ISSUE #01

 

Okay, so he may have opened up a portal to another dimension when he stole that comic book, but it isn’t really Baekhyun’s fault, right?

 

After all, Chanyeol’s the one who got him hooked on comics in the first place. So really, if anyone is to blame for ripping a hole in the universe it’s him.

 

As Baekhyun recalls, before the third grade he would have never even considered opening up one of those brightly covered graphic novels, heroes in their latex underwear and flowing capes flamboyantly spread across the front page. He barely liked watching them on TV or in movies as it was. But alas, he’d noticed the new kid sitting alone at lunch, with his head shoved into a magazine and too-big, navy blue glasses sliding down the end of his nose, and whether it was out of pure pity or of the goodness of his heart, he’d decided to join him.

 

One word and they were thick as thieves, blood running as deep as brothers. You never found one without the other. There simply was no Baekhyun without Chanyeol. They shared everything - toys, games, books, ideas - and of course, Chanyeol introduced him to his beloved comics.

 

When Chanyeol first shoved one under his nose he wasn’t interested in the least. But Chanyeol was his best friend, and if he played those puppy-eyes just right he could get Baekhyun to do just about anything. So, when Chanyeol begged him with tears in his eyes - at least that’s how Baekhyun remembers it - he gave in and borrowed a few.

 

At first, they gathered dust on his shelf, but after a few days of Chanyeol’s incessant pestering he gave in and cracked one open. To this day, he can still picture the very first page he ever read, but after that it’s all a blur. He was caught, hook, line and sinker.

He borrowed comic after comic from Chanyeol until they both had to take the subway to their local store on 42^ndstreet to find new issues to read.

 

That’s when he first met the kindly older shop owner, Mr. Kim. Despite his appearance, Mr. Kim is Korean too - or half at the very least. He must have been very handsome in his youth, because he has a small but strong chin and electric blue eyes.

 

Mr. Kim blew the doors of his world right open. He introduced Baekhyun to all sorts of comics and genres he’d never even heard of before. But the one he became the most passionate about was the FireLight Alliance.

 

He didn’t know what it was - the 80’s time-frame, the cool superpowers, the aliens from faraway planets - but everything about it appealed to him, snatched him up. He stayed obsessed with it long after Chanyeol grew out of comics.

 

They never stopped being best friends, according to Chanyeol, but Baekhyun remembers exactly when their paths split.

 

It was the first day of their second year of high school. Baekhyun wore his FLA - FireLight Alliance - shirt for day one exactly as he had for the three years previous, and he fully expected Chanyeol to do the same. But instead of finding his friend at the bus stop waiting for him as he usually did, he found him in the hallway only after first period, leaning against someone else’s locker and chatting with some members of the basketball team – the very guys that used to make fun of him for the things he’d liked.

 

Chanyeol had ditched his graphic t-shirts, thrown out his glasses, and more importantly left his old attitude behind.

 

Now that he was ‘in’ with the cool crowd, he said, he no longer had time for comics. That didn’t mean he didn’t want to be friends with Baekhyun, but it sure didn’t feel that way at school.

 

Nevertheless, Chanyeol certainly helped try to maintain their friendship away from the prying eyes at school. He might not ever tell his new friends that he was pals with Baekhyun, but he certainly made sure Baekhyun knew it.

 

Baekhyun never asked what was going through Chanyeol’s head. He kept his distance at school and pretended things were normal when they hung out at his house. But he fully expected their friendship to end when high school did. That’s why he was so shocked when Chanyeol said he wanted to be roommates in college.

 

He had been surprised Chanyeol was attending the same university with him in downtown New York, let alone wanting to room with him. And more surprising still, when college started, Chanyeol started acting like himself again – like the version Baekhyun had grown up knowing.

 

It seemed that whatever had made Chanyeol act out in high school had finally passed. He still maintained a much more active social life than Baekhyun, but at least he never tried to pretend he didn’t know him outside of their apartment. That was good enough for Baekhyun. He was just happy that he finally had his real friend back. He never forgot though.

 

The day it happens is alike to any other Thursday.

 

Chanyeol and Baekhyun both finish with classes in the early morning, which means they can normally be found lazing around their apartment well through the night. But on this particular day, Baekhyun’s wallet is full of tips from his part time job and he’s filled with a strange zest for venturing out into the world – and by world he means to the comic book store.

 

“Come with me,” he whines.

 

“No.”

 

“C’mon! You’re literally having a Disney marathon! You aren’t doing anything.”

 

“Excuse you. What I’m doing is having a Disney marathon!”

 

“Chanyeol, please,” Baekhyun begs. “I’ll be so bored if I have to ride the subway alone. Please, please, please.”

 

Chanyeol groans. “You just want me to carry your haul when it gets too heavy, right?” he accuses.

 

“Well, what’s the point of all that arm muscle if you don’t put it to good use?” Baekhyun throws back, poking at the hardened bicep peeking out of the other’s white shirt.

 

Chanyeol curls his lip in mock anger, but then he sighs and Baekhyun knows he’s won him over. “Fine. I’ll come with you. But only because I want a slurpee from 7Eleven anyway. You’re buying.”

 

Despite Chanyeol’s begrudging attitude, Baekhyun pumps his fist into the air in silent victory.

 

They get Chanyeol’s slushie first, but only so he can have something to do while he waits. And as soon as they enter the small brick shop on 42^ndstreet, the doorbell tinkling merrily to announce their arrival, they split off. Chanyeol chooses a position near the window and sits down on a stack of boxes, flipping through his phone and sipping on his disgusting cherry-blue blast mix.

 

He gives Baekhyun a flippant wave of his hand, as if assuring him he’ll still be waiting for him when he gets back, and then Baekhyun is off on his own.

 

Every wall of the small shop is lined with shelves, packed wall to wall with literally thousands of comics. It’s organized by series, and the most popular issues - Marvel, DC, etc. - are near the front of the store on special display. While Baekhyun likes those series - he agrees they have their merits - he knows he can get them anytime. So, he pushes to the back of the store, near the check-out counter, and goes straight to the special issue bins.

 

These purple tubs may look ordinary - $5 plastic containers from Walmart - but Baekhyun knows that they contain extraordinary finds. This is where he, just two weeks ago, found issue #85 of his favorite out-of-print comic, The FireLight Alliance.

 

He’d found the FireLight Alliance years ago, or more accurately, it had been shown to him when he was in middle-school, and something about it had stuck with him all these years. His first FLA comic, issue #44 - Attack from Beyond - had detailed the hero’s origins as ghosts from his past came back to haunt him.

 

He’d been hooked right away and had begun collecting FLA comics and information ever since.

Baekhyun doesn’t know how long he’s perusing the bins, flipping through issue after issue, only that he’s not really paying attention to anything around him. So, he jumps with a squeak as a hand suddenly appears across from him.

 

His eyes nearly shoot out of his sockets when he finally looks up. But it’s just Mr. Kim, the near-ancient shop owner with piercing blue eyes, smiling down at him.

 

“You nearly gave me a heart-attack,” Baekhyun finally breathes, and he turns his eyes back to the bin, flipping through another stack of titles.

 

“I should have known it was you when I heard the bell on the door,” he replies with only a laugh. “You’re the only one keeping me in business these days.”

 

Baekhyun pauses for a moment with a frown. “That’s not true,” he points out. “I rode by just yesterday and saw a big crowd in here.”

 

But Mr. Kim just shakes his head. “We got the DVD for the new Batman movie in yesterday. Nobody’s buying comics anymore - especially these old things.”

 

“They just don’t know what they’re missing out on yet,” Baekhyun scoffs. “Give it a few years. When they realize that the Spider-Man and Batman franchises aren’t so refreshing anymore, the big producers are going to have to look for new ideas. Who knows? Maybe FLA will get picked up again.”

 

It’s Mr. Kim’s turn to snort now, but he laughs. “Maybe,” he muses after a moment. “Find anything interesting today?”

 

He shakes his head. “Not so far.” Though he points to a small pile he’s been building for the past half-hour. “But I’ve had my eye on these for a couple weeks. I thought now might be the time to add them to my collection.”

 

“Soon enough you’ll be able to open your own store,” Kim grins. “Anyways, I have a new batch that should be coming in sometime today. I’ll probably put them out tomorrow morning if you want to come back then.”

 

It’s just as Mr. Kim turns away that Baekhyun feels a tingling sensation in his fingers. He pauses his flipping and his hands land on a volume - something he’s never ever seen before. He raises it slowly from the bin and he gasps loudly enough that even Chanyeol perks his head up from across the store.

 

The FireLight Alliance - Issue #00.

 

Baekhyun’s hands are shaking as he holds the thin comic delicately in his palms. He hasn’t even opened the edition yet, simply admiring the art spread from cover-to-cover.

 

Only the main character, Black Light, is featured on the cover, and he’s in his original design. His hand is spread out over him, and a shining beam from his palm is illuminating his body - his eyes are bright blue, and his dark, curling hair falls in waves over his forehead. His black hood has fallen off and his skin, where you can see it, is literally glowing. His black shirt covers his neck but leaves his arms uncovered so that you can see the crystalline, alien portion of his skin, and his pants and boots are midnight as well.

 

It’s so simple, but it’s the most beautiful thing Baekhyun’s ever seen. And he’s never even heard of it.

 

Issue #00? Baekhyun knows everything there is to know about FLA, and in all the forums he’s ever visited online, at all the conventions he’s been to, he’s never seen anything remotely like this before even on the deep, dark web. It doesn’t look fake or fan-made - the art is far too authentic - so where the hell had Mr. Kim found this?

 

But when he looks up to ask, Mr. Kim has paled, and the smile has completely fallen off of his face. In a flash of movement, he’s pulled the comic from Baekhyun’s grip.

 

“Hey!” Baekhyun begins to protest, still holding his hands out in mid-air.

 

“It’s not for sale,” Mr. Kim snaps quickly.

 

“B-but-” He tries to regain his composure. He barely manages, “Why not?”

 

“It was never meant to be out here.”

 

“W-wait! I have money! How much is it? If you need cash I can go to the bank. I can-”

 

“It’s not for sale,” he repeats harshly.

 

Baekhyun shakes his head. “Can I just look at it then? Please. I don’t need to buy it if I can only-“

 

“No!” Mr. Kim shouts and startles them both. He runs a hand through his thinning white hair before he continues. “I’m sorry, Baekhyun,” he says softly but sharply. His stare is hard and final.

Baekhyun is stunned beyond words. He can still feel the ghosts of the pages in his fingers and he doesn’t know how he’d let such a monumental find slip away so easily.

 

Mr. Kim sighs and walks behind the counter, depositing the comic in a drawer. He looks back at Baekhyun with a sigh like he’s going to apologize again, but there’s a knock at the back door. It’s the delivery guy he’d mentioned earlier, so he steps out behind the store to count and sign for the shipment.

 

A million and one thoughts are racing through Baekhyun’s mind - none of them good - and he’s breathing heavily. When his brain finally shuts up, he acts without thinking.

 

He ducks past the chain and goes behind the counter, taking Issue #00 from the drawer and shoving it inside his jacket. He doesn’t know why but he has to have it. He has to at least look at it. Maybe he’ll bring it back tomorrow after he’s had a chance to browse through it, or maybe take photos of the pages. No matter how he tries to convince himself he’s not stealing it, he still feels terrible. So, he dumps all the money in his wallet - thirty-four dollars and eighty cents - onto the counter before he makes his escape, hoping Mr. Kim will somehow understand.

 

He power walks to the other end of the store and tugs on Chanyeol’s elbow, who’s nearly fallen asleep resting his head against the window.

 

“Time to go?” he mumbles tiredly.

 

“Yes,” Baekhyun breathes quickly. “C’mon. I forgot I have something to do.”

 

“You didn’t get anything?”

 

“Didn’t see anything I wanted,” he answers hastily.

 

“Okay,” Chanyeol nods, shrugging and leisurely stretching as he stands up. “Just let me throw away my trash then we can go.”

 

“No!” Baekhyun nearly shouts, before taking Chanyeol’s empty cup and regaining his composure. “Let’s throw it away outside. I saw a bin near the subway entrance. It’s on the way.”

 

Chanyeol merely shrugs and Baekhyun pulls on his sleeve again, more urgently this time, tugging him along to the door. He feels a bead of cold sweat race down his neck as he hears the door to the back creak open. But by the time it shuts again, Chanyeol and Baekhyun are already long gone, rounding the corner to the subway station, and Baekhyun is breathing easy once more. Although, one of his hands is still desperately clutching onto his jacket, as if making sure the comic was still there, and his fingers are shaking at his deed.

 

He doesn’t let go of the comic until he’s safe in their room, and only then does he stash it under his pillow. He can’t let Chanyeol see. If the other knew he’d stol- borrowedthe issue he’d get so mad at Baekhyun that he wouldn’t hear the end of the lecture for hours. Chanyeol would make him return it right away or do it himself.

 

For the rest of the afternoon, he acts as normal as he possibly can while pretending to attend to some ‘pressing’ school matter on his laptop. But his fingers keep twitching and his eyes glance at their bedroom door, waiting for the opportunity to finally read it.

 

When Chanyeol isn’t watching, he searches on his phone for any mention of an Issue #00, but just like he thought, there’s nothing. Could it be something unpublished? A special issue? And why had Mr. Kim been so protective of it? Maybe he was friends with the author?

 

He swears he’ll return it in the morning. But he absolutely has to look at it first.

 

When it gets late, Baekhyun finally feels like he can breathe easy. He sees the telltale signs that Chanyeol’s getting sleepy - rubbing his eyes, checking his phone - and he knows he can sneak off to bed.

 

So, he makes a grand announcement and goes to their room, flopping down on his bed near the window and tucking himself way under the covers. It’s how he usually sleeps so there’s nothing suspicious about that.

 

He pretends to be asleep, curled under his covers until he finally hears Chanyeol’s bedside lamp click off. Then he waits until the other’s breathing turns into a soft snore before he pulls out his flashlight and slides the issue out from under his pillow.

 

It wouldn’t be unusual for Chanyeol to wake up and see the blanket fort Baekhyun has constructed for himself to read in. Once upon a time Chanyeol would have joined him. Now, he just rolls himself over and goes back to sleep, so Baekhyun isn’t worried he’ll discover the comic he’s reading.

 

He holds the flashlight in his teeth and examines the front cover again, it gently like it’s alive. He doesn’t know if it’s excitement or nerves, but his hands are shaking, and he can swear he can hear buzzing and feel a pulse in his fingertips.

 

Open me…

 

He feels like Harry Potter reading Tom Riddle’s diary. It’s like the pages are speaking, calling out to him - inviting him in.

 

Slowly, he opens the first page.

 

 

ISSUE #02

 

Bright light.

 

There’s light filtering in through the window above him from the vibrant blue sky he can see outside. It’s clearly morning, but Baekhyun doesn’t remember falling asleep.

 

He doesn’t think he’s dreaming. Everything is so real. He can actually feel the thread count of the expensive sheets he’s lying on, recognize some of the chirps of the birds outside - robins, and the smell of dust is poignant. But the ceiling he’s staring at isn’t his shabby apartment ceiling. It’s way too high.

 

He rolls over to his side to see if Chanyeol is in his bed but there’s nothing there but a table and closet. Something pinches his side and with alarm he realizes he’s wearing a belt. It’s strange because he clearly remembers changing into his sweatpants before getting into bed. But when he sits up he realizes they aren’t his jeans - they aren’t even his clothes. His hands are shaking as he feels himself up and down.

 

He’s dressed in a crisp suit, from the black tie all the way down to polished loafers and coordinating socks. He looks like he’s about to go to his nine-to-five in the city. He feels like he’s asleep and pinches himself to make sure he’s awake - hard, in the thigh. All it gets him is a scream and a wince of pain.

 

Okay, so not a dream, Baekhyun thinks and slowly slides out of bed. I’m in someone’s apartment, but whose? Think! Did I black out? What’s the last thing I remember?

 

But the last thing he remembers is sitting in his own blanket fort, opening Issue #00.

 

That must be it. The shock of reading the forbidden issue must have just straight-up killed me. Maybe this is why Mr. Kim didn’t want me to have it…

 

That’s when he notices the window, or more accurately the curtains.

 

They’re billowing in the wind - that’s how he notices they’re bright yellow. It’s not just any yellow. It’s a particular shade of horrible, mustard yellow that he’d know anywhere.

 

He takes a second look around the room, then a third - table and closet on the right, window to the left, a dresser near the door in front of him. It’s all exactly where it’s supposed to be.

 

His knees shake as he stands and crosses the room to the door. On the wooden dresser is a picture of two people - someone’s parents - smiling back at him like a stock photo. He doesn’t recognize them as they are, 3D, real live people, but he imagines them as he’s seen them before - in the pages of his comics.

 

He gasps and drops the frame back on the table. The glass shatters and shocks him into movement.

Baekhyun kneels down and opens the third drawer in the dresser, reaching into the back and feeling around. There’s something that he simultaneously hopes is there, but prays it isn’t. He knows it can’t be. It’s not possible.

 

He knows what it is by touch alone. The smooth material feels like latex, but he knows it’s strong enough to halt a bullet from a machine gun. His heart is beating so fast that he can’t even look at it without feeling like he’s going to throw up. So, he shoves it back in the drawer and jumps to his feet.

 

Throwing the door open he runs out of the apartment he’s in without a second glance, sprinting down the stairs two at a time. When he finally gets to the ground floor he jumps out into the street and is blinded for a moment. The sun is too bright, and the sky is far too effervescent blue to be real. But he can feel the heat of the day on his skin and hear the angry shouts and honks as cars swerve around him, so he doesn’t even remember that he’s supposed to be dreaming.

 

Baekhyun turns around and around, tripping in circles and ignoring the people who are staring at him, until his eyes fall on a familiar landmark. To anyone else it’s just a bad-looking Chinese restaurant, an ugly scar on an otherwise charming downtown city neighborhood. But to Baekhyun, it’s Wang Fu’s 24-Hour Chinese Express Takeout, the restaurant that he knows only has 3 people on staff and a reserved booth in the corner for their favorite customer.And the building above it, the apartment he’d just come out of - the red brick one with an empty flowerpot on the sill from when he’d made a weekend attempt at horticulture and a crack in the window from when he’d accidentally slammed it shut too hard - is his. Or, more accurately, it’s Shin Shikyung’s apartment - also known as Black Light’s secret identity - and Baekhyun knows it like the back of his hand.

He doesn’t have time to think about why he’s been into his favorite comic book world, or time to wonder why he already knows in his very soul that it’s not just a crazy dream - that he won’t wake up in his own bed if he pinches himself really hard. A firetruck rounds the corner at breakneck speeds, its siren blaring and flashing red lights nearly blinding Baekhyun, and an ambulance follows closely behind.

 

Baekhyun cranes his neck in the direction it goes and sees a dark plume of grey smoke curling up over the cityscape ominously. He unknowingly takes a step forward - and then another. This setting is familiar. This plot sits on the tip of his tongue.

 

Before he can stop himself, he’s racing towards whatever’s on fire, his heart pumping and his nose catching whiffs of the ash that’s already falling around him in sheets like charcoal snow. The sirens are still blaring when he rounds the corner, louder this time, and the scene is much worse in real life than in the comic.

 

He remembers it very clearly - The FireLight Alliance Issue #001 - The Origin. He’d been unable to get a copy of his own - it was too expensive, and he was not about to waste another couple hundred dollars on an eBay war - but he’s seen the scans of it in online forums and he’s downloaded the pdf onto his laptop. He’s memorized this story like the back of his hand.

 

A building catches on fire, the result of Wild Fire accidentally rediscovering his repressed ability. But this is unbeknownst to Black Light as he races inside in order to save the people still trapped inside. The two meet by accident and Light helps Fire to remember who they are - who they originally are.

 

Baekhyun waits in the crowd that’s gathered across the street, watching with bated breath as the bright red and orange flames surge higher and higher towards the sky. Any minute now he knows it’s going to happen.

 

Black Light is going to appear out of an alleyway. He’ll wrap a scarf around his face to hide his identity, and he’s going to race inside that burning building, saving everyone trapped inside and gaining an ally.

 

But Baekhyun’s never seen anything so horrifying in his life, and his hands quake and knees knock in anticipation. He can feel the horrible heat of the flames even from his position across the street, and he wonders how much longer the people trapped inside can stand it. But he has faith. After all, the hero almost always shows up just in the nick of time.

 

Above them all, the windows of the burning building suddenly burst outward, driving thick black smoke upward and shattered glass down like lethal rain towards the street. The crowd around him screams and ducks and Baekhyun throws up his arms to protect himself.

 

But he doesn’t feel anything, not even a drop. Suddenly, even the heat of the fire has vanished.

When Baekhyun looks up there’s a forcefield of transparent purple-black, glittering light surrounding them all. It looks like a dark galaxy riddled with tiny specks of starlight. People around him start to gasp in wonder and Baekhyun looks around frantically for his hero, dropping his arms, knowing only he could make a shield like that out of thin air.

 

But as soon as he moves the shield falls and the glass scatters to the sides of the crowd, surrounding them all like a crystalline halo, and Baekhyun has a sudden realization.

Oh, he thinks. Oh, . The clothes he’s wearing. The apartment he woke up in. He should have known.

 

He looks across to the burning building and gulps. Somehow, he just knows. Black Light’s not coming.

 

Black Light’s not coming because he’s already there.

 

There’s a lady standing nearby with a raven-colored scarf draped over her arm, and Baekhyun snatches it swiftly as he moves forward. She shouts a half-hearted protest at him, but he can barely hear her over the pounding of his own heart in his ears. He wraps the fabric tightly around his neck and mouth until all that’s visible of his face are his eyes and hair.

 

He’s thinking about the Black Light he’s been reading about all these years when a wave of instinct washes over him and he charges across the street. He weaves between firetrucks and the firefighters trying to control the blaze. He’s too quick to be caught by them, but they yell after him as he runs towards the door.

 

The flames surge towards him and when he feels the heat he squeezes his eyes shut, throwing up his hands as he bursts through the door. And then he feels nothing.

 

He keeps his hands splayed in front of him as he slowly opens one eye. And he nearly shuts it tight again, praying but knowing all the while that this isn’t a nightmare.

 

There’s a wall of flame around him, but between him and the scorching, deadly heat is that shimmering, pale-black forcefield of energy - inexplicably cast from his outstretched hands. Baekhyun would think it was really awesome to have a shield magically appear from the palm of his hands if he wasn’t also in eminent danger of dying should it suddenly fail.

