Chapter Text
*
Inside his cell, Baekhyun was slowly going crazy. He had lost all track of time, unable to tell whether it had been days, weeks or months since he came here. The constant torture at the hands of the clones was starting to take its toll; he noticed it in the way his ribs were starting to stick out, his clothes hanging loosely off his frame. His blonde locks had started to fall out, horrifying him as he ran his hand through them, only to find himself holding an entire clump of hair in his fist.
Baekhyun took some small comfort in the fact there was no mirror in the room – at least he didn’t have to face the state he was in.
At some point, he must have fallen asleep. Since being in ĖXØ’s captivity, the nightmares that had been plaguing Baekhyun for the last few months had surprisingly stopped, finally slipping into his blissful black dreams again. It was a small comfort, a temporary escape from the torture of his waking hours, at least.
He woke up with a start when he noticed a figure standing in the corner of his cell. He could barely make it out in the dim light, but the silver glint of his hair gave him away; it was Baëkhyun.
“Fuck,” he hissed, his hand over his chest in an attempt to slow his heart rate down after the minor heart attack he just suffered. “Baëkhyun? What the fuck are you doing here?” He questioned, the sleep clinging to his brain removing the usual filter he kept around his clone for his own safety. But maybe he just didn’t care anymore.
Baëkhyun tilted his head in response, seemingly surprised at the fact Baekhyun had woken up. He strolled closer to Baekhyun, who sat up in his bed on instinct, back pressed to the wall as he tugged at the ratty sheet, covering his bare chest.
“What, I can’t come see you?” his clone asked, holding a hand over his heart in mock hurt. Baekhyun didn’t like the glint in his eyes, Baëkhyun was up to no good.
“Usually by now, you’re either threatening to blind me, or in the middle of searing my skin with your fuckass light blade, so no, Baëkhyun, you don’t just come to see me,” Baekhyun retorted, thoroughly exhausted with his clone and this entire situation. If he pissed Baëkhyun off enough, the other might just kill him, which would honestly be a relief at this point.
“Oh darling~” Baëkhyun purred, the nickname stirring something deep within Baekhyun and he shifted uncomfortably, “don’t go giving me ideas. Unless that’s what you want?” He asked, a pointed tip of light appearing at the tip of his finger as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “I knew all you EXOs were freaky, of course you’d be into that, too. I should have known,” he continued, to himself more than anything.
Confusion. Baekhyun had no idea what the hell his clone was talking about.
“What the hell are you talking about?” He blurted, taking the bait and Baëkhyun grinned, a sadistic smirk warping his features, making Baekhyun feel like he had made a mistake.
“Jongin didn’t tell you?” Baëkhyun asked, the mischievous glint in his eye betraying his twisted intentions. “And here I thought you two were friends,” he said, making no attempt to hide his disgust at the idea.
Baekhyun knew he should just ignore Baëkhyun, that he was playing right into his clone’s hands, but his curiosity got the better of him.
“Tell me what? What are you talking about, Baëkhyun? What about Jongin?”
“Oh, he really didn’t tell you…” Baëkhyun continued, ignoring Baekhyun’s questions.
“Baëkhyun, stop playing games and tell me.” Baekhyun demanded, crossing his arms.
“Ooh, bossy, that’s cute,” Baëkhyun laughed, flashing his teeth as he leaned closer into Baekhyun’s space, the wicked glint in his eyes making him look even more deranged up close.
“Jongin didn’t tell you about what he and Kāi get up to?”
Taking Baekhyun’s confused silence for a sign to proceed, Baëkhyun continued.
“About the way Kāi has him screaming his name at night, taking him whichever way he wants to, and Jongin lets him?” he paused, watching as disbelief flitted across Baekhyun’s face. “How Jongin just lets it happen every time? Hell,” he chuckled, “I’m pretty sure he wants it, too.”
“No.” Baekhyun said, firmly. “You’re lying. It’s not true.”
“Am I?” He asked, teasingly. “You seem so sure of yourself. Is it really such an outrageous idea? Not like you didn’t do the same, after all,” he continued.
“Shut up,” Baekhyun glared, his cheeks flushing pink at the memory despite himself. “That was a one-time thing a long time ago. Let it go.”
