Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Hongjoong had been a hero for four years now, after the grueling journey of training to master his powers. 

However, nothing in those four years, nor the grueling journey before them, prepared him for fighting off a life-given port-o-potty. 

Pieces of it had melted off where Hongjoong whipped lightning strikes at it- electricity crackling through the air and boiling the cheap plastic- but the thing just wouldn’t die . 

He could hear the woman responsible cackling somewhere in the distance where a street lamp was walking around, holding her up like a trophy. 

“There’s not gonna be anything inanimate left in the city at this rate!” Yunho snapped, side stepping a mailbox and slapping his hand against it, sending it floating off into the sky. 

“Can someone please stop her from laughing- it’s grating my fucking ears,” Wooyoung ordered, hitting the ground hard from a different street lamp swinging at him like a bat. 

From the ground, he punched the air- bright green rings of energy bursting from his fist like a cannon shot, and completely disintegrating the metal that warped into nothing but particles. 

“Knock her unconscious!” San turned his back on the door ( a fucking door ?) that was chasing him, launching a stream of white flames at the woman across the street. 

The door he had ignored slammed into him, sending him to the ground as the woman simply laughed harder, doubling over as slabs of sidewalk leapt into the air, blocking the flames. 

“Yeosang, what the hell are you doing?” San demanded, blasting the glass door at such a high temperature, it shattered. “Do your job!” He snapped, scrambling to his feet as the shards of glass began to scurry after him, like sand blowing over itself. 

“Waiting for a little help!” Came the annoyed response, Hongjoong jumping back from the port-o-potty to see Yeosang standing at the end of the street- a transparent hemisphere of rippling white shield energy blocking him from bricks that were leaping at the barrier. 

He held his hands out on either side of him, like trying to stop a stampede- little versions of similarly colored shields appearing on the ground in scattered bursts. 

“What the hell is Mingi doing?” Hongjoong snapped. 

“Running around as a fucking chipmunk because a sewer grate spooked him- and now he’s dodging rocks, and can’t focus enough to change!” Yeosang yelled, and Hongjoong noticed the little brown rodent being encased in his shields as it scampered around. “Wooyoung- you wanna do your fucking job ?” 

Wooyoung yelped as an electric wire suddenly dropped from the telephone pole, snaking after him. “Hongjoong- take care of it!” He yelled, racing off towards the end of the street with Yeosang. 

Hongjoong rolled his eyes, but caught the wire that slapped at him, wrapping it around his wrist tightly- 

Hongjoong created his own electricity. 

And while he could still control outside electricity, it was something like putting the wrong blood type in a body. 

He could feel that this stuff was wrong, was different, and he didn’t like touching it for longer than necessary. But he still felt the surge of power through his veins as the wire’s sparks surged into him, startling him for a moment, but no sooner than it entered was Hongjoong shooting it right back out. 

Fire burst along the overloaded wire- frying it, and burning the wooden pole as well- 

He distantly saw city lights flicker out in the distance, but that was a problem for later. 

“Mingi, if you don’t turn into something useful, I swear-” Yunho yelled, a brick narrowly missing his temple as he ducked. 

Wooyoung stood outside of Yeosang’s shield, obliterating debris with molten energy balls that simply turned them into something smaller that attacked- little chunk of hail that assaulting Wooyoung like annoying kids throwing rocks. 

From a distance, Yeosang threw a shield around San to stop him from getting brained by a fire hydrant. 

Hongjoong turned, the port-o-potty limping back towards him, a curse leaving him as he readjusted his black leather mask over his nose. 

“Where the fuck is-” 

A manhole cover shattered through the window of a nearby shop, Jongho jumping out after it, picking it up with his hands and tearing it in half in annoyance. He threw the pieces to the ground so hard, they embedded in the sidewalk, unable to move. 

“Enough of this,” he muttered, not even feeling the bits of brick and sidewalk that assaulted him as he approached the little shields Yeosang had been protecting Mingi with. 

With a deftness Hongjoong didn’t usually attribute to Jongho, he snatched at the ground, and even from such a distance, Hongjoong could make out the panicked looking chipmunk in his fist that began squeaking furiously. 

“Distract her,” Jongho ordered sharply, drawing his hand back. 

The chipmunk gave a valiant squeak of protest before Jongho launched Mingi through the air. Hongjoong idly zapped the port-o-potty, but his eyes followed the chipmunk through the air. 

The cackling woman didn’t even notice the flying rodent until it hit her face, Mingi immediately clawing himself up her temple and into her hair. 

Her laughter very quickly turned to shrieks- her hands scrambling in her hair for the rodent wreaking havoc. 

The port-o-potty suddenly fell, collapsing into a broken mush of melted, charred plastic. 

The rain of debris fell to the ground, and the fire hydrant chasing San fell still as her concentration broke. 

“Yeosang,” Hongjoong called calmly, shaking out his wrist that tingled with leftover sparks. 

The other dropped the shield around himself, throwing a hand out, and they all watched a little disc of white energy fly through the air as the screaming woman finally lost her balance atop the street lamp. 

She tumbled with another shriek, still clawing at her hair wildly as her feet slipped. 

She only fell for a moment before the disc of energy hit her, expanding into sphere around her as she hit the ground hard, but protected. 

She continued to shriek, even as Yeosang opened a small hole- the chipmunk squeaking indignantly as it exited quickly, leaving her alone. 

The woman stood, tiny scratches covering her face and her hair an absolutely mess- her shoulders heaving with how she breathed through her rage. 

“You think you’ve won?” she hissed, eyes beginning to glow. “ Rise, Minions of- ”

A small shield appeared over her mouth, the glow in her irses fading as there was a muffled cry, her hands leaping to her mouth and trying to pull the thing off. 

Her screams of rage were ignored as Hongjoong blew out a breath. “San, call Eden to send in the transport.” 

“Already done,” he assured him, his leather coat slightly singed from his own abilities. He tugged his mask up higher, ruffling his ashy hair. “They’ll be here in a minute.” 

“Do not fucking throw me again,” Mingi muttered darkly, straightening his long coat. 

Jongho shrugged, unbothered. “Don’t be useless next time.” 

“You spent half the fight throwing around a single manhole cover!” Ming reminded him, annoyed and dusting off his dark pants. 

“And you were a chipmunk,” Wooyoung sighed, rubbing his face. “You were both useless.” 

“No one was useless,” Hongjoong said sternly. Even without being able to see the others’ mouths, he knew Wooyoung was sticking his tongue out. “It was a bit disorganized, but it all worked out.” 

“Ow,” Yeosang deadpanned, arms still suspended in front of him, expression unamused as the woman beat against the shield, her mouth still covered. “No, really, you’re doing such a job of hurting me. Keep doing it- I’m sure I’ll give out.” 

Her glare was murderous, and Yeosang simply gazed at her impassively. “Unless transport is getting here in the next minute, I need hands,” he reported to them flatly. 

Wooyoung rolled his eyes, but stepped up, placing his hands beneath Yeosang’s extended elbows, supporting his tired arms. 

“The fight barely lasted an hour- you’re already tired?” San posed, dusting bits of rubble from his leather coat. 

“He’s still not over yesterday,” Wooyoung said, in place of Yeosang who continued to glare at the screaming woman. “He basically had them up the whole time. We were out there for- what- six hours?” 

Yeosang rolled his stiff shoulders, and Hongjoong knew he’d probably need to visit Medical for an ice pack or something. 

Hongjoong gazed around, and figured that they… had at least managed to keep damages to one area (minus the power outage he seemed to have caused down the street). The sidewalk was torn up, the lamps were all fucked up, the windows were mostly all broken- 

But no casualties, no Normals injured, and nothing done to his team aside from some grumpy attitudes from the early hour. 

Overall, a success. 

There was the distant wail of sirens, and all of them straightened as the black transport van appeared, racing down the streets like a fire engine after a burning building. It slammed to a stop just before them, a man jumping out from the back of the van. 

“Alright, kids, let’s step back- I’ve got a job to do.” 

Hongjoong (and the rest of them) bit back a groan. 

He fucking hated when Grey (or whatever his real name was) was on duty. 

Bad enough the public saw them as nothing but kids- Grey loved to walk into the nice, safe clean up scene and act as if they were only in his way. 

He stepped up to the sphere, leveling the woman with a disapproving frown. “Now, see what happens when you pick the wrong side, sweetheart?” he asked politely, as if scolding a child (despite looking like he was only a few years older than her). “Are you regretting your life choices, yet? I guess this is a little bit of a bigger deal than dropping out of medical school, huh?” 

She slammed into the sphere, clawing at it fiercely, still screaming- 

He stepped back, turning to Yeosang with an expectant cocked eyebrow. “Well, kid? You gonna let her go so I can do my job?” 

Yeosang simply stared at him, and Hongjoong felt his lips twitch, hidden behind his mask. 

Grey lifted the eyebrow higher. “You turn deaf, kid? You’re gonna do this every time?” he challenged, mocking parental voice turning annoyed. 

Yeosang stared. 

“Kid, I swear to God- let the bitch out of there so I can-” 

“Are you our leader?” Yeosang asked quietly, voice flat as he tilted his head. “I don’t answer to you.” 

Grey’s face darkened. “You’re really going to play this game every-” 

Yeosang looked away from him, eyes sliding back to stare at Hongjoong questioningly. Grey whipped around, glaring at Hongjoong- silently threatening him to control his team. 

Hongjoong bit back the better part of his smile. “Yeosang, let her go,” he requested politely. 

Yeosang merely nodded, as if he was all too happy to. Grey growled in annoyance as Yeosang dropped his arms. 

The sphere fell away, but the disc over her mouth remained as she fell forward, the walls suddenly gone- 

Grey caught her by the wrist, squeezing. 

Hongjoong had gotten used to seeing the people seize under his touch- going as stiff as a board and then collapsing, unconscious. 

Transport were always individuals with muting powers- be it the ability to turn off powers, or (like Grey) the ability to force people unconscious. 

He caught her, swinging her over his shoulder just a little too roughly. 

“Careful,” San warned, eyes narrowing. 

Grey chuckled as he strode back towards the truck. “You kids really want to get mad at me for handling a villain a little roughly?”

“Their treatment isn’t your call,” Jongho said darkly, fists formed at his side. “Your job is only to take them to the holding facility-” 

“I don’t need you to explain my job to me, kid,” he said sternly, tossing her into the back of the truck with another loud noise that made them all glare. 

He grabbed some tape from the toolbox back there, slapping his own shield over her mouth and handcuffing her. “Well, I’ll see you kids later, unfortunately,” He sighed, slamming one of the doors closed. “Try not to be too much a hooligan before then, okay?” 

He smiled at them, something so utterly irritated in it that Hongjoong didn’t bother trying to hide his glare. 

(If Grey happened to get a rather nasty static electric shock when he touched the van next, well, that was probably just the dry weather they’d been having.) 

“I fucking hate that dick,” Mingi muttered, shaking out his head like a dog shaking off unwanted water. 

“I hope he chokes,” Wooyoung said bitterly. 

“We all do,” Hongjoong assured them, trying to move on before things escalated. “I’ll bring it up with Eden again-” 

“Eden can’t do shit about him,” Yunho reminded them needlessly. “He’s not in charge of who works here- he just assigns us what the higher ups tell him to.” 

“He can reprimand Grey,” Hongjoong assured them firmly. “And it just means that when Grey does get in danger of being fired, he’ll have a whole list of things ready.” 

“Incoming,” Mingi said, head tilting to the side, listening. 

“About time,” Yeosang said quietly, rubbing at his shoulders that always ached after he held them up for too long. Wooyoung placed a hand on his other one, squeezing and massaging it gently as they walked away. 

Barely a minute had passed before the sound of a chopper grew louder. They all gathered in the middle of the street (Hongjoong beginning to feel how little sleep he got last night), and when the chopper appeared overhead, no ladder dropped down for them. 

Yunho simply tapped them all lightly on the shoulder, and Hongjoong felt the familiar “dropping on a rollercoaster” sensation in his stomach as his feet left the ground. 

(The first time they had tried this, Yunho’s gravity manipulation had sent half of them the correct distance up, but the other half had begun floating away. Yunho had chased them all down, but several of them hadn’t spoken to him for a few days. He had it under control now, though.) 

They rose up like helium balloons, and just as they began to reach the helicopter, Hongjoong felt a sinking sensation in his gut as he stepped in- his gravity returned to normal by the time his other foot hit. 