 

There isn’t any time to waste then, he decides.

 

He scours the first floor, calling out for survivors but finding no one. Luckily, the lobby takes up most of the first floor, so he covers it quickly. The second story takes more time because he has to look into apartments.

 

Baekhyun’s never kicked down a door in his life, and under regular circumstances he’s sure he’d never be able to. But now he’s kicked down several and with relative ease. It’s almost like the doors are toothpicks and he’s a really big boot - although he’s not sure if they’re crumbling due to fire damage or his newfound powers.

 

Either way he doesn’t find anyone there.

 

He does find a couple trapped in the stairwell, covered in ash, and he quickly ushers them inside his shield. Somehow, he’s doing this unconsciously, sorting flame from living being and deciding what can and cannot enter his shield.

 

He helps the couple back down to the ground floor and leaves them in the arms of some rescue crew before running back inside. He hollers with authority at the fire department and tells them to stay out of the building, wondering where he suddenly got all of his bravado.

 

On the third floor he finds a man unconscious. He’s badly burned but he’s still breathing and Baekhyun hauls him over his shoulder. Now he knows for sure that his powers have given him strength. The man feels like a backpack and Baekhyun doesn’t tire even after running back up the stairs.

 

The fourth floor is empty and most of the fifth and final floor is too. This part of the building is the most unstable. There’s already a collapsed hole in the floor and from what he can tell, the marks on the wall make it look like the fire blazed through here at startling speeds.

 

Wild Fire, he thinks. He follows them backwards slowly to the last room in the hallway.

 

The last room.

 

Baekhyun pounds on the door until it crumbles beneath his weight, and inside the heat is the most intense. The flames here are so hot they burn almost white and he can even feel them through his shield. They all rage from the center of the room where a figure is curled on the ground, crying.

 

It’s not who Baekhyun expects, but he would recognize that form anywhere.

 

“Chanyeol!?” he shouts above the roar of the crackling flames. The figure twitches.

 

His tall frame is bunched over his knees and his red mop of hair is sticking out wildly in all directions. When he finally does look up there are indeed tears in his eyes. But they stop as soon as he meets Baekhyun’s gaze.

 

“Please, whoever you are please help me.”

 

Baekhyun tears the scarf away so Chanyeol can see his full face and doesn’t miss when the other’s eyes light up.

 

“Baekhyun?” he asks slowly, as if unsure.

 

“Chanyeol, you need to stop the fire. Right now.”

 

His face scrunches in confusion and underneath that is a bit of panic. “Stop it?” he asks. “How? I don’t even know how it started. One minute I was waking up, and the next…”

 

“It doesn’t matter how,” Baekhyun says quickly. He can hear the floor creaking underneath them. If they don’t get out soon the building is going to collapse on top of them. “But only you can stop it. I don’t have time to explain right now but,” Baekhyun gulps, “You started the fire, and only you can control it.”

 

“What?” Chanyeol asks. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

 

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun deadpans. “Why do you think the flames aren’t scorching you? Why are you the only thing in this room that isn’t burnt to a crisp?”

 

“I don’t know,” he snaps back. “Maybe it’s for whatever reason you have a black magic bubble around you? Maybe it’s because I’m dreaming?”

 

He breathes heavily out his nose. “Okay. Fine. Say it is a dream. Do you really want it to turn into a nightmare? This building is about to fall down on top of us and I’m saying only you can stop it. Don’t you want to be a hero?”

 

Chanyeol thinks about it for a minute, and finally he sits up. “Okay, so what do I need to do?”

Baekhyun frowns. He hasn’t thought that far ahead. “Just… concentrate. Imagine the fire… stopping?”

 

Chanyeol narrows his eyes, but he stares straight ahead and Baekhyun can see his eyebrows furrowing. Sweat drips down his forehead. His fists shake as he stares at the fire. Nothing happens.

Chanyeol lets out a huge breath and pants. “It’s not working.”

 

“You aren’t concentrating hard enough,” Baekhyun complains, grasping at straws. The building is starting to shriek under its own weight and he wants to just grab Chanyeol and run. But he can’t risk the fire spreading any further.

 

“How the hell am I supposed to concentrate harder?”

 

“Close your eyes,” Baekhyun commands. “You need to focus on something, anything that’s not the fire. Bring it all back towards yourself... or something.”

 

Chanyeol obeys but Baekhyun can see that he’s still struggling.

 

“Chanyeol, please,”he begs desperately and reaches his shield-covered hand between them until it finds Chanyeol’s.

 

Baekhyun sees the flames flare suddenly and swirl up around them. His eyes widen as they roar like a thunderous tsunami, rushing towards them in the center of the room. He squeezes Chanyeol’s hand so tightly he hears his joints pop softly. Then like they were never there at all, the flames vanish, leaving only charred objects in their wake.

 

Chanyeol breathes heavily and sweat rolls over his forehead. He looks at Baekhyun and their hands held between them in surprise, and his ears tinge bright pink. Baekhyun realizes what’s happened immediately.

 

“How could I be so stupid?”he says suddenly, slapping his forehead with his free hand. He talks more to himself than to the other. “I’ve got nullification. Of course, I just had to touch him!”

 

“What?” Chanyeol asks quietly, still staring at their connected hands.

 

“Look,” he sighs. “It’s a long story but-“

 

“Anyone in here!?” comes a shout from outside. It’s distant, but Baekhyun can hear steps growing closer.

 

“,” he swears. “It’s the fire department - already. We’ve got to get out of here.”

 

“What?” Chanyeol asks again. “What’s going on?”

 

“Look,” Baekhyun says. “We can’t risk them seeing us and having our identities revealed. We’ve got to get out. Now.”

 

He tugs Chanyeol reluctantly to his feet and drops his hand. He scans the room. As far as he can tell, there’s no fire escape out of either window and the hallway is blocked by the fire department. If they try to slip out the door they’ll be seen for sure. He closes his eyes and thinks, what would Black Light do?

 

That’s when it comes to him. It’s so obvious. They’re already replaying the events of the first issue, so why shouldn’t it continue?

 

“The window,” he says. “We have to jump.”

 

Chanyeol walks up to where he’s standing and pokes his head out. He shakes it and backs away. “You’re joking.”

 

Baekhyun only deadpans.

 

“You’re kidding if you think I’m going to jump out of- what? A five-story window? And to where exactly?”

 

“There’s no time to debate about this! You trust me, right?” he demands urgently, leaning on the window and stretching his hand back towards Chanyeol. “Do you trust me?”

 

The other raises his eyebrow skeptically. “Really? Aladdin references in the middle of all of this? Remind me not to watch Disney movies before bed next time.”

 

“Chanyeol!”

 

“Okay, okay. Fine.”

 

Chanyeol grasps Baekhyun’s hand tightly and Baekhyun tugs him forward. He lets instinct pull him up and out the window, and his brain endlessly chants ‘Don’t look down. Don’t look down. Don’t look down.’

 

He gives a mighty push off the ledge with his foot and the sensation of falling curdles his stomach. Only, they aren’t falling. Chanyeol’s shrieking behind him, but they’re leaping almost effortlessly across 30 feet of uninterrupted alleyway and crashing into the window of the building next door. Baekhyun raises his hand and forms a shield around them just in time so the glass doesn’t hit them, and they both land on their feet with a thud in an abandoned office building. When Baekhyun turns around and drops Chanyeol’s hand, the other has his hands on his knees and is clutching his chest.

 

“How-,” he pants heavily, “how did we do that? How did you know we could do that?”

 

Baekhyun only shrugs. “I have Black Light’s powers and it seems like for some reason you have Wild Fire’s. So obviously we could make the jump.”

 

“Powers? Black Light and-? Wait. Why does that sound so familiar?”

 

“They’re the main characters from the FireLight Alliance.”

 

“The FireLight- Those obscure superheroes?” Chanyeol questions, raising an eyebrow and suddenly seeming more like everyday Chanyeol now that he’s regained his composure.

 

“They’re not thatobscure,” Baekhyun huffs indignantly. “But that’s not the point. The point is that we both seem to be playing their roles in the comics. I saw the burning building and immediately knew Wild Fire - you - would be inside, just like with Issue #01. I didn’t exactly expect to find youat the top, so to speak. But other than that, the situation so far has played out exactly the same. We even ended up jumping through to the building next door like they did. It looks exactly the same as in the comic - minus the 2D-ness.”

 

“Wait…” Chanyeol pauses suspiciously. “Why do you sound surprised?”

 

“I am,” Baekhyun raises an eyebrow and then ponders aloud, “I wonder if anything else from the comics is around… What else happened in Issue #01?”

 

“Woah! Hold on!” Chanyeol nearly shouts. “You mean to tell me, that we jumped from a window nearly five stories in the air, and you didn’t know what was going to happen?”

 

Baekhyun merely shrugs again. “I had a hunch. I already knew I could use Black Light’s shield-ability, so I figured everything else would be the same too. Superior strength, agility, reflexes, speed - Wild Fire is the same.”

 

His eyes are saucers. “I can’t believe you risked our lives on a hunch!”

 

“It was a good hunch though, and I’m not sure yet but…”

 

“But what?”

 

Baekhyun puts a hand to his chin in contemplation. “We’ll just have to see. C’mon. Let’s get out of here - I have another hunch. Besides, I have no idea if anyone saw us jump through the window and it’ll be bad if we reveal our identities.”

 

Chanyeol rolls his eyes. “God forbid.”

 

 

ISSUE #03

 

Chanyeol follows behind him wordlessly as they make their way back to Black Light’s apartment. He looks at the buildings around him and up at the crystal-clear blue sky with awe, as if finally taking note of the too-vibrant colors of the picturesque world around them.

 

Baekhyun leads Chanyeol into the apartment building, but when he opens the front door he stops dead in his tracks.

 

“Oh, no way,” he breathes, and Chanyeol nearly runs into him from behind.

 

“What?” Chanyeol asks, arching his head to look around the doorframe.

 

The apartment has changed since Baekhyun left only a mere hour ago. There’s two sets of everything now, and when he checks the empty second bedroom it’s now filled with clothes too big to be his own. He doesn’t answer Chanyeol, but instead rummages around the rest of the apartment in a flurry, trying to figure out what else has changed - where they are in the narration.

He pauses when he opens the dresser in his own room. Black Light’s suit has vanished, and he knows he definitely left it here. But as he searches the drawer a strange feeling washes over him.

 

“No fricking way,” he repeats breathlessly, and reaches down to feel underneath his clothes. His chest tightens.

 

He takes off the suit jacket and tosses it on the bed, rolling up the white sleeves of his dress shirt. On his left arm, starting at the back of his hand, is a strip of armor that extends to his elbow. On the other, small effervescent blue scales speckle his arm and extend all the way up to his shoulder - scales that weren’t there yesterday.

 

“What’s going on?” Chanyeol asks from the doorway, observing Baekhyun’s odd behavior with a tilt of his head. It’s like he can’t figure out why his dream has lasted this long, has turned so mundane suddenly.

 

Baekhyun looks startled, as if just remembering that Chanyeol is there too and marches across the room towards him. Before Chanyeol can say anything, Baekhyun grabs the front of his shirt and rips it open.

 

Chanyeol shrieks and covers his chest, flushing from ear to ear. “What are you doing!?”

 

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun commands calmly and points a finger at his chest. “Look at what you’re wearing.”

 

The other frowns but looks down, still blushing, and then jumps back in surprise. “What the hell is this!?”

 

Chanyeol grabs at the latex suit that’s now covering his broad chest. He lowers the dress shirt he’s wearing to reveal more of the suit. It’s a deep red with a black stripe up the center. His wrists to his elbow are covered in a black-armored, skeleton-type glove, and black strips connect the armor to his shoulders. He privately checks beneath his waistband to find more of the same suit underneath his pants.

 

“Baekhyun,” he asks slowly. “Why the hell am I dressed like Deadpool?”

 

“Not Deadpool - Wild Fire. It’s just like I thought,” sighs Baekhyun, but his eyes sparkle with wonder. He reveals the black suit now underneath his own clothes and the scales on his arms. “You areWild Fire, and I’m Black Light. Well, a version of them anyway…”

 

“Wait,” Chanyeol says, holding out a hand and covering his face with the other as he tries to take everything in. “I’m… who? Wild Fire?”

 

“Not exactly,” he explains. “But you’ve taken his role, just like I’ve taken Black Light’s.”

 

“Look, you’re going to have to explain this all really slowly, Baek, ‘cause I’m just not getting it. What do you mean I’ve ‘taken his role?’” he says in air quotes.

 

Baekhyun scratches the back of his head. “I mean, I can’t be entirely sure, but since I’ve woken up in this bed I’ve been re-enacting the plot of the first issue of The FireLight Alliance. I- We used Black Light’s and Wild Fire’s abilities. And now, we’re both wearing their battle suits. The only way I can explain it is that we’ve taken their roles in the story.” He walks over to the room next door, making sure Chanyeol follows. “Look. Your stuff is even here, and it was not here when I left, Chanyeol. Wild Fire moves into Black Light’s spare bedroom after Issue #01 and they form the FireLight Alliance.”

 

Chanyeol pinches the bridge of his nose and falls onto the bed. “I’m not… I’m not dreaming, am I?”

 

Baekhyun meets his pleading stare head on. “No… I don’t think we are.”

 

“,” he says simply. “This just… It can’t be real. How the hell could this have happened?”

Baekhyun suddenly finds the cracks in the doorframe more appealing to look at, and Chanyeol notices his sudden discomfort.

 

“Baekhyun,” he says sternly. “I was asking rhetorically…What did you do?”

 

Baekhyun picks at his nail beds and bites his lip, unable to look Chanyeol in the eye. But he finally admits sheepishly, “Hypothetically, I may, or may not have, stolen a comic from Mr. Kim’s store yesterday - that he specifically told me I couldn’t have - and it may or may not have been cursed?”

 

“Cursed?”

 

“Or at the very least magical. It us into an alternate universe.Whatever. The point is that what’s done is done.”

 

Chanyeol’s eyes are wide as saucers again. He nearly yells, “Baekhyun! The point is that we’ve been into another dimension where super powers are a real thing!”

 

“You have to admit it’s kind of cool though - the superpowers thing.”

 

“I have a final in two days! How the hell am I supposed to take it if I’m stuck here!?”

 

“You’d rather be taking a Calc final than be in a world with superpowers?” Baekhyun asks incredulously.

 

“What about my family, Baek? They won’t know what happened to me!”

 

It dawns on Baekhyun then. “Oh. Oh, .”

 

“Oh is right,” Chanyeol emphasizes. “How do you propose we fix this?”

 

“Me?”

 

“Yes, you. You’re the one who got us into this mess! How do we get back?”

 

“Right, right,” Baekhyun puts his hand on his chin again and leans into the doorway, thinking hard. How the hell were they supposed to travel to another dimension? The idea seemed preposterous, but this was a comic-book world after all. And they’d already done it once unintentionally. If superpowers were real here, then maybe they could do it. Maybe the technology had already been invented. But jumping to another plane of existence-

 

“Jumping! That’s it!” Baekhyun shouts, and nearly makes Chanyeol leap off the bed with fright. “Kai!”

 

“What’s a Kai?” Chanyeol asks skeptically, one eyebrow raised.

 

“Not what, but who! Kai!” He shouts back, as if it were obvious. “He’s The Phantom!”

 

The other shakes his head. “Baek, the only comic stuff I’ve been keeping up with in the past few years has been the Marvel cinematic universe, and I don’t remember anything about someone called ‘The Phantom.’ So, you’re going to have to explain a lot of things to me if you want me to even pretend to understand.”

 

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “It’s not Marvel. The FireLight Alliance, you dope. And the Phantom is a part of that. In Issue #18, Black Light and Wild Fire help the police commissioner try to catch a notorious thief who can enter the tightest security imaginable and vanish without a trace. They discover he can teleport and finally end up able to grab him because Black Light’s shields nullify other abilities. So, they trap him to ask for his help with saving some hostages from the Red Force’s lair.”

 

“Woah, hold up a second. Who, or what, is the Red Force, and why do I get a very strong bad feeling?”

 

“It’s a league of villains set on the destruction of the established order and society as we know it,” he says matter-of-factly.

 

“Oh? Is that all?” Chanyeol drips sarcastically. “Anything else I should know?”

 

Baekhyun rolls his eyes again. “Yeah, a ton. But the point is that The Phantom can jump through space, and in one issue he even jumps through time.”

 

Chanyeol’s eyes widen. “So, he can probably take us home!”

 

“Bingo.”

 

Chanyeol frowns suddenly. “But wait. You said we were living out the events of the story… and he’s in Issue #18. Does that mean we have to wait through everything else that happens before we can go home?”

 

Baekhyun inhales sharply at the thought. “Dear God, I hope not. Or we’re in big trouble.”

 

“What kind of trouble?”

 

“Huge.” Baekhyun closes his eyes and thinks again, pinching his nose bridge. “Huge like fighting every villain from A to Z huge.”

 

“Well,” Chanyeol wonders aloud, rubbing his hands together nervously. “What happens next in the story?”

 

“See, that’s what I’m trying to remember. As far as I can recall the next big event doesn’t come until chapter 12 in Issue #04 when they meet Aftershock.”

 

“Dare I ask who Aftershock is?”

 

“He’s a billionaire with a bad temper and super strength.”

 

Chanyeol frowns, “But I thought we both had super strength too? What’s so special about him?”

 

“We do. But not like his,” Baekhyun emphasizes. “If we’re ocean swells then he’s a tsunami. Plus, he’s got earth abilities - think Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

 

“Oh… damn.” He whistles.

 

“Yeah…” He has a sudden idea. “You know, maybe… maybe if we find Aftershock we can trigger the other events. You know, speed things along. Better yet, he and The Phantom are old friends, so maybe he knows where we can find him!”

 

Chanyeol gets to his feet quickly, excited for the first time since they arrived. “It’s worth a shot!”

 

Before he can walk to the door though, Baekhyun holds out a hand in front of him. “Not so fast,” he says. “Look, I know you want to get out of here as fast as possible, and I’ll admit I’m a little freaked out by the whole thing too, but we’re Black Light and Wild Fire now.”

 

“So?”

 

“So, I’m saying we are now two superheroes who have no idea how to really use our powers stuck in the middle of a comic book world with other superheroes and villains who are trying to kill us - the whole shebang. I’m saying we should proceed with caution.”

 

Chanyeol nods. “That’s probably wise,” he says and sits back down on the bed, patting the spot next to him. He puts his head in his hands and sighs. “Tell me about the comic - so I know what I’m up against,” he clarifies.

 

Baekhyun’s eyes light up immediately.

 

“FLA?” Chanyeol nods again so Baekhyun crosses the room and sinks down next to him. “Well it all started in 1982 - according to Mr. Kim - and the comic artist was a Korean-American who had moved to New York. He wanted to show off his Korean characters but keep the setting like the city he lived in, a modern metropolis. So, he-“

 

“Baek, stay on track. Start with Wild Fire… what do I need to know about him?”

 

“Right, right,” Baekhyun blushes. Chanyeol’s staring at him dead-on now, waiting patiently, and Baekhyun doesn’t know what to do with all of the attention. It had been years since he’d been able to properly talk to his friend about the comics he loved. When they were little, they would spend hours upon hours on Chanyeol’s bedroom floor, kicking their feet in the air and reading comics, or even simply talking about their favorite characters. But after Chanyeol had grown out of them, he’d started to brush Baekhyun’s obsession off little by little until the other had realized he was annoying him. From then on Baekhyun didn’t hide his obsession, but he never forced Chanyeol to listen to him again. He found other ways to share - Tumblr, Reddit, etc. - with people who understood him, and didn’t need to annoy Chanyeol anymore. But now, his best friend was looking him dead in the eye and actually asking to hear more about his all-time favorite? He couldn’t help but spill his guts.

 

“Wild Fire,” he mused aloud. “His real name is Jung Jaewon, and he’s got a tragic backstory. When he was eight years old, his powers started manifesting in small ways. He could light a spark just by rubbing his fingertips together or pass his hand through a flame without getting burnt. What he didn’t know was that his body was literally absorbing most of the flame he touched, so in the effort to keep it all inside him his body became really hot with a high fever. His adoptive parents were lawyers leading the fight against organized crime in the city that was being headlined by The Red Force. What they didn’t know was that the Red Force knew all about Jaewon’s power no matter how much they tried to keep it hidden.

 

“So, when he was ill, some hired goons snuck into the Jung’s house and set it on fire. It killed Jaewon’s parents, which was their intention, but it didn’t kill Jaewon. With Jaewon miraculously alive, the blame for the fire and for his parents’ death was passed onto him by those who knew about his ability. And since he didn’t know any better Jaewon thought he actually killed them, especially since his fever had disappeared suddenly.

 

“In that time fighting his fever and the power, Jaewon had actually learned to suppress and control it. But he went on believing the horrible story he’d been told - he’d accidentally killed his parents. So, having been adopted in the first place, he was passed around to a bunch of different foster homes, and when he turned eighteen he joined a fire station and became a kick- firefighter in order to deal with the pain he caused.”

 

Baekhyun sighs and Chanyeol raises his eyebrow. “You know a lot about that character. It sounds like you like him a lot.”

 

Baekhyun waves his hand flippantly and says offhandedly, “I do, but he’s not my favorite. I mostly like him as a part of BlackFi-” he slaps a hand over his mouth quickly but it’s too late.

 

“What’s BlackFire?” Chanyeol asks skeptically and Baekhyun flushes again.

 

“Oh, nothing. Just the Black Light-Wild Fire slash ship - which is totally a legitimate ship by the way and I’ll fight you on that.” Chanyeol keens dramatically and Baekhyun can’t help himself as he rushes out, “I’ll prove it to you when we get home! Like in Issue #32 where Wild Fire basically asks Black Light on a date and they-!”

 

“Okay, okay!” Chanyeol says, slapping his own hand over Baekhyun’s mouth to shut him up. For some reason he’s blushing furiously but Baekhyun doesn’t have the courage to ask him why. He’s too busy reeling about the large warm hand over his mouth.

 

Without thinking about it too much he pries Chanyeol’s hand off and drops it unceremoniously. “Anyways,” he says, exasperated. “That’s pretty much it for Wild Fire’s backstory. As for powers, he can absorb flame and make his own. He’s stronger than the average human and much more durable too. When he uses his flame powers he can run pretty fast too - but not, like, Flash fast.”

 

“I have a question,” Chanyeol says, much to Baekhyun’s surprise. “Why was Wild Fire adopted? Did his real parents also have powers or did he get them somehow? Dropped into a vat of acid, maybe?”

