It is silent.
Hands tucked in pockets, hood up, and heels clicking against the damp pavement, Seven walks quickly down the alleyway.
He feels stiff, hand gripped tightly around a gun. This feels wrong. This doesn't feel real.
Before he can comprehend what's happening, his vision shifts, and he comes face to face with a man.
The man's eyes are wide open in fear. It takes Seven a second to realize the man is afraid of him.
He tries to move forward.
"No.. please... No..." The stranger begs, backing up until he touches the alley wall. "You don't have to do this man..." His voice seems far away, the alarm in his tone faltering into something more sinister. Seven can barely make out his face, but he can see the terror that fills it.
"I told you to stay away..." The words leave his lips in a trance, head pounding as he lifts the pistol in his hands, aiming right between the man's eyes.
This feels too familiar.
"Don't..." The stranger pleads, lifting his hands up defensively. "This isn't who you are..."
The gun in his hand is shaking, but he can't feel any sympathy or guilt. Fear is the last thing on his mind, yet he feels like he's been in this situation before.. something like deja vu.
His finger is on the trigger, but when he presses it, nothing happens.
"Wake up.." The man whispers, lifting his head and revealing nothing but sockets.
"Wake up.." He repeats, but this time, his voice resembles a female.
It soothes him to the core.
"Saeyoung..." The peaceful voice calls, echoing all around him.
His vision focuses again, but the man is leaning against the alley wall. The back of his head is gaping open, brain matter and thick, dark blood painted on the bricks behind him. Blood drips from a single gunshot wound between his eyes.
"You did this." A raspy, chilling whisper flows from the dead man's lips.
Seven backs away in fear, realizing he did infact, pull the trigger. He drops the weapon in shock, feeling lightheaded as It clatters to the ground.
"No..." He cries, turning away from the stomach wrenching sight. Did he really do this?
"Wake up... Saeyoung.." The goddess like voice summons, sending the boy into a blurred haze. He stumbles as the blood and gore around him disappears. He reaches his hands out as a warming light envelopes him in comforting touch.
He finally recognizes the voice.
Y/N...
Seven lurches forward and gasps, colliding his forehead against Y/N's.
"Ouch!" She complains, smacking him on the shoulder as she rubs her head dramatically. "What's wrong with you?"
He groans in discomfort, swallowing hard and wincing when he touches his head. He can already feel the bruise starting to form. "Im sorry..." Seven apologizes, finally coming to his senses and realizing he's laying on Y/N's couch.
But when he looks over at her, she seems to be fine, except for the frown placed upon her lips. "Are you okay?" She looks concerned.
"Yeah?" He stretches wide, groaning again at the soreness of his muscles. This is what you get for sleeping on the couch. "Why wouldn't I be?"
She scoots closer, tilting her head as she places her palm against his forehead. "You were having a bad dream."
Seven sits up straight, looking at her with a guilty expression. "What? No I wasn't."
"There's tears in your eyes." She notes worriedly, fussing over him more than she needs to. She hands him a tissue. "I could hear you groaning from down the hall."
He swats it away. "I was stretching, that's why there's tears in my eyes."
"Saeyoung." She says sternly, and he knows he's done for.
"Im fine Y/N." He assures, refusing to look her in the eyes. He's never told anyone about his dreams. "It was just a nightmare okay? Don't worry about it."
"Alright." She sighs, knowing if he doesn't want to share, she won't be able to get it out of him not matter how hard she tries. "But you're still getting your temperature taken."
Y/N still doesn't look convinced, but she eventually stands up from the floor. "I'll be right back." She paces into the kitchen and opens the cupboard. "I just want to make sure you aren't sick."
"Yeah." Seven mumbles, watching her as she sorts through her supplies. Y/N is already fully dressed in a skirt and blazer. She looks perfect, professional, your basic hardworking young woman. Everything he isn't. In her eyes he's probably just a nerdy ginger with a cocky attitude and a Honey Buddha chip addiction.
Maybe he should say something intelligent? She looks really hot in that outfit. Maybe he has a thing for smart girls.
"Why are you so dressed up?" He blurts.
Smart. Very smart.
She walks back to his side, handing him the thermometer with narrowed eyebrows. "We are going to Jumin's today."
"Shit." Seven sighs. "What time is it?"
She glances at her phone. "Eight in the morning." Y/N looks stressed, her lips and pressed in a thin line, but she relaxes slightly as he takes his temperature without further complaining.
Seven can see how defeated she looks. She looks tired and worn out. He didn't notice far away, but now that he's up close he's able to see the dark, heavy bags that hang under her eyelids.
"It'll be okay. You know that right?" He tries to comfort her, words coming out muffled from the stick in his mouth.
"Don't talk or it won't work!" She snaps, forcing him into silence for the next 30 seconds.
His temp turns out to be a normal and healthy, 98.6F.
"I told you."
"Get dressed." Y/N rolls her eyes. "This is really important."
