(an ALIEN STAGE fanfic WIP. This was supposed to be a synopsis but it stretched past appropriate word count, so I'm just stuck with this for now;;;)
After Ivan had been captured by the hands of segyeins, his expectations for a smooth sailing life turned wiry, a thin fragile rope primed to snap. Ivan had come out and survived fate worse than a snare thanks to reality often crushing his expectations, bringing his hope down the drains. He fully expected this time would be no different.
“Come with me, and I'll show you freedom.”
Those words. Those mindless, shallow words.
Ivan glides his finger to the compact glass, the surface smooth and pristine. It offers him no warmth despite the heaviness of the lights' glare. A smooth collar wraps around his neck, no tag escaping out his peripheral vision yet. Ivan predicts fate would land him with the same brand as the enclosed children with price tags not too far away. A monotonous, pale white room full of children should feel catastrophic, but not for him, small meant safe, less visible and even lesser eyes. His unkempt reflection reveals itself once he presses close enough, tainting the glass with remaining dust and dirt clinging to his skin. The irony reminds him of the nameless face who promised him those brazen words.
Freedom? I couldn’t even take the offer even if I wanted to.
Not even a few hours into these thoughts, the space flashes red, alarms blazing off in every direction. The shrill sound causes Ivan to rouse in his nap, lifting his head just to see an outstretched hand from the face of a man with teal tinted eyes.
“What do you say? Are you going to take the offer or not?”
The child stares at the hand, bigger than his own. Heavy footsteps are approaching, ringing urgency in Ivan's ears, so Ivan took. The man wastes no time in hauling him up on his bare feet. It took Ivan a staggering second before a robotic figure blocked their entrance. He couldn't miss the way the man’s fingers curled around a small steel pole, blunt enough to strike a man’s head dead. With one swift, fast swing, and a loud bang rang against the space. Ivan can't see a thing until his feet do it for him thanks to the man’s yank. “Come on! Let's run!”
Adrenaline pumped Ivan’s blood, their footsteps heavy and loud across concrete, his grip never loosening on the man’s free hand, wrapped round his similarly calloused ones. The stranger’s palm warm against his.
Maybe, expectations aren’t so bad afterall.
