not afraid to fall [chapter 7]
Title: not afraid to fall [chapter 7]
Author: ivoryroyale
Genre: supernatural, friendship, hurt/comfort, drama, suspense
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: language
Summary: in a which a group of six aren't afraid to stand tall because they have each other
Note: 2,902 words.
-----
[prologue] [chapter 1] [chapter 2] [chapter 3] [chapter 4] [chapter 5] [chapter 6] [ chapter 7] [chapter 8] [ chapter 9] [chapter 10] [chapter 11] [ chapter 12] [chapter 13] [chapter 14] [ chapter 15] [ chapter 16] [ chapter 17] [ chapter 18] [ chapter 19] [ chapter 20]
not afraid to fall
chapter seven
Right when Youngjae is about to turn the knob on Jongup's door, he's stopped by Yongguk, who seems to have recovered from Youngjae's show of uncharacteristic toughness and completely normal logic. The man grabs onto the younger boy's wrist and tugs him away from Jongup's door with a brute force he usually doesn't show at home, and Youngjae almost screams for him to let the fuck go, but Yongguk beats him to it. "You can't tell Jongup," The man says gravely, looking down at Youngjae with burning eyes, a fire blazing within his pupils displaying a whole array of emotions Youngjae can't seem to name. But he can make out, in the colors of his eyes, determination, strong and undying.
"Why not?" Youngjae asks, even though he knows. His brain already thought of the answer an hour ago, when he was thinking of the probabilities, of all the things that could go wrong with Junhong's plan. (Why couldn't the boy see how stupid his plan was? Why couldn't he talk to one of them about this instead of doing something so reckless?) Youngjae rips his wrist out of Yongguk's grasp and gives his eyes a leveled stare, irises filled with almost as much determination as the leader's.
Yongguk relents, breaking the staring contest to glance at the moon painted on Jongup's door (painted by Junhong around the time Jongup first moved in, when he heard the boy's surname was Moon.) (His heart relaxes a bit, remembering the good memory, but his throat clenches, remembering that that's an old memory and Junhong isn't as safe as he was that year ago; he's somewhere completely the opposite.) "You know why," He answers simply, reeling Youngjae around so that he wouldn't have to face the door anymore. "If Jongup hears that Junhong went to go look for his brother, he'll think that it was all his fault that Junhong left,"
"He'd be devastated, and you know it," Yongguk points out, waving a finger at Youngjae as if doing that would make him see the weight of the situation and make him stay rooted to his spot on the ground and away from Jongup. "He'd want to go looking for him," Yongguk says and Youngjae winces, because the man is absolutely right. Jongup would travel the ends of the earth searching for Junhong if he knew. "You can't tell him," Yongguk says again, voice nothing but a mere murmur, and yet Youngjae shivers still because it's somehow worse than the man yelling. Yelling would indicate anger, frustration, it would send Youngjae over the edge. When he doesn't yell, it keeps Youngjae tame, it keeps his thoughts from buzzing around in his head. It lets him think about everything and anything. (Makes him think about Junhong.
Please, please let him be safe.)
"What do you expect me to do?" Youngjae asks, losing all resolve and reverting back to sounding utterly hopeless. "I can't just walk around the house knowing where Junhong is without telling him! I'll be breaking his heart either way!"
Yongguk stares at Youngjae, staring at the ground, and asks, voice so calm, (but it just sounds like a hurricane in Youngjae's brain.) "Which one is worse: breaking his heart or getting him killed?"
Youngjae doesn't even need to answer, because Yongguk already knows.
"Look," Yongguk says, after seeing Youngjae deflate under his words. "I'll find him. I swear. I just need a little time to prepare. The kid," The leader stops, eyebrows furrowing and mouth pursing into a thin line. "He didn't break into just any base; he broke into a lab."
Youngjae startles, mind coming up with a million and one more possibilities of what could be happening to Junhong right at this moment. "A lab?"