He collapsed into the first seat he saw, leaning his head back as the other were also lifted to the chopper. Eight boys grabbed onto their safety handles, and the chopper began its flight back to the base. 

Hongjoong knew he couldn’t fall asleep- he still needed to talk to Eden and give the mission report- but that didn’t stop him from closing his eyes against the slight nausea in his veins. 

“Wooyoung, I’m stealing your good body wash.”

“Why?” he complained before Hongjoong had even finished, glaring at him. “You always want to steal it- buy your own!”

“ Because you made me grab that wire, and now I feel all gross and out of balance,” Hongjoong retorted without opening his eyes. “I feel dirty.” 

“Well, sorry your chakras got fucked up or whatev- Ow !” 

“The weather’s been really dry,” Hongjoong said flatly. “I’m still using your body wash.” 

“Asshole.” 

The ride back was silent, save for the quiet conversation that they held about what they planned to do once they got back. Hongjoong rested his eyes for as long as he could, but all too quickly he felt the helicopter begin to descend on the base. 

He got out with the others, groaning after spending so long resting and getting comfortable. He hopped down, straightening his jacket and adjusting his mask. 

“Hongjoong- you want to meet in the cafeteria after you talk to Eden?” San offered.

“I’m going to sleep after I finish,” Hongjoong informed them firmly. “And I’m going to stay there until tomorrow morning.” 

“Boring,” Yunho said, bumping his shoulder into Hongjoong’s. 

They entered the base, everyone pulling their masks down in sync and breathing out in relief. 

These outfits were good in terms of protection from basic attacks, and hiding their identities- but they were hell to breathe in. 

The large metal facility they walked through was bustling with life, as it always was. Their team split off in groups- a few of them leaving towards the cafeteria, a few heading to their rooms, and Jongho heading alone to the rec room. 

Hongjoong walked on his own to Eden’s office- bottom floor, third door, knock twice. 

Hongjoong had only gotten through one knock before there was the quiet call to enter. He sighed quietly, pushing the door open, and as he entered, he found Eden already watching the door. 

“I know I ask this every time,” Hongjoong said, closing the door behind him. “But why do you bother having people knock if you already know they’re here?” 

Eden smiled quietly, lips quirking up as he pressed a button on his computer, booting it up. “Now, how would I keep respect around here if I didn’t have an air of mystery?” 

Beside Eden’s desk was one of those couches you might see in a psychiatrist's office- a red leather finish, worn by use. Hongjoong walked straight to it, sitting down heavily. Eden didn’t glance at him as he opened up a program on his desktop. 

“Someone hasn’t been sleeping,” Eden noted curiously, typing quickly. 

Hongjoong hummed, laying down on the couch, his head resting on the armrest. “Training. Reports. Homework,” he listed, settling in. 

Eden hummed. “Well, let’s hope it didn’t affect anyone’s performance,” he said lightly, swiveling his chair to Hongjoong and sliding over until he sat near Hongjoong’s head. 

Hongjoong had almost had a panic attack the first time they had done this, but now the process was almost calming with its familiarity. He closed his eyes without Eden needing to tell him, and relaxed into the couch beneath him, letting it take the weight off his muscles. 

“Relaxed?” Eden asked, fingertips brushing Hongjoong forehead. 

He nodded slowly, already feeling a bit tired. 

“Let’s begin,” he said calmly, finally touching the center of Hongjoong’s forehead. 

The blackness that Hongjoong saw behind his eyelids suddenly exploded into white, and suddenly he was standing in his room, listening to the call over the speakers- “Team ATZ, please report. Team ATZ- report.” 

At least Hongjoong got to rest a bit as the ensuing fight played back in his mind, Eden observing it all like a TV show being played. 

