Damaged Goods

[his_angel16]

Title: Damaged Goods
Author: his_angel16
Characters: Yixing-centric, all but Jongin and Tao present, but they're mentioned
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Angst
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I own the plot, not the people. Any actual likeness to any given person is purely coincidental.
Summary: Yixing lost himself when Kris took off without any warning. He's tried to put up a good facade in front of everybody, but they all knew anyway. Finding what he believes is a good way of self-medicating, Yixing plunges headfirst into a dangerous world where the line between sanity and insanity is blurred.
Warning: Self-harm, abuse


Yixing sat quietly at the table, the others chatting excitedly around him. He felt empty inside ever since the others had discovered Kris’s vacant room. That was five weeks ago. He could tell that Joonmyeon was worried about him, but he always reassured the other that he was fine. What did they really mean to each other anyway? They were nothing more than friends, two missing puzzle pieces forced to fit together through Tao. He excused himself from the table, suddenly losing his appetite. It wasn't the first time he didn’t eat. He had lost a considerable amount of weight from the ordeal, having barely eaten the first week. A small piece of him was still hoping that he would turn around and Kris would be there, standing with his arms crossed as he whined about something else.
  Smiling to himself, Yixing made his way out of the kitchen, trying to ignore the hushed whispers following him. He knew he was worrying the others, but it wasn't intentional. Finding Kris’s room empty felt like someone punched a hole through his chest. Turning toward the library instead of the staircase, he pushed the door open. He hadn’t been in there for a couple of days. He shuffled into the secret chamber, watching as the torches lit up for him. It was a simple magic, but it still awed him a little every time he witnessed it. Inside the circular room, he forced himself to approach the table.
  “You could have said bye,” he spat, glaring at the dragon shaped sigil. He reached out, hand shaky as he let his fingertips trace it. “They're all wondering why you left. I am, too, but I want to believe that you'll be back. Luhan keeps trying to see the future while awake, but he hasn't succeeded yet.” He could feel the familiar lump rising in his throat. “Joonmyeon enrolled Sehun, Jongdae, and Kyungsoo into a private school. He goes there, too.”
  He drew in a shaky breath, clutching the edge of the table. He sat down in his chair, staring at the empty space next to him. He knew is was bad to be here, in the place he saw and spoke to Kris last. But it was the only place he felt close to him. They had received word from Tao that he might have found one of the others, but he was difficult to track. Tao assumed he controlled teleportation. Frowning, Yixing leaned forward, cheek pressing into the cool surface. He could feel his eyes slowly start to burn, but he tried desperately to push it aside. How was he going to convince the others that he was fine when he was still so upset about it? He closed his eyes, knowing what he was about to do would hurt him.
  Kris, he thought to himself. That was when the first tear fell. The world always seemed to stop whenever he spoke or heard the name. He tried to act indifferent whenever Minseok or Luhan mentioned him, but he couldn't hide his hurt that well. Luhan would know even if he didn’t visibly cringe away. He heard a slight shuffling, raising his head long enough to see Luhan sitting down in his spot. He folded his arms on the table before resting his head on them.
  “I know you don't want to talk about it,” Luhan stated, shrugging a little. “But I figured I could at least keep you company.”
  “Thanks.” Yixing offered him a smile, knowing it looked forced. He set his head back down, reaching out with his left hand to place it upon the dragon sigil. “I wonder what he's doing.”
  “I'm sure he's doing really well. For all we know, he might have met up with Tao or something.” Luhan knew his words provided little comfort for the younger, but he would babble like an idiot if it made him feel even the slightest bit better. “I'm certain he'll come back. My visions have never been wrong.” He smiled at the younger, finding him nod. He would take that as answer that he trusted him.
  Yixing traced the outline of Kris’s sigil again before retracting his hand. He turned to look at Luhan, eyes going wide for a moment at seeing Jongdae's sigil glow. He and Luhan exchanged a look before they both stood up, hurrying from the library. They found Joonmyeon and Kyungsoo trying to calm Jongdae down. He hadn’t changed yet, but he was dangerously close to doing so. He was glaring at Minseok, eyes burning red as his body shook.
  “What happened?” Luhan asked, looking at Joonmyeon. He frowned when he looked at Minseok, seeing teeth marks and scratches on his arm. “Minseok, what happened?”
  “We were talking about hyung,” Sehun replied from his place in the corner. Joonmyeon had ordered him there in case Jongdae lost control completely. “Minseok said something that Jongdae didn’t agree with and he snapped.”
  “I'm tired of him always badmouthing Kris hyung when he isn't even here to defend himself!” Jongdae growled. His hands resembled claws, another tremor rocking down his spine. “Take it back!”