"I..." He runs a hand along the expanse of his face, conflict running through his eyes, not sure if this was safe, to tell Youngjae about the laboratory. He gives in after a moment, because the genius deserves to know. "I've been heavily researching this for years now and learned that the government made a huge laboratory to experiment on mutants," A dour sigh leaves his lips. "They learned that mutants already have a particular chemical structure unlike humans and are using that for their advantage. Apparently, once they manage to kidnap mutants, they chemically experiment on them and manage to successfully chemically alter their mutant powers for the use of their own benefits,"
"Doing this not only lets the mutant keep their original power, but it also gives them a second," Yongguk explains, slowly, searching for any sign of reaction in Youngjae's eyes, because he's sure the genius knows what he's going to say already.
Youngjae swallows. "So you're saying..." His voice fails on him though, because the thought is just too horrifying to him.
"I'm saying that Junhong broke into the lab that quite possibly experimented on him before," Yongguk finishes the sentence for him, mind traveling off, thinking about all those years, all those years looking for the reason why Junhong was so special, why he had two powers. And it had to be because of something as horrific as this. "And I don't know how Junhong managed to get out of the lab the first time they experimented on him, but I'm willing to bet they won't be as careless a second time,"
The younger boy can only stare back at him, trepidation in his widened eyes, until he can muster enough heart aching concern to ask, "How long do you need before you leave to search for him?"
"If I want to make it back alive?" Yongguk asks. "I'm gonna need, at least, another day,"
Inside of Jongup's room, the younger boy had already cried himself to sleep by the time Daehyun started hearing voices outside his door.
He recognizes Yongguk's low timbre of a voice along with Youngjae's more raspy vocals anywhere and he's about to get up from his spot flanked by Jongup's bedside to tell them to quiet down because they're speaking rather loudly and if they continue they might wake up Jongup, but then he catches a part of the conversation and he's shocked into place.
"If Jongup hears that Junhong went to go look for his brother, he'll think it was all his fault that Junhong left,"
Jongup's brother? Daehyun knits his eyebrows together and he glances over at the younger boy, curled up on his side on top of his mattress, unruly hair framing his sleeping face. He didn't even know Jongup had a brother. (He silently thinks, That's where Junhong is? Looking for Jongup's brother of all things?)
A whole portion of the conversation that Daehyun doesn't quite understand passes until he hears a particular fragment of the chat that makes the back of his skin crawl with disgust. "The kid... He didn't break into just any base," At the word base, Daehyun swallows, and suppresses a shiver. The boy broke into a base? What is wrong with him?
Yongguk goes on to explain how the place Junhong went to was no ordinary base, but Daehyun doesn't listen and nor does he care. Anything owned and run by the government would be just as bad (if not worse) than the base he was in. Junhong has no chance. If they catch him, then he's screwed; it's as simple as that.
They'll torture him; they'll strip Junhong of everything he has, physically and mentally, and will only leave his outer shell a simple ghost if the mutants don't look for him right now.
"If I want to make it back alive? I'm gonna need, at least, another day,"
They don't have that much time. Daehyun already knows. And as he thinks about himself, (about how he had to endure the lifestyles of the base alone, about how he always wished someone would come and rescue him, about the countless times he nearly broke down and lost who he was) he thinks about how Junhong would fare in a base after living in a shelter like this for years - untouched and safe and surrounded by a family who loves him.
The boy's a sitting duck at a place like the base.
And before Daehyun even realizes what he's doing, he's up from the chair he was previously sitting on, forgetting his post-its on the nightstand, and he's already managed to turn the doorknob of Jongup's bedroom to interrupt the men outside.
"What if you take me?" Daehyun asks after he swings the door open, staring evenly at the two men, shock playing across their faces as they slowly come to realize he's been eavesdropping this whole time. "If you take me, will it take less time for you to prepare?" He questions, all precaution thrown at the wind because he keeps imagining what they're doing to Junhong - that child.
(He keeps imagining that they're treating him worse than how Daehyun was treated when he was fifteen and his conscience just can't handle that.)
"No," Yongguk says flatly, shaking his head. "I'm not taking you,"
Daehyun gives him this look of impatience. "Yongguk hyung, what you say isn't exactly going to effect the fact of the matter. If I go with you, it'd be easier and quicker to find Junhong, yes?" He asks, careful to phrase his thoughts into questions instead of making demands. He doesn't want to demand anything, in risk of his ability activating and accidentally brainwashing Yongguk.
