How many blue skies has there been? for kinkyixing
For: soostar
Title: How many blue skies has there been?
Pairing(s): Chanyeol/Baekhyun, Chanyeol/D.O, Chanyeol/Kai
Rating: PG-13
Spoiler(s): [!]mama!au, fire
Length: 8.5k
Summary: Chanyeol has tried to run away from it, but he can't leave his best friend like this.
Author's note: Thank you to K and S :-) To my recipient, I hope you like this!
Music blasts loudly, and Chanyeol spares a moment to worry that the ground might be shaking along with the beat of the song. Only a moment is spared though, because his eyes suddenly spot a graceful figure moving up to the dance floor. He leans into the backrest of his seat, raking his eyes down the figure appreciatively. The woman seems to have a flair for dancing-either that, or she just happens to be able to make herself look good doing something she's not good at. Chanyeol can't really tell, because he's busy wondering if she'd actually let him buy her a drink. On second thought, maybe he'd like to actually get to know her before doing anything else.
However, it seems that he isn't the only one interested, because when he actually takes his eyes off of her silky hair, he finds other men staring too. Other more handsome, probably richer, men looking interested. He suddenly feels like covering her up with his jacket, even if her dress isn't very revealing. Bringing his glass up to his mouth, Chanyeol lets out a sigh. This too shall pass.
The seat next to his suddenly moves, and Chanyeol looks to his right only to find his best friend staring back at him with a grin, a lip stick stain on his cheek.
"Did you trip and fall on top of someone's lips or was it really dark?" Chanyeol half shouts over the music, laughing when Baekhyun gives his side a shove. Baekhyun doesn't talk about how he got the stain, nor does he try to rub it off for the rest of the night. In all honesty, he looks a little ridiculous like this, if the tight, shining pants weren't already ridiculous enough.
Chanyeol doesn't try to bag anybody, as usual. And Baekhyun actually stays by his side for the rest of the night this time. Maybe he did trip and fall on top of someone, after all.
It might be weird for Chanyeol to be trying his luck at clubs, when he's really looking for a better half more than a short fling. He needs someone who is willing to deal with his clumsiness, someone who likes watching animal documentaries as well. Especially the ones about giraffes. He used to have someone like this, and on top of fulfilling the above two criteria, he's cute as well. But he was nothing more than a best friend, and Chanyeol lost him because if he didn't leave then, he might not have been able to be here now.
See, Chanyeol is a little special. A little, only because he's pretty sure his too long gangly limbs and creepy grin take away some of the plus points of having a supernatural power.
Presently, Chanyeol is frowning at his-yet again-burnt pancakes. He stares at it long enough for him to start feeling like he's heating up again, so he quickly sends the pan for washing under the tap after he throws the burnt lumps of flour away. Control is clearly something he still needs to work on.
Maybe he should just stick to having milk and cereal for breakfast. At least those won't get burnt that easily, right?
//
Life is routine for Chanyeol, as boring as it sounds.
He wakes up before the sun rises so that he could afford to spend more time under cold running water, partly to wake himself, partly to cool his permanently warmer-than-usual body down. Breakfast is a simple affair, because he is honestly still struggling with controlling the fire to make sure that his food isn't overdone or undercooked. He may be able to throw fireballs, but getting the strength of the fire right is a much more challenging task, to Chanyeol, at least.
Public transport is always crowded, but Chanyeol doesn't trust himself with driving, not when he almost sent a car blasting into flames the previous time he stared too long because he found the car pretty. The morning commute feels longer than the ride back home, but Chanyeol doesn't mind it too much.
He arrives at his workplace on the dot every day, and does his usual bow to the receptionist on his way up to the office.
Honestly, his job is nothing interesting, but he's glad because it pays his bills, and on good months, he's able to travel to another state for a short getaway. Chanyeol's only glad that he hasn't set any computers on fire, considering the amount of time he spends staring at those screens every day. Maybe it's because the thought of burning his workplace down hadn't really crossed his mind before.
On his way home, he picks up the newspaper and checks his phone for the schedule of the animal documentaries that's up for the day.
Back at home, Chanyeol does nothing more than laze around, or finish the work that he has brought home with him, if any at all. He eats takeout with his legs propped up on an edge of his coffee table, slurping noisily at the noodles while he watches jaguars run about.
It is too easy to forget that he doesn't have the constant burden of being very different from everybody else on his shoulders when his life is this simple, aside from the usual day to day accidents that happen because Park Chanyeol is not a careful person in nature.
Until he receives an e-mail one day.
//
Much of his childhood is forgotten, as things seem. He remembers having a childhood best friend who was shorter than everyone else, but he delivers punches like he's otherwise. If Chanyeol thinks hard enough, he vaguely remembers switching parents at least thrice because his birth ones gave him up for adoption, and the first couple that took him in soon sent him back because they could not afford to feed another mouth anymore.
He can barely remember anything from where he came from (and it's not like he really wants to anyway), so when he receives an e-mail from someone named Kai, with the entire subject in caps lock, it shocks him.
What shocks him even more is how this Kai guy had managed to get a hold of his information, but that doesn't seem to be the main point here because if anything, the e-mail sounds more like a distressed mail than anything else.
Hyung. Chanyeol hyung. It's Jongin here. Do you still remember me? We used to go over to Kyungsoo hyung's house pretty often. I was the one who kept insisting that we play Mario Karts, and you two always gave in. Speaking of which, do you still remember Kyungsoo hyung? The one you used to make fun of for being short? Your childhood best friend? I had no other way to contact you since snail mail might take too long to arrive, but Kyungsoo hyung is under the hands of the government now.
He has been captured. I know that this entire thing sounds trippy, and I apologise for being sudden. Time is running out for us, because if we do not do something soon, the officials are going to start experimenting on Kyungsoo hyung. I'm sure you still remember what that means. Please, if you see this, at least give me a reply as to whether you are willing to come back and help us. We understand that it is very risky for you to, but we really need your help. If you agree, we can meet up and discuss things through first. The e-mail ends off with a simple sign off, and Chanyeol's mind is sent reeling when he figures out the full extent of the only issue.
He remembers Kyungsoo, of course he does. Kyungsoo and Jongin were the only ones who had stuck with him since young, before he started setting random things on fire and had to leave the state before he himself gets set on fire.
They were the ones who introduced him to animal documentaries and counted him in when they played games. It is suddenly too much when he realizes that one of his childhood best friends might suffer under what he had so painfully tried to escape from back then.
Without much thinking, Chanyeol immediately gets down to typing a reply back to Jongin.
//
Given the way the e-mail was sent, it was likely that Jongin had figured out some loophole to go about sending things like this since the government back there taps in on phone lines and flags more than just a few words that hint at anything that might threaten the peace they have.
More simply put, the government back there is and has always been more controlling than anyone's parents can ever be. Chanyeol shudders when he remembers how he used to see people getting dragged off the streets once they are under suspicions of starting up organisations that go against the government, or for simply being different.
Which was why Chanyeol had to take off once he found out. And it was the first and only time he wished that he had the ability to fly instead of control fire, because right as he had thought that, someone fell flat onto the ground right before him. Before he could bend down to check if the guy was okay, he was quickly pushed aside from other busybodies, and eventually a crowd formed.
His name was Sehun and he could fly.
He was also taken away, and he never came back.
//
Chanyeol knows he isn't the first one, nor will he be the last. That was why the government had become stringent with the kind of people who could enter or leave their country after all, because they did not want to greaten the chances of having chaos break out.
Part of his inheritance had gone to investing in a few weapons, most of it for the extra room that Chanyeol had made sure was soundproof when he bought the flat. For safety purposes, he did end up soundproofing the entire flat, but it didn't make Chanyeol any less worried. Any moment, anyone could find out why Chanyeol's body temperature was always higher, or why people started to feel hotter whenever he was around. It isn't even because of his looks.
He makes sure to put in at least a few hours a week into practicing, since it is pretty evident that he still isn't getting anywhere significant with what he can do with his given power. Back when he had more time to focus on keeping everything near him from burning up, he had tried to roast some marshmallows with his bare hands. Needless to say, they didn't turn out as well as he would have liked them to.
Chanyeol is well aware that he wasn't given the ability to control fire just to be able to cook for himself, but he enjoys playing around anyway.
If he were to be able to speak about it, he would have proudly gone on about how he has improved in controlling them. And that would not be a total lie. As of now, he is able to throw some weak fireballs and create fires that are bigger and taller than himself. While he might still struggle with controlling the size, it helps that water really does put fire out.
Which is why the end of every practice session finds Chanyeol drenched in water more often than he would have liked.
It is quite literally a dampener, because Chanyeol enjoys being dry and warm. Not that Chanyeol is going to complain, because he has learnt that if there's anything he has to be thankful for in this life, it is his special ability. It was not a burden, not even back when he couldn't control it and had to run around more often than not because people might figure out who started the fires, and it will definitely not be one now.
Training has also helped Chanyeol realize how weak his power actually is. Just like him, really. He always gets hit for teasing Baekhyun about his lack of muscles, but Chanyeol really isn't one to talk.
Through previous incidents, he has learnt that water would be his strongest weakness (not that it isn't common knowledge, but it has been proven to be true too many times for Chanyeol to really ignore that fact). This would greatly lessen the usefulness of his power in times of war. Not that he is hoping for one, but better be safe than sorry, right?
Wind, if powered greatly enough, would be able to put out the flames he creates too. Or perhaps e just really has to work on the resistivity of the fires he creates.
//
Friday sees Baekhyun over at Chanyeol's for the night. Baekhyun is taking his usual place on Chanyeol's couch while Chanyeol prepares some food for them to share. His legs are propped up on the coffee table, and it's almost like Chanyeol, except that his legs are a lot shorter.
"Move aside, shortie."
