Sometimes it comes to him in flashes. A white noise circulating all around him, and flashes of the tall creature with no eyes coming right at him. 

Sometimes it appears in his dreams, it's mouth hanging open and tentacles coming out from it, ready for it's next meal.

It was unfortunate. 

The day had begun with a bright sun, clouds clearing away. Kyungsoo had woken up lazily, eyes blinking so his sight could be greeted by bronzy skin and thick lips. Kim Jongin. There was absolutely nothing Kyungsoo loved more. 

He sat up, taking with him his notebook and making his way downstairs to help the other children. Minseok and Jongdae greeted him on the way, both wearing a pair of sunglasses that had guitar designs on them. Kyungsoo shook his head, amused.

"Ah, Kyungsoo." A clear voice cut through, and he turned to find Junmyeon, navy hair curled into a quiff atop his head. "Mind helping me for breakfast?"

Chanyeol was at the stove when he reached the kitchen along with Junmyeon, his hands on the kettle to heat it. The male grinned, asking if Kyungsoo had a good sleep.

"Of course he did," Baekhyun quipped, coming in from the back door with his laundry basket. "I could hear you from my room, you know. Tell Jongin to quit screaming too much."

"He can't help it," Kyungsoo answered, smirking smugly, much to the chagrin of the other three.

He set about cooking eggs for the people in the house. There were nine of them, all male, all incredibly wolfish in eating, so Kyungsoo had to make more to accommodate. 

His blazer was making things stuffier in a kitchen that's as humid as this. He took it off, left in his shirt when he felt two arms twining around his waist, a chin settling on his shoulder. 

"Jongin," he breathed, glancing at him from his peripheral vision. The male hummed, peering at the eggs that Kyungsoo were cooking. 

"No sausages today?"

"Nope," Kyungsoo replied, shaking his head. Jongin's disappointed pout made him snicker, a hand pinching those lips. "If you keep really quiet, I'll cook them for you."

His lover nodded eagerly, glancing at Chanyeol and Baekhyun chattering over a waistcoat, before stealthily walking to the fridge, grabbing the sausages with as little sound as possible.

Breakfast went as smoothly as it could. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were still debating the best brand for waistcoats, Xiumin and Chen had changed their sunglasses for something more sleek and simple, and Junmyeon and Yixing complimented Kyungsoo's cooking as per usual.

"Where's Sehun?" Jongin asked after a while, and both Yixing and Junmyeon shared a look. Kyungsoo, too, looked at Jongin, unease settling in his throat. 

"He's got one of his projects going on upstairs," Junmyeon finally replied, smiling tightly at Jongin. If the male had noticed anything strange, he made no comment. Instead, he piled more food on his plate, standing up once he's done so.

"Jongin? Where are you going?"

"Eat breakfast with Sehun, of course." Jongin grinned one last time, before his airy blue shirt clad self disappeared from the kitchen.

Junmyeon took a bite of his egg. "Well, at least Sehun could never scream at Jongin."

Summer had just hit the country. They were all out- well, almost all of them. Kyungsoo sat beside Yixing, watching him draw some shoes on his sketchbook. They were of different designs, but there was one thing they had in common. They were made of lead, just like the shoes Yixing wore now. 

Sometimes Yixing would let go of the leather buckles securing his feet to the shoes, tying a sash around his waist and the tree as well. He'd float, and dance too, twirls and magnificent leaps in the air. It was enchanting. 

"Did you want new shoes or something?" Kyungsoo questioned. Yixing grinned, pointing to Baekhyun.

"He likes fashion, right?"

Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow, realisation making his features tense for a second, before relaxing. "Ah, you want to impress Baek?"

Yixing nodded bashfully. There's little Yixing is ever shy for, so Kyungsoo found the blush on his cheeks entertaining. He turned to Baekhyun, calling out for the other before Yixing could squeak. 

"Yixing wanted your opinion on some shoe designs he drew." 

Baekhyun smiled kindly before sitting down on the other side of Yixing. "Where is it?"

