In an alternate dimension...

Felix slept lightly. Throughout the rest of the night he didn't move a single inch. It was rare for him to toss and turn during the night and today was no exception. He woke up just as the sun began to rise and sat in bed for about an hour before choosing to move. He was rested and ready to get some work done today, but then remembered Kim. Getting out of bed he asked towards the living room.

Kim had stayed in the basement for the rest of the night, at least until it was about time for the sun to rise. He'd managed to build himself a new lock, and went upstairs to install it just as it started getting light out. He'd pulled up a chair to the front door after getting his gun from the kitchen that shot tranquilizer darts. Tools were scattered on the floor around the chair, and though he'd gotten no sleep after the kidnapping, he didn't look much worse for wear. The front door was open as he worked, but every now and then, Kim would glance nervously out of it. He'd already removed the broken lock, now he was just trying to put the pieces of the new lock together. Even though he'd built it, between the nervousness and the lack of a good night's sleep, he seemed to keep forgetting which piece he was playing with, even if it was only for a moment.

Felix blinked when he saw the door open and then once more when he saw Kim installing a new kick. He wouldn't say he was surprised. The guy was a mechanic and a new lock seemed to be a step towards better protection. "Morning," he said with a yawn. He placed his hands in his pants pocket. "Are you okay," he asked. Felix went over and sat outside the door. He's noticed Kim's glances.

Kim nearly jumped when he heard Felix's voice. He'd forgotten that the guy had stayed the night. "Good morning," he replied lightly. He was starting to realize that this situation probably made him look bad. Was he freaking out over this too badly? Was it normal for him to stay up all night building himself a lock? Would anyone else have done the same? The blue haired mechanic gave a light smile at Felix's question, though there was clear embarrassment in it. "I think so. Just...a bit paranoid is all," he chuckled lightly. "There's cereal and stuff in the kitchen, if you want breakfast. I have pancake mix and all that stuff too. I'll be done with this in a couple minutes, so feel free to help yourself to anything that's in there," he offered with a small smile.

Felix looked almost embarrassed. He s forgotten about food again. In fact it was the last thing on his mind. "I'll be okay, I'm not really hungry." He looked out at the village. He didn't know how to respond to Kim's statement about being paranoid, but chose something to say anyway. "Being paranoid is normal, but don't worry yourself too much, nothing's going to get past me." He grinned and leaned back. "It's what I'm good at."

Kim only nodded when Felix said he wasn't hungry. That was a bit less embarrassing, because Kim had lost his appetite for the day. The blue haired mechanic looked almost relieved to hear Felix say that it was normal. The last thing Kim wanted to be was abnormal right now. That was what had gotten him into this mess in the first place. He was surprised though, that Felix hadn't yet asked why. Maybe the guy had guessed already, the reason he'd been kidnapped. Kim gave a small grin and went back to working on the lock. "You know...if I believed in such a silly thing as fate, I'd say that's the reason I met you yesterday of all days," he said in a quieter voice than what he'd been using earlier. It could have been that he was embarrassed about saying something so ridiculous. "If it had been any other time, I might have been dead by now. I know you told me to stop thanking you, but I can't really help it. Thanks for coming to my rescue Felix," he said with a small chuckle. Even though he'd chuckle, his eyes once more glanced out the doorway. He couldn't help that he was nervous right now, even with Felix the super ninja by his side.

(Super ninja.)

Felix looked up when Kim spoke of fate. The silver haired shinobi didn't really know what he believed in. He was immortal and damn near unstoppable. Kyla had wanted him to be a God among mortals, so why should he gave any faith in any deity. Of course he didn't think that high of himself, but it was food for thought every now and again. The older man simply nodded when Kim thanked him again. "Not a problem," he replied once more. He figured he should ask now. "Kim, just why were those people after you," he asked. There was no curiosity, just a simple question to put a motive to actions.

Kim smiled lightly when Felix didn't reprimand him this time for thanking him. He couldn't help that he wanted to express his gratitude consistently. The blue haired male paused in screwing on the lock when Felix asked why those people were after him. He figured it would be now or never, if he was gonna tell the guy. "The main guy you saw, the one who answered the door. His name's Aussir. He'd heading a revolutionary group within the city. It's gaining a lot of power, but the military has more firepower than they could ever hope to gain. So, they want the blueprints to my weapons, and I won't deliver," he said, going back to screwing on the last bolt. "That's all it is."

