Chapter Text
“What are you doing?”
Ivan ignored the voice, continuing to mush his face with his hands as he stared at his reflection in the water.
“I said, what are you doing?”
Ivan pulled too hard and winced. His cheek was still sore after Till punched it a few days ago. He didn’t know why, seeing as all he did was destroy a wreath of cameras that Till presented to him, but that was alright. He kind of liked how it felt.
“Hey!” A brown hand clamped around his wrist and yanked, forcing Ivan to pay attention to its owner. An older girl was frowning at him, her blue eyes (dull, nowhere near as bright as Till’s—) zeroing in on his face. “Are you hurt? Is that why you’re ignoring me?”
Ivan briefly considered resisting before deciding it wasn’t worth the hassle. “…practicing.”
“What?” The girl’s frown deepened. “Can you really not hear me? Should I take you to the nurse?”
“No, thank you,” Ivan replied, monotone. He let his hand dangle in her grasp, unwilling to exert the energy to pull away. “Yes, I can hear you. Yes, I am hurt. No, that’s not why I was ignoring you. And I was practicing my expressions.” He paused. “…does that answer all your questions?”
The girl stared at him. “You’re weird.”
Ivan nodded solemnly. He got that a lot.
The girl barked out a laugh, her face lighting up. “You’re cute! We’re friends now!”
Ivan jolted, his eyes widening. “…friends?”
He’d never had one of those before. Most of the other kids did, but Ivan figured he was too repulsive and weird to befriend. Till certainly seemed to get mad at him a lot.
“Yup!” The girl grinned. “I’m Hyuna! What’s your name?”
“…Ivan.”
“Come with me, Ivan!” Hyuna started tugging him in a random direction. Trapped and mildly curious, Ivan was helpless to do anything but follow. “You have to meet my twin brother! His name’s Hyun-Woo!”
Together, they bounded down the hill where two boys lay on the grass. One had brown hair and skin like Hyuna, the other blond hair and skin so pale it was almost blue.
“Hyun-Woo! Luka!” Hyuna beamed, waving at them. “Come meet my new friend, Ivan! Isn’t he cute?”
The blond boy, presumably Luka, shot up. Almost immediately, his eyes glazed over and he swayed, falling right into the hands of Hyun-Woo, who had also sat up.
“Careful!” Hyun-Woo chided. “You know you get dizzy if you sit up too fast!”
“Cute…” Luka muttered nonsensically. His eyes fluttered, then looked up at Hyuna with a wounded expression. “Him?”
“Yeah!” Hyuna enthused. “Say hi, Ivan!”
“…hello.” Ivan gave a little bow, not missing how Luka zeroed in on his and Hyuna’s entwined hands.
Hyun-Woo groaned. “Sis, another one? We’ve already got one weirdo!”
Ah. Ivan stood there, somewhat numb as Hyuna’s grip slackened and fell. Well, that didn’t last long.
To his surprise, instead of ditching him for her twin, she marched over and smacked Hyun-Woo upside the head.
“Don’t be mean!” Hyuna scolded. She put her hands on her hips, as fierce as can be in plain white cotton wear and a loose ponytail. “Hyun-Woo, say you’re sorry!”
“What?! No wa—!” Hyun-Woo yelped as Hyuna pulled on his hair. “I mean, I’m sorry!! Sorry!!!”
Ivan stared at them, wide-eyed. No one had ever stood up for him before. Or apologized to him, for that matter.
He wondered if it always felt this warm.
Luka sidled up to him with a frown. He circled Ivan like a shark, poking him at random intervals, even lifting his wrist to trace his brand.
Finally, Luka finished his inspection. He leaned closer in what would’ve been a loom if they weren’t so close in height, his pale hand rising like a ghost to prod at Ivan’s snaggletooth. “Ugly.”
Ivan blinked at the offending finger.
“I think it looks interesting!” Hyuna wandered over, evidently finished squabbling with her twin. “It’s memorable, you know?”
Luka frowned harder. “I don’t know him.”
“Hmm, you’re right.” Hyun-Woo joined them, cocking his head as he gave Ivan a once-over. His hair was an absolute mess. “That’s weird; we merged classes days ago. Why haven’t we seen you at mealtimes?”
Indeed, Anakt Garden had temporarily merged some classes together while they did renovations for a new science wing. Ivan had been told that once it was finished, they would pair him with a machine that would fix his smile. It’s why he was practicing it more often: to prepare. Not that it was working.
“I got into a fight,” Ivan explained, pointing at the bruise on his cheek. “They’ve been giving me my meals in my room. Tonight’s the first time I’ll be eating with the merged class.”
He didn’t mention that Till wasn’t allowed meals at all, only a feeding tube shoved down his throat while locked into several restraints. Not that those were there anymore, as Ivan had freed him as soon as night fell. He also snuck into Till’s room everyday during lunch to give him his portion. He always skipped lunch, anyway. Plus, it was only fair.
“Woah.” Hyun-Woo looked impressed. “Did you win?”
Ivan tilted his head. “Maybe?” He certainly didn’t lose.
Hyun-Woo nodded seriously. “It must be hard to knock each other out, since you’re babies.”
Ivan gave him a blank look. “I’m seven.”
“Yeah, and I’m twelve.” Hyun-Woo held up two fingers. “Two digits. You only have one digit, which makes you a baby.”
Ivan opened and closed his mouth. Then opened it again. “Infants are aged zero to one. Toddlers, one to three. I am classified as a child, same as you.”
Hyuna burst out laughing.
Hyun-Woo gaped at him. “What the heck?? How do you know all that???”
“It was in my school textbook.” Ivan shrugged, rocking on his feet. For some reason, he felt light. “Why don’t you know that?”
Hyuna laughed harder, falling to her knees.
Luka huffed. “I’m surrounded by children.”
Ivan fell silent, looking him up and down.
“I’m fifteen,” Luka informed him, sounding miffed.
Ivan continued to stare. “…but you’re so short.”
Hyuna wheezed, finally succumbing to her mirth and collapsing on the grass.
“Till,” Ivan whispered, pressing down on the door handle so it would shut quietly behind him. “Lunch.”
Till stirred from where he’d been sprawled on his back, a stray piece of paper stuck to his cheek. He was surrounded by drawings and half-finished compositions, pens and paper being the only items he was allowed in his sterile isolation chamber. Not that it was ‘his,’ per se, but Till was the only one who used it.
“Ivan?” Till rubbed his eyes. He swatted the page to the ground, revealing a bruised split lip. “What day is it?”
“You’ll be released tomorrow,” Ivan answered the implied question. He knelt, setting down a food tray and spoon.
Till snatched it up, now wide awake as he snarfed down today’s meal paste. He made a face. “Sweet again? Do you always get the same thing?”
Ivan’s chest throbbed. “…I didn’t know you had a preference. You should’ve told me.”
“I don’t,” Till grumbled between mouthfuls of food. “Whatever. Don’t worry about it.”
Ivan didn’t know what to say. He liked sweet things which is why he always chose it, but he also didn’t think Till cared about his opinion. “…sorry.”
Till waved him off. “S’your food.”
They fell into silence, only the sounds of clinking and swallowing filling the room. Ivan wondered idly if he should leave, but no. He had to wait for Till to finish so he could take back the tray.
“…thanks.” Till ducked his head, intensely concentrated on the food in his lap. His knuckles were white around the spoon. “I’m still mad at you about the flowers, but…thanks. For the food. And the restraints.” He scowled, vivid teal flashing behind equally vibrant silver as his gaze darted up then back down again. “I seriously don’t get you. Weirdo.”
Ivan tilted his head, absorbing the jab. Did Till not know that the flowers were actually cameras?
…should he tell him?
No, Ivan decided. It doesn’t matter. I’ll just remember not to crush them in front of him anymore.
Till already had so few things he held dear. Ivan had no idea why this fact struck him as particularly relevant to his decision not to explain himself, but looking at the many, many drawings of landscapes and petals littering the floor, he just…couldn’t do it.
Things were quiet again until Till finished his meal. Wordlessly, Ivan took back the tray then stood to leave. He kind of wanted to stay, but he didn’t have a reason to. Also, Till looked tired.
Just as Ivan reached for the door handle, Till spoke again. “That fight was the biggest I’ve ever seen you smile.” Teal burned into black when Ivan looked over his shoulder. “Why?”
“Why?” Ivan echoed. He kept his eyes locked on Till’s, void black consumed by emerald blue. “Because it was…fun?”
Even as he said it, it didn’t sound right. It’s not that Ivan found fighting fun, nor did he particularly enjoy pain. Rather, the reason he smiled was…
“Maybe…because it was you?” Ivan mumbled.
Till’s mouth fell open. Ivan observed the reaction, memorizing it. Till had never made this expression before and he found it…fascinating.
“I don’t get it,” Till croaked. He sounded frustrated, borderline miserable. Ivan tucked that away, too. “Do you like me or hate me?”
Ivan blinked, heavy and slow. For a long moment, they just stared at each other.
Then without a word, Ivan turned and left, the door behind him falling silently shut.
Ivan was walking to singing practice when he was accosted by twin blurs of copper. He dangled uselessly in the air, swinging violently back and forth as Hyuna and Hyun-Woo carted him off to who-knows-where by his underarms.
“I have vocal training,” Ivan informed them. Not that he cared about missing it, but Unsha might find out if he did. Right now they were okay, but Ivan knew not to take their current working relationship for granted. Less favor meant less privileges, which meant less books and less opportunity to sneak out. “I only have thirty minutes before they mark me late.”
“Thirty minutes is plenty!” Hyuna whooped. “Come on, come on!”
Ivan didn’t know how he could ‘come on’ when they were already carrying him, but resigned himself to his fate. Soon, they crested the small hill, a large tree rising into view. Under that tree was Luka, who was…
Huh.
Ivan felt himself being lowered onto the grass while Luka looked up at him placidly. Up, because he was currently sitting down with his legs sticking straight out from either side of his waist. In other words—
“He’s doing the splits!” Hyun-Woo crowed, ruffling Luka’s hair. “Isn’t that cool?”
Ivan looked at Luka. Then Hyun-Woo. Then Luka again. “Is it?”
Luka’s face darkened.
Hyuna guffawed, slapping Ivan on the back. It was painful, but for some reason he didn’t mind.
“You laugh a lot,” Ivan told her. He didn’t normally volunteer words, but her consistently positive reception of them made him almost want to.
Predictably, Hyuna beamed. “Thanks!”
“Watch it,” Luka growled. He quickly flipped back to an angelic smile when Hyuna frowned at him.
Ivan watched them quietly. These people were unlike any he had ever met, but he thought he was starting to understand them. There was a strong undercurrent of affection to all their interactions, from Hyuna to Hyun-Woo to Luka to—
Oh.
“Oh,” Ivan said aloud. “You like her.”
He was almost proud of himself for figuring it out. Perhaps watching Till watch Mizi and Sua made it easier to realize. Regardless, it was satisfying pinpointing an emotion as nebulous as ‘like.’
Luka raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Duh.”
They both ignored Hyun-Woo’s enraged, “What?!”
Beside them, Hyuna made a squeaking sound. A glance revealed that her whole face was ignited in a furious blush.
Well, that wouldn’t do.
“Don’t like him back,” Ivan advised. “You deserve better.”
Hyuna’s mouth opened and closed. She buried her face in her hands, looking torn between laughter and self-immolation. “…thanks, Ivan.”
Luka’s expression was thunderous. “You little brat.” His eyes glinted, his legs sliding closed with a snap. If Ivan thought he looked malicious before, now he looked downright murderous. “Come here!”
Ivan booked it, instinct taking over as he rocketed back to the learning area. It wasn't far; he could make it. Once there were teachers around, he’d be safe.
There was a cacophony of yells behind him, a terrible honking wheeze, then more yelling. Ivan never looked back, single-minded in his goal. With one glaring exception, he’d always been good at running away.
He made it to the learning area, gave himself two whole minutes to catch his breath, then resumed his original trek to singing practice. No one followed him.
Ivan wondered why he wished they did.
“Hey. Brat.” Luka cut in line to tower over Ivan, pinching his ear between two fingers. Ivan let him, seeing as Luka’s scant inches over him and feeble grasp were hardly threats. “Don’t run away.”
Ivan wasn’t listening, too focused on the way Luka’s fingers felt on his ear. It was an intimate place people didn’t touch often, a new sensation. Although, Luka’s fingers were kind of cold. And shaking. Did he really exert that much energy trying to chase after him?
“You’re really weak,” Ivan observed.
Luka glared at him with utter contempt. “I’ll kill you. The rocks here are pretty hard, you know.”
Ivan nodded seriously. Luka shouldn’t have told him; now he knew what to watch out for. “Okay.”
They were interrupted by the dispenser squirting blobs of meal paste onto their trays. Looking down, Ivan noticed that Luka’s tray already had two other servings of paste on it, making this one his third.
“You eat that much and are still this short?” Ivan wondered aloud. He couldn’t help it—the more aggressive Luka acted, the more interested he became in his reactions. “Are you defective?”
Unexpectedly, Luka’s expression shuttered. His hand fell away from Ivan’s ear, taking the icy coldness with it. Mechanically, he marched off toward an empty table, set down his tray, then buried his head in his arms.
Huh.
Ivan hesitated. Should he follow him? Till was surely around here somewhere, though he probably didn’t want him around after yesterday.
Cautiously, Ivan moved toward Luka’s slumped figure. He set his tray down across from him, staring idly at his golden curls as he picked up his spoon and began to eat.
They spent several minutes in mutual silence before pale yellow eyes peeked at him. Luka made an unintelligible grumbling sound before leaning heavily to one side, peering at him upside-down. “Hyuna likes me too, you know.”
Ivan glanced at him, then back to his food. He knew. Despite his warning, her reaction was unmistakable.
“I was gonna kiss her so we could finally get together,” Luka continued. He sounded oddly neutral, bored even, as though the subject matter didn’t concern him at all. “But maybe it’s better this way. Hyun-Woo was pretty mad when he found out. Though he’s the one who carried me to the nurse after, so we’re probably alright.”
Ivan hummed. So that confirmed his suspicions about Luka’s physical weakness. Cold hands and stunted height aside, needing medical attention after trying to outrun someone half your age was not normal for human teenagers. His books indicated that much.
If anything, the only thing he didn’t know was… “What’s a kiss?”
“Huh? A kiss?” Luka blinked rapidly, his pupils oddly dilated. He flipped upright, picking his spoon up for the first time. “It’s when you press your lips against someone else’s. Or other places. You only do it when you really, really like each other though, like Providers and their Creations. Or me and Hyuna.”
Ivan blinked, surprised that Luka had actually answered. Also, that he was talking so much. “So it’s only for family and lovers? Not friends?”
“Hmm? Oh, you can do it with friends, too. Probably,” Luka said between bites. He was already done with his first meal paste. Fascinated, Ivan watched as he only seemed to pick up speed for his second. “But you might want to ask first, since you don’t know how much they like you back.”
So I’d have to ask Till, Ivan thought. Then he shook his head. Why would he ask Till? You had to like someone to kiss them, which Ivan wasn’t capable of, making it a moot point.
(Also, the rebellion would succeed in beating the aliens before Till liked him.)
