The worst thing about the Moon Hub by far, at least from the outside, was how absolutely innocuous it looked. From approach it looked like any other busy space station in Alliance heavy territory, well maintained, busy, and reeking of money.

It would be different on the inside, but from the out ….

“And we’re cleared to dock,” Kyuhyun said, flipping a communications switch and pulling the controls of the ship back expertly. “We should establish a connection in just a few minutes, Captain.”

From the pilot’s chair Kyuhyun turned to look at Yunho expectantly..

Fighting down the absolutely nauseas feeling in his stomach with every second they were closer to the station, Yunho forced himself to nod. He clapped a hand on Kyuhyun’s shoulder and said, “Good job. Take us in.” They flew past an expensive looking luxury shuttle and Yunho felt decidedly out of place. Few people who didn’t have credits to burn came to the Moon Hub. And they were about to stand out like a sore thumb.

“Captain?”

Yunho leaned down to say near Kyuhyun’s ear, “I want you to keep the engines running. We might need to make a quick get away, just in case Leeteuk runs into any trouble making the drop. And you know we attract trouble like a bee to honey.”

“Got it,” Kyuhyun said seriously. “But do we really have to leave Hero and Micky here?”

“It’s what they want,” Yunho said, meaner than intended. “They’re paying customers, Kyuhyun.”

It didn’t matter in the least that Hero had steadily been creeping under everyone’s skin on the ship, making them smile, making them laugh. Making them care. Or even that Micky, for his initially gruff attitude, was an exceptionally good chess player and would take on anyone just to pass the time, and knew his way around the ship enough to lend a helping hand without being asked, and had started to show Ryeowook some of the dessert recipes he knew. How a man like Micky even knew how to turn on their stove …

The point was, at least in Yunho’s rationale, that it didn’t matter how easily the two of them had seemingly become a part of the crew. Especially in the past few days. It was irrelevant that meals didn’t start until they were there, or that Hero could often be found doting on a much younger Kyuhyun like a mother almost, caring for him and the other crew members in the way Yunho was too busy to.

They were getting off. It was what they wanted.

And it wasn’t like Yunho could ask them to stay.

He couldn’t ask Hero to stay.

“But …” Kyuhyun trailed off, a pout on his face.

Yunho wanted Hero to stay more than he’d wanted anything in a while. Hero, who he’d been so wrong about and allowed himself to prematurely judge, much to his embarrassment. Hero, who was quiet and thoughtful, compassionate and curious. Yunho wanted Hero to stay on, at least for a while longer, if only to try and figure out if he fit as well as Yunho thought he did. Hero, who looked at him like he wasn’t a killer, and was so beautiful and kind.

Hero, who made Yunho feel wanted by just being in his company.

Hero, who stirred something up in Yunho that could distinctly be pinpointed as affection.

Hero, who was leaving them now.

“Just do what I said,” Yunho ordered, then he heel and ducked out of the bridge.

Yunho traced the ship’s exiting passengers to Changmin’s room where he was busy fitting them both with heavy cloaks that looked a bit awkward on both of them, but did their job well enough. On Miky the extra material around him seemed a little too small for his stature, but on Hero the clothing was simply too short.

“Here we go,” Changmin remarked, looking especially handsome in a blue tunic. Yunho could always find time to be distracted by his brother slightly. He disliked thinking about Changmin’s profession, as any older brother or father did, but he could absolutely understand why Changmin was in constant demand. All Companions were beautiful, but some were in a class above others, and of that designation Changmin was a part of.

“We’re here,” Yunho said, clearing his throat and announcing his presence.

“Thank you,” Micky said distractedly, pulling at the cloak’s material, trying to master how to move fluidly in it.

Hero refused to turn to Yunho, though the Captain could see the pull in his shoulders like he wanted to. Yunho wanted to tell him it was okay, and that Yunho didn’t want him to leave any more than he wanted to. But he didn’t think that would go over well.

Eyes crinkled in a smile, Changmin said, “You have such pretty eyes, Hero. That’s something to be proud of. But not on the Moon Hub. So we’re going to pull up the hood here and get the fit right.”

