Always Online - Chapter Two
Title: Always Online
Authors:
yeonah and
mskatness
Chapter: 2/4
Fandoms: U-KISS, cameos by SS501, Super Junior and MBLAQ
Pairing: KeMaru
Rating: PG-14
Warning: AU, Character Death (sorta)
Summary: He was created to be perfectly human in every way…except he wasn’t real.
A/N: Spinoff for our SS501 roleplay, Never Online, focusing on KiBum and Kevin’s story. It’s suggested to read Never Online first, to get an idea of the story context, but not needed.
Leaning up against a building wall, KiBum watched the middle aged man who had been standing near a stall in the festival district. Luckily he had a signal scrambler on so this time, their little shadow had no idea where he was, only that he was in game. KiBum had been dodging the kid all week, and was fed up. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head to the side.
"Morning KiBum, what have you got for us?" KyuJong responded to his call.
"Morning, he's in the festival district," KiBum said. "I thought if I did some things to make a little noise he'd show up, and he's here now looking for me, but I've got a filter on so he won't find me. Sending you coordinates, and tagging his signal for you. Hurry hurry!"
Dropping the call, he opened his eyes and continued to watch the shadow, going over all the information he'd collected on the kid until the others showed up.
He was here, Kevin knew it. It had taken him a long time to get past that virus; not as long as it could have taken, but for the teenager it was frustrating to have been gone for so long. After quickly catching up with the hacker circles on what he'd missed, he'd gone back to searching for that group he'd been following.
The time away from Never had helped him focus on what he was going to do about them. Obviously, whatever they were getting from the structural code was important; they wouldn't be risking this otherwise. He'd followed them long enough to be able to recognize what they were looking for wasn't supposed to be in the code.
Since he'd been back, he'd taken it upon himself to search for something similar. Just two days ago, he'd finally found it, and carefully started to extract it from the structural code. It was too dangerous for him to do more than move it (he was a risk-taker, but not suicidal), but it had been all he'd needed to do, hiding the code he'd taken somewhere he'd be able to keep an eye on it.
Looking around the crowd again, Kevin managed not to scowl too much as he turned his focus back to his datapad. He couldn't find that guy that had booted him off the server. The stranger's signature was completely missing. But...he'd just been here a minute ago, where had he gone?
KiBum frowned slightly, irritated with himself that he hadn't been paying closer attention to the shadow until it was too late. After he had found a piece, he had went back to double check on it for more information only to find it gone, and the kid's signature all over it. The kid was lucky it had been him who had found it, and not the company first.
As the others started to pop up on his senses, he pushed away from the wall and headed to where two of the others were waiting.
"There," KyuJong murmured, directing JungMin's attention to where the middle aged man was standing.
"What's he doing?" JungMin whispered, getting out his datapad.
"Looking for me," KiBum popped up next to them, JungMin jumping slightly. "Want me to grab him Cue?"
"You have the coordinates to jump to, right? We're all here in case he runs," KyuJong said, looking to KiBum.
"Yup, see you there in a bit," KiBum grinned, meandering his way towards the shadow, hands in his pocket. There was nowhere for the kid to run this time, and they were all ready for him. Stopping just behind him, KiBum peeked over his shoulder. "Hey there, looking for someone?" KiBum said.
Kevin jumped in surprise, realizing that somehow the guy he'd been looking for had snuck up on him. How? His signature was still-
Reacting instinctively, Kevin hit the corner of the screen to execute the freeze command he'd always made sure to program into his datapad upon logging in, hitting the young man behind him. He bolted, searching for a way out. All he needed was an interface, and he'd be out and gone.
Someone else tried to stop him, and recognizing him as one of those in the group he was following, Kevin didn't hesitate to freeze him in place as well, not even looking back to see him disappear. He should have picked an avatar that was easier to maneuver around the crowd.
More people, up ahead. Kevin fired another freeze command at them - and found himself unable to move. A bounce back?
"Got him! Finally!"
It took a few seconds for KiBum to get his program running again, using a shortcut to reboot and he had been off running after the kid. Luckily by the time he had caught up, their shadow was caught in his own trick. "Nice work," KiBum nodded, stepping up behind the frozen man, placing a hand on the man's back. "See you at the rendezvous."
Tying the kid's signature to his own wasn't that complicated, though the avatar hack made it hard to hold onto him as they jumped from the festival district to the safehouse location he and KyuJong had picked out earlier. Once they landed, the first thing KiBum had time to do was strip away the hack to the kid's base avatar. "Don't struggle, you'll just make this hard on yourself."
When the avatar hack that had been hiding him disappeared, the effects of the freeze command did as well, Kevin finding himself back in his normal avatar and...where was he?
Obviously not listening to the guy who had brought him here, the first thing Kevin tried to do was bolt for the door on the other side of the room.
"Nope!" KiBum snagged the kid by the back of the collar and dragged him back to sit in a chair, the kid fighting all the way. "I said don't struggle!"
The others started to pop into the room, KyuJong immediately snatching the kid's datapad away.
"Don't worry, I've got his avatar tied to me," KiBum said, pushing the kid down in the chair. "He disappears, I go with him. Now that I have his signal, there's nowhere in the game he can go without me being there first."
"That's nice to hear," HyunJoong said, taking a seat in front of the kid. "Alright, where is it?"
The blonde teen scowled at him, still fighting KiBum's grip. "Where is what? This is kidnapping you know, let me go!"
"Don't play dumb, you know who we are," Daniel said, leaning against the wall. "And you know exactly what he's talking about."
Kevin pressed his lips together tightly, glaring at them with an expression that said he wasn't going to speak a word. Seeing all these people he'd spent a couple years tailing in the same room as him was nerve-racking, what were they going to do with him?
"You know, I'm just going to follow you around until you tell me where it is," KiBum said lightly.
"Do you even know what it is you took?" HyunJoong asked, his head tilted to the side. "Do you know why it's important to us?"
Well, they didn't look like they were going to beat him up. Kevin's shoulders slumped after a moment, lips pursing in a small pout. "...No. I can't unscramble it, whatever it is."
