“Of course, but look around you.” Jongin replies quietly, “Do you really think we’d have signal out here in the middle of nowhere?”

“Well I wasn’t counting on it, but I thought it was worth asking.” Kyungsoo mumbles, puffing his cheeks out. “Hey, Jongin?” Jongin hums to let the older boy know he’s listening as he surveys their surroundings. “Are you scared?”

“Nah. I teleport all over the place all the ing time now. Plus, I’ve got someone to keep me company.” He grins down at the shorter boy, whose eyes are wide with surprise and curiosity.

“I’m scared.” He admits. “Someone keeps getting into my mind and I can’t remember anything about my past life. I just remember my name and my birthday.”

“When’s your birthday?” Jongin asks with a warm smile, subtly tugging the boy closer so their hands don’t have much room to continue swinging.

“January twelfth.”

“Hey, that’s two days before mine!” Jongin chuckles, “but you’re a year older than me, so I guess it’s not as cool when you look at it that way.”

Kyungsoo nods, resting his head against Jongin’s bicep.

“But it’s like, there’s this voice in my mind. It phones me and it knows I’m there and it keeps telling me to kill ‘The Auspices’ and I don’t even know what an Auspice is, let alone who. Not to mention that I couldn’t possibly kill anyone. But if I don’t kill them, will the voice kill me? I don’t want to die, but I don’t want to hurt anyone.” His voice slowly becomes a whisper, sobs resting in his throat and his nails digging into Jongin’s skin.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. You know why?” Kyungsoo shakes his head, scratching at his eyes with his spare hand. “Because we’re in this together now, and I know ten other people that will say exactly the same. Okay, I only know eight of them, but I can guarantee the other two will say the same too.” Jongin laughs softly, the back of the boy’s hair again. Kyungsoo seems to lean into his touch when he does, so he figures that works particularly well in calming the boy down.

“Really?”

“Yeah, and even if they don’t – which they will – but even if they don’t, you’ve still got me.”

Kyungsoo smiles ever so gently, the edges of his eyes curling up and his lips forming the smallest of hearts. “Hey, Kyungsoo?”

“Yeah?”

“Smile more often.”

~*~

“I’m scared. They’ve been missing for hours. I need to know Jongin’s okay.” Minseok pleas, tugging on Luhan’s sleeve. “There must be something you can do. You found the map; there must be some way to get around it.”

“I don’t know, Minseok; I’m sorry. I’d ask Chanyeol, but he’s been banished.”

“Look, kid; don’t talk about Baekhyun like that.” Jongdae snaps, climbing up to his knees to make himself a little taller over Luhan’s sitting figure.

“I never said anything about Baekhyun.”

“You little-”

“Jongdae, stop it. Fighting won’t solve anything.” Yixing insists, pulling the boy back onto his lap and resting his head on his shoulder.

“Lap dog.” Luhan hisses softly in Chinese. Of course, Yixing understands every word, growling lowly in the back of his throat.

“Shut the hell up or I’ll give that pretty little face of yours a nice scar to tell your friends about.”

Luhan smirks and fakes being scared, getting the tiniest electric shock ripple through his body. He shoots Jongdae daggers (which is nothing compared to the look Sehun is giving him).

“Don’t be an to Yixing.”

“Tell Yixing not to be an to me.”

“Both of you, stop it!” Comes another voice. Junmyeon is practically sobbing in the corner, Kris’ long, lanky legs beside him, folded over one another and proving to be a nice foot rest for the upset boy. “One of my best friends is missing and so is Minseok’s. If any of you cared enough, you would stop fighting and try and think of some way to help the situation.”

“Sorry, gramps.” Yixing apologises quickly, Jongdae hiding his face in his shirt in shame. So perhaps they had acted a little childishly. Everyone was so on edge and cranky, it was only natural, but it also wasn’t the best excuse.

“They’re not coming back, let’s be honest.” Luhan mutters to himself, snappy and alert to the booming voice that follows.

“The are you trying to start, Luhan? Do you want to start a fight, because I’d be happy to join Yixing in giving your stupid face a nice black eye.” Kris bellows, causing Junmyeon only to cry more and a few people (Jongdae, Yixing and even Zitao) to flinch. Junmyeon clings at his shirt, pulling him back and insisting that he doesn’t touch anyone before his wings come out and wrap protectively around himself and the smaller boy.

