There’s something to be said about how easy it is to fall back into ordinary life after an international disaster is announced: watching people go about their daily grind as if nothing has happened is surreal, even though they all know that at any moment, they could be up creek without a paddle. It’s not until Minseok is standing in line at his coffee shop (a half awake student before him, stumbling around like a zombie with his eyes half closed, bless him, an impatient businessman in a full suit despite the cloying heat tutting his way towards the counter behind him) that the fragility of the world dawns on the man. At any second, life as you know it can be ripped away. Scary.

 

“Good morning, welcome to- oh, it’s you.” the lanky barista behind the till drops as the zombie student picks up his drink (“caramel latte with a double shot of espresso, please. As sweet as you can make it without my teeth falling out.”) “Let me guess, a cappuccino with enough caffeine to power a small village?” 

 

“One of these days, I’m going to change up my order just to confuse you all,” Minseok teases with a half smile on his face. “I’ll wait until Jongdae gets started on the coffee and say I want an iced tea or something.”

 

“Oh no, as if you could make the end of the world any more unbearable.” Sehun snarks, scanning his employee card through the till and punches in the order mechanically. “Three-fifty,” he adds, holding out his money for the cash.

 

“If you’re trying to get me to donate nearly two bucks to your tip jar, you’re sadly mistaken, Oh. Take your one seventy-five and be happy with it.”

 

Sehun scowls at the elder, shoving the coins into the till and slamming it shut with a metallic clink. “You should show me some more love, hyung. Who else will make sure your coffee is the way you like it?” 

 

“You don’t even make the drinks, kid,” Jongdae calls from his position at the syrup station. 

 

“And with that, gentlemen, I take my leave.” Drink successfully collected, Minseok makes his way over to an abandoned table near the sugar/stirrer/napkin station and drops into an uncomfortable wooden seat to sip on his coffee and watch the world go by. Really, out of all the days to go out and people watch, the day that his city gets pulled into the human-hybrid war is the most interesting by far. So he watches with interest as two of the aforementioned hybrids stroll into the shop with what seems like the sole intention of causing havoc, but actually turns out to be Minseok’s saving grace.

 

The first is a man who seems to be no taller than Minseok himself, his sharp eyes lined with kohl, platinum hair fluffy, slightly frazzled as though the bleach was a recent addition to his appearance. He strolls into the place with a swagger, confidence shining from his every pore, straight up to the counter and leans over it, feet almost losing grip on the tile floor as he strains to see Jongdae.

 

“Hey, dude,” Sehun scowls, swatting at the man with his fingers like he’s swatting at a fly. “You can’t be leaning over the counter like that, okay? There’s a queue for a reason.”

 

“What’s his name?” the guy asks, completely ignoring Sehun’s words and this is how Minseok knows he’s chosen the prime seat for the entertainment that’s unfolding before his very eyes. He doesn’t miss another customer (are they customers?) entering the shop and making a beeline for the first. 

 

“I said ‘back off’, dude,” Sehun warns. “There are security around the corner and I’d rather not have them drag your out when I have customers to be serving.”

 

“Baekhyun,” the new guy calls, voice low and gruff, gravelly. He’s basically a beanpole, Minseok thinks, amused, because he’s at least four inches taller than the first (Baekhyun, is it?), his dark curly hair falling into his eyes. “Let’s not do this now.”

 

“I just want to know his name,” Baekhyun reasons, hopping off the counter as Tall Guy places a restraining hand on his shoulder. 

 

“No.” The answer is immediate and flat. The irritable businessman from before glances between the three of them. 

 

“I said, not now, for God’s sakes. Come on, Baek,” Tall Guy insists, trying to pull the shorter away from Sehun, who looks like he’s about three seconds away from smacking him.

 

“I don’t know, I think he just needs some convincing-“

 

“Don’t you dare!” 

 

The reprimand doesn’t come from Tall Guy, or even Sehun himself, but Irritable Businessman. He huffs and pushes Baekhyun back with a hand flat on his chest, putting his body between him and the counter. 

 

“But Joon-“ Baekhyun whines, pouting, allowing himself to be pushed back.

 

“Stop it. You’re embarrassing yourself.” Joon turns to Sehun. “I’m so sorry about him. Seriously. I deny that I know him most of the time. I’d just like to get my tea and go, please, you really don’t have to call security. I’ll handle him.”

 

Sehun seems like he’s having a hard time believing him, and Minseok thinks he would be the same, except Baekhyun dutifully shuts up, pout still evident on his face as he crosses his arms across his chest and leans back into Tall Guy, letting Joon the Businessman talk him out of what Minseok knows Jongdae calls a ‘Serious Situation’. 

