Heracles (herr-ə-kleez; Ancient Greek: Ἡρακλῆς), was a divine hero in Greek mythology. He was the greatest of the Greek heroes, a paragon of masculinity, and a champion of the Olympian order against chthonic monsters. In Rome and the modern West, he is known as Hercules.

 

 

It’s a week after Tao’s arrival at the house. He has yet to go back to school, he’s thinking that maybe he never will. He’s awkward around the others, especially Lu Han, but he likes Kyungsoo, so Kyungsoo tries to spend as much time as he can with the poor kid. He remembers what it was like to come to the house, be surrounded by so many guys—most of whom were making out with each other on a regular basis, regardless of who was around.

“I still can’t guess any of the mentor’s powers,” Tao says to Kyungsoo. They’re in the kitchen, waiting for Jaejoong and Yunho to get back from grocery shopping so they can make dinner together. “Can’t you give me some hints?”

“Nope,” Kyungsoo says. “Nobody gets help with that sort of thing.”

Tao pouts. “Oh, come on. Not even Jaejoong’s power?”

“Ask him yourself.”

Tao shakes his head. “No, I can’t.”

Kyungsoo laughs. “Come on, you’ll kiss him but you can’t ask him a simple question?”

“Kissing him doesn’t mean I like him,” Tao says. “It just means he’s a good kisser. He hasn’t even taught me that much, all we do is meditate.”

“It always starts out like that. Meditation helps you concentrate, it filters over to your control of your power,” Kyungsoo says. He looks at his empty mug of coffee. “I might make some more coffee. You want some?”

Tao shakes his head and Kyungsoo gets up. He’s halfway to the sink when he suddenly goes rigid. There’s a crash as the mug falls to the floor and breaks. Tao looks up just as Kyungsoo collapses, limbs twitching and eyes unfocused. He screams in shock and Yoochun suddenly runs in. He runs to Kyungsoo’s side and falls to his knees.

“It’s okay, Kyungsoo,” Yoochun says calmly. He pets Kyungsoo’s hair and winces sympathetically when Kyungsoo lets out a pained moan, limbs jerking erratically. “Shh, it’s okay,” Yoochun says again. “I’m right here, I’m not going to leave.”

Tao watches, horrified. ‘Twitching’ isn’t even the right word for what Kyungsoo is doing—it’s like he’s writhing in agony. His fingers are twisted, his arms and legs bent unnaturally, and he looks absolutely terrified.

“Do something!” Tao yells. Yoochun jumps, like he hadn’t realized Tao was standing there. “Why aren’t you helping him?!” Tao asks.

“There’s nothing I can do,” Yoochun says, infuriatingly calm.

“Call a doctor!” Tao yells, he’s started to cry. “Get help, you can’t just leave him there!”

“It’s recoil,” Yoochun says. “There’s no way to stop it, we just have to wait for it to end.”

Tao falls to his knees. Yoochun holds out his arm and Tao crawls closer, trying to control himself. It can’t be good for him to be so upset when Kyungsoo is like this, he should try to stay calm for Kyungsoo’s sake.

Yoochun takes Tao’s hand and places it on Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “It helps if he knows someone is here,” Yoochun says. “It never lasts very long, but it’s frightening. He’ll be alright soon.”

Tao can’t stop crying, and he knows he should because he’s not hurt. But Kyungsoo looks so scared.

Yoochun presses Tao to his side and pats his back comfortingly. “He’ll be okay soon,” he says again. He smiles at Kyungsoo. “Right? You’ll be okay really soon.” He holds Kyungsoo’s hand and speaks softly to him, and in another few seconds Kyungsoo stills. Just as suddenly as the episode had started, it’s over, and he’s limp on the floor, a few stray tears on his cheeks. Yoochun scoops Kyungsoo into his arms and carries him upstairs. Tao trails after, still in shock. When Jaejoong talked to him about recoil, he never imagined it would look like this.