“To be honest, you’re all acting really pathetic.” Zitao blurts abruptly in the silence. “Jongin and the new guy will come back. We will find them. There’s no need to start arguments over it. Junmyeon’s right; we should be trying to help. I don’t know about you guys, but I just want all twelve of us to be together so we can figure out what the hell we are and get on with our lives.”

A thick silence falls over the apartment, the kettle clicking to tell everyone its finished boiling and the monotone shouting from outside the front door dimming down to nothing.

Well-

“You’re a ing brat, Park Chanyeol!”

“Oh, really? I’m a brat? Who just kicked someone out of their apartment for trying to help?”

“Well it certainly wasn’t me because you were doing everything but being helpful!”

Sehun sighs, “shouldn’t someone stop them?”

“Baekhyun’s much easier to deal with once he’s got everything out his system.” Yixing insists, “You don’t want to be Chanyeol right now, trust me.”

The group nod along, the shouting continuing, but they try their best to ignore it.

“So what are we actually going to do about our missing people?” Kris asks, his wings retreating. He feels comfortable again as the stares leave his body.

“I don’t know. Like we said earlier, they’re not on the map and Jongin teleports so much that even if we did get a lead, by the time we get there he’s probably already gone.” Luhan shrugs, non-committedly picking at his nails and playing with Sehun’s rings. “All we can do is wait and see if they turn up.”

“Wait?” Junmyeon mumbles. “But Kyungsoo’s probably so scared out there without me or Kris…”

“How do you think Jongin must feel?” Minseok snaps, slamming his fist down onto the floor. A slither of frost decorates Baekhyun’s rug and tickles Junmyeon’s skin. He growls gently. “Jongin’s just nineteen. He’s never been this long without someone.”

“Chanyeol said they were most likely together, right?” Zitao pipes up, closing his eyes to numb the tension and anger in the air. “So if that’s true, then we don’t have to worry about them being alone. They’ll have each other to rely on and with Jongin’s ability to teleport and Kyungsoo’s to create earthquakes, I’m sure they would handle danger just fine if they needed to.”

“Zitao’s right, but I’m still scared. Kyungsoo can’t be alone. Even if he’s got Jongin with him, I just don’t feel like he’s safe.”

“What are you trying to say?” Minseok’s beginning to lose his usually good patience. “Are you trying to say Jongin isn’t trustworthy and that he can’t take care of himself nor Kyungsoo? Are you trying to say that Kyungsoo isn’t safe with Jongin? I’ve gone my whole life with Jongin and I’m just fine!”

“I’m saying that Kyungsoo doesn’t remember a thing about his whole life or his friends or family! He doesn’t know what’s left or right or right or wrong or who he can trust! That’s what I’m saying! I’m saying that out there, unless he’s with me or Kris, he doesn’t have a clue what’s happening and that makes me feel as if he’s unsafe.” Junmyeon screams. He’s stronger at that moment than he’s ever been and Kris thinks he even hears his shirt’s sewing rip as Junmyeon’s fist tightens around the fabric.

“This is all your fault.” Luhan snaps at Yixing, whose forehead wrinkles with confusion. “If you hadn’t snapped at me, no one else would’ve gotten mad.”

“What the hell kind of logic is that?” Yixing laughs.

“Look, keep your snotty little nose away from Yixing or I’ll fry you into a pile of pretty little ash.” Jongdae threatens in one short breath, leaving Luhan only to roll his eyes. “Don’t think I won’t. Baekhyun will forgive me for getting human ashes on his favourite rug, but he won’t forgive you for hurting Yixing.”

“Gimme a break; you act as if you’re all so tight knit and this lovely twelve protectors is a family, but all we are is a bunch of losers with powers we can’t control who can’t stand to be around each other. Quite frankly, I just want to go home. C’mon, Sehun.”

Sehun manages to get out one ‘Sorry’, two apologetic smiles and a bow before Luhan drags him out and slams the door behind him.

All the occupants hear is Luhan shouting back ‘ you!’ to Chanyeol and Baekhyun, who seem to have stopped arguing before the two depart, probably not to be seen until Luhan has ‘come off his high horse and got his cane out of his ’ as Jongdae oh-so-delicately puts it.

~*~

“So I wonder if we’ll ever be a full twelve again; what with two missing and Luhan storming out in true Princess fashion, dragging Sehun along with him, we’re pretty much limited to eight.” Jongdae mumbles, curling into Yixing’s neck. “Not to forget that Baekhyun and Chanyeol still haven’t come back in yet and probably won’t want to be around each other for a while.”