Yuho made sure he moved no further into the room, instead watching from the doorway as a hood was pulled up and Hero’s appearance was hidden from them completely.

“Isn’t this going to draw more attention?” Hero wondered.

“You’ll be fine,” Changmin assured, smoothing out the wrinkles. “And you might be surprised how many people around you will be attempting to hide their identities. You’ll blend right in.”

“Okay,” Hero said quietly and Yunho felt the pit of despair in his stomach double in size.

While Hero endured Changmin’s fusing, Yunho drew Micky away. And when they were a respectable distance from Changmin’s room, Yunho held a pistol out to Micky, first.

“Captain?”

Yunho nodded to it more seriously. “You’re going to need this. Just in case. I don’t know if you’ve ever handled a gun before, and there are only six rounds so you’ll have to be extremely careful with what you use them on, but even if you don’t, the gun itself will be enough to frighten off anyone who thinks they can take advantage of you and Hero.”

Micky continued to stare at the gun as he said, “I have a contact. He’s going to meet us in the bar. He’s the one who’s going to get us on another ship and he said he’ll have a gun waiting for us there. I appreciate your concern, Captain, but--”

“Take it,” Yunho insisted, his nerves eating him alive. “Did you stop to consider that your contact might not show? Or might not be trustworthy? Take the gun just in case. Consider it security.”

“My contact will be there,” Micky said, but he reached for the gun anyway. “Thanks.”

Yunho found himself saying, “Just keep him safe, ok? He’s not like you or I. He’s not build for this kind of lifestyle.”

Tucking the gun away, Micky replied, “He’s not helpless you know. He’s endured more and survived more than you would surprised to learn about. He’s not some dainty little Alliance boy. He’s strong.”

Behind them Changmin appeared, calling out, “Micky? Can I see you for a moment?”

Micky shuffled out and Yunho felt the ship couple with the station. Clamps hissed into place and suddenly they were locked into position. He could feel the ship’s engines quiet quite a bit, but they remained on and humming in the periphery.

“Captain?”

Yunho turned to find Hero next to him, not looking in the slightest like he wanted to be going anywhere.

“This is it, I guess,” Yunho said, trying to keep things light between them. The last thing he needed to go and do was something stupid like asking Hero to stay. That would just go and make fools of them all. “You ready?”

“I’m terrified,” Hero said honestly.

“That’s good, actually.” Yunho tried to soak up the sight of Hero. He’d never see the man after this . And likely never meet anyone like him again. “A little fear is always good. It’ll keep you alive in a bad situation.”

“Well, I feel a lot of fear.”

They were alone on the walkway so Yunho dared to move closer to him, trying to offer him a reassuring smile. “Listen, it’s okay to be scared. But you’re smart. And your friend? He’s capable. The both of you together are going to be just fine. The only thing you need to survive in space is a good head on your shoulders and a little luck. I’d say you’ve got both.”

Hero cracked him the thinnest of smiles. “I guess it is luck that I ended up on your ship.”

“Oh, you’re calling that luck?” Yunho teased.

Hero took a full step back and caught Yunho off guard completely by bowing deeply and respectfully to him.

“What’s this?” Yunho asked, a little startled.

“Thank you,” Hero said, straightening up. “For accepting Micky and I onto your ship, and for keeping us safe, and making us feel wanted. Captain, thank you especially for the last part. We truly felt part of your crew these last few days, and I’ll never forget our time together.”

Damnit all.

In the half second it took Yunho to lose his mind completely he’d closed the distance between them like a flash of lightening, and grabbed Hero as firmly as he dared. “You could stay.” His voice was betraying him, going scratchy and desperate. “You don’t have to leave. No other ship or crew is going to take care of you like this one. Stay here. Stay with us.” Stay with me, he meant.

“I can’t,” Hero said, griping him back. “You’re going to opposite direction of the one I need to go in.”

Yunho’s eyes narrowed. “Because you’re running from something. You’re running from someone. And that someone hurt you.”

“You don’t know anything,” Hero said shakily, voice at a whisper.