Kyungsoo walked away, leaving the two to their own world. Minseok and Jongdae were both t the bushes. They always had wild ideas for the shapes they wanted their bushes to be. Most times, it lead to them fighting. Kyungsoo decided to leave them alone.

"Chanyeol," Kyungsoo jogged to the male, sighing happily as he plopped down beside the red-haired male. "What are you doing?"

"Singing," Chanyeol simply said, gloved hands on his guitar. He glanced up at Kyungsoo, "Want to hear?"

"I'd be delighted to."

Early evenings are spent in the living room, lounging on sofas and the carpet. Kyungsoo was on the marble floor, unable to withstand the heat; the carpet only made it hotter. 

Jongin entered then, Sehun trailing behind him as they talked to each other. Upon seeing Kyungsoo on the floor, the tanned male laughed, coming over to poke his cheek. He smiled up at the other, ignoring the glare he could feel boring into him. "Hey."

"Hey," Jongin beamed down, caressing Kyungsoo's cheek. "What have you been up to?"

"Matchmaking." Kyungsoo began, only pointing to Baekhyun and Yixing when Jongin asked. "Avoiding Minseok and Jongdae's fights, listening to Chanyeol's crooning, and well, writing. What about you?"

"Sehun was just showing me what he's created recently." Jongin twiddled with his fingers. "It was kind of disgusting, but he could connect the heart to his creations now- he's gotten way better at it."

"Are his creations still as cynical as ever?" Kyungsoo asked, wrinkling his nose at the memory of a doll of Minseok's he revived and made it stab itself. Kyungsoo shuddered. 

"Well, that's the best part." The younger answered, dimple appearing as his smile broadened.  "He can make his creations as normal as it can be. Well, depending on whether he wants to control his creation or not, of course."

Kyungsoo got up from the floor, blinking. "Wait what?"

"He made a frog alive again, and instead of being that dead soulless-like thing he's always created, it acted like a normal frog!"

Kyungsoo stared across the room, meeting Sehun's cold eyes. "Stay here Jong,"

The other tilted his head but shrugged when he saw Kyungsoo heading to Sehun. No words were said, he simply grabbed the taller male and dragged him to the kitchen. Junmyeon looked up from the snack he was eating when they entered, eyeing them both questioningly.

It wasn't a secret that Sehun and Kyungsoo's relationship were nothing short of hostile. 

"He's developed his peculiarity."

"Oh god, are you serious," Sehun groaned. He pushed Kyungsoo by the shoulder. "Can you mind your own ing business for once?"

"I've always minded my own business." Kyungsoo replied hotly, feeling his anger rising. There was always something about Sehun that irked him. "But when you keep something as important as your peculiarity then you bet I am going to interfere."

Junmyeon pulled Sehun lightly away, sighing as he looked at them both. "What is this about Sehun?"

The taller didn't answer, gnawing his lips. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, opening his mouth to reply but Junmyeon held up a hand before he could say anything. "Not from you Kyungsoo. Sehun?"

Kyungsoo grumbled, glaring at the small smirk Sehun had on his face. "I could revive creatures now."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I can actually make them like normal again." Sehun said, smirk lengthening to a grin. "Of course if they died with physical injuries, I can't really change that, but I made a frog alive again this morning."

Junmyeon's eyes were shining, awe clear in his face. "Show me."

Sehun nodded, dragging Junmyeon by the hand to lead him upstairs. He gave Kyungsoo a glance, "You can follow, if you want to."

Kyungsoo would reject usually, but goddammit, he was actually curious this time. He heaved a breath, trudging behind them as he listened to Sehun's excited chatter, light and happy- a first, considering Sehun was usually such a moody guy. 

He smirked smugly at Kyungsoo when they turned the corner for the stairs, and that was enough to make the shorter's blood boil.

God, he ing hated Oh Sehun.

It was astounding. The knife dissecting the frog, slowly creating a line and opening it, revealing it's red and pink walls. Sehun grinned as he carefully placed the small heart, watching with sick humour when the frog wriggled. He tapped it once, making the animal go slack again, before sewing the skin together again. Kyungsoo gulped, frowning at the stark difference of the navy thread against the animal's skin.

