"It's a prototype. We've done something similar on a smaller scale for a few other people in the past, and the chances of success for your particular case are at 89%, at the highest. However, even if it works, the side-effects are going to be... pretty intense," explained Changbin.

Changbin and Seungmin were the pair of Vigilantes Minho was dating and they were... peculiar, to say the least. Both geniuses in their own rights, they definitely had a sense of humor to match Minho's but, most importantly, they were driven by the same thing as Jisung, Jeongin, and Felix.

Justice. Retribution. Bringing down the Fake Heroes.

The solution they'd found for Felix was simple enough, but actually making it happen would be a lot more complicated. Basically, Changbin had created a device capable of forcibly reconnecting the severed nerves and re-establishing a viable connection that would allow Felix some measure of control over his lower body again. 

The device would be surgically attached to the very base of his spine. Seungmin would be the one conducting said surgery and would spend the following hours carefully reconnecting as many nerves as he could while permanently affixing the device into his vertebrae, and then stitching him back up.

"You'll have to learn how to walk again, and it goes without saying that the strain it'll put on your spine will be considerable. You obviously won't be able to use your power at all, else the device will undoubtedly break, and you also won't be able to run nor use it for extended periods of time," summarized Seungmin. "You will be able to go on short walks, at the very best – but it's still going to be pretty painful. The more you use it, the more painful it'll become. Notable side effects will be back pain, soreness, tremors, loss of sensation, potential development of CIP – congenital insensitivity to pain – and temporary paralysis, amongst other things. I'll give you a full list, along with how to properly deal with them should they occur."

"And of course, there's still a risk that the surgery won't work out properly – the chances of infection are pretty low, but there's always a level of risk with surgeries, no matter how talented your surgeon is," added Changbin, winking at Seungmin – apparently, flirting with talks of potential bodily harm was a thing for them. "Different difficulties can also arise even if the surgery works – rehabilitation issues, strain, psychological backlash... We can't guarantee anything on that front."

"We can't guarantee anything period," scoffed Seungmin, before pausing and humming to himself. "Ah, well, that's inaccurate. We can guarantee one thing."

"And... what would that be?" gulped Jisung.

"Even if it turns out to be a perfect surgery with a 100% recovery rate, it's going to be fucking painful."

Felix let out a shuddering breath while Jisung and Jeongin tensed beside him. He understood that the solution was far from ideal and, frankly, had he received that offer a few weeks back, he'd have refused it. However, the three of them were now planning of destroying the very foundations of their society, and there was no way in hell he'd be able to do that while stuck in a wheelchair.

So, the answer was obvious.

"I'll do it."

"Felix—"

"That's not—"

"This is my decision," cut Felix, straightening himself so he could look at Changbin and Seungmin properly. "I'll do it. I understand the risks and I'm willing to take them."

They simply nodded in understanding, and Seungmin started pulling out some papers while Changbin walked up to them.

"Alright. We'll need to do some preparations first. Seungmin will give you a full check-up of his own to ensure we're not missing anything, we'll take some measurements, and we'll also conduct a few tests that shouldn't take too long. Is it alright if I pick you up? It'll be easier on the bed."

"I'll do it," cut in Jeongin.

Changbin shrugged, unbothered, and Jeongin carefully picked Felix up, the freckled boy wrapping his arms around the younger's neck to keep himself steady. As Jeongin sat him down on the elevated bed, Jisung rushed to catch up to them, obviously worried.

"This is a bad idea, Lix. You don't have to do this—"

"I know I don't, Sungie," assured quietly Felix, grabbing his hand and offering him a reassuring smile. "But it's for the best."

"... just promise me two things, then."

"What?"

"First: don't push yourself. I mean it. The more strain you put on the device, the more it'll hurt, and the more dangerous it'll be – so, don't push yourself."

"I swear I'll be careful," easily promised Felix. "What else?"

"Just promise me you'll ask us for help if you need it. Don't suffer in silence because you're afraid of being a bother. If you're hurting, then tell us – if you're so intent on carrying this new burden, then at least share it with us."

"I..." Felix briefly hesitated, before nodding slowly. "Okay. Okay, I promise. I'll try."

Relaxing a bit, Jisung brought Felix's hand up and kissed his knuckles. "Thank you."

