─ · · ୨୧ · · ─
"I'll be fine, Yuta," Taeyong says softly, grimacing at the tight grip Yuta has around his hand. His fingers grasp Taeyong's hand tightly, crushing the fine bones under his skin. Yuta frowns, sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, gingerly brushing his thumb across Taeyong's knuckles.
"I'm just worried, is that so wrong?" He asks, staring at their hands. Taeyong shakes his head, trying to tug his hand away again.
"Yuta, you're crushing my hand," he says, "soon I'll have more than just crushed ribs if you keep this up." Yuta flinches, letting go of his hand. Taeyong massages his sore hand, sighing softly in relief. "I get that you're worried, Yuta, but I was here last night, too."
Yuta looks at his best friend, his gaze soft. "But I was here with you last night." He then looks away yet again, staring at his hands on his lap. His gaze fixates on the hand that had just held Taeyong's, his cheeks dusting in soft pink. "I don't want to leave you alone again."
"Yuta, I get it, I do. But you need sleep and you sleeping on a chair isn't good for you." Taeyong says quietly. "Also, the nurses were nice enough to let you stay last night. They won't let you stay again..."
Taeyong winces at the hurt look that crosses Yuta's features, his eyes widening. He blinks a few times, and Taeyong can see his lower lids glistening with tears.
"Yuta...please don't cry, I'll be fine." Taeyong whispers, reaching over to Yuta with his hand. His fingertips brush Yuta's arm, but he flinches away.
He stands from the bed, facing away from Taeyong. "I'll leave now. Sleep well." Yuta murmurs, voice cracking. Taeyong calls his name again, but he ignores him, softly shutting the door behind him as he leaves.
Taeyong groans loudly, leaning back against the head of the bed. Taeyong was alone now, and he didn't like it. He curls up into a ball, burying his face in his knees, ignoring the agony in his ribs.
Yuta...I'm sorry...
─ · · ୨୧ · · ─
The moonlight caresses Taeyong's skin, illuminating his peaceful sleeping face. A shadow looms over his body, a hand resting on the bed beside his face. Rough, calloused fingertips stroke the soft skin of Taeyong's cheek, dark eyes drinking in the way the boy's features twitch, eyelashes fluttering slightly.
Dark eyes rake down Taeyong's surreal face, glowing in the white light of the moon. Skin as soft as silk, unfortunately littered with scratches and bruises, stretched over delicate, high cheek bones with petal-pink lips, long black eyelashes casting aerial shadows as they brush against his cheeks—yes, serene was the right word for him.
"A truly serene human," a low voice whispers, ghosting their fingers down Taeyong's diamond-cut jaw, trailing them along his thin-columned neck, small sparks of electricity pricking from their fingertips, sending small shocks through the boy's body. The sleeping boy shuffles in his sleep, small noises of distress leaving his lips.
The soft sounds slowly morph into loud whimpers, making the figure on top of him freeze. Taeyong sobs, his hands finding their way to his face. He begins to scream, startling the figure.
"Shit," they hiss, and Taeyong's eyes snap open with a heart-wrenching scream.
─ · · ୨୧ · · ─
Taeyong bolts upright, a scream tearing from his throat. His ribs screech in agony, tears pouring down his cheeks. The door slams open, and a male nurse rushes in to his bedside, the room illuminating in yellow artificial light.
"Taeyong! Mr. Lee! Calm down!" He shouts, gently grasping at Taeyong's shoulders, attempting to calm his hysterics. He instinctively curls into the nurse, sobbing his heart out. He rubs the hysterical boy's back gently, glancing around the room warily. "Shh, it's okay, you're safe now, shh," he shushes, and Taeyong's sobs begin to calm into shaky breaths and quiet hiccups.
"Is—is Yuta okay?" Taeyong asks shakily, voice broken. The nurse gives Taeyong a confused look.
"What—what do you mean? Wasn't he just here with you now?" The nurse asks in confusion. It was Taeyong's turn to now be confused. He sniffles, exhaling shakily.
"What? No...the nurses earlier said he couldn't stay with me tonight so he went home..." Taeyong says quietly throat hoarse. A sick feeling sits in the pit of his stomach. "Why?" Taeyong asks, voice dangerously low. It was the voice Taeyong used against criminals when he was Limitless.