Felix listened and as he listened he came up with a plan. So Aussir was trying to start a revolution but he was outnumbered. Felix grinned. "So you're their trump card and yet you're sealed away in a box that they can't touch," he mused. "Hmm, looks like you're popular." He looked up at Kim when he screwed in the last bolt. "If you want, I can put an end to it all." Felix didn't mind. He'd love to feel Aussir's bones crushing underneath the hell of his foot. That bastard deserved nothing less than death. No, death is too merciful. Felix stood up and stretched. "Only if you want," he added quietly. Blue eyes focused on Kim's brown ones. "It's the least I can do for you allowing me to stay in your home." The blue haired mechanic meant nothing to him, but Felix didn't want to watch someone suffer for no reason. That wasn't the way he lived his life.

"I'd much rather be popular for my music than for my machinery," Kim stated simply. He rarely called them guns or weapons. They were just machines to him; things he was good at building. He'd tried his hand at other things, but in the end had always come back to building things that would shoot projectiles. He placed the screwdriver down next to him and clicked the lock a few times, to ensure that it he hadn't put it together incorrectly on the door, but stopped when Felix said he could end it all. The guy was a ninja, so the only thing Kim could think of when Felix said that was killing. Killing was something ninja were good at. The mechanic was quiet for a few long moments. He would love for the threats and the frequent visits to stop, but... "No. I won't have people getting hurt on my account," he said before he closed the door and locked it. It fit perfectly. Kneeling down next to the chair he'd been sitting on, Kim quietly started picking up the tools he'd been using. He'd recognized the irony in the excuse he'd given Felix. He built guns for a living. People got hurt because of him almost daily.

Felix had to stop his anger from rising as Kim spoke. How could anyone be such a coward? How could someone spend their lives building weapons yet refuse to fight, to cause harm to others. Kim was the biggest hypocrite he'd ever met and it pissed him off to no end. The silver haired shinobi clenched his fist and then turned away from the mechanic. "Suit yourself." His voice hid his anger, but his eyes were filled with resentment. Why was Kim so weak? Felix had never met such a person. He already hated mortals, but Kim...Felix felt the ultimate disgust towards the brown eyed male. Felix wanted to tell Kim how much of a waste he was. If he had no intention of harming others then he should stop building weapons. If he was so afraid then he should stand up for himself or give up the blueprints. Why should I waste my time protecting someone who doesn't have the will to stand up for themselves?

Kim had come across that kind of thing a lot, but Felix's response was something he wasn't used to. Usually ninja would try to push him into being violent, at least the ones he'd met. Would at least try to convince him that his view of things was fucked up. But not Felix. Kim couldn't tell if the guy was just understanding, or if the guy was trying to hold himself from beating the crap out of him to try and make him fight back. Giving a small sigh, he stood up, the tools in one arm and the chair in the other hand as he drug it back to the kitchen where he'd gotten it from. He glanced to Felix before putting the tools in a kitchen drawer. That wasn't really where they went, but he didn't feel confident enough in his new friend to open the door to his basement just yet. "I appreciate the offer though, Felix. I just...that's not how I do things," he said, glancing at the silver haired man before getting himself a glass of water. His arm hurt. His stomach hurt. His head hurt. His everything just hurt. Which was exactly why he was about to take a couple of those pain pills the doctor had prescribed him.

Felix shrugged. "Like you said, it was just an offer. I didn't care whether or not you declined or accepted it." His blue eyes were hidden behind his silver hair. One day someone was going to kill Kim, all because he was cowardly and wouldn't fight back. The guy had been lucky yesterday, but eventually Felix would be gone and Kim would be all on his lonesome. The silver haired shinobi shook his head and entered the house. It was easier to be an indifferent asshole rather to admit that he had any worries about the mechanic. Felix was very experienced in putting all feelings aside, especially when those feelings threatened his love for Meridian.

Yeah, right. For some reason, Kim didn't seem to buy into Felix's words. Maybe it was because he'd heard similar things before. Lies that were told with an "I don't care" were usually just that: lies. Giving a small shrug, Kim downed two pills with the water he'd just gotten. The doctor had said to be careful, since the pills would probably make him a little loopy, though not in those exact terms. "Anyways," he said with a small sniffle. "I'm gonna go take a nap. Didn't get much sleep last night." Not past 3am, anyways. With a small wave, Kim yawned and started towards his room.