  Minseok frowned, staring at Jongdae. He opened his mouth to speak, but Joonmyeon held his hand up, shaking his head. “Luhan, get Minseok out of here and, Yixing, heal his arm please.” He turned all of his attention to the younger. “Jongdae, let's go outside, okay? When we're out there, just let it all out, okay?”
  Kyungsoo helped Joonmyeon get Jongdae outside, a howl hitting their eardrums. It was loud, making Sehun cringe and cover his ears. Minseok stared at the back door as Luhan tugged on his good arm. He led his friend to the living room, Yixing working quickly to heal his wounds.
  “What did you say to him?” Luhan asked, fingertips pressed together.
  “Jongdae said Kris just wanted a little space,” Minseok replied. They didn’t miss the way Yixing flinched at the mention of the other, but they didn’t comment on it. “I told him he needed to stop hoping he would come back.” He glanced at Yixing, frowning. “Sorry. I know you two were really good friends and-”
  “We weren't all that close,” Yixing interrupted. He smiled a little. It didn’t seem as forced as all the other times. Maybe he was getting better at this. “We lived in the same neighborhood in China, but we never spoke before Tao brought us together.” He shrugged, sighing as he sat back. Minseok's arm was completely healed. “Kris and I, we don't know enough about each other to be called friends. But you and Luhan, you two are close. I’d give almost anything to be that close to someone.” He stood up, leaving them to think about his words.
  “I really screwed up, didn’t I?” Minseok swallowed, his mouth going dry suddenly. “How's he really doing?” He looked after Yixing as he disappeared upstairs.
  “Not good,” Luhan replied, sighing. He scooted over, leaning against Minseok. “I found him in the library trying not to cry. Any time I’m around him, his thoughts are wild, as if he's trying to hide something from me.”
  “Can you read his mind while not around him? He's been here for what, almost six weeks?”
  Luhan chewed on his lip. “I'll try it later. I don't want to pry at the moment.” Minseok nodded, accepting that as a good thing. “Come on, let's go apologize to Jongdae.”
  Yixing was in the bathroom, door shut behind him. He was staring at his reflection in the mirror, wondering why it looked so foreign to him. He tipped his head in different directions, trying to figure out if the problems he was facing were visible on the outside. Deciding they weren’t' he blindly reached out for the hairbrush. He hissed as his hand closed around something sharp. He retracted his hand, staring at his palm as the cut beaded with little droplets of blood. In the next moment, the cut was almost completely healed. He ran his hand under water, rinsing the blood away.
  “I wonder,” he mumbled, reaching out for the razor. He lifted his shirt up, putting the edge of the blade to his skin before slowly dragging it two inches across his stomach. Tears pricked his eyes, threatening to fall at the pain, but he watched as his body immediately began to heal itself. He began to wonder how long he could keep doing this before it left scars. He let his shirt drop back down, sticking to his stomach as the little line of blood seeped into it. He placed the razor against his palm, biting down hard on his lower lip as the blade sliced his skin. He watched the blood pool in his palm, the cut deep, before it healed itself. He reached his bloody hand out, pressing it against the mirror.
  I can always do this to keep my mind off of him, he told himself, nodding once. He washed the razor off, patting it dry before he turned to clean the mirror. He hid the stained rag in the bottom of their laundry basket, pursing his lips as he went back downstairs. I wonder how else I can hurt myself without dying. He looked over, finding Jongdae sitting on the couch with Luhan and Minseok on either side of him.
  “You guys friends again?” he asked.
  “Yeah, Joonmyeon made them sort it out. Jongdae punched Minseok in the face when he shifted out of his wolf form. And Minseok pulled his hair.” Luhan snickered, pointing at the youngest. “Minseok bit him back.”
  Yixing tilted his head to the side, finding teeth marks in the side of Jongdae's neck. His eyes widened as he looked at Minseok. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn't that pretty much staking your claim on him?” He laughed at the horror on all three of their faces.
  Luhan gaped at him. “You're laughing?”
  Yixing nodded. “Yeah, I found a way to get over everything.” He waved as he headed for the door. He heard Luhan call after him, but he had his shoes on and was out the door before he could speak again. He walked a little ways down the road, trying to find something to entertain himself with. He noticed a bunch of kids running and jumping onto a rope before swinging into a lake. It looked fun, but it wasn't what Yixing was looking for exactly. He walked a little more, beginning to reach the outskirts of the city and he stopped. There was a group of people standing in a circle, cheering on two people who were trying to beat the life out of each other. Feeling a little giddy, he walked over.
  “What's going on?” he asked, the person nearest him looking at him.