 

“I’ll tip you well as a way of saying sorry?” he offers as a last ditch attempt to smooth things over, and Minseok knows that there’s only two ways to Sehun’s heart: one through his stomach, the other through his tip jar.

 

“Dae, you wanna bring that tea over now or are you waiting for me to boil the water myself?” Sehun calls, suddenly all smiles (seriously, it’s alarming - Minseok doesn’t think he’s ever seen Sehun smile his retail smile so brightly before). Jongdae snorts unattractively, transferring the green tea into Joon’s hand, peering curiously at Baekhyun over his jacketed shoulder.

 

“You seem awfully curious to know my name,” he mentions, tone light and airy. Sehun rolls his eyes, hip-bumping his colleague out of the way as he takes his next order. The group move down, closer to where Minseok is sitting and he sips his cappuccino as he eyes them. Really, this is much more entertaining than staying at home on his day off and watching the never-ending news reports. 

 

Baekhyun sends a flirty smile around Joon, who rolls his eyes in exasperation. “You seem awfully curious to know why.”

 

“Enough,” Joon reprimands firmly, following with a sigh. “I’m sorry if he gave you any trouble. We’ll just be on our way. Thank you for the tea.”

 

“You’re welcome,” there’s a smirk that Jongdae sends that looks dangerous. The air seems to crackle with electricity. “He’s no trouble.”

 

“I wish.” Tall Guy mutters under his breath, whining when he receives an elbow to the ribs from Baekhyun, who smiles sweetly. The three leave much more quietly than they entered, and Minseok turns slowly to raise an eyebrow at Jongdae, who shrugs back innocently. 

 

“What?” he questions, wiping down the surface with a cloth. “You’re giving me your judgey eyes again, hyung.”

 

“Nothing!” Minseok defends, finishing his cappuccino in one final gulp. “Thanks for the coffee!” he calls as he stands, patting down the pockets in his jeans to make sure he has his wallet (it wouldn’t be the first time that Sehun had stolen it) and waves as he leaves the shop, the cool autumn breeze playing with his hair. He spots the three men not far away from him, apparently locked in what seems to be a heated discussion (more like Joon is lecturing Baekhyun for causing a scene, and Tall Guy for not stopping him, while Baekhyun protests his innocence). It’s not until they’re all halfway down the street and approaching the entrance to Minseok’s apartment building that he realises that they’ve all been followed. He turns his head slightly to take a glance behind him and spots what looks like six burly men dressed entirely in black, walking calmly and with an air of authority about them. Minseok frowns, turning forwards just in time to catch Tall Guy watching him and the men behind him. He whips around the Baekhyun and Joon in alarm, muttering something to them, and that seems to be the signal that the guys following them are waiting for.

 

The break their formation and begin to swarm around all four men, and Minseok notes with alarm that he seems to have been caught up in whatever weird Tall Guy, Baekhyun and Joon the businessman have been dabbling in; soon enough, weapons have been drawn and they’re surrounded, Minseok stepping backwards so that he can stay facing the approaching men, bumping shoulders with who he thinks is Baekhyun, as they’re mostly the same height.

 

“If you’d have come back with us nicely last year, this wouldn’t be happening now, Suho,” one of the figures in black speaks, no regret in his tone as he steps forward out of the surrounding circle of men. Minseok isn’t sure who he’s talking to, but Joon stiffens from his right. 

 

“You have no right to take us into custody,” he calls firmly, no shake in his voice even though Minseok is pretty sure all of them can see his hands trembling as he presses them to his thighs. “We haven’t done anything wrong, we haven’t broken the rules. We’ve kept our heads down, just like you wanted. We let the others go out and do what they needed to do and we didn’t participate, not once. You can’t take us when there’s no grounds for arrest.”

 

“Hang on, sorry,” Minseok interrupts, alarm growing. “Why am I being arrested? I don’t even know these guys. I work at the coffee shop, for gods sakes. It’s my day off!”

 

“Guilty by association,” the man who seems to be the leader of the attacking group throws out, waving away his words. “You’ve been watching them a little too closely, won’t you agree? Are you one of them? Or one of us?”

 

Nonplussed, Minseok turns to look at Joon (Suho?) who looks away sharply. “What is going on? Watching them closely - I was drinking my coffee? In my own shop? While the short one flirted with my friend?” 

 

“Hey, I wasn’t flirting with your friend, I just wanted his name!” Baekhyun protests hotly. 

 

“Baek, seriously. Please shut up.”

 

“Why did you want his name?” The leader latches onto Baekhyun’s words like he is drowning and they are a lifejacket. “What is he to you?” Baekhyun chooses that now is a good time to keep his mouth shut, but a sneer decorates his lips. “What is he?” the leader tries again, taking another step, fingers inches from the shorter’s throat. There is a flash of blinding light followed by a shout and Minseok crouches, covering his eyes, blinking furiously through the pain-induced tears that clouds his vision.

