A/N: Hello, everyone! Hope you all are having a good break after the holidays, even if you're working. How is everyone's feels holding up with the Christmas DLC? I know I'm dying...haaaa...

Anyway, Here's another chapter for you. Hope you enjoy! :)

There was something off all morning.

MC sat cross legged on the couch, staring at the red-head across the room. She had woken up in the middle of the night to find him in the chatroom, finally explaining to the RFA about Saeran in this whole situation. He was less energetic then. Not that she was expecting him to be as vibrant as he claimed his "persona" of 707 was in the chatroom. But, there was always something about him, even when he was upset or passionate, that exuded vigor.

She clutched her mug full of hot coffee in both hands, narrowing his eyes at him. "Are you okay?" she asked finally.

"Yep," came his short reply. There was no anger behind it.

"You seem calm," she said.

He pursed his lips and pushed his glasses farther onto his face. "If you say so."

"Did you get any sleep last night?"

He gave an ambiguous grunt in reply.

MC dropped asking him any questions about how he felt for now. She still felt a bubble of frustration at his outburst from yesterday, but it was quickly subsiding after her fairly deep sleep. In fact, most of the night seemed foggy. She remembered snippets of Seven hovering over her in her mind. He was talking to her gently about….dreams and pushing her away. She dismissed it as a dream fueled by her own fantasies. Like Seven would say that…

Although, she did clearly remember him scolding her about the medicine she took. The evidence of her pain induced frenzy still lay scattered across the coffee table. She couldn't remember what she was and wasn't supposed to take, and her pain was so bad, she took whatever sort of medicine she could to stop the throbbing in her head and the bile that threatened to spill out of her mouth. Although she wouldn't deny that she welcomed the heavy sleep that came after.

Wait…

"Seven," she hesitated. He let out an annoyed sigh before turning to face her. "It's just that…I could've sworn I fell asleep on the couch last night, but this morning I was in my room. Did I sleep walk or something when you came in last night?"

He stared at her for a few long moments, making her face grow hot. She would have looked away if she hadn't noticed something about his expression. It was sad. Not angry. Not cold. Sad. He suddenly grabbed a plastic bag out of one of his bookbags. He tossed it onto the couch. "I searched through your medical records last night. Hope you don't mind."

"What?" MC breathed. He only returned to his computer and continued typing. She had learned in the past few days that it would be no use to ask why he hacked into anything or how he got any sort of information. It was just a given.

She reached for the bag and found several over the counter pain relievers, excluding the ones she happened to be allergic to. "I-I don't think I'll be needing them now," she muttered. "But thank you."

She waited for his comment patiently. The one where he would say that he only did so because she had a tendency to leave the apartment, or perhaps the one where he would claim that he didn't have time to take care of her and find the hacker.

"You're welcome."

MC nearly choked on her coffee. "What?"

"I said, 'You're welcome.' Is that not what people say after being thanked?" he scoffed.

She put the pills aside and set her coffee cup down. She walked over to him and knelt down beside him. She placed a hand on his forehead.

He flinched away, glaring at her though no sharp words came out.

"No fever," MC gasped.

"What is wrong with you?" he rolled his eyes. He grabbed her hand which was still reaching out for his head and pushed it towards her. "I'm fine. Just leave me alone please."

She knew she shouldn't have, but she sat down, curling her knees to her chest. "Okay, so yesterday you were yelling, telling me to get away, saying you don't care about my feelings, and then suddenly you're getting me medicine and actually being polite. I'm not sure I quite believe it's actually Luciel Choi sitting in front of me."

He exhaled sharply. "Don't start rambling about how it's something a couple would do, or how it makes you feel warm or happy inside. I didn't do it to gain your affection."

MC smiled softly. "I wasn't going to say that at all," she said.

His fingers froze on the keyboard. "O-oh."

She raised a brow. Did he just stammer? She cleared her throat. "I was going to say that it's good to have you back."

He frowned, turning his head to look her in the eye. "I don't understand."