"Shut up, you clumsy giant," Baekhyun retorts back, albeit weakly. Chanyeol grins and settles the bowl of popcorn on his lap, making sure his elbow partly digs into his best friend's side just to annoy him.
He gets no reaction, however, because Baekhyun is totally absorbed in whatever the television is showing. His hand isn't even reaching for the popcorn, when it would usually be in the bowl even before Chanyeol can settle down into a comfortable spot. A turn of his head finds flames burning on the television and Chanyeol swallows. Not this again?
"You like fire this much?" Chanyeol frowns. It sounds weird when said like that.
"Yeah, they're cool. They're able to destroy pretty much everything." Baekhyun says, without taking his eyes off the television. The reflection of the rapidly spreading flames in Baekhyun's eyes match the shine that appears whenever he sees something he likes, and Chanyeol finds it oddly calming.
"But isn't that a bad thing? They burn things, destroy homes, and cause lots of misery. How is that cool?"
"You don't understand. I, like many other humans, love destruction. It's a profound concept, something kids will never understand." At that, Baekhyun turns to wink at Chanyeol, stuffing a handful of popcorn into his mouth as he turns his head back to focus on the documentary that was showing. Chanyeol takes the chance to send his elbow digging in further into Baekhyun's ribs, and he rewards himself with a handful of popcorns when he hears a pained moan sound from the other boy.
"Don't you think it'd be cool if someone could control fire? Like the whole superpower thing? Human torch?" Chanyeol has to fight the urge to curl his fingers into his palm to keep from tensing up and start having his best friend be suspicsious, but just as he opens his mouth to answer, Baekhyun continues. "I'd be able to cook without getting up. Isn't that really convenient?"
Almost heaving a sigh of relief, Chanyeol sags his shoulders a little. "No god would choose to bestow such an important ability onto someone as lazy as you."
"Like you're any better." And Chanyeol doesn't retort this time. He really ought to do something about his lack of physical stamina and muscles. Also about the fact that he does take advantage of his ability and uses it to cook. Sometimes.
It isn't the first time Baekhyun is staying over (they have done this enough times for the grandmother next door to giggle whenever she sees Baekhyun because she's somehow more than 100 percent convinced that they're together, when all they do is really insult and hang out with each other), but he still asks questions about that permanently locked door down the hallway every time he sees it.
"What do you even have to hide, anyway? I've seen you naked too much for my liking." The wrinkle of Baekhyun's nose earns him a light smack on the back of his head.
"Be glad you have, okay. A lot of people are willing to kill for a piece of this."
The shorter chances a glance down to Chanyeol's crotch and he has to bite into his fist to keep himself from laughing too loudly. "I'm sure they would still kill if they saw how you act in private. They'd be killing you instead."
"You're sleeping on the couch tonight." Chanyeol walks into his room first, knowing that Baekhyun would start whining and trailing behind him like a puppy until Chanyeol starts giving in. He's quickly proven right when he feels something-someone-tug at the hem of his shirt while he goes about setting his bed up, and he turns around to a pouty faced Baekhyun.
"Stop that, you look disgusting." Baekhyun only pushes his bottom lip further out, and Chanyeol can't deny that his best friend looks cute like that, even if he looks ridiculous at the same time. He sighs, for his heart is as weak as his body is. The simple action of Chanyeol lifting his blanket and gesturing for Baekhyun to get in is more than enough for Baekhyun to understand that he is already forgiven, and the shorter wastes no time in making himself home on the big bed.
"Really though, what's inside that room?" Baekhyun later whispers, his voice softer than usual, but still loud enough that Chanyeol can hear him.
"It's where my porn collection is. I have a shrine specially dedicated to Rilakkuma there. No commoner should be allowed to enter such a sacred place." Chanyeol smoothly lies, coughing a little from the strain he has to put on his throat when he lowers his voice to whisper.
"You have good things and you don't share? What a great buddy." There is the nudge of a bare foot into his calf, but there is only just enough light to make out a lump named Baekhyun a few feet away from him. Chanyeol isn't sure if he wants to talk about it right now, if he wants to talk about it at all.
"There really isn't anything there. You won't understand my undying love for Rilakkuma anyway. Now shut up and go to sleep."
Barkhyun doesn't speak up again, even though Chanyeol knows he's going to ask again the next time he's here, as if Chanyeol hadn't provided him with answers at all. Not that Chanyeol had, not exactly.
Chanyeol gets up before Baekhyun does, so he takes up the job of having to cook breakfast for them both.
Dragging his feet around, Chanyeol goes about doing his morning routine, complete with messy bedhair and droopy eyelids.
He's just about to start the fire when Baekhyun suddenly walks into the kitchen, and he knows he's never going to live down the three feet jump he made into the air.
"Walked into the kitchen to find my best friend trying to seduce a frying pan at nine in the morning," Baekhyun sings. Chanyeol contemplates dumping a few spoonfuls of salt into his eggs. His voice is obnoxiously loud and nice for someone who has just woken up.
What he does do, however, is clear his throat and mentally try to will the flush of his ears away, embarrassed at the jump. He doesn't try to explain why he was staring at a frying pan so resolutely and Baekhyun doesn't question it.
Having his voice crack doesn't seem to deter him too much from being a morning nuisance-Chanyeol doesn't know what does anymore, really. His best friend has the magical ability to be shameless, and even the most embarrassing situations don't seem to ruffle him as much as it ruffles Chanyeol, if the red on his ears is anything to go by.
"If you would let me have some peace." Chanyeol grits out, the words sounding a lot less harsher because his voice was gruff from unuse, especially when his voice cracks at the last word. Why.
It is impossible to not hear him, not when the kitchen is this small, but the way Baekhyun continues with his rendition of Let It Go possibly tells him otherwise. Either that, or his best friend is already into the let's-annoy-Chanyeol mood this early in the morning. Chanyeol will make him go if he doesn't stop. He turns around with all the intentions of glaring at Baekhyun, eyes already squinted, but he catches Baekhyun closing the refrigerator door with a push of his hip, and gets his hair ruffled while the shorter makes his way out with the drinks, and he gives up. He can't ever win against Baekhyun.
The fire goes out with a pathetic sounding whimper as the gas is turned off, as does the fight in Chanyeol. There are some things you simply have to live with.
//
Days pass by quickly, even if they feel long, because nothing ever changes.
That is, until Chanyeol gets a reply from Jongin.
He had almost forgotten about the apparently urgent matter at hand, eyes widening when he receives another e-mail in his Junk inbox, only that he recognises the sender and knows that it isn't junk mail.
There isn't even anything much in there, just questions and more questions ("Are you sure this is okay for you?") and an address at the bottom. Chanyeol doesn't recognise the place he's supposed to go to, but he does know that it's going to be somewhere in his hometown.
At times like these, Chanyeol thinks that it's a good thing he doesn't have much of a family to worry over, since he knows he's going to be risking his life the moment he steps foot back in that place.
//
It's amazing, the amount of times they have been mistaken for a couple, and the looks they always get when they go out together. Chanyeol doesn't feel uncomfortable even though his guy best friend is always sort of hanging off his arm because he has always been like this, even back when Chanyeol had first met him. Maybe he should add being able to cuddle up to people he has just met onto Baekhyun's list of magical abilities too.
Chanyeol had taken emergency leave for a week or two, just in case the matter needed more time to be solved. While it does hurt his heart a little knowing that it's unpaid leave and he isn't even going on a vacation, he doesn't mind it much because it's his childhood best friend's life that is at stake here. Chanyeol is nothing if not thankful for Kyungsoo and Jongin's company back when they were younger.
"I'm going to miss you tripping around everywhere, you know." Baekhyun speaks like Chanyeol is never going to come back, and Chanyeol almost rolls his eyes. He stops himself from doing so, because he realizes that that isn't entirely impossible. In fact, the possibility of that happening is so high it scares Chanyeol a little. Not that he's going to tell Baekhyun that though. He already has enough to worry about. (Like his dry sex life and cute stomach. Chanyeol's seen him frowning at that more than he would have liked.)
"Yeah, yeah. I won't miss your horrible singing though." He knows the punch to his side will be coming even before he feels it, not that it hurts any lesser.
"Ow-I was kidding! Sort of." Baekhyun's hand lifts again, and Chanyeol quickly opens his mouth to save himself, raising both his hands in surrender. "Hey, hey. I'll miss you too, okay? I'll have Internet there. We can always Skype or something, if you miss my handsome face too much."
"Definitely not going to miss it," Baekhyun mumbles under his breath. Chanyeol hears it but chooses to ignore it. "Right, Mr. Handsome. Promise me you'll take care of yourself? I'll see you soon! Remember to bring something back for me!"
"Right. Remember to improve your singing while I'm gone! Love you! Take care of yourself too-“ Chanyeol chooses that exact moment to start jogging away, because Baekhyun raises his fist as a threat, and Chanyeol knows all too well how Baekhyun's real punches feel like.
They wave at each other while Chanyeol walks towards the departure hall and Baekhyun already misses the warmth beside him. Somewhere along the way, Chanyeol walks into a wall because he wasn't watching where he was going, and Baekhyun laughs a bit too loudly at that.
Eventually, Chanyeol boards his flight, palms slightly sweaty as his fingers clutch onto the handle of his hand carry bag. This is it. He's going home.
//
Chanyeol foresees himself being late.
It isn't the best way to meet someone you haven't seen in at least five years, but it's not like he can help it. It doesn't stop him from tapping his foot impatiently, annoyance starting to show on his face. He's positive he isn't the only one getting pissed, not when the entire flight is being held up because of one person.
Chanyeol isn't sure what he should be expecting, since he hadn't been with them while most of the maturing happened. He has definitely changed from how he was when he was 18, and he's sure they have too-it is then he realizes that he'll only be seeing Jongin, not Jongin and Kyungsoo.
