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Chapter Text

         Seokmin woke up abruptly with his best friend shaking his arm and yelling.

         “Agents. Surrounded the house. We need to leave now.”

         As time passed he now knew to take it as an immediate order to get the hell up, so with a flash and a quick grab to the wall beside him to fight the initial dizziness, Seokmin went into alert mode.

         “Chan?”

         Soonyoung grunted as he fought to squeeze as much food inside his backpack as he could. “Waiting for us at the basement door.”

         Seokmin nodded to himself before moving into action and grabbing his own backpack, stuffing extra clothes in. The distinct sound of firing guns started outside, making him snap his head in the direction of the front door.

         “Guess they found out about the protection field.”

         Soonyoung closed the full backpack and used his powers to make the living room couch and the fridge push up against the front and back doors.

         “Yep, and they’re probably not too happy about it. We better leave right now before our besties over there crash our slumber party.”

         They both rushed down the flight of stairs leading to a big wooden door, opening it and slipping inside before locking it shut. A scared figure stood beside a huge hole in the wall. It was part of the process of moving into a new vacant house: creating a tunnel underneath it so they could escape in times like these.

         Chan was slightly shaking near the big opening, eyes big and a bit watery, hugging himself with a backpack also hanging from his shoulders. Seokmin was about to try and say calming words when they heard the loud sounds coming from upstairs.

         Soonyoung as usual, was already fully functioning, well aware they didn’t have much time.

         “We have to keep on moving, guys. Once we go inside the tunnel, Seokmin’s field will get weaker, so get ready to run as fast as you can, okay?” he said, gazing primarily at Chan.

         Both nodded quickly as they got in position in front of the dark tunnel, Soonyoung and Seokmin both lighting up lanterns and nodding at each other.

         “One... two... go!” Soonyoung counted down and in a second they were all running as fast as their legs allowed to.

         Just a few meters in and they could hear the deafening sound of the wooden door being broken down; gun shots being fired and a bunch of men yelling directions. They ran faster.

         By the time they were in the middle of the large extension of the tunnel they were breathing heavy, their bodies not failing yet however, used to the exercise.

         The yells behind them were a little fainter when they reached the end of the tunnel, seeing the familiar view of the ladder and the tiniest rays of sun filtering through the piece of wood that they lifted to go back up.

         Seokmin went first, protection field ready in case they were attacked, Chan was pushed up right after, with Soonyoung lurking back to protect his back.

         Just then, a yell was heard from the inside of the tunnel. Seokmin looked down to see through the small opening the figure of his best friend curled on the ground, holding onto his ankle. The noise of big boots smacking against the ground was way too close now, and he couldn’t see how they could have not noticed it.

         “Soonyoung!” He said, stretching his hand down the hole in the ground. The raven haired boy looked up and then forwards, with a pained groan. Lifting his head, he moved the earth around them to block the space between him and the agents. Grabbing his hand quickly, Seokmin pulled him up.

         Soonyoung cursed under his breath as he removed a dart from his ankle. “These fuckers are getting better equipment by the day. It went straight through my clothes.”

         Seokmin nodded. “We need to be even more careful”, he said as the boy beside him moved the earth beneath them so it closed the opening on the ground, effectively trapping the agents underground.

         The air seemed to change suddenly, and Seokmin became aware of how in his desperate state he forgot to maintain the shield around them. He looked over his shoulder and his heartbeat raced.

         Chan was in the hold of an agent, trying to break free, with no success. When the man saw he had the attention of both Seokmin and Soonyoung he immediately pulled a needle from behind him.

         Before either of them had the chance to react he pierced the skin of Chan’s neck, pushing the yellow liquid directly in his vein. Chan’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as his body collapsed, dead weight on the grass.

         Seokmin and Soonyoung choked on air before roaring with rage; the latter raising his hand to make the man fly away. Unconsciously or not, the blow was so powerful it made the guy smack against the wall of a house nearby, knocking him out cold.

         They were both internally panicking, but both knew they didn’t have the time to do that in that moment.

         Soonyoung gave his backpack to Seokmin; picking Chan up with a grunt, leaning his weight on his back with difficulty, already weak from using his powers so much in a short amount of time. “Open the car door, now.”

         Seokmin drew the keys from his pocket in an instant, making sure while he unlocked the doors of the vehicle that his field was twice as strong. While Soonyoung threw Chan’s body and his own on the backseat, Seokmin turned the engine on, quickly driving away from the site.

         The government’s agent’s cars were all thrown out of the way by Soonyoung in one last blow of power and anger, Seokmin’s field protecting them from the bullets as they speedily escaped.

         “How is he?” Seokmin’s voice wavered.

         In the backseat, Soonyoung was paling as he saw the effect of the substance acting up on Chan’s body. The kid’s skin was slowly turning a sickly greenish color, the hollows of his eyes caving in, the warmth usually present disappearing in an alarming speed.

         “Not good.”

         Seokmin felt like hitting something. “It’s my fault. I forgot to reinforce the field. I’m an idiot!” He exclaimed, punching the steering wheel.

         “It’s not your fault, okay? I wasn’t supposed to get shot either.”

         Seokmin sighed. “How’s your leg?”

         “I’m fine. Concentrate on getting us out of here.”

         Seokmin rolled his eyes. He should’ve known Soonyoung would say that. They had spent their entire lives together, and Soonyoung had never complained about anything bad that happened to him, especially if someone he knew had it worse.

         “Where am I even supposed to drive to? Where are we going?”

         Soonyoung groaned. “I… I don’t know, I hadn’t looked up a new house yet.”

         Seokmin couldn’t blame him. The agents had never been so fast to find them before. Their trio was usually able to stay in a place for at least a month before having to start getting worried about moving. This time they had stayed in their last location for a little over a week before the attack.

         “Then what?”

         “I’m thinking”, Soonyoung snapped. They always got tense after escaping the hands of the agents.

         Seokmin drove without a place in mind for at least half an hour before Soonyoung spoke up again.

         “We need to find help for Chan”, Seokmin only hummed in response. “I have a place we can go, but you won’t like it.”

         Seokmin’s eyebrows furrowed. “You can’t be serious right now.”

         Soonyoung sighed. “Seok-“

         “No, Soonyoung”, Seokmin interrupted. “That’s a stupid myth; we are not betting Chan’s life on that.”

         “Do you have a better solution? Any solution at all?”

         He didn’t. Seokmin huffed for a good five minutes before conceding.

         “I guess we’ll have to try.”

         “No, really?”

         “Shut up”, Seokmin snapped, although it didn’t have much heat in it, knowing sarcasm was how Soonyoung dealt with stressful situations.

         They drove to the north, going in the direction of the woods. He really hoped they wouldn’t regret that decision.

Chapter Text

Soonyoung didn’t like thinking too much of the past, especially if it was his own.

         Living in the orphanage where he met Seokmin and Chan when they were all still kids wasn’t ideal, by any means. The overwhelming amount of kids made the food scarce, their sleeping arrangements tight and the number of clothes and personal objects minimal. Chan would definitely have frozen his guts off on winter if it wasn’t for Seokmin and Soonyoung sneaking their own worn down sweaters to him. The material was thin, but it was better than the only pair of sleeveless shirts the younger had.

         If there was one good thing about that place though, it would be Esmeralda.

         She was foreign, had come to Korea five years back because she had family waiting for her. Her aunt was the owner of the orphanage, offering her a job as soon as she stepped foot on her house.

         Even if she had to take care of over fifty children with the help of only other two people, she managed to excel at work. All the kids loved her, and Soonyoung was no exception. Having no mother, Esmeralda was the closest thing he ever had of a mother figure. His favorite thing she did was read all of them bed stories. She’d squeeze between the tightly fit bunk beds and settle in the middle of the room, sit down on a mattress and read until all of them fell asleep.

         Most of the kids fell asleep before she ended it, but Soonyoung always pushed himself to stay awake to hear all of it. His most memorable night was when she walked in without a book in her hand. The kids whined about it, thinking she wouldn’t tell them a story on that night, but she smiled at them and shook her head, making her way to her usual spot.

