his other glove off, gripping the light bulb’s base with both hands to be sure. There was no reaction.
KyuJong slowly sat up straight, feeling like he'd been in a car on the highway that had suddenly slammed to a stop. "What...just happened?" he asked slowly, feeling like something was missing yet not sure what. His eyes were trained on the bed, going from HyunJoong to the dead light bulb in JungMin's hands.
YoungSaeng looked at everyone in the room, all as confused as he was. There was no possible explanation for what just happened, except one. "I'm not sure, but I think HyunJoong did something..." he murmured.
HyunJoong listened as they spoke, barely able to remain awake, but if what he thought had happened actually did, then he didn't want to end it so soon. Slowly, considering the fact that his arm felt like lead, HyunJoong lifted his arm and held his hand out to JungMin.
"Grab my hand."
Looking away from the light bulb, JungMin's gaze landed on the offered hand, eyes wide behind his bangs. His own hands were shaking hard as he tried to figure out what had happened. There was no electricity. He couldn't feel it. There hadn't been an instant since he was nine where he hadn't felt at least a faint buzz in his veins, but there was absolutely nothing now.
Swallowing against the dryness in his throat, JungMin looked down at the light bulb again, placing it down on the mattress carefully. His gaze returned to HyunJoong's face, then to the older boy's hand. Actually doing what he had been told to do was harder than he thought, a nagging worry at the back of his head that this was a bad idea, a very bad idea; if the electricity suddenly came back it would shoot out of him without control.
The others were silent as JungMin hesitantly reached out, pausing for an instant before feeling his fingertips brush against HyunJoong's. When there was no sudden spark of electricity, he reached out a little further, just enough for his palm to brush against HyunJoong's before his fingers curled around the other's own, his eyes widening just a little more.
HyunJoong's arm began to shake, as his strength was all but gone and he could barely hold his arm up, but slowly, JungMin took his hand. Smiling at the redhead, he tightened the hold.
"I'm not sure what happened here, but I think I just blocked your powers," he murmured, voice beginning to slur through the haze in his mind. "'t's like they're locked up, though I doubt it'll stay that was once I'm out..."
JungMin was trying not to be distracted from HyunJoong's words, but it was hard, eyes returning to the hand holding his with a sense of wonder. Nodding, he held HyunJoong's hand in both of his own, marveling at the feel of the older boy's skin.
"Locked?" KyuJong prodded at the space where his gift usually was, only to find nothing there. It felt strange...a part of him was missing, like an arm or a leg.
"Woah." HyungJoon blinked, and then noticed that HyunJoong was having trouble staying with them. "Maybe you should...uh...unlock them, before you pass out?"
Blinking a few times to focus, HyunJoong looked at the hands holding his and sighed before nodding his head. "I don't even know how I did it in the first place, but I can try..."
"Would we be able to wait just a little bit longer, though?" YoungSaeng asked suddenly, drawing the group's attention. "Please?" He was looking at the joined hands, knowing exactly what must be going on in his friend's mind at finally being able to touch someone without the buffer of leather gloves.
JungMin wasn't fully paying attention to what was being said. Holding HyunJoong's hand palm up, he traced along the lines of his skin, played lightly with the other boy's fingers curling and uncurling them, and threaded his own fingers through the spaces in between. Finally he just switched his grip around so that he could clasp their hands together completely, fingers intertwined and thumb brushing the back of HyunJoong's hand.
Finally he managed to rouse himself enough to realize what had been said, eyes flickering up to HyunJoong's face and how close he was to losing consciousness. Biting his lower lip, JungMin nodded a little and reluctantly pulled his hands back, withdrawing them into his lap.
Feeling his stomach drop as JungMin pulled away, HyunJoong managed to push himself up a bit. "Once I figure out how I did it, me and you'll practice it, 'kay?" he told him, only loud enough for JungMin to hear. Taking a deep breath, HyunJoong closed his eyes and tried to open the door that had slammed shut. After a moment, he managed to do it, but it took the last of his energy to do so as he finally passed out.