“There you guys are!” Hyuna arrived in a flurry of movement, setting her tray down beside Ivan’s. She peeked at Luka then blushed, looking away. “I’m glad you’re sitting with us, Ivan. We missed you during breakfast. And lunch.”
Ivan didn’t know what to say to that. “My breakfast is prepared specially. And I don’t eat lunch.”
“Specially? Your owner likes you that much?” Hyuna’s expression turned wistful. “Must be nice.”
“Sis!” Hyun-Woo came crashing into their table, almost knocking Luka to the ground in his haste. There was no hesitation in his decision to sit next to the blond, nor any tension or glares, so Ivan figured they really must’ve worked things out. Either that, or Hyun-Woo had already forgotten the whole thing. “Stop running off! If you weren’t so loud, I wouldn’t have been able to find you!” He turned to Luka. “And you! Start telling us it’s dinner time instead of just leaving!”
“But food,” Luka complained, rubbing his battered arm. “Today’s my cheat day. Those only happen once a month.”
To Ivan’s shock, he then plopped his head onto Hyun-Woo’s shoulder, rubbing up against him like a cat.
“Uh oh.” Hyun-Woo frowned, reaching up to pet Luka’s hair. “You okay? What happened?”
A grunt, then Luka lifted his long white sleeve and pointed at Ivan.
Hyuna sighed. “Really, Luka? Ivan’s just a kid.”
“He called me defective,” Luka whined, his hands coming up to clutch Hyun-Woo’s shirt. He turned his face up to look at Hyuna tearfully, the perfect victim. “He’s mean.”
“I asked if you were defective,” Ivan corrected. “You didn’t answer.” Not that he needed to. It was pretty obvious Luka had something wrong with him, after all.
For the first time, Hyuna frowned at him. “Ivan, that’s not very nice. Say you’re sorry.”
Ivan blinked at her, bewildered. “Why? It’s just a question. I’m defective, too.” Then he realized he was being difficult and stiffened, turning to bow at Luka. “I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry, Luka.”
Luka ignored him, pushing his head further into Hyun-Woo’s chest.
“What the…?” Hyun-Woo gave Ivan a weird look, like he didn’t currently have a whole teenager he was giving head scratches to. “Sis, where do you find these guys?”
Hyuna didn’t answer, too busy frowning at Ivan. But it was a different frown than before, more sad than angry. He didn’t know how to feel about it.
“Hi, Ivan!”
Ivan relaxed his posture a split second before Mizi collided with him, rocking forward to absorb her weight. “Hello, Mizi.”
“Oh! Hey, Hyuna!” Ivan felt Mizi’s head turn on his back, bending further so she could see better. “I didn’t know you two knew each other!”
“Mizi!” Hyuna grinned, her demeanor flipping in an instant. “Hiya! Where’s your other half?”
“Sua’s here!” Mizi chirped. “Sua! Look, it’s Ivan! And Hyuna!”
The crowd shifted to reveal Sua holding two empty trays. Presumably, she and Mizi had finished their dinner and were going to deposit them in the cleanup stack.
“Hello,” Sua greeted warily. She set the trays down on the table, then plucked Mizi’s arms from Ivan's shoulders and wrapped them around herself. She shot him a nasty glare, which he accepted gracefully.
“No way you’re all friends,” Hyun-Woo said, squinting at the younger crew. “You’re both too normal to get along with this guy.”
Sua nodded sagely. Mizi laughed, leaning in to press her lips to her cheek.
Ah, Ivan noted. That’s a kiss. So they like each other, too.
Not that he didn’t know that. It was stupidly obvious to anyone who watched the pair for more than five seconds. But there was a difference between two people liking each other and two people who knew the other person liked them.
Luka groaned again, sliding down Hyun-Woo’s chest and onto his lap. Ivan was pretty sure he was drooling.
”Is he okay?” Mizi asked, looking concerned.
“He’s fine. This happens pretty often,” Hyuna dismissed. “More importantly, are you getting seconds? Don’t let us keep you!”
Ivan wondered if all older kids ate this much. The twins seemed pretty active, but Luka didn’t and he’d already eaten more than everyone else combined.
“Oh no, we’re done!” Mizi giggled. “But I think Sua’s tired, so we’re going to go find somewhere quiet to lay down.” She patted her—friend? Lover?— before picking up their discarded trays, departing with a smile and wave. “Bye-bye!”
There was a chorus of goodbyes and see-you-laters, Hyun-Woo briefly stopping in his petting of Luka to wave back. Ivan observed it all, musing at their familiarity after mere days of knowing each other, if that.
Then again, it wasn’t like he was any different. Maybe it was the Hyuna Effect.
“Ivan, you didn’t tell me you were friends with Mizi!” Hyuna’s smile remained even after the two girls had left. It appeared it didn’t take much to put her in a good mood.
“I’m not,” Ivan replied honestly. “Mizi’s like that with everyone.”
Happy. Bright. Too bright, really; Ivan wasn’t used to such natural friendliness, so interacting with Mizi was always a bit unsettling. He felt similarly about Hyuna, but she’d told him they were friends. So.
“I bet she’d call you her friend if I asked,” Hyuna countered, oddly serious.
Ivan tilted his head. “Even if she did, like I said, she’s like that with everyone. She doesn’t actually mean it.”
Not like Hyuna did. Hyuna, who at their first meeting had introduced him to her brother and crush, then actively continued to seek him out. Nothing like Mizi, who only greeted him when he was nearby and kept Sua’s presence hidden unless directly asked. While Ivan respected Mizi’s protective instincts and general charm, he doubted she liked anything about him. Ergo, what she felt toward him wasn’t friendship, but polite indifference.
“You’re really emo for a little kid,” Hyun-Woo complained. “If someone says you’re friends, then you’re friends. Nothing more to it. Right, Luka?”
“The only person I like is Hyuna,” Luka mumbled. “I tolerate you at best.”
Hyun-Woo pulled on his hair. Luka yelped, shooting out of his lap and hunkering over his food tray, whimpering like he’d been hit.
“Play nice,” Hyuna said mildly. Surprisingly, she didn’t look too flustered by Luka’s declaration. Ivan wondered if it had anything to do with how weirdly childish he was acting. “Anyway, Hyun-Woo’s right. You’re too young to worry about that stuff. Don’t overthink it and just have fun with everyone, okay? No one starts off as friends—just saying so is how you start working toward it.”
Ivan gave her a dubious look. “That’s how it works?”
“That’s how it works.”
Notes:
I've already finished writing the next chapter, so it should be up soon! Leave a comment and kudos if you like where this is going! <3
I know the characters are a little mature for their age, but this was the best compromise I could find between keeping their canon age gaps and setting it in a time feasibly before Hyun-Woo was murdered and Ivan fell in love with Till. Let's just say their trauma has aged them. Also, let me know if I should change my spelling for Hyun-Woo. Everyone seems to spell it differently, so it's hard to know which one is right.
Someone please help me with the summary/tags. I'll add more as the story progresses, but... :')
Tumblr: @athi816
Chapter 2
Notes:
Hi! I was planning to post this tomorrow, but I just couldn't wait. Enjoy! <3
----------------------
Ages:
Ivan, 7
Till, 6
Mizi, 7
Sua, 8
Hyuna, 12
Hyunwoo, 12
Luka, 15CW/TW: Implied child abuse (general), negative thoughts, implied future medical torture, mild age regression, mild violence between children, heavy surveillance, and emotional repression.
(Sounds way worse than it is.)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The next day, Ivan tried out Hyuna’s advice.
“We’re friends,” he declared, staring imploringly at Till.
Till, for his part, just looked confused. “I…know? Does this mean you don’t hate me?”
“…yes.” Ivan didn’t actually know if that was true, but apparently things didn’t have to be true for you to say them. What a concept. “Can I sit next to you?”
“Sure??” Till was wide-eyed as Ivan plopped down next to him in the grass, putting his drawing pad to the side. “You never ask to spend time with me. What gives?”
That’s because I thought you’d say no, Ivan thought. If he just watched instead of asking to participate, there was no chance of him being shooed away. Not that he knew why he wanted to watch Till at all. “That’s different. We’re friends now.”
“Wait, so we weren’t friends before?” Till’s face twisted in rage. “Ivan, you moron! Idiot! Stupid!! Dummy!!!”
“My grades are better than yours,” Ivan pointed out. He leaned closer to Till, enraptured by the different colors his face was turning. The pinks and reds contrasted prettily with his eyes. “Aren’t you the stupid one?”
Till shoved him. Ivan let himself fall, a small smile forming on his face. Smiling was always easier around Till.
“You’re smiling again,” Till complained. “I swear you like making me mad!”
Ivan thought about it. Upon reflection, yes, that seemed accurate.
“I think I do,” he mused. “Is that weird?”
This time, Till turned purple. Fascinating. “Yes, it’s weird!!!”
With a huff, he stood up and stomped away. Ivan was quick to follow, not wanting to be left behind.
“What the—?” Till startled when he noticed him, then broke out into a run. “Stop following me!!!”
Ivan didn’t. He chased Till through the play area, a silent predator to his rowdy prey. Till’s curses and yells attracted a lot of attention, more than he was used to getting from other humans.
Ivan felt his smile widen, blossoming into a full-on grin. He laughed, the sound ripping itself from his throat with wild abandon. Right here, in this moment, he felt free. Boundless. Limitless, as Ivan chased Till and Till ran ahead, bright and beautiful and—
Till tripped.
Ivan skidded to a stop, pinwheeling his arms before gravity succeeded in bringing him down. He ended up right beside Till, who was already propped up on his elbows and knees.
“Oh no!” Till gasped. Ivan’s head shot up, briefly worried that he’d gotten hurt, before realizing that his attention was somewhere else entirely.
Both boys stared at the crumpled remains of a flower/camera, squished beyond repair.
Ivan peeked at Till. He looked devastated, as though he were the one who got squished. Slowly, Ivan copied Till’s posture and got on his knees, watching the other boy to see what he would do.
“…cheer up,” Till mumbled. Then, louder, “Cheer up! Cheer up!”
Ivan tilted his head, perplexed, but mirrored him anyway. “Cheer up…”
“What are you losers doing now?”
A random boy was glaring at them, his hands on his hips.
“WHAT?!” Till screeched.
Ivan, however, had a different question. “What’s a loser?”
”A loser is a moron without any friends, you moron,” Till snapped.
“Ah.” Ivan understood now. He turned to the interloper. “You’re wrong.” He gestured between himself and Till. “We’re friends.”
(He didn’t notice how Till stiffened at the announcement, then turned pink.)
The boy scoffed. “Of course, you’re friends with each other. You’re both freaks.”
Till snarled. He stood up—and uh oh, Ivan could see where this was going.
He tackled Till’s legs, sending them both to the ground.
“What the—?! Ivan!! Get off me!!!” Till shouted, hitting him with his fists. It hurt, but not enough to bruise, which was better than he’d expected.
“Go away,” Ivan told the other boy. “I only have an hour of free time and I already planned to spend it with Till.”
The boy didn’t need telling twice. “Freaks,” he spat, then ran off.
Till switched from hitting Ivan to pulling on his hair, redoubling his efforts now that his prey was escaping. “Ivan! Seriously! Will! You! Quit! Being!! Weird!!!”
Ivan said nothing, readjusting his grip so his arms were wrapped around Till’s waist, then tucked his head into his chest. He needed to find a way to calm Till down before he picked another fight and got another punishment.
In his peripheral vision, the flower/camera lay forgotten, watching them as everything in Anakt Garden did.
Maybe…
“Cheer up…?” Ivan muttered. “Cheer up…”
Till froze, his grip on Ivan’s hair slackening. After a few seconds of no yanks, Ivan dared to look up. Till was staring at him wide-eyed, his mouth hanging open as his hands spasmed like he couldn’t decide whether to hit him or hug him back.
Wait, no, that couldn’t be right. Surely, he was misinterpreting.
“Cheer up?” Ivan tried again. “Cheer up, Till.”
Till stared at him more, then turned pink. Reflexively, Ivan catalogued the new face, weighing the emotion between ‘anger’ and ‘embarrassment’ (the usual suspects for Till’s different face colors) before settling on ‘unknown.’
“So, so weird,” Till groaned. He went limp, throwing an arm over his eyes as he finally stopped struggling. “Do whatever you want. I don’t care anymore.”
Ivan’s eyes widened. Whatever…I want?
How strange. Ivan had never gotten to do what he wanted his whole life.
So overwhelmed by choice was he, Ivan spent the whole hour wrapped around Till, probably getting the mother of all grass stains on their white uniforms.
His grip never faltered once.
“Ivan!”
Ivan ducked as Hyun-Woo soared over his head, falling to the floor in a heap. Ivan ignored him, continuing on to where he could see Till sitting alone, dinner tray in hand.
They’d made plans to sit together tonight. Because they were friends.
“Hey!” Hyun-Woo complained. He scrambled up, dashing over and throwing his arms over Ivan’s shoulders. He went limp, the dead weight causing Ivan’s knees to buckle.
Ivan resisted for one second, two, before giving up and sinking to the floor. Unfortunately, this only encouraged Hyun-Woo to hold him tighter, pulling himself up enough to lean his chin on Ivan’s head.
“Jeez, you’re heartless,” Hyun-Woo grumbled. “I think I can see why Sis warmed up to you so fast. You and Luka are exactly alike.”
Ivan was sure that was an insult. “Go away.”
“No can do,” Hyun-Woo sighed. “Sis told me to find you. We’ve already got a table with Luka, Mizi, and Sua, so all we’re missing is you.”
Ivan, who had been reaching up to physically throw Hyun-Woo off, froze. “…why do you need me?” Surely, that many people was enough? How social were these siblings?
“Uh, because we’re friends?” Hyun-Woo pinched Ivan’s (now fully healed) cheek, sounding disgruntled. “Duh.”
“We’re friends?” That was news to him.
Hyun-Woo scowled, shaking Ivan’s head until he was dizzy. “Yes, we’re friends! Dude! Have the past two days meant nothing to you?!”
“But,” Ivan argued, too distracted by Hyun-Woo’s words to fend off the assault, “only Hyuna said we’re friends. Isn’t that how you said it works?”
Hyun-Woo stopped. “…huh. I guess you’re right.” Suddenly, he whirled Ivan around and smacked both his cheeks. “We’re all friends! You, me, Sis, Luka, Mizi, and Sua!”
“Can you say that for the others?” Ivan asked warily, leaning out of reach. They were starting to get weird looks, what with them both sitting on the floor and Ivan getting his face squished.
Hyun-Woo‘s face screwed up in thought. “I guess not. Okay, so it’s a maybe for Mizi and Sua, but definitely everyone else!”
Ivan sincerely doubted that. “Even Luka?”
“Probably definitely!” Hyun-Woo reassured him not at all reassuringly. “Now come on!”
Ivan let Hyun-Woo stand them up and lead them away two steps before he remembered his original goal. “Wait. May I invite someone?” If the answer was no, then he would just sit with Till.
“You have other friends?” Hyun-Woo looked gobsmacked. His eyes twinkled, then he grabbed Ivan’s hand, shooting him a boyish grin. “Sure, sure! Who? Where? Need me to find them for you? I’m taller, so I can see better!”
