Author's note: This is a short sequel to my story "Before Earth". This is a story of how they met Kris, Luhan and Tao. Hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own the boys.
Warning: un-betaed.
Chen sat nervously in the waiting room for SM Entertainment. Its been over a year since they landed on Earth. The translator chip that had been injected into their necks were dissolving now that they understood and spoke Korean fluently. Except for Chen. Chen sang beautiful but stuttered when he spoke to people he didn't know. The team found out how talkative Chen was when he started talking openly with them a few months after they arrived. "It's like he's making up for all the years he stayed silent." Suho had commented once. Baekhyun made good on his promise to make Chen join the dark side. When he, Chanyeol and Chen were together, the noise level was almost unbearable. Chen also learned to whine. Suho winced every time Chen complained. Xiumin found it cute, as did the others but it drove Suho crazy.
The team got used to the Korean custom easily. They were soldiers and always showed respect which was a big part of the Korean culture. When they first arrived, they split up into groups and started exploring the City of Seoul. Suho was the first one to join SM Entertainment. He was approached by a casting staff. Chen was the most excited when he heard because SM Entertainment managed Super Junior. Suho didn't think it was the most practical or sensible way of adapting to Earth life. After all, they were supposed to keep a low profile, not become household names. However, he couldn't say no to Chen or the others. Chanyeol was the next, followed by Sehun, Kai, Xiumin, D.O and Lay.
Lay came home with news about three other trainees at the company. He got a strange vibe from them but it was also comfortable. He couldn't describe it. When he introduced Suho to them, Suho got the same feeling.
Kris, Luhan and Tao spoke to their 'father' about the new trainees in SM. Their guardian, Lee Bunmin, was a rich business man who was CEO of a research company. The company delved into all fields from medicine to technology to fresh produce. Kris thought their father was a little crazy. Almost like a mad scientist but if it weren't for him, he, Luhan and Tao would've starved on the streets of Korea after they crash landed here about ten years ago.
The three were special and their father knew it. He used to periodically take their blood to experiment on but people at his company started getting suspicious of the blood samples he brought in. Bunmin couldn't risk exposure, plus he collected enough samples for years of experiments.
"So, you think these boys you've met are from your planet?" Bunmin asked them, curiously.
Luhan shrugged, "I can't be sure, but they're definitely different to the other trainees."
"Interesting." Bunmin nodded, thoughtfully, "You should get close to them and invite them over one day. I would like to meet them. It's good for you boys if there are others from your world."
Tao grinned, "Lay is really nice and so is Suho."
"Good. Invite them for dinner when you can." Bunmin stood to go back to his study. The smile on his face would send shivers down the General's back.
Luhan sat in Kris's room. "I don't think it's a good idea to bring Lay and Suho here." Kris trusted their father but Luhan never did. He was the oldest of the three, and even though Kris has always taken it upon himself to take care of them, Luhan felt responsible for them. Living with their father for this long hasn't built any trust between them. Something never felt right. His mother always told him to trust his instincts because they were rarely wrong.
"Father just wants to meet them."
"You heard him, he thinks it's good for us." Kris always believe his father did things for their benefit.
"Just hold off on bringing them here. Think about it. Father never wanted anyone to know about us. SM still thinks we're orphans. Why would father invite them over and expose the lie?" Luhan reasoned.
Kris shrugged, "You heard him. He thinks it's good for us to get to know others like us."
Luhan sighed, "Just hold off, okay?"
"Fine!" Kris groaned at his overly careful brother.
Chen shot up from his seat when Baekhyun walked into the waiting room. Finally, one of his brothers was here. Baekhyun subtlely held out a hand to him, telling him to sit down. They weren't supposed to know each other. Instead Chen's hand shot out, "Chen imnida!" He said, a little too loudly. The young girl who showed Baekhyun in giggled before leaving. They bowed to her and waited until the door closed.
"Baekhyun imnida." Baekhyun shook Chen's hand. There were cameras in the room so they had to keep up the pretence. He sat on the couch across from Chen. "Your hands are sweaty." Baekhyun wiped his hand on his jeans.
Chen pouted at him, "I'm scared!"
"Ssh…" He smiled calmly at Chen, "I'm here now. You'll be fine. Remember, they're going to take us to meet the others. Don't run and hug them." He grinned at Chen's expression who was not impressed with him.
"They've all been stuck here at the dorm for so long. I miss them!" Chen whined. "I want Xiumin hyung."
Baekhyun liked how Chen picked up the formality of adding hyung to Xiumin's name. He only did that with Xiumin. Those two have been inseparable since they arrived on Earth. "You'll see him soon."
In the SM trainee meeting room were the others plus Kris, Luhan and Tao. They've been told they would be training as a group but were waiting on two new members who only just joined. Xiumin sat nervously, rubbing his hands together. He missed Chen and knew how nervous he would be waiting outside. It was a relief to know he would be with Baekhyun. Suho walked up to him, casually and rubbed his back, "Remember, you're not supposed to know him. Don't hug him when he arrives."
Xiumin glared at him as if he were an idiot, "I know that."
"Good. Let's hope he knows that." Suho was constantly worried about Chen. He'd heard rumours going around saying there was a new trainee with an amazing voice but was peculiar. He wondered if he made the right decision in choosing this path for them all.
Kris watched Suho and Xiumin closely. Something was different about them today. They were usually very relaxed but Xiumin was nervous. Luhan picked it up as well, "Does Suho and Xiumin know the two new trainees?" He asked Lay.
Lay was surprised by the question but didn't show it. He shrugged, "I know as much as you do." He spoke Chinese. When he found out that SM Entertainment recruited from all over the world, he chose Chinese as his main language. It made it easier to convince people that he didn't know the others if he spoke a different language. "They do seem more nervous today. Maybe its just because we are meeting new trainees today."
Luhan nodded, even though he knew Lay was lying. He got the same feeling from Lay as he did from the others. Seven of them knew each other but were pretending they didn't. "Maybe."
The room went silent when the door opened and an SM employee walked in followed by the two new members. "Aniyeonghaeseyo!" The employee bowed, "These two are your new members; Baekhyun and Chen." The boys bowed to the others, politely and then at the employee as she walked out.
"Aniyeonghaeseyo." Baekhyun dipped his head, "Baekhyun imnida"
Chen's eyes scanned the room nervously. Baekhyun could feel him trembling next to him. He gave him a slight nudge, which made Chen jolt. Chen looked at him, not knowing what to do. Baekhyun's directed Chen to the others with his eyes, silently telling him to introduce himself. Chen turned back and bowed, "CC…Chen…im…imni..nida."
Xiumin winced at the stuttering. It got worse in new situations. He walked up to him and held out his hand, "Xiumin imnida."
Chen visibly relaxed and shook his hand, "Aniyeonghaeseyo."
Soon the others surrounded them, introducing themselves. When Luhan came up to Chen to introduce himself, Chen tensed up again, telling Luhan that these people definitely knew each other. "Aniyeonghaeseyo. Luhan imnida. It's nice to meet you. I'm from Beijing, China. Where are you from?"
"G….gyeongi..gi province." Chen shook the handsome man's hand before quickly turning away but ended up facing Kris.
"Aniyeonghaeseyo. Kris imnida. I was born in Guangzhou, China but grew up in Canada." Chen nodded, or more like trembled, at the introduction before shaking Kris hand. Kris held it tightly and longer than he needed to as he tried to read Chen. Chen tried to pull his hand back but this man was bigger than him. He started to panic and his powers kicked in, sending a static shock. Kris jumped back, shaking his hand at the shock and eyeing the boy suspiciously.
The room went quietly and immediately, Suho sensed they were in trouble. Lay was right. These three were not as they seemed. Suho turned to Chanyeol, nudging his head towards Kris, telling him to take Kris's attention from Chen. He chose Chanyeol because he was almost the same height as Kris and could block his line of sight. "What happened, Kris?" Chanyeol stood in front of Chen, slapping Kris's shoulder.
Kris rubbed his hand, "Nothing. Just static, I think."
"Come on. I want to practice our rap." Chanyeol forcibly pushed him to the couch in the furthest corner.
"Baekhyun, Chen, why don't I show you where everything is." Suho gestured from them to head towards the kitchenette. "Are you okay?" Suho asked Chen, who was still shaking.
Chen was on the verge of tears, "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. There's something about those three. It's making me uncomfortable." Suho made them each a coffee and sat down at a table. "I know you want to go to Xiumin right now but its less suspicious if you stay with Baekhyun. He'll have your back for the next few days and then Xiumin can pretend to start getting to know you. We need to take this slowly."