Yoochun takes Kyungsoo to the room he shares with Yunho. He tucks Kyungsoo into bed, then calls Yunho and explains the situation. After he hangs up the phone he asks Tao to stay with Kyungsoo until he gets back, or Yunho gets home.

“I’m going to make him something to help him sleep,” Yoochun explains when Tao asks why he can’t stay. “I also have no idea where Junsu and Changmin are, and I need to tell them about what’s happened.”

He leaves, and Tao wonders how it’s possible for people to disappear in this house so often. He lays down next to Kyungsoo and carefully places his hand where he thinks his shoulder is, over the blanket.

“Are you okay?” Tao asks.

Kyungsoo’s eyes are open, but unfocused. With the quilt pulled up to his chin and only his head visible, he looks so small and young. “Hurts, a little.” Kyungsoo says hoarsely.

Tao feels like he could cry again. “Can I get you something?” He asks.

“Just stay with me,” Kyungsoo says.

Tao does. He crawls under the quilt and holds Kyungsoo carefully, afraid to hurt him. Kyungsoo doesn’t sleep, but he doesn’t talk or move around much. Tao thinks he’s lying about how much pain he’s in.

It doesn’t take long for Yunho to get home, and when he does Tao slips out of Kyungsoo’s bed and lets Yunho take his spot. He staggers out of the room and into Jaejoong’s arms.

“You were there when it happened,” Jaejoong says, taking in Tao’s wide eyes and tear-stained face. He pulls Tao into their room, and soon as the door is closed Tao starts to cry again.

“I feel so selfish,” Tao sobs, “All this time I thought I had it so bad, but Kyungsoo has it so much worse! It was awful Jaejoong, he just fell to the floor and…there was nothing I could do!”

Jaejoong hugs Tao tightly. “I know it’s scary. We all get scared for Kyungsoo when that happens, but you shouldn’t think of yourself as selfish. This isn’t a competition, to see who suffers the most. He wouldn’t want you to think of yourself that way, and he wouldn’t want you to treat him differently after this.”

Tao slowly calms down. “Why does it happen?” he asks.

“Because of his power,” Jaejoong says. “He’s strong, his body can do things that normal bodies can’t. Sometimes his body gets overwhelmed, goes into shock. It can happen at any time, it doesn’t have to be after he lifts something heavy or punches a hole in the wall. That’s one of the reasons why he has to stay here. When we talk about volatile recoil, that’s what we mean. It’s better here, because this is a very powerful house. It’s been enchanted and charmed over and over, for hundreds of years. Kyungsoo used to have recoil episodes like that every day, his parents thought he had epilepsy, or ALS. Now he might have a recoil episode once or twice a month. It’s a huge improvement.”

“But it still that it happens at all,” Tao says.

“Yes,” Jaejoong agrees. “It does. But we can help by staying by his side when it happens, and by treating him like everyone else after. You’re not going to break him if you touch him, he won’t be offended if you ask how he’s doing.” Jaejoong pets Tao’s hair and kisses his cheek. “You’ve been a very good friend to him since you got here. Just keep that up.”

 

 

Kyungsoo perks up a little whenever Yunho is around. It’s awful to say, but sometimes he’s glad for the recoil because it means he gets all of Yunho’s attention for a while. He gets to sleep in Yunho’s bed, guaranteed that he’ll wake up and Yunho will still be there. Sometimes Yunho will read to him, or massage his joints where the ache is the worst. The other mentors pay more attention to him too. Occasionally Junsu will come by and sing for him, sometimes Changmin will give him something special, or Yoochun will come and tell him a funny story about Yunho when he was younger (much to Yunho’s embarrassment), and Jaejoong always makes Kyungsoo some kind of treat. This time, it’s chocolate chip cookies. And if Kyungsoo ever says that he needs to go on a diet, Jaejoong purposely makes more and considers it a personal insult if Kyungsoo doesn’t eat.

When Kyungsoo’s had enough to eat and Jaejoong leaves, he flops against Yunho’s chest and grins when Yunho holds him close.

“How are you feeling?” Yunho asks.

“Better,” Kyungsoo says. “It doesn’t hurt much anymore.”