Ivan blinked at him, expression dull, before turning and walking over to Till’s empty table. Hyun-Woo tripped over himself trying to follow, almost yanking them back down to the floor.
Till looked up as they approached. His face lit up when he saw Ivan (huh? No, that couldn’t be right. He was definitely mistaken—) only to dim when he caught sight of Hyun-Woo. His eyes narrowed at their interlocked hands, his own fist clenching and unclenching on the tabletop.
“Till,” Ivan greeted. “This is Hyun-Woo, my…friend. He invited us to sit with him and his sister.” He didn’t mention Luka. It was better that way. “Mizi and Sua are there, too.”
“Mizi and Sua?” Till looked like he was about to say something else, but his eyes sparked with interest at the mention of the two girls. “Really?”
“Yes.” Ivan shook off Hyun-Woo’s grip, instead reaching out to Till. “Come with me?”
Till hesitated for a fraction of a second before reaching back and clasping their hands together. “Okay.”
Unfortunately(?), Till was quick to let go in favor of picking up his tray. He and Ivan followed Hyun-Woo across the dining area to quite possibly the most colorful table around. And not just in terms of hair.
”Finally! What took you guys so long?” Hyuna broke off her conversation with Mizi to grin at the trio, chipper as always. Luka was actively drooling on her shoulder, not that she seemed to mind. She gave Till a curious look. “Who’s that?”
“This is Till! Ivan’s friend!” Hyun-Woo announced gleefully. His voice dropped to a stage whisper. “I’ve never seen him look so happy before.”
Instinctively, Ivan felt the need to correct him, to say, “Till’s not my friend,” but…that wasn’t true anymore, was it? Ivan had declared them friends and Till had accepted it. No, he’d agreed.
Ivan’s hand went to his chest. It felt…warm.
“Look! Look how happy he is!” Hyun-Woo pointed at Ivan, using his other hand to shake Hyuna’s unoccupied shoulder. “That’s a smile, right? It totally is!”
Luka grunted, displeased by the rocking of his headrest. Everyone ignored him (except Till, who gave him a weird look).
Till glanced at the trio warily before dragging his gaze to Mizi and Sua. He waved at them, then ducked behind Ivan to clutch his shirt.
“Hi, Mizi,” Till greeted shyly. “Hi, Sua.”
Sua glowered at them, her eyebrows twitching. She was clamped around Mizi’s arm like a vise, her fingers clenched so tight around the sleeve it was a wonder she didn’t tear the fabric. “Hmph.”
”Hi, Till!” Mizi waved back, enthusiastic as ever. “Hi, Ivan! We were waiting for you!”
At her words, Ivan felt Till cling tighter.
“Thank you,” Ivan said, because that was the polite thing to do. He passed by her eager grin (too eager, what did she want from him—?) to sit next to Sua, who glared at him like he was pond scum.
Much better.
Till, who got dragged along for the ride, reluctantly set his tray down beside Ivan’s. He glanced at Mizi again, his lips twitching like he wanted to say something, before ducking his head into his food without a word.
Meanwhile, Hyun-Woo had finally found his own seat next to Luka. There was an empty tray in front of him, which judging by his expression, was an extremely bad thing.
“Ah! Luka!” Hyun-Woo cried. “Did you eat my food again?!”
Luka turned his face up at the mention of his name, but his eyes held no recognition when he looked at them. His eyes slid to Hyun-Woo, glassy with disinterest.
Slowly, as everyone watched, Luka lifted his sleeve…
…and started sucking on it.
“Ugh.” Hyun-Woo plopped his head onto his empty tray. “What the heck? I can’t get mad at him like this!”
Hyuna shrugged, giving Luka’s head a fond pat. “He’s got his ‘special training’ tomorrow. Just let him be.”
A brief, heavy silence fell over the table. No one wanted an explanation. The less details they knew, the better.
“So, Hyuna!” Mizi’s bright tone cut through the tension effortlessly. “You said your favorite class is Expression of Music? Mine, too! I know it’s difficult, but that’s what makes it so fun!”
“M-mine, too,” Till mumbled, though Ivan was sure no one but him could hear.
Hyuna grasped onto the new subject quickly. “Yeah! Though, I think that’s pretty common.” She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. “Except for Hyun-Woo. He’s the kind of nerd who ‘can’t pick a favorite.’”
“Sis!” Hyun-Woo whined. “It’s not that weird!” He turned to Ivan. “You agree with me, right? All the classes are interesting, right?”
Ivan blinked, not expecting to be called out. “…they’re fine.”
Frankly, he didn’t see the point in picking favorites. Whether he liked it or not, he was expected to complete all his work perfectly. No point in attaching emotions to it.
“They’re all boring,” Sua huffed. It surprised Ivan, as he didn’t think he’d ever heard her speak unless it was to Mizi. “It’s stupid that they separate classes by grades. It’s not like there are a lot of us per year.”
Privately, Ivan thought the same. He’d like his classes a lot more if Till were there. Not to mention, Anakt Garden failed kids based on performance quality, not grades, so he honestly didn’t see the point in tiering them over it.
Mizi laughed. “Aw, don’t be like that! Classes can be fun, right Till? You also like Expression of Music, right?”
Till flinched so hard he dropped his spoon. He peeked through his fringe, his eyes wide and shiny. “Y-you noticed?”
“Yeah!” Mizi offered him a friendly smile. “You’re always banging your head while composing music during class. That means you like it, right?”
Hyuna barked out a laugh. “He what?”
Till blushed. “It helps me get in the zone, okay?!”
“Aw, you’re cute, too!” Hyuna grinned, ignoring the way Luka jolted in her lap. “You should show me your stuff sometime! Hardly anyone I know likes writing music; they all just sing whatever their Owners give them.”
“You like writing music, too?” Till’s eyes sparkled. “Do you play any instruments?”
Hyuna winked. “Come find me during free time and find out!”
Ivan marveled at the interaction. While Till wasn’t exactly unpopular, he’d never been particularly social, either. Usually, the other boy was closed off and reserved, too busy fighting his own battles to make time for anyone else.
The change was…nice.
…
Was it nice? Why? Why did Ivan find it nice? Till opening up to others didn’t mean he’d share more of himself with him. In fact, it could mean the opposite: if Till hung out with more people, then he’d have less time for Ivan. Time they didn’t have a lot of in the first place, in large part due to Ivan’s schedule.
Why did he care?
Because they were friends? Because Ivan said they were friends? Till may have acquiesced for now, but Ivan had no doubt that once he got to know more people, he’d see that Ivan was better off cast aside. Forgotten. Not that he’d stop following Till (why? Why did he do that—?), but his chest squeezed when he thought about Till saying, “Ivan, I don’t want to be your friend anymore.”
Desperately, Ivan thought back to that last pencil he’d stolen from Till. If nothing else, would giving it back make Till smile at him? Thank him? Or would he just scoff and leave, calling Ivan a thief and a burden and—
“Ivan?” Hyuna reached over the table to lift his chin with her fingertips, looking concerned. “You okay?”
Ivan’s vision blurred.
“Woah!” Hyun-Woo cried. He sprang into action, rounding the table to cradle Ivan’s head in his arms. “What’s the matter?! What hurts?! Do you need the nurse?!?!”
“No,” Ivan said. His voice was weirdly thick.
“Ivan!” Till’s voice cracked somewhere beyond the prison of Hyun-Woo’s fussing. “Get off him! Can’t you see you’re making it worse?!”
“Ow!” Hyun-Woo again. “You little—hEY! Did you just BITE me?!?!”
Hyun-Woo’s python grip slackened and Ivan was freed, only for Till to immediately take his place. Hands went up Ivan’s face and into his hair, turning his head this way and that.
“What’s the matter with you?!” Till shouted, shaking him hard enough to make his head hurt. “Stop it!! Stop making that face!!!”
Ah, Ivan thought. The rough treatment sobered him, the pain of getting his hair yanked somehow dispelling the burn behind his eyes and the tightness in his throat. I must look weird again.
“Sorry, Till,” Ivan managed. His voice was less thick now, which was good.
Till faltered, pulling Ivan’s head up and giving him a scrutinizing look. “You good?”
“Yes.” Even if it was a lie, Ivan would try his best to make it true.
Till scowled. “Don’t ever do that again. Moron.”
A fist banged on his head.
“OW!” Till cried, once again yanking at Ivan’s hair, this time forward so his head hit his chest. If Ivan didn’t know any better, he’d think it was a protective hold. “What gives?!”
“That’s not how you comfort people!” Hyun-Woo scolded. “Say you’re sorry!”
“WHAT?!”
Ivan heard someone sigh. Sua, maybe. “Idiots.”
“Please quiet down and return to your seats.” Everyone shut up as a NannyBot wheeled over, mechanical and shrill. “You are causing a disturbance. Further continuation of this behavior will result in punishment. Desist now.”
There was a brief pause, then a mad scramble as everyone attempted to reorder themselves. Spines straightened, clothes were readjusted, and Hyun-Woo lunged for his seat. After a few seconds of absolute stillness and silence, there was a rhythmic beep.
“Very good,” the NannyBot chimed. “Dinner concludes in ten minutes. Before then, please clean up and deposit your tray.”
Then it whirred away.
The table remained quiet, nobody daring to move until they were sure the round automaton had moved on.
Then—
“Shoot!” Hyun-Woo sprang out of his seat, looking aggrieved. “I still haven't eaten yet!”
“Ivan! Hey!” Mizi ran up to him with her usual wave and grin. “Wanna walk to class together?”
Ivan cocked his head, fixing her with a blank stare. “We don’t share the same class.”
“Oh, I know!” Mizi stepped aside to reveal she was hand-in-hand with Sua. “But I walk Sua to class every day, so we’re all going to the same place!”
Ivan’s worldview expanded. You can do that?
Immediately, he resolved to walk Till to all his classes from now on.
“Come on, come on!” Mizi took Ivan’s hand in her free one, pulling him along for the ride. “Don’t want to be late!”
Ivan thought that was ironic coming from someone who voluntarily doubled their commute, but he didn’t argue. Mizi chattered to her silent shadows as they walked, unfazed by their lack of response.
“I was so surprised to find out you were friends with Hyuna!” Mizi giggled. “She’s really cool, right? So bubbly! I’ve never met someone so nice!” Also ironic, but whatever. “Though, that was the first time I met Luka and Hyun-Woo. Can you believe they’re twins? I thought those were made up!”
Ivan wanted to tell her that information about twins was available in the advanced science textbooks in the student library, but she moved on before he could.
“Luka acted like a baby, which was kinda weird. But Hyuna said it was normal, so I guess he’s just like that?” Mizi looked thoughtful. “Do you think Luka likes being babied? Or is it that Hyuna likes babying him? I kinda get it, but also I don’t. If Sua acted like that, I’d baby her, but anyone else…hmm…” She flashed Ivan a smile. “I can’t imagine you acting that way at all! You’re more of a—a prince, you know? A cool one! Not a stinky one that forces the princess to marry them at the end.”
Sua and Ivan exchanged glances.
Is she always like this? Ivan asked with a tilt of his head.
Yes. Shut up, Sua replied with a twitch of her brow.
Soon, they made it to the classroom. Ivan was relieved, as he wasn’t sure how much more talking he could take without feeling overwhelmed.
And people thought Till was loud. Till was actually incredibly quiet, often lost in thought or consumed by his music and art. He was only loud when they fought, which while quite common, was still far outweighed by their silent companionship.
Once, Ivan had happened upon Till while he was asleep. Of course, he’d immediately laid down and just…stared at him. Reached out and brushed his hand along Till’s face, over his neck, and felt his pulse thrum beneath his fingertips until the dinner bell rang.
He hoped to someday do it again.
“Aaaand, we’re here!” Mizi announced proudly. She dropped Ivan and Sua’s hands, spinning around with yet another megawatt grin. “This was fun, guys! Let’s do it again tomorrow!”
“Tomorrow?” Ivan echoed. “Why?” He wasn’t Sua, after all.
Mizi beamed at him. “Because we’re friends, duh!”
Ivan blinked from shock, but Mizi was already walking away, using both hands to wave at them. “Bye, Ivan! Bye, Sua! Love you lots!!!”
She left as fast as she appeared, a whirlwind of color and sound vanishing past the corner of the hallway.
Left behind, Ivan and Sua were silent sentries in the entryway of the advanced classroom. They glanced at each other again, this time not out of camaraderie, but awkwardness.
Sua hesitated. “She was talking to me, you know. At the end.”
“…I know.”
Silence again.
Sua scowled. “You’re acting different.”
Ivan blinked. “Am I?”
“Yes.” Sua’s frown deepened. “I can’t tell if you’re more or less annoying now.”
Ivan just stared at her, blank-faced. This was the first time Sua had ever initiated conversation with him, and what she had to say was…this.
“You’re so creepy,” Sua muttered. She waved a hand over his face. “And people call me a doll. Why can’t everyone act more like Mizi? Smiling, happy, pretty—that’s the ideal.”
Was it? Ivan supposed so. He was a lost cause, but if Till got to be all those things…
“Still, it’s not as bad as before.” Oh, Sua was still talking to him? Okay. “At least you have emotions now. As annoying as that can be.”
Now this was news to Ivan. “I do?”
“You cried,” Sua said simply. “You don’t smile, you don’t frown, but yesterday…you cried.”
“Oh.” Ivan was confused. Was that why Hyun-Woo and Till were acting weird? Because they thought he was crying? The idea was…weirdly comforting. “I didn’t, though?”
Sua glared at him. “You were tearing up. Which is, like, step one of crying.”
Ivan stared at her.
That wasn’t a thing…was it?
“I can’t believe you cried over Till finally making friends who aren’t your stupid self,” Sua muttered. “Pathetic.”
Then she left, taking a seat in the far back corner away from everyone else.
Left behind, Ivan stood in the doorway, still reeling from all the revelations he’d received in the past ten minutes. No, the past few days.
He’d gained not one, not two, but four friends in less than a week. He was not only allowed, but expected to spend time with them. Lastly, he discovered that the secret to unlocking his emotions wasn’t through practice, but by being the target of the emotions of others.
Sua was wrong. It wasn’t Till who made Ivan ’tear up’ yesterday, but Hyuna with her gentle fingers and “You okay?” He didn’t know why yet, but he was certain that was the case.
As Ivan mechanically made his way to an empty seat, he wondered what other feelings he could get.
Notes:
Again, next chapter is already written, so it'll be up soon! I'll try to wait at least 24 hours this time, haha.
Mad respect to all Luka writers. I had to rewrite his dialogue four times before I was satisfied. :')
Tumblr: @athi816
Chapter 3
Notes:
Hello, hello! I am here with another new chapter (now at a more reasonable time)! :D
EDIT (9/1/25): Just found out the giant alien guard dog things (seen in Black Sorrow) are called wagyein and have changed my lexicon to match.
-----------------
Ages:
Ivan, 7
Till, 6
Mizi, 7
Sua, 8
Hyuna, 12
Hyun-Woo, 12
Luka, 15CW/TW: Violence between children, death threats, unwanted romantic advances, depressive thoughts, child abuse (celebrity-adjacent), emotional apathy, and perceived child endangerment.
(Sounds way worse than it is.)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Can you back off?” Till held his pen out like a sword, warding Ivan off. “Don’t look! I mean it!!”
