Hongjoong could feel the heat on his skin as he stood in the courtyard. From a distance, he could hear the echo of a fight but there was no one around. In the background, a tall building was burning. He felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders from behind and hot breath brush his ear.

"Useless," The red-head whipped around at the voice, the feeling of arms gone. He was alone.

The sound of a water droplet. Hongjoong turned his head to his left but saw San panting against the wall clutching his bleeding abdomen. "Why Hongjoong? Why did you let me die?"

"I trusted him to you," A voice to his right. It was Wooyoung with fat tears spilling down his cheeks. "I trusted him to you and you failed me. You killed my best friend."

"No!" Hongjoong tried to reason, panic in his veins. "I-I didn't mean for him to die!"

"It's because you're weak," He saw his Ghoulish other half sitting on a bench with one leg up, mindlessly inspecting his nails. "You should have killed him, you know." The man looked up, his red eyes bright. "That agent, you should have killed him."

"I'm not going to kill anyone," Hongjoong protested. "I was there to help him."

"A lot of help you were. Didn't your little friend San get hurt?" The student avoided his gaze. San and Wooyoung were suddenly standing on either side of the blunette. "And how did that agent repay you? By pointing a gun in your face."

There was a click of the hammer and now Seonghwa had materialized, his gun aimed at the red-head. Hongjoong's face grew pained. The blunette looked up uninterested.

"He didn't know it was me." Hongjoong tried to defend the other, his voice thin.

"Oh, and would that have changed things?" The Ghoul mocked. "If Seonghwa knew he was pointing a gun at his 'precious' Hongjoongie he would have just thrown the gun away?"

"Stop it," The other said before turning around. He didn't want to hear this. He didn't even want  to ponder it because if he did, it would make everything feel real. "You don't know him. You don't know what you are saying."

"And you do?" The Ghoul side snorted while circling around the stagnant agent. "You've known him a week and now you can predict exactly how he will react? You're just a walking lab rat. If he finds out your secret, he will hunt you like livestock. Kill him now. Save yourself the trouble."

The student was at a loss. He felt fear seize up his heart. It was all to real of a fear.  A fear that could very much become a reality. Every time he was near Seonghwa, his life was putting himself at risk. He didn't know what had happened in that hellish excuse for a hospital when his whole life changed. He didn't tend to dwell on it. Every time he tried to think, his mind would blank and pain would shoot down his spine from the base of his head.

He couldn't speak. An increasing pressure was forming in his temples. Instead, he let his eyes roam around the scene. It was like something out of a war movie. The fire from the building had spread to the asphalt and the ash in the air was nearly suffocating. 

His gaze suddenly fixated on a pool of blood, the liquid glimmering in the light of the flames. The same pool that he had created when he had gotten scared and stabbed the white Ghoul.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The voice of the bluenette whispered from over his shoulder. "You could have spilled more, you know."

"I'm not a killer."

"No," Shrugged the other in a blasé manner. "Seonghwa finished the job you were too weak to do."

The student just kept staring into the blood on the ground. He could see his own reflection peering back at him. He wasn't wearing his eyepatch and both of his eyes were normal. He had gotten so used to wearing something that covered part of his face that he had nearly forgotten what he looked like without it. It felt odd. Like a piece of him was missing. His mirrored image seemed pale and frail. Dark circles lined his eyes. He didn't like what he saw.

"Face it, you would have died back there. You need me." The Ghoul was suddenly standing in front of him. "Accept it."

"I have accepted it!" Hongjoong spat back.

"No you haven't," the Ghoulish half said scathingly.

"I have!"

"No you haven't!" The blunette growled. "Otherwise you would have completely forsaken your identity as a human!"

"I am still human!" The red-head protested. 

"Do you know why you still haven't gotten a hold of your Kagune?" The Ghoul growled. "It is because you are still trying to hold onto the past!"

"I have accepted it!" Hongjoong covered his ears. He didn't want to listen to this any more. The three replicas of his friends started to join in with the Ghoul. They started to take steps closer, crowding him. He kneeled on the ground as he was surrounded and hands grabbed at him. "I have accepted it. I have! I have!"

Hongjoong gasped as he jolted awake, his heart beating in his ears and sweaty hair matted to his forehead. It was that nightmare again. The same one he had been having for the past few nights since the attack. Each time it was just a little different but it always ended the same, with broken flashes of white rooms and shadowy figures with blinding lights behind them. He hadn't been able to piece any of it together and instead always woke up with blinding white hot pain in his head. His mind was like a puzzle with mix matched tiles. Like a word on the tip of your tongue, he was so close to remembering.