He sighs, looking around. One would think his height is useful for spotting people in a crowd, but it isn't when he isn't sure if the person he's looking for is there at all. A glance around doesn't show him anyone that resembles Jongin, or at least how he remembered Jongin's features. Maybe he's late too.
He has just barely stepped out from the crowd of people waiting when he feels someone tap on his shoulder that is quickly accompanied with a soft Hey. Chanyeol jumps, more at the creepy whisper than at the sudden tap.
"Jongin?"
Jongin quickly casts furtive glances around like he's scared someone would hear, and he shakes his head. "Kai. Come on, let's go back to the headquarters. I'll explain things to you on the way there."
Headquarters? Chanyeol wants to question, but he's already being tugged towards the exit of the airport.
//
On the way to the headquarters, Chanyeol is told a few things. He is reminded of the purpose of his trip, and he learns what Jongin really means by headquarters.
Thinking back, Jongin had mentioned we in the e-mail. Chanyeol hadn't thought enough to question it. Then again, trying to break into prison to rescue your friend isn't best done alone. It's always good to have more people with you.
Jongin tells Chanyeol, in a softer voice, that he is special. In the same way that Chanyeol is. Not that Jongin knows. He explains that he is just lucky that he does a better job at hiding. Until he fucked up, that is. Chanyeol can't help feeling bitter, seeing someone managing to survive this well when he had to run away and try to survive on his own in a foreign place even though they both had the same reasons to be wary. It is quickly masked by the curiosity that Jongin doesn't bother quelling. What did he mean by fucking up, exactly?
When Chanyeol had thought more people, he didn't think of hundreds, but that's what it had seemed like when he gets off the car with Jongin. People move around at such quick paces that even for someone who has been accustomed to city life, it is almost too fast for Chanyeol's eyes to follow.
Jongin watches Chanyeol with slight amusement shining in his eyes. His friend is almost spun dizzy just by standing around all these people who are rushing around to finalize details for their prison breaking mission, and it isn't until Jongin bodily drags Chanyeol away does the other finally manage to relax.
They arrive in this room that Chanyeol presumes is Jongin's office, if the pictures of him and his dogs are anything to go by. There's even a picture of him, Jongin and Kyungsoo when they were young, and Chanyeol smiles when he remembers that day. Jongin gestures for him to take a seat while he sits behind the desk himself, and he suddenly looks a lot older than he really is.
Once they get settled down, Jongin goes through the plan again, before he suggests taking Chanyeol on a short tour of their headquarters, to which Chanyeol readily agrees.
Chanyeol gets introduced to a few important people he would also be working with, and it is then he realizes that he needs to work not only on making his power useful, but also on remembering names too.
He makes his way down the hallways with widened eyes that give away his fascination in most things he finds there, and Jongin feels older for a few moments every time he watches his hyung go about touching equipments he's never seen before.
Just when he starts to realize that practicing might be more difficult because the government is always keeping a watchful eye, and he doesn't have his room here, Jongin leads him into a room that is obviously more special than the others. Its doors are thicker, and only after stepping in does Chanyeol understand why.
Inside, it looks almost like the room Chanyeol has back in America, only that this room has more weapons and equipments that help to train more abilities than his does. It is also bigger, and Jongin stands at a corner, arms folded while he watches Chanyeol.
"I have the ability to teleport. What is your ability, Chanyeol?"
//
Chanyeol sits up, forehead matted with sweat and hair sticking out at weird places.
Or rather, Chanyeol shoots up, head hurting slightly at how quickly he sat up when he had just woken up. The throbbing pain at his temples remind him that this is real, and that he is safe and is not about to be shipped off to some country to be killed because he proved to be useless to the government. A turn of his head-slowly, this time-tells him that it's still early, and he has plenty of time before he has to get up and meet Jongin at the training room.
Letting his back fall back to hit the mattress with a thud, Chanyeol brings a hand up to run it through his hair as he recalls yesterday's events.
In retrospect, that was definitely not how he had wanted to tell his friend, but since Jongin had asked, Chanyeol saw no point in hiding it further.
"You told no one, but I saw it all. I have lived long enough and have seen enough things to know why you moved away so suddenly." A man-Joonmyun? Joondae?-suddenly steps into the training room, and Chanyeol feels like he's missing out on something when he shares a look with Jongin. He's about to get exposed, and the thought is making his heart race even if he knows he can trust Jongin with such things. So he tries for the safest route.
"What? I don't think I understand what you're trying to say-" The stranger raises an eyebrow, and Chanyeol's fingers catch the hem of his shirt to fiddle with it.
"You developed some ability and instead of trusting the people around you to keep the secret and help you, you ran away all by yourself."
"That isn't true, I just didn't want to get them into trouble the government ever know-I didn't want them to look at me differently too."
Jongin and the stranger remain silent, and Chanyeol suddenly feels small despite his height. They are staring so intently that he wouldn't even be surprised if they were able to tell his ability just by staring.
"Fire. I can control fire." Chanyeol finally says, but not before sighing resignedly. The two pairs of eyes that were staring at him light up, as if Chanyeol had just told him a valuable top secret. Even with big ears, Chanyeol had to strain to listen, but he thinks he heard the stranger whisper he'll be of great help to Jongin.
//
Chanyeol is positive he has never felt so hot in his life before.
He doesn't understand how Jongin is able to withstand the heat, seeing as how he is the target of Chanyeol's fireballs. They have been at it for more than an hour, and Chanyeol feels like he's going to collapse because of the heat, dehydration-whatever. If only Jongin had the power of water instead.
In the midst of gathering his energy to make the fire bigger, he shouts.
"Can we take a break?"
Jongin's concentration breaks then, and he barely manages to dodge one of the many fireballs sent flying in his direction. The brief wince on his face tells Chanyeol that maybe he isn't that lucky. Chanyeol frowns and walks over, lifting Jongin's arm to take a look at the burn.
"Weak." Jongin manages a mild glare, even if Chanyeol has to hold his arm while he walks him to the first aid box. "You distracted me. This was your fault."
"Couldn't help it. I was way too hot." Before Jongin can hit Chanyeol with his uninjured arm, Joonmyun comes in, eyebrow raised at Jongin's raised fist.
"I was just being friendly," Jongin says, trying for convincing even though the smile on his face clearly shows otherwise. Chanyeol wants to laugh.Joonmyun's eyebrow goes up higher, and Jongin lets his arm fall back to his side in defeat.
"How are things going?" They go on to talk about the progress-or lack thereof-they've made, and Chanyeol is told more about the plan, now that he is placed somewhere important given his power. It ends with Jongin sighing, because Chanyeol is unused to the big training room they have, bumping corners every now and then, and he is also still unused to having someone train with him.
He was honestly expecting a bigger reaction at his reveal, and seeing everyone talk about it like it's nothing is strange to him. For so many years, he had kept his mouth shut about, kept himself away from his loved ones because of it, even. And now people actively discuss their practice sessions here, or at least the gifted ones do. It's almost like he ran away all those years ago for nothing.
Jongin snaps his fingers in front of Chanyeol's face, and that effectively stops him from going on to worry about more things. Chanyeol finishes taking care of Jongin's wound after he is snapped out of his thoughts, and they go for lunch with Joonmyun.
//
As the date nears and more things get finalized, Chanyeol gets more worked up. He is, for one, going to use his powers in public. He is also on an important mission to save his best friend, whom he hasn't seen for more than a couple of years. Chanyeol wonders if Kyungsoo is still the same Kyungsoo he was back then sometimes and if he still likes animal documentaries, because he does.
Chanyeol gets his answers in the form of the stories that Jongin tells from time to time about the things that had happened here after he was gone, and he doesn't want to jinx himself, but he has been thinking about the plan's possible failure much more than he should.
Positivity has never been much of a problem for him, so he doesn't know why it's being so difficult to find right now. What he does know, is that he's going to end up being a burden instead of helping if he doesn't change his mindset soon.
Spending longer hours in the practice room helps, because in there, he has no time to think about failure.
Chanyeol looks around and finds himself surrounded by grey walls. There are cells, and if he listens in closely enough, he can almost hear the dragging of chained feet nearby. He is fairly sure he has never been in this place before, and a look around tells him that the exit isn't anywhere near, so he figures he should be walking forward to find it.
The walls and floors aren't painted nor tiled, and as Chanyeol walks down, he notices that the people in the cells are all wearing the same shirt, same pants. There are toilet cubicles, but there aren't doors for them. No one turns to look at him when he walks past, but it's almost like he's in jail-wait.
Chanyeol quickly takes a look around, because he is pretty sure no one is allowed to walk freely like this in a jail-two beds in a room with minimal light filtering in through a small window, the toilet with no doors, people wearing the same uniform aimlessly walking around in the cell-it all makes sense now.
That still doesn't answer the question of why he is here. He is in somewhere he shouldn't be, trying to look for an exit. It is common knowledge that a jail should be a big place, and would usually have a few different areas, but Chanyeol is still surprised when he finds himself ending up somewhere where the walls are white, and the ground is tiled.
Over here the white noise is almost deafening. Before there was the chattering of some inmates as he walked past, but here it is so silent Chanyeol thinks he could go mad.
Chanyeol is absolutely lost as to where he is, and the way he feels out of place is probably a warning that he should not be moving further on at all, but there's a voice in his head, and that voice is telling him to continue walking forward.
Walk forward does he, and slowly the white walls start to have large windows on them. They look strangely like observatory rooms, and Chanyeol sees a bed or a chair in the center of a room behind the observatory room sometimes. The main path from before diverges into different walkways, and he hesitates before he chooses to walk down a path every time.
He's about to ignore the voice in his head and turn back when he walks past a room and sees movement out of the corner of his eye. Chanyeol immediately jerks his body back when he realizes that the people in actual room are all crowded around one person, and that he could have been spotted easily.
