Early morning light spilled through the window, diminished only by muck clouding the glass and a tattered curtain. Birds sang outside, their crystal clear chirps fading like the receding night as they flew away.
 
Youngjae woke up with an armful of heat and a mouthful of hair. He blinked away the sleep, moving his head away; he found Daehyun sprawled out, his limbs tangled with Youngjae's own.
 
"Is it morning yet?" Daehyun asked, his words slurred by sleep, his voice was low, coarse as gravel. He'd opened his eyes, half-lidded still, and looked up at Youngjae with a smile. "Hey."
 
"Mmm," Youngjae hummed in affirmation. He moved his arm, inching closer to Daehyun. "Should we get up now?"
 
Daehyun shook his head, his eyes slipping shut again. "Don't bother." He lifted his arms, wrapping Youngjae with them.
 
Taking a deep breath, Youngjae buried his head into the crook of Daehyun's shoulder. Their even breaths were the only sounds in the room, and Youngjae felt himself being pulled back into unconsciousness.
 
A loud banging on the door woke them up, and they both let out a collective groan.
 
"Come on, we gotta go," Yongguk's deep voice came from the other side of the door.
 
"What time is it?" Daehyun asked, sitting up. Youngjae turned to lie of his back, and stared up at the ceiling with Daehyun's arm in his peripherals.
 
"Time for you guys to get your asses up," Yongguk replied, an edge of annoyance beginning to sneak into his voice.
 
"Yongguk," Daehyun insisted, hopping off the bed. He walked to the side in search of his shirt, and Youngjae turned his head to catch a glimpse of Daehyun's .
 
"7:48," Yongguk said. "Himchan's making breakfast. You both have five minutes to get out here."
 
"Yeah, okay." Daehyun slipped on the shirt, and turned around, locking eyes with Youngjae.
 
Daehyun leaned down towards Youngjae, planting a kiss on his forehead. Without another thought, Youngjae pulled on Daehyun's collar, bringing him down further for another kiss. Daehyun yelped, trying to balance himself before he fell on top of Youngjae. His hands brushed against Youngjae's skin, and Youngjae shivered at the touch.
 
"You're still really sensitive," Daehyun mumbled, his lips moving against Youngjae's own. He moved to straddle Youngjae, sitting squarely on his stomach, and Youngjae began to feel just a little light-headed at the sudden rush of blood downward. Or perhaps it was simply Daehyun.
 
As if in protest, Youngjae jerked his hips, just the tiniest movement upward, and Daehyun gasped.
 
"You're a ," Daehyun said as he narrowed his eyes.
 
Youngjae smiled in response.
 
"We gotta go," Daehyun said as he got up. He ran a hand down Youngjae's chest, stomach, all the way down to his crotch.
 
Youngjae kicked Daehyun's hand away with a glare.
 
"Guys, what the hell happened to five minutes?" Yongguk asked, pounding on the door again.
 
"Coming," Daehyun sang out.
 
Youngjae scrambled to get out of bed and into a shirt before Daehyun opened the door. "That wasn't even five minutes," he grumbled.
 
//
 
It'd taken five hours to reach Zico's warehouse.
 
The five of them were greeted by ecstatic faces Youngjae didn't recognize (save for Jongup, Junhong, and Kyung). It was all a little overwhelming, all the cheers and shouts and unrecognizable faces, but Youngjae managed. He felt a hand place itself on the small of his back, and he looked to see Daehyun guiding him through the crowd.
 
"Hyung! Daehyun!" Junhong called out with a smile on his face. He pushed through the people, and pulled Daehyun and Youngjae into his gangly arms.
 
Zico clapped his hands, and brought them up to his mouth. "Alright, guys, a little order here! Meeting in the main room!"
 
"We just got here," Himchan muttered.
 
"Might as well get it over with," Yongguk replied as they all followed Zico further into the warehouse.
 
The main room, as Zico had called it, resembled the control room back in the bunker. A round table sat in the middle of the room with chairs littered all around it, and everybody all grabbed one for themselves and sat down.
 
"Oh, Youngjae, you probably don't know my group, do you," Zico announced once everybody had settled down. He signaled to all the unfamiliar faces sitting around him. "These ers are my es. You know Kyung already. That's Minhyuk. Jaehyo. Jihoon. Yukwon. And Taeil."
 
Each member nodded or waved a hand when their name was called, and Youngjae smiled politely at them.
 
"First order of business," Zico started, leaning forward on the table, "that war the Empress mentioned."
 
"She's trying really hard keeping it secret this time around," Minhyuk replied. "It took me longer to get some concrete details, but the war is real."
 
Zico nodded thoughtfully. "That means the Legion is already stretched thin, or at least a good half of them are busy––which leads us to the second point. We need to start an uprising."
 
Shock swept across Zico's members like a tidal wave, but they quickly overcame it and let him continue.
 
