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From the moment Khun and the blonde man that was sipping his tea in the middle of the room locked eyes, shivers were sent down Bam’s spine. If he didn't get a lot of what was going on due to being overwhelmed with new pieces of this world, Bam knew that, right there and then, a fight between two masterminds might take place. Moralities clashing with each other. Street smart against a somber kind of smart, the type that took years and years to perfect. Trickster vs Devil.
After they were presented the rules, Bam was sent in a state of utter disbelief. That was it? It sure had to be more. By his teammates' reactions, they were thinking the same thing, but the test administrator's words were stern and final, almost a mocking tone to it, like he knew what was about to go down in their team.
"Well, then… The test begins!" Yu Hansung's voice echoes at the back of his mind. He's unable to pull himself together, so he looks around and eyes the blue haired boy. The other one looked just as shocked, if not that, then maybe he was skeptical. Yeah, that has to be it, Khun didn't trust the plastic bag man that they met outside the test, saying the man wanted his deduction to be tested. Bam wasn't sure what to believe, but even if so, he was too panicked to even put all the information at a place. He does try though.
The irregular slowly takes in everything he has gathered, tries to calm himself and make sense of what is going on. Khun seems irritated already so he just decides to step back, watching Rak losing his mind. He might have to stop him, which terrified him. He was still scared of the said alligator looking creature, but he can say a thing for sure: Bam will warm up to Rak in no time.
He looks at the clock… already one minute and a half passed. The time appears to pick up, he knows it's only in his head, the stress and his surroundings don't make it better. 5 minutes seem too little right now. In the cave they felt like an eternity, but in the eye of danger it's passing like seconds.
2 minutes passed.
2 and a half.
Bam turns his gaze to Khun. Not at all imagining he would ever see this sight in front of him. Worried golden eyes and trembling hands reach out but in the infructuous attempt they touch nothing, they touch nothing because Bam is too far, too scared to get close to the bluenette. Khun had fire in his eyes, flickering with scary reminisces of the past he used to get affected by, spine-chilling memories crowl from the back of his mind, ghostly hands tug at him, trying to pull him down to make him lose, like he once did to others. Bam can see the drops of sweat that were already forming on Khun's forehead.
And Bam… Bam retracted his hand, knowing very well that he is unable to help, knowing that he is too weak and not clever enough to put the hints together. He is anything but what Khun needs right now and so he just looks away, knowing too well that even though they decided to climb the floors together, the future is uncertain and so are their chances of getting out of here. Viewing Khun in such a position makes the molten gold in his eyes flicker with slight panic at a great intensity. His eyes, naive and innocent, were powered by enough with panic and worry, that he realized something. He kept his composure most of the time because his goal is to meet Rachel again, but this time is different. This is the first time he's worried about anyone other than Rachel.
What distracts him are the rawrs of anger and impatient growls coming from Rak. He looks behind and believes that if the crocodile looking creature would have had hair, in this moment he would have pulled it all out. Bam takes an inpatient glance from Rak to Khun, he lets out a wavering sigh. His hand falls limp, deciding that he might do a better job at looking over Rak. He takes one last glance at Khun's face, painted with memories and pain, and starts running around after the alligator that has started crawling around. Just like a kid that was given too much sugar, but the sugar is Rak's impatience for this test.
3 minutes have passed on the clock and everything seems to be going way too slow from here on. Bam chases after Rak around the room. The slow sip that Hansung Yu takes from his cup of coffee. The erratic short breaths Khun let's out.
3 and a half have passed.
4 minutes just ticked off.
4 minutes and a second.
4 minutes and 15 seconds.
Bam is distracted as he checks his blue haired teammate, not realizing that Rak is walking directly for a random door. The moment he turns back to the gigantic ally is about to kick it. He runs after him, a weak "Wait Rak, not yet!" streams out of his mouth. He tugs at Rak's cape back, making him a stop only for a bit.
"Just leave me alone turtle!" The enormous teammate flicks Bam off his cape like a bug. This sends the chestnut haired boy falling on his butt. He squawks at the impact but stands back up right away.
4 minutes and 30 seconds pass.
"Rak what are you doing?" Bam yells, but to the blue haired boy everything is deafened by his own stormy thoughts.
4 minutes and 45 seconds.
"Don't you see?! I'm opening the door!" The alligator responds back with that rough and angry sounding voice.
4 minutes and 50 seconds.
"S-stop!" The golden eyes look desperately at Rak but it's too late. A big thud echoes in the whole room, seemingly waking up Khun from his own trance a well.
5 minutes down.
Bam is completely shocked, he can't say a word, he turns around only to see those sapphire eyes melt into dread. He sees Khun opening his mouth to speak, but it is only yells directed to the crocodile. The last part of their fight catches Bam's attention from his own mind. His own thoughts consist of things like: he's about to die without reaching what he wanted to achieve.
"Why did you open the door?"
"What? There are no hints.
Then isn't it obvious… Instinct."
Even though there was no one talking, Bam can feel a grin on the blonde man's face. He turns around only to see the man put his cup down, bringing his hands up and he claps… For what? They were doomed as Khun insinuates. The blue haired boy and Rak halt their argument to turn around as well.
Hansung Yu takes his sweet time to stand up and approach the team, but he smirks nonetheless. "Congratulations, you passed."
Bam breaths out a sigh of relief. So it was as the plastic bag man said. 5 minutes. He thinks and turns thankfully to Rak who seems almost uninterested in the argument that starts between Khun and the test administrator.
"What can you evaluate in a test like this?!"
"Mr. Khun. We did give you hints. You just didn't trust them. I knew you would be this way, Khun Aguero Agnis. You are one of the abandoned sons who was kicked out, after the fight of the Khun family."
This was news to Bam, the next word that rolls off Khun's tongue is a small quivering "You!" A broken exclamation that the amber-eyed boy wouldn't have thought to hear coming out from Khun. He seemed so confident through everything until now, he is surprised that Hansung Yu broke through the thick skin.
The irregular listens attentively to the test administrator's words, maybe thinking about everything he says will make him understand more of Khun. Right now he's an enigma. An enigma drowned in the furthest depths of his ocean eyes. Eyes that just minutes ago held the power to conquer the world, eyes that minutes ago faltered when met by a greater power, by a greater intellect. Bam sees, despite being brought down by a test of trust and a test of impulsiveness, he sees in those sapphire eyes a fire, blue and tumultuous. If the wind flows so do the flames of that blue fire. The irregular can already see the spark that might make Khun change his way of thinking. After all, even in Bam's mind it was true that sometimes you have to think after you start acting rather than before.
Bam realizes almost too late that the conversation between the ranker and the son of Khun is over, but he catches the last few lines the blonde man has to say.
"You have good teammates to go up with. Congratulations. The test is over, so let's say goodbye for now." The brown-haired boy smiles a little, barely showing on his still dazed face. That was a compliment and he feels a little proud for being a good teammate for Mr. Khun and Mr. Rak.
They go on their way to another waiting room after Khun staggers behind for a while, Hansung Yu whispering something to him with a smirk on his face, sipping his tea in bliss. He listens to his gigantic new friend attentively until he feels Khun's eyes piercing through his skin almost.
Liquid gold meets the light in the midnight sky. Bam smiles joyfully and Khun gives a small smirk back. Words left for later.