Cyber Love
Title: Cyber Love
Length: One-Shot
Words: 6410 O.O;
Fandoms: Super Junior, DBSK (cameo)
Pairings: KiHae (Main), ninja!KangTeuk, ninja!HenWook, ninja!KyuMin, ninja!SiHanChul, ninja!BloHyuk
Rating: PG-13
Summary: KiBum's been playing The World for over a year now, and he's seen pretty much all there is to see. That is, until an unknown player named DongHae appears...
A/N: Birthday fic for music_loner, Jenna~! HOPE YOU LIKE IT~! <333 (I'm NEVER doing a one-shot this long again *falls over*)
The World. No, not the one we live in, THE World. That cyber universe created long after it became famous through the animes and games of Dot Hack. Technology was at a point where the fictional could be real, and the fifth generation consoles became one of alternate realities, tossing players into a whole new universe. That’s The World.
Kim KiBum had been playing the game for a little over a year, and he’s probably one of the best players in his group of friends. Everyone who was anyone played The World; it was ten times as addicting as World of Warcraft had been a decade ago, even the parents and professors who opposed WoW were caught up in the reality where you could be anything you wanted, with work.
In the game, he was known through his alias of Snow White (KyuHyun had helped him set up the account, and put the name in while he wasn’t looking). He and KyuHyun had been friends since Grade Two, so when the younger switched from WoW to The World, he’d followed shortly after.
The game was a bit different than how it was portrayed in the animes and consoles though. Fourth generation games had incorporated the visors and motion sensors… Fifth generation took it a step further. You put on the headrest, lay down on your bed, and to all appearances went to sleep. Your body remained immobile… Your mind was elsewhere entirely.
KiBum opened his eyes to a bustling marketplace, stepping down off the Gate to make way to a group of fighters heading up to the glowing disk in the air behind him. Opening his inbox, he checked the message KyuHyun had sent him. They were meeting in the small alleyway hidden in the back of the city; it was their usual meeting place, since few players could follow the twists and turns well enough to get there.
Walking down the street, he was once again captivated at how real everything seemed. Even the AIs, computer-control figures with limited responses, looked realistic. He’d seen one kick a troublesome player out of his store the other day, shouting a few choice words at the downed figure before storming back inside. Their programming must be rewritten on a regular basis to guarantee random reactions like that.
There was a slight ping inside his head, then he heard KyuHyun talking like he was right beside him. ”You just about here? Monkey boy’s lost, pick him up along the way?”
“Again?” He asked with a sigh. “He really needs to remember the route better…” Bringing up his map, he located the red dot that was their friend EunHyuk, an odd and rather hopeless male he’d saved from a Player Killer a few months ago. Changing directions, he went down the back alleys to track down their wayward Twin Blade.
It took him three minutes to locate the one they called ‘Monkey’. EunHyuk was wandering around in circles when KiBum appeared out of a side alley. “Snow White! Thank god, I thought I was going to be in here forever!” EunHyuk exclaimed, walking to his friend. KiBum sighed mentally, wishing he could change that name.
“Why didn’t you ping Game Kyu, he would have given you directions,” KiBum replied, leading EunHyuk down the alleyways towards the meeting area. “You can do that?” EunHyuk asked, surprised, and KiBum sighed. “If you didn’t block everyone automatically, yes.”
Game Kyu and Magnae were waiting at the meeting point, the shorter Wavemaster looking rather indignant as he frowned at the Long Arm. “That’s mean, Kyu. It’s not like I died on purpose. I’ve only been at this a week!” Magnae was a new player, one they’d rescued from accidentally killing himself in a dungeon a few days ago. They’d become fast friends with the amiable Wavemaster, but he had a bad habit for not understanding the game rules and getting himself in trouble more often than EunHyuk did.
“What did he do this time?” KiBum asked, amused.
“He walked into lava,” Game Kyu deadpanned. “In a fire dungeon. A level 5 fire dungeon.”
“How was I supposed to know that was lava? Respect your hyungs!” Magnae tried to look threatening, and failed miserably.
“Hah! Even I don’t do that!” Magnae retaliated by hitting EunHyuk off the head with his staff.
“At least he doesn’t block everyones emails and pings,” KiBum replied, and KyuHyun glared at EunHyuk. “How are we supposed to know if you’re cornered by PKers again if you don’t let us message you?”
“I didn’t even know I was blocking everyone!”
As KyuHyun talked EunHyuk through unblocking himself, the others slowly started filtering into the alleys. Angel Teukie and KangIn arrived together, a couple in real life apparently. Seasoning was brought by Cinderella and Beijing Fried Rice, apparently just as lost as EunHyuk had been. Mochi wandered in a few minutes later, their friend from the North American server, declaring that Bunny and Priest had gone on ahead to the dungeon they were supposed to be tackling that day. It was fifteen levels higher than even KiBum’s level, but it was always easier in groups, so they were confident they’d survive.
Teukie formed the group once they were all there, and entered in the code for the dungeon. Teleporting from one area to another was an odd sensation, and Magnae and Mochi fell over once they hit solid ground again, being the newest members of their entourage. Seasoning was new to the group, but he’d been on the Chinese server beforehand apparently so no one was really worried about him; he could take care of himself.
It was an ice world this time. KyuHyun told Magnae there was absolutely no way he could cook himself in lava here, resulting in the Wavemaster pouting and walking ahead of them to prove he could take care of himself (He had to be rescued by KangIn when a monster snuck up behind him and knocked the boy into a wall) They hadn’t gotten too far when Bunny, Priest, YeSung and ShinDong appeared, Teukie happily merging their groups together.
The dungeon was harder than expected; when the path forked off into three different directions, they decided it was easier to split up into smaller groups and communicate in between. KiBum, KyuHyun, Mochi, EunHyuk and Magnae took the left path, waving good luck to a tearful Teukie before walking onward.
They hadn’t been walking for half a minute before they were attacked. Three monsters ganged up on the five of them and within seconds a full-out battle had started. Mochi and Magnae teamed up on the weaker monster, the Heavy Blade and Wavemaster attacking from both sides with much difficulty. KyuHyun helped EunHyuk with the monster after him, and KiBum was left with the third monster by himself.
He was a higher level than the others, but this was hard even for him. Fifteen levels was a big difference. The creature that resembled a yeti hit him over and over again, the Rogue blocking the blows as best as he could before retaliate with attacks of his own.
He had the upper hand, until the monster pulled a move a block of programming shouldn’t be able to think of, knocking KiBum’s feet out from under him. Hearing EunHyuk exclaim in alarm, he raised his blades to blow the next blow.
It never came. The monster shuddered and vanished in a stream of data, leaving KiBum on the ground alone. Blinking a little, KiBum looked up at the unknown male standing in front of him where the yeti had been, smiling brightly. He was a Twin Blade, but he must have hacked the game somehow; the tattoos along his face weren’t meant to glow so strongly, and he was wearing clothing KiBum had never seen before. There was a peaceful, serene look to him, which was quickly destroyed when he pulled KiBum to his feet and grabbed him in a strong hug. “Are you okay?” The male exclaimed, and his voice was slightly off, like he was putting more emphasis on the wrong syllables.
The two other monsters had been destroyed by then, and Kyu looked from the odd male to KiBum, confused. “Do you two know each other?” He asked with a frown.
“No,” KiBum replied bluntly, pushing himself out of the embrace. The other male pouted at him. Now that he could see him clearly, KiBum looked for his profile information.
Odd… There was only a name. DongHae. Normally there’d be other information, such as level and occupation, but there wasn’t. There weren’t even blank spaces for the information to be entered. Even AIs had a title at least. Definitely a hacker.
“Thanks,” He told DongHae, looking at his friends. “Lets continue?” He wanted to get away from this person who came up and hugged random people.
“Are you alone?” EunHyuk asked DongHae, and the Twin Blade nodded. “Want to come with us?” Great.
