The force of his arm being shook jolted Chanyeol awake. Baekhyun’s calm breath was still ghosting through his shirt as he peered into the darkness. A darker patch was hovering above him and as the lethargy of slumber left him, he was able to feel that the hand shaking him belonged to another person. “Please, wake up.”

    Scrambling back he was blocked from screaming by a hand pressed tightly to his mouth. At the hasty movement Baekhyun was jerked from his sleep, the shock causing him to glow. In his light the silhouette was illuminated to reveal a young man. With his free hand he brought a finger to his blush lips, motioning for them to remain quiet. “Please, we’re not here to hurt you.”

   His hazel eyes were kind and his smile soft but Chanyeol still couldn’t bring himself to trust the man. Grabbing Baekhyun by the waist he drew the boy up and behind him. Even with Chanyeol blocking the light once Baekhyun had fully awoken it had grown, revealing the other man in the room. The taller man’s gaze was locked on the door and his dark hair fell longer in the front. “Suho-Hyung, we need to hurry.”

    The man kneeling in front of them nodded and turned to the pair. Bringing his hands up by his head in a good faith gesture he smiled. He was trying to tell the two captives that he wasn’t there to hurt them. “Please, my friend and I are trying to get you out of here but we need to hurry.”

    Suho held his hand out to them and waited for Chanyeol to take it. It wasn’t forceful and for all the man’s calm words his hand was shaking. Shifting his eyes from Suho to the other man and back again, Chanyeol wasn’t sure what to believe. “Yeol…”

“HYUNG NOW!”

    The dark haired boy watching the door stepped back, his body shaking but his jaw set firm. Suho shot to his feet and stood in front of the other boy even though he was shorter by a head. Clenching his hands the kind man’s eyes had hardened as he stared at the door. “Kai, get them out NOW!”

   The boy nodded and rushed over to the two still sitting on their mat. There was barely time to protest before the door was thrown open revealing Kangjun and other men, guns poised at the ready. A cold grin appeared on Suho’s face as he raised his hands. A fluid twist of his body had Suho facing the wall, leaving his left side exposed. But before the armed guards could shoot a jet of water flew from his palms, creating a wall of liquid four feet thick. “KAI NOW!”

    Chanyeol was stunned as he watched the bullets fly into the wall. The water slow them and by the time they pierced through the wall they fell useless at Suho’s feet with small clanks. Kai had run over and took Baekhyun by the arm and tugged by the boy wouldn’t move. With a growl Kai glared at the man. “Sorry.”

   That was the only warning before he spun and slammed his leg into Baekhyun’s injured back. Lurching forward Baekhyun screamed, his hands dropping from their hold on Chanyeol to clutch his sides. In the instant it took for Baekhyun to let go he was already enveloped in Kai’s arms. Before Chanyeol could protest Kai had disappeared in a small puff of smoke, taking the shorter boy with him. “BAEKHYUN.”

    Suho heard the scream and turned his eyes from the barrier. The little bit of attention he took away from the water was all the guards needed. The wall was slightly weakened as Suho tried to calm the panicked Chanyeol down and then Kangjun shot. The bullet hit the wall, slowing within its watery prison before shooting from the other side.

   A cry echoed along the walls as Suho fell. He was clutching his arm and crying softly as blood fell from it. Chanyeol was shocked as he tried to rush to the man but was stopped. He watched in dazed horror as Suho stood. Wavering slightly he kept his eyes on the wall he was creating, sweat beading down the side of his face. “WHAT-”

   Chanyeol didn’t have to finish as arms wrapped around his torso and he felt like being sick. His vision blurred and hazed, bright lights and shapes obstructing his view. A light feeling overtook his stomach as his head felt weighed down. The contrast and lucidness of his body had his meagre supper reeling in his stomach.

   The ground came up quicker than both of them had expected as Kai and he landed harshly on broken twigs and damp dirt. With a huff and a groan he pushed himself away from the shorter man and looked around. They seemed to have landed in a cottage backyard, the trees high but well tamed and the brush wasn’t overgrown. “Yeol!”

   The voice awoke him from his daydreaming as he shot through the small ring off bushes blocking him from the house. When he arrived he took in Baekhyun slapping another man’s hands off him as a few other men stood around laughing.