Yongguk looks conflicted before finally admitting that it would help. "But I'm not going to risk your life by taking you with me,"
"If you don't, there's a good chance Junhong will die," Daehyun states bluntly, making both of the men in front of him wince. "You know that, don't you?" The look on Yongguk's face is answer enough. "You have to take me with you. My ability would be incredibly helpful," With that, all room for argument dies down in Yongguk's brain and the older man glares at him for using his ability. "This is for Junhong's well being; this isn't about me, so stop worrying about me." Daehyun explains, and then he suddenly feels someone bumping into his back, hands on his shoulders.
"I'm going too," Daehyun hears from behind him.
He turns around to see Jongup, clad in his wife-beater and sweats, staring determinedly at Yongguk behind his shoulder. "I thought you were sleeping," Daehyun says, a little surprised.
"I was faking," Jongup murmurs near his ear, before turning back to Yongguk.
"My super strength would be a big help, just as much as Daehyun hyung's voice manipulation," Jongup tries to persuade Yongguk before he even attempts to open his mouth to flat out reject the idea of Jongup going. "It's-" He swallows the lump in his throat. "It's my fault he's gone," Yongguk opens his mouth and Jongup continues before he can even say anything. "And don't even say that it isn't, because it is and you know it. Just, please," He begs, lips quivering, eyes pleading. "I wanna fix this. I want Junhong back home,"
Yongguk purses his lips, staring at Jongup, staring at Daehyun, and finally running a tired hand through his hair. "I live with a bunch of idiots," He mumbles. "A bunch of stubborn, goodhearted, fucking stupid idiots," But Jongup smiles despite the insult, because he knows its Yongguk's way of giving in and Yongguk almost cries of joy because it's the first smile he's seen from the boy since Junhong left.
"I suppose you're going to ask too?" Yongguk asks with a sigh, looking over at Youngjae, staring imploringly at Youngguk.
He smiles too, because he knows now, with the help of everyone, there's a better chance of Junhong getting out of this alive. "You're going to need me," He points out, matter-o-factly. "I can think up some pretty good battle plans-"
"You don't need to tell me what you can do and what you can't," Yongguk cuts him off, bringing a hand up to ruffle the boy's hair rather affectionately. "You found out where Junhong is, remember? That's proof enough for me,"
And he does remember, but he's not used to people praising him, so he just stares quietly up at the man.
"We're going to need to leave fast," Daehyun points out and everyone in the room listens to him because it's the only thing they can do when he uses his ability. "Like, as in right now fast,"
And, of course, everyone agrees with him.
"You're taking me too,"
"I can't,"
"And why not?" Himchan demands, tapping his foot impatiently on the ground, standing in front of the front door. With Himchan blocking the entrance, the other mutants had no way of leaving, so unless Yongguk surrenders and just takes Himchan along too, they are't exactly going to get anywhere. "You're taking my babies, so you have to take me too,"
Yongguk sighs, thinking again about how this house is just full of irrational idiots. (But truthfully, he just doesn't want to take his best friend to see something so horrific. Yongguk knows he's being selfish and he knows that he's being just as irrational because why couldn't he take a twenty one year old to a battle field when he was already bringing along a seventeen year old and two eighteen year old's?
He just doesn't want Himchan to see him out in the field. He's the most important person in the world to him and if he sees how heinous he is on his "missions" he might not be able to take it.)
"Himchannie hyung..." Jongup starts, peering over from behind Yongguk to stare at the brunette with apologetic eyes.
Daehyun sighs, rubbing his temples, thinking, These guys have no idea what the words right now mean. "Why can't we just take him with us?"
"Himchan hyung would be really useful, you know," Youngjae points out. "He could keep a barrier around us. We wouldn't get hurt,"
Yongguk glares. "Yes, but we don't know to what extent his powers can go to. We don't know his strengths, his weaknesses, to what duration he can use his ability... In fact, we don't even know to what extent any of your powers can go to," He still opposes this idea immensely. Despite the fact they would be stronger together, it would also bring upon a whole variety of weaknesses on the group as well. So many things can go right and yet so many things can go wrong. They could all end up becoming experiments in the lab for all Yongguk knows. (He wishes there was somebody who could tell the future in this group of mutants. It would certainly make this decision a lot easier.)
