does this count for Halloween? XD

Both of Sungmin’s prescriptions had worked magnificently, and Donghae noticed rapid improvement in his control sessions once he was able to sleep soundly through the night. He had a plan to catch up on sleep over a weekend, but when he was pulled out of a sound sleep the first weekend after the nightmares had stopped, he was distinctly unhappy.

 

“Whaaaat,” he whined loudly in response to being shaken awake. “I want to sleep…”

 

Keep your voice down, he ‘heard’ in a mental voice. Cracking his eyes open, he looked up at Hyukjae, who had been the one to shake him.

 

“Shh,” Hyukjae warned, holding a gloved finger up to his lips. “Heenim sunbae says to get up and get dressed fast. Sunbae brought some new clothes for both of us, so wear that, but pack an extra pair of clothes in my bag.”

 

“What’s going on?” Donghae quietly slurred, not really fully awake yet.

 

Hyukjae shrugged in the dark room. “I don’t know, but sunbae wants both of us for something.”

 

Hurry up Donghae, we’re going to miss our ride if we don’t leave soon.

 

Responding to the urgency and need for silence, he grabbed the clothes Hyukjae handed him and started to pull off his pajama shirt. He grinned as Hyukjae turned around, embarrassed. Grabbing some clothes that were a decent match for what he had on, he waited for Hyukjae to slowly open their bedroom door before they cautiously crept past Lami’s room.

 

Heenim was lounging comfortably on one of their chairs in the kitchen area, flipping through a small notebook. “Good, there you are,” they greeted, keeping their voice soft.

 

Donghae noticed that someone else was there too, with long hair pulled into a braid, and as she turned around, she smiled.

 

“Good morning Hyukjae hyung.”

 

Her voice was light and teasing, but pitched lower than what Donghae was used to hearing.

 

Hyukjae sighed, a smile spreading across his lips, and Donghae was surprised at the jealousy that shot through him. Frowning to himself, he went to Hyukjae’s backpack and put his extra clothes in there.

 

“Good morning to you too, Hani oppa. Are you going to stay with Lami?”

 

She nodded. “I even brought sweets to help soothe her temper.”

 

Hyukjae rolled his eyes expressively. “Yeah, please don’t remind me of how much both of us are going to get the silent treatment when we get back.”

 

“Hopefully we’ll be able to stop off and get enough candy for both of you to work your way back into her good graces,” Heenim said, standing. Their hair was pulled back into a short ponytail and dressed much the same as Donghae and Hyukjae were, appearing more masculine than their normal preference. “Let’s not risk her waking up and demanding to go too, out the door with the both of you.”

 

“Bye hyungs,” Hani chirped quietly.

 

Donghae raised his eyebrows curiously at Heenim, who shrugged. “I’ll accept Heeyeon calling me hyung because she is my sister and reverses her honorifics, which is a rather erse pleasure for me. Everyone else will still use sunbae.”

 

“You call her oppa, too,” Hyukjae said, stepping into the elevator.

 

“Indeed I do.” Heenim pushed a high level, then stood back as the doors closed and the elevator began to rise.

 

“Why do you call her Hani though?” Donghae asked, confused about the nickname.

 

“Heeyeon and I share a mother, but not a father. Her legal name is Ahn Heeyeon, so I made a word pun with the first two sounds of her name and she liked it. Even though she identifies as feminine, she likes to play with gender roles a bit and she has many habits that are traditionally considered masculine, so I teasingly call her Hani oppa. Everyone else in Home has also picked up that habit.”

 

They exited out onto the sky bridge level, which was mostly quiet and darkened, the lights from Seoul shining in and providing the light to move around.

 

“What are we doing?” Donghae whispered.

 

“We’re on a field trip at the request of Halmeoni,” Heenim whispered back. “Building one,” they directed when Hyukjae pointed around.

 

Donghae was reluctant to break the silence they’d fallen into as they walked into building one and then waited for the elevator. Heenim waved a card over a plain piece of metal, but Donghae gaped a little as several digital buttons lit up after the card passed by. Heenim picked the one that said nothing more than sub6, and the elevator swiftly descended. Pulling a flashlight out, they turned it on before the doors opened into darkness.

 

“Follow closely,” they warned before leading a path out. Donghae wrinkled his nose from the musty, wet smell around him, but from the water, he could mentally map of the dimensions of the hallway. He grabbed the back of Hyukjae’s shirt, not wanting to get lost as he concentrated on applying his control lesson of feeling the water around him without moving it. Hyukjae’s gloved hand grabbed his hand and held it, making him smile.

 

They both stopped when Heenim turned off the flashlight.

 

Donghae, you lead us the rest of the way out so the flashlight doesn’t alert anyone to our presence. No talking until we’re in the station, and while we’re out there, you both will address me as Heechul and hyung if we are around anyone but ourselves. Hyukjae, gloves off until we’re back, it’s too warm and will draw attention. We’re going to Yongyu Station in Incheon, please make sure that we’re on the right trains.