The three males watched the frog's movement closely. It twitched, turning it's body over and directing it's big eyes at Junmyeon. A tongue shot out, pink and sticky, catching a lone fly and gulping it. It then leaped off, going out of Sehun's window.

Both Junmyeon and him did not say a word. Awestruck was the least of their impression. What Sehun had done could change the whole peculiarity game. Junmyeon patted the younger male on the back, pulling him close for a tight hug as he congratulated the younger man.

Kyungsoo stayed off to the side, almost jumping when he saw the frog there, navy thread still being as striking as ever. It faced Kyungsoo, croaking.

"What do you think?" Sehun slid an arm over his shoulder, an eyebrow raised and smug smirk back on his face yet again. "Pretty neat, huh?"

Kyungsoo shrugged his arm off, looking at the frog again. "Yeah. Neat."

The first time Kyungsoo saw the monsters was when he was a child. He had run off to the beach in town when he was younger, unheeding of Junmyeon's strict warnings. 

The monster climbed out of the water when he was building a sandcastle, stabbing a clean hole through the sand and ultimately destroying it. As a younger kid, Kyungsoo didn't know what it was, whimpering at the gnashing teeth and head with no eyes, the sharp and pointed ends on the arms and legs only caused to shake him even more. 

It was close to him, Kyungsoo's feet touching it's pointed tips. The creature growled, tentacle tongues slithering out to catch him but Kyungsoo threw a bucket at it's head, instinct and reflex taking over. 

It disoriented the monster for a moment, but he quickly faced Kyungsoo again, angrier now, growling louder and pulling back it's arm to lash out at him.

Jongin had appeared right beside him them, grabbing him into a hug and teleporting them back home just as the monster swept it's strong arms across.

Junmyeon had scolded him endlessly afterwards, talking about responsibility and the dangers of going anywhere alone. 

"If Jongin hadn't noticed you were gone, you would really be gone by now."

Kyungsoo had approached Jongin that night. He had been a new kid, and had not made any friends. Sehun would usually be talking with Jongin, but that day he had trapped himself in his room, probably making more creations.

With two cups of hot chocolate in hand, he nudged Jongin, giving him one of them. "Junmyeon said you liked yours with extra marshmallows. I hope he wasn't lying."

Jongin beamed, nodding eagerly. "Kim Jongin."

Kyungsoo shook his hand, sipping onto his hot chocolate with wariness, the heat coiling on his tongue before the taste of rich wonder slipped down his throat. Jongin looked up at Kyungsoo after a few sips, question in his eyes. "What did you see just now?"

"Monsters." Kyungsoo replied, gauging Jongin's reaction. His eyes widened, and he gaped at the other. Shock.

"How come I didn't see them?" Jongin asked, but was quickly reminded of Kyungsoo's peculiarity. "Was it scary looking?"

"It was." Kyungsoo nodded, moving his arms to express the size of the monster he saw. "They had no eyes and lots of tongues. They would have caught me if it wasn't for you."

"Thank you." Kyungsoo quietly simpered, taking another sip of his hot chocolate. "I can't believe you noticed I was gone."

"Of course I did," Jongin protested, pink tinging his cheeks. "I've been thinking about how to talk to you for days."

Kyungsoo smiled despite himself. Jongin was adorable with his pouty lips and bashful manner, sipping on his hot chocolate to avoid eye contact. 

It was the first of many, but Kyungsoo really found Jongin pretty then.

Noon again. The sun was high in the sky. Green became the eye-pleaser as they all went out to lounge in the gardens again. Kyungsoo took note of the cut bushes, commending Minseok and Jongdae in his mind for their unique tastes.

Jongin dragged him to the swing attached to the tree, sitting on the wooden plank. Kyungsoo laid down, the shade of the tree and the sound of Jongin's breathing calming him. He was getting really comfortable now, noises blending into one.

When he opened his eyes after a while, the first thing he saw was Jongin's face, looking down at him with a soft smile. Kyungsoo reached a hand out, his thumb on Jongin's bottom lip. 