 

“Don’t you touch me!” Baekhyun growls, hands held up defensively. “Don’t come anywhere near me-“

 

“Baek. Hyun.” Joon hisses through clenched teeth, grabbing his wrist while Tall Guy holds his palms up to the scrambling men around them. 

 

“The did he just do?!” Minseok demands, straightening up. As soon as he is on his feet, his arms are pinned behind his back by one of the black-clad men. He doesn’t struggle, just fights to keep himself standing as tears from the light stream down his cheeks. Damn, that stings like a . 

 

“I said NO POWERS, are you kidding me right now!” Joon directs as Baekhyun furiously as they are cornered, separated from each other, pulled into handcuffs. 

 

“Joon, we need to-“ Tall Guy starts, except he doesn’t have a chance to finish his sentence; he is enveloped suddenly by black, shimmering smoke, dark tendrils reaching around his cuffs to separate him from the figure holding him and abruptly, there is a soft pop! and he is gone. 

 

“What.” Minseok deadpans, staring at the spot where the Tall Guy was just standing. “The .” Baekhyun sends a feral grin at his captor, launching himself towards Joon, which knocks the two of them into Minseok and away from the men holding them (Minseok sends a quick prayer to whatever god listening that the guns that are being shoved in their faces aren’t fired), reaching his hand - wait, how did he get himself out of the cuffs? - towards more black smoke. There’s a second where Minseok sees the ‘oh ’ on Joon’s face before he hears another pop! and the three of them are yanked sharply to the side and then all he can see is emptiness.

 

* * *

 

The first thing Minseok thinks when he wakes up is that he’s going to throw up: there is a churning in his stomach and a headache that is blossoming along his temples. It doesn’t help that the room he is in is shrouded in darkness, and for a second, he doesn’t know whether he has woken up or whether he is still unconscious, but then there’s a flare of pale light from his right and Baekhyun’s grinning face comes into view.

 

“Good evening, Sleeping Beauty,” he greets, much too loudly considering Minseok has just woken with the world’s biggest headache. “Nice of you to join us.”

 

He winces instead of answering and Baekhyun is pulled back into his seat at the side of the bed by a hand around the back of his neck. “Settle down, Baek. You look like you’re hurting him, don’t you remember what you were like the first time you travelled with Jongin?” 

 

Minseok strains to see the face that goes along with the voice and the light gets a little brighter, illuminating a little more of the room that they are in. It seems to be a bedroom, although it definitely isn’t Minseok’s own. 

 

“Wait. Hang on,” he splutters, the events of the afternoon coming back to him. “Where the hell am I? What happened?”

 

Baekhyun whistles lowly, lowering his hands so that they are facing palm-up on his knees - it’s because of this that Minseok realises that yes, the man is manifesting light with his hands. “Listen to his demands - but notice that he hasn’t asked why he’s here,”

 

“Yes, okay Baekhyun, that’s enough for now.” Joon enters, this time dressed in a faded t-shirt that seems a size too big and some comfortable jeans instead of the suit that he wore earlier. “If you can stop with the snarky comments, I’ll be eternally grateful.” Baekhyun gives a mocking salute, the beams coming from his hands making eerie shapes along the walls and the duvet that is covering Minseok’s body. 

 

“Okay, first question - how did I get here? And where is ‘here’?” Minseok demands now that the more reasonable of the bunch was present. “How long have I been unconscious for? And for Gods’ sakes, please tell me who the you are!”

 

Joon nods, sighing. “Well, my name is Kim Joonmyeon, I guess you can say I keep these idiots in check so the doctors called me Suho. Though we don’t like going by those names here. We brought you to our safe house, don’t worry, those men can’t get in here - it’s untraceable. You’ve only been out for a few hours, really, it’s not a big deal. Oh, and as for the ‘how’ - Jongin teleported us to safety. Turns out one of my team was actually following orders and was watching our backs.” He says the last bit sharply, throwing a glare at Baekhyun, who doesn’t seem affected, and the other speaker from earlier, who shuffles in his chair guiltily.

 

Minseok nods as though it makes any ing sense before pressing forward. “And what exactly are your powers? Obviously, this guy can do things with light -“ He gestures vaguely towards Baekhyun who grins and wiggles his fingers at him. “- And this Jongin can teleport. So what can you all do?”

