Elsewhere in the house, KiBum and KyuJong had made it to the living room again. ChangMin was off on a mission, downstairs pestering HeeChul to drive KiBum and KyuJong back home. Yixing had also disappeared downstairs to sleep off the headache he'd gotten.

The front door opened, showing how dark it had gotten outside as RyeoWook came in. "Didn't find anything," the bird shifter shook his head, going to sit next to KyuHyun on the couch.

Ten feet of flailing limbs shot out of the basement door, wrapping RyeoWook into a hug before he could make it to the couch. There was rapid-fire mandarin and a very worried Zhou Mi clinging tightly to RyeoWook.

"I think someone was worried about you," KyuJong said from where he was curled up against KiBum on the couch.

RyeoWook almost shrieked when he was practically lifted off the ground. "Mi, I'm fine," RyeoWook chuckled, hugging Zhou Mi back just as tightly. "Miss me?"

"Yes, you should have been back hours ago," Zhou Mi sniffed, pulling back a little so he could pet RyeoWook's hair and make sure he was in one piece. "I'll fill you in on what went on here."

"Get a room you two," HeeChul was out of the basement, making a face at Zhou Mi and RyeoWook. "Oh, that's right, there aren't any rooms in this place."

"That never stopped you and Han Geng," RyeoWook mumbled, taking Zhou Mi's hands and pulling him out of the way.

ChangMin had appeared behind HeeChul, beaming. "I got you your ride, hyung."

"Ready to go home?" KiBum murmured to KyuJong, shifting to help the older man up.

"Very much so," KyuJong said, slowly getting to his feet. "We'll be back in the morning, let JungMin know," he said to Zhou Mi and RyeoWook, the former nodding.

"If anything happens we'll let you know too," Zhou Mi said, keeping RyeoWook close to him.

"I'm not standing around all day waiting for you all to say goodbyes, let's go," HeeChul said, already heading to the door.

KiBum's arm wrapped around KyuJong's waist as they followed HeeChul out to the door. "Thanks for the lift," KiBum said as they were getting into the car.

"Yeah, yeah," HeeChul waved him off as he started up the car. "It's not far away so it's fine. No making out though."

KyuJong just chuckled under his breath at that, leaning up against KiBum after he'd got his seatbelt buckled. There were so many things he wanted to say to KiBum, but it could wait until they were alone. For now he was just happy to relax against him, let his mind drift.

Before he knew it, HeeChul was slowing to a stop and putting the brake on. "We're here, need help?" HeeChul asked, turning to look over his shoulder.

"We're fine," KiBum's lips quirked, helping KyuJong out of the car. "We'll see you tomorrow." Closing the car door, he turned to head towards the apartment door.

They both got inside, KiBum locking the door and turning on the lights. "You feeling okay?" he looked at KyuJong beside him.

"Just tired," KyuJong said, leaning back onto the bed. "Happy, but tired. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Closing the blinds, KiBum joined KyuJong sitting on the bed. "Do youâ¦need anything? Something to drink?"

"No, only thing I need is you," KyuJong said, finding KiBum's hand and twining their fingers together. "Did you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know." KiBum looked down at their hands, fingers curling around the other man's. "I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't realize it would get that bad. Or guessed, but didn't want to think about it."

"It was... difficult to watch," KyuJong said, his eyes lowering. "Do you think it will continue to happen?"

"I don't know," KiBum shook his head, glancing towards the window. "Once this is overâ¦I'll talk with Yixing about doing something to keep it from coming back. If anything can be done. I don't want to be like that anymore, I feelâ¦better, for the first time in years."

"It's probably a little overwhelming then, all these emotions," KyuJong said, running a finger over KiBum's knuckle. "I'm just glad you're back to yourself again. When you told me... that you never loved me, I think I died a little inside."

KiBum looked at KyuJong, searching his eyes. "â¦That's not true," he said quietly, reaching up with his free hand and brushing KyuJong's hair back lightly. "That was the one emotion I wouldn't let the shadows take from me, for as long as I could hold on to it. Before meeting you, I thought I was already incapable of feeling love. But I fell in love with you."

"I don't understand why you said it, but you weren't in a right frame of mine," KyuJong said, sitting up so he was eye level with KiBum. "I fell in love with you, I think from the first moment I saw you I knew I had to be with you. I've never been in love before, I think I was waiting for the perfect person... my perfect tall dark and handsome man."