         Soonyoung will never forget how, even if he was already ten, she took him in her arms and cuddled him on her lap, telling them all to pay attention while looking at him. Looking back at it now, she probably knew they wouldn’t be too long there, and that he was old enough to remember her words; after all, Soonyoung had always been an attentive kid.

         On that night, she told them the tale of the Serenity Woods.

         Seokmin was heading north when Soonyoung stopped him and told him to turn right. He frowned, confused.

         “I thought the directions were north.”

         “They are,” Soonyoung confirmed. “’Go north until you feel right’. I ‘feel right’ right now.”

         With a scoff, Seokmin turned right.

         “Is that what that meant?” He asked, baffled.

         “Did you really not realize that, even after ten years?” Soonyoung raised an eyebrow.

         Seokmin straightened his back, feeling defensive.

         “Whatever, I barely remember that story anyway.”

         “You never paid attention, really.”

         “Yep, and that’s why she told you to pay attention, and not me.”

         Soonyoung rolled his eyes, taking a quick glance at Chan and then looking out the window. He had never been to this part of town, but it seemed familiar for some reason. Without even thinking he told Seokmin to turn right again and then left as if he was guiding him to a place he’d been at before.

         If Seokmin found that weird or was doubtful of his directions, he didn’t say it.

         After a few more turns, they ended up face to face with the beginnings of a forest, a few trees peeking out in the middle of the buildings. They exchanged a look at each other, furrowing their brows.

         “Is that it?” Seokmin asked.

         “Well, I don’t assume there’ll be many other mystical forests around here.”

         Seokmin was about to ask how he knew it was a ‘mystical forest’, but held himself back as soon as he stared at the trees again. There was indeed an aura that left no room for doubt. It practically exhaled magic, making a shiver run down their spines at the sheer powerfulness of it.

         “That, right there… is our salvation,” Soonyoung said.

         “To me, it screams more ‘don’t get in here if you appreciate being alive’, but okay.”

         After Soonyoung shot him a look, they both opened their car doors and got out, with Soonyoung positioning Chan over his back again.

         “You should really stop being so hostile to the Woods. They probably won’t like it.”

         Seokmin stuttered to a stop. “I really hope you stop talking as if these trees were going to be sad if I don’t declare my utmost love to them.”

         Soonyoung scoffed, the movement almost making Chan slip from his back.

         “It’s not about love, you idiot, it’s about respect. And if you don’t stop acting like an ass, it’ll probably be more angry than sad.”

         The tension in the air over Soonyoung’s tone made them pause. This wasn’t like them. This animosity was getting slowly too far from just joking around as they always did, and that realization had just dawned on both.

         “You know,” Seokmin started. “My memory isn’t as good as yours, but I think I remember Esme saying something about those woods testing us.”

         Soonyoung blinked and nodded. “Yeah, that’s in the story.” He said with a gulp. “We should be careful about that. Even if I got a little more heated up about it than necessary, the respect thing is real. The many people that got lost and disappeared in this forest probably all made the mistake to go in while thinking of themselves as superior to whatever was waiting for them.”

         Seokmin slowly nodded. “True… Well, the good thing is we aren’t actual assholes, so as long as we don’t lose our mind in there, I think we could make it…” He trailed off as he turned to the trees, bowing slightly to them. “And I say that in the most humble way possible.”

         Soonyoung snorted at his acts but also gave a small bow with his head as he walked towards the forest.

         “We should get going.”

         Seokmin was scared.

         The last time he had felt this powerless was when Chan had gotten a cold so strong the workers at the orphanage had taken him to a separate room until he recovered, effectively making child Seokmin worry his little heart out about his brother.

         At that time, the only thing that kept him from constantly crying was Soonyoung and Esme comforting him and distracting him as much as possible. Since Esmeralda had been one of the people taking care of Chan, she gave him as many updates as possible, which put him at ease most of the time. For the rest of the day, Soonyoung would keep him busy so his brain wouldn’t conjure awful scenarios in which Chan never got better and…

         Seokmin sighed, pushing a leaf gently to the side so he and Soonyoung could pass through without getting slapped to the face by the foliage. As he watched Soonyoung walking by him with his brother on his back, a familiar chest pain came and gave him flashbacks to when he was left with his bad thoughts before Chan recovered from that cold. He had long ago decided he was past the time to cry himself to sleep, but he wondered if any of his future nights would be as calm as he wished they would be.

         As Soonyoung tripped on a tree root and almost fell, he surged forward, grabbing onto his arm, steadying him as Soonyoung shakily exhaled.

         “I’m okay, it’s okay.”

         “Are you sure? Let me carry Chan for a bit too.”

         Soonyoung grunted as he adjusted himself so Chan would be higher up his back. His unconscious body slipped from Soonyoung’s grasp constantly, which only made the journey more strenuous. Of course, his best friend would never complain about that, though.

         “Don’t worry, I can keep him up. If not by strength then at least by magic. Either way, I can take him.”

         Seokmin frowned. “Both of those take a lot of energy off of you, Soonyoung. We don’t even know how long it’ll take to get to that place; it could be days until we find it if we find it at all! Stop being stubborn and let me help.”

         Soonyoung looked up at him through his sweaty hair.

         “When I get tired, I’ll pass him to you, then.”

         Seokmin sighed as he watched his friend continue walking ahead. He knew he wouldn’t tell him he’s tired even if he was about to pass out, but there really wasn’t much he could do about that. He decided to do his best to at least make the path easier to go through; pushing away gigantic leaves and pointing out any unevenness on the ground.

         The powerless feeling didn’t go away.

Chapter Text

        After about thirteen hours walking, Soonyoung began seeing dark spots. Suddenly the trees and his feet turned blurry, his throat was tight with thirst and drops of sweat constantly ran down his back and face, drenching him. As he began wondering how long it would take to find the Hideaway his knee gave in and he fell to the ground at alarming speed.

        This time Seokmin wasn’t quick enough so Soonyoung scrapped his hands and arms trying to save himself from a face full of dirt. His mind spun and bile rose in his throat as the air was knocked off of his chest, the forest’s humidity even more suffocating.

        He vaguely acknowledged Seokmin checking on Chan and asking him if he was okay. Soonyoung didn’t answer and simply tried to glance over the youngest’ body from his position. He began sitting up to get a better look but was shoved down back to the ground by his best friend.

        “No, okay, this is enough.” Seokmin huffed as he gently laid Chan back on the ground and stood up, inspecting around. “This is as good of a place to rest as any, so we’re taking a break.”

        Soonyoung groaned. “It’s too dangerous. We don’t know if there’s anything that can attack us in this place. If we go by the story-“

        “I don’t care,” Seokmin interrupted. “I’ll create a shield and we’ll be fine. We all need to rest or we just won’t make it to the end of this crazy trip.”

        Soonyoung sighed as Seokmin stared him down, daring him to argue with him again. He threw his hands up with almost no strength, giving in. Seokmin nodded with pursed lips and a sigh and told him to stay still while he tried to search for wood for a fire.

        Soonyoung immediately shot the idea down. “You can’t burn any of the wood from the trees here, remember? They’re almost indestructible.”

        Seokmin groaned, rubbing his temples. “No, I didn’t remember, actually. What now, then?”

        “We freeze our asses off, that’s what.”

        Seokmin sank to the ground beside the two laying bodies again. “Great. Just what we needed.”

         “Told you we should keep going.”

        Seokmin turned his head down to him, scoffing.

        “Ah, yeah? Look me in the eyes right now and tell me you can keep on walking who knows how many more miles and not pass out.”

        Soonyoung tried to focus his sight on Seokmin’s gaze but failed as it only gave him a headache. “Ugh, shut up.”

        Soonyoung woke up from a deep sleep when he heard a howl.

        He sat up instantly and ignored the crack in his bones and the way the heavy sleep made him feel ten times heavier and shook Seokmin frenetically.

        “Wake up, wake up, wake up”

        “Wha-“ Seokmin mumbled, rubbing his face calmly before another howl was heard, still distant but insanely loud to their ears. His eyes popped open incredibly fast and he got up and made his way to Chan, stumbling slightly.