“I know you flinch whenever someone raises their voice. You mostly put your back to the wall, especially in places that make you uncomfortable, likely so no one can come up behind you or surprise you. And you choose your words very carefully, not because you’re eloquent, which you are, but because you’re afraid of saying the wrong thing. I’d guess because someone’s beat you before for speaking your mind.”

“This is none of your business.”

“I guess not,” Yunho said, not letting up on his grip for a second. “But I want you to know I’ll protect you, if you stay here.”

“No.” Hero shook his head right away. “I have to go towards the Rim. I can’t go any further towards the Core than this.”

“You can do whatever you want.” Yunho let go of him. “You’re being haunted by your past, but your whole future is ahead of you. I know, personally, how hard it is to grapple with the idea of having control of your own future, but trust me, it’s possible. And when you decide to take control of your own future, you don’t have to be scared of your past.”

There was something odd in the way Hero was looking at him and odder were his words, “You have no idea about my past, Captain, or how capable it is of hurting me.”

Yunho shrugged. “I guess not. Only you know your past and what it’s capable of. But if you stay on the ship, we’ll be going to the rim right after our business near New Haven, and that’ll give you a chance to figure things out--to figure your future out.”

Hero’s fingers were cool and the touch light as he brought them up to Yunho’s jaw. “You want my future to be on this ship?”

“I don’t know,” Yunho said honestly, barely daring to breathe. “I just know I want to keep you near me. I feel something for you. My heart beats a little fast whenever I look at you, or talk to you.”

Voice stuttering a little, Hero said, “I’ve never met anyone like you before, Yunho. And I’ll admit, there’s something between us, something potentially worth investing in … but …”

Hero was so close, smelling so sweet and fresh despite having lived in a ship for three whole days, that Yunho wanted to do nothing more than kiss him. He wanted to kiss Hero and let his actions stand as testament.

“I’m opening her up!” Leeteuk called from a distance.

The rumble of the airlock opening ruined everything.

“If I had a choice,” Hero confided, “I would want to stay here, where you treat your friends like they’re family. I would want to discover what my feelings are for you. But that’s not a reality, and it’s not an option.”

Yunho didn’t walk Hero to the airlock. And there were no more words exchanged between them. Instead he stood back, and without a single additional protest, watched Leeteuk lead Hero and Micky away.

Even when Hero looked back for him, neck straining for a glimpse, Yunho kept himself our of sight.

“You’re quite possibly the stupidest person I’ve ever met in my life, Yunho.”

Yunho pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “I love you too, Changmin.”

His slipper covered feet slapping against the metal walkway, Changmin charged to Yunho’s side and demanded, “How could you just let them leave like this? How could you let Hero leave?”

“Minnie,” Yunho said, trying to cling to a calmness. “They wanted to come here. They paid a more than fair price to get out here. That’s what this is, and that’s all it’ll ever be. A business translation.”

“You’re such a liar,” Changmin eased out, but his voice was less harsh now. “You have feelings for Hero, don’t you? Real feelings.”

“I have feelings for everyone,” Yunho replied. “Like right now, for instance, I have a feeling that I’m about to try and strangle my brother to death for being irritating.”

“Yunho.”

Yunho sighed. “I’m not in love with him. That would be ridiculous.”

“Of course,” Changmin agreed, “but you don’t have to be in love with someone to have serious or deep feelings for them. And I saw the way you looked at him. Everyone saw the way you looked at him. You wanted him to stay.”

Yunho said almost bitterly, “I asked him to stay. He said no.”

Changmin’s face fell. “Oh.”

Yunho wasn’t sure what it was, but something made him want to tell Changmin, “He wanted to stay though. I could tell. It was written all over his face how badly he wanted to stay. He’s just scared of something. Or someone.”

Deflating in front of him, Changmin offered, “But this ship never stops in one spot for too long. He would be safe here.”

“He’d bring danger to us,” Yunho rebuffed. “Changmin, I thought he was jus some selfish, spoiled kid the first time I saw him, and even for a bit afterwards, but it think I know him better now. He doesn’t seem the type in the least bit, not from the time I’ve gotten to know him, to bring danger to people he cares about. He won’t stay because he doesn’t want to risk us, and because whatever is chasing him is a real threat.”