 

Baekhyun smiles at Chanyeol’s curiosity but shakes his head. “All of the FireLight Alliance came from the same planet, somewhere far away - an exoplanet - when they were very young. Their parents gave up their children when their own planet was dying and sent them to Earth so that they could live better lives. Each of them ended up being adopted into different families, and so everyone’s story is very different - like how Wild Fire went through foster care, or how Aftershock was taken in by a rich couple who couldn’t conceive.”

 

Chanyeol nods. “What about you? Who’s Black Light?”

 

“That’s the thing about Black Light,” Baekhyun grins. “He’s just your average guy - apart from the superpower thing, I mean. He works a desk job at a hospital and he sees all the people that can’t be saved and he just wants to help, you know? I think out of all the FireLight Alliance he looks the most alien, which is ironic.”

 

He shows Chanyeol the bright blue scales running up his arms and speckling his shoulders. While he talks, Baekhyun holds out his hands in front of him, and as easily as if he’s breathing he slowly forms a dark, purplish shield around them.

 

“He can summon energy from his hands and mold it to his will. It’s dark, negative energy and that’s why it can nullify other latent abilities like Wild Fire’s. But it can also hurt too.”

 

“How are you doing that? Controlling your power, I mean.”

 

“I’m not really sure. But it’s like… like I can feel it inside me. You know when you drink something hot and you can feel it run down your throat and settle in your stomach? It’s like that in reverse. I just imagine the warm feeling in my stomach and… I push it up to my fingertips. I-“

He stops abruptly because he notices Chanyeol’s eyes boring into the side of his head, and when their eyes meet there are stars in his dark irises. The room feels small and suffocating and the purplish bubble around them bursts.

 

Baekhyun stands up quickly and it’s like he can suddenly breathe again. Chanyeol mirrors him and stretches lazily, coughing.

 

“Should we go try to find that Aftershock guy? Do you know where to find him?”

 

He nods. “The company he runs has its own tower. We should try there first, and if not, he has a mansion somewhere outside the city.”

 

“Cool,” Chanyeol whistles. “Very Bruce Wayne.”

 

Baekhyun rolls his eyes but chooses to ignore him. Chanyeol grabs a leather jacket from Wild Fire’s stack of clothes and Baekhyun chooses an extra-large hoodie to cover his battle suit with. Neither of them is quite sure that they’ll need the armor, but don’t want to risk taking the suits off or being seen wearing them. Who knows what will happen if they are caught?

 

When they leave the apartment, Baekhyun finally begins to fully revel in what’s happening right now. He’s a freaking superhero. He’s walking down the streets of Metropolis just as Black Light did. He’s seeing the world just as his hero had. Suddenly, everything is bluer, brighter. It’s like the birds are singing louder and there’s a skip in his step.

 

Chanyeol interrupts his reverie with a concerning question. “What do you think happened to them? Wild Fire and Black Light. Like, if we’re here and we’re them, where did they go?”

 

Baekhyun thinks hard about that as he pads along, nearly trotting to keep up with Chanyeol’s long, quick strides.

 

“Maybe we switched places?” He laughs. “Imagine Wild Fire having to take your Calc test on Tuesday.”

 

“That’s not funny. I’ve been studying my off for that final. I swear to god if he screws it up…”

Baekhyun laughs again. “In all seriousness, I really have no idea. I love them with all my heart, but I can’t even begin to think about them right now. I’m more concerned with getting the both of us home.

 

“I imagine wherever they are they’ll be fine anyway. They have each other and they have their powers. Or wait? If they really did go to our world would they still have their powers? It’s not like we had powers before coming here. So maybe since the powers are with us they’re more of a part of this universe than they are attached to the individual. I mean, this is all hypothetical of course but it’s really interesting to-“

 

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol says lowly in warning.

 

“I know, I know. I’ll shut up.”

 

“No, it’s not that,” he says urgently. “Listen.”

 

They stop in the middle of the sidewalk and Baekhyun turns around and around. “I don’t hear anything.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Baekhyun swivels around again. He’s starts to panic when he notices it, “Chanyeol, where is everyone?”

 

The streets around them are eerily empty. There isn’t a person or car in sight and even the birds have all flown off. It’s still, and the sky suddenly doesn’t look so inviting.

 

“Is it too cliché to say I have a bad feeling about this?”

 

Just as the words fall from his mouth they hear it. There’s a loud metallic clang and then a whoosh,and before either of them can swear or scream they’re knocked off their feet and thrown thirty feet across the street.

 

Baekhyun recovers quicker than Chanyeol, but he freezes in place when he stands up. Not twenty feet from them is a rapidly approaching robot. It’s at least fifteen feet tall with a massive hull and a long claw that extends from its mid-section. There’s a big red thing on the top that he assumes is a camera because it swivels towards them and starts charging.

 

It takes another swing at them with the claw but Baekhyun grabs Chanyeol just in time and they tuck and roll out of the way, taking shelter behind a large parked car for a moment.

 

“Now would sure be a good time for you to set everything on fire again,” Baekhyun says looking pointedly at the other.

 

“Speak for yourself,” Chanyeol retorts, staring at his palms intently as if willing the flames to rise. He double takes when he glances up. “What are those?”

 

Baekhyun feels a sudden weight across his shoulder. There’s a black bow strung across his back and a quiver in his hand loaded with shining black arrows.

 

“Are you kidding me?” he whispers to whatever god is watching them that obviously has a sense of humor for granting him his weapons only now.

 

They both take a quick look over the hood of the car, but they accidentally give away their position. The robot zooms in on them and turns the hull their way, creaking on its massive tank-like wheels. The robot is none too fast, but it is massive, and the two friends are still struggling.

 

“Okay,” Baekhyun says quickly to himself, praying he can channel some of Black Light’s wit. “We don’t need to defeat it, just distract it enough that we can escape before it inevitably kills us. But we do need to slow it down to get away safely. I’ll act as a diversion for now. Between us, you have the real firepower - now isn’t the time for puns - so just work on summoning those flames.”

Before Chanyeol can begin to protest Baekhyun jumps from behind the car and runs down the street, effectively drawing the robot’s attention.

 

“Come and get it!” he yells before the robot takes another swing at him and narrowly misses. “!”

 

The only time Baekhyun remembers holding a bow and arrow was in 7^thgrade summer camp. There was an archery competition at the end of the week and he remembers being just absolutely terrible at it. If there were a Boy Scout badge for iest Archer, he would have gotten it.

But that doesn’t stop him from loading the weapon and firing it at the thing. It sails about ten feet and lands pathetically in the space between them. He swears and loads up again. This time, the arrow strikes the massive hull but doesn’t even make a dent.

 

Then Baekhyun remembers something very important. He has freaking super powers.

 

He thinks about the dark energy he summoned from his palm before, thinks about channeling it into a small funnel. He can see Black Light doing it in his mind’s eye, and he knows he can do it too.

 

He dodges one more swipe of the claw and takes refuge behind a car, turning his back and taking a steady breath - clearing his mind. Then he spins around and shoots another arrow.

 

Only this time, the arrow is surrounded with the same purple-black light energy that he’d used before and it sails at 100 miles per hour towards its target. It barely clips the robot in the side, but the effect is clear. Just a scrape from the energy chews out a massive chunk in the robot’s hull and the arrow lodges in the building behind them, creating a ginormous fissure all the way up to the third floor.

 

Baekhyun’s mouth drops open in shock and he’s too giddy to remember he’s still fighting a very real threat. Below the camera, a hole in the robot’s head opens up and a cannon emerges. In the blink of an eye, a blood-red beam slashes across the street and nails Baekhyun right in the chest, sending him flying into the hood of a car.

 

The car alarm rings in his head as he groans and slides off the dent in the hood. The machine creeps close but a shout stops it in its tracks.

 

“Baek!”

 

Chanyeol finally moves from behind the car and both of his hands are on fire, roaring with white-hot flame. There’s a triumphant smile on his face mixed with a hint of fear and it’s truly a sight to behold as he charges the machine.

 

Like Baekhyun, he clips it in the side and knocks off a significant portion of its outer hull. But it unfortunately isn’t enough to stop the massive thing. It swivels quickly and fires up its cannon, shooting rapidly until one hits its target.

 

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun screams desperately as the other is hit by one of those laser beams in the stomach.

 

The blast has him spinning across fifty feet of space and smashing into the side of an office building. Fissures radiate from his point of impact and the window nearest him shatters. He groans pathetically and slumps down into the pavement, eyes glassy as he manages to stare back at Baekhyun. Everything hurts, and he can’t move.

 

He’s too distracted by Chanyeol and doesn’t notice when a shadow falls over him. The machine’s claw reaches out and grabs him quickly by the throat, lifting him high off the ground. Baekhyun kicks his feet in midair and desperately scratches at the metal clamped around his throat. He can feel it growing tighter and tighter and his eyes rolling back into his head. With the oxygen to his brain getting cut off he can’t even begin to think about using his powers. His hands begin to slack.

“Baekhyun!” he thinks he hears Chanyeol scream.

 

The last thing he sees before his eyes fall shut is the faded label next to the robot’s camera: RF-05.

Suddenly, there’s a roar and his eyes spring back open. But it’s not from the robot or Chanyeol. It’s from an engine, and it’s followed by the shrieking squeal of tires as a vehicle races around the corner. It’s sleek and black, expensive and utterly beyond the era of the rest of the cars around them - like it came directly from the year 2050 - and it expertly races and skids to a stop in the middle of the street. He wouldn’t be surprised if it had actually flown in.

 

The pavement is still smoking when the owner steps out of the car, about as short as Baekhyun, but dressed up to the nines in a vintage tuxedo that he adjusts as he surveys the damage. Even with fading vision Baekhyun recognizes him right away - Do Kyungsoo aka Aftershock.

 

The man rubs a hand through his short, dark hair and his heart-shaped lips smirk into a disastrously cruel but stunning pearly smile. He directs his gaze to the robot’s camera and speaks in a low, mocking voice.

 

“I know you have nothing better to do than pick on innocents, but I was on my way to an art gala. I really don’t have time for this…and you guys are ruining the infrastructure.”

 

He opens up his collar and underneath is a short necklace with a purplish stone set in the center. He taps it and suddenly a new fabric unfolds from the center, cascading and wrapping around his body until he’s in a skin-tight black armored suit that extends up to his chin.

 

“I hope you don’t mind the change in wardrobe,” he says with a slight wink. “It’s a new suit, and I thought I’d give it a test run.”

 

The machine lurches and the grip on Baekhyun’s neck loosens for just a second. He flails his legs desperately, banging on the side of the machine’s arm, but he doesn’t make a dent.

 

“Don’t worry. I got you,” says Aftershock and his eyes very suddenly turn dark and serious, playful smile dropping from his face completely.

 

He slams his fists down on the asphalt and the earth underneath bends to his will. Two massive walls of ground shoot up and jam themselves on either side of the gigantic robot, immobilizing everything except for its arm. But Aftershock rises up suddenly on a wave of rolling asphalt and grabs the arm, tearing it in half as easily as if it were a toothpick.

 

Baekhyun falls slack from the arms’ grip and plunges towards the ground. But Aftershock is there before either he or Chanyeol can raise a finger, holding him gently in his arms like the weight is nothing, a feather.

 

Baekhyun hears the sound of the robot’s cannon firing up and he gasps, but without even batting an eyelash Aftershock flicks his head and a huge rock slams into it, destroying it completely. He turns around and using only one arm waves back at the gigantic robot, to the red camera still watching like an eye.

 

“Tell your master it was a valiant effort - worth the try, really - but playtime is over, and Daddy’s had enough now. If you really want to get my goat send an army next time. Until then,” he smiles, and then he closes his open hand into a fist.

 

On cue, the slabs surrounding the robot slam together, crushing it with a screech of twisted metal. What’s left of the red light in its camera flickers until its dark, and only then does Aftershock slowly set Baekhyun down on the asphalt, laying him on his back but leaving an arm around his waist to prop him up. Baekhyun can only stare back at him as he grins, immobilized and amazed by the handsome face that looks like it was transferred directly from the pages of his comic. If he had ever imagined Aftershock as a real-live person, he would have looked exactly like this - no, this was better than he could ever dream up.

 

He doesn’t even notice when his arm that had been around Aftershock’s shoulder snakes over to his neck, and his hand creeps up to touch his cheek. Aftershock looks taken aback briefly, but then he smiles.

 

“You’re pretty cute. Got a name?”

 

Baekhyun’s eyes spring open wide when he hears someone running toward them. Chanyeol shouts his name and Baekhyun can see him hobbling over as quickly as he can. The only problem is his shoulder is on fire.

 

Aftershock’s thick eyebrows narrow and he holds out a hand. “Woah, buddy, stop right there.”

Baekhyun clears his throat, struggling to speak since the robot nearly crushed his throat. “No, it’s okay. Chanyeol come here.”

 

Chanyeol skirts around Aftershock warily and kneels at Baekhyun’s side. “Oh Baek, your neck.”

 

“I’m fine,” he assures him. Then he summons that strange impulse inside him and lets his body do the work. His hand glows purplish and he touches the flames on Chanyeol’s shoulder, extinguishing them with a small puff. “There. All better.”

 

Chanyeol smiles at him slowly. “Thanks for that.”

 

“What the hell?”

 

They’ve nearly forgotten Aftershock is still there. By now, he’s standing over them and glowering down at them more menacingly than he’d looked at the robot. In a flash, he lifts Chanyeol off the ground by his throat, holding him high as easily as one would hold a pencil. Baekhyun croaks because he can’t scream.

 

“Why the hell are you wearing Wild Fire’s suit?” Aftershock says, shaking Chanyeol as the latter tries to claw at his arm. He directs his stare to Baekhyun. “And you. What are you doing with Black Light’s abilities?”

 

“Please,” gasps Baekhyun, sitting up. “I can explain everything. Please just put him down.”

 

Aftershock glares and dumps Chanyeol unceremoniously on the ground next to Baekhyun. He coughs and rubs at his throat and Baekhyun lays a soothing hand on his back.

 

“It’s not what you think,” he says. “I mean, we didn’t steal anything if that’s what you think. It’s really hard to explain but, you see…we’re not from here - not from this world.” He doesn’t think it’s a good idea to tell the other that this is a comic book world and that he’s merely a character, so he skirts around the idea. “I know this sounds crazy, but I accidentally opened a portal from our universe and it brought us here. I don’t know how it happened, but it gave us Black Light and Wild Fire’s abilities and now we’re trapped. We don’t even know what happened to the real Light and Fire, whether they were into our dimension or not.”

 

Surprisingly, Aftershock nods and places a hand on his chin. “The Red Force have been experimenting with opening worm holes lately. But that doesn’t mean I believe you.”

 

“Please, Mr. Aftershock, sir. You have to believe us.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because we need your help,” Baekhyun pleads. “We need you to help us find The Phantom, Kai. We just need him to send us home, back to where we belong.”

 

Aftershock stares at them both for a long time as if he’s weighing the truth in Baekhyun’s words. “How do I know you two aren’t part of the Red Force? How do I know you aren’t just trying to get to Kai for his ability? They’ve been after him for years.”

 

“I would never!” Baekhyun shouts with shock before he realizes what he’s done and reels himself back in. “I would never do anything to hurt you - any of you. I love the FireLight Alliance. I-“

 

“You know about us?” he interjects.

 

Baekhyun nods shyly. “I’m… You could say I’m your biggest fan. I know everything about you.”

 

“Fan? How?”

 

He shakes his head. “I can’t tell you that.”

 

“Then how can you expect me to trust you?”

 

Baekhyun pauses and bites his lip. “I guess I can’t. But it doesn’t change the fact that I need your help, or that you’re a good person.”

 

Aftershock thinks long and hard before he finally sighs. “Good person or not. I can’t just have you two running around like chickens with your heads cut off with Black Light and Wild Fire’s abilities. I’m taking you with me.”

 

Baekhyun nods to Chanyeol wordlessly and they climb in the back seat of Aftershock’s car. Only when they’re inside does Chanyeol whisper to Baekhyun.

 

“Can’t we just tell him you’re a fan of the comic? Maybe if he knew how big of a nerd you are he’d be flattered.”

 

Baekhyun shakes his head. “I don’t think we should. He’d either think we’re crazy or it would be a huge shock. Haven’t you ever seen sci-fi movies? Never tell someone you’re from the future.”

 

Chanyeol only shrugs and turns to the window, rubbing at his neck again.

 

“How are you?” Baekhyun asks with concern. “That laser hit you pretty hard.”

 

“Well I guess I know for sure I’m not dreaming anymore,” Chanyeol replies. “It hurt for a while, but somehow I think it’s already healing.”

 

He nods in understanding. “That would be your regenerative abilities. I mean, you’re not all powerful but you can take a hit.”

 

With Aftershock’s foot to the pedal, they arrive at one of his houses in what seems like the blink of an eye. But it’s less of a house and more akin to a sleek, modern mansion. It has Baekhyun and Chanyeol both stopping in their tracks to stare and the latter lets out a low whistle of appreciation.

He nudges Baekhyun in the side. “Tony Stark.”

 

Baekhyun elbows him back before picking up his step to follow Aftershock inside.

 

 

ISSUE #04

 

“I’ve taken the liberty of asking someone to meet us here,” Aftershock says. But the two of them are barely listening as they gape open-mouthed at the interior of the mansion.

 

Baekhyun has to hand it to Chanyeol, he’s only seen Iron Man once, but it really does look like Tony Stark’s house. He’s half expecting to see Robert Downey Jr. come down the staircase, but to be fair, he wouldn’t have screamed half as loud as he actually did.

 

At the top of the staircase is a man about Baekhyun’s height but infinitely more handsome (he thinks). He’s wearing a linen baby blue button up and slacks, and his warm brown hair is pushed back up over his forehead. Baekhyun nearly swoons into Chanyeol’s side.

 

Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun with a question on his lips but holds his tongue as Aftershock introduces the stranger.

 

“This is Junmyeon, better known as-“

 

“M-maelstrom,” Baekhyun stutters and lunges towards him with his hand outstretched. “I know, I’m a-“

 

“Big fan?” Maelstrom - Junmyeon - guesses as he shakes his hand with a wry smile. “Kyungsoo has told me all about you… the ‘fan’.”

 

“I’m sorry. I know it must be very strange to you and Mr. Aftershock to hear such a thing. But I really can’t tell you why. I promise, we don’t intend to cause any trouble. We just want to get home.”

 

“Mr. Aftershock?” Junmyeon elbows the other in the side. “Call him Kyungsoo, and call me Junmyeon while you’re at it.”

 

Baekhyun visibly blanches. “You…you aren’t suspicious of us?”

 

“Oh no, I am,” he confirms. “But only a little bit really. Like I was telling Kyungsoo here, stranger things have happened.”

 

The man in question rolls his eyes. “And like I said, what things exactly?”

 

Junmyeon merely shrugs and Baekhyun’s mind reels. Maelstrom is exactly how he’s portrayed in the comics, gentle, laid back, but with a wisdom beyond his years. The most astonishing thing of all, he really believes their story. They might actually help them.

 

Chanyeol nudges Baekhyun in the side and leans down to whisper in his ear. “Catch me up?”

 

In turn, Baekhyun tugs on his ear. “Maelstrom, Junmyeon, is one of the first members of the Alliance. He’s like everyone’s parent and he makes a lot of decisions for the group. He has water abilities by the way.”

 

He nods and stands back up, ears red. “So that’s it then? You guys are going to help us get back?”

 

Junmyeon has a twinkle in his eye. “Well that’s really up to Jongin now isn’t it?”

 

“Kai. The Phantom,” Baekhyun clarifies when Chanyeol gives him a look. “Jongin is his given name but he gave himself the name Kai as an alias.”

 

He looks smug when he answers and Junmyeon gives him another once over, like he’s intrigued by Baekhyun’s knowledge but also suspicious.

 

“The problem is finding him,” says Kyungsoo with a sigh.

 

“I thought you called him?” Junmyeon asks.

 

“I did, but no answer. He always answers my calls.”

 

The other frowns. “Should we try the others? Maybe Sehun knows where he is.”

 

“He won’t,” assures Kyungsoo. “And he’s been out of touch himself. But there is another way…”

 

They follow Kyungsoo to another room that's covered wall to wall with monitors and other electronics. In the center is a large advanced computer, something the likes neither Chanyeol or Baekhyun have seen before, and they watch with amazement for a few minutes as Kyungsoo’s fingers fly across the keyboard.

 

“Do you like that Junmyeon guy?” Chanyeol asks Baekhyun suddenly under his breath.

 

Baekhyun almost thinks he hasn’t heard Chanyeol correctly, but he can’t stop the blush that spreads across his cheeks. “What?”

 

“You keep staring at him like a little kid.”

 

“I don’t- I-. I just admire him, okay? What do you care?”

 

Very abruptly, the central monitor zooms in on something and beeps wildly. Kyungsoo’s face turns ominous and Junmyeon whistles lowly, catching their attention.

 

“We have a problem.”

 

Baekhyun and Chanyeol stop whispering just long enough to take a look at the mix of annoyance and anxiousness on Kyungsoo’s face. Baekhyun steps forward next to Junmyeon and looks at the monitor Kyungsoo’s been pouring over. It’s indecipherable.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“It’s Jongin. If you really know us then you know how he is - flighty, jumpy. Because of his ability, he can be anywhere in a moment’s notice, but he can also get into some pretty bad scrapes. That’s why I gave him a special necklace. It contains a rare alloy that is only detectable with state-of-the-art equipment like I have here and it’s not something one normally looks for. That way, if he’s ever in trouble, I can find him wherever he is as long as he keeps it with him.” Kyungsoo points to the monitor and the two lean in closer to take a look. There’s lines and squiggles that don’t quite make geographical sense to Baekhyun, but even he can tell it’s a map. In the middle of the map is a blinking red dot.

 

“Is that?”

 

Kyungsoo nods. “That’s Jongin right there…right in the middle of one of The Red Force’s not-so-secret bases.”

 

Baekhyun’s jaw drops and Chanyeol only stares between the three of them. “The Red Force? The bad guys?”

 

“That’s putting it lightly, but yeah, the bad guys.”

 

“We keep tabs if we can on their known hideouts,” says Junmyeon. “But they move around a lot. It makes it hard to create a conclusive plan to take them out, especially if we don’t strike every hideaway at once.”

 

Baekhyun and Chanyeol nod in understanding, and Kyungsoo startles them all by smashing his fist onto the table. It cracks.

