* HEAVEN SENT / HELLBOUND .

Dubiety chances an eyebrow upward, though the rest of his visage remains ( relatively ) u n f a z e d.

❝What is LOVE—?❞ Seven chimes, signature grin seizing his lips. He then draws a hand upward, fingers snapping along to a makeshift rhythm. ❝—Baby, don’t hurt me!❞Cue the ( forced ) chuckle trilling his lips as he lowers hisarm, effectively putting his t h e a t r i c s on pause.

707 has entered the chatroom  .

[ 707 ] Well well well, look who decided to drop by~~~

[ 707 ] But soft!

[ 707 ] What g a y through yonder window breaks!

[ 707 ] It is the east...

[ 707 ] ...And Jumin Han is the sun.

Taking that prospect into d e e p consideration would prove beyond unavailing, never mind that he was forged from fire ( that hardly amounted to much when his heart was paper thin ). Though the hacker OUTWARDLY relished in his penchant for independence, deep inside, he wished that she didn’t have to face his many trials alone ( that same penchant was taking its dreadful toll, for there was no value in preservation, control, any semblance of ‘ freedom’ if they could not be shared or appreciated with somebody else ).

But alas, who could capture the light of a man whose fate was darker than the night? Who could w i t h s t a n d the force of storms that washis inhibition, that was his fragility, that was himself? Who could hold hands stained with blood too crimson—too IMPURE—to be cleansed?

Who could dare love somebody like him?

He didn’t seek out a knight in shining armor; he didn’t desire to be saved—to be protected; he didn’t expect the ideal fairytale ending, yet was covetingcompanionship truly too much to ask for ( his paper heart but crumples in response )?

His golden gaze casts itself skyward, as if imploring God for something else—something more than soda and chips at 4 in the morning, something more than the weary circles framing his eyes. 

His plea is met with s i l e n c e—one that is soon punctured with an ironic laugh.

❝—Code Red. We have a Code Red, V!❞ Seven is barking into his phone at a volume all too INAPPROPRIATE considering the muted atmosphere— what was supposed to be a peaceful late night opportune for slumber; he’s home alone. His computers are shut down. The digital clock on his nightstand bleeds ‘ 3:25 am in an unsightly red font. Still, he’s a wreck, pacing his room in a flourish. ❝God! It’s a war zone, I’m telling you!❞ Distinct crunch noises emit from his hasty footfalls. ❝I spilled half a box of Honey Buddha Chips all over the place! Vanderwood just got finished with carpet duty, too—❞ By this point, panicked guilt has effectively tinged the hacker’s pseudo cheerful tone. He continues pacing.

❝—You know the agency’s put me through hell and back, but...I was never conditioned into handling this kind of emotional stress.❞ His free hand flies up in exasperation. ❝This is a whole new b a l l p a r k! X Games mode, if you will!❞

**NOTE: The following content is not as ‘ deep ‘ as the title may suggest. If anything, it’s actually pretty repulsive, but...I can’t write prim / angsty content all the time, right? Anyway, tread carefully.

                                       @faithcorrupted  //  liked !!

                      He has a mind to just shut the door to Seven; how the guards let him get here is beyond  the executive director. But, Jumin will deal with them later. For now there seems to be a more PRESSING issue. “If you are here for Elizabeth the third, leave immediately. If you touch her, I will come and key one of your little bore-rraris.” Face is deadpan, &  he is hoping the visit is about something other than Luciel petting (  abusing )  his princess.

❝Actually—❞ is the hacker’s initial transition, accompanied by an oddly FORCED chuckle. ❝—That isn’t why I’m here. Your princess shall live to see daylight once more! Woot woot!❞ He manages a fist pump in commemoration of such, though the gesture is just as r o b o t i c as his laughter had been.

Clearing his throat, he then humbles his gaze, beholding the suddenly ‘ intriguing ‘ floor pattern instead of the stoic figure who stood before him. Asking for help had NEVER been Seven’s strong suit...but what other choice did he have in this case?

He needed answers.

❝—Like a book, huh?❞ he prompts, lips jutting into a pout. ❝Am I a good book,at least? Or is my plot line of the John Green variety?❞ Though as much ashe jests, Saeyoung can’t help the n e r v o u s patter of his heart nor the sweatthat now gleaned his hands. So to better collect his thoughts, he rises from hischair and takes to pacing the room, arms rested against his chest and headbowed low in c o n t e m p l a t i o n. The tables were turning and turning fast;this exchange was quite unlike their usual banter. Since when had Saeran grownso coy…and him? An anxious, stuttering, unrehearsed mess of dialogue?

As if that would prepare him for the REVELATION to come…

Who knew the word ‘ yeah ‘ could suddenly bear so much weight?

❝…You did?❞His pacing effectively halted, it’s difficult for Saeyoung to regain his bearings, let alone turn his head to look his brother in the eye…and his feelingson the matter were just as NUMB. He couldn’t conjure the anger he’d envisioned himself having, nor the d i s a p p r o v a l that was expected of older brothers—merely emptiness ( there was no reason to respond so brashly…right? ).

After eight grueling hours of n o n s t o p clacking, frustrated banter between his gate and an UNFORESEEN visitor is what ultimatelypries the hacker away from his work and out of his computer chair.Though amidst his confused grumbling, he can’t help but feel thankfulfor the distraction. Any more coding would have fried his brain for good.