KiBum's lips curled into a wide smile. "Not so dark anymore." He leaned in and kissed KyuJong, hand pressing against the small of the other man's back.

Not needing to reply, KyuJong returned the kiss happy. His arms encircled KiBum's neck and slowly pulled him down to lay down on the bed. KyuJong was tired, and he was sure KiBum was as well, but he needed this, they both did. He needed KiBum's touch to reassure him, and he was sure KiBum needed his kisses to ground him. Or that's what he liked to believe anyway.

As the kisses grew heated though, KyuJong flipped them over so he was hovering over KiBum, straddling his waist as he pulled his shirt off and dumped it on the floor. He didn't even notice the bruises around his middle as he leaned back down to restart the fiery kiss.

Of course KiBum did though, when they had to break the kiss to get KiBum's shirt off. His eyes widened slightly. "KyuJongâ¦" He reached out with one hand, fingers barely brushing against the angry-looking bruises. He had done that. "â¦I'm sorry."

Looking down, KyuJong's lips thinned slightly. "I'm going to think of it like this," he said softly, taking KiBum's hands and pressing them down against the mattress. "It wasn't you, you were possessed by an evil dark entity. It wasn't you who did that, because you wouldn't hurt me. You're a good person, a super hero. You wouldn't hurt anyone."

"I did though," KiBum looked up at KyuJong, face pinched slightly in sadness. "I hurt the one person I never wanted to see hurt."

"And you can make it up to me, by kissing me instead," KyuJong responded softly, leaning down to press a kiss to KiBum's neck.

Returning the kiss, KiBum deepened it, twining his fingers in KyuJong's hair. He would figure out a more permanent solution to this, because KyuJong was too important for him to lose again. Once was already one time too many. As he turned his attention to removing KyuJong's pants, a thin strand of shadow reached up and turned off the lights.

***********

By the time JungMin's house had settled down into quiet, KyuHyun was leaving. Everyone had either paired off and left or were talking to each other in a language he couldn't understand. With little other options, he decided to go home. No one even acknowledged him when he left so he was rather bitter as he walked home, arms crossed and staring down at the sidewalk. 

Nothing about the night had gone well. He had led a team in and one of their own was a missing. The fact that he had been warned something bad was going to happen didn't sit well with him. If he had listened, would DongHae still be with them? Would they have caught HyungJoon and brought him to justice for all the things he had done? Sometimes, he just wished he could turn back time and start over with what he knew now as opposed to what he knew before.

Arriving at his building, KyuHyun stopped outside the doors to unlock them, glancing around with a frown. Maybe it was just his imagination, but it seemed a lot darker tonight than usual.

With the city in the state it was in, slowly dissolving into chaos as the heroes who patrolled the streets disappeared or died one by one, even the few homeless that frequented the neighbourhood tried to find places indoors to sleep for the night. But there was one figure left in the darkness, across from KyuHyun's apartment and half-tucked into the mouth of an alleyway to hide in the shadows.

A lone car drove down the street, headlights briefly illuminating a pink bag.

KyuHyun watched the car go by, his attention taken by the figure he saw. Sighing a little, he tucked his hands in his pockets and started across the street. Stopping a few paces away, his expression became tight and after a second he held out his hand to help SungMin up.

SungMin looked up when KyuHyun stopped in front of him, half his face hidden by shadows. He reached up slowly, cold fingers curling around KyuHyun's as he let the younger man help him to his feet.

A long line of blood ran down the cheek previously covered in shadow. The front of his shirt was slashed, the material stained a deep red.

Not saying anything, KyuHyun put his arm under SungMin's and supported him as they walked back across the street. It took a while, the assassin hampered by his injuries. KyuHyun didn't even look at him as they got in, climbing up the stairs to KyuHyun's apartment.

The first thing he did when they got in was help SungMin to bed, stripping off his ruined clothes and throwing them out. Nothing was said, not even when he came back with a bowl of warm water and a washrag. The wound on his chest was deep, opening and closing every time SungMin took a breath. 

"You need a healer," KyuHyun spoke for the first time as he washed the blood away.

SungMin's eyes opened, looking down at KyuHyun as the younger man worked. He didn't even flinch at the washrag, wetting his lips.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to go." he murmured.

"I'm surprised you even did come here," KyuHyun said, turning his attention to the cut on SungMin's cheek. "Yesterday I probably would have left you out there on the street to bleed to death."

