"Okay… not much farther, watch your feet"
Peeking his phone around a corner Seven looked at the blank screen, seeing nothing in the reflection he began moving forward, MC close behind him.
Running across the hallways intersection they continued until reaching another split. MC copied the action Seven had done previously with his own. With a nod Seven led them further down the hallway.
The two of them had been repeating the procedure throughout their time inside Mint Eyes pristine halls, using their phones to check for people in hallways before moving forward.
Seven would have preferred to use a camera bug to check down the hallways, one that flew for faster recon. The use of a bug having less of a chance to give them away a phone screen. But to his dismay, he didn't pack any flying camera bugs in his bag.
Despite how long they had been inside the building Seven knew they weren't close to the information room. The short but incredible distance having both on edge and their hearts beating rapidly with anticipation.
With each step they took they knew they were that much closer to the truth they had been searching for all throughout their short journey.
After going through that routine more times than they could keep track of Seven whispered of how close they were, only a couple turns away. MC felt relief. He wanted to get things done as fast as humanly possible, for he didn't feel have a good feeling about the situation.
Ducking behind another wall, Seven slumped beside a small table, a daffodil in a vase on its surface. Seeing him slumped, MC crouched next him.
Noticing MC, Seven looked up from his phone, he saw concern in his eyes.
"I'm fine" he whispered, turning his phone to show the brunette, a map on its screen "Checking our location" Deviating his gaze from MC he looked to the number on a door behind the man "I-6-45…" He muttered, looking down at his device.
"We've passed my room…" MC took residence beside the red head and in response to his statement, got a quiet noise of acknowledgement "I-6-06 was mine" Thinking back to the room he thought back how it looked. It was shockingly blue from what he remembered, the bed, curtains, and carpets all being of the same hue.
"Cool…" Seven muttered once more, too distracted by the map to speak more.
After another silence filled minute Seven sighed angerly, ready to throw the phone at a wall but settled for pulling his own hair harshly "This stupid map…! It doesn't have this area mapped" Finishing his quiet yelling Seven stuffed the phone into his pocket.
"I think we're on our own from here out…" Seven grumbled in defeat, not even trying to hide his shame. His plan wasn't working…
Wanting to calm Seven, MC reached over and put his hand over Seven's, the sudden warmth gaining the red heads attention. "We're going to get through this, we came this far there's no way we can lose here!"
Seven stared at MC the way he was smiling at him getting him to think, an idea coming to him suddenly. With a new toothy smile of his own, Seven pulled his hand away from MCs and cupped the brunettes face "You're brilliant…!"
MC stared at him in confusion "I know I'm brilliant… but so I know you know… why am I brilliant…?"
"You said you worked here- lived here, room I-6-whatever" "I-6-06" "Yeah that" MC nodded not getting what Seven was getting at "And now- just now- you said your room was nearby" Another nod in confirmation "You understand?"
At this point Seven was physically shaking MC by his cheeks while smiling, the tight grip starting to hurt his face.
And as MC shook his head, taking Seven's wrists and removing the hands from his face in doing so revealing light pink nails marks left on his cheeks, he rubbed at them.
Seeing the marks Seven's excitement vanished, the feeling replaced with guilt as he struggled to apologise and had an inner conflict of wanting to hold him to help and not wanting to touch him for fear of hurting him again.
After the stinging has mostly subsided, MC seeing Seven's transition from excited to guilty, remedied it. How he did that was pinching Seven's cheek in revenge just enough as to when he took his hand away, it left a small mark.
"I'm not hurt, don't worry, and now we match" MC pointed to the mark he left, though his own face had five times the amount, ten on him to the two on Seven. "But" He gestured to Seven "continue"
Muttering another apology, MC once again saying he's fine in a hushed voice, he continued talking "So, uh… you worked with Saeran, you walked down this area a lot then" He got a nod "So…" He rolled his hands together towards MC, his smile returning.
"… Oh…!" Slowly, after the explanation, MC began to understand what was being hinted at "I'll navigate us!" This time Seven nodded.
Looking around he reread the sign on the door, trying to visualize the area in his head. With a hum he closed his eyes "We're in I area, the floor is mostly empty, only really holding my room and the information room. My room is… back the way we came" He pointed down the hallway they had run from.
"The only people that stay here are from the Intelligence Teams, i.e. me, Saeran, and informants, people who gather info from outside Magenta" he tapped his chin "But that's not important…"
"The information room is, if I remember…" MCs eyes snapped open and he pointed at the wall beside himself "That way, 2 minutes that direction!"
With a smile he turned to Seven, the red head smiling at him in return, awe on his face "You said you we're here 11 years ago… somehow… your memory's amazing, alright, let's go" Making a move to stand up they froze, footsteps filling the new silence.
"What's with the talking down here! You informants don't usually chit chat, come here so I can log you for disturbance" A voice echoed through the halls, muffled footsteps becoming louder as the person, a man judging by the voice, stalked towards them.
As the man stopped, MC turned to Seven, wide eyes showing his nervousness.
Seven didn't like seeing MC scared, he was too bright for this. MC, Saeran, everything he cared about was at risk and he couldn't let it all be destroyed because of a mistake of his.
Showing a smile, Seven lipped a message of reassurance 'It's going to be okay'. Turning away from the brunette Seven reached hand into his jacket, feeling a small plastic object touch his skin.
MC watched Seven with horror, fearing what he was going to do to the believer. In a frenzied rush, he grabbed Sevens arm and tugged it down, out of his jacket and the feared object.
Seven returned his gaze to MC in an angered glare, confused as to who had pulled at his arm having forgotten he was beside him. His glare disappeared as he saw the brunettes fearful and pleading look. As he was about to question the expression, his question changed as MC stood up. "What are you doing?" he whisper-shouted.
Turning his head, MC looked down the hall they needed to go before looking down at Seven "Trust me" He returned in a soft tone, eyes still holding that pleading.
Facing forward, he turned the corner but for the brief second he could see the crazy brunette, he saw his expression had changed. He looked pissed.
MC stepped out from the corner, the believer's attention now on him as he stepped towards him "Hey, what are you doing here? This area is off limits to all non-working believers"
Lifting his head high he continued towards the believer until he was 3 feet away from him. He was a good few feet taller than the believer and standing at his full height with his chest puffed, was obviously more muscular than him too.