They continued on their way, DongHae talking loudly about things that made no sense. The boy had weird ideas, talking about aliens and spaceships while waving his arms around and nearly catching the others with his blades. EunHyuk took an instant liking to the quirky boy, and soon they were deep in conversation. KiBum couldn’t shake off the feeling DongHae was watching him though.
They were caught twice by monsters, but DongHae proved to be an excellent fighter, taking care of them all without a problem. KiBum watched the unknown male with amazement; whether he had hacked the system or not, he was a good fighter. He moved with a strange grace that was hard for players to possess; even the long-time gamers were still a bit awkward in their movements, used to using a game controller or keyboard and not their ‘bodies’.
DongHae looked up after destroying another monster, and their eyes met. A bright smile appeared on the boys lips, and realizing he’d been caught staring, KiBum looked away quickly. He’d seen good players before, and he was sure this guy had hacked the game, so why was he still staring like a newbie?
They got to the end of the tunnel, and to their surprise saw the others already there. “Why did we split up again?” Teukie asked with a frown, then blinked when he saw DongHae. “A new friend?”
“His IG name’s DongHae,” EunHyuk said, pushing their new companion forward to meet Teukie. “He saved KiBum from being pulverized.” KiBum glared at EunHyuk and the Monkey hid behind DongHae.
Mentioning that DongHae helped KiBum instantly got their ‘umma’s approval, and DongHae was added to the main group as they walked onwards. DongHae changed his pace so he could walk beside KiBum, the other sighing softly. “What?”
“Why are you acting mean~?” DongHae complained, pouting. What was with this man? They’d only just met. “I am not,” KiBum retaliated.
“Are too~”
“Are not.”
“Yes~!”
“No.”
“Yes!”
“N-“ Realizing what he was doing, KiBum cut himself off and decided to just stay quiet from now on. But DongHae obviously had no plans to leave him alone.
Freezing as arms wrapped around him again, the Rogue was pulled up against the Twin Blades body, DongHae hugging him tightly. “So we’re friends, right?” The other asked. KiBum pushed at him, and regretted it when DongHae pulled back and gave him a kicked-puppy look.
“A… Alright,” He said with a sigh, resigning himself to being the friend of this strange man. “Just no more-“ He was grabbed in a quick hug, and then DongHae was skipping away singing happily. “… Hugging…” That man was definitely weird, even for a hacker.
They finished the dungeon in record time, with DongHae there to help them out. Leaving the field and heading back into the towns, Magnae, Mochi, Seasoning and Beijing Fried Rice logged off with a quick goodbye. The others split up to do their own things, either visiting the Guilds, buying more supplies, or heading off to a different field. KiBum looked at DongHae, figuring he should add the male to his list of friends before he staged a complaint.
Opening his friends window, KiBum entered in DongHae’s name into the ‘player search’ list, since the ‘add friends’ option was missing from the Twin Blades profile (How did you hack THAT out?). Waiting for the search to return, he rocked from foot to foot slightly and listened to Game Kyu talk to Bunny. A light ping in one ear told him the search had finished.
No matches found.
KiBum stared at the window for a moment, then double-checked how he’d entered in DongHae’s name. It was spelled correctly. There wasn’t a space before or after the name by accident; that happened occasionally.
Why wasn’t DongHae listed with the rest of the players?
Looking up at the male in question, he met DongHae’s curious gaze. The other smiled brightly at him, and KiBum looked away again.
Maybe he had underestimated the others hacking abilities. To be able to get into the server and remove himself from the list of players… You’d have to be an expert. Perhaps he was a big player in Net Slum.
Somehow, the mystery thrilled him. He had some hacker friends. He’d ask around about a player named DongHae; for him to be such a good hacker, he had to be well known.
A real mystery. A real challenge. KiBum felt a smile spread on his lips. He would make this his own personal mission… To learn about the cheerful hacker named DongHae.
*****
KiBum logged into The World several times every day. On his way to school, he’d make himself comfortable on the bus, slip on his headrest, and leave the ordinary world far behind. In between classes he’d find a quiet part of the library and do the same. And at home, once he had finished his homework, it was rare to find him without the headset on.
Every time he logged on, DongHae was there. Though he didn’t have him on his friends list, and hadn’t received any alert about being added to someone else’s friend list, the Twin Blade always seemed to know where to find him. He usually appeared in the first ten minutes of KiBum logging in, and would either vanish an hour later or stick around the entire time KiBum was logged in. KiBum, despite his earlier misgivings, found himself enjoying the hackers company. DongHae was funny, and enjoyed trying to get KiBum to laugh. He would still hug KiBum every time they saw each other, and though KiBum protested he didn’t push the older male away anymore.
On the rare occasions DongHae left him alone, KiBum used the time to ask around about the strange man. This was one of those times.
Seated in a small coffee shop in the marketplace, KiBum sipped at the drink in front of him, for once not marveling at how real it tasted as he focused on the male in front of him. “Are you sure…?”
Max nodded, a chocolate chip cookie sticking out of his mouth. Eating the mouthful, the young hacker tapped his sword against the floor lightly and ignored the look the AI shopkeeper sent him. “I’m sure. I know all the hackers in Net Slum, and not once has the name DongHae came into conversation,” the Heavyblade replied, resting his elbows on the table as he frowned lightly. “He could be new… It’s not as if there’s an official guild for hackers; we’d be IP banned by the administrators if they caught us. Still, word travels pretty fast through the Slums, and if this DongHae is as powerful as you say he is, I’m sure we’d already know about him. Isn’t it possible he’s just a normal player?
KiBum shook his head. “Impossible. His profile was completely revamped; only his name showed up. No title, no occupation, nothing. Not even an ‘add as a friend’ button. And he didn’t appear in the list of players.”
“That’s… odd,” Max mused. “He could be an administrator in disguise or something… Looking around for hackers or PKers without being labeled as an Admin. If he acts like a hacker, he’s more likely to gain our trust, and maybe even the key to getting into Net Slum. I’ll have to let U-Know know about this, it could be serious.”
Every player who wasn’t a total newbie knew of U-Know. He was like the Helba of the original Dot Hack games and shows. A professional hacker who could never be found no matter how hard the Admins looked, he overlooked Net Slum and was rumored to never leave the game. Only four other players know how to reach him; Max, the Xiah and Micky duo, and Hero, all four of them hackers as well. KiBum had run into Max by accident one day, and became good friends with the amiable hacker. And he could always count on him to help in a pinch.
“I don’t see how he could be an Admin…” KiBum replied, thinking of the happy-go-lucky male who just this morning had dragged him down to the river to go fishing. It was amazing all you could do in the game, really.
“Don’t let your guard down,” Max cautioned. “Until we can be sure he’s not an Admin, we can’t let him get into Net Slum. Keep an eye on him, alright?”
KiBum nodded, frowning. He didn’t know how to get into Net Slum himself, but Max always said he’d show him one day. But it seemed as long as DongHae wasn’t in the clear, KiBum wasn’t either.
*****
“A sakura blossom festival?”
KiBum raised an eyebrow at DongHae. “No,” He said flatly. “I’m not dressing up for any festival.” DongHae pouted at him and tugged on his sleeve. “Please? I’ve never been to one before, and I want to go with you~” KiBum tried to resist the puppy face given to him, feeling himself giving in. “Alright,” He finally relents with a sigh.
Suddenly he had an armful for DongHae, the other dropping his twin blades in his enthusiasm. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou~!” DongHae chanted in his ear, before kissing his cheek and bouncing away singing. KiBum stood there for a moment, blinking and dazed. The spot where DongHae had kissed him tingled, and he wondered if it was possible to blush in The World. The warmth spreading across his face wasn’t at all reassuring.