        “Get the bags, quick!”

        After that, the adrenaline took over. It seemed like it was humanly impossible to react so fast, even to danger, when they were as beat up as they were. The lack of proper rest and the need to find a way to save Chan always hanging in their minds made surviving a much heavier burden.

        Still, it was Chan’s life on the line; their little brother, related by blood or otherwise; so nothing but death itself would stop them.

        As the howls got closer, they started to pick up their pace on shaky legs. With the darkness of the night, it became much more difficult to know where they were going, but in the middle of an escape run there was little time to care about directions. They stumbled away further into the trees, the panic, anger and desperation keeping them moving.

        After a few hundred meters Soonyoung started limping. He groaned in frustration at the cramps in his leg muscles making him lose speed. Seokmin was a few steps ahead of him when he turned back.

        “Let me carry him”, he said, with a tone that didn’t allow space for an argument.

        Just as Chan was more or less safely placed on his back, they heard growling. Soonyoung panted as he reached down to retrieve a small knife from his belt but ran along with Seokmin when the other rushed him.

        They managed to run for a few more minutes that seemed to last hours, their bodies starting to fail on them. Soonyoung was on the brink of tears as he almost fell once again. This was unfair. Why were the woods making this so hard? Didn’t they want them to save Chan? He was innocent, didn’t deserve to die like this.

        It was when he and Seokmin passed what felt like the same big tree for the nth time that he had an epiphany.

        “Stop!” He yelled.

        Seokmin came close to losing balance when he turned around to check on him.

        “What is it, are you hurt? Can’t you continue? They’re way too close now” Seokmin tried to say to him above the loud noises.

        Soonyoung shook his head, put away his knife and grabbed him by the shoulders. “We need to stop! This is another test! The woods are playing tricks on us. We need to prove them we belong in here.”

        Seokmin stared at him as if he’d gone mad, still shooting frightened and paranoid looks at all directions. Soonyoung grabbed him by the face.

        “Listen to me! Don’t you recognize this tree?”

        Seokmin shook his head but still turned to analyze it. He shrugged. “Maybe?”

        Soonyoung nodded, encouraging the other. “Yes, yes, we passed it a bunch of times. We’re going in circles.”

        Seokmin seemed almost convinced when another deafening growl was heard. He bent his knees, ready to sprint away, apparently only not going because Soonyoung didn’t show any signs of moving.

        “Soonyoung, they’re getting closer! We need to-“

        “No, they’re not! That’s the thing, you see, there are no animals hunting us down; these noises are all in our heads! We need to stop running and calm down; it’s just trying to either send us away or tire us out and kill us. We need to show it that we’re going to stay no matter what, that we show no danger to it.”

        Seokmin slowly seemed to be coming to himself. As time passed with them standing there and nothing coming he seemed to lose the urge to escape.

        “Okay… Okay. We’re staying.” He nodded; voice tremulous.

        Soonyoung nodded along and looked around, taking an initial step towards the big oak tree. When he was a few meters away from it he held a hand out, signalizing for Seokmin to stop. He then took a couple more steps towards it and stopped; bowed down; got on all fours while lowering his body; palms facing the sky.

        Internally, he began a type of prayer. Feeling the need to ask for permission to remain inside the woods and to be safely kept by the tree itself, he wished for forgiveness, kindness and hope. After a few moments, the whole forest went completely quiet. A soft breeze passed them and ruffled his hair, lightened his weight, calmed his spirit and cleared his mind.

        He sat up.

        “Thank you”, he uttered with a small voice and then turned to look at Seokmin, who had wide eyes and shaking arms still tightly holding his little brother.

        Soonyoung smiled and walked towards him. “I think we can stay here for a while. Seems to be the safest spot.”

        Seokmin shakily nodded and warily walked closer to the tree, where Soonyoung helped gently lay Chan against the bark.

        When they both also lie down on the soft grass Seokmin tiredly mumbles “I can’t believe you talk to trees” before he falls asleep.

        When Soonyoung wakes up it takes him about thirteen seconds to realize he’s not lying on grass or on an open field at all anymore. He hears noises so he quickly shuts his eyes again, calms his breathing to pretend he’s still asleep but then-

        “You don’t need to do that, I know you’re awake.”

        Despite the voice being sweet and calm it still sends chills down Soonyoung’s spine. He could be screwed. This person could mean him harm; could mean Seokmin and Chan harm.

        Oh, God.

        With a startle he realizes he doesn’t know where they are and sits up too fast, dizziness taking over him as his head pounds and he coils into himself, groaning.

        So much for trying to make a break for it.

        A warm hand touches his wrist and he flinches, brings his hand back into what he hopes is a threatening pose, only to have someone else grab his arm and then… He can’t move anymore.

        “Hannie, it’s okay, he won’t hurt me.”

        “You don’t know that,” says the voice coming from behind him.

        “His friend was nice and friendly, though.”

        “They’re two different people, Josh. You don’t know how this one will act.”

        ‘Josh’ sighed. “Please, just… Trust me on this one?”

        Soonyoung waited as no response came. After a few agonizing seconds, he feels the boy free his arm and his ability to move come back. He slowly opens his eyes and lowers his hand.

        Standing in front of him is a boy who seems to be about his age, light brown hair just as tidy as his white button-up shirt and light wash jeans. When he offers Soonyoung a small smile he seems about as angelical as a human person can get. Soonyoung hesitates but doesn’t try to attack or run.

        “Hello,” he says kindly, “I’m Jisoo, or Joshua if you’d prefer. It’s nice to meet you.” He gestures at the boy lurking behind Soonyoung. “That’s Jeonghan. Sorry if his actions startled you, he’s just trying to protect us all. We didn’t know what to expect when we found you in the woods…” He trails off.

        Soonyoung inspects the room; it’s clean and well illuminated; the sunlight pouring in through the floor to ceiling windows. The other beds with pristine white sheets and the small metal tables with medical equipment make him conclude he’s in an infirmary. His eyes briefly meet Jeonghan’s and he stares him down just as the other does the same, both assessing if they pose a threat to their respective loved ones.

        “Where are my friends?” He demands.

        Jisoo’s eyes soften. “Your friend Seokmin was less fatigued than you, so he woke up earlier. About three hours ago, I believe. We checked if he was okay to walk around and let him take a shower and put on clean clothes. He is probably at the kitchen with our friends right now, getting some food into his stomach. You’ll be offered all of that as well now that you’ve awakened, of course.”

        Soonyoung sighed but remained stiff. At least they seemed to be agreeable people.

        “And Chan?” he asked, with a raised eyebrow.

        Jisoo’s face fell a bit. “Ah, yes, we brought him here as well. In fact, he’s in the bed across from yours.”

        Before Jisoo was fully finished with his sentence Soonyoung sprung up and ran to the other side of the room, ripping open the light blue curtain that separated him and the younger boy.

        The sight wasn’t pretty, but oddly serene. Someone had cleaned his body and removed his clothes, replaced it with what resembled a hospital gown. There was a needle pricking his arm, with an attached tube that led to a bag of some type of serum. He looked so pale, but thankfully not like he had gotten worse.

        “We’ve been trying to keep him going while we try to discover what they injected him with.” He said as Soonyoung took hold of Chan’s hand carefully. “Seokmin told us what happened. We’re truly sorry something so horrible happened to him, and we’re more than glad to help if…”

        As he trailed off, Soonyoung glanced at him.

        “Well, if you accept, of course.” Jisoo smiled.

        Soonyoung took another glance at Chan and sighed.

        He stood up and faced Jisoo, who by then was already flanked by Jeonghan. They stared at him expectantly.

        “I need to see Seokmin.”

