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Minho glances at the file on the tablet in his hands, then back up through the one-way mirror.
By all accounts, the suspect they have in the chair of the interrogation room is…not what he expected. He’s uncuffed, mostly because Chan insisted on it. In any other situation, Minho would have called that a stupid move, and Chan is not stupid.
But, he’s not wrong here, either.
Minho looks over their suspect. The platinum blonde hair, freckles, innocent wide eyes, button nose, and overall…gentle…demeanor, is a stark contrast to the pretty damning file the agency has built against him.
Then again, Jisung was the same, too. And considering how he turned out–
From beside him, Chan sighs.
Again.
Minho clicks his tongue, avoiding the urge to roll his eyes.
“You don’t have to be here for this if you don’t want to. I can do this myself.” Minho reminds him.
He would prefer to do it by himself, if he were honest. Chan sticking around for this part would be less than ideal, given the circumstances.
Even if this is Chan’s victory, and it’s protocol for the arresting agent to be present during the first interrogation, it sure as hell doesn’t feel like much of a victory.
“I know.” Chan is quiet, quieter than he’s ever been in a situation like this.
Usually he’s confident, hard exterior and sure footed when a mark is finally in custody. But if Minho didn’t know better, he’d say Chan was…
Heartbroken.
Minho doesn’t know all of the details of Chan’s assignment to bring in the White Dragon. He only knows it was an undercover assignment, meant to bring the White Dragon in, alive, by any means necessary.
It looks like Chan accomplished that, and then some.
Minho has no room to judge. He understands the difficulties of the job, especially one of this caliber. He understands how difficult it is, sometimes, to separate duty and ethics.
But Chan’s never had this problem before.
It’s concerning. Minho’s never seen him so disturbed by the end of an assignment, no matter how big or how small the mission was.
Minho opens his mouth to console him, to say anything that might make that sour expression on his face go away, but their bosses walk in at that moment.
Right. Jaebeom and Jinyoung are here to observe the interrogation, given how high up on the wanted list the White Dragon had been.
Jinyoung chances a glance at Chan, sitting in the chair in front of the monitors, his eyes darting between every screen, each camera focused on every angle of the White Dragon’s face.
“Chan,” Jinyoung says gently. “Are you sure you want to be here for this?”
Chan nods wordlessly. It strikes up another flame of worry in Minho’s gut.
Changbin enters the room next, carrying a water bottle and a packet of chips. He's here to take notes and help to guide Minho through the interrogation should things get dicey.
He glances at Chan, then looks at Minho, raising a brow. Minho imperceptibly shakes his head, and Changbin nods. They switch places, then, Changbin holding the tablet and standing beside the desk where Chan has chosen to set up camp with all the monitors, and Minho heads out with the water and chips, walking down the hall and into the interrogation room.
~
Changbin notes that Minho’s arrival doesn’t trigger any sort of response for the White Dragon.
But Chan flinches the second the door opens.
That raises an immediate red flag to Changbin.
It’s completely out of character for Chan to react this way. It’s not within his usual behavior, and when he chances a glance behind him towards their bosses, Jaebeom and Jinyoung are shooting worried glances between each other and at Chan’s back.
Changbin isn’t aware of the details of what went down. Not entirely. Hyunjin was the one to oversee Chan’s mission reports during his assignment to bring in the White Dragon, and he hadn’t said they’d contained anything out of the ordinary, or he would have mentioned it to Changbin.
Chan was undercover for six months, though. Changbin supposes anything could have happened during that time.
He watches now as Minho sits across from the White Dragon, pressing “record” on the tablet to begin documenting the interrogation. The White Dragon still does nothing to acknowledge Minho’s presence.
Admittedly, the White Dragon doesn’t look so…threatening. At least, not to Changbin. He glances at one of the monitors - a camera angle from dead on, zoomed in to show the White Dragon’s entire face.
The White Dragon looks…numb. Empty, he might say. His eyes are shiny and red, so is his nose, and his face looks puffy from crying. His hands are resting limply in his lap, his entire body lax with what Changbin has to assume is defeat. There’s no emotion there, though. None on his face or in his overall appearance. Nothing other than the remnants of them from earlier, probably from when he was initially brought in.
It had taken Seungmin and Jeongin an hour and a half to debrief Chan, and as protocol, the White Dragon had to sit in interrogation under the careful watch of one of their strike team members. He probably cried his eyes out, then.
Minho clears his throat, sliding the water bottle and chips across the table towards the White Dragon.
Changbin can hear Chan hold his breath from beside him, his entire frame wrought with anxious anticipation.
“Lee Felix Yongbok.” Minho says. “Twenty-four, born in Sydney, Australia on the fifteenth of September, in the year 2000.”
The White Dragon – Yongbok, apparently, and well, Changbin has to admit that his hacker name is pretty cool – says nothing. Does nothing. Just blinks, staring blankly at the table.
“Do you mind if I call you Yongbok?” Minho asks.
Another blink, not one that means anything though. Changbin chances another glance at Chan, who’s staring at the camera angle focused on the left side of Yongbok’s face. Chan’s frowning, like he’s expecting the White Dragon to do something else.
Changbin looks back at Jaebeom and Jinyoung, but Jaebeom is focused on Minho and Jinyoung is strictly looking at Chan.
So, there is an issue here, then.
Changbin just doesn’t know what.
“Do you know where you are, Yongbok?” Minho inquires gently. “Do you know who we are?”
More silence.
Minho leans forward, just slightly, elbows on the table. He’s going for his harmless and approachable strategy.
It’s not working.
“My name is Lee Minho.” Minho tries again. “I’m a senior field operative here at Project Venom.” There’s a pause, and Minho swallows, glancing at the one way mirror and then back to Yongbok. “I believe you’ve met my colleague, Agent Bahng.”
Yongbok’s next blink is slow. Changbin can see the way Yongbok’s breathing changes ever so slightly.
Chan can see it, too. He sits up a little straighter, frown deepening.
“Or, actually. Assistant Director Bahng, is his proper title now.” Minho chuckles. “I forgot he was promoted before he took on your case.”
Yongbok’s eyes fall shut then, just for a few seconds, and he casts his eyes down from the table and into his lap.
“You see,” Minho continues. “When our database flagged that the infamous black hat hacker the White Dragon was nearby and active again, our agency had to do something about it.”
Yongbok doesn’t do anything, still, and Chan fidgets in his seat.
“So, we sent the best of the best to bring you in.” Minho explains. “It was imperative, considering how dangerous you’re known to be, despite never stepping out from behind that computer screen of yours.”
