The next day, against Changbin's better judgment, he allowed Felix to come outside and train with him. The younger boy's body temperature was still a bit lower than normal, but Seungmin said that as long as he kept himself warm and didn't use too much energy that he would be fine. Still, Changbin had his subtle worries about the younger boy, and he was going to be sure to keep a close eye on him during training. Adorned in one of Changbin's long sleeved shirts and one of Changbin's jackets, Felix made his way outside to train after being bedridden the day before. It seemed like it was a vicious cycle, with one of them constantly falling ill or needing to be in bed for a day or two. Thankfully, the older boy had thought up an easy training routine for the younger. He made sure to only include motions that would take minimal amounts of energy, but still bring him closer to realizing what it would take to have complete control over his pyrokinesis. And, even if Felix wasn't able to do as much as he would have liked, Changbin was still strict about all of the younger boy's actions.

"Okay, that was better," Changbin nodded in approval.

"Go take a water break."

"But we just started. It's only been, like, fifteen minutes. I don't need one yet," Felix replied, frowning slightly.

"Maybe not, but you're in a fragile state right now. Just go get a few sips of water and come back out," the raven haired boy stated, and the air of authority that surrounded him led Felix to just do as he was told.

I'm not as fragile as you think I am, Changbin, the younger boy thought to himself, feeling a bit disheartened.

As Felix disappeared inside the hideout, Seungmin approached Changbin nervously. The redhead hadn't ever really had a conversation with the raven haired boy, but he was just hoping that it wouldn't be as scary as he was thinking it would be.

"Hey, Changbin," Seungmin started off nervously, feeling tiny in the shorter boy's presence, even though he was the taller of the two.

"Hi," Changbin mumbled back halfheartedly, looking towards the door, hoping to see Felix step back out so that he could have an excuse to exit the conversation before it began.

"Can I ask what your relationship is with Felix?" Seungmin asked cautiously.

He searched for any signs of anger in the raven haired boy's eyes, and when he didn't sense any, he stayed in place instead of running away.

"We're partners," Changbin replied, hoping that his short answer would be enough to drive the redhead away.

"Would you say that you're friends?" Seungmin asked another question, much to Changbin's dismay.

The older boy paused. Friends? Felix had told him before that they were, but...

"I don't know," Changbin replied, letting his gaze drift to one of the many trees that surrounded the hideout.

"So, you're closer to lovers, then?"

The raven haired boy's eyes widened and he felt like all the breath had been knocked from his lungs. Lovers? No, they definitely weren't lovers. In fact, Changbin didn't even believe in love. He knew that love just didn't exist. It was a construct made up by the people of Earth to distract themselves from their despairingly depressing insides. In Changbin's world, love was nothing but a myth, and not even Felix himself would be able to change his mind on that.

"Okay, I'm ready to- oh, hi, Seungmin. Are you training with us?" Felix asked when his eyes fell upon the redhead.

"No, I was just asking Changbin a few questions," Seungmin smiled lightly.

"Thanks for talking," Seungmin waved lightly at the raven haired boy as he made his way towards the hideout.

Felix was shocked by the fact that Changbin was talking to someone other than him. But, it made him happy to see that the older boy was becoming a bit more social, even if it was just one measly conversation. Inside the raven haired boy's mind, the word lovers was repeating it's over and over and over again.

He's insane, Changbin decided, Seungmin is off his rocker.

"Changbin? Are you ready to keep training?" Felix asked, lightly waving his hand in front of the older boy's face.

"H-Huh? Oh, yeah," Changbin nodded.

Remembering what happened the last time Felix had to grab the shorter boy's attention like that, he instantly began to worry. The Australian reached out, gently pressing his hand to Changbin's forehead to feel for a temperature. Unlike last time, the raven haired boy didn't instantly pull away from the brunette's touch. He allowed Felix's hand to linger, though it was only for a second, before he reached up and gently grabbed Felix's hand in his own. That touch also lingered for longer than was necessary, but Felix didn't mind.

"Let's get back to training," Changbin said lightly, abruptly releasing his soft grip on the younger boy's hand.

"Yeah," Felix nodded, a light smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he replied.

"Okay."

Inside the hideout, Seungmin watched the two from the kitchen window. He noted the touches and the smile on Felix's face; but couldn't help but to notice how Changbin seemed so void of emotions. His face was stone cold, even though his touch was seemingly soft enough.

"Seungmin? Are you in here?" Jeongin asked, poking his head through the doorway of the kitchen.

The pair had decidedly put the past behind them, but only on the condition that Seungmin would stop being obsessive over the relationship that was shared between Supernova's most aloof member and their newest member. After a day, Seungmin had seemingly shut up about it altogether, but he was still curious on the inside. That's why he'd went about asking Changbin questions that the raven haired boy didn't really have proper answers to.

"What's up?" Seungmin asked, turning his full attention to the younger boy.

"Red wants us to head over to Crimson Vector's headquarters with Hyunjin and Minho to get more information about Blair," Jeongin stated.

"But didn't she say that the Crimson Vector mission was for Changbin and Felix to work on together?" The redhead questioned in return.