Chen looked over at Xiumin who was talking to Luhan and Lay, "Okay." He replied quietly.
Baekhyun squeezed his hand under the table, "Do you still have my marble?"
Chen frowned at him, "You gave it to me. It's mine!" He hissed. Baekhyun grinned. He knew the reaction he would get. Chen always got annoyed when Baekhyun referred to the marble as his own. He put a hand to his chest, feeling the charm under his shirt. Baekhyun had to dim the light so that it didn't glow through the material. "I would never come here without it." He admitted.
Baekhyun smiled when he felt Chen relax, "I won't leave your side." Chen was still worried but he nodded. He was supposed to be brave. This was a new world for all of them. He couldn't keep hiding behind Xiumin and the others. They were just as new to this as he was.
"Okay, go mingle with the others. I'll keep Kris and Luhan off your back. Tao's not as intimidating as those two." Suho reassured him. The rest of the day went smoothly with all of them immersing in their training.
Kris told their father about Chen that night. It peaked Bunmin's interest. It sounded like Chen was the boy to go through if he wanted to know more about their powers. Ever since he'd seen Kris, Luhan and Tao use their powers he was obsessed with them. He wanted to know if he could find a way of transferring their powers to humans. If he could, every government in the world would want to work with him. "There is no way he would come over for dinner." Kris told Bunmin. "He is a nervous wreck. The others won't leave his side."
"Is he dangerous?" Bunmin started manipulating his overprotective son. "I don't want him near my boys if he can hurt you."
Kris shook his head, "He didn't mean to shock me. I made him nervous."
Bunmin shook his head, "Still, I would feel better if you brought him here for a t…visit." He was going to say test.
Kris chuckled, "No way he would follow me here. He's scared of me."
"I don't want someone like him near my boys unless I know he is harmless. I would hate for anything to happen to your brothers." Bunmin continued his manipulation. He shrugged. "I just need a blood sample. Maybe you can bring him here for me to get a few samples and then you can take him back at night." Kris frowned, not liking the sound of that. "I used to take blood samples from you boys. Did it do any damage?" Kris shook his head. "It's easy. Fly him here in the morning. I'll get someone to call your company. You tell his friends the company has sent him to a…" He shrugged again, feigning he was only just coming up with these ideas, "speech therapist. You said he stutters when he talks. Once I'm done, I'll call you and you can fly him back."
"And he'll tell his friends he spent the day with you and all the lies…?"
"He won't remember a thing. You already said, he's a nervous wreck. It would be normal for him to not be able to tell them where he was."
Kris sighed, unsure of the plan. It wasn't going to work but this man saved his and his brothers' lives. He couldn't refuse. "Okay, but we should wait a week. It'll be too suspicious if he disappears so quickly after we meet him."
"Whenever you think is the right time."
One week later….
Chen was getting used to the schedule and the other members of their group. Tao was really cute and Luhan was warming up to him, making the effort to talk to him and help him with his dance moves. Kris still made him nervous but he wasn't as cool as he first thought. He was very caring towards Luhan, Lay and Tao, which made Chen less nervous around him because anybody who took good care of others couldn't be bad.
Kris waited nervously in their training room. He wasn't sure who was going to walk in first. Chen was usually the first one here but sometimes Suho or Xiumin came in with him. When the door opened, it was a relief to see Chen on his own. "Good morning." Kris greeted.
Chen smiled shyly at him, "Good morning." Kris had to smile back at that smile. He wondered if Chen knew how deadly his smile could be to the opposite sex. "Milk?" He knew what Chen had in the morning. Chen nodded.
Kris dropped a tablet into the glass before pouring the milk. "Here you go."
Chen took it, "Gomsamhamnida, hyung." Kris felt his stomach twist in knots as Chen drank the milk. He looked at his watch. He needed to get Chen out of here before anybody saw him. Chen tilted his head at Kris, noticing the older boy looked a little pale, "Are…are you…o…okay?"
Kris felt worse at seeing Chen's concern, "I'm fine." Chen shook his head when Kris start blurring in front of him. "You on the other hand…" Kris caught him as Chen collapsed, unconscious. "are drugged." He took a breath and threw Chen over his shoulder, then opened a window and flew out. I'm sorry, Chen, but you'll be back with your friends tonight. My father just needs some blood. I know you won't hurt Luhan or Tao but I need to be sure and reassure my father.
Chen woke up, strapped down on a gurney. He looked around, confused and still feeling nauseous from the drug. He weakly struggled with against the harness around his wrist and torso. Men in white lab coats and face masks surround him. They held needles, forceps and scalpels. No! Chen tried to scream but his eyes blurred again as he was injected with something else. Xiumin hyung!
The team were in their dorm when Xiumin felt the call. Chen? He stopped dancing. Something was wrong. Kris told them that Chen was getting speech therapy today and when he asked their manager, he confirmed it. Bunmin asked a friend of his to call the company and tell them that they could help with Chen's speech impairment. They agreed to the free therapy. Xiumin and the others felt better when their managers confirmed the therapy but now Xiumin knew something was very wrong. He ran out of his room and found the others, looking just as panicked, "Chen's in trouble."
"Call Kris!" Xiumin demanded of Lay. He knew he had something to do with this.
Kris about to go to bed when his phone rang. "Lay, what's up?"
"Where's Chen?" Lay growled through the phone.
Kris frowned at the tone, "Shouldn't he be back by now?" His father told him, he sent Chen back in his limo, explaining that he didn't want to risk Kris exposing himself by flying him back.
"He's not here." Lay hissed.
Xiumin snatched the phone from Lay, "Let's get this out in the open. We know you're not from this planet. Neither are we! So, what did you do with Chen?!"
Kris got defensive but not because he believe his father. He didn't want to believe Chen was in trouble, "I didn't do anything! He was sent back to the dorms." He growled back. Luhan, who was heading to his room heard Kris and opened his door, worried.
"If you've touched one hair on his…"
"I haven't done anything to him!" Kris started to worry now. The truth was, he didn't know if anything was done to Chen.
"What going on?" Luhan asked him. He pulled the phone from Kris, "Who's this?"
"Luhan! Where is Chen?!" Luhan winced at the volume of the voice.
"Chen's missing?" Luhan worried. Now that he'd gotten to know the boy, he really liked him. He was caring and sweet. "Why would Kris know where he is?"
Xiumin wanted to reach through the phone and turn them in ice sculptures, "Kris was the one who knew about Chen's speech therapy, which doesn't make sense because the managers always go through Suho but I trusted Kris!" Xiumin growled.
"Do you know where he is, Kris?" Luhan asked his brother.
Kris shook his head, "Father said he sent him back with his driver."
Xiumin's stomach dropped. What did Kris's father have to do with this? Kris was supposed to be an orphan! "Why was he with your father?"
Luhan shook his head, "I don't know."
"Where do you live? I'm coming over now!"
"Why would he be here? I've been here all night. No one is here except us." Luhan was getting more and more confused.
"Give me your address!" Xiumin yelled at him. Luhan gave it to him and hung up.
"What the hell is going on, Kris?" Luhan demanded.
Kris got off his bed and stormed to his father's study. He threw the door open, not bothering to knock. "Where is Chen?"
Bunmin looked up, unimpressed, "I thought I taught you better than that, Kris."
"Answer the question! You told me you sent Chen back but he's not with his friends. Where is he?"
"I did send him home. If he decided to go somewhere else, that's not my concern. He's an adult." Bunmin went back to his work.
"You told me you only wanted to make sure he wasn't a threat." Kris was trying to convince himself that he did the right thing.
Luhan looked between his brother and foster father, "What are you talking about? You brought Chen here?" Kris nodded. "There is no way Chen would leave with you without telling the others." Luhan sighed in frustration when Kris deflated, "He didn't come of his own free will, did he?" Kris shook his head. Luhan turned to their father. Unlike Kris, Luhan always questioned his father, which was why Bunmin never asked anything of Luhan. "Where is he?"
"I have nothing to say to any of you. Leave my room."
Everyone's hands flew out to steady themselves when the house shook.
Kai teleported everyone to the front yard of the mansion. They knew the place was too large to do a search, so D.O sent tremors through the vicinity, getting a count of the people in the house. "Four upstairs, three of them are in the same room. Four people downstairs. Five in the basement." He frowned at the vibrations coming from the basement room. "That room is different to the rest. It's fortified."
"Chen's in there. I can feel him." Xiumin was positive.
"Me too." Ever since Chen used his powers to protect their minds, they could always sense when he was around and how he was feeling. It was useful because Chen wasn't good at communicating his feelings. Suho walked up to the door and rang the door bell out of courtesy. If nobody answered, they would break in.