        The house they were in was enormous, with enough rooms to shelter a dozen people at the very least. It was nicely decorated but also slightly creepy because of the odd emptiness contrasting with the large space. He’d have assumed there weren’t many people living there if it wasn’t for the number of personal items strewn around everywhere. There was a pile of books covering subjects from astronomy to old English literature in a corner near an armchair and a lamp, beside a big window with a view to what seemed to be a generously sized vegetable garden; a comical amount of pairs of shoes close to the big wooden door he assumed to be main entrance; a coat rack with jackets and long coats with colors varying from black to bright yellow; and a dog bed with a few chewing toys close to it.

        As they made their way to the kitchen he also took a glimpse of what looked like a media room, with a tv, video game consoles and controllers and a big couch surrounded by chairs and beanbags. The artworks decorating most of the walls seemed to be mostly made by the same person. He thought he may have seen a signature but didn’t have enough time to properly read it.

        He was about to voice his indignation at the ridiculous amount of time it took to go from a room to another when they took a turn and he was face to face with a healthy, eating, smiling Seokmin. He didn’t even notice him at first, busy making small chat with about seven people at once. They all seemed to take great interest in the boy, and Soonyoung knew him long enough to recognize the slight discomfort in his eyes; probably due to not being used to talking with more than two people for the past decade or so, but also to see the shine in his eyes at the prospect of making new friends.

        When Jisoo cleared his throat everyone sitting at the table turned to look at them. Seokmin’s eyes absolutely shined as he hurriedly got up and ran towards Soonyoung, pulling him into a hug. The older boy tightened the embrace as his face clearly showed how relieved he was.

        “Soon, you’re okay!” Seokmin sighed into his neck as Soonyoung nodded and eyed the rest of the people in the room.

        They were all male and fairly young; probably all around his age; and most seemed to enjoy the small reunion; sort of looked like they understood the feeling which made Soonyoung realize he still didn’t know what kind of place this was and who these people were and what was their connection to each other.

        One of the guys seemed to sense his wariness and stood up, taking a couple of steps to the now mostly separated boys (Soonyoung still had a hand on Seokmin’s wrist; keeping him close, just in case).

        “Hi,” said the boy. He had black hair and a self-assured smile, polite but with a strong presence, a dominant vibe to him. Soonyoung could bet he was a type of leader around there. “I’m Seungcheol.”

        The guy raised his hand for a handshake and Soonyoung hesitated before taking it, maintaining eye contact. “Soonyoung.”

        “I suppose you want an explanation as to where you are and who are we. I understand; after all, we’re just as curious about you.”

        Soonyoung raised an eyebrow. “How should we deal with this, then?”

        Seungcheol smirked. “I suggest we have a meeting of sorts. Everyone can make their questions, as I’m sure there’ll be many,” he sent a knowing look at the boys at the table, earning a few smiles back, “and we can reach an agreement.”

        “Agreement on what?”

        Seokmin gently took his hand in his and squeezed it. “They’re talking about us staying here.”

        Soonyoung blinked. Seokmin rolled his eyes and smiled at him knowingly.

        “You still don’t know where we are, do you?”

        Soonyoung frowned, feeling stupid. To be honest, ever since he woke up he didn’t spare much time to worry about where they were as he needed to know if his family was fine.

        Seokmin shook his head as if he couldn’t believe how much of an air-head his best friend could be, but with a fond look in his eyes.

        “You did it, Soon. We’re in the Hideaway.”

Chapter Text

        Soonyoung barely had any time to let the information sink in before everyone else in the room started moving; heading for their 'meeting'. Most of the boys that were sat by the table passed him by and disappeared in the corridor. The only thing they left behind was the memory of their friendly smiles.

        The Seungcheol guy stayed behind, along with Jeonghan and Jisoo.

        "Someone is going to have to get Jihoon", Jisoo pointed out.

        "There are more people?" Soonyoung exclaimed before he could stop himself. How many people lived there?

        Jisoo gave him a sympathetic smile and Seungcheol snickered. He assured him 'Jihoon' was the last person they had yet to meet. He then turned to Jeonghan, and in a surprisingly tender move, reached for the other's wrist.

        "Can you do it?"

        Soonyoung was baffled. Even if the leader didn't say 'please' or something alike, the tone was so gentle it made him wonder if they had something going on. Jeonghan smiled and grabbed Seungcheol's hand. Soonyoung didn't know if he was seeing things or if Seungcheol had really just trembled a bit. It was as if he was making a great effort to do something; even if he was only standing there.

        "Can't I stay here with you?" Jeonghan drawled out, mellow eyes staring into Seungcheol's.

        Soonyoung and Seokmin were being swallowed in a trance when Jisoo cleared his throat, pulling everyone out of it.

        Jeonghan blinked and stepped back. A coy smile appeared on his face after he briefly glanced at the others in the room, as if only then remembering their presence. He mumbled a small 'I'll go' before stepping out of the room.

        Jisoo looked like he was suppressing a smile as he turned to Seungcheol. "Can we go now, leader?"

        Seungcheol groaned and rolled his eyes. He shoved him as he walked past them and out into the hallway, waving a hand over his shoulder. "Just come along already."

        The meeting was being held in the media room. Everyone else seemed to be there, sitting down on the couches and beanbags. There were a couple of empty chairs facing them, for Seokmin and Soonyoung.

        A few minutes of awkward silence passed by as they waited for Jeonghan and the other guy to come. Soonyoung took the opportunity to take Seokmin's hand in his and begin tapping on his palm. All that time learning morse code was finally paying off.

        Are you really okay? He tapped.

        Seokmin turned their hands and began tapping back. I am. Stop worrying, this was your plan, after all.

        After finishing his sentence, he raised an eyebrow at Soonyoung, clearly teasing him. Soonyoung was about to retort when the doors to the room opened and two people walked in. One of them was Jeonghan, and the other made Soonyoung's words die at the end of his throat.

        His eyes were intense and focused on them as he made his way to stand beside Seungcheol. He seemed grumpy, almost angry, but Soonyoung couldn't tell if those were his feelings or simply the natural state of his face. Either way, it didn't make him look any less attractive, which was totally unfair. He had brown tousled hair and looked absolutely stunning wearing black sweatpants and an oversized lilac t-shirt. Soonyoung felt a knot in his throat. Who was this guy?

        They finally broke eye contact when Jihoon reached Seungcheol. Jeonghan closed the doors to the room before sitting on the arm of the couch. All of a sudden everyone was staring at them. Soonyoung could hear the creaking of Seokmin's chair as he uncomfortably readjusted himself. He squeezed his hand.

        Seungcheol clapped his hands together once and sent them a reassuring smile. "So, it's only fair we do a back and forth, yeah? You ask us something and we'll answer, then we'll ask and you answer. Sounds good?" He asked, looking around at everyone in the room. With their consent, it started. Seungcheol let them begin, so Soonyoung didn't hesitate to ask how they had found them, and why did they take them in.

        Seungcheol made a face. "Well, we couldn't just leave you out there. You had gone far enough into the woods for us to know you weren't ordinary. Besides, Bob approved of you guys, so we knew it'd be fine."

        Soonyoung blinked. "Bob?" Asked Seokmin.

        One of the other guys whose name remained unknown answered. "He's our Hideaway's designated animal protector. He's an Akita Inu."

        Seokmin held back a squeal. They had a dog!

        "Why is he named Bob?"

        "We let Mingyu name him, it was a stupid decision."

        "Hey!" A boy, probably Mingyu, cried out.

        "It's our turn now, though", Seungcheol cut off, stopping a fight before it could break out. "Who are you guys and where did you come from? What's your story?"

        Seokmin's smile fell from his face as he looked down. He kept his mouth shut, knowing Soonyoung would explain it all to them. Seokmin didn't know if he had it in himself to describe the attack on his little brother. He could barely look at him lying down on that infirmary bed.

        "My name is Kwon Soonyoung and he is Lee Seokmin. The boy who is in your infirmary is Lee Chan, Seokmin's brother. We all know each other since we were kids. We lived in the same orphanage for most of our childhoods. When we were twelve we ran away from it. At the time, one of the ladies that worked there gave us her life savings so we could survive by ourselves out there. We used to sneak into abandoned houses to have shelter. When we were old enough I started working small jobs to keep us going. We were doing fine but a few days ago the government agents found us way too fast and we almost didn't make it. Chan obviously got the worst of it."

