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YOOSUNG
He never tells Yoosung the truth.
It’s not a surprise, really. He never tells the absolute truth, he doesn’t even know if there is one with him.
Yoosung’s world is bright, a glass bubble that reflects light and happiness. She’s there with him, her hands fluttering worriedly over him even though he tells her he’s fine. A wounded eye isn’t exactly fine but he’ll get through it, he knows this. Yoosung is strong, even when everyone likes to baby him.
Still there are some things a person would be hard-pressed to endure— an entire world breaking might be one.
So he doesn’t tell Yoosung what he knows. If he’s being truthful (that’s rich), he can’t. He can’t break Yoosung’s world. He can’t be responsible for that, not for another life crumbling down.
When he looks at Yoosung and her, he thinks of the happy life they will have, of the love in both their eyes and he thinks just for a moment what will happen if he breaks that world.
He doesn’t. He can’t. He won’t.
“Are you alright, Seven?” The voice startles him and he looks down to see her looking at him, eyes almost golden under the lights.
He almost backs away but forces himself to laugh instead, smiling at her when he feels his throat close up a little.
“What do you mean? Defender of Justice Seven-Zero-Seven has saved the world and delivered the prince to the princess. A job well done, don’t ya think?”
She looks at him quietly and he wonders if she sees through the lies, sees the ugly truth in him.
Then she smiles and he knows she doesn’t.
“I want to thank you.” She tells him. She glances back to where Yoosung is being fussed over by Zen and Jaehee. Her smile is so gentle it makes his heart ache. She shouldn’t thank him, he wants to say. He got Yoosung hurt, after all. He hadn’t been good enough.
“Thank you for bringing him home.”
Her smile isn’t for him even when she’s facing him, he knows this much. She would never smile like this just for him.
But it’s fine, for now he can pretend. He’s good at pretending.
ZEN
“So you decided to be his manager?”
She giggles and nods, phone in hand. She’s sitting right next to him but she feels far away with how often she checks her phone.
“Zen thought it would be a good job since I’ll still be helping RFA by communicating with potential guests. This way my schedule’s pretty flexible.”
“Ah.” He types into his laptop, it’s almost automatic really, the basics of codes ingrained into the muscles of his fingers. “I did wonder what you’d do about your old life when you asked help with resigning.”
She doesn’t respond immediately, biting her lip as her thumbs tap out something on her phone— a reply to Zen presumably, judging by the blush of red painting her cheeks.
Clack clack clack, his typing sounds a little too loudly and that seems to jar her out of her little reverie.
“Sorry, sorry. Zen, uh, he sent a selfie.” She clears her throat, shaking her head. “I’m really grateful for whatever you sent to my company, Seven. They were very...kind when I handed in my resignation.” She tilts her head to the side, eyes narrowing. “What did you send anyway? I even got a severance bonus.”
He pastes on a grin and winks at her. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you and we can’t have that, can we? Your happy ever after is just beginning after all.”
That makes her laugh and it’s like the a chime of bells, clear and sweet. He basks in it as he finishes debugging the program he’s written.
“What’s that you’re doing?” She asks suddenly, peering at his screen. He doesn’t really worry much as it would probably seem like gibberish to her. His language isn’t hers to decipher, it’s for no one to decipher.
“I’ll show you.”
He clicks close on the notepad and clicks on a different .exe file on his desktop screen. She doesn’t suspect it’s different at all and he has to tell himself that he expects that, that it’s not something to be sad about.
The program runs and out pops a window with a virtual cat. “Congratulations meow!” It says in an enthusiastic pitch. “May the prince and princess live happily ever after, meow!”
She gasps in delight and turns to him with wide eyes. “What is that? It’s so cute!”
“I’m Meowy, meow!” The program answers instead of him.
“Seven! It’s talking to me?” She turns to the laptop screen and coos at the virtual cat.
“Meowy is an artificial intelligence patterned after the Great God Seven, meow! I can converse and keep you company when you’re lonely, meow!”
“That’s amazing Seven!” She claps her hands, phone forgotten beside her. “What else can it do?”
“I’m still working on it.” He tells her. “But if I install the program in a working body, you could have a pet cat that won’t kill Zen-hyung.”
The happy shriek is all the warning he has before she hugs him. She thanks him profusely, her gratitude intersped by praise as she plays with the virtual cat on his laptop. She’s so engrossed with it that she doesn’t notice when her phone vibrates.
He notices it but doesn’t tell her.
This moment is just him and her, it’s temporary but it’s just the two of them— virtual AI cat notwithstanding. And he’s learned to make do with the moments where he doesn’t have to vicariously live through others, even if it is a lie.
JUMIN
Her hand on his arm is warm as he escorts her through the party per Jumin’s request.
“You finally got out of your cage, huh?” he whispers to her, voice carefully pitched to be joking.
She giggles, hand squeezing his arm in mock reproof. “I didn’t.” She says, happily going along with his joke. “I’m chained to him. They’re invisible chains.” She raises a hand and shakes it, the corners of her eyes crinkle at the wide smile she gives.
It’s just a joke but something squeezes in his heart.
