Lu Han was quiet as he sat out on the balcony of Jong Dae's home. He looked out blankly at the scene before him, drenched in night. Starlight, and moonlight the only things keeping the quiet streets illuminated. Everything was so calm, so quiet. He looked up at the sky, silently questioning why this had to be happening to him. He gripped the railing of the balcony, briefly debating on throwing himself off of it. That would definitely eliminate the problem at hand. However, he knew that if he were to snuff out his own life, he wouldn't be around to keep others from hurting Chen. Dread sunk into his stomach like a cold pit, and he knew deep within him that there was no way around this, he would have to do it.  He clenched his teeth, then turned, opening the french doors and walking back into the confines of the large home. 

Closing the door silently, he simply stared at the sleeping man for a long time. He was like a fallen angel when he slept. And in Lu Han's eyes, that's exactly what he was. Chen wasn't anywhere near as dangerous as he had been lead to believe. In fact, the man was much more respectable than Lu Han thought that he himself could ever be. He looked down at the floor in shame. He felt like a monster about to slaughter a defenseless lamb. It was sick. It was so twisted that Lu Han knew if-no-when he did go through with it, he would never be able to live with himself. A soft, shaky sigh came from the brown-haired man's lips as he closed his eyes, deciding to go downstairs. He opened the door to the bedroom, softly closing it behind him before he slowly padded down the stairs, silent like a ghost. He walked to the bar, and quietly pulled out a shot glass, looking at it silently in his hand for a long moment, allowing his mind to go blank. Reaching for the whiskey, he silently prayed to whatever deity there may or may not be that he would be able to push his personal feelings out of his mind and be the professional he was trained to be. 

But it was just so damn hard...

With a single, silent sob to himself, he poured the amber liquid into the chilled shot glass. He watched as the liquid settled, then brought it to his lips, quickly draining the fiery liquid. He consumed three more before he considered himself even ready to attempt completing his assignment. He stood up, taking a deep breath before walking over to the coat closet, retrieving the suitcase he kept with him. He ped the bag, opening it up to find a bunch of clothes. He let out a quiet chuckle, and took out the clothing, placing it aside. In the bottom of the bag, underneath a false bottom lay an assortment of weaponry. Deciding to be tasteful, he pulled out a simple handgun, and a rather wicked looking hunting knife. He gripped the handle of the knife as he glared at it, feeling sick to his stomach as he imagined it sinking into his lover's pale flesh. Clenching his teeth, he shoved the knife into its holdster on his belt.

It had been a month since Jong Dae had been assigned as his target. At first it had seemed like an easy enough task. Get close, get intelligence, then kill the target. It was supposed to have been routine. It should've been something that didn't affect him. However, it had. Upon getting close to Jong Dae, he'd learned so much about people, and about himself. He'd gone against his creed, and became attatched to the man. Now he was paying for it. Tonight, he would have to quite literally cut his emotional ties to his lover. He would have to take his life, lest his own life be taken along with it. 

Taking a deep breath, he started the long trek up the stairs, his hand resting on the handle of the gun on his hip. He didn't even bother to hide it under clothing. He had been hiding his true intentions for a long time now, and he just couldn't sit here and smile at Chen like a serpent in disguise any longer. He creeped into the room, and closed the door, walking over to the bed and gently kneeling on the mattress beside Chen. He checked the man's breathing patterns before proceeding, simply to make sure that the man was actually asleep, upon finding that he was, he unsheated the night, and held it tightly in his hand, getting ready to strike.

"Lu Han?" A sleepy voice made the small man freeze in horror. His eyes widened and he looked down to see a confused Chen looking up at him through sleepy, half lidded eyes. "What are you doing?" The raven haired male's gaze drifted to the gun settled on Lu Han's hip, then up to the knife in his hand. The blade glinted, razor sharp in the moonlight. 

The room was silent for a few minutes, Lu Han giving Chen a chance to fully wake up, and get a grasp on the situation. The assassin ignored the fact that it was highly impractical, and would probably lead to complications. He simply felt that one shouldn't be killed while being only half aware of what was happening. He sat back on the bed, crossing his legs as he watched Chen roll over to turn on the lamp. The room was painted with a slightly yellow glow, as the man sat up, his chest bare. He looked at Lu Han, his face completely calm. "So you were the agent?" He asked dully, seemingly unphased by this. How had he known? 

