The words echo through Kyungsoo's head.

I came here to see you.

Do Kyungsoo is a pond. He's that shallow pool of water, undisturbed, in the midst of a heavy forest, leaves and gnarling branches twisting in the air above and around him. Deep in the ground on the ring of his water lies the roots of cattails and wildflowers, seasonal. Their fragile existences depend on his ability to supply them with life. But he, as this pond, is untouched. He reflects the corruption he sees in those shadows. Every once in a while, a leaf falls in his waters and causes ripples to resound. He gets past these bumps with time, and always, always, always returns to his usual tranquility.

There has never been anything he couldn't get over.

When Jongin, the still-growing tree who had been cut down, needed something to lean on, he let him fall into his pond. And now he can't recover.

His entire life has been a terrible metaphor. A horrible cliche. Even now, here is Jongin at his doorstep, with the last words he'd thought he'd hear. 

And of course he has his questions. There's nothing sane about this at all.

"Why?" His voice almost breaks.

Jongin takes a step closer. Kyungsoo takes one back. "Because I was wrong." He shows no emotion with these words, no life.

It takes everything not to scream back at him. "What... what are you talking about?" What is this turmoil in his heart? A chaotic mess that makes him want to clutch at his shirt. His fingers twitch at his side. But he stands solid.

"I was wrong. So I came here to see you," Jongin rasps out. He's starting to break. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, please believe me, Soo."

Kyungsoo doesn't want to be that person. Doesn't want to be the one that always goes back again and again and again to the one that gave him up. There are always people like that, called fools and abandoned for their lack of righteous decisions. They're idiots, and he knows that. It just doesn't make sense.

"I don't understand." Kyungsoo shakes his head. He can't accept this.

"I was wrong and I'm sorry. Please," Jongin falters to a whisper.

"Please...what?" He's scared of the answer.

"Take me back."

That's it.

"Why should I?" Kyungsoo can hardly believe what he himself is saying. The ache in his chest says otherwise.

"I made a mistake. You have to understand." He's begging.

"I don't understand anything. I don't know why you... you left in the first place. I don't know what's going on in your head ever. I wanted to know, but you wouldn't give me a chance. So why should I give you one?" Kyungsoo is trying not to raise his voice. He knows somewhere in his apartment, right now, is Sehun and Tao. If they're close enough, they could hear this.

Oh god. Sehun is here.

"I don't know either," Jongin chokes up. "Really. I don't know. I didn't know. I just--"

"Did you love him?" Kyungsoo blurts out.

"No!" He denies immediately. "No. No, I... I love..."

But Kyungsoo doesn't want him to say it. "Then why did you do it? I'm trying to... to grasp this situation, Jongin. But you're not letting me."

"I care. A lot. That's all I can say." Jongin reaches out, and Kyungsoo takes another step back. "No, please.... It's complicated, Soo. Don't you understand?"

"Understand what?!" He hadn't meant to shout. "I don't know what I'm supposed to understand!" He's on the verge of tears. It seems that he always is nowadays. "I loved you. I really did. And I thought you loved me too." He sees Jongin open his mouth to interrupt, but he stops him. "I don't want to hear it. All of a sudden, you get this phone call, and, okay, I know I was wrong to listen in, but--!" He's rambling now. It sounds atrocious, even to his own ears, but he can't find it in himself to stop. "But if I hadn't, you would have left me anyway. And you know it. I don't know why. I can't see why. Unless you loved him and not me. Was that it?"

"I... No. That was never it. I've been saying it over and over, and that was the one thing I knew. That's not it, Kyungsoo."

"I can't tell if you're lying or not."

"I never...."

"Jongin, we both know that can't be true."

It isn't. It never is.

Kyungsoo continues, seeing the silence that ensues. "I don't know what to think of you anymore."

"No, please Soo, I--"

"What is it?" Kyungsoo bites his lip to hold it back. What "it" is, he's not sure. Perhaps sobs. Perhaps emotions deep down, or hidden anger, or the physical distress that he wants to vent. "What more is there to say?"

"I love you." Jongin's hands find their way to Kyungsoo's shoulders. And despite his struggling, Kyungsoo's strength can never beat Jongin's. "That's what there is to say. I've said it before and I'm saying it now and I'll say it again if I have to. I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong. That too. For the rest of my damn life, I'll never get over it. That was a stupid mistake. Kyungsoo. I'm the stupid mistake. I'm the Big Mistake, don't you see?" He hangs his head. "I'm trying to reach you but I don't even know where you are anymore. Don't you get it? I'm young and stupid and I don't want you to be just another regret in my life."