If Yunho had all the power in the world he’d force Hero to tell him what scared him so badly, and more than that, he’d make sure the threat was eliminated. In a perfect world, he’d be able to do all that.

After a few moments of silence, Changmin said, “This is a bad idea. Letting him go off on his own, even if he has his friend with him. Not all men are as honorable as you, Yunho. Most aren’t. Someone is going to take advantage of him and rob him, or worse. We can’t just let him leave.”

Through the airlock Yunho could see the masses of people passing along, most of them either large, dangerous looking, or obvious brothel workers. Near the airlock Zhou Mi was standing guard, arms cross over his chest in a defensive stance. He’d make sure none of the residents or visitors wandered too near the ship until Leeteuk returned.

“We can’t make him stay,” Yunho said, and that was what it came down to. He could offer Hero a place on the ship, be it temporary or more, and even extend the offer to his friend, but not much else was an option.

“Yunho …”

A rough laugh forced its way from Yunho. “But come on, Changmin, what could we really have to offer him? I love the ship, but she’s not exactly the newest model, and she needs constant repair work. I can’t offer any kind of stability to someone who’s had nothing but that their entire life. Sometimes we take risky jobs that could put us on the Alliance’s radar and certainly not in a good way. I’m not easy to get along with when I’m stressed or upset or angry, which face it, is a lot of the time. And I don’t have much money. Anyone who stays on as a crew member, won’t have much of it either.”

Changmin dipped forward, taking a moment to rest his forehead on Yunho’s shoulder. “You said you thought Hero was a spoiled Alliance kid the first time you saw him. You don’t think that way anymore, right?”

Yunho shook his head. “Not even close.”

“Then,” Changmin said slowly, “what makes you think for one second that Hero cares anything about money. Isn’t he trying to catch a ride to the Rim? Something tells me he won’t have a lot of money out there, and he’ll have to work hard for what he does manage to earn. Money to a man like Hero, and I’ve seen the sort before, Yunho, isn’t a priority.”

From down near the airlock Zhou Mi called up, “Leeteuk just made the drop, Captain. He’s on his way back. Only a few minutes out.”

“Truth is,” Yunho said, straightening up, “I can’t keep someone like Hero safe. I can barely keep the crew that I have safe, and gods know I’m about to go leading them into the worst kind of danger. But I would have liked to try.”

He wasn’t in love. Love came after knowing someone for a while, learning their likes and dislikes, their personality, and all the components that went into making a human being. Love came after the initial attraction and the honeymoon stage. Love came with time. But the groundwork for love … that could be there in an instance, and it certainly felt like it was starting to lay down for Yunho. He’d never know, now, how far he could have gotten with Hero, though he’d certainly sensed the other man had an interest in him too. No, he’d only have to be content with the few days he had had, and the daydreams that kept him awake through nights without sleep.

Yunho threw an easy arm around his taller brother. “It doesn’t matter now, Changmin. You heard Mi. Leeteuk made the drop. Our package is off. There’s no getting him back now.”

Changmin gave him a sad expression.

“What?”

“We’ve been family a very long time,” Changmin told him, mouth set into a frown. “And I have never seen you pay attention to someone like you did Hero.”

Yunho gave him a weak chuckle. “I’m not exactly a blushing , Minnie.”

“No,” his brother agreed, “but that was different. Having with a person doesn’t require feelings in the least bit, only the sating of needs. But the care you took with Hero, the patience and tenderness … Yunho. You can’t just let him go. I can see how much he means to you already. If he’s this important to you now, imagine what he could be in a year or more.”

The thought was truly scary. Maybe even scarily wonderful.

“Let it go,” Yunho said, pulling away. “I’m letting him go, so you let this go.”

Instead of heading down to the airlock to wait for Leeteuk to return empty-handed, instead Yunho went directly to the bridge where Kyuhyun was bent over a data pad, playing a video game.

“Hey!” Yunho knocked him over the back of the head. It wasn’t hard enough to cause any real damage, but it was a wakeup call his young friend needed. “Pay attention. We’re in the proverbial lion’s den. The time for games is later.”

Kyuhyun straightened up a bit. “Okay. Sheesh. You’re so mean.”

