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The Crucible had never been something Jongin had paid much attention to.

Yes, he knew it existed. He knew it was a very respectable activity to take on as Guardians, and almost everyone Jongin had met had participated in a match at least once. The monthly Iron Banner tournaments led by Lord Kyuhyun and assisted by Lord Suho and Lord Donghae –the Deputy Commander and the Crucible’s official handler— were highly anticipated events in the Tower. Jongin knew all of this, yes, and cared very little for it.

Monggu and he had other matters to attend to, after all. Taemin had recruited them in order to patrol every Seraph Vault in the solar system that the Bray ex-researcher even remotely suspected might be on the verge of opening. They hadn’t had much luck so far, if at all, as every single of the of the Vaults remaining sealed shut.

It was getting quite frustrating, actually. Jongin could practically feel how all of those late-night lessons in Warmind crypto-language with Cryptarch Victoria were collecting metaphorical dust in a metaphorical shelf in his brain. There were only so many opportunities to practice encrypted and backwards Old Russian during casual conversation in the Last City, and Monggu was a lazy learner.

It had gotten to the point where Taemin was contemplating making an excursion towards the original BrayTech Futurescape facilities and Mindlab in Mars, and insisting that Jongin should accompany him because Rasputin likes you, man, c’mon, don’t leave me hanging like this, what if I run into Cabal and have no big bad Titan to back me up?

Good riddance, Jongin wanted to say, even if he often just bit his tongue. He was in no rush to visit Mars and play bodyguard to a perfectly capable Hunter Taemin, facing Cabal guerrillas on his own and freezing in the glacial drift of the desert planet while Taemin made a snowman or something equally whimsical.

Jongin understood that making significant contact with Rasputin was Taemin’s passion project. He just wanted to do something different to take him away from the daily grind his best friend had submerged him in after discovering how Jongin had a penchant for Warminds.

“Well, you know,” Jennie began thoughtfully after slurping on her noodles and licking her lips clean. “The Crimson Days begin in three weeks.”

“Oh!” Krystal intoned on the other side of Jongin, perking up at the mention of the romantic holiday. “You’re right! It’s perfect timing, Kai!”

“Perfect timing for what?” Jongin muttered, suspicious. “You’re not tricking me this year— I’m not giving any of my heart candies.”

He shoved a big mouthful of noodles into his mouth so neither girl could get his verbal consent to the candy via coercion. He was soft for both of them and they knew he required very little prodding to be convinced of anything. Both Krystal and Jennie rolled their eyes at him, then sharing a look over his honey-coloured head as if he was an idiot.

“We don’t need your candy, Kai,” Krystal snarked at him. “We can get our own. I was talking about the Crimson Doubles Crucible Tournament and how you can try your hand at it. It’s a whole tradition! It’s perfect timing for you, because these weeks most people will be practicing and not going as hard as usual.”

Jongin raised a sceptical eyebrow at the idea, alternating between looking at Jennie –a beautiful Awoken Warlock with a round face, pouty lips, and intense eyes— and at Krystal-4 –a gorgeous Exo Hunter with an iridescent white shell and bright lilac eyes— to try and gauge which one was more likely to drop the subject if he pouted hard enough.

“I don’t know if I should, Jennie.” Jongin doubted himself and did pout, because Jennie was younger and therefore more vulnerable. She, however, only pouted right back at him.

“You’re the one who’s complaining that Taemin Bray has you on a wild goose chase,” Jennie retorted. “Plus, it’s not like we can be jumping from war to war— that’s bad for morale, as exciting as it may be. We’re only barely done with the Taken War and the Reef’s still a complete mess.”

“In fact, the Kingslayers are almost completely devoted to Crucible matches nowadays,” Krystal added. “I heard they’re trying to blow off some steam after so much adrenaline. You should follow their lead.”

Jongin would have been lying if he said that that hadn’t somewhat piqued his interest on the matter. The Kingslayers was the fireteam that had led Humanity to victory against King Oryx and all of his kin during the now-dwindling Taken War. They were three Guardians, to Jongin’s knowledge— not much older than Jongin himself. Chanyeol Park, Chen, and D.O. Titan, Warlock, and Titan again. They had a bit of celebrity status around the Last City. Jongin hadn’t had the opportunity to meet them personally yet, as he had been focused in other fronts of the War with Lord Kyuhyun— in the Cosmodrome in Old Russia rather than the Dreadnaught lumbering in Saturn.

“D.O had a fifty-kill streak the other day for the fifth time,” Jennie commented, raising her eyebrows to convey how impressive that was. “They say the only thing that stopped him was Lord Donghae’s timer.”

“We should hope so,” Jongin jested, just to be difficult, and feeling guilty almost immediately for it. “We don’t need a serial killer Guardian loose on the streets.”

The withering glares he received from Krystal and Jennie made Jongin shrink into himself timidly and focus on his noodles again. This is why he didn’t try to joke around his ex-girlfriends. They never thought he was funny.

“Give it a try, Kai,” Krystal pressed again, patting his shoulder as if to placate him in a not-that-comforting manner. “Who knows— you might end up even liking the Crucible.”

“Did you know I’d only have five seconds to revive you in the Crucible?” Monggu suddenly remarked in the quiet of their room, a couple of hours later. “In some modes, I’d only have one second! Otherwise, you’d get disqualified.”

Jongin lived in one of the dorms in the Tower— he had never gotten around to look for his own place once he had established himself enough, and truthfully, he wasn’t around enough at times to warrant it. However, he was also painfully shy— every new roommate that graced his space made him suffer, and by the time the Titan got used to them, they would be already gone. Fortunately, it had been a while since he had had to share with anyone other than Monggu, his steady companion.

It was a great arrangement, in Jongin’s opinion. Here, he could stop being Sentinel Kai, and just be the kid he felt he was along with the only one who truly understood him— his Ghost. He didn’t need to be an unrelenting Titan, but just the gentle Jongin he preferred to be. Monggu understood and encouraged this.

There were hardly any times in which Monggu and he weren’t on the same wavelength, in fact. Which is why Jongin frowned at Monggu’s words, not understanding in the beginning.

“What are you trying to say?” Jongin asked after a beat or two of silence.

“That the Crucible is not only a training ground for the Guardians, but for the Ghosts, too.” Monggu answered, focused in his task. “Did you know, back when it started, it was just a way for Guardians to settle their differences? But after a while, Lord Donghae realised that it could be used to forge better Guardians instead.”

“Have you been doing some research on it?” Jongin questioned, and Monggu only hummed for all answer. “Are you doing research now?” Another hum. “What for?”

“To convince you that maybe it’s a good idea, Kai.” The Ghost replied distractedly, clearly still reading up on something inside his shell.

Monggu had been the one to name him that when he resurrected Jongin. The name had stuck almost like a nickname between them and the official name given to strangers, even if a quick exploration of their surroundings back then had allowed them to discover that Kai was not a Kai but Jongin Kim— a dancer in an old French theatre. As Monggu guided Jongin towards the Last City, he had explained it was best if he kept what he knew about himself to share with only his closest friends. Other Guardians tended to get jealous, and the Vanguard openly frowned upon Guardians like Taemin, who held on to their past identities almost too strongly for their own good.

It was okay. Jongin couldn’t really remember much, other than the thrill of performing. Nothing compared to it— except perhaps feeling Void energy running through his veins as he fought Fallen and Hive and Cabal.

“Wouldn’t I need a fireteam to go in with?” Jongin wondered, smoothing down his sheets just to have something to do.

“Not necessarily!” Monggu perked up, immediately giving the Titan his full attention, knowing the if Jongin was asking about such technicalities, it was because he was seriously considering it. “People go alone and get randomly put in groups all the time! Plus, I’m sure Krystal and Jennie would be happy to tag along if you asked.”

“And you’d like to try it out?” Jongin asked for confirmation. Monggu nodded with his whole tiny metal body.

“Oh, yeah!” The drone replied in an instant. “To be honest, I need a change from the Seraph Vaults, too! There’s a thing as too much Tchaikovsky, Jongin, even if you don’t think so.”

Jongin laid down on his bed, using his hands as a pillow. He made faces at no one in particular as he weighed his options in his mind.

“Plus,” Monggu continued, clearly with the intent to sway his Guardian. “What’s the worst that could happen? That we suck at it? Wouldn’t be the first time!”

“We could use a change of scenery, I guess,” Jongin acquiesced at last, much to Monggu’s delight. “You’re right. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Maybe he’d meet someone he clicked with. The Crimson Days were pretty soon, and it was always much more fun to share confectionary heart candies with someone he liked than stuff himself with them on his own.

Mind made up, Jongin reached for the datapad on his nightstand, opening the app dedicated to the Crucible. Monggu rushed to float by his shoulder and peek at what he was doing. There were many modes Jongin could enrol in— from something called Control to something called Mayhem, only a small explanation attached to describe them. The Titan settled for a Classic Mix list in the end, so he would get the chance to try them all.

“Okay,” Jongin announced to his Ghost with a soft, pleased smile. “We’re enrolled. It says here we’ll get our matches’ info tomorrow, first thing in the morning.”

“Yay!” Monggu celebrated, making Jongin laugh warmly. “I’m so excited!”

Neither of them were so excited when, the next morning at six am sharp, a Redjack from the Crucible –robotic frames, programmed to assist Lord Donghae in any way the quartermaster required— was knocking on Jongin’s dorm door to get them.

“Guardian Kai,” The frame said with urgency. “You have a very long day ahead of you! We are already late!”

“What?” Jongin croaked sleepily, rubbing at his eyes, light brown hair a complete mess. Monggu wasn’t much better, blinking at the Redjack robot like it was most likely a dream. “I thought we were only getting the info for our matches in the morning?”

“Mornings start at five am for Lord Donghae!” The Redjack informed the Titan kindly. “He sent you the information to join today’s matches immediately, and the shuttle for the scheduled Arena leaves at six thirty!”

“We didn’t know it was gonna be so early,” Monggu complained blearily. “Can we get a raincheck?”

The Redjack stilled, its red eye blinking.

“Sending request for re-scheduling to Lord Donghae.” It said, and only a moment passed before it gave them the Guardian’s reply: “Message received. Reproducing— No.”

Both the Titan and the Ghost whined pitifully, but the Redjack was unmoved.

