The very next day, Luhan finds himself alone in his large king-sized bed, basking in the utter silence of his bedroom and the dim lighting of the sun peeking through the curtains. He lays still, keeping his eyes closed and breathing in deep even breaths of air. Last night he took a sleeping pill, and then lay victim as his dreams transformed before him, dreams of death, of torture and carnage, dreams involving not only him but every single person he cared for.

His own real life boogeyman had taken center stage in the upscale production, and the deep spine tingling laugh that had danced through Luhan's ears still lingered behind in the nightmare's terrible aftermath. With his eyes still closed Luhan could see petrified eyes and a thick braided noose wrapped snug around the neck of an indistinguishable yet familiar figure. With his eyes closed, he could still feel cold metal shackles embedding itself in his wiry wrists. But with his eyes open Luhan could see the real world. With closed eyes he's in a horrific nightmare, but a fake one. With open eyes he's in a real life nightmare, one he can't escape from.

He leaves the warmth of his room a good fifteen minutes later. Outside of his bedroom the sun's natural light is brighter, shimmering across the open space, and the silence is replaced by the low whispering voices of his television.

Minseok is seated in the middle of his large couch, mouth pulled into a tight lipped frown and eyes trained on the news report he's currently watching.

“What are they saying,” Luhan asks as he steps closer to the male. The woman done up in minimal makeup is staring with frantic hazel eyes into the camera, upper body poised forward as she speaks into her microphone.

"They've caught about 600 Imperfects," Minseok says. "They believe there are at least 1000 more within the city, but in a city with over a million people there are probably still tens of thousands of Imperfects that weren’t lucky enough to leave."

“When do they give up,” Luhan asks. Most Imperfects lacked identification, and Luhan figured that the 600 Imperfects found were the easier ones to find, the ones hiding in hotel rooms and empty factories, and taking refuge in the abandoned homes in the poor districts.

"When they catch the Rebels," Minseok replies.

"Wouldn't they be long gone by now," Luhan asks, taking a seat beside Minseok. Minseok shifts his gaze from the television to Luhan, studying him. “What,” he asks meeting Minseok’s unnerving stare. Minseok doesn’t reply, he just continues to stare at Luhan, studying the model’s face only to shake his head a moment later.

“I don't think they'll be leaving the city,” Minseok finally says. “But if they do disappear I'm sure they will be found and properly dealt with.”

Luhan figures there's a double meaning behind his words, Minseok wasn't exactly a shining beacon of what a nationalist looked like, not that Luhan blamed him. For him to utter such a hopeful and optimistic phrase in regards to the government was more than a little odd, but Luhan figured that maybe it was the fact that he was now separated from his parents due to the Red Devils’ attack.

"Are you hungry," Minseok asks, efficiently changing the topic.

Luhan eyes flicker back to the television screen, a new reporter stands in front of a taped off subway station, the frantic intensity shining in his eyes as well. He can feel Minseok's gaze on him, waiting patiently for an answer, and so he gives a brief nod. Luhan's not exactly hungry, but one of the side effects of his tortuous sleeping pills, was a lingering fatigue that only escapes him after he eats.

****

The couple sit in a tense silence, eyes drawn strictly to their plates as they allow themselves to be caught up in their own thoughts. Luhan had left the television on in the other room in case anything of significance were to happen, and now the still lowered voices of the news anchors were the only thing filling the silence.

"We need to talk," Luhan says, breaking away from his thoughts to look at Minseok, watching as the secretary raises his head to stare back at him.

“You're right," Minseok replies, and then there's another bout of heavy silence, and Minseok returns his gaze to his plate. Luhan figures he should start, since he was the one to suggest that they talk in the first place, and he was the one to drag Minseok out last night.

“I'm sorry for not telling you about Tao.” Luhan says, watching as Minseok glances back up to him, surprise written across every inch of his face. “I was too focused on Sehun and when I finally remembered to tell you everything you needed to know about the situation, I just didn't know how.”

“They're together,” Minseok asks. “Sehun and Tao?” Luhan nods his head in response. He still gets sick to his stomach about them being together, but he's not a cruel man, and as much as he sees Sehun as a younger brother, they're not truly related. Luhan has no footing in their affair.

“Does he know what he's getting into,” Minseok then proceeds to ask, voice coming out strained. His gaze has gone back to his food, barely eaten and probably cold.