A pizza delivery boy is the last person he’d expected to see at his door,face brazen and brows furrowed—a just reaction after his rendezvous with the bunker security system. Seven winces, proceeding with an a w k w a r d chuckle as he rubs the back of his neck. ❝I’m so sorry about that,❞ he offers remorsefully, flinching as two boxes are suddenlythrust into his arms. As the order’s contents are ( stressfully ) recited—alarge Hawaiian pizza and accommodating side salad—the hacker feelsinclined to protest. Last he checked, Pizza Hill had been a fever dream.

He wouldn’t...

...Wait, what?

Billed to Ryu Hyun..?

Wordlessly, Seven fishes for his wallet and ushers the delivery boy awaywith a tip of 7,000 Won. Coinciding feelings of hunger and guilt thenpropel him to the kitchen, where he leaves both boxes on the counter top,unopened and uneaten. How...unexpected, yet how kind, of Zen to orderthis. Had he known Seven was to be more preoccupied than usual? The veryleast he could do was ring him up, so they could chow down TOGETHER, right?

His stomach grumbles in d i s s e n t.

A sigh catches in Seven’s throat as he props both boxes open, one handdrawing toward a pizza slice and the other scrounging around for a fork...

...After his impromptu dinner, he would find a way to make it up to Zen.

and just like that ,  he becomes all hers , if only for the next few hours , until the party begins to die down , and he’s stolen away for goodbyes , for the rfa to take him . for now , every light twinkles a little brighter , her smile is a little wider , and her icy heart feels golden . is that a ghost beating against her rib cage ? it’s the first time since she’s felt anything like that , she believes … at least , since she woke up in that dark , holo room .

where she had forgotten she had one , he makes her feel her heart once more , hand reaching up to cover it with dainty little fingers , rings shimmering in the illuminated ballroom .

         ❝    seven oh seven ? like … the number ?    ❞   mirth blossoms once more as she giggles .   ❝    then , will that make me six tonight ? six oh six and seven oh seven !    ❞

her hand reaches for his like an instinct , fingers intertwining with his . she pulls him to the side of the room , near the tables and where people were still congregating every few moments to grab something from the buffet and observing the others dance .  

        ❝    what shall we do , then ? i’ve never been able to have fun at a party like this !    ❞

the excitement was almost too much , her other hand reaching down to swing the skirt of her dress just slightly .

looking around the room , serena spots the other members of the rfa , as if everyone had a certain role to play . she couldn’t tell their names , but could see the lanyards ‘round their necks , proving that they were hosts . seven’s surprise hadn’t seemed to wear off , that serena had decided to approach him , and she wonders what exactly his role would have been , had she not snatched him away .

not that she felt bad about it at all , of course .

rika , she knows now , would have fluttered around the room , making friends and smiling like some kind of angel . the rika that serena met , though – the one whose bright green eyes were the first that she had looked into after meeting her own demise , was clearly not the same one whose smile could bring this room together . there’s a feeling of bitterness in the pit of her stomach , thinking of the  false image  that every single person here held of her – but then , when serena finds her rosy eyes back upon seven , with his under - eye circles and messy vermillion hair , she beams once more . bitterness is replaced with something different … lighter and happier ./

just who in the world does he think he is ?  his fingers are like keys that could wrench every lock of hers open , and she can’t tell if she feels relieved or irrepressibly angry .

then again , that’s answered for her by the way her fingers continue to clasp his , like a life preserver .

...Cute.

Her laughter is a t i n k e r i n g of bells in his ears, encouraging his grin to grow wider—GIDDIER—by the second. ❝Could this be..?❞ he gasps aloud, drawing a hand to his slack jaw. ❝The legendary Six Oh Six emerging from her sanctuary of binary numbers to keep me company?❞ The hacker then raises his hand to his forehead, body floundering about in a mock swoon, the display considerably more t h e a t r i c a l than the bow he had offered her just moments prior.

It’s only when she intertwines their fingers once again that he’s brought back to reality—spiraling, p l u m m e t i n g down to the Earth he’d flown light years away from. Space had been quiet and serene. The gravity of his burdens amounted to nothing up there, and he was effectively left to his own devices; should he desire to abandon ship seek refuge on the moon or continue to float on and traverse the starry, neverending expanse was his decision and his decision alone... 

...Still, the feeling of his hand in Serena’s may have been worth coming home to, or at least for a short while. Seven had forgotten how b l i s s f u l it was to feel grounded, to be in the presence of something—SOMEONE—real.

Mind still afloat with incredulity, he stumbles and almost falls face-first as he’s ushered away to a corner of the room. The wry chuckle escaping his lips serves as but c o m p e n s a t i o n for this clumsiness. ❝—Believe it or not, parties aren’t really my ‘ scene ‘...❞ In spite of his statement, he squeezes her hand reassuringly, drawing her closer to him. ❝...But I think I know one way we can change that...for t o n i g h t, anyway.❞ Lips practically grazing her ear, his voice had stooped to an urgent whisper. Golden eyes pry away from hers for a moment, bounding skyward to oversee the remainder of the party.

Seven’s gaze reverts back to the blonde, and with a vague smile, he leads her away from the nearing crowd and toward the exit. ❝Sorry, sorry! I didn’t want to soil our plan for the guests. Nobody’s a fan of spoilers—❞ The mischievous lilt of his voice returns, effectively raising its volume back to normal. ❝—That being said, what’re your thoughts on p r a n k s? Untimely shenanigans?❞ He uses his free hand to nervously adjust the fit of his tie. Hopefully, this proposal wouldn’t cause too s p a c e o u s of a rift between them...but the thought of partaking in any...conventional party activities, whether it be more dancing or getting to know each other, made his face flush redder—his heart race faster—than he would have liked. With these childish types of antics, he wouldn’t have to worry about that...

...Or rather, as much.