“What is the Crucible?” Lord Donghae posed the question. He was a proud man, not very tall nor very muscular, and yet his presence imposed and commanded respect. He hardly ever showed his face, almost always wearing a white and orange helmet with a horn on its left side. The other horn had been lost in a story rumoured to be too much to handle for rookies. “Before the days of the City and the Iron Lords, it was a place to pursue vendettas. To battle for territory, and pettier reasons. The whole world was a Crucible Arena.”

Jongin was really trying his best to stifle a yawn by focusing himself on examining every detail in Lord Donghae’s armour. He had fur-padded shoulders and neck. A necklace the size of Jongin’s fist, also with horns. A red mark with the motive of the Crucible’s two-headed eagle, surprisingly clean and untorn.

“The Crucible today?” Lord Donghae continued, making a ‘tsk’ sound as he paced in front of them, hands on his hips in tight fists. Jongin had never known hands on hips could look so tough. “To Sungwoo, it’s a gambler’s paradise. To Sooman-52, it’s a resource sink where resources go to die. To Jongok, it’s home— though she would never admit it.”

Jongin blinked very slowly, unwilling to take his eyes from Donghae, lest he was called out for not paying enough attention. He hadn’t even been able to size up the competition yet— he had shuffled into the shuttle that would take them towards the Arena of the day still half-asleep and regretting every single choice that had taken him to the Crucible.

“These are partial answers!” Lord Donghae’s voice boomed with decision. “The tactics and techniques that will save us in wars to come are birthed in the Crucible, during our live-fire training. The Vanguard is so preoccupied with their own agendas, they’re missing the Vanguard of tomorrow rising right before their eyes.”

This was a great speech, Jongin was certain of it. He just couldn’t appreciate it when he felt so tired.

“Take a good look around, Guardians.” Lord Donghae ordered them. “You are the Crucible. Your minds and bodies can be sharpened like a sword. Your Ghosts have found you, and the Crucible will forge you.”

Jongin did look around, still somewhat dazed, for the first time. He counted 24 heads, composed of Hunters, Titans, and Warlocks. Many faces were eager, nervous, or equally sleepy. The guy right next to Jongin, a Hunter, grinned at him when their eyes met, excited. He offered his hand to Jongin, and the Titan shook it.

“What’s up? I’m Mark, nice to meet you.” The Hunter introduced himself, friendly and open. Jongin offered a shy smile of his own.

“I’m Kai. Nice to meet you, too.”

“Is this your first time in the Crucible?” Mark wondered, and when Jongin nodded, he sighed in relief. “Oh, man. That’s great. I think a lot of us are rookies. I heard one of the Kingslayers say this wasn’t how Lord Donghae usually does things— that he prefers to just throw people into the deep end, no speeches and no communal shuttle.”

“Kingslayers?” Jongin repeated and frowned when Mark nodded vigorously. He looked around the shuttle once more, trying to spot the popular trio. It wasn’t hard to find them, once he knew he was looking for them.

Chanyeol Park was just as tall and big as stories made him to be, donning a dark copper Sunbreaker armour that contrasted heavily with his fading lilac hair. The pastel colour didn’t make the Titan seem any less intimidating— there was an actual ammo belt strapped to his chest and additional ammo packs on his thigh and his wrist, not to mention that the armour had clearly been through a lot. Chanyeol himself was handsome, a cocky simper to his expression, as if he knew he was the shit. Jongin was certain he indeed was.

Chen, the only Warlock of the fireteam, wore the orange and blue leather robes of the Vanguard and a metallic silver bond. His expression was kind and pleasant as he spoke to Chanyeol, but how the edges of his lips curled gave him a cat-like appearance, sly and mischievous. Chanyeol laughed at whatever Chen had said, and the Warlock snickered with him. Their cackles were loud and demanded attention, much like their mere presences did.

Jongin trailed his eyes towards the quiet third of the fireteam. Titan D.O was still, legs spread, and his arms positioned over his thighs in a reflective position. He had the armour of a true Crucible veteran— all red and black and white and with spikes for shoulder pads. He was… Surprisingly handsome. His hair was jet black, his lips were heart-shaped and plump, his nose was cute, his eyes were big and owlish and—

—Staring right back at Jongin, with such deadly intensity that Jongin visibly cowered and hid in his seat. Mark, by his side, snickered, giddy with nerves.

“D.O is so hardcore, even if he’s just sitting there, right?” The Hunter commented, and Jongin nodded with a small grunt of agreement. “I heard he got a fifty-kill streak for the sixth time yesterday. I really hope I match in his team at least the first time, so I can suss him out.”

“Does he do anything other than train in the Crucible?” Jongin blurted out, because it was starting to look like D.O had an anger management issue. Killing that many Guardians on a daily basis couldn’t be healthy, even in a controlled environment.

Mark shrugged. “They gotta de-stress somehow. Have you ever seen a Taken in the eye?”

Jongin contemplated this sombrely. “No, not really. Have you?”

Mark’s cheeks pinked with embarrassment.

“W-Well, no. I’m kinda new. But I made a friend who was at Phobos when the War began, and she said staring at the Taken is like staring at a nightmare.” He discreetly pointed towards the three Kingslayers. “Those guys? Well, they’ve been staring at those nightmares for too long.”

The honey-haired Titan hummed in understanding. While he had been lucky enough so far to avoid any Taken, even when they stalked the Cosmodrome, Jennie hadn’t been— Jongin would never forget her haunted expression when they met up when she came back from the Reef after they got the news that the Awoken Queen was dead. The Taken had attacked her in one of the hidden cities. She had even cried in distress in his arms.

It made him almost pity the Kingslayers. He took a peek at them once more, but he blanched when he realised D.O hadn’t actually stopped glaring at him this whole time. Ears red and heart beating rapidly, Jongin attempted to hide behind Mark, who laughed at his new friend’s antics.

The Taken might be scary, but D.O was definitely terrifying.

Mark the Hunter turned out to be quite excitable.

He was eager to please and eager to see all the sights in the Crucible Arena, which turned out to just be the Twilight Gap, an abandoned military base right outside of the Last City’s perimeter. He was enthused to discover Jongin and he had been put in the same fireteam for the first match of the day, a game of Control— an easy mode centred around capturing zones and getting the most points. Yet, he was dismayed when he realised that the three Kingslayers were in the opposing team.

“We’re so fucked,” Mark bemoaned besides Jongin. “You have no idea how much research I did for this. I borrowed a SUROS Regime from the Skulking Fox, and begged Banshee-44 for an Erentil FR4, even got myself a Black Talon! They’re literally the best weapons for the Crucible. I know how to maximise everything we do in every mode. But I never accounted for the Kingslayers. They’re gonna demolish us.”

“It’s only one match. Don’t they break the teams if it’s too uneven? You’re bound to end up with them on the same team at some point.” Jongin tried to appease the Hunter, as Monggu hooked the Crucible’s interface to his helmet’s display.

He scanned the names of the teams quickly— Mark and himself had been paired with two Warlocks, an additional Hunter, and another Titan. Chanyeol Park, Chen, and D.O had one extra Warlock and two Hunters— but truthfully, Jongin’s gaze lingered on the now somewhat ominous [KNGSLYR] besides each of the trio’s names. They were aware they were already on the way of becoming legends.

They didn’t even look worried. Quite the opposite, actually— Chanyeol Park and Chen were running literal circles around an impassive D.O like actual puppies, playful and still loud, as the short Titan read on his datapad. Jongin knew better than to be fooled by the mischievousness and apparent light-heartedness. It had to be a ploy.

“They do, but Lord Donghae gets disappointed and mad, and also, what a blow to the ego.” Mark complained. He immediately straightened, stiff as a rod, as Lord Donghae himself approached the pair. The Crucible manager seemed pleased by their presence.

“Mark Lee, I’m glad to see you here at last,” Lord Donghae spoke, making Mark quite literally preen. The man then turned to look at Jongin. “And Kai! Kyuhyun’s protégé finally decided to grace us with his presence. I will be watching you closely today. Both of you.”

Lord Donghae stalked off before either could form a response— he had places to be, other Guardians to pump up. Mark was already gawking, though.

“Kyuhyun’s protégé?” The young Hunter echoed. “Yo. You’re that Kai?”

“I didn’t really know there were more Kais.” Jongin quipped, but he felt the blood rush to his cheeks in embarrassment. At least Mark couldn’t see him blush behind his helmet.

Mark laughed. “Well— I just never thought you’d be so down to earth, man.” A pause. “Or so unprepared. You didn’t even bring your own gun. But hey, now that I know— maybe we could stand a chance.”

The six members of the Blue Team —Mark, the Titan called Amber, the two Warlocks named Jinyoung and Joy, Jongin, and the mute, mysterious Hunter who was only branded as, ironically, Brand— stood at the snowy edge of a cliff, waiting for the siren to signal the beginning of the match. They were right in front of Zone A, nestled inside a building.

“I’ve done a hundred matches with these assholes,” Amber muttered in their private team feed, sounding almost bored yet determined. “They always do the same thing. Chen and D.O hold their ground at their first zone while Park sprints to the middle one. We need to intercept him right there— if Park gets shut down, they scatter ‘cause he’s too hot-headed and gets mad that he’s losing even if he isn’t yet.”

“So, whoever isn’t scared of the big bad wolf should go get Zone B.” Jinyoung concluded. “Any takers? I’m terrified of him.”

Only Mark and Joy let out a sound akin to a chuckle, nervous. Jongin readied himself for a sprint, localising the zone in his tracker. “I’ll do it.”

Mark perked up. “I’ll go with you!”

The battle siren was strident as it rang out through the Twilight Gap. Jongin instantly took off towards the rusted metal catwalk that would take him to Zone B, vaguely aware of Mark following while the others headed towards Zone A. Monggu was practically vibrating with excitement in his backpack as Jongin rushed, already feeling adrenaline course through his veins.

“Zone C has been claimed.” Lord Donghae announced, serious and expectant. “Now Zone A.”

Jongin arrived at Zone B, tucked in the base of some sort of antenna, before anyone else. He actually began claiming the Zone and let out a relieved sigh as Mark joined him. They even high-fived.

Their reprieve was short-lived. Chanyeol Park was at the catwalk, striding towards them with purpose, but not running. His face was disguised behind his copper helmet, but Jongin could imagine the predatory grin he had to be wearing— a big bad wolf, indeed. Jongin lifted the submachine gun the Redjacks had lent him to shoot, but he didn’t get the chance to fire a single shot before Chanyeol’s body was engulfed in flames, a large and heavy Hammer of Sol materialising in his hand.