There’s a knock on the door, then. Changbin, Jaebeom, and Jinyoung turn to it, but Chan’s focus never leaves Yongbok’s face.
Hyunjin pops his head in a second later, carrying a tablet of his own in one hand, and a Manila folder in another, filled with a stapled packet of at least a dozen or so pages.
He rests the folder in front of Chan and then takes a seat next to Jinyoung, waving shyly at Changbin. Changbin smiles before turning back to observe Minho.
Yongbok is still motionless, expressionless. Chan seems like he’s one second away from exploding.
“Is there anything you’d like to tell us?” Minho presses, saccharine sweet. “Anything you’d like to say?” When Yongbok doesn’t respond, Minho pushes air through his nose in faux exasperation.
“Perhaps you’d rather speak to Assistant Director Bahng, yes? Since you’re more familiar with him. I’ll go get him for you.”
It isn’t until Minho stands that there’s the slightest response from Yongbok. It’s small, almost imperceptible, and if Changbin hadn’t been paying attention, he would have missed it.
A slight movement in Yongbok’s head. A twitch to the right. Paired with a small noise of protest, so quiet it may have been a trick of the mind. It’s not much of a reaction or an admittance to his identity, but it’s something.
Minho sees it, too. He pauses in his steps, turning back to Yongbok.
“Yongbok?” Minho questions.
When Yongbok doesn’t answer, Minho turns to leave again, except this time, the White Dragon’s response is clear.
“No.” Yongbok says. His voice is deep, rough from misuse and somehow also delicate, fragile, like his voice is going to disappear any second. It’s nothing that Changbin would have anticipated him sounding like.
Chan is immediately on alert, his whole body leaning toward the screens containing Yongbok’s image. Changbin wants to reach out, to rest a hand on his shoulder and ask him what’s wrong.
His best friend has never acted like this before.
Something is not right.
Minho looks at Yongbok in faux confusion. If Chan brought him in, it’s reasonable that Yongbok wouldn’t want to see him, or speak to him. Refusing to speak to the arresting agent isn’t anything new, hence Minho’s facade.
But there’s something about his answer and the way Chan has been behaving that tells everyone there’s something that happened over the last six months. Something they’re clearly not seeing.
“Yongbok,” Minho tries again. “What did you say? I didn’t hear you very well. Drink some water, it’ll be good for you.”
Yongbok shakes his head once. “I said no.”
Minho frowns. “No to what? The water? Do you want something else? I can have Assistant Director Bahng –”
“No.” Yongbok insists firmly now. “I won’t.”
Changbin can see Minho genuinely looks lost now. “You won’t what?”
Yongbok frowns. He still hasn’t looked up at Minho. Refuses to, it seems. His eyes stay low, his gaze never rising above the table. “I won’t speak to him.” Yongbok murmurs. “I won’t speak to Chris.”
Hyunjin gasps, and Changbin feels shock strike him like lightning all the way to his core.
He turns to face Chan, then, and finds that Hyunjin, Jaebeom, and Jinyoung are all doing the same. Chan is staring at the monitors of Yongbok’s face, and it seems like his entire being is torn in two.
From the interrogation room, Minho’s staring at Yongbok, slightly horrified.
No one calls Chan “Chris,” other than his family, Jaebeom, Jinyoung, or the other Assistant Director, Younghyun. None of Chan’s friends or even other members of the agency would ever dare to call him by his English name, ever.
And yet, the White Dragon has.
~
Hyunjin can only stare, completely horrified, as Chan’s stricken frame stares at the monitors where the White Dragon sits.
He looks to their bosses, who seem equally lost and unsure as to what to do.
Director Lim moves first. He holds his hand out to Hyunjin, a clear demand. Hyunjin fumbles for a second, pulling up all of Chan’s mission reports on his tablet, then hands it over to him wordlessly.
Director Park intercepts the tablet, taking it for himself first. Director Lim’s eyes narrow, but Director Park waves him off without even glancing in his direction.
Hyunjin tears his eyes away just in time to see Minho come back into their room, a distraught expression on his face, too.
Changbin turns to Hyunjin then, clearly looking for some sort of direction, but Hyunjin shakes his head.
Whatever transpired over Chan’s six month assignment was not at all what he’d reported to Hyunjin, not in its entirety, and the truth is clearly something not a single one of them anticipated.
Minho opens his mouth to say something at the same time Changbin does, but Hyunjin beats them all to it.
“Chan-hyung,” he says, demanding his attention.
It seems to snap Chan out of whatever melancholy trance he’s in, turning to Hyunjin immediately.
“I still need to do inventory of your mission issued devices.” Hyunjin insists, giving Chan a look that says, ‘play along.’
Chan nods, then stands, and at the same time-
Director Lim says “No.”
While Director Park says “Go ahead.”
It’s not a question which of the two of them Chan and Hyunjin listen to.
They shuffle out of the room quickly, Chan taking one last longing glance at the monitors, and then into the interrogation room where the White Dragon still sits in his chair pathetically, silent tears streaming down his face.
When the door shuts behind them and they’re a few paces in the hall, Chan catches up to Hyunjin’s quick strides, murmuring a worried “Hyune –”
Hyunjin shushes him immediately. “Not yet. Not here.”
They get to the elevator banks, and one arrives the second Hyunjin presses the ‘up’ button. When they step in, they’re thankfully alone, and Hyunjin waits until they’re a few floors up before he presses the emergency stop button, and then the signal jammer in his pocket, skewing the elevator’s security cameras and the audio to them.
He turns to Chan then with a single nod, letting him know it’s safe. The second Chan opens his mouth, though, Hyunjin wishes he didn’t.
“I can explain.” Chan rushes to say. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. It was just a mission, but weeks in I started to realize that it was easier to form a friendship with him and get to know him that way instead of just pretending to be an ally hacker looking for his help. Things spiraled out of control after that, and I tried, I tried to pull away and put a stop to it, but I couldn’t. I realized I was in too deep, that I loved him, that I love him, and then it was too late and I –”
“Just shut up,” Hyunjin says calmly, raising his hand. “I need to think.”
It feels wrong to cut off his hyung this way, but he doesn’t know what else to do. Chan has always been the perfect agent; the prime example of what Project Venom is about and has always stood for. He’s been the golden child since before Hyunjin became an agent. Chan has always been the one people look up to and idolize, Hyunjin included, and he has never made a single mistake or mishap in his entire tenure as an agent.