        Nobody said a word as Soonyoung's voice trembled, his lips pursed and eyes looking at nothing. Seokmin put a hand on his shoulder and decided to help. He couldn't stay still as Soonyoung suffered through it.

        "Soonyoung had the idea to try out the woods. The lady at the orphanage told us about it in a bedtime story a long time ago, so we didn't really know if it was true or not. To be honest, if Soonyoung hadn't insisted and if we weren't desperate because of Chan, we might've not even come here." Seokmin said, squeezing Soonyoung's shoulder. "If you guys manage to help my brother, I'm not only going to be in debt to you but him as well."

        Soonyoung shook his head but remained silent. Everyone was staring at them, most with sad and pained looks, showing they understood. Seokmin wouldn't doubt it. No one that had special powers had an easy life.

        "We're going to try our best at healing Chan", Jisoo spoke up. "I promise."

        Everyone else in the room nodded in agreement.

        "Jisoo is our healer, so he'll be spending the most energy out of us to help Chan, but we'll all help in any way we can. Jihoon can help grow any herbs we need and Mingyu can try and see if Chan's still conscious in there…"

        Seokmin raised his eyebrows, excited at the prospect of hearing about their powers. If he was honest, he had wondered and even tried to guess what they could be. As if noticing his excitement, Soonyoung spoke up.

        "I forgot to mention our powers. Seokmin can create protection fields, and I can move things with my mind."

        Seungcheol raised both his eyebrows in a surprised expression. "Shielding and telekinesis, huh? That's pretty cool. I suppose we should introduce ourselves and our powers too. Why don't we begin with Jun's end and go from there?"

        At the opposite end of Seungcheol, a tall guy with black hair sat up, not expecting to hear his name. The boy beside him snickered and shoved his shoulder, encouraging him to go.

        "Uh, I'm Junhui! Or Jun, if you'd like. I'm a shapeshifter, but only to human forms."

        Soonyoung's eyes widened. "For real?"

        Jun nodded. "Yeah! Like this."

        Soonyoung watched with excitement as the boy shifted. His black hair grew longer, face shape changed, and… oh God. Soonyoung stared in shock as he looked at… Himself.

        The boy next to Jun punched his shoulder, amused, telling him to "Turn back, no one likes it when you do that to them. It's freaky".

        Jun laughed. "That's exactly what makes this fun."

        "Okay, okay, next one", Seungcheol hurried them.

        "I'm Minghao, and I can make my body be made of different substances. Kinda like this."

        Everyone watched as the boy's skin was replaced by paper, then sand, then rocks, and then back to normal. Jun giggled. "Show off!"

        "My name's Wonwoo and I can be invisible", the next boy said. He marked it with a demonstration at the end which was quick but still really cool to see. Seokmin was keeping his questions and excitement in, but couldn't help being giddy at seeing the different powers. Besides himself, his brother and Soonyoung, he had never seen any others who were like him.

        "Hi! I'm Mingyu, and I can read minds!" He said enthusiastically, which was not like the response he got. It was clear on Seokmin's and Soonyoung's faces how they immediately felt the need to protect their thoughts. Noticing that, Mingyu pouted.

        "There's no need for that type of reaction! I don't go around telling other people's secrets!"

        "Do you have control over whether you hear them or not, though?" Seokmin wondered.

        Mingyu blushed, looking down and mumbling. "Not always, but I still try my best."

        Before Soonyoung and Seokmin could apologize for upsetting him, the second boy to his right reached over and playfully ruffled his hair. "Aigoo, it'll be fine, Mingyu. Everyone if uncomfortable near you at first anyway."

        "Yah!"

        "Anyway, Hansolie, your turn!"

        "Uh, hi, guys, I'm Hansol. Uh, I can… communicate with the dead."

        The awkward way Hansol introduced his power did nothing to avoid the chill going down everyone's spines. It was easy to forget Hansol's power was so dark when he was so dorky and lively.

        Still, Soonyoung and Seokmin tried not to be too stiff about it and upset another one of their hosts. They tried their best to offer friendly smiles as they nodded in understanding. Hansol seemed to appreciate it, and so they moved on to the next person.

        "I'm Seungkwan, and I can control what people feel. Both emotionally and physically."

        Seokmin and Soonyoung gulped. Well, that was a way to introduce your power.

        "You guys already know who Jisoo is and that he's a healer, right? We also call him Joshua, which is his English name, so don't get too confused by that. I'm Jeonghan and I can convince anyone to do whatever I want by touching them or looking them in the eye." Jeonghan said with a cheery grin on his face.

        Beside him, Jihoon rolled his eyes. "And on that happy note, I'm Jihoon and I can control most things related to nature, I suppose."

        "You suppose?" Soonyoung questioned before he could help himself.

        Jihoon looked him in the eye. "I just said it to explain my power, but I don't control nature. I can communicate with natural elements. I help them grow and thrive, and in exchange, they help me with whatever I need. Nothing can control nature, not even someone with powers like mine. It's something much more powerful and bigger than mere humans. It's a force, it's alive, it… It needs care and attention just as much as we do."

        Soonyoung felt like he couldn't breathe, couldn't blink, couldn't shift this moment. Why did he feel so drawn to this guy?

        Seokmin looked between them and raised an eyebrow, but remained quiet.

        "And I'm Seungcheol, and my power is being super strong", he shrugged. "Nothing special compared to these guys. I'm also the leader of this Hideaway. My ancestors built this place, and every generation has taken care of it since then."

        Soonyoung frowned. "I noticed you saying that before. 'This Hideaway'. Are you… Are you telling me there's more than one?"

        Seungcheol blinked. "Well, yes. There are dozens in these Woods alone. Hundreds, all over the world. Right now you're in Hideaway 17, the Carat Hideaway."

        Soonyoung's mind was going too fast. Hundreds?

        "Carat Hideaway?" Seokmin questioned.

        Seungcheol nodded. "Each Hideaway has a number and a name. It's usually based on the place it's set. The soil in this terrain is rich in minerals, so that's where the name is from. We have Hideaway 7, the Ahgase Hideaway, which is in the middle of a meadow with a big variety of birds in it. There's also the Hideaway 23, the Army Hideaway, which was actually used as a military base at some point. We maintain contact with most of the other ones; after all, we help each other with what we can. Since we have Jihoon, we get a lot of extra food supplies that we distribute among other Hideaways. Because of this situation, we've called up the healer from Hideaway 23, Jimin. He's a poison specialist, which can be key to help Chan. Right now he's on a trip to Japan with another member of his Hideaway. There was a case of poisoning there and they called him up. Our best plan is to keep Chan alive until he's back."

        "He needs other healers to keep his patients healthy when he treats a case this bad, so I talked to the ones in the Hideaways 6, 7, 9 and 10. They all said they'll be here when Jimin comes." Jisoo added.

        Seungcheol nodded. "That's great actually, thank you for doing that, Josh." Seungcheol paused to look at his watch. "It's almost time for me to go deliver some packages to Hideaway 9. If you guys have any more questions we'd love to answer them later, but right now we need to go back to our chores. Jisoo can go back to the infirmary and Seungkwan can show Soonyoung and Seokmin their room, yeah? Jihoon and I are going to make the delivery and come back in an hour. Hao, Won, I trust you guys to keep things in order until I'm back."

        As the place was once again filled with life, Soonyoung watched in held back disappointment as Seungcheol and Jihoon walk out the door. He still had so many questions. He wishes he could… No, that was probably a silly idea. He didn't know if he was even allowed to ask and-

        "You guys ready to go?" Seungkwan asked, catching Soonyoung in the middle of his internal debate.

        "Yeah! I'm so tired, I do need a nap before dinner." Seokmin exclaimed, letting out a relieved smile. After paying closer attention Soonyoung could tell it was true. His best friend was great at holding his emotions in, but the exhaustion was clear in his eyes right then. Any thoughts clouding his mind vanished as he was guided upstairs to where they were staying.