"You sleepy babe?" Jongin asked, voice almost a whisper. Kyungsoo wondered why he was whispering, but he thought it was probably to reserve the serenity of their moment. 

"Not sleepy, just really relaxed."

Jongin hummed, pecking him on the lips once. He curled beside Kyungsoo, hands atop his waist and mouth right beside Kyungsoo's ears.

"You look beautiful today, Soo."

"You too, Jongin," Kyungsoo replied, smiling at the other male.

"You really think so?"

"Of course I do." Kyungsoo retorted, frowning at the sudden insecurity. He to his side, looking into Jongin's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I just thought-" Jongin began, stopping himself before he could continue. "Never mind."

"No wait, Jongin." 

Jongin stared at Kyungsoo, fingers trailing from his eyebrows to his lips. "I just had weird dreams recently."

"What kind of dreams?"

"I don't really want to talk about it, okay?" Jongin answered, looking away from Kyungsoo's eyes for a moment. "It's just some stupid nightmare."

Some part of Kyungsoo wanted to demand an answer, but he knew he had to take his time. So he nodded instead, kissing Jongin's forehead. "If it worsens, tell me okay?"

The younger nodded, burying his head into Kyungsoo's shoulders, softly singing under his breath. That, along with low chatters from the other guys, and light fiddling of Chanyeol's guitar was enough to make Kyungsoo's eyes close again. 

This time, he really did sleep.

Baekhyun woke the whole house up. It was a sudden jolt for Kyungsoo, his eyes opening up and his whole body tensing as he heard Baekhyun's scream. Jongin was awake beside him too, his eyes droopy. They quickly got on their feet, padding to the Baekhyun's room where Chanyeol was trying to shake the sleeping male awake. 

Junmyeon held Chanyeol still, sitting by Baekhyun and gently running his hands down the other's arms, coaxing him with soft whispers. Baekhyun calmed down, although the others were shocked to see a lone tear falling. He blinked awake, sitting up and staring at them worriedly. 

"Junmyeon," the whisper was cracked, and he sobbed softly, curling his arms around the Ymbryne's waist, staring at Kyungsoo from Junmyeon's shoulder. "They appeared in my dreams again."

"Hollowgasts?" 

Baekhyun nodded, whimpering. "They killed all of you, Junmyeon, even Kyungsoo was dead. What do we do?"

Junmyeon's shoulders were stiff, and he patted the other on the back, running his hands down smoothly. "It was just a dream Baekhyun,"

Except everyone knew it wasn't just a dream, because Baekhyun's dreams always came true.

Soaring from the ground, Yixing twirled, toes gracefully pointed as he walked in air. He had decided to perform for everyone as a way to cheer everyone up by making grand leaps and poising fingers to the air. Chanyeol's guitar playing stopped, and Yixing bowed from above. Baekhyun was the one who pulled him down, grinning at him. "You were so great."

Yixing blushed, looking away with a smile.

"I ship." Jongdae whispered from beside Kyungsoo, and he nodded in agreement. Jongin leaned in to join and Minseok popped a candy in his mouth. "Yixing has been infatuated with Baekhyun since he was small."

"He has?"

"Yeah," Minseok butted in, smiling cheekily. "He's the one who bought Baekhyun that expensive silk bowtie Baekhyun was raving about for months,"

"That was him?" Kyungsoo leaned back, looking at the twins incredulously. "I thought it was an anonymous admirer from town."

Jongdae scoffed, pushing the round sunglasses up on his face. "We rarely ever go to town, it's impossible for Baek to have an admirer for a once every three months thing, don't you think?"

"Besides," Xiumin inputted, leaning on his hand as he looked at Jongin and Kyungsoo both. "We were the ones who accompanied him when he bought the bowtie."

Baekhyun ruffled Yixing's hair, curling his finger to pinch the dancer's cheek. It was easy to see the adoration shining in Baekhyun's eyes, and the shy admiration in Yixing's.

"He's in love." Jongin said, smiling brightly.

