Dream: Whispers in The Dark

Jared and Etienne entered Cezar's office with a mix of weariness and defiance. The dim lighting cast long shadows across the room, mirroring the tension that lingered between the three.

Cezar leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers as he regarded them both with a calm yet menacing air. "So," he began, his voice smooth but carrying an unmistakable edge, "how does it feel to spend an entire week in the dark?"

Jared, slouching slightly, responded with a dry tone, "Stinks."

Etienne, ever the witty one, crossed his arms and added with a hint of sarcasm, "No different, really. We're always in the dark anyway."

Jared chuckled at the remark, unable to resist. "Yeah, right," he said, drawing out the word in a mock agreement.

Cezar's expression darkened, and his voice dropped into a commanding, thunderous tone. "If you two enjoy being in the dark so much, we can extend your stay indefinitely."

Both Jared and Etienne straightened instantly, the bravado draining from their faces, and they break down their tough masks.

"No! No! We just end it!" Jared blurted out, raising his hands in surrender.

"Don't, we just getting out!" Etienne added hastily, his usual sass nowhere to be found.

Cezar allowed a small smirk to curl at the corner of his lips. He had their full attention now. "Good," he said, his voice settling into its usual calm authority. "Now, Etienne, this is a reminder. Don't even think about running away again. Do you hear me?"

Etienne sulked, his frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. Oh, how he wanted to spit every curse he could think of at Cezar's smug, hypocritical face. But he knew better. This man wasn't just powerful—he was untouchable. Cezar could do whatever he pleased, no matter how unfair or cruel, and there wasn't a thing Etienne could do to stop him.

For now, the smart move was to play it safe. Swallowing his pride and biting his tongue was a bitter pill, but it was better than facing the consequences of defiance. He told himself to wait for a better chance. One day, he will be free from all this.

"Do you hear me, boy?!" Cezar's voice sharpened, cutting through the tension.

"Yes," Etienne replied, barely above a whisper.

"Good." Cezar's tone softened just slightly as he shifted his attention. "Now, Jared, you may leave. I need to speak with Etienne alone." He gestured toward the door, the meaning unmistakable. The thought of being left alone with Cezar sent a chill through Etienne, leaving him drenched in cold sweat.

Jared hesitated, lingering for a moment. If this was about punishment, he already prepared how to stay in the room. But there didn't seem to be any hostility between the two. Still, the uneasiness radiating from Etienne kept Jared rooted in place.

"Leave, and close the door tightly behind you," Cezar repeated, his tone firm.

"Umm…" Jared fumbled, searching for an excuse to stay. "Can I wait? I mean, we're partners, right?"

"Oh, is that so?" Cezar raised an eyebrow, his voice dripping with mockery. "Then maybe it's time to end your partnership---"

Before Cezar could finish, Jared cut in quickly, waving his hands in surrender. "No, no need for that, sir! I'm leaving!"

With that, Jared stepped out the door, albeit reluctantly, leaving Etienne alone under Cezar's scrutinizing gaze.

Cezar chuckled to himself, lighting a cigar as he studied Etienne from head to toe, the smoke curling lazily around him.

After leaving Cezar's office, Jared couldn't shake off the unease creeping over him. Something about the whole encounter felt... off. But he brushed it aside. Cezar was a hero, right? What could possibly go wrong?

Needing a distraction, Jared made his way to the cafeteria. He plopped onto a stool at the bar, drawn by the sight of Charles, the cute blonde bartender, busy mixing drinks for the crowd.

It didn't take long for Charles to notice him. The boy's blue eyes sparkled as he approached, a cheerful smile lighting up his face.

"Hey, where have you been?" Charles asked, leaning casually on the counter.

Jared shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Getting punished."

Charles chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "Punished? For what? Anyway, what's your drink?"

Jared glanced up at the menu board hanging on the wall behind Charles. "Beer!"

Charles arched a brow and smirked. "You're under 21, Jared. You can't drink that."

Jared grumbled and leaned back in defeat. "Fine. Then bring me a refreshing tea. Oh, and some chips."

"Tea with chips. Got it. Let me whip that up for you," Charles said, disappearing into the pantry to prepare the order.

Wait... wasn't he going to ask why I got punished? He followed Charles with his gaze, hoping for the chance to elaborate, but the blonde was already out of sight.

Just as Jared was about to let it go, someone slid onto the stool beside him. The newcomer's presence was impossible to ignore—tall, broad-shouldered, and with a face so chiseled it looked straight out of a comic book. A curtain of dark bangs fell across his forehead, giving him an effortlessly heroic look.

"Yo... if it isn't Asshunter!" the guy said, his tone loud enough to turn heads nearby.

Jared stiffened, his face darkening with irritation. He didn't need to look to know who it was. Only one person in the entire bunker community ever called him that: Archilles Hunt.

And here he was, sitting smugly next to Jared like he owned the place.

"What are you doing here, you motherf—" Jared started, his tone sharp and serious, his glare aimed squarely at Archie. He didn't even bother hiding his distaste. Archie's presence was enough to ruin his mood.

Before he could finish, Charles swooped in, placing a tall glass of tea and a plate of steaming hot chips in front of Jared.

"Here's your order," Charles said quickly, and then his attention immediately shifting to Archie the moment he noticed him. His eyes lit up with excitement, and a dazzling smile spread across his face. "Archie! You're back! Where have you been?"

Archie leaned back, shrugging with a casual coolness that seemed effortless. Even doing the bare minimum, he radiated charm. "Just escaped punishment," he said, his tone nonchalant.

"Really? Wow, that's so cool! Why would anyone try to punish you?" Charles asked, leaning forward slightly, his voice full of admiration.