 

Joonmyeon settles on the edge of the mattress. “My talent is water, which is a common enough power I guess. Yixing here is our healer,” The previously unnamed man from earlier who told off Baekhyun smiles, showing off a set of impressive dimples. “And - well. There are more of us, but I’m not sure it’s wise for you to know the rest yet. I don’t even know why I told you all of that,” he admits, looking distressed as he runs a hand through his carefully styled brown hair; a glint of gold catches in the glow of Baekhyun’s hands. “You don’t seem like the normal type of person. You don’t seem like you should be involved in all of this.’

 

Minseok snorts at the same time that Baekhyun does, and the former side eyes him. Baekhyun beats him to the punch. “He’s one of us, obviously. There’s no way a human would be so chilled out about being in a house full of hybrids. Isn’t that right, hyung?” The last bit is directed directly at Minseok, and maybe Baekhyun expects the elder to avert his eyes, shuffle anxiously or even outright deny the claim, but he does none of those. Instead, he looks each person in the eye with an eyebrow raised.

 

“I’m just mad that I’ve managed to go undetected for three damn years and all it takes is a news report and some idiots marching into my coffee shop trying to recruit my employee and suddenly, I’m a wanted man.”

 

There’s silence for a few minutes, which baekhyun grins his way through, triumphant for once in being the person to notice something important before Joonmyeon does. 

 

“So I suppose I should be asking you what your power is,” Joonmyeon begins, shifting his weight a little on the mattress beside Minseok. “As I’ve already told you a little about us, I think it’s only fair.”

 

“I control frost,” Minseok explains briefly. “And the cold in general. Snow, for example. It’s mostly seasonal, my power - I always end up having awful control in the winter, but summer is almost as bad, just without some of the accidental frostbite that I always seem to give myself at Christmas.”

 

Yixing lets out a little huff of air. “Elemental powers are said to be the strongest of all of them.”

 

Joonmyeon hums in agreement. “Yes, I am inclined to agree with you there. Other than myself, there are another two who control elemental powers, though Baekhyun still insists that his is the hardest to control, and that because he has a tight control over his light, he is the best out of all of us-“

 

“You tell me how easy it is to make an illusion seem so real without breaking a sweat,” Baekhyun interrupts. “And then project it to a room full of people. Real easy, oh my god, it’s the easiest.”

 

“There’s no need to be sarcastic,” the healer - Yixing - puts in from the seat behind Baekhyun’s. 

 

“They’re all difficult in their own way, I guess. I’ve obviously never had the chance to use any other type of power.” Minseok concedes and Baekhyun grins, teeth glittering from his illuminated palms. His smile is almost as bright as the light emits. 

 

“But you knew that your employee is a hybrid, didn’t you?” Joonmyeon deduces shrewdly. “That’s why you hired him. You know, we felt his power during the last storm and thats the reason that we were in your shop today. I’m surprised you hadn’t recognised us, to be quite honest with you - we spent quite a few weeks popping in and out, scoping the place out. I was ready to speak to him - but no, baekhyun is too impatient for that plan to play out.” 

 

The man in question shrugs. “Sometimes, a direct approach can be better than tiptoeing around. After what you’d said about him, I thought maybe he would respond to some blunt attention better than being stalked by a weirdo in an ill-fitting suit.”

 

“That suit cost me almost fifty bucks!” Joonmyeon rants, glaring. “And it was not ill-fitting.”

 

Baekhyun raises a single eyebrow as if to say ‘whatever you say, hyung’ before he quietens down again. Minseok hums as he thinks their words over.

 

“Jongdae,” he begins slowly, contemplating the situation. “Is a lot more like Baekhyun than you realise. He might be fairly quiet while he’s in the shop, but he’s a chatterbox when he isn’t at the station. After those weeks that you spent trying to slowly capture his attention - did you see any response form him? No, he only noticed you when Baekhyun came in, all guns blazing. Excuse the pun.”

 

“And he’s cute,” Baekhyun pipes up, relaying the information to Yixing. “He was definitely watching me. He was curious.”

 

“He already knows about me,” Minseok adds as if the other man had said nothing. “He spilled the beans a few weeks after he was hired by our previous manager. That’s the reason that we became friends in the first place, honestly; there’s no other way that we would’ve spoken to each other, I don’t think.”

 

“Hmm,” Joonmyeon considers what has been revealed. “Maybe we should send in Baekhyun next time, then.”

 

Minseok laughs, short and sharp, barely any real humour evident. “I think it’s great how you really think there will be a ‘next time’.” Joonmyeon opens his mouth to protest, but Minseok beats him to it. “I’m going home. I think it would be best if you stay away from my shop, and I’d appreciate it if you were to stay away from Jongdae, too.”

 

Joonmyeon coughs out a little disbelieving sound, and raises an eyebrow; Baekhyun snorts from his perch at the side of the bed and the light that he controls swirls and dances along the walls. 