"How about I just leave all of you here?" Yongguk tries to offer.
Daehyun speaks up. (It feels good to actually talk for once.) "That's not an option anymore and you know it."
"We're stronger together," Himchan elucidates, looking into Yongguk's brown, brown eyes filled with concern and fear and hope and just so much care. "I'll be fine." He braves a smile. "I pinky swear," The man amends, sticking out his little finger.
When Yongguk is about to take Himchan's pinky into his own, Daehyun abruptly pushes him forward, voicing, "Alright, he's going, we get it. We don't have time for this," And with that, Himchan quickly opens the door for the five of them and they all file quickly into Yongguk's car, driving away as fast as they can when the vehicle starts.
And Daehyun's right.
They really don't.
When Junhong wakes up, he finds that he can't move.
A burning light shines down from the ceiling of wherever he is, momentarily blinding the boy as he opens his eyes, blinking them to adjust to the brightness. He looks around, wincing and groaning when the back of his head throbs in protest, to see that he's in a big, white room. He's strapped by his waist, wrists, and ankles onto what looks like a hospital table patients sit on whenever they go for checkups, by way of what look like black belts, fastened into the white table he's trapped against.
Somewhere not too far away he can see machines, too many to count, and too complicated looking for Junhong to predict what they do and what they don't. An acrid smell fills the room and Junhong almost wants to hold his breath in opposition because it burns his eyes and invades his nose, tainting the air and making him feel a sense of nostalgia.
His head bobs to the left and he notices the white double doors and wants to bolt upright against his confinements, remembering those were the same exact doors he was trying to enter through earlier.
Well, now I know what the laboratory looks like, Junhong thinks bitterly, before briskly moving his eyes around the room again.
Whoever hit him has to be here.
Then he hears from behind him a dark, deep voice that crawls its way into his ears and sends violent shivers down his spine. He closes his eyes, breathing in deeply, nullifying the fear shooting sudden spikes up to his head screaming Danger, danger! Get out right now! but he can't.
He's stuck.
"Good morning, Zelo," The voice greets, soft as velvet and yet as grating as nails against a chalkboard. "It's so very nice to see you again,"
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Previous | Next
Author: ivoryroyale
Genre: supernatural, friendship, hurt/comfort, drama, suspense
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: language
Summary: in a which a group of six aren't afraid to stand tall because they have each other
Note: 2,902 words.
-----
[prologue] [chapter 1] [chapter 2] [chapter 3] [chapter 4] [chapter 5] [chapter 6] [ chapter 7] [chapter 8] [ chapter 9] [chapter 10] [chapter 11] [ chapter 12] [chapter 13] [chapter 14] [ chapter 15] [ chapter 16] [ chapter 17] [ chapter 18] [ chapter 19] [ chapter 20]
not afraid to fall
chapter seven
Right when Youngjae is about to turn the knob on Jongup's door, he's stopped by Yongguk, who seems to have recovered from Youngjae's show of uncharacteristic toughness and completely normal logic. The man grabs onto the younger boy's wrist and tugs him away from Jongup's door with a brute force he usually doesn't show at home, and Youngjae almost screams for him to let the fuck go, but Yongguk beats him to it. "You can't tell Jongup," The man says gravely, looking down at Youngjae with burning eyes, a fire blazing within his pupils displaying a whole array of emotions Youngjae can't seem to name. But he can make out, in the colors of his eyes, determination, strong and undying.
"Why not?" Youngjae asks, even though he knows. His brain already thought of the answer an hour ago, when he was thinking of the probabilities, of all the things that could go wrong with Junhong's plan. (Why couldn't the boy see how stupid his plan was? Why couldn't he talk to one of them about this instead of doing something so reckless?) Youngjae rips his wrist out of Yongguk's grasp and gives his eyes a leveled stare, irises filled with almost as much determination as the leader's.