Lips quivering slightly, JungMin drew in a breath as he felt the electricity come surging back. As expected, it tried to shoot out of his hands and he pressed them further into his lap to stop the sparks from going too far. Watching HaRa check HyunJoong's temperature, he picked up his gloves with trembling hands and pulled them back on, the leather feeling too rough now.
A little caught off-guard by the sudden return of his gift, KyuJong's form flickered for a moment before solidifying. "We should probably get him to his room," he said, standing.
"I want to get rid of his fever, but I'm not sure if using my healing would be productive at this point," HaRa frowned, looking down at the unconscious boy.
YoungSaeng sighed as he felt his power rush back, darkening his eyes slightly before relaxing again. Looking at HyunJoong, he tilted his head. "I don't think his power can be active if he's unconscious, so if you were going to try something, even just reducing the fever, now would probably be the best time to try," he suggested to HaRa.
Looking at JungMin, he smiled softly. "I think you're the only one strong enough to carry him back, Min. Kyu and HyungJoon are still out of it from their powers."
JungMin nodded, biting his lower lip as he carefully made sure his sleeves and turtleneck covered as much skin as possible before shifting slightly. "Someone help get him on my back then?"
KyuJong tottered over, and between him and HaRa they were able to get HyunJoong sitting up and then leaning against JungMin's back, the redhead getting a secure grip on his legs before standing carefully. HaRa followed him to the door, so that she could heal HyunJoong once he was in his room.
Stepping out into the hallway, JungMin headed down to HyunJoong's room and waited for HaRa to open the door. The roommate wasn't in, so JungMin padded over to HyunJoong's bed and sat down on the edge. HaRa helped him get HyunJoong off his back and lying down, tucked under the bed sheets.
JungMin watched as HaRa used her healing to ease the flush in HyunJoong's face and return him to a somewhat more healthy color. Sighing finally, she straightened. "I got the edge off of it, so it should be more bearable, but the best thing for him will be rest."
She started towards the door, and blinked when JungMin didn't follow. "You're not coming back?"
Pressing his lips together as he looked at HyunJoong, JungMin shook his head. "I'll keep an eye on him," he said with a small smile to the girl. She nodded with one of her own and let herself out.
JungMin curled up on the edge of the bed, looking down at his gloves before watching HyunJoong sleep.
******************************
When HyunJoong finally managed to open his eyes, he realized he was no longer in KyuJong and YoungSaeng's room, but his own. The lights were out and the curtains drawn, thankfully as he felt the headache return, but fortunately far more manageable than before. He felt horrible, but nothing like earlier.
Looking around, he carefully pushed himself up only to nearly jump in surprise at seeing JungMin. 'Did he bring me back here?' he thought as he continued to watch the redhead.
Blinking owlishly when he saw HyunJoong starting to wake up, JungMin grinned when the older boy looked at him. "Morning sunshine. Actually, I think it's dark outside, but whatever. How are you feeling?" He couldn't exactly check his temperature, but he looked loads better, so that was a start.
HyunJoong reached up to rub the sleep from his eyes as he mentally took stock on his condition. He was exhausted, and his head was still ringing, though at a much more tolerable and normal range. He was groggy and ached all over, but that would be from both the fatigue and stress his body just went through as well as still being sick.
"Um, still feel sick, but not as bad. It's more normal now." He paused, tilting his head at JungMin. "Did you bring me back here? And have you been here the entire time?" HyunJoong asked, cheeks flushing slightly at the idea.
JungMin blinked at him, nodding. "Yeah. In case it gets worse and you start...uh...convulsing or something," he lied. "Or die. Not really a good thing. But I can help with that. Instant defibrillators!" He realized he was babbling again and switched topics. "Are you hungry? I don't think the caf's closed yet, I can get you something."