"Then why would you have taken it?" KyuJong asked quietly, stepping over slowly. "Why follow us around for so long?"
"People don't mess around in structural code pulling pieces out for fun and games," Kevin replied reasonably. "Especially if there's something hidden in it."
"Do you want to know?" HyunJoong asked calmly. "We'll tell you, if you give us what you took, and tell us who you are."
KiBum looked at KyuJong sharply. "I don't know if that's... Leader we can't trust him." Who knows who this kid was, he could be security for all they knew.
"Do you have a fix on his physical location? He's nearby?" HyunJoong asked, eyes moving to look at KiBum.
"Yes... but..." KiBum shook his head. 'This is a bad idea' he wanted to say, but HyunJoong had that serious I'm-not-listening face on and it was useless to try otherwise.
"Then it's settled," HyunJoong said simply looking at the kid again. "You'll show us where it is, then we'll be around to collect you."
Kevin considered that. He had wanted to know what they were doing, hadn't he? And if they were going to meet with him in the real world, maybe that meant he was in on this strange group. Definitely easier than trying to follow them everywhere. "Okay, I'll show you. Can I have my datapad back?" he looked at KyuJong who was still holding it.
"First, tell us your handle," KyuJong said, keeping it away from him. "And know that if you try running, we'll just drag you right back here."
The teenager nodded slowly. "...Kevin. That's my handle."
"Nice to finally have a name and a face that doesn't change every five minutes," KyuJong's lips quirked, and he looked at HyunJoong for confirmation before giving the datapad back to him. A second later JongWoon popped into the room.
"If you were so curious about what we were doing, then why not try and make contact?" HyunJoong asked. "Why run from us? We weren't going to hurt you or anything, unless you irritated KiBum, which did do that."
"Because I didn't know who you are or what you're doing," Kevin shrugged. "Or if you'd take well to questions."
"Well we're not going to bite your head off, and that's a cool trick by the way," JongWoon said, coming over and peering at him. "...You're not under age, are you?"
"I'm nineteen," Kevin flushed. Not the age thing again.
"Did you think we wouldn't notice you following us around though? You knew what kinds of things we're capable of, did you think we wouldn't notice?" HyunJoong said, though he was smiling a little.
"How about you save questions for later and get what we came here for?" KiBum interjected, sighing a little in frustration. Trust HyunJoong to want to make friends with everyone in the universe.
"We will," KyuJong smiled, hugging KiBum lightly before looking back at Kevin. "Well?"
The teenager sighed and tapped something into his datapad before showing them. It was a set of coordinates. "Meet me here. Not that you would have trouble finding me anyways." He eyed KiBum.
"I'll go first, make sure he's not sending us into a trap. If I'm not back in a second, it should be safe," KiBum said, giving Kevin a look of his own before disappearing. This kid being around instead of following them all the time could either be good, or very very bad. At least KiBum didn't have to worry about looking over his shoulder all the time, but that didn't mean he was going to trust him, not yet.
*********************************
The next few days were a whirlwind of activity, Kevin trying to get used to being around these strange people. They were all very nice, even if they did tease him for his age, and KyuJong was all too happy to show him tricks and hacks in exchange for what Kevin himself knew. Since they seemed to place an emphasis on separating real-life names and in-game handles, he didn't really have the heart to tell them everyone called him Kevin anyways, letting them call him whatever they wanted.
His impression of them was slightly messed up by the explosion at dinner time, not understanding what was going on between YoungSaeng and HyungJoon. Daniel drove him home shortly after, apologizing and saying it wasn't always like that, but there were a few tensions in the group still. Kevin remembered there had been two others with them before, before JungMin and RyeoWook, but when he asked about it Daniel just gave him a sad smile and a vague answer. He was able to figure out what had happened by himself.
While YoungSaeng and RyeoWook were gone so the older man could have a quick vacation, things were slow at the house. Kevin showed up for most of the afternoon, before going back home to study. Only, studying was impossible some days with the thoughts running around his head. He'd found out a lot in the past few days.
Maybe a trip to Never was in order. Besides, there was one person he hadn't actually talked in the past few days, the person he'd actually been the most interested in talking to in the whole group. But according to them, KiBum never visited the house.
A minute later he was logged into Never, this time in his usual avatar. Quickly looking through his datapad, his lips curled a little when he finally found the signature he was looking for. Found you. He used the jump command KyuJong had shown him to land not far away from his target, looking around and peeking around a corner.
"Just because you're part of the group now doesn't mean I don't have your signature tracked, Kevin," KiBum said, not looking away from the building he was eyeing. "I told you I was keeping an eye on you, why are you following me this time?"
Kevin wrinkled his nose a little. Figures. "You take all the fun out of sneaking up on people." He jammed his hands in his pockets, stepping around the corner and stopping beside KiBum. "I was just wondering why you weren't at the house with everyone else, they're practically there all the time but you haven't stopped by once."
Glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, KiBum shrugged slightly and went back to what he was doing. "Just because they're all social butterflies doesn't mean I am. Besides, that house is drama central, I do not want to go anywhere near that. Why do you care what I do?"
"I was just curious," Kevin said, leaning back against the wall behind him. "What are you doing now?"
"Scouting for the next location, it's in there somewhere," KiBum said, motioning to the building across the street. He chewed on his lip a little, looking over his shoulder at Kevin. "Look... I'm not like the others, I'm not that good at socializing or anything, so you'd be better off hanging out with them."
"But you're socializing well enough for me," Kevin blinked at him. "I already spent most of the week with them, and I'd rather be here. No offense or anything, but your hyungdeul are kinda crazy."
KiBum snorted a laugh at that, shaking his head. "None taken, I'm well aware they're crazy, otherwise they wouldn't be doing what they do here," he said, crossing his arms and turning away from the building. He'd have to come back later to focus on it, his attention diverted now by the teen. "I'm a little surprised you stuck around after you heard what was going on considering how often you ran away from me."
"Well, finding out you weren't security helped a little," Kevin grinned at him. "And from the point of view of a ten-year-old, you were a little intimidating popping up out of nowhere. This is interesting though, definitely better than stealing credits."
