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Sethos smiled at the way Heizous's brows furrowed as he looked at the holographic screen displayed on his wristband. The schematics of the building were brought up in the signature maroon glow that was Heizou's color. They were sitting on the edge of the building, monitoring the next target for their rebel group. Like their other targets, this company was thoroughly corrupted. If they were ever to expose their crimes, they had the monetary means to start over from scratch under a different name. Not counting their underworld connections, this company was capable of more than restarting. It's capable of doing much more than the usual ‘take over society’ deal. They could, and would, alter society's entire ideologies to fit their desired plan.
The dark green headset with the mic pulled to his mouth, he muttered directions to their teammates inside the building: Yoimiya, Lumine, Aether, and his brother, Cyno. a small infiltration team to gather information on their inner circle, then exit. Emerald green eyes side-eyed Sethos, making the brunette realize he was staring. Smiling shamelessly, he shrugged innocently. Scoffing quietly, the others' gaze focused on the screen again, a subtle blush and smile on his face. Chuckling under his breath, Sethos turned to reload his Electro rounds into his sniper. Ensuring they were properly inserted, no marks or cracks on the casing of the shells, just to be safe. —No cracks or flaws on the casing. A misfire in an emergency would be a disaster. Serving as Heizou’s bodyguard was a job he never expected to enjoy this much
“Bumblebee.” Heizou hummed, the other hand reaching up to swipe the screen down back into his wristband. “Staring is rude, you know.” That playful smile, that damned teasing glint in emerald eyes. It was a trap. The brunette knew it was. But like always, he willingly fell into it for a moment of their reprieve.
“You didn't seem to mind.”
Heizou sighed dramatically, placing a hand over his chest, legs swinging with no care in the world. “It's a matter of principles. Something you should learn about.” Speaking matter-of-factly, the resident hacker pointed an accusatory finger at his dearest companion. Sethos laughed at the display, settling the sniper down on the side, not the space between them.
“Yeah? How should I learn, then, my dear rebel?” Sethos grinned, scooting closer to Heizou, closing the distance.
Smiling, their hacker met the sniper halfway through. “I could teach you.”
“I hope you two realize that the comms are open and you are not muted.” Cynos' monotone voice came up on the channel, making both individuals caught in the act as they cleared their throats quickly and went back to having a space between them. How embarrassing to be caught by your brother of all people.
Clearing his throat, Sethos laughed sheepishly. “Sorry. Got carried away.”
Yoimiya’s laughter echoed through the comms. “It would have gone a different way if Sentinel hadn't interfered.” She was right. Yoimiya was right. Truthfully, Sethos was very aware of how Heizou could make his self-control disappear as suddenly as his willpower. Alas, it was something that only their dearest informant hacker could do for him.
“Careful, Sparkler. It's dangerous to egg Bumblebee on.” Aether, Viator, as the general public knew their beloved menace, snorted. There was a squeak of a shoe coming from his end of the comms, indicating that he had to hurry and hide in some closet. A signature trademark that he seemed to do for every mission.
His sister, Lumine, or Viatrix, added her little comment, a response that made Heizou let out an indignant sound. “Yeah. Or else Whirlwind will make sure to put you on dish duty for a month.”
“Hey! Focus on the mission, you three!” Heizou huffed, cutting off their laughter from the comms, leaving both Sethos and Heizou truly in private conversations. As private as it could be with their need to be scouts for their team.
Sethos chuckled in amusement, gently nudging the other's shoulder. It drew attention back, making the maroon-haired male relax just enough for a smile. It was a delight to have this moment in their chaotic storm. To have their silly moments be a favorite pastime. The calm before the storm. Nothing compared to this, nothing. Flirting with danger while toeing the line between safety and ludicrousness is their favorite waltz. A waltz they shared for every adventure out into their dystopian world. The neon lights created a beautiful backdrop for their rendezvous, and the distant sounds of traffic down below. Something about this night was special. Special and theirs.
