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Ignis 21/?
Author: kaybee38
Rating: PG-15 (cursin' and boys kissin')
Pairings: friendship!Jonghyun/Onew, Minho/Onew, Taemin/Sulli, eventual!JongKey, broken!Minho/Yuri
Genre: fantasy, sci-fi
Disclaimer: SHINee, Super Junior, DBSK and f(x) are owned by SM Entertainment only
Summary: Teneo are humans that live among us that have a genetic mutation that gives them the ability to live on indefinitely. They each have unique abilities and they don't physically age past 25. They all lead double lives since their "gifts" are a secret, some not even realizing that there are others like them. But someone has found a way to kill them. Jonghyun, with the help of a covert society has been secretly trying to warn and protect as many of his kind as he can before it's too late. Onew, Minho, Taemin and Sulli all end up joining forces with him to try to track down the killer before they can strike again. The bonds that grow between them along with their powers might be enough to save them, but the killer is closer to them than they realize.
A/N: In this chapter we find out what Heechul has been hiding and so does Minho, who realizes that the key to everything is Onew.
Flashback
Heechul moved through the halls of the University Library quickly, hopping down yet another flight of stairs and pushing through a set of wooden double doors before making his way down a long corridor to a small door on his left. He skidded to a stop in front of the door with a small placard that read: Professor Joong Ki Lee. He straightened his jacket and wiped the sweat from his brow, then took a deep breath before reaching for the doorknob.
The door was swung open by an old man on the other side before his fingers could touch brass.
“You’re late.”
“Y-Yes Professor, I’m sorry sir, my last class…”
“No matter. Sit.”
The old man waved his hand in the air in the direction of a small chair in the middle of the room, and carefully moved from the door over to a large desk where he eased himself into a worn leather wingback chair just behind it. His brow furrowed in either concentration or pain as he made himself comfortable. The Professor’s desk was covered with papers and notes; spilled ink dried into the old wood. Heechul did as he was told and moved to a small oak ladder-back chair opposite the desk, facing the old professor, who eyed him curiously for a moment.
“How old are you know Heechul? 18?”
“Um…19 sir.”
Clearing his throat, the old man continued.
“Heechul, I’ve asked you here today to discuss a matter of utmost importance.”
“Is it about the Teneo sir? Have you found another one?” Heechul sat upright in his chair. Ever since the old man had taken him under his wing, and began training him as a Watcher, Heechul always anticipated new research and new teneo with an air of excitement.
“You could say that.” The old professor smiled thoughtfully. “This one is…special…he’s very close to me, in fact, we grew up together.”
Heechul’s eyes widened in surprise.
“S-Sir, are you saying that you’re actually related to a teneo?”
The old man smiled and nodded at Heechul’s observant deductive reasoning, remembering the trait as one of the many reasons why he let the young man become his apprentice.
“That is indeed what I’m saying, but this one is special, because although his gifts are fully realized, he believes that he is the only one of his kind….”
Professor Lee’s voice trailed off a bit as he stood, turned his back and faced the large window behind his desk.
“He has no knowledge of the teneo as a whole or us Watchers as sanctuary, and for his own safety, I made a promise to keep it that way. At least for a little while longer.”
The professor turned back around and looked at an old framed black and white photo of two young boys sitting outside on the ground, each with an arm slung around each other’s shoulders bright smiles on their faces, an interrupted game of marbles at their feet. He picked it up and peered at it for a minute, wiping a bit of dust of the frame with a finger.
“What is his gift sir? Who is he?” Heechul was filled with anticipation.
“The person I am referring to is my half-brother Onew Lee, and he has the ability to manipulate time.”
Heechul’s eyes grew wide.
“A time traveler?”
“Something like that, yes. Heenim, one day you will meet him and there will come a time not long after you do, that he will need something from you.”
“I’ll help in any way I can sir. What will he need?”