"Yeah, and it still is. We're just observing," the younger boy replied.

Since Felix would be out of commission for another few days, he wasn't able to go on any missions. That meant both the Australian and Changbin would be staying at the hideout for those few days while the younger boy got fully recovered.

"Okay," Seungmin nodded.

He walked out of the kitchen, but Jeongin hung behind for a few seconds. As soon as he was sure Seungmin was in the hall, he walked over to the window, feeling his heart drop when he saw Felix and Changbin training in the backyard.

"When is he gonna let this go?" Jeongin sighed.

"Jeongin!" Hyunjin called from in front of Red's bedroom door.

"We gotta get going!"

The young boy snapped out of his daze.

"Coming!"

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"Let's take a break," Changbin said after only an hours worth of training.

"But, it's only been an hour. I can keep going," Felix assured the older boy, sparking up his fingertips to prove that he wasn't tired yet.

"We got a late start. It's lunchtime," Changbin replied.

While the raven haired boy wasn't all that hungry, he wanted Felix to eat properly, and he knew that if they kept going, the younger boy wouldn't speak up when he was ready for a break. Changbin couldn't quite decipher if Felix was so out of tune with his body that he didn't know how much was too much, or if Felix was just too caught up in his training to think about his health. Without any further complaints, the pair entered the hideout to prepare lunch.

"I want ramen," Felix stated.

"I can make enough for both of us if you want some too."

Changbin shook his head.

"I'll cook," he replied.

"You should take this time to rest. You've been on your feet for a while. I can't have you getting sick again; especially not when our next mission is only a week away," Changbin reminded the Australian.

"I almost forgot about that," Felix admitted.

It's only seven days away, Felix thought nervously to himself, what if I'm not strong enough to help him? What if I just mess everything up?

When the two of them entered the kitchen, Jisung and Chan were sitting at the table eating their respective lunches. To Changbin's distaste, they seemed to have just sat down to start eating, so there was little to no hope of them leaving before he and Felix sat down to eat. Gesturing to the table, Felix knew that Changbin meant for him to sit down.

"Can't I do something to help? I feel bad that you're always the one cooking for me," the younger boy said.

"It's only ramen," Changbin said blankly.

"All I have to do is boil some noodles and open up a seasoning packet. It's really not that much work."

Felix couldn't help but to snicker a bit. Jisung and Chan watched the exchange between the two of them closely. Changbin wasn't a big talker, so neither of the two boys even remembered how Changbin's voice sounded. Really, the only people the raven haired boy spoke to were Felix, and when it was needed, he spoke to Red. Other than that, he rarely opened his mouth at all. The other seven members knew virtually nothing about him; other than the fact that he was very closed off.

"See, Changbin knows how to be a good partner," Chan joked, lightly elbowing Jisung in the ribs.

"Hey! I'm a good partner!" Jisung replied defensively.

"Oh yeah?" The Australian inquired.

"Then why don't you ever cook for me?"

Jisung rolled his eyes.

"You're acting like you cook for me all the time," he responded lazily.

"I'm at least sixty percent responsible for the food you're currently eating," Chan countered.

"You handed me a bagel for God's sake," Jisung retorted.

"Exactly. And, last time I checked, you're eating a bagel with strawberry cream cheese. If I hadn't handed you the bagel, you wouldn't be eating it," the Australian stated.

Felix laughed at the duo's exchange. In the back of his mind, he wondered if he and Changbin would ever be able to laugh and joke like that. Somehow though, that prospect seemed miles away. After all, Felix hadn't even seen Changbin smile before; nonetheless laugh. As Chan and Jisung continued their lighthearted bickering, Felix zoned out a bit thinking about what Changbin's smile would look like. He knew it would be pretty, beautiful even, and he wanted so badly to see it. Changbin placing a bowl in front of him immediately snapped Felix out of his mind; instantly bringing him back to reality.

"Thanks, Changbin!" Felix beamed, hoping to maybe get a smile out of the older boy in return.

However, the raven haired boy just nodded his head in return, his mouth staying in its normal uninterested, and completely unsmiley form.

Felix twirled his fork around the noodles in the bowl, ungracefully shoving them into his mouth. It was unimaginably tasty, and for the life of him, the brunette couldn't figure out if it was because ramen was just that good or if it was because Changbin had been the one to make it for him. The raven haired boy got his own food and quietly retreated to the two's shared bedroom to eat by himself; like always. Felix wondered if he should go join the older boy, but he knew that the atmosphere might be a bit awkward, and he really didn't like it when things got awkward between himself and Changbin. When things got awkward, it made the younger boy feel like he and Changbin were miles apart, even if they were sitting closely together. Felix enjoyed being close with Changbin; not far apart. Like the evening before when they'd fallen asleep together; bodies touching, skin sticking together due to the heat of being buried under five blankets...Heartbeats in sync, breathing shallow but steady, and, best of all, there was no need for any words. In the most vulnerable of moments, Changbin didn't really mind Felix's touch. He'd come to enjoy the soft way the Australian would sometimes lay his fingers on him; though he'd never admit that he liked it.

