Hell and Back (EXO x Reader)

Exhausting (Trials 34-39)

Word count: 1314

Chapter warnings: Mild language

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"Sehun, you have to listen to me!"

"Haha, okay! But for real, how did you-" Sehun was laughing, acting as nonchalant as ever before Tao cut him off.

"We don't have time for that!" Tao practically shook the younger man. "Y/N is in danger, I had to reverse time, she dies on the train tracks!"

"I... for real?"

"Why would I be kidding?"

"Couldn't you just-"

"I'll explain after, go!" Sehun, now a little bit unsettled, ran to the tracks, saying something to Y/N. He watched as she sat up, Sehun lending her a hand to pull her up. Tao sighed with relief as she stepped off, looking over to him in confusion. After Kris's trial, he had been given the same task with Kai. Then, he was forced to do the same with Suho, then Kyungsoo, and now Sehun. Nothing as bad as Kris's trial repeated, and Kyungsoo was the easiest to convince. He silently wondered to himself if he would have to do this with all the members.

The reversal of time was getting more and more tiring for him. He had never had to do it so many times in a row, or with such dire consequences. Not only that, but watching the train rocket towards Y/N over and over was doing something to his mind. He was getting more and more nervous with every buzz of the phone, praying for what the next challenge may be.

Pausing time again, he looked at the phone, glancing up only to reassure himself that Y/N was no longer in the path of the train. Reading it, he was surprised. This trial was different.

Trial 38: Stop the train.

Limited power: Y/N

Drop-out Fee: Y/N

Stop a train? How was he supposed to do that? Maybe there was a way he could obstruct the tracks? No, trains were heavy, not to mention fast. It would bust through anything he was strong enough to put on. Maybe he could block it with animals or people so the conductor would have to stop? Would he do it in time, though? Not to mention that was a hefty sacrifice of life, and he didn't know if the game would let him reverse time after this... The easiest way would be to use the emergency brake, of course, but... oh.

Looking up, Tao searched the side of the semi-far train for any sign of a company marker. While most of the cars were faded, the engine did have some semblance of branding on it. Walking towards it, he got a closer look. Unfreezing time again, letting his friends handle their own situation, he typed the name into the GPS, sighing in some sick form of relief as a nearby train yard came up.

Pausing time again, he looked for the train's serial number or car number. While he couldn't find one, he was able to remember some obscene graffiti on the side. Now would be the hard part. He wasn't used to reversing time so much, sure, but now it was going to be even harder. Concentrating, the train began to move backwards, out in the distance. He didn't know how much room he needed to stop it. Half a mile? One? Two?

As it disappeared from view, he realized that he needed some means of getting on the train. Maybe he should have gotten on it. He could let time go and re-reverse it, but he was growing weaker by the second. Finally, he laid eyes on Kris's car.

"Perfect." He muttered, running over to it, the keys sitting in the cupholder. Picking them up and shoving them in the ignition, he pulled out next to the train tracks, driving over the crunchy gravel at the slant of the railroad's hill. Coming up on the train, he hastily there it in park, climbing up onto the engine car, panting heavily as he heaved open the door.

Entering the conductor's area, he shut the door behind him, looking around for the emergency brake. Breathing in, he unfroze time, pulling it almost immediately afterwards. His sudden presence scared the conductor shitless, but he didn't have time to explain.

"Come on, come on..." He muttered to himself, watching out the front window as the trees rushed by. The screeching of the wheels against the tracks were like nails on a chalkboard, and his heart dropped as he watched them come up on the intersection. The vehicle slowed, and slowed, and... Just as the tip of the train was coming up on the group, on Y/N's fragile body lining the tracks- it settled back, steam releasing.

"Thank God." He sighed, collapsing on the ground.

"Hey! Man, what are you doing?!" The conductor was shouting above him. He groaned, vision swimming. He didn't want to get up. He didn't want to keep going. The shouting and the buzzing in his pocket were reminding him of what he had to do, though. Ignoring the man, he paused time.

Unlike normal, the conductor didn't freeze. He walked backwards to where he had been standing, then back forwards to where he was yelling at Tao. Back, forwards- then he began glitching into those positions, before finally freezing. Tao watched with abject horror. What was wrong with his abilities? He shook his head. He was losing control, he was running out of fortitude. Pulling out his phone, he read the next trial.

Trial 39: Convince Y/N to drop out.

Limited power: Y/N

Drop-out Fee: Y/N

Sighing, he looked out to the group. Y/N was frozen just above the metallic road, leaning slightly as if she was about to sit up. The others were running towards her, Kai the closest, followed by Suho. Maybe if he unpaused, he could use the fear factor to get her to drop out. He really didn't want to reverse time again, he...

Stepping out of the engine's car and jumping down, knees aching, he walked back over, unfreezing time. As he did so, he watched the group break out into havoc, the boys crowding Y/N asking if she was okay. She was stuttering and letting them know that she was fine, when Tao grabbed her by the arm. The fatigue in his eyes was well masked by his loud rambling.

"Y/N, you can't do this, please-" he said, shaking her. "Please, you have to drop out, I couldn't live with myself if-"

"Tao, it's fine," she put a hand over his, trying to calm him down. "If something happens you can just reverse time."

"And then you'll have to do it again, and again, and again, Y/N I can't do it anymore, I can't-"

"Okay, stop crying-" She said, brows furrowing in worry. Crying... was he crying? He hadn't even realized it, but when he lifted his hand to his face, sure enough, it was coated in silky, salted water. "It's fine, we'll be fine-" She was saying. He could use this to his advantage.

"Please," he started sniffling overdramatically. It wasn't too hard, he was emotional anyway. Kris was practically rolling his eyes at the spectacle. "Please drop out. We can win for you, we can..."

"I can't leave you all to do this by yourselves-"

"Please! We can all drop out then, it'll be fine! I'm not sure what the fees mean, but..." Sighing, she looked to the guys. Several of them seemed to agree with Tao on dropping out. Sighing, she nodded.

"Fine." Exhaling in relief, she reached to her pocket. "Wait, where's my phone?" At that, he paused time again. Pulling the missing device out of his own pocket, he looked down, trial completed and moving on.

Trial 40: Don't save Y/N. Don't reverse time.

Limited power: Tao

Drop-out Fee: Y/N

"Don't..." He said, staring at it. "Don't save Y/N?"