POV: Minhyun

I feel something cold against my forehead and the touch awakens me, although not completely. As I gradually return to the world of the waking, I identify that 'something' as soft fingers. The fingers gently run over my face and through my hair.

Distantly, I hear voices. I don't give much attention to what it is they're saying.

Finally I open my eyes and the first thing I see is Aron's face very close to mine. His eyes are fixated on me and his lips are curved into a smile while his hand continues to caress my hair.

Now I remember; I fell asleep on a bench in this guard locker room of sorts. I'm still in the same spot and Aron is at my side, kneeling on the ground in order to be at my height. He was watching me sleep. How embarrassing! But, at the same time, I love that he's so attentive of me.

I yawn.

"You're adorable when you're asleep, but I'm glad to have you back among us."

I can only give him a small smile while I look at him with sleepy eyes. My head is still too drowsy to allow me to say anything coherent.

I adore it when he says these sorts of things. My heart melts whenever he shows me that I'm important to him.

"Mmmm..." I stretch in an attempt to rouse my muscles. My eyes are still threatening to close again.

"Come on, get up quickly. We have to try on the uniforms."

I take a while to respond while my half-asleep brain processes the meaning of his words.

"Uniforms? What are you talking about? What uni... unif... orms?" I say the last word in the midst of another yawn. I don't know how I'm going to fend off this sleepiness. But I soon realize that Aron knows exactly how to do just that.

He doesn't say anything. He moves his face in close to mine quickly and places a soft kiss on my lips. He pulls away directly after, gets to his feet and walks away.

Well I'm certainly awake now. My eyes are as wide as oranges. A stupid love struck sigh escapes me.

That was a legit kiss. It was quick, but I definitely liked having his lips on mine. I want to feel it again but he's moved away. Augh, how dare he? He kisses me and leaves without a word! Come back, Aron, kiss me again!

Enough, Min, control yourself. I have to try to return to rational thought.

I sit up with an idiotic smile painted across my lips.

And then I finally notice the others. JR, Baekho, and the guard woman are beside the racks, sifting through the guard uniforms. They're the source of the voices I was hearing earlier. Aron has joined them.

            POV: Aron

I couldn't resist. The sight of Min just waking up, still half asleep and with his eyes ready to drop again at any moment was simply too perfect. My body moved on its own and I kissed him without thinking. I needed to do it. I had been watching him sleep for a while now, my eyes on his tempting lips. I wanted to taste them again.

And I don't regret it either. It was amazing.

He's adorable when he sleeps. How long had I been watching him, nearly without blinking?

Touching his hair and wishing to enter his dreams.

Practically since I left the bathroom and found him like that. So vulnerable, so delicate, so beautiful. I couldn't take my eyes off him. Even while the rest of us were arguing over what our next move was, I couldn't stop looking at him.

I move away from him. My kiss has surprised him but he doesn't seemed to have been bothered by it. Even so, I don't want to assume. I don't want to do anything to him that he doesn't want. I'll go slowly. In the end, we're nothing. Or are we? I'm a tad confused. We haven't talked about us.

I want us to be a couple but maybe it's a bit too soon. Besides, I don't know what he wants. It's clear that I'm important to him, but until what point? I should try to get him alone so we can talk without interruption. We should leave things clear from the start.

I go towards the others. We're going to follow the plan Nara has proposed to us: disguise ourselves as guards and go searching for Ren. With these uniforms and masks, no one will recognize us.

JR is currently struggling with one of the uniforms. He's trying to put it on but with the pain in the arm he hurt during the fight with the guards, he can't do it. I'll help him. Ever since Baekho calmed him down with his voice upon entering the room, he's been sane again. I hope it lasts. He scares me a little. I have to be careful when I touch him.

Beside us is Baekho. He raises his voice, stressed, while he throws uniform upon uniform behind him, tossing them behind him.

"Hurry, hurry. Is there no uniform that fits me?! Hurry up, Ren is waiting. We have to go look for Ren—"

Exasperated, Nara tries to calm him down. "Baekho, calm yourself. How are you going to find a uniform in your size if you don't even try them on? Stop throwing them and put one on right now."

"No, I have to be fast. Ren is waiting for me..."

Nothing. Baekho to his own. This idiot. We won't advance this way. Although I understand because if Min was the one that disappeared, I'd be the same as him. Or worse.

            POV: Baekho

. What difference does it make which suit I put on? Ahhhh! How the hell are you supposed to put this on?!

My mind is in the cell, with Ren, observing the guards that arrive. They hit him, insult him, and release him from the ceiling so that he falls on his head on the floor. That's enough!

I slam the uniform to the floor and make a run for the door to go look for him. But Nara hold me back by grabbing my arm.

"Let me go! I have to—"

"?" She snaps, "Baekho, you're in nothing but underwear!"

Ahhh!

I grab at my hair with my hands. They're trying to drown him. My poor boy. Why am I still here???

Nara hugs me in an attempt to calm me. "We'll find him. It's okay. We can't rush into things. We have to follow the plan or we'll be caught..."

She's right. Of course she is. But I can't think when I'm still seeing the way they torture Ren. I feel his pain.