Minseok and Jongdae made a face at that, but agreed nonetheless. "Let's hope they don't become as disgusting of a couple as you guys."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jongin argued, face adorably scrunched into a pouty frown. Kyungsoo couldn't help his smile. 

Jongdae and Minseok looked at Kyungsoo, then Jongin, then at each other (it was almost scary how in sync they are), before scoffing. "That's exactly what we meant."

Going to town was always a journey. Due to the fear of being put down, they always ended up taking their horses, except for the Ymbryne. Junmyeon would instead change into his bird form and fly. He was good at covering himself, so no one minded.

All of them had their own horse, and Kyungsoo walked to his, running his fingers down the Appaloosa's- Lucy's- neck, before feeding her a sugar cube. Her dark brown fur had a splash of white painted around it's rear. A truly magnificent horse. 

After saddling the creature, he brought her out, jumping onto her back, before joining the others by the entrance. Jongin kept by his side the whole while, and this was one of the rare chances where they actually get to enjoy sunshine outside of the forest, be amongst civilisations, and act the littlest bit normal.

They split up once they reached the heart of town, paying some chap to keep their horses in his stable. Jongdae, Minseok, Baekhyun and Chanyeol went to the diner while Kyungsoo, Jongin, Yixing and Sehun head for the tailor's. Kyungsoo sidled up by Yixing, asking him teasingly, "You're not following Baekhyun?"

Yixing's reaction was instantaneous, red staining his cheeks, before a laughter that was too high pitched bubbled from his lips. "What are you talking about?"

Kyungsoo glanced at Jongin, his smile quirked with mirth. "Nothing at all."

Satchel filled with goods in hand, Kyungsoo stole Jongin away, shooing Yixing and Sehun to join the others. Yixing gave a grin while Sehun frowned, but neither rejected. Kyungsoo dragged Jongin to the beach, happily pulling him down to sit beside him.

"What are we doing here?"

Kyungsoo smiled at him, taking out some sandwiches he made at home. "I just thought it'd be nice. Did you want to eat with the others?"

"No, that's not it at all." Jongin assured, taking one of the sandwiches and eating it. They didn't talk, each in their own little world. The sea was a nice blue, and the coarse sand had taken a lighter shade of beige, clean of any type of litter. Kyungsoo missed this quiet beauty. Living with eight other people was fun, but there were times when he just needed alone time. 

Jongin was the one who softly kissed him first, lips only on Kyungsoo's for a few seconds. The elder's hands cupped Jongin's chin, reconnecting their lips when Jongin pulled back and deepening it. He smiled when they parted. "I missed that."

"Me too." Jongin replied, kissing him once again, before looking back out into the ocean.

Kyungsoo rested his head on Jongin's shoulder, eyes closing when the wind hit his face softly, caressing. The added sounds of the ocean's rumble, and the seagulls chirping only made it even more relaxing. Kyungsoo almost fell asleep, except Jongin had tensed beneath his head, leaning forward just a tiny bit.

"What's up?"

"Look," Jongin pointed to the the east of the beach, and Kyungsoo could see seagulls flying to head there, "Why are they all there?"

"They're always there, what do you mean?"

Jongin stood up, unheeding of Kyungsoo's calls. The elder got up with a heave, bringing his satchel along and following Jongin. He yawned, stretching his arms when Jongin suddenly stopped in front of him, gasping with his hands covering his mouth.

Kyungsoo suddenly felt all his sleepiness seep away, eyes widening at the dozens of seagulls lying dead, the side of the necks pierced through, a perfect hole left. 

"We have to tell Junmyeon." Jongin said, grabbing Kyungsoo's hand. His determined steps faltered just at the dock, turning to look at Kyungsoo. "You'll have to be alert at all times."

Kyungsoo his lips, smiling wistfully. "I know, let's go warn the others now."

They stay inside after that, never leaving to even go to the gardens. When only Kyungsoo could see where hollowgasts are, the stakes and danger of the creature becomes higher.

The male took the crossbow, slipping a dagger in his boot as well. He had to stay attentive at all times, and usually at these times of danger, he stayed away from everyone. Jongin included. 

