"we need him. we need Kai."
"no." that's all Taehyun could say. not the pleading look on Yeonjun face nor the decreasing health of Soobin could convince him that would be a good idea. "we will go out and buy the things we need, but Kai stays out of it"
Yeonjun sighs, rubbing his temples restlessly. he looks at Soobin, who is now wearing a greenish- white color and hot red cheek that hints on his high fever.
"the next store is 15 minute away, who knows if they have the amount of ice we need and there's no way I'm letting you guys leave the house alone." Yeonjun's voice sounds strangles and stressed. adding to Taehyun's uprising anxiety.
of course using Kai would be faster. but the consequences could be dire. and there's no way Kai's stable enough to pull off such a thing. they could end up in the same position they did last time.
he's not making Kai go through that again. not now, not when things are just starting to look up.
"then we'll think of another way..."
"why? we know it's going to work. he did it last time."
"he got hurt last time. because of you." Taehyun reminds him.
Yeonjun bites the flesh of his inside cheeks. looking down in a sort of past shame that he had yet to fully forget. he knows what he did, and what he's asking now. he's being selfish.
Soobin starts squirming on the bed, murmuring something about being in pain. he tries letting go of Yeonjun's hand, but the elder can't bring himself to let go. his heart feels like it's being torn in pieces, blinding him from Soobin's pained sounds.
the younger tries pulling away but on default, Yeonjun grips even tighter. eliciting a mellowed down cry from Soobin.
"Hyung.." Taehyun whispers. "I think you're hurting him."
Yeonjun looks up from his knees, noticing his tense hand holding on to Soobin's limp one. he lets go shakily, muttering a quiet apology to the half conscious boy.
"Hyung..."
"hmm?" Yeonjun's too emotionally drained to respond properly. it seems as if letting go of Soobin had taken the last thing he needed to stay sane. his hand missing the warmth of his lover.
"how cold does it need to be?"
....................
"love.." Taehyun stroked Kai's cheek. "can you wake up for me..?"
Kai hummed quietly, but didn't move an inch. the young boy had slept through the whole ordeal without stirring once. it was quite obvious that Kai was the kind to be a heavy sleeper, but was simply deprived of that trait back in the facility.
his dark soft curls lay on top on his fare skin. covering most his his upper face. he looks so beautiful, Taehyun almost forgets why he wanted to wake him up in the first place.
"I need your help.." Taehyun whispers softly.
he half expects the younger to jolt awake like a normally does. tensing his body before calming down. something that has been a habit of his ever since they took him in.
but to his surprise, the younger wakes up peacefully. smiling cutely upon seeing Taehyun's face. it feels bitter sweet. to see Kai doing better while simultaneously losing a part of him Taehyun grew to familiarize himself with.
there's zero to no time to register the progress the younger is showing because seconds later there are yells from his Hyungs' room. he can't quite hear what they are about, but he's assuming he needs to hurry.
"come with me... you trust me? right?" Taehyun jumps to it without giving the young boy needed context.
"I trust Hyunnie.." Kai speaks quietly. his voice soft yet confused. "is there something wrong?" he watches Taehyun's face, catching the worry, and flash of guilt in his big, shiny eyes.
Taehyun purses his lips. wondering whether to be fully honest.
He takes Kai's hand, helping his to sit up.
"I'll tell you In a minute, I just need you to come with me. Okay?"
Kai looked in Taehyun's eyes, searching for more answers than Taehyun is willing to tell him.
He studies the elder's expressions, the way his muscles move. He can tell Taehyun's hiding something, by the way the corners of his lips curl downwards.
He picks up on the smallest of nuances. Perking his ear to see if there's something different in Taehyun's voice.
Two octaves higher- afraid.
"Okay..."
....................
The water sloshed around. finally filling the bath to half of it's quantity, before Taehyun closes the tap.
He checks the temperature by dipping the tips of his fingers in the white, wide and deep tub. Determining they will need at least 3 industrial sized bags of ice to get it to the right temperature.
How to measure it in Kai's powers... that's something they will have to figure out.
"What are you thinking about..?" Taehyun asks the younger, seeing as he is deep in his mind.
Kai smiles softly, but there's hesitance in his eyes.