"I don't...."

When Jongin looks up, his eyes are shining with desperation. "Look into my eyes and say it."

What a horrible cliche. 

It only gets worse when Kyungsoo meets those bright eyes that he knows so well and knows that he can't. He can't say it.

"I..." He tries though. He's trying. "I... I don't... I...."

Jongin's fingers clench tighter. It starts to hurt. 

"I don't..." Kyungsoo bites on his bottom lip until he tastes rust. "I can't." 

Jongin almost smiles. It's the madman's face, the one filled with ugly tears and lips putting the effort to curl up as naturally as possible. They both stand there, unsure where to go from here.

"What do I do with you?" Kyungsoo asks softly.

"I don't know, Soo. I don't know."

"We never know anything anymore."

"Can we be together with that? Please?" Jongin looks down again, not wanting Kyungsoo to see him like this. Weak. The one with all the vulnerabilities piling onto his back.

"We were already like that, weren't we?"

The broken couple. A few loose strings. Maybe Sehun isn't the broken machine like Jongin had thought. Maybe it has been them all along.

"Yeah. I guess we were."

"I need some time," Kyungsoo says, one of his hands on Jongin's arm. Gentle. Like he's always been. "You come back to me with this and I'm supposed to take you back all of a sudden?"

"That was the plan." Jongin smiles, a crooked man.

"That's impossible."

"I know now." For a split second, Jongin's expression twitches, and Kyungsoo thinks he might have seen a hundred year's worth of pain in those lines. "Take me back," he pleas again. Quiet.

"Jongin."

"Take me back. Take me back. Take me back." It sounds like a mantra. "That's all I need."

"That's not true."

"I'm really going crazy without you, Kyungsoo. I really am." 

Kyungsoo does want him back, though. He really does. But he can't say that. For all reasons he is here like this now, he can't. "We'll talk again when we're both ready then."

Jongin only shakes his head. There's another pause. 

And then a knock on wood sounds a few meters away. Jongin glances up. Kyungsoo freezes.

"Is there someone there?" Jongin asks.

"No." Kyungsoo takes a breath. "I think something on my desk might have fallen."

Jongin decides not to probe any more. He moves on. "How can I go back to school like this, Soo?" He motions at himself. It's suddenly as if his clothes are rags hanging off his back, as if his face is covered in dirt and grime from days past and he has lost his usual luster.

"With your head held high."

"I'd rather go hand in hand."

Is he trying to make a joke? Kyungsoo can't tell. "I'll talk to you later. It's getting late."

"I have no way home."

Kyungsoo cringes. He's done this before. "Idiot," he chides lightly, trying his best to lighten the mood the tiniest of bits. Even if it's been so dark for so long. He grabs his wallet from the nearby counter and hands Jongin more money than he needs. "Go home. Get sleep. It's late."

Jongin takes it with a hesitation. "Can I hug you?"

Kyungsoo nods. Everything has been so cold, he can hardly remember Jongin's warmth.

It's quick, but strong. Jongin's arms wrap around Kyungsoo's slight frame with a familiarity all on their own. He feels Kyungsoo's head against his collarbone, and, just to ruin the moment, he hiccups. He's holding back dry cries. 

"Bye, Jongin," Kyungsoo breathes against his jacket.

"Bye, Kyungsoo." Jongin knows he can't hold on. He's already thrown pride out the window. All he has left is his raw self to bare.

Kyungsoo watches Jongin leave and walk down the hall without once looking back. After the figure turns the corner, he finally closes the door and lets out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding in. A moment later, he looks up to see Sehun walking towards him.

"Kyungsoo? Are you okay?" Sehun puts out a hand.

What is he talking about? Kyungsoo blinks and feels a moist trail down his cheek. Oh. That's what. "I...." He stutters for the right words.

Sehun takes his hand and pulls him away from the support of the door against his back. He doesn't ask any questions, simply leads Kyungsoo away. 

"Sorry," Kyungsoo mutters, trying to tug his fingers away. "I'm sorry. For that. You shouldn't have had...to hear that." He speaks in bursts, too scared that if he let out his words all at once, he might crumble and fall. 

