"Get your shit together man."
Four had just stepped out of the bathroom, towel drying her hair as she approached Luciel with a look of puzzlement on her face.
"Luciel?"
"Come here."
"Um, ok."
Four made her way, cautiously, over to Luciel.
Her eyes widened and a start of a laugh burst passed her lips before she could put her hand over it.
"What is that?"
In Luciel's hands was a small white mechanical cat of some sort.
She had to admit, seeing him fussing over such a small thing was … kinda cute.
"Its uh – well," Luciel stammered, trying to figure out how to explain what he was working on. He let out a sigh of defeat and decided to just go for it. "Ok. Before I came here I actually made you this. It's a robotic cat."
Four's eyes widened even more, slack jawed. Surprised he made her anything at all, let alone be it a robotic cat.
… No one has ever given her anything …
"Why would you do that?"
Luciel looked up into Four's eyes, softening. A blush started to tint his cheeks as his heartbeat increased.
Four studied Luciel's face, noticing the colour of his cheeks changing.
"Because, I – I … I …"
She didn't know if it was out of pity or if she was trying to prevent him from finishing that one sentence, but she cut him off.
Placing her hand on his arm to stop him from speaking, she spoke warmly.
"Hey, n – nevermind. You don't have to say it." And to completely stop where the conversation was heading she cleared her throat and spoke once more. "Um, so you said you made it before you came here. Did something happen to it here?"
At this, Luciel broke his gaze with Four.
"I was stupid. I was angry. At V and … at myself, and what I've been putting you through. The cat was the closest object and seeing it kept reminding me of you and I just … I just didn't want to see it at that time. So," Luciel paused, trying to screw the last piece in place, "now that things are ok, I felt bad and I wanted to fix it up. Done!"
He beamed at his work.
Lifting his gaze to Four, he held out his hands, his face adorned with an adorable sheepish smile.
"I – I don't know what to say, Luciel." Four felt her face warming up.
"Just take it, please." Luciel spoke warmly.
Four reached out for the small, but slightly heavy cat, her fingertips brushed against Luciel's hands as she did so. She looked up to see his eyes on her with an expression in them she hadn't seen before.
"What?"
"I – I wanted to …" Luciel blushed and paused. "You wanted to see what was on that floppy disk, right?" He spoke, changing his words.
"Luciel, you don't have to if it's too personal."
"Its ok. I want to show you. I'm ready now."
Four nodded at him.
He went to get the disk and inserted it. Beckoning Four over, he began to speak as what was on the floppy disk popped up.
Images of a red haired, yellow eyed young boy, who looked a lot like a younger version of Luciel himself, appeared.
Four shifted her gaze to Luciel, confusion evident, but her eyes questioning him silently.
Luciel spoke softly. She saw a small tremble quake his lips as he let his words slip out.
"The boy on the screen, who looks identical to me, is my twin brother Saeran. Although we look a like, our personalities were different, and not only that, but while I was a healthy young boy, Saeran … he was also so weak. He got sick a lot. He hardly left home because of that."
"Luciel, I'm so sorry. That must've been so tough."
"It was. Seeing him like that … struggling everyday … hurt me more than you could possibly know. More than anyone could know. Our childhood wasn't good to say the least. Our father ..." He looked to Four. "Our father is the prime minister. He is currently one of the potential candidates for the upcoming election."
"Holy shit." Four was wide eyed, but urged Luciel to continue.
"Our mother, had us out of wedlock. Saeran and I, are bastards." A bitter chuckle escaped his throat … or it might have been spent up emotion at the thought. "Our mother knew that his chances of winning would go down if word leaked out about us. So she blackmailed our father. To keep our mother quiet, he paid her money." Luciel hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white as she saw his eyes glaze over, recalling on memories. "Our mother … didn't even deserve to be called one. She was no mother to us. Our father tried to kidnap us multiple times. Not because he cared about us, but so our mentally unstable alcoholic mother would no longer be able to use us against him."
"Luciel, how did you come into the agency?" Four asked solemnly.