"I am working, is there a problem?" MC narrowed his eyes in a judging way, taking in the believer like a predator would prey. He saw the smaller man flinch under his gaze, but he kept his authoritative demeanor. A small smirk began to grow as he watched him shift around.
"Yes…" The man spoke in a quiet voice before coughing into his hand and repeating himself "Yes, you're in a restricted area" He took a step back "I'll need your number, believer ID, to log you for disturbance and trespassing"
Biting his lips nonchalantly MC crossed his arms over his chest "I don't have or need a number, and I most certainly don't need to explain myself to you" He looked away from the believer and at one of the painting that sat on the wall. He seemed bored.
The smaller man raised his own head, puffing his chest as he stares up at him "Excuse me but-" "You are not excused" "but I require you to come with me now, if you don't have a number you need to return to the Level 1s, unassigned"
With a newfound interest MC turned to the man with an amused grin "Level 1s? Oh please… I was hoping you were joking… but you don't know me?" he clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth "I'd have to say that's not very good for you" he felt his grin lessen as his eyes lowered in suspicion.
"Has your elixir worn off? … Or are you simply not taking it. I take great offence that you don't know me"
The man shifted even more as he asked that question, nervously swallowing saliva in his mouth "Y… yes, I am taking it, I… had it this morning" his voice cracked up an octave as he looked behind himself.
"Did I say you could look away from me?" He turned back around to find MC even closer to him, blue eyes glinting dangerously behind his glasses as he received a harsh glare.
"I… I just remembered I need… t.. to do something else…" The man muttered quietly as he looked at MC in fear. Back away from MC he saw him grin devilishly.
"Oh~" The brunette stepped away from him, grin turning into a courteous smile "But we just met, It would be a shame for you to leave so soon, didn't you need my ID?"
The man shook his head, eyes wide under his robe covered head.
MC ignored his response and bowed "You don't need my name, but I do have a title, the Prince of Paradise?" He lifted his head to gauge the mans response.
His response was exactly as he was expecting: first disbelief, then shock, then fear. He stood up once more, his posture changed from before. His stiff shoulders now more relaxed, he still had his chest puffed out, giving the clear sign that he held power in the situation.
"Th… The Saviors Prince…?" In his shock the man had accidentally pulled his hood back revealing his head. He was much younger than MC had originally though, he wasn't an adult but a child, or an early teenager, that would have explained his earlier moves to look strong.
Never the less, MC didn't let the persons age change how he acted.
"Yes, and I am now late because of you. I was supposed to meet with Mr. Saeran 5 minutes ago" He saw the boy's eyes widened more than they already were at the mention of Saeran. "He won't be in a good mood when he finds out why I'm late…"
"What's you number? I'll need your number, believer ID, to log you for disturbance" MC repeated what the boy had said earlier, raising his voice an octave to better mock him.
The boy looked at him in annoyance for the mocking, but the annoyance returned to fear as MC began to glare at him when he didn't answer.
For a moment he seemed reluctant to speak but eventually decided to "It… it's C721, my Prince" He bowed his head as he finished speaking.
MC tapped his chin before speaking again "The 'C Unit'… that's culinary" He took a large step towards the young believer, trapping him between a wall and himself. "You ask why I'm here, I'm the Prince of Paradise, the Saviors chosen, I can go anywhere… but why are you in a restricted area, chef?"
The young man began to stammer out an excuse, shifting in the small space he had between a wall and the person who was technically his boss. "I-... I was g… going to check what M… Mr. Saeran wanted for lunch…!" The poor kid looked like he was going to pass out.
"Disrupting my work- important work, severe disrespect and lying about your job. That's breaking rules… while disrupting my work and disrespecting me aren't violations, I take those personally… but lying about your job- boy you are close to a line you do not want to cross" For more ease with standing, MC placed a hand on the wall as he stared down at the cowering boy.
His glare becoming more concentrated, MC began to speak through clenched teeth "If I had time I would bring you down to the cleansing team myself and let them deliver a punishment that I find fitting"
Closing his eyes, MC released a heavy sigh, his breath blowing the boys hair as he shivered because of it. He stepped away from the boy and looked off down the hallway the boy came from "But I don't, as I have said my work is important and I have other places to be"
He turned back to the boy who looked pale like he would faint any moment.
"Answer me this boy, are you new here?" he responded by nodding immedietly, body still trembling "Hmm… I'm felling not as pissed as I thought I was so congratulation for you, I'll let you off on a warning since you don't understand our rules yet" He crossed his arms over his chest smugly "Who knows, you might get lucky and I'll forget seeing you here if you run fast enough"
The boy looked at him like he was granted a second chance at life (To him he practically was), turning to the way he came originally he put his hood back on but before taking a step, MC stopping him before he could move more.
"Oh, boy…" The boy turned to face him "Tell others nearby to not come into this area, you wouldn't want others to get hurt because of you, right?" The boy nodded in agreement, fear creeping back into him.
"Oh… while you got off easy this time, know this, cross me again, and you'll be begging for the cleansing team to be the ones punishing you. Now, leave!"
As the boy ran around a corner still shaking, MC sighed quietly turned back to the end of the hall Seven had been peering around the whole time.
"Geez… I forgot how cowardice some of the people here could be…" Muttering to himself he rubbed his temples as he walked back to Seven.
Returning, he looked down at Seven who was sat up on his knees, the man stared at him in surprise and horror.
"What?" MC question, confused.
MC watched Sevens mouth open and close, his face constantly changing its expression before he settled on something, a mixture of confusion and shock.
"What was that…?" Seven looked down the hall the boy had run down before turning back.
Looking to the floor MC chuckled at the situation. Looking back at it, it would be a bit weird to an onlooker…
"I may have gone a bit over board…" MC found his hands very interesting, staring at them as he twiddled his thumbs in small circles.
"'Cross me again, and you'll be begging for the cleansing team to be the ones punishing you' is a bit over board?" Seven dropped his head into his hand "That kid is probably traumatized…"
Ceasing his thumb twirling MC gave an open mouth smile, embarrassed "I may have gotten too into character and got carried away…" In a flash his embarrassment disappeared with a nervous grin.
"But!" He pointed down the Hall-of-Scary-MC "That kid's mental sanity is not our objective right now!" Swinging his arms in a circle he stopped them as they directed towards the desired path "Let's go!"
Seven stammered in protest "But-" but was cut off as MC grabbed his arm and began dragging him down the hall.