  “It's just a street fight, but both guys are tough. If you can last ten minutes, you get five hundred dollars. You knock out the opponent, you get the entire pot,” the man answered. “You want to try?”
  Yixing nodded, grinning. “Sure, I'll try anything once.” He watched as the match ended, the one guy having to be dragged away by his friends. A new fighter stepped up, flexing and getting cheers from the crowd. They called him Tarzan for resembling the ape-man.
  “What do you want your name to be, kid?” The man was holding a pen and notepad, staring at him.
  Yixing thought for a moment before something came to mind. “Call me Lay.” He stepped into the makeshift ring, stretching to loosen up his stiff joints. He grinned as the man called out their names. It seemed a little ridiculous to use his ancestor's name, but it was the only thing he could think of other than dimple. And that just didn’t sound like a street name. So, Lay versus Tarzan. What a sight to see.
  The first few times he was punched, Yixing laughed at the guy. “What's so funny?” Tarzan snapped, anger already growing.
  “You call those punches?” Yixing spun, adding enough force to his punch to make the bigger man stagger. He grinned, dimple showing. “You're going to have to hit me harder if you want all of that money, mister Tarzan.” He imitated a monkey, taking a step back as the man swung at him. “Too slow.” He was laughing until the man punched him in the face. He reached up, feeling blood. When he looked at his hand, it was stained red. He looked up at the other with dark eyes. “Now we're getting somewhere.”
  The fight continued for several more minutes, exchanging blows and rapidly trying to tire out the other. Yixing was still practically bouncing around, his stamina never really depleting from his body constantly healing itself. His nose had fully healed, but the blood was slowly drying to his skin. He wiped at it, trying to keep his head clear. A few more punches, and Tarzan would go down. He took the initiative, aiming for the man's stomach. He knocked the wind out of him before finishing with a roundhouse kick. He stood, breathing a little heavier than usual, as Tarzan fell and didn’t get up.
  “The fight is over folks!” the sign-in man stated. “Lay has won the jackpot!”
  Yixing accepted his winnings, promising he would come and fight again. After all, it's not every day that they meet a person that can take down someone twice their size and walk away virtually unharmed. He stopped at a public bathroom on his way home, washing the blood from his face. He would have to hide his shirt until he could do laundry. With everyone gone tomorrow, only he, Luhan, and Minseok would be in the house. He was hoping they would go somewhere, to a store or something. It would be easier to think about his next strategy without having to worry about Luhan slipping into his mind. When he arrived home, Joonmyeon already had dinner started. He shoved his money deep in his pocket, carefully creeping up the stairs.
  He peered around, and once he deemed it safe, he made a run for his bedroom. He nearly ran into Sehun when he exited the bathroom. He spun out of the way, throwing his hands up to stop himself from running face first into the wall.
  “Hyung, are you okay?” Sehun asked, looking at him.
  “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit wound up.” He grinned over at the younger. He frowned when he shrank back a little. “What?”
  “You went from depressed to extremely happy. Are you taking pills?”
  Yixing snorted. “No, but I’m surprised I hadn’t thought about that.” He pat Sehun on the head before scurrying into his room. He closed the door behind him, peeling his soiled shirt off. He was unfastening his pants when someone opened his door. Eyes wide, Yixing stared at Luhan.
  “Sehun came downstairs saying you were acting weird,” he stated, frown tugging down the corner of his lips.
  “He's an overly imaginative kid.” Yixing waved it off. “I'm fine. Really, I am.” He looked over at the elder. “Hyung, can you go to the store tomorrow when it opens?”
  “Yeah, what do you need?” Luhan opened the door a little more, crossing his arms over his chest.
  Yixing knew he was mentally scanning his brain, trying to find a stray thought to tip him off about something. He stuck his tongue out at the elder when he scrunched his face up. “Stay out of my head.” He laughed when Luhan's frown deepened. “Look, I just want some of those instant noodles we had last week. We finished them off and Joonmyeon forgot to pick up more.”
  Luhan nodded, seeming to take it for now. “Okay. I'll go tomorrow morning and buy you some of them.”
  “Thanks.” Yixing smiled at him, flipping him off when he closed the door after leaving. “Luhan hyung, you are too gullible.” He grinned, going back to changing into fresh clothes. He applied another layer of deodorant, trying to hide the fact he had been doing very extensive fighting. He spritzed himself with cologne, going downstairs to join them all for dinner.
  “You're done with the first plate already?” Joonmyeon asked when Yixing began to pile seconds of everything onto his plate.
  He nodded, mouth full of rice and kimchi. “Yeah, I was out jogging.” He began to shovel the food into his mouth, picking up his water to chug it. Swallowing, he licked his lips. “I almost forgot how good food tasted.” He excused himself after his second plate was finished, everyone staring at him with wide as.