"When my mother passed out from drinking, I'd sneak off to church. There I picked up on computers. I became engrossed with them. Later, I met V and Rika, who noticed my knack for them. My talent. V had connections. So after I had gotten baptized and had my name changed from Saeyoung to Luciel, V had offered a way out for Saeran and I. We would escape our parents' clutches and finally be free. But, I couldn't take Saeran with me." Lucile slumped down onto the seat. "The agency wanted me to cut all ties. V and Rika promised me that they would take care of Saeran for me. And I promised Saeran I would be back for him. So I had accepted the offer. Even though I was suppose to cut all ties … I just couldn't forget about my brother. I constantly begged Rika to tell me how he was doing, so she sent me this floppy disk. A birthday present, she told me, for my 20th birthday. It was the happiest birthday I ever had." Luciel gingerly touched his fingertips to the computer screen. The action alone had tears pricking Four's eyes. Tears that she could see clearly free falling down Luciel's face.
As if snapping back to reality, Luciel wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie. He gave a soft chuckle.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to go on and on. Let's talk about something else." He smiled at her, although she only saw pain in his eyes.
"Don't be Luciel."
His smile faltered a bit.
And her heart broke for him.
Without a second thought she closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around him.
She felt him stiffen, the moments went by until he relaxed in her arms. In the next second his hands clutched her back in a vice grip as he let all that he was holding back, out.
Falling to the floor, weeping, she held onto him. Doing everything and anything to be there for him and comfort him.
He was right.
Four couldn't even begin to imagine the pain he had felt … that he is still feeling. Pain that he buried so deep, was finally coming up.
Four was never good at comforting people.
Her job was to seek out her targets and … end them. Nothing about her job was aimed to provide comfort to anyone.
But in this moment … with Luciel holding onto her as if she were a life raft, she wish that it had.
Minutes felt like hours as she sat there holding on to him.
He had stopped crying half an hour ago. Now they were just sitting on the floor, in each others arms. She was glad that he had finally relaxed. He was rested his head on her shoulder as his arms moved from her back to her waist.
With her head atop of his shoulder, she had been softly rubbing circles on his back while gently running her other hand over his hair. The silence was comforting to them both. The only thing that could be heard was their own breathing that had become synched with one another.
After another long moment Four felt Luciel's muscles start to move. His head lifted from it's resting spot, leaving her shoulder naked and cold.
Four did the same, sensing Luciel was ready to untangle from each other. She was about to stand when she noticed his grip on her had held firm.
"Not yet." He spoke. His voice horse from his display of emotion earlier … or so she thought.
Four looked into his eyes, his face inches from hers. His eyes were red and swollen, from being drained of the pain that he held onto all these years. However, his eyes now seemed to hold something else. Something that caused her to stop breathing as she watched his eyes darken. Seeing them shift from her own orbs and down to her lips. Her heart beat sped up.
"Luciel, I don't think -"
"Don't."
She gave him a questioning look.
"Don't think … Mercy."
Slowly he shifted himself and brought his face closer to hers.
"Just let me feel something else. Just for this moment, if never again. Just let me – "
Four didn't let him finish.
Cutting off his pleas, she touched her lips to his own, kissing him hesitantly at first, which was soon changed as his grip tightened and shifted her on top of him.
His kisses become harder, desperate, hungry. She moaned against his lips before she caught herself and pushed him enough to halt his assault on her own.
Luciel growled in protest.
Keeping her hand on his chest, she continued to push him until his back was on the floor. Four took the opportunity to straddle him, keeping him pinned beneath her as she brought her lips to gently and slowly caress his.
Coming up for a breath, she looked down at him. His beautifully flushed face, his eyes half lidded and dark with desire. He smirked devilishly up at her and tried to kiss her again, but she stopped him.
With a tenderness she didn't know she had possessed, she spoke.
"As much as I want to, as much as you may want to right now … we shouldn't. Not like this. You're hurting, Luciel."
He cupped her face and sat up.
"I want to. I want you. I've held back, but I cant deny what I feel for you anymore." He kissed her chastely. "I know you feel the same, Mercy."
"I hate that name." She chuckled.
"I think it suits you." Luciel rested his forehead against hers, his eyes softly closed, as if he found peace in this moment.
"How so?"
"Because of this moment right here."
At this time, there was no RFA, no agency, nothing in the few minutes they have shared.
There was only the sound of their breaths that interpreted the tranquility of this moment.
This is the moment of peace they had both needed.
This moment, at their weakest.
•
•
•