 

Donghae nodded, stepping forward while his eyes closed. He had a good map of the tunnel for the next hundred meters, but he could see a slight glow where his mental mapping ended because everything dried out. Moving forward, he felt a long- hand curl into his and guessed Heenim had done that to make sure everyone was there.

 

Not only that, but it’s also to help me deal with the massive bombardment I’m going to be facing from anyone around. Keep any answers or questions open in your mind for me to boost it so Hyukjae can hear them as well.

 

The moisture ended right as the glow from beyond a wall filtered in and provided enough light to see. Heenim tugged on Donghae’s hand for a moment, their eyebrows furrowed and eyes closed.

 

Move.

 

Donghae moved quickly forward, slipping through a well-hidden crack behind a vending machine and entering a subway station. Heenim and Hyukjae appeared next to him, and Donghae immediately looked up at the station display. They had appeared in Oksu station and he was bewildered as to which aisle to walk through. He looked down at his hand when he felt something hard press into it, and blinked curiously at the T-money card.

 

“Don’t lose it, or you’re walking back to Seoul,” Heenim warned.

 

Donghae twisted his lips down. “Where are we going?” he asked Hyukjae, who was reading a map, his knuckles white since they were tight around the straps of the backpack.

 

Hyukjae pointed in a particular direction. “The Gupabal train is the one we want. It’ll connect with the line that’ll take us to Incheon.”

 

Heenim waved a hand. “Lead the way.”

 

Waving the cards over the aisle reader, they trekked down a set of stairs. Halfway down, Heenim grabbed Donghae’s hand and slid sunglasses on after taking the bag from Hyukjae.

 

I’m hungover and you two are helping me home if anyone asks. Thankfully, we should be mostly alone at this hour, so I doubt it’ll come up. The reason we’re headed out to Incheon is that your registration is coming up, Donghae. Before the Ministry deigns to come into Home to try and posture to make themselves feel better, Halmeoni wants to know just how powerful you can really get, hence why Hyukjae is coming along.

 

Donghae felt a faint echo of shock come through Heenim’s mental communication. He tried to figure out how to keep communication open and still ask a question, and finally just ‘spoke’ inside his head. What happens after registration? Do I get put back into that plastic prison cell?

 

He saw Heenim glance at him. Pull up the memory for me, please.

 

Closing his eyes, he dredged up the memory of being held in Mokpo, locked inside a plastic prison sphere that was heavily isolated, barely fed once a day and was only allowed a visit from his mother the day before he was unknowingly shipped off to Seoul. The thought of his mother made him worried – did she think he was dead? Did she know that he was okay and alive?

 

Relax, Halmeoni is consistent with getting word to families. Your mother probably already has an address for you to send letters whenever the Ministry feels like delivering them, along with updates about some of your progress. But yet another example of things I detest about the Ministry, Heenim replied in his mind. No, they will not be taking you from Home or subjecting you to whatever horror they can dream up. They want to keep Hyukjae locked away for all time, and you can see how well that is working for them.

 

Donghae watched the display time for a few seconds. Okay why? I can’t figure out why.

 

Hyukjae’s voice whispered through his mind, sounding soft and far away, but Heenim was obviously boosting the thoughts so that Donghae could hear them. Imagine it, Donghae. I take any power, with any person, and boost it, magnify it, beyond all reasonable comprehension. I’m the dangerous one because of something I can’t even control or turn off.

 

Donghae thought about it for a long few minutes, long enough for the train to arrive. When the realization did hit him about why Hyukjae was considered so dangerous, he couldn’t help the soft “Oh.”

 

Heenim’s lips were curved upward. Now you’re getting it. You also get to experience it firsthand.

 

Their ride to the station where they would switch trains was spent in silence, Heenim pinching the bridge of their nose as they pulled into each station. Donghae felt a wave of pity for them. Not being able to turn off a power and having to filter every single thought that flew by from every person who would be worried or happy or any range of emotions would probably make him have a breakdown. His own thoughts could give him a headache; he couldn’t imagine how Heenim managed to spend every day not in absolute agony.

 

He felt a long hand brush along his skin before Heenim slid their hand into his. Continual usage and learning how to shield myself from all but the loudest thoughts. The breakdown was a near miss though. Home is small, but there’s still a lot of thoughts to filter through. It would have been horrific to learn any form of control if I wasn’t in Home when I activated.

 

Donghae grunted an agreement to the ‘whispered’ thoughts in his head.

 

Being able to have skin contact with one person also does help. Everyone has natural mental barriers, so it helps buffer my own.

 

He looked over at Hyukjae when he felt the tap on his shoulder. “This is our stop. Can you stand on your own, hyung?”

