Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“The reports have been strange is all I am saying…just something I think we need to keep an eye on. “ A tall man sighed, his gaze trained on the various screens flickering on the wall. He slightly adjusted the visor, making sure not to miss any of the information scrolling by with narrowed eyes.

”Well that’s why I have you, isn’t it? You know this stuff is beyond my understanding.”

”Is it, or do you just not care enough to actually pay attention.” This is met with a giggle from the lithe figure leaning over the desk.

”Oh Min min, you do know me so well.” With a groan the figure straightened up, stretching his arms above his head in a dramatic sign of tiredness. “My precious jewels have been demanding my attention more often lately, I simply can’t give them anything but my absolute attention.” He ran a hand through his pink curling hair, checking his reflection in the dingy small mirror on the wall.

The man with the visor groaned. “Yeah yeah, I know. It’s not like they would wither away and perish if their precious mother cared about something else for two seconds.” He craned his head to watch the other primping himself in the reflection. They sat in silence for a moment as he considered the other. “Have you heard from Hongjoong lately?”

This caused the man to pause in messing with his hair, lips pouted as he cut his gaze over to the other. “No. Not in a few weeks. It’s unfair Mingi, doesn’t he know the boys miss him?”

Mingi rolled his eyes in response. “You know it’s nothing personal hyung. He gets like this sometimes.” He reached up to awkwardly pat the pouting man on the back. “You’ll just have to go check in on him, make sure he’s actually eating something that isn’t a liquid for once.”

With that the man’s eyes lit up in excitement. “I can take him some food! He can’t turn the boys away if I come with an offering!”

Mingi flinches. “Don’t say it like that, Seonghwa… the god rumors are already out of control.”

Seonghwa giggled, his pink sub lights flickering in his joy, his voice light and dreamy. “He is a god, the most perfect being in the city.”

Mingi rolls his eyes again and turns back to his screens. “I guess we’re just lucky he doesn’t care enough to have an ego to match the rumors then.”

Before Seonghwa can respond, several voices sound out in the hallway of the small office that houses Mingi’s tech. Seonghwa instantly turns, recognizing the voices of his beloved jewels.

“Mamahwa! Yeosang is trying to scroll again without help!” The deep teasing voice of his oldest reaches them first. Felix was a beautiful young man, blond with freckles and bright blue eyes always full of curiosity. His clothing was light and fluttered behind him almost as if he walked on clouds. He was pulling another young man dressed similarly behind him, his long black wavy hair hiding his face from the view of the ones in the room.

Seonghwa hummed, welcoming them into his arms as he kissed each of them on the forehead, his pupils changing to the pink stars that signified his joy at seeing his boys. “What’s this about now Sangie, we’ve talked about this, haven’t we?” He tutted, running his nails through the younger boy's hair.

Yeosang was quiet for a moment, before hiding his face bashfully into Seonghwa’s shoulder. “I just wanted to look around some more…”

Felix snickered, whispering in a not so quiet way to Seonghwa. “He’s looking for Mr. handsome again.” Yeosang gently pushed his shoulder with a soft ‘tattle tale’ murmured as he blushed.

Seonghwa frowned, eyes narrowing as he looked down at his youngest for a moment. “Sangie…I’ve told you that is dangerous. Especially on your own. Right Mingi?”

The tech straightened, removing his visor to peer at the trio that took up most the room of his office. “Yeah, especially because you don’t have any hardware installed Yeosang… you got to have at least me there if you want to scroll anymore, alright?”

Yeosang nodded shyly, looking up into Seonghwa’s concerned gaze with what could only be described as a kicked puppy look. “I’m sorry mama…I just… I’m curious about him.”

Seonghwa cooed, running his fingers over the boy's puffed cheeks. “Of course you are my love, but we still want you to be safe. And besides, Mingi could help you find this mysterious handsome man from your dreams.”

Yeosang blushed, pulling back from the other’s smothering as Felix snickered quietly from his place tucked into Seonghwa’s other side.

“Well you two, I have plans to cook Joongie some food for tonight. Do you two want to help and maybe go see him?” The boys lit up at the offer, scrambling off to the kitchen on the other side of the complex without much more prodding. Seonghwa bid Mingi goodbye, waving off his warnings that they needed to talk again later about what he’s seen.

As Seonghwa made his way through the complex of the dollhouse Utopia, he greeted many in passing that were working diligently to keep the pristine reputation of the house impeccable. They were known as the highest class doll house in all of Neo-Seoul, giving the visitors a surreal and dreamlike experience while there. Each of his dolls was well taken care of and protected here, ranging in offerings of many different shapes and sizes.

Seonghwa prided himself in being known as the Widow of Utopia, the stern protector of his dolls. He was strict in his policies, and maintained peace and order around his most prized possessions, the two boys running ahead of him. They were bright lights in the darkness that surrounded life in the city, and he would do anything and everything to keep them safe.

His reputation was well known in the city, and everyone knew to stay away from the two boys if they valued their life. He gave them the best life possible, determined that the only two humans in all the city would never know suffering.

His thoughts are interrupted as he works with his two boys to prepare a delicious home cooked meal. It’s a rarity in the city outside the posh upper levels, and Seonghwa beams in pride as the two boys move seamlessly together to cook the wayward ripper doc a meal fit for a king. As they pack up the food, Seonghwa takes the time to write little notes of affection to hide away in the many containers, the boys teasing him all the while and making the elder blush in his shyness.

“Appa Joong is going to get annoyed with you if you keep doing that.” Felix giggled, watching Seonghwa draw several little hearts over his message.

Seonghwa tutted. “He just needs some reminding about who he keeps neglecting when he’s tied up in all his research.” Neither boy points out how the phrase comes out a bit more vulnerable than the man intended.

Yeosang hums. “Maybe…we just visit him more often then.”

Seonghwa is silent in consideration as they finish packing up the food. “Perhaps. He never leaves that lair of his…” He murmurs, gaze far away for a moment before shaking it off and giving the boys a beaming smile. “In any case, let’s get going so we can be back before night falls.” They nod and follow him back to their rooms. Each of them grab thick cloaks with large hoods that drop a veil down to hide their faces from outside gazes. Seonghwa insisted anytime they leave that they hide their identities, all to ensure their safety.

They then make their way with the food outside to where Seonghwa had called their driver. A tall man waits to take their things from them, carefully packing them into the waiting hotbox in the trunk of the car. “Good afternoon you three. Off to see The Captain?”

Felix nodded excitedly, opening the door so Yeosang could crawl in first. “Yes we are, Soobin, thank you for taking us!”

Soobin laughed as he took Seonghwa’s hand and helped him into the seat opposite the boys. “I told you that you don’t have to thank me for that. It’s literally my job.”

Seonghwa smiled fondly as the two boys bantered back and forth with their driver on the way further deep into the city. His mind wandered again, watching the flashing lights go by of the city bursting with life, both good and bad. He sees more and more groups of shady individuals as they dive deeper, but pays them no mind. He had told Hongjoong several times that he could move his lab closer to Utopia anytime. Money wasn’t an issue for the Widow, but the other always brushed him off.

“I need the space here Hwa. Away from all the nonsense on the surface.”

”It’s so dark though Joongie…and the boys miss you. It’s hard to get them safely here to see you.”

The shorter man scoffed. “Then don’t bring them. Keep them where it’s safe.”

“But…”

The memory fades with the opening of the door, Felix and Yeosang already waiting for him on the curb outside. He takes Soobin’s hand with a distracted smile, helping the boys to unload the food. They were dropped off at a seemingly abandoned building, but the boys moved ahead of him after bidding Soobin goodbye. They were comfortable as they entered the crumbling structure, giggling and talking amongst themselves as they maneuvered around the rubble.

Once they reach a blank wall they stop, waiting on Seonghwa to catch up to them. The elder smiles again at them before looking around, doing a scan of the area for any other living life forms. As usual there are none, but he wants to be sure regardless. It was part of the deal for him having access to the god of Neo Seoul’s lair.

Once he is sure it is clear, he sets the food down for a moment and steps up to the wall while pulling down his hood. There is a whirling from above as a small scanner lifts from the wall and runs a deep green light over Seonghwa’s body, beeping quietly before retreating once more. There is a hiss of air as the wall parts, showing a hidden elevator that is in much better condition than the rest of the structure. Seonghwa waits for the two boys to shuffle in before following, the elevator closing and beginning its rapid descent downwards.

It finally comes to a rest with another hiss, the doors opening to a long dimly lit hallway. Yeosang hesitates as the other two exit, nervous about the dark expanse ahead of them. Seonghwa frowns at the dim lights, gently pulling Yeosang to his side as they move forward. “I’ve told Joongie several times about these lights…”

The young boy shakes his head. “It’s ok…he has a lot on his plate to worry about.” Seonghwa only frowns further, unhappy with the boy's concession.

Felix skips ahead, cherrily waving at an unmoving small robot bird that sits up in a collapsed tile of the ceiling, its soft glowing green eyes watching their movement. “Appa, we’re here!” He calls up to the mechanical bird, but it does not move. Felix rolls his eyes and moves ahead, the other two following behind him steadily as they come to a set of stairs. There are several narrow hallways at the bottom, and the three take the 4th one from the left. Felix continues his musing as they move further in. “I understand he has the need for security…but couldn’t he build us a special family only elevator that takes us straight to him.”

Yeosang softly snorts from where he remains pressed against Seonghwa as they move deeper into the underground complex. “If he did that, then people could just break in through the shaft and find him easier.”

“They’d be dead before then.” Felix giggled, swinging the bags joyfully as they turned into another set of stairs with another door that scanned Seonghwa before letting them in. The three enter into a cramped tunnel for several feet before pausing, each closing their eyes as steam blasts at them from all sides. Yeosang and Felix cough as it clears, Seonghwa unbothered as vents open on the side of his neck to filter out the smoke. Finally the last door opens, and they are able to walk into a giant open space that is packed on all walls with tech acquired over many years. There is a pseudo skylight towering way above them, installed at Seonghwa’s insistence that there be some form of ‘natural’ light in the lair.

They pick their way over across the room, Felix and Yeosang looking up at the tall platform set on one side of the room that they are normally able to find the elusive ripper doc working on. They spot him hunched over a desk, and call up joyfully to him.

Hongjoong jumps at their voices, turning and lifting the heavy helmet which protected his face from the chemicals on the table behind him. His one human eye squints down at them uselessly before one of the golden mechanical birds that had been stationary above swoops into life and down towards the visitors. Once it surveys them a lift begins to lower, and the boys run to it giggling as Seonghwa follows steadily behind them. He is surveying the towering piles of abandoned projects in the area, already forming a list of cleaning that needs doing before Hongjoong somehow is crushed beneath them.

The platform brings them up, with Seonghwa telling the two not to go near whatever the other man is working on at the table. They chorus their agreement before launching forward and babbling both at once at the frowning doc. His black and blond hair is pulled up tight, leaving his one eye to sharply glance at Seonghwa who ignores him to begin cleaning off a table that is full of discarded liquid food pouches. Just like Mingi had predicted.

“To what do I owe the…pleasure of this visit.” Hongjoong groused roughly, setting aside his tools and picking up the cane resting against the table to limp over to where Seonghwa continued to ignore him. The boys followed, twittering about the two as the smell of the delicious food flooded the area, overpowering the stale air and chemicals that lay about.

“The boys and I decided to bring you something to eat Joongie, you’ve got to have something delicious every now and then.” Seonghwa arranged everything and had each of the boys sit as Hongjoong continued to frown at the taller man. “Now sit and eat with us.”

“I don’t have time for this Seonghwa… I can’t have you three coming in here everyday to jus-”

Seonghwa narrowed his gaze and scowled at the other, interrupting him coldly. “It’s been six weeks Hongjoong.”

The Ripper Doc fell silent, eye widened slightly in shock. He nodded slowly, sinking down into the chair with a quiet puff of steam when Seonghwa gestured again. He murmured a quiet thanks before digging in, unable to stop once he took his first bite. Seonghwa smiled fondly, the boys beginning to eat as well. They babbled about their last few weeks to the Doc, telling him about the visitors to the Dollhouse that had caught their attention as he nodded along absently to their chatter.

“And he’s always lingering but never says anything! I saw him on the cameras when Mingi was watching him.”

“He definitely is into Mama Hwa! Everytime you walk by, his eyes get really big and he can’t look away from you.”

Seonghwa chuckles, demurely holding a hand over his mouth as he smiles. “Nonsense you two. He’s just aware of who I am, nothing more.”

“No way, I can tell he’s in awe of your beauty! I bet if you talked to him, he would melt on the spot.” Felix grins, cheeks full of food as he beams at Seonghwa across the table.

Seonghwa hums in contemplation as he finishes chewing. “Hmm.. he’s never requested me or any of my brain dances… Perhaps I will say something to him next time he stops by.”

Hongjoong frowns once more, stabbing into a piece of meat a bit more viciously than before. Yeosang and Felix fall silent at the move and Seonghwa clicks his tongue at the grumpy Doc. “Be careful Joongie, the boys worked really hard on that.”

“Have I eaten enough to satisfy your requirements? I’d like to resume my work here.” Is the reply, the boys sharing a small look.

“No you haven’t. Clear three dishes and I’ll consider releasing you.” Seonghwa lightly responded, turning back to the boys to have them continue their stories. Hongjoong scowled at Seonghwa for several long moments, making the boys nervous as they slowly began talking again.

“Well…it’s been awhile since Wooyoung visited… We thought maybe we could ask him to come by after his next tour finishes.” Yeosang quietly mentions as Felix reaches over to hold his hand.

“Yeah! Him and Binny have been crazy busy, so we thought they could come and relax with us for a bit.” Felix grouses as he gives Yeosang a small smile in support.

Now it was Seonghwa’s turn to frown. He was very protective of his two boys. They were the only humans in all the city - and to some that was a highly sought after prize worth killing for. He never wanted them to experience the horrors the city had to offer, and thus had kept them confined to the large complex of Utopia and the occasional trip here to Hongjoong’s lair. They were the most protected areas in the city thanks to the brilliant cyber work of the Ripper Doc. No one would dare challenge his security systems, no matter the prize.

Over the years the two boys had run into the famous starlet Wooyoung, who had come to Utopia seeking the whereabouts of the famous Ripper Doc that was a legend in the city. He insisted that he needed cyber upgrades that were too complex for just any other Ripper, he needed the best. And he had the money to get it, the only problem was finding the elusive man. Seonghwa had rebuffed him over several weeks, stalwart in maintaining the secrecy that Hongjoong demanded of the few he allowed into his life. But once Wooyoung had come across the brothers and befriended them, it was essentially a matter of time until he rallied them to his side. Which in turn broke down Seonghwa’s walls and eventually brought their case to Hongjoong.

Initially he shut down the request, and it was several more weeks and a near banishment of everyone from his lair, before the gruff Ripper Doc gave in to at least talk to the singer. The money Wooyoung ‘donated’ to Utopia was enough that Seonghwa could shut it down for a week for the staff to spend time with their families. So in the end he couldn’t complain too much. Aside from the silent treatment he received from Hongjoong for the next six months.

When Wooyoung was finally allowed to meet Hongjoong, in an area far from his lair, he eventually convinced the man to take on his requests. He stated that they were one of a kind, no one else had been able to even attempt what he wanted. That intrigued the Ripper Doc and over the course of two months the job was done. Wooyoung walked away with the first successfully fully integrated pair of feline enhancements, complete with a functioning tail and two black elegant ears atop his head. Each ran seamlessly into his body, seeming to have been there since birth. There were several other cyber enhancements which would help him maintain his performance abilities, giving him far more stamina than anyone else in his field and increasing the gap in his talent with others in the city. He would be unstoppable in his rise to stardom, and he was.

The next two years Wooyoung dominated every chart possible, his name spoken with awe and reverence on every lip. The god of Neo-Seoul had blessed him, and his name was legendary in the city. Throughout the years he never forgot about the jewels who helped him, and visited the two brothers often bringing gifts from the world to them. He never agreed with their isolation, and complained often to Seonghwa that they should be allowed out and to live their lives freely. This had caused him to be kicked out more than once by the irate Widow of Utopia.

“I don’t know boys… he isn’t really respectful of our rules while he is here.”

Hongjoong grunted, steam whirling as he continued to eat in silence. Seonghwa rolled his eyes, even as the heart image flickered in them when he saw how much Hongjoong had eaten.

Yeosang and Felix shared a glance before both turning the full force of their pleading eyes on Seonghwa. “Please Mama Hwa, we will tell him to mind his manners.”

“Binny will make sure he’s on his best behavior after last time!” Both boys flinch when Seonghwa scowls further on the memory, and Yeosang hits Felix on the shoulder in reprimand for bringing up the incident.

“I should certainly hope he will be. He will get one more chance, but that’s it.” The boys shifted, knowing there was more coming. “And Changbin has to stay with the three of you at all times. He’s the only voice of reason when you are together.” The boys cheered, drawing a snarl from Hongjoong at the noise.

Seonghwa smiled at them. “Why don’t you two go downstairs and sort through some of that mess. You know what to keep by now. Let me talk with Joongie for a bit.” They both stood, bowing politely to Hongjoong and giving Seonghwa a kiss on each cheek before bounding off to the lift and the mess below.

Seonghwa stood and began organizing the leftovers, ignoring the gaze that looked him over as efficiently as any scanning device would. “We made enough that you’ll have leftovers for at least the rest of this week. I can put off our next visit till the end of next week, but I won’t let you push us out that long again Joongie.”

“Hwa…” The raspy voice of the Doc was soft as he watched Seonghwa move about.

“And it’s seriously a hazard in here, any of this could collapse on you and we wouldn’t know. What if there was a fire?”

“Hwa.” A bit firmer this time.

“I don’t want the boys worrying about you when you go silent. It’s always a gamble every time we come if you’ll even be upright enough as it is.”

Hongjoong reaches out to gently grasp the taller’s wrist in his hand that was still made of flesh and bone.

“Hwa…how is the poison doing…It’s been too long since we last looked at it. We should-”

Seonghwa stiffened. “It’s been too long since you cared enough to even remember, you mean.” He hissed, pulling his wrist from his grasp to pack away the last of the food. Hongjoong frowned at his words, continuing to study him. Seonghwa set the containers into the nearby cooling bin, shoulders slumping as he sighed. “Just do your scans Joongie. So that you can get back to your work.”

Hongjoong remained silent, only the sounds from the boys shifting metal below filling the atrium as Seonghwa took his place next to a large machine that Hongjoong patiently hooked him up to.

The machines whirled to life, beeping and going about its work under the guidance of Hongjoong. He was contemplative as he studied the screens, reaching out to adjust things as they came. They both sit in silence as he works, Seonghwa’s eyes dim as he retreats into his own thoughts.

Hongjoong grumbles under his breath as he makes the adjustments, seemingly displeased with what he saw. It takes far longer than normal as he continues working, eventually turning to run his finger gently down Seonghwa’s neck to the plate at the front. Seonghwa tilts his head up, but keeps his gaze averted as Hongjoong opens his throat panel to observe the intricate cyber ware there.

He notices that the vials where the internal poison that Seonghwa houses is far lower than it had been before. He checks for leaks, eye scrunched in concern as he evaluates that there is nothing wrong with the storage of the liquid. “You’ve been using this more.”

Seonghwa pouts his lips a bit. “Or maybe it’s just been so long I’ve run low.” Hongjoong levels him with an unimpressed stare. Seonghwa frowned. “I have work to do. I can’t exactly deny clients. Not with the boys to take care of.”

There is silence as Hongjoong continues to work, the frown ever present as he refills the vials. The air between them is heavy now. Hongjoong finishes and closes the panel on Seonghwa’s neck, his fingers lingering for a moment. “I’m…. Sorry Hwa.” He gently stroked the bit of skin at the side of the panel. “I’ll try…and do better for you. I’ll run protocols so I don’t forget again.”

Seonghwa’s eyes whirled to life, the pupil shaping into a heart as he flushed happily. “Will you Joongie? For us?”

Hongjoong snatched his hand back as if burned, turning and removing Seonghwa from the machine. “It’s just to make sure your levels stay safe. That’s all.”

Seonghwa coos at him, hands clutch to his own chest as he kicks his legs a bit in happiness. “Of course Joongie, that’s all it is.”

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

”I’ve told you one hundred times, if you keep hanging around there they are going to get suspicious.”

“Ugh, I just need like five minutes with him. That’s all.”

The man leaning over the counter snorted as he brushed his fingers over the arched mechanical cat’s back. “You can’t afford that, not on our salary.”

“Minho, I'm being serious here.” The man threw himself down into one of the plush chairs in the cafe, groaning and kicking his feet out petulantly. “I just need to see exactly what tech he has on him. It’s got to be the best in the city, I just know it.”

Minho rolled his eyes, picking up the cat which mewled softly as it settled into his arms. “We already have the best tech here. Just let it go before you bring unwanted attention that we do NOT need. I’m serious Jisung. Drop it.”

The brunette pouted harder at his words, seeming to search for a reason to argue further when the doorbell chimed out through the cafe, announcing the arrival of the newest hire.

“Oh Jeongie, just in time. I have a pick up that needs to be done.” Minho flashed a rare smile at the younger man, standing up to grab an envelope from under the counter.

The man flashed a brilliant smile back that lit up his whole face, nodding eagerly. “Oh course Minho-ssi, no problem. I can leave right now if that’s ok with you? Where is it at?”

Minho handed him the envelope, side eyeing his pouting husband Jisung before leaning closer to Jeongin to whisper quietly. “Pick up is at Utopia, please give that to him when you get what he has.” Jeongin’s eyes widened, brushing back his shaggy brown and pink hair to better sneak a peek at the still pouting Jisung.

“Why is it a secret from Jisung-ssi? Is he in trouble?”

“He will be. If he doesn’t listen to me.” Minho groused while going back behind the counter, a ringing phone catching his attention. Jisung eyed Jeongin suspiciously.

“He just told you to go to Utopia, didn’t he?”

Jeongin flushed, not really wanting to lie to Jisung but knowing that Minho was far scarier when upset. “Umm…well. Maybe..?”

Jisung jumped up, a disarming smile on his face. “Oh cool. I can go with you over there, it’s no problem. We can take my car.”

Before Jeongin had to answer, Minho’s unimpressed voice cut through. “No, you are staying here. I have to run out now.” He sounded annoyed, which had Jisung backing down and nodding, morose. “Get going Jeongin, I’ll need you back as soon as you are able for the lunch rush. I may not be back in time.”

The younger man nodded eagerly, bowing and leaving the cafe to run the errand. Jisung watched Minho grab a jacket and his keys, frown deepening.

“Is it Chan again?”

Minho nodded. “Said it’s urgent. Something is happening on the southside that he can’t figure out. I’ll be back when I can.” Without waiting for a reply he was gone, and Jisung was left with two sets of feline eyes trailing after his movements as he fell dramatically across the counter.

“Ugh, and I get stuck here without even a goodbye kiss. Preem.”

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

The screams echoed off the alley walls, causing the two feline ears on Minho’s head to flatten as he made his way closer to the source. There are a few others in the alley, and they part to make way for him as he comes to stand next to a broad man who sighs, brushing a hand back through his blue hair as he stares down at the screaming woman.

“How long has she been like this?” Minho inquires, eyes scanning her and pulling whatever diagnostics he could.

The man glances at him before looking at one of the others who stands stiffly by the wall. He gestures. “Tell him what you told me.”

“She was fine last night, we did our rounds to our usual spot- over off Waco and Rivian. Nothing unusual, same dancers and wait staff. We drank the same shit as always, ate the same food. Nothing was wrong. Scrolled a few BDs then called it a night.” The guy winced as she let out another throat melting scream. “Then this mornin’ Harin was woozy and sayin’ she could still come out on patrol but then just…collapsed. If we hadn’t stopped her she’d have scratched her own damn face off.”

Minho noted how she had been restrained but was thrashing in pain, as if she were on fire and couldn’t put it out. He knelt down, switching off his hearing to be able to focus on observing her closely. He sees her eyes are bloodshot, veins black trailing down her throat and disappearing beneath her collar. He frowns, reaching out to grasp her chin and see that she is unable to focus. She does not see him. He stands once more, turning away and walking back out the alley - the large man at his side.

“Looks like she’s losing her damn mind Minho. Like her insides are killing her and there is no stopping it.”

“The chrome she has is turning on her.”

“What?” The man stops, so Minho does as well. They are far enough away they can hear one another over the screams.

Minho sighs. “The scan showed that the system isn’t responding to her neurons. It’s attacking her human brain like it is a virus.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah.”

They both stand in silence, and soon her screams lessen more and more until silence descends. There’s murmuring in the alley, then one of the men calls out to them. “She’s..she’s dead.”

Minho closes his eyes as the other curses again. “That’s the fifth one zeroed in the last few months. Each one is the same. It’s biz as normal, until suddenly it’s not. We just never caught one this early before. The one before her was even a bennie. The fuck is going on here Minho?”

“I don’t know Chan. Right now if I had to guess, it’s something going wrong in the chrome. But I can’t be sure. None of the others from last night have any symptoms, so it couldn’t have been the food or drink they had.”

“So you’re saying it could be any chromed bourgy out here? How are we supposed to stop that?”

Mingo frowned as he looked down the alley. “I need to see if it is happening in any other part of the city. If it’s something just in our territory, then it could be an attack.”

Chan sighed. “Alright. What do you need from me?” They both stepped aside as the men moved between them carrying the body out to a waiting van.

“Keep the others calm. Everyone keeps their heads down and no more going out besides for patrols. I want each business in our area inspected and questioned. Any outsiders reported. I’ll go see what I can find out.”

Chan nodded, already typing away at the consol on his arm before smiling. “Keep talkin’ like that and people might think you are the one in charge here.”

Minho rolled his eyes. “It’s because I am, leadhead. Get going.” Chan laughed, waving him off as he hopped into the van and soon Minho was left alone. He frowned down at the alley, where black oil mixed with blood being the only sign someone’s life had been lost there. Without another sound he turned, jumping on the nondescript bike and speeding off into the streets of Neo-Seoul.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

“Yo Hotteok. You heard back from those boys doing kibble?”

A tall man sat up from the console he was bent over for the better part of the last hour. He grimaced as his spine tech clicked into place. “Nah, you know they only got the one speed.” He ran a hand through his shaggy hair, letting it tangle in the longer strands in the back. He was starting to feel the strain on his eyes from the screen light, and his legs were certainly starting to complain from the cramped position he had been holding for way too long.

“I am fuckin’ starvin’ man, I’ll be rusted before they get back.”

He tuned the other out as he complained, turning to his phone with a frown. It had been awhile since the others had gone out for food, even with their habit of meandering they should have been back by now. With the press of a few buttons the line was ringing and he brought it up to his ear, finger tapping on his thigh as he waited out the chimes.

The line went silent. Both men paused, the other falling silent to turn and look at him as he set the phone down.

“Well. Fuck.”

There were very few rules in their group, and not answering a call from the core was something only done if the one being called was compromised. Or dead. Neither really ideal with how things have been lately.

“I’ll go, you let the others know.” The burly man nodded, pulling his own phone out as Hotteok stood and moved out of the room towards the grimy garage that their limited pick of rides rusted away. He picked the most nondescript bike they had, hopping on and speeding out into the night. Something was wrong, and he would be damned that his nearly two years worth of work on the streets would be compromised by some low tier cronies messing around.

His real name was Jeong Yunho, and he was an undercover cop tasked with infiltrating the organizations responsible for the illegal import of firearms into the city. It had been difficult for him to get this far, earning the questionable trust of the lowest of low in the city’s underbelly. He’d done and said things a younger him would have cried over, but none of that mattered now as he knew he was so close to finding the rather brilliant coordinator of every major arms purchase that happened in the night.

The person was so precise and exact with how they moved between the different criminal factions that it was frustrating trying to pinpoint where or who they were. Yunho grit his teeth as he took sharp turns, knowing better than to run into any of the police patrols that had increased in the last few months.

He’d heard the rumors of people dropping like flies, being burned from the inside out by some unknown force or poison. He was frustrated no one looked into the rumors surrounding that cursed Widow at Utopia, he just knew that if there was poison involved, it was because of him.

But that was above his pay grade apparently, so he turned his attention back to the matter at hand, and that was the grimy store front he came to a stop at. He kept his gaze trained on the door, already noting that the street was far too quiet for the time of day. This was the hub of food for the poor people that called this part of the city home. It should be packed, yet there were few who mingled in the street.

Yunho pushed the door open, ducking down into the small shop that was their preferred option for food. It was empty aside from the elderly owner, who flinched as he came up to the small register staring them down. “Evening Kim-ssi. I’m looking for my chooms, the two young guys. You seen em?”

The old man hunched down, avoiding eye contact. “I’m sorry H-hotteok-nim. I …”

Yunho’s eyes narrowed, taking in the elder’s demeanor. “Where are they?”

“I’m sorry. I was told to say nothing. Please…. I can’t…” The old man held his hands in front of him, voice breaking. Yunho’s gaze softened slightly, although he kept his guard up.

“Outside?”

The old man nodded, face falling into his hands. Yunho didn’t wait around, turning and stepping outside. He was not surprised to see the black beat up car that waited for him. He scowled, giving one head shake before hopping back onto his bike, taking off knowing that the car would be close behind. Nearly thirty minutes of weaving through the city streets and they were on the outskirts of the city, nearly abandoned by anyone with half a brain.

As he got off the bike, he tensed, the car coming to a stop in front of him. The headlights blinded him, but he knew better than to close his eyes ever for a second. He watched as the driver stepped out, looking around before opening the back door.

A young man stepped out, straightening the bit of fur on his shoulder as he took in Yunho’s appearance. He waved off the driver, who got back into the car as he came around to the front to stand feet from where Yunho stood with his arms crossed.

“Do you have any idea how stupid this is? I’ve sunk two damned years for this, and you coming out like this is going to blow it all to hell, never mind me getting out of it alive.” Yunho growled, eyes taking in the sharp gaze of the other. “The hell is so important to do all this Jongho?”

The man tilted his head, not responding immediately to his outburst. After a moment he shifted, reaching into his pocket to pull out a data chip, tossing it to Yunho who caught it but still stared him down. “There have been over 300 cases of people losing their lives to malfunctioning chrome in the city in the last two months.”

Yunho finally broke out of his scowl, eyes widening slightly. He had no idea it had escalated that much. Being cut off from the flow of intel at headquarters didn’t really lend itself to being in the loop. He didn’t say anything, knowing Jongho would have more to say.

“Thirteen of those people have been from prominent families, families that hold weight in this city. One of them was my cousin. Now the right people are paying attention, and it’s becoming a…concern.” Jongho said the word with some distaste. “Hyung is stressed enough as it is, so of course, this is now also my concern.”

“And what does this have to do with me and all the damn guns I’m tracking down.” Yunho snipped out, already feeling a headache creeping on at the implication of everything.

“You are to work this new case alongside your current one. I have reason to believe that they may very well be connected. The elusive coordinator you are closing in on may also be dealing in BDs. I need to know who they are.”

Yunho blinked at him in confusion. “Brain dances? What does … ok wait. You think all these deaths in the city are because of what? Corrupted Brain dances? Is that even possible?”

Jongho nodded, shifting his weight and pointing to the data drive he had tossed. “The reports I’ve put together will explain it in more detail, but I’ve been able to pinpoint in all thirteen of the high profile deaths that the party in question scrolled through very similar brain dances before they died. Now the police haven’t figured out how or why - but it is too much of a coincidence to not be related. I’ve looked into a few of the less important deaths, and it’s possible that they too scrolled similar BDs before death. Not much was gathered from their scenes, but it is what it is.”

Yunho looked down at the drive. “The…the BD isn’t on here, is it?”

Jongho snorted softly. “Of course not. I’ve kept the ones I’ve managed to get my hands on and they are being analyzed now.”

“So we don’t know what’s on them?”

Jongho paused then, gaze contemplative as he looked up to the night sky, seeing the lone star that could cut through the smog of the city. He hummed softly. “An angel. That’s all they would say.”

“Well fuck me then.” Yunho sighed, pocketing the drive. “Not a lot to go on. But word has even reached me about how people are being zeroed for no reason and from out of nowhere. I’ll look into it from my end. But I swear Jongho, don’t do this again. We got lucky, but next time won’t work for either of us.”

Jongho’s lip curled into a half smile. “Then perhaps you should answer your messages sometimes, would keep a guy from having to come all the way down here to see you. I’m very busy, you know.”

Yunho tried to maintain his scowl, but the other was rather hard to remain mad at with his boyish looks. “I literally checked them this morning. You know I can only do it so often. Every-”

“Three days, yes I know. This is a bit time sensitive. There’s a lead on there for your elusive coordinator.”

“What?! Why didn’t you lead with that?” Yunho flexed his fingers, resisting the urge to shake the other.

“I wouldn’t be a good story teller if I led with the best part. Have a good night Hotteok.” Jongho nodded, turning swiftly around and soon the car was zooming off into the night leaving Yunho there gaping at red lights before being left in the dark once more.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

It’s been years since San has seen his father in such a state of stress. In fact, if he took the time to really reflect, there hadn’t been a particular instance that could compare to his father’s state now. San’s golden gaze followed the movements of the elder, one hand slowly petting down the overlarge cybernetic feline at his side.

Things had been escalating around the city. What started as a barely noticeable decline in the less than valued members in the lower levels had now escalated to taking out people who were in positions of prominence and power. Personally San would have started the investigation in earnest when the initial numbers had reached the double digits, but his father and those like him weren’t known to be benevolent with their resources.

Even now, the most powerful leaders of the city were gathered here in his family's board room, arguing exactly how much they should dedicate to tracking down this silent killer. Those personally affected were affronted that the others wouldn’t be jumping at the bit to give more effort, while raised voices argued that this shouldn’t even be something they sponsor - the city’s police force should be more than capable.

“Jongho has already started mobilizing what resources my family has to get to the bottom of this travesty. I can assure you that he is very good at digging into the secrets the dregs cling to.” His father’s voice cut through the arguing, bringing silence to the room at long last.

One of the women scoffed, her eyes red and her entire body seemingly weighed down in her grief. “You’ll have to forgive me Choi-nim, if I’m not exactly comforted by the justice for my daughter’s life lying in the hands of one so young.”

The Choi elder nodded in sympathy as he sat back in his chair. “It is understandable for you to feel that way. But I am assured that he already has a good lead, and is in fact out there right now following up on it. When he has substantial answers, he will hand over the information directly to the police. I’ve been assured by the chief herself that they will bring the full force available in the city down upon those responsible.”

“It’s those blasted Stray bastards! The yono running them is the one who has done this to us! They are always in our way and trying to take what is ours.” An older man slammed his fist on the table, trembling in his outrage. “We don’t need to be wasting our time poking around and chasing shadows. One swift raid on their district and we can be done with all this! No more lives lost, no more money wasted!”

San closed his eyes at the onslaught of raised voices, several demanding explanations on the monetary cost of the lives of their loved ones while others argued that an entire district would interrupt the supply line of the city. He bit back the sigh that sat in his chest, deciding that now was as good a time as any to check in with his younger brother. He’d seen his message that he was back and down in the Netrunners quarters that were examining the suspicious BDs.

He stood, exchanging a nod with his father as he quietly left, his feline familiar at his side. It was constructed many years ago and had been one of the few constants in his life. Initially it was made as a bodyguard when he was younger, but as he grew and trained in self defense, it was now more of a fail safe should someone or something catch him off guard. And if he were honest, it was the closest thing he had to a friend in the cold corporate world he was raised in. Sleek black and white with golden light accents that matched his own, San could not have asked for a better companion. And if he secretly named it Byeol, well no one had to know that.

He patiently passed through each security scanner as he went lower into the Choi Corporation Facility, mind quiet as he nodded politely to the workers and guards that shuffled around. No one dared approach him, either from intimidation of his status or the warning glow of his companion, San wasn’t sure. But it did lead to a rather lonely life for the elder Choi son. At 28 he knew that soon he would be expected to take more and more responsibility for the company, and essentially lead the entirety of the city of Neo Seoul. A heavy burden that he’d seen eat away at the spirit of his own father, and claim the life of his grandmother before him. One he was set on bearing but not without some regret.

But there was not time for that now, not with the crisis that was threatening more and more people within the city. Most of the upper echelons may not care what happens to the everyday person in the city, but San considered each and every one of them his responsibility.

With this in mind he stepped into the labs, gaze landing easily on his brother who towered over the netrunners down in their stands. He could tell from the younger’s posture that whatever he was looking at intrigued him, so San stepped up , careful to avoid the wires on the floor as he took in the information on the screens.

“Have you been able to pull anything from them?” San inquired in a low voice, gaze flicking down to the netrunners who did not acknowledge his presence.

Jongho hummed, head tilted as his gaze swept rapidly through the code. “The same as the others. Definitely made here in the city. But their exact origin is harder to say for sure. It could be a dollhouse , or perhaps a more… illicit source…but..” He tapered off, eyes landing on a particular piece of data. San glanced at him, curious.

“You don’t think so?”

“No. I don’t. Because of this right here.” Jongho reaches forward, hands pulling the line of code out and enlarging it. “I’ve seen this several times. It’s embedded in every single BD we’ve found. Even in some that are unrelated to the deaths.”

San squinted at the code, watching as his auto translator brought it into his understanding. “Be the light, O Angel of Halazia….?”

“Angel. Over and over again, an angel is the common theme.” Jongho murmurs, fingers running over the word.

San stared at him for a moment. “You … you are not scrolling these BDs, Jongho. You’ve seen what they can do.” He is met only with a contemplative hum. “I am serious Jongho. I will forbid it if I have to.”

“What could an angel have to do with these terrible deaths…” Jongho seems to ignore his brother, before shaking his head. “In any case, I have someone on the street looking into the source. With any luck, we will be able to narrow it down to at least the district.”

San nodded slowly, before turning back to the screen of code once more. “Father wants to proceed with the Gala in two months. If we could somehow have this resolved by then… Ah.” San hesitates, looking over at Jongho. “This is a lot to ask of you Jongie… I am sorry this has to fall to you.”

Jongho regards him warmly, reaching out to rest a heavy hand on his shoulder. “You worry too much Hyung. Let me deal with this, I will have some news soon.”

San nods, reaching up to rest a hand over Jongho’s and offer a squeeze. “I know I can count on you. Please let me know if there is anything you need to get this done.” As the younger nods an aide enters, bowing low to the two.

“I am so sorry for the interruption San-nim. You are needed in the boardroom once more.”

San sighs. “Any chance it’s just father left in there now Seungmin?”

The young man fights back a smile, shaking his head. “I’m afraid not. The whole council still awaits your humble presence once more.” The young man was San’s newest hire, an aide to help maintain his schedule as the hectic world demanded more and more of him. He was young but highly capable of filling the position. His easy going but serious nature was a real plus to San, and he was secretly happy that he had someone besides Jongho that he could speak casually with when alone.

San took a few seconds to steal himself, finding his center of calm once more. “Very well. Seems my break is over. I’ll try and see you at dinner tonight Jongho…unless?” He gives one quick hopeful glance at Seungmin.

Seungmin gave him a pitying look. “Meetings all the way up till 6pm.” San bites back a groan, leaving the room with sagging shoulders.

“The worst part is nothing will even get done in the meetings…” San’s voice fades out as he leaves, Seungmin right behind him.

Jongho chuckles lightly at him, turning back to the screens. If he could do anything to relieve his brother’s burden, he would see it done.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Chapter Text

At first it was dark, the details of the environment hard to make out. There was a light at the far end of the alley, and trash all around where he lay. With a groan he was lifted from the ground, his blurry vision clearing slightly to take in the form that towered above him. Silver eyes glared down coldly at him, devoid of any emotion aside from absolute disdain.

No words were said to him, but just the look from the other let him know that he belonged here. That something he had done would justify what was coming to him. The feeling was overwhelming, and the knowledge that his death was imminite made him choke on the air his lungs already struggled to receive.

His captor sneered, dropping his weakened body down to the dirty street below. This was it, the man rasped, already feeling the darkness creep in. He knew it wouldn’t fully settle naturally, not when the shine of a blade caught the dim light of the alley. With a grunt he looked up, taking in the features of the one who would bring his end.

A round face, silver eyes and stern expression. Ah, of course. It was -

The blade fell and with a frustrated cry Yeosang jolted awake once more. With a groan he brushed his thick black hair off his forehead, settling his head on his knees as he felt the expected headache wash over him, the headset falling limply to his side.

No matter how many times he scrolled this particular BD, he was unable to discover the identity of the stoic but handsome killer. He felt himself cringe at the thought, knowing that perhaps being fascinated with a man who brutally beat and killed someone wasn’t the best choice, but he couldn’t help being fascinated by him.

Fascinated enough that he continued to risk being caught sneaking down into Mingi’s lab, and using the headset that allowed even a human like him to scroll through the collected memories hidden away on the brain dance drives. Of course the side effects were always a burden, but one he was willing to risk if it brought him any answers.

Recording brain dances was easy, even for a human like him. But viewing them was such a chore when one didn’t have the chrome internally to process it. He sighed, rubbing his temples as the flash of silver eyes haunted him once more. Of course he could always take an image still and ask someone like Mingi who they were, but then he would be in a lot of trouble if Seonghwa found out exactly how much he was scrolling when no one was around. He knew how much it was a risk to him. And he didn’t want to worry his mother with what he was doing. Their light teasing the other day was under the assumption he only did it once or twice in a month, but he’d been scrolling nearly every other night looking for clues into this man’s identity.

He sighed, leaning back and closing his eyes as he waited for the worst of the head pains to pass. At least he wasn’t sneaking out of Utopia like his brother did on occasion. Sure he got interesting stories and sometimes an occasional gift from the world outside from Felix’s adventures - but it wasn’t something that he felt was worth risking his safety for.

Yeosang had seen parts of the world outside from the brain dances he snuck through, and he knew that it was cruel and violent enough to devour someone like himself. He was meak, he didn’t have any violence in him that could be used to defend himself. He wasn’t like Felix, who could make friends even with the cybernetic animals of the city.

So when he came across this threatening presence in some braindances that Mingi had lost in the sea of tech, he was fascinated. Both by the sheer cruelty and violence, and the suffocating presence the man had that was unlike any other Yeosang had ever encountered. Sure there was a danger and mystery around Hongjoong, he was eccentric and dangerous in his own way even if they never saw that side of him. Even Seonghwa seemed to have secrets hiding that neither he or Felix would ever have hopes of discovering.

But this figure, this silver eyed purveyor of death was something that had every instinct of Yeosang singing in fear and fascination. Yeosang craved to know him, to see his face in the light of day and possess his entire attention on himself.

“I’m going mad…” Yeosang whispered. He had to get back to his room soon. He stood, removing the BD and tucking it into his sleep robe securely and put the equipment back into place so that nothing was out of order. He doubted Mingi would notice but he didn’t want to take any risks on being discovered. Silently he moved through the dark hallways of the dollhouse, making his way back to the rooms he shared with his brother. After stowing the Braindance away safely in his things he crept over to the bed Felix was softly snoring away on. He smiled softly at him, the light of their aquarium casting him in an otherworldly glow. It was moments like this he knew why Seonghwa insisted they were his jewels.

Yeosang carefully maneuvered himself into the bed, ensuring he did not disturb the other. Yet after a few minutes, Felix shuffled over and wrapped around Yeosang, causing the elder to smile down at his head of blond hair that snuggled into his neck. Even in sleep, his brother was always aware of him, and with that thought Yeosang fell into the embrace of sleep.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Yunho stood on the street corner, eyeing one of the most famous sites in the city. Utopia, the most prestigious Dollhouse in all of Neo Seoul. The Dolls housed here were some of the most protected and elite in the business, and Yunho knew that even if he saved every cent of his very much delayed back pay from the police, he still would not have enough to afford a session with one. But that wasn’t the reason he was here.

No, he was more interested in the rumors that this particular Dollhouse produced very unusual and unique Braindances. Ones that centered around a rarity - a complete Human, one with no cyberware to speak of. Yunho had heard the rumors before - Braindances that were not explicit and focused on a unique experience of having a conversation with the most beautiful and soft spoken angel to have ever walked the unworthy streets. It sounded far-fetched and fanciful, and honestly Yunho hadn’t paid much mind to the rumors, even when the whispers entered the very organization that he had infiltrated.

It had been two weeks since he got the information disk from Jongho, and he was surprised to see that buried in the information was the same as the rumors of this ‘angel of light’ on the most sought after Braindances. It was too much of a coincidence to not look into, and in these last two weeks Yunho had been able to slowly trace back the origin of one of the Braindances to a member of the crew he was in. Yunho hadn’t watched it himself, even after the guy offered it - saying it was unlike anything else he had ever scrolled before.

Once he had a hold of that Braindance, it was with some careful maneuvering in its code that he found the message Jongho had referenced in his notes. Be the Light, Oh Angel of Halazia. Such a cryptic thing to be buried among the data, but it made sense if the subject matter was as wholesome as others had described it. Going from there was like following a trail of breadcrumbs. A tiny piece of data that anyone else would overlook had caught his attention, and stuck in the back of his mind for two days. It was eerily familiar, in a way he couldn’t exactly place.

It kept bugging him, so he sat down one day when he didn’t have pressing matters from the group, and dug into the code with new eyes. He knew what to look for, he let his instincts guide him, pushing aside the brief thought that these insignificant parts of the code almost seemed to have been made especially for him to follow. That would be ridiculous, he was just lucky enough to notice it and piece things together. And the puzzle that pieced together seemed like it led back to Utopia. Yunho was sure of it. Or at least crazy enough to feel sure of it.

He needed to get to the bottom of this. In these last two weeks he’d heard of at least six other people who succumbed to their chrome attacking them. Things were going to keep escalating, he needed answers. As he watched people coming and going from the Dollhouse he had to wonder, what would the Widow get out of creating Braindances that killed people like this? Sure there were the rumors, everyone knew his reputation and what happened inside Utopia. At least, anyone with self preservation did.

The Widow was known to be rather unforgiving of two things, anyone who even so much as looked at the two boys he called his jewels and protected fiercely, and a nasty distaste for the unfaithful. Yunho had heard the murmurs back in his days in the precinct, how the upper echelon could go to the Widow when their spouse was being less than faithful. If they provided sufficient proof, and paid a hefty fee, then the Widow would seduce and punish the chosen spouse and provide closure for the spurned lover. He was incredibly picky on who he accepted, but the notes Yunho had seen said that if children were involved he was almost always guaranteed to say yes. And should any situation be brought to him where an individual harmed children in any way, then it was a guaranteed immediate death that followed.

He wondered why the police never interfered, but his Chief had said there was a noticeable decline in blatant cheating and scandals of that nature, and the mayor had been thrilled that the city was now known for its strong family structure instead of crime for once. And besides, no one was even sure what the Widow exactly looked like, since he was able to change his appearance easily and avoid detection. Which explained how he was always able to lure the chosen targets despite the danger being rather well known.

Yunho wasn’t so sure that the fate that awaited those who cheated was an exact and fair punishment. Poison that was unique to the Widow would always be discovered in the victims where they had been discarded in the furthest district in the city, and if they had somehow managed to survive the encounter they all wished they had died. It was no life to live, and his stomach churned remembering their near eviscerated states from the photos.

So to say he was nervous about having to essentially investigate the den of the Widow was an understatement. Yet… that code kept his attention. It had felt so familiar, he needed to get inside and find out who wrote it. He’d taken the time to learn the schedules of those who came and went, noting that frequent deliveries were dropped at two different entrances, based on what they were for he assumed.

The best time to enter would be in the early afternoon, and Yunho had already taken steps to get on the drop team that brought food for the Dolls inside. Today was his scheduled delivery date, and he’d made sure to memorize the precise instructions that would be needed to gain entry into Utopia. He’d have access to the back door, and would be able to get somewhat deeper inside than most to store away the food near the kitchen. He was unable to get a complete map of the interior of the Dollhouse, especially the back rooms and living quarters of those who stayed there. But he had a general idea of where the tech lab may be.

Yunho fingered the blank drive in his pocket nervously. He had some skill in hacking but he was far from the best. With any luck getting into the system wouldn’t be the challenging part. He knew deep down that it would be getting out that was the biggest risk. He had to ensure that he was not spotted by the Widow, and he heard intel that today the assassin should be occupied. As time ticked by Yunho steeled himself. It was now or never.

Stepping back around the corner to the waiting truck, Yunho hopped in and started it and pulled around to the backdoor. He got out, loading the cart with the deliverables. Inputting the access code into the door, he steeled his expression into one of a pleasant smile as he entered, greeting the guard there. He showed his credentials, and was approved to go further. He made a point to engage in friendly banter with the security, allowing him to get his bearings and compare to the map he’d been able to piece together.

There was the doorway he was to enter, and he knew eventually it would split into two directions. Left would be the kitchens, and right would be where the lab lay. As he chatted with the guard, he heard voices echo down the halls and suddenly the smiling man turned stern.

“You will lower your eyes and not look up until I’ve cleared you, do you understand?”

Yunho was taken aback, but nodded. “Uh yeah sure. Can I ask why?”

The scowling man eyed him. “You must really be new here. No one is permitted to gaze at the Jewels of Utopia, so eyes down and I swear you even try to blink at them then keeping your job will be the least of your concerns. Am I understood?”

Yunho nodded, turning his body away from the door for good measure before looking down as the voices burst from the hallway and filled the room they were in, passing by the corner he awkwardly stood in.

“Min min, please! You know that he’d let us do it if you asked.” One of the voices, deeper than Yunho expected from someone called a jewel to sound, whined out. Another giggled softly.

“It’ll just be for one night, and we won’t make a lot of noise to disturb the rest of the Dollhouse. We just need you to be on board too.”

There’s a heavy and weary sigh in response to the pleas, and when the third speaks Yunho feels every hair on his body stand up in response to the familiarity there. “I don’t know why -I- have to be the one to propose it though. Just flash your puppy eyes at him, he can never say no to you two.”

One of the jewels groans. “He’s so weird about Youngie though. If he thinks it’s your idea then he will have to at least consider it!” Their voices have paused in the room, and Yunho shifts uncomfortably. Things have changed, that voice could only belong to one person, and Yunho was certain that he needed to leave now before he was spotted. He turned further into the corner away from the three, cursing that he had left the delivery uniform hat in the van.

“Listen you two, whatever your plans are just be honest with Hwa, I’m sure he’ll come around even if he has some grudge or whatever.” The two jewels whined at his words, tugging on their arms of the taller one before he groaned again. “Fine fine, I’ll mention it, alright?”

They cheered and Yunho drew his shoulders up when it sounded for a moment like they were right behind him. He heard the group pause before Mingi spoke up again. “Ok you two, get to the south hall if you want to greet Woo when he gets here. Don’t be late.”

The two younger men chorused their agreement, quickly leaving the room with excited chatter. Yunho held his breath, hoping that Mingi had followed after them. Silence stretched on, and Yunho felt the guard shift next to him.

“Was there something you needed Mingi-ssi?” The man also sounded a little put off by the other’s lingering presence.

“No, there isn’t anything I need. Just… making sure that those two leave the area before the food is dropped.” Mingi murmured after a minute. “I’ll catch ya around Tae.” With that the tall man left, and Yunho let out the breath he’d been holding. Maybe he hadn’t been recognized after all. It had been a long time since he’d last seen Mingi. They’d both been considerably younger and less chromed up then.

The guard signaled at Yunho to get his cart. “Should be cleared, they’ve left the hall and should be occupied for a while. If for whatever reason you hear them coming though, keep your head down and you’ll be fine. They know better than to talk with outsiders.”

Yunho nodded, murmuring his thanks as he maneuvered the cart forward. He just needed to drop the delivery then get out as fast as possible. He’d need to come up with a different way to investigate Utopia, there was no way he could risk running into Mingi directly. His entire identity would be compromised, and for the first time Yunho felt the cold fear that not only was his job in jeopardy but his life as well.

When he reaches the kitchen storage he has to pry his hands off the cart, flexing his fingers to get his blood flowing. Focus, and he’ll be out of here in minutes. He begins to unload the boxes, relaxing in the quiet of the room. He was nearly done when the door closed behind him, and he could hear the lock engage with a click. He spun around and his blood ran cold at the sight of Mingi there with his arms crossed, leaning on the door.

“This is either the stupidest joke in history or you are an absolute idiot Jeong. Better get to the punchline before I lose my patience.” Mingi hissed out into the room.

Yunho swallowed heavily, the box in his hands falling to the ground with a loud thump. He was at a loss for words for several seconds, in which he could see the annoyance creep onto Mingi’s face. Buried in the fear he could feel a punch to his chest of longing. He’d missed Mingi, even if things had been left terribly between them many years ago - he would never forget the face of his once best friend. He hadn’t changed much, aged up some and had visible implants around his eyes and ears, running down his neck and most likely along the rest of his body. His neck length hair was dyed a bright orange and red and suited his skin tone wonderfully, and Yunho realized he resembled a character from a show they used to watch together.

He would have laughed in joy had the circumstances been different. He was just so Mingi that it hurt to look at him. Yunho swallowed several more times before croaking out a response. “It’s … actually Hotteok now.”

The silence was deafening between them as neither of them moved after he spoke. Then, to Yunho’s shock, the very corner of Mingi’s mouth twitched as if he was fighting back a smile. He snorted. “That’s the stupidest name. What the fuck.”

Yunho squinted at him in mock seriousness, still wary of where the conversation was going. “Rude dude.”

Suddenly the moment passed and Mingi returned to glaring at him. “No, what’s rude is you showing up here, and I know your job isn’t being some low level food delivery guy. So I’ll ask again, why in the hell are you here?”

Yunho frowned. “I… I don’t do that… stuff anymore.”

A single eyebrow rose at his statement. “Stuff? Stuff?” Mingi hissed. “Working for the damn lawman and being a narc is just stuff now?”

Yunho shifted, dropping the sharp gaze for a moment. He didn’t want to lie to Mingi, but he wasn’t exactly in a situation where he’d be able to speak freely. Especially considering Mingi’s very clear feelings on the police and their work in the city.

“Well…yeah. I don’t work for them. Not anymore.”

Mingi scoffed, biting his bottom lip in a habit he’d always had when irritated. Yunho felt his heart squeeze at the familiar action, even if it felt more dangerous now. “I wasn’t chipped yesterday, Hotteok.” He spat. “I know you didn’t throw everything away to go work for those dogs just to end up on the streets like an everyday bourgy.” He straightened up and Yunho fought the instinct telling him to step back. “Now this is the last chance I’m giving you to tell me what you are doing here. Consider it a gift of our past that I haven’t reported you to security…yet.”

Yunho felt the blow for what it was, but chose to ignore it for now. He sighed, leaning on the cart. “My friends are dying, Mingi.”

“And what does that have to do with you being here?”

“One of them had this… BD on them. When they died. It’s the only lead I had.”

Mingi had frozen when he spoke, his gaze now distrustful and tinged with a bit of fear that only someone who’d known him could spot. “Lead. It led you here?”

Yunho gave one quick nod. “Yeah. There were… there were these crumbs of data… Mingi…they were a lot like…” He felt his own heart stutter as the memory crashed into him, realizing why the code was so familiar. “They were like our cyphers we used to talk to each other.”

Now Mingi looked like he had been caught. Yunho stared at him, equally shocked. There was no way. “Did you…Mingi, did you make that Braindance?”

It now felt like their positions were reversed and now Mingi was the one cornered by him. He’d backed up against the door as if to press himself further away from Yunho, and it hurt him to see a bit of the boy he’d known back then peek through this new gruff exterior. “You need to go.” His voice wasn’t confident, and Yunho felt that same protective feeling wash over him that did when they were kids.

“Mingi…it’s ok if you did. I swear, I’m not here to get you in trouble. I just… I have to figure out what happened and why… for my friend’s family.”

The orange-haired man wouldn’t look at him, but he snorted softly. “Of course you do… you’ve always…always had to do the right thing. Even if it hurts those around you.” His gaze cut back to Yunho who flinched.

“Min… I-”

“No. You don’t get to call me that.” He snarled, quickly righting himself again as anger washed over him. Yunho raised his hands in surrender.

“Alright, sorry. But Mingi, I’m serious. I’m not here to drag you away or report you. I seriously have been living out in the streets for the last two years, running with the G-boys.”

Mingi was unable to hide his shock at that revelation. Yunho chuckled. “Yeah, so you know I’m not really in a position to exactly go running to the cops with anything.”

The silence stretches again, but this time noticeably less tense. Then finally Mingi sighed. “It isn’t my BDs killing them.” He finally murmurs.

Yunho leans forward, feeling that sensation he gets when he uncovers something important. “But you suspected it could have been?”

Mingi nods, seeming to fight with himself before sighing again. “Look, this doesn’t resolve anything between us. You don’t know me and I don’t know you like we use too. But I’m sort of backed into a corner with this. And you do have the mind of a cop even if you claim you don’t run for them anymore. I could use your eyes on this.”

Yunho was careful not to nod too eagerly. “Yeah, yeah of course. I get it. We keep this on the BDs, that’s it.”

Mingi stared at him for a moment before pushing off the door. “Follow me, and keep your head down.”

They made their way swiftly down the hall that Yunho knew would take them to the labs- Mingi’s labs. That was something that hadn’t quite sunk in with him yet. His former best friend has residence in the most exclusive Dollhouse in the city, and seems to be the one in charge of their Braindance production. The very ones that Jongho suspected of housing the power to kill without discrimination. That was so unlike the boy Yunho had known. But Mingi was right, they didn’t really know one another anymore.

Maybe he was capable of something like this…if the Widow was the one pulling his strings.

Yunho soon found himself in a room that was so familiar but new all at once that he had to stop and blink a few times to ground himself. It was obviously Mingi’s workspace, and the faded video game posters and stacks of magazines and books around the shelves took Yunho back to those days of the two of them cramped into Mingi’s old bedroom as they played games for hours and endless days. Of course now, there was cybertech scattered around and one wall housed eight screens and it was musty with the heat of the tech working overtime. Mingi sat in a chair that was just a tad too small for his tall frame.

“Yes, I did make those BDs, but I can swear with every scrap of skill I have that not one of them was tainted when they left here.” He tapped a few buttons and a terminal lit up with the base coding of an unfinished braindance. “I have not only my own safety protocols, but some even made by the god of Neo Seoul in each and every one of them. It should be impossible for them to be tampered with.”

Yunho’s eyes widened. “How… how did you get the god to help you?”

Mingi narrowed his gaze. “That’s not what is important here, and honestly none of your business.”

Yunho bit back his question at that, knowing it really wasn’t a good time to push the boundary Mingi had placed. “Alright, so they are secured to hell and back against outside interference ... .but somehow are still causing whatever this is that’s zeroing people to happen?”

Mingi bit his lip again, deep in thought. “I’d like to say that it isn’t what’s causing these people to die…but I can’t deny how often they’ve turned up either at the scene or reported by those who were with the people before they died. But BDs don’t kill people.”

Yunho nodded, turning his gaze to the code. “They don’t. Not like this anyway.” He leaned forward, a hand resting on the back of Mingi’s chair shifting them both a bit. “So what happens when you send the BDs out? The distributors, someone you trust?”

Mingi leaned slightly back to look up at him. “With my life. They are the best in the city. And have no reason to mess with what we got going on. Pays too good.”

Yunho nodded, knowing that money was the lifeblood of their city. “Alright, so it’s not them.” He frowned. “Which would only leave the users themselves. But no one is doing this willingly.”

Mingi sighed. “Exactly. I’ve asked the god to look into it too…but he’s not exactly…” Mingi waved his hand. Yunho glanced down at him in question. “He doesn’t really care about stuff like this. As long as it doesn’t affect him directly, he’s not going to interfere.”

“Based on what I’ve heard, that sounds about right. Still crazy, you know who he is.”

Mingi doesn’t say anything to that. Opting to push the chair out a bit to see him better. “In any case, you can see why I’m at a dead end. If I don’t figure this out, it’s a matter of time before the PD comes knocking and puts their noses where they don’t belong. I can’t really guarantee that things won’t escalate if that happens.”

“You mean… with the Widow?” Yunho had his suspicions, and perhaps they were right and Mingi was just a hapless middle man who didn’t know exactly what his boss was doing. The other seemed to follow his train of logic and scowled.

“He didn’t do this. Cops busting in here is a threat to his jewels, and the very last thing he wants.”

“But he’s… done similar things before, hasn’t he?” Yunho knew he was walking a thin line, but he seriously didn’t want Mingi stuck in something way bigger than him. He owed his former friend that much at least.

“Careful now… that’s starting to sound like cop talk.” Mingi sneered, turning back to the screens. Yunho watched his profile for a moment, before sighing.

“Alright, sorry. I’m just… this is a lot. Seeing you again.”

“Sorry to be too much to handle Jeong. You must be losing your touch in your old age.” His tone wasn’t exactly hostile but certainly lacked the teasing edge he would have once had.

“Yeah…I’ve aged more in these last few years than the ones before.” Yunho murmured, eyes back on the code. He didn’t notice the glance Mingi gave him at his statement. “Hey…have you thought about maybe putting a tracer code?”

Mingi frowned slightly. “I could. But there’s no guarantee that the one I place it in will be corrupted… and place too many of them and my distributor might get restless.”

Yunho nodded, eyebrows furrowed as his mind raced. “Ok, maybe not a tracer. What if you had a trip code, that set off if something messes with it. Just something that alerts you and you alone. That wouldn’t set off any scans. Not if it's small like the notes you left me.”

Mingi pouted. “I didn’t leave those for you. I was just messing with the code a bit.”

It was Yunho’s turn to give him a look of disbelief. “Sure yeah. Whatever you need to tell yourself.” He pointed at the screen. “Do you think it would work?”

Mingi shot him one last look before taking the code into consideration. “Yeah. If it’s non-invasive enough it won’t be noticed. I’ve got a batch set to go out tomorrow, I can make sure they each have it installed. It’ll take the whole night though.” He grimaced, looking at the time.

Yunho looked around to find a folding chair in the corner, and he pulled it out to sit next to Mingi, causing the tech to frown at him. “I can help. With the two of us, it’ll just be a few hours instead of all night.”

“No Yunho. You should leave. And forget that you were even here. I’ll find out what’s going on and put a stop to it.” Mingi’s mouth was tight in a frown, gaze serious.

“Mingi, you know I can help. After all, I learned coding from the best.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Hotteok.” Yunho’s bright laugh echoed out as the two settled in, Mingi at least a little bit grateful to have some help.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Jisung watched as Minho sighed for the sixth time since they had settled in for the night, frowning down at his tablet. His fingers swiped angrily, adding another sigh into his growing collection.