"I know," SungMin swallowed thickly. He avoided KyuHyun's eyes as the long cut in his cheek was tended to. "I'm surprised you didn't just leave me there."

"... I'm a hero, I help people," KyuHyun said, washing the rag in the water. "HyungJoon took DongHae today. You were right, about him. I should have believed you."

The wound in SungMin's chest was still bleeding, and the assassin was beginning to show signs of severe blood loss. "I wasn't the easiest person to believe," he murmured, closing his eyes.

"No, you aren't," KyuHyun said, sighing a little. Getting gauze from the bathroom, he bound up SungMin's injury as best he could before calling RyeoWook to get the healer's number. He really hoped the girl would make a house call to someone else's house in the middle of the night. Otherwise SungMin probably wouldn't make it till morning.

RyeoWook was confused at the phone call, and half-asleep, but quickly gave KyuHyun TaeYeon's number when prompted. When TaeYeon herself picked up the phone, she protested a little at having to work so late before being told the extent of the injuries. She promised she'd be right over, getting KyuHyun's apartment number and hanging up.

While KyuHyun had been on the phone, SungMin had lied down on his back on the bed, eyes closed and chest rising and falling shallowly. His eyes opened half-way when KyuHyun hung up.

"She'll be here in like ten minutes," KyuHyun said, sitting down in a nearby chair. "You need any water or anything? I'd offer you some juice but I don't have any... I think you drank it all."

The corner of SungMin's lips twitched. "I'm fine," he whispered. His eyes closed. "I always thought I'd die alone in a ditch somewhere.  I'm glad you're here, Kyunnie."

"Don't... don't call me that," KyuHyun said, getting to his feet and pacing around the room. "When you're better, and you're healed and not dying in my bed, then you can call me that. Because that would mean we've talked. Because I'm still not okay with you. You shot YoungSaeng. Even if you made sure you didn't kill him, you still shot him. You shot RyeoWook, you were trying to kill him. We're not okay yet."

"I'm sorry," SungMin replied quietly. "I didn't want to hurt him, or you." He exhaled slowly, opening his eyes. "After you left my apartment yesterday I made my decision. Whether I'm alive after tonight or not.  you'll have one less hitman to track down."

KyuHyun blew out a sigh, slumping down in his chair. "Look, we can talk about it when you're not bleeding all over my comforter okay? It's been a rough day, for everyone it looks like. Just... don't die."

SungMin turned his head to see KyuHyun, tired eyes searching the younger man's. "If I died, would you miss me?"

"No," KyuHyun replied impudently, crossing his arms. "Maybe. I don't know. That's why you can't die. I haven't made up my mind yet."

SungMin's eyes dimmed before he closed them again. He didn't speak again, and by the time TaeYeon knocked on the door he was unconscious.

KyuHyun was too wound up after TaeYeon had left to sleep. He knew he should considering he'd been up for hours, but he had a lot of things to think about. So he cleaned, fighting with himself as he scrubbed down his counters. Everything he had ever believed about people was upside down. The good guys were the bad guys, the bad guys were the good guys and shades of grey people in between. 

Everything in his life had been black and white. Super heroes and villains, there was a line that wasn't crossed. But that wasn't true anymore. There was an assassin unconscious in his bed, one who he had fallen in love with, slept with. A person who had tested every part of his moral code and he didn't know how to resolve it. SungMin had killed people, dozens if not more. Was he telling the truth about being done as a hitman? Or was it the words of a man who thought he was laying on his deathbed? They had a lot to talk about.

KyuHyun ended up passing out on the couch, dust rag in one hand. When he woke up, sunlight was hitting his face as the sun peeked over the buildings. Getting up, he stumbled over to the bedroom door and looked in.

SungMin hadn't moved from where he lay on the bed, eyes closed and chest rising and falling slowly. TaeYeon had replaced the bloody bandages with fresh ones before leaving, saying the danger was over but she would need to come back for a second healing later before he was okay to go anywhere. The gash along SungMin's cheek was just a painful-looking scar, one that would stay with him for the rest of his life.

Stepping over to the bed, KyuHyun sat down on the edge to check SungMin's bandages. They would need to be changed again soon. "She said you were lucky," he said quietly, adjusting the blankets a little. "Any deeper and you really would have been dead in a ditch somewhere."

The older man's brow furrowed slightly at the dip in the bed, SungMin starting to wake up. After a moment his eyes half-opened, gradually focusing on KyuHyun's face. "You're still here."