“Bumblebee. Do you remember why you joined?” The question Heizou asked caught Sethos off guard. They didn't have any lead-in to this topic, so it was unusual that it was brought up in this way. Sethos, confused, but hummed because strangeness is part of their relationship.
“I do remember. You were there,” the sniper said with a soft smile, leaning over, just enough to peer over the edge of the building. The instance where they met was nothing short of instantaneous and impulsive.
Sethos was running down twisting, winding back alleyways of the city, panting as the bag filled with medical supplies clanked and painfully hit against his back. The fitted hood was stained with blood, thankfully, not of his own but of the pursuers behind. His hand quickly reached up to hold onto his hidden visor, pulling it down. The orange holographic screen turned on, displaying the map of the area. Perfect. Looks like the intel that was given to him is accurate. From the twists and turns, it was a near one-to-one ratio. Accuracy at its finest.
The rain that fell didn't help with masking his escape route. It only dampened sounds, yet echoed throughout the silence of that night. Camouflage is useless if you can't run away silently. He would have gone faster had it not been for the weight of the medical supplies slowing him down. Cursing quietly, the rebel hurriedly sped up once the sounds of a shout echoed behind. Risking a glance back is too much to risk. Down one alley, hard left, a leap over a fence, it took every trick inside the runner's book to stay ahead of the game. Luckily, these back alleys were the home turf of Sethos' group. Meaning these officers had no way to catch up as long as he lost them.
Run this way. Run that way. Planned on the spot to be as confusing as possible. Sethos needed that desperately. To be able to lead those guys to a dead end - the brunette slid to a stop, cursing inwardly and suppressing an indignant shout. Of course he had to jinx himself! The smooth wall, not a handheld in sight, and no large dumpster to springboard up and over it in any sense of peripheral vision. Just his luck. Did it run out? The sounds of rushed footsteps were behind him. A glance behind was enough to hammer the point home that he was fucked. A blinding light caused the male to shield his gaze, cursing out loud this time.
“Stop there!”
That voice. Sethos recognized it well enough. Jean Gunnhildr. She was a good woman. Capable of discerning those with good reasons for criminal activity, one of the more sympathetic individuals of their beloved law enforcement. However sympathetic she is, her sense of duty and justice held more weight than that. Which means sympathy is only given if he lets himself get caught and lose all the medical supplies or risk fighting and losing half of this. Either outcome has its evils to deal with. While Sethos does have an idea to choose the lesser of the two, it would not be welcome.
The mass of dark shadow silhouettes of the police made the brunette tense. This was bad. Very bad. If he gets caught, the rebel group they had back at base, his hurt friends and allies, wouldn't have any medical supplies to use to get better. Survival is necessary. If there is a chance that fighting would be necessary, that would be another outcome that cannot come to fruition. Swallowing thickly, a foot slid backwards just enough to be a stable foundation should things become messy. The telltale lights of their high-tech guns, the lining of the signature teal was a surefire sign of a chaotic fight—just his luck.
“Need some help?”
The sudden voice that came across his comms, a very closed channel, sparked alive with a new voice. A voice that sounded..attractive. The tone of voice was smooth and gravelly. Attractive. Wait. What was he thinking now? Sethos banished those thoughts outside of his head. Not the time and place. Voice dropping quietly, making sure it couldn't be heard, he replied. “Only if you can get me away from Gunnhildr.” That attractive, hot voice, chuckled in his ear, and by the gods, Sethos found himself being absolutely enamored by this mysterious voice.
“Look up.”
Confused, Sethos knew better to trust a voice that just popped in to say a few simple sentences. While it could be a trick, stuck in this stalemate was anything but welcome. However, what choice did he have right now? Turning his head up, the rebel squinted to gaze up at the high-rise buildings with the multicolored, numerous neon lights surrounding his peripheral vision. At first, he could only see the shine that came from those atrociously bright lights. Then, there was a shadowy figure peering over the edge of the building. Could this be the person speaking to him?