“But it does still hurt,” Yunho sighs. He rubs Kyungsoo’s back lightly. “Want me to run a bath for you? Warm water might help.”

“Maybe in the morning I’ll do that,” Kyungsoo says. “Right now I just want to stay here. I feel very…limp. I don’t want to move.”

Yunho kisses the top of his head. “You don’t have to. If you need anything, I’ll get it for you.”

Kyungsoo clenches his fists in Yunho’s shirt. “I just want you to stay with me,” he says quietly.

“Of course,” Yunho says. “I will always stay with you.”

‘Except when you don’t,’ Kyungsoo thinks. ‘Except when you’re with Lu Han, or Jaejoong.’

Yunho stays with Kyungsoo all night, but in the morning Kyungsoo feels a lot better and he tells Yunho that he can be by himself today. He knows Yunho is busy, he doesn’t want to take up too much of his time. Kyungsoo’s power is mostly under control, so he doesn’t need to be coddled so much anymore. Which is good, because with everyone else busy training their students, Yunho is basically running the house on his own. Kyungsoo knows he can’t have Yunho all to himself, so he pulls himself together and smiles while his mentor leaves for the day.

Kyungsoo is alone for a few hours, but when he hears the three loud-mouths coming home from school he decides that it’s time he got out of bed. Everyone is in the living room, loudly playing a video game. Jongin is there too, which comes as a surprise. He’s even talking to Tao, wonder of wonders!

Jongdae is the first to spot Kyungsoo and he immediately gets to his feet and charges over, hugging Kyungsoo tightly. “Don’t just hover in the doorway,” he chastises, “Come join us!”

Kyungsoo lets Jongdae lead him to the sofa and he’s squeezed between Chanyeol and Jongin. Chanyeol wraps him up in a bear hug, nearly suffocating him.

“How ya feeling, buddy?” Chanyeol asks when he releases Kyungsoo.

“Better, now that I can breathe,” Kyungsoo says, massaging his chest. Jongin hugs him much more gently, even kisses his cheek. He blushes like mad afterward, but he doesn’t pop off so that’s good.

“Good to see you here,” Kyungsoo tells Jongin. “You’ve been hiding lately.”

Jongin nods. “Tao was really worried about you,” he says. “He was very sweet.” He grins at Tao, something like admiration in his eyes. “He’s like a kitten.”

Tao looks confused. “Kitten?”

Jongin looks down shyly. “You kind of scared me, when you first got here. You looked so tough, I thought you’d be mean. But you’re not, you’re really nice.”

“Jongin’s really shy,” Kyungsoo explains to Tao. “He’s lived here most of his life, almost as long as Joonmyun-hyung. People were really cruel to him when he was a kid, he got called the devil’s child.”

Tao gasps. “No! Why?”

“Because I could teleport,” Jongin says. “And I left black smoke behind me when I did. If I did it around my parents, I’d get hit.”

“That’s why strangers make him nervous,” Chanyeol says, “Especially if they’re bigger than him, or he thinks they look tough. You should have seen him when—”

Baekhyun claps a hand over Chanyeol’s mouth.

Tao looks heartbroken. “You poor thing. I thought I had it bad…I really didn’t compared to everyone else.”

“You kinda did, though,” Jongdae says. “I was like you, I couldn’t really touch people. if I did, they’d get shocked with electricity. I could have killed someone by accident.”

“I wouldn’t have killed anyone,” Tao says quickly, “It’s—”

“And I bet it was creepy,” Chanyeol interrupts, “Walking around when everyone else was frozen. And I bet it was quiet too. I don’t know how you didn’t go insane. I would have been so lonely if it was me.”

Tao looks down. “I was pretty lonely.”

Kyungsoo eyes him curiously. “How old are you, Tao? I can’t believe I never asked.”

“Sixteen,” Tao answers.

“Same as me,” Kyungsoo says. “Jongin’s fifteen. Baekhyun, Jongdae and Chanyeol are all seventeen, and Joonmyun is twenty.”