The nurse swallows thickly, looking around the room. "Uh—there was someone in here with you. I assumed it was your friend, and he left just before you woke up."
Taeyong feels his blood run as cold as ice, boba eyes blowing wide.
Could it have been Magnito?
No, he doesn't know that I am Limitless.
Then...who?
"Can you pass me my phone please?" Taeyong asks lowly, his cheeks now sticky with dried tears. The nurse nods, unplugging Taeyong's phone sitting on the bedside table and handing it to him. Taeyong stares down at it, the screen cracked with bits of dried blood dotted on it. It made him shudder.
Taeyong turns away, gnawing painfully on his lip, unlocking the phone and tapping the phone icon in the top of the screen, a ringing sound emitting from the phone's speaker. He puts the phone to his ear, hand quivering. Yuta picks up within a few rings, answering with a groggy "hello".
"Yuta!" Taeyong cries, relief flooding his veins at the sound of his voice. "You're okay." It felt good to hear his best friend's voice after that nightmare—and the revelation that some stranger was in here with him.
He hears shuffling, and Taeyong presumes Yuta's sitting up. "Of course I'm okay, Yong," he pauses, then he speaks with a low tone. "A nightmare again?"
"Mhm," Taeyong hums, sniffling loudly. He hears Yuta sigh.
"I'm okay Yong, I'll be there in the morning okay?" He says, and Taeyong nods slowly, humming a small noise of approval.
"Yu...there's something else," Taeyong adds, throat tight.
"What is it?" Yuta's voice perks, sounding a little more alert now.
"None of the other guys told you there were going to come visit me tonight, did they?" Taeyong asks, already dreading the inevitable answer.
"...no..." Yuta takes a while to answer. His voice is low. "Why do you ask? What's wrong?"
Taeyong hesitates. "It—it's fine...I can tell you in the morning..."
"No, don't spring that kind of question on me then not tell me why. Was there some random person in your room with you or something?"
Taeyong bites his lip hard. "Yeah..."
Silence.
"Okay fuck it I'm coming back now." Yuta is angry.
"Okay Yuta...I'll see you soon." Yuta bids a quick, angry farewell and Taeyong hangs up and looks to the nurse. "Um...my friend is coming back, is that okay? I know visitor hours are over..."
The nurse sighs, running a hand through his black hair. "Yes of course. He shouldn't but I'll allow it tonight because of what happened." Taeyong nods, looking down at his hands.
"Do you know what the guy looked like?" Taeyong asks, voice small.
The nurse shakes his head. "He was wearing a face mask and a beanie, I didn't see what his face looked like. I'm sorry. We can check the cameras later, I was just coming to check your vitals when I saw him leaving and heard you screaming inside." The nurse explains. Taeyong nods again, offering a small, brittle smile.
"Thanks." He says.
"Speaking of which, I need to check your vitals now." The nurse adds, grabbing for the blood pressure band he left on the end of the bed. Taeyong stays quiet, holding his arm out, the one without the drip in it, for the nurse.
Yuta will not be very happy when he gets here. He's worried Yuta is going to punch someone.
─ · · ୨୧ · · ─
"Yuta I don't think you should have punched the nurse," Taeyong mutters, watching Yuta press a cold cloth to his swollen eye, the boy wincing at the slight pressure. Yuta scowls, leaning back into the hard back of the couch. He obtained said black eye when he punched the nurse looking after Taeyong, who of course retaliated with his own punch. The nurse (who's name is Doyoung, from what Taeyong can remember), and Yuta had to be pulled apart.
He crosses his arms over his chest, glaring with his one good eye at the wall. Taeyong sits beside him on the couch, gingerly dabbing at his black eye with a damp washcloth. Taeyong was able to be discharged not too long after the fight broke out, the doctor saying he has recovered very quickly and is fine to be at home (though, Taeyong suspects it's mostly because of Yuta).
"They let some random guy into your room and he fucking touches you, and they don't even call the fucking cops!" Yuta shouts, turning to look at Taeyong. He frowns, running a hand through his black hair. The security guards showed the camera footage of Taeyong's room from last night and indeed, there was a man neither he nor Yuta recognised in the room. He got very close to Taeyong and even touched his face at one point.
Watching the footage, it really filled Taeyong with dread and made Yuta very angry. Which in turn lead to the fight.