"I'm thinking... I'm willing to try." He nods slowly.
"I can stay" Taehyun rushes to say.
"No." Kai shakes his head. Looking down at his hands. "I.. I have to do it alone."
Taehyun frowns, his eyebrows furrowing together, forming lines in the middle of his forehead.
"Don't worry.. I think I can do it." Kai is quick to calm him down, not liking how worried Taehyun looks.
"What if-"
"Hyunnie..." Kai takes his hand. "I Have to try. For hyung, and for me too."
Taehyun breaths deep. Taking one more apologetic look at Kai before standing up and crossing his hands on his chest.
He looks at the setting, the tub in the middle on the main bathroom. The towels and digital thermostat huddled together beside it.
They have everything they need to start. Now it's up to Kai.
"Just, be careful. don't ruin the house." Taehyun jokes to ease his nerves. "I heard it's the last one we got."
Kai giggles. nodding confirmatively.
"Call me when you're done." Taehyun says, and with mixed feelings, he closes the door. Sliding against the back side of it and sitting patiently.
He shakes his leg nervously. Checking the watch on his wrist.
3 minutes have passed.
5 minutes.
10 minutes.
His lips lip-sync the seconds, counting to distract himself from the fast that Kai must be struggling, and he can't help him.
15 minutes.
20 minutes.
"I'm done."
.....................
"There we go.." Yeonjun lowers Soobin to the water, the younger holds his shirt in a weak hold. Barely registering that it is Yeonjun's who is the one holding him.
He opens his eyes a creak. Them moist and puffy, not allowing him to see much besides blurry figures and a familiar background.
"Hyung.." he looks around. His head pounding like hammers against his brain. Forcing him to rest his eyes close to avoid making the ache any more present.
He feels like he's losing the hold he has on Yeonjun. The hands on his body slowly drift apart and all he can feel is a freezing sensation on his back.
"Hyung?" He asks again but no answer is provided.
His feet dip in the burning cold water. He tries to bring them back up, to where it's warm and dry. But a strong force pushes him in deeper.
His back hits a solid ground and soon enough, his whole body is submerged in half frozen water.
"I'm sorry.. Hyung's sorry..." he can hear Yeonjun sniffling in the background. "It'll only last a minute I promise. Just try to relax..."
Soobin shivers under the bulks of ice. He struggles against the hands that keep him under the surface. But he's too weak to fight back.
6.5 years ago.
"I don't know anything." Soobin heaves, fighting the ropes that bind his wrists. He's not supposed to until the end of the test, but it comes naturally for him by now.
"Name?"
Soobin stares at the man with his eyes hooded and red. He needs to be careful. If he wants to pass.
"Name?" The man interrogates again.
"I don't have one." Soobin smiles cheekily, as much as he can with the amount of pain he's feeling.
He'd grown too numb.
Maybe that's what they want of him.
The next dunk is longer, perhaps.. 15 seconds or so. Before his head is pulled back from the big bucket.
Water splashes everywhere, his hair drips and sticks to his forehead. Little Streams if water run down his face making it hard to open his eyes.
He pants, taking a deep breath to make up for the oxygen lost in the process.
"Who do you work for?"
"No one.." Soobin replies, spitting blood and water to the floor before looking up again.
What time is it?
Has it been an hour already? Maybe two?
The ropes dig into his skin, making it hard to focus on his surroundings.
What does he need to find again?
A safe exit.
Sharp objects.
What was the third thing?
He gets dunked again before he has time figuring it out.
18... 19... 20...
Why isn't he coming back to the surface?
He tries kicking his legs, but remember they had been tied before they started.
25...26...
He starts squirming around, banging his head against the sides of the bucket. But the hands on his head won't let him come back up.
31...32....
his lungs start to burn , the pressure in his chest grows and the tension in his ears makes them feel like they're about to pop. the craving for oxygen filles his mind and all he wants in that moment is one sweet breath of air.
finally the hands above his head and around his shoulders release their hold and he comes back up in one violent move. he has about half a second above the water surface, not enough to take a full breath of air before the hands push his back.
he trashes around, screaming protests and begs into the water, losing nearly every ounce of air in his lungs. this was never meant to be so intense. they told him it wouldn't be like that. but then again, the gang has told him many lies before. lies that he just had to accept without talking back.
he just wished this time it would be different. that he could trust them.