"This is what we've been planning from the start," Zico said. "This time, though, we'll be multitasking."
 
Zico signaled to Yongguk to take over.
 
"We need to get to District 1. Zico was thinking that we keep the Legion busy enough so the Empress's palace isn't at its normal security level," Yongguk explained.
 
"Hold on," Junhong interrupted with a raised hand. "This plan you guys are thinking of... It's gonna involve the entire country, isn't it?"
 
Zico smiled, the same crazed look from before entering his eyes. "Like I said, we've been planning something like this since the very start, Junhong. Might as well overthrow the government while we're at it, right?"
 
There was a chorus of agreement among everybody, but Youngjae felt nervous. He wasn't sure about this, but he knew there wasn't another choice. He'd seen plenty of videos about war and uprisings from the Old World, and none of them were glorious; there was sure to be plenty of deaths, and it made him slightly sick, nauseous even.
 
"You alright?" Daehyun whispered into Youngjae's ear.
 
Youngjae nodded, trying to push away the thoughts.
 
"How are we going to gather enough people for an uprising bigger than the nation?" Jongup asked.
 
"There's a lot more people unhappy with the Republic than you might think, Jongup," Zico replied. "What we need to do first is start with smaller riots, get attention. Once the citizens are aware that they have power, it's easy from there. Mob mentality and all that."
 
"Remember," Yongguk started, "alone, we may be weak, but together, we're stronger than a god."
 
//

After the meeting, Taeil led Daehuyn and Youngjae upstairs to a room where they'd sleep for the night.
 
"An uprising, huh?" Youngjae asked as he flopped down on the bed. He was buzzing with energy, but he knew better than to simply go outside for a jog. If he was caught, he'd be in a worse situation than the bear incident or when the Empress imprisoned him. "Did Zico really mean it when he said he's been planning it since the very beginning? How long ago was the 'beginning', anyway?"
 
Daehyun sat on the foot of the bed, and Youngjae sat up to look at him. "Beginning... Well, Zico used to be a Legion soldier with Yongguk. They became soldiers at the same time, but Zico joined because he was trying to find ways to overthrow the government. He was sixteen when he enlisted, so I guess his beginning is a little over eleven years."
 
Youngjae's mouth dropped. Zico...used to be a Legion soldier. He tried to imagine Zico in the Legion uniform, standing to attention with Yongguk beside him, but almost couldn't imagine it; it was impossible. But to think, he'd been distrustful of the Republic from such a young age, it made Youngjae wonder what happened in Zico's past.
 
Daehyun looked at Youngjae a bit sympathetically. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't have dropped that on you, but that is where it started––for Zico, at least."
 
"What do you think?" Youngjae asked.
 
"About...the Republic?" Daehyun asked, and Youngjae nodded. "They...control every single aspect of Korean life, and if you don't comply, you're executed, or at least abandoned in a world of poverty. They're subtle, but that's only because they've learned from the past. We don't deserve that. We gotta live for so much more. We're supposed to be free, not caged like helpless birds." Daehyun took in a deep breath, and looked at Youngjae. "I think...that's what Guernica lives for. We fight for our independence until the day we die."
 
"But... What if it's better that way?" Youngjae asked, so quiet it was almost a whisper, but the instant the words came out of his mouth, he wanted to take it back.
 
"What?"
 
Youngjae hesitated. He knew he shouldn't elaborate, but if he dropped the subject, Daehyun would just bother him about it. "What if it's better for the citizens to stay ignorant? There are people who've lived peacefully under the Empress's rule without ever having to worry about a war or whatever's happening outside the walls..."
 
Youngjae trailed off as he looked at Daehyun, whose face had contorted into an expression of complete and utter disgust. "Are you being serious right now?"
 
Youngjae quickly shook his head. "No, I was––"
 
"Would you rather be a mindless sheep than know the truth?" Daehyun asked. Youngjae recalled that look of anger beginning to flare in Daehyun's eyes, and tried to think of ways to calm him down.
 
"I wasn't talking about myself!" Youngjae protested. Why was Daehyun making assumptions?
 
"Were you talking for the citizens, then? Would you rather go back to them, then?" Daehyun asked, his voice growing louder with each word. "Do you wanna become brainwashed––"
 
"Will you just shut up?!" Youngjae shouted, aiming a punch at Daehyun's face. When Daehyun held his nose in his hand, his anger replaced by shock, Youngjae took a deep breath. "I was just talking aloud. You don't need to get so angry about it."
 
Daehyun looked down, sniffling. "Sorry."
 
Youngjae blinked. "Oh man, did I give you a bloody nose? I'm so sorry." He hopped off the bed in search of a tissue or towel. "Just... Look up."
 
"Mmkay," Daehyun mumbled, looking up at the ceiling and plugging his nose.
 
When Youngjae didn't find anything suitable, he decided to just guide Daehyun to the bathroom.