Kyungsoo looks over at Baekhyun. “You’re awfully quiet,” he remarks. Baekhyun shrugs.

“He’s been like that all day,” Chanyeol complains. “Real buzz-kill.” Jongdae elbows him hard and he yelps and gives Jongdae a wounded look.

“Has anyone heard from Lu Han?” Baekhyun asks.

Everyone looks at Kyungsoo. “I haven’t,” he says.

Baekhyun sighs and gets up. “I’m tired, I’m going to bed.”

They all watch him leave.

“What’s up with him?” Jongin asks.

But soon after that Jongdae hands Jongin Baekhyun’s abandoned joystick and they continue their game.

Kyungsoo also goes upstairs soon after, still worn out from the recoil yesterday. He jumps in shock when a door suddenly flies open and Baekhyun is standing in front of him. He reaches out and grabs Kyungsoo’s arm, hauling him inside.

“What the hell?” Kyungsoo sputters.

“I’m worried about Lu Han.”

Kyungsoo frowns. “Good for you, what do you want me to do about it?”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “Talk to him, duh.”

“I have nothing to say to him,” Kyungsoo says.

Baekhyun growls at him, “Yes you do! Listen to me, at the rate he’s going he’s going to have a break down. He’s wearing himself way too thin, and he’s good at hiding it from Yunho.”

Kyungsoo grudgingly has to admit that Baekhyun is half right. “He is wearing himself thin, but it’s not my job to take care of him, it’s Yunho’s. If Yunho doesn’t think anything is wrong—”

Baekhyun grabs Kyungsoo’s shoulders and pushes him against the door. “This is not about your jealousy, which by the way is totally misplaced, though I understand it. You need to settle things with Lu Han, you share a mentor and that makes you brothers, whether you like it or not.”

Kyungsoo stares at the floor. “What makes you think he’s going to have a break down?”

Baekhyun groans and presses his forehead to Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “I can’t tell you,” he says through gritted teeth. “But you have to trust me, he’s not headed to a good place.” When Baekhyun looks up again, there’s desperation all over his face. “He should really quit school and live with us, but I don’t expect you to make him do that. Just try, please try to make him take it easy, if only for a little while.”

Kyungsoo really doesn’t want to, but he can’t say no. Not when Baekhyun is so uncharacteristically serious about this.

“I’ll talk to him, I promise.”

Kyungsoo really doesn’t have a problem with Lu Han himself. He just wonders why, between himself and Lu Han, everyone seems to love Lu Han more. Yunho certainly does.

But that’s not fair. Kyungsoo knows that, he’s told himself so many times that just because Yunho’s not ing him, it doesn’t mean he’s not loved. and love are not mutually exclusive. Yunho has proved that he loves Kyungsoo.

But in the beginning, Kyungsoo used to think about squeezing himself between Lu Han and Yunho when they were flirting in the kitchen. He would dream about accidentally hugging Lu Han too hard, cracking his ribs. He feels terrible about it, but the thought of Lu Han lying in bed with Yunho, getting pieces of Yunho that Kyungsoo would never get to see, that drove him mad with jealousy. The others used to tell him that he was so lucky to have Yunho as his mentor, he was the best mentor in the world, legendary in their world.

Yunho didn’t have a physical super power. His power was his brain, and his leadership skills. He could think like a super computer, he could memorize things after only seeing them once, he was a strategist and a fighter. He was an advisor to the military, he had a solution to world hunger and he’d figured out a cure for AIDs. The problem was, nobody wanted his solutions, because there was no money in curing AIDs and ending hunger. Capitalism, Yunho often said, was killing people. So he’d withdrawn from that world and focused on training others.

Yunho had been alive for a very long time. Their kind usually lived long, stayed young for centuries. He’d seen a lot of war and death. Kyungsoo could see it in his face, and he wanted to help his mentor. Instead, Lu Han got to do that. He must have, Yunho would have to let his lover in on his secrets.

‘Lover,’ Kyungsoo scoffs.  It’s creepy, that’s what it really is. Lu Han was eighteen when he first slept with Yunho, he was a child compared to how old Yunho was.