He needed his senses at the most vigilant it could ever be. One slight weakness, and they're done for.

It was nighttime. A quick gesture of the clock, and the hum of crickets only made Kyungsoo sleepier. His senses were on alert, but drowsily. Jongin came up beside him, handing him a cup of coffee. "Here, you'll need it."

Kyungsoo nodded, gulping the drink down gratefully, ignoring the burn he could feel on his tongue. He was nervous, and Jongin probably knew it, which is why he was here to accompany him on the high wall surrounding the house. A vine crept up along the terracotta bricks, a lone flower just within reach. Kyungsoo plucked it, placing it on Jongin's hair. "You should go back inside. Junmyeon won't be pleased."

"Junmyeon wouldn't want you to be anxious either," Jongin replied, patting Kyungsoo on the shoulder. "You'll promise to be safe?"

"Yeah, I promise."

Jongin leaned in, pecking him on the lips and the forehead. "I'll see you soon."

"You will," Kyungsoo whispered, watching the other go back down and in the house. His heart faltered a little. "I hope."

He heard the crash first, and he immediately stood up, balancing on the wall and looking around frantically. Perhaps the location of the forest being so near to the house wasn't a good idea after all. From the amount of seagulls dead, Kyungsoo and Junmyeon had presumed there would only be one hollowgast.

So he was more than shocked, when three of the no-eyed monsters came out from the trees, tentacles out from their mouth with scraps of clothing on their backs. Kyungsoo gulped, picking the bow up, shooting at the front one, hitting him on the chest.

He cursed, pulling back for another shot. This time the arrow hit the monster right on the eye area. Kyungsoo jumped down from the wall, meeting them right in the forest instead of the house area. The other two were crashing the trees around them. Seeing Kyungsoo, their tongue tentacles stretched out, slimy flesh darting for Kyungsoo's body. 

He grabbed his dagger just in time, stabbing once at one of the tongues and cutting a bit of the tip. That got the monster howling, and Kyungsoo could focus on the other. 

The monster's tongue was already shooting for Kyungsoo just as he turned, and it wrapped around his waist. He mindlessly stabbed it, eager for escape. Saliva dripped down his pants, but he could barely think about that, not when the other monster had gotten up, decided to ignore Kyungsoo and was heading straight for the house.

He got his bow again this time, praying that his aim wouldn't be far off at a shaky standpoint. He missed the first and second time, and he could already hear the walls crumbling. He cursed, shooting again and actually hitting the monster this time around.

The muscle around him slacked and he got up quickly, running past the fallen hollowgasts and only focusing on one. 

He shot an arrow at the monster's back, and it definitely delayed him, but not enough. It still continued to drag it's feet, and Kyungsoo watched in horror as he saw Baekhyun running out, the others following. Baekhyun was shouting for Kyungsoo and he groaned in anger. 

"Go back inside!" Kyungsoo cried, but it was deafened by the monster punching the side of the house with it's pointy arms. Kyungsoo took the advantage to run towards the others- standing in front of them and shooting as best as he could. The hollowgast ignored the first two, but at the third, he turned. Seeing the humans down there, he growled again. Kyungsoo gulped.

The others were confused, understandably so, since they couldn't see the hollowgast like Kyungsoo could. Kyungsoo looked at Junmyeon, speaking quickly and loudly. "Bring them away from here."

Another arrow shot. The hollowgast walked closer, hunched back being dragged across the gardens. He threw another arrow just as Junmyeon asked. "What about you?"

Kyungsoo groaned, not looking at Junmyeon. "I am not important right now!" Another arrow. "Bring the others away from here." Another one. "Now!"

Junmyeon dragged them away. He could sense the hesitation from the others, but when they couldn't even see the monsters, they were pretty much useless. 

Kyungsoo pulled back again, closing one eye, and aiming, but that too, only hit a tongue that was curling out. He reached back for another arrow but only touched empty air. “.”

There was only a slight second of panic, but he recovered, grabbing the dragger from his belt and throwing it into the air, the metal whistling before it found home. At the monster's chest. He was ed for real now.