HyunJoong found himself instantly paling at the idea of food. "I think I'll pass on that," he said dryly before pausing again. "Hey Min, what exactly happened earlier? It's kind of all a major blur..."
The redhead blinked. "Well...we found out that you can do something more than just detect who has powers?" Shuffling a little, he pursed his lips. "You can turn powers on and off, or something like that. Gave HyungJoon and KyuJong one hell of a whiplash I think."
Listening to what he said, HyunJoong nodded. The backlash from unleashing said power had left him so disoriented that at the time, he could recall not even knowing up from down. One thing, however, seemed so clear in his mind. Looking down, he found himself staring at his hand.
"We held hands, right? I wasn't just dreaming that, was I?" he asked, frustrated that he was having so much trouble remembering things. His forced rest had been full of strange dreams and thoughts.
JungMin blinked, and bit his lower lip as his cheeks flushed. "We did," he said, and it was hard keeping the smile from his face, lips quivering as he remember how warm and soft and solid HyunJoong's hand had felt, so different than when he held it with the gloves on. He had liked it, a lot.
HyunJoong's lips turned upward at the confirmation. "I kinda hoped I wasn't hallucinating that," he replied. "Because God knows, that fever had me seeing some strange things." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Sorry for it being so short, though...letting you touch things and all..." he found himself apologizing.
"Why are you apologizing?" JungMin raised an eyebrow at him, bouncing lightly. "It was amazing, you have no idea how much it means to be able to do it for even a second." He grinned widely, eyes bright. "Thank you, thank you, thank you~!" Finally unable to contain himself anymore, he scooted farther up the bed and wrapped his arms around HyunJoong in a hug, fever or no fever.
Finding himself being hugged, HyunJoong froze slightly before relaxing, returning the gesture. There was something about the redhead that he just found himself liking.
Scooting back after a moment, JungMin wiggled happily, grinning. The whole incident had made him feel a lot better. "So, uh. I should probably let you rest, now that we know you're not going to keel over dead." Nodding to himself, he stood. "Is there anything I can get you before I go? I guess food's out, how about water?"
"Um, water would be good, actually. We have some in the mini fridge in the corner of the room," HyunJoong pointed out. He really didn't want JungMin to leave, but he'd been there for however long he'd been unconscious for...
Nodding, JungMin padded over to the fridge HyunJoong had pointed to and crouched down, opening it. He picked out a bottle of water off the shelf and closed the fridge again, standing and bringing it over to HyunJoong. "Here you go," he grinned, holding it out. "HaRa says you aren't going to class tomorrow, nurse's orders or something like that. The others offered to take notes for you."
Accepting the water bottle with a smile, HyunJoong looked around, noticing that his roommate hadn't returned apparently. He was probably off with his girlfriend. "So um, what'll you be doing now?" he asked for lack of anything to say.
JungMin shrugged lightly. "Dunno. Maybe try to sleep." 'Try' being the operative word; staying still for so long had sent the electricity in his veins on the fritz, and he doubted he'd be able to stay still long enough to fall asleep. "Or homework." He wrinkled his nose in disdain.
"Well, I'm wide awake now, and if I promise not to do anything, we can always go down to the gym and let you burn off some of that energy," HyunJoong suggested. He was well aware that he should be resting, but he needed to move around, if just to relieve the aches, some caused by lack of movement.
The redhead blinked, and frowned lightly. "Are you sure you should be up? You looked like the living dead before." He definitely didn't want to turn down the offer of more time with HyunJoong, even if it was only for his own selfish reasons, but he didn't want the older boy to overexert himself.
"Otherwise, I'll just be sitting here staring at the ceiling all night. I doubt my roommate's coming back any time soon," HyunJoong pointed out, pushing himself to the end of the bed. He blinked away the lightheadedness, but it was infinitely better than it had been.