So that was how he found himself a day later dressed up in a Japanese-style haori, after transferring over to the Japanese server. Normally you had to pay to switch servers, like Seasoning and Mochi had paid to get to the Korean server, but this was a special one-day offer where you could roam the Japanese server for the festival. To KiBum’s amusement, he wasn’t the only one from their group of friends who was attending. Mochi and Magnae were dressed up in matching costumes, a complete accident they say. KangIn and Teukie were browsing the stalls set up nearby, buying small trinkets to bring back to the Korean server. EunHyuk was there with an older male who popped into their group every now and then, looking like a tomato from all his blushing. Kyu and Bunny sat next to the trees, and Cinderella was dragging Priest and Beijing Fried Rice around from activity to activity.
It was then, looking at all the others, KiBum realized that they were all paired off into couples (Priest would probably protest against that, but one look at him with the other two counterattacked all possible arguments). Looking at DongHae, who was hanging off his arm and babbling about something or other, he felt the blush rising again and quickly looked elsewhere.
“Oh Snow White~! Look, look, there’s pieces of paper hanging from the trees!” DongHae dragged him over to the sakura trees, and KiBum glared at Bunny when the older male started a giggling fit.
The motherly AI next to the tree smiled at them. “Why don’t you both take a slip of paper?” He offered in Korean, having heard what language they were talking in. “You write down a wish on the paper and tie it to the tree, and your wish will be granted.”
KiBum didn’t believe it, but DongHae bounced beside him and took two slips of paper, one for both of them. “Lets go Snow White~!” He chimed, dragging KiBum over to the tree and pushing one slip of paper into his hands.
Watching DongHae writing with his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth, KiBum sighed and looked down at his paper. He didn’t have much of a choice, so he might as well. But what was his wish?
… To find out more about DongHae.
It had been nearly a month now since they’d first met. The search for the others identity had become even more puzzling, as everything he tried turned up dead ends. It was almost maddening; he wanted to ask DongHae so badly just who he was, but that would be rude.
I want to know more about DongHae.
He wrote it down on the slip of paper, folding it and tying it with a piece of string like he saw the others. DongHae was already tying his to the tree, turning and giving KiBum a bright smile that make his stomach do strange flip-flops. Ignoring the feeling, he strode up to beside the other and tied his slip of paper to the tree, hoping against all logic that his wish would come true. He wanted to know just who DongHae was, and he wouldn’t stop until he did.
They spent the entire day in the Japanese server, wandering from stall to stall in the small town and enjoying the festivities. There was a parade in the afternoon, and various activities throughout the day. KiBum watched DongHae participate in them all, dragging him into several. Though he knew spending the entire day in the game wasn’t the healthiest thing to do, it never occurred to him to leave. He was enjoying this more than he let on.
At dusk, came the fireworks. DongHae dragged him to a spot beside the river where he said you’d be able to see best, chattering enthusiastically. KiBum wondered where he got his energy; he hadn’t stopped all day. Even though it wasn’t their real bodies in the game, you still were tired out after so much running around.
“Sit, sit~!” DongHae pulled him down beside him, wrapping his arms around KiBum in a hug. Though used to the others antics by now, it didn’t stop a blush from rising again. He was affected by this a bit too much.
The fireworks started, and DongHae openly exclaimed at them beside him, pointing excitedly at the different shapes in the night sky. KiBum tried to watch them, but after the first few minutes his attention went instead to the bouncing male beside him. The different colors reflected off the Twin Blades face, and the glowing marks on his skin seemed even more pronounced. Hacked though it may be, it was nothing short of beautiful. There was no denying it.
Sensing his gaze, DongHae looked at him curiously. “What’s wrong?” He pawed at his face lightly. “Do I have something on my face?”
KiBum shook his head, but couldn’t look away. He was falling into those dark, mesmerizing eyes, as if he could find all the answers to Hae’s secrets within them. Leaning forward, he heard DongHae draw in a sharp breath as their lips met briefly. KiBum blinked, realizing what he was doing, and pulled back.
DongHae leapt forward, their lips colliding again in a rough kiss as KiBum was knocked onto his back. DongHe kissed him back, almost desperately, hands fisting in KiBums haori. Completely forgetting about the fireworks, and the other people along the riverbank watching the display, KiBum wrapped his arms around the older males slim waist and pulled him down on top of him, kissing back and nipping at those soft lips as DongHae whimpered.
Their friends looked at each other, Teukie clapping his hands happily. Mochi and Magnae covered each others eyes, and the male beside EunHyuk whispered into the youngers ear and made him blush. “It’s about time,” KyuHyun murmured, watching the heated make-out. “If they took any longer we would have probably needed to lock them up somewhere together for a long time.”
Fireworks exploded overhead, going unheard to the two kissing on the edge of the river below.
*****
Months passed. KiBum came no closer to finding out just who DongHae was, and the urge to know grew with each passing day. DongHae greeted him now not with a hug, but with a long kiss, that had led elsewhere several times. He hadn’t know The Worlds programming was that flexible, but he wasn’t complaining.
Once, he had decided to ask DongHae just who he was. “Lets meet outside the game,” he murmured into DongHae’s ear. They were seated on the bridge above the canals, watching the small boats pass by underneath. KiBums arm was wrapped around his boyfriends waist, holding him close and stopping him from jumping if DongHae decided to go for a swim (he did that once, and nearly gave KiBum a heart attack).
DongHae blinked up at him sleepily, resting his head on KiBums shoulder. “Isn’t this enough?” He replied quietly, pressing closer to the Rogue.
“I want to be with you all the time, not just when I can get online,” KiBum replied softly, and DongHae smiled faintly. “… Not yet,” He whispered, closing his eyes.
“When?”
“One day.”
DongHae refused to say more than that. Why wouldn’t he want to meet KiBum in real life? It was fun to date within the game, but he wanted their relationship to be more solid than that. He had thought DongHae would agree with him. It left him puzzled.
“Snow White…”
“Don’t call me that,” KiBum murmured, once more embarrassed at the name KyuHyun had given him while he wasn’t looking. “Call me by my real name.”
DongHae looked up at him. KiBum hadn’t told any of his online friends his real name before, but he trusted DongHae. He felt sincere and gentle. “KiBum,” He murmured. DongHae smiled, leaning over to kiss his lips lightly. “Alright, KiBummie…”
Max came back to him a month after he originally asked him about DongHae, telling him that there was indeed no hacker named DongHae. It was looking more and more likely he was an Admin by the day, but KiBum still couldn’t see the goofy and bubbly DongHae as an Administrator. The two images clashed horribly. There had to be another reason why DongHae wasn’t listed in any of the player directories.
And he was going to find it, no matter what.
*****
When he logged into the game and saw soldiers marching around, his first instinct was to teleport off to another field right away. A large guild had formed an organization similar to the Crimson Knights of .Hack//Sign, with the primary mission of stopping PKers and hackers. KiBum hoped Max had hidden with the others in Net Slum by now; the punishments dealt out by SM for hacking were severe.
He decided to wait for DongHae to appear before leaving, no matter how uncomfortable the SM guards made him feel. They were obviously out in force, looking for someone no doubt.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he approached one of the guards. “What’s going on?” He asked.
“We’re on the lookout for a vagrant AI,” The guard replied, looking at KiBum carefully first. KiBum got the feeling the guard was looking through his profile information and IP address. Then, his sentence sunk in. A vagrant AI? Those only appeared in the games and animes of Dot Hack; there were no such thing in this version of The World. Vagrant AI’s were those with a much higher intelligence, such as Aura and Zefie had been, capable of adapting to their surroundings and behaving like humans after much research and data collecting.
The guard walked off, and KiBum watched after him. A vagrant AI… The World was more evolved than he thought, to support one of those. But who would create a vagrant AI and leave it to be hunted?
Walking down the streets, KiBum turned into an alley and was surprised when a pair of hands reached out from the darkness, tugging him into a dark corner. “Wha-“
A hand pressed firmly over his mouth. “Sh, it’s me.” It was DongHae. The Twin Blade’s eyes were wide with fear. “Promise not to speak too loudly?” KiBum nodded, and DongHae removed his hand, sighing softly. “I’m sorry,” He whispered, giving Kibum a small smile.