“How can I, when you were so sweet for me?” His clone continued, moving closer so their faces were inches apart and Baekhyun swallowed dryly, looking away. “I don’t blame Kāi, if I had his powers, I’d be visiting you a lot more often too,” Baëkhyun murmured as he nuzzled along Baekhyun’s jaw, drawing a shiver from Baekhyun despite himself.
“You’re lying,” Baekhyun repeated, firm in his denial. “And even if it did happen, which I don’t believe, it was a long time ago. Why would you even bring it up now, you’re sick.”
Baëkhyun laughed, the puff of air leaving his mouth ghosting Baekhyun’s ear, gaining him another shiver from Baekhyun.
“Oh no, no,” he breathed. “You misunderstand. I’m not talking about years ago. I’m talking about now.”
Baekhyun’s blood felt like it froze inside his veins.
“What?” he breathed out.
“You heard me,” Baëkhyun purred in his ear. “Kāi has been paying Jongin a few little visits over the last few months,” he continued gleefully. “He told me all about it, you know. Made me kinda… envious.”
No, Baekhyun thought. This couldn’t be right. Baëkhyun had to be lying. Because that’s what the clones did. They lied, they manipulated, they tortured. He probably got bored of physical torture and decided to move on to emotional torture instead. That had to be it – because it just couldn’t be true.
But, Baekhyun remembered the expression on Jongin’s face. How guilty he had looked. How strained he had sounded when Baekhyun had asked him if he was fine – the blatant lie was written all over his face. Baekhyun hadn’t questioned it then, figuring Jongin would tell him whatever was going on with him when he was ready, but what if this was the reason? Could it really be? No, he shouldn’t even consider it. Baëkhyun was just fucking with him, that’s all this was.
Baëkhyun watched Baekhyun with amusement written all over his face.
“Want me to tell you about it? It was kinda hot, did you know Jongin is into knife play? I’m telling you, your friend is freaky,” he continued, his grin spreading even wider.
Baekhyun screamed, pushing Baëkhyun away as he covered his hands with his ears. No more, he couldn’t hear anymore.
“Shut up! Go away!” He hiccupped, feeling a sob threatening to come out. “Stop talking, please, I don’t- I can’t-“ he trembled as another sob wracked his body, unable to fight it any longer. Something inside him felt so broken, so betrayed, unable to deal with the thought of Jongin doing something like that.
“As you wish, darling,” Baëkhyun said, bowing in a mocking gesture before spinning on his feet and walking out of the cell, ignoring the broken sobs coming from Baekhyun as he curled in on himself in the dark cell.
*
After observing Chanyeol for another hour through the glass, making sure he wasn’t going to spontaneously burst into fire, Yixing deemed it safe enough for them to head into the chamber. Instantly, he was fussing over Chanyeol, taking blood samples and running tests while Jongin worked to remove the restraints keeping him in place.
“How do you feel?” Yixing asked as he shined a small penlight into Chanyeol’s eyes, noting down the way his pupils responded.
“Better if you stopped shining that damn light into my eyes,” Chanyeol huffed, trying to look away while Yixing tsk’ed in disapproval.
“Your powers,” Jongin gasped in amazement, “they’re back? I saw them, I can’t believe it, but, really?”
Chanyeol smiled at him, dimples appearing in his cheeks.
“They’re back, Nini,” he said, holding out his palm, a small flame appearing in the middle of it and Jongin gasped before Yixing intervened.
“That’s enough, Yeol,” he said sternly. “We don’t know the extent of your powers yet, nor your control on them. I would advise against using them in front of others until we know for sure.”
He turned to Jongin, a serious expression on his face.
“I know you’re dying to undergo the procedure yourself, but you have to wait.” As Jongin opened his mouth to protest, Yixing held up his hand, shushing him. “Hear me out. Yes, it worked. But we need to know how well it worked. Are Chanyeol’s powers the same as they were before? Are they different? Are there any other things we need to know? We need at least some answers before we can use it on more of us.”
“Yixing is right, Nini,” Chanyeol agreed. “If anything is wrong, it’s best we find out when it’s just me.”
