“Well, if my calculations are correct, we should get to Gwangju in less than an hour.”

Lu Han pretends he doesn’t hear Minseok snort and keeps his attention on the clear road ahead. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to try and travel through unknown roads at this time of the day, night actually, but if the map Minseok has in his lap is correct, Gwangju is not that far away and Lu Han promised Sehun he’ll be at his place around midnight. It might take them a while to figure it around the town, but Lu Han guesses their past experience has them prepared for whatever Sehun’s town has to offer.

Looking back at the last couple of days Lu Han can’t help but wonder if all of this might be some kind of a ridiculous dream, a trick playing with his mind. Maybe if he pinched the inside of his elbow hard enough he would wake inside of Jongdae’s house, on the same worn out couch he spent the past three years, surrounded by empty take-out boxes and soda cans, DBSK’s 2007 tour playing for the fifth time. But, no matter how much we wished for that to be the reality, Lu Han is still traveling along the catboy he picked up from the streets and trying to find a new home, so he doesn’t end up on the same streets he saved Minseok from. So far there’s been a thin line between Lu Han being incredibly, stupidly, lucky and miserably unfortunate. And when their journey comes to an end, Lu Han’s not sure if the line will fade and on which side he’s going to get. 

For now, Lu Han tries not to think about it. There will come a time when he’ll have to and right now, with Minseok propping his bare legs on the dashboard, it makes it hard for Lu Han not think about anything other than the perfect curve of Minseok’s calves and pale knees, the beautiful contrast of his tale compared to his skin, disappearing right under the baggy shirt he borrowed from Lu Han.

“Where are your pants?” Lu Han asks, scandalized.

“I was hot,” Minseok says, completely oblivious to Lu Han’s red face. He slides even lower in his seat, legs bent at knees and perched on a pile of manhwas he brought from Jongin’s home. Uncomfortable as it may seem, Minseok doesn’t seem to mind his new position at all. He goes for a comic beneath him and flips it open to a random page.

“A normal human being would open the window or turn on the ac, but nooo, not you.”

“That’s literally the most absurd thing to say to me considering I’m neither a human being nor normal.”

Minseok flips another page in the book before tossing it carelessly behind his shoulder. The book hits one of the boxes in the back and falls on top of Lu Han’s laptop bag.

“Hey! Watch out!”

Blindly reaching for the manhwa in the back, Lu Han grabs it and tosses back the offended material at the catboy. It misses his head by an inch, making Minseok hiss in return.

“There’s some valuable stuff in the back that I would like to remain in one piece, thank you very much.”

“I don’t think your boyband merchandise is considered valuable, but whatever.”

“Watch your mouth, catboy. We’re talking about the one and only DBSK and I won’t sit here and listen to you bashing the true gods of kpo-“

“Blah, blah, blah,” Minseok rolls his eyes and turns his head to look at the driver, “if I were you I would spend my time finishing that poor novel instead of to a boyband that disbanded years ago.”

Lu Han’s jaw drops and his foot wavers a bit on the gas pedal, slowing down the car for a second. The car rumbles and Lu Han curses under his breath as he shifts to a different gear. He feels like his face is on fire. The blush reaches to his ears, but Minseok pretends he can’t see it as he fumbles with the same manhwa he threw away a moment ago. Lu Han desperately fights the urge to catapult the catboy through the sunroof.

“First of all,” Lu Han begins through his teeth, “DBSK hasn’t disbanded officially yet, even though I heartily believe in the OT5, and everyone knows that.” Minseok gives an unimpressed arch of an eyebrow at that. Lu Han’s grip on the steering wheel tightens as he eyes Minseok sideways. “Second, my novel is my business and you shouldn’t give a about it.”

Minseok looks slightly taken aback at first, but chooses to stay quiet. His gaze switches from Lu Han to the black and white pages in his lap. Silence fills the car, disrupted only by the heavy sounds of Lu Han’s breathing and the air conditioner he switched on. Lu Han keeps his eyes fixed on the road, only occasionally checking if the laptop in the back is still unharmed.

The last gas station they passed on their journey to Gwangju was probably half an hour ago and since then Lu Han hasn’t seen a single person walk by the road – he’s not sure why is that much of a surprise considering it’s half past ten in the evening – or a motel. He drove by a tiny village ten minutes ago, filled with house built in an equally monotone way and lands of wheat. Only, since then, there’ve only been infinite fields of corn, passing the height of Lu Han’s Ford and maybe Lu Han himself. He’s honestly not surprised by the size of fields considering they’re driving through villages where people mostly do agriculture for living, but the scenery disturbingly reminds Lu Han of many cliché horror movies he watched.

Minseok is the first one to break the silence in the car.

“I love it how you didn’t deny the fact that you’re to them.”

“That’s it! I am so done,” Lu Han yells in desperation, throwing his hands up and letting the steering wheel turn on its own. Minseok snaps at him for not paying attention and throws himself across his seat and right in Lu Han’s lap. He grabs the steering wheel and turns the helm sideways, making the car rotate for 180 degrees, right in the opposite track. Something snaps and with the catboy’s face in his groin like that, Lu Han’s knee jerks upwards, feet falling off the pedals. In sheer panic, Lu Han pulls on the handbrake, making the car halt. Something that awfully reminds Lu Han of that one time he burned Jongdae’s oven – by accident, of course – hits him and when he looks up, he doesn’t remember the fog being so thick. Hell, he doesn’t even remember fog at all.

Minseok must have sensed the same. He raises his head from where it was planted deeply in Lu Han’s groin. Lu Han groans in pain, only to yelp in surprise when Minseok elbows the horn by accident. The sound echoes loudly on nothing in the dark and Minseok and Lu Han only look at each other at that.

“Lu Han?”

“Yeah?”

“Where are we?”

“I have no idea.”

Silence, then:

 “Lu Han?”

“Yeah?”

“I think your car is on fire.”

Minseok straightens his back and Lu Han does the same. They both turn to look at the gushing smoke coming from underneath the hood of the Italian car.

Lu Han screams, throws Minseok off his lap and jumps outside. Minseok is on his feet as well, landing on the pavement more elegantly than Lu Han who’s busy with throwing open the metal lid. Smoke gushes even more than before now that Lu Han’s opened the top. The smell hits Minseok’s nose, the burning feel flaming his senses. Minseok can feel his eyes watering and he tries to ease the smoke curling around him with his hands.

“Lu Han, what happened?”

Lu Han responds with a mumble of curses and his temple colliding with the hood above his head. More curses, this time louder, leave Lu Han’s lips as he steps back carefully and drops to his knees. His forehead meets the cold pavement with a thump.

“Let me guess – you have no idea how to fix it?”

Lu Han shakes his head.

“So to summarize everything; we’re stuck in the middle of nowhere, you have no idea how to fix the damn engine, the last gas station is about thirty kilometers from here and we haven’t seen another car or a human being in the past twenty minutes.” Lu Han lets out a broken sound. Minseok only shakes his head. “Just please tell me you have a spare tire. Two actually.”

Lu Han snaps his head up, confused.

“Why would I need a spare tire?”

Minseok laughs like it’s obvious.

“Both of your front tires are broken.” He pushes the flat tire with his bare feet to prove his point and shrugs. “See.”

This time Lu Han doesn’t hold back, but raises to his feet and throws one punch at the flat tire and then the second, third, fourth, fifth, till Minseok looses count. The catboy slowly backs away to inspect their surroundings. It’s too cloudy for moon to glow over them, but not dark enough for Minseok not to recognize the outlines of corn stalks, rising high above the ground. Infinite rows of the tall plant spread ahead of Minseok and the catboy can even distinguish the small scarecrow with spread arms and one leg. He chuckles at the sight and that’s the only sound in the dark night except for Lu Han’s cries of frustration and dull sounds of the flat tire being punched.