"Stealing credits is for kids," KiBum said, his expression unreadable. "So... did you want something, or want to do something? I am kind of busy, but you seem like you want to hang out, unless I'm reading you wrong, I do that a lot."
Kevin pursed his lips a little, unsure how to take that. Okay, he was interrupting something he knew that, but seriously, did KiBum ever do anything but work? It was all Kevin had ever seen him doing.
"I just wanted to see if you were as bored as I was, and maybe convince you to take a break for a bit," he shrugged a little. "Listening to the others it doesn't sound like you give yourself much free time to just relax. How long have you been working for?"
"Three years," KiBum said, tilting his head to the side. "It's not a big deal or anything, it's what I do. The faster I find these pieces, the faster we get this done. I already get that lecture from Cue all the time about not working so much, but what else am I supposed to do?"
Blinking at him owlishly, Kevin shook his head. "I mean how long have you gone without a break, it's not possible to have worked 3 years straight, you would have croaked," he pursed his lips with a small frown. "And there's tons of things you can do! This is Never, you can do whatever you want. Do you like playing games? Or exploring?"
KiBum scratched at his head as he thought of the best way to respond. How could he tell Kevin that he hadn't stopped working once in three years, and that there was no need to explore when he could feel the entire game through his program? He didn't want Kevin to know what he was, he just wanted one person to not pity him when the end came. "Uh... well I game and stuff with the others when they have time."
"Cool," Kevin grinned at him. "Why don't we go check out the RPG halls then? There's usually a ton of people around this time, we can enter a melee and kick their butts!"
Glancing at the building again, KiBum's lips quirked back and forth before he shrugged. "Sure, I guess I can take a little time off," he said. "And just because we know each other doesn't mean I'm going to take it easy on you either, just so you know."
"Oh I'm counting on it," Kevin grinned at him. "I'm not a pushover. Let's go!" He started off towards the street just one block over, where he knew they'd find a bunch of things to do.
The night passed by quickly it seemed. They did several rounds at the gaming halls, sometimes against each other, and sometimes teaming up against others in free-for-alls. KiBum beat Kevin every time, but the blond was proud to say he gave the other a run for his money in several parts.
After that, he brought KiBum to a nightclub for a bit, showing off his flawless avatar hacks to get them both inside without the bouncers even looking at them twice. Only after he'd successfully gotten KiBum to dance a few times did they leave, to find a late-night festival in another district.
About to suggest they go look at the American servers ("It's day there now, so there's plenty to do") Kevin jumped when his datapad beeped repeatedly. Pulling it out, his lips pursed in a pout; it was his mother reminding him that he did have school the following day, and wasn't allowed to pull an all-nighter in the game like he was prone to doing. "I think I have to leave."
KiBum was surprised when he pouted at that, finding that he had actually enjoyed his time with Kevin. More than he thought he would. "Oh... that's too bad. You going to come back later then? I'll probably be working again, but I can take another break later. If you want to that is."
"Of course I want to!" Kevin looked back up at him with a light grin, one arm linking with KiBum's. "I have school tomorrow, but I'll be back right after. Start thinking of stuff you want to do, and don't forget to sleep, workaholic." He poked one of KiBum's cheeks before separating himself from the other man, stepping back with a wave. "Good night!" And he disappeared.
Blinking a little at the poke to his cheek, KiBum barely managed to wave at Kevin before he disappeared. It was really hard to tell what Kevin wanted from him exactly. To be friends? But Kevin could easily have found one of the others to hang out with, so why him? Frowning slightly, KiBum traveled back to the building he had been studying before Kevin interrupted him, checking over the program he had left running.
It wasn't like KiBum didn't have friends, he had the others, but no one really ever sought him out like that. This wasn't a situation KiBum knew how to handle, and there was only one person he could talk to when it came to things he didn't understand. Composing a message, he sent it off to KyuJong to find him in game later to talk. KyuJong would know what was going on.
********************************
The next month was slow for those in the house; there were no new pieces after that second-last one, and even though the end was in sight, the evasion of the last piece of the puzzle left them all on edge.
Kevin popped into the game often to find KiBum, and seemed to have taken it upon himself to make sure KiBum didn't get so frustrated as to do anything rash. Every day after school, and after studying if he had to, Kevin dragged KiBum away from his search and found things to keep them busy with. Everything from exploring different servers, to playing games, and watching festivals and shows, they did. Kevin even brought KiBum to the Never version of the school he was attending; while some classes were offline, others were online, a testament to how far the game reached.
Even on those days he was too busy working to go in-game, he'd set up in monitor at home so he could exchange messages and voice calls with KiBum, chatting with him until his mother showed up to find out who he was talking to when he was supposed to be working. The conversation she struck up with KiBum when she found out had Kevin so embarrassed he hid under the covers of his bed and refused to come back out (his father hadn't been the only one laughing at his plight).
One day, Daniel called him to tell him they were all going on vacation for a bit to de-stress; it wasn't as if they could do anything anyways. Thinking about it, Kevin glanced at his monitor on stand-by before saying thanks but no thanks; he had school after all, and couldn't disappear for an indefinite amount of time. Not that school had been the real reason to declining the offer.
The following day was a Saturday, which meant no school. Realizing this, Kevin finished all his homework first thing when he woke up before settling down in front of his monitor, plugging himself in and closing his eyes. When he reappeared, it was in the middle of the marketplace, the teenager pulling out his datapad to find KiBum.
"You should know by now, I'll find you," KiBum said, putting his arm around Kevin's shoulder when the teen appeared. It wasn't that like him to drop whatever he was doing to meet someone, but he found that he got kind of excited when Kevin's signature pinged him. After the talk he had had with KyuJong, it didn't seem like it was such a bad thing either. "You're not skipping out on doing homework now are you?"
"No, I did it all after I woke up," Kevin grinned widely at him, wrapping his arm around the older boy in return. "It's Saturday, which means no school, which means I have the whole day free! What did you want to do today?"
