-Ze-

"So... Ze... remembered anything since you got here?" Of course this is the question he starts off with. I glance over to Gassy and Nanners standing off to the side both seeming equally interested in my answers. I feel a bit uncomfortable with them here, knowing well that they both know I've remembered more, and if I lie they'll call me out. This is probably why Diction is keeping them in here, because they have been hanging around me and know well about my progress here, my progress remembering and my progress reverting to the same old Ze. Still, even with my memories, I don't feel like I am the same. To be expected considering what I've been through to get here, I don't think I'll ever be the same again.

"Yeah. Lots of random things though," I explain and Diction nods, although he eyes Nanners and Gassy as if checking if I'm lying or not but both Nanners and Gassy must think that is pretty accurate. Diction looks back to me and suddenly slides a sheet of paper towards me that looks like the overhead view of the area in which they ambushed me at, where Leo took me to.

"Where is the base you came from?"

"I can't tell you," I answer immediately and Diction glares at me, moving the gun slightly in his hand and I know well there are two other armed and dangerous men behind me as well. I shake my head and shrug in return and push the paper away from me. "Even if I wanted to tell you they'll kill me if I admit it and your only information source will be dead."

"Are you saying there is a Hidden on our base right now that can take you out?" I stay silent for a long time before nodding. Diction stores at me for a long time before sighing and taking the paper back. "And I'm assuming they'll also kill you if you say their name. Then this is useless if you have your life hanging in there. We'll try this again when we find the traitor and you have nothing to fear," Diction explains allowing to breathe a sigh of relief. But there really is no point in interrogating me while they know that I am under the effects of intimidation, there really is nothing Diction can do right now. "Can you tell me if the Hidden is Ohm?" The question shocks me and I glance up to him. So they really were suspecting him, I mean, I had been too before but I never expected them to be looking into it seriously.

"No, Ohm is not a traitor-" just as I finish the door to the office opens and Mark appears on the other side with a paper in his hand. I blink in surprise as does the rest of the people in the office but Mark charges forward and sets the paper down on the desk. At the sight of the paper I immediately get up and try to escape the room but I'm no where near the door before I feel strong grips on my arms pull be back and force me to stay still and inside the room. I struggle under Gassy's grasp but his hands dig into my arms causing me to flinch in pain and look to Diction who is looking through the papers with a thoughtful gaze. Shit.

"What is this, Mark?" Diction orders and I attempt to break free again in a panic but Gassy immediately forces my back onto him and his grasp on me is tightly held. I glance back at him and notice his scolding glare and I immediately look away. He's mad that's for sure, maybe he had been hoping I wouldn't try anything while I'm here directly in front of the captain. I had also been hoping for that but when they look at that paper my freedom on this base is gone.

"I was checking the system just to make sure everything is fine when I found this bug inserted by the laptop Ze always uses. It's a preparation, at any moment with the snap of his fingers he was planning to shut down the system he created. He successfully broke into the system and he must have been planning on using it soon-"

"He's lying!" I shout as a last resort and try to push forward with Gassy's grasp still firmly holding my arms back. Diction looks slowly from the paper up to me and flips the paper to show me the familiar code I implemented in the system just earlier today.

"Then what is this, Ze?" I hesitate, glancing over at Mark who has a smug ass look on his face for finding something anybody could have found. I wasn't even sure the bug would work but I bet on it that he wouldn't check by tomorrow but I chose the unluckiest time. "You made a clumsy mistake, Ze. From now on you will not be allowed in the lab, you will be restricted to your room and the mess hall and I will inform all of the soldiers about this-"

"You can't!" I shout pushing away from Gassy whose fingers dig into my arms tightly but I ignore the pain and look to Diction in a panic. He raises an eyebrow, surprised with my sudden panic as everyone else is, including Mark who seems very suspicious. It's not like I absolutely have to science or something like that, rather, I need to go in there to get my injections of the cure when I need it. Otherwise, I'll die. If they absolutely restrict me to the point of being unable to go in there, I won't be able to get the cure and stop my body from deteriorating. When they all stay silent I flail a leg backwards hitting Gassy rite between his legs and make a run for the door, opening it and shutting it closed behind me. I hear shouts from the other side of the door and begin to breathe crazily as I try to make a plan. I just need... I just need more of the cure within my disposal. I should have been stocking up, but if I was they'd notice the cure is missing. I'm at an impasse, I can't so anything.