Felix instantly flushed a deep red at the display of affection. While they hadn't exactly talked about their respective feelings ever since Jisung – and by proxy Jeongin – confessed, Felix certainly hadn't forgotten about them. If anything, he'd only grown more aware of just how much he cared for his boys, and it admittedly scared him a bit.

In the past, he'd have been overjoyed, willing to throw himself headfirst into a relationship without any worry or doubt. But today... today, he was broken, and he'd only just started healing, and now the three of them were embarking on a quest for justice and there was simply no telling if their fairytale would find its happy ending. 

They were heading for dangerous waters, and Felix was no longer strong enough to pull his own weight should they sink with their ideals. If he couldn't even walk on his own, then he'd undoubtedly become a burden for them in the long run, and the last thing he wanted was for either Jisung or Jeongin to get hurt because of him.

So yes, he was willing to do whatever it took if it meant a better chance of keeping his boys safe – he could endure any pain as long as they were with him.

.

Exactly two weeks after they first met Changbin and Seungmin person, the pair contacted them to let them know they were ready for the surgery. As such, it was with fairly anxious hearts that the three found their way back to Changbin's house, which also doubled as a base of operation the couple used as their Vigilante personas.

"You can still back out, Lix," murmured Jisung.

"I know, but I won't."

Resigned, Jisung simply nodded, kissing his cheek before moving back. Jeongin simply gave Felix a quick hug before also moving away, and Changbin then wheeled Felix away into an adjacent room where they'd prep him for the surgery. As soon as the doors closed behind them, Jisung let out a shuddering breath.

Please let him be alright...

He startled a bit when, without warning, Jeongin grabbed his hand.

"Felix is strong. He'll be fine."

Surprised, Jisung then relaxed a bit and squeezed Jeongin's hand back.

.

The surgery went without a hitch, much to everyone's relief, but Felix still had to go through a convalescence period before being allowed to leave – Seungmin and Changbin were adamant about keeping him under strict watch to ensure nothing went south with the healing process.

Jeongin and Jisung were allowed to stay with him, and they never left him alone – there was always one of them with him, at the very least. Felix spent most of his time sleeping under the influence of the pain meds, so they had to follow a strict schedule where they woke him up, helped him eat something, had him take more meds, and also helped him clean up.

And, at last, Felix was finally allowed to go home.

"You'll have to stay seated for a full month more before you try to walk again," warned Seungmin, dead serious. "You need to let the wounds heal completely. I'll drop by to give you a check-up then and, if everything is as it should, then you'll be allowed to give it a shot. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," grinned Felix, offering him a small salute.

Seungmin scoffed, but his expression was soft – spending so much time around Felix had definitely endeared the freckled boy to him, and Changbin was no better. As such, as the couple watched the trio leave, they could only hope that whatever they were planning to do wouldn't end up destroying them.

.

Other than some pain in his lower back, which was easily forgotten thanks to the prescribed medication, Felix didn't feel any different than before. He still couldn't feel his legs at all, but Changbin had warned him that such would be the case – the device was only meant to reestablish a strong enough connection to allow him to move again, and absolutely nothing else. But Felix didn't care. He finally had a chance to walk again, so he certainly wasn't about to ask for more. As impatient as he was, however, he kept Seungmin's warnings and his promises to Jisung in mind, and so he settled for waiting. In the meantime, he could still focus on developing their network.

As soon as Jeongin got registered and enrolled in the Hero Program, and once Jisung applied for a job at BigHit, neither of them would have the time to help Felix. As such, they all decided to wait until he could walk on his own again before putting their plan in motion and, until then, they simply worked out the details of the long-term operation. And, after a month of preparations, as promised, Seungmin came to give Felix a check-up – and, soon enough, they had the green light they were waiting for.

"It's going to be hard because you still won't be able to feel your legs at all," warned Seungmin, pushing up his glasses. "You'll have to work using your eyes – seeing your legs move will be the only thing that'll tell you it works, because no signal at all will reach your brain. As such, if you don't actively focus on moving them, you won't be able to."

"I understand. Thank you – so much. I'm really grateful. For payment—"

"Don't bother. Like Minho said, you're family. Plus, we're kind of using you as a guinea pig, so the only payment I'm expecting is weekly updates, to keep up with our data."

Felix chuckled a bit. "That can be arranged. Thank you. Again."