Jongin’s eyes widened as a thousand thoughts ran through his head. How did Chanyeol already have his Super ready? Just how jacked was this guy? Jongin began shooting, but Chanyeol didn’t even flinch as bullets hit him on the chest and wounded him.

“Two for one!” The Sunbreaker exclaimed gleefully instead of stopping and threw his hammer towards Jongin and Mark with great forcefulness. Jongin, panicking, attempted to escape, but clumsily crashed against rusty chain link. He screamed, but the hammer had already reached him.

It hurt like hell, and then it was lights out.

“Red team has struck first and claimed Zone B! That’s a power play.” Lord Donghae announced proudly. Then, condescendingly: “Blue Team, do better!”

“Up, Kai!” Monggu directed his disoriented Guardian, spawning him by their only Zone. “You have three seconds of shield, let’s go!”

Jongin’s legs were like jelly, his skin feeling like it was on fire still. He watched with trepidation in the interphase as it declared the death of his teammates, one by one at the hand —or hammer— of Chanyeol Park, except for Brand. It then announced Chanyeol had reached a five-kill streak.

“Not two minutes into this match and Chanyeol Park has already wiped the floor with the Blue Team!” Lord Donghae yelled, and oh, Mark was right, he sounded disappointed and angry. “Am I going to have to call it so soon? Pathetic.”

“You’re just gonna stand there? Seriously?”

The deep, smooth voice startled Jongin, and he came face to face with Titan D.O as the other smashed their bodies together with a battle cry. Jongin was too shocked –both because he was taken by surprise and by the Arc electricity flowing through D.O— to catch the implications, only half-defending himself and barely managing to shout in alarm when the other Guardian literally pushed him off the railing, down a steep cliff, and to Jongin’s second death in under a minute.

Lights out.

“Up you go, Kai!” Monggu was saying as he spawned Jongin in the snowy cliff they had begun in. “They have all the zones.”

Still not accustomed to Monggu’s fast resurrection rate —this had definitely been under five seconds— Jongin could only mumble and stumble as Mark revived right by his side.

“Man, this is brutal!” The Hunter was whining but didn’t seem nowhere as disoriented as Jongin. Ah, the wonders of youth. “Let’s go, Kai!”

Jongin didn’t even really get to move before a fucking storm grenade got him. Chen’s crow-like cackle was the last thing he heard before it was lights out again.

Third time was the charm, they said. Jongin was adaptable if nothing else— he learnt to shake the confusion of the quick revivals with haste by just not standing still. He even managed to surprise a nameless Hunter from the Red Team who was guarding Zone C and shoot some bullets right at her head, though he still felt sick at the sight of her slumped body, even as it transmatted away.

“Finally— Kai shows up,” Lord Donghae was equal parts sarcastic and pleased. “Do keep it up, Guardian.”

Jongin managed to claim the zone for the Blue Team before he was gunned down via a shotgun to the back— D.O had managed to sneak up on him once more. This time, Jongin was able to get up much faster, and a peek at the counter in the interphase told him his team was behind— very behind.

He focused on capturing the zones as the killing still made him queasy, sprinting and jumping through the Twilight Gap to get to each one, spend the allotted seconds in the zones to be able to claim them, and then rush to the next one— it still counted as a point, while the interphase alerted Jongin to the unbalanced count kill. It seemed that for every kill any of his teammates achieved, the Red Team achieved five, all mostly on account of D.O or his two partners in crime. Only Brand had managed to stay unscathed, with Jongin finding himself at the end of D.O’s shotgun, auto rifle, machine gun, Arc grenades, and fists of fury more than once.

And it was starting to piss him off.

[D.O has achieved a 10-kill streak]

[D.O has achieved a 20-kill streak]

[D.O has achieved a 30-kill streak]

[D.O has achieved a 40-kill streak]

“My oh my, Arcite,” Lord Donghae exclaimed in the feed, voice teeming with pride. “Can you believe this? D.O is about to do it again! I don’t have a medal for this! I tell everyone he is my favourite Guardian!”

It was as if D.O was untouchable.

Even Chanyeol Park and Chen had been caught at some point— the former, notably, by Mark and his borrowed SUROS Regime. The Blue Team was only shy of the points to avoid Lord Donghae calling on the Mercy Rule. Jongin was starting to feel something he hadn’t experienced ever before— a personal vendetta, almost, a scorching anger that burnt within his chest and had D.O’s name written all over it. He had never wanted something like this— not quite like a thirst for revenge, but close enough.

“Thirty seconds!” Lord Donghae declared. “Blue Team, you’re behind— show them you don’t care.”

Maybe his grenade launcher would do the trick. Jongin turned on the corner of Zone B to be able to climb down and grab the last Heavy ammo of the match and met the Titan he was looking for on opposite ends of the long catwalk.

D.O was then releasing a powerful shout, and his body became alive with blue electricity as he began running towards Jongin— with full intent on slamming down on him with his Fists of Havoc. Without thinking, Jongin let out a war cry of his own, and as D.O jumped and began descending with the force of a maelstrom, Jongin called upon a shield of Void— the thunderous meeting of D.O’s fists with the shield resonated so loudly, it could’ve been heard in the Last City.

D.O seemed surprised Jongin had been able to stop him but didn’t relent. Neither did Jongin, yelling at the force it required to keep D.O at bay and then— push back. The other Titan stumbled back, nearly falling, but getting up in a flash. The damage was done, however, his Arc energy dissipating while Jongin’s shield maintained its shape. It evaded every bullet D.O attempted to fire at him, with Jongin managing to make some bounce and hit the other Guardian, wounding him— yet it wasn’t enough.

He rushed towards him, shoving D.O to the ground when he was close enough and without giving the Titan time to react, Jongin was digging the shield with tremendous force on the vulnerable spot in D.O’s throat as if it was a knife. The Guardian struggled for only a moment before being decapitated.

As D.O’s limp corpse transmatted away and Jongin’s Void shield disappeared into nothingness, Jongin surprised himself by managing a victorious smirk in spite of the gruesomeness.

“YOU SHUT HIM DOWN, KAI!” Lord Donghae was extremely passionate about the result, screaming in Jongin’s ear. “YOU BROKE D.O’S STREAK! I LOVE IT!”

And then, the time was up.

The Blue Team had lost— miserably. As the next dozen batch of Guardians prepared for their own Control match, Jongin still felt fired up, panting as he snatched his own helmet from his head. He felt like he could tear out a Vex’s heart with his teeth.

“Dude!” Mark jumped on him, throwing an arm over Jongin’s broad shoulders, practically hanging off them and not minding. “We did it! We offed the Kingslayers! Did you see how I got Chanyeol Park?! He was so surprised! So was I! And you went and stopped D.O on his forty-ninth kill! You’re amazing!”

Jongin didn’t feel particularly amazing. He wanted another go— get a chance to even out the scores. He wanted to rip some throats out, sear enemies with his burning Light— okay. Maybe the Crucible was a bit addictive.

Things weren’t better for the honey-haired Titan when he caught D.O approaching them, a smirking Chanyeol and a grinning Chen right behind the Guardian. D.O was glaring again, and Jongin almost felt like cowering once more, but the bloodthirst and pride coursing through him after his single kill against the other Titan kept him still, steadfast.

Mark did cower, though. He hid behind Jongin’s back, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights, but unwilling to leave and miss the gossip that would come with the confrontation.

D.O came to stand right in front of Jongin and said nothing at first, only staring up at Jongin’s face, examining him. Jongin realised there had to be at least ten centimetres of difference between them. Both Titans sized each other up, Jongin unsure of what to say and D.O not willing to give anything up.

Then suddenly, Chen cleared his throat. That seemed to kick D.O into action, while Chanyeol pursed his lips in an attempt not to laugh. He looked in pain.

“You got me at the last second,” D.O was finally saying, stilted and awkward, and in this murder-free environment, Jongin could appreciate his deep voice better— it made something warm settle in the pit of his stomach, the bloodthirst turning into something… Different. “You did good.”

Jongin blinked. “Thanks?”

D.O skittered away. Chanyeol didn’t bother to hide his cackling then, and he actually looked like he was going to cry with how hard he was laughing, while Chen only smirked by his side.

“Kill him a few more times, and he might ask you on a date!” The Sunbreaker Titan teased. He then gestured at Mark, nodding approvingly. “And you— well done! You killed me!”

“Y-You’re not mad?” Mark wondered in a tiny voice.

“I’m extremely mad!” Chanyeol chirped, much to Mark’s mortification. “You’re so dead in our next match!”

“Chanyeol!” Chen scolded him. “Don’t threaten the rookie! He’s tiny!”

Jongin wasn’t really listening, as he watched D.O’s equally tiny –yet much more intimidating— form hide away from them and go stand next to Lord Donghae, as if the quartermaster would serve as some sort of barrier. Chanyeol’s joking words reverberated in Jongin’s mind, much more strongly than he had anticipated them to. Even Monggu pulsed warmly, teasing Jongin. His cheeks were starting to get red.

Well.

Throughout the rest of the day, it became sort of a goal— fuelled in part due to the strange grudge that wasn’t quite a grudge Jongin now held against D.O, and mostly because the Titan was curious to see how much truth was there in Chanyeol’s words. In any of the following matches Jongin got to participate in during the day –be it a difficult Breakthrough, a challenging Countdown, a frustrating Survival, a straight-forward Clash, a simple Lockdown, or a thrilling Mayhem— he had one single objective: shut down D.O.

It proved to be a difficult task. It was almost as if D.O was expecting Jongin every time and got rid of him just as quickly. But this didn’t deter Jongin— if anything, it excited him more, up until the point it no longer bothered him to get any other Guardian who stood on his way to reach D.O, and even if the particular Crucible match didn’t call for it. Lord Donghae caught on it pretty fast, and tacitly never put both of the Titans in the same team, even as the rotation demanded for it.

It was extremely entertaining for the Crucible handler, it seemed. It was extremely hilarious to Chanyeol Park, who proved to be much less of a cocky competitive jerk and much more of a cocky competitive goof, keen on powering the conflict. It was extremely amusing to Chen, who even helped Jongin reach D.O without saying a word, same team or not. It was extremely curious to Mark, who was unsure what Jongin was trying to prove, and urged his new friend to give it a rest before it backfired.