"Ze, open this door right now," I hear Gassy's voice behind me laced with pain as he tries to open the door I'm leaning onto and holding the knob. "You have nowhere to hide. Just what the hell were you thinking?" I wasn't. I wasn't thinking at all, between planting the bug and pulling off the stunt I did just now, it isn't like me to be so... rash without calculating my every step. Taking a deep and shaky breath I slowly push myself off the door and listen to the door open behind me followed by Gassy grabbing onto my shoulder and forcing me back into the room where all of the people in the room are all glaring to me. As Gassy sits me back down on the chair I sit silently without any moves left. I... have to tell them or... or my life will be at an end. Unless... it'll be a race against time but I'll have to do it.

"Explain," Diction orders and I flinch and look down at my hands playing with each other on my lap. "Ze," he warns when I say nothing so I take a deep breath and look up to the man.

"I need to get out of here. I don't want to be here, I need to go back to Chilled and Leo," I mutter and Diction slams his fist on the desk causing me to flinch and grasp onto my lap tightly. He's not buying the bullshit story, and it doesn't help there are plenty of people around me all with some sort of weapon in their possession. "I..." I can't find any words to help myself get out of this situation, I acted without thinking and it'll be the end of me.

"Ze, what is so important in that lab that you can't leave it?" Nanners asks and I hesitate, glancing over to Mark who seems a bit nervous over anything else. I need a solution, temporary or permanent, but I don't want to tell them the truth which would technically be the permanent solution. I don't want them to know I'm a weak Hidden, a fake Hidden, and that's what ironically makes me one of the special Hidden.

"There's... I need to get out of here. Without the lab I can't find a way out," I explain, truthfully but not the entire reason why I'm reluctant to oblige to his strict rules. "If I stay here any longer the Hidden will come here and try to find me, and that means they'll attack you guys. I want to avoid the bloodshed from both sides." Once again, the truth laced with lies. Diction stares at me for a long time before sighing and shaking his head, seeming to not believe me and yet too tired to force the truth out of me. Without saying a word he motions Mark away and he just flinches, looking between the paper and me before leaving the room as commanded.

"No lab. Gassy, take him to his room. And make sure he doesn't come out." Silently Gassy forces me up by grabbing my arm and forces me out of the room, carrying my arm a bit roughly. I watch back as Nanners pushes himself off the wall and watches me and Gassy as we leave while Diction seems lost in thoughts with his hands before his mouth. When the door closes behind us Gassy's grip on my arm loosens before letting go of me entirely and just walking forward. I glance up to him and follow silently, feeling like a little kid who just had to leave the principal's office with their guardian. Suddenly Gassy takes a turn I wasn't expecting and I hesitate but follow him, recognizing this is the completely wrong way. When we're in front of the lab doors Gassy says nothing but turns slightly towards me with an unsure expression.

"No laptop. Take what you need. Quickly." I stare at him for a long time before rushing into the lab, thankfully finding all of the researchers must either be on break or doing their research elsewhere. Hurrying into the side room I rummage through the drawers and find the key to unlock the cabinet full of cures. Stuffing as many as I can into my pockets, I close the cabinet, relocking the cabinets and turn back around to return to the lab door where I find Gassy patiently waiting across the door. Without thinking much I charge toward him, wrapping my arms around him and surprising him greatly as he tenses up and takes a hold of my arms, nearly pushing me away but I back off before he can.

