𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 || 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

00

nameless. that was what you were. it was what everyone in the building was. espionage meant secrets. it meant no connections to your past, if you had any. sitting in the plain room, you felt tired. it was a long journey in black tinted vehicles. a long, quiet ride to somewhere you assumed was far from the place you used to call home. though, you only called it home because you didn't know what else to call it.

"name?" the woman in front of you says blandly. her perfume was sweet, too strong and sugary for someone her age. you didn't bother looking up at her as you answered her question. "date of birth?" she adds another question, noting information on her ugly brown clipboard. you pick under your dirtied nails, mumbling your answer. the woman almost lowers her clipboard, looking over to you. it was brief, a quick glance of what looked like sympathy or sadness. "you're young, kid." she says to you while she jots down your age and flips through pages. "it's not often we get someone under ten here. we'll take care of you." the lady says to you, and you almost believe her. almost.

after a few more questions, a brief background check, and identification indicators, it was time to sign the last page. it was a long, printed stack of papers that you didn't bother to read. you held the black pen in your hand, listening to the woman talk. it was useless to you, at that moment, as you messily scribbled your name onto the paper. the woman looked over to you and gave a small smile as she took the sheet. "Welcome to WISE, trainee four hundred forty-four." she said softly.

for once, it felt like you were needed.

˚ ༘ *ೃ༄ .ೃ࿐

the WISE training program was truly not one for the faint of heart. they started every new trainee at the same level, no matter the age, skill set, or limits of an individual. with you being member four hundred forty-four of the training group, you'd think there would be someone you could talk to there. the woman from before was right- there was no one near your age there. you were skinnier, lighter, and so much younger than anyone else in your training group. despite that, they were no easier on you.

"keep your head up! what are you, eight?" the person in front of you says. he looked to be around in his late teens, maybe early twenties. his arms are up defensively as he taunts you to punch back. "yeah, actually. i am." you answered him from the ground. your arms were sore and you were sure there would be a bruise forming on your face soon. "hit me back." the guy orders, lowering his guard. it was really not fair; putting you in a spar against someone so much older than you. "hit me back! knock me down!" the man yells this time at you. you were truly in no way a match for him. it's not fair. still, you ran up to him and grabbed his wrists in the hardest grip you could. mustering all your strength, you pull him towards you and jolt your knee up into his weakest point. the guy doubles over in pain as you step to the side, avoiding him as he falls to the floor writhing.

"trainee four hundred forty-four wins!"

˚ ༘ *ೃ༄ .ೃ࿐

your [h/c] hair has grown longer since you've first arrived. you can finally tie it up now, keeping it out of your face. you did what you could for yourself, being taken care of by few of the higher ups. you felt they sympathized with you; one of the youngest in the entire organization. the lady from your initial interview was right. there weren't any other kids here- unless you count yourself and the one blonde boy who always sat in the back corner of the dining hall. that's the only place you ever see him in this building, other than the halls and occasionally at meal time. you don't know his name, nor do you know how old he was. maybe your age or a little bit older? he was definitely taller, that's for sure.

