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“No… No…” Sehun breathes, watching Jongin’s body falling forward in almost slow-motion. At the last second, however, the other man braces one feet onto the ground, a hand on his knee to hold himself up as the other clutches at the open wound on his chest.

“Still alive after that shot?” Luhan murmurs, voice slick and dangerous. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, you are Kai after all. I’m sure you’ve been through worse.”

“Let… Sehun… go…” Jongin pants, glaring up at Luhan, and Sehun doesn’t know how to feel, that Jongin still worries about him at a time like this instead of himself.

“Still trying to keep up that act?” the assassin spits out. His grip around Sehun’s throat tightens, rendering the latter gasping for air for a moment, keeping him occupied as his other hand pulls on the trigger again.

“Nooo―!” Sehun screams, uncaring that the blade is digging into his neck, slicing through his skin as he jerks forward, a hand reaching out but to no avail. All he can do is watch helplessly when another bullet imbeds itself into Jongin’s body, ricocheting through the air and sending the man’s body flying backward. His head crashes into the glass coffee table from behind, and Sehun stares in horror as not only Jongin’s body is gushing blood profusely, but his head now is, too.

There are streaks of red sliding from Jongin’s forehead down his cheek, his jawline, dripping onto his already stained clothes below, as the man’s eyes drift shut, head lolling onto the edge of the table.

Sehun doesn’t even know if the other has passed out or if he’s even breathing at all―

“Well, that’s that,” Luhan concludes, dropping his right hand with the still-smoking gun. “Now―”

Sehun uses the distraction to slam an elbow right into the older’s stomach, knocking him backward before leaping forward, trying to get closer to Jongin.

“Sehun―”

Immediately, Sehun reaches into the holster secured on the waist at the back of his police uniform, and points the gun directly at Luhan. “Don’t test me, Luhan.”

“Dammit, Sehun―”

Whatever else Luhan is about to say gets drowned out by the sudden siren blasting through the air.

The police are here.

“! Why the hell―”

“You think nobody would call the cops after they heard two gunshots coming from my apartment?” Sehun retorts, his free hand sliding up Jongin’s body to test his breathing.

The other is, but it’s so faint… Like his lungs can give out at any moment and stop―

The siren is only getting louder, signaling the arrival of the cars stationing at the entrance to the complex.

“―”

“Go!” Sehun yells, eyes on Luhan.

“What?”

“There’s a fire escape at the back of this floor. If you go now you might still have a chance to dodge the police and escape.”

“I’m not leaving without you―”

“I’m doing this out of the last goodwill of my heart for you, Luhan,” Sehun in a breath, trying not to panic for Jongin since he has to deal with Luhan first. “Either you leave now or I’ll use this gun to kill myself, and then you can face the police with two dead bodies in the apartment!”

“Sehun, why do you do this―”

“I’m not leaving with you!” Sehun screams when he can hear rumblings from downstairs―no doubt the police making their way up. “Go! You don’t want to go to jail, do you? That’s why you’ve been hiding out in China, right? Don’t let all your work go to waste! I’m telling you this because I still have good feelings for you, and I don’t want you to be captured, either!”

Luhan looks at the door to the apartment, the sounds getting louder and louder, then back at Sehun, sees how his hand on the gun is trembling, but there’s a resolute look inside his eyes, and the older curses.

“Fine!” he snaps. “But know this isn’t over yet! I will be back for you, I swear my life on it!”

With that, the other runs past him towards the kitchen, escaping through the windows there, and Sehun finally drops his gun limply in a moment of reprieve.

Until he turns back to Jongin, and feels tears forming inside his eyes again as he takes in how absolutely battered the other looks.

“No, please don’t die on me,” Sehun whispers, a palm wiping the blood caked on his face away, uncaring of how it stains his own hand in the process. “Please, Jongin, please…”

It’s o