He backed away, looking around him for a sharp stick, anything, really. In his distracted state, he didn't see the monster sweeping it's arm out, hitting Kyungsoo right into the wall of the house. He whimpered. Breathing was becoming hard. A figure suddenly appeared beside him then, of tanned skin and concerned warm eyes. 

"What the Jongin, get away from here." 

Jongin reached into his pants, taking out a dagger, hurriedly giving it to Kyungsoo. Before he could teleport away again though, pink muscle wrapped around his torso. 

"No!" Kyungsoo stood up quickly, wincing at the pain around his ribs but too focused on Jongin to care. He ran forward, but a tentacle caught his leg, throwing him to the wall yet again. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs, and he heaved, blinking his eyes rapidly. He could feel liquid dripping down his head. Blood. 

It caused his sight to blur, his eyes unfocused on barely anything. He was losing consciousness. He got up again, dragging his legs closer to the hollowgast. He could already hear Jongin's cry, loud, suffering. He took aim, then he brought his arm back, holding the dagger firmly in his hand, regaining some sense of awareness, before throwing.

Jongin's body dropped to the floor.

The daylight was harsh against his eyes, and he blinked, looking away from the sun. "Hold on, don't move."

Sehun. He was wrapping Kyungsoo's ankle with bandage, looking at him with raised eyebrows. His eyes were red-rimmed, but the disdain was still there, "Are you seeing black spots?"

Kyungsoo shook his head, and Sehun nodded. He reached for a glass of water, handing it to Kyungsoo for him to drink. "Junmyeon's looking for a place to stay temporarily, we might end up staying with another Ymbryne with other Peculiars, so you might want to try finding precious things of yours that could still be salvaged-"

"Jongin," Kyungsoo blurted, gauging Sehun's reaction carefully. "What happened to him?"

Sehun looked away. "Pack your bags."

"Sehun, what happened to Jongin?"

"Junmyeon said to not talk about this." Sehun replied, standing up and walking away before Kyungsoo could ask any more.

His heart beating faster than usual, Kyungsoo stood up, using the wall as a guide to help him walk into the house. The first floor was still clean and neat at least. The second floor was a mess though, debris and broken ceiling everywhere. Kyungsoo found his room to be in an utter mess. He walked to Sehun's instead.

There Jongin was, lying on the bed. Kyungsoo smiled, relief flooding into his heart, but perhaps it was too fast to be relieved. He neared the bed and looked down at Jongin's face. Two black holes stared back at him instead of Jongin's beautiful and warm eyes. Kyungsoo felt a sick feeling in his stomach, and he cried, gripping Jongin's hand tightly. It was a very cold hand.

"Why did you come in here?" Sehun was by the door, worry flicking in his eyes. Kyungsoo hobbled towards him, gripping his shirt desperately. "You can fix him, can't you?"

"He's a human, it's different."

"Can't you try?"

"Why should I?" Sehun asked, and Kyungsoo's eyes widened, his grip loosening. "If I insert a random heart in him like I usually do, he'd be my own puppet, and he would fall in love with me, instead of with you."

"You wouldn't Oh Sehun," Kyungsoo frowned, gritting his teeth. "You won't want that kind of love- his personality won't even be the same, he'd be lifeless."

"And maybe I don't care about that." Sehun said, pushing the elder out and slamming his door right in Kyungsoo's face.

"Sehun!" he cried out, knocking on the door violently. "Sehun! Sehun, listen to me! You can't do that!"

Sehun ignored him though, not like Kyungsoo was expecting anything more.

The whole trip to the house that was just an hour shuttle ride was grim. Sehun was carrying Jongin who had been shoved in a bag. Kyungsoo had tried to grab the huge bag, but Sehun kept the bag to himself.

He had told Junmyeon, but even Junmyeon couldn't say anything. "Sehun had never tried doing that on a human, a puppet may be our best choice."

Kyungsoo would rather Jongin be buried at that rate.

He cried silently in the bus, staring out the window as he tried to stop the tears. Everything reminded him of Jongin, and when he remembers Jongin, he thinks of what he could have done to avoid him being killed. Why had he not aim better? What the hell was he doing that night?