Instead of answering the student, the Professor put down the picture, loosened his tie, and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his oxford. He then reached into his shirt producing a key from a thin silver chain around his neck. Slipping it over his head, he used the key to open a bottom drawer on the right side of his large oak desk, and carefully removed a bundle wrapped in oilcloth, which he passed across the desk towards the young apprentice. Heechul gingerly took the bundle from the Professor with both hands, staring at it for a minute before carefully unwrapping the fabric revealing an old, worn, leather bound journal.
“Whose journal is this?” Heechul asked, as he began to unravel the worn leather strings that kept the book closed.
“Don’t!” The professor said, reaching a hand out quickly, and in a tone more urgent and louder than he had intended.
Heechul froze.
“Don’t. Open it. It is for his eyes only.”
Heechul’s confusion was clearly etched across his features.
“I’m sorry, but how will I know it’s him? When will I meet him? Who do I tell him wrote in this journal when he asks? Why are you entrusting this to me if…”
“I’m dying Heechul.” The professor interrupted suddenly, looking straight into his apprentice’s eyes as he gasped in horror.
“Pancreatic cancer. They’re not quite sure how much longer I have, so…I’m trying to…set things in order.”
The apprentice was so stunned, he almost dropped the relic altogether as his mind reeled and his heart dropped from his chest to his stomach.
“Professor Lee. Oh my God sir…I’m s-sorry. Is there nothing that can be done?”
The old man shook his head as he dropped the key on his desk, re-buttoned his shirt and adjusted his tie. “I’m afraid not.” He looked around the old university office then. The look on his face was one of sadness, and reminiscence. He shifted then.
“You will meet him one day and you will know who he is immediately. You will also know when it’s time to hand over the book, because you won’t be left with any other choice. And the journal…if he asks… belonged to his mother.”
“His mother?”
“Yes. She was a teneo as well, with a very rare and special gift.” The Professor faced Heechul again, a stern look occupying his features.
“Heenim. This is something you must never tell him. Trust me, once he reads the journal he will learn the truth. Promise me you will never tell him yourself.”
Heechul was stunned, in the 2 years he had been studying the teneo and learning to locate and protect them he had never been given a task with this level of importance. It made his heart swell to think that the old man trusted him with a task so personal. It also made his heart break that he would not be able to learn much more from the professor.
“I promise sir.” Heechul answered quietly.
“I have one more task for you as well.” The professor turned serious then.
“Anything sir.”
“When he’s of age, I need you to look after my grandson Taemin Lee. That boy is the only other person alive that knows of my brother’s true identity. He must be protected as well. Protected like a teneo.”
Professor Lee was shaking a finger at Heechul for emphasis, his look dark. It was the most serious that the apprentice had ever seen his mentor look.
“Make him a Watcher if you have to.”
“Certainly sir.” Heechul swallowed hard, gripping the book in his hands through the fabric. The professor turned away from him then, lost in thought, wiping dry fingers across his mouth slowly before he spoke, almost to himself, before answering Heechul’s unasked question.
“After I’m gone, the only connection to Onew’s past, will be that book that you’re holding…and the boy.”
Present
Minho slid to the floor between the couch and the coffee table welcoming the dulling effect that three-quarters of a bottle of Johnny Walker Black had on his psyche. As he stared at the weathered leather book resting on the glass tabletop, the thoughts and emotions of people passing through the alley were becoming more muted by the second.
”Minho You don’t understand. I was entrusted with this book and it must be given to him and only him.” Heechul pleaded, his head pounding painfully.
“But you lied to him. If this book was so important, why didn’t you give it to Onew before now? What are the Watchers hiding Leader Heechul?”
“The Watchers have nothing to do with this. Look into my mind if you don’t believe me!” Heechul flailed in exasperation.
“Minho, please, this is bigger than you, bigger than ALL of us!”
Minho remembers feeling the panic and fear coming from Heechul earlier that evening, but he also felt something else.
Regret.