“You know the tire’s not going to fix itself like that,” he says, making Lu Han stop with the punches.

Minseok turns to look at his companion who looks like he’s on the verge of crying. Sighing, he walks to Lu Han’s side, and sits next to him on the cold ground. He nudges the younger man with his shoulder and gives him a small smile, a sharp canine peeking over his lip.

“Cheer up, things could’ve been worse.”

Lu Han looks at him in disbelief. “And what’s worse than this?”

“Well, for starters, you have food and you’re not alone. We’re on the main road, if I’m not wrong, and someone will probably drive by in the next hour.” Lu Han opens his mouth to say something, but Minseok interrupts him with a finger on his pouty lips. “And I was about to call for a pee break, so it’s a good thing we stopped.”

Lu Han’s mouth closes in a tight line. Easily, Minseok jumps on his feet and offers his hand to Lu Han. Hesitantly, Lu Han grabs it and allows Minseok to pull him up. It’s only when Lu Han tries to dust off his pants is when he realizes Minseok’s still not wearing any pants. His ears go red as he stares at the long expanse of Minseok’s bare calf, knees and thighs.

Minseok seems to notice the other’s obvious stare. He smirks. “Don’t worry, I’m wearing short underneath.” He pulls his shirt to reveal really, really, small and short pair of black cotton pants. He gives Lu Han a wink and turns on his heels in the opposite direction. Lu Han is still staring when Minseok starts walking away. He gets to his senses only when the catboy jumps off the asphalt road on the dirt covered ground, right where the corn field starts.

“Where you going?” Lu Han calls.

“To take a piss, of course. You didn’t think I’d do it over there, in the open?”

Lu Han lets out a small oh and nods his head. “Fine, I’ll wait for you here.”

“I don’t think so.”

“What?”

Their eyes meet and Minseok looks equally confused as the other man. He tilts his head, his onyx tail dancing curiously behind him.

“You didn’t’ seriously think I would go in there alone?”

“Wait, you seriously though I’m going to be you piss companion or whatever. There’s no way in hell I’m ever getting in that at this time of night.”

“But, but,” Minseok stutters, his eyes growing impossibly wide. Lu Han suddenly thinks how much they remind him of the dark sky above, glossy like the stars shining in the navy skies.

What the , Lu Han, he thinks as Minseok’s eyes fill with tears and oh no, is that a pout on his lips.

“I don’t care! Take a piss here, I’m going to turn around.”

“I can’t!” Minseok wails, “What if someone walks by and sees me? I need to have some privacy.”

“Are you serious right now!? Who the hell will walk by at this time? Minseok, stop bullting and go hide behind that first tree or whatever it is.”

“Lu Han, I caaaaan’t”

“Minseo-“

“Lu Haaaaaaaan!”

“Fine!”

Lu Han slams the door of his car and Minseok looks thrilled at the sight of Lu Han stomping to his side and going right into the mess of giant stalks and sharp leafs. He laughs when he hears Lu Han hiss at an apparent leaf cutting his cheek and ruining his gorgeous face, but doesn’t stop fighting his body through them. Minseok follows right behind him, using his sharp nails to fight off the stalks Lu Han couldn’t.

Only when they’re deep enough so the pair can’t see anything but the sky above and plants surrounding them, is when Lu Han turns around to glare at the catboy.

“Is this private enough for you?” He forces a smile, making Minseok nod happily and push past Lu Han.

Lu Han turns his back on time, but not until he catches a glimpse of the other’s perky bottom, right under the root of his slick, black tail. He wishes he can stop himself for wanting to see the rest of Minseok’s body and he hates himself for those thoughts, for not being able to control them the slightest. The worst part is him wanting to touch Minseok’s pale skin, to run his fingers over the soft hairs on Minseok’s ears and tail. He doesn’t know where these tainted ideas are coming from and all the wants is to turn and take a glimpse one more time, but the moment is ruined when Minseok lets out a sigh of relief and a sound of pouring echoes in the dark night.

Lu Han adds this on the list of the most awkward moments of his life.

Minseok hums something to himself, while Lu Han plays with the sleeves of his denim jacket – after much persuading from Minseok, he finally changed – and tries not to think how this is the perfect moment for a straight out of a horror movie scene to play out. He now regrets that one time he spent the entire evening watching a marathon of the latest American horrors, especially that one with a hitchhiker and an innocent passenger who picked him up and is driving him through the country, while the other plans a murder of the poor innocent driver and somehow they end up chasing each other through a wheat field and the main guy ends up killed. The worst part is that no one could find his body, all alone and disintegrated and eaten by worms.

“That sound like an awful movie,” says Minseok as he pulls up his shorts and turns around.

Lu Han flinches, turning around so he could face Minseok as well.

“Why are you so pale?” Minseok comments, reaching Lu Han’s side in a few steps. He raises his left hand, trying to put it against Lu Han’s forehead, but Lu Han steps back in a second, avoiding Minseok’s confused look as he does so.

“We need to head back,” Lu Han says quickly and is already on his way to the main road where they left his car. He doesn’t hear Minseok following him until the catboy starts fighting massive leaves that get in his way.

“I’m not a psychopathic murder that’s going to kill you and leave your body in a corn field, Lu Han.” Minseok giggles, making Lu Han quicken his step. Minseok’s laugh echoes somewhere in the back and Lu Han is already tripping in his step when the main road gets in the view. How did he get from wanting to Minseok senseless to wanting to run away from him for good in less than 3.97 seconds, he has no idea; the only thing that matters right now is that part of concrete where his car lays, his only hope. He almost forgets the state of his car, and he would probably be in the driver’s seat, trying to make the gear shift, if only his car was still there.

“Lu Han?” Minseok calls, but said man doesn’t spare him a glance as he stares at the empty road where his car was parked not less than ten minutes ago. Lu Han doesn’t feel the cold wind that meshes with his hair and raises goosebumps along or the hard concrete under his skin as he falls on his knees.

He doesn’t hear Minseok run to his side; only when the catboy puts his smaller hand on Lu Han’s shoulder and mutters a confused “what?”, Lu Han look up to meet Minseok’s worried eyes.

For the first time, Minseok spares Lu Han the usual -eating grin and an impudent comment. Instead, he chooses to sit next to Lu Han’s miserable form, to put clawed hands in his lap and join the spectacle of observing the empty piece of land from where the silver Ford had magically disappeared. Together, they sit like that, in complete silence with nothing but the occasion rustle of leaves and the sound of Minseok’s nails against the asphalt road. Minseok doesn’t question anything. Lu Han’s grateful for that; he does that enough on his own.

Lu Han’s not sure if what he feels is anger or disappointment, clawing at his insides, making his eyes fill with tears. He’s not going to cry. No. Not in front of Minseok. He won’t allow the catboy to see him in that state, especially after he spent so much time convincing himself he’s better than Minseok in everything, and right now, he’s stuck in the middle of god knows where with nothing but a dead phone in his pocket and a cat hybrid by his side. By now, he’s not sure if he can call Minseok a burden or a companion.

“You know,” Lu Han says first, making Minseok look up from his lap, “I had all of my stuff in there; my obsessions, marks of my childhood, teenage years, life with Jongdae - everything. I packed all of my stuff when I moved from my parents’ house, put them in those carton boxes and went to look for a better life in Seoul. At first I wanted to become a film director, y’know? I was one of best students in my class. Getting a scholarship was the easiest step, moving to Korea maybe even easier. There wasn’t even a language barrier, everything seemed perfect.”