Eventually, maybe by the fourth time Jongin had managed to stop his ridiculously good kill streaks, D.O began to reciprocate. The Striker was beginning to grow angry and frustrated with Jongin— and seeking out the Sentinel as well. Their encounters became messier with each opportunity, up to the point that, when they saw each other, they dropped their guns, going at each other with their fists instead.

It was the most intense foreplay Jongin had been involved in.

They hardly spoke to each other between matches— it was unfair how good D.O looked dishevelled, black hair messier, skin shinier with sweat. Jongin was afraid that if he opened his mouth or D.O opened his, he would end up kissing the other and getting rejected. Jongin blamed at least half of his attraction on the adrenaline. He had a thing, too, for intense types that turned out to be sweeties. He was unsure if D.O would turn out to be a sweetie, but he high-key wanted to find out.

By the time it was twilight in the Twilight Gap, Lord Donghae congratulated them all and commanded them to bring their friends, and the Guardians shuffled back into the shuttle to the Last City, though, Jongin hadn’t actually dared to say anything remotely flirty to D.O. Or anything at all, really, other than a curt nod once the matches had been over.

In the shuttle, despite how many glances he stole at the Kingslayers, it was D.O’s unwavering gaze, fixed on Jongin, which made the honey-haired Titan chicken out to going over and talking to him every time. Instead, he stayed rooted in his seat, only half-listening to Mark’s rambling of what a good time he had had and how they had to do this again soon.

When they reached the Last City and they were let out of the shuttle, Jongin watched in despair as the loud trio went away in the opposite direction Mark and he took. He figured he would just have to come back to the Crucible on a day D.O was present as well, until he gathered enough courage to ask the other Titan out.

Two weeks passed like this:

Every night, Jongin would check his Crucible app and read out the list of enrolments for the following day. If D.O’s name was in it, no matter the mode nor the planet it would be held in, Jongin would inscribe himself as well, promising to Monggu it would be the day he would exchange actual words with D.O, rather than punches.

It just so happened that D.O was enrolled practically every day, save for the weekends, be it with Chanyeol and Chen or alone. Krystal and Jennie were right— most Guardians were indeed training for the Crimson Days, faces repeating almost each day, and already searching for a partner for the Crimson Bond. Apparently, it was a thing for the holiday— Guardians would couple up and work in pairs for a chance to win a shiny pair of Sparrows and a very cute pink bow Jongin would never be caught dead using.

Mark had already found a partner in Krystal-4, in a surprising twist of fate, when she had caught wind of what Jongin was doing. Joy had paired up with Amber. Jinyoung had paired up with a Warlock named Wendy. Brand hadn’t declared a preference yet, but really, Jongin hadn’t heard him say a word in the whole time they had trained together. Chanyeol and Chen had chosen each other as partners, as if pressuring D.O.

In fact, by the end of the second week, everyone in their initial 24 Guardians set had someone as their Bond, save for D.O, Jongin, Brand, and the Hunter Jongin had shut down on his very first match. Meanwhile, Jongin himself hadn’t managed to do much other than repeatedly gain D.O’s attention via his murder and not speak a single word to him, finding himself terribly tongue-tied whenever D.O stepped out of the Arena. In fact, their only conversation went the same every day, initiated by the Striker, as if to add salt to Jongin’s wound.

“Good match today.”

“Thanks, you too.”

It didn’t only frustrate and fluster Jongin, but apparently, everyone around him.

Chanyeol, the evident leader of the Kingslayers’ posse, had taken upon himself to force interactions by claiming the seats next to Jongin and Mark whenever they weren’t at a match. Chen and he talked and talked and talked, bickering among themselves, dragging Mark into silly antics, asking Jongin all sorts of questions about his involvement in the SIVA Crisis, sharing impressive anecdotes about D.O during the Taken War. Jongin had been presented with opportunities to talk to D.O directly in a silver platter on multiple occasions, but he was rendered mute by those intense, owlish eyes every single time.

D.O not only was untouchable— he was unreadable. Or rather, Monggu had argued often, he was just as shy as Jongin.

Jongin could see that. The Titan’s glare, he had come to realise, was more of his resting expression than an actual glare, which made Jongin relax slightly. Whenever Chanyeol and Chen hyped him up, D.O would duck his head in embarrassment, which would endear him further to Jongin. Sometimes, at a particularly good joke or foolish act, the black-haired man would grin or laugh, his lips resembling a heart even more and his eyes crinkling like crescent moons, taking Jongin’s breath away. When Jongin was speaking to the group, his interest in whatever that came out of the Sentinel’s mouth was palpable, making Jongin stutter and blush and chuckle nervously.

Nothing came out of these conversations, though, much to Chen’s, Chanyeol’s, and Mark’s chagrins.

The matches themselves were a different story. Neither D.O nor Jongin held back during them, searching for each other, fighting, sparring for the sake of sparring, and yet still with the same intensity of the first day. If Jongin happened to die a few times— well. He was happy to die by D.O’s hands. Was it too soon for that?

“For the love of the Traveller,” Monggu muttered morosely one night. “If you don’t ask him out tonight or at least ask him to be your Crimson Bond for the tournament, I will personally contact his Ghost and set an actual play date. Did you hear me, Kai? A play date! Because toddlers have more game than you.”

“I have to agree with the little light,” Mark, by his side, agreed. They had just finished the last match of the day, this time in the Ishtar Sink in Venus— it was Friday, meaning D.O wouldn’t be here tomorrow. “It’s getting really painful to watch, Kai.”

“It’s painful to go through.” Jongin countered, sighing heavily. “I just get so nervous around him— I can’t get in a word edgewise. I’ve never actually felt this way before.”

Monggu seemed to soften a little at that. “It’ll be okay, Kai. You’ll get to it, soon.”

“Maybe you just need to unwind,” Mark suggested, and then snapped his fingers with an idea. “You know, why don’t you come out with me tonight? I have to return the SUROS Regime, and I’m meeting up with the Skulking Fox at the Seven Stars. It’s a really cool bar!”

Jongin remembered this strange deal Mark had gotten himself into. The Skulking Fox sounded like an ominous figure, even if Mark insisted that was just a nickname and that Baekhyun was actually a sweetheart. Having read the multiple and increasingly threatening messages the guy sent Mark over the weeks when one day of borrowing became a fortnight had Jongin doubting the Hunter’s claims. He scrunched up his nose.

“I’m not really into bars.” He said instead.

“But are you into chicken?” Chanyeol’s voice boomed behind them. The tall, lilac-haired was grinning at them, hands on hips, not unlike Lord Donghae. Chen, and more importantly, D.O, were right behind him. Did they always walk like that? “‘Cause we’re going to a chicken restaurant and we wanted to invite you guys.”

Fuck. Jongin was really into chicken.

“I can’t,” Mark piped in, but wrapped an arm around Jongin’s shoulders, patting his other arm. “But this guy right here would love to go!”

Jongin swallowed drily. “Yeah, I really like chicken.”

Understatement of the century. Jongin adored chicken. He would have it for breakfast and dinner every day if it wasn’t unhealthy and bad for his stomach.

“Cool!” Chen chirped happily. “This was D.O’s suggestion! We’ll have a blast.”

Jongin took a deep breath, his eyes meeting D.O’s for a brief moment before the smaller Titan looked away, his cheeks a bit pink.

This was bound to be the best night or the worst night, Jongin decided.

One excruciatingly long trip back to Earth later and once in the chicken restaurant, Chen and Chanyeol orchestrated their seating chart so that Jongin ended up pressing up in the booth against D.O. Even through their armours, Jongin swore he could feel the body heat of the Striker. It made him shyer than usual.

Chanyeol and Chen were blessings in disguise, truly, with their constant chattering that allowed for no awkward silence. If Jongin listened carefully, they spoke of mostly nonsensical things, with the Sunbreaker rambling on about anything on his mind and Chen interjecting with thoughtful questions, well-timed jests, and calling out Chanyeol for being too ridiculous.

It was clear they were doing it for D.O and Jongin. Jongin definitely appreciated how invested they were in making this crippling crush of Jongin’s be less consuming. The Titan, however, felt content to just sit close to D.O at the moment, as they dutifully ate their chicken pieces, heart racing when D.O inadvertently pushed his thigh on Jongin’s. They both jumped minutely, and then, relaxed slowly.

Right when Jongin was going to do the bravest thing of his whole life and press their ankles together as well —although the heavy armour definitely complicated things— Chanyeol asked the first serious question of the night:

“So, what are we gonna do about the Psion spy?”

Jongin choked. “The Psion spy? What?”

“Surely you’ve noticed him, Kai,” Chen interjected, raising his eyebrows. “Brand. You know. The supposedly mute ‘Hunter’ who never ranks very low or very high? Perfectly average. Except for the fact that he has never been killed.”

Oh. Oh. Psions, an alien race that had been enslaved by the Cabal Empire, did have a build similar to humans, and their telekinetic powers shone purple like Jongin’s own Void Light. Under a full set of armour, no one would be able to tell the difference— except for the fact that a Psion wouldn’t be able to come back from death like Guardians did. Unless it avoided death at all costs.

Jongin blushed, embarrassed at his oversight. Normally, his intuition about others was so good— and now that he thought about it, he had reckoned there was something not quite right with Brand. But he had been otherwise preoccupied.

“This is the first thing I’m hearing about this,” D.O accused, brow furrowed in adorable confusion. “A Psion spy? Since when have you known?”

Chanyeol made a gesture as if to say ‘so-so’ as a stand-in for an actual calculation. “Since the first match we had with your lover boy, I’d say?”

D.O’s lover boy? Jongin? Oh shit. Jongin’s brain short-circuited. He was D.O’s lover boy. This was amazing. Psion spy? Who cared?

“And you didn’t think to tell me?” D.O questioned grumpily, and oh Traveller, he wasn’t denying Jongin was his lover boy. Jongin was dying. Amazing.

He couldn’t help but to begin grinning, giddy, even if he did his best to keep a straight face. Chen smiled at him, kindly, as if conveying an enjoy it, lover boy.

“Why would we tell you when you can barely think these days?” Chanyeol retorted. His eyes widened for a moment when D.O lifted his fist quickly. “No! Don’t hit me! You know I’m right! Kai is a very attractive man, it’s okay!”