Kyungsoo hits his own head. No, Lu Han wasn’t a child. He was like Jongin—abused for much of his life, then taken advantage of. Lu Han often told people about his wealthy family who loved him very much. What a lie. Lu Han’s family didn’t love him, they thought he was a freak. They sold him to South Korea, gave him one of their fancy houses to keep him quiet. Nobody ever questioned why Lu Han’s parents weren’t with him, they just saw the pretty house and left it at that. It’s so selfish for Kyungsoo to be jealous of Lu Han. He deserves to be loved by someone like Yunho, he’s had a hard enough life.

But where does that leave him? Why doesn’t someone love him the way Yunho loves Lu Han?

 

 

Kyungsoo is dozing off on the couch, enjoying a quiet house, when he hears the front door close and he wakes up.

“Hello, is anyone here?”

It’s Lu Han. “I’m here.”

Lu Han runs into the living room. He slides to a halt next to the couch and flops down. “Hey there,” he says, putting an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders. “What’s up?”

Kyungsoo shrugs. “Not much.”

“Oh yeah?” Lu Han questions. “How come you didn’t tell me about your recoil? I had to hear about it from Yoochun!”

Kyungsoo pauses and really looks at Lu Han, trying to find what’s making Baekhyun so worried. “How are you feeling?” he asks.

Lu Han laughs disbelievingly. “Me? Kyungsoo, we’re talking about you! Why didn’t you call me? Or text me? I would have come over to see you if I’d known, I would have brought you something to eat. We’re brothers, remember?”

It hits Kyungsoo then, what’s making Baekhyun worried, and he’s amazed he didn’t see it before. Lu Han is coming apart at the seams. His eyes are dull, he has none of the life Kyungsoo remembers him having a year ago. He looks…old.

“Why would I trust you with my own health when you can’t even take care of yourself?” Kyungsoo blurts. He really didn’t mean to, that was supposed to have been just a thought, but the damage is done.

The smile slips from Lu Han’s face. “W-what?” He asks. He looks stunned, then confused, then distraught. “Kyungsoo, I don’t understand what you…did I do something wrong?”

His reaction is infuriating, but Kyungsoo forces himself to remain calm. “When’s the last time you actually slept for a whole night?”

Lu Han opens and closes his mouth a few times before shaking his head. “Why does it matter? I’m asking about you.”

“But I’m asking about you,” Kyungsoo says firmly. “You—you’re absolutely impossible. People complain about being selfish but honestly, you could use a little selfishness. All you ever do is worry about other people, and you always try to fix other people’s problems before your own, to the point where it makes you sick.”

Lu Han stares at Kyungsoo wide-eyed. “I’m supposed to worry about my friends,” he says weakly. “I’m supposed to help my friends. It makes me happy, to help.”

Kyungsoo tugs at his own hair in frustration. “You’re not happy, Lu Han. My god, how can you sit there and lie to me?!”

This is not going the way he thought it would. Lu Han starts to cry. Now he looks like a child, but a frightened one. “I’m not lying.”

Kyungsoo slides off the couch and kneels in front of Lu Han, taking his hands. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you,” he says. “Please don’t cry. Just…just tell me the truth.”

Lu Han blinks back tears. “It is the truth,” he says. “I’m so happy, I have friends who love me, I’m able to help them in so many ways, everyone loves me!”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “Yunho loves you. What does he ask of you?”

“Nothing,” Lu Han says automatically. “Just that I don’t hide my feelings from him.”

Kyungsoo nods. “The people who constantly call you for favors, or who only see you when they come to your house for a party, they don’t love you. They say they do but they’re just using you.”

He sits up and brushes his thumbs under Lu Han’s eyes. When he takes his hands away, his fingers are coated in BB cream and purplish shadows start to show under Lu Han’s eyes.

“You’re exhausted,” Kyungsoo says. “What are you doing today?”

“Tutoring,” Lu Han says, touching his own face self-consciously.