He just didn't know if he wanted to.

The red-head tried to get his heart rate back down as he glanced at the clock on his bedside table. 3:30 A.M. There was no way he was getting back to sleep any time soon. He flipped the covers off and set his feet on the ground.

He padded his way to the bathroom blindly. Inside, he turned the tap to splash cold water on his face. Hongjoong caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Like his dream, he looked exhausted but he wasn't wearing his eye patch to sleep. His red and black eye was still there staring back at him, glinting as if it knew something he didn't.

He blinked. For a moment, he thought he saw his blue haired self in the mirror staring back at him smugly. Shaking his head, Hongjoong splashed more water on himself, not even caring that the collar of his shirt was getting wet. He must still be tired if he was seeing things. He padded back into his room, deciding to do something productive with his waking hours and go on a small run.

He didn't know why his body was trying to remember repressed memories from the hospital now. It had been over a month since the incident and he had thought he put the whole event behind himself. There was really no reason for this to be happening now. 

'Well,' He mused, 'Guess it is easier to forget about something when you didn't remember it in the first place.'

XxX

Jongho rubbed at his temples to sooth the headache currently pounding through his head as he walked down the street. He and Yeosang had had a few beers with their chicken the night before and may or may not have gotten caught up in a drinking contest. Eventually, they must have fallen asleep because when the younger awoke, he found himself on his living room floor, his mouth feeling fuzzy from the alcohol.

Sitting up from the hard wood, Jongho went to scratch at his head when something shifted out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to spot Yeosang breathing softly, still asleep on his couch. He had one arm hanging off the side and the other against the arm of the couch in what looked like a slightly uncomfortable position. His normally perfect hair was mused from moving in his sleep.

Jongho took the opportunity to really study his teammates face, peaceful with slumber. He had never seen the other so vulnerable. Normally, Yeosang walked around with a thick shell and a pretty stoic face. He had seen things shine through of course, but the younger could count the number of those . instances on his hand. Now, as Jongho raked his eyes over the other's face, he could truly appreciate his beauty. The soft slope of his nose, curve of his jaw, flush of his cheeks, and the endearing pink birthmark beside his eye.

Hypnotized, Jongho reached out a hand to touch. Just as his finger tip was about to brush the mark, a shifting diverted his attention. Snapping his hand back as if he were burned or caught doing something he shouldn't, Jongho watched as Yeosang stirred awake with a stretch and a groan.

He pretended he didn't see the little sliver of skin from his shirt riding up.

After the events of the morning, that was how they had found themselves in their current position walking down the street together in search of caffeine before work. Since Jongho personally didn't know of any cafe's near his apartment, as he preferred the one's outside of the office, the two had decided to just find the closest one on Naver. After a quick search, they had found one between the apartment and their destination that had good reviews. The two agents had almost made it to their destination when Jongho saw something that made him stop dead in his tracks.

Coming up from behind and curious as to why his friend had stopped, Yeosang raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong, you look like you've seen a ghost?"

Jongho just shook his head, face drained of all color, as he lifted a hand to point. Yeosang, followed the line of his friend's finger. He felt all the breath leave his lungs like a sucker punch.

"Xion."

XxX

Mingi bobbed his head in time to the music playing through his headphones as he scrolled through his phone on the train to campus. Classes were already over for the break but some of the offices and buildings stayed open for a few students milling around working. He himself wanted to get a few beats laid down that wouldn't quite leave his head and he found the school studio's a nice environment for his thoughts.

Music wasn't the only thing that wouldn't leave his head, however. Lately his head had been full of thoughts about asking Yunho out on a proper date but was struggling to come up with any ideas. Especially ones that didn't involve food. The brunette didn't want to make the other uncomfortable by forcing him into an environment where he would have to pretend to eat. Everything had to be perfect.

After all, if everything went well, he was going to officially ask Yunho to be his boyfriend.

He knew that it usually took a few dates to actually start going out and put a title on things but he was hoping the amount of time they had spent together beforehand would play in his favor. He also wanted to show the blonde that he was actually committed to a relationship with him. The brunette hoped it would ease some of the barista's fears and insecurities.

Mingi heard the mumble of an announcement overhead through his headphones that they had reached his stop. Gathering his things, he stood and waited for the door to slide open. He stepped out and looked above the crowd for the exit he needed to walk out of. He scanned his transportation card and hopped up the stairs two at a time with his long legs. Once above ground again, he walked the short distance to his campus.