"I told you, they don't know when or how he got into the hospital, and when he was leaving my room, the nurse thought it was one of my friends visiting," Taeyong says softly, taking the washcloth from Yuta's hands and dipping it into a bowl of cold water on the coffee table, and gently pressing it to Yuta's eye again. He winces again, reaching up to grasp at Taeyong's wrist.
"Yeah but you got touched by some stranger, Taeyong," he says, "you were asleep and you're injured, they should have been taking better care of you."
"I'm fine though, Yuta," Taeyong says, and Yuta stares at me in shock. "He barely even touched me." Yuta lowers their joined hands, letting the older male's hand rest in his upon his thigh.
"I just...I'm scared for you, Yong." Yuta whispers, his voice breaking. Taeyong frowns sadly, gently cupping his soft cheeks in the palms of his hands. Yuta leans into his touch, his eyes glossing over with tears. He blinks them away, inhaling a shuddering breath. "I can't lose you Taeyong. Not you too."
"I know," Taeyong whispers softly, stroking his thumbs tenderly across his cheeks. Yuta places one hand over the top of Taeyong's upon his cheek, fingers tangling with his. He looks so broken, so needy—it just breaks Taeyong's heart seeing him like this. "I'm not going anywhere, okay?" Yuta nods quickly, finally breaking down into a fit of tears.
Taeyong's heart clenches tightly, tugging Yuta closer, pressing his head into his chest so Taeyong could wrap his arms around his best friend's body. Yuta buries his face into Taeyong's chest, fingers tangling themselves into the fabric of his shirt. His ribs screamed in pain, but Yuta was more important than his ribs.
He's hurting, always hurting, and I just seem to play it off as him being overprotective.
"Shh, Yuta, it's okay," Taeyong shushes gently, carding his fingers through Yuta's soft hair soothingly. He starts to calm down, his sobs smoothing out into choked whimpers. "I'm okay, you're okay, nothing bad is going to happen." Taeyong whispers, but to be perfectly honest, he was trying to convince himself more than Yuta.
Taeyong's nightmare last night was vivid, horrifying. He doesn't remember much of it, only that it ended with him cradling Yuta's lifeless body in his arms.
He holds Yuta closer, burying his nose into his soft hair. "We're okay." He murmurs into Yuta's hair, and Taeyong feels him nod against my chest.
─ · · ୨୧ · · ─
The television blares, a stupid reality show playing on its small screen. Taeyong barely pays attention to it, boba eyes roaming the pages of the book in his hands. He sits curled up on the lumpy couch, a blanket draped around his body. He reaches over to the coffee table, grabbing his water bottle and taking a huge gulp of cold water. His throat was scratchy, dry.
Taeyong made Yuta go to work after his breakdown, he's missed enough work as it is, and with Taeyong off on sick pay that will eventually run out, Yuta needs to be the one earning money. Taeyong was lonely, but having money to be able to eat and have a roof over his head was more important than his loneliness.
Taeyong resumes his reading, not really drinking the words in. The only thing running through his mind was what happened last night. He's kind of thankful for the nightmare, as it woke him up, and saved him from probably being hurt.
He swallows thickly, brushing his fingertips over his sharp jawline, feeling the skin tense under his soft touch. He vaguely remembers something touching him here, but it felt like he was being pricked with a shock-pen of some sort. Enough charge to stimulate some kind of reaction, but not enough to actually hurt.
Taeyong sighs, closing the book and setting it on the coffee table. He just can't get the whole situation out of his head. Firstly, who let Magnito out and why? Secondly, why was there a man in his hospital room touching him? And thirdly, why was his nightmare about Yuta dying? His nightmares usually involve him dying in some kind of way, not...not Yuta.
Three loud, sharp knocks on the wood of the front door snap Taeyong from his thoughts, scattering them askew. He sighs, leaning back into the back of the couch, ribs groaning in pain.
"It's open," he shouts, and the door handle twists, pushing open with a loud creak. Taeyong turns his head, and his heart leaps into his throat.
Jaehyun.
Taeyong's autumn eyes rake in Jaehyun's tall, broad form as he shuts the door behind him, his blonde hair glowing yellow from the artificial light of the kitchen. The same flannel from the other night adorns his body, a black skin-tight shirt underneath. Black jeans hug his long, thick legs, white socks on his feet once his shoes were discarded. His dimpled cheeks are slightly red from the cold, eyes sparkling and lips glistening.