Seungmin simply patted his shoulder before taking his leave and, the moment he was gone, Jisung and Jeongin looked at Felix with palpable anticipation. The freckled boy looked down at his legs instead, gripping his thighs.

Finally...

Exhaling deeply, he then met his friends' eyes, determined. "Let's do this."

.

While walking was now a matter of focus and willpower, Felix couldn't just get up and go on with his life. No, he had to do this slowly. As such, he started with sitting down and trying to lift his legs (he wouldn't be able to wiggle his toes since the connection wasn't that strong, and even moving his feet specifically would be iffy).

It wasn't easy. It took him days before he finally managed to lift his left leg barely a few centimeters above the bed – but it was still progress, and he most definitely cried, because it worked.

And also because... well, as warned, it hurt like hell.

"Felix, you're okay, it's okay—"

"Fuck...!"

"Please, just let go, you're hurting yourself—"

With a pained gasp, Felix stopped biting down on his hand and bit down on his pillow instead. The pain in his lower back, where the device was located, was much more intense than he'd ever anticipated. Changbin did say it was going to be worse in the beginning, since his body had to get used moving so unnaturally, but he seriously didn't think it'd be that bad.

It was almost enough to make him regret his decision – almost.

"Shh, you're going to be fine, Lix, it's going to be okay... Just breathe for me, baby."

Felix forced himself to breathe with Jisung, while Jeongin finished applying the numbing cream over his lower back. It wouldn't entirely kill the pain, but it'd definitely help, and Jisung's soft words and gentle kisses on his shoulders helped distract him a bit.

He could do this. Jisung and Jeongin were with him, so everything was going to be fine.

.

The first time Felix managed to make a step and not fall was well-worth the celebration that followed. The trio spent the entire night playing games and enjoying good food and drinks, laughing and almost feeling like normal people their age, for once. Even with the dull pain in his back, Felix thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Maybe... a little too much.

"Sungie~ Gimme a kiss...!"

"Lixie, you're drunk," laughed softly Jisung, pinching his cheek.

"So what?" pouted the freckled boy.

"So you don't know what you're saying," replied Jeongin, definitely not as far gone as him, but his cheeks still flushed a pretty red.

"That's not true!" protested Felix, his pout deepening. "I know what I'm saying and I'm saying I want a kiss! You give me one, Innie!"

"Why?"

"'Cause you like me! And I like you too! And when people like each other they kiss!"

Jisung and Jeongin stiffened. Even in their inebriated states, they easily understood what Felix was saying and, while they didn't want to get their hopes up, it was kind of hard not to – had Felix just basically confessed to them? While drunk?

"Okay, I think that's enough for tonight," cut in Jisung, patting Felix's head. "We can talk about this some more in the morning, alright?"

Felix grumbled unhappily, so Jisung relented and gave him a kiss on the cheek, which the freckled boy was all-too-happy to reciprocate – and then he made grabby hands at Jeongin until the younger eventually gave in and picked him up, groaning when Felix happily kissed his cheek too.

As he carried Felix to his room, he couldn't hide the small smile twitching on his lips, though he'd never admit to it.

.

In the end, they didn't talk about anything. However, some sort of barrier had been taken down and, seemingly remembering what had happened that particular evening, Felix started becoming a lot more open with his affection, too. Though no words or confessions were spoken again, the three of them found themselves falling into a new, comfortable routine.

They cared about each other. They needed other. They didn't care about labels nor did they need any and, as such, they decided to focus on their mission instead.

With Felix slowly starting to walk again – with the help of crutches, but it was still excellent progress – they could finally begin setting up their plan. Jisung applied for a job at BigHit, and Jeongin went to get registered as a Variant – which was quite the nerve-wracking experience for him, but his freedom was a sacrifice he was willing to make. 

With a bit of hacking, Felix managed to get Jisung employed in the division they were aiming for, and Jeongin was almost instantly accepted into the Hero Program – as the tests they conducted found out, his super-strength was actually like that of an ant, meaning that, with some training, he could lift up to fifty times his own weight.

And, while those two began slowly carving themselves a place into the system they were aiming to destroy, Felix divided his attention between attending classes online so as to build a cover, finishing up with the blog and the flash drive, and also spotting all of the places he would be able to go in order to upload their information (cafés, parks, game rooms, malls, and even public transports, amongst other things).