“You can always call me if you need to escape.” He tells her. Her laughter is drowned out by the noise of the crowd but he imagines it wrapping around him, tickling at his ears.
“I’ve got the Defender of Justice on speed dial.”
His heart skips a beat. He knows it’s a lie— if anything it’s Jumin that’s first on her contacts list. Still—
“I’ll always protect you.” He says and regrets it immediately when she furrows her brow in confusion. It’s the tone, he realizes. It’s slipped from the light-hearted one he’s been using. It’s too serious for 707.
“Seven?”
“I’m just saying. When you first went to Rika’s apartment, you followed a stranger. I’m just glad nothing bad happened to you.” He doesn’t tell her how close she’s been to danger. That when everyone thought of Jumin as just being overprotective, he had realized that she was safest at Jumin’s place. That Jumin had acted faster than he had about her safety.
“You really can’t just download any app from now on, alright?”
She tilts her head to the side in question but then nods. She doesn’t ask any questions and he feels relieved even if it is marred by a little disappointment.
“I won’t. Thanks for always looking out for us, Seven.” Her hand grabs his and squeezes. The skin of her palm around his hand is smooth and soft. She gives him a smile that’s just a touch bit crooked, eyes shining with gratitude. “I don’t know what we would’ve done without you.”
He can’t help but wonder for just a moment what it’ll feel like if she does this when she’s his, when she grasps his hands just because. It’s a futile hope though because he knows Jumin would never let her go and she doesn’t even look like she wants to escape.
He buries the thought, the hope, and brings up the smile that 707 is supposed to have.
“You don’t have to worry about that, I’m not going anywhere.”
It’s a promise he knows he’ll keep— he won’t leave her even if it’s not him beside her.
SEVEN
“Seven.” She starts. “I can’t do this, Seven. It’s too dangerous. I just want to go home.” Her eyes tear up and he feels gutted.
“You couldn’t even protect your brother. How can I expect you to protect me?”
The words are like knives that cut through his skin, lodging deep in his bones.
He tries to say something but it’s like his tongue is cut out. She’s stepping away, away from his reach and she flinches everytime he takes a step closer.
“I hate you.” Her voice rings in his ears. “ All you do is lie Luciel. Like you lied to your brother. You promised to keep us safe but you can’t! I hate you!”
He sits up and blinks at the bright light that shines down at him. He feels the sweat trickling down his brows and back, the air cooling it to a tingle on his spine. His heart is galloping in his chest, breaths a harsh pant as he looks around wildly— the panic and desperation from his dream leeching into reality as he finds himself alone in his room.
His voice is mute just like in his dream, tongue feeling thick and useless in his mouth, as he scrambles off the bed, taking the blankets with him as he lands painfully on one knee.
Where? Where? Where?
It couldn’t have all been a dream, could it? Dreams aren’t that elaborate.
He couldn’t have dreamed her up. Not her or his brother. Not Saeran’s wary concession to a truce. Not her feelings. They couldn’t have been lies.
They can’t—
“Saeyoung!”
A slap brings his surroundings to a focus and he’s greeted with a face that washes him with relief.
“Saeyoung?” Her hands are cupping his cheeks and their warmth chases away the cold dread he’s been drowning in just moments ago. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?”
“It’s not a dream.” He manages to croak out, muscles finally starting to relax. “You weren’t here when I woke up.”
There’s something that flickers over her expression before her hand moves to brush away sweat-slicked hair away from his eyes. “I’m here, Saeyoung. I promised you, remember? I’m here forever.”
“You weren’t earlier.” He mutters, feeling embarrassed when his voice comes out a little whiny.
She sighs a little before leaning closer to press her forehead against his. “I made breakfast. Saeran is eating right now, Meowy’s keeping him...uh, company.”
He breathes a little easier at that bit of information. The idea that his little brother is adjusting to a somewhat normal life— eating breakfast with a robot cat— gives him a sense of peace that’s long overdue.
He closes his eyes and wraps his arms around his love, letting his head rest against her shoulder.
“Saeyoung?”
“Can I have Honey Buddha Chips for breakfast?” He murmurs against her skin.
“Nope.” He feels her hand tug at his hair in disapproval before it soothes the sting away. “You’re going to eat real food today. If you’re feeling better we should go get breakfast before Saeran dismantles Meowy.”
“Alright.”
She pulls away gently and there’s a soft smile on her face, she entwines her fingers with his and pulls him out of the room, humming a little nursery rhyme as they head to the kitchen.
He feels like the whole thing is surreal— having breakfast with family, his brother safe with him, a person that promised to stay with him forever. These are things he's never dared to dream of. And yet here they are.
Before they round the last corner, he’s startled when she stops and turns to him.
She gestures for him to bend down and curious, he does so. There’s no pause as she lessens the gap on her tiptoes and kisses him, short but sweet. He feels his cheeks flush when she pulls away, mind short circuiting at the sudden affection.
“I love you, Saeyoung.” She’s grinning at him and her hand tightens around his. “Forever."
All of this is his. It’s no lie or dream and it’s not temporary. Her smiles, her laughter, her love is his to keep. It’s taken more than two decades, but for once Saeyoung thinks that his hopes are finally on stable ground.