In a world filled with nothing but black and white, stained by pretentious hues of red and blue sparkling in the midst of unseen faces eternally covered with masks, Jongin fiddled with the facade covering his face, almost feeling like he was drowning as he stared at the old book resting on his table. Each word scribbled on parchment, dark ink faded in time, spiting a once existing civilization where each citizen was entitled of their own personality, their own face. Every sentence was telling a story that ended with nothing but chaos and destruction, making the world crumble into dust. The book called that time the dark era, an epoch that some would wish never existed but Jongin had always been different. He had always wanted to break free, to be the person that the world had denied him to be. He had always wanted to venture into the unknown without flashes of lights blinding him, keeping him from taking a step closer to the freedom he had always yearned for.

In his current world, a person’s life could be determined by colors – red for military, blue for royals, white for commoners, and black for sinners. In his current world, every step was calculated, dictated by a system nobody could even comprehend. With the mask covering his face, dissecting every fiber of his thoughts, keeping him from thinking of unnecessary thoughts in exchange of keeping his status in the society, he felt like he was going to explode.

 A yellow light flashed right in front of Jongin’s eyes as a smirk grazed his lips. It was yet again, another warning, telling him to stop his train of thoughts before he reach the limit. He thought it was quite funny, really, how could a small piece of alloy covering their faces could control the fate of humanity.

“You’re turning a little gray.” A younger boy with pale skin, scrawny arms and red mask slid a vial of blue liquid on his table, chuckling at the groan he released. “Chanyeol saw your name on the list again. Kai, this has got to stop. I can’t sneak a neutralizer for you forever.”

He smiled, twinkle of his raven eyes hidden beneath a thin sheet of unbreakable glass. “Then don’t. I never asked you to supply me and stop tracking me.”

“Bull.”  The boy hissed, knobby fingers aggressively tapping on the table as if itching to reach for the book’s white pages that looked excruciatingly light on top of the dark mahogany. “You’re my best friend and I would never let you turn black just because of your petty dreams of crawling out of this system.”

“Am I really Sehun? Am I? You don’t even know how I look like behind this mask. You probably don’t even know my real name.”

“Kai please Suho will-“

“Suho? Junmyeon you mean? My brother?” Another flash of yellow light blinded Jongin. “Oh right. Junmyeon does not exist anymore. It’s Suho now, the leader of your squadron. Perhaps I should just let myself turn black, at least then he’d look at me.”

Sehun’s stare almost bore through Jongin’s soul. He had always been curious about how the younger’s eyes would look like, spending endless hours imagining how the soldier’s face resemble of. The boy’s stern voice, graceful movements and pale skin had always reminded him of a swan, beautiful and elegant yet extremely scary contrary to what Chanyeol, Sehun’s mate, had always been telling him.

“Just drink the god damn elixir Kai.”                                                                                          

“It’s Jongin. Kim Jongin.” He lifted the vial from the table, blue liquid swirling inside the container. “And I’ll save it for later.” He grinned, closing his book before walking away.

The streets were almost empty, lights almost dimming as time ticked closer to midnight. The echoes of his footsteps bounced off the walls, ringing in his ear before getting swallowed by the darkness slowly building up in his core.  He could almost feel swirls of black dancing on his own façade, red flashes of light blinding him with every step, small vial feeling almost weightless in his coat’s pocket as he heard Sehun’s continuous nagging at the back of his head, telling him to stop his delusions and just stick with the system.

He was just about to turn five when he got his first mask, white just like the rest of the kids his age. It was drizzling and the skies were dark, the day just right before his fifth birthday. He was quite excited really, not knowing the shadows hiding behind the pretend masquerade the society had been playing. Sixteen was when each citizen would get their final status in the society and Jongin was one of the very few that was forced to have a new name, a new identity. He was sixteen when he became Kai.

The dim lights quickly faded into darkness as the clocks twelve, pendulum clock in the middle of the city humming in the midst of the deafening silence of the night as the moon shone brightly up the cloudy sky. His raven hair danced along the spring breeze as an unfamiliar voice seeped through his senses, flashing red light slowly fading into a halt.

“You seem lost little one.”