“Why are you hiding?” KiBum whispered in return, seeing how tightly DongHae was holding on to his swords. DongHae fell silent as guards ran past where they here hiding, only talking when they had passed.
“They’re looking for me.”
“You?” KiBum blinked at him, dazed. “But they’re looking for…” The pieces fit together, and it was like the ground fell out from under him. “You… You’re a vagrant AI?”
It all made sense. The way DongHae didn’t talk properly sometimes. His odd beliefs and hyperactive tendencies. Why he was never tired. Why he didn’t want to meet KiBum outside The World. He couldn’t.
The DongHae he loved all this time was nothing more than a pile of codes and programming.
DongHae seemed to sense the turmoil in his mind, his hands clinging to KiBum’s arms desperately. “Please don’t be mad!” He whispered tearfully. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you! I didn’t know how you would react!”
“Of course you didn’t know how I would react,” KiBum replied bitterly. “It’s not in your programming. Were you taught how to kiss too?” He tried to stand, but DongHae’s arms wrapped around him tightly, keeping him in the dark corner.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” DongHae whimpered, tears slipping down his cheeks. “I didn’t… I wasn’t… Taught any of those things. I wasn’t programmed that way. YOU taught me, KiBummie. You taught me how to do so much… To have friends, to kiss, to love-“
“Stop!” KiBum snapped, pushing DongHae off of him so he could stand. “Don’t say that word.” His hands clenched at his sides, body shaking. “Programming doesn’t know how to love.”
He ran, not stopping until he reached the Gate. He felt DongHae running after him, until the guards spotted him. He heard the Twin Blade shouting, the clash of weapons fading into the distance as he approached the Gate. Logging off, KiBum’s eyes snapped open and he wretched the headset off, throwing it across the room. His pillows followed it, then the book beside his bed, until he had nothing left to throw. Letting out a frustrated yell, KiBum buried his face in his hands. The image of the grief-stricken look on DongHae’s face was burned into his eyes; even closed, it was all he could see.
He had been tricked, this entire time. The man who programmed DongHae must be having a good laugh right now. He couldn’t believe he’d fallen in… Love… With an AI. DongHae wasn’t real. Nothing he said could be trusted. He must have been programmed to pretend to love… There was no way he could love someone for real, programming could only go so far…
KiBum could only hold in the sobs for so long before they became audible. Falling back onto his bed, he pressed the back of his arm to his closed eyelids, his free hand clenching the bed sheets. It hurt so much.
*****
He didn’t return to The World the next day. He could barely rouse himself to attend school, lacking energy. His day, without the promise of seeing DongHae later, felt empty. KyuHyun sent him worried glances from across the classroom, but he avoided his friends eyes.
Days came and went. He stopped going to The World. It was too painful to think about. He knew that if he went, he was likely to not see DongHae; he must have been caught by the guards, because KyuHyun mentioned that DongHae had vanished. Even so, the thought of picking up the headset and logging on only to not see DongHae bounding up towards him with a smile across his face was too much.
Why had he allowed himself to fall so deeply for someone who he didn’t know personally? He couldn’t get DongHae out of his head. Not only that… But the happy memories were tainted by the tears the other had shed the last time he’d seen him.
Could programming cry…?
KiBum couldn’t bear it anymore. He needed to see DongHae, talk to him. It was eating him alive, the guilt, the sadness. So DongHae wasn’t real. What was hiding from him going to change? He didn’t know what he was going to say, but he had to do something.
But what if DongHae had been deleted already…?
He couldn’t even consider it. Because if he did, he’d never recover.
Opening his eyes, he looked around the small town. It was the same as always, full of players and AIs and laughter, but it left a hollow feeling. Where was he even supposed to start looking?
Instantly he was bombarded by messages and pings from his friends.
“Snow White! Are you okay? What’s wrong?” That was Magnae.
”You haven’t been on in forever!” EunHyuk.
”Is everything alright?” Angel Teukie.
”Snow White, meet me in the coffee shop, okay?” Max…
KiBum ignored the rest of the pings for now, focusing on that last one. What did Max want? Blocking the pings for the moment, he walks towards the coffee shop he always met his hacker friend in, pushing open the door. He had barely walked in though when Max pulled him back out, ushering the Rogue down towards the alleyways.
“What’s up?” KiBum inquired, confused. Max pressed one finger to his lips, smiling. “I’m taking you to the Slums.”
KiBum watched with amazement as Max pulled up a gate in front of them, this one with much different detailing than the others around the server, and glowing a different color. “Lets go,” Max pressed, and KiBum took a deep breath before walking through the gate.
Chaos. That was his first thought when he opened his eyes again. Not the kind of chaos you got with a lot of people and loud noises, but… Disarray. Pieces of old data floated around, the sky a deep purple. Broken and torn AIs wandered, along with a couple hackers. The Net Slum, a haven for hackers and those against the system… The one place on the server that the admins couldn’t reach.
Three others were waiting for them when they appeared. KiBum recognized them instantly, even though he’d never seen them before. “You must be KiBum,” Hero said with a smile, motioning with one hand to the path behind them. “Lets not keep our leader waiting.”
KiBum bowed politely to Hero, Micky and Xiah, before following them along the path. He cast Max confused looks, but the other only grinned.
Turning the corner, KiBum froze. Two figures waited for them at the end of the path, surrounded by debris and data. U-Know smiled at them all, his hacked appearance surrounded by an aura of power. KiBum wasn’t looking at the all-powerful hacker though. His eyes were caught on the second figure.
“KiBummie…” DongHae whispered, waiting him from his spot beside U-Know. KiBum resisted the urge to run to him, and envelope the man in a warm hug. DongHae was alright. He hadn’t been deleted. His knees felt weak with relief.
“We rescued him from the guards the day he was to be deleted,” U-Know murmured, KiBum looking at him when he spoke. “He’s surpassed all barriers AIs have, and is wanted by the administrators; he’s become too humanlike for them. He’ll have to remain in Net Slum for a while until it is safe for him to wander the server again.”
“When that time comes he will need a guardian to look after him,” Micky continued. “We can’t protect him all the time, and he deserves better than being hunted after he worked so hard to change his own programming.”
“So we were wondering if you would like to be his guardian,” Xiah finished with a bright smile.
KiBum met DongHaes eyes again. “It’s okay,” the vagrant AI replied softly, breaking the gaze and looking down. “You don’t have to do anything…”
“I’ll do it.” KiBum surprised himself with his firm answer. DongHae looked up at him again in disbelief, and he felt his heart clench in his chest. “I’ll protect you.”
He couldn’t… He couldn’t lose DongHae again. It hurt so much when he separated himself from the one he loved, he didn’t care anymore if DongHae existed outside the game or not. It would be hard, being with an AI. Of that he was sure. But he could do it. He NEEDED DongHae too much. He loved him too much.
The five hackers took their leave, leaving the player and vagrant AI standing alone amid the floating data and wandering AIs. KiBum took an uncertain step forward, and then suddenly DongHae ran at him, crashing into him full-force and sobbing into his shirt. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” KiBum could feel the tears soak into the material.
Wrapping his arms around the man he loved, KiBum finally let the tension leave his body, burying his face in DongHae’s soft hair. “I’m the one that’s sorry,” He whispered. “I shouldn’t… I should have reacted better.”
“I’m sorry, KiBummie… I wanted to be real for you…” DongHae looked up at other through teary eyes. “I wanted to be with you… So I messed with my programming, and I tried, I tried so hard…”
“Hae…”
“I love you, KiBummie.”
“I know.” He knew. He knew DongHae loved him, and he knew he loved him in return. And that was all that mattered, really.
Brushing the tears off of DongHae’s cheeks, he kissed him gently, feeling DongHae relax against his body. This was worth it. No matter what happened, whether they had to run from the system, cross servers and hack various programs, it was worth it if he could have DongHae beside him.
“I love you too, Hae.” His vagrant AI boyfriend.