Mingi loved his school and he was very grateful that he and Hongjoong could attend together. Both of them had worked so hard to get admitted. There had been many late nights studying and days of stress induced tears but they had made it.

 The campus itself was old and full of history. It always so full of life and catered to all kinds of different people. There were the fine arts students, biology students, and computer science kids but they all mingled together well. The campus was also beautiful and spacious with many nice outdoor areas to study and new or innovative architectural buildings.

The brunette passed by a few of those stone buildings still mulling over his options. Would Yunho like to go bowling? It might not be good with just the two of them. They wouldn't have much time to talk in between rounds and the bowling alley would be a little dark. Maybe a walk? That would be nice but it felt more like an end of date thing, not the date itself.

He was still thinking things over when he walked past the campus bulletin board. He paused as all the bright colors of the posters caught his eye. The university was always having some kind of event or another. Maybe he could find one that would be good to invite Yunho too or inspire him. He raked his eyes over the flyers.

"Sushi rolling...no...cultural food festival...no...Are all these options food?" Mingi mumbled to himself.

"Hey there," The brunette turned at the sound of a voice from his left. Beside him was a petite girl dripping in bracelets. Her make up was a little heavier than he was used to seeing on the other girls around campus with her sticky lip gloss but he guessed he would classify her as pretty. He had never seen the girl before on campus, however, but that didn't mean much considering how big the school was.

She gave him a friendly smile. "Finding anything interesting on the board?"

"Looks like I struck out," Mingi shrugged. He wasn't really in the mood for conversation at the moment, frustrated at his lack of ideas. The student was about to turn around to leave but was stopped.

"Hey, wait a minute," The girl said, her tone chipper. "I might have something that would interest you."

The brunette raised an eyebrow as the girl moved her hand to reach for something. That was when Mingi noticed she was wearing an over the shoulder saddle bag that seemed stuffed with papers. She grabbed a flyer and handed it to him. He took it and gave it a quick once over.

"Club Desire?" He read the title incredulously.

"Yeah," The girl beamed, not noticing his tone. "It's a new club opening in about two weeks. Why don't you check it out?"

"I don't know if this is the kind of thing I'm looking for," Mingi said slowly. While he did love to go clubbing and dance, the atmosphere would be all wrong for a first date. It would be way too loud and crowded full of drunks bumping, grinding and trying to score for the night. He tried to hand the flyer back. "I was looking for ideas on where to take my boyfriend."

'Well, hopefully my boyfriend.'

"Aw, figures a cutie like you would be taken." The girl pouted for a moment before beaming again. "Keep it. You might change your mind or one of your friends might enjoy it. I hear it will be a blast. The opening is invite only so you will need the flyer."

The girl turned on her heel then, rejecting to take back the poster and leaving Mingi with his arm still awkwardly up in the air. He watched her retreat for a moment before glancing back down at the poster in his hand. Maybe Hongjoong would want it or Wooyoung. Maybe he could go himself with Yunho for fun after he had succeeded in his mission.

Shrugging, he slid the flyer into his bag and continued on with his plan of action. If anything, he could just throw it away later if no one wanted it. Besides, it was just a piece of paper, it couldn't hurt to keep carrying it around. Someone might as well have some fun.

XxX

Hwanwoong stood across from a bulletin board as he hung up pictures he had just printed out. He had gotten to the office early and had decided to try and capture any images from the security cameras from the night of the attack. They weren't the greatest quality. In fact, most of them were pretty grainy from zooming in, but it was better than nothing.

The young agent took a step back to admire his handy work. It had been a little overwhelming to watch the security footage at first and see themselves struggle but he shook the feeling off and focused on his task. That was when he had seen a few things that were really interesting.

"And here I thought I would be the first one here." Ravn voiced as he walked into the room. "I thought we agreed to meet in the afternoon. What are you doing here so early?"

Hwanwoong turned to glance at his leader before facing back forward again. "Figured I'd come in early and get some work done without any distractions."

Ravn stepped up to join the other at the board. He scanned it over. "Is this from that night?"

The younger nodded. "They finally released it to me. I spent the morning looking it over."

The leader hummed before his eyes locked on something he didn't notice that night. "What's this?" He gestured to the picture.

"That's what I want to know." Hwanwoong pursed his lips at the picture his leader had pointed out. It was a grainy blown up shot of two figures in masks and dressed in black. They were the only ones that weren't agents sporting the dark color. "I had planned to ask Seonghwa when he came in."