Crouching down, Chanyeol peeks in through a corner of the large glass window. In between the gaps of what seems like doctors standing around, he spots a fairly small sized man, lying on the bed. When one of the doctors move away to get more medical equipment, Chanyeol finally gets a good look at his face.
(There are some things Chanyeol would forget, but he thinks he would never forget the face of a friend who has grown up with him-and he is sure that he would never forget how said friend looked like on that chair, eyes wide and body paralysed in fear.)
Chanyeol has to hold his hand over his mouth to keep himself from making any sounds as a doctor approaches Kyungsoo with a large needle. Kyungsoo's eyes promptly close after the needle is removed, and Chanyeol can only hope that that was anaesthesia, nothing else.
After that doctor, more of them take their turn, poking and prodding at the lifeless body, conducting some tests and even extracting blood samples from him. Chanyeol stops watching after the fourth one and turns his head to look around frantically before he realizes that this is a secret lab, and other than medical staff, it is as dead as it can be.
Suddenly he hears one of the machines start to beep, and he whips his head back only to have a bunch of nurses rush into the room. The room is now filled with too many doctors and nurses who are shouting things that sound like we haven't finished the experiment yet! and save him!, and Chanyeol swallows.
With his height, even crouching down makes him bigger than most, and Chanyeol isn't sure how the nurses haven't noticed him yet. Is he invisible?
He is about to do something stupid to reaffirm his guess, when another machine starts to beep along. As much of a clueless person Chanyeol might be when it comes to science, even he knows that something is wrong.
Taking steps towards the room, he tries for approaching a nurse that was standing around.
He opens his mouth and-wakes up.
//
There is still a few days to go before the big day. Most things, if not every, are already finalized, so Chanyeol does not understand why Jongin is pacing around with a deep frown when he catches him in his office.
"Hey. Are you okay?" Chanyeol asks. It's a little obvious he isn't, but it's not like Chanyeol knows why.
"I dreamt of Kyungsoo. And he was getting experimented on-he doesn't have any powers, why do they not understand?" Jongin sounds exasperated now, but Chanyeol is too surprised to say something about that. "You dreamt of him too?"
"Too?" Jongin stops in his pacing around and lifts his head up to look at Chanyeol. It is then that Chanyeol sees the darker-than-usual bags under his eyes, and he thinks he has his own to match too.
The dream and its implications made it difficult for Chanyeol to go to sleep, so he got up and went nto the training room for a while, deciding to make good use of his time instead of trying to fall asleep again.
"The jail? White walls? Beeping machines?" Chanyeol tries, and winces at the memory.
"It ended before I could do anything. I feel like he's trying to tell us something, but that's impossible because he doesn't have any powers. He can't reach us here." Jongin resumes his pacing, and Chanyeol sighs.
"Whatever it is, we have to move the date forward. You saw it too, we can't wait anymore."
//
Chanyeol understands that he has to wear these for safety purposes, but that doesn't stop him from picking at it when no one is looking. It is hot and Chanyeol figures that it'll only get hotter when he gets in.
By his side, Jongin is wearing something similar, only less thick. He laughs and gives Chanyeol's hair a ruffle when he spots the elder staring at his outfit. They hold hands, breathe in and close their eyes.
Surprised is an understatement when Chanyeol opens his eyes. They are right outside a vent opening, and Jongin quickly rushes him to climb in first.
It's awkward and just a week or two ago, Chanyeol would never have imagined himself in a situation like this. He twists his limbs around while he tries to make himself comfortable enough to start moving forward without making too much noise, and he feels Jongin enter behind him.
Chanyeol doesn't know if the others can hear it, but his heart is beating too loudly. The sounds of them moving are sure to be made, but Chanyeol is glad that he has to strain a little to properly hear them. Based on the floor plan he's seen, an opening should not be too far from them. Right now though, he is covered in total darkness and the only thing that is keeping him going is hope.
The first glimmer of light has Chanyeol moving at a faster pace, until he realizes the amount of noise he is creating. He would look back, look back at the assurance that is Jongin, but as of now, he can barely even see his own fingers.
When Chanyeol finally reaches the opening, all he sees are heads. Jongin crashes into his feet and he hears a groan that is quickly muffled. None of the guys below look up at all, and Chanyeol wonders if there was even a need to keep silent in the first place. All the people walking past look so dead Chanyeol wonders if they are even alive at all.
Chanyeol guesses that they are being escorted to take part in some recreational activities but if not for the uniforms, Chanyeol wouldn't even be able to distinguish between the guards and the inmates-they are all equally expressionless. The guards drag their feet around like they are the imprisoned ones and needless to say, Chanyeol is surprised. Jongin suddenly nudges at his foot, and Chanyeol snaps back and remembers the more important task at hand.
They have all been briefed about what they are supposed to do, but Chanyeol has never realized how risky it is until he is doing it. There is no one walking as of now, and Chanyeol starts to unscrew the screws of the opening with bated breath. When he finally lifts the covering, light rushes in and Chanyeol finally dares to let out the breath he had been holding in.
The first thing he does is to press himself against the closest wall, immediately looking around for any signs of movement. When he sees that the coast is clear, he signals for Jongin to get down. Chanyeol counts his lucky stars when all four of them manage to get in without much trouble, and they all start moving together, hands resting on their hips where their weapons lie.
A few steps in front and a turn to the right. That's where Kyungsoo's cell is. It is beyond Chanyeol how they had managed to get their hands on confidential information like this, but he quickly realizes that he's working with the same people who are going to hack into the surveillance system of a highly secured jail, and maybe it isn't supposed to be that much of a surprise after all. Chanyeol lets Jongin take over because he will never have any of the grace that Jongin moves with, and if anything happens, Jongin is the only one who can get them out the fastest.
Chanyeol doesn't even remember much of what happens next, because they are suddenly in front of a cell, in which an all too familiar face is in, and Jongin has managed to get them all inside just by having them hold their hands. It was like time had simply stopped existing in that one second. Chanyeol inwardly reprimands himself for finding that Jongin's power seems to be cooler than his in this moment of time. Chanyeol puts off his thought of wanting to slap Jongin's shoulder at what he had just done to take a good look at the childhood friend that he hasn't seen in some time. When he looks over, he is greeted by the familiar big eyes and small stature that seems to tense up when Jongin approaches him. Kyungsoo looks stressed, to say the least. Chanyeol catches Jongin send him worried looks, though it quickly disappears when Kyungsoo realizes their presence and looks up at Jongin's face, acknowledging him.
"I said we'd get you out, remember?" Jongin smiles reassuringly, offering his hand to his friend who was still sitting on the bed from when they entered the cell, and has been unmoving since then.
"You still have time to get out before they come." Kyungsoo sounds... different.
Kyungsoo sounds different, Chanyeol thinks, though he might be the only one who thinks so because he hasn't seen him in ages. He is proved wrong when Jongin's eyes round in obvious shock, and what he thinks, slight betrayal.
"We don't have time for this now, Kyungsoo. Take my hand and I'll get us out of here. We can talk after that." The other two members are keeping guard by the cell's door, and Chanyeol is stuck between giving them a hand and opening his mouth to persuade Kyungsoo further. Does Kyungsoo even remember him at all?
There is the sound of heels clicking against the floor and rushed movements going towards their direction and Chanyeol starts to panic, looking frantically between the two members and Jongin and Kyungsoo. When Kyungsoo starts to lift his hand, Jongin meets Kyungsoo's hand halfway and quickly calls for the other two members to come back to where they were, holding out his other hand for them to hold.
The last thing he remembers seeing before the world goes black is the guards successfully breaking into the cell and loud voices shouting around.
When Chanyeol opens his eyes and finds himself surrounded by white walls and tiled floor instead, he immediately curses. Not too far away from him, he hears Jongin do the same. Everyone looks around with widened eyes, trying to make sense of their surroundings because this definitely isn't the way to the exit they were supposed to go to. Chanyeol, however, feels an odd sense of dejavu, except not really. He shares a look with Jongin and they instantly recognise that this was the place in their dream where their friend was getting experimented on.
Kyungsoo, however, seems to have widened eyes for a totally different reason.
He visibly backs up against the wall, hands clenching into fists. Chanyeol suppresses the urge to groan when he spots guards running towards them. Images start to flash in his head, and even though they are brief, Chanyeol suddenly finds himself unable to focus.
As far as he can remember, the labs lead to a dead end since having doors would allow their subjects to be able to escape. Which means that there are only two options left: to fight the guards head on or surrender now.
Taking the initiative to set up a ring of fire between them and the guards probably isn't the best thing to do, Chanyeol quickly realizes. Now, to escape, they will not only have to get past the guards. They will also have to get past the fire-which doesn't seem very difficult considering that their attires were made to accommodate these situations. Kyungsoo, however, is very much in the jail uniform which is made out of cotton. Nothing seems to be working out and the noise the guards are making are only making things worse.
Jongin doesn't seem to be looking any better, though Chanyeol doesn't know why. Jongin takes advantage of the time they get to band everyone together again, eyebrows furrowing harder as he focuses on getting them to a different place. No one is sure of anything anymore, and when Chanyeol closes his eyes this time he can only hope that they get out with minimal trouble.
//
The first thing he does is to breathe.
People are rushing around everywhere, but there are no white walls and tiled floors. This place looks familiar, and Chanyeol quickly recognises it as the headquarters, his second home for the past few weeks.
Everything seems to be moving down too quickly, but when he takes a look down, he's still wearing the stifling suit they had to put on for the mission. Instead of having Jongin by his side, he now has Jongin and Kyungsoo. Chanyeol closes his eyes and takes a moment to collect himself, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
They made it. His childhood best friend is now right next to him where he belonged, and still belongs. Chanyeol missed that presence. They'll have lots of things to catch up on now.
