~ ♘ | ♗ ~

Chansung and Junsu started at the locked gate. The metal handles were barred shut with thick chains and four padlocks. The shop was closed, and for Junsu that meant a few more days with his desecrated car. His eyes shifted to Chansung who simply shrugged at him.

“What?” the younger one asked.

“What are we going to do now? Alli’s not in, I am not going to last any longer with my car like that!”

Chansung shrugged again. “Alli’s inside, I can smell something cooking. She probably just doesn’t want to be bothered.”

Junsu’s hand made its way to face, rubbing his temples and running through his hair. “You still owe me for the grappling guns!”

Chansung rolled his eyes dramatically. He stepped towards the locks and with a sleight of hand two lock picks appeared, and with a flick of the wrist, the chains came tumbling down the concrete floor. “Happy now?” Chansung asked, pushing the gates open.

The Shop was where all Hell’s auto-mechanic work was done. Their main, and so far only, mechanic Alisha Swope manned the entire place. It was like any other typical auto-shop. Cars in all types and sizes were spread across the large area, most were opened up while others just skeletal frames. In the back were some motorbikes and other smaller vehicles.

Chansung was right, and Junsu eventually picked up the scent of a tomato based pasta sauce in the background. “Where’s Alli?”

“Oh no.”

Chansung and Junsu both smiled and waved as Alisha appeared from behind a corner carrying a car battery in her hands. Alisha Swope was tall, pale, and slender, and there seemed to be nothing more distinctive about her, except her shoulder length electric blue hair that complemented the lighter tone of her overalls.

“What are you doing here?!” she snapped, setting the battery down on the floor. She planted both fists on her hips and stared scandalously at her open gate. “What did you do to my locks?!” she shrieked.

Chansung held his laughter behind a mask of indifference. It was her accent mostly that amused him, and he had gotten quite used to Alisha’s overreacting to everything. “I picked them, it’s not like I drove an axe through them.”

Alisha waved a finger at them. “It’s my day-off, why are you here?!”

“Wasn’t your hair orange just the other day?” Junsu commented, walking into the shop, picking up few things feigning interest in them and then placing them back down.

“It was, you noticed!”

Chansung breathed a sigh of relief. Good thing Alisha was easily distracted. He needed her happy for when he came clean with the purpose of their visit. He eyed Junsu who backtracked into the front curb of the shop to get his car.

“So, why are you here?” she asked.

Chansung laughed nervously. “Well, just a little repairing.”

“What kind?” Her expression remained calm, curious even.

Chansung’s confession came in a blur of words that came out at record speed from his mouth. He watched in shock horror as Alisha’s eyes grew wide and opened and closed repeatedly. He could clearly see the veins popping on her forehead, and he shrank back, arms coming up in defense.

“You. Did. WHAT?!”

It was probably a good thing that the following words from came in a language Chansung had no understanding of. Sometimes he thought the language Alisha spoke was one all to herself, something only she understood. He hid behind Junsu, who just stepped out of his car, as their highly temperamental mechanic jabbed a finger at the both of them. Junsu only stared blankly at her, tugging at his earlobe here and then. When she finally calmed down, Junsu found the courage to talk.

“So, I’ll come pick it up tomorrow? I’m always top priority, yes?”

Chansung rolled his eyes and sneered as Mr. Casanova worked his magic all over again. He leaned towards Alisha, his fingers lightly brushing against her bare elbow. Even without looking Chansung knew that Junsu was making eyes at her, tugging his lips into that sensual smile he’s perfected. Alisha was not immune to this, and Chansung gagged as she flushed scarlet, fumbling over her words, her fingers playing with the sleeves of the overalls tied around her waist. A blush spread across her neck and chest too, the contrast high because of the stained white tank top she wore. When did Kim Junsu ever fail?

A laugh forced its way through Chansung’s nose. Kim Junsu had failed. Once. The time Junsu met Rai, he tried his moves all too quick. It ended up with a palm strike up the nose, and Chansung still thought that Junsu never got over the fact that Rai gave him a bloody nose.

“Alli, the pasta’s done.”

Chansung knew that voice, and he sidestepped to get a better look. At the back of the room, was Minji. She smiled and waved at him, jogging closer to where he stood.

“What are you doing here?” they asked at the same time.

Chansung answered first. “Junsu’s car, you?”

“I work here now, the higher ups at the company uncle worked in told me I could stay here while they get back our house and stuff...”

Chansung smiled knowing Kwon had kept his promise. “How are you holding up?” he asked, pulling her aside, distancing themselves from the bubble Junsu had created.