“Hold up your hand for me.” Again, that voice, so forward and smooth, gave out instructions.
Following as instructed, the people behind him were shouting something. Words he tuned out. Not in the mood for whatever was happening, as long as they didn't meet his gaze, they won't have anything to go off of if they catch him in the public streets. Whatever this stranger was planning seemed to be an interesting modus operandi. The figure peering over held out his arm toward Sethos, a silhouette of some strange wrist device being a little visible. Green eyes widening as something was moving toward him very fast, very rapidly. He heard the law enforcement behind making their sounds of surprise, Jean herself being the most shocked.
Whatever was shot at had a cord, a very durable and oddly comfortable cord, that wrapped around his wrist tightly enough to be snug. A split second was allowed before that cord, which was now rapidly pulling the unsuspecting male up, up, up toward his saving grace. Shouting out in surprise, Sethos met the pavement of the building roof before processing it fully. Shocked, in the middle of trying to wrap his head around whatever that was, there was a roughly gloved hand hurrying to yank him to his feet.
The dark brown hood was bigger, hanging just above the brows. With a mask with a large, toothy grin shielding the lower half of their face. Burgundy bangs could be seen peeking underneath, but oh, those eyes. Green eyes met a similar pair, but this green was a darker, intuitive shade. Oh gods. Sethos found himself enamored by it. This brilliantly eyed stranger grinned. “Time to run. We need to get as much space between us and Gunnhildr.” Sethos nodded, acutely aware of the truth that rang from that statement.
“Let's go.”
They ran across the rooftops, using whatever gadgets they had to help speed up the process. Sethos didn't know why he was following the person who helped out. Part of it was compelled curiosity. The other was an infatuation. Maybe the idea of a potential threat or ally lay in this motivation. Whatever reason that Sethos will decide on, one thing is for certain.
“What do I call you,my savior?” Sethos queried lightheartedly as he vaulted over an air vent that got a little too close to comfort.
“Just call me Whirlwind,” he called out as he slid underneath a connected pipe to the rooftop. “Sentinel reached out to me. Said he was worried about the venue. I owed him a favor.”
That made Sethos blank out for a second. This guy knew his brother? Cyno was willing to reach out to whoever this is, for a precaution. A worry about the plan and himself. Either this guy was an old coworker who was sympathetic to their cause or had caught a certain white haired individual's feelings. Ah, scratch that last thought. Cyno never let his feelings get in the way of his duties. No, if anything, that would not be the reason he trusted this guy. Huh. Strangely, the male was going to trust the gut of Cyno. Lo and behold. Following Whirlwind through the twists and turns of the rooftops was exhilarating. It was like watching the personification of a storm tear through the stillness of the night, followed closely behind by a flash of thoughtful lightning. It was a deadly storm to think about. A deadly storm that held morals.
Whirlwind led him to a warehouse near the outskirts of the city, far away from prying eyes and the ever lovely cameras. Through it, now that they had reached an area where they could breathe and take a chance for relaxation, Sethos got a true chance to let himself lean against a wall, wiping the sweat from his forehead. It was getting stuffy inside the jacket. But revealing a hidden identity to someone new is just as bad. Sighing, Sethos looked over at the other, who was bending over, hands on his knees. Curiously, green eyes noticed that symbol on the back. It was familiar. Somewhere, that specific symbol was seen..With a shocked expression, Sethos figured it out.
“You're from the Whirl faction...” he breathed out.
That caused Whirlwind to laugh out loud, muffled by that odd mask. Straightening out, he stood up to face him. One hand reached up to pull down the hood, the other to take the mask off. Sethos preferred him with that because now, he was trying to keep his expression neutral, with just the right amount of control and casualness. Seeing his face in all its glory, the way those burgundy bangs framed his face, the little peak of a damned undercut with his piercing emerald eyes looking back. Gods, his cheeky smile . Swallowing nervously, Sethos hoped that Whirlwind was not going to give him any more details to be attracted to-
“So, what a way to meet, huh?”