A butler opened the door. "How may I help you?"
"Get out of our way." Suho shoved him aside and stormed in with the others. "Where's your basement?"
Kris rushed down the grand staircase. "We don't have a basement." He answered for the butler.
"Don't lie to us. We know you do. D.O knows every room in this house." Baekhyun walked up to the tall man and grabbed him by the shirt, "Are you going to tell us or…" A vase flew at Baekhyun's head, only to be frozen and dropped to the ground, shattering, "Looks like we're taking this place a part." He let Kris go and glared at Luhan, who looked shocked at what he almost did. He only reacted to the threat to his brother.
"Chen's not here, Baekhyun." Luhan tried to reason with him.
"How many people are in this house?" Lay demanded.
"Four plus four servants." Tao answered from the top of the stair. He heard the noise and was surprised to see the whole group in their home. "What's going on?"
"Then who are the five people in the basement?" D.O countered.
"Huh? We don't have a basement!"
"I think you should all leave before I call the police." Bunmin finally appeared. "This is my home and I don't like being threatened in my own home."
D.O glared at the man as he knelt and sent tremors through the floor. The basement was directly below them. He got a mental picture of the space then stood and grabbed Kai, pulling him to a spot in the large living room. "Directly below you is a two by two metre space in the room they're keeping Chen. The room is three metres high. This floor is half a meter of solid concrete." Kai had his eyes closed as he drew a picture of the area below him, "Go get Chen." He ordered. Kai opened his eyes, glaring at the three members he considered friends, then disappeared.
Bunmin's eyes widened, "Amazing!"
Kris turned to his father and for the first time, realised he truly was insane.
Kai appeared in the basement, then froze at the pain-filled scream from the man in the bed. Four men were standing around Chen, who was strapped face down on the surgery table, stripped down to his waisted. The scientists didn't even know he was there. Chen stopped screaming as the aspirate was pulled from his back. Kai was pulled from his shock when he heard Chen whimper, "Chen?" Kai clenched his fist, grabbing the man closest to him and throwing him at another one. He leaped over Chen and grabbed the other two, teleporting them to the others.
Kris and Luhan were shocked when two men in lab coats were thrown at them. "What the hell?"
Kai disappeared again and reappeared next to Chen. He placed a gentle hand on the back of Chen's head, "It's okay. I'll take you away from here." He undid the straps restraining his friend, then gently turned him over. Chen whimpered at he was moved. He blinked at the man above him before he passed out completely. Kai was glad he was unconscious. He didn't want to cause any more pain. He cradled Chen in his arms and blinked away.
Everyone, except Bunmin, gasped at the state Chen was in. "Chen!" Xiumin helped Kai lower Chen to the floor. "He's burning up!"
"Xiumin, move." Lay ordered. "Lie him flat, Kai." Kai didn't want to let Chen go, but he did as he was told. "What did you see down there?" He and Kai ignored everything else that was going on in the room as Kai explained what he saw.
The residents of the house looked around when the temperature dropped. Tao, who was now standing with his brothers, rubbed his arms, "Why is it so cold?"
Luhan looked at Xiumin, who stood there still as a statue with his hands out to his side. He looked deadly. "Xiumin, don't do this."
Suho watched Xiumin carefully. No words were going to get through to him. Especially not words from the people who were responsible for this. He gasped when he grabbed Xiumin arm. The ice burned him. "Xiumin!" He stepped back when ice formed around his feet. It crept toward their three teammates, "Don't do this, Xiumin!"
"Tao!" Bunmin called to his youngest, "What are you waiting for? For him to kill us?"
Tao looked up at his father. He's never used his powers on friends before. "Tao!" Tao jumped at his brother's voice. It was Kris, "Don't you dare."
"Tao, you will listen to me." His father's voice boomed. He'd never seen his father this mad before.
"Tao, do you remember the days when our father drew our blood to make sure we were 'healthy'?" Luhan glared up at their 'father', "Look at Chen and tell me he looks healthy right now."
Tao shook as he took in Chen's state. There were bruises all over his upper body from the scientists extracting samples from him. He looked back up at his father, "No, he does not!" He couldn't believe the man who took care of them could do this to someone.
"I didn't do that to you!" His father yelled, "You should be grateful!"
Kris glared at him, "You're mad!"
Xiumin listened to father and sons argue. They did this to Chen. No one is free from blame. "Xiumin, stop!" Suho tried again.
Lay concentrated on the damage he could see, praying Chen opened his eyes. "Come on, Chen. Xiumin's not going to listen to anyone else."
"He was in a lot of pain." Kai was still trembling from the scream that came from his brother. "They had a large needle in his side, near his hips." He pointed to the bruise there.
Lay placed his hand over the area and sent soothing energy there, hoping to take the pain away. "Damn it! I don't know what they did!" He closed his eyes to think. If healing didn't work, he had to find another way. He laid a hand on Chen's head, sending messages to his brain that there was no pain.
Kris took his brothers by the arms and floated off the floor before the ice could reach them. "I'm sorry. I was only protecting my brothers."
"From who?" Baekhyun yelled at them, "Chen?!"
"You scared him. We should've protected him from you!" Wind started building in the room as Sehun lost his temper.
"Sehun!" Chanyeol put a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Don't." Chanyeol was taking his cue from their leader. "We're here to get Chen back. That's it." Sehun calmed himself and drew his powers back in.
"You all have powers!" Bunmin was still only thinking about how he could exploit them. "Where are you from? Are there more of you?"
Xiumin's eyes were full of rage. He pulled back his powers from the boys and sent it up the staircase. Bunmin stumbled back in horror, tripping on the first step and falling back. "Help me! Help me!" He screamed at his son's. Luhan tried to use his powers to levitate Bunmin off the carpet but something held him there. He turned to find D.O with his hands out.
"He stays where he is!" D.O said, coldly.
"D.O!" Suho called. "Xiumin! This is not what Chen wants! This is Earth. We're done being soldiers."
Chen's eyes slowly opened. Lay smiled at him. "Hey."
Chen looked around the unfamiliar room. Where am I? He frowned. Why was he numb all over? He blinked at Lay and Kai but he wasn't seeing his friends. Men in white lab coats holding needles and scalpels were hovering over him. He shot up in a panic and shuffled away from them, terrified, "No more!" He gasped as he hit the wall. His bare feet kept pushing at the tiled floor, trying to get further away from the people trying to hurt him.
"Chen!" Lay called.
Chen looked around frantically. He wasn't hearing anything. He wasn't seeing anybody. He needed to escape. He looked like a trapped, wild animal.
Suho looked over at Chen, seeing him ready to run from them. He followed Chen's line of sight. The front door was wide open. Suho frowned at the wind coming from outside. When did it start storming? "Chen!" It was too late. Chen bolted for the door. "Chen!" He ran after him.
Xiumin spun around at the call of his friend's name. Chen was awake and scared. "Chen." He gasped as his friend ran out the door. "CHEN!" He forgot about Bunmin and ran after his little brother.
Kris lowered them to the ground and followed.
It was raining so hard outside, Xiumin could barely see in front of him. "Chen!" Lights appeared around him as he ran. Baekhyun. The lights show him the way. Finally, Xiumin could see him running down the vast lawn as fast as he could. "Chen!" Lightning shot into the grass around them leaving smoke to come up from the burned ground, slowing them down but they didn't stop.
Kai knew they couldn't reach him in time. He teleported in front of Chen and tackled him to the ground. "Chen! It's me, Kai!" He grunted as Chen fought him, maniacally.
"No!" Electricity shot through his body making both of them scream. His wet body didn't allow him to direct the electricity outwards.
"Chen!" Xiumin pulled Chen into his arms while Lay help Kai up.
"Are you okay?" Kai trembled from the shock but nodded. Lay soothed the pain of the shock.
"Chen! Stop!" Xiumin begged as Chen fought him like a mad man.
"NO! No more! Please!" Chen begged them to stop hurting him. Xiumin told him this world was different. This world was supposed to be beautiful. "Liar! LIAR!"
Chanyeol wrapped his arms around Chen from behind, pinning his arms to his side, "Chen! It's Xiumin. It's XIUMIN!" He prayed the name got through to his frantic friend.
"Chen! Look at me!" Xiumin sat on his legs, effectively trapping him. He slapped him hard, "LOOK AT ME!" Chen stopped struggling. Xiumin pushed aside Chen's wet hair, wiping away water. The rain stopped. Xiumin knew it was Suho's doing. It rained around them but not on them. "It's over."