And, before they knew it... everything was set.

They were ready.

"As soon as we do this..." Jisung gulped. "As soon as we do this, there'll be no going back."

Felix squeezed his hand. "We're ready."

With a nod, Jeongin grabbed Felix's other hand, and then Jisung's. "It's time we bring down this rotten system. Let's do this."

They all exchanged gazes in which shone determination and anticipation alike and, after a few more seconds, Felix released their hands and began typing on the computer before him – they were currently in a café on the other side of the city, which they had picked because of the distance, and also because the camera inside had long since stopped working, meaning the chances of them getting caught there were slim.

For their first move, they needed something that truly stood out, meaning they couldn't just upload on their blog and expect people to randomly find it – no, they needed to do something that would garner attention, and encourage the people to look for more.

"And... there you go."

With one last click, Felix uploaded their first file.

After a moment of tension, Jisung let out a shuddering breath. "Now what?"

"Now, we wait," simply answered Jeongin.

.

The entire city was currently under shock. On every single phone was displayed an horrifying video: the Hero Taurus killing a civilian who was used as a hostage, and whose death had been put on the Villain he'd been fighting at the time.

The camera footage was of low quality, but the people involved and the actions that took place were unmistakable and, though many first believed the video to be nothing more than an awful hoax, they soon lost that certitude when they clicked on the link that accompanied the video.

It led to a simple blog, with a baby blue font, on which were three different posts. The first one was that very same video. The second one was what appeared to be the uncensored mission report, with a picture of the one that had been released to the general public right next to it – and both were extremely different. Finally, the third post was an audio file of Taurus admitting to his crime, and his handler and his lawyer insisting that they'd simply have the Villain take the blame, and that he shouldn't worry.

And, at the very top of the blog was the picture of a pair of wings, stark white on black, with the balance of justice in the middle – and, underneath it, a message.

[Our Hero-dependent society is corrupted and rotten, and we have made it our mission to expose the lies of the government, of the Hero Agencies, and of the Hero Program. Not everything is at it seems, and it is high time someone steps ups and reveals what our system is truly about.

We will not take up arms. We will not fight with weapons and fists. All that we will do is expose all Fake Heroes, and demand rightful retribution. Their lies and their horrible acts can no longer go unpunished, and we intend to offer the people full transparency and the honesty they deserve. We will offer facts, and the necessary proofs to support our accusations, and we will be counting on YOU to make something of it.

We intend to give civilians the necessary tools to ensure a life of peace and security, safe from Villains and Heroes alike.

We are not Vigilantes. We are not Villains, nor are we Heroes. We are people like you who wish for nothing more than for justice to be rightfully served.

We are Valkyrie, and we are here to bring an end to the reign of Fake Heroes.

Brace yourselves, because we're just getting started.]

.

They'd used Jisung's position in BigHit's offices to allow the data transfer into all phones using the company's network and, in a matter of hours, the video along with the mission report and the audio file had been shared over media platforms all around the country. With that done, and with the link to their blog shared practically everywhere, they could finally start uploading and be certain that people would see everything. They wouldn't be able to make a move of that scale again for a while, else they'd attract unwanted attention to Jisung's workplace, but they'd successfully laid down the foundations of their new empire of justice and now...

Now, it was time to get to work.

There were already different accounts on all sorts of media platforms dedicated to their group and their mission, the symbol they'd chosen to represent Valkyrie popping all over, and the hashtag #ValkyrieForJustice trending practically everywhere. The first case Valkyrie had delivered was already making the front news, and the agitated populace was demanding answers.

Barely a day after the reveal, Taurus was filmed being arrested and escorted from his own Agency, and then the entire country went wild – because Taurus being detained only added credibility to Valkyrie's claims. With the investigation now ongoing, the civilians causing a ruckus, and Taurus suspended from any Hero activities until further notice, the city was in absolute chaos. Even the Villains seemed to understand that this was a turning point in society as they knew it, because not a single criminal incident occurred in the week following Valkyrie's first act and the arrest it preceded.

And then, barely two weeks after the investigation began, the family of the civilian who'd died in the exposed incident came forward, and publicly admitted that the Agency had paid them a great sum of money so they wouldn't ever speak of the incident again – hush money, to ensure they wouldn't demand a further investigation at the time.