Archie smirked, clearly enjoying the attention. "Ah, just a misunderstanding. The captain thought I was slacking off, but turns out everything I did was flawless. No complaints now. I mean, you can't blame me if I get things done fast."

"Of course not!" Charles gushed, flipping his hair in a way that made Jared cringe. "You've got super-fast, strong, and solid hands…" Charles trailed off, his eyes locked on Archie, his voice almost dreamy. 

Jared sipped his tea, doing his best to focus on the crispy, salty goodness of his potato chips. This is exactly why I hate Archie, he thought bitterly, eyeing the scene unfolding beside him. As usual, Archie was hogging all the attention.

"So, when are you going to ask for my order?" Archie drummed his fingers on the counter impatiently, clearly enjoying the control he held over the situation.

"Oh, right! Sure, what's your order?" Charles asked, a sheepish smile spreading across his face as he seemed to remember he was, in fact, working.

"Beer, steamed potatoes, bread, and spinach," Archie said smoothly, flicking his fingers in a way that came off as annoyingly cool.

"Got it! Don't move; I'll bring it to you," Charles replied, quickly vanishing into the pantry.

"But he's 18 too, just like me, and... you allowed him to have beer?!" Jared protested to Charles, but Charles didn't even bother to respond, leaving Jared feeling like a fool.

As soon as Charles was out of earshot, Archie turned to Jared, snatching one of his chips without so much as asking. "So, Asshunter, haven't seen you in a week," he said with a sly grin.

Jared immediately shielded his bowl of chips, pulling it away protectively. "I just got punished by Cezar."

"For what?" Archie asked, genuinely curious.

Jared shrugged. "You know my partner?"

Archie smirked and sniffed dismissively. "Oh, you mean that tall guy with the long black hair who looks like a bitch?"

Jared froze, his smile vanishing in an instant. His grip on the table tightened as his blood boiled. "Bitch?" he repeated, his voice cold.

"Yeah," Archie continued nonchalantly, reaching for another chip, but Jared had already shoved the remaining chips into his mouth. "Etienne Bellamy, right? Doesn't he sleep around with everyone in the bunker for attention? Total bi—"

Archie didn't get to finish his sentence. Jared's fist connected with his face in a clean, devastating sucker punch, sending the larger boy crashing to the floor. Blood trickled from Archie's nose as Jared lunged on top of him, his fists flying.

"What did you call him?! Apologize!" Jared shouted, his voice filled with unfiltered rage.

The commotion quickly drew the attention of several adults in the cafeteria, who rushed in to break up the fight. It took two people to drag Jared off Archie, and even then, he struggled against their grip, still fuming.

The incident, unsurprisingly, landed both Jared and Archie in the supervisor's office, where they were handed the unenviable task of cleaning the water tank on the 16th basement.

Now, the two worked together in silence, maneuvering a vacuum pole to scrub the bottom of the massive tank.

"You didn't ask why I called him that?" Archie finally broke the silence, his voice low but still carrying that audacious edge.

"I don't need to," Jared replied coolly, keeping his focus on the task at hand. His tone was calm, but there was a warning edge to it. "People are always calling him names, thinking he's this way or that. I know it all too well."

Then Jared turned, his sharp gaze locking onto Archie's, a piercing intensity in his eyes. "He's a sweetheart."

Archie then show something from his phone to Jared, "oh then, can you explain these?" 

Must be another bullshit! Jared muttered, rolling his eyes. He didn't want to look, but Archie pushed the images in front of him anyway—photo after photo of Etienne surrounded by other men in compromising situations.

The images is like a slap on Jared's face. It's supposed to insult Etienne but instead, he's the one who get hurt.

Archie pressed on, undeterred. "Jared, you know we get on each other's nerves, but I've never lied to you. Your partner knows the size of everyone's junk around here..."

in anger, Jared snatches Archie's phone and crumple it as if it's a soda can.

"What are you doing?! No!! It's my phone!!" Archie weeps over his destroyed phone and snatch it back from Jared's hand.

Jared grabs Archie closer he is so mad. It's a bit scary for Archie because even Jared is smaller, he is much stronger. "I warned you—if you keep this up, tomorrow they might find you floating lifeless in this tank."

"I'm telling you this because I don't want you to become one of his targets, Jared," Archie insisted, his tone unusually genuine.

"Me? His target?" Jared let out a short laugh. "How? I'm just a Jared."

"Well, Billy was just a Billy too, but Etienne seduced him, even though Billy looked like a blobfish. It doesn't matter who it is. All he cares about is breaking some stupid body count record. And you know why this matters? Because he's got syphilis. He's pissed about it, so now he's trying to drag everyone else down with him," Archie said, the disgust on his face unmistakable.

"Syphilis?!" Jared snapped, his voice rising. "What's next? He's a homewrecker too?! He's a serial killer?!" He continue with more suspiciousness. "How do you even know all this? Does he know your junk's size or something?!"

"Jared, I'm serious! He tried to seduce me—it was disgusting! I dodged a bullet. And since he's your roommate, you should be careful!" Archie's expression was earnest, his voice tinged with frustration.

Jared returned to working on the water vacuum, his movements sharp with irritation. "I've been his roommate since I was 15. He was my senior. In all the time we've worked together, I've never seen anything to suggest he's promiscuous. Flirty? Sure. But promiscuous? That doesn't add up."

Archie crossed his arms, smirking slightly. "Alright. If I can prove to you that he's not what you think he is, will you pay for this?" He waved his broken phone as bait.

"Sure," Jared answered firmly, without hesitation.

Archie grinned and motioned with his finger for Jared to follow him.