Chen shook his head at him, trembling. "You lied." Tears ran down his cheeks. "You said this world was beautiful. You said it was different. It's not. It's the same. IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME!" He looked at Kris, "He brought me here. It was the same. They tied me down, they cut me, stabbed me with needles. It's all the same." Xiumin looked down at Chen's body. Lay had healed a lot of the bruises and cuts already. Xiumin took off his jacket and covered his friend, protecting him as much as he could from the rest of the world. "What did I do?" The question was directed at Kris.
Kris closed his eyes and shook his head, "You didn't do anything." He whispered. Luhan put an arm around his brother, knowing the guilt he must be feeling.
Chen shook, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shock you that day. I was scared. I didn't mean it." He tried to find a reason for why this was happening to him. "I won't do it again."
"It's not your fault, Chen." Xiumin framed Chen's face with his hands, "It's not your fault. This world is more beautiful than ours. I'm sorry this happened. It's not your fault."
"I'm sorry, Chen." Kris wiped away his own tears, "I didn't know Bunmin would do this to you." He was never calling that man 'father' again.
"Kris was only trying to protect us. If he knew…" Luhan couldn't finish the sentence. Nothing he said now could make up for what was done to Chen. "I'm sorry."
Baekhyun knelt next to Xiumin, "I know you're hurting, Chen but we're here. Let us protect you." Chen shook his head. Nobody could protect him. "I know we let you down but you know we would never let this happen if we knew." He broke down crying. Why didn't they question what Kris told them? Why didn't they look for Chen earlier? "I'm sorry."
Chen looked up at the light Baekhyun created to light up the area, "You told me it would never go out."
Baekhyun looked up at where Chen was looking. The charm. "Where's the marble?" He whispered, looking up at the house.
"It's gone. It went out."
Baekhyun shook his head, determined, "My light never goes out!" He stood up, "Kai!" Kai stepped up to him. "Get me in there." Kai nodded, slapping a hand on Baekhyun's shoulder and blinking them away.
Suho knelt in Baekhyun's place. Chen wasn't struggling anymore, but he also wasn't responding. It was almost like he was catatonic. "I know it seems like this whole universe is against you but don't forget, you didn't have us the first time this happened to you. You spent over ten years in a room like that one." He could hear the three brothers gasp behind them. They didn't know Chen's story. "Ten years and yet, you still manage to hold onto hope. We found you then and we found you again." He put a hand on Chen's cheek, "We will always find you, Chen."
"We will always keep you warm." Chanyeol warmed the air around them.
"We will always know where you are." D.O promised.
"We will take away your pain." Lay told him.
"We will never let you fall." Sehun.
Baekhyun appeared again with Kai, "You will never be alone."
Baekhyun held out the charm, the light was almost out but it was still there, "You will never be in the dark." He held the charm in front of Chen and let it shine. It lit up Chen's face.
Light returned to Chen's eyes. He lifted his hand and closed it around the charm, holding it to his chest, drawing strength from it. Chen turned to Xiumin, blinking away his tears. "Hyung!" Xiumin nodded and pulled Chen into his arms, letting him cry.
"We will always protect you." Xiumin finished their promise.
Suho smiled as he looked up at the sky. The clouds were gone and the stars shimmered in the night sky. He took a breath. They still had work to do. "Kai, teleport Chen and Lay back to our apartment." Kai nodded, taking Lay with him first then returning for Chen. Xiumin stood. He wanted to go back with Chen but knew Suho needed his powers.
Suho turned to the three brothers. "Your father's insane." He hissed at them.
Kris stepped forward. This was his fault. "I'm sorry."
Suho wanted to be angry at the man but how could he be? He followed the wrong man for years and it lead to the death of so many. How could he blame Kris for wanting to protect his brothers? "I know how it feels to be disappointed in a man you've looked up to for a long time. What we did on EXO was way worse than this?"
Kris's eyes widened, spinning around to his brothers, "EXO!"
"You are from EXO!" Luhan gasped.
"So are you?" Baekhyun asked, sceptical, "How did you get here?"
Kris sighed, "Our fathers sent us here after they found out the Government weren't sending people off planet but out of the domes. We only had a ship with enough life support for three kids. We landed here and was found by Bunmin." He looked down at his feet, "He took care of us."
"Because he knew you were special." D.O sighed, "He used you the same way the General used us."
"The question is; what do we do about it now?" Chanyeol asked his leader. Suho knew they had to get rid of any evidence Bunmin had of them. He was about to give his orders when a 'whopping' sound came from the mansion.
Everyone turned to find a helicopter taking off from the mansion's roof. "No!" Kris called, "It's Bunmin!" Bunmin was piloting. In the back were the scientists and the four servants.
"We can't let him get away with what he got from Chen and all of you." Suho watched the helicopter hover in one place as if it were stuck. He looked around and found Luhan with his hands out. Sweat ran down his neck and temple. "He can't keep this up for long."
D.O tried to bring it down to the grass by controlling gravity but Bunmin was stubborn. "Damn it! Why doesn't he just give up?"
"Not in his vocabulary." Kris said coldly. He was about to fly up to pull the man out when the engine exploded from the strain. "Get down!"
Xiumin threw up a dome of thick ice to protect them from the debris. When the last of the helicopter dropped to the grass, Xiumin pulled the ice back. The helicopter was up in flames. Nobody could've survived that.
Suho walked up to the three brothers. Luhan was consoling the youngest. He put a hand on Kris's shoulder, "I'm sorry."
Kris shook his head. He was sad when he found out Bunmin was a mad man but now he felt nothing, "Don't be. I'm not." He turned to Suho, "You and your team should go. The police will be here soon. It'll be all over the news because of who he is. You don't want to be caught up in the media circus."
"Your father has a lot of information about us."
Kris nodded, understanding what Suho was saying. "We will take care of everything. Don't worry."
Kai reappeared. Baekhyun had texted him to come back to get them. "We'll see you back at the studio." Suho promised. Kris nodded.
Lay was asleep in a chair next to Chen's bed. He was exhausted from healing what he could. Chen was still running a fever because Lay couldn't find the reason for it. He worried it was an Earth virus or bacteria that he didn't know about.
Xiumin shook Lay's shoulder. "Hey."
Lay jolted awake, thinking it was Chen. He relaxed when he saw it was Xiumin, "You're back."
Xiumin nodded, "Go to sleep. I'll watch him." Lay nodded sleepily and left the room. Xiumin sat in the chair. He picked up the cool towel and wiped around Chen's brow and neck. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you." Xiumin hated how cruel life was for Chen. He guessed species were the same everywhere. They were mostly kind and caring but many were also self-absorbed, selfish and cruel. "Suho's right. You were strong enough to survive through what the General did to you, you can get through this. I'll be right beside you." Xiumin moved Chen over a little and got under the covers with him. He wrapped his arms around his friend and closed his eyes. "I'll always be here for you."
Suho and the others watched the news. Reporters were outside the gates of Lee Bunmin's mansion. "A freak accident, it seems was the cause of Mr Lee Bunmin's death. Mr Lee was the CEO of the Research giant, Future Research. He had no sons. It is a shame that this great man will have no heir to continue his work."
Suho turned off the T.V, confused. "Nobody knew about Kris, Luhan or Tao?"
"How is that possible?" Chanyeol asked.
A knock at the door put them all on edge. Nobody knew where they lived. Not even SM. "It's Kris!" Suho got up to open the door. "Hi!" Kris walked in with a box full of files. Luhan followed with a couple hard drives. "Hi!" He dipped his head. Tao came in with two laptops and another box "Hi."
"How did you find us?"
"It's not hard to find someone with a smartphone these days." Kris told them, "Where can I put these?"
"What is it?"
"Everything that was left in the house about us." Luhan told them. "Everything else went up in flames with Bunmin."
Baekhyun fingered through the files. "This is everything?"
"Yep." Tao nodded, smiling, "I promise. I triple checked."
"Why did the news say he had no heir? I thought he considered you his sons?"
Kris gave a sad smile. "He kept us a secret. He created fake identities and background for us so we could join SM. He told us he didn't want to risk anyone finding out about us but I'm pretty sure he had other reasons now."
"So, when you go home, instead of staying at the dorm...?" Suho queried.
"The company thinks we have an apartment near the studio." Luhan shrugged, they never questioned it because Bunmin created fake rental papers as well.
"Wow! He went through a lot of trouble to keep you three a secret." Suho shook his head.
Kris nodded, "Didn't you notice how he had the scientists and our servants in the helicopter? He doesn't leave anything or anyone who can link him to us."
"And you didn't care?" Chanyeol was shocked. He would hate to live with someone like that.