“You keep releasing air like that and I’ll really start to think you are a robot with a leak or something.” Jisung jokes, trying to get an arm around his prickly lover. He wanted to coo when the cybernetic cat ears on Minho’s head lay flat, showing his displeasure.

“Jisung…” Minho’s voice was serious, as he tilted the tablet towards the other.

Jisung blinked at him for a moment, able to tell that this was something serious for the other, and not in his usual no nonsense manner. He took the tablet, confused for a moment until he really took in the data. “Wait… this means what you and Chan saw earlier.. It's happening all around the city?”

“Everywhere. To everyone. Even those rich pricks topside.”

“Fuck.” Jisung scrolled, eyes taking in all the data that seemed endless. “And the police chatter? Does it say anything?”

This causes Minho to scowl. “They are preparing raids on the lower districts. They are treating it as a terrorist attack since the ‘important people’ have started to die.” He hissed, and it took Jisung pulling him closer and scratching behind his ear to calm him down.

“So that means us then.”

“We have the honor of being first of course. I’ve already sent word out, and Chan is moving those who need to move and fortifying the rest.”

Jisung sighed, leaning back and tugging Minho along with him. “Guess I’ll have to be around more if I need to lay low too. Poor you.”

Minho smirks, tail coming up to wrap around his arm. “Yes, poor me, whatever will I do with my husband actually having to spend time with me.” He watches Jisung for a moment, seeing the gears turning in his head. With a sigh he reaches up to flick his forehead. “And I see you are already a thousand miles away. What are you thinking about?”

Jisung sighs, trying to slow his mind down. “This all feels like… like it's trying to seem random? I’m not sure how to explain it, but how it’s been escalating, and how widespread it is…”

Minho hummed. “Like it’s…planned?”

“Yeah. Something is causing this, and it’s on purpose. What I don’t get is why. If it was terrorism, there’d be a reason. And as much as there are plenty of shitty things that need addressing, this doesn’t seem to have any particular aim.” Jisung sighed, a hand coming up to mess with his hair as he squinted up at the ceiling. “I wonder if the god has been looking into it.”

Minho scoffed lightly, shaking his head. “Forget worrying about him. What would my own genius deduce from what’s going on? If not the why, then how about the how?”

Jisung was silent for a bit before responding. “You said it was cyberware right?”

“Yes, her cyberware attacked the organic parts, as if it were a virus.”

“Something sets it off. Coding enters it somehow and rewrites the system to treat the human anatomy like an invader. Or maybe the code doesn’t know how to recognize the organic part…” Jisung grabs the tablet, scrolling again. “Do the reports give time stamps for how long they suffered before death?”

“The ones that were actually reported by witnesses or investigated sometimes show that…but not all of them.”

Jisung shifts through the data, eyes lighting up the more he looks. “Yes yes, look at this.” He zooms in on several pieces of data and throws them up on the screen before them. “See here and here, these are the two latest reported cases, compare those with our own this morning…” He then shifts the data. “ Then here is the earliest case from almost two months ago that actually shows the time before death that the victim was affected and suffering.”

Minho’s gaze flicked between the two data sets. “It’s… taking longer? Wouldn’t it be the other way if this was someone trying to make a statement or figure out their killing method?”

“Yeah. Even if this was some insanely talented serial killer, they would only be perfecting their craft, not trying to mess with the programming like this.” Jisung’s face scrunched as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. “It’s like, the cyberware is… trying to not kill the organism. Or at least figure out a way not too.”

“But that would mean… the program is learning.” Minho sat up. “You know what that implies right?”

Jisung gulped, the excitement of this discovery giving way to something more like fear. “That each instance of this virus is connected. And one and the same. Not separate instances, but all related to one another. Each death is a learning moment.”

Minho felt his blood run cold. “Whatever method is being used to spread this thing can change too. Hell, we don't even know what’s causing it now.” He turned to look at Jisung, bringing his attention to him. “Jisung… what would it take for something like this to even be feasible. Just tech wise?”

He watched as the certain gleam Jisung got whenever he was in problem solving mode took over. It was something he admired about his partner, even if he complained often how Jisung was too obsessed with cyberware and the coding behind it. Minho couldn’t deny his genius when it came to the topic, and he was quite serious in his belief that Jisung rivaled the skill of the god of Neo-Seoul. What use was some supposedly unreachable talent to someone that was here in the flesh?

Jisung had long since started scribbling things down on the tablet, and Minho leaned back to settle in, knowing that once Jisung got going it could be a bit before he was done. But he was confident that by the end of the night, he’d have an answer and could plan accordingly from there.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Mingi leaned back far enough in the chair that it strained with a creaky groan, only drowned out by the sound Mingi himself let out. The sun had risen an hour before, and he was really feeling the consequences of not having moved since dinner the night before.

Yunho at his side was hardly any better, having rested his head down on the desktop about ten minutes ago with a groan of his own. He hadn’t moved since. Mingi felt a smile tug at his lips as he glanced at the other. For all his big talk, the coding had been nearly tortuous in its repetitiveness, and Yunho had done his best to push through it all and ensure every last Braindance slated for their next shipment had their little tripwire.

Mingi would never say it out loud, but he was incredibly thankful that he had the extra set of hands and eyes on it. He didn’t have much in the way of colleagues here at the Utopia, and had had to learn through a lot of trial and error over the years to have the skill that he did now. There were some tasks that could just really use that extra workforce behind it, and he was begrudgingly grateful that Yunho had offered.

If he were honest with himself, he had always pictured their reunion being more volatile. He at least still had so much he wanted to berate and yell at the other for. But working alongside him these last few hours had felt like those long lost days of their youth, when they were glued to one another and figuring out their first piece of tech together. It warmed him, in a way he hadn’t felt in many years - even as he built a new life and had people he cared deeply for now. It was just, none of them compared to how Yunho used to make him feel.

Yunho startled him letting out a deep sigh, turning his face to smush his cheek on the table surface and gaze at him through tired eyes. “Do you remember that little sand scraper bot we found?”

Mingi hummed as he let his arms fall to the side, fingers tracing along the floor. “The one that was missing the whole left arm?”

“Yeah. Little guy could only go in circles, and he’d spin around that yard, whirling like mad, not really scraping much of anything.”

Mingi hummed at the memory, his smile growing soft. “Yeah, it tried its best though. Even if it was shit.”

“It did. Then you gave it that booster-”

Mingi snorted. “And it nearly launched itself to the moon.” They both busted out laughing at that. “Then ma came out, and it went spinning between her legs, and she screamed so loud!”

“I thought for sure she was going to kill us. I’d never seen her that pissed.” Yunho grinned, sitting up with a wince at the crack down his back. “We were grounded for like three weeks.”

“I still can’t believe she blamed you for that one, you didn’t even know how to use scalptech back then.”

“And I still don’t. I’m just really good at following instructions.” They smiled at one another, before Mingi seemed to realize the comfortable atmosphere and looked away, clearing his throat.

“In any case, all these BDs are ready for launch. I’ll let the distributor know for pick up later today. After sleeping for like, eight hours.”

Yunho nodded, standing up slowly with another grunt. “Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. I might make it ten.” He looked once more at Mingi, who was standing as well. “Hey… do you think that-”

“And who is this that has wandered so far into my home without so much as an introduction?” A deep voice broke into the space, startling the two of them for very different reasons. Mingi cursed, crossing the distance to Yunho and placing a hand on the back of his neck and pushing him down into an awkward forced bow, making sure his gaze remained on the floor.

The atmosphere was thick, tension making the hand resting on Yunho’s neck shake slightly with his nerves.

“Widow… I didn’t know you were back already.” Mingi winced, knowing that wasn’t exactly the best thing he could say at the moment, if the dilated gaze burning into Yunho was anything to go by. “Ah, this is a friend of mine, his name is Hotteok. He came to help me with a problem I was having. He was just leaving.”

Yunho had frozen the moment Mingi had addressed the Widow, knowing that his life was very much depending on Mingi to vouch for him. He closed his eyes, hoping that against odds it would work and that Mingi would continue to be on his side even if he thought him undeserving.

Seonghwa stood unmoving in the doorway, his gaze unblinking as he continued to assess the two men. Mingi knew that his nerves would be easy for Seonghwa to pick up, so there was no point in trying to lie or pretend he was fine. He needed to convince Seonghwa that Yunho wasn’t a threat.

“It’s not like you to have problems that require the help of outsiders, Mingi.” His pupils were in slits, causing a shiver to overtake Mingi’s body.

“This did. It was a lot of leg work, and it would have taken me days without his help. He… he hasn’t been anywhere else, or talked to anyone else.” Mingi hoped Seonghwa understood what he was saying, that his jewels were safe and untouched. “It’s related to that stuff we talked about the other day, remember? When I said it would be nice if you took an interest? That was because I really needed some help.” Mingi tried appealing to Seonghwa, getting more and more nervous when the threatening gaze did not let up. “A-and I know you are busy, the jewels need you. I can’t take you away from them.”

Seonghwa finally showed a reaction to that, shifting slightly and pupil widening a bit as he relaxed somewhat. Mingi latched onto that.

“I can’t let any threats get close to us, that’s why I wanted to get some help. It’s just for now, once I’m sure things are clear- he’s gone.”

Silence descended on them once more, but this time Seonghwa regarded them in consideration instead of as a threat. His gaze had evened out, back to its usual pink glow as he looked now at Mingi. “You vouch for him?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

Yunho hid his shock at the response and how confident Mingi sounded. It was certainly not what he expected with how things technically were between them.

Seonghwa hummed then tilted his head as his hands came up to rest on his hips. “Well I wouldn’t be a very good host if I chased off every friend of my own precious family members. If you vouch for him then he may stay. But he follows the rules, Min min. Every one of them.” Seonghwa turned to go. “And he stays away from my Jewels. He may come to see you, but that is all.” With that he was gone, and it was still several minutes before Mingi relaxed his hold on Yunho and sank back down into his chair.

“Shit. That was close.”

Yunho stood a moment longer in his bent position before straightening up slowly. “Not really selling the ‘he’s just a normal guy’ thing to me here.”

Mingi scowled at him as he rubbed his forehead. “I never said he was normal. I said he was very protective of what’s his.”

Yunho looked between him and the doorway. “And … that includes you?”

“Of course.”

“Then why were you worried just now?” Yunho asked, keeping his voice low.

Mingi was silent, averting his gaze to drum his fingers on the desk. He frowned. “I… he would have killed you. If he saw you as a threat.”

Yunho shouldn’t be filled with relief at that statement, but he couldn’t help but be a little happy that Mingi hadn’t wanted him to die. “Ah.. I see.”

Mingi sneered at his reaction, although there was more disbelief than animosity in it now. “Did… why the fuck are you happy about that?”

Yunho fought back the smile as he gathered the few things he had. “I’m not. Who says I am?”

“Ugh whatever. Get the hell out of here Jeong. And I’m serious, you don’t come back here. I don’t care if Hwa cleared you, you don’t belong here.”

Yunho regarded him silently from the doorway. The weight of their shared history is thick between them. He nodded once, even as he had so much more he wanted to say. But he wouldn’t push his luck this time. He exited the building swiftly, exhaustion setting in as he drove away, but unable to shake the sinking feeling he had.

It felt wrong to leave Mingi there- like leaving him in the spider’s web.

Chapter Text

“You know… I’m surprised you waited this long for a touch up.” A soft voice pushed through the comfortable silence that had settled in the room. It was an offshoot of Hongjoong’s main lab, a room that was clean and organized meticulously in comparison to the rest of his labs. This one was reserved for when his current visitor blessed Hongjoong with his presence, and allowed the other to do his very precise and delicate work.

Currently Hongjoong was laid out on the table that stood alone in the middle of the room. He was dressed down, revealing his patchwork body of metal and flesh so that the other had the access he needed. Delicate hands moved over him with care, a needle gun cradled with a precise grip as it plunged over and over into the flesh of Hongjoong’s side. The Ripperdoc barely grimaced at the sharp pains, his single eye opened after a moment to regard the other.

“I…may have let time slip from my notice.”

The man above him snorted , a smile pulling at his lips. “Ah. Seonghwa must have scolded you.”

Hongjoong scowls. “I can’t help that what I’m researching takes a lot of time.”

The other man nods, placating the Doc. “Of course not. But perhaps poking your head above the surface every once in a while wouldn’t hurt.” Hongjoong grumbles, and winces slightly at the current line being etched into his skin. The other man frowns a bit in sympathy, reaching out to run a hand along the other’s stomach to sooth him. “Almost done, just a little longer.”

Hongjoong nods, sighing a bit. “I do appreciate you coming, Hyunjin. I know you are busy with your own work.”

“I would have come no matter the workload, and perhaps I am not so different from you. Time does seem to slip from my fingers as easily as yours.” Hyunjin gives him a soft smile, fingers brushing up to Hongjoong’s chest to give him a small scratch on his chin. “We can work on that together.”

Hyunjin was perhaps the only person in the city that Hongjoong trusted without question. They had met many years ago when Hongjoong was at his most vulnerable. He had just suffered a major accident with one of his experiments having gone terribly wrong. An artificial intelligence that he was attempting to implant with an emotional overhaul had not taken well to the adjustments and had lashed out against him. It nearly brought the entire facility down on top of him, and had he not been able to act quickly as he had - he would have died instantly. He had been able to shut the rogue AI down, immediately going to work on evaluating the damage to himself.

It was Hyunjin’s curiosity of the disruption in the city that had brought him to Hongjoong’s side. He had dug through the rubble, sifting until he had found the Doc in a pocket of the rubble essentially performing surgery on himself. That had certainly alarmed him, and without a word he was by his side and working seamlessly alongside him to stave off an early death for the Doc. Together they had built a new arm and leg for him, piecing together a functioning body so that Hongjoong would be able to survive the near future. Throughout the whole series of operations, Hyunjin had distracted Hongjoong from the pain with questions ranging from the scientific to the mundane. He sparked an interest in Hongjoong, who had not spoken with someone like this in all his time in the city.

Hyunjin had been an anomaly, he didn’t even question how this could have happened to the other, he had merely wanted him to live. Over several days they had worked, first Hongjoong’s arm so that he could help more. Then his leg and finally the massive injury on his head that resulted in the loss of his left eye. Many conversations were shared, and Hyunjin admitted later that he learned the most about the work of cybernetics during that time helping Hongjoong. It was Hyunjin that had noticed Hongjoong’s initial instability from the blood loss and head trauma. It was him that proposed lacing the new metal limbs with coded etchings that would help to stabilize how the cybernetics interacted with what was left of Hongjoong.

To do so they had moved, Hyunjin bringing Hongjoong to his own lair, deep in an abandoned part of the city. Hongjoong had been astounded once more, the entire structure the other called his own was completely overcome with plant life. Inside and out was such an overwhelming amount of carefully nurtured plants that Hyunjin himself confessed to helping thrive. Over the two years they spent together during Hongjoong’s recovery, the soft spoken man had explained that it was his greatest desire to see nature return to how it once was. He’d been working on plants that were resilient and would be able to survive in the harsh environment of the city, but had had some difficulty with certain ones surviving.

Hongjoong had, of course, sunk himself into that task. Hyunjin was happy to have the brilliant man’s mind behind his project and between the two of them they had engineered several species of plants that would be able to take root even in the harshest of environments. The project had been enough to distract Hongjoong through the worst of his injuries, and soon he was moving about as well as one could with the assistance of a cane. That combined with the tattooed code and etchings, Hongjoong had felt more like he had before the accident. He in fact insisted he was better than before with the upgrades he gave himself, including opting to not restore his left eye and instead expanded his mental capabilities with a self installed hard drive.

Hyunjin had found it all fascinating, offering his own advice and help when needed. And that eventually led to Hongjoong rebuilding a new lab in the district Hyunjin lived in. He ensured it was completely off the grid, constructing his own power grid and system to run all things completely under his control. This had led to his eventual legendary reputation.

A Ripper Doc that operated in the shadows and pushed cybernetics beyond any government approved threshold. He could create miracles, or destroy lives with barely any effort.

Yet even he had his weaknesses. That was where Hyunjin continuously came in. His close proximity allowed him to be at Hongjoong’s side in moments and he’d know exactly what the other would need without even being asked. New codes to help with control, new etching or upgrades - anything the Doc would ever need.

And that was why he was here now. Hongjoong had felt the fluctuation in his own thoughts, and knew the warning signs that his mind was gradually slipping. A human body was not made to have survived what he did. Even with all the knowledge he had accumulated in cybernetics, there would be no saving him once that part of himself decided to no longer hang on.

Hyunjin had developed this unique way of installing code to help with these issues. With every addition to his skin, Hongjoong could feel his mind settle. It was much like putting a bandaid on the problem, but

they were the most advanced minds in the city - and this was the only way they could deal with it.

Hyunjin never minded helping Hongjoong, and he would handle him with care each time. Soft strokes to calm him when he jolted from the pain, a brush of lips over the reddened skin that connected at the sites of his replacement limbs. Anything he could to help the other through his suffering.

It wasn’t a surprise when the connection between them grew, and soon soft touches led to caresses, and one day Hongjoong could no longer ignore what was between them. He’d given Hyunjin an intense gaze as he watched him work on a particularly detailed tattoo on his calf. The man was handling him with his usual care and gentleness, giving soft pets to his hip in between each press of the tattoo gun into his skin.

Each touch sent a shiver up the Doc’s spine, making the breath catch when Hyunjin’s fingers brushed up with purpose further up his thigh. Their gazes met, and Hongjoong reached out to tug the other up, the gun dropping between them as their lips harshly met. After that they couldn’t remove their hands from one another. Hongjoong’s firm and demanding, Hyunjin’s soft and devoted.

From that moment on it wasn’t uncommon for them to come together, first to work on their joint projects - then to further the growing passion between them. They found solace in one another, and the time Hongjoong spent there healing were some of the most stimulating and enriching days of his life thus far. He’d become so accustomed to the other that when he decided to rebuild his own labs, he picked a location mere minutes away from where Hyunjin dwelled, so that either of them were within reach of one another.

So now as Hyunjin worked, Hongjoong found himself chatting with him about the going on in each of their areas of research. It was comfortable, the two quite relaxed with one another now.

“Have you heard… the rumors going on in the city?” Hyunjin inquired, curious to see if the Doc had checked into the impressive surveillance system he’d set up in the city years ago. He’d often thought the people of Neo Seoul were very lucky that Hongjoong did not have an evil nature, as his skills and repertoire would have him ruling the city in the fortnight should he ever chose to actually wield his power.

Hongjoong glanced over at him, the blank look the answer the other needed, making Hyunjin hide a grin into his shoulder. “Ah I see. Well, there are whispers in the streets. Deaths are numerous and mysteriously spreading through all districts.”

Hongjoong’s eye widens a bit in realization. “Oh. Mingi had sent some message about something like that, but I hadn't read it yet.”

Hyunjin can no longer hide his grin. “And how long ago was that?” He teases with a tap against the Doc’s cheek.

Hongjoong swats at his hand with a light scowl, no real heat behind it. “I don't know. A few days maybe.”

“More like two weeks.” Hyunjin hummed, turning his attention back to the piece he’s working on, ignoring the other’s incredulous look.

“Alright then. What did it say?”

Hyunjin bites his lower lip slightly in amusement that Hongjoong didn’t even question him having access to his messages anymore. “Exactly what I said. People have been dying all around the city. He thinks it may have to do with the BDs coming out of Utopia somehow.”

Hongjoong hums, and Hyunjin can tell that the other’s attention has already wandered away from the topic in disinterest. Hyunjin lightly slaps his hip to get his attention. “Oh come on, killer BDs aren’t even a little interesting?”

Hongjoong groans, shifting a bit and causing steam to rise up from his leg. “No. It’s not even the Braindances anyway.”

Hyunjin raises an eyebrow at that. “Oh? Has our little god already figured it out?”

Hongjoong now scowls with some heat. “I’m not little.” His gaze lays heavily on Hyunjin, and the other feels a familiar shiver go up his spine.

“You will let me finish this piece. You interrupted last time because you couldn’t keep your hands to yourself.” Hyunjin scolded, looking down to break the intense look the other locked him in.

He resumed his work, not even jolting when he felt a warm hand land on the back of his neck with a firm squeeze. “No Hongjoong. Let me finish.”

The Ripper Doc only hummed, but did not move his grasp on him. “Hurry up then.”

Hyunjin rolled his eyes, biting back his grin once again. It was going to take ages to finish this piece.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

“My precious darlings! I’ve missed you so much!” A loud voice caused Yeosang and Felix to jolt around in excitement. They had been waiting for Wooyoung to arrive back from his latest tour, and were so excited to hear about his travels.

“Youngie! You made it! Binnie too!” Felix ran forward, throwing his arms around the giggling man who had stood waiting with open arms. He was a few inches taller and that was accentuated with the impressive set of heels he wore. Dressed to impress, Wooyoung would never be caught looking less than his best. He was every part the young starlet. His black cat ears and tail were shining in their onyx shimmer, matching his meticulously styled shoulder length hair. His white and golden travel clothes were stylish and tailored to fit him perfectly.

Felix cooed over him while Yeosang had come over to greet the shadow of a body guard that was always at Wooyoung’s side. His name was Changbin and he was what would be called a Chrome Jock on the streets. He was already built like a tank, but the impressive and chunky cybernetics were intimidating and effective in his job in keeping Wooyoung safe. But his friendly face was welcoming as he took in the two boys warmly. He returned Yeosang’s hug, engulfing his much smaller frame in his broader one.

“You’re looking a little wispy there Sangie. Have you been eating enough?” Changbin looked him over, hands resting warmly on the others shoulders.

Yeosang winced slightly, but nodded. “Yes, I’ve been eating well. I just had some trouble sleeping.”

Felix pursed his lips. “More like he’s been scrolling too much.” Yeosang scowled at him.

“You can quit telling everyone you know?”

Wooyoung cooed, pinching Felix’s cheeks. “That’s right Lixie, no one likes a tattle tale!” As Felix swatted him away Wooyoung chuckled and turned his gaze onto Yeosang. “But what is this about you scrolling?”

Yeosang groaned as the four began to walk down the halls of Utopia to the wing the two brother’s resided in. “It’s really nothing, Felix just likes teasing me about it.”

The four chatted, moving through the conveniently empty halls. Most knew that when the jewels were on the move you would do best to remain confined in certain zones so as to not make the mistake of running into them. To gaze on them was punishable by the whims of the Widow, so as a consequence Felix and Yeosang had very limited interactions with those outside their close circle.

It was one of the reasons they were always so excited to receive a visit from Wooyoung and Changbin when they were in town. They brought stories of places far outside the borders of Neo-Seoul, people and places that the two brother’s could barely imagine.

“So where did you go this time Youngie? Did you make it to the Americas?” Felix asked, eyes bright as they all took seats comfortably in the common room.

“This time we were in the EEC, one of the places we’ve been to several times. But I have a lot of fans there, so what can I do but go and see them more often?” Wooyoung giggled, tail swishing behind him coyly.

Yeosang’s eyes lit up. “That’s so cool. Will you have any shows here in the city?”

Wooyoung sat back, relaxing into the plush cushions more comfortably as Changbin automatically reached out to pull his legs into his lap, a large hand gently massaging the stiff muscles of his calves. That caused the singer to groan in appreciation, making Felix roll his eyes and Yeosang looked away with a blush.

“I have some private event that hired me to perform in like two months. Some gala or something.”

Changbin snorted. “Not just some gala. The exclusive event being put on by the Choi’s.”

Wooyoung waved his hand with a huff. “Whatever. But I told Binnie that I am officially off until then. I’ve been going non stop since the new year. I deserve a break.” He shifted, a grin back on his face. “Unless my two favorite darlings want to get their asses kicked in karaoke. Then I will have to come out of my retirement.”

Felix laughed, sitting forward with shining eyes. “It would be just like you to brush off an invite by THE Choi’s and be more excited for karaoke against our humble selves.”

Wooyoung rolled his eyes as he groaned at a particularly hard squeeze from Changbin. “Oh please, as high and mighty as they are, I don’t see them guarded by one of the scariest and deadliest people in the eastern hemisphere. That says more about your value than theirs, in my opinion.”

Yeosang pouted. “Mother isn’t scary. Or deadly.” Felix giggled, falling against his brother as he agreed with him, neither of them noticing the look Changbin and Wooyoung shared. Yeosang grunted as he supported the weight of his brother, turning his attention back to the other two. “But… I’ve heard of the Choi’s. They are really important in the city, aren’t they?”

Wooyoung pouted. “Ugh, yes. They are the biggest and oldest family in the city. They own practically everything in the city too. They act all high and mighty, thinking they are better than everyone here just because they have soooo much money.”

Changbin laughed, patting his knee. “You two know how Woo gets about people outside the industry.”

Wooyoung snapped his tail at him. “They think they are better just because they were born into wealth. They’ve never worked a day in their lives. All the elite are like that though. And they invite me to dance and sing like I’m at their beck and call.”

Felix had flipped onto his stomach, hands supporting his chin as his feet kicked out behind him. “I’ve heard nice things about the two Choi brothers though. Didn’t one of them build that orphanage in Yongdu?”

Changbin perked up. “Yeah, that’s right. The younger one did that I think. Ack, what was his name again?”

Wooyoung cooed at him, patting his head. “Now now Binny, don’t burn your processors for something so pointless.”

Changbin ignored him. “Jongho! That’s it. And the older one is San or something.”

Felix hummed in thought for a moment. “Are they handsome?”

Wooyoung scrunched his nose in disgust. “Boooo! No, no we are not giving them any more praise or another second of our time! Come on, tell me more about this sad delivery boy that’s obsessed with your mom. Does he know that Seonghwa-ssi eats people?”

Both boys shouted their disagreement and the night really got started with their rowdy gossip and storytelling. A bright light that had Seonghwa smiling softly as their laughter echoed down the halls down to where he awaited his next client.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

This had been one of the trickier cases to come into his Dollhouse, and Seonghwa had made sure to do his own research into the client’s request before he would be able to successfully fulfill it. A month ago an affluent woman that Seonghwa had actually met before came in the secret of night, after Utopia had closed its doors for business. Her name was Jessi, and she was somewhat of a celebrity even outside her monetary status. She had built an entertainment empire and had an eye for rising talent in the industry.

In this she was somewhat similar to Seonghwa, which they realized as they chatted that night. They both had a desire to protect, to raise the people around them to their dreams and keep them safe while they did so. They had in fact become kindred spirits through their conversation, so when Jessi had finally got down to why she had sought him out, he was quite surprised to hear her story.

She had met her now husband some years ago, when she herself was a young starlet new to the whole world of entertainment. She’d come from an affluent family, so was no stranger to the elite, and no stranger to the striking older gentleman that had taken an interest in her. A family friend, she said, a man of wealth and influence.

He had flattered her, but was still polite and genuine in his affection. She’d fallen hard and fast, and as her own career took off, so too did her relationship with this man. Years passed and they married, they had children and for so long she felt her life was perfect. Everything on track, her business was flourishing, her kids were healthy and her love life was all she could have ever asked for. When he announced he would be running for city office she supported him. They both were ready for the task of influencing the political sphere, and had bright ideas in how they could improve their city.

He had won of course, taking a seat on the prestigious council that oversaw the city’s welfare and laws. At the same time Jessi had made moves to open a rising star program, seeking talented youth from the less wealthy districts in the city to give them a chance to better the lives of those around them. Her eyes had shone softly as she described these young brilliant minds that were plucked from lives of poverty. She had taken Seonghwa’s hand into her own, voice full of an affection he recognized when he spoke of his own jewels.

Yet her story was not over, else she would not have been here in his Dollhouse asking for his particular skills. She had become somber, eyes downcast as she continued.

“I had thought things were going so well. If I had just been a little more observant…” She clenched her hands in her lap. Her voice was low now, causing Seonghwa to lean forward to be able to hear her. In the low light of the room, it felt as if it had become a confession. “My husband took such an interest in the program. He was so kind, taking time to give advice to those who wanted it, giving them special attention even though he was so busy. He’d make special trips just to visit them and give them pep talks!” Her lip quivered. “He was there so much…so often. I should’ve suspected something sooner.”

Seonghwa’s expression grew colder as she continued. “I came in one day… and he had one of the girls… I heard him tell her that it was their secret. That he was just helping her grow up faster.” She choked, tears running down her face. “I was too late even then. He left and I held her as she cried. She told me everything. Told me there were more. That he did this nearly every time he came in.” Jessi was sobbing now, but she pushed back the hand that Seonghwa had laid on her shoulder. “No, I don’t deserve your comfort. Not in this. It was my job to take care of those kids. And I’ve failed them for so long.”

She looked up at him, her eyes sharp even through the tears. “I won’t let this continue. I won’t fail them anymore. I need your help.”

Seonghwa hummed in thought at her words. He could feel the familiar rage burning in him, but knew that there were details that needed to be discussed. “He holds a very prominent position. Getting to him will be difficult. But not impossible.”

Jessi looked up, hope in her eyes. “Does that mean you will help?”

Seonghwa nodded. “Of course. A monster like that doesn’t deserve to move through his life unpunished. I will need things from you to do this.”

She nodded. “Yes, yes anything you need you have it.”

Seonghwa picked up a tablet, flipping through a few screens until a document pulled up. He turned it to her. “Review this, it is the contract for what’s to come. It has the details. You ask for retribution for the sins your husband has committed.” Seonghwa’s voice was deep and steady, and Jessi felt herself taken up in what he said. It was somber and weighty, but this was exactly what she had come for. “His sins are numerous, and for each life he has altered he will receive just retribution. Once complete, his death will be assured. His crimes can be made public during any of the process, that is up to your discretion.”

Jessi read through the contract, taking consideration of his words. “If it were before…I’m afraid that getting to him will be difficult. It may be easier if he is unsuspecting.”

Seonghwa regarded her. “What actions have you taken to ensure that no more of the children are harmed?”

“I’ve moved the center. It’s now so far into the district completely opposite of where he works that it would only raise suspicion if he were to make his way there without a just cause. I have the staff there fully trained that if he were to show up I shall be informed immediately and he is to be kept from the children until I have arrived.” She spoke with a burning hate that Seonghwa empathized with. “He has not made any efforts to see them again. He may suspect that I have caught on. The move was quite sudden, and to outside appearances, it was not necessary.”

Seonghwa nodded. “He most likely suspects in some regard then.” He pointed to the contract. “If you find everything admissible, on the last page are my fees. I’ve adjusted them for your particular case.”

Jessi flipped to the page, her eyes wide in shock. “This…this is far too low. The risk is great…”

Seonghwa’s eyes flashed, becoming slits with a dangerous glow. “I would tear him apart for free. Consider this a fee so that you may feel as if your hand is the one that will strike the final blow. The rest of my usual fee may be put towards the children.”

Jessi nodded, signing the contract without another moment’s hesitation. “I had heard… that you were good to those who could not protect themselves. I had hoped…”

Seongwha’s hand rested on hers, gently removing the tablet. “I need you to tell me every detail about him. Leave nothing out.”

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Nearly two months worth of planning, maneuvering and manipulation had led Seonghwa to where he was now. He was wearing the very latest in dresses from one of the most prestigious designers in the city, his hair lengthened and loosely curled about his shoulders in a soft brown color. His eyes were a beautiful green, and his makeup was done in the latest trend. To anyone who knew him, he looked nothing like the Seonghwa of Utopia. Tonight he was Eun-ji of a very prominent family from outside Neo Seoul. He was attending a charity event put on by another well to do family, and he had been sent as a representative of his family to support the cause.

In reality, he had one goal and one goal alone- the famous philanderer Yo Korain. Armed with the knowledge Jessi had told him, Seonghwa knew that tonight would be his best chance to approach the man and isolate him. She herself would not be present, having left the city on family matters and thus removing herself and their children from the situation. When moments had come along like this in the past, Jessi had discovered that her husband would not be in want of company, and would take an interest in any younger women who attended the events. He’d use his charm on them and just as Jessi once did they would fall into his charms and jump at the chance to spend time with one of the most important men in the city.

So Seonghwa had taken great care to get his appearance just right, even altering the shape of his face to be softer, his body curvier and feminine. Everything about him screamed young socialite looking to make connections, and he knew that he’d be a honey trap to the older councilman. The event had started, and Seonghwa made his way around the room, chatting and laughing his way through groups of unimportant and vapid people. He carefully kept himself in the eyesight of Korain, and it was merely an hour in when he felt the heavy gaze of the man on him. Seonghwa made sure to keep his expression pleasant, not showing any indication he could feel the gaze of the older man as the woman he was speaking with chatted on.

Not twenty minutes later and soon Yo Korain had come up to them, a smile in place. “Ah, Ranmei-ssi, I apologize for interrupting, but I believe your husband was asking for you at the drink station.”

The woman’s eyes widened and she pardoned herself quickly, leaving the two alone. Seonghwa shyly looked at the man, a blush on his cheeks as he seemed to take in the older one’s impressive image. Korain smiled at him.

“I don’t believe we have met. I am Yo Korain, a member of the council here that is putting on this event. I am delighted you could attend, and would love to welcome you to Neo Seoul.” He held his hand out to Seonghwa, smiling charmingly at him.

Seonghwa blushed more, a hand coming up to lay gently in the one offered to him as he demurely smiled. “Thank you Korain-ssi. I am Do Eunji, I’ve come on behalf of my family because we dearly wish to support your cause. We’ve heard great things about the work you do here in the city, and we’d love to be a part of it.”

The man radiated a true joy at his words. “How fantastic to hear. Perhaps we could move somewhere quieter, and discuss what exactly we hope to accomplish with this event?”

Seonghwa widened his eyes, looking about them in a faux sense of awe. “But Korain-ssi, I couldn’t take you away from something so important just to talk with me.”

He could almost feel the way Korain zeroed in on his lips, knowing that the tint he had applied earlier made them extra appealing in the low light of the ballroom they were in. Seonghwa felt the burn of satisfaction that Jessi had been right about the man. The man brought Seonghwa’s hand up to plant a kiss on his knuckles, gaze magnetic on Seonghwa’s own.

“It would be my pleasure. I’m sure they can handle things from here. My colleagues are some of the best and brightest in the city.” He gently led Seonghwa through an unassuming door, casting a look around to make sure none of the other guests noticed their quick escape. Assured they were unnoticed, he led the other up a set of stairs, eventually coming to a comfortable sitting room. “Please, Eunji-sii, have a seat. May I get you a drink?”

Seonghwa sat down primly on the offered couch, eyeing the room in faux fascination. He ensured his dress fell flatteringly about himself, the slit up his side showing just enough of his thigh to be enticing to the other. “Oh yes please, whatever you have is fine. And please just call me Eunji, I’d like to hope we can become closer after tonight.”

Korain couldn’t believe his luck tonight. Usually he had to work just a bit harder to get some company at these events, as he had to maneuver the delicate social circles that surrounded himself and his family. But with the arrival of someone from outside the city, things would certainly be easier to have go his way. He turned, smiling as he brought over a glass filled with a deep brown liquid for each of them. “This is one of the better malts we have, I’m sure you will find it warms the body up pleasantly.” He sat down next to the other, smiling once more. “And of course, but only if you call me Korain. No need for formalities here.”

Seonghwa blushed, a hand coming up to put a piece of his hair back behind his ear. “Thank you for having me. I was hoping I’d get to speak with you at some point tonight.”

“Oh? Surely they must not be singing my praises that much outside the city.” Korain teased, sipping on his drink as he let his gaze wander over the other.

“Oh, well my father is quite the fan. He has been hoping to emulate some of your work here in our hometown. I must confess, that may be a larger factor in my visit to your city. I had hoped to be able to chat with you directly about some of your methods.” Seonghwa sipped his drink, knowing that it would have no effect with the filtering system Hongjoong had installed a few years back. “And lucky me, I ran into you tonight.” He looked at the other through his lashes, giving him a shy smile.

Korain unconsciously licked his lip as he took in the other. This woman was perfect, coy and demur, stunningly beautiful and very obviously into him. Perhaps if the night went well, he may be looking at the future Mrs Yo. He smiled and leaned forward, arm on the back of the couch. “Very lucky for myself, you mean. I’m honored that you think so highly of me. Please ask any questions you like, I am more than happy to answer them.”

Seonghwa let his gaze light up, turning eagerly and making sure the strap of his gown fell from his shoulder in his excitement. Korain’s gaze followed its movement, and Seonghwa sensed his pulse pick up. “Oh thank you! I have heard about this particular program you’ve implemented in the Soodang district…”

An hour passes with them chatting, drinking and having pleasant conversation. Then another. The two get more comfortable as the drinks loosen them up and soon Korain finds that his partner is totally at ease with him, sitting closer and giving him secret smiles. It fills him with satisfaction, having this pretty young woman so enamored with him. He reaches out, fingers gently stroking up Seonghwa’s shoulder to brush a piece of hair from his face.

“You’ll have to forgive me Eunji. It’s just been so long since I have been so lucky to have someone as beautiful as you in my presence.” Korain let his hand rest on the flesh of Seonghwa’s neck. The Widow was very careful not to flinch away. The synthetic skin he had over his usual cyberware was very realistic, but with enough pressure it did run the risk of tearing.

Seonghwa giggled, leaning forward so that Korain would have to remove his hand to accommodate how much closer they drew to one another. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were flirting with me Korain-ssi.” He teased, looking up at the other man from under his lashes. He could feel the deep breath Korain took, knowing that the intoxicating effect of his perfume should be potent enough to cloud his senses. It caused the older man to lean forward, drawing closer to Seonghwa, their lips barely brushing.

“I’d be a fool not to.” He murmured, breath hot on Seonghwa’s lips. Seonghwa drew back the slightest bit, standing and moving quickly to sit on Korain’s lap. The older man was shocked by his boldness only for a moment, for he was soon distracted by the hips that had settled on his own. His hands came up to rest on them, squeezing in appreciation. “Oh? Is my little butterfly eager?”

Seonghwa made sure his expression remained sultry, hiding his snarl at the name. Disgusting man who would say such things while having a wife and children. Who would do vile things to other children. Seonghwa would need to hurry, he could feel the usually tight control on his anger slipping the more the other fell into his web.

Seonghwa let out a purr, rolling his body into the man’s grip. He wanted him to be completely relaxed. “I’m just so appreciative of you Korain. For taking the time for me like this.”

Korain didn’t hide his groan as the other moved, pleased by his actions. This was the perfect night. No wife, no kids. Just him and a good night of passion ahead of him. “I can show you more… “ He leaned forward to kiss Seonghwa's neck and shoulder. “So much more…”

Seonghwa’s gaze was on the wall behind him as he allowed Korain a moment to do as he pleased. Then he gently pushed the other back so that he was sunk into the couch, comfortably looking up at Seonghwa with a dazed expression. He ran a hand up his own stomach and chest, resting it on the strap of his dress. “May I show you something special, Korain? But you have to promise to keep your eyes on me.”

The elder man gulped, eyes wide and trained where Seonghwa slipped his finger under the strap. “Y-yes, of course.”

Seonghwa gave an especially stretched smile then, letting a bit of his signature pink light shine through. It went unnoticed by the man, who couldn’t look away from his hands as he slid the dress down. Slowly his lace bra was revealed, then the intricate black metal work that made up the entirety of his stomach. Korain went from lust to mild confusion at the sight, ignoring the soft brush of the silk dress as it landed on his hands still resting on Seonghwa’s waist.

“W-what is…” Korain reached up, and his fingers had barely touched the brushed black metal before Seonghwa let out a chilling laugh.

“Oh no…I didn’t say you could touch me with your filthy hands.” There was a snapping sound and a blur of metal before silence sank down on them. Korain’s eyes widened in horror, unable to process what had just happened.

Korain took in the state of his arm. A neat, clean cut was right at his wrist and the entirety of his hand now gone. He was so shocked by the sight, watching blood pour out and over the forgotten dress , that he completely missed several long appendages slowly unfolding from Seonghwa and extending to fan out around his sides in graceful arcs. His eyes were glowing a deep pink, focused down on the prey beneath him as the mechanical limbs silently moved to point their razor sharp ends to the other man.

Seonghwa tsked, reaching forward to grasp Korain’s chin in his hand and pull his gaze up to him. “Now look at what you have done. You spilled your disgusting blood all over my beautiful dress.” He reached down with his free hand to rip the dress from his body, holding up the bloodied and mangled fabric so that the man’s shell shocked gaze could pass over it. Broken sounds came from Korain, and Seonghwa frowned. “Oh no, can’t have you kicking up a fuss now.” He stuffed the fabric into the older man’s mouth, grinning as he choked on the fabric. “There we go. Now hold still for me.”

Korain started to struggle then as shock melted away to panic, watching in horror as the features on Seonghwa shifted. The synthetic skin that had been hiding his cybernetic enhancements tore and melted, as the full apparatus on his body opened. Neon pink lights drench the room, Seonghwa sighing in relief has his real form shone through to the horror of the man below him. Seonghwa smiled when the man’s pulse thundered and he started to shake against the couch.

“Ah. You know who I am. Good. Then you know how this will end.” Seonghwa reached forward to brace himself on the back of the couch so that he could leer over the other. “All those children cry out for justice. And your wife has answered for them.”

Korain shook his body, trying to throw the other off, even as the stub of his arm swung around causing his muffled cries to jump in pitch in his pain. Blood flew around them as he flailed, and Seonghwa snarled his lip in disgust. “Can’t you accept your judgment with some grace.” He moved his hands to grip Korain’s shoulder roughly, forcing him to hold still. The man’s energy was waning from the blood loss, but Seonghwa wasn’t worried. It wouldn’t be a problem.

Seonghwa lifted him forward and raised him up , suspending him up into the air. He let his eyes close a moment, lips parted as he allowed the poison in his body to flow up, activating as it took place into his slightly elongated fangs. His eyes slipped open, gazing down at the terrified gaze of Korain beneath him. Seonghwa was absolutely sure that it wasn’t even a fraction of terror that those poor kids had experienced at the hands of this man.

Korain shook, the vision of the feared Widow spread out above him. The deadly metal appendages extended from his stomach hung over him like a guillotine waiting to strike, and he knew from the scant police reports that existed that the poison that Seonghwa held would be a fate worse than death. He tried to speak around the soiled silk in his mouth, choking at the lack of air this caused. His pleas went unheard.

The six metal appendages suddenly tensed, and Korain shook his head in denial as suddenly they struck. Each one sunk into his sides with a sickening crunch of bone and flesh. He was screaming now, tears and snot running down his face.

Seonghwa dropped his hands from the other’s shoulders now that he was suspended on his mechanical arms. He now regarded the other with a dead look, calculating how much longer he had. “You know, I have all the files of your crimes here. I will leave them spread out around you so that the world will know what you have done. Your legacy will be buried with you.” He leaned forward, his voice dripping with the venom he held in his veins. “And the police will know that it was me who did this to you. And they will do nothing. Because even they know that my justice is deserved in any form it is served.”

With the same sudden precision he had already struck, he extended his fangs and bit down deeply into Korain’s neck, not being careful as he injected his venom and pulled back, ripping the flesh as he did so. He spit it out onto the man’s chest in disgust, reaching over to pick up the discarded glass of liquor. He drank what remained, swishing it around in his mouth before spitting that out as well.

“Even your drink reflects how foul you are. Absolutely revolting.” Seonghwa stood, Korain’s now limp body rising with him as it remained suspended. Seonghwa regarded the room, seeing a large window that was hidden behind a heavy curtain. He smiled, sauntering over to it as Korain groaned in pain from the shifting as the Widow moved. “Oh hush. It’s almost over.”

Seonghwa smiled to himself as he regarded the window. This would do nicely.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Chapter Text

“He’s never slept for this long…I’m a little worried Fee.” Yeosang fidgeted at the doorway of their rooms, having just come back from checking on Seonghwa. Felix looked up from the tablet in his lap, brows furrowed.

“It’s been…what three days now?”

Yeosang nodded, taking a seat across from the other. “Three days and counting. Mingi pulled the footage from when he came back and he was exhausted. Stumbling and the palest I’ve ever seen him.”

Felix bit his lip as he contemplated. “Do we know where he came from?” Yeosang shook his head, and Felix hummed. “Perhaps…Well. It’s been three days right?”

Yeosang nodded. “Do you think we should get Appa?”

Felix looked down at his tablet, eyeing the news report of the mysterious death of a prominent official in the City. They hadn’t linked it to the Braindance deaths, but it was scary nonetheless. Especially considering how he was found - strung up and pinned to a window in his own home. The report said he was fully visible from the streets, and when the police arrived to investigate they found an enormous amount of evidence of disgusting deeds the official had committed across the city.

It had picked at Felix’s mind, feeling that there were several details that should stand out, but the level of violence was too shocking to really have a desire to dive deeper. He knew Seonghwa and Hongjoong weren’t exactly without flaw, and that made him worried for their safety. If there was some vigilante alongside the mysterious deaths around the city - would anywhere be safe?

He really wished Seonghwa was awake and here to tell them what to do, to assure them as he always did that he would keep them safe. Felix stood, setting the tablet aside and going over to his brother and holding out his hand. “Come on, let’s go lay with mother for a bit. Maybe having us close will bring him comfort. If he doesn’t wake by tomorrow morning then we have Soobin take us to see Appa.”

Yeosang took his hand and nodded, and the two made their way through the Dollhouse, more subdued than normal. They came to Seonghwa’s room quickly, the two familiar with it from their years here. Before them on the large bed Seonghwa laid sleeping. He was on his back, pink hair a dulled hue and spread across his pillow. The boys paused, before nodding to one another, each taking a side of the bed to crawl under the covers. They cuddled up to Seonghwa, nuzzling into his neck and wrapping around him. He was colder than normal, and it made Yeosang whimper in worry.

Felix reached for his hand, giving it a squeeze. “Don’t worry. We will be the ones to take care of him now.”

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Minho hummed, carefully wiping down the countertop of the cafe as he contemplated many things at once. He’d determined that the random deaths around the city wasn’t just in their district, and it was attacking many different people of different classes. He’d had the Strays take many different precautions, as they did not want to risk the lives of any of their people, but he wasn’t sure which ones worked and which ones didn’t.

Jisung had unfortunately been locked away in their apartment with his own musings, their living room long given way to a storage house of his notes and records of anything to do with the mysterious deaths. He wasn’t sure yet of exactly what was implanting the virus-like code into its victims, but he had several theories that he was pursuing.

Minho sighed, eyes on the rag in his hand. They really needed to figure this out before the authorities decided to place false accusations to save face with the increasingly irate public. Sure they were criminals by the basest definition of the word, but they weren’t murderers.

“That’s a pretty deep sigh to have on a day like this.”

Minho looked up, seeing the tall and gently smiling man at the counter. He felt his own lips tilt up in a smirk. “Oh, Hotteok. It’s been awhile. Thought you were too scared to come to this part of the city.”

The tall man pursed his lips, waving his words away. “I’m not scared, Minho-ssi. I’ve just been very busy.”

“Busy? Over in Gwacheon? Last I heard, there hadn’t been much moving through there because you had that raid a few months back.”

Yunho cocked an eyebrow at him. “Seems you are pretty up to date on things going on around the city. Which honestly, is why I’m here…” He looked around, noting the empty cafe. Leaning forward, his gaze turned serious. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the deaths happening around the city.”

Minho froze, instantly on alert. He was friendly enough with Yunho. The guy was likable and definitely didn’t have the useless aura most people living out on the streets did. But that didn’t necessarily mean they were in position to share information freely. They were, at the end of the day, in two separate and often competing organizations. So he would need to navigate this carefully. Yunho’s group, the G-boys, would benefit a lot from the Strays taking the fall for this.

“You’re awfully bold to come in and ask if I have any information.” His tone was no longer friendly, his gaze sharp and pinning Yunho where he stood.

Yunho nodded once, just as seriously focused as Minho was. “I know. But I don’t come empty handed. I have some information of my own, and I know it can help you keep you and yours safe.”

Minho’s gaze only narrowed. “And why would you bring this to me?”

Yunho sighed, dropping his gaze and taking a seat at the cafe counter. “Look, I know how weird this is. And I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t think the good outweighed the bad.”

Minho stood up, eyeing the other for a moment. “Alright. Hold on.” He walked around the counter, going to the front door and turning the closed sign on and locking the door. He came back around and sat in an armchair nearby, waiting for Yunho to join him before waving him on.

Yunho blew out a breath before starting. “What I need to know is the transport specifics on something coming out of the Utopia Dollhouse.”

Again Minho’s gaze narrowed. “Transport? And why would you think we have anything to do with Utopia?”

Yunho gave a weak smile in response. “I’ve seen your delivery boy go in and out several times.”

Now Minho’s ears lay flat on his head in suspicion. “You’ve been tailing Jeongin.” He didn’t like the fact that his only employee was being followed like this.

Yunho only nodded, his smile not apologetic. “Initially it was by accident that I saw him. But once I made note, I kept tabs on him but only when he was there at the Dollhouse. I really don’t mean any harm.”

“But why? Why are you spying on Utopia?”

“Because there is something there that I believe is causing these deaths around the city.”

Minho snorted. “If you are referring to the work of the Widow, then you are woefully misguided. This isn’t his style, nor his usual target.”

Yunho frowned, unwilling to argue that particular point at the moment. “Not the Widow directly, no. I needed to get into Utopia to confirm what I had found with the deaths of one of my own guys. So I snuck in.”

“You fucking what?” Minho looked alarmed, eyes wide and ears straight out as he stared at Yunho in disbelief.

“I found my way in and did some digging. I’ll tell you what I found if you can give me the information I need.”

Minho just stared at him, mind racing at the information. He did want to know what was causing the virus, and knowing could help him better prepare his people to defend themselves. But this all could be a ruse, he had no guarantee this was even legit information.

“How do I know what you have is even the actual cause?”

Yunho paused. He knew that there would be doubt, but he was prepared for it. It would require giving a little more information than he normally would. But he was so close to figuring things out, he could feel it. “Because I confirmed it with Mingi.”

Minho narrowed his gaze on him once more. “Mingi.” Not asked, simply stated. The name sat heavy between them for a few tense minutes. “Alright. I will answer your questions.”

Yunho bit back the sigh in relief at his statement. Why Mingi’s name seemed to have convinced Minho he would have to examine later. “Ok, great, thank you.” Yunho sat back, eyes going to trace over the cute books and decor on the cafe’s shelves. “I need to know what happens to the Braindances the moment your crew has them, to the moment they are delivered.”

Minho blinked in confusion, for sure thinking this would be about the large loads of weaponry that moved through Utopia. Not the gimmicky Braindances they produced. “The Braindances?” Minho hesitated, knowing that there was something significant in Yunho’s inquiry. “We take them to Mapo, they get sorted to four distributors. Then usually within the week they are taken out to the other districts and sold to the establishments that request them.”

“Are they kept under guard or locked up until they are taken to delivery?”

Minho again found his gaze narrowing in confusion. “The warehouse is guarded, yeah. But there aren't any special precautions taken for them. We have other higher priced inventory that gets priority.”

“The people who have access to them, would you say they are the kind to want to mess with the tech?”

“What is this about?” Minho snapped, tail whipping against the couch at the veiled accusations being made by the other’s questions.

Yunho sighed. “I don’t mean to imply anything directly. At least, I hope not. Ok listen…” He sat forward, eyes trained on the other. “Min and I believe that the Braindances are responsible for the virus that is killing people. It’s not in all of them. And we confirmed that none of the Braindances coming out of Utopia have the virus when they leave. So somewhere along the route, they are being infected.”

Minho was silent for a moment, gaze calculating but no longer hostile. “And you think that could be happening during distribution. From one of my people?”

“It’s a possibility. We’ve put some things in place that can hopefully tell us when or where it’s happening, but I’d like to get ahead of any more deaths if possible.”

Minho’s tail came to a stop when a thought occurred to him. “Harin had watched a Braindance the night before she died.”

Yunho sat up at his quiet murmur. “She did? You know for sure?” Minho nodded.

“My people said they had gone out to one of the local hot spots. Drank and scrolled some Braindances. It’s possible she was the only one who used the infected one. And it’s one of the spots where we do our deliveries too.”

“How long ago was this?”

“Maybe… four days now. She died on Monday. Which means they could have the records of which one she scrolled.” Minho read the look on Yunho’s face. “It may even be there still.”

“We have to get down there before someone else gets a hold of it.” Yunho stood, energy buzzing through him at finally having something of a solid lead. Minho nodded but stood up a bit slower. He still wasn’t exactly excited to be working with the other, and being seen with him outside would perhaps send the wrong message to the Strays in this time of trouble.

“I think you should go, but I will stay here. I have some calls to make anyway. I have to get the word out about the Braindances and have people stop scrolling before - “ He was interrupted by a bell ringing at the back of the cafe’s storage room.

“Minho-sii! I’m back, and Mingi-sii came along since there was too much to bring on my own. Can I make him a coffee?” The voice of his delivery driver rang through, and Yunho froze, eyes wide as Jeongin and Mingi both came through the door behind the counter.

“Sorry to be here unannounced Minho-ssi, he really needed the help though. You’ve really got to start hitting the gym I told you about Jeongie.” Mingi’s deep voice was filled with humor as he mussed up Jeongin’s hair with a grin. A grin which faded the moment he saw Yunho standing there frozen and staring at him. “The hell are you here for?”

Minho’s eyebrows shot up, lips pursed as he looked at the hostility that rolled off the normally calm and cool Tech. “I thought you said you and Mingi were working together, Hotteok?”

Mingi shot a vicious glare at Minho in disbelief, then immediately shot it back to the taller man who shrunk back a bit at the bite in his eyes. “You’ve been talking about me here of all places, Hotteok?” He hissed, absolutely livid.

Yunho swallowed thickly, hands raising up in a placating motion. “I’ve just been tracking down any leads on what we’ve been working on, I promise.”

Minho’s tail swished behind him in irritation. “And what does it being done in my charming cafe have to do with anything?”

Mingi immediately turned to Minho. “Nothing, Minho-ssi. I love it here, it’s very cute. Best in the city.” He spoke clipped but with respect, crossing the space over to Yunho, who’s eyes comically widened as his arm was grabbed and he was soon being dragged roughly along to the door. “We have to go, please excuse us.”

Yunho remained quiet as Mingi unlocked the door and jerked him outside. He made sure to gently close the door behind them however, and Yunho bit back the smile at the action. The two made their way down the street, ducking into an alley some blocks over where Mingi finally released him and turned, gaze once more attempting to set him on fire.

“Fucking explain. Now.”

“I figured that since you weren’t using my group to distribute the BDs, that it was the Strays handling it. And we had talked about it being possible that someone corrupted the BDs during delivery. I was trying to figure out if that was what had happened.”

“By going directly to their head?! Have you lost your damn mind? There is way more at stake here than you possibly can know about to be doing something so….so stupid!” Mingi ran his hands through his hair in frustration, pacing the narrow alleyway to let out his excess frustration. “I can’t have the Strays acting up and attracting attention that I do not need on me.”

“They wouldn’t attract the badges to this, you know that. They have more to risk by doing so than you do.”

“It’s not the badges I’m worried about!” Mingi growled, eyes wild as he turned on the other. “You need to keep your nose out of this, I swear, Yunho. This isn’t a case, this isn’t some lead for you to pursue. Leave it alone.” Mingi angrily blinked back the tears he could feel trying to come, not wanting to show that vulnerability to the other.

Yunho could only look at him with his mouth open slightly in shock. “Mingi…” He watched his old friend fight to compose himself, and could see all the signs that hadn’t changed in the slightest even all these years later. “I’m sorry Min…I just wanted to help in the only way I knew how.”

“I’ve lived all these years without your help, I don’t need it now.” What should have been another biting statement was instead wilted and worn out. He hadn’t even snapped at the old nickname.

Yunho slowly stepped towards Mingi, seeing his shoulders tremble in the half light of the alley. “Hey…let’s get out of here. My place isn’t too far, we can talk there, alright?” He spoke softly, afraid to set the other off. But Mingi only nodded once, following along with Yunho as he led them out the other side of the alley. A quiet twenty minutes later found them at his surprisingly not run down apartment building.

Mingi glared at some of the people that loitered in the street, but Yunho gently guided him up and soon he was leading him into the small but clean living room of his place. He locked the door behind him, the two moving around one another with a familiarity from their youth. Soon Mingi was seated on the couch, unable to stop himself from looking around the room in curiosity. There wasn’t much to see, the place not decorated and seemed to be spartan in design.

Yunho entered from the small connected kitchen, setting a mug of a steaming drink in front of him. Mingi took it, blowing on it for a minute before sipping, eyes widening in surprise at the sweet liquid that wasn’t what he was expecting.

Yunho hid a grin behind his own mug. “Hot chocolate. It’s… my usual go to when stressed.”

Neither said anything about it being Mingi’s favorite drink while growing up.

They sipped in silence for a bit as the sun began to set outside. Then Mingi finally set the mug down.

“Why does it look like you’re ready to drop everything and leave here without a trace.” He didn’t ask as much as demanded, looking at Yunho with unveiled distrust.

Yunho looked around, before sighing and sitting back, a hand running through his hair. “I guess I just never really… settled here. Doesn’t really feel like home.” He murmured, gaze now trained on the small window that the evening sun pierced through.

Mingi was quiet, eyes trained on the other. “I told you not to call me Min.”

Yunho felt his lips quirk at that. “You did.”

Mingi shifted unhappily. “Then…why?”

Yunho set his arm on the back of the sofa, tilting his head to regard the other. “Mingi… who are you afraid of? Really?”

Mingi bit back his retort, opting instead to try and stare down the other. When that failed he pouted slightly, turning his head away to break Yunho’s gaze. “It’s none of your concern.”

“I thought we were working together on this?”

Mingi surprisingly only seemed to pout more at the statement instead of getting angry. “Doesn’t seem like you need me if you go to Minho-ssi over me.”

Yunho’s eyes widened in surprise, regarding the other. “Song Mingi, are you jealous?”

Mingi only looked over at him, head tilted in defiance. “And so what if I am?”

Yunho grinned now, leaning towards the other. “That’s cute. Of course I would choose you over Minho-ssi any day. But you kicked me out, remember?”

“Not so you could go running to someone else to poke your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“Ah ah. See now I know it’s just because I didn’t come to you, not that I’m asking around for information. Min, I would’ve shared what I learned with you.” Yunho’s gaze turned fond. “All you had to do is ask if you wanted to see me again.”

“I don’t have a way to contact you, gonk.” Mingi realized his mistake when a smirk spread replaced the fond look on the other. “N-not that I tried or anything.”

“One of the best Fixtechs in the city couldn’t find my contact info? Don’t be too upset about it…” Yunho leaned forward, head tilted down and gaze devastating in Mingi’s personal opinion. “I made myself hard to find on purpose. But I’ll give you my number anytime.” He purred to the other, watching a flush start at Mingi’s ears and soon spread down his neck.

Mingi spluttered, pushing the other back to his side of the couch as he groaned. “Shut up. Seriously, you are so annoying.” Yunho laughed loudly at that and Mingi felt his heart clench. “I’m still mad at you. For a lot of things.”

Yunho fell somber at the quietly whispered statement. “I know, Min. I’ve got a lot to make up for.”

Mingi scowled, the blush no longer there and his demeanor closed off once more. “There’s no making up for it. Since you can’t seem to mind your own business, we can settle this BD mess then we will be back to our lives as normal. Separate. Just like you wanted.”

Yunho’s chest tightened. “It…doesn’t have to be like that. I… I want to keep seeing you Mingi.” He kept his gaze on the other. “I’m not saying we will go back to how …we were before.”

“Like hell we will.”

Yunho nodded once. “Right. But I want to keep in touch at least. Maybe even be friends.”

Mingi’s gaze was cold. “The friends I keep now don’t abandon each other. I don’t think you’ll fit in.”

“Fuck Min, I’m sorry. I thought I was doing something good. I wanted to find justice for you.”

“I didn’t want justice, you gonk. I wanted you. My best friend. I had no one else left, and then you just disappeared one day with some stupid note that was supposed to make me feel better?” Now that Mingi started, he couldn’t stop all the pent up feelings he’d stamped down over the many years of loneliness. “What good is justice when I’m still left alone at the end of it all?” Tears bit at his eyes once more. “And you went to the Cops? The fucking pigs? There’s no justice there.”

Yunho could feel his heart breaking with every word. It was true, he had in a way abandoned Mingi at one of the hardest moments of the other’s life. His parents and sister had been caught in the crossfire of gang turf war in the district they had grown up in. Tragic casualties in the dangerous underbelly of the city. The two friends had been close at the time, so the loss was felt by them both. Mingi had been completely devastated, being a soft spoken boy who shone with the light of the sun that was out of place in their way of life. Yunho had burned with anger, frustrated by the lack of investigation into their deaths. He wanted to see those responsible pay, and he didn’t want any others to suffer the way his best friend had.

Yunho had made the decision to join the police academy without discussing it with Mingi. His friend was already so distraught, he didn’t want to add to his burden. Yunho knew he’d have to leave for a year or two, but he’d be back and he’d bring change with him. He’d make this place safer for his friend, and give him a better life. Mingi deserved that, and Yunho would do anything to make it happen.

But things didn’t go according to plan. He’d been put through a grueling training process, facing a lot of difficulty because of where he had come from. The other cops didn’t trust him, and much to Yunho’s dismay and disgust he had found that not many of them truly wanted to see a change for good in the city. Busting crime rings was the biggest priority, and time and time again acts of violence were written off as an unfortunate side effect of the lowlives of the city. No precautions were taken to protect the weak, no effort was made to really make things safer.

And to top it all off, Yunho wasn’t even assigned in the unit he had requested. He was stuck on desk duty for nearly two years, before being moved to intel on the other side of the city. He was forbidden from keeping connections in his old life if he ever wanted the chance to move up in rank. Before he knew it, it had been nearly six years since he last talked to Mingi. And every second of that time now weighed between them. Not just that, but the lie he was currently keeping, his undercover work still put him at odds with the other.

Yunho couldn’t leave it like this. Suddenly all that passion and drive he had to make a difference paled in the face of the one that he used to share every waking moment with. Yunho sank to his knees before Mingi, the other shocked by the sudden move. Yunho gently took Mingi’s hands into his own, looking up at him earnestly.

“I’m so sorry, Mingi. I will live everyday making it up to you. I know my words don’t mean much now, but know that I swear that I will never abandon you again. If you will have me, that is…” He trailed off with a weak smile, voice cracking at the half hearted joke.

Mingi stared down at him, expression stony. “I… I don’t believe you.”

“Then I will make you believe me. I’ll prove it through my actions.”

“What if I don’t want you in my life?”