    Anger boiled inside him as he sprinted to the shorter boy. Glaring up at them men around them he shoved the startled looking man off Baekhyun and a small ring of fire separated them from the others. The other stepped back immediately, holding their hands up much like Suho had. One of them, a shorter boy with catlike eyes chuckled softly. “Man, Suho isn’t going to like putting this out.”

    The man who had been closest to Baekhyun rolled his eyes and tried to move towards the two newcomers again. He stopped just outside the barrier and sighed, looking around. His eyes went from a soft haze to fiery concern. “Chen shut up! Where’s Suho!?”

   All of the men stiffened and looked around frantically. The smiles had fallen, replaced with nervous hands and frowns. Even Chanyeol’s flames had died down when he remembered the man that was still left behind. “LAY! LAY HURRY!”

   The voice was frantic and filled with fear as it echoed from just inside the forest. The man standing near the once burning flames shot off towards the woods, waving a wide eyed man to follow him. The rest held their breath and even the birds had quieted as they watched the spot the two men had taken off to.

   It wasn’t long before a serious looking Lay was sprinting towards them, a pale faced Suho clutched carefully in the wide eyed man’s arms. Kai quickly followed, collapsing soon after he reached a bench. A tall blonde boy with a straight nose went to the teleporter and wrapped his arms around him. “LUHAN I NEED YOU! KYUNGSOO REST HIM ON THE PORCH!”

   Kyungsoo immediately went to do as he was told, carrying Suho as if the man weighed nothing. Gentle as if Suho was a baby lamb he placed him against the dark wood of the deck. Even with all the care the young man’s face was contorted in pain. Lay was by his side in an instant, a baby faced blonde man right next to him. “Luhan I need you to get the bullet out.”

   Kyungsoo stepped back as Lay tore Suho’s shirt open, revealing the pale man’s undershirt stained with blood. The group hissed, pained expressions on their faces as they watched the two men work on their friend. Luhan kneeled beside Lay and closed his eyes, hands hovering above Suho’s injured shoulder. A cry left the short boys dry lips as the bullet reluctantly left the wound.

   A breath was let out of the curly blonde as he tossed the bullet aside. Luhan nodded towards Lay and the man immediately placed his hands on Suho’s shoulder. Blood seeped through his fingers and Suho gripped tightly at his wrist but it all seemed to go unnoticed. Taking a deep breath Lay closed his eyes as little white sparkles flew from his clasped hands.

   Sweat shone off his forehead but Suho’s death grip on his wrist had loosened and he was smiling softly. The group took a collective sigh of relief before moving to give the injured boy more room. Moving back to the grass they all sat in clusters on the benches, watching the pair from a distance.

   Chanyeol and Baekhyun hadn’t left their spot on the ground throughout the whole ordeal and they were stunned to watch as Lay helped Suho stand. The blood stained shirt and tired eyes were the only evidence the boy had been anywhere near hurt. “Thanks Lay… how are the others?”

“You got shot! Would you please worry about yourself for one damn minute!?”

     The shorter boy chuckled and leaned against the healer as he stood. Lay kept a strong arm around him as they shuffled to the edge of the porch to look at the others. Suho had an angelic smile as he looked at the others worried faces. They all seemed to be used to the man trying to downplay his injuries and they all seemed to want to either hug or smack him at the moment. “Suho-Hyung, you should rest.”

“So should you Kai, you did well today.”

   The addressed boy nodded and leaned against the tall blonde next to him. The blonde seemed to get the hint from Suho’s eyes and quickly picked up the shorter boy. They’re heights weren’t much different and it wasn’t like Kai was small but the man seemed to be used to picking him up. He moved quickly up the steps and passed the two men before quickly entering the house.

    With a smile towards the others he looked at Chanyeol and Baekhyun. The two were glued to each other as they watched the whole thing. Although they didn’t seem to be in any danger and they were far away from their captors they were wary. They had been taught to be cautious, especially when people were being nice.

   Suho’s soft voice brought them from their daze. “Hey… I know this is kind of… special? We aren’t here to hurt you, although you have no reason to trust us-”

“You took a bullet for them.” Kyungsoo mumbled softly. The man paused then shrugged, not even wincing as his shoulder moved. He seemed perfectly healed as he looked to the newcomers. “Listen, for now you don’t need to trust us. All you need to know is that you are safe and we’re here to help you. Fair enough? Now, you saw how Lay helped me, let him take a look at you then go to bed. We can talk later when we all aren’t so exhausted.”

