Ignis 11/?
Title: Ignis /Chapter 11 - "Struggle"
Author: kaybee38
Rating: PG-15 (language)
Pairings: friendship!Jonghyun/Onew, Minho/Onew, Taemin/Sulli, eventual!JongKey, broken!Minho/Yuri
Genre: fantasy, sci-fi, character death
Disclaimer: SHINee is owned by SM Entertainment only
Summary: Teneo are humans that live among us that have a genetic mutation that gives them the ability to live on indefinitely. They each have unique abilities and they don't physically age past 25. They all lead double lives since their "gifts" are a secret, some not even realizing that there are others like them. But someone has found a way to kill them. Jonghyun, with the help of a covert society has been secretly trying to warn and protect as many of his kind as he can before it's too late. Onew, Minho, Taemin and Sulli all end up joining forces with him to try to track down the killer before they can strike again. The bonds that grow between them along with their powers might be enough to save them, but the killer is closer to them than they realize.
A/N: This is the part where Minho grows a set.
Prologue [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
Chap. 11 - "Struggle"
“Who are you and what the FUCK do you want?”
Minho growled and shifted his weight to accommodate the man he now had in a vice-like headlock. His right arm pulled around the man’s thick neck with his right hand gripping his own left shoulder. His left forearm pushed against the man’s nape, the push and pull of his arms effectively cutting off air to the man’s windpipe just enough to subdue him. Minho had no intention of actually choking him though.
That would just be stupid.
The consequences of such an action would result in his own demise by default. He couldn’t feel any malice in the man in his arms. Instead fear and genuine concern for his friend on the ground seemed to be the only things on his mind. Instinctively he knew he wasn’t a threat. But he couldn’t get a good read on the short one who had moments before been able to pin him against the door of the shop inexplicably, without him sensing his presence. He figured he’d hold the bigger one hostage for awhile just so he could sort things out.
Almost as if the short man could hear his thoughts he struggled to stand up and took a shaky step forward. Hands in the air surrendering.
“Hey. Hey. Take it easy. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. We just wanna talk to you.”
The bigger one in his arms, gurgled, apparently in agreement.
“Bullshit. That's not how you start a conversation.” Minho flinched a bit from the pain in his hand as he adjusted his grip a bit.
“You know we don’t want to hurt you.” The short one looked at the ground as he spoke and rubbed the back of his head.
Minho did know.
Just like he knew that the man was purposely not looking at him. Minho had too many unanswered questions though and he didn’t like it. His head was swimming as goosebumps raised on his skin and blood trickled down his hand onto his captive’s shoulder from when it was scraped by the key he was previously trying to turn in the store’s lock. Minho cocked his head to the side and shot a sideways glance at the short man as he tried to get a read on him.
Why are you here Please Why did you try to save my life in the ambulance the other night but just attack me now Oh God Why couldn’t I sense you I knew this was a bad idea Where are you from Who are you Let me go Don't let him in Why won't you look me in the eye We just wanna talk Who are you Jonghyun are you ok
Bingo.
Minho blinked a few times and took a deep breath trying to separate his thoughts from the one’s rapidly invading his conscience. The stronger thoughts were obviously emanating from the man his arms, who was leaning into him struggling to push him off balance, but Minho was aware of that too and rooted himself to the spot.
“Then what do you want Jonghyun?” Minho asked aloud to the short one, looking up just enough to register the shock on the man's face, who upon hearing his name forgot about shielding his gaze and looked right at him.
“How did you...?” The one called Jonghyun looked both frightened and confused then.
Minho dropped his glare and used his head to gesture to the other man. Jonghyun shifted his gaze to his friend, who at this point had stopped struggling and stiffened up against his body. Then Jonghyun quickly looked back to the ground as he smirked and nodded.
“Of course. He told you didn’t he?”
Minho nodded and sensed the other man’s confusion as he pressed him to his chest. The move made the man’s head tilt up a bit as he winced and gasped. When Minho looked back up Jonghyun was visibly closer to them both.
“Please let him go.” he said quietly, “...you're right, I made a mistake, and I’ll explain everything, I promise.”
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Oh God. I knew this was a bad idea.