"Ask me what?" Seonghwa said as he meandered his way through the door with a smile on his face. He set his stuff down on one of the desks.

"We were wondering about these pictures but it seems like someone is in a good mood." Ravn smirked back. "Got nice plans tonight?"

When the leader didn't answer and avoided eye contact, Hwanwoong perked up. "Oh my god, he does!" The younger was next to his other co-leader in a second, elbowing him in the ribs lightly. "What is it? Dinner with a dazzling dame? Movie with a marvelous man?"

"Yah," Seonghwa chastised, the tips of his ears burning. He pushed the other away before he shuffled his feet, feeling a little awkward and suddenly looking a little more solemn. "Life is too short, you know? We have to learn to take chances. No regrets."

The trio went silent for a moment, the energy suddenly taking a sharp curve. Seonghwa coughed to break up the heavy atmosphere. "Besides, it is just a small, casual date. No pressure."

The sly grin reclaimed its place on Hwanwoong's face in an instant. "Uh-huh, sure." He walked back towards the board with a sing-song voice. "Someone's getting laid tonight~"

Ravn barked a laugh and Seonghwa choked on air. He was sure if he were drinking water, he would have spit it out. Hwanwoong busted a gut at the other's response and had to lean on his leader by the bulletin board.

Seonghwa, seeing the two in good spirits, dropped his affronted look and smiled. It was nice to see the group happy after these last few days. He hoped that they could keep on finding reasons to smile.

"So what are we working on?" The dark haired male said as he walked closer to the two guffawing buffoons. He hoped that it would be enough to change the subject.

"We found these two images near you during the battle scene," Hwanwoong pointed to the image once he had calmed down enough. He wiped a tear of mirth from his eye.

Seonghwa scanned the image and thinned his lips. It was the two Ghouls who had shown up out of the blue. This was something that he had yet to wrap his mind fully around. It wasn't really in a Shiba's nature to do anything like that. They were normally the ones causing mischief and being chased by agents for unruly behavior. He had never seen the one with the eyepatch before, however.

"They helped me," The leader said. The other two looked at him as if he had grown two heads. "I know, but it's true. They came out of nowhere."

"Do you think they were part of the attacking group? That it might be a ploy?" Ravn questioned.

Seonghwa thought it over for a moment before shaking his head. "No...no I don't think so." He pointed to one of the images. "You might have heard of them but this is one of the Black Shibas, a formerly notorious group that would terrorize the south side of Seoul. They had been mostly dormant for about a year or so. It is possible that this guy had managed to just find a mask similar or took it off of one of the remaining members. He was a decently skilled fighter."

The agent shifted his finger to the second image. "This guy I had never seen before. He was a little timid but he was also the most reckless. He just jumped into the fight without really planning anything. He seems to be friends with the Shiba though and tried to protect him."

"We'll have to enter him into the database then," Hwanwoong said as he pulled out a chair from one of the computers, already gearing up the file. "Would you call him a class D? Seemed pretty non-threatening."

"Label him a C just in case," Seonghwa moved to stand over the other's shoulder and watch him work. "It is likely that if he shows up, he might be with the Shiba. Not to mention when he finally activated his Kagune, it was pretty gnarly. He didn't seem to have much control over it either. That could cause a problem and be unpredictable."

The younger nodded as the clacking of the keyboard filled the room. Seonghwa snorted as he saw what he had typed in for the code name. "Pirate King? Really?"

"What?" Shrugged the younger. "He has an eyepatch! What do you think is better? Captain Hook? Long John Silver?"

Seonghwa rolled his eyes and walked away from the computer, letting Hwanwoong have his fun as he worked on the file. He walked closer to his co-leader. "Is he always like this?"

"Pretty much." Ravn nodded. "But this is nothing compared to when he's drunk. Very handsy."

"Speaking from previous experience?" Seonghwa said with a raised eyebrow and a teasing smirk. Ravn sputtered, not expecting the other to roll with the punches and tease him. Payback was nice.

"Finished!" The younger threw his hands up in success. He turned around in his chair. "Hey, where is Yeosang and Jongho? Shouldn't they be here by now?"

"They'll probably come soon." Seonghwa shrugged. "Hwanwoong, since you went through the camera footage, did you manage to get anything from the building?"

The younger shook his head. "Nothing. All the cameras were destroyed when the building went down and too many people went in and out of the building to get anything from outside. We don't even know what to look for."