"I live here, where would I go?" KyuHyun snorted. "You want some water now? I could probably make some ramen if you're hungry."

"Water's fine." SungMin slowly shifted to sit up, wincing at the pain in his chest at the movement.

"Try not to move, you'll just rip open those wounds," KyuHyun said, getting up and fetching a glass of water from the kitchen. "TaeYeon would probably skin me alive if she thought I made you do anything. Here." Sitting back down, he shifted to help support SungMin's head so he could drink without straining.

SungMin didn't say anything until he was done drinking, resting back against the pillows with a quiet thank you. He closed his eyes to gather his thoughts, exhaling slowly.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked quietly. "Because it's your duty as a hero? To keep an eye on me so I don't go and hurt someone else?"

"Are you complaining?" KyuHyun frowned a little. "Look, I have my reasons okay. You were hurt, I couldn't just let you die out there."

"You said that you would kill me if you saw me again." SungMin opened his eyes to look up at KyuHyun.

"That was before i knew you were telling the truth," KyuHyun said, looking away. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you. What you said, made sense and I just wasn't paying attention. But I still don't understand why you had to shoot YoungSaeng, and why you couldn't let me in on what you knew before we got there. Or why you let HyungJoon go if you knew who he was."

SungMin looked away, gaze lingering on the ceiling. "I wanted to tell you, I guess I've just worked alone for so long. When I saw your friends all unconscious, all those superheroes who were supposed to be the best of the best, I thought bluffing my way out was the only way any of us were going to leave that house alive. You, me, or YoungSaeng."

"If you want me to be able to trust you, you're going to have to trust me," KyuHyun said. "I can't keep doing this, wondering whose side you're on, or if you're just picking whichever side is winning at the time. We have to work together."

The corner of SungMin's lips quirked slightly. "If I wanted to pick the winning side, I'd probably have hopped a plane to Japan by now." He looked back at KyuHyun. "I've never trusted anyone before. But I do trust you."

"It didn't feel like it," KyuHyun said. "I'm sorry, but it's going to take a while for me to completely trust what you have to say. I still feel betrayed. We were supposed to be working together."

"Try to put yourself in my shoes," SungMin said quietly. "Knowing what you know of me, and what world I come from. I want to be able to work together with you, doing something good instead of killing for money. I like you, and trust you, even when you make me do stupid things like leave all my weapons at home and walk into a building full of people who hate me. I want to do what you're asking of meâ¦but old habits die hard. Especially habits that up until now have kept me alive."

"Then I guess we're both going to have to work together on this," KyuHyun said, reaching his hand over to take SungMin's. "And I mean together. That's the only way we're going to get through this."

SungMin took the offered hand, fingers curling securely around the younger man's. "We can try again, right?" He lightly tugged KyuHyun closer.

"Yes, we can," KyuHyun nodded, smiling a little. It felt like the first time he'd smiled in days, his spirits lifted a little. "TaeYeon will be back today for another healing session. You'll probably be back on your feet soon. But I need to know whatever it is you know about HyungJoon."

"I'll tell you whatever I knowâ¦which isn't much." SungMin smiled lightly in return, not letting go of KyuHyun's hand. "The Voice didn't tell me much in that phone call days ago, just that whoever was at JungMin's house was going to spirit YoungSaeng away. After I shot YoungSaeng and dragged HyungJoon out so he wouldn't see the precog was still alive, he was furious, demanding from me and the Voice who planned to have YoungSaeng killed. The Voice pretended it was my idea, I just got out of there alive."

"Barely," KyuHyun said. "So you didn't know who HyungJoon was before we walked into JungMin's house and you took off with him?"

"No," SungMin shook his head. "If I had known HyungJoon wasn't who he was pretending to be earlier, I would have warned you."

"I guess I don't understand why you left with him in the first place," KyuHyun replied. "I'm surprised you didn't kill him and be done with it."

"Do you think I would have been able to point a gun, or anything, at him and get away with it?" SungMin closed his eyes. "I would have shot him if I thought it would work, Kyunnieâ¦"

"...Okay, I see your point," KyuHyun replied, frowning at him. "You should rest, I need to make a phone call. I may have to leave for a little bit later, depending on what's going on."

SungMin nodded in understanding. "I forgot how much being bedridden ." He tugged lightly on KyuHyun's hand again.