Title: How many blue skies has there been?
Pairing(s): Chanyeol/Baekhyun, Chanyeol/D.O, Chanyeol/Kai
Rating: PG-13
Spoiler(s): [!]mama!au, fire
Length: 8.5k
Summary: Chanyeol has tried to run away from it, but he can't leave his best friend like this.
Author's note: Thank you to K and S :-) To my recipient, I hope you like this!
Music blasts loudly, and Chanyeol spares a moment to worry that the ground might be shaking along with the beat of the song. Only a moment is spared though, because his eyes suddenly spot a graceful figure moving up to the dance floor. He leans into the backrest of his seat, raking his eyes down the figure appreciatively. The woman seems to have a flair for dancing-either that, or she just happens to be able to make herself look good doing something she's not good at. Chanyeol can't really tell, because he's busy wondering if she'd actually let him buy her a drink. On second thought, maybe he'd like to actually get to know her before doing anything else.
However, it seems that he isn't the only one interested, because when he actually takes his eyes off of her silky hair, he finds other men staring too. Other more handsome, probably richer, men looking interested. He suddenly feels like covering her up with his jacket, even if her dress isn't very revealing. Bringing his glass up to his mouth, Chanyeol lets out a sigh. This too shall pass.
The seat next to his suddenly moves, and Chanyeol looks to his right only to find his best friend staring back at him with a grin, a lip stick stain on his cheek.
"Did you trip and fall on top of someone's lips or was it really dark?" Chanyeol half shouts over the music, laughing when Baekhyun gives his side a shove. Baekhyun doesn't talk about how he got the stain, nor does he try to rub it off for the rest of the night. In all honesty, he looks a little ridiculous like this, if the tight, shining pants weren't already ridiculous enough.
Chanyeol doesn't try to bag anybody, as usual. And Baekhyun actually stays by his side for the rest of the night this time. Maybe he did trip and fall on top of someone, after all.
It might be weird for Chanyeol to be trying his luck at clubs, when he's really looking for a better half more than a short fling. He needs someone who is willing to deal with his clumsiness, someone who likes watching animal documentaries as well. Especially the ones about giraffes. He used to have someone like this, and on top of fulfilling the above two criteria, he's cute as well. But he was nothing more than a best friend, and Chanyeol lost him because if he didn't leave then, he might not have been able to be here now.
See, Chanyeol is a little special. A little, only because he's pretty sure his too long gangly limbs and creepy grin take away some of the plus points of having a supernatural power.
Presently, Chanyeol is frowning at his-yet again-burnt pancakes. He stares at it long enough for him to start feeling like he's heating up again, so he quickly sends the pan for washing under the tap after he throws the burnt lumps of flour away. Control is clearly something he still needs to work on.
Maybe he should just stick to having milk and cereal for breakfast. At least those won't get burnt that easily, right?
//
Life is routine for Chanyeol, as boring as it sounds.
He wakes up before the sun rises so that he could afford to spend more time under cold running water, partly to wake himself, partly to cool his permanently warmer-than-usual body down. Breakfast is a simple affair, because he is honestly still struggling with controlling the fire to make sure that his food isn't overdone or undercooked. He may be able to throw fireballs, but getting the strength of the fire right is a much more challenging task, to Chanyeol, at least.
Public transport is always crowded, but Chanyeol doesn't trust himself with driving, not when he almost sent a car blasting into flames the previous time he stared too long because he found the car pretty. The morning commute feels longer than the ride back home, but Chanyeol doesn't mind it too much.
He arrives at his workplace on the dot every day, and does his usual bow to the receptionist on his way up to the office.
Honestly, his job is nothing interesting, but he's glad because it pays his bills, and on good months, he's able to travel to another state for a short getaway. Chanyeol's only glad that he hasn't set any computers on fire, considering the amount of time he spends staring at those screens every day. Maybe it's because the thought of burning his workplace down hadn't really crossed his mind before.
On his way home, he picks up the newspaper and checks his phone for the schedule of the animal documentaries that's up for the day.
Back at home, Chanyeol does nothing more than laze around, or finish the work that he has brought home with him, if any at all. He eats takeout with his legs propped up on an edge of his coffee table, slurping noisily at the noodles while he watches jaguars run about.
It is too easy to forget that he doesn't have the constant burden of being very different from everybody else on his shoulders when his life is this simple, aside from the usual day to day accidents that happen because Park Chanyeol is not a careful person in nature.
Until he receives an e-mail one day.
//
Much of his childhood is forgotten, as things seem. He remembers having a childhood best friend who was shorter than everyone else, but he delivers punches like he's otherwise. If Chanyeol thinks hard enough, he vaguely remembers switching parents at least thrice because his birth ones gave him up for adoption, and the first couple that took him in soon sent him back because they could not afford to feed another mouth anymore.
He can barely remember anything from where he came from (and it's not like he really wants to anyway), so when he receives an e-mail from someone named Kai, with the entire subject in caps lock, it shocks him.
What shocks him even more is how this Kai guy had managed to get a hold of his information, but that doesn't seem to be the main point here because if anything, the e-mail sounds more like a distressed mail than anything else.
Hyung. Chanyeol hyung. It's Jongin here. Do you still remember me? We used to go over to Kyungsoo hyung's house pretty often. I was the one who kept insisting that we play Mario Karts, and you two always gave in. Speaking of which, do you still remember Kyungsoo hyung? The one you used to make fun of for being short? Your childhood best friend? I had no other way to contact you since snail mail might take too long to arrive, but Kyungsoo hyung is under the hands of the government now.
He has been captured. I know that this entire thing sounds trippy, and I apologise for being sudden. Time is running out for us, because if we do not do something soon, the officials are going to start experimenting on Kyungsoo hyung. I'm sure you still remember what that means. Please, if you see this, at least give me a reply as to whether you are willing to come back and help us. We understand that it is very risky for you to, but we really need your help. If you agree, we can meet up and discuss things through first. The e-mail ends off with a simple sign off, and Chanyeol's mind is sent reeling when he figures out the full extent of the only issue.
He remembers Kyungsoo, of course he does. Kyungsoo and Jongin were the only ones who had stuck with him since young, before he started setting random things on fire and had to leave the state before he himself gets set on fire.
They were the ones who introduced him to animal documentaries and counted him in when they played games. It is suddenly too much when he realizes that one of his childhood best friends might suffer under what he had so painfully tried to escape from back then.
Without much thinking, Chanyeol immediately gets down to typing a reply back to Jongin.
//
Given the way the e-mail was sent, it was likely that Jongin had figured out some loophole to go about sending things like this since the government back there taps in on phone lines and flags more than just a few words that hint at anything that might threaten the peace they have.
More simply put, the government back there is and has always been more controlling than anyone's parents can ever be. Chanyeol shudders when he remembers how he used to see people getting dragged off the streets once they are under suspicions of starting up organisations that go against the government, or for simply being different.
Which was why Chanyeol had to take off once he found out. And it was the first and only time he wished that he had the ability to fly instead of control fire, because right as he had thought that, someone fell flat onto the ground right before him. Before he could bend down to check if the guy was okay, he was quickly pushed aside from other busybodies, and eventually a crowd formed.
His name was Sehun and he could fly.
He was also taken away, and he never came back.
//
Chanyeol knows he isn't the first one, nor will he be the last. That was why the government had become stringent with the kind of people who could enter or leave their country after all, because they did not want to greaten the chances of having chaos break out.
Part of his inheritance had gone to investing in a few weapons, most of it for the extra room that Chanyeol had made sure was soundproof when he bought the flat. For safety purposes, he did end up soundproofing the entire flat, but it didn't make Chanyeol any less worried. Any moment, anyone could find out why Chanyeol's body temperature was always higher, or why people started to feel hotter whenever he was around. It isn't even because of his looks.
He makes sure to put in at least a few hours a week into practicing, since it is pretty evident that he still isn't getting anywhere significant with what he can do with his given power. Back when he had more time to focus on keeping everything near him from burning up, he had tried to roast some marshmallows with his bare hands. Needless to say, they didn't turn out as well as he would have liked them to.
Chanyeol is well aware that he wasn't given the ability to control fire just to be able to cook for himself, but he enjoys playing around anyway.
If he were to be able to speak about it, he would have proudly gone on about how he has improved in controlling them. And that would not be a total lie. As of now, he is able to throw some weak fireballs and create fires that are bigger and taller than himself. While he might still struggle with controlling the size, it helps that water really does put fire out.
Which is why the end of every practice session finds Chanyeol drenched in water more often than he would have liked.
It is quite literally a dampener, because Chanyeol enjoys being dry and warm. Not that Chanyeol is going to complain, because he has learnt that if there's anything he has to be thankful for in this life, it is his special ability. It was not a burden, not even back when he couldn't control it and had to run around more often than not because people might figure out who started the fires, and it will definitely not be one now.
Training has also helped Chanyeol realize how weak his power actually is. Just like him, really. He always gets hit for teasing Baekhyun about his lack of muscles, but Chanyeol really isn't one to talk.
Through previous incidents, he has learnt that water would be his strongest weakness (not that it isn't common knowledge, but it has been proven to be true too many times for Chanyeol to really ignore that fact). This would greatly lessen the usefulness of his power in times of war. Not that he is hoping for one, but better be safe than sorry, right?
Wind, if powered greatly enough, would be able to put out the flames he creates too. Or perhaps e just really has to work on the resistivity of the fires he creates.
//
Friday sees Baekhyun over at Chanyeol's for the night. Baekhyun is taking his usual place on Chanyeol's couch while Chanyeol prepares some food for them to share. His legs are propped up on the coffee table, and it's almost like Chanyeol, except that his legs are a lot shorter.
"Move aside, shortie."