Sehun shakes his head. "What are you apologizing for? It's not your fault."

Kyungsoo sniffs, unable to respond. He can't help feeling that way. It's always been his sorry. He can never say it enough.

"Sorry," he rasps out, clawing at the tears that stream from his eyes. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"What do you think?" Minseok looks over himself, glancing up to meet the approval of his brother. 

"I think you might want to travel lighter." Jongdae  an eyebrow and helps him with his equipment. Minseok, as usual, is more concerned with what might be useful rather than what will be. He helps him adjust his bulletproof vest, fixing its placement here and there.

"I can't imagine going lighter than this, Jongdae. Just look at you. You barely have anything at all." 

It's true. Jongdae can hide everything he has on him in the secret folds and pockets of his clean suit. He likes the neatness of the button-down, collar flapping loosely over a black cut blazer and a tie to hold it all together. Somewhere inside him is a monster that he likes to keep behind the disguise of a sophisticated man. That monster could come out when needed, with the appearance of a gun, or other weapon. But at all other times, it is to be kept under wraps. After all, that "training" hadn't just been for the average assassin.

He shrugs. "I like it. What else would I need than this?" He pulls out a small handgun, throwing it into the air and catching it with a casual flick of his wrist before shoving it deep into his pocket.

Minseok lets out a sigh, tossing his head to a side at his sibling's disregard for his own safety. "I wish you'd wear something even remotely armor-esque."

Jongdae blinks. "Do you want me to?"

"Well, yes."

"Then I'll go change." He walks away without a second thought and disappears into the room next door.

Minseok doesn't know what to think about this new Jongdae. The different sides that he shows these days more often than not. His overly confident self, calling people "love", like Yi Fan's "dear", and giving him that smirk that makes him, frankly, scared. Then there is this side, the one that doesn't object to anything anymore. The boy who follows commands as easily as breathing. A mechanical soldier, catching whatever is thrown his way. He's not sure what to make of it. What does blaming Yi Fan more do? Nothing. He's not sure if he can even do anything about it. 

"When do we leave?" He asks, peeking his head out the door. Yi Fan is standing against the wall, waiting for them. He always carries his things around with him, constantly prepared. His alibi job always covers for it. 

"Soon. Why don't we give them a little scare on the way?" 

Minseok doesn't say anything, instead choosing to click his tongue. "You sadistic bastard." He taps his fingers against the wood. "What if we don't get them?"

"How is that possible?"

"See? See that? That's how the bad guy always loses. You don't think of every possible ending. You're missing the point. They could escape, and then what?"

Yi Fan turns, a cold smile forming. "I think you underestimate me, Minseok. I already have that covered."

Minseok rolls his eyes. He hates this man and his dodgy answers. "And how? We don't have any more men for that job."

"Don't we?"

"You didn't. You did not."

"Are you finally getting it?"

"You are a sadistic bastard. Do you know that?" Minseok punches him, unable to believe how far he would go. How far he has gone. "Do you not have any emotional concern for other human beings? Are you even human?" It's too much, even in his eyes. "You said he was out of the picture."

Yi Fan's smile grows wider. "We took a new one."

Sehun and Kyungsoo stand in the doorway as Tao fusses with the room behind them. He's pretending, really, to be busy as the two talk in hushed voices. He doesn't want to interrupt.

"Do you need anything else?" Kyungsoo asks. He already feels embarrassed by his earlier outburst, if one could really call it that. He tries on a smile. It doesn't feel quite right. How embarrassing, he thinks. First to be caught like that with Jongin, and then to suddenly cry in his arms. 

Sehun seems to sense the discomfort. "No, thank you. You've done a lot, more than I had asked for, honestly. More than I could ask for. I'll thank you right for this one day. Really." He crosses his arms over his chest. He will. It's a promise he puts in his mental vault. For later. 

"There's no need." The smile feels a little better now. "It's what friends are for." 

They exchange a moment of mutual silence before Kyungsoo says a quiet, "Good night, Sehun."

"Good night."

And he shuts the door. 

Tao meets Sehun there almost immediately, hands clasped on the sides of Sehun's face as he looks him over. He looks like he has something to say, but is afraid to say it aloud.

"What is it?" Sehun asks, slightly distraught.

"Nothing."

It obviously isn't.