"LET'S GO"
Crouched outside a metal door Seven typed frantically on his laptop, lined of code appearing and changing as he quietly muttered letters and numbers, his speech almost matching the speed he was working at.
"Luciel-" The calling out was ignored as Seven waved a hand to the caller, dismissing them.
Closing his mouth MC turned away from the hacker with a 'humph'. As he listened to the ticking of tenacious typing, each tedious tock tiring him, he glared harder at a painting of a flower on the wall across from him.
Glancing at his working partner, his glare lessening as he did, he turned away, annoyed gaze settling once more on the painting. He wasn't exactly angry with Seven, more annoyed. But it wasn't the fact he was being ignored no, that would be childish, it was the fact Seven was brushing him off whenever he spoke to him.
When they had first gotten to the door of the information room, finding it locked, Seven had settled down to hack his way past knowing they couldn't break in (The door was metal and locked with a padlock). But having some remaining memories of being taught how to hack by Saeran himself, MC had suggested some bypasses he knew, even commenting on Seven's algorithms where he saw flaws. Only to be brushed off by the red head and told (Not even asked) to keep watch.
So yeah, he was fairly annoyed, not even given a chance to try and help.
With a sigh he leaned back against a wall, left leg crossing in front of his right as he folded his arms. Grabbing out his phone he went into the RFA Messenger and seeing no one in the chatroom, not wanting to talk to himself at the moment, he decided to edit his profile.
Reading over what he had set that morning 'Long drive ahead, wish us luck!' with the background consisting of Seven's red sports car, he went to change it.
Several minutes later he stepped back to the wall, lowering his phone to a more comfortable holding position. Smirking he reread his profile.
'Annoyed, hungry, and tired. Summary of my life.' Read the small blurb. He had changed his background too, having just taken a picture of the painting he was previously glaring it. He wasn't paying much attention before, but the flower painting was quiet pretty. It was a very detailed version of one of the orange roses from the garden behind Mint Eye, its petals glowing in the night. He remembered Saeran taking him to visit the garden often, always excited to see the growing of the new flowers he was planting.
Right, his profile… he got side tracked… The orange rose aside, his profile picture was still the same, pink skinned unicorn Zen and Yoosung always complained about.
MC was brought out of the trance his new profile put him in by low groaning. Seven groaning, the sound of nails scratching scalp heard soon after, reminding him as to why he was annoyed.
Glancing at Seven, the man blurry from not being in front of his glasses, he watched the man groan once more and set the laptop onto the ground.
"Something wrong?" He asked, voice laced with amusement at the hacker's frustration.
"No, no… everything's fine… just dandy…" The hacker looked up from his computer at him "Are the halls still clear?"
Quietly sighing, MC stuck his head around the corner, much to Seven distain. Turning back, he once more glared at the painting, "Halls clear…" the brunette responded in a sour tone, still annoyed at being brushed off.
Hearing his new tone Seven stared at him in concern, confused as to why he was upset "MC… "the male turned to him, glare lessening "are you alright? You don't sound like yourself"
Without responding MC pushed himself off the wall and made his way to the red head. "MC?" He attempted to call out again only to be met with a quick glance before he looked straight ahead.
At first Seven thought he was coming towards him, but he instead went to the door he was trying to hack into. Curiosity filled his mind before being replaced with panic as MC started punching numbers into the passcode panel.
But before he could stop him, he had already removed his hand from the panel, a swishing sound cutting off his next speech. The swish turned out to be the door that has locked them out, now open.
"If you'd listened to me, we would have had this open 10 minutes ago…" Rolling his blue eyes, MC bent down and began helping him pack up.
Seven didn't do anything but make a quiet 'oh' sound seeing the annoyed brunette set his belongings into his bag.
As MC organized the hacker's things he stood up, handing it to its owner before turning to the now open door. As he took a step in his arm was grabbed "MC, wait" Seven was calling to him.
Setting his agitation aside he turned to the sorrowful red head.
"Uhm… I should have listened to you, I was just caught up in how close we were to Saeran" Watching Seven shift where he stood, MC let his annoyance disappear at the apology. "If I'm going to be a better person, I should probably work on listening to others and taking suggestion, shouldn't I?" He left out a half-hearted laugh.
"Everyone has flaws, and it's good you want to work on them so thank you for that, but…" MC turned around completely to face Seven and grabbed Seven's hand "don't feel like you need to change who you are completely for me, or for anyone, alright?"
Nodding, Seven led them both into the information room, closing the door behind them for security. As he released MCs hand, his palm already feeling colder without it, he took a quick look around, noticing the small bed in the corner of the room before setting his laptop up to the computer and sitting in the worn black leather chair.
Watching how fast Seven connected himself he made a joke asking if he'd done this before.
Seven looked up at MC guiltily before turning back to the setup without answering, instead talking about something else "You were right… this is the information room, just look at this keyboard…" Running his fingers over the old keyboard he noted how bad of a condition it was in, the letters on it nearly all faded off, most likely from overuse.
After remembering to ask MC if he knew how to get into the computer, he sadly did not, Seven began typing on his own, getting past the password protection in less than a minute.
"God… Where did he learn to hack…? Why did he have to learn this of all things…" Seven muttered more things as he wormed his way through the computers files.
'I don't know…' MC shook the thought away, wanting to be helpful and not pessimistic. Clearing his throat, he rested his arms on the back of the chair "Before we can know that, we should start transferring everything we need"
"Oh, right, sorry…" Reaching into his bag, Seven pulled out a device MC didn't recognise, he payed it no mind as it connected the laptop to the computer. MC watched in astonishment as the computer he thought back to being unhackable, be as he thought it couldn't.
Hitting the enter key Seven sighed as he looked over to his laptop, neck resting back into an indent on the same spot, most like left by Saeran. Seeing MC out of the corner of his eye he noticed the brunettes had set his head on the back of the chair, making face close enough to nearly be touching his cheek, he felt them heating up ever so slightly.
"It might take a while for everything to transfer over, but we have to keep watch over it. This needs to be done fast so it needs to use 100% of its power, the central power might overheat in the process" As Seven explained what they needed to do after the transfer was complete he had a small smile on his face as watched MC stare at him in cute curiosity.
"In short, I'll look over the data collected once we get out of here and to a safe location I chose" Removing his hands from his laptop Seven returned his eyes to MC who gave him a smile and nod.
