It's a curious business, sitting alone in the dark. He has a few hours to spare, he knows. An infinite amount of time to ponder anything and everything.

The first hour is spent playing with the knives. He enjoys the tricks, even the cool feeling against his palm as he rests the flat of a blade on his skin. He contemplates taking a cut to see a dash of red. But he pulls it away at the last second. He doesn't want it to sting later. Yi Fan gets the kill, but he could get the satisfaction, the privilege, of holding them still.

The second is spent resting his eyes. He's an insomniac at heart, but he closes his eyes for the sake of effect anyway. There's nothing to think about when you've thought of it all. He knows that behind closed lids, anything could be happening. He doesn't want to witness it. Only be in the presence of it.

The rest of his time is spent preparing. He's bound to get the call soon. He had come early on purpose, after all.

A ring from his pocket alerts him of the time.

"Yi Fan. You've kept me waiting," he says quietly, meaning more than what touches the surface. There could be people outside this room and he doesn't want to warn anyone of his presence.

A chuckle. "It's time, Yi Xing."

"Well, why else would you call me?"

He could almost hear Yi Fan's smirk. "We're expecting your move first."

"I got it." 

"Good luck." It sounds almost mocking.

"And to you." He hangs up. 

Tapping his fingers against his chin, he whispers, "Hmm... Now, which one was it again?" He glances over the room, excitement building, at the boxes and lights.

Blades back in between his fingers, he claws his hand over a set of wires. It's a delicious feeling, slicing through the cords. He his lips at the crackling sounds. He can already imagine the gasps from the innocents. It's beautiful. Here, he has a source of power from his destruction. He could get used to this.

"One more to go." His hands come down again.

Now, more than ever, does Tao not take for granted his past experience. He had felt Sehun fall asleep hours ago, but he himself cannot. He simply couldn't, and can't. He had tried closing his eyes, settling in, and taking deep breaths, but it hadn't worked. Even now, he's wide awake. But there is one main reason behind this.

He had just heard a sound.

At first it was nothing. A scratch from outside. It could have been a tree branch or something; they are a couple floors up from the ground, after all. But then it sounded again some minutes later, a little louder than the first time. Closer.

He's waiting for it. Deep in his stomach, he can feel that it's going to come again and, though unfortunate, they would have to leave.

There it is. A knock from the outside. He's not sure from where on the outside, but it's there. Louder than before.  

He can't ignore his paranoia anymore. It's too much. He's starting to breathe faster, his heart is starting to pound harder, and the nerves in his body are tingling. He can't stay still. 

They have to leave before the sound can get any closer. 

With a smooth flip, Tao frees his way out of Sehun's arms and off the bed onto his feet. He'd looked over the room last night. Right below the window is the fire escape. 

Behind him, Sehun moans, a sign of his awakening. 

Tao lifts the window open and immediately, the sounds of the inner city reach their ears. It causes Sehun to groan louder.

"What--?" Sehun sits up, rubbing his eyes. Tao is taking the screen out from behind the window pane. "No." His eyes widen.

"Sehun, they're here."

Without another word, Sehun scrambles out of the blankets and throws on his jacket. "How?" he walks up to Tao with quick steps. 

"I don't know how to answer that, Sehun." He places his hands on Sehun's waist and lifts him up until he's seated on the windowsill. "Fire escape. Go."

Sehun hops off, feet landing solidly with a clank on the metal staircase. Tao takes one more look around the room to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything before jumping out the window himself. He takes Sehun's hand and passes his lips over Sehun's forehead. 

"You understand why we have to leave, right?" He forces him to meet his eyes.

Sehun gulps. "We can't put Kyungsoo in danger."

"Thank goodness." He kisses Sehun's lips. "I'm sorry. I don't want to put you through this again."

"We should hurry."

"Yeah."

Kyungsoo doesn't like to sleep.

It's not that he normally doesn't, just some days like today. He had taken his shower and turned off the lights in his room. But once it was dark, he knew he didn't have it in him after the events of the last few hours. Sleeping is hours spent unconscious while he could be doing something more productive. He doesn't like it.

He tiptoes to his kitchen to grab a snack and a drink. Finding a coffee can and some leftovers, he settles onto the couch and turns on the television. He flips through channels while the leftovers are being heated up in the microwave, and stops at the news channel. Living by himself finds him unaware of worldly and current news. There's no better time to find out than now, he shrugs to himself.

The man on the screen goes on about something in the city. Several reports of... problems with... not one-hundred percent sure if.... He's not quite listening. Though perhaps he should have been.

There's a clank from somewhere in his apartment and Kyungsoo perks up. It had sounded like it had been from... his guest bedroom. 

Television and food forgotten, he runs to his small hallway, worry rising in his chest. "Sehun? Tao? Are you guys okay?" He knocks on their door, unsure of whether or not he's disturbing their sleep. It's extremely early in the morning, some time after midnight. He hears a second clank. "I heard a noise." He knocks again. 

No answer. With his breath held, he opens their door.

It's empty.