But before she walks away, Seven catches her wrist, pulling her back towards him.
She stumbles, catching herself just before she falls onto his lap. "What was that for?" She glares, eyes flickering to the uncomfortable hold he has on her arm.
"What's gotten you so pissy?" Seven shoots back in the same annoyed tone. Is this the thanks he gets for trying to be nice for once in his life?
Her expression softens immediately. It takes Seven a moment to realize there are tears glistening in her eyes.
"Why didn't you just ignore it?" She whispers, giving up and sitting next to him on the couch.
He stares at her intently. "Tell me."
He wants to reach out and hold her hand, kiss her cheek, rub her shoulders, anything to soothe her nerves.
But his hands stay by his sides.
Too soon...
"I'm scared."
Her breath is shakey. Seven is afraid to say anything to make her close back up. She's finally opening up to him, something other than the obvious facts of the case: she's telling him how she feels.
This is different from the night before.
Not a confession, but a confinement.
"I haven't seen Jumin since..." Y/N's eyes squeeze shut. She doesn't have to say anything.
Seven understands.
"You don't have to worry about it. Jumin is a good man."
Y/N nods, but doesn't say anything.
"Plus... you have me to back you up every step of the way."
She smiles.
"I would take you more seriously if you looked the part."
Seven leans back, hands running through his red strands of hair. "I'm trying to be serious here!"
She laughs. A genuine laugh. Maybe he did accomplish his goal, just not the way he expected it to be. She seems a little calmer, less agitated than before. That's all that really matters.
"We should get going though." She stands up from the couch, straightening out the wrinkles in her blouse. "For real, get dressed."
"Does it look like a brought any clothes with me?"
Y/N pinches her temple in annoyance, turning on her heels. "Follow me."
She brings him into the storage bedroom, and opens up the spare closet to reveal a nice looking shirt, and some dress pants. She takes them out of the closet and lays them on her bed in the other room. "These will have to do I guess. I don't really know how guy clothing works but you're relatively the same size."
"As who?"
She doesn't answer. Y/N really doesn't want to talk about him.
Seven notices her hesitation.
"I mean..." He looks down at the outfit. "I don't really care as long as I'm not wearing your ex boyfriend's clothes."
Y/N's cheeks turn pink. "Oh my god! That's creepy, and not who the clothes belong to!"
Seven chuckles. "Then why won't you tell me?"
She leans against the door frame, eyes flickering to the floor. "They belong to my brother."
"Why couldn't you say that before?" Seven looks at her thoughtfully, pulling the shirt off the hanger.
"I don't know... I don't really talk to him much."
Seven can relate to that more than she probably thinks. He hadn't seen or heard from his brother in years, just recently they had been reunited.
But he keeps his mouth shut. That story is for another time.
She clears her throat,snapping him back to reality. "It's not a big deal anyways."
"You have that lonesome look in your eyes. It seems like a big deal to me."
He takes off his shirt, and Y/N turns around in embarrassment. Even at the slightest glance she can see his rippling muscles, shifting gloriously with each movement. It makes her mentally drool. The girl didn't expect him to be so toned, even though she had felt his muscles underneath his shirt. She just... wasn't expecting it.
Y/N shakes her head in frustration, hands covering her eyes. She pushes her sexual feelings away and waits for him to finish. She doesn't want to think ANY dirty thoughts right now. She can't afford to, she needs to focus on the goal. She needs to keep calm.
"You can look now." Seven's voice seems huskier than before.
She glances his way, masking up any emotions that might have lingered on her face in a different situation. "You could have warned me."
"Doesn't matter, I know you liked it."
Y/N rolls her eyes. "We have to get going."
"You've said that like ten times."
"It's because you're slow and slobby!"She whines, still flushes in the face from his sudden stripping. She exits the room and walks down the hallway, refusing to look back as she slips into her high heels. Even with them on, she still isn't taller than Seven.
Seven fluffs up his hair and steals a piece of gum off the dresser. This is about as dressy as he can get, Jumin knows that well enough.
He stares in the mirror and sighs. He never likes what he sees but it can be worse, right? He could look like no-muscle Yoosung.
The way Y/N reacted to his shirtlessness gave him a small confidence boost.
He hears the front door open and close, snapping him out of his self loathing and making him race to grab his shoes and run outside.
Y/N really isn't having it this morning. It's so bad, He can sense her nerves in the air.
He can't blame her though. She's hated Jumin for over a year and now has to work with him.
He can't imagine how she feels.
Seven wishes he could comfort her, but he doesn't know how.
Which frustrates him even more. He's solved everything, and every person, that's come across him. But each day it seems he's falling farther and farther behind from figuring out the equation that is Y/N.
And something in the back of his mind always brings him back to her.
_______
Lord almighty this is REALLY bad but I'm super tired so I'll edit this in the morning. Also I won't be updating for a week or two because I have finals and school is almost over and I need to do my best! Congrats to everyone for making is so far in the year! And to any seniors graduating ❤️