you slumped in your seat, picking at your food tray covered in warm greens and a diet too healthy for all you knew. you were bored. who could blame you? eight year old agent in training at the dinner table with a plate full of vegetables. boring. your eyes glance over to the young boy across the room who eats his meal quietly, a book in his free hand. why would you read in your freetime? is he studying for an exam? did we have an upcoming exam?? the boy seems to let out a quiet sigh as he shuts his book and looks up from the table. his eyes meet yours and you quickly look away, shoving a forkful of food into your mouth. the boy narrows his eyes at you before finishing his meal. he stands from his seat to return his plate and, from then, he's out of your view. you continue to eat your portion of dinner, forcing the vegetables that you hated so much into your mouth with much boredom. then, there's a small 'thump' in the seat next to you. you turn to your side and blink rapidly in obvious confusion. the blonde boy sits next to you, his eyes focused on the book you saw him reading a few moments ago. he doesn't bother looking up at you, continuing to read his book comfortably next to you. from closer inspection, you see that his hair is a lighter blonde than you expected from afar and his eyes are a pretty blue. "quit staring at me and finish your food." he speaks for the first time, "it'll get cold and you won't like it even more." he says, finally looking up from his book. "it's not like i like it as is.. it's bitter and has a funny texture." you tell him, looking over to your plate. "it's healthy and good for us. they don't feed us things that aren't beneficial to us." he says to you, going back to his book. you look back at him, narrowing your eyes. "benie..fish.. all?" you attempt to say. he's making up words.. he looked at you with an almost dead expression, "beneficial? it sorta means 'good for you' i guess." he explained and you nodded. "ohhh.. that's a big word. i don't know it yet." you say, gathering a clump of what you now know as 'beneficial' food and taking in a deep breath. the boy next to you stifles a laugh, "it's not that bad, yknow." he says as you continue to finish your meal quickly. once your plate was empty, you let out a sort of gagging noise, grabbing your water cup and emptying its contents to wash the gross taste out of your mouth. water spills through the sides of the cup, rolling down your chin and spilling lightly into your lap. the boy looks over in shock and slides over a small pile of napkins that were resting on the table. "you're spilling, idiot! clean up!!" the boy says, tossing a few napkins onto your lap. you set your cup down and let out a small giggle, taking the napkin that the boy threw onto your lap and attempt to dry your pants. once it was as dry as you could get it, you looked up to him, a goofy smile on your face. "sorry about that.. it wasn't very yummy.." you tell him. the boy in turn sighs, rolling his eyes as he looks at you. "you've got food on your cheek. wipe it off, idiot." he mumbles as he hands you a napkin. you take it and rub your face, a light dust of pink embarrassment on your cheeks. with a click of his tongue, the boy shakes his head and takes the tissue from your hand, wiping your cheek. "it's not that hard! it's just on your cheek, idiot!!" he says with a huff. you smiled to yourself, holding in a laugh.

"that's not my name, silly." you tell him a matter of factly, "what?" he questions you. "you keep calling me idiot. it's mean and that's not my name." you continue, speaking as if you were lecturing him. the blonde looks at you, another deadpanned expression on his face. "what?" he repeats, staring at you. "my name is-" you begin, only for the boy to quickly cover your mouth with the palm of his hand. he shakes his head and looks into your widened eyes. "we can't say our names! not here." he whispers to you before backing away, moving his hand. "call me two. i'm trainee two hundred twenty-two." he says, causing you to nod and reply, "then you can call me four. i'm trainee four hundred forty-four."

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as time moved on, you and the boy had gotten along. it was a while before you two started getting really comfortable together but it was worth it in the end. now, four years later, you ran through the halls trying to find your friend.

"two! two, have you heard?" you say to the blonde excitedly as you enter the study room with two trays in hand. it was empty for the most part, no one was up studying during breakfast hours anyway. your friend turns around in his seat, his eyes tired from studying so early in the morning. a small smile crawls onto his face seeing the two trays you carry: breakfast. "what have i told you? i have a name now; you don't have to keep calling me by a number." he tells you, scooting his notes and books over so you could set down the trays. you set them both down and smile brightly. "okay, twilight.. guess what?" you ask him excitedly as you pull a chair close to his desk. "what is it, four?" he asks, handing you a small journal. notes for an upcoming test. ew. "i said guess..!" you feigned a look of hurt on your face, clutching the journal to your chest. "you managed to get a high score on your last exam?" he answers, a bit of hope lacing his tone. you shook your head but your smile didn't waver. "nope! turns out i don't need to be all brain-y and smart like you.. they said my combat was enough to counter sherwood! they're saying i'm just below you! i've got a name now- i'm not a trainee anymore!!" you exclaimed joyfully, standing from your seat and jumping up and down happily. the blonde laughs proudly and stands with you, embracing you in a tight hug and lifting you off your feet for a few seconds. "your name, what did they name you?"

"ares. like the god."

˚ ⋆ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･

☾ word count: 1.8k

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