Length: One-Shot
Words: 6410 O.O;
Fandoms: Super Junior, DBSK (cameo)
Pairings: KiHae (Main), ninja!KangTeuk, ninja!HenWook, ninja!KyuMin, ninja!SiHanChul, ninja!BloHyuk
Rating: PG-13
Summary: KiBum's been playing The World for over a year now, and he's seen pretty much all there is to see. That is, until an unknown player named DongHae appears...
A/N: Birthday fic for music_loner, Jenna~! HOPE YOU LIKE IT~! <333 (I'm NEVER doing a one-shot this long again *falls over*)
The World. No, not the one we live in, THE World. That cyber universe created long after it became famous through the animes and games of Dot Hack. Technology was at a point where the fictional could be real, and the fifth generation consoles became one of alternate realities, tossing players into a whole new universe. That’s The World.
Kim KiBum had been playing the game for a little over a year, and he’s probably one of the best players in his group of friends. Everyone who was anyone played The World; it was ten times as addicting as World of Warcraft had been a decade ago, even the parents and professors who opposed WoW were caught up in the reality where you could be anything you wanted, with work.
In the game, he was known through his alias of Snow White (KyuHyun had helped him set up the account, and put the name in while he wasn’t looking). He and KyuHyun had been friends since Grade Two, so when the younger switched from WoW to The World, he’d followed shortly after.
The game was a bit different than how it was portrayed in the animes and consoles though. Fourth generation games had incorporated the visors and motion sensors… Fifth generation took it a step further. You put on the headrest, lay down on your bed, and to all appearances went to sleep. Your body remained immobile… Your mind was elsewhere entirely.
KiBum opened his eyes to a bustling marketplace, stepping down off the Gate to make way to a group of fighters heading up to the glowing disk in the air behind him. Opening his inbox, he checked the message KyuHyun had sent him. They were meeting in the small alleyway hidden in the back of the city; it was their usual meeting place, since few players could follow the twists and turns well enough to get there.
Walking down the street, he was once again captivated at how real everything seemed. Even the AIs, computer-control figures with limited responses, looked realistic. He’d seen one kick a troublesome player out of his store the other day, shouting a few choice words at the downed figure before storming back inside. Their programming must be rewritten on a regular basis to guarantee random reactions like that.
There was a slight ping inside his head, then he heard KyuHyun talking like he was right beside him. ”You just about here? Monkey boy’s lost, pick him up along the way?”
“Again?” He asked with a sigh. “He really needs to remember the route better…” Bringing up his map, he located the red dot that was their friend EunHyuk, an odd and rather hopeless male he’d saved from a Player Killer a few months ago. Changing directions, he went down the back alleys to track down their wayward Twin Blade.
It took him three minutes to locate the one they called ‘Monkey’. EunHyuk was wandering around in circles when KiBum appeared out of a side alley. “Snow White! Thank god, I thought I was going to be in here forever!” EunHyuk exclaimed, walking to his friend. KiBum sighed mentally, wishing he could change that name.
“Why didn’t you ping Game Kyu, he would have given you directions,” KiBum replied, leading EunHyuk down the alleyways towards the meeting area. “You can do that?” EunHyuk asked, surprised, and KiBum sighed. “If you didn’t block everyone automatically, yes.”
Game Kyu and Magnae were waiting at the meeting point, the shorter Wavemaster looking rather indignant as he frowned at the Long Arm. “That’s mean, Kyu. It’s not like I died on purpose. I’ve only been at this a week!” Magnae was a new player, one they’d rescued from accidentally killing himself in a dungeon a few days ago. They’d become fast friends with the amiable Wavemaster, but he had a bad habit for not understanding the game rules and getting himself in trouble more often than EunHyuk did.
“What did he do this time?” KiBum asked, amused.
“He walked into lava,” Game Kyu deadpanned. “In a fire dungeon. A level 5 fire dungeon.”
“How was I supposed to know that was lava? Respect your hyungs!” Magnae tried to look threatening, and failed miserably.
“Hah! Even I don’t do that!” Magnae retaliated by hitting EunHyuk off the head with his staff.
“At least he doesn’t block everyones emails and pings,” KiBum replied, and KyuHyun glared at EunHyuk. “How are we supposed to know if you’re cornered by PKers again if you don’t let us message you?”
“I didn’t even know I was blocking everyone!”
As KyuHyun talked EunHyuk through unblocking himself, the others slowly started filtering into the alleys. Angel Teukie and KangIn arrived together, a couple in real life apparently. Seasoning was brought by Cinderella and Beijing Fried Rice, apparently just as lost as EunHyuk had been. Mochi wandered in a few minutes later, their friend from the North American server, declaring that Bunny and Priest had gone on ahead to the dungeon they were supposed to be tackling that day. It was fifteen levels higher than even KiBum’s level, but it was always easier in groups, so they were confident they’d survive.
Teukie formed the group once they were all there, and entered in the code for the dungeon. Teleporting from one area to another was an odd sensation, and Magnae and Mochi fell over once they hit solid ground again, being the newest members of their entourage. Seasoning was new to the group, but he’d been on the Chinese server beforehand apparently so no one was really worried about him; he could take care of himself.
It was an ice world this time. KyuHyun told Magnae there was absolutely no way he could cook himself in lava here, resulting in the Wavemaster pouting and walking ahead of them to prove he could take care of himself (He had to be rescued by KangIn when a monster snuck up behind him and knocked the boy into a wall) They hadn’t gotten too far when Bunny, Priest, YeSung and ShinDong appeared, Teukie happily merging their groups together.
The dungeon was harder than expected; when the path forked off into three different directions, they decided it was easier to split up into smaller groups and communicate in between. KiBum, KyuHyun, Mochi, EunHyuk and Magnae took the left path, waving good luck to a tearful Teukie before walking onward.
They hadn’t been walking for half a minute before they were attacked. Three monsters ganged up on the five of them and within seconds a full-out battle had started. Mochi and Magnae teamed up on the weaker monster, the Heavy Blade and Wavemaster attacking from both sides with much difficulty. KyuHyun helped EunHyuk with the monster after him, and KiBum was left with the third monster by himself.
He was a higher level than the others, but this was hard even for him. Fifteen levels was a big difference. The creature that resembled a yeti hit him over and over again, the Rogue blocking the blows as best as he could before retaliate with attacks of his own.
He had the upper hand, until the monster pulled a move a block of programming shouldn’t be able to think of, knocking KiBum’s feet out from under him. Hearing EunHyuk exclaim in alarm, he raised his blades to blow the next blow.
It never came. The monster shuddered and vanished in a stream of data, leaving KiBum on the ground alone. Blinking a little, KiBum looked up at the unknown male standing in front of him where the yeti had been, smiling brightly. He was a Twin Blade, but he must have hacked the game somehow; the tattoos along his face weren’t meant to glow so strongly, and he was wearing clothing KiBum had never seen before. There was a peaceful, serene look to him, which was quickly destroyed when he pulled KiBum to his feet and grabbed him in a strong hug. “Are you okay?” The male exclaimed, and his voice was slightly off, like he was putting more emphasis on the wrong syllables.
The two other monsters had been destroyed by then, and Kyu looked from the odd male to KiBum, confused. “Do you two know each other?” He asked with a frown.
“No,” KiBum replied bluntly, pushing himself out of the embrace. The other male pouted at him. Now that he could see him clearly, KiBum looked for his profile information.
Odd… There was only a name. DongHae. Normally there’d be other information, such as level and occupation, but there wasn’t. There weren’t even blank spaces for the information to be entered. Even AIs had a title at least. Definitely a hacker.
“Thanks,” He told DongHae, looking at his friends. “Lets continue?” He wanted to get away from this person who came up and hugged random people.
“Are you alone?” EunHyuk asked DongHae, and the Twin Blade nodded. “Want to come with us?” Great.