 

Heenim grunted, but slowly shuffled to his feet, swaying for effect. The few people that were in the car with them had looked over at the movement, but shifted their attention as they told themselves what they wanted to understand about the three of them. Donghae wrapped a hand around Heenim’s waist and draped a slender arm across his shoulders.

 

“You can lean on me.”

 

Hyukjae frowned a little at him. “I was about to do that,” he mock complained.

 

Donghae smiled. “You’re still drunk. Besides, I’m stronger than you.”

 

“In what universe,” Hyukjae immediately retorted. Donghae had the sudden mental image of Heenim rolling about on a floor, laughing silently.

 

Keep it up, it’s a great cover. Heenim said mentally. Physically, they groaned and leaned heavily on Donghae.

 

“In this one,” Donghae needled. “I could carry hyung and you at the same time,” he boasted. “Your skinny would break in half.”

 

“Shut up both of you,” Heenim growled. “You’re making my headache worse.”

 

“Yes hyung,” Donghae and Hyukjae chorused, looking properly chastised. Mentally, Heenim was clapping and throwing roses at him. Donghae steadied himself as the train slowed down, then came to a stop. They changed trains with little difficulty, and it was a long ride to Incheon.

 

Donghae had never been to Yongyu before, but he followed Heenim and Hyukjae through the nearly empty station. He was so grateful he wasn’t having to try and get around on his own, certain he’d just go straight to the water, probably bumping into buildings and crossing roads in a daze from the straight line path he wanted to take.

 

Don’t get all water brained yet, Heenim warned, amusement clear. Their head jerked slightly, like someone had just called their name. Follow me, our contact is waiting on us. Heenim’s transformation from a hungover shuffle to confident strides was nearly instantaneous, and they slid their sunglasses up to hold the few strands of hair back and off their face.

 

Donghae almost felt like he’d landed in a James Bond movie as they exited the station and into near darkness, lit only by streetlights. Heenim pulled some money out of an envelope as they neared a convenience store. “Get enough food for the entire day, including snacks and drinks, for all of us,” they said, handing Donghae the money. “I’ll be right outside in the alleyway.”

 

Donghae bounced up the stairs, replying courteously to the attendant when they called out a greeting. Moving immediately back to the drinks, Donghae grabbed several bottles of water while Hyukjae deliberated over food choices. Donghae grabbed a few sugary snacks and his favorite sandwiches, mentally adding up their total.

 

Hyukjae laughed a little. “What are you doing?”

 

Finally getting an amount, he carefully counted the money Heenim gave him. “Damn, we need to put something back, we’re not going to have enough money.”

 

“Did you just add everything up in your head?”

 

“Yeah, it’s pretty easy for me,” Donghae shrugged, grabbing one of the snacks he’d picked out and putting it back. “Okay, we’re good now. Let’s go pay.”

 

Hyukjae looked impressed as the total on the register came up to be just under the amount Heenim had given them. Donghae looked over as he noticed movement and bowed his head to the elderly man shuffling in the side door while the attendant called out a greeting as they were packing everything into plastic bags.

 

“Thank you!” Donghae chirped brightly as he and Hyukjae grabbed a bag each and walked out the main door.

 

Turn left, Donghae heard in his mind, and following Heenim’s instructions, came into the alleyway where Heenim was waiting on them, standing just past the glow of the convenience store’s side door.

 

“Come on,” Heenim said, waving a hand to indicate going through the alleyway. “We need to get to the boat. It’s not too far away.”

 

“Boat?” Hyukjae repeated.

 

“Yes. Be quiet and move, I want to get out of here before people start showing up to enjoy a day at the beach,” Heenim hissed, waving their hand.

 

Donghae shared a puzzled look with Hyukjae and they both shrugged before they were following Heenim. Just as Heenim said, the boat wasn’t docked very far away and they were able to get to it with little difficulty. They boarded the boat, and while Heenim started the engines, Donghae unwound the rope that kept the boat tied to the dock. This early in the morning, with the sun barely beginning to rise behind them, the air still had a bit of a bite to it, even with the humidity-laden winds coming up from the south. Donghae shivered as they started to move and picked up speed, trying to burrow into his light jacket.

 

Hyukjae looked at him, apparently sharing in his misery, his bare hands shoved between his knees and shoulders hunched against the direction they were going to try and retain some warmth.

 

“I should have brought my parka,” Donghae yelled to be heard above the wind and the motor.

 

Sit on the floor if the both of you are that cold. It should be warming up shortly.

 

Donghae immediately sank down to the floor, wedging himself closer to Heenim, figuring the wind wouldn’t be as much of an issue towards the front of the boat. Seeing Hyukjae huddling uncomfortably towards the back, Donghae motioned him up to where he was. Hyukjae crawled forward and Donghae tried to make enough room in the small warmer area. It wasn’t balmy, but at least Donghae didn’t feel like he was going to turn into an ice cube anymore. He wished the sun would rise faster to start heating up the air, but he appreciated the changing colors in the sky as the sun started to peek over the mountains.

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