"Or you could not look it over in the basement"
With the new voice both turned towards it in alarm.
Standing in the doorframe blocking the only exit was Saeran. He wasn't wearing his black leather jacket, the thing being tied around his waist leaving his upper body in only a red V-neck muscle shirt, his thin pale arms resting by his side calmly.
Seeing their surprised faces Saeran wore an amused grin, his chin raised.
"Saeran?" They both exclaimed at the same time.
Stepping into the room Saeran watched Seven get out of his chair and move towards the middle of the room, MC following him subconsciously.
"Yes, hello Mel" Still grinning he gave a short yet polite bow in the brunette's direction "It brings back memories seeing you here again" He glanced to Seven in curiosity "Oh. Does he know you've been here before?" He chuckled as MC looked away in shame.
"Saeran!" Seven yelled to get his brothers attention.
Saeran turned to him keeping his joyful but creepy grin, a hint of annoyance present in his eyes "I expected this, you coming here if you broke into Magenta, but I didn't know you would be here so soon, I would have held a party! Lots and lots guests I like to call armed guards"
"But I'm glad I caught you when I did, I was on lunch when I overheard this little chef believer complaining about the 'Saviors Prince' being extremely threatening towards him" Saeran stated while looking directly at MC, the man continued to look away, but with an added glare towards the floor "I didn't think I would ever hear about such things coming from you my sweet Prince, you used such a prestige title for self interests"
"We here at Magenta are a 'team', a family so to say, brought together by our benevolent Savior!" While speaking Saeran extended his arms and gestured around the room, to the building itself. His face showing pride towards what has been accomplished inside its walls. He returned his attention to MC "You should know that better than anyone in the RFA, Mel…"
"I'm not part of Mint Eye, I'm not coming back… and don't call me Mel" The talked to man asserted, eyes stern.
"Oh I do recall you saying that Mel, but do you recall me saying they're lying to you? The RFA." Saeran kept his pose stance, calmness still in his features, his smile high.
"Saeran, please!" Both men, who were captured in their own one-sided argument where pulled from it as Seven yelled once more to his brother, this time getting his full attention.
Using the opportunity to leave the conversation, MC leant towards Seven and whispered, "Shouldn't we run?"
Saeran laughed as he heard the brunette, the kind if laugh reserved for crazy people from movies, eyes closed whilst his head was tipped back, shaky laughter coming from an open, grinning mouth. "That's naïve of you to think Mel, you should better. It's not that you're both idiots for not running, it's that you can't!"
Saeran gleefully looked around the room "Who knows~? I might have installed a bomb here, leave those doors, trigger an alarm, and boom goes the hacker"
It unsettled MC how happy Saeran was being about the situation, but he knew there was wasn't a bomb, knowing nothing of the sort was installed before.
The white-haired man looked to him through the corner of his eyes, his grin growing "It's no good relying on your memory Mel, do remember it has been 10 days~…"
In response the brunette sighed through gritted teeth, averting his gaze for a moment before looking to Seven who has been the quietest out of the three.
"I didn't find anything like that when I looked into it…" Seven began fiddling with his hands, amber eyes flickering across the room nervously.
With a click of his tongue Saeran waggled a finger "Anything you can do, I can do better~ Don't be so naïve" He finished his statement with a cocky tone, posture now reflecting that said tone. He was standing straighter, chin lifted still but turned away by a few degrees.
"That's that… but you came here before the oh so long awaited 'RFA party'… You were faster than I expected if I'm being honest…" Saeran broke his previous attitude in favor of an annoyed one, his gaze directed towards Seven. It seemed like it was MC to be the bystander in the conversation, not that he minded, gave him time to think…
"So you knew about the party…" Seven's eyes abandoned Saeran to look down, but quickly returned to him, filled with confusion "I don't what to say… There are so many things I want to ask- to say"
"I'd supposed so" Saeran droned.
"Saeran… We really need to talk. Can't we put all these emotions and aside for now and talk?" With the ghost of a smile Seven glanced to MC seeing him nodding in agreement.
Scoffing, a quieter followed it. "Talk? Talk with people who break into another person's home-," He gestured his chin towards the single bed in the corner of the room "and steal information…"
Glancing at the laptop sat carefully on his computer setup Saeran growled "Stop treating me like an idiot. I'm not the same fool who would fall for your lies, I killed him years ago!"
Taking both twins attention by stepping forward, MC extended a hand to Saeran, cutting the gap between them in half "Saeran, Snow… can't you please listen? Nothing will change with you just listening to Luciel"
Taking a large step back Saeran bared his teeth to MC "And why should I listen to you?! Your words are no different than his! Falling for the same lines twice…"
In hopes to talk, Seven raised his hands to his chest, palms facing forwards "Saeran… if you're talking about out childhood… there's been a misunderstanding"
"A misunderstanding?" Saeran looked to Seven with crazed eyes, wide and menacing "Is that how you're going to justify it? What an ego you've got then. You used your own brother to escape that hellhole of a home, I guess you don't want to admit it then"
'What…?' MC thought, looking to Seven in surprise.
Seeing MCs short look of what he could possibly mistake for as disappointment, he raised his hands higher in defence. "What? No… I didn't use you" He turned to MC mouthing 'I didn't' to which he got a sad nod before both turned back to Saeran.
"I left to help you. You'd understand if you listened to my side of the story…"
"'To help me'…? Is that your excuse now? I expected it, but you're still not being honest" He turned to MC "Mel, you be sure to be careful too. Didn't he tell you that he'd 'protect you', 'make you happy'…? Oh please, once he sees you as dead weight, he'll leave you to rot… but my offer from the apartment still stands, you can return to Magenta, though you would need a proper ceremony this time" Saeran extended his hand to him, a smile on his face, almost as if he had completely forgotten that he had yelled at him minutes ago.
Before MC could speak Seven put an arm in front of him "MC had nothing to do with what happened in our childhood, leave him out of this"
After a moment of silence MC put a hand on Seven's raised arm, the red head giving a confused and scared look as he did. But to Seven's relief, MC ran his hand down the blank fabric, grabbing the shaky hand at the end of it. Saeran's eyes staying tacked on the brunette's hand as he did it, his one eye twitching.
"Saeran, I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. Can't we all sit down and talk this over like adults?" He subconsciously squeezed Seven's hand while he pleaded.
