eighteen

“What are you saying?” Luhan’s look of suspicion never goes away and neither does it go over my head. I can see how tightly he’s clinging to Luhan’s body.

“I’m saying it was Tao who did this,” Kai replies.

Lay shakes his head, “Impossible. Tao loves Luhan. He’d never do this to him. He isn’t capable.”

“But he did.”

“He has no reason to,” Lay nearly snaps but I can tell he’s holding back.

“There doesn’t have to be a reason,” Kai replies.

“I don’t believe you,” Lay dismisses it and turns towards me, looking me up and down. “Who are you?”

“I’m Oh Sehun,” I stutter, surprised to actually be addressed. I’m content to merely observe.

Lay’s eyes widen and he shifts Luhan further into his lap.

“Tao’s boyfriend is a muse?”

“Boyfriend?” Kai sends me a look which I pointedly refuse to return.

“Oh no,” Lay murmurs, pressing his hand over his eyes. “Oh no. This is bad. Really, bad.”

He drops his arm.

“You haven’t bonded with him have you? You’ve bonded.”

He freezes, eyes off in a corner and then stands, letting Luhan’s body slump on the floor and marches across the room to where Tao’s stained uniform still hangs.

“What’s the meaning of this?” he asks as he snatches it off the rack.

Of course he recognizes it as homer blood.

“Calm down,” Kai rolls his eyes and he puts me at east with his nonchalance. “Tao’s alive and well. We can’t say the same for your other friend here. One thing at a time, please.”

“Fine,” Lay concedes. “You’ve got to explain everything. You, not you.”

He points from me to Kai. A lump forms in my throat and I look at Kai for guidance.

“Go on, tell him. Why are we here?” Kai encourages me.

I nod and after taking a large breath of air I try to explain.

“Walking home last night Tao and I were attacked by a homer. We tried to run but Tao stopped and fought it,” I begin.

Lay interrupts, “You let Tao fight the homer?”

I shake my head, “I couldn’t stop him and really he saved my life last night. I—“

“Are you daft? Tao is a human.”

I feel scolded and hang my head, biting my lip to keep from crying and continue on.

“We got away and that’s when he started asking all of these questions like who am I and why was it chasing me. I don’t even know why it targets me of all people. I panicked and I told him that it was Luhan who was after me and sent that thing. I didn’t tell him to do anything! I really didn’t tell him to do this! I just told him to stay away from Luhan because it’s dangerous!”

I finish and chance to look up and Lay storms over, throwing Tao’s uniform in my face. I catch it.

“Luhan didn’t send that homer you idiot!” he yells.

I cringe and Kai stands up, stepping between me and Lay’s anger.

“Hey, you can’t yell at my minion like that,” Kai said, voice still strangely even.

“Minion?” Lay’s eyes move up to meet Kai’s confusing swirling in those dark orbs. “Kai, what exactly are you trying to do?”

“I have my reasons,” is Kai’s cryptic reply.

I take that time to reach into my pocket and pull out the soul gem that I received from Tao earlier and hold it out in the air.

“Lay,” I call.

Lay glances back towards me and Kai turns to look as well. I don’t miss the way Lay’s eyes light up upon seeing the soul gem and he comes closer in order to snatch it.

“Tao gave it to me this morning after I told him about my suspicions about Luhan.”

“You told him about soul gems too!?” Lay’s voice is almost a hiss and I unconsciously move closer to Kai’s legs.

“I didn’t mean anything really! I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

“You two are so extremely irresponsible. Neither of you have any brains and,” Lay snaps his head up to look at Kai. “And you don’t have the brains to be anyone’s boss.”

Kai glowers, “And I suppose you’re going to suggest the better option is groveling to Suho like you.”

“Aren’t you with Yesung?. Everyone knows you’re one of his favorites. Are you really going to betray him like this?”

“I’m not going to sit around and do nothing,” Kai replies.

“And him?” Lay gestures towards me. “He’s part of your little coupe too?”

“Yeah, so?”

Lay laughs and runs his fingers through his hair. His shoulders shake and when he finally stops he meets Kai’s eyes with and pitying glance.

“And I suppose you’re here to take Taemin with you.”

“He’s my brother.”

“You’re an idiot. He’s with Suho now and if you had any brains you’d go back to Yesung where you belong.”

“This is my choice. If it makes me an idiot so be it. You’re the one who is an idiot serving a master like that. Suho and Yesung, they both aren’t worth an ounce of loyalty from me. When I build my clan up we’ll be better, you’ll see.”

“Yeah, you and him, right?” Lay points at me and laughs another laugh, this time it’s shorter. “Fine, but leave Tao out of this.”

“Why should he? After all I don’t know if you’re even telling the truth about the homers in the first place. It could have been sent from anyone. Luhan, Tao… you,” replies Kai.

“It’s not Luhan and it’s definitely not Tao,” glares Lay. “How many times do I have to tell you that? But you’re too stupid, the both of you, for me to think that you really purposefully put Tao in harm’s way. Just don’t do it again.”

“And why should we believe you about his innocence?” Kai asked.

They’re talking circles and I force myself to tune them out because my head has begun to throb. I don’t understand anything about these politics or what it all has to do with art. I turn and look at Luhan who is breathing shallowly on the floor. I see the way that his chest is moving up and down and as the sound of Lay and Kai’s talking swims in the background I see Luhan’s face twitching a bit in irritation.

He must be waking up.

I crawl over and crouch in front of his form, touching his shoulder and he winces but doesn’t wake.

“What are you doing?” Lay interrupts me, bending down and batting my hand away. “Let him rest. He needs to heal properly. My healing only does part of the work after all.”