 

“That’s enough chit-chat,” he says. “Now how do we get him back?”

 

Junmyeon lays a hand on his shoulder that he’s certain is meant to be reassuring. “Now, let’s think for a minute. We don’t even know why he’s there… he could be…”

 

“Don’t say it,” Kyungsoo growls, brushing him off. “After what he went through, he would never willingly go back there.”

 

“I was just going to suggest that he went in on reconnaissance.” He holds his hands up in defense. “Despite what you may think, I would trust Jongin with my life.”

 

Baekhyun stands on his tiptoes to whisper in Chanyeol’s ear. “The Phantom used to moonlight for the Red Force before he joined the Alliance. After the Alliance used his powers to free some hostages from the Red Force’s lair, the Red Force wasn’t so kind to him.”

 

“They beat him up?” Chanyeol guesses.

 

He shakes his head. “Worse. They resorted to torture when he refused to give up information on the Alliance. Luckily, Kyungsoo and some of the others were able to help him escape.”

 

“Shouldn’t he have been able to…I don’t know, just teleport away?”

 

“He should have been,” interrupts Junmyeon, and Chanyeol and Baekhyun jump, startled to find the other two listening to them. “But the Red Force had always planned to make use of Jongin’s ability for god-knows-what reason. They had developed a technology to neutralize his ability, making him unable to jump while he was wearing the shackles. Luckily for us, we had someone to even the score.”

 

Junmyeon’s eyes twinkle and Baekhyun’s widen in surprise. “Black Light! Of course. His own abilities to neutralize cancelled out the power of the shackles and freed The Phantom.”

 

“Exactly, and we’re going to need your help this time.”

 

“M-me!?” he sputters, jaw dropping, and he feels Chanyeol visibly tense at his side.

 

“Of course. There’s no way Jongin is in that base of his own volition, which means they must have perfected their neutralizing technology. We need someone that can combat that if we ever want to see our friend again. You can’t get home without Jongin, and he can’t get free without you.”

 

“But I-“ Baekhyun flails, “I don’t have control of my powers. I can’t fight. That robot almost killed me today and it was only a foot soldier.”

 

“We have more problems than that,” says Kyungsoo. He’s standing by the monitor and he points to the screen.

 

There’s an aerial view of what looks like desert, but the formations of the rocks match the lines on the previous screen. The blinking red dot lies somewhere in the middle of them. But the biggest issue is the trucks. There’s military-grade vehicles disappearing in and out of the rocks and people marching outside.

 

“There’s so many of them,” Baekhyun mutters, a pit in his stomach.

 

“We’re going to need extra fire-power that’s for sure, especially with you not at full capacity.” He grins suddenly. “Luckily, I know a few guys who might be willing to help out.”

 

Kyungsoo pulls his phone out of his pocket, a high-tech out-of-era device that looks like it could have been Baekhyun’s from back home, and dials someone quickly.

 

“Jongdae,” he says almost merrily into the receiver. “Me, Maelstrom and Light could use your guys’ help with a little something. Yes, both of you. Good. As quick as you can. The chopper will- No? Okay. Fine.”

 

Baekhyun feels his heart racing a mile a minute. He runs after Kyungsoo and Junmyeon, who’s grinning knowingly, as they head for the second-floor balcony and pads alongside them.

 

“Jongdae?” he asks hurriedly, breath shaky. “You don’t mean Thunderboy, right?”

 

“Who’s Thunderboy?” Chanyeol asks, but he goes ignored as Baekhyun’s chest swells with excitement.

 

“I do mean,” says Kyungsoo with a smirk.

 

“And Mad Ice?”

 

“Who’s Mad Ice?”

 

They ignore him again as Kyungsoo nods and Baekhyun lets out a delighted squeal. They’re standing on the balcony all of two minutes when the sky grows very suddenly darker overhead.

 

“Hey,” Chanyeol calls. “Are any of you actually hearing me? Who are Thunderboy and Mad Ice?”

 

“You might want to step back,” Junmyeon says as an answer. He stands in front of Baekhyun who in turn pushes Chanyeol behind him.

 

All at once they crane their necks to look up at the sky. The clouds above them are swirling dark and grey, ominously trailing towards them from across the city. Suddenly, a pale-yellow flash lights up the sky in the distance and leaves a trail of echoing thunder in its wake. The flashes grow brighter and brighter until they’re right on top of them. Then finally, a bolt of lightning as thick as a tree trunk strikes the balcony in front of them, charring its surroundings.

 

Baekhyun jumps back and pushes Chanyeol over as they both scream. Kyungsoo and Junmyeon hold their ground, but the former grimaces, covering his eyes from the flash.

 

“This is why I always offer to send a helicopter over,” he says with playful irritation. “It takes the maid service a week to get your stains off my balcony.”

 

Baekhyun’s eyes are still seeing stars from the flash, but when he focuses he can see two pairs of legs through Kyungsoo’s. He sits up quickly just as an unknown voice speaks.

 

“But the helicopter ride is so long and boring,” the voice complains - whines. “And you said quick.”

 

“I’m sure Minseok would prefer the comfort of a luxury class ride once in a while,” Kyungsoo counters.

 

“He would never.”

 

“I might,” chimes in a quieter second voice and the first voice gasps in mock defiance.

 

Baekhyun scrambles to stand up and peers over Kyungsoo’s shoulder. Standing in the center of the blast origin are two men both around his height. He recognizes them immediately. On the left is Mad Ice, a white-haired, feline-eyed superhero with an appearance as cold as the ice he creates. He looks nearly like a fairy in real life, soft face and toned body, but Baekhyun knows that fire lies within him. On the right is his partner, Thunderboy. His permanent grin, narrow eyes and light hair give him a boyish charm that suits his playful nature. It’s his ability that shot them out of the sky moments ago.

 

Chanyeol is still shaking when Baekhyun helps him to his feet. That’s when Jongdae - Thunderboy - takes notice of them both.

 

“Hey, who’re you?” he takes a step forward but Mad Ice places a protective hand across his chest.

 

“Jongdae,” he warns, then turns to glare at Kyungsoo and Junmyeon. “Who are they? What’s wrong with them?”

 

Junmyeon smiles. “You noticed, Minseok?”

 

Jongdae moves past Mad Ice’s hand and gets right into Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s faces, scrutinizing them both within an inch of their lives. Baekhyun’s so overwhelmed his knees start to knock and he backs up until he hits Chanyeol’s chest. Only then does he feel secure when Chanyeol puts a hand on his shoulder.

 

When Thunderboy finally takes a step back he can let out a sigh of relief, but the former his hips and looks at Junmyeon and Kyungsoo with visible confusion. “What’s going on? They smell like Wild Fire and Black Light. Speaking of, you said Light was here on the phone…”

Junmyeon simply gestures to Chanyeol and Baekhyun and when he doesn’t offer any other information Kyungsoo steps in.

 

“These two aren’t Light and Fire…but they might as well be.”

 

Jongdae stares at them all quietly, as if trying to decipher whether or not they’re pranking him.

“You can’t be serious,” he finally declares.

 

But Minseok, Mad Ice, is the one who quietly answers him, tugging on Jongdae’s sleeve. “No, he’s right. Can’t you feel it? Look at them. Really look at them.”

 

So Jongdae squints and analyzes them again. After a minute he asks, “What are you? Who are you really?”

 

“I’m Baekhyun, and this is Chanyeol,” he answers honestly, but smiles sheepishly, “I guess you could say we’re from…another dimension. We need your help to rescue The Phantom and get back where we came from… I can’t explain why, but for now, we have Black Light and Wild Fire’s abilities.”

 

Jongdae raises an eyebrow at the other two in question and Kyungsoo just shakes his head. “No idea where the real Light and Fire are. We’ve called, and I have people out looking for them but no luck so far. The bigger issue is that Jongin has been captured or taken - we aren’t sure.”

 

A grim air settles over them and Jongdae finally lets out a sigh. “You guys really aren’t joking, are you?”

 

Junmyeon shakes his head no and the rest fall silent.

 

Baekhyun’s bouncing on the tips of his toes with adrenaline, and he can barely stop himself as he lunges forward and grabs Jongdae’s hand. “I’m a big fan of yours, by the way.”

 

Baekhyun nearly giggles with giddiness as he feels a small zap of electricity run through his fingertips.

 

“A fan?” Thunderboy asks, astonished as Junmyeon laughs out loud, looking them over like they’ve each sprouted a third arm.

 

“I thought Black Light was your favorite chara- person, I mean,” interrupts Chanyeol with a tilt of his head.

 

“No. I mean yes. But I always thought Thunderboy’s powers were really cool,” he says nearly blushing.

 

“What do you mean?” asks Thunderboy himself.

 

Kyungsoo answers for him. “They know everything about us somehow. They won’t tell me why, but they aren’t dangerous - at least from what I can tell. They would have been killed by a simple soldier droid had I not stepped in about an hour ago.”

 

Jongdae looks skeptical and crosses his arms. “Everything, huh? When’s my birthday?”

 

“September 21^st,” Baekhyun answers automatically without missing a beat. He’s been to way too many comic cons to miss something as simple as that.

 

“Hmm. That was too easy I guess. What did I want to be growing up?”

 

“A singer, but that changed when you discovered your latent abilities in high school.”

 

Jongdae scratches his chin, “What kind of dog do I have?”

 

“That’s a trick question. You don’t have a dog, but Mad Ice has a cat named Tan that you both look after.”

 

Baekhyun’s chest swells at the looks on all their faces. He doesn’t want to admit it but even amidst the crisis he’s having the time of his life nerding-out with his heroes. Chanyeol would kill him if he knew.

 

“What about you?” Minseok points to Chanyeol suddenly. “Are you as good as him?”

 

Chanyeol holds his hands up in his defense. “Not at all. I hardly know anything about you guys. He’s the real geek.”

 

“Geek?” asks Junmyeon and Baekhyun jolts.

 

“Uh. That’s a term to describe… uh…”

 

Chanyeol realizes his mistake and jumps in quickly. “Baekhyun is a studier of the… the sacred texts. See, where we come from, you guys are like gods. And a Geek studies all the texts about them.”

 

They all ponder this for a moment and Baekhyun looks at Chanyeol gratefully.

 

“Why couldn’t you just tell us that?” asks Kyungsoo suspiciously.

 

“I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me, that you’d think I was crazy.”

 

Baekhyun knows he doesn’t really believe him, but he’s glad the other lets it go all the same.

“Anyways,” says Jongdae, clapping his hands together. Tiny sparks fly from his fingertips. “We have a search and rescue to get to, I believe.”

 

“We could probably use Yixing on this one if he wasn’t halfway around the world right now,” mumbles Kyungsoo.

 

Junmyeon nods. “Sehun too. But he’s been MIA for weeks. Although Jongin must know where he is. They always keep tabs on each other.”

 

“Well, this is what we have to work with right now - the five of us.”

 

Eyes dart around the room, silently counting. The group turns on Baekhyun.

 

“You,” Junmyeon looks to him, “are coming with us.”

 

Baekhyun nearly jumps back in surprise and almost misses the way Chanyeol’s fists clench. “Me? I thought you were joking.”

 

“You of all people should understand why we need your ability. Once we’re inside the Red Force’s base anything is game. Your nullification abilities may be essential.”

 

“Junmyeon is right,” nods Kyungsoo. “But that doesn’t mean we’ll take you in blind. I think a day should be ample time to at least train you to defend against attacks. Besides, we’ll be right beside you the whole time.”

 

“Me too!” says Chanyeol suddenly, taking a resolute step forward. “I’ll be there.”

 

Kyungsoo stops him with a somber look. “We need Baekhyun’s power, so he has to come with us. But you… without control of Wild Fire’s power you are a liability. It took him years to master the flame and sometimes it still does more damage than good. Not to mention if we’re in an enclosed space then-”

 

Chanyeol shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. If Baekhyun goes, then I go. End of discussion.”

Baekhyun’s heart starts pounding a little harder in his chest, and his eyes sparkle when Chanyeol looks directly at him. He can’t describe exactly what the tiny pinch in his gut means but he doesn’t hate it.

 

“I know that look. There’s going to be no stopping him,” says Minseok with a sigh. “We might as well train him as much as we can and then go.”

 

“Minseok’s right,” agrees Junmyeon. “Besides. I can keep an eye on him. Between Minseok and me we should be able to keep his ability in check.”

 

Kyungsoo shrugs. “Fine. But you’re in charge of training him up.”

 

“Excellent,” he says with an air of finality. “We’ll start early tomorrow and make our move in two days’ time.”

 

“The sooner the better,” comments Minseok. “Who knows what they could be doing to Jongin?”

 

Kyungsoo nods in agreement, a look of worry furrowing his eyebrows. “It’s risky to wait, but we need to make sure that they can function, especially Baekhyun. Either way, you can all stay here tonight. It’ll save us some time in the morning and we can get right down to business.”

 

“Roger that,” Jongdae says with a wave. “Min and I will take the end of the hall.”

 

“That leaves Junmyeon in the middle and me on the right. You two good to share? I only have the one more unless someone wants the couch.”

 

“We’ll be fine,” Baekhyun waves him off with a small grin. “We’re roommates.”

 

“There’s extra sleeping clothes in the drawers,” he calls as he sends them off.

 

Kyungsoo fails to mention that the room only has a single queen-sized bed in it, so when they get inside Chanyeol balks at the door.

 

“I’ll just go ask Aftershock where the couch is…or if he has a rollaway.”

 

Baekhyun rolls his eyes and drags him back into the room before he can leave. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before.”

 

“When we were ten.”

 

“Is there a difference?”

 

Chanyeol grumbles to himself but doesn’t answer. He knows when he’s beaten. Baekhyun shrugs and investigates one of the dressers. It’s filled with rows and rows of pajama shirts ad bottoms of different sizes and he pulls out two that he thinks might fit. But when he turns back around he thinks he’s maybe starting to see where Chanyeol is coming from.

 

Chanyeol zips his suit down and shakes out his hair. He’s investigating the purpling bruises on his ribs when Baekhyun gulps and turns back around, face hot.

 

What the hell? Baekhyun thinks.

 

It’s not like he hasn’t seen Chanyeol in various stages of undress before, but something about the room is inexplicably growing hotter and his palms are starting to sweat.

 

Turned to the wall, he changes into his own new clothes, but he swears that every once in a while, he feels a stare at his back. When he finally turns around, Chanyeol is already lying down on his chosen side of the bed.

 

It feels weird getting in the same bed. It’s not a bad weird, just funny and unfamiliar - almost exciting. But Baekhyun doesn’t understand why his stomach is fluttering when he’s done it a million times before.

 

So, he turns onto his side and flips the light off really quick. He can hear Chanyeol breathing and he knows neither of them is going to fall asleep soon.

 

Baekhyun closes his eyes and counts sheep. Eventually, he hears the other’s breathing soften and he relaxes, drifting into strange, bright dreams.

 

 

ISSUE #05

 

Neither of them was entirely sure of what the day ahead of them would hold, but they donned their suits from yesterday. As Baekhyun dons the silver cuff that protects his left wrist and runs up to his elbow, he vaguely wonders whether or not to bring his bow and arrows, only to realize he’s completely left them behind when they were attacked yesterday.

 

However, it doesn’t turn out to be much of a problem, because without even greeting him good morning, Kyungsoo takes him to the weapons room (really, how many rooms does his house have?) and shows him the new ones he’d had made.

 

“There were originally made for the real Black Light,” he says. “So, you should be able to use them without a big problem, even though he’s a little bit taller than you. But for now, we’ll train without them. In order to use the bow, you need to have mastered Black Light’s basic abilities, which essentially is Energy Transfer. There’s not enough time for us to show you everything. But you do need to be able to defend yourself in case something happens.”

 

After everyone has finished eating, Kyungsoo leads them through some long tunnels outside. They’re clearly miles away from his house by the time they finally emerge into sunlight, because they can’t even see it anymore. Instead, they’re in an abandoned space with two huge arenas, both filled with rubble and other things.

 

They’re his training spaces he says, and they’ll be splitting into groups to learn power control. Junmyeon and Minseok will take Chanyeol, because should his abilities get out of hand, they are the only ones who can take care of it. That leaves Baekhyun with Kyungsoo and Jongdae.

 

Where Jongdae is surprisingly gentle about his coaching, Kyungsoo is much more severe. Jongdae focuses on the control of his ability. Since his power focuses on energy, he’s able to teach Baekhyun how it feels to summon that focus, although neither of them can really teach Baekhyun the minute details of how his ability works. The only thing going for Baekhyun at this point is his years of reading the comics. At least he’s seen how Black Light has controlled his powers before. He has no idea how Chanyeol’s fairing through all of this.

 

Kyungsoo teaches him about power. Through drill repetition, he forces Baekhyun to become completely aware of the strength of his ability. For what feels like hours, Kyungsoo makes him cut through the earth with his bare hands with only his ability for coverage. It seems like useless work, but Kyungsoo assures him that if he practices enough it will seem like second nature eventually.

Baekhyun privately wonders if this is all necessary. He just needs to be strong enough to help them rescue Kai. It’s not like he’s here for the long run.

 

Next, they practice using Baekhyun’s powers to nullify.

 

It doesn’t work practically with Kyungsoo as a teacher since Baekhyun can’t nullify a rock, but since Jongdae’s ability is another form of energy transfer they use his power.

 

They hold a metal rod between them and Jongdae sends shocks down the tube. Baekhyun has to concentrate hard to nullify the energy on his end, because if he doesn’t the electricity shocks him all the way down his spine. It makes Kyungsoo and Jongdae laugh a little bit which only makes Baekhyun more determined.

 

Eventually, he summons enough energy to stop Jongdae from releasing the electricity altogether. That’s when they finally decide to call it quits - for the moment anyway.

 

They meet the others back at the house and Chanyeol looks just as exhausted as he is. He sees Minseok brush a few soot marks off of his sleeve but other than that the other two look fairly unscathed. He wonders if that’s a good or a bad sign.

 

Baekhyun wants to skip lunch altogether. He’s so tired from the morning alone that he’d rather sleep for half an hour than eat. But the rest of the guys assure him that he’ll be better off with something in his stomach.

 

“I might throw it up,” he counters, but Minseok gently insists.

 

“You’ll need the strength.”

 

When lunch is over, Kyungsoo makes a grand announcement. “We’re doing assault training next, to see how you both do under heavy fire.”

 

Baekhyun pales immediately. If he had barely survived an encounter with a single robot, how would he do against four well-trained superheroes?

 

“We’ll stick with individual training for now, and maybe we’ll see how you do in a group later.” Kyungsoo grabs Chanyeol on the shoulder and pulls him out of his seat. The latter blanches completely and turns white as a sheet. “You’re coming with me this time.”

 

Junmyeon only shakes his head and follows them as Kyungsoo drags Chanyeol out of the room and back to the arena.

 

“And that leaves you with us,” Jongdae grins at Baekhyun with a playful smile. “Don’t worry. We aren’t like Kyungsoo. We’ll go easy on you.”

 

Somehow Baekhyun doesn’t feel any better about his prospects - and he’s right.

 

When they get back out to the arena, the Jongdae from this morning is gone. There’s no more patience, no more work on finesse. Instead he is Thunderboy, mighty and fierce, and he doesn’t hold back an inch. Minseok is just as terrible. He’s fast and wild in his attacks, and his expression shows it. Baekhyun certainly remembers reading about it, but now he fully knows why they called him “Mad Ice.”

 

You can tell they’re a team in both mind and body. When one of them moves, so does the other. Wordlessly, Minseok will trap Baekhyun and Jongdae will pin him down. Then they’ll switch tactics just to throw Baekhyun for a loop. They’re seamless and effortless.

 

The best Baekhyun can do is to dodge their attacks. When he actually remembers to, he pulls the power from his belly and attaches it to his feet. He moves quicker that way, and it saves him a few times as a blast of ice is about to catch him. He vaguely wonders what their plan is if either of them actually hits him. He thinks he might die.

 

Every time he gets trapped he apologizes profusely, but finally Minseok stops him with a hand to the shoulder.

 

“You’re doing great,” he assures him gently. “If the best you can do is to run away then that’s all we want. We aren’t trying to turn you into heroes overnight. We just want to make sure you can handle your own if worse comes to worse. You know we’re going to protect you right?”

 

Jongdae grabs his other shoulder and gives him a nod, and Baekhyun nearly falls into both of them and cries right then and there. It’s like the weight of the world suddenly lifts from his shoulders. He has so many mixed emotions. He wants to make it home safely, but he’s also excited for the adventure. He’s meeting his heroes, but he has to do something extremely dangerous. He could literally die. But Thunderboy and Mad Ice’s assurance means so much to him.

 

He wipes his eyes quickly before a tear comes out and composes himself. “You really think I’m doing okay?”

 

“Of course!” laughs Jongdae. “We wouldn’t be going this hard if we didn’t think you could handle it! We’re actually shocked you’re doing so well. You seem to have an affinity for suddenly finding out you have superpowers.”

 

Baekhyun laughs with relief. “Well, I’m obviously not going to ever be at your level. The way you two work together is amazing. Chanyeol and I are best friends, but we could never have that kind of communication.”

 

Minseok and Jongdae share a look and laugh.

 

“Well, we didn’t always get along this way,” Minseok finally admits and Jongdae nudges him in the side playfully.

 

“It helps when you share a bed.”

 

Baekhyun’s eyes widen slowly. “Oh. Oh. I didn’t know you guys-!”

 

Jongdae grins widely and Minseok rolls his eyes at him. “We don’t advertise it generally - you know, trying to protect each other and what not - but we’re partners in every sense of the word.”

“Oh, wow,” Baekhyun manages to say. His mind is reeling, remembering all of the ThunderIce slash ship forums he’s entered online.

 

“So like Minseok said, we weren’t always so in sync with each other. It took a lot of time. Even after Shikyung and Jaewon finally hooked up they weren’t really-“ Jongdae slaps a hand over his mouth to shut himself up, but it’s too late.

 

“Black Light and Wild Fire were really together!?” Baekhyun yells, practically screams.

 

Minseok glares at the other and elbows him. “I mean, it wasn’t really our information to share, but they were - are. Wherever they are.”

 

Baekhyun does actually swoon and have to sit down. His ship is real. His slash ship is real! Do you know how rare that is!?

 

Jongdae is still recovering from the sharp elbow to his ribs, but he looks at Baekhyun with a question. “Is that really such a shock to you? I mean, you and what’s-his-face are kind of in the same situation, right? Isn’t that why you guys were sent here together?”

