[[CONTENTID1] Vegenance[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2] Chapter 9[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3] [/CONTENTID3]

[CONTENTID4]

They had left the highway about half an hour ago and then followed a small state road where they had found a cheap motel. A little more money than the actual room rate, and the porter had given them a room key without asking or formalities.
Mingyu had never really thought about what influence money had on people. Within the last week, however, he had learned that everyone had his price. Be it his coworker who had let himself be bought to exchange a shift with him or now a porter who gave three Korean-speaking young men in Japan a room without a second thought even though one of the three had blood-stained clothes.
He wondered what his price would be and hoped he would never need to find out.
"... did you hear me?" 
"Mm?" Mingyu startled out of his daydreaming and looked at Minghao, who must have been talking to him. 
"I asked if it was okay with the pain or if you wanted the drug." 
Mingyu screwed up his face. He would most certainly not take that drug. The seizure he had seen at Minghao's had scared him to death, and just the idea of experiencing it made his pain tolerable.
"No, it's okay. It hurts, but I can take it."
"Whatever you say. It just helps to concentrate better." Minghao said, taking the room key from Wonwoo's hand.
The youngest looked around and slowly walked down the hallway before he stopped at the second door on the left, opened it, and entered the room. Mingyu was about to follow when Wonwoo stopped him.
"He's checking the room. Wait until he comes out again. The porter was well-built and had a familiar way of moving. He also had an accent that is not common in Nagato. He didn't even flinch when he saw you. So this is either a trap or he is just an ashole who tends to become a sadistic weirdo."Wonwoo said simply beside him, and Mingyu couldn't help it.
He laughed.
Wonwoo looked at him with a weird stare.
Mingyu bit his lip and waited until Minghao appeared in the room doorway and waved at the two of them.
Thankfully, he escaped the awkward atmosphere into the room.

Wonwoo couldn't believe it, but thanks to his years of experience showing no emotion, neither noticed. 
When he saw Mingyu's face contorted in pain in the rearview mirror and the sleeve on his upper arm instantly turning red, he had almost lost his composure. He had had to summon all his willpower not to slam on the brakes, climb into the back, and look at the injury to ensure he would survive. Only the fact that Minghao had done that instantly saved him from emotional embarrassment. And that was a problem. It was his first rescue mission job instead of taking out people to protect the first family, and he tried to convince himself that that was why he had been so nervous.
"Rifle in the car?" 
Wonwoo was jolted out of his thoughts when Minghao suddenly stood before him. He gritted his teeth angrily. He couldn't even notice someone standing right in front of him. And the younger one seemed to know it-
"You should get some rest before we go to the house. A few hours, more or less, won't matter. Get your head straight, then you can fit something back in."
"Just because I seem tired doesn't mean I won't shove my beretta down your throat if you have an attitude like that. Mind your own business."
"It is my business, in case you forgot. So?"
"So what?" Wonwoo removed his jacket and put his beretta and two knives on the coffee table. 
"Are we waiting for now? Mingyu needs a moment to recover."
"Minghao-ah, I don't know what's going on in your head, but we're talking about a rescue mission of a first family member to a location not even two hours away. Why should we wait?!"
"I'm just saying." grumbled Minghao, turning around, pouting, and leaving him standing there. Before Wonwoo could ram the muzzle down his throat this time as promised, he trotted out of the room. Wonwoo's gaze swiveled to Mingyu, examining his arm in the bathroom.
"Can you do this by yourself?" asked Wonwoo.
"Sure, no problem. I've been shot many times, and it's standard procedure for me." hissed Mingyu angrily at him.
Wonwoo sighed and pointed to the couch. "Sit there. If you're going to whine, you can do it yourself, alright?"
Mingyu nodded.

Mingyu gritted his teeth when Wonwoo touched his arm. 
The older had offered his help.
First, this was the first time Wonwoo offered to help him, and second, he felt safe around Wonwoo. Although he had been shot in his presence less than three hours ago, he was sure that the safest place he could be right now was near Wonwoo.
He also trusted Minghao to a certain extent, but when he felt the bullet rip his flesh open and didn't know if a second one would follow, his only thought was to look at Wonwoo. Instead of dodging in panic or throwing himself onto the seat, he stared into the rearview mirror, hoping to catch his gaze.
"You're going crazy..." he muttered.
"What?" asked Wonwoo.
"Nothing, I'm talking to myself." said Mingyu sighing and rubbing his palms over his face.
"This will hurt now." stated Wonwoo, and Mingyu nodded nervously. He gritted his teeth but couldn't suppress the painful groan as Wonwoo suddenly pressed something into his neck instead of his arm, and after a few seconds, leaden weariness suddenly settled over him.
"You... please don't..." he groaned when he understood what Wonwoo had done, and before he could say anything else, he felt sick.