Felix nodded when Kim said he was going to take a nap. "Have a nice sleep." He wouldn't say anything but Kim looked like hell. Once the other male was sleep Felix went to get a few clothes and a towel to take a shower. As he undressed he ran his hands along the scars on his neck. Most days he avoided looking at them, but today he felt unnecessarily aware of them. He gave a small sigh and then got into the shower. Felix loved hot water so the room became steamy fairly quickly. He showered in silence, letting the water wash over his bare skin. He felt refreshed within seconds. Water was his element and although he wasn't thinking about it, or even remembered being stabbed with a kunai last night, the wound was healing on it's own as the water ran over it. If only it could get rid of the scars.

It was less than an hour that Kim remained asleep, and the only reason he'd ended up jumping awake was because his dreams were of reliving that nightmare of having been kidnapped. He hadn't looked it at the time, but he'd been terrified. Now that fear was finally catching up to him, and jumping awake like he had put much unneeded stress on the bruised area of his abdomen. Coughing a few times, the blue haired mechanic put a hand over his stomach and tried not to flinch. He was sure his face was pale, and the last thing on his mind at the moment was remembering that there was a guest in his home. Which was why there was no hesitation in his actions when he opened the bathroom door and went over to the sink, splashing cold water on his face and drenching the front of his hair after removing his glasses and placing them on the sink. He'd felt cold with fear before he'd entered the bathroom, but for some reason, now he felt a bit warmer. The sound of the shower running was completely lost on him, and he put his glasses back on his face, turning and leaning back against the sink with his eyes closed as he tried to calm himself down.

Felix heard the door open and for a moment he wasn't sure how to react. He knew Kim couldn't see him, but it didn't change the fact that the other male was so close to him. Felix was sure Kim couldn't see him between all the steam and the shower curtains, but he could see the outline of the mechanic. Felix watched his movements with the tiniest smile on his face. When Kim turned away from the sink Felix grabbed his towel and turned off the water. He wrapped the towel around his waste and then stepped out into the steamy bathroom. "You look a little pale," Felix spoke smoothly, his blue eyes shinning. "You okay?" The silver haired shinobi had his clothes folded on the edge of the sink and he'd have to slid by Kim to get to them. He started towards the shorter male, his movements smooth like the river that he'd grown up next to. His blue eyes like endless icy orbs and the expression on his face unreadable.

The sound of the shower curtains moving finally broke Kim from his personally induced trance. "Hm..?" His eyes slowly opened at the sound of a voice, but shot open when he finally realized the situation he was in. His face immediately burned a bright red and one of the first things he wondered was if this was a dream. All over again he felt terrified, but this time there was a little excitement mixed in. He was aware that there were scars covering Felix's body, some more gruesome than others, but right now he wasn't concerned with the smaller details. What he was concerned with was the fact that Felix was half naked in front of him, soaking wet and dripping in masculinity and pure sexiness. By the time Felix had started approaching him, he'd concluded that this was either a dream, or he was about to get his ass beat for walking in on Felix while he was showering. Either way, he couldn't really seem to find his voice in all his embarrassment, so he slowly nodded to Felix's question, but couldn't find the strength to move away from the sink. Just what the hell was Felix doing by coming closer to him all suave and smooth like that? He obviously hadn't realized that the guy's clothes were resting on the sink right next to him, or else he probably would have moved out of the way so that the guy could get them.

Why did he enjoy messing with people? Why did he finds it amusing to see Kim speechless? Felix almost grinned. He almost chucked, but instead he chose to be civil. "I just need to get my clothes," he spoke kindly as he leaned in close and grabbed his clothes, his eyes never leaving Kim's face. He flashed him a quick smile and then stepped back. "I should probably get dressed," he mused lightly. "I'm sure I've already made things awkward for you, I should have stayed in the shower until you left," he said apologetically. His blue eyes looked off to the side and then he slowly put his shirt on, further revealing an array of perfectly structured muscle.

As the teal haired mechanic wasn't used to caring about personal space, he didn't lean back away from Felix once the guy leaned in close to grab his clothes. While the closeness between them made him more embarrassed, he also felt relieved that the silver haired ninja wasn't going to shove his fist somewhere uncomfortable. He was starting to question Felix's sexuality a bit more, honestly. He didn't know many straight men comfortable enough to get so close to a gay man without a problem, especially when they were already half naked. That smile that Felix flashed him honestly made Kim want to steal a kiss from the other man. He restrained himself, but swallowed when Felix continued speaking. Why was his heart about to beat out of his chest? And why couldn't he find words right now?