KiBum puffed out his cheeks as he thought. "I don't know, I have to go through the American servers later, but maybe there's something fun we can do there? Or we could just.. hang out outside of the city, that's kind of nice." It was one of the things KiBum often did when he was alone, go to the cliff overlooking the city where he had first come into awareness. Lately though, he'd been bringing Kevin with him and they'd talk for hours. Or rather, Kevin would talk, and KiBum would listen.
"We can do that," Kevin smiled at him. "Go relax for a bit, and then have some fun in the American servers. Back to the bluff?"
"Yeah, hold on," KiBum nodded, returning the smile. His hand found Kevin's and he transported them both right to the cliff. It wasn't something he liked to do with other people, but he was so familiar with Kevin's signature that tying them together had become like second nature to him. When they landed, they were at the top of the familiar cliff, the city sprawled out below. "I'm glad you like it up here too, some people don't."
"Don't see why they wouldn't, it's a fantastic view," Kevin chuckled. He happily dropped to sit down on the grass, patting the spot beside him. "The city without actually being in the city. It's just sad there aren't many other spots like this. I didn't even know you could get up here until you brought me here."
Sitting down next to him, KiBum rested his hands on his knees and looked out over the cliff. "Well I don't think maybe people would try, it's hard to get up here without knowing the tricks like we do, and most people would rather be inside, gambling away then out here. Are you going to miss the game if it goes down?"
"Hm?" Kevin tilted his head back to look at KiBum, cheek resting on one bony shoulder. "Yeah, I will," he chuckled sadly, looking out over the city again. "As corrupted as this place is, especially with all the gambling and stuff in the downtown core...it has good in it too, y'know? Not everything here is bad, and it'll be sad to see it go just because some crazy old people got power-hungry."
KiBum nodded silently, curling his legs up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his knees. "Why did you want to be my friend?" he asked, after a long stretch of silence.
"Why wouldn't I want to be your friend?" Kevin asked him in return, leaning back on his hands.
"I don't know, people don't often just want to be my friend is all," KiBum shrugged. "And you've probably got friends offline, so I just don't understand why you're spending all your free time with me."
"Why do you have to keep putting yourself down like that?" Kevin scooted closer, wrapping one arm around KiBum's shoulders and peering at the other boy. "You're a cool guy KiBum, people who don't want to be your friend are missing out. I'm happy here spending time with you, I'd never go back if I could. You don't like having me around?"
KiBum blinked, eyes wide as he shook his head. "Uh.. no, no I do like having you around, you're fun to hang out with. I'm just... not used to someone being there all the time. The others are always so busy with their real life stuff that I'm usually just by myself. I like it when you're spending time with me."
"No one deserves to be alone all the time, especially not someone as cool as you," Kevin chuckled, tugging playfully on a lock of hair as he rested his chin on KiBum's shoulder. "And if you want me to be here, then I will be."
Lips quirking a little in a smile, KiBum relaxed. "Thanks... you're pretty cool too you know," he said. "You're the closest thing to a best friend I've ever had... it's kind of nice."
"It is, isn't it," Kevin smiled softly. He looked up at KiBum for a long moment, fighting with himself. But the urge he'd been suppressing for a month now was too great, and he leaned forward, lips brushing against KiBum's gently.
KiBum froze, eyes widening at the sudden kiss. Sure, he had talked to KyuJong about the possibility of Kevin liking him, but he had never thought it would be true. He didn't know what to do, absolutely panicking but not wanting Kevin to see him panicking at the same time. What a perfect time for KyuJong to be on vacation.
Pulling back a little, KiBum bit his bottom lip as he looked into Kevin's eyes. "...What was that for?" he whispered, not knowing what else to say.
Kevin had just enough time to register how soft KiBum's mouth was before the other boy pulled back, meeting confused eyes.
"It..." Kevin leaned back a little, feeling a twisting in his chest. That had been stupid of him to do, but he couldn't go back on it now. He could just hope KiBum didn't hate him. "I...I really like you," he admitted quietly. "I'm sorry, I should have asked before kissing you. If you don't feel the same way, it's okay."
Taking a deep breath, KiBum reached out to take Kevin's hand, holding it lightly. "I'll be honest, I don't know how I feel," he said softly, looking into Kevin's eyes. "All I know is, I like spending time with you, and.. the kiss wasn't so bad."
The younger teen smiled hopefully at that, perking up to meet KiBum's eyes. "...So I'm not that bad of a kisser then?" he chuckled softly, trying to see some sign in KiBum's eyes that he wasn't wrong for hoping.
"Not that I could tell," KiBum chuckled softly, scooting a little closer. "Not that I've ever kissed anyone before though, so don't take my word for it."
"I'm surprised, you're pretty cute," Kevin smiled sheepishly, fingers twining around KiBum's as his free arm wrapped loosely around his shoulders again. "It's...this is okay, then?"
"Yeah... I think it's okay," KiBum nodded, gripping Kevin's fingers a little tighter. He couldn't help the small sinking feeling though, knowing that he would disappear when the game was shut down. But no one could begrudge at least a little bit of happiness, even if it was at Kevin's expense. "You're pretty cute too."
A slight pink tinge appeared on the blond's cheeks, and Kevin smiled at him before hesitantly leaning in again, lips meeting KiBum's in a soft kiss.
KiBum returned the kiss hesitantly, eyes slipping closed and enjoying the moment. This did mean he would have to tell Kevin soon, that he wasn't real, but he didn't want to ruin the moment right then.
The kiss lasted for a long moment, Kevin framing KiBum's face gently and brushing his fingertips over his jawline. The other boy might have said he was an inexperienced kisser, but it made Kevin breathless all the same, taking a small breath before returning for another kiss. Only after a few soft kisses did he pull back, face close to KiBum's as he opened his eyes and smiled in contentment at the older boy.
So... you want to stay here for a little bit longer? I'm not in a hurry to get anywhere anyway," KiBum said softly, smiling back at him.
"Fine by me," Kevin chuckled, playing with a strand of KiBum's hair before straightening. "We have all the time in the world," he grinned before flopping down onto his back on the grass, stretching a little.
"Yeah... all the time in the world," KiBum echoed before laying down next to him. All the time until the game was shut down.