“Pay attention,” Yunho said again, settling into the seat slightly to the side. “Sometimes you make me worry that I put my ship into your hands.”

“These hands?” Kyuhyun wiggled his fingers at Yunho. “Don’t kid yourself. You couldn’t be safer with any other pilot in the ‘verse.”

And if that wasn’t the truth, Yunho didn’t know what was. He’d seen Kyuhyun do some pretty amazing things with a ship, and he’d long since stopped doubting his natural talent for pilot’s intuition.

“Captain?” Zhou Mi called over the ship intercom. “Leeteuk’s back and I’m sealing the airlock now. We’re good to go.”

“Good,” Yunho replied back to him. He leaned over to flip a switch and said, “Fire her up, Kyuhyun. I’ll do a quick headcount and we’re good to go.”

Onew reported in first, the swooshing of the engine behind him almost blocking his call out completely. And Ryeowook wasn’t far behind him, asking for an extra thirty seconds to lockdown a couple of things in the kitchen he’d been fussing with earlier. Changmin, as expected, ignored him.

“He’s mad at you,” Kyuhyun said knowingly.

“He wanted me to make Hero and Micky stay,” Yunho revealed without much fanfare. He supposed it was pointless to hide what Changmin was going to hang over his head for a while. Yunho thought he’d be lucky if in his thank you letter for attending the wedding, Changmin didn’t add it in at the bottom in small print.

“Changmin,” Yunho ground out over the intercom. “You’re holding us all up with your tantrum. Stop embarrassing me in front of the other kids.”

“He’s not going to answer you,” Kyuhyun said knowingly.

Feeling lenient, Yunho gave him another minute before calling down to Leeteuk, “Check in on Changmin, please. He’s holding up our headcount and he can sulk all he wants once we get away from this place.”

Yunho tapped his fingers on the consul in front of him. Changmin was naturally a little difficult to handle, complicated and unique. But he usually wasn’t a total brat like he was being now.

“Leeteuk?”

A half second later, voice sounding a little short of breath, “Ah, Captain, I can’t find him.”

Immediately Yunho’s head snapped over to Kyuhyun. He asked over the intercom, “What exactly does that mean?”

“Well … he’s not in his room, or any of the other places safe to be in for takeoff. I could always check--”

Yunho stopped listening, icy fear flushing through him. He was digging frantically at his restraints as next to him, Kyuhyun supposed, “You don’t think …”

“Damnit,” Yunho hissed, his restraints getting tangled up in his rush. “I do think. Shut down the engines now!”

He broke free with a rush, sprinting from the engine room, terror overtaking his mind. Changmin was so damn impulsive. And he had to have known they’d do a headcount before leaving.

“Leeteuk!” Yunho shouted, sliding down the stairs as fast as humanly possible. “Get the airlock open now.”

His long time friend was there a second later, hands moving frantically over the airlock keypad as the ship went silent under them. “What’s going on?” Leeteuk asked in a huff.

Yunho could feel himself practically vibrating with fear.

“Captain?” Zhou Mi was behind them just after that.

“What’s taking so long!” Yunho slammed his hand angrily on the wall nearby.

Leeteuk didn’t look away from the mechanism, but he did answer, “We disengaged the airlock and started departure procedures. Getting a safe connection again isn’t an instant thing.”

Yunho whirled on Zhou Mi. “Did you take your eyes off this airlock? Even for a second?”

Zhou Mi gave a reluctant nod. “Ryeowook asked me to help him for a second. I was gone for thirty seconds at the most.”

Changmin would have needed half that time to slip past Zhou Mi and onto the station.

“You don’t think Changmin is out there?” Leeteuk asked in disbelief. They had a secure connection just as he finished his sentence, and the doors were hissing open much too slowly just after that. “No one would dare touch a Companion, Yunho!”

“They wouldn’t bother to check first!”

Yunho left them all behind him, squeezing through the still opening airlock the second it was just big enough for his form. His legs were pumping as quickly as he could make them and he dove into the crowd in front of them, pushing and shoving and ignoring all protests of rough behavior.