Words won’t stop leaving his lips, Minseok looks curious, so Lu Han braces himself before speaking again. There’s no turning back now, not with Minseok.

“But I guess when you come to a big city as Seoul, enroll in such a famous university, you shouldn’t expect to be the best, because there’s always someone better than you. It’s what hit me in the begging. I wasn’t the best anymore, there were people who were better than me at everything, I couldn’t stand out anymore and only the thought of it was eating me from inside. It devoured me when I failed the first exam, the second, the third and when I had to retake the semester… I just couldn’t do it anymore. I packed the same boxes again, moved out of the dorm and into a crappy placed outside of Seoul. I rented a room that smelled like dead fish thanks to that restaurant right under the place I lived in. Found a job, got fired after a month, found another, got fired again – only this time after four months; found a third job – quit it after two months. That was my life for an entire year and I could’ve done it for god knows how long, just for me not to go back home. I knew I couldn’t stand the disappointment my parents would feel if I came back. Do you know they even paid off my scholarship, just for me to stay here? They didn’t want to see me equally as I didn’t want to see them.”

“And I guess that’s when Jongdae comes,” Minseok says and Lu Han nods. Minseok shifts lightly in his position, moving closer to the other man. Lu Han doesn’t notice.

“I was so miserable. I called him after a year of on and off work, said I didn’t have any money left and needed a place to stay. The truth is I was too lazy to find another job. He was one of my closest friends during my college days, so Jongdae being Jongdae, he let me move in and live at his place for three ing years of doing nothing at all, not even contributing to his monthly rent or bills. No wonder he kicked me out after he’d graduated. That damn pet of his was only an excuse, but I don’t blame him.”

Lu Han’s mouth presses in a tight line. He wants to know Minseok’s reaction, but doesn’t dare facing it even with the catboy now so close Lu Han can feel the shiver of his body. He talked for so long he hasn’t noticed the temperature visibly dropping. The catboy’s slick tail flicks along Lu Han’s bare forearm and Lu Han tries to suppress a shiver that runs down his spine. Minseok’s arm is barely touching his. They’re so close.  

“Are you cold?” he asks instead.

The catboy shrugs his shoulders and pulls his knees toward his chest. “A bit,” he confesses. He wiggles his bare toes, distracting Lu Han.

Lu Han likes to think him draping his denim jacket over Minseok’s shoulders is not a sign of affection or caring. Minseok doesn’t seem to mind the gesture, curling himself deeper in the material.

“Aren’t you going to be cold now?” Minseok asks with a frown, a sharp canine peeking over his plush lip.

It takes a second longer than usual for Lu Han to answer, swallowing lines like “I have you to warm me up” or something equally as cheesy or even worse. He gestures with his hand that it’s fine, he’s not going to be cold, and proceeds to question what the hell is he even doing. Minseok is too close, his tail curled around Lu Han’s wrist. There are countless of wrong thoughts running through his head and every single one of them is about Minseok.  Holding back a groan, Lu Han buries his head in the palm of his hand. Why is he even thinking about Minseok in that way when his car is nowhere to be seen and he has no idea where will they go, not to mention all of his money is stolen as well.

Lu Han wants to go home, but home isn’t anywhere near and all he has is Minseok.

At the realization he lifts his head, shifts his gaze towards the confused hybrid. He offers something like a broken smile, a bare lift of lips and when Minseok catches on it, he places his hand on Lu Han’s forearm, squeezing tight.

“Lu Han, are you okay?”

Lu Han lets out a broken “no”, his voice weak even for such simple words. His breath hitches and the next thing he knows he’s under Minseok’s arm, his face pressed tightly against the latter’s shoulder. He’s not crying, no. Minseok must think the opposite since he tightens his grip around Lu Han. Lu Han’s heart skips and his breath gets stuck in his throat when he adverts his gaze from the sky above them to the sharp jaw of the feline. Minseok seems to notice Lu Han’s persistent gaze. He looks down to meet the human in his arms. Lu Han’s denim jacket is lying on the floor, long forgotten.

Lu Han allows his limp arms to go around Minseok’s neck, raising himself up a bit. This time he’s sitting right in front of the catboy, their faces only inches apart.

Lu Han doesn’t feel the cold anymore now that Minseok is so close to him. A rustle comes from the grass* that surrounds them and Minseok’s sensitive feline ears perk up at the sound, sharp pupils searching for their surroundings. Lu Han takes the other’s distraction as an opportunity to get even closer, to breathe against Minseok’s lips.

Minseok flinches in surprise, but Lu Han only pulls him closer. Minseok’s eyes close and Lu Han takes it as sign to crane his head, his pert nose gently running against Minseok’s cheek.

“Minseok,” Lu Han whispers against his lips.

“Hey! You two! What are you doing?”

Lu Han curses out loud as Minseok backs away from his touch, grabbing Lu Han’s jacket and stepping back. He bares his teeth, hissing loudly as the intruder steps on the main road, away from the tall grass and corn. Lu Han’s still sitting on the floor, slightly leaning back, prepared to flee and grab Minseok on his way if anything decides to attack them. Minseok is still watching for the intruder carefully, his claws exposed. He doesn’t look frightening at all, especially in those shorts and shirt that barely cover his , not to mention the lanky form he posses and slim ankles. Lu Han decides it’s better not to tell him that.

A flash of light passes before Lu Han’s eyes, blinding him for a split second until a boy, not even a centimeter taller than Minseok, physique equally as frail, steps in their vision.

“Who are you and what do you want?”

The boy’s eyes – he looks younger than Lu Han, probably by two or three years – switch from Minseok’s tense form to Lu Han’s crumpled one. He points the flashlight in Minseok’s direction and Lu Han notices for the first time how Minseok’s eyes shine a bright color whenever the boy would point the light at something aside Minseok’s face.

“We-“ Lu Han tries to say, but he’s one hundred percent sure there’s no reasonable explanation for them to be stuck in the middle of nowhere at dead hour. The boy raises an eyebrow as Lu Han stands on shaky feet, palms raised upwards. He doesn’t know why’s he so scared. They’re not outnumbered; the only “weapon” the boy has is an old flashlight in his hands, the old jumpsuit he wears not seeming to hide anything else.

“We were only trying to get to Gwangju, except we took a break and while we were in the fields someone snatched my car.” Lu Han tries to keep it simple as possible, knowing getting into details with this boy won’t do them any good.

The boy narrows his eyes. “What were you doing in the fields?”

Lu Han opens his mouth to answer, but closes them as soon he meets Minseok’s look that clearly says ‘don’t you dare tell him I pissed all over his plants’. Lu Han’s eyebrows furrow and he gives Minseok a pointed look, begging him to take over the conversation.  Minseok shrugs his shoulder. Lu Han frowns.

“Nevermind,” the boys says, making Lu Han and Minseok turn their attention to him again. His blank expression is nowhere to be seen; instead there’s a bright rectangular smile on his face, small teeth hiding behind thin lips and eyes crinkled in half-moons. He steps forward, the flashlight still in his hand. He offers his hand as he steps near Lu Han. “Baekhyun,” he introduces himself.

“I-“ Lu Han stutters, then wipes his palms off his pants. “Lu Han, my name is Lu Han.” He takes a step forward, gripping Baekhyun’s hand for a firm handshake. Baekhyun’s hands are small in his own and surprisingly soft. When Baekhyun loosens the grip he has on Lu Han’s hand, he turns to smile at Minseok, who by now has dropped his posture, but tiny claws are still visible from the tips of his fingers.