"Oh my...." To his right, the window is open, the curtains flapping in the wind. "Sehun?" The plastic screen is on the floor. "Tao?" He walks to the window, taking shaky steps. "But.... Oh my god...." No one is outside. "What?"

In the next room over, the television sounds, a monotone voice droning on and on as Kyungsoo clutches at the windowsill, wondering where in the world his guests are. 

And it's just been confirmed, all neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city have lost power. It's rather peculiar, isn't it? Yes, a ring on the edge of the city has completely out. Lights are off which includes street and traffic lights, everyone! Traffic has been backed up to enormous degrees. No one is able to enter or leave the city. Stay safe.

Sehun and Tao run down the staircase in a flurry, sometimes skipping steps altogether and hopping down the next bend. Tao naturally goes ahead, feeling the obligation to be the first to dive into direct danger to keep Sehun out of its confrontation. 

They're not at first impacted by the unknown threat that Yi Xing has inevitably caused them until Sehun runs past a woman on the phone and hears her angrily say, "What do you mean you can't get into the city?"

"Tao, what is she talking about?" He struggles to keep up with his bodyguard's top shape.

"I don't know, Sehun." He takes short breaths to keep his stamina up, knowing that he'll have to with their current state. "We'll have to find out." 

It's a terrifying sight that meets their eyes when they head up to cross a highway bridge. The line of vehicles span as far as their eyes can see and the noise is deafening. The drivers don't seem to realize that their car horn will do nothing to resolve their still issue, but resort to pressing the button anyway. 

"It's backed up for miles," Sehun muses, a dread starting to creep its way into his system. "We.... We can't leave. There's nowhere...."

The panic starts to flutter in his gut. It's not adrenaline in his veins, it's fear. 

"Stop. Don't think like that, okay? We have to wait for help. Somewhere."

"Let's go back."

Tao turns to him like he's gone crazy. "What? Where?"

It's a feeling. He's not sure if it's a good feeling or a bad feeling, but it's a feeling and he feels inclined to follow it. It's the words "waiting" and "help" that really got to him. The idea had floated into his head and now he can't get it out. He can only follow it. "The house."

"You've gone insane."

"Perhaps."

"That's a ing crazy idea, Sehun."

Sehun looks him in the eye, an eyebrow scrunched as if wincing. "Isn't that the last place they'd look? The first place we were at?" He's not entirely sure himself, but this sensation can't lead him to nothing, can it? "There has to be some logic behind it."

Tao wants to tell him, you're sending us to our death bed, but he doesn't know if he's right. There are too many "what if"s and "maybe"s to not give the idea a try. There's nowhere else to turn.

"Do you know how this will end, Sehun?" He asks with a dead seriousness.

"I'm not too sure, if I'm being honest."

"This will end either one of two ways. We'll be dead, or they will be. There's no way around it." He grabs onto Sehun's shoulders. "I want you to understand that now."

"And 'they' is the agency."

"Not all of them, but yes. They are the agency."

Sehun nods. He's afraid he might choke up if he tries to reply. 

"The house, you said?" Tao's already walking in the direction of the subway entrance, pulling Sehun along by the hand.

"Yes."

No more is said. 

It's nerve wracking how little people there seem to be at this time of night. Sehun wants to blend into the crowds and camouflage themselves with the mingling of other bodies, but there is no one to do so with. 

As they descend down into the mess that is the underground subway, Sehun feels the tiniest bit more relieved. Once again, they're just managing to catch the last train. It's a surprise how their luck holds out for them in the tensest of moments, but they know it can't last long. They barely make it into the subway car before the doors are sliding to a close and they're pushed against the wall to make room for late-nighters. Tao protectively stands in front of Sehun, whose back is pressed against the side of the car. They're facing each other and Tao's arms are on either side of Sehun's head. It's an intimate scene, at first sight.

"Well, fancy seeing you here," a voice says behind Tao. Too serene. Too familiar.

Tao's eyes pop wide and he visibly stiffens. "Holy ." The words are barely audible.

From what Sehun can see, someone's back is to Tao's and his arms are crossed. All he can see of this person's features are his caramel curls and his pressed black suit. 

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Tao's head drops slightly and he bares his teeth. "What are you doing here? I thought you disappeared a few years back."

"Yeah. Apparently a lot of people thought that." The man taps his foot. "Aren't you a lucky one though, love? I can't do much in this place. Too many people, you know? Hey, I have an idea. I'll even give you a head start, how about it?"

"How did you find us?" With every growl that parts from Tao's lips, Sehun's fear begins to build and build. It's almost too much to bear. He doesn't know what's going on. Doesn't know who this is, and why he's talking to them. Doesn't know anything anymore. The uncertainty is almost literally killing him.

"How indeed? I guess you'll find out eventually. We like to keep tabs on our loved ones."

No one in the subway car around them even glances their way. And if they notice the strange conversation, they don't show it. All in all, it's too much privacy for such a crowded place. 

"I'll make this even better for you, sound good?" The man continues in his smooth voice. "I won't even tell them where you're going. I'll let them find you on their own. Gives you even more time, right? To get your together. I hope you appreciate the sentiment."