"Shut up, you clumsy giant," Baekhyun retorts back, albeit weakly. Chanyeol grins and settles the bowl of popcorn on his lap, making sure his elbow partly digs into his best friend's side just to annoy him.
He gets no reaction, however, because Baekhyun is totally absorbed in whatever the television is showing. His hand isn't even reaching for the popcorn, when it would usually be in the bowl even before Chanyeol can settle down into a comfortable spot. A turn of his head finds flames burning on the television and Chanyeol swallows. Not this again?
"You like fire this much?" Chanyeol frowns. It sounds weird when said like that.
"Yeah, they're cool. They're able to destroy pretty much everything." Baekhyun says, without taking his eyes off the television. The reflection of the rapidly spreading flames in Baekhyun's eyes match the shine that appears whenever he sees something he likes, and Chanyeol finds it oddly calming.
"But isn't that a bad thing? They burn things, destroy homes, and cause lots of misery. How is that cool?"
"You don't understand. I, like many other humans, love destruction. It's a profound concept, something kids will never understand." At that, Baekhyun turns to wink at Chanyeol, stuffing a handful of popcorn into his mouth as he turns his head back to focus on the documentary that was showing. Chanyeol takes the chance to send his elbow digging in further into Baekhyun's ribs, and he rewards himself with a handful of popcorns when he hears a pained moan sound from the other boy.
"Don't you think it'd be cool if someone could control fire? Like the whole superpower thing? Human torch?" Chanyeol has to fight the urge to curl his fingers into his palm to keep from tensing up and start having his best friend be suspicsious, but just as he opens his mouth to answer, Baekhyun continues. "I'd be able to cook without getting up. Isn't that really convenient?"
Almost heaving a sigh of relief, Chanyeol sags his shoulders a little. "No god would choose to bestow such an important ability onto someone as lazy as you."
"Like you're any better." And Chanyeol doesn't retort this time. He really ought to do something about his lack of physical stamina and muscles. Also about the fact that he does take advantage of his ability and uses it to cook. Sometimes.
It isn't the first time Baekhyun is staying over (they have done this enough times for the grandmother next door to giggle whenever she sees Baekhyun because she's somehow more than 100 percent convinced that they're together, when all they do is really insult and hang out with each other), but he still asks questions about that permanently locked door down the hallway every time he sees it.
"What do you even have to hide, anyway? I've seen you naked too much for my liking." The wrinkle of Baekhyun's nose earns him a light smack on the back of his head.
"Be glad you have, okay. A lot of people are willing to kill for a piece of this."
The shorter chances a glance down to Chanyeol's crotch and he has to bite into his fist to keep himself from laughing too loudly. "I'm sure they would still kill if they saw how you act in private. They'd be killing you instead."
"You're sleeping on the couch tonight." Chanyeol walks into his room first, knowing that Baekhyun would start whining and trailing behind him like a puppy until Chanyeol starts giving in. He's quickly proven right when he feels something-someone-tug at the hem of his shirt while he goes about setting his bed up, and he turns around to a pouty faced Baekhyun.
"Stop that, you look disgusting." Baekhyun only pushes his bottom lip further out, and Chanyeol can't deny that his best friend looks cute like that, even if he looks ridiculous at the same time. He sighs, for his heart is as weak as his body is. The simple action of Chanyeol lifting his blanket and gesturing for Baekhyun to get in is more than enough for Baekhyun to understand that he is already forgiven, and the shorter wastes no time in making himself home on the big bed.
"Really though, what's inside that room?" Baekhyun later whispers, his voice softer than usual, but still loud enough that Chanyeol can hear him.
"It's where my porn collection is. I have a shrine specially dedicated to Rilakkuma there. No commoner should be allowed to enter such a sacred place." Chanyeol smoothly lies, coughing a little from the strain he has to put on his throat when he lowers his voice to whisper.
"You have good things and you don't share? What a great buddy." There is the nudge of a bare foot into his calf, but there is only just enough light to make out a lump named Baekhyun a few feet away from him. Chanyeol isn't sure if he wants to talk about it right now, if he wants to talk about it at all.
"There really isn't anything there. You won't understand my undying love for Rilakkuma anyway. Now shut up and go to sleep."
Barkhyun doesn't speak up again, even though Chanyeol knows he's going to ask again the next time he's here, as if Chanyeol hadn't provided him with answers at all. Not that Chanyeol had, not exactly.
Chanyeol gets up before Baekhyun does, so he takes up the job of having to cook breakfast for them both.
Dragging his feet around, Chanyeol goes about doing his morning routine, complete with messy bedhair and droopy eyelids.
He's just about to start the fire when Baekhyun suddenly walks into the kitchen, and he knows he's never going to live down the three feet jump he made into the air.
"Walked into the kitchen to find my best friend trying to seduce a frying pan at nine in the morning," Baekhyun sings. Chanyeol contemplates dumping a few spoonfuls of salt into his eggs. His voice is obnoxiously loud and nice for someone who has just woken up.
What he does do, however, is clear his throat and mentally try to will the flush of his ears away, embarrassed at the jump. He doesn't try to explain why he was staring at a frying pan so resolutely and Baekhyun doesn't question it.
Having his voice crack doesn't seem to deter him too much from being a morning nuisance-Chanyeol doesn't know what does anymore, really. His best friend has the magical ability to be shameless, and even the most embarrassing situations don't seem to ruffle him as much as it ruffles Chanyeol, if the red on his ears is anything to go by.
"If you would let me have some peace." Chanyeol grits out, the words sounding a lot less harsher because his voice was gruff from unuse, especially when his voice cracks at the last word. Why.
It is impossible to not hear him, not when the kitchen is this small, but the way Baekhyun continues with his rendition of Let It Go possibly tells him otherwise. Either that, or his best friend is already into the let's-annoy-Chanyeol mood this early in the morning. Chanyeol will make him go if he doesn't stop. He turns around with all the intentions of glaring at Baekhyun, eyes already squinted, but he catches Baekhyun closing the refrigerator door with a push of his hip, and gets his hair ruffled while the shorter makes his way out with the drinks, and he gives up. He can't ever win against Baekhyun.
The fire goes out with a pathetic sounding whimper as the gas is turned off, as does the fight in Chanyeol. There are some things you simply have to live with.
//
Days pass by quickly, even if they feel long, because nothing ever changes.
That is, until Chanyeol gets a reply from Jongin.
He had almost forgotten about the apparently urgent matter at hand, eyes widening when he receives another e-mail in his Junk inbox, only that he recognises the sender and knows that it isn't junk mail.
There isn't even anything much in there, just questions and more questions ("Are you sure this is okay for you?") and an address at the bottom. Chanyeol doesn't recognise the place he's supposed to go to, but he does know that it's going to be somewhere in his hometown.
At times like these, Chanyeol thinks that it's a good thing he doesn't have much of a family to worry over, since he knows he's going to be risking his life the moment he steps foot back in that place.
//
It's amazing, the amount of times they have been mistaken for a couple, and the looks they always get when they go out together. Chanyeol doesn't feel uncomfortable even though his guy best friend is always sort of hanging off his arm because he has always been like this, even back when Chanyeol had first met him. Maybe he should add being able to cuddle up to people he has just met onto Baekhyun's list of magical abilities too.
Chanyeol had taken emergency leave for a week or two, just in case the matter needed more time to be solved. While it does hurt his heart a little knowing that it's unpaid leave and he isn't even going on a vacation, he doesn't mind it much because it's his childhood best friend's life that is at stake here. Chanyeol is nothing if not thankful for Kyungsoo and Jongin's company back when they were younger.
"I'm going to miss you tripping around everywhere, you know." Baekhyun speaks like Chanyeol is never going to come back, and Chanyeol almost rolls his eyes. He stops himself from doing so, because he realizes that that isn't entirely impossible. In fact, the possibility of that happening is so high it scares Chanyeol a little. Not that he's going to tell Baekhyun that though. He already has enough to worry about. (Like his dry sex life and cute stomach. Chanyeol's seen him frowning at that more than he would have liked.)
"Yeah, yeah. I won't miss your horrible singing though." He knows the punch to his side will be coming even before he feels it, not that it hurts any lesser.
"Ow-I was kidding! Sort of." Baekhyun's hand lifts again, and Chanyeol quickly opens his mouth to save himself, raising both his hands in surrender. "Hey, hey. I'll miss you too, okay? I'll have Internet there. We can always Skype or something, if you miss my handsome face too much."
"Definitely not going to miss it," Baekhyun mumbles under his breath. Chanyeol hears it but chooses to ignore it. "Right, Mr. Handsome. Promise me you'll take care of yourself? I'll see you soon! Remember to bring something back for me!"
"Right. Remember to improve your singing while I'm gone! Love you! Take care of yourself too-“ Chanyeol chooses that exact moment to start jogging away, because Baekhyun raises his fist as a threat, and Chanyeol knows all too well how Baekhyun's real punches feel like.
They wave at each other while Chanyeol walks towards the departure hall and Baekhyun already misses the warmth beside him. Somewhere along the way, Chanyeol walks into a wall because he wasn't watching where he was going, and Baekhyun laughs a bit too loudly at that.
Eventually, Chanyeol boards his flight, palms slightly sweaty as his fingers clutch onto the handle of his hand carry bag. This is it. He's going home.
//
Chanyeol foresees himself being late.
It isn't the best way to meet someone you haven't seen in at least five years, but it's not like he can help it. It doesn't stop him from tapping his foot impatiently, annoyance starting to show on his face. He's positive he isn't the only one getting pissed, not when the entire flight is being held up because of one person.
Chanyeol isn't sure what he should be expecting, since he hadn't been with them while most of the maturing happened. He has definitely changed from how he was when he was 18, and he's sure they have too-it is then he realizes that he'll only be seeing Jongin, not Jongin and Kyungsoo.