He really is stunning without trying.
Taeyong swallows thickly, looking away. "Jaehyun," he says softly, throat tight. Jaehyun smiles slightly, walking towards Taeyong, seating himself on the single armchair beside the couch. He rests his elbows on his knees, leaning forwards. His fringe falls across his forehead, the strands catching in his long eyelashes. He brushes them back, finally looking at Taeyong's face.
"You look like shit," Jaehyun says, gesturing to the bruises on the older male's cheek and scratches across his skin. Taeyong scowls, crossing his arms across his chest, ignoring the protest of pain from his ribs.
"I take back every nice thing I just thought about you," Taeyong mutters sourly, sticking his pink bottom lip out in a pout. Jaehyun laughs, the sound deep and melodic. His eyes crinkle, his lips curling up in the corners in a beautiful smile.
"You thought about me, huh?" He teases, reaching over and poking Taeyong's knee. "That's dirty, Yong."
Taeyong frowns, shooting him a glare. "You're dirty, you piece of crap."
Jaehyun feigns hurt, pressing a hand to his chest. Taeyong blinks at him, now curious.
"Don't you have work today?" he asks, and Jaehyun's smile falls, leaning back against the armchair's back.
"I wanted to see you. I'm..." he trails off, swallowing. Taeyong watches his Adam's apple bob as he swallows, his broad chest moving slightly with each deep inhale. "I'm sorry I didn't see you in the hospital. I didn't check my phone until this morning, and I had things going on that I had to deal with."
Taeyong nods slowly, feeling a little upset. "More important than me?" He blurts without thinking. He clamps his lips shut at the dark look Jaehyun shoots at him, linking his fingers together, leaning forwards again and letting his elbows rest on his knees.
"The world is bigger than you, Taeyong," he mutters, and Taeyong feels a frown tug into his lips.
"I know that, Jaehyun. I'm just a little hurt, that's all. Even Hansol came to see me. Even a call would have sufficed." Taeyong snaps. "Yuta was with me the whole time, too." At the mention of the Japanese male, Jaehyun's eyes narrow dangerously.
"I had family matters going on, okay? It was unavoidable," he says lowly, "and up until yesterday, I didn't even realise that there was a fight between Limitless and an AB."
Taeyong's voice catches in his throat, and his eyes widen.
He didn't realise there was a fight? But he was there...?
Why is he lying?
"Jaehyun...I saw you at the attack. I went to go get breakfast and a new pan, and when I got injured, I saw you amongst the crowd." Taeyong says, and Jaehyun stiffens, eyes widening. "Yuta also said that you left the apartment not long after I did, looking for me—"
"You must've seen someone else, then," he says, cutting Taeyong off. He sighs, and just mutters "whatever", dropping the subject.
Silence fills the apartment like water filling a submarine, drowning us both in its cold, choking atmosphere. Taeyong stares at the television blankly, and out of the corners of his peripherals, he can see Jaehyun staring at him.
Taeyong turns to him, scowling. "What?" he snaps, and Jaehyun flinches, blinking rapidly and sitting up straight.
"I've just been wondering something," he says, voice tight.
"How shit I look with bruises on my face?" Taeyong jokes, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere.
Jaehyun forces a smile and shakes his head no, "No, more like, do you know what happens to ABs when the PAABs get them?" He asks, smile falling instantly.
The question catches Taeyong off-guard, and he blinks at the suddenness of it. "I..." He chokes out, mouth agape as he tries to think of how to answer the question
"If you don't—which I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't, not a lot of people do—it's not very widely reported on," Jaehyun says absentmindedly, gazing at Taeyong. "They often get experimented on, as if they were nothing but test rats. It's pretty abhorrent, wouldn't you think?"
Taeyong, again, is unsure of how to answer. "I—yes, that is awful." He says. He's sure he sounds nonchalant, but inside he's filling with dread. He never knew what happens to ABs once the PAABS get their hands on them; he's asked Johnny as Limitless numerous times but he never seems to know. It's always been a fear of his, being caught by the PAABS and taken away, especially not knowing his fate. At the thought of the PAABS, it sends a chill prickling across his spine.