 

“You really aren’t expecting to just walk out of here without the guys from before hunting you down, are you?” he questions incredulously. “We barely got out of it before, and that’s only because Jongin was around to help. I think you should stay here for a little while, at the very least-“

 

“I have a life!” Minseok cuts in. “I have a job and an apartment and friends and bills to pay - I can’t just leave them behind, drop off the face of the planet!”

 

“You might have to,” Joonmyeon argues softly. “You’ve been compromised now. They know who you are and where you work.”

 

“They know at least a little about Jongdae, too, by the sounds of it,” Baekhyun puts in cheerfully. Minseok’s eye twitches.

 

“No thanks to you, you absolute -“

 

“I think it’s about time we let you sleep and think about what we’ve discussed,” Joonmyeon puts in swiftly when it seems like Minseok might really jump out of his bed and strangle Baekhyun or something. “It’s been an eventful day. We could all do with some rest.” 

 

With that, he sweeps the others away from Minseok’s bed, with the exception of Baekhyun, who refuses to move, arms folded, finger-shaped beams curling along the edges of the bed and the wall behind the headboard. Yixing looks back, concerned (possibly for Baekhyun’s life, judging by the way Minseok is looking at him), but Baekhyun waves him off. 

 

Minseok just glares, waiting for him to leave as well, but the other seems immune, fingers twirling almost unconsciously and staring back at Minseok unflinchingly. 

 

“Are you going to go, or…?” Minseok prompts, weighing up the pros and cons of using his powers to make the room unbearably cold. 

 

“I wanted to talk to you. About Jongdae,” Baekhyun clarifies after a second of unamused staring. “Ask you a few questions, really. I mean… He does know about his power, right?”

 

It was Minseok’s turn to be confused. “What the hell do you mean?”

 

“His levels of power were thorough the roof - literally,” Baekhyun explains, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the mattress next to Minseok’s thigh, face turning up to face the elder. “You only see that with people who are just discovering their abilities, or the ones who have been practicing for years and are just super good at what they do, you know?”

 

Minseok considers whether or not he should even discuss this topic, considering that it’s a pretty personal story of Jongdae’s and the latter is, quite obviously, not there to give his permission. His morals and loyalty to his friend are warring with the annoyance and curiosity that he harbours when it comes to Baekhyun. 

 

Ultimately, the curiosity wins out.

 

“Jongdae is not new to his abilities,” Minseok answers slowly, choosing his words carefully. “He was experienced enough to have basic control over his power when I met him. That was three years ago, now, and he’s gotten much better considering his power covers such a wide area of control.”

 

Baekhyun nods, eyes wide even though there are purple-blue bags beneath them that betray his fatigue. “So he’s just naturally powerful, then,” he notes. “What about you? Your - frost, ice, whichever it is - how much control do you have? Your power levels seem fairly low, I mean, some people like Chanyeol just radiate power. But you don’t. You almost don’t even feel like a hybrid.”

 

Minseok’s eye twitches again, but he chooses to ignore how offensive the words come across. “I’ve been learning how to control this for fifteen years, come on. It’s kind of important that I don’t freeze my drinks when I’m out in public, or give my customers frostbite by accident. It’s been a lot of hard work and a damn pain in my , but the result is that I can pull it right in, right back, so that people like you and the guys earlier who tried to arrest us don’t figure out what the I am.”

 

Baekhyun is quiet for one (blessed) moment while he processes all of that. “Woah, though, that takes a lot of skill and discipline,” he breathes. “Can you teach me how to do that sometime? I still glow in my sleep every now and again and it annoys everyone,”

 

Minseok is more than slightly taken aback by his words and tone. It’s crazy how fast Baekhyun’s entire demeanour changes with only a short conversation. He’s like a puppy, Minseok muses - distracted every few minutes by something else, but not too distracted to run off. 

 

“You glow in your sleep?” Minseok repeats, raising one eyebrow. Baekhyun frowns back, shifting his shoulders defensively.

 

“It’s an unconscious action, okay?” he shoots back. “I’ve mostly managed to train myself out of it, but every now and then, Soo wakes me up with a pillow to the face. He’s not somebody that you want to wake up with accidental full-body glowing, it turns out,” 

 

“Because suffocation is the best way to get you to stop being a glow worm,” Minseok adds with a nod as if he knows what the he’s talking about.

 

Baekhyun nods sagely, eyes serious. “Yes. Apparently so. I wake up in a huge panic and suddenly it’s like I’m a human lightbulb and Soo is blinded and I’m yelling and he’s yelling and then Joonmyeon is yelling and it’s a mess. Worst way to wake up ever.”