A soft melancholic smile graced Minji’s features. “I’m fine? I guess...At least, the guy who...they caught him, he’s gone too. So, I’m just trying to move on...”

Chansung laid a sympathetic hand on the much shorter girl’s shoulder. “The people where your uncle worked, they’re good people.”

“Yeah, they are. I was really surprised. I kinda thought they’d just forget about the whole thing and I’d-” she shook her head, willing the tears away.

Chansung laid his other hand on her other shoulder. “Hey, you’ll be fine, you still got me, right? Don’t worry, Alli’s great, a little weird, but you’ll be safe with her.”

Minji smiled through the tears. “I know that. She’s been great.” She took a deep breath, and her smile grew. “Do you know where she’s from? I ask her, but she keeps dodging the question.”

“Actually, no one knows where she’s from. We just...found her.”

Minji nodded thoughtfully. “It’s probably supposed to be a secret, but thanks for everything Chansung, I wouldn’t know what I would have done if you didn’t show up and that thing with the office too.”

Chansung went rigid. Did Minji know what he did? Just how much did Minji know?! He scrambled for something to say, but his throat was dry, and his mind was suddenly blank. “What...huh?”

She looked up at him. “Your now known unknown benefactor. That Jo Kwon guy told me they were taking care of your schooling and stuff. They said taking me in wasn’t going to be a problem, especially since you personally vouched for me. I don’t know how to thank you-”

Chansung pulled her in for a tight embrace. His face relaxed, relieved that Minji didn’t know about the true nature of the work he did for his benefactors. “What are friends for, right?” he said as he pulled away.

“Right...”

Chansung ran a finger through the collar of his shirt. It was suddenly warm, and he felt terribly awkward just standing there. Minji was suddenly interested at some speck of dust on the floor, and she toed it off with the edges of her sneakers. Chansung looked away, definitely not at Junsu who was now whispering nothings into Alisha’s ear. His eyes swept through the room, and he did a double take. At one corner, was the most beautiful bike he had ever laid eyes on. It was tall, dark, and sleek. Like an insect just waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack. He gravitated towards the motorbike. His earlier sustained injuries groaned and complained under the stress he put them through, but nothing could ever take his attention away.

His ribcage now throbbed even more as he got closer and closer. His hand rubbed the tender spot on the side of his chest. When he woke up that morning even Jinwoon couldn’t bear take a look at it. At least Junsu was human enough to slap it up with some ointment and heating pads. At first he was certain that the eldest was just playing him with the copious amounts of ointment under the heating pads. The sting was unbearable at first. It ran through his skin, prickling him, incapacitating him for a few moments before the pain transformed into a dull throbbing until it was numbed completely. He gave the bruised area one good pat before running his fingers through the silver handlebars. Chansung was completely mesmerized.

His breath caught as he drank in the full detail of the make and build. Already, his hands itched to give it a spin.

“I wouldn’t give it a try. It’s not exactly easy to maneuver.”

Chansung looked back at Alisha who now stood behind him. “I’ve been driving for years, I think I can handle it.”

Alisha smirked as she dropped the keys in his upturned hand. “Suit yourself.”

Chansung pulled the bike out front and to the strip of abandoned road that led to the shop. With a swing of his long leg, he mounted the seat and held the handlebars firmly in under his hand

His hand easily found the ignition by his knees and he turned it on, and his left hand held the clutch. By the hand throttle, his thumb pressed down a button while he revved the engine. He started moving forward, and feeling smug about himself, he turned slightly towards Alisha and Junsu. Suddenly, the bike trembled violently under him and the handles flew from his grasp, twisting violently to the side. Chansung flailed as the whole vehicle slipped from his control, and it skidded down the concrete road, flinging him to the side.

He tumbled down the road, landing roughly on his shoulder- the same shoulder he had landed on the night before, and he groaned in pain. The shooting aches stabbed repeatedly into his shoulder, and he rolled around the ground, eyes and teeth clenched tight. Alisha and Junsu were laughing in the background, and Chansung was in too much pain to feel anything more about it.

At least both had the decency to help him up. With a first-aid kit in hand, a still laughing Junsu sat next to him inside the house. “Let me see.”

Chansung lifted his shirt. His earlier bandages were torn out, and the bruise throbbed agonizingly. Junsu gingerly cut through the bandages, snipping them off cleanly and dropping them to the bin next to his feet. Aside from the heavy bruising, Chansung gained himself several scrapes, and the former medical student stifled his laughter. His cool fingers lightly touched the discolored area, it was tender as he thought, but other than the broken skin and vessels, Chansung was perfectly fine. Or at least his body was. Junsu wondered about bruised egos, but Chansung’s disposition rivalled Jinwoon’s on occasion.

