The underground processing floor beneath Pride Headquarters smelled of antiseptic and fresh chrome. New recruits sat in silence while technicians cataloged names, implants, and debts
No one spoke because everyone there had already learned that speaking got noticed
Jinu was the first to notice the purple-haired boy
Not because he saw himâŠbecause he didnât.
Every time Jinu glanced over, the seat looked empty until his eyes adjusted. Then heâd realize someone had been sitting there the whole time, completely still beneath oversized sleeves and tangled lavender hair
âYou keep disappearingâ
Mystery barely looked up.
âI donâtâŠyou just stop lookingâ
Jinu couldnât help smiling.
âThatâs a neat trickâ
Mysteryâs lips twitched just enough to count as a smile.
It was the first one heâd given in weeks.
Across the room Baby was quietly trying to peel the medical adhesive off his wrist. It hurt but he kept pretending it didnât. Abby watched him struggle for almost a minute before letting out an exaggerated sigh.
ââŠYouâre making this way harder than it has to beâ
âYou look like youâre trying to wrestle a stickerâ
âIâve never been good at taking these things offâ
Abby walked over, gently caught Babyâs wrist, and carefully peeled the adhesive away a little at a time
ââŠYouâre surprisingly good at thatâ
âIâve had to patch up idiots long enough to know what Iâm doingâ
ââŠIncluding yourself?â
Abby opened his mouth to argue
Baby couldnât stop the quiet laugh that escaped him
It wasnât loud just warm enough that Abby caught himself smiling before quickly looking away
ââŠDonât get used to itâ
Abby rolled his eyes, but he didnât hide the smile that time.
âSo this is the place?â
Every technician looked annoyed
Heâd already been flirting with the guards on his way inside
âYou all look miserableâ
Baby immediately looked away.
Mystery hid further beneath his hair
Jinu pinched the bridge of his nose
âYou just got here and youâre already a problemâ
âI prefer âan experienceââ
Hours later they were released into the recruitsâ dormitory
Until Baby quietly set a bag of convenience-store snacks onto the table.
âI⊠umâŠthey gave me extraâ
âSoâŠâŠwe could share?â
Romance grabbed one immediately.
âI wanna marry you alreadyâ
ââŠGuess itâd be rude not toâ
Jinu accepted one with a polite nod.
Mystery waited until everyone had looked away before taking the last
It was the first genuine smile heâd had since joining the Pride.
Jinu stared at the ceiling, wondering how heâd gotten here.
Mystery listened to everyone elseâs breathing, relieved he wasnât alone anymore
Baby quietly hoped these strangers might become friends
Romance whispered into the darkness,
âSo⊠anyone else terrified?â
ââŠYeahâ Abby admitted quietly
Then Baby reached across the narrow gap between the beds his fingertips brushed Abbyâs handâŠAbby didnât pull away
A few seconds later, Mystery reached toward Jinuâs bed and Jinu silently intertwined their fingers beneath the blankets.
Romance watched the tiny chain of connected hands stretch across the room and smiled to himself. Maybe the Pride had brought them there to become weapons. InsteadâŠIt had accidentally introduced them to the people they would spend the rest of their lives loving.