  “Okay,” Minseok stated, frowning. “Who the hell is he and where is the real Yixing?”
  Kyungsoo frowned. “Has he completely lost his mind?”
  Luhan shrugged. “I tried to figure out if he was up to anything, but he didn’t appear to be.” He ate some of his rice, chewing thoughtfully. “I mean, I can always try again while he's sleeping, but I might get more dream than reality.”
  “Try it anyway,” Joonmyeon said. “I'm really starting to worry about him.
  The next week flew by rather quickly. Yixing was in and out of the house so often and at all hours of the night, he was beginning to worry even the younger occupants. It wasn't long before Joonmyeon called a meeting, all of them sitting in their places at the large round table. Yixing looked bored, but other than that, he seemed perfectly fine.
  “Okay, I hate to play this card,” Joonmyeon began, pressing his fingertips to his temples. He could already feel a headache settling in. “But I’m enforcing a curfew. No one in or out after ten.” He looked at Yixing. “You're really worrying all of us, Yixing. What's gotten into you lately?”
  Yixing stretched his arms over his head. “Nothing,” he replied, voice quiet. “I've been busy with some things. I’m doing it on purpose to keep my mind off of you know who.” He looked down, tears forming in his eyes for the first time in a while. He blinked them back. “I thought you guys would be happy if I was out doing something instead of sulking around all day.”
  “We are happy that you're doing something,” Luhan assured him. “But every time one of us tries to talk to you about whatever it is you're doing, you shut us out. You've even learned to guard all of your thoughts around me.”
  Yixing frowned. “I don't like it when you pick through my thoughts.” He looked up at them, frowning. “If I cut back on what I'm doing, will it put you all at ease?”
  “A little.” Joonmyeon looked at him, meeting his gaze evenly. “It would really help smooth things over if you told us what you're doing.”
  “That might be a bit of a challenge.” Yixing bit his lower lip. “It's something you wouldn't approve of.”
  “Are you dealing drugs? Selling your body for money? Robbing banks? Killing people? Or performing ay other dirty tasks?” Joonmyeon had his hands folded on the table in front of him now, trying to focus on their conversation over his growing headache.
  “No, kind of, no, no, no, and maybe,” Yixing responded.
  “Okay. Elaborate.”
  Yixing swallowed, wiping his sweaty palms on the thighs of his jeans. “I'm a street fighter.” It was a simple answer, but it was still a bit of a shock.
  “Is that why you've started wearing cologne?” Minseok asked. “To hide that fact that you're fighting? Just take a shower.”
  “You all would have gotten suspicious if I showered two or three times a day. I shower when I know I'm done fighting for that day.” Yixing tapped his fingers on his leg, nerves getting the better of him. “I fight a lot. And I get paid a lot of money.”
  “How much money?” Joonmyeon narrowed his eyes at him.
  “In the past week, I’ve made a couple thousand. My first fight I pulled in eight hundred.” He lowered his eyes, unable to meet the other's gaze. He heard Jongdae whistle from across the table. “I have a fight this Saturday and a lot of people already placed their bets.”
  “Don't you get hurt when you fight?” Kyungsoo asked, large eyes even wider.
  Nodding, Yixing hurried to explain himself. He could see the quit now ready to burst from Joonmyeon. “Before you tell me to quit, it's okay! I do get a little banged up, but I heal quickly. By the time I get home, all of my injuries have healed themselves.”
  “Luhan, keep an eye on the fighting scene.” Joonmyeon waited for him to nod before he sighed. “I suppose you can continue fighting. But as soon as it gets to be too much, you get really hurt regardless of your fast healing, or I find that it's getting out of hand, you're quitting.”
  Yixing nodded. He didn’t want Joonmyeon to keep the only thing that made him feel alive from him. He could see Luhan from the corner of his eye, finding him narrowing his own at him. Shit. He knows. Yixing waited a little impatiently for Joonmyeon to say they were dismissed. He bolted from the room, hurrying to the bathroom upstairs. He locked the door behind himself, leaning against it as he breathed heavily. He knows why I’m doing this now. Luhan knows. His eyes were wide, fear gripping him. He didn’t want to lose his fighting, didn’t want to give it up because Luhan knew the real reason behind it. He knew Yixing was doing it for the sake of getting hit, for the sake of the bruises and the blood even if he healed quickly.