When Felix started slowly putting his shirt on (and Kim did notice how slowly the guy was going), the teal haired mechanic finally found his voice after clearing his throat, even though he couldn't find it in himself to look away at the moment. "I, uh...didn't mean to walk in on you. I honestly forgot you were even here," he muttered, finally pulling his gaze to the side in embarrassment. This probably looked terrible, now that he thought about it. What if Felix thought that he purposely walked in just because he was a pervert? Really though, a pervert was the last thing Kim was. He swallowed. Why was Felix so perfectly muscular? The guy hadn't even dried his upper body for god's sake, so his shirt would be sticking to his skin and just outlining everything anyways! "S-sorry...I'm gonna...just," he stuttered, motioning to the bathroom door before starting out of the bathroom quickly, his eyes cast to the floor and his face still red with embarrassment.

Felix paused halfway through his actions when Kim apologized for walking in on him. "Not a problem," he said with a nod. "It happens." He forgot that he hadn't dried off but that was okay. The silver haired shinobi ended up starting for the door at the same time as Kim, speaking as he went until his hand brushed against the other male. "..I'm going to go to my room...." He trailed off. Felix wasn't known for blushing and today was no exception, but he'd felt a spark and it made him pause for a brief moment. He gazed into Kim's brown eyes, his thoughts racing as fast as his heart. He was physically attracted to the mechanic and emotionally because of Kymin, but Kim would never know that. No one would ever know that. This wasn't right, Meridian would never forgive him. Felix was conflicted. Why didn't he just let the dead go and move on? Because she means the world to me. He slowly withdrew his hand from Kim. "Heh, my fault."

'Not a problem?' 'It happens?'

If Kim didn't know any better, he'd have thought that Felix had planned this entire thing out just to screw with him. But he did know better, and he also knew that no one could have foreseen this. When he felt Felix's hand brush against him, he paused and looked to the other male, thinking for some reason that Felix had done that to get his attention. That brief moment of eye contact once again made the teal haired mechanic want to steal a kiss. But this time he reminded himself that he didn't want to scare the guy away. After what had happened the night before, he did not want to be in this house alone. So while his heart was still racing, he pushed it to the side and gave an embarrassed smile. "N-no prob," he stuttered at Felix's version of an apology. Though, Kim had to wonder if it had really been an accident. More importantly, since when had he started becoming a flustered fumbling idiot?

If this wasn't awkward then Felix wasn't sure what was. The silver haired male hadn't meant to make things awkward. Interesting, sure, but this was far from being interesting. He shouldn't have been fooling around with Kim to begin with. He took in a light breath and then opened the door, the cold air of the house making him shudder. He looked back to Kim. Maybe if you were someone else... "I'll see ya in a few," he said as he turned away, pausing as he remembered that he had left his headband and old clothes. He turned too fast for his own good and slammed right into Kim. He was momentarily unsettled before he instinctively reached out to keep Kim from tumbling backwards.

Kim nodded when Felix said he'd see him in a few. "I actually think I'm gonna-" he started, stopping midsentence when Felix suddenly turned around and the two of them collided. Now, Kim had horrible balance, so if it hadn't been for the fact that Felix had reached out to grab him, he would have fallen flat on his ass. However, since Felix did reach out, Kim instead ended up falling right into the guy, their chests pressing together. The sudden, unexpected contact made Kim draw a breath before looking up to the blue eyed male. "Wh-what..?" He didn't even know what to ask. What he wanted to know was why they'd collided like that, and what Felix had been thinking when he'd reeled around. He noticed it at that moment, though. How close their faces were to each other, and while the blush from earlier had died down a bit, this little incident had caused a light shade of pink to remain on his face.

Felix was silent for a long moment, his blue eyes blank. With Kim pressed so close to him he felt as though his entire world had stopped. Move away you idiot, Felix told himself, but he couldn't. He didn't know how to move, none of his muscles would listen to him and it was driving him insane. His heart beat hard in his chest and his breath came out slow. When Kim asked what Felix couldn't find the words to answer him. What exactly was Kim asking 'What' for anyway?