MC slowly stood, gathering a few abandoned cans of Ph.D. Pepper as she went. She was surprised to find several empty water bottles as well, but she decided it best not to comment. "You know, the Seven that does kind things for people without them asking—and sometimes even knowing—what was done. You did it for Zen just a few days ago…with the Tripter bot."

He shook his head. "I told you, that's 707. It's not Sae—" he ran a hand through his hair "It's not the real me."

MC reached over to pull a few strands out from behind his glasses. Again, he didn't pull away or protest. "I don't believe that."

"You're very strange, you know," he said, his voice growing tense. "It's not whether you believe or not. It's the truth,"

"Then, why'd you get the medicine?" she asked.

Seven's mouth hung open for several moments. MC swore she could see an error code flash across his forehead. If he didn't have such a forlorn look in his eyes, she might have laughed and teased him.

In the end, he pressed his lips together and stared down at his hands. Frustration threatened to rise up in MC again at his silence. She forced it down and walked over to dispose of his mess. "Listen, Seven," she said, busying herself in the kitchen with cleaning the counter so he couldn't see her face. "I get that you don't trust me, but please let someone in and talk about…whatever you feel. Sometimes, we need people to get rid of our insecurities and build us up, and—"

She jumped when he stood in the doorway. He threw away another pile of his trash. "Why do you keep making those comments?" he asked quietly.

She swallowed, her throat feeling dry. "Sorry?"

"No," he said louder. He took a step towards her. "You keep saying things like you think I don't trust you or I don't value your opinion. Why do you say that?"

MC shrugged. "You said—"

"I said I don't care about your feelings," he interrupted. "I still don't. I'm sorry, but no matter how you feel, we can be nothing more than—well, I don't know. We shouldn't even be acquaintances if you want to stay safe." He sighed. "That's beside the point. I never said anything about not valuing what you have to say."

MC opened her mouth and closed it a few times. She couldn't believe he actually made her speechless. Usually, it was the other way around, and it wasn't hard to make Seven speechless when he was concentrated on something else. "I—er—"

"I know I'm a lot of things," he went on. "I know I can be a jerk. I know I can be rude, messy, and too blunt. But, please don't say I don't value you or your opinions."

"So," MC began. Her voice came out hoarse, but she pushed on. "So, you trust me?"

He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. His eyes darted to the floor. "After everything that happened with V, I'm not sure who I can trust anymore," he said.

MC's heart sunk. Of course…how could she be so stupid to ask such a question after his role model completely betrayed him? "You don't have to answer that," she blurted.

"I didn't trust you at first," he admitted. "Someone who entered a stranger's apartment after downloading a random app and following a stranger's instructions? That was suspicious."

MC blushed. She was still kicking herself for that. It was very stupid of her, but at the time it seemed like a good change of pace to her normal, boring life. "And now?"

Seven took a deep breath. "I don't suspect you of anything," he said, his voice low and soft. "But I can't trust you to step away either, when the time comes. When you need to walk away, you won't…not if you sense someone is hurting."

His cryptic words sat like a weight on her shoulders. Was he trying to tell her something about himself? He suddenly stood straight. "I found the hacker's headquarters," he said, the previous gentleness in his voice disappearing. "I'm going to go there soon most likely in the next few days. I would suggest contacting who you need to in order to move back to your old life."

"I don't want to," MC rasped. It was an impulsive statement. But still, just imagining a life now without the RFA…no more of Zen and Jumin's banters, no more of Jaehee's logical advice, no more of Yoosung's childish, but sweet nature. No more Seven. The thought alone hurt more than she could express.

Seven took a sudden step forward before jolting backwards again. He swallowed and clutched the counter with one hand. His knuckles turning white as if he was actively trying to hold himself back from something. "MC," he choked. "You don't have a choice."

She scoffed. "Don't I? Whose making me leave?"

"I will if I have to," Seven said, his eyes coming up to meet hers. Again, there was that sadness in his eyes. She was ready to ask him how exactly he planned to do that, but she wasn't quite sure she wanted to know either.

"Seven, I want to help you," she said.

"I don't want your help," he replied through gritted teeth.

MC ran a hand through her hair, unintelligible words flying from her mouth as she tried to form a coherent sentence. Seeing she had no valid comment, he stood and began to return to his corner.