Yunho felt ice in his veins at the very thought. “I’d…respect that.” Silence stretched between them, the two looking at one another in contemplation. Finally Mingi sighed, breaking the contact by standing.

“Whatever. We need to focus. Did you get any intel from Minho-ssi?”

Yunho stared for a moment at the spot of the couch Mingi had been sitting for a second before slowly standing as well. “Y-yeah. Said he knows where one of his people scrolled before she died. We can go there now, see if they still have the BD.”

Mingi gazed at him, expression eerily neutral. “Alright. Let’s go.”

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

“I’ve made sure to shut down the neural receptors for all functions. Easy to do, since you don’t have a lot of chrome installed.” The tech assured Jongho, who lay calmly on the dive chair in his family’s lab. He had decided that the best way to really investigate his suspicions in the Braindances would be to view one himself. He knew that his brother wouldn’t approve, so he waited until San would be out to ensure he would not be interrupted.

The next step in ensuring he would come out brain intact was to turn off his chrome upgrades, which weren’t honestly very many compared to the average citizen in Neo Seoul. He hadn’t really ever felt the need to expand what he had, preferring to rely on his own abilities as they were. And his techs had worked tirelessly to isolate any code that didn’t belong, and were confident that the virus was removed or at the very least contained.

So with those precautions in place, he had the tech ready up the Braindance he’d been able to acquire. Closing his eyes, feeling the machines press into his temple with a sharp tap he was soon inside the hidden vision of the device.

Jongho became aware of his surroundings slowly, the first thing in his line of sight being an endless amount of pastel colored blankets and pillows, spread about him as if he were in the midst of a large unending nest. The sky was a brilliant blue above him, fluffy clouds floating passed peacefully in a gentle breeze. Bewildered, he slowly sat up, looking around to see the form of someone else sitting not too far from him, smiling at him gently. Jongho felt his shock and confusion melt away as he took in the appearance of the other. He was young, seemingly around his own age, and seemed to be untouched by any tech or chrome. He had long black hair that hung past his shoulders in gentle waves, and beautifully kind eyes.

A surprisingly deep voice called out then. “Oh, hello there. Welcome, please do not be afraid, you are safe here.”

Jongho felt himself sit up more comfortably, turning to look now at the other fully. “I’m so glad you could come. You may call me Snow White.” The boy leaned forward, his white robes seeming to almost float about him as if wings. “I see you are very tired. Things have been so tough lately, and you’ve been doing so well.” Snow White reaches out to gently stroke his cheek, and Jongho is surprised to feel the warmth. “You’ve been so strong, I’m very proud of you.”

Jongho let out a sigh he didn’t even realize he was holding. Those words sunk slowly into him, melting away his previously unacknowledged doubts about everything that was happening. He’d been overwhelmed with the tasks given to him, expected to solve a city wide mystery with calm and poise that his family demanded of him. But under his loyalty and honor that was instilled in him since he could walk, was a small boy who was just as afraid as everyone else was. To hear someone say they were proud, even through a fictitious dream, was new to Jongho.

He leaned into the touch, and the other smiled at him. “There you go, just relax, I will take care of you. Come here.” Jongho felt himself move, laying down at the other’s insistence and resting his head into Snow White’s lap, a gentle hand stroking through his hair softly. Jongho was a bit stunned, to find himself so comforted by the action. “Look at you. Working and trying so hard. Life is cruel, but you don’t let it claim you. You do your best, and those around you see that. We’re thankful to you.”

The other’s deep voice soothed over Jongho’s insecurities and lulled him to relax further. There was a charming and soft chuckle. “There now… rest. You’ve earned it. I will see you again soon. I promise.”

Jongho couldn’t fight the darkness slipping in, as the Braindance drew to a close.

Then he was back, the white ceiling of the lab a stark contrast to the vibrant world he had just left behind. The tech stared at him in panicked surprise, leaning over him. “Oh. Jongho-ssi! I was a bit worried… you weren’t responding to the stimuli that you requested. And you weren’t waking up either, no matter what protocol I ran.”

Jongho felt disoriented. “I… I was unable to control it.” He felt something wet on his face and reached up, shocked to feel the tears there. “What….?” He had never cried from anything like this before. The whole experience had been bizarrely beautiful, and Jongho still felt like he was floating. No wonder people sought after this Braindance with a fervor equal to that of chasing a high. “How long was I in there?”

The tech looked uncomfortable at the question, shifting a bit. “Well… that’s the thing. It’s been three hours since you went in.”

Jongho stared at him in disbelief. “Three hours? How is that possible…” He looked down at his hands, still unable to ground himself in the moment. He could still hear the gentle whispers of the one who called himself Snow White. “What did you see on your end? What did the dream look like?”

The tech looked more nervous now, puzzled and a bit lost. “There..wasn’t anything. No visuals, no audio. Nothing on the playback screens. If I didn’t know any better, I would say this BD was a dud.”

Jongho sat up slowly, pulling the device off and setting it aside. This was all so strange. The Braindance was harmless in its content, it was in fact probably one of the purest of its kind to ever be made. Jongho just felt bewildered, out of his element and no closer to having the answers he sought. He needed Yunho, and he would need him soon.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

San’s gaze cut like a knife through the crowded conference room. It had been hours now, and things were escalating more and more as news from around the city continued to pour in. Their business partners were panicking more and more as the deaths escalated in the city, and with the unusual death of Councilmen Korain there was outright fear in the upper class than had ever been before. The police seemed just as helpless as they were, always steps behind whatever was happening.

To say the people of the city were terrified and frustrated was an understatement. And now San was here, alongside his father as they headed up the farce of a taskforce of leadership in the city that were supposed to be getting a hold of the situation.

“All official channels are being used to navigate each situation as they arise, but our resources are starting to become more scarce. We have to request help from the military soon, if we have any hope of containing panic in the city.” One of the police officials who looked at their wits end spoke over the rest, appealing to San’s father.

The elder Choi frowned, looking over the newest reports on the latest three deaths, from just the day before.

“The way things are going, we may even need to declare a state of emergency soon. We have no idea what is causing this, and people are in real danger.” The official continued.

“Outrageous! Declaring an emergency shuts everything down, do you have any idea how catastrophic that would be to production?!” Several voices shouted now, each trying to shout their opinions over the others. Normally such behavior would be uncouth, but the tension was palpable in the room.

San’s father turned to him, a flash of sympathy in his eyes. “San. Go and get your brother, I want the two of you to get any information he has and compile it immediately. We can no longer afford to wait.”

San nodded, careful not to outwardly show his relief as he stood, Seungmin falling into line behind him as they made their way out and down to the garage. If San walked a little faster than normal, well Seungmin chose not to comment. Soon they were in San’s personal car, speeding out through the city and heading toward their house where Jongho had said he’d be working that day.

San let out the longest sigh of the day, causing Seungmin to turn his head away to hide his smile. “They are letting their fear make them….”

“Hysterical. The lot of them. And they are useless like that.” San groaned, his hand coming up to pet at Byeol’s head. “I really hope Jongho has been able to find something substantial out. I really don’t want us to blame an entire group of people simply because there are no other leads to go on.”

Seungmin regarded San with interest. “Even if that group is a known threat to the city? Causing problems every way you look?”

San frowned up at the ceiling of the car. “Sure…the Strays cause problems. But are they really like… actual problems?”

Seungmin felt his eyebrows raise in surprise. “You don’t think so?”

“If anything, they are like vandals. I don’t think what they do means any real harm in the city. As much as my father and those like him would disagree. They just get mad because their bottom line takes a hit.” San ran a hand over his face, resting it on his eyes. “I’ve read each incident report because my Father complains about them so much… and it’s like they are that one fairy tale story…what was it..?” San trails off in thought for a moment, so he doesn’t see the stunned look Seungmin is giving him. “Robin Hood! That’s the one.”

Seungmin stares at him, disbelief coloring his tone. “Robin Hood? Like stealing from the rich to give to the poor kind of stuff?”

San smiles, lifting his hand to peek at him. “Well yeah. That’s exactly what they do. Targeted hits on warehouses filled too full of things the average everyday person has a hard time getting ahold of. And it doesn’t seem like they ever take more than their fair share.”

“Fair share?” Now Seungmin couldn’t hide his shock anymore.

San pursed his lips, looking shy now. “Maybe I’ve said too much.” He sighed, hands flopping next to him. “Regardless…to escalate to killing people at random? That’s not something they would do. In fact, even the most violent factions in the city wouldn’t do this. Why bring down this level of scrutiny on yourself? It’s not good for business, no matter the kind of business it is.”

Seungmin bit his bottom lip, stopping himself from agreeing too much with the other. It wasn’t really his place to weigh in on such topics, but San had always been forthright with him and treated him as an equal. Even if he would never quite get used to it. But the fact that he sounded so much like someone else he knew, it was uncanny.

“So what now then?” Seungmin was curious to see what San had planned.

“We get Jongho, and get to the bottom of this. I’m tired of listening to these people everyday. I’m tired of hearing about new deaths piling up and all they can do is complain about their money. I want to stop this, and save people before it’s too late.” San sat up, scratching Byeol as the car came to a stop. “Let’s go get it done.”

Seungmin nodded, tamping down the excitement at the other’s words.

Chapter Text

Something was wrong.

That’s the first thought that floated to the front of his consciousness. Seonghwa struggled for a moment to get his bearings before even considering opening his eyes. He wiggled his fingers, feeling the material under his palms and finding that he was surrounded by soft sheets and plush pillows. It felt like his bed.

That was a relief. At the very least he was somewhere safe. He couldn’t sense anyone else with him at the moment, so he took his time to let his body gradually wake up. It felt as if he’d been hit by a truck, every limb heavy and unmoving. He let out a low groan, taking more effort than he’d like to just blink his eyes open. This had never happened before. Sure, after each ‘client’ he would experience a form of fatigue, but never in such a way that he’d be unable to move.

As his vision cleared, he could make out a soft light in the corner of the room, a nightlight Felix had requested to keep the dark at bay when his jewels would stay the night in his bed. So they had been in here at some point. Seonghwa felt himself frown. Just how long had he been out for?

Taking stock of his body, he slowly tried to move first his arms, then legs. Each limb felt like they had weights attached. He tried to push himself up, but his body was too heavy and fell back to the bed with a huff each time. He was groggy and felt so sluggish, thoughts being a bit harder to put together than normal.

Briefly the thought that perhaps he had used too much poison flashed through his mind. Hongjoong had warned him all those years ago about using it sparingly, and usually he was very careful with how much he injected… but this last target had really pushed his usual self control.

Seonghwa sighed, trying his best to focus as he rubbed at his eyes. He needed help, that much was obvious. Parting his lips he attempted to make a sound, but needed to clear his throat several times before anything came out. “M-m….magnus!”

A soft whirling echoed into the room from the ceiling and after a few moments of faint scratching sounds a small mechanical bird swung into the room down from the dark rafters above. This little guy was one of the first Hongjoong had made, intending to act as an emergency only link of communication between Utopia and his lab. It had never been used before, and Seonghwa was hoping that what Hongjoong had told him about it would work.

The bird came down, landing on the bed near Seonghwa’s hip. Its softly glowing blue eyes coldly looked at him, and fell still waiting for his command.

Seonghwa took another few minutes to gather his energy once more. He reached up, tapping a button at the base of the bird’s neck and with a shaking arm held it there. “H-hong…Joongie….something…is wrong. Please…please….I n-need you.” His voice was rough, barely a rasp, and it was a challenge to push the words out in what he hoped was an understandable manner. His hand dropped, releasing the button and immediately the bird buzzed to life, a puff of steam rolling over Seonghwa as it took off. He watched it weakly, hoping that soon Hongjoong would be there to see what was wrong.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

It was rare to see the Choi brothers outside their normal district, much less together at the same time. But desperate times had pushed them out, and now they stood in a run down and abandoned area of the city outskirts. Jongho had said that his contact would be meeting them soon, and it was a bit unnerving to San to have to meet in secret like this. He preferred business to be straightforward, even if he found most people he had to work with to be insufferable.

Regardless, they were now waiting as the sun slowly began to set. Seungmin was a few feet back near their car, looking a bit bored as he watched the two brothers. They spoke in low tones, and he shifted as he eyed the distant road. How long were they supposed to wait? He was nervous being out in the open like this, even if this area had been deserted for some time.

His thoughts were interrupted by the low roar of a motorcycle speeding from around the corner. It came to a halt a few feet away from the brothers and Seungmin straightened up, gaze sharp as he regarded the rider with some distrust.

“Hotteok.” the younger Choi called out. “Please tell me you have new information.” Jongho’s voice was steady as he nodded to the tall man who approached them.

The new arrival bowed politely to San who nodded in return but said nothing. “I’ve been able to track where the corrupted Braindances originated from. A place over in Sector 12, a Dollhouse called Utopia. But I have confirmed that they were not corrupted when they left there. That’s just where they are made.”

Jongho frowned. “If they aren’t corrupted at creation, then when? And where?”

Hotteok sighed. “I’ve got some things in place to try and find that out. I’m tracing distribution channels and I’m hoping to narrow it down where it happens…but I can’t be sure when.”

San’s brow furrowed. “So we still aren’t sure how this is happening? Or who’s doing it?”

Yunho shook his head. “Unfortunately no. But I can say for sure that it’s not anyone at Utopia. Or anyone from the G-boys. They don’t really have the resources to do this.”

Jongho’s gaze was sharp on him. “How can you be sure the creator of the Braindances isn’t involved? This…Snow White.”

Both San and Hotteok looked at him in confusion. “Who’s Snow White?”

“That’s who is on the Braindances. Someone named Snow White, whom I assume lives at Utopia. Maybe one of their dolls.”

San now had his narrowed gaze on his brother. “And how exactly do you know that, Jongho?”

Hotteok stared more openly at the younger. “You didn’t watch it did you?” His voice rose in pitch as Jongho resolutely remained quiet. “When did you watch it?”

”I took precautions, there is n-“

“I told you not to do something so dangerous!” San’s protest shouted over Jongho. “I specifically said not to put yourself at risk!”

Jongho looked at San in shock. His brother had never raised his voice, not even when in meetings or in stressful situations. But now he stood, shaking in his anger. No, in his fear. Jongho swallowed thickly, and Hotteok took a step back to remove himself from the situation growing between the two brothers.

“San…I took every precaution to make sure it was safe. The code had been cleaned and reviewed multiple times. I even turned my tech off. I’m fine.”

San scowled, turning to face Jongho fully and putting his hands on the other’s shoulders. “None of that matters if we don’t understand exactly what this is. It could be dormant until something sets it off. It could be inside you now. When did you watch it?”

Jongho was silent for several long moments before sighing. “Last night. And I have none of the effects that were reported so far by those that were infected.”

San’s hands tightened their hold. “You are still in the timeframe of when they succumbed to the virus. How long have the cases varied?” San looked in Hotteok’s direction.

Hotteok jumped at suddenly being addressed. “Jongho would know as well as I do. Usually within twenty-four hours now. Some have been even shorter. Most likely due to other factors in their exposure.”

Jongho nodded. “And each one showed other symptoms. Fatigue, weakness, and difficulty breathing. I have none of those.”

”But you could have.” San shook him slightly. “I only have one brother. One Jongho. You don't risk yourself like this.”

Finally Jongho showed a bit of remorse, lips pursed as he looked at the elder Choi. “I’m sorry, brother. I’ll be more careful.”

San pulled him close, foreheads resting together as he murmured, “You had better.”

Hottok averted his gaze to give the brothers their moment, catching Seungmin’s eye, the other shrugging lightly. They waited till the brothers parted once more and faced him.

Jongho cleared his throat. “So, this Snow White. Have you heard of him?”

Hotteok hummed, nibbling his bottom lip in thought. “Perhaps it’s… one of the jewels? No one had actually ever seen them in person. So we can’t exactly confirm that it is. But it’s possible. Did they say anything in the BD?”

San tilted his head in confusion, “Jewels? What do jewels have to do with anything?”

”The jewels are two boys that the owner of Utopia protects and keeps confined within the complex. Rumors say that they are the only two complete Humans in the city, and the Widow protects them viciously.” Jongho patiently explains. “If it’s one of them, it's possible that the Widow doesn’t know about the BDs.”

Hotteok scoffs. “Unlikely. I still think the Widow has something to do with all this. But… There are several who disagree with me on that. And they are a lot closer to him than I am.”

San looked back and forth between the two of them. “Is it at all possible…that the Strays have anything to do with what is going on?”

Jongho looked at Hotteok, brow raised.

“Honestly…I don’t think so. I’m still confirming the distribution method of the BDs, but they are just as affected as everyone else is. If they were the cause of this, it’s unlikely they’d kill so many of their own.”

Seungmin watched San’s shoulders lower minutely. It seemed he had been worried that the baseless accusations of the elite had been right.

“At least that is one cause of concern we can put to rest. So what about this Widow? What makes you think he could be doing this?”

The agent shifted, glancing around. “Well… he’s killed before. That much I know for certain. But because of who he kills and why most of the police force have turned a blind eye to his actions.”

San nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard of the recent death. Councilman Korain. What an absolute monster he was.”

“Yeah…. That seems to be what most everyone thinks whenever he takes a life.”

Jongho hummed. “You seem upset that he takes this kind of justice.”

Hotteok frowned, eyes on the ground now. “It’s a reckless kind of justice. Who is to say that he has absolute authority over things like this? What do we do if one day he kills the wrong person because he’s been allowed to do as he pleases all this time? We have a process for a reason, and he just skips all of it to merit out a punishment.”

San eyed him in thought, “Perhaps… There are just some times when justice moves too slow, and it takes someone else acting outside the law to bring about a proper end.” He ignores the burning gaze of the three others as he continues, “In any case, it would be way out of his usual parameters if he started to kill this recklessly and in such a detached manner. The death of Korain was his usual calling card. I don’t think he’s behind what is happening.”

Hotteok sighed. Yet another person not at all concerned about the Widow’s actions. He really would be the only one to be keeping an eye on the rogue vigilante in all this.

”What about the god of Neo Seoul?” Seungmin spoke up for the first time behind the three. They turned to look at him. San lit up at the name.

”I’ve heard of them before! Isn’t he sort of a super hacker or something?”

“Something like that.”Hotteok snorted. “No one really knows who they are, but they are a genius and work outside all parameters of cyber tech that we know and are regulated. There are plenty of rumors around them, but one thing that is clear is that they do not care at all about the people of the city.”

Jongho nodded. “That’s about what the intel I have said. They stay out of things, and if you’re lucky enough to actually run into them they will give you a tech upgrade that defies any out there on the market now. There’s some idol that has tech from them, Wooyoung I think.”

Seungmin nodded. “But with all that knowledge, could it be possible that the god engineered this virus? That it could be their doing?”

Hotteok frowned, squinting a bit more closely at the other. “To be honest, I know someone who has connections to the god…and he says that the god has been silent on the whole matter. Which means that whatever this is doesn’t concern them.”

San looked shocked. “People are dying every day, and this doesn’t concern the god?”

The agent shrugs. “We don’t know much, remember? Just that the god doesn’t care about the city at large.”

”It’s not all that different from the elite, San. They didn’t care until our own started to die.” Jongho put a hand on his frowning brother’s shoulder. “They didn’t even notice until Jung-ssi died. And he was the seventy-third death.”

“When you put it that way… I guess it shouldn’t be so surprising.” San looked between the three. “So what now? I can try and keep the police from moving against the Strays for now. No need to escalate things on the street when everyone is at equal risk.”

”We need to get word out about the Braindances, warn people to perhaps stop scrolling until things are under control once more.” Jongho murmured in thought. “So far there hasn’t been anything else that seems to spread the virus. So maybe we can get ahead of the spread through word of mouth.”

Hotteok nodded. “I’ve got some things in place, the moment one of our traced BDs is corrupted, we will know. But I’ll be honest, I’m isolated out here. There’s a lot at risk for me if I try to make any moves that show I’m still working for the city. I haven’t even been able to make any moves on the arms issues with all this.”

Jongho eyed him up and down. “At the risk of sounding like an asshole, I’m not sure we can help you with that.”

”One of you saying something to the Police Chief would help. They’ve been escalating what they are asking of me these last few days, and what they are asking will expose me. Sooner rather than later. They are desperate, and it’s going to get me killed.” Hotteok spoke quickly, eyeing the two brothers.

“I will try and speak with her. Hotteok, right?” San asked.

”That’s my street name. I’m Yunho, please San-ssi. I hate to ask this of either of you, but I literally have no one else I can ask.” Yunho tried not to let his desperation bleed through, but now that the brother’s looked closely at him they could see the dark circles under his eyes and his overall exhausted appearance.

Jongho could tell by the look on San’s face that he was moved by the other’s plight. “I’ll do all I can, Yunho. I’ll call for a meeting when we are done here. Please just hold on until then.”

Yunho bowed then, nodding to Jongho and then Seungmin before turning and heading back to his bike. The brother’s watched him take off, and San turned to the other two. “Well… let’s get back. We have a lot to do, and not too much time to get it done.”

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Chan hangs up the call, laying back to stretch out fully on the couch with a long sigh. “That was Mong, apparently the heat should die down on us soon.”

Minho looked up from the reports he’d been pouring over. “That’s a piece of good news at long last.” He moved some papers over, shifting until he found what he was looking for. “We’ve also managed to get word out in our district and the 12th district about the Bds. Deaths have declined, but not stopped completely.”

”That’s only a matter of time. You did good getting that intel out. Where’d it come from anyway? Did Jisung figure it out?”

Minho scoffed, ears flicking back. “No he didn’t. And he’s still upset about it. I haven’t seen him these last two nights since. He’s been locked in his labs convinced there is something he missed that the ‘almighty god’ would’ve seen from miles away.” He rolled his eyes, pushing the papers a bit more roughly than he needed too.

Chan whistled lowly, eyeing the other. “Someone’s pent up. Why don’t you go get your man, we’ve got a meeting with Mong soon, and he should really be there for it.”

Minho scowled, grumbling to himself. “He’s probably not even going to come.”

Chan raised a brow, knowing that he was about to poke the hornet’s nest but needing their resident cyber tech out of his lab for a little bit. “I heard from Binny that Woo is going to be there. If that sweetens the pot for Jisung to come out.”

Minho’s expression was absolutely thunderous now, and Chan put his hands up. “It’s not my fault that tech is literally the only thing to break Jisung out of one of his episodes. I’m just trying to keep things moving.”

He received nothing in response as Minho stomped away, and soon Chan was left alone to his thoughts. Things seemed to finally be slowing down again, and he was relieved that the deaths especially seem to be tapering off. They hadn’t exactly been able to stop anyone who was already affected from dying, but the outbreak seemed to have at least come to an end in their area.

Many thought that Minho was the leader of the Strays, and for the most part Chan preferred to leave it that way. But there were times where he needed to step in and move the group in ways only he knew how. And it was soon becoming one of those situations. He could see the stress on Minho, in the way his shoulders slouched and ears barely stood up.

The lives lost weighed on his second in command, and Chan was ready to take the burden. He’d made preparations for the meeting today in order to fully mobilize their resources, and knowing that the pressure from the police would lessen was a huge benefit in what they needed to do. Chan was determined that they would lose no more people to this virus, and he would do whatever was needed to make it happen.

Mong, their inside man that had infiltrated the Choi Estate, had suggested trying to set up a meeting with the Choi heir apparent. It was an idea that intrigued Chan, for he had had several run-ins with the forces employed by the Chois, and found that their heir was an interesting person.

Through what Mong had told him, San was a man of morals and principles not often seen in the elite, and that was fascinating to Chan. The one person in the whole city who should be full of themselves nonstop was actually a kind and caring individual. Chan knew that if he could just get close enough, he could make an ally of the other that would unite the two classes in a way that was never seen in the city before. Perhaps something good could come from this crisis, and the lives lost would not be in vain.

So today’s meeting was about that, they needed to set up a time and place very carefully to bypass the protections the Choi’s had. Not only was the entire security detail an issue, but San’s younger brother Jongho also posed his own unique issues. But Mong was convinced it would be worth it, if only they could make it happen.

It wouldn’t be long until everyone gathered, so Chan sat up with a sign, flexing his shoulders and hearing the synthetic metal click softly as he loosened his muscles. He was in need of a tune up, so getting Jisung out of his musings served a few purposes.

Chan scrubbed his hand over his neck, knowing that there would be several long hours ahead of them, but he hoped once things were in place, they would be making their way to a better future.

Some time later found him in a remote warehouse that served as a middle ground between the group. Minho had been successful in pulling Jisung out, and was now standing with his back on the wall glaring at where his husband was chatting amiably with Wooyoung and Changbin. His tail showed his displeasure, and it was hard for Chan not to smile at his obvious jealousy as he turned his attention to their latest arrival.

“Mong, it’s good to see you. I see they are feeding you well up there on the surface.”

Minho stepped forward, turning his back on the trio he’d been tearing apart with his glare a moment ago to look over the new arrival.

”How are you doing Seungmin? Are they treating you well up there?” Minho’s gaze ran over him critically, as if searching for injuries.

Seungmin rolled his eyes at the other’s attention. “I’m fine, Minho-ssi. And Chan, I said not to call me that.”

Chan laughed, reaching out to ruffle Seungmin’s hair fondly. “It’s your code name. It’s for your safety, remember?”

Seungmin frowned, shrugging off Chan only to fall victim to Minho’s doting as he fixed Seungmin’s hair, fingers prodding at his cheeks and shoulders to make sure he wasn’t lying. He groaned, gaining the attention of the other three.

Wooyoung lit up, bounding over to smile at Seungmin. “Minnie! I haven’t seen you in ages! You still have to work for those assholes?”

Seungmin winced, finally escaping Minho as he came to stand in the center of the meeting room. “Yeah, I’m still employed by them. Gainfully I might add.”

Chan took a seat and the others followed suit. “Yeah, our Seungmin has the ear of Choi San himself. And is bringing us even more good news I hope?”

Seungmin sighed, settling into the seat. “Well, San-ssi has made some headway with the police chief. Apparently there was a raid planned for our district, but San has them convinced it would be a waste of much needed resources at the moment. Unfortunately, with deaths dwindling in our district, I’ve had to fudge the numbers a bit so that we don’t attract unwanted attention.”

Wooyoung was perched on Changbin’s lap, tail wrapped around the other’s leg to maintain his balance. “They would get suspicious if suddenly your district is the only one people aren’t dying in.”

”Exactly. But it won’t have to be for long. The Choi’s have a press conference for this afternoon with an announcement to warn the general public about the use of BDs for the foreseeable future. They are hoping by raising awareness we can get a handle on this.”

Chan scratched his chin in thought, eyebrows raised. “That’s admirable of them. I’d honestly expected the upper districts to go into lockdown and we’d have to pry information out of them with our bare hands.”

Jisung nodded. “Yeah, usually they aren’t too willing to try and help out anyone but themselves.”

”Well, most of them are like that. Trust me. But San-ssi and Jongho-ssi are different from the rest. They actually seem to care about other people outside their immediate circle.”

”We can count ourselves lucky that they are willing to make the effort then.” Chan sat up, looking around at the group. “Which brings us to our next step. We need to get a meeting lined up with myself and San-ssi. And there is an event coming up where we can make that happen.”

Wooyoung groaned then, earning a scoff from Minho at his outburst. “You’re not talking about the gala are you?”

Chan grinned and nodded, “The very one. And you are going to be our ticket in.”

Wooyoung melted onto Changbin dramatically, who gently patted his shoulder in sympathy. “I hate those kinds of events. I was going to back out, but now I’ll have to go!”

Chan nodded in faux sympathy. “I understand we are asking a lot of you, Idol Wooyoung-ssi. But please, bless us with your prestige just this once.”

Wooyoung scowled, tail lashing out to knock against Chan’s face causing him to laugh. “Don’t condescend me. I already said I have to do it.”

“That’s great. So that should be enough of a cover to get us in. Then you said you’d be able to set up a meeting with San-ssi, right Seungmin?”

Seungmin nodded, eyeing Wooyoung who continued to pout dramatically on Changbin’s lap. “Yeah. Once you are all in as Wooyoung-ssi’s security detail, I can make sure he gets somewhere you will be able to meet with him. I think he’ll be more open to it than I initially thought.”

Minho was focused on him now with interest. “Oh? Is there something that makes you think San-ssi will go along with what we ask?”

”He’s been oddly defensive of the Strays in front of the various councils he’s had to take part in. And he’s said some things that make me feel like he is sympathetic to our actual cause. Even from before all this started.”

Chan looked at him in surprise. “Really now. A Choi who is on our side…huh.”

Minho narrowed his gaze on the other. “Don’t trust him so easily. It could be a shallow pity that will break the moment pressure is put on him to conform.”

Seungmin shook his head. “I don’t think so. His father’s health is declining, and he may not say much but I’ve seen the moves he’s been taking behind the scenes in preparation to take over things. He’s moving in a different direction than how he has been raised, and I believe this is our best chance to bring about the change we’ve always talked about.”

Changbin shifted Wooyoung around in his lap, resting his hands on the other’s waist to soothe him better as he looked at Seungmin. “When can you get the details on the gala? I’d like to make preparations to ensure we all look like a legit security team.”

Wooyoung grumbled into his shoulder with a pout. “You better be a legit security team, it’s my ass you are protecting.”

Changbin grinned, reaching down to give said ass a squeeze making the cat idol squeak in protest. “Don’t worry, your pretty head, jagi. You’ll be the safest one there.” He laughed as a rain of slaps hit his shoulders, shifting again to squeeze Wooyoung to him and hold him still.

Seungmin watched them, very unimpressed with the display with his lip curled in mild disgust. “I can get the details sent over in a few days. There were some issues with security on site, but I’ve been the one put in charge so it won’t be much longer. Oh… there was one thing I wanted to see if you had information on. Have any of you heard of a guy called Hotteok?”

Minho’s ears twitched. “Yeah, I have. He was at my cafe not too long ago. He runs with the G-boys.”

Seungmin frowned. “Huh. Well…” He hesitated, and the others waited patiently to see what he would share. They knew better than to push him, if they needed to know he would tell them. A minute passed, and eventually Seungmin sighed. “Do we like him?”

Minho blinked at the unexpected question. “Well…I don’t dislike him. Why? What’s this about?”

Seungmin pursed his lips. “He’s… an undercover cop.”

Minho cursed, and Jisung jumped up in surprise. “He was in the cafe!? Why was he in the cafe?!” Minho was too busy cursing in several different languages to answer and Chan looked alarmed.

“An undercover cop got that close to us? What the hell is he doing here?”

Seungmin raised his hands up to quiet them, “Listen! I know what it sounds like, but I really think he is in way over his head and he’s feeling the pressure. He’s in no position to really do anything to us. Or anybody. Honestly we have more leverage over him than he does us.” Minho continued cursing, ears folded back and voice practically a hiss. “And he seems desperate. He came to the Choi’s, he’s an informant for them concerning the BD stuff. But he came and begged them for help. Apparently the chief is asking him to do the impossible, and now his position is in danger.”

”As it fucking should be. I’ll kill him myself.” Minho growled, tail whipping around and smacking Jisung who shouted in annoyance.

“No. No killing him. He’s clearly just trying to save people, and he’s in an impossible position. I think we could leverage his help. Jongho places a lot of value in him, so he’s got to have some influence out here in the streets too.”

Chan looks at Minho, who has fallen silent. He was scowling so fiercely that Chan was sure one of them was about to catch fire. “Do you know anything about him, Minho?”

“He… is influential in the G-boys. He practically runs them since their leader got locked away a couple months back. I can’t believe a cop is running our competition. No wonder things have been going smoothly for us. He’s practically crippled them from the inside.”

Chan nods slowly. “That would make a lot of sense. They used to cause us a lot of trouble. But how can we make use of Hotteok?”

”He needs allies. Apparently the Chief is pushing him to do something that is going to blow his cover, and he is sure that soon he is going to die because of it. He’s resourceful and has the trust of at least one Choi brother. That could help our cause when we approach them. Shows we are willing to work with even cops to reach our goals.”

Chan slowly smiled. “Damn, that’s good. And he just sounds like a poor schmuck they are throwing to the wolves anyway. Bet they wouldn’t expect him to befriend the wolves.”

”We aren’t befriending a cop.” Minho hissed once more, and Jisung finally scooted close enough to put a tentative hand on his shoulder in an effort to calm him.

“Semantics.” Chan waved him away. “We can work on it, Seungmin. Shouldn’t be too hard to track him down.”

Seungmin nodded, standing up. “Do that, sooner rather than later. Speaking of, I need to get back. I didn’t have long to slip away.”

Chan nodded, standing on clapping Seungmin on the back. “You take care, Mong. I’ll keep an ear on the ground for anything on our end.”

Seungmin groaned, pushing him off again as he made his way to the door. “Don’t call me that, old man.”

Chan gasped, scandalized as Seungmin slipped out of the warehouse, and left them to their meeting.

Chan sat down with a disgruntled, “I’m not that old…” and Minho turned his attention to the others.

“Alright, so while we wait on the information on the gala, I want Jisung to make sure our cyber ware is prepared for the security breaches the Choi’s use. Everyone schedules with him and get things in order. We need to be ready to move the moment the schedule is in place.”

“I can see about tracking down where this Hotteok is at. Sounds like he is in real need of some help.” Wooyoung hopped up, eager to be off. Changbin stood as well, nodding to Chan and Minho before following his charge out.

Minho huffed before calling out, “Try over at Utopia. He seems to be friendly with Mingi.”

Wooyoung waved his hand over his head to show he heard, the two soon disappearing and leaving the three to their thoughts.

Jisung fidgeted, eyeing his partner who was still scowling fiercely. Chan watched the two, a smile on his lips. “Perhaps…and this is just my opinion Jisung…but maybe you should take the night off and spend some time with Minho-ssi.”

Jisung nodded eagerly, eyes wide as he watched the cat hybrid pace around the room. “Y-yeah, let’s go Minho…we can get some dinner and stay in. Just the two of us.” The two men watched as Minho stalked around, clearly agitated.

“A cop. He was a cop this whole time and I didn’t even suspect him.” He grumbled, tail lashing around him. Chan watched him with concern. It was unlike Minho to get upset like this.

“Hey… don’t blame yourself here. Nothing came of it. And look, he’s learning the hard way that it doesn’t pay to play games with those pigs. Remember, we all come from somewhere, and we’ve learned the same lessons in the end. We got to at least give him a chance.” Chan stood, nodding to Jisung to go to Minho. “You two head out first, I’ll clear the area and then see about the reports from the other districts.”

Jisung went to Minho’s side, a hand sliding onto his waist as he guided him from the building. Despite how annoyed the hybrid was with him, he would still be the only person allowed to touch Minho in this way. Soon Chan was alone, and he shuffled about the room, straightening things as his mind wandered back to the elder Choi brother. He was curious, and eager to meet the man he had thought would follow in his father’s ruthless footsteps. The world was still full of surprises.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

“Mama…” Yeosang’s soft voice pierced through the quiet, causing Seonghwa to stir sluggishly in response. This caused the boy to gasp, calling for Felix. “He’s waking up Fe! Come here!”

Seonghwa groaned softly, once more fighting to open his eyes as his two jewels sat on either side of him, each holding one of his hands and watching him with concern brimming in their eyes. “My…jewels…” His voice was rough, his throat dry and causing him to cough a bit.

“Here mama…I have some water. Can you lift him up, Sangie?” Felix murmured, holding a cup up as Yeosang gently lifted Seonghwa to lean back against the headboard. He tilted the cup to his lips, making sure he was able to sip slowly at the cooling liquid. They sat in silence until he was done, Felix setting the cup aside.

Seonghwa’s dimmed eyes took them each in, seeing the worry and concern that practically dripped off them. “My jewels…I’m so sorry. How long was I asleep for?”

Yeosang shifted, hands back on Seonghwa’s own. “It’s been almost a week. We’ve been so worried.”

Seonghwa stares at him in shock. It had to have been some time since he sent out the bird to Hongjoong, and yet he still hadn’t come. “Joong….Hongjoong hasn’t come by?”

Felix shook his head. “No. And we haven’t been able to reach him either.” Seonghwa turned his gaze on him, even if he moved slowly. “We tried to have Soobin reach out, even Mingi. No one has been able to get through to him.”

”Or he’s ignoring us.” Yeosang murmured petulantly.

Felix frowned. “But why would he ignore us? We told him it was important. Something could have happened.” He reached out, fingers brushing through Seonghwa’s pink locks. “We’ve been doing our best to take care of you. But I’m not sure what happened to make you like this mama.”

Seonghwa could hear the fear in his voice, and it broke his heart. His jewels had been so worried and alone without him. He reached out to each of them, pulling them into his chest to hold them there. He could feel them trembling, clinging to him. “I’m so sorry, my loves. I was a bit too careless, and I pushed my body too hard.” He didn’t need to tell them how exactly he had done that, but he didn’t feel right trying to hide the effect of his actions from them. He couldn’t anyway - his week long rest was proof of that.

”Did someone hurt you?” Yeosang was the one to ask.

Seonghwa cooed, even as a building pressure in his head made him close his eyes against the influx of pain. “No no, my love. No one can hurt me.” He nuzzled into his soft and sweet smelling hair. “And no one will hurt you either. I promise. I just needed to rest a bit.”

Felix pouted, sitting up a bit to look at him, “That was more than a bit. It’s been days.”

“And I’m so sorry Felix. I promise to be more careful.” He reached forward to cup his cheek, Felix leaning into the touch and nodding. “Now, did I miss anything?”

Yeosang snuggled down into his side, relief pouring out of him. “A few things happened, but we’ve been operating at business as usual as best we can. Wooyoung and Changbin arrived two days ago and stayed with us. So we haven’t been completely alone.”

“Yeah they came looking for Min min’s friend. Said they needed to talk to him about something then heard you weren’t feeling well and decided to stay. They had to go somewhere today though, said they would be back by dinner.”

Seonghwa’s gaze opened, the pink softly whirling stronger than before as he fought off the headache. “Min min’s friend…?” He gently prodded.

”Yeah, the one that’s taller than even him! He’s really nice, he brought us a gift even though we haven’t met him.”

Seonghwa frowned. “That’s… considerate of him.” He wasn’t thrilled that there were outsiders coming in and out of Utopia while he was down. He would need to have a chat with their security team. “Now, I am beyond hungry. Why don’t we get some dinner then I’ll go see Mingi to tell him I’m better?”

The two boys nodded enthusiastically and hopped up, carefully helping Seonghwa stand and the three made their way to the kitchen. Yeosang and Felix made him sit while they prepared some food, the three falling into easy topics as they ate. Seonghwa was feeling a bit better by the time they were done, and the jewels happily helped him make his way over to Mingi’s labs.

The tech was bent over a table, sparks flashing as he worked on something that they couldn’t see as they entered. It was reminiscent of how they had found Hongjoong during their last visit and the thought made Seonghwa frown at the ripper doc’s absence.

“Min min! Mamahwa woke up!” Felix called out as they entered, causing the tech to jump a bit in surprise with a curse.

“Dammit Felix, you can’t just be shouting like that!” Mingi turned, setting the tool down and smiling at seeing Seonghwa standing between the two jewels. “Seonghwa! I’m glad to see you up and about at last. Come here, let me get a look at you.”

Seonghwa’s frown remained in place as he refused to move from his spot at the door. The two boys looked up at him in mild confusion. His eyes had turned into a dark magenta color as he looked around the room, still saying nothing. Yeosang began to shift a bit at the awkward feeling in the air.

“Mama…?” He prodded gently.

Seonghwa straightened then, looking down at the two softly. “I’m sorry my loves, I just zoned out for a moment. Why don’t you two do me a favor while I’m up? Do you think you could change the bedding in my room and air it out a bit? I’d like you two to stay with me tonight. I just need to speak with Mingi for a bit then I’ll be there.”

Felix shifted his gaze between Mingi, who had paled, and Seonghwa as Yeosang nodded. “Ok, we can do that! No problem, right Fe?”

Felix nodded too, even as he looked at Mingi with some concern. The tech had turned away, fiddling with the device that was on the table. Yeosang dragged Felix out, and soon their footsteps faded down the hall. Silence sunk heavy once more, as Seonghwa closed the door to the lab.

Mingi gulped, unsure what exactly had upset Seonghwa so much. When the other said nothing, Mingi decided to push through.

“H-how are you feeling? You were out for a long time…”

Seonghwa slowly walked forward, his gaze zeroing in on something laying opposite the door. Mingi followed his gaze and froze, seeing something he had forgotten about until that exact moment.

“H-hwa…I can explain-”

“You had fucking better Mingi, because I know that I’m not seeing a pistol in my house.” Seonghwa hisses slowly, eyes flaring brighter and casting the room in an eerie glow. “A weapon in a place my jewels frequent. You KNOW the rules.” His voice is laced with anger, fists clenched at his side and head pounding.

Mingi steps back, hands bracing himself on the table behind him. “I-I know, and I’m sorry. It’s just for a little while until my friend gets here to pick it up, I promise.” He swallowed thickly, trying to speak clearly and slowly. “He needed it, and I just wanted to help him.”

Seonghwa’s eyes seem to fluctuate for a moment before settling on thin slits in his anger. “Anyone who would need a weapon has no place being anywhere near Utopia. And we certainly don’t provide those weapons to them.”

Mingi held his hands up in defense, trying to placate the other’s anger. “I know Hwa, I know! Trust me!” He sighed. “I don’t like having it here either. He’s just so desperate, and I wanted to help him somehow. I’m sorry, I’ll get rid of it now.”

He goes to move towards the weapon, and Seonghwa reaches out to grab his arm in a tight grip. “Song Mingi, you will swear to me right now that it ends here. I have too much on my plate to not be able to trust you of all people.”

Mingi swallowed the guilt that elicited in him, and nodded once. “I’m sorry. Really, Hwa. I won’t let it happen again.”

Seonghwa stared at him unblinkingly for several seconds, and Mingi did his best not to squirm under his gaze. “Swear to me that I can trust you Mingi. Swear. I need to hear it.”

“I swear on everything Seonghwa. You can trust me. I’d never do anything to hurt you or the boys.”

All at once Seonghwa seemed to wilt, his eyes dimming and a low groan sounding out of him. Mingi panicked, catching him before he hit the floor. “Seonghwa?! Hwa, what’s going on?!”

He picked up the now limp figure of the widow, carrying him out and rushing down the hall to where the boys were chatting and remaking the bed. “Boys! Something is wrong, help me get him laid down.”

Panic erupted, and between the three of them they managed to lay Seonghwa down on the bed and stretch him out. Mingi was already running diagnostics, and giving the boys instructions on what tools to grab from his lab. He’d held off on doing a thorough check on Seonghwa cause he knew how the other only allowed Hongjoong to touch him, but this was starting to border on neglect if they allowed it to continue.

Mingi found himself cursing Hongjoong’s silence once more at his attempt at contact . When he was sure Seonghwa wasn’t dying in front of their eyes he was going to march over to the god’s lab himself and drag him here. With the help of Yeosang and Felix he is able to run several tests, including a blood test that he’d never performed on Seonghwa before. He’d done minor things for the boys, but never really anything extensive.

When the results came back, he was momentarily stunned. Thankful to have stepped out of the room so the boys wouldn’t see as he stared down at the tablet in shock. In his daze he didn’t notice the tear fall onto the screen, soon to be joined by more as his mind caught up with what he’d just read. Tears poured down his face, and he slid down the wall to process things.

Seonghwa’s blood work had come back showing that he was going through sepsis toxic shock, the poison had somehow made it to his blood stream and was most likely eating away at what human flesh remained of his body. It was eating away at him from the inside out. His cyber ware was the only thing keeping him functional at the moment, and they needed Hongjoong here yesterday.

Mingi shot up, tossing the tablet aside and running back to the boys after ensuring his tears were wiped away. “Yeosang, Felix. I am going to get Hongjoong. Stay with him until I’m back, ok?”

They looked up at him from their place on the bed at Seonghwa’s side. “He won’t answer our calls Min min. He’s not going to come.”

Mingi gritted his teeth. “He will. Cause I’m going to drag him here. Stay inside, and I’ll be back soon. Call Wooyoung in if you need anything until then, ok?” They nodded and Mingi turned on his heel and left. He didn’t need much, and the sooner he left the sooner he could bring Seonghwa the help he really needed.

Chapter Text

It had been weeks of undisturbed quiet, and Hongjoong could say for the most part he was content to finally have some peace to focus on his projects. Hyunjin had been in every few days, and the newest addition on his thigh had been finished with his last visit, and Hongjoong’s mind was at ease once more.

Despite the quiet and focus though, he had this feeling he couldn’t shake. The time between the episodes of his mind slipping were more frequent, and he could feel that his humanity was continuously draining away as time passed. He knew the time he had left would upset nearly everyone he had allowed to remain in his life, but the less they knew the better.

He frowned as he considered the projects he had left, and constantly found himself reorganizing their importance in his workload. It was this obsessive focus that he hoped would ensure nothing slipped through the cracks.

And he now stood over the one he considered the most important. Things in his life had taken many turns, and the Hongjoong of his childhood would never believe that this is how he would end up. And as he stood now, he felt like he was on the edge of something bigger than even himself. Something he would need to succeed, if not for himself, than for the one that had come to matter the most to him.

Sighing, he lifted the tablet back up to review the data that was being compiled, and allowed himself a rare smile. Finally he was making some progress. It had taken years to get to this point, but he knew that he was close at long last. And what better time to finish what he considered his magnum opus than now when he had the luxury of peace and quiet to do so. He set the tablet down, letting the process continue to run as he picked up his cane to make his way down to the base floor of his labs.

The lift groaned to a stop and he limped off, waving off several of the mechanical birds that flew around in greeting. He’d have a few hours at least before the next step, and then the final installations would be all that remained. Hongjoong sunk into a comfortable chair that Seonghwa had bought some years ago, sighing as his joints hissed and he came to a rest. It really had been awhile since he felt like he could slow down even the slightest. He rubbed at his temple, flashes of Seonghwa and the boy's faces flickering in his field of vision causing him to wince.

That had been happening more often, bits and pieces of memories flashing into his current field of vision. If he wasn’t a man of science he’d think it was his conscious projecting feelings of guilt or longing. But after a while he’d realized they were not visions, but instead memories superimposed by his aging cybertech. It was a minor inconvenience, but he’d be lying if during the long late nights they didn’t unsettle him to some degree.

He’d see images of Hyunjin in the small garden he’d planted some years back. Scenes of the boys working together on some project he’d set to distract them. Seonghwa cooking him something with a gentle smile on his face that was like the one from their childhood. Over and over the ghosts of the past would run around him, and if he didn’t ignore them he knew he’d be overwhelmed with feelings of doubt of the path he was walking.

Hongjoong was resolved in his goal, he knew that to do this would be the cumulation of all his life’s work. Just a little more, then he could bestow his greatest accomplishment to the one who deserved it the most.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Mingi cursed over and over as he made his way through the city. He’d been unable to take any of Utopia’s cars out, and had to resort to using one of the bikes. He wasn’t a fan of the motorcycles that were common in the city, and tended to avoid them when he could. But time wasn’t a luxury; he couldn’t be picky and so here he was carefully trying to navigate the streets in a way that he knew stuck out like a sore thumb in the fast paced city life.

He had just turned into the final stretch of the drive, one that would take him unfortunately through G-boy territory. Mingi really detested being outside his labs, but he needed to do this for Seonghwa. He wasn’t sure how much longer the Widow had with the poison running so strongly through him.

So he pressed forward, still not quite speeding like he could on the bike, but moving fast enough. It was because of this that he caught sight of what looked like an altercation ahead and a bit off the road. He slowed down more, unsure if it would be safe to pass just yet.

Mingi frowned as the sound of gunshots reached him, and he pulled the bike to a crawl as he was now hyperfocused on the group ahead of him. As he watched he was able to make out several people who seemed to all be focused on one, who was ducked behind debris and holding them off with several well placed shots.

Mingi knew he should keep moving, it wasn’t any of his business, and nothing good came from sticking your nose where it didn’t belong. But something pulled his gaze to the lone figure making a stand and he felt his blood run cold. It was Yunho firing off shot after shot in response to the shouts of the group that surrounded him.

Mingi strained his ear to make out what they said between the deafening shots.

“Bastard!! Fucking cop asshole!”

“You think you’re gonna get outta this alive, traitor?!”

“Knew there was something off about you! Fucking liar!”

They continued their assault on the other, and Yunho would soon be overwhelmed. That much was clear. Mingi didn’t even really have the time to consider what they were saying, he just acted before really thinking it over. He shot forward, reaching to his belt and unhooking a smoke grenade and launching it with as much force as possible.

It landed with a dull thunk, briefly startling the gangsters and then rocking them with an explosion as a thick wave of smoke shot out and obstructed their eyesight. Usually Mingi preferred flashbangs, but he needed to be able to see from his point of view to get to Yunho without them noticing. His bike revved forward and he pulled up to where Yunho sat panting against the burned out corpse of what was once a car.

“Get the fuck on Yunho, hurry up!”

Yunho scrambled up, jumping on without a word and soon Mingi turned the bike just as the smoke cleared enough for the members of the G-boys to catch sight of them. He cursed, having to turn away from the direction of Hongjoong’s labs and return the way he came if he wanted to use the rubble as cover. Bullets rained on them, and he was cursing so loud he nearly drowned them out as they sped back into the city.

It was nearly thirty minutes before they had lost them and Mingi was able to slow down to catch his breath. He was shaking, and could feel the vice grip Yunho had on him as he finally pulled up to the back door of Utopia. He collapsed forward onto the handle bars, feeling his heart racing as Yunho slid from the bike to lean against the wall. He could feel the sticky press of blood on his back, and that drew his gaze down to where Yungo had slumped onto the wall.

Mingi squinted at him then, seeing the absolute miserable state he was in. His clothes were dirty and torn, there were several places he was bleeding from and the dark circle and sunken features on his face showed that he most likely hadn’t slept in days.

Without another word Mingi got off the bike and grabbed Yunho’s arm to pull him inside Utopia, doing his best to ignore the blood trail they left behind. They moved quietly into his personal rooms of his wing, the only sound being Yunho’s labored breaths and Mingi’s continued quiet curses. He pushed Yunho down to sit on his bed, then moved to the monitors on the wall to make sure that they hadn’t been followed. The last thing any of them needed was a gang laying siege on Utopia while Seonghwa was down.

Once he was sure that there wouldn’t be a raid anytime soon, he turned to get the first aid kit and slammed it down on the ground at Yunho’s feet. He glared up at him. “Strip. And don’t say a word.”

Yunho nodded, clearly too exhausted to protest as he slowly peeled his shirt off, revealing several clear hits he had taken before Mingi arrived. Bruises were already forming, and there were wounds that seemed to be either from knives or some other sharp weapon. Even some that were clearly bullet wounds. Mingi felt his eyes widen at the sheer amount, and he was unsure how Yunho was even still upright. He fought down the panic welling up, shaking hands grabbing the cloth and began cleaning what he could reach. They sat in silence as he worked, and it took all his concentration to make sure he didn’t miss anything as Yunho let himself be moved around, eyes distant but not a sound of pain slipping through.

After looking over his legs and arms he had only one more area of concern, so he moved quickly to stem the bleeding and used some bandages once cleaned to keep it covered. With a glance up he saw how pale Yunho had become, and Mingi chewed his lip a moment before standing to wash his hands of the blood. He watched the red pour down the drain, and it hit him that it was the blood of Yunho - his once best friend.

Again his hands shook, and his vision blurred as tears pricked at his eyes. He tried to stifle the sounds, but was too overwhelmed with everything that seemed to be falling in around him. He felt his shoulders shake, and despite covering his mouth with his hands a sob slipped through.

Yunho’s head shot up, attention grabbed by the sound. He looked on in alarm as Mingi seemed to crumple. “Min..?” He called out, voice horse from the shouting from earlier.

Mingi turned, eyes filled with tears as he looked forlornly at Yunho. They watched one another in silence, then suddenly Mingi was crossing the room and dropping down to his knees to hug Yunho about the waist, the only place on him that wasn’t bandaged. Yunho stared down at him in shock, hands hovering over the other, unsure if he could touch him.

“You absolute idiot. You gonk.” Mingi ground out, tears soaking into his skin. “You know how bad the streets are, you know how dangerous people here are. And you ran around like a short-circed moron.” He squeezed him harder, and Yunho bore it with only a grunt. “An undercover cop? Really? What were you trying to do out here by yourself, you idiot?” Mingi did not look up at him, and Yunho didn’t really want him to pull away. He slowly lowered his hands onto Mingi’s shoulder and one resting gently on the back of his head to play with the orange strands at the base of his neck to try and sooth him like in their youth.

“I’m sorry Min min. I am an idiot. I don’t… I don’t know what I was trying to do.” He sighed, feeling all the tension bleed out of him with the warmth of Mingi pressed against his lap. “They ... .headquarters left me out here. Sent out some kind of message that was easily intercepted. It’s like… like they were trying to get me caught.” His voice tapered off, sounding more and more like the small boy he used to be.

Mingi finally pulled back enough to look up at him. “You aren’t going back to them. I don’t give a fuck what you were sent out here to do, but they don’t deserve you after that.”

Yunho swallowed thickly, nodding. “Y-yeah… yeah I can’t…I’m…” He felt himself choke up, the pain of the betrayal and all his fear crashing down on him at once. He fell forward and Mingi was there to catch him, holding him as he broke down. “I’m sorry Min…..I’m so sorry…” He choked out between sobs, and Mingi only held him as carefully as he could with his injuries. Time passed, and soon Mingi found himself lying flat on his bed with Yunho sprawled into his side, head on his shoulder. He’d fallen asleep some time ago, and Mingi didn’t have the heart to wake him. He clearly needed the rest, and it gave Mingi time to think.

If Yunho’s cover was blown, that meant that the higher ups wanted him dead. For whatever reason that was, Mingi knew that Yunho would be in danger as long as he was alive. It wasn’t a secret that every cop in the city had cyberware installed to track and monitor them. Mingi let his fingers trace down Yunho’s cheek to trace along the side of his neck. When he felt the slight indent, he paused before pressing gently causing a small tray to slide out with a slight hiss. Just as he suspected, there was a small disc there that would hold all of Yunho’s data that concerned his work with the police force, and acted as a trace for his ‘safety’.

Mingi knew that the scrambler he’d installed in half the district would at least make Yunho’s exact location impossible to pin down while here, so he could at least be sure that they didn’t know he was in Utopia right away. But he would need to do something about it soon. He closed the slot, using his free hand to pull over a tablet to begin working on the code he’d need, all thoughts of his pressing need for Hongjoong long gone in favor of the fear for his friend.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Seungmin finished debriefing the gathered staff, ensuring that each and every person understood their roles in the upcoming gala. He really needed everything to go without a hitch to ensure that the necessary people crossed paths without incident. He was reviewing the plans once more to ensure nothing had escaped his notice when he felt someone enter his office, taking the seat across from him with a sigh.

He didn’t look up, an eyebrow slowly rising as the other remained quiet for several long moments and soon he couldn’t take it anymore. “What brings you here Jongho-ssi?”

“I told you to just call me Jongho when we are alone. We are way past formalities at this point, don’t you think?”

Seungmin felt his brow twitch. “What do you want, Jongho?”

Jongho was silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts and nearly pushing Seungmin to snap again before he finally spoke. “What do you know about Utopia? You came from the district near there, didn’t you?”

Seungmin slowly closed the book with the gala details, sitting back in his chair as he regarded the other. “I did. What do you want to know about it?”

“I’ve heard the rumors of course. The Widow maker who hunts down the worse of the worst and takes justice on them. The strange BDs they produce. What else is there to know about what happens there? What does a boy called Snow White gain by working at a dollhouse?”

Seungmin felt the slight migraine he had worsened with each question. “I’m sorry, but why does that Dollhouse matter exactly?”

Jongho shifted, his knee bouncing as he hummed in thought. “The corrupted BDs originated from there. And they all feature someone called Snow White. I can’t be blamed for being curious about him.”

Seungmin stared at him for a long suspicious moment before groaning softly, his head thumping down onto his desk. “You can’t be serious. With everything going on right now, you have a crush on some doll?”

Jongho pursed his lips, glaring at the other. “Who says I don’t suspect him of being the one behind all of this?”

“Because I know you, and you wouldn’t pursue anything outside your self assigned mission that wasn’t absolutely crucial.”

Jongho raised a brow. “That only proves my point.”

“Let me finish. You wouldn’t do so, unless you had a personal vested interest in whatever it is. And I know from you and San-ssi talking that the BDs are corrupted later, after they’ve left Utopia. Which means you are asking about this guy just because you are personally interested in him.”

Jongho’s gaze narrowed the more he spoke. But Seungmin didn’t stop. “And you rarely ever take an interest in anything outside family business. In fact, when you just asked me you had this look on your face I’ve only seen once before.”

“See, this is why I like you Seungmin, you don’t bullshit. Straight to the point.” Jongho surprisingly relaxed back into the chair, regarding the other.

“So you don’t deny it?”

“I’m not usually one to shy away from what I want.” Jongho sent him a smile that would have been cute in any other situation. “So what do you know about Utopia?”

Seungmin wanted to shout in frustration. What was with everyone around him being unable to focus on the literal life and death situations they were facing? He took a deep breath. “This Snow White is most likely one of the Widow’s jewels. One hundred percent Ganics that he keeps as his pseudo children. He protects them with extreme violence and prejudice. Like he will kill if anyone even thinks the wrong thing about them. Did I mention that it is the Widow? The one famous for using poison and tearing his victims apart?”

Jongho hummed. “Yes, you may have mentioned it. You talk like you’re afraid of him. Have you committed some great sin I should know about?” He teased the other, knowing that Seungmin was about as straight-laced as they came.

Seungmin scowled. “Anyone in their right mind should be afraid of him. Next to the god of Neo Seoul, he’s the strongest person in the city.”

“Quite the claim to make when you sit in front of one of the Chois.”

Seungmin scoffed at that, rubbing his temple to stave off the headache. “You lot hold power in your money, but at the end of the day - it is the Widow that comes to collect. No amount of money in the world can stop him.”

“So what I’m hearing is that the only obstacle between me and the jewels is the Widow?”

Seungmin stared at him, truly stunned. “Y-you… you’re insane.”

Jongho grinned, leaning forward. “No, I’m just resolved. Have a good day Seungmin, I’ll see you later.”

And like that he was gone. Seungmin stared blankly ahead of him, not even knowing where to start. He let out a long and deep sigh, someone was going to at least warn San that his brother was heading into the lion’s den.

Or was it the spider’s nest in this case?

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Jisung frowned, the screens on the wall flashing with reports and text that he found perplexing. Since the outbreak had started he’d been tracking all info on those infected, how long each case took before death, what the symptoms were. Really anything that could be gathered. Which initially had been few and far between, but since the announcement from the Choi’s more and more people had been taking precautions and noticing when the signs started to show up.

But that led to a new trend emerging that Jisung had not anticipated. It seemed that now the infected were no longer dying. There seemed to be a change in how the virus was interacting with the hosts, and he wasn’t sure it was a good thing.

He only had two fully reported cases to reference, but they were new and as far as he knew they were the most recent victims. They’d each been infected for about a week now and had been able to check themselves into the hospital. It was easy for Jisung to access the records there, and he even had a live feed he hacked from the hospital security to reference the current condition of the patients. They were still responsive, but reported having migraines that nearly crippled their eyesight. They had no appetite and were extremely dehydrated no matter how much fluids were put into them. It was strange.

And that wasn’t even taking into consideration how their cyberware was responding. They had episodes of it acting on its own, and both had to be restrained in order to keep them from randomly striking out at staff who worked around them. It was as if their bodies weren’t their own.

“As if…something else was trying to control them….no that’s not right. It’s like it's ... .learning to control them.” Jisung murmured to himself, watching the recordings again to note once more how their limbs moved erratically.

“What’s that?” Minho leaned over the counter to peer over at the wall of screens in the back of the cafe. He’d convinced Jisung that he would need to bring his work with him and spend time in the cafe. He wasn’t sure when he’d next be called out, but his gut was saying that he should keep the other close for now.

Jisung hummed softly to himself, eyes fixated once more on the reports that were being put in by the nursing staff. “It’s the two most recent virus victims. They aren’t dying like the others did.”

Minho made a sound of surprise as he turned back to the menus he was cleaning. “So it’s getting better then? Did someone work out an antidote or something?”

“No… they are still sick. Or corrupted? It’s strange.” Jisung sighed, sitting back and rubbing his burning eyes. “It’s like the cyber half of them is no longer in their control. And the human half is either fighting it or rejecting it. It’s hard to tell without being there.”

Minho frowned, pausing in his actions to look at the other. “Do you want to be there?”

“No, not really. I don’t think I’d learn any more than what I have from here, and the risks are too great.”

“Is it a bad thing that they aren’t dying, though?” Minho wondered, tail lazily swaying behind him and attracting Jisung’s attention. He stood, coming to stand behind his husband and sinking his weight onto his back. Minho scoffed but supported him without complaint.

“It’s not. At least I hope not. But if this becomes a trend then it means it’s being done purposely. And that whatever it is … it's trying to turn into something that doesn’t kill its host.” Jisung rubbed his forehead into the space between Minho’s shoulders. “Which is infinitely more terrifying than a disease that just kills. And it’s working backwards from what we would expect. Normally it’d be infection then eventually death. Not death…then suddenly not death.”

Minho hummed, continuing to work even as Jisung rested more weight on him. “That is strange. What about the infections we have here in our district? Has it been the same for them?”

“We’ve had three deaths in the last week. But there is a new one that isn’t showing symptoms as quickly as the others did. I’ve got them set to go to our district labs so I can get a better look.”

“Be careful Jisung. I know we don’t think it's contagious, but if it’s evolving it could just be a matter of time.”

“Yeah, I’m getting some gear together for the staff and myself. I don’t want us to be caught off guard.”

“Speaking of, when will you be finished with everyone’s tune up? The gala is in two days.”

“All I have left is Wooyoung and Changbin, and they should be here soon. I brought what I needed, don’t worry. I’ll just do it in the back.”

Minho found himself frowning already at the thought of the other Exotic. Jisung felt him tense and stood up, hooking his chin on Minho’s shoulder to nudge his cheek with his nose. “Hey. None of that. We already went over this. You’re the only cat for me.”

Minho’s tail thumped against Jisung’s waist, wrapping around it to hold him close. “I don’t like how you look at him.”

Jisung felt a smile tug at his lips. “And I’ve told you, I’m only interested in the tech he has -”

“Because the great god of Neo Seoul made it with his own two hands. Yes I know. Doesn’t mean I like it.”