"who do you work for?"
he gasps. too blinded by the pain in his body and pressure in his head to understand the question.
he's being pulled away and slammed against a metal surface. a crunch sound is heard and his nose starts to bleeding rapidly. leaving a small puddle of red liquid on the table. the pain is hot and overwhelming. white spots start blaring before his eyes, making the world spin and blur together.
"who do you work for?!"
"Frost...." he breaks. falling to the ground. "I work for Frost... "
the man sighs, clicking something that Soobin guesses is the light switch because the well lit room goes dark and dim.
"mission failed." he concludes, making Soobin's heart drop. shaking his head at the image of Soobin sprawled across the floor. "you know, some day you will have to pass one of these. "
"I know..." Soobin coughs.
"free yourself. you have 5 minutes."
"Bin Bin-ah... I n-need you to calm down" Yeonjun holds the frantic boy under the water. ignoring the kicking and flying punches the younger throws in an attempt to get out of the tub.
"no..." Soobin whimpers. breathing up and down heavily. "I don't know anything! I don't know anything!.." he yells, trying to push Yeonjun away from him. it doesn't seem like he even recognizes the elder anymore.
"shh.." Yeonjun tries to calm both Him and Soobin down. but it doesn't feel like each is working because Soobin gets feistier. kicking his leg as hard as he can and hitting Yeonjun's arm.
the elder purses his lips, not making a sound although it feels like he had been hit by a metal pipe.
Soobin keeps screaming, and Yeonjun feels his throat burning with tears.
"baby.." Yeonjun can't stop himself and he begins to sob upon seeing his Bin in such mental distress, not to mention the ice water that is hard enough to stay in as it is.
"I-I need you to be q-quiet.. please..."
Soobin's miserable cries come to a halt. his body now too cold and slow to struggle against Yeonjun. his hands, that held on the the bath's edge to leverage himself up now drop into the water with little to no force left in them.
Yeonjun sniffles quietly, not daring to look at Soobin's face. he looks around, the door opens slightly and Beomgyu peeks inside, doing as little as raising his thumb up in question.
"how long?" Yeonjun asks.
"5 minutes should be enough." Beomgyu answers, trying to ignore the tear tracks on his Hyungs' face.
Yeonjun's nods weakly, plopping onto the bathroom's cold tiles.
"I'll leave you guys alone." Beomgyu smiles warmly, just enough to lighten Yeonjun's mood a bit. and he leaves.
Yeonjun rests his head against the tub, flinching from it's coldness. then he opens his eyes wide. sitting up straight and dipping his hands in the water.
then slowly he gets up, embracing himself for the shock.
it could help. he could help...
he puts one foot in the water, biting down a curse slipping from his mouth and keep going. he goes down in one beat. surprised at the intense temperature. expecting the worst and getting something even shittier.
"ahh..." he shivers. his teeth knocking together. his clothes soak in the water pretty quickly, heavying him down. it's too cold to handle, and he's not even halfway in.
he glides one hand under Soobin's back. allowing the younger to feel the skin on skin contact that almost always calm him down.
he takes Soobin's shirt off, leaving the younger in his boxers only. then he take off his own, until he's in the same state.
his hand intertwines with Soobin's hand, placing it against his own chest. providing a bit of warmth, hoping that it would help Soobin realize that he's there with him.
his heart beats fast and loud. the beats strong enough for Soobin to feel through his palm.
"Hyung..?"
Yeonjun nods, smiling softly.
he leans forward, capturing Soobin's lips in his. with one cool hand on Soobin's burning cheek, Yeonjun manages to lower the younger's fever even further.
he takes a few ice cubes in his hand, waiting for it to turn cold before repeating the process again and again. each time deepening the kiss to distract Soobin (and himself) from the cold.
he feels Soobin's hand urging to hold his waist, controlled by the younger's muscle memory.it only brushing Yeonjun's waist instead of fully grabbing it, but they both don't seem to mind.
"I love you"
"m-me t-too H-Hyung....."