The port-o-potty was no more dignifying the second time around. 

~~~~~~~~

One would think that being charged with protecting people from nefarious individuals would warrant a free pass on homework. 

And yet, here Hongjoong was, sitting in the cafeteria- ignoring his food in front of him- as he tried to figure out how the fuck the answer was supposed to be 34 when he got .296. 

Someone dropped into the seat across the table, making his pencil scratch across the paper, but Hongjoong paid him no mind. 

“I’m stealing your apple slices,” San said without preamble, snagging Hongjoong’s untouched food. 

“I’m going to throw this workbook,” the other sighed, dropping his pencil and rubbing at his eyes. “The fucking exam is tomorrow, and I don’t even know what the hell I’m gonna do- I can’t figure this shit out!” 

San munched on apple slices as he flipped Hongjoong’s notebook around, chewing thoughtfully as he scanned the messy numbers scrawled across the page. “Well, first of all,” he said, swallowing. “Fifteen divided by two is not five.” 

Hongjoong shot up, snatching the notebook back and staring at his work. He threw it down, banging his head against the table. “I want to die.” 

“Well, don’t die just yet- we need you in dodgeball.” 

Hongjoong tilted his head, staring up at San. “Is that why you came?” San nodded, popping the last apple slice in his mouth. Hongjoong stared at his miserable homework in silence. He lifted curious eyes to San. “Powers allowed?” 

San grinned. “Lee’s off duty today, so yeah.” 

Fuck homework- Hongjoong was taking a break. He slapped his notebook closed. “Fine, but I can only stay for a couple hours- I can’t fail this test.” 

“What are they gonna do if you do?” San asked as Hongjoong gathered his things. “Kick you out?” 

Hongjoong snorted as they walked towards the rec hall. 

The people here… weren’t exactly being forced to be here. But it was a “highly recommended program for the superhumanly gifted, to ensure their safety and the safety of those around them.” You didn’t go to jail if you didn’t enroll, but… 

Well, no one learns how to control their powers overnight. And even the most desperate of parents eventually give out under the stress of their child’s abilities that couldn’t be harnessed without the proper tools. 

Hongjoong knew that Wooyoung’s parents had been the most hesitant to let go, out of all of them. But there was only so much you could teach in your backyard when your child was making desks and walls explode in school, melting playground equipment and setting fires in the grass. 

Eventually, the school said don’t come back after a narrow miss with another student, and Wooyoung’s desperate mother had finally released her baby into the system. 

None of them could really understand their abilities without outside aid. And Normals just didn’t have that ability to help. They couldn’t understand the feeling of a power swelling in your stomach, making you feel like you were going to be sick. 

They didn’t understand the toll it took on someone when they struggled to keep a power greater than themselves locked up, struggling until their will failed and everything came bursting out like a broken dam. 

That’s how people got hurt. That’s how people were forced into the system. 

Wooyoung had never accidentally hurt anyone, thank God. (They likely wouldn’t have survived.) He had come of his parents’ will. 

Hongjoong, on the other hand, had been ten when he accidentally discharged a bolt of lightning into his friend when they jumped out to scare him. The boy survived, but the sight of the teacher frantically giving CPR while the boy’s clothing smouldered, his skin scarred and burned- 

By that afternoon, Hongjoong was being escorted into the base, his mother kissing him goodbye and promising to visit as often as they could. 

Technically, after you passed all your control training, you were free to go out into society on probation and surveillance to ensure you didn’t go off the deep end. 

However, they still faced the same problem they had faced during their youths: they were still Different. 

Maybe you could get away with hiding your powers, now that you had been trained. But eventually, people always found out. And you were Different. 

They were Normal. 

But not everyone had invisible powers. Sometimes, when Mingi turned back, he kept an ear or a tail for a while until it went away. It would be hard to hide something like that. 

And Hongjoong would certainly draw questions with the violent, stark scars that raked down his arms in the shape of lightning in the sky- painless, but a very visible reminder of the consequences of the first uses of his powers. 

So, really, the system was the best place for them. It wasn’t that bad- their parents visited every month (if they remembered), and they made friends with the other teams, and their own team sort of replaced the family they missed. 

And they had dodgeball.  

The others were already occupying a rec room- a basketball court without the hoops set up, a dark red line down the center, and the others already divided- Yeosang, Wooyoung, Jongho on one side- and Mingi and Yunho on the other. 

“Who gets the extra player?” Hongjoong asked as San stood with Mingi. 

“They have Yeosang, so you get over here,” Yunho said firmly, ignoring the other teams grumbling. 

The balls were all laid out in the middle of the court, along the line- all of them made of various materials from regular rubber to pure steel. 

Yeosang held a whistle around his neck (being the only person you could trust to make a fair call, even being on a team). Once everyone had backed away to different walls, they waited for his signal. 

Yeosang brought the whistle to his lips as they all tensed, Hongjoong grinned as Wooyoung made a “You’re going down” gesture. 

The whistle shrieked, and everyone surged forward. 

Learning how to use their powers effectively without killing a teammate was one of their first lessons they had been taught. 

Jongho didn’t even bother picking up a ball- simply kicking a steel ball across the court, right at San was still running. The other fell back- knees hitting the ground as he bent back, letting it fly over his head and crash into the wall (which didn’t break, designed for such rough treatment). 

San didn’t even stop as he got to his feet, placing his hand against a thick wooden ball and discharging a blast of flames that sent it flying as it burned. 

Yeosang was the only one who hadn’t moved, standing in the back of the court and simply throwing a shield in front of Wooyoung and stopping the flaming ball in its tracks. He flicked a hand, and another disc appeared in front of him, stopping the regular ball Mingi had thrown. 

“Can we implement the rule that makes Yeosang actually move?” Yunho asked, picking up a ball made of rubber, but when it hit Yeosang’s shield, it made a sound as if it had been made of dense metal thanks to his powers. 

“You didn’t say it before we started,” Wooyoung said, pitching a ball covered in green energy. Hongjoong barely had time to see the projectile rocketing towards him fast enough to break bones before he threw a hand out- lightning halting the ball and making it fall into his hands. 

A donkey suddenly kicked its hind legs, sending a ball shooting dangerously past Jongho’s head- 

The youngest’s hand shot out, catching it without a thought and sending it flying back at its sender. There was a panicked braying before the ball connected with Mingi’s stomach, sending him flying into a wall and forcing him to change back. 

He lay there for a moment, winded. 

Dodgeball would leave you smarting and bruised, but they were skilled enough to make sure no one died. 

“Mingi’s out,” Yeosang called calmly, throwing up another shield to block himself. 

“Stop it with the shields!” San yelled in annoyance, throwing a fireball at Yeosang, who just blocked it. 

“The only permanent rule we established was that I couldn’t block myself completely, and I could only use one shield at a time,” he said calmly. “Should have thought of that before the game started.” 

“You’re a dick!” 

Yeosang smiled quietly. “I’d be watching your own dick.” 

San frowned, but was too occupied with questioning Yeosang’s sanity to see Wooyoung launch a rubber ball right at him. 

The fire wielder was curled around his stomach on the ground, cursing Wooyoung violently (who was practically on the ground laughing). Yeosang simply smiled wider. “San’s out.” 

“ Asshole .” 

Yunho and Hongjoong both threw their balls at Yeosang while he was distracted calling the score. 

Hongjoong grinned, knowing Yeosang wouldn’t be able to block both without breaking a rule- 

A blast of green energy shot Hongjoong’s ball, turning it into a pile of goo on the floor as Yeosang blocked Yunho’s. 

“Breakage!” Yunho yelled at Wooyoung, outraged as Jongho pegged him with a regular ball in the hip, sending him to the ground. 

Yeosang grinned, even as Wooyoung stuck his tongue out at Yunho. “He’s right, though, Wooyoung. You destroyed the ball completely. You’re out.” 

Wooyoung face dropped. “ You traitor- ” 

“ Team ATZ, please report. Team ATZ- emergency dispatch in Hangar 3. I repeat-” 

Hongjoong straightened at the message coming over the loudspeaker. “Up, guys,” he ordered, as they all dropped the balls. 

“Emergency dispatch?” Yunho repeated, eyes widening a bit. 

“Let’s go,” Hongjoong ordered- everyone stumbling to their feet (San still glaring at Wooyoung), and running down the hall together. 

“What do you think happened?” Wooyoung questioned, frowning. “We aren’t a natural disasters team.” 

“It might be someone already causing damage,” Hongjoong said as they all raced around a corner. “Or their abilities might be making it urgent.” 

“We haven’t had one in a while, though,” Jongho noted, something concerned in his voice. 

If they were calling an emergency, there was something serious going on. Something beyond just a rogue person with powers wreaking havoc. 

They reached the hangar where helicopters and jets waited. They saw a facility operator standing by one chopper that was running. “In, boys,” she ordered. “Other teams have already been dispatched to deal with this threat, but in a different area. Use whatever means necessary to restrain the target.” 

Hongjoong nodded sternly, hopping in behind the others as the chopper suddenly took off, the hangar opening into the sky. 

“Get dressed,” Hongjoong ordered. He frowned deeper as the others began pulling on their leather jackets and sliding masks into place. “There was no file, so I suppose we don’t know anything about the person we’re after…” 

“Nothing?” San asked pointedly, pulling his mask up to conceal his face. 

Hongjoong shook his head as he pulled on his own jacket, letting the heavy weight of it settle on his shoulders. “But if we’re going in blind, our number one goal is to keep Normals out of it- Mingi, I want you to immediately start searching the area. We’ll focus on clearing it, if it’s not already.” 

Hongjoong shoved his mask up over his nose. 

It was always unsettling to go into a mission without knowing anything. And it was even more concerning that it was a single person they knew nothing about. Usually, the facility was watching people- even if they couldn’t find much on them, they had something . 

“We’ll just have to be ready for anything,” Yunho said seriously, settling back in his seat. 

Hongjoong nodded, feeling his stomach churn a little. He didn’t like not knowing things. He didn’t like failing to give his team the best chance to survive as possible.

“Reaching the drop point,” the pilot said over the speaker. 

They all stood. “Eyes peeled,” Hongjoong ordered. “We don’t know what we’re getting into.” 

Wooyoung saluted sarcastically, even though his expression was as serious as any of them. 

“Drop point,” the pilot said, voice crackling. 

They all let themselves fall from the chopper, Hongjoong’s stomach flipping at the familiar sensation of free fall. He saw Yeosang pass him up, everyone calm and collected as the ground rushed at them. 

There was that drop in the pit of his stomach as all of them suddenly began to slow, Yunho’s eyes cold with concentration as the seven of them landed firmly, but harmlessly on the ground in the middle of the warehouse district. 

“Great, abandoned warehouses,” San muttered, turning in a circle to scan the area. 

Hongjoong hummed. “Mingi, search the area for anyone, and do it fast.” 

Hongjoong only just finished speaking before a hawk was racing off into the sky in a blur. 

The rest of them stood for a moment, the silence of the area creeping up their spines. “You’d think an emergency dispatch would bring us somewhere filled with more… carnage,” Jongho muttered as they began walking down the street. The warehouses were untouched, and nothing but empty crates and shipping containers lined their vision. 

“Lots of places to hide,” Hongjoong said darkly, feeling a spark at his fingers, nervous energy forming in little lightning bolts that fizzled out as soon as they left his skin. 

“Should we split up?” Wooyoung suggested. 

“Not if we don’t know what we’re dealing with,” Hongjoong said sharply. “Just keep an eye out, and be ready.” 

They walked between warehouses- Wooyoung’s hands glowing green, while San’s entire arm flickered in deep red flames that licked at his skin. 

Each of Yeosang’s fingers glowed a gentle white with the discs that rested there, ready to be thrown in aid. 

“Yunho,” Hongjoong said after too long without a single sound being heard. “Go up and see if you see Ming-” 

Caw!

All of them jumped, Hongjoong whipping around and looking up at the hawk shriek- 

Atop one of the warehouses stood a figure dressed startling like them- a black coat that covered to his ankles, a mask pulled over his mouth, but he had the addition of a wide-brimmed hat pulled low over his eyes. 

He saw Mingi diving at the man, shrieking in warning- 

Wooyoung was already launching a boom of green energy, watching it blast through the air it resonated in- 

The figure seemed to melt into darkness, disappearing before the attack could even touch him. 

It dissipated into a ripple of dispersed energy, but Yunho was already soaring into the air to check with Mingi, Yeosang tensing with a disc sitting in his palm prepared to throw. 

“He’s gone!” Yunho called, eyes scanning the area. “I don’t-” 

“ Gah !” 

Hongjoong whipped around at San’s sudden cry, only seeing the other jerk forward, slamming into the ground with a black mass the size of a fist on his back. 

It looked like someone had managed to liquify shadows, something dark and viscous flattened against him- 

Behind him stood the man- Hongjoong unable to make out any feature on his face as he threw out his own hand, a bolt of raging electric purple lightning arcing through the air- 

The figure was gone again, shadows wrapping around it and swallowing it into nothing. 

Hongjoong spun in a circle frantically, but saw no one- 

San’s hands were curled into fists, his head ducked as a weak cry tore from his throat- 

“Yeosang, help him,” Hongjoong ordered, his arms charging up as lightning wrapped around them like vines, crackling and making his hair stand on end. 

This man had been around for thirty seconds, and Hongjoong officially wanted him dead.

Yeosang dropped to his knees beside San who was gasping into the concrete, his hands shaking- Hongjoong didn’t know if that thing was feeding from him or just hurting him, the sight of it made his stomach churn. 

The disc in Yeosang’s hand grew as Yeosang flicked it forward, trying to push it between San and whatever it was on his back. 

Hongjoong watched as the white disc touched the black mass- the pure silvery color of it turning an ashy grey, hardening into something brittle, and crumbling before it even got beneath it. 

Everyone stared at Yeosang turned pale, his hands shaking where they hovered beside San. “It- It just-”’ 

“Try again,” Hongjoong ordered. “If you can’t- Wooyoung, I’m gonna need something small from you.” 

Yeosang created another disc, and Jongho stepped up. “I could try and pull it-” 

“No one touch it,” Hongjoong snapped, turning around to ensure the figure was gone. His heart slowly rose to this throat. 

It was never good when someone got hurt in the first minute. 

“We should be looking for him,” Wooyoung said quietly, biting his nail as Yeosang tried to scoop the black form up with a sphere of light- 

No sooner than it touched it, did his shield crumble away. 

Yeosang’s eyes were wide, turning to stare at Hongjoong with something too close to fear. 

They had never known something to be strong enough to break through Yeosang’s shields, much less do that to them. 

“Dark magic,” Hongjoong muttered under his breath. His fists clenched. “Wooyoung- give him something small.” 

It was something truly dangerous to attempt, but Hongjoong didn’t know what the hell that thing was doing to San. 

The other stepped up readily, a mass of energy gathering at his finger tip. “I’m gonna try and aim away from you,” he said quietly, flicking his finger. 

The energy shot forward with a tiny foom and Hongjoong watched the green blast skim along the edge of the black form, passing right through it as if nothing was there. 

San hissed, curling tighter on the ground, nails digging into his palms as his teeth clenched- 

“Fuck,” Jongho cursed. “What the hell-” 

The hairs on the back of Hongjoong’s neck stood up, and he hadn’t even fully turned before both of his arms discharged the entirety of the pent up electricity outwards, his fingertips burning with the amount being expelled- 

Hongjoong saw the figure standing there, but he was somehow quicker than lightning, and dissolved into darkness. 

A black mass like the one on San suddenly flew past Hongjoong’s face- 

“Wooyoung!” 

Yeosang threw a shield- instinct, rather than thinking it might help- and the black form slammed into it, the disc turning grey and then shattering- 

But it had stopped the form’s momentum, making it fall to the ground where it sat like a regular shadow, slowly disappearing. 

Hongjoong’s mind raced as Yunho called from above- “We can’t see him- he just keep appearing!” 

What the hell was he supposed to do? 

San suddenly coughed, a splatter of blood hitting the pavement. 

“ Fuck it ,” Hongjoong hissed under his breath, dropping to his knees beside San, gritting his teeth in preparation. 

“ Hongjoong, don’t- ” 

He ignored Yeosang, plunging his hands into the dark mass and trying to grab it. It felt like cold fog. 

Cold and wet and shivering, but it was something solid , and Hongjoong dug his fingers in as he yanked as hard as he could. 

Like a suction cup being released- there was a disgusting noise before Hongjoong fell back, the thing laying limp in his hands like the one that had fallen on the ground. 

“Hongjoong-” 

He tossed the thing away hurriedly, disgusted as he leapt to his feet, but it dissolved into nothing before it even hit the ground. 

“How- Did it hurt you?” Wooyoung demanded, eyes wide. 

“No, I didn’t feel anything, I-” Hongjoong’s eyes fell on San’s back- a hole seemingly burned through his jacket and clothing- leaving exposed a red, irritated area of skin. 

But the veins running through that area where dark and black, sickly looking.  

“There’s something in his system,” Yeosang whispered, horrified. “I- What do we-” 

“You shouldn’t touch it.” 

Hongjoong jerked forward, the voice practically brushing his ear, head whipping around- 

A hand grabbed his shoulder, the figure’s features still obscured by a mask and hat- but even Hongjoong could feel the anger radiating from it. Hongjoong cried out, not even jerking away before his fists clenched and purple lightning raced across his entire body, like a human lightning rod. 

Hongjoong very clearly felt the electricity pass from him to the figure- who pulled away quickly- but Hongjoong didn’t hear any sort of pained cry before he was disappearing once more. 

“Fuck,” he hissed. They were fucking sitting ducks. “Jongho- take San and get him to a medic,” he ordered. “I don’t think physical strength is going to help much with this guy.” 

Jongho looked ready to protest being sent away, but San took a breath that rattled his chest, and the youngest grit his teeth grimly as he scooped him up quickly, running off with him like he weighed nothing- San’s head hanging limp in his arms. 

Hongjoong could only hope this guy was more interested in those remaining here. 

“He must have some sort of shield,” Hongjoong muttered, gesturing for Mingi and Yunho to return to the ground. “I know I got him with that last blast- but he didn’t even flinch .”

“How the fuck do we fight him if he’s going to run around like a fucking weasel?” Wooyoung demanded, fingers glowing an agitated green. 

“He’s using dark magic,” Hongjoong told them. “I don’t know how the fuck to stop it- all users are different.”  

“Dark magic?” Yunho demanded, limbs stiff and anxious. “Have we ever fought a dark magic user before?” 

“Don’t think so,” Hongjoong muttered, eyes flickering in paranoia around them. “I think the last time one was fought was a few years ago, but he wound up being killed by his own power,” Hongjoong recited, remembering the file he had read on it. “No one could actually fight his magic.” 

That… did not bode well for them, but Hongjoong refused to feel fear in his chest. 

Mingi shifted back into a human, wincing. “This’ll be fun- no wonder they have multiple teams sent out.” 

“What’s he doing out here, though?” Yunho murmured, narrowed eyes scanning the area. “There’s no one around- and it’s the warehouses, which means there probably weren’t people around to begin with. Is this his hideout?”

“What villain is creating havoc at a safe distance from any major population?” Mingi demanded. “What the hell is he doing out here, if not threatening people?” 

Hongjoong didn’t like this- they were exposed, they were outmatched, two of his people were gone, and he didn’t have a single goddamn idea as far as a plan- 

Fucking think, Hongjoon-

“Unless there’s already people here,” Yeosang suddenly whispered, stricken. 

“The fuck does that mean?” Mingi demanded, looking ill. 

“I highly doubt he’s just fucking around out here,” Yeosang said, scanning the building closest to them. “The only reason I can think of to put him out here is that he’s hiding something out here. There might be hostages.” 

Hongjoong’s stomach swooped, his head dropping until his chin hit his chest, fists clenching. 

Fucking damn it. 

“Okay,” he said quickly, head snapping up. “Start searching the warehouses- if hostages are involved, we no longer have time to be careful- Mingi and Yunho go together, Yeosang and Wooyoung take the other side.” 

“And what the hell do you think you’re going to do?” Yunho demanded, staring disapprovingly. 

“I’m starting at the far end,” Hongjoong said, lightning wrapping around his arms like vines. “We don’t have time- go !”

That was the hardest part about this gig. 

Sometimes, it didn’t matter what you wanted, or what you thought was the best idea. You followed what the leader said, and you hoped to God you didn’t get anybody killed. 

Hongjoong was already running without waiting for the others, eyes flickering around. 

There were dozens of warehouses in this area, and they were five people trying to look through them all. 

Hongjoong ran until the end of the row, throwing an arm out and watching lightning blast a door off its hinges. 

Subtlety clearly wasn’t going to work against this guy, so Hongjoong didn’t bother.  He rushed inside, the purple charge wrapped around his arms providing enough light to see by as he ran through the warehouse full of shipping containers stacked against the walls- forklifts and heavy machinery scattered around. 

Seconds passed like hours as he looked around frantically, but found no one. 

He ran to the next warehouse, breaking a window to leap through, boots crunching against the broken glass as he caught himself, lifting his eyes to- 

A tendril of what looked like black smoke sharpened into a spike shot from the dim lighting of the warehouse, Hongjoong crying out in alarm as he shot bolts from hands. 

He very clearly saw them break through black smoke, lighting up the darkness and revealing the figure standing in the shadows, bright charges of deadly electricity striking him in the chest- 

He was gone again. 

Hongjoong cursed, power crackling over his hands as he whipped around, backing into the warehouse slowly. 

“Stop running!” he called, despite not having a single way to really defend himself against this guy. “Come out and face m-” 

Another tendril of darkness, Hongjoong flinching away- 

It slammed towards his chest before dispersing into wisps of harmless smoke, even as Hongjoong stumbled away, adrenaline spiking. 

“Stop playing with me!” Hongjoong yelled, sparks flying off his hands. “Enough games-” 

What felt like a cold hand wrapped around Hongjoong neck, lifting him off his feet and swinging him through the air- slamming him into a wall. 

The breath was knocked from him as Hongjoong tried to discharge another bolt with a breathless wheeze against the darkness wrapped around his neck- 

More shadows appeared, wrapping around his arms and hands like a lid being placed over a flame- snuffing out his charge. 

Hongjoong struggled where his feet dangled high off the ground, but it was like steel pinning him in place, not budging an inch. 

He tried to flex his fingers, to build a charge, to feel that crackle of power- 

It was like trying to strike a wet match, and Hongjoong felt panic beginning to build as the darkness tightened. 

“You fucking-” he grit out. 

His mind registered another spike of dark smoke flying at him, and Hongjoong was hit with the fact he was unable to do anything to stop it. 

“No!” 

He flinched away, uselessly, heart leaping in fear- 

The tip touched his chest before dissolving into wisps once more. 

Hongjoong released a harsh breath, beginning to feel fear chill his blood. “Stop it!” he cried, thrashing in the darkness’ grip. “Stop toying with-” 

What Hongjoong could only describe as black lightning arc through the air at him, and he cried out in fear, flinching away- 

It passed through Hongjoong like he was nothing more than air. 

He looked up quickly, eyes wide, and the next thing that flew at him from the darkness was a figure- a real hand slamming into his throat and cold, murderous eyes boring into him only inches from his own. 

Over the man’s left eyelid, there was a dark tattoo of curling symbols, forming the shape of a thin diamond. 

More lines of dark ink ran down his cheeks, and Hongjoong saw the tips of even more along his neck. 

Hongjoong sucked in a breath that choked in his throat as the figure suddenly crowded against him on the wall- Hongjoong pinned in every way, and unable to even twitch to defend himself as he stared fearfully. 

He had never been this powerless against someone, his blood cold as the figure stared at him like ice pressing against his skin. 

“ Why won’t you die ?” he hissed, low and angry, leather gloved fingers twitching against Hongjoong’s throat like he wanted to crush it. 

Hongjoong was supposed to their fearless leader, but in the face of someone who had him at their mercy so wholly, he stared with wide eyes that shook. 

“I- What-” 

Black smoke creeped down the man’s arm, like fog rolling across a plain, spreading to his hand that held Hongjoong- 

He tried to shift away, but there was nowhere to go, a pathetic whimper choking off in his throat as the smoke touched his throat- 

Hongjoong waited for the burn like San had experienced, or for his skin to crumble like Yeosang’s shields- 

Nothing happened as Hongjoong released a breath, mind racing, adrenaline pumping and making him shake. 

“ What are you doing ?” the figure demanded, low enough that Hongjoong barely heard him over the roar of his ears. “ What power do you have ?”

Hongjoong realized that the man was trying to hurt him. 

But for some reason, he couldn’t. 

That didn’t necessarily make him any less afraid. “I- Who are you?” he demanded, voice struggling not to shake. “What do you want ? Why-”

The figure roared, a blast of inky blackness swallowing Hongjoong completely- 

He tried to scream, the icy feeling pressing harder against his skin, like it was trying to suck something out of him- 

It fell away after a few seconds, leaving Hongjoong gasping, but with no actual injury that he could find. 

It was fear, more than anything the figure was actually doing, that made him shiver. 

“ Why won’t you- ” 

The hand fisted his jacket, tearing him away from the wall, though the blackness still covered his hands. 

The man floated in a mass of tangible shadows keeping him off the ground, Hongjoong’s feet dangling freely twenty feet up. He drew Hongjoong in close, ice and fire dancing in his murderous eyes. 

“Who are you?” he hissed, the fabric twisting around Hongjoong’s neck. “What do you-” 

Hongjoong never claimed to be smart. 

So he jerked his arms around, aiming a black-covered fist at the man’s head- 

It felt like two like poles of a magnet being shoved together- an invisible force shoving his hand back. Hongjoong stared in shock as the man blinked, and then his eyes darkened, black ink seeping into the whites and turning them pitch black. 

Hongjoong cried out, legs swinging wildly- 

The figure threw him, a hundred needles of shadow flying at Hongjoong as he fell through the air. 

Each one touched him, and dissolved into smoke. 

Hongjoong hit the ground as if he had landed on something softer, but he barely noticed as he stared up in shock, his heart pounding out of his chest- 

The figure was on him again, limbs pinning Hongjoong physically to the ground, a hand pressed against his chest firmly, just above his heart. 

“ You insolent- ” 

Hongjoong’s chest suddenly burned, and the man blinked- the inky blackness fading from his eyes that stared down at Hongjoong as if he had just slapped him. 

Hongjoong stared up at him, chest heaving above his immobile limbs, eyes wide as the man stared at him. 

“You…” He whispered it like Hongjoong was a ghost, Hongjoong’s breath bursting against the inside of his mask. 

The hand pressed against his chest turned into fingertips digging in through the leather- 

Hongjoong cried out as the leather began to burn away, the heat of it warming his chest but not burning it- 

What was going on- What was happening- 

The man tore his hand away, leaving a hole the size of his palm  just above Hongjoong’s chest. 

Hongjoong flinched away, his eyes falling to see, expecting to see the same black veins running, like he had on San- 

Instead, he saw a little black mark, only a couple of inches tall, a delicate diamond of lines and squiggles. 

Identical to the one on the figure’s eye. 

Hongjoong’s pulse leapt as he almost screamed- “ What did you do to me? ”- but it caught in his throat. 

The man stared at the mark in near horror, something twisted and vicious in his eyes, his lips curling into a murderous sneer. 

“How did you,” he hissed, dangerous eyes flickering to Hongjoong, who lay there helplessly. “How did you get-” 

Hongjoong couldn’t breathe, almost like the mark on his chest was a stone crushing his ribs. 

But, in the back of Hongjoong’s mind, he knew that mark. 

Recognized it, like the vaguest memory of scent- triggering something that drove you insane trying to place it. 

The man’s eyes bored into Hongjoong’s like he intended to rip the mark off of him with his bare hands. 

Hongjoong’s throat finally closed up as he stared at the man, icy eyes turning almost familiar. 

His blood stood still inside his veins. 

His lungs stalled. 

Hongjoong stared at the man who glared at him with hate in his heart. 

“ Seonghwa ...” 