He sighs, looking around. One would think his height is useful for spotting people in a crowd, but it isn't when he isn't sure if the person he's looking for is there at all. A glance around doesn't show him anyone that resembles Jongin, or at least how he remembered Jongin's features. Maybe he's late too.
He has just barely stepped out from the crowd of people waiting when he feels someone tap on his shoulder that is quickly accompanied with a soft Hey. Chanyeol jumps, more at the creepy whisper than at the sudden tap.
"Jongin?"
Jongin quickly casts furtive glances around like he's scared someone would hear, and he shakes his head. "Kai. Come on, let's go back to the headquarters. I'll explain things to you on the way there."
Headquarters? Chanyeol wants to question, but he's already being tugged towards the exit of the airport.
//
On the way to the headquarters, Chanyeol is told a few things. He is reminded of the purpose of his trip, and he learns what Jongin really means by headquarters.
Thinking back, Jongin had mentioned we in the e-mail. Chanyeol hadn't thought enough to question it. Then again, trying to break into prison to rescue your friend isn't best done alone. It's always good to have more people with you.
Jongin tells Chanyeol, in a softer voice, that he is special. In the same way that Chanyeol is. Not that Jongin knows. He explains that he is just lucky that he does a better job at hiding. Until he fucked up, that is. Chanyeol can't help feeling bitter, seeing someone managing to survive this well when he had to run away and try to survive on his own in a foreign place even though they both had the same reasons to be wary. It is quickly masked by the curiosity that Jongin doesn't bother quelling. What did he mean by fucking up, exactly?
When Chanyeol had thought more people, he didn't think of hundreds, but that's what it had seemed like when he gets off the car with Jongin. People move around at such quick paces that even for someone who has been accustomed to city life, it is almost too fast for Chanyeol's eyes to follow.
Jongin watches Chanyeol with slight amusement shining in his eyes. His friend is almost spun dizzy just by standing around all these people who are rushing around to finalize details for their prison breaking mission, and it isn't until Jongin bodily drags Chanyeol away does the other finally manage to relax.
They arrive in this room that Chanyeol presumes is Jongin's office, if the pictures of him and his dogs are anything to go by. There's even a picture of him, Jongin and Kyungsoo when they were young, and Chanyeol smiles when he remembers that day. Jongin gestures for him to take a seat while he sits behind the desk himself, and he suddenly looks a lot older than he really is.
Once they get settled down, Jongin goes through the plan again, before he suggests taking Chanyeol on a short tour of their headquarters, to which Chanyeol readily agrees.
Chanyeol gets introduced to a few important people he would also be working with, and it is then he realizes that he needs to work not only on making his power useful, but also on remembering names too.
He makes his way down the hallways with widened eyes that give away his fascination in most things he finds there, and Jongin feels older for a few moments every time he watches his hyung go about touching equipments he's never seen before.
Just when he starts to realize that practicing might be more difficult because the government is always keeping a watchful eye, and he doesn't have his room here, Jongin leads him into a room that is obviously more special than the others. Its doors are thicker, and only after stepping in does Chanyeol understand why.
Inside, it looks almost like the room Chanyeol has back in America, only that this room has more weapons and equipments that help to train more abilities than his does. It is also bigger, and Jongin stands at a corner, arms folded while he watches Chanyeol.
"I have the ability to teleport. What is your ability, Chanyeol?"
//
Chanyeol sits up, forehead matted with sweat and hair sticking out at weird places.
Or rather, Chanyeol shoots up, head hurting slightly at how quickly he sat up when he had just woken up. The throbbing pain at his temples remind him that this is real, and that he is safe and is not about to be shipped off to some country to be killed because he proved to be useless to the government. A turn of his head-slowly, this time-tells him that it's still early, and he has plenty of time before he has to get up and meet Jongin at the training room.
Letting his back fall back to hit the mattress with a thud, Chanyeol brings a hand up to run it through his hair as he recalls yesterday's events.
In retrospect, that was definitely not how he had wanted to tell his friend, but since Jongin had asked, Chanyeol saw no point in hiding it further.
"You told no one, but I saw it all. I have lived long enough and have seen enough things to know why you moved away so suddenly." A man-Joonmyun? Joondae?-suddenly steps into the training room, and Chanyeol feels like he's missing out on something when he shares a look with Jongin. He's about to get exposed, and the thought is making his heart race even if he knows he can trust Jongin with such things. So he tries for the safest route.
"What? I don't think I understand what you're trying to say-" The stranger raises an eyebrow, and Chanyeol's fingers catch the hem of his shirt to fiddle with it.
"You developed some ability and instead of trusting the people around you to keep the secret and help you, you ran away all by yourself."
"That isn't true, I just didn't want to get them into trouble the government ever know-I didn't want them to look at me differently too."
Jongin and the stranger remain silent, and Chanyeol suddenly feels small despite his height. They are staring so intently that he wouldn't even be surprised if they were able to tell his ability just by staring.
"Fire. I can control fire." Chanyeol finally says, but not before sighing resignedly. The two pairs of eyes that were staring at him light up, as if Chanyeol had just told him a valuable top secret. Even with big ears, Chanyeol had to strain to listen, but he thinks he heard the stranger whisper he'll be of great help to Jongin.
//
Chanyeol is positive he has never felt so hot in his life before.
He doesn't understand how Jongin is able to withstand the heat, seeing as how he is the target of Chanyeol's fireballs. They have been at it for more than an hour, and Chanyeol feels like he's going to collapse because of the heat, dehydration-whatever. If only Jongin had the power of water instead.
In the midst of gathering his energy to make the fire bigger, he shouts.
"Can we take a break?"
Jongin's concentration breaks then, and he barely manages to dodge one of the many fireballs sent flying in his direction. The brief wince on his face tells Chanyeol that maybe he isn't that lucky. Chanyeol frowns and walks over, lifting Jongin's arm to take a look at the burn.
"Weak." Jongin manages a mild glare, even if Chanyeol has to hold his arm while he walks him to the first aid box. "You distracted me. This was your fault."
"Couldn't help it. I was way too hot." Before Jongin can hit Chanyeol with his uninjured arm, Joonmyun comes in, eyebrow raised at Jongin's raised fist.
"I was just being friendly," Jongin says, trying for convincing even though the smile on his face clearly shows otherwise. Chanyeol wants to laugh.Joonmyun's eyebrow goes up higher, and Jongin lets his arm fall back to his side in defeat.
"How are things going?" They go on to talk about the progress-or lack thereof-they've made, and Chanyeol is told more about the plan, now that he is placed somewhere important given his power. It ends with Jongin sighing, because Chanyeol is unused to the big training room they have, bumping corners every now and then, and he is also still unused to having someone train with him.
He was honestly expecting a bigger reaction at his reveal, and seeing everyone talk about it like it's nothing is strange to him. For so many years, he had kept his mouth shut about, kept himself away from his loved ones because of it, even. And now people actively discuss their practice sessions here, or at least the gifted ones do. It's almost like he ran away all those years ago for nothing.
Jongin snaps his fingers in front of Chanyeol's face, and that effectively stops him from going on to worry about more things. Chanyeol finishes taking care of Jongin's wound after he is snapped out of his thoughts, and they go for lunch with Joonmyun.
//
As the date nears and more things get finalized, Chanyeol gets more worked up. He is, for one, going to use his powers in public. He is also on an important mission to save his best friend, whom he hasn't seen for more than a couple of years. Chanyeol wonders if Kyungsoo is still the same Kyungsoo he was back then sometimes and if he still likes animal documentaries, because he does.
Chanyeol gets his answers in the form of the stories that Jongin tells from time to time about the things that had happened here after he was gone, and he doesn't want to jinx himself, but he has been thinking about the plan's possible failure much more than he should.
Positivity has never been much of a problem for him, so he doesn't know why it's being so difficult to find right now. What he does know, is that he's going to end up being a burden instead of helping if he doesn't change his mindset soon.
Spending longer hours in the practice room helps, because in there, he has no time to think about failure.
Chanyeol looks around and finds himself surrounded by grey walls. There are cells, and if he listens in closely enough, he can almost hear the dragging of chained feet nearby. He is fairly sure he has never been in this place before, and a look around tells him that the exit isn't anywhere near, so he figures he should be walking forward to find it.
The walls and floors aren't painted nor tiled, and as Chanyeol walks down, he notices that the people in the cells are all wearing the same shirt, same pants. There are toilet cubicles, but there aren't doors for them. No one turns to look at him when he walks past, but it's almost like he's in jail-wait.
Chanyeol quickly takes a look around, because he is pretty sure no one is allowed to walk freely like this in a jail-two beds in a room with minimal light filtering in through a small window, the toilet with no doors, people wearing the same uniform aimlessly walking around in the cell-it all makes sense now.
That still doesn't answer the question of why he is here. He is in somewhere he shouldn't be, trying to look for an exit. It is common knowledge that a jail should be a big place, and would usually have a few different areas, but Chanyeol is still surprised when he finds himself ending up somewhere where the walls are white, and the ground is tiled.
Over here the white noise is almost deafening. Before there was the chattering of some inmates as he walked past, but here it is so silent Chanyeol thinks he could go mad.
Chanyeol is absolutely lost as to where he is, and the way he feels out of place is probably a warning that he should not be moving further on at all, but there's a voice in his head, and that voice is telling him to continue walking forward.
Walk forward does he, and slowly the white walls start to have large windows on them. They look strangely like observatory rooms, and Chanyeol sees a bed or a chair in the center of a room behind the observatory room sometimes. The main path from before diverges into different walkways, and he hesitates before he chooses to walk down a path every time.
He's about to ignore the voice in his head and turn back when he walks past a room and sees movement out of the corner of his eye. Chanyeol immediately jerks his body back when he realizes that the people in actual room are all crowded around one person, and that he could have been spotted easily.