Authors:
yeonah and
mskatness
Chapter: 2/4
Fandoms: U-KISS, cameos by SS501, Super Junior and MBLAQ
Pairing: KeMaru
Rating: PG-14
Warning: AU, Character Death (sorta)
Summary: He was created to be perfectly human in every way…except he wasn’t real.
A/N: Spinoff for our SS501 roleplay, Never Online, focusing on KiBum and Kevin’s story. It’s suggested to read Never Online first, to get an idea of the story context, but not needed.
Leaning up against a building wall, KiBum watched the middle aged man who had been standing near a stall in the festival district. Luckily he had a signal scrambler on so this time, their little shadow had no idea where he was, only that he was in game. KiBum had been dodging the kid all week, and was fed up. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head to the side.
"Morning KiBum, what have you got for us?" KyuJong responded to his call.
"Morning, he's in the festival district," KiBum said. "I thought if I did some things to make a little noise he'd show up, and he's here now looking for me, but I've got a filter on so he won't find me. Sending you coordinates, and tagging his signal for you. Hurry hurry!"
Dropping the call, he opened his eyes and continued to watch the shadow, going over all the information he'd collected on the kid until the others showed up.
He was here, Kevin knew it. It had taken him a long time to get past that virus; not as long as it could have taken, but for the teenager it was frustrating to have been gone for so long. After quickly catching up with the hacker circles on what he'd missed, he'd gone back to searching for that group he'd been following.
The time away from Never had helped him focus on what he was going to do about them. Obviously, whatever they were getting from the structural code was important; they wouldn't be risking this otherwise. He'd followed them long enough to be able to recognize what they were looking for wasn't supposed to be in the code.
Since he'd been back, he'd taken it upon himself to search for something similar. Just two days ago, he'd finally found it, and carefully started to extract it from the structural code. It was too dangerous for him to do more than move it (he was a risk-taker, but not suicidal), but it had been all he'd needed to do, hiding the code he'd taken somewhere he'd be able to keep an eye on it.
Looking around the crowd again, Kevin managed not to scowl too much as he turned his focus back to his datapad. He couldn't find that guy that had booted him off the server. The stranger's signature was completely missing. But...he'd just been here a minute ago, where had he gone?
KiBum frowned slightly, irritated with himself that he hadn't been paying closer attention to the shadow until it was too late. After he had found a piece, he had went back to double check on it for more information only to find it gone, and the kid's signature all over it. The kid was lucky it had been him who had found it, and not the company first.
As the others started to pop up on his senses, he pushed away from the wall and headed to where two of the others were waiting.
"There," KyuJong murmured, directing JungMin's attention to where the middle aged man was standing.
"What's he doing?" JungMin whispered, getting out his datapad.
"Looking for me," KiBum popped up next to them, JungMin jumping slightly. "Want me to grab him Cue?"
"You have the coordinates to jump to, right? We're all here in case he runs," KyuJong said, looking to KiBum.
"Yup, see you there in a bit," KiBum grinned, meandering his way towards the shadow, hands in his pocket. There was nowhere for the kid to run this time, and they were all ready for him. Stopping just behind him, KiBum peeked over his shoulder. "Hey there, looking for someone?" KiBum said.
Kevin jumped in surprise, realizing that somehow the guy he'd been looking for had snuck up on him. How? His signature was still-
Reacting instinctively, Kevin hit the corner of the screen to execute the freeze command he'd always made sure to program into his datapad upon logging in, hitting the young man behind him. He bolted, searching for a way out. All he needed was an interface, and he'd be out and gone.
Someone else tried to stop him, and recognizing him as one of those in the group he was following, Kevin didn't hesitate to freeze him in place as well, not even looking back to see him disappear. He should have picked an avatar that was easier to maneuver around the crowd.
More people, up ahead. Kevin fired another freeze command at them - and found himself unable to move. A bounce back?
"Got him! Finally!"
It took a few seconds for KiBum to get his program running again, using a shortcut to reboot and he had been off running after the kid. Luckily by the time he had caught up, their shadow was caught in his own trick. "Nice work," KiBum nodded, stepping up behind the frozen man, placing a hand on the man's back. "See you at the rendezvous."
Tying the kid's signature to his own wasn't that complicated, though the avatar hack made it hard to hold onto him as they jumped from the festival district to the safehouse location he and KyuJong had picked out earlier. Once they landed, the first thing KiBum had time to do was strip away the hack to the kid's base avatar. "Don't struggle, you'll just make this hard on yourself."
When the avatar hack that had been hiding him disappeared, the effects of the freeze command did as well, Kevin finding himself back in his normal avatar and...where was he?
Obviously not listening to the guy who had brought him here, the first thing Kevin tried to do was bolt for the door on the other side of the room.
"Nope!" KiBum snagged the kid by the back of the collar and dragged him back to sit in a chair, the kid fighting all the way. "I said don't struggle!"
The others started to pop into the room, KyuJong immediately snatching the kid's datapad away.
"Don't worry, I've got his avatar tied to me," KiBum said, pushing the kid down in the chair. "He disappears, I go with him. Now that I have his signal, there's nowhere in the game he can go without me being there first."
"That's nice to hear," HyunJoong said, taking a seat in front of the kid. "Alright, where is it?"
The blonde teen scowled at him, still fighting KiBum's grip. "Where is what? This is kidnapping you know, let me go!"
"Don't play dumb, you know who we are," Daniel said, leaning against the wall. "And you know exactly what he's talking about."
Kevin pressed his lips together tightly, glaring at them with an expression that said he wasn't going to speak a word. Seeing all these people he'd spent a couple years tailing in the same room as him was nerve-racking, what were they going to do with him?
"You know, I'm just going to follow you around until you tell me where it is," KiBum said lightly.
"Do you even know what it is you took?" HyunJoong asked, his head tilted to the side. "Do you know why it's important to us?"
Well, they didn't look like they were going to beat him up. Kevin's shoulders slumped after a moment, lips pursing in a small pout. "...No. I can't unscramble it, whatever it is."
