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‘What’s your name?’
If he was asked that question years ago, Vanderwood wouldn’t be able to give an honest answer. He had been called by many names and never did one stick for too long. They were always changing, and changing, and changing.
It was part of being a secret agent though – you didn’t have an identity. One minute he’s a guy in his usual violet shirt and leopard print suit. Next, he’d be in a janitor’s uniform or worse, crossdressing. It would always pull out heartfelt laughter from a certain idiot hacker and the need to taser Seven would grow strong.
The brunet could barely remember his birth name. The one registered on his birth certificate and the name a voice in his memory would call him – soft, sweet, lulling him to a sense of peace and calm. Then there was the name he had when his father remarried. He didn’t exactly remember it too, but it would usually come with a scolding and, sometimes, a beating. He hated the name she gave him – he wanted to be called 「 」but she just wouldn’t listen, said it wasn’t a name worthy of someone she had to call her son.
He thought – such a naïve kid he was – that escaping to the agency would give him the sense of security and belonging he was longing for. It did save him from his abusive stepmother, but it put him in too much danger for a kid barely in his teens – for a teen who knew nothing but household chores.
With his identity wiped out from the records, 「 」was no more. It was 「Agent Vanderwood」 who replaced him. He did mission after mission, changing identities as fast as he changed clothes. He had been ‘Sung-min,’ ‘La on,’ ‘Soo mi,’ ‘Gun ho,’ ‘Yuna’ – you name it. He had been an agent for 7 years; he’s done a lot of undercover missions, which was why he never bothered to assure people of his identity. He was a secret agent – he was practically nonexistent in the world outside the agency.
But then this idiot hacker came in the picture.
A red-head boy that looked barely in his teens eagerly joined the agency and literally made it his playground. With his outstanding hacking skills, the kid now named「Agent 707」easily made a home in the agency. The brunet then assumed the identity as Seven’s handler, as he was still a minor.
Saying it was hard to live with an OCD perfectionist night owl of a hacker/college student who slept less than 3 hours a day was a huge understatement. It was his job as a handler to make sure the red-head was fit enough to do his job. So he started doing little things like groceries and cooking them meals even though Seven would usually refuse.
The change in this routine happened when the hacker received a floppy disk from an unknown sender. Seven was acting happier, seemed freer that he had ever been, and started with the unhealthy Honey Buddha Chip and PhD Pepper obsession. He seemed chipper enough to start calling him 「Mary Vanderwood 3rd」.
The brunet was bewildered. He didn’t need a name. He didn’t need yet another identity he’d get rid of in no time. And yet, Seven kept calling him 「Mary」 as if it was a normal thing to do. He didn’t think too much about it – Agent 707 would grow up and be assigned to someone else. He wouldn’t stay for long, so as the name 「Mary Vanderwood 3rd」.
But years passed, Seven was still here and was still calling him「Mary」. They started this weird relationship of house owner and his cleaner – he refused to use the term ‘maid’ even as Seven kept calling him that. He was still the handler of an overgrown child who couldn’t finish his work on time and who couldn’t take care of himself. He was still 「Mary Vanderwood 3rd」and it brought him a weird sense of contentment. That he was finally someone.
One order from the agency threatened to take that from him. They knew Seven wasn’t what he was when he entered years ago. He was still a monster, a genius, but they wanted an agent who was detached from the world and who did his job, quick and efficient. ‘Agent 707 was getting too emotional’ as his boss said. As his handler, Vanderwood was expected to straighten the hacker up or eliminate him. If he couldn’t get Seven back…
It was a series of unfortunate and confusing events after that. He managed to kidnap not the agent but his twin brother. He made the biggest decision to betray the agency to help Seven and his girlfriend escape and because the idiot was reckless enough to hack into the national registry just to give him, of all people, an identity.
He would never tell Seven, but he just gave Vanderwood what he wanted most.
***
A few months after their successful escape, needless to say Vanderwood settled into a domestic routine of taking care of the idiot couple and the edgy twin. The brunet didn’t know what job to get, so he accepted the money Seven – no, Saeyoung gave him in exchange for cleaning the bunker and feeding them the nutrition they need.
The brunet was out on his weekly grocery, two bags in hand when a familiar voice started calling him. He walked faster, trying to avoid the man who was clearly following him through the crowd. Why now? When he had already settled in, when he had already felt at peace and satisfied – when he found this weird crowd he called ‘home?’
“Hey, Vanderwood!” A hand on his shoulder and Vanderwood was about to take down the familiar voice when the hand slipped immediately from his grasp. The brunet immediately took his stance, readying himself for battle when the agent raised his hands up in surrender.
“Dude, calm down. I won’t tell them.” Vanderwood knew never to trust agents – he was one. But something about the other’s eyes told him, it was okay to trust in a former comrade. He relaxed a bit, picking up the shopping bags that fell earlier, before cocking his head in a motion for the other to follow him to the café across the street.
Vanderwood steeled his nerves, quietly sipping his coffee as he watched Agent Sejun enjoy the pudding he ordered. His mind was going haywire, thinking about one-too-many things at the same time. How he was going to have to silence Sejun if he dared contact the agency, how he had to warn Saeyoung about this meeting, how he had to leave RFA to avoid getting them in his mess. He was in too deep with his thinking that a soft chuckle sent him flinching.
“Agent Vanderwood. I never thought you and Seven would escape from the agency.” Sejun said with a smile. The blond was 3 years his junior, a bit cocky and flirty at times, but he could get any job done.
“What do you want?” The brunet said and narrowed his eyes at the agent who was stuffing his face with pudding.
“I just happened to see you walk past me.” The blond said, quietly pushing the empty plate away from him. “I had a mission in the area, and I was not expecting to see you.” Vanderwood tried to decipher the agent’s face, but his mask was indescribable. It was as if Sejun was telling the truth, but there was still that sliver of doubt in him.
“How’s Seven?” The brunet grasped the knife at the edge of the table at the same time Sejun had a tight grip on his hand. He glared at the smiling blond – he should’ve never trusted an agent. He should’ve just ran when he had the chance. Both men didn’t relent on the staring contest for what felt like hours, until Sejun relaxed and smiled sadly at Vanderwood.
“You look content, as if you got what you wanted.” The brunet was shocked and confused. Was he that easy to read now? Or did this cocky kid manage to dig up information about him? Before he could even reply, there was a hand pulling at his shirt. Saeyoung was there, looking threatened at the blond agent across the table.
“What are you doing here?” The hacker didn’t say anything, his tugging still persistent and strong. Vanderwood stood and followed the hacker outside the café. “Saeyoung. What are you doing here?”
“I noticed a familiar tracker near yours and I couldn’t help it. I just had to make sure.” Bristled, worried, scared – the red-head looked ready to pull him and run away. Golden eyes flew to the blond who followed them, and his body language just screamed ‘run.’ Vanderwood pulled Saeyoung’s jacket, leading him away from the agent when a question made him stop in his tracks.
“What’s your name now?” So Sejun did know. He looked back at the waiting blond, a boyish smile on his lips as if what he asked wasn’t of importance. They both knew how important it was to Vanderwood though. So with a smile of his own, the brunet answered with ease, feeling light and fluttery, as if he was about to grow wings and fly.
“I’m Mary Vanderwood 3rd.”