In a world clad with nothing by masks and pretense, a person’s voice was Jongin’s sole source of judgment, one of the very few means to distinguish an individual. It was a skill he had learned to master through the years of doing nothing but listening, void of any ways to observe using his eyes without letting his mind wonder how the man across him would look like behind the flawless white alloy covering his face. Hearing an unfamiliar voice was almost too close to impossible it made Jongin yearn for more.

“Who are you?”

“Ah. I don’t think that’s very relevant.” The stranger shook his head, raven hair swaying along the subtle breeze. “The question is who are you?”

Jongin squinted his eyes, as if trying is hardest to see through the metal covering the man’s face. The unfamiliar voice sounded smooth and velvety, addictive. It was almost like his insides were forming knots as his heart fluttered, as if there was tornado in the pit of his stomach, making him ache for more. It was almost as if he was drowning, like he was almost too close to suffocation yet he was still more than willing to feel more – an obnoxious feeling mixed with an uncertain euphoria he had enjoyed a little too much.

“My name’s Kai.”

“Don’t we all know?” He could almost hear the amusement in the man’s voice, each syllable vibrating in his core. “But is that really who you are?”

“Who are you?”

“Does it matter? I’m a black. I’m a sinner. I’m irrelevant.”

Jongin smiled, stretched lips hidden behind his façade as he savored the sound of the stranger’s voice. His mind was reeling rapidly. His curiosity making him push the buttons of ambiguity as he stared at the dark alloy covering the man’s face. The way the kohl tinted metal mask looked out of place against milky skin was a little too hard to miss.

“You’re not. You intrigue me.”

“And you’re also a royal.” The stranger bowed, short legs bent, arms spread as the man’s fringes fell beautifully on dark metal. “It was a pleasure meeting you my prince.”

It was quite a change of atmosphere as soon as Jongin stepped into an old abandoned building located at the outskirts of the city, stranger treading ahead of him. Each step almost felt like he was getting into a totally different dimension as he let his fingers mingle with the streaks of neon embedded onto the concrete walls. The colors were bright and vivid against the gray walls, climbing up towards the unfinished ceiling leading to an astonishing view of the dark night sky.

“Put this on.” The stranger draped a dark cloak around his body, making sure that the hood was covering half of his masked face, letting the remaining hues of azure be hidden under the shadows.

“And don’t let them see your color.” Was all he heard before he was getting pulled into a room at the end of the hallway, glass roof tinted with a certain shade of purple, almost invisible in the darkness of the night. The moon shone brightly as the stars peppered the clear sky. The walls were painted mixtures of colors almost the same as the hallways, neon that looked a little too intense around a crowd of people with black masks – some of them darker than the others.

“Blend in and don’t get caught my prince.” Velvety voice made its way into his ear, lips a little too close to his, breath ghosting over his skin before the figure beside him disappeared in the river of the people loudly chattering, trying their hardest to get their conversation going in the midst of booming bass and loud tunes.

The cloak covering almost his whole body felt heavy and stuffy, almost suffocating yet the way his heart was racing inside his chest was reminding him of the feeling he once had once upon a time back when he was four – when thought sticking a gum on Zitao’s cotton candy blue hair would be amusing – a familiar rush he had been longing to feel again. The sensation was little too vague to remember yet still quite clear to be forgotten, forbidden yet extremely desirable.

Lights started flickering as the room started feeling a little too comfortable for Jongin’s liking. Despite of feeling a little lost and quite terrified of the place’s anonymity, he could almost feel like he was right where he belong – free and void of any stress from the society. He could almost feel the metal covering his face quickly turning into a shade of kohl as red light kept flashing right before his eyes yet he couldn’t seem to find himself heeding. There was a certain desire in the pits of his being that was screaming he was doing the right thing.

Please turn out the light
I get a sick confusion headache trying to figure out who's right
Dreaming on the silver strand
Waking up to plainclothes man

A now, familiar voice filled his ears, singing notes that made him feel butterflies in his stomach as his eyes trailed to where the music was coming from. On the stage stood a small figure, face covered by a black metal that looked a tiny bit close to perfection under the sparkling neon lights despite the meaning behind the color. A sinner, the sinner, stood proudly in the midst of stage lights singing a song Jongin felt like was written specifically for him and it somehow made his mind go hazier than it already was. A sinner with a voice of an angel – vey ironic, really.