"Close off your mind, Baek." She continues, "You can't do anything for him until you get there."

"I can't abandon him. I can't leave him all alone."

"It doesn't change anything for him. You know that. You should concentrate on getting to him instead, okay?"

I'm sorry, Ren. I'll be there soon. Wait for me.

I stop feeling him, I no longer hear his screams, and return my five senses to the locker room. "I'm sorry," I apologize to them. I can't lose my cool.

Now I accept the uniform that Nara holds out to me. It's not as difficult to put on as I thought. It fits well.

Weapons. Hood and mask. Everyone else is already dressed.

            POV: Minhyun

While Baekho and Nara argue because he doesn't want to put on the uniform, I approach Aron and JR. The both of them are finished getting dressed. Aron holds up a uniform.

"I think this is your size. Want me to help you put it on?"

I nod. My movements are still choppy at best. Besides, it's a good excuse to have him close, to have his hands 'accidentally' brush against my skin.

Baekho nearly leaves the room in nothing but boxer shorts. We don't need this right now. He's so nervous that I'm starting to think he'll have some kind of attack at any moment now. If he did, we'd be finished. Luckily Nara manages to bring him to reason. I'm beginning to like her; without her I don't know what we would've done.

While Baekho gets dressed, Nara walks up to me.

"Here, take this. I had them to snack on between shifts but I think you need them more than I do." She holds out two cereal energy bars to me. I stare at them hungrily.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!"

What else can I say? I thought I was going to die of hunger!

I grab them and open the first. I eat it desperately, like there's no tomorrow. Before I open the second one, I glance around to my companions. I feel selfish eating them on my own.

"I'm sorry, I didn't offer anyone any. Want some?"

They all shake their heads and smile.

"No, eat it. You're the one who needs it the most."

I'm about to rip it open but pause. I hesitate for a bit and then put it in my pocket. I'll save it for later.

            POV: Baekho

"Remember," Nara gives us her last instructions before we separate, "if they ask you for instructions, the code is 133, remember the magic number 3. Once you're all together, go back to the old room 5 and try not to go near the northern sector. That's where they're looking for you right now. I'll try to protect you, but I don't know what I'll be able to do."

"Thank you, Nara. You've already done so much."

I hug her to say goodbye and the others surprise me by hugging the both of us as well, turning it into one large group hug.

"Thank you for everything, Nara!"

"We'll get out of here, I promise."

"Thank you for helping us. We'll make it."

She smiles at us and then puts on her mask. We do the same and head down the hall.

"Good luck." She calls to our retreating backs.

            POV: JR

We follow Baekho down the hall.

Even with his face covered by the mask, it's more than obvious that he's suffering a lot. It's noticeable in the way he takes small, nervous steps and how his gloved hands are pressed against his chest as well as his quick breaths.

He has expanded his mind again to keep us on path and to let us know if there are guards ahead. Although we're disguised, any precaution should be taken. And I'm sure that the reason he's in pain is because his mind is on the little blond. Where ever he is, he's not doing well and Baekho is feeling his pain.

"There's a group of guards in the next hall," Baekho warns us, "They're fixing the security cameras. Should we go past them or wait until they leave?"

It's much safer to wait and hide.

"Can you wait?" Minhyun asks.

Baekho hesitates a moment but nods. "It's safer." He clearly doesn't like the idea.

"Then let's hide," I decide before he can change his mind. "Any idea where?"

"That door leads to a storage closet." He gestures to a door a little ahead of us. "It's small but it'll do."

I nod and we make a beeline for it.

Minhyun is still limping and every now and then his legs give out on him so we have to carry him. Baekho would've bit his nails off from nerves by now if he didn't have gloves on and I don't completely trust that my mind will stay stable even if I'm doing everything possible to make sure it does. I try not to say anything about the arm I have in a sling.

It's better that we don't expose ourselves to the guards too much. No matter how good our disguises are, it's not safe. Our group is much too suspicious.

We crowd into the small room, leaving the door open the slightest bit to let in a sliver of light. Aron stays to guard by the door since he's in the best condition of all of us right now. Minhyun lets himself collapse beside a shelf of random objects, exhausted, and Baekho sits on the floor as well. He's nervous and tired but keeps his mind on alert, on watch.

I take a moment to remove my jacket and examine my arm.

Thanks to Nara's treatment and a box of first aid supplies we found, the wound it a whole lot better. It's amazing how fast these medicines cure. But they don't do anything for the pain. The bone is damaged and hurts even though I try not to move it. The pain seems to keep me sane at least. I don't want to fall back into that. The blood, the dark hallucinations... It's not just that I don't like it but it also makes me a burden to the others. I have to do what I can to keep myself from falling again.

            POV: Minhyun

Ah! I'm exhausted! I still feel too weak and I get tired easily.

Aron is in the hall keeping watch. JR is looking at his arm... The slash doesn't look too good. It hurts to look at.

Baekho is sitting on the floor, worrying. Maybe I should try to talk with him about Ren to see if I can get these two together at last. Although I don't know if he'll give me much thought in his state... Well, there's nothing to lose from trying. I might not get another chance to talk to him privately. Besides, if I tell him that I want to talk of Ren, I'm sure he'll listen to what I have to say.