All he could concentrate on was the fact that Changmin was on the Moon Hub. He was wandering through shark infested waters, trying to track down their previous passengers, probably with the intent to try and convince them not to leave.

And Changmin was doing it for him.

If anything happened to Changmin …

“Move!” he shouted angrily, pushing past a few people who were blocking a side street that would take him in the direction all the signs were pointing to for the bar’s location. There was no way Changmin hadn’t heard either Yunho or Leeteuk mention that Hero and Micky were headed in that direction. If by some miracle Changmin made it that far, Yunho had to get there as fast as possible.

He flashed past a young man wearing blue and it reminded Yunho of the bright blue tunic Changmin had been wearing. That tunic had hugged him perfectly, highlighting his long legs and lithe form, and it would attract all the wrong eyes.

Behind him Leeteuk and Zhou Mi were probably giving chase, but Yunho couldn’t spare anything for their consideration. The only thing that mattered was his brother.

Unexpectedly the crowd of people ahead thickened and Yunho plowed directly into what essentially amounted to a impenetrable wall. No matter how hard he pushed or tried to slip through he was stuck, and there were people pushing in behind him, trapping him.

Yunho felt the sweat collect under his arms and across his forehead and he began to struggle, drawing in breaths quicker and quicker.

He wasn’t one to panic, but something was happening and he couldn’t so much as move, let alone get away.

The crowd, only growing in size, gave a sudden lurch to the side, and Yunho almost lost his feet under him. Some of the people around him did, and they went down quickly. Before Yunho could reach for anyone they were being crushed by the feet around them.

Women screamed, men shouted, and suddenly it was a riot.

When Yunho has been younger, after Changmin had left to train to become a Companion, and right around the time puberty was beginning to set in, he’d shot up in height. Most of the boys his age were starting to do the same, but it became clear to Yunho very early on that he was going to be taller than most. When the boys around him stopped growing, Yunho kept going on. He’d never be as tall as Changmin, but he was still very tall in his own right.

Changmin thought it was something eternally funny that he, as the younger brother, had ended up being taller.

Regardless, Yunho had been tall from a young age, and it had actually worked in his favor. He’d been teased for it, mostly from those who were jealous, but work came easier to him because of his height. Employers were more likely to take a chance on him because he looked bigger than the other workers, and more capable.

In fact his friendship with Leeteuk had started because of his height, at least in a roundabout way.

Yunho liked to think, when he gave it some thought (which was actually rarely), that he was gifted his height for a reason. And this had to be it. There was no other moment it could be for. This was the moment in his life when his height would be of its most importance.

Because if he couldn’t go through the crowd, he’d go over.

Using the man’s shoulder next to him for a boost, Yunho launched himself up and atop the people around him. Turning over onto his back for better stability, he shouted, “Changmin!” and hoped desperately the crowd would either carry him to the fringes so he could get out, or towards whatever the commotion was about so it could be dealt with.

Yunho was very aware of the weight of his pistol on his hip, and his willingness to use it on anyone who stood between himself and his brother.

The crowd initially nearly buckled under his sudden weight, but like the flow of a river, he was quickly moving, shouting, “Changmin! Changmin, where are you?”

Part of him hadn’t expected an answer of any kind. The crowd was impossibly loud, screams were rising, and his ears were ringing from the volume of it all.

But then faintly, just loud enough to be heard like a poorly resonating echo, he heard, “Yunho!”

It wasn’t Leeteuk’s voice, or Zhou Mi’s. It was most certainly wasn’t Changmin’s.

“Changmin!’

“Yunho!’ came the reply and it was closer this time.

As the crowd passed him around, Yunho twisted, looking desperately for the color blue. There were too many brunets for him to even begin to attempt to pick out Changmin from the crowd, but there were only a few people wearing the color blue that Changmin was.

Without warning the crowd parted. They dropped him quickly to the ground and before Yunho could right himself and get his bearings, someone was on him, slugging a hand into his ribs, shouting with unchecked aggression.

It was a few moments more before Yunho realized, swiping the man’s feet out from under him and delivering a crunch of force to his nose that surely must have broken something, that the crowd had parted because of the massive fight currently occurring.