That was the final nail in Taurus' coffin.

The ex-Hero was put on an emergency trial (any Variant on trial had priority because of how difficult it could be to detain people with powers) and, with the case that was built against him, he could do nothing but admit to his crime in an attempt to gain a lighter sentence. The entire trial was filmed live and, when Taurus was eventually declared guilty of murder...

That was when the doors truly opened for Valkyrie.

The first case of corruption they'd brought to light proved to be true and, having waited for the outcome of this first case before doing anything else, they'd gained the trust of most of the civilian populace already. With that being done, they finally had enough people willing to listen to finally start moving at a more regular pace.

Having spent months gathering information from old mission files, they had enough in stock to upload a different case every two weeks or so. They always made sure to have video and/or audio to back up their claims, along with any other proof they could find and, in a matter of weeks, the entire city was thrown into absolute chaos.

In addition to that, finally exposing the truth seemed to be a trigger, and many civilians began sharing their personal stories of Heroes having abused their powers or positions and, though not all of those stories were true (there would always be people willing to exploit any given situation for their own benefit, after all), Felix made a point of researching each statement and, if he found them to be true, then he added them to the case file posted on their blog, as additional proof.

However, none of them wanted the entire country to turn on Heroes as a whole, either. Even if the system was corrupted, not all of them were bad people and, most importantly, they needed to keep the balance of power between Heroes and Villains, else their entire society would undoubtedly collapse. As such, the boys also made a point of sharing good deeds – exposing True Heroes, as they called them. More often than not trainees or less popular Heroes, Jeongin constantly took videos whenever he was on the field, so he caught everything – the bad and the good alike.

After a few months of building up their reputation and infamy alike, Felix even developed a special app that could be directly downloaded from their blog, which would allow people to receive notifications and sometimes even live footage of the ongoing incidents (Jisung had followed Felix's instructions and had managed to give him access to the main computers of the company, meaning they had access to virtually every single surveillance camera in the city).

Fake Heroes were being punished, and True Heroes finally got the recognition they deserved – Valkyrie began weeding out the rotting roots while nurturing the healthy ones, all the while strengthening the relation of trust between civilians and True Heroes. Their self-imposed mission was a tremendous success, much greater than anything they ever anticipated before, but this brought about... a particular question.

"When does it stop?"

Jeongin and Felix exchanged a glance, unsure of what Jisung meant, and Jisung sighed.

"We're doing it. We're imposing the justice we wanted. We started the movement, but when does it stop? We're not going to be doing this our entire lives, and there will come a time when the officers on our case will catch up to us. So, when does it stop? When we inevitably get caught?"

Because of course, the government didn't exactly take kindly to people trying to usurp their system, and they'd already labeled Valkyrie as an "evil, troublemaking organization, and an enemy of the state". As such, there was an entire taskforce trying to figure out who Valkyrie was and how to stop them.

They were at the very top right now, doing what was right – but Jisung wasn't sure if doing what was right was worth their lives.

"We can't stop now," remarked softly Felix. "There's still too much to do, and we've barely gotten started. For now... for now, we have to keep going."

Jeongin nodded in agreement, and Jisung simply sighed again. He was worried and elated in equal parts, but he cared more about his boys than he did whatever justice they were trying to bring, and he simply hoped they wouldn't pay too high a price for making the world their enemy.

But maybe... maybe there's something I can do.

.

They'd miscalculated.

They'd grown too complacent, their success had gotten to their heads, and now Felix was in serious trouble and he didn't know what to do. Jeongin was away on a mission, Jisung was stuck at work, and Felix was forced to do the one thing he'd promised he wouldn't – he pushed himself.

He was running, and everything hurt, and he was in trouble.

Back when they first officially started with Taurus's case, almost nine months ago now, he'd sworn to himself that he wouldn't log into the blog in the same location more than twice a month, as a safety measure. While he trusted in the firewalls and security he'd created to make it untraceable, there was still a chance that someone would eventually break them down and, as such, he needed to avoid patterns.

Unfortunately, he'd underestimated the taskforce tracking Valkyrie down. The team had apparently used past locations to build up a map and they'd managed to figure out where their activities were the most focused, narrowing their field search to the very part of the city where they lived – meaning their localization algorithm worked a lot faster.