Why must it be Jongin? Why couldn't it have been him?

Thinking of Jongin's parting words of seeing Kyungsoo soon made him hurt all over again. He wished he could see Jongin now, alive, smiling beside him as his hands intertwine with Kyungsoo's own. Telling him it would be alright, and sharing a house with other Peculiars would be really fun.

An empty seat was what he got instead. Another tear fell, and more followed. He didn't try to stop it this time.

Curling like a kitten, Jongdae leaned into his shoulder. Minseok was at his other side, and he sighed, smiling a little to appease them both. It's been two months, and Kyungsoo actually found the Peculiars here to be amazing friends. Soojung, a person who enhance the growth of plants and such, presented him with a flower.

He took it, thanking her before going to the attic. Jongin was there, laid on a bed, hollow eyes staring at the ceiling. They had kept him here, and Sehun really did gave him a heart, but when it was put inside, Jongin became a mere puppet.

Kyungsoo tucked his hair away from his face, lips quirking. "Hey, I miss you."

The lying male didn't give a response, not that Kyungsoo expected him to. "I'm going away for a while. Travelling. This house has got another Peculiar like me, so that's good."

He paused, wringing his hands. "The next time you'll see me will probably be at our original house. Junmyeon did say he was getting it fixed. Hopefully then, Sehun will be over his ego to try and bring you back."

His hands trail to Jongin's, each finger caressed. A tear escaped, but it was the only one. "I really hope you'll come back Jongin. I miss you so ing much." He leaned back, kissing the other's forehead. "I never told you this while you were still alive, but I love you."

I really do.

Kyungsoo walked over the pathway, footsteps light as he stared at the new terracotta bricks. The house had been fixed again, and he couldn't help smiling as he knocked on the door. The first face he saw was Sehun, and although his smile weakened a bit, he still tried to keep it there, hugging the other reluctantly. "Thank you."

Sehun shrugged, "I didn't do it for you."

Junmyeon popped up then, and Kyungsoo hugged him as well, grinning at the others as well when they appeared in the living room. Baekhyun and Yixing walked into the room with their hands joined, and Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow at Yixing, to which the other responded with a blush.
Minseok and Jongdae were in star-shaped sunglasses and they tried to kiss Kyungsoo’s cheek. Chanyeol batted them off for him, instead charging him with questions about the countries he's visited.

"I know you guys are excited to hear about Kyungsoo's trips, but I'm sure he wants to meet someone else first." Junmyeon cut in after a while, and Kyungsoo smiled gratefully at the male, bowing and thanking the others before leaving for his and Jongin's shared room.

He knocked on the door, hearing a 'Come in!' before entering. Opening the door, Kyungsoo kept his eyes down as he walked, only looking up midway. He stopped, his steps stone dead as he stared at the figure on the bed, fiddling with the radio. "Hey? Sehun? Is that you?"

Kyungsoo walked closer, pulling Jongin's hand away from the knobs and switching to the station Jongin likes. Jazz music started to fill the room, and Kyungsoo stared at the other with bandage around his eyes, still unable to believe it.

He had gotten a card from Junmyeon a month back, telling him excitedly that Sehun had revived Jongin. He didn't want to believe it at first, but seeing him now..

"Who are you? Should I be worried?"

"No," Kyungsoo finally said, cupping Jongin's chin. "It's me Jongin, it's Kyungsoo."

Jongin's jaw dropped, and there was a few seconds of none of them doing anything before Jongin pulled him into a hug, grip so tight around Kyungsoo's waist. "I missed you so much, oh my god, I can't believe you're back."

Kyungsoo sighed happily, smiling into Jongin's shoulder. A year of travelling had made him realise that home has a lot of different feelings. Warmth is one, another would be love, and a sense of belonging would be another. 

Jongin was all of that, Kyungsoo thought, tightening his hold around Jongin. "I missed you so much too."

Jongin was home, and so much more.

____________________________________________________________

•comments are always appreciated and loved, but thank you for reading nonetheless<3•