“No you’re not,” Kyungsoo says. “Call whoever you’re tutoring and say you can’t make it.”

Lu Han’s eyes go wider than Kyungsoo’s ever seen them. “Oh, I can’t do that!” He cries, “No, I never cancel, I have to go, I promised—”

Kyungsoo holds Lu Han by the shoulders. “I’m not letting you leave,” he says. “I will force you to stay if I have to, but I don’t want to.” He rubs Lu Han’s arms soothingly. “Call whoever you need to call, tell them that your brother isn’t well, and you need to stay with him.”

Lu Han gulps, but he takes out his phone and makes the call. He apologizes a million times, until Kyungsoo takes the phone away and hangs up.

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo says as Lu Han cries softly. “I know that was hard, but you did the right thing.”

Lu Han hiccups and wipes his eyes. “What do you…need me to do?” He asks.

Kyungsoo pretends to think about it. “I need you to come upstairs with me, and take a nap.”

Lu Han gives him a puzzled look. “Why?”

Kyungsoo takes Lu Han’s hands and leads him upstairs. “Before we do that, you’re going to wash your face.”

In the bathroom, Kyungsoo helps Lu Han clean the makeup off his face. The washcloth gets stained with foundation, to the point where he needs to use another one. When they’re done, Lu Han looks like a different person. The shadows under his eyes make him look years older, he’s so pale his skin looks grey, even his lips look paler. There’s no light left in him, he looks…awful.

Kyungsoo turns Lu Han to face the mirror, tilts his head up so he actually looks. “Do you look okay, to your own eyes?” Kyungsoo asks.

Lu Han looks away. “That’s what makeup is for.”

“How did Yunho not see this?” Kyungsoo wonders.

Lu Han flinches. “We had a fight,” he whispers. “He wants me to drop out of school.” He sniffles as he starts to cry again. “I don’t want to drop out,” he says, his voice breaking. “I’m going to graduate soon, I already got held back because of the language, I’m so close to graduating, I don’t want to stop now…”

Kyungsoo hands Lu Han a tissue and waits for him to blow his nose. Then he takes Lu Han’s arm and tugs him towards his and Yunho’s room. They lay down together, and Kyungsoo guides Lu Han’s head down until his forehead rests against his chest. He rubs Lu Han’s back soothingly, waiting for his cries to quiet. He falls asleep quickly after that. It’s such a deep sleep that he doesn’t stir when Kyungsoo gets up, nor when he brings Yunho to their room and makes him look at Lu Han, the state he’s in.

Yunho rubs a hand over his face. “Damn. I knew it was bad, but I didn’t think it was this bad.” He Lu Han’s hair, worry etched onto his face. “Oh baby, when did this happen?”

“He said you two fought,” Kyungsoo says. “I didn’t know.”

“It was last week,” Yunho says heavily. “A friend got arrested, he asked me if he could use his savings to post bail for this friend. I said no, and we got into a…a really big fight. I told him to drop out of school, because his mental health was deteriorating. He wouldn’t listen.” He sits on the edge of the bed. “I handled it wrong. I don’t know if I should have been gentler, or forced him, but I got angry and I really shouldn’t have done that.”

Kyungsoo feels so, so guilty. “I had no idea.”

Yunho tugs Kyungsoo into his lap. “It wasn’t something you needed to worry about. I knew it would only upset you.”

Kyungsoo glares at him. “Don’t you trust me? I am Lu Han’s brother.” Though he’s never said it out loud, and never really thought of Lu Han as his brother until this moment.

“I figured if you would find out, you’d do it on your own,” Yunho says. “I was going to tell you soon anyway, I was working on a way to get through to him. But it looks like you did that for me.” He smiles. “I should have told you sooner, though. I’m so sorry I didn’t.” He squeezes Kyungsoo’s hands. “When he wakes up, will you help me talk to him? I’m going to try to tell him that we should go to a therapist, I think he’s depressed.”

Kyungsoo nods. “I think you’re right. And I will help.”

Yunho’s smile is so beautiful. “Thank you so much, Kyungsoo. I don’t think I could do this without you.”

