Mission: Not

"Alright. I have a question for you." Hler said, pointing his blood bag in Eclipse's direction, much to Aseko's displeasure. "Eclipse, tell me, why do you need his underwear?"

The maids in the dining room stared, surprised before hanging their heads the moment Aseko turned to them with an expression almost as though he is asking them if they saw or heard anything.

Bowing their heads told him that they know nothing and are not going to tell anyone anything they do not know.

"Why don't you talk about this somewhere else?" Aseko asked, taking a sip of his white wine from his cup. He waved his hands, sending the maids out of the room as they went scurrying out as quickly as they could.

"I don't understand why you are trying to talk about this right now. Isn't there a better time and place?"

"No, there is not, boss. I need to know why he needs the Big Boss's underwear of all things." Hler said, turning back to Eclipse who is looking at the plate of toast, a little confused about it. "Do you not know how to eat bread, Eclipse?"

"Oh, so this is bread." He said, taking the slice and biting into it. "It is a little … plane … isn't it?"

"That is why these are here," Aseko said, handing him the jar of honey and jam. "You can put them on the bread and eat it. It will taste better."

"Jam? This is jam?" Eclipse asked, smelling the contents. "Oh!"

"Wait, what did you think that was? You saw us eat it." Hler asked, looking at the red-haired man, suspicious.

"I thought it was … blood." Eclipse said quickly putting the jam on the slice and stuffing it into his mouth. "This is good."

"How did you think that was blood??"

Aseko only sighed with a slight smile on his face, not wanting to admit that this kid in front of him is fun, in some ways.

"Never mind that." He said, coming to Eclipse's rescue. "Now that the maids are gone, I am wondering why you want his underwear as well."

"Well …"

"Are you … perhaps … trying to get … something … strange?" Hler could not bring himself to say what he wanted to but everyone in the room understood what he meant.

"I have no idea." Eclipse said honestly, holding his hands up. "My body and mind are telling me that I need his underwear for some reason and I am just listening to it."

"You know that you sound like a pervert, right?" Aseko said, looking at the man from the corner of his eyes, a hint of something mischievous appearing in his eyes.

"I can understand why that thought would come about." The redhead said, nodding and accepting it with dignity. "But I really do need his underwear."

"Who's underwear?" A voice suddenly appeared beside the man, making him turn to see that same person he met only for a couple of minutes before.

"Oh, hello … Brick, was it?"

"You remember me!" The younger man said, jumping on him and pulling him into a tight embrace. "I am so glad that Eclipse remembers me! Mate with me!"

"Ah … no." Eclipse said immediately, as Aseko pushed the man away from him, making him fall to the ground. "Are you alright?"

"Mean! Boss is so mean!" He shouted, pouting and sitting on the ground. "Why are you so selfish? You are behaving like he is your mate or something."

"Eclipse is not my mate," Aseko said firmly, taking a sip of his wine again.

"Then? Let me have him!"

"No. He is still under my protection and I have no intention of letting someone like you get his grubby hands on him."

"How mean." Brick complained, sitting right beside Eclipse, recovering immediately as he took a slice of bread. "What are you all talking about underwear? Do you need some, Eclipse?"

"Well yes." He said, thinking of what to tell him. "But not for me."

"Oh? Then for who?"

"Not for … from." Eclipse grinned at the younger man. "I need the Big Boss's underwear."

Brick burst out laughing so hard that he fell to the ground again while the others stared at him blankly. Finally calming down, he sat up on the chair once again. "You really know how to make jokes, Eclipse."

"I was not joking." Eclipse said with a straight face and Brick had to look at everyone else's straight face before realizing that no one is joking about that.

"No way." He laughed even more, clapping his hands in glee. "Why do you even need it?"

"For … something." Eclipse said, knowing the other two are looking at him with eyes that told him that he is sounding so much like a creep that it is not even funny anymore.

"And you got these two to agree to help you?" He asked, pointing to the two just sitting there, not saying a word before laughing again. "This really is gold! I had a feeling you would bring something special, Eclipse!"

"Please don't tell anyone about this." Eclipse said, placing a hand on his lips. "I already do not have a very good reputation over here."

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed." He said, zipping his lips close. "So, what are your plans to get the underwear?"

"We don't really know yet," Hler said, drinking the rest of the blood before burning the bag. "If he needed his blood or something like that. We might, MIGHT be able to get it but … underwear? I don't know. This is … strange."

Eclipse just shrugged at them all, not looking the least bit apologetic or concerned for them as though he could hardly care less that they might look a little bit suspicious if they are caught.

"How badly do you need it?" Brick turned to Eclipse, who is struggling to put the honey onto the slice of toast. "Like … is it really important?"

"He feels that there is something wrong with the Big Boss. That is why he asked to get the underwear for him." Aseko said, taking the bread from Eclipse and spreading the honey for him before handing it back as Brick's eyes widened.

"You too?" He asked, pointing to the red head.

"What do you mean, 'you too'?"

"Well … I thought I was the only one that felt like something was wrong with the Big Boss." Brick said, twiddling with his thumbs. "He looks and behaves the same way, and there is nothing unusual with his magic but … there is just something so off I feel about him.

"I don't really know what that might be."

"When did you start feeling this way, do you remember?" Eclipse asked before either of the two had the chance to say anything else.

"I can't really pinpoint the day and time." Brick tapped his chin, frowning with his eyes closed. "But … sometime four to five months ago, if I am not wrong."

"Five months?" Eclipse asked, tapping on the table while chewing at his bottom lip. Is that a bad thing? What is my memory telling me? Is it a bad thing?

Nothing.

Huh, why does it fail me when I am looking for answers? And comes to me when I am not doing anything?

"Why didn't you tell us the moment you felt something was off, Brick?" Aseko asked, frowning at the young man sitting beside Eclipse.

"I don't know … I thought it was just me." He said, running his hands through his hair. "No one else seems to think so and I didn't want to be accused of something else. You know how everything was like five months ago, boss."

Letting out a sigh, Aseko nodded in agreement, "Yeah. I do remember. But … if you both are feeling something, given that I trust Eclipse's intuition more than I do Brick's, I can tell that something is up."

"Hey!"

"Hler. We need to get what Eclipse asked for."

"But how? We do not know anyone that could just go into the man's room and take the … undergarment." The man said, throwing his hands in the air.

"I could go." Brick said, waving his hands in the air. "It is easy for me to sneak in and out of a room."

"Right? I completely forgot that he is useful for something." Hler teased, smiling at the younger man who just rolled his eyes at him.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." Turning to Eclipse, Brick asked. "What type do you want me to get and how many? I can go to his room now."

"Oh, I do not want from his room." Eclipse said, grabbing the younger man's arm with a slight urgency in his voice. He turned to look at everyone in the room, frowning. "DO NOT GO into his room by yourselves. Even if he calls you. DO NOT, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT go in the room by yourselves."