This is…unprecedented. Hyunjin knows he has to help Chan. He is going to help Chan. He knows Minho and Changbin will, too. Jisung will do it by default because of Minho. And if none of them knew, then it’s entirely possible that he lied to Seungmin and Jeongin in his debrief, which isn't ideal, and they’ll definitely be upset over it, but it’s Chan, so of course they’ll help too.
Jinyoung. Director Park – he’ll help. He has to help. Even if he’s tied up with policies and rules, he’ll help Chan. He has to. So will Director Kang. He’s the closest to Chan, he’ll know what to do.
Hyunjin thinks he can convince Hongjoong in HR to help. He helped Jisung and Minho, and they turned out fine. Surely this will be the same, right?
No, it’ll be better. It’ll be easier. It’ll be different because it’s Chan.
White Dragon be damned. The kid seems nice and all, and if Chan fell for him, he must be an angel. Nothing like the ruthless black hat hacker he’s been profiled as.
Chan’s moral compass is never wrong. It’s never been wrong. It wouldn’t choose this person of all people, this time above all others, to make an example out of Chan.
Because if his moral compass is suddenly wrong about the person he fell in love with, this ‘White Dragon,’ this ‘Lee Felix Yongbok’ according to his file, then it means Chan was wrong about Jisung. And if he was wrong about Jisung, then he’s wrong about Hyunjin, too.
And that’s just not true. It can’t be true. Chan had done everything he could to help Hyunjin get into Project Venom. The same with Jisung.
Hyunjin’s Chan-hyung is never wrong.
“What is the tech team going to find on the burner phone?” Hyunjin asks. “How bad is it?”
Chan winces. “It’s…it’s bad.”
Hyunjin nods. Okay, fine. That’s not ideal either, but Hyunjin can make do. The tech team is his team, after all. He can make it work.
“And the laptop?”
“Not great,” Chan admits. “But not as bad as the phone.”
“And your database activity?” Hyunjin checks. “Did you…did you use the database to help him at all? Outside of your normal means of access?”
Chan hesitates. That hesitation almost sends Hyunjin into a spiral, which Chan must sense, because he holds both of his hands up in defense. “I didn’t! I thought about it. I almost did. But I didn’t, I didn’t touch anything.”
Hyunjin nods, scanning Chan’s overall demeanor.
He’s heartbroken, alright. Conflicted in a way Hyunjin has never known him to be.
“You lied to him,” Hyunjin guesses. “You fell in love with him, he fell in love with a version of you that doesn’t exist, and it all came crashing down when you brought him in.”
Chan nods, defeated.
“And him,” Hyunjin nods toward the elevator doors. “This…Yongbok. He’s worth all of this? He’s worth it to you?”
“Felix.”
Hyunjin blinks. “What?”
“Felix. H-his name is Felix. He doesn’t like being called Yongbok.”
“Felix, then,” Hyunjin says with a small nod of agreement. “He’s worth it?”
“And more,” Chan swears.
Hyunjin sighs. “I have a plan. I’m going to help you, and the others will, too. But you have to do everything I say, exactly as I say it, understand?”
When Chan nods, Hyunjin sighs again, resigned, and presses the signal jammer in his pocket before turning off the elevator’s emergency stop button.
~
Jisung isn’t sure why he’s here.
Well - that’s not true. He knows why he’s here, why he’s being asked to talk to this ‘White Dragon,’ and he knows why it’s important that it is him.
He’s just not sure that it’s really going to do anything.
Jisung’s not trained in interrogation techniques. He’s only been an agent for about two years, and he’s on the tech team with Hyunjin, who’s been here far longer, so he doesn’t get why they didn’t just ask Hyunjin first.
When he says as much to Director Park, Director Park smiles. “Hyunjin’s currently working on another task related to this case after some recent…developments…came to light. It naturally means this task falls to you.”
Right.
The task of trying to get the White Dragon to talk.
He looks at where the White Dragon sits on the other side of the one way mirror. He doesn’t look like a dangerous black hat hacker.
But then again, neither did Jisung.
And Jisung had probably done far worse than this ‘White Dragon.’
Minho didn’t think Jisung was dangerous, and it almost cost him and Chan their lives. It was something that Jisung didn’t think Chan would ever forgive him for, but Chan stuck his neck out for Jisung, fought for him to be ‘rehabilitated’ and integrated into Project Venom.
He may as well prove he can be useful in this, too.
He looks down at the tablet in his hands, reading through the basics in the White Dragon’s file. When he looks up again, Minho and Changbin are staring at him.
“Can you do it?” Minho asks.
“If not,” Changbin immediately says. “It’s okay. Just say you’re not comfortable.”
All Minho had said when he’d come to get Jisung to do this was that Chan needed his help.
So, if Chan needed Jisung to talk to the White Dragon, he would.
Jisung nods. “I can do it.” I can do it for Chan, is what he wants to say, but Director Lim seems like he’s on his last legs of patience, so he doesn’t.
Director Park holds the door to the hallway open for Jisung, assuring him with a single nod, watching and waiting until Jisung is opening the door to the interrogation room and walking in on his own.
When the door shuts behind him, he anticipates the same behavior that Minho and Changbin had described to him. The silent treatment, the near catatonic state.
Except, the White Dragon looks up just slightly, and when he sees Jisung, his eyes narrow.
“I know you.”
Jisung pauses in his footsteps, raising a brow. “You do?”
“Black Cat said you were dead a year ago.” The White Dragon says. Jisung almost loses his balance when he hears Wooyoung’s old alias. He can’t wait to track him down in the cafeteria later and tell him about this. “Said the famous ‘Volcano’ finally went dormant.”
Volcano. Jisung’s old hacker name, his old life. He hadn’t heard it in so long, he almost forgot how well known he was in these circles.
“Glad I’m a ghost story.” Jisung says with a slight laugh. He takes a seat in front of the White Dragon, who continues looking at Jisung suspiciously.
“You’re one of them.”
Jisung nods. “I am. I get the feeling my bosses want you to be one of us, too.”
The White Dragon scoffs. “Just one of them, probably.”
Chan. He’s talking about Chan.
“If he wants you to be,” Jisung says carefully, “Then the rest of them will want it, too.”
“Just because he does?”
“Because if he does, he thinks you’re worth it. That means something here.” Jisung says with a firm nod.
The White Dragon blinks at him. Something in his expression is familiar to Jisung, and all it once it clicks into place.
Why Jisung had to be the one to speak to him. Because he’s the same – he and the White Dragon are the same.
