"Now get your asses into the kitchen and help Mingyu set the table!"

I've sat in the darkness of one of the bedrooms for at least an hour, listening to Sungcheol chastise Seventeen. From the two bunk beds pressed against the wall, I chose to sit on the bottom bunk of the second one. It is further away from the door and somewhat further from Sungcheol's yelling.

The walls here are so paper thin, that even though I was three rooms away from him, it felt like he was standing right in front of me and harshly scolding me with the others.

First he complained about the piss poor cleaning job. For at least fifteen minutes, he went on about how the dust bunnies were so big that every time he breathed he was afraid that he'd choke.

The second thing he yelled at them for was the way they reacted to me. Apparently the most natural and common reactions to a Rogue Soldier doesn't slide with Sungcheol. He said as long as I was staying with them, they would treat me with the utmost respect. They would treat me like one of their own, inhuman strength and wolffish teeth aside.

Sungcheol's final round of shouting—I was pretty amazed that he hadn't lost his voice yet—was towards Junhui. During those heavenly minutes, I smiled and even giggled sometimes to what Sungcheol said.

"I'll advise you now to stop acting like a stuck-up punk." Sungcheol snarled. "She's a new member of our team, not to mention a lady! She needs to be treated as such!"

I bit down on my tongue to refrain from laughing. A lady? What a fucking joke.

"She is not a dog or the Government's mutt. Never say those words again or so God help me, I'll kick your scrawny ass back to Shenzhen."

In that moment, there is nothing I wouldn't have given to see the look on Junhui's face.

Unlike the others, Junhui occasionally tried to argue back with him. I couldn't actually hear him since his remarks were meek, but I knew by the pauses Sungcheol took.

I sigh and plop down onto the wooly blanket. I didn't feel it at first from all the excitement, but now that I've calmed down, I'm so unbelievably hungry. My stomach roars, just as unsure as me when trying to recall the last meal I ate.

A gentle knock causes me to immediately sit up.

"Can I come in?" Jisoo asks.

"Yeah."

Jisoo opens the door, letting in a dim streak of light from the light bulbs outside. He doesn't bother to hit the light switch and sits down next to me.

"How are you feeling?"

I shrug. "Is Sungcheol still angry?"

"Sungcheol's sort of calmed down now, but I won't say he's extremely angry," he chuckles.

I furrow my eyebrows. "That...is kind of relieving? I guess? I mean I'm alright, but the last thing I need today is for him to yell at me."

We sit in silence for a minute. I stare unblinking at the dark ground, thoughts of Junhui filling my head yet again. They bother me so much that I can't help but asking:

"Are you going to send me back?"

"Send you back?" I can hear the surprise in his voice as he turns to face me. "And why would we do that?"

"Well, I did just try to attack one of your members. Plus, the others really don't like me."

Jisoo rests his arms on his knees and slumps forwards. "I wouldn't worry about him. Junhui's a twat. He's had that coming for awhile. As for the others," he pats my back, "They'll warm up to you. It might seem like they won't, but just give them time."

I nod and lean forwards on my knees as well.

Time. But how long will it take?

Jisoo slaps his legs and stands up. "Come on. I think what you need is some food and a good night's rest. Sungcheol sent me here to tell you that dinner is ready."

I grip the beam of the bunk bed for support as I stand. "Are we all eating together?"

"Of course," he says. "It's the rule of thumb here. We eat together or we don't eat all. Let's go."

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'*'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

I didn't even know that the dorm had a kitchen. The entrance to it is in the main area, but I wasn't able to see it since—and not to my surprise—the swinging doors were covered in various city maps and building outlines.

It's a miracle that all fourteen of us manage to sit in the small kitchen at this even smaller kitchen table. Although, the lack of space doesn't seem to bother the other members. Their attention is cast towards teasing each other and the dozens of plates overflowing with fantastic-smelling food.

My mouth waters at the sight. Every plate holds something new: cooked vegetables, precisely grilled meat, darkened octopus tentacles, rice, and noodle soups. This doesn't look like the food I've eaten for the last ten years of my life. Since day one at the Rogue Soldier Facility, I have lived off of rotten beef, soggy bread, and stale vitamin gummies.

I sit nestled between Jisoo and Jihoon. Since we don't have any chairs and sit on cushions instead, everyone's legs and shoulders constantly collide with one another. Jihoon has been shoved into me at least five times in the past two minutes due to Seungkwan, resulting in me being uncomfortably pressed into Jisoo. Jihoon would always apologize before leaning over the table to poke Hansol who is positioned across from me.

After finishing off a whispered conversation with Soonyoung, Sungcheol straightens his back and yells, "Quiet! All of you!"