 

 

Baekhyun went running into Changmin’s work room, hoping to god that he was there. He was, bent over a book and a boiling cauldron, and he jumped when Baekhyun burst into the door.

“Don’t you knock?” Changmin asked, then he got a look at Baekhyun’s face. “What happened?”

Baekhyun slammed the door. He could only imagine how frantic he looked, how scared. “Hyung,” he wheezed, clutching a stitch in his side, “It’s Lu Han, something was wrong, they took him away, he was crying and screaming,” Baekhyun coughed weakly and gasped for air, “We have to do something, he was so scared, we can’t let them take him!”

Changmin was next to him in an instant, hands on Baekhyun’s shoulders. “Easy now,” he said, guiding Baekhyun to his old arm chair. “You had a vision, right? Take a minute to catch your breath, then slowly tell me what happened, beginning to end.”

Some people think that Baekhyun’s power isn’t that impressive. So he can shoot beams of light from his hands, so what? But light manipulation can be very dangerous. He knows of people who can use their power to create illusions, mirages, they can make people see whatever they want. They can blind people, or create a light so strong that they can start fires. Baekhyun can’t create illusions, but he can probably blind people if he wants to. Another thing he can do is see the future.

Light is mysterious. It only travels so quickly, which is why there are galaxies that can’t be seen from earth. But Baekhyun can manipulate all light, including light that other people can’t see—light from the future. And since light is technically not ‘created’ from nothing, all light has a story. He can see the past as well as the future. He’s not so great at controlling it yet, so sometimes he gets random visions when he least expects it.

He was spacing out in class, and his eyes found the mirror the girl in front of him was using. As she put the mirror away it caught the light, and he had a vision of Lu Han screaming as he was dragged away. Baekhyun had run all the way back to the house from school, scared out of his mind. He didn’t know if the vision was from the future or the past, but he figured it was from the future.

Sometimes the visions are good, but when they’re bad they can really screw Baekhyun up. What’s worse is that he’s been expressly forbidden from revealing the extent of his power for his own safety and the safety of those around him. Only the mentors know the extent of his power. The story is that Baekhyun lives in the house because he once lost control and nearly blinded someone, and as long as his power is not under control, he’s a danger. The truth is that with his power, he’s in danger, constantly.

Changmin is possibly the best mentor for Baekhyun, because he’s brash and sarcastic and loves poking fun at people, but he’s also a mage. He knows what it’s like to see the future, and he’s the best to help Baekhyun with his control issues. He’s also very comforting, which the other students have a hard time believing. They all think Yunho is the most comforting, but they don’t know what Changmin does for him. After a bad vision, like the one he had about Lu Han, Changmin drops everything he’s doing and focuses all his attention on Baekhyun. That is also why Baekhyun is his only student thus far.

Though Baekhyun can’t tell the others about his power, he can’t stand by and watch the mentors flounder over what to do about Lu Han. He had to take a chance, he had to try to get Kyungsoo in on the plan. He knew that things between Kyungsoo and Lu Han weren’t perfect, he thought that if they could get past that, Lu Han might be willing to listen to the mentors. He went against Changmin’s wishes and told Kyungsoo that he needed to get involved, for Lu Han’s sake.

A few days after Baekhyun’s vision, Lu Han joins everyone for a family dinner. Once everyone has eaten and the food is put away, Yunho says that they have an announcement--Lu Han is going to be moving in with them, and they’re all going to try to help as he starts treatment for depression. Lu Han’s going to keep going to school, but he’s going to drop a lot of his extracurricular activities. Soccer is over, so he’s only going to play for fun, and he’s not going to be going out every night to hang out with his school friends. The other students are going to keep an eye on him and make sure he takes it easy.

As they get ready for bed, Changmin pulls Baekhyun aside and fixes him with a stern look.

“Why do I feel like you had something to do with Kyungsoo’s involvement in Lu Han’s health?” he asks.

“Because I did,” Baekhyun says, hoping he sounds braver than he feels. “He deserved to know, and I thought he could help.”