Kris shrugged, "He took us in. How can we complain?" He clapped his hand, "Anyway, we just wanted to give you these. We owe you that much."
Suho frowned as the three head towards the front door, "Where are you going to go?"
Kris looked at the others and then shrugged, "We can make use of the dorms now."
Suho shook his head, "I don't think so. SM dorms close after 10pm. You won't be able to get in. Stay here until morning."
Luhan was hesitant. "That's not a good idea. Chen…"
Suho sighed. It's true. Chen would not react well to seeing the three brothers in the apartment. "If you leave first thing in the morning, Chen won't see you. He's asleep." Baekhyun answered for his leader. "We can't kick you onto the streets after you brought this to us."
"We owed you. We owe Chen." Kris added quietly.
"Chen will understand what you did." Chanyeol told them, "He's very forgiving and he'll understand that you only wanted to protect Luhan and Tao. He knows how that feels. Xiumin on the other hand…"
"Is very protective of Chen but if you can get Chen to forgive you, Xiumin will as well." Baekhyun hinted.
Luhan shook his head at these men, "How are you so okay after what happened tonight?"
"We're not okay." Baekhyun sighed, "We're tired and we're worried. Chen has a fever that Lay can't find the reason for. We don't know how he's going to react when he wakes up. Xiumin is going to run himself into the ground because he thinks everything that happens to Chen is his fault." Baekhyun rubbed his face, tired from just listing everything that was wrong. "We're not okay but what can we do? We can't afford to fall apart because Chen needs us."
"Xiumin's not the only one protective of Chen." Luhan noted.
Suho nodded, "It's a long story and you heard parts of it today. What Lee Bunmin did to him was only a snippet of what our General did to him on our home world. It was so bad, he couldn't speak for over a decade. He only started speaking after the General was taken down. That's why he stutters around other people. He only learned to speak last year."
Kris closed his eyes as he thought of the role he played in Chen's trauma today, "I don't think I can say I'm sorry enough times."
"Like I said, Chen's very forgiving." Chanyeol told him.
They would've continued their conversation if Xiumin's panicked call didn't send them running upstairs. "Lay!"
When they got to the room, Chen was convulsing on the bed. Xiumin was holding him down using his entire body. Lay was trying to hardest to find what was wrong but nothing was working. "I don't know what to do."
Tao's eyes widened when he recognised what was happening. "This happened to me not long after we arrived!"
Kris nodded, remembering as well. He smacked his head as he tried to remember what Bunmin did. They were only kids at the time. Luhan pointed at him, wordlessly as he remembered and ran downstairs, with Kris on his heels. "There's medicine here for us. Bunmin worked out our physiology and how it reacts to this planet's common illnesses." He frantically searched the boxes until he found the vials they brought over. "Find a needle!" Luhan ordered while he read the vial labels. He liked to watch what Bunmin did so he remembered what these were for. "Found it!"
"I found a needle!" Tao called. Luhan snatched it from him and ran upstairs.
He was puffing, "Give him this!"
"I am not giving him anything from you!" Xiumin grunted as he fought to keep Chen still.
"Xiumin, I can't save him. This is Chen's only chance!" Lay gave him the ultimatum.
Xiumin closed his eyes tight, hating that he had know choice. "Do it!"
Luhan looked for the vein like Bunmin had taught him. It was hard with Chen moving so much. "Hold him still." He winced as the needle went in. "Got it!" He announced as he deployed the plunger.
They waited, holding their breaths as the convulsing continued. Then, Xiumin felt it. Slowly but surely the convulsing slowed until Chen's body relaxed under him and his breathing evened out. Lay rested a hand against Chen's brow. "He's resting now."
Xiumin sighed as he got off Chen and sat on the edge of the bed, exhausted after an already exhausting night. He turned and glared at Luhan, "This doesn't make up for what you all did."
Luhan nodded, understanding, "I know, but I hope it's a step in the right direction."
Xiumin didn't answer, "What are you doing here anyway?" He asked instead.
"It's lucky they were. We wouldn't have the medicine for Chen if they weren't." Baekhyun revealed, "They don't have anywhere to stay."
Xiumin rolled his eyes as he looked around the room. Clearly, they've already discussed them staying here downstairs, "Just don't be here when Chen wakes…"
"Xiumin…" Luhan jumped away from the bed at the voice, not wanting Chen to see him but it was too late. He was the first person Chen saw when he opened his eyes. Luhan froze, praying Chen wasn't awake enough. Chen frowned at him sleepily before his eyes widened in fear. He pushed himself up in a panic, trying to get away.
"Chen!" Xiumin grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him away from Luhan. "Chen, look at me." Chen did. Xiumin smiled at him as he brushed back Chen's hair. "It's okay. He won't hurt you and the man who did is dead."
Chen pulled his knees to his chest, "That's what you said about the General."
"Actually, we said the General was locked away." Baekhyun corrected. Chen glared at him, making him smiled, "And we were right. The General never laid a hand on you again."
Chen hugged his legs tighter, "There are Generals everywhere." He whispered.
Suho moved past Luhan to sit on the bed, "Don't forget what we promised you."
We will always find you.
We will always keep you warm.
We will always know where you are.
We will take away your pain.
We will never let you fall.
You will never be alone.
You will never be in the dark.
We will always protect you.
Tears came to his eyes as he remembered his brothers' words. "We can't promise that you will never get hurt but we will be here to help you through it." Suho promised. Chen nodded, telling him he understood and will always remember that.
Chen tilted towards Xiumin until he could rest his head on his shoulder. He pulled at his shirt collar, groaning at the uncomfortable heat and swallowing at his dry throat. Suho grabbed an empty cup and filled it with water while Xiumin cooled the air around him. "Have some water." Chen opened his tired eyes and lifted his head, drinking the much-needed cool water, then dropped it back against Xiumin again. "Why am I aching all over?" He complained. "Lay! I'm sore."
Lay chuckled, "It's muscle pains from the convulsion." He gestured for Suho to move. "Let's see if I can help you relax." He moved his hands from Chen's shoulders to his ankles. "How's that?"
Chen nodded, sleepily, "Thank you." He almost fell asleep when he remembered someone in their room who shouldn't be here. He shot up and looked around, then froze at the three people standing near the door.
Xiumin rubbed his arms when he started shaking. Kris, Luhan and Tao were about to leave when they saw the fear in Chen's eyes but Baekhyun stopped them. They may as well deal with this now. He knew Chen well enough to know he was more resilient than most people thought.
They played musical chairs as Lay gave up his spot for Baekhyun. Ever since their little play session with fairy lights, a bond was created between them different to that of Xiumin and Chen's. He pulled open Chen's draw and pulled out his charm, hanging it over Chen's neck where it belonged. "You need to stop losing this." Baekhyun brightened the light a little, "That's better." Xiumin smiled at the way Baekhyun drew his attention away from Kris and his brothers. "Do you remember what you said about where home is?"
Chen nodded, "Home is where all of you are." He answered quietly as he held tightly onto his charm and snuggled against Xiumin where he felt safe.
Kris smiled at Luhan, remembering him saying something similar when they first arrived on Earth.
"That's right. We're home as long as we are together. We're home now and we're all here so you know you're safe, right?" Baekhyun moved slowly because he wanted Chen prepared for what he was about to ask. Chen nodded. "Can you think back to when the scientists were holding you?"
Xiumin felt Chen start shaking again, "Baekhyun, what are you doing?" He hissed.
"Xiumin." Suho shook his head at him, asking him to trust Baekhyun.
"Remember, you're home with us." Baekhyun reminded him. He waited until Chen relaxed a little before continuing, "When you were in that room, was Kris, Luhan or Tao there with you?"
Chen shook his head, "There was only the scary old man and the people wearing white."
"That's right. They weren't there and they didn't know what was happening to you?" Baekhyun tried to convince him.
"But he…he…drugged me." Chen said of Kris. Kris closed his eyes. He wasn't sure he would ever forgive himself for doing that. It led to so much suffering.
"Kris did that because he thought he was protecting his brothers." Suho explained. "I know you know how that feels because you would do anything to protect us." Chen almost gave his life to protect them on their planet.
Chen was still scared but hearing about how protective Kris was made him a little less frightened. "Like all of you." He whispered, closing his eyes and feeling the security of his brothers surrounding him.
"That's right." Baekhyun smiled, "But they don't have a home now. They found out their father was really a monster. The man never let anyone know about them. He used them and now that he's dead, they have nothing."
Chen sat up at that, looking over at the three men, "No! That's not true. You have each other."
Luhan smiled. For someone who wasn't given the social skills to interact with others, he sure was a natural at it.