Wonwoo knew that Mingyu had not wanted the drug and that Minghao respected it. But Wonwoo didn't give a about respect. The last thing he needed was a half-bled, unresponsive first family member staggering up the driveway to the estate, more dead than alive. So he had to ensure that Mingyu's total concentration was on him and not half on him and half in pain.
He mumbled something that Wonwoo didn't understand but saw him slowly topple forward. Wonwoo intercepted him and was unsure what to do. Minghao knew the drug, and above all, it would pass. 
For Mingyu, it was the first time, and he started to tremble.
"It's okay. Don't fight it, it'll make it worse." he muttered, feeling Mingyu clasp his hand to his arm.
He was scared. He could feel it. Mingyu was panic-stricken.
"Minghao's dose was much higher. You will feel sick for a while but not to his extent."
Mingyu mumbled something that Wonwoo again didn't understand, but after a short hesitation, he sighed profoundly and grabbed Mingyu's searching hand. Mingyu's body relaxed a little.
Wonwoo didn't know what to do with the situation. He was a pro at eliminating people. Comforting was different from his forte. But his hand alone seemed to help Mingyu.
The trembling became stronger. Wonwoo briefly wondered if the dose had been too high. Wonwoo yelped in surprise as Mingyu pushed him away and turned away.
A moment later, he started to choke, but nothing came.
"Drug?"
Wonwoo looked to the door in surprise and saw Minghao, who had re-entered the room.
He nodded. "I need him focused."
"Are you sure about the dose? He doesn't look good." 
"Mind your own business." hissed Wonwoo at him, and Minghao suddenly grinned.
"Only if you mind yours. And that is sitting next to you, hyung." 
Before Wonwoo could say anything, the brat turned around and left the room while repacking the bag he had taken from the car - his girl.
Wonwoo looked at Mingyu uncertainly. Finally, he stood up, wrapped Mingyu's arm around his shoulder, lifted him, and walked to the bathroom. 
"You're an ..." moaned Mingyu suddenly.
"I can live with that." Wonwoo muttered, managing to bend Mingyu over the toilet just in time before a gush of vomit came out.
"Get lost..." gasped Mingyu, and Wonwoo left the room.

Mingyu estimated that he had not vomited for about ten minutes, and the dizziness had also subsided. And his arm... did not hurt in the least. He felt good, energetic. 
He raised his hand and gently the wound with his finger. He felt it, but it was more annoying than painful.
Wonwoo had been right, it hadn't been as bad as he had feared, but it had been a nasty one. He didn't know if he should be grateful that he didn't have any more pain or offended because he had just doped him up.
"Do you want me to stitch it up now, or do you want to stay in the bathroom until it heals?"
Mingyu had to grin.
It could be his imagination, but in the last few days, he felt that Wonwoo was somehow loosening up. More talkative. He had killed few people for his ratio, he assumed.
And he sometimes even started conversations with him. Wonwoo was one of those people, hitman or not, who was just funny without trying.
Some things he said were serious to Wonwoo but amused him occasionally.
"Coming." he grumbled and stood up. He balanced himself briefly on the wall to make sure he could stand. When the dizziness stopped a few seconds later, he walked out of the bathroom and sat down on the couch in a huff without looking at Wonwoo.
The older man didn't seem to mind, and five minutes later, he put a bandage around his upper arm that was tight but not constricting.
"That should do for now."
An uncomfortable silence spread.
"What do we do now?"
"We'll wait a quarter of an hour until you're fit again, and then we'll go to the house."
"Will you stay with me?" Mingyu clenched her teeth embarrassedly. 
"If that's what you want." said Wonwoo.
"Minghao said they would execute you." 
"That's correct." Wonwoo sighed.
"Then why would you come?!" snapped Mingyu at him. "That's not funny!"
"It's not supposed to be. But if you ask me something like that, then as a second family member, I cannot refuse."
"This whole crap is idiotic. If so, could you give me the car keys, and I'll go myself? You take a cab to the airport without Minghao knowing. Then we'll both come out of this on a positive note."
Mingyu looked up in surprise as the door opened, and Minghao walked in.
"On the way there, god knows who can attack you, not to mention Joshua. I can still get out of this one, but if you die in the last few meters, I'm screwed for good." Wonwoo said, his tone making it clear that he would not tolerate any discussion.
Mingyu couldn't help but feel hurt by Wonwoo's words.
"That's why I say we should just wait a bit. I'd rather intercept Joshua before we get to the house. I don't feel comfortable knowing that he's trolling around somewhere."
"And what do you suggest? Should we check in here for a week?!" Wonwoo's voice suddenly got louder, and Mingyu looked at him in surprise.

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