I drag myself to his side and he doesn't even acknowledge me.

"Baekho..."

Nothing. He doesn't hear me...

"Baekho! BAEKHO! DAMMIT, BLONDIE, LISTEN TO ME!"

I smack his face while I yell and, finally, he reacts.

"Ow! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

"SHUT UP! Does it mean nothing to you that we're hiding, you idiots?!" Oops. JR has gotten angry. And Aron has also turned towards us.

Okay, so maybe I've gone too far. He's right. I continue speaking in a quiet voice. "I have to talk to you."

"Minhyun, I don't think this is the ideal time—"

"It's about Ren!"

His expression changes. His eyes widen and he gives me his undivided attention. I knew he'd listen if I said that.

            POV: Baekho

He's asleep in his cell, recovering from his injuries. He's still breathing hard after nearly drowning. As times passes, bruises begin appearing as a result of the beating they'd given him. A scab is forming over the cut on his lip.

Why am I still not with him there? He needs me, I can feel it. Or maybe not. He doesn't need me specifically but I feel the need to care for him, to protect him from everything and from everyone even if I'll never get anything in return. I have to see to it that he's safe.

I try to ignore Minhyun when he calls me. I don't want to speak with anyone. I don't want them to distract me now that my mind is with my boy. But he insists, and when he ends up telling me he wants to talk about Ren, I finally start paying attention. What does he have to say to me? They were talking before. Did Ren give him a message for me? Does he know something about him that I don't?

"What about Ren?"

"Aside from the fact that you're both idiots, nothing much." I'm not sure if I should reply. He sighs. "I know you think you know Ren well because he told me that you've been sending notes back and forth for a while now but... You have to take into account that Ren doesn't express himself in person the same way he does in writing."

He's right. In his cards, Ren didn't hesitate to tell me that he wanted to meet me, that my cards made him happy. One time we even started talking about our feelings... Even if we had never seen one another, we knew each other in some way and, yes, I was in love with him. I still am. I have been for a long time.

But upon meeting him in person... He's so cold, so distant... He doesn't seem like himself. He doesn't seem like the same boy that wrote to me to tell me that he wanted to stargaze with me.

"Still there?" He shakes my arm.

"Yeah, I've noticed that. He doesn't seem like himself."

"But he is," he says, "He's still himself. Although he doesn't express himself the same way, he's still the same person with the same feelings."

I stare at him with hope. It's possible that everything has just been a misunderstanding.

            POV: Minhyun

A small smile spreads across his face. Maybe he's starting to understand everything. Hallelujah, we've made progress!

"So... he likes me?" He asks with bright eyes and his hands against his cheeks, with the cutest expression I've ever seen.

My god! He still doesn't see it? I sigh.

"Yes, Baekho, yes. Ren is in love with you. He loves you with his very soul, you're the only one he thinks of... Understand now?"

He doesn't even respond. A wide smile overtakes his face and he hugs me tightly, too tightly. Crap, I'm suffocating...

"He loves me! He loves me! Ren loves me! Thank you, Minhyun!"

"Alright, alright, no problem. Let me go now..."

            POV: Aron

What is that bastard doing, hugging my boy? Who does he think he is?! He's going to suffocate him! Why is he touching him?! Wait. Why is he hugging me now?! Has he gone completely insane?

"Aron, Ren loves me! Do you hear me? Ren loves me!"

"And why are you telling me? Let me go immediately!"

He doesn't even hear me.

He finally lets me go to cling onto JR. The poor guy gives a howl of pain when he touches his injured arm but Baekho ignores it completely.

Between Baekho's yells and JR's squeaks of pain, they're going to discover us quickly. I have to do something.

I grab Baekho by his arms and separate him from JR to immobilize him. He doesn't make it easy and struggles to get free.

"Could you do me the favor of calming the down? I don't know what's going on with you and, believe me, I'm glad you're happy. But if you continue like this, they'll find us and we won't be able to save blondie."

He finally calms down and I let him go. But that stupid smile doesn't disappear from his face. Minhyun is also smiling. What did he say? Why am I never told anything?

            POV: JR

Ugh! Crazy blond... I mean... well...

He says that Ren returns his feelings. So that means... my companions are two couples? I have the strange feeling that I'm an extra in this group. Should I just go back to the blood and mirrors? Ah, calm down, JR.

"I'm happy for you, Baekho." I smile. "Now, care to tell us if the guards are still there?"

He backs up a step and closes his eyes, concentrating.

"They're leaving now, but we should wait a few minutes for them to get further away."

I nod. At least now he's concentrating. I truly am happy for him. Seeing him so depressed was depressing itself...

While we wait, I finish bandaging up my arm. It doesn't look like it's about to fall apart. Well, it's a messy job at best, but it'll do.

Finally, Baekho tells us that the guards have left and we can go. He's nearly running, clearly excited with the idea of seeing Ren again. The rest of us glance at one another. The one of the elements smiles, the agile one sighs, and I shrug my shoulders and the three of us follow him down the hall.

He's like a child and you can't help but become fond of him.