“He does,” Luhan says, watching as Minseok's gaze hardens into an empty glare. "We talked about it."

Minseok lips move, but Luhan can't hear his voice. Still, from the rigid posture and the heated glare, Luhan's more than sure he has just whispered out a swear, when Luhan had first found out about them all he wanted to do was swear as well.

"I know Tao," Minseok says. "He worked odd jobs in The Red, we were introduced through another kid I knew." He pauses then a small sad smile gracing his lips in a way that reminded Luhan of when Minseok had brought up his younger sister.

“Well neither of them were actually children," Minseok says, "Despite how much they remind me of them.” The way Minseok talks, it reflects how Luhan feels about Kai and Sehun, the pair were adults just like him, but they were still young, still hadn't outgrown that childish innocence of theirs because they were still so ignorant to how cruel the world around them could be.

Minseok eyes still look glazed over as if his mind has taken a trip down memory lane and it makes Luhan curious. The sad smile is still present on Minseok's lips, and he looks nearly heartbroken. "What was he like," Luhan asks, nearly whispering his question.

“Tao,” Minseok asks in question, looking up to Luhan and cooling his features as he begins to speak.

“No,” Luhan says with a shake of his head, “the other boy.” Luhan figures it could be the memories that had melancholy clouding Minseok's expression, but it could also be the other boy Minseok had subtly brought up.

“Baekhyun,” Minseok says quietly, but Luhan still catches the name. He doesn't speak at first, the hesitance visible as the sad smile turns into a frown as he thinks. “He was seriously talkative,” Minseok finally says, the laugh that escapes his lips coming out weaker than his usual laugh. “And always so bright and energetic despite his circumstances. I’ve never met anyone like Baekhyun, even the strongest Imperfects still feel the effects of being less than dirt to society, but Baekhyun, he had never let that get him down, at least he never showed it if it did make him upset.”

Luhan swallows thickly, he's not sure what he had expected to hear, but he still feels discomfort from what Minseok has told him, not because he doesn't know what Minseok's relationship with Baekhyun was. There is a desire to know about their relationship, but his discomfort hails from how Minseok speaks of him. His voice holds so much longing and despair, even Luhan feels it within. It makes him curious to know more, to learn every single thing about Baekhyun and understand his greatness, and the affect his being has left on Minseok. “You speak in the past tense when you talk about him,” Luhan explains. “What happened to him?”

Minseok doesn’t look at him, and a silence falls over the table only punctuated by the sound of the television. “In the poorer districts,” Minseok begins. “We live by a certain belief when our neighbors and friends go missing, no matter how illogical it may seem, or how the evidence may say otherwise we still choose to believe it to help us sleep at night and go on through the day.”

Luhan remains quiet and when Minseok speaks a small vacant smile graces his lips. “Baekhyun’s at a compound, away from the troubles of city life.  He’s safe.”

Luhan doesn't say anything, and as Minseok continues to speak the vacant smile contorts into a deep grimace, and the lonely eyes begin shining with a burning anger. "He doesn’t matter at the moment,” Minseok bites out suddenly. “How could those two get themselves in such a situation? They're both such idiots, them being together is like certain de…" he trails off, eyes flickering up to meet Luhan than averting down to the table. “Maybe I can talk to Tao,” Minseok suggests. “He doesn’t know what being caught with Sehun will actually do to them. He…”

“If he’s as stubborn as Sehun that won’t work," Luhan replies, speaking up. His mind is still lingering on Minseok, and Baekhyun. He still has things he wants to know, things he doesn’t think he’ll stop being curious about anytime soon, but he tries to focus, tries to bring his mind back to the topic at hand.

Minseok shakes his head. “He’s not. He’s a good kid, he cares about people, too much if you ask me. If I tell him, if I explain to him how bad it will be, he would do something. He wouldn’t dare put Sehun through any of that. They think that once they’re caught they can just runaway or at worse be exiled, but it’s not like that.”

“What’s it like then,” Luhan finds himself asking. Minseok sounds as if he’s speaking from experience and it makes him curious. He wonders if Minseok had ever been through such a thing and if that was why he seemed so sad when talking about that Baekhyun guy, were they lovers gone wrong?

“I,” Minseok begins looking up at Luhan as if he’d only just remembered that Luhan was actually there with him and barely knew a thing about his history, besides the fact that he had lived in District Eight with his sick parents. “I don’t know firsthand,” Minseok says a moment later with a shake of his head. “But I’ve heard the stories and I’ve seen what people look like when they come back from it, and it’s not nice.”