Chen ducked back down when he realised everyone was smiling at him, "What? It's true." He argued quietly.
Baekhyun nodded, "It is but they don't have anywhere to stay now. Can you think of a place they can stay?"
Chen frowned at him. Why was Baekhyun making him make the decision? He couldn't tell them they couldn't stay. It was cold outside and he was starting to like them before all this happened. "They can stay here." The words were so soft, nobody could hear him.
"What did you say?" Baekhyun asked gently. He watched proudly as Chen lifted his head and bravely looked at the three at the door.
"They can stay if they want." Chen said clearly.
Kris smiled in awe, "You really are forgiving." He said softly. "Thank you."
Chen ducked his head back down, done with being brave for the night. Baekyun created eight little fairy lights and floated them around the room, "That's your reward for being so generous and brave."
"Wow!" Tao looked up at the lights, "It's so pretty." The group chuckled at the tall boy acting like a ten-year-old.
Chen laid back in his pillow, watching the lights dance above him. He blinked as his eyelids grew heavier. Xiumin laid a hand on Chen's brow, glad the fever seemed to have gone down. He drew back the cold air and pulled the cover over his brother.
"He's very different here than he is at the studio." Kris smiled at the little kid in Chen.
"He's been through a lot." Lay told them, "His childhood was taken from him. We had a rare opportunity to give him back his childhood, even if it was just a few hours. I think because of that, he's more of a kid around us."
"And hence more resilient. That's why he's able to bounce back so quickly. Kids are like that." Luhan chuckled at Chen trying to stay awake.
"Go to sleep, Chen." Xiumin gently coaxed. "I'll wake you in the morning."
Chen snuggled under his doona until they could only see his eyes, "Good night." He mumbled.
Chen went downstairs to get his breakfast after he washed up. His fever was gone and he was feeling much better until he saw who was downstairs. He froze at the bottom of the steps when he saw Kris at the kitchen pouring a glass of milk. He started shaking. The memories of yesterday came rushing back. Kris looked up when he heard the uneven breathing. "Chen?" He followed Chen's line of sight and knew exactly what he was remembering. "I'm sorry." He grabbed the milk and poured it down the sink. The effects were almost immediate. Chen broke out of the spell and took a deep breath. "Are you okay?" Chen nodded his head, shakily. "Are you sure? I think I should get Xiumin."
Chen shook his head at vigorously, "He…He w..will…w...w...worry."
Kris smiled at the brave face Chen tried to put on. "Did you want anything? I can cook something if you want? Ramen?"
Chen frowned at him, "No…not…c…cooking."
Kris chuckled, "Alright but that's all I can make."
Chris relaxed a little at Kris's smile. He was less scary when he smiled. Chen gave him a shy smile, "O…Ok…okay."
"Sit down." Kris told him as he grabbed a pack of Ramen and boiled the water.
Chen sat on the stool at the bar, sitting nervously. He's never been in a room with someone else without one of his brothers around. He studied the man in front of him who was preparing side dishes. He was really tall and very handsome even for an EXOlian. "Should smile more." Chen said to himself. His eyes widened in horror when he realised Kris had heard him.
Kris grinned as he placed the small plates in front of Chen, then he leaned forward and whispered, "I only smile at people I like." Then he pushed back and went to check on the pot. He smiled at hearing Chen chuckle behind him. He could see why the team were so protective of him. He was sweet and kind. Anyone who had gone through what he had, would've run from the people responsible but Chen forgave so easily and now he sat in a room by himself with the man who kidnapped him. Kris shook his head. He was too trusting. Kris would need to watch over him.
Chen frowned, curious. He vaguely remembered something after he passed out from the drugged milk. He wondered if he should ask or if it would make him sound like an idiot. He was curious enough to risk it. "C…Can you…you fly?" He asked softly.
Kris grinned as he got a pair of chopsticks out from the draw to stir the noodles. "That's my power."
Chen eyes widened in awe, "Wow." He whispered.
Kris leaned forward again, over the counter and whispered back to him, "Do want me to take you?" He didn't think Chen's eyes could get any wider.
"Really?"
Kris nodded. Lay said they got a rare chance to give Chen back his childhood. This was another rare chance. It may not be the same but it was still precious. "After breakfast." Kris laughed at how excited Chen was as he nodded his head. He worried the boy's head was going to fall off.
Kris and Chen stood on the roof of the building looking up at the sky. It was almost dawn. The sun was about to rise. It was cold but it was a nice day. Kris felt around his pocket, "Crap, I forgot to bring my phone. I wanted to let the others know where we're going."
Chen jumped up and down excitedly and held up a finger, "J…just one…minute."
Kris shook his head at how desperate Chen looked, "Okay. One minute." He stepped up to Chen and wrapped his arm around his waist. "Ready?" Chen eyes were sparkling with excitement as he nodded. Kris took off in one jump.
"WOOOOOOOOOO!" Chen cheered.
It wasn't only one minute for the others. Xiumin came downstairs to find only Baekhyun and Chanyeol getting their coffee. "Have you seen Chen?"
Baekhyun shook his head, "He's not in the shower?"
"No, he was out before me."
The others started trickling down the stairs and checked all the rooms. When they couldn't find him, they started panicking, "Wait…" Xiumin noticed someone else missing. He turned to Luhan, glaring at him, "Where's Kris?"
Luhan turned to Tao who shook his head, "He woke up early. I haven't seen him." He knew what Xiumin was thinking, "He's not going to hurt Chen."
Xiumin clenched his fist, "And I'm supposed to just trust your word!"
Luhan kept calm, knowing they had every right to accuse them but he knew his brother better than anyone, "No one feels worse than Kris about what happened to Chen. He would do everything in his power to make sure Chen feels safe around him. If he's with Kris right now, he's safer than us."
Suho grabbed Xiumin's arm before he said something he would regret, "Have you checked the roof?" Xiumin shook his head but didn't take his eyes off Luhan, "Lets go!" He pulled Xiumin up the stairs.
They reached the rooftop but found no one. It was clear now that Kris and Chen weren't in the apartment. "Where is he?" Xiumin pulled at his hair.
Baekhyun looked around, confused when he heard something. He tapped Kai's arm, "Do you hear that?" Kai concentrated and then nodded, it was weird. "Guys, shhh…" He called for everyone to be quiet. It was clear now. It was laughter.
It was Luhan and Tao who worked it out. He rolled their eyes at each other and looked up at the two floating about ten metres above them. "Get him down here!" Luhan ordered.
Kris grinned and lowered them to the roof. "That was the best!" Chen cheered.
The team couldn't help but smiled at how exhilarated Chen looked. It was opposite to yesterday. That is, everyone except Xiumin. He stormed up to Kris and grabbed him by the shirt. Kris was shocked by the man's strength, "What the hell were you thinking?! Chen only just recovered from yesterday!"
Chen was shocked by his best friend's reaction. This wasn't the Xiumin he knew. He pulled at Xiumin's arm, "It was my idea!"
Xiumin didn't hear him, "Do you have any idea how worried we were? Chen's not like the rest of us. You can't just take off with him. He's just a kid!"
Chen frowned at him, "I'm not a kid!"
"Oh really!?" Xiumin temporarily turned his anger from Kris, "You've already forgotten what happened to you yesterday! This guy kidnapped you and then you go on a joyride with him and you say you're not a kid!" Chen took a step back at Xiumin's anger. Everyone was silent. They've never heard Xiumin raise his voice at Chen.
"Xiumin!" Baekhyun called to him, "Don't get angry at Chen! He was just having some fun!"
Xiumin was turning his fear into anger and he couldn't stop himself, "Well maybe its time for him to grow up!"
Kris growled at him, "Then maybe you should stop treating him like a kid."
Xiumin spun on him and grabbed his shirt again. "Xiumin!"
Chen turned away from the struggle with tears in his eyes. Is that what Xiumin thought of him? He was just a kid who needed looking after. He couldn't take care of himself or protect his family. He was a burden. The others were so busy trying to get Xiumin off Kris that they didn't notice Chen leaving the rooftop, looking depressed. Luhan, who knew Kris could take care of himself, watched him. He turned to Tao and whispered in his ear before following Chen.
Luhan followed Chen out of the apartment and down the street. It was a quiet area they had chosen to live, with a hill behind them, where they could walk up to watch the sunset or sunrise. Luhan texted Tao that he left his GPS on, so they knew where he and Chen were. He didn't need Xiumin going off the deep end again. Luhan was puffed by the time he reached the top but Chen seemed fine. He must make that walk a lot. The sun had just peeked above the mountains in the distance. Chen took a deep breath and immediately felt better. Luhan stood quietly behind the boy, watching over him.