Fuck.
Nodding dumbly, Sethos was very attracted to his clear voice. The laugh that left his mouth sounded extremely appealing. The man reached his hand out, a damned grin, mischievous, sneaky, formed slowly on his face.
“Call me Shikanoin Heizou. I'll take you to our faction.”
—--
Little did Sethos know that it would be an interesting meetup which would become life-changing.
Heizou hummed in response, eyes closing slowly. The question was strange, even for his dear and beloved hacker. Although the decision of the sniper took long and was critical, it didn't become a regret. Not when he met the love of his life in this forsaken world of corruption and deceit. In their little world, their little bubble, they were the one shameful light that burned with the promise of searing truths. To Sethos, Heizou was uncontrollable, especially when he wanted to be. But when it came to a deciding battle, something incredible happened. That hidden truth covered by the blanket of lies will be lit on fire by the intuition of his lover. Sethos glanced down at their hands, finding the corners of his lips quirking up. With the night going on, the building was serene and clear. Sethos' eyes closed as he basked in the night. This peaceful night.
A night where, over the comms, Lumine and Aether had whispered the announcement that they got the intel. Where Cyno effortlessly blended in with the security guards and secured the way in for Yoimiya to plant their bugs. The bugs they would use to monitor their comings and goings, discover their passcodes. A swift breakthrough of a night.
A false night.
Deep down, the rebel understood the truth of this night. The event he planned inside his mind. This very dangerously romantic night didn't truly exist. Not like this. It was his dream outcome. It was a hopeful outcome. Slowly, the male opened up his eyes, hands shifting. Half expecting to meet the warmth of Heizous' fingers and his sniper, but ultimately, met only with space. Green eyes gazed down at the street, the empty and desolate street. Before, this used to be bustling and crowded with life. Now, it's only an empty shell. Long abandoned after the giant corporation in this area got exposed as a fraud.
All thanks to Heizou.
Gloved fingers slowly curled underneath his palm, teeth biting down on his lower lip. It was all thanks to Heizou. They succeeded because of Heizou. That night was a success because of Heizou. The brunette pulled his legs up from the edge, folding them up so both feet were planted on firm concrete. His face buried in his knees. Sethos knew that if it weren't for his boyfriend, then that corporation would have become too powerful to take down. But was that the only cost they could afford?
If he didn't risk infiltrating that stupid warehouse, then maybe, just maybe, things would have turned out differently. Just maybe, Heizou would be here with him to see the worth of his sacrifice. Maybe Sethos could have been celebrating with him on the anniversary of the successful mission as they always did. Sethos could have protected Heizou. With a shaky breath, the rebel's fingers dug deep into the heel of his hand. There were too many what-ifs. Too many to handle, to assume. Being there would have changed something. Changing for the worse was on the table, but there was a chance to change it for the better.
If he was there to watch Heizous back as his guardian, as his protector , then those guards wouldn't have gotten the jump on the hacker. They wouldn't have destroyed the headset that served as main communication. That wouldn't have forced Heizou to enter the building to find a new way to talk to the others. That wouldn't have led to Heizou staying behind to ensure the others got out with their intel. It wouldn't have led to Heizou being caught as they ran away. He wouldn't have been shot at. He wouldn't have been fatally injured. He wouldn't have been in critical condition by the time the twins brought him back to the warehouse.
He wouldn't have died in front of Sethos.
Sethos, who felt his whole body tremble, eyes burning with tears that he refused to let fall. Not because he didn't want to cry, but because crying meant he would grieve for the loss of a dear love. A love that changed everything. A love that was able to make the cold world feel a little warmer. A hand went up, between his legs and chest, to hold onto the dangling, stained deer pendant hanging around his neck. Clutching it tightly, the rebel, the brokenhearted rebel, felt the burning sting to become overwhelming.