~~~~~~~~

Hongjoong was five when he saw a boy crying on the sidewalk. 

He paused where he had been running outside of his house, tiny fists clenching two toy dinosaurs, and he stared at the boy curiously for a moment. 

The boy wasn’t crying loudly, but he was curled up into a ball, like Hongjoong did when he hid beneath his covers at night. 

Hongjoong walked over to the boy. He was a sociable person, but he didn’t have many friends at school (they said he was weird, but his mom said he wasn’t). He stood beside him for a moment before crouching down. 

“Hey.” 

Hongjoong really didn’t mean to startle him, but the boy flinched away- crying out loudly and shoving Hongjoong away. 

Hongjoong fell on his back, his elbows scraping against the sidewalk- 

He whimpered, sitting up quickly, and holding his elbow, tears prickling- 

“Stay away from me!” the boy said, staring at Hongjoong with wide eyes that were all red and dripping tears. 

Hongjoong scrubbed at his eyes, trying not to actually cry over such a small scrape (no matter how much it stung).

 “Why did you push me?” he demanded, picking up his dinosaurs where they fell. He glared at the other boy. “I was just tryin’ to be nice.”  

The boy stared at Hongjoong as he stood up, still wincing over his scraped elbow. “S-Stay away,” the boy snapped, but he didn’t look angry. 

He looked scared. 

Hongjoong’s glare turned into a frown. “Why were you crying?” he asked, taking a step forward. “Did you fall dow-” 

“Stay back!” The boy took a stumbling step backwards, hands throwing out to stop Hongjoong- 

Hongjoong screamed as something black flew at him- something small and fast, like a bug. 

Hongjoong did not like bugs. 

He dropped to the ground, waving his hands frantically to make it go away- 

“I’m sorry!” The boy cried, and suddenly he was in front of Hongjoong. “I’m sorry- I- I didn’t mean to- I- I can’t stop it-” 

Hongjoong lifted his head slowly, checking for the bug again. He didn’t see it, but he saw little wisps of black smoke curling from the boy’s fingers. 

Hongjoong straightened slowly, his eyes widening as he stared at the boy’s hands. “You-” The boy winced, shoving his hands behind his back. “You’re like me,” Hongjoong said in awe, looking the boy in the face. 

The fear in the boy’s eyes melted as Hongjoong stared at him, and behind the parts of his face that were nasty from crying, Hongjoong could see something alighting in the boy’s eyes. 

“W-What do you-” 

“Watch,” Hongjoong said, dropping his dinosaurs excitedly. He held his tiny hands out, and he felt that weird flip in his tummy as a tiny spark leapt from one hand into the other, disappearing into his skin. “You’re Different, like me!” 

Hongjoong had never met another person who wasn’t Normal. There weren’t any at his school- but this boy was clearly Different. 

He stared at Hongjoong, mouth falling open, and Hongjoong felt excitement build in his chest. “Wanna play dinos?” he offered, holding out one of the toys (not the T-Rex, though, that one was his favorite). 

He stared longer, eyes wide and tears still clinging to his skin. “I… I don’t wanna hurt you…” 

Hongjoong just pushed his dinosaur towards him again. “I accidentally shock my mom and dad all the time- they always say it’s okay after I say sorry. I don’t mean to…” He smiled. “So, if you say sorry for pushing me, it’s okay.” 

He watched the boy expectantly, watching as his eyes slowly got less wide, and his lips twitched as he rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, wiping off the tears and snot. 

“I’m sorry for pushing you,” he said quietly. “And for… almost hitting you with my… thing.” 

Hongjoong beamed, bouncing on his toes. “It’s okay,” he said eagerly, shoving the dino into his hands. “I’m Hongjoong.” 

He stared at the toy like he had just been handed a juice box, looking at Hongjoong with a tiny smile. “I’m Seonghwa.” 

“I have a sandbox in my backyard,” Hongjoong told him brightly. “Wanna play arche- archalolo-” He shook his head. “Wanna play dinos in it?” 

Seonghwa nodded, brightening by the moment as Hongjoong lead him around his house. 

They played until Seonghwa said he needed to go home, and Hongjoong said they should play together again tomorrow. 

When he told his mom he made a friend today, she practically laughed with delight, telling him he should invite them in next time, so they could share a snack. 

Hongjoong sat on the steps outside the entire following day, his trucks at the ready for when Seonghwa would show up. He bounced his knee as he made vrooming noises, making the cars jump each other and crash together- 

“Hongjoong, come in for dinner,” his dad said, opening the door behind him. 

Hongjoong stared at the empty street, looking up at his dad. “Seonghwa didn’t come,” he said, expression falling. “Can I wait a little longer?” 

His dad’s mouth fell into a thin line, clearly torn. “I don’t think he got permission from his parents to come out today. Maybe you’ll see him tomorrow.” 

Hongjoong’s face fell further as he nodded, picking up his toys and heading inside where his mom was ready with a quiet smile and a firm hug, promising that Seonghwa might come by tomorrow. 

The next day, Hongjoong sat in the front yard with his soccer ball, kicking it back and forth and running after it. He kicked it a little too hard, and it went rolling down the sidewalk, away from his house. 

Hongjoong cried out, scared to lose it, and ran after it- down the street a few houses before finally pouncing on it, breathing a sigh of- 

Hongjoong paused where he clutched his ball, seeing a familiar boy curled up on the sidewalk across the street. 

“Seonghwa!” 