"Seven, wait!" she rushed forward. He stopped and turned so suddenly, she slammed into his side, nearly toppling over. She clutched his arm for balance. She knew she should have let go once she regained her standing, but she couldn't. He felt warm under her fingers. He felt real. So many times in the past few days, she had thought he was just a figment of her imagination.

She only saw him through a screen at first, and he was so…well, imperfect. He joked around too much, was up to late, overworked himself. But there was something so kind about him…something hidden underneath that mask of ebullient energy and a loud voice that made MC's heart twist and turn at his every word. But she had never seen him, so he seemed like dream.

Then he came to the apartment, and he was different. Cold, distant, and practically untouchable. But again, it was another mask. She could tell. She discovered it in the small, almost insignificant things he did. The way he chewed on his lip in worry when the hacker seemed to override his algorithms and firewalls. The way he texted Jaehee to get some sleep and trust him in a serious tone that she would take to heart. The way he constantly checked up on her, despite the complaints and harsh tones.

MC realized she had been staring up at him wordlessly as she got lost in her thoughts. Embarrassment flushed throughout her body, but she tried to suppress it, searching for her initial reasoning to chase him. To her surprise, he patiently waited for her to speak.

"Give me a reason, Seven," she said finally.

"You could get killed," he said, frustration welling up in his expression once more. "Beyond that, there are things worse than death, and if you think my agency…or whatever Saeran got himself into, is going to spare you just because—"

"I'm not talking about that," she interrupted. "Give me a reason as to why you won't accept me. I won't fight you anymore. I just want to hear your side as to why you won't accept my feelings. If you don't like me…even if you hate me…just say so, please. You find me annoying? Fine, I can handle that. I just want to know, Seven."

His hard features melted away. He clenched his jaw, his hands shakily coming up to her arms. She felt the pressure of his fingertips against her skin, hesitant as if he would break her by even touching her. "I just—" he tried. His voice was strained. He squeezed her more tightly now. "I can't, MC."

"I know you can't!" she nearly shouted in irritation. She had heard it before. She had heard it all week. She was tired of it and the ache it brought to her chest. "But why? Give me something to go on, Seven. I'm trying to understand you…really."

He pressed his quivering lips together in a fine line. He pushed her backwards until she let go of him. "You can't understand," he said. "It has nothing to do with you, and it wouldn't be fair to put that on you."

"At least give me a chance to understand," MC pleaded.

Seven shook his head and turned his back towards her. "That's just not possible. It doesn't matter what either of us want. It's the truth. Forget about it and start worrying about your own safety."

MC let out a groan of frustration when he crouched down in his corner and pulled his headphones over his head. He couldn't keep pushing people away. He would destroy himself and everyone around him who cared for him. But her emotions were too unstable for her to speak any of it, so she sat down on the couch and calmed herself as best she could.

She reached for coffee, but the mug was cold. Instead, she grabbed her phone. Jumin still planned to have the party. She could at least help with the guests from here. She answered a few emails, already feeling some of her anxiety wind down. Once she was a bit more relaxed, she opened up the messenger to see if anyone was online.

Seven.

She glanced up to see what the hacker was doing. His fingers hovered over his phone, as if he was trying to decide to say something or log off. Most likely, he had just found out more information on Saeran and deemed it important enough to share. So, why was he hesitating?

"Seven?" she called. He didn't answer. When MC heard the faint strain of music leaking from his headphones, she rolled her eyes.

She logged onto the chatroom. She was mildly amused when he jumped in surprise. But instead of looking back at her, he only greeted her in the messenger.

With a sigh, she typed out a reply. At least he had been more open with the RFA. In fact, since last night, he seemed a bit different. Maybe he was changing. While the thoughts were comforting, she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease when Yoosung logged in.

She watched as Seven physically tensed. Perhaps, this was the final test. If she couldn't get to him, maybe Yoosung could help.

At least…she hoped.

A/N: Just for reference, this is set right before the whole argument with Yoosung and the Visual novel after that chatroom. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you everyone who leaves a comment. I appreciate every single one 3 You all are lovely. Thank you! See you soon!