Lies. Minseok is lying and lying badly at that, but Luhan doesn’t force it, he had known that Minseok came with secrets, even Luhan has things in his past he never wants to divulge. Instead he looks down at his food cold and barely eaten and then across the table to Minseok’s plate in the exact same state.

“Are you done,” Luhan asks standing. He watches as Minseok goes rigid, eyes widening as he looks up to Luhan.

“Huh,” he asks in question.

Luhan lips quirk at the cute expression, and he gestures to the plate in front of Minseok. “Are you done eating?”

Minseok’s eyes drop to his plate, and he nods quickly. Luhan grabs his plate and heads around the table to Minseok, reaching out to take the secretary’s.

“Luhan,” Minseok calls out softly, grabbing a hold of Luhan’s wrist before he can take the plate. There’s a questioning lift to the way Minseok calls him, but Luhan interrupts him before he can say more.

“It’s okay,” Luhan whispers, leaning down and kissing Minseok’s forehead. “Don’t talk to him,” he whispers

“Hmm,” Minseok asks looking at him with a curious expression.

“Don’t talk to Tao,” Luhan commands. “Sehun’s all he’s got at the moment, and Sehun knows that. No matter what you say or suggest Tao do, Sehun won’t give up on him without a fight. Leave them. I don’t want them to think no one will help them when they need it.”

“You plan to help them,” Minseok asks.

“As best as I can,” Luhan says.

Sehun wouldn't stop being reckless, wouldn't give up on being with Tao anytime soon because he was young and he was a Perfect. He grew up listening to how there were no limitations for him, physically and mentally, and he was too young to realize that despite how great they were made to be, every Perfect, First Gens included, were weak against one thing.

It could turn a rational Perfect reckless. It could turn a reckless Perfect overconfident in their abilities. It was the one thing all Perfects couldn't seem to conceal properly as seen with Junmyeon's ex-fiancee and Junmyeon himself. For a Perfect, love was their weakness and their downfall, and occasionally when Luhan comes across stories of lovers and madness, he can't help but wonder why no one thought to prevent them from feeling such an intense emotion. It seemed rather pathetic that for such an unstoppable being like a Perfect, loving someone could be their greatest flaw.

****

It’s with a new found resolve that Luhan finds himself grabbing Minseok and leading him back to his living room. The pair find themselves seated once more in front of the enormous television pressed into each other’s sides as close as they can be without being uncomfortable.

Luhan begins flickering through the channels, passes the numerous news reports of the attack and its aftermath, surfing channel after channel in hopes of finding something mindless to settle on, something to take him out of the day, and keep Minseok from whatever terrible thoughts are haunting him.

Minseok laughs suddenly, head thrown back, lips parted, and gums showing as he laughs a real laugh. His first real laugh since he'd left Luhan's apartment that Sunday evening. Luhan frowns, eyes flickering from the children's show he'd accidentally stopped on to Minseok now grinning and staring at him.

“What's so funny,” he asks as Minseok's grin stretches wider. The latter shakes his head in dismissal as he leans closer to Luhan pressing a light kiss to the corner of the younger male's lips.

Luhan lips quirk slightly on their own, and the sudden urge to pull Minseok forward into a different kiss, a proper kiss overwhelms him.

“You're remarkable,” Minseok whispers against his jawline. “Thanks.”

Luhan's lips pull into a broader smile as he gazes at Minseok, pride swelling his chest. Luhan was good at giving people what they needed when they needed superficial things, but this wasn't one of those moments. When he had pulled Minseok out of that kitchen chair and dragged him to his sofa he had no idea what he was planning to do, all he knew was that he needed to at least attempt to cheer Minseok up, to help drag the secretary's mind out of the deep dark place it's seemed to have been resting in the last 24 hours.

Even if his plan to watch mindless television hadn't taken affect, it seemed as though the sheer motivation hadn't gone unnoticed, and Minseok seemed to have appreciated the effort.

“You're the only one who gets to have me like this,” Luhan tells him. He tilts his head and captures Minseok's lips in a kiss. “You make me behave this way,” he accuses when they pull away. Minseok's smile returns as his gaze moves from Luhan's pale pink lips to his walnut brown eyes. He doesn't say a word, instead he rescues the remote control clenched tightly in Luhan's hand and brings him into another kiss once the device is resting safely on the coffee table.

