Hyukjae landed a hand on donghae’s shoulder “Hae, you already knew about me having worked for her?”

Donghae at his dry lips, gazing up through his lashes “I knew only this much, I didn’t know of any bad blood between you two.”

“No, it’s mostly just me wanting to do away with her.” Hyukjae whispered. “Don’t you think you’re being too bold saying such things?” Kangin murmured and Hyukjae matched his look “I say this after seeing how you guys feel for her is somewhat similar to my feelings.”

“If Gain catches on to our doubts…” Leeteuk trailed off

“We will be the next ones disappearing.” Donghae grit out, unconsciously his hand around Hyukjae’s.

They sat in silence, their conversations hanging over their heads, each seemed to be contemplating. Hyukjae’s eyes slowly moved from Leeteuk, Kyuhyun, Kangin, Sungmin and then donghae, who seemed to have fallen into a forlorn mood. “This is what I had wanted to ask Donghae too..” he broke the silence in a hushed manner, said man looked up “About just how much you guys knew of Gain. How much trust can you possibly put in her.”

“Then let’s call it testing the waters, we play our own game” sungmin leaned in “We wait and see but not without having something up our own sleeves.”

There was a hum of approval “Sungmin, we trust you with our strategy making as usual, after we find out what’s going on.” Leeteuk paused “ We also need to do something about Joon, I’m not okay with having him around anymore.”

“We could lock him up somewhere?” Donghae raised a brow.

“Or just kill him” Kyuhyun muttered, a sly glow in his eyes.

Hyukjae stared at Kyuhyun for a while amused, "Kyuhyun, you seem to like thinking bold and aloud." Kyuhyun only smirked.

Kangin tapped his index finger on the table in a slow rhythm, a slow smirk tugging at the corner of his lips “That actually sounds fantastic, so we need to put him aside, then what?”

Leeteuk began counting on his fingers as he mumbled “We find out more about this syrum, more about this plan she’s explained, there is obviously more behind this…”

“Hey wait” Donghae instantly looked over the crowded area, brows furrowing “where’s Siwon?”

“Gain sent him out with a few others, he’s got good communication skills so he’s in a talk with some government personnel, but honestly Gain’s just making a show of making these diplomatic efforts of trying to talk it out.” Sungmin grimaced in distaste “I don’t like the vibes I’ve been getting, she’s up to something.”

“Right then, tonight Kyuhyun and I will take up snooping around about the syrum, We’ll go to the lab to have a chat with Ryeowook. Sungmin and Kangin, you two will listen around to catch anything extra on gain’s plans, but be extremely careful.” They nodded, most of them already getting up “for now socialize, especially with the newbies.”

As Kyuhyun and Leeteuk returned to their rooms to prepare for their own little night ‘mission’ Hyukjae saw Kangin and Sungmin move in direction of a table fully occupied by a bunch of new recruits.

“They all look rather weary” Hyukjae commented, upon not getting a response from Donghae he looked over, slightly surprised at the serious pair of blue-rimmed brown eyes gazing intensely at him. Before he could ask anything someone familiar to both of them jogged up to them

“Oh hey! How are you doing Hyukjae-ssi?” Seo chirped happily and Hyukjae responded with a bright grin, donghae sighed dejectedly “what about me.”

“No one cares about you” Seo kidded, pulling up a girl from behind her “This is Ivy, someone I recruited and we are friends already, she really wanted me to introduce her to you—“

“sshh!” Ivy frantically hissed and then her faced morphed into a nervous smile as she force-laughed “Hello Donghae-ssi, Hyukjae-ssi!”

Donghae and Hyukjae shared an amused look before greeting her back. Upon asking what creature she shifted to  Deer. Ivy began to excitedly point out her friends that had in the meanwhile clambered up behind her “This is Xander, he’s a black-bear shifter, Kevin here shifts to a Cheetah, that’s Henry, shifts into the fastest falcon ever!”

“Interesting” Hyukjae hummed, flashing a smile at them, he turned to look at Donghae, whose eyes glinted with a knowing look.

It was a start but they were already looking at some potential soldiers for their possible rebellion.

---

The problem of constantly lying was pretty much resolved. Now the only problem that remained for Donghae was…the risk of losing Hyukjae.

It was a certainty, he knew but he didn’t want to believe on it. He could not allow himself to think like this, he was not going to let this happen. Somehow, at some point, things had gone too far and he could not pull back, he craved Hyukjae’s touch, the feel of his lips, the effect they had on him.

He needed him.

He scoffed at his forlorn mood as he sat under the full burst of the shower, warm droplets splattering and bouncing off of his back. He watched how the bathtub slowly filled up and wondered, whether that’s what happened… a part of his heart which was empty and that he was oblivious too, had begun to be filled like this tub, due to Hyukjae’s presence and attentions.

He simply could not lose him; neither could he lie to him anymore.

Donghae let himself slip deeper into the tub, keeping his nose above the surface of the water, he knew what he had to do.

He had to tell Hyukjae everything.

--

Siwon placed a hand over his mouth, covering a tired yawn as he dragged himself towards joon’s office, going in to finally report the progress of his meeting with the government personnel. He huffed at how stubborn they had been, akin to children insisting they wanted a certain toy and only that toy.

It was late in the evening already, he kept his steps soundless as he proressed down one of the empty halls in the large building, his ears perked to sounds of faint conversation. He carefully inched closer, coming to a stop right outside which happened to be joon’s office’s closed door. He inched his head closer, brows furrowed in concentration, breathing slow and silent.

 “Of course I won’t be using my own this time, the new ones will be indeed grouped with them, doesn’t mean we just have to keep them the new recruits.”

He arched a brow, what was Gain doing in Joon’s office

A tinkling laugh “They are disposable. They’ll be taken out soon after by their own team leaders”

Siwon held his breath

Joon’s unaffected voice was heard “ but they wont do it easily, some might not like the idea of killing off—“

“Then just slit their throats too, it’s up to you Joon, make it seems like a blood bath accidents, friendly fire, unfortunate casualties, whatever floats your boat.”

There was a pause and then joon’s voice was heard again “so after the teams take out their targets, the new recruits would be taken out and the teams return here for brainwashing?”

“Yes~” she sang, sounding delighted.

Waves of dread washed over Siwon, he had to tell the others!

--

A/N: uh-oh