  He shuffled over to the cabinet, pulling out the little box of replacement razors. He took one out, placing the box back in its place before closing the cabinet. He lifted his shirt, frowning at his reflection in the mirror. He finally had an answer to his question. Even with his unnatural healing abilities, his body was showing signs of all the abuse he put it through. Little scars dotted his skin where the blade sank into it, cutting it. He placed the blade against an untouched expanse of skin, right above his hip. He was slowly dragging it across his skin when someone knocked loudly on the door. Jerking, he hissed before dropping the blade. He stared in the mirror as blood ran down his abs. It was a pretty decent sized slice. He placed his hand over it, the blood soaking into his hand as he applied pressure. It was almost done healing when the lock on the door clicked, Luhan pushing it open.
  “What the hell, Yixing!” Luhan shouted, glaring a the younger. He reached out, grabbing his wrist before pulling him from the room. He dragged him downstairs, shoving him forward. He staggered in front of the others gathered on the couch, most likely getting ready to watch a movie. “Lift your shirt.” Luhan's eyes were dark, making everyone on the couch shrink back. They weren’t even the one his anger was directed toward and they were still scared.
  “What's going on?” Joonmyeon asked, looking from Yixing to Luhan.
  “Yixing, lift your shirt up. Now.” Luhan waited as Yixing remained unmoving. “Damn it. You're really pushing it.” He stepped forward, grabbing the hem of Yixing's shirt. Just before he could tug it up, the younger grabbed his wrist.
  “Don't,” he whispered, eyes full with tears. He didn’t want them to see how broken he was, how damaged. He shook his head, blinking as the first tears fell. “Hyung, don't.”
  Luhan ignored him, trying to tug the shirt up. “Let go.”
  Yixing shook his head, teeth sinking into his lower lip hard enough to draw blood. The coppery taste was very familiar to him after all of his fights. He tightened his grip on the elder's wrist. “Hyung, please, don't show them.”
  Getting aggravated, Luhan growled low in his throat, he shoved Yixing's hand off of his wrist, clenching his hands in the collar of the younger's shirt. With one quick motion, he tore it right down the center. He pulled at the back of the fabric, tugging it off of Yixing's shoulders. He glared toward those sitting on the couch as he pointed at Yixing. “He's been cutting himself. And he doesn't fight for money or even because he enjoys it. He does it because he's getting hit.”
  “What?” Minseok gasped, eyebrows knitted together.
  Yixing stood there, not even attempting to cover the harsh red marks on his skin. The one he was doing when Luhan hit the door was still healing, the blood drying against his skin.
  “Is it true, Yixing?” Joonmyeon asked. “Are you fighting so you can get hit?” At the younger's nod, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “No more fighting. You're done. Luhan, take him upstairs and keep an eye on him." Luhan nodded, grabbing his arm before yanking him toward the stairs.
  They returned to the bathroom, Yixing standing still while Luhan threw all of the razors into the trash. He wiped down the counter before turning to clean the floor. He threw the rag down, standing up. “You want to feel alive that much that you're willing to risk your life for it? What if they killed you?”
  Yixing sniffled, tears still running down his cheeks. “I couldn't find any other way.” He placed his hand over his heart, nails digging into his skin. “It hurts, Luhan. Thinking about him hurts.” He blinked as more tears fell. “I miss him and I feel empty because he isn't here.”
  Luhan frowned. “That doesn't give you the right to do bodily harm to yourself.” He pulled out bandages from the drawer, turning to wrap them around the gash on Yixing's abs. Securing it in place, Luhan turned to put the remaining bandages away. “Why didn’t you tell us you were hurting so much?” He watched Yixing's reflection in the mirror.
  “Things were strained enough without me adding to it. Sehun cries at night because he misses him; Kyungsoo doesn't really talk, but when he does, you can hear it in his voice; and Jongdae, he shifted into a wolf to defend him, even though he turned on Minseok.” Yixing looked at Luhan through the mirror. “Even Joonmyeon misses him and he doesn't even know him. Minseok seems indifferent about it, but I know he feels guilty. And you, you keep trying to to find him while you're sleeping.”
  Luhan could see the tears carving their way down Yixing's face. “That still doesn't give you the right to do what you did. Kris isn't the only person that cares about you. We all care, too.”
  Yixing flinched at hearing his name, more tears following the previous ones. “I didn’t know what else to do. When I cut myself for the first time, it was an accident. And then it planted the thought in my head. After that, I became addicted.” He tried to clear his throat. “And I started fighting. Every fight, I’d let my opponent get a good few hits in before I retaliated. The first fight, I think the guy broke my nose.”
  Luhan turned abruptly, facing the younger, tears in his own eyes. “Are you stupid? Why didn’t you tell any of us before?”
  “Because I didn’t want to stop. I liked the feeling of being hit, of being able to bleed for a little bit. It made me forget about Kris.” Yixing choked out his name. It was the first time he had said it aloud since he left. And it cut through him deeper than any of the blades ever did.