 

Minseok lets out a chuckle despite himself, and then follows it up with a yawn. Baekhyun smiles, a small soft smile that forces the edges of his eyes to crinkle up and reaches forward, patting Minseok’s thigh through the duvet. 

 

“You’re tired,” he observes uselessly. “I’ll let you get some rest.”

 

Minseok watches him as he stands, moving the chair back a few feet. “Why did you stay, anyway?”

 

The soft smile grows brighter (pun not intended). “I don’t like making a bad first impression, that’s all,” he explains. “Now I know that the soft dongsaeng thing works better for you.”

 

Eyes narrowed, Minseok sits a little straighter. “What does it matter that we didn’t get off on the right foot? Plenty of people co-exist who don’t get on with each other and they have no problems with it,”

 

“We have to live together, at least for a few days. It would be uncomfortable. Plus, I don’t like people not liking me.” 

 

With that, Baekhyun shoots one last smile in Minseok’s direction and leaves, closing the door after him with a soft click. Minseok sits for a few minutes more, unable to entirely process what exactly his originally ordinary day has turned into, before finally succumbing to sleep. 

 

* * * 

“… did you bring him back for?” 

 

“We couldn’t very well just leave him there, Soo, he would’ve been toast!”

 

“And why does that concern you? Why does that concern any of us? It’s his own stupid decisions that lead to him getting picked up, ing hell-“

 

“He was following us because Baek and Joon caused a scene in his coffee shop!”

 

“Hey! I resent that implication!”

 

“Shut up Baekhyun, it’s always ing you that ends up getting everything ruined-“

 

“Am I interrupting something?” Minseok queries as he pads softly into the kitchen where there are six men, four of them Minseok remembers from being in his room the previous night, and two that he doesn’t recall meeting. Their argument had been carrying down the hallway into his borrowed bedroom for the past fifteen minutes, and he’s decided to get involved. 

 

The shortest male in the room huffs angrily, throwing his hands up in the air in a classic ‘see-what-I-told-you’ pose before turning back to the stove, flipping the bacon with the tongs, shoulders set into a stiff hold. Joonmyeon grimaces apologetically before moving to help the shorter guy. Yixing smiles dazedly as he sips his tea and Baekhyun is positively bouncing with energy, easily the most awake person in the room.

 

“Nope!” he exclaims, popping the ‘p’. “We were discussing with Soo why you’re in our house; he doesn’t take very kindly to guests, because he’s an antisocial person who tries to lock his roommate out because he’s decided to go to bed at three in the morning.” A small frown is directed at the back of the man flipping the bacon. 

 

“I’m sorry for intruding,” Minseok replies, raising an eyebrow. “For what it’s worth, I don’t want to be here any more than you want me to, by the looks of things. I want to get back to my shop and my friends-“

 

“-But we all already know what a disastrous decision that would be,” Joonmyeon cuts in sharply, eyes darting from Soo’s back to Minseok’s face. “Because it isn’t Minseok’s fault that he’s here with us, but it’s the safest option. For us all. And we all need to realise that and move on.”

 

Soo huffs again. “Do we even have enough supplies-“

 

“Stop being a stick in the mud, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun whines. “It’s nice to have somebody nice to talk to!”

 

“You’ve literally spoken to me twice.” Minseok points out. He is ignored.

 

“We need more food,” Soo - Kyungsoo - puts in, turning around to face them all; his delicate features are not a truthful representation of his hostile personality, Minseok thinks, taking in his large, innocent-looking eyes, heart-shaped lips and pale complexion. “Jongin needs backup if he’s going to go out again, especially after those guys almost got you yesterday. We don’t want a repeat of what happened last time with Chanyeol’s arm,”

 

“It healed just fine,” says Tall Guy from the previous day. Minseok is positive that he won’t remember all of the names. Not that it matters, he tells himself - he’ll only be staying a few days until Joonmyeon loses his paranoia. 

 

“You lost a chunk out of your bicep.” Kyungsoo’s tone is flat, dark, not to be argued with. “Tell me it’s nothing when you’re sat on the bathroom floor trying to stop a limb from falling off and your friend from bleeding to death.”

 

“It wasn’t that bad,” Chanyeol mutters sheepishly. “And don’t make Nini feel bad about it, we only just got him to start taking me out again!” 

 

Kyungsoo huffs, arms folded across his chest, before softening with a sigh as he glances at Jongin, who has stopped sipping his orange juice and is just staring at the work surface blankly. 

 

“I’m sorry, Jongin,” he calls gently to the younger man. “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories. I just want everyone to understand how dangerous this is.”

 

“I’ll go with him,” Minseok offers; everyone except for Baekhyun and Joonmyeon scoffs. 