Ivan sat on his haunches, obedient. “Okay. Sorry.”
Till gave him a suspicious glare, then huddled back over his drawing pad, scribbling furiously.
Ivan left him to it. He watched as Till’s pen dragged across the page, making loops and lines that painted a picture unknown to anyone else. More importantly, he watched Till, captivating as ever with his focused eyes and little tongue poking past his lips.
Artificial wind blew past them, swirling through Till’s hair and depositing a single leaf in the strands. Ivan itched to take it out, but was just as content to leave it be, enjoying how the green blight contrasted nicely against its silver nest.
Till peeked up at him, then back down to his drawing. “Your eyes are red again.”
“…they are?” Ivan felt his heart jump in his chest at the thought of Till watching him closely enough to make observations.
“Yeah.” Till’s ears flushed red, though he didn’t look up again. “They’re usually black—like super black, like space black—but sometimes they turn red. Like when we fight. Or when you’re staring at me like a creep.”
“Oh.” Ivan wondered why that was. “Does it bother you?”
“…no, not really,” Till muttered. “But sometimes it’s scary. Only when you look like you want to eat me, though.”
Ivan didn’t think that metaphor was supposed to sound as nice as it did. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” Till frowned. “You know what? Forget it. Just shut up and let me finish.”
They sat in silence for a while. Kids ran past them, some accompanied by teenagers. One girl whacked another boy with a mechanical fish.
…it looked fun.
Ivan’s eyes slanted over to Till. Slowly, he inched closer to him. When Till didn’t react, Ivan risked silently pushing his head into the other boy’s lap under the drawing pad, closing his eyes.
Till flinched, but said nothing. Wordlessly, he readjusted his position, lifting the pad briefly before resting it against Ivan’s head, then resumed drawing.
The long strokes of Till’s pencil felt like fingertips against his skin. If Ivan emptied his mind, he could almost pretend that Till was stroking his hair.
He curled up tighter at the thought.
Too soon, Till finished his drawing. The pad left Ivan’s head as it was presumably lifted for inspection, its owner making a dissatisfied noise.
“Till…?” Ivan whispered. He kept his eyes shut, not wanting to let go of this paradise just yet. “Are you done?”
“Don’t look!” Till barked. Papers rustled as he tucked the drawing pad somewhere out of reach, not that Ivan was trying to get it. “It’s not—it’s bad, okay?!” His voice lowered to mutter, “No matter how many times…still can’t get it right…”
Lies. Everything Till made was perfect.
“Oh,” Ivan said, swallowing his disappointment. Till wasn’t usually secretive about his art, but when he was, Ivan couldn’t help but feel rejected. “Okay. I’m sorry.”
A hand pulled at his hair.
“What did I say about apologizing?!” Till yelled. Ivan’s eyes flew open as his head got yanked up, coming face-to-face with Till’s angry pout. Cute. “Stop it! You’re making me feel bad!!”
“Sor—“ Ivan paused, recalibrating. “Okay, Till.”
His heart thumped in his chest. He could barely think past the bum-bum-bum, his thoughts a disordered mess of, He’s so cute, and, Huh?
Ivan blinked hard, trying to empty his mind again. Lately, being around Till was just as confusing as it was comforting. He kept doing things he couldn’t explain, thinking thoughts he didn’t understand, and feeling stuff he had no name for. It made his chest hurt.
Till glared at him some more, his eyes a little teary, before abruptly releasing him. He shoved Ivan’s head back into his lap, his fingers still tangled in his hair. Slowly, awkwardly, he swished his hand in what was unmistakably a pet.
Ivan froze. He hardly dared to breathe as he felt Till’s clumsy fingers stroke back and forth, back and forth. Ivan’s throat thickened and his eyes started to burn (tearing up, Sua’s voice whispered), so he quickly tucked his face into Till’s stomach, clenching his hands into his shirt.
“You’re so hard to read,” Till grumbled. “Your face never matches the situation. Who looks like that when they’re being yelled at? Weirdo.”
Ivan buried his head deeper. He wasn’t sure what face he’d been making, but he’d make it over and over again if this is what it led to. He’d make it forever.
Neither of them got up until the dinner bell rang.
Luka leapt out from behind a tree, murder in his eyes as he held up a rock.
Instinctively, Ivan ducked, then barreled forward and crashed into his legs.
“You little—!” Luka yelped, losing his grip on the rock as they went down.
Ivan kicked it out of reach, then shimmied up Luka’s body so he was covering as much of it as possible and clamped both hands around his wrists.
Luka thrashed. Ivan let him, knowing it would only tire him out.
Eventually, Luka went limp. His breaths came out in harsh pants, almost dislodging Ivan with the force of his heaving. “Ugh. I swear I’ll kill you!”
Ivan nodded solemnly against his chest. “You can try.”
Luka screeched and started thrashing again.
This was how Hyuna found them. “…what are you guys doing?”
“Luka tried to kill me; I’m restraining him,” Ivan summarized succinctly. Then, because he was polite, “How are you?”
Hyuna sighed. She put her hands on her hips, putting on her Disappointed Face. “Luka, stop bullying Ivan. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
“He’s bullying me!” Luka protested. “Look at us!”
Ivan blinked up at Hyuna, his eyes wide and innocent.
“…sure,” Hyuna said. “He’s half your age, Luka. Come on, I’ll help you up.”
Never one to inconvenience, Ivan rolled off Luka so they could get up. He knew that Luka wouldn’t try anything with Hyuna present, anyway.
“This is what? The third time this week?” Hyuna complained, hoisting Luka up by the arm. His face twitched from pain, but smoothed out again when Hyuna began fussing over him, straightening his clothes and running her fingers through his hair. “I’ve never seen you play so rough before. What if you get hurt?”
“I won’t be the one getting hurt,” Luka muttered darkly. He quickly adopted an angelic smile when Hyuna glared at him.
Ivan watched them quietly, wondering if maybe now would be a good time to leave.
Before he could, Hyuna turned to him. “You’ll come get me if one of you gets hurt, right?”
Ivan nodded, because he was practicing how to lie. Truthfully, he didn’t see how he could come get her if Luka succeeded in killing him—and he certainly wasn’t going to be the idiot who saved his wannabe killer.
Luka glared at him over Hyuna’s shoulder like he could tell exactly what he was thinking.
“SIII~IIIS!”
Hyun-Woo appeared out of nowhere, catapulting into Hyuna and Luka with the force of a meteor. Ivan stepped back as the trio went down, pleasure flashing through him as Luka made a terrible honking wheeze.
“Ack!” Hyun-Woo pushed himself up, his eyes going wide and frantic as he scanned over Luka. “Sorry, Luka; I didn’t see you there! You’re so pale, I thought you were a ghost!”
Luka lifted a trembling hand and pulled at Hyun-Woo’s hair. “You…idiot…I’ll…kill you…too…”
“That’s not funny!” Hyuna grouched, pushing Hyun-Woo off and lifting Luka by the collar of his shirt. When she stood up, their height difference made his feet dangle a few inches off the ground. “Stop joking about killing people! Especially when I keep catching you putting rocks in your sleeves!!”
“He’s doing what?!” Hyun-Woo yelped, jumping back so he could cower behind Ivan.
Luka blinked, then held his sleeve up to his mouth. He turned his big doe eyes down at Hyuna, looking particularly delicate as he swayed gently in the air. “Huh?”
Hyuna blushed. “Quit it!!!”
Ivan observed them with wide, unblinking eyes. No matter how often he saw this dynamic, he never understood it. “Hyuna, why do you like Luka, again?” He could discern no likeable traits about the guy. Well, except for maybe… “Is it because of his looks?”
Hyuna sputtered. She dropped Luka, who fell like a marionette with his strings cut. “I—I’m not—that’s—you—“ Her blush expanded to cover her whole face, then she turned on her heel. “I’M LEAVING!!! You both need to think about what you did!!!!!”
“Ah,” Ivan said as he watched her sprint away.
At his feet, Luka‘a eyes glinted with unrestrained malice. His hand closed around the earlier discarded rock (rookie mistake—Ivan should’ve kicked it further away), raising it slowly in a clear threat.
Ivan reacted by drawing back his foot to kick him in the face, then thought better of it. Hyuna would be mad if I hurt him.
Changing strategies, Ivan pivoted to Hyun-Woo, who only had time to say “Wha—?” before he swept his legs out from under him and shoved him on top of Luka.
Then he booked it.
“IVAN, YOU TRAITOR!!!” Hyun-Woo howled. “Wait, Luka—BAD LUKA, PUT DOWN THE ROCK—!”
“You’re pretty. I like you.”
The shy words immediately made Ivan want to turn around. He would’ve, if he hadn’t recognized one of the two figures he’d accidentally stumbled upon.
“Oh!” Mizi smiled at the unknown boy, though her hands were clenched tight behind her back. “Thanks! But I don’t think we’ve ever really talked?”
“I don’t need to talk to you to know I like you,” the boy pushed, now leaning forward. His blush rode high on his cheeks and spilled over to his ears, like a wound across his face. “We can just get to know each other now!”
Mizi’s smile stiffened. “Oh. Well, I’m pretty busy with my own friends…”
“Can’t you just ditch them?”
Quietly, Ivan attempted to back away. Unfortunately, Mizi’s eyes snapped to him at the movement in her periphery.
“Ivan! There you are!” she greeted cheerfully, not hesitating to run over and wrap herself around his arm. “You’re heading to lunch, right? Me too!”
Ivan was about to refute her when he caught sight of the other boy. His expression was dark, his fists clenched at his sides as his eyes narrowed at their point of contact.
One week ago, Ivan wouldn’t have cared. He’d’ve been gone already, disengaging from the situation before it even started. Honestly, he still didn’t really want to get involved. But with the fresh memory of Mizi calling them ‘friends’ in his head and her trembling fingers curled around his bicep…
Well.
The library can wait.
Ivan didn’t spare the boy another glance as he followed Mizi’s unspoken command and started heading toward the cafeteria. “We’re late. The others probably already started eating.”
“Sorry, sorry!” Mizi laughed. It sounded genuine, even though Ivan knew it must be fake. “I’m dumb, so I stayed longer to ask the teacher some questions. Hey, are you good at tutoring? Sua and I tried once, and it was a disaster. She’s a natural genius, so it‘s hard for her to—“
She continued chattering long after they’d already left the boy and turned down several hallways. Ivan let her, her punishing grip becoming incrementally more relaxed as they went.
“—and Sua’s just so amazing, you know? We sing well together and I like how pale and delicate she is, plus she has the most beautiful smile—oh! We’re here!” Mizi relinquished her hold on Ivan in favor of taking his hand. She eagerly tugged them toward the sweet line. “You like this flavor too, right? I think I remember you getting it.”
Finally, something Ivan could answer. “Yes.”
Mizi halted mid-step, blinking, then grinned before continuing forward. “I knew it! Hey, I know I’ve said this before, but you’re like a real life prince! So cool, showing up to save me just when I need it.” As they got in line, her expression turned serious. “That…was okay, right? I didn’t bother you? I—I know that guy meant well and I just kinda freaked out and clung to you, but…you don’t mind, right?”
Ivan did mind. But it would be impolite to say as much, so instead he settled for, “I don’t mind.”
Mizi’s smile was so bright it hurt. “Okay! Thank you!!” She shuffled closer, throwing her arms out to hug him. “I’m so glad we’re friends!”
Ivan froze. He didn’t think he’d ever been hugged before in his life.
It was warm. Too warm? Tight. Too tight? He didn’t know, couldn’t discern anything past the hurricane of conflicting emotions and thoughts.
Mizi didn’t seem to mind how stiff he was nor that he didn’t reciprocate, easily letting go when she dubbed a sufficient amount of time had passed. “Thank you, again! I’ll be counting on you in the future, okay?”
Still reeling, Ivan was about to forsake his own self-discipline and protest when he caught sight of their budding friend group across the cafeteria.
Hyuna had two spoons and was tapping them rhythmically against the table while Till watched, rapt with fascination. After completing some type of beat, she passed the spoons over to him. Till eagerly replicated it, to which Hyuna grinned and grinded her fist into his hair. Till squawked, shoving her aside, though anyone could see how his cheeks were flushed from pleasure.
Some hungry beast deep in Ivan’s core lifted its head, pausing in its constant scratching at his ribcage in favor of observing this simple moment. Aching. Wanting.
“Okay,” Ivan heard himself say. “You can count on me.”
Ivan stood at the edge of the play area, where he’d been standing for the past twenty minutes. Children were scattered all around him making flower crowns, but he felt no inclination to join them. Not just because of the cameras, but also because involving himself in their joy felt about as achievable as punching through steel.
Today was their monthly Owner Visitation Day, and he’d just gotten back from seeing Unsha. It went…fine. More than fine, really. Unsha had laid out a feast (no part of which he could eat), took him to a party (where he was paraded around to be poked and prodded at for hours), and given him a haircut (sure. Whatever. Why not?).
All of it was very grand and generous. Essentially, Ivan had spent the whole day being pampered and praised. Most owners didn’t put in half as much effort into their pets, if they showed up at all. In comparison, he was quite spoiled.
It didn’t stop the horrible, clawing emptiness in his chest.
Upon returning to Anakt Garden, Ivan had gone to his room to study…then kept going. His impromptu walk led him to the play area, then through it, until he’d reached some sort of service tunnel surrounded by an abundance of flowers and kids. He didn’t know if the flower crown making was a guided activity or a spontaneous group thing, but either way it just added to the numbness that had been plaguing him all day.
Ivan wondered if any of his peers knew about the cameras. At this point, he was starting to think he was the only one.
He wasn’t sure why he was still watching them. It was boring and probably the most unproductive thing he’d done all week. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to walk away.
Gray seeped into his vision. Colors blurred and mixed until he couldn’t tell the difference between a tree and a person, their bright laughter fading into a wash of static. Still, he watched; isolated and invisible as the static grew and the gray converged, consuming him under their—
A red flower crown sailed past his head.
Unconsciously, Ivan’s eyes moved to track it. Moments later, Till blazed past him like a shooting star, the bruises on his face doing nothing to detract from his natural starlight.
Ivan hardly registered that his feet were moving until he was already in the tunnel. Down they went, Till dashing into a side door to chase after his runaway accessory while Ivan followed mindlessly, caught in his orbit. Upon reaching his destination, he elected to remain in the hallway, half-hidden behind the doorframe as he peeked inside.
Unfortunately for Till, a wagyein was occupying the room and had taken an interest in his flower crown. Even more unfortunately, Mizi was also present, her whole body frozen with her hands over her mouth as she quivered before the beast.
Ivan had no idea what had happened in the ten seconds it took for him to arrive, but Till was already on the ground with heavy, gasping pants. His jaw hung open as he swiped at his spit-slick mouth, highlighting the bruise there.
Ivan gripped the doorframe tighter.
The wagyein bared its teeth, agitated by the humans’ presence in its already too-small room. It growled, crouching in a clear show of intimidation.
As always, Ivan silently observed the scene. Till was on the ground. Mizi was frozen in fear. The wagyein, large and imposing as it was, was chained up with its human-sized teeth far out of reach. Though it could still bat at the pair with its chitin paws, it looked more protective of the lopsided crown than anything.
Then, something miraculous happened.