 

He’s abruptly taken aback. “Chanyeol? Me and Chanyeol? What? No. Definitely not.”

 

“Oh. I just thought… since he seemed to be so protective of you.”

 

Baekhyun sputters with confusion. “We’re just roommates. I mean, we are best friends. We were best friends. No, we are. I mean, we were, then we weren’t and now we are again?”

 

Minseok and Jongdae share a silent look and Baekhyun can almost swear he sees the words that pass between them. Either way, afterwards the conversation is dropped and Minseok suggests they start working again.

 

This time, they work with Black Light’s bow and arrows. At first, the string is far too heavy to pull back even to fit the arrow in the notch, until Jongdae gently reminds him with a snort that he can use his energy transfer.

 

Baekhyun blushes but tries it. It’s as simple as lifting a finger afterwards. The three of them stand huddled together, the two giving instructions to Baekhyun as he takes aim at a target that looks way too far away to be standard archery. He certainly doesn’t think he’ll be able to send the arrow that far considering yesterday’s catastrophe.

 

But Minseok holds his arms steady and helps him take aim, and Jongdae whispers instructions as he pulls back. He feels the power in his stomach, and watches it manifest in his hands, that beautiful purplish, black speckled energy. With a bit of a struggle, he transfers the energy to the arrow and finally he lets it fly.

 

It sails through the center of the target hundreds of yards away and imbeds itself in the titanium wall behind it. Minseok and Jongdae both clap and cheer as Baekhyun screams.

 

Without their help, Baekhyun can’t do nearly as much damage or aim so accurately. But he does manage to hit the target at least once more. He figures if one of those robots happens to sit still for at least ten seconds he might be able to do some damage now. Maybe he’ll actually be useful tomorrow.

 

Just as he hits the target a second time he hears a low whistle and lowers his bow.

 

Kyungsoo tapers into the arena followed closely by Junmyeon who seems to be supporting an exhausted Chanyeol. “Looks like you managed to actually get some use out of this one,” he comments to Jongdae and Minseok who smile proudly.

 

Baekhyun wonders what they did to Chanyeol in the other arena but when they make eye contact the latter only shakes his head in defeat.

 

“Anyways, playtime’s over. It’s time for a real test.”

 

He feels the butterflies in his stomach die. Junmyeon unceremoniously dumps Chanyeol by his side and takes a spot next to Kyungsoo. Jongdae and Minseok join them. With them all in their battle suits standing side by side, Baekhyun has never been so simultaneously scared, excited and intimidated in his entire life.

 

Chanyeol straightens up next to him but Baekhyun can still read his exhaustion.

 

“It’ll be four against two,” declares Kyungsoo with a smirk. “We want to see how you fair with being outnumbered and outmatched.”

 

“Let’s see what you really learned today,” Junmyeon grins. He has an uncharacteristically devilish smile on his face that makes Chanyeol abruptly grab Baekhyun around the wrist.

 

“Run,” he says, pulling Baekhyun away.

 

When Baekhyun looks back over his shoulder he sees the four of them move at once. Kyungsoo slams his fists into the ground, creating a rolling tidal wave of earth that nearly knocks them over. By some miracle, they manage to stay upright, but not before Junmyeon materializes a wall of water out of the air and sends it crashing their way. They’re barely able to jump and roll out of the way just in time, taking refuge behind some rubble Kyungsoo had torn up.

 

But their reprieve doesn’t last long. Minseok freezes the wall of water into a thick sheet of ice and he and Junmyeon race down it towards them. With their powers in combine, Baekhyun knows they’re in for a world of trouble.

 

As the two of them scramble out of the way just in the nick of time, Chanyeol screams.

 

“Just like frickin’ Frozone!”

 

“Now might not be the best time for Pixar references!” Baekhyun yells back, barely managing a laugh.

 

Suddenly, the sky grows dark overhead and a gargantuan lightning bolt falls from the sky right in front of them. More terrifying still is the hand that reaches out from it and grabs Chanyeol around his neck.

 

Jongdae intends to separate them by zapping Chanyeol to another part of the arena, and Baekhyun knows he can’t let that happen. They won’t stand a chance if they split up. So, he does something he didn’t know he could do. With all the strength he can muster he draws his ability and pushes it into his bow. He swings it around and smashes it into Jongdae’s side.

 

Unable to control his strength, the force of the impact sends Jongdae flying through one of the walls of ice that has been left standing. Now it’s Baekhyun’s turn to grab Chanyeol as they run.

“!” Baekhyun shouts. “Sorry, Jongdae!”

 

Not even a second later, Baekhyun feels a chill and his feet freeze to the ground. Chanyeol manages to get a few steps ahead before he realizes what’s happened. Kyungsoo arrives and sends a few rocks flying in their direction, which Baekhyun barely manages to dodge with his feet frozen to the floor.

 

He summons his energy to his fist and tries to beat the ice away, but his control is imprecise and he’s afraid to hurt himself. Minseok emerges and they’re surrounded on both sides.

 

However, Chanyeol is the one who surprises them all. He switches positions and lights himself on fire. With one stomp to the ice, it shatters completely and Baekhyun is freed. They stand back to back.

 

“They’re both long range fighters,” says Chanyeol like he learned it the hard way (which he probably did). “But I’m more suited to take on Mad Ice than Aftershock, so I’ll have to leave him to you.”

 

Baekhyun closes his fists with finality. “Got it.”

 

He knocks an arrow into his bow and lets it fly just as Chanyeol manages to create a wall of fire. Neither of them is hitting their targets with precision, but they aren’t holding back either.

Chanyeol’s managing to melt the ice almost at the same rate Minseok is molding it, and Baekhyun’s keeping Kyungsoo at bay by making him dodge around the arrows he’s sending. He doesn’t have a lot, so he has to place them well. He definitely isn’t ready to engage in close quarters combat with any of the rocks Kyungsoo’s still sending flying.

 

But he does eventually remember his accident from earlier. When he runs out of arrows he’s suddenly on the defensive. But he transfers his energy to his bow and uses it like a sword. He’s holding a tennis racket and the rocks (boulders) are basically just huge dangerous tennis balls that he happens to be destroying.

 

He can feel the of flame behind him on his cheek, but he knows somehow Chanyeol’s keeping it in check. Then all of a sudden, the heat vanishes.

 

Junmyeon has arrived with Jongdae at his side, and with him and Minseok in one place, Chanyeol’s feeble control of the flames dies in an instant. Junmyeon manages to all at once extinguish Chanyeol’s flames and send them both flying as Chanyeol smashes into him. Jongdae then sends a bolt of lightning straight for them that Baekhyun only barely manages to stop by remembering he can actually make shields with his hands.

 

He knows Jongdae is going easy on him because the bolt fizzles out as soon as it makes contact with the purple shield, and Baekhyun knows for a fact that his shield should not have held. Exhausted, Baekhyun drops the shield.

 

He and Chanyeol try to stand back up as the four begin to surround them. Back to back, they ready a fighting stance, when the four of them simultaneously stop.

 

Junmyeon starts clapping suddenly and Minseok follows suit with a small smile.

Baekhyun still isn’t ready to drop his guard. “What’s going on?”

 

“You pass,” explains Jongdae. “Despite having little to no ability, you both managed to give us a run for our money by surprising the hell out of us.” He points to the bruise forming at his side with a grin.

 

“And you both did exactly what we needed you to do,” Kyungsoo supplies. “You didn’t hold back, kept fighting until the end, and you worked together.”

 

“You two make a pretty effective team,” says Minseok with a sparkle in his eyes. He and Jongdae give each other knowing looks that Baekhyun doesn’t miss.

 

The two of them finally relax, and Chanyeol fully slumps to the floor, lying in the dirt.

 

“Is it over?”

 

Junmyeon nods. “The only thing left is dinner and rest. You’ll both need it for tomorrow.”

 

Baekhyun swears he can hear Chanyeol start to weep with joy, and his legs are so weak when he stands they practically have to drag him back to the main house.

 

Dinner is…interesting to say the least. By the time they arrive back up at the house and shower, Kyungsoo’s staff has prepared a veritable feast for them all. There’s drinking and laughing, and all together a lot of joking. But Baekhyun can’t help but feel that there’s something somber beneath all of them, like they’re all trying to put up a front.

 

Minseok and Jongdae are the first to leave. They slip away quietly with their pinkies intertwined and it doesn’t go unnoticed. It sets the tone for the rest of the group. Kyungsoo leaves soon after that with furrowed brows, and then it’s just the three of them.

 

Baekhyun thinks he’s only wide awake because he knows what tomorrow will bring. Maybe if he doesn’t sleep it will be like he’s pushing back the inevitable. And maybe Junmyeon senses the fear in him. Maybe that’s why he gives them both gentle squeezes on the shoulder and tells them not to stay up too late.

 

When it’s just the two of them, they head to their room in somber silence, dressing quietly and crawling into bed. It’s probably the buzz of the alcohol that’s still warming his cheeks, but Baekhyun feels open and exposed like the only thing stopping his feelings from becoming truth is just that he hasn’t said them out loud yet. Eventually he sighs.

 

“I’m nervous about tomorrow.”

 

“Me too,” admits Chanyeol immediately. He laughs slightly. “It really feels like the end of the world doesn’t it?”

 

Baekhyun laughs a little too. “Yeah…”

 

There’s a heavy silence that falls between them. While Chanyeol’s breaths get deeper and more relaxed, Baekhyun can only feel his mind spinning out of control. What if one of them gets hurt? It’s not like they’re doing no big thing. Tomorrow is dangerous. They could die. And there’s so much Baekhyun still wants to do.

 

Suddenly Minseok and Jongdae pop into his brain. He thinks of what they revealed to him this afternoon, what they had guessed of him and Chanyeol, and how he hadn’t really had an answer. Sure, he and Chanyeol were friends…but were they really? He hadn’t bothered to answer that question in a while.

 

“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asks after a few minutes.

 

“Mm,” he responds, on the verge of sleep.

 

“I just have to know…Why did we stop being friends?”

 

The silence after his question hits the both of them hard. Abruptly, he feels Chanyeol move and sit up.

 

“We never stopped being friends,” he says, and Baekhyun can hear the surprise in his voice.

 

But he only shakes his head in response. He can’t look at him. “Sophomore year. It was like you decided you were going to be someone else at school. It was like between 8 and 3pm you didn’t know me, and then after school you would come to my house sometimes and pretend like we were still best friends.”

 

Chanyeol doesn’t have an answer for that and stays silent.

 

“I was really lonely at first. You and I were so close we never had time for anyone else before that. So, when you dropped me I was all by myself…in high school. Do you know what it’s like to be a loner in high school?”

 

“I never dropped you,” Chanyeol tries to argue, but Baekhyun can tell he doesn’t really believe it. “I just wanted to try meeting new people.”

 

“Shut up,” says Baekhyun. “You ditched me and that’s that. It’s fine. I moved on. I made new friends, and when it was time for graduation I didn’t even talk to you about what school I was going to go to. I fully expected us to never speak again once we got our diplomas, and then for some reason you asked to be roommates. I didn’t even know you applied to NYU. So, I guess what I want to know is…why did you change your mind? Was it just convenient because none of your other friends were going there? Was I just someone to fall back on until you made newer, cooler friends?”

 

“Baek…what brought all this on?”

 

“Just answer the question.”

 

Baekhyun’s breathing heavily. He hadn’t meant to dump all of this on Chanyeol, especially not when tomorrow was such a critical moment. But something about today, what Minseok and Jongdae had said really riled him up - got him thinking.

 

Chanyeol sighs. “It’s…complicated.”

 

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “It’s really not. It’s a yes or no question.”

 

“But it’s not, is it? Because I may have stopped being your best friend in sophomore year, but you were never mine, Baek. I never wanted you to be.”

 

His heart aches and Baekhyun winces as he grabs the sheets in his fist. He can feel hot tears form in the corners of his eyes. But Chanyeol stops him from crying.

 

“I wanted you to see me as something more - not just your brother or your best friend.”

 

Baekhyun feels confusion swirl his vision as Chanyeol talks. What?

 

“Baekhyun, from the moment I met you I have been trying to get over you. Even when we were twelve I knew I was never going to bethat person for you. I was never going to be good enough. Sophomore year just happened to be when it really hit me. I had to distance myself from you as fast as I could.

 

“I knew it was mean, leaving you behind. But I could never bring myself to tell you how I really felt, and I was young and selfish. I’m still selfish. That’s why I asked you to be my roommate. I think I had the same realization. If I didn’t follow you right then, we were never going to speak again. And even though I was trying to cut you out of my life, you have no idea how much that thought hurt me. So, I resigned myself to staying by your side, even if you never saw me in the way I wanted you to.”

 

Baekhyun gulps, and he barely finds the strength to speak. “What did you want from me? How did you want me to look at you?”

 

Chanyeol sighs and he lies back down, turning his back. “Go to sleep Baekhyun.”

 

“Chanyeol, I-“

 

“It’s fine. Just go to sleep.”

 

 

ISSUE #06

 

Baekhyun doesn’t fall asleep for a really long time, and he knows for a fact that Chanyeol doesn’t either. But neither of them speak or move. Eventually, he must have fallen asleep though, because he wakes abruptly when he hears a dresser drawer close.

 

When he blinks awake, Chanyeol is already dressed in his battle suit and is walking out the door. But Baekhyun doesn’t have time to deal with the Chanyeol-sized pit that’s settled in his stomach. There’s another bigger and more dangerous problem that he has to deal with today.

 

Junmyeon and Minseok both try to persuade him to eat breakfast, but he insists he can’t. He’s so nervous he knows he’ll vomit if he so much as looks at an egg. However, Kyungsoo does - not so gently - force toast into his mouth, which actually does soothe his stomach a bit.

 

It’s still dawn when they make their way over to the Red Force’s ‘secret’ lair. Kyungsoo drives a large armored vehicle and Junmyeon gives him instructions from the iPad-like device he’s following from the passenger’s seat. If Baekhyun looks over his shoulder he can see a blue dot slowly moving across the screen, growing closer and closer to the blinking red dot by the second.

His stomach does flips and somersaults, and the only thing that eventually works to calm him down is when Chanyeol silently reaches over and places a hand on his. Chanyeol stares out the window as Baekhyun stares at him and refuses to meet his gaze, but the touch still comforts him all the same.

 

Before they know it, they’re somewhere in the desert, approaching a looming red rock formation. They skirt around it and leave the vehicle behind some bushes. When they all finally pile out of the car everything starts to feel very real.

 

“We have absolutely no idea what kind of security they have,” says Kyungsoo, mostly to Chanyeol and Baekhyun. He’s sure the other three already know the drill. “So, we’ll keep it on the down-low for as long as we possibly can - try to avoid the extra fight. They might already know we’re here. But we don’t want to give them the satisfaction of giving them a fight in the open on their terms.”

 

Junmyeon holds up the device he’d been using to get them there. “We’ve already staked out the outside with drone-tech. There’s a single entrance that’s unguarded from the outside. The main entrance is where they bring in the armored trucks - here and here. Baekhyun, Minseok and I will go in the side and look for Jongin. When we find him, it’ll be up to Kyungsoo, Chanyeol and Jongdae, who have the most fire-power, to create a distraction so we can slip him out unnoticed.”

 

Junmyeon sees Chanyeol’s protest before the words even leave his mouth and he holds up a finger to silence him. “We need Baekhyun inside to help get Jongin out. Two people total would be ideal for a stealth mission, but considering your inexperience we need two of us covering for the each of you. Your role is equally important insuring our safety even if you aren’t exactly inside with us. Remember that.”

 

Chanyeol’s jaw snaps shut and Kyungsoo nods in agreement.

 

“If everything goes correctly. Once we’re outside, Jongin may even be able to jump us back home. If not, we’ll get to the car and meet you at the rendezvous point. Jongdae should be able to get you three that far.”

 

Kyungsoo shakes his head with a sigh. “God, I hate travel by lightning.”

 

Junmyeon rolls his eyes. “Any questions? No? Good. Let’s go.”

 

Baekhyun sees Jongdae lean in to whisper something to Minseok before they part ways and the ever-present pit in his stomach grows thicker. He can’t help but grab Chanyeol’s wrist before he walks away.

 

“Chanyeol, I-…. If anything happens, if you’re in danger…just light everything up and run away…Be safe.”

 

Chanyeol looks surprised but nods and gently extracts himself from Baekhyun’s hold. “You too.”

 

Chanyeol, Jongdae and Kyungsoo lurk nearby, hidden behind a rock formation as the other three make their way to the side entrance. They’re able to break in fairly easy, and Baekhyun has to really hand it to the others.

 

Junmyeon summons water from the air and sends it through every crack in the door, then Minseok freezes it until it’s brittle. Then Baekhyun shatters it with a blow of energy. It’s effective, but it does make a lot of noise.

 

Luckily for them, there are only two guards stationed immediately inside, dressed in black and red uniforms. Before Baekhyun can even think, Minseok freezes them from head to toe with a blast of icy air.

 

Junmyeon jerks his head towards the hallway. “We have no time to waste. We have no idea how often they check down this hall or when those guards need to radio in next, so time is ticking.”

Unfortunately, the device has no map of the base, only that blinking dot that tells them how close they are. They have to keep making blind turns down random hallways and ducking into doors when they hear guards coming.

 

Junmyeon and Minseok are more than enough for the guards they encounter. Even with one hand on the device, Junmyeon’s control of water is impeccable and dangerous even under the worst circumstances, and Baekhyun really thinks that the two he’s with were made for close quarters combat. He’s only grateful he’s no longer on the receiving end.

 

Baekhyun doesn’t have to do much, and for that he’s grateful because every time they encounter a guard his first instinct is to scream. Meanwhile, the others have reacted before he can make even a peep. They are truly experienced heroes.

 

Eventually they reach a dead end with only a single door to pass through. It’s very heavily bolted, and the device seems to indicate that The Phantom is just on the other side of the wall. Baekhyun’s gut does acrobatics.

 

They use the same trick as the first door, but it takes a few tries to get it to come down, and suddenly they’re faced with a large circular room. In the center, hovering above what seems to be some kind of suspension device that looks like it came straight out of Star Trek is a clear box.

On the floor of the box is The Phantom, lying in a heap.

 

“Jongin!” shouts Junmyeon and runs towards the center of the room.

 

Minseok averts him and moves towards a panel on the wall. He pushes a few buttons and the box lowers to the floor, but it doesn’t lose that strange white glow that surrounds it.

 

Jongin slowly blinks his eyes open as Junmyeon reaches toward him.

 

“I wouldn’t do that.”

 

When Junmyeon’s hand enters the radius of the device it repels him and nearly launches him across the room. He holds his hand like it’s been burnt.

 

“!”

 

Baekhyun has never heard him swear.

 

Jongin shakes his head and slowly sits up. “It’s no use. The device is an energy drainer of some sort and it’s been sapping my powers for days. It uses my own power to repel anything outside it and cancel my ability out. I can’t jump out and no one can shut it down without a passcode.”

 

“Oh? Is that all?” Junmyeon says mockingly but Jongin isn’t in the mood to joke.

 

“The Red Smile is here.”

 

Baekhyun looks around at the suddenly grim faces around him, and he has absolutely no idea what that means. What, or who, is The Red Smile? And why does everyone look so scared? He looks to Minseok for an answer.

 

“The Red Smile is the greatest opponent the Alliance has ever faced. We’ve never managed to face him and come out unscathed. He’s the reason one of our members is in hiding right now. He’s the man who destroyed our home planet.”

 

Baekhyun’s jaw drops as his mind silently reels.

 

The author had never made it that far in the storyline – hadn’t lived to see his series finished. His worst fears are confirmed. The world they’re trapped in has exceeded the storyline as he knows it. He’s essentially flying blind – flying blind with dangerous superpowers at his disposal and people who actuallywant him dead.

 

His breathing gets heavy and a pit falls in his stomach. Junmyeon lays a hand on his back, knowing that Baekhyun understands the implications.

 

“It’s okay, Baek. Breathe. It’ll be okay. We’ll protect you. We’re going to send you and Chanyeol home in one piece. We promise.”

 

Minseok nods with assurance, looking sympathetic.

 

Jongin clears his throat and sits up a little higher. “Who is that?”

 

Baekhyun remembers very suddenly that they really don’t have the time to waste on comforting his fragile feelings, so he shakes off Junmyeon’s hand and stands up straight. “I’m Baekhyun. I’m the guy that’s – hopefully – going to get you out of there.”

 

Jongin raises an eyebrow but Minseok gives him a pat. “You can do this.”

 

If there’s no way to stop the machine without a code, then Baekhyun will just have to destroy the machine. Luckily, he thinks, he doesn’t really have that much control over the volume of his ability. So that shouldn’t be too hard to manage.

 

He approaches the glowing cube and raises his hand. He can already feel the machine trying to repel him, so he summons the light from his belly and moves it to his fingertips. What a difference a day of practice has made.

 

He knows it’s nowhere near perfect, but the power comes much more readily when he calls, like he’s talking to an old friend. It surges through his hand and glows around his whole arm.

 

He can touch the cube now, but the machine is still pushing him back. Sparks fly from where his fingers make contact. He sees Jongin look to the other two in question, but out of the corner of his eyes he sees Minseok and Junmyeon focusing on him, praying that this will work.

 

Right now it’s not working. Contact alone isn’t enough to fully neutralize the forcefield around the cube, he realizes. He really needs to destroy it. Keeping one hand on the machine, Baekhyun reaches the other into his quiver and pulls out one of the specialized arrows. He quickly fills it with energy until it’s glowing like purple radiation.

 

Then using all of his strength, he slams the tip into the side of the cube. It nearly bounces off, but he keeps hammering, and they all hold their breath as a small fissure cracks the surface.

 

Baekhyun’s sweating and his grip on the arrow is making his knuckles turn white, but he’s so close. He knows he only has a few more good hits left before he starts to lose his hold on his power. His stamina is slipping.

 

So he raises his fist, higher than he has before, and slams it down with a scream.

 

A purple-tinge explosion blasts through the room. Baekhyun goes flying and slams into the wall behind him, and when he opens his eyes Minseok and Junmyeon have been knocked to the floor.

It takes a minute before he realizes that the ringing in his ears is actually the sound of an alarm. A siren is blaring and red lights are flashing everywhere.

 

He hears Kyungsoo’s deep voice in his ear – it’s coming from the tracking device. “What’s going on? The alarms are going off!”

 

“I think it’s time for a distraction!” shouts Junmyeon through his device as he pulls Minseok up off the floor. “We’re really going to need one!”