“I’m Jisung,” he says to him, holding out his hand. For a second, the White Dragon hesitates, but then his hand rises from his lap, and he softly puts it in Jisung’s hold. They shake hands once, and his hand is dropping back to his lap.
“Felix,” the White Dragon says. “It’s nice to know you’re not actually dead, Volcano.”
Jisung shakes his head. “It’s weird, hearing you say that. No one’s called me that in years.”
Felix shrugs. “You’re a legend.”
“I was,” Jisung nods. “Now I’m here.”
Felix nods in agreement.
“I’m here because of the same person that you are.” Jisung clarifies. “Because he saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself.”
Felix’s expression turns blank, his face suddenly hardening. It’s cute, Jisung thinks. He looks more like an angry kitten than anything else, but everyone’s always saying Jisung doesn’t look that threatening either.
But then again, Jisung and Felix managed to land on a ‘Most Wanted’ list, so. There was some threat there.
“Bet you he didn’t trick you into falling in love with him, though.”
Jisung shrugs. “No. But I did try to kill him, and his best friend.”
Felix blinks. “You what?”
“Had my computer room rigged to blow if someone who wasn’t me tried to get past the biometric security. If Chan hadn’t spotted the C4 block in the corner of the room, he and Minho probably would’ve died.”
Felix squints at Jisung. “Wasn’t your beat extortion?”
“From corrupt politicians and other world leaders.” Jisung confirms with a nod. “And various business monopolies and conglomerates. What about you?”
“The same.” Felix shrugs. “Stealing government secrets. Data theft, too.”
“Sold it to the highest bidder?”
Felix scoffs. “Of course.”
Jisung offers him an appreciative smile. “It’s always wrong when we do it, wrong when we expose them. But it’s never wrong when it exists in the first place, is it?”
Felix nods, solemn.
“Let me guess,” Jisung leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. “When Chan came into your life, it seemed like he wanted to help you. And he helped you. He became someone you could trust almost instantly. You fell in love. It seemed too good to be true, and then it all came crashing down when he brought you in.”
Felix sniffs. His eyes get shiny, and he casts his eyes down to his lap. “Good to know he runs the same game with all the pretty boys.”
Jisung laughs – he can’t help it – loud and giggly, his hands clutching his stomach. Felix’s gaze returns to him, and he’s scowling, his little nose scrunched up so cutely Jisung could pinch his cheeks.
“I’m sorry –” Jisung wheezes. “I just – I don’t mean to laugh. But Chan, he didn’t do that to me.”
Felix blinks, a pink flush creeping up behind his freckles. “Oh.”
“Chan didn’t,” Jisung clarifies. “But Minho did. I’m just saying that I get it, I’ve been in your shoes. It’s not easy for them either, you know? But they have a job to do. And we did break the law.”
“Why do you keep calling him that?” Felix demands suddenly.
Now it’s Jisung’s turn to blink. “What?”
“Why do you keep calling him ‘Chan?’ Is that his name? Did he give me a fake relationship and a fake name?”
Jisung frowns. “What did he say his name was?”
“He told me his name was ‘Chris,’ and that’s all I’ve ever called him. But suddenly here he’s Assistant Director Bahng. Or Chan, as you said.”
Jisung blinks, casting his eyes towards the one way mirror briefly.
Well, none of them mentioned that.
“His name is ‘Chris,’” Jisung says carefully. “We just…none of us have ever really called him that. That’s reserved for his family, or the people he’s closest to.”
Felix eyes Jisung suspiciously. “Aren’t you one of his best friends?”
He shrugs. “Even then, I’ve never called him that. Minho’s known him the longest out of all of us, and even Minho doesn’t call him that.”
“Who’s ‘us?’” Felix huffs.
“His team.” Jisung says. “His friends.”
Felix fidgets in his seat. “Did he collect you all the same way?”
“He saved us, if that’s what you mean.” Jisung nods. “Chan’s good at that. Collecting people who need saving, but they always end up saving themselves.”
“So, he likes collecting strays,” Felix sniffs, his eyes getting shiny. “Figures.”
“Chan is a good person like that, though.” Jisung muses. “He’s the only person I know who didn’t immediately give up on me, even when he had every reason to. I have a feeling that I don’t have to tell you any of this, but he’s exceedingly kind, even when he doesn’t have to be and especially when he shouldn’t be. He always sees the good in people, always believes people deserve second chances or that they’re not what they’ve been made out to be.”
“Like me.” Felix surmises.
Jisung nods. “Like you. And me. And Minho, and the rest of us. Chan’s the best of all of us, there’s no denying that. And while I went through something similar, I can’t imagine what you must be feeling right now. I know you’re hurting, and you’re probably thinking that it was all fake. But it wasn’t. Whatever Chan told you he feels? It’s real. He’s a lot of things, and he has to become a lot of things because of this job, but if there is one thing Chan has never been and will never be, it’s a liar.”
“Not a liar,” Felix murmurs. “But a collector.”
“I think you’re the last, though.” Jisung says softly.
Felix lets a tear fall as he looks up at him. “How do you know?”
Because everyone’s running around with their heads cut off because Chan has never made a massive slip up like this before. Because the Directors are looking at each other like they’re going to have to figure out what to do now since on Chan’s first mission as an Assistant Director, he managed to fall in love with his mark. Because I’ve never seen any of the rest of the team work so hard to make sure this is taken care of for Chan.
Jisung wants to tell Felix all of it, to make him understand that they’re about to move heaven and Earth to ensure Chan’s happiness. To tell him that he is Chan’s happiness, and they would do anything for Chan to be able to keep him.
“A feeling.” Is what he tells Felix instead.
He considers the small smile he can see on the corner of Felix’s mouth a victory.
~
Seungmin blinks at Hyunjin and Chan, taking in the mess of their explanation and request, and then looks at the tablet Chan is holding out.
They’re staring at him with anxious and frantic expressions. He can see Hyunjin is starting to sweat, and Chan looks like he’s about to collapse at any second.
Seungmin’s fingers curl around Chan’s agency issued phone in one hand, and around the strap of the backpack containing the rest of Chan’s agency issued devices in the other.
Chan swallows past the lump in his throat. “Min?”
“Director Park knows you’re doing this?” Seungmin checks.
Hyunjin nods. “He’s aware. He’s stalling for us.”
“This is like Jisung again?” Seungmin checks.
“Um,” Chan looks distraught. “Not exactly? But sure. Just on a time crunch.”
“So…you’re saying I need to wipe these before we upload anything. And I need to do it before it has to be submitted to evidence because it’s technically not official yet, and we’re still treating the White Dragon like a suspect until Director Park is done stalling.” Seungmin pauses, looking at both of them for confirmation. “Is that it?”