Begrudgingly, Jongin agreed. He was so close to getting his powers back, but still so far. But he had to admit they were right. He could only watch as Yixing led Chanyeol into another chamber, one that he said was specifically built to withstand anything the EXOs could throw at it and Jongin wondered just how long Yixing had been preparing for this moment.
They spent hours testing the extent of Chanyeol’s power. Yixing made him challenge the limits of his abilities, mostly to figure out whether anything had changed, while Chanyeol focused on re-learning how to wield them. It was deep into the night when they finally decided to take a break, Chanyeol laying on the floor in the middle of the chamber, panting heavily as sweat rolled down his face and Jongin sat down next to him, handing him a bottle of water.
“As far as I can see, nothing seems wrong,” Yixing commented, looking up from his notes. “I can’t speak for the long-term effects, but the immediate results seem promising.” He looked at Jongin. “If you want to take the risk, I won’t stop you.”
Jongin felt like he could cry, an immense feeling of relief washing over him at the thought of finally getting his powers back. He walked with Yixing back to the circular chamber, Chanyeol following behind them. He sat down in the chair, although they didn’t bother with the restraints this time – with Jongin’s abilities, there would be no point. Jongin took off the ring Jongdae had given him, the ever-present force field around them disappearing as Chanyeol and Yixing did the same.
Yixing injected him with the serum and Jongin winced as the needle pierced through the sensitive skin of his arm, and he left the chamber, joining Chanyeol on the other side of the glass.
Once again, they waited.
Just like it had done with Chanyeol, it took a while for the serum to take effect. Jongin waited for a hint of anything, any feeling of discomfort as the serum flowed through his body. Then, he felt a pull, starting inside his chest, slowly spreading out over his body, increasing in intensity as it did, and he screamed at the top of his lungs as his body felt like it was being torn apart at an atomic level, before mending itself back together only to be ripped to shreds over and over again. It was torture, far worse and more painful than anything he’d ever experienced, and Jongin was only vaguely aware of the tears streaming down his face. Surely it wasn’t supposed to hurt this much.
Blinding light flooded his eyes, warping the room around him, and then there was the blissful relief of nothing as Jongin blacked out.
*
When Jongin came to, the first thing he noticed was how sore his entire body felt. It felt like he had just finished a gruelling dance practice session, spending hours in the practice room without any breaks. The second thing he noticed was the soft, yet firm press against his cheek. Cracking his eyes open, all he saw was green. It took him a moment to remember where he had been before, but he certainly wasn’t in Yixing’s clinical chamber anymore.
With a gasp, he pushed himself up. The ground under his hands felt soft, and he looked down to see grass spreading out between his fingers. He shifted his gaze up in order to take in his surroundings, and Jongin realized he vaguely recognized this place. He had been here once before, together with the other members, on this hilltop overlooking the city. They had spent the afternoon laughing and talking together, gazing out over the city underneath them until the sun went down.
It had worked.
Jongin had no idea what made him end up back here, but there was no doubt about it. His powers were back. He could feel it now, focusing his attention on his body, the way the energy thrummed just below the surface of his skin, ready for him to command.
Tentatively, he reached out, familiarizing himself with the power rippling inside of him after spending so many years without it, feeling the way it responded to him just like it had always done.
It was enough to bring him to tears. How much he’d missed this, how many sleepless nights he had spent longing for this. And now it was here, within his grasp, feeling as natural as the air in his lungs, the blood in his veins.
Without the need to think about it or force it, he took a deep breath, feeling the air around him warble as he closed his eyes and jumped.
When he opened his eyes again, he was met with a startled-looking Yixing.
“Jongin!” He exclaimed, relief on his face at his reappearance. “We had no idea where you went– are you okay?”
“Yes, I–“ Jongin said, inspecting his own arms, “I feel good– great actually,” he laughed breathlessly, still unable to believe this was really happening. “I’m not dreaming, right?” he asked, before yelping in surprise as Chanyeol shot the tiniest flame over to him from across the room.
“Ouch! What did you do that for?” Jongin pouted, cradling his arm which was now decorated by a small red burn.
“Just showing you it’s not a dream,” Chanyeol shrugged. “Now you know. Anyway, Yixing can fix you right up.”
Jongin looked over at Yixing, incredulous. “When did you–?“
“While you were gone? You were gone for hours Jongin, we had time.” Yixing explained, holding his hand over the burn on Jongin’s arm, and Jongin felt the familiar relief that came with Yixing’s healing powers flowing through him. Before long, the burn was gone, like it hadn’t even been there in the first place.
“Oh,” Jongin’s face fell, realizing he must have been out for a lot longer than he thought. “I passed out. I didn’t know it had been so long, I’m sorry, you must have been worried.”
“We were,” Yixing admitted. “But it’s okay now. You’re okay.” He smiled. “We’re okay”.
“Yeah,” Jongin agreed, and for the first time in a long time, it didn’t feel like a lie, a smile tugging at his lips that actually reached his eyes. “We are.”
*
With the return of Jongin’s powers, there was no reason for them to use regular methods of transport anymore.
“Thank god,” Chanyeol sighed in relief, “I don’t think I could have dealt with sitting through another plane ride just to have you crushing my hand the entire time,” to which Jongin grumbled.
“I could just leave you here, you know,” he said jokingly and Chanyeol gasped in mock hurt.
“You wouldn’t!”
“No, you’re right. I wouldn’t,” Jongin smiled fondly as he threw the last of his belongings into his carrier, closing it up and holding out his hand for Chanyeol to take.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Ready.” Chanyeol nodded.
Jongin jumped to a remote spot in the forest near their old base. It was the same one he had always used, unable to jump any closer because of the force field around their base stopping him. He wasn’t sure if it was back in operation yet, but he figured even if it wasn’t, Jongdae’s rings would stop him from jumping too close. Unfortunately, there was no way to differentiate between their powers, so whatever worked against Kāi worked against Jongin, too.
Jongin jumped back, returning a few moments later with Yixing in tow – they agreed to not make him jump with more than one extra person, unsure of how much strain Jongin’s body could handle right now. Multiple smaller jumps would be safer until they knew for sure.
The trio made their way back to their old living quarters inside the EXO base, where the others were waiting for them. They hadn’t told them about Yixing’s serum yet – agreeing it would be best discussed in person, leaving each of the members to make their own decision on the matter. There would be no pressure. If any of them didn’t want to take the risk, for whatever reason at all, they would accept it.
Sitting on the couches in the living room, it was Yixing who broke the tense silence.
“I have something to tell you all, but I think it’s best if we just showed you. Chanyeol?”
At Yixing’s beckoning, Chanyeol held out his hands, palms facing up as the four sitting across from him watched in confusion. The silence that had settled over the room erupted into chaos the moment Chanyeol called upon his powers, small flames appearing in his palms.
“What? How?”
“No way…”
“What the fuck?!”
“Holy shit, Loey!”
All of them shouted all at once, their voices overlapping as they fell over themselves trying to get a better look and Chanyeol quickly put his flames out, not keen on accidentally starting a small house fire.
Jongdae turned to Yixing, sharp eyes focusing on him. “You said you had something to tell us. I’m guessing this is part of it?”
The others listened with bated breath as Yixing explained to them, the same way he had done to Jongin and Chanyeol, what he’d been working on over the past five years. The results he’d gotten, testing the serum on Chanyeol, Jongin and himself. How he’d brought six more doses with him – enough for every single one of them, if they wanted it.
“Of course we do! That’s not even a question!” Sehun had instantly responded, to which Yixing shot him a disapproving look.
“Sehun, I get that you’re enthusiastic. That’s good,” he said. “But, don’t be mistaken, there is a serious risk in doing this. We have no idea about any long-term effects and while that may not be a problem for you,” he threw a tentative glance at Jongdae as he spoke, “some of us might feel differently. I suggest everyone take some time to think this over, talk about it with each other if you need to, and come back when you’ve made a decision. Don’t take it lightly,” he pressed.
Sehun stood up. “I don’t need to think about it. I’m ready. Let’s go.”
“Even if you are, I’m not. We need to set up first. I’ll meet you back here in a few hours, whoever wants to do this.” He looked at every one of them. “There’s no harm, no shame in backing out. We won’t judge, whatever the reason.”
“Yixing, I’m going to stop you there,” Jongdae interjected. “I know you’re probably thinking this must be difficult for me, but it’s not. There’s no question here, really.” He looked around the room, at Minseok and Kyungsoo who nodded.
“I agree with him,” Minseok said. “It’s not a question. Baekhyun’s life is at stake here. We have to get him back, and we can’t do it without our powers. We don’t leave anyone behind. I know I can speak for everyone here when I say this, remember that we are one. We always have been, and we always will be.”
Kyungsoo agreed. “None of us are going to pass this up. Too much is at stake. So take your time setting up, do what you have to, but don’t wait on us. We’ve already made up our minds.”
Yixing gauged their reactions, unable to find a hint of doubt or uncertainty in any of them. He nodded, getting up.
“Meet me at the lab in a few hours.”
*
Yixing gathered a few scientists he trusted, the same ones that had been around before, and together, they got to work. In just a few hours, they managed to set up a basic chamber modeled after the one in Yixing’s lab, and they were ready to start.
Yixing looked at the four EXO members standing in front of him one last time.
“If any of you have any doubts at all, now is the time to listen to them,” he said. When no one responded, he nodded. “So, who’s going first?”
Jongdae stepped forward, resolutely. “Me. I’m going first.”
He followed Yixing into the chamber, while the rest of them stood outside, watching as Yixing injected him with the serum, before walking back to join them on the other side.
“It’s going to get a little ugly,” he warned them, a deep frown etched on his face. “It happened to all of us.”
The flashes of lightning reached them before the sound of Jongdae’s agonized screams did.
A few hours later, they were finally done. Minseok had gone last, and as they stepped into the chamber to greet him, the coldness in the air turned their breaths into small white puffs hanging in front of their faces.
It felt surreal, like the last five years hadn’t happened. Like it had just been a bad dream that they had suddenly woken up from.
But, Jongin knew, this feeling of relief would only be temporary. The real challenge started now. They weren’t complete without their leader – they needed Junmyeon in order for this to work. And frankly, they were running out of time. It had already been over a week and they had no way of knowing whether Baekhyun was even still alive.
Jongin had been toying with an idea ever since he got his powers back, in a desperate attempt to find out more about Baekhyun’s condition. That night, as the others had retreated to their rooms for the night, thoroughly exhausted from the day’s events, Jongin and Chanyeol were left alone in the living room. Gathering his courage, Jongin voiced his thoughts to Chanyeol.
“No. Absolutely not, Jongin,” came Chanyeol’s firm response.
“But think about it, Yeollie,” Jongin argued, “wouldn’t it be better to know what we’re walking into? Now that I’ve got my powers, it’s possible. I can be in and out without anyone noticing.”
“Remind me,” Chanyeol retorted, crossing his arms, “what happened the last time you went there to ‘scope things out?’ We can’t take the risk, Jongin. Our best bet is to go to Junmyeon and figure out a plan together.”
Jongin pursed his lips, disagreeing. The plan was shaky at best. They had no idea how Junmyeon would take the news – whether it would trigger another meltdown, whether he didn’t want anything to do with them anymore. There was no guarantee he would help them and even if he wanted to, Jongin honestly wasn’t sure if he was still able to.
Honestly, the decision had long been made in Jongin’s mind. He had just wanted some reassurance, maybe some support, but he realized going to Chanyeol about it had been a mistake. The other man was too emotional, unable to think rationally when it came to situations where one of them could end up in danger.
Excusing himself, muttering something about needing sleep, Jongin retreated to his old room.
Being inside his old bedroom felt just as jarring as when he had stepped back into the living room for the first time. Everything was still in the same place, like it hadn’t been touched in years, but he was glad to find out someone had kept the place clean in their absence. There wasn’t a speck of dust to be found and his sheets smelled fresh as he sat down onto the bed.
In silence, Jongin waited, until he heard Chanyeol’s footsteps passing by his door, heading towards his own room. When Jongin heard the door close, he waited for another thirty minutes until he was sure everyone was asleep, before slipping off his ring and silently opening his door, like he had done so many times before.
He walked down the hallway on his tiptoes, careful not to make any noise, and slipped out of the front door, disappearing into the night without any of the others knowing.
*