Yunho ducked under a man swinging for his head and called out Changmin’s name frantically.

Companions were trained in self defense, fencing, and more cultured arts of attack. Changmin was no doubt capable of fending off a grabby suitor, but a street brawl? One participated by ruffians and thugs?

“Changmin!”

Once more Yunho heard his name, but it wasn’t Changmin who’d called it.

It was Hero.

Yunho turned just in time to avoid the lunge of a man who’d been fixated on him, and he could see just across the street Hero struggling with a man nearly twice his size. It didn’t appear, at least, that the man was attempting to attack him, but there was no mistaking the grabbing that was happening, and the man’s intent.

“Hero!”

Changmin would, gods forgive him, have to wait. Hero was in front of him, and Yunho had to help him.

Nearly flipping over someone who’d fallen in front of him, Yunho made his way to Hero. The absolute fear on Hero’s face as a strong motivator, and Yunho briefly had time to wonder where Mickey was before he was coming up on the man pulling at Hero.

“Get off of him!” Spinning him around Yunho bent his arm back and with one strong motion he snapped it to the point of breaking. Yunho didn’t hear it snap, not with all the noise around them, but he certainly heard the man wail in pain as he collapsed face first into the dirt, clutching his lifeless arm.

“Yunho,” Hero breathed out, wetness in his eyes, but no tears on his cheeks. “You’re here. How are you here?”

“Are you okay?” Yunho demanded, holding him back at arm’s length to get a good look at him. “Are you hurt at all?”

“No.” Hero shook his head quickly. “I’m fine. Yunho--”

From the ground the man wailed, “You broke my ing arm!”

Yunho delivered a swift kick down to the man’s head, rendering him unconscious, then he in a full lungs worth of air and asked Hero, “Have you seen Changmin?”

Hero’s eyes widened. “He’s here? In this?”

“Move!’ Yunho cried out suddenly, pulling Hero to the side more harshly than he’d intended, but getting them both away from two men who were locked together, doing their best to throw the other to the ground.

And in that moment, for once brief instance, Yunho saw blue.

“I lost Micky in the crowed!” Hero shouted, but everything else was forgotten for Yunho.

Pulling Hero behind him, determined to keep him safe at least for the duration of the riot, Yunho headed directly toward the blue, shouting, “Changmin! It’s Yunho!”

Hero squeezed Yunho’s hand firmly and Yunho felt a burst of strength.

When Yunho got his first real look at Changmin, it was with some pride that he noticed Changmin was very much holding his own. There were several men on the ground around him wailing in pain, and Yunho watched as Changmin delivered a strong kick to another who was added to the pile.

“Changmin!” Yunho was forced to swerve around a group of men all brawling exclusively with each other.

His ear picked up sirens just after that, which meant the Alliance soldiers on the station had finally been able to tear themselves away from their paid services to quiet down the riot. It also meant they’d be minutes away from arresting people indiscriminately, and Yunho couldn’t afford to let himself or any of his crew be part of that group.

“I see Micky!” Hero called out happily, pointing off in a direction Yunho couldn’t turn to look at.

Changmin. His focus was Changmin. Changmin was too near the center of the brewing gunfight--too surrounded by danger.

It was a single pistol shot at first, which caused Yunho to skid to a stop, immediately dragging Hero’s head down to be covered protectively by his arms.

Then it was as if the single shot, its origin completely untraceable in the moment, had opened the floodgates.

There were more shots being fired than Yunho could count, and with each one he winced. His knees hit the dirt ground with pain and force, and he pulled Hero with him. They huddled on the ground as the sirens picked up, the screaming turning even more shrill, and the riot’s tension dissolving just shortly afterwards.

Thirty seconds later the last shot was fired, and after just enough of a pause to indicate that there’d be no more, Yunho was sprinting for Changmin.

Oh, gods, Changmin.

He was there just in time to catch his brother as he fell, his pupils completely blown, his hands pushing weakly at his stomach where blood was gushing out.

“Changmin!”

Yunho couldn’t think. He couldn’t act. He couldn’t breathe!

Changmin was shot. He was shot and now he was gasping for air, mumbling in a confused way, “Yunho? Yunho, I don’t feel so good.”