“Minseok,” Lu Han gestures to the catboy. Minseok doesn’t say anything. His eyes narrow when Baekhyun chirps another greeting.

“I’ve never met a catboy before, only heard about you on TV.”

“We’re not as rare as you think. There are many of us all around the country.”

Baekhyun laughs behind his palm, completely oblivious to Minseok’s cold tone.

“Sorry for my ignorance, living in this dead part of the country kinda cuts you off from the rest of the world,” he explains.

Minseok doesn’t say anything at that. Lu Han notices how the catboy now has his denim jacket tied around his waist, legs bare under it and feet as well. Lu Han’s only wearing his striped t-shirt and ripped jeans, while they’ve been caught almost kissing in the middle of an empty road. God knows what Baekhyun must be thinking of them right now.

“About the car… a silver Ford if I’m not mistaken?”

Lu Han’s head snaps up at the mention of his car, eyes full of hope when Baekhyun laughs once again. The strange boy gestures with his hand for Lu Han and Minseok to follow him as he disappears between the tall corn stalks.

“What th-“

“W-wait!” Lu Han calls after Baekhyun. He doesn’t hesitate as he runs after the boy, the latter only recognizable in the thick field by the pale glow of his flashlight.

“Lu Han!” Minseok hisses, but runs nonetheless after them. “Lu Han!” Minseok calls once again and Lu Han stops to wait for the catboy. They start walking again as Minseok gets behind him. Lu Han hears him trip in his step and cursing under his breath as another vine curls around his bare ankle.

“For a cat you have some pretty lame reflexes,” Lu Han comments as he searches for Baekhyun behind the mess of stalks and jagged leaves. He stops suddenly in his step, making Minseok smash against his back. Rotating his body to the left as he finds the only source of light in the dark field, he follows.

“For a human you make some pretty lame decisions and wait, no – that’s what you’ve been doing since the very begging of this – this… ing fieldtrip or whatever it is!”

Lu Han turns to glare at Minseok, but doesn’t stop following Baekhyun. “He knows where my car is and I’m not going to risk not finding it.”

“And you trust him?”

“Of course not”

Minseok splutters. “T-then what the- why are we following him then!?”

Lu Han snorts as if the answer is the most obvious thing on the planet. “Because, honestly, do we have any another options? No? Exactly. So be quiet and follow him. Honestly, how dangerous can he actually be? He’s wearing dungarees for ’s sake!”

“Twenty minutes ago you though I’m going to kill you in the middle of a cornfield and leave your body for the crows. Me, a cat shorter that these corn stalks who weighs less than you’ve in your entire life, and now you’re following a boy you’ve just met into nowhere. What if he has a wild gang of chickens waiting to murder us?”

“You have claws, okay? And chickens? What the hell, Minseok; are you losing your mind?”

“He’s a farmer boy, how the hell should I know!”

“Minse-“

“Chickens have claws too!”

“Min-“

“And those beaks… oh boy, imagine what those things could do. Have you ever watched ‘Birds’?”

“Okay that’s enough!”

Lu Han turns around unexpectedly, making Minseok meet the taller’s chest with his face. Luckily, Lu Han grabs him by his forearm before the catboy could collide with the rough ground. The small flicker of Minseok’s irises take him by surprise, but finally, the moon had broke through the clouds, illuminating the small space they’re standing on. Minseok looks down and Lu Han uses his finger to raise the catboy’s chin, making their eyes meet. Minseok’s looking at everything but Lu Han, making Lu Han growl in frustration.

“Spit it out, Minseok”

Minseok bites on his lip. Lu Han still has a hand around his bare forearm. “It’s too dangerous and I – I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Lu Han blinks once. Twice. His grip on Minseok’s arm loosens and he allows his arm to fall back by his side.

“Why should you care?”

Minseok looks up so fast, Lu Han has to take a step back at the stare Minseok gives him – not fierce or mad like he expected, but innocently wide and most importantly - hurt.

“But earlier-” Minseok says and Lu Han cuts in with a chuckle.

“That was nothing, I was just taken aback by the moment. Don’t get ahead of yourself much, catboy.”

He doesn’t wait to see Minseok’s reaction, but turns and runs after the light that’s started to get smaller and smaller in the distance.

He runs and runs and doesn’t stop running until he hits a clear field, no more green stalks or dirt under his feet. He almost collides with Baekhyun standing by himself, the boy still holding the red flashlight in his hand. It’s turned off, but even without it Lu Han can differentiate everything ahead of them, as if there was no darkness in the first place. It takes him a moment to distinguish a huge house standing right in the centre of a clear field, a clay path surrounded by trimmed grass leading right to it. There’s no fence around the house, so Lu Han automatically presumes the whole land surrounding it, including the corn field they left behind, belongs to the person who lives in it. 

The house is huge; three floors, made of dark wood with tall windows hidden in the dark, except for the one on the first floor where a warm light’s coming through. What catches Lu Han attention the most are hundreds of tiny lanterns placed all over the yard, some buried in the bushes raised in the garden and some hanging from the board supporting the roof over the narrow porch in front of the entrance door.

“Pretty,” Lu Han says absentmindedly, making Baekhyun laugh.

“Thanks. Most of this is my work.”

“Ooh,” Lu Han says, surprised. He makes another turn on his heel to scan the surroundings and then stops to face Baekhyun who looks amused by Lu Han’s reaction. “You live here?”

Baekhyun nods, giggling behind his palm. He does that often, Lu Han notes. “Yeah, my brother and I. We inherited this place two years ago when our parents got killed in a traffic accident.”

“Oh… I’m sorry,” Lu Han says apologetically, but Baekhyun doesn’t seem to bother with empathy Lu Han’s trying to share with him.

“Ever since then we’ve been trying to, how should I put it, live up the place a bit. I didn’t allow the accident to affect us in the way it would with some people.”

“I understand,” Lu Han says. “So, about the car. You mentioned you saw it. Do you perhaps know where it is now?”

“Of course! It’s in the barn in the back.”

“Wait, really!?”

Baekhyun hums an affirmative answer, pointing to something next to the house. Lu Han cranes his neck a bit, but notices nothing until he takes a couple steps to the right and sees the tip of a roof, probably the one belonging to the barn Baekhyun was talking about.

“How about we go inside and then we’ll talk about it?”  

“About time!” Minseok pushes past Lu Han and the boy, startling both of them. With rushed steps he walks up the clear track leading to the house, his tail standing straight against his back, hands curled in fists by his side. “Well come on,” he ushers when he notices neither Lu Han nor Baekhyun are following him.

“Feisty, isn’t he?” Baekhyun says as he pulls Lu Han to follow the catboy. Lu Han grumbles, choosing not to say anything. It’s better that way.

Minseok is waiting them against the porch fence, arms crossed against his chest, a frown on his face. “I’m cold,” he explains as Baekhyun and Lu Han reach the entrance as well.

In the haze of trying to ignore Minseok, Lu Han almost collides with a pot of violet flowers hanging above his head, along with a lamp to accompany it. Baekhyun quickly grabs the pot, steadying it. “Lobelia**,” he says. “They acquire a lot of love and care.”

 Lu Han catches Minseok rolling his eyes and almost laughs because that would probably be his reaction as well if only he didn’t have to play nice in front of their host.