"I hope whoever did that to you isn't going to be giving us any more trouble," KyuHyun said, looking down at their hands as he was being tugged on. "I don't think that's a good idea, you're hurt and I don't want to break you."

"The other guy got it worse," SungMin smiled, opening his eyes again. "Gonna take a lot more than that to break meâ¦and I missed you, sue me."

"Missed me huh?" KyuHyun snorted, sliding onto the bed and looking down at him. "You just missed the ."

"No," SungMin rolled his eyes, lifting his free hand to twine his fingers into KyuHyun's hair. "I missed you, relentless arguing and all." He pulled KyuHyun down into a kiss.

KyuHyun didn't admit it, but he was hesitant to kiss SungMin again. A part of him felt like he was betraying his team by even helping SungMin. Soon as his lips touched SungMin's though, he couldn't give a rat's what anyone thought. Yes, he had missed SungMin as well, even if he tried to ignore it. He missed kissing him, and talking to him, and rolling around in the sheets with him. Breaking away from the kiss before it got too heated, he opened his eyes to look down into SungMin's. "You... need to get better, and quickly," he murmured. "And I do not argue."

"Only you would argue about not arguing," SungMin's smile was warm. "Be careful out there."

"I'm always careful," KyuHyun grunted. "I have a phonecall to make, try and relax. Don't move or I'll tie you down to the bed."

"Tempting," SungMin chuckled, but his eyes were already drifting closed again. His fingers lightly brushed against KyuHyun's jaw before he let his hand fall back to the bed, the grip on KyuHyun's hand loosening.

"Tch, weirdo," KyuHyun chuckled, watching him for a moment before slowly sliding off the bed. He shut the bedroom door behind him when he left the room, picking up his phone from the counter and dialing JungMin's number. He would be lucky if JungMin didn't hunt him down and murder him after this phone call.

The phone rang a few times before JungMin picked up at the other end. "KyuHyun? Is everything okay?" A door on the other end of the line clicked shut.

"Yes... and no," KyuHyun sighed, sitting down in a chair. "I found SungMin waiting outside my apartment last night. Someone cut him up really bad. He's currently asleep on my bed."

There was silence for a long moment as JungMin processed that. "â¦The guy who shot YoungSaeng and nearly killed him is asleep on your bed," he said lowly.

KyuHyun cringed at the tone. Yup, he was a dead man. "I know, I know, okay? Just... he said he did it to save YoungSaeng. Because HyungJoon was after him and if he thought YoungSaeng was dead then he wouldn't go after him anymore. I know how it sounds, and I know that it doesn't make what he did right... but I couldn't just let him die out there on the street."

"I thought we went through this already, KyuHyun. Didn't we agree that trusting SungMin is a bad idea? That he was just using you?" JungMin demanded. "How do we know he's not going to pull that again? I'm not letting him back in my house so he can try and kill someone else."

"He's my responsibility," KyuHyun replied, eyes narrowing at the wall. "How about you trust me for once to make a decision about something? I know what he did, what he's capable of, but he's not going to do that anymore. SungMin didn't lie to me, he didn't use me, he's just an idiot who doesn't know how to work on a team. Why don't you ask YoungSaeng if he can be trusted or not since the psycho precog is the only one you seem to listen to!"

"Don't you ing go there, Cho KyuHyun." JungMin said lowly into the phone. "I trusted your decisions right up until your 'responsibility' put a bullet in YoungSaeng's chest. Whatever else is going on, this is still my house, and I won't have him in here until there's solid proof he's not going to do it again. Whether that proof comes from you, YoungSaeng, or the ing sky I don't care. Give me some reason to believe he's not going to kill the guy I love, then I'll trust your decision."

"Well don't worry, I'm not coming back over there even if I did have proof," KyuHyun said. "Not like he could do anything right now anyway since someone nearly sliced him in two."

"You want to keep on isolating yourself from us? Fine. Getting you to work alongside us instead of off on your own has been like pulling teeth, and I'm sick of arguing with you. If you ever get yourself together and decide to be a team again, we'll be searching for DongHae. If you even care that he's missing, or does SungMin take priority over him too?" JungMin hung up the phone.

"Yeah, well, where were you the past two years!" KyuHyun said to the dial tone. He hung the phone as forcefully as he could, throwing it to the other side of the couch. "Not like you wanted me around anyway!" Muttering to himself, he flopped over onto the couch cushions, covering his face with a pillow. That probably could have gone better.