He’s afraid that Changmin will be angry, but instead Changmin hugs him tightly. “You took a big risk,” he says, “But I’m very proud of you. You really stepped up, and I don’t think we could have done this if you hadn’t gotten Kyungsoo involved.” He pulls back and pats Baekhyun’s cheek. “Part of being responsible about your power is being true to yourself, and I’m glad you were.”

Baekhyun definitely knows then that he couldn’t have asked for a better mentor.

 

 

The house is big, but it’s not that big. When it comes to sleeping arrangements, students usually share with their mentors. It can make a bit of an issue, sometimes people get kicked out of their own rooms. Sometimes three people end up sharing a room, and a bed, and sometimes those three people have more stuff than one closet could handle.

But when Lu Han moves in, bringing one small suitcase of clothes and his school books, meekly saying that he figured he could go home to change his clothes out in the future, Kyungsoo resolves to never complain about having to share with a third person. Lu Han has never had to share with so many people, his power and recoil were never bad enough that he needed constant supervision. He’s so different from the loud, messy, fun-loving Lu Han that Kyungsoo’s familiar with. He’s neat and quiet, and he sleep at the edge of the bed for the first two nights until Kyungsoo pushes him into the middle of the bed. He and Yunho snuggled Lu Han for the entire night, whispering that they’re happy to have him. After that Lu Han opens up a little, slowly adapts to shared living. It’s strange, it’s like meeting him for the first time all over again.

Nothing could have prepared Kyungsoo for Tao’s reaction. He alternates between staring at Lu Han with hearts in his eyes and not being able to look at him without blushing. It goes on for weeks, without any improvement. Jaejoong seems to find it terribly funny, and Lu Han is bemused by it but not put off.

“Could it be because I was his first kiss?” Lu Han asks Kyungsoo one night. “But he wasn’t like that at school.”

Kyungsoo feels like if Tao is going to talk to anyone about it…well, he is closest to Kyungsoo out of everyone in the house. Though he has warmed up to Jaejoong considerably in the last few weeks, Kyungsoo knows Tao considers him his best friend. He’s not surprised when Tao comes to him one afternoon, looking anxious. It’s a school day, Kyungsoo and Tao have the house to themselves. Kyungsoo is in the kitchen, having a cup of tea, when Tao finds him.

“Kyungsoo?”

“Yes?” Kyungsoo asks, putting his tea down.

“Can I ask you something?”

Tao looks so nervous. Kyungsoo pats his hand. “Of course you can.”

But Tao stays silent for a few minutes. Kyungsoo has just taken another sip of his tea when Tao suddenly blurts, “Who’s Kris?”

Kyungsoo chokes and spits his tea back into the cup. Kris. Oh, wow.

“How do you even know that name?” Kyungsoo sputters, wiping his mouth.

Tao’s mouth is twisted into a frown. “Jaejoong left his cell phone on the bed when he showered last night. He got a call, and I answered for him. The guy said his name was Kris, to tell Jaejoong that he called. I told Jaejoong and he…he seemed so happy. Who is he, do you know?”

“I—” Kyungsoo starts. He cuts himself off, wondering what to say. “I do. B-but I can’t tell you. You have to ask Jaejoong, it’s up to him.”

“Why?” Tao asks. He looks worried. “Kyungsoo, Jaejoong isn’t telling me. When I asked he just muttered ‘Icarus’ and then left. Who is Kris and what does a Greek myth have to do with it? Do I have to be worried?”

“Worried?” Kyungsoo echoes, his mind racing. “No, no, I mean, not…don’t ask me, okay?!” He yelps, standing up, “I wouldn’t tell you even if I could, it’s personal.”

“Did you know him?” Tao asks. “Do you talk to him?”

“Don’t ask questions,” Kyungsoo snaps. “Not to anyone but Jaejoong, if it’s about Kris. End of story.”

 

 

 

The plot thickens!

Kyungsoo's recoil was inspired by his character Han Kangwoo in "It's Okay That's Love".