Conversations are finished in a hurried whisper or shut off completely. Everyone freezes mid playful punch or shove and relaxes on their knees.

"Alright," Sungcheol says, "I think Mingyu deserves a special thank you for cooking us this meal tonight. We all know how hard he works, and having to cook for fourteen people at once is no joke."

Jisoo, Minghao and I break out into polite applause while the rest of the boys cheer loudly and lean over to slap Mingyu's shoulders and back. Mingyu accepts the whirlwind of compliments with a timid side grin that exposes only his right canine tooth.

Once we quiet down again, Sungcheol continues.

"Before we eat, I would like to get a couple things out of the way." He gestures towards me. "First, we'll need something to call you. Addressing you by Newbie or Patient 13 whatever doesn't sound right."

I shyly nod in agreement. This isn't the Facility anymore. I have stepped out into the real world and it is time to start acting like a real person. Or at least a partial person.

"I don't know what you guys should call me, though." I say.

"Well, what do you want us to call you?" Wonwoo asks.

There is a moment of silence as I rack my brain for any possible name. The only issue is that I can't remember any. I sheepishly meet their gazes to show defeat.

"It's okay." Sungcheol reassures me. "You don't have to pick a legitimate name right now. How about a code name?"

"A code name?"

Jisoo, as usual, is there to explain. "We use code names during missions. We never say our actual names in case we're being tracked by the enemy or something like that. Take Chan for example. He's Dino. Or Jihoon. He's Woozi. You get the gist of it."

I nod with more confidence this time. "Okay."

A code name isn't too difficult to come up with. My eyes fall to my lap. Really, a simple word is all I'm searching for, but I want it to be special.

Someone coughs and I look up towards the source of the sound. It's Junhui.

My eyes land on a silver necklace exposed by the collar of his low V-neck. A pair of simple angel wings rest peacefully on his collarbone. Then my name immediately comes to mind.

"Angel." I say. "My code name is Angel."

All the boys except for Junhui erupt in a chorus of "oohs"  and "good choices".

Junhui knows I was looking at his necklace. Being the petty person he is, he slides the charm around so it's on the nape of his neck and out of my view.

"Maybe pick a more fitting name," he suggests mockingly.

That comment earns him a lethal glare from Jisoo. Although, to be honest, with soft eyes like those, Jisoo can't manage a real glare. It looks more like he's not even angry—like a smile will blossom on his face at any second.

"Great." Sungcheol grins. "Secondly, Angel, we need to figure out what you're going to do around here until that collar is taken off. The doctors said that you can't be going out on any missions just yet."

"You're planning on taking me out on missions?" I ask. "Shouldn't I join the Savant Unit or the Defense Unit?"

But the real question is, will you trust me enough in two weeks to put a gun in my hand and work alongside your members in situations that could mean life or death? 

"We decided that we want you to try everything out." Soonyoung says. "We'll see what your weaknesses and strengths are, and judging by that we'll place you in a unit."

Hansol clears his throat. "Could I add something?"

"As long as it's not stupid." Junhui replies, inspecting his fingernails with bored eyes. "She'll tear your fucking throat out if you say something stupid."

I refrain from looking at him and take in a deep breath to control the ghost of my resurfacing violent thoughts.

"Of course, Hansol." I say with a weak smile. "Go ahead."

If we're going to be working together, I don't want them to be afraid of me.

He sheepishly meets my eyes. As he speaks, we take part in a cycle. Look each other straight in the eyes, glance away, look back, glance away, and look back again.

"I really would like it if you did join us on a mission. I mean, your strength and soldier skills could help us out so much."

Everyone else agrees—and as usual—except for Junhui. He's finally busied himself by picking at the food with his chopsticks.

"She can work with me in the mean time." Jihoon offers. "Hacking, monitoring missions, those sorts of things."

Wonwoo pushes his glasses up his nose with two fingers and says, "She can also help me in the library. I'll need help sorting through books."

"I'll need help cooking and cleaning," Mingyu adds, then addresses me directly, "It's difficult being a housewife for twelve boys at once. Working together can hopefully make things easier."

Minghao decides to speak up as well. "She can work with Junhui and I in the workshop. Y'know, help out with building new drones and fixing the cars and that all that stuff."

Sungcheol scratches his chin. "Sounds good then, Angel? Is that enough to keep you busy for the next two weeks?"

I don't answer—my stomach does. It roars so loud in the quietness that it leaves behind a echo in its wake. A flush climbs up my neck from embarrassment, but they don't care. Laughter spreads from one to another like a disease.

I allow a real smile to paint my lips. When Sungcheol gestures to the rest of us that it is okay to eat and the boys dig in, I glance up to meet his eyes.

With a mouth already full of Mingyu's food, he winks back at me.