        Their room was as bigger than the ones they had shared before and much better in quality and comfort too. The two single beds were decorated with navy comforters and fluffy white pillows. There was also a walk-in closet, a desk and big windows covered with long navy curtains. A tv hung on the wall opposite their beds and they had their own bathroom as well. The place looked almost exactly like a hotel room.

        The lack of personal objects should have made it look cold and impersonal. But for two boys that had spent years sleeping on the creaking floors of smelly old houses, it felt like heaven.

        They both turned around to talk to Seungkwan only to see him yelling down the corridor at Mingyu. He then excused himself to go and run after the poor boy. Something about taking his phone charger?

        They both shrugged and Seokmin went to open the curtains. When he did, he saw the vast backyard. The grass was a healthy green and went over and past the tree line surrounding the house. Soonyoung joined him but got distracted by the view of Seungcheol and Jihoon loading boxes into the back of a truck. He sighed and announced he was going to take a shower.

        Seokmin glanced at him, humming and saying that he'd be unpacking their stuff into the closet. He still had an uneasy feeling that Soonyoung wasn't telling him something, but let it go in order to occupy himself with his self-appointed task.

        After almost twenty minutes, Soonyoung came out of the shower. He had a towel wrapped around his waist, water still dripping from his hair. Seokmin took one look at him from his bed and told him to learn how to dry his hair already. Soonyoung ignored him in favor of opening the door of the closet.

        "What do you think of my masterpiece?" Seokmin inquired.

        "You did a pretty good job." Soonyoung recognized, earning himself a smug smile from his best friend. "Thank you!"

        "Also, you should totally jump into your bed like I did with mine; it's just as good as they make it seem in movies."

        Soonyoung laughed as he pulled a shirt and some jeans on. "Is that why you're sprawled all over your bed?"

        "Yep!"

        Soonyoung shook his head as he turned the light of the closet off, closed the door, then ran and jumped on top of his bed. He laughed as he bounced a couple of times before stopping.

        "You're right, that was pretty nice."

        "Told you!"

        "Good to see you guys are having fun already"

        Seokmin and Soonyoung both sat up straight when they heard the voice coming from their door. A second later, a smiley Seungcheol came in, putting them at ease.

        "What do you think of your bedroom?"

        Seokmin beamed. "It's honestly perfect. I don't think I ever laid down on a bed this comfy before!"

        Seungcheol smiled back, but it had a twinge of sadness. He wished people with powers didn't have to go through such horrible situations. He shook his head, getting focused again. He was there with a mission.

        "Uh, I wanted to speak to you, Soonyoung."

        Soonyoung pointed at himself and stood up, walking so he was face to face with Seungcheol.

        "Seokmin told us all about how much you've always been interested in the Hideaway. I gather the shock of knowing there is more than one has hit you pretty hard. Since we're going to Hideaway 9 right now, I was wondering if you wanted to come along. The girls are pretty friendly; they'll show you around happily if you want."

        Soonyoung froze. That was exactly what he wanted to ask before, so of course, he'd love to get the chance to see other Hideaways. But Seokmin and Channie were here. The thought of leaving them right after such horrible events happened seemed outrageous.

        "I'd love to, Cheol, but-"

        "He's going!"

        Soonyoung turned around to throw a confused glare at Seokmin.

        "Seok-"

        "You're going."

        "But what about-"

        "We'll be fine! Jisoo-hyung is taking care of Channie and I'll hang out with the other guys, get to know them better. You go and make your dream come true, you idiot."

        Soonyoung frowned. "Technically, it already did, though."

        Seokmin stood up and went over to him, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him. "Then be the lucky bastard you are and do it again! And again! Go to every damn Hideaway out there, but don't stay here all sad thinking about what'd it be like. Chan and I are going to be fine without you, it's only an hour and we won't be alone, so go and have fun, yeah?"

        Soonyoung smiled fondly. "You're impossible."

        Seokmin waved at their backs as they went out of the room. "Love you too!"

Chapter Text

         Chapter Five – New Friends

         As he and Seungcheol went down the steps of the stairs that led to the first floor, Soonyoung’s heartbeat started racing. The added anxiety of getting to meet more people with special powers and the Hideaway they lived in (he still couldn’t believe there were as many as hundreds of them) and having to ride on a truck next to someone as intimidating as Jihoon was making his stomach flip.

         He hoped he wouldn’t make a fool of himself, as he had a knack for. If things went well, he could even get to live in this place; among these people, inside these woods; for the rest of his life. He could help around with the deliveries; use his powers to lift heavy boxes, even... if... they didn’t really need him for that with Seungcheol around. He could help cook their meals? Hmm, Soonyoung wasn’t the best cook, but maybe they could teach him! Or, well, that would just probably be a bother to them, though. He quickly got rid of the idea of helping with the garden. Jihoon certainly was capable enough on his own, and he didn’t seem the type to enjoy any company during his activities either.

         Soonyoung sighed. Maybe he wouldn’t be as useful as he thought he would be. Back when he, Seokmin and Chan were on the run, he was the one behind most of their decisions; a reliable big brother. But as he gave himself a headache trying to come up with something helpful to do and failed miserably, he started to consider the fact that maybe he would just be a burden.

         He didn’t notice he had stopped moving until Seungcheol looked back at him; a few steps away from the house while Soonyoung was still rooted to the frame of the front door.

         “You okay, buddy?”

         Soonyoung shook his head and gave him a forced smile, pushing himself to walk on the grass with Seungcheol in the direction of the van, where Jihoon waited for them with an impatient look.

         “If we’re late with this delivery, Jihyo is going to lecture us.”

         Seungcheol snorted. “Jihyo’s chill, the only one with a stick up their butt is you, Jihoonie.”

         Soonyoung snickered and received a glare from Jihoon, making him shut up and closely follow Seungcheol as he opened the door to the truck.

         Seeing the woods at night didn’t feel as creepy as Soonyoung had anticipated. The less than pleasant experience they had before made him expect going back to not be too enjoyable, but the Woods felt incredibly peaceful as the truck made its way through the dirt road among the trees; making him relax for the first time in a long while. He knew perfectly well how magical and powerful these woods were, but that didn’t stop him from being astonished by its effects on him.

         The entire ride to the Hideaway had been silent, which was also something that pleased Soonyoung. He was usually chatty to the point of it being annoying; however, the events of the past few days had led him to be a bit more introspective. Listening to things like the bugs buzzing around, the wind shaking up the leaves on the trees, the engine of the truck they were in, the occasional sigh one of them would let out; it all came together into what was almost a lullaby. Spending a few minutes sitting on the comfortable leather seat of the truck with the warmth of two people on either side of him made Soonyoung realize how tired he was. The only thing keeping him awake was the anxiety he was feeling regarding meeting the new place and people.

         By the time he started getting restless and tapping his fingers against his thigh, the trees parted and revealed a gate. They had arrived.

         Seungcheol had barely parked the truck near the house when the front door opened. A short girl with long wavy brown hair came out with a big smile and hugged Seungcheol briefly, exchanging words with him that Soonyoung couldn’t hear because he was still glued to his seat inside the car. Jihoon had opened the door of the car and gotten out but was still standing beside it, looking at Soonyoung and probably waiting for him to get out already.

         He looked like he wanted to say something, but ultimately didn’t get to, because the girl chatting with Seungcheol spotted him and tilted her head, pointing at him and most likely asking Seungcheol who was that petrified kid sitting in his truck, making the leader chuckle and walk towards the door Jihoon was still holding open.

         “You can come out, they don’t bite”, he jokingly said, but still had an undertone of worry in his voice, as if he feared Soonyoung had a secret fear of girls he hadn’t told them about or something.

         Soonyoung breathed in a couple of times and shook his head, sliding against the seat towards the door and getting out of the car, feeling the chilly night air hit his face pleasantly. Jihoon pushed the door shut and they all walked towards the girl, who smiled welcomingly at them.

         “Jihyo, this is Soonyoung. Soonyoung, this is Jihyo, she’s the leader of this Hideaway.”