They continued on their way, DongHae talking loudly about things that made no sense. The boy had weird ideas, talking about aliens and spaceships while waving his arms around and nearly catching the others with his blades. EunHyuk took an instant liking to the quirky boy, and soon they were deep in conversation. KiBum couldn’t shake off the feeling DongHae was watching him though.
They were caught twice by monsters, but DongHae proved to be an excellent fighter, taking care of them all without a problem. KiBum watched the unknown male with amazement; whether he had hacked the system or not, he was a good fighter. He moved with a strange grace that was hard for players to possess; even the long-time gamers were still a bit awkward in their movements, used to using a game controller or keyboard and not their ‘bodies’.
DongHae looked up after destroying another monster, and their eyes met. A bright smile appeared on the boys lips, and realizing he’d been caught staring, KiBum looked away quickly. He’d seen good players before, and he was sure this guy had hacked the game, so why was he still staring like a newbie?
They got to the end of the tunnel, and to their surprise saw the others already there. “Why did we split up again?” Teukie asked with a frown, then blinked when he saw DongHae. “A new friend?”
“His IG name’s DongHae,” EunHyuk said, pushing their new companion forward to meet Teukie. “He saved KiBum from being pulverized.” KiBum glared at EunHyuk and the Monkey hid behind DongHae.
Mentioning that DongHae helped KiBum instantly got their ‘umma’s approval, and DongHae was added to the main group as they walked onwards. DongHae changed his pace so he could walk beside KiBum, the other sighing softly. “What?”
“Why are you acting mean~?” DongHae complained, pouting. What was with this man? They’d only just met. “I am not,” KiBum retaliated.
“Are too~”
“Are not.”
“Yes~!”
“No.”
“Yes!”
“N-“ Realizing what he was doing, KiBum cut himself off and decided to just stay quiet from now on. But DongHae obviously had no plans to leave him alone.
Freezing as arms wrapped around him again, the Rogue was pulled up against the Twin Blades body, DongHae hugging him tightly. “So we’re friends, right?” The other asked. KiBum pushed at him, and regretted it when DongHae pulled back and gave him a kicked-puppy look.
“A… Alright,” He said with a sigh, resigning himself to being the friend of this strange man. “Just no more-“ He was grabbed in a quick hug, and then DongHae was skipping away singing happily. “… Hugging…” That man was definitely weird, even for a hacker.
They finished the dungeon in record time, with DongHae there to help them out. Leaving the field and heading back into the towns, Magnae, Mochi, Seasoning and Beijing Fried Rice logged off with a quick goodbye. The others split up to do their own things, either visiting the Guilds, buying more supplies, or heading off to a different field. KiBum looked at DongHae, figuring he should add the male to his list of friends before he staged a complaint.
Opening his friends window, KiBum entered in DongHae’s name into the ‘player search’ list, since the ‘add friends’ option was missing from the Twin Blades profile (How did you hack THAT out?). Waiting for the search to return, he rocked from foot to foot slightly and listened to Game Kyu talk to Bunny. A light ping in one ear told him the search had finished.
No matches found.
KiBum stared at the window for a moment, then double-checked how he’d entered in DongHae’s name. It was spelled correctly. There wasn’t a space before or after the name by accident; that happened occasionally.
Why wasn’t DongHae listed with the rest of the players?
Looking up at the male in question, he met DongHae’s curious gaze. The other smiled brightly at him, and KiBum looked away again.
Maybe he had underestimated the others hacking abilities. To be able to get into the server and remove himself from the list of players… You’d have to be an expert. Perhaps he was a big player in Net Slum.
Somehow, the mystery thrilled him. He had some hacker friends. He’d ask around about a player named DongHae; for him to be such a good hacker, he had to be well known.
A real mystery. A real challenge. KiBum felt a smile spread on his lips. He would make this his own personal mission… To learn about the cheerful hacker named DongHae.
*****
KiBum logged into The World several times every day. On his way to school, he’d make himself comfortable on the bus, slip on his headrest, and leave the ordinary world far behind. In between classes he’d find a quiet part of the library and do the same. And at home, once he had finished his homework, it was rare to find him without the headset on.
Every time he logged on, DongHae was there. Though he didn’t have him on his friends list, and hadn’t received any alert about being added to someone else’s friend list, the Twin Blade always seemed to know where to find him. He usually appeared in the first ten minutes of KiBum logging in, and would either vanish an hour later or stick around the entire time KiBum was logged in. KiBum, despite his earlier misgivings, found himself enjoying the hackers company. DongHae was funny, and enjoyed trying to get KiBum to laugh. He would still hug KiBum every time they saw each other, and though KiBum protested he didn’t push the older male away anymore.
On the rare occasions DongHae left him alone, KiBum used the time to ask around about the strange man. This was one of those times.
Seated in a small coffee shop in the marketplace, KiBum sipped at the drink in front of him, for once not marveling at how real it tasted as he focused on the male in front of him. “Are you sure…?”
Max nodded, a chocolate chip cookie sticking out of his mouth. Eating the mouthful, the young hacker tapped his sword against the floor lightly and ignored the look the AI shopkeeper sent him. “I’m sure. I know all the hackers in Net Slum, and not once has the name DongHae came into conversation,” the Heavyblade replied, resting his elbows on the table as he frowned lightly. “He could be new… It’s not as if there’s an official guild for hackers; we’d be IP banned by the administrators if they caught us. Still, word travels pretty fast through the Slums, and if this DongHae is as powerful as you say he is, I’m sure we’d already know about him. Isn’t it possible he’s just a normal player?
KiBum shook his head. “Impossible. His profile was completely revamped; only his name showed up. No title, no occupation, nothing. Not even an ‘add as a friend’ button. And he didn’t appear in the list of players.”
“That’s… odd,” Max mused. “He could be an administrator in disguise or something… Looking around for hackers or PKers without being labeled as an Admin. If he acts like a hacker, he’s more likely to gain our trust, and maybe even the key to getting into Net Slum. I’ll have to let U-Know know about this, it could be serious.”
Every player who wasn’t a total newbie knew of U-Know. He was like the Helba of the original Dot Hack games and shows. A professional hacker who could never be found no matter how hard the Admins looked, he overlooked Net Slum and was rumored to never leave the game. Only four other players know how to reach him; Max, the Xiah and Micky duo, and Hero, all four of them hackers as well. KiBum had run into Max by accident one day, and became good friends with the amiable hacker. And he could always count on him to help in a pinch.
“I don’t see how he could be an Admin…” KiBum replied, thinking of the happy-go-lucky male who just this morning had dragged him down to the river to go fishing. It was amazing all you could do in the game, really.
“Don’t let your guard down,” Max cautioned. “Until we can be sure he’s not an Admin, we can’t let him get into Net Slum. Keep an eye on him, alright?”
KiBum nodded, frowning. He didn’t know how to get into Net Slum himself, but Max always said he’d show him one day. But it seemed as long as DongHae wasn’t in the clear, KiBum wasn’t either.
*****
“A sakura blossom festival?”
KiBum raised an eyebrow at DongHae. “No,” He said flatly. “I’m not dressing up for any festival.” DongHae pouted at him and tugged on his sleeve. “Please? I’ve never been to one before, and I want to go with you~” KiBum tried to resist the puppy face given to him, feeling himself giving in. “Alright,” He finally relents with a sigh.
Suddenly he had an armful for DongHae, the other dropping his twin blades in his enthusiasm. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou~!” DongHae chanted in his ear, before kissing his cheek and bouncing away singing. KiBum stood there for a moment, blinking and dazed. The spot where DongHae had kissed him tingled, and he wondered if it was possible to blush in The World. The warmth spreading across his face wasn’t at all reassuring.