Opening the door for both of them, Baekhyun steps aside to let Minseok and Lu Han in. The wood under their feet creaks as they step inside, Baekhyun following closely. A long hallway stretches before them, branching into several rooms, all with closed doors, and ending up with spiral staircase leading to the second and third floor. The walls, including the floor, are made out of hardwood and with nothing except for the clothing rack hanging from it. There are no pictures or posters, nothing.

“Chanyeol, we have guests,” Baekhyun calls. Lu Han can see the stream of light under the first door meshing with a dark shadow then the doorknob rattling until the door opens with a squeak. A tall figure emerges from the room, clad in a navy jumpsuit, stained all over. Lu Han follows the line of the tall man’s body, going all over the black tips of his fingers to the wrinkles on his clothes, then his face where a wide grin is plastered, matching the wild mess of hair falling over his forehead. He’s tall, a lot taller than Lu Han and Minseok, not to mention Baekhyun who barely reached the man’s shoulders. Genes surely didn’t serve Baekhyun it seems.

Chanyeol wipes his palms over his jumpsuit, leaving black trails as he does so. He clasps his hands together in exaggerated joy before shaking Minseok’s and Lu Han’s hands. Lu Han tries not to cringe when he feels a sticky mass gluing his fingers together.

“Welcome! I’m Chanyeol, Baek’s hyung. And you are?”

“Lu Han, and this is Minseok,” Lu Han says while pointing at the catboy who seems too busy with observing the plain hallway. He frowns and Lu Han believes they might think the same.

“H-how did you two got stuck here in the middle of a night? I mean, we don’t have visitors often so I don’t mind, but I guess it mustn’t be a pleasant situation for the two of you.”

“Well, that’s a long story.” Lu Han laughs, scratching his temple.

“I think whatever it is can be told with a cup of tea, don’t you think so? The poor boy over here froze while waiting outside.” Baekhyun gestures towards Minseok who only shrugs. He’s still wearing Lu Han’s jacket around his waist.

Chanyeol steps aside to free the passage to the room as Baekhyun ushers Minseok and Lu Han into something that might be the sitting room. There’s a small table placed in the centre, with beige cushions placed around it. The radio, along with the empty bowls of something that might be rice or even curry, and the brown cabinet stick out the most – probably because they were the only pieces of furniture there. A framed picture stands out as well– a man and a woman holding two toddles in their arms, both boys dressed in similar outfits of striped shirts and summer shorts, one slightly taller than the other. Lu Han thinks they are probably the brothers’ parents.

 A wave of guilt washes over him as he thinks of his parents back home; but not for long though. They’re the same people who paid off his debts, just to not have him home. Guilt is something they should be burdened with.

Along with the clock hanging loosely on the wall, Lu Han once again doesn’t notice any wall decorations. Not to mention the rest of the furniture, that is the lack of it. As much as Lu Han appreciates the aesthetic, something looks awfully wrong.

The thought lingers around his mind for less than a second, because admitting this situation is weird would mean Minseok’s right and Lu Han won’t allow that.

Speaking of the catboy, Minseok is already comfortably seated on the cushions, softly mewling as Baekhyun pets his ears. Lu Han feels his eye twitch.

“He’s cute,” Chanyeol comments as he takes a seat across Minseok. He invites Lu Han to do the same and Lu Han, after having spent minutes awkwardly standing and staring at the playful pair, joins him on the floor. Baekhyun promises them tea, so he stands up and leaves the room, clearing the table from the bowls of half eaten rice. After Baekhyun leaves, Minseok takes his chance to fully settle on the cushions, his back on the floor and small claws in the air drawing imaginary patterns.

“Very cute,” Chanyeol says again, making Lu Han roll his eyes. “So, how did you two find yourselves over here at this time of the night? I’m sure we weren’t your final destination.”

“Uhh,” Lu Han starts, distracted by Minseok’s tail which swings back and forth between his legs. His mouth suddenly feels very dry. Where the hell is Baekhyun with that tea?

 Chanyeol looks at him, puzzled, so Lu Han clears his throat before trying to say something.

“We were on our way to Gwangju. I have a childhood friend who lives there and we were supposed to get to his place before midnight, but unfortunately my car broke down. We, umm, went to search for help, but when we got back my car wasn’t there anymore. Then it was Baekhyun who found us. He… he mentioned you found my car and how you’ve fixed it.” Lu Han looks expectantly at the taller man sitting next to him. “Is that true?”

“It is!” Chanyeol smiles brightly. Lu Han’s face lightens up at that.

“S-so we’re allowed to go back tonight?”

Chanyeol frowns and Lu Han’s face immediately falls. “I’m afraid that isn’t possible at the moment. You see,” something changes in Chanyeol’s eyes and Lu Han pales, “awful damage was done to your car. It looks like someone may have sabotaged you on purpose.”

“R-really? Why would you say that?”

“Your tires look as if they went through a very rough treatment, damaged at several places. It looks like you’ve ran over some nasty trap or something like that.”

This catches Minseok’s attention as well. He sits up and listens to Chanyeol carefully, mouth twisted in a scowl.

“These parts are dangerous, Lu Han-sshi. Lucky for you, you ran into Baekhyun on time. I wouldn’t advise you to travel while the moon is out. It would be better for you and Minseok-sshi to wait till morning.”

Lu Han nods vigorously. “I understand. Is it okay for us to stay the night?” Lu Han looks at Minseok who seems to find the framed picture on the cupboard extremely interesting. Minseok catches Lu Han’s stare from the corner of his eye, his almond-shaped ones narrowing a bit at the idea.

“Of course it is!” Baekhyun suddenly voices from the entrance. A plastic tray with four cups is placed in his hands, hot steam dancing above the dishes as Baekhyun places them on the desk. Lu Han heads immediately for one of the cups, the smell unfamiliar yet alluring. He brings the cup to his lips, nearly burning his tongue in haste to drink it. He can almost hear Minseok think ‘idiot’ as he glares in Lu Han’s direction.

Baekhyun joins them at the table, sitting next to Minseok. “I’ll give you the key for the bedroom upstairs. I’m afraid it’s a bit messy since we don’t have visitors often.” Baekhyun smiles apologetically, Chanyeol doing the same – he seems to be back to his usual self – and Lu Han waves his hand at the boy, telling him it’s okay.

“We could’ve slept outside. You’ve been very helpful, thank you,” Lu Han says. “There’s only one more thing. Can I use your phone? The signal on my phone is a bit off and yeah, I need to call my friend and tell him not to worry.”

Chanyeol and Baekhyun exchange a look before Baekyhun says, “I’m sorry, but we don’t have a phone.”

Minseok coughs at that. He gives Lu Han a pointed look which the latter ignores.

“Oh, I guess it’s okay then. We’ll just go to sleep now. I’m pretty tired. Aren’t you tired as well, Minseok?”

“I guess-“

“Great then! Sleep it is.”

Lu Han laughs nervously. He stands up and walks around the table, picking up Minseok in the process. The catboy protests weakly against the rough treatment, stabbing his nails into the flesh of Lu Han’s bicep. Lu Han holds back the tears of pain as he feels Minseok’s tiny claws rip his flesh through the cotton shirt. He gives the brothers a tight smile while trying to discreetly kick Minseok in the shin. It might be a tough job considering the brothers are cautiously watching their little play, both obviously confused by Lu Han’s change in demeanor.

“Can you show us the room?”

The question is directed at Baekhyun who is quick to stand on his feet and start searching through that only cabinet in the room. He shuffles through the drawer before he pulls out a set of keys, all hanging from a metal ring. He shows Lu Han and Minseok the set, jingling them in the air, happy cause he found them so quickly.