“Yes,” Hyunjin is firm, eyes shaking. “Can you do it or not?”
Seungmin takes one look at Chan, takes in the kicked-puppy look on his face, the way his usually confident and upright frame is suddenly curled in on himself.
Seungmin realizes that Hyunjin was right in his warning text before they stormed into his office.
This is bad.
“How bad is it?” He ventures to ask anyway.
Chan winces, and Hyunjin’s eyes almost bug out of his head.
“You mean other than the secrets and data Chan helped him steal from various countries and their governing bodies? It’s bad enough.” Hyunjin says. “Just wipe them. Get rid of it all, reset them, and do it before the Directors have to ask for the official debrief files.”
“Please.” Chan tacks on helpfully. “We don’t know how much Jinyoung-hyung can hold off the process.”
Seungmin nods, turning to his work desk and plugging everything in. Chan and Hyunjin approach from behind, flanking him, and fine, it looks like he has to work under pressure in front of an audience. Nothing new.
It’s not until Seungmin plugs in the last of Chan’s devices that he notices there’s an extra phone, tablet, and a laptop covered in various cat stickers still left in his backpack.
Seungmin glances at Hyunjin. “We’re doing damage control for the boyfriend, too?”
“His name is Felix.” Hyunjin corrects. “And yes, we are.”
“Is your boyfriend going to post embarrassing photos of me on the dark web if I wipe his stuff?” Seungmin aims for levity as he directs his question to Chan.
It works, because Chan smiles just a little. “No, he’s got back ups laying around somewhere, if he really needs them. If we need them. He’ll be upset, but it’s not like all his work is lost.”
That’s all the confirmation Seungmin needed – we.
Felix is one of them now. It’s as simple as that.
Seungmin wouldn’t say he’s very loyal to Project Venom. Sure, the agency has given him the means to start over, to turn over a new leaf and put his life on the ‘right path,’ has given him the ability to not have to keep his head on a swivel or an eye on the exit at all times.
But Chan was the real one who gave him his freedom. Chan was the one who gave Seungmin the chance of a lifetime. Seungmin would always be loyal to Chan for that, would do anything and everything he could to pay it back, even though there would never be enough time in this lifetime or any other for Seungmin to do so.
Chan had given him everything, and so he owed Chan everything.
He gives Chan a single nod and gets to work.
~
Jisung is smiling and laughing when Jeongin walks into the interrogation room.
“Oh!” Jisung says, turning to the blonde sitting across from him.
A couple of hours ago, Jeongin remembers seeing the blonde be brought into the agency in handcuffs, and now he’s sitting here, uncuffed, joking around with Jisung.
“Felix, this is Jeongin. Jeongin, this is our newest agent, Felix.”
Agent. So, they’d managed to get Felix to agree after all.
That was fast.
That also explains the semi-sour look Director Lim had on his face and the smug one Director Park had on his face when they came to Jeongin’s office and asked him to take care of Felix’s intake paperwork.
“Hi,” Jeongin smiles brightly at Felix.
He looks kind, overall. He’s smiling politely at Jeongin, seemingly a little shy.
“You can trust him,” Jisung assures Felix. “He’s just going to walk you through some paperwork.”
“It’s perfectly mundane,” Jeongin agrees, hoping to be helpful. “Jisung can come with us, too, if you’d like.”
Felix hesitates, but eventually nods. Jisung stands then, and Felix mirrors him, and together they follow Jeongin out of the interrogation room and down the hall to the elevator banks.
They climb into one together, and Jeongin sticks to one of the walls to give Felix some space. Jisung smiles when he does it and looks at Felix fondly. “Jeongin and I were in this position a couple of years ago when I joined the team. It’s so nice to be involved in that part of the process now.”
Felix doesn’t say anything, just keeps his eyes to his feet. Jisung smiles as he offers Jeongin a reassuring nod, as if to say “he’s going to fit right in.”
And well, if this is what Chan wants, Jeongin’s certainly not going to disagree.
They get off onto the top floor, walking Felix straight into their human resources office.
To which, predictably, Felix scoffs at. “Since when does a spy agency have human resources?”
“Everyone needs health insurance.” Jisung shrugs. Jeongin almost laughs – it’s the same thing Minho told him two years ago. Chan’s said it, too, to most of them.
They go past the reception, Jeongin and Jisung tossing a wave to Gaon who’s behind the desk for today, heading down the halls and straight to Hongjoong’s office.
Hongjoong is sitting in his chair behind his desk, and Seungmin is standing beside him, holding Chan’s backpack.
Jisung and Jeongin guide Felix into the chair before taking their own seats on the couch closest to the door.
“Hi Felix, I’m Hongjoong. I hear we’re going to be adding you onto Chan’s team. We’re going to start simple with having you just look over this form.” Hongjoong slides a tablet across his desk to Felix. “If everything there is correct, you can just sign on the bottom, then move to the second page. The second page is a release form stating we’re returning the belongings we collected from you back to you.”
Jeongin smiles when Felix looks over his shoulder at him and Jisung. “It’s okay. It’s just asking if you are who you are, that’s all.”
“And if you want your stuff back,” Jisung adds, giving Felix a thumbs up.
Felix uses his finger to sign the first page, and when he moves to the second page and starts reading, he’s quick to frown.
“Wait. You wiped all of my stuff?” Felix asks, incredulous. He’s eyeing Seungmin now.
“Doesn’t he look like an angry kitten when he’s upset?” Jisung whispers to Jeongin, who tries not to giggle when he agrees.
Seungmin raises a single brow at Felix. “Chan said so.”
That shuts everyone in the room up.
Jeongin knows one thing to be true – if there ever is a law of the universe, it’s that if Channie-hyung says to do something, you do it.
“Fine.” Felix grumbles. He signs with his finger once more, then passes the tablet back to Hongjoong. Seungmin hands over Chan’s backpack next, and Felix takes it with a small ‘Thank you.’
Jeongin stands then, holding a hand out for Felix. “Now we have to finish your intake papers. C’mon, my office is just down the hall.”
Felix accepts Jeongin’s hand, and he helps Felix too his feet. Jeongin tosses a wave over his shoulder to the others as he leaves, content to know Felix is following behind him as he navigates the halls until they arrive at his office.
He gestures for Felix to sit down in the chair across from his desk while Jeongin goes about getting the necessary materials out for all of Felix’s paperwork.