Ivan knew that it wasn’t likely that his peers knew about the wagyein. Grooming them was a chore done by older kids, and he didn’t know anyone else that read interspecies guides in their free time. He was also smart enough to understand that, because the kids his age were unfamiliar with this large, pointy, growly creature, they were bound to be afraid of it.
It didn’t stop Till from standing up.
Ivan could only see his back, but that was enough. The image of Till getting up, still bruised and panting, and growling back as he stood between the wagyein and Mizi was…was…
Suddenly, Ivan understood exactly what he felt for Till.
The gray faded. The static ceased. Colors erupted into high definition as the center of his world slid firmly into place.
Ivan loved Till.
Probably had for a while.
Ivan loved Till, and a million things started to make sense. Why he couldn't get him off his mind. Why smiling was so easy around him. Why he always, always craved his attention. Why even the title of ‘friend’ had felt like a holy grail he’d been blessed enough to touch.
Ivan loved Till.
He loved him, and they were both going to die.
Unless…
Unless he did something about it.
Notes:
Look who finally managed to fix their summary and tags! More to come, of course, but we're getting there. <3
I'll have the next chapter up this weekend. A lot's gonna happen. I can't wait!! ;)
Leave a kudos and comment if you like where this is going! Or if you don't...juggling all these complex characters is a challenge and a half. ^^'
Chapter 4
Notes:
Forgive me for posting late. Today was busier than I thought. ^^'
Anyway, yay!!! We're here! <3
-------------------
Ages:
Ivan, 7
Till, 6
Mizi, 7
Sua, 8
Hyuna, 12
Hyun-Woo, 12
Luka, 15CW/TW: Child abuse (physical, restrictive, medical), negative thoughts, implied age regression, and talks of death.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Till got in trouble for riling up the wagyein.
His restraints were even harsher than last time, his detention cell the size of a broom closet. Still, Ivan didn’t panic. If anything, the location made his job easier since it was more remote.
He’d known the robot sentries’ patrol schedules for a while now. They weren’t hard to figure out. Everything mechanical performed specific functions at specific times (just like him—), so it was really only a matter of watching them and writing it down. Still, there was one hangup.
Hyuna.
Ivan’s first friend. The whole reason he had friends at all, including Till. If it had been two weeks ago, he wouldn’t have hesitated to grab Till and run straight for the rebels’ hideout, but now…
Hyuna taking his hand. Hyun-Woo lifting him up in the air. Mizi laughing as she walked him to class.
Till defending Mizi.
Ivan may be a solitary existence, but he knew the others weren’t like that. Till wasn’t like that. If they ran, there was a nonzero chance that Till would run back.
That wasn’t acceptable.
“Hyuna,” Ivan said, catching the older girl’s arm on her way to dinner. “Come with me.”
Hyuna patted his head, which while nice, wasn’t what he wanted. “Hold on, Ivan. Let me get my food first, then we’ll sit down.”
“No.” Ivan tugged harder. “Follow me. Now.”
Hyuna startled, then looked at him. Really looked at him. Slowly, her expression melted from casual friendliness to stoic concern. ”…should I get Hyun-Woo and Luka?”
Not Luka, Ivan almost blurted before biting his tongue. He nodded, hoping to convey the seriousness of the situation.
“Okay.” Hyuna’s hand drifted down to his shoulder, giving it a firm yet gentle squeeze. “Okay. Just give me a second.”
After she left, Ivan pivoted and strode toward the lunch line. He spotted Mizi and Sua easily, the former’s hair being among the most eye-catching in Anakt Garden.
“Come with me,” Ivan muttered, low enough so the others couldn’t hear.
Mizi turned around, surprised. She was currently three people away from the food dispenser. “Ivan?”
“Mizi. Sua.” He locked eyes with the black-haired girl. “Come with me. We need to go. Now.”
Sua’s eyes narrowed. “Go?”
“Go,” Ivan affirmed. “Follow me.”
Mizi frowned. “Ivan, it's dinnertime! We can’t just—“
“Mizi.” Sua put a hand on her arm, giving her an unreadable look. “Let’s go.”
Mizi stared at her. Her expression changed twenty times within a second before settling on grim determination. “…okay. Let’s go.”
Hyuna and the others were waiting at the door. Ivan nodded at them before sweeping out of the cafeteria, heading straight for the unused dorms.
He counted the doorways as he passed. At the twenty-third one, he took an electronic decoder out of his pocket and held it against the scanner.
“Gift,” Ivan explained to Hyun-Woo’s slack jaw. “To remove the collar.” It did other stuff too, obviously, not that Unsha seemed to know. Most likely, he’d simply bought the priciest pet items on the market before handing it off to his prized investment, never actually bothering to read the manual.
The room unlocked, and there was Till. Bound and gagged, restraints on every limb, and barely conscious to boot. There were no new bruises on his face, but that didn’t mean anything. After all, the face was only a small percent of the body.
Ivan worked quickly yet quietly, well-practiced from his two years of experience doing this multiple times a week. Till stirred as he finished unlocking the arms and started on the torso, blinking blearily at the pallid group.
“Ivan…?” Till croaked. He sounded dehydrated. It pulled at Ivan’s heartstrings, but they couldn’t risk grabbing supplies. The diet controls were the one thing he’d never figured out how to bypass. “Mizi? Hyuna? What—what are you all doing here?” His glassy eyes slid over them, drugged and disoriented.
Ivan stuck his fingers in his mouth.
Cries of shock abounded, but Ivan ignored them. Till gagged, his eyes bulging, but Ivan held strong. Only when he felt liquid pool did he remove his fingers, sidestepping so Till’s puke landed on the floor.
“Ivan!” Mizi shrieked. “What—?!”
Ivan shoved his sleeve over her mouth, boring holes into her with his stare. “Be. Quiet.”
When he withdrew his arm, Mizi’s mouth hung open but not a sound came out.
Ivan explained as he crouched to free Till’s legs, the last of his restraints. “Without water, food, or rest, vomiting is the quickest way to get the drugs out of his system. Normally, I’d visit him after bedtime so I wouldn’t need to do this, but that’s not an option right now.” Not when I have to sneak all of you out, too.
When Till fell forward, finally free, Hyun-Woo was the one who caught him. Ivan looked up at him in surprise.
“What?” Hyun-Woo grimaced. “I’m not a complete idiot. Someone’s gotta carry this guy, and no offense, but I’m stronger.”
“We’ll take turns,” Hyuna decided. Her face was borne of steel, suddenly all business. “Ivan, you just focus on leading the way.”
Mizi still looked confused, but didn’t argue as Sua took her hand. Together, they trekked down the winding corridors, through a service area that was perpetually under construction, and out of a tunnel that was half-metal, half-dirt.
“I know this place,” Sua muttered. “How are we gonna get down the cliff? Ivan—“
“I know,” Ivan interrupted. “Just follow me.”
He made a hard turn as soon as they exited the tunnel, traveling up the mountain instead of down the cliff side. Scattered bushes and trees did their best to deter them, but Ivan never faltered in his chosen route. After some time, Till quietly changed hands from Hyun-Woo to Hyuna.
The sky bled as the sun dipped below the horizon. As per the current cycle, no moons were out. It darkened the scenery, transforming the green and yellow plant life into wispy black shapes.
Finally, they reached a large field. The grass was tall enough to brush Ivan’s knees, and the second he saw it, a smile touched his face. He turned around, unknowingly shocking his friends speechless with his beatific grin. “From now on, we’re no longer on Anakt Garden property. Over there is the city, that way the human slums, and there—“ his finger shifted somewhere between the two spots “—is the rebellion.”
“The rebellion?” Hyuna readjusted Till in her arms, her expression wary. “What rebellion?”
“The human rebellion.” Ivan cocked his head, giving her a puzzled look. “You…don’t know about it?”
Weird. They weren’t anything huge, but they made the news every now and then. Owners, in particular, liked to badmouth the rebellion to their pets, calling them ‘human terrorists.’
“I know about it,” Luka intoned. His eyes were dull, his face suspiciously blank. “But I can’t come.”
“What?!” Hyuna rounded on him. Her fierce glare was betrayed by the wobbling of her lower lip. “Luka! This is—this is everything! How could you—?!”
“I wouldn’t last a month,” Luka said simply. He looked resigned. “My condition…I need doctors. Machines. Medicine. I can’t leave.”
Quietly, Ivan moved closer to Hyuna in case she dropped Till.
Mizi looked distressed, clinging to Sua’s arm as her gaze jumped between the two older kids. There was an edge of steel to her though, like she was subconsciously calculating the most advantageous route.
Sua reached her answer faster.
“Fine.” She marched closer to Ivan, clamping her hand on his shoulder. The message was clear: no matter what, you’re taking Mizi and me to the rebellion. “You can stay and live for a few more years until you die on that stage. Because that’s so much better than dying free.”
Luka‘s expression soured. “I don’t care about being free. I care about—” He stopped, his eyes snapping to Hyuna. “…Hyuna. What do you want to do?”
Hyuna’s face crumpled. She looked down at Ivan. Then Mizi. Then Till. Then, over her shoulder at Hyun-Woo. “I-I’m going.” Her voice cracked on a sob. “I’m sorry, Luka. I’m so sorry. But I’m going.”
The defiant light in Luka’s eyes faded. His shoulders slumped, his white sleeves coming up like an omen. He buried his face in his hands for ten seconds, twenty, before he removed them. The expression left behind was one of large, soft eyes and a flushed, dopey grin. “Okay. I’m going, too.”
Hyuna sobbed harder.
Wordlessly, Hyun-Woo bent down in front of Luka. The blond obediently climbed onto his back, still smiling as he nuzzled into his hair. Contrary to Luka’s blissed out expression, Hyun-Woo’s face was one of grim resignation.
No words were spoken as they continued their journey, the endless waves of grass getting more and more sparse until they were greeted by a more desert-like biome.
Till stirred awake when Hyuna stumbled over a particularly pesky dune. “Wha—?” He sucked in a breath. “Oh. Wow.”
Ivan stopped, turning back to look at him and follow his gaze up toward—
Shooting stars painted streaks of gold against a blood red sky. Dozens of meteors flew by every second, all of them dancing to an unsung tune.
Ivan glanced back down at Till, who was shining brighter than any star. His mouth was hanging open, his eyes glittering with an intensity that matched the meteors’. His red cheeks and golden smile mirrored the blazing cosmos, like he’d somehow managed to infuse it into his very skin.
He was beautiful.
Till was beautiful, and Ivan loved him.
The thought made him smile. Soon. We’ll be safe soon.
“Don’t stop now,” Ivan said aloud to the others, who had also stopped to stare. “We can watch as we go. If we keep this pace, we’ll get there by morning.”
“Morning, huh,” Hyun-Woo muttered, still facing the heavens. He adjusted Luka on his back, sweat pouring down his temples. “Fine. Small price to pay for freedom, I guess.”
“Freedom…” Mizi echoed, speaking up for the first time in hours. She sounded disbelieving, but not in the way that suggested she disagreed. More like she literally could not believe.
“Yes,” Ivan answered the unasked question. “I promise they’re real. They’ve even drawn me a map to their base before.”
Till’s eyes snapped from the meteor shower to him. “They what? Who?! Wait, where are we going?!?!”
“The human rebellion. Keep up,” Sua griped. She glared at Ivan. “You…are you actually stupid? You had a way out this whole time and still stayed? Why? Why now?”
For a while, Ivan didn’t respond. “…I don’t know. I guess I just didn’t have any reason to leave.” Against his will, his eyes found Till’s. “And then I did.”
Till stared back, looking so, so lost.
“If you’re awake now, do you mind walking?” Hyuna asked, gently shaking Till to get his attention. “I need to carry Luka before Hyun-Woo passes out.”
“Will not!” Hyun-Woo screeched, and the tension broke.
Mizi laughed, a little deliriously, as a blushing and sputtering Till slid out of Hyuna’s arms onto the sand. Hyuna then plucked Luka off Hyun-Woo’s back, unceremoniously swinging him around her torso like she’d done it a million times before. Luka was only too happy to change rides, clinging onto her neck. Sua wrinkled her nose as his elbow got a little too close to her face, ducking behind Mizi for cover.
Amidst the chaos, Ivan sidled closer to Till. Hesitantly, he took his hand, unsure if the gesture was welcome but emboldened to try nevertheless. Even though it had been less than twelve hours since he’d discovered his feelings, he wanted to convey them, even if only in this small way.
Till startled and looked down. Ivan held his breath as teal eyes flashed up to meet his, then—
Till squeezed his hand.
Ivan’s smile outshone the sky.
“What,” was Isaac’s first word when he opened the door.
“Hello, Isaac.” Ivan didn’t spare him a glance as he swept past him into the base. Till followed along, hand in hand as they were. “Where’s your water? And food?”
Isaac balked. “What the f—fire kid??? Hey, you can’t just—!”
“Isaaaac, who’s at the door?” A brown-haired teen padded into the room. His face lit up when he spotted Ivan. “Oh hey, it’s fire kid! Gosh, I thought you were dead!”
“Dewey!” Isaac hissed. “Look, kid, not that you’re not welcome here, but can you at least slow down so—“
“Hellooooo~!” Hyuna traipsed in, all smiles and charisma despite the teenager strapped to her back. “Yo terrorists, we come in peace!”
“You’re having way too much fun calling them that,” Hyun-Woo scolded from just behind her. “Ivan said that was propaganda from—oh! Hi!” He beamed at Isaac, taking his slack hand and shaking it. “Wow, you’re old! Are you a Provider?”
Poor Isaac looked overwhelmed. “I-I’m nineteen.”
“What the? I thought there’d be adults.” Sua blazed in with a scowl, strangely domineering as she dragged in an unusually timid Mizi. “Please tell me we didn’t escape Anakt Garden for this.”
“You escaped Anakt Garden?!” Isaac yelped, which was about where Ivan stopped listening.
He turned to the brown-haired teen (Dewey?). “Water. Food. Where is it?”
The teenager grinned, looking enthralled by the new faces. “Come on, I’ll show you! My name’s Dewey, by the way. Are you finally gonna tell me yours, or should I keep calling you fire kid?”
“Ivan,” Ivan introduced, pointing to himself. He gestured to the others in quick succession. “Till. Hyuna. Hyun-Woo. Luka. Sua. Mizi.” He turned back, deadpan. “Water?”
Dewey laughed. “You’re just as funny as I remember!”
He led them deeper into the facility, disappearing behind a small mountain of boxes before resurfacing with resealable water pouches and a few thick packets of what appeared to be soft tree bark mixed with crystalline fruit.
“Thank you,” Till mumbled as he and Ivan were handed portions.
“You’re welcome!” Dewey chirped, then left to distribute breakfast to the others.
Ivan didn’t hesitate to tear into his rations. When Till didn’t move, he reached over and opened his, too.
The expression on Till’s face was weird. He’d been uncharacteristically docile the whole way here, allowing himself to be half-carried, half-led to this strange unknown place with little contest. Although there were times when his steps faltered, he only needed to look back at the others to find his footing again. A habit that Ivan had only noticed because his heart quaked every time he felt Till slacken his grip.
Till opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He looked vaguely frustrated, equal parts relaxed and tense, like he had the mother of all conflicting emotions in his chest. “…why do they call you ’fire boy?’”