Luhan lets Minseok move him, allows Minseok to gently maneuver him till he's lying back against the sofa, with Minseok hovering over him, not once breaking the kiss.

It isn't until Minseok's mapping out Luhan's jawline, lingering on places that make Luhan's breathing hitch, does the model realize what Minseok is really doing. Luhan himself has done this very thing quite a few times before. Minseok is seeking out distraction. So Luhan allows him, the moment he had dragged Minseok out of that kitchen chair it was to help distract him and if Luhan had to take the role as distractor so be it.

The moment Luhan realizes this, he relaxes himself, letting go and allowing Minseok the chance to do as he pleases. In the meantime, his hands that were once clutching Minseok as if his lithe waist was an anchor begins traveling, exploring new places as his hands brush down his hips, at his rear and linger on his firm thighs where Minseok's shorts have ridden up to give way to smooth skin. Once his hands have memorized the feel of the newly touched places, he travels back up, fingers dragging slowly as they trace out a new path, moving from Minseok's sides, from caressing his back to finally reside on his front. For a split-second, he keeps his hands still, the heels of his palms resting against the top of Minseok's shorts, while the tip of his fingers massage taut skin, and then he begins inching upward towards an unseen destination to feel more, to learn more of Minseok.

He pauses momentarily when his right hand rests over Minseok's heart. He feels the steady thumping of Minseok's quicken heartbeat, but he doesn't pay attention to that. The pads of his right fingers has found something much more interesting to focus his attention on, and Luhan finds himself biting on his bottom lip as he inspects the area. Above Luhan, Minseok has stopped kissing along his neck and jawline, he lays tense and breathing heavily into the crook of Luhan's neck. Once he's done inspecting the area with just his fingers, he drags both his hands back down to the hem of Minseok's shirt, pulling persistently at it.

Minseok doesn't move, so Luhan pushes at his waist to get him to sit up. They both do, and with more persistence on his part Luhan gets Minseok shirt off, letting it fall onto the floor. Minseok's stomach is flat and lined with ridges of well-defined muscle, but across his chest, right above his beating heart lies a scar. The bright red, glistening against Minseok's fair and otherwise unblemished skin. It's long and jagged and although Luhan knows very little about skin injuries, Minseok’s scar looks as if the wound had been deep. The center of the scar is smooth underneath his fingers, but the edges are rougher and Luhan wonders if that’s a sign that it hadn’t healed properly.

Luhan raises his gaze from the scar to look at Minseok's eyes. Minseok isn't looking at him, his eyes are focused steadily on his lap, where his hands lay clenched and discolored. When Minseok refuses to meet Luhan's eyes, he returns his attention back to the scar, letting his hand come back up to trace it. Minseok is still tense underneath his touch, and Luhan loses all desire to learn about the scar for the moment. He files it under the growing list of things he'll ask about at a later time, instead he leans forward, pressing a lingering kiss against the overly smooth skin. Drawing away to refocus his attention on Minseok's face, he notices Minseok's bewildered eyes on him. Luhan lifts his hands, and rests them against Minseok's neck and brings him into another kiss, while pulling Minseok back down against him.

It takes a moment but Minseok kisses him back, once again pushing closer to Luhan. Luhan hands are still resting against Minseok's neck, his touch firm yet gentle as he goes back to his job as Minseok's self-appointed distraction.

The television with its murmured musings seem mute to Luhan, all he can hear is the way they're breathing, heavy and rapidly, and even if his legs are starting to hurt from its uncomfortable position half hanging off the sofa, he can't find the ability to say a word or even push Minseok away for a mere second.

Hey guys!!! A lot has happened in this chapter, Minseok has a scar, you've got a peek into Luhan's nightmares, and Baekhyun has made the only appearance he will unfortunately be getting in this fanfic. This chapter was supposed to be a lot longer with Junmyeon and Yixing interrupting them, but I've had really intense writer's block for the next chapter (and since I wanted to wait until half of the next chapter was done before posting this) I've split the chapter to give me a starting point for the next update, and stop from overloading you guys with too much information.

PS I updated the description for this fanfic ^.^ The first one was something I put together at the very last minute just so I could start posting chapters, but I think the new description actually reveals more of what the fanfic is about.