Jongin bit the inside of his cheek, but even that couldn’t stop his smile. D.O kicked Chanyeol under the table and was starting to get up to further beat him up, but Chen stopped him, placating him with a raised arm to protect a whining, flinching Chanyeol.

“Don’t worry, D.O,” The Warlock consoled him calmly. “One day, Chanyeol is gonna get a crush of his own, and we will make sure to make his life impossible and embarrass him at every turn. Right now, it’s just your turn. Such is the way of friendship.”

D.O’s nostrils actually flared. He glanced over at Jongin for a moment, and when he seemed to realise that Jongin was unbothered by the claims —quite the opposite, in fact— he relented.

“I won’t forget this, Park.” He threatened— or promised. Chanyeol nodded vigorously.

“I know!” The Sunbreaker stated with enthusiasm. “Hey, how about Chen and I head out? We wanted to sing karaoke. Don’t worry about the bill, we’ll take care of it.”

“And don’t worry about Brand,” Chen added more gently. “We’ll take care of him, too. When the time’s right, we’ll let you know.”

With that, D.O and Jongin were left on their own, Warlock and Titan saying their goodbyes and getting out of the booth, half-eaten chickens abandoned. Jongin eyed his empty plate, and then the pieces, but figured it would be too rude to take them.

D.O, by his side, was sighing, long-suffering.

“I’m sorry about that,” The Titan apologised in a mumble. “Chanyeol is really bad at just shutting the fuck up.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jongin answered. “It feels— like a weight is off my shoulders. I was having a really hard time thinking of things to say to you.”

D.O blushed. “Uhm. Yeah. Sorry. It’s the staring, right? I can’t help it. My eyesight’s really bad and I tend to glare. I know it makes me look intimidating. It’s usually useful, when you’re not talking to people you actually like.”

Jongin’s whole body felt warm. It was pleasant. This was the most words he had heard D.O string together in front of him at all. He was definitely just as red as D.O, but smiling all silly and happy.

“You did scare me at first,” He admitted, and admired the way D.O tried not to look so crestfallen. “But I like you, too.”

They fell into their very first comfortable silence. As much as he liked being next to D.O, it was a bit counterproductive to Jongin’s purposes.

He slipped out of the booth, under the other Titan’s surprised gaze, and took a seat on the other side of the booth, right in front of D.O. Jongin crosses his arms over the table and gave D.O his most charming smile.

“Hey, I’m Jongin,” He introduced himself, and D.O’s eyes widened at the implication of trust in the real name. “Nice to meet you.”

D.O smiled, fond and warm, pretty heart-shaped lips doing all sorts of things to Jongin. “Nice to meet you, Jongin. I’m Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo and D.O were two different beasts. Jongin was torn on which one he preferred— if he preferred one over the other at all.

Kyungsoo wasn’t as intense— at least, not in the same way D.O was. Kyungsoo was polite, soft-spoken, focused and thoughtful. He was a bit snarky, though much less tough than he was in the Crucible. It was much easier to pull a laugh or a sheepish smile out of the black-haired Titan. He was handsome, a gentleman, affectionate in a silent way, and strong.

Jongin’s crush had only grown exponentially at these discoveries of the Striker’s true character.

They managed to talk until the waitress at the chicken restaurant told them it was closing time. Jongin was extremely glad they didn’t have to be up at five tomorrow— though his body was adjusting to the harsh schedule of the Crucible, by midnight he had usually crashed. It was past midnight already.

He tried his best to hide how exhausted he was, but a yawn escaped him now and then and Jongin was certain his eyes were droopy with sleep. Kyungsoo, ever watchful, offered to drop Jongin off home so he would be safe. Jongin felt light-headed at the idea of Kyungsoo wanting him to protect him when Jongin was so capable of taking care of himself.

“You live in the dorms?” Kyungsoo asked as the approached the Tower. Jongin hummed. “How come?”

“I haven’t actually been around for that long,” He confessed, a bit hesitant. “Just in time for the War, actually. It was never a priority to get my own home, and now, I’m comfortable. Plus, I don’t have a roommate right now, so it’s really peaceful.”

Kyungsoo nodded in understanding. “I would probably still be in the dorms, if Chanyeol hadn’t insisted on getting an apartment together with Chen. It was right around the time you probably got rezz’ed, actually.”

“You guys are joined at the hip, huh? How’s living with them?” Jongin asked, chuckling.

Kyungsoo shrugged. “Way more chaotic than three people should be. They’re pretty loud, in case you haven’t noticed— I actually think Chanyeol might be scared of silence, really.”

“That bad?” Kyungsoo only grunted in affirmation, making Jongin chuckle. He really hoped that Kyungsoo decided to walk him all the way to his dorm’s room— tacitly, silently, Jongin was getting his wish.

Once they were there, they awkwardly stood in front of each other, not quite wanting to say goodbye. Jongin was about to open his mouth to say something inane, when Kyungsoo spoke first.

“Be my Crimson Bond.” The man blurted out quite forcefully. He was instantly ashamed by himself and flushed, before practically whispering out a weak: “Please.”

Jongin felt over the moon at that moment. Kyungsoo and D.O were two different beasts, but in the end, they were the same handsome man Jongin had been kind of tricked into a first date with. In lieu of an answer, Jongin was emboldened, and he pressed a gentle kiss on Kyungsoo’s warm cheek.

“You have my datapad code, right? Send me something when you get home.”

“I will.” Kyungsoo replied, a bit breathless. Jongin opened his door.

“I would love to be your Crimson Bond.” He offered, because he couldn’t play coy when Kyungsoo looked so cute and so handsome and so expectant and so awed like that. “See you soon, Kyungsoo.”

If Jongin squealed as soon as they had said their goodbyes and jumped around his room, suddenly re-energised, it was only for Monggu and he to know.

The following weekend and week had Jongin walking in clouds. Between Crucible matches, impromptu dates with Kyungsoo that involved much adorableness, and plotting to take down Brand the Psion spy, there was very little time Jongin didn’t spend with Kyungsoo.

Though they hadn’t dared to kiss yet— despite his false bravado, Jongin found himself paralysed before he could take that step. Despite his false toughness, Kyungsoo was probably just as scared. Their collective shyness would be the death of him, truly.

It didn’t stop them from holding hands cutely, cuddling cutely, laughing together cutely, kissing cheeks and foreheads and noses cutely, flirting lamely and so cutely, until everyone around them —read: Chanyeol, Chen, and Mark— were disgusted and regretting ever pushing the two Titans together.

Not that the disgust was limited to them.

“Keep smiling so dreamily at nothing, and I swear, I will stab myself,” Krystal-4 said in a voice so plain it didn’t even count as a threat. “You’re freaking me out.”

“I’m so annoyed right now,” Jennie pointed out in a whiny voice. “Can you stop?”

Jongin’s smile devolved into a pout.

“Why are you so mean to me?” He complained. “I did what you suggested and joined the Crucible! It wasn’t in my plans to find such a sweet guy in the process. I really like him, and you should be happy for me!”

“I would happier if you made out with him,” Krystal grumbled. “It’s worse for me because I see you all in the Crucible all the time now.”

“How is that going, anyway?” Jennie asked. “The Crimson Days start on Tuesday!”

Krystal’s mouthpiece lit up in the closest approximation of making a face her Exo factions could accomplish. “Mark Lee isn’t bad at all, fortunately. And he had the foresight to get a SUROS Regime as a loan, but he’s been floundering without it now. I told him he should try and get it back.”

“At least it wasn’t a borrowed Hard Light,” Jennie remarked, nonchalant. “Once you go Hard Light, you never go back light.”

“Not to worry, ladies!” Mark exclaimed as he approached them in the noodle stand with a SUROS Regime tucked in his arms like a baby. He had a black eye that looked pretty nasty and a busted lip. “I got an extension!”

Jongin looked at the Hunter up and down. “What’s with your face, man?”

Mark let out an ‘ah’ sound, pointing towards his very fresh bruise. “That’s the extension!”

“Dude,” Jongin said in alarm. “Did the Skulking Fox beat you up? You should seriously stop doing dealings with him.”

Krystal-4 waved Jongin’s comment off. “What are you even saying? Baekhyun’s a sweetheart!”

Sweethearts didn’t usually beat people up over borrowed guns. They probably also didn’t have such rare auto rifles just laying around to be borrowed to others for weeks at a time.

Sweethearts were more like Kyungsoo. All tough and rock on the outside, capable of fighting fifty warriors on his own, but be all gooey in the inside— soft. Like cotton candy. Warm. Like hot chocolate. Sweet. Like—

“You’re doing it again, Kai!” Jennie whined loudly. “Stop it! Stop the pining!”

He wasn’t pining.

“Am I pining?” Were the words immediately out of his mouth once Kyungsoo stepped into his dorm. It was the first time the Titan was inside Jongin’s bedroom, and he had deep-cleaned all Saturday. They were going to officially introduce their Ghosts to each other. When Kyungsoo looked at him strangely, he clarified: “Am I pining for you? And if I am, am I annoying you?”

Kyungsoo actually took the time to contemplate this.

“Pining means to long for,” He said as he took off his long, puffy jacket. He looked so good in clothes that weren’t armour— a cream-coloured turtleneck and simple jeans. “Are you longing for me, Jongin?”

Kyungsoo had gotten better at those— the straightforward, direct questions. Jongin flushed, swallowing and rubbing his nape as he offered Kyungsoo a small sofa to sit in while he took his bed. Kyungsoo opted to sit with Jongin on the bed.

“Kinda longing, yeah,” Jongin admitted with only minimal shame, even if his heart was starting to race. “I guess the pining begins more when the other person doesn’t feel the same way?”

Kyungsoo nodded solemnly, thoughtfully. He took everything that came out of Jongin’s mouth so seriously.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about, in that case,” He informed Jongin. “I’m kinda longing for you, too.”

They were so adorable it was even paining Jongin. He whined, closing his eyes and making a face, but he only buried his face in the crook of Kyungsoo’s neck. Kyungsoo chuckled, a soft, deep sound, and placed a hand over Jongin’s honey-coloured hair. No wonder everyone thought they were too much. Jongin hoped it never wore off, even once they finally kissed.

Monggu transmatted in front of them, too excited to meet the mysterious Ink to care if he was interrupting a moment. The Ghost had gone out of his way to get ready— he had dismantled his usual red shell to something more pristine, with a tiny bowtie attached to it. First impressions were important to Monggu.