"Then why would you have taken it?" KyuJong asked quietly, stepping over slowly. "Why follow us around for so long?"
"People don't mess around in structural code pulling pieces out for fun and games," Kevin replied reasonably. "Especially if there's something hidden in it."
"Do you want to know?" HyunJoong asked calmly. "We'll tell you, if you give us what you took, and tell us who you are."
KiBum looked at KyuJong sharply. "I don't know if that's... Leader we can't trust him." Who knows who this kid was, he could be security for all they knew.
"Do you have a fix on his physical location? He's nearby?" HyunJoong asked, eyes moving to look at KiBum.
"Yes... but..." KiBum shook his head. 'This is a bad idea' he wanted to say, but HyunJoong had that serious I'm-not-listening face on and it was useless to try otherwise.
"Then it's settled," HyunJoong said simply looking at the kid again. "You'll show us where it is, then we'll be around to collect you."
Kevin considered that. He had wanted to know what they were doing, hadn't he? And if they were going to meet with him in the real world, maybe that meant he was in on this strange group. Definitely easier than trying to follow them everywhere. "Okay, I'll show you. Can I have my datapad back?" he looked at KyuJong who was still holding it.
"First, tell us your handle," KyuJong said, keeping it away from him. "And know that if you try running, we'll just drag you right back here."
The teenager nodded slowly. "...Kevin. That's my handle."
"Nice to finally have a name and a face that doesn't change every five minutes," KyuJong's lips quirked, and he looked at HyunJoong for confirmation before giving the datapad back to him. A second later JongWoon popped into the room.
"If you were so curious about what we were doing, then why not try and make contact?" HyunJoong asked. "Why run from us? We weren't going to hurt you or anything, unless you irritated KiBum, which did do that."
"Because I didn't know who you are or what you're doing," Kevin shrugged. "Or if you'd take well to questions."
"Well we're not going to bite your head off, and that's a cool trick by the way," JongWoon said, coming over and peering at him. "...You're not under age, are you?"
"I'm nineteen," Kevin flushed. Not the age thing again.
"Did you think we wouldn't notice you following us around though? You knew what kinds of things we're capable of, did you think we wouldn't notice?" HyunJoong said, though he was smiling a little.
"How about you save questions for later and get what we came here for?" KiBum interjected, sighing a little in frustration. Trust HyunJoong to want to make friends with everyone in the universe.
"We will," KyuJong smiled, hugging KiBum lightly before looking back at Kevin. "Well?"
The teenager sighed and tapped something into his datapad before showing them. It was a set of coordinates. "Meet me here. Not that you would have trouble finding me anyways." He eyed KiBum.
"I'll go first, make sure he's not sending us into a trap. If I'm not back in a second, it should be safe," KiBum said, giving Kevin a look of his own before disappearing. This kid being around instead of following them all the time could either be good, or very very bad. At least KiBum didn't have to worry about looking over his shoulder all the time, but that didn't mean he was going to trust him, not yet.
*********************************
The next few days were a whirlwind of activity, Kevin trying to get used to being around these strange people. They were all very nice, even if they did tease him for his age, and KyuJong was all too happy to show him tricks and hacks in exchange for what Kevin himself knew. Since they seemed to place an emphasis on separating real-life names and in-game handles, he didn't really have the heart to tell them everyone called him Kevin anyways, letting them call him whatever they wanted.
His impression of them was slightly messed up by the explosion at dinner time, not understanding what was going on between YoungSaeng and HyungJoon. Daniel drove him home shortly after, apologizing and saying it wasn't always like that, but there were a few tensions in the group still. Kevin remembered there had been two others with them before, before JungMin and RyeoWook, but when he asked about it Daniel just gave him a sad smile and a vague answer. He was able to figure out what had happened by himself.
While YoungSaeng and RyeoWook were gone so the older man could have a quick vacation, things were slow at the house. Kevin showed up for most of the afternoon, before going back home to study. Only, studying was impossible some days with the thoughts running around his head. He'd found out a lot in the past few days.
Maybe a trip to Never was in order. Besides, there was one person he hadn't actually talked in the past few days, the person he'd actually been the most interested in talking to in the whole group. But according to them, KiBum never visited the house.
A minute later he was logged into Never, this time in his usual avatar. Quickly looking through his datapad, his lips curled a little when he finally found the signature he was looking for. Found you. He used the jump command KyuJong had shown him to land not far away from his target, looking around and peeking around a corner.
"Just because you're part of the group now doesn't mean I don't have your signature tracked, Kevin," KiBum said, not looking away from the building he was eyeing. "I told you I was keeping an eye on you, why are you following me this time?"
Kevin wrinkled his nose a little. Figures. "You take all the fun out of sneaking up on people." He jammed his hands in his pockets, stepping around the corner and stopping beside KiBum. "I was just wondering why you weren't at the house with everyone else, they're practically there all the time but you haven't stopped by once."
Glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, KiBum shrugged slightly and went back to what he was doing. "Just because they're all social butterflies doesn't mean I am. Besides, that house is drama central, I do not want to go anywhere near that. Why do you care what I do?"
"I was just curious," Kevin said, leaning back against the wall behind him. "What are you doing now?"
"Scouting for the next location, it's in there somewhere," KiBum said, motioning to the building across the street. He chewed on his lip a little, looking over his shoulder at Kevin. "Look... I'm not like the others, I'm not that good at socializing or anything, so you'd be better off hanging out with them."
"But you're socializing well enough for me," Kevin blinked at him. "I already spent most of the week with them, and I'd rather be here. No offense or anything, but your hyungdeul are kinda crazy."
KiBum snorted a laugh at that, shaking his head. "None taken, I'm well aware they're crazy, otherwise they wouldn't be doing what they do here," he said, crossing his arms and turning away from the building. He'd have to come back later to focus on it, his attention diverted now by the teen. "I'm a little surprised you stuck around after you heard what was going on considering how often you ran away from me."
"Well, finding out you weren't security helped a little," Kevin grinned at him. "And from the point of view of a ten-year-old, you were a little intimidating popping up out of nowhere. This is interesting though, definitely better than stealing credits."