So that was how he found himself a day later dressed up in a Japanese-style haori, after transferring over to the Japanese server. Normally you had to pay to switch servers, like Seasoning and Mochi had paid to get to the Korean server, but this was a special one-day offer where you could roam the Japanese server for the festival. To KiBum’s amusement, he wasn’t the only one from their group of friends who was attending. Mochi and Magnae were dressed up in matching costumes, a complete accident they say. KangIn and Teukie were browsing the stalls set up nearby, buying small trinkets to bring back to the Korean server. EunHyuk was there with an older male who popped into their group every now and then, looking like a tomato from all his blushing. Kyu and Bunny sat next to the trees, and Cinderella was dragging Priest and Beijing Fried Rice around from activity to activity.
It was then, looking at all the others, KiBum realized that they were all paired off into couples (Priest would probably protest against that, but one look at him with the other two counterattacked all possible arguments). Looking at DongHae, who was hanging off his arm and babbling about something or other, he felt the blush rising again and quickly looked elsewhere.
“Oh Snow White~! Look, look, there’s pieces of paper hanging from the trees!” DongHae dragged him over to the sakura trees, and KiBum glared at Bunny when the older male started a giggling fit.
The motherly AI next to the tree smiled at them. “Why don’t you both take a slip of paper?” He offered in Korean, having heard what language they were talking in. “You write down a wish on the paper and tie it to the tree, and your wish will be granted.”
KiBum didn’t believe it, but DongHae bounced beside him and took two slips of paper, one for both of them. “Lets go Snow White~!” He chimed, dragging KiBum over to the tree and pushing one slip of paper into his hands.
Watching DongHae writing with his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth, KiBum sighed and looked down at his paper. He didn’t have much of a choice, so he might as well. But what was his wish?
… To find out more about DongHae.
It had been nearly a month now since they’d first met. The search for the others identity had become even more puzzling, as everything he tried turned up dead ends. It was almost maddening; he wanted to ask DongHae so badly just who he was, but that would be rude.
I want to know more about DongHae.
He wrote it down on the slip of paper, folding it and tying it with a piece of string like he saw the others. DongHae was already tying his to the tree, turning and giving KiBum a bright smile that make his stomach do strange flip-flops. Ignoring the feeling, he strode up to beside the other and tied his slip of paper to the tree, hoping against all logic that his wish would come true. He wanted to know just who DongHae was, and he wouldn’t stop until he did.
They spent the entire day in the Japanese server, wandering from stall to stall in the small town and enjoying the festivities. There was a parade in the afternoon, and various activities throughout the day. KiBum watched DongHae participate in them all, dragging him into several. Though he knew spending the entire day in the game wasn’t the healthiest thing to do, it never occurred to him to leave. He was enjoying this more than he let on.
At dusk, came the fireworks. DongHae dragged him to a spot beside the river where he said you’d be able to see best, chattering enthusiastically. KiBum wondered where he got his energy; he hadn’t stopped all day. Even though it wasn’t their real bodies in the game, you still were tired out after so much running around.
“Sit, sit~!” DongHae pulled him down beside him, wrapping his arms around KiBum in a hug. Though used to the others antics by now, it didn’t stop a blush from rising again. He was affected by this a bit too much.
The fireworks started, and DongHae openly exclaimed at them beside him, pointing excitedly at the different shapes in the night sky. KiBum tried to watch them, but after the first few minutes his attention went instead to the bouncing male beside him. The different colors reflected off the Twin Blades face, and the glowing marks on his skin seemed even more pronounced. Hacked though it may be, it was nothing short of beautiful. There was no denying it.
Sensing his gaze, DongHae looked at him curiously. “What’s wrong?” He pawed at his face lightly. “Do I have something on my face?”
KiBum shook his head, but couldn’t look away. He was falling into those dark, mesmerizing eyes, as if he could find all the answers to Hae’s secrets within them. Leaning forward, he heard DongHae draw in a sharp breath as their lips met briefly. KiBum blinked, realizing what he was doing, and pulled back.
DongHae leapt forward, their lips colliding again in a rough kiss as KiBum was knocked onto his back. DongHe kissed him back, almost desperately, hands fisting in KiBums haori. Completely forgetting about the fireworks, and the other people along the riverbank watching the display, KiBum wrapped his arms around the older males slim waist and pulled him down on top of him, kissing back and nipping at those soft lips as DongHae whimpered.
Their friends looked at each other, Teukie clapping his hands happily. Mochi and Magnae covered each others eyes, and the male beside EunHyuk whispered into the youngers ear and made him blush. “It’s about time,” KyuHyun murmured, watching the heated make-out. “If they took any longer we would have probably needed to lock them up somewhere together for a long time.”
Fireworks exploded overhead, going unheard to the two kissing on the edge of the river below.
*****
Months passed. KiBum came no closer to finding out just who DongHae was, and the urge to know grew with each passing day. DongHae greeted him now not with a hug, but with a long kiss, that had led elsewhere several times. He hadn’t know The Worlds programming was that flexible, but he wasn’t complaining.
Once, he had decided to ask DongHae just who he was. “Lets meet outside the game,” he murmured into DongHae’s ear. They were seated on the bridge above the canals, watching the small boats pass by underneath. KiBums arm was wrapped around his boyfriends waist, holding him close and stopping him from jumping if DongHae decided to go for a swim (he did that once, and nearly gave KiBum a heart attack).
DongHae blinked up at him sleepily, resting his head on KiBums shoulder. “Isn’t this enough?” He replied quietly, pressing closer to the Rogue.
“I want to be with you all the time, not just when I can get online,” KiBum replied softly, and DongHae smiled faintly. “… Not yet,” He whispered, closing his eyes.
“When?”
“One day.”
DongHae refused to say more than that. Why wouldn’t he want to meet KiBum in real life? It was fun to date within the game, but he wanted their relationship to be more solid than that. He had thought DongHae would agree with him. It left him puzzled.
“Snow White…”
“Don’t call me that,” KiBum murmured, once more embarrassed at the name KyuHyun had given him while he wasn’t looking. “Call me by my real name.”
DongHae looked up at him. KiBum hadn’t told any of his online friends his real name before, but he trusted DongHae. He felt sincere and gentle. “KiBum,” He murmured. DongHae smiled, leaning over to kiss his lips lightly. “Alright, KiBummie…”
Max came back to him a month after he originally asked him about DongHae, telling him that there was indeed no hacker named DongHae. It was looking more and more likely he was an Admin by the day, but KiBum still couldn’t see the goofy and bubbly DongHae as an Administrator. The two images clashed horribly. There had to be another reason why DongHae wasn’t listed in any of the player directories.
And he was going to find it, no matter what.
*****
When he logged into the game and saw soldiers marching around, his first instinct was to teleport off to another field right away. A large guild had formed an organization similar to the Crimson Knights of .Hack//Sign, with the primary mission of stopping PKers and hackers. KiBum hoped Max had hidden with the others in Net Slum by now; the punishments dealt out by SM for hacking were severe.
He decided to wait for DongHae to appear before leaving, no matter how uncomfortable the SM guards made him feel. They were obviously out in force, looking for someone no doubt.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he approached one of the guards. “What’s going on?” He asked.
“We’re on the lookout for a vagrant AI,” The guard replied, looking at KiBum carefully first. KiBum got the feeling the guard was looking through his profile information and IP address. Then, his sentence sunk in. A vagrant AI? Those only appeared in the games and animes of Dot Hack; there were no such thing in this version of The World. Vagrant AI’s were those with a much higher intelligence, such as Aura and Zefie had been, capable of adapting to their surroundings and behaving like humans after much research and data collecting.
The guard walked off, and KiBum watched after him. A vagrant AI… The World was more evolved than he thought, to support one of those. But who would create a vagrant AI and leave it to be hunted?
Walking down the streets, KiBum turned into an alley and was surprised when a pair of hands reached out from the darkness, tugging him into a dark corner. “Wha-“
A hand pressed firmly over his mouth. “Sh, it’s me.” It was DongHae. The Twin Blade’s eyes were wide with fear. “Promise not to speak too loudly?” KiBum nodded, and DongHae removed his hand, sighing softly. “I’m sorry,” He whispered, giving Kibum a small smile.