 

When Baekhyun stands, the cube has shattered and Minseok is pulling Jongin up off the floor. The latter is panting in exhaustion and his eyes flutter shut.

 

Junmyeon swears again. “Baekhyun, grab his legs. I’ll lead. We need to get out of here, quick.”

They head back towards the door they came from, but the explosion has called guards to the scene – tens of them. There’s only one other door so they turn that way. It’s hard to run carrying Jongin, and Baekhyun wonders how far they’ll get before they’re actually caught.

 

Luckily, Junmyeon is a lot craftier than Baekhyun gives him credit for. He throws the tracking device up at the ceiling and it smashes into a fire sprinkler, triggering all of the devices in the room. Now Junmyeon has access to all of the water in the pipes, and he sends a wall of it back towards the guards. Minseok sends an icy blast and freezes them all in a huge block, and Baekhyun thinks not for the first time that the two work extremely well together.

 

The only problem is they’ve effectively cut off the only exit that they know of. The only other door in the room could lead them into a trap. But they’ve got no other choice. Jongin is out of commission and can’t jump them out. Their only hope is to somehow reach the big hangar they’d seen and get back to the car.

 

As they’re running, Junmyeon uses some of the leftover water from the pipes to clear their path, striking down men left and right with simple flicks of his wrist. Baekhyun would be swooning at how cool he was if he wasn’t too busy suffering carrying Jongin.

 

The explosion really drained the energy out of him and he feels powerless. He wouldn’t know what to do if Junmyeon and Minseok weren’t covering for him.

 

They do have one thing going for them, however. They feel the ground beneath their feet roll and the building starts to quake around them.

 

Minseok smiles knowingly, “Kyungsoo.”

 

It seems like the others are doing a good job distracting attention away from them, because the deeper they go into the maze of corridors the less guards there are. He should be feeling relieved, but something gives Baekhyun a terrible feeling.

 

His fears are confirmed when they turn into a wide hallway and Junmyeon stops dead in his tracks. The other two almost smash into him from behind and Minseok grits his teeth.

 

When Baekhyun stares over their shoulders he can see down to the other end. There’s a single, tall looming figure standing there. He’s covered head-to-toe in black all the way through to the mask covering his face. There’s no visible eyes on it, just a dark red smile carved like a jagged scar where the mouth should be.

 

The blood drains from Baekhyun’s face. He knows who this terrifying man is without the others having to say a word.

 

“Run,” Junmyeon growls under his breath. “I’ll hold him off.”

 

They start to turn obediently as Junmyeon takes a fighting stance, but Minseok gives Baekhyun a look.

 

“He won’t stand a chance alone. Can you carry Jongin?”

 

Baekhyun can’t but he knows he must, so he swallows thickly and nods. The power in his belly feels less like a fire and more of a flicker at the moment, but he summons what’s left of it and uses it to haul Jongin over his shoulders and turns quickly back the other way.

 

He refuses to look back as he runs, knowing the sight of his heroes will make him turn back around. They’ve given him a job to do and he won’t screw this up for them. He’ll protect Jongin with his life.

 

He runs and runs blindly, turning down random corridors and praying he isn’t running in circles. He runs towards the sounds of chaos, hoping he’ll stumble into the hangar and find the others. Something tells him the grim looks on Junmyeon and Minseok’s faces weren’t just for show. They need help. Now.

 

The sounds of screaming and booming are getting louder and he picks up the pace. But he turns a corner too fast and smashes right into a group of guards. He almost falls into a state of shock when they bounce off him, but as they pick up their weapons instinct takes over.

 

He lets out a yell and using the very last drops of his ability he punches the air. A purple shock wave like a bubble blasts out and pushes them all backward, smashing them through the door. Baekhyun smells smoke from the open door and lets out a sigh of relief as he steps over the passed-out guards.

 

He’s reached the hangar.

 

His knees buckle as he steps inside and he and Jongin go careening to the floor in a heap of tangled limbs. There’s chaos all around them. He can see Kyungsoo fighting at least fifteen of those massive robots from the other day all at once, and he doesn’t see Chanyeol but there’s fire raging everywhere and men screaming.

 

When Baekhyun really looks around it doesn’t look like a hangar so much as a factory. There are broken conveyor belts everywhere and heavy machinery hanging from the ceiling. There’s a big metal slab on the wall next to him with red spray paint decorating it that reads: RF-06.

 

It looks so familiar, but he can’t remember why.

 

A huge clunk draws his attention as one of the robots approaches him on autopilot. Baekhyun feels fear pool in his stomach. He has no energy to fight, not even enough to scream. He tries to drag Jongin’s limp form out of its path.

 

Not even a second later, the robot short-circuits and its head pops off. Baekhyun lets out a huge sigh of relief when Jongdae pops out from behind it. He’s got soot marks on his clothes and a bruise on his chin, but he looks otherwise unscathed.

 

“Baekhyun!” he shouts in surprise, and his eyes widen as he takes in Jongin.

 

“Where’s-?”

 

Baekhyun doesn’t give him a chance to speak as he nearly collapses into his hold. “Junmyeon… Minseok,” he chokes out. “The Red Smile is here.”

 

Jongdae pales and he sets Baekhyun down gently as his jaw locks in place. “Min… I got to go.”

 

He takes off at an incredible speed down the hallway Baekhyun had just fallen out of. The look on his face is something Baekhyun never wants to see again.

 

He knows he can’t just sit there. He needs to find Chanyeol and Kyungsoo or they’re never going to make it out of here. He drags Jongin behind some of the large metals hulls lying on the floor and takes refuge as he watches the chaos. Only seconds later, something red runs past the entrance.

 

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun yells as he whips his head around. The other pauses and turns back towards him.

 

“Baekhyun!” he shouts, and the other doesn’t understand why but the desperation in his voice breaks his heart. “Are you okay?”

 

“I’m fine. I need you to go find Kyungsoo. Tell him that we need to get out of here ASAP. I’m all out of juice and the others are holding off The Red Smile so we can escape. Tell him The Red Smile is here.”

 

“Who’s-“

 

“There’s no time for explanation, Chanyeol! Just do it!”

 

Chanyeol swallows and nods then he turns on his heal and runs towards another side of the hangar. Baekhyun starts to think everything will be okay just as a huge blast shakes the entire building.

He crawls to the side of his hiding place and sees Junmyeon flying out of the hallway with a crash. Seconds later, Jongdae runs through the door, dragging a stumbling Minseok behind him. The latter sends an icy blast back through the door and seals it closed behind a thick wall of ice.

It’s broken through only a moment later, smashed to smithereens as easily as one snaps a cracker with their fingers as the black-masked man barges through.

 

He stretches out his hand and there’s a red energy around it. It looks like Baekhyun’s power, but it moves like a snake. It grabs hold of Jongdae around his feet and freezes him, then it snakes up until it’s covering his whole body.

 

Minseok sends an angry blast of ice at the man and it causes him to lose his hold on Jongdae, but the damage has been done. The Red Smile has sparks of electricity shooting from his fingers and he sends it back at Minseok tenfold. Jongdae screams.

 

Energy absorption, thinks Baekhyun with a chill. He the energy out and redistributes it as he pleases.

 

Kyungsoo rides up on a block of rock he’s somehow managed to mold with Chanyeol at his side. He drops Chanyeol off with Junmyeon and takes a stand next to the other two.

 

“The Red Smile,” he growls. “Kidnapping? I didn’t think you’d stoop so low.”

 

He sends a blast of earth at the man, and Baekhyun can’t even imagine how it’s not going to crush him into a pancake. But the masked man stops the wall with a single hand, and with the other he can see the red energy snaking towards Kyungsoo.

 

Kyungsoo manages to notice in time and drops back, sending a barrage of earth back to keep The Red Smile distracted.

 

There’s no time for Baekhyun to be in awe. This man is a very real threat, and judging on how things are going, Kyungsoo joining the fray isn’t going to change much at this point. They need to retreat – get out of there as fast as they can. Although he doubts Jongdae alone can zap them all away now.

 

The Red Smile laughs menacingly. His voice is slightly higher than Baekhyun would have imagined but the most irritating part is that he seems calm about everything, being outnumbered.

 

“You’ve had the misfortune of stumbling into my toy room it seems. I’ve been dying to see how you fair against my newest creation.”

 

He presses a button and the wall nearest Baekhyun starts to rise. He jumps back in surprise as the hull he’s under is knocked over and he and Jongin are exposed.

 

Behind the massive wall is an even bigger robot with the letters RF-06 spray painted near the top. The RF-05 that had attacked Baekhyun had been no bigger than an elephant. He supposes the new model is bigger than a blue whale.

 

Baekhyun remembers what the impact of the cannon had been on the smaller model, so when the 06 starts firing up its jumbo-sized cannon at lightning speed his heart drops out of his chest.

 

Baekhyun doesn’t even think. There’s no time. He simply launches his body at Jongin.

 

He swears he hears Chanyeol scream from somewhere, then there’s a huge thud and Baekhyun feels like a shockwave has gone through his body. But he’s not dead – somehow.

 

When he manages to peek, he’s still clutching onto Jongin tightly, but a huge purple shield surrounds them and its managing to barely keep the blast of energy at bay. But it is starting to crack.

 

Luckily, Jongdae steps in out of nowhere and blasts the robot with a lightning bolt, distracting it enough to stop the cannon. It turns and starts rolling towards the others. The hull is too dense for their attacks to do anything but distract it at this point, but luckily its very slow moving.

 

When Baekhyun drops the shield – power he’d pulled from nowhere - with shaking arms, Jongin’s eyes suddenly spring open as if he’s been awake this whole time. He takes one look at Baekhyun and then grabs him roughly by the shoulders.

 

Then, in a pop they’re gone.

 

Baekhyun feels like his body has been compressed to a liquid and then reformed as a solid again a trillion times. He feels like he’s sliding in and out of a rubbery substance, and nothing in his body feels like its attached anymore. Then he comes out on the other side, whole. Jongin drops him in the middle of the desert somewhere with only cactus for company, then in a small wisp of black smoke he vanishes again.

 

Baekhyun rolls on his side in an effort to orient himself. He feels motion-sick, like he just got off Superman at Six Flags for the fifth time in a row. Before he truly has time to wonder, Jongin reappears briefly with Chanyeol and Junmyeon at his side then vanishes again.

 

Chanyeol’s legs buckle and he falls at Baekhyun’s side. Junmyeon sways a little but manages to remain upright with his hands on his hips.

 

“Don’t worry,” he says, looking a little green himself. “You get used to it… sort of.”

 

Another few minutes pass, but Jongin reappears one last time, supported on either side by Jongdae and Minseok and with Kyungsoo grasping onto his shoulder. Jongin echoes Chanyeol and falls down into the sand. He’s passed out again as if he’d never been awake at all, and Baekhyun can only hope it’s because his powers have been temporarily drained and not because of something else.

 

As far as he knows, the seven of them are now stranded in the middle of the desert. But as he should have expected, Kyungsoo punches a few buttons attached to the forearm of his black battle suit and only minutes later he can hear helicopter blades whirring towards them in the distance.

Only then does Chanyeol roll over until he’s face to face with Baekhyun. He looks tired, completely drained. There’s singe marks on his nose and sand pressed into his cheek and hair, but despite that he looks at Baekhyun sternly.

 

“Don’t ever do that again,” he says with a low growl.

 

Baekhyun knows exactly what he’s talking about, but he doesn’t have the strength to argue right now so instead he keeps his mouth shut. But Chanyeol stares at him until the chopper arrives.

Even though he’s terrified of heights, Baekhyun feels relief flood through him as the chopper carries them back towards the city. They did it. They rescued Jongin, and once he rests up they can go home. They lived. They’re going home.

 

He closes his eyes.

 

 

ISSUE #07

 

“I can’t do it,” Jongin says frankly.

 

“What!” Chanyeol and Baekhyun both shout at the same time.

 

Jongin sleeps for two days before he wakes up again. In the meantime, Baekhyun and Chanyeol have been waiting idly, expecting good news when they made their request of him. They haven’t really spoken much with each other outside of the group, and Baekhyun’s been doing training with Minseok and Jongdae for fun. He knows it won’t really matter since he’ll be gone soon anyway, but he likes hanging out with them all the same.

 

But even as they plead their case, Jongin just shakes his head sadly.

 

“Even if I wasin top shape, there’s just no way.”

 

“But-but,” Baekhyun stutters. “How can that be? You’ve jumped through time before!”

 

“I may have jumped through time once, but it was not easy,” he retorts with a huff, and Kyungsoo confirms this with a nod of his head. “I was sick and out of commission for like a week afterwards. I jumped backwards just 30 seconds and it drained all of my power. Now imagine jumping through not just space andtime, but planes of existence. There’s absolutely no way-“

 

He stops abruptly, and the entire room turns to him as he fingers the black crystal hanging around his neck. Jongdae shrugs at Minseok who only raises his eyebrows, but Kyungsoo looks like he’s already read Jongin’s mind.

 

He fingers the purplish stone set in the middle of his own neck. “The Gems.”

 

Everyone except Chanyeol collectively gasps, and the latter looks around the room from face to shocked face in confusion.

 

“What are the Gems?” he finally asks.

 

Baekhyun steps up to his side. “When the Alliance all finally united, all nine of them, it activated something that their parents had set in place for them a long time ago. Nine Gems for each child appeared to suit their abilities. Each member of the Alliance received a Gem, but they were only to be used all together in the darkest of times. Individually, they enhance our powers tenfold, and when they’re all put together…”

 

“It’s catastrophic,” Kyungsoo says darkly.

 

The Gem had been what saved Jongin in the first place. When Baekhyun was out of power back at the hangar, he had desperately pulled power from it in order to create a shield around them both. He and Junmyeon had talked about it just the other day.

 

Baekhyun slaps his forehead, ignoring Kyungsoo. “Why didn’t I think of that? The Gems are literally from other planes of existence. Of course, they can get us there.”

 

“Hey, I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a Gem,” says Chanyeol skeptically.

 

Baekhyun steps closer and rolls his eyes before lifting Chanyeol’s right arm and turning it over. “Of course you do. Look.”

 

On top of his forearm a ruby-colored Gem is embedded into the coal-scaled armor that covers him from elbow to wrist. Chanyeol merely blinks in surprise.

 

“Oh.”

 

Grinning, Baekhyun turns his own left arm over and taps his opalescent white gem, showing it to the other. “Mine’s the same.”

 

“I’m pretty sure Wild Fire suggested you guys match in the first place,” Jongdae says with a smirk.

Baekhyun’s movements halt entirely. He’s blushing from one ear to the other. Of course, he knows that Wild Fire suggested it so that they’d be mirroring each other. But now that he knows for sure that Black Light and Wild Fire were actually a couple it makes it seem so much more significant. And he’s knows why now, but Chanyeol is staring at him funnily, and it’s making him nervous.

 

“What?” he asks, stepping back to put some space between them, his hands fidgeting. He suddenly feels the need to stare at his feet.

 

“Nothing,” Chanyeol replies. His voice doesn’t betray him, but Baekhyun can see his feet shuffling out of the corner of his eye and the frown that sets in his face.

 

“Did I hit a nerve?” asks Jongdae.

 

Baekhyun sees Minseok elbow Jongdae in the side and Junmyeon thankfully decides to step in.

 

He clears his throat loudly, calling them all to attention. “I’ve already called the others. Yixing is on his way back right now and should be here by tomorrow. I still don’t know where Sehun is. Jongin, you should try to get a hold of him. He trusts you.”

 

Baekhyun starts to agree but Kyungsoo loudly objects. “No way,” he says firmly, and there’s practically smoke coming out of his nostrils.

 

“Kyungsoo…” Jongin says gently but he’s quickly shut up.

 

“No!” he shouts, slamming his fist into the wall. “We said never again. We all swore. The number of Gems in this room alone is the equivalent of a nuclear meltdown. I’m not assembling them all under one roof. Not again.”

 

“Last time wasn’t our fault. It wasn’t your fault. You know that,” Minseok insists.

 

“But it was only possible because we were there - because we were all there! We made it happen! Imade it happen!”

 

Chanyeol looks to Baekhyun but he’s just as stunned at Kyungsoo’s outburst. Baekhyun doesn’t have any idea what they’re talking about right now. He’s racking his brain, but as far as he knows the creator of the FireLight Alliance died before he had a chance to create an arc where all nine Alliance members assembled to actually use the Gems. He supposes that would be where The Red Smile would have come in.

 

“Look,” Kyungsoo says, calming down but still continuing to argue. “You guys can go about this any way you want. But if you’re going to put all the Gems together again then count me out. I won’t- can’t be a part of that again.” He presses a button on his forearm and starts backing for the door. “If you change your mind you’ll find me at my seaside house.”

 

He slams the door but Jongin vanishes from his bed instantly in a small puff of smoke, presumably chasing after him. They hear an engine rev and tires squealing as he peels out of the driveway.

Jongin reappears with a soft pop a moment later, looking irritated. It looks strange on his usually smiling face.

 

“He’s not coming back,” he announces, leaning against the wall.

 

“That’s fine,” Jongdae shakes his head. “We can do it without him. He wasn’t wrong, you know - the thing about going nuclear. With the power in this room we might even be able to send you back now.”

 

“We won’t,” argues Jongin. Then he raises his hands defensively, so the others know he isn’t trying to start another fight. “Trust me. As someone who crosses space on the daily, I’d say we need at least twice the power.”

 

Chanyeol clears his throat softly. “What exactly… what exactly were you guys talking about before? What got Kyungsoo so riled up?”

 

Junmyeon raises his eyebrows and looks pointedly at Baekhyun. “I thought you guys knew everything about us?”

 

“I thought I did too,” Baekhyun admits. “But maybe not everything was put into the texts…”

 

Jongin sighs and rubs at his arms. “Once upon a time, we didn’t actually know what would happen when we united all the Gems. It had never been done before.”

 

“Back when you guys were still, well, you,” Minseok says. “Black Light and Kyungsoo hatched a plot. We knew what the Gems were like on their own, but Kyungsoo hypothesized that bringing them together would be enough power to put a halt to the Red Force once and for all. None of us could have predicted what it was really like…”

 

Chanyeol and Baekhyun share a wary look.

 

“On a particular day about a year ago,” begins Jongdae, uncharacteristically grim, “we were outnumbered a hundred-to-one. The Red Smile had just appeared, and we knew nothing about him – only that he was strong. We were losing. The city was a mess, and all nine of us were scattered on every side of it. The Red Force had taken hostages, and none of us were fighting to full capacity. We couldn’t. We’d never tried it before, and a few of us resisted, but eventually Kyungsoo’s idea won out. We all made the decision. But he’s blamed himself alone ever since, saying he was the one who insisted.”

 

“What happened?” Baekhyun dares to ask, voice barely above a whisper.

 

“Catastrophe.”

 

“We weren’t prepared,” clarifies Junmyeon with a grimace, “for the kind of power the Gems would hold, and the blast when we united them… It put an end to the attacks that day, but civilians were killed.” He pauses and stared at the floor. “Kyungsoo’s fiancé included.”

 

An unwarranted tear drips from Baekhyun’s cheek. Of course, they couldn’t have known, but to know that his heroes took part in that kind of disaster - to know they all still lived with the pain and scars of their mistake….

 

“But it’s a different time now,” declares Jongdae with sudden resolution, his chest swelling with charisma. “We’re all stronger than we used to be. The Gems aren’t just tools we were given now. They’re ours. We wield them well now.”

 

Minseok nods. “We’re no longer wet behind the ears.”

 

“We promise. We’ll send you home no matter what it takes.” Jongdae walks over and pats him on the shoulder.

 

Baekhyun feels overwhelmingly happy as he looks around at the group of them. They all look so confident, and he can tell that the past few days have brought them more than comradery. He truly loves every one of them.

 

“I’ll find Sehun,” Jongin announces suddenly. “Like you said, he’ll probably only talk to me at this point.”

 

Junmyeon gives him a nod and he vanishes in a wisp of black smoke. “Then all that’s left is Yixing, and he should be here by tomorrow. And since Kyungsoo won’t be joining us, I suppose we’ll need to train you two as much as possible.”

 

“What for?” Chanyeol asks, his jaw is still clenched. He must be itching to get back already.

 

“So you guys don’t disintegrate,” smiles Jongdae. “I’m joking - but only a little.”

 

“He’s right,” Junmyeon confirms. “The Gems are still unstable in untrained hands. But we need every drop of power we can get if we’re going to send you two back to your home in one piece. So I’m sorry to say it but we’re going to need to train again – just a little bit.”

 

Chanyeol sighs but he nods his head in understanding. Baekhyun is secretly relieved. They have at the very least one more day before he has to go back home and face the reality, which is…unclear at best. He looks at Chanyeol nervously from the corner of his eye. Something had changed and he’s not sure if he likes it, not sure if he wants to face it yet.

 

The remaining Alliance members take them out to the arena that night together. They all sit down and explain what it feels like to call on the power of the Gem they possess. Baekhyun understands a little bit after using his by accident.

 

It’s deeper than the power that resides in his belly. It comes from somewhere else entirely, but it’s always lurking like the unspoken elephant in the room. Even if he just taps at the door of it, he can feel the immense pressure behind it.

 

They try to teach him how to call it up, but it remains immensely personal. By the end of the night, he does manage to scratch the surface and summon a thick purple shield around his body. And he’s not sure if Chanyeol has done the same but the heat rolls off his form in smothering humid waves.

They eat and then they go to sleep in silence. Baekhyun vaguely wonders when the turning point was. Exactly when did everything change between them. When was friendship not enough?

 

His dreams are chaotic, and he wakes up feeling more tired than when he went to sleep. When he drags himself out to the kitchen early in the morning, Junmyeon is already there drinking coffee and relaxing. Baekhyun waits to get a glass of water while someone digs around in the fridge.

That’s when he realizes that he’s never seen the person behind the mop of dark hair currently rooting through the fridge and muttering to himself.

 

“Sure, there’s eggs and protein drinks but where are the vegetables, Kyungsoo? Honestly, why do I even bother coming up with a personalized nutrition plan if you aren’t going to follow it?”

 

He stands up straight and whips his body around, coming face to face with Baekhyun and his head as he looks him over. Baekhyun freezes as mop-top looks him up and down, head to toe.

 

“You must be Baekhyun!” he chirps and grins. A dimple presses into his left cheek.

 

Without warning he hugs Baekhyun tightly around the middle and his hair. Baekhyun stiffens and looks at Junmyeon who shrugs indifferently.