Yongguk relents, breaking the staring contest to glance at the moon painted on Jongup's door (painted by Junhong around the time Jongup first moved in, when he heard the boy's surname was Moon.) (His heart relaxes a bit, remembering the good memory, but his throat clenches, remembering that that's an old memory and Junhong isn't as safe as he was that year ago; he's somewhere completely the opposite.) "You know why," He answers simply, reeling Youngjae around so that he wouldn't have to face the door anymore. "If Jongup hears that Junhong went to go look for his brother, he'll think that it was all his fault that Junhong left,"
"He'd be devastated, and you know it," Yongguk points out, waving a finger at Youngjae as if doing that would make him see the weight of the situation and make him stay rooted to his spot on the ground and away from Jongup. "He'd want to go looking for him," Yongguk says and Youngjae winces, because the man is absolutely right. Jongup would travel the ends of the earth searching for Junhong if he knew. "You can't tell him," Yongguk says again, voice nothing but a mere murmur, and yet Youngjae shivers still because it's somehow worse than the man yelling. Yelling would indicate anger, frustration, it would send Youngjae over the edge. When he doesn't yell, it keeps Youngjae tame, it keeps his thoughts from buzzing around in his head. It lets him think about everything and anything. (Makes him think about Junhong.
Please, please let him be safe.)
"What do you expect me to do?" Youngjae asks, losing all resolve and reverting back to sounding utterly hopeless. "I can't just walk around the house knowing where Junhong is without telling him! I'll be breaking his heart either way!"
Yongguk stares at Youngjae, staring at the ground, and asks, voice so calm, (but it just sounds like a hurricane in Youngjae's brain.) "Which one is worse: breaking his heart or getting him killed?"
Youngjae doesn't even need to answer, because Yongguk already knows.
"Look," Yongguk says, after seeing Youngjae deflate under his words. "I'll find him. I swear. I just need a little time to prepare. The kid," The leader stops, eyebrows furrowing and mouth pursing into a thin line. "He didn't break into just any base; he broke into a lab."
Youngjae startles, mind coming up with a million and one more possibilities of what could be happening to Junhong right at this moment. "A lab?"
"I..." He runs a hand along the expanse of his face, conflict running through his eyes, not sure if this was safe, to tell Youngjae about the laboratory. He gives in after a moment, because the genius deserves to know. "I've been heavily researching this for years now and learned that the government made a huge laboratory to experiment on mutants," A dour sigh leaves his lips. "They learned that mutants already have a particular chemical structure unlike humans and are using that for their advantage. Apparently, once they manage to kidnap mutants, they chemically experiment on them and manage to successfully chemically alter their mutant powers for the use of their own benefits,"
"Doing this not only lets the mutant keep their original power, but it also gives them a second," Yongguk explains, slowly, searching for any sign of reaction in Youngjae's eyes, because he's sure the genius knows what he's going to say already.
Youngjae swallows. "So you're saying..." His voice fails on him though, because the thought is just too horrifying to him.
"I'm saying that Junhong broke into the lab that quite possibly experimented on him before," Yongguk finishes the sentence for him, mind traveling off, thinking about all those years, all those years looking for the reason why Junhong was so special, why he had two powers. And it had to be because of something as horrific as this. "And I don't know how Junhong managed to get out of the lab the first time they experimented on him, but I'm willing to bet they won't be as careless a second time,"
The younger boy can only stare back at him, trepidation in his widened eyes, until he can muster enough heart aching concern to ask, "How long do you need before you leave to search for him?"
"If I want to make it back alive?" Yongguk asks. "I'm gonna need, at least, another day,"
Inside of Jongup's room, the younger boy had already cried himself to sleep by the time Daehyun started hearing voices outside his door.
He recognizes Yongguk's low timbre of a voice along with Youngjae's more raspy vocals anywhere and he's about to get up from his spot flanked by Jongup's bedside to tell them to quiet down because they're speaking rather loudly and if they continue they might wake up Jongup, but then he catches a part of the conversation and he's shocked into place.
"If Jongup hears that Junhong went to go look for his brother, he'll think it was all his fault that Junhong left,"
Jongup's brother? Daehyun knits his eyebrows together and he glances over at the younger boy, curled up on his side on top of his mattress, unruly hair framing his sleeping face. He didn't even know Jongup had a brother. (He silently thinks, That's where Junhong is? Looking for Jongup's brother of all things?)
A whole portion of the conversation that Daehyun doesn't quite understand passes until he hears a particular fragment of the chat that makes the back of his skin crawl with disgust. "The kid... He didn't break into just any base," At the word base, Daehyun swallows, and suppresses a shiver. The boy broke into a base? What is wrong with him?