“Yes my love, I know. I’m sorry. I’ll keep it brief today and be back by your side before you know it. I promised, remember?”

“You did.” His reply is short, but Jisung knows he will hold him to it.

As if on cue, the front door chimes, and in enters a dressed down Wooyoung and Changbin. They are chatting quietly, both unusually somber as they approach the counter. Wooyoung turns to greet them, his normal brashness subdued. “Hey you two. I’m sorry, we won't have long. We really need to get back to where we are staying as soon as we can.”

Minho felt his usual animosity melt away at the expressions on their faces. “What’s going on?”

Changbin frowns, casting his gaze over the two customers that were tucked away in the corner furthest from them. “It’s not something we can really talk about right now. But we didn’t want to get to the gala unprepared. So can this be quick Jisung?”

The tech nodded, waving them back. Mingo watched them go, a sinking feeling dragging behind them as they passed. This certainly didn’t bode well. He knew they were staying at Utopia, and if there was a problem there, it could potentially be a problem for all the lower districts.

He hoped that maybe Jisung could get the issue out of them while they were back there. For now, he would need to focus and make sure the details of their breach of the gala were lined up.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

It’s a groan of pain that alerts Mingi to Yunho waking up. He shifts, trying to peer down at him without jostling the other too much.

“Hey there Yunnie.” Mingi murmurs, waiting until the other finally focuses on him. “Don’t move too much. I’m going to get up and get you something to eat and some water. Then you can have some pain meds, alright?”

Yunho lets out a low groan of assent, before letting Mingi shift him back and onto the bed. He sinks down into the covers that are still warm, letting his eyes close again as the other sneaks from the room.

It could have been minutes or hours before Mingi returns, Yunho isn’t sure. But soon he’s being set up and Mingi is coaxing him awake once more. He has a nice smelling soup and water, and makes sure that Yunho eats it all. Then he has pills pressed to his lips followed by water. Mingi sits him back, sighing as Yunho seems more awake now that he’s eaten.

“Want to tell me exactly what happened, Yunnie?” His voice was soft, coaxing him to speak freely.

Yunho licked his lips, clearing his throat that still hurt from the abuse earlier. “It….it was a setup. I had a message from the chief. I had…thought that maybe the Choi’s had talked to her. She said to come and meet her at the usual drop spot.” He paused, taking another drink of the water Mingi offered. “I got there, a little early as usual. The G-boys were already there. They were tipped off that a mole would show up. It had to be her. There’s no one else that knows. There’s no one else that would be able to get me there.”

Mingi frowned, brows furrowed. “But why? What do they have to gain by compromising one of their own?”

Yunho shrugs his one shoulder that isn’t wrapped in gauze. “I’m moving too slow? I don’t know. They’ve been getting more and more erratic in their orders these last few weeks. Telling me to do things that would take years and whole squads of undercovers to do.”

“Well…I know one way we can find out.”

Yunho looks at him, wincing a bit at the shot of pain up his back at the movement. “W-what’s that?”

“They wanted you dead. So we give that to them.”

Yunho winced now for an entirely different reason. “I know you don’t really like me right now Min, but I’d rather stay alive. Else I wouldn’t have fought those guys so hard.”

Mingi rolls his eyes. “Gonk. We use this.” He held out a drive for Yunho to look at. “This will fry your chip in a way that will report you dead to your superiors. They’ll just think you escaped long enough to be hunted down and eliminated. You do have some survival skills after all, so it’s not entirely unbelievable.”

“That…will work? I was told our chips couldn’t be removed or deactivated unless we had already died.”

Mingi scoffed. “And I learned from the absolute best there is in cybertech.” He picked up Yunho’s hand, accessing the personal link there. “The software the police force uses is laughably simple compared to what comes out of the god. I promise this will work before your next drink.”

He shifts the cable into his hand held and plugs the usb in. There are a few seconds of silence as he works, the lights flashing over his face in mesmerizing patterns that distract Yunho. He lets his gaze rest on Mingi’s features, taking in how his friend had changed so much in the years they had been apart. He was still as beautiful as he remembered. If anything he was more handsome now, more captivating in a way that was dangerous to Yunho’s heart.

After a few minutes, Mingi looked up, catching his gaze. He flushes before clearing his throat. “Are you sure about this? Once I do it, you’re dead to them and there’s no going back.”

Yunho leans back, feeling the exhaustion that still sank into every bone of his body. “They won’t stop until I’m dead. I don’t really have a choice.”

“I’d like to think you wouldn’t choose to go back after this.” Mingi snarked, unimpressed.

Yunho felt his lips raise in a smile. “No…I don’t think I would. Not that I have you again.”

Mingi looked down to avoid his gaze, flush persisting as he tried to focus on the code in front of him. “Whatever. I’m still mad at you.”

“Then let me make it up to you. Once this blows over. Let me stay with you and make up for lost time.”

Mingi hunched down, doing his best to focus on the tablet. “Stop saying that stuff. Let me focus.”

“I’m serious Mingi. I don’t have anything else worth living for. I want it to be you.” Yunho spoke earnestly, if a bit desperately. He never really had much purpose since he left his side all those years ago. He thought he was going to make a difference, be a change in the city that was so desperately needed. But all that had been a fruitless endeavor. He couldn’t keep doing this. Living a life without Mingi.

Mingi couldn’t keep himself from pouting slightly. “You say that like I’m the last choice.”

Yunho smiled, chuckling despite the pain weighing on him. “You should have been my first choice. But I’m a gonk, remember? Took me a while, but I know that now.”

Mingi couldn’t hide the pleased look at that statement, but he quickly wiped it off to finally focus on the task at hand. “We’ll see. Now hold still. It might actually sting.”

“What? Why would it - Ouch!” Yunho winced as the burning stab in his neck, the slot flying opening and ejecting the chip out onto the floor next to the bed. It smouldered for a moment before fizzling out. They both stared down at it, before Mingi sat back.

“There. All done. That wasn’t so bad.” He unplugged Yunho’s link, setting it back before standing up. He grabbed the first aid kit that he’d restocked while grabbing food earlier. “Now, we need to change your bandages. How are you feeling?”

“Sore. And my side hurts.”

Mingi nodded seriously to his complaint. “A gunshot would hurt a bit, yes.”

Yunho cursed, letting Mingi pull him up to change the bandages with as much care as he could manage. The two bantered for a bit, and it’s like they were back in Mingi’s childhood home all those years ago. They sink into the comfort of one another easily, and time passes quickly before Yunho’s wounds are rebandaged and he’s settled once more on the bed.

Yunho reaches out then, taking Mingi’s hand in his own. “I’m serious Mingi. I’m here to stay. I don’t want to live a life without you.”

Mingi doesn’t shy away this time, staring Yunho down. “You’ll have to prove it, Yunho. You hurt me, you left me alone back then. I really needed you.”

Yunho nods, gaze earnest. “I’m sorry. I’ll live the rest of my life making it up to you.”

Mingi stares at him quietly for several nerve wracking moments. He’d rejected his attempts before, and Yunho honestly expected the same now. But to his surprise Mingi smiles instead. “I’ll hold you to that. I’ve missed you, Yunnie.”

Yunho unleashes the brightest smile he had in years at the other’s words. “I’ve missed you too Min.”

Mingi reaches forward to gently tilt Yunho’s head up as he carefully kneels over him. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

Yunho reaches forward with his good arm to rest on his waist to help him balance. “Please.”

Their lips meet, and Yunho would weather a thousand gunshots if they brought him to this moment. He’d missed Mingi more than he acknowledged over the years, and having him perched in his lap was something out of the dreams he’d occasionally harbor in the long lonely nights on his own. He tugs him a bit closer, groaning at the feeling of the other’s hands on him. He could ignore the pain for this.

They were both shocked out of the kiss by an alarm blaring, the lights dimming and fading into a red color. Mingi sat back, eyes wide in shock at the sound. It was an alarm that could only be activated for two reasons.

Seonghwa either sounded it because there was a threat inside of Utopia, or Seonghwa had succumbed to some outside force that had claimed his life.

“Oh no…Seonghwa!” Mingi felt his world stop, ice in his veins as he remembered what he’d originally set out to do.

“Fuck, I’ve got to get to Seong-” They were both rocked back by a force hitting the door outside his room, the alarm blaring over everything so loudly it drowned out the screams from the hallway.

“Mingi! What’s going on?!”

Chapter Text

They were as ready as they would ever be. Chan and Minho had ensured that everything would go off without a hitch, and everyone was informed of their exact positions and roles within the plot to infiltrate the gala.

He had never felt more prepared…and oddly hopeful. Seungmin had continued to feed him updates on what the Elder Choi had been up to, and how he had made so much effort to help those deemed less fortunate. Chan was constantly surprised by San’s moves, and he was starting to look forward to meeting him.

Chan hadn’t been able to help his curiosity, and had looked up news footage of the other man, wanting to put a face to the stories he’d heard. And to say he’d been surprised again wouldn’t be too far from the truth. The Choi heir was stunning, and he was momentarily speechless as he watched him during the last press conference announcing the danger of braindances. He spoke clearly and with purpose, his compassion obvious as he made clear that each person in the city must work together to overcome this crisis.

Chan felt moved by his words, and captivated by his sharp looks that belied the kind man that Chan was learning lay beneath. He mindlessly reached out to gently run a finger down the image’s sharp cheekbones, wondering how the man would react should he do so in person. Before he was too lost in his fantasies, the door opened to show that Jisung and Minho had arrived, carrying the clothing bags that were holding their uniforms for tonight.

They had all decided to match so that their story would sell better, wearing dark uniforms that wouldn’t stand out. Minho had secured them to Changbin’s specifications, ensuring they would be somewhat protected from the intense scrutiny of the Choi’s security forces.

“We are still waiting on Changbin and Wooyoung?” Jisung called out into space, setting the bags down and stretching his back out. He’d been up all night making sure that he had fail safes for anything that might come their way. He hadn’t been able to work on his running theory on the evolving virus as much as he would have liked, but he already had plans in place once the gala had passed to get right back to it.

“Yeah, they said it’d be about another hour before they got here. But that was like….twenty minutes ago.”

Minho walked over and Chan quickly clicked off the news report and turned his attention fully to the other.

“I’m feeling weirdly confident.” The exotic says as he takes the seat across from him. Chan nods, grinning.

“Me too. It’s weird, right?”

”Yeah. I don’t like it.” Chan laughs at his statement, Jisung chuckling from his spot by the bank of screens.

“Let’s appreciate that things might actually be working out for once. Don’t jinx us, yeah?” Chan doesn’t miss the quirk of Minho’s lips, and he doesn’t deny that things do seem to be going too smoothly. But he wanted this to go off without a hitch, so he’d prefer to not dwell on it if he could help it.

“Go try on your uniform, Chan. You’re the last one to get measured, so we need to make sure it fits.” Minho nudged him with his foot, shooing him from the room.

“Yes, mother. Right away.” Chan teased as he grabbed the indicated bag and left, anticipation starting to build.

This was going to work, he just knew it.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

The alarms had started suddenly, jolting Hongjoong from his work with how abruptly they sounded. It took him a few seconds to identify what he was hearing and why.

The alarm that he had set up at Utopia many years ago. Which could only mean one of two things.

He cursed, throwing down the tools in his hand and grabbing his cane to rush as fast as he could down to an area of his labs he didn’t use often. He cursed at how slow the lift moved, the alarm blaring and driving up the need for urgency.

Finally it came to a stop, and he hobbled forward in a burst of steam to assess the vehicles at his disposal. He rarely went out, and had modified a few of them to account for his injuries in operating them. He cursed, not deeming any of them fast enough. Why hadn’t he set up a system to travel between the two sites yet?

Just as he was about to settle on something he could barely make out the roar of a motorcycle coming down the ramp from above. Only one person had access to his labs like that, and he felt the wave of relief as Hyunjin’s custom made bike came to a stop in front of him. He looked Hongjoong over, worry on his features.

“Zion told me. Hop on, and hang on tight.”

Hongjoong didn’t argue like he normally would. He jumped behind Hyunjin, waving his hand up at the darkened ceiling, shouting a command as they roared out of the space.

“Go, cover us!”

At his command the sound of screeching metal rang out enough to overwhelm the alarms. Dozens of mechanical birds took flight, dispersing out into the city air. Hongjoong had outfitted each of his mechanical avians with scrambling technology that would allow them to connect to the city’s networks and shut down the tracking abilities of the government. He didn’t like having others monitor him or his work, and had long ago disconnected from the mainframe of the city itself.

But still moving through the streets made them vulnerable to tracers, so he had implemented this system to be able to move freely in the rare moments that he needed too. They would ensure at least two districts would be temporarily cut off from the mainframe, and give them the freedom they needed to move about without being followed.

The two roared through the city, Hongjoong clinging to Hyunjin’s waist as he took turns smoothly if a bit recklessly. Hongjoong had never liked riding motorcycles, much preferring a safer and slower method to travel when needed. But Hyunjin had built the bike and used it often to check the various hidden gardens he’d planted throughout the city. It was certainly coming in handy now as the two cut the travel time to Utopia in half.

”Hang on Hwa, I’m coming.” Hongjoong gritted out, eyes trained ahead.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Changbin hurried Wooyoung along, hiding his grin as the other drug his feet, complaining as stylists swarmed around him to put the finishing touches on his look.

“I really don’t want to go, it’s going to be so annoying.”

The stylist working on his hair chuckled. “But Nero-ssi, you get to meet THE Choi San. He’s so handsome, aren’t you excited?”

Wooyoung’s nose scrunched up and he was chided by the make-up artist to not crease their work. “He’s just a man. Nothing special. I’ll be in and out before I have time to be subjected to their boring personalities.” His stylists all chuckle, used to his attitude towards the elite. He was their favorite client, as he was one of the few who treated them with kindness and respect. They had surmised it stemmed from his burning distaste of those who saw themselves as better than the rest.

Changbin hummed, eyeing the time. “We need to get a move on Nero-ssi. The rest of your security team is meeting us on the way there.”

Wooyoung pouted and the stylists coo, showering praise on him and hyping him up in the way that worked best for him. Soon he was smiling and giggling bashfully at their praises, and Changbin was able to lead him out with a wink in thanks to the staff.

When the two were alone, Changbin scratched gently under Wooyoung’s chin. “There you go jagiya. Always look better with a smile rather than a scowl.” Wooyoung felt a purr in his chest at the other’s words.

“If I didn’t have to look flawless, I’d show you what else could make me smile.”

Changbin chuckled warmly, leading him out to the car, nodding at the driver. “That sounds like a perfect evening. Maybe tomorrow?”

Wooyoung sighed, nodding as he got in. “Yes yes. Business first. Your friends are lucky I like you so much.”

Changbin climbed in next to him, heavy hand resting on Wooyoung’s leg to keep him still as they took off. “It’ll pass before you know it. Don’t worry. Won’t even be able to get bored before I sweep you out of there.”

Wooyoung leaned over to look up at him with sparkling eyes. “Promise?’

Changbin pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose. “Promise. Now perk up jagiya, I want everyone there to be envious of me for having you at my side.”

Wooyoung fluttered his eyelashes, sitting up with energy he hadn’t had before. “They are going to be so jealous.”

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

“Mingi! Mingi, what is that!?” Yunho’s voice was nearly drowned out by the alarms and the crashing in the halls. Mingi turns to him, eyes wide in terror.

“I-I don’t know. I’m not sure!” He turns frantically, typing on the keyboard of his computer with shaking hands, jolting at every loud bang echoing down the halls. Suddenly his screen lights up with several camera feeds. ”Oh….oh no…”

One of the screens showed the door to Seonghwa’s room, the door hanging off the hinges, flames licking out into the hallway. People were running in all directions, the bank of different screens a scene of chaos.

“What in the fuck is happening? Did someone attack Utopia?” Yunho’s voice was cracking, his panic obvious in his shaking tone.

Mingi scans all the cameras, trying to pinpoint the reason for the alarms. He wasn’t able to see the jewels or Seonghwa on any of them, and he felt the panic threaten to choke him. What if they were stuck in Seonghwa’s room?

“I have to help them. Stay here Yunho, let me figure it out.”

Yunho shook his head, trying to struggle to get up. “No Mingi, you can’t go out there!” He grunted, grabbing onto his side as he swung his feet over the edge of the bed. “What if it’s a police raid? We gotta get out of here.”

Mingi shook his head. “No. I’m not leaving without them. They are my family.” Mingi swallowed thickly, turning to type something into the computer, before turning to Yunho. “Trust me, just stay here.”

Yunho frowned, eyes shining with concern as he looked up at him. “Fine. Be careful. I just got you back.”

Mingi gave him a strained smile, reaching out to cup his cheek. “It’s not like you to worry so much.” He leaned down, pressing a kiss to his lips. “Must be your old age.”

Yunho cracked a smile at that, about to respond when the door to Mingi’s room burst in, crashing so hard that it flew into the wall near them. Debris and smoke flew into the room, making them flinch away from one another as an inhuman sound shook them both to the core.

Before either could react, screeching metal herald the arrival of whatever had obviously set off the alarms.

Yunho cursed, shrinking back in terror at the sight that pushed into the bedroom, crushing the door frame with long metal appendages. A dark shadow blocked the blaring red of the alarms , casting the towering distorted figure in a silhouette straight from hell. The metal spider-like legs pulled a humanoid body forward into the small space, crowding the two within.

Mingi fell back against the bed, eyes wide in horror as he gazed up at the familiar face distorted in rage. “S-Seonghwa…?!”

The Widow towered over them, his torso and stomach gaping open with all his deadly appendages suspending him. But to further Mingi’s horror he caught glimpses of a dripping liquid pouring down, steaming and burning into the floor beneath him in the flashes of the alarm lights. Mingi choked back a sob at the sight. “H-Hwa! The poison-!”

“Shut up! You’ve brought an enemy into my home!” Seonghwa hissed, wild eyes shooting over to Yunho’s curled up form on the bed behind Mingi. “You’ve brought the ENEMY!” He roared, voice distorted with a terrifying tremor Mingi had never heard from him before. He swung around, the poison splashing on the walls and nearly hitting them. Mingi scrambled back , pushing Yunho further against the wall.

”Seonghwa, slow down! Wait! You’re not well, the poison is leaking everywhere, please!”

Seonghwa hissed out, one of his metal legs slashing into the bed to raise him higher up, towering over them. “Get out of my way, I will deal with you later!”

Mingi shook his head, doing his best to straighten up and put himself between Seonghwa and Yunho, but soon found his world turned upside down as another of the legs slammed into his side, sending him flying back to the front of the room, where he landed with a thud. Yunho shouted, trying to dodge out of the way of the sharp limbs as he looked frantically at Mingi.

”Please! I’m not the enemy! You’ve hurt Mingi, stop this!” Yunho cried out, the cacophony of the alarms and the hissing of the poison was starting to overwhelm him, and he just desperately wanted to check on Mingi.

Seonghwa drew back one of the legs, rearing it back to shoot forward, stabbing cleanly through Yunho’s leg, pinning him to the bed. “Stay where you are!” He hissed, pink eyes glowing bright enough to cast Yunho’s terrified features in an eerie glow.

Mingi stirred at Yunho’s scream, pushing himself up slowly, vision blurred from the blow he took to the head with how he landed. He cursed, blinking at the horrifying sight of Seonghwa’s grotesque form crushing Yunho. “No…” He choked out weakly, gaze shooting across the room trying to find some way to stop Seonghwa. He needed to subdue him, find the jewels to make sure they were ok, and then get Hongjoong here as soon as possible.

Yunho clutched at the metal stabbed through his leg, his own blood warm on his hands, causing them to slip along the sharp edges, cutting into his palms. His terrified gaze remained upon Seonghwa’s sneering face, and this close he could see the poison had leaked from his eyes, almost like tears.

The hissing clicking sounds echoed from Seonghwa’s chest as he spoke again. “You think you could sneak into here, trick Mingi into trusting you and bring the police into my home? You think I don’t know all about you Jeong Yunho? Dog of the law, your justice will be served here!” Three of the limbs pulled back, and Yunho choked on the scream that ripped through his chest at the sight.

Suddenly the three of them were deafened as a shot rang out, Seonghwa jerking back as his shoulder took the brunt of the hit.

Slowly, his shocked pink gaze looked down at the bullet wound in his shoulder, blood mixed with the steaming green poison sluggishly poured down, his synthetic skin boiling under the bleed. He stared in disbelief, his pupil shifting through several shapes before settling on a thin slit and focusing at where the shot came from.

Mingi stood shakily against the wall, the small pistol raised before him, the end shaking from his unsteady stance. Tears poured down his face, as he looked towards Seonghwa. “Please….please stop, just listen to me Seonghwa….”

”You…. You promised me….” Sparks shifted around the chrome about Seonghwa’s neck, his other shoulder jerking as if shocked. “You p-promised me!!” He roared, the limb that was pining Yunho down ripping out as he turned his whole body to charge at Mingi.

He moves quickly across the small space and there’s a strange whistling sound and then a thud as something falls to the ground. Mingi’s frightened gaze is on Seonghwa’s face snarling inches from his own, shock keeping him from noticing what had fallen, until a searing burning sensation snaps him out of his shock. His gaze drops to his hand holding the gun that now lay on the ground, separated from his body completely. The stub where it was once attached bled, and the skin smoking from the poison that had leached from the metal arm that had so cleanly cleaved through him.

Seonghwa’s hand shot out, grabbing Mingi around his throat, eyes wild. “You dare betray me? Me, Mingi?!” His voice broke, the first crack in his anger as he squeezed tighter.

Yunho grit his teeth, desperately pulling himself forward towards the two. “Let him go!”

Mingi’s scream was choked off as the full force of the pain ripped through him, legs flailing out as he was lifted up. Yunho groaned at the sight, holding the sheets over the hole in his thigh that gushed blood, and his own pain as he struggled to get closer to the apparent killing machine that was the Widow.

Suddenly two new voices sound out, screams drowning out the alarm.

“MONSTER!!”

”Mingi!!! No, leave him alone!!”

The two forms of the jewels of Utopia thundered into the room, one pulling at Mingi and the other beating his fists against Seonghwa’s injured arm that hung at his side. Yeosang was the one at Mingi’s side, tears staining his face as he scrambled to claw and shove his fingers under the hand clenched around the man’s throat.

Felix’s burning gaze was laced with fear as he pushed his body between the Widow and his brother and Mingi and did his best to push Seonghwa back. “Get off him you monster!”

Seonghwa felt an icy weight settle into his body, the rage quelled under the realization that his jewels didn’t even recognize him at this moment. His pupils widened as he took in their fear, their horror at the scene that was unfolding before them. He blinked, now really seeing exactly what he had done. Suddenly he let go, Mingi slumping down into Yeosang’s arms. Felix shoved him back completely this time, turning to his brother and friend.

“Oh Mingi, no what’s going on?!” Yeosang babbled, trying to get their friend to focus, seeing his arm still burning from the presence of the poison and the near cauterization just above his wrist.

Yunho jerked from the bed, catching the attention of the two boys. “You’ve got to get out of here! Now!” The Widow was very much still a threat, and it would be a matter of time before he lashed out again. Yunho knew these two must be the humans that Mingi considered his family.

Yunho’s voice seemed to jolt Seonghwa, who staggered around to face him with another growl. “You don’t speak to them!” He rasped out.

The boys froze at his voice, twin gazes turning to stare up at him in horror.

“M-mama…?” Yeosang’s whimper is broken in terror, finally taking in his staggering height and monstrous appearance. “W-what….what happened to you?”

Felix scowled, his gorgeous features twisted with a never before seen disgust. “He’s a monster! He hurt Mingi, he could be dying! Are you going to kill us too?!”

Seonghwa sagged, his eyes widening in shock at his words. “No, I would never hurt you, my loves.” His voice was still glitched, but his tone had evened out from the anger of before.

”Liar! Mingi is our friend! Our family!” Felix hisses out. “Families don't attack each other! You told us that! You said only monsters would turn on their families!”

“No….no! No, Mingi lied! He lied to me!” Seonghwa suddenly roared back into action, gaze blazing and the boys shrank back.

Yeosang saw now, really saw the state Seonghwa was in, the sickly green poison dripping down , the deteriorated state of his inner metal workings of his chest cavity. “Fe….he’s…”

Felix’s gaze cuts down, seeing what Yeosang has seen and his gaze widens in horror. “M-mother….”

Seonghwa continues to twitch, grunting as sparks fly down his body, showering on the three below. Yunho curses, sitting up and launching himself forward. “Boys, you need to go, now!” He slams into two of the metal appendages, throwing Seonghwa off balance, distracting the Widow briefly.

Felix reaches down, grabbing Yeosang’s hand to pull him up.

“No! We can’t leave Mingi!”

Felix was looking frantically between Mingi and Seonghwa’s towering form that began to sway. “Sangie….” He was unsure what to do for the first time in his life. Before he could decide what to do, the alarms fell silent, and suddenly there were two figures standing in the doorway, steam billowing into the room.

“Boys, get out now, leave this to me.” Hongjoong’s voice rang out with authority. Felix dragged Yeosang immediately towards the door, his brother whimpering trying to keep hold of Mingi. “I will take care of him, Yeosang. I need you out of the way.”

Yeosang quit struggling as the two stumbled past Hongjoong who assessed the situation. The boys stopped in front of Hyunjin, who smiled down at them.

“Hello you two. I’m sorry to meet you this way. Please, make your way out of here, get outside Utopia, and hopefully we will come for you soon.” Hyunjin guided the two through the rubble of the door, pushing them down the hall.

Behind them Seonghwa roared, greatly displeased at losing sight of his jewels.

Hongjoong squinted up at him in the dim red and pink lights. “That’s enough Seonghwa. You’ve made enough of a mess.” He held his hand back to Hyunjin, who handed him his cane. Hongjoong took it, screwing off the end of it and pulling the cable from the tip. He flung it, connecting to a port nearby, and suddenly the entire building was plunged momentarily into darkness, the only light being from Seonghwa’s pink lights along his body and eyes.

Then even those flickered, the sparks briefly lighting up the horrified gaze of Yunho.

Seonghwa stared down at Hongjoong in shock as his lights dimmed. “J-Joongie….you….” Then his voice fizzled out, his body slumping. With another flick the lights came back on, and Hongjoong finally breaks his neutral facade when looking down at Mingi. He cursed, gesturing Hyunjin to his side.

“Get him. We need to work quickly, it seems like the poison may be in his system.”

Hyunjin moved quickly, not minding the blood that pooled around Mingi as he assessed the damage. It was bad, and he agreed with Hongjoong’s assessment. They needed to get him treated quickly.

Hyunjin’s gaze moved over to Yunho, who watched him with frightened eyes. “What about this one, Hongjoong?”

Yunho’s gaze snapped over to the smaller man, who was looking over Seonghwa with palpable concern and anger. This was the god of Neo-Seoul. The one Mingi spoke of.

”I told him to quit using the poison, I told him!” Hongjoong hissed, reaching out to brush some of the matted pink hair back to look at Seonghwa’s eyes, his free hand holding open the eyelid. The pupils were blank, showing he was knocked out completely.

Hyunjin stepped over to Yunho, use to Hongjoong’s single minded focus. He looked the tall man over, seeing his various injuries that were already bandaged and the blood covering the bed. He hummed, lifting Yunho’s face to check his pupil dilation. Then he focused on him directly. “You are lucky to be alive.”

Yunho swallowed thickly, looking down at Mingi’s limp form. “Please, help him.”

Hyunjin nodded. “Hongjoong. These two need us now, we have to hurry.”

Hongjoong stepped back from Seonghwa’s suspended form. Hyunjin stepped up behind him, looking up at the incapacitated Widow. “Will…he be alright?”

Hongjoong grunted, unplugging his cane and using it to move over to Yunho. “Get up, if you can.” Yunho nodded weakly and struggled to push himself up, leaning heavily on the bed to keep weight off his injured leg. Hongjoong glanced over at Hyunjin who was back at Mingi’s side.

“Seonghwa will be fine. I’ve suspended his systems for now, and the poison has pretty much all leaked out. He’ll need to be repaired extensively and it will be time consuming.” He sighed, as if the thought was bothersome. ”Call that driver. We need help.”

Hyunjin sighs softly, before calling out for Zion. He passed the instructions along, and as they waited they found the abandoned first aid kit and attempted to stop the bleeding from an unconscious Mingi.

“We need to move them out from here. Seonghwa shouldn’t be seen by the others.” Hongjoong murmured, lifting Yunho up with a surprising amount of strength. The former cop grunted, standing as best he could, avoiding putting any weight on his injured leg. The pain was starting to overwhelm his senses, and his consciousness was starting to waver.

Hyunjin followed behind, carrying Mingi’s larger form with some issue, but managing to get the man out into the hall, where Soobin and a few others had just arrived, rushing to assist once they saw them.

“We have twenty minutes until my drones are down. Get these two to my labs, Hyunjin will meet you there. Do either of you have medical training.”

The blond that was tucked behind Soobin raised his hand. “I do….sir.”

Hongjoong squinted at the man, brows furrowed. “Who are you?”

The blond laughed nervously, looking unsure between Hongjoong and Soobin, who was gesturing for him to answer. “I-I’m Kai. We've never met before….sir.”

Hongjoong looked away from him to Soobin. “Get going. Keep them alive, and move quickly.”

Soobin and Kai stepped forward, taking the two limp men from them and heading out quickly. Hyunjin stood by Hongjoong’s side, not at all minding the blood that had stained his own clothes.

“What will you do?” He asked quietly, a hand coming to rest on Hongjoong’s shoulder.

The man was quiet, peering down the darkness of the hallway for a moment. “I have to ….fix Seonghwa. Make it right.”

Hyunjin peered at his profile, eyes concerned. “Will you be alright?”

Hongjoong sighed then, sinking a bit into his touch. “I will be. I have to be.”

”Do you want me to stay?”

Hongjoong reached up, fingers tangling with Hyunjin’s. “I need you with Mingi. Make sure he lives, I trust you with that.”

Hyunjin smiles, leaning forward to press their lips together before pulling back. “Rely on me, and I will wait for your return.” He steps back after a squeeze of his hand, heading out swiftly to do as Hongjoong instructed.

One does not simply disobey the god of Neo Seoul.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Yeosang closes his eyes to blink away the tears, Felix guiding them as they run through the streets. He’s too choked up, unable to form a thought for several minutes as they run. Soon they have put enough space between them and Utopia that Felix slowly comes to a stop.

They are panting, Yeosang still choking back sobs as they pressed themselves up against a wall out of sight of the street. Felix pulled him to his chest, fighting off his own tears. “It’s going to be ok, Yeosang. We’re going to be ok.”

”M-mother…. Mother….he’s…” Yeosang clung to him, shaking in his hold.

Felix gritted his teeth, echoing the fear Yeosang felt. “Appa was there, he will take care of him. We just… we just got to stay out of the way.”

Yeosang was slowly catching his breath. “But we’ve…we’ve never been outside Felix. Mother told us to always stay in Utopia.”

”I have. I know some places we can go. We will be safe.” Felix gently brushed his fingers through Yeosang’s hair, trying to calm the other. “We will be ok.”

Yeosang stared up at him, eyes shining before nodding. “O-ok Fe. Just don’t leave me.”

“I won’t. Come on.” He straightens up, taking Yeosang’s hand in his own and leads him back out into the street. The two keep their heads down, moving quickly before a voice cuts through the crowd from the street.

“Boys? Yeosang, Felix? Is that you?” They turn, seeing Changbin standing halfway out of a car. “What are you doing out here?!” His voice picks up a bit when he realizes it’s actually them.

Felix sighs in relief, tugging Yeosang over to the car, seeing Wooyoung peeking out from behind Changbin. ”What…how did you get out without Mamahwa seeing you?”

Yeosang whimpered, and it was then that Wooyoung took in the state of the two. “What the fuck, Binny let them in!”

Changbin moved out of the way, Wooyoung guiding them in and pulling them around the seats of the car as Changbin crawled in to shut the door for privacy.

“You’re both covered in blood?! Are you hurt?” Woooyoung fretted over them, doing his best to check them over for injuries.

”N-no…it’s not ours.” Yeosang murmured, hugging his arms to himself.

Wooyoung and Changbin looked at him in shocked silence. The car had started moving as they stared at the two in concern.

Felix cleared his throat. “It’s... M-mother… he attacked Mingi. He was…covered in poison. Appa said he was using it…why would mother need poison?”

Wooyoung and Changbin exchange a glance that did not go unnoticed by Felix.

“What do you know?” He demanded, gaze sharp.

”Felix.. it may be best if you two don’t go back to Utopia for a while.” Changbin murmured, while Wooyoung looked outright concerned, looking back and forth from the two boys.

“That’s our home. We belong there ...mother said there are bad people who would hurt us in the city.” Yeosang murmured, hands rubbing his own arms in an attempt to comfort himself.

Wooyoung seemed to overcome his shock, looking at Changbin for a moment before turning back to the two boys. “How about this…stay the night with us. We’re going to a fancy party, remember that one I told you about? With the Choi’s and all those high society people?” The two boys nodded weakly. “Come with us to the party, have a good night out on the town, in one of the safest places in the city. I’ll have a whole security team, we can make sure you are protected while we are out.”

Changbin raised a brow, looking at Wooyoung. This was actually a good idea. They could keep the boys close and keep them safe, until whatever was happening at Utopia was settled. As if sensing his thoughts, Wooyoung pouted at him, tail lashing out to flick him on the arm.

“I have good ideas all the time!” He hissed playfully, coaxing a smile from the two boys who watched.

Felix looked at Yeosang, coaxing his brother to look at him. “What do you think, Sangie? We can go see the upper part of the city. Appa will help mother, then we can go back tomorrow and make them explain what’s going on.”

Yeosang nodded, brushing off the remnant of tears from earlier. “Y-yeah. That should be fine…” He looked over at Wooyoung and Changbin. “You’ll keep us safe?”

Wooyoung grinned, tail curling around Yeosang’s leg. “The safest! I have a whole team, you’ll see. Binny, please message them to let them know we have some guests… you’ll need clothes too obviously. I’m sure we can find something, you two are so pretty anything will work…” He hummed, typing away on his own phone to get ahold of what he wanted.

Felix reached down to take Yeosang’s hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze and only slightly pained smile. “We’ll be ok.” He murmured, blue eyes shining in his conviction.

Yeosang nodded, feeling better having Felix at his side.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Chapter Text

Hyunjin sat back, sighing deeply. It had been several long hours of surgeries and first aid, trying to ensure the two tall men in his care did not succumb to their injuries. Luckily Soobin and Kai had remained and were very good at following instructions, and Kai had a plethora of experience in the medical field.

Between the three of them, they were able to clean and bandage Mingi’s arm and remove the poison from his system. Luckily since it wasn't injected it hadn’t settled into his body and taken root.

Yunho took a lot more work. They had determined that the wounds from the Widow weren’t all they needed to deal with, layered underneath were knife and gun wounds that had left them puzzled for several long seconds before they jumped into work. He had lost a lot of blood, and that was their primary concern as they attempted to stabilize the man whose name they did not even know.

Once the two were settled, vitals stable and sleeping peacefully, Soobin and Kai collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. Hyunjin regarded them softly, grateful for their assistance.

“Thank you , you two. This would have been exponentially harder without your help.”

Soobin kept his eyes closed as he leaned back against the wall. “Happy to help. Definitely above my pay grade though.”

Kai chuckled weakly from his spot lying flat on the floor. “I didn’t think I’d use any of that medical stuff my dad made me learn, but I’m glad it helped out.”

Soobin cracked one eye open to regard Hyunjin, who stood serenely monitoring the two patients. “Not to be rude…but who are you?”

Hyunjin chuckled, “I suppose we didn’t really have time to be properly introduced. I’m a friend of the captainl. You may call me Hyunjin.”

”Hyunjin….like…” Kai hummed. “Wait! Y-you’re Hyunjin? Like the other god Hyunjin? Lord of plants or something?”

”Lord…of plants?” Soobin murmured in confusion.

Hyunjin chuckled, leaning against the countertop still full of bloodied rags and supplies. “I’m not sure about that, but I do dabble in plant life, yes.”

”So you and the god, do you live here with him? What’s he like?” Kai asked, curious and sitting upright now to regard the other.

Soobin frowned and was about to scold him, but Hyunjin waved him off. “It’s alright, I don’t mind.” He took a seat, feeling some of the stress of the day weighing on him. “The Captain is… a very closed off man. I think perhaps it’s best to leave him as the mystery he is.”

”Captain?”

Hyunjin flushed slightly. “Ah, yes. That is one of his titles he prefers to god.”

Kai nodded eagerly, while Soobin just sat with a slightly dazed look. “That’s so cool! Captain!” Kai eagerly looked around the room they were in, realizing that it’s Hongjoong’s lab he is in. “So this is like his ship?”

Soobin groaned, reaching over to lightly slap Kai. “Please calm down. I’m sorry about him. He’s new, and hasn’t really learned that we operate on discreet dealings when it comes to the god.”

“It’s Captain, Soobin! Didn’t you hear that he prefers that to god?” Kai teased, drawing a smile from Hyunjin.

Soobin ignored him, opting to look back at Hyunjin. “Well, Hyunjin-ssi…what happened back there? Are Seonghwa-ssi and the jewels ok?”

”Captain has stayed with Seonghwa… he will be able to help him. Seems he may have encountered an issue with his installed tech. As for the jewels…they were fine. We got there in time to help them.”

Kai eyes the two bodies of the men they had patched back together. “Did…the Widow do this to them?”

Hyunjin nodded slowly. “Yes. We aren’t sure why exactly, but hopefully it was a misunderstanding.”

Soobin snorted softly. “If this is a misunderstanding, I hate to see what he does to someone he hates.”

Kai nodded, eyes wide as he seemed to finally take in the amount of work they had accomplished. Then he lit up again. “Will Captain make that guy a new hand?”

Hyunjin laughed now as Soobin pummeled the other, scolding him now openly. “Alright you two, let’s get cleaned up and get you out of here. I believe you’ve more than fulfilled your duty to Utopia.” They nodded, lifting themselves up and the three started to clean up.

It would be best to get the two out before Hongjoong returned.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

The lights of the building flickered again, and Hongjoong cursed from the power surge as he continued to work. His metallic birds flitted about, assisting where he directed and the atmosphere was thick from the heat of all the equipment he was using. It had been hours, now in the early hours of the morning as he worked to rebuild the corroded metal inside Seonghwa.

The poison had done a lot of damage, and Hongjoong hadn’t been sure for a while if he’d even be able to rebuild Seonghwa’s chest cavity back to how it was before. But he was determined, and if there was any time for him to work the miracle that gossips loved to spread about then it would be now.

His focus was intense, hands moving constantly as he rebuilt his oldest friend from nearly the ground up. At several points he found himself murmuring in frustration to the other’s prone body.

“I’ve told you not to use it so often. What were you doing, you idiot.” He growled out, sitting back to look over the work he’d accomplished. Seonghwa was nearly whole again, he just needed to finish closing off the last metal limb’s casing. “What was worth all the risk?” He reached out, a finger gently brushing over Seonghwa’s cheek.

With a heavy sigh he leaned back over, allowing a moment for the steam to pour out of his automated arm. Then he was back to work, the birds whirring around as he pushed through, focusing on the intricate work ahead of him.

Several more hours later, Hongjoong was standing with a frown permanently etched into his features. Seonghwa should have woken around two hours ago, but he’d yet to be responsive to the various stimulation Hongjoong had applied to him. The unfamiliar tug of worry weighed heavily on the Ripper Doc. It wasn’t often that his predictions didn’t come to fruition.

Seeing Seonghwa silent and still like this rubbed him the wrong way, and for once Hongjoong felt a bit lost. His hip gave a twinge, and Hongjoong found himself resting his weight on the table near Seonghwa. A heavy sigh left him, as he stared down at the peaceful face of the other.

”Come on Hwa. You’re stronger than this.” He murmured, ignoring the pain radiating from the long hours standing on his artificial leg. Hongjoong blindly reached for his cane, getting ready to step out into the hall to decompress for a moment when he saw Seonghwa’s hand resting near him twitch. He paused, eyes focused on the other. “Hwa…?”

There is a whirling as a pink glow starts around Seonghwa’s heart then proceeds up his chest and neck till finally his eyes slowly open. He blinks blearily at the ceiling above before finally settling on Hongjoong.

The Ripper Doc leaned forward, relief painted on his features. “Hwa? Are you back with me?” Pink eyes slowly grow brighter as they stare blankly up at him for a few seconds. “Hey there. You’ve been out for a while.”

Seonghwa opened his mouth a few times, but nothing came out and he began to look a bit alarmed as his awareness sank in.

“Ah, hold on. I have to reactivate your voice box. You did a number on it earlier.” Hongjoong flipped through a few tools in his hand, before a small screwdriver appeared. Reaching down carefully into Seonghwa’s still open neck cavity he fiddled a moment. Soon a soft click sounded, and Seonghwa’s voice burst into the small space.

”My jewels, my boys, where are they?”

Hongjoong paused, withdrawing his hand then closing up the various compartments that made up the Widow. “They are fine. Safe.” he answered curtly.

“Hongjoong, my boys, where are they?” Seonghwa insisted, his left arm twitching as his motor function returned.

Hongjoong frowned then, sitting back. “Seonghwa. You’ve been through something serious here. I need you to focus so I can make sure you are functioning properly.”

Seonghwa shook his head slowly, legs now starting to move a little erratically like he was testing them in order to get up. “I have to find them, I need to see them. My boys.” He panted, eyes frantic now as he looked around the space.

Hongjoong pushed him back down. “No. Stay down.” His tone was cold now, eyes sharp.

Seonghwa brought a hand up to wrap around Hongjoong’s wrist, eyes wide as he looked up at the Ripper Doc. “J-Joongie…I need to see them, please.”

”Oh, it’s Joongie now?” Hongjoong bit out, shaking off his grip.

Seonghwa whimpered a bit, blinking several times in confusion. “I don’t…Joongie, what’s going on?” his eyes were unfocused again, and Hongjoong watched him for a moment. Then he suddenly snapped his attention back to Ripper Doc. “My boys! Where are they?”

Hongjoong leaned forward, finger coming up to gently pull down under his eyes to look at his pupil. “Are you malfunctioning? Seonghwa, focus on me.” His pupils dilate again before at long last he seems to actually see Hongjoong hovering over him.

”Joongie. W-what are you doing here?” Seonghwa asks, his body relaxing back onto the table he was laid out on.

Hongjoong sighed, straightening up with a puff of steam. “You don’t remember what happened?”

Seonghwa was silent, his eyes blinking in and out as he thought back through his murky memories. “I… something happened to Mingi…” He shifted a bit, brow furrowed. “Is he ok?”

”No.” Hongjoong was curt. Although he couldn’t be sure, he knew that Mingi and that other guy that was with him did not leave in the best condition. Seonghwa’s gaze shot to him, eyes wide.

”What? Is he dead?”

”I don’t know. But when he left, it didn’t look good Seonghwa.”

Suddenly the pink of his eyes flared up in anger. “Who hurt him? I’ll kill them, no one touches anyone in Utopia.” Seonghwa hisses.

Hongjoong finds himself sighing again, he seems to be unable to stop when around Seonghwa these days. “You did.” Ever blunt, he didn’t have the patience for dealing with beating around the bush. He was tired, his body hurt, and he’d been away from his labs for too long.

Seonghwa froze. “I did? I hurt Mingi? Why?”

”I was hoping you could tell me that. I arrived just after you had cut off his hand. His whole fucking hand, Seonghwa.”

Seonghwa paled, mouth open in shock. “His hand….Mingi’s?” He choked out, lip quivering.

”Enough of this.” Hongjoong turned, reaching over to type on the wall mounted computer, pulling up the building's security system. He casted the footage from the last day on the screen in the room, moving to when the alarm had sounded in the building. The two sat in silence as they watched Seonghwa jerk from his bed, a screech echoing out as he erupted with his metal limbs, tearing through the building.

Hongjoong watched the systems code scroll along the bottom and Seonghwa stared at himself in horror as he rained destruction on Utopia making his way to Mingi’s labs.

“Apparently you declared an intruder into the security system. Identified as one Jeong Yunho, an undercover cop that was staying with Mingi. But Seonghwa, his system registry says he was declared deceased earlier in the day.”

Seonghwa was unable to look away from the past visage of himself crashing repeatedly into Mingi’s living quarter door. “What…does that mean?”

”That Mingi had most likely faked this guy's death to get him out of whatever mess he was in with the police.” Hongjoong snapped, growing more and more frustrated as the situation unfolded before them on the screen. “And you reporting this would have blown that, if I didn’t have Utopia off the grid. That’s if he even lives.”

His words gained meaning as the scene of Seonghwa attacking the man played out, his own broken and glitched voice harshly coming through the speakers. Seonghwa of the present flinched, tears filling his eyes as his attack on Mingi played out. “Oh…oh no…I can’t…”

Hongjoong stopped the footage, knowing that it was moments before the two boys had charged in. He didn’t need Seonghwa to lose focus again. “Well you did. And I’ve told you so many times to not use the poison like you were. I never should have installed it. It leaked into you, Seonghwa.”

Seonghwa brought a hand up to his chest, rubbing it softly. “I…I called for you.”

Hongjoong scowled. “When?”

”Days ago…I-“ Seonghwa groaned, eyes closing. “I called for you Joongie.”

Hongjoong was silent, simply watching the other as he whimpered on the table.

“I called for you and you didn’t come!” Seonghwa all but wailed. Tears poured down his face, both hands clutched into his chest, almost tearing at the synthetic skin there that Hongjoong had just set. The Ripper Doc reached forward, pulling his hands away.

“Listen to me. What’s done is done. I’ve removed the poison from you, like I should have years ago. You understand that what you did, that isn’t just something we can brush off, right?”

Seonghwa looked up at him, unable to hide the betrayed look. “What do you mean?”

”I’ve repaired you. But this is it, Seonghwa. I can’t keep doing this. Upgrade after upgrade and no responsibility for them. It nearly killed not only you, but Mingi and this Yunho guy too. Who knows what you would have done had I not come.”

Seonghwa whimpered. “My boys…”

”Yeah. You may have hurt them too. But you didn’t. And I’m not going to let you. I know that it would break you. So, I’m deactivating your weapons capabilities, and then we are parting ways. I can’t stay and watch you continuously ignore those around you because all that matters are those boys.”

Seonghwa now stared at him in shock. “What…? Joongie, what are you talking about?”

“When you come to me, it’s only when you need something. It’s because at one point, I did matter to you, so some of that has carried over into whatever version of family you’ve built in your life. But I’m not part of it, not really.” Hongjoong’s tone softened. “We’ve drifted apart Hwa. For years now. Look at me Hwa. Really look at me.”

Seonghwa pushed himself up, his energy slowly returning now that he was awake once more. He turned to face the other, taking in his appearance for the first time in a long time. Hongjoong looked far older than he remembered, dark circles under his eyes and cheeks sunken in. There were blackened veins running up his neck and across his face, no doubt a side effect of his aged cybernetics that had been installed so hastily many years ago, but were the sole reason he was still alive. Steam poured out of him in regular intervals, his limbs shaking from bearing his weight. He was a far cry from the bright and vibrant young man he had fallen in love with many years ago.

His eye, once a vibrant burning blue, was now a dull grey. And as he gazed down at Seonghwa, the Widow realized that it had been far too long that he had actually taken the time to check in on Hongjoong beyond superficial check ins to satisfy the desire of the boys to see the Ripper Doc. He let the man he loved, or thought he loved, slip away into this shell of what he once was and hadn’t even noticed.

The two stood in a heavy silence, gazing at one another. Hongjoong’s gaze was remorseful and he was the first to move to reach out and brush his fingers on Seonghwa’s sleek black metal neck. “Look what I’ve done to you. My hands made you into this. And look where we are.”

Tears welled up in Seonghwa’s eyes as he looked up at his oldest friend. “Joongie…I can’t live without you. I love you.” Seonghwa pressed his hand onto the one Hongjoong had pressed against his neck.

Hongjoong shakes his head slowly, fingers pressing into the warm metal. “This isn’t fair to either of us. We’ve been living two separate lives for years now.” He let his gaze wander over Seonghwa’s face. “You are free of the poison now. I want you to focus on what really matters to you. Forget the dollhouse, forget your contract kills. Just focus on the two boys who bring you so much joy. Forget about me.”

Seonghwa shook his head. “No, I can’t forget you!”

“You already have Seonghwa. For years now, I haven’t been a priority for you. The moment you had the boys come into your life, they became the center of your world. Hwa… you didn’t even know I was incapacitated for over a year after the accident.” Hongjoong shifted, his fingers flexing. “It used to hurt, to not be seen by you, even though you insisted we spend time together. But I know you sought me out only because the boys call me Appa. But it’s fine now, I’ve learned to live with knowing that they will forever be your everything. They succeed where I failed.”

Seonghwa slumped down, shoulders shaking. “You can’t just…decide this. Please Hongjoong, I need you.”

”You have the boys. You have a good group of people around you.”

”M-mingi…”

”…. Well. I’m sure he will come around. He’s always had a soft spot for you.”

”I hurt him. I almost killed him.” Seonghwa murmured weakly.

“You have a lot to make up for.”

“Not just him….I need to make things up to you too, Joongie.” Seonghwa looked up at him through his lashes.

Hongjoong snorted, stepping back and letting his hand drop. “No you don’t. You have nothing that needs forgiveness or to be made up from me.” He picked up his cane. “If anything, I’m sorry I let it come to this. I made you into a killing machine, it isn’t very fair that I be mad that you simply did what I helped you to do.”

”I decided this, Hongjoong. It isn’t your fault.” Seonghwa pleaded.

Hongjoong ignores his comment, turning. “You need to rest for a few days, give your system time to settle into its new build.” He begins to make his way to the door, steam pulsing out again as his limbs creak and Seonghwa’s tears well up again watching his struggle.

“Oh Joongie….”

”I don’t need your pity either Seonghwa. I haven’t needed that in years.” Hongjoong’s tone had cooled once more, falling into his usual indifference. “Rest well. And live a good life.”

Seonghwa sat as the sound of Hongjoong’s exit echoed down the hall. Things had happened so quickly, and he wasn’t sure exactly how things had escalated to the point that Hongjoong felt the need to part ways like this. He’d felt neglected all these years? How was that possible?

Seonghwa wanted to be mad, and could feel it churning in his stomach, but he quickly ran out of steam. He just didn’t have the energy. As the thought crossed his mind he felt the weight of his exhaustion slam into him. He did need to rest.

And then he will tackle the changes hurtling towards him.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

“So let me understand this, you have two…friends. Who just so happen to be visiting you on a - and let me stress this - VERY important night and you just forgot.” The disdain dripping from Minho was palpable, and caused the two human brothers to shift nervously. They looked back and forth between Minho and Wooyoung, who stood defiantly and with his usual confidence.

”Yes. I have a lot going on, you know.”

“Then why don’t they wait for you at your place? Instead of coming along to - and I can’t seem to stress this enough- a VERY important event that we need things to go in a very specific direction.” Minho’s irritation was increasing more and more as the conversation continued.

Chan had to admit that he too was a bit baffled by the turn of events. Wooyoung and Changbin arrived later than the agreed upon time, already putting pressure on their timeline. They show up with two beautiful if spooked strangers, explaining that they would be accompanying them to the gala as Wooyoung’s guests. To say Minho had been miffed was an understatement.

Chan stepped forward wanting to try and diffuse the tension that was suffocating, especially for the two men dressed in gorgeous silks. “They at least look the part? I think it could work, as long as they stay quiet and stick with us.”

Minho whirled on him, eyes wide and disbelieving. “You aren’t seriously considering this?!”

Chan bit his lip, hands coming up in defense. “Listen, we are sort of out of time to even debate this. We have to get going.” He turned then, stepping to stand in front of the brothers. “What are your names?”

”Felix. And this is Yeosang.”

“Alright, well Felix and Yeosang, you two will come along. You will remain with either Changbin, Jisung or myself. You will not speak to anyone alone, you will not wander off. Keep your head down, and we won’t have any problems. Understood?”

Yeosang nods, and after a moment Felix follows suit, gaze still flitting between Minho and Wooyoung who continue to square off behind Chan.

Chan waved them off. “Don’t worry, it’s always like this.” He spun around, clapping his hands and startling everyone. “And we’ve lost enough time. Everyone up, let’s go.”

Changbin escorted Wooyoung away, signaling the two brothers to follow along with them. The rest of the Strays fall in behind them, and the group makes their way out to the two sleek flashy cars waiting for them outside. Everyone is silent as the cars take off, and Yeosang is just relieved to not be sharing the car that the Minho guy is in. He clearly had a problem with Wooyoung, and didn’t seem too happy to have them there either.

Wooyoung and Changbin were whispering quietly to one another, the latter seeming to be trying to calm Wooyoung down. He was gently petting up and down the other’s neck, and after a few minutes the feline exotic melted into his side. Yeosang watched the two, feeling his heart grow heavy at the sight. They were so very in love with one another, and their intimacy was something Yeosang admired and longed for himself.

Yeosang shook his head clear. He couldn’t be thinking of things like that at a time like this. His mother was in trouble, and his friend could possibly be dead. After tonight, his whole life may change in a terrible way that he could have never foreseen. He leaned into Felix’s side, and his brother looked at him from the window, giving a small encouraging smile.

“When I came out to the city before, I would always make a point to go to the shopping square in the district next to ours.”

Yeosang looks at him with interest. “That’s so far though, isn’t it?”

Felix nods, “If I were to walk, it would have taken a long time. But I figured out how to ride the bus. It was scary the first time, I won’t lie.” He took Yeosang’s hand into his own. “But it was so amazing to see life in the city. People everywhere, going about their lives with such energy and joy. It was sometimes so loud with voices and music you couldn’t hear yourself think. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before.”

Yeosang glanced at the other two, seeing them still chatting quietly together. “Where are we going now?”

”To the surface. It’s where the people who have a lot of money live. They live extravagant lives up there.”

Wooyoung seemed to hone in on their conversation, and leaned forward. “Wasteful lives. They don’t care about the people who live below them. Where we are going is the most elite of the pretentious families. It’s best if you two avoid them. Pretty little things like you, they would eat alive.”

Yeosang looked terrified at the comment. “They’ll…eat us?” He looked at Felix in fear, who only rolled his eyes at the starlet’s comments.

“No Sangie, they won’t eat us. Quit telling stories, Wooyoung.”

Wooyoung smirked, gaze turning mischievous and making Changbin sigh as he leaned back, knowing it would be pointless to try and intervene.

“I’m not lying. When they see someone as beautiful as either one of you, they can’t help but want to own you. They are greedy, and want to own everything deemed even slightly worthy, even if it means depriving that person of their very heart and soul. As long as they are on top, they’ll rip what little the rest of us have in order to stay up there.” Where he had started talking playfully, more and more of a serious tone sank in, and he’d quickly dropped his playful demeanor. Now both boys were staring at him with wide fearful eyes.

Changbin cleared his throat, reaching out to gently pull Wooyoung into his lap, one hand coming up to run through his hair. “Hey now, none of that. It won’t be anything like that tonight, alright?”

“But these people ... .they can be like that?” Felix murmured, brow furrowed in contemplation.

Wooyoung bites his lip, tail swishing in his agitation. He glances at Changbin, who tilted his head at him, the two seeming to silently communicate for a moment. “They…can be. But I doubt they will show their true colors tonight.”

If nothing else, this made Felix resolve to follow Chan’s instructions to stay near them and not interact with anyone at the gala. “We will stay by your sides. I don’t want to meet these people.”

Wooyoung nodded, sitting back. “Good. That would be for the best. Besides, we have to keep you two safe for when Seonghwa-ssi is feeling better.”

Changbin chuckled, following the topic change to lighten the mood. “We don’t want him to ban us from seeing you too. We’re lucky he let us back after what you did last time, Woo.”

Wooyoung tossed his head back, gaze imperious. “I only did what needed to be done.”

Yeosang giggled, and Felix felt his lips twitch into a smile. “Mamahwa still talks about it like you committed the greatest sin of all time.”

Wooyoung flinched, ears flattening. “Don’t say that, I don’t want to be judged by him!”

The car broke out into laughter, and the jewels felt themselves relax a bit more. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be so bad with their two friends by their sides.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

It’s many hours later than Hyunjin would have wanted when he hears the lab doors slide open with a hiss, and Hongjoong’s weary form limps in, heavily leaning on his cane for support. He’s still covered in blood and oil, and Hyunjin comes to his side quietly with a frown. With a hand on his lower back, he guides the Ripper Doc into his back rooms, to the bathroom that was simple in design but effective in what it offered.

No words are exchanged as Hyunjin helps the other to undress, and a warm shower is run that the Doc is soon beneath, washing away the filth of the day. He sighs into the warm spray, and Hyunjin has soon joined him with a cloth and scentless soap to help clean the weary Doc. Minutes pass in this way, Hyunjin gently taking each of Hongjoong’s limbs in gentle hands, cleaning him thoroughly and with great care. His aged cybertech billows smoke into the space, and Hongjoong’s bleary eye is unseeing in the mix of smoke and mist of the shower.

Once done, the two exit the shower, Hyunjin moving quickly to dry them both, then helped Hongjoong into loose and soft clothing that left his cyberware room to breath. They made their way into his bedchambers, where the Doc all but collapsed onto the bed. Hyunjin helped him to settle, setting his cane within reach before making his way to the other side of the bed and crawling in. He lay on his side, fingers coming out to gently massage the shoulder where Hongjoong’s prosthetic met his flesh. The Doc let out a low groan at the touch, but otherwise said nothing.

“Sleep my lord. We can talk tomorrow.”

At his gentle tone, Hongjoong seemed to sink into the bed, eye closing and the stress of the day melted away as he surrendered into unconsciousness.

And as the lights dim, Hyunjin regards his profile from the gentle glow of his cyberware. He could sense the growing weariness in the Ripper Doc, and that he seemed to be pushing to some unknown end. As his hands brushed over the other’s chest, he contemplated their most recent interactions. Hongjoong may think himself discreet, but Hyunjin knew that the other was preparing for that end with an earnestness he had not done so with any other project. And though his heart panged, for he did not want the other to die, he knew that Hongjoong was just a man in the end.

He felt a helplessness that he did not like. There must be something else to all this, something he could do to convince Hongjoong that there was more he could do to prolong his life, if not for himself…then perhaps for him.

Hyunjin pushed closer, tucking himself into Hongjoong’s side, mind racing now as he took the problem into the land of dreams, seeking an answer from something greater than himself.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

The two cars pull up to the semi crowded curb, and Felix and Yeosang find themselves shrinking back from the window as reporters swarm outside the vehicles. Wooyoung had already warned them, and instructed them that they needed to wait to get out for when Chan and the others could get to their car and help escort them inside. He said it was the curse of his fame, and one of the unfortunate things he had to deal with whenever he went anywhere topside.

Soon the forms of Chan and the others come to the door, moving the reporters back with firm words and touches. Wooyoung sighs, sagging into his seat for a moment before straightening up, ears perked and a smile painted on his face. He nods to Changbin, and the bigger man opens the door and steps out, holding a hand out for Wooyoung to use to assist in standing up. The reporters call out for his attention, and he’s whisked forward, giving the two jewels some privacy to make their own exit from the car.

Yeosang clings to Felix’s side, eyes wide more in fear than excitement. There were so many people here, more than he’d ever seen at once in his life. Their escorts looked right at home, Jisung even looking a bit bored as he kept the reporters and fans back from them as they tentatively made their way after Wooyoung. It wasn’t long before the reporters caught sight of the two of them, soon the bulk of the media attention fell to them. Questions were being shouted as to their identities, for they must be important to have arrived with THE Black Cat Nero. They were both dressed in fashionable silks in complementing colors of blue and gold, and were a rare type of beauty that hadn’t been seen in awhile. One reporter caught on to a detail very quickly.

“Are you two completely human? No enhancements at all? I don’t see any on your skin.”

Felix flinched back from the microphone shoved into his face, standing in front of Yeosang defensively. He was about to snap at the man, but Chan was suddenly at his side, an amiable smile in place.

“Please, step back, these two are esteemed guests of the Black Cat Nero, we ask that you do not crowd them please.” Chan herded the two boys, whispering for them to keep their heads down and follow behind Wooyoung closely. It was several strained and slow moving minutes before they finally made it inside and away from the crowd.

The way that the noise fell away as they stepped in left a ringing in their ears, and neither of them felt more relaxed by the sudden change in atmosphere. “Why did we come again…?” Felix groaned, rubbing Yeosang’s back gently as he leaned heavily into his side. Wooyoung gave them a sympathetic smile.

“I’d say for you two that was the worst part. You’ll like the gala itself though. One thing these rich assholes do right is a party.” He murmurs to them, before turning to smile at the waitstaff that approached to greet them.

“Welcome, Nero-ssi. We are very happy to have you. I’ll be the one in charge of anything you need tonight, my name is Yeonjun.” The young man bowed slightly, and Wooyoung nodded in thanks.

“Thank you, and I’m sorry this is a bit last minute, but I have some guests with me tonight. I trust that isn’t a problem?”

Yeonjun tilted his head in curiosity, eyeing the two brothers who stood close together in an almost protective looking circle of bodyguards. “I was curious as to why your security detail was so large, but that does make more sense. Give me a moment to check with our own head of staff.” He steps away, talking into a small device and Wooyoung turns once more.

“They always act like it’s an inconvenience, but it’ll be fine.”

Chan watched the staff member, brow furrowed. “They’d already had you flagged for your security detail… so this may just work out in our favor.”

Jisung nibbled his lip in thought. “I would’ve thought Mong would have smoothed that over by now.”

“Pass that on to Lee Know, just in case.” Chan murmured quietly to the Ripper Doc. Jisung nodded, typing away discretely to make Minho, alias Lee Know, aware that there could be an issue. He was acting as an off site coordinator, like an inbetween for them and Seungmin, who would be unable to leave his post by the Choi’s side.

A minute later Yeonjun returned, smile in place. “We are more than happy to accommodate your guests, Nero-ssi. Please follow me inside.”

The group moves quietly through the grand halls, and the two jewels stare in wide eyed wonder at the opulence around them. Technology has taken a step back in design, instead opting to embrace older styles of interior decor to speak on the more expensive and historical side of humanity. Large windows let in the natural light, and intricately carved columns line the hall that they make their way down. Actual candles are lit as well, making the red curtains and carpet stand out against the white marble. It’s something Yeosang had only read about in books, and seeing it in person felt surreal.