 

“Baekhyun, meet Yixing. Yixing, introduce yourself before you grab people next time.”

 

The latter merely hums in response, then Baekhyun realizes he’s smelling and grabbing his hair.

 

“Hey!” Baekhyun tries to jerk away, but Yixing grabs him by the cheek and sticks his thumbs in his mouth, examining his teeth.

 

“Your gums look good… and your eyes. You look tired. Do you feel tired?”

 

“Er guerss,” he manages to mumble before Yixing removes his thumbs. “I guess, yeah.”

 

Yixing rubs his hands together and they start to glow almost orange. Then he presses them into Baekhyun’s shoulders. Almost immediately he feels a warm sensation spread throughout his body. The tension leaves his muscles and he feels suddenly energized. It finally dawns on Baekhyun - who he is.

 

“Better?”

 

“God’s Hand…The Alchemist,” Baekhyun whispers.

 

“Careful,” a soft voice interrupts. “Call him that one too many times and he’ll start getting a big head.”

 

There’s a tall blonde with sharp eyebrows leaning into the door frame. A sleepy-looking Jongin pushes past him into the room and pats his arm. “Play nice.”

 

“Cyclone,” Baekhyun says in understanding.

 

“I hate that name.” The blonde rolls his eyes like a teenager. “Sehun,” he clarifies. “Just call me Sehun.”

 

Cyclone – Sehun – is the youngest hero of the group. He was introduced much later on in the series as a childhood friend of The Phantom’s. He was always shown as angsty and moody in the comics, but he had a softer side too. Baekhyun doesn’t know exactly what happened, but according to Junmyeon, his current attitude has something to do with The Red Smile.

 

On the other hand, Baekhyun had barely recognized Yixing, also known as The Alchemist. He was the final member of the Alliance and was only introduced briefly just before the author died. So Baekhyun doesn’t know much about him at all except that he was a doctor. Not much of his abilities were revealed before the author’s death, so most of his personality and character has been left up to speculation until this point. Baekhyun can’t believe that he’s experiencing him first hand, or that he’s turned out to be such a touchy weirdo.

 

“I’m Baekhyun,” he finally manages to spit out, long after Sehun had joined Junmyeon at the table.

 

The latter laughs at Baekhyun’s stunned face. He gathers his courage and reaches out, grabbing Yixing’s hand. “Please, tell me about yourself.”

 

Yixing his head and smiles, and they sit down at the table.

 

“Well, my name is Zhang Yixing, and I’m a doctor who works mostly in the field. They call me God’s Hand in some parts of the world, The Alchemist in others, and sometimes The Necromancer.” He holds up his hands for Baekhyun to see and watches them glow. He holds out his hand again between them. “May I?”

 

Baekhyun tentatively places his palm up within his grasp, and before he realizes it, Yixing slashes his flesh with a small blade. Baekhyun winces in pain, but before he can really think about it, the doctor covers his hand with a glowing palm. When he removes it, the cut has vanished completely.

“Molecularization,” he says with a nod and then grabs one of the fresh flowers lying on top of the table. He pinches it between his thumb and forefinger and Baekhyun watches as it withers and dies instantly. “And de-molecularization. Two sides of the same coin. Life and Death.”

 

Sehun snorts. “Big deal. You redistribute energy in molecules. You aren’t god.”

 

Yixing shakes his head with a sad smile. “You’re right. Not everything can be cured.”

 

“What’s going on in here?” a deep voice sounds from the door.

 

Baekhyun whips his head around to see Chanyeol looking at him from the doorway, staring at his hand still clasped in Yixing’s. Baekhyun rips it from his grasp and quickly shakes his head.

 

“Just being introduced to Yixing and Sehun.”

 

He moves from his spot to sit next to Junmyeon as Jongin properly introduces the other two.

 

“Trouble in paradise?” Junmyeon mutters to Baekhyun quietly, looking between him and Chanyeol.

 

“I truly have no idea.” Baekhyun shakes his head. “Anyway, I have to ask. What’s Sehun’s deal? Why’s he so…”

 

“Angry?” Junmyeon guesses. “It’s because of what happened a year ago. He’s not angry at any of us – not really. Our first incident with The Red Smile… he was taken hostage. He thinks it’s because of him that we held back that day. He thinks that it’s because of him that we chose to use the Gems so recklessly – that Kyungsoo’s fiancé was killed. He says he blames Yixing, for not being able to save her in time. But Yixing just takes it in stride because we all know Sehun is really just mad at himself – for the wrong reasons too. None of us blame him for what happened that day.”

 

Baekhyun can only look at the young boy with pity. He’s experienced such great trauma at such a young age… He wishes he could help fix it.

 

Jongdae and Minseok interrupt his musings when they walk in for breakfast. What he realizes next is now that they’re all assembled, he and Chanyeol might actually be going home soon. That is – if they survive another day of training.

 

Junmyeon seems to be on the same train of thought and calls them all to order after a bit. The eight of them walk down to one of the training arenas together and decide to put on a bit of a demonstration to show what the Gems can be used like when their full potential is released.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol are easily awed by each of their feats of strength, like when Junmyeon makes a wall of water seemingly appear out of thin air. But by far the most terrifying thing is when Yixing disintegrates a giant oak tree with a single touch.

 

Now that they know what kind of power they’re trying to summon, it gives them a better grasp of what they need to do. The rest of the Alliance put them through drills, trying to pull out their power.

 

The few times Baekhyun begins to succeed, he finds himself distracted by Chanyeol’s gaze and he loses his concentration altogether. He can’t help but blush when Chanyeol’s hooded eyes meet his, and it gets to a point where he has to move to a different side of the arena just so he can think.

Jongdae and Minseok seem to understand what kind of struggle he’s going through and try to talk to him about it. But even Baekhyun can’t fully explain what the heaviness in his gut says. It’s like he’s feeling elation and foreboding all at once, and neither of them have any idea what he’s talking about.

 

Eventually, Chanyeol helps make his sense of foreboding abundantly clear.

 

By some miracle, the two of them have succeeded in pulling power from the Gems. Jongin is satisfied, and he says with their combined power he thinks it should be enough to send them home, especially after they recharge their energies with some sleep.

 

When they’ve finished for the day, Chanyeol abruptly corners him by the weapons shed. The others have already gone back to the house to prepare to celebrate, but Baekhyun doesn’t know why he feels so ill at ease even though it’s his friend. He supposes it’s because Chanyeol really hasn’t said anything to him the past few days. The majority of their communication has been scarce, choice words.

 

But now, Chanyeol is looming over him with something to say and he steps forward until Baekhyun presses his back into the wall.

 

“Look, Baek. I’m going to make this really simple. I like you. I’ve liked you for a really long time, but it’s also hurt me. So, I just need to know. Are you stringing me along or do you feel the same way?”

 

Baekhyun’s heart is hammering in his chest as Chanyeol stares at him point-blank with his stupidly huge pretty doe eyes. But he doesn’t know if he really feels that way or if he’s just caught up in the moment. This is his best friend he’s talking about – a best friend who had also abandoned him because of these very feelings.

 

He stammers. “I don’t know. I mean, of course I like you, but I don’t know if it’s different than the way one friend likes another friend.”

 

“Let me make it easier,” Chanyeol mutters and he takes Baekhyun’s chin in his hand and tilts his head.

 

Their lips slot together easier than Baekhyun would have thought, and he doesn’t panic as much as he thinks he should. The kiss is chaste but unhurried, soft but demanding, and it makes his mind go blank. Something heavy drops in his gut as they break apart and Chanyeol looks at him expectantly.

 

This is going to change everything, Baekhyun realizes. All he has to do is say one thing and Chanyeol will stay. Baekhyun can already see the resignation in the other’s eyes but for some reason he still hesitates. That split second is all it takes for Chanyeol to come to some sort of understanding.

 

He sighs and looks at Baekhyun with what he can only describe as a truly tortured expression. He walks back to the house in silence, leaving Baekhyun frozen in place.

 

Dinner is weird – really weird. Everyone is excited except the two who should be the most ecstatic. Jongdae and Yixing put on a show for everyone, dancing and singing. It should have made Baekhyun laugh, but he can only offer the occasional smile. His heart is too heavy right now, and it looks like Chanyeol’s the same. They sit as far apart at the dinner table as they could possibly be. Baekhyun thinks it’s a wonder their somber faces haven’t dampened the mood thus far.

Only Minseok really seems to notice and he looks at Baekhyun with concern. The latter merely shakes his head and waves him off.

 

Baekhyun is the first to turn in for the night.

 

He takes a long look at the people gathered in the kitchen, their laughing and smiling faces, and he commits every piece of it to memory. He’ll never forget what they’ve done for him – not ever.

As he slides into bed he can’t do anything but stare at the dark ceiling. It isn’t long before the door quietly opens and a figure slips in through the crack.

 

He knows that Chanyeol knows he isn’t asleep, and he must be aware that Baekhyun knows this. But they remain silent even after an uncomfortable silence falls over the room. Chanyeol slides into the bed without a word and turns over onto his side away from Baekhyun.

 

He doesn’t know why but that hurts more than anything, and he can’t help but ask, “When we go back home… are we going to be able to go back to the way it was before?”

 

Chanyeol sighs so deeply before answering that it makes his stomach turn in circles. “I just don’t know, Baek. I don’t know how much more I can take.”

 

Baekhyun doesn’t know how to respond. If he opens his mouth he knows Chanyeol will hear him sob. There’s hot tears rolling down his cheeks and he can’t stop them. He rolls over until he’s facing Chanyeol’s back and buries his face in his shirt. He presses his face in between his shoulder blades and clutches him around the waist.

 

And for some godforsaken reason Chanyeol lets him. Baekhyun thinks it must be because he’s saying goodbye, and it makes him cry harder. For better or for worse, things are never going to be the same after tomorrow.

 

He cries himself to sleep long before Chanyeol shuts his eyes. So he doesn’t notice when the other gently extracts himself and turns around or when he holds him in his arms. He thinks it’s a good dream, and he’s not ready to face the reality of the morning. So he clings back as tightly as he can and falls into deep slumber.

 

Things are slow starting the next morning.

 

Baekhyun wakes up before dawn only to find the bed next to him empty. He finds Chanyeol actually outside with Junmyeon, training in the arena, and he wonders who asked who to practice with. Maybe Chanyeol will miss a part of this world after all.

 

He sits on the edge of the arena hugging his knees to his chest and watches them in silence until the sun rises over the horizon. He’s quietly joined by Jongin of all people, but he doesn’t say anything. He must sense that Baekhyun isn’t quite ready to let go yet, isn’t ready to say goodbye.

Eventually, they’re joined by Sehun and Yixing. The latter is the chatterbox of the group, and he talks like he’ll never run out of things to say, like he doesn’t know what will happen if he lets them fall silent.

 

It’s only then that the two in the arena realize they have an audience and take a break. They’re joined by Minseok and Jongdae, who rubs his eyes sleepily.

 

“This is really happening then,” he yawns.

 

Chanyeol answers, but he only looks at Baekhyun. “It’s for the best.”

 

Something catches in Baekhyun’s throat, and as he looks at the group around him he can’t find it in him to speak.

 

His life has changed in so many ways in a matter of days. He may have finally met his heroes, but he’s going to lose a friend in the process. His gut feels heavy, and he actually wishes that something would go wrong. Maybe the Gems won’t be enough. Maybe it won’t work. Maybe they can just be full time superheroes. Maybe they could just stay here forever and work it out.

 

It’s just when he closes his eyes that something explodes.

 

 

ISSUE #08

 

The ground underneath them rumbles from the shockwaves, and in the distance black smoke rises in the air from somewhere inside the city.

 

Junmyeon turns to Jongin quickly. “Go,” he commands.

 

Jongin vanishes from Sehun’s side in an instant, but he’s back in a flash to confirm their worst fears. “The Red Force…and Smile. He’s leading the attack.”

 

Baekhyun doesn’t think. He just joins Jongin as he moves towards the weapons vault next to the arena. He grabs his bow and arrows and the other grabs a long knife that he straps to his thigh and a specially charged staff. Then he grabs Baekhyun and jumps them back outside.

 

“Grab on,” he instructs. One by one the remaining six grab onto his shoulders. Then he jumps.

Baekhyun’s starting to get used to the familiar feeling of instant liquification as Jongin literally pulls them all through space. When they come out the other side his head is spinning, but it’s not because of the jump.

 

When they land it’s in the middle of an intersection, and on all sides there are average people running and screaming as the city is being ransacked. There’s Red Force foot soldiers running around in their black and red uniforms, flanked by scores of the RF-05 robots. To make matters even worse, there’s two of the slow-moving jumbo RF-06s making their way towards the center.

 

One of the giant robots fires up its cannon in the blink of an eye and shoots at them. Baekhyun doesn’t hesitate, he pulls straight from the power of the Gem in his arm and throws up a purple-black shield around them and every citizen still near enough to get hit. The laser beam bounces off and dissipates but not without a resounding boom.

 

He holds the shield with determination as Junmyeon shouts instructions.

 

“Jongin! Get all these people out of here! Take Yixing with you and tend to the wounded. Sehun and I will deal with the foot soldiers and the small robots. Minseok and Jongdae will work on keeping the big ones at bay. Chanyeol and Baekhyun… just stay alive long enough that we can send you home. Everyone, don’t hold back a thing.”

 

They all nod and Baekhyun lets the shield down.

 

Jongin grabs Yixing and the people within the circle and vanishes them to god knows where as Sehun and Junmyeon charge for the Red Force on the ground. Minseok gives a nod to Jongdae and darts for the RF-06 on the right while the latter takes the left, summoning a storm and vanishing instantly in a bolt of lightning. Baekhyun hears the resounding boom as it lands far away.

 

Chanyeol and Baekhyun give each other a long look, as if they both have something to say. But one of the small robots slips past the line Sehun and Junmyeon are forming and there’s no more time.

 

Baekhyun docks an arrow into his bow and feels the power from his belly slip into his fingertips. The loaded arrow strikes straight through the center of the robot and imbeds itself in the head of the one behind it, effectively killing both. Unfortunately for them, it’s easily replaced by four more, like a hydra with its head cut off.

 

To his side, Chanyeol makes a wall of fire, cutting off access on one side of the street, and he sends a fireball that blasts one of the smaller robots to pieces. Baekhyun hadn’t realize he’d gained so much control over his ability so quickly.

 

When one of the robots gets too close, Chanyeol even lights his arm on fire and punches it dead on, blasting a huge hole in the hull.

 

Only seconds later, Minseok comes crashing down in front of them, startling them both. An icy blast shoots out of nowhere, and they barely dodge it at the last minute.

 

The giant RF-06 smashes its way into the intersection, and on its head is The Red Smile looking down on them. He sends another blast of icy air in their direction that very narrowly misses as they jump out of the way.

 

The Red Smile laughs, “I was wondering when you would show up to my party! Do you like what I’ve done with the place?”

 

Jongin pops out of nowhere in a wisp of black smoke with his dagger in his hand and lunges at The Red Smile. But he’s too fast. He redirects Jongin’s blow and makes a grab for him instead. Jongin barely jumps out of the way in time before he steals his ability.

 

The giant robot swings its claw around, smashing the buildings around them and piling rubble into the street. Sehun and Junmyeon emerge from one of the piles, carrying someone who had nearly been crushed.

 

Baekhyun looks around and he has an idea. “Junmyeon!” he shouts. “Minseok!”

 

He sends an arrow flying towards the robot’s wheels and it smashes through a bright red fire hydrant. The idea instantly clicks between them all and Junmyeon pulls up all of the water raging from the open pipe. With a flick of his wrist and flash of his bright blue Gem he fills the robot with water, forcing The Red Smile to jump ship as Minseok sends an icy blast toward it, freezing its insides until the red light in its eye flickers dark.

 

Sehun blasts The Red Smile with gale force winds and he nearly blows right into Baekhyun. Baekhyun powers up his fist and it, but to his surprise, The Red Smile jumps backwards and aims his red energy absorption at Chanyeol.

 

Chanyeol isn’t able to move in time, and the only thing that stops The Red Smile is when Jongin pops in at his side and smashes him with his staff.

 

However, the hit doesn’t really seem to have affected him. It only distracts him long enough that Chanyeol can escape his grip. But the damage has been done. The Red Force unleashes a wall of flame from his palms.

 

Junmyeon steps up to face him, extinguishing it with a wall of water, but he’s only able to go toe-to-toe with him for the moment.

 

A huge crash gathers their attention. There’s a gargantuan flash of white and then the second RF-06 falls down on top of where they’d all been standing, causing them to jump apart.

 

Jongdae arrives in a bolt of lightning and stands quickly. “We have a problem,” he announces.

 

Behind him, down the avenue are more of the RF-06s, more than any of them can count, dozens of foot soldiers and smaller robots. The Red Smile laughs from his perch on top of a building, and they can all hear screaming in the distance.

 

“New plan,” says Junmyeon. “I’ll keep him distracted. The rest of you clear out any people still left and destroy the robots.”

 

They all nod except for Jongdae. “I know now is not the time to argue, but you can’t deal with him on your own. I’ll stay behind.”

 

Minseok squeezes his shoulder and the rest of the group runs towards the sounds of screaming. Baekhyun can see a flash of white behind him and hear the thunder roll.

 

Baekhyun surprises everyone by taking out the first giant robot they meet. He knocks an arrow and injects it with the power of his Gem. He lets it fly and it rips a hole through the center of the robot all the way up to its head. It crashes on the street in front of them and they leap over it.

 

Sehun and Chanyeol take the next one as Baekhyun clears some trapped citizens from the rubble. The clouds darken overhead and a tornado spirals from the sky right down on top of one of them and as Chanyeol sends his wall of flame it seems to light the whole sky on fire. One of the robots is into the fiery vortex and crashes into two more, destroying them all.

 

He, Yixing and Jongin are still grabbing some people when the latter gets knocked through a wall by one of the smaller robots. Yixing quickly destroys it with a touch, de-molecularizing its hull.

It’s then that Baekhyun realizes they’re growing tired, complacent. They may be destroying giant robots left and right, but it’s taking every ounce of their strength to do so, and there’s no end in sight.

 

“Heads up!” he hears Jongdae shout from somewhere, and when he looks up he sees Junmyeon go flying.

 

Luckily, Sehun sends up a gust of air and catches him before he slams into a building. He lowers him gently to the ground just as The Red Smile comes tearing around the corner on a wave.

 

“My turn,” says Minseok.

 

His gem glows bright white and he freezes the wave instantaneously. He and Jongdae circle The Red Smile like wolves waiting to pounce. He twitches, and they move. Jongdae sends a bolt of lightning right at his chest and Minseok blasts him from the opposite side. The Red Smile jumps to the side and the resulting collision creates a thick smokescreen for a few seconds.

 

It’s just long enough that The Red Smile grabs Jongdae by the throat and absorbs his energy. He only drops him when Junmyeon sends a whip of water right at him, but it’s too late. The Red Smile sends a blast of lightning out in all directions, hitting even Jongdae and sending Minseok soaring through the side of a building as it hits him square in the chest.

 

Jongdae screams angrily and launches right back at him.

 

Baekhyun has no time to wonder whether he should help or not. What can he do that the trained heroes can’t? Besides, he’s too busy clearing robots of all sizes and soldiers out of their way.

Chanyeol and Sehun are at his side, but soon Sehun is replaced by Junmyeon. Then Chanyeol is gone. Then Chanyeol is back but Junmyeon is gone. And never in between does the fighting stop. They’re all moving around the battlefield without end, extracting people from rubble, healing the injured, destroying giant murderous robots.

 

Baekhyun looks around him suddenly and it’s like the bad part of a Marvel movie is happening in slow motion.

 

They’re surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered. They’re fatigued, Minseok is injured, and he can barely feel the muscles in his own arms. But the giant robots and soldiers keep coming out of the woodwork and they’re getting desperate.

 

If something doesn’t change fast, then they’re done for. They’re already fighting a losing battle as it is, and suddenly, things take a drastic turn for the worse.

 

He’s managing to keep an onslaught of the robots at bay on one side of the street. Chanyeol’s somewhere behind him and he can feel the heat of his flames through the hot air. Baekhyun’s so, so tired, and his hands are shaking. Even the power of the Gem is wearing thin from constant use. It’s not enough.

 

But he has to stay strong. Somewhere behind him, Yixing is healing Minseok, Jongin is transporting people to safety, and elsewhere the rest are fighting The Red Smile to the last. He can’t be the one to give up and let them down. He’ll go down swinging if he has to.

 

He can hear the fight with The Red Smile constantly, but he doesn’t notice how close it’s gotten again until Sehun crashes through a window and falls on the street behind him. The masked man follows close after, completely destroying the building in the process using what looks like Jongdae’s lightning. They have to dodge the rubble as it crashes down.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Baekhyun can see Junmyeon and Jongdae racing by, the former grabbing Sehun and leaping away and the latter distracting him with huge flashes of yellow lightning. But it isn’t enough to stop him.

 

The Red Smile commands the army, and two more of the giant RF-06 bots fall in line behind him out of nowhere. As if he weren’t enough to keep them pinned down already.

 

He can hear the piercing screech of the lead bot’s cannon as it powers up, faster than he thought possible, and then all of a sudden, he hears a sharp yell.

 

“Baekhyun!”

 

It happens so quickly that he doesn’t even see it coming.

 

One minute he’s turning around to defend himself, and the next he’s lying twenty yards down the street with a large body covering him.

 

Baekhyun feels his blood run cold as he maneuvers himself out from under it.

 

“Chanyeol?” he asks, flipping the limp body over. He screams, “Chanyeol!”

 

Chanyeol groans and his eyes flutter open, finding Baekhyun’s gaze. His eyes are glassy and his voice is weak as he struggles to find breath.

 

“H-hey. Are you okay?”

 

“Am I okay? Oh, Chanyeol.”

 

There’s basically a hole in Chanyeol’s chest where the laser cannon hit him. He pretends not to see it.

 

The rest of the guys have somehow managed to distract the giant bot and divert The Red Smile’s attention for now, but Junmyeon runs over to where they are on the road.

 

“Hey, are you guys o-?” Junmyeon halts in his tracks when he sees Chanyeol and turns and runs back the other way. “Yixing! Yixing come quick!”

 

“Yixing?” Chanyeol asks weakly. “Is it that bad?”

 

He tries to sit up and look at his chest but Baekhyun cradles his head and won't let him.

 

“Shh. No. Everything is going to be okay. It’s going to be fine.”

 

“Then why are you crying?”