I nod sheepishly.

“You should go… before Tao gets here. You two are working for Yesung so I never want to see you here again. And the both of you better stay away from Tao,” Lay warns.

I stand unsure of what to do but I see Kai is heading towards the door so I follow.

“And Luhan?” I ask, looking behind me at the boy resting on the floor.

“I’ll get the rest of the story from Luhan when he wakes up, but my warning still stands. Stay away from Tao.”

Kai and I leave after that without a fight. It feels rather anticlimactic to me and I say so as we make our way to the station. Kai is oddly quiet, he looks so deep in thought and I can tell our trip to Tao’s place and the meeting with Lay made an impression upon him.

I try to organize the information I have gleaned in my head.

Kai is a muse and so am I. The muses feed off of passion in art just like vampires feed off of blood but it isn’t so simple as that. There is an entire muse society which I haven’t yet been inducted into. Here in Seoul I know now of the existence of two. Yesung runs one and works on our side of the river while the other is run by Suho, who I initially thought was just a hunter. In the end though, he’s a muse as well and he has an entire crew under him as well, including Lay and Kai’s brother, Taemin.

Kai says that Yesung doesn’t hesitate to use other muses as pawns or bargaining chips and it makes me wonder really just how many muses there are on our side. Does Yesung consider me his too?

But where do Luhan and Tao fit into all of this? Lay says that Tao knows nothing and then asked me if we bonded. Do muses not sense when a bond has been made?

And as for Luhan, Lay seemed insistent that he wasn’t the one who sent that homer but at the same time he never claimed Luhan to be ignorant of anything. Unlike with Tao, I am convinced Luhan knows about the muses and that I am one. He knows everything and it’s likely because of Lay.

“Lay and Luhan are a team,” I say out loud as we board the train and sit down.

“You think so too, huh?” Kai looks at me now, and I’m a little surprised he answered me. I didn’t think he’d be listening.

I ask, “Are they bonded?”

Kai shakes his head, “No. Definitely not. But they would if they could. That soul gem… Lay definitely gave it to him. They’re together somehow, but no, not bonded. Suho doesn’t allow that.”

“Bonding?”

Kai nods in the affirmative, “Yes. Suho keeps perfect control of his muses. They can’t bond with humans and Suho keeps multiple partners for himself as well as the partners of the muses who work for him. Usually there are one muse to multiple humans, like for example Lay in that house with the three guys from our school, Luhan, Kris, and Tao.”

“B,but,” I protest weakly. “He said Tao isn’t related to any of this.”

“Do you really believe that? Really?” Kai asks. “Sehun open your eyes. Tao is one of them. He’s Suho’s. It’s why Lay asked if you’ve bonded and it’s why we have to stay away from them.”

“Then why are they attending our school?” I ask.

“Those three? It must be their mission. Maybe it’s like spies. I really don’t know.”

“Maybe it’s related to your brother,” I say and I notice the way Kai bristles and so I change the subject. “Either way this isn’t just something to take lightly. If they’re prying and then they attacked… isn’t that an offensive. We have to tell Yesung.”

Kai looks angry, and I can tell he’s holding back as his fists clench and he curses under his breathe.

“I… I just want to get my brother back, damn it,” Kai looks like he’s about to snap from the strain and I don’t know what to do. “Why is this so hard to do? Why am I so ing powerless? I have to hurry up and get stronger!”

I can tell that he’s thinking out loud and this isn’t directed towards me but my heart really hurts for him. I never had a brother before. I cannot understand the despair he must feel as I’ve never experienced anything like it, especially not in regards to another person. However, I really do want to empathize.

“C,can’t Yesung do something?” I try.

“Yesung can’t do !” Kai snaps, looking at me with eyes flaring. “Not when he’s the one who ing sold him to Suho in the first place.”

I gasp.

“Sold?”

He doesn’t answer and the train is nearing the next stop. The announcer makes the announcement over the system and Kai glances up at the overhead display, his eyes swiftly reading the characters as they flash on the screen.

“Don’t go back to school today. Go home… better yet,” Kai reaches into his pocket pulling out a pen and grabs my hand. “Call this number. His name is Chen, tell him Kai sent you and to pick you up at Gwanghwamun station.”

“Wait, but where are you going?” I protest as he writes quickly on the palm of my hand.

He doesn’t answer my question and when the train stops he gets up. I move to stand too but he gives me a look that has me shrink down into my seat.

“I’m going to double check some things, but you’ll be safe there. Don’t go back home and don’t go back to the school.”

He walks off the train as the doors open and I follow, stopping just in front of the place to get off. He turns and looks at me and smiles softly.

“You should see your face right now. You look so worried about Boss.”

He reaches out and touches my face before leaning in with a small peck to my lips and then as quick as that he lets go, stepping back just as the doors close.

I can’t move as I watch him on the platform when the train pulls away. I feel so many strange emotions swirling within. Even as I disappear into the darkness of the tunnel I remain rooted to the spot.

-to be continued-

AN: THANKS EVERYONE FOR ALL THE REVIEWS AND COMMENTS I LOVE YOU MWAH~. what do you think of Tao? What about what Lay said. What do you think Kai is about to do???

sorry for the delay. was working on my teen top fic for a bit since they came back. ahhh all this EXO news coming around. ah, well i won't comment on it just like i dind't comment on kris when that happened.

ahhh do you guys know who my EXO bias is?

actually my EXO bias KRIS. and then 2nd is TAO. and 3rd is SEHUN!

:)

by the way here is a subway map of seoul. when i went there last summer I remembered how there was a big river in the middle so that' why i split it like this for the fic!