Ivan was sure that wasn’t the question Till wanted to ask, but answered it anyway. “Probably because I showed them how to start a fire with rocks. That's why they tried to recruit me.”
“The rebellion tried to recruit you?“ Till hissed. He looked incredulous, a much more identifiable emotion than the previous ambiguous one. “When?!”
“Two years ago, before I was captured and sold to Unsha.” Dropping his gaze, Ivan chanced a bite of the mystery food. It was salty, but overall not bad. “Actually, they're sort of why I got caught in the first place. Not that I’m mad.”
Till stared at him, slack-jawed. Ivan helpfully lifted his hand and nudged the water pouch against his lips.
“Where the—?! Oh. Here.” Isaac stormed in, his shoulders sagging when he spotted them. “Ivan, right? I know I said ‘open invitation,’ but you know, two years is a long time to make someone wait. Plus, you brought friends.” He made a wide sweeping motion with his hand. “Not that I’m turning you away. You’re all way past the diaper phase, which—anyway. It’s a good thing. Probably. Jacob’s been throwing around the idea of breaking into Anakt Garden, so—not that you should be worrying about that. You’re just kids.”
Ivan didn’t reply, instead sipping at his water pouch.
“Right. You were like this,” Isaac muttered. “Good job making it here, by the way. There’s nothing but desert for miles.“ He stalked to the other side of the room, picking up a discarded hoodie and shrugging it on. “You’re lucky I’m the one on checkpoint duty. I rode a motorcycle in, but I’m sure the next guy won’t mind if I take a truck back out.”
Ah. So this was an outpost. Ivan supposed that made sense; although the location made for easy access to the city and slums, it was dangerous for the exact same reason.
He took another bite of the food, still not saying a word.
Till’s eyes ricocheted between the two of them, either ignoring or not noticing how Ivan kept nudging him with the water pouch. “So…this isn’t the rebellion?”
“Yes. No.” Isaac sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s part of the rebellion. Just one of the many buildings we control.” He opened his eyes, fixing them with a steady look. “Don’t worry, I’ll be taking you to our home base. But first, we should raid a clinic or something. I don’t know what that blond kid—Luka?—has, but medical stuff is hard to come by. Especially for humans.”
“Raid? Us?” Till squeaked. He looked overwhelmed.
Impatient, Ivan shoved the water pouch into his mouth. Till flinched, his eyes widening as he was forced to gulp before he choked.
“Of course not,” Ivan said flatly. He wasn’t about to go on some dangerous quest for Luka. “You heard him. We’re just kids.”
Isaac raised an eyebrow. “Right…so on that note, I’ll be gone for a few hours. Ask Dewey if you have any questions.” He turned to leave.
“Wait.”
Isaac paused, looking over his shoulder.
“Before you go,” Ivan said, “can you please show us where we can get some sleep?”
Apparently, because Isaac had no idea what he needed to get, Luka was forced to come with. Of course, because Luka was going, Hyuna insisted she come along too. And because Hyuna went, Hyun-Woo just had to go.
Isaac was not pleased about this.
Not because the twins were a hindrance, oh no. But because they were exceptional.
All this, Ivan knew because he was unfortunate enough to be the only one of the Anakt crew awake during the two hour ride from the outpost to the main base.
Curse his self-discipline. Planning and executing the mission had taken no less than five hours, the same amount of time Ivan usually slept. Meaning, he was back to full alertness for the entire truck ride, where he was treated to Isaac’s hushed ranting to Dewey.
For. Two. Hours.
At least Till’s sleeping face was cute.
Waking up wrapped around him was better than dreaming. Never had Ivan been more thankful for limited bed space. He was similarly grateful for limited car space, for it meant that Till was all but on top of him the entire trip.
Button nose. Chubby cheeks. Warmth, so comforting it hurt.
Ivan buried his chin in silver locks, closing his eyes in unrivaled bliss.
“EVERYONE, WAKE UP! WE’RE HERE!!!” Dewey shouted, leaping out of the car before it could come to a full stop.
“Dewey, be—!” Isaac sighed. “Careful. God, that kid…”
Till and Mizi awoke with a start, almost hitting the roof of the truck with how high they jumped. Hyuna and Hyun-Woo were slower to wake, yawning and stretching in turns. Sua and Luka barely stirred.
Isaac leaned over the console, already looking tired. “Rise and shine. Everyone out. Sorry, but there’s some people you’ve gotta say hi to and accommodations to be made before you can go back to sleep.”
Piece said, he wasted no time exiting the truck. Everyone fumbled to follow, Till taking three tries to unlock the door and slide out. Ivan jumped down after him, noting how Hyuna and Hyun-Woo carried Sua and Luka, respectively.
Almost immediately, they spotted Isaac talking to a mellow-looking man with a large scar over his eye.
“Hmm? Isaac, you brought new recruits?” The man offered them a kind smile. “You’re all so young.”
“They’re from Anakt Garden,” Isaac informed him. “They escaped. Don't ask me how.” He turned to the gathered kids, waving a hand at the serene man. “Everyone say hi to Jacob. My older brother, and the leader of the rebellion.”
Notes:
Y'all, I'm running out of pre-prepared chapters... :'(
How's that for a fix-it? XD
Leave a kudos and comment if you like where this is going! <3Tumblr: @athi816
Chapter 5
Notes:
Will I ever post at a reasonable time? Perhaps. But today is not that day.
Also, last chapter doubled my view count??? Thank you. TT <3
--------------------
Ages:
Ivan, 7
Till, 6
Mizi, 7
Sua, 8
Hyuna, 12
Hyun-Woo, 12
Luka, 15CW/TW: Mild age regression, mild swearing, implied/referenced PTSD, discussed dehumanization and oppression, medical issues, child endangerment, guns, emotional repression, mild threats, and implied child abuse (physical).
(Sounds way worse than it is).
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Jacob and Hyuna got on like a house on fire. Even Hyun-Woo looked weirded out by how fast they clicked.
“Jacob,” Isaac interrupted, “we need to move Luka’s stuff. Some of that medication needs to be refrigerated and I don’t know how well those machines fared in the truck. Hyuna, wake your boyfriend so he can tell us what’s what.”
“Not my boyfriend,” Hyuna huffed, “but fine. Hyun-Woo, switch.”
The twins traded cargo, a sleeping Sua wrinkling her nose slightly as if sensing a disturbance in the force.
“No,” she complained, her head lolling. “Mizi, don’t leave me with him.”
For some reason, Ivan felt targeted.
“Be good,” Isaac warned before he, Jacob, and Hyuna left. Hyuna jostled Luka as they went, to which his only response was to drool on her shoulder.
Typical.
“I’m back!” Dewey ran up to them, followed closely by an older woman. “Vicky, say hi!”
“Sup?” Vicky greeted, clearly amused. “I heard y’all need beds? You’re in luck—we’ve got plenty.”
Ivan felt a twinge of disappointment. He’d been hoping for an excuse to share a room with Till.
“Thank you so much!” Mizi enthused. She looked a lot cheerier now that she’d had time to acclimate to the situation and get some much-needed nourishment and sleep. “Can we still share rooms? Sua and I are used to sleeping together!”
For a split second, Ivan understood why so many people had a crush on her.
“You can do whatever you want.” Vicky grinned. “That’s the beauty of this place. No aliens. No rules.”
Ivan’s heartbeat quickened. He side-eyed Till. “Want to—“
“Why do you have metal in your ears?” Till asked, blowing past him. His hands hovered around Vicky’s forearm, enraptured by the colored marks on her skin. “What are these? Did you draw them yourself?”
“The metal is called ‘piercings.’” Vicky grinned wider, offering her arm up for inspection. “These ‘drawings’ are called tattoos. I made the design, but someone else had to do the actual ink work. Hurt like a motherfucker.”
Till blinked. “Mo-ther…what?”
They continued chatting, Till’s eyes getting bigger and bigger the more he learned. Mizi and Hyun-Woo didn’t seem to mind, looking almost as interested in the conversation as Till.
Dewey sidled up to Ivan. “I can tell you’re not that into it. Don’t worry, me neither.” He winked. “Not only do a bunch of people scream trying to get it done, the recovery time can interfere with mission work.”
Ivan glanced at him but didn’t respond. Him not liking it had nothing to do with pain or ‘mission work.’ Honestly, he just thought it looked messy.
(Though, Till could definitely pull it off.)
“Aight, that’s enough chitchat.” Vicky jerked her head in the direction of the base. “First come, first serve, munchkins. Hurry up so I can get lunch.”
Being a rebel was significantly less work than Ivan thought it would be. Not because there was nothing to do, but because no one let him do anything.
No missions. No chores. At first, they let him clean the base, but soon forced him to stop because he was ‘obsessive’ and they were ‘concerned that he was overworking himself.’ One lady even had the audacity to ask if he ’needed someone to talk to about his trauma.’ Another guy wouldn’t stop calling him ‘Mr. Perfect.’
He’d had enough.
“Please steal some books during your next raid,” Ivan all but demanded, cornering Jacob mid-workout. “If you can’t, I’ll go and get them myself.”
Jacob was unfazed. “Really? I wasn’t aware you were tall enough to drive.” He adjusted the weights on his shoulders, unfaltering as he worked through a series of squats. “Besides, all you had to do was ask. What do you want? Fairy tales? Poetry?” He gave him a considering look. “Hmm. No. You like the classics, right?”
Ivan did like the classics, but that wasn’t his goal. “I want textbooks. Preferably from a beginner through intermediate understanding for all non-musical subjects, but anything is fine. Any language is fine, too.”
That got Jacob’s attention. “Any language? Including Segyein Standard?”
“Yes.”
“You’re literate in Segyein Standard?”
“…yes.”
Ivan didn’t know what the big deal was. Of course, he’d taught himself the aliens’ universal language. How else was he supposed to stay informed? Only teaching pet humans Earth languages (primarily Korean and English; allegedly for historical reasons claiming that at the time of invasion, Earth’s most popular music were in the two) was a tool of oppression. One that he quickly did away with as soon as he had access to a proper library.
“Impressive.” Jacob set down his weights, bending down so he was at eye-level with Ivan. “Can you speak it?”
Ivan gave him a flat look. “No. Humans don’t have the correct vocal chords. Not enough flatulence.”
“My bad.” Jacob smiled. “Ivan, right? You’re pretty smart.”
“Not really.”
“You don’t think so?”
“I have to study a lot to get the results I want,” Ivan explained. “Sua’s the one who’s a natural prodigy.”
“I see.” Jacob grinned. “I underestimated Anakt Garden. I should’ve known you were all geniuses when the silver-haired one started drawing all over my walls.”
Before Ivan could defend Till’s artwork, Jacob continued, “I’ll get you your books. Fair warning: everyone here is self-taught, so I can’t provide much in the way of education.” He ruffled Ivan’s hair. “Sorry. And sorry if you felt bored. Personally, I‘d’ve let you clean as much as you want, but the others get antsy when they see such a young kid toiling away. Brings back bad memories.”
Ivan didn’t care about that. He just wanted to feel useful.
“Come to me from now on; I’ve got a bunch of documents you can translate.” Jacob stood, taking Ivan by the hand and leading him out of the room. “I better watch out or you kids will come for my job. Hyuna and Hyun-Woo are already running circles around my best people—my poor little brother can hardly keep up.” He seemed to be talking to himself now, walking them to who-knows-where. “Staying educated is a good idea. We need more medical training if we want to help Luka.”
They arrived at the main room, which was essentially a wide open space housing a bar at one end and a stage at the other. There were several tables set up, some of which were filled with people socializing and eating lunch. Jacob waved at them but didn’t stop, instead continuing down the hallway leading to the supply depots.
A short way past the food supply room, Till was on his tiptoes with a charcoal pen. He made little brushstrokes, a mini forest coming to life under his hands.
Ivan’s heart fluttered in his chest.
“Ah, there’s my little graffiti artist.” Jacob smiled, letting go of Ivan’s hand and giving his head a few pats. “Why don’t you two have fun? It seems I’ve got a raid to plan.” With a parting wink, he left.
Till didn’t seem to notice the interaction, much less the new presence. Used to this, Ivan settled down against the far wall, content to watch him in silence.
It didn’t take long for Till to finish. He took a few steps back, eyed his work critically, then nodded. He turned around, spooking when he saw Ivan just sitting there staring at him.
”Oh, it’s you.” Till sighed, picking his pen up from where he’d dropped it on the floor. Silver studs gleamed in his ears, inflamed and new. “Is it lunchtime yet?”
Ivan nodded.
“Good; I’m hungry.” Till stretched, tucking his pen away. His face when he discovered the existence of pockets was one that Ivan would treasure for a long, long time. “Everyone’s here today, right? I heard that Luka’s doing better.”
Ivan nodded again. He didn’t actually know if that was true, but he wasn’t about to look into it to find out.
Till seemed to think that was the end of the conversation, disappearing into the food supply room and reappearing with two bowls. It seemed that someone had actually cooked something today. They made their way back to the main room where they found Hyuna regaling Mizi with the details of her latest mission.
“I had a gun!” Hyuna cackled gleefully. “I used it to shoot the security cameras! You should’ve seen it, Mizi—bang! Pew, pew, bam! Hurray, new clothes!”
Mizi looked enthralled. “I want a gun!”
“I’ll ask Kat next time I—oh, hey guys!” Hyuna waved at them, gesturing to some empty seats. “Sit, sit! Listen to my awesome stories!”
They sat. Till was quick to join the conversation, comfortable and relaxed after over a month of the same routine. Ivan was more reserved, preferring to people-watch as he ate.
“Hey Ivan, I heard you threatened Jacob today,” Hyuna teased. “Something about wanting to continue school? Not a bad idea, actually. I’m game.”
Till made a face. “Can’t I just do art and music stuff on my own?”
“‘You can do anything you want,’” Mizi quoted. She flashed Till a grin. “I don’t miss textbooks, either. Playing games is much more fun!”
Ivan looked down at his bowl, stirring the purple-and-white stew. “I just want to be productive.”
“Don’t I know it.” Hyuna laughed. “How many times have you gotten caught cleaning in weird places this week? Four? Five?”
“Eight,” Ivan muttered. “And polishing the weapons is not weird. They get used a lot.”
“I still don’t know how you managed to disassemble them.”
“Are we talking about the bazooka incident?” Hyun-Woo plopped down with a grin. “I think Isaac peed his pants when he saw you loading it.”
Ivan’s brow furrowed. “How else was I supposed to test its functionality?”
Hyuna howled, slapping him on the back.
“Anyway.” Hyun-Woo leaned his elbows on the table. “Mizi, where’s Sua? Still asleep?”
“Yeah.” Mizi sighed. “I knew she liked napping, but I guess I never knew how much. How’s Luka?”
“His breathing sounds better.” Hyun-Woo reached over and stole Ivan’s bowl, earning him an empty stare. “Don’t listen to the haters, Ivan. I think your cleaning has really improved his asthma.”
Never had Ivan felt so demotivated. “I’ll stop.”
Till choked on his stew.
Hyuna immediately thumped him on the back, nearly making Till face plant into his bowl. He started yelling at her while Mizi laughed so hard she cried. Lunch continued like that, noisy and raucous with enough spirit to power the whole base. All around them, the other rebels kept giving them fond looks.