“Hello, D.O!” The little light greeted happily. “Did you have a nice walk here?”

“It was alright, it was about to start to snow, I think,” Kyungsoo commented. He then cleared his throat. “Ink? Why don’t you come out? There’s someone here who wants to meet you.”

Ink transmatted as well after a moment. He had a translucent shell that reminded Jongin of a diamond— yet a bit duller. His edges were covered by hard black armour ends. Even if he only had an eye, it was evident on the get-go that Ink was taciturn. Monggu paused awkwardly, then greeted the other Ghost: “Hello! I’m Monggu!”

“I know,” Ink said, not cold yet not very interested either. “And I’m Ink.”

Another silence.

“It’s really nice to meet you!” Monggu tried again. Ink only hummed.

“Well!” Jongin chimed in, clapping. “We’ll leave you to get to know each other, then. We’re gonna get coffee upstairs and come back, okay?”

Monggu was already giving Jongin a look as both Guardians stood up, as if begging him not to leave him alone. Jongin only smiled reassuringly at his Ghost, offering a thumbs up.

“You’ll be okay,” Kyungsoo interjected, as if noticing the tension. “Ink’s great. Ink, show Monggu your Interesting Things collection. I’m sure he’ll love it.”

That, at least, seemed to make Ink lighten up a little bit. “Okay.”

“Okay!” Monggu agreed nervously.

Kyungsoo and Jongin left the room hand in hand. As they walked down the hall, approximately ten seconds passed before Kyungsoo was deflating with a loud sigh of complaint, making Jongin laugh.

“Interesting Things collection?” Jongin echoed with mirth. “What even is that?”

“Ink is a nerd,” Kyungsoo explained with another sigh, but the hint of a smile on his lips. “He likes archival things, data reports, engrams… And he has a knack to find semi-cool stuff when we travel. He actually admitted on choosing me because I apparently loved to research and was very curious.”

Jongin gave Kyungsoo a look of surprise. It wasn’t so far-fetched, so to speak, to imagine Kyungsoo as the bookish type. At the same time, however, well— Kyungsoo had come back as a Titan.

“It’s a mystery to me, too,” Kyungsoo said without prompting, as if he could read the questions in Jongin’s eyes. “I wasn’t a particularly fit guy.”

They called the elevator. There was a quaint little coffee shop in the very top of the Tower, probably placed there so Guardians could enjoy the view of the impressive City and the Traveller hovering over it. They would run into too many colleagues, but Kyungsoo had insisted on not leaving their Ghosts too alone.

Once the doors had closed, Jongin let out a soft breath of relief, shoving his free hand into his pocket.

“You know… Who you were?” The Sentinel asked in a meek voice, as if afraid someone would listen even in the privacy of the elevator.

Besides few and far in between conversations about it with Monggu, Jongin had never actually dared to ask another Guardian about their past lives. Taemin, although quite open about chasing his own past, had perceived Jongin was a bit of scared of knowing— therefore, they had never talked about it.

He felt uncomfortable just asking Kyungsoo. What if the man took it the wrong way? What if he got mad at Jongin? What ifs swirled in his mind, and as if was sensing that too, Kyungsoo squeezed Jongin’s hand comfortingly.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo revealed without much fanfare, meeting Jongin’s eyes. “An actor. Kyungsoo Do, though— back then it was written Do Kyungsoo. I remember a few things, here and there. Chen has been teaching me.”

“Chen?”

“He’s pretty into the whole Thanatonaut thing,” Kyungsoo explained, shrugging. “The three of us have tried— obviously, Chen has had the most success. I’m somewhere halfway.”

Jongin frowned. “And what about Chanyeol?”

Kyungsoo lowered his eyes, then, seemingly troubled.

“Nothing,” He admitted quietly. “Chanyeol only sees darkness.”

The doors dinged open. Kyungsoo pulled Jongin forward, as the younger Titan couldn’t help but to mull over such a grim thing.

“What about you?” Kyungsoo asked, leading him to a table and attempting to lighten the mood at the same time. “What do you remember?”

Jongin smiled wistfully as he thought about it. The ghost of a pirouette flashed through his body, making him shiver slightly at the strange phantom sensation.

“I was a dancer in Old France,” Jongin answered as they took a seat. “In a place called Salle Le Peletier. But I don’t remember anything, really, just… The feeling of performing.”

Kyungsoo was watching him with that heart-shaped smile. It made Jongin wonder if he could still dance like that, like how he dreamt of, if he tried, just so he could show Kyungsoo.

“I bet you were a beautiful dancer.” The shorter Titan spoke, and then, a bit embarrassed and flushing already, looked down onto the hard white plastic of the table.

The dopey grin was stronger than any attempt Jongin had to hide it, as warmth flooded his entire body.

Now that they had surpassed their initial painstaking timidity, words flowed easily between the two. Another way in how Kyungsoo was just as intense as D.O was in the way he held conversations. He was uninterested in inane chatter, or in making many jokes, or even in flirting without purpose. Everything that came out of his mouth was reflexive, well-thought-out, deep. He took his time to ask questions and to elaborate on his answers, always level-headed and soft yet simmering.

It was a welcome change for Jongin. He was unused to having such profound talks with such frequency. Kyungsoo dug something out of him Jongin had only had the chance to explore with Monggu— the passionate, complex side of himself.

He was a baby, in a way. He could walk and talk and fire guns, but Jongin had only been alive this time around for about a year. Taemin had much more time on him and doted on the Titan for this. Krystal-4 had been somewhere in between, yet still getting to know herself and not that interested in helping Jongin discover himself. Jennie was even younger than he was.

Besides, because he was so shy and yet— well, handsome, people tended not to take him seriously.

He voiced this to Kyungsoo over their hot chocolates and doughnuts. Kyungsoo frowned in the prettiest of ways as he heard Jongin self-deprecatingly say he was considered just a pretty face among many, that it had been Kyuhyun the first one to see past that and allow him to fight Fallen by his side. That sometimes he felt more comfortable trying to get a word from an unyielding Rasputin than talking to others.

Jongin had half-expected Kyungsoo to console him, to reassure him, to say he was more than what others saw.

“It’s their loss,” Kyungsoo sentenced with decision. “We were given a second chance at life, Traveller knows why— but it didn’t actually leave us guidelines, now, did it?” He finished with pursed lips, leaning in conspiratorially.

Jongin chuckled. “I mean, we’re supposed to be Guardians, aren’t we?”

Kyungsoo clicked his tongue.

“What even is a Guardian?” He questioned and shook his head. “You may use this life as however you see fit. Not for the sake of proving yourself to others.”

Jongin smiled, watching Kyungsoo.

“I think I know why you’re a Titan,” He said, coy and yet sincere. “It’s that strength. You’re so sure of yourself and your decisions.”

“You are, too,” Kyungsoo countered, even if he smiled as well. “You just don’t seem to like the credit a lot.”

He made a sound of agreement, breaking apart a napkin. “I don’t want to be cocky. It’s hard to find a balance when you feel so much power within yourself, and there’s just… No proper outlet. Do you know what I mean?”

“I do,” Kyungsoo acquiesced. “A Titan friend of mine taught me this, in my early days— there’s no point on being a good boy who plays nice if it means suffocating. If you’re strong, you’re strong. That’s not cocky. It’s knowing what you’re capable of doing.”

Jongin mulled over the words. Kyungsoo continued:

“You, Jongin Kim, are capable of a lot, and I’m really impatient to see just a smidge of it,” The Striker declared. “Especially in the Crucible Tournament.”

It wasn’t even a light-hearted joke. Kyungsoo was deadly serious. Despite this, Jongin laughed, endeared.

“You won’t regret choosing me,” He replied with a grin. “I promise, Kyungsoo.”

Before they knew it, the Crimson Days were here, the whole Tower decorated to convey the beginning of the romantic holiday. The Tower’s Plaza had gigantic red roses arrangements and white and scarlet banners that had been put there overnight, while Warlocks had charmed the immediate sky above the Plaza to make rose petals fall down gently with the flow of air.

Kyungsoo had some rose petals stuck in his dark hair as they waited for Lord Donghae’s shuttle. Jongin was stuck on watching him, lovesick. When Kyungsoo caught his eye and smiled at him, even if everyone was watching them and he was supposed to be intimidating to their competition, Jongin fell a bit harder.

Chanyeol pushed him forward, smirking. “C’mon, lover boy. Chen and I have a tournament to win.”

Jongin flushed, and he did move forward, and boldly wrapped an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders. “I think you meant to say D.O and I have a tournament to win.”

Mark jumped up on Jongin’s back to startle him and cackled when he accomplished that very same thing. Krystal-4 was right behind him, her factions conveying a small simper.

“I think you meant to say Krystal and Mark!” The Hunter corrected playfully. “It’s okay, really— common misconception. We’re the true underdogs.”

“You’re all wrong,” Chen spoke then, the edges of his mouth curled up, but eyebrows in a worried frown. He lowered his voice. “We have a Cabal spy to shut down. Brand’s partner must be under his control, so be careful around her.”

Psions and their psychic abilities would be a hassle. Even though Jongin had been admittedly more focused on Kyungsoo during their remaining training matches –Chen had asked him to do so, so they wouldn’t arouse any suspicion from Brand, and it wasn’t like he had to even pretend— the Titan had still watched the Psion in action. Indeed, he didn’t even allow any of the Guardians to touch him— but he never killed enough to make himself particularly notable. He was agile and strong, and the Hunter that had been left as his Crimson Bond had become noticeably quieter ever since partnering up with him.

Brand wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill Psion. He knew what he was doing— but what exactly did he want to gain from watching Crucible matches was still up in the air.

“Because Lord Donghae isn’t wrong,” Monggu had told him, when he had finally forgiven Jongin after leaving him alone with Ink when he had been clearly overdressed for the extremely awkward and somewhat boring get-together. “Do you know how many tactics, strategies, and even ideologies are born in the Crucible? If I wanted to know more about Guardians and how to take them down, I’d hang out here— not in the Tower.”

It made sense. Jongin was just miffed it had to be now of all times, when his budding romance with Kyungsoo was starting, that they would have to kill a Cabal spy.

At least they would do it together.

“I can’t hear your thoughts,” Mark teased him. “But I can feel you being lovey-dovey. Please, just get in the shuttle, man.”