They exchange their goodbyes and sweet dreams with the older brother, right before Baekhyun escorts them out of the room and into the hallway where blank walls greet them yet again. Baekhyun leads them to the spiral staircase, the steps creaking under their feet as they reach the second floor where nothing but dark and emptiness comes into their view. The floor’s identical as the one below them; no light, no decorations on the walls, a dozen identical doors, all closed and locked of course, leading to empty rooms. When they reach the second door on the right, their host pulls out the set of keys and picks the one with a red mark on it. Minseok and Lu Han exchange brief looks as Baekhyun unlocks the door, pushing it aside and stepping into the room.

They don’t expect the room to be fully furnished, since the rest of the house clearly says they don’t appreciate the coziness of stuffed rooms and family memories, so the bunk bed set by the west wall and single painted in white, along with the wool carpet doesn’t surprise them at all. As Baekhyun bothers with the lightswitch by the door, Minseok uses the opportunity to kick his tail against Lu Han’s bum, clearly annoyed by this whole situation. Lu Han is the one who’s more freaked out by it than anything, but one night in this place won’t hurt them, plus they’ll be in his respectable car first thing in the morning and in Gwangju by the afternoon.

“You should stop making plans in advance since they clearly don’t work out,” Minseok growls as if he read his mind. Lu Han turns to glare at him as Baekhyun finally turns the lightswitch on, illuminating the room in soft, pale, yellow. The light now clearly doesn’t show anything besides the bunk bed and the carpet, confirming their suspicions. There’s only a tall window beside the bed, a clear view of the cornfield – of course it’s the cornfield – spread before them. The bed is set, matching sheets hiding the old mattresses.

“This used to be mine and Chanyeol’s old bedroom, but now we use mom and dad’s on the first floor. It’s the third on the right. Fetch us anytime if you need anything,” Baekhyun says.

“Thank you, you’ve done enough,” Lu Han tells him as the boy leaves the room and closes the door after him. Lu Han continues to stare at the closed door – oak, painted dark brown – till a voice reminds him he’s not alone.

“Thank you, you’ve done enough,” Minseok says in a mocking tone, arms crossed against his chest.

 “No, you shut up. Don’t you dare say anything to me,” Lu Han says, pointing his finger at Minseok. It only makes Minseok smirk. His black tail is wrapped loosely around his leg as he takes three short steps, stopping only when he’s right in front of the human.

He presses his tiny claw accusingly against Lu Han’s chest, making Lu Han wince in pain.

“Idiot,” he simply states and goes back to the bunk bed, claiming the top one by throwing Lu Han’s denim jacket on it.

~

It would be a huge understatement to say that Lu Han wasn’t tired – hell, he was exhausted, but sleep wouldn’t come no matter how hard he tried to relax on the mattress, puff his pillow or curl in a position he liked the most to sleep in. It didn’t help the fact that Minseok wouldn’t stop moving around on his top bed, shaking the whole bunk by constantly jumping up and down, throwing his arms around or doing anything in attempt to keep Lu Han wide awake.

“Will you stop!?” Lu Han throws his pillow at the top bunk, successfully halting Minseok’s movements with a quiet thump. He does a small victory dance right before the same pillow collides with his face.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Minseok bites back.

The bed goes still for two minutes until Minseok sits up and starts fixing his pillow, then his blanket, but not till he’s gotten the sheet carefully tucked under all four corners. Not to mention how his shirt must be so bothersome for him to actually spend exactly 47 seconds in an attempt to take it off. The shirt somehow ends up by Lu Han’s feet, along with his jacket and Minseok’s shorts.

Minseok’s underwear soon joins the pile. Lu Han turns mad red.

“Stop that!” His foot collides with the wooden tile above him and Minseok fights back with a jump on the mattress, successfully shaking the entire construction.

“Stop what? Taking my clothes off?” Minseok teases, making Lu Han go redder (if that’s even possible). Lu Han can hear the mocking tone in his voice, so he gives the top bunk another blow for good measure.

“Stop moving around and, yes, that as well.”

“I love sleeping in the , it’s not my problem you’re so conservative.”

“I am not conservative! I just want you to stop moving around, I can’t ing sleep and I’m tired. You’re not the one who’s driving tomorrow.”

“You should try as well.”

“Try what?”

“Sleeping in the .”

“What? No! I’m perfectly fine like this.”

“Oh, well, I just thought since you can’t fall asleep and yeah. You’re too tense.”

“I am not tense or conservative,” Lu Han grits through his teeth.

“Now you’re just being defensive.”

“At his point we’re so going to get in a car accident tomorrow since you wouldn’t let me sleep, and let me tell you – the passenger seat is the most dangerous one in the car.”

“Then I’m going to sit in the back.”

“Minseok!”

“Fine, geez, does it even matter? I mean, we’re probably going to get killed tonight anyways.”

“What the-“ Lu Han sits up abruptly and, forgetting he’s in a child’s bed, his forehead collides with the wood above him. Colorful curses leave his tongue, most of them in Chinese, as he rubs the sore spot with his hand. Yup, that’s a bump and it’s going to stay there for a week at least. He wonders how Sehun will react to his bust face – Sehun, with his model like features wouldn’t have a problem with a bump on his forehead considering he’d probably be drop dead gorgeous with it as well – and regrets agreeing to meet the boy in the first place.

Minseok lets out a whistle at the blow, since it echoed through the entire room. “Be careful,” he comments.

“How can I be careful with you saying stuff like that?”

“Stuff like what?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Stuff about how we’re going to get killed tonight, for example!”

Minseok snorts. “You’re the one who started it. And it’s not like I’m not saying the truth.”

Lu Han scowls and crosses his hands against his chest.

“Come on, Lu Han. Not even you’re that stupid.” Lu Han kicks the top cover once again for that. “Don’t tell me you bought the story. Parents died in a car accident? Yeah right, I bet they killed them so they could sell all of their stuff and raise a farm of deadly chickens just so they could conquer the world.”

“Are you mad?” Lu Han yells, startling the catboy. “Shut up and let me go to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.”

“More like today, I think the sun is about to rise.”

Lu Han groans, stuffing his face in the pillow. It smells like musk and wheat. His face cringes.

“It also means those two are going to get up soon to release the chickens. I wonder what they feed them with.”

“Corn?” Lu Han offers and Minseok nods in understanding.

“Probably… Or our body parts.”

“Minseok!”

“Fine, I’m letting you sleep now.”

The room finally goes silent and Lu Han wails quietly. He settles against the pillow, ignoring the smell, and closes his eyes. He tries not to think about how he has to drive for hours tomorrow now when they’re probably off the track, not to mention he hasn’t eaten anything the entire day and the tea they drank isn’t helping his bladder at all.

“”

“What?” Minseok asks as Lu Han kicks the blanket off in an angry feat, the clothes Minseok piled on his bed meeting the floor as well.

“I have to pee,” Lu Han says. He can hear Minseok laugh as he sits on the edge of the bed and starts searching for his sneakers which he left somewhere underneath the bed – Minseok complained about the smell, they had to be hidden – and Minseok won’t stop laughing and laughing and laughing. When he finally pulls them out there’s something that awfully reminds Lu Han of an eight–legged creature - which he despises from the very pits of his soul – on his hand. He shrieks as the spider leaves his shoe and scrambles between the floorboards. Minseok’s laughter intensifies. Lu Han officially hates his life.

“Has that boy mentioned anything about the bathroom?”

Minseok sits up in his bed and shakes his head. From down here, Lu Han can only see the curve of his collarbones and outshape oh his ribs, everything else not visible in the darkness of the room. He looks at Lu Han, his mouth curled downwards.