Crouching down, Chanyeol peeks in through a corner of the large glass window. In between the gaps of what seems like doctors standing around, he spots a fairly small sized man, lying on the bed. When one of the doctors move away to get more medical equipment, Chanyeol finally gets a good look at his face.
(There are some things Chanyeol would forget, but he thinks he would never forget the face of a friend who has grown up with him-and he is sure that he would never forget how said friend looked like on that chair, eyes wide and body paralysed in fear.)
Chanyeol has to hold his hand over his mouth to keep himself from making any sounds as a doctor approaches Kyungsoo with a large needle. Kyungsoo's eyes promptly close after the needle is removed, and Chanyeol can only hope that that was anaesthesia, nothing else.
After that doctor, more of them take their turn, poking and prodding at the lifeless body, conducting some tests and even extracting blood samples from him. Chanyeol stops watching after the fourth one and turns his head to look around frantically before he realizes that this is a secret lab, and other than medical staff, it is as dead as it can be.
Suddenly he hears one of the machines start to beep, and he whips his head back only to have a bunch of nurses rush into the room. The room is now filled with too many doctors and nurses who are shouting things that sound like we haven't finished the experiment yet! and save him!, and Chanyeol swallows.
With his height, even crouching down makes him bigger than most, and Chanyeol isn't sure how the nurses haven't noticed him yet. Is he invisible?
He is about to do something stupid to reaffirm his guess, when another machine starts to beep along. As much of a clueless person Chanyeol might be when it comes to science, even he knows that something is wrong.
Taking steps towards the room, he tries for approaching a nurse that was standing around.
He opens his mouth and-wakes up.
//
There is still a few days to go before the big day. Most things, if not every, are already finalized, so Chanyeol does not understand why Jongin is pacing around with a deep frown when he catches him in his office.
"Hey. Are you okay?" Chanyeol asks. It's a little obvious he isn't, but it's not like Chanyeol knows why.
"I dreamt of Kyungsoo. And he was getting experimented on-he doesn't have any powers, why do they not understand?" Jongin sounds exasperated now, but Chanyeol is too surprised to say something about that. "You dreamt of him too?"
"Too?" Jongin stops in his pacing around and lifts his head up to look at Chanyeol. It is then that Chanyeol sees the darker-than-usual bags under his eyes, and he thinks he has his own to match too.
The dream and its implications made it difficult for Chanyeol to go to sleep, so he got up and went nto the training room for a while, deciding to make good use of his time instead of trying to fall asleep again.
"The jail? White walls? Beeping machines?" Chanyeol tries, and winces at the memory.
"It ended before I could do anything. I feel like he's trying to tell us something, but that's impossible because he doesn't have any powers. He can't reach us here." Jongin resumes his pacing, and Chanyeol sighs.
"Whatever it is, we have to move the date forward. You saw it too, we can't wait anymore."
//
Chanyeol understands that he has to wear these for safety purposes, but that doesn't stop him from picking at it when no one is looking. It is hot and Chanyeol figures that it'll only get hotter when he gets in.
By his side, Jongin is wearing something similar, only less thick. He laughs and gives Chanyeol's hair a ruffle when he spots the elder staring at his outfit. They hold hands, breathe in and close their eyes.
Surprised is an understatement when Chanyeol opens his eyes. They are right outside a vent opening, and Jongin quickly rushes him to climb in first.
It's awkward and just a week or two ago, Chanyeol would never have imagined himself in a situation like this. He twists his limbs around while he tries to make himself comfortable enough to start moving forward without making too much noise, and he feels Jongin enter behind him.
Chanyeol doesn't know if the others can hear it, but his heart is beating too loudly. The sounds of them moving are sure to be made, but Chanyeol is glad that he has to strain a little to properly hear them. Based on the floor plan he's seen, an opening should not be too far from them. Right now though, he is covered in total darkness and the only thing that is keeping him going is hope.
The first glimmer of light has Chanyeol moving at a faster pace, until he realizes the amount of noise he is creating. He would look back, look back at the assurance that is Jongin, but as of now, he can barely even see his own fingers.
When Chanyeol finally reaches the opening, all he sees are heads. Jongin crashes into his feet and he hears a groan that is quickly muffled. None of the guys below look up at all, and Chanyeol wonders if there was even a need to keep silent in the first place. All the people walking past look so dead Chanyeol wonders if they are even alive at all.
Chanyeol guesses that they are being escorted to take part in some recreational activities but if not for the uniforms, Chanyeol wouldn't even be able to distinguish between the guards and the inmates-they are all equally expressionless. The guards drag their feet around like they are the imprisoned ones and needless to say, Chanyeol is surprised. Jongin suddenly nudges at his foot, and Chanyeol snaps back and remembers the more important task at hand.
They have all been briefed about what they are supposed to do, but Chanyeol has never realized how risky it is until he is doing it. There is no one walking as of now, and Chanyeol starts to unscrew the screws of the opening with bated breath. When he finally lifts the covering, light rushes in and Chanyeol finally dares to let out the breath he had been holding in.
The first thing he does is to press himself against the closest wall, immediately looking around for any signs of movement. When he sees that the coast is clear, he signals for Jongin to get down. Chanyeol counts his lucky stars when all four of them manage to get in without much trouble, and they all start moving together, hands resting on their hips where their weapons lie.
A few steps in front and a turn to the right. That's where Kyungsoo's cell is. It is beyond Chanyeol how they had managed to get their hands on confidential information like this, but he quickly realizes that he's working with the same people who are going to hack into the surveillance system of a highly secured jail, and maybe it isn't supposed to be that much of a surprise after all. Chanyeol lets Jongin take over because he will never have any of the grace that Jongin moves with, and if anything happens, Jongin is the only one who can get them out the fastest.
Chanyeol doesn't even remember much of what happens next, because they are suddenly in front of a cell, in which an all too familiar face is in, and Jongin has managed to get them all inside just by having them hold their hands. It was like time had simply stopped existing in that one second. Chanyeol inwardly reprimands himself for finding that Jongin's power seems to be cooler than his in this moment of time. Chanyeol puts off his thought of wanting to slap Jongin's shoulder at what he had just done to take a good look at the childhood friend that he hasn't seen in some time. When he looks over, he is greeted by the familiar big eyes and small stature that seems to tense up when Jongin approaches him. Kyungsoo looks stressed, to say the least. Chanyeol catches Jongin send him worried looks, though it quickly disappears when Kyungsoo realizes their presence and looks up at Jongin's face, acknowledging him.
"I said we'd get you out, remember?" Jongin smiles reassuringly, offering his hand to his friend who was still sitting on the bed from when they entered the cell, and has been unmoving since then.
"You still have time to get out before they come." Kyungsoo sounds... different.
Kyungsoo sounds different, Chanyeol thinks, though he might be the only one who thinks so because he hasn't seen him in ages. He is proved wrong when Jongin's eyes round in obvious shock, and what he thinks, slight betrayal.
"We don't have time for this now, Kyungsoo. Take my hand and I'll get us out of here. We can talk after that." The other two members are keeping guard by the cell's door, and Chanyeol is stuck between giving them a hand and opening his mouth to persuade Kyungsoo further. Does Kyungsoo even remember him at all?
There is the sound of heels clicking against the floor and rushed movements going towards their direction and Chanyeol starts to panic, looking frantically between the two members and Jongin and Kyungsoo. When Kyungsoo starts to lift his hand, Jongin meets Kyungsoo's hand halfway and quickly calls for the other two members to come back to where they were, holding out his other hand for them to hold.
The last thing he remembers seeing before the world goes black is the guards successfully breaking into the cell and loud voices shouting around.
When Chanyeol opens his eyes and finds himself surrounded by white walls and tiled floor instead, he immediately curses. Not too far away from him, he hears Jongin do the same. Everyone looks around with widened eyes, trying to make sense of their surroundings because this definitely isn't the way to the exit they were supposed to go to. Chanyeol, however, feels an odd sense of dejavu, except not really. He shares a look with Jongin and they instantly recognise that this was the place in their dream where their friend was getting experimented on.
Kyungsoo, however, seems to have widened eyes for a totally different reason.
He visibly backs up against the wall, hands clenching into fists. Chanyeol suppresses the urge to groan when he spots guards running towards them. Images start to flash in his head, and even though they are brief, Chanyeol suddenly finds himself unable to focus.
As far as he can remember, the labs lead to a dead end since having doors would allow their subjects to be able to escape. Which means that there are only two options left: to fight the guards head on or surrender now.
Taking the initiative to set up a ring of fire between them and the guards probably isn't the best thing to do, Chanyeol quickly realizes. Now, to escape, they will not only have to get past the guards. They will also have to get past the fire-which doesn't seem very difficult considering that their attires were made to accommodate these situations. Kyungsoo, however, is very much in the jail uniform which is made out of cotton. Nothing seems to be working out and the noise the guards are making are only making things worse.
Jongin doesn't seem to be looking any better, though Chanyeol doesn't know why. Jongin takes advantage of the time they get to band everyone together again, eyebrows furrowing harder as he focuses on getting them to a different place. No one is sure of anything anymore, and when Chanyeol closes his eyes this time he can only hope that they get out with minimal trouble.
//
The first thing he does is to breathe.
People are rushing around everywhere, but there are no white walls and tiled floors. This place looks familiar, and Chanyeol quickly recognises it as the headquarters, his second home for the past few weeks.
Everything seems to be moving down too quickly, but when he takes a look down, he's still wearing the stifling suit they had to put on for the mission. Instead of having Jongin by his side, he now has Jongin and Kyungsoo. Chanyeol closes his eyes and takes a moment to collect himself, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
They made it. His childhood best friend is now right next to him where he belonged, and still belongs. Chanyeol missed that presence. They'll have lots of things to catch up on now.