The agent clicked his tongue. "Damn, I was hoping we could try and look for an ID and see if we could flesh out a new lead."

"We already know we have a mole," Ravn cut in. "Do you think we should focus our resources inside to flush them out?"

Seonghwa shook his head. "If we did, we would have to be very discrete about it to not tip anyone off. It might be easier to find the group and discover their contact."

"Ugh," Hwanwoong groaned. "Can't we just storm the office and demand answers."

Ravn walked behind the other and smacked him on the back of the head. "And have the whole agency on our asses?"

"Be a lot faster," grumbled the younger as he rubbed at the back of his head.

"Well, anyway, I don't think we are going to get much more work done today without Jongho and Yeosang. Plus, we are all still technically healing and are on desk duty for the next few weeks until we get medical clearance."

"You just want to run and get ready for your date~." Hwanwoong teased leaning back in his chair.

"At least I have a date, that's more than you can say for yourself." Seonghwa shot back. He watched in satisfaction as the younger's jaw dropped in shock. It must have startled the younger so much that he managed to lose his balance and crashed to the floor.

The other two laughed.

XxX

"Xion."

"Jongho, wait!" Yeosang looked over as his companion dashed forward without a second thought.

The younger ignored the call and continued running. He dodged and weaved his way through sleepy pedestrians to catch up to the person walking further down the street. Once he was close enough, he reached out and grabbed  at the person's arm, tugging them to a stop.

"Xion! Wait!" The figure turned, startled at being touched so suddenly. Jongho felt as if he had been sucker punched in the gut. It was him. Or, atleast, it looked a lot like him but his hair was a burgundy red color.

"Can I help you?" The stranger raised an eyebrow, his eyes looking pointedly at the agent's hand gripping him.

Jongho dropped the arm as if he had been burned. He flushed in embarrassment as Yeosang walked up from behind. "I'm sorry, I thought you were a friend I lost recently. My mistake."

The stranger flitted his eyes between the two dressed in suits. "Are you guys with the CCG?" They nodded, a little confused by the question.

The stranger stood a little straighter, his hands going into his pockets. "I'm Dongmyeong," His eyes darkened just slightly. "And if you have time, I would like to talk to you about something."

The two agents shared a look. Yeosang shrugged, not knowing what to say in this kind of situation. Jongho made a decision and looked back at the civilian. "We were just grabbing some coffee. We can buy you a cup as an apology for stopping you if you'd like?"

Dongmyeong accepted the request and together they walked in silence to the nearest cafe. The bell tinkled aver head as they opened the door. Yeosang and their tagalong found a table near a window to sit at while Jongho placed their orders at the counter.

"So, was there a concern that you wanted to discuss with the CCG? If so, it would probably be best to discuss it with the public relations department." Yeosang said, rubbing his hands on his thighs under the table. He really wasn't the best at this people thing. Maybe he should have ordered and let Jongho handle this. He was much better at all of this than he was.

"No, this is a more personal matter." The other laced his fingers together and placed them on the table, leaning forward a little bit. "Let me try again. My name is Dongmyeong and I want to know how my brother died."

Yeosang felt his mouth go dry and his vision suddenly tunnel in around him. There was a buzzing in his ear. Dongmyeong. He suddenly realized where he had heard the name in passing and why he looked so strikingly similar.

He was Xion's twin brother.

"I knew who you both were when your friend grabbed me." The other continued. He didn't look at the person across the table from him. He just ran a finger across the table, tracing the pattern on the cloth. "Xion talked about you both. Jongho was a friend from the academy. He was so excited when he found out they were on the same team. He was finally reuniting with a good friend."

Dongmyeong paused and shifted his glance to the brunette, his gaze sharp. He didn't seem to notice his table companion had broken into a cold sweat. "He would come home every day and complain about a guy on the squad though. Yeosang, I think he said his name was. Would rave on and on how the guy was such a stuck up stickler for the rules."

The buzzing suddenly grew louder.

"But you know, as much as he was annoyed by them, he still really valued his opinion." Dongmyeong shrugged. "Said he was a hard worker and was probably just a bit misunderstood. He said that he could relate. He had hoped that one day they could become good friends."

Yeosang felt his chest constrict. He couldn't breath.

"I knew you were there that night. I got the report from the CCG. Jongho wasn't able to come until later and he managed to get you out. What the hell were you doing that whole time? I heard he saved your life and how do you repay him? You let him die alone in a parking garage."