The boy jumped, looking up, and Hongjoong realized he was crying again. He looked both ways carefully before running across the street as Seonghwa stood up quickly, taking a step back for every step Hongjoong approached with. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, frowning in worry. “Why are you crying again? Why didn’t you come by yesterday?” 

Seonghwa still hiccupped on his tears, wiping at his face quickly. “I- I’m not supposed to-” He hiccupped again, shaking his head. “My- My mom says I can’t play with you.” 

“Why not?” Hongjoong demanded, holding his ball tightly. “I’m Different, like you…”

“It’s not ‘cause of you,” Seonghwa said quickly. “She- I might hurt you…” 

Hongjoong shook his head, thinking that was pretty dumb. “You said sorry! And pushing people isn’t so bad- the kids at school do it all the time and don’t get in trouble! It’s fun, sometimes, too- like when you play tag.” 

Seonghwa just shrugged helplessly. “I’m not supposed to… I can’t… I can’t stop my powers very good…” 

“I zap my mom all the time!” Hongjoong explained again. He turned his gaze pleading. “Please? I don’t have anyone else to play with- And you should play with someone when you feel sad! You can’t be sad if you play soccer!” He held his ball up hopefully. 

Seonghwa looked conflicted, glancing behind him at a house a few driveways down. “I…” Hongjoong saw him waver, like his mom did before finally letting him get a piece of candy. “I guess… it’s okay for a little while… as long as nothing happens…” 

Hongjoong beamed. “Even if something does happen, if you say sorry, it’s okay!” 

Seonghwa’s lips twitched slightly. “Yeah… I guess so,” he admitted, looking brighter. He wiped at his tears again. “Do you know how to punt the ball?”

Hongjoong did not know what that was, but he was willing and eager to learn. 

Seonghwa couldn’t come by everyday- and sometimes, he didn’t really feel like playing, so they just sat on the sidewalk and played with the grass and rocks while they talked about cartoons and their favorite toys. 

Most of the time, Seonghwa was either crying or looking like he had been when he arrived at Hongjoong’s. 

For a long time, Hongjoong was too busy trying to cheer him up to ask why he was crying. Until one day, they were sitting on the sidewalk, Seonghwa with wet cheeks and red eyes, but they were talking, and Seonghwa laughed when Hongjoong told him he could squirt milk out of his nose- 

And then suddenly, Seonghwa was crying again. Hongjoong stopped what he was saying, his hands falling into his lap. 

“Why are you so sad all the time?” he asked quietly, scooting closer until he was sitting right beside Seonghwa. “Why… Why are you crying again?” 

Seonghwa shook his head, curling around his knees like Hongjoong always found him, and Hongjoong sat quietly for a moment before reaching out, wrapping his fingers around Seonghwa’s fist, holding it gently. 

Seonghwa flinched, but Hongjoong kept holding it, like his mom did when he got upset. 

“I- I’m not sad right now,” Seonghwa said, his voice all messed up from crying. “I’m h-happy- I’m happy, Hongjoong, you’re-” He rubbed his face against his knees roughly. “You’re my friend.” 

Hongjoong frowned. “Of course, I’m your friend.” 

Seonghwa didn’t seem to think it so obvious, though, and Hongjoong stood suddenly. “Wait a second- I’ll be right back.” 

He sprinted inside, leaving Seonghwa on the sidewalk for a moment as he rushed into the kitchen where his mom was doing the dishes. 

“Mom- I need two juice boxes. Seonghwa’s upset,” he said a rush as he skidded to a stop. 

His mom frowned as he stared down at him. “He’s upset- Why, what happened?” 

Hongjoong shrugged. “I dunno, he’s just always crying- I need a juice box to cheer him up!” 

“Is he okay?” his mom asked seriously. 

“He says he’s happy, but he’s crying,” Hongjoong said, throwing his hands up in the air. “I don’t know- but I need a juice box.” 

Another moment of contemplation from his mother, but he nodded, opening the fridge and grabbing two drinks. “If your friend needs help… you can bring him in, Hongjoong,” she said seriously as she handed him the juice boxes. 

He nodded quickly, running back outside without a word. 

Seonghwa had stopped crying, wiping at his eyes like he always did, and Hongjoong plopped down next to him, sitting the drink in front of him. 

“Here,” he ordered. “Drink it.” 

Seonghwa sniffed loudly, but picked it up, taking a careful sip. He drank for a moment before lowering it. “I like apple juice,” he whispered, taking another long sip. 

Well, that was good because that was the only kind Hongjoong’s mom got. 

Hongjoong didn’t see Seonghwa everyday, but they always had fun when they did see each other. 

And it didn’t take long for Seonghwa to stop being so upset every time Hongjoong played with him. Pretty soon, Hongjoong would see Seonghwa walking along, and when he called out to him, Seonghwa would smile. 

Sometimes, it was small and quiet- like he was feeling shy. 

And sometimes, it was bright and eager as Seonghwa took off running over to Hongjoong. 

One day (the day after Hongjoong brought out the cookies and milk his mom had given him for them both), Seonghwa took off running when he saw Hongjoong waiting for him. 

Hongjoong stood at the ready, bouncing on his feet, but Seonghwa didn’t slow down as he raced towards him, body colliding with Hongjoong’s roughly. 

Seonghwa hugged him tightly, smooshing Hongjoong’s face a little, but Hongjoong just laughed, hugging him back as Seonghwa squeezed him. 

“I’m glad you’re my friend,” Seonghwa told him quietly, voice tense with how hard he squeezed. 

Hongjoong laughed, pushing the other off with a bright grin. “You’re my only friend- so I like you, too.” 

Seonghwa looked happier that day then Hongjoong ever remembered seeing him. 

And it was a week after that day that it all came crashing down. 

Hongjoong had never accidentally shocked Seonghwa- he had put little scorch marks on their soccer ball, and there were a few on the fence. But never Seonghwa. 

And Hongjoong hadn’t meant to. 

But he scored a goal, and Seonghwa ran at him, hand raised for a high-five, and when Hongjoong slapped his hand excitedly against his, he felt a spark at his palm. 

Seonghwa cried out in pain, dropping to his knees as he cradled his hand to his chest, crying in fear and pain as he clutched his hand tightly. 

Hongjoong screamed a little, dropping down beside him- 

“I’m sorry! Let me see- Let me-” 

The screaming and crying attracted his mother, who opened the door quickly, finding Hongjoong trying to pull Seonghwa’s hand away while the other cried loud tears of pain. 

When his mother finally managed to coax Seonghwa’s hand away with quiet urges of “Let me see, sweetheart- It’s okay, let me see-” Hongjoong felt like a soccer ball had just hit him in the stomach. 

Seonghwa’s hand was shiny and red, covered in welts and a jagged break in his skin that was bleeding- 

Hongjoong stared, eyes widening in confusion. 

He had never done that to someone before. Anytime he shocked his mom, it was just a little zap- never… he had never… 

His mom carried Seonghwa inside, and his dad sat Hongjoong on the couch while she took out their first aid kit to help him in the bathroom. 

Hongjoong explained to his dad what happened in a rage of tears and stuttered horror, staring at his hands with a new light. 

He had never hurt someone like that before. 

In the end, his dad hugged him tightly, Hongjoong still crying in grief, as he rubbed his back, assuring him that it had been an accident. “It’s not your fault, Hongjoong,” he told him firmly. “It’s not something you can control- it was an accident.” 

Hongjoong had barely stopped crying by the time his mom came back out with Seonghwa whose hand had been bandaged tightly. Hongjoong leapt off the couch, going to hug him- 

He stopped himself before he got far, too afraid to touch him as he stared at Seonghwa, feeling more tears well in his eyes. “I-I’m sorry,” he cried as Seonghwa watched him sadly. 

“It’s okay,” Seonghwa said quietly, stepping forward and hugging Hongjoong fearlessly, even though Hongjoong had just hurt him. 

Hongjoong rubbed his leaking nose on Seonghwa’s shoulder, but the other didn’t seem to mind. 

“Hongjoong… I think it’s best if I take Seonghwa home,” his mom said gently, petting a gentle hand through his hair. “Stay with your dad, okay?” 

They parted slowly, Seonghwa giving him a small smile that Hongjoong tried to return, but his lips quivered and couldn’t hold it. 

Hongjoong’s mom disappeared out the front door with his friend, and Hongjoong sat back on the couch with his dad. 

“I… I hurt him,” Hongjoong murmured, his chest hurting. “He- It looked really bad, Dad-” 

“Your mom fixed him up- it was just a bad burn, he’ll be okay,” he promised Hongjoong, petting his hair. “We’ll just have to be a bit more careful, okay?” 

Hongjoong nodded quickly, wringing his hands together, watching a little flicker of electricity pass through them, his dad smiling tightly at him. 

Hongjoong had finally managed to calm himself down when his mother came back, opening and closing the door slowly. Hongjoong sat up quickly, mouth opening to ask all sorts of questions about Seonghwa, but he stopped at his mom’s face. 

He stared at Hongjoong- not quite angry, but something stricken and pale in her face. “Hongjoong,” she said, voice a little hoarse. “Why… Why did you not tell us that your friend was new to the neighborhood?” 

Her hands flexed at her sides, and Hongjoong stared before frowning. “I- I didn’t know-” 

“Why did you not tell me he was the son of the people who just moved in?” she questioned sharply, lips thinning. “That he was that boy that everyone’s been talking about?” 

Hongjoong opened his mouth and closed it, not entirely sure what his mom was talking about. “I- I don’t know where he lives-” 

“I should have known,” she muttered to herself, covering her eyes with her palms. “I should have known that no other sort of child would befriend him, I should have suspected something when he suddenly had a friend after so long-” 

“Mom…” Hongjoong’s expression pinched as she finally looked at him- something hard in her eyes, seeming more like anger. “I- What happened to Seonghwa? Is he okay?” 

His mother pressed her lips together, his dad standing as she crouched in front of Hongjoong, pulling him forward and holding him firmly. “Listen to me, sweetheart,” she said sternly. “You can’t play with Seonghwa anymore.” 

“ What ?” Hongjoong yelled, stomach hurting. “ Why ? I promise I won’t hurt him- I- I’ll get better, I won’t get excited like that-” 

“Hongjoong, he’s different,” she said, shaking her head sharply. 

“So am I!” Hongjoong tried to shake off his mom’s hands, but she held him firmly. 

“Hongjoong- he’s dangerous,” she said firmly. “He can do so much worse to you than you could ever dream to do to him- He could hurt you very badly, sweetheart-” 

“I hurt him bad, too!” he fought, stomping his foot. “He said it was okay!” 

“He’s not like you!” she snapped. “He’s dangerous, Hongjoong- He’s barely even human!” 

“You’re being mean to him!” Hongjoong shouted, feeling his eyes prickle, but he tried not to try. “You’re like the people who make him cry-” 

“Hongjoong.” 

He turned his head to stare at his dad, whose expression was almost disappointed as he stared down on his son. 

“You’re Different, yes,” he said seriously, voice deep and stern. “But… People are saying that the child of that new family is someone… who is a very dangerous Different. He’s not good, Hongjoong. Or, at least, he won’t be for very long.” 

Hongjoong shook his head. “He’s nice!” he fought, finally feeling himself cry. “He- He never takes my toys without asking, and he just likes hugs, and- and he’s funny-” 

“Hongjoong, you can’t quite understand this,” his mom said flatly. “But… Seonghwa’s power isn’t good. It’s dark magic, Hongjoong. It’s rare, and the people who do get it, aren’t good people. It… It changes them, sweetheart,” she said, voice turning sad. “He may be good now, but… there’s something inside of him that’s going to change him- that’s already changing him.” 

“But he-” 

“Listen to your mother,” his dad said sharply. “Hongjoong, you’re a child- you can’t understand. But that boy is dangerous, and you aren’t allowed to play with him. You’re not allowed to go outside alone anymore, either.” 

“But-” 

“That’s the end of this discussion.” His father crossed his arms. “Now, go wash up for dinner.” 

Hongjoong stared, tears burning his skin, his mother releasing him and slowly standing. 

He… He couldn’t play with Seonghwa anymore? 

Then who was he supposed to play with? 

What about Seonghwa’s parents- who told him not to play with Hongjoong? Couldn’t Hongjoong ignore them, like Seonghwa had? 

I might hurt you… 

Hongjoong was Seonghwa’s only friend. Who would he play with? 

“Hongjoong, go-” 

Hongjoong turned on his heel and ran down the hall to his bedroom, closing the door angrily and laying on his floor, his chest hurting again. 