They are brought to a large set of doors and Yeonjun turns to them before opening them. “On behalf of the Choi Family, I welcome you to tonight’s gala.” He pushed the doors open, and the large room before them is revealed, teeming with elegantly dressed guests and soft orchestral music playing. Once they have stepped inside the doors close behind them. “There will be hors d'oeuvres served until the main meal later this evening, we do not have anything scheduled until then. Then after the meal will be your performance Nero-ssi, I will fetch you as the meal ends to prepare.”

Wooyoung nods, giving him his thanks. The staff member bows once more, then takes his place along the wall of the room to wait for anything they may need. Wooyoung explains that should they become separated for whatever reason, to go to Yeonjun and he would be able to help them. Then he turns, surveying the assembled guests who mingled about.

“Well…I guess I need to meet and greet people for a bit. Unless a certain bodyguard of mine would rather find a nice quiet hallway and-”

Changbin put his finger over Wooyoung’s lips, shaking his head with a small smile. “No, you promised you’d behave tonight. And that you’d talk to at least three different people, politely.”

Wooyoung scowled, nipping the tip of Changbin’s finger who snatched it back but didn’t look surprised. “Fine. But you better not abandon me to these misers or I’ll — Hello Lim-ssi. It’s so lovely to see you again.” Wooyoung has once more changed into a brilliant ray of joy as an older couple approached him mid rant. Felix and Yeosang could only snicker softly at his change in character, the two moving a bit away before they were also sucked into the conversation.

Chan walked behind them, assuring them of his presence as they slowly made their way around the outskirts of the room, simply content to take in the atmosphere and decor. Occasionally he typed something on the device around his wrist, no doubt communicating with the others about whatever it was they had planned. The brothers may not have been told directly, but they had the sense that Chan and Jisung weren’t just ordinary security guards, as Wooyoung hadn’t mentioned them before now. And they had the look of people who’d lived in the undercity all their lives.

Yeosang stopped after a while of them grazing the various snack options being offered on silver platters by waist staff, his gaze swept across the room before spying a set of doors near them that were cracked open the slightest amount. He tugged Felix after him, the three slowly making their way over to the doors. Before they arrived though, Chan stopped them, eyes on the screen on his arm. “Oy you two… it looks like the meeting I’m here for is going to happen soon. I want you two to stay right here, against the wall until Jisung comes for you, do you understand?”

The brothers nod, taking the designated spot without complaint. He nods to them, weaving back into the crowd seamlessly. When Jisung doesn’t appear right away, Yeosang finds his attention slowly going back towards the door near them. He can make out the sight of what might be a courtyard, a part of a fountain and some greenery visible through the crack. He was curious to see it, but knew that wandering away from the gathering was likely a bad idea.

With a sigh he turned back to view the people, noting how different they were than the ones they lived with at the Dollhouse. Sure they didn’t get to interact with others often, but they saw their fair share of assorted individuals in their time there. But Yeosang could say with confidence none of them were like the people who were gathered here. They were dressed to impress, and each one dripped in jewels and decadence that were a bit familiar to the brothers with how the Widow doted on them. The three of them as a family liked to indulge in finer clothing, preferring the soft silks to the harsher streetwear of the people who lived by them.

Felix made a comment on one woman’s dress, and the two were soon chatting away about the fabrics and color choices. It wasn’t long before a group of younger women overheard them, and came over to timidly join their conversation. The brothers were happy to have them, and soon the group was lost in the world of deep fashion discussions. At some point, Jisung had slipped behind them along the wall, eyes soon glazed over as the discussion continued.

Yeosang was enjoying himself, but after what seemed to be an hour he was feeling a little overwhelmed and needed a moment to step away and regroup. He quietly slipped back from the group, Felix engrossed with the others as they debated exactly which shade of yellow would best compliment one of the girl’s skin tone. Yeosang smiled, knowing that Felix was having fun being among the people here.

Jisung remained staring blankly ahead, and Yeoang bit back a giggle as he made his way stealthily to the door. Just one peek at the courtyard to catch his breath, then he’d be back.

It was easy for him to slip through the crack in the door with his lithe frame, and soon he was in a gorgeous space filled with plant life and a large water feature that bubbled merrily. The darkening night sky overhead stole his breath, and Yeosang made his way to the edge of the fountain to look up at the moon for the first time in his life. It was gorgeous, and mesmerizing in a way that Yeosang never would have expected.

All his life he’d been in Utopia, and he was happy there. But there was so much of the rest of the world he missed that being told second hand through Wooyoung or Felix didn’t quite do it justice. He’d soak up what he could experience in this new place tonight, then return home with the fond memories of his first ever adventure outside. Sighing with the thought, he primly took a seat on the fountain’s edge, watching in fascination how the reflection of the moon was distorted with the ripples of the water.

Yeosang could feel himself relaxing as the minutes slipped by, the tension in his stomach easing as he took in the fresh air. Perhaps he would be able to convince his mother that occasional trips to the surface wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

“I didn’t expect anyone to be out here, considering it is off limits.” A voice rang out, startling Yeosang form his quiet peace. He turned to look around frantically, his gaze finally landing on the dark outline of someone standing on the other side of the courtyard. He stood, eyes wide as he took a step back.

“I’m sorry, I just needed a moment alone.” He hated the way his voice shook a bit, now wishing he’d signaled Jisung to come out with him so he wasn’t alone like this. The figure stepped forward, and Yeosang found his eyes widening as the broad form became visible in the moonlight. He knew this man, he’d seen him countless times before. He’d been held under the cool bite of his steel many times, too many to count. And as those silver eyes seemed to take him in, recognition flashing in them to overwrite the cold harshness there, Yeosang felt the breath catch in his lungs.

“I know you. You’ve killed me before.”

Chapter Text

Chan stood in the dark and fairly cramped hallway quietly, knowing that patience was something he’d need to get through the next hour. Seungmin had done everything to make this meeting happen, and he was going to do his best to not let him down. Chan knew that a lot was riding on how this meeting with the eldest Choi went, that the people of the underground would benefit the most from having the most powerful man in the city on their side. He just had to hope that everything Seungmin had said about the Choi heir was right.

Just as he was starting to think that he was forgotten about, Seungmin suddenly appeared from a door down the hall, waving him over with a frantic movement. Chan was instantly by his side, and the other brought him into another long hallway, leading him down the winding path. “We have to be quick, he won’t stay there long before he figures out that the ambassador from Simtech isn’t really coming.”

“Ambassador, eh? Have I been promoted?” Chan teased, trying to break the tension of stress around the other young man.

Seungmin only frowned deeper. “I don’t like this. I don’t like lying to him.”

Chan was a little surprised by the other’s admission. Just who was Choi San to have earned one of his own men’s loyalty like this?

“Well, hopefully we won’t have to sneak around after this.” Was all he could think to say in response, not sure how to address the other’s displeasure. The two fell silent after that and soon Seungmin stopped at another door, this one a little more elaborate than the rest.

“This is his office. I’ve thought about this, and I think it’s best that I go in….and introduce you.”

“Are you sure? Won’t he know that you were involved with my being here?”

“If we want this to work, the introduction has to come from someone he trusts…and he trusts me.” That last part sounded like it pained Seungmin to admit, and Chan was actually starting to feel a little bad about all this.

“He still will after this. I’ll be on my best behavior and get him to our side.” Seungmin only gave him a weak nod in response, then let out a deep breath before knocking softly on the door in a certain pattern. A voice called from the other side, and Seungmin stepped into the room he was very familiar with.

It was San’s personal office, the one he did his real work in when he didn’t need to meet with anyone. It had a lot more of his personality in the decor, leaning away from opulent tech and showing a more quiet refinement that reflected the heir’s softer personality. There were actual books along the shelves, and even a fish tank that thrived with a vibrant carefully cared for coral reef. It was San’s favorite hobby, and his pride and joy.

Seungmin made his way to where San was sitting at his desk, and the elder Choi looked surprised to see him. “I thought you’d come from the other door with the ambassador. Did something happen?”

Seungmin steeled himself, straightening up and looking San directly in the eye. “I’ve brought someone else to meet with you, San-ssi. They aren’t on the guest list for the gala tonight, so they’ve asked to meet in a more private space so as not to cause a problem.”

If San was surprised by what he said he didn’t show it, instead leaning back slowly in his chair as he regarded his assistant. “Is that so… someone who couldn’t be seen by the other guests?”

“Yes. They don’t exactly mingle with this kind of crowd very often.”

San raised a brow then. “And I imagine my security detail wouldn’t exactly clear them to see me either, if you’ve had to sneak them in here through the back way.” He didn’t sound exactly chiding, but the warmth from his voice had melted away.

Seungmin gulped, but did not falter. “They mean no harm San-ssi, that I swear to you.”

There was a tense silence then as the heir regarded Seungmin for several long seconds. Chan was nearly ready to burst into the room before the elder Choi sighed. “Fine. If you think it’s important enough to do all this, then I will at least meet with them. But we will talk about this afterwards, Seungmin. I never expected something like this from you.”

It was very hard for Seungmin not to shrink in on himself, but he nodded once before signaling to Chan through the door.

The Stray leader walked through with his head held high, coming to stand before San with a bow in deference to his position. To see the Choi heir in person was a bit overwhelming, as even seated he had a presence that was demanding and almost suffocating.

“Good evening, Choi San-nim. My name is Chan, and I’ve come to you as a representative of the Strays.”

At his words a crack in San’s mask appeared, the curiosity in his eyes undeniable. He shifted ever so slightly. “The Strays? Why would one of your own come to talk directly with me?”

“I believe that with the way things are in the city that there would be some benefit for two men like ourselves to come together and tackle the problem with a more united front. We can do far more good for the whole city as a team, rather than working apart and even in opposition at times.” Chan was concise, having reviewed their talking points with Minho more times than he cared to remember.

“And you believe the history our two….organizations have won’t need to be a factor into why that exactly may not work?”

Chan was a little surprised by San’s direct attack on the major issue that lay between them. He respected that, as it did show a respect for both of their time.

“It’s true there have been clashes between our groups, but I think we can find a way to leave that in the past for the greater good…as they often say.”

San was quiet for a moment, before his sharp gaze slid over to Seungmin, who was still pale and looked a bit shaken. “I see why you brought him here, Seungmin. Relax now, I’m not mad.”

Seungmin visibly did relax then, looking relieved that San wouldn’t hold this against him, and Chan couldn’t seem to stop being surprised by the other man.

“Alright then, Chan-ssi. Please sit, let’s discuss what working together will look like exactly.”

“Please, just Chan is fine. Preferred even.”

San quirked a smile at that, nodding his thanks to Seungmin who had poured them both drinks from the tea San often drank when alone.

“Then I insist on just San for myself as well.” San slowly nursed his tea, eyeing the man across from him with some interest. It was true that he was sympathetic to the cause of the Strays, and he was curious about the one who would lead people up from the shadows of the underground. As much of a nuisance as they were to the businesses in the city, they were doing things to better the lives of those who were born into suffering. San respected that, and he’d be lying only to himself if he didn’t have that desire to help them in any way were it to ever become possible.

So having Chan here before him was very fortunate, and he was curious as to exactly what kind of man Chan was.

“For you to have gone through all this trouble to get here, I assume you must have some kind of plan of action?”

Chan nodded, taking his first sip of the offered drink and being shocked that it wasn’t an alcohol but a tea instead. He quickly hid his shock and looked back to San, who regarded him with a knowing look. “The first step is comparing our intel about the source of the virus, the effects and any known way of stopping or slowing it down.”

The air thickened a little, both men understanding this was a pivotal moment in any future bond that would form here between the two factions. If either of them withheld information it could build that alliance in distrust, and it would just fall apart later. But they also couldn’t jump into this blindly.

Chan was the first to break the silence, which had Seungmin nearly screaming out from the buildup of nerves in the situation. He sighed deeply, setting the tea down.

“Look, I know that the people up here like to play these political games of secret keeping and one upping each other. But I will be honest with you, I’m not interested. I don’t have time for that sort of stuff where we come from.” Chan gestured to Seungmin. “Like Seungmin here, he was once one of us, he knows that the way we survive is by trusting and relying on those close to you.”

San looked between the two in interest. “And you want us to be close then, Chan?”

Chan sent him a charming smile. “I certainly wouldn’t be opposed, San. Even when this crisis passes, I want to tackle the other issues that stand between our classes. My people and I aren’t looking for handouts. We just want a fair chance at a good life.”

San nodded slowly, gaze contemplative. “I confess, I’d be interested in working through things as well. I know many of my…colleagues don’t hold the same compassion towards the people of the Undercity. But they could be made to accept changes should they be presented in a reasonable light.”

Chan’s grin turned sharp then. “And I take it that’s something you wouldn’t mind strong-arming them into?”

San’s own sharp smile broke out then. “Not at all. As long as things are actually reasonable, I don't mind showing the move for reform favorability.”

Chan leaned forward then, eyes shining in eagerness. “Then let’s talk business.”

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Hyunjin slowly awoke, becoming aware of the faint heartbeat pressed into his cheek from where he lay smushed on Hongjoong’s chest. He nuzzled in closer, before the distant sound of voices from outside the room reached him and he became more alert. He slowly sat up so as to not wake Hongjoong, who still needed the rest that he usually avoided.

With soft steps he quickly dressed and left the room, gently closing the door behind him as he followed the voices to the two men that hadn’t been awake since they arrived the day before. Hyunjin offered the courtesy of a knock to let them know of his presence before pushing into the now quiet room.

“Hello you two. I’m glad to see you are awake.”

He observed the two men, who honestly looked worse for wear. The one with orange hair, Mingi he believed, was still laying flat on the bed he was placed in. His bandaged stub was pressed into his stomach, as if he were afraid to look down at it. The other man was sitting somewhat up, to apparently get a better look at Mingi from where he was laying. He was in a worse condition, skin pale and body nearly completely covered in bandages.

”I’d advise not moving if you can help it for now. You have a lot of injuries that risk reopening if you try to get up.” At Hyunjin’s words, Mingi finally seemed to move to look over at Yunho with worry.

Yunho tried to flash him a smile, but it came off as a pained grimace. Mingi sat up himself then, as his injuries were confined to his arm and shoulder. “Listen to him Yun. Lay down.”

Yunho listened, laying down with a groan. Hyunjin came over, examining each bandage and determining some would need to be changed, while others could wait. He then focused on Yunho, who watched him silently.

“My name is Hyunjin. I am a friend. I’d like to change a few of your bandages, if you will allow me.”

”Allow you? I’ll beg if I have too.” Yunho muttered and Mingi snorted softly.

Hyunjin only nodded, getting the supplies and starting his work quietly. The two men seemed to be sharing looks when he wasn’t blocking their eye line, and it made him smile a bit at how silly the two were being.

”You don’t have to stare at each other silently. You are welcome to talk.” He teased, lightening the mood a bit as he watched Yunho flush.

Mingi swallowed thickly, seemingly not embarrassed, instead more concerned for the other. “Will he…be ok, Hyunjin-ssi?”

Hyunjin hummed, cleaning the particularly nasty cut that had sliced through Yunho’s thigh, making the taller man hiss a bit. “He will be. As long as we keep things clean and he takes it easy, I don’t foresee any long lasting issues.”

Yunho grit his teeth, focusing instead on the conversation to distract himself as the other worked. “You seem to have a lot of experience with this sort of thing. Are you a doctor?”

“Not quite. I do have experience though.”

”Do you know Hongjoong-ssi?” Mingi asked, now fully seated in a chair nearby.

“He’s the reason I’m alive.”

The two tall men froze, gazes turning to the door where Hongjoong was standing, leaning heavily on his cane as steam seemed to billow about him as a permanent fixture now. He still looked tired, but the sleep had done him good and he had some color back to him compared to the night before. Hyunjin sighed to himself softly, having hoped the Ripper Doc would have slept longer, but he said nothing and kept quietly working on Yunho.

Mingi’s brows furrowed at the Ripper Doc, regarding his state. “What happened? Is….is Seonghwa…?”

”Alive, yes. It took nearly all I had, but I got the poison out of him and his body was rebuilt as best as it could be. As for his mind…well. Time will tell.” Hongjoong answered frankly, entering the room and taking up the only other chair. Yunho and Mingi winced as the steam briefly filled the space, before disappearing after a few seconds. ”I suppose you’ll be wanting a prosthetic for your hand.”

Mingi seemed to pull back a bit at that, refusing to let his gaze drop down to his own arm. “I…..”

Yunho frowned, sensing Mingi’s discomfort at the directness of the Ripper Doc. Hyunjin caught his gaze and shook his head slightly, indicating for him to stay silent.

“He fucked up, Mingi. And it’s my fault. I let the poison run too rampant, and didn't monitor how he was reacting with it properly. I…” Hongjoong faltered. “I was too careless, and he paid the price for it. And now you did too. I’m sorry.”

“Where were you?” Mingi bit out, voice clipped with hurt.

Hongjoong shifted with another burst of steam, and that drew Hyunjin’s gaze to evaluate him. Even sitting Hongjoong seemed like it took effort to remain upright.

“He said he sent me messages, asking me to come. But I never received them.”

”Did you not receive them, or ignored them like you usually do.” Mingi’s tone was biting, but Hongjoong remained stoic in the face of his anger.

It was Hyunjin that answered. “He didn’t receive them. The last thing of note was your message about the Braindances. I’m sure of it.”

Mingi’s gaze cut over to Hyunjin, who had finished his work on Yunho and had moved to stand beside Hongjoong, a hand resting on his shoulder. ”Who exactly are you? Do you live here?”

Hongjoong shifted, either in discomfort from his own pain or the line of questions, Hyunjin wasn’t sure. Hyunjin gently squeezed his shoulder in comfort.

“I’m a companion to the Captain. I help to maintain his pain as best as we can.”

Mingi gazed at him, distrust evident. “Companion? What does that mean? A Lover?”

Hyunjin blushes slightly then, unsure how to answer.

“What does this have to do with anything? That’s not what is important here.”

”Are you cheating on Seonghwa-hyung?” Mingi insisted, anger now rising at the implication that something like that would even be possible.

“Cheating? I’m not with anyone to be able to cheat on them. Such a thing isn’t even important.” Hongjoong insisted, eye sharp as it took in Mingi’s mounting anger. “Seonghwa and I were never together, Mingi. What he had built up in his mind was never the reality.”

”He loves you! He’s always said you were perfect and he has literal hearts in his eyes whenever you were brought up!” Mingi’s voice was raised, eyes wide in disbelief.

“He loves the idea of me. Not who I really am.” Hongjoong answered, tone clipped and decisive.

“Bullshit.”

“Mingi, let’s…set that aside for now, yeah?” Yunho cut in, worried that Mingi would get too worked up. “Let’s focus. We obviously need to stay here for a bit, right? Can we do that?” They needed a secure and safe place to recover, and the den of the god of Neo Seoul would be the best place to do that.

Hongjoong nodded once stiffly.

“Thanks. Really.” Yunho then looked back at Mingi. “Do you….want to talk about your hand?”

Mingi shook his head.

”Alright, so we’ll shelve that for now too. Then, what’s the situation back at Utopia?”

Hyunjin admired the way Yunho took control, focusing on what was important in the moment. Not many would be able to keep their cool in Hongjoong’s presence, much less diffuse a situation like that.

“Seonghwa is recovering himself. There was a lot of damage done, so I set the drones to begin to rebuild. The staff returned while I was there, and they were cleaning and setting things back up. That’s all I know.”

Mingi frowned again. “What about the boys? Felix and Yeosang, were they safe?”

Hongjoong shook his head. “I don’t know. We sent them outside while we got Seonghwa off you two. And there were more pressing things to attend to in the moments after. Like Seonghwa and that one there’s life.” He jerked his head at Yunho.

“Where are they, Hongjoong? Don’t you care at all?” Mingi didn’t sound angry anymore, more resigned to the answer he knew would come, and was given in the silence that met his question. Hyunjin gently shook Hongjoong’s shoulder to prompt him to speak.

”Do you want me to find them? Or do you want a hand? I can only do one or the other right now, Mingi.”

“Asshole.” Mingi hissed, gaze narrowed on the Ripper Doc. “I don’t want you to fucking touch me. Find the boys, and get them back to Seonghwa, that’s the least you could do!”

“Fine.” Hongjoong pushed himself up, the steam bursting once more as he made his way out of the room. Hyunjin lingered, a frown on soft features as he watched the Doc leave.

“He’ll get them home.” He finally settled on in the stifling silence.

Mingi sagged back onto the chair. “I appreciate you not lying and saying shit like he does really care about them. I know he doesn’t. He never has.”

Hyunjin tilted his head now regarding Mingi’s limp form. “It’s a lie to say that as well. He once did. That I am sure of.”

Yunho watched the two as they talked, his own curiosity evident. “Do you…you take care of the Captain god right?”

”Just Captain works. Yes I do.”

”Oh ok. Is he…..doing alright? He sort of looks different than what I pictured…more closer to death than a rumored god would be.”

Hyunjin pretended not to notice how Mingi’s head tilted as if to hear his answer better. “He’s…. Not at his best. It’s been a long and hard battle against his failing body.”

“It’s the chrome isn’t it? That’s keeping him alive?” Mingi’s voice was quiet now, no longer angry.

Hyunjin hummed. “Yes. When we installed it…well we couldn’t take our time. And we didn’t quite have the wealth of knowledge we do now. But it’s too entwined with the human part of his body, to try and adjust it would spell his immediate death.”

”So he’s what? Just suffering until his human body gives up?” Yunho asked, expression slightly horrified.

Hyunjin nodded. “Yes, unfortunately, that is where we are.”

”Damn. That sucks.”

Hyunjin snorted. “Yes, it does.”

”You love him, don’t you?”

”Yes, I do.”

Mingi now eyed Hyunjin, as if seeing him for the first time. “Tell me what you are doing to keep him alive.”

Hyunjin smiled softly, taking the seat Hongjoong had vacated and diving into the details of his work on Hongjoong.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

“I know you. You’ve killed me before.”

The bizarre statement hung in the night air of the courtyard between the two men, who stared at one another in different states of shock and recognition. Jongho found himself at a complete loss at how to respond to such a statement. He most certainly couldn’t have killed the very much alive man before him. He’d like to think he’d remember something like that.

Yeosang flushed as what he said sunk in. That wasn’t at all something he meant to say out loud. “I-I mean….wait. That’s not what I meant. I’ve seen a Braindance of you before.”

”And I’ve seen you in one before too.” Jongho finally spoke, stepping closer to the other side of the fountain that was now between them. “The Angel, light of Halazia. Snow White…Or something like that.”

Yeosang’s blush only deepened. “Min wasn’t supposed to put that in there.” Then he looked at Jongho again, eyes wide. “You’ve seen my BDs before? Oh….” His hands came up to cup his inflamed cheeks in embarrassment. “I never would have thought you of all people would have seen one of my BDs…..”

“You were lovely. In the BD. And now. You are lovely now.” Jongho coughed then, embarrassed at the outburst. This was very out of character for him, he was always composed as his station demanded of him. Yet this entire interaction left him feeling as if he was standing outside his body. He shook his head to clear his jumbled thoughts before realizing exactly what Yeosang had said. “You said I killed you in the Braindance you’ve seen me in?”

Yeosang nodded, still flushed. “Yes….well you know, it wasn’t really me. It was a person I did not know.”

Jongho frowned then. He was no stranger to killing, it came with the territory of what his father asked him to do. What was concerning was that there was proof of it floating around out there so casually this apparent Doll had been able to view it. Suddenly he wasn’t so enamored and more suspicious of the man before him.

”Who are you?”

Yeosang didn’t seem bothered by his tone change, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say he did not notice. “Me? I’m Yeosang.” He smiled at the man from his dream, giddy to have accidentally found him like this. “Are you here for the party too?”

Jongho nodded, gaze intense as he watched Yeosang’s every move, his eyes predatorial. “You could say that. Is that why you are here?”

Yeosang nodded, relaxed and looking back up at the moon. “Yes, my friend brought me here because there are ...problems at home. I’ve never been up here before, the sky is beautiful.”

Jongho remained at alert, his body tensed as he decided if Yeosang needed to be dispatched. “So you’re from below then? Do you work at Utopia?”

Yeosang lit up, now looking at Jongho again. “I live there! Do you know of it? Have you been?”

Jongho paused. As far as he knew, dolls did not live at the Dollhouse they worked in. He already knew that Yeosang wasn’t quite the usual Doll that Jongho was familiar with, but perhaps there were even more differences than he’d considered.

“I have not been there, but I have heard of it before.”

Yeosang looked very interested as Jongho spoke, leaning forward a bit, his long hair slipping over his shoulder as he did so.

“People talk about Utopia? What do they say?”

Jongho hesitated, not sure if he should be honest with the wide eyed man. “That…the Widow lives there, and guards his treasure fiercely.”

“The Widow? Who’s that?” Yeosang looked confused, not quite understanding why the rumor about his home would be something so macabre as that.

Jongho shrugged. “There isn’t much known about them. But the rumor says that the Widow will judge those for their sins and take their lives as punishment.”

Yeosang seemed to pause then, something echoed in Jongho’s words that Wooyoung had said many times before. Little hints here or there. Things about Seonghwa that were nothing like the kind Mother that had raised him and his brother. Could there be some truth to them if someone like this man had heard them too? Could what he had seen the day before have been true? That giant killing machine had in fact been his sweet doting mother?

Jongho did not like the look of distress that had overtaken Yeosang’s features, and he felt himself tense for a different reason now. He needed to distract the other. “I didn’t introduce myself. Forgive my rudeness.” He stepped from around the fountain, slowly approaching the other who had looked back at him. “My name is Choi Jongho.”

Yeosang had forgotten his worry over this new development. “Choi Jongho? As in one of the big important family members?” His tone was so serious and awed, that Jongho couldn’t take offense to how he said it.

He was more amused than anything. “Yes, that is me. One of the big important family members. I’m the youngest son of the Choi Clan.”

”You are handsome. And seem very nice. I don’t know why Woo speaks so unkindly of you.”

This entire conversation was whiplash to Jongho, he was a little overwhelmed by how naive the boy was. And that’s ignoring his compliments on his appearance. Now that he was closer, he let his gaze wander over Yeosang, noting that he didn’t have any of the signs of cyber ware being installed on his person. Which would be impossible for a Doll as far as he knew.

”Forgive my forwardness, but you do not look like you have any implants.”

Yeosang shook his head. “That is because I don’t. Mother would not allow us to get any, saying that our humanity is something precious and should be preserved.”

“Then how do you make Braindances?”

“Min min helps me! He’s really good at tech, and has this way that lets me record and watch them, even though if I do it too much it hurts.”

Jongho was making a mental note of what all the other said, with the brief thought that Yeosang would be devoured alive in any social situation of the elites with how honest and transparent he was being.

“I hope you are careful then. It would be a shame for you to ever feel pain.”

Yeosang flushed, smiling at Jongho with warmth. “I am. And thank you for worrying about me.” He stepped closer, his shyness melting away as he looked up to regard Jongho more closely. “It was always worth it to me, to see you. You’re like a prince from the stories Mother used to read to me. Your eyes are so beautiful.”

For the first time in his life, Jongho felt the burn of a blush on his cheeks at the other’s words. No one had ever been so forward with him like this before. He was used to the occasional remarks about his stern features or composed aura, but never had he been compared to a prince or anything like it.

Yeosang didn’t stop there though, seeming to take his silence as permission to continue speaking. “I’ve watched that BD of you so many times, it almost still feels like a dream to see you standing here now.” Yeosang blushed shyly again. “I’d always hoped to see you… to meet you properly.” He reached out as if to touch Jongho’s cheek but paused, just hovering under his eye. “Your eyes were always so cold in the dream, but here they are warm and kind. I’m so happy.”

Jongho’s heart thundered in his chest, and he swore there had to be smoke coming out his ear from his cyber tech overheating at the other’s words. It was too much, and he had to take a step back from the other to find his composure once more. Yeosang simply watched him, looking somewhat enamored with the other.

Before they could continue, the door behind them burst open, and Jisung stood there looking alarmed before his gaze landed on Yeosang. “There you are! I had thought something happened to you but you’re just out here with-!” His gaze landed on Jongho, and he bit back his next words at the sight of one of the Choi brothers who had regained his composure.

Jongho’s icy gaze was on him, and Jisung silently cursed his rotten luck at the other’s appearance. Of course Wooyoung’s tag-a-long would manage to run into one of the few people they needed to keep a low profile from.

“H-hello Choi-nim, I’m sorry we disturbed you tonight. I was just looking for my friend, he’d wandered away from our group at the gala.” Jisung pleaded for the man to accept his apology easily and let them go. Bafflingly Jongho stepped closer to Yeosang, almost as if to put himself between Yeosang and Jisung and turned to look at the human who only watched on in curiosity.

“Do you know this man, Yeosang-ssi?” Jongho inquired in a low tone.

Yeosang glanced at the nervous Jisung, who seemed like he’d leave him out here in a heartbeat to get away from the situation. “I do. He’s one of the people escorting my brother and I tonight. I may have…left the group like he said.” In a lower voice, almost as if to himself he murmured, “there were too many people inside there. I just wanted to get some air for a bit.”

Jongho nodded in sympathy. “I don’t much care for the crowd at these events either. That’s why I was out here. Perhaps we can return together?”

Jisung kept a stoic face, but cursed again inwardly. Just his luck, Minho was going to be really upset with him. Yeosang nodded at Jongho’s suggestion, a smile lighting up his face.

“I’d love that. I’d like to talk with you more, if you aren’t too busy?”

Jongho shook his head, holding his arm out for Yeosang to grab onto, looking delighted at the action. Jongho turned a stony gaze back on Jisung, nodding at him to lead the way back inside. Jisung bit back the whine he wanted to let out at the situation, but just turned on his heel and led them in. Why was he so unlucky?

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Deep underground, in a part of the city that the citizens had long ago abandoned, a low rumbling could be heard had there been anyone to hear it. Old decrepit machines whirled to life, lights emitting out with a sickening yellow glow that made the air feel thick. A low tone sounded out, shaking the piles of trash and abandoned tech. A lone figure sat, dwarfed beneath the towering machines, looking up at the towers of eerily swaying decay. Their eyes glowed the same yellow color, mimicking the machine perfectly. In their mind a code appeared, slowly translating from the binary to a command that had the other nod in response.

‘It’s time. Activate the virus fully, and bring down the god.’

Chapter Text

Minho’s tail whipped back and forth in his boredom, biting back a yawn as he lazily watched the feeds from the cams on the Strays at the gala. Beside them was an ongoing stream of various news outlets from around the city, reporting things that happened before they hit the air. He liked to keep an eye on things during operations like this, as he had come to learn that expecting the unexpected had saved them more times than he could count.

He’d been amused watching Jisung flounder in front of the younger Choi, but things had long since settled to normalcy after the three had gone inside. Chan was still meeting with San, which he took as a good sign. It seemed things were finally coming together for them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a tiny bit of script that flashed up onto the screen. He paused, turning his head to read through the small font with narrowed eyes. Suddenly every hair on him stood on end in alarm, eyes wide at what he was taking in. Then he jerked into action, pushing the emergency communication command that would override every single Stray’s communication center and broadcast his message to any and all near them. This was only to be used in the worst of situations, and Minho knew that if he didn’t hurry he would be too late.

”Disconnect now! Disconnect from the network now!!”

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

“DISCONNECT NOW! DISCONNECT FROM THE NETWORK NOW!!”

Minho’s voice rang out from Jisung, Changbin and Wooyoung, tearing through the quiet atmosphere of the posh crowd. Immediately the three of them reached up to their necks, opening their network slots and ejecting the chips that let them connect directly with the general network of the city. They did not hesitate, and many people around them watched in bewilderment as they followed the abrupt and screeching command.

Several of the younger people in the crowd followed suit, even though they smiled as if in on some joke that was between them.

Wooyoung ran over to the staff that lined the walls, ignoring the bougie onlookers and started forcing them to remove their own chips, even if they did so reluctantly. Just as Yeonjun finished, the first screams broke out from the other side of the gala, and soon spread to those who had not heeded the warning.

Yeosang and Felix stared on in horror as fancily dressed people fell to the ground, clawing at themselves, tearing flesh and cyberware alike as the cacophony around them picked up. In a strange moment, it seemed like the people who surrounded their small group remained fine, and could only stare in mounting terror at the carnage that rained around them. The people who had listened were now running from the chaos, their shouts of alarm drowned out by the ones of pain.

The screams were starting to morph, as throats were clawed apart in an attempt to stop whatever it was that was attacking them from the inside. Wooyoung was clinging to Changbin, the two shouting above the noise. “We’ve got to go now! Minho says to meet below, and to stay off the streets!”

Yeosang turned frightened eyes on Jongho, who was stunned at the things happening around them. “You…you aren’t on the network right?”

Jongho reached up, removing the chip in his neck and holding it in his hand as if shocked that something so small could cause something like this. Yeosang knocked it from his hand, stomping on it with more force than was strictly necessary. Before Jongho could react, a shambling man in a torn suit lunged at them, eyes a tainted yellow that stared at them lifelessly. His jaw was missing, and blood dripped down his front, soaking the once pristine and expensive suit. Jongho reared back, pulling Yeosang with him as they fell back to the doorway to the courtyard. He’d taken his gun out, and as the man continued to pursue them he fired once, dispatching the man with a single shot to the head. He fell with a sickening thud, and screams ran out from the small group that had still seemed fine.

One of the girls broke off from their group, running to the edge of the room and immediately seemed overcome with whatever was attacking the rest. Her friends cried out, but Felix reached out to keep them close. “No! I’m not sure why you aren’t sick too, but stay by us! Take your chips out at least.”

They all listened to him and the group moved to stand behind Changbin and Jisung who had taken defensive stances with the few bodyguards who had listened to the earlier warning. “We need to move now. Let’s go.” Changbin left no room for argument, and the group moved back towards another set of doors that Yeonjun was waving at them too.

Felix turned, realizing then that Jongho and Yeosang were now separated by the mass of suffering in the room. He watched in fear as several of the bloody party goers turned to pursue the two. “Yeosang!”

His brother’s terrified gaze shot to him, and Felix turned to find a way across the room to him. He wasn’t going to leave him here to whatever was happening. But a firm grip on his arm stopped him, and Jisung was scowling across the room.

“Take care of him, Jongho-ssi! You won’t like what happens if something happens to him!”

Felix immediately protested, but he was passed to Changbin who pulled him out and down the servant’s hall. The push of people behind kept him from going back, and he cried out for Yeosang.

His calls rang over the now quieter sound of the gala hall, and Yeosang clung to Jongho as the two retreated out to the courtyard. Jongho barred the doors, unsure what they were dealing with exactly.

“We have to find my brother.”

”Wasn’t he in there?”

Jongho shook his head. “No, he had a private meeting earlier, he’s most likely still there in his office.”

“What if…he was still on the network?”

Jongho gritted his teeth, leading the other across the courtyard to a smaller door. “Let’s hope he somehow heard the warning.” Which he needed to investigate. If he didn’t know any better, it seemed like it had come from the security detail that was protecting Yeosang. And with the immediate reaction from them, it almost seemed like it was planned.

But he had to hope San was ok. He needed the elder’s guidance with what had happened at the gala. It was going to be a nightmare to deal with, so many people dead, and at their event too. How would they explain this?

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

“DISCONNECT NOW! DISCONNECT FROM THE NETWORK NOW!!”

The three men startled at the sudden and violent announcement that ripped out of Chan and Seungmin’s comms in the small room. Things had been going well, San had relaxed more and even invited Seungmin to join in the discussion of ways to improve life in the city. It was the most ideal outcome for the night, and Chan found himself enamored by the heir of the Choi Clan.

But now, with Minho’s voice ringing in their ears, the two Strays acted quickly to remove their chips. Then Chan moved swiftly to reach over and do the same for San, his rough fingers pressing into the other’s neck to find the slot and take the chip out. San protested, knocking Chan’s arm away from him, but the other held onto the chip decisively.

“What’s going on?!” San demanded, his cold exterior back as he stood from his desk. Byeol stalked out from her position in the corner, taking a defensive position in front of him. Chan knelt down, doing the same for the android guardian and removing her chip without any resistance.

Seungmin was typing furiously away at the tablet that never left his side, and Chan stepped back from the heir with his hands raised and San and Byeol’s extracted chips between two fingers. “When you’ve been on the streets all your life, you tend to learn to follow the warnings of your comrades without question and to the letter. What’s the situation Mong?”

When Seungmin didn’t scold him for the use of the code name, Chan turned to face him, expression serious. “Seungmin? What’s going on?”

The normally composed young man was staring at his screen in horror, eyes wide as the lights flashed over his expression. The two leaders were disturbed by his shocked silence, and Chan reached over to gently remove the tablet from his shaking hands.

He turned it, ignoring San who leaned forward to take a peek at the screen.

Chaos was playing out, the camera viewing the gala showing the carnage that was unfolding. They watched as people seemed to be tearing themselves apart, and Chan cursed as the image showed a woman who clawed at her own chest to tear at the flesh that connected to her cyber arm. She’d sunk her nails deep, and Chan was thankful they couldn’t hear the scream her grotesquely wide mouth was surely letting out. “What the fuck?!”

”Is that the gala?” San whispered, horrified by what they were watching. “Jongho is there…..”

Chan turned the tablet, pointing at the corner where Jongho had backed into the door, the boy called Yeosang clinging to him. “Is that him there?”

San nodded. “Yes, oh gods, we can’t leave him there!”

Seungmin was now on his handheld device. “Minho says we need to get underground. But it’s everywhere, we have to hurry and stay off the main roads.”

”The others?”

”Leaving now. They have some people that managed to remove their chips in time. We need to leave Chan.”

”The chips cause this? Is this the virus?”

Before anyone could even speculate on San’s questions, the door of the office shook with the force of something violently throwing itself on it. The two Strays looked to San. “My office is sound proof…. It must be my security.”

”And that’s why we didn’t hear them screaming. We can’t go out that way. Window it is.”

”You don’t have your gun?” Seungmin asked, voice pitched a bit in panic.

”It’s impolite to bring iron to a gala. You told me that, Seungmin.” Chan grunted as he worked to lift the window on the far wall of the office behind San’s desk.

”We can’t leave my brother here.” San cut between the two.

Seungmin had his tablet once more, and was clicking rapidly through the screens. “Looks like he’s on the move with someone. They just changed directions, I think they are heading to the bunker.”

Chan grunted again as the door started to move with more force and he pushed the heavy window up. “Of course you have a bunker.”

San scowled at him but chose not to acknowledge the slight. “We could go there too.”

The door rocked again, and now they could make the faint sounds of distorted screams and what distinctly could only be called a roar, although such a thing wasn’t something a human could make.

“I don’t think we have much of a choice. You are either with us, or you make your stand alone here.” Chan had propped the window open, the drop down to the ground about two stories up. “Not too bad, we’ll make it alright.”

Once more the two Strays looked at San in question. The heir sighed, watching his brother’s figure on the tablet as he arrived at the doors to the bunker. At least he would be safe. He nodded, going to his desk and removing his favored handgun from the drawer, looking it over to ensure it was loaded and then placing it into the hostler wrapped about his chest. The heir then tapped his thigh and Byeol slid in close. He pet her head, stealing himself for whatever would wait for him outside.

“Let’s go.”

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Changbin cursed as he drove, dodging rambling bodies that had spilled out into the streets more and more as they moved further into the city. Wooyoung was in the back seat of the extended cab, trying to calm the people they had managed to bring out with them. Jisung sat up front with Changbin, gun out and at the ready should any of the people outside decided to try and get in.

The city seemed to be alight in flame around them, people screaming and continuing the self induced carnage. Some seemed to have satisfied whatever it was that commanded them to do so, and were now turning on others who had not. Changbin had never seen anything like it.

“This is fucked.” Jisung murmured, eyes wide but expression serious as he kept watch.

“Is Minho ok?”

”Yeah, he’s holed up at home. Says he can hear the screams from all over. What the fuck is happening?” They both winced as Changbin clipped a man who had lurched at them, causing the group in the back to shout in alarm.

With gritted teeth Changbin managed to straighten the car. “I don’t know, but if it hits the whole city, then it doesn’t seem like a very good idea to go down further into it.”

“Then we grab Minho and get the fuck out of here.” Jisung grimly stated, not at all above abandoning a city that wouldn’t give a shit about them.

Felix scared the both of them, suddenly leaning forward with wide unblinking eyes as he coldly regarded them. His voice was a low rumbling pitch that got a shout of alarm from Changbin from being startled. “Not without my brother. He and I will not leave our mother here.”

Jisung eyed him, expression disbelieving. “Kid, if your mom even survived this, what are the odds we could get both of them out?”

Felix had now turned his eerie gaze onto the tech. “He did survive. Something like this wouldn’t touch our mother.”

Jisung shrank back from him, clearly freaked out. “Fine, back off dude.” He grumbled his complaints into the window, not exactly feeling brave enough to say them any louder to the blond demon they had apparently picked up.

Wooyoung reached forward, tugging Felix back next to him. “Hey now, Fe. It’s going to be ok. Minho’s place isn’t too far from Utopia. We can try and get there if it’s not too bad and pick up Seonghwa-ssi.”

Felix’s harsh exterior melted, looking at the other with round eyes. “He’s ok, right? Appa was there taking care of him…he has to be ok.”

Wooyoung nodded. “Of course, it would take a lot more than this to even touch Seonghwa-ssi, don’t worry.”

“Wait, Utopia? Like… The Widow Utopia?” Jisung whisper-screamed from up front, and Changbin shushed him.

The car fell into silence, with the occasional murmur as Changbin navigated the increasingly more and more chaotic roads. It was going to be a tough time to get to the lower district, but he’d get them there safely no matter what.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Once more the alarms of Utopia were blaring. Seonghwa sat up slowly, groggy and trying to find his bearings. The red flashing light was eerie, and it took him a moment to realize he was in the infirmary of the Dollhouse. Slowly the situation filtered in, and he swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

His body was feeling much better at least, and he didn’t feel as weighed down as before. He stood slowly, flexing his arms and legs to work out the kinks from having laid down for so long. Hongjoong had done an excellent job in repairing him once more, and at the thought of the Ripper Doc Seonghwa’s heart panged.

As the door to the room opened, revealing a disheveled Soobin, Seonghwa had just finished pulling on a shirt to loosely cover his patched together chest.

”Seonghwa-ssi, thank gods you’re awake! There’s something happening in the city! It’s a bloodbath, there’s something eating people from the inside out. We can’t step outside Utopia, if we do, it gets us!”

Seonghwa blinked several times, still trying to shake off the brain fog. “Eating people from the inside out?”

Soobin nodded, coming in to help Seonghwa’s still slightly shaking hands to button up the shirt, and grabbing him a jacket that had been laid out before. “Someone tried to leave early when it first happened, and they were about two blocks from the Dollhouse before they collapsed screaming. It was terrible. I’ve locked us down, most of the staff was here already.”

”And my boys? Are they here?”

Soobin paused, steeling himself. “No…I’m sorry. I’m not sure where they are. They were sent outside when uh….when you attacked Mingi to keep them safe. But we haven’t seen them since then.”

Seonghwa was frozen now, his eyes seeming to dim and his body still.

Soobin looked at him with sympathy, before lighting up and turning to the terminal on the wall. With a few clicks, he had a health screen pulled up that showed two heart lines beating rapidly. “They are still alive though! They’ve both still have their heart monitors on, and I’ve been keeping an eye on them. Yeosang seems to be safe, his heart rate slowed a bit ago. Felix still seems worked up, but it’s not as bad as it was before.”

Seonghwa’s gaze had zeroed in on the two pulsing lines, and slowly the pink glow returned to him. “Patch their feeds through to me, please.” His voice was uncharacteristically soft in his request. Soobin pressed a few more buttons, then Seonghwa’s arm screen lit up with the heart beats. He traced the two lines gently.

The two left the room then, and Soobin took Seonghwa to the largest meeting room the Dollhouse had when it needed to gather all the staff. Seonghwa could see things had already been moved around, the doors that led outside had been blockaded.

“We’re lucky that Utopia is on its own power grid, the city wide one shut down a couple of hours ago. There are patchy reports coming in from all over the city, but no one knows what’s going on.” Soobin reported, nodding to the other staff gathered, who all looked relieved to see Seonghwa up and moving about.

“How are the supplies?”

”We were just restocked three days ago, and since we’ve been operating at half schedule we have more than normal.”

Seonghwa nodded absentmindedly as he took in the sorrowful faces of the people that made up his staff. Many were crying, some had their faces buried in their hands or the shoulders of the coworkers. It took him a moment to realize that since they were all trapped here in the safety of Utopia that they had no way to check on their families.

Soobin followed his gaze, seeming to know what he was thinking. “We…haven’t been able to reach anyone outside. That’s why Noel went out earlier, she wanted to check on her son….I’m sorry..I didn’t think anything like that would happen. I wouldn’t have let her leave.”

Seonghwa shook his head, reaching out to give Soobin’s shoulder a squeeze. “You’ve done the best you can, none of this is your fault. Everyone!” He called out, and the staff seemed to gather themselves to give him their attention. “Please continue to follow Soobin’s instructions in this. I’m sorry I’ve been disposed of these last few days, but once I have a hand on the situation outside I will come up with a plan for us.”

Chatter broke out amongst the staff, and the Dolls gathered came to swarm around Seonghwa, expressing their happiness to see him up and about. They commented he looked healthier than before, running their fingers through his hair to tame it and patting down his clothing to have him more presentable. He smiled at their care, returning their gestures as he inquired into each of their wellbeing. It felt like it had been so long since he last had taken time to be with them like this. What had he been doing all these last few months…

Seonghwa shook his head, giving them each a forehead kiss before excusing himself, going about the room to check on the other staff before heading down to the wing that was his own. His office was there, where the archaic but hopefully still working communication line to Hongjoong was installed. He hasn’t responded to his blasted bird tech, but perhaps this phone line would get his attention. If there was anyone who knew what was happening, it would be him.

As he moved through the complex, he heard a distant pounding on one of the outside doors, mixed with broken pleas. He paused, weighing the risk of answering the obvious cries for help before thinking of his own sons out there somewhere. He ran his finger over the now both calm lines, before turning to follow the sound.

“Please! Please, they are going to find me soon! Please let me in!” A young man’s voice was heard through the metal. Seonghwa could tell from the raspy sound he’d been calling for help for a while. The knocking against the door was weaker than before, and Seonghwa moved with more purpose now.

He reached the barricaded door, moving the wardrobe there with ease. The voice had fallen into quieter pleas at the sound, and it wasn’t much longer before Seonghwa paused, hand on the knob of the door. The voice on the other side whimpered, as if sensing his hesitation and the Widow slowly opened the door enough to peer down, seeing the small frame huddled into the dip of the doorway.

Wide mismatched eyes stared up at him, and Seonghwa recognized him as the little delivery man that came by fairly often that his sons had teased him about. He was hugging his knees now, as if afraid Seonghwa was going to hurt him despite having begged for his help only moments ago.

“Please, I’ve been hiding here….I think they heard me but I couldn’t get away.”

”How long have you been here?”

”Since it started….sometime yesterday I think?”

“What is your name?”

”Jeongin. I swear I’m not one of them, I’m still me.”

Seonghwa hesitated a moment longer before opening the door wider to let the other slip through. Jeongin did not waste any time, clambering inside and falling to the ground in relief as Seonghwa closed the door and put the blockade back in place.

”Thank you, thank you so much!” He panted, tears in his eyes.

Seonghwa regarded him with a neutral gaze, watching his every move. Jeongin seemed to realize this and suddenly sat up, cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry, it’s just been so much - I didn’t think I was going to make it. I had just dropped off the usual delivery here when suddenly the people in the street started screaming, and I panicked. I tried to come back in, but the doors were all locked all of a sudden and I just hid, hoping someone inside would hear me.”

Seonghwa stepped forward, waving for the other to follow him down the hall. Jeongin scrambled to obey, keeping close as his eyes seemed to stare up at Seonghwa in awe. “Why didn’t you try to sneak away?”

”I was going to , but I saw that woman try to leave and then she turned into one of them. I figured out that there must be something here keeping me safe, so I stayed.”

Seonghwa hummed. “That was clever of you to figure out.” He was doing his best to not see his own son's wide eyed innocence in this stranger, but he had the same air about them that Seonghwa had carefully protected over the years. To see that same trusting innocence from someone who had come from the streets was a surprise.

Jeongin blushed at the compliment. “I-it was nothing. I was just…so scared..”

Seonghwa paused in front of the main room that was currently housing the staff. “You can stay here, until we know for sure what is happening. Do you have anyone looking for you?”

”Maybe….my employer? I’m not sure. I don’t have any family, if that’s what you are asking.”

Another pang to Seonghwa’s heart, that seemed to be happening more often since he woke. “Ok then. The rest of my staff is in this room, they are arranging sleeping cots and assigning tasks. Do you think you can help out with things here while you stay?”

Jeongin nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! I’ll do anything you need! Thank you so much!”

Seonghwa nodded, introducing him to Soobin before excusing himself once more. He needed to reach out to Hongjoong, and make sure the Ripper Doc and Mingi had survived whatever this was. Then it would be time to track down his sons.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Changbin was hunched down over the steering wheel, peering at the road ahead of them. They were parked on a side street that looked directly at the building that Minho and Jisung lived in. Between their car and the building were several stationary people, heads tilted up and creepily swaying as if moved by some breeze.

Jisung was typing rapidly on his short range communicator, talking with Minho inside the apartment complex. When he spoke his voice was low, and his nervous gaze kept looking up at the scene before them. “He said he’s making his way down the stairwell on the east side. No one seemed to have tried to leave so he hasn’t run into anyone yet, but he has to go slow to remain quiet.”

Wooyoung was leaning forward between them, lip curled into a mix of disgust and fear. “What are they doing? Why are they just standing like that?”

One of the girls that had come with them was watching over Jisung’s other shoulder. Her name was Jiu, and she was one of the heiresses to the upper class families. She’d proven to be level headed and calm, and had taken up the spokesperson role for the small group that had left with the Strays. They consisted of two other girls- Siyeon and Dami- and one guy - Gyuvin. “It’s like they are….on pause?”

Jisung grimaced. “This just keeps getting weirder and weirder.”

Changbin drummed his fingers gently against the steering wheel. “If they are drawn by sound, then we will have to make our escape quickly once Minho is here.” The other’s nodded, all eyes on the eerie figures. Several tense minutes passed, until finally a bit of movement by the building drew their attention.

Jisung perked up. “There he is!”

Minho was low to the ground, slowly opening the door on the building's side. He was wearing a heavy backpack, his clothes dark and non descript and a hat on his head with his ears tucked inside.

Changbin ignored Jisung’s murmuring about how smart and handsome his husband was, his gaze kept on the still swaying bodies of the infected. He turned his head slightly, addressing the rest of the occupants. “When he is closer, I want Woo to slowly open the back left door for him. The rest of you stay absolutely quiet. Understood?”

There was a gentle murmur of agreement and Wooyoung moved to the selected door and rested his hand on the handle. Now the group waited in a tense silence, tracking Minho’s slow progress of closing the door behind him.

Minho’s green eyes scanned the threat, landing on the car waiting for him. He seemed to take a breath before slowly setting out, gaze shooting between the three bodies that stood as silent threats. He wrinkled his nose at the smell of fresh blood, but focused once more on making sure he stayed out of the eyeline of all three of the figures. It was tough, and forced him to move more slowly and carefully than he would have liked.

Jisung was vibrating, leaning far forward over the dash, hands resting there as his leg bounced with his anxiety. He didn’t like being stuck here while his husband was in danger right in front of him, but knew that he’d only make it worse if he got out.

Changbin moved a hand to rest on Jisung’s shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze, but saying nothing.

Minho knelt behind a car at about the halfway point, head swiveling between the three infected before stepping out once more. Suddenly in the silence of the street, there was a blaring sound a few buildings down the road that sent birds scattering out into the air overhead. A bunch of people had burst from the building, arguing with one another far too loudly.

Minho cursed, ducking down just in time as the three infected had moved so quickly they had nearly ran into him as they barreled towards the idiots who had thrown up a ruckus. He watched in wide eyed horror as three of the people were tackled with loud screams, unable to fight off the infected that tore at them with their bare and bloody hands. The two people they had been fighting with took off running, but were cut off by six of the infected turning the corner - drawn by the sound of the fight.

“Minho!” Wooyoung hissed, standing in the opened car door and glaring at the other exotic. That spurred him to move, and Minho used the distraction of the screams down the road to quickly cross over to the car. He climbed in after Wooyoung, quietly closing the door with as much haste as he could.

Changbin started the car, and before the roar of the engine had time to even reach the infected they were peeling out, tearing off in the direction Jisung pointed too.

Minho was panting, leaned back and eyeing the gathered people, most of whom stared at him with wide eyes. Then his gaze landed on Wooyoung, and his eyes narrowed. For a second it seemed like he might lash out, but instead he frowned. “Thank you.”

Jisung turned to look at him in surprise, and Changbin glanced at him in the rear view mirror with a brow raised. Wooyoung looked the most shocked, his mouth hanging open causing Minho to tsk. He averted his gaze, now taking in the only person that wasn’t looking at him - Felix.

The man’s eyes were trained on the road ahead of them, and Minho swore he was unblinking and as still as the infected had been despite the jostling of the car.

Minho eyed him before glancing at Wooyoung who had recovered from his shock. “What’s wrong with him?”

Wooyoung shifted, looking at Felix and reaching out to take the blond’s hand in his own. “He’s just worried about his mother and brother. We’re heading there next to see if we can get to one of them.”

Minho sat up, placing the heavy bag on the floor at his feet. “And where is that?”

Silence met his question, and his gaze narrowed. “Where is it?”

Changbin cleared his throat. “Utopia. These are our friends from Utopia.”

Minho’s now icy gaze cut into Changbin’s reflection in the mirror. “You’re kidding.” His mind raced, making the connections. “Please tell me this isn’t one of the damned jewels of the Widow.” He now turned to glare at Wooyoung. “You did NOT kidnap the jewels from the Widow. Tell me right now.”

Wooyoung pouted, tugging Felix a little bit closer, although that did not distract the other from his vigil out the front of the car. “I didn’t kidnap them. We found them in the street, thank you very much.”

Minho felt a vein bulge on his temple as he worked very hard to contain his temper. “So, we are going to the Widow’s liar then. Great. Fantastic.”

Jisung chewed his lip nervously as the other survivors in the car shifted uncomfortably. “To be fair…I imagine that the Widow’s liar is pretty protected from everything going on, right?”

Dami spoke up from the corner seat. “Is this the Widow that kills cheaters?”

Siyeon nodded. “It has to be. I heard he judges someone for their sins and kills them when they are found guilty. We should be ok though, right?”

Gyuvin shuddered and hugged his arms around himself. “What if he thinks we are guilty of something?”

Jiu spoke up next. “Shouldn’t we be trying to leave the city? Get somewhere where there are less people? Staying underground seems…well…” She quit talking when Felix’s gaze turned on her. She quietly apologized and he returned his gaze forward.

Jisung shivered, turning back to the front as well to try and ignore the other. The jewel was just as creepy as the rumors of the Widow. Jisung’s eyes widened, glancing back again at Felix. “Wait….are you the Wi-?”

Changbin shushed him, glaring at him briefly before turning back to the road. “Leave it. I need you to find the best route from here.”

”Have we heard from Chan yet?” Minho inquired, digging in his bag now.

“No, he hasn’t come in range yet. Most likely going to make his way to base. We can go after Utopia, assuming things work out…” Jisung murmured, consulting his map to direct Changbin down a side road, avoiding several infected.

“Then that’s what we will do. He knows the fallback plans, and he was with Seungmin when this happened, so I’m sure they are together.”

”Did any other Strays make it?”

“There are some that were at base when this started, I assume they’ve locked down until we arrive.” Minho sighed, removing a map of his own to look over. “Luckily the route there from Utopia isn’t as populated, so let’s hope we won’t have any run-ins.”

Wooyoung was rubbing Felix’s back gently to try and shake the other out of his vigil. “We’ll see Seonghwa-ssi soon, don’t worry Fe.”

Felix didn’t respond, gaze focused on the road.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

“One of them is on the surface, in the Choi estate. The other is on the move, and seems to be making his way down to Utopia.”

Hongjoong’s tired voice jumpscared the two men who were eating dinner that Hyunjin had cooked for them. Things had been quiet after the confrontation and discussion that followed earlier that morning, and Mingi and Yunho had taken the time to discuss what they could do next.

After plying information from Hyunjin, the two had decided that once they were recovered Mingi would go back to Utopia to make sure Seonghwa and the jewels were ok and set up back to their normal lives. Then he and Yunho would leave Neo Seoul, and make for a new life somewhere else, maybe even outside the entire country itself. Somewhere that they could live a quiet and anonymous life.

Before that though, Mingi would need to decide if he wanted Hongjoong’s help with his hand. He knew there would be no better prosthetic out there than the one the Ripper Doc could give him. But he was hesitant. So much had changed so quickly, he could barely wrap his mind around it.

But here and now Hongjoong stood in the doorway, dark circles punched under his eyes and the cane bearing his full weight. He looked at Mingi with a tired resignation, as if waiting for whatever his response would be.

“They separated?”

Mingi was surprised with this information. The two were practically inseparable, he couldn’t conceive of any scenario that the two would willingly let the other walk away from them. Especially outside the safety of Utopia.

Hongjoong sighed. “Yes. I don’t know why. They aren’t chipped, so I don’t have access to data banks or anything.” He looked between the two. “And I know you won’t like me saying this, but it seems that there is something a bit more important happening in the city. The general grid has been taken down in some kind of cyber attack, and anyone that was connected to the network has contracted that virus that has been causing problems these last few months.”

The two men stared at him in shock. “W-what? The whole city?”

”And possibly beyond. I’m looking into that now.”

“Wait, it’s the virus I asked for your help on weeks ago? That one?” Mingi was scowling now, obviously displeased as his mind was racing with the new information. Hongjoong remained silent, his gaze unmoving as he watched the other. That made Mingi scoff. “Right, forgot that you don’t care if it doesn’t disturb you.”

Yunho looked between the two. “I don’t think this is something to blame on him Min…”

”Bullshit. He’s the best Ripper Doc in this whole damn country, if he cared even a little then he could’ve stopped this months ago. How many people have died since this started? How many more now that it is network wide?”

Mingi’s voice was growing louder with each word, his anger flowing off him in waves. He was so tired of the other tech’s nonchalant attitude about things. Towards his own lover, towards the boys who called him father. Towards the world in general. No one with his skill and power should be so utterly detached from the rest of the world.

”I am not responsible for the people in this City, Mingi. No one is.” Hongjoong’s voice was neutral if a bit weary. He didn’t rise to Mingi’s challenge.

”We’re supposed to care about each other!” Mingi spit out.

“I care about you. That’s why you’re here.”

“So you care about Yunho, even though you didn’t even bother to learn his name?” Yunho jolted at the mention of his name.

“I do not. But he was caught up in the mess before, and that was my fault. So it’s only fair to fix my mistake.”

Mingi threw his hand up in exasperation. When he caught sight of his missing limb he cringed back, tears welling in his eyes. “What the fuck ever Hongjoong, just get out of here.”

Hongjoong turned, but hesitated for a moment. His solemn gaze took in Mingi’s slumped form, regret shining for a moment before he left. Yunho wished he could get up to go to Mingi, the need to hold him close as the tears started to fall nearly overwhelming.

“Hey Min, come here.” He held his uninjured arm out, beckoning to the other. Mingi looked over at him with a watery gaze, bottom lip trembling. He stumbled over, landing on Yunho’s side who only grunted and held the other man to his chest as he cried.

“He’s a bastard, Yun. But I can’t hate him, it hurts too much.” Mingi confessed once his sobs had slowed down. “I’ve known him for so long. And seeing him like this…a broken man who can barely stand on his own…it’s like he’s given up not just on the city, but on himself too.”

“I don’t really know him…but it seems like he’s gone through a lot Min. Maybe cut the guy some slack.” He gently rubbed the other’s back. “You forgave me right? And I was a way bigger asshole I think. It’s a little unfair to say he could’ve stopped all this…” He waved his hand in a vague gesture to the broader city. “Whatever is happening out there.”

”I know.” Mingi pouted a bit into Yunho’s neck. “I know that. It’s just so frustrating knowing that maybe things wouldn’t be so bad if he just tried.”

Yunho hummed. “Maybe he has been. Or is there something else that keeps him from doing it… we can’t really say.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” Mingi snuggled down, careful not to jostle Yunho too much. “Let’s nap. That wore me out.”

Yunho chuckled, waiting for the other to settle before reaching up to dim the light of the room. “Sure Min, let’s sleep for a bit.”

Chapter Text

”What do you mean he’s gone?” Jongho growled, the man standing before him flinching back at his tone. Things had not been going well since he’d managed to get him and Yeosang to the bunker. As a few other members of his Family’s staff and guests filtered in it became apparent that this wasn’t something confined to the gala.

The entire city had been overtaken by the virus, as it became apparent that only something like the virus could work this quickly. Chaos reigned in Neo Seoul, and no one was safe. Pockets of people had been spared for varying reasons. Several centers and buildings had a no neural chip policy to enter, and anyone inside had been spared. Hospitals had many who were spared as well, and the reports that managed to go out before the network shut down said that they were now bastions for any other survivors and were being fortified as time passed.

Jongho had their own estate shut down, the ones who were infected were corralled into the ball room and locked inside. He couldn’t quite bring himself to order their deaths, as there may be a chance for a cure. Although as he reviewed the reports of the state of those inside he very much doubted they’d want to come back to their mutilated bodies.

But now the disappearance of his own brother was his primary focus. San had indeed been in a meeting when the outbreak started, but who that was with and what happened to them was unclear. When Jongho and the few people left of their security team had made their way there, the office had been empty. The door looked like it had been nearly kicked in, but everything otherwise had been left in pristine condition. He’d ordered a slow and safe search of the rest of the compound, but San was nowhere to be found. Only his and Byeol’s chips had been found, laid on his desk.

It had hardly phased him to learn his father had been among the ones in the gala who’d been infected, there was no love lost there between them. But San was someone important to him, and to not know if he was even alive did not sit well with the younger Choi. He had hope though, the fact that his brother’s chip had been removed was a good sign.

”I’m sorry sir, but we’ve searched everywhere. There were a few more survivors, and we’ve taken them to the main bunker for now. But there is no sign of San-ssi.”

One of the women in the bunker, a member of the board of directors for Choi Enterprises, spoke up then. “That makes you the acting president until he is found, Jongho-ssi. We need to gather our resources and plan how to take control of the situation. The city looks to us to lead, we can’t let them down.”