The man in question glared at the joined pair of hands, switching his angry glare from them to Seven "I would find this funny if it weren't someone I knew… you have him totally brainwashed…" Gritting his teeth he looked up at Seven as the red head spoke again.
"Brainwashed? No! Please..." Seven took his hand away from MCs, joining his own while he continued "Saeran, just listen to me, what you think happened-"
Saeran waved his hand in the air cutting him off, turning away as he crossed his arms "If you're going to spill another lie you can stop, I already know the truth"
"Saeran…" Seven looked down to the ground. He didn't know what else he could do besides repeat himself "I didn't tell you any lies when we were little. I meant everything, I meant it when I said I would protect you- that I'd get us out of there together… I swear it"
Saeran scoffed "Still spouting that garbage and are expecting me to believe it?"
"I changed my name and became an agent not to abandon you and live a good life on my own. I believed that we had to part ways and change our identities to escape our father's eyes"
Standing there, MC looked back and forth at whomever was speaking. He knew he couldn't do much besides provide support for Seven. He knew this talk had to be between the twins.
Listening, that was another thing he could do, listen to what both had to say.
He listened as Seven explained that what happened was V's idea, Rika promising to take care of Saeran once he left. A Seven explained how hard it was for him to leave, MC could only solemnly agree with the feeling of leaving you loved once against your will.
"I trusted him, I did. But the last time I spoke with V is when I realised he and Rika broke their promises, seeing you at the apartment is what made me question V in the first place…"
With a grin Saeran paced back and forth "That's fairly convicting! I bet a lot of people would fall for that" He tapped his finger against the air in a matter of fact way.
Stepping forward MC interrupted Seven before he could speak "I don't know the whole story but what is so unbelievable about what Luciel is saying?"
Saeran turned to MC solemnly "That's just it Mel, you don't know the whole story, that's why I have to take what you say with a grain of salt. I don't know what other lies this liar has tainted you with"
"I didn't make this up! It's the truth!" Both MC and Saeran turned to Seven, tears gathering in his eyes. The situation wasn't getting better and he didn't know what more he could do.
"Oh~?" Saeran looked to the computer, the current files that were transferring having long finished and now sat idle "You have your story, want to hear mine?" Seven opened his mouth to respond but was once again cut off "I'm saying it anyways"
"This is how it goes. A boy, lets age him 16, lived with his brother, twins we'll make them. These twins lived in a hell hole of a home run by a drunken mother who downed 7Brau everyday. One day, one of the twins saw his weak, frail brother and got the courage to escape. 'Oh! I can use weak Saeran as bait and comfortably escape that monster of a mother!' he said to himself."
"'But now I feel bad for him and want to take good care of him since I feel like I'm living a better life when I see him' Yes, that's what he said…"
"'But I'll leave one day, team up with V to create the RFA, I'll have fun parties chat online and have fun whenever I feel anything like guilt for my weak brother. Saeran is just a burden… Yeah! I'll feel much better if I just disappear without so much as a goodbye~!'"
The encounter continued at the same pace, Seven explaining himself while Saeran denied it, brushing it off as lies and coverups.
After MC asked what happened to him once Seven left, he explained it calmly. Maybe because it was MC asking and not Seven? He couldn't be sure.
He explained how he search and seared the morning after he was left alone. Crying for days as he found himself abandoned, not stopping no matter how many times he was hit or starved for being noisy, the 'naïve Ray' as he called himself, continued to cry, missing his brother.
The more Saeran said about what he went through, his thoughts of abandonment to his own self-inflicted wounds, the more Seven's face lowered in guilt. Feeling the true weight of what he had done in an attempt to free them.
He explained his thoughts, his own guilt, thinking he wasn't good enough and that being why Seven had left. Or his worst thoughts, that their father had gotten to him and he was dead in some ditch. He explained his anger as well. His anger when he found him alive, safe, and happy with the RFA.
It was once Saeran spoke of the Savior had MC showed any recent reaction. And though both noticed the brunette flinch, neither brought it up.
Continuing, Seven took the floppy disk out of his bag. Telling how he had gotten it from Rika on his 20th birthday.
"There's no way that exists! I won't believe it… Whatever is on there if false" Saeran breathed through gritted teeth "Yes… you're a hacker, it's your job to forge fake information!"
Turning to Seven, he pointed to the laptop "Seven, just show it to him" and with a nod, Seven opened a driver on the computer and inserted the disc as Saeran yelled at him.
A few moments after putting it in, pictures flew into view. The same ones that were shown to MC at the apartment, one of the many pictures being of a young red head, no older than 16, staring up at a butterfly in fascination.
"Saeran… please believe me…"
"This photo…!" Saeran took a hasty step back "How…?"
"Do you remember when this photo was taken?"
Saeran shook his head, gripping his bleached hair "There is no way this photo could be with you…!"
MC saw Seven pass a laminated paper letter to Saeran, he couldn't see everything written but did see something '…doing wonderful. His birthday…'.
"This is a lie, it must be forged…!" Saeran grabbed his head as he shut his eyes. He looked like he was in pain "I don't want to listen to you…" He turned to MC with an angry expression "Mel is… a graphic artist, you must have made him re-create it…! And the letter… I'm sure you wrote it…"
"No. Rika gave it to me herself" Seven watched Saeran with pained eyes.
"Shut up! Both of you shut up!"
Seven and MC looked at each other with concern before turning back to Saeran to see he had stumbled back.
"Saeran, calm down… It's alright…" Seven took a step forward.
"Don't come near me!" Stumbling in retreat once more "If you come near me or say anymore lies… I'll kill you…" He turned to MC with crazed eyes "again… and again… and again…"
"Saeran…" MC mumbled as he stood still, thinking about the threat.
"Don't say that name!" Turning around, Saeran ran out of the room, the door closing as he left.
Alarmed Seven ran to the door, pushing against it to find it locked. Continuing, he went to the keypad and entered the code he remembered MC putting it. A red light blinked in response.
Hearing hurried footsteps fade from the other side Seven turned to MC, pleading. But as MC tried and failed to open it, the brunette mentioning a system deadlock, Seven unplugged his laptop from the computer and wired it to the door.
With Seven working on unlocking the door, leaving the brunette in silence, MC decided the best thing he could do at the time would be to inform the RFA on what's happened.
Sitting in the chair by the computer, he pulled out his phone and, after struggling to connect himself to the buildings internet, entered the messenger.
