There’s a gentle breeze coming from the open window and even though I know I should be asleep right now, I find myself restless and uneasy.

We’re in a safehouse once again, but this time, it’s a real safehouse.

It’s not provided by those mad scientists, it’s not some crazy secret agency that’s putting us all through another test or something like that. It’s an actual house, with bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, garden and everything else we could need.

In order to adapt to a new life. A real life.

One where we have no powers, no strange abilities which could potentially make us some kind of devil or other darkness that could rip apart the whole universe.

We have a home.

The concept is still not entirely settling with me, but Xander said it would take a while to adjust to everything. He was only involved in our program for a matter of weeks and it took him a few days to adjust back to the normality of life that most average joes live. Considering we’ve been practically brought up in this strange virtual world, it’ll take time to adjust. To not consider every possible stranger as a threat or a target in disguise and just all the oddity of living.

Choosing what to watch on the television, eating food that has been cooked by hand, hell even just washing our bodies in water that hasn’t been sterilized is something completely new.

Thankfully our feelings and emotions are not changed, they were the only real things that we had to cling onto. I still love all of these crazy boys like they’re my sons, even the two who are older than me, and I never want them to be hurt or hunted down ever again. Joonmyeon also agrees on that sentiment and we both agree that we still love one another. Though we’re back at the cute ‘puppy dog stage’ as Alex keeps on dubbing it because there is so much to learn about the world and how much of ourselves actually exist outside of what we perceived.

The is still good though.

Joonmyeon would hate me admitting that out loud, we had a hell of a trouble keeping Baekhyun’s mouth shut after he came across us in the throws accidentally but I’m glad that he’s still our little sassy monster. Makes me think that some things will never change.

Glancing around the room, I find that I’ve fallen asleep in the living room though this time the TV has been turned off and someone had been kind enough to throw a blanket over me. Gathering it up, I drape it over my shoulders like a cape and move carefully about in the gloom to shut the window and make sure the blinds are closed as well. Since I’m on my way up to bed, I may as well check on everyone and make sure they’re doing okay.

First port of call is the kitchen, because I’m sure someone will have forgotten to do the dishes, only to find Kyungsoo sleeping on the table top with an open cook book of breakfast treats, a note pad and a pen in his right hand that is causing a big ink blob on the paper. He looks so cute like this, hardly anything like the crazy, dangerous killer that I know but hopefully he’ll never get to that stage now. Very carefully, I mark his page in the book, put it neatly on the side with the pen and notepad before picking the very light weight young man up and take him softly upstairs to the room that he shares with Kai and Chanyeol. Thankfully both of them are in their beds, though I think they must have been playing computer games until quite late because there’s a few still scattered around all over the place.

There’s no point in complaining though, they’ll sort it out in the morning so I’m not going to get fussed. Carefully I place Soo down on the bed next to Chanyeol and take off his shoes with the intention of getting him into something a little more comfortable to sleep in but that’s thwarted because Chanyeol’s big arm is quickly around Kyungsoo and hugging him close so I can’t really do anything. Instead I carefully cover them with a blanket and move across the room to check on Kai, picking up one of his new dog plushi’s from the floor and carefully tucking it back in next to the sleeping figure. I smile at him, still amazed at his youthful age before pressing a light kiss to his forehead, “Night, my little puppy.”

There’s no response and I head next door to check on the next group.

Only to blink when I find that there’s a massive blanket and pillow fort that’s been built up and it takes me a moment to locate the three terrible little rascals who are responsible for it. Luhan is curled up protectively around Tao and Sehun, like a mother deer protecting her two precious little babies and the image is so cute that if I could grab a photo of it then I would.

Oh wait, camera phone!

There we go, that’s one for the memories for certain. Though I’ll leave the trio for now, don’t want to even attempt to wake them up because that would potentially be a very dangerous thing to do.

Making sure to close the door as quietly as I can, I smile and head across to the next door. It’s funny, all the times that we were in separate rooms because those scientists did not want us to cross infect one another but as soon as we went into the simulations we always naturally gravitated towards one another to hug and hold. Maybe it was just an innate understanding that we all had, something that allowed us to just be together in the way we wanted or needed.

Man, I’m really over thinking this.

There again being so free like this is something very new.

Shaking my head, I open the next door and raise my eyebrows in surprise.

Yixing is sitting in the center of his room, in a classic lotus position and he’s got a load of candles and incense around him and some kind of meditation CD playing quietly. I smile, trust our unicorn to be meditating instead of sleeping but for a moment he turns his head and smiles so brightly at me that I’m inclined to go and briefly join him.

I’ve never really been one for this stuff but it’s nice to share in the little things sometimes.

Though as I sit down, Yixing just picks up a small fluffy toy and hands it to me with a knowing smile, “someone needs you more than me right now, Fanfan.”

I take the toy and smile, “I figured. You okay though?”

“I’m fine, just trying to...” he pauses and looks a little bit on the sheepish side.

Grunting a little bit, I reach across and gently pat his head. Yixing suffers horrendously with nightmares but there again, we all do in our own separate ways. We just all have different ways of handling them.

“No problem kiddo, just don’t stay up too late okay?” I say gently, ruffling his hair which causes a cute whine of complaint that just makes me want to squish the little terror to pieces but he pushes me away before I even start.