Hongjoong could hurt people, too. 

It was Hongjoong who had hurt Seonghwa. Seonghwa had never done anything to Hongjoong. 

He didn’t answer when his mom stuck her head in, apologizing and saying that this was for his own good. Hongjoong didn’t like his parents at the moment. Normally, he might hug his stuffed lion to make himself feel better, but he shoved it off his bed. 

He felt… very alone. 

The next day, his mom watched him like a hawk to make sure he didn’t sneak out of the house without asking. It was three days before Hongjoong stopped being mad enough to ask his mom if he could play outside, and she allowed him to stay in the backyard only as she watched from the steps. 

Hongjoong wanted to have fun in the sand, but he just sat there, staring at it and drawing shapes with his finger mindlessly. 

His mom tried to bring him snacks, but he wasn’t hungry (not even for applesauce). 

“Sweetheart,” she said gently, brushing his hair comfortingly. “I know you liked him… but he’s dangerous. He’s got something bad inside of him.” 

Hongjoong shook her hand off stubbornly, feeling anger bubble in his stomach again. 

“He was my only friend,” he muttered, digging his toy soldier into the sand. “Who’s gonna cheer him up, now?” 

“Hongjoong… if he was always upset, it’s probably because of that thing inside of him,” she said quietly. “Dark magic abilities… they take over people. They make them… into very bad people. And he’s dangerous… different from when you accidentally shock us-” 

“I hurt him, too!” Hongjoong yelled, shoving away her hand that tried to touch him again. “He didn’t do anything to me-” 

“Hongjoong, do not yell at me,” she scolded sharply. “You can’t understand all this- you’re only five. Understand that I’m doing what’s best, alright?” 

Hongjoong knew Seonghwa better than his parents did. They had never met him. 

Seonghwa wasn’t bad- he didn’t even push Hongjoong after he said it was okay. 

Hongjoong remembered that black bug Seonghwa had made… Bugs were pretty bad… 

But Seonghwa wasn’t made of bugs. Maybe he just attracted them? But Hongjoong hadn’t seen any bugs after that first time… 

“I think we’ve played enough today,” his mother said, standing. “Let’s go inside.” 

Another couple of days passed with Hongjoong in a sour mood, brushing off all the attempts his parents made to cheer him up (even the ice cream). 

Hongjoong was playing in his room, alone, while his mom did the dishes. He stared at his toy dinosaurs, wanting to make them chase each other, but he felt tired. 

Hongjoong didn’t remember hearing anything, but he glanced towards his window suddenly, his dinosaurs falling from his grasp. He got to his feet, pulling back the curtains of his window and saw a familiar boy walking down the sidewalk passed his house. 

Hongjoong clapped his hands over his mouth as he realized it was Seonghwa, stumbling out of his room before freezing. 

His mom would be angry if he went outside. But she’d never let him go see Seonghwa. 

Hongjoong remembered the spy movie his dad and he had watched, walking slowly through the living room. He could hear his mother humming as she washed the dishes, her music playing from a speaker. 

Hongjoong rushed to the front door, opening it carefully, closing it behind him as he almost fell down the steps, running down the sidewalk. 

“Seonghwa!” 

The boy whipped around, looking scared for a moment before realizing who was running after him. 

The fear didn’t lessen, though, as he turned and began running faster down the street. 

Hongjoong almost stopped, hurt running through his chest, but he ran faster. “Seonghwa, wait!” 

The other didn’t even bother responding, simply running down the sidewalk as fast as he could, Hongjoong struggling to catch up. 

Hongjoong supposed he was just faster than Seonghwa because he grabbed the back of Seonghwa’s shirt, jerking to a halt that threw both of them off balance. 

They tumbled into the grass lawn they ran beside, Hongjoong wincing as it hurt a little- 

Seonghwa tried to get up and run, but Hongjoong grabbed him again. “Why are you running away?” Hongjoong demanded, eyes wide. “Is- Is it because I hurt you before?” He swallowed as Seonghwa stared at him. “I- I said I was sorry. I- It won’t happen again, I promise-” 

“That’s not why,” Seonghwa said quickly. “But- But I’m not supposed to play with you anymore, Hongjoong. My mom got really mad when she found out I was before-” 

“My mom said I couldn’t play with you anymore,” Hongjoong said, scrubbing at his eyes. “But- But I don’t have anyone else to play with. You’re my friend- You didn’t hurt me, you’re not bad !” He glared at Seonghwa, as if daring him to disagree. 

Seonghwa’s eyes widened, staring at Hongjoong like… 

Hongjoong didn’t know. No one had ever looked at him like that before. 

“Hongjoong, I… I am bad,” Seonghwa said quietly, though. “I… I do really bad things when I can’t control it- I almost hurt you one time.” 

“You said sorry!” Hongjoong fought, fisting the grass in his hands. “Bad people don’t say sorry! Mom and Dad don’t know you- you’re not a bad guy!” 

Seonghwa’s lips trembled as he stood suddenly. “I can’t, Hongjoong,” he said firmly. “I- I’m not-” He stared at Hongjoong, eyes filling with tears. “I’m sorry, I can’t-” 

Seonghwa ran. 

Hongjoong scrambled to his feet, running after him and grabbing him again. “Seonghwa, no!” he yelled, jerking him back. “No, you can’t- I’m still your friend! You can’t-” 

Seonghwa turned, his shirt twisting around him as he tried to push Hongjoong off. “Let go,” he said firmly, still trying to run, but Hongjoong was good at holding on. “Hongjoong, stop!” he cried, tears beginning to run down his face. 

“You’re not bad!” Hongjoong yelled, his own tears spilling down as he glared at Seonghwa who frantically tried to pull away. 

“Hongjoong, stop! I have to-” 

“You’re not!”

“Hongjoong-” 

 “You share toys, and you’re nice, and you like hugs- You’re my friend- ” 

“ Let go !” 

Seonghwa shoved Hongjoong in the chest, and Hongjoong knew what it felt like to hit your butt on the sidewalk and scrape yourself up. 

This… was not that. 

Seonghwa’s hands hit Hongjoong’s chest, and Hongjoong saw a small explosion of dark stuff slam into him from Seonghwa’s hands. Like that bug he had seen. 

But a lot bigger. 

Hongjoong had never known pain like that. 

He knew he was screaming, laying on the ground and clutching his chest that burned- 

It burned like ice, like when he played in the snow too long and then touched a hot cup of cocoa- 

It burned, and Hongjoong knew he was screaming, but he couldn't even think about what was happening around him- 

“ Hongjoong !”

“ Get away from him !” 

Hongjoong was crying, sobbing and twisting around the cold pain tearing its way through his body that had never had to experience something like this. 

When he woke up, he was in a hospital. 

There was a bandage around his chest, and when Hongjoong opened his eyes, his body hurt, like that time he fell off the monkey bars and hit his back on the ground. 

His mom was there. She yelled at him, even as she hugged him tightly, switching between scolding him for going out, for disobeying her- and whispering quiet reliefs into his hair. 

“Do you see what that monster did to you?” she demanded, pulling him away so she could look him in the eyes. She had been crying. “Do you understand, now, Hongjoong, why I told you he was dangerous? Do you see what he- he almost-” 

She started crying again, hugging him tightly, but Hongjoong stared at her shirt quietly. 

“It wasn’t his fault, Mom.” 

She pulled away so quickly, Hongjoong got a little dizzy, but she glared at him. “Hongjoong, do not be ridiculous-” 

“I kept pulling on him,” Hongjoong said, guilt rising in his throat as he lowered his head. “He- I wouldn’t let him run away. I- I think I scared him. It wasn’t his fault, I made his upset-” 

“Hongjoong, do you know what he did to you?” she hissed. “He almost killed you, sweetheart- He-” 

“I hurt him, too,” Hongjoong said quietly, looking up at her. “Mine was an accident, too. Seonghwa didn’t mean to hurt me, Mom. He would never hurt me, he’s my friend. He’s just sad- He doesn’t have any frien-” 

“Stop it.” 

Hongjoong fell silent at her quiet hiss. His mom stared at him angrily. 

“Hongjoong, that monster almost killed you- I don’t care what he intended to do are not. That fact that he did it on accident is even worse- he can’t control it, Hongjoong. He’s only going to keep hurting people- And I am not going to let you be one of them again.” 

“He’s not-” Hongjoong stared in hurt confusion. “He’s not a monster- Not like those things on TV. He’s my friend-” 

“Enough,” she snapped. “I told you before not to see him, I told you he was going to hurt you- This has gone far enough.” She held Hongjoong’s gaze firmly. “I am not letting that monster anywhere near my child, do you understand me?” 

Hongjoong opened his mouth, about to shout something back, but the Healer came in and asked Hongjoong how his day was going. 

The Healer who took care of him smiled at him quietly as Hongjoong cried silently, tears dripping onto his blankets after his mom left to get them food. 

“That was a nasty attack you got, son,” he said lightheartedly. “I’m surprised someone your age got mixed up with someone with dark magic.” 

“He’s my friend,” Hongjoong said stubbornly. “He’s not a monster.” 

“Now, hold on,” he said quickly. “I didn’t say anything about a monster. You just don’t usually see such an intense power manifest in one so young. Even dark magic grows with a person- If this child already has so much power within them…” 

The Healer glanced at the door, looking back at Hongjoong who perked up, intrigued by his response. “This boy… Your friend, is he… happy?” 

Hongjoong frowned, fingers curling in the blankets over his legs. “H-Happy?” he repeated. The man nodded. Hongjoong looked away. “I… I don’t know,” he said quietly. “He cries a lot. He… He’s scared a lot. But he’s happy when we  play- he likes soccer the best.” He glanced up at the man. “But he doesn’t have any friends either. He’s upset a lot, but I try and make him feel better!” 

Because Hongjoong was a good friend. 

The Healer nodded, humming. “I see… Well, I think that it probably is not your friend’s fault that he hurt you so badly.” 

“It’s not!” Hongjoong burst, nodding quickly. “He wouldn’t hurt me on purpose! He says sorry every time!” 

He laughed quietly, patting Hongjoong’s knee. “People who are Different are always going to have hard lives,” he said, making Hongjoong frown. “Some of them… just start earlier than others.” 

“W-What do you-” 

His mom came back, and the Healer said that Hongjoong could leave by that evening. 

Hongjoong didn’t talk to his mom, stewing angrily, even when they got home and his dad arrived, hugging Hongjoong tightly (he felt a lot better, only a little achy). 

Hongjoong went to bed without even wanting to eat anything, feeling sick to his stomach. 

That black thing… the thing that Seonghwa accidentally hit him with… That was what made him Different. 

But how was it any different from Hongjoong burning him so badly? Why would his dad be so forgiving of Hongjoong’s accident, but not Seonghwa’s?

Hongjoong’s mom made him stay in his room to rest the next day, bringing Hongjoong little meals that he didn’t say thank you for. 

He was still angry. 

Seonghwa was not like those scary things on TV. Not like those things in Hongjoong’s storybooks. 

Seonghwa was Seonghwa. He was his friend. 

That night, Hongjoong was sleeping when something woke him up. He heard a gentle tapping, and looked at his door but no one was there. 

It continued until he realized it was coming from his window. 

Hongjoong shot up, prepared to scream for his dad, when he saw a face through the window. 

“ Seonghwa ,” he gasped, crawling over his bed and struggling to open the window, shoving it hard to make it open with a loud squeak. 

Seonghwa stood on a box to see through the window, his eyes wide and scared and already filled with tears. 

“I- I’m sorry,” he cried, expression breaking down. “I- I didn’t mean to h-hurt you-”

Hongjoong had honestly been hoping he would see the boy again, and he found his lips pulling up despite the other’s tears. “It’s okay,” he said, careful not to speak loudly. “Seonghwa, it’s okay, I’m okay-” 

“I hurt you,” Seonghwa said firmly. “I- I should have listened to my mom-” 

“You’re not a monster!” Hongjoong winced at his loud voice, hoping his parents didn’t wake up. Seonghwa blinked, taken aback as Hongjoong glared at him. “You’re not! You’re my friend- you didn’t do it on purpose!” 

“B-But I-” 

“I don’t care what my mom says- or yours,” Hongjoong said, crossing his arms. “You’re still my friend. You’re not bad.” 

Seonghwa stared, mouth open and more tears falling as he stared in disbelief. 

Hongjoong remained resolute. 