“Jongdae, you’re really not helping.” Minseok sighs, reaching over to pat the boy’s hair. Minseok had given up being mad at anyone, even himself, about half an hour ago when he realised that nothing will bring Jongin home other than Jongin, so bickering wouldn’t change anything. Instead, he sat next to Yixing and Jongdae, resting his body back on his hands and letting out a frustrated sigh every so often that was usually followed by five similar.

“I’m not saying that in a negative way, I just… I know they’ll come back. It’s just that as a group of twelve, it’s going to be hard for everyone to like each other.” Jongdae bites his bottom lip nervously. “I mean, I like you guys and Baek and Chanyeol when they’re not screaming at each other but I don’t think I can stand being in a mile radius of Luhan.”

“I don’t know what got into him.” Zitao confesses, pushing himself up from his lying position on Baekhyun’s sofa. “When I first met him, he was really kind and he did everything he could to help me. He made sure I understood everything and trusted him and Sehun before we decided to look for you guys. He was really lovely to me, but now he’s really… on edge, I guess.”

“He’s not missing a best friend.” Minseok rubs at his forehead, trying to banish the wrinkles slowly forming. “I don’t think he’s a bad guy; he’s probably just stressed. We all are, right? None of us know anything much about these powers and what we are. We’re all scared and frightened because we have these new and wonderful abilities that we can’t control. Luhan has the power of telepathy. That’s got to be a difficult thing to carry on your shoulders.” He takes a deep breath, flicking at the edge of the rug and playing with his sleeves. “Not to mention that as the older, he must feel the need to protect Sehun. I know what it’s like carrying a nineteen year old on your shoulders and whilst Sehun is much more calm and contained than Jongin, it’s natural for us to worry a lot because that’s a kid in our hands. They’re still teenagers, for Christ’s sake. If we screw it up, then they do too and that’s really petrifying.”

Jongdae sighs, shuffling to get more comfortable. Kris leans forward in his position, bringing Junmyeon with him as he wraps his arms around the smaller’s waist.

“Minseok has a point.” He admits, “The guy was a jerk, but he does have a lot on his plate. As do we all and we all got a little mad, some more than others, so we can’t complain about Luhan when we’re all as bad.”

“He didn’t have to call Jongdae a lap dog, though. Especially not while he was sitting in Sehun’s lap, that’s just hypocritical.” Yixing mutters, taking a deep breath. “Someone should call him and get him back here.”

“Does anyone have his number?”

“I do, but I doubt he’ll answer the phone if he knows it’s us.” Zitao shrugs, “Someone phone him on their phone. It’ll come up as an unknown number.”

Kris volunteers to be the one to phone him, speaking fluently in Chinese to the boy, so only two other people in the room can understand what he’s saying. He feels a lot safer being so kind when most of the room can’t understand him. He has to keep up some sort of authoritative appearance or he’s pretty much doomed.

“Luhan, we want to apologise for the way we all treated you.” There’s a pause.

“Yeah, me too…” Luhan begrudgingly admits, “I’m sorry, Kris. Tell everyone else I said sorry.”

“Come back and tell them yourself. They want you back here anyway, and don’t you want to meet the last of the twelve? He’s adorable, you’ll love him.”

“He’s adorable?”

Kris laughs, “Like an owl.”

“I’ll be there.”

~*~

“Where’s Luhan?”

Sehun shrugs his coat off his shoulders and places himself down next to Minseok, who hugs him softly and smiles. Sehun finds himself liking the oldest and the youngest of his friends the most besides Luhan, they had been the two to comfort him and look after him when he felt the most alone.

They were also the only two that had really actually spoken to him since the eleven had been established.

“He’s talking to Baekhyun and Chanyeol outside. Baekhyun’s face has gone all red, so I think he’s going to try and calm them down.”

Minseok snorts, “Should someone go out there and save him?”

Yixing and Jongdae are practically at the front door already, dragging Baekhyun back in by his collar and sitting him down between them on the floor where they just were. A sheepishly grinning Chanyeol follows in with Luhan just behind.

The Chinese boy pouts. “I’m sorry for what I said. It was completely out of order and I shouldn’t have been so snappy.” He apologises, bowing. Yixing thinks it sounds a bit robotic, but he smiles in return anyway, dimples on full show.