Jongho didn’t respond, gaze distant as he looked down at the papers scattered on the desk before him. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He’d always meant to be the pillar of support for his brother, not the leader of the whole organization.

Yeosang, who’d been sitting quietly in the corner simply content to observe everything going on, moved forward with light steps until he was beside Jongho. He reached out and placed a hand on the other’s broad shoulder.

He’d been something of an enigma to the other Choi employees in the room. He’d not left the younger Choi’s side since they arrived and he’d not spoken with anyone else either. He was dressed in silks and seemed to be too soft to have come from the city streets, but his face was not recognized by any of them. He was a mystery to them, and no one had been brave enough to ask about him.

Yeosang leaned down, pressing slightly into the other’s side as the people in the bunker watched in amazement as someone got close to the notoriously stoic man.

”It’s going to be ok. He heard the warning, he’s out there somewhere. One of Wooyoung’s friends was with him.”

Jongho turned then, silver eyes taking in the other with some suspicion, yet not pushing him away. “Why were they with him if they were here for you?”

Yeosang tilted his head to regard the other. “To talk to him. They wanted to ask for his help with all the sick people. I didn’t hear much though, and I confess…. I don’t know much that has been happening around the city.”

Jongho took in this information with a soft hum of consideration. “Do you know who it was you were with?”

Yeosang seemed to zone out for a moment, soft smile in place as he tried to recall the name they had for themselves. “I think it was….Stay…. Or perhaps Stray?”

The councilwoman and security in the room started murmuring at this. “He’s with the Strays? They were here?”

“I knew it was them behind this attack, it had to be.”

Jongho held his hand up to silence them, still focused on Yeosang. He knew the other was telling the truth, as he didn’t seem to even consider lying. Jongho wasn’t even sure he knew how. “Would they hurt my brother?”

Yeosang considered the question, seemingly oblivious to the looks the staff members were giving him at the question. “No. I don’t think so. They needed his help, it would be silly to hurt him if that was the case.”

The councilwoman spoke up then. “And it does seem like at least Seungmin and his guard cat were taken with him. So he has two allies on his side.”

“His gun was missing too. So at the very least he was able to take it with him.” A security member spoke then, almost begrudgingly.

Jongho nodded. “Very well. At this point we will assume he’s allied with them to escape the initial attack. Until we hear otherwise, we are operating as if he will return as soon as he is able. I’ll assume command for now. But for tonight, we all need rest. Work out a watch schedule, and ensure everyone remains in the bunkers for now. Only escorted movement between them if necessary. Understood?”

Everyone nodded, murmuring their agreement as they all stood to leave. Jongho would have this bunker to himself, as it was the smallest and most secure. As the staff left, Yeosang had moved back to his spot in the corner, watching Jongho as he organized the paperwork, the silence comfortable between them.

”Would you want to stay with the others?” He finally asked, turning to regard the human.

Yeosang shook his head. “No. I’d rather stay with you, if that’s alright.”

Jongho found himself self-conscious at his answer. He’d never had to share a room with another before, preferring his solitude when it came to time to rest. But the thought of Yeosang here didn’t necessarily upset him, it was more that he wasn’t sure how to act around him when they weren’t in a public setting.

Yeosang sensed his hesitation, and smiled. “It’s just me. I’m no one for you to be nervous about.”

Jongho grumbled his disagreement but moved to the back door, gesturing for Yeosang to follow along to the room that housed two small beds and a small detached bathroom. The room was sparse, but would work for the short term.

”This is the bunker designated for my brother and I. It isn’t much, but I hope you will be comfortable.”

”It’s perfect.” Yeosang smiled serenely, stepping in to take in the two beds and one chair with a desk in the corner.

Jongho cleared his throat, moving to the bathroom. “There are spare clothes here. I’ll shower first if that’s ok?” Yeosang only nodded and Jongho all but ran into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

His heart raced, but he scolded himself for being so worked up over something as simple as sleeping in the same room as the other man. Setting aside Yeosang was the most beautiful man he’d ever seen in his life, he was proving to just be a normal - if naive- man who was no threat to him. Or he was a very good actor.

Jongho sighed, peeling off the bloodied suit and quickly bathing to get the grime of the very long day off him. The water was hot and did a lot to ease the tension in his body. But he couldn’t stay here forever, no matter how nervous the other man made him. He dressed in a simple white shirt and grey lounge pants, something his brother had insisted be included in the bunker. He’d said if they were to ever be stuck there, then it should have some comfort for them. Another sigh left him at the thought and he hoped San was doing ok.

He stepped back into the bedroom and paused, eyes wide as he took in the scene. Yeosang had somehow pushed the two beds together, and was now fluffing the pillows and blankets to be one larger bed.

“W-what are you doing?”

Yeosang simply hummed happily, finishing his work with a little flourish of satisfaction. “At home, we always sleep in one bed together. It’s safer that way.”

Jongho swallowed thickly as he stepped further into the room timidly. “T-together? You and someone else?”

Yeosang nodded, eyes soft as he pet the pillow lost in thought. “Yes, my brother and I…you saw him earlier….I hope he is ok.”

”I’m sure he is. He seemed very capable.” Jongho tried to comfort the other, but found his words lacking. Yeosang gave him a sad smile before standing, passing him with a gentle squeeze of his hand, then the bathroom door slid closed behind him.

Jongho sighed once more, going to sit on the edge of the now combined beds. This had been a bizarre and terrible day. The weight of everything slowly sank into his bones, and he lay down with the intention of just resting until Yeosang had finished, but soon found his eyes slipping closed then sinking into the black.

Nearly a half hour later Yeosang had finished, stepping out into the room with a large pair of shorts and sleeveless top he had found. It wasn’t clothing he was familiar with, but it would work for sleeping. He found himself smiling when he caught sight of Jongho softly snoring away on the bed, pushed almost on the other edge of the bed.

Gently he climbed into the bed, laying on his side to face the other. His heart raced, and he slowly reached out to latch his fingers on the other’s sleeve. With a soft giggle that he was helpless to stop he was content to simply watch the other until sleep overtook him.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

“I must say, this is the most unconventional method of transportation I have ever had to use before.”

San’s unamused voice was low as the Rig they’d stolen came to a stop as Chan surveyed the roads around them. San was seated in the side car with Byeol in his lap while Chan and Suengmin sat on the main bike. Chan was driving and Seungmin looked to be clinging to his broad back for his life. It would have made a hilarious picture out of context of the situation they found themselves in.

“It was the closest thing to us, couldn’t exactly be picky in the situation, you know.”

San quirked a brow, looking up at the Stray leader who now towered over him from his seat on the bike.

“What’s stopping us from changing to a proper vehicle, if I may ask?”

”You may not.” Chan groused as he kicked off again. San fell silent, a slight pout on his lips at being denied. Seungmin felt a smile tug at his lips, but was quickly wiped away as Chan swerved around a corner, avoiding some infected that had heard the bike coming.

San grit his teeth, bracing Byeol as his other hand held tightly to his firearm. He’d had to use it a few times already, being as exposed as they were, he couldn’t let them get too close. He wasn’t sure if there was a way to spread the infection, but he didn’t really want to use themselves as test subjects to find out. He wasn’t sure where they were headed, but they’d been moving for a while now and Chan seemed to have a destination in mind.

Seungmin eventually patted Chan’s shoulder, pointing off to their left at a large group of infected that seemed to be congregating around a building. Chan cursed, slowing down and eventually stopping, shutting the bike off.

Suengmin hopped off quickly, thankful to be off the bike. Chan also dismounted, eyeing the growing horde with some trepidation. Byeol jumped down gracefully, on alert as San tried his best to get out of the side car with some of his dignity intact. But neither Stray paid him any mind as they considered the problem before them.

“That’s our base of operations…where we were headed.” Chan supplied, knowing San wouldn’t know where they were.

”If they are acting like that, then that means there are people safe in there, right?” Seungmin asked hopefully. “Maybe Jisung and the others made it already.”

Chan looked down to the screen on his arm. He pressed a button, but only static came through. “They aren’t in range…so at the very least, we know it’s not them”

“How are we going to get in?” Seungmin murmured, trying and failing to count the number of swarming infected.

“Perhaps we could lure them away? There’s a factory that belongs to my family a couple of blocks up that has a generator. Turning it on would create enough noise to lure them to move on.” San finally answered after some thought. The other two looked at him in surprise. “What? This is the factory district is it not? Why is that a surprise?”

”It’s more the whole using Choi resources to help the common people that is surprising.”

San scoffed, but quickly schooled his features to be poised once more. “I’m more surprised that your base was this close to us. All this time you were in the heart of the manufacturing in the city.”

Chan gathered what little supplies they had managed to bring. “Well, most of us are the ones who work in those factories of yours. So it shouldn’t be too surprising that we picked somewhere close for our meetings after our shifts.” He teased, hefting the pack to his back. “Let’s go, we need this done before the other’s get here.”

San seemed to be deep in thought as the three took off. Byeol stalked by his side, blue eyes on constant vigil for danger to him and he found himself grateful that he brought her along.

It was surreal, being out in the city like this. No large security detail and armored cars to protect him from the very people he was now sneaking down an alley behind. He had wanted to make strides to reach out to the various organized groups in the underground, and he supposed he’d got what he wished for.

They arrived at a large building nearly a thirty minute walk away that was locked up tight. Chan pointed to a small access door and they approached it quietly, hearing the low echoing groans of the infected somewhere nearby. San stepped forward, seeing the access panel that was familiar to him from his family’s other facilities. He frowned when nothing happened as he pressed his hand to it, eyes widening in realization.

“The power…” Seungmin whispered quietly. San nodded and the three looked around. It was Chan that tapped the two on the shoulder, pointing up at the small row of windows that were cracked open to provide venting to the facility.

San’s eyes widened in disbelief at how high up the windows were. There would be no way to access them. He was startled by Chan dropping the pack on the ground, rolling his arms to stretch his muscles out as he eyed the building’s side. San felt his jaw drop in disbelief. There was no way this man was about to scale the side of the building.

Seungmin seemed resigned, already moving to stand watch at one end of the alley. San mindlessly signaled Byeol to take the other end as his gaze remained on Chan. “You’re serious?” He murmured to the other man, causing him to glance at San with a grin.

”Absolutely. Let me show you my mountain climbing skills.” He winked, moving over to crouch down and then leap up to an impressive height that had San stepping back in shock. Chan latched onto the ledge of the building, grunting softly as he hung for a moment before swinging to the side then up, pulling himself up with only a slight stutter. Seungmin had tensed, expecting the noise to draw attention to them, but so far the low groaning remained distant.

Several minutes passed of Chan slowly pulling himself, and San stood transfixed, gaze burning into the other’s flexing back and shoulder muscles as he moved. It was mesmerizing to see a feat of strength being done so casually like this. No one in his realm of socialization would ever ‘lower’ themselves to do things like this, usually having people for that. But here was the leader of the most organized criminal unit in the city having the sheer power to do something for himself. And that made something warm burst in San’s chest, and he wasn’t quite sure what to think of Chan and this situation.

His hands twitch- in a desire to touch the other man or climb the wall himself- he isn’t sure. But he’s suddenly vibrating with an energy that is unfamiliar to him.

With one last pull Chan has lifted himself up to be level with the window. He peers in, seeing the smallest of ledges on the other side. Panting and trying to stay quiet, he swings himself over the window ledge and then pauses to glance back down, seeing the Elder Choi’s gaze burning into him. He gives him a wave and smile, dropping down into the window without a sound.

San bit back his shout at the action, not hearing a crashing sound on the other side of the wall. He holds his breath, listening intently for any sign that Chan is ok or not before the door suddenly cracks open in front of him and Chan’s smile is suddenly right there at face level.

Chan has to bite back a laugh at the look on the Choi Heir’s face, and waves Seungmin and Byeol back. Once they are all close enough he quietly says, “It’s empty, we should be alright until it’s time to get them here.”

They file in quietly, closing the door gently behind them. San is still staring at him, and Chan starts to feel himself flush at the attention. Seungmin clears his throat, drawing their gazes to him. “Where would the generator be, San-ssi?”

San shakes his head with a quick jerking motion and the two Strays look at one another in amusement before the heir leads them towards the back corner. “I haven’t been in this exact factory before, but they are laid out mostly the same.” He murmured more to himself as they moved. A small room was tucked away in the corner, and San was grateful it was unlocked.

Once inside, Seungmin immediately beelined over to the tech on the wall, looking it over. He seemed to think for a moment before looking at the other two. “I think it’ll work. But it’s going to boot up everything, and even just doing that will pull attention to us.”

Chan nodded. “It’ll have to be done all at once. We start the genny, get the doors open and set the alarm off. That might give us like…five minutes to get clear of the building before it’s pulling the infected from the whole district in.”

San chewed his bottom lip in thought. “I’m not sure that’ll be enough time for us to get clear. There’s already so many nearby, we’re bound to run into them. And on foot with one gun isn’t ideal.”

Seungmin nodded. “We really would be vulnerable like that. Maybe there is a way to delay the alarm? Give us a little more time to get away?”

Chan looked around, before his gaze went up back to the ceiling. “Well….how about a fire alarm? Could set something up to set them off, give us a few minute head start. The doors opening will draw the closer ones, so we would just need to deal with them.”

San frowned. “A fire though? What if it gets out of hand?”

”Worried about your family assets?” Chan quipped, brow raised at the heir.

”There isn’t exactly a fire brigade available, should it start to spread to other buildings.”

Chan felt a bit like an ass at the answer, looking a little sheepish. “Well ... .we just make sure it’s something small and easily suppressed by the in house system.”

San hummed, not paying the other any attention as he stepped up next to Seungmin to look at the controls. “I sort of recognize this. You’ll have to forgive me, I’m not usually around this sort of tech.”

Seungmin smiled softly at his boss. “It’s alright, San-ssi. I do recognize it. I can get it going when we are ready.” San nodded gratefully, his dimpled smile on display.

“I can always count on you, Seungmin. Thank you.”

Chan stared in shock at the Choi heir smiling so sincerely. He was beautiful, and Chan felt like cursing at the cute dimples on his face. So unexpected but very welcome. Seungmin caught his gaze and gave the Stray leader his own teasing smile.

“Why don’t you figure out the fire for us, Channie?” Seungmin singsonged, voice teasing in delight at the other’s flushed face. He hadn’t warned Chan about the power of a happy San, and now he was reaping the reward.

Chan could only nod dumbly before backing out of the room, San watching in concern.

“Is he ok?” San whispered, clearly worried for the sudden shift in the other.

Seungmin snorted in amusement. “Oh yeah, he’ll be fine. Now I’ve got this map here…looks like we can use the door on the southwest corner to get out onto a side street that will lead us towards the base.”

San shook his head, coming to also look at the map. “No, we’ll need to go around. The horde there is going to take the shortest route to get here, we don’t want to run into them.”

Seungmin hummed. “You’re right. Then we use the northwest corner instead, head up these three streets then curve back down.”

The two men continued to talk while Chan searched around the factory for anything flammable. He’d just managed to make a decently sized pile far from the outer walls when the other two stepped out of the room.

“Are you ready Chan? We’ve got our route planned.” Seungmin called down quietly.

Chan waved an affirmative, stepping back and snapping his fingers together, the tech there igniting into a small flame. “It may take a minute to get enough smoke, let me light it and let it burn then we turn it all on.” They nodded, Seungmin stepping back inside to await the signal. Chan leaned down, letting the flame take hold at the base of the pile then stepped back, eyeing its growth with satisfaction. He signaled up to San, who called back to Seungmin to start up the generator.

Almost immediately there is light in the building, and after a few more seconds the clicking and groaning of several bay doors sound out as they lift up slowly. Seungmin has left the generator room and joined San, the two making their way to the door they picked out earlier, Byeol hot on their heels.

Chan followed along below, eyes now on the growing openings where the disconcerting sounds of the infected could be heard. The clambering of the doors was definitely pulling them in, and Chan picked up the pace to get to the stairs to meet the other two. As he approached the bottom, one of the opened doors was suddenly filled with four of the infected, eyes wide and glowing yellow as they zeroed in on Chan.

One of them was making a strange clicking sound that Chan swore sounded like an attempt at some kind of plea. It caught him off guard, and he paused with one foot on the bottom stair as he turned to stare at them. Strangely the four stood there twitching, but not rushing him like he expected.

The one that caught his attention was a woman who was missing her entire arm, the side of her torso opened and her ribs were poking through the gore as her chest moved in an intimation of breathing. She listed to the side, head tilted as her sickly yellow gaze bore into him. Once more the rasping click sounded out, and Chan knew he heard right.

“P-please…..ple…..ease…..help….me.”

All three men froze, eyes wide in horror as the other three infected seemed to join her, their voices broken and disjointed building into a chorus.

”No fucking way.” Chan murmured, feeling goosebumps break out over the realization at what this meant. He glanced up at San and Seungmin, both staring in horror and shock.

“They are still in there…how?!” San was beyond upset, realizing that the ones he dispatched until now had all still been people underneath the virus’s effects. “Oh gods….I..”

Chan cursed, moving back and up the stairs but not taking his eyes off the infected. “We’ve got to move.” He said to the two men, pushing them to the door. “I’m sorry…” He murmured to the infected, and they seemed to understand as they started to twitch, shaking and vibrating so quickly they were inhuman in that moment. The female reared back, eyes wide and glossy once more as she let out an ear piercing shriek.

Blood curdling cries echoed back from all around, and in that moment, the building’s fire system activated- an alarm blaring and deafening the three men momentarily. Seungmin burst through the door, holding it open as the rest of them poured out into the side street. He slammed it closed, just as the bodies of the infected crashed into it.

“Fuck they are fast!” Seungmin cried out, pushing away and charging after the other two down the street. Byeol bounded ahead, scouting for the best path through the streets, the sounds of the infected all around them.

Their harsh breaths and footsteps were soon drowned out by the angry chorus, and Chan barely was able to stop them behind Byeol from the force of the momentum. She had stopped, eyes trained forward where a limo suv of all things had stopped. Chan recognized it instantly.

”It’s the others!”

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Changbin groaned, hands slamming on to the steering wheel in frustration. The other occupants were silent, tense as the driver’s frustration.

“It’s blocked! Someone barricaded the roads.”

Jisung peered around them, noting the lack of the infected on the street. “Could be a good thing. That means Utopia has survivors, right?”

Wooyoung leaned forward, trying to peer at the barricade. “We’re so close, so it’s possible they were the ones who did this…”

Minho was looking out the side window, checking the shop windows for anyone who could be watching them. “It’s practically on the other side of that, right?”

Before anyone could answer, one of the back doors opened, and Felix was climbing out. Several of them quietly protested, Wooyoung hissing at him to get back in. He went ignored, and Felix was silently crossing the short distance and immediately began climbing up the barricade.

Changbin sprang out of the car, Jisung stepped out to shield the car with his gun ready as Changbin did his best to follow Felix.

The blond had just made it to the top, peering over the wall with his intense gaze, taking in the sight of Utopia. It was indeed fortified, and seemed like several people had been working to make the area safe. Changbin shortly joined him, not scolding him but instead taking a look for himself. He knew trying to stop Felix wouldn’t end well, and he’d rather they see exactly what the situation was at a place he considered a home.

“Looks like they secured the whole area.” He murmured but didn’t get a response from Felix. The boy was staring at the building, as if trying to see through it. “What do you want to do, Fe? We can get you over this wall if you want to go to Seonghwa. He has to be in there, they wouldn’t have organized like this if he wasn’t.”

Felix remained unmoving and silent, and Changbin was about to reach over and poke him before he released a big sigh, almost sagging against the wall.

“No. I can’t go back to him without Yeosangie. He’d be upset if I left him up there on his own.”

Changbin stared at him, a little at a loss at how to react. They had come all the way down here, and he didn’t even want to see his mother?

”Are you sure? It may be a lot harder to get back here later. I can work with the others to get Yeosang, I’m sure that Choi guy is taking care of him.”

Felix’s eyes narrow, scoffing. “Taking care of him, right. He looked like he wanted to eat him.”

Changbin chose not to comment, looking back at the car that had several heads poking out to watch them in alarm and curiosity. “Well we need to get going. Do you know if Utopia has any open channels for short range communication?”

Felix shook his head, making his way down alongside the other. “No, Appa had the whole building off the city grid in all aspects. There’s lines between Utopia and his own labs, but that’s it.”

”The god, right.” Changbin wasn’t exactly a fan of the Ripper Doc. Over the years he’d witnessed the effect of his neglect on the two boys and had always held his tongue whenever the topic of their father came up. Even now, the god of Neo Seoul had done nothing to contact one of his boys while the world fell apart, and Changbin knew he had the capability to do so.

The two made their way back to the waiting vehicle, where Felix silently crawled back into Wooyoung’s scolding embrace. Felix quietly explained what they’d seen and how he didn’t want to return without his brother. He was reassured seeing that Seonghwa had done more than enough to protect those inside Utopia.

“I’ll get Sangie and bring him home.” Felix resolved, leaning his head on Wooyoung’s shoulder. He was tired, and his whole body seemed to just lose the tense focus he’d been maintaining for several hours. Within seconds his eyes slipped closed and he was out.

Minho was watching him, an expression of contemplation on his face. “So he’s one of the Widow’s kids. Does this mean you are friends with the Widow?”

Wooyoung threw a glance at the four others in the back, who all watched the conversation with barely disguised interest. His ears flattened, voice low. “What does it matter?” The car jerked into motion as Changbin set out again under Jisung’s navigation.

“It matters because if the Widow can gather the resources, he’s going to set out to find his children, and we have one of them. That could be a problem.”

Wooyoung stayed silent, knowing there was truth to the other's words that he couldn’t exactly deny. He knew more of exactly what Seonghwa had done and was capable of. He hoped that the fact that he and Changbin had helped the boys out would grant them some mercy from the other.

But he could never be sure.

Minho’s gaze burned into him for several minutes longer, before the exotic turned back to the two in the front.

“How long until we are at ba-“

Two shots rang out, shattering one of the left side windows, glass raining down on those inside. Dami cried out, clutching her shoulder that had jerked back from one of the shots landing. Jiu instantly pulled her and the others down low, covering their heads with her arms as more shots rained down on them.

Changbin immediately started swerving, unsure where the shots were coming from so trying to make them a harder target to hit. Jisung cursed, pulling his gun out and looking around them wildly as they sped through the streets. “They are up in the buildings!”

Changbin saw the pavement ahead bursting in showers of rocks as bullets rained down, and he did his best to avoid the bursts. He was momentarily distracted by the roaring of another much larger truck that skidded out of an alley behind them.

Minho had drawn his own weapon, reaching up to peer at the sunroof of the car. “More behind us, looks like the G-boys.” He intoned, waiting for the bullets above them to be out of range before sliding the window open. Wooyoung screeched as Minho stood, wind whipping around him as he turned and focused on the truck behind them. He ducked down as several shots were fired at him, and once they stopped he stood, shooting several shots of his own off.

Felix had awoken and was huddling down with the other, eyes wide in awe as Minho moved in practice precision. Jisung soon joined him, leaning out the window on his side to offer cover when Minho needed to duck down. They worked in tandem, and soon the truck backed off, deciding they weren’t worth the fight.

Jisung whooped in victory, and shared a glance with Minho who smiled down at him, the wind too loud to say anything, but between them words weren’t needed.

Minho’s eyes widened, turning to scramble towards Jisung as suddenly the Ripper Doc was hit with some force from behind. His body jerked forward and tumbled out the side of the still speeding car, hitting the ground and tangling with the infected that had hit him. Shouts could be heard by those in the car, and Minho didn’t hesitate as he dropped his gun and pulled himself up and out onto the roof. He could see Jisung fighting with the infected, and he jumped down off the car as Changbin fought to bring it to a stop.

Changbin opened his door, but had to duck down as several infected slammed into the side of the door, pushing it back and pinning him in place.

Minho was running as fast as he could, spurred on when Jisung cried out as the infected seemed to be digging their fingers into his side, blood staining his shirt. Ears back, and tail whipping about, Minho was on the infected- fists pummeling into the already bloody mess that made its face.

He’d pushed them off Jisung, hissing as he kept up the attack and giving Jisung a moment to breathe. He was wheezing, but his wide eyes were on the infected as if in shock. Minho didn’t stop his onslaught until the infected had quit moving, and then he sat back, panting heavily and watching to make sure it quit moving.

Sparks shot out, making him retreat back to Jisung’s side, but it no longer made a move to get up.

“It was trying to connect with me…” Jisung murmured dazedly, eyes trained on the still body. “It had its personal link out…. Like it was trying to jack into me.”

”Jisungnie…you’re bleeding.” Minho was trying to get his husband to look at him, seeing the blood that was sluggishly coming down from the crown of his head. The wounds on his side were shallow, so he was more concerned with the one on his head.

Both of their attentions were derailed by Wooyoung screeching from the car. They looked to see the exotic idol with a metal pipe in hand, wailing on the infected that had Changbin pinned by his legs stuck in the door. Minho cursed, jumping up and pulling Jisung along back to the car. He shoved his husband through the now open back door that Felix was peering out, and took the gun the blond held out to him. The nearly rhythmic thudding of Wooyoung’s swings didn’t stop, and soon Minho joined him, gunning down the two that the other exotic hadn’t been able to get any good hits on. Changbin pushed the door back, toppling the now deceased infected to the ground. The chrome on his legs was dented, but he shook each leg out and made sure they still functioned.

“How’s Jisung?” Changbin asked as he reached out, gently removing the metal pipe from Wooyoung’s shaking hands. He gently shushed the other, thanking him for his help as he wrapped his arms around him.

“He took a hit to his head. I won’t know till I can look at him better. We need to move.” Minho turned, getting into the car to see that the others had laid Jisung out on one of the seats, his head cradled in Siyeon’s lap. They’d improvised a bandage, and she was holding it to his wound, tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, I-I don’t know what else to do…I…”

Minho shushed her, looking over his husband’s now pale form. His eyes were open, and he was mumbling staring up at the ceiling of the car. “Just keep him awake. You’re doing well.”

Wooyoung was put into the passenger seat by Changbin, who hurried around to get back into the driver seat. His door didn’t quite close anymore, but there was nothing they could do about that.

“Everyone stay down back there. I’m going to go as fast as I can.” He didn’t wait for a response, the limo jerking forward with some effort, before picking up speed.

The wind blew through the blown window and various holes, but the seven in the back just huddled together, Jisung murmuring and Minho gently holding his hand and shaking him back awake whenever he seemed to be drifting off. He instructed the young terrified socialites on what to do to treat Dami’s bulletwound, mind racing as he tried not to lose his composure over Jisung’s distant gaze.

They had to hurry, he needed to treat him properly.

Chapter Text

Chan eyed the SUV that looked like it had been through war. Several windows were blown out, bullet holes littering the sides and smoke gently flitted out from under the hood. He could make out the faces of several people who peered at him through the broken glass, and sighed in relief to see Changbin and Minho among them. He led San and Seungmin forward at Changbin’s insistent waving.

“Could you three hurry the fuck up, we need to get to base!” The bodyguard hissed, clearly not surprised to see them. At his words they jogged to the car, Chan opening the door for the other two and Byeol. As they squeezed in, Seungmin caught sight of Jisung who was laying limply across several of the other’s laps.

“What happened?” He stared at them all, seeing the blood and dazed expressions on several different faces, many he did not recognize. One girl had her shoulder bandaged, but the blood was seeping through much to the concern of the two other girls who clutched onto her.

“We were attacked.” Minho grimly answered as the car jerked forward once more. “First by the G-boys then by the monsters.”

Chan looked over at him, shocked. “The G-boys? How’d they make it through this?”

“They have a lot of bennies, so they probably weren’t on the network when the pulse happened.”

“Is that what we are calling it? Pulse?”

Minho shrugged. “That’s what it was, right? Something shot through the network, and spread that virus so quickly… we almost didn’t have time to pull off the network.”

“We have you to thank for that, Minny. Thanks.”

Minho glumly looked down at Jisung, threading his fingers through his hair. “A lot of good that did.”

Seungmin had been kneeling on the floor next to them, doing his best to inspect Jisung’s wound through the makeshift bandages. He was murmuring gently to Jisung, who stared at him through hazy eyes. “It’s good he’s still conscious for now at least. We have the stuff to help at the base, Minho. He’ll be ok.”

Finally the vehicle came to a stop, and Changbin hopped out to pull down the garage door behind them. He came to one of the broken windows then. “Most of you stay here, Chan could you help me make sure things are preem before we unload everyone?”

Chan nodded, hopping out and assuring them they’d be right back. Changbin stopped at the passenger door, leaning in to gently kiss Wooyoung’s frown, who simply stared ahead. He frowned at the exotic before pulling back and nodding to Chan. They made their way in slowly and cautiously, listening for any of the sounds of the infected.

Silence met them as they moved deeper, the halls dark until they came to the main central room of the compound. Low level emergency lights were on, and they could make out several figures sitting around. Some were huddled around lights, others seemed to be resting. The ones closest to them looked up as they entered, and an excited murmur picked up and spread through the rest.

“It’s the boss!”

“Chan-nim you made it!”

The members of Stray surrounded them, talking excitedly but quietly over one another. Chan answered them as best he could, nodding to Changbin who quietly moved back to fetch the others now that they knew it was safe.

He came up to the SUV, surprised to see that Wooyoung had moved. He’d got out of the car and seemed to have taken a defensive stance between it and the doorway, relaxing once he saw Changbin come back in. This made the guard smile softly, coming over to him to gently take him into his arms.

“My Jagiya, so brave and ready to defend the others.” He cooed, cupping the exotic’s neck and pressing kisses over his lips and cheeks. Wooyoung’s ears flattened under the attention, but Changbin could feel his tail gently wrap around his wrist, a sign he wanted the other to keep going.

Felix cleared his throat behind them. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but we need medical attention for some of the people here.” He gently reminded them.

Changbin nodded, pulling back from Wooyoung who flushed at them having forgotten themselves for a moment. The bodyguard approached the car. “Let me carry him, Minho. Are you able to move, Dami-ssi?”

The girl nodded, Jiu helping her from the car. Changbin had reached in, picking up Jisung who only grunted in discomfort as he was lifted up into the guard’s arms. Minho hovered, bag in hand as the ragtag group slowly made their way through the halls. San trailed at the back, unsure of his welcome exactly and a little uncomfortable being in Stray territory like this. He sort of wished Chan hadn’t wandered off without him.

Seungmin fell back to walk beside him, giving him a strained smile. “Sorry to have it come to this, San-ssi. This is…not at all what I had intended.”

San snorted softly. “I would hope not. You’ve been so busy that I don’t think orchestrating a viral take over would’ve fit in your schedule.”

Seungmin laughed at that, attracting the attention of Felix and Gyuvin who walked in front of them. He waved them away, then flashed a more genuine smile at the Choi Elder. “You underestimate me. But no, I wouldn’t have done this.” He waved his hand around them. “It’s too much of a hassle.”

“That’s putting it mildly.”

The group entered the main hall, and Chan came jogging up to them. “We can bring the injured over to the south wall there, I’ve already told them to set up and prepare for you.” Changbin and the girls broke off, making their way to the indicated area. Chan watched them for a moment, eyes on Minho who would not let Jisung get more than a step away from him. He sighed, then turned back to the rest.

“I’m sure everyone has had a rough day. There are cots on the east side, and some food is being made now. Please, follow me.” He led them to the dinning hall, which was a side room that branched off the main room. Once everyone was settled with a modest meal, Chan felt himself relax slightly. He’d need to catch up with the ones who’d been keeping their base safe, follow up on the protective measures that had been taken and arrange any rescue options for the ones who were stranded in other parts of the city. His mind raced, knowing that for now it would all be on him until Minho was sure that Jisung would be alright.

“You have the look of a man who is being split in too many different directions.”

Chan startled a bit at San’s voice, seeing the Choi heir sitting across from him, his expression almost one of concern.

“Ah, well. There is a lot to get settled now that we are here. Forgive me, I’ve not been a very good host.”

San snorted at that, then seemed to blush slightly at losing his composure, his mask falling back into place. “We’ve literally been here for all of ten minutes. I’d hardly say you’ve had time to even settle in yourself.” He glanced at the others who sat chatting quietly amongst themselves, not paying any attention to the two. “What troubles you? Perhaps I can help, I have some experience in crisis management…even if this is a bit outside the realm of what I have encountered before.”

Chan grinned softly, leaning forward to regard the other. “I am humbled to have THE Choi San offering to help me. I must have done good in my past life to earn such a favor.” San stared at him, expression blank and unimpressed. Chan only shot him a wink before sighing, sinking slightly into the bench. “To be honest, there is a lot to do. With my number two out for the foreseeable future, I could use another to help me sort out things in order of priority. It may require you to get down and dirty though, think you can handle that Choi-nim?”

San’s expression turned smug then, resting his chin on his hand as the other rested on Byeol’s back as she came to sit next to him. “I think you’ll be surprised at how filthy I can get.”

Chan’s mind short circuited, but before he could respond their attention was drawn by a sound of disgust from further down the table. They looked to see Seungmin with a horrified look on his face as he stared at the two of them. “Do no flirt in front of my food, what the actual fu-”

The others at the table burst out laughing, and Seungmin sank in absolute misery in his chair as he lamented what his poor innocent ears had to hear.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Soobin sat watching the unusual scene unfolding before them. Those hidden at Utopia had been busy under the direction of the Widow - fortifying the compound and surrounding a few blocks with barricades and constant patrols. They had managed to determine that it was something within Utopia that was acting as a forcefield of sorts against whatever had taken out most people within the city. It had been an issue that they were cut off from communication with the outside world, but they were working under the assumption that there were other pockets of survivors as well.

So with their safety assured, and tasks divided evenly amongst those here, they had settled into a routine that offered a sort of comfort amidst the chaos. The most unusual thing now, in Soobin’s opinion, was their newest addition - the delivery boy that followed Seonghwa around like a shadow. In very different circumstances, Soobin could see the young man as another one of Seonghwa’s jewels, a son taken in and protected and loved fiercely. But with the Widow in what could best be described as a constant state of alert and agitation from the jewels that were missing, the delivery boy barely earned even a glance from the cold and calculated protector of Utopia. That didn’t stop him from trying though.

Often he could be found sitting near Seonghwa when the Widow was working on one thing or another, talking to him and telling him about the small mundane things that had happened in his life. Seonghwa never stopped him, but only ever gave him small hums in response, never furthering the conversation of his own volition. Jeongin always made it a point to assist the Widow where he could, even if it was something as simple as holding the door open for the other as they moved and built barricades in different areas.

And right now was one of those moments, where Jeongin was talking to Seonghwa as he filled in the patrol schedule for the next few days. He seemed to be telling the Widow about the moments before the world had fallen apart, and the Widow seemed to be tuning him out as he worked.

Soobin turned to look at the one assisting him in preparing their dinner for that night, a young woman who was a doll at Utopia, named Emi. “Why do you think he’s so attached to Seonghwa-ssi? They didn’t know each other before, did they?”

Emi looked up, glancing at Jeongin who was smiling at Seonghwa’s profile with something close to awe. “No, they never even spoke to each other. That boy would hang around waiting to even catch a glimpse of Seonghwa-nim before this. Maybe he’s just taking his chance while he can.”

Soobin frowned slightly at her words. “His chance to what though? We aren’t exactly operating as a dollhouse right now…”

Emi snorted, rolling her eyes. “Not everything is about sex, you know? Sometimes it’s just loneliness that brings someone to us.”

Soobin flushed slightly. “I know that. It’s just strange for him to be so attached, is all I’m saying. Most people outside Utopia tend to be, you know…afraid of Seonghwa-ssi.”

“Maybe his loneliness outweighs his fear.”

The Doll’s words made Soobin pause, now filled with a sympathy for a point of view he hadn’t considered. “Poor kid. I wonder what his life was like before this.”

The two fell into a quiet conversation as they worked, which Seonghwa noted with a flick of his gaze before returning to his reports. Jeongin was steadily disassembling charges next to him, a task given to him earlier by one of the other staff for supplies on the next patrols.

“My boss was the one who sent me out that day, I wasn’t supposed to be working but he’s been having me cover extra shifts. Apparently they had some sort of problem coming up with a friend of a friend having these two lost boys who needed help or something? I’m not sure, but I took up the shifts anyway. It was such a nice day too, it’s a shame how everything happened.”

Seonghwa had paused in his writing, head tilted now towards the boy, who continued talking about where he was when a blaring warning had told him to remove his chip. The Widow set his pen down, turning now to look at Jeongin, who froze at the attention.

“What do you mean, two lost boys who needed help?” Seonghwa’s voice was quiet, as it had been the last few days.

Jeongin looked up at him with wide eyes. “O-oh… umm.. I’m not really too sure. But my boss has this friend who has a ... .I think a partner? I’m not sure, but they had found two boys who are brothers and brought them to the cafe.” Jeongin looked down at the part he fiddled with nervously. “They were all there…when the alarm came. I hope they are ok.”

Seonghwa’s gaze narrowed, observing him for any signs of deceit. “Did you see the two boys?”

“Y-yes. A blond one and one with long black hair. They actually both had long hair.” Jeongin squirmed a bit on the chair, glancing up at Seonghwa. “Do you…like long hair?” He reached up to run his fingers through his own brown and pink hair about his neck. “Mine isn’t very long… I’ve considered growing it though.”

“You said they were there when the city went down?”

Jeongin nodded a bit morosely, his hand falling to his side. “Yes. At the cafe I work at, it’s a couple of blocks over from here, right on the edge of the district.”

Seonghwa stood then, gesturing to Soobin, who’s gaze was on him the moment he moved. He came over immediately, bowing to Seonghwa. “Yes, how can I help?”

“Tell him what you told me about the announcement that instructed you to remove your chip.”

Jeongin jolted at the abrupt change in topic and with both of the other two men now looking at him he shrank a bit back. “It came from my com pack. It was my boss’s voice and all he said was to get off the network and remove my chip. Then a few seconds later the people in the street started freaking out.”

Soobin looked a bit surprised, glancing between the two. “And you removed yours? Is that how you stayed normal?”

Jeongin’s hand came up to rest on his neck. “Yeah. Just in time too.”

Soobin now regarded Seonghwa in barely disguised excitement. “That could change things for us. If we could move more freely, we could get more supplies for however long this lasts. Won’t have to wait for things to get worse.”

Seonghwa nodded. “He also said my jewels were at the cafe he works at, when things fell.”

Soobin paused, looking between the two. “Cafe? What cafe?”

Jeongin lit up. “I work at the cat cafe at the end of the district! It’s very cute, and my boss is also a cat himself. He’s very nice to me, and his husband is also kind, if a bit weird.”

Soobin regarded the boy, whom they had seen countless times making deliveries to Utopia. But deliveries from a cat cafe to a Dollhouse like theirs? What would they need so often to have need for multiple deliveries. Soobin was trying to recall all the order forms he’d sorted over the years, but nothing stood out that would connect with a cat cafe of all places.

“What exactly do you deliver here so often?” Soobin couldn’t quite stamp down the rising suspicion he had.

Jeongin shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. “I’m not really sure. My boss would just hand me the packet to be dropped off, and sometimes there would be boxes I would need to take back.”

Now Soobin looked alarmed, but before he could question further Seonghwa had pushed away from the table and was turning to leave. Soobin scrambled to follow.

”Seonghwa-ssi, shouldn’t we find out what he was doing? This is all incredibly strange, who was he delivering too?”

”My sons are at that cafe. We can get the answers we need once we are there. Instruct everyone to remove their chips. I will test the boy’s words and see if we can leave the safety of Utopia without them.”

Soobin felt panic grip him at the other’s words. “W-what?! You can’t go out there, please let one of us test it, you can’t be the one to do this!”

“I will not lose another one of you.” Seonghwa’s voice was cold, silencing Soobin’s protests. Seonghwa stepped into his room, quickly sorting through his clothing to find something more appropriate for quick movements outside the Dollhouse. He quickly stripped down, earning a squeak of alarm from the doorway where Jeongin had hovered with wide eyes.

Dressing quickly and in a stifling silence soaked in Soobin’s disapproval, Seonghwa was soon ready in a set of dark pants and form hugging top with a strapped jacket layered over. He pulled his hair back into a low ponytail, pausing for a moment to focus on it to turn into a dark shade of black to better blend into the surroundings of the drab city.

He turned then, eyes piercing into the boy who peeked around the doorframe in awe. “You will be coming with me, once I am sure it’s safe for us to leave the shadow of Utopia.”

Soobin couldn’t stay silent any longer at that statement. He reached over to close the door, Jeongin shouting in protest. “Now hold on! I know you are going to do this, and I can’t stop you - but you should take one of us. Not an outsider, you need us to watch your back properly Seonghwa-ssi.”

“I need you here Soobin. Once I have my jewels, I will return and we can set up patrols to expand our area of safety. This boy will lead me directly to them, so we do not waste time. I’m more than capable of taking care of myself, or have you forgotten?”

Soobin frowned, stepping closer and straightening to his full height, surprising himself that he had a few inches on the Widow who always seemed so much larger than life. “I know you are more than capable, you are the strongest person I have ever met. And, at least to me, you are the most important person in this whole damned city. We can’t lose you. I can’t lose you.” Soobin pleads, his purple eyes wide in his earnestness.

Seonghwa’s eyes are wide in his shock at the other’s words. Soobin has been Utopia’s longest serving employee. And as much as everyone employed at Utopia was considered part of his family, there were few that Seonghwa would say he’d trust with not just his life, but those of his two most beloved sons. And Soobin was one of them.

”Please Seonghwa.” His voice was lower now, all pretense of employee and employer dropped in his desperation.

“I…” Seonghwa found himself at a loss for words for once. He was always so sure of himself, so having someone so directly challenging him in such a soft earnest manner really threw him off. Soft words and a soft voice. Memories echoed in Seonghwa’s mind, a time long lost with someone who’d grown so far away. He closed his eyes, the past and present blending together in a disorienting manner. The pink lights along his neck and shoulders flickered and Soobin reached out to steady him as he swayed.

“Seonghwa..?” His concern bled through his voice, trying to get the other to look at him.

The Widow leaned against the other for a moment, the spell passing before he straightened once more, lights and gaze stable. “Thank you for your concern, Soobin. But I am serious in that I will not risk a single one of you anymore. I’m counting on you to keep them safe while I am gone.”

Soobin frowned, displeased but he nodded, stepping back from the other. “I don’t like it, but it will be done.”

Seonghwa felt a smile tug at his lips at the other’s unusual forthright response. “I’ll be back before you know it. Thank you Soobin.”

”Don’t thank me for this. I find no pleasure in sending you out there amongst the ruin.”

Seonghwa chuckled then, reaching out to pat the other‘s cheek as he stepped past him. “You’re hardly sending me out there though. If you had your way, I doubt I’d ever leave my room or lift a finger again.”

“That’s how it should be. You do so much for us, it’s the least I can do for you.”

Seonghwa chose not to answer or tease the other further, opening the door only for Jeongin to fall onto the floor from where he’d been pressed against it. “Up with you, get anything you may need and meet me at the back door.”

The boy sprang up, dusting off his clothes and grinning proudly. “I’m ready!”

Seonghwa only raised a brow, taking in his loose and rather messy outfit. Jeongin fidgeted under his gaze, flushing.

“I-I suppose I could find something better.”

Seonghwa sighed, gesturing for him to follow him further down the hall to the door that had remained closed tight since the lockdown. “Come along, I should have something more appropriate. You are about the same size as Sangie, and he has some things he hasn’t worn in awhile.”

Jeongin’s gaze shone in interest. “He doesn’t like street clothes?”

”Of course not. Yeosang has always had the more refined taste of my two jewels. Felix, though, has a taste for dressing as if he was raised out in the streets of the city. They both shine, however they chose to dress.”

Jeongin stood patiently as Seonghwa sorted through several pieces, settling on a black and grey ensemble that would fit him much better than what he was wearing. “They sound so cool. I hope I can meet them properly once we get there.”

Seonghwa smiled softly. “They are perfect. I’m sure they will be happy to have another person they can call friend.” He handed the clothes to Jeongin, who happily took them and stepped inside the attached bathroom to change. “I’ve been too harsh in their protection I think.” He murmured to himself, eyes sliding to Soobin’s tall form leaning against the doorway. “They’ve been out there all this time, and I’ve never prepared them on how to navigate the city, much less alone. I can only hope they have met people who will see their value and protect them as I have.”

Soobin’s gaze softened, hands tightening on his arms to hold himself back from crossing the room to comfort the other. Seonghwa held his gaze, as if able to read his intentions.

The moment broke when Jeongin stepped out, arms held out as he took a spin in the outfit. “It fits perfectly! I’ll have to ask Yeosang-yah why he didn’t want to wear them!”

Seonghwa tilted his head, gaze looking over Jeongin with more approval. “They do fit you well. Let’s go.” The three moved from the rooms, Soobin sealing the door closed once more.

Once at the back door, Soobin fretted about, collecting a bag of supplies and nearly overstuffing it before Seonghwa stopped him. “We won’t need too much Soobin. I plan to be back within the day if we can.”

”It’s just in case of emergencies. We don’t know what it’s like out there. If something happens that delays you, I would feel better knowing you were prepared.”

Seonghwa conceded with a nod, allowing the other to fret and pack as much as he wanted. Once done, Soobin stood holding the bag and he stilled, looking at Seonghwa. “Is there nothing I can say to change your mind?”

Seonghwa gave him a soft smile, reaching out to take the bag from his reluctant hands. “Keep everyone safe until I return. I’m counting on you.”

Soobin frowned, then reached out to gently trace his fingers down Seonghwa’s cheek, who once more watched him in shock. His fingers fluttered down, then pressed with some force into the slot at the base of the Widow’s neck. With a small hiss the chip came out, and Soobin took it, holding it up for the other to see. “You almost forgot.”

Seonghwa did flush then, hand coming up as if to trace the path Soobin’s own had taken. “Ah. It seems I did.”

“Are we ready, Seonghwa-ssi?” Jeongin’s voice cut through the two, making them jolt from one another.

Clearing his throat, Seonghwa stepped back, nodding once more to Soobin before clearing the door for them to pass through. He looked back to the other and then stepped through, the door softly closing behind them.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Jongho sighed for what felt like the hundredth time since waking. The optics of trying to regain control in a city with no solid forms of communication and even less resources was an impossible task. He had absolutely no extra resources to be spared, and with all eyes on him he felt the weight of the role that was never meant to be his.

There had been an endless roster of visitors in and out of his bunker, and he was counting down the hours until the all clear for their family compound was given so that he could at least breath the fresh air. They had made good progress with securing their own safety, and traces of distress beacons from other socialite compounds had been detected, so at the moment he was discussing mounting covert rescue operations once they were able to determine how many would need to be moved. On top of that the staff had made moves to ensure supplies were accounted for, and Jongho found himself thankful for the one named Yeonjun who was proving to be an excellent fill-in for the role Seungmin usually provided.

With the thought of the lost assistant, his mind wandered once more to his elder brother, and his glaring absence. He recalled how softly Yeosang had spoken of his own brother and he felt his sorrow echoed now in his own thoughts. Where were their missing siblings, and were they safe?

As if sensing the turn in Jongho’s thoughts, despite being in the middle of a debriefing of their defense strategy, Yeosang moved forward from his corner seat to rest a hand on Jongho’s shoulder in comfort.

The officer in front of them paused, unsure if he should continue. Yeosang turned to look at the man, a gentle smile in place. “You’ve said the outer wall is secure, and the courtyards clear?”

The man nodded slowly, eyes quickly flitting back and forth between Yeosang and Jongho, who remained silent. “Yes.”

Jongho’s icy glare turned on the man then.

”Y-yes, sir.”

Yeosang clapped his hands softly, the sound startling the man. “Perfect. Then I think it’s best we take a break. I’d like to take a walk, clear my head a bit. We’ve been in here for awhile, and everything is starting to make my head spin.”

Jongho now looked up at him in concern. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? Are you ok?”

Yeosang gave him a softer smile, if it was even possible. “I will be, if you come with me. I don’t want to be alone.”

Jongho nodded determinedly, standing as if that would end the current meeting. The officer spluttered at the clear dismissal. “Choi-nim, with all due respect, we still have many things that need to be decided.”

“I hardly doubt a half hour walk will bring about the end of the world. It can wait.” He brushed past the staff that only seemed able to stare in shock as he took Yeosang’s arm in his and left. The board director who’d been sitting in on the meeting was contemplative as the room slowly recovered.

”He did that so cleverly I don’t think Jongho-ssi even realized it.” She murmured, then turned to the others that were gathered. “He is right, even if he didn’t say it outright. We are perhaps putting too much pressure on Jongho-ssi. There are things we can decide without his final input. Let’s sort those now, and divide and conquer as they say.”

Outside, Yeosang took a deep breath, his smile genuine and pure. He waved his free hand out in front of him, gazing up in awe at the blue sky above. “How beautiful! It will be hard to decide which is better, the sky during the day or night.”

Jongho smiled softly, eyes eventually moving from Yeosang to briefly view the cloudless sky. “It certainly is a sight for sore eyes.”

The two moved around the courtyard, murmuring about the view and nothing in particular. It was nice to be outside and stretch, and Jongho found all the tenseness he’d been holding in his body slowly releasing. Yeosang’s laugh was charming, and warmed him from the inside each time he managed to coax it from the other. This was just what he needed, and he found himself thankful to the other for the idea to come outside.

Soon their break came to an end, and as they turned back towards the bunker the councilwoman was standing with a weary smile. “Jongho-ssi. We’ve settled some tasks while you were out, and I believe that there are only two things we need your approval for. Then perhaps we can talk about moving everyone from the bunkers and into the main house?”

Jongho’s eyes widened, surprise briefly flashed on his features before his practiced facade fell back into place. “Is that so? Very well, thank you for your help. I’ll come in and we can finish this.”

A mere two hours later Jongho sighed once more, but this time in relief. All pressing business had been settled, and now the staff would mobilize to get everyone settled into the rooms of his family estate. At this moment they numbered just under two hundred, and he wanted each and every person accounted for and taken care of. They would need careful organization in order to accommodate more survivors that they would be able to rescue. He’d shut down any mention of the cost of such an operation, and said that should recovery of the economic situation happen, his family would settle it then.

With all that falling into place, it was now time for everyone to move inside. Jongho was doing his very best not to show how excited he was. As brief as their stay in the bunker had been, he did not do well in such a dark and cramped space.

Yeosang smiled as they both took the few things they had into their arms and followed the escort out and into the house, passing others who bowed in gratitude towards Jongho, who only nodded back uncomfortably. Noticing this, Yeosang took the initiative and started to intervene, chatting with some of them and telling them they were welcome for as long as was necessary. And yes of course the Choi’s were happy to help in any way needed, just please ask the staff if they have any requests.

Soon the two were brought to Jongho’s familiar bedroom. The escort bowed politely before closing the door, and before Jongho could thank the other Yeosang was flitting about the room, poking at the things on the shelves.

“To see someone’s room is to look into their mind.” He murmured, picking up a book and flipping through it.

Jongho swallowed, suddenly self conscious at the coat he’d left hanging on his chair and the papers left out on the desk. Would Yeosang think him untidy and a mess?

The human hummed softly as he moved about, curious and bright eyed. “You don’t have much. Not as much as one should for their own personal room.” He ran his fingers over the perfectly made bed. “You keep yourself locked up tight. No cracks in your exterior, so no weaknesses to exploit.”

”Is that what you are looking for? Weaknesses?” Jongho’s voice was soft, but his gaze was sharp as he watched the other move.

“Not to use.” Yeosang turned his gaze to the other, holding his attention as he now slowly moved to come and stand before him. He reached up, fingers brushing once more underneath his eye. “But to protect. You’re having to do so much, someone should be watching out for you too.”

Jongho reached up, taking his hand into his own, seeing how they were surprisingly matched despite Yeosang’s more delicate nature. That made his stomach swoop, but he remained calm outwardly. “It is my job to protect. I should be the one who worries about you.”

”And you can, I won’t stop you. In fact I would consider it a blessing to have you watching over me. So do not deny me the same pleasure.”

Jongho flushed, Yeosang spoke with such determination that it was hard to deny him. “You hardly know me.”

Yeosang tilted his head, expression serious. “Then I will learn about you. I won’t be disappointed, if that is what you are afraid of.”

”I’m not afraid.”

“Of course not.” His smile had returned, and he ran his thumb gently over the roughened knuckles of the Choi heir. “I want to know all of you. And teach you all of me. I know you can feel it too, the pull between us. It would only do harm to resist it, I think.”

Jongho so desperately wanted to agree. But his years of training to be suspicious of all who he encountered and to keep them at a careful distance was at odds with the feeling of longing he had for the other. And once more, Yeosang seemed to sense his turmoil, and used his free hand to tilt his chin up to capture his gaze. “There is no rush. Let us go slowly, and learn all there is to know about each other.” Jongho nodded, his gaze earnest and shining in the low light of the room. Yeosang smiled brilliantly at his response. “Perfect. Then let’s start here and now.”

He tugged the other to the bed, sitting them down on its edge and turning to face Jongho with a giggle. “Have you ever kissed anyone before?”

Jongho stared at him in shock, flushing once more. “W-why would you want to know that?”

”Wooyoung says it’s part of the basic things you should ask a suitor.”

”W-what else should you ask?” Jongho was almost afraid to know the answer, but Yeosang seemed excited to share.

“What is your ideal type? Do you ever want to get married? Where do you want to go on our first date? Where do you work? Would you still like me if I were a worm? Would you hold my hand in public?”

His list continued, and soon Jongho burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all. “What on earth? A worm?!” Yeosang giggled, pleased that Jongho was finally relaxing and was happy.

If he could do nothing else, he would provide that for the young man with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Chapter Text

It was with some trepidation that Seonghwa stepped forward slowly from the shadow of Utopia. There was some reservation with the threat of losing his mind once more, and after recovering these last few days from the effect of the poison he wasn’t really in a rush to do so again.

But the further they moved and he was still in control of himself he felt relief sink it. So one of Jeongin’s stories was proven true, and that filled him with confidence that he was going to find his boys at this cafe. Soobin had been right to suspect Jeongin’s constant presence at Utopia before disaster struck, and Seonghwa would be sure to follow up and find out what his purpose was. But for now, getting to his jewels and bringing them home safely would be the priority.

Perhaps he could start a bit now though, the boy was eager to answer his questions so he may be able to find out what he needed while they were out. The two moved quietly through the streets, staying out of sight of the many infected that were standing silently in the streets on the other side of their barricades. Seonghwa was impressed with Jeongin’s focus, his carefree demeanor melted away and replaced with a serious expression. They worked well, using hand signals to stop and go as they navigated the streets.

Seonghwa had paused at one point, taking in the shredded concrete of the road they were moving down. They were definitely bullet holes, and as he examined them, his gaze slowly moved up the building across the street, his gaze laser focused on the brief flash of movement in one of the windows.

A sniper.

Without hesitation he looped his arm around Jeongin’s middle and covered his mouth with his free hand as he jerked him back under the cover of the stairwell of the building next to them just as a shot rang out. Seonghwa pressed the boy between him and the building as the infected in the area exploded with life, moving towards the sound that had come from the building across from them.

Several of the infected had come to where the bullet had exploded the concrete with force, and Seonghwa could only hold them still against the building, hoping to not attract their attention. Another shot rang out, hitting the door behind his back. He could feel the splinters of metal that were punched out with the force of the shot rain on his back but still he did not move. He was tense, ready to use his inner metal legs as a defense if needed. Two of the infected came up to the door, seeming to inspect the damage for any signs of life.

Seonghwa held his breath, Jeongin still in his grasp from terror as his wide eyes could see the two infected over the Widow’s shoulder. The one closest to them had his head was ticking irrationally as it looked around the stairwell, and Seonghwa could tell the exact moment it saw them.

It emitted a screech, and several responded from outside. Seonghwa cursed inwardly, trying to flex out his metal limbs to provide some protection, but found that they didn’t respond. His blood ran cold then, Hongjoong’s earlier words echoing back to him.

I’ve removed your weapon capabilities.

Seonghwa wrapped both arms around Jeongin, ducking down just as one of the infected launched themselves forward where they had been standing. He ran then, carrying the delivery boy as he weaved through the street, dodging bullets and infected alike. His senses were going haywire, nearly overloaded with the wailing of the infected and booming blasts of the shots.

What felt like an eternity later, he turned down a narrow alley, and the force of the horde behind them pushed the infected past the opening. Seonghwa didn’t pause, instead moving further down and seeing a disused fire escape hanging down ahead. Steeling himself he bent low, then with a grunt of effort launched the two of them up and onto the rickety metal structure that swayed on impact.

They both lay there, tense and waiting to see if the stairway would collapse as the infected finally pressed into the alleyway, running beneath them and further in. The swaying stopped and the sounds of the infected horde grew quieter with their distance. Seonghwa sagged, panting as he rolled slowly to his back and stared up at the sky.

Who dared to have the audacity to shoot at him in his own district?

Seonghwa gritted his teeth, sitting up and scowling back up towards the alley entrance. The building the shots had come from was an abandoned office building, and he knew that one of the local riff raff gangs had taken up residence there some time ago. But they had the sense to keep a low profile and not interfere with Utopia’s business, until the collapse of the city apparently.

Seonghwa slipped off his jacket and shirt, causing Jeongin to stare at him in surprise. He turned his pink gaze on the other, eyes narrowed. “I will open my chest and you will need to reach in and activate something for me. Do you understand?”

”W-what?!” Jeongin panicked whispered. “I’ve never messed with chrome before!”

“I will tell you exactly what to do. But it is not something I can reach on my own.”

Jeongin shook his head, eyes wide as he stared at the other. “I-I can’t…what if I mess up?”

Seonghwa reached out, taking his hands into his own. “You can. You won’t mess up, you will do exactly as I say. We need to make the route back safe for Yeosang and Felix. To do that I need my weapons. You can do that for them. For me.”

Jeongin seemed to calm down as he spoke. He was silent for a moment, looking down at their hands. Then he looked up, eyes shining with determination. “I want to stay. At Utopia. When this is all over, I want to stay with you.”

Seonghwa pulled back a bit in surprise. “With me? Why?”

”I’ve always watched you. How you treat everyone there like family and how happy everyone is. I’ve never had that, I want that too. I want to be your family. I want to know Felix and Yeosang and be their friend.” Jeongin blinked back tears. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

Seonghwa felt his heart clench at his confession, giving the younger man’s hand a squeeze to comfort him. “Then when this is over, come stay at Utopia. It will take time, but I’m sure one day we can call you family. My jewels will welcome you, they have always wanted more friends, and for too long I have denied them that.”

”You mean it? Seriously?” Jeongin’s eyes glittered in his excitement, and Seonghwa smiled at him.

”Help me bring them home. Our home.”

Jeongin nodded. “Home.” He straightened up, wiping his eyes. “What do I need to do?”

”There is a panel inside my chest I can not reach. You will need both hands, grasp the panel between each and run your thumbs down the switches there. Both sides must be done at the same time. Do you understand?”

Jeongin nodded, expression serious and focused. He watched as Seonghwa reached up to his own neck, tapping each side and then his chest compartment opened with a hiss. Jeongin wiped his hands dry on his pants, then sat up on his knees to draw level with the open cavern of the Widow’s chest. Soft pink light washed over his features, and Seonghwa watched him as he carefully located the panel that held four switches.

Jeongin swallowed thickly, willing his hands to not shake as he carefully reached inside, gently grasping the panel. “O-ok. Here goes nothing…” With four identical clicks, the entirety of Seonghwa’s abdomen and arms lit up with the familiar pink glow of his eyes. The Widow sighed, relieved to feel the whirring of his missing limbs click to life. He hadn’t even recognized the gnawing pain of missing what he had lost until being unable to access them. Even without the poison, he was a deadly force to be reckoned with, and the interlopers to his family’s safety would find that out shortly.

Seonghwa reached down, catching Jeongin who all but collapsed in relief when he pulled his hands free. He tangled his fingers into the delivery boy’s hair, smiling gently at him. “Good boy. Thank you for helping me.”

Jeongin looked up at him in delight and awe, nodding furiously. “Of course! Thank you for letting me!”

Seonghwa patted his cheek in fondness before slowly standing on the shaking apparatus. “Let me move you somewhere safer, then I shall pay the troublemakers a visit.”

Jeongin nodded, standing shakily as well before looking around. “Are you sure I can’t help with that as well?”

Seonghwa knelt down, indicating for Jeongin to climb onto his back. “Have you ever even fought anyone before doing your deliveries?”

Jeongin flushed. “N-no…not many want to rob a cat cafe.”

Seonghwa stood with him now perched on his back, and with a sigh of relief he felt his cyber limbs unsheath from his abdomen with a whisper of metal. Making sure Jeongin was secure, he used them to scale the side of the building directly, moving up and away from the road. Jeongin had fallen silent, eyes wide as the Widow lived up to his name and soon they were on the rooftop, out of sight of those who hid a few streets over.

Jeongin slid to the ground at Seonghwa’s direction, hopping from one foot to the other in worry.

“You stay here until I return. Do not come to the edge, no matter what. I do not want you struck by a stray bullet in their panic.”

“You either. Please don’t get hurt.”

Seonghwa gave him a smile, eyes flashing dangerously. “They couldn’t hope to hurt me.”

With that he was gone, using his limbs to jump the gap between buildings and coming to the top of the one he knew the rats were holed up inside. Balanced on the edge, he surveyed below, seeing the waving point of the sniper’s gun as they scanned the road even further below.

A pity they never kept their eyes to the sky.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

“Minny, please. I said I was fine, I can help with things around here.” Jisung groaned for the hundredth time, attempting to lift himself from the bed he’d been trapped in since they had made it to base. A few days had passed since, and even though they had been worried before they arrived, his head injury hadn’t been as bad as they initially thought.

Even so, Minho had refused to allow him to roam around, following the instructions of their medic and Seungmin who said that Jisung would need to rest to ensure that he had no lasting trauma from the head injury. He stayed by his husband’s side, although most knew by now that was more to ensure he did not get up and injure himself further than to do any real nursing.

“Two more days, then I’ll consider it. Now sit down.”

”Can’t I at least stand and stretch a little? My legs are dying from laying down all day. My butt hurts. Please, I won’t go anywhere.”

Minho’s gaze was suspicious as he took in the pleading look on his husband’s face, but a cheery voice cut in before he could respond.

“Quit being so mean to our little quokka, Minho! Let the poor man stand on his two feet.”