He already knew tests were run on captured ABs, however, he thought that was a long time ago. Now, finding out that the "Protection Against Abnormal Beings Squad" potentially continue to experiment on captured ABs, makes his heart twist painfully in his chest. Humans are already pressured to report potential ABs to authorities as it is, how much worse can the treatment of his kind get?
"There are believed to be millions of ABs worldwide, with only about a few hundred thousand being recorded altogether, including Limitless and the AB Magnito." Jaehyun continues to explain. "The PAABs try to keep record of any ABs they can." He then looks at Taeyong. "This all mainly started with that massacre that was committed by that AB back in the 90s, which was why the PAABS were created in the first place."
Taeyong nods slowly, trying to process this new information. That means the PAABS of South Korea have tabs on Taeyong—as Limitless of course—but the thought alone sends unpleasant shivers down his spine.
"I already knew a bit of what you mentioned," Taeyong mumbles. "I'm not that daft. I do recall watching a documentary on ABs a while back, and I remember them mentioning about running tests on captured ABs...I didn't think it was that bad...or that it was still ongoing." Taeyong says truthfully.
"It's most definitely still going." He says, venom dripping from his voice. "No matter what reason the experiments are for, it's unethical." He bites his red lip, and Taeyong watches the subtle movement. "I am very against the experimentation. I mean, they're human...right? Like us?" He stares at Taeyong, his eyes big. Taeyong frowns, tilting his head sadly.
"They are. It's not fair that they're cast to the side and downgraded to lab rats." Taeyong says, a sour taste on his tongue. It felt weird referring to ABs as "they" rather than "we", considering Taeyong is indeed one. Jaehyun sighs deeply, broad shoulders sagging.
"When...when I lived in America, I saw a lot of bad ABs," he swallows thickly. "And by the end of every fight with the 'hero' AB, they'd let the other ABs get taken away. Get taken away to a lab." He rubs his arm, shuddering softly. "One of my close friends was an AB."
Taeyong freezes, staring at Jaehyun. "Was?" He chokes out.
"He...he accidentally used his powers at school and...and the teachers called the PAABS," he inhales shakily, rubbing his face with his hands. "I just remember hearing him screaming for me not to let them take him away. He ended up killing our teacher and one of the squad men."
At the mention of the PAABS, once again, a chill prickles over Taeyong's body. They're the humans who deal with rogue ABs. They're equipped differently to regular police, acting as a pound of some sort but rather than keeping dangerous animals off the street, they're keeping dangerous superpowered beings off the street. Taeyong luckily has not had to deal with the PAABS yet, but he often fears the day when they come for him with weapons designed to combat his telekinesis.
Taeyong frowns, reaching over and placing his hand on Jaehyun's knee. He flinches, but relaxes at the reassuring squeeze. "I'm sorry Jae," he whispers softly, and he shakes his head, looking at Taeyong with huge eyes, glossy with tears. Jaehyun places his hand over Taeyong's, squeezing it tightly back.
"He didn't deserve that. The problem is that he never came back." Jaehyun exhales shakily. "The PAABS came by his parents house to tell them that he died due to the harsh experimentation." He then grits his teeth, his hand squeezing mine tightly. "His parents didn't care. They were glad to be rid of him, a monster, they called him."
The word strikes a chord with Taeyong, heart stuttering in his chest. He breathes out, breath trembling.
"I don't agree with it either, Jae. It's inhumane."
"Humans are disgusting creatures," Jaehyun hisses, scowling darkly. His tone was low, dangerous. It was lethal. "All they do is destroy everything they don't understand."
He has a point—but there are humans that are good, are innocent.
"Not all humans," Taeyong whispers, and Jaehyun's shoulders sag, looking at the smaller male with a gleam in his eyes.
"I guess not."
Once again, silence. This one was far less tense than the last; a humble silence. Taeyong chews his pinked lip, glancing at Jaehyun out the corner of his eyes; the younger was staring at him. Again. Taeyong frowns, turning his head to face Jaehyun completely, tilting his head to one side in confusion.
"Why are you looking at me? Do I have something on my face?" Taeyong asks, and Jaehyun chuckles softly, reaching over to Taeyong and gently cupping his cheek. His thumb brushes against a bruise and Taeyong flinches back. Jaehyun frowns, shuffling closer to him.
"I'm sorry," he whispers, tenderly cupping Taeyong's cheek again, carefully avoiding the bruise. "I was staring because even with these bruises and scratches, you're still absurdly serene."