Lu Han swallowed the large lump in his throat, and nodded quietly, gnawing on his lips for a few moments before he let out a simple. "Yes." He watched as an unreadable expression passed over the younger man's face. What was that? Pain perhaps? Disappointment? Maybe even sadness? He wasn't quite sure.

"What happens if you don't?" The question cut through the quiet tension like a hot knife through butter. It brought the ugly reality of everything to light. Lu Han hesitated for a moment, and Chen furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. "Well?"

"They'll kill me too." Lu Han said simply, averting his eyes, not wanting to see the other man's reaction. 

It was so silent that if dropped, a pin could've been heard when it made impact with the floor. Beneath the silence, there was dread, and contemplation. After about 10 minutes had passed, Lu Han jumped. He looked to see Chen's hands wrapped around his own hand, still holding the knife. He looked up only to meet gazes with Chen's deep brown orbs. "Do it then." The raven haired man spoke so softly, his voice nearly a whisper. It was so calm...So quiet...It was as if the man was afraid if he got any louder he would burst into tears. "Do it Lu Han."

The older man nodded softly, tears welling up in his eyes before he captured Jong Dae's lips in a passionate, loving kiss. Not the kind of passionate where the kiss was sloppy and wet. But the kind of passion that could only be put into physical contact if both partners knew there was no possibility of them seeing one another ever again. Lu Han held up the knife again, pressing it to Jong Dae's back, trying to apply more pressure, just enough to slip it past the man's ribs, into his lungs. It was so easy to do...

"I can't." He said simply as he threw the knife aside, burying his face in the taller's chest as he broke into sobs. "I can't do it..." Two strong arms wrapped around him, caressing him lovingly. The younger male soothingly Lu Han's hair, whispering sweet nothings to him.

"Baby, you can't hesitate...You have to do it." He pressed his lips to Lu Han's temple, reaching for the knife again, and placing it back into the older's hand. "You have to."

"Jong Dae I-" He was silenced by the other male simply moving his hand into place, the point of the knife directly over Chen's heart. 

"Lu Han." He whispered quietly, his eyes misty. "Do it...Please." He leaned forward, the knife just puncturing his skin as he captured his lover's lips in another kiss. Lu Han closed his eyes, and somehow brought himself to do as the other man asked of him. The blade effortlessly slipped past the flesh, and there was a soft whimper from Chen. Suddenly, Lu Han felt tears on his face, and he pulled back to see the younger man just smiling at him. "I love you." He whispered quietly, taking Lu Han's now bloody hand, and placing it on his face. 

Lu Han could only stare down at the protruding handle of the knife for a while, he looked up at Chen with eyes full of fear, and desperation. "No...Don't...Baby...."

"It's okay." Chen managed to choke out. "Baby it's okay." 

"No. Jong Dae you can't leave me. I need you...Please..." Lu Han's body was shaking violently with sobs as he reached for his cellphone on the nightstand, but a weak grasp on his wrist stopped him.

"You'll be okay...I promise." He pulled Lu Han into a final kiss, looking him in the eyes. "I love you. So much."

"I love you too. I love you too." Lu Han managed to get out through his frantic cries. 

"Don't cry....Hannie...Don't-" The younger male's mouth closed, then opened again, and an airy sound was all that he could produce. He looked at Lu Han again, knowing his time was up, and he managed a small smile. He squeezed his lover's hand as his eyes went blank, He fell back onto his pillow, his grip on Lu Han's hand diminishing to nothing. Lu Han frantically tried to shake him, a vain attempt to revive the other.. 

"Jong Dae...Wake up...Jong Dae...Please....JONG DAE!!" He screamed out in anguish. "JONG DAE!!" He was overcome with the purest form of sorrow as he succumbed to his own greif. The man cried more than he ever had in his life, his body simple convulsing once his tear ducts had run dry. He resembled nothing that could possibly be described as he screamed for his lover to come back to him. Already, he felt lost. How was he supposed to go on? Was he supposed to just act as if none of this ever happened? Was he to eventually move on? He was positive that would never happen. 

Looking at the body on the bed, Lu Han felt some sort of crazed serenity wash over him. He leaned in, and kissed his dead lover's lips before he reached for the gun still in its holdset on his hip. A click told him the safety was off, and he held the weapon to his head, closing his eyes, and taking in a deep breath through his nose.

BANG.