  Seeing Yixing struggling with himself, Luhan felt something in him break a little. He closed the distance between them, shoving the younger roughly against the wall. He mashed their lips together before trailing kisses down his jaw. He bit down on Yixing's neck, hearing him whimper. He dug his nails into Yixing's shoulders, dragging them painfully slow down his arms, leaving angry red marks in their place. He could feel the younger trembling, reaching down to take his hands. He pinned them to the wall above their heads with his right hand. He reached up with his left, tangling it in Yixing's hair before pulling on it so hard he cried out.
  “Don't hurt yourself anymore,” Luhan whispered, lips grazing Yixing's skin.
  “What are you two doing?” Minseok asked, staring at them he had come up to check on them when he heard the banging.
  Luhan looked over at Minseok. “Telling Yixing that he doesn't need to hurt himself.”
  Minseok eyes the youngest, finding the red scratches down his arms, the bite mark on his neck. He approached the two of them after closing the door. “Really? Has little Zhang Yixing been bad?” He smiled, eyes darkening as he reached out to push against the bandage wrapped around the younger. He smiled wider at seeing him wince.
  Luhan leaned over, kissing Minseok quickly before turning back to Yixing. “Don't hurt yourself anymore, Yixing. You have Minseok and I. Whenever you're needing your fix, come to either one of us.” He smiled when the younger nodded. “That's a good boy.” He released Yixing's hair, patting him on the cheek.
  Yixing whined low in his throat when Luhan released his wrists. Bruises were forming from the rough treatment, but it was exactly what he wanted. “Minseok hyung,” he croaked, turning his gaze to him.
  Minseok stepped forward, one arm tossed over Luhan's shoulders. “What is it, Yixing? What do you want from hyung?” He took one of Yixing's wrists in his hand as Luhan grabbed the other. They pinned them above the younger's head, sharing a quick look before they each leaned forward. They each bit down on his neck, making him whine again. They reached out, dragging their nails down his sides. He whimpered and they stepped back.
  Luhan cupped Yixing's face, forcing him to meet his eyes. “Whenever you find yourself missing him, come find us, okay? We'll help you forget about him.” He pecked the younger on the lips, smiling at him. “Let's go find you a shirt.”
  Luhan and Minseok led Yixing from the bathroom, going into the bedroom. They pulled out a turtleneck, tossing it at him. He eyed them with confused eyes. “Why a turtleneck?” he asked. He voice was almost completely back to normal. Looking at him, you never would have guess that he was whining and whimpering not even five minutes ago.
  “To hide the bite marks until they heal,” Minseok explained. “You don't want Joonmyeon banning you from us, too.” He winked, grabbing Luhan's hand before tugging him from the room. He slammed him against the wall, eyes dark and voice dangerously low. “Don't kiss anyone without my permission again.”
  Luhan's eyes sparkled, his mouth twisting up in amusement. “Oh? Are you jealous perhaps?” He giggled when Minseok nodded once. “Okay. How about I only kiss Yixing?”
  “Fine, but you can't get jealous if I do it, too.” Minseok pulled away from Luhan, reaching over to link their fingers together. He tried to pull the younger with him, but he frowned when he remained rooted in place. “What's wrong?”
“Tao found the power of teleportation,” Luhan muttered, eyes blank. “Well, he'll find him soon. He's overseas in Australia. Man, that kid gets around.” He blinked, looking at Minseok. “Tao will find him within the month.”
  Minseok grinned at him, grabbing him by the shoulders. “Luhan, you just had a vision.”
  “Yeah. So?” Luhan blinked while Minseok shook him a little.
  “You weren't sleeping! You saw the future without having to go to sleep!” He hugged the other tightly to his chest. “You're powers are evolving!”
  Luhan jumped up and down. “Let's go tell Joonmyeon!” They raced off, thundering down the stairs. They trapped Joonmyeon in the kitchen and gushed about having solved the Yixing problem, without going into detail, and that Luhan saw a glimpse of the future without being asleep. They went to tackle the younger ones outside after Joonmyeon nodded, showing he understood.
  Yixing could hear Jongdae and Kyungsoo laughing, Sehun squealing, as Luhan and Minseok tackled them. He was staring out of his window, the marks on his body slowly disappearing. Sighing, he decided he would take a nap. It would do him a lot of good to let his body rest. It wasn't healing as rapidly as it was before. He would have to cancel his fight tomorrow, telling them he was no longer interested. He fell asleep rather quickly, not knowing how exhausted he really was. It was late morning when he finally woke up. He stretched, deciding to change and go cancel his fight. He knew they would be understanding.