Jeongin sits once it’s all ready, offering what he hopes is a welcome smile to Felix. “We’ll start simple. We need to take your fingerprints to make sure you have access around the agency. Most things we can do with your ID pass, which Hongjoongie-hyung is making for you right now, but the agency’s trying to convert to an all biometric security system, thanks to Channie-hyung’s suggestion.”
“Does that have anything to do with what happened with Jisung?” Felix asks.
Jeongin blinks. “Yeah. How’d you know?”
“Jisung said he almost blew him up.”
Jeongin blinks again, then barks out a laugh. “I mean, yeah, I guess that did happen. It was an accident though. And Jisungie-hyung was smart to use biometric security.”
Felix shrugs. Jeongin opens the ink pad and arranges the paper for Felix’s fingerprints until it’s straight, then holds his hand out. Felix places his hand in Jeongin’s gently, and Jeongin notes the silver ring Chan always wears now rests on Felix’s thumb.
“Channie-hyung really likes you.” Jeongin notes offhandedly. “He never took that ring off for the longest time, and he gave it to you.”
Felix’s little gasp is hard to miss. “So you know why he wore it, too.”
“We all do,” Jeongin shrugs, pressing Felix’s thumb to the ink pad, rolling it gently to cover all the ridges. “We know everything about him, and he knows everything about us.”
For some reason, that makes Felix pout. “Who were all of you before, anyway? Before he collected you like stray cats.”
Jeongin smiles at Felix, carefully pressing his inked thumb to the paper. “Minho-hyung was a mercenary. Changbin-hyung was a hitman for some jopok asshole. Hyunjinnie-hyung was a hacker, too, like you and Jisungie-hyung, but he was part of an organization. I think it was called HALA? I don’t really remember, but he worked with Wooyoungie-hyung, and –”
“Wait.” Felix straightens. “Wooyoung? As in the Black Cat? He’s still active in the black hat scene, though?”
“Oh, well, yeah,” Jeongin shrugs moving onto Felix’s next finger. “The agency has him stay active sometimes to help gather intel.” He winces. “That’s…kind of how we got the tip on you. Don’t be too mad at hyung though, he wouldn’t have mentioned it if he didn’t think you’d be a good fit here, and Channie-hyung wouldn’t have taken on your case if he didn’t agree.”
Felix sniffs, lets Jeongin move his hand this way and that. “Would’ve been easier if Wooyoung just asked me during any of the times he saw me for lunch.”
“He probably would have, if he had the authority to.” Jeongin reasons. “Instead, he went to someone who did.”
Felix goes quiet for a moment, mulling it over. “What about the rest of the team?”
“Well, you met Jisungie-hyung, so you know what he did. Seungmin dealt in a few different things, honestly. He’s pretty technical, so he’s good with devices, but his main gig was in counterfeit money.”
Jeongin focuses on finishing his collection of Felix’s prints, moving the sheet of paper to the scanner so they can upload it into Project Venom’s database. It’s quiet as he works, building Felix’s rehabilitation applicant file.
Felix is good for Chan, Jeongin thinks. He hasn’t known him for more than ten minutes, and despite everything in his original file, it’s clear that Chan’s picked him for a reason. It’s different than the reason Chan picked the rest of them, but Jeongin still knows that Felix is meant to be here.
Jeongin has never doubted Chan before, and he doesn’t think there will ever really be a time where he’d start to. His eldest hyung is and always has been Jeongin’s rule of thumb – whatever his Chan-hyung says, goes. Beomgyu in cybersecurity has always teased Jeongin for his blind faith in Chan, but Jeongin doesn’t believe it’s ‘blind.’
Chan has been steady. He has been one of the most consistent things in Jeongin’s life, and Jeongin has always thought that everything Chan did was with great purpose and with good reason. He is someone that they can all rely on and turn to without a second thought, someone who they all know will have their back and run with them to the ends of the universe and back if it just meant spending quality time together.
While Jeongin may not have been there with Chan over the last six months, he knows that he’s still the same Chan as when he left. He just brought back a piece of himself that he didn’t know he was missing.
“What about you?” Felix asks eventually.
Jeongin smiles, remembering his own integration into Project Venom. “I’m a little different than the others. I didn’t need saving the way they did.”
“But you still needing saving?”
“In a way,” Jeongin shrugs, keeping his eyes on his monitor. Most of the rest of Felix’s application will need to be filled out by Chan anyway, so he skips down to the testimonials section, where Jeongin can leave his signature along with the others.
“What did he save you from?” Felix’s voice is soft, delicate. It’s a stark contrast to how he heard him speaking to Seungmin earlier.
“Myself.” Jeongin says honestly. “It’s not easy, when you’re self-destructing. Chan pulled me out of that.”
Felix stares at Jeongin, his eyes suddenly wide and soft. “I’m sorry.”
Jeongin smiles again easily. “Ah, you don’t have to be. It’s okay now.”
“Chan made sure of it.” Felix guesses.
Jeongin nods. “Exactly. He’s doing the same for you, too. Right now.”
~
Jaebeom levels a look at Jinyoung and Younghyun, wholly irritated.
This whole day has been irritating.
“Chris has never once asked us for anything.” Jinyoung points out. “Surely, we can give him this.”
“I’m not opposed to that,” Jaebeom repeats. “It’s the person he’s doing it for that I’m opposed to.”
“Felix is the same as Jisung, Hyunjin, and Wooyoung.” Jinyoung reminds him. “His whole team is like that. The only difference there is that he insisted they could be helpful to us, and you agreed. But the moment he asks, suddenly you’re hesitant?”
“Did you or did you not see how devastated Chan was today?” Jaebeom huffs. “Did you see how upset he was? Because I did. And I have never seen him like that. Not ever. Not once. And suddenly this hacker punk decides to trick Chan into falling in love with him, tricking him into allowing him to call him Chris?”
Younghyun and Jinyoung exchange a look. Jaebeom scowls. “What?!”
Younghyun clears his throat, “Jay, I think you’re exaggerating a bit.”
“Chan was upset,” Jinyoung agrees. “But it wasn’t because of Felix.”
“He refused to speak to him.” Jaebeom points out. “It was a misunderstanding, yet Felix was willing to speak to everyone here except for Chan, even though he knew Chan would be the most likely person to offer him a lifeline.”
“Felix was hurt.” Younghyun frowns. “It may have been a misunderstanding, but Felix didn’t know that right away.”
“And when he did find out, he still wouldn’t speak to Chan.”