Sehun sees Tao grit his teeth. He's in the position of lower power, and his vulnerabilities are more visible than ever. He hates it.

"Get lost," Tao snarls. 

That's when the man tilts his head to a side and Sehun gets a good look at him. He looks so young, his eyes bright, and surrounded by full lashes. His high cheekbones make his jaw appear even sharper and his lips are even more catlike than Tao's. Their eyes meet and Sehun suddenly feels his heart plummet. 

"Ah!" The man smiles. "So you're the kid. Nice to meet you. Or, I guess it won't be so long, eh?"

"Shut the up," Tao barely contains the anger from his voice.

"I'm just trying to be polite. I'm Kim Jongdae. Hope you'll at least know my name before you die."

Sehun's blood runs cold. 

"I will you up, Jongdae." Tao threatens him slowly, finally looking over his shoulder to meet the calm gaze of their offender.

The subway car slides to a stop and the doors open. They'd missed the announcement without even noticing. 

"Oh, look!" Jongdae's smile is back. "Looks like you two should be heading off. I hope you'll wait for me later when the time comes."

They back off the car, all the while refusing to take their eyes off Jongdae. None of them trust each other to do it. 

Before the doors can fully close, Jongdae chuckles and meets Sehun's eyes. "I'll see you later, Sehun."

The doors hiss and the subway heads off, leaving only a breeze to ever remind them that it was there in the first place.

Sehun isn't sure how many times he's ever said this aloud, or even thought it. "Tao?"

"Yes."

"I'm scared."

Tao opens his mouth to say something, but decides against it. He pulls Sehun roughly into his arms and gives him a squeeze. "Don't be, Sehun. Don't be." He Sehun's hair with a hand while his other presses Sehun's waist to him. "I won't let them get to you. I'm here. I'll always protect you."

People are starting to file out. It's too empty for them both to feel remotely safe.

"We have to go," Sehun says against Tao's skin, nuzzling into his neck for one last second before stepping back.

They escape into the night, a blast of cold air hitting them in the face the moment they step outside of the underground. It's a little too windy and their clothes are a little too thin for this kind of weather. But the chill motivates their legs to keep moving. 

"We have to call a taxi. It's too far." Sehun tells him. 

"I..." For once, Tao is not sure how to go about this. He stops running to think. 

He remembers the machine like way he used to think back when his mission was in sight. Those thoughts don't work for him anymore. He doesn't have the right mindset to use it anymore. Now he must conjure up ideas on his own.

If they can get to the house, there could be two options. One is wait for help like innocents and get the agency caught. This, of course, means that their information could be traced back to him and he would be a lost cause. They would take him away from Sehun. 

He can't bear to share this thought.

The second is that they find themselves surrounded in the manor. With their enemies gathered, if they could somehow manage to get out at a precise time, then they could lose their trail entirely. It would buy them time, but with that, he would somehow buy their freedom too. It is a last hope, a desperate situation. But is there any other option? They'd already gone this far.

He mentally curses himself. He should have killed Jongdae while he had the chance. 

"Tao?" Sehun snaps him out of his daze.

Even in the worst of times, he can't help but think Sehun is rather beautiful in the pale moonlight. He kisses him quickly. It seems that's all their kisses are these days: quick. And he regrets it being like that. He makes a self promise to make up for it in the future.

"Taxi then. We're still within inner city limits."

They hail a taxi and quickly tell the man the address. The driver is on the verge of extremely-suspicious when Tao tells him to "make sure there aren't any other cars or people following them" but he drives on anyway.

It's an impossibly long wait to the manor, and when they arrive, everything is dark. The windows, the walkway lights, even the streetlamps are pitch black. Snow forms massive piles on the lawn, but the house looks rather unkempt. It's obvious that there is no one inside. Yi Fan and his men must have left earlier. It's a haunting image. 

"We're here again," Tao comments, too caught up in the surreal feeling of the mansion. He recalls the first day he met Sehun, the first day of his mission and his fake job, the day he didn't realize he would become so devastatingly tangled into the fate of the boy next to him.

A flood of memories comes back to the both of them, and they turn to each other in sync. Two people so in sync that they share the same thoughts. Sehun likes it now. They are one. Like a telepathic communication. They understand each other in waves. "We should get inside." It's no time to be reminiscing.

Tao takes one last look at the shadows behind them before nodding. There are times like these when Sehun takes the initiative to get them moving and Tao rather likes them. He keeps the both of them going, especially now that Tao's mind loses track so often. 

They start running.

A/N Hi everyone! I just wanted to inform you of why the story isn't over yet lol. I wrote the entire ending and after seeing how much horribly longer it was than my regular chapters, I split the ending into two parts. So this is part 1! And yes, that also means i have the rest of the story done!!! I just want to keep you guys waiting a little longer ;) But I just couldn't hold back this chapter any longer even though I know afternoons aren't a popular time to update lol

I'll write all my thanks when it's over xD I hope you all enjoyed the looooong rollercoaster I've strapped you into last november by starting this story and that you're anticipating the final chapter :3 Thank you so much everyone. Seriously, I love you guys.