Jongin did get in the shuttle, laughing nervously as he shuffled behind Kyungsoo. When Kyungsoo took a seat and Jongin sat next to him, the taller Titan pulled a petal from Kyungsoo’s hair. Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow at him, but there was the ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

“If you baby me, the intimidating image we’re going for will go to shit, Jongin.” Kyungsoo muttered, though he wasn’t particularly bothered.

“Did you realise this is actually the first time we’ll be working together?” Jongin asked to distract him instead.

“I did realise,” Kyungsoo conceded, turning up his chin. “You better not disappoint me, lover boy.”

Fittingly, they had returned to the Twilight Gap for the Crimson Doubles Tournament. Arcite-99-40, Lord Donghae’s personal combat frame who was dressed just like him, was holding a bouquet of red roses by his side as the Crucible’s manager addressed them.

“Guardians,” His voice boomed through the old military base that had seen so much. “These Crimson Days are a time to renew our bonds to one another. We gather together. We remember what we owe to each other. We declare our love.”

Jongin snuck a glance to Kyungsoo at those words. The man had already become D.O— undeterred and intense. With a one-track mind to win this whole tournament with his bare knuckles if he had to. It fuelled Jongin as well, instead of making him jealous for not having his attention.

Even if he was a little jealous.

Lord Donghae held up a bow— a fuchsia, ridiculous thing with petal motives that Jongin wouldn’t throw in the garbage before ever using. The sparrows that transmatted on each side of Lord Donghae, though, of a deep red and with a projection on each that unified into one single Crimson Days flower, preyed on his interest more.

“Bring your fiery passion to the Crucible today.” The quartermaster declared. “Prove your devotion to the Bond you have chosen!”

He presented the bow to the crowd of Guardians in more detail. It was admittedly a great weapon— just ridiculous. What shader could even fix that pink? Ghastly.

“Today, you will make me proud of your love and comradery! You have trained long and hard for these matches that awaits us.” Lord Donghae continued, but it was as if he wasn’t done just yet. Arcite-99-40 was the one who nudged the older Titan forward again.

Lord Donghae lifted the bow dramatically.

“To those of you who wins this bow… I offer my hand in marriage! Take it or leave it!”

It was so solemn and yet at the same time so… unexpected. Ridiculous. Behind Lord Donghae, some Redjacks began moving and they released— oh Traveller. Those were doves. White doves.

There was screaming all over the batch of Guardians— over the doves, over the sparrows, over the bow, over Lord Donghae’s hand in marriage. As the Guardians began to scatter and try and re-group among their friends while Lord Donghae stalked away, Arcite used the opportunity to throw the rose bouquet towards the crowd without much warning.

It landed straight into Brand’s hands, naturally, as if he had been holding it the whole time.

Jongin groaned and whined at missing it. Krystal-4 scolded Mark for not holding her high enough to grab it. Kyungsoo patted Jongin’s back, while Chen and Chanyeol wrapped an arm around each side of Brand and his Hunter Bond, grinning all friendly and warm.

“Aw, man!” Chanyeol began the performance they had practiced so many times in their apartment. “Brand, you’re lucky and unlucky right now. Do you know why?”

Brand didn’t say a word but made a gesture as if to invite Chanyeol to continue. Chanyeol pinched one of the smaller flowers from the tight bouquet and stole it for himself.

“This bouquet never falls by chance,” The Warlock explained. “It falls on the Crimson Bond Lord Donghae has favouritism over. So, it’s definitely a blessing. Maybe you’ll even get to marry Lord Donghae after this!”

“Yeah, on that note,” Mark interjected feebly. “Is he for real? If we win the bow, we gotta marry Lord Donghae?”

“It’s also a bit unlucky, though,” Chanyeol continued, ignoring the Hunter as he gave Brand a sad expression that didn’t convince anyone— Chanyeol’s mouth was sad and disappointed, but his eyes were mirthful and conniving. “Because this means you have a target on your back now.”

He slapped Brand and the Hunter on their backs, unnecessarily strong. The first move of their plan —the reveal— was over. Now, came the matches.

The Crimson Doubles Tournament would proceed by eliminations of the two dozen Guardians that had been separated in two groups from the beginning, all paired up. There would be two matches of Control, to get the engines warmed up and for old time’s sake. In both matches, the victorious teams would move on to a match of Countdown, which required defending a charge from the enemy team, while the losing teams would play their own match of Countdown to decide on who they would face next.

The third phase, Breakthrough, was a bit more complicated. The fireteams had to battle in order to control the Breaker, a machine that would allow them to enter the enemy’s Vault. The Breaker couldn’t be recaptured, but the Vault could be defended. Whoever won this skirmish, or resulted with the most points, would get a chance at the next round.

The next round included taking the remaining fireteam and dividing them in their Crimson Bonds— this is where it mattered the most. The three remaining Crimson Doubles partners would battle it out in a simple, straightforward game of Clash. Out of this final match, the Crimson Doubles winners would emerge.

Due to some Warlock interference, there were a few perks. You were stronger when next to your Crimson Bond. If you two were too far away, the tracker was programmed to find your teammate as soon as possible. And if your Bond died, you received a boost of energy in order to get revenge on their killer. It meant that in practice the Crimson Doubles wouldn’t be able to be apart from each other for long.

It would be a long day. Jongin was buzzing with energy. By him, Kyungsoo was deathly still. Their first team consisted of Mark, Krystal, Brand, his Hunter partner, and Jongin and Kyungsoo. He hoped either Chanyeol or Chen got to Brand fast— that way, Kyungsoo and he could focus on only winning.

The thought made Jongin pause. Wow. When had he begun to care so much about the Crucible?

“Chanyeol’s definitely going for the middle zone first,” Kyungsoo reminded them in their feed. They were the Red Team, this time. “If we stop him there, they’ll get—”

“—Distracted since he gets angry,” Jongin finished for him. “I know. Let me at him.”

“Alright,” Kyungsoo agreed a bit reluctantly. “Just don’t over-do it.”

Over-do it how? Throwing a Hammer of Sol to Chanyeol’s face, just as payback for that first match? Jongin would never. He was a Sentinel. He didn’t have a hammer made of flames. And they needed Chanyeol focused.

The battle sirens rung out through the Twilight Gap, and Jongin was off, Kyungsoo following close by. He felt much more certain this time, making sure that his scout rifle was loaded and ready as he sprinted towards the antenna building that held the coveted Zone B. However, he knew better than to begin claiming it immediately, and Kyungsoo was apparently eager to watch what the other Titan would do.

Jongin began climbing the chain link fence.

“Let them see you,” He told Kyungsoo. “Let them think they’ve struck first.”

Kyungsoo let out a chuckle yet didn’t question Jongin. The small Striker stepped into the Zone, effectively beginning the claiming process, as Jongin hid in the small roof over Zone B.

Chanyeol skidded on the catwalk, making his grand entrance with Chen in tow. When the Sunbreaker saw Kyungsoo just standing there, he boomed with laughter, while Chen was instantly suspicious. Jongin smirked.

“You’re not gonna stop me, D.O!” Chanyeol taunted, and fired at the third Kingslayer while Chen screamed: “Chanyeol, wait!”

Jongin shot. The sniper bullet went right through Chanyeol’s skull, and Chen squawked, but Jongin wasn’t about to let him get away. He fired again, this time at Chen— twice for good measure.

“Guardian Kai has struck first, it’s a double play, and Red Team has claimed Zone B!” Lord Donghae exclaimed. “What a sneaky bastard! Are you sure you’re not a Hunter, son?!”

Jongin got up and jumped down by Kyungsoo, immediately checking him over. The other Titan was bent over, Chanyeol’s bullets having hit his stomach, but Ink was already healing him at the speed of— well. Light.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo was close enough that Jongin could hear him both in the feed and in real life. He groaned. “That was pretty smart. You’ve got strategy.”

Jongin grinned, even if no one could see. The Crucible was fun with Kyungsoo.

The Crucible was indeed so fun to go through with Kyungsoo instead of against him, that a few times, Monggu had to remind him to actually watch out for their actual target, rather than on getting the most points and kills and streaks.

The first match had gone without any of them managing to get to Brand. Chanyeol had predictably become angry, and as if the whole team’s cohesiveness depended on the Sunbreaker’s mood, they began scattering— making rookie mistakes that Jongin was proud to recognise as things he had outgrown on week one of training. Kyungsoo and he had amused themselves trying out different luring techniques, and the Striker was clearly letting Jongin shine. It was safe to say they had wiped the floor with the Blue Team, even if Brand was still very much alive.

“Don’t let it get to your head, lover boy!” Chanyeol warned once it was over, his little Ghost Toben attempting to heal an ugly cut on his forehead. “I’m gonna crush you!”

Chen had only looked up to the sky as if to ask a divine force for strength to get through the day as Chanyeol seethed.

Jongin’s and Kyungsoo’s team made it through their Countdown match like a breeze. Unfortunately, so did Chanyeol’s and Chen’s own, and they were faced once more against in Breakthrough. It was a mode that required a little bit more planning, and Jongin was not here for it.

In fact, for two rounds, it seemed like they would lose. Brand had been the only member of their team who had remained alive throughout it all— that Psionic bastard.

“How are we even gonna keep them away from this Breaker?!” Krystal-4 demanded. “If I get a hammer to the face one more time—”

“—You won’t,” Jongin panted, not because of exertion but rather because of pent up energy. He couldn’t quite explain it— the Void Light was already sparking in his fingers. “I’ll defend you.”

“What do you have in mind, man?” Mark questioned, agitated. “A tiny wall of Light will break in seconds under their firepower!”

“I’ll defend you,” Jongin repeated with more emphasis. “Now stand back.”

There were some unhappy noises. Footsteps could be heard coming their way, echoing loudly on the rusty metal walls of the base.

“Trust Kai,” Kyungsoo commanded in a tone that didn’t allow for any questioning. “When I tell you to shoot, you fucking shoot, you hear me?”

The door was broken open by a powerful Stormtrance. Chen was still engulfed in the blue thunder, hands raised to disintegrate them. Jongin yelled with overwhelming force, extending his arms to both sides, palms spread open— and a bubble shield of Void Light manifested around his team and the Breaker to protect them. Chen and the rest of the Blue Team were stopped short.

“Shoot!” Kyungsoo demanded. No one hesitated.