"I'm helping… I informed everyone, I'm helping…" Turning around MC continued to pace across the room, whispering the mantra to himself. How many times he's walked from wall to wall, he's lost count. It was probably somewhere between 58 and 116 times, yeah, that's a good guess.
"I'm doing what I can, I'm helping… Just got to… just got to stay sane" Gripping his phone with both hands he made another turn, the device shaking as he to, shook. "I don't know how Jumin stays so calm in these situations… hell, how did I stay so calm in these situations…?!"
Forcing himself to stop moving, MC closed his eyes as he took a sharp breath. "Nervousness is poison; that's what Jumin said" He thought back to the chatroom he talked with Jumin in minutes ago.
Feeling eyes on him MC turned to the door, Seven sat next to it laptop in hand. Intaking more air, although in a more natural fashion, he smiled and nodded to, the red head returning the gesture. As Seven turned back to his computer doing who-knows-what, MC looked down to his phone. Maybe he could vent to Jumin… out of everyone he knew, Jumin would be the least likely to judge him.
Putting the phone to his ear he listened to it ring.
"You must have called to ask for help, should I send security guards?" Jumin's usual stoic voice came through the speaker, a hint of concern lacing it.
MC shook his head "No, not yet. We're still on standby" He smiled, amused at how well he copied the business mans tone.
"Alright, tell me if there is anything you need. I'll send it with the guards"
Looking back to Seven, MC stayed silent for a moment, thinking about what to say. Apparently the few moments he was quiet had made Jumin anxious.
"I can still hear your breathing, so we're still connected" Oh how he knew that "Are you hiding? Is there someone there keeping you from speaking? How about this, two coughs for yes; speak if you're alright"
Glancing to the phone he chuckled "Oh, sorry. Honey Buddha Chips and Ph. D Pepper"
"Pardon? Oh, those chips Luciel always talks about. Alright, I will tell all the guards to carry both, we don't know which guard will find you first. Might I ask something, Mel?"
"Sure" Walking to one of the walls he sat down against it, sighing as his back got some rest from his pacing.
"Are you alright? And no, I don't mean the situation although it is concerning with you both being trapped inside that place, but are you, Mel, alright"
Resting his head against the wall feeling the cold run down his back he closed his eyes "That's… actually why I called" MC heard his own voice lower, no longer was it a tone higher, now it was more melancholic.
"If it is necessary I can provide you with the number of my personal phycologist, he is the best there is in Korea. I will also pay for the visits myself if that would help you"
He shook his head, not finding it in himself to even laugh "That won't be needed, I think. But thanks for the suggestion, might take you up on that later though" He felt he might need it after everything was done. But right now, he just wanted to talk to someone.
"Jumin…" He heard the man hum in acknowledgment "Can I be real with you for a minute?"
"Yes, I will always be here if you or anyone in RFA needs to talk"
"Thanks…" Looking to Seven he saw him still working on his laptop, headset on. His head was moving up and down, so he might be listening to some music while he worked. He took a deep break "I don't know what to do…"
Waiting, he heard nothing from the business man so he continued "I mean- I don't know what I am doing… yes, I'm helping Luciel but… what else am I doing besides that?"
"You and Jaehee, bless her hard-working soul, are both planning and working on the party; Zen is going to be doing my job of greeting the guests, Yoosung being a drunkard next to him… And Luciel is…" He stole another glance at the red head "Luciel is working hard to find his brother…"
"I can't help but feel like I'm just dead weight here… Maybe Saeran was right and things would have been better if I didn't join…" Bringing his legs to his chest he dropped his head onto his knees.
"Hey." MC brought his head away from his knees at Jumin's voice, it sounded stern and… angry almost "I do not know what the hacker has told you, but you are doing good for the RFA. More good than you know"
"And what would that be…?" MC snickered, returning his head to his knees once more.
"To make a list would have been impractical but to say some recent ones they are as follow: You have brought Luciel out of his stupor of depression and got him to look actively for his brother in a safe manner, Since your visit to C&R Assistant Kang has been more motivated, getting her work done quicker to chat with you on the messenger, Zen, from what he had said on the messenger, has been practising more than usual after finding out you are his fan, he says he doesn't know which show of his you will see next so he wants all of them to be him at his best, and since I told her of you, Elizabeth 3rd had been purring in anticipation, she too wishes to meet you. That is a great feet if I must say"
"…I just wrote a list while saying those examples, do you wish for me to recite it? There are another 46 examples I can say"
MC laughed silently, his body shaking as he tried to be quiet "Text it to me…" He muttered, lifting his head. Tears were in his eyes as he smiled at the wall.
"Thanks for that Jumin… guess I just needed some encouragement" Sitting up, MC brushed away hair that had gotten in front of his eyes.
"You sound better, that's good" The line stayed silent for a minute before squeaking came through the phone "My apologies, Assistant Kang just informed me my father wants to speak with me about a new project…"
MC snickered at how tired Jumin sounded "I think Seven wants to talk to me also" Turning to the red head he saw him franticly pointing to himself while smiling "I hope your talk with Chairman Han goes well"
Jumin sighed "It will, but it seems I must remind him I am off work earlier than normal today to prepare for the party… The project will most likely be something his new girlfriend wanted, how annoying"
"Then- Oh, I forgot something" Asking for Seven to wait a minute, he turned back to the wall "Yoosung sent a text out to everyone asking if someone could tell you to call him, he apparently has been unable to reach you via both the messengers text and call functions. My guess is the place you're in has blocked all incoming foreign communications"
"That is all I had to say, return safe" Jumin ended the call on his end.
A while after the phone call with Jumin, Seven had gotten the door to the room open, much to their delight.
Stepping outside the building MC took a long breath, sighing with a smile as he released it "Ah… outside air…! The inside of that room smelt like sugar and salt, don't you agree?"
Turning to Seven, MC saw him preoccupied, looking around them suspiciously. He was still on alert.
After another minute of his vigilant searching, he relaxed "This way MC" He took a step forward, turning back to see if the brunette was following him. Seeing he was, he continued.
Reaching the tree line, they continued to run towards the red car they had arrived in.
Upon reach it Seven rested his arm on the side of the door "Sorry to ignore you back their MC" He turned to the man "I wasn't sure if we were in the clear yet, so I had to stay focused"
"It's alright, but… I think we missed Saeran" MC looked back at the Mint Eye building, the monstrosity it was only a ten-minute walk away from them.