It was as if Heechul was truly sad that he couldn’t carry out his mission. Minho knew then that he had to deliver the book to Onew, especially if it was written by the man’s mother who he’d never known. Deep down, Minho knew that both Heechul and Changmin were hiding something and that the answers somehow were hidden within the pages of the leather bound book he was staring at on the coffee table. Mentally frustrated, his resolve broken by inebriation, and curiosity being the only thing keeping him somewhat lucid…he untied the book. Even in his diminished state, Minho had the presence of mind to open the book carefully, using the oilcloth to protect the pages from his fingers.
3 hours later…
Onew cursed as he dropped the tiny gear he was trying to insert into the backplate of the Omega for the 5th time onto the velvet fabric currently draped across his coffee table. HE scratched at the small of his back with one hand, and toyed with the small tweezers in his other for a minute before slowly standing and stretching gingerly. Pushing his glasses onto his head, he forgot for a moment that the loop was still attached to them and he winced as the small piece of glass caught in his hair. After carefully extracting the glasses and their appendage from his freshly dyed mop and placing them on the table, he decided that his current level of clumsiness was a sign that he should probably pack it in for the night.
The only problem was, he wasn’t the least bit tired.
In fact, the whole reason why he’d started to work on the classic watch at midnight on a weekday was because he was restless, jittery and wanted to do something to take his mind off of things. Things like Minho volunteering to lure a killer into a trap that none of them even knew the details of yet. Things like the fact that the very day that he was in the bookstore with Minho, said killer was right outside …looking for him.
He could have killed us both.
Onew shuddered at the thought and pulled a hand through his locks as he padded barefoot into the kitchen and opened the fridge to grab a beer. Sitting back down on the couch he stared at the flat screen while he sipped his brew until he self-consciously realized that he was staring at a TV that wasn’t even on. As he reached for the remote, there was a hard knock at the door.
Onew turned around, squinting up at the digital clock in the kitchen on the microwave over the stove and grimaced when he realized that it was after 2am. There was more heavy knocking again, and a vaguely-familiar voice groaned out his name. Onew’s eyes became wide as saucers then.
Oh my God the pyro found me! He’s come here to kill me and burn the whole building down…
After three attempts, the knocking had turned into outright banging and Onew’s mind raced as he grabbed a nine-iron from the closet. It was a ridiculous gift someone from the core had gotten him in the hopes of luring him out for a few rounds of golf that he never took them up on.
Suddenly the knocking stopped. Onew froze, trying to come up with a plan.
If I leave, then my neighbors might get hurt. Maybe if I move into the rift…
Onew, you’re not going to die. It’s me Minho! Minho projected loudly to Onew telepathically.
Onew jumped and spun around swinging the club aimlessly upon hearing the man’s deep voice reverberate in his head, simultaneously slamming his calf into the leg of the coffee table.
“Ow! Shit! Minho? Is that you?”
“Ouch! Yes you clumsy idiot. Now open the door!” Minho yelled from the hall.
Onew limped as quickly as he could to the door and swung it open.
“I’m really sorry, Minho I thought that you were….” Onew’s eyes grew impossibly wide then.
Leaning against the doorframe and awkwardly rubbing his own calf empathetically, was Minho. He didn’t have anything on but a sleeveless undershirt, skinny jeans and sneakers and was clutching a wad of waxy fabric and a clock under each muscular arm. His short black hair was sweat damp at the edges, and his eyes were glassy.
Onew swallowed. Hard.
“Um…Minho?” Onew said quietly, as if he spoke to loud, Minho would disappear like a mirage into the sheetrock of the wall in front of him. Minho was attempting to stare at Onew, but was blinking rather fast as if he was having trouble focusing and he swayed on his feet a bit.
“Yeah?” Minho lips curved up into a goofy smile then.
Onew’s eyebrows rose to his hairline and he leaned forward a bit, trying to coax Minho into telling him what was wrong.
“What can I do for you?” Minho said with a friendly smile, as if he was at the bookstore greeting a customer.