    Moving away from Lay, Suho didn’t seem to notice the disappointment on the taller man’s face as he moved to the wide eyed boy. Kyungsoo lifted him easily and past the healer to go inside the house, Luhan quickly following with another boy with chubby cheeks. Slowly one by one the group dispersed into the house leaving only the two inside the ring and Lay.

   The healer sighed and slowly made his way down the stairs. Approaching the two he sat in front of them, looking tired and slightly deflated. “Listen, just like Hyung said, I’m not here to hurt you. My powers are for healing as you saw, so can I please take a look at you guys so I can go to bed? Today’s been long.”

   Baekhyun was the first to move. Hesitantly he crawled out from behind Chanyeol and sat in front of the other man. With shaking hands he pulled his shirt off, revealing the many marks and scars. Lay’s eyes softened but he didn’t seem surprised. “What’s your name?”

“Baekhyun…”

“You can call me Lay.”

    He said it calmly and carefully ran his fingers down Baekhyun’s back. The blonde shivered under the touch but didn’t protest. Chanyeol on the other hand, was watching like a hawk as the healer spread his palms on the boys back. The same white sparks appeared and Baekhyun’s eyes widened as the ache in his back subsided. Twisting experimentally he glanced at his back and gasped, seeing that all the scars and lacerations had disappeared. “Baekhyun, would you please go inside and get Chen? Just shout. He’ll be able to remove the collars.”

   Nodding quickly Baekhyun stood and nearly did a happy dance as not one of his muscles protested. Turning to Chanyeol he gave him a look that said to behave. It might have been easier for Baekhyun because he spent less time in the facility but Chanyeol found himself moving towards Lay as his companion jogged off. It seemed that if Baekhyun could trust them, so could he.

   Lay did the same for Chanyeol and by the time he was finished Baekhyun had returned with another man following in toe. It was the same one with catlike eyes and he smiled widely as he came up to the two. When he saw the healer his face softened as he looked at him. “Do you want me to get Kyungsoo to carry you?”

   Shaking his head Lay motioned for Chen to continue. With a nod he placed his hands around Baekhyun’s neck, since the boy was closer. Feeling along the leather he came to the front and nodded. A current of sparks shot along the white until smoke came from the device. With a final flick the collar fell to the grass. Lay didn’t seem affected as the two others stared at Chen. “Lightning.”

   That was the only explanation they got as Chen did the same to Chanyeol as Lay healed Baekhyun’s neck. Once the newcomers were properly healed Lay leaned heavily against Chen as they walked to the house. The healer looked as if he hadn’t slept for days.

    Chen led the group into the stone cottage and through the living room. The kitchen was to one side and was littered with dirty plates and other evidence of cooking along the counters. There was a trail of clothes leading to another room just off the main one, a freshly blood stained undershirt decorating the top of the pile. The main room itself was plain, with simple couches and tables, all littered with electronics, games and other toys. The television was hung nicely above the fire place and the newcomers were quite surprised about the whole layout.

   Chen walked past all this to a room just beside the laundry room. Pushing the door opened he revealed a bedroom with two big beds and a nightstand in between. The closet was along one wall and Chen brought Lay to the bed on that side. Once the healer was settled he moved to the other side of the room and tossed some clothes off it. “You two can take that bed and don’t worry I didn’t do anything weird to it.”

  Chuckling softly Chen settled into the other bed and brought the blankets over himself and Lay. Baekhyun was the first to make the move towards the bed. Sitting on the edge he bounced slightly, smiling at the softness. Waving his hand excitedly he motioned for Chanyeol to join him. The boy agreed and crawled onto the bed next to him.

   The bed was soft and after half a year of sleeping on a thin sheet it was like heaven. He lay back and nearly cried after feeling the softness. His back no longer ached thanks to Lay and now his eyes were fighting to stay open at the newfound comfort. Baekhyun was quick to pull the blankets up and snuggle against him. It wasn’t long before his breath had evened out, fanning over Chanyeol’s shirt as the sleeping boy clung to him. The comfort was all he needed for himself to fall asleep.