A playful glare is sent my way, “No!”

“Aww but,” I pout towards him which earns me another push.

“Go and coo over the others,” Yixing huffs, though he’s smiling a little too much and his cute little dimple is showing which has me pinching his cheeks and cooing until he manages to physically push me out of the door and closes it. “You need to stop being so fluffy with everyone.”

“Not my fault you’re all so cute,” I call playfully back through the closed door, which judders when he hits the wood just about where my face is and I get the point.

“Go to bed, Fanfan!” Yixing calls, but I can practically hear him giggling away and I just shake my head before heading to the next door. I’m almost surprised that Yixing chooses to have a room by himself but there again the incense could make anyone sneeze really badly.

Achoo!

Point proven.

Looking down at the toy which Yixing gave me, because I had forgotten about it for a moment or two, I blink in surprise. It is a small, white, wolf with glass eyes and felt tip pen marks all over its face as if someone had been trying to give it a distinctive look so that they would be able to tell there’s apart from everyone else’s. Tray got us all these strange white wolf toys, mumbling something about kids needing something to hug or something which made no sense at the time but that could have been me worried that he had loaded them with some kind of tracking device or something.

I even got Becky to check because I was that paranoid over the whole situation.

I must be still half asleep because my brain doesn’t quite click to who the toy belongs to for a second until I hear a creak of a door and look up. A rather distressed, pale looking Jongdae is standing there, his eyes bloodshot and puffy and just an innocent look of vulnerability about him that within a few strides I’m across the floor, grabbing him into a hug and cuddling with him on the bed. The last simulation really took it out on him and he’s been terrified ever since that one day he’s going to wake up and find that Sehun is laying in a pool of his own blood after being shot repeatedly even though we could not tell who was the one who had shot the youngster.

We’ve all tried to convince him that it wasn’t real and that Sehun is fine, but some scars cut deep and this one is going to be a long haul way to recovery.

Thankfully due to the lateness of the night and the fact that Jongdae has been giving some sleeping medication, he’s fast asleep in a matter of minutes curled up around his felt tipped marked wolf and seems to be at peace for now. My heart is still beating harshly but it’s slowing down because I know that Chen will be fine once again. Xiumin bless him is on the opposite side of his roommate’s bed but he’s completely flat out and probably hasn’t realised anything that’s happened in the last ten minutes or so.

Probably for the best.

Once I’m absolutely certain that Chen is not going to wake up in a panic anymore, I gently lay the teenager down and tuck him in, helping Xiumin to cuddle up next to him because I’m sure that it’ll help them both sleep properly like they are supposed to. Plus giving the pair a little bit of a hint never hurt anyone because they’re either blind, stupid or just unwilling to accept that they have feelings for one another which is a nice little drama for me and Joonmyeon to watch but unless things start progressing naturally soon, we’re totally going to have to intervene.

Carefully I leave the room again and nearly jump out of my skin when a pair of arms loop around my middle from, “Are you sure that you’re supposed to be the Daddy here?”

Playfully I huff, then turn around and grab hold of Joonmyeon to hoist him up over my shoulder which causes him to squeal loudly.

I’m so glad that the rest of our babies are fast asleep now, excluding Yixing but he’s focusing on his own chi so won’t be disturbed by our antics in the slightest.

He hisses at me, kicking lightly at my chest with his feet and banging his fists off my back but there’s no real strength behind them. If Joonmyeon really wanted to hurt me he could whip me with the glass of water over there and he hasn’t bothered. Actually that almost sounds rather fun.

But not tonight, I know our limits and we’re both still recovering.

And learning, about how the world works in actual reality, how to care for these crazy babies that we’ve been playfully lumbered with and about each other. Though I know secretly that Joonmyeon is enjoying that far more than he ever lets on. Truth be told, I am as well.

I get back to our room, we actually have a room together now and a king sized bed to share which has been well used I can tell you. Carefully I throw Joonmyeon down onto the sheets and then guide myself on top of him, connecting our lips together in a kiss that is soft and gentle because that’s just what I feel like doing.

He’s smiling up at me when we pull apart, his soft hands reaching up to caress the side of my face, “Sorry for leaving you on the couch, you looked like you needed the rest.”

I shrug lightly, “At least I didn’t wake up to find you all gone this time.”

“You’ll never have to worry about that again,” he whispers, the guilt still in his eyes but I lean down to kiss away that fear. I know that what came before was all a simulation, that Xander and the others only got involved because they found out about us accidentally and were able to hack into the simulation and rewrite the program so that they could interact. They had hoped to reach out to all of us but it did not quite work out that was. I’m still happy that we got the help or else who knows what type of new hell we would be being dragged through right now.

“I know,” I whisper, gently running my hands through his hair, “We’re together now and we’ll remain together. Just like we always wanted.”

Joonmyeon nods his reply and I flop to the side, allowing the smaller man to snuggle up to my side whilst I pull the blankets over our bodies. We snuggle together with contented little sighs and my eyes droop shut once again. I feel safe, content and so happy right now and I know everyone else does as well.

We still have a long way to go, but now our mission is over and we can start living life for ourselves.

The End

authors babbling: Yay! This one is finally finished. Didn't go anywhere near where I thought it would but it was a great ride all the same. Hope you all enjoyed and catch you guys again with something new