"Thank you, Gassy." He stays silent, looking at me for a long time as if judging what to do before turning away from me and walking back on track to my room and I quickly follow him. Now it's like the guardian treated his kid to some treats to make them feel better, and yet he's still keeping this sternness to him that tells me clearly what I did was wrong still, in the end. He opens the door to my room and I hurry inside, dropping down to my bed and taking the bottles from my pockets and placing them I neatly inside the drawer underneath my bed. Gassy silently watches, probably assuming they're some sorts of chemicals I feel like keeping, anything but the cure at least. I should be more cautious around him, but I feel like I owe him now after everything, he basically saved my life just how. He's still... picking up after me. He's still... saving me from the stupid situations I put myself into. At this thought I find my hands become slower and my thoughts go elsewhere as I neatly place the bottles. He's still the same caring guy, as much as he'd like to think he's changed, he's still the same.

"Ze?" I ignore the voice, my mind completely elsewhere as I begin to recall the memories we've made, every time he had to save me, every time he had to give up so much for me. "Ze, are you crying? Are you okay? You not feeling good again?" Gassy says seeming to be concerned as he kneels down beside me and pushes the locks of hair away from near my eyes. I need a hair cut, although that's the last thing I should be worrying about right now the locks are going down to my eyes now. "Do you need something? Anything?"

"Why are you still nice to me?" I ask and he immediately stops moving and panicking, his hand near my face freezes completely while I feel deep guilt cut me deeply. "I don't... I don't know you, why are you so nice to me? I don't fucking know you, you're a stinky stranger," I mutter, wiping at my eyes, saying this more to convince myself rather than him. Gassy still stays frozen although his hand slowly retreats as he examines me. I hate this, I need to stop crying. This is pathetic, I remember a few things and I become an emotional mess like this. This is really stupid. I'm being really stupid. "I don't like you. Just go away. Stop caring about me, go back to that other guy, Mark. He's gone be the new ZeRoyalViking and he's just like him so just care about him. Just... go away," I mutter, continually wiping at my eyes and refusing to turn towards him as I close the drawer.

"Ze... Steven, you're ZeRoyalViking. No one can replace you," Gassy says and I can't help but peek over to him, the warm and kind expression on his face making me feel breathless within a second. "I regret what I said last night. I regretted it the instant I said it. Ze, you may not know me, you may not feel any single piece of emotion for me, and you may not want this at all but... you've got me. I'll... do a whole lot for you I probably shouldn't. I just... want to see that smile again." I stay silent, now my turn to remain silent and look away from him, tired of seeing those tired eyes. When I say nothing in return he sighs and gets up, causing me to glance back at him as he stand and turns away. "Sorry, I still haven't gotten over you. Even after years passed. You have every right to dump me right now, just... think about it at least. Just... the me right now, I may have changed a lot but so have you and I still love you... I'm talking to nobody. I'll... see you tomorrow, Ze," Gassy says and steps away from me, walking slowly to the door to my room. He suddenly clicks open the door to my room and something clicks inside of me.

Without much thought I rush over to him, scrambling to get onto my feet and reach around him, shoving the door closed before he has a chance to even look outside of the room. I end up in an awkward position with my arms around him pressing my palms against the door keeping it shut. It's weird but... I felt like if I let him leave this room just like that he'd never look at me with those same warm eyes ever again. I feel like if I say a single wrong word right now he'll never smile like he used to again, like he'd never be happy with me again. And somehow, at the thought of that, I couldn't let it happen. Gassy slightly shifts in my arms, looking back to me with his hand still on the door knob, ready to leave the moment I let go of him. I can't let him, I suddenly feel a wave of possession over me. I... have never been the jealous type, the possessive type, that's always been Gassy, especially when it came to Alice. But now... I feel like the roles have reversed and now he's the one running away and I'm the one hopelessly in... well... I still like him a lot. Hurry Ze, say something before he pushes you off and leaves.

"I lied," I say suddenly without thinking one bit about my words. I lied, I lied about what? But it seems to stop Gassy as he looks to me with curiosity while my eyes are focused on a random spot on his chest just trying to search through my mind for something to say. I'm terrible under pressure, I can't... I'm panicking for the second time today, the first time for my life and now for this man. "I... lied... about... my-"

"Spit it out, Ze. You sound like you're some kid trying to remember their script," Gassy complains and I immediately panic and shake my head.