As Ivan sat there with his friends, he could see why. He was fond of them, too.
When Jacob said he’d do something, he really committed.
Ivan was only halfway through the first of three new crates of books and so far he’d uncovered: four math textbooks, six science, two engineering, one physics, one astrophysics, four music, three art, two literature, and something called Three Generations by Yom Sang-seop.
“Yo, this looks sick!” Hyuna picked up an engineering textbook, tracing the metal prosthetic on the cover. “What do I need to learn to make this? Hyun-Woo, look, look!”
Hyun-Woo didn’t, too busy being engrossed in a science textbook full of blobs and the occasional squiggle. “That’s nice, sis.”
“You’re not looking!”
Ivan tuned out the ensuing squabble, peeking over at Sua. Her appearance was somewhat a surprise seeing as she hardly ever left her room, but perhaps she secretly missed school too.
“Where’s Mizi?” Sua yawned. “I thought she’d be here.”
Or maybe not.
Deciding to leave the rest for later, Ivan picked up a science textbook and the lone novel before departing for his room.
All things considered, it was a very nice room. It had a bed, desk, and mini bookshelf that he could use at his own convenience. Bathrooms were communal at the end of the hall, which he used to clean everyday before a chore schedule was implemented specifically to make him stop. Isaac had actually thanked him for the change.
Ivan sat down at the desk and opened the science textbook, eager to start learning. He expected to see the same blobs and squiggles in Hyun-Woo’s book, but instead was greeted by a lot of acronyms and straight lines in seemingly random formations.
“Chemistry,” Ivan read aloud, “is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, properties, behavior, and the changes they undergo during reactions with other substances. Chemistry also addresses the nature of chemical bonds in chemical compounds.”
…
…
He closed the book.
For the next raid, Ivan requested a dictionary.
Ivan spent one week holed up in his room before Till practically kicked the door down.
“Move over,” he said brusquely, climbing onto Ivan’s bed and shoving his feet aside so he could lay down. He was carrying a crumpled stack of music sheets, which he attempted to smooth out once he got settled. “I need a place to hide.”
Ivan blinked at him, nonplussed. “…hi.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Till mumbled. He was already hard at work plotting notes, so Ivan let him be and went back to his book.
It was silent for about ten minutes.
“What’re you reading?” Till asked abruptly, breaking his concentration. “School stuff? Or just a normal book?”
“It’s a math textbook.” Ivan turned it around to show him. “I’m learning multiplication.”
“Multi-what?” Till made a face, squinting at the strange symbols. “Looks confusing.”
“It’s not, actually.” Ivan flipped to the first chapter. “I had to learn how to add first, which is basically like if you have one pencil and I have one pencil, then me giving you my pencil would mean you have two pencils. But with bigger numbers.”
“Huh.” Till sounded reluctantly intrigued. “Anakt Garden never taught us anything like that.”
“I know. That’s why I’m learning.”
“…let me see.”
They spent the next two hours learning math together. Ivan showed Till how to do the addition problems, which he understood well enough. Subtraction was trickier for him, multiplication even more so, but Till didn’t give up until they got to division.
“I think you’ll be able to learn it,” Ivan encouraged. “There’s practice problems at the end of these chapters. As long as you memorize the times tables, everything under a hundred is easy.”
“For you, maybe,” Till grumbled. “Even that much will take me forever.”
There was a knock on the door, then Isaac poked his head in. “Hey Ivan, have you seen—“ his eyes narrowed. “You.”
Till squeaked and half-hid behind Ivan.
“Drawing on the walls is one thing,” Isaac said menacingly, “but the bathroom? Really?!”
“It’ll wash off!” Till defended.
“Yeah, and who do you think has to wash it?!”
“I’ll do it,” Ivan volunteered.
“Shush, you.” Isaac shook his finger at him. “You’re still banned from cleaning. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about the bazooka!”
“You’re such a nag,” Till complained. “This is why you have no friends.”
“You little—!”
Isaac lunged at him, causing Till to squawk and jump off the bed. He ran out of the room, Isaac hot on his heels.
Ivan stayed where he was, forgotten. All around him, discarded music sheets lay scattered in a similar state.
Without a word, he organized them into a neat pile on his desk before resuming his book.
Luka made his first public appearance six weeks after they’d joined the rebellion. All he did was eat breakfast and smile while the others made conversation, but that was enough to win over half the base.
“Aw, you eat so well!” Kat cooed, pushing another packet of alien fruit jerky at him. “Have as much as you want!”
Luka smiled bashfully. “Thank you.”
Ivan’s chopsticks clattered out of his grip. Suddenly, he’d lost his appetite.
Maybe he should return to his room. Breakfast had long since passed—it was just him and Luka now, everyone else wandering off ages ago. Yes, he’d stuck around for a reason, but how important was it really?
Luka’s gaze rolled to meet his. Right now there was a rare lull between admirers, so they had the table to themselves. “What do you want?”
Ivan blinked at him.
“You’re not leaving and I hate looking at your face,” Luka said bluntly. “Tell me what you want, then go.”
Ivan’s fingers spasmed before he relented. “I…want…” He cleared his throat. God, this was painful. “I want you…to teach me…how…to smile.”
There. He did it.
Luka’s eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. “Why?”
Ivan knew he meant it like ‘Why should I?’ but that wasn’t how he chose to answer. “Everyone else smiles naturally. You’re the only one I know whose smiles aren’t real, so I want you to teach me.”
Luka squinted at him. “Are you calling me fake?”
“Yes.”
“Hmph. Fair.”
“So you’ll teach me?”
“Fine,” Luka sniffed. “But you owe me.”
“Okay.” Ivan had expected as much.
Luka glanced around surreptitiously. “Not here. Follow me.”
He scooped up his gifts, tottering out of the room. Ivan was quick to pursue, gathering their dirty dishes and depositing them on the cleaning cart before he left.
They walked down the corridor, made a quick pit stop at Luka’s room to drop off the gifts, then continued on to the bathroom. They stopped in front of a full-length mirror.
“I have two methods,” Luka prefaced. “One, practice. Curve your lips—hold your face if you have to—and stay like that until it hurts. Then keep going.”
Ivan nodded. That’s how he usually did it.
“Two,” Luka continued, “is to think about something you like. Or someone. Like Hyuna.” His eyes narrowed. “Only for me, though. Think of her and you die.”
Ivan nodded again, this time more slowly. He knew this method too. He’d even implemented it a few times, though always unconsciously.
“Now, focus.” Luka’s eyes bored into him with his stare. “Think about what you like. I want to know what I’m working with.”
Ivan closed his eyes and concentrated.
Immediately, Till popped into his head. Teal flashed behind a silver as he glared, charcoal streaking across his cheek.
Ivan imagined going up to him. Imagined lifting Till’s face in his hands and wiping it off. Imagined Till letting him, perhaps giving Ivan one of those warm, rare smiles—
“Gross.”
Ivan’s daydream shattered, his eyes flying open. Luka was still staring at him, his expression now one of utter disgust.
Ivan reached up to feel his face. He was smiling, his lips upturned and slightly parted. His cheeks were even warm, meaning he was probably blushing.
“No wonder Heperu kept shocking me,” Luka tsked. “You look demented. Stop it before I hit you.”
Ivan would like to see him try. “Why? I’m smiling, aren’t I?”
“You’re smiling wrong. It’s creepy.” Luka wrinkled his nose. “Come here; I’ll fix it.”
Without any further warning, Luka put his hands on Ivan’s face, mushing his cheeks and pulling at his lips. After several long agonizing seconds, he let go, stepping back to admire his work.
“Hold that for at least ten minutes,” Luka ordered, directing him in front of the mirror. “I’ll time you.”
He started counting, quickly devolving into mumbles before falling silent. His glare was intense, pinning Ivan’s reflection with his stare. Not that Ivan noticed, too busy analyzing his new face.
A closed-mouth smile. No more blush. Eyelids at half-mast.
He looked mysterious, polite and friendly without being too much of either. Despite Luka’s vocal disdain for his snaggletooth, here it was at full prominence, lending his face enough irregularity to be compelling.
Ivan hated to admit it, but he made the right choice asking Luka for help.
“See?” Luka said smugly when the ten minutes were up. “I can actually stand to look at you now.”
Ivan nodded, having no choice but to agree. “Thank you.”
Luka flattened his hand over Ivan’s hair. “There. Do that six times a day and you’ll get used to it eventually.”
Then he sauntered off, leaving Ivan behind with a brand new smile and a begrudging respect in his chest.
Notes:
That's the end of Act One! Finally, we'll get to our first timeskip. :)
I'll post sometime this weekend. Saturday, mayhap? I hope y'all enjoy seeing how everyone grew up in their new environment. ;)
Feel free to leave a kudos and comment! I love hearing your thoughts! <3
Tumblr: @athi816
Chapter 6
Notes:
I think I'm actually obsessed with my own fic. I keep re-reading it to the point where it's driving ME nuts. XD
_________________________
Ages:
Ivan, 14
Till, 13
Mizi, 14
Sua, 15
Hyuna, 19
Hyun-Woo, 19
Luka, 22CW/TW: Referenced injuries, implied child endangerment, alcohol, mild swearing, discussions of trafficking and dehumanization, negative thoughts, and threats of violence.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Contrary to Jacob’s musings, seven years later he was not ousted from his position as rebel leader. He did, however, have a whole new inner circle, as each member of the infamous ‘7NAKT’ individually lived up to their titles as geniuses.
“What’s the point of sending you out if you’re just going to get injured?” Sua griped, wrapping Ivan’s arm with a scowl. “Some field medic you are.”
Ivan grinned, unrepentant. “Sorry, sorry! It's not my fault I’m the best at hacking.”
“Stop laughing!” Sua snapped. “‘Hacking,’ yeah right. You’re just shorting out locks.”
“Yes, but I’m good at it.”
“You just wait until Hyuna finishes her universal key.” Sua tied off the knot, waving a pair of scissors in his face before snipping off the excess bandage. “Then you’ll really be useless.”
Ivan shrugged, still grinning. “I’m sure I’ll find something to do.”
He left the clinic before Sua could throw something at him, whistling as he went. He inclined his head to everyone he passed, earning him several high fives.
“Nice battle scar, Mr. Perfect!” Joon hollered, slapping him on the back. “Maybe by the time you get to my age, you won’t have anything left of that pretty face!”
“Even no-faced, I’d still look better than you,” Ivan teased.
Joon snorted, giving him another slap before continuing on his way.
Ivan walked on, detouring to the food storage to grab a water pouch before heading to the main room.
“Ivan, get your ass over here!” Hyuna called. She released Hyun-Woo from what looked like a lethal noogie, stumbling over to him. “I need you to arm wrestle me!”
“Uh oh, who gave you alcohol?” Ivan allowed himself to be dragged forward, sticking his water pouch in her mouth. “It’s only been an hour since we got back. Don’t make Jacob regret giving you the okay to drink.”
Hyuna sucked down half the pouch before spitting it out into her free hand. “Shut up, I’ve only had one shot.”
“Have you?”
“Shot. Bottle. Same thing.”
Ivan laughed, shaking his head. Hyuna herded him into an empty seat, dropping down across from him and cracking her knuckles. “Let’s do this.”
“Go easy on him, sis,” Hyun-Woo warned, scooting closer.
Mizi poked her head over his shoulder, drawn in by the noise. “Ooh, round forty-six?”
“Best out of ninety-three!” Hyuna waggled her eyebrows. “C’mon, Ives. Show me how much work you’ve been putting in at the gym.”
Dewey appeared over Hyun-Woo’s other shoulder, pink-cheeked and no doubt the reason Hyuna was already a bottle deep. “Oh shit, round forty-six?” He flashed Ivan a grin. “You keep losing. Are you sure you’ve started puberty?”
“Are you?” Ivan drank in everyone’s ‘oohs,’ propping his (uninjured) elbow on the table. “Alright, alright. Hit me.”
Hyuna won, obviously.
It was another hour before he bowed out, taking Mizi with him. They knew better than to stick around after sunset, which is when the booze really started flowing and people got on stage to sing.
“They still won’t let me try,” Mizi pouted, clinging to his arm. “It’s not fair! I want to have fun drinking with everyone, too!”
“It’s good to wait,” Ivan said mildly. “Alcohol is a depressant, not only slowing your nerve impulses but negatively impacting your liver and—“
“Ack, stop! Stop!!” Mizi clamped her hands over her ears. “I’ll wait, I’ll wait! Just stop lecturing me!”
Ivan chuckled. “Don’t worry; you’re not missing much. Luka’s the only one with a proper performance tonight, and even then he’s just rehashing the same stuff from last week.”
“Aw, but Luka’s so good!” Mizi hugged his arm again, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Ever since Hyun-Woo made that cool strobe light, I heard his dancing looks like a fairy’s!”
“Well, you can still watch if you want.” Ivan smiled sideways at her. “But Sua’s been hard at work fixing people up ever since we got back, so she might be a little tired…”
“Oh no!” Mizi released him immediately, already turning tail and racing toward the clinic. “Gotta go, Ivan! My goddess needs me!”
“Give her a kiss for me!” Ivan called after her before chuckling and continuing on his way.
His smile strengthened as he walked to his room. Upon arrival, he skipped past his door in favor of throwing open his neighbor’s.
“Till! You in here?” Ivan poked his head into the room, reflexively catching an incoming ball of cloth. “Woah, careful! You almost hit me!”
“Knock first!!!” Till snapped. He was kneeling on the floor wielding fabric scissors, halfway through cropping a lime green hoodie. “What if one day you barge in here and I’m changing?!”
Ivan put a hand over his mouth. “Oh my, Till. Don’t you think we should save that for when we’re older?”
“Don’t be a nut job and give that back,” Till griped, waving an impatient hand in his direction.
Ivan obediently tossed him the ball of scrap, which was promptly dumped on the floor. “Is this what you’ve been doing all day? Making new clothes?”
“I’m injured, what do you want from me?” Till wiggled his left foot, which had indeed been sporting a cast for the past two weeks. “How was the mission?”
Classic Till. Even cranky and in the throes of artistic passion, his first instinct was to inquire about the wellbeing of others. Ivan loved him so much.
“Good. No one got captured or died,” Ivan informed him, which was always the most important thing. “We got the bounty for another human trafficker, the one stealing high quality embryos from GenExec. Though Mizi cracked his shell, so they knocked off a couple thousand credits.”
“Cheapskates,” Till muttered. “Aren’t they killing him anyway?”
“Maybe, maybe not.” Ivan knelt down and propped his head on Till’s shoulder, fascinated as always by his creative process. “Even though they put out a bounty, GenExec is still a legit company. They might let him face trial so they don’t get in trouble for bypassing the legal process.”
“Might,” Till huffed, cutting a savage line up the middle of the hoodie. “Like any of the Segyeins actually care about their own legal process.” With careful fingers, he pinned back the hems of his cuts, shrugging Ivan off. “Don’t even breathe on me. I’m serious. This is for Hyuna.”
Ivan backed off, taking a seat in the corner where a covered easel sat. He took great care not to touch it, holding his hands over his mouth for the entire twenty minutes it took Till to finish sewing.