         The girl stepped forward to shake Soonyoung’s hand and he clumsily shook it back, giving her an awkward smile.

         “Nice to meet you, Soonyoung. We were all excited to meet you! I’d also like to take the chance to say I’m sorry for what happened to your brother… But fortunately, you are in very good hands! Jisoo is one of the most talented healers I know, if there’s anyone who can help your brother it’s him. Mina has also been working hard at charging her crystals and preparing herself to help!”

         Soonyoung felt his chest squeeze and let go at her words. She seemed really nice, he felt silly for being so nervous.

         “Um, thank you. Did you say crystals?”

         “Ah, yes, Mina is one of the people that are going to help Jimin with Channie. She’s a healer too, and she uses crystals. The other healers have other methods too, like using flowers and herbs, the four elements and even paint.”

         Soonyoung nodded, taking the information in. “Does Jisoo-hyung have one too?”

         “Joshua just uses his bare hands,” Jihoon answered.

         Jihyo nodded, “And that just goes to show how powerful he is! I’m sure your brother will be just fine.”

         Soonyoung nodded with a sheepish smile on his face as he scratched the back of his neck and looked down. It was really nice of her to try so hard to reassure him, but Soonyoung wasn’t used to being treated so nicely by strangers.

         “Well, I’d tell you what we brought you, but I’m sure Momo has told you already.”

         It was Jihyo’s turn to be sheepish. “Yeah… You know she can’t control it.”

         Seungcheol chuckled as he went to the back of the truck to get the boxes. Meanwhile, Soonyoung must have looked lost again, because Jihoon decided to tell him what they were talking about.

         “Momo has visions.”

         Soonyoung gasped. “She sees the future?”

         “Not just the future,” Jihyo cut in. “But the present and past as well. She saw you arriving at the Carat Hideaway with your brothers. Mina has been able to prepare to help for longer thanks to her. I think she got half of her stash of crystals cleaned and charged, and that’s saying something.”

         “That girl has more crystals than she can count.” A new voice input, coming from the entrance of the house.

         Jihyo laughed and nodded, putting an arm around the new girl’s waist. “True that. Guys, this is Yoo Jeongyeon, my second in command.”

          Jeongyeon rolled her eyes. “That’s totally not an official title, though.”

         As she went to the back of the truck to get some boxes, Jihyo called after her. “It is! You’re the most important person in this house!”

         “Yeah, right!”

         “You’re the most important to me!”

         “Are you trying to make me jealous?” Another girl said, joining them as well.

         “You really picked Jeong as the most important? What about me?” She pouted.

         Jihyo rolled her eyes and laughed. “Only you would be jealous of that and not of me saying your girlfriend is the most important person to me.”

         “Well, I have a reputation to keep. And besides,” She said, flipping her hair over her shoulder and leaning closer to Jihyo’s face. “How crazy would she have to be to cheat on this pretty face?”

         “Crazier than I was to date you in the first place, I suppose,” Jeongyeon said, passing them with two big boxes in her hands and going inside the house.

         “Ya!” The girl yelled, outraged, following Jeongyeon. “You can’t fool me, Yoo Jeongyeon! Your thoughts make it very clear that you love me to death!”

         Jihyo sighed, and then laughed a bit. She seemed to be used to this behavior. “That was Nayeon, and as you may have guessed, she can read minds. Jeongyeon has the same powers as Seungcheol.”

         “Except she’s probably even stronger,” Seungcheol said as he passed by them and into the house as well, making them smile.

         “Shall we all go in so you can witness how much of a mess the rest of my girls are?” Jihyo smiled.

         They step into the house, and it’s cozier than Soonyoung would’ve expected. With the way Jihyo spoke about ‘her girls’ he expected a chaotic background to match the chaotic people, but the entrance to the house and what he could see of their living room looked very much like… a home. The fireplace was lit up, with picture frames on the mantel, couches with fluffy blankets thrown on top, a few pillows and stuffed animals also decorating the space. Soonyoung felt like he could lay down there and sleep for a few days and wake up the happiest he’s ever been.

         He could hear a few voices coming from the closed door next to them, and Jihyo was in the middle of a sentence when a surprised yelp cut her off. She jumped a bit and then quickly opened the door to reveal a kitchen with three girls inside. One of them held a hand to her chest, while the girl next to her had hers placed on the shorter girl’s waist, her eyes wide and a small grin forming on her face. The other girl was in between laughing and cringing as she ran out of the room towards and behind Jihyo.

         “Unnie! Chae and Mina were being gross in the kitchen again!”

         After realizing there was nothing to worry about, Jihyo sighed. “Well, that’s what you get when you randomly teleport into rooms.”

         “And we weren’t being gross!” The short-haired girl exclaimed. The other girl seemed shy but also amused still.

         Jihyo sent them an embarrassed look as she pointed at the girl behind her, the short-haired girl and the smiling girl respectively. “These are Tzuyu, Chaeyoung and Mina. As expected, their first impression is… not ideal, but please ignore that, they’re nice girls.”

         The other three seemed to finally be aware of the boys’ presence then, all bowing somehow shyly and greeting them. The girl behind Jihyo, Tzuyu, was suddenly incredibly quiet and apparently trying to hide behind the other girl, even if she was much taller.

         Jihyo put an arm around her and smiled at her. “Where are Momo, Dahyun and Sana?”

         Tzuyu scrunched her face, trying to remember. “I think they’re all in Dahyun-unnie’s room.”

         “Knock, knock”, Jihyo said as she stood against the open door of Dahyun’s room. Soonyoung’s attention immediately went to all the clutter around the room. There were sacks and sacks of seeds and nuts and other types of what seemed like animal food; a couple of empty cages and terrariums; a handful of potted plants and a pile of cardboard boxes in a corner of the room, the contents of which Soonyoung couldn’t even begin to guess. If it wasn’t for the double bed pressed close to the wall, he probably wouldn’t have thought this was a bedroom, but a storage room of sorts. He was so entranced by it that he almost didn’t notice the snake resting on top of one of the girl’s shoulders and hands.

         The urge to step back even further into the hallway almost overtook him, but Jihoon was right behind him and Soonyoung had the feeling he wouldn’t appreciate being trampled on.

         One of the girls’ face lit up in recognition as she stood up and made their way to them, eyes sparkling with interest.

         “You’re Soonyoung!” She exclaimed, a big smile on her face.

         Soonyoung stuttered “U-uh, yeah? H-hello?”

         He could’ve sworn he heard Jihoon stifling a laugh behind him, but before he could get upset at being so out of the loop Jihyo stepped in again, pulling the excited girl by her arm.

         “Momo, we’ve talked about this.” She fondly said as she back hugged her. “These are Momo, Sana and the one with the snake is Dahyun.”

         Soonyoung watched as Dahyun whispered to the snake before getting up from the floor and placing it inside a terrarium. When looking at the raven-haired girl inside Jihyo’s arms he also recollected Jihoon explaining to him that Momo had been the one to see him, Seokmin and Chan arriving at the Hideaway. Thanks to that, Mina had been able to prepare to help ahead of time, so he felt the need to thank her but her eyes also intimidated him. Her gaze was so intense, even though he suspected it wasn’t on purpose. Her body language showed she was quite comfortable around them, but her eyes were so calculating it was throwing him off.

         Soonyoung was pretty good at reading people, another skill that had come with constantly being on the run and having to be extremely careful about people selling their location off to the government. This girl, however, gave him some pretty mixed signals; he couldn’t be entirely sure of what she was thinking.

         In the middle of his pondering, Momo’s eyes locked on his. Her irises seemed to go darker and smokier for a few seconds before she blinked and directed her gaze to Jihoon and then back to Soonyoung, her eyebrows raising and mouth falling open, a soft ‘oh’ leaving her lips, making Soonyoung tense up.

         Jihyo seems to notice the small exchange and clears her throat to get their attention. She gives them a smile and tilts her head to the right, pointing. “Shall we talk more in the living room?”

