Leo keeps his hand on my head while we stay on top of the steps. The tears have dried but I dare not move away from him, finding comfort in his presence. He was unusually warm for someone who had such a seemingly cold outer shell. My hand was on his muscular thigh, the melancholy of the atmosphere finally leaving but our bodies melded together comfortably. The material of his sweater was soft and I tilt my head ever so slightly to gaze up at him. His cheeks were a light shade of pink and he keeps his gaze forward.

I smile to myself as he takes a moment to his lips and I catch myself staring at them as I move my head closer to his neck. He doesn’t dare to look at me, I know he’s embarrassed and doesn’t want me to see his mixed features. He was so adorable underneath those masculine features… The way he got so easily embarrassed by such small things, I found myself dreaming of ways to push his limits. Like, what if I hugged him in front of all the others? Or what if I tickled him randomly…? Suddenly, I have a strange thought pop into my head: What if I kiss him?

I glance over at his face which he still has turned forward.

No, that wouldn’t work… It’d be too obvious.

My eyes travel to his neck where his porcelain like skin seems to tempt me… Would he get mad? What if he wants more? Well, the only way to find out would be to just do it.

I lift my head from his shoulder quickly and plant my lips against his neck quickly. I feel his body stiffen and I inch away from his neck to watch him. He is facing me now with a surprised look playing on his features and he is beat red. I don’t move further than an inch away from him as we lock gazes and I start to feel his body loosen as his head begins to move forward. I can feel his breath on my lips as I close my eyes but then suddenly a voice interrupts both of our actions.

“Yah, big brother, N need’s us.”

My eyes pop open as I hear Hyuk’s masculine voice bouncing off the walls. I turn my head and see him staring down at us from the top steps, a mischievous smile on his face. Leo bolts to a standing position, his stare landing on Hyuk who only greets him with a loud laugh. I giggle and stand alongside Leo, moving up the stairs with him in a quick pace.

Leo rubs his hand on the backside of his neck when we are beside Hyuk and I see him lightly punch his side. Hyuk only continues to laugh and I am left smiling as we wander down the hall to N’s office. I am red in the face but I calm my nerves the closer we get to the door. We hear a sudden eruption of laughter as we open the door and I keep my smile when I see a cheerful Daehyun standing with Ken and Hongbin. Ravi and N are joined by Jongup on the other side of the room, their conversation seeming a bit more serious than the other three.

Daehyun quickly looks over and I take note of the soft look in his eyes when we make eye contact.

“Hey, Taylor!” He waves and the others smile at us when we enter the office. I wander to where Daehyun is standing. I can see Leo and Hyuk as they stand with the others, Leo’s gaze watching me as I turned to make conversation with the others.

“Daehyun! What are you doing here?”

He keeps his smile, “Jongup asked me to come with him.”

He nods over at him while keeping eye contact with me and when I glance over, Jongup is giving him a confused look. I shrug it off and turn to the three boys in front of me.

“Are you staying along with Jongup then?” Hongbin asks, his smile gracing his handsome face.

“Probably not,” He answers, his eyes glancing towards me until he finally adds, “Well, I’ll stay for a couple days.”

I smile at him and we make another moment of brief eye contact before N interrupts the three of us.

“So, if you stay for a couple days, would you be able to take Sarah and Adara to BTS?”

Daehyun looks at him with an interesting expression.

“The two new recruits...They’re really interested in machinery and weapons, and I think some training with the Bangtan Boys would be good for them for now.”

Ravi and Jongup nod at his words and N smiles, “And since you know the tunnels best, it’ll be faster for you to take them there.”

Daehyun nods lightly as Leo watches him intently.

“Okay, but I’m bringing Taylor with me.”

My eyes widen in surprise at his words.

Leo gives him a bit of a glare and I notice the others look at him in surprise as well.

N doesn’t say much but crosses his arms, waiting for an explanation.

Daehyun smiles again, “Well, when I’m not here, you’re going to need someone to do runs, and why not have Taylor do it then? Plus BTS is pretty close.”

N contemplates his answer for a moment before nodding in agreement.

“It would make sense… She could do simple runs so the rest of can concentrate on other plans.”

Ravi laughs a bit before shaking his head and I shoot him a look, my insides flaring with anger. Leo has turned away from us and he is back to rubbing his neck.

“It’s short enough that it wouldn’t be too hard on her body,” Hongbin adds into my defense, “Plus, there’s a rail car for most of the way.”

I smile thankfully to him, and he nods back at me.

“Plus I’ll be there if anything goes wrong,” Daehyun adds.

I look to N eagerly and he studies my face for a moment with an unreadable expression before letting out a sigh.