His chest heaved as the panic grew higher. His vision swam. It was true, all true. Why couldn't he get him out before Jongho showed up? He was injured, yes, but he probably trained twice as hard as anyone in his academy class. He should have been able to figure things out. He was smart. Top of his class. Because of him, Jongho had lost a close friend.

Because of him, Xion died.

"I got the drinks," Jongho chirped, not noticing the scene that was happening.

"My little brother was a forgiving and understanding man." Dongmyeong didn't glance at the other approaching as he stood. He grabbed a random cup off the tray. "He probably has no hard feelings wherever he is."

Yeosang snapped out of his stupor as a cold liquid slapped him in the face, stunned. He blinked away the liquid in his eye to see Dongmyeong standing with an empty cup in his hand, a drop of coffee desperately hanging on to the edge.

"But I'm not my brother." He slammed the cup back onto the table and stormed out. The bells clanging harshly as he aggressively opened the door.

"Yeosang!" Jongho said in alarm. He quickly grabbed the cloth napkin on the table and started to gently wipe away the dripping coffee from his friend's face. "What an asshole. Who throws coffee on someone? At least it was iced..."

"It's fine," the brunette mumbled as the cloth softly rubbed at his cheek. He didn't even make an attempt to brush the hand away. "He's angry and hurt. I would feel the same way. We lost a teammate, but he lost a brother."

Jongho paused in his ministrations to gaze at the other, his hand still on the other's face as they locked eyes. For a moment, it was like they were having a silent conversation. The younger was still getting used to seeing the vulnerable side to Yeosang. He wouldn't admit to it, but he was hurting just as much as he was.

Jongho opened his mouth to say something when a voice interrupted from behind. "I'm so sorry! I just saw what happened!"

The two broke eye contact to turn and see the blonde barista that Jongho had just ordered drinks from. "I can't believe that happened, can I get you anything?" There was a brief pause as the cafe employee seemed to fully realized who he was speaking to. "Yeosang? Is that you?"

The agent tilted his head for a moment his eyes scanning the other before something seemed to click. "Wooyoung?"

"Yeah it's me!" The blonde smiled brightly. "I haven't seen you since high school, how are you?"

"I could be better," he said while gesturing to his coffee stained button up shirt. He had a small smirk, the vulnerability gone and walls back up. The solid, dry humor Yeosang was back.

Wooyoung winced. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Do you need anything? Did you want a replacement? On the house."

The brunette looked at the drinks, noticing the one he had ordered was still there. "It wasn't my drink. Jongho, did you want another one?"

The younger agent who had been silent the whole time watching the interaction, startled as his name was called. He stood back up straight, his hand holding the cloth falling limp to his side. "Um, no that's ok."

"That was a real dick move, though." Wooyoung muttered. "What was that all about in the first place?"

Yeosang just avoided eye contact. "It was nothing. Work stuff."

Wooyoung raised an eyebrow and looked like he wanted to pry further but stopped as his eyes narrowed in on something near the brunette's feet. A big silver case that was instantly recognizable. Yeosang had gotten a job with the CCG. His old friend had become a dove.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce you." Yeosang said suddenly, diverting the topic. "Wooyoung, this is my coworker, Jongho. Jongho, this is my old friend from high school."

Jongho shook the other's hand in greeting. He tried not to wince at the word 'coworker'. He didn't know why that stung. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh, yeah, nice to meet you too!" The blonde said with strained happiness. It was true that he and Yeosang had stopped talking and eventually lost touch when he had tried to join San's gang but he had never expected this outcome. They had been so close before. He wondered what had happened down the line for things to end up like this.

Trying to keep his composure, Wooyoung looked back at the brunette. He was nothing if not a professional at blending in. "Hey, Yeosang, could I get your number? I would love to set a time and catch up."

"Oh, uh, sure." The brunette said, pulling out his phone from his pockets. "Here."

Jongho's stomach clenched. He touched his abdomen in confusion. Did he need to get something for his stomach? "Actually, I think I'll head into the office. If you want, I can let the others know you won't make it if you want to stay and talk?"

"Are you sure?" Yeosang asked while taking his phone back.

Jongho shrugged one shoulder.. "Yeah, you haven't seen each other in a long time."

"Thanks, Jongho." Yeosang smiled softly at him. The clenching turned into a swirling feeling.

When he turned to leave, he could hear the tinkling sound of laughter blending in with the bells on the door.

XxX

Hongjoong fiddled with the sleeves of his sweater that were slightly too long. He exited the door of the subway train and walked through the hall. The walls went from a dull grey to a dazzling white as the subway exit became the corridor to a mall that had a skating rink inside, the exact one he would be meeting up with someone.