While he waited, he admired Till’s technique. His nimble fingers, those intense eyes, that sharp tongue poking out from between his lips…okay, so maybe he was just admiring Till.
“Done!” Till held up his creation proudly, turning it inside out to check the seams. “Do you think I should dye the sleeves? …hmm, no, it would clash. I’ve got three out of four pieces done, so I should finish in time…” He made a jerking motion at Ivan with his chin. “Hey, tell Hyun-Woo I need his help. I’ve been putting off doing the belt because of the metalwork, but I got Sua to help me with the calculations, so I should have the size specifications he needs.”
Ivan lowered his hands, daring to crawl closer. “Why don’t you come to breakfast for once and tell him yourself? You used to when we were younger.”
“I was on a schedule then,” Till dismissed, leaning to the side to stuff the hoodie in a drawer. “Being a night owl is much better.”
“You’re going to stunt your growth.” Ivan sighed. “But that’s alright. It makes it easy to beat you in fights.”
Till scowled, raising his fist. “You really want your ass beat. Keep talking; see what it gets you.”
“Is that a promise?”
”Is it—?” Till’s eye twitched. “Why do I even try?”
Ivan laughed, slumping against Till’s side and wrapping both arms around his waist. “If you bulk up, I’ll like that too. I like everything, as long as it’s you.”
Till stiffened, the fist in Ivan’s hair spasming as if it couldn’t decide whether or not to hit him again. “…yeah, okay, got it. I like you, too.”
Ivan smiled against his shoulder. “Even though I’m taller than you?”
“Don’t push it.”
Ivan laughed, squeezing him tighter. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Till eventually relaxing as he started to trace slow circles in his hair.
Ivan melted under his touch. Moments like this were what he lived for. Hanging out with the others was nice and all, but absolutely nothing compared to being with Till. Even if his feelings never got reciprocated, there was nowhere he’d rather be.
“…Mizi was really happy when you made her that jacket,” Ivan murmured, breaking the silence. “I think it was her favorite present. You two really like the flowers in Anakt Garden, huh? Even after finding out they were cameras?”
“They’re pretty,” Till mumbled defensively. “It’s natural to like pretty things.”
“I didn’t even know you could paint on fabric.”
“Of course, you can. You can paint on anything.”
They fell silent again. Ivan played with his next question, knowing the can of worms he was about to open but unable to help himself. “…is that why you like Mizi? Because she’s pretty?”
The reaction was immediate.
“Shut up!! Shut up, shut up, shut up!!!“ Till shrieked. He blushed furiously, shoving Ivan away. “I told you that in confidence! And it was only for, like, a week! I got the message when Sua kissed her in front of everyone, okay?!”
Ivan smiled dopily. “She was really pissed. She usually hates PDA.”
“Well not anymore, because I swear I catch them making out three times a week!!!” Till groaned, curling into a ball as if to physically ward off the memory. “I don’t even know how she found out. It’s not like I told anyone but you!”
Ivan huffed out a laugh. “Well, you’re not exactly subtle. Even Hyuna knew, and she’s really oblivious about this sorta thing.”
Till glared at him between the gaps of his arms. “She and Luka are dating; how oblivious can she be?”
“Hmm.” Ivan tilted his head. Considering she still hadn't clocked his feelings for Till… “About as oblivious as you?”
Till raised his fist in warning. Ivan laughed, putting his hands up in mock defense.
“Don’t start this again, I mean it!! I’ve gotten too much crap for it already!” Till scowled. “Why’re we even talking about this? What, you got a crush?”
Ivan’s eyes widened, his heart thumping in his chest.
Was Till…interested in him? In his life? In his feelings?
No, wait—this was Till. No way that’s what was happening right now. “And if I said yes?”
“Are you serious?” Till looked chagrined, setting his hands on Ivan’s shoulders and leaning in close to his face, and oh my god— “Who?!”
Ivan could scarcely breathe. “You.”
Till stared at him.
Then his shoulders sagged. He scowled, turning away. “What the heck? Don’t joke like that, you prick.”
Ah. Of course. Ivan felt his heart droop in disappointment. “I’m not joking, though?”
“Whatever,” Till muttered, getting up and collapsing on his bed. “I get it. Everyone here is too old to like, anyway.”
Ivan sat there, still slightly exhilarated and now vaguely frustrated, before tapping into his well of inner peace. It helped that he had watched Luka’s absurd courting attempts toward Hyuna over the years, as it gave him the necessary second-hand experience to understand that these things took time.
Then again, Hyuna already liked him…
Ivan mentally slapped himself. Yeah, and it still took them years. Be patient.
Seven years is a lot longer than five. Now what’s your excuse?
Ivan shook his head, forcefully dispelling his wayward thoughts. It took a long time to train himself out of his self-deprecating mindset; he wasn’t about to slip up and fall back into it now.
“I’m gonna head out,” he said lightly, standing and heading for the door. Before he left, he hesitated with his hand on the knob. “…good night, Till.”
Till lifted his arm in an approximation of a wave. “Night.”
Ivan smiled. Content, he made his exit.
He could always try again tomorrow.
“You should confess.”
“You say that like I haven’t tried.”
“Well, you should confess again!” Mizi nudged him, her eyes alight. “We know he gets crushes now. Doesn’t that mean you have a chance?”
Ivan’s lips quirked. “I mean, I tried a few days ago. He didn’t believe me.”
Mizi sighed, exasperated. “Ugh. He’s so dense.” Her eyes flitted to his. “How direct were you?”
“Pretty direct.” Ivan shrugged. “He asked me if I had a crush. I said: you.”
“…yeah, okay, that’s pretty direct.”
“See?”
“It’s because of your personality,” Sua said flatly. She surveyed the room, her nose wrinkling in distaste at the surplus of empty bottles and odd piles of glitter. “Stop messing with him and maybe he’ll actually take you seriously. You smile like Luka but act like Dewey: it’s a horrible combination.”
Mizi put a hand on her shoulder. “Sua, be nice! Can’t you see he’s hurting?”
“But Mizi,” Sua complained, “he keeps yearning. It’s sickening.”
Ivan pointed to himself. “I’m right here.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Can we talk about this later?” Ivan gestured at the party raging all around them. “It’s Hyuna and Hyun-Woo’s birthday. I don’t want to spoil the mood.”
Mizi sighed again. “Yeah, okay. How many attempts has it been?”
“I stopped counting after I hit triple digits.” Ivan smiled sardonically. “Want the highlights?”
Confession #1: Till and Ivan are seven and eight years old, respectively. Ivan has just said, “I like you,” and is waiting with bated breath. Till says, “I like you, too,” and for a second everything is perfect. Then he follows up with, “Duh. That’s why we’re friends.” Disappointed but not giving up, Ivan counters with, “I didn’t mean as a friend.” Unfortunately, this backfires as Till exclaims, “You don’t wanna be friends?!” The battle is forfeited as Ivan rushes to reassure Till that is not the case.
ATTEMPT: FAILURE.
Confession #63: Till and Ivan are ten and eleven years old, respectively. Ivan starts his attack with an aggressive, “I love you.” Till responds with, “I love you, too,” but Ivan has learned his lesson. He says, “Not just as friends,” hoping to avoid disaster. Till’s eyes sparkle, and he thinks he succeeds. But then, Till whispers, “…you mean as family?” Ivan doesn’t have the heart to say no.
ATTEMPT: FAILURE.
Confession #124: Till and Ivan are twelve and thirteen years old, respectively. Leaving no room for misinterpretation, Ivan says, “I want to kiss you.” Till hits back with a look of disgust and shouts, “EW, NO!!! That’s gross!!!” Ivan’s self-esteem takes a critical hit. Despite whining, he quietly accepts defeat.
ATTEMPT: FAILURE.
“You really should just kiss him,” Sua grumbled. “Maybe that’ll get through his thick head.”
Ivan’s mouth flattened. “I’m not doing that unless one of us is dying. It’s disrespectful.”
“And constantly clinging to him isn’t??”
“We’re friends. That’s what friends do.”
“Is it???”
“Dewey,” Ivan said simply.
Sua sank into her seat. “…point.”
They fell silent as Till entered the room, heading straight toward the twins with a canvas under his arm and a determined look on his face. Upon arrival, he thrust a bundle of clothes at Hyuna, blushing furiously. She took it, unfolding an all-new rebel punk outfit complete with cargo pants, a leather jacket, a cropped lime green hoodie, and a double grommet belt. Till blushed harder at Hyuna’s screech, then yelped when she tackled him to the floor. Next to them, Hyun-Woo was laughing his ass off, yelling at Till to give him his gift next.
”…don’t give up on him,” Mizi said quietly. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but…keep loving him, okay?”
Ivan’s eyes softened. His smile was back on his face, more genuine than it had been all evening. “It’s not a lot. It’s the easiest thing in the world.”
Sua looked at him, then at Till who was currently shouting about the fragility of Hyun-Woo’s gift as the twins dogpiled him. “…gross.”
Suddenly, the lights cut out. The room hushed as music began to play.
“Hyuna, honey.” Luka wobbled on stage, flushed to the gills. “I know I already gave you your present. And I’ll give you another one later—“ whoops and whistles abounded at the implication of that statement, alongside a loud “YOU BASTARD!!!” from Hyun-Woo “—but this one’s for you. Happy 19th birthday.”
Without further ado, he started stripping. There was a cacophony of shrieks, several people covering their eyes while most leaned in closer. Soon, Luka was left in a sheer all-white outfit with several huge, gaping slits. He turned around, revealing the backless top, then waited for his cue. When the bass picked up, he seamlessly flew into a graceful dance, light as ever on his feet.
“Wow,” Mizi breathed as Luka’s angelic singing filled the room. She shook Sua’s shoulder, almost sending her toppling into her lap. “Wow, wow, wow!!! That’s so romantic!!! Sua, do you want me to serenade you, too?!”
Sua’s face spasmed as she obviously tried to find a way to say ‘yes’ without making it sound like she was complimenting Luka. “…he’s drunk.”
“He’s been drunk since the party started.” Ivan didn’t bother to stifle his laugh. “He should know better than to try keeping up with Hyuna when his tolerance is so weak.”
They watched as Luka, inebriated as he was, put on the performance of his life. Hyuna was enraptured, the biggest smile on her face. Next to her, Hyun-Woo looked so disgusted it was comical.
“Bastard upstaged me,” Till muttered, suddenly appearing to drop into an empty seat. “Whatever. At least Hyuna and Hyun-Woo liked their gifts.”
Ivan immediately moved to hug him. “Aw, Till—you’re so sweet! I love you!!”
“Get off me!!!“ Till barked, elbowing his cheek. “We’re in public!”
“So I can do it in private?”
”Heck no!!!”
“And you wonder why he doesn’t believe you.” Sua rolled her eyes.
Till glared at her. “Believe what?!”
“That Ivan loves you!” Mizi chirped.
Till blushed. “I-I know that! But he doesn’t have to keep saying it!”
Ivan sighed, rubbing his abused cheek. “Stop it, guys; it won’t work. Thanks for trying, though.”
“I still think you should just kiss him,” Sua said bluntly.
Till shot her an aggrieved look. “Don’t encourage him!”
“Maybe you should try serenading him, too?” Mizi wondered aloud. ”If you wrote about how much you love Till in your lyrics, then—“
“Doubtful,” Sua interrupted. “Have you seen his lyrics? They’re all super depressing.”
“Still right here,” Ivan reminded her.
“Can you guys just drop this already?!” Till snapped. “Look, I’m sorry for liking your girlfriend! Now will you all please stop teasing me with this fake gay romance crap?!”
Ivan stuck out his bottom lip. “It’s not fake, Till. I really do love you.”
“I said quit it!!!”
“This is getting sad,” Sua muttered. “Let’s stop, Mizi. I’m starting to feel bad for him.”
Mizi winced. “Yeah, me too.”
Ivan smiled wider than ever. “Still. Right. Here.”
The crowd whooped, drawing their attention. Hyun-Woo had infiltrated the stage, trying to tackle Luka into submission. Unfortunately for him, dancing was the one physical activity in which the blond had everyone beat. Laughter abounded as Luka masterfully manipulated Hyun-Woo into performing some kind of ballroom-fight.
“So Till, what’d you get Hyun-Woo?” Mizi asked conversationally, very unsubtly changing the subject. “We were talking, so I didn’t get to see.”
Till glared at her, still blushing (cute cute cute—) but taking the out. “A painting. He likes charcoals, so I made a forest scene with that plus acrylics.”
Sua nodded approvingly. “That’s pretty cool.”
“Yeah, that’s why I made it.” Till’s lips tugged up. “It took forever, ‘cause I basically had to reinvent—“
“TILL, MY MAN!!!” Dewey swept in to lift Till into the air, chair and all. “Killer presents, dude!!! You’re making me something cool for my birthday too, right?”
“PUT ME DOWN, YOU FREAK!!!”
Dewey laughed. “No can do, squirt! We need someone to surf the crowd and you’re it!”
“WHAT?!” Till screeched. “WAIT—DON’T YOU DARE—!!!”
Too late.
Dewey heaved and Till got launched into the air, landing safely in the nest of arms waiting to catch him.
“WHOO, GET IT!!!” Dewey cheered. He clapped Ivan on the shoulder. “Confess later, champ. It’s a party!!!” With a final pat, he left to rejoin the screaming audience.
They watched in muted shock as Till was indeed forced to surf the crowd, the muscular rebels uncaring of how he kicked and clawed. On stage, Luka didn’t miss a beat, impossibly steady as he drunkenly waltzed with Hyun-Woo. Hyuna was also on stage now, mic in hand as she sang the high harmony.
“…I’m going back to my room.” Sua stood, looking more than done with the situation. “Mizi?”
Mizi bit her lip, glancing back toward the stage. “I’ll join you in a bit, okay?”
“I’ll stay with you,” Ivan volunteered. As long as Till was here, he was in no hurry to leave.
Sua rolled her eyes at him. “I’m sure. See you later, Mizi.” With a parting kiss on her cheek, she strolled out of the room.
Thus, Ivan and Mizi continued watching. However, it was only a few minutes before he noticed the way she kept peeking at the door.
“Go ahead, Mizi,” Ivan encouraged. “I’m sure no one will mind.”
“You think so?” Mizi bit her lip, though she was already standing up. “Good night, Ivan. Tell the twins happy birthday for me.”
“You’ve already told them eight times,” Ivan laughed, “but sure. Good night.”
He waved at her as she left, then turned back toward the stage. Or more specifically, the crowd around it.
It seemed that Till had accepted his fate. His arms were crossed, but he looked happy and flushed as he was carried from place to place. The performing trio had finally noticed him, Hyuna high-fiving him every time he got close.
Ivan smiled, basking in the joviality of the room. Seven years ago, he never could've imagined such a sight. Strange, where life took you.
Watching Till, he couldn’t wait to see what came next.
Notes:
Okay, so here, Ivan is more open about his feelings because he didn't suffer the Ultimate Rejection in childhood. However, these idiots still have a long way to go...
I just think it's funny if Till experiences crushes like a Normal Boy (albeit a bit of a late bloomer), and then there's Ivan: Abnormal Boy Extraordinaire.
Do you guys think I should start posting once a week or just continue dropping chapters based on ~vibes~?
Leave a kudos and comment! I love seeing them. <3
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