_*_*_*_

     A large hand shook Baekhyun from his sleep and he blinked wearily. The room was dark but light still filtered in through the sides of the window. Peering into the dim he took in the form of a tall man, the only man taller than Chanyeol in the group. The man’s eyes were dark and his demeanor was commanding but there was a softness in the way he handles the other. “Sorry to wake you, but Kyungsoo made some food and we should talk. Please wake your friend and meet us outside. Here’s some clothes for you.”

   The blonde man raised a pile of clothes and placed it on the other bed. It was empty and it seemed as if Lay and Chen had already awoken. With a final nod the tall man left without giving his name. A sigh left Baekhyun as he turned in the warm arms holding him. “Yeol…Yeol wake up, you must be hungry.”

   The younger just rolled over and pulled him into a tight embrace. Baekhyun knew he had to wake Chanyeol up but he couldn’t bring himself to disturb the peace the taller was in. He had never seen Chanyeol so calm. There was no frown on his lips and his face was relaxed, even his hands were loose by his side. Tracing the contours of the youngers face he could only smile softly. “hm… Baek?”

   Nodding quickly he tapped Chanyeol’s chest. The taller man’s eyes opened slowly and he groaned, shoving his head back in the pillow as the light hit his face. Baekhyun could only chuckle at how adorable he looked before stepping out of the bed. The floor was cold beneath his bare feet as he moved to the clothes.

    They were simple jeans, worn thin at the knees and torn in places while the shirts were anything but the latest fashion. This was all drowned out by the colour of them. The faded blues of the denim and bright green and gold of the polo shirts was all they needed. Having spent months in nothing but plain white stained with red the colour was a tremendous relief.

    Picking up the pair clearly smaller than the others Baekhyun discarded his torn white shirt and pants. He made a mental note to burn them later as he slipped on the new clothes. The feel of the fabric against his skin was almost like an awakening. It seemed silly but with the new clothes he felt like a new person. He was no longer the Baekhyun that had gone to his brother’s wedding, and yet he was no longer the Baekhyun that had been trapped. This time he had hope, he had a feeling things were looking up.

      “Here Yeol, put these on. Apparently there’s also food.” At the mention of a meal Chanyeol sat up and reach for the clothes. Baekhyun handed them over and turned his back as the younger changed. When he felt a tap on his shoulder Baekhyun turned to look up at Chanyeol. The taller man had a warm smile and the clothes seemed to bring a new light to him as well. With all the scars healed Chanyeol looked like a normal boy, but one look into his eyes and the faintest hints of darkness still loomed. “Yeol…”

“Let’s talk about it later.”

    Baekhyun could only nod as the younger led the way out of the room. The main room was lit dimly with the fading light of the sun and there was a faint scent wafting from the kitchen. The pair followed the flaming glow along the floor until they stepped onto the porch.

    The light came from a fire in the middle of the backyard. Ten boys were already sitting around the flame eating from bowls and smiling contently. Chanyeol and Baekhyun took in the scene, as if a single movement would disrupt the serenity of the place. However it was broken anyway as Suho waved his hand for the two to join the rest.

   Chanyeol hesitated but Baekhyun took his sleeve and pulled him to sit beside the shorter boy. Suho had a warm smile although there were dark circles on his eyes and Lay was leaning against him, looking tired as well. Glancing around the circle the duo took in the rest of the boys and nodded in a small bow. “Here, it’s rabbit.”

    The pair were greeted with two bowls of steaming stew in front of them. Staring up at the wide eyed boy they smiled gratefully. Baekhyun remembered him as Kyungsoo and thanked him fully, bending at the waist in gratitude. The group of boys chuckled and the gathering fell into a comfortable silence as they ate.

     “I guess now would be a good time to introduce everyone.” Suho’s voice was deep but also light as he smiled at the pair. They nodded in unison and shifted in their spots. They figured they should go first but it was hard to trust people, even though there had been no threat towards them. “We can go first.”

   Suho smiled again as he cleared his throat. “So we’ll go numbers, names, powers, age? Right?”

   The rest of the group nodded and Suho took another deep breath before he spoke. “901, Suho, Water, 22.”

