Chapter Text
The grey clouds spread thin over the inbound night, He Tian looks up to admire its beauty amongst the chaos. In his current position, he convinced himself life won’t last much longer so why not enjoy what he can while possible. Rubble flying in all directions. The sound of gunshots ringing in his ear. Sometimes, he looks back on his decisions and wonders how things ended up this way. It always comes back to the same conclusion: He has no one to fight for, no one to live for. Tian is just a ticking bomb waiting to explode. The loneliest are always the bravest, they say, but he doesn’t believe it. His eyes begin to water at the thought. Never before had he realized how utterly isolated he made himself. Money isn’t everything. Though he was already a multimillionaire, he joined the military with the hopes of filling the gap in his heart. It didn’t work.
It’s not like he couldn’t find anyone, it’s just that he didn’t want anyone. No one really catches his eye. It’s not as if he’s never had a hookup. In fact, he’s had plenty. He just never wanted anything outside of their time spent in the bedroom. He has no family. Well, he did. But not anymore. Tian is supposed to be the most useful soldier on team Laohu, yet he’s losing a war within his own mind.
“He Tian! Get your moping, sorry ass off the ground and fight! Focus.” Commander Xiu shouted, resting his sniper on the boulder in front of him and shooting every now and again.
As much as Tian wished he could, he just can’t. His team is his only resemblance of family. He’d risk his life before he could see anyone else lose theirs. Especially Zhan Zheng Xi. He’s a more straightforward, clean-cut guy, but he’s the most tenacious. Tian envied him. Not only because of his personality, but because he has someone to go home to. He had a partner he often spoke highly of, and a sister he buys gifts for almost every other week. As he’s looking up he realizes that the clouds are just like him. Ever-fleeting and loose. Always on the move, as if they are metaphorically looking for something they don’t yet have. He Tian resolved within himself that his own issues shouldn’t hinder the rest of his team. He eased himself up and off of the deteriorating building he was resting on. Planting on hand on its rough, misshapen bricks, he lifted his muscular mass onto his feet. Readjusting the rifle in his hand, he ran after Commander Xiu.
“Took ya long enough, kid” He remarked. Tian faked a smile. “Fashionably late.”
The commander didn’t appreciate the quip and gave Tian a disgusted look. “Look around you, kid. Does any of this look fashionable? Do you think this is some kind of a.. what’dya kids call it, a prom? I wouldn’t know. I dropped out of high school in the 10th grade.” Xiu spat at the ground and squinted through the hitbox of his rifle, waiting for the enemy to walk by.
“No, sir.” He Tian saluted. Xiu, watching He Tian from his peripheral vision, then spoke.
“At ease. We are at war. Each no different from one another. We have all laid down our lives just within by presence. In fact, I should be saluting you.”
“How so?”
“You’ve shown great strength, He Tian. I don’t know where the rest are, I’d think most of those damn cowards ran away. I failed them, but I’m glad I didn’t fail you.”
Tian opened his mouth to speak, but Xiu continued.
“You’ve always been one of the best. A trouble maker, sure, but you have a good heart in ya. This isn’t my first time, you know. I’ve seen a lot of things in my 37 years of being in the military. Looking at me, you can probably tell from my grey hairs and forehead wrinkles. You’re only like.. what? 23, if I remember. I was 16 when I first joined. I regret it every day.”
He Tian frowned. Xiu looked at him and chuckled.
“Don’t be like me, kid. Promise me that after this fight is over, you leave. Run far away. This isn’t the life for you; I’m warning ya.”
“And what if I refuse?” He Tian responded, with a genuine face if concern. This team was all he had. How could he leave it? Despite his embarrassment Xiu had become a father to him.
“Well, there’s nothing I can do about that, ain’t there? I should’ve known you wouldn’t go down that easily.” Tian noticed Xiu’s eyes begin to water, just as his did at the thought of his own loneliness. Maybe Xiu felt the same thing all along.
“Go on ahead, soldier. I’m all good over here.” Xiu readjusted himself and his rifle on the bolder, facing away from Tian. “Go. Now. Your friends are waiting for you.”