Yongguk goes on to explain how the place Junhong went to was no ordinary base, but Daehyun doesn't listen and nor does he care. Anything owned and run by the government would be just as bad (if not worse) than the base he was in. Junhong has no chance. If they catch him, then he's screwed; it's as simple as that.
They'll torture him; they'll strip Junhong of everything he has, physically and mentally, and will only leave his outer shell a simple ghost if the mutants don't look for him right now.
"If I want to make it back alive? I'm gonna need, at least, another day,"
They don't have that much time. Daehyun already knows. And as he thinks about himself, (about how he had to endure the lifestyles of the base alone, about how he always wished someone would come and rescue him, about the countless times he nearly broke down and lost who he was) he thinks about how Junhong would fare in a base after living in a shelter like this for years - untouched and safe and surrounded by a family who loves him.
The boy's a sitting duck at a place like the base.
And before Daehyun even realizes what he's doing, he's up from the chair he was previously sitting on, forgetting his post-its on the nightstand, and he's already managed to turn the doorknob of Jongup's bedroom to interrupt the men outside.
"What if you take me?" Daehyun asks after he swings the door open, staring evenly at the two men, shock playing across their faces as they slowly come to realize he's been eavesdropping this whole time. "If you take me, will it take less time for you to prepare?" He questions, all precaution thrown at the wind because he keeps imagining what they're doing to Junhong - that child.
(He keeps imagining that they're treating him worse than how Daehyun was treated when he was fifteen and his conscience just can't handle that.)
"No," Yongguk says flatly, shaking his head. "I'm not taking you,"
Daehyun gives him this look of impatience. "Yongguk hyung, what you say isn't exactly going to effect the fact of the matter. If I go with you, it'd be easier and quicker to find Junhong, yes?" He asks, careful to phrase his thoughts into questions instead of making demands. He doesn't want to demand anything, in risk of his ability activating and accidentally brainwashing Yongguk.
Yongguk looks conflicted before finally admitting that it would help. "But I'm not going to risk your life by taking you with me,"
"If you don't, there's a good chance Junhong will die," Daehyun states bluntly, making both of the men in front of him wince. "You know that, don't you?" The look on Yongguk's face is answer enough. "You have to take me with you. My ability would be incredibly helpful," With that, all room for argument dies down in Yongguk's brain and the older man glares at him for using his ability. "This is for Junhong's well being; this isn't about me, so stop worrying about me." Daehyun explains, and then he suddenly feels someone bumping into his back, hands on his shoulders.
"I'm going too," Daehyun hears from behind him.
He turns around to see Jongup, clad in his wife-beater and sweats, staring determinedly at Yongguk behind his shoulder. "I thought you were sleeping," Daehyun says, a little surprised.
"I was faking," Jongup murmurs near his ear, before turning back to Yongguk.
"My super strength would be a big help, just as much as Daehyun hyung's voice manipulation," Jongup tries to persuade Yongguk before he even attempts to open his mouth to flat out reject the idea of Jongup going. "It's-" He swallows the lump in his throat. "It's my fault he's gone," Yongguk opens his mouth and Jongup continues before he can even say anything. "And don't even say that it isn't, because it is and you know it. Just, please," He begs, lips quivering, eyes pleading. "I wanna fix this. I want Junhong back home,"
Yongguk purses his lips, staring at Jongup, staring at Daehyun, and finally running a tired hand through his hair. "I live with a bunch of idiots," He mumbles. "A bunch of stubborn, goodhearted, fucking stupid idiots," But Jongup smiles despite the insult, because he knows its Yongguk's way of giving in and Yongguk almost cries of joy because it's the first smile he's seen from the boy since Junhong left.
"I suppose you're going to ask too?" Yongguk asks with a sigh, looking over at Youngjae, staring imploringly at Youngguk.
He smiles too, because he knows now, with the help of everyone, there's a better chance of Junhong getting out of this alive. "You're going to need me," He points out, matter-o-factly. "I can think up some pretty good battle plans-"
"You don't need to tell me what you can do and what you can't," Yongguk cuts him off, bringing a hand up to ruffle the boy's hair rather affectionately. "You found out where Junhong is, remember? That's proof enough for me,"
And he does remember, but he's not used to people praising him, so he just stares quietly up at the man.