He was early, but only by a few minutes. He would by lying if he said he wasn't nervous. This was going to be his first ever date, officially. He wasn't even sure what to expect during it. Sure, he had watched dramas and things with Mingi, but he knew that those were all exaggerations and cliches. None of that could possibly be accurate.

Hongjoong shook off the images of slow motion scenes with sparkles in the background as the main couple stared at one another. That was, until he went down the escalator to the bottom floor and towards the rink. He felt his mouth suddenly go dry and he nearly stumbled as he forgot to step off the moving stairs.

Seonghwa was standing rink side while checking his silver wrist watch. His hair was modestly styled and he was dressed in all black, a color he seemed to favor. He had on a black turtleneck tucked into his fitted black slacks that was cinched with a leather belt. A blazer topped off the look with a thin silver chain and dangling silver earrings. He looked extremely suave for the situation and Hongjoong didn't seem to be the only one who noticed as both men and women were stealing glances as they passed by.

The red-head suddenly felt horribly underdressed in his large knitted v-neck blue sweater. The neckline was distressed and a little frayed for added style but he was starting to regret the choice as his neck and collarbones were a little cold from the risidual chill of the rink. He walked quietly up to the other and lightly tapped him on the shoulder.

Seonghwa snapped his head up at the feeling of something grazing his arm but immediately smiled as he spotted the shorter red-head. "Hey, you're early."

"So are you," Hongjoong replied back. "Did you want to go rent our skates now?"

"Sure," The two made their way to the skate rental booth off to the side, and after some arguing over who was going to pay, Seonghwa ended up discreetly sliding his card to the cashier while Hongjoong was distracted. The agent laughed as the red-head scowled while collecting his skates in a huff.

"I could have paid, you know." Hongjoong said as he found an empty bench to slide off his boots. He tugged with a groan but they didn't want to budge.

"It's fine. It's a date, let me pay for some stuff," Seonghwa said good naturedly. He saw the younger struggling so he leaned down to help. He took the boot in his hand and loosened the laces before wiggling it a bit  to slide it off. "You can get the next one."

Hongjoong felt his ears burn but he didn't know if it was from Seonghwa kneeling to help him take off his shoes or implying that there would be a second date before the first one even began. He dropped the subject in favor of watching the agent work. Once both shoes were off, the older moved to put his own skates on.

"I can't believe your feet really are that small." Seonghwa commented offhandedly as he placed his foot on the ground after putting on one skate. He leaned over to tie the other.

"Well, we can't all be giants," Hongjoong said as he stood, a little unsteadily on his skates. He took a few steps before he reached the opening to step onto the ice. He paused, suddenly rethinking his idea.

Seonghwa came up behind him. "Ready?" He asked softly. When the younger didn't move, he tilted his head to get a look at the red-head's face. He was biting his lip and staring out at the skaters passing by. "You ok?"

"I've actually....never gone ice skating before." Hongjoong reluctantly admitted. He didn't think it would have been such a big deal before. He had gone roller skating. How different could it be? But now, seeing how everyone was zipping and weaving around the smooth surface, he was a little worried.

"Really?" Seonghwa questioned with a raised eyebrow. "But you were the one who suggested it."

"I know," Exhaled the other. "I just didn't think everyone would be moving so... fast."

Seonghwa chuckled at the other. Hongjoong startled as he felt a hand softly grab his elbow and give a little tug. "C'mon, I know how to do it. I used to go all the time during the holidays. Just hold onto me."

The agent stepped out onto the ice and slid forward a little before turning and facing his companion. He urged the other to follow him out. Hongjoong looked a bit skeptical but moved one foot onto the frozen ground, careful not to slide too far forward. He looked awkward, like a baby gazelle, as he tried to keep himself upright. Seonghwa reached out to take both of the red-head's hands as he slid back slowly to pull Hongjoong out further and onto the actual ice.

The student's legs were stiff and had spread a little wider than shoulder length but he didn't know how to pull them back in. His torso was bent a little too far forward and he would probably have already been flat on the ice if Seonghwa wasn't holding him up right. Their pace was slow and gentle as the older glided backwards.

"You're doing great," The agent smiled as Hongjoong kept his focus on the ground in front of him. His concentrated face was rather endearing.

"Don't patronize me," The younger huffed. "I look ridiculous."