“Hyung,” Jinyoung says gently. “Do you remember when you and I got into that one really big fight, and we didn’t speak for three days? It took Chan, Younghyun, and Yugyeom to get us into a room alone for us to speak, and it was a misunderstanding then, too. All we had to do was talk to one another, and in the end, it was neither of our faults.”
“What’s your point?” Jaebeom huffs, pushing the tablet with Felix’s pending contract to the side.
“My point is that this isn’t Felix’s fault, but we’re not saying that it’s Chan’s fault either. No one is at fault here. It’s just an unfortunate circumstance, that’s all.”
Sometimes, Jaebeom really hates it when Jinyoung is right.
“I still don’t think this is the right decision.” Jaebeom crosses his arms over his chest. “It doesn’t matter if Chan’s never been wrong about a candidate before. This is for his own good.”
“Jay,” Younghyun says in that ‘I’m the eldest’ tone. “Chan-ah’s not a kid anymore. You don’t have to protect him from every little thing. We don’t have to protect him from every little thing. He’s an adult, and he should be able to make his own decisions.”
“We’ve let him make plenty of decisions.” Jaebeom grumbles.
Jinyoung frowns. “And none of those have been bad decisions, have they? Chan’s smart. He doesn’t do anything without knowing for certain that it’s the right thing. Even if it’s a split decision, it’s a calculated one. Where do you think he learned to do that from?”
Jaebeom sighs.
It’s…hard for him. To not protect Chan, even after all this time.
They were all young when they were recruited into Project Venom. Chan was the youngest of all of them, newly thirteen, recruited because of his genius, and even back then, Jaebeom went out of his way and risked his life for the scrawny little kid he used to be.
Chan was just so small. At least the rest of them were a little older, had started to grow into their bodies a little. Chan was just a baby, at least in Jaebeom’s eyes. He and the others had made a mutual agreement back then – protect Chan at all costs, do what you can to make sure he makes it through all of this with them. There was no way they were going to make it as agents without him.
They taught him how to be tough, how to use his strengths and weaknesses to his advantage, how to outsmart others, to always be sure he had the upper hand. They taught him to be strong, taught him to be kind, taught him to be the best he possibly could be while making sure that he never lost his heart.
It had been both rewarding as well as emotional, watching Chan grow into the man he is today. To watch him relay the same advice he’d been given to his own team, to the people he found worth giving a chance to and putting his faith in the same way Jaebeom and the others had put their faith into Chan.
The difference was that Chan was his dongsaeng. Chan was Jaebeom’s younger brother, by blood or not, and therefore, Chan was always going to be his responsibility.
Logically, he knew Jinyoung and Younghyun felt the same, and that they would always protect Chan, too. But this didn’t feel like protecting him. This felt like letting him keep a vicious animal for a pet while they all waited with bated breath to see whether or not he ended up biting Chan anyway.
When he tells them as much, they laugh at him.
“What?!” He demands.
“He’s not our son,” Jinyoung says through a laugh.
“And even if that may be true,” Younghyun says, “And Felix ends up hurting him, that’s not anyone’s fault but Felix’s at that point. It will say more about Felix than it ever will about Chan. Chan’s team won’t let it happen, either, you know. Just because he’s grown up and he leads his own team doesn’t mean that he’s alone, Jay. He’s got friends everywhere, he has family, here, still. That’s never going to change.”
“Just sign it.” Jinyoung insists, gesturing to the tablet. “Not for Felix. But for Chan.”
Jaebeom looks at the tablet. It takes him exactly one second of seeing Chan’s hopeful face in his mind’s eye, and then he’s reaching for the stupid thing, leaving his signature on the dotted line.
~
There’s an approved document staring up at Felix, with both Director Lim, Director Park, and Assistant Director Kang’s signatures on them, Chris’s – or, Chan, apparently – own signature rounding them out as the fourth vote.
A couple of hours ago, the White Dragon was one of the most wanted suspects on Project Venom’s radar.
And now, he’s one of them.
From the other side of the desk, Director Lim is staring at him with a hardened expression, looking every bit as stern and intimidating as he’s probably trying to prove he is. Felix knows what it means by now.
He’s spent the whole day having people tell him how amazing his boyfriend – boyfriend? Ex-boyfriend? Ex-boyfriend as of this morning and now boyfriend again? Whatever – is, and it’s clear every single person in this agency holds a disgusting amount of loyalty towards Chris.
Chris.
Chan.
Whoever.
The thing is though – they’re not wrong to be that way. Even if there was a part of Felix for a good chunk of the day that thought that he never really knew Chris at all, it’s clear that there are some things about him that have always been genuine.
Chris is kind. He is kind and he is so soft hearted, always seeing the best in people and wanting the best for people, even if they don’t deserve it. Chris is self-sacrificial, which Felix swears they’d been working on, whether their relationship had been fake or not. It hadn’t been fake to Felix, though. And based on the reactions of everyone Felix has come across today, perhaps it wasn’t fake to Chris, either.
Which also means, Chris is a shit liar. He’s just genuine all the time. It’s clear that before Felix, he had some semblance of a professional façade to get his job done, but there is always sincerity in everything that Chris does. He is dedicated, hardworking, and passionate, and a perfectionist at heart. Even if he was pretending to be a fellow black hat, Chris did everything correctly every single time.
It’s also clear that having Chris’s loyalty, his friendship, or his love, is an incredibly precious thing, and Felix can’t even begin to pretend like that isn’t true. He woke up most mornings in Chris’s arms feeling so grateful and blessed to have been the person Chris chose to give his heart to.
Talking to Jeongin, he got it. He understood where their undying loyalty comes from.
Felix understood the fierce and undying loyalty everyone felt, because he felt it, too. Down to his bones, down to the very core of his soul, Felix knew he would do anything for Chris, no matter how despicable or vile it may be. He still is willing to do those things, would do it in a heartbeat if Chris asked it of him.
It conflicts him, honestly.
Because if you would’ve told Felix-of-this-morning, who woke up as naked as the day he was born in the arms of the man he’d fallen in love with in a matter of months, that he’d be sitting here twelve hours later, his entire world flipped on its axis twice, Felix-of-this-morning would’ve definitely told you to go fuck yourself before curling back up into his boyfriend’s body, his nose buried securely in Chris’s neck, inhaling him in.
And yet.
Director Park, who definitely is the nicer of the two, sits beside Director Lim with a reassuring smile.
“If you have questions, you’re more than welcome to ask them.” He says, nudging Director Lim in the ribs, who more or less grunts his cooperation.
Assistant Director Kang is sitting next to Felix, and he offers the same reassuring smile. “I can’t promise we’ll have all the answers, but we can try our best to alleviate any worries you might have.”