“Okay… But just come straight back afterwards.”

“Thank-you!” I blurt out while jumping up lightly.

Ravi is giving N a mean look while he laughs, almost knowing what will be coming later.

“Jongup, I’ll show you where your office is,” Ken offers as he walks towards the door and Jongup follows him quickly, giving us a wave as he leaves.

“Well, you can probably get going if you like, it won’t take too long to get there and back... About a day I'd think,” N is ordering us as Ravi seethes behind him. Daehyun nods quickly.

“The recruits are down in the hangers.”

Daehyun nods again and smiles down at me, “Well, we better get going.”

He wraps his hand around my wrist before pulling me out of the office with him. I make brief eye contact with Leo who has a strange scowl on his face. I’m almost thankful I am not around to hear Ravi’s protective protests as we leave the room, even though his voice is loud enough to be heard a few feet down the hall.

Daehyun is moving quickly as we find out way to the hangers all while holding onto my wrist. My cheeks are flushed by the time we find the two girls who give Daehyun a surprised look when we walk up to them. When we stop in front of them I notice one of the girls eye our hands and I retract it back against my chest. Daehyun doesn’t pay much attention to this but only instructs the girls on the plans. They came with nothing but the clothes on their backs and I know there hasn’t been enough time for them to equip themselves with much.

“We can go now,” Adara says, leaving the tools they have in their hands on top of the tables.

"Yeah, we don't have anyhting to bring with us, plus we've eaten already," Sarah adds, shooting Adara a smile.

As we walk back to the hall, Jongup and Ken greet us briefly, taking a moment to wish the girls luck before they leave. Ken hands me a small shoulder  bag as well, it’s light but still heavy enough to know there’s supplies in it.

“N told me to make sure you got that,” Ken explains with a chuckle, "There should be a few snacks, water, a map maybe."

I roll my eyes slightly but nod , giving him a thank-you before I follow Daehyun, Sarah and Adara down the hallway.

I watch Daehyun intently as he curves down the hallways to find an obscure entrance in the wall and as he opens it he urges the three of us forward. When we step in he begins to tell us the instructions.

“Alright, it’s only about a half an hour walk until we reach the rail car which will only take about eight hours, but then it’s a twelve hour walk after that.”

The three of us nod and the girls let both Daehyun and I move ahead of them and the two of us walk in step with each other. The first few moments are quiet but the two behind us erupt in conversation.

I can feel eyes on me after a few minutes and I glance to see Daehyun watching me as we walk. I smile and he returns it and inches a bit closer to me. I feel my face heat instantly when his arm brushes against mine but I make no movement to get away from him.

“So, are you excited?” He asks.

I nod with a smile, “Yes, I’ve only ever seen VIXX since my birth… Well, other than the mines of Mato.”

He chuckles, “It still amazes me to see other districts… They’re much different than mine.”

I listen to him explain the wonders he has seen throughout various districts which takes up the rest of our time. It’s amazing to hear about all the differences this world holds and hopefully one day I could see it for myself.

Both Sarah and Adara jump into the rail cart with ease, keeping to themselves and Daehyun watches me as I try to push myself up and into the cart. I can hear him chuckle and just when I am becoming frustrated with the lack of strength in my arms I feel his hands on my hips.

“Stop, you're going to hurt yourself, just let me help you,” he mumbles from behind me.

His hands tighten as he picks me up and I can feel my face redden once more. I swing a leg over the edge and throw myself into the cart quickly, seating myself with a quick thank-you to him.

I can hear him laugh when I push myself to the end of wooden plank at the back of the cart. He’s in the cart just as fast and taking a spot beside me.

Unlike the cart that took us to Mato, the handle is in the middle where it can be reached by Daehyun. He quickly pulls at it which sends us moving forward and I note the girls having to steady themselves for a moment which makes me giggle a bit.

The first three hours pass by in comfortable chatter but as time begins to slow, I feel myself losing energy and fighting the urge to sleep.

I flick my head back as I force my eyes open. The girls in front of me are asleep, one resting their head atop the others lap.

“You have time to rest if you need it, Taylor,” Daehyun tells me and I look at him to smile.

“There’s no cushioning, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to get comfortable enough,” I admit, rubbing my eyes with my hands while letting out a yawn.

“Cute,” I hear Daehyun breathe out and I blush once more.

What was it with this boy? It was so easy to fall all over his actions and words.

“Here.”

In a moment his arm is around me pulling my head to lay in his lap. My cheeks stay red but I find myself oddly comfortable as he lays one hand over my stomach.  My eyelids begin to close and I let my gaze travel to his face. He seems picturesque as he stares at the tunnel walls and before I finally close my eyes I let out a comfortable sigh.