Seven followed his gaze with disappointment, the feeling directed at himself "Yeah… I think so to, but I want to believe we'll find him again soon. Huh…?" He turned to something he saw from the corner of his eye "Tire marks…" Walking over to them he bent down to look at them better, running his fingers over the indents in the dirt.
"They're deep, someone must have driven off quickly" Seven turned to the sudden voice, MC was kneeling in front of the marks with him "Saeran doesn't have a car, I know that… doesn't even have a licence…"
Seven smiled, thankful that MC knew what he did to help him "Thank you for letting me know that, Saeran may have also gotten a ride, though there's not enough evidence to abandon everything and follow them" He stood up "I think we should get somewhere safe first, MC. Let's get in the car"
Turning towards the car, the two of them stopped as a new voice spoke.
"Luciel?"
MC was the first of them to turn to the new voice. The owner of the voice having bright blue hair and sunglasses, a buttoned up gray cardigan covering his body.
"V" MC stated, the single letter catching Seven's attention as he turned to the blue hair man as well.
Seeing Seven in all his donned red glory V sighed "Luciel, thank god, it's you…"
Without hesitating Seven took a step forward, now standing in front of MC while he glared at V. "What are you doing here?" He growled at the man.
V opened his mouth to speak but closed it soon after, unable to answer.
Taking a step back, forcing MC to step back as well, Seven balled his hands into fists "Don't try anything weird and answer me…! Why are you here?" Staring at V, he looked past his blackened sunglasses into his sky-blue eyes, his glare strengthened "Oh, I get it… you knew about this place, didn't you? I should have known, you're with them… Mint Eye, aren't you?"
From behind his sunglasses, V looked away from Seven and down towards the ground "I… know you won't believe anything I say now, to you, I betrayed your trust, so I don't expect you to accept my reason even if I were to tell you why I am here"
"MC!" The brunette turned to the angry red head, though unlike the last time he'd seen him mad, the anger wasn't directed at him "Get in the car! I don't trust this situation, it may be dangerous" Turning to V, seeing his sorrowful expression, MC didn't move. Standing still as he turned back to Seven.
"MC…" He spoke in a softer tone "Please… I don't want him to hurt you…" Despite Seven's pleading voice MC stood still.
"You don't need to raise your guard against me. I will never hurt you" MC and Seven had their attention recaught by the RFA's in question leader.
"You want me to believe that?" Seven's tone returned to its previous sharpness.
V took a step towards them but stopped as Seven raised an open hand towards him "Don't come near us, I'll make you regret it if you do"
"Luciel-"
Seven interrupted V "How did you know what was in that draw? Only Rika had access to the apartment…!"
Once again, V looked away from Seven and to the ground "I can't tell you that, Luciel… I'm sorry"
MC could only watch as Seven got increasingly angrier at his former friend. Seeing the red head's hands tighten onto themselves to be nearly white, his usual calming amber eyes narrowed to the point of looking shut made him sad and scared, bringing back memories of the first few days he was with him at the apartment. When that intense anger was directed at him…
"You said you didn't know what was inside, that you didn't even know the passcode to get in" Seven shook his head in disgust "You're the worst kind of person to lie with such an innocent face…"
"If you aren't gunna reveal the drawer, what about Saeran, my brother? Are you going to say what you did to him?! What did you tell him… he wouldn't even listen to me, just saying I was lying… why the hell does he think I'm a liar!"
In his rage Seven stepped forward, nails digging into his palms hard enough to leave bruises, or cause bleeding.
Seeing Seven pull back one of his arms, ready to punch, MC began to panic.
"Seven!"
Rushing forward MC pulled on Seven's raised arm, dragging him down. Releasing the tensed arm, he grabbed him by his shoulders, turning him towards him before wrapping his arms around him, holding the tensed arms down.
Seven struggled in MC's arms before realizing who was holding him. Stopping his struggling, Seven slowly relaxed into the hold he was in, closing his eyes as he focused on his breathing...
"I think you should go" MC whispered, facing V.
"Yes, I think that would be the best for him…" V looked from MC to the man shaking in his arms "But before I leave, I must tell you both something"
Hearing V speak, Seven tensed and tried to turn around but was stopped as MC tightened his hold just enough to have him stop. The brunette began running his hand over Seven's back.
MC stayed silent as he stared at V, the blue haired man taking that as a sign to speak. "I think I saw Saeran earlier"
Hearing that, Seven turned around before MC could stop him. Thankfully he didn't move away from the brunette, MC now switching to running his hands up and down Seven's arms while whispering calming mantras to him. 'It's alright', 'We're both calm', 'I'm here for you'.
With no one speaking, V continued.
"I was hidden so I couldn't see very well, but since you're here, Saeran must have been the one dragged away"
Seven took a deep breath, his eyes kept in a glare at V. "Who took him" Feeling his hands clench, MC continued to whisper to him until the they relaxed.
Looking away V shook his head "I didn't see who besides they wore a lot of brown"
"That helps me bunches…" Seven muttered, MC chuckling at the response.
"But they got into a car, it was a red one, very noticeable… it had a silver lining"
The description got Seven to perk up. Stepping away from MC, the brunette letting him this time, he brought him back to the tire marks "Red car, silver lining… I knew these marks were familiar; and the description of 'wore a lot of brown'…" He turned to look up at MC "We need to go, now"
"Do you know who took Saeran?" MC followed Seven back to their car.
"Yes, Vanderwood. I knew he would track my car when we started driving this morning, just didn't think he'd get here before we got out…" Sighing Seven ran a hand through his hair.
"He probably took him thinking he was me… MC, we have to go after him" The brunette nodded in agreement "But before we do… I think… it'll be a good idea to get somewhere safe, I… already chose somewhere so we'll head there" Looking up at the sky he noted the changing colors of blue to yellow.
Opening the door to his car Seven stepped inside, sitting down as he started the vehicle.
Standing in front of the open passenger door, MC looked to V who was still standing by the trees. Smiling he mouthed a thank you before getting inside the car.
It had been some time since they had left Mint Eye, a two-hour drive away into the forest lead them to the cabin both currently sat in; MC sat at the foot of a large bed while Seven was in a chair typing on his laptop.
Looking up from his phone for the seventh time that hour he stared at the working red head before looking back down, continuing to tap on his phone's screen when a notification appeared on it. A text message.