 

Baekhyun didn’t even notice the hot tears running down his face until they fell on Chanyeol’s cheeks. He wipes them away quickly.

 

“I’m not,” he says. “I’m just tired. You…Why did you do that? Why did you take the hit for me?”

 

“You know why.” Chanyeol looks him right in the eye with the saddest smile he’s ever seen. “I’d do anything for you, Baek…I…I love you. I always have.”

 

Baekhyun’s lips quiver. His chest hurts and he’s not even the one who got hit. It’s hollower, deeper than any physical pain he feels. Unbidden, more tears fall from his eyes and he hiccups as he tries to hold in a sob. Chanyeol looks at him like he wants to say something else but Baekhyun silences him with a sudden kiss.

 

It’s still chaste, but Chanyeol’s lips are softer than he remembers, and the hold Chanyeol has on one of his cheeks is gentle. His thumb away Baekhyun’s tears. When they break apart, Baekhyun returns the favor and wipes his own fallen tears from Chanyeol’s cheeks.

 

“You’re a really bad kisser,” he jokes with a painful half-smile.

 

Baekhyun laughs as he wipes a tear from his own face. “Shut up. So are you.”

 

Chanyeol’s face turns suddenly stoic. “It must be really bad if you had to kiss me to distract me.”

 

He shakes his head. “It’s not that at all. I just-“

 

He’s interrupted when Yixing finally runs over. His expression is grim upon seeing Chanyeol.

Baekhyun refuses to move as Yixing’s palms begin to glow and work on Chanyeol’s chest. Chanyeol slumps into his grip suddenly and his chest begins to heave. His eyes are closed when Baekhyun looks at him, and when he begins to question Yixing, Yixing softly shakes his head.

 

His blood runs utterly cold and his whole-body shakes.

 

“Chanyeol?” he whispers, begs. “You can’t do this to me.”

 

A resounding boom distracts them. Jongdae comes flying around the corner but is sent crashing into a building moments later by one of the robot’s giant claws. It turns its red eye towards them and barrels down the street.

 

Yixing grabs Baekhyun by the shoulder and tries to move him, but instead he grips Chanyeol harder, refusing to let go. He squeezes his eyes shut and waits for impact.

 

Just before the robot can reach them, the ground shifts under him and a ten-foot thick wall of asphalt rises up between them. Baekhyun gapes as a shadow falls over him and when he turns he finds Kyungsoo staring at the wall he’s created.

 

“I thought you guys might need some help after all,” he says simply. Then he pulls Baekhyun to his feet and barks some orders at Yixing, who pulls Chanyeol away from the street.

 

The robot begins pounding on the wall and so Kyungsoo begins pushing it back with his fist, driving the robot back down the other end of the street. He puts his free hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder.

 

“Leave him to Yixing. We have a war to win.”

 

He says it with such resolution that Baekhyun immediately dries his eyes and picks himself up. Kyungsoo drives his fist upward and a huge spike of asphalt jams itself through the robot, impaling it and immobilizing it in one go. Jongdae emerges abruptly from an alleyway, looking thoroughly beat up and carrying a half-limping Minseok at his side.

 

“We’ve been waiting for you to finally show up,” he says, half-grinning, half-grimacing.

 

“Well I couldn’t let you guys have all the fun,” Kyungsoo replies.

 

Jongin pops in next to them with Junmyeon, each supporting Sehun on one side. The latter shakes them off and stands tall with his hands on his hips.

 

Jongin smacks Kyungsoo on the shoulder. “I was wondering when you’d have the nerve to finally show up.”

 

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and bats him away. “I’ve already been berated, thanks. You guys are just lucky I changed my mind.”

 

“Hey, guys,” says Sehun. “I know we’re all in the middle of making up and stuff, but we’ve got bigger things to worry about. Literally.”

 

Just as he speaks, The Red Smile destroys the barrier Kyungsoo has created on the street and six more RF-06s funnel through the gap as he rides astride the middle one.

 

“So, what’s the plan?”

 

Kyungsoo cracks his knuckles. “Ever hear the expression, ‘if you want to shoot the general, shoot the horse’?”

 

The purple stone in his neck glows neon and he drives both hands into the ground. The asphalt and earth in front of them lifts into a massive wall three stories high and goes careening towards the other end of the street. With his other hand he moves the spike he’d made before forward, impaling and smashing the circuits of all six robots at once through the middle and driving them into the new wall.

 

The Red Smile jumps out of the way and hangs on the side of a building. Even though he has a mask on, he looks calm, and it gives Baekhyun a very bad feeling.

 

Seconds later, his fears are confirmed when the barrier explodes a second time and beyond the wall are scores of not only the giant bots, but the RF-05s and foot soldiers as well.

 

Sweat rolls down into Kyungsoo’s collar as he pants and looks at the group. “Anyone else got any bright ideas?”

 

Baekhyun grits his teeth. He looks at Yixing, who’s still knelt on the ground holding Chanyeol, and then he looks back at The Red Smile. “Like someone once said, ‘if you want to shoot the general, you should just shoot the general.’”

 

“Baekhyun’s right,” says Minseok out of nowhere. “When I got close to him I realized, he’s controlling the robots. He has something on his arm. It’s sending orders. As soon as I got close to him he pressed something and one of them hit me.”

 

Baekhyun has to let out a tiny laugh even as the others give him funny looks. “Chanyeol was right… just like The Incredibles.”

 

“It doesn’t matter what we hit him with,” says Sehun with a frustrated groan. “I hit him with wind and he hits back. Junmyeon tries water and he takes it. Jongin pops by to try and stab him and he teleports away. Nothing works.”

 

“Nothing works by itself,” clarifies Baekhyun, his mind beginning to spin as he thinks. “He’s never used anything in combination, because he can’t. Think about it. Every time he makes a grab at someone, he has to let go of the previous ability. What happens if he’s overwhelmed? If everyone strikes at once who does he choose to focus on?”

 

Junmyeon puts a hand to his chin. “There’s something else I’ve noticed. There’s someone who’s abilities he’s never tried to absorb… maybe because he can’t.”

 

They all turn to look at Baekhyun and his eyes widen. “The nullification.”

 

“That’s right!” says Jongdae suddenly with a snap of his fingers. “When Baekhyun got close to him last time, he turned tail and went for Chanyeol even though he wasn’t nearby. He can’t absorb Black Light’s power!”

 

“We can use that,” says Kyungsoo with a grin. “Can you do it? Get close to him?”

 

Baekhyun nods sternly. “I’ll do anything.”

 

“Heads up!” Jongin yells suddenly, just as an elephant-sized claw crashes down where they’d been standing.

 

They spring out of the way in the nick of time and Jongin teleports Yixing and Chanyeol with him.

It’s the Red Smile who charges at them first. Minseok and Jongdae wordlessly flank his sides while Kyungsoo holds his grounds and sends rocks flying at him from the front.

 

There’s no time for the masked man to do anything but dodge out of the way, but he’s quick so he darts to Sehun’s side and reaches out a shining red hand. Luckily, Jongin jumps to his side in the nick of time and teleports them both far away.

 

Baekhyun knocks an arrow and shoves as much of his power into it that he can before letting it fly. The Red Smile dodges it by a wide berth, but it flies right through the center of one of the oncoming RF-06s. Junmyeon’s working hard to keep the foot soldiers at bay and Sehun joins his side.

 

Kyungsoo raises a wall that he knows will keep the small robots and foot soldiers away for now, but it gives them just enough time before the giant robots break through.

 

Without saying a word, they’ve managed to surround The Red Smile on every side.

 

“It’s now or never!” Kyungsoo screams as they all turn on him.

 

They all let loose on The Red Smile, who throws up a thin, red energy shield to keep their force at bay. But even Baekhyun can see it’s cracking under their weight.

 

Jongin appears at Baekhyun’s side. “Ready?”

 

He nods and Jongin grabs him by the shoulder and jumps. Even the nausea of the jump isn’t enough to stop Baekhyun. Jongin drops him right in front of The Red Smile and he slams a loaded arrow into his shield.

 

Sparks fly from where the arrowhead and shield make contact. The Red Smile tries to step back but Jongdae and Sehun are pushing him from behind. He’s outnumbered and trapped.

 

He puts both hands into his shield then, and the red energy tries to snake its way around Baekhyun’s wrists. But Baekhyun pushes back. His nullification meets the red energy in a mass of purple sparks and swirls in the air around him, nearly throwing him backwards.

He’s panting from the effort and his hands start to shake but he can’t waver for even a second.

 

“C’mon Baekhyun!”

 

“Baekhyun!”

 

The guys around him cry out as they overwhelm The Red Smile’s shield with energy. They’re all counting on him, for the sake of the world as they know it. They trust in him. He can’t give up.

 

Abruptly, the masked man’s shield cracks further and Baekhyun feels something hot his cheek. When Baekhyun turns to his right he sees flames rising from the ground.

 

Yixing is holding Chanyeol over his shoulder and the latter is using his Gem, summoning every last ounce of strength he has to blast the shield. Their eyes lock and Baekhyun cries.

He closes his eyes and screams. Every last drop in his stomach, every inch that has been stored in the Gem, all of his power floods to his hands and he smashes the red shield into smithereens.

It shatters into red shards and the powers meet in the middle, exploding outward and sending them all flying.

 

Baekhyun flies through the second story of an office building and smashes into a desk. He sits on the ground for a full minute before he realizes what’s just happened and scrambles up to run to the window.

 

The street is empty save for the robots that have all powered down and the foot soldiers that are all turning tail. The spot where The Red Smile had been is full of iridescent red spots that shimmer like glass and fall like feathers.

 

From his spot, Baekhyun can see Jongin and Junmyeon crawl out from under some rubble and Sehun emerge from an alleyway adjacent. Kyungsoo hops down from the building next to his and Jongdae and Minseok shake the rubble out of their hair. They’re not who he’s looking for.

His heart leaps when he sees Yixing come out of a building, he’s carrying Chanyeol who’s limping slowly.

 

Without thinking a second longer, Baekhyun leaps from the smashed window and down onto the street. He runs towards Chanyeol and veritably tackles him to the ground.

 

Neither of them has the strength to stand as Baekhyun buries his head in Chanyeol’s chest. There’s a big pink scar right in the middle of it that flashes through where his suit is ripped.

 

“Baekhyun, what-“

 

“Don’t you ever do something like that again!” Baekhyun yells through his tears. “Do you hear me? You are so stupid! I thought I lost you!”

 

Chanyeol looks stunned, and instead of answering he locks his arms around Baekhyun’s back and holds him tight to his chest. Eventually, they stand up and break apart. Baekhyun clenches his fists as he looks at him.

 

“Chanyeol, I don’t ever want to lose you like that,” he swallows thickly. “I don’t want to lose you again, period. I know you were going to move out, but you can’t. I need you by my side – like, all the time. I’m nothing without you.”

 

“Baekhyun,” the other warns. “Don’t get my hopes up. Unless you mean what I think you mean…”

 

Baekhyun nods and Chanyeol freezes. “Chanyeol, I think I like you. I like you as more than a roommate, more than a friend. I like you how you always wanted me too. And in case you think I’m joking, take note that you are clearly not dying anymore.”

 

Chanyeol stares at him like he’s just seen the stars for the first time. “You should know. I didn’t do it in the heat of the moment.”

 

“Didn’t do what?” he asks.

 

“Say I love you,” Chanyeol answers with a flush that extends to the tips of his ears. “I really meant it - mean it. I’ve liked you for a really long time. I didn’t mean for it to be a dying confession, but well…things happened.”

 

“Me too,” he answers, equally red. “I don’t know when it happened but… I think it’s been coming on for a while now. I can’t imagine my life without you anymore.”

 

The silence that falls between them is awkward. Baekhyun knows what’s supposed to happen at this point but this is his best friend that he’s currently confessing to and it still feels strange. He doesn’t really know how to make it less weird, so he just rolls with it.

 

“So, like… we should probably kiss or something now.”

 

“Yeah,” Chanyeol says lowly, “or something.”

 

Baekhyun may pretend he’s shy, but he doesn’t wait a second longer before gripping Chanyeol’s shirt and standing on his toes. The other’s touch is hesitant as he closes the distance between them, but his arms wrap around Baekhyun’s back to hold him steady.

 

There’s nothing urgent or sudden in their kiss this time. It’s sweeter, softer, but also verging on the edge of something deeper.

 

Baekhyun thinks Chanyeol’s lips are the softest he’s ever kissed, and now that they have time he’s ready to prove that he’s actually a good kisser. But a low wolf whistle splits the air and the two break apart.

 

Kyungsoo laughs - like, actually laughs - as he walks up to them and claps them both on the shoulder. “As fun as it’s been to watch Baekhyun and Chanyeol fall in love, I think it’s time to officially send these two home before someone else tries to kill us all.”

 

The pair blush but neither of them actually pulls apart from the other. Chanyeol’s grip on his back gets tighter and it just makes Baekhyun smile wider.

 

The heroes assemble around them, all tired and worn from battle but smiling nonetheless. Baekhyun can feel tears forming in his eyes.

 

“Thank you,” he says. “All of you. I never- I’m just so glad I could finally meet you all.”

 

“Likewise,” says Jongdae, and he actually hugs them both around the middle. “If you ever need us, you know where to find us.”

 

Minseok joins them. “If you ever find yourself into the next dimension again give us a ring. We’d be more than happy to put you up.”

 

“Aww,” sighs Yixing softly. “Are we doing a group hug?”

 

Without waiting he opens his arms and crushes Jongdae and Minseok into them. Jongin pulls a reluctant Sehun around the other side with a huge grin across his face and laughs. And finally, Junmyeon slings an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

 

At first the latter plants his feet and crosses his arms, but after they all stare at him he lets out a sigh. “Fine.”

 

Baekhyun’s openly weeping with joy now, and Chanyeol hugs him tighter. It doesn’t help that Jongdae is making fun of him or that Yixing and Jongin are cooing at him.

 

It may have been hard, and it may have been scary at times, but he’s going to miss every single damn one of them. He knows he has to go, but he doesn’t fully want to leave them just yet.

 

Eventually, they all break apart and Baekhyun dries his eyes. Chanyeol releases him from his grip but doesn’t drop his hand, instead lacing their fingers together.

 

Jongin stands between them with a hand on each of their shoulders. He smiles reluctantly. “Ready?”

 

Looking only at each other, Chanyeol and Baekhyun nod.

 

“Think about where you want to go.”

 

One by one, the FireLight Alliance places their hands on Jongin and he shuts his eyes in concentration. Around them, the Gems start to glow and vibrate, a soft hum like something alive moving around them. There’s flashes of pink, purple, green, blue, yellow, and red. Finally, Baekhyun summons his own ability for the last time.

 

He feels it thrum to life within him, like something he’s always known is there, something soft and warm. He feels it stretch to the ends of his fingertips and he sends it out until it wraps around all nine of them. His Gem flashes a bright white.

 

And then he’s gone.

 

 

FINAL ISSUE

 

Baekhyun’s eyes spring open, and right away he can tell something’s different. It’s like the energy inside of him has vanished. There’s a hollow spot where his borrowed powers once were. He hadn’t realized he’d grown so attached to them.

 

When he finally blinks enough to adjust to the sunlight streaming into his window, it takes him a moment to understand the picture in front of him. Chanyeol is lying on his side next to him, slowly breathing in and out and clutching his hands tightly, still sleeping.

 

So, he sits up slowly and gently slips from his grip, but as he looks around the room and sees the clothes he’s wearing, he can’t resist the urge to shake him awake. He grabs Chanyeol by the shoulders and shakes until he finally opens his eyes.

 

“Chanyeol! Chanyeol, wake up! We made it! We’re back!”

 

After a moment of sleepy blinking, Chanyeol registers what’s happened and springs up very suddenly. His hands touch his face. He reaches out and touches Baekhyun’s and then stares at his palms.

 

“Oh my god…we did it!” he whispers in disbelief.

 

“Look!” Baekhyun says. He grabs his neglected phone off of the nightstand and points to it.

 

“April 8^th?” Chanyeol repeats, looking at the screen. “But we were gone for days! How can no time have passed?”

 

Baekhyun shakes his head. “No idea.”

 

He holds his head and stares blankly. “Can that all really have happened? We didn’t just share some really bad edibles, did we?”

 

“Only one way to find out.”

 

Baekhyun grabs the bottom of Chanyeol’s shirt and lifts it over his head. The other squeaks in shock and grabs the cloth from his grip.

 

“Hey! You can’t just-! You have to stop doing that!”

 

He finally meets Baekhyun’s stare and looks down. In the center of his chest is the mark of a freshly healed, pink wound. A wound so deep that the scar would never fully heal, is what Yixing had told him privately. He wonders to himself whether Yixing had meant something more by that statement.

 

Baekhyun slowly traces a finger around it and Chanyeol shivers at his soft touch, watching the lines he’s drawing. Their eyes meet suddenly.

 

“Thank you again,” says Baekhyun, a cherry red blush creeping across his cheeks. “I might not be alive if it weren’t for you.”

 

“I’d do it again.”

 

“What?”

 

“I said,” Chanyeol’s blush mirrors Baekhyun’s as he finally lowers his shirt. “I’d do it again. I’d do anything for you, Baekhyun. You should know that by now.”

 

“Anything?” he grins mischievously, but Chanyeol nods anyway. “Then you should definitely kiss me again. I need to teach you proper technique anyway since you’re so bad.”

 

Chanyeol laughs loudly. “You’re the one who’s bad, stupid.”

 

“Oh yeah? Bite me.”

 

It’s his turn to look mischievous. “Maybe I will.”

 

He leans over until Baekhyun’s forced to fall back onto the pillows. Baekhyun squeezes his eyes shut tightly as Chanyeol leans in, but the latter changes course and bites the lobe of his ear instead. Baekhyun screams and thrashes at him until they’re both laughing and wrestling. Eventually, Baekhyun hooks a leg around him and gains the upper hand, flipping them over until he’s sitting on Chanyeol’s thighs.

 

They’re both breathing heavily when he finally leans in softly.

 

It’s still a little strange to be kissing his best friend senseless, but something tells him Chanyeol really doesn’t mind. And he definitely doesn’t either. The butterflies in his stomach certainly don’t.

 

“There. Better,” he comments when they finally pull apart and Chanyeol sits up. Chanyeol only rolls his eyes in response.

 

Baekhyun maneuvers until they’re sitting side by side again, swinging their legs over the side of his bed. So much has changed in the past few days, and he knows their adventure isn’t really over yet. He’s thinking about what he should do with the comic when he notices Chanyeol.

 

Chanyeol opens his palms and closes them in front of his face over and over. He’s trying to hide it but Baekhyun can tell he’s concentrating really hard. Finally, he sighs and drops his hands, turning to Baekhyun. “I’m not going to lie… I hated it at first, but I think I’m really going to miss having superpowers.”

 

Baekhyun smiles and scoots closer while gently sliding his hand into Chanyeol’s, interlacing their fingers and giving it a squeeze. “Well, you can fire me up anytime, ‘cause you’ll always be superto me, babe.”

 

Chanyeol grimaces at the joke, but he leans forward until their lips are almost touching. He laughs suddenly, like he’s just thought of something hilarious, “Have I mentioned you are the lightof my life?”

 

“Shut up,” Baekhyun groans intensely but closes the remaining distance and kisses him anyway. They may not be super anymore, but they still make a pretty good team.

 

Their true adventure together has only just begun.

 

 

BONUS ISSUE

 

As soon as dawn breaks, Baekhyun heads out true to his word.

 

“Take that god-forsaken comic back first thing in the morning. And apologize to Mr. Kim while you’re at it. You basically owe that man your life,” Chanyeol had said last night before falling asleep.

 

“I know, I know,” Baekhyun has assured him.

 

But he had tossed and turned in his own bed all night, barely able to sleep a wink thinking about what Mr. Kim would say. Had he known what would happen? Had Mr. Kim been trying to protect him from the world in that book? How could he ever begin to apologize?

 

When it’s finally late enough that Mr. Kim might be at the store, but still early enough that the sun isn’t all the way in the sky, Baekhyun finally gets out of bed.

 

Feeling nervous, he tries to persuade Chanyeol to come with him, but all he gets is a sleepy glare.

 

“C’mon,” he whines. “Maybe if he sees your scar he’ll go easy on me.”

 

“Hey, I almost died for you. You owe me at least an extra hour of sleep.”

 

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “I have a feeling you’re going to be milking that for all it’s worth.”

 

“You bet your sweet I am,” he mumbles before rolling back over and letting out a loud snore.

 

Seeing how Chanyeol couldn’t be persuaded further, Baekhyun had laced up his shoes and left.

 

Now that he’s almost to the store, his feet seem to drag heavily. He clutches the comic book tighter in his hands, but halts in his tracks when he’s only a few feet away.

 

At the entrance, Mr. Kim is bending down to pick up the morning newspaper, and he freezes in place when he sees Baekhyun. He shakes his head as Baekhyun inches forward.

 

“Mr. Kim, I am so-“

 

The words are barely out of his mouth before Mr. Kim whacks him over the head with the newspaper.

 

“Stupid, stupid boy,” he says. But he unlocks the door of the shop and beckons Baekhyun in.

 

Baekhyun can’t even argue with that so he just quietly follows him inside and rubs the back of his head. They sit down behind the counter on some stools and Baekhyun places the comic between them, silently smoothing out the edges. Mr. Kim merely stares at it.

 

“How did you manage to get back?” he asks.

 

Baekhyun grins sheepishly. “Jongin. Well, Jongin but through the power of the Gems. So… you knew what would happen?”

 

“Of course I knew what would happen, you dolt. Why do you think I tried to take it from you in the first place?”

 

“Malice?” Baekhyun jokes but flinches when Mr. Kim reaches for the newspaper again. “But how did you know?”

 

“How do you think I got here in the first place, hm?”

 

Mr. Kim is staring at him intensely, an uncharacteristic grin on his face. Baekhyun meets his gaze as if he understands. His mouth falls open as he stares into Mr. Kim’s electric blue eyes, but he doesn’t really know why.

 

Baekhyun glances at the comic between them, the cover, then back up. He does it once more to be extra sure.

 

“Oh. Oh. Oh, no way.” The other doesn’t say a word. “Kim isn’t your real name is it?”

 

“It’s not,” he confirms.

 

Baekhyun swoons on the spot, much to Mr. Kim’s delight and amusement, and he has to call Chanyeol to pick him up. But they don’t go before they hear the full story – the story of the real FireLight Alliance – straight from the horse’s mouth.