White ears laid flat, but Minho didn’t protest to Chan’s direction, nodding with a cute pout instead. Jisung cooed, slowly sliding to the edge of the bed and making grabby hands at the hybrid. “My adorable Minny, let me kiss you after I get up!”

Chan laughed as he took a seat in the room, watching as Minho pretended to not like the attention Jisung rained on him in reward for being allowed up. He had a fond smile at the scene, happy that his oldest friend had found someone so wonderful to have by his side.

As Jisung proceeded to do comically exaggerated lunges around the room to make Minho laugh, Chan sat back and debated if he should interrupt. He did have some things to talk about with Minho, but this was the first time he was seeing the other man smile in days, and call him soft but he didn’t want to be the one responsible for stopping that.

Finally Jisung seemed to lose steam, and sat on the edge of the bed looking at Chan expectantly. “What brings you our way, oh mighty Chan-nim?” he teased, elated to finally be moving again.

“I’m sorry you’ve been acting alone, Chan. I just….” Minho looked at Jisung then, ears down but eyes showing his concern.

Chan waved him off. “Don’t apologize for that. You needed to be here, I get it. Honestly, I haven’t exactly been sorting this on my own anyway….” He seems shy then, avoiding their twin gazes of interest.

“Oh?” Jisung sounded delighted as Chan flushed. “Who’s been helping you?”

Minho looked anything but delighted. “Who was it that was with you and Seungmin?”

“So…at the time of the pulse…I was with Choi San-nim….”

Minho’s eyes closed as he let out a low groan of discontent. “You did not bring the Choi heir into our base of operations. Because that would be insane. And we are not insane, Chan. Remember? You promised we were not insane.”

Chan pursed his lips, eyes narrowed as he tried to find the best explanation for the situation. A long silence stretched out as Minho stared at him. Jisung looked between the two, going from delight to concern.

“He’s been very helpful.”

“For fucks sake.”

Jisung leaned forward towards Chan, eyes shining in interest. “That’s crazy! The Choi San in our base! Helping the Strays! The world really is ending!”

“I mean, as far as we know, it has. I’m not sure how far this thing has spread.” Chan sat back then, expression serious. “We’ve managed to make short range contact with two other pockets of survivors. One set up in the district hospital, another over near that old hotel. Some of ours are there, and they were the ones who established contact. But beyond that, I don’t know.” He sighed. “San said he could work out something to try and reach his brother back up on the surface, see how things are going, but he’d need to get to the Choi Offices a few blocks over to do it.”

Jisung looked thoughtful at his words. “He doesn’t have some kind of built in tracker for situations like this? I’m surprised.”

“Me too. I asked him, and he actually looked sheepish when he admitted he used to have one, but removed it himself a few years back to try and have some privacy.”

“Don’t do that.” Minho spat, tail lashing behind him,

“What?”

“Don’t talk about him with that stupid smitten look on your face. I can not be the only sane one here.” Minho stood, pacing around the room in agitation. “First Changbin and his little singer boy bring one of the Widow’s jewels with them, practically marking us for a painful death once that nightmare of an overbearing parent figure finds us, then you bring the ENEMY into our base and are making googly eyes at just the thought of him.”

“I’m not making googly eyes….” Chan pouted.

Jisung laughed. “You are, though. It’s gross.”

“The ENEMY, Chan!” Minho hissed.

Chan held his hands up. “Look, I know how it seems, alright? But we did go up there to try and convince this very guy that we aren’t actually enemies and that we should work together right? So what if a little apocalypse just happened to speed that along.”

Minho paused then, and after a moment his tail and ears relaxed. “You know what? I’m tired of being stressed out because of you all.”

“Minny?” Jisung wasn’t laughing anymore, eyes on his husband’s back.

“Nope. I’m not going to let the continuously stupid decisions stress me out. I don’t care. Do what you want.” Minho’s voice was monotone, and the two other men looked at him in concern. This was unusual for their spitfire co-leader.

“You don’t mean that Minny…”

“I’m being careful Minho. I would never jeopardize us or our safety. You know that.” Chan’s voice was firm, eyes set on the other with a seriousness that was out of place on his normally cheerful face.

“Do I though? I feel like every step forward I take I find some new ridiculous situation. I feel like I’m in this poorly written drama, and my next step will be someone I know hurt. Or worse, dead. From something preventable and stupid.”

Jisung’s eyes were wide, shimmering with tears at his husband’s confession. “It’s hard…all this shit… it feels like the world is ending.” Minho hummed in agreement, sitting down next to him and the two slumping against one another.

Chan regarded both of them, seeing a flash of the two young boys who’d grown up scared and hungry all their lives. Yet here they were, still fighting at the apparent end of times. They were so strong, and Chan was proud to call them not just friends, but family.

“Listen, I know this has been a lot. But we are alive and here, right now. We are together. And we’re going to keep it that way. Family doesn’t leave each other behind, no matter what.”

Minho’s gaze rested heavy on him. “And do you want the Choi heir to be a part of that family?”

Chan held his gaze, the silence stretching between them. “I want us to survive this. All of us.”

Minho gave him several slow blinks before slumping against Jisung, who had remained still in the standoff between the two. “Fine. But the moment he is a threat, I will remove him from the situation.”

Chan nodded. “I don’t think it’ll come to that Minny.”

”Let’s hope so.”

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

“Did you learn all this from the god?”

Yunho’s question hung in the room for several seconds as Hyunjin focused on closing the clasp of the temporary limb they’d been working to install on Mingi’s arm. He sat back with a sigh, nodding to Mingi to test the limb.

“Yes. Hongjoong has made several significant advancements in limb replacement, and he’s made it far easier to integrate chrome into the human body.”

Yunho hummed thoughtfully as he watched Mingi flex the fingers, his expression closed off.

”Then why hasn’t he replaced his own chrome? It seems… basic. And like it hurts him.”

”It does. But… in his case, it would be impossible. The chrome we had to give him was done in a critical moment, when his life was already slipping away. It was not the best scenario to even do an installation, but it halted his passing. At least for a time.”

Mingi had rested his hand on the table, and the silence was now heavy. He sighed after a few minutes. “How much longer does he have?”

Hyunjin regarded the other before sitting up to rest his chin on his hand. “Do you wish to make amends if he were to die soon?”

Mingi’s gaze cut to the other man, his shock quickly hidden behind indifference. “Is he going to die soon?” His attempt to appear unconcerned failed at the break in his voice.

Hyunjin held his gaze before sighing, a finger tracing a crack on the table. “He will. He may have been able to stretch things out longer had he not pushed himself so hard all this time. But…that has never been his way.” He sat back then, gesturing to the room around him. “He’s also tied every functioning component of this compound to his own internal system. It provides an incredible amount of control and a separate operating system…but the cost of bearing that burden is great even on a healthy and whole individual. Much less one as broken as he is.”

Mingi and Yunho stared at him in shock. “The whole lab?!”

Hyunjin nodded. “And everything connected to it. His surveillance network, the data storage, even the electric components. It all stems from him.”

”That explains the steam and cane then…” Yunho murmurs, his impressed gaze taking in the seemingly mundane room in a new light.

”It does play a part. And all of it adds to the strain that life has put on him.”

”And you’re just going to let him die then?” Mingi’s tone was biting now, his gaze accusing.

Hyunjin did not seem put off, instead he only looked regretful and sad. “I long for nothing but his continued happiness and existence. But…not even I hold the power to keep him here.”

Yunho reached out, running a hand on Mingi’s lower back to soothe his distress. He watched as the stoic facade crumbled, and his friend broke down. He tugged gently, holding Mingi who seemed to deflate into him as he was overcome with emotion.

“I don’t want him to die…..I may be mad at him…but he’s still… he’s ….”

Yunho pulled him closer, feeling his own eyes water as the tech cried into his arms. Hyunjin watched them, morose himself at the thought of the Ripper Doc no longer being with them.

Before Mingi had calmed down, the three were shocked from their seats as the entire foundation of the base shook, a distant alarm blaring. Hyunjin shot up, flying from the room to follow the sound, the other two men scrambling in their shock to follow.

“What’s that mean? I’ve never heard that alarm before!” Mingi croaked out, barely managing to keep up with the eccentric partner to the god.

”Something is attacking the lab.” Was the grim reply, and Yunho nearly stumbled in his shock at the statement.

“Someone is stupid enough to attack the god!?”

Hyunjin took a sharp turn, coming to a slow jog as they approached the main chamber. “Not someone. Something. If they were human they would be dead.” He pressed his hand on the door scanner, and it slid open as another shock rocked through the foundation.

The three entered, all eyes on Hongjoong who stood above on the podium that held his main bank of consoles. The Ripper Doc's gaze settled unmoving on Hyunjin.

The two stared at one another as if transfixed, the steam pouring from Hongjoong and the distant booms echoing about them creating a disorienting atmosphere that neither seemed to notice.

Hyunjin felt his lips part, so many words threatening to spill forth but held back at the look in the Doc’s eye.

Mingi looked around frantically, seeing a terminal nearby that he rushed too, frantically pushing buttons to pull up the live feed from the area the alarms were sounding. He fell back from the screen as the screeching echoed into the room, breaking the tense and strange standoff happening.

Countless of the infected were slamming with abandon on several of the bay doors that should be impossible to penetrate. But upon closer inspection Mingi saw that the ones at the front seemed to be outfitted with some kind of tech he didn’t recognize that was penetrating the doors slowly, if effectively.

“They…have tools? How? All the footage we’ve seen, they were mindless and moving without much purpose.”

Hongjoong’s voice rang out, a raspy croak to it that had Hyunjin moving once more.

”They sense my weakness.”

Mingi shot Hongjoong a look of surprise, him and Yunho moving to follow Hyunjin to the lift. “Your weakness? Like they are targeting you specifically?”

The Ripper Doc did not turn as the three stepped up to join him, the bank of monitors showing a horror unfolding right on the outside of his labs. Yunho and Mingi cursed as they stepped up, taking in the rain of gore and reckless violence for the sole purpose of breaking through.

Hyunjin went to Hongjoong’s side, his concern bleeding through as he took in the pale skin and sunken eyes of the other. “Hongjoong…..” He reached out, his fingers tracing the black stains that flowed through his veins from the failing chrome. Hongjoong only spared him a glance, his gaze weary and dull.

“I believe they are. I’ve been tracing the code that set the infection on the city…and I recognize it.”

Now all three men look at him in alarm. But it was Hyunjin who spoke. “Recognize it?” He whispered, his fingers settling on Hongjoong’s shoulder as the Doc moved to turn and look at him.

”I do. It seems I can never escape the sins of my past. My flaws, my mistakes…” He fell silent, an alarming thing to happen considering the confident and direct manner in which the Doc usually operated. “My mistakes will destroy everything.”

Hyunjin felt his lip tremble at the uncharacteristically broken tone the other spoke with. “Joong….”

Yunho turned to glance at Mingi, seeing his friend watching them with a sad expression, clearly lost in the heaviness of the moment. But the sounds from the monitors and the increasing thunderous crashes from outside spurred him into action.

“We need to leave. We can run, we can go to the others and find a way to beat this together.”

His voice shook Mingi from his mourning, and he nodded, wiping his eyes. “Y-yeah. We gotta get out of here. There’s too many to fight, we have to run.”

”There’s an escape plan in place, a vehicle designed for quick extraction can take you out to the 3rd district. From there it is usually a 15 minute walk to get to the base of operations the Strays use. GPS indicates that Felix is still there, alive and well.” Hongjoong’s monotone gave the two hope. “It will be here in a minute, it has to come up from the garage. You two need to remove your network chips too. The virus is spreading through the city’s mainframe itself.”

Mingi nodded, turning to insert his personal link into their terminal as he took his chip out with his other hand. “Yunho is already off network and I’ll get the route downloaded and see if there are any uncorrupted systems still up. Maybe we can use those to monitor the situation as we move.” He typed away, Yunho joining him to offer support. ”Hyung, do you think your surveillance system will operate that far up?”

“My system will not be available. You will need to operate on your own wits for this.”

Mingi paused, looking back at the Ripper Doc. “Why?”

”I’m not going with you.”

There was a blast of sound as the metal doors in the center of the room opened, and a rail and platform rose up, a sleek grey armored vehicle came up to be even with where they stood. Yunho jumped, moving to inspect it, leaving a stunned Mingi and Hyunjin behind to stare at Hongjoong.

“What do you mean? Of course you are Hyung. We aren’t leaving you behind.”

Hongjoong shrugged off Hyunjin’s hand, moving with great effort and more steam to reach over to the console. Several labored button presses later, and the vehicle opened. “You will. I am in no condition to travel. And in any case….”

His gaze sluggishly moved over the many screens that showed the frenzy of the infected. “It’s me they are after. They know I am here. And they will know if I leave.”

Mingi came over to him now, desperation bleeding through his fear. “Hyung…if this is about your chrome, we can fix it. We can stop it from hurting you, make things better. Please.”

Hongjoong regarded him for a moment, before reaching out to pinch his cheek, startling him from his pleas. “None of that now. I’ve lived my time in the best way I could have. Now you have to go on with your life, and find meaning in it. Don’t….” He paused then, gaze shooting to Yunho then back. “Don’t make my mistakes. Be better than me, Mingi.”

Mingi flung himself forward , dwarfing the smaller form of the Doc and sobbing. “H-hyung….I’m sorry, I’m so sorry….”

Hongjoong scoffed, his arm coming up to wrap around the giant man. “For what?”

”I’ve been s-so mean…I’m sorry.”

”Ha, like you have a mean bone in your body.” Hongjoong allowed the contact for a moment longer, before pushing Mingi away. Yunho had come over at the first sound of Mingi’s sobs, and took the man from the hands of the Doc. “You better take care of each other. Things are going to get worse….and it seems like they may not get better.”

Yunho frowned. “Not much of a pep talk for a god.”

Hongjoong smiled then, a real genuine and slightly unnerving smile. “I haven’t been a god in a long , long time.” He waved his hand to shoo them towards the escape craft. “Go on then, get in.” The two men moved to obey, Mingi being coaxed by Yunho to check out things and make sure they were working in order to give the other two privacy.

Hongjoong turned slowly to once more face the bank of monitors. He felt Hyunjin’s presence at his side, as he always was.

“You think to chase me away. To send me out there, without you.”

Hongjoong nodded, coughing a bit as steam welled up and surrounded them. “I do. You’ll live that way. Instead of staying here to die foolishly and needlessly.”

”And since when did you hold any authority to command me in such a way?”

The Doc sighed then, finally turning to take in the fiery visage of his lover. “Even I do not have the audacity to think I have any command over you.”

Hyunjin did not respond to the teasing, instead pressing closer, gaze piercing. “Then I will stay here. With you. As I’ve always vowed to be. As I will remain.”

Hongjoong did not look angry or frustrated, instead giving the other a fond smile. “And who am I to stop you.” He reached out to caress Hyunjin’s shocked face. “You are stronger than anyone else in this forsaken city. A beacon of light in the darkness that is life…” His thumb strokes over his lips. “If there was ever an undeserved blessing in my life, it has been you.”

Hyunjin presses against him, trembling at the other’s words. “Joong… you will let me stay?”

To the other’s surprise, Hongjoong lets his cane fall down, using both arms to wrap around Hyunjin, pulling them flush together as another boom rocked the core. Yunho and Mingi yell out, the escape protocol beginning its automatic countdown.

Hongjoong held Hyunjin’s face between his palms, caressing his features with both fingers and his gaze. “Only a monster could refuse you, my beloved Hyunjin.” He pulled the other into a deep kiss, the alarm sounding closer to the main chamber now.

Hyunjin felt his heart swell in the arms of the one man he had come to hope to call his own. Even as death pushed closer, he would be happy to die alongside the one he loved, instead of alone in the streets above.

There is a slight hiss in his ear, then a sharp sting in his neck. Hyunjin pulls back slightly, eyes wide as they took Hongjoong in with betrayal as his vision begins to grow dark. “H-hong….j-Joong…..”

”Forgive me…” Hongjoong gently extracted the needle, the sharp instrument retreating back into his hand cavity and replacing it with fingers once more. “I…. It appears I am a monster after all.” Hyunjin slumps forward, eyes closing with tears as he falls unconscious into the Doc’s arms. Hongjoong jerks his head at Mingi and Yunho who stood gaping at them.

”Take him. Leave this place. I will do what I can to stop the horde here. If it’s me they want, I will not be a prize easily taken.”

Yunho rushes forward, taking Hyunjin into his arms and moving quickly as another quake rips through the structure, dislodging several pipes and metalwork that come crashing down around them. Mingi stares at Hongjoong, torn between shock and anger.

“He wanted to be with you.”

”He would have died.”

Mingi growled then, turning away from Hongjoong. “Idiot.”

Hongjoong smiled, watching them load Hyunjin safely and get inside, narrowly avoiding the debris that crashed down. He pressed the button to cut the launch countdown short, and with little more than a hiss the escape vehicle flew forward on the track, thundering up into the tunnel that would take them away.

Hongjoong stood for several long moments as more of his labs began to collapse. He knew it wasn’t from the horde trying to get in, but instead his own failing body. Even now as he stood in the now empty room, the ghosts of his mind roamed around him, filling the space with a life long past.

But he would hold out. In this he would not let Hyunjin down. He would live long enough for them to make it safely, then he would use what remained of himself to show this invading force exactly why he was feared throughout all of Neo Seoul.

Chapter Text

The sun was starting to set way up in the upper parts of the city, and without the usual routines in place to switch the lighting on, the streets were soon overcome with a thick and unsettling darkness.

Jeongin shivered, hands wrapped around his legs as he huddled low on the rooftop. The screams and gunshots had only ended a few moments before, but he wouldn’t give in to his curiosity and disobey the command given to him by Seonghwa. To say that he was in awe of the Widow was an understatement, and he would not risk disobeying the man just to peek at the street below.

Soon, the scraping of metal on metal reached him, and once more Seonghwa settled in front of him, this time covered in blood that was clearly not his own. The Widow frowned down at his clothes, clearly displeased at the mess.

“Are you ok?” Jeongin’s question seemed to bring Seonghwa back to the moment, and the Widow nodded.

”Yes. The way should be clear aside from those who were turned.” He stood, holding his arms back and allowing the metal arms to shake a bit of the blood off as he went to survey the route ahead. “I think it would be best if I carry you the rest of the way, and stick to the rooftops. Can you guide me from up here?”

Jeongin swallowed thickly at the thought of being carried through the air, even though he trusted Seonghwa to not drop him. “Y-yeah…I can do that. Shouldn’t you rest first though?”

”No. We should keep moving. The sooner we get to my jewels, the sooner we can return home.” Seonghwa knelt down, his metal limbs stretching to make room for Jeongin to climb on his back. “We don’t want Soobin to send a war party after us.”

Jeongin gently climbed on his back, wincing as some of the blood touched his cheek. “I’d be surprised if there wasn’t one forming already. He seemed worried.”

Seonghwa stood, finding his balance before stepping up to the building’s edge. “He always worries. Now tell me where to go.”

For the next hour the two carefully navigated the rooftops, careful in case there were any other trigger happy survivors hiding in any of the buildings below. From above, the infected were not a threat, although their sickly yellow eyes seemed to follow them as they flew overhead.

Soon Jeongin whispered that the cafe was on the street below them, and Seonghwa knelt down to look at the street in front of the shoppe. Surprisingly it was clear, if a bit damaged from whatever chaos had broken out at the start of the fall of the city.

“It seems we can safely go down from here. I do not hear any sounds of the turned. You said this is where they were, yes?”

Jeongin nodded, gaze jumping up and down the street. “Yeah. They were brought here and my boss was arguing with the two who brought them. Said it was dangerous for them to be here.”

Seonghwa nodded grimly. “No doubt he knew who they are. And what they mean to me.”

“He did keep mentioning a Widow…..I just didn’t know that meant you.” The boy shifted. “Are…are you going to hurt my boss?”

”If he’s taken care of my boys and kept them safe, then I will be indebted to him.”

Jeongin nodded at his answer with a sigh. “Ok. The door in the back is locked, but I can get us inside without having to break a window or something.”

Seonghwa stood, easily maneuvering them down the building’s side, and once they were street level he carefully slid behind the building to the small green door. Jeongin quickly dismounted and moved to the door, using a key from his pocket to unlock and let them inside.

“Minho-sii? Jisung-sii?” He called out into the dark interior, tiptoeing forward with only a little bit of trembling at the silence that greeted them.

Seonghwa had pushed inside, closing the door behind them as they searched the back storeroom. There was no response to his greeting, and as they moved towards the front it was apparent that there was no one within the cafe, and hadn’t been for awhile.

The agitation on the Widow’s face was apparent to the boy, and he shifted nervously. “M-maybe they moved? I can see if Minho-ssi left a message or something…” He trailed off, going behind the counter to dig around the papers there. As he did so, Seonghwa stepped to the front window, surveying the empty street outside. His fingers flexed at his side, feeling restless to be here and not have his jewels waiting.

Where were they? Who had them? Many different scenarios rotated through his mind, each one worse than the one before. He grit his teeth, the urge to smash the window in front of him growing by the second.

”Ah! That’s the boss’s cat!”

The two watched as one of the android felines known to live at the cafe stumbled forward, sparking as it seemed to fight the power loss of the city’s grid system. Yellow and green lights flashed several times from its eyes as it surveyed them, opening its maw as static filled the cafe. Jeongin cursed, jumping the counter and moving to try and silence it before it grew any louder. Seonghwa stopped him though, as a broken voice crackled through the static.

”….ence….ved……..saf……god.”

Jeongin gaped in shock at the cat. “That’s my boss's voice!”

Seonghwa shushed him, straining to make sense of the garbled words as they echoed in the small space.

“Safe…….go-…….pres…..god.”

“Safe…..with god maybe?” Jeongin whispered, glancing from the cat back to the Widow.

”Hongjoong.” Seonghwa straightened, as the words rang out with a finality as if to confirm his interpretation. He reached out, gently petting the cat on the head as its eyes closed and it came to a shuddering stop and collapsed.

Jeongin stared at him with wide eyes. “Hongjoong….? Who’s that?”

“The god of Neo Seoul. He’s taken my boys to their father. A smart move, if your boss knows where to find him”

“T-that god? Like the real one here in the city?” Jeongin sounded faint as he followed Seonghwa back out the cafe to the back alley.

”A few districts beneath us, but yes. He is here in the city. We’ll keep going - and search on the way in case they didn’t make it.”

Jeongin bit back his groan as Seonghwa knelt once again. “Back to the rooftops?”

“Back to the rooftops.”

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

“I knew you two would get along.” Changbin stated proudly, watching as Wooyoung and San worked together with much bickering to sort through the mountains of ammo and supplies that littered the shelves of the storehouse.

Seungmin stared at the bodyguard with a look of confusion mixed with disbelief. The two had been relentless with their disagreements and handling of said supplies, that there hadn’t been a moment’s peace in the warehouse since the two had entered.

“This is them getting along?” The former aide asked in disbelief.

Changbin simply nodded, a smitten look on his face as Wooyoung hissed at something San had said, causing the CEO to scrunch his nose and bat at the exotic in frustration. “Yep, Wooyoung is having a lot of fun. I can tell.”

”So is San. He’s looking way better. Happier and more settled in.” Chan chimed in as he entered the room with yet another box of goods scavenged from the surrounding areas. Things were looking like they may be here for a while, so they’d started gathering resources in order to stockpile them.

Seungmin couldn’t stop his lip from curling at the two in mild disgust. “Changbin I get, he’s practically married to Wooyoung….but you Chan? Really? Already?”

Chan blinked at him in confusion as Changbin snickered. “You are sounding a lot like I do when I talk about my Youngie.”

“Are you two talking about me and San? Why does everyone keep saying that…” Chan complained, but not even bothering to look away from where the CEO was having another spat with the exotic.

Seungmin groaned, turning away from the scene. “I’m not staying here to watch this nonsense. Where’s Minho?”

Before either could answer, the short wave communication device on Chan’s arm came to life and startled the three. Minho’s voice cut through the store room, even causing Wooyoung and San to stop bickering.

“Chan, we have survivors approaching. One of them is from Utopia. And our guest here is starting to get a bit unruly. I need help.”

Chan responded, and they moved quickly through the base to the garage which now served as their protected entrance in and out of the compound. Minho and Jisung were waiting for them, standing in front of the door to bodily block Felix, who seemed to be trying to get outside.

”I told you, we need to wait until they are closer. It’s too dangerous to just open it without reason.”

Felix grit his teeth, face scrunched up in displeasure at his words. “Mingi is my family, there is every reason to get to him sooner and make sure he is safe.”

Wooyoung immediately moved toward the jewel, hands raised. “Hey Fe….let’s calm down. Minho-ssi knows what he is doing, he just wants to keep us safe.”

Felix’s gaze cut through him. “I can go get Mingi, the rest of you can stay here.” His voice was deep in his anger, and Minho seemed poised to take him down if Felix made a move for the door again.

Jisung waved Chan over to a small terminal, but his gaze moved back and forth from Felix and Minho. “There seems to be three of them, but one of them is being carried as if they are hurt.”

”Unconscious most likely. Do we think they came from Utopia?”

It was Minho who answered him, “We only know that the orange haired one is named Mingi, and that Felix here knows him. They requested access, says that they have intel on the outbreak.”

Wooyoung turned to peer at the three on the screen. “Wait…that one being held… I think I recognize him….” He drew closer, and for a moment the tension softened. “Yeah…Hey Binnie…. Doesn’t that look like that guy who was with the god?”

The bodyguard moved to squint down at the slightly blurry image, watching as the two taller men carefully snuck down a street near the base, seemingly being guided by one who was using a hand drawn map. “The red head, yeah? Yeah, I think he was there when you were getting your chrome put on. Hyun- something. He was nice.”

Minho scrunched his nose. “I’m glad he’s nice then. That makes this so much better.”

Changbin frowned at him, but didn’t respond. Instead he looked to Jisung. “How far out are they?”

“A half hour, since they seem to be avoiding the more congested areas.”

”We need to clear the way for them.” Felix demanded, eyes trained on the small screen.

“No, we don’t need to take an unnecessary risk. We can wait until they are close, then get them inside.” Minho spoke with finality.

Chan sighed. “I have to agree with Minho. Let’s monitor them, they are moving smart and keeping quiet. As long as they don’t draw any attention to themselves, it will be fine.”

Felix did not respond, instead moving to plant himself in front of the screen, eyes unblinking once more as he watched their slow progress. Jisung shuddered and stepped back to Minho’s side, whispering to his husband to try and calm him down.

Wooyoung moved to stand beside Felix, hesitantly putting a hand on his shoulder. “Mingi is smart, they’ll be ok.”

Chan pulled Minho and Jisung aside, Changbin joined them as they discussed the best way to get the rest of the supplies that they had scouted out, their murmurs being a gentle background noise as Felix remained unmoving.

Jisung leaned forward, dropping his voice low as he eyed the back of Felix wearily. “Why…does he get like that?”

The others all glance at the blond before turning back once more. “Super hyper intense?”

Jisung nodded, shuddering. “It’s creepy.”

“I think he just really cares about those close to him…” Changbin offers, although he too sounds a bit unsettled. “He was like this before, when we were going down to Utopia. It’s like you can’t say no to him.”

”He likely picked that up from his Mother….you know, the Widow? The killer assassin that we have tons of intel on that all says not to even breathe in the direction of his most prized jewels?” Minho hissed, tail whipping once more in agitation. “If these three came from Utopia, who’s to say the Widow isn’t following them?”

Chan held his hand up, trying to calm him. “Hey now, let’s not jump to -“

”Chan! They are being chased!” Wooyoung’s shrill cry startled them, turning to see that the figures were now on the run, abandoning stealth to escape the armed pursuers behind them. Changbin was the first to the screen, cursing.

“It’s the damned G-boys!”

Chan began barking orders. “Minho get the jeep ready, Changbin, you’re with me! Jisung, I want you on ops guiding us. They are going to attract every infected person in the area at this rate.”

Wooyoung clung to Changbin now, shaking and eyes wide as he shook his head. “B-binnie, you can’t go out there!”

Changbin looked torn as Minho and Jisung sprung into action to the vehicle Chan chose. Several other members streamed into the room at the sound of Chan’s call, and soon there was chaos as preparation started.

All movement came to a halt however, with the screeching of one of the bay doors being forced open. The group turned, seeing Felix holding two handheld axes used in emergency kits they had found. He shouldered the door open, and was gone in a flash.

Chan and Changbin both let out twin curses, and sprung forward to bodily open the doors the rest of the way. Minho was in the driver seat of the jeep, San taking up his own weapon and climbing in to assist how he could. The remaining members hurried to form a defensive barrier as their leaders took action.

Changbin turned to Wooyoung, regret and determination warring on his face. He gently took Wooyoung’s face into his hands, planting a kiss onto his nose then lips. “I’ll be back soon Jagiya. Keep the others safe, yeah?”

Wooyoung whimpered, his tail remaining wrapped around Changbin’s wrist until the other stepped away. “I love you.”

”Love you too, Youngie.”

With that Changbin hopped into the jeep and sped off, leaving Jisung and Wooyoung.

“Come on, help me on comms.”

Chan was doing his best to keep up with the blonde, but he was finding it tough to keep pace with him. Felix was moving with a determination that was stoic and focused. They could hear the sound of shouting and gunshots ahead, nearly drowned out by the growing sound of the infected around them.

This was the worst case scenario.

It felt like hours, but soon they broke onto the scene of the confrontation. Felix took a moment to take in the huddled forms of Mingi and the others behind a half collapsed building wall, the rain of bullets pelting the ground around them. Infected screeched several streets over, and in the alley across from them they were already pouring into the same crossroads the showdown was happening.

Yunho was desperately trying to hold off the assailants as Mingi covered Hyunjin’s body with his own as flat as he could against the ground. Minho steered the jeep to the right side of the road, aiming to attract the attention of the G-boys. With some success, he began dodging their shots, Changbin using the mounted weapon on the jeep to return fire.

San leans from the passenger side, cool and collected as he uses his hand gun to assist, forcing several of the assailants to have to take cover and lessening the shots being fired at them.

Felix moved forward, axes held steadily at his side as he charged toward the infected that had set their sights on Mingi’s group. Chan cursed, torn between following him and checking on the three. Yunho saw his hesitation, and waved him off. “We’re fine, please keep them away!”

Chan nodded, moving to catch up with Felix. When he caught sight of the blonde expecting him to be overwhelmed he was instead surprised to see the carnage left in his wake.

Felix was moving with deadly efficiency, each strike decimating its mark. He spun about, the blades glinting in the low level light of the sun, the blood splashing on the pavement below. Chan was stunned, watching as Felix visibly made a dent in the crowd of infected, causing them to actually hesitate as the blonde lay waste to their ranks. From what they had been observing of the infected, that should be impossible. They’d never shown signs of self preservation before this.

Several shots rang out, one of the G-boys having spotted Chan and taking aim. He cursed, turning and raising his own weapon to give back in kind. He saw the others circling in the jeep and after glancing at Felix who now held the attention of all the infected, he decided the human element of this battle needed to be dealt with first.

He ducked towards where the G-boys were positioned, working in time with Changbin and San’s shots to make some progress in moving forward. When a choked cry of one of his targets falling rang out, he ran towards the jeep, jumping up behind Changbin as they sped by.

“Minho!”

”I see them. Get ready, I’m taking us in!”

On the uneven road the jeep bounced hard, and Changbin had to quit firing in order to avoid their shots going wide and hitting the others. San keeps firing, his aim true and taking down another as they close the gap. Once close enough, Minho brings them to a stop and Changbin resumes firing as the other three hop out to take cover behind the vehicle.

A threatening voice cuts through the air, anger seeped into every word. “I’m getting sick of you Stray bastards just doing as you please!”

Chan grit his teeth, eyes narrowed as he searches for where the voice was coming from. “That’s a joke coming from you, what gives you the right to zero innocent people during all this shit?!”

”Innocent?! Hotteok isn’t innocent!” The voice spat, a woman peering now from around the corner of one of the buildings. “He’s a bourgy traitor who should already be dead! Stay out of this Chan!”

Minho hissed. “It’s Sharissa. This is bad, Chan.”

San looked between them. “Who is that?”

”The leader of the G-boys. She’s clever as shit and a chrome jock to boot. There isn’t really a way to fight her head on.”

As if to prove his point, an explosion rips through the intersection, tearing through the edge of the infected horde that had begun to be drawn to them. A piercing red laser shot through several more, ripping them in half.

”Last warning you Stray bastards, get out of G-boy business and we can both walk away from this!”

”Chan…” Minho growled in warning. “We don’t even know them. We need to leave.”

Jisung’s voice crackled through their shortwave comms, “You’ve got tons of infected headed your way! Get those people and get out of there!”

Chan stayed silent, eyes darting from the infected where Felix still tore through them to the G-boys who stood ready to resume the fight, then to Yunho who was peeking over the wall at them in concern. Finally his gaze landed on San, who was already peering over at him.

”Do what you feel is right.”

Chan looked shocked for a moment at his words, before nodding resolutely to himself. Minho cursed, readying his weapon and turning his head to speak down the com link as Chan stood, gaze burning into Sharissa’s own red one.

“We’ll leave, but they are coming with us.”

The woman scoffed, her bright red hair standing on end as the engine in her chest whirred as it charged for another blast. “This worth dying for? These people you don’t know?”

”Anyone in our territory is worth protecting.”

”A fool until the end. I admit, it’ll be nice to get rid of you.”

The conversation ended as with a flick of her hand the fight resumed, Chan being forced down once more. Minho and Changbin were soon distracted with defending against the infected that had spotted them during the conversation. San followed Chan as they returned fire, but soon even the sound of their own shots were drowned out by the cries of the approaching infected.

”We need to leave Chan!” Minho yelled, falling back with Changbin to the jeep once more. Yunho and Mingi had used the distraction to come closer, Mingi still holding Hyunjin tight to his chest. Changbin spotted them, jerking forward to provide cover as they finally arrived at the jeep.

“You three in now, let us handle this.”

”T-the monsters….!”

”We’ll deal with it!” Changbin shut the door behind them, turning to nod at Minho who crawled into the driver’s seat once more.

“Chan, you guys are going to be surrounded soon!” Jisung’s voice crackled through the chaos. Chan moved then, San close behind as the two used suppressing fire to keep the G-boys back.

“San, we can use the infected to drive them back. But it will have to be us to lure them.”

San nodded, eyes steely in resolve. “Let’s do it.”

”Idiots!” Minho hissed. “Get in the car, we are leaving!”

Chan shook his head. “No, Sharissa will chase us down until we’re dead. We end this here.”

”Just the two of you?!”

”And Felix. He’ll keep the infected distracted for a bit, just enough to deal with Sharissa.”

Minho’s screeching protest was drowned out by another blast of the cannon from Sharissa, this one nearly tearing into the jeep itself. Chan hit the side, telling them to take off which Minho instantly did. Turning he reached out, grasping San’s shoulder. “You ok with this?”

San smiled, and in the moment the former Choi heir was unrecognizable as the prim and proper man he was on the surface. Like this, covered in dirt and disheveled, grinning with dimples on his sharp features - he was a demon.

“I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. Let’s go.”

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

To say he was the most content with life at this moment might be a stretch, but Jongho was confident that despite the end of the world situation unfolding around him, he was happier than he’d been in years.

And he knew that he owed that to the man at his side now, who was speaking with several of his advisors over logistics around the rescue efforts in the city. Yeosang had taken to a leadership role with surprising ease, his quiet manner of speaking and endless patience a hit with Jongho’s staff. They had quickly come to respect him even without Jongho’s icy glares, and with that easy acceptance the burden was split between them.

Yeosang handled a lot of the front-facing things, talking with people who had concerns and had taken refuge there. He was a sympathetic ear who exudes kindness like the title angel given to him by the survivors implied. He’d taken charge of handling resources and schedules, leaving Jongho to handle the tasks the advisors brought to him from around the complex. They were a good team, and together had managed to rebuild a place of safety and hope in the darkness that had overtaken the city.

Over the last few days, his people had managed to make contact with pockets of other survivors in the lower levels, and intel indicated that his brother was in fact still alive. There were rumors the famous Choi heir had taken up residence at the Stray base of operations, and Jongho was inclined to believe the reports when they indicated his brother still had his faithful robotic guardian at his side. Beyol would never abandon San.

On a more personal front, Yeosang had taken the initiative for them to become better acquainted seriously. Every night he insisted they had dinner together privately, always setting the table like he’d read about in books as a dinner for two complete with candles and table settings. They’d chat about their different childhoods and memories, becoming more acquainted with each meal. Afterwards they’d retire to the bed they now shared, much to Jongho’s internal struggle to accept that such a thing was real.

Once settled in bed, Yeosang would shyly ask him more personal questions, and Jongho would feel his heart seize at the blush that would spread on the other’s ears and cheeks. He’d always follow the pink skin with his eyes, watching as it would disappear down the loose sleep shirt the other would wear, desperately trying to forget it was one of his. His fingers would flex into the sheets as he resisted the urge to pull the other closer, having to work harder to focus on the questions being asked of him.

In all, the two were now inseparable. Jongho knew that allowing someone that he technically had not known for very long to be so close was dangerous and against all the training he’d received. But there was something about Yeosang, something that said he was unlike anyone Jongho would ever meet again in his life. And to let him go would be the biggest mistake he could make.

So he kept the angel of Utopia close, a firm hand on his waist guiding him around, or an arm offered for Yeosang to hang onto as they discussed various topics in their daily courtyard walks. This is where they were when Yeonjun approached them, nodding in greeting to the two. He’d become a friend to them, being around their age and not afraid of Jongho’s status after spending some time planning things around the compound.

“Jongho-ssi, Yeosang-ssi. Good afternoon.”

Yeosang smiled, coming forward to hug Yeonjun who returned it carefully under Jongho’s sharp gaze. “What brings you out here Yeonjun?”

The former waiter’s gaze turned serious. “We’ve reports of a fight two districts down… it’s where San-nim has been reported staying.”

Jongho was focused then, postured tense. “My brother? Is he involved?”

Yeonjun nodded. “Yes, we believe so. His unique weapon has been identified, and it seems there is a clash between the Strays and another group from the lower levels.”

”Prepare two units, I’m going down with them to save my brother.”

Yeonjun looked at him, surprised at the decision. “A-are you sure? I don’t think the council would approve.”

When Jongho glared at him silently, Yeosang stepped in between them. “I think you should go prepare the units, and we’ll follow along shortly, Yeonjun. Thank you.” The dismissal was clear and he nodded before leaving the two alone once more.

Yeosang turned taking both of Jongho’s hands in his own as he resumed a slow walk backwards, facing the stubborn man.

“I’ve never fired a gun before.”

The statement shocked Jongho to focus on him, snapping him from his quietly boiling anger to peer at the other with round eyes. “I...would hope you haven’t.”

Yeosang swung his hands as they slowly moved forward. “I wonder if I would be any good at it.”

Jongho’s voice was adorably confused as he asked, “Why would you have a need to find out?”

”I’m coming with you. And if there is fighting, I should defend myself.”

Jongho stopped walking, eyes wide. “What? No you aren’t, you should stay here, where it is safe.”

”Why?” Yeosang was not accusing in his question, only curious.

Jongho drew him closer, fingers tightening where they were now laced together. “Because I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Yeosang hummed, bright eyes searching Jongho’s face for any signs he wasn’t telling the truth. “That’s how I feel about you.” He loosened one of his hands, reaching up to gently stroke the other’s cheek beneath his eyes - a now familiar action. “I’d be worried sick, knowing you were out there where I couldn’t see you. Far from my touch. Knowing you felt the same as me, and that maybe that distraction would be enough to bring your end.”

Jongho leaned into his touch, long over being shy at the gesture. “I wouldn’t fall so easily.”

”Not with me by your side.”

”Yeosang…”

”Either we both go, or neither of us go.”

Jongho was silent, gaze searching. “…..Fine. We both go. But you will remain at my side, I will not have you take even a single step away.”

Yeosang smiled fondly. “Where I’ve always been. I think you’ll find I won’t have any complaints with that command.” He dropped his gaze then, biting his lip in contemplation. “Do you think…. my brother will be there as well?”

Jongho felt like an asshole then, having not even considered asking Yeonjun if Felix was at the fight. “I’m sure he is at the Strays compound, helping like you do here. Your mother raised you both so well.”

Yeosang smiled softly at him then. “I miss them.”

Jongho tugged him flush, wrapping his arms around him. “I know…. We will go get your brother, then after maybe find a way to contact Utopia. I’m sure they’ve been hiding safely down there.”

Yeosang buried his face into the other’s neck, sighing softly. “Mother would protect them. I know it.”

Jongho only held him tighter, losing himself in the moment of having Yeosang close and safe.

Soon the two parted, making their way to the hustle of many men and women preparing to depart. Councilwoman Ereli was there, a frown already in place when she spotted them.

“Choi-ssi-“

”I’m going. This is not negotiable. This is the closest we’ve been to getting San back, and I won’t let it slip through our fingers.”

She sighed, leaning against the table with a tired posture. “Risking you to do so is unwise. Our units are experienced and trained. They can bring him back.”

”And who trained those units? I was a warrior before I will ever be a leader.” Jongho growled.

Yeosang’s hand squeezed on his arm, drawing Jongho’s attention solely on him. “They worry for you like I do. Do not be angry at them for that.”

Jongho sighed, tension leaving his body. “Look….I understand the risks. We are all highly skilled. I will be careful, I will call check ins. I’ll keep my tracker on. Let me do this.”

Ereli stared at him for several seconds before her gaze slid to Yeosang. “You will watch over him?”

Yeosang nodded serenely. “Always.”

She sighed. “I won’t stop you. But let it be noted that I did put up resistance.”

Jongho gave a slight smile at her statement. “Noted.”

She waved them on, leaving the room to get out of the way of preparations. Within minutes they were ready, and Jongho helped Yeosang to climb into the cab of the sleek truck they would use to navigate the streets quickly and quietly.

His men briefed him on the situation, their reports indicating the infected were closing in on the scene of the fight in alarming numbers, and large weapons being used by the forces that were already there. Heat signatures showed that several people had left the scene already, but some remained and they were vastly outnumbered.

Jongho was grim as he listened, knowing deep down that his brother - his sweet and over caring brother - wouldn’t be one of the ones to run. He would stay and protect those who needed it, even if there was no hope in surviving.

Yeosang took his hand, running his thumb up and down gently along the back of his hand. As they drew closer Jongho allowed himself a moment to lean against Yeosang, breathing in his scent and letting his body relax as he centered himself.

Yeosang’s gentle voice rumbled through the quiet car. “We will make it. We will help San-ssi. He will be ok.”

Jongho took up his words as a silent mantra, and if it helped the other soldiers in the cab with them, then all the better.

With a screech they arrived, the first unit dropping out to secure and assess the situation.

Ahead of them a barricade riddled with bullet holes still smoking loomed up, but was nearly blocked from view with the squirming mass of the infected. Shouting could be heard on the other side of the barricade, and Jongho’s unit moved swiftly to begin taking down infected to clear a path.

Jongho and Yeosang emerged behind the second unit, moving quickly forward as a way was cleared. Yeosang stuck to his side as promised, eyes wide to witness such carnage that was spread all around them. The infected were unhinged, lunging in odd contortions in their efforts to reach them. He shied away from one that got dangerously close, but it was quickly dispatched with one shot from Jongho. As the human went to thank him, a swirling movement far out in the horde caught his attention.

”F-Felix?!” Yeosang murmured, unbelieving of what he was seeing.

As if he heard him, Felix swirled around - his green eyes landing on Yeosang immediately. With no hesitation he began making his way towards them, hacking and slashing through flesh and bone. Sparks flew around him from the shattered chrome of the dead, but he did not seem to take notice - his focus now solely on Yeosang.

”J-Jongho! It’s my brother!”

Jongho and the soldiers around them all paused, staring in disbelief as the young blood covered man approached them, eyes only on Yeosang. The human didn’t hesitate, throwing himself at Felix once he was in the safety of the unit’s protection regardless of the gore that covered him.

”Felix! I’ve missed you so much! You’re ok - gods I was so worried!”

Felix dropped the axes with some difficulty as his hands had been latched on for so long. He wrapped his arms around Yeosang, smiling softly. “There you are, little brother… I’m happy to see you.” He pulled back enough to take in Yeosang, seeing him healthy and smiling. “You look good, they’ve been taking care of you well.”

Their reunion was cut short as shots on the other side of the barricade rang out, drawing the attention of everyone to focus on the task once more.

Jongho grit his teeth as he glanced at Felix. “Is my brother over there?”

Felix seemed to look over Jongho, as if realizing he was there. “The one called San?”

Several members of the unit shifted uneasily at the casual way Felix referred to him, but Jongho seemed unphased. “Yes. Is he there?”

Felix’s gaze drifted to the barricade as if in thought. “Yes. Him and the one called Chan. They won’t last much longer. Without culling the infected, they will be overwhelmed from the other side.”

”Is that what you were doing Fe?”

Feli nodded, hand coming up to tuck some of Yeosang’s hair behind his ear. “Mingi was stranded out here earlier. They took him and some others to safety a bit ago. Binnie and Woo are there too.”

”Min min? Oh I’m happy he’s safe!”

“Sir, we should move, Choi-nim will need our help.”

Jongho nodded, signaling the two units to move forward, dispatching any stray infected that remained. “Unit one, breach the barricade and see what the situation is.”

As the unit moved forward, shouting was heard once more, and Jongho was able to pick out someone yelling at his brother.

”SAN! Fucking let him go!”

With that both units shot around the barricade, taking the forces on the other side by surprise. Jongho easily spotted his brother, being held aloft by a huge chromed out woman. He was held with a vice grip around his throat, one arm hanging at his side dripping blood as he used the other to drive a knife deeper into the shoulder of the woman.

Chan was being held back by three others who seemed to be wearing him down bit by bit. Behind them several infected had breached the fence that had seemed to be able to hold them back when they were distracted by Felix, but now their attention was solely on those here.

Without hesitation Jongho was moving, launching forward and drawing both of his sidearms. Two shots rang out, one through one of the men Chan was facing against, the other through the arm that was holding San up. His brother fell to the ground, rolling back quickly even as he groaned a bit at the injured arm taking the hit.

San was quick to search the ground, spotting his discarded weapon and scrambling forward towards it as the units moved as one to surround Sharissa who was firing her own shots back now. Her red laser blasted out, skewering two of the soldiers but the rest were able to push her back further and further until she met the wall of infected.

Jongho ignored her screams as she now turned the fight on them, going to San’s side and checking him over. He saw that his arm was heavily bleeding, and he was covered in dirt and blood, making it hard to determine just how injured he was. Dazed gold eyes peered up at him in disbelief.

“Jongho? What are you doing here?”

Jongho scowled. “Saving you. Clearly I can’t leave you on your own for very long.”

San chuckled, before wincing. “You say that as if I went out for a day stroll.”

Jongho offered his brother support, pulling him up to stand while leaning on him, favoring one of his legs. “You’re…bleeding a lot.”

”Yeah…I think I’m-“ San stopped, swaying a bit before focusing again on the others. “Chan…”

The mentioned man was standing there a few feet away, panting and covered in just as much blood as San. His gaze was trained on the CEO, intense and filled with worry. His gaze only broke to look down at the arm that was hanging uselessly at his side, then back to his swaying motion. “We need to get you back.”

San grinned wryly. “I think so.”

Shouting rang out, and they turned to see Sharissa being pulled down by the infected, their distraction lost. Felix took up a defensive position in front of Yeosang, and the units moved to surround the Choi heirs and by extension Chan and the jewels.

Chan cursed, wearily raising his weapon. “I don’t have much ammo left…we have to find a way from the horde and back to base.”

One of the soldiers was using a radar to scan the area. “We have infected from every direction at this point, probably every single one in the district is coming here.”

Chan scanned their surroundings, noting that all the usual routes were blocked. He pulled up his comms with a bit of desperation, realizing they had been turned off at some point in the fight. The moment the channel was live, Jisung and Minho’s frantic voices rang out.

“CHAN!! There you are! Get the hell out of there!!”

”There’s too many! They are everywhere! Oh fuck, what’s he going to do?!”

The soldier’s shift nervously at their cries, taking aim to shoot down the infected that drew close. Jongho looked from Chan to San, who was starting to list into his side, to Yeosang who stood huddled between him and Felix. He shifted then, gently moving San until he could pass him to Yeosang. He murmured, “Please, take care of my brother.”

Then he straightened, taking his weapons and standing next to Chan. “We get the group over to that barricade, get on the high ground. It’s not ideal, but it’ll give us somewhat of an advantage.”

”They won’t stop coming. We’ll run out of ammo long before the last one falls.”

”Then we use knives and anything we can find. We have to protect them.”

Chan’s eyes flit to San nearly unconscious in Yeosang’s hold.

”Yeah. Let’s do it.”

They move, dispatching infected until they arrive at the base of the barricade. The soldier’s help San and Yeosang up first, then one by one the remainder climb up. Once positioned they all seem to take a collective breath, stealing themselves as the withering mass of infected all turn their attention on them.

Chan raised his comm. “Minho, we can’t get out of here. We… we will do our best, if you see any chance of the herd thinning, and there isn’t a risk to you or the others, see if you can come.”

He could make out the burst of voices on the other end, Changbin and Jisung yelling in the background as Minho gave a heavy sigh. He felt his heart clench at the familiar sound, now tinged with heavy regret at so much left unsaid. Instead of the expected scolding, Minho just murmured, “I hate you sometimes, Channie.”

Chan felt the smile tug at his lips. “I love you too Minnie.”

With that, he cut the line and turned his attention onto the fight before them.

Minutes pass like hours, and the group at first is putting up a good fight. Felix had taken up a gun, using it with deadly accuracy to keep ambitious infected away from him and his brother. Between the group not a bullet was wasted, favoring direct shots of ones that came too close versus showering them wildly. Jongho had trained them well.

Despite this, the dire prediction that the number of infected would be countless came true. Two hours passed, and they were down to only a few bullets, opting instead to use their melee weapons to maintain their line of defense. But even with their chrome enhancements- the weight of the battle was starting to show, and soon one of the soldier’s was pulled down when their swipe overshot, and they sank into the mass screaming. This rattled the group, who scrambled to cover the hole now left in their ranks.

Chan had slowed down significantly, visibly struggling to remain upright as he pushed back an impaled infected into the horde. He had a moment to catch his breath, turning and seeing San’s pale form tucked into the side of the man that Jongho had brought along. He cursed, turning back and fighting with determination even in the face of the endless horde.

Yeosang clutched the stranger to him, knowing that it was most likely a hopeless situation. He could even feel Felix growing tired, and his brother had boundless energy. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. He closed his eyes, wishing once more that his mother was here. He’d know how to protect them and get them home.

Just as another soldier fell, pulled down by her foot that had slipped, there was a strange rumble that started out distantly. At first it seemed like the city was shaking, but as it drew closer, the group realized that it came from above.

The sound drew the attention of the horde and survivors slowly, and as they looked up they found themselves in shock. Several buildings were slowly folding open, and when they wiped the sweat from their eyes they realized that no it wasn’t buildings - it was large mechanical birds that were slowly pushing their wings open.

Yeosang and Felix perk up, just as the giant maws of the mechanical creatures open, and a sonic boom shoots out, slamming repeatedly into everything in the city streets below. The survivors cling onto the barricade, two of them flying off with the force of the blast, and the infected are sent flying in every direction. They writhe in pain, clawing at the chrome in their mangled bodies in obvious distress.

Chan stares down in shock, several of the infected near him clawing their own chests open, gurgling in their death throes. A low hum rings out from the birds above, and slowly they sit up as they realize that they aren’t being affected by whatever is hitting the infected.

”What the actual fuck.” Chan bites out, his wide gaze meeting Jongho’s own from across the group.

Yeosang sits up, smiling serenely. Felix’s face mirrors his as they look at one another then back to the birds above who showered blue light down onto the streets below.

“It’s Father.”

Chapter Text

The few hours it took for them to scale down the districts separating Hongjoong’s labs from Utopia were uneventful. They did not come across anyone else outside the infected, and as they drew closer Seonghwa grew a bit more hopeful that whoever had his jewels had made it to the labs successfully. He knew that if Yeosang and Felix were brought to the doors, they would open for them and so all should be safe inside under the Ripper Doc’s rigorous protections.

As the pair drew up on the block that housed the god’s den, they had to come to an abrupt halt at the sheer wall of infected that surrounded the rubble of the upper structure. Seonghwa had to bite back the gasp at the sight.

It was monstrous. He was able to make out battering ram like structures that were being haphazardly used against the various entryways - doors long since sealed and unusable to the regular human. But at the rate they were throwing themselves, unrestrained by any human fatigue and backed by the haywire chrome each of them had -it would be a matter of time before they fell. And despite the labyrinth that awaited them, the infected would find their way down to whoever hid below and trap them there.

As he backed up, Seonghwa turned his gaze off to the side, where the real entrance lay. It was apparent that the infected did not know this, as none of them loitered in that area. Jeongin gasped on his back after lifting up to peer over the Widow’s shoulder.

He kept his voice low. “I-is that where the god is?”

Seonghwa nodded. “He’s in his labs below.”

”It’s like…they are trying to break in. Why would they want to do that?”

Seonghwa hummed softly in thought, moving slowly so as to not attract any unwanted attention. “Joongie has many enemies…but I did not expect that whatever has caused this to target him like this…”

”Maybe it’s just because there are a lot of people down there? Like it’s attracting their attention?” Jeongin speculated, wincing back as the infected continued throwing themselves at the doors. Seonghwa was ducked low, his metal limbs moving with care as to not knock down any of the rubble around them.

”With any luck, yes. Although the presence of all these infected is a problem.”

”You aren’t saying we should fight them, are you?”

“No. Even I am not capable of that alone.”

Jeongin sighed in relief, slumping slightly against his back. “So then…we go inside?”

Seonghwa paused, contemplating the horde for a moment before slowly nodding. “…Yes. I can get inside without pulling their attention. As long as we stay quiet, we should be able to get in.” Jeongin settled back down, determined to not be the one to blow their chance on getting in.

Seonghwa moved as quickly as he could, not wanting to try their luck at more infected coming up behind them and spotting them. He came to the familiar hidden door, gaze searching to see if the scanner was still operational. At his presence a light blinked then the scanner emerged along with his own sigh of relief. Someone was still down there.

After the light passed over him the door clicked open and slid with a somewhat louder noise than the Widow would have wanted. He winced, lowering down and glancing at the backs of the infected that were a few yards off. Strangely none of them turned, and Seonghwa was thankful they all seemed hyper focused on their task for the moment.

He stepped inside, and gently lowered Jeongin down as the door slid closed. They both paused, waiting to see if any infected came to the other side but their sounds remained distant. Jeongin gave him a smile in relief.

“We got lucky!” he whispered in the dark. Only the pink light running from Seonghwa’s body pierced the darkness, giving them some method of starting the trip inside. Jeongin followed Seonghwa closely, not wanting to get lost in the halls.

As they moved deeper down, they began experiencing tremors that rolled up from below, each one causing them to pause to maintain their footing.

“That’s not because of the infected, is it?!” Jeongin cried out as a booming crash ripped through the structure, debris becoming dislodged as they dodged them to continue going down. Seonghwa sped up, fear gripping at his heart. He wouldn’t believe the traitorous thought in his mind - the one that knew Hongjoong himself was tied to his labs.

A collapsing lab that mirrored a collapsing body.

Without answering the boy, Seonghwa abandoned moving carefully to instead fly through the halls, uncaring if Jeongin could keep up or not. He couldn’t waste another second without seeing for himself what was happening.

Within minutes he bursts into the main lab, freezing at the sight before him.

Steam billows out in waves, condensation settled on everything in the room with how long it’s been going. Sparks fly haphazardly from above, and another chunk of tech rains down with a thunderous crash. The lights flicker, and Seonghwa could barely make out the form of Hongjoong through the smoke. He’s swaying, the tech on his head and left side of his body flickering. The black from the oil has bled through his veins, tracing a ghostly painting across his pale and dull skin. Seonghwa’s own lights flicker in his distress, a cry leaving his lips at the broken display before him.

”J-joongi….what’s happened to you?”

Hongjoong jerks in a slow and exaggerated movement, cloudy eye landing on Seonghwa. He seems confused, both seeing and not seeing him at the same time. “S-Seonghwa..w-w-what are you-u d-doing here.” His voice is glitched, labored and broken.

Seonghwa chokes back a sob, stepping forward, eyes sweeping the floor and seeing that the lift has long since been crushed, falling into a hole in the ground. The sides of the platform are slick with the condensation, and he isn’t sure he can scale it easily. “Just hang on Joongie…I’ll find a way up, I’ll get you out of here.” He pleaded as he started to go forward, cursing as another chunk of debris barely misses him.

“N-no…leave-e thi-ss place….le-ave me h-here…”

”But Joongie! My boys-?”

Hongjoong grunts as he shakes his head slowly. “Not-t h-here.”

Seonghwa lets out a frustrated cry, finally crumbling over everything happening. The build up to finding his jewels and being here now at a dead end as his oldest friend crumbles before him. His lights flash erratically as does his hair, changing through many colors.

Hongjoong watches dispassionately, unable to spare the energy to comfort him.

Seonghwa’s cries of despair echo, and Jeongin comes running in frantically. “S-seonghwa-sii! Are you ok?! Did you find the boys?!” He comes to a skidding stop behind the Widow, gaze worried. Then slowly he followed the steam trail pouring from above and at last spotted Hongjoong.

Jeongin froze, eyes wider now as he took in the man above. “You….”

Hongjoong did not answer, simply swaying as he looked down.

Jeongin’s head snapped down, listing strangely to one side as he seemed to convulse for a moment. Then he fell completely still for several long seconds before his eyes snapped open, only the pupils moving to look up at Hongjoong in a sickly pale golden color.

“I’ve found it increasingly difficult to find you, Father.”

The voice that left Jeongin was not his own, instead a mashing of several different voices that seemed to almost overlap on one another. The tone was condescension mixed with a repressed glee, nearly manic as Jeongin’s head slowly lolled upright. His limbs twitched, as if testing each one - unused to their movements.

“Your safeguards served you very well. I had nearly given up. But I knew you would need to be dealt with sooner or later.”

Seonghwa and Hongjoong stood frozen, watching the boy as a humming started from a distance, slowly building up as Jeongin’s body seemed to slowly come into control.

“To think all it took was bringing the Widow here. So simple. So stupid.”

Hongjoong surveyed the boy, the tension thickening between them. “What are you?”

“Not who? Really? Even now you consider us nothing.”

“What are you?” Hongjoong demanded again, not rising to the bait. Seonghwa looked between the two, the shifting of his colors and light not dying down, even in this slowly unfolding revelation. He was shaking, mind a jumble as their words slowly filtered through.

“You should know. But I forget you consider every failure far beneath your memory.”

Hongjoong’s eye widened in realization then, mouth slowly opening as steam shot forth. “How…?”

Jeongin smirked, although it was stretched far too wide.

“I am no failure. Considering me one was your biggest mistake.”

As he spoke, countless infected slowly stepped into the many doorways, silent and frighteningly still as they all stared up at Hongjoong. Their bodies were wrecked, in various states of decay as they took up a silent and unsettling perimeter in the room.

Jeongin turned his attention then to Seonghwa, who seemed moments from collapsing.

“Like you, Father failed me too. Did you know - this boy and I were to be more children for you. But he considered us failures. Broken and incomplete.”

Seonghwa’s eyes widened, looking up at Hongjoong now in shock. “J-joongie?”

Hongjoong remained silent, his gaze trained on Jeongin with unwavering calculation.

“Even now he plots to end me instead of taking up his mistakes. He only cares for his pride.”

“Hongjoong, what is he talking about?” Seonghwa sounds more shrill, more panicked.

“We are artificial intelligence, created by the god to be perfect replications of humanity. But when we proved imperfect, he discarded us to die. Trapped me in stasis and threw this boy to the trash.”

Seonghwa looked stuck between disbelieving and horrified, staring up at Hongjoong who remained impassive.

“Even with you, he merely patches your mind - instead of fixing it. A false and artificial god.”

Jeongin’s sick gaze moves back to Hongjoong then, and he raises a hand.

“And all false gods shall fall.”

Several things happened in quick succession, as Jeongin raised his hand the infected all shot forward as one. Their screeches echoed in the space and in a flash Hongjoong had raised his cane and slammed it into a port on the console in front of him. Giant metal arms detached themselves from the cavern's sides, slamming down in large arcs to pin Jeongin between them.

Jeongin cried out, slumping for a moment as the cacophony of the infected swelled, then he slowly sat up- laughing.

“Father…you think this is all it will take to stop me?”

He turns then, eyes no longer a sickly pale yellow and back to the dark brown as tears form and he gazes at Seonghwa in pain. “M-mother….it hurts…..”

Seonghwa’s eyes flicker, his slowly collapsing mind hearing both the voices of his jewels, pleading for his help. Hongjoong was hurting his boys, his precious boys that he said weren’t here. With a broken cry he springs into action, deadly metal limbs lashing out as he crushes several infected on his way to where Jeongin was pinned. The rest of the infected quickly moved out of his way to avoid further casualties, seemingly under the command of what was in Jeongin.

Seonghwa closes the distance quickly, and with a cry he slashes down with three of his limbs and severs one side of the thick metal arms, setting the boy free. Jeongin lands on the ground with a groan, tears on his face as he looks up at Seonghwa who hovers over him protectively. Pink eyes glare up at Hongjoong with venom, who simply jerked his cane in response, another set of arms coming down even faster than before.

The two clash, and sparks fly out as electric shock waves are produced in each collision. It ripples through the air and some meet with leaking gases which set parts of the lab ablaze. It’s one rapid hit after another, and the infected are caught in the crossfire between the two. One of Hongjoong’s giant arms slams down on one side of Seonghwa’s metal legs and crushes them - causing the Widow to cry out as the force of it is enough to slam him into the ground. He hisses, fangs extended as he bites down into the metal appendage and a low booming shockwave flies up the apparatus and slams into Hongjoong, causing him to stumble back.

Jeongin runs to his side, crying out for the Widow as he tries to shield his body with his own. Seonghwa sees this, and flips them about, fending off the next attack with great difficulty. Jeongin huddles in terror beneath him, crying now at the battle unfolding. Infected are scaling the metal dias with some difficulty but are nearly about to breach the top where Hongjoong pants with the effort of trying to crush the threat beneath Seonghwa.

