After Tao escaped from the governor's mansion he rushed to get as far away as possible while thinking that it must have been the governor he'd met on the balcony, since he had seemed to be very commanding towards everyone he spoke to. He muttered curses under his breath as he ran across rooftops with steps so light they blended in with the nightlife of the crumbled city. Tao swore he'd rain hell upon whoever told him this mission had been a good idea. He should've known it would've been more trouble than it was worth. All his annoyance towards his informational sources caused him to underestimate the jump from one rooftop to the next, so he fell between the space into an alleyway. Luckily, he fell on top of a hut and didn't fall through it. However, that didn't mean he fell without injury. Tao bit his lip to keep himself from making a sound as pain ran through his spine. He cursed more under his breath as he hoped in his mind that he hadn't broken anything. Although, he had hurt himself much worse in the past, so he figured he was alright to get up again after a few minutes of rest. Then he heard rustling coming from inside the hut and knew there was really no time to lay around. In a hurried dash fueled by adrenaline, he took off before whoever was in the hut could check out what had fallen on their home.

Tao tried to figure out where he was, but after falling into an alleyway and running off in a hurry he had no idea where he'd ended up. He paused for a bit to listen for familiar sounds, but everything was dead silent here. Silence meant he was somewhere in the center of the city, because near the edges of the dome one could usually hear the wind outside hurling dirt and small rocks at the walls. He was a little frustrated at times like these where if he got distracted for even a second he could become hopelessly lost. It had been so much easier when he could remember landmarks and always find his way when he saw them, but he had to readjust his entire way of life after his town had been bombed. Even though he hated it there was nothing that could be done about it. At least there weren't soldiers chasing after him anymore, but his fake ID number would be flagged now. 

An all too familiar voice called out to him. "What are you doing in this part of town, Bubble ?", it said. Tao kept a hand loosely wrapped around the handle of the knife in his back pocket, ready to throw it in the voice's direction if needed. Sehun smirked and stepped closer to him. "Ah, always so tense.... You need to relax at least once a day. Take a deep breath, lay down, and maybe relax within the embrace of a lover...", his voice was soft and seductive as he trailed his fingers over Tao's shoulder and down his side like he was playing a scale on a piano. "If you're fresh out of companions due to your slightly less than charming attitude, my old offer still stands. Come join me in The Seoulites, my bell-shaped beauty", he said next as his hands came to rest just above Tao's hips.

Tao stepped back so that Sehun wouldn't touch him anymore. Although his touch had been gentle, he shuddered with disgust as the memory of when he was last touched so intimately flashed through his mind. "You would think someone who has lost a hand would think more before using their good hand to on someone who loves knives... Be careful or you'll soon be more machine than man", he threatened lightly.

Sehun chuckled a bit and kept his distance from Tao now, since he knew the other honestly would be glad to chop off the five good fingers he had left slowly one by one. "Well, you already think I'm a fool anyway, so there's no use trying to act smart around you. What's so wrong about a little touch though? You always get so tense at the slightest things. Let go of the past, Tao. I know that it was rough for you before the war, but this has been the chance for a new beginning for all of us. You're free now. You're free to be happy, to live, and to love. Let loose! As hard as they may try to make us conform to ridiculousness there are no rules in this post-apocalyptic nightmare world. I just can't stand watching a dear friend of mine struggle like this. Come with me and you'll never have to worry again. The police won't dare touch us, and you know you love it when I touch you", he said as he kept trying to persuade Tao as always to join the main gang that ran half the city, The Seoulites.

Tao started walking away. "Since when am I a 'dear friend' of yours?... I haven't got time for your pathetic attempts to get me to join The Seoulites, or get into my pants. And if you tell me to let go of the past again I'll cut off more than just your fingers. You have no idea what my life was like before the war, and you have no idea what it's like now. Don't you dare act like you understand when you clearly don't, because I can never let go. The last face I saw... That's all I see now and it haunts me every ing day", he remarked bitterly as he started trying to figure out in his head which way was South.

Sehun sighed and ran to catch up to Tao,"You seem lost. Your place is back the other way", he said as he took ahold of Tao's wrist gently to guide him in the right direction. "I may not fully understand how it feels to be blind, but I do understand how painfully the past can weigh down on our shoulders. Be a little glad that you didn't go to war like I did. You have one face haunting your dreams, while I have a hundred", he said.

Tao never trusted a word Sehun said, so he just kept walking in the direction he'd already been going in. He could never bring himself to admit that Sehun was right either anyway. That smug bastard would never let him hear the end of it if that happened. "I would have rather died in war than suffered through another minute at home....", he said angrily and then paused briefly before letting a cooler head prevail. He just had to remind himself that he could never show his true feelings in front of anyone. "Is business really so bad that you have to hound me so desperately? Other recruiters would've given up on someone as stubborn as me after a week, but five years go by and here we still are, going around in circles. Give up already, Babohun.", it had been a long while since he'd called Sehun that, but he also hadn't seen Sehun these past couple months either.