“802, Lay, Healer, 22.” The brunette mumbled from his spot leaning against Suho. The healer still looked tired and Suho pat his hand.

“602, Chen, Lightning, 21.” The boy saluted the two and they recognised him as the one that removed their collars. He turned and gave a disapproving look to two boys sitting on the grass. The dark haired one was closely seated on top of the blonde boy and they didn’t seem to care about the presence of others. “Hey! Maknaes! Mind not shoving your lovey dovey googly eyes in the new guys’ faces? Jeesh at least give them a day.”

    The two gave him a similar disapproving look before turning to Chanyeol and Baekhyun. The dark haired boy was the first to speak. “201, Kai, Teleportation, 20.”

   There was a pause before Kai tapped the man’s arm that was placed around his waist. The other gave him a look but sighed and rested his head on Kai’s shoulder. “101, Sehun, Wind, 19.”

   With the couple clearly done with talking the pair turned to the man next to the couple. It was the tall man who had woken Baekhyun up and Chanyeol scooted just the slightest bit closer. It wasn’t often that people were bigger than him and the man had an intimidating aura. The man seemed to notice and smiled softly. “1002, Kris, Flying, 23.”

    Next to Kris was another tall boy with catlike eyes and dark hair. That in itself made him intimidating but the next moment when he smiled almost had Baekhyun cooing. The slight dark circles under his eyes made him look like a panda bear. “302, Tao, Time control, 20.”

   Baekhyun hugged his knees to keep himself from embracing the taller boy. The kid was adorable but his attention was brought to probably the cutest pair of people he’d ever seen. The shorter boy with chubby cheeks was sitting on the grass with his head leaning on the others leg while his hair was played with. The blonde young looking man smiled warmly at the pair from his seat on the bench. “Hello, 1102, Luhan, Telepath, 23.”

    The boy on the grass nodded and quirked an eyebrow when he received a little nudge. “Huh, oh right. 1202, Xiumin, Ice, 23.”

   Everyone turned to the boy standing next to the giant pot of stew. He was stirring it with such concentration and he only looked up when everyone had gone silent. “Oh, is it my turn? Um… 401, Kyungsoo, Strength, 21.”

   They all nodded then turned their attention to the newcomers. Chanyeol and Baekhyun shifted slightly under the gaze before they looked up. Even so it took them a while and Baekhyun was the first to speak up. “Um… I think my number is 701. My name is Baekhyun and my power is light… I’m 21.”

   “501, Chanyeol, Fire, 21.” Chanyeol answered incline and the two looked to Suho as he seemed to be the most talkative towards them but his face had fallen. Lay sat up and rubbed his back which had the older man smiling softly before turning to them. “It’s nice to meet you both. So I’m guessing you want to know about this whole ordeal… what do you know so far?”

   “I know that I, as well as Baekhyun were taken and turned into what we are by two insane scientists. This crazy guy that goes by the name ‘The Master’ wants to eliminate the world of what he thinks are lesser beings and is using us to do it… am I correct?”

    He turned to Suho only to see the older man clenching his fists tightly. His bottom lip was worrying between his teeth as he glanced up at Kris. The taller man seemed to understand the look and nodded slowly. Kris turned to Baekhyun and Chanyeol, his soft smile faltering. Even the others had gone quiet. “Suho and I have been here the longest. Suho knows the most about it but I can explain what I know.”

    The pair nodded as they watched Kris. The attention shifted from Suho to the taller man who didn’t seem to enjoy the attention much either. With a sigh he continued. “I was taken three years ago. I was part of the 02 experiments which was headed by a scientist named Kim Sunghyo. The whole thing is run by a man who goes by the name ‘The Master’. His real name is still uncertain to us but he believes the world is a terrible place, and as you said Chanyeol, he wants to eradicate most of the population. He kidnaps or buys people…”

    His voice trailed off as he glanced at Kai who only shrugged. With a final nod he continued. “So they either buy or kidnap their subjects. Suho was the first success under the 01 experiments and a scientist names Kim Seohee. Next came me and we’re sure there are other branches of the corporation. They, as I’m sure you were made aware, use inhuman ways to create super humans. They want to use us to destroy those they deem unfit for the ‘new world.’ This eliminates most of the world.”