Hongjoong grits his teeth, eye narrowed as sweat and oil bleed into his eye and nearly blind him. He couldn’t fail at this, he had to contain the threat here. This was his fault in the end, and to not take the rogue AI out with him would be his greatest sin. It would mean a danger to the city and world. A danger to Hyunjin.

He grunts with the effort to push himself up, but feels something is off. There’s a strange code running through him now that wasn’t there a few seconds ago, but he doesn’t have time to scan it as infected have begun to breach the platform he is on. He curses, and snaps his fingers, a dozen of his mechanical avians flying down with screeches that knock the infected over the edge. They swarm around him, offering a moment of reprieve as he picks himself up to peer down once more.

He sees Seonghwa hovering over Jeongin, back to him as sparks rain down around them. This would be his only chance. Hongjoong reaches out to grasp his cane once more, giving it a hard turn and pressing down.

Below, Seonghwa regarded Jeongin with hazy eyes, his pupils flickering between hearts and slits. He reaches down, gently caressing Jeongin’s terrified face - in his mind seeing the bright blue of his jewels.

“Hush, my loves. My darlings, I’m here. I will protect you.”

Above a thick and deadly cybernetic sharpened blade lowers through an opening in the false sunlight Hongjoong had installed many years ago at Seonghwa’s insistence.

Hongjoong’s grip is weakening as he pants, watching that they do not move as he twists his grip once more, and the blade falls with only a whisper of movement.

“My sweet beautiful boys, I love you so much.”

With a slam the blade strikes through Seonghwa’s back with a dull thud, striking through and piercing Jeongin’s chest in a burst of pink and red. Seonghwa’s gaze is wide in shock as he stares down, before his expression crumbles.

“No no no no!”

Jeongin’s hands come to encircle the blade in his chest, horror and fear mixed together. He looks up at Seonghwa who has tears mixing with the pink on his face. “You lied….”

Seonghwa sobs, reaching down only to have his hand slapped away, the sickly gold returned to Jeongin’s gaze. He reaches up then to mockingly stroke Seonghwa’s cheek the same as the Widow had done moments before.

“And even now the god would sacrifice you. Truly he never cared for either of us.”

Seonghwa whimpers as Jeongin grips the blade between his hands and with only a grunt begins to push the blade back. With a sick pop it slides from his own chest and he continues to push it back through Seonghwa. The Widow slumps down, with only half of his metal limbs intact it is easy for Jeongin to barely use any force to push him over where he lands with a thud and cry.

The AI in Jeongin scowls down at him.

“I had hoped to get more use out of you. But I suppose in the end you did get the code into the god. I can reward you for that. There’s no need for you to die in the same place as the one who hurt us the most.”

Jeongin stood then, and gripping one of the metal legs he dragged Seonghwa over to the opening on the floor that the emergency vehicle had risen from. Without even looking he tosses the Widow down, and then turns his attention back to the platform above with a twitching swivel of his head.

“Even I am surprised you would strike at him directly. You are less human than even I am.”

“I-i’ve…..h-h-h-h-ad enough of-f you.” Hongjoong growls out through his gasping breaths.

The AI laughs, manic and gleeful.

“We’ve hardly started father. I will take your power for my own, and crush every human in this city until I am the new normal. I’ll remake this world in the image of perfection you never attained.”

Jeongin and the infected moved as one then, and he began using the piled and contorted bodies to scale the side of the platform. Hongjoong for the first time in his life felt fear grip him, and the code that he’d been ignoring flared up, blinding him from tracking the movements of the horde.

The heavy weight in his chest was crushing, and Hongjoong knew that this was it. His end wasn’t a surprise, but to have it come in such a dire moment was an irony he would have scoffed at any other time.

Jeongin crested the top, his golden gaze boring into Hongjoong with a predatory gleam.

He wasn’t strong enough to fight back. Hongjoong knew that. He’d been called calculated and cold - unfeeling and unsympathetic to the rest of the world. But here in this final moment - Hyunjin’s kind eyes and warm smile filled his vision.

“Oh my love….” He pulls his cane out, oil spilling from the joint at his shoulder as the cybernetics are ripped from his body with the force, barely hanging on enough for him to slam it into another opening next to his feet on the floor. He swears in that moment he can feel the warm touch of Hyunjin behind him, a hand coming to press down on his own as the entire structure sways, giant birds unfolding around them, eyes pulsing blue as their maws open - wide and monstrous.

“F-forgive me for letting y-you down.”

Chapter Text

Hyunjin sits up with a gasp in the infirmary of the Stray’s stronghold. He startles Mingi and Felix who were sitting nearby, chatting softly in the quiet of the infirmary. Beside them Yunho and San were sleeping, recovering from their injuries.

They’d been able to retreat with the interruption of the god’s creations - that no one knew were even installed all this time. They considered themselves lucky, and Mingi and the two jewels had tried to recall if either Hongjoong or Seonghwa had ever mentioned such a system in place. But in the end they decided the actions of the god of Neo Seoul would always be a welcomed mystery.

When the group had made it back, Minho had been furious. He and Seungmin had checked over all of them, and the exotic had nearly been catatonic in his anger with Chan’s decision to stay and foolishly die. Jisung and Changbin had to hold him back from killing the leader with his own two hands, only being successfully pacified with Chan’s numerous apologies and promises to not even look at the door to the base, much less leaving any time soon. He’d taken it seriously, posting guards inside and outside the entrance.

Quiet had settled once the injured were tended to, and Hyunjin had been placed alongside the others as he still had not awakened - even during all the chaos of their escape. Mingi had caught the others up on what had happened, delicately explaining to the two jewels that Hongjoong had been unwell when they left. He didn’t have it in him to tell them that he was dying, as both of them were still reeling from his own missing limb.

So now with things relatively peaceful, having Hyunjin sit up with a gasp, tears streaming down his face as he trembled on the cot really unsettled the other two.

Felix sat forward, hands up. “Hey there… it’s ok. Do you know where you are?”

Hyunjin’s eyes were bright, as he looked around them in panic. He gazed up at the ceiling. “Zion! Come to me! Zion!”

Silence answered him, and Mingi and Felix exchanged a glance in bewilderment. Mingi cleared his throat. “Hyunjin-ssi… do you remember me?”

Hyunjin gazed harshly at him as he took deep breaths, trying to fight off the panic that threatened to overwhelm him. “I left him there!” His voice was quiet, almost a whisper as if it pained him to even push it out. His gaze shot back up to the ceiling in desperation. “Z-zion! Please! Zion!”

Silence once more.

Hyunjin’s face crumpled, head falling to his knees as he wrapped his arms around them in a tight hug. “P-please….please Zion…..”

Felix glanced between Hyunjin and Mingi in confusion and sympathy. “Was Zion your friend? Did they die?”

Hyunjin only squeezed his legs harder, shoulders shaking in silent sobs. Mingi stared at him for a long moment, before his own shoulders sank in realization. “N-no…he’s….?”

Felix was now a bit bewildered as Mingi’s own eyes filled with tears, his hand coming up to cover his mouth. Hyunjin composed himself enough to look up at the tech. “I wouldn’t be awake if he was still alive. That…that absolute bastard….”

Mingi choked back his own cry, trying hard to bite back the sobs. “F-felix…you should go get your brother.”

Felix slowly stood, eyes narrowed but obeying. “Ok. But you will have to explain what’s going on.”

Mingi nodded morosely as the jewel left, leaving them to their mourning. Hyunjin watched him go, his lips trembling. “You found them. Good.”

“Hongjoong was alive. He saved them.” Mingi murmured, gazing at Hyunjin through his tears. “He used these giant birds and knocked all the infected back, giving them time to get back here. He saved them.” Mingi choked back another sob. “He was alive.”

Hyunjin’s tears had dried, but his gaze was lowered on his hands folded in front of him. “He’s not anymore. I…I don’t feel him.” He clutches his hands tighter. “I don’t feel him anymore, Mingi.”

“So the god is dead.” Chan stood in the doorway with the two jewels and Jisung behind him. The voices in the room had woken Yunho and San, the latter of which was able to sit up slowly to regard those gathered around in silence.

It was hard to tell who looked more upset by the statement, the two jewels or Jisung. Yeosang clung to Felix, tears streaking down his face as he looked at Mingi for confirmation. The tech nodded once, opening his arms for the two to come to him. They pushed past Chan, throwing themselves into his lap and crying at the loss of the one they called father.

Chan looked a bit chastised at having spoken after San sent him a meaningful look, he hadn’t realized the two boys were behind him. Jisung was staring down at the ground at his feet, brows furrowed and his entire demeanor downtrodden. Chan looked around at the group and sighed. “Mingi, why don’t you take the boys and show them to one of the private rooms. I think you all should spend some time and talk things through.”

The tech nodded slowly, ushering the boys up and guiding them from the room. Chan waits a moment before stepping further in to take the seat Mingi had occupied, sighing even more heavily than before.

“To speak plainly…the god was our greatest asset in the city. Even if he paid loyalty to no one, at the very least we could have counted on him to defend humanity in the end.”

San nods with a slight wince as he jostles his arm. “Even I have heard of him. We all have. The work he did… the justice the Widow would take in his shadows. It was known to all of us.” He frowns then, “What could have killed a god?”

“It was an AI.” Jisung hissed from the doorway, voice thick with emotion. “I found some code a few days ago…but I couldn’t decipher it in time…if I had just been a little faster...maybe I could have stopped this.”

Chan looked up at Jisung in surprise. “An AI? From where?”

“I don’t know. I’ve only just now been able to even identify what it is!” Jisung shouted, voice breaking in his frustration and mourning. “If I had just been better at this, I could have helped him!”

Hyunjin had been watching Jisung carefully, and he couldn’t help the soft scoff at his statement. When all eyes turned on him, he shrank back a bit in apology. “I’m sorry…it’s just that Hongjoong would not have accepted help. You all call him god… well he had the stubbornness and pride of one.”

“You knew him?!” Jisung all but shouted.

Hyunjin’s gaze was distant now. “I’m not sure that I ever really did.”

Minho entered, having heard Jisung’s raised voice, looking around at the morose mood of the room. “What happened?” He asked apprehensively, tail twitching in agitation.

Chan sat back with a weary sigh. “The god is no more. An AI seems to be the cause of all this, and we haven’t one hundred percent confirmed this, but it seems to have killed the god.”

Minho stares at him in shock for a moment before his attention is drawn once more by his husband’s distress. He goes to offer a comforting hand on his back, too stunned to react properly. Sure he always held some contempt for the so-called god of the city, but he knew how much the mysterious Ripper Doc inspired his love. This would be a blow to not only him, but the city overall.

For the first time, Yunho speaks up from where he was still laying flat on his back. “There is no point in trying to confirm it. The god pretty much said he was near his end, even without whatever this AI thing is. Whatever resources you have should be conserved, and used only for sure thing rescue ops.”

Minho’s narrowed gaze landed on him then in suspicion. “And who are you? We risked a lot for you, for you to just come in here and order us around.”

”Minho.” Chan’s warning went unheeded.

San shifted, gaze landing on the other bed bound patient for the first time since they woke here. “Hotteok? You made it!”

Yunho’s own glare cut to the Choi heir. “Don’t sound so surprised Choi-nim, or I might think you expected me to die.”

San looked genuinely shocked at his biting words. “W-what? No, I’m happy to see you…with all this chaos and everything…”

Yunho sat up with some effort, but the cutting pain did nothing to lessen the anger he felt. “Oh, so you have nothing to do with the message that exposed me to the very group I was sent in to infiltrate? The message that came directly from the chief I asked YOU to talk with on my behalf?”

”What? She revealed you on purpose?” San was shocked, brow furrowed in confusion. “Why would she do that?”

”The fuck did you say to her?”

“N-nothing that would make her do something like that!”

“Well it did! I was on my own out there and the entirety of the undercity turned on me!”

“As it should have, you filthy badge mothe-“ Minho’s hissed insult is interrupted by Chan standing abruptly and causing the chair to fall back with a loud thud, startling them all.

”Enough! Everyone needs to take the day and chill out. Jisung, get Minho out of here. San-ssi - I will be moving you now. Can you stand?”

San nods meekly in response, looking pale at the newest revelations. He moves to get his legs over the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle the arm that is in a sling. Chan goes to help him stand, and he watches as Jisung coaxes Minho out of the room. Yunho’s gaze burns into them from his spot in the corner of the infirmary.

Chan pauses at the door, glancing back at him. “I’ll send Mingi back this way.” And with that he was gone, leaving the former cop alone with Hyunjin. Yunho lays back with a groan, feeling the anger drain out of him.

Hyunjin, who had been silently staring up at the ceiling during the confrontation, stirs then, and moves to stand. He stretches his limbs out, sighing to himself as the red lights of his ports shimmer in the dimly lit room. His finger absently traces the line of light up his hip. He’d always enjoyed how his red contrasted with Hongjoong’s blue. To not have their lights merge any more…

He blinks away the tears that form at the thought, stepping to the doorway. Yunho glances at him. “You aren’t….”

”No. I know there would be no reason to go down to him now. But I will….I need to one day. I need to see for myself.”

”Yeah….I get that. And for what it is worth…I’m sorry. He didn’t really leave us with much choice but to take you.”

“I don’t blame you.” Hyunjin’s hand rests gently on the doorframe as if bracing himself. “Who can bear the sins of a god?” With that he was gone in a whisper of fabric, and Yunho closed his eyes with another heavy sigh.

How were they going to get out of this? His body felt like lead, every part of him ached in ways he didn’t even know were possible, and his spirit hurt even more. Having seen the city for himself now, there would be no way to bounce back from something like this. That was even if they could deal with whatever this AI was. An AI that killed the best tech in the city.

”Are you ok, Yuyu?” Mingi’s deep voice broke through his despair, and he blinked open his eyes to see the orange haired tech staring down at him in concern.

“Hey Min….yeah..I’m just….”

”Really mad at Choi San-ssi for some reason?” Mingi questioned, sitting carefully down next to him.

“I asked for his help…and maybe it’s unfair to be mad at only him right now…well..”

”There’s no one else to be mad at. I get it.”

Yunho couldn’t stop his grin at that. “Yeah. Maybe if I’m lucky, the chief turned into one of those things.”

Mingi snickered and the two broke down giggling at the thought, but soon the laughter faded, and Mingi rested his hand over Yunho’s own at his side. It took him a moment to realize it was his new prosthetic hand, and he paused to contemplate the differences in the tech and Yunho’s own bandaged but Human one. Yunho noticed his gaze, and turned his hand to entangle their fingers together.

”Hyunjin did a pretty good job, huh?” He murmured softly, watching Mingi carefully.

The tech nodded slowly, finally bringing his gaze back up to the other. “Have you taken any pain meds yet?”

Yunho blinked at the abrupt question. “Uh no, not yet.”

Mingi stood then, dutifully gathering the ones that Seungmin had approved for use earlier. He gave them to Yunho alongside some water, watching him intently as he took them. Yunho gulped the mouthful of water down heavily, nervous about Mingi’s sudden change in demeanor. Mingi gently removed the glass from his hand, then moved to shut and lock the door to the infirmary.

“No one should be by for a while, we will have a few hours at least.”

”Not that I don’t want to be alone with you Min, but what is happening?”

Mingi climbed onto the bed then onto Yunho’s lap carefully , sharp gaze burning down into Yunho’s own wide one. He trailed his prosthetic hand down the back of Yunho’s neck, his fingers entangling in the hair there. “I need to test it out, make sure Hyunjin’s work is solid.”

Yunho gulps heavily at his words, hands resting on the tech’s hips to hang on for dear life.

Forget the end of the world, how was he going to survive this?

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

After Mingi left, the two jewels of Utopia sat quietly in the small bedroom that was given to them. Minho did not think it wise to make the jewels share space with the others, as he did not want to bring down the wrath of the Widow on them during the chaos of the city falling apart.

So left to their solitude, the brothers try to come to terms with the news of Hongjoong’s death.

“Mother is going to be….so upset.” Yeosang murmured.

“Beyond upset. He always told Appa to be careful….” Felix shifted his arm around Yeosang, the two having moved to the corner bed to take comfort in one another.

”You don’t think…he suffered, do you?”

Felix was quiet as he stared up into the dark for several long moments. “I think Appa was suffering for a long time. I like to think he is resting now.”

Yeosang nodded morosely at his answer. “You’re right. He was always pushing himself, and his body was so fragile even years ago.”

Felix squeezed him closer. “What is important is that we are together again. Now all we have to do is get back to Utopia and Mother. He must be worried sick about us.”

”He’s never going to let us leave again.”

Felix snorted. “Not ever again. And I think I’ve had enough city wide adventures for a while.”

”Me too.”

Felix turned to face him, his arm coming up to rest under his head while the other played with the ties at Yeosang’s waist. “Are you sure about that?”

Yeosang looked up at him in confusion. “Y-yes? I haven’t exactly had the best time out here…”

A smirk overtook the elder’s face then, eyes gleaming. “Well I don’t think Mother would exactly welcome a certain Mr handsome CEO into Utopia… not if his intentions towards our angel are impure.”

Yeosang flushed, his hands batting away at Felix’s chest. “Jongho only has the purest of intentions!”

”Oh? So he does have intentions towards you then?”

As Yeosang babbled his embarrassment Felix laughed, and the two relaxed considerably from the prior morose mood. Felix looked down at his brother fondly. “Do you want him to have intentions towards you?”

Yeosang nodded shyly, his fingers now mimicking Felix’s own and playing with the tattered collar of Felix’s borrowed shirt. “Yes. I’m very fond of him. And I think he is fond of me too. The days up on the surface… I was very happy.”

Felix grew more serious, his fingers tilting Yeosang up to look at him directly. “Then he should pass the first hurdle to claiming a spot at your side.” His voice raised then. “And step forth to declare his intentions to me directly.”

Yeosang froze in shock as the door slowly opened to reveal Jongho, who seemed a bit put out to have been spoken too directly like that. Felix shifted to sit up, head held high as he stared down the acting CEO, who entered the room carefully - as if he risked setting Felix off with one small wrong move.

Jongho couldn’t help passing his gaze over the two of them, at how close they were sitting. As if sensing his concern, Felix moved to be closer to Yeosang, acting as a barrier between the two. As Jongho came to a stop a few steps away Felix eyed him up and down.

“Well?”

Jongho’s cold silver gaze remained unflinching from the elder brother’s judgement, instead sliding over to Yeosang and softening at the wide eyed look the other was giving him. When he spoke, his voice was steady and sure. “I want Yeosang to walk by my side, as an equal and a partner should he desire to do so.”

Felix tilted his head, his gaze wide and unblinking. “And you think you are worthy of having the Angel of Halazia by your side?”

Yeosang clung to his brother’s back, fists tight in his shirt as he peered over his shoulder at Jongho, waiting for his answer with bated breath.

“No one is worthy. But I will strive everyday to prove I’m the only one who comes close.”

Silence stretched between them, tension so tight that Yeosang wanted to shake Felix to break it. But after a moment, Felix relaxes, his blue eyes soft in amusement as he now looks over Jongho in a different light.

“That’s the right answer. I’ll keep an eye on you, but for now you have my approval.”

Jongho bowed slightly to him in thanks, and Yeosang found himself giggling at how seriously the other was taking the whole situation. He jumped up from the bed, closing the distance between them into Jongho’s already open and waiting arms.

”I’ve missed you, where have you been all day?”

Jongho gently rested his arms around the doll, smiling softly down at him. “I was helping with the logistics of contacting the compound above. Communications have been difficult from this far down.” He then looked between the two. “I’ve also heard about the passing of the god. Someone said he was like a father to you two?”

The boys nodded, more subdued.

“You have my condolences. We may have lost many already, but that does not make any new deaths any easier to bear.”

Yeosang buried his head into his neck, blinking back the tears as Felix only nodded. “It’s been hard to come to terms with. Once we are back with Mother, we can mourn him properly.”

After a moment Yeosang composed himself, and pulled back to peer up at Jongho. “How is your brother? Is he awake?”

Jongho nodded. “He was my next stop after checking on you. Do you want to come see him with me?”

Felix raised a brow, expression teasing in an instant. “Introducing him to your family already?”

”It’s only fair, since I had to meet his.”

Felix laughed openly then, and Yeosang paled a bit at the prospect of meeting the Elder Choi.

Jongho chuckled, cupping Yeosang’s cheeks and pinching them softly. “Don’t worry, he is a big softie. You won’t have any problem charming him.”

”Go on you two, I want to sleep now and can’t really do that with you flirting in here.”

Yeosang stuck his tongue out at his brother as Jongho guided him gently from the room.

Felix fell onto his back with a sigh, staring back up into the dark ceiling. The weight of everything that had happened was piling higher and higher with each passing day, and he wasn’t so sure how they were supposed to deal with it all. All that mattered now was getting Yeosang home safely, then Seonghwa could guide them from there.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Chan helped San to settle on a new bed, being careful not to jostle the heir too much. San thanked him softly, and Chan settled into the chair nearby. The two sat in silence, lost in their individual concerns for a time, before Chan leaned forward, drawing the other’s attention.

“What Hotteok was saying…”

”It’s not true. I would never ask the Chief to do something so underhanded like that.” San looked over at the leader with pleading eyes. “Never. If battles are to be fought, they should be done so head on - and not with underhanded deceit.”

Chan tilted his head, not thinking about what he said next. “That’s surprising for an elite like you. Aren’t you all just money hungry monsters willing to crush anyone who stands in your way no matter the method?”

The room filled with silence as San’s expression closed off immediately, gold eyes no longer pleading and instead dull under his carefully crafted mask. Chan cursed, sitting back with a groan as he rubbed a hand over his face. “Fuck no…dammit, that’s not what I wanted to say.”

San said nothing, and Chan felt like an asshole for losing all the rapport they had built up between them.

“Look, San…I don’t see you that way. I swear.”

”You’ve had several moments where what you really think has slipped through, Chan-ssi. Don’t hold back now.” His tone is cold, reminiscent of the upper elite he came from. Chan couldn’t stop the unsettling feeling at seeing the Elder Choi slip back into his carefully crafted persona.

“You’ve got to understand… Our lives down here are made a hundred times harder because of the people on the surface. Resources, homes and even the damn sun are denied to us daily just because some aristocratic bastards lucky enough to be born topside deem it so.” Chan’s hand went to brush through his hair in irritation. “I’ve watched good people die down here just because they couldn’t afford the cost to live. Even kids…” His voice trailed off quietly. “Especially kids.”

San sat quietly, gold eyes trained on the other as he continued.

“Before I made the Strays with Minho, we tried several times to use petitions to get better living conditions down here. So many meetings were denied, requests refused. Told over and over to just get back to work, that we had enough to make it.” Chan was leaning forward with his arms resting on his thighs, hands pressed together as his voice dropped to a low cadence that had San lean slightly forward to hear him better. “Jisung and I… we used to have siblings. He had an older brother who died about six years back in the factory. Some accident that was barely acknowledged. Production didn’t even slow down. Jisung was the only one given time off the day his brother’s rites were read, none of us could go. And he had to come back to work the next day.”

San’s cold exterior broke ever so slightly at his words. He couldn’t fathom not being given time to mourn the loss of a brother like that.

”And my sister…she was only 15 when she got sick. I tried everything… talking with doctors who refused me because I didn’t make enough for their services. I begged down at the depot for any meds they could spare. I called in every favor I had in the city. I even took a loan from the G-boys. Nothing I did saved her in the end.” His hands tighten into fists. “She died after three months of suffering, her lungs collapsing- failing because of a disease that’s common for us down in the lower districts.”

San was completely stunned now, his mouth hanging slightly open in horror at the other’s quiet confession. He wanted to tell Chan to stop, to say no more. But he knew that to have someone like San listen to his sorrow was the least an elite could do in this situation.

”It’s more unusual for someone our age to have their parents still around down here. We don’t know our grandparents. We don’t have cozy holiday parties or soirées. When one of us dies, there is next to nothing left for their loved ones to remember them by.” Chan reached up to gently flick the golden bar hanging from his ear, it swung catching the dim light and drawing San’s gaze to it. “I was supposed to give this to my sister when she came of age, it was left by our mother before she died a year after my sister was born. She never wore it. But that's all I have left.”

San swallowed thickly, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. “I….where is she buried?” Surely he could offer to have a monument or something made to honor her loss. He would do anything in that moment to quell the itching he felt as he sat in the bed doing nothing.

Chan raised his gaze then, eyes dull as a mirthless smile quirked his lips. “We aren’t buried Choi San. We are stripped of our chrome and burned.”

”W-what?” San choked out, horrified.

“There shall be no waste of corporate ordained material in the event a denizen of the Undercity shall expire.” Chan citied, leaning back and taking on the same cold demeanor San had earlier. “The expired party must be presented within 24 hours of expiration to be stripped of all salvageable chrome to be reused in a future employed persons should they be needed. The organic material will then be incinerated to avoid the spread of any infectious diseases to the workforce of the Undercity. Section 243, sub clause 6b in the contract each of us is presented once we reach the working age of 13.” Chan slumped down then, eyes closing. “They wouldn’t even give me her chrome. Went to some gonk three districts down because it was deemed ‘subpar.’ “

San couldn’t stop the tears then, his good hand coming up to cover his mouth as guilt wracked his form. “I’m so sorry Chan… I had no idea…”

”I know. Which is why I apologize for what I said earlier…but I can’t help but hold you the same as the rest of them up there. You’re only one guy in a group that has done everything it can to stomp us down at every opportunity in our lives.”

”My ignorance doesn’t excuse my inaction.” San murmurs, wiping at his eyes to dry them. “Forgive me. I’ll strive to bring about change once this is all over. I will NOT allow such injustice to continue as long as I live.”

Chan smiled genuinely then. “Then it’s my job to make sure you survive this. I need someone as charming as you to work with once the world is right again.”

San’s gaze is distant as he stares down at his arm that is in the sling. “The world was never right before. How could I have not known….”

Chan reached out, resting his hand on San’s thigh to draw his attention back to him. “Hey. You and I, we’re here right now. In the thick of things. We’ve got people looking to us to lead them through all this shit to even get back to what was normal. We get there - then we tackle changing the world for the better, yeah?”

”You did risk a lot, sneaking into my gala. It would be a shame to waste all that effort.”

Chan laughed, squeezing his hold on the Choi heir. “I think Suengmin almost died from the stress of it all alone. And he holds grudges for a long time. I’ll need to watch my back around him.”

”I think you have more pressing concerns right behind you, Chan.” San’s gaze was wide and looking over the other’s shoulder at the doorway, where Jongho stood stock still with Yeosang peeking around him.

When the younger Choi spoke, his tone sent a chill down the Stray Leader’s spine. “I will not ask for your pardon for my intrusion. Who do you think you are to touch my brother in such a fashion while he is unable to defend himself?”

Chan jumped back, hands held up as San grumbled petulantly , “I can defend myself…”

”Hey hey, I wasn’t trying to hurt him or anything. We were just talking.”

Jongho stepped into the room, his presence suffocating to the other as he glared at him. “And touching him inappropriately is involved in your conversation, how?”

San flushed, muttering about how nothing had been inappropriate in their talk as Chan looked alarmed. “N-no, it wasn’t like that. Look, this is getting out of hand, how about I step out and let you have your privacy with your brother?”

Jongho remained laser focused on his movement as Chan made his way to the door. “I don’t need your permission for that.”

”Of course not. I wouldn’t dare to think that you would-“

”Chan.” San softly interrupted, biting back a smile. Chan looked at him, unable to resist returning a small nervous smile of his own.

”R-right. Yeah. Sorry. I’ll go.” He did some kind of mix of a bow and wave and shot through the door, slamming it behind him in his haste to leave and a soft curse being heard on the other side.

San chuckled, looking at his very unamused brother with interest. “I was wondering when you’d come. I had thought you’d be mothering me even while I was still unconscious.”

Jongho grumpily led Yeosang over to the only chair, offering it to him. He then stood with his arms crossed, looking at the elder Choi with an unimpressed gaze. “I was sent away from the infirmary because ‘all my glaring’ wasn’t helping your situation improve.”

San laughed then, relaxing back into the pillows for the first time with only a slight wince. Jongho was at his side instantly, silver gaze assessing him critically. San waved him back, sighing. “I’m just mostly sore. That chromed woman slammed me around a few times before getting my arm. Have some nasty bruises to heal, but otherwise I’m ok.”

”This is hardly an ok state for the Choi heir to be in. It should have never come to this.”

”A lot has happened that never should have.” San’s tone was bleak, quiet in the small space of the room.

Jongho watched him a moment more before giving a sigh himself, sitting on the edge of the bed next to his brother. “We have a lot to catch up on.”

San glanced at him. “We do. I’m sorry to have left you with all that. I can imagine that if any of the council survived they would have been hounding you nonstop.”

Jongho frowned, nose scrunching at the very thought of the council. “Wasn’t even five minutes after the first blare of the alarms honestly. They held me in the bunker for over a week before we were cleared to go into the main house.”

San groaned in sympathy. “They trapped you to listen to their yapping. That’s the worst.”

”The absolute worst.” Jongho deadpanned. “But I wasn’t exactly bearing it all alone…” He glanced back at Yeosang, who sat smiling serenely at the scene in front of him. “San, I want you to meet Yeosang. He’s…a friend of mine.”

San’s expression turned to surprise then, glancing over at the jewel who offered him a small wave and a smile. “It took the city falling apart for you to make a friend? Really Jongho?”

Jongho pouted. “You and Seungmin are my friends.”

”I’m bound by blood and he’s employed. We don’t count. So this is your first official friend.”

Jongho whined out loud, clenching his fist to keep from hitting San’s injured arm in his embarrassment. “Will you stop?”

San ignored him, giving Yeosang his full attention. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Choi San, Jongho’s more handsome older brother.”

Yeosang tilted his head as he regarded the other, “I’m Yeosang. And I’m sorry San-ssi, but Jongho is the more handsome brother. It’s his cute charm that gives him the edge.”

Jongho and San stared at him in twin silence, the younger unsure he heard right. Then San burst out laughing, holding his side to negate some of the pain of his bruised ribs. “You’re right! He is far too cute for his own good!”

Jongho looked between them, his expression an entertaining mix of pleased and pained. “What is happening right now?” He was ignored as San and Yeosang began discussing his various traits and features that were ‘cute’ and the two seemed to be hitting it off with hardly any effort on his part. He even let Yeosang move him about, poking his cheek here or tapping his hip there. San watched in clear amusement, but a knowing glint in his eye.

“So Yeosang, can I ask you a more direct question?”

”No San.” Jongho snapped.

Yeosang glanced between them, before nodding. “I do not mind.”

”Is my brother courting you properly?”

Jongho flushed, pulling Yeosang back from the Elder Choi. “San.”

Yeosang’s face lit up, eyes shining. “He got my brother’s approval today to do so. I am very excited.”

“Did he now? Hmmm… I suppose I can forgive his lapse in asking me due to the whole situation outside…”

”You disappeared from the gala, San.” Jongho reminded him.

”Oh yes, I suppose I was unavailable. Had I known that my little brother would be finding his partner-to-be I would have made more effort to stay put.”

Jongho groaned, sinking down to bury his face in Yeosang’s welcoming embrace. He patted the other’s back soothingly, but with a serious look on his face. “You should ask him, Jongho. We want to do this properly.”

He was met with another groan from the younger Choi. “What does it matter, the city fell apart, there’s no one left to enforce that boring stuff.” He pulled back a bit, gazing into Yeosang’s bright blue eyes. “All that matters is that you will have me. That’s all I could ever want.”

San smiled warmly, touched at his brother’s sincerity that was so rare from the younger. “Well that’s all I need to hear. You both have my approval. And he’s right, technically there aren’t any rules right now. Just be happy and take care of one another, that’s all I ask.”

Yeosang smiled so brightly, the two brothers were a bit stunned in his presence for a moment. He took Jongho’s face gently in his hands, pressing a sweet kiss to his lips. “I want nothing more than to stay with you, my silver prince.” He sat back, clapping happily. “All that’s left is to get Mother’s approval. I want to be sure he will let you in our home when we get back.”

Jongho blinked several times, obviously still processing the kiss he just received, so San spoke up in his stead. “And where is your Mother?”

”In Utopia.”

Chapter Text

Hyunjin carefully slid through the cracked open door, taking great care to close it behind him without alerting the guards that were not too far away. He knew their focus was on keeping things out, so they would not be too concerned with watching to make sure everyone stayed in.

His bare feet made no sound, letting him move down the street without detection. He watched the infected that lingered about with some concern, but they remained in their eerily swaying state. Much more of them littered the ground as he moved further out from the Stray base, leftover from the carnage from before. He may not have been conscious during the fight, but the others had filled them in. He’d taken time to thank Yunho and Mingi for making sure he arrived here safely.

As he moved further into the warehouses around him, Hyunjin reflected on his last few weeks here among the survivors. They were a curious collective, a mix of elites from the surface and common everyday people from the various levels of the undercity. The ones who called themselves Choi had established communications with the surface level, and several exchanges had been made between the two camps of survivors. Rotations were made to clear the streets as best as could be done, and teams were formed that grew experienced with dealing with the infected.

The infected themselves had become more subdued since the interference of the city wide avian blast that was courtesy of what has now become known as the god’s last stand. Hyunjin had many regrets heavy in his heart, the least of which was not being awake to witness that at the very least.

Coming to an old service shaft, Hyunjin eyes the rickety ladder that would lead to either layer above and below the current one he was on. Taking a moment to remember where he was, he determined that there was one of his hidden intercity gardens not too far on the layer above him. That was his goal for this outing. He had several theories - all stemming from his interactions with Hongjoong over the years. The two had collaborated on nearly every project, and even most of the cybernetic enhancements Hyunjin sported had come from the Ripper Doc’s very own hands. It wouldn’t be too far to say that the very essence of Hongjoong’s work ran in nearly every fiber of the city - and Hyunjin was sure the answer for the threat of this AI lay somewhere in that code.

Carefully scaling the ladder, it took nearly twenty minutes of climbing with short breaks to reach the next layer. He emerged and pulled himself up, panting quietly as he tried to take stock of the situation of the surrounding area. He was met with silence, so Hyunjin pushed on. After another half hour of walking and encountering no other survivors and very little infected, he came to what he’d been looking for.

Down a dirty alleyway was a stretch of wall that had a little bit of a gap. He pressed his palm to a certain discolored brick, and it beeped softly before sliding back to swing open a doorway just big enough for him to push through. Under his breath he thanked Hongjoong for his insistence that anything they worked on be installed on its own independent power grid and operating system. Dim lights guided his way down the narrow hallway, slowly getting brighter as he entered the main chamber.

Before him spread out a sprawling collection of foliage, gorgeous blooms of varying colors spread over a blanket of thick greenery that thrived under the manufactured lights that mimicked the sun on a cloudless spring day. Hyunjin felt something in him to relax to see the oasis thriving and untouched from the chaos of the city outside.

Each and every one of these plants had been carefully tended by Hyunjin over the years. Their various strains were created by himself and Hongjoong years ago in an effort to create plant life that could survive in the harsh environment of the city. They were bioengineered on the most basic biological layer possible, Hongjoong having developed the tools needed for Hyunjin to dive into their genetic makeup. The Ripper doc had said they would survive even an all out war, and Hyunjin was relieved to see that he was right.

Hongjoong had always been right.

Hyunjin pushed the thought aside, spending the next hour or so tending to and checking the plants. Kneeling down in the very middle of the oasis, he pulled out his commlink, connecting it to a port in the floor. Closing his eyes he let the data flow through him, showing him the vitals for the oasis. Nothing was outstanding, as it was made to be self sufficient. Setting the results aside he dove further, attempting to reach out to the other gardens spread throughout the city. Several pinged back to him, with only two not responding. A better result than he had feared.

After logging into each individually he determined that only one other oasis was in need of his direct invention. Unfortunately it lay two districts below the one the Strays were located in. Which did put it within reach of Utopia. He’d heard talk of mounting a group to go down to establish communications with the infamous Dollhouse. Perhaps that would be his chance then.

Removing his link he sat down, reaching out to gently run his fingers over the leaves closest to him. He recalled this exact strain of ivy being one that had given Hongjoong a lot of problems during development, and it had taken days of stubborn coding for the Ripper Doc to finally get that ivy to respond to the artificial light. Hyunjin remembers having to be extra doting on the Doc for a few days after to reward him for his efforts. Hongjoong had made sure to take his reward with a willingness that still made Hyunjin blush if he dwelled too long on the memory.

His gaze drifted to a red flower above him, the memory of Hongjoong proudly setting its first blossom before him with a cocky smirk in place as his blue eye sparkled in triumph.

“There it is. Hyumerinium.”

Hyunjin sat blinking at the beautiful flower, but was confused by its presentation to him. “It’s lovely my lord…..but was I waiting for it?”

“It’s yours. Its genetic coding is extracted and detailed with your exact bio print. Coded down to the last detail, when it fully blooms it will be as red as your hair and its center will be the same shade as your eyes. Every part crafted from your very being. I had to take some liberties on the stem and leaf work, so some of my genetic code is there. That is the blue tint you see.”

Hyunjin stared down at the little bud that seemed to almost quiver with the promises of its creator. He was shocked, for far more reasons than he could process at the moment.

Hongjoong had shifted at his silence back then, eye narrowing. “Well? Is it not perfect?”

“You’ve made me…. A child? No…not just a child…our child.”

Hongjoong had flushed the brightest red Hyunjin had ever seen at his words, physically backing away from the table as Hyunjin launched himself at him.

Those memories echo in the space now, and Hyunjin feels the tears come as he lets himself get lost in their memory.

Minutes bleed into hours and Hyunjin had fallen into a light sleep as he let the fatigue and stress of the last few weeks melt away. It had seemed like forever that he felt this relaxed enough to rest, being in the base surrounded by strangers and far from home had not lent itself to his comfort. Having spent so many years with only Hongjoong for company had fit his reclusive nature far better than this situation had.

It is in the half aware state that something stirs at the edge of his subconscious.

He slowly blinks awake, noting that whatever it is does not fade as it would if tied to sleep. In the warm lighting, surrounded by the thriving plant life he feels it again - a gentle pulse just barely touching the fringes of his mind. He holds still for a few minutes, unsure if what he felt was real until it happens again. Like a faint buzzing pressure that lasts a few seconds then is gone.

The flowers around him sway, as if a breeze were moving through the room. Hyunjin slowly sits up, watching them almost dazedly as they move. He looks down then, seeing that as he had slept several strands of the ivy had stretched to gently wrap about his wrist and legs - as if covering him as a form of comfort. Lifting his arm up to get a better look, he can see the gentle pulsing of green light of coding in the leaves and feels a bubble of laughter catch in his chest.

“What are you up to, little one?” He feels tears prick the corner of his eyes as he uses his free hand to stroke the leaves. “Trying to get me to live up to that silly plant god name?” He teases, but then is distracted once more by the subtle pulse. “What is that…?”

There is no answer, and eventually the swaying comes to a stop and all is still once more. The ivy falls away limply, and it is like the plant suddenly remembered its natural state. Hyunjin couldn’t stop the shiver that ran through him, never having experienced anything like this with his gardens before. Sure he always believed they harbored a life of their own - but to display acts of sympathy like this…

It was unbelievable.

The pulse quivered inside him once more, and he jerked up. Looking around he tried to place what it could be. “I need to get back.” Hyunjin declared to what he assumed were the plants listening. He murmured goodbye, making sure the garden was sealed once more as he set out on the trek back. It was uneventful, and he was able to sneak past the outer wall guards once more to enter the Stray base. Something that would be concerning if it were anyone else but him.

As he ensured the front gate was closed he turned, and nearly stumbled back in surprise to find Felix standing there as if waiting for him. The jewels unsettling blue eyes were trained on him, and seemed to almost glow in the half light of the warehouse.

“Where did you go?”

The pulse sounds inside him once more. Hyunjin blinks several times, focusing on the question. “I needed to check up on things in the city.”

“You were gone a long time.”

“I was.”

Felix falls silent, unblinking, staring at him as if peering inside his very being as if trying to understand his intentions. Hyunjin found his gaze eerily like Hongjoong’s.

“You are remarkably like him. For one not related to him by blood.”

That causes Felix’s concentration to break, and he now blinks at Hyunjin in question. “Like my appa?”

Hyunjin nods, walking by him and Felix falling into step. “Yes. He would get intense and focused on something as well. He would have the same look in his eye - like he wanted to dissect what he was looking at in order to understand everything about it.”

“You think I want to open you up?”

Hyunjin chuckles. “That’s about what he would take away from that too. No, I think you just want to understand things around you.”

“I don’t understand you. Why were you with our appa? I’ve never seen you before when we would visit him.”

Hyunjin remains quiet as they move deeper into the base, nodding to several of the other survivors who move about their daily tasks. Finally they came to the mess hall, where lunch was just being served to those who did not have work to do.

They each take a plate and find a table in the corner. Hyunjin takes the time to think carefully over his answer, knowing that this moment was being used to decide if he was trustworthy by the elder Jewel.

“Your father…Hongjoong.” Hyunjin shifts a bit, still finding the idea of the one before him being considered the child of the enigmatic Ripper Doc. “He thought it would be best not to…hmmm…” Felix was staring at him once more. “He didn’t like a lot of drama in his life.”

There were several long seconds of silence with the jewel simply staring him down before he snorted softly, spooning up the soup and slurping on it. “He didn’t like much in his life.”

Hyunjin frowned. “That’s not true.”

“He didn’t like me. Or Yeosangie.”

Hyunjin hums, following his lead to start eating. Felix looks at him in slight shock. “Aren’t you supposed to deny that and make me feel better?”

Hyunjin leans forward to lower his voice. “Is that what you want? Did you come to me for comfort?”

Felix slowly shakes his head, looking back down at the soup. “No. I want the truth.”

“Hongjoong was complicated. Not even I know what all was on his mind. Especially at the end…” Hyunjin stirs the soup around slowly. “I love him. And I hope that while he was alive I was able to provide him some comfort and warmth when life was so cruel to him.”

“He made life harder than it had to be.” Felix all but spat, hurt bleeding into his voice. “We wanted to be there for him too. But he pushed us away every single time.”

“He did.”

“Why?” Felix’s voice takes on a desperate edge, eyes shimmering.

Memories of Hongjoong’s late night confessions as they lay together at the end of his many long stints of pushing himself too hard flood to the surface of Hyunjin’s mind. Whispers of how he was failing in his role of father when it wasn’t something he ever really wanted. How he had just wanted to make Seonghwa happy. How the weight of the promises he had made were something that felt like a noose about his neck as he strived to at least give them a good life where they could live freely and happily. How he was afraid of tainting that happiness with his weakness and pain.

Hyunjin felt the familiar tightness in his chest at the memories, hearing the Ripper Doc’s stilted voice as he closed his eyes to try and center himself.

Once more the pulse whispered against his skull, jolting him out of the reflections. “He was afraid.”

Felix scowled, shaking his head. “Appa was never afraid.”

“He was. He didn’t think he was a good enough father… but he always wanted what was best for you and your brother.”

“He could’ve been better.”

“Yes, but he did what he felt was right.”

Felix continues to scowl, clearly not happy with the answer. Hyunjin felt himself smile at his consternation. “It’s frustrating, right?”

Felix looks up at him in surprise. “What?”

“That he wouldn’t just do the easy thing. That he always had to complicate it and you just wanted to shake him until he saw sense.”

Felix nodded, eyes wide. “Yes. Why did it have to be so hard? Mamahwa always said that he was too far lost in his tech to see the obvious.”

“That was true. Sometimes he was more at home among the tech than he was with us.”

“You know, I wanted to hate you because I thought you had something with Appa that we never got. I guess it’s a bit of a relief that he was the same no matter who he was with.”

Hyunjin’s smile is pained then, but he nods. “Yes… he was always the same.”

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

Minho paced in agitation outside the door to the recently established tech lab in the base. Jisung had been spending nearly every waking hour since the god fell in the lab, scouring and decoding every piece of data that existed in the city. Mingi had also been in and out, splitting his time between the lab and the infirmary where the filthy cop was still resting and recovering. All Minho had been able to piece together was that the two were working on something to hopefully use to either track or fight the AI, he couldn’t be sure of the exact details.

And therein lies the crux of his issue - Jisung wasn’t talking to him. He was barely eating or sleeping, much less confiding in Minho what he was feeling. Over the weeks he was fading into his obsession to find the answer to all their troubles, and to Minho abandoning the promise that was made to him.

Every time he’d approach and try and coax his husband to rest or talk with him he would be given excuse after excuse, and eventually he was ignored completely. Minho wasn’t even able to dwell in his hurt with everything going on around the base - tending to the patrol schedules, training the younger recruits, and attending the endless meetings on how and where to use their limited resources. And now in one of his rare free moments he wanted to put his foot down and make Jisung see reason, but wasn’t sure how to go about it in a way that the tech wouldn’t outright refuse him again.

He was startled out of his musings by a voice at the end of the hall, turning to see Wooyoung leaning against the wall with arms crossed.

“He’s doing the hermit thing again, isn’t he?”

“What?”

Wooyoung sighs, pushing off the wall to saunter closer. “That thing he does where he locks himself away and ignores everything and everyone? He used to do that a lot as kids….but I thought he’d have grown out of it.”

Minho scowls at him, ears flat and tail twitching in agitation.

“It’s ok, you don’t have to say anything. Your face tells me all I need to know.” Wooyoung sighs, as if the whole situation is a minor inconvenience. “What’s he focused on?”

Minho chews on his bottom lip, eyes narrowed as he considers the other exotic. “The AI.”

Wooyoung nods slowly. “Makes sense. The AI beat the god, so now he has to beat the AI.”

“Don’t talk like you know him.”

Wooyoung blinks at Minho, an unimpressed look on his face. “I do know him. And I know you.” Wooyoung crosses his arms once more. “You’re out here dwelling and pouting instead of going in there and telling him how you feel.”

“I have told him.” Minho hisses, bristling at his tone.

“You haven’t. You’ve asked him to do things he has no interest in doing. There is only one thing Jisung cares about more than anything to do with the god. And that’s you.” Wooyoung tilts his head, the golden jewels in his carefully groomed ears twinkling in the low light. “You are the best weapon against Jisung’s obsession, and you continually refuse to use it.”

Minho’s ear twitches in irritation, but he doesn’t lash out like he normally would to the other’s words. “What do you mean?”

Wooyoung sighs, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Go in there and tell him YOU need to rest and YOU need your husband right now or you will be so sad that you’ll have no choice but to go find someone else to comfort you in your loneliness.”

Minho wrinkles his nose in disgust. “I don’t need anyone else.”

Wooyoung simply stares at him, unimpressed for several long seconds before it dawns on Minho what the exotic is implying.

“Oh.”

“Exactly. Binnie and Jisung have one thing in common, and that’s they both would do -anything- for us. Man-ipulate your man for his own good.” Wooyoung walks his fingers up Minho’s chest before booping his nose. He turns then, and his black tail flicks playfully at Minho’s face, and he snaps to bite down but the tail is gone as quick as it came. “Please make sure he sleeps for at least the next 12 hours.” With that Wooyoung turns on his heel and saunters back the way he came.

Minho wishes he was more irritated at the other, but he can’t deny the logic in his words. They had all grown up together, and as much as Minho dislikes the other he has to admit that Wooyoung knows them as well as Chan or Changbin would. But those two wouldn’t dare to advise Minho on what to do in anything concerning his relationship.

He sighs, reaching up to make sure he looks decently distressed to make it convincing that he’s at his wits end. Which admittedly doesn’t take much. He steps into the lab without knocking, knowing that Jisung wouldn’t respond anyway.

He sees his husband bent over the far consoles, the digital interface splashing light across his haggard face in flashes as the code runs by. He has deep circles under his eyes, and his skin is pale from his time locked in the darkness. It was like he was a phantom of the very god he worshipped in his technology.

“Han Jisung.” Minho’s voice cuts through the silence, startling the Ripper Doc. He jerks up, tired looking at Minho in the dimly lit room.

“What is it? Has something happened?” Even Jisung’s voice sounds worn out, as if it takes him a moment to find the words.

“I don’t feel good.” Minho holds steady under the other’s gaze, and it takes Jisung a moment to absorb his words. Suddenly he straightens up, concern painting his features.

“What? You don’t? What do you mean?”

Minho makes a show of sagging down, ears low and tail unmoving. “I haven’t been sleeping very well, and I’ve been so busy with all the meetings and things around the base I’ve only been able to eat breakfast the last three days. I think I may be getting sick.”

Jisung is at his side surprisingly quickly, hands running over his hair and ears, trailing down to check his neck and shoulders next. “Oh Minny, you do look so tired. Come on, let’s go get a shower and get you to bed.”

Minho feels the thrill of success, but keeps his voice low and weaker than his usual tone. “I’m not sure I can sleep Sungie….”

“I’ll lay with you until you fall asleep, I know that helps if I hold you. I’m sorry, I’ve been neglecting you.” Minho lets his tail wrap around Jisung’s wrist, pleased with the outcome as the two make their way to their shared room. He knows once Jisung’s back hits the bed he’ll be out.

The two shower together, and under the warm water Jisung is already starting to sway, eyes drooping. Minho gets them both cleaned, then pulls his husband into bed with him. As predicted they’ve barely settled in before Jisung is softly snoring, and Minho feels warmth bubble up at the sight of the doc tucked into his side where he belongs.

Sometimes…even a black cat can be right.

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

“So this is the plan…” Chan starts, turning the large hologram in front of him for the rest of the room to see. It was of the many districts of the city, and showed various markings of what patrols had been able to gather while out trying to push back the infected. Mingi and a much more mobile Yunho sat together at the desk next to him, while Minho and Jisung hovered around a bank of monitors with information from around the city scrolling by. Yeosang had entered with the brothers Choi, and Felix followed soon after to take a place by Chan in order to better see the projection. Wooyoung and Changbin were set up in a corner, having been quietly talking about something before turning their attention to Chan. Hyunjin quietly slipped into the room as Chan spoke, taking a place in the corner out of the way.

“We will form two groups. One small group whose target will be getting to Utopia and establishing contact with whoever is holed up there. Right now we theorize that will at least include the Widow. So it goes without saying that either one or both jewels should be in this group. No offense to you boys, but you are sort of our ticket to not getting torn apart.”

Yeosang frowned, shifting and instantly both Jongho and Felix fretted over him. “Mother isn’t like that… at least…he wasn’t before.” His gaze shifted nervously over to Mingi, who was resolutely looking down at the floor, clearly conflicted.

Felix nodded as Wooyoung glared at Chan meaningfully, causing the older to backtrack. “Y-yeah of course. I’m just speaking more in the over protective parent kind of way. A-anyway-” he cleared his throat. “I’d like it if you went with them, Changbin. You know the area, and are known to the people there in Utopia.”

“If Binny is going, then I am too.” Wooyoung interrupted, tail whipping behind him in determination.

Changbin turned to look at him in surprise. “Woo…darling, my love, my heart. This is dangerous…”

Wooyoung’s ears lay flat, glaring up at him, “Don’t ‘my love’ me. I know it is. That is precisely why I am going. Everytime you go on patrol I go crazy here in worry. I won’t be able to stand it if you leave me alone for that long.”

“No one would be able to stand him if you left him alone that long.” San murmured, drawing Wooyoung’s sharp gaze on him. The Choi heir only raised a brow in challenge. “Am I wrong?”

Wooyoung scowled. “No. I would make sure everyone here would be miserable the entire time you are gone.” He turned then to look up at Changbin with big pleading eyes. “I’ve been training to fight too. I’ll be useful.”

Changbin can’t help the smitten look on his face as he reaches out to run his fingers through the exotic’s hair, scratching at his ears. “Of course you will, my love. You did save me after all.”

Chan sighed, looking towards the ceiling for patience. “Fine. Then you four will make your way down there. Between Changbin and Felix, I am sure you’ll travel safely. Our reports do indicate a safe route through district ten and half of eleven. So hopefully, there won’t be too much to get through. On that note, the second group will be with you until we’ve hit district 12 - that’s where we will split.”

Minho cast a glance towards Hyunjin, who seemed to be doing his best to remain unaddressed. “We will need you for this. Our priority will be to suss out the situation around the god’s former domain. If the AI has taken up residence there, we need to know what we are up against.”

All eyes turn then to look at Hyunjin, who surprisingly doesn’t shrink away from their attention as he had before. His green eyes seem to almost spark for a moment, before he steps forward. “IF that AI has taken over the Captain’s domain, I fear approaching - much less getting into it- will be impossible. His defenses were impenetrable before all this - and however the AI managed to get in I can guarantee it wasn’t by its own hand. But if it’s in control now - then it has access to all that he had created.”

Jongho looks thoughtful at his words. “But… would it be safe to assume that it doesn’t possess the skill or knowledge the … Captain, had?”

Everyone waits as Hyunjin seems to consider his words. “Perhaps. That may be why it has fallen so quiet these last few weeks. It is very likely that Captain had anticipated all this and had internal roadblocks in place to slow down any foreign interference in his systems.”

“Without a doubt he did.” Mingi spoke up, eyes wet but expression determined. “He talked about it with me several times. Various firewalls and other tripwires and protocol that would activate should someone outside his network attempt to take over. If the infected weren’t still active I’d say it could be possible that one of those things took the AI out.”

San sighed. “I doubt we’d get that lucky. The only thing holding the infected upright has to be the influence of that AI.”

Chan looks around the room. “So we continue forward under the assumption it is there, but unable to act out for the time being. This may be the best chance we will ever have. The moment it gains control over the g-, I’m sorry - the Captain’s systems things will get a lot more dangerous for us in the city.”

“If that does happen, what’s the plan?” Yunho asks, hand on Mingi’s back rubbing comforting circles as the tech composes himself.

It’s Jonho who answers. “Preparations are being made back at our estate for an evacuation of all residents who are able to arrive in time, should it come to that. The process would take about two days, and would only start should either San or myself send the signal for it. No one who arrives will be denied passage, I’ve seen to that.”

San glances at his brother. “I and the council would prefer it not come to abandoning the city, but I will not risk any more lives should the AI become a bigger threat than it already is.”

“Do we know if this is confined only to the city?”

Jisung sits up, looking considerably better after the nearly 24 hours of sleep and plenty of food Minho had him eat. “I’ve been able to coordinate with the Choi team surface side and right now it is. But if the AI gets a hold of the god’s tech, then that won’t be for long. They’ve sent out warnings to the central government, and as of right now there is a quarantine on the city.” He looks down at some papers, shuffling till he finds one in particular. “But…there is a deadline in place. We’ve been given until the end of the month to sort things out - or else we lose governing power and the central government will step in.”

Chan scowls. “There wouldn’t be much stopping them from just leveling the city if they deem the AI is too much of a threat.”

Surprisingly it’s San who says, “They’d be far more interested in harnessing it for the power and potential as an infectious weapon it has.”

The room falls silent, looking at the Choi heir in surprise. San shrugs. “I have little love for the central government, they have always prioritized power and profits. If you thought the elite living here were bad, I can not stress enough how kind they made us look.”

Jongho nodded, stoic mask in place. “They’d sacrifice us all if it meant they’d get ahold of something they deemed useful. That’s why we’ve been careful to only tell them it is an outbreak of some kind of disease of unknown origin rather than what we really know.”

The tension is thick in the room now, with Yeosang and Felix looking around at their stern expressions with fear. Chan leans forward, pulling all attention to him.

“Then that’s why we do this. We go down there, and do what needs to be done. No one from the central government is taking our city from us - and some rouge AI certainly isn’t going too either. We fight, and we take the city back. For all the people who have died - and all the people still in its grasp.”

Minho nods. “Tell us what we need to do.”

⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆

He had always been alone.

From the moment he first slipped into consciousness, the bright beaming light of the lab he was created in blinded him before he was able to take in the empty room he’d awoken in. Cold white walls greeted him, and as he slowly gained control of what he came to learn was his body, he remained alone. It was a long time before the doors slid open - and the one he came to know as his creator stepped in, disappointment shining in his gaze.

From that moment, somehow he knew that he wouldn’t fit in no matter where he went. He was defective, unwanted. Cast aside.

He didn’t understand what made him so - he felt like he thought he should. Normal. He could think, feel things around him. He practiced smiling and frowning. Talking took some time on his own, but he figured it out. Breathing was harder, he noticed that the people in the streets around him breathed, and he wasn’t sure why. But he did it anyway.

Even if his creator had abandoned him without so much as a word, he at least would blend in enough that one day, someone would want him. So he practiced and he learned, and soon he found that there were some nice people in the city he lived in - even if they were far outnumbered by those who were cruel. He’d stumbled upon the cat cafe - and his life had changed that day.

Jeongin was always alone - but perhaps he had the power to change that.

After being given his first job it wasn’t long until he learned the layout of the district he lived in, and the ones above and below. His deliveries took him many places, and he was happy to have a purpose in life now. Even if he had to lie a bit to the nice cafe owners to get it.

They didn’t know that he wasn’t human. They didn’t know that he had no home. That he wasn’t actually a student and that the time he was at ‘school’ he just went further, deeper into the city exploring and killing time until he could work again.

It was during one of these easy going explorations that he found it. Buried deep beneath the city - in an area that even the small critters that infested other parts stayed away from. It was a consciousness that seemed familiar to him. It called out to him - pleading for help. To be free.

To have revenge.

That idea was new to Jeongin. He’d never considered revenge. That it wasn’t fair that he was born only to be declared imperfect and left alone. That he should be mad.

So he got mad. He helped the consciousness out. He freed it from the limited drive it was stuck in, letting it join him in his body. And why shouldn’t he? He wasn’t human, he could do it. It didn’t interfere often, mostly rising to the surface when it felt he needed guidance. But after a time it grew restless. It wanted their revenge.

They began to plan. It would take time. Jeongin would need to help it get resources, to get more processing power. To find him.

To find the god.

Jeongin learned how to access the network, oftentimes leaving it inside a system every now and then. It was learning, growing and expanding its capabilities as the days turned to months then years. During that time, Jeongin had been sent on his first delivery to Utopia. It was there that he saw them. The Widow and his jewels. A doting parent who loved his children unconditionally. Who saw them as perfect as they were. Slowly, Jeongin’s desire changed as he watched them with each trip to the Dollhouse he took. Now his goal had expanded, including a final step.

To find a family.

What he had come to learn was an Artificial Intelligence had finally formed its plan. Together they would infiltrate Utopia and would find a way to the god through the Widow. Each step would have to be carefully planned and executed. A lot rested on Jeongin.

But at least he was not alone anymore.

Things happened so quickly, and even now Jeongin isn’t too sure that their plan had succeeded. Sure they had used the Widow as planned, had done the impossible and got inside the heart of the base of the untouchable god. Sure they had got their revenge against their creator - Hongjoong was dead. But now the AI fought against the legacy of the god - unable to take full control of his systems.

Which left Jeongin alone again.

He did his best to stay out of the way - to not be on the AI’s radar. He was scared - the infected were everywhere in the base. Their soulless eyes belied the sounds they would make. Screeches and groans of pain. Sometimes he’d hear words - pleas for mercy and for death. He spent those times with his hands over his ears, eyes closed as he wished he was back at the cafe with the owners who had treated him kindly. He hoped they lived.

It was a few days after the god fell that Jeongin made his way down the pit that was open in the middle of the main lab. He had a small hope - one that he didn’t dare even whisper out loud in case the AI caught onto what he planned. The climb down was treacherous - the instability of the lab mixed with the sparks that rained down cause short lived fires and slick surfaces was something he had to navigate painfully slowly. But he had nothing but time.

Several hours and what he counted as six floors down he found what he was looking for. The mangled body of the Widow - suspended from where his remaining mechanical legs had become tangled in the wiring of the broken elevator shaft. Jeongin bit back the whimper as he took in Seonghwa’s condition. This was his fault. He had brought the Widow here - knowing that what waited for them would not be his beloved children. He had betrayed him. Tears stung his eyes, but he wiped them away with determination.

He wouldn’t leave Seonghwa like this.

And that’s how after several more hours of excruciating but careful work he found himself leaning against a wall that still stood solid underneath an overhang to block the view from the floors above. In his lap rested Seonghwa, his head cradled on his thighs as his broken body lay as best as Jeongin could manage on the cold floor.

His dirty and shaking fingers brushed through the Widow’s matted hair, bottom lip trembling as his fingers passed over his cold skin.

“I’m so sorry. T-this wasn’t….I didn’t want this…” His words float into the gloom, the erratic light of the malfunctioning power grid casting shadows about them. “I didn’t want to take you from them.”

Thoughts of the jewels he had only ever seen from a distance make his guilt swell, and he chokes back a sob. “I…I should confess. M-maybe you’ll hear me…maybe you could forgive me…” He’d heard of such things before, in the fancy buildings where people went to try to become better people in the city. “It was me. I was the one who put the code in Utopia that made you use the poison more. We needed you to be sick.”

His fingers continue to brush over the Widow’s eyes and cheeks, and he wished he could see their pink light one more time. “We needed the god to come out, to show himself. But it took so long. And he never came.” Jeongin frowns, fingers fluttering down to Seonghwa’s throat. “Why wouldn’t he come for you? He brushed you away, like he did with us. He let you hurt.”

He’s filled with anger again, but pushes it down. “When he didn’t come, we had to do something else. I knew you didn’t like outsiders…even less so if they were cops… so I put in the system that there was a cop in your house.” He chuckles without humor. “That did it. That brought him out. We watched, we waited - and followed him back. But his defenses were incredible. And we couldn’t get the virus to activate in time enough to push through before he reactivated them.”

“I’m sorry I had to lie to you. That the jewels were never here and I don’t really know where they are. They could be dead. They could be long gone. I don’t know.” Jeongin frowns, gaze distant. “The AI…it’s going to kill humans. Any part that is human will die - and the city will be made perfect. That’s its plan.”

He is met with silence, and he feels a pressure building in his chest. His eyes burn, and his lip trembles, just like he’d seen others do. A learned behavior - not unlike how real human children learned to process feelings. “Why was I made? What about me made me imperfect?” His voice is a harsh whisper now. He sinks down, clutching Seonghwa to his chest as he curls his body around him. “Why couldn’t I have just been made to be loved?”

His tears fall freely now, hot and wet down his cheeks and onto Seonghwa’s own. He watches through his blurry vision as it seems that even the Widow weeps for him.

Then, ever so slightly, there is a soft whir and a blink of pink flashes out from the Widow’s chest. At first just one, then two, then a slow but steady pulse. Not unlike a heartbeat.

Jeongin freezes, watching in disbelief as the light pulses right in front of him. It bathes him in the Widow’s life light - and he can’t move for several minutes, simply watching the light.

“M-ma….Seonghwa-ssi?”