Shaking, the burning feeling began to fall. It etched streaks into his skin, a scorching reminder of what was lost . The sounds, oh, the sounds that the male made felt haunting to his ears. It was a painful reminder of everything that was stolen from him on that day. The antlers of the small, bloodied deer were poking through the thin gloves. It stung. But that pain, the useless physical pain, was worthless in the face of this aching, empty chest. Why? Why was Heizou, his win and loss, all at once? Sobs, cries, wheezing breaths. All the known labels had no weight or clear definition for what was being felt in this moment. Whatever this feeling was, words, phrases, nothing mattered. Nothing except for this sensational torment.
On the other hand, moved up, fingers tangling deep into his unkempt hair. It felt oily and sticky. Locks were clumping together, an uncomfortable feeling. It was messy. It was rough. Just for a moment, could Sethos pretend that Heizou was being hypocritical over self-care? Sethos and all his chiding nature for being a stickler for self-management, be it pastimes or relaxation, would be the one to ensure Heizou never indulged in too much fried food. Sethos can pretend that Heizou would be narrowing his eyes, an accusatory finger jabbed into his chest.
Imagining the few choice phrases that would be used, ranging from “hey. If I can't eat my fried food for all three meals, then you can't skip meals!” to “you hypocrite. Get back to bed. You never let me stay up late at my desktop. So you are not allowed to be out here!”
Sethos knew Heizou would be angry. He knew Heizou would be upset, frustrated at everything the brunette was doing right now. It was so easy to remember his habits and word cadences. Only because his love was gone . Left, stolen, taken, moved away, pushed away, what word or phrase could begin to describe it? What can even come close to the way this unfair world treated Sethos happiness? A happiness that came in like a cyclone of unpredictability, that left just as unfairly in a destructive wake of love, adoration, and devotion.
There was a chance that his burgundy deer was staring at him with guilt, wishing to console the dying sun. Maybe it would be a comfort to imagine. Maybe it would become an escape. But it's not real.
“Heizou.” Sethos voice cracked, broken, and yearned, whispering for no one but a departed lover. “I'm sorry.” Pulling at the strands of hair, tangling, twisting, hoping for a stronger physical pain to outweigh this fracture inside the brunette's chest.
“I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry-”
Repeating the phrase over and over, over and over, over and over, over and over. Hoping, praying, wanting it to become true, and some soul, his other half, to be accepting of an apology that was never Sethos to begin with. That apology didn't belong to the rebel. It was never his to make. Apologizing, for no one, but that starving monster of guilt that was chaining his own life down. Apologizing to his proclaimed impulsivity for a mistake. A long ago mistake. A long ago mistake that had absolutely nothing to do with what happened on that mission. Yet, when it happened, when the news arrived…
Distraught was the closest word to label what emotions coursed through the brunette's veins. It was impossible to be torn apart from Heizou's side, not without falling asleep at his bedside and ripped away. Forced to sleep inside his room, being held back by his brother, from going back to Heizous' side. Cyno did everything to try to keep Sethos from breaking down. To have him spend time in his room. Not letting him be alone. Ensuring to know where he is. Offering invites to go scouting, patrols. So much even, to do TCG.
But it was near impossible to keep those two separated. Cyno struggled to keep an eye because Sethos was a force of lies and stubbornness. The opposite of their dear Whirlwind. Sethos stung. But like a bumblebee, once the sting is made, the dear and hardworking bee will die. Heizou, Shikanoin, dear Heizou, was the one that Sethos stung. The one he gave his life to. And now, that was gone. Slowly, the male's head lifted, watching the night sky. For once, the sky held clear stars. No pollution, none from the light nor factories. It was clear. Cloudless. A cluster of stars, one that Sethos could see right there above him, made his eyes flood.
“Cervus Minor,” he whispered. “I see you.”