“A WARD OF DAWN!” Lord Donghae was screaming with elation and passion as every bullet that came out of the bubble seemed to do way more damage— Jongin’s energy hardly suffering a dent to maintain the shield around them when their rivals were so flabbergasted. “IN SUCH A YOUNG SENTINEL, TOO! KAI IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE GUARDIANS!”

They won that round and the next and the next and the next, until only they remained.

In the down time between the Breakthrough and the final Clash —which would separate their fireteam of six into the three Crimson Bonds they had formed to battle it out among each other— Jongin stared down at his hands in shock.

“I’ve never done that before,” He admitted quietly to Kyungsoo. “I don’t know how to do it again.”

“It was a Ward of Dawn,” The Striker revealed, just as softly. “You opened a pocket in the universe— a little fortress to protect you and your allies. It’s the mark of a Defender. But really, that’s just the same as being a Sentinel.”

“They sound like very different things.” Jongin retorted with a pout. Kyungsoo merely smiled at him.

“For all matters and purposes, Jongin, it really isn’t,” The black-haired Titan argued. “You’re a Titan. You don’t care about anyone’s homing rockets, or exotic matter slugs, or blades from different dimensions. You can’t be moved. You’re a wall against which the Darkness breaks.”

Jongin gave him a half-smile. “When did you get so poetic?”

“That’s from Ink’s Interesting Things collection. I’m not poetic.”

Kyungsoo. Soft-spoken, intense, thoughtful and yet so simple. Kyungsoo was something poetic, maybe, Jongin thought to himself, in his own, rough around the edges way.

Traveller, Jongin wanted to kiss him. He held himself back only barely.

“You know what we gotta do now, right?” Jongin mumbled, mostly for his own benefit. He sneaked a glance towards the impassive Brand and his hypnotised Hunter partner, and then to an animated Mark and Krystal. “We have to focus on our target. Even though…”

“…We’ll probably lose to Mark and Krystal.” Kyungsoo finishes for Jongin, a bit pitiful, but resigned. “It’s for the greater good. I didn’t want to marry Lord Donghae anyway.”

And then, it was time. It seemed almost fitting their starting point was the middle of the map. Jongin and Kyungsoo had a game plan, and hopefully, neither Krystal-4 nor Mark would accidentally ruin it.

They had to locate Brand and his Crimson Bond quickly. Once they had found him, they had to reduce his partner first, but not kill her— they didn’t know how much of her Light was compromised, nor where her Ghost had disappeared to, even if she had seemingly made it through the rest of the matches.

Afterwards, they had to get Brand before he got to them. Hopefully, they would be able to confront him— get the Psion to admit what he was up to, under Lord Donghae’s watchful cameras, until the man could declare the tournament as null and deal with the spy himself.

Or they killed him themselves. Whichever came first.

The battle sirens went off. It was game on.

“Book it to the cannons,” Kyungsoo directed, cocking his shotgun. “I’ll cover your back.”

Jongin didn’t need to be told twice. He did as told, power walking in the snow through the lower levels of the base, so they would be unseen. Footsteps were loud above their heads, and Jongin squinted to try and make out whether it was Brand and the Hunter or Mark and Krystal-4.

“Mark,” Kyungsoo filled in for him in a whisper. “Stay still.”

Jongin did, but he pressed himself against the wall, so he wouldn’t be seen from outside. The Twilight Gap was eerily silent, save from periodic firing from the defending cannons that had never stopped working, and it was beginning to unnerve Jongin.

“This is the quietest final of a Crimson Double Tournament I have ever seen,” Lord Donghae deadpanned, bored. “Do better, Guardians. We’re here for a show.”

And then— there it was. An unfamiliar, harsh voice. That was—

“Cabal-speak at twelve o’clock.” Kyungsoo mumbled, as Brand seemed unaware of their presence. The Hunter was with him, but she was pliant under his guiding hands. Brand was taking her to the cannon directly in front of them. Fortunately, he hadn’t spotted them. “What is he doing?”

Brand muttered something to the Hunter. She only mechanically nodded and began climbing on the cannon.

“Executing her,” Jongin realised with trepidation. “Let’s go!”

He shot at Brand’s shoulder, first, while Kyungsoo shot at the girl’s foot, to make her slip and fall on the concrete ground. Brand had clearly never been shot until this moment, it seemed, not by the Guardians in this batch, and his shock was enough for Jongin to run towards him and rip the helmet off his head.

He was greeted by a bald, veined head with a single orange eye surrounded in a black trident indentation that gave way to a small black mouth. The eye’s pupil was Y-shaped, and there were a series of holes for nostrils. Brand hissed.

Jongin snarled, as he kicked Brand’s slug rifle out of his hands, punched the Psion down, and put his foot over the wound he had caused, making sure to keep the creature immobilised like this. He pointed his scout rifle right at the Psion’s face.

“Gig’s up, Brand,” Jongin declared with a smirk. “Congratulations on making it this far.”

There was a lot of chatter on Lord Donghae’s feed. The quartermaster was arguing with someone, probably Arcite-99-40. Mark and Krystal had come up behind Jongin and Kyungsoo, but they were taken aback by the sight of Kyungsoo slapping a girl into consciousness and Jongin stepping over a Psion.

Brand yelled. He didn’t understand a single word— it was the Cabal language, that much Jongin could recognise. Brand had probably made it through unnoticed by the psychic imprints that Psions were known to feel coming from the lives around them, rather than actually knowing how to communicate. Jongin pressed harder, and the creature squealed in pain.

“What do you want us to do, Lord Donghae?” Kyungsoo was asking. Lord Donghae scoffed.

“Nothing has changed,” The Crucible manager sentenced as if this was business as usual. “Claim your victory, Titan.”

Jongin shot, black oil spilling all over his armour. Brand’s head didn’t quite explode —their skin was too tough for a bullet to manage that, even at such close range— and yet, the single eye turned from orange to an opaque grey. Brand was still. Brand was dead.

The Hunter was groaning, blinking a few times. “Ow. What happened? Where am I?”

“Is your Ghost with you and okay?” Kyungsoo asked the woman, who nodded sluggishly. He sighed in relief.

“That was so cool, Kai and D.O!” Mark was exclaiming with a laugh, removing his helmet in excitement. “How did you know?! Actually, no, how long have you known?!”

“I have to admit it,” Krystal-4 commended them, her own helmet transmatting away. “That was pretty impressive.”

Through their helmets, Kyungsoo and Jongin shared a look.

“Yeah,” Jongin agreed a bit flatly. “It was.”

Nothing had changed.

Kyungsoo shot the Hunter on the chest with his shotgun, and she was shut down. Mark and Krystal both screamed in horror before they realised that the tournament was still very much on, Psion spy notwithstanding.

Maybe punching Mark and Krystal with Void and Arc energy respectively so hard their physical bodies actually disintegrated wasn’t a very elegant way of winning— but they were Titans. Elegance was overrated.

With their matching sparrows parked outside of the chicken restaurant they had gone to on their first date, and after a hearty dinner on their own, Kyungsoo and Jongin were happy to unwind in comfortable silence.

They had given the bow —aptly names The Vow— to Mark as a consolation price for being such a good sport.

“Thanks!” The younger Hunter chirped. “No hard feelings over the total backstabbing move you pulled back there— it’s cool. Really. Maybe I can convince the Skulking Fox to exchange the SUROS Regime for this bow? Uhm. Do I have to marry Lord Donghae, though?”

“My offer has been withdrawn, Mark Lee,” Lord Donghae informed him with a sniff, as if he was offended by the question. He pointed to the body of Brand, which was being lifted by Redjacks. “I need to take care of this and report to the Vanguard.”

“That was a fucking awesome win, guys!” Chanyeol congratulated them both, slapping their shoulders harshly. “I’m still real mad, by the way! Brand was mine!”

“Not everything can be yours, Chanyeol.” Chen scolded him lightly. “Anyway, this whole tournament has been exhausting. I don’t think the Crucible’s for us two.”

“You’re probably right,” The Sunbreaker said with a big, sheepish, dimpled grin. “We should probably stick to strikes from now on. Just remember to lend us D.O every now and then, Kai. Alright?”

“Of course,” Jongin immediately answered earnestly. “The Kingslayers are a trio.”

“We’ll make it a barber quartet for someone as cute as you!” Chanyeol exclaimed and flinched back when Kyungsoo growled at him in warning. “It’s not flirting! What are you, a guard dog?! Fuck, D.O. Chill. Go have a celebratory date or something.”

So that had been exactly what Kyungsoo and Jongin had gone to do. Monggu and Ink had even taken the booth right over rather than stay with them, even if Monggu was convinced Ink hated him.

“Can you believe we did it?” Jongin asked Kyungsoo with a happy grin. “We actually got our cake and ate it. We got rid of the spy and won the Crimson Doubles Tournament!”

Kyungsoo smiled sweetly. It was a sight that greeted Jongin often these days. He was happy about that, too.

“I never doubted we would,” The smaller Titan confessed, and the apple of his cheeks were beginning to turn a very delicious shade of red. “I even went and got you a victory gift. To celebrate your first successful Crucible Tournament.”

“Really?” Jongin said, and Kyungsoo hummed. He presented Jongin with a small crimson box with a white bow and Jongin’s face lit up. Heart candies!

He opened the box, expecting the usual ten candies that came, but there were only six, and not even organised cutely. “Did you eat some without me?”

“Arrange them yourself.” Kyungsoo almost ordered, and then cleared his throat when he realised how harsh and forceful he sounded. He was nervous. “Please.”

Jongin did as told. He poured the six heart candies on the table and read them out as they fell.

You

Will

?

Boyfriend  

Be  

My

Almost in a daze, yet giddy already at the implications, Jongin arranged the heart candies, all soft pink and baby blue and lilac, so they spelt out: will you be my boyfriend?

“So?” Kyungsoo urged, as if Jongin’s answer wasn’t obvious. He wasn’t looking at Jongin, owlish eyes fixated instead on the wood of the table. “What do you say?”

Jongin didn’t say anything. Instead, he got up from his spot, to be able to slip in the other side, right next to Kyungsoo, pressed up against him. They were dirty and grimy and covered by armour still, but that didn’t keep him from wrapping an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders. When Kyungsoo looked up, uncertain and shy, Jongin kissed him on the lips sweetly, still a bit shy but hoping his resounding yes was conveyed properly.

Kyungsoo kissed back, taking a hand to Jongin’s nape to keep him there.

Jongin loved the Crucible.