"I'm not acting from some sort of scri-"

"I know, I'm just playing with you," Gassy laughs and pats my head with some sort of friendly smile. He's... already become distant. That smile is masking pain and sadness he holds inside. "You don't need to push yourself. You're terrible at these kinds of things. Don't say anything you don't mean just for my sake, I'll still be your friend. There's no need to worry about that." Immediately I shake my head again and pull his hand off the knob in irritation from seeing it there for so long just anticipating the moment he turns the knob without paying attention to me. Now holding his hand I stare at his hand, much larger than mine even now after some years have passed, I guess some years have passed for both of us. I spread out his hand and interlace my fingers with his and glance up towards his eyes, now feeling slightly more encouraged with his hand no where near the door knob.

"I lied. I don't want you to go. I don't want Mark to replace me. I don't want to leave the lab. I don't... I don't want to dump you," I whimper, as I speak the words slowly getting tears appearing in my eyes. I can't keep looking at him as he listens so intently so I look down to his chest again afraid of whatever response he's going to give. I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have remembered everything. This fucker, this fucker with his fucking flirting, I can't deal with it. Suddenly he sighs and pulls his hand away from mine causing me to look up, shocked by his silent rejection.

"You're still so clumsy with your words," Gassy says with a smile in his voice and I quickly look up to him in a panic after he clearly let go of my hand but he surprises me by grabbing onto my other hand and raising it above my head as he grabs a hold of the back of my head and pulls me into his embrace, his lips meeting mine. I gasp at the sudden contact and take a step back but he just takes a step forward, handling me with great care. Not once, not one single time has he tried anything on me like this since he met me, not once while I was scared and clearly not wanting this. I flinch as he goes in for another kiss but when I sense his eyes piercing through me I open my eyes slowly to look into his eyes and immediately I feel like he just shot a bullet right through my chest. Opening my mouth I allow him to press forward for another kiss as I feel him push me back back of my legs hit my bed and I immediately feel a sudden mini heart attack in shock with the small collision bringing me back to my senses and push him away.

"Shit, Gassy, stop. You're going to get sick, I don't want you to get sick when work is just starting to get heavier again," I explain and he just raises an eyebrow to me before bursting out in laughter, embarrassing myself. "Hey, I'm serious. You're one of the more important people, you shouldn't even be in my room, I've been sick all week. Be more careful with your health, Max," I urge and he just slowly dies off on the laughter and looks at me with this amused expression.

"You're saying this to me? Like you're all super healthy." I immediately look away feeling a bit embarrassed at the truth he's simply reminding me of. Gassy breathes out what sounds like a small laugh before patting my head, sliding down his hand to my cheek and his eyes glowing with some sort of rejuvenated energy and a loving glow that I haven't seen on him once since I got here. I look down and cover his hand in my own as if to tell him to get it off but instead he outstretched his fingers, wrapping mine. I forgot how much this guy attacks relentlessly when he feels like being lovey. That's why I made that rule that one time to stop kissing me, that time when I thought he was going to stab my back at any second. Some of these memories I would have enjoyed to have kept forgotten. "I will be, so you too, alright? Be good, alright? I don't want to have to hold you like that again, ever," he mutters, glancing down at my arms where there are small red marks surely forming in bruises. Its not his fault, I knew well that he wouldn't hesitate to keep me pinned there all day if I continually tried to escape, it's a part of his job after all.

I silently nod causing him to give a pleased expression before pressing his lips onto my forehead, giving me a quick kiss. His hands stay holding both sides of my face before slowly sliding his hands off and pats my head one more time affectionately before turning from and opening the door to my room. Reluctantly leaving me alone, not before turning to me and giving me a small wave with a warm smile. I keep my hand on my cheek and feel a bit lost, the events that literally just occurred all jumbled up in my head and replaying over and over before the panic settles in. Why... why hell did I say that? What in the world was I thinking when I just completely gave in? What the hell just happened?