  He changed into jeans and a tank top, pulling a coat on over it before heading downstairs. He frowned when he remembered Joonmyeon and the younger three were at their new school. He left a note for Luhan and Minseok, saying he was taking a walk. It was a nice day after all. He left the house, whistling to himself as he headed for the familiar ring. He waved at some of the people that he recognized. Finding the one in charge of fights, he cleared his throat.
  “I don't want to fight Saturday,” Yixing stated, hands shoved into his pockets.
  “What do you mean, you don't want to fight? You're one of the best in the business kid!” he slapped Yixing on the shoulder.
  “However, I don't really need to fight anymore. So, I came to cancel the match.”
  Facing Yixing, the man crossed his arms. “Look, kid, that isn't how it works. Matches don't get canceled. You can either fight on Saturday or I'll call them over now and you can get it over with.”
  Yixing frowned. “I'm not doing either. I already told you that I’m done. Why don't you understand that?” He turned to leave, feeling a hand wrap around his arm. “Let go.”
  “Sorry, kid, but we have money riding on that match. It's how we pay our bills.” The man looked over his shoulder. “Go call them and have them come today. Tell them that he was trying to chicken out after winning so much money.” He grinned when he looked back at Yixing. “This is going to be fun.”
  Seeing the look in his eyes, Yixing felt fear settle in him. What did I get myself into?

Luhan yawned, scratching his head as he made his way downstairs. The others were back from school already which surprised him. He waved at the younger three, sitting around the living room while they studied. Going into the kitchen, Luhan greeted Joonmyeon. “You will never guess the crazy dream I had last night,” he began, scratching at his stomach. “Yixing was getting jumped by all these big guys. One looked like a freaking ape.” He laughed, shaking his head. He peered over at Joonmyeon who stood unmoving by the counter. “What is it?”
  Joonmyeon held the note up, Luhan scanning over it quickly. “Yixing went out for a walk,” he muttered, hands gripping the counter so hard his knuckles were white. “What if it wasn't just a dream that you had? What if he's in trouble?”
  “He's by the river.” Luhan looked at the younger. “You wake Minseok up. I'll head over there, okay? Bring the younger ones with you, too. We might need their help.” He sprinted from the house, turning right and taking off. He pushed his legs to go faster than he had in a really long time. He didn’t need to run anymore, not really, so he never kept up with it. He could hear loud people cheering and carrying on, panic taking over. He pushed himself to run even faster, breaking through the crowd. “Yixing!”
  Yixing looked up, left eye beginning to bruise while his lips was split on one side. He was half lying on the ground, looking at Luhan. “Hyung? What are you doing here?”
  “I thought you could use some help.” He moved forward, going to stand by Yixing. He felt the younger grab his leg. He reached out, running his fingers through his hair. “It's okay, Yixing, hyung's here now. I won't let them hurt you.”
  “Look, skinny shrimp, this is a closed match. If you want to fight, wait until that one croaks.” He cackled, shoving Luhan back a step. He laughed harder when Yixing fell over onto his side. “Look, the kid can't even stand up anymore!”
  Luhan looked down at Yixing, finding that he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. “Yixing, listen to me. Don't close your eyes until the others get here.” He pulled on his bracelet, the beads popping off before levitating in the air. His eyes were steely as he glared at the man responsible for hurting Yixing.
  “Hyung, I told them I wasn't going to fight anymore.” He licked his lips, scrunching up his face as he tasted blood. “I didn’t fight back against any of them.”
  Luhan nodded, kneeling next to the younger. He smoothed his hair out of his face, frowning as he noticed scratches down the one side. “I'll protect you, Yixing.” He pressed a kiss to the younger's forehead, standing up. “You'll all pay for this.” The beads spiraled around him, morphing together. He held his hand out, grabbing the staff it created. “Let's do this!”
  Yixing looked over as he heard a wolf howl. He could only make out shapes, not their faces. But he knew it was Joonmyeon that stopped beside him, large wolf head bent low to his. “Hi, Joonmyeon,” he mumbled, reaching out to stroke his fur. The wolf yipped, moving to stand half over his friend. It growled at anyone that tried to get too close.
  “What the hell are you people? Circus freaks?”
  “Hey, ugly!” Jongdae shouted, pointing at one of them. “Yeah, you. Why did you bully my hyung?”
  “Look, pipsqueak, leave before you get hurt.”
  Jongdae grinned. “The only ones getting hurt here, are you.” He charged straight toward him. “Now, Kyungsoo!”
  Kyungsoo appeared right before him, barreling out of the ground in a hollow shell of rock. It broke open and he punched the guy across his face, causing him to stagger. “You mess with one wolf, you mess with them all!” he shouted.