Changmin gave a piercing cry as Yunho slammed his hand down on the wound. “I know, I know,” Yunho choked out, his eyes burning with tears. “Changmin, I’m so sorry. I know you’re in pain, I know, but we have to stop the bleeding.”

“Yunho,” Changmin gasped out, eyes starting to roll up into his head. “I’m shot.”

“Doctor!” Yunho screamed hoarsely. “We need a ing doctor!”

The Moon Hub was sure to have a midwife on call, and a medic who probably catered specifically to the , but a doctor?

The chances of finding a doctor who could save Changmin before he bled out everywhere …

Without warning a new set of hands were next to Yunho’s putting even more pressure on Changmin’s wound.

“Yunho,” Hero said, snapping him out of his daze. “Yunho. Listen to me very carefully.”

Yunho couldn’t look away from Changmin. His brother, who now looked so tiny, half collapsed on the ground, half in Yunho’s arms, was bleeding out. He was pale and small and too young to be inflicted with such a wound. And he was going to die.

Oh, Changmin.

“Yunho!”

A harsh slap to the side of the face made Yunho look quickly to Hero who was now inspecting Changmin’s wound. “Changmin is losing a lot of blood. We need to move him to a sterile environment if I’m going to save his life. Yunho, does your ship have an infirmary?”

Barely able to find his voice, Yunho nodded and said, “It’s still stocked from the last time we had a doctor. But Hero …”

“I’m a doctor,” Hero said, “a surgeon. I want to save Changmin’s life, but that’s only going to happen if we get him to that infirmary in the next forty-five seconds. If he loses too much blood I won’t be able to do anything for him. Yunho, we have to move him now!”

Changmin’s bloody fingers caught Yunho’s sleeve and his brother whined far too weakly.

“Here,” a stranger said, coming into view to crouch next to them. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll help you carry him back to your ship as fast as possible and you take me with you.”

“What?” Yunho demanded.

“Yunho!” Hero shouted. “Hurry.”

“You have to take me with you,” the stranger said once more, anxiety clouding his features.

A whistle sounded and the soldiers were suddenly there, wrestling people to the ground, moving systematically through the crowed.

“Yunho,” Changmin mumbled, then his eyes were closing and he was going slack.

“Fine,” Yunho snapped, then he and the stranger lifted Changmin and took off at a run, Hero jogging behind them.

To Yunho, the next few minutes were like a dream. He remembered running, he remembered his chest heaving for air from exertion, and he remembered looking at the stranger who was half carrying his brother and wondering who he was. He even remembered throwing open the infirmary doors and directing Changmin’s body to the nearby bed.

After that, however, things blurred. Things became hazy. Things stopped mattering.

Hero slammed the door to the infirmary, keeping him out, and Yunho’s legs failed him.

Faces swam into view, Zhou Mi’s, Leeteuk’s, Ryeowook’s, even Micky’s.

And the ground beneath him shook, the ship purring to life.

Nothing made sense at all, and the blood on his hands, Changmin’s blood, dried, was cracking when Yunho experimentally flexed his fingers.

“Yunho?” Leeteuk asked, crouching in front of him. “Can you hear me?”

It was too hard to focus.

“What’s wrong with him?” Ryeowook asked with a concerned tone.

With firm hands Leeteuk pulled him to his feet. “He’s in shock.”

Shock. Was that the right word?

“Changmin,” Yunho mumbled, wondering why the infirmary that Hero and Changmin were still in, was growing further and further away. “He’s been shot.”

“I know,” Leeteuk said gently, leading him by the elbow. “But our Minnie is so strong, Yunho. He’s not going to let one measly little bullet get him down. So you need to get cleaned up. You’ve got blood all over you. When Hero lets us in to see Minnie, we need to have you all cleaned up, so you don’t scare him. Understand?”

“Changmin’s been shot,” Yunho repeated. “He’s been shot.”

Leeteuk gave him nod. “You’re right. But he’s going to be okay. For all our sakes. Now come with me, Yunho. Let me get that blood off you.”

Changmin’s blood.

Changmin was shot.

Changmin was dying.

And Yunho with him.