"Nervous? Worried? Over-thinking things? As usual?" Sehun poses, placing his own hands over Tao's. He leans up for a kiss and tries to send reassurance through the light touch.

"Yes. No. Definitely," Tao says, already kissing him again.

"There's nothing else we can do now but wait it out."

"I know."

"Sleep?"

"I don't know if I can."

Sehun laughs lightly, trying to direct Tao towards the bed. "I think you need it. Not sleeping isn't going to help anything."

They're both tired. It's eminently obvious. Tao's dark circles are deeper set than ever and Sehun's are beginning to match. Despite their exhaustion, they know they can't stay still. Sehun presses the other to sleep anyway. They both need to be in vital condition as much as they can.

As Tao is about to supposedly fall back onto the bed, he hugs Sehun and pulls him down with him. They collapse with chuckles and laughter in the air as they relish the moment. They have a place to stay and a room all to themselves. Nothing else is needed.

With some kicks and shifts, they position themselves side by side, Sehun resting in Tao's hold with his head against the latter's chest. Tao's arms are comfortably around Sehun's back and the blankets are pulled around them both. 

They lie there, breathing, for a couple minutes. It's hard to accept that it's already late in the night when they feel so frozen in time.

"What do we make of what we overheard?" Tao asks. He reaches over to turn off the desk lamp, letting the darkness envelop them in its blind embrace.

Sehun purses his lips. "We let them handle it. It's not our right to meddle in their affairs. We have to trust that they can resolve it themselves."

"And you think they will?" Tao's hand  Sehun's back in an up and down motion. 

"I most definitely hope so," Sehun says, starting to drift off. 

There's the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing outside their room as Kyungsoo does his nightly routine. He seems to stay up quite late, unaccustomed to spending his time idling. 

"Good night, Tao," Sehun mutters with the last of his consciousness.

Tao gives his head a peck. "Sweet dreams, Sehun."

Deep in the heart of the city, there is a room. This room is often empty, as it, more often than not, has no need of being too overly-monitored. There are more wires than empty space in this room, as well as flashing lights, a single chair for a single person, and some boxes. It's dusty and unkempt, but serves its purpose.

The door of this room is promptly kicked open. 

A man walks in, all lazy strides and swinging hands. His lips tilt in a demonic smile, his eyes glaze over whilst he takes in his little project. 

"Sorry," he says to the empty air, "I'm going to borrow this for a while. Not that I'll be able to give it back."

He falls back onto the chair and kicks the door back close. With his index finger and thumb, he fishes out his cellphone from his pocket.

He's back.

While every molecule in his body screams with anguish at his choices, he makes the call, poking and prodding the numbers until he has keyed them in. 

"Why hello there," Yi Fan's voice is muffled through the phone. "Aren't you a quick one, Yi Xing."

Yi Xing lets out a laugh. "You expected less?" A masochistic question. He knows the answer, but is afraid of the worse, yet asks it anyway. 

"Oh, no. You're rather on time."

"Any time now."

"I'll tell you when."

"Naturally."

Yi Xing presses the call away and leans back in his seat. He whips out several pocket knives, positively filling each dip in his fingers with blades. He grins, flipping the tools in small circles, and looks up at the ceiling as if some devil were watching him from its shadows.

"Why am I back, you ask?" If someone were there with him, they might have called him a madman. "He needs me again, that's why. He needs me again."

He plays with his blades without turning on a single light, letting the only source of luminescence be those flashing lights around him, glinting off his eyes. Yi Xing is, as always, waiting. Waiting to play his part.

A/N Hi everyone! So. Close. TO. THE. END! I'm so excited for the ending >w< I have it all planned out and I hope you guys like it when it's finished >w< Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I don't even know what to say! Thank you guys so much for all the support haha even though it's not over yet, I wanna say thanks for the votes and subscribers and comments and everything~!!

I really love seeing all the things you guys say about Metal ;u; It really makes me so happy. So if you guys make something for the story, why not tell me? ^u^ I'd love to see whatever it is~

:* Chu~ a kiss for all of you~ Please support Baekhyun and give him lots of love. Please support Yi Fan and his new career. Please support EXO through all the tough times they're going through. And "don't forget to give yourself a smile" -Tao :)

P.S. ahhh it really does feel like my readers are all out and about enjoying summer vacation ;u; live a good life, my dears~