 

“I don’t think it would be advisable,“ the latter begins, but Baekhyun jumps in. 

 

“I can go too, Joon, it’ll be just in and out. Think it through - we’ll have Nini there to get us in and out safely, Minseok can be there to grab stuff and also keep the frozen things frozen (that’s more useful than anything, shut your mouth Kyungsoo), and I can ensure that nobody sees anything weird happening. It’ll be fine!” His eyes are big, bright, earnest. Joonmyeon is considering his words, Minseok can tell, the frown lines popping up on his forehead evidence of it. 

 

“It sounds like a good plan to me,” Yixing puts in calmly, quietly, serene smile still on his face, hand reaching out to pat Joonmyeon’s shoulder. The latter sighs again, wilting. 

 

“Okay then, you three can go and get the food, I’ll keep my phone on me just in case. Minseok, you have yours with you, yes?” He’s a little taken aback for a second, but pats his pocket to double check (old habits die hard) and nods. “Excellent, we’ll swap numbers. That way, if anything does happen, each of you can get in touch with us here at the house.” 

 

After Minseok has unwillingly handed over his phone so that he and Joonmyeon can exchange mobile numbers, the three of them grab a few reusable shopping bags from the shoe rack (“Why are they in the shoe rack?” Minseok asks, but nobody seems to know the answer) and crowd into the pantry.

 

“It’s easier to go from here and come back through here,” Jongin explains quietly, balling up a few bags into one of the pockets on the front of his hoodie. “When we return, we’ll be carrying stuff, so we can just drop it off in here. Also, it prevents anybody from having a small heart attack-“

 

“-In case we just appear out of nowhere in front of them,” Baekhyun finishes brightly. His long fingers wiggle as they reach towards Jongin and Minseok, snaking their hands together. Jongin grabs Minseok’s other wrist so the three of them stand in a weird sort of triangle. 

 

“I’ll go on three. Minseok, it would probably help if you were to hold your breath, and maybe close your eyes? I’m not really sure whether that would help or not, but I know that Joon did it to start with because he gets travel sickness easily,” Jongin warns as he rearranges his footing. “Get ready to touch down in the store and just grab whatever is on the list. Baek, you have your illusion prepared, right?”

 

“Check and double check, Nini,” Baekhyun confirms with a salute that drags Minseok’s hand unto his temple. “Oh, Min, you might do better to just stay with me so that we can get stuff together seeing as you don’t know what we usually buy. We do the fridges and frozen section, seeing as it’s easier to preserve frozen veggies and meat than fresh, even though Kyungsoo looks like he’d rather skin and eat us than serve it.”

 

Minseok nods, a little bemused, head swimming so that Baekhyun’s nickname nearly gets past him. 

 

“Hey, don’t call me-“

 

“Three,” Jongin interrupts, rolling his shoulders back. 

 

“Two,” Baekhyun shoots Minseok a cheeky grin as he bends his knees slightly.

 

“One.” Minseok doesn’t have any way to prepare other than to in a startled breath as he feels himself being pulled to the left, hard, and holds it as the world turns to black. 

 

Teleporting is strange, Minseok thinks as they make their way to the supermarket. It feels like the three of them are spiralling through a plughole almost, except that it’s pitch black, there’s small pops and howls of harsh wind and they’re ing teleporting. It must only take a few seconds, but it feels like minutes that Minseok has held in that single breath and then, then, they’re landing on the worn tiled floor of the store.

 

There’s a strange moment of dizziness where Minseok focuses dazedly on the customers who realise that three men have literally just appeared from the air in front of them before Baekhyun closes his eyes, frowning, fingers squeezing Minseok’s and Jongin’s unconsciously before they look away, none the wiser. He slowly opens his eyes, beaming up at the two standing opposite him.

 

“Illusion in place. They’ll think we’ve walked through the door like normal people, so we’re a-okay and good to go,” he informs them, loosing his hold on the teleporter, but dragging Minseok over to the chilled goods with their fingers twined together.

 

“So we need the regular - sausages, bacon, frozen veggies, milk - think as if you’re doing your regular grocery shop except for five extra people.” Baekhyun tells him, grabbing a few items and putting them into the shopping bags that are looped at his wrist. Minseok thinks of his own fridge - maybe a carton of milk, some scallions and a few eggs, three bottles of beer and a lump of cheese - and thinks maybe he won’t tell Baekhyun that he mostly eats from the Thai takeout place from the next block over.

 

“You get the frozen stuff, I’ll get chilled.” He is manhandled towards the freezers and handed another bag. “Keep them nice and cold!”