Watching him, JungMin floundered for a moment, not sure what to do. Finally he gave in and shuffled over. "Need help?" he asked, holding out one gloved hand. "Before you fall on your face. Or run into the door."
Smiling at the extended hand, HyunJoong took it and allowed JungMin to help him up. He swayed a bit at the dizzying effect of being sick and moving, but he was glad for JungMin's secure form in front of him keeping him from falling over.
Easing beside HyunJoong so he could lean on him if needed, JungMin helped him to the door and to his shoes, nudging them slightly with his foot so HyunJoong just had to slip into them rather than bend over. "You better not try anything at the gym, at this rate you're going to brain yourself on something," he teased.
HyunJoong bit back the smile. JungMin was just too sweet. "It may not seem like it, but I do know my own limits," he explained with a fake pout as he slipped his shoes on and opened the door after grabbing his keys.
"Uh-huh, before or after you pass out?" the redhead laughed, stepping out into the hallway with him. Once the door had been closed and locked, they started down the hallway towards the door. "At least there's no stairs. And people." The hallways were empty; it was late, and the majority of students were either studying or sleeping.
"In my defense, I had no idea it was my power reacting to me being sick, so that doesn't count," HyunJoong pointed out. Of course, he wouldn't mention the few times he'd passed out from overexertion. JungMin didn't need to know that.
"Of course it doesn't," JungMin teased. He had to bite his tongue when he wanted to ask if HyunJoong thought he'd be able to do what he'd done again. The older boy was sick still, and JungMin knew he'd try without thinking if he knew how desperately the redhead wanted to hold his hand again.
"What kind of equipment's at the gym?" he asked instead.
"It has a bit of everything. We have a lot of sports teams here, so there's plenty for everyone," HyunJoong explained. "Treadmills, ellipticals, rowing machines, a track, free weights. You name it, it's probably here."
Grinning widely, JungMin bounced as they walked. "What should I try then? The track? Treadmill? Maybe I could set the treadmill super fast, that'll get rid of energy for sure!"
Except that he'd probably fly right off. Energy, yes. Fit, no.
HyunJoong chuckled, fiddling with the hand still holding his. He missed the warmth that he recalled from the redhead. "If I recall, I'm not the only klutz here, so how about sticking to the track for a while, or just setting the treadmill at a normal speed?" he suggested.
"Not as fun, but okay," JungMin pouted. It might be for the best too; he tended to shoot off electricity while running, and he didn't want to short anything out.
"Woah, it's dark out," the redhead mused as they stepped outside and headed for the gymnasium. Realizing the weather, he turned belatedly to HyunJoong. "...You don't have a coat on." He hit himself mentally for being an idiot, letting go of the older boy's hand to rub his back lightly.
"I think it'll be okay. Between the heat from the fever and your body heat, I should be okay till we get to the gym," HyunJoong replied. He really didn't feel like turning back since they were over half way there already. He also enjoyed the hand on his back a bit more than he probably should, but he kept silent.
JungMin pursed his lips. "As long as you're sure." He couldn't try to send warmth to HyunJoong without the jacket to act as an extra buffer, so he just kept his hand where it was as they headed towards the gymnasium. Once they reached the door, he looked at HyunJoong; it was locked. "You have the keys for this?"
Nodding his head, HyunJoong shifted a bit closer to the redhead as they walked to the gym. Pulling out the key, HyunJoong opened the door, sighing as the warmth hit. "The equipment room is this way," he told him, tugging him toward the right.
"Okay," JungMin chirped, following happily. Bouncing along, he looked around curiously. "It looks different at night." He knew the pools were at the other end of the gymnasium, the thought making him shiver. He watched HyunJoong practice, but he still didn't like that room too much.
"I actually like it better at night. No one else here to distract me." Feeling the shiver, HyunJoong looked over, head tilted. "You okay? Cold?" he asked.