He'd only just started uploading a new case when Jisung had called him in a panic, telling him that officers were on their way to his very location. Felix had quickly logged out, taking the flash drive and rushing out of the café, readjusting his hood and his facemask on the way out to avoid being recognized. 

But unfortunately, they already had an idea of who they were looking for – thanks to eyewitnesses and camera footage from the streets, they'd managed to identify Felix (or rather, a man in a dark hoodie and wearing a dark facemask) as their primary suspect, and they'd only been waiting for him to make a new appearance in order to catch him.

Felix had barely managed to reach the end of the street before the officers arrived at the café, and one of them immediately spotted him. The officer had called out to him, ordering him to stop and to surrender, and Felix had immediately thrown all caution out the window and began running.

Walking without feeling his legs was already weird enough, but running? He couldn't look down because he'd end up running into a light pole, but not actively seeing his feet hit the concrete yet still seeing his surroundings move made his head spin weirdly. He kept on running, though, aware that the consequences of being caught were far greater than any of them were actually ready to deal with.

So now Felix was running, and he was hurting too because he'd left his crutches behind and his spine was straining badly under the overuse, and he didn't know for how much longer he'd be able to hold on.

I can't get caught, he pleaded, swerving through back alleys and crowd-filled sidewalks alike. Please, I can't get caught – if I do, the others will be arrested too and we'll all be separated and I can't- I can't let that happen...!

And then, as if it wasn't bad enough already, he felt something crack.

Next thing he knew, his left leg stopped answering altogether and he was sent hurtling to the ground. He wheezed, the air knocked out of his lungs under the impact, and panic began taking over when he realized that his entire body was now paralyzed.

No, no, no, no, no! Not now, please, not now—!

"Felix...?"

Through his sight blurred by tears and the pain-induced fog filling his mind, Felix managed to catch sight of a familiar silhouetted cladded in a silvery costume. All he could feel was dread as darkness overwhelmed him, Hyunjin's voice distantly calling out to him.

.

Felix woke up in his room, alone.

He was in his pajamas and, as far as he could tell, he wasn't cuffed. He still couldn't move, however – all he could do was slightly tilt his head from side to side. Slowly coming back to his senses, he noticed the IV plugged into his arm, and he belatedly realized that he couldn't feel anything other than sweet numbness. A faint groan escaped him and, barely a few seconds later, the door to his room opened, letting enter Jisung. His collar was activated, and he looked... well, frankly, Felix didn't really know how to read his expression. Worried? Angry? Exhausted?

He perked up a bit when he noticed Felix was awake, though.

"You finally woke up... How are you feeling, Lix?"

"... numb," he murmured, his throat hoarse.

With a hum, Jisung grabbed the glass of water on the nightstand and helped him drink from the straw. Once he was done, the day-older heaved out a sigh.

"It was a close call. The officers had called in a few Heroes to help in the arrest, but the one who found you decided against turning you in and brought you back here instead."

"... Hyunjin?"

"Yeah. He promised he wouldn't say anything, but that he wouldn't be able to help you again, else he'll really be in trouble."

Felix decided to put that information away, for later. He wasn't in the right state of mind to deal with any of the implications at the moment, so he decided to change the subject.

"What- what about the device?"

"Seungmin already came to check on you. You ended up using your powers, and the strain was too great – the device broke. He put you under, and Changbin managed to repair it, but it's not... it won't be as it used to be. It'll be much more fragile now and, if it breaks again, there's a chance you'll end up quadriplegic for life."

"So- so I'm not paralyzed for good...?"

"No, the paralysis of your upper-body is just an expected side-effect. Seungmin promised it'd wear off after a week, at the most – but the pain won't be going away anytime soon."

Felix cringed. "Lovely. Can't wait." After a moment of silence, he frowned. "Where's Jeongin? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's- he's fine. Just dealing with some work stuff. He'll be back home soon."

"Oh. Okay." Felix felt tired. He wanted to go to sleep again, aware he wouldn't be getting much more painless rest after today. "Tell- tell him I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry, Sungie. I- I messed up..."

"No, baby, you're okay, I promise. It wasn't your fault. We'll just be more careful from now on, alright?"

Felix hummed in agreement, and Jisung took his hand. Even if Felix couldn't feel his touch at the moment, he still appreciated it, and he let himself drift back to sleep.

.

They should have seen this coming.