 

“I knew what you said to Kyungsoo wasn’t just a joke,” Minseok breathes before doing as he’s told and grabbing bags of peas and carrots. It takes all of about five minutes before they’re ready to pay, and they meet up with Jongin at the counter. Placing their shop onto the cover belt takes a minute or two, but then they’re being beeped through by the cashier and the two are throwing everything in haphazardly. Minseok’s eye twitches (again, Jesus Christ, at this rate the twice will be a permanent thing).

 

“I swear to God,” he snarks, bumping his way between them and snatching the bags away. “You two children don’t even know how to pack bags. Frozen and chilled in one bag, household and toiletries get their own, dry ingredients in another. Heavy stuff at the bottom, breakables at the top, Jesus Christ,” he teaches hurriedly as the cashier slides more and more of their purchases over the scanner.

 

Using this method, they manage to pack the shopping away in record time, paying and collecting change before Baekhyun motions for the two of them to stand in a somewhat neglected corner of the store, well hidden by the towering shelves. They somehow, somewhat awkwardly, manage to balance the bags between them while still linking hands. Minseok takes a cursory glance around them to make sure than nobody can see them while Baekhyun visibly focuses on crafting his illusion and Jongin counts them down in a whisper. 

 

* * *

Waking up in the guest bedroom while Baekhyun and Yixing watch him anxiously is getting real old real fast, Minseok thinks as he stretches his neck with a low groan. 

 

“Did I pass out again?” he slurs out, the words mushing together until they sound more like ‘did’passou’gain?’

 

Yixing smiles and places a cool hand across his forehead, checking his temperature. He hums, seemingly happy with Minseok’s state, and leans back to sit in the chair next to the bed that Baekhyun had been in the previous night as they talked; the man in question is curled up at the foot of said bed, bunching the comforter beneath his knees, eyes concerned.

 

“You did,” Yixing confirms, utterly calm. “It’s really nothing to worry about, just a reaction to Jongin’s power, that’s all; we’ve all done it at some point. Jongin wears himself out often and is prone to fainting spells, so I wouldn’t feel too put out about it if I were you. Although Baekhyun seemed worried enough to crowd into your personal space as soon as you three landed in the middle of the living room,” he adds, something akin to a sly smile gracing his face. 

 

“I was worried!” Baekhyun confirms breathlessly, leaning forward until his hands are perched on Minseok’s knees. The latter flinches but Baekhyun pays no attention to it. “It’s not very nice seeing someone pass out. It got really cold, too, I don’t know what happened there but for a second, it was freezing cold. Do you often have trouble concealing your power when you’re not well, Minseok?” 

 

The question is innocent enough, but Minseok in a breath as though the words have physically hurt him anyway. 

 

“I used to wake up to ice coating everything in my room,” he responds in a low voice. “It’s harder to control when my body is out of whack, of course, just like you guys.”

 

Baekhyun reaches forward and lifts both of Minseok’s hands from where they had been clutching the duvet, linking their fingers together. It’s not until the other’s warm touch registers that Minseok even realises that he has been shaking, from the memories or the chill in the room, he doesn’t know. Possibly even both. 

 

“You don’t have to worry,” Yixing assures him, smile sliding from his face. “ We all understand, all of us; there’s no need to hide it anymore. We’re as safe as we can ever be here, and we have each other to rely on. You might even be causing yourself more harm by constantly holding everything back, who knows.”

 

“S’cold,” Baekhyun murmurs, scooting closer to Minseok even though he must be freezing himself. 

 

“I won’t be any warmer than the room,” Minseok warns, not able to find it within himself to ask the younger to move away as he slithers up the bed until he’s curled into his side. The places where Baekhyun is pressed to burn white hot.

 

“Don’t care, m’tired.” Baekhyun let’s one of Minseok’s hands go in favour of looping his arm across his waist, elegant fingers crinkling the cotton of his shirt as he clings to the older man. He shuts his eyes and leans his body weight on Minseok’s shoulder and sighs, content, despite the shivers starting to ripple through his body. 

 

“You will care when you get hypothermia. Yixing, help?” Minseok appeals to the other man, who chuckles and hooks his arm around Baekhyun, lifting him bodily from the bed; not opening his eyes, Baekhyun lets out a dissatisfied noise and claws for Minseok like he’s a child being torn away from his favourite teddy bear, and although Minseok doesn’t know just why it hurts his heart to see Baekhyun unhappy, a pang of guilt jolts within him.

 

“Come on, Baek, let’s leave Minseok to get some rest, hmm? We’ll get you tucked in and warmed up after your eventful day. Goodnight, Minseok - call for me if you need anything.” The last part is clearly directed at him, and Minseok nods weakly, suddenly more tired than he’s been in weeks, months even, and he settles down in the bed just as Yixing closes the door behind him with a muted click.