"Stealing credits is for kids," KiBum said, his expression unreadable. "So... did you want something, or want to do something? I am kind of busy, but you seem like you want to hang out, unless I'm reading you wrong, I do that a lot."
Kevin pursed his lips a little, unsure how to take that. Okay, he was interrupting something he knew that, but seriously, did KiBum ever do anything but work? It was all Kevin had ever seen him doing.
"I just wanted to see if you were as bored as I was, and maybe convince you to take a break for a bit," he shrugged a little. "Listening to the others it doesn't sound like you give yourself much free time to just relax. How long have you been working for?"
"Three years," KiBum said, tilting his head to the side. "It's not a big deal or anything, it's what I do. The faster I find these pieces, the faster we get this done. I already get that lecture from Cue all the time about not working so much, but what else am I supposed to do?"
Blinking at him owlishly, Kevin shook his head. "I mean how long have you gone without a break, it's not possible to have worked 3 years straight, you would have croaked," he pursed his lips with a small frown. "And there's tons of things you can do! This is Never, you can do whatever you want. Do you like playing games? Or exploring?"
KiBum scratched at his head as he thought of the best way to respond. How could he tell Kevin that he hadn't stopped working once in three years, and that there was no need to explore when he could feel the entire game through his program? He didn't want Kevin to know what he was, he just wanted one person to not pity him when the end came. "Uh... well I game and stuff with the others when they have time."
"Cool," Kevin grinned at him. "Why don't we go check out the RPG halls then? There's usually a ton of people around this time, we can enter a melee and kick their butts!"
Glancing at the building again, KiBum's lips quirked back and forth before he shrugged. "Sure, I guess I can take a little time off," he said. "And just because we know each other doesn't mean I'm going to take it easy on you either, just so you know."
"Oh I'm counting on it," Kevin grinned at him. "I'm not a pushover. Let's go!" He started off towards the street just one block over, where he knew they'd find a bunch of things to do.
The night passed by quickly it seemed. They did several rounds at the gaming halls, sometimes against each other, and sometimes teaming up against others in free-for-alls. KiBum beat Kevin every time, but the blond was proud to say he gave the other a run for his money in several parts.
After that, he brought KiBum to a nightclub for a bit, showing off his flawless avatar hacks to get them both inside without the bouncers even looking at them twice. Only after he'd successfully gotten KiBum to dance a few times did they leave, to find a late-night festival in another district.
About to suggest they go look at the American servers ("It's day there now, so there's plenty to do") Kevin jumped when his datapad beeped repeatedly. Pulling it out, his lips pursed in a pout; it was his mother reminding him that he did have school the following day, and wasn't allowed to pull an all-nighter in the game like he was prone to doing. "I think I have to leave."
KiBum was surprised when he pouted at that, finding that he had actually enjoyed his time with Kevin. More than he thought he would. "Oh... that's too bad. You going to come back later then? I'll probably be working again, but I can take another break later. If you want to that is."
"Of course I want to!" Kevin looked back up at him with a light grin, one arm linking with KiBum's. "I have school tomorrow, but I'll be back right after. Start thinking of stuff you want to do, and don't forget to sleep, workaholic." He poked one of KiBum's cheeks before separating himself from the other man, stepping back with a wave. "Good night!" And he disappeared.
Blinking a little at the poke to his cheek, KiBum barely managed to wave at Kevin before he disappeared. It was really hard to tell what Kevin wanted from him exactly. To be friends? But Kevin could easily have found one of the others to hang out with, so why him? Frowning slightly, KiBum traveled back to the building he had been studying before Kevin interrupted him, checking over the program he had left running.
It wasn't like KiBum didn't have friends, he had the others, but no one really ever sought him out like that. This wasn't a situation KiBum knew how to handle, and there was only one person he could talk to when it came to things he didn't understand. Composing a message, he sent it off to KyuJong to find him in game later to talk. KyuJong would know what was going on.
********************************
The next month was slow for those in the house; there were no new pieces after that second-last one, and even though the end was in sight, the evasion of the last piece of the puzzle left them all on edge.
Kevin popped into the game often to find KiBum, and seemed to have taken it upon himself to make sure KiBum didn't get so frustrated as to do anything rash. Every day after school, and after studying if he had to, Kevin dragged KiBum away from his search and found things to keep them busy with. Everything from exploring different servers, to playing games, and watching festivals and shows, they did. Kevin even brought KiBum to the Never version of the school he was attending; while some classes were offline, others were online, a testament to how far the game reached.
Even on those days he was too busy working to go in-game, he'd set up in monitor at home so he could exchange messages and voice calls with KiBum, chatting with him until his mother showed up to find out who he was talking to when he was supposed to be working. The conversation she struck up with KiBum when she found out had Kevin so embarrassed he hid under the covers of his bed and refused to come back out (his father hadn't been the only one laughing at his plight).
One day, Daniel called him to tell him they were all going on vacation for a bit to de-stress; it wasn't as if they could do anything anyways. Thinking about it, Kevin glanced at his monitor on stand-by before saying thanks but no thanks; he had school after all, and couldn't disappear for an indefinite amount of time. Not that school had been the real reason to declining the offer.
The following day was a Saturday, which meant no school. Realizing this, Kevin finished all his homework first thing when he woke up before settling down in front of his monitor, plugging himself in and closing his eyes. When he reappeared, it was in the middle of the marketplace, the teenager pulling out his datapad to find KiBum.
"You should know by now, I'll find you," KiBum said, putting his arm around Kevin's shoulder when the teen appeared. It wasn't that like him to drop whatever he was doing to meet someone, but he found that he got kind of excited when Kevin's signature pinged him. After the talk he had had with KyuJong, it didn't seem like it was such a bad thing either. "You're not skipping out on doing homework now are you?"
"No, I did it all after I woke up," Kevin grinned widely at him, wrapping his arm around the older boy in return. "It's Saturday, which means no school, which means I have the whole day free! What did you want to do today?"