“I think you need to go outside.”

“Wonderful!” Lu Han says with a forced smile. He grabs the denim jacket of the floor and throws it over his shoulders. “If I don’t come back after ten minutes, search for help.”

“Yeah right. Beware of the parents’ ghosts. My guess is they’re probably lurking around the barn,” Minseok says as Lu Han leaves through the oak door.

“I’m not listening to you,” is the last thing he says to Minseok before he shuts the door and finds himself standing in the same, empty hallway.

He immediately regrets his decision of leaving the room at this time of the night. He could’ve held it in; it wouldn’t be the first time considering the kilometers he passed, being too lazy to stop at a gas station and search for a bathroom. The floor creaks under his feet as he heads to the left, right where the spiral stairs are. It could’ve been the house itself but something lurks under Lu Han’s skin as he reaches the staircase and grips tightly on the rail. It’s worn out underneath his palm like the rest of the house – all except for the garden, of course. There’s only one window, right at the end of the hallway, and Lu Han dwells on the staircase a second longer to see how the lanterns aren’t awake anymore. His throat goes dry again at the thought of wandering through the dark on unknown land, but the thought of Minseok mocking him and calling him a coward pushes him down the stairs in false confidence.

With careful steps he reaches the first floor only to stop in fear when a gasp of another person reaches him. Lu Han feels his hands shaking, so he grips onto the rail for support, since his legs feel like they’re going to crumple in fear. Sweat gathers on his forehead as the noise seems to get louder and louder; one gasp turns into full breathing, more noise filling the hallway and then someone shushing another person. Lu Han panics when the hall stills. He draws back, but the noise rushes through the hallway once again and Lu Han doesn’t know if he should be relieved or terrified.

Suddenly, Lu Han remembers the front door must be locked at this hour and he mentally curses himself for that. At least now he has a more realistic reason to tell Minseok why he went back, but the moment he steps back on the staircase, the third door on the right, the one Baekhyun sleeps in with Chanyeol, rattles and Lu Han almost falls on his back. One of the brothers must’ve heard him, or the noise outside – which is getting louder by second – and Lu Han waits for someone to walk out, but nothing except for the dark joins him.

Curiosity – or stupidity – gets the best of him. He hates this side of him when he tiptoes through the hall, passing blank wallpapers and sheltered entrances, the rough sound growing louder as he gets to the middle and stops. Remembering the door where the brothers sleep, Lu Han moves closer. What he hears makes his stomach twist, blood hurling into his head. This time he doesn’t try and be quiet as he runs down the hall, pushing the front door and sprinting outside. Summer air fills his lungs as he runs behind the house, the old barn waiting for him.

He collides with the door and grabs the metal lock, only for his fingers to be met with a padlock. All hope of leaving this haunting place disappears when Lu Han rattles the wooden door, even tries to smash it open with his foot, but the padlock stubbornly stays in place.

“Ah for ’s sake!”

 He gives the door another push, but the wooden construction tarries, not even moving by a millimeter. The house behind him is silent as he searches around the barn for another entrance, but nothing except for an apparent window all the way in the back gives him a view of the interior. Not to mention the window is too high, probably four to five meters above the ground, right on the top of the wooden wall. If Lu Han was more brave he would try and climb the willow growing by its side. If he was brave; right now he has no other option than to go back in the house and cry over the decisions he made in the past years of life.

But first, to finish what he came outside for.

Only, the second his jeans and underwear meet the grass, someone calls out his name and Lu Han shrieks.

“Lu Han?”

“Minseok, what do you want!?” Lu Han yells from behind the barn, trying to fasten his jeans before Minseok could witness his half-. Too fast, Minseok peeks behind the barn and yelps at the sight of Lu Han’s bare .

“Whoa, sorry, didn’t know you were still doing the do.”

Only when Lu Han buttons his jeans does he turn around to glare at Minseok. The catboy luckily had some sense of decency to turn around while the other got dressed. Lu Han coughs into his hand loudly, making Minseok look behind his shoulder and beam when he spots Lu Han is fully clothed. Although Lu Han looks visibly displeased by the whole situation, Minseok doesn’t seem to care even with Lu Han’s eyebrows creased and the taps he makes with his foot.

“What?” Minseok asks puzzled.

“Why are you here?”

Minseok seems confused by the question. “You told me to look for you if you don’t come back after ten minutes. It’s been twenty.”

“Really?” Lu Han says, now confused as well. Has it been twenty minutes after he left? The time seemed to have stopped for him while he was in the house.

Now it’s Minseok’s turn to frown. “What were you doing for so long?”

The sudden flashback of what he felt, saw and heard in the house makes Lu Han tense, fist clenching by his side as he tries to form any words in his mind. Minseok now looks worried, tilting his head as he eyes Lu Han’s trembling form. He steps closer, trying to reach for Lu Han.

“Lu Han, are you okay?”

“Minseok,” Lu Han says, his voice barely above a whisper, “I don’t think they’re actually brothers. Or if they are, I-I don’t know if I-“

“Hey, who’s out there?”

Minseok and Lu Han both jump at the voice. Minseok opens his mouth to say something, but Lu Han stops him with a finger over his lips.

“Stay here,” he whispers, “We have to leave this place as soon as possible.”

Minseok pursues his lips against Lu Han’s fingers, but nods nonetheless. He stays behind the hangar as Lu Han walks ahead, his fingers tracing the barn’s walls as he braces himself for the boy who waits him in the front.

Baekyhun stands in front of the barn door, the flashlight Lu Han first found him with in his hand. He points the stream of light towards Lu Han when the latter steps to the front, making him squint at the sudden intrusion. With an apology, Baekhyun repositions the flashlight so it’s facing the wet grass. Teardrops flash under the light. Dew – it’s almost morning.

“You scared me,” Baekhyun smiles and Lu Han suddenly feels very uncomfortable, exposed to Baekhyun in some sort of an unexplained way. “What are you doing out at this hour?”

Lu Han almost blurts out the truth before he bites on the inside of his cheek. Honestly, what’s with him and Minseok pissing over Baekhyun’s property.  

“I couldn’t fall asleep, so I went out to clear my head a bit.”

It’s partially true and Baekhyun seems to buy the story. With a nod of his head, he asks, “And how are you feeling now?”

“Better,” Lu Han replies quickly.

“Good”

Lu Han mutters a quiet ‘yeah’ as a response. Before he could quickly assure his host that everything’s alright and how they can go back to sleep, a sound of glass breaking cuts him off, making Baekhyun startle and look behind Lu Han where the sound came from. As if nothing happened, Lu Han tries to act oblivious when the other points an accusing finger at Lu Han with his free hand, the other still holding the flashlight.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” Lu Han answers as it was the most obvious thing.

This time, Baekhyun doesn’t buy Lu Han’s unpersuasive excuse. He tries to push past Lu Han, but the taller chooses to stand firmly in his spot, that way blocking Baekhyun’s path and trying to gently push him away. Baekhyun easily steps back. Although Lu Han stopped him, he can see the way Baekhyun’s jaw tenses and he knows there’s no way Baekhyun’s giving up on it that easy. Knowing Minseok’s the one who caused this, hopefully with some purpose, Lu Han tries to excuse himself and go back to sleep.

“Minseok and I have to get up early; I should try and get some sleep.”

“You’re not going anywhere.”

“What?” Lu Han looks at him in shock, hoping he didn’t hear the other boy right.

 “I said you’re not going anywhere.”