//

For some ungodly reason, Youngjae couldn't find himself able to sleep that night. Daehyun snored beside him on the bed as usual, but Youngjae laid on his back, thoughts racing through his head.

If they were to start an uprising, death would surely follow, and if it wasn't going to be theirs, it'd be hundreds of other citizens. Youngjae didn't know if he was ready for that, much less participate in it; but he wasn't really going to, right? He'd be in District 1...

Youngjae felt a pang of guilt hit his chest. He realized he was using other people's lives in order to protect himself. How in the world was any of that ethical?

Taking a deep breath, Youngjae got out of bed. He needed to occupy himself. If he just sat still, he'd become engulfed in his thoughts, and he wasn't sure he wanted that.

"Jae?" Daehyun called out groggily just before Youngjae opened the door. "Where are you going?"

Youngjae paused, contemplating whether or not to stay, but placed a quick kiss Daehyun's forehead, and then headed out.

"Youngjae, what are you doing up?" Himchan called out just as Youngjae closed the door. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I...couldn't," Youngjae replied. "Why aren't you?"

Himchan shrugged. "Same."

Youngjae nodded, his eyes going to the ground. He appreciated how Himchan had begun to trust him, but he still couldn't help feeling awkward around Himchan.

"Hey, I was actually pretty hungry," Himchan started. "What about you?"

Youngjae shook his head. "Not r––"

"Too bad, you're coming with me," Himchan said, waving an arm for Youngjae to follow as he bounded down the stairs. "You up for some Chinese? Have you had Chinese before? The kind here just doesn't compare to true Chinese food, though. That damn wall keeps out some pretty good stuff."

"Wait, we're leaving?" Youngjae asked incredulously, following Himchan towards the exit. "Can we do that?"

Himchan rolled his eyes. "Youngjae, you're not fifteen. Come on, I'm pretty sure there's some fast food place still open."

"Why are you taking me, though?"

"You seemed like you wouldn't ask too many questions," Himchan replied with a shrug. "Also, you just happened to be up. So are you up for it or no?"

Youngjae bit his lip. Getting caught meant either imprisonment, death, or Yongguk's wrath. After a moment's hesitation, Youngjae replied with a quiet, "Sure."

Himchan smiled. "Great. Let's go."

//

After about thirty minutes of driving around and searching, Himchan managed to find a restaurant still open, and another thirty minutes later, they sat on the hood of the car behind Zico's warehouse eating cheap Chinese food. The stars twinkled above them, and the moon bathed everything around them in a silver light.

"I probably owe you an explanation, don't I?" Himchan suddenly said, his words muffled slightly by the food still in his mouth.

Youngjae blinked, furrowing his eyebrows. "What?"

"Why I didn't trust you before," Himchan said.

"Oh."

Himchan laid down, his food sitting on his stomach as he looked up at the sky. "I should start at the beginning, shouldn't I? My parents were revolutionary leaders around thirty years ago, give or take a few. They moved on, lived a modest life in District 3, had my sister, then had me. We were a pretty normal family. I never thought much about how cautious my parents were whenever we went out for groceries or walked to the park."

Youngjae didn't speak, only waited for Himchan to continue.

"Then my sister went off to attend college when I was eighteen. When she returned a year later, she had a couple Legion soldiers beside her, and they arrested the three of us. She didn't say a thing, but I knew that she'd turned our parents in. I was detained for a week, but by the time they let me out, our parents had already been, uh, executed. I searched for my sister, but I couldn't find her anywhere. I don't know what happened to her, but I was full of so much hate I didn't exactly know what to do. And then Yongguk came along with Daehyun, and blah blah blah."

Youngjae blinked.

Himchan let out a breath and then a quiet chuckle. "Man, I don't remember the last time I told that ty story."

"I'm sorry," Youngjae blurted out. He couldn't believe how Himchan tried to laugh off such a heavy story, but he understood why Himchan was so distrustful before. Youngjae was grateful that Himchan trusted him enough to open up to him now.

Himchan waved a dismissive hand, and sat up again. "While appreciated, I don't need sympathy anymore. Yongguk gave me plenty of that."

Youngjae slowly nodded as Himchan began eating again.

A/N: By sympathy, he really means . And I just really love writing early morning scenes no matter how irrelevant they are to the plot don't look at me /)///////(\

Okay, so while I was writing this, I realized that I never really answered why these resistance groups were formed and why they wanted to overthrow the government. I know I put "The Republic is corrupt" and all that, but I never wrote in a clear explanation. Well, 26 chapters later, there's that. Also, there's Zico and Himchan's backstories somewhat explained.
 
Quote cr: "Alone, we may be weak, but together, we are strong[er than a god]." - Bang Yongguk, LOE Chicago (#PrayForSouthKorea)
 
AND 104 subs thanks guys ; u ;
 
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