"We're going to need to leave fast," Daehyun points out and everyone in the room listens to him because it's the only thing they can do when he uses his ability. "Like, as in right now fast,"
And, of course, everyone agrees with him.
"You're taking me too,"
"I can't,"
"And why not?" Himchan demands, tapping his foot impatiently on the ground, standing in front of the front door. With Himchan blocking the entrance, the other mutants had no way of leaving, so unless Yongguk surrenders and just takes Himchan along too, they are't exactly going to get anywhere. "You're taking my babies, so you have to take me too,"
Yongguk sighs, thinking again about how this house is just full of irrational idiots. (But truthfully, he just doesn't want to take his best friend to see something so horrific. Yongguk knows he's being selfish and he knows that he's being just as irrational because why couldn't he take a twenty one year old to a battle field when he was already bringing along a seventeen year old and two eighteen year old's?
He just doesn't want Himchan to see him out in the field. He's the most important person in the world to him and if he sees how heinous he is on his "missions" he might not be able to take it.)
"Himchannie hyung..." Jongup starts, peering over from behind Yongguk to stare at the brunette with apologetic eyes.
Daehyun sighs, rubbing his temples, thinking, These guys have no idea what the words right now mean. "Why can't we just take him with us?"
"Himchan hyung would be really useful, you know," Youngjae points out. "He could keep a barrier around us. We wouldn't get hurt,"
Yongguk glares. "Yes, but we don't know to what extent his powers can go to. We don't know his strengths, his weaknesses, to what duration he can use his ability... In fact, we don't even know to what extent any of your powers can go to," He still opposes this idea immensely. Despite the fact they would be stronger together, it would also bring upon a whole variety of weaknesses on the group as well. So many things can go right and yet so many things can go wrong. They could all end up becoming experiments in the lab for all Yongguk knows. (He wishes there was somebody who could tell the future in this group of mutants. It would certainly make this decision a lot easier.)
"How about I just leave all of you here?" Yongguk tries to offer.
Daehyun speaks up. (It feels good to actually talk for once.) "That's not an option anymore and you know it."
"We're stronger together," Himchan elucidates, looking into Yongguk's brown, brown eyes filled with concern and fear and hope and just so much care. "I'll be fine." He braves a smile. "I pinky swear," The man amends, sticking out his little finger.
When Yongguk is about to take Himchan's pinky into his own, Daehyun abruptly pushes him forward, voicing, "Alright, he's going, we get it. We don't have time for this," And with that, Himchan quickly opens the door for the five of them and they all file quickly into Yongguk's car, driving away as fast as they can when the vehicle starts.
And Daehyun's right.
They really don't.
When Junhong wakes up, he finds that he can't move.
A burning light shines down from the ceiling of wherever he is, momentarily blinding the boy as he opens his eyes, blinking them to adjust to the brightness. He looks around, wincing and groaning when the back of his head throbs in protest, to see that he's in a big, white room. He's strapped by his waist, wrists, and ankles onto what looks like a hospital table patients sit on whenever they go for checkups, by way of what look like black belts, fastened into the white table he's trapped against.
Somewhere not too far away he can see machines, too many to count, and too complicated looking for Junhong to predict what they do and what they don't. An acrid smell fills the room and Junhong almost wants to hold his breath in opposition because it burns his eyes and invades his nose, tainting the air and making him feel a sense of nostalgia.
His head bobs to the left and he notices the white double doors and wants to bolt upright against his confinements, remembering those were the same exact doors he was trying to enter through earlier.
Well, now I know what the laboratory looks like, Junhong thinks bitterly, before briskly moving his eyes around the room again.
Whoever hit him has to be here.
Then he hears from behind him a dark, deep voice that crawls its way into his ears and sends violent shivers down his spine. He closes his eyes, breathing in deeply, nullifying the fear shooting sudden spikes up to his head screaming Danger, danger! Get out right now! but he can't.
He's stuck.
"Good morning, Zelo," The voice greets, soft as velvet and yet as grating as nails against a chalkboard. "It's so very nice to see you again,"
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