"And you are positively certain that you didn't leave the house that day?"

Jeongin scowled at the detective. "In case you missed the memo, Felix can't walk. He's in a wheelchair, for fuck's sake! How could you possibly expect him to run away from the police down in the streets when he can't even get up to go the bathroom on his own?"

Felix couldn't help but wince a bit at that. Even if Jeongin was saying all of this to keep up their cover, even if he knew Jeongin didn't mean anything by it, the vehemence and aggressivness he displayed didn't exactly make him feel good about himself. Thankfully, that reaction seemed to convince the detective more than Jeongin's words did, for he backed off quickly after.

"Right, of course. My apologies. I'm only asking for the form, you understand," the man answered, sparing an awkward look for Felix.

Jisung sighed angrily. "Look, even if Felix had miraculously learned to walk again, he still wouldn't have been able to go out that day – he had class the entire afternoon."

"Is that true, Mr. Lee?"

"I follow online classes," confirmed the freckled boy. "That day was... a Thursday, was it?"

"Thursday at 2:30PM, yes."

Felix shook his head. "Like Jisung told you, I was in class at the time – Sociology. I can give you my teacher's name and contact if you want, and all of the other students present at the time can also attest to my attendance that day."

They hadn't been entirely careless, of course. In the case that something of the sort ever happened, Felix had set up a simple back-up plan that would ensure he'd have a bunch of witness that could place him anywhere other than the place of crime. He simply connected to his classes from his home computer, but through his phone (distance control), and then he let play a three-hour long video of him taking notes and listening to the teacher.

Easy-peasy, really. A child's trick, but a useful one, nonetheless. And, of course, Felix had a bunch of videos with him wearing different clothes or hairstyles, too, so it wouldn't be too obvious that this was all filmed – and, since he was still connected through his phone, he could listen in and speak up whenever he needed to, should the teacher call him out.

"That would be very helpful, thank you," nodded the detective, handing Felix his notepad so Felix could write the information down. Once he was done, the detective tucked the notepad away and picked up the jacket he'd discarded on the couch. "In any case, like I said before, this is mostly for the form. The alleged member of Valkyrie was spotted in the area, and we suspect him to be a Variant capable of using enhanced speed since he managed to give us the slip on foot, so you understand that we're simply following all of the potential leads. With Mr. Lee's past as a Hero—"

The tension in the room instantly grew, and the detective faltered, obviously noticing his slip-up a little too late. Felix bit his lower lip, lowering his eyes, and not having to try too hard to fake a distressed expression. As for Jisung and Jeongin, they didn't even have to act about being angry.

"I think you should leave, detective," snapped Jisung, crossing his arms over his chest. "You've asked your questions, and we've been more than accommodating."

"Yes, of course." The detective bowed slightly to Felix. "My apologies, Mr. Lee. That was insensitive of me."

"It- it's okay. I know you didn't mean any harm. Have a nice day, detective."

"The three of you as well."

Jeongin escorted the detective back to the door and, the moment he was gone, the trio allowed themselves to breathe a little easier. A detective dropping by was only to be expected after the mayhem Felix's almost-arrest caused and, while they all presented solid alibis, it was still nerve-wracking.

"That was too close," sighed Jisung, slumping against the couch.

Jeongin crouched beside Felix and grabbed his hand, his eyes filled with guilt. "I'm so sorry. You know I didn't mean it like that, right?"

"Of course, Innie," replied Felix, offering the younger a tentative smile. "I know. Don't worry, you did good – if anyone should apologize, it's me. I'm the one who messed up—"

"Don't say that," cut Jisung, reaching out to grab his other hand. "Like I said before, it's only to be expected they'd eventually catch up. Security is already growing tighter around the office, I think they've figured out we're using BigHit's network – we won't be able to do this for much longer."

"But if we stop all of sudden, either we'll lose the people's trust, or they'll realize they were close enough to scare us off and will keep on digging," pointed out Jeongin.

"We need... we need to do one more," suggested Felix. "One last move on Valkyrie's part, something that will completely take down any illusions and doubts left."

They could all agree on this – they needed something big, to mark the end of Valkyrie, and the true beginning of a new era for their Hero-dependent society.

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This is a bit fast-paced, but take for granted that this entire story happened over the course of numerous years and months.

Hope you enjoyed it, last chapter will be out soon!