"Well maybe if you stood up straight." The agent chuckled. He shifted his feet and managed to move to the red-head's right side without letting him go. Hongjoong felt an arm slide around his waist and a hand on his shoulder to help him right himself. "Better?"

"So this is what it's like being tall." He joked but looking out of the corner of his eye, he was disappointed when he noticed the agent was still a few inches taller on the blades.

"Didn't know you had a height inferiority complex." Seonghwa chuckled. "Ready to go a little faster?"

"Faster? Wait-no,no,no!" Seonghwa kicked off a little with his toe pick to gain momentum and together they moved fast enough to join the speed of the slower moving outer ring made up of children using the skating assistants that looked like walkers.

"Relax, I got you." The agent chuckled at the other's nerves. Together they moved at a steady pace. Hongjoong soon got used to the guiding and managed to move his own legs and match the other leading him without being dragged.

Gaining confidence after the second lap around, the red-head decided that he could go a little faster. He detached himself from the other's hold and slid a leg farther in front. He tried to keep his torso upright like he was shown and his knees steady. He wasn't too bad at this.

"Hongjoong, be careful!" Seonghwa called from behind. He picked up speed to catch up with the other but still staying back to give the red-head room to figure out skating on his own.

"I'll be fine," The red-head called over his shoulder. Once he turned around he spotted the rink wall coming up rapidly but he didn't know how to stop. Remembering what he had seen others do, he figured that he could just dig his toe pick into the ice but he had put in too much force and just tipped himself forward. He closed his eyes, preparing for impact to the cold ground. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes to see Seonghwa smiling at him with a hold on his arm.

"Do we need to get you one of the helmets they give to the kids?" Seonghwa grinned while helping the student right himself once more.

Hongjoong huffed and the ribbing but was thankful he didn't eat it on the ice. There were a lot of young families here and he was a grown adult. That would have been embarrassing if he had crashed and burned in front of all these people.

"Alright to try again?" The agent asked, letting go of the other's arm. Hongjoong, fearing he was going to lose balance again, snapped his hand out and pinched the sleeve of the other's blazer with his forefinger and thumb. When Seonghwa raised an eyebrow at him, he avoided eye contact.

"Just so I don't fall down again, ok?" The younger said quietly.

The agent didn't say anything more as he shrugged, taking it all in stride. Together they started their slow pace again around the rink passing by families and smiling couples. Above, Christmas music could be heard from the speakers and children laughing.

The whole time, Hongjoong never let go of Seonghwa's sleeve.

XxX

The quiet sound of a camera shutter was drowned out by the bustling of the crowd. The figure shuffled in his spot but never took his eyes away from the viewfinder. He looked through and locked the crosshairs of the lens onto his desired target, though he wasn't alone. A press name tag sat neatly around his neck to avoid suspicion.

The figure felt a vibration in his pocket. Reaching down he blindly fished it out of his jeans. He hit 'answer.'

"Progress?' A disguised voice crackled to life through the speaker.

"We have him, sir." The camera person answered. From across the city, a man sat in a plus chair gazing out at the Seoul skyline. He grinned.

"Excellent." He practically purred. "Keep an eye one him, will you? We will make a move soon but, until then, don't lose him again."

The figure nodded even though he knew the other couldn't see him. "Will do."

The line went dead and the disguised press went back to his camera and task at hand. He centered his lens again and caught sight of his target. The-red head was smiling brightly as he gazed up at his dark haired companion who had just prevented him from falling a third time onto the ice. The shorter had his hands pressed against the taller's chest while the other had a arm softly wrapped around the red-head's waist for support. The two laughed in each other's grip.

The camera shuttered.

Notes:

Honestly, I really don't like this chapter AT ALL but I couldn't really figure out a way to make it flow any better. Maybe I'm losing it or I've been super distracted? Either way, I hope you all enjoyed it at least a little bit...

Anyway, I know I say this a lot but for everyone that has followed, read, voted, commented, added this to a reading list, or interacted with this story in anyway, I really appreciate it so much! (We're almost at 7K) It means the world to me and always gives me motivation. I'm working on the following story line and am working out the kinks now. Hopefully these next chapters will be better than this one.

Also, if you watched Kcon, I hope you all enjoyed and were supported the other groups. The stages were amazing!!!! BLUE HONGJOONG 

Say My Name and Hala Hala with those colors and in white just hits different.

Song recs: 

Insomnia- Ashley Tisdale 

Gotta Be a Reason- Alec Benjamin (I really love this artist and his lyrics. I will probably recommend a lot of songs by him)

Check them out if you have time.