Blinking, JungMin smiled and shook his head. "You kidding, I'm nice and toasty," he grinned. He had tried to avoid the group who'd tried to push him into the pool, but it wasn't something he could do forever; they shared a phys ed period after all. And he'd seen them snickering at him, and heard their jokes. It was all he could do to bite his tongue and ignore it. "Are we just about there?"
HyunJoong looked at him a moment more before letting it go. JungMin knew he was there if he needed to talk. "It's just around the corner," he replied.
Grinning wider, JungMin resisted the temptation to run on ahead, keeping pace beside HyunJoong. Finally turning the corner and seeing the door ahead, he brightened and opened it for them, blinking at the darkness inside. "Echo~..."
HyunJoong laughed when JungMin's loud voice bounced off the walls of the empty room. Closing the door behind them, he flipped a few switches, lighting up the room somewhat, though not too much since bright lights made his persistent headache worse.
JungMin finally let go of HyunJoong to bounce into the center of the room, spinning around and looking at all the machines. "Cool~!" He flounced over to a treadmill, poking at it. "I wanna try this, but I don't think it would take well to being accidentally zapped." Pouting, he continued to inspect the equipment, picking up one of the large free weights and yelping when he nearly dropped it. It was heavier than he thought.
Laughing at JungMin's reaction, HyunJoong walked over and picked up the weight, returning it to the rack. “Maybe you should start smaller, Min," he teased lightly, smiling crookedly. "And I'm sure it'll be okay. The belt on the treadmill is rubberish, so that should help."
"You fit people make me sad," JungMin pouted at him, poking at HyunJoong's abs. "And the belt might be rubber, but the controls aren't. Sparks fly." He looked around and tried a smaller weight, able to lift this one.
"Maybe I should take off the sweater...” He looked down at it, biting his lower lip. Exercising wouldn't be pleasant with it on, but there was a reason it was on, to stop himself from zapping anything.
HyunJoong felt his muscles contract slightly at the poke, chuckling at the pout on JungMin's face. "I'm sorry that I've been training more or less since I was old enough to walk," HyunJoong chuckled before calming at JungMin's dilemma.
"I'm sure that you'll cook in that sweater. Why don't we call this practice, as well? Start out slowly on the machine, slowly up it and see when your body starts reacting to it," HyunJoong said. That had sounded much better in his head...
Thinking about that, JungMin wrinkled his nose lightly as he looked down at his sweater, picking at the material. "If I shock it and it goes haywire, save me from being killed?" he chuckled, trying to ease the nervousness in his mind.
Finally he put the weight down and shrugged out of the sweater, pulling it up and off of his head and tugging his shirt back down when it tried to follow. He was wearing a tank top underneath, nothing special since he hadn't been expecting to take the sweater off.
Placing the sweater down on a bench, JungMin made sure his gloves were still on fully, uneasy with his arms bare as he stepped up to the machine.
The moment JungMin removed his sweater, HyunJoong found his attention wholly focused on the redhead's lean arms and flat stomach, which he caught a glimpse of when he was pulling off the sweater. Blushing at the direction his thoughts were going in, he cleared his throat loudly and averted his eyes, but was unable to fight the smile playing on his lips.
Blinking at the sound from HyunJoong, JungMin looked over his shoulder at him. Confused at first by the blush and the smile, he grinned after a moment, turning slightly red himself even as he teased, "like what you see?" Turning back to the machine, he hit a button curiously and squeaked when it started moving right away and he had to start walking quickly to avoid falling off the end.
At the playful taunt, HyunJoong opened his mouth and returned the gesture. "Absolutely. I wasn't expecting such a nice body under there from the way you were talking." And what a nice body it was, too. Grinning when JungMin nearly faceplanted, he reached up and pressed a button, reducing the speed a bit to help JungMin get used to the machine, careful to avoid touching bare skin, which turned out to be far harder than he imagined.