Tao sighed in frustration. He knew how it felt to be treated like a kid. His brothers did it to him a lot, so he knew how Chen must be feeling. Tao clicked his fingers and the world paused around him. He went over to Kris and dragged him away from Xiumin and the others before clicking his fingers again.
Xiumin blinked at his empty hands. "What the hell?" Everyone was shocked. Where was Kris?
"He's over here." Tao called out from the edge of the roof.
Kris rolled his eyes, "I could've handled it." He told his little brother.
"Yeah, but how long would it have taken. You all should look around and figure out who else is missing." Tao advised them.
They did, mentally doing a count. "Chen!" Suho turned to Tao, "Where did he go?"
"He left after Xiumin hyung told him to grow up." Tao said, matter-of-factly, "Pretty sure you hurt his feelings."
Xiumin groaned, finally calming down and seeing Chen's face in his mind as he yelled at him, "Ah crap!" He rubbed his face, "God, did I really say that?" He sighed, "I better go find him."
"He's here." Tao showed him his phone. "Luhan followed him."
Xiumin followed the red dot on Tao's phone, "He's going up the hill." He knew because he liked to watch the sunrise and sunset. It always made him feel at peace.
Suho slapped him on the shoulder, "Go bring him home."
Baekhyun followed, "I'm coming with you in case he doesn't want to see you."
Xiumin groaned again, "Was I that bad?"
Baekhyun shrugged, "We've seen worse, but I don't think Chen has. Not from you." He threw his arm over Xiumin's shoulder as they went to find their little brother.
Luhan looked around as he waited for Chen. It was clear teenagers have spent the night here. Beer bottles and food wrappings were left everywhere. He hated seeing litter everywhere.
Chen frowned when rubbish started levitating around him. He turned around to find Luhan directing all the rubbish to the bins in the vicinity. He looked sheepish when he realised Chen watching him, "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you but I hate seeing litter in a place so pretty."
Chen gave a small smile, "That's o…okay. It…It's much…bb…better now."
Luhan smiled sadly at the stutter. He knew it meant Chen wasn't comfortable with him. It was getting better before yesterday. Now, it was like when they first met. "Are you okay?"
Chen sighed and turned back to the view, leaning his forearms on the rail, "I…I'm nnnot a kid."
Luhan stood next to him the same way, looking at the sunrise. "No, you're not. You're actually really good at taking care of the others. I've seen the way you watch over Kai and Sehun. When they go out, you go out with them. You're always quick to help when you see someone struggling and it's not only with the members." Chen raised his eyebrows at Luhan, surprised he noticed so much. Luhan chuckled, "I'm not like Kris. Kris is obviously protective of us. I like to observe."
"Xiumin…th…think so." Chen pushed back and rested his head against his arms.
"I don't think he meant it that way. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know you're different to a lot of the trainees at SM and I'm not just talking about your amazing voice." Luhan mentally congratulated himself for getting a smile out of the young man. "I've heard enough to know you've been through too much. Your friends are protective of you because you don't have the experience they have. It's not because they think you're a kid."
"I…I don't…want to hold…th…them back." Chen stood back up, "This…This world is…is new. Th…they sh…should be…having…fffun."
Luhan took a side step closer to the shy boy, "I don't think you're holding them back. They were soldiers back home. Protecting is what they do best."
"Xiumin hyung is always…worried about me." Luhan could help smiling at the almost stutterless sentence. "He doesn't make friends…b…because of me."
Luhan sighed. It was true. As soon as Chen arrived at SM, Xiumin had stopped socialising, spending all his time hovering around Chen. He wasn't very good at being subtle. "Have to talked to Xiumin about this?"
Chen shook his head, "Don't want to…hurt his feelings."
Luhan sensed someone behind him. He turned slightly and found Xiumin and Baekhyun standing a few metres from them. "Why don't we have a little role-play?" Chen frowned at him, "Pretend I'm Xiumin and tell him what you just told me."
Xiumin frowned at what Luhan was doing. He was about to call out to Chen when Baekhyun stopped him. He put a finger to his lips. Don't worry.
Luhan hesitated before putting his arms around Chen, not sure how the boy would react. He felt Chen stiffen so quickly added, "This is something Xiumin would do, right?" Chen chuckled softly and nodded. "Good. Now close your eyes and pretend I'm him. Tell me how you feel."
Chen sighed, thinking about what he would say, "We're not at war any more. I don't want you to miss out on so much because you're worried about me. I feel bad when you say no to other trainees when they invite you to dinner. I know you want to go but you don't want to leave me."
Tears formed as Xiumin listened to his little brother speak. He sounded so much older. He worried now that he was the one holding Chen back. He wasn't a kid who needed protection. He will always need his family but he didn't need his brother watching his every move.
"I want you to feel free to do whatever you want and not be weighed down by me." Chen let out a breath of relief as he said what he'd been holding in for so long. He leaned his head on Luhan's shoulder, the way he would with Xiumin.
Luhan smiled proudly. Chen spoke so fluently. There was no stutter because there was no pressure. "I think Xiumin heard you." He turned the boy around.
Xiumin smiled at his little brother who was considerate and thoughtful beyond his years, "I'm proud of you." He said as he walked up and pulled Chen into his arms. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. You're not a kid. You're a really caring person. I've been so focused on protecting you that I didn't see how much you've grown." He pulled back, smiling at Chen's teary eyes, "Forgive me?" Chen nodded, hugging his big brother fiercely.
"Our Chennie Chennie's a big boy now." Baekhyun ruffled his hair. Chen frowned as he pushed back and neatened his hair again. Baekhyun laughed, "Yep, he even knows how to look after his appearance." Chen narrowed his eyes at him and then launched himself after Baekhyun.
Xiumin and Luhan laughed at how immature they were being, running around the park after finally admitting that Chen has grown. "So, is my brother still alive?"
Xiumin smirked at him, "Yeah, but only because Tao did something weird. What is his power?"
"He can stop time." Luhan grinned at Xiumin expression, "Yeah, it's a good one."
"I guess I should thank you and Kris for stopping Tao from using his powers at the mansion then." Xiumin knew they had no chance against someone like Tao.
Luhan's mood changed at the mention of the mansion, "You know, I never felt at home at that mansion. Kris and Tao happily called that man father and that's why I did but he never gave me a warm feeling no matter how kindly he treated us." He sighed, "Now I know why."
"You have good instincts." Xiumin watched Chen carefully. The boy was tiring. He still wasn't a hundred percent after yesterday. "I should thank you for last night as well. If you didn't bring over the medicine, Chen wouldn't be running around right now. What was it?"
"I don't know. Bunmin explained it as a vaccine but it reacted different with our physiology. Somehow, instead of strengthening our immune system, it killed the virus straight away and healed any damage it did. That's why it worked so quickly." Luhan shrugged, "As much as I hate the man for what he did to Chen and how he used us, he saved our lives more than once. We've all been hit with the cold virus or some other virus or bacteria that is harmless to human but deadly to us. If it wasn't for all the blood he drew from us, he wouldn't know what would kill us and what could save us."
"I guess I should be thankful for that as well." Xiumin never thought about the diseases that could be deadly to them.
"Don't worry. It turns out our immune system adapts quickly. We stopped reacting after our first year on Earth." Luhan explained.
"So, are you three real brothers?" Xiumin asked, wanting to know more about these boys.
Luhan shook his head, "We were neighbours on EXO. When Kris's father found out about the plan to reduce the population, our families put together all our resources and managed to get a small ship. We were sent here together."
"Thanks for following Chen here." It looks like he had a lot to thank Luhan for, considering how angry he was at the three brothers.
Luhan smirked, "I can see why you're so protective of him. It was the same with Tao when we arrived. Kris wouldn't let him out of his sight. But Tao is very young and unlike Chen, he wasn't a soldier. You know Chen can defend himself if he needs to." He burst out laughing when Chen shot a lightning bolt at Baekhyun's behind. "See!?"
"Chen!" Xiumin shook his head as he walked towards them.
"Did you see that?" Baekhyun rubbed his sore bottom. Chen coughed as he laughed. "I want my marble back!"
Chen's eyes widened and put his hand to his chest, protectively, "Stop calling it yours. It's mine! You gave it to me."
"It follows me." Baekhyun smiled cheekily and put his hand out. Luhan laughed as the charm came out from under Chen's shirt.
"Hey!" Chen grabbed it with both his hands, "Stop it!"
Baekhyun lowered his hand, smiling at the boy who was pouting and holding his most prized possession. "Just remember I can snuff that light out any time I want." Chen's eyes almost teared up at that thought. "But I would never do that!" Baekhyun quickly backtracked. He brightened the light so much that it shone through Chen's fingers, "I won't let it go out." He promised.