The nickname caused Sehun to laugh a bit and wrap an arm around Tao's shoulders. "Well other recruiters don't usually try to get into the pants of their recruitees either, but you and I have a special bond you see. These past five years have a very special place in my heart, as do you. Other recruiters would also try to offer you a position as one of their underlings, but I offer you a place by my side. It's true that technically you'd be my right hand, slightly beneath me, but we'd be pretty much equal almost and it'd be far better than being bottom of the food chain.", Sehun kept on trying to persuade Tao even though he couldn't sense even in the slightest that Tao would budge from where he stands on the matter.

Tao flung Sehun's arm off of him instantly,"I hope you don't forget that we're both crippled, so I can kick your guilt free. Touch me again, I ing dare you...", he threatened and moved off more to the side to get more distance between the two of them. He definitely didn't like to be touched, and even though Sehun knew it well, he still continued not to care. Maybe he was foolish for thinking so, but he felt a little like he could persuade Tao to see things his way some day. That's why he would keep trying until Tao eventually gave in or killed him. Mostly though, he just enjoyed Tao's company, despite however unwelcoming it may be.

Unafraid of Tao's threats as always, Sehun ran up and tackled Tao to the ground playfully. Tao drew his knife from his back pocket within seconds and tried to stab him, but Sehun lurched his body out of the way just in time. "Too slow, Honey Thighs~", Sehun snickered and got up. He did wince a bit though when Tao managed to land a kick to his shin.

"Ugh, how have I not killed you by now?...", Tao muttered to himself as he got up. 

"Because secretly, deep down in that pit that once was your heart before it got so small that it imploded, you really want to me. You just don't want to give in to me, because of your pride and stubbornness. One day you will though, either that or you'll finally kill me. I think I'll play the odds though and stick around you until that day comes.", Sehun brushed the dirt off of his jeans then rushed to catch up with Tao again, who had gotten far ahead of him now.

"You really do have a death wish....", Tao said as he started to run now to get away from Sehun. He could hear the other chasing after him, but after he cut a few corners the sound of Sehun's footsteps gradually grew more and more distant until finally it stopped. For a few minutes as Tao caught his breath. There seemed to be no other sounds again for a while, but then someone dropped down right in front of him. "Sehun, I swear I will ing end you....", Tao hissed and shoved him.

Sehun had dropped down from the roof of a low building to surprise Tao, but ended up being the surprised one as the harsh shove caught him off guard. Before he could even think up a smug comment, he was sent flying backward into a large pile of rubbish. He laid there for a minute, laughing as he watched Tao trying to figure out where he was since all the running around had completely disoriented him again. "Still don't know where you're going hm?", he teased.

"How about I poke your eyes out and you try being the blind one for a change? Hell, I'll let you chop off my arm and give it to you if you give me your sight. At least with an arm you can get a fake one and still be considered legal. I have to find someone new to steal an identity from every year, because every year they get more uptight about their rules", Tao huffed and folded his arms across his chest,"Lead the way then, Smughun-.... ah !", Tao groaned as pain shot up his spine again. All the adrenaline from being in a chase earlier must've worn off now, because he was really feeling the toll that a fall from a building took on him, plus he was tackled onto his back earlier so that couldn't have helped. "You really ed up my back...", Tao muttered.

"Ah... I was hoping you'd say that after I had my way with you....", Sehun couldn't resist getting another crack in. 

"Idiot, it really ing hurts you know....", Tao winced as he held his back and kneeled down on the ground. Usually no matter how badly he was hurt Tao wouldn't show that he was in pain in front of others, but with Sehun he really didn't care for once. Maybe Sehun really was the closest thing he had to a friend, even though he would never admit to it.

"So you CAN feel pain? I thought you weren't human, but I guess being human is just a perspective thing nowadays... Remember when we were all human?", Sehun said as he walked over to Tao. He crouched down beside him,"Hop on, you must weigh like nothing with that womanly figure you've got, so I don't mind carrying you.", he offered with a grin.

Tao looked over at Sehun and sighed as he took his sweet time trying to protest the idea in his head. Eventually though, he hopped onto Sehun's back. All Tao really wanted to do was go lie down somewhere and sleep for a while, so he didn't care too much on how he got there. He knew it would be faster if Sehun carried him than if he walked by himself, since he couldn't get very far without stopping to hold his back. "Don't go all philosophical on me. No matter how smart or charming you make yourself sound, you'll always be the biggest idiot that ever lived in my eyes", Tao grumbled and rested his head against Sehun's back as he held onto him.

Sehun stood up and held Tao up on his back by grabbing his ,"Whatever you say, Sweet Cheeks~", he chuckles and starts heading for his place.

Tao flicked the side of Sehun's head,"Don't make me take those ing fingers...."

"Yeah yeah... I know, I'll be more machine than man at this rate blah blah....", Sehun rolled his eyes as he spoke, since Tao had given him that same threat a million times. Tao aggressively kneed Sehun's side the best he could, but it wasn't very effective given their position. Sehun moved his hands to hold onto Tao's thighs instead,"I dunno, I think being a cyborg would be kinda cool, but I do need my body still. I still have to persuade you into my bed one day, and I'll need human parts for that~ Maybe after that I'll go terminator style and take over Seoul or something", he said with a grin.

"Idiot...", Tao huffed and closed his eyes.