   He nods and turns to Suho who seems to have come back to his old self, although the indents of nail marks are clear on his palms from clenching his fists. With a sigh and a shake of his hair he looks up. “In short, The Master wants to rule the world. He hired two scientists, maybe others, to perform experiments. Those of us with odd names like myself, Lay, Kai, Chen and Xiumin-Hyung were sold or forced by one way or another into the experiments. The others like yourselves were taken from your old lives.”

   Suho was staring straight ahead as he spoke, his voice firm but distant. “I was able to escape after two years and when I heard about Kris and the 02’s I went to back to help. For the past year we’ve been going back and forth trying to bring the corporation down but it hasn’t been easy. Other branches of the corporation are sent to stop us. They are subjects like us only different.”

   Biting his bottom lip he pauses and looks at them with a small smile. “But it’s alright, we’re together now and that’s what counts. This is an old cottage that has been abandoned. We manage to hunt and Kyungsoo cooks what we can get. We have heat, water, and all the works. It’s a small fit with four to a room but it’s good. We’re trying to stop them and until then I’m afraid it isn’t safe to leave… they’ll hurt you or your family if you return to them.”

    There was a weighty silence as some eyes shifted to Tao but no words were said. With a sigh Suho brought the attention back to himself. “That’s all there is to know about the whole thing… meanwhile Kyungsoo would you like to explain house rules and all other boring mundane things?”

   A tiny chuckle left everyone’s lips as Kyungsoo glared at the elder who only returned the look with an innocent smile. “Fine Hyung. Alright, for now it’s mostly patrols to gather information and all that. Since Tao, Suho and Kris are the strongest it’s usually one of them that goes with some others. Of the rest we occupy our time with hunting, cleaning, standing guard and all that. The rooms are split by age. It works because the couples aren’t left to their own devices.”

    There was a chuckle as the two couples looked offended and slightly irritated. Chen reached out and poked Xiumin’s cheek which was puffed out in a pout. The offended look the older gave as he leaned into Luhan’s embrace had the whole group laughing. Baekhyun couldn’t help but turn to Chanyeol. His laugh was deep and booming but it also felt light. It was the first time he’d heard Chanyeol laugh, and it was very pleasant.

  “Alright, alright, it’s getting late. Xiumin and Tao would you two be so kind as to clean the dishes? Great!” Suho didn’t give the other two time to answer as he stood and started making his way back to the house. It was clear that he and Lay were still recovering from their earlier escapade as the younger quickly followed the water wielder.

    The group soon dispersed with Sehun supporting his boyfriend, Kai probably still tired from the teleporting. Kyungsoo followed the two youngest to the basement where their room was most likely located. Xiumin and Tao went to the kitchen while the three eldest went up the stairs. Lay stopped Suho when he was halfway up and motioned to the elder’s shoulder in which he only got a shrug in response. With that Lay allowed Suho to go up and he followed Chen to his own room. Baekhyun grabbed Chanyeol’s arm before he could follow. “It’s later.”

   Chanyeol seemed to get the hint as he nodded and followed the older back outside onto the porch. It had gotten much darker now, with the clouds covering the moon. Baekhyun began to glow lightly as he sat on one of the chairs. The younger soon followed and looked at the glowing figure. “Yeol… I know it’s such a silly thing to think about but what are we?”

“You kissed me.”

“Yes I did.”

“Do you like me?”

“What do you think?”

    Chanyeol paused at that. The older didn’t meet his eyes as he just stared down at his glowing palms. Chanyeol watched him, it had only been three months but after what they had been through its amazing the attachments you can make. He hesitated before answering, wanting to say the right thing. “Baek…I think that we’ve been through Hell. I think that we were the only hope we could give each other and the reason I decided to hang on so long was because I had to be there for you…”

     There was a pause as Baekhyun looked up to meet his eyes. “I think you like me… and I know that I like you…so…. That’s what I think… yeah…. I also think Kyungsoo’s a good cook and Xiumin is the cutest Hyung I have ever seen in my entire existence and-”

    Before Chanyeol could continue his nervous rant Baekhyun had leaned forward to cover his mouth. He was glowing, literally and figuratively. “As much as I like your voice you’re talking too much. I like you too Chanyeol…so…um… where to go from here?”

“Um…”

“Jesus Christ would you two just make out already!”