Baekhyun’s expression is unreadable, although his eyes are gleaming with maliciousness. Suddenly, his face twists, mouth curling in a snarl. Unaware, Lu Han takes a step back till his shoulder meets the wooden door of the barn. Baekhyun turns off the flashlight, throwing it somewhere in the grass beside him. His eyes don’t leave Lu Han’s trapped form for a split second.

“We might as well stop pretending now. You should have never pried, Lu Han-sshi.”

Lu Han opens his mouth to protest, but Baekhyun cuts in.

“We heard you. You’re not exactly subtle.”

“Well, you’re not exactly subtle as well,” Lu Han counterparts, angering Baekhyun.

Silence settles between them. It’s only now when Lu Han notices it isn’t exactly dark anymore; the sky above them painted grey with orange clouds, morning dampness sticking to his feet as Lu Han fidgets nervously in his spot. Baekhyun pushes at the flashlight with his foot, chuckling aimlessly. The battery rolls further, settling behind Baekhyun’s feet.

“You know, if you only were stupid as the ones before, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. “ Lu Han raises his eyebrows at that. The ones before?

“Who are you talking about?”

The other boy ignores his question. “I don’t think we can let you go, you see, I fear you’re stuck with us now.”

When he finally catches up with Baekhyun’s words, Lu Han tries to play the game. Even though his legs feel like they’re going to give up on him, he tries to not let it affect his voice as he brings up his plea.

“I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

“About what?” Baekhyun asks with an innocent expression.

“About you and… your brother.”

Baekhyun lets out the most unattractive snort. His hands are inside the denim pockets of his dungarees, the one Lu Han saw him wear when they first met, and he rocks on his heels as he laughs at Lu Han as if he told a hilarious joke. Right now, Baekhyun looks incredibly young, making Lu Han feel like he’s trying to negotiate with a child and not someone who was forced to grow up by himself.

“He’s not my brother.”

Lu Han blinks, confused. Suddenly, instead of confusion, he feels fear grow inside of him. What did he get himself into this time?

“Who are you two?”

“Oh, I’m Byun Baekhyun and ‘my brother’,” Baekhyun makes air-quotes with his hands at the mention of Chanyeol, “you met is actually my friend from university. We have sociology together. He’s my boyfriend as well, but I guess you figured out that part already.”

“Wha-“

Baekhyun sighs, settling his hands on his hips. He pursues his lips and he very much reminds Lu Han of a child. He can’t be more than 20, right?

“Three months ago, right after the second semester ended, we found an advertisement by some couple asking for people to take care of their house during the summer break since they’ll be traveling abroad for vacation. The conditions were to come and live for three months on the property, take care of the fields and animals, and you’ll get your paycheck for every month you spend. Since we were broke as , this chance was perfect for us. We packed, got the job instantly since apparently no one wanted to do this.”

“I wonder why,” Lu Han mumbles under his breath, remembering how there no were houses in the area of kilometers or any living creatures to begin with. Baekhyun seems to catch that, agreeing nonchalantly.

“I know, right? The thing is, the first month was bearable, we worked as much as we could and kept the house clean. But after that, man, we just wanted to go home. I mean, you can’t keep two college students stuck in the middle of nowhere for the entire summer break and expect them not to get bored. We instantly regretted the decision of coming here in the first place when we remembered all of our university friends who went to the seashore and other cites to party.”

Lu Han nods at that. It did make sense; after all, he remembers his college days. A grin shows on his face at the memory. Instantly, he recalls his current situation and his face falls.

“We couldn’t give up on the job since we wanted the money and that’s when we decided to have some fun.” Lu Han pales at the words. All kind of torturing scenes go through his mind as he remembers Minseok’s words and the barn behind him. Something inside the barn rumbles and Lu Han almost yelps. Apparently, he’s the only one who heard the noise since his back is facing the door and Baekhyun is too engrossed in his own story to notice anything.

“We got tired of the work in the fields and decided we could use some help. Chanyeol was the one to set the trap on the road. For some reason, the barn behind you is filled with spare tires and our house is the only one in the village. So of course people would come up to us. Even during the night it wasn’t a problem to spot our house because of the lanterns in the yard. After that it wasn’t difficult to make people buy our tragic story. Most of them would feel pity; offer to help around the house in exchange to fix their car. Some of them, like you and your pet, weren’t that compassionate but we only had to delay the car fix and they would work until they got their car back.”

Lu Han is stunned by the explanation. There are no evil mastermind chickens to conquer the world, but two simple boys who wanted nothing more than company and money to pay their tuition. Sure, there were some questionable things they did and Lu Han almost feels bad for them. Almost.

“What were you planning to do with us?” he asks instead of voicing sympathy.

“Nothing special, to be honest. Just to take care of the yard and maybe a bit work around the house. We’d let you go after a week or so, but now when you know all of this, we can’t simply let you go and expect you to disclose us. “

“Now what?” Lu Han’s not entirely sure if he wants to know the answer. Once again, he’s too pretty to get killed in a corn field and to be left as food for the crows. Or chicken.

“Now, Chanyeol and I pack and leave you two over here to finish our job. We pick up the money we earned so far and spend the break in Busan.”

As if on cue Chanyeol steps from the house with two suitcases in his hands. He walks to Baekhyun’s side while ignoring Lu Han’s presence. He leans to whisper something to his boyfriend and whatever he says makes the smug smile from Baekhyun’s face disappear and replace with a furious look.

“How do you mean you don’t know where he is!?” Lu Han hears Baekhyun growl. Chanyeol only shrugs his shoulders, making Baekhyun turn heatedly at Lu Han.

“You!” he shouts. Lu Han only points his finger at himself, mouthing ‘me?’ at the two. “Yes you! Where’s the catboy?”

“How should I know that?”

That seems to additionally irritate Baekhyun. Suddenly, realization flashes in Baekhyun’s eyes. He nudges the taller with his elbow, showing him the door behind Lu Han. Lu Han curses inwardly when Baekhyun says, “Unlock the barn, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol obeys instantly. Lu Han wants to protest, but Chanyeol is much taller and muscular, not to mention manlier, than him, so he allows the younger boy to push him aside and start searching for the key that opens the barn gate. It’s the same pack of keys he saw earlier that he’s going through. He puts one of them through the keyhole and when it successfully clicks, Baekhyun smirks.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Lu Han warns from where he’s standing, right where the barn door should end up when they open. Confused, Chanyeol turns to look at Lu Han at that. He hesitates for a bit until Baekhyun shouts.

“Open the door, Chanyeol!” 

A blink of headlights is the first thing that appear from the dark barn, making Chanyeol hiss at the sudden intrusion. He steps aside with his palms covering his eyes. Baekhyun goes speechless when a familiar noise of Lu Han’s Ford cuts through the barn, surprising him as well. He steps back in fear only for his faithful flashlight to cut the path. With a yelp, Baekhyun ends up on his back, the grass not easing his fall at all. Lu Han doesn’t hear him groaning in pain, too preoccupied with Minseok in the driver’s seat, parking the car in front of Lu Han, the engine still running. The window rolls down and Minseok appears with his elbow on the rail, a cheeky smile on his face.

“You up for a ride, sweetheart?”

Lu Han can’t help but smirk as well. “Move aside, catboy.”

For the first time Minseok doesn’t protest, but rolls to the side, allowing Lu Han to climb in the driver’s seat. Only before he actually gets inside, he lifts himself on the car sill, giving Baekhyun an apologetic look with a pout to accompany it. “Maybe some other time, Baekhyun.”

Whatever Baekhyun wants to say Lu Han doesn’t hear as he shuts the door and hits the gas pedal.