Onew struggled to breathe, as he tried to get his bearings and figure out exactly what had just happened. He remembered Jonghyun pinning Minho to the door as time ramped back to normal again. He also remembered Minho struggling against Jonghyun and then finally throwing all of his weight backwards onto the ground. He definitely remembered hearing Jonghyun’s head hit the concrete with a sickening thud as his muscles reacted automatically letting go of the tall young man, and him laying there limp as Onew rushed to get to him to see if he was ok.
What happened next is a blur.
All he could seem to remember was suddenly being yanked backwards with as much force as he was exerting to move forwards and losing his balance as something hard slammed into his windpipe and up behind him so fast he saw stars.
“Wait. We... just...”
He tried to speak, but it just came out as a choked sob as he struggled, staring helplessly at Jonghyun. Jonghyun are you ok? Thankfully the man on the ground began to writhe around in front of him and sat up rubbing the back of his head. When Jonghyun finally caught his gaze, Onew saw his face grow pale, his eyes growing in fear then shooting to the ground in front of him.
Remembering Jonghyun’s warning, Onew squeezed his eyes shut and visualized where they were back at the diner. But.
Something was wrong.
The famliar pop of his ears and rush of wind in his face didn’t occur, instead, pain shot through his head making him dizzy and disoriented for a few moments, disabling him from effectively moving into the rift. He felt sick to his stomach as the man’s grip on his neck only tightened.
Something was blocking his powers.
“Please let him go.” Jonghyun pleaded still looking at the ground.
-------------------
“Can’t do that. Why are you here? What do you want?” Minho was getting even more annoyed.
“I’ll explain everything I promise. Just please...let him go.” Jonghyun pleaded.
“Look at me.”
“I-I can’t do that.” Jonghyun was boring holes into the pavement in front of him.
“Why?”
You know why.
Minho heard Jonghyun’s thoughts loud and clear as the man in his arms whimpered a bit.
Let’s pretend I don’t. Minho thought back staring at him.
I don’t want you to control my mind.
Jonghyun was close enough now for Minho to see a thin sheen of sweat on his temples. Close enough to feel how nervous he was. Good.
If you know I can do that, then you know I can completely erase his memory. Minho threatened non-verbally .
No! Won’t you drain yourself in the process?
Jonghyun's eyed shifted back and forth rapidly as he tried to come up with a plan. Minho looked like he’d been slapped. This man knew too much about him. Minho narrowed his eyes and steeled himself for what he was about to do next.
It’s a risk I’m willing to take.
-------
The man seemed to be distracted by Jonghyun as the grip on his throat loosened a bit. Onew could breathe easier, he could smell a mixture of vanilla and musk on the man, and in another situation that would have made him smile. But he dared not move, or make a sound so as not to draw his captor’s attention back to him.
How did he know Jonghyun’s name? And what did Jonghyun mean when he said I told him?
Onew struggled to make sense of the situation and his eyebrows raised as he realized that he never actually said Jonghyun’s name, but he thought it. Jonghyun already told him that the man had a “gift”, which meant that the tall angry man holding onto him must be some sort of empath. The man snapped Onew out of his thoughts by resuming his debilitating choke hold. As he fought for oxygen, his eyes locked with Jonghyun’s as he walked towards him.
------
“I won’t ask you again.” Minho continued aloud. “Who are you?”
“I’m Jonghyun.” The shorter man took a determined step forward looking only at his friend who was now writhing again in Minho’s arms.
“...and I’m sorry.”
Minho noticed that Jonghyun directed his last statement to his friend and not him as he pressed a hand to the man’s chest.
For what?
“For this.”
Before Minho had a chance to decipher what Jonghyun meant or what he was doing, the man in arms dropped like a rag doll and Minho simultaneously felt the other man’s panic, his own chest clench, the loss of feeling in his legs and pain in his left arm as they both fell to the ground in a heap.
The last thing Onew saw before he lost consciousness was Jonghyun’s worried face.
I am so sorry.
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A/N: Ok if you're confused, the greyed-out words are Minho's thoughts as he tries to read Jonghyun and Onew's minds. Because Onew is in his arms, he gets a read on Onew the strongest. The other italics represent character's thoughts. Jonghyun and Minho speak telepathically throughout much of this. I also changed the description a bit, bc I think people are looking for the pairings to be happening a bit more quickly than my story is unfolding. So for all you JongKey fans out there, I swear it's coming but not for awhile. TofuHo will be here shortly, and Taemin and Sulli? Yep. they're coming too.
Comments are love!
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY JINKI!