“It’s okay, Luhan. Take a seat. We still haven’t heard anything from Jongin.”

“It’s getting dark.” Luhan mutters, “Are they going to be okay in the dark alone?”

Baekhyun waves his hand about.

“If only I were missing, I could just light up the city and we’d be fine!”

“Are you trying to say you want to be missing?” Chanyeol mutters, sparing Baekhyun a side glance just before the smaller manages to glare back threateningly.

“No. I’m saying that my power would be the most helpful in this situation.”

“I disagree. I think Jongin’s is the most useful.” Chanyeol argues, refusing still to meet the boy’s eyes as he talks to him. “I mean, think about it. If he could control when and where he teleports to, he could easily just poof himself back in here.”

“Who could?”

“JONGIN!”

Minseok must have burnt off all of Luhan’s homemade baozis running to his best friend. Jongin quickly let go of the small hand in his to prevent bringing the boy down with him.

“Minnie.” Jongin laughs, spinning the boy around in his hug and almost toppling over when he lands with a wobble. “I was only gone a few hours.”

“A few hours too long.” Minseok mumbles, refusing to let go.

Junmyeon’s crying again.

“Soo…”

“I’m sorry, Junmyeon. I didn’t mean to leave but someone-” Hiccup! “-knocked on the door and then when I-” Hiccup! “-opened my eyes again I was gone and-”

“Shush, Soo. It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” Junmyeon insists, pulling away to look the boy in the eyes. Jongin pulls Minseok over, reaching out to pat down the back of Kyungsoo’s hair.

“It’s not your fault. Just be glad that we’re home now, okay?”

Kyungsoo nods and folds back into Junmyeon’s embrace. Kris is quick to bring them both in, resting his head against whoever was taller (Kyungsoo, but only by a centimetre) and rubbing Junmyeon’s back for comfort.

“Please don’t cry anymore, Junmyeon.” Kyungsoo murmurs, “You’re going to make me cry even more.”

Junmyeon laughs, “I know. I’m sorry. I was just worried about you. I want you to be safe.”

“I was safe. I was with Jongin.”

Junmyeon flashes the younger a warm smile and then mouths an apology to the oldest boy, who simply tugs the younger over and joins the little hug, turning it into possibly the biggest group hug Junmyeon has ever been in the centre of.

Luhan was the last to join, prompted by his taller boyfriend, who tugged lightly on his hair and smiled, assuring him that one hug wouldn’t hurt as he folded him into the gap in front and put his arms over Zitao’s and Baekhyun’s shoulders.

“You’re still banished, Chanyeol.”

“Awh, come on!”

~*~

“Kris?” The night began to loom and Jongin and Minseok had already left for work an hour ago, others slowly filing out behind them, but who remained now, that hour later, was just Kris, Zitao, Junmyeon and Kyungsoo, three of which weren’t sure why they hadn’t returned home yet. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, it’s just… No offence, Junmyeon, and thank you so very much for giving me a job, but coffee boy doesn’t really pay my rent and uh… They’re kicking me out tomorrow. I have tonight to get everything out and then tomorrow morning I have to hand in my key.”

Junmyeon’s eyes widen and his hand reaches out to take Kris’ when he insists that the older can stay with him, but Kris denies, “You can’t possibly sleep on your couch any longer. It’s your house and you deserve to sleep in your own bed.”

“I don’t mind sharing,” Kyungsoo offers, “as long as everyone has somewhere to stay.”

“You could just stay with me. I only have one bed, but I don’t use it much anyway.” Zitao shrugs, standing beside the taller man, his thin lips forming the softest of smiles. “I don’t live too far away and there’s plenty of space. I could even put up the camping bed while things get sorted out if you aren’t comfortable with sharing. I’ve slept on it for weeks on end before now, anyway.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, and it’s totally rent free.”

“Really?”

Zitao nods, “Uh-huh. My parents paid it all off as soon as they could so that they wouldn’t have to wait on me anymore. They’ve got tons of money and I was a troublesome child, so they got rid of me as soon as they could.”

Kris feels a strange urge to hug him in thanks, but instead he bows repeatedly and thanks him in his mother tongue, telling him how wonderful of a person he was to give him such an offer and how he’d be delighted to take it and how he looks forward to living with him.

Zitao just laughs quietly and follows the man out, waving goodbye to his new friends as he leaves.