Taeyong chokes, boba eyes flying wide in shock. His cheeks envelope in a fiery blush, burning red all the way down to his neck. "J-Jaehyun! You—you can't just go and say that!"
Jaehyun cocks his head cutely, smiling his sweet, dimpled smile. "I can, and I did." He gently twirls a piece of Taeyong's fringe in his fingertips, autumn eyes trained on the simple movement. "You're cute."
"...thanks," Taeyong murmurs, pulling away from him, blushing bashfully.
Jaehyun grins lopsidedly, but doesn't say anything else.
He really does know how to make Taeyong weak.
─ · · ୨୧ · · ─
Taeyong browses the shelves, searching for chilli flakes. He glances at the different prices of the shakers, and he settles on the cheapest one, dropping it into the shopping basket on his arm. He sighs lowly, glancing at his phone to check his bank balance. Taeyong got paid from work this morning, and it wasn't much, but it was enough for groceries.
Some shouts and items falling over catch Taeyong's attention, and he walks to the end of the aisle to see two police officers struggling with a rather pretty boy with orange hair by the entrance. He looks familiar, but Taeyong cannot seem to place a name to his face. The boy was crying, trying to break free.
"I don't understand! I didn't do anything wrong!" He cries, tears streaming down his cute cheeks.
Help! Someone please!
What? Taeyong stops. He squints at the boy.
Please! Again? Is the boy's voice in his head? How is that possible? The boy and him make eye contact, the boy's teary eyes widening like saucers. Help me.
Taeyong frowns, looking from the crying boy to outside to see a police car parked right at the entrance. He furrows his brows, concentrating on the car's engine, clenching his jaw. The car shudders to life, the lights flickering on. Taeyong flicks his wrist slightly, red glowing around his fingertips, forcing the gear stick in the car to shift forwards, pushing the handbrake off. The car begins to roll, and he grins in success.
Taeyong fakes a loud gasp and point to the car as it rolls past the window. "Someone is stealing the car!" He cries out, feigning alarm. The cops freeze, and they both shout in distress, leaving the crying boy disoriented as they run outside, dashing after the runaway car.
Taeyong quickly dashes forwards, grabbing the orange-haired boy by the arm, gently leading him to the back of the store towards the toilets. He sets his basket on the ground, pushing open the door and leading the crying boy inside.
"Hey, shh, it's okay now," Taeyong whispers soothingly, hugging him. The boy inhales shakily, wiping at his eyes. Taeyong gently cards his hands through the boy's unruly orange hair, offering a small smile. The boy smiles weakly, cheeks tinged red. Taeyong takes a good look at his face, autumn gaze carefully studying him. Now he recognises the boy, he worked as a casual at their cafe for about a year before changing jobs at another cafe at the end of last year. That was a while ago; the boy is definitely older now, compared to the last time Taeyong had seen him. He would have been sixteen when he last saw him, and he was quite a bit shorter with plain coloured hair and rounded cheeks. Now, he was taller than Taeyong (only a tad), with fluffy dark orange hair, large doe eyes and high cheekbones. Jaemun? Jaeil? Jaesoo? Taeyong wracks his brain but he just cannot remember the boy's name.
"Thank you, and sorry about that," he says softly, voice quiet and wobbly. Taeyong waves his hand, brushing it off. He bows his head. "It's been a while since I've seen you, hyung."
"Mhm, I know," Taeyong says. "And, I'm so sorry, but for the life of me I cannot remember your name."
The boy offers a dazzling smile, laughing softly. "It's okay, we never really saw each other much unless it was in passing anyway. It's Jaemin."
Jaemin...that's right. I knew that.
"I'm sure you did." Jaemin answers. Taeyong blinks at him, boba eyes wide and confused.
"What?"
Jaemin shrugs, cheeks pink. "Sorry, I thought you said something." He mumbles. Taeyong tilts his head slightly in confusion, something was off.
"It's okay, uh look, can I ask why the police were after you?" he says, and the boy looks away. Taeyong tilts his head.
He exhales deeply, breath trembling. "You...you won't turn me in if I tell you, would you?"
Taeyong hums. "Depends on how bad it is." He jokes, attempting to lighten this heavy atmosphere. It somewhat works, Jaemin stifling a giggle.