KiBum puffed out his cheeks as he thought. "I don't know, I have to go through the American servers later, but maybe there's something fun we can do there? Or we could just.. hang out outside of the city, that's kind of nice." It was one of the things KiBum often did when he was alone, go to the cliff overlooking the city where he had first come into awareness. Lately though, he'd been bringing Kevin with him and they'd talk for hours. Or rather, Kevin would talk, and KiBum would listen.
"We can do that," Kevin smiled at him. "Go relax for a bit, and then have some fun in the American servers. Back to the bluff?"
"Yeah, hold on," KiBum nodded, returning the smile. His hand found Kevin's and he transported them both right to the cliff. It wasn't something he liked to do with other people, but he was so familiar with Kevin's signature that tying them together had become like second nature to him. When they landed, they were at the top of the familiar cliff, the city sprawled out below. "I'm glad you like it up here too, some people don't."
"Don't see why they wouldn't, it's a fantastic view," Kevin chuckled. He happily dropped to sit down on the grass, patting the spot beside him. "The city without actually being in the city. It's just sad there aren't many other spots like this. I didn't even know you could get up here until you brought me here."
Sitting down next to him, KiBum rested his hands on his knees and looked out over the cliff. "Well I don't think maybe people would try, it's hard to get up here without knowing the tricks like we do, and most people would rather be inside, gambling away then out here. Are you going to miss the game if it goes down?"
"Hm?" Kevin tilted his head back to look at KiBum, cheek resting on one bony shoulder. "Yeah, I will," he chuckled sadly, looking out over the city again. "As corrupted as this place is, especially with all the gambling and stuff in the downtown core...it has good in it too, y'know? Not everything here is bad, and it'll be sad to see it go just because some crazy old people got power-hungry."
KiBum nodded silently, curling his legs up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his knees. "Why did you want to be my friend?" he asked, after a long stretch of silence.
"Why wouldn't I want to be your friend?" Kevin asked him in return, leaning back on his hands.
"I don't know, people don't often just want to be my friend is all," KiBum shrugged. "And you've probably got friends offline, so I just don't understand why you're spending all your free time with me."
"Why do you have to keep putting yourself down like that?" Kevin scooted closer, wrapping one arm around KiBum's shoulders and peering at the other boy. "You're a cool guy KiBum, people who don't want to be your friend are missing out. I'm happy here spending time with you, I'd never go back if I could. You don't like having me around?"
KiBum blinked, eyes wide as he shook his head. "Uh.. no, no I do like having you around, you're fun to hang out with. I'm just... not used to someone being there all the time. The others are always so busy with their real life stuff that I'm usually just by myself. I like it when you're spending time with me."
"No one deserves to be alone all the time, especially not someone as cool as you," Kevin chuckled, tugging playfully on a lock of hair as he rested his chin on KiBum's shoulder. "And if you want me to be here, then I will be."
Lips quirking a little in a smile, KiBum relaxed. "Thanks... you're pretty cool too you know," he said. "You're the closest thing to a best friend I've ever had... it's kind of nice."
"It is, isn't it," Kevin smiled softly. He looked up at KiBum for a long moment, fighting with himself. But the urge he'd been suppressing for a month now was too great, and he leaned forward, lips brushing against KiBum's gently.
KiBum froze, eyes widening at the sudden kiss. Sure, he had talked to KyuJong about the possibility of Kevin liking him, but he had never thought it would be true. He didn't know what to do, absolutely panicking but not wanting Kevin to see him panicking at the same time. What a perfect time for KyuJong to be on vacation.
Pulling back a little, KiBum bit his bottom lip as he looked into Kevin's eyes. "...What was that for?" he whispered, not knowing what else to say.
Kevin had just enough time to register how soft KiBum's mouth was before the other boy pulled back, meeting confused eyes.
"It..." Kevin leaned back a little, feeling a twisting in his chest. That had been stupid of him to do, but he couldn't go back on it now. He could just hope KiBum didn't hate him. "I...I really like you," he admitted quietly. "I'm sorry, I should have asked before kissing you. If you don't feel the same way, it's okay."
Taking a deep breath, KiBum reached out to take Kevin's hand, holding it lightly. "I'll be honest, I don't know how I feel," he said softly, looking into Kevin's eyes. "All I know is, I like spending time with you, and.. the kiss wasn't so bad."
The younger teen smiled hopefully at that, perking up to meet KiBum's eyes. "...So I'm not that bad of a kisser then?" he chuckled softly, trying to see some sign in KiBum's eyes that he wasn't wrong for hoping.
"Not that I could tell," KiBum chuckled softly, scooting a little closer. "Not that I've ever kissed anyone before though, so don't take my word for it."
"I'm surprised, you're pretty cute," Kevin smiled sheepishly, fingers twining around KiBum's as his free arm wrapped loosely around his shoulders again. "It's...this is okay, then?"
"Yeah... I think it's okay," KiBum nodded, gripping Kevin's fingers a little tighter. He couldn't help the small sinking feeling though, knowing that he would disappear when the game was shut down. But no one could begrudge at least a little bit of happiness, even if it was at Kevin's expense. "You're pretty cute too."
A slight pink tinge appeared on the blond's cheeks, and Kevin smiled at him before hesitantly leaning in again, lips meeting KiBum's in a soft kiss.
KiBum returned the kiss hesitantly, eyes slipping closed and enjoying the moment. This did mean he would have to tell Kevin soon, that he wasn't real, but he didn't want to ruin the moment right then.
The kiss lasted for a long moment, Kevin framing KiBum's face gently and brushing his fingertips over his jawline. The other boy might have said he was an inexperienced kisser, but it made Kevin breathless all the same, taking a small breath before returning for another kiss. Only after a few soft kisses did he pull back, face close to KiBum's as he opened his eyes and smiled in contentment at the older boy.
So... you want to stay here for a little bit longer? I'm not in a hurry to get anywhere anyway," KiBum said softly, smiling back at him.
"Fine by me," Kevin chuckled, playing with a strand of KiBum's hair before straightening. "We have all the time in the world," he grinned before flopping down onto his back on the grass, stretching a little.
"Yeah... all the time in the world," KiBum echoed before laying down next to him. All the time until the game was shut down.