“Yes, sir.”
Hesitantly, He Tian left.
—~—
“Damn it!” Guanshan shouted. His coworker sideeyed him for his outburst.
“Do you really have to yell everytime you fuck something up?” She asked.
“Shut up. You act like I fuck up all the time…”
“You do!” She chuckled.
“Why the hell are you lying?” Guanshan glared at her, frowning (as per usual).
“Aww, you’re so cute when you get mad!” Jun smiled, and reached out for his sweet, blushing cheeks to squish.
“Stop it! You know I hate when you do that.” Guan Shan leaned back in his chair and pushed himself further away from Jun.
“Yeah, I know. That’s why it’s funny! It’s surprising you don’t have a girlfriend already. You’re so pretty!”
“You mean HANDSOME” Guanshan corrected through gritted teeth.
“I meant what I said” Jun flipped her midlength pitch black hair and gave him a smug, ‘seductive’ smile. He hated that. He hated everything she did.
“I don’t like girls.”
“So you like guys?” Jun broke out in laughter. “I knew it all along!”
“Shut up! I don’t like girls like YOU.” Guanshan gave her the death stare. “And if you tell ANYONE what you just said, I will actually kill you.”
“Aaaaah. I’m so scared.” Jun feigned a hopeless puppy look. “Whatever shall I do.”
Guanshan looked her up and down one last time and went back to typing.
“Y’know, about the pretty thing, I really do mean it.”
The redhead ignored her.
“I mean, you have natural cat eyes, a beautiful facial sculpt, and, like, everything else a girl would ever want. Perfect hourglass figure! If you’re into guys, I’m sure they would drool over you.” Jun chef-kissed and smiled at Guanshan, looking him up and down inquisitively. “You may need to fix that posture, though.”
“Do you ever shut the fuck up?”
“I’m speaking truth and you know it! I can see you turning reeeeeedddd~”
“Yeah, red with annoyance at the squeakyness of your voice.”
“Well damn. I was just complimenting you.. no need to get your panties in a twist…” Jun slowly turned back around in her chair facing her main monitor.
Guanshan turned back around quickly glancing at all 6 of his monitors displaying all kinds of codes. Guanshan’s frown deepened at the sight of one specific line. Something looks off, but he’s not sure what. He’d be damned if he asked that loser Jun for help. The redhead began massaging his temple and looking all around the basement they were in. There are notes pinned on the wall everywhere, one of them has to say something about it. Guanshan got up and walked around the small, dorm-sized area within his headquarters’ basement.
He worked for a million dollar corporation that sold personal information to whoever requests it. They were the best in the country, but no one else knows that. Even now, this corporation remains unnamed to ensure its secrecy. It’s only referred to as A.N.T.W (anti-national threat watch) by government personnel, drug dealers, loan sharks, gang beasts, and members of the corporation. Jun and Guanshan call it ANT because it sounds cooler.
Though A.N.T.W’s personnel are very limited, they’re the best in the world. They each have their own codenames. Jun is known as jun3bug, and Guanshan is referred to as R3D. They refuse to call eachother their codenames, however, because they each thing the latter’s is “stupid”. Though their work is serious business—and quite literally illegal—they tend to joke around on the job.
“Whatcha doing?” Jun asked, smiling, looking at his moving reflection in one of her off monitors.
“Mind your fucking business.”
“All aggressive for what…” Her grin quickly faded.
To little surprise, Mo couldn’t find anything about that specific line of code. He looked over it a thousand times and still couldn’t find anything. He resolves within himself to settle his pride for five minutes and ask for help.
“Jun.”
Jun fake ignored him.
Guanshan turned around and saw her face from the reflection of the same monitor she saw him in.
“Jun, I know you hear me. You’re not fucking deaf.”
“I should be from all your yelling, but, what. What do you want?”
“I need help.”
“Pardon?”
“YOU HEARD ME!!”
“I DID? That’s the first time you’ve ever said that to me! I’m so flattered.” Jun brushed her finger under her eye to fake a tear shedding. “Jun is at your service!”