The other closed his trembling lips, bringing an arm up to rub at his eyes. “I… I don’t want to hurt you again,” Seonghwa said quietly, shaking his head. “C-Can I try something?”

Hongjoong nodded quickly, stepping away from the window, gesturing Seonghwa inside. The other clambered through, his foot hitting the window sill a little loudly, and they both froze as he fell through, listening for Hongjoong’s parents. 

They sat on Hongjoong’s floor, the only light coming from the warm glow of his nightlight in the corner. 

Seonghwa scooted forward, looking scared. “I- I don’t- I don’t know if it’s gonna work- What if I hurt you again?” His hands shook as Hongjoong moved closer firmly. 

“Just be really careful,” Hongjoong comforted him, smiling. 

If he was honest, he was a little scared, too. 

It had hurt a lot, last time. But Seonghwa hadn’t meant to. Seonghwa wouldn’t hurt him on purpose. 

Seonghwa stared at Hongjoong with wide eyes, but he nodded slowly, holding his hands out. “Come here.” 

Hongjoong moved until their knees bumped together, Seonghwa swallowing nervously as he rubbed his hands together. 

“I… I don’t ever want to hurt you again,” Seonghwa said as little flickers of shadows began to wind around his fingers. 

Hongjoong stared at it- a little scared and finding it a little cool. “I- I don’t want to hurt you, either,” he confessed. “After I burnt your hands…” 

Seonghwa winced, as if remembering, and he nodded. 

Hongjoong suddenly felt his eyes burning. “I don’t want either of us to hurt each other,” he whispered. “We’re friends- we shouldn’t… We shouldn’t hurt each other…” He hung his head, staring at Seonghwa’s hands. 

Seonghwa nodded, though. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered, almost to himself, like a comfort or a reminder. The shadows around his fingers grew darker, Hongjoong’s stomach beginning to hurt a little. 

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Hongjoong repeated back, not for any real reason. 

Seonghwa swallowed. 

Hongjoong’s night light went out. 

Neither of them jumped. Hongjoong could still feel Seonghwa’s knees pressed against his, and could hear him whispering to himself- “I don’t want to hurt you, I don’t ever want to hurt you again-” 

Hongjoong felt like something cool was brushing against his skin, like a brisk breeze. “I don’t ever want to hurt you again,” he whispered back to Seonghwa, tears gathering. 

If they hadn’t hurt each other… their parents wouldn’t be telling them they couldn’t be friends. 

If they hadn’t hurt each other… maybe Seonghwa wouldn’t still be so sad. 

“A-Are you ready?” Seonghwa questioned, voice hidden among the darkness. 

Hongjoong nodded. “Yeah,” he whispered. “I don’t want to hurt you…” 

“Take my hand,” Seonghwa said, but his voice was scared, so Hongjoong didn’t think it had anything to do with what he was trying. He groped in the darkness until their fingers found each other, Seonghwa squeezing his hand hard, and Hongjoong returned it. 

“I don’t want to hurt you ever again,” Seonghwa whispered. 

Hongjoong couldn’t bring himself to repeat it, but he felt it in his chest. 

Hongjoong jumped a bit when Seonghwa’s other hand suddenly pressed against his chest- right above his heart. It felt cold, even through Hongjoong’s pajama shirt. 

“It’s okay,” Seonghwa whispered, his voice shaking. “I’m not going to hurt you.” 

Hongjoong swallowed, his heart racing as something cold spread through his chest. “I know,” he whispered back. “You’re my friend.”

He held Seonghwa’s hand a little tighter to comfort himself as his other pressed to Hongjoong’s small chest that still ached just a little. 

Hongjoong suddenly gasped, Seonghwa flinched. “W-What-”

“It’s warm suddenly,” Hongjoong breathed, feeling an odd mixture of scared and excited. “It- It doesn’t feel so cold.” 

Seonghwa suddenly dropped his hand from his chest, and Hongjoong let go of a quick breath, feeling like he had been spinning in circles. 

“Are- Are you okay?” Seonghwa whispered as Hongjoong’s night light suddenly lit back to life, allowing Hongjoong to see Seonghwa’s face pinched in fear. 

Hongjoong dropped his head to stare at his chest. “I… Yeah, I feel fine,” he confessed. “It- It tickled a little.” Hongjoong grabbed the end of his shirt and pushed it up passed his chest. 

He gasped a little at a little black shape just above his heart- almost looking like ink bleeding into his skin. It looked like a diamond- filled in with a bunch of squiggles and filigree, like a maze in a coloring book. 

Hongjoong found himself laughing breathlessly as he stared at it. “T-That so cool! How did you do that?” he gasped, staring up at Seonghwa with wonder in his eyes. 

Seonghwa stared at the mark he had made, lips twitching slightly. “That… should protect you from me.” He swallowed. “I- I didn’t think about trying it until it was too late,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I didn’t do it before I hurt you.” 

“That okay!” Hongjoong assured him, touching it with his fingertip gently. “Now you don’t have to be scared anymore!” Hongjoong’s smile suddenly fell. “W-What about me?” he stammered. “What if I burn you again, like before?” 

Seonghwa’s smile turned wide as he held out his hand that Hongjoong had been holding. It wasn’t until Hongjoong looked at it that he realized it was the one he had burned- a little welt of a scar in the center of his palm. 

Laying over the scar was another mark, almost like a spider-webbing lightning strike through the sky- dark in the center and fading out across his palm. 

“Even if you tried to, it wouldn’t hurt me,” Seonghwa assured him quietly. “At least… it shouldn’t.” 

Hongjoong beamed, staring at his chest and watching as the mark slowly faded into his skin. When he glanced up, Seonghwa’s hand lost its black ink as well. 

“It- Is it gone?” Hongjoong demanded. 

Seonghwa shook his head. “It’s still there, I can feel it,” he assured him. “It’s just hiding.” 

“Test it!” Hongjoong said eagerly, already planning how he could tell his mom that they couldn’t hurt each other anymore. 

Seonghwa shook his head, eyes blowing wide. “I- What if it doesn’t work- What if I hurt you again?” 

Hongjoong frowned in concentration. “Well… maybe I can try and shock you- just a little bit! And then if it works, you can try me!” 

Seonghwa hesitated, but Hongjoong was already holding his finger out, smiling. After a moment, he nodded, holding out his arm. 

It took Hongjoong several taps and a minute of concentration before he could make the spark appear, but eventually, he watched a little arc of purple electricity jump from his skin to Seonghwa’s with a loud zap!

They both jumped at the noise, and Hongjoong stomach dropped as Seonghwa stared at his hand in wonder. “It didn’t hurt!” he burst. “I didn’t even feel it!” 

Hongjoong felt an excitement like no other grab his heart, holding his hand out to Seonghwa. “Try me!” 

Seonghwa looked decidedly less excited about that. “W-Well if it works for you, then there’s no reason it shouldn’t work for me.” 

“So try it,” Hongjoong pushed. “If it works, there’s no reason our parents would tell us we can’t be friends!” 

It took several moments of Hongjoong’s pleading expression, but Seonghwa held out a hand that swirled with shadows, reaching out and prodding Hongjoong’s hand. 

Hongjoong winced a little at the cold that brushed his skin, but he watched the shadows fall against him like mist against a wall- just slipping right off and disappearing. 

Seonghwa’s expression dropped into something between disbelief and open horror- 

Hongjoong leapt at him, hugging him so tight, Seonghwa squeaked, hugging him back. “There’s no reason we can’t be friends now,” Hongjoong said firmly. “My mom can’t say no if we can’t accidentally hurt each other now.” 

Seonghwa relaxed in Hongjoong’s hold, tightening his arms around him. “I… I can’t believe…” He buried his face in Hongjoong’s neck. “I’m glad you’re my friend.” 

Hongjoong giggled, his chest lighting up like a firework. “Me, too, Seonghwa.” 

Seonghwa… 

Seonghwa was gone by the next afternoon. 

Hongjoong stared out of the front window, watching the street, waiting for Seonghwa to come by so they could talk to their parents together. 

“Hongjoong, it’s- What are you doing?” his mom asked, putting disapproving hands on her hips. 

Hongjoong glanced back at her. “Waiting,” he said firmly, turning back. 

“Waiting for what?” she asked, standing beside him and pushing the curtain aside. 

He hesitated because Seonghwa wasn’t there yet, but… he should be here any second, so Hongjoong could get started without him, right? It might take a while to explain anyway. 

His mom didn’t understand too much. 

Hongjoong stared out the window. “Seonghwa,” he said fearlessly. 

He could feel his mom stiffen up in anger. “Why are you waiting for that boy?” she demanded. “They promised they’d be gone by now.” 

He frowned in confusion, looking up at her. “What… What do you mean?” 

Hongjoong didn’t like the look on his mom’s face. “The only reason I didn’t press charges against that woman and her son was because she promised they were moving out again!” she snapped. “They were supposed to be gone by noon- Did you see that boy walking around?”

Hongjoong stared. 

Somehow… even Seonghwa’s shadows hadn’t ever made him feel this cold. 

“He… He’s gone?” Hongjoong whispered. “T-They’re moving?” 

“After what he did to you?” she said sharply. “I gave her two options- leave or I was getting the police involved. She chose to leave. Taking her son somewhere he couldn’t attack innocent- Hongjoong !” 

Hongjoong was already running out the front door, tripping in the grass over his toy truck, but he got up quickly, running down the street. 

Seonghwa couldn’t leave. 

They had just spoke last night- They promised they’d still be friends. 

Seonghwa couldn’t have known they were leaving- he would have told Hongjoong. Why would he have bothered to protect Hongjoong, if he knew he was just going to leave anyway?

Hongjoong ran down the sidewalk a few streets, his heart pounding. He pressed a hand to it, but he didn’t feel anything different. 

When he arrived down the street, he saw Seonghwa’s house- a large truck outside of it and men moving furniture. 

Hongjoong ran across, practically tackling one of the men, hanking on his shirt hard. “Mister!” he practically yelled, choking on his breath. 

He glanced down, frowning at the child practically hanging off of him. “What is it, kid?” he asked, setting down his box. 

Hongjoong swallowed fearfully. “What happened to the boy who lived here?” he demanded. “Where is he?” 

He saw the mover’s eyes soften. “The family that lived here already left, kid,” he said regretfully. “They drove ahead to their new house earlier today.” 

Hongjoong felt something cold settle in his chest. “W-Where’s their new house?” he asked. “Across town?” he asked hopefully. Maybe they could still meet a playground. 

The mover looked torn, but Hongjoong’s desperate eyes made him sigh. “No, kid, they... moved across the country,” he said heavily. “Down south- near the coast.” 

Hongjoong felt his stomach sinking. “H-How far away is that?” 

He winced. “I… I don’t think you’ll be seeing your friend much, kid…” 

His eyes widened as he felt tears pool in his eyes- 

“Hongjoong!” 

He was suddenly being picked up, his mother apologizing to the mover for her son interrupting, walking briskly back to their house. “If you ever run off like that again,” she snapped harshly. “You scared me, Hongjoong- How dare you run off like that-” 

Hongjoong barely even listened. 

Seonghwa… was gone. Somewhere… somewhere far. Somewhere Hongjoong probably couldn’t ever see. He cried, and he didn’t even care what his mom tried to say to comfort him. 

Hongjoong sat on the couch, pulling up his shirt, but the spot above his chest remained blank. He poked and prodded and scratched at it- but nothing could make the mark appear. 

Hongjoong walked around his house like a ghost, sad and empty feeling. Would Seonghwa make new friends? Was he… Was he crying when his mom made him leave? Who was Hongjoong supposed to make laugh now? 

Hongjoong played with his toys, but it was never the same. 

His parents enrolled him in the next level of school, and that helped distract Hongjoong. 

He met a couple more kids who were Different, too. A girl whose hair could move on its own, and a boy who could stretch himself really far. 

They weren’t Seonghwa- the boy was selfish with his toys, and the girl never said sorry when her hair hit Hongjoong’s face. But they were… enough that Hongjoong didn’t feel so lonely. 

Hongjoong moved through school, falling into schoolwork and making a few more friends who invited him places… 

By the time he was ten and that man was escorting Hongjoong into the facility, Seonghwa had faded a bit in his mind. Hongjoong knew he had lost a friend, but it seemed so long ago… 

The facility began training him, and when Hongjoong would stare at his chest in the mirror, he almost wondered if he had imagined that friend who came and left so suddenly. 

Maybe the whole thing had been a dream. 