“Me?” Onew was confused. “..what..you’re the one banging on my apartment door at like 2am yelling your head off!” Onew took a step closer then, and caught the strong scent of whisky on Minho’s breath and beer on his clothes. Either the younger teneo had been drinking heavily, or he had misused the contents of his liquor cabinet as cologne.
“Oh God, Minho you’re drunk.” Onew looked up at Minho pathetically putting a hand on the taller man’s shoulder attempting to pull Minho into the apartment.
“Yes! Yes.I.am.” Minho nodded, turning serious, and poking Onew in the chest with a long index finger.
“It’s my. medicine…you see.” Minho now waved that same finger in the air, making himself a little dizzy and taking a wobbly step backwards in the process.
“Alright. That’s it. Get inside. NOW.” Onew said sternly, yanking Minho by the finger he still had pointed at the ceiling quickly. Minho stumbled over the saddle of the doorway, face planting right into Onew’s chest, wrapping an arm around Onew’s waist trying to steady himself, dropping the bundle of fabric in the process. Onew turned three shades of red as he flailed, trying to compose himself and pull Minho upright at the same time.
Once they had both regained their footing, Minho gingerly walked over to the couch, as if he was walking on the ledge of a very tall building and placed the broken clock from his store on the coffee table carefully with both hands as he ungraciously plopped down onto the couch.
“Hey. What’s all this?” Minho said gesturing to the watch parts laid out on the velvet cloth. Onew quickly ran over and gathered the delicate pieces up in the velvet and transferred them to a small table over in the corner of the room.
“Um…just a watch I was fixing. So what brings you to my apartment at 2am on a Wednesday? ” Onew went to the kitchen and grabbed a glass, nervously fumbling a bit and dropping it into the stainless steel sink. He quickly retrieved it, checked it for chips and deeming the cup safe, shakily poured cold tap water into it.
“Had to talk to you. It’s important.”
When Onew made it back to the couch, Minho covered Onew’s hand on the glass with his and held it there for a long moment cocking his head a bit and looking at Onew with an unreadable expression before Onew felt heat rise from his hand to his face and quickly let go. He closed his eyes for a moment trying to regain his composure. Unable take his eyes off of Onew’s lips and being that his inhibitions clearly got left outside in the hallway, Minho took the opportunity to lean forward quickly and kiss Onew’s plush lips softly.
Ok. I must be dreaming, because there’s no way in hell that Minho just kissed me. Onew thought to himself.
Yes he did. Minho thought back.
Onew’s eyes flew open and were round as saucers.
Minho raised his eyebrows, looking as if he’d just shared his favorite flavor of ice cream and was waiting for Onew’s reaction.
Onew was beyond flustered.
“Um Minho, did you just…did you just..”
“You have really nice lips, ya know that?” Minho leaned in quickly again, and Onew’s eyes fluttered shut as he braced himself for another kiss. Instead his ministrations were met with a giggle, and a hiccup from Minho who was now shoving the clock into Onew’s hands, as the latter tried to regain his composure by opening his eyes and blinking rapidly.
“You fix clock. The book fix you.” Minho said with a slur and dropped his smile, poking Onew in the chest again, trying to convey the seriousness of a situation that was lost on Onew. He looked back and forth from the clock now in his lap, to Minho’s face shaking his head slowly in bewilderment.
“What?…Minho? What book?”
“That one.” Minho sat back into the cushions of the small couch as he lazily pointed in the direction of the lump of fabric left forgotten in the middle of the floor as a result of his own clumsy entrance. Onew looked in the direction that Minho was gesturing, slowly making his way over to the bundle on the floor. As he pulled at the fabric, a small, leather journal fell out onto the floor with a thud.
“Minho what is…this?” Onew’s voice trailed off as he looked back to the couch for an answer from the man who had only moments ago kissed him, only to find that he was fast asleep.
A/N: Thanks for being patient gang. I'm posting over here at DW because LJ is all kindsa frustrating right now with the hack and all. Anyhoo, I hope to post all of the chapters of IGnis here soon, and I'll continue to post both places. Comments are love!