Luhan chuckled. Xiumin wasn't the only one to treat Chen like a kid. "I think we better go back. People are starting to come up here. We don't need them talking about floating lights and lightning bolts."
"Dim the charm, Baekhyun." Xiumin ordered.
Chen peeked in his hand to make sure Baekhyun didn't dim it too much before he tucked in safely in his shirt again. "It's mine." He huffed at Baekhyun.
"Okay…okay…it's yours." Baekhyun shook his head at the boy mumbling past him.
Chen pouted as he walk back down the mountain, "It's a part of you." He said softly but it was loud enough for the other three to hear.
Baekhyun smiled affectionately at his friend and then sighed, "He says and does the sweetest things and he doesn't even know it." He said before catching up to him, throwing his arm over his shoulders.
"Do you think Baekhyun could make one of those for Tao?" Luhan asked, "He's afraid of the dark."
Xiumin laughed, "For someone so tall and tough looking, he sure is scared of a lot of things."
"Tell me about it." Luhan shook his head. "Cockroaches and ghosts!"
Suho shot off the couch upon hearing the door open. He sighed in relief when Chen walked in. Chen looked at him apologetically, seeing how much he worried his leader. When he looked around the room, he saw everyone with the same expression, "I'm sorry."
Suho gave his shoulder a squeeze, "Are you feeling better?"
Chen scratched his head, tiredly, "I'm sleepy."
Suho pressed his fingers against his brow, not liking the warmth there, "I think the excitement of the morning brought the fever back. Why don't you go back to bed? We called the company and told them we were having a bonding session today. They've agreed to give us the day because they've noticed we haven't been training well together." Chen nodded but before he did, he looked around the room for someone and spotted him leaning against the window sill, looking cool and indifferent. Chen walked up to him and wrapped his arms around his waist. They smiled at Kris's dumbfounded expression. "Thank you for taking me flying." Chen whispered to him, "I'm sorry I got you in trouble," then let him go and headed upstairs without waiting for an answer. Kris smiled, shaking his head, not understanding how Chen managed to worm himself into his heart so easily.
They sat around the dining table. It was amazing how the twelve of them came together. When the nine of them came to Earth they weren't expecting to meet others from their world and for all of them to come together in the one place on this world was even more unbelievable. Sometimes fate worked in strange ways. "If we're going to be a team, we need to make sure everyone trusts each other."
Kris nodded, "I understand if you don't trust me. I almost got Chen killed."
"Out of your need to protect your brothers. We know that now and you more than made up for it when you saved Chen's life last night." Suho told him. He looked at his own team, "We need to put last night behind us. Can we do that?" He looked at Xiumin.
Xiumin shrugged, "Chen already trusts them and I've seen how much they care about him as well so I have no objections to them staying with us."
Kris smiled, "He's quite amazing, isn't he? Instead of being scared of me after what I did, he wanted to know if I could fly." He chuckled, "He was barely conscious when I flew him to the mansion."
"That's how Chen deals with traumatising situations; focus on the good even if it's only a speck amongst the bad things. His life was dark but he remembered a man being kind to him. He holds onto his memory of us playing with fairy lights and fireballs. He remembers the man who played a part in his father and mother's murders as the person who gave him back his memories of his parents." Xiumin smiled at Kris, "You will always be the person who took him flying, not the person who kidnapped him." He sighed, "I don't know why I've been so protective of him when he's the most resilient person I've ever met."
"So, are we all in agreement? We Are One…all twelve of us."
Chanyeol nodded, "We're all that's left of our world. We should stick together."
Luhan agreed, "I don't know what We Are One means but I like the sound of it."
An idea came to Sehun, "We should pitch who we are to the managers. EXO can be our concept. Twelve beings from an EXO planet came to Earth. Each with their own special abilities."
Kai's eyes widened at that, "That's a great idea! That way, we can kind of be ourselves."
"Do you think they'll buy the idea?" Tao asked, really liking it.
"Why not? It's different and people love an origin story here on Earth." Kris told them. These three were more adapt to Earth customs. "You should read their comic books. They love superheroes."
Suho nodded, "Why don't the two of us pitch it to the boss tomorrow?" Kris nodded. "Good, it's a plan and we can finally put everything behind us and focus on our training so we can debut."
Two months later…
Chen watched as the group and management team was at a stalemate. Everything was going well. The company loved their concept and they started training as a group of twelve but today, the company threw in a curve ball, sending everyone into a tornado. The company decided to split the group into two groups; EXO-K and EXO-M. One group would be promoting in China, while the other stayed in Korea. They hated the idea. They were only just getting used to Korea and now some of them needed to go to China.
"There is no choice on this matter. We've already divided the group but we will take a step back. If you don't agree with the grouping, you can decide amongst yourselves who will being staying and who will be going." The management team stood and left the room.
"Are they serious?!" Chanyeol yelled, "How can they just drop this on us like that? We're the ones who came up with the concept and now they think they can just split us up." Chen could almost see Chanyeol's powers burning up the room.
"I'm not leaving anyone or letting anyone leave." Sehun folded his arms and sat at the table, stubbornly.
"They can't expect us to split up for so long!" Kai complained.
"I'm fine with going to China." Kris told them, "We've spent over five years in China when Bunmin established a research centre there. We're familiar with the language and culture." He was hoping to make it easier for the others.
"I can go." Lay offered. There was no point in arguing when they knew the company wouldn't give. "I know the language as well."
Chen watched the others struggle with the dilemma. He hesitantly raised his hand, "I can go."
"No!" The team jumped up, including Kris and his brothers.
Chen felt warm at how protective they were being but he had a good reason for going. Actually, he had more than one, "It's better for me over there. I don't need to talk much." Baekhyun had to laugh at that. Trust Chen to find good use of his lack of talking. "Plus, Kris and Luhan will look after me." Ever since that night, Kris always hung around him and Luhan always made him feel like he could do whatever he wanted. Chen smiled at Lay, "Lay will be there. Can't really get hurt with him around." Lay held up his thumb at him, proudly.
Suho sighed. He looked around at his team, waiting for someone to protest but they didn't. "If Chen's going then I'm going." Xiumin promised Chen to always stay by his side. Suho knew he would be the next person to volunteer.
Chen grinned at his big brother, hugging him but his grin faded when he looked around, seeing everyone looking like they wanted to cry. "We'll still be together." He promised them, tears coming to his own eyes. "Please don't be unhappy. Kris can fly us back and forth!" Kris, who was sipping his water, choked, making everyone laugh through their tears.
"I'm not an airline!" Kris complained, making them laugh harder.
"Kai can teleport then." Chen tried again.
Kai's stomach felt like it was going to burst, "I can't teleport across oceans."
Chen sighed, "We'll skype every night then."
Suho smiled at how mature Chen was being. "We will and we will be together again. This is just their promotional strategy. We're still one and we're still promoting together, just in different countries."
"I'll take good care of them for you." Kris promised Suho.
Suho nodded, "I know you will."
Night before debut…
The team sat on the rooftop, looking up at the stars. After tomorrow night, the group will split into two. It'll be a while before they see each other again. They were having a barbeque on the rooftop and laughing but it as getting late now. It was time to head to bed. "Baekhyun, can you make the fairy lights one more time?" Chen asked him.
Baekhyun smiled and sent up hundreds of little white lights. "I will always remember the moment I learned about family." Chen sighed up at the beautiful light. "It was dark and I was scared but your powers pushed it all away." Just like that night, fireballs, droplets and snowflakes drifted around them. "It'll be a while before we can see this again."
"Are you scared of what will happen after tomorrow?" Xiumin asked him.
Chen nodded, "But I'm also excited and I have Baekhyun's light with me." He turned to Baekhyun, worried, "Will it go out because you're so far away?"
Baekhyun smiled, "It will never go out."
Chen closed his eyes and relaxed, "Then everything is going to be fine. I have this and Xiumin hyung. And all of you have Suho hyung. We'll all be fine. Everybody is going to know who EXO is. We will have completed our mission to make sure our planet is never forgotten."
Suho smiled. "That's right. Thanks to Sehun's idea, EXO will survive and we can be content with the fact that we made the right choice in coming here."
"Yep, because if we didn't, we wouldn't have met Kris, Luhan and Tao." Lay grinned at the three.
"We're going to take the world by storm tomorrow." Kris called out, "Tomorrow, we're going take our first steps together on that stage."
"And we'll take every step together." Suho finished, "Because We are…"
"ONE!"
The End!