JungMin obviously hadn't expected a comment in return from how he stumbled, turning the same color as his hair. He also let off sparks, something he hurried to try and reduce. Mouth opening and closing like a goldfish for a moment, he gave up and focused on not falling off the machine instead, trying to avoid making contact with his arms.
HyunJoong smiled slightly at JungMin before looking around, spying a pile of mats not far away. Walking over to them, HyunJoong plopped down and watched JungMin focus on the treadmill. "Hey Min...Do you maybe want to see if I can do that again?" he asked. "What I did earlier, I mean."
Finally getting into a steady rhythm, JungMin watched his hands and arms to make sure he wasn't going to start shooting off too much electricity. At the question, he blinked owlishly and looked up at HyunJoong. Biting his lower lip, he pushed back the giddiness that made him want to say yes right away, wanting desperately to try holding his hand again. The brief contact had been amazing.
But HyunJoong was also hardly in the shape to be trying something like that again. "Maybe when you're not sick?" he said, giving a tight smile.
HyunJoong sighed. "I rarely get sick, so when I do, it's usually bad and lasts a while, and honestly, I want to hold your hand again," he confessed, cheeks reddening. "I think the only reason I feel as well as I do right now is because HaRa's power is still somewhat in effect."
Stumbling again, JungMin decided to step onto the sides of the machine so he could stop running and focus on the conversation. Biting his lower lip, he felt his face burning as he thought about that. HyunJoong wanted to hold his hand.
"...I want to hold your hand too," he mumbled after a moment. "But not if you're going to pass out after a few seconds." He smiled a little more. "I can wait until you're feeling better."
The older boy laughed dryly. "You'd think after dealing with HyungJoon and Nicole, I'd have more patience." After a moment, though, HyunJoong nodded. "When I feel better, it's a date."
It was a good thing JungMin had stopped running, because he definitely would have fallen over at that. Blinking owlishly, he stared at the other boy for a long moment, unable to process that. "D-date?!" Even if HyunJoong had just meant it casually, JungMin's face instantly heated up and he didn't know what to say or do, floundering for a moment before finally just sitting down on the rubber mat of the treadmill.
Unfortunately, the treadmill was still running, which resulted in him being dumped off the end with a surprised shriek.
HyunJoong scrambled up to make sure JungMin was okay, but couldn't stop the laugh bubbling up in his throat. "Are you okay?!" he asked, as red as JungMin. There was so much dancing around between them that perhaps that phrase, as inadvertent as it was, got the fact that HyunJoong liked JungMin out into the open.
Lying down on his back, JungMin opened his eyes and pouted up at HyunJoong, still bright red and unlikely to go back anytime soon. "Your mechanical running contraption hates me." He held out his gloved hands, a bid to be helped up, still floundering after that word.
Smiling at JungMin's statement, HyunJoong shook his head and took his hand pulling him up. "It doesn't hate you. I just have bad timing when I speak."
Bouncing back to his feet, JungMin gave a silly grin, dropping his hands and shuffling a little in place. It hadn't sounded that bad though...a date. Even if HyunJoong hadn't meant it like that.
"That's okay, I like your bad timing," he laughed. "Maybe I should try something else though." He looked around the room, shuffling as he fought the sudden urge bubbling up in his chest.
"Ah, is the track through there?" he asked, pointing to a door at the other end of the room. Leaning over to turn the treadmill off, he looked down at his arms and was relieved to see that the electricity wasn't that bad yet.
Squirming again, he finally jumped forward slightly and pecked HyunJoong off the cheek before taking off towards the door.
"The track? Yeah, it is," HyunJoong told him, watching the redhead fidget with more than a little curiosity. He froze a moment later, however, when JungMin quickly kissed his cheek before running toward the door.
Staring after him with wide eyes, HyunJoong lifted his hand to his cheek and felt his lips turn up into a crooked smile. He was also unsure if it was the slight shock that had his heart jumping into his throat or something else entirely.