By the time Hongjoong had been in the facility a year, his friend had faded almost entirely in his mind- like an imaginary friend that you knew you had, but you couldn’t remember what you had called them or what they had looked like or what you did together. 

Hongjoong became so distracted by his present and future, the past began to fade. 

By the time Hongjoong had met Yunho and San, his old friend never crossed his mind, even once. He was someone who had faded, like all childhood friends did, becoming nothing more than a vague impression that Hongjoong didn’t have time or energy to try and remember. 

Training was exhausting, and Yunho was actually fun, and San loved playing games. Hongjoong had no reason to look back. 

Until he was staring at eyes that he had never seen in any way but alight with joy or awash with tears. 

He had never seen them burning with such hate before. 

They were the same eyes, though. Of that, he was certain. 

~~~~~~~~

“ Seonghwa… ” 

The figure above him flinched, like Hongjoong had yelled it, and burning eyes traced Hongjoong- from the mark to his eyes and back again- 

“ You- ” 

“Get away from him!” 

There was the sound of more glass shattering, and then a burst of green energy was blasting through the air- 

Seonghwa disappeared into a burst of black smoke, and Hongjoong sat up as the darkness binding him disappeared. 

Wooyoung turned, sending off another blast, anger on his face- 

“ Stop !” 

Hongjoong’s yell was desperate enough to make Wooyoung aim wide- the energy blast tearing through a wall and breaking into outside. He saw the dark figure melt into shadow again. 

Wooyoung looked at Hongjoong- both demanding if he was okay, and asking if he was crazy for making him miss. 

A mass of pulsing blackness flew from the shadows at Wooyoung- 

“ Don’t hurt him !” Hongjoong screamed, his heart leaping as he got to his shaking legs that could barely support him. 

Wooyoung turned, too slow- 

A disc of white appeared in front of him, the black slamming into and making it crumble. 

Yeosang stood, panting in the broken glass. “Stop running off!” he snapped, hurrying in, eyes searching. 

“ Stop ,” Hongjoong ordered, trying to keep his voice strong as it shook. He saw both of those who had arrived turn at him in confusion, but Hongjoong looked up. “Seonghwa- stop it! Don’t-” 

A blast of shadows came so quickly, from so close that Yeosang didn’t even have time to throw up a shield as it pierced into Hongjoong- 

And disappeared. 

“Don’t hurt anyone!” he yelled into the darkness around them, feeling dizzy. “Why-” He moved towards Wooyoung and Yeosang quickly. “Guys, go ,” he ordered sternly. 

“Wh- You know him?” Wooyoung demanded, tensed. 

“Who the hell-” 

Dark shadows began creeping along the ground. Wooyoung blasted at them, but it did absolutely nothing to stop the slow fog creeping over the floor towards them. 

Hongjoong felt his heart constrict in fear and overwhelming emotions. “Seonghwa!” he yelled. “Stop- Stop trying to hurt people!” 

Maybe it wasn’t Seonghwa. Maybe Hongjoong was just making a fool of himself. 

“Yeosang, Wooyoung- get out of here!” he snapped, pushing the two of them together as their circle of safety shrunk. 

Yeosang moved to place a shield over all of them, but Hongjoong grabbed his hand firmly. The other started as Hongjoong glared. 

“Go!” he ordered. “ Now !”

They looked confused and torn and fearful- 

But it didn’t matter what you thought. You listened to the leader and you hoped everyone made it out. 

Yeosang wrapped a shield around the both of them, opening a small hole that Wooyoung charged up energy for. 

He looked at Hongjoong, eyes fearful. “What about you?” he demanded. 

“I’ll catch up- Just make sure the others are safe!” 

Their faces were grim, but Wooyoung discharged the energy through the hole, the blast of it sending them flying backwards, breaking through a wall and rolling out into the street. 

Hongjoong looked down, standing still as shadows licked at his boots. 

“You can’t hurt me,” Hongjoong said, voice shaking in a struggle to remain calm. “You promised.” 

They were memories Hongjoong had visited in decades. He was shocked he remembered them at all. 

He was shocked that this person could be the same one from before. 

The darkness surged up to swallow Hongjoong, like a wave crashing over him and dragging him under- disorienting and sickening, and Hongjoong resisted the urge to cry in fear of it- 

It was cold. Nothing else. No pain. 

Hongjoong swallowed his shaking words as the darkness parted once more, the figure standing in front of him- only his eyes visible under the brim of his hat, peaking over his mask. 

They were so angry. So hateful. 

Hongjoong stared at him, eyes wide and his heart pounding at their silence. “Stop this,” he whispered hoarsely. “Stop hurting people.” He stared on in burning silence. Hongjoong swallowed. “Do you remember me?” he asked weakly. 

Seonghwa was still and silent, his fists clenching at his side, making the leather gloves that covered them creak. 

He glared so hard, the mark over his eye crinkled and warped. 

“You were my first mistake.” 

His voice dropped like poison against Hongjoong’s skin. 

One he was not immune to. 

Hongjoong flinched, opening his mouth to- 

Seonghwa melted into shadows, everything around Hongjoong going eerily quiet as the darkness seemed to retreat. He turned quickly, eyes searching the air- 

Hongjoong could feel it in his chest. 

Seonghwa was gone. 

He ran out into the street, searching frantically for the others- 

They stood in a cluster at the end of the street, and Hongjoong ran to them, waiting for a blast of darkness to take them. But they simply caught sight of him and ran to meet him, all their powers charged and ready to attack- 

“Is anyone hurt?” Hongjoong demanded as they reached each other, his heart racing. 

Mingi shook his head quickly. “The bastard never came near us.” 

“Any hostages?” 

“What happened to that guy?” Wooyoung demanded, searching behind Hongjoong. “Did you-” 

“He left,” he said shortly, his hands still shaking a little. “Did you find anyone?” 

Yunho shook his head. “No, not a single person,” he reported. “And there’s been no reports of anyone missing. I don’t know what he was doing out here, but it wasn’t anything to do with people.” 

Hongjoong’s mind was still reeling too much, he couldn’t think- He was surprised he hadn’t hit the ground at this point- 

“Solitude?” Yeosang guessed. “Maybe he was laying over? Do we know what he did while fighting the other teams?” 

Yunho shook his head. “They sent us in blind.” 

Seonghwa… 

Hongjoong couldn’t do this anymore. 

“He’s gone,” the leader said heavily, rubbing at his face. “And I doubt we have any chance of tracking him. We… We should go back and report. Let’s see what Eden wants us to do next.” 

No one looked thrilled with leaving a loose cannon on the run, but what chance did they stand? None of their powers seemed effective against him. 

“Radio in for pick up,” Hongjoong ordered, his voice losing it authority as Seonghwa’s face kept flashing across his mind. “Let’s go.” 

They walked in solemn silence, knowing that today had not been a victory, and San had been hurt on top of all of it. 

“You knew him.” Hongjoong raised heavy eyes to Wooyoung’s piercing gaze. “You called his name. Even more than that, you didn’t want either of us hurting each other.” His eyes narrowed in deep, confused anger. “Who was he?” 

Hongjoong bit the inside of his cheek hard. He shook his head as echoes of the past still reverberated. 

“Not now,” he said hoarsely. “Not now, Wooyoung.” 

His tone was enough to make the other’s expression soften into sympathy. He looked away, lips twisting regretfully. 

The chopper was waiting by the time they arrived. 

“How did you survive that, hyung?” Yeosang asked quietly, carefully as he sat beside Hongjoong. “We… Our abilities were useless against him. How did you… You’re not injured in the slightest.” 

Hongjoong closed his eyes, leaning his head back, hoping that it might knock back the memories. “Not now, Yeosang,” he said, sounding a little more pleading than he had planned. 

He could feel the others’ gazes burning into him, but Hongjoong could not respond to them right now. 

He remembered Seonghwa, even if it was distant. He was sad and upset and kind… he was a good friend- they had both been so desperate to stay with each other… 

When had he turned into this? 

When had his sadness turned to hate? 

Hongjoong remembered his mother calling him a monster, the anger she had directed at him, the firm disappointment of his father towards him… 

The way Seonghwa’s family had forbid him from playing with others… How Seonghwa always seemed to be coming from home, upset and crying and feeling lost… 

Hongjoong had been too young and ignorant to connect every dot before. His worldview had been too narrow, too carefree, despite everything. 

Hongjoong was directed to Eden’s office the moment they arrived, the others saying they would save him a seat in the infirmary as they went to check on San. Hongjoong hadn’t even reached Eden’s door before it was opening, startling him with his frazzled nerves. 

Hongjoong jumped, stumbling back a step, and Eden stared down at him with gentle eyes. “Come in,” he said, opening it further for Hongjoong. 

Hongjoong didn’t want to do this. 

There was a tray set up beside the little couch, a cup of coffee and some hot soup sitting ready. “First, eat that, and then we’ll talk,” Eden said, sitting at his desk. 

Sometimes Eden was a little too in tune with their minds and thoughts. 

Hongjoong stared at it as he sat, his stomach churning. “Not hungry.” 

“You look ready to pass out,” Eden said firmly. “Eat at least a little.” 

Hongjoong sighed, but picked up the coffee, grateful for at least the heat. He hadn’t realized how chilled his blood was until it held the hot mug. He swallowed, trying to hold everything together. 

“I’d… I think I’d rather just do a verbal mission report,” Hongjoong said quietly, staring at the dark liquid. 

He heard Eden hum gently. “Those… are usually the times when people want to hide something. And usually the times when it would be most beneficial for me to see exactly what’s going on.” 

Hongjoong tightened his grip on the cup, something flowing quicker through his blood. “I… I don’t know if I’m ready to relive certain parts of that again.” 

Even if Hongjoong had forgotten Seonghwa, the memories he had were so… pure. Untouched. Seen through the eyes of a child who had no understanding of the world besides friend and pain. 

Seonghwa had been his friend, and Hongjoong could only remember being so elated- 

It didn’t matter if there was over a decade separating them, it somehow hurt to have those memories blackened with ink and shadows. 

“None of your teammates reported anything particularly alarming, aside from San’s injury,” Eden replied curiously, quietly. He leaned forward slightly, frowning. “What happened, Hongjoong? I can feel your distress from here, and that’s concerning.” 

Hongjoong took a sip of the coffee, just to keep from answering, but it only made his stomach roll. 

Eden wouldn’t- and couldn’t- go rooting around Hongjoong’s head without Hongjoong’s consent. If he pushed to only do a verbal report, Eden would comply until such a point it was a hindrance to their duty. 

Which, from the way Seonghwa’s hate and anger had burned, would likely be a point they reached quickly. 

“I knew the guy we were after,” Hongjoong said hoarsely, the coffee burning his throat. “Distantly.” 

He could hear the creak of Eden’s chair as he shifted. “You knew him? The villain you were sent after?” 

Hongjoong nodded slowly. “His name is Seonghwa, I befriended him when I was five. I knew him for less than a year before his family moved away.” 

There was a long silence, and Hongjoong set the coffee cup down when his hands started shaking a little too much. 

It was just all so jarring . 

“I think…it may be easiest on you if you allow me to see,” Eden said gently. “I can just let you rest, without watching it again, if you’d like.” 

Hongjoong was honestly so tired, any sort of break from thinking about this would be a blessing. But… what would happen? 

Seonghwa was a… a villain- he was attacking them, trying to kill them- He had been furious when he hadn’t been able to kill Hongjoong. 

But… the only version of Seonghwa that Hongjoong had in his head was the friend he had held so desperately. 

Hongjoong didn’t want him to get hurt- 

He was so angry . He was so full of hate- 

“Sure,” Hongjoong agreed, going to lay down- 

“Eat at least a little soup,” Eden instructed briskly, pointing. “And then we’ll get started.” 

Hongjoong ate the hot soup a little too quickly, burning his mouth, but honestly, he just wanted to get this over with. It upset his stomach more than it settled it, but when half of it was gone, he laid down and Eden didn’t scold him for it. 

He moved the tray, rolling his chair until he was beside Hongjoong’s head. Hongjoong closed his eyes. 

Seonghwa’s eyes burned into his, malicious and venomous- 

He felt Eden touch his forehead, and Hongjoong sank into a quiet, dark lake. Still and calm, rather than the turbulent, raging waves that Seonghwa had casted him into. 

Hongjoong just sank into darkness, not thinking about Seonghwa. Not even dreaming. 

He couldn’t say it was a relief.