  The wind picked up speed as snow drifted down. The wind was colder than it should have been, but Minseok's power blended with Sehun's, creating a deadly cold wind. “We'll stick together through anything!” Sehun yelled, the wind blowing a few people off of their feet. “We may be small and we may be young, but we'll follow the paths that have been laid out before us!”
  “We're not going to let you get in the way of our destiny!” Minseok added, giant ice spires shooting up from the ground. “Yixing is important to us. We need him. And if you think we're going to let you bully him any longer, you're wrong. He's our friend, our brother, and we won't let anyone take him away from us!”
  Yixing smiled, glad he had them. It made things seem a little better, even if he still felt slightly empty inside. He figured he would feel empty if any one of them left, not just Kris. Using Joonmyeon, Yixing pulled himself to his feet, grinning at the men before them. He closed his eyes, focusing his power all over his body. He felt warm, as if the sun had swallowed him up. He could feel the pain retreating as his body healed and he opened his eyes. There was a glowing, colorful light around him. He stopped leaning on Joonmyeon, knowing he was healed enough to stand on his own feet.
  “Who the hell are you people?” one man shrieked, watching as Yixing's injuries healed right before his eyes.
  Glancing over, Yixing saw Jongdae and Kyungsoo, both about to get pummeled by one of the largest of the group. “Jongdae! Kyungsoo!” His voice rang out and everything seemed to still for a moment before a medium sized wolf surged through the air. He tackled the man to the ground, biting down on his arm. The man yelped in pain, struggling to throw the wolf of.
  “That's enough, Chanyeol,” Kris said, the wolf retreating to his side. He reached out to pet the wolf, Chanyeol bumping his head against Kris in return. “So, a little bird told me you were picking on my friends.”
  The man looked up, seeing the look in Kris’s eyes. “There's more freaks like you?”
  Kris grinned. “You gang up on individuals and think you have the right to call us the freaks?” He shook his head. “That's not very nice. Maybe I should show you a little of what we can do.” He placed his hand on Baekhyun's shoulder. “Ready?”
  Baekhyun nodded, forming a ball of light in his hands. He released it, letting it shoot out and blind the group of fighters. “How's that?” he asked, beaming up at Kris.
  “Not bad.” He ruffled the younger's hair, turning toward Luhan and the others. Jongdae and Kyungsoo joined the group, standing next to Sehun and Minseok.
  “Kris hyung is back?” Sehun asked, voice filled with hope.
  Nodding, Kris looked at Joonmyeon. “I am if you're willing to accept the power of a traitor.”
  The wolf looked at Luhan, the elder nodding before he looked at Kris. “He said he isn't accepting the power of a traitor.” He frowned when Kris’s face fell. “He's accepting the power of a friend.”
  Kris looked up, eyes wide. “Can I really come back?”
  “Let's vote on it,” Minseok stated, crossing his arms over his chest. “All those in favor?” He watched as everyone but Yixing raised their hands. He frowned as the younger walked forward.
  “Don't you dare run away again. Do you know what kind of hell you put me through?” Yixing grabbed Kris’s shirt collar, Chanyeol growling low beside him.
  Kris put his hand on the younger's head. “It's fine, Chanyeol. Really. Whatever he's about to dish out, I deserve. I abandoned them, I left without telling anyone anything. I didn’t care what their feelings were, only what mine were.” He closed his eyes, bracing himself for whatever it was Yixing was about to throw at him. “Okay, Yixing. Go ahead.”
  Yixing pulled Kris forward, kissing him with his eyes screwed shut. Luhan smacked his hands over Sehun's eyes, fighting with him to keep him still. Minseok did the same with Jongdae and Kyungsoo, wigging around until they finally gave up. Baekhyun's eyes were wide with surprise and he blinked before frowning. Pulling away, Yixing opened his eyes, finding Kris staring at him.
  “Don't run away from me again because I'll hunt your sorry ass down.” He grinned, bumping noses with the elder. “Other than that, welcome back.”
  Kris hugged Yixing, missing the way he winced since he buried his face in his hair. “Why does everything seem better when I see you?”
  “Because you love each other,” Luhan stated, voice serious. He lowered his voice, looking over at Minseok. “I guess our deal with Yixing is off then, huh?”
  Minseok nodded. “Yeah, but he still gets his happy ending, right?” He uncovered Sehun's eyes. “How about we all go home and get acquainted with the two Kris picked up?”
  An hour later, they were all inside the circular room, sitting in their places. Joonmyeon was filling Baekhyun and Chanyeol in on their history, while the others sat quietly. Under the table, Yixing was holding onto Kris’s hand tightly and this time, he wasn't letting it go.