707
Are you going to continue peeking at me?
Once more he looked up to Seven, he saw the hacker smiling while turned towards him.
MC
You saw me… ^^
"Of course I did…" Surprised by the soft voice he froze as a hand moved his phone away from his line of sight. Glancing up, he saw a red shirt, raising his head higher, he spotted Seven standing in front of him. The standing red head being taller than his sitting, slouched body. "My eyes are always on you, and you only…"
MC felt his cheeks heat up at the sudden flirtatious behavior.
"Since we got here, all you've done is either look at your phone or me and… I have to admit-" Moving around to the side of the bed, Seven crawled on top, moving until he sat next he MC "-I like it when you look at me"
"When you look at me with your amazing blue eyes, they're always filled with such care and love" Reaching up, MC watched as Seven removed his gray framed glasses, setting them on a night stand next to the bed. "There they are…" He said softly, smiling again as MC blushed, his thumb trailing around the brunette's cheek.
Seven followed MCs eyes as they went to his laptop, it's dim glow being the only source of light in the cabin.
"I finished my work fast, it wasn't as hard as I thought. I did it quickly because…" Seven kept his smile as his cheeks turned red "I wanted to spend time with you… after we left the apartment, we hadn't spent any time… alone together, only… driving and running, nothing like this though"
Sitting in silence Seven moved his hand away from MCs face, running the back of his fingers down his arm, he stopped as he got to the hand, the brunette acting first and taking Seven's hand into his own.
"MC…" Seven was the one to look away for the first time that night "Yesterday night, at the apartment… you were doing something and…" Swallowing a lump in his throat Seven managed to turn back to his partner "And I was wondering if you wanted do that again… if we could… continue that"
MC smiled, finding the red heads bashfulness cute. But he knew what was being talked about, and to save Seven from passing out from embarrassment, he'd act. So, with his smile, he used his free hand and placed it on Seven's cheek, copying what the red head had done to him earlier by stroking his cheek with his thumb.
Bringing Seven towards him, MC could feel the heat given off through his hand as they drew closer.
"Luciel, just know that… if you want to kiss me, you don't have to ask…"
Knowing Seven understood him; he tilted his head, feeling their noses brush as their breath combined.
"Then… I won't draw this out anymore…" Shutting his eyes as Seven did, he closed the small gap between them. Their lips meeting.
As they touched, Seven immedietly released MCs hand, his arms going to his partners waist, but before he could grab MC, the brunette backed away ending their kiss, a smirk was on his face.
"You cheeky boy~" He chuckled, looking at Seven's arms which had froze just before touching him. The red head bringing them back to his sides with a sheepish smile.
Sitting back, MC rested his palms on the bedding behind him, leaning his body weight on his hands "It wasn't much but… how was it?" He watched as Seven's eyes looked down at his lips before meeting his eyes again.
"It…" Seven breath out, shifting towards him. "It leaves you wanting more…" Reaching out, Seven attempted to put both his hands on MCs waist, the brunette smirking instead of stopping him.
Not being stopped, Seven grabbed MC, the male chuckling as he watched him with an amused curiosity, having an idea of what might happen.
"You said I don't need to ask to kiss you, right?" Seven stopped moving, his smile disappearing. He still asked for permission despite knowing the answer.
"That is what I said. Yes."
A smirk replacing his vanished smile Seven wasted to time in shooting himself forward, his mouth hitting MCs without miss. The impact of the two connecting made MC fall onto his back, the hacker landing on top of him.
After the fall the two crawled onto the bed more, MC resting his head on pillows while continuing to lie on his back while Seven hovered over him.
Seven attempted to grab MCs wrists but failed, the brunette chuckling as he set his hands on the hacker's waist, drumming his fingers against the exposed skin his shirt left as it had fallen.
Taking his own glasses off, setting them near gray ones, Seven went back to MC once again. But instead of acting like MC thought, his expression softened as he rested his hands on the brunette's clothed chest.
"MC- Mel… Before… anything happens tonight, can I say something?" Seven watched MC nod, his head falling back into the pillows beneath him.
"I want to thank you again, genuinely, for sticking with me through everything I've put you through. If it wasn't for you… I wouldn't have known what happened to him, Saeran- wouldn't be traveling to save him…"
"Because of you… I actually want to do things with someone, once I started to imagine I… I couldn't stop myself from thinking about you. There are so many things I want to do with you, MC… small things like playing and laughing; to more grand, memorable things like simply being together or…" He laughed to himself, breaking eye contact briefly before turning back to him "I'll stop myself there…"
Taking a hand off MCs chest, he brushed stray brown hair out of the males' face, proceeding to comb his fingers through the locks as he continued talking.
"I have so many plans… but I don't want to tell you them, yet at least because… I'm afraid you'll get scared and run away, I'm deathly afraid something bad will happen to me and if I say them… even in death I'd feel horrible if they don't come true… that's why I'm afraid to tell you them. So for now, my dreams about our life will stay inside me"
Taking a deep breath Seven shut his eyes, feeling his heart rate increase. Opening his eyes, he bent towards MC, giving a small on his lips before returning to his previous position, a solemn smile on his face.
"Vanderwood took Saeran… we're not only going after him, but my entire agency and they're not a bunch to be taken lightly so that means… that tonight may be our last night on earth…. Or it could be the beginning of a new life, together"
"I honestly don't know what will happen tomorrow, but if this is our last night together… I just want to do one thing. I know I've already gotten more than I could ever had hoped by meeting you for, but can I… be a bit more selfish with you?" MC watched Seven face. He saw either hopeful desperation or content happiness, maybe a combination of the two, he couldn't tell. Nevertheless, he nodded, completely trusting Seven.
Seven chuckled, a small smile appearing from his lips "Thank you…"
"… I want to… leave evidence on you… that I existed"
Lowering himself, Seven brought himself to MCs neck. Giving the clear skin a kiss, his eyes closed as he proceeded to suck on the sensitive skin, excited by the quiet moan he got in response.
Taking his mouth off the spot Seven placed another kiss on the already reddening mark.
Moving up from there to his ear, placing small kisses along the way, he whispered "…I want to show my love for you, for us to experience each other more… for us to be connected, in a new way…"
Backing away he faced MC, cloudy blue eyes looking into amber ones. "Will you let me?"
"…Yes…"