But Felix liked it too. He liked being close to Changbin. He enjoyed hearing the older boy's heartbeat, feeling his soft breathing, and basking in the warmth of the older boy's body.

"Why does he always eat alone?" Jisung asked, looking across the table to meet Felix's eyes.

"I don't know, actually. I have a few guesses, but he's never come out and told me why, so I can't be for sure," the brunette replied, taking in another fork full of ramen.

"What's your guess then?" Chan inquired.

"Well, I think he's just shy, maybe. He's antisocial. But, once you get to know him better, he's a really good person and a great friend," Felix replied, quickly throwing in a complimentary comment towards the end.

He wanted to make Jisung and Chan see that though Changbin was a bit of a recluse who didn't necessarily enjoy human contact very much, he was also a lovely human being, and Felix would be the first to attest to that.

He thinks I'm a great friend? Changbin questioned from inside their shared room as he munched on ramen and listened in on the others conversation.

But it wasn't Felix's comment of Changbin being a great friend that made his chest get all warm and fuzzy. It was the fact that the younger boy had called him a friend at all that made him feel like he was laying in the sunshine.

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"That's disgusting," Minho whispered to the others as they watched a young boy, no older than eight, use his blood to string a web around the body of another boy (who seemed to be the same age; maybe a year older or so).

"It is," Jeongin nodded, feeling his stomach churn as he watched the blood drip down the boy's body.

"At this rate, that boy is going to collapse. A child of his size won't be able to function properly if the majority of that blood doesn't go back into his veins," Seungmin noted in a low voice.

Of course, all four boys felt horrible for the two children. They weren't really old enough to know that the power they possessed was unimaginable and deadly; to others as well as themselves. But, they couldn't be saved, and all four of them had to remind themselves of that. It was a sad but true fact. In order to become a Human Vessel, many man-made liquid solutions, chemicals of all kinds, toxins, as well as many other things, are injected directly into the bloodstream of the subject. It took many years to fully develop a set of shots, pills, and liquid medicines that would allow the test subject to be able to control their blood. The younger the subject; the more severe the side effects and the more severe the pain they're put through. And, to top it all off, all the procedures can take up to thirty years off the lifespan of anyone who's unfortunate enough to be victimized by those at Crimson Vector. As surprising as it may sound though, more than ninety percent of the members voluntarily joined because they wrongfully assumed that the Human Vessels were the superior species that would eventually take over the entire world. However, they didn't understand that the people of Crimson Vector were ten times too self absorbed to ever learn to properly work together, so there was virtually no hope for them in terms of ruling the world.

"I think that one over there must be Blair," Hyunjin whispered, pointing a finger in the direction of the strawberry blond.

"We need to search the other rooms now," Minho reminded everyone.

It was their job to go and recover as much information as possible. They weren't going to make the same mistake Changbin and Felix made, though. The four of them split up in their pairings (Hyunjin with Minho, and Jeongin with Seungmin) in order to search the surrounding rooms.

"You guys take that room, and we'll take this one. Meet us back in the original room to teleport back in ten minutes," Hyunjin stated, taking control of the situation.

"Got it," Jeongin nodded, quickly grabbing hold of Seungmin's arm.

They opened up the door, immediately surveying their surroundings to make sure that nobody was inside. Finding that it was indeed empty, Jeongin and Seungmin quickly entered, quietly closing the door behind them.

"You take the right side, I'll take the left," Seungmin stated.

Letting go of his arm, Jeongin immediately got to searching in one of the many filing cabinets. Atop one of them was a file that was much less filled than the rest of them. The initials on the tab were B.M, so Jeongin could only assume that it was Blair's information file. He tucked it securely under his arm and continued to rummage through the rest of the drawers. Seungmin was doing the same on the left side of the room. He had found a list of chemicals used in the creation of Human Vessels, and he made sure to hold onto that. He was sure that Supernova could use it to their advantage. Along with that, the redhead picked up a file that was much thicker than all the others. While all of the other files had two initials on their tabs, the one in Seungmin's hand simply said MIA. Curiosity got the better of him, and he opened the file up. The first thing he saw was a picture of a young boy with bruises covering his body, along with prominent needle marks and cuts everywhere along his body.

This place is disgusting, the redhead thought to himself.

But, upon closer inspection, he noticed something odd about the boy in the picture; he looked oddly familiar to Seungmin.

Could it really be-

All his thoughts were cut off. Minho stumbled into the room, helping a limping Hyunjin inside.

"Click the button. We've gotta get out of here," Minho gasped.

Jeongin wasted no time in clicking the button, and Red appeared almost instantly. Without asking any questions, the pale blue ring of light appeared under all of their bodies and they each braced themselves for the suffocating feeling that came along with teleportation. Seungmin knew he didn't have a lot of time to decide. The file was thick and it left a gaping hole in the drawer. Red told them not to bring back too many things, because it would make Crimson Vector come after them even harder if they knew that Supernova had important information about them. But, despite the lingering feelings of guilt, Seungmin had to know if his suspicions were correct...

So he took the file anyway.

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