You little bastard, little boy in blue
Someone's gonna get to you
And up everything you do

The way words harmonized with beats of the drums and bass along each strum of guitar was extremely new to Jongin. The government had forbidden songs to have lyrics, spreading a theory that including lyrics would trigger human’s emotions to go out of control. Hearing a  song with words was quite refreshing, a little too unfamiliar but revitalizing especially when the voice singing each word, each syllable reminded him of dark chocolate and midnight. It was dark, chilly yet exciting and diverse, mysterious yet addictive, completely and utterly irresistible.

He's so unhappy inside
He's serious with everyone
And he thinks he'll win you with his angry kiss
Acting like he has no needs
Wanting you to watch him bleed

“Run!” Another man with face covered with black mask came running into the crowd, blatantly pushing everybody away as if he did not just ruin a perfectly beautiful performance. “There are reds outside! The soldiers found us!”

There was silence, followed by panicked chatters before everybody started sprinting out of the building, breaking each source of light they would pass by. Jongin, once again, felt lost and confused, unsure of what to do next before he felt a hard grip around his wrist, dragging him towards the nearest exit. He blinked as he watched how specks reds looked extremely out of place in the midst of sea of blacks it made him want to vomit. Perhaps his blue looked exactly the same, worse even.

“I shouldn’t have brought you here.” The sinner said, panting, as soon as they found the perfect hiding place deep in the forest nearby.

“It’s my fault isn’t it? It’s me that brought the soldiers there.”

“No. Yes. I don’t know.” The man said, sounding hesitant for the first time throughout the whole night. “It doesn’t matter. I still should not have brought you here. I shouldn’t have approached you in the first place.”

Jongin gaped at the sinner, eyes trailing towards the man’s dark eyes still shadowed by inexplicable mystery he had been wanting to evade. It was like a puzzle he had been trying to piece together yet all the man did was hinder all his efforts, tucking every piece of the conundrum hidden from Jongin. However, it was quite a given fact that whatever Prince Kai wants, Prince Kai gets.

“Then why did you?”

The sinner paused, heaving a sigh before opening his mouth only to close it again and Jongin almost felt like he was watching a fish that had forcefully been pulled out of water. It was quite a scene. He would use the word cute to describe it and would love to look at it longer if not for his eagerness to hear the man’s voice once more.

“Didn’t I say I’m irrelevant? That statement also includes my thoughts and opinions. Everything about me is irrelevant. I’m just a sinner.”

“Didn’t I also say you intrigue me?” Jongin cocked his head. “You didn’t even give me your name.”

“D.O.”

“D.O.” The name slipped through Jongin’s lips fluidly before snorting. “But is that really who you are?” He even added, mocking the tone the sinner had used on him.

Laughter echoed in Jongin’s ears as the leaves of the tress danced along the chilly breeze and Jongin thought it was quite phenomenal. The way the sinner’s voice vibrated though his core, making his heart do flips and his insides curl made him feel like he was floating and drowning at the same time. It was exhilarating.

“You should go back though.” The man said, small chuckles still escaping though his lips. “Before they trace you back here again. I don’t think the government would be pleased to see a royal breathe the same air as a sinner.”

“It’s a little too late for that.” A tall figure emerged from the darkness, face covered with red alloy, blonde hair looking a little too bright in the middle of the night followed by a taller figure with neatly cropped raven hair with the same shade of mask. “He’s not a royal anymore.”

The soldier grabbed the cloak covering Jongin, revealing a used-to-be blue mask signifying royalty and sovereignty, quickly fading into a dark shade of kohl.

“Kai I told you-“

“I really don’t care Sehun.” Jongin spat, making the soldier take a step back. “You know I never did. I never will.”

The tall man behind Sehun chuckled, bass voice reverberating through the obscurity of the night. “I told you this will not work Sehun.”

“Back off Chanyeol.” The younger glared at the taller soldier before switching his attention back to the prince. “Where’s the elixir I gave you? Drink it before you completely turn.”