Junsu taped up the wound easily, and Chansung had to admit, just never out loud, that Junsu was indeed a skilled medic. The younger one grunted in appreciation and the eldest just slapped the remaining roll of tape on his forehead.

The news was on in the background, and they both turned to it hearing the familiar tune of a flash report.

“This is Yang Nara, live from Kapitel. Last night the bodies of the missing students have been found in the White Tiger Laboratories in district VII. They were believed to be victims of inhumane scientific experiments giving them superhuman strength coupled with mind control experiments that caused them to run rampant killing unsuspecting victims around the metropolitan area. Along with the students, the bodies of Dr. Hu Fengmin, and Eric Mun have also been found, murdered in their offices-”

Chansung shot up from his seat, the action causing the chair to topple over behind him. “Eric Mun? I thought-” he caught his tongue just as Minji walked in.

Junsu’s eyes narrowed as he processed last night’s events in his head. Nichkhun couldn’t have been mistaken, could he?

~ ☖ ~

Jinwoon grimaced as Nichkhun’s fist drove right through the table, sending splinters of wood across the room and creating a large hole right in the middle. The discovery of the true identity of last night’s targets was beyond disgruntling for all of them, Nichkhun especially. He was convulsing in anger, and Jinwoon wished he could walk just so he could pull away the remaining pieces of furniture inside the back room and away from the mercurial blonde. He had always been vaguely aware of Nichkhun’s destructive nature, but this would be the first time he was of actual witness to it.

Jinwoon leaned back again, this time to avoid a piece of wood that went flying towards his direction. Nichkhun’s fist was already inflamed, a brilliant shade of red on his pale skin. Looking at it alone, Jinwoon could already feel the kind of pain that pulsed through the Thai, and he shuddered at the thought.

Kass braved herself and walked right up to Nichkhun. She ran her hands on his back, shoulders and arms, rubbing them in an attempt to soothe him. Heat radiated off his body, and Kass bit her lip to control her now raging hormones. Her manicured nails clung to the fabric of the thin white shirt he wore, and her eyes glazed as his scent assaulted her nose. His muscles tensed under her palms, and Kass breathed in a sharp intake of much needed air.

The moment Kass laid her hands on him Nichkhun felt the bile rise up from his gut to his throat. Her nails raked at his skin, and before he could even stop to calm himself, he shoved her away. Kass was airborne in an instant, not even knowing what it was that struck her. She landed into Junsu’s arms just as he walked in with Chansung.

“Hey!” Junsu was livid. “What was that?” He settled Kass gently on the seat next to him and marched right up to Nichkhun, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and staring him straight in the eye.

Nichkhun didn’t flinch and he held Junsu’s gaze just as steadily. His stormy gray eyes bore into Junsu’s russet ones, neither one of them willing to back down from the other. The two youngest members began to panic, not wanting a fight to break out within the group. Jinwoon and Chansung knew just how thinly spread the peace was over their team. It would easily break, and they would fall apart. Chansung stepped in between Nichkhun and Junsu, his hands prying the eldest’s away.

The tension was broken by the sound of the door swinging open. Rai limped inside, dragging her left foot. “It was a doppelganger, wasn’t it?”

The question was meant for Nichkhun, and he jerked himself away from the mess in the middle of the room. “How does it work?”

Jinwoon watched Rai walk past him, her hand was pressed firmly on her sides. He looked down and he was certain the pain in her foot was more than she let on. “Rai...maybe you should...” but his words were drowned out by her explanation.

“It’s an ancient scroll technique. I haven’t heard of anyone successfully mastering that art- at least not outside clans. It’s not a simple disguising technique. Anyone could be fooled.”

“Where is the real Park Yoochun then?” Chansung asked.

“That’s what I’m trying to find out now. Jia and Fei and working hard on locating the targets.” Jinwoon paused. “Just...wait a little more.”

~ I ~

end scene.

Lost in a path where there is no wind

come to a stop standing in the rain

burning in the short life that they have

Who is it you smile softly for Little Bloom?

- Fate, Noriyuki Asakura, Yui Murase -

[A/N]: muahahahaha. and Arc I is done. woot. Just FYI, this update is off schedule and I'd probably pay the consequences some time very soon, but meeeehhhh...I thought this would be a good point for an extended delay in updates because of school and other more pressing matters. <3

so, how was the first arc? like it? not so much? needs more Nichkhun?

anyway, here's a teaser for Arc II: