Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He couldn’t remember how it started.

Truth be told, he wasn’t a hundred percent sure how long it had been since this all began either. Time blurred after a while. If he were to hazard a guess, he would say it had been maybe seven years since he had discovered the first door.

Despite multiple years passing, Hyunjin still couldn’t say with confidence that he understood how the doors worked. He was pretty sure it had been an accident when he had stumbled upon a door, opened it, and found himself in an alternate universe when he had passed through.

For a while, Hyunjin had tried to find a way back to his world, but every time he managed to find a door, it seemed to only lead him further away. When it became clear he wasn’t going to get home, he gave up. Surrendering to this new strange way of existing had been a mental journey to say the least. There had been a period of time when the utter loneliness had damn near destroyed him completely. He was pretty sure he had lost his mind for a little while but that hadn’t helped his situation either. After some time, he shifted his perspective, instead learning to embrace the freedom that came with being the only one in a universe with the option to leave.

It was hard to believe in consequences when you could literally run away from them.

In his old world, Hyunjin had constantly been dancing with trouble. His mother had often joked that she should have named him ‘well behaved’ in hopes he would have lived up to it. Instead he had lived up to his fathers legacy, much to his mothers heartache.

Hyunjin shook his head as his he caught his thoughts drifting to his mother again. Thoughts of her and his pup Kkami made his chest feel hollow and the echoes of desperation tinted madness sounded in his head again. He had worked too hard to find a level of acceptance and mental peace to lose himself again to it so he focused on the coffee in his hand and the store in front of him.

He had been in this current world for five months and he was ready to leave. But not before he paid one last visit to a particularly rude store worker.

Hyunjin finished his coffee and put the cup down, leaving some coins that he was pretty certain were from this world on the table next to it. With his hands in his pockets, he headed across the road and into the store. As he expected, the rude store worker didn’t so much as glance up.

That was fine. Rather than wait for someone to offer their assistance, Hyunjin set about helping himself. He walked behind the counter, humming a tune he had heard somewhere along the way, Hyunjin snagged one of the keys and proceeded to unlock the jewelry cases.

“Uh! Excuse me! Sir you can’t be-!” The store workers panicked voice brought an amused smile to Hyunjin’s face.

“So today I am ‘sir’?” he asked, taking out a few rings that looked oh so pretty, “Last week you said I wasn’t worth the lint in your pocket. Has my stock suddenly increased?” Hyunjin tsked, moving to the next case to retrieve a stunning white gold chain.

“Sir if you don’t stop immediately I’m calling the police!” The now flustered store worker warned.

“It’s honestly strange that you haven’t already.” Hyunjin replied, voice absentminded as he inspected a bracelet. “I’ve met a different you, a few worlds ago now, he was much more polite. You could learn a thing or two. No one person is below another. And even the prettiest of jewelry isn’t worth losing your common decency over. Especially not when you don’t even own it! You just work here!”

“That’s it! I’m calling the police! This store is full of cameras, you’re done for!” The man yelled.

Hyunjin couldn’t help but giggle, “If only life were that simple.” He checked the time on his watch, “Ah, it’s time I leave actually.” He turned to face the worker head on, “Please make sure you give an accurate description, don’t forget my mole okay?” he pointed at said beauty mark with a wink, and smiled before walking out, leaving the keys on the bench outside the store.

Pulling the hood of his jacket up, Hyunjin turned into one of the alleyways and went to a nondescript door. “Five… four… three… two… and…” on cue, a faintly green glow shone from underneath the door. Hyunjin smiled and opened it, wincing a little from the glare of the light, and stepped through and to the next world.

--

“Chan!”

At the call of his name, Chan looked up from his note book. The urgency in the voice had him running out and into the computer room where Minho and Seungmin were staring at some data on the screens. At a glance, Chan recognized the energy signature readings and the map they used to track known back doors.

“Is it them again?” He asked, jumping straight to the point.

“Looks like it.” Minho nodded, crossing his arms and glaring at the screen.

“What’s the latest?” Chan sighed, looking towards Seungmin for an explanation.

“Looks like they had been in universe a26 for approximately 5 months, it’s the longest they’ve been in one place for a while. Something must have happened though because they used another door. It looks like this one will land them in either…” he trailed off, typing some code into the computer that Chan didn’t pretend to understand. “Universe a83, or b31… hopefully it’ll be a83, Han hates the bugs in the b universes even more than the a’s and with how slippery they have been we’ll likely need everyone.”

“Mm… maybe not everyone,” Chan replied, voice thoughtful as possibilities ran through his mind.

“What are you thinking boss?” Minho asked, a not so subtle hint to share his thoughts for a change.

“Whoever this person is, they’re good. They’ve been at this for a long time – meaning there’s no way they are some random civilian, or at least not anymore. They have a knack for knowing exactly when to be and where. All the chaos they have been causing, they’ve always been able to escape through the doors – I’d bet money that if we bring up the news reports for a26 tomorrow there will be some sort of news story on them near that door.” He pointed to the data marker on the map that signaled the mystery persons last exit.

“Ok… so what’s the play?” Minho prompted, nodding along with what Chan was saying. While he had initially been skeptical, Minho had accepted that Chan was their leader for a reason. While he was always open to their opinions, they trusted him and his decisions. For the most part.

“We’ll have everyone on standby in case this person proves to be dangerous.” Chan told them, his voice firm. “But I want to speak with them alone.”

Minho’s eyes widened in realization. “You want to recruit them?!”

“Yep.”

While Minho trusted their leader, there was also times he thought the man was an absolute moron.

Chapter Text

“This is an absolutely terrible idea.” Jisung stated for the third time in forty minutes.

“Jisung…” Changbin warned, the tone in his voice suggesting he shut up. He didn’t look to face the younger though, keeping his focus on Chan and Felix through the binoculars. The two were currently sitting in a car down the street, watching from a distance in case they were needed.

It had been a mission to get Chan to agree to taking a second person with him. He was protective of the group – as the appointed leader he felt a lot of responsibility for their safety, and they all understood and respected that. If only he realized that they all wanted to keep him safe too.

So yes, when Chan had announced his plan to the rest of the group, they had been quite vocal in their disagreements. Ultimately, it was decided that Felix would be the one to join Chan in confronting the person they had spent the last however long tracking. Felix was a strategic choice. Based on his appearance, he came across as unassuming and non-threatening. He gave off an energy of gentle calm and invitation to people without even meaning to – something that would serve them well for the conversation Chan was hoping to have.

Felix was also an absolute bad ass who could more than hold his own against anyone who misinterpreted his gentle nature for weakness. Perfect for backup in case the conversation didn’t go in Chan’s favor.

The two could (and have) watched each other’s backs in the past when facing potentially dangerous situations, but Jisung and Changbin were still on standby just to be safe. The rest of their little gang were back in the pocket their called home, monitoring the situation from a far.

“You guys know we can hear you, right?” Felix’s amused voice came through their communicators.

“Yes! And I think you should know I think this is a bad idea!” Jisung shot back without missing a beat.

“Noted.” Chan cut in before Felix could respond, his tone all business and leaving no more room for discussions. “According to Seungmin’s intel, they should be in this café. It seems to be their grounding place.”

They all had a grounding place – somewhere they went to reorient themselves to the new world they had stepped into, somewhere consistent to figure out what was different and what they needed to do to adjust. These places were also where Chan had found most of them.

Changbin watched as Chan opened the door of the café for Felix, making a sweeping gesture to invite Felix in first. Through the coms, they heard Felix giggle and thank him as he headed inside. “Smooth.” Changbin teased before the two in the car fell silent.

--

Felix headed into the café, heading over to one of the open tables and taking a seat. Chan down across from him, glancing around as if checking where the waitress was. It was a subtle move but Felix knew he was taking stock of the entry and exist points.

The two ordered a coffee each and settled in.

Felix kept his expression relaxed as he glanced around, assessing the other patrons. For the most part they were unassuming, a couple of families, a few couples, some business women, but no one who looked out of place. Then again if the person they had been looking for was as proficient as Chan seemed to think, then it would make sense for them to know how to blend in too.

Chan sipped his coffee, “Possibly the woman at the counter?” he suggested, Felix glanced over towards the counter. There was a woman who looked to be in her mid 30s there, striking up a conversation with the barista. “Could be asking questions…”

“Could be.” Felix agreed. It was what he would do – find a resident and start fishing for information. Just then, a figure in one of the corner booths caught Felix’s attention over Chans left shoulder. He tilted his head a little, leaning forward as though he was listening intently to something the older has said as he inspected the figure.

The figure was a truly stunning man with dark, cat like eyes. He wore a grey hoodie and a black baseball cap, his black hair appeared to reach just above his shoulders. There was something enchanting about the man’s features. Maybe it was his lips, or the way his brows furrowed a little as he inspected the menu with far too much concentration than strictly necessary. It was like he was inspecting each item.

“Chan, back corner booth. I think it’s him.”

At his words, Chan got his phone out, sliding it across the table to Felix who understood the silent request. “Smile Channie!” he said in a sing-song tone, pointing the phones camera at Chan. He zoomed in on the figure in the background while Chan smiled extra wide. Felix absently wished he was actually taking his photo, he looked so cute.

But alas.

“Very handsome!” Felix praised, sliding the phone back so Chan could see the image of the mystery man.

Chan assessed the image and nodded slowly. “I think you may be right.” Rubbing his hands together, he got up. Chan wasn’t one to waste time in situations like this.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Felix asked, leaning back in his chair.

“Maybe just wait until I give you the signal.” Chan replied, as expected. He was still hesitant to let the younger come too close in case the man was a stranger.
Felix nodded his agreement and watched as Chan headed over.

Chan sat down across from the stranger with a small groan, an old injury in his knee deciding to act up. The man watched him with curiosity in his eyes but an otherwise calm expression. “Anything interesting on the menu?”

There was a pause as the man seemed to consider his next words. “That depends, are you on it?” he replied in a smooth voice that was a little lower than Chan had expected, and a raised brow.

The words made him laugh, “You tell me? You were studying it.”

“I like to make an informed decision.” The man shrugged, leaning back and giving Chan an assessing look. Despite the confidence the man gave off, Chan felt there was a hesitation in him. An unsurety.

Testing his theory, Chan took the sugar shaker and vary calmly poured some into his palm, starting to eat a grain at a time. Any resident would be looking at him like he had a screw loose – this man simply followed his lead, calm as can be.

Chan smirked. Got him.

“Indeed you do.” He kept eating the sugar and commented, “The sugar here isn’t as sweet as the last world you were on.”

The man froze.

Chan forcefully kept his body from tensing, wanting to exude calm and non-threatening energy. This was always the dangerous part of these conversations. The cross roads. The moment of truth. Would they hear what he had to say, or would they react with violence? There had only been two who had reacted with violence, one had been Minho. His mean left hook had only made Chan want to recruit him more.

Rather than a swing though, the man reacted with a forced laugh. “You are a strange one, are you perhaps here with a carer?” his voice was gentle as he glanced back towards where Felix was sitting and watching them.

“No. I am here with another traveler though. That’s the term we go by when we travel through the backdoors.” Chan replied with a half shrug. It wasn’t him who came up with the term but it stuck.

“Very original.” The mans voice held a laugh as he shook his head a little. “Alright crazy man, this has been fun, but I think I’m going to call it a day-”

“It’s the grass.” Chan stated suddenly, causing the man to stop his movement to stand.

“What?”

“The grass.” Chan’s expression softened. “I never feels quite right. It’s not the right shade. It feels too sharp or it feels too soft or it has too much bounce or it’s too hard. The grass never feels the same and it definitely doesn’t feel like it did on your original world.”

There was a beat of silence. A moment when Chan was unsure if the man was able to run or break down. He seemed to just be processing.

Just as the moment hedged on awkward, the man replied quietly, “And the water. The water here feels… wrong. It feels stale. I washed my hands before and it felt awful. In other worlds the water feels almost right but…”

“But it’s not the same.” Chan finished gently.

“Who are you?”

“You can call me Chan.” He gave the man a smile. “What’s your name?”

“Hyunjin.”

“Hyunjin.” Chan repeated it, glad to finally have a name to put to the face. “What would you say if I told you that there are other people like you? Like us? That you don’t have to be alone anymore and you can come join us?”

Hyunjin hung on his words, and for a moment here was such raw hope in his eyes that Chan wanted nothing more than to take him away and keep him safe forever. But in the next beat, that hope was being hidden, mental walls coming up and hiding any true emotion behind a practiced smirk.

“I would say… that this has got to be the most devious hallucination my mind has come up with in some time. Truly, I’m impressed. It’s been a while since my last hallucination and last time it couldn’t talk.” Hyunjin laughed, the sound somehow sad and feeling like a dart straight through Chan’s heart. Hyunjin stood and loudly declared to the rest of the café, “My mind astounds even me!”

The other café goers looked at him in confusion and annoyance, Felix seemed concerned as he stood too to come over. Before he reached them though, Hyunjin had fished out some money, that was definitely not for this world, and was giving Chan a salute. “Until next time hallucination-Chan.”

Felix moved to follow when Hyunjin headed outside, but Chan stopped him with a hand on his chest. “Give him time.” He added, “Changbin, Jisung, follow him at a distance but don’t engage. Just see where he goes. If he stays in this world we’ll have a chance to speak with him once he calms down, but if he uses a door we’ll need to know which so we can trace him.”

“Got it.” Jisung replied over the coms.

“So,” Felix started as he put his hands in his pockets, eying Chan out the corner of his eye, “Are we going to address the potential mental health issues?”

Chan half shrugged, “Who doesn’t get some sort of mental health issue after travelling?” he kept his voice lighthearted but he was a little concerned by Hyunjin’s reaction. “What’s your read on him?”

“Apart from being drop dead gorgeous?” Felix raised a brow at him, “I’m not sure. There’s more to this man than meets the eye. He doesn’t feel dangerous though… just a little lost.”

That was another advantage of taking Felix with him – he was very good at reading people.

Chan nodded, “I agree, I remember what that feeling was like, feeling directionless. We’ll give him some time to process before we try talking again.”

Chapter Text

Hyunjin let his feet lead him, his mind racing.

He had to have been hallucinating. He had to! Because the alternative meant that that man was real. It meant that Chan had been telling the truth. It meant that he didn’t have to be alone...

The possibility was incredible and heartbreaking.

To think, all these years, there were people like him. People who felt just as detached, just as ungrounded, just as fucking untethered as he was! There were others who knew what it was like to walk between worlds but never find a way home. There were people who might actually know how to get home and could show him.

It was almost too good to be true.

No. It was too good to be true.

Because of course his mind would come up with a new way to torture him just when he started to feel a little less unhinged again. He had truly thought he had accepted his isolation.

Hyunjin was so busy mentally kicking himself that he didn’t realize just where his feet were leading him until he was stopping.

Across the road was a familiar house.

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me…” he muttered, unable to stop himself from laughing at his own misfortune, head tilting back as he stared up at the sky, “Really?” he wasn’t sure who he thought he was asking. With a breathless chuckle, he sat down under a tree.

Chan was right, the grass here felt weird too.

--

“Why isn’t he doing anything?” Jisung asked, it was his turn with the binoculars.

“I don’t know, he might just be thinking? Or maybe he doesn’t have anywhere to go.” Changbin suggested, checking the street again. It seemed like a normal, suburban style street.

“So he’s going to just stay under a tree?” Jisung shot back in disbelief.

“Say’s the man we once found in a tree?” Felix said as he got into the back seat. The two had followed at a much slower pace on foot and he was glad to be sitting for a minute.

“Hey! I was in a world with 90% jungle!” Jisung pouted, making Felix giggle.

“Yeah it took us three weeks to find you.” Chan smiled at the dramatic sound Jisung made. The leader was leaning against the car on the drivers side and took advantage to lightly poke Changbin’s cheek, making him smile.

“Do you want someone to go with you?” Changbin offered, already knowing the answer before Chan shook his head.

“Nah, hang back. It’ll be okay.” Chan replied with the same confidence from earlier. Changbin could tell he wasn’t nervous. He was determined. And gods knew that when Bang Chan was determined, there was very little in this or any other world he couldn’t achieve.

--

Hyunjin had been so lost in thought as he stared at the house across the way that he didn’t immediately notice someone walking over to him until said person was sitting down next to him. “Oh, hi Hallucination-Chan. I was wondering if you would pop up again.”

“Hello Hyunjin,” Chan replied, crossing his legs.

“It’s yellow here.” Hyunjin commented, at the confused sound from Chan he explained, “The house I mean. I like it. It’s better than that ugly green it was a few worlds ago. I haven’t seen her yet though so I’m not sure if she lives here in this world.”

“Who?” Chan asked, a gentle curiosity in his tone.

“You’re my hallucination, you should know what mama’s house looks like.” Hyunjin grumbled. If he is a hallucination…

“I see… Do you always look for her house when you come through to a new world?” There was that gentle tone again. Hyunjin would have to be careful – he could spill all his secrets to a tone like that.

“Not all the time,” Hyunjin shrugged, “But sometimes, when I miss her, I like to see the other versions of her. Make sure that they’re doing okay, you know?” he fished out the bracelet he had stolen from the last world, “Plus I picked this up, I think she would have liked it. I don’t really know how far we are from mothers day but I figured it’s probably mothers day in some universe or another.”

Chan looked over the bracelet, “I’m sure she’ll love it.”

Hyunjin smile sadly down at the piece, “Yeah, I hope so. I’m probably going to just leave it somewhere – I don’t want to freak her out by being the wrong version of her son.”

“I can leave it on the door handle if you’d like?” Chan offered.

Hyunjin gave him an amused look, “Chan, you’re not real, remember?” he said it slowly, like he was speaking to a child. “You can’t hold things.” He dangled the bracelet in front of him.

Chan’s expression didn’t change even as he reached out and took the item.

Hyunjin stiffened, eyes narrowing towards the other for a moment. “…You’re a very persistent hallucination.”

“Why won’t you believe I’m real?” Chan asked, there was a surprising lack of judgement in his voice.

Maybe that was why Hyunjin answered honestly, “Because being alone hurts less when it’s the only option.”

“I’m here to give you another option.” Chan insisted, something in his eyes near pleading for Hyunjin to believe him. “If you come with me, I can introduce you to some friends of mine, people like us. People who understand. We won’t let you be alone again – not unless you want to be.”

Hyunjin was quiet for a moment, running the possibilities through his mind. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t met people who he had been friendly with in his time jumping between worlds; every world had good people who were good for small doses of company. But there was a difference between being friendly with someone and actually having friends. And it had been a long time since he had had friends.

It was with no small amount of caution that he asked, “And if you’re lying? If you really are nothing more than my mind playing tricks on me? What then?”

Chan shrugged, “What do you have to lose?”

Hyunjin huffed out a small laugh, shaking his head, “At this point? Just my mind. And even that’s questionable some days.” He joked, taking a deep breathe, he relented. “Alright Maybe-Not-Hallucination-Chan, I’ll go with you.”

Chan smiled and nodded. Without a word, he got up and headed across the street towards the yellow house. Hyunjin slowly got up as he watched him make his way to the door. As promised, Chan put the bracelet around the door handle so it wouldn’t be missed.

Hyunjin wasn’t sure why that made a warm feeling set into his chest.

“Let’s go,” Chan started heading towards a parked car.

With nothing else to do, nothing left to lose, and no where else he needed to be, Hyunjin followed.

Chapter Text

“The others are on their way back.”

Jeongin looked up from the old phone he was tinkering with to watch Minho enter the room where he and Seungmin were.

“They’re done already? Why did we have to stay here then? They didn’t need back up.” Jeongin grumbled a little. Despite not being the last ones to join the group, as he and Seungmin were technically the youngest. While the others were out confronting the mysterious traveler, they had been left at home with a baby sitter to make sure they didn’t travel to any other worlds. Or at least that’s what it felt like.

Not that either of them were game enough to call Minho that to his face.

Said hyung reached over the flicked his ear lobe lightly for grumbling. “Would you rather had risked things going poorly and you being too many worlds away to help?” Minho challenged, making both shrink a little and shake their heads. Seeing their remorse, he softened, “Anyway, who wants to help me in the kitchen so they have some lunch to come home to?”

“Pass.” Seungmin said quickly, kissing Minho’s cheek as he got up, “I’m going to keep working on the maps.”

“Alright, but don’t make me come get you once food is done or I’ll kick your ass!” Minho called after him, smiling when the threat made Jeongin giggle.

--
Changbin glanced in the rear view mirror again, making eye contact with the new recruit for a brief second before looking away with a slight blush. Felix had been right before. Hyunjin was gorgeous! There was just something magnetic about the man, even if he was currently sporting a painfully obvious fake smile.

Felix, the ray of sunshine that he is, had taken it upon himself to hold a rather one-sided conversation with Hyunjin. “-so yeah, whatever you do, don’t interrupt Seungmin when he is deep in work on his computers.”

“It’s true, he has been known to bite in the past.” Jisung pipped up from the passenger. Chan being the self sacrificing leader he is, hadn’t kicked him out of the front and instead opted to sit in the very back of the eight seater van they were using.

“Mmhmm! It’s one of the reasons he’s nicknamed puppy.” Felix beamed at Jisung for his contribution.

“Okay, so we have Chan, Felix, Changbin, and Jisung,” Hyunjin repeated the names he had learnt so far, pointing at the respective man as he did, “Then Minho, who is scary according to Changbin but a sweetie pie according to Felix. And Seungmin who is a puppy with a computer addition.” Chan hid his laugh behind his hand at the descriptors. “Anyone else?”

“Yep! Our youngest traveler is Jeongin, he is a bit quiet but once he gets to know you, you’ll get to see his sassy side.” Felix explained.

As he stopped at a light, Changbin glanced back at Hyunjin again. He looked like his head was spinning a bit from all the information. From what they had heard through the coms, the man had thought he was the only one in the world who knew how to travel between worlds. He could only imagine how overwhelming this would have been.

As if reading his mind, Changbin watched as Chan leaned forward, a little closer to Hyunjin, and said quietly, “Told you you’re not the only one.”

Hyunjin’s expression softened into something fragile and real – it made Changbin’s heart squeeze.

--

The car pulled into a parking garage and the others got out. Hyunjin followed their lead, checking his watch. He had figured out that the back doors open once every hour on the hour for roughly 45 seconds, so if you missed it you were stuck and would have to wait, and there was no guarantee when it opened again it would go to the same destination. He assumed that the others also knew this schedule, but they were definitely cutting it close.

Before he could voice this though, Jisung stopped at a nondescript maintenance door and knocked four times. Hyunjin tilted his head at the knock but didn’t question it, mentally counting down the seconds until the familiar light shone under the door.

“Alright, in you go boys,” Chan said, opening it and ushering the others in. He gave Hyunjin a gentle smile, “You ready?”

“Of course,” Hyunjin shrugged, trying to play off the nerves he felt steadily building. On the other side of that door was potentially three more people who understood what this life was like. This whole day felt like a mind fuck. He had semi accepted that this was real and that Chan was legitimate, and that he really was being invited into a group of people who he could relate to. He was pretty sure he hadn’t mentally processed any of it yet, that would come later. For right now he just kept going with the flow, and stepped through the door.

Chapter Text

Hyunjin blinked to adjust to the light and was shocked by what he saw.

He stood with the others in a concrete hallways that seemed to stretch forever but he somehow knew only went for a few meters. Dotted along the walls of the hallway were doors. Back doors.

“Wow… you know, while I appreciated the crash course into who’s who, a heads up of where we were going may have been helpful.” He said to Felix, eyes still wide and awe in his voice as he looked around.

Felix just giggled and took his hand, “And ruin the surprise? I don’t think so! Now come on, lets go find the others!” he lead Hyunjin up the hallway and around a bend he hadn’t noticed until they had literally reached it. Hyunjin had to actively stop his jaw from dropping when the hallway transitioned into the front yard of a large two story house.

“What the…” he muttered, looking down as the concrete gave way to grass (it was a bit bouncy here).

“This is our house!” Felix explained, slowing his pace some to let Hyunjin take it in and the others to catch up. “This place is in an in between world, a pocket dimension. It’s a place between doors. Only certain back doors can lead here so sometimes it takes a while to get back while you’re still getting the hang of it. But cause of that, we don’t get strangers rolling up on us very often so it’s private.”

“And you all… live here?” Hyunjin asked, glancing at the others.

“Yep,” Jisung put his arm over Felix’s shoulders, matching the youngers bright smile, “It’s home.”

“Home…” Hyunjin replied, looking back to the house. “I haven’t had one of those in a while.”

“How long have you been a traveler?” Changbin asked curiously as Chan and the others went ahead up the path that led to the front door.

“Uh… not sure really, time gets hard to keep track of when the worlds have different calendars, you know? But if I had to guess, maybe… six or seven years?” Hyunjin guessed, he missed the shocked look Changbin shot him.

“Right, wow okay. Well, anyway, welcome.” Changbin reached out and gave Hyunjin’s shoulder a small squeeze.

As they headed inside, Hyunjin took his shoes off and accepted some spare slippers. The house was spacious inside. He wondered if the psychics of the place was a little loopy thanks to it being between worlds. It would explain a few things if so. Despite the large size, the space was surprisingly cozy. There were little personal details everywhere that added to the homely vibe.

The other boys easily made themselves comfortable, Chan and Jisung splitting off in search of the others in the house.

“Once you meet the others, I’ll give you a tour,” Felix offered – Hyunjin was starting to wonder if the sweet smile was permanently etched into the shorter boys face. He followed him into the living room and took note of the photos around the place and the odd looking tools on the table. “Sorry, Jeongin and Seungmin tend to tinker when they get bored. Chan will probably kick their butts later for not cleaning up again. Word of the wise, Chan doesn’t really care about the state of your bedroom, but he will have something to say if the common area’s are messy.”

“Wait, back up. Bed room?” Hyunjin asked dumbly, his brain feeling like it short circuited.

“Of course silly! You didn’t think we were going to make you sleep on the lounge did you?” Felix teased with a laugh.

Hyunjin smirked in response and shrugged, “To be fair, until we were in the car and driving, I still wasn’t convinced you guys were real.”

--

“What’s cooking good looking?”

Minho rolled his eyes hard as he felt Chan’s arms sneak around his waist from behind. Despite himself, he leaned back into the embrace, turning the heat down low to a simmer. “How did it go? Are we setting the table for 8?”

“Did you doubt me?” Chans voice had mock offense before he kissed the back of Minho’s neck and stepped back, kissing Jeongin’s cheek from where he was putting together a salad.

“Only a little.” Minho shot back, turning to face him properly.

“Well, you shouldn’t have. He’s in the living room with Felix and Binnie if you guys want to come and meet him?” Chan said.

Jeongin went to take a step towards the living room but Minho stopped him with a small tap to his arm. “Do you trust him?” he asked seriously.

Chan met him with an equally serious tone, “I trust that he isn’t dangerous, and that he needs somewhere to come back to. There’s something about him Minho, he’s lost. No one knows what that feels like more than the people in this house. I think he’s worth taking a chance on.”

Minho nodded to Jeongin who scampered off towards the living room.

Once they were along, Chan added, “He’s also very pretty. I think Lix and Binnie already have crushes on him.”

Minho resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. “Christopher you cannot just keep recruiting people to date. At this rate, we’re turning into a sex cult.”

The startled laugh from Chan was well worth the use of his English name.

--

The two headed out to join the others, Jisung having braved the computer fortress to retrieve Seungmin too. Hyunjin – because that must have been the handsome stranger – was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. He gave them a small wave, answering the surface level questions the others were peppering him with.
Minho remained in the threshold of the room, leaning against the door frame and watching while Chan headed over to the rescue. “You’ve all pretty much met now, but everyone, this is Hyunjin. Hyunjin is going to be… hanging out with us.” From the stumble, Minho gathered that Chan hadn’t actually had the conversation with the man about Hyunjin staying with them or for how long.

“Thank you, it’s nice to meet you all.” Hyunjin said, giving the room a polite bow. “This is a really lovely house too. How did you find this place?”

When the others looked towards Chan, Hyunjin followed suite, and Minho smiled when he noticed Chan’s ear’s turning pink at the attention. Chan, in turn, turned his attention to Hyunjin. “Well, I was like you. I had been travelling between worlds for a while, by accident at first, and eventually someone found me. The name he told me was JYP, he became my mentor. He was strict but he was kind. He was the one that build this place and when he left, he gave it to me.”

“He just… left?” Hyunjin asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“Yep. He wanted to keep exploring the worlds, said he would be back some day, but otherwise left me to my own devices.” Chan explained.

“That was amazingly kind of him,” Hyunjin commented, a healthy amount of suspicion in his voice that Minho approved of. “So then, did he also find the others, or did you?”

“That was all Chan here,” Jisung cut in, lightly knocking his and Chan’s shoulders together. “He got bored and went looking for strays.”

“Says the first one I found?” Chan elbowed Jisung lightly in the side.

“How did you figure out that there were others?” Hyunjin asked, “I just mean, I have been doing this for a long time and I never even got an inclination that someone else around me might also be a, what did you call it? A traveler.”

“JYP had a system, he had figured out a way to track the spike in energy when a back door is used. It was far from an exact science,” Seungmin snorted a laugh at Chans explanation, clearly not impressed by the systems he had inherited. “But it worked. I used it to figure out there were others, and eventually figured a way to find them.”

The pride in the smile Chan had as he looked around at the group spoke volumes. He turned that smile to Hyunjin, and Minho noted how his expression softened. “It’s also how I found you.”

Before the boys started cooing at Chan, Minho piped up, “Okay, lets continue question time over lunch. It should be finished, Changbin it’s your turn to set the table.”

Changbin groaned on principal but obliged.

--

After lunch, Felix took Hyunjin on the tour, showing him around the ridiculously designed house. There were all the typical rooms and facilities, with some additions – like a movie room, a pool that seemed to change shape depending on what angle you looked at it, and an observation room out back. Apparently, despite being in a pocket dimension, they got spectacular views of the stars.

“And this,” Felix fished out a key and unlocked a door, stepping back so Hyunjin could go in first, “Is your room.” He held the key out towards him.

Hyunjin took it tentatively and stepped inside. The room was simple, clean design. There was a queen sized bed, a build in closet with twin mirrors, an additional book shelf, and a wall mounted TV.

“Wow… okay this is seriously too much, you guys are being way too generous!” Hyunjin tried to give the key back but Felix refused, stubbornly putting his hands in his pockets. “Felix!” he whined, “You guys just met me and now you’re giving me a room? How do you know I’m not a serial killer? Are you guys secretly trying to steal my organs or something? Cause there’s honestly easier ways to get them.”

“Okay one, that’s a very bizarre thing to say. Two, we are not going to steal your organs you maniac! Who would do that?!” Felix shook his head, taking a seat on the end of the bed. “Listen, when Chan found me and brought me here, I was hesitant too. I didn’t speak a word of Korean at the time and so the only one I could talk to was Chan. I was certain they were going to end up as secret vampires or something too.” He laughed at himself a little. “But, with time, I learnt that I could trust everyone in this house with my life and my heart. I really hope you will too. Ah! Trust us I mean! I should, um, let you get settled!”

Hyunjin smiled fondly as a light blush dusted Felix’s cheeks, making his freckles look even cuter. He watched him as he headed out, only to pause in the doorway and add, “And for what it’s worth, I am at least 78% sure you’re not a serial killer.”

Chapter Text

The rest of the day passed by in a surprisingly comfortable blur.

Hyunjin spent the majority of his time in his new room, processing the new odd development in his life. He had a surprising amount of visits from the others – mainly Felix, Changbin, and Jisung – who would come and keep him company for a while. The others were very clearly curious about their new housemate, and truthfully he was curious about them too, but they were all quite considerate in not pushing him to share beyond what was comfortable.

As the sun started to set (or at least, Hyunjin assumed that was what was happening given that it was getting dark – he was yet to actually see the sun here), Hyunjin ventured out to explore the house a bit more and to hopefully scavenge for some snacks.

As he headed in the general direction the kitchen was in, Hyunjin heard hushed voices. ‘Ah, they must be scheming about which organ to take first…’ he thought, softening his steps and slowly moving forward until he could properly hear.

“He seems really nice! Funny too, Seungmin I think you two will get along, he can match your wits.” Hyunjin recognized Felix’s voice.

“Felix, don’t get too attached too fast,” Hyunjin was pretty sure that was either Jeongin or Seungmin. “We still don’t know the guy.”

“Yeah but we’re going to keep getting to know him, right Chan?” Felix countered and something in his tone made Hyunjin smile a little, even if he was more inclined to agree with the other speaker. It was true, they didn’t know him yet.

“Chan, have you actually spoken to Hyunjin about staying with us?” Minho’s voice sounded like he already knew the answer was no. There was a pause followed by a collective groan as the rest of the group seemed to catch on too.

“Okay okay okay, maybe not in so many words!” Chan’s tone was placating, Hyunjin could practically picture him holding his hands up in surrender. “But I told him he wouldn’t have to be alone anymore unless he wants to be, and he is here now so I would say he likely is open to the idea of staying at the very least!”

“Still, you need to actually discuss it with him.” Minho was staying firm on this point.

“I know.”

“Good, go talk to him then see if he wants to join us for movie night.”

Hyunjin had to keep from yelping when he heard footsteps starting towards him, turning and high tailing it back towards his room as quietly as he could.

Once he was a couple of hallways away from his room, he turned back around and walked as calmly as he could towards Chan, meeting him halfway, “Oh, hey. I was just on the way to the kitchen.”

--

Chan kept his features schooled into a normal smile, resisting the urge to poke fun of Hyunjin. He had heard him running away as soon as he had started towards his room.

“Mind if I walk with you then?”

“Not at all, this house is a maze.” Hyunjin commented.

“Yeah, now and then some of the rooms shift a little too.” Chan replied, continuing when he received a confused look in return, “One of the quirks of living in a pocket dimension I suppose. The bedrooms generally all stay on the second flaw, but they sometimes change order. The kitchen, bathrooms, and living room tend to stay where they are but the hallways and walkways sometimes shift.”

“What about the hallway full of doors?” Hyunjin asked curiously.

“That stays where it is.” Chan assured, knowing how important it was for someone in Hyunjin’s position to know he had a stable exit plan just in case, at lease until he was settled. Speaking of, “Hey, I uh, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Hmm? What is it?” Hyunjin blinked innocently. He was adorable.

Chan decided to take pity on him and not call out the lie, “I know it’s still pretty soon, but I wanted to properly invite you to live with us for however long you would like to.”

Hyunjin visibly hesitated. In way, Chan respected that he was taking the time to properly think it over before answering.

“Can I give you an answer later?” Hyunjin asked, a little unsure.

“Of course! I get it, you don’t know us. You don’t have to answer until you’re ready. And if you say no, I won’t hold it against you either. Not everyone stays.” Chan assured, unable to help the slight sadness at the end.

“Thanks, I really appreciate how generous you guys have been, truly! But this, all of this,” Hyunjin gestured vaguely to the house around them as they reached the kitchen, “It’s a lot to take in.”

“I get that man, and hey, if you’re tired there’s no pressure, but if you’re up for it the guys want to have a movie night. Would you like to join us?” Chan asked, moving to the cupboard and getting out some popcorn to put in the microwave. As it cooked, he went and got the preferred movie snacks of the others and some drinks from the fridge.

Hyunjin watched him in amusement, “I’ll come join, if for no other reason than to help you carry all that.”

--

The movie room did technically have chairs. Hyunjin was certain he had seemed them before. Now though, they were pushed to the walls of the room, the cushions having all been removed and put on the floor to create a base to what could truly only be described as a nest. More blankets than Hyunjin had seen in one place before had been used to make it extra comfortable, and the others were all laying around, most if not all touching at least one other person.

This must have been a normal occurrence though because Chan didn’t so much as blink when they entered. He stepped into the nest and started handing out snacks to their designated snacker before turning back to Hyunjin and taking the big bowl of popcorn from him, passing it to Minho.

“Hyunjin, come sit over here!” Changbin called, as though he wasn’t only a few feet away.

Hyunjin couldn’t help but laugh at his enthusiasm, “Okay, um, sorry,” he said as he stepped over Seungmin, who was laying down with his head on Felix’s lap. It took some maneuvering, but soon enough he was settling down next to Changbin, trying to keep a respectful gap between them.

“Everyone comfy and ready?” Chan asked, getting a chorus of confirmations back. He pressed play on the film and the group quietened down.

Apart from a few comments here and there - and Seungmin who kept playing on his phone - the group seemed completely absorbed in the film. It was a surprisingly comfortable atmosphere.

As the film played, Hyunjin shifted a bit to try to stretch his legs out without them hitting anyone. When it became evident that that was going to be a near impossible task, Changbin wordlessly reached out. He moved slowly, so Hyunjin could stop him if he wanted to, and took hold of Hyunjin’s calves, moving them so Hyunjin could stretch his legs out over Changbin’s lap.

As Changbin gave his leg an absentminded squeeze, Hyunjin was infinitely glad that the lights were too low for his blush to be seen.

Chapter Text

When Hyunjin woke up the following morning, he took a moment to figure out where he was.

Oh right. In his new room. In a house in a pocket dimension. With seven other people who were like him.

Yeah, this would take some getting used to.

Despite himself, Hyunjin couldn’t help the giddy laugh that bubbled up as he thought about the new circumstances. There was a genuine happiness that he hadn’t felt in a while taking root in his core, and these seven strangers were responsible for it.

After a few minutes, he got out of bed and stretched, shivering a little at the cold air on his ankles. He had borrowed some clothes from Chan when the older realized that he didn’t have any other clothes than what he had been wearing when they picked him up. That was probably something he would have to address today at some point. He had a few stashes of clothes around in different worlds, but he hadn’t really thought to go and get any before coming here. He would hopefully get lucky and be able to jump straight to one of those worlds.

Oh well, that was a later issue.

A gentle knock at the door cut through his thoughts. “One second,” he called, getting up and running his fingers through his hair in an effort to tame it a little before opening the door. He was pleasantly surprised to find Jeongin on his doorstep, looking adorably sleep ruffled.

“Morning,” the younger greeted, and it took physical effort for Hyunjin not to coo at how cute and sleepy he was. “Changbin told me to bring you these,” Jeongin said, holding out a towel and some comfortable looking clothes. “The bathroom is currently down the hall, second door on the left.”

“Thank you Jeongin, I appreciate it. Where is Changbin?” Hyunjin asked curiously, last he had seen the other he was fast asleep, curled around Felix in the nest of blankets.

“He’s out scouting I think, he’ll be back later,” Jeongin replied. While Hyunjin was dying to ask more questions about what the heck that meant, Jeongin was evidently finished with the conversation, having turned and headed away towards the kitchen.

With nothing else to do, Hyunjin headed to the aforementioned bathroom.

--

“Be safe.” Chan said, watching as Changbin opened one of the doors.

“Don’t worry so much, you’ll give yourself wrinkles.” Changbin shot back with a cheeky smile as he stepped through.

Chan just chuckled and shook his head, having another mouthful of his coffee before heading back towards the kitchen to make breakfast for the others.

He wasn’t surprised to find Minho leaning against the bench and waiting for the kettle to boil when he got there. “Binnie got through okay?”

“Yep, he should be back in a couple of hours if all goes well.” Chan sighed. It didn’t matter that they had all used the back doors for years now, he would always be nervous when one of his boys went to explore a new world. Changbin was one of the groups primary scouters – along with Jisung and Chan himself. It was their job to explore new worlds, get a general read on the place and any dangers it held, and report back.

Seungmin and Jeongin had been diligently working on new ways to map their expanding world, and that meant that they had to keep exploring them. For the most part, the explorations went fine, but safety was never a guarantee when you walked into that green light.

“You’re brooding.” Minho said bluntly.

Chan playfully glared at him, “I’m not brooding, I’m just… thinking.”

“Well stop it, it’s too early for that sort of thinking.” Minho told him firmly, “Do you want eggs or pancakes for breakfast?”

“Eggs please, do you want a hand?”

“I won’t say no.”

“Then say yes,” Chan laughed, earning a smug look from Minho.

--

Hyunjin followed the smell of food towards the kitchen, his hair still damp on his neck but the clothes were comfortable, albeit a little short on him. When he got there, he saw that everyone was present bar Changbin and Felix. With the two he was most comfortable with missing, Hyunjin hesitated, unsure where to sit. And wow, it had been a while since that had been one of his worries.

Chan, ever watchful and mindful, motioned for him to come sit by him. Hyunjin gave him a small grateful smile and took the invitation.

“Good morning Hyunjin!” Jisung greeted, the others also making noises of acknowledgement.

“Morning everyone,” Hyunjin replied, looking around at them. He smiled softly. They were real.

“Did you have any plans for today?” Minho asked him.

Hyunjin half shrugged, “Well, I figured I should probably go get some clothes – don’t get me wrong, I love borrowing them from you guys, but it may be easier if I have some here.”

“Like a shopping trip? Felix will be thrilled,” Jeongin commented, he sat at the end of the table, a paper with complicated looking sketch designs on it.

“Speaking of, where is Felix?” Hyunjin asked. Out of curiosity, Hyunjin leaned forward a little to try to get a better look at the sketches. They looked like some sort of tech design.

“Felix is monitoring the map for Changbin,” Seungmin explained.

Hyunjin blinked. “… I know what all of those words mean individually but I have no idea what you’re saying.”

Jisung barked out a surprised laugh, Minho smirking in amusement. With a small chuckle, Chan explained, “So the map is the system that JYP invented to track the back doors, Seungmin has been making it more technologically advanced since he joined us.” The look he flashed at Seungmin was pure fond pride. “Part of that has been figuring out a way to identify when new worlds open up that we haven’t explored yet. When one does, Changbin, Jisung, or I go and check them out. Someone stays behind on map duty to make sure that if something goes wrong, and we need an exit to a familiar world, we can find one easily.”

“Oh…kay,” Hyunjin rolled this new information over in his head, “I have like, several questions. How did you figure out how to track new worlds? How did you figure out how to track the worlds you do know? How smart are you people?! Should someone bring Felix some breakfast?”

“You’re so sweet,” Jisung giggled, “We’ll him some soon, he isn’t a big breakfast eater.”

“And for the record I am very smart, these guys are just average. Some are below average actually, we just haven’t found the way to tell them.” Seungmin replied with a smirk, not flinching when Minho hit his arm.

“As for how,” Chan cut in before the two could start arguing, “Have you ever heard the theory that everything and everyone is made up of energy?” Hyunjin nodded. “Well, in that same way, every world is made of energy, and each one has it’s own unique energy signature. By registering the worlds energy signatures that we have already been to, we can identify when a new one opens up because it’s different.”

“Oh, right,” Hyunjin nodded slowly. “That makes sense but it also makes my brain hurt.” He concluded, smiling when the elder laughed. He had a sweet laugh. 

Chapter Text

After breakfast was done and he had fixed his appearance to look a little less disheveled, Hyunjin headed down towards the hallway of doors. He wasn’t sure why he was surprised to see Chan there.

“Let me guess, buddy system?” He joked.

“Something like that,” Chan smiled back. “I don’t want you getting lost trying to get back here.” He explained, “I also don’t want to impose. If you’d rather, I can get you one of the communicators?”

“Nah, it’ll be nice to have some company.” Hyunjin tried to be casual about it, but he was actually a little reluctant to travel alone now that he had the option of having someone with him.

“Cool, then I’d be happy to join you.” Chan replied, glancing around at the doors. “So, any particular world in mind?”

“Well I have some stuff stored in a couple of the worlds, so hopefully we can get lucky and travel to one of them?” Hyunjin shrugged.

Chan visibly struggled not to let his grin widen. “Can you tell me about which worlds you have stuff in? Is it similar to the world we met in? Or was it more magical in nature? Or was it more of a technological world?”

“Um, the first option? But the other two sound really cool!”

“They are pretty fun,” Chan admitted. “But okay, we’re looking for one of the ‘a’ worlds then. On the plus side, there are way more of them than the other kinds of worlds. On the downside that also means we may have to try a couple of worlds to find the right ones.”

“That’s okay, I kind of assumed it would be a multi-jump sort of day,” Hyunjin replied, not too fussed either way.

“True, but at least we can narrow it down.” Chan looked around the hall, taking a slow breath. Hyunjin checked the time and saw they were a minute or so out. He watched as Chan closed his eyes, walking a little further down the hallway, finally coming to a stop in front of one of the doors, 8 doors down. “This one.”

“Uh okay? How are you so sure though?” Hyunjin asked, looking at the door as though he would see the mystical clue Chan seemed to.

“When you do this long enough - and when you know what you’re looking for – you start to be able to feel the differences in the energies when they come through the doors.” Chan explained, pointing to a door they had passed, “That one is one of the more magical worlds – we call them the ‘b’ worlds. But this one is more likely to be what we’re looking for.”

“Wow, that’s pretty impressive. What does it feel like?” Hyunjin would have assumed it was a prank if Chan hadn’t been so forthcoming so far. Who was he to say the other had somehow figured out how to feel the energy of different worlds?

“Well, ‘b’ worlds energies feel more… flowy and tingly? It’s sort of hard to describe. But they tend to feel almost like a head rush.” Chan explained, around them the gaps between the doors and their frames started to glow with the familiar green. The elder opened the one in front of them, holding it so Hyunjin could step through first. Once on the other side, Chan stopped Hyunjin with a hand on his shoulder. “Close your eyes for a second and just feel. The energy is at it’s most tangible when the doors are active, can you feel it?”

Hyunjin closed his eyes and tried to follow his instructions. All he could feel though was the warmth of Chan’s touch and his calm presence beside him… “I think I may have to practice more.” He said as he opened his eyes again, fighting a blush.

“That’s okay, it takes time.” Chan assured in a smooth voice. “So, does this world look familiar?”

Hyunjin looked around with a small hum, “Honestly? I’m not really sure. I’ve been through too many, they all sort of blur after a while.”

Chan nodded in understanding and the two started to walk towards the main road from the side street the back door had spat them out on. As they reached the street though, there was one very distinct feature of this world that set it apart from the others: everyone was walking backwards.

“… You know, come to think of it, I do actually remember this world.” Hyunjin giggled, looking at Chan and seeing his surprised face just made him laugh harder. “When in Rome right?” he joked, turning around and starting to walk backwards down the street too.

With a small chuckle, Chan did the same, “How are you so good at this?” he asked as Hyunjin navigated the foot traffic with ease while Chan barely managed to dodge people without stepping on them.

“Naturally talented?” Hyunjin shot back with a shrug, “Here,” he urged Chan closer and linked their arms so he could guide him. “I stayed in this world for around three months I think? It was a fun challenge but I took a taxi once and it’s kind of terrifying when everyone reverses everywhere. After that I bailed to another world where everyone had to wear the same thing – that didn’t go too well. I stood out, obviously, and got arrested for going against public standards. Thankfully there was a backdoor in the court house. Which, come to think of it, is actually kind of dangerous.” He chuckled, leading them to the corner before looking around. “Okay… if I remember correctly – which to be fair there’s every chance I don’t – I had a storage place a couple of blocks from here.”

“Do you think that your things will still be there?” Chan asked, glancing behind him constantly to make sure they wouldn’t crash into someone, and ignoring the judgy looks he was getting from the residents.

“I sure hope so, it’s always annoying when the storage places sell stuff. I remember I had an absolutely beautiful designer coat in a world and I had it stored for safe keeping. I accidently forgot it when I had to leave and by the time I made my way back to that world the storage owners had sold it. I cried for an hour!” Hyunjin whined at the memory, pouting at Chan.

Chan who looked at him with a fondness in his eyes Hyunjin wasn’t sure what to do with.

“Don’t worry, we can get you as many beautiful coats as you’d like.” Chan assured, lightly bumping their shoulders together.

Hyunjin diligently ignored the heat in his ears. “Careful, now that I have somewhere to put them all, I might just hold you to that.”

--

It took another twenty minutes of wandering around before they found the place. Turns out that while Hyunjin had a good sense of direction, his memory wasn’t the best. More than once Chan had asked why they had taken a particular turn, only for Hyunjin to shrug and say ‘vibes’.

Despite that, Chan didn’t say anything when Hyunjin gave a small cheer of victory when they reached the storage building.

“See! I told you I knew where we were going!” Hyunjin practically beamed at him.

“Never doubted you for a second.” Chan smirked, letting Hyunjin go in first and deal with the staff. After some conversation and some charming on Hyunjin’s part to get out of a late fee, the two were allowed to go through to the storage containers.

“I try to get the same numbered lockers when I store stuff so it’s easier to remember.” Hyunjin said as he knelt down to the padlock to unlock it.

“Smart, definitely makes things easier.” Chan praised, looking up at the number. “Why 203?”

“It’s my birthday,” Hyunjin replied, “The 20^th of March. It also helps me remember that too.” He stood, opening the door, and missed the look that crossed Chans face at the implication. How long had Hyunjin been travelling for him to need reminders for when his birthday is?

Inside the storage locker was a portable clothes rack with a variety of clothes handing off it. There were a few bags and what looked like a jewelry box. In the corner sat a small teddy bear.

“Oh! I forgot this was where I left you!” Hyunjin exclaimed, running over to pick up the teddy. He gingerly pat the fur, seeming to inspect it for a moment with a childlike wonder. When he spoke next though, that wonder, along with any emotion, was missing from his voice. “I hate this fucking thing so much… I’m so glad I found it.”

The tone sent a shiver down Chan’s spine.

“Hyunjin?” he kept his voice gentle, hoping his caution wasn’t obvious, “Is everything okay?”

It seemed to take Hyunjin physical effort to pull his slightly absent gaze away from the bear in his hands and back to Chan. When he managed it, he blinked, took a deep breath through the nose, and shook his head a little as though to clear it.

Hyunjin schooled his expression back into a smile, “Yeah, sorry, yes. Just, you know, memories.” He dismissed, looking at the teddy and giving it a hug before putting back in the corner, turning it so it faced into the wall. “Anyway, we were here for clothes.” He nodded to himself.

“Yeah,” Chan agreed, watching him carefully. Hyunjin seemed to shake off whatever the hell that was and set about looking through the clothes in the room, sorting them into what he wanted to take and what he wanted to leave.

After a few minutes of working in silence, Hyunjin piped up in a strained voice, “I, um, I understand if you have questions or concerns. Might be better if you just ask them now? Get it over with?”

Chan shifted so he was facing him properly, “Alright. I would have liked to be a bit more tactful about it but I appreciate your bluntness. When we met, you mentioned you had had hallucinations before. You don’t have to tell me what you’ve been through, what your hallucinations were, or what you have against that teddy, but it’s my job to make sure the people who join me are safe. Including from themselves. Should I be concerned?”

Hyunjin mulled over what to say, silently folding clothes for a few moments longer before answering, “I have had an on again off again relationship with madness in my life. At times it has led me to see things that no one else can. Sometimes… memories and reality can get muddled up and I can’t always tell which is which. Sometimes it feels like… like my mind has little cracks in it.” Hyunjin took a small breath before turning to face Chan, looking him in the eye as he told him, “But I am not a danger to anyone. I don’t hurt people, or anything really, not unless I have no other choice. I don’t… I don’t really know how to convince you I’m telling the truth… but I am?”

There was so much uncertainty in Hyunjin’s voice as he trailed off that Chan found himself nodding, “I believe you.” He was earnest about it. Chan could see the vulnerability in Hyunjin when he told him about his mental state, and he appreciated the honesty. “I hope you understand though that I’m going to keep a close eye on you for a little while. It’s nothing against you, I would be doing the same regardless. And for what it’s worth, if ever you feel unsure, or confused by what’s going on, come find me okay? I don’t want you to have to piece it together alone.”

And if Hyunjin’s eyes started to water, well, Chan wasn’t going to mention it.

--

As Hyunjin shouldered the bag of clothes he had decided to take, Chan glanced at the teddy bear that was still facing the corner. “I’m assuming you don’t want to take that little guy?”

Hyunjin glanced over at the bear and thought for a moment before shaking his head with a sigh. “No. I carried it through so many different worlds… I don’t even really know why now. It used to belong to my best friend, Yeji. She loved that fucking thing. One day I took it. I was angry at her for something dumb, she had flirted with a guy I had a crush on, so I acted without thinking and just took it from her backpack. On the day I went through the first door, I wanted to return it to her. I kept carrying it around, hoping I would I find my way home, but I never did. I know it may sound crazy, but after a while, it felt like it was mocking me. A constant reminder that I couldn’t get back home and I wouldn’t be able to make it up to her.”

“Hyunjin…” Chan hadn’t expected such an honest answer and truthfully he wasn’t sure what to say. How do you try to comfort such deep wound?

“It’s okay. I have given up on getting back there, and I’ve accepted it.” Hyunjin gave him a sad smile and for a moment, Chan could almost believe it.

A question did come to his mind though, “How old were you when you first went through a back door?”

“That’s a good question,” Hyunjin blinked, thinking for a moment, “I think I was around fifteen?”

Chan’s heart broke a little.

--

Hunger. 

A gnawing, visceral ache that never eased for long. 

It swelled with each passing moment, relentless, insatiable. 

His gaze fixed on the door, anticipation building, waiting for the familiar flash of green. 

That radiant signal—the beacon to another world, a world ripe for consumption. 

And so the hunger grew, an ever-deepening void, always craving more. 

--

Felix absently shuffled the cards again, he had so far played four rounds of solitaire in the past forty five minutes – a new personal best.

While he under stood the importance of watching the map and staying close to the monitors in case something happened and Changbin needed him – it was still pretty boring. A few years back, Felix had been injured on a scouting trip. Ever since, Chan had been reluctant to let him go out alone to new worlds.

He understood their leaders worry, but it still was bothersome at times to be treated like he was glass.

Glancing over the maps again, Felix noticed something odd.

It was usual for the little lights that tracked the doors and worlds to shine when it was time for the portals to open. But what caught his eye was the way one of the lights flickered for a moment before going dark.

“What the hell…” he muttered, sitting up and moving the mouse to hover over the light that had gone out, typing in some code so the map focused on the world in question. For the first time since he had come to the house, the map couldn’t identify the world. There was no energy left for it to read.

For all intents and purposes, that world was gone.

Chapter Text

Returning to the house, Hyunjin thanked Chan again for going with him and for allowing him to come back despite the momentary mental lapse.

“It’s alright, like I said, come find me if ever you need help figuring things out.” Chan told him, giving Hyunjin a hug. It took a moment for the younger to relax into it but he mourned it when Chan pulled back. “My dad used to always say that a problem shared is a problem halved.”

“He sounds like a smart man.”

“He had his moments,” Chan smiled, “So, Changbin should be back soon, and I’m sure that the others would love to steal you away for a while. Would you like some help putting your stuff away?”

“Nah, I’ll manage, but thank you. Again.” Hyunjin giggled at himself, starting to head towards the stairs and to his room.

Chan watched him go until he was out of sight, then headed to the map room to see if there were any updates from Changbin. As he passed through the living room, Minho looked up from the book he was reading. “Stop.”

Chan obediently did.

“How did your trip go?” Minho was giving him an expected look, and Chan knew he wasn’t going anywhere until he had filled the other in. Minho had come into Chan’s life just when he needed him. Despite their rough introduction, Minho had quickly found his place in their group and their lives. Minho was a quiet, steady presence, and Chan’s balance. He was level headed and rational in times when Chan was reactive. He was strict and blunt when Chan’s gentle approaches didn’t work. He was the calm understanding the others could rely on if Chan was otherwise unable to be there for them.

For all of his eye rolls and acting as though their affection annoyed him, Chan also knew that Minho loved them too. Which was why he ignored Minho’s groans of complaint as he settled next to him with a side hug. “It went well, we went to the world where everyone walks backwards. It was kind of fun surprisingly enough.”

Minho gave him a look. “But?”

He could also read him like a book.

“But… something happened. I think we should keep a close eye on Hyunjin for the next little while. I know it’s not my place to diagnose people but from what he said I think he may have PTSD.” Chan admitted, “This has to stay between us though.”

“Always.” Minho nodded, looking thoughtful. “Changbin said that Hyunjin has been travelling for close to 7 years. Assuming he’s been alone this whole time…”

“Fuck.” Chan summarized. “But I think it may have been longer. He told me he started travelling when he was 15. Hyunjin has to be at least 25 right?”

--

Hyunjin sighed in relief as he laid back on the bed, now comfortably in his own clothes. Borrowing some had been nice, but it was good to feel more himself.

As he looked up at the ceiling, Hyunjin contemplated what to do with himself for the night. He hadn’t had a fixed schedule in literal years and was used to following any and every whim that caught his fancy. Drumming his fingers on his stomach, Hyunjin decided he didn’t see why that should change here.

With a small nod to himself, he got up and headed downstairs. Humming softly to himself, he followed his instincts through the house, taking random turns and opening doors that seemed like they should be opened.

It was behind one of these doors that he found what looked to be a music room. With a sound of delight, he went to explore it. There were a couple of keyboards, a number of guitars, and even a set of drums. There were a few complicated looking electronic devices too but Hyunjin bypassed them in favor of picking up a blue guitar. After an experimental strum found that it sounded somewhat tuned, he decided to take the guitar for a walk outside to the bouncy lawn, maybe he would be able to spot the sun this time.

As he headed outside, he was surprised to see Seungmin sitting outside alone. Tilting his head he watched for a while as the younger seemed to simply… observe the world around him.

Never one to shy away from disturbing people, Hyunjin went and sat down beside him, starting to play a tune. Or at least, he was pretty sure it was a tune. He was self-taught.

After a moment, Seungmin commented, “You haven’t been playing long have you? You’re not very good.”

Hyunjin blinked. “I had a bad teacher.”

“I can see that, here,” he made grabby hands at the guitar and Hyunjin was tempted not to give it to him out of pure stubbornness but he relented soon enough. Seungmin sat comfortably with the guitar, turning a couple of the knobs until he was satisfied with the sounds it produced. Hyunjin smiled as the other started to play an actual song.

And yeah, okay, maybe it did sound better in Seungmin’s hands.

“Could you teach me?” he asked without further thought.

“No.” Seungmin was the definition of blunt and he couldn’t help the startled laugh.

“Why not?!”

“You strike me as someone who will be an annoying student and I don’t know if you will stick around. People don’t always stay.” Seungmin changed the pace of the song, switching it up to a more fast paced tune that Hyunjin vaguely recognized from somewhere. “If you stick around, and aren’t too annoying, maybe I will teach you.”

“Alright, deal.” Hyunjin smiled, content to lay back on the ground and listen to the younger play for a while.

After a couple of songs, Hyunjin piped up again, “What were you doing out here anyway?”

“If you must know, Minho said I have to spend at least an hour away from my computers a day so, here I am.” Seungmin shrugged, “Besides, it’s good to just feel the shifts in the world for a while.”

“The shifts? What do you mean?” Hyunjin asked, sitting up to look at him quizzically.

“It’s hard to explain. But being here, in this between space, you get used to being able to sense when things are changing. Whether that’s in this space or the house or behind the doors.” Seungmin told him. “Here, give me your hands.”

Hyunjin did so and watched as Seungmin gently pressed his hands into the grass. He resisted the urge to complain.

“Try to concentrate on the earth, see if you can attune to the energy there. Can you feel it?” Seungmin asked, voice a little softer as they were now leaning closer together.

“You’re the second person today to ask me that.” Hyunjin mumbled but concentrated on the ground. It felt a little cold… but otherwise, he didn’t feel anything in particular. Before he could voice that though there was something.

It was only a fraction of a second, barely even a heartbeat, but there was the faintest surge of what felt like electricity in the palms of his hands, sending a shiver down his spine.

Hyunjin looked wide eyed to Seungmin, “I felt it!”

The wide grin Seungmin rewarded him with was worth the dirt on his hands.

--

Changbin coughed, rubbing his ribs as he stepped back through the door and into the hallway, Felix and Chan were waiting to greet him.

“How did it go?” Felix asked, Chan was already looking him over and categorizing every new scratch. “Binnie you’re bleeding!”

“I’m okay Lix, promise.” Changbin replied, looking between the two. “I just ran into some residents who didn’t like being asked questions apparently.” He looked down at his arm where a shallow gash was sluggishly bleeding still. “I also got some goodies for everyone too, the fruits there were incredible!”

“You can give them out later,” Chan told him firmly, “Felix can you please go get Jisung?”

“I’m fine! Really!” Changbin whined but didn’t fight it too much when Chan started to practically herd him towards the medical room.

The room had been purposely built, it held two medical beds and a number of supplies and machines and whatnot. The boys were by no means doctors, but all of them had had a crash course in field medicine to a pretty dependable level of competency. Changbin put his bag down and sat on the bed, wincing as the movement jostled his sore ribs. Chan noticed and silently helped him remove the shirt.

Chan winced in sympathy at the sight of the bruised blossoming on his torso. “Just some disgruntled residence huh?”

“Something like that.” Changbin gave him a cheeky grin but didn’t elaborate as Felix returned, Jisung in tow.

Jisung was by far the best at stitches in their group. “Binnie what did you do this time?” Jisung teasingly scolded as he went to wash his hands and get some gloves on.

While the two bantered and Jisung inspected the wound, Changbin noticed Felix step closer to Chan. “Can I talk to you about something weird that happened with the map before?”

The two stepped out of the room to discuss whatever the issue was.

Odd.

Any curiosity was cut off by the burning sting of the alcohol Jisung used to clean his wound.

--

Hyunjin wandered through the house with a slight skip in his step as he checked his watch again. While he had enjoyed his time with Seungmin, the younger had been eager to return to his computers, and who was Hyunjin to stop him.

After helping himself to some instant noodles for an early lunch, he was now, once again, bored.

So he decided to do what he always did when he grew too bored – jump worlds.

To be safe, he had swiped one of the communicators that Chan had mentioned earlier from Jeongin who had been too distracted to notice. He had also had the forethought to leave a note for Chan – ‘Gone travelling, be back soon – Hyunjin’, he had even added a little drawing of a flower.

Hyunjin was in no rush to leave these people, or this place behind. He was so glad to have agreed to come here in the first place. But he was used to being a free agent and following his whims. Being here wasn’t going to change that.

He smiled to himself as he reached the hallway of doors. For a moment he considered trying to feel for the energy shifts as Chan had told him earlier that day, but quickly gave up on that idea. He didn’t have the patience right now for trying to figure it out. Instead, he simply wandered around until he stopped at a random door that felt like the right one for the moment. A few seconds later, the green light shone under the door.

Perfect.

--

“Show me again.”

Felix, to his credit, didn’t sigh but it was a near thing. This was the third time Chan asked to see the same reading again. Instead, he glanced at Minho and pulled up the data again. “Once again, it just says that there’s nothing. Zip. Nil. Nada. There was a world and now there just isn’t.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense, that’s not possible.” Chan huffed, rubbing the back of his neck. It was a nervous habit Felix was pretty sure he had picked up from Changbin. “Worlds can’t just end! There has to be some sort of error with the map?”

“I thought that too, but I’ve tried everything and I cannot pick up on any energy from that world anymore.” Felix did sigh this time, “I have even got the pathways here set so that if any of our back doors open to what should be that world, we will be notified, but so far there’s nothing.”

“Okay. Best case scenario – there was a glitch on our system. Which is possible, we all know the map isn’t perfect. But worst case scenario… a world ended.” Chan seemed like he was processing so Felix sat back in the chair and let him talk it out. “And if a world ended then what does that mean? What does it mean for the people who lived there? Was it an apocalypse situation? If it can happen there then how many other worlds can be ended? Have we missed some ending already?”

“Chan, those are all great questions, but not ones we can answer. There’s every possibility that maybe we have missed others ending. It could just be that that world came to its natural end. Everything has to end eventually.” Felix shrugged, not wanting the older to worry unnecessarily.

“We’ll monitor the others more moving forward and we’ll make sure that if something like it happens again we can analyze it a bit better.” Minho spoke up, he had been standing with his arms crossed staring at the screen until now. “My question is, where did the energy go?”

“What do you mean Minho-hyung?” Felix tilted his head at him.

“Well it’s that age old thing, energy cannot be created or destroyed, it simply changes form. When we throw a ball it changes from potential energy to kinetic energy and back again when the ball stops moving right?” Minho waited until the younger had nodded, “So then, what happened to the energy that made up the world? Did it change forms to something else?”

“Oh… that’s a good question…” Felix muttered, his gaze being pulled back to the screen as the lights on the map started to glow. “The back doors are opening again.”

As they did, Minho’s eyes narrowed. “Someone is using one of our doors.” He said, pointing to one of the lights that represented one of the doors in their little realm. “Is anyone scheduled to travel today?” he looked over at Chan.

“No. Changbin just got back and he should still be with Jisung. I doubt it’ll be Seungmin, did Jeongin mention feeling restless?” Chan asked, it happened sometimes. Their lives allowed for a lot of freedom, and staying in one place (even if that place was a magically shifting house) could get a bit much sometimes. But they had a rule in the house that everyone check in before travelling, especially if they wanted to travel solo.

“I’ll go see who’s missing.” Minho decided, kissing Felix on the forehead before heading out to check the others.

“Chan-hyung… you don’t think it was Hyunjin do you?” Felix asked nervously.

“I certainly hope not.” Chan frowned, thinking again about their earlier trip. Had it been too much for the new comer?

A few minutes later, Minho returned, carrying a note that confirmed their suspicions.

"Damnit." 

Chapter Text

The world Hyunjin had found himself in was definitely a different one.

When he had stepped out of the door, he found himself in what seemed to be a cave. There was a light source somewhere in the labyrinth around him but for the life of him, Hyunjin couldn’t fathom where it was.

Before he could look further for it, a slight dripping sound caught his attention. There was what looked like silver water dripping from above him. Something in the sight felt harrowing – like the stars themselves were crying for this desolate place.

Following the silver up, he squinted a little at the structures hanging from the roof. They looked like crystal shards. Careful not to make too much noise incase the vibrations disturbed them, Hyunjin moved to an area where the hanging shards looked less sharp. Just in case.

Never one to deny his curiosity, Hyunjin fished his phone out of his pocket and turned on the torch, absently noticing that this was one of those worlds he didn’t have reception. As he shone the light on some of the shards, he was surprised to notice that they weren’t solid, nor translucent, as he would expect. Instead, inside them there seemed to be what looked like… moving pictures?

“What on Earth…?” Hyunjin mumbled to himself, looking around the cave to figure out if there was anything he could climb on to get a better look. It took a minute, but he was able to wedge his foot into an alcove in one of the walls, hauling himself up so he was closer to a particularly long shard. Shining his light on the shard again, he leaned closer to try to make out what the strange images were.

He blinked in surprise when he was able to make out what looked like a busy city street…? “This place just keeps getting stranger…”

Hyunjin watched for a while, just observing the little images of people seemingly going about their day.

--

“I can’t believe you lost the new guy already!” Changbin practically shouted.

“It’s not like we did it on purpose!” Jisung shouted back.

Chan rubbed his temples and tried to ignore the tension headache he could feel growing. “Guys, please?” he called, hoping to stem off too much more yelling. After Minho had brought the note to them, he and Felix had gone to the others to see when the last time anyone had seen Hyunjin was. Turns out he had spent some time with Seungmin earlier but that had been hours ago.

Speaking of, “Seungmin any luck tracking where that door went?” Chan asked, looking expectantly at the younger who was now sitting in front of the monitor of the map.

“No hyung, this is really weird. That door was supposed to lead to a78, but it’s like there was a glitch or something.” Seungmin’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he tried to piece together what had happened and where the back door had taken Hyunjin. The map was not full proof, nor was it technically a map as much as it was an incredibly advanced and ever evolving computer program that consisted of a lot of visuals to depict the science breaking physics of the multiverse they travelled through. 

“See?” Seungmin pointed to the screen that showed a line coming towards a point on the map that represented one of the doors in their hallway. They watched closely as the line continued on it’s path towards the point, only to suddenly veer off before it could connect. A new, faint line appeared and connected instead. “I can’t trace where this new line came from or what world it belongs to.”

“Okay, what about it’s trajectory? Can you trace it?” Minho asked.

“No. It’s not like other paths, it keeps… flickering? I can’t get a solid read on it or where it’s going.” The frustration was clear in Seungmin’s tone. When he had first arrived he had been quiet and reserved, it took a while for him to open up. Chan found that the easiest way to get him to connect was to get him engaged in technology. The kid was an absolute genius when it came to anything mechanic, and it hadn’t taken him long to show an interest in the relatively basic map system Chan had been working with at the time. Seungmin had taken it upon himself to upgrade the system – it had practically become his baby.

And when his baby didn’t cooperate with him, he got understandably annoyed.

Chan patted Seungmin’s shoulder, “Maybe it’s a new form of world? A ‘d’ world?” the alphabet system was a bit rudimentary but it worked. “Either way we won’t know until we can get Hyunjin back and see what he found there. Hopefully it’s not dangerous.” He sighed, “Seungmin, keep trying to trace it. Jisung, once the doors open again, you and I will go to get him. Hopefully it won’t take too many doors to get there.”

‘Hopefully he will stay put until we reach him…’ Chan thought, a headache well and truly settling in.

--

Despite the sadness that seemed to be embedded into the very walls around him, there was something… peaceful about this strange shard world.

Hyunjin had wandered through some of the other cave rooms, though he made sure he didn’t stray too far. He had no doubt he would get lost if he went too far from the door and would surely be trapped (the communicator he had taken with him didn’t seem to work in this world – he would have to let the others know when he got back).

There was no sound in this world beyond the soft sound of the silver liquid dripping and his own footfalls. He had easily lost track of time just watching the strange images trapped in the crystal shards. The bigger ones that he was able to reach held so many details that it was easy to get mesmerized watching them.

He had just started to head towards another longer shard that he hadn’t looked into yet when he heard something. It sounded like someone moving through the caves. Something about the sound made the hair on the back of his neck stand up and an uneasy feeling settle in the pit of his stomach. Despite his temptation to call out to see who was there, Hyunjin stayed quiet, instead creeping slowly towards the sound and trying to keep to the darker parts of the caves.

After taking a few turns, Hyunjin spotted a figure a few meters away. He pressed himself carefully against the cave wall to try to keep out of sight. The figure seemed to be around his height and appeared to have a male frame. He wore what appeared to be a cloak that seemed to shift around the edges – as though the dark material had shadows clinging to it. The cloaks hood was up, obscuring the figure, though from what Hyunjin could make out from this distance, they appeared to wear some sort of mask that covered the lower half of his face.

The figure hadn’t seemed to notice him just yet, so Hyunjin watched in morbid fascination as the other extended his hand towards the roof of the cave. The strange light showed the way the ends of his fingers were stained black, nails grotesque and elongated into near claws. The figure made a pained sound as dark energy seemed to extend from his hand and towards the roof. Hyunjin watched as the energy connected and was absorbed into the stone roof and a moment later, a crystal shard started to extend down towards the figure.

When the figure seemed to done, he fell to his knees, panting heavily and mumbling something too quiet for Hyunjin to hear. Hyunjin took a small step forward, wanting to hear what the man was saying. He hadn’t paid attention to where he was stepping though and accidently knocked a small stone, wincing at how loud it sounded in the silence.

The figures head snapped towards him. For a heartbeat, his own dark eyes met glowing crimson ones.

In the next heartbeat, Hyunjin was turning tail and running back towards the door.

He barely bit back a squeal when he heard the sound of the figure pursuing him and Hyunjin prayed to anyone that would listen that the portal would open soon. He didn’t dare bother checking the time, too busy trying not to trip over his own feet as he took what he hoped were the right turns.

The sound of the figure getting closer made fear claw at Hyunjin’s throat, his own breath coming in desperate pants. ‘This can’t seriously be how I die! Not after everything!’ Surely he wouldn’t die alone at the hands of a beast in a strange cave world mere days after he had made friends for the first time in years! Oh how cruel the humor of the fates were.

Just when Hyunjin was sure he had taken a wrong turn somewhere and had all but signed his own death warrant, a familiar green light caught his attention. Rounding a corner, he spotted the door! The sob of relief at the sight threatened to choke him, but the feeling of something sharp slashing the back of his right calf stole his breath away first. He barely caught himself before he could faceplant, a clawed hand gripping his ankle keeping him in place. His own hands scrambling on the rocky floor, Hyunjin didn’t risk looking back. Instead, kicking out blindly with his left foot until it connected with something and the grip on his ankle releasing.

“Leave me alone!” he screamed, scrambling towards the door.

Before he could open it though, the door swung open. Hyunjin barely processed the two familiar faces in front of him before strong hands were gripping his arms and hauling his ass through the doorway, the sound of it slamming behind him like music to his ears.

Chapter Text

Chan’s heart pounded in his chest as he pulled Hyunjin further from the doorway, watching as Jisung braced his weight against it to keep it closed until finally the green light faded – stopping whatever the fuck that was from following them through.

“Shh, hey, it’s okay, it’s okay, I got you!” Chan shushed Hyunjin, pulling him into his lap and letting the younger man push his face against his chest as if he was trying to make a home there to hide in. He hugged him tightly, rubbing up and down Hyunjin’s back, the force of the sobs causing the younger to shake.

“I’ll make sure it’s clear,” Jisung told him, and Chan could tell that it was to give himself a task to focus on. He gave him a nod and watched as he walked away to do a sweep of the area.

Turning back to the trembling lump in his arms, Chan kissed Hyunjin’s head out of habit before gently nudging him to lean back enough so he could see his face. “You’re safe Hyunjin, I promise. I’ll keep you safe, okay?” he gave him a gentle smile, cupping Hyunjin’s cheek and gently rubbing the tears from his face. “Are you hurt?”

“M-my leg,” Hyunjin muttered, full pouty lip still wobbling as he moved his leg gingerly to show him.

Chan’s brows furrowed in worry as he saw the blood that was staining the ripped pant leg, “I’m going to have to have a look at it, is that okay?”

Hyunjin hesitated but nodded, trying to put on a brave face as he leaned away from Chan, leaning back on his hands instead. Chan moved around him and gently took hold of Hyunjin’s leg, carefully rolling the fabric up to inspect the wound. “Hmm… it doesn’t look too deep thankfully, I don’t think you need stitches but it’s going to need to be cleaned daily.”

Looking around for something to wrap the wounds with, Chan ultimately pulled off his button up, leaving him in just his tight tank top underneath.

As Chan wrapped his leg, Hyunjin sniffled and winced, “How did you guys find me? The map?”

“Yep, it took us some educated guessing to figure out which backdoors to go through, I’m so sorry it took us so long to get to you.” Chan’s guilt was evident in the regretful tone. It hadn’t been as straight forward as he had hoped it would be to find the particular world Hyunjin had found himself in – ultimately it had taken them three jumps to get to him. Which meant they had taken 3 hours to get to him.

Hyunjin reached out to give Chan’s hand a squeeze, “You got there just in time. I… I genuinely wasn’t sure if I was getting out of that one.” The smile he gave was a fragile thing but a genuine one. “Is this world safe?”

“Yes, it’s one we’ve been to before, a61. This worlds stand out feature is that the people here clap at the end of every sentence. Harmless but a little annoying.” Chan shrugged, happy to ramble if it kept that smile on Hyunjin’s face.

“All clear,” Jisung called as he came back, still looking worried for their new friend. He winced at the sight of the blood, “Fuck, well, good news is that whatever the fuck that beasty was can’t get you now. Will you be okay to move? We gotta find another door to jump home.”

“I-I think so.” Hyunjin replied, seeming to take stock of his body. When Chan reached his hands out to him, Hyunjin took them and allowed the older to pull him up.

Chan quickly moved to put his arm around Hyunjin’s waist, “Take it easy, if it get’s too much I’ll give you a piggy back ride.”

--

In the end, the trio made it half way to the next backdoor before Hyunjin finally relented and allowed Jisung to help him climb onto Chan’s back, the other muttering the whole time about his stubbornness.

Hyunjin tries to keep the little whimpers and flinches from the movements from being noticed by the others (with minimum success if the worried glances from Jisung and the whispered apologies from Chan are anything to go by). He had been with them for less than 48 hours and he was already becoming a burden. If he wasn’t so desperate for company, Hyunjin would insist they leave him here.

In less than a day, Hyunjin had accidentally let slip just how fragile his mind could be thanks to a teddy bear of all things, and now had had to be rescued all because he was an idiot who managed to choose a door to a world with monsters. How was he supposed to prove that he was worth the invitation of joining them when this was all he had to show for himself? Yes Hyunjin was desperate for company, but the others weren’t. They had each other. They didn’t need him – especially when he couldn’t even freaking walk!

The others were kind – well, they seemed to be anyway – and he doubted that they would kick him to the curb while he was injured. But was sticking around and wasting their resources and time just him being selfish?

“Penny for your thoughts?” Chan prompted, in that too genuine understanding voice of his.

“They usually cost more than that.” Hyunjin mumbled, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips.

“Will you take an ‘I owe you’?” Chan bartered, glancing over his shoulder at him.

Hyunjin met his eye for a moment before having to look away, it truly felt like the older could read him like a book some times. “Sorry, cash or card only.”

Chan chuckled and adjusted his grip on Hyunjin’s thighs, and Hyunjin made a conscious effort to not let his thoughts linger on the warm grip. “Well, you got me there.” Chan relented, but before Hyunjin could think he had let the topic drop, he added, “But seriously, are you ok? You seemed a little… lost in your own head.”

Jisung remained blissfully ignorant to the double meaning.

“It’s not that,” Hyunjin sighed, voice low.

“What is it then? Hyunjinnie I can only help if you let me in. I know it’s probably not an easy thing for you to do, and normally I wouldn’t push, but I have a feeling this is important.” Chan pressed gently.

Hyunjin was tempted to remain silent, but the use of the nickname pulled at his heartstrings. No one had called him that in a very long time. Putting his forehead on the back of Chans left shoulder so he didn’t have to look at either of them, he tried to figure out how open to be. When he found the words, they poured out of him in a rush, “I… I’m sorry for all the hassle I’m causing you. I can understand if you would like me to stay in this world, or to leave once my leg is healed – it doesn’t have to be fully healed either! Once I can walk I can go, it shouldn’t take too long to heal, like you said the cuts aren’t too deep and I’m sure I can manage hobbling just fine I-”

“Hyunjin!” Jisung cut off his rambling, “Are you a dummy? Do you think we would have gone to all this effort to get you back if we were just going to abandon you here or kick you out?”

Hyunjin’s wince had nothing to do with his leg this time as he shrugged, “I don’t know, maybe you guys are just being nice… we don’t really know each other. There’s no reason for you to help me.”

Chan and Jisung shared a look and Chan slowed, carefully lowering Hyunjin to stand, Jisung holding his arms to keep him upright and so he could balance his weight on his left foot.

Hyunjin tried to push down the rush of panic that squeezed his throat, it would make sense for them to leave him here, especially now that the option had been vocalized. Maybe they hadn’t considered it until now. Either way, this world didn’t seem so bad to settle for a while until he had healed, sure the clapping would get annoying but he could manage.

Chan turned so he could see him properly and gently held his cheeks, the contact effectively cutting off his mental spiral. Damn his eyes were pretty up close…

“Hyunjin. We are not going to abandon you while you’re injured, nor will we make you leave once you’re healed. We would never do that. I know we have only known each other for a little while, and I can’t imagine what all these years have been like alone, but please try to believe me? I told you, you won’t have to be alone again, not unless you choose to be.” The earnestness in Chan’s voice was enough to make Hyunjin’s eyes water. He didn’t trust his voice to respond so he nodded instead.

Jisung gave his arm a light squeeze and added in a jokingly firm tone, “But if you do choose to be alone, let us know first yeah? And take a communicator so we can find you if you need help.”

Hyunjin didn’t hide the pout, pulling the communicator he had swiped earlier out of his pocket, “I did, but it didn’t work.”

“What?” Chan blinked, taking the communicator when Hyunjin held it out to him. He looked over it, brows knitting together, “These things haven’t failed yet…”

“Maybe it needs an upgrade?” Jisung suggested, slipping his arm around Hyunjin’s waist to support his weight while Chan looked over the device, it could visually pass as a typical walkie talkie, albeit with more wires.

Chan brought the device up and pressed a couple of buttons, “Testing. Can you guys hear me?”

“Hey Channie! Yep, I can hear you,” Felix’s cheerful voice came through clearly. “Did you find Hyunjin? Is everything okay?”

“Hey Lix, yeah we got him. We’ll be back soon.” Chan replied, sharing a look with Jisung.

“Okay, see you then. The next door that should get you back home is… oh, the one you’re already heading towards. That’s convenient!” Felix’s giggle brought a bright smile to Jisung’s face. “I’ll see you guys soon!”

“Looks like it works here… maybe there was something about that particular world?” Chan theorized, putting the communicator in his pocket before squatting in front of Hyunjin to allow him to climb back on his back.

“Maybe? It was a weird one.” Hyunjin mumbled, getting comfortable and putting his head on Chan’s shoulder. It had been a long day and the events were starting to catch up with him.

Seeming to sense that he was tired, Chan resisted asking the mirage of questions that came to mind.

--

It didn’t take long for the trio to reach the door that would take them home, the trip significantly quicker with Hyunjin on Chan’s back.

Along the way Jisung kept up an easy conversation, the others occasionally chiming in with questions or encouragements to keep it flowing. It was somewhere in the midst of a story of the time Jisung and Jeongin had been traversing a world where the flowers all had teeth, that Hyunjin fell asleep on Chan’s shoulder.

“And there it is.” Jisung smirked at Chan who rolled his eyes fondly.

“I’m honestly surprised he lasted as long as he did.” Chan admitted, “Poor thing was sounding exhausted for the last little while.”

“Yeah… I’m a bit worried about him.” Jisung admitted. “Chan how could he think we would just abandon him like that when he’s hurt? What sort of people has he been surrounded with in the past to think that?”

Jisung’s voice was so vulnerable in this moment that Chan wanted nothing more than to hug him. It was a stark reminder that while Jisung was tough and confident on the outside, he had a soft center. Jisung had been the first traveler Chan had met after JYP – he was new to it all back then, travelling had his anxiety running high and the poor guy had had a panic attack when Chan had approached him. It had taken time for the younger to gain the confidence he had now, but there were still times Chan couldn’t help but see the scared teen he had first met back then, and it always brought the protective side of him out.

“I don’t know baby, but he is with us now. It may take some time but… I think, well I hope, that we will be able to prove to him we are trustworthy.” Chan kept his tone confident despite his own doubts. “For now, we’ll get him home, get his leg properly dressed, and make sure he rests.”

“We’ll also have to make sure he knows the house rules too, like don’t go to weird disappearing worlds alone without telling anyone.” Jisung grumbled pushing Chan’s hair back out of his hair for him as his hands were full.

Chan nodded, glancing over his shoulder at the mop of black hair, “Yes. I think that will definitely be necessary.”

When the doorframe lit up with the green glow, Jisung opened it and stepped through the portal without needing to be told to go first, Chan following quickly.

Chan wasn’t surprised to see Changbin, Felix, and Minho waiting to greet them. Seungmin waiting with them, weight shifting restlessly, was a surprise though. Chan mentally filed the relief in the youngers eyes away to explore later.

“Oh my goodness, is he okay?!” Felix worried, doe eyes wide as he took in Hyunjin’s unconscious state.

Jisung snagged him with an arm around Felix’s waist before he could reach Hyunjin and wake him, “He’s alright, just exhausted.” He assured him, “His leg got a bit cut up by this monster thing-”

“Monster?!” Changbin exclaimed, immediately reaching for Hyunjin’s leg and pulling up the material of his pants, revealing the bloody make shift bandage. “You said he was okay!” he hit Jisung’s arm lightly, causing the other to whine at him.

Before Chan could answer, Hyunjin stirred, turning his head and pressing his face to the back of his neck, making the eldest shiver. “Too loud…” he grumbled.

Chan chuckled softly, “I know buddy, they can be.” He gave Changbin and Jisung a look. The two had the decency to look sheepish. “Let’s go get your leg fixed up and bandaged properly and then you can sleep some more.”

Hyunjin hummed in agreement and lifted his head, rubbing his tired eyes. Minho noted how the action caused Changbin’s eyes to soften completely.

As Chan and Jisung took Hyunjin to the infirmary, Felix and Seungmin headed off, leaving Minho and Changbin.

“You’re down bad for him hey?” Minho deadpanned, smirking when he saw the way Changbin blushed as he tried to deny it. He let him stutter out his excuses for a moment more before he cut him some slack, “Don’t worry, he is very pretty. He’ll also need someone to help him around while he’s healing.” He added casually before turning to walk away too.

He didn’t need to look back to know Changbin was sporting a love sick grin.

Chapter Text

True to his word, Chan had taken him straight to a medical looking room in a section of the house Hyunjin hadn’t explored yet. Once there, he had carefully set him on a bench while Jisung went and grabbed some stuff to clean the cuts on his calf. “It’s a good thing we got you some more clothes.” Chan commented as he cut away the ripped material blocking their access.

“I liked these pants though.” Hyunjin complained with a pout just to be difficult while tired.

Chan didn’t take the bait, just giving him a gentle and fond smile, “Well, I can see what I can salvage, but they may have to be recycled to be shorts instead.” This earnt a laugh from Hyunjin. The eldest then accepted the cleaning supplies from Jisung, warning, “This will hurt.”

“It’s okay, it already does.” Hyunjin shrugged, lifting his leg and holding the back of his knee to keep it steady and high enough to make it easier on Chan. The older had already carried him back, he didn’t need to hurt his back more from bending over. Jisung stepped in to start unwrapping the shirt from the wound to speed up the process (and to feel useful).

“Sorry, hopefully it won’t hurt for long.” Chan’s apology was interrupted by Jisung urgently hitting his arm and nodding towards Hyunjin’s leg. Chan looked to the now exposed wound, the sight made his eyes widen before he could school his features again.

There were the expected four shallow gashes, each approximately three inches in length, that were still sluggishly bleeding. The unexpected thing was the black tinge to the skin around the cuts – the wounds hadn’t been black before. That was definitely concerning…

“What’s up? Your silence is kind of freaking me out…” Hyunjin asked with a nervous laugh.

“There’s a slight change of plans bud,” Chan kept his voice as light as possible, getting up and grabbing a swab. “I just want to check that everything’s okay.”

“What? Why wouldn’t it be?” Hyunjin blinked before lifting his leg higher and trying to turn it enough to see for himself what was wrong. Seeing the blackish hue to the skin around the cuts, Hyunjin paled. “Well that’s not good… That thing that cut me, his fingertips were stained black.” He told them, looking at Chan.

He knew it was silly, he hadn’t known Chan very long, but he was still looking to the older for reassurance.

“It may be related.” Chan mumbled, getting close and inspecting the wound. Very carefully, he brought the swab up to gently scrap it against the blackened skin to get a sample. Without having to be told, Jisung quickly grabbed what looked like a zip lock bag for Chan to put it in. “We’ll get to the bottom of it and we’ll make sure you get healed up okay.” He assured with a practiced certainty in his voice that calmed some of Hyunjin’s nerves.

“I’ll get Jeongin to have a look at it later and see what he comes up with.” Jisung said, at Hyunjin’s curious look he added, “He is a science and biology nerd. His original world was very advanced so he’s basically a genius next to us mere mortals.”

Despite the situation, the comment still made Hyunjin giggle. Chan smiled at the sound as he got some of the cleaning solution on a pad and set to work.

--

Wounds freshly cleaned and bandaged, Hyunjin was assisted back to his room. In the end, two of the cuts had needed stitching after all so it was helpful that Jisung had been there. The younger was surprisingly calm and steady when it came to the task.

Hyunjin had just closed his eyes when there was a quiet knock on his door. He didn’t bother fighting the whine at being disrupted. Yes it was nice to have people around who he could connect with but damn he would miss having uninterrupted time to himself. “What?” he called in a whingey voice.

“Sorry Hyunjinnie,” Felix replied, opening the door and stepping in. “I know you’re tired but you shouldn’t go to bed without dinner. Not when your body is healing.”

Hyunjin’s answering glare was minimized by his pout.

Felix visibly fought back a smile as he held the plate up as if to entice him, “Minho cooked it~”

“… okay I’m listening.” Hyunjin relented and sat up again.

“It’s bibimbap,” Felix said in a sing song tone.

Hyunjin, ever one to lean into the dramatics when an opportunity presented itself, gasped and eagerly pat the bed in front of him, “Come come, take a seat!”

Felix giggled and sat down, handing Hyunjin the plate and some cutlery. “Eat up, there’s plenty left too. Minho always cooks enough for there to be left overs so that there’s easy lunches available.”

“That’s good of him, does everyone take turns cooking?” Hyunjin asked, curious of the dynamic and chore distribution in the house. He balanced the plate carefully on his lap over the blankets and dug in, humming in appreciation for the flavor.

“Well… we all try to take turns helping him out but generally Minho and Channie take care of the majority of the cooking. Seungmin has been banned form the kitchen without supervision, Changbin can cook the basics, Jeongin and Jisung can cook but they prefer not to. I’m more of a baker.” Felix explained, seeming to be content with watching Hyunjin eat. “How about you Hyunjin? Do you cook much?”

“Mmm, somewhat? I was taught the basics when I was young and, well, you know what this life is like. Can’t always guarantee that take out will be available. So, I learnt pretty quick how to cook some more stuff, especially recipes that were easy to adapt to whatever the world had available. I enjoyed experimenting with flavors when I could.” Hyunjin explained, catching himself rambling and cutting himself off with another mouthful of food.

“Did you ever find anything weird to eat while traveling?” Felix asked, his tone light and genuinely curious.

Hyunjin hesitated before nodding. “A lot of things. Some worlds have food that glows. Others have things that move even after they’re cooked, that was definitely an experience!” He paused, then added softly, “But most of the time, I just ate whatever I could find. There wasn’t always time to sit back and savor it.”

Felix’s smile faltered. “That… sounds tough.”

“You get used to it.” Hyunjin shrugged, forcing a smirk, “Besides, it made the times I could relax and experiment with flavors all the more enjoyable.”

Felix leaned forward slightly, his gaze meeting Hyunjin’s warmly. “Well, for the record, you’re not scavenging anymore. You’re with us. And I’ll make sure you get all the time in the world to experiment and enjoy.”

Hyunjin wasn’t sure how to answer. But he found the ensuing silence was comfortable enough that he didn’t have to.

--

Despite his earlier exhaustion, the two sat up for hours simply talking about random topics. It seemed that Felix shared Jisung’s skill to talk about nothing with barely any prompts needed. It was pretty obvious that Felix was curious about Hyunjin, but he appreciated that the younger didn’t push topics despite that curiosity.

Felix explained some more of the dynamics of the house, explaining how they had all been found in a similar fashion to himself by Chan, starting with Jisung. Hyunjin couldn’t help the startled laugh when Felix told him the story of Minho clocking Chan in the jaw when he asked him to come home with him.

“Did he seriously?!” Hyunjin laughed, spurred on by Felix’s cheeky giggles.

“Yep! Channie came back with a new friend and split lip!” Felix exclaimed, laying on his side over the covers next to Hyunjin and facing him.

“I suppose out of everyone Minho makes sense.” Hyunjin chuckled, turning his head to face Felix. At the youngers raised brow he shrugged, “He seems the most… how do I put this nicely…”

“Minho isn’t mean if that’s what you’re gonna say.” Felix replied, a slight challenge in his light tone.

“No no, never!” Hyunjin was quick to assure, “I was going to say he seems like he has more survival skills than the others.” Felix made an offended noise but the amusement in his eyes didn’t change. “I mean that he seems to have been the only one who was actually suspicious of me off the bat. While I maintain I’m not a danger, it sort of makes sense that of everyone to hit Chan it would have been the guy who didn’t immediately seem to like me.”

“Bold of you to assume we all liked you immediately!” Felix teased.

Hyunjin smirked at him, rolling onto his side so he could face Felix better, he lowered his voice as he asked teasingly, “Are you saying you didn’t Felix-ah?”

Hyunjin was rewarded with the sight of a blush spreading over Felix’s cheeks. Adorable.

“Oh hush you,” Felix rolled his eyes and giggled. After a pause he asked quietly, “Do you think you’ll stick around for a while?”

Hyunjin was taken off guard by the question. He hadn’t really considered it – having been so used to nothing being permanent in his life, it was strange to think that this wouldn’t just be temporary too. Slowly, he nodded, “For a while at least.”

“Good,” Felix positively beamed, “Because you were right, I did like you immediately, and I hate to lose things I like.”

Hyunjin chuckled, “Well I would hate to disappoint so I suppose you’re stuck with me.”

Chapter Text

When Hyunjin woke the next morning, it was to a delicate peace in the room. Taking his time with stretching his arms and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Hyunjin looked to his right. He remembered Felix having fallen asleep next to him but he must have either gotten up already or moved to his own bed at some point.

The fact that he hadn’t woken at the others exit was… concerning.

Hyunjin chalked it up to having been exhausted. He was by nature a deep sleeper, but he was usually more alert when he was still getting used to a new place. His very survival had depended on his vigilance over the past few years after all.

Pushing the matter aside for now, Hyunjin moved to get up. Only to hiss in pain and fall back to the bed a moment later, “Fucking ow…!” he mumbled, gripping his leg, just above where the bandage was.

He didn’t dare to remove the bandage to check the damage, instead just breathing slowly till the throbs of pain dulled a bit. He had dealt with painful injuries in the past – over the years it was inevitable after all – so he was confident that the pain would pass soon. In the meantime, he would just have to push it to the back of his mind and try not to cause more problems for the others. Gods know he has already burdened them enough – regardless of what Chan and Jisung had said.

Once the pain had ebbed to a consistent ache again, Hyunjin mentally braced himself to try again. “Here we go…” he muttered and got up, bracing himself on the wall and putting his body weight on his left leg only. “So far so good.” Gingerly, Hyunjin put his weight on his other foot. He winced at the stab of pain but thankfully wasn’t buckled by it this time.

He counted that as a win.

--

Down in the basement, Jeongin idly took a bite of his toast, attention on the printed out results of the labs he had run for Chan. Jeongin was not a doctor, nor did he claim to have anymore knowledge on the human body than your average person. It just happened that what passed as average intelligence on his original world qualified as a genius level on most of the ‘a’ worlds.

Using the groups codes for the different worlds, Jeongin came from a ‘c’ world – one that was more technologically advanced. ‘C’ worlds tended to place more importance on science and advancements, intelligence was something that was nurtured above anything else from a young age. It led to some pretty amazing inventions and discoveries, but it also meant that if your interest was in anything creative you were often looked down on.

Jeongin was indifferent to most of the things the others saw as strong traits he had gotten due to his upbringing on his original world, but he did love that they let him indulge in simple things like creative pursuits and actually let him have freedom over how he chose to spend his time.

Admittedly, how he chose to spent his time did, in fact, involve a lot of science shit.

He hummed as he reread the printed out results, muttering to himself, “This… isn’t possible…”

Just to be sure of the results, he ran the test again. And then a third time. But each time still yielded the same impossible results.

Grabbing his now empty plate (because Minho had threatened to skin him if he left dirty dishes in the lab again), Jeongin headed upstairs in search of either Chan or Hyunjin.

While their leader was nowhere in sight, Jeongin conveniently found Hyunjin in the kitchen. Hyunjin was undeniably handsome - taller than the others, hair that fell in seemingly effortlessly, and eyes that seemed to be inviting even in the mystery they held. He was as alluring as he was distracting. And distractions rarely lead to good things.

Dark eyes blinked at him as Jeongin made a beeline to him and knelt in front of him. “Umm… good morning?” Hyunjin said, amused confusion in his voice. “Can I help you with something?”

“Stay still.” Jeongin told him firmly, reaching for the loose pant leg and lifting it so the bandages were exposed.

“Okay hold up, can we just-!” Hyunjin lightly smacked at Jeongin’s hands, taking an uncoordinated few steps back. “At least make me breakfast first!”

“I hate to disappoint, but I’m just here to check your wound.” Jeongin rolled his eyes, “If you want breakfast, wait for Minho.”

“So cruel,” Hyunjin grumbled leaning back against the counter, “This has to be against the Geneva convention.”

“Geneva doesn’t exist here.” Jeongin shot back, eyes still focused on Hyunjin’s leg as he once again lifted his pants.

“Yeah? Well apparently neither do manners!” Hyunjin huffed, lifting his leg a bit to make it easier for the younger. “Whatever, just don’t poke around too much.” he gripped the counter as Jeongin started to unwrap the bandages, doing his best to keep his expression neutral even as the younger could see his hold body tensing.

Jeongin didn’t answer, but he was careful as he unwrapped the bandage, revealing the wound. The cool air made Hyunjin bite his lip to keep from whimpering (he had showed enough weakness thank you very much, he would not give them another example).

Jeongin’s eyes narrowed at the sight. It was as he had feared. Fuck.

The four gashes were unremarkable, they had stopped bleeding and were starting to show signs of healing. The issue lay in the darkness that had clearly started to spread. “Does this hurt?”

“What-?!”

Hyunjin’s question cut off with a yelp of pain when Jeongin lightly touched the blackened skin about a centimeter away from one of the gashes. Seemingly acting on instinct, Hyunjin kicked Jeongin in the chest, forcing him away from himself, and sending him sprawling on the floor.

There was a beat were the two looked at each other, each seemingly caught off guard by the others action, before a sharp voice cut through the silence.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” Seungmin demanded, marching over and standing between Hyunjin (the practical stranger) and Jeongin, glaring daggers at the man.

“I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!” Hyunjin stuttered out.

Seungmin scoffed, “Oh? And what exactly did you mean to do huh?” he demanded, getting up in Hyunjin’s face, “Cause it seemed pretty obvious to me!”

Hyunjin’s expression betrayed a moment of fear before his eyes hardened, locking the vulnerability firmly behind a wall as he glared back. “Then maybe you should get your eyes checked because you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about. Now back off.”

“Guy’s come on,” Jeongin urged, having got up and trying to pull Seungmin away.

“Or what?” Seungmin challenged, voice low and attention focused on Hyunjin.

“Hey! Seungmin! Hyunjin! Cut it out!” The harsh order effectively cut things off before they could escalate as Chan, Minho, and a sleepy looking Changbin entered the room.

For a tense moment, neither man budged.

With a huff and a shake of his head, Seungmin took a step back, turning his glare on Chan, “Whatever. If you want to bring some stranger into our home, go ahead. But I am not going to stand for him hurting our family!”

“Hurting our…? Jeongin, what exactly happened?” Chan asked, trying to keep the agitation out of his voice and to a minimum as he turned his attention to the youngest.

Jeongin glanced between the still fuming Seungmin and Hyunjin, who was seemingly trying to stay still enough the others would forget he was there. “I got the lab results back from the sample you gave me of Hyunjin’s injuries and I wanted to see how it was progressing. I didn’t really explain myself and I didn’t give him a heads up before touching his leg. When I did, Hyunjin kicked me away from him. That was when Seungmin came in.”

Minho’s brows furrowed as he stepped closer to the youngest, gently touching his chest to see if there was any damage. “Are you okay?”

Jeongin rolled his eyes, a little embarrassed by the attention, “I’m fine hyung.”

“Alright, it sounds like this may have been a misunderstanding.” Chan started.

“A misunderstanding?! Are you fucking kidding me?!” Seungmin threw his hands up, “You are being an idiot right now!”

“Seungmin! Take it easy.” Changbin told him, crossing his arms, no longer sleepy. “I get why you are mad but that’s no reason to be disrespectful. Chan’s right, this is a misunderstanding. I’m sure that Hyunjin didn’t mean to kick Jeongin.”

“He better not have.” Minho grumbled darkly, giving Hyunjin a warning look.

“No! I promise I would never! I just got caught off guard, I didn’t know why Jeongin was touching me and it hurt and I just… I’m sorry!” Hyunjin rambled, looking on the verge of either crying or turning tail to run. Given the way he was carefully avoiding putting weight on his leg and leaning on the counter still, the first option was more likely.

“Okay enough. This is getting us nowhere and I think we could all use some time to calm down.” Chan’s voice was calm but firm, not leaving room for discussion on the matter.

Seungmin looked at him in disbelief before walking off with a mumbled curse, avoiding Changbin’s hand when he reached out as he passed.

“I’ll go after him.” Changbin muttered and followed.

“Thanks Binnie,” Chan sighed and looked to Minho. It was clear that his right hand wasn’t happy about the situation either. Alright. One thing at a time. “Jeongin, what did the results come back with?”

Jeongin snuck another glance at Hyunjin but it seemed the man was spacing out. Turning his focus back on Chan, he replied, “The labs came back with something I have only seen once before. I ran it a couple of times to check but it kept coming up the same. I don’t know how, but it looks like Hyunjin’s wound is infected with void energy.”

“And what exactly does that mean?” Minho asked, the new puzzle seemingly cutting through his agitation.

“Think of it as being like anti-energy, or like the absence of energy.” Jeongin explained, having to take a second to figure out how to best explain it so the others would get it. “It shouldn’t be possible but there are theories that support the idea.”

“Well don’t just keep us in suspense, I have to assume you know more?” Minho prompted when the younger trailed off, looking like he was deep in thought.

Jeongin glanced at the others, noticing the familiar puzzled expression. "Okay, think of a worlds as big, glowing lanterns, filled with a special kind of light that gives life to everything in it. Void energy is like a darkness that doesn’t just swallow the light—it also snuffs out the lantern itself. It consumes the energy that makes the worlds exist, leaving behind a certain nothingness. However, according to the theories, even though it seems that the energy ceases, it doesn’t just vanish. Energy can’t be created or destroyed, right? Instead it gets twisted and corrupted, becoming void energy—like a shadow of what it used to be.”

“So… my leg is becoming a shadow of itself?” Hyunjin asked, voice cautious like he was waiting for a confirmation on if he should freak out or not.

Personally, Jeongin thought he should be.

“Sort of…” Jeongin was visibly reluctant to share his theories. “It’s still just a hypothesis, but I suspect that whatever cut you must have somehow had void energy infused with it. The void energy is reacting to your specific energy – the energy that makes you you. It’s trying to drain it, and the fact that it appears to be spreading is concerning to say the least.”

“What…. What will happen if it keeps spreading?” Hyunjin asked, Chan taking a step closer at the fear that rung through his voice.

“I… I’m not sure, it’s still just a theory.” Jeongin didn’t meet his gaze.

“But you have an idea Innie?” Minho prompted, while he may not trust Hyunjin right now after this mornings events, this was a new threat that the others could potentially face one day too.

Jeongin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, “If it continues to spread, it would stand to reason that the void energy would continue to try to drain and twist your energy until it destabilizes the energy needed to… to keep you alive. When a lantern loses its power force it eventually stops working all together.”

“There has to be something we can do to stop it spreading then?” Chan asked, determination lacing his voice even as worry shone in his eyes. He had promised Hyunjin that he would keep him safe… if he had reached him sooner then this wouldn’t have happened…

“I’m going to start working on it now, I feel like I remember reading somewhere about energy sources… if we can find a way to infuse Hyunjin’s injury with the enough of the right kind of energy, then maybe we can undo the effects? Or at least counter them back to neutral and stop the spread. I may have to jump back to a ‘c’ world to get materials.” Jeongin’s mind was already racing with different options on how to do this and what he would need, mentally going over equations and how to best utilize the available factors to help him stop this. “In the meantime, you need to rest. Don’t do anything that will need too much energy okay?”

“I, um, yeah. Okay.” Hyunjin nodded, still a little in shock at the revelations. This wasn’t how he saw his morning going.

Chapter Text

Changbin sat with his back against Seungmin’s door - where he had been for the past twenty minutes. “Seungmin you can’t stay locked in there forever!” he called with a whine. “I know you’re hungry! I am too! Come out so we can go eat already!”

“Go. Away!” came the same response he had gotten on and off for the same twenty minutes.

At this point he wasn’t really expecting anything different, though he still hoped his usually level headed boyfriend would calm down enough to let him in. Of the group, Seungmin and Jeongin were the most likely to shut down when something was bothering them and try to deal with things on their own, but the two had been making progress with being more open.

At least, Changbin thought Seungmin had been. Thinking back to the situation they had walked in on this morning, Changbin couldn’t help but sigh.

Hyunjin hadn’t been with them long, nor had they really gotten a chance to get to know him properly. There was sense in what Seungmin had said – he truly was a stranger to them. Yet… Changbin truly couldn’t find it in him to believe that Hyunjin had meant any harm, or that was he a danger to their family. This morning was a reminder that he still had to get to know the mysterious addition better (something he planned to do as soon as possible) but they couldn’t risk losing Seungmin in the process.

Seungmin could be misread as standoffish to some, hell, Changbin had thought so when the younger had first joined them. He had been very hesitant to trust them and it had taken a hell of a long time to get him to lower his walls. Changbin knew that there would always be some things in his past that Seungmin would never share.

Like the real reason he always got quiet when new travelers were brought into their lives.

Changbin remembered what it had been like when Jeongin had joined them. By that point, Seungmin had been with them for around eight months, and had just started to really view their house as a home. He had started to let his real personality, sass, and smile come through the mask of indifference he had maintained. But when Jeongin had been brought into the home, it was like all of the progress they had made with Seungmin had been erased.

Seungmin had retreated into his shell again, and it had been painful to watch. It had come to a head when, after it became clear that Jeongin had agreed to stay long term, Changbin had caught Seungmin trying to leave in the middle of the night. In hindsight, he knew his reaction probably wasn’t the best, but the confrontation had lead to Seungmin finally expressing himself.

He had been afraid. Afraid that the new addition meant that he would be abandoned. Again.

Changbin had thought that by now, they had finally put those fears to rest. But he couldn’t help but wonder if those old fears had somehow come through and exasperated Seungmin’s reactions?

Unfortunately, there was no way for Changbin to know for sure until Seungmin actually spoke to him.

“I swear if I starve out here I am going to haunt you till the end of time!” He yelled.

“At least then you’ll stop talking!” came the muffled reply.

“Right, that’s it!” he got up, glaring at the door, “If you don’t open this door right now Kim Seungmin, I am going to kick it down!”

Just as he was gearing up to make good on his threat, the door opened. “You’re being too loud.” Seungmin grumbled, turning on his heel and going back inside, leaving the door open for Changbin.

“Yeah well, the squeaky wheel gets the oil.” Changbin shrugged, following shamelessly, closing the door behind him. He took a seat on the bed, facing Seungmin who sat at his desk – the younger was arguably more comfortable there then bed most of the time. After a moment of silence, Changbin crossed his arms and asked, “Do you want to talk about it or do you want to vent some more first?”

Seungmin held his gaze for a beat longer before looking away to glare towards the door, “I don’t get why Chan didn’t look into this guy more. What do we really know about Hyunjin? There’s more to him than a pretty face and the lost puppy act! He could be violent, he literally kicked Innie! How do we know he won’t do worse next time?!”

“Are you done?”

“No!” Seungmin huffed, getting up and starting to pace. “Chan doesn’t know Hyunjin like I- like we should before we just give him a fucking room! What’s to stop him from murdering one of us in the middle of the night or stealing from us or just running off and leaving us?! He’s already broken one of the rules and travelled without telling any of us! What happens if whatever attacked him comes after him here? Then what?!”

Changbin moved to block the youngers path, catching him and holding him by the shoulders. “Baby take a breath.” He told him gently, waiting until Seungmin did before continuing, “First off, Hyunjin hasn’t been told all the rules yet, he didn’t know he was breaking them, there was no malicious intent in him traveling. You know as well as I do that adjusting to having a set place is hard and Hyunjin has been living in transit for a very long time. There’s always going to be some teething issues when someone new comes here.”

Before Seungmin could argue, Changbin pushed on. “You’re right – we are still getting to know Hyunjin and there is every chance that there is more to him that we don’t know, including potential dangers. But he is also in a house with seven other men who he also doesn’t know. Statistically, he should be the one worried about safety, not us. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith – which is what we do every time Chan brings another stray home. But when have we ever regretted it?”

“… never.” Seungmin grumbled, pouting a little as he stubbornly argued, “But there’s always a first time!”

“True, but I genuinely don’t think that this will be it.” Changbin told him sincerely, watching as Seungmin seemed to deflate in surrender. Seeing the progress for what it was, Changbin carefully asked, “So, do you want to tell me what this is really about?”

“A stranger being in out home?” Seungmin countered just to be annoying.

Changbin rolled his eyes, “No you menace! Seungmin… I know you were just as worried as the rest of us when Hyunjin went missing, and when Chan and Jisung brought Hyunjin back, I saw how relieved you were.” Seeing how the younger shifted uncomfortably at being called out, Changbin knew that he was onto something. Taking a shot in the dark, he asked gently, “Were you worried about him leaving?”

“I…” Seungmin sighed, momentarily pressing his forehead to Changbin’s shoulder so he wouldn’t have to face him, “It’s complicated.”

“Maybe talking about it will help clear it up?”

“Thank you for the offer hyung, but I think this is something I have to work on myself for a bit before I talk about it.” Seungmin decided, lifting his head to assure him, “But I will talk to you about it when I’m ready.”

“Hmm… okay. Fine. I’ll drop it for now then.” Changbin relented, kissing Seungmin’s forehead. “But in the meantime, do you think you’ve cooled off enough to be in the same room as Chan and Hyunjin? Cause I am seriously hungry for breakfast.”

Seungmin chuckled and nodded, “I, yeah. I should probably apologize to Channie for overreacting a little and being so rude…”

“Yeah probably.” Changbin laughed, ruffling his hair, “Don’t worry, Chan is physically unable to stay mad at you, so you’ll be fine.”

As they walked to the kitchen, Changbin glanced at Seungmin out of the corner of his eye. The younger’s shoulders were still stiff, his jaw set. Something was still clearly bothering him, and Changbin couldn’t help but wish he knew what so he could take it off the youngers shoulders.

--

As it turned out, by the time the two made it to the kitchen, Seungmin needn’t worry about facing either their leader or their new housemate as neither of the men were present.

At Changbin’s questioning look, Minho explained, “Hyunjin needs to rest and Chan is having breakfast with him so he won’t get too bored.”

“Okay, I have more questions now.” Changbin admitted as he sat down, eagerly getting some food onto a plate and ignoring Jisung’s complaints as he drank from his coffee.

“I was just about to explain why when you two decided to join us.” Jeongin told hem bluntly, tone taking on the hint of coldness it got when he was mentally working on something and didn’t really have the patience for the groups antics. “So as I was saying…”

--
When Jeongin was finished explaining and answering the multitude of questions the others shot at him, the youngest got up and headed back to his lab to start working on a solution, Minho going with him to help after giving Seungmin a kiss on the cheek.

Jisung and Felix could tell they had clearly missed something, but given that Minho and Changbin seemed to have it sorted, the two turned their attention on planning different things to keep their new friend busy while he was bedridden.

The two knocked on Hyunjin’s door and waited until they heard him call out before heading into the room, their arms full of stuff to make the time go by a little easier.

“Do you guys need a hand?” Chan asked, watching the two with fond amusement.

“Nah we got it,” Felix dismissed, going and unloading the stuff on the desk.

“You really weren’t kidding,” Hyunjin smirked to Chan who tried to hide his answering laugh.

“About what?” Jisung asked, glancing between the two as he climbed onto the bed and put the stuff down next to him. It was obvious from the way Chan looked at Hyunjin - the older was absolutely smitten.

“It’s nothing,” Chan tried to deny, but Hyunjin wasn’t having it.

“He said I wouldn’t get a moments peace while I’m on bedrest since I’ll definitely get too many visitors.” He smirked as Jisung playfully hit Chan’s shoulder, the eldest rubbing it dramatically.

“Are you implying that that would be a bad thing?” Jisung challenged their leader playfully.

Chan held his hands up in surrender, “I would never!” he replied, pulling the younger closer to his side, “So what is all this stuff?”

With Jisung happily leaning into Chan’s side, Felix eagerly started to explain their little treasure trove. “We weren’t really sure what you would like and since we don’t know how long you’ll have to rest for, we grabbed a bunch of stuff!”

Hyunjin watched the young blonde eagerly point out things as he explained with a fond smile that didn’t go unnoticed by Chan.

“In case you’re a gamer like me I brought my switch – there’s a bunch of games you can play on it – I recommend Animal Crossing if you want something relaxing or maybe Zelda if you want something more adventurous!” Felix then leaned over to pick up a few books, “Or if reading is more your thing, we have some romance books, some adventure books, a couple of murder mysteries-”

“Felix wanted to bring you some smut books too but I told him the whole point is for you to rest,” Jisung cut in with a smirk in Felix’s direction.

Felix blushed and stuck his tongue out at him, pushing on and ignoring the giggling in the room, “We also have some old books on learning different languages from a couple of the worlds, if you feel like learning something.”

Felix went to the stuff he had placed down on the desk, grabbing a very full tote bag and coming back over, “And finally, a bunch of DVDs and art stuff! The DVDs are also a mix, but there’s a bunch of anime in there, and I wasn’t really sure if you liked art but just in case there’s an old sketch book that was Minho’s in their and some stuff to draw with!”

“Felix, Jisung, this… this is so much!” Hyunjin was genuinely at a loss of words, so instead he carefully maneuvered himself closer to pull the two into a warm hug. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank us, you’re one of us now. And we look after our own.” Jisung promised him, giving Hyunjin a squeeze as he felt Chan’s hand on his shoulder. “We got you.”

Chapter Text

The next week passed by surprisingly quickly for Hyunjin.

He rarely found himself alone, let alone bored. He and Felix would spend hours playing video games together, Jisung would watch movies with him, Changbin would listen to music with him and talk shit until they were both clutching their stomachs from laughing so hard, and Chan would sit calmly with him when he needed a quiet moment – the two reading and indulging in each others company.

Any time he wasn’t with the others, Hyunjin spent sleeping or drawing. It had taken the better part of a day for him to get back into the rhythm of sketching, but once he had, he had quickly fallen in love with the hobby all over again.

The only ones who didn’t visit him were Minho, Jeongin, and Seungmin.

Minho stopped by on occasion and brought him food – the man seemed to have a knack for knowing when he was napping though, and he had only really seen him a couple of times. The others assured him it wasn’t personal, and he tried not to take it as such.

Jeongin had been busy in his lab working on a cure for the void energy slowly eating away at his leg. Apparently, the young genius had been sending Jisung, Changbin, and Chan out on trips to different worlds to gather materials he was needing, but bringing something theoretical into the practical was no small task. Hyunjin honestly felt a little guilty about how much work they were putting in for him – something that Chan had squashed when he had voiced it to him.

Seungmin though… Hyunjin wasn’t sure what to do there. Changbin had tried to explain in vague terms that there was more to Seungmin’s reaction and subsequence absence, and that in time he would come around, but Hyunjin couldn’t help but wonder what he could do to somehow get the other to forgive him.

“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” Changbin asked, looking up at him from where he was sitting on the ground in front of him, painting Hyunjin’s toe nails a baby pink color Felix had apparently given him last year. They were currently letting his wound air out a bit, the cuts themselves had mostly healed, only the two that had required stitching were still healing.

The darkness had spread a lot, now covering the majority of the back of his calf.

He was trying hard not to think about it too much.

“Last time I brought it up, you said you were going to flick me.” Hyunjin pointed out, leaning back on his hands.

Changbin thought for a second before giving him a deadpanned stare, “Please don’t tell me you’re brainstorming ways to make things up to Seungmin again?”

“… Maybe?”

“Hyunjin!” Changbin whined, pinching his toe.

“Ah!” Hyunjin yelped but couldn’t fight the giggle that followed.

“How many times do I have to tell you huh? It’s not your job to make Seungmin feel better when it’s his own stuff he has to work through.” Changbin told him with a sigh, turning his attention back to the job at hand.

“At least a couple more times,” Hyunjin smirked down at him. “I just… I feel… bad.” Changbin didn’t say anything, waiting for the other to gather his thoughts and continue. “I thought that the two of us could be friends too but it’s pretty obvious I’ve just made him feel uncomfortable in his own home and that’s not fair. It feels wrong to make people feel shitty when I’m like, staying around to see the effects of it.” He huffed, pouting a little.

“Did you make a habit of making people feel bad while travelling?” Changbin asked, tone curious but held no judgment.

“I mean, I wouldn’t call it a habit.” Hyunjin shrugged and laid back on the bed, finding it easier to talk while staring at the ceiling. “Sometimes I just sort of say stuff, I have a big mouth and it can get me into trouble just as well as it can get me out of it. I don’t always think before I speak. When I was still new to this whole travelling thing, I went to a world that was so incredibly similar to my home world I thought I was there. I went home and my mum was so surprised to see me – I thought that it was because I had been missing for so long so I didn’t question it. It took me about three weeks to realize I was wrong. It wasn’t my home world – it was just some other random world. That worlds version of me had gone missing around the same time I had, along with his best friend. Stupid me didn’t know that of course. His best friends older brother came over when he heard I was back and tried to get answers about his little brother from me.”

Hyunjin paused but Changbin just hummed to show he was still listening.

“He asked me a bunch of questions I didn’t know how to answer so I… lashed out. Started saying all sorts of awful shit to get him to back off. I think it was telling him that he had failed as a brother that was the final straw. He hit me square in the nose – how the fuck he didn’t break it I do not know, the guy was a pitcher on a baseball team or something. Either way, I took the next door out.” Hyunjin huffed a little, “Sorry, I don’t know why I told you all that. You are dangerously easy to talk to, you know that?”

Changbin smirked at the teasing tone, “I am pretty great like that.” He joked. Gently taking Hyunjin’s other foot to do a clear top layer, his voice softened, “When I first started travelling, I met someone else like us. His name was Wooyoung, he was… well, he was like Jisung if you added a whole lot of chaos.” He chuckled sadly at the memory of his old friend. “Sweet, caring, funny, and more bark than his bite. We travelled together for a year or so until we ended up on a ‘b’ world. It was fun at first, it was our first magical world you see, and we made the most of exploring it. But Wooyoung was like you too, he didn’t always think before he spoke. He didn’t mean to, but he offended some locals by misunderstanding their customs. We tried to escape, I thought he was right behind me, but when I went through a door… he didn’t follow me through.”

“Changbin…” Hyunjin wasn’t sure what to say, feeling the heaviness from Changbin’s story like a weight in his chest.

“I don’t know if he got caught or if he fell behind or what. As you know, the doors give you less than a minute to get through, and they don’t lead to the same world twice. I haven’t seen him since, but every time we travel I like to keep an eye out, just in case you know?” Changbin gently placed Hyunjin’s foot on the floor and got up. He recapped the polish, put it to the side and stretched before he moved to lay down beside Hyunjin.

“If ever you’re worried that your mouth will get you into trouble, come find me okay?” Changbin told him, the smile he gave Hyunjin when he turned his head to face him was warm and reassuring as he reached for his hand. “I’ll stick by your side, and I’ll make sure we either face the trouble together, or I’ll get you out.”

Hyunjin felt the warmth spread through him, giving his hand a squeeze in reply.

--

Hyunjin wasn’t sure what had roused him from his nap, but he tried his best to ignore whatever it is in favor of sleeping a bit longer.

The sound of a soft thud and muttered curse however dashed any hopes of that.

Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Hyunjin looked around until he spotted Minho standing near his desk (Changbin had pulled it closer to the bed to make it easier) rubbing his foot. “Did you stub your toe?” Hyunjin asked, smiling in amusement when he startled the older man.

The glare he got in return was worth it.

“No.” Minho replied stubbornly, “… I hit the leg of the desk with my knee.”

“Now why would you do that?” Hyunjin asked as he sat up with a small yawn.

“I thought it would be a fun idea.” Minho deadpanned back, a hint of annoyance in his eyes as he watched him. “Since you’re up, here, have some soup. It’s dinner time.”

Despite his show of annoyance, Minho waited patiently while Hyunjin moved over to the desk and moved his art supplies to the side, gingerly propping his leg up on the chair that Jisung had put on the other side of the desk, opposite the bed.

Once he was satisfied that Hyunjin would eat, Minho turned to leave.

“Minho?” Hyunjin called.

“What is it?” Minho asked, stopping and turning back but not coming closer.

Hyunjin’s expression softened into a genuine smile, “I wanted to thank you for taking care of me and bringing me food. I promise to return the favor as soon as I can.” He bowed his head respectfully to the other.

When their eyes met once more, Minho’s seemed a little less cold. There was a hint of a smile playing on his lips as he answered, “If you think I’m letting a disaster like you in my kitchen, you’re crazy.”

Hyunjin’s laugh followed him out the door.

--

Jisung fidgeted, trying to be subtle as he painstakingly brought his hand up to his face to finally, finally, scratch his nose.

“Stop moving!”

“Ah sorry! But my nose itches! How much more do you have to do?” Jisung complained to Hyunjin, but dutifully tried not to move.

“Hey, you’re the one who suggested I try sketching more than flowers.” Hyunjin pointed out, reaching for the eraser and rubbing out a mistake before continuing.

“Yeah well I didn’t expect to have to sit so long my butt fell asleep!” Jisung shot back, enjoying the easy bantering.

“What butt?” Hyunjin smirked at the annoyed spluttering he got in response. “I’ve just about finished, so hang in there a little longer.”

Hyunjin was currently propped up in bed, his injured leg carefully cradled by a pillow, another behind his back to keep it from getting too sore. His lower back had started to ache a little from being in bed for too long. As soon as he was able to, he was going to find a world with a yoga class he could go to.

Jisung had joined him after lunch today, spending a few hours watching movies together while Hyunjin drew some flowers. Jisung had asked if he had ever tried drawing others, which had lead to their current situation – Jisung acting as model for Hyunjin.

Jisung huffed dramatically but stayed still, finding the quiet sounds of Hyunjin’s pencil on the page oddly soothing. When Hyunjin focused on the task of sketching, his entire being seemed to take on a different aura. He had a single minded focus, one that no other task seemed to bring out. Jisung was sure that if he was left to his own devices, Hyunjin could lose days to the activity. He seemed… calm. Completely at ease within himself as he drew delicate lines that Jisung could only marvel at.

Hyunjin was something to marvel at.

The man was beautiful – that much the rest of the group could wholeheartedly agree on. He had an air of mystery about him still. Hyunjin seemed fine to talk ideally with them about random topics, but as far as personal information went, he was a lot less forthcoming with information. They had managed to get some information, Changbin and Chan had even been told a few stories (though they refused to share them), but there was still a lot they didn’t know.

“What did you like to do for fun before you discovered the back doors? Was it art? What did you used to do to fill time before you have to worry about surviving all the time?” Jisung asked curiously.

He noticed the way Hyunjin’s hand paused in his shading for a moment before he continued, seeming to consider the question.

“Hmm… I used to do a lot of painting.” Hyunjin eventually replied, voice sounding a bit sad through the nostalgia. “I was raised by a single mother and we didn’t have much, but she always did her best to make sure I didn’t see how poor we were. When we couldn’t afford the power bills, she would light a bunch of candles and we would paint together in the kitchen. Sometimes she would sing to me while we did so it wasn’t so quiet. And when her on again off again boyfriends would put holes in the walls, she would use the paintings to cover them. She always tried to hide the ugliness in our lives with pretty things.”

Jisung hadn’t expected the insight, and while he could practically feel Hyunjin’s sadness like his own, he couldn’t help but feel privileged for the story. “She sounds like an amazing mother.”

Hyunjin didn’t reply, the sound of the pencil on the page had stopped. When Jisung looked over, Hyunjin had a distant look in his eyes, like he wasn’t there at all. “Hyunjin?”

“Pretty thing… such a pretty thing…” Hyunjin mumbled, voice utterly devoid of emotion.

“Hyunjin, you okay?” Jisung couldn’t explain the shiver that crawled up his spine, or the way he felt his heart beat increase.

Before he could move closer to the man, Hyunjin reached down to his injured leg and squeezed his calf. The gasp of pain and quiet curse was enough to make Jisung jump, but to his relief, Hyunjin seemed present again – blinking and looking round the room, subtly trying to take deep breaths. “Sorry.” He mumbled.

“It’s okay, take your time.” Jisung watched him carefully, debating on if he should call for Chan.

It took a couple of beats for Hyunjin to collect himself. When he did, he glanced between the sketch and Jisung before declaring, “It’s um, it’s done.”

“Okay,” Jisung hesitated a moment. But if Hyunjin didn’t want to address whatever the hell just happened, then he supposed they wouldn’t yet. Instead, Jisung pulled on a bright smile and got up, shaking his legs out, “Good! Cause I need to stretch! I don’t think I’m cut out for the model life.” He told him and came over to climb onto the bed.

The laugh he got in return seemed to ease the rest of the tension from his shoulders.

“Fear not, next time I’ll just take a photo.” Hyunjin joked, turning the sketch book to him so Jisung could see.

“That was an option the whole time?! Jeez!” Jisung grumbled, leaning closure to look at the sketch. Whatever he had anticipated, this wasn’t it. The sketch was beautiful. Hyunjin had managed to capture just about every detail and the shading he had done captured the way the lighting had landed on him, giving the image more life. “Holy shit Hyunjin, this is amazing!”

Hyunjin seemed to get shy at the praise, shrugging a little, “I haven’t done a portrait in a while so I’m probably still rusty.”

“If this is you rusty you must be Picasso when you’re not cause this is seriously so good!” Jisung argued. While Hyunjin still looked a little shaken from where ever his mind had gone, showing him in praises seemed to help to take his mind off it. And Jisung was more than happy to keep doing so.

--

By the end of the week, Hyunjin’s leg had gotten too painful to stand on. Anytime he tried, the pain that laced through it felt like it was aching in the bone itself. While Hyunjin would usually be content to simply rot in bed and dissociate staring at the ceiling, he desperately wanted a shower.

It took twenty minutes for him to build up the will power (or maybe the stubbornness) to sit up and scoot to the side of the bed. Changbin had gotten him a crutch from somewhere a few days ago, and Hyunjin used it to leverage himself up. Tentatively he started to put weight on it and couldn’t stop himself from cursing at the spike of pain.

He waited for the worst of it to ease a little bit so he could try to make his way towards the bathroom. By the third step he was panting. By the sixth his vision was starting to blur. By the eight he was on the floor. Given that he didn’t remember how he got there, he assumed he had blacked out for a second.

Taking a moment to take stock, Hyunjin groaned in annoyance when he saw he had only made it half way to the bathroom. The groan was quickly followed by a loud, “Oh come on!” when he saw the crutch was out of reach.

Cursing the whole time, he pushed himself up so he was sitting and reached out as far as he could to try to reach the traitorous crutch. Hyunjin punched the floor when he couldn’t reach and absently contemplated how long it would take to suffocate himself in the carpet. Before he could test it, the door to his room opened, an a frazzled looking Chan came in.

“Hyunjin? I heard a noise- oh shit, you okay?” the elder ran over to him, hands hovering for a second and looking over his leg.

“I’m fine, just super over this!” he whined, eyes blurring again though this time with frustrated pain fueled tears. “I can’t even take a stupid shower!”

“Do you want some help?” Chan offered in that dangerously understanding voice of his.

“To get up? Yeah, I can’t do it myself apparently!” Hyunjin glared at his leg, feeling utterly defeated in this moment.

“I was more thinking to shower Jinnie?” Chan offered.

Hyunjin blinked at him, part of him waiting to see if this was some joke. But when Chan just watched him and waited for his decision, Hyunjin conceded with a small nod.

Chan nodded back, gave him a smile, and carefully scooped him up and into his arms. Hyunjin held on to him, biting his lip to keep from whimpering in a strange moment of déjà vu.

Seemingly effortlessly, Chan carried him to the bathroom. He set Hyunjin on the counter top while he went and turned the shower on. “How hot do you like the water?”

“Scolding.” Hyunjin admitted quietly.

Chan chuckled but nodded and soon enough the room was starting to steam.

“You know, when I thought about you seeing me naked for the first time, this wasn’t really what I had in mind.” Hyunjin joked to offset the tension.

“Oh yeah? How do I know this wasn’t all part of your plan to seduce me?” Chan asked, playing along like a gentleman.

“If it was there would have been music and rose petals.” Hyunjin shot back, not meeting Chan’s gaze as he took his shirt off and threw it towards the corner of the room for him to wash at some point.

With his eyes averted, he missed the way Chan’s own roamed down his chest and torso, silently mapping out the expanse of skin and categorizing the old scars and lean muscle. Catching himself, Chan cleared his throat and came closer, “Do you want to stand to take off the rest?” he asked.

“It’ll probably be easier,” Hyunjin agreed, taking Chan’s hands when he offered them and carefully getting down. It took some effort, but eventually, Hyunjin stood naked before Chan.

Chan respectfully did not below shoulder level, keeping his eyes focused on Hyunjin’s. He helped him into the shower, seeming to not mind when the spray made his own shirt wet. The water was absolutely heavenly as it seemed to wash away the stale feeling on his skin. Hyunjin let himself simply bask in it for a while before starting to properly clean himself. Chan stood by the whole time, steadying him and occasionally handing him things when needed.

When it was time to get out, Chan reached past him, grazing Hyunjin’s hip as he did so, to turn the water off. He retrieved a towel and wrapped Hyunjin up in it before picking him up again to take him back to bed.

“If I wasn’t ten seconds away from cutting my leg off and if you weren’t dating five other men, I would kiss you right now you absolute national treasure of a man!” Hyunjin told him, leaning tiredly on Chan’s shoulder.

Chan chuckled, giving Hyunjin a small kiss to the forehead and told him, “Only one of those things is stopping me.”

Unfortunately, Hyunjin was too relaxed and tired to figure out which one it was.

Chapter Text

It was officially day ten of bed rest and Hyunjin was officially done with this.

He wanted to move, he wanted to walk, he wanted to run, he wanted to be literally anywhere other than this fucking room!

Jeongin had stopped by last night to tell him that he was getting close to finishing the device that should be able to cure the damage. Changbin and Jisung had left early that morning to get the final parts and should be back at some point. But at this point he wasn’t sure if he could wait anymore.

His leg hurt terribly and he felt like there was a constant heat simmering under the surface of his skin. Hyunjin knew it was a dumb decision to try to walk again – especially after his last failed attempt. But he maybe if he could just go to the window and open it for some fresh air, this bone deep agitation would relent a little.

Sitting up, Hyunjin breathed slowly through his mouth to wait out the head spins that came with the change of position (they had started a couple of days ago and Hyunjin was definitively not a fan). It was as though his body was rebelling against him – locked in a constant struggle to cling to his dwindling life energy. At first, the exhaustion had been overwhelming—Hyunjin was pretty sure he’d slept more in the past week than he had in months.

But over the past couple of days, something had shifted. He couldn’t explain it, but there was a strange, electric buzz coursing through him now, as if his energy had morphed into something restless and untamed. He felt an almost unbearable urge to move, to channel the charge into something—anything. And frankly, painting wasn’t doing it for him anymore.

Once the world had more or less settled, Hyunjin gritted his teeth and got up. He had learnt from last time, he wasn’t relying on just the crutch anymore, instead using the desk chair as a makeshift walking aid.

It took what felt like forever to get there, and he was utterly spent by the time he got there, but Hyunjin reached the window.

He could have cried as he spun the chair around and sat down.

Hyunjin regretted not bringing over a book to read as he enjoyed the soft sunlight that came through the window. He still hadn’t seen the sun here but the warmth that came through felt real enough. Hyunjin leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes to bask in it for a bit.

--

“Jinnie?” Felix called softly, not sure if Hyunjin was up or not, as he opened the door.

When he saw the bed was empty, Felix’s immediate response was a spike of panic. However, when he opened the door a little wider, he had to bite back a coo. Turning over his shoulder to Minho, Felix gestured for him to be quiet.

Minho raised an eyebrow. As if he wasn’t already planning to be silent.

As they stepped inside, Minho carried the ramen he had cooked up over to the desk for Hyunjin before watching as Felix headed over to the other.

“How did he even get all the way over here…?” Felix muttered, gently moving Hyunjin’s black hair out of his face, frowning at the elders slightly warmer temperature.

“Stubbornness and idiocy?” Minho suggested, crossing his arms and shrugging when Felix stuck his tongue out at him.

“Well we can’t leave him here, what if he can’t make it all the way back to bed on his own and falls again?” Felix turned his best doe eyes on Minho, knowing damn well he wouldn’t be able to resist.

“What do you want me to do about it?” Minho asked, not liking where this was going.

Felix looked at him like he was the idiot. “I can’t exactly lift him now can I?”

“Then go get Chan.”

“Chan is finally resting after running himself ragged all week trying to make sure everyone else is coping, and you want me to go get him?”

Minho immediately folded at the challenge. “Fine.” He rolled his eyes and came over, Felix swapping places with him to pull back the blankets.

Being mindful of Hyunjin’s injured leg, Minho carefully picked him up. He paused when a look of pain crossed Hyunjin’s face, staying still until it passed. Hyunjin huffed quietly in his sleep and nuzzled his face into the side of Minho’s neck, one hand lightly gripping onto his shirt, as he settled once more.

Minho stubbornly tried to ignore the way something in his chest melted at the action.

He looks peaceful when he’s asleep… it was a thought Minho had caught himself having more than once.

Slowly, Minho carried him to the bed and knelt on the side of it to ease him down to the pillows as gently as possible. He tucked the blanket around him and didn’t think about it when he carefully moved one of Hyunjin’s hands over the top of the blankets like he liked.

When he turned towards the door, the small smile that had found it’s way unbidden to his lips dropped when he saw the soft but smug look on Felix’s face. “What?”

“Nothing… just, it’s cute you know?” Felix giggled, holding his hand out to Minho who took it despite the look of annoyance. “Hyunjin feels safe with you.”

--

“I’m telling you, you’ll love it!” Felix insisted again as he loaded up the game. “It’s super easy to learn!”

Hyunjin looked at him skeptically, “Whatever you say.”

In all honesty, he didn’t really care either way about the video game Felix was loading up. He just wasn’t feeling up to company right now in general – but he didn’t want to be rude and turn Felix away. It was ridiculously hard to deny the man anything.

His leg, which was hidden today in light cotton pants, was throbbing and his body felt too warm. He wasn’t sure how to describe what he was experiencing internally in his body but the closest approximation he had was that it felt like his energy kept spiking before suddenly dropping – leading to him feeling the urge to run, scream and break shit one second, only to be utterly exhausted the next.

Hyunjin had explained the sensation to Jeongin when he and Chan had visited earlier and Jeongin had run off to his lab to check the progress of the machine he had been working on. Apparently, he was currently letting it gather energy that he had termed as ‘light energy’. The plan was to pump his system with it to hopefully neutralize and undo the damage from the void energy.

Hyunjin didn’t care much about the science of it all – he just wanted a solution. Either a cure or an out. In this moment, he would take either.

As the game started and Felix showed him the basic moves, Hyunjin tried to focus, he really did. But right now, every little sound felt like it would drive him insane, and Felix’s voice (which he usually loved and could listen to for hours) was utterly grating on his nerves..

It was after the forth time that Felix had to reach over to correct what buttons he was pressing that Hyunjin snapped. “I know how to do it! Stop telling me what to fucking do!”

Felix flinched away from him at the shout, eyes widening for a moment in shock. For a moment, the only sound was the tv in the background as their characters were killed and a replay option came up on screen.

Hyunjin put down the controller, closing his eyes against the low grade headache that had settled behind them and pinching the bridge of his nose, trying desperately to calm down. “Sorry Felix, I… That was uncalled for.” He tried to be sincere (he did mean the apology) but his tone was still snippy.

Felix shifted awkwardly for a moment, “It’s, um, it’s okay. We don’t have to play, it’s not really that good of a game anyway…”

For some reason, Felix’s response made Hyunjin want to scream even more. In that moment, everything felt like too much. The constant pain, the noise from the TV, even the proximity of Felix next to him – it was too fucking much.

Pushing the urge down, he took a breath and opened his eyes, trying again, “It’s not the game. I’m just shit company right now.”

Felix seemed to tentatively relax his shoulders, like he was making a conscious effort to calm himself. He watched Hyunjin intently, and something about the look in the others eyes made Hyunjin’s skin crawl. He dug his nails into his palms to keep from snapping at him again as he felt his heartbeat pick up again.

Felix studied him carefully before speaking again, as if something had clicked in his mind. “Okay, lay down.”

“What? No!” Hyunjin bit back, but this time Felix didn’t seem shocked.

“You don’t have to lay down, but just, try to get comfortable.” Felix insisted again, pained understanding in his expressive eyes. Felix turned the TV and game console off before moving to close the blinds in the room and close the door. Once he seemed satisfied, he came back, but this time he sat a noticeable distance from Hyunjin.

While normally his mind would be racing with self-flagellant thoughts of how he had messed things up, Hyunjin found he couldn’t bring himself to care for more than the sudden quiet in the darker room, and how the difference seemed to have lifted a weight off his chest. He felt like he could breathe again.

Quiet shuffling and the shifting of weight on the bed told him that Felix had laid down. After a moment, Hyunjin followed suit.

The two remained silent for a long time. Long enough for the headache to start to ease and the tension in Hyunjin’s shoulders to start to loosen.

Feeling significantly calmer, Hyunjin whispered, “I am sorry Felix. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. Everything just…”

“Got too much?” Felix offered, voice quiet and noticeably deeper. The tone sent a pleasant shiver down Hyunjin’s spine.

“Yeah.”

“It’s okay, I think I know what happened. It’s called sensory overload, a couple of us get it too. It sucks. When I get stuck in it, it feels like I’m drowning.” Felix admitted. Cautiously he moved his hand closer to Hyunjin’s but didn’t take it yet, unsure if he was still too wired for touch and unwilling to push if he was.

Hyunjin stared at Felix’s hand for a moment, hesitating. Slowly, he reached out, gripping it tightly, as if it were an anchor in his storm.

“I’ve heard of it, but I never really thought that that was what I get.” Hyunjin admitted, voice still quiet. “Lately, in the last couple of days, it’s been happening more.”

“You can tell us you know? If it’s happening, I mean. We won’t push you or force you into anything. If you need quiet, or less light, or just some space, we’ll give it to you. And if it’s too hard to vocalize you can always find me. I promise to take you somewhere quiet and comfy where we can just coexist for a while.”

--

Over the next 24 hours, Hyunjin’s condition seemed to take a turn for the worse.

The slight rise in his body temperature had evolved into a full blown fever. Hyunjin was swinging between shivering uncontrollably, and pushing the blankets off his sweaty body. The restless energy he had been struggling with was now more of an irritating buzzing sensation that spiked at times, only to fall again, leaving him too exhausted to lift his head.

“He hasn’t been eating, or drinking water,” Felix reported quietly to Chan and Minho. The three were gathered in the hallway outside of Hyunjin’s door which Jisung had left ajar. Jisung was currently inside, sitting on the side of the bed and dabbing Hyunjin’s neck and face with a cold towel.

“How close is Jeongin to completing his gadget?” Minho asked. With his arms crossed, to an outsider he may look irritated by the whole situation – but to anyone who truly knew him, Minho’s concern was clear. Minho was one to always prepare for the worst, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t afraid of it coming to fruition.

“He said it should be ready in a few hours… but even then it’s still theoretical that it’ll work.” Chan admitted, heart heavy as he listened to Hyunjin whimper, Jisung gently shushing him.

“Let’s just hope he can pull off another miracle.” Minho sighed, “I’ll go see if he needs help.”

With nothing else to add to the conversation, Chan nodded to him. He pulled Felix into a tight hug when he saw the younger’s concerned expression, before finally giving in to his protective urges and quietly entering the room.

Jisung glanced up, “I think he’s hallucinating hyung.” He told him quietly. The honorific was not one that Jisung used often, and when he did it usually held a clear meaning – ‘I don’t know how to fix this, please do something’.

As if to prove his friends point, Hyunjin turned his head away from them with a low whine, “Stop… can’t… can’t help!”

Chan reached out to touch him, to try to offer some sort of comfort, only to freeze when Hyunjin cried out softly and the lights of the room suddenly started flickering on and off. Jisung and Chan would only watch as the lights continued to flicker for a few more second before Hyunjin seemed to exhaust himself again and they stopped.

“That’s new… it may have to do with the void energy? Is it maybe draining him too much and the, like, the house’s energy is being affected?” Jisung theorized, brow furrowed.

“It is possible. Jisung, can you please go give Jeongin the update and let him know that Hyunjin can’t wait any longer?” Chan tried to keep his voice level, but the thought of losing Hyunjin to an injury he should have prevented if he had of just kept a better eye on him was killing him.

“On it,” Jisung leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on Hyunjin’s temple, before turning tail and running towards the lab.

Felix easily came and took his place, fussing around Hyunjin to keep him as comfortable as possible. Despite his efforts, Hyunjin jerked awake, whimpering as he tried to get away from them, “I can’t! I can’t! I can’t!”

“Woah, woah, hey it’s okay, it’s okay!” Chan shushed him gently, moving to be in Hyunjin’s line of sight and trying to catch his frantic gaze, “You’re safe baby, you’re safe. It’s just me and Felix, we’re in your room. You’re a little sick right now, but you’re okay. You’re safe, I promise.”

“Chan?” Hyunjin whispered, staring at him with wide eyes. Chan nodded and waited patiently for Hyunjin to process that he was now awake and where he was. He watched as Hyunjin’s face crumbled, pulling him into a tight hug as a choked sob pulled itself from Hyunjin’s throat. “There’s a… there’s a man in the mirror! He keeps asking for me to help him but, but I can’t! I don’t know how! But he won’t stop yelling at me!”

Chan and Felix exchanged a look over Hyunjin’s head as the lights flickered again. Was this a fever induced delusion? Or was this Hyunjin’s mental health slipping under the stress of the situation? Could he be talking about something that happened in his travels?

Felix gently rubbed Hyunjin’s back, “Which mirror is he in Jinnie?” he asked, figuring to start there.

Hyunjin pulled back from Chan, bottom lip pouting, as he pointed towards full length mirror in the corner. Chan looked over towards it, it didn’t look like there was anything out of the ordinary with it. “I’ll get rid of it Jinnie, you stay here.” Chan told him gently, nudging him towards Felix who pulled him to his chest so he could lay back against him, holding him securely.

Chan gave the two a fond look before getting up and approaching he mirror hesitantly. While he was seventy per cent sure that it was just an ordinary mirror, he couldn’t afford to write off Hyunjin’s words too soon.

“Careful,” Hyunjin called softly, covering his ears. “He’s yelling again…”

Chan couldn’t hear anything, but that didn’t make it any less real for Hyunjin. “I’ll be careful Jin.”

Chan took the time to inspect the mirror, looking around it and along the edges of the reflective glass – but for all intents and purposes it seemed perfectly normal. No mysterious men. No mysterious yelling. Sending the two a reassuring smile, Chan turned the mirror away from Hyunjin and carried it outside, taking it to Changbin’s room next door. He took the time to scribble a note to explain just in case.

He wasn’t sure what to do about the wardrobe mirror… maybe he could pin a blanket up to cover it…

--

With the mirror now gone, Hyunjin had fallen asleep against Felix’s chest and Felix didn’t have the heart to move him. Occasionally, Hyunjin’s breathing would quicken, his features twisting in pain, before he settled once more.

It was times like these Felix wished there was an interdimensional hospital for shit like this…

“You’re burning up again Jinnie… what do I…” He knew this wasn’t about him, but trying to manage Hyunjin’s declining condition had Felix’s anxiety going haywire. Hearing footsteps in the hall he called out quietly, “Chan? Jisung?” taking a guess on who it could be.

“Not quite.” Came the last voice Felix was expecting. Seungmin opened the door further and stepped in, looking awkward in the door way he had been avoiding for close to two weeks.

Felix hesitated a moment before deciding that whatever beef the other had with Hyunjin could wait until he was able to stay conscious for long enough to fight it out. “Can you take the face towel and go wet it with cold water? He’s getting worse again.”

Seungmin nodded, glad for some direction, and did as he was told. When he returned, Felix put the cold towel on Hyunjin’s forehead. When Seungmin didn’t seem to be in a rush to leave, he decided to push his luck, “Do you think you could watch him for a bit? Just So I can go to the bathroom and stretch?”

“Oh, um,” Seungmin looked down at Hyunjin for a second before nodding, “Sure.”

--

Seungmin had been keeping tabs on Hyunjin’s health since their fight.

He had already apologized to Chan and he had promised his boyfriends that he would also apologize to Hyunjin, but there just never seemed to be the right time. The others were always with him or he was sleeping or Seungmin was busy, and yeah, sure, maybe he wasn’t actually that busy but trying to work up the nerve for such an overdue apology got harder the longer he had left it.

Now, looking down at Hyunjin who slept fitfully in the bed, Seungmin couldn’t help the tinge of regret for waiting.

“What’s another regret between us though, right Hyunnie?” he muttered bitterly with a sigh. Seungmin knew he was being unfair, he knew he was projecting, but fuck it was hard when Hyunjin was so much like-

The thought was interrupted when Hyunjin’s head snapped back against the pillow, his body seeming to go taunt. “No no no, fuck,” Seungmin muttered, yelling out, “Help! Chan-hyung!”

There was nothing more he could do but keep calling out as he watched in horror as Hyunjin’s body started to seize – limbs shaking and muscles straining. Seungmin did his best to make sure he wouldn’t hit himself against anything, slipping a spare pillow under his injured leg when he saw an opening, too wrapped in the moment to acknowledge Chan and Changbin entering the room. He felt utterly helpless and afraid and no, “No, you can’t pull this shit with me again Hyunjin!”

“Seungmin how long as he been seizing?” Chan’s voice held an authority that cut through his panic for a moment.

“I- I’m not sure! Maybe a minute or so?” Seungmin stumbled a reply, the logical part of his mind telling him that he knew that this was important, he just couldn’t find a care in him right not to remember why.

“Okay, Changbin go get Innie, I don’t care if he is still running tests we need to do this now!” Chan directed, Changbin hesitated for a moment before seeming to steal himself, giving him a tight nod. Changbin had always been one who could compartmentalize when a moment needed it – it’s one of the qualities that he utilized as a scout. He took the time to give Seungmin’s arm a squeeze before he was out the door and running.

It felt like an eternity, but Hyunjin’s body went limp and still once more. But then they were me with a new issue – he seemed too still.

“Hyunnie? Ferret come on, wake up,” Seungmin called, patting Hyunjin’s face, feeling his heart aching. His view blurred with tears as he got no response.

“Minnie?” Chan’s voice was carefully controlled, trying to keep his emotions in check.

“No! He can’t do this shit to me again! He can’t leave me again!” Seungmin argued, shaking his head and not wanting to move away despite Chan’s gentle tugs.

“Chan!” the elders attention was pulled to the door as the others joined them, Jeongin coming straight to the bed, a device that looked almost like a weird lazar gun in his hands. “How is he?” the young inventor asked, hands hovering for a moment before starting to pull up Hyunjin’s pant leg.

There was a gasp from somewhere in the room at the sight – the blackened tinge had continued to spread but now vein like lines that seemed to pulse were visible.

“He had a seizure, it lasted a couple of minutes, and hasn’t woken since.” Chan explained, moving out of Jeongin’s way and instead pulling Seungmin against his side. With the others now in the room, Seungmin seemed to be trying to pull his emotions back under control. He had always hated having emotional outburst in front of so many people.

“I ran as many tests as I could, and I think that this will work but… it isn’t a guarantee.” Jeongin warned the others. “If anyone want’s to step out just in case, now would be the time.

When no one moved, Jeongin pressed a few buttons on the machine, causing a needle to extend from the tip and a faint glow to emanate from the barrel. Lining the needle up with one of the vein’s closest to the initial wounds, Jeongin didn’t hesitate to push it in and pull the trigger.

There was a collective held breath, as the rest of the group waited to see what their new friends fate would be.

Chapter Text

“So… how long exactly will this take?” Jisung asked, voicing the question in everyone’s mind.

“However long it needs to I suppose.” Jeongin replied with a half shrug, busy once again and taking note of any and all shifts in Hyunjin’s presentation.

Twenty minutes had passed since he had injected the pure energy into Hyunjin’s system in an effort to overwhelm the void energy. There had been one heart stopping moment where it seemed like the energy wasn’t going to work. But after a few minutes, Hyunjin had let out a soft sigh, looking more peaceful than he had in hours.

By this point, the dark tinge to his skin had started to fade, no longer wrapping entirely around the bottom half of his leg. The dark veins remained for now, but they were less pronounced.

“Well, if we’re all going to stay camped out here, I’m going to go get us some tea.” Minho announced, heading to the kitchen. Providing for others had always been his love language (where the verbal language sometimes failed him) and he hated to feel useless.

“I’ll come help,” Jisung added, “You guys better call the second something changes.”

Chan nodded and watched the other leave too. He looked around for a moment, taking stock of the others. Around the room, the rest of the group was scattered, each of them a portrait of anxiety in their own way. Felix was sitting on the desk chair, knee bouncing and absentmindedly checking his pulse – a habit he hadn’t seen the younger do in a while. Changbin was sat on the end of the bed, watching Hyunjin’s chest like a hawk to monitor his breathing. Chan had no doubt that Changbin was currently giving the task his single minded focus to keep his own worries to a minimum. Jeongin had gone into problem solving mode – pushing his emotions firmly down and looking at things purely through the logical scope.

Seungmin… he was sitting by the window looking like he was fighting a battle against himself.

Chan signed softly to himself. He had let this go on long enough. He had hoped that Seungmin would go to him and talk out whatever had been troubling him so much – but between being assured by Changbin that they had had a discussion, and with how stressed everyone had been about Hyunjin’s conditions, he hadn’t found the time to outright talk to Seungmin about it himself. But after what had happened, after what Seungmin had said…

Getting up, Chan moved to the youngers side, noting how he stiffened slightly but thankfully didn’t move away. “Hey, love, how are you doing?” he asked softly, voice low.

“I’m fine.” The response was expected and practiced – and also a load of shit. Chan didn’t say anything, just raised a brow at the younger. Seungmin looked away, back to the bed, and said, “Okay fine, maybe I’m actually not doing so crash hot right now, happy?”

“You’re hurting Min, of course I’m not happy.” Chan denied, reaching out to touch his arm. When he didn’t pull away, he kept his hand there. “I know that there’s more to this than you’re telling us, but please Minnie? Please don’t keep holding it in. Talk to us? You know we won’t judge you.”

Seungmin didn’t answer at first, but from the way his eyes were tearing up, Chan knew that he had reached his breaking point with this. “It’s… I don’t know, it feels selfish and stupid and I know I’m not being fair to Hyunjin but I don’t know how to stop!”

“Stop what baby?” Jisung asked as he and Minho returned, each carrying a small tray with tea and some snacks. Neither had wanted to be away for long so the snacks were primarily fruits and some protein bars in case Hyunjin woke up hungry.

With everyone, bar Hyunjin, giving him their full attention now, Seungmin seemed to shrink in on himself in shame. Chan moved his hand to rub his back in support, hoping that he wouldn’t shut down now.

“It’s… it’s sort of confusing but that Hyunjin isn’t the first Hyunjin I’ve known.” Seungmin confessed, the worlds flowing now that the walls had dropped. “Do you guys remember me telling you about a friend I had when I first started travelling? How we found the first back door together?” there were some nods. “That friend was the Hyunjin from my world and he was my best friend. We grew up together, we had met in school, he defended me from a bully and we became friends so quickly. We used to hang out all the time, we played sports together, we learnt the guitar together, we were inseparable. He was like another brother to me. When we went through the back door together it was scary, but it wasn’t as terrifying because I had him by my side. He was my one constant – until he wasn’t.”

The others were silent, waiting on him to continue. None seemed to notice the flash of realization in Changbin’s eyes.

“We had been travelling together for a couple of years. At first it was fun you know? But Hyunjin… he always was trying to find a way home. Don’t get me wrong, so was I, but you guys know I’m a realist. I tried not to let him see that I thought our search was hopeless, but eventually he seemed to come to the realization himself. It… it broke him. He disappeared in the middle of the night without a word. I woke up the next morning and he was just gone. I was so scared, I thought he was dead!” Seungmin’s eyes flicked to Hyunjin’s unconscious body, a shudder passing through his own as he looked away again.

The anguish in his voice from remembering that morning was something that cut through all of them. Chan couldn’t imagine what he would do if he woke up one day to find one or more of the others had left without a trace.

“Did you… did you ever find him again?” Changbin asked, his own heart acting at the pain he didn’t know he shared with Seungmin. They had all known loss in this life, it was an unfortunate constant for all of them, but this… to have someone so integral in their life disappear from it… it was a hurt that hit different.

Seungmin’s expression soured, “I did. I wish I didn’t though.”

“Why?” Felix asked, shocked.

“It was only a couple of months before you found me,” He glanced up at Chan. “I went to a world that was pretty similar to our original world. I found him there purely by chance. He was buying groceries and just acting so normal. When he saw me though he froze and I knew he was my Hyunjin – he could never lie to me. I was so happy to see him but… but he…” Seungmin squeezed his eyes shut to keep from crying. “He didn’t want anything to do with me anymore. He said he was sick of feeling like he had nothing stable in his life and he wanted normality again. He had settled down, met a partner, and had even bought a home with them. He didn’t want to go back to travelling with me and he didn’t want me in his life to remind him that this wasn’t really his world.”

“Oh baby,” Jisung breathed, unable to wait anymore before coming over and pulling Seungmin into a hug.

Seungmin melted into it, hiding his face against Jisung’s shoulder. His words were a bit muffled as he tearfully said, “I know it’s not fair on this Hyunjin to treat him poorly because of my experiences with a different version of him, but it’s hard! He looks and sounds just like him, some of his mannerisms are even the same!”

“And seeing him in such a bad condition made you feel like you were losing him all over again.” Chan said gently, because he felt that someone had to voice it.

“Yeah. I can’t lose him, not again. Even if it’s not really my old friend. Fuck our lives are confusing!” Seungmin whined against Jisung’s shoulder.

“They are, but thank you for telling us.” Jisung pat his back gently.

The group is quiet for a moment, pieces falling back into place now that Seungmin had explained. The first to break the silence was Jeongin. “Seungmin I hope that you know that none of us think negatively about you or how you may answer this, but given what’s happened… would you feel more comfortable if we ask Hyunjin to leave?”

The sudden question is met with alarm from the others, “We can’t do that!” Felix exclaimed, moving closer to the bed.

The youngest sighed before trying to explain, “Look, I like Hyunjin – and I know you guys do too. It would suck for him to go, but at the end of the day if a choice had to be made, I for one would choose Seungmin.” Felix looked down, a bit of a guilty expression. “Minnie, if you aren’t comfortable living with Hyunjin, I can help him find somewhere else to go once he is stable.”

Seungmin blinked at Jeongin before looking around at the others, genuinely caught off guard by the question and the fact that the others were leaving the decision up to him. They weren’t happy with it, but Seungmin could see that his partners would stand by his choice.

 He was also caught off guard by how visceral the instinct to yell ‘no’ was.

“I don’t want that,” Seungmin told the others, “I appreciate you thinking of my comfort and giving me the option Innie, but I don’t want Hyunjin to leave. It wouldn’t be fair, and I need to learn to differentiate this man from the one I knew.” His eyes trailed back over to Hyunjin. He wasn’t sure if the fact that he was still asleep was a mercy or not in this moment.

“Okay.” Jeongin nodded, walking over to him and kissing Seungmin’s forehead. “If you change your mind, the offer still stands.” He whispered.

--

Chan took a slow, steadying breath.

He was currently in the living room (which had conveniently moved to the upper floor of the house today), taking a moment to try to reign his emotions back in.

Everything in him was screaming at him to get back inside, to suck it up and be there for them! Because what if Jisung or Felix have an anxiety attack? What if Jeongin ends up burning himself out? What if Seungmin breaks down again and he isn’t there? What if Hyunjin wakes up? What if Hyunjin doesn’t wake up? What if Hyunjin never wakes up again after Chan took him into the house where he found the door that led him to a new world where there was a fucking void monster?! What if Hyunjin died after Chan promised him he would keep him safe?

What if he couldn’t keep any of them safe?

“Channie? Honey sit down for me,” Chan didn’t know when Minho had entered the room, or when he had gotten to his side, but he was grateful for his company. Minho guided him down until he was sitting on the couch, gently moving him until he was leaning forward a bit, the position making it easier for him to take deep breaths.

He hadn’t noticed when he had started hyperventilating.

Minho stayed by his side, rubbing his back and whispering words of encouragement until Chan had managed to calm down.

“Do you want to tell me what’s going on? It’s not the day for keeping secrets Hyung.” Minho pointed out, lightly bumping their shoulders together.

“I’m exhausted Minho. I’m so fucking worried that things are going to go wrong.” Admitting it out loud made Chan feel like an absolute failure, but it was the truth, and it was one he couldn’t keep holding in anymore. “You guys all put your trust in me, Hyunjin did too, and now he could be dying in the other room for all we know. And if he does die it will ruin Seungmin!”

“And you.”

Chan flinched despite the gentle tone Minho spoke in.

“Channie, I see the way you look at him. I see how act around him. I’ve heard how you talk about him. You’ve caught feelings for Hyunjin, haven’t you?” There was no judgment, nor jealousy. Minho was simply voicing what they both already knew.

“Yes.” Chan whispered. He rubbed his hands over his face, trying to ignore the way tears were welling in his tired eyes, “What does it say about me that Minnie just opened up about something deeply traumatic and I’m here talking about my crush on the new guy?” he laughed bitterly at himself. “Talk about fucked up priorities.”

Without warning, Minho punched Chan in the upper arm. Hard.

“Ow! What the fuck?!”

“Don’t you dare sit there and talk about yourself like that!” Minho cut in, suddenly full of righteous anger. “Don’t make it sound as if you don’t prioritize the needs of every single other person in this house before your own Bang Chan! You never give yourself credit, you’re always so hard on yourself – as if you some how have to keep proving that you’re someone worth following. But you don’t. None of us would still be here if we didn’t have complete trust in you – I just wish you would trust yourself too. Chan you matter. You matter and you are important, and you are not a failure. You have never been one. We love you so much and once Hyunjin is awake, you can spend all the time in the world spoiling him and doing cute things with him. He and Seungmin will work it out, and things will be okay.”

When Chan looked away, Minho gently grabbed his chin to force him to meet his gaze. “I know how your mind works, so let me say this too. If things aren’t okay, if something bad does happen, then it will not be your fault. And I don’t care how many times I have to tell you that, I will keep telling you until it sticks in that thick skull of yours. Because I love you.”

With the lump in his throat, Chan couldn’t manage more than an, “I love you too,” before kissing Minho deeply. Hoping it could show just how much his words had meant to him.

--

The void swayed and shuddered, a beast breathing in the dark.

He lay in its depths, a god unmade, his fury sinking into the marrow of the abyss. The wound he had left behind was more than just a scar—it was a seed, buried deep in trembling flesh, waiting to bloom. Time was a fickle thing, and he had always known how to wait.

Let them rest in their fleeting victory. Let them bask in the illusion of safety.

The tide had merely pulled back, but the storm had not passed. It was only gathering, patient and inevitable.

--

Time had always been a funny thing in his mind.

He remembered when he was small, as he painted at the table by candle light, he had asked his mother how long they had been painting as the clock on the oven had stopped along with the lights. She had shrugged, laughed, and told him ‘time is simply a construct my love, it only matters when we will it to’.

At the time the sentiment had been lost on him (he was all of 6 after all), but now after so many years of flitting from moment to moment, Hyunjin understood what she meant.

Time was only important when you were paying attention to it. When you were truly absorbed in a moment, it didn’t matter too much what minute it was, let alone the hour.

But then there were the moments like this, when he felt that the time did in fact matter but no matter how much he willed it, Hyunjin couldn’t magically know how much of it had passed.

He had no idea how long he had been laying in bed for. No idea what time it was, let alone what day. If his body didn’t feel so goddamn achy and heavy, he would have thought he was dead.

But no, the stiffness in his neck was a rather firm indicator that he was alive.

Distantly, he could hear hushed voices around him and he wasn’t sure if he wanted them to keep talking so he had something to tether his mind to, or if he wanted them to shut up so he could focus on getting his bearings.

For now, he let the familiarity of the voices wash over him while he focused on grounding back into his body.

It took more mental effort than he would have liked, but eventually, Hyunjin was able to move his fingers. Next to come back online were his toes. And finally, he pushed his effort into opening his eyes.

“Hyunjin?” a voice – familiar and soft and safe – called gently before yelling for the others in the room, “Guys! He’s waking up!”

Chapter Text

“Hyungs! Come quick!”

Chan and Minho startled at the urgent yell from Jeongin, Chan pulling away from Minho’s chest where he had been laying. There was a brief moment where the two met each other’s eyes, and in that moment Minho could see all the fears tormenting him. Before he could give in to the urge to pull him back to his chest and keep him there, safe and sound, Chan was steeling his expression into one of determination and turning tail to run back to Hyunjin’s room.

Minho had no other option but to chase after him.

They slowed when they reached the door, and Minho caught Chan’s hand, holding it in a silent support and as a reminder that whatever they were facing they would face it together.

“What’s going on?” Chan asked as they entered.

Of the hundred different possibilities racing through his mind, Chan hadn’t expected the others to move to the side, revealing Changbin gingerly helping Hyunjin sit up.

“Hyunjin!” Chan gave Minho’s hand a squeeze before letting go, moving to kneel on the bed on the other side, “Are you- how are you feeling?” he instinctively looked him over as though he could get a read on the youngers state by a cursory glance.

“Like I just got spit roasted by the sun and a lightning bolt.” Hyunjin grumbled, startling a laugh from a few of the others. He rolled his shoulder a little and stretched his neck, groaning softly when it cracked in just the way he needed. “I don’t know what was in that device of yours Jeongin, but thank you.” He smiled softly at the youngest who flushed at the praise.

“You’re not fully out of the woods yet, it’s still too soon to say if you’ll fully heal or what side effects you may have or if the energy will be too much for you or-”

“Innie!” Jeongin’s nervous rambling was cut off by Seungmin next to him, evidently the second youngest wasn’t in the right headspace to hear all the ways things could go wrong. He softened when the youngest looked a little uncomfortable, “Take the compliment.”

Innie perked up a little, lightly bumping their shoulders together.

Hyunjin cooed despite himself, “You guys are cute,” he chuckled, resting his head on Changbin’s shoulder tiredly.

“Do you want to lay back down?” Changbin asked, voice softer than usual.

“Not yet, I’ve been laying down forever!” Hyunjin whined, pouting up at him.

Changbin chuckled, “Alright alright, drama queen.” Without thinking about it, he kissed Hyunjin’s temple.

No one said anything about it – or the blush that dusted on both boys cheeks.

“Seriously though, Hyunjin are you feeling okay? How’s the pain?” Chan asked, his relief was tangible but he was still worried of course.

To his credit, Hyunjin did take a moment to genuinely consider how his body was feeling. “The pain is a lot better than it was, now its just like a small ache and not a full on throbbing pain like it had been. I think the fever is done too but…”

“But?” Felix prompted when Hyunjin trailed off.

“It feels like there is a warmth in my body that isn’t meant to be there? Not in a sickness way, not even necessarily in a bad way. It’s like I know it’s a good warmth but it isn’t meant to be in me. There’s also a weird buzzing feeling that’s with it?” Hyunjin shook out his hands a little and rubbed his face, “My brain feels slow, like it’s foggy. But honestly, I do feel a lot better now than I have all week.”

“Okay good,” Chan smiled, “Please promise to tell one of us if anything changes okay?”

Hyunjin just smirked, finding their concern incredibly sweet, and holding his pinky out to him.

Chan chuckled and linked their pinky’s, sealing the promise in the most sacred of fashions.

--

After a couple of scans and a bunch of tests, Jeongin concluded that the strange warmth and buzzing Hyunjin was feeling was coming from the excess energy and it should ease with time while his own energy restabilized.

Chan had wanted to keep him on bedrest for another week as a minimum, but Hyunjin had convinced him to let him off after four days. The others kept a close eye on him, and it was rare for Felix, Changbin, and Chan to not be with him.

To Hyunjin’s surprise, he didn’t find their constant companionship suffocating. It was actually… nice.

He smiled softly to himself as he reflected on his new found friendships. He, Felix, and Jeongin were currently in the game room, taking turns versing each other in mortal combat. He was sat comfortably on the couch, practically cocooned in the pile of blankets Felix had set up when he mentioned feeling chilly.

While his energy adapted and adjusted, his body temperature had been fluctuating. It had thankfully been more stable today though.

“Hyunjin…”

Hyunjin stiffened at the voice, looking around as a sense of dread started to trickle down his spine.

“Hyunjin… get me out of here…”

Hyunjin shifted his hand under the blankets as subtly as he could to dig his nails into his thigh. The voice isn’t real. The man in the mirror isn’t real. He was just hearing things. Hyunjin repeated these things over and over in his head, willing himself to ignore the voice that continued to call for him.

“You have to get me out… get me out, get me out, get me out, get me out, get me out, get me out!”

“I can’t!” Hyunjin snapped at last when the voice had grown too loud, covering his ears with his hands and raising his knee’s to his chest, putting his head down against them and squeezing his eyes shut. Screaming out, “Leave me alone!”

Felix and Jeongin jumped at the sudden outburst. Hyunjin had been outwardly calm for the last couple of hours, so this shift seemingly came out of nowhere. Jeongin wasted no time in moving in front of him, hands hovering but not daring to touch, “Hyunjin? Can you tell us what’s going on?”

Hyunjin whimpered, shaking his head, “He won’t stop! I- I can’t help him! I’m sorry!”

“Who won’t?” Jeongin looked at Felix, feeling helpless in this situation. If there was a tangible issue, Jeongin could solve it. But matters of the mind were not his area of expertise. Where was Jisung when you needed him…

Realization flashed in Felix’s eyes and he reached out to gently pull Hyunjin’s hands away from his ears, holding them securely in his own. “Is it the man in the mirror again?”

Hyunjin looked up at him at the question, dark eyes watery but suddenly filled with a chaotic mix of distress and hope. Hope that Felix was understanding what was happening. “He’s back, I can hear him but I don’t know where he is this time.” He whispered, not wanting to say something that would make the man start yelling again.

“Okay, it’s going to be okay. He can’t get to you, I promise.” Felix told him seriously. “Innie? Can you please use the blankets and cover all reflective surfaces in the room?”

Jeongin hesitated for only a moment, confusion and concern battling in his face, before nodding and setting about doing the task. Felix moved to hold Hyunjin while the other anxiously watched Jeongin, occasionally commenting if a surface needed to be more covered or if the youngest had missed anything.

As the reflective surfaces in the room were covered, Hyunjin started to calm down, slowly slumping into Felix’s embrace as the voice grew quiet until finally stopping.

“Is that better Jinnie?” Felix asked quietly.

Hyunjin nodded, resting his head against Felix’s shoulder. “Y-Yeah… I’m sorry.”

“What? Why?” Felix pulled back enough to look at Hyunjin.

Hyunjin stubbornly kept his gaze down as he answered, “I’ve been such a hassle for you guys, looking after me the last couple of weeks. Jeongin you literally had to build a whole energy collecting device! And now my stupid mind keeps doing whatever the hell this is.”

“Hey, none of that.” Jeongin told him firmly, moving in front of Hyunjin and ducking his head enough to catch his gaze, “Listen, I know you haven’t been with us for very long, but you are one of us now and we look after each other – no matter what it takes. Making sure you are okay is not a hassle! And what ever this is, we will be here for you and we’ll get you through it.”

Hyunjin valiantly tried to fight back the tears that wanted to fall. “O-okay,” he choked out, voice wobbly.

These people truly confused the hell out of him.

--

“I thought he was getting better?” Jisung asked, fiddling with Minho’s hair where he was laying in his lap. He wasn’t sure what the time was exactly, but it was some time after midnight. They had wanted to wait until they were certain that Hyunjin was safely asleep, tucked up in bed, before discussing what had happened earlier with the rest of the group.

“He is getting better,” Felix countered, “The pain has mostly stopped, the black veins have pretty much disappeared, and his temperature isn’t fluctuating as bad as it was.”

“True Lix but his mental health still isn’t doing too great if today is anything to go by.” Changbin pointed out gently, lightly rubbing his boyfriends arm as he did.

“His mental health was never great,” Felix grumbled on principal.

“That’s not exactly the winning argument baby.”

“It is a good point though.” Chan said, holding up a hand when the others started to protest, “I just mean that Hyunjin’s mental state wasn’t exactly fully stable when we found him. Given how long he had been travelling alone and how much he must have seen in those years, it’s understandable. Don’t get me wrong, I was also hoping that the man in the mirror thing was just a fever dream but obviously it’s not.”

“It could be a memory resurfacing?” Seungmin suggested from where he was sitting with Jeongin. The youngest looked pleased that the other had contributed.

“Possibly,” Minho agreed, “One of us should try to talk to him if it is a memory coming through. It might help him process it and put the matter to rest?”

“It’s worth a try.” Chan agreed, “Binnie? Do you think you could try talking to him about it? He trusts you and seems to feel comfortable opening up to you.”

Minho glanced at Chan, knowing it was saying something that he was letting the other take point on this. Changbin, for his part, nodded eagerly, “I’ll do my best.”

“Okay, then it’s agreed. Maybe in the meantime we keep some of the spare blankets around to cover up any reflective surfaces if we need to?” Chan suggested.

The others nodded, there was no hesitation in the accommodation for their newest housemate. They all had habits and things that the others had had to adjust to over the years. Things like Felix’s stress baking, Chan’s over protectiveness, Minho’s tendency to sound angry when he was worried. They all had their little quirks, it was just that Hyunjin’s were a little more… unique.

--

Over the coming days, the others kept a careful eye on Hyunjin. He was allowed to move around freely, and while no one had said it, Hyunjin had a feeling that there was an unspoken ‘no travelling between worlds’ rule in force for him.

Which was fine, he understood why they were hesitant to let him leave the safety of their pocket dimension. But the issue was he was starting to get bored again – which had led to the problem in the first place.

There was only so much wandering around the house that Hyunjin could stand before he was going to go mad. Well. Madder.

The carefully casual questions and check ins on how he was going spoke volumes. While he was gratefully the others hadn’t kicked him out after his recent episode of madness, Hyunjin wasn’t sure how he felt about people knowing his mental state either.

He supposed it was another thing to get used to if he was going to stay with them and he really wanted to stay.

So, in an effort not to get even more stir crazy, Hyunjin had headed outside the house on a mission to finally answer if there was a sun in this place or not.

“Hyunjin… what are you doing?”

Hyunjin glanced over to see Jeongin walking up to him, the youngest a cross of curious amusement. “Trying to find something.”

“Oh? Did you lose something outside?”

“Not quite…” Hyunjin muttered, steadfastly scanning the sky (he was glad he had grabbed someone’s sun glasses before coming outside).

“Then what are you looking for?” Jeongin asked as he reached him, there was nu judgement in his tone which was something that the elder appreciated.

“… If I tell you, you have to promise not to assume it’s cause I’m crazy.” Hyunjin told him firmly, looking at him. “Because I’m not. This place is just weird. Jeongin where the fuck is the sun here?”

Jeongin blinked at him before bursting out laughing at the unexpected question, “Oh man, you’ve been in the house for too long huh?” he chuckled. “You know… Chan and Changbin have gone out scouting and they aren’t expected back until tonight. How about you and I go on a short trip? I’ll be with you and I’ll let Jisung know to monitor the map for us.”

“Are you sure that’s allowed? What if you get in trouble?” Hyunjin asked, eyes lighting up at the prospect of travelling somewhere new, even if it’s just for a short time, but he didn’t want the youngest to get into shit cause of him.

“I’m the youngest and I literally just saved your life, if anyone is going to get a free pass for taking you out and about it’s me.” Jeongin deadpanned, making Hyunjin laugh. His expression softened a little as he added, “Besides, maybe if we can show that you can go out and not get yourself into trouble, then Chan-hyung and Minho-hyung will be more open to you travelling beyond the front yard again.” Jeongin paused, visibly seeming to struggle as he thought of how to word what came next. “I hope you know that they don’t mean to make you feel imprisoned or anything like that, they are just protective. They think if they can keep you here then they can keep you safe and away from danger.”

“I know, and I appreciate it even if it is a bit odd to me.” Hyunjin admitted. It was true – being on the receiving end of the protection from the others (specifically the eldest two of the group) was oddly nice. But Hyunjin hadn’t had others to protect him for a very long time, and while it warmed something in him it also felt a little uncomfortable.

He hoped it was just something he would adjust to with time.

“So how about it? Want to go out?” Jeongin prompted, quirking a brow.

“If you’re sure you won’t get into trouble,” Hyunjin pressed again, “Let’s do it.”

--

While Jeongin handled the logistics of letting Jisung (who was monitoring the map) know they were going out and picking out a backdoor pathway, Hyunjin got changed into something more suited for travel. He hadn’t gotten a chance to dress up in nearly three weeks – he hadn’t had a reason to. So just for fun he put together a nicer outfit and put on a touch of red eye shadow.

Adding a couple of hoop earrings to his right ear, he nodded to himself and headed back outside and towards the hallways of doors, waiting for Jeongin.

He couldn’t help but feel like a teenager again, sneaking out to go kiss boys under the slide in the park while his mother slept between work shifts. He chuckled at the memory despite the pang of sadness it brought.

“Hyunjin,” Jeongin’s voice shook him from the thought and he hurried to join him at one of the doors. “Remember, stick with me, don’t touch anything, and do not go through any other backdoors unless I tell you to.”

Hyunjin smirked, resisting the instinct to bristle at being told what to do by the younger, “Yes sir.” He joked.

Jeongin’s eyes sparkled in anticipation as the green light hummed under the door frame. Hyunjin followed the youngest as he stepped through.

--

Stepping through the doorway, Hyunjin’s eyes widened immediately, “Woah… is this a b world?”

Jeongin snorted a laugh, “What do you think?” he asked sarcastically, gesturing for Hyunjin to follow him.

Eyes still wide as saucers, Hyunjin did, head on a swivel as he looked around in amazement. The world they had stepped into seemed to consist of floating islands, all connected by vine weaved bridges that seemed to glow faintly in the blue light from the sun. Strange bugs flittered around them, paying them no mind.

The grass lit up with the same soft glow beneath them with every step.

Jeongin led them between the different islands with practiced ease, expertly avoiding any islands that seemed to have humanoids on them.

“I’m getting the sense that you have been here before,” Hyunjin said casually as they seemed to reach their destination – one of the higher floating islands with a view that could only be described as magical. The two took a seat in the bioluminescent grass – Hyunjin smiling when he found that it had a softer texture than he had expected.

“I come here now and then, when I want to just have a quiet moment to myself or when I’m stressed out, or when I want to be reminded of how amazing our lives are. I mean, there are literally trillions of people in the megaverse and we are some of the very few who get to explore it and find stuff like this. It’s kind of amazing right? And humbling too.” Jeongin explained, body language completely at ease in this strange and wonderful place.

“I guess I’ve never thought of it like that,” Hyunjin admitted, stretching his leg out in front of him and enjoying the view. “It is pretty amazing though.”

They were quiet for a while, the silence comfortable between them. But as he is want to do, Hyunjin eventually broke it, “I think I could have stayed in a place like this had I have found it. Well, for a while anyway. It feels weird to stay in one place.”

“Sometimes I wonder if I actually fit in with the others, or if I should move on. But then when I come here and I think about it, I end up missing them at just the thought of leaving.” Jeongin admitted. “It is a beautiful world… but I’m glad we found you first.”

Hyunjin looked over at him and raised a brow teasingly, “Is this your way of telling me you’d miss me if I moved here Innie?”

“Something like that, but don’t let it go to your head, your ego is big enough as it is.” Jeongin rolled his eyes, looking away stubbornly and ignoring the blush creeping over his cheeks.

“Aww Innie~” Hyunjin giggled, ruffling the youngest’s hair and enjoying the warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with excess energy and everything to do with the fondness he felt for the other.

Chapter Text

“You do, by the way,” Hyunjin said after a while of the two sitting in a peaceful silence. He kept his voice quiet in an attempt to not disturb the peace as they watched the mystical scenery around them. “Fit in with the others I mean. I know that I’ve only been with you guys for a month or so, and granted I spent most of that time out of it in bed, but I’ve heard how the others talk about you Jeongin – they adore you.”

Jeongin’s eyes widened for a moment before he looked away, ears a slight red. “Yeah well, perks of being the youngest.” He joked, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh please, we both know that that’s not it!” Hyunjin laughed, bumping their shoulders together.

“Maybe,” Jeongin smiled a little at him. After a moment, he admitted in a softer voice, “I don’t know, sometimes I just feel like… like I’m too different from the others. Like my mind works in a way that’s too strange. The others, they’re all from ‘a’ worlds, I’m from a ‘c’ world. Maybe that’s why I like ‘b’ worlds – cause they’re different too but they’re different for all of us in an equal way.” He ducked his head, “Sorry, I’m rambling.”

“Hey, no, don’t apologize.” Hyunjin was quick to reply, “You say your mind is too different, as if that’s somehow a bad thing, but if you thought like everyone else I would be dead right now.” He told him with a half shrug to soften the bluntness of his words.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to dismiss how you feel of course. I have seen a lot of worlds and I’ve seen a lot of weirdness in them, but I still won’t say that I know how you feel. It would be hard to be the only one from a world like yours. But… I don’t know, I hope that you feel at least a little bit at home in the house you guys have. I hope that you can feel how much the others love you – because it is very easy to see from the outside looking in. And I really hope that you don’t think so meanly about yourself.” He laid down in the soft grass with a small sigh, “The world in general is good at making us feel like we are doing something wrong just by existing, there’s no need to help it with that.”

Jeongin was quiet for a moment as he looked down at Hyunjin, the older doing him the courtesy of not staring back so as not to make him uncomfortable while he processed his words. He didn’t dare try to name it, but Hyunjin felt like there had been a subtly shift between them.

“Who knew you could be so wise,” Jeongin joked after a moment, voice quiet.

Hyunjin smiled brightly at him, “I have been known to have my moments.”

--

It wasn’t until later, when the blue sun had set and the world was instead illuminated with twinkling stars that seemed to dance and chase each other around the sky, that Jeongin asked if Hyunjin was ready to go home.

It was still a novelty to have a place come to mind when asked that question. With a soft smile, Hyunjin had agreed.

Jeongin took a communicator out of his pocket and radioed Jisung, “Sung, we’re ready to head back, what’s the pathway home looking like?”

“Uh, looks like the door you came went through will lead you to world A28, but you should be able to get back from there…” Jisung sounded distracted, but Jeongin chalked it up to him trying to find the pathways of the backdoors on the map. “Oh! There looks like there’s actually another door on that world that will bring you back. The waterfall door.”

“Got it,” Jeongin looked at Hyunjin, “Do you think your leg could handle a small hike and some light rock climbing?”

“In the dark? That sounds like a terrible idea. I’m in!” Hyunjin laughed.

“Okay,” Jeongin giggled, “We’ll be back on the next hour.” He told Jisung before pocketing the device again.

The youngest led the two across a few bridges, moving from one floating island to the next as they trekked higher towards a larger one to the east. The waterfall in question was beautiful when they reached it, the rocks seemed to glow lightly when the water hit them, giving the whole scene a soft light.

This world felt soft in the best way and Hyunjin could see why Jeongin chose it as his safe place. It was an honour that the other had brought him here to this little oasis.

Hyunjin’s leg faltered a couple of times on the climb up the rocks but Jeongin was always quick to help him find his balance again. Hyunjin tried not to think too hard about the soft warmth that settled in his chest at the simple shows of protection.

As they waited for the cave behind the falls to reveal the doorway (though that was a loose term in this particular word and Jeongin had explained they were more looking for a large movable rock than an actual door) Hyunjin couldn’t resist putting his hand out to touch the water. “Huh, it feels… airy?”

“Weirdo.” Jeongin replied, yelping when Hyunjin flicked him with the cold water in retaliation. Before the situation could escalate to a full on splash war, the familiar green light lit up the cave and the two headed back.

--

“Where the fuck have you two been?”

Well. That wasn’t the reception he had expected.

The warm fuzzy feeling faded as Hyunjin looked and saw Chan standing a few feet away with his arms crossed, looking utterly pissed off. Minho was standing with him, as was Changbin. The other two looked marginally calmer, though Minho had that unreadable expression on that somehow managed to convey disappointment and dismissal, and Changbin seemed concerned.

“We just stepped out for a bit.” Hyunjin replied with a shrug, testing the waters.

“Oh did you just? And who’s bright idea was that?” Chan’s sarcastic reply was coupled with a glare towards Jeongin. The youngest’s body language remained defiant even as he glared at the floor, not quite able to meet their leaders eye. He didn’t respond, but he didn’t really need to. “Yang Jeongin you have one chance to explain to me what the hell you were thinking!”

Hyunjin fought a flinch at the way Chan’s voice raised, skin prickling as he watched the way Jeongin seemed to try to make himself smaller.

“I didn’t take him anywhere dangerous, I just wanted to get Hyunjin out of the house for a little while- I was careful!” Jeongin insisted, lifting his head with a frustrated glare. “I made sure nothing would happen!”

“Every world has it’s dangers, you know this! How could you possibly think that it would be a good idea to take Hyunjin somewhere while he is still recovering?!” Chan huffed, “You were gone for hours! And getting Jisung to cover for you?! Are you serious?! You’re supposed to be the smart one here Jeongin!”

The way Jeongin flinched, eyes starting to water before he could hide it, had something snapping in Hyunjin.

Without thinking, Hyunjin stepped between Jeongin and Chan, blocking the younger from the elders sight and instead throwing his own annoyance at the other man, “And you’re suppose to be their leader! Is this how you lead? By snapping and degrading someone just because you’re having a little tantrum? Huh?” his voice raised to match Chan’s, the challenge clear.

“Hyunjin-”

“No! Fuck you! Who do you think you are to scold him when you won’t even hear what he has to say?” Hyunjin had always been good at getting himself into trouble, had always had a knack for talking without thinking things through, but in this moment he couldn’t bring himself to care for the consequences. Not when he had seen how upset Jeongin had been, not now that he knew just how much the others opinion of him impacted the little genius.

Hyunjin barreled on, not giving Chan a second to cut in, stepping closer to him to get in the eldest’s face. “Jeongin did nothing wrong, maybe if you weren’t being such a tight ass he wouldn’t have had to ask Jisung to cover for us! You were the one who said I would be allowed to leave whenever, but instead you have practically been keeping me a prisoner here since I recovered! A recovery, might I add, that was only possible because of Jeongin! You sure as shit couldn’t figure out a fix! So what? You trust Jeongin to be smart enough to jam a needle of an untested device into my leg but you won’t trust him to take me to the safest fucking world he could for a couple of hours?”

By this point, Hyunjin and Chan were mere inches apart, both glaring daggers at the other. Chan’s jaw tightened like he was gearing up for a fight, and the more unstable part of Hyunjin almost hoped he did take a swing to break the tension.

Instead of a swing though, Chan’s voice was carefully level as he replied, “Of course you are allowed to leave, but things are complicated right now. You are still recovering from an injury we’ve never seen before, and Jeongin should know better than to travel with you without letting everyone know first.”

Hyunjin scoffed, rolling his eyes hard. “Complicated? Right.” He echoed before leaning a little closer, “Then let me make things incredibly simple here. Get off your fucking high horse and check your attitude. You may be their leader but you are not mine. Either you let me travel when I want, with who I want, to where ever I want, or I won’t give you the choice.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I will get my shit and walk out one of those doors and you will never see me again.” The words were cold like the feeling they left in Hyunjin’s own chest. He didn’t want to leave – he liked it here, he liked this group and he desperately wanted to stay a part of it, but the words were out now and he had to stand by them, even if he regretted them.

“Okay, that’s enough.” Changbin’s tone was even as he stepped up to the two, putting a hand on their shoulders and giving the two a small push to make them back away from each other. “This has gotten way out of hand. The doors won’t open for another hour anyway so how about we all take a break and try this talk again when everyone has calmed down a bit?”

Hyunjin didn’t move, holding Chan’s gaze evenly and stubbornly refusing to budge until he did. He felt a hand slip into his and didn’t have to look to know it was Jeongin. He gave his hand a small squeeze without looking away.

Changbin gave Chan’s shoulder a slight squeeze, “Come on, no one here is trying to limit anyone’s autonomy, right?” The question was oddly pointed, and Hyunjin watched with interest as Chan’s gaze snapped to Changbin’s. A look of offended hurt flicking over his features before he could school them.

“That’s not…” Chan trailed off with a shaky sigh, taking a step back from Hyunjin. “That’s not what I was trying to do.” His voice was quiet and pained. Without another word, Chan turned on his heel and left, steps quick. Changbin watched with a hint of regret in his eyes.

Minho gave the other three an assessing look for a moment before wordlessly following after the elder.

When the elder two were out of sight, Hyunjin let his shoulders slump.

Changbin raised a brow at him, “So when you said that mouth of yours gets you in trouble, did you mean like that?”

Hyunjin was caught off guard by the gentle tease and smirked, “Yep,” he drew the word out, popping the ‘p’. Rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand he asked sheepishly, “What are the chances that Chan will just be super cool and not call my bluff?”

“Were you bluffing?” Jeongin asked.

When Hyunjin looked at the younger he was glad to see that his eyes were no longer watering, but it was still obvious he was troubled. Without thinking, Hyunjin let go of Jeongin’s hand in favor of cupping his cheeks, “So cute.” He smiled as he watched Jeongin squirm but not move away. “I was sort of bluffing – I don’t want to leave, I really like you guys and I like being here. But if Chan tries to make me stay here then I will leave. I know it’s a little backwards but being told what to do has never really sat right with me, especially when it comes to stuff like this.”

“I understand,” Jeongin relented, pulling back from the hold at last but staying close.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think that Channie really realized what he was doing or how it was coming across.” Changbin told them, trying to be neutral but also wanting them to consider the others point of view. “When we came home and you guys were gone, Chan panicked. Jisung ended up coming clean to Minho cause he felt guilty about it.”

“Snitch.” Jeongin grumbled.

Changbin pinched his side in retaliation, “Don’t be like that!”

Jeongin glared half heartedly and rubbed his side.

“Come on, let’s head inside, the others will be relieved to see you both back in one piece.” Changbin said, starting back towards the house.

Hyunjin followed at a slower pace. He had assumed that the other was overdramatizing it until they stepped through and he found himself with an armful of Felix.

“Don’t scare us like that Hyunjinnie!” the blonde told him with a hint of a whine that made it impossible to be annoyed at him.

Not that Hyunjin was – he was too busy being surprised. “Oh, um, sorry?”

“Idiot,” Seungmin grumbled but, when Felix stepped back, he stepped in to give Hyunjin a brief hug too, stepping away and leaving the room before he could process it.

“What…?”

“I told you they were worried.” Changbin told him, voice a little smug.

--

“Chan, my sweet, you’re going to put a hole in the floor if you keep pacing like that.” Minho said, leaning against the desk in Chan’s room with his arms crossed, watching as the eldest silently paced.

“How could he have said that?” Chan asked, though he didn’t stop moving.

“Hyunjin or Changbin?”

“Both?” Chan stressed, running his fingers through his already messy hair. It was getting long enough for a haircut but Minho silently hoped it would let it grow out a little longer. He missed his curls.

“I can’t and won’t speak for Hyunjin,” Minho replied, “But I don’t think that Changbin said what he said to upset you.”

“Oh yeah? Why else would he possibly say that?” Chan threw his hands up in defeat before sitting on his bed, rubbing the back of his neck in annoyance. His anger had thankfully calmed down from where it had been, but he was still on edge.

Minho waited a beat before calmly moving to the bed and kneeling behind him, lightly hitting his hand to make Chan stop so he could gently rub Chan’s shoulders. “He said to shock you and to get you to pull your head out of your ass.”

Chan glanced back at him but didn’t say anything.

Good. That meant he was finally ready to listen to reason.

“Channie, you and I both know that you would never have any ill intentions in restricting Hyunjin from leaving.” Minho told him, tone a little gentler. “Binnie knows that too. You aren’t like those men – we all now that. But Hyunjin doesn’t.”

“I just want him to be safe.” Chan’s voice was small with the admittance, shoulders slumping in defeat.

“I know.” Minho kissed the back of his neck. “But keeping him here forever isn’t going to do that.”

Chan sighed. “Do you always have to be right?” he asked sheepishly.

“It’s part of my charm.” Minho shot back, voice deadpanned. He smiled when it got a small chuckle from his partner. “You and Hyunjin need to have a conversation – be honest with him, but hear him out. You don’t want to lose him and he doesn’t want to go, so don’t give him a reason to. Once things are settled there, talk to Changbin. He got you to stop but he crossed a line, one you guys have to discuss.”

Rubbing his face one last time, Chan nodded. He turned to press a thankful kiss to Minho’s lips. “I love you, you know that?”

“Yeah yeah,” Minho smirked. He pecked Chan’s lips with his own before moving back and giving him a small shove and ordering with a wink, “Go talk it out with the others then come back and show me just how much you love me.”

--

Soon enough, Chan found himself standing in front of Hyunjin’s bedroom. Being nervous to knock was something he had gotten used to while Hyunjin was unwell (Chan had often found his nerves building in anticipation of what state he would find the brown eyed beauty in when he opened the door) but this was different.

Now he was nervous to open the door and possibly find him packing his things.

Taking a deep breath, Chan reminded himself of Minho’s words – Hyunjin didn’t want to leave, he just had to make sure not to fuck this up more than he already had.

Before his raised fist could connect with the wood, the door opened, revealing a startled looking Jeongin.

The younger narrowed his eyes, “Are you here to upset him again?” he asked bluntly.

“No.” Chan replied honestly, “I’m just here to talk and hopefully fix things.”

Jeongin seemed hesitant to move and a part of Chan couldn’t help but be proud of the protective streak the younger had for those he cared for.

“Innie, you can let him in. It is his house after all.” Hyunjin’s words, called from further into the room, made Chan wince a little.

Jeongin frowned a little but moved. “I’ll be in my room if you need anything.” He told Hyunjin who was currently on the bed, rubbing some ointment that Chan recognized as an anti-inflammatory on his bad leg.

“Okay.”

The youngest nodded and headed out. Chan caught his hand as he passed, giving it a small squeeze. To his relief, Jeongin squeezed back before leaving.

Good – he hadn’t completely ruined things.

With the door behind him now closed, Chan turned to face Hyunjin again. He gestured awkwardly towards the desk chair that Hyunjin had once again dragged to the window at some point. “Can I, um, can I sit?”

“Why are you asking my permission? Aren’t you the one who get’s the last say on where people go around here?” Hyunjin sniped, though his voice lacked it’s earlier venom, instead sounding more like a petulant teenager.

“… I guess I deserve that.” Chan conceded, dragging the chair over and taking a seat. “Is your leg okay?”

“It’s fine. Just a little sore. Changbin gave me some of his deep heat cream, he thinks I’m out of shape since it’s sore from a walk after not moving for so long.” Hyunjin explained, some of his tension seeming to ease as the cream started working its magic.

“Right, it must have been nice to spread your legs a little though?” Chan tried.

Hyunjin paused and raised a brow at him, “Just what exactly did you think Jeongin and I were doing?”

Chan winced when he realized what he had said and how it sounded, “Oh I-I didn’t mean to insinuate that! I just, um, misspoke!”

Seemingly despite himself, Hyunjin smirked in amusement at his spluttering. “I know what you meant,” he finally said, putting Chan out of his misery, “And yes – it was nice to get out for a while.” Hyunjin put the cap back on the cream and moved so he was sitting facing Chan, “So, are you really here to work things out or was that just a cover so I could be kicked out in peace?”

“I meant what I said, I want to fix this. I… I was way out of line before and for that I’m sorry. You were right, I was being a controlling asshole.” Chan admitted, looking at the floor in shame.

“For the record, I don’t think I used those specific words, but they do fit.” Hyunjin shrugged, watching Chan closely as if assessing his sincerity. “While an apology is nice, I’d rather have an explanation. Do you think I’m weak?”

“What? No!” Chan looked up at him, surprised by the question.

“You think I’m stupid then?”

“No!”

“Fragile?” Hyunjin challenged, voice raising a little this time, “Or maybe inexperienced? Can’t be trusted? Too mentally fucked to know what I’m doing? Which is it? What do you think of me to makes you think I need to be restricted? I know the last time I travelled somewhere it ended up being dangerous but do you really think I would put myself in that position again after everything that happened-”

“I think you’re beautiful!” Chan cut in, meeting his volume and shocking Hyunjin into silence for a moment. A moment he took full advantage of. “I think you’re funny, and creative. I think you’re incredibly resilient and brave. I think you’ve been through too much already and I wanted to keep you somewhere I knew you would be safe because you deserve a comfortable life and not one you where you have to constantly be looking over your shoulder. I know that it’s selfish but I… I thought that maybe if I could keep you, I could give you that comfortable life.”

Chan’s heart was pounding in his chest as he watched Hyunjin for his reaction. The younger looked stunned, processing his words.

Just when Chan was starting to get nervous - thinking maybe he had said too much or scared Hyunjin with his intensity – Hyunjin moved.

Closing the distance between them, Hyunjin pressed his lips to Chans.

Chapter Text

Soft.

Hyunjin’s lips were as soft as they looked – soft and pliant under the pressure of Chan’s own. His lips may have been soft but the way he kissed was anything but. No, Hyunjin kissed him like he was a drowned man and Chan’s tongue held the final morsal of air in all the worlds.

Chan lost himself in the kiss, at some point he had pulled Hyunjin to straddle his lap, holding him securely and comfortably in place. And oh, maybe this was what he had wanted all along? To hold Hyunjin close and keep the scary side of life at bay for a while.

As Hyunjin breathed out a moan, Chan found he really didn’t care what had lead to this moment, he was just glad to have arrived here. His hands held Hyunjin’s hips under his shirt, thumbs gently rubbing the heated skin there. He passed a groan of his own into the kiss as he felt Hyunjin’s long fingers through his hair, the slight tug causing his grip on Hyunjin to tighten a fraction.

They only pulled back when they had to, the heat between them near palpable but as Chan pulled his eyes up from Hyunjin’s kissed swollen lips to his dark eyes, he noticed the troubled look in them. “Hyunjin?”

Hyunjin shook his head a little, pressing their foreheads together and closing his eyes. His voice was a whisper meant just for Chan in the privacy of their little bubble, “Say I can stay… Tell me you’ll keep me but you won’t trap me… give me the option to go, but don’t force me to leave…”

It struck Chan then - this wasn’t just about the heat of the moment. This wasn’t even just about their earlier fight. This was Hyunjin grasping for something solid, something safe. Something he could rely on. In his life of chaos, Hyunjin needed stability.

And as Chan pressed a soft kiss to Hyunjin’s lips, he silently promised to create that for him.

“Stay. Stay with us, with me, as long as you want to. I will never push you away, I promise. You belong here,” he took one of Hyunjin’s hands and put it to his own chest over his still racing heart, “This is your home now. But it’s not a prison. You can travel whenever you want, but please tell us first? Not so we can keep you caged, but so we can keep you safe while you fly.”

Hyunjin smiled like Chan had just handed him the moon, the sun, and all the stars in the sky. And as they lost themselves in each other’s lips once more, Chan felt as though a final piece he hadn’t known he was missing had slotted into place.

--

When roughly an hour had passed, and no further yelling or commotion had been heard, the rest of the group breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Chan and Hyunjin had sorted it out and Hyunjin wasn’t leaving – at least not yet.

Minho had had to stop Jeongin from barging into Hyunjin’s room half a dozen times, their youngest watching the stairs anxiously, expecting to see Hyunjin storm down with a bag of his things, never to be seen again.

As more time passed, the others relaxed into their usual activities. Felix and Jisung were playing video games, Jeongin watching and waiting for his turn. Changbin was scribbling away in his note book – he liked to write about the worlds he scouted, determined to remember every detail in whatever form his creative mind decided to do it that day. Seungmin was typing away on his laptop with his headphones in, utterly emersed in coding but evidently not wanting to be alone while doing it.

Minho had been reading, though truthfully his mind was elsewhere. It would be inaccurate to say that he hadn’t softened towards Hyunjin over the past couple of weeks. He had taken to supporting him in practical ways while he was unwell, leaving the emotional support to his more open boyfriends. It was easy for him to see that they others had fallen for the handsome new addition.

‘Well… most of the others.’ He mentally checked himself as he glanced at Seungmin.

Seungmin was coming around, but he still had his walls up. The younger was cautious, hesitant to form a close connection again to another Hyunjin after the hurt he had gone through with his own. Until Seungmin did, Minho would also try to avoid forming too strong a connection.

It wasn’t as though Minho didn’t like Hyunjin – he was entrancing and beautiful in every sense – but he loved Seungmin first.

The groups relationship dynamic didn’t strictly stop members from dating others, nor did it mean if one person wanted to date someone that everyone had to. Flings here and there weren’t unheard of, but everything came from a place of deep respect, trust, and love for each other. While they had ultimately never wanted a side relationship with someone externally, they also wouldn’t stop each other from doing so as long as it didn’t upset anyone. So no, Minho wouldn’t hold it against any of the others if they tried their luck courting Hyunjin, but he himself would hold off until he was sure Seungmin would be comfortable with it too.

Seungmin wasn’t the only one with some abandonment issues, and Minho didn’t see the point in forming bonds if it meant losing another.

That said, when Chan and Hyunjin did finally emerge, both hand in hand with slight blushes dusting their cheeks and their lips slightly kiss swollen still, Minho couldn’t raised a brow at his hyung. Chan ducked his head sheepishly for a moment.

The rest of the group quickly noticed them too with mixed responses. Jisung and Felix looked thrilled as they shot teasing smirks at Chan, Jisung and Changbin looked almost a little jealous (Minho wasn’t worried though, knowing those two they would be all the more determined to taste Hyunjin’s lips themselves now). Seungmin’s expression was carefully neutral, though his steady typing faltered. Minho made a mental note to check in with him later.

Hyunjin cleared his throat, blush deepening for a moment before he addressed the room, “I’m sorry for my earlier outbursts, and for threatening to disappear. Chan and I, um, talked,” the look the two shared was utterly love struck. “And I’m staying. If it’s alright with all of you that is?”

“Of course!” Felix cheered brightly, looking around at the others though to double check. The others made their own calls of confirmation. Minho waited until Seungmin had shrugged and nodded before giving his own consent.

“Thank you.” Hyunjin gave a small bow to the group.

Chan smiled proudly and gave Hyunjin a kiss to the cheek before releasing his hand and giving him a nudge towards the others. The eldest settled in next to Felix, moving him to his lap and holding him comfortably while the blonde asked Hyunjin if he wanted to play a round, giving him the controller so he could verse Jeongin.

In a quiet voice, Chan asked Felix, “Happy?”

It was a question that Chan used to ask Felix frequently when the younger Australian had first joined them. Back when he had struggled with language differences and with being comfortable in his own skin. Back when the horrors he had experienced at the hands of the men who had taken him were still too fresh to ignore. Back when Felix didn’t trust that he was truly free now.

Despite how long it had been though, Felix’s answer came naturally. Smile still shining, he replied, “Happy.”

--

Later, while the others tidied up after dinner and debated over what to watch that night, Chan pulled Changbin aside and into a study that the house hadn’t had yesterday.

Changbin didn’t look surprised, he looked resigned to the conversation. He remained calm as he waited for Chan to find the words.

Finally, Chan settled on, “I know why you said it, but that was a low blow Bin.”

“I know.” Changbin didn’t try to deny it, nor did he rush to defend himself. “I’m sorry for going for the throat like that, I know what happened to Felix is a sensitive topic. It’s a horrible memory for all of us. But that’s why I didn’t want you to do something that you would regret, something that could be misconstrued.”

Chan nodded, a part of him wanted to be angry. A part of him wanted to yell and rage and demand to know how Changbin – one of his dearest friends in all the worlds – could ever insinuate he could be like the human traffickers who had taken Felix to Korea a lifetime ago. How could he think so little of him? But the mature part of him knew that that wasn’t what Changbin thought.

Not really.

Changbin was seeing how his actions were coming across, he could see how Chan’s protective nature was turning possessive and he had said what he had to to pull him up and pull his head out of his ass.

“While I really don’t appreciate the way you spoke to me and what you said, I do appreciate you looking out for me. Even if you have to protect me from my own dumb actions sometimes.” Chan admitted, taking Changbin’s hand and smiling when he saw the slight tension in his boyfriends muscles loosen.

“Someone has to keep you in line Boss.” Changbin joked. He hesitated a moment, looking like he wanted to say something else. Now it was Chan’s turn to wait for him to find the words.

“What is it Binnie?” Chan prompted after a moment.

“You’re not going to love this idea, but I think Hyunjin should be a scouter.” Changbin told him, a look of determination entering his eyes as he pushed on before Chan could argue. “It’s his choice of course but I really can’t picture him tinkering on computers or plotting routes on the map here all day every day, can you? Hyunjin is struggling to stay in one place, not to mention he has a wealth of experience navigating the worlds. Why not let him use it? Let him be a scouter with us. We’ll keep him safe, while still letting him scratch the travel itch.”

Chan exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down his face as he considered it. His gut told him to say no, to keep Hyunjin safe inside the house. But Changbin was right—Hyunjin wouldn’t stay locked away. Keeping him caged wouldn’t keep him safe. It would just make him run.

“Okay,” Chan relented. “We’ll run it by him, and if he wants to, we’ll make him a scouter. But for the first while at least I don’t want him going on solo runs. As stubborn as he is about it, his leg is still healing and Hyunjin isn’t exactly one to listen to his limits.”

“I agree,” Changbin smiled, “So, we good?”

“Always baby,” Chan returned the smile, leaning closer to kiss Changbin’s forehead.

--

Later, over dinner, Chan and Changbin brought up the proposition, and Hyunjin had agreed without hesitation. He hadn’t missed the look Minho shot Chan at the suggestion, but honestly? He couldn’t bring himself to care.

Because the idea of being a scout meant something.

It meant he had a role—a real one. Not just a guest, not just someone they pitied or tolerated, but someone they trusted. It meant they were offering him something more than just a place to stay.

They were offering him a place to belong.

And at the time, that thought had settled warmly in his chest, something light and almost unfamiliar curling around his ribs. Hope.

But by the time he was lying in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, that warmth had curdled into something heavier. A weight of dread sitting uncomfortably in the pit of his gut that refused to shift.

Because with that role came expectation. And with expectation came the opportunity to fail.

And gods knew Hyunjin had never missed a chance to fail someone he cared about.

With a quiet huff, Hyunjin pressed the palms of his hands into his tired eyes. He had lost track of how long he had been staring at the ceiling. Giving up on sleep he got up, deciding to go down to the living room for a while for a change of scenery – like maybe that would change the spiral of memories his mind was trying to pull him into.

Because wasn’t failing someone’s expectations what got him into this mess to begin with?

“Stop it.” He muttered to himself, repeating the words over and over as he left his room and walked down the shifting hallways. It wasn’t a full proof method but sometimes the verbal reminder was enough to keep his mind from slipping to places he didn’t want it going.

He wandered the hallways, knowing the general direction he wanted to go in, but for some reason he kept running into dead ends. For a moment he could have sworn he heard familiar footsteps echoing somewhere behind him… but that wasn’t possible… right?

The hallways seemed to stretch out endlessly – or were they actually shrinking? He took another two lefts in quick succession, unable to shake the feeling he had to move quickly, to get away faster. Hyunjin felt a tightness in his chest when he realized the he wasn’t sure where he was in the house right now.

“How are you suppose to be a scouter for them when you can’t even navigate their house?”

Hyunjin flinched at the voice. “Stop it stop it stop it, not real. They’re not real.” He muttered to himself, digging his nails into the palms of his hands as he willed his breath to stay even.

“Still running aren’t you Hyunjinnie? That’s all you ever do! Run away boy!”

A whine slipped past his lips before he could stop it. Heart thundering in his chest, Hyunjin instinctively sped up his steps, trying to get away from the taunting voice. He really wished he had of brought his phone so he could use the light – the twisting darken halls were quickly becoming a labyrinth that seemed to be closing around him, trapping him in the darkness and not allowing him to escape.

He needed to escape! He needed to get out! Right now!

But… wait… no, he wasn’t doing that anymore. His mind was fuzzy, a little confused in the haze, but he knew that for sure. He wasn’t running away, he didn’t want to, he didn’t want to leave! “Please don’t make me leave!”

His attempts at keeping his breath steady was for nought as he heard the familiar taunting laughter echoing in his head. There was a war in his head as his instincts screamed at him to run, while his logic begged for him to stand his ground, to reach out instead for a promised help that he wasn’t sure would actually come. Whole body trembling, he tried to call out a name – to Chan, or Changbin, or even Minho – but his throat was too tight to form the words. Instead, as his knee’s buckled, all he could do was beg.

“I… I didn’t mean to run! I didn’t! Please!” Hyunjin gave into the panic, sobs ripping from his chest. He huddled against the corner, hands shaking as he hugged his knees to his chest. “N-not real, not real, stop it!”

Hyunjin squeezed his eyes shut as his nails dug into his palms, sharp enough to sting, sharp enough to keep him here, here, here-

--

Seungmin wasn’t sure at first what had woken him until he felt a familiar tingling of energy around him. Ah, the house. The house hadn’t had a big shift in a while and it was due for one, meaning the majority of the rooms and halls would be moving tonight. Including the office space he had long sectioned off as his computer room.

He groaned, getting back to bed would be a pain in the ass now. For a moment he contemplated just waiting until morning when the house had settled. But no, if Chan found out he would give him a lecture – as if he wasn’t also guilty of sleeping in his office instead of his bed.

So, with a little bit of regret, he locked his computers and got up with a stretch. As he stepped out of the room, he looked around to try to get his bearings. This was one thing he didn’t think he would ever fully get used to in their lives – the constant moments of disorientation. It was one of the reasons he was glad he wasn’t often needed for scouting missions.

Scouting missions…

Hyunjin had agreed to be a scout.

Seungmin still wasn’t certain how he felt about that. Minho had tried to catch him after dinner to talk about it, as had Jisung, but he had quickly dodged them and escaped into his computers. He just needed time to process some things.

Hyunjin (this Hyunjin, not his Ferret) wasn’t a bad guy. From their few interactions he was kind, funny even. Seungmin almost wished he was an asshole – it would make all of this so much easier.

He had resolved to give the guy a chance. Hyunjin was sticking around (Seungmin didn’t really want him to leave, that much he was sure of) and from the love sick look Chan was sporting all freaking night, Seungmin wasn’t going to be able to avoid him forever. Hopefully he would be able to find a way to make peace with his own shit.

But that was a tomorrow Seungmin issue, right now he was just keen for bed.

“Where the heck are the stairs…” he mumbled around a yawn. Pausing he closed his eyes, focusing on listening. There were times when he could find his path to the stairs on shifting nights by listening out for the creaking of rooms settling into place – the stairs and bedrooms never moved, so by listening for the shifts and going in the opposite direction, he was usually able to find his way.

What he hadn’t expected to hear though was muffled sobbing.

Shifting nights were nothing new. The house would move, rooms would rearrange, and Seungmin would find his way eventually. Annoying? Sure. But predictable. He was used to predictable.

But the sound of muffled sobbing?

That, he wasn’t used to.

His body responded instinctively, lurching towards the sound and picking up speed as the sobs hit an old familiarity in the back of his mind. Something in the choked gasps caused his heart to ache with a sense of wrongness.

Following the sound, Seungmin made his way around some corners, finally finding the source of the sounds.

He froze at the sight that greeted him.

Hyunjin was curled in on himself, pressing his forehead against his knees and quietly begging someone to stop.

“Hyunjin…? Are you okay?” Seungmin asked despite how obvious the answer was.

“I,” Hyunjin looked up at him, expression devastated as more tears welled in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to…” he whispered, flinching at something Seungmin didn’t hear.

Seungmin’s brow furrowed, kneeling down in front of him to be at his level. “Is it the man in the mirror again?”

“N-no,” Hyunjin shook his head, a slight whine in the back of his throat as he hid his face again, nails digging into his upper arms.

It was then that Seungmin noticed the little half crescent marks on his skin, and he wondered how long Hyunjin had been sitting here. Alone, in the dark, fighting the demons in his mind.

“Okay, it’s okay. Whatever it is that you’re seeing, it isn’t here. I am.” Seungmin wasn’t really sure how to help Hyunjin… but he knew how to help his Ferret.

Gently, he pried Hyunjin’s hands away from his arms. Crossing his legs, Seungmin squeezed his hands as he took a deep breath in, releasing the pressure as he released the breath. He repeated this process over and over, not rushing it so that Hyunjin had something steady to ground him in the here and now.

He wasn’t Seungmin’s Ferret, but in this moment – as he watched Hyunjin’s sobs slowly quietening and his efforts to calm his hitched breathing – Seungmin decided he would stand by Hyunjin’s side, for however long he needed him, when he needed him.

Chapter Text

The following morning, Hyunjin awoke alone and achy in his bed.

He wasn’t sure why his muscles were so sore – possibly from spending half the night locked in a panic attack, or maybe just the weight of keeping it all together. The previous night was a bit hazy in Hyunjin’s mind, but one thing he was certain of was that he owed a thank you to Seungmin.

Seungmin, who Hyunjin was sure he had fallen asleep next to…

The younger was a Rubik’s cube to Hyunjin – sure in theory there was a way to figure him out but he was currently clueless.

‘Whatever,’ his tired mind dropped the metaphor, deciding it was too early for deciphering other peoples motives.

Whatever Seungmin’s reasons may have been, Hyunjin was grateful.

He was also grateful to the quiet knock at his door. “Yeah?” he called, sitting up and rubbing his puffy eyes.

“Hyunjin?” Felix called softly and opened the door, a beaming smile lighting up his face when he saw the man was up. “Oh good you’re awake! Channie just finished making breakfast but the house shifted a lot last night so I thought maybe I walk with you to the dining room? It took me like twenty minutes to find it this morning.”

“Shifted…?” Hyunjin echoed, brows furrowed for a moment. That would explain why the house was so confusing last night…

“Yeah, remember? Normally it’s just a couple of rooms or halls, but now and then the house has a big shift and we were overdue for it.” Felix explained, looking a little closer at him, “Hyunjin, you feeling okay?”

“Hm? Oh, um, yeah, sorry.” Hyunjin smiled back, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes, “I didn’t sleep well is all, so my brains taking a little longer to wake up I guess.”

“Oh, how about tonight we have a movie night then? Just you and me? We can watch some relaxing movies and have an early night?” Felix suggested, there was a slight nervous edge to the question though that caught Hyunjin’s attention.

Raising a brow, Hyunjin asked coyly, “Now Felix, that sounds an awful lot like a date?”

Felix blushed but didn’t deny it, instead he shrugged, “It’s only a date if you say yes.”

Hyunjin chuckled despite himself, it had been a while since someone had asked him out, and even longer since he had wanted to say yes. “As if I would ever say no to you.” He felt a small blush of his own creeping up his cheeks as Felix seemed to smile impossibly brighter.

--

Throughout breakfast, Hyunjin kept stealing glances at Seungmin. Seungmin, in turn, studiously ignored him.

It shouldn’t bother him – one night of him falling apart wasn’t going to magically solve whatever the tension was between them – but it did.

It would have been awkward had the rest of the group not been so damn chaotic. The constant banter and teasing (not to mention the nearly unhealthy amount of flirting) did wonders for lifting Hyunjin’s mood. He still didn’t feel completely better – the mornings after episodes like that were never exactly easy, Hyunjin was often left feeling emotionally fragile, like something inside of him was off kilter and only time and could slot it back into place.

But being engulfed by the happy, domestic energy around him helped more than he would have expected.

“Hyunjin,” Chan’s voice called his attention, “I was thinking after breakfast we could show you how we plot courses using the map and then later Changbin was thinking of taking you out to one of the other worlds and see what you make of it. What do you think?”

Hyunjin perked up at the suggestion, “I think that sounds amazing!”

--

Jisung, Chan, and Hyunjin headed through the newly established halls in the house until they reached the room that housed the map. Jisung knew from experience that Chan had a tendency to give rather convoluted explanations of the map system without really meaning to – he had lived with this system for half his life after all, so of course their leader had a tendency to forget that not everyone was as familiar with the map as he was.

Chan led the way into the map room—one of the few places in the house that didn’t seem to shift with last nights major reconfiguration. The room was dimly lit, illuminated mostly by the soft glow of multiple screens displaying intricate pathways, glowing dots, and rotating coordinates.

Chan pulled up a chair and gestured for Hyunjin to do the same, Jisung standing comfortably behind the pair to watch over the soon to be scouts shoulder as the eldest explained.

“Alright,” Chan started, dragging a hand through his hair as he leaned over the main console, “Since you’re officially a scouter now, it’s time you learn how we actually get from point A to point B without getting stranded in the middle of nowhere.”

Hyunjin smirked as he took his seat, folding his arms, “Yeah that would come in handy.”

Chan smirked, turning and typing something into the main computer system. The main screen flickered, revealing a web-like diagram of interconnected worlds, each glowing point representing a place they had already traveled to. Some were bright and flashing, others were dim and faded.

“The Back Doors don’t lead to the same place twice in a row,” Chan reminded him, zooming into a section of the map. “Every time we step through, it takes us somewhere new. What we do is track those destinations and use that data to predict where the doors might lead next.”

Hyunjin leaned closer, eyes scanning the map. “Okay… so how exactly do we do that?”

“It’s not always an exact science, but essentially the map is able to predict patterns based on past cycles.” He pointed to a cluster of glowing points, a faint line connecting them, “See this sequence? The last time we traveled through these specific doors, they followed a rotation: world a12, then a72, then c9, then back to a12 after four cycles. That means, if a door took us to a12 four jumps ago, we can reasonably guess that it’ll show up again soon.”

Hyunjin furrowed his brows. “But if the doors don’t repeat consecutively, how do we guarantee we get where we want to go?”

“We don’t,” Jisung admitted, leaning on the back of Chans chair, “That’s why we plan travel in steps. We map out a chain of doors that will eventually lead us where we need to go.” As he explained, Chan typed something, and a highlighted path lit up on the screen, showing a line moving from one dot in the direction of another, though it hadn’t made the connection yet – seeming to gain a little length as the minutes ticked by.

“So sometimes,” Hyunjin mused, watching the path shift, “we have to wait a while before the door we need comes back around.”

“Exactly,” Chan nodded. “If we need to get to, say, b2, but the doors won’t cycle there directly, we’ll take an indirect route, stopping at safe locations until a door there opens again.”

Hyunjin exhaled, rubbing his temple. “That’s… a lot to keep track of.”

Jisung laughed. “That’s why we have Seungmin and Jeongin. They’re the ones who refined the old algorithm, before they came along it was even more guess work and confusion!”

Hyunjin huffed a laugh. “Figures.”

Chan turned to him, expression softening. “We don’t expect you to memorize everything overnight. Whenever someone goes through a door – unless it’s necessary we all go – someone is always on map duty to keep track of the pathways. You’ll have a communicator so you can always check in and make sure you’re heading the right way. The biggest thing to remember? Never step through a door blind. Always check the map first.”

Hyunjin nodded, taking the words seriously, the lingering ache in his leg a strong reminder of why they had that rule. He had traveled for a long time on his own, making blind jumps without backup, but this was different. He wasn’t alone anymore.

Jisung reached over to nudge him, giving him a teasing grin, “Think you’re up for it, rookie?”

Hyunjin smirked back, rolling his shoulders. “Guess we’ll find out.”

--

Jisung and Chan showed Hyunjin how to plot a basic path and soon enough Changbin was in the doorway to collect him. Armed with a communicator and a backpack with a packed lunch and snacks (courtesy of Changbin and Felix), the two headed off to the hallway of doors.

Changbin lead them to the correct door and held his hand to it, closing his eyes for a moment and just feeling the energy. Hyunjin watched curiously. He didn’t feel the shift the others apparently did, but it was fascinating to see it.

“Ready for an adventure?” Changbin asked as the familiar light surrounded the doorway.

“Born ready!” With that, Hyunjin opened the door and stepped through.

The route Jisung and Chan had marked out was a pretty simple one – two ‘a’ worlds and a ‘c’ world before coming home. All three worlds were already known to the group, so Changbin would be familiar to the worlds customs, but they wouldn’t know what worlds Hyunjin knew until he saw them again. Changbin had explained that they were hoping to see how well Hyunjin adapted to new worlds and to see is problem solving in action.

Hyunjin blinked to adjust to the surprisingly bright sun of the new world. Soft apologies greeted he and Changbin as patrons on the street politely stepped around them. It wasn’t unheard of for a back door to lead to a busy street but it wasn’t as common. The polite reception was even rarer though.

Looking around to get his bearings for a moment, Hyunjin didn’t spot anything too obviously out of place just yet. “So, what now?”

“Now you have an hour to figure out what’s different about this world, what’s dangerous, what’s helpful, and – and this is the most important one – what’s something fun to do here.” Changbin prompted, occasionally nodding respectfully to the people who shuffled passed.

Hyunjin couldn’t help but quirk a brow at him, “I don’t remember Chan mentioning ‘fun’ on the official scouting list?”

“That’s because Chan forgets to have fun in general on the job,” Changbin shot back with a shrug. “Which is why we must always compensate for our beloved stick in the mud scout leader.”

Hyunjin cackled, following him as Changbin started to walk in a seemingly random direction. He didn’t miss the way the passerby’s gave him an unimpressed look at his loud laugh. “How exactly did Chan end up as the group leader? Why is it that he gets the last word?” he asked curiously, always feeling comfortable to ask Changbin anything.

“He sort of naturally stepped into the role,” Changbin said after a moment’s thought, “He had been doing this for longer than any of us, and he found and brought us all together. I was the second one he brought back to the house and at first, he and I clashed a bit. It hadn’t been long since he had lost JYP and he was really protective – he still is. But back then, he was trying really hard to hold on to some semblance of control.”

Hyunjin hummed in understanding. “Makes sense. If he was the first, then I guess the house was just… his, by default.”

Changbin tilted his head slightly, as if considering the idea. “I guess you could look at it that way, but it never felt like he thought of it as ‘his.’ It was always meant to be ours—even before there was an ‘us.’ He didn’t claim ownership of it. He just made sure it was safe enough for the rest of us to live in.”

That made Hyunjin pause. “That’s… a lot of responsibility to take on by yourself.”

“Yeah, well. That’s just how he is. You know how some people wait to be asked before they take charge? Chan doesn’t. He sees something that needs doing, and he just does it. And because he’s usually right, we all just… let him.”

Hyunjin considered that. He’d spent enough time with Chan to see that side of him—the way he carried the weight of their survival without ever seeming to expect gratitude for it.

“What about the others? Did they ever challenge him?”

Changbin smirked. “You mean, did Minho challenge him?”

Hyunjin snorted. “I mean, yeah, but not just him.”

“Minho still challenges him, but he respects him. He wouldn’t be here otherwise.” Changbin stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Seungmin resisted at first. He hated the idea of following someone’s lead again after-” Changbin seemed to catch himself before continuing vaguely, “After some of his past experiences. But Chan never forced it—he gave him space, let him figure things out on his own terms. Eventually, Seungmin came around.”

Hyunjin glanced at Changbin, he didn’t push the Seungmin topic, no matter how tempted he was, instead asking, “And you?”

Changbin let out a breathy chuckle. “Me? I gave him hell. I don’t like being told what to do, and I definitely didn’t trust him right away. But I learned something important about Chan real quick.”

Hyunjin raised a brow. “What’s that?”

Changbin softened. “He never asks for anything he wouldn’t do himself. If he tells you to watch his back, it’s because he’s already watching yours.”

Hyunjin let those words settle in his mind. Maybe he had already known that about Chan, deep down. Maybe that was why he had followed him in the first place.

After a moment, Changbin clapped his hands together. “Alright, enough of the sentimental stuff. We’ve got a world to scout, what have you noticed so far?”

Hyunjin chuckled but didn’t fight the change of topic. He glanced around, observing some of the people around them for a moment before answering, “Everyone here is very polite. Like aggressively polite. Is this a world where manner are super important or something?”

“Very good,” Changbin smiled and Hyunjin tried to ignore just how pleased he felt at the praise. “So, you’ve figured out what’s different in this world. What now?”

Hyunjin paused. That was a good question. The whole point of this outing was for Hyunjin to do what he would normally do in a new world so Changbin could see what his instincts were like. Looking around again, Hyunjin decided to simply do what felt like the next right step – test the limits of the niceness.

Without warning, Hyunjin yawned, dramatically stretching his arms out without checking and subsequently bumping an older man on the side of his head. Instead of a look of annoyance like he would have expected, the older man turned and bowed surprisingly deeply, “My apologies sir, I must not have been watching where I was going.”

“No worries, it was also my mistake,” Hyunjin replied with a respectful bow of his head, hiding his smirk. There was definitely potential for fun here in the form of messing with the locals.

Chapter Text

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Seungmin asked, glancing around nervously.

“Of course!” Jeongin said with his usual air of confidence. “Now make sure you hold super still.”

Seungmin looked at the plate in his hand and sighed. How did he always get roped into helping Innie test his inventions? Maybe he should have been a scout after all…

His lamenting was for naught though, as much as his instincts said he would regret this, one look at Jeongin’s giddy smile as he readied his new toy gave Seungmin the courage to hold the plate high above his head. He really would do just about anything for the younger when he smiled like that. “Just don’t miss okay!”

“I would never,” Jeongin promised, walking a few meters away before taking aim.

“Why do I not believe you?” Seungmin grumbled, starting to wince as the youngest started to count down from five.

At one, he pulled the trigger. A purple hued lazar raced out of the end of the baton shaped device in his hands, and Seungmin barely had time to flinch before it made contact with the plate in his hands. Nearly immediately he felt the thrumming across the surface, a moment later he felt the ceramic start to shift. Jeongin turned the lazar off quickly and sure enough, where there had once been a standard sized dinner plate, there was now a small disc, no bigger than a coin.

“I’m so glad you didn’t miss,” Seungmin said, momentarily dumbfounded, looking between the shrunken plate and the inventor in awe.

Jeongin jogged over, inspecting it too, “Did you doubt me?”

“Yes.”

“Hey!”

--

Over the course of the hour, Hyunjin continued to test the limits of this worlds rules. He wouldn’t thank people, wouldn’t hold doors open, and would even go as far as saying someone’s shoes didn’t suite their outfit. Through it all, Changbin had calmly watched, rarely intervening unless it looked like the locals may be genuinely angry or upset.

Hyunjin wasn’t sure why exactly – the locals were very clearly not the aggressive confrontation type.

Regardless though, Hyunjin couldn’t help but find the seamless way Changbin stepped into a situation and expertly mediated it endearing and impressive.

“You’re good at this, though seeing you all polite and shit is a little freaky,” Hyunjin joked, giggling at the way Changbin turned bashful for a moment.

“Yeah, well, I’ve had enough practice to be able to adjust.” The older shrugged.

“You say that like it’s nothing, but a lot of people don’t handle change well.” Hyunjin insisted, pausing in a doorway of a café and staring at the man who was currently holding the door open. He didn’t look away, didn’t so much as blink; fighting back a smile when the man started to squirm uncomfortably.

The man looked like he wanted to say something but it was like he was forcibly holding himself back. Hyunjin tilted his head and watched him, silently daring him to go against the social norm and hurry him up.

Eventually though it was Changbin who hurried Hyunjin along, clearing his throat and bowing deeply to the man, “Thank you hyung for waiting for us, my friend here… he is a bit… behind.” He said it as though it was a secret and the man seemed to soften at the explanation. Whether he believed Changbin or if he was just happy to have an excuse, Hyunjin wasn’t sure. Changbin nudged Hyunjin with a hand on his lower back, Hyunjin finally relenting and shuffling inside with a quiet thank you to the man who eagerly left once they had passed.

As the two took a seat, Changbin watched Hyunjin with a mildly assessing look, Hyunjin smiled back pleasantly as he fought back his own urge to squirm under the others dark eyes. “What?”

“Nothing,” Changbin answered after a beat, softening a little, “So, now that you’ve pushed the buttons of a few locals, what are your observations?”

Hyunjin hummed, “For one thing, they aren’t impervious to anger and frustrations. It’s not that they aren’t getting annoyed, it’s that they simply are refusing to act on that annoyance. I can’t help but wonder if it’s societal pressures and expectations that is keeping them all on their best behavior or if they get punished if they don’t.”

“Very good,” Changbin praised, voice a little coy in a way that has Hyunjin licking his lips on instinct. He could get used to hearing Changbin’s praises…

“So which is it?” Hyunjin asked curiously.

“A bit of both actually,” Changbin explained, “It’s primarily societal but if someone were to act out of rudeness – or perceived rudeness – then they get punished. All punishments are always handled out of sight too.”

“Makes sense in a world like this.” Hyunjin muttered, gaze roaming the café. It was nearly time for them to jump to the next world and the door to the cafes store room was going to be their backdoor out (according to the map… Hyunjin still wasn’t sure how much he trusted the map, but it hadn’t lead the others astray so far). A small ruckus drew his attention.

Sitting in a corner booth was a small family, the mother was shushing the two children – two sisters. The girls couldn’t have been older than 4 and 5, and like typical siblings, seemed to be having a squabble over their shared piece of cake. Their mothers tone held a thinly veiled desperation as she reminded them again to ‘use their manners’ and ‘be mindful of where they were’. As the girls continued, the other patrons of the café started shooting the woman glares and pointed looks of disapproval. Eventually the woman gathered the girls and took them out of the café, muttering apologies as she went.

Something about the scene made Hyunjin ache.

“I don’t think I like this world.” He decided. “People shouldn’t have to hide their emotions just because of some expectation to be polite.”

When he turned back to his companion, the look Changbin sent him was so full of fondness that Hyunjin nearly looked away. “Why am I not surprised that you would value genuine expression over social etiquette?”

“Only when the etiquette is ridiculous.” Hyunjin shrugged, answering just to be contradicting.

--

Minho wasn’t surprised to find Jisung and Chan in Chan’s declared office, hunched over the desk. From the snippets of conversation he had heard coming in, the two were debating their next plan of action in the ongoing search for JYP.

JYP…

Whoever the man was (or had been) Minho hoped he was worth it.

He had watched Chan run himself ragged for years now trying to seek out the mysterious man. He had leant his ear when Chan shared his fears of not being able to find his old mentor. He had argued over and over how Chan’s ability to lead was not, in fact, tied to whether or not his search would succeed.

Minho didn’t understand why exactly Chan held so tightly to the ghost of the man who had left him in search of adventure, but then, Chan had always been on the sentimental side.

It was one of the things he loved about him.

However, given the tight look on Jisung’s face, Minho had a feeling Chan was hyperfixating a little too much and their younger partner could do with a break.

Minho knocked to get the two’s attention, “Jisung honey? Could you please go join Felix on map duty for a while? I think he’s getting lonely and I need to discuss something with our fearless leader.”

Chan looked adorably confused and concerned but Minho paid him no mind for now as Jisung eagerly nodded. “Of course! I’ll keep thinking about where we can look next Chan, see you later!”

Minho smacked Jisung’s ass as he passed, smiling to himself as he closed the door behind him.

“What did we need to discuss Minho? Is everything okay?” Chan asked, sitting back in his seat.

“Actually Chan, it’s not.” Minho told him, voice dropping to a more sultry tone as he walked towards him, a slight sway in his step as he did so. He could scold his leader later – he was here for other reasons.

Chan hesitated. Minho had to bite back a laugh as he watched the gears turn in his partners head – clearly trying to gage what Minho’s intentions were.

Figuring to take pity on him, Minho finally closed the distance between them, turning Chan’s chair so it faced him, not the desk. “You have been spending far too much time with the new guy, and I want your attention.” He told him simply, voice still serious even as he leaned into Chan’s space, hands on either arm of the chair to trap him.

Right where Minho wanted him.

Finally, it seemed that Chan had caught on, as he quirked a brow, hungry eyes darting down to Minho’s lips for a moment before returning to his own, “Is that so? Baby you know if you want attention, all you have to do is ask? I am always happy to give it.”

“Mmm, but it’s far more fun to take it.” Minho practically purred, sinking to his knee’s before Chan and coaxing his thighs open.

Chan bit his lip, looking down at him with a heated look, “Did you lock the door?”

“No,” Minho smirked as Chan groaned. They both knew Minho didn’t mind an audience, but the thrill of one of their other boyfriends possibly walking in always added to the moment.

“You brat,” Chan muttered with a breathy chuckle, running his fingers through Minho’s hair as the other set about teasing him through his pants, satisfied as he felt him hardening under his touch.

“Do something about it,” Minho shot back, the challenge also a clear invitation.

Minho was never one to make things easy in the bedroom, and Chan was never one to back down from a challenge.

There was a quiet urgency in the way they came together - but there was love in every touch.

Chan may have been the one utterly undone by Minho’s wicked tongue, but in the end, Minho - as always - was the one who got exactly what he wanted.

--

Stepping through to the new world was mildly disorientating, but Hyunjin did his best to hide it behind a pleasant smile – the last thing he wanted was for Changbin to get worried and tell Chan he wasn’t ready to travel.

Instead of lingering on the odd sense of off-ness in his gut, Hyunjin turned his attention to the world around them.

On the surface, it looked pretty stock standard – the environment was unordinary, the people didn’t seem to act too oddly upon first glance. Out of curiosity, Hyunjin leaned down to touch the grass, making a face at the sensation. “Ew, it’s like sandpaper.” He complained to Changbin who just chuckled in response.

“Yeah, keep your shoes on,” He smirked, lightly nudging Hyunjin to get back up, “Come on, let’s go.”

Hyunjin and Changbin started wandering down the street, Changbin taking the lead while Hyunjin got his bearings. Hyunjin linked his arm with Changbin’s, not missing the happy look the other gave him (nor how strong Changbin’s arm was…).

“Notice anything yet?” Changbin asked.

“You mean, apart from your rock-hard bicep?” Hyunjin shot back with a smirk, enjoying the way a blush dusted his cheeks. “But if you mean in regards to the world, so far not really… it looks pretty normal.”

“Give it time.” Changbin shrugged, “What are you going to do handsome?”

--

Changbin could practically see the cogs turning in Hyunjin’s pretty head as he looked around.

He had enjoyed seeing their new companion explore the limits of the last world they had visited, but he was a little nervous about what Hyunjin would make of this one. None of the worlds they were visiting today were dangerous – Jisung and Chan had made sure of that when plotting their route out – but that didn’t mean they weren’t challenging in their own ways.

Hyunjin, as it turned out, could be subtle when he wanted to.

He watched the residents carefully but without making it too obvious. Hyunjin tested a couple of social norms but no one really bat an eye. Seemingly on a whim, Hyunjin tugged them into a clothing store. Changbin raised a brow but allowed himself to be pulled along.

Changbin let go of Hyunjin but hovered nearby as he looked at some of the options. As Hyunjin debated between shirt options, a store clerk headed over to him. ‘This should be interesting…’

“Oh my goodness! You’re finally back!” The worker clapped, genuinely excited as she greeted Hyunjin like an old friend.

Hyunjin blinked at her but kept the pleasant smile in place, “Oh, um, sorry for keeping you waiting… you?” he trailed off awkwardly, trying to prompt the young woman to give him their name.

“It’s okay,” she smiled softly, reaching out to lightly touch his arm, “You know, you don’t always have to apologize. It’s not always your fault.”

Hyunjin visibly stiffened.

This was what Changbin had been waiting for.

World a38 — aka, the world where everyone seemingly knew you, or at the very least, they acted like it.

Changbin didn’t fully understand the mechanics of the place—none of them did, really—but the people here seemed to have some eerie sense of who you were. Not your name or where you were from, but something deeper. Like they could see into the folds of your personality and pull out the threads that made you you.

It was flattering, in a weird way. A little disarming, too. Because once people thought they knew you, they stopped asking questions. They filled in the blanks for themselves. It made blending in easier, but it also made interactions a bit uncomfortable when you aren’t used to it.

To his credit, Hyunjin recovered quickly. “Thank you for the reminder my dear, now, which of these two shirts look best?” he asked, smoothly trying to lead the conversation back to neutral territory.

“Hmm, well, I think this pattern would look lovely on you,” the woman replied, inspecting the two tops, “You know you look good in just about everything though. You hate it at times, but people like how you look. You worry that your looks are all people see in you, but there is more to you. You have a good personality, and a fun top like this one will help it shine!”

Hyunjin blinked, the tension in his posture remained but he didn’t allow it to show in his expression. “Let’s go with the patterned top then.” He agreed, letting her take the top to the counter. Once the woman was out of earshot, he turned to Changbin. “I know I’m not really meant to ask, but is that… normal here?”

Hyunjin seemed a bit shaken by the exchange, and Changbin felt any hesitance he had crumble instantly, “Yes, the residence here can get a read on people and they have no shame in voicing their knowledge.”

“Wonderful.” Hyunjin muttered, sounding resigned.  

Changbin could relate.

“Let me treat you to this top,” Changbin told him casually, though his tone left no room for argument, wanting to give him a moment to regroup and adjust to the new information. He headed to the counter, glancing back over his shoulder at Hyunjin worriedly.

It was hard to hide in a world that sees you.

Chapter Text

“Guess who?”

Felix giggled at the voice as his eyes were covered by familiar hands. “Sungie stop! I’m meant to be watching the map.” He whined, though he made no move to stop his boyfriends fun just yet.

“Oh please, you’re the only one who actually insists on staring at the screen the whole shift.” Jisung argued, leaning closer to kiss Felix’s cheek before uncovering his eyes, falling into the seat next to him and spinning to put his feet up on Felix’s lap.

Felix didn’t mind, lazily massaging his calf, “The whole point is to literally watch the screen to make sure nothing dangerous or out of the ordinary happens on the map that could potentially risk the safety of my partners – so yeah babe, I’m going to actually pay attention.”

Jisung, in response to this rather fair logic, stuck his tongue out at him.

Felix just chuckled, “What are you doing here anyway?”

“Don’t you like my company Lixie?” Jisung asked, hand on his chest in fake hurt.

“I never said that, you are always welcome at my side,” Felix shot back, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“Well good, cause I like being by your side thank you very much!” Jisung beamed back, “Minho sent me, he said you were getting lonely and he had something he wanted to ‘discuss’ with Channie,” he explained with air quotes, “I’m pretty sure he just wanted to bang him at his desk again.”

“Hyung does have a thing about fucking in office settings.” Felix agreed, mind drifting back to memories of visiting a certain ‘a’ world where adjusting to the office aesthetic had resulted in he and Minho missing their next door due to them getting too caught up in the moment. Changbin had not been impressed when he had come looking for them, thinking something bad had happened, only to find them desecrating someone’s work desk.

“Mmhmm,” Jisung hummed, looking at the screen. “I wonder how Hyunjin’s doing?”

“Well, I haven’t heard from he or Changbin yet, so hopefully that’s a good thing? No news is good news and all that.” Felix replied, wanting to be positive but he had to admit he was a bit worried for their new scout.

“Hey, he’ll be okay.” Jisung told him, voice softening as he caught the look of concern that crossed Felix’s face. “It might take him a little while to learn how we do things, but Hyunjin has been travelling for a long time.”

“Yeah, I know, but he has been traveling solo, all alone. He isn’t used to travelling with someone else. I guess I just worry how he will adjust.” Felix admitted.

Jisung couldn’t help but feel soft towards Felix – Felix was always looking out for other people, he had a big heart and was sensitive to what others felt and what they needed. It was endlessly endearing and one of the many qualities they all loved about him.

“I mean, if he can adjust to living here with these maniacs, I think he can handle exploring a safe world with Changbin.” Jisung reassured him, “I’m sure the two of them are having a great time!”

--

Changbin was starting to wonder if coming to this particular world may have been a mistake.

Hyunjin had grown progressively tense the more he interacted with the residents of the world.

With every overly familiar gesture, every too sincere greeting, every scarily insightful comment, Hyunjin grew more guarded. It wasn’t obvious, not to a passing stranger anyway. Hyunjin still engaged in playful conversation, expertly steering conversations when they seemed to hit too close to home for him, and was polite with how he engaged with people. But Changbin had gotten to know the younger man over the past few weeks. He had seen what Hyunjin was like when he had lowered all his walls, and he could tell the difference now.

It was in the line of tension that never quite left Hyunjin’s shoulder blades, the slightly clipped edge to his otherwise playful tone, and the way the ever present warmth in his soft brown eyes seemed to dissipate when someone said something that seemed to hit a little too close to home.

Like just now, when Hyunjin picked up a the hat of a school girl that had been blown off and in return she had told him he wouldn’t be able to fill the void inside him without forming genuine connections.

“Hyunjin? You doing okay?” Changbin asked, lightly touching his arm.

“Mmhmm,” was the hummed reply, Hyunjin taking a half a step away to break the contact. Changbin tried not to let that sting.

Changbin wasn’t going to push. Not yet. But the wall was there, and he felt it more than ever.

--

Hyunjin knew he needed to calm down, but it wasn’t easy when everyone he encountered here seemed to see straight through him.

There was something about the overly familiar way that these strangers greeted him that was setting him on edge. It was reminiscent of one too many worlds he had falsely tried to make his own – one too many versions of his mother who spoke to him like she knew him when he knew better; one too many Yeji’s who would laugh and joke (just like his) only to say something that didn’t make sense to him. A thousand moments where he’d tried to build a home with people who knew a version of him, only to be reminded again and again that he didn’t belong.

He hoped it wasn’t too obvious when he checked his watch again, eager for this hour to be up already so they could leave.

Sadly, there was another twenty minutes left.

Hyunjin had resolved to simply avoid anymore communication with anymore of the worlds residents. It had been working so far, until he felt the undeniable sensation of being stared at.

He tried to ignore it at first (after all, feeling watched was nothing new to Hyunjin), trying to listen to the seemingly random story about Jisung Changbin was recounting, but eventually even he met his limit. Looking up, Hyunjin made eye contact with a middle aged man who looked somewhat familiar

Or did he? Was he someone Hyunjin had met in a different world? Or was he someone from home? Where was home…? No, he was a stranger… maybe…

Hyunjin’s mind felt foggy around the edges.

Not knowing who the man was didn’t stop him walking over though.

“Hyunjin,” Changbin’s voice cautioned.

“I got it,” Hyunjin replied stubbornly, turning to give the man the same closed lipped smile as he reached them, warming slightly when he felt Changbin’s hand on the small of his back, the silent show of support a welcomed one.

“Hi, I’m sorry, I know we don’t know each other,” The man started, and for a moment Hyunjin thought that maybe this interaction wouldn’t be too bad, “But I just wanted to say, you can stop pretending now. I know you’re afraid they will give up on you too.”

The words made him ache.

Before he had finished processing them, Hyunjin had punched the man in the jaw.

The force of the hit caused the man to stumble back. Before Hyunjin could follow it up with another, Changbin caught hold of his wrist in a vicelike grip.

Acting on instinct, Hyunjin reared back, readying to headbutt Changbin in retaliation. Before he could do so though, Changbin seemed to realize his intentions. Changbin leaned into Hyunjin’s space and pressed their foreheads together, effectively preventing further violence.

“Stop baby, breathe.” Changbin’s voice was carefully soft, at odds with the intense look in his eyes as they locked with Hyunjin’s, keeping his focus on him. “Forget about him, he does not know you. I do. I know you Hyunjin, and I know you aren’t this. Calm yourself.”

A sound akin to a growl slipped past Hyunjin’s lips, but Changbin didn’t back down. He didn’t relent when Hyunjin tried to pull his face away, and he didn’t loosen his grip when Hyunjin tried to break it. He held fast until Hyunjin was starting to calm down, his breathing slowing and stormy eyes closing in defeat.

Once he was sure that the younger wouldn’t start swinging again, Changbin eased his hold and finally moved back a little, gently directing Hyunjin to stand behind him. “I’m very sorry for my friend, he has been going through a hard adjustment period. I can see that you are a considerate person and didn’t mean any harm. I hope you can understand that he didn’t either.”

The man rubbed his jaw with an eerily calm expression, “I understand. You are a gentle protector. Even if you feel like people overlook you, you don’t overlook them. So I believe your insight.”

Changbin bowed his head in thanks as the man walked away.

Hyunjin glanced around and noticed that everyone around them had stopped to watch the exchange. None had moved to intervene on either sides behalf, they had just watched. And now that the situation had been defused, they continued on with their days.

This place was fucking weird.

--

“Nearly time,” Changbin told him as they stood waiting in an alley.

Hyunjin hadn’t met his eye once on the walk to their next door. Changbin felt torn between his instinct to reassure him, and wanting to give Hyunjin time.

As the silence stretched out though, Changbin conceded that Hyunjin may need a little prompting. “We won’t you know.”

That got Hyunjin’s attention.

“Give up on you, I mean. We won’t ever do that. As long as you’re willing to show up for yourself, we will always back you and support you.” He told him seriously.

“You can’t know that for sure.”

Hyunjin’s voice was small, but it hit every one of Changbin’s heartstrings. In a moment, Changbin had closed the small distance between them, taking Hyunjin’s hands once more, though in a gentler hold this time. “Yes I can. Hyunjin I swear to you that I will never give up on you. I will always go to bats for you and I will always be beside you. For as long as you’ll have me there. I’ve got you. I’m not letting go and I’m not giving up.”

“Changbin…” there was a tremble in Hyunjin’s voice as he seemed to take in what he was saying. There was no lie in his words – Changbin just hoped that Hyunjin would believe them.

With no other words left to reassure him, Changbin chose actions instead. Closing the distance once more to press a soft kiss to those plump lips.

The kiss was short and sweet.

When they pulled apart, Hyunjin blinked, expression an adorable combination of wide eyes and slightly parted lips. Seemingly without thinking, he blurted out, “I’m sorry I nearly headbutted you.”

Changbin chuckled and assured, “I can overlook it.”

The familiar green glow pulled their attention to the door.

Hyunjin gave Changbin’s hand a gentle squeeze.

--

Hunger was a twisting thing.

Savage in it’s demands.

It twisted around the edges of his mind, overwhelming his thoughts until the only one left was a command:

Consume.

Yes…

It was time to feast once more.

Blackened fingertips trailed along cold cavern walls as the enticing green light promising a feast illuminated his path.

--

“Do you have… any 3’s?” Jisung asked, brows wagging over the top of his cards.

Felix’s eyes scanned his hand before he smirked at him, “Go fish~”

“Damn it!” Jisung huffed, dramatically reaching for another card.

Felix laughed at his antics and glanced up at the screen again. It was fifteen minutes past the hour, meaning Hyunjin and Changbin should be safely in the last world of their trip by now. They hadn’t radioed in with any issues, so Felix had to assume that things were going smoothly.

He was about to turn his attention back to Jisung when something on screen caught his eye.

“Ji, look at this.” Felix’s voice was absent as he put his cards down, turning more towards the map and zooming in on the dot representing the world the boys had just left.

“What is that?” Jisung muttered, scooting closer too.

A small dot had appeared adjacent to it, a broken path connecting them. The two watched as the worlds light seemed to flicker, blinking a few times, before finally going out.

World a38 was… gone.

“Get Chan, now!”

Chapter Text

Within minutes, Chan, Minho, Seungmin, and Jeongin had joined Felix and Jisung in the map room. When the two explained what they had seen, there had been a brief moment of shared disbelief from the others, until Seungmin had wound back the screen recordings and they had seen it for themselves.

World a38 had ceased to exist.

“Is- is that even possible?” Minho looked to Chan, his uncertainty tangible as his usual calm was disrupted.

“It shouldn’t be. But then again, anything is possible with the doors.” Chan conceded, eyes narrowing as he watched the screen. The small dot that had appeared and connected to a38 before it had ceased was still there. It wasn’t as bright as the world dots usually were, nor was it as big. But something about it was familiar…

“Seungmin, on a separate screen can you bring up the screen recordings of the day Hyunjin was attacked?” Chan instructed. With a slightly confused look, Seungmin did as he was told, bringing up the recording and locating the world Hyunjin had travelled to.

It appeared identical to the one that had connected to a38.

“There - pause it,” Chan said, pointing to the screen. “That flicker. It’s the same distortion signature. Same shape, same dim flicker. It’s the same thing that nearly killed Hyunjin.”

“What do you think it means?” Felix asked, looking up from his chair at their leader.

“I think, that whatever attacked Hyunjin and infected him with void energy, has something to do with world a38 disappearing.” Chan explained, his theory causing an unpleasant sense of dread to pass through the others as they grappled with the implications.

“So… it’s not just hurting people now. It’s eating whole worlds?” Jeongin surmised, a little unsure.

“And if it can destroy worlds, what the hell does it want?” Minho wondered.

Jisung glanced between the eldest’s of the group, concern burning in his eyes as a thought crossed his mind, “You guys don’t think that the creature is after Hyunjin do you?”

“I don’t know.” Chan admitted after a beat of silence, eyes still on the screen as his mind raced with possibilities. “But we need to find the boys. Now.”

--

“Okay, explain this shit to me one more time?”

Changbin couldn’t help but laugh at how adorable Hyunjin was, the confused excitement on his face was painfully sweet, especially after the landmine of a world they had just left.

“Alright, but I’m only going to tell you one more time.” He told him (he was lying and they both knew it), “This world decided to use their technological advances to take video games to a new level. It’s virtual reality on steroids.”

“So this whole world is essentially a giant game?” Hyunjin asked, looking around and watching as the residents of the world passed them. They all wore blacked out glasses over their eyes and headsets. A man in a suit walked by them, speaking into his headset as he ordered someone to focus on whatever mission they were on so they could level up.

“Can we join in?” Hyunjin asked.

“Go find some glasses for us then,” Changbin encouraged, nodding towards a stall that seemed to be selling them.

As he watched Hyunjin eagerly run off, Changbin heard a beeping in his pocket from the communicator. Pulling it out, he held it to his ear, “Hey Felix, what’s up?”

“Changbin!” said scout was surprised to hear Chan’s voice ring through. “Are you with Hyunjin? Are you both okay?”

“Channie? Yeah, yeah we’re fine. Things were a little dicey earlier but things are looking up,” Changbin assured, smiling softly as he watched Hyunjin inspect the glasses. “Is everything okay there?”

“Not exactly.” Chan’s relief was audible, but there was still an edge to his voice that was unsettling. “As soon as the back doors open again, come home.”

“Okay, we were going to anyway but I’ll make sure.” Changbin assured. “Chan what’s going on?”

“We’re trying to figure it out, but for now just stay close to Hyunjin and stay safe. There’s a possibility that something is after him.” Chan explained vaguely. “We don’t know all the details yet. Just – just keep each other safe.”

“We will.” Changbin promised. He didn’t like how vague Chan was being but he knew what his partner was like. Knowing Chan, he didn’t want them to worry over something they couldn’t control or do anything about right now.

Was it a sweet gesture? Yes. Did it actually stop him from worrying? Not at all.

“I’ll check back in when we reach the door.”

“Yes please.” Chan agreed. “I’ll meet you in the hallway and we’ll explain more when you get back. Hopefully by then we’ll know more.”

“Sounds good.”

The call cut off and Changbin tried to push the sense of unease away for now, but it felt like a weight had settled on his shoulders as Chan’s words sunk in. Turning his attention back to his companion, he looked over at Hyunjin in time to see him running back towards him.

When he reached him, Hyunjin grabbed his hand and kept running, forcing Changbin to run with him, an angry voice calling after them. “Hyunjin what did you do?!”

Hyunjin laughed breathlessly, “Well I don’t exactly have any money here, so I improvised!”

“You’re trouble!”

Despite himself, Changbin laughed with him.

--

Hyunjin was certain that Changbin was acting weirdly.

There was a chance of course that he was just being paranoid, but he could have sworn that Changbin had been looking over his shoulder more than usual. When Hyunjin gave him a questioning look though all he received was a reassuring smile.

Trying to push the nervous feeling aside for now (maybe he was overreacting?), Hyunjin focused back on the game they were about to engage in. The game reminded him of Mario Kart in a way – but instead of driving, it was more of a leg race. A leg race where the players could throw ‘objects’ at each other to try to mess each other up. They were in a large, empty building. Without the glasses, it was a rather bleak structure, but through the technologically advanced glasses, he could see a neon track along with multiple boxes scattered throughout which held the objects that could be used in the race.

“You ready to lose pretty boy?” Changbin joked, flexing his arms a little which elicited a giggle from Hyunjin.

“Aww, you think I’m pretty?” Hyunjin shot back.

“Of course, have you seen yourself?” Changbin didn’t hesitate.

Hyunjin blushed and pushed his shoulder lightly, “Oh shush you.”

“Make me?”

“In your dreams lover boy.”

“You often are.”

Hyunjin just shook his head, Changbin really was something else. His flirting was confident and a little over the top, but not in a way that made him uncomfortable. It was actually kind of cute to see this side of him. His mind wandered back to the kiss they had shared – it had been quick, innocent almost. It didn’t have the same desperate heat the kiss he had shared with Chan had had, but that didn’t mean kissing Changbin didn’t set his heart aflame in a different way.

This was all a little confusing. Maybe he should talk to Jeongin later about it… he didn’t want to risk upsetting things between the others, or between he and Chan for that matter.

Before he could linger on the matter further, a count down appeared in the sky before them. Hyunjin crouched a little, bracing himself to start running as the numbers counted down to one, taking off when the green light appeared.

Hyunjin wasn’t necessarily the most athletic person in the world, but he was a skilled runner. Given his lifestyle, being able to haul ass out of a situation was sometimes the difference between life and death. His long legs were strong enough and he trusted them to get him to where he needed to be quickly.

But where he had the height advantage, Changbin had the strength. Despite the bulk of his muscular frame, Changbin had trained for endurance and it showed. His strong legs propelled him forward at an even pace, and while he may not have been as quick of the jump as Hyunjin was, as they rounded the first turn, he was quickly catching up.

If this was a straight up foot race, it would have been closer than Hyunjin would have expected. Fortunately though, this was not a typical foot race.

Hyunjin veered towards a floating box nearby and, acting on instinct, punched it. As it was technically just a projection, it didn’t hurt, nor was there any actual impact. It was strange to see your fist collide with something but feel nothing. There was a chiming sound before a small bottle of what looked like oil appeared in his hand.

Gotta love video game logic.

With a cackle, Hyunjin threw the bottle towards the track, aiming in front of Changbin and a few others who had now overtaken him. He could only laugh harder as he watched Changbin reach the oil patch. Changbin threw his arms out in an effort to try to keep his balance but ultimately ended up on his ass regardless.

“Catch me if you can,” Hyunjin teased, taking off running again.

“Careful what you wish for pretty boy!” Changbin warned as he scrambled back to his feet and soon enough was taking off after him.

--

The hunger was never sated for long, but for now the ache had calmed back to a shallow throb.

Shuddering softly from the influx of consumed energy, he made his way to the door.

Growling from the effort of temporarily controlling the chaos colliding within his very being, black tipped fingers grasped the metal door handle.

Time may wait for no man, but it shall yield to one.

Allowing the energy to flow freely for but a moment, he forced the door open, the sickening shine of green light blinding as he stepped through, returning to the caverns of the world he had claimed and reformed into his own.

He who brings the void, the one who consumes all, could rest now.

Until the hunger returns.

--

Jeongin leaned closer to the screen, staring for a moment to make sure he was seeing things correctly. “Guys, someone just travelled through a door?”

“What? But there’s another thirty seven minutes before they should be opening?” Seungmin pointed out, looking up from the data he had been analyzing.

“I know, that’s why I figured to mention it.” Jeongin rolled his eyes, winding back the screen recording so he could show the others what he had seen. Sure enough, there was the signs of someone using a door. The map didn’t show what world the door was in or where the traveler had originated, but it showed them reemerging in the world that had connected to a38.

“So this thing can cause void energy in injuries, can consume or unmake worlds, and it can travel through the doors without having to wait?!” Jisung demanded, voice a little higher in his anxious disbelief. “What the fuck?!”

“Chan?” Minho called, “You and Jisung saw it when you rescued Hyunjin right? Can you describe it? Was it a man or a beast?”

Chan tapped his fingers on his crossed arms as he thought back, brow furrowing as he replied, “It was hard to make out what it looked like exactly because it was wearing some sort of cloak thing and seemed to have shadows clinging to it. But it seemed to be humanoid. I couldn’t make out its face, but it had claws and black finger tips. It looked a little demonic.”

“It also sounded demonic.” Jisung added, leaning into Felix’s side as he recalled the thing. “It was growling and snarling, it was honestly pretty freaky.” Felix put his arm around his slim waist, giving him a little squeeze.

“A demonic humanoid.” Minho surmised, “Has anyone encountered anything like that before?”

There was a moment of pause as the group thought about their many adventures, both together and prior to joining each other, but nothing that met that description came to mind. Whatever this thing was, it was unlike anything they had met before.

--

“That was so fun!” Hyunjin cackled, practically twirling in the streets with the excess happiness that seemed to make his very soul buzz, “I still can’t believe you got me with that paint bomb! I would have absolutely beat you if you hadn’t!”

“To be fair if you hadn’t got that flying power up it would have been a way closer race and I wouldn’t have had to shoot you with paint!” Changbin argued, his own laugh matching Hyunjin’s. Coming closer he caught the tallers hand in his. He was quietly chuffed when Hyunjin gave his hand a squeeze in response and didn’t let go.

“Do you think we’d have time for another game?” Hyunjin asked, looking around at the options available. It was strange, the second he took the glasses off, the landscape was honestly pretty dull. The buildings were shades of grey, the sporadic conversations of the passing strangers felt jarring, and with everyone firmly locked in their own games or searching out new ones to join, no one was connecting to the people around them. It was a complete 180 from the overly familiar world they had just come from.

Changbin hummed, for a moment, he looked troubled. It was only a small flash – the slightest fault in a bright smile, but it was enough to set something off in the back of Hyunjin’s mind. Something was off.

Before he could ask though, Changbin nodded, “I think we can, if it’s a quick game. We gotta keep an eye on the time though.”

Hyunjin tilted his head a little, deciding to test the waters he asked, “But if we do stay a little over the hour, we can always just take another door back right? Keep the adventure going?”

“Mm, it’s tempting Pretty, but I think Chan would kick my butt if I kept you all to myself out here.” Changbin’s response was smooth.

Almost a little too smooth…

‘Stop it, you’re being paranoid!’ Hyunjin mentally scolded himself.

“Alright,” he relented, letting go of Changbin’s hand to put his arm around his shoulders instead. “You choose.”

“Me?” Hyunjin hummed a confirmation and Changbin looked around. Through the glasses, the otherwise dull world lit up with fun filled opportunities, each one inviting and promising a chaotic time. One in particular caught his eye and Changbin’s expression softened slightly, “Let’s do this one.”

Hyunjin happily let him lead him.

Changbin leads him to a smaller building, one with multiple rooms inside. “This is just a two player game.” He explains as Hyunjin reads the name of the game floating in the entry area – ‘Heartbeat Hack’.

“What do we do?” He asked as Changbin checked for an available room, gesturing Hyunjin over when he found one.

“Come in and I’ll show you,” Changbin winked at him and went inside, there were two cushions on the floor in the center of the room. Changbin took a seat on one and waited for Hyunjin to take the other.

He did so, grumbling, “You could also just tell me.”

“So impatient!” Changbin faked a scold, to which Hyunjin stuck his tongue out at him in retaliation.

Once Hyunjin sat down, the door closed. He jumped and looked over at it for a moment, and turned back to Changbin. The older didn’t look concerned so maybe this was part of it?

With the two sitting and the door closed, music softly started to play as the room around them shifted colours. Calm sage green met sporadic yellow in a swirling array. “Wow…”

Changbin’s voice was soft as he explained the rules of the game. “In this game, the room reads and reacts to your heartbeat. The music and lights shift in response to it. The idea is that if you are a good match with your partner, you can get your heartbeat’s to synch up, and make a beautiful song together.”

Hyunjin felt his cheeks flush at the thought – the game felt oddly intimate in a way he hadn’t expected. As Changbin had said, the lighting and music responded. As his heartbeat quickened, so too did the drumbeats in the music, the yellow lights twisting with a greater urgency.

Changbin chuckled, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind Hyunjin’s ear, “Calm down pretty, my heat can’t catch up.”

“How am I supposed to calm down with you saying stuff like that?” Hyunjin whined and looked away shyly, leaning into Changbin’s touch despite himself. Closing his eyes for a moment, Hyunjin took some slow breathes, focusing on Changbin’s warmth and the rhythm of their music. Slowly but surely, the drumbeats slowed in time with his heart, the yellow lights no longer sporadically jumping, but now seeming to sway in a more gentle dance.

Changbin however, felt his heartbeat quicken. Watching Hyunjin’s peaceful expression, the quiet show of trust in his closed eyes, warmed him more than he had thought it would. The guitar of the song strummed out of beat with the drums, the green lights surging and softening in their own sense of flow as he tried to calm down.

Hyunjin noticed the shift and laughed as he looked around. “Well calm isn’t working.” He joked, watching the creative chaos fondly for a moment before turning back to Changbin.

His eyes glanced down at Changbin’s lips for a moment as a thought occurred to him. If calming things down didn’t help them find their rhythm, maybe heating things up would…

The room reflected the way his heartbeat picked up again as he acted on the thought, leaning forward to capture Changbin’s lips with his own.

This kiss wasn’t like their first – it wasn’t a simple brush of lips, nor was it brief. This kiss was lingering, slow and unrushed. Hyunjin hummed as he felt Changbin’s hands find his hips, gently pulling him closer still, and in returned Hyunjin pressed further into Changbin’s space. He parted his lips, inviting him in, and Changbin eagerly accepted that invitation.

They moved together, finding a natural rhythm in each other’s arms, as the room around them sung with the perfectly harmonized song of two matching hearts.

Chapter Text

 ‘I wasn’t always like this.’

It was rare the thought crossed his mind, but in the fleeting times the hunger ebbed, another longing replaced it.

The longing for connection…

Maybe that was what compelled the Voidbringer to watch.

The echoes of the last world were still fresh on his tongue as he observed the crystallized remnants of its inhabitants — frozen mid-motion, laughter caught in throats, a sound that would never finish. Their final moments shimmered in fractured time, looped endlessly, encased in the crystal shard that now hung among numerous in his caves.

If he licked his lips, he was sure he could still taste it — the curling, sickly-sweet candy of a world that no longer was. It clung to his senses like rot wrapped in sugar.

Black-tipped claws scratched idly at his calf as he gazed upon the crystal. Something urged him to keep watching, to be vigil. Like there was something on the surface he mustn’t miss…

There.

In an alleyway, waiting on a door to open, standing too close to be described as anything other than intimate. They pulled back only to open the door and step through the green light.

One he did not know.

Strong. Loud. Protective.

The other…

Yes.

The mark still clung to him. Familiar and beautiful in the way only broken things could be.

His tongue clicked against sharp teeth, and the echo of it carried too far. The hunger stirred again.

“Hyunjin.”

The boy had survived.

--

“I don’t like this Chris…” Felix’s voice was low as he spoke in English to the other. It was an old habit, one that rarely showed these days.

“I know Felix,” Chan sighed, he lightly squeezed Minho’s shoulder as he stepped away from his side, instead coming over to the main screen to pull the younger into a tight hug to help ground him.

Minho and Jisung were currently going over data, trying to figure out if other worlds had disappeared recently. Jeongin had gone to his lab to work on… well, something. Seungmin was locked in and focused on the computer – given it was his realm more than anyone else’s, Chan had left him be.  

“What if Hyunjin is in danger? What if he gets scared and tried to run? What if we can’t track him and keep him safe?” Felix’s questions poured out as his mental spiral was released.

Chan pulled back enough to cup his cheek, effectively cutting him off as he caressed his freckles with his thumb, “If Hyunjinnie is in danger, we will protect him. We’ll keep him safe and if he feels the need to run, well, we’ll figure out where he can safely run to.”

“Chan?” Jisung called softly, wincing a little as he saw the tension in their leaders shoulders worsen. He could only imagine the stress migraine that was forming.

“Yeah?” Chan’s voice was tight but still patient.

“It’s nearly time, 5 minutes.” Jisung told him, nodding towards the clock.

“Thank you for the reminder Hannie,” Chan kissed Felix’s forehead before letting him go to head to the hallway of doors.

As he left, Minho and Jisung exchanged a look. Chan’s protectiveness was well known within the house, as was his seeming inability to allow the others to share the load of his worries. This new potential threat was unlike anything they had faced before, but they were determined not to allow Chan to drown in the pressure alone.

Seungmin’s hand slammed against the table in a burst of frustration as the latest version of the code he had just typed out failed. “Ugh this shouldn’t be this difficult!” he muttered under his breath. He had been trying to create an efficient way to track the anomalies in the energy shifts caused by the mysterious thing.

“Hey, breathe.” Minho reminded, not unkindly so. “What’s going on?” he asked, moving over to him.

“It’s this freaking code! It doesn’t make any sense!” Seungmin huffed, rubbing his face.

“Maybe you should take a break? Go with Chan to greet the others.” Minho urged, continuing before Seungmin could voice the argument he could practically see forming on his tongue. “If anyone can figure out a way to do this, it’s going to be you honey, but you’re stressed and you’re putting pressure on yourself. Take a moment, go make sure the boys are safe, and come back with a clear mind.”

Seungmin deflated a little and nodded in resignation, getting up and hurrying after Chan.

--

As they headed back towards the door, Changbin couldn’t help but notice the slight heaviness in Hyunjin’s body language. He had been quietly buzzing in the aftermath of their game (aka incredibly heated make out session), holding Hyunjin’s hand as they strolled towards their location.

Hyunjin still looked pleased, but Changbin could see the way his steps were starting to drag a little and how he was absently rubbing at his eye under his glasses with his free hand. It was then that he remembered Chan’s insistence that Hyunjin shouldn’t push it while he was still recovering. “Long day huh?”

“Hmm?” Hyunjin looked over, blushing a little at being gently called out. “I guess it was a big one, but it’s been so good to travel again. I love the house and being home with you all, but I’ve missed this.”

“Mm, it suites you.” Changbin agreed, voice soft. “Freedom I mean, it looks good on you.” He couldn’t resist leaning in to kiss Hyunjin’s blushing cheek when he looked down. “Tired doesn’t though, so how about…” he let go of his hand and moved in front of Hyunjin, kneeling down, “Hop on, and I’ll carry you the rest of the way.”

“Oh you spoil me!” Hyunjin cheered, climbing on and kissing the back of Changbin’s neck.

Changbin carried him the rest of the way to the non-descript door that would take them home, not putting him down when they reached it.

“Now you’re just showing off.” Hyunjin laughed, lifting the glasses to look around while they waited.

Something caught his eye across the plaza — a small boy crouched near the edge of the curb, pushing a rock in slow circles with the end of a stick. In a world filled with flashing lights and endless games, it was such a stark, quiet thing. Hyunjin tilted his head, watching the boy for a moment. The kid didn’t wear any glasses. No headset. Just hand-me-down clothes two sizes too big and the kind of stillness only sadness brought.

“Let me down for a sec?” Hyunjin asked, tapping Changbin’s shoulder. Changbin dutifully obliged, giving him a questioning look, “I’ll be right back.” He assured, heading over to the child. Changbin followed a little slower.

As he approached, the boy looked up. He couldn’t have been older than six or seven, with messy hair and a smudge of dirt on his cheek.

“Hi,” Hyunjin said gently, crouching to the boy’s level. “Are you playing a game?”

The kid shrugged. “Sorta. It’s pretend.”

Hyunjin smiled. “Pretend games can be the best ones.”

The kid nodded again, but there was a hesitation in it. A kind of practiced disappointment. Hyunjin knew that feeling. Trying to be grateful for what you had was hard when everyone around you had so much more.

“Do you not have a headset?” he asked softly.

The boy’s fingers tightened around the stick. “We only have one. My dad saved up for months. My sister’s playing right now. I get a turn tomorrow.”

Hyunjin’s throat tightened. That familiar ache, the one that came from seeing your past reflected in someone else, settled unpleasantly in his chest.

He reached up and slid the glasses from his head. “Well… what if you had another one?”

The kid blinked up at him, confused. “What?”

Hyunjin held out the pair. “These still work. My friend and I were just using them, but we don’t need them anymore.”

Changbin, catching on, wordlessly took his own off and handed them over as well.

“For real?” the boy whispered, eyes wide.

“For real,” Hyunjin said, grinning. “Go find your sister. Play something cool together.”

The kid need anymore prompting. He grabbed the glasses with trembling hands, bolted up from the curb, and shouted something unintelligible as he disappeared into the crowd.

Hyunjin stood, wiping at the corners of his eyes before anything could fall.

“You’re such a softie,” Changbin said beside him, bumping his shoulder gently.

“You love it,” Hyunjin replied, but his voice was thick.

“Yeah,” Changbin admitted. “I really do. Now come on, we gotta go.”

--

As they stepped through, Hyunjin was surprised to see Chan and Seungmin waiting for them. Raising a brow, Hyunjin kept his tone light as he joked, “We really must stop meeting like this Chan.”

Chan’s lack of response to the teasing was unsettling. Instead, his voice was tight when he replied, “I’m glad you guys are home, we need to talk.”

Hyunjin felt Changbin’s hand find the small of his back once more, a silent reassurance that whatever this was, he wouldn’t be facing it alone.

‘Or is he just getting ready to grab me in case I try to run?’ The traitorous thought made his heart beat pick up, but he tried to push it away. Changbin wouldn’t do that, nor would Chan put him in danger. Whatever this was, he would deal with it, and they would be okay. ‘Besides, it’s not like I can really escape until the doors open again anyway…’

They followed the others back to the house. Hyunjin was confused when rather than going to the living room for this talk, they headed straight for the map room.

When they got there, Jisung was the first to look up, “Oh thank god!” he ran over and hugged Changbin before pulling back and punching his arm, “We’ve been worried!”

“Ow?” Changbin rubbed his arm but didn’t begrudge his partner. “I’m sorry, but now you guys are starting to seriously worry me. What’s going on?”

He didn’t seem to be lying, Changbin seemed to be as in the dark as he was.

“Seungmin, show them.” Chan directed. As Seungmin brought up the screen recordings and played it back, Chan explained what had happened and what their theories were.

None of them were good.

Hyunjin was quiet as he tried to process what the others were telling him.

A multidimensional demonic thing that could eat worlds not only existed, but was potentially following him.

What the fuck was his life?

“Hyunjin? You good?” Seungmin’s even voice cut through the racing thoughts in his mind before they could reach the point of hysterical.

“Oh yeah, I’m just peachy.” He couldn’t help the sarcasm. He internally winced when he saw the youngers expression closing off once more.

Hyunjin had to push back the urge to laugh – he wasn’t sure what was more pressing, dealing with this new threat, or trying to get Seungmin to like him.

“So what do we do?” Hyunjin asked, looking between Chan and Minho.

Minho, who had been quiet until now, uncrossed his arms with a sigh. “Now we find the pattern and the warning signs. We figure out just how dangerous this thing is. The last thing we need to be doing right now is going in blind.” His dark eyes glanced briefly to Hyunjin’s leg. It was a small, quick glance, but it was enough for Hyunjin to get the message.

Stay out of the way and don’t do anything stupid.

“Got it.” Hyunjin mumbled, deflating some.

“Jinnie,” Felix started but Hyunjin just gave him a smile and shook his head.

“If it’s alright, you guys seem to have it covered right now, I might go shower before diving in too.” Hyunjin said, tone a practiced level of casual, even as he made a hasty retreat. Something in him needed to get out of the room, away from the others, just for a moment to think.

“Nice one Minho.” Felix grumbled, moving to go after him, but stopped when Chan held out his hand.

“Let him be, you can check on him later.”

--

Hyunjin didn’t know how the hot water system in the house worked, but it seemed that they had a near endless supply. Or at least that was what he assumed, given that he had been standing under the showers spray for longer than was really necessary.

He let the water wash away the thoughts of danger for now, letting the sensation ground him, until his fingers had more wrinkles than prints. Finally, he got out, wrapping a towel around his waist and grabbing another to dry off with.

The room was a bit foggy, the mirror hazy from the steam.

As he dried off, his eyes lingered on the scars on his leg. If he closed his eyes, he could still see the beastly creature chasing him, claws extended, growls echoing. He could hear the crowd jeering at him, yelling taunts and threats as he ran as fast as he could, tears streaming own his cheeks as he ducked behind a dumpster-

No.

Wait.

That wasn’t right.

Hyunjin pressed his palm against his temple and tried to think. He hated when his mind got to this point, the memories swirled in a confusing kaleidoscope, tumbling into one another and tangling until prying them apart seemed too hard a task.

“Just… focus.” He mumbled to himself, opening and closing his other hand into a fist, hoping the repetitive action would help. “Find your way back.”

“Hyunjin find me! Find me!”

Hyunjin yelped, flinching at the sudden voice. “No no no, go away!” It was louder now than it had been before, as though it was somehow closer. “You’re… you’re not real!” he argued back.

There was a yell of frustration before a loud bang, Hyunjin jumped, trembling as he looked up.

There, clear as day, in the fogged up mirror, was the outline of a hand.

As though someone had just slapped the glass surface.

“Get me out!”

Chapter Text

Minho sighed as he rounded the hallway to the bedrooms, heading to Hyunjin’s which was currently next to Jisung’s. He hadn’t meant to be rude, he didn’t mean to possibly alienate Hyunjin, especially not when he was potentially in danger. He had been told before that he could be abrasive some times when he was focused, even more so when he was worried. And right now he was pretty fucking worried.

While he knew that it was his responsibility to make amends, he would rather still be downstairs making plans on how to tackle this new threat.

One thing at a time he supposed. And right now, mending a bridge came first.

Knocking on the door, he called, “Hyunjin? Can I come in?”

Minho sighed when he was met with silence. “Hey?” he called a little louder. Straining his ears, he thought that he heard something from inside. “You better be decent.” He said as a warning before opening the surprisingly unlocked door.

As he stepped through, a loud banging sounded from the bathroom. “Hyunjin!”

“Minho hyung!”

Hyunjin’s panic echoed clearly in his voice, hastening Minho’s steps as he ran to the ensuite bathroom. When he pushed the door open, he was confused for a moment to see Hyunjin standing frozen in the middle of the room, staring at the mirror. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Minho asked, closing the distance to inspect him for wounds. The fear in his eyes was far too reminiscent of the fear he had seen in his lovers.

“No, no,” Hyunjin grabbed his arm like he needed something real to keep himself tethered. “I know I’m not always fully sane, but please tell me you see that too?” he asked, voice shaky as he pointed towards the mirror.

Minho looked up, freezing for a moment when he saw the very clear handprint. “You may be crazy, but you’re not imagining that.” His voice was carefully calm as he asked, “Is that from the man in the mirror?”

“Yeah,” Hyunjin shuddered, “He got angry again.”

‘One thing at a time,’ Minho reminded himself. He fished his phone from his pocket and got a photo of the handprint for the sake of showing the others. “Okay. Let’s get you dressed and away from mirrors for a while. I know I was a dick before, but I don’t think you should be alone right now – there’s too many threats that seem to be targeting you.”

“You weren’t a dick.” Hyunjin muttered as they left the bathroom. Minho raised a brow at him. “… okay maybe a little bit of a dick, but I understand why. You just want your boys to be safe, and I just keep bringing danger around. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for things you can’t control - here put this on.” Minho handed him a shirt while Hyunjin was pulling on underwear. Despite himself, Minho kept looking over his shoulder at the bathroom while Hyunjin got changed. While he was eager to get them away and back to the others, he still couldn’t shift the initial guilt that had had him coming here in the first place. “I’m serious. You don’t have anything to apologize for. If it was up to you, I doubt that you would have a world eating void monster after you or some creepy as fuck mirror man right?”

“Right,” Hyunjin consented with a small chuckle at how blunt Minho was. He hadn’t spent much time with Minho one on one, but he was starting to get a read on him. The man was blunt to a fault, he was a defender of the people he loved, but he had a warm heart under it all.

“Good. So, it isn’t your fault you are in danger. Stop blaming yourself.”

--

When Hyunjin and Minho rejoined the others in the map room, Changbin was the first to notice. He furrowed his brows at Hyunjin’s disheveled appearance, the signs of Minho’s nerves, and the way the two – who up till now were polite to each other but weren’t overly friendly just yet – were staying so close together.

While the closeness wasn’t unusual for Hyunjin, it was for Minho. At least with someone outside of their relationship.

“Hyunjin, Minho? What is it?” Changbin’s question caught the attention of the rest of the group, and soon enough Felix was up and moving closer to the pair.

“It’s the man in the mirror.” Hyunjin said, looking at Minho almost pleadingly.

“He’s real.” Minho said seriously, and pulled his phone out, bringing up something on screen and handing it to Chan.

“Did you hear him too?” Jisung asked nervously, moving closer to Chan to look at the screen too. Whatever it was on screen clearly unnerved their leader and freaked out Jisung too if the way his eyes widened were anything to go by.

“Tell them what happened Hyunjin.” Minho encouraged, his tone notably softer than it typically was.

Hyunjin hesitated for a moment. Without a word, Felix linked their pinky fingers together, a silent promise of support. It seemed to reassure Hyunjin enough to explain, “I heard his voice again – it was essentially the same stuff, he wants me to find him and get him out. I told him to go away, that he wasn’t real, and I think that pissed him off. He hit the mirror really hard. It left a mark cause of the steam. That was when Minho came in.”

“I saw the handprint. Something in the room felt… off. I don’t know how to describe it. I wanted to get Hyunjin out of there and back here asap but I took that photo first, before it fades.” Minho explained, nodding at the phone that was now in Seungmin’s hand, Jeongin looking over his shoulder at it. “I didn’t hear him but I believe Hyunjin, the man in the mirror is real.”

Changbin watched as Chan took a breath – a habit his partner had when he needed to just take a moment before reacting.

“Ok. Changbin, Jisung, Jeongin, with me. We’re going to go check out the mirror and bathroom and see if there’s any trace of void energy, or anything else that will explain whatever the hell this is.” Chan’s voice held an authority he rarely yielded. “Felix, Seungmin, Minho, and Hyunjin, you guys keep searching for any traces of worlds that have either disappeared or have been affected by the void monster.”

Chan and Minho exchanged a look, a silent understanding passing between them. Minho nodded back. The message of ‘I’ll keep them safe’ going unsaid but understood.

--

By the time they reached the mirror, the steam on the mirror had mostly faded, but the faint outline of the handprint remained. Jeongin wasted no time in climbing up on the counter to get closer. “Be careful,” Changbin cautioned instinctively, moving to stand behind him just in case.

“I got it,” Jeongin huffed absentmindedly, pulling a scanning device from his back pocket and tweaking a few settings.

Leaving the others to it, Jisung moved out to the bedroom to see if there was anything out of the ordinary or out of place. Other than the typical concentrated mess that was typical for Hyunjin, nothing seemed off. But something still felt… off. Jisung hurried back to the bathroom with the others, the whole situation giving him the heebie-jeebies. “Chan this is…”

“Freaking weird.” Changbin finished for him, glancing around the room.

“Yeah that.”

“Jeongin? Any void energy?” Chan asked, ignoring the other two for now.

“No but… there’s definitely something.”  Jeongin replied, looking at the device in confusion. “The energy’s… weird. It’s not like the void signature exactly, but it’s similar. Like it’s been altered - reflected through something.”

Chan nodded, “Hop down Innie.” Changbin waited until Jeongin had turned around before reaching up to hold his hips and lift him down.

“Show off.” Jeongin grumbled, fixing his top to try to hide his blush.

“For my boys? Always.” Changbin winked, flexing his arms as he did so.

Chan hopped up onto the counter, taking his place. Taking a slow breath, he put his hand on the mirror where the print was and closed his eyes. Chan had spent years in this house, he had spent years in this little pocket dimension they called home.

Chan had also spent countless hours by his mentors side, learning how to pick up on the energy shifts in their home.

It took a beat, but after a moment, Chan felt it. A ripple in the energy behind the mirror.

With a gasp he pulled his hand back, his own startled reflection looking back at him.

“Hey baby genius?” Chan met Jeongin’s gaze in the mirror. “Hypothetically, is there any chance that the mirror could be a doorway?”

--

Hyunjin had been given a thick book and a three page print out and set to work. The book held a description of each of the worlds the guys had discovered over the years. There were five books in total – three on the ‘a’ worlds, one on the ‘b’ worlds, and one for the ‘c’ worlds. Hyunjin currently had the book on the ‘b’ worlds. The print out was a list of all the current ‘b’ worlds that were accounted for on the map currently.

Armed with a stack of post it notes and a coffee, Hyunjin’s task was simple – compare the two and put a sticky note to mark the pages of worlds that had disappeared. Felix was beside him, doing the same with the ‘c’ world book. The hope was that there would be some sort of pattern that linked the worlds that were disappearing, something that could help them figure out where it may strike next.

It was tedious, but he could understand why they were doing it.

So far Hyunjin had found two worlds that were missing. He had visited them both in the past.

One of the two missing worlds was a place with floating gardens and birds that sang in harmonies. He remembered staying there for a week. Just listening to the music of a world he didn’t understand, enraptured and unburdened. Things had been so simple then.

Now that world and it’s music were gone.

Putting the book on the table for a moment, Hyunjin got up to stretch.

“You good?” Felix asked, looking up at him with those pretty eyes of his.

“Yeah, yeah just a bit stiff.” Hyunjin assured, sitting back down and shuffling around so he could slip his legs across Felix’s lap. “Worried about me?” he teased as he got comfortable.

“Always.” Felix smiled, grabbing a pen and drawing a small smiley face on Hyunjin’s ankle.

Hyunjin watched him fondly for a quiet moment. His voice was soft as he replied, “I just keep making you guys worry lately… I’m sorry. I keep bringing problems into you guys’ lives.”

Felix’s smile dropped, he reached over to take Hyunjin’s hand firmly, “Don’t say that. You have brought so much more than problems to us, I promise. We worry because we care for you Hyunjin, we want you safe. But more importantly, we want you safe with us. Got it?”

“Got it.” Hyunjin gave his hand a small squeeze, voice thick, “Thanks Lix.”

The two exchanged another gentle look before turning back to their task.

Seungmin wandered past the two, pausing to put a bottle of water in front of Felix, and sparing Hyunjin a glance before returning to his computer.

Hyunjin watched him go and sighed, “One day I’ll figure him out.” He muttered.

Felix glanced between the two, a little troubled by two people he adored not getting along still. “I really think you should talk to him directly about it – normally I wouldn’t suggest pushing Seungminnie, but this has gone on long enough. You guys need to talk it out and I don’t think he will without a push.”

Hyunjin hummed in acknowledgement and thought for a moment. “Fuck it.” He mumbled, nodding to himself and pulling his legs from Felix’s lap to get up.

“Wait! I didn’t mean now!” Felix squeaked.

“No time like the present.” Hyunjin shrugged and headed over to Seungmin who was currently typing furiously, eyes locked on the screen with his headphones on. Hyunjin beelined to him, catching Minho’s attention who raised a brow but didn’t intervene.

When Seungmin didn’t acknowledge him, Hyunjin took the headphones off him.

“Hey?!” Seungmin whipped around.

“What’s your issue with me?” Hyunjin asked directly, “I don’t get you – sometimes you like me, sometimes you seem to hate me? Yet you comforted me when I needed someone, but then you’ve barely spoken to me since? So what’s your deal?”

“I don’t have a deal and I don’t have an issue with you,” Seungmin rolled his eyes but notably didn’t look Hyunjin in his.

“You’re acting cagey.” Hyunjin pointed out.

“And you’re reading into things.” Seungmin shot back, glaring in Hyunjin’s general direction, but still not looking him in the eye.

“Am I?” Hyunjin ducked his head to force Seungmin to meet his gaze. “Why won’t you let me be your friend?”

Seungmin didn’t reply, not at first. With a huff he got up and pushed past him, “Get out of my face Hyunjin. Why do you always want everyone to like you so damn much?” he threw the words over his shoulder as he left the room, Minho trailing after him.

There was a beat of silence in the wake before Felix broke it, “Well… it could have gone worse I suppose?”

Hyunjin didn’t answer. The pang in his chest from Seungmin’s words lingered like an unpleasant taste on his tongue.

Why did he want everyone to like him? Because he needed them to. Because he had been given a taste of connection again and he didn’t want to go back to doing things on his own anymore. Because he wasn’t sure he could do it alone again.

He needed Seungmin to like him because if he didn’t, if he hated him, then how could he expect to be able to stay here in his home?

With that thought clawing unpleasantly at the base of his throat, Hyunjin swallowed his pride and went after Seungmin and Minho in hopes of fixing things.

Felix watched him go and sighed, “That’s cool guys, I’ll keep searching for the mystery world eater, shall I?” he grumbled sarcastically to the empty room.

Turning back to the book in front of him, he drew a small frowning face in the corner of a world that had disappeared.

--

“Don’t do that Seungmin.”

Hyunjin froze when he heard Minho. He was around the corner of the living room – the spot that was quickly becoming his go-to eavesdropping corner, apparently. He knew he shouldn’t just listen in, that he should announce himself, but something in his gut told him to wait.

“Do what?” Seungmin’s voice was eerily neutral.

Minho’s, however, was frustrated, “Don’t shut down right now. This isn’t something you can keep hiding. Can you handle Hyunjin staying here?”

There was a pause, Hyunjin held his breath as he waited or the answer that may seal his fate.

A sigh was heard, then, “I meant what I said when Jeongin asked – I don’t want him to have to leave.” Now it was Hyunjin’s turn to breathe. “But I don’t know how to be around him. He looks just like him, acts like him sometimes – hell, even the stunt he just pulled is exactly like something he would have done! But he’s not him. And he left me.”

Minho’s voice was gentle when he spoke again, something in the soft understanding soothing the heartache from Seungmin’s voice, “But this Hyunjin didn’t, and maybe he won’t. But baby, you pushing him away isn’t going to make him want to stay. I know how much seeing him here hurts you sometimes, but maybe you should try to stop seeing all the ways he is like him, and start seeing the ways they differ? Like the fact that this Hyunjin isn’t running away, he isn’t giving up.”

And there it was.

The piece of insight that Hyunjin had been missing all along.

Seungmin did have an issue with Hyunjin – just wasn’t him. It was another Hyunjin that had done something, had for some reason and in some way abandoned Seungmin.

No wonder the younger had such a mixed response to him.

Quietly cursing his own stupidity for not thinking of this possibility, Hyunjin quietly made his way back towards the map room – it didn’t feel right to intrude now. Hopefully he could find a way to make things right with Seungmin soon, before the damage could settle too deeply…

He didn’t have a chance to ponder how for long though as shortly after he rejoined Felix, Chan and the others also returned.

“We may have discovered something.”