“Why are you hiding?” KiBum whispered in return, seeing how tightly DongHae was holding on to his swords. DongHae fell silent as guards ran past where they here hiding, only talking when they had passed.
“They’re looking for me.”
“You?” KiBum blinked at him, dazed. “But they’re looking for…” The pieces fit together, and it was like the ground fell out from under him. “You… You’re a vagrant AI?”
It all made sense. The way DongHae didn’t talk properly sometimes. His odd beliefs and hyperactive tendencies. Why he was never tired. Why he didn’t want to meet KiBum outside The World. He couldn’t.
The DongHae he loved all this time was nothing more than a pile of codes and programming.
DongHae seemed to sense the turmoil in his mind, his hands clinging to KiBum’s arms desperately. “Please don’t be mad!” He whispered tearfully. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you! I didn’t know how you would react!”
“Of course you didn’t know how I would react,” KiBum replied bitterly. “It’s not in your programming. Were you taught how to kiss too?” He tried to stand, but DongHae’s arms wrapped around him tightly, keeping him in the dark corner.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” DongHae whimpered, tears slipping down his cheeks. “I didn’t… I wasn’t… Taught any of those things. I wasn’t programmed that way. YOU taught me, KiBummie. You taught me how to do so much… To have friends, to kiss, to love-“
“Stop!” KiBum snapped, pushing DongHae off of him so he could stand. “Don’t say that word.” His hands clenched at his sides, body shaking. “Programming doesn’t know how to love.”
He ran, not stopping until he reached the Gate. He felt DongHae running after him, until the guards spotted him. He heard the Twin Blade shouting, the clash of weapons fading into the distance as he approached the Gate. Logging off, KiBum’s eyes snapped open and he wretched the headset off, throwing it across the room. His pillows followed it, then the book beside his bed, until he had nothing left to throw. Letting out a frustrated yell, KiBum buried his face in his hands. The image of the grief-stricken look on DongHae’s face was burned into his eyes; even closed, it was all he could see.
He had been tricked, this entire time. The man who programmed DongHae must be having a good laugh right now. He couldn’t believe he’d fallen in… Love… With an AI. DongHae wasn’t real. Nothing he said could be trusted. He must have been programmed to pretend to love… There was no way he could love someone for real, programming could only go so far…
KiBum could only hold in the sobs for so long before they became audible. Falling back onto his bed, he pressed the back of his arm to his closed eyelids, his free hand clenching the bed sheets. It hurt so much.
*****
He didn’t return to The World the next day. He could barely rouse himself to attend school, lacking energy. His day, without the promise of seeing DongHae later, felt empty. KyuHyun sent him worried glances from across the classroom, but he avoided his friends eyes.
Days came and went. He stopped going to The World. It was too painful to think about. He knew that if he went, he was likely to not see DongHae; he must have been caught by the guards, because KyuHyun mentioned that DongHae had vanished. Even so, the thought of picking up the headset and logging on only to not see DongHae bounding up towards him with a smile across his face was too much.
Why had he allowed himself to fall so deeply for someone who he didn’t know personally? He couldn’t get DongHae out of his head. Not only that… But the happy memories were tainted by the tears the other had shed the last time he’d seen him.
Could programming cry…?
KiBum couldn’t bear it anymore. He needed to see DongHae, talk to him. It was eating him alive, the guilt, the sadness. So DongHae wasn’t real. What was hiding from him going to change? He didn’t know what he was going to say, but he had to do something.
But what if DongHae had been deleted already…?
He couldn’t even consider it. Because if he did, he’d never recover.
Opening his eyes, he looked around the small town. It was the same as always, full of players and AIs and laughter, but it left a hollow feeling. Where was he even supposed to start looking?
Instantly he was bombarded by messages and pings from his friends.
“Snow White! Are you okay? What’s wrong?” That was Magnae.
”You haven’t been on in forever!” EunHyuk.
”Is everything alright?” Angel Teukie.
”Snow White, meet me in the coffee shop, okay?” Max…
KiBum ignored the rest of the pings for now, focusing on that last one. What did Max want? Blocking the pings for the moment, he walks towards the coffee shop he always met his hacker friend in, pushing open the door. He had barely walked in though when Max pulled him back out, ushering the Rogue down towards the alleyways.
“What’s up?” KiBum inquired, confused. Max pressed one finger to his lips, smiling. “I’m taking you to the Slums.”
KiBum watched with amazement as Max pulled up a gate in front of them, this one with much different detailing than the others around the server, and glowing a different color. “Lets go,” Max pressed, and KiBum took a deep breath before walking through the gate.
Chaos. That was his first thought when he opened his eyes again. Not the kind of chaos you got with a lot of people and loud noises, but… Disarray. Pieces of old data floated around, the sky a deep purple. Broken and torn AIs wandered, along with a couple hackers. The Net Slum, a haven for hackers and those against the system… The one place on the server that the admins couldn’t reach.
Three others were waiting for them when they appeared. KiBum recognized them instantly, even though he’d never seen them before. “You must be KiBum,” Hero said with a smile, motioning with one hand to the path behind them. “Lets not keep our leader waiting.”
KiBum bowed politely to Hero, Micky and Xiah, before following them along the path. He cast Max confused looks, but the other only grinned.
Turning the corner, KiBum froze. Two figures waited for them at the end of the path, surrounded by debris and data. U-Know smiled at them all, his hacked appearance surrounded by an aura of power. KiBum wasn’t looking at the all-powerful hacker though. His eyes were caught on the second figure.
“KiBummie…” DongHae whispered, waiting him from his spot beside U-Know. KiBum resisted the urge to run to him, and envelope the man in a warm hug. DongHae was alright. He hadn’t been deleted. His knees felt weak with relief.
“We rescued him from the guards the day he was to be deleted,” U-Know murmured, KiBum looking at him when he spoke. “He’s surpassed all barriers AIs have, and is wanted by the administrators; he’s become too humanlike for them. He’ll have to remain in Net Slum for a while until it is safe for him to wander the server again.”
“When that time comes he will need a guardian to look after him,” Micky continued. “We can’t protect him all the time, and he deserves better than being hunted after he worked so hard to change his own programming.”
“So we were wondering if you would like to be his guardian,” Xiah finished with a bright smile.
KiBum met DongHaes eyes again. “It’s okay,” the vagrant AI replied softly, breaking the gaze and looking down. “You don’t have to do anything…”
“I’ll do it.” KiBum surprised himself with his firm answer. DongHae looked up at him again in disbelief, and he felt his heart clench in his chest. “I’ll protect you.”
He couldn’t… He couldn’t lose DongHae again. It hurt so much when he separated himself from the one he loved, he didn’t care anymore if DongHae existed outside the game or not. It would be hard, being with an AI. Of that he was sure. But he could do it. He NEEDED DongHae too much. He loved him too much.
The five hackers took their leave, leaving the player and vagrant AI standing alone amid the floating data and wandering AIs. KiBum took an uncertain step forward, and then suddenly DongHae ran at him, crashing into him full-force and sobbing into his shirt. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” KiBum could feel the tears soak into the material.
Wrapping his arms around the man he loved, KiBum finally let the tension leave his body, burying his face in DongHae’s soft hair. “I’m the one that’s sorry,” He whispered. “I shouldn’t… I should have reacted better.”
“I’m sorry, KiBummie… I wanted to be real for you…” DongHae looked up at other through teary eyes. “I wanted to be with you… So I messed with my programming, and I tried, I tried so hard…”
“Hae…”
“I love you, KiBummie.”
“I know.” He knew. He knew DongHae loved him, and he knew he loved him in return. And that was all that mattered, really.
Brushing the tears off of DongHae’s cheeks, he kissed him gently, feeling DongHae relax against his body. This was worth it. No matter what happened, whether they had to run from the system, cross servers and hack various programs, it was worth it if he could have DongHae beside him.
“I love you too, Hae.” His vagrant AI boyfriend.