Felix has a million questions, truthfully. He wants to know what this is supposed to mean, if his criminal record is expunged, if this makes Chris his boss, if he’s even allowed to date Chris now. Jisung was able to keep dating Minho, but Minho’s not in charge of anything the same way that Chris is.
He wants to know if he can talk to Wooyoung and Hyunjin about their transition into the agency, too. He wants to know if he can talk to Wooyoung to tell him that’s it’s okay, that Felix isn’t mad, and that he’s actually thankful for what he did.
Even if it turned his life upside down.
The only thing he wants right now though, is Chris.
“Can I speak to him?” Felix asks.
Director Park and Director Kang look at Director Lim, who sighs through his nose, exasperated.
“Of course.” Director Lim says, then stands. “Come. I’ll take you to him.”
~
The hollow feeling in Chan’s chest hasn’t dissipated since this morning. His ears still ring with the force in which the strike team had taken down Felix’s door, the flash bang they’d thrown into the living room something he should be used to by now, but isn’t.
He can’t get Felix’s face out of his head.
The betrayal, the hurt, the devastation.
When Mingyu had called for him, had said “Agent Bahng,” Chan had watched the light leave Felix’s eyes, watched him revert to that hesitant, cautious, and untrusting person he’d been the day Chan had put himself in his path.
It hurt. It hurt Chan more than anything ever had before to have to do that to Felix, but he didn’t have a choice.
His mission was clear – gather enough intelligence in six months to bring him in, enough to take down the White Dragon, by any means necessary. It was easy for the first few weeks, but the longer Chan was around Felix, the more it became clear.
He would never be able to hand him over, would never be able to live in a world where Felix wasn’t at his side. Even if it meant risking everything that Chan had built for himself, for his friends, for their friends, for Jaebeom and Jinyoung and Younghyun – he would do his best to keep Felix.
Two days ago, he’d asked Jaebeom for more time, had begged Jinyoung to try and convince him. He thought it worked, that it would’ve been enough to put a stop to it.
It wasn’t.
Even if it worked out in the end, even if it saved Felix from the dangers of his life, it didn’t save Chan from losing Felix anyway.
He’d run around all day like a chicken with its head cut off, begging each of his friends to help him, to help him help Felix, and he would be eternally grateful for them and their efforts, even if he didn’t get to keep Felix.
He wonders what his friends think of him now. He’d seen their concerned and worried gazes the whole day, knows they probably think less of him, that they probably don’t see him as a reliable leader for their team anymore.
In the morning, he promises himself. In the morning, he’ll talk to Jinyoung about having Minho step in as team leader. It’ll probably be necessary, since they’ll most likely put Chan on leave as a result of this dumpster fire.
Now, Chan looks out at the horizon, taking in the salty brine of the ocean air, the only peace he’s been able to find all day.
He’s glad Jaebeom decided to move their new headquarters near the ocean. He’ll need it, he thinks, to help him get over Felix.
Footsteps quietly approach him from behind, and he doesn’t turn. Whoever it is and whatever it is they’re here for don’t matter more than the only slice of peace Chan probably has left.
“Chris?”
Or not.
He whirls around, finding Felix standing a few feet away, looking more scared unsure than Chan has ever seen him before.
“Felix.” His name leave’s Chan’s lips in relief, like a prayer, and Felix takes another step forward.
“What are you doing?” He says, worried. “Get away from the edge.”
Chan turns, looking down, and he realizes what this might look like to Felix.
Still, he does as his baby asks, scooting back before standing, making his way over. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. There’s a ledge, and a walkway, too, under the – nevermind.” He looks Felix over, sees the white badge peeking out from inside his pocket. He smiles. “You’re in, then.”
Felix glances down, sees the badge and shoves it further into the pocket. “I am.”
Chan nods. “That’s good. Was, um, was everyone nice to you?”
“They were,” Felix nods. “Because of you.”
Chan blinks. “Me?”
Felix takes a step closer to Chan. “You. You’re really important to all of them, you know?”
“I am?” Chan asks. His stomach twists.
Felix closes the distance, reaching out to take Chan’s hands in his. “You are. It’s endearing, really. Kind of made it hard for me to stay mad at you.”
Chan’s face twists, his heart plummeting to his feet. “Felix, listen, about everything, I just –”
“It doesn’t matter.” Felix insists, looking up at him. “I don’t care about any of the context or the circumstances. All I want to know is this – do you love me?”
“Of course I do,” Chan insists, bringing up one of his hands to cup Felix’s face. “I never lied about that. I love you more than anything, Felix. Truthfully, I do.”
Felix’s eyes flutter shut, nuzzling his face into the warmth of Chan’s palm. “And I love you. So that’s enough.”
Chan frowns at his baby. “But, Felix, I –”
“Your friends already pleaded your case for you.” Felix muses, his eyes blinking open. There’s a little bit of mirth there, a bit of mischief, but love still exists beneath it. “I don’t need or want an apology, Chris. Because there’s nothing to forgive. Like I said, you’re important to them. They’re fiercely loyal to you, and they trust you more than anything. Even your bosses gave me an earful in the elevator ride up here about how if I step out of line and hurt you, they’re revoking all of my immunity and sending me straight to prison.”
Chan blinks. “They – they said what? Which one of them told you that?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Felix says with a laugh. “I’d let them do it, Chris. I’d let them all send me away if I did hurt you. Not that I plan to or could or would ever want to. But I understand them. I understand them because I understand you.”
Chan doesn’t know what to say to that. Felix manages to leave him speechless almost every time.
Felix pulls him in, wrapping his arm around his waist for a hug, and Chan loops his arms around Felix’s shoulders, cradling his head to his chest.
“I meant everything I said.” Chan swears to him. “I love you more than you can imagine. I’m sorry, if by joining Project Venom that it’s…taking away your freedom, or if it’s something you don’t want. I just wanted you to be able to do what you were doing the right way, in a way that doesn’t put you in danger.”
“I know, Chris.” Felix murmurs against his throat. “You did the same for Jisung, and Hyunjin. You did the same for all of them, didn’t you?”
“I tried.” Chan swears. “I tried my best to.”
“You succeeded.” Felix swears. “They’re here because of you. They’re here for you, to prove to you that you didn’t make the wrong decision.”
“They don’t have to do that,” Chan insists, squeezing Felix tighter. “And neither do you.”
“I know,” Felix presses a kiss to the hollow of Chan’s throat. “But I will, just like they all do. For you.”