Guanshan walked back to his desk and pointed at a specific line in his code. “You see that? There’s something wrong with it, but I don’t know what…”
“Oh, easy! You added an extra slash,” Jun flashed a condescending grin. “Riiiiight here.” she brushed her finger along the monitor and stopped and at the first key in the line.
“You have gotta be fucking kidding.”
“Looks like pretty boy over here isn’t as smart as he says!” Jun pouted.
“It’s just a small slip up. Don’t be so dramatic”
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Of course i’m gonna be dramatic.”
Guanshan simply rolled his eyes and sat back down in his seat, not forgetting to make his little correction. And, whatdya know, it worked. The screen of codes started rolling upwards, revealing millions of outputs. He successfully hacked into the audio systems within the Laohu’s helmets. Despite his accomplishment (definitely without anyone’s help) one thing remained on his mind.
Jun could hear the redheads chair squeak as it turned around to face her.
“About the ‘hourglass’ thing, do you really mean it?” Guanshan’s cheeks were increasingly red.
“Oh, uh, yeah. Why wouldn’t I mean it? I seriously envy you. That bodysuit compliments you well. It looks like hot S. H. I. T. on me.”
“I hate it. The leather is straight ass.”
Jun gasped. “How could you say that! This is the highest grade, premium quality leather. If I’m gonna be honest, this thing is probably worth more than my house…”
“I think they gave me the wrong size. It’s way too fucking tight, I can’t even bend over to pick up a pen without the fear of this ripping. Yours is much looser”
“Redhead, you’re like.. what, 6’3. Of course it’s going to be hard to find something in your size.”
Guanshan rolled his eyes. Today was going to be a long day.
Suddenly he heard something on the audio feed he hacked into.
“You’ve always been one of the best. A trouble maker, sure, but you had a good heart in ya. This isn’t my first time, you know. I’ve seen a lot of things in my 37 years of being in the military. Looking at me, you can probably tell from my grey hairs and forehead wrinkles. You’re only like.. what? 23, if I remember. I was 16 when I first joined. I regret it every day.”
Jun immediately stopped typing and scooted towards the redheads set up.
It’s hard to tell who this man was. He sounds like an older guy but not, like, walking cane and diaper old. Weird…
“What the fuck? Did I hack into some inspirational speech radio?”
“Shut up and have some patience” Jun scolded “We might hear something useful…”
Then the voice continued. Some gunshots could be heard in the background, but the older man’s words could still be heard clearly.
“Don’t be like me, kid. Promise me that after this fight is over you leave. Run far away. This isn’t the life for you, I’m warning ya.”
“Who’s dad is that?” Guanshan asked, jokingly.
“SHHHHH!!!!”
“And what if I refuse?” Both Guanshan and another voice said.
“WHAT THE HELLLLL” Guanshan shouted as he jumped back from his monitor. The latter voice was, to be said plainly, hot. It had some bass, but an alluring coolness to it. Guanshan got red.
“Damn. That guy sounds sexy~” Jun remarked.
“Jun!” Guanshan lightly nudged her, but you know she had to exaggerate and fall out her rolling chair.
“Sheesh man, didn’t your mom teach you to not hit women? Don’t worry, I’m not really into guys anyway.”
“Really? Couldn’t tell by the way you’re always commenting on my looks.”
“For a guy, you’re insanely pretty. I mean then and now! if your hair were a little longer and you didn’t frown as much, I think you could’ve pulled off a more feminine lo-” Guanshan put a finger to her lips.
“Shut. Up.”
The old guy’s speaking continued for a bit and then went quiet. Guanshan saved that guy’s mic network to channel 1—like a walkie talkie—and titled it “Geezer”. He then scrolled through all the mic networks searching for that other voice, waiting on each for a solid 2 seconds hoping he could that other man again, finally he found it. Channel 8. He heard a “Yes, sir”. Damn, that guy sounded hot.
“Would should I save his name as..” Redhead thought. Finally he decided.
‘Man’ should do the trick.