Jonguin reached for the pocket of his coat, taking out a small bottle, blue liquid swirling inside. The vial felt small and vulnerable in Jongin’s grip yet the weight of its contents was making his brain hurt as he listened to Sehun’s constant rambling about the consequences of his actions yet with every word that came out of the younger’s mouth, all he thought about was the feeling he had experienced back in the abandoned building. He thought about the temporary freedom and exhilaration he felt as he listened to D.O.’s voice and how terrified yet comfortable, of how his heart would race in utter frustration mixed with fascination with every work the sinner spoke. It was quite obvious he had already made his decision before the soldier even asked for it.

“I won’t.” He mumbled under his breath before letting go of the bottle, elixir spilling on the ground as the glass shattered into pieces.

“Kai-“

“It’s Jongin, Sehun. I already told you.” Jongin, deadpanned. “And I’m not going back.”

“Okay Jongin. Take this with you then.” Sehun handed him a small metal. “It’s the key to the masks.”

Chanyeol just chuckled as the taller soldier shook his head before placing a small device on Jongin’s hand. “Sehun keeps saying he doesn’t approve of this yet he went and stole a key for you. He even made me research about civilizations outside ours – one where you can be free and be your own self. All the information I found is in there. You must be really something Prince. The oh so perfect Oh Sehun went all the trouble to-”

“Shut it Chanyeol.” The younger soldier hissed, clamping his hand on his mate’s mouth. “Just go okay? We’ll follow you as soon as everything died down.”

“We will?” Chanyeol spluttered.

“Yes we will. I want to be free too at some point.” Sehun smiled, crescent eyes disappearing. “Now go, Jongin.”

“Thank you.” Jongin mumbled before averting his eyes to the sinner silently leaning on a tree trunk as he felt his heart swell when their eyes met. “And you. This is all on you. I assume you’ll take responsibility of this because you are coming with me.”

“What-“

D.O. didn’t have a chance to speak before the former prince started dragging him deeper into the woods, ignoring the fact that both of them didn’t even know what was beyond the sea trees and blanket of darkness.  The night breeze felt cold and stiff on his skin as he let himself be pulled into uncertainty Kai – no, Jongin – was taking him to. The moment Jongin’s fingers interlaced with his, he knew he had made the right choice of pulling the younger down in his own darkness. It was quite a selfish intent really, yet he knew he wouldn’t even venture in such a thing if he just didn’t see the lifelessness in the prince’s eyes.

“I took you here because I wanted to save you from yourself.” D.O. spoke, almost a whisper as he stopped the younger from walking. “I saw myself in you Kai. I’ve been where you were too.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I was the prince before you Jongin.”

The silence that followed was deafening, it made D.O.’s insides curl painfully.

“The prince that disappeared just a few months after getting crowned.” Jongin laughed, shoulders shaking as each cackle filled D.O.’s ears. “Pretty ing ironic.”

“I know.” D.O. smiled, reaching for the key in Jongin’s hand. “How about we start all over again?” He unlocked his mask, revealing his face for the first time since he was five. “My name’s Kyungsoo, Do Kyungsoo.”

D.O. wasn’t just the irrelevant sinner anymore. He was Do Kyungsoo – a boy with wide eyes, milky skin, plump lips and voice of an angel. He couldn’t help but smile. Freedom really was addictive yet the face that smiling across him was perhaps a little bit more addictive than freedom. Kai had also taken his own mask off, revealing a raven eyes, plump lips and heavenly smile that could perhaps stop the world from spinning.

“My name is Kim Jongin and I think I want to spend the rest of my freedom with you.”

A/N: lol so the ending . i'm just gonna curl up in a corner and sob. bye.

>> just so if any of you hasnt seen psychopass yet - which is very likely tbh - in the anime, a person's mental capability, their psychopass, thru something called the sibyl system (which are the masks in my au)  and it assesses the probability that a person will commit a crime or do something that is against the rules. if a person's probability to commit a crime or its desire to do something is too high, they will be apprehended. you can regain your normal psychopass thru therapy etc. in this au, regaining your spot in the society is impossible, once your mask had turned black and had been deemed as sinner, there is no going back hence Sehun watching Jongin's every move, sneaking out neutralizers (neutralizers are like anxiety pills, it calms the person down until his mask turns back to its normal color). In psychopass and this au nobody gets tried. You're being judged thru your mental capability, it doesn't matter if you have done the deed or not neither does what exactly you are thinking. It's pretty complicated really. I suggest watching the anime for further details just coz I at explanations.