         Soonyoung spends the whole ride back to their Hideaway in complete stunned silence. Seungcheol and Jihoon seem to respect his need to organize his thoughts and also keep quiet, which he is thankful for. The visit to the girls’ Hideaway had been even more impactful than he had imagined it would be, and for reasons he hadn’t expected too.

         Sure, he was still impossibly excited and relieved to have the confirmation that there was indeed a safe place for people like him and his brothers – multiple places even! Still, as he sat back against the leather seat, the imagery of how cheerful and carefree those girls had been wouldn’t leave his mind.

         Waking up at the Carat Hideaway had been a less calming experience for obvious reasons, but now that he stopped to think about it, the members also seemed to lead a very peaceful lifestyle. Overall, having powers and living inside these woods felt incredibly… safe. In a way they had never gotten the chance to be before.

         Soonyoung sighed and blinked a handful of times, trying to chase away nearby tears. The prospect of having his brothers be safe and away from danger was a bit too much for him to handle so suddenly; especially after he had failed this badly at protecting them.

         Soonyoung was too busy frowning and lost inside his own head to notice they had arrived; Jihoon already out of the car. Seungcheol had his own door open but stayed inside for a minute longer so he could poke at Soonyoung’s forehead, getting him out of his trance. Soonyoung gazed at him and received a reassuring smile.

         It was weird, being read so easily by this guy he barely knew. Still, Soonyoung gave him a small smile back, and they both left the car.

         “We made dinner already”, Jeonghan announced when they stepped into the kitchen. “Go wash up and be back soon or else we’ll leave nothing for you~” He sang, giving them a friendly wink.

         “Seokmin’s still up in your room, so please bring him with you too, Soonyoung”

         Soonyoung nodded and excused himself, going up the stairs.

         “So…” Jeonghan started when Seungcheol got closer, leaning over his shoulder to look inside the pots in front of him. “How did it go? Are the girls doing fine? How was Soonyoung?”

         Seungcheol pursed his lips. “The girls are fine, and I think he did pretty well, considering he just found out today about… well, about everything. I think he still hasn’t fully been able to process it all. He also clearly cares so much about his brothers. I get the feeling he’s the type to carry all the weight by himself though.”

         “Hmm, sounds familiar.”

         The kitchen was empty except for them, Jihoon long gone to go pick some fruit for after dinner, the other boys spread around the house. Jeonghan stared at him and he stared back.

         He knew it was an invitation. He also knew he would have to be the one to move. Jeonghan’s powers had always been a big concern in regards to consent; he was always incredibly afraid of accidentally forcing Seungcheol to do something he didn’t want, and so he always initiated but waited for Seungcheol to take the next step.

         He sighed and pushed a strand of hair behind Jeonghan’s ear, the other leaning into the touch and fluttering his eyelids close. Seungcheol swallowed and frowned to himself, wishing this was simpler. He hesitated before rubbing his thumb across Jeonghan's cheek and then let go, taking a step back and turning towards the door. Quickly, before he changed his mind.

         “I’m going to call everyone in for dinner. I’ll send Jun and Seungkwan to help with setting the table.”

         Jeonghan didn’t answer, and Seungcheol’s chest twisted with guilt, but he forced himself not to look back.

         Seokmin was taking a nap when Soonyoung entered their room. The lights were all still on and the television was still playing a cartoon. In his bed, Seokmin laid like a starfish; head bobbed to the side, his mouth slightly open and breathing deeply. On his right arm, which laid fallen on the side of the bed, he still held the remote control.

         Soonyoung stared at him and grinned, a small lightweight laugh coming out of him as he moved to take the remote and turn the tv off. As a sleepy Seokmin clung onto him and whined while he lifted him off the mattress, Soonyoung wondered when was the last time he had seen him sleep so soundly.

         Dinner at the Carat Hideaway was simultaneously exactly what Soonyoung and Seokmin expected and somehow even better that their imagination.

         The food was all incredibly fresh thanks to Jihoon’s contributions, and the dishes were all hearty and homemade, which was something they never really got to have before. The boys all talked and laughed over dinner, and Soonyoung and Seokmin quietly ate and watched them. The others were incredibly welcoming, trying their best to involve them in their chatter, but both of them were still drained and not as familiar as the rest of them, so they mostly kept to themselves; only politely replying if anyone directed a question or sentence at them.

         Seungkwan, Mingyu and Minghao were best at naturally bringing them into the conversations. The other members were also nice, but a bit quieter. Jeonghan, Seungcheol, Jun and Joshua talked once in a while but at the same time were always attentive to everyone at the table, passing and filling dishes for others and encouraging the members to eat well. Joshua and Jeonghan finished quickly and were immediately on their feet to collect empty dishes and take them to the sink, starting on washing them fast before they could pile up. After finishing eating, Seungkwan joined them, while the others at the table piled up their own empty dishes to try and help without crowding the sink. Soonyoung and Seokmin insisted they washed their own dishes, but were stopped by Jeonghan and Seungkwan and their powers.

         After they were all done cleaning up, Jihoon and Wonwoo brought two containers filled with fruit and put them in the middle of the table. There were several types of fruit inside, and they all tasted absolutely heavenly. Soonyoung himself only had an apple and a couple of grapes, but there were also mangoes, pears, blueberries, strawberries and melon.

         When they all had their stomachs full, the boys dispersed themselves across the house once again, some going to their bedrooms, some to the living room and others outside. Joshua went to give one last check-up on Chan for the day and invited Soonyoung and Seokmin to come along. After making sure Jeonghan didn’t need any additional help with putting the dishware away, they followed Jisoo into the infirmary.

         Chan was still worryingly pale compared to his usual complexion, but at the very least he didn’t seem to be getting worse. Soonyoung and Seokmin stood beside his bed while Jisoo checked on his pulse and other vital signs. He then spent a good few minutes holding his hands close to Chan’s temples, chest, arms and legs, focusing his power on stopping the venom’s spread and trying to get rid of it.

         Unfortunately, it was harder than it seemed. Apparently, the venom was a fast traveler, and so every time he managed to slow it down and push it back, it reverted that progress in just a few hours, making Joshua have to force himself to pump out a great amount of his power several times a day just to keep Chan alive.

         Seeing the amount of effort and how little so much power was doing, they understood, even more, the need for help from the other healers. After the healing session was over, Jisoo breathed out and sat back in a chair beside Chan’s bed. Seokmin and Soonyoung worriedly looked at him.

         At that moment, Jeonghan came into the infirmary holding a jug of water and a bowl with a rag laying in it.

         “Ah, I imagined he was about done by now. Excuse me, boys.”

         He passed them and kneeled down in front of Joshua, pouring cold water inside the bowl. “Seok, can you please get me a cup inside that cabinet?” He pointed, and Seokmin quickly fetched it for him.

         Jisoo took a few gulps of water and sighed heavily; accepting the rag Jeonghan put on his forehead gratefully.

         “Is he okay?” Soonyoung asked, worried. “Does it really take so much of his energy to do that?”

         Jeonghan waved him off. “He’s fine. His power is the kind that takes from his vital energy so he can heal, and as a result, he always gets like this after using so much of it. Thankfully, his body also recovers much faster than any of us would, so he just needs some light assistance and a bit of rest to get better.”

         Soonyoung swallowed in guilt. He was a bit ashamed that they were taking advantage of Jisoo’s kindness, but then again, he could never just give up on the only chance Chan had of surviving.

         Jisoo seemed to notice the brothers’ expressions and smiled gently at them. “Don’t worry about me, it’s an honor to treat your brother and help him recover. I don’t underestimate how much trust you’re putting in me and my powers, so thank you. I promise to do my very best to bring Chan back. In the meanwhile, please try to rest; I can feel how exhausted you both are. Please get a good night’s sleep. He’ll still be here in the morning.”

         With those words, they were kindly sent back to their room with wishes of sweet dreams. As they laid down in the soft beds later that night, they couldn’t help but wish for Chan to be recovered as soon as possible. More than ever, they felt incredibly guilty to be able to live in such comfort while he laid just a floor down from them, fighting for his life.

         As they were claimed by sleep once again, their dreams were filled with a single person and were interestingly more vivid than ever before.