"They want to detain me because of my connection to Magnito."
At this, Taeyong goes rigid, smile falling instantly. His autumn eyes widen, and the boy panics.
"N-not as an accomplice! I know his alter-ego," he trails off, staring at the ground. "Well, I thought I knew him."
"What do you mean?" Taeyong asks, needing to know more. He hesitates, looking away. "I'm not going to turn you in, okay? I'm here to help." He holds his bony hand out for the boy, offering him a kind smile. Jaemin hesitates before unsurely slipping his warm hand into Taeyong's. "Okay Jaemin," Taeyong links their fingers together, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "What is your connection with Magnito?" Jaemin sighs, eyes glossing over with tears.
Ah, soft.
"He...his name is Lee Jeno, and he's my ex-boyfriend." He says quietly, squeezing Taeyong's hand tightly. His eyebrows shoot up in shock, mouth falling agape.
"Magnito...he's your ex?" He asks, flabbergast. Jaemin nods shyly, cheeks dusting in pink.
"Mhm," Jaemin hums, "he and I had been dating for a while until earlier this year..." he swallows nervously. "I've always known he was an AB, but last year he just...he went haywire."
This matches up perfectly with Magnito's appearance; as he only appeared in about September last year.
"What happened?" Taeyong questions, and Jaemin exhales shakily.
"One night, he climbs into my bedroom window, covered in blood," he wipes at his eyes with his free hand, sniffling softly. "He said he killed someone because they said some bad things to him. About ABs. That's what broke him, after that, he became Magnito and he would fight Limitless constantly." He takes a shuddering breath. "He'd always come to my place, battered and bruised. I never told anyone because I knew he'd be taken away and tested on and...I didn't want him to get hurt."
Understandable.
Jaemin nods in response. "But it got too much...so I broke up with him," Jaemin murmurs, "I broke up with him just before he was detained by the police after another fight with Limitless."
"Oh, Jaemin, I'm sorry," Taeyong whispers, gently cradling Jaemin's pretty face in his bony hands. He sniffles softly, staring down at Taeyong with large eyes. He feels guilty, knowing he was the reason Jeno was detained. But as for why Jeno had gone off the rails and become Magnito in the first place...what could have possibly happened?
"I still love him, hyung. So much. He's my best friend, my everything." His voice cracks, "But he...I can't do this with him anymore."
"I understand." Taeyong gingerly wipe his tears with his thumbs, smudging them into his soft, tinged red cheeks
"But...the other day just before the altercation between him and Limitless, he came for me." Jaemin says, staring down at me in fright. "He came to my job dressed as Magnito and attacked the store, angry at me for breaking his heart." He dryly sobs, and Taeyong can hear his heart cracking piece by piece. "He dragged me out of the store with a street sign wrapped around me and screamed at me. He got angry at me then and threw a car."
Ah, so that was the car that almost hit me.
"He didn't hit you, right?" Jaemin asks. Taeyong blinks.
"Okay...why do you keep answering me even though I'm not saying anything?" He asks, and Jaemin stiffens.
"I'm sorry, it's just my way of reading body language, I guess." He mumbles, and Taeyong can tell he's lying. He decides not to push it; Jaemin already has opened up about a bunch of other shit he's got going on. "Then he saw Limitless, and he let me go. I ran for it and have been hiding since. I didn't want him to find me again." Jaemin swallows thickly, lips moist. "Hyung I don't want him hurt but he hurt me so badly the other day and I just..." he exhales with a trembling breath.
"I know, I know," Taeyong whispers, gently wiping Jaemin's tears away again. "Listen, everything will be alright, okay?" He says softly.
"How do you know? You can't promise that he and I will both be okay." He whimpers, his soft voice broken like glass. Taeyong opens his mouth to speak, but he closes it again.
Should I tell him?
Taeyong inhales through his nose, and look up into Jaemin's huge walnut brown eyes. "Jaemin, I'm going to tell you something and you must promise not to tell anyone."
His eyes widen, making them even bigger. He nods slowly, pressing his lips together into a line. "Okay."
"I'll make sure he'll be okay because I am Limitless."
─ · · ୨୧ · · ─
Fun fact: This story was originally going to be yutae, hence why there are so many yutae moments.
edit 02/03/23 - now of course changed jungwoo to jaemin to get nomin, and changed some errors and yadda yadda.