" Yeah, I took you in, 
told you of the storm that’s coming 
and I watched your eyes light up like fireflies in the desert night. 
And you said: 
“Yes, my friend they’re hunting me down like a dog… 
so I’ll have them die like one.” " - The Frame III: Sirocco - I the mighty

Sand was all that could be seen for miles and miles. Endless miles of nothing but gold colored sand. Sehun squints up at the sky. How much longer do they have to walk until they reach the end of this wasteland? Sehun shakes his head and averts his gaze to the small boy trailing along behind him. He went silent hours ago and Sehun doesn’t know if that’s a good sign or a bad one. Luhan is being uncharacteristically quiet. Sehun decides that it’s bad sign.

“Luhan do you want to rest? I think it’s safe to stop for five or ten minutes.” Sehun keeps walking but significantly slows his pace waiting the Luhan to catch up to him. He wipes the sweat off the back of his neck. Briefly he wonders how he can possible have any fluids left in him to sweat so much. His tongue is dry and his body is craving water. Sehun is dehydrated for sure.

“Sehun how much farther do we have to walk? I’m hot. I feel like my insides are boiling. I’m being cooked alive. ” Luhan whines. “We’re going to die out here.” Luhan says it in a whisper but Sehun hears it clear as day.

Sehun turns and walks up to Luhan. Their faces no more than a few inches apart now. “No Luhan, we survived this long we can make it until we get to Jongin’s place. Just a little longer. I promise.”

Luhan shakes his head, a silent tear slips out the corner of his eye. His desperation and fatigue getting the best of him.  “Sehun, I’m scared. If the desert doesn’t kill us, they’ll find us and they’ll kill us.” The tears begin to fall from Luhan’s eyes freely now.

Sehun says nothing, just pulls Luhan against himself and lets Luhan sob into his shirt. Sehun can’t do anything to make him feel better, not when his words are true. The odds are against them  out here and there is barely a chance to make it out of this whole mess alive. Sehun should’ve thought up a better plan. This one will surely kill them both.

Sehun feels powerless as Luhan cries himself out. His shirt is soaked with Luhan’s tears now. He knows he should stop Luhan from crying, they don’t have enough fluids to spare for it, it’s just going to kill Luhan faster, Sehun doesn’t even know if they’ll be able to make it to Jongin’s hideout without dying of dehydration first. Sehun shoves all his worries away and concentrates on Luhan. “Luhan.” Sehun whispers softly. “I’ll get you out of this mess, I promised you I would before and I am not going to break my promise no matter what happens to us we can get out alive.”

Luhan sniffles and looks up, meeting Sehun’s eyes. “I should have never got you into my mess. It’s my fault you’re here Sehun.” Luhan wipes away a lingering tear. “If I had just let them take me you would be safe at home right now. You wouldn’t be trudging through the sand to some place we probably won’t be able to find just to keep me safe.” Luhan in a deep breath and continues on. “Sehun, It’s all my fault, you shouldn’t be involved in this, they want you dead now too, all because of me.” Luhan chokes back a sob. “It’s all because of me. You’re going to die because you met me.”

Sehun’s knees go weak as Luhan starts to cry again. How can Luhan think everything that has happened be his fault? He didn’t make Sehun do anything he didn’t want to do. He didn’t ask for any of this. Sehun wants to do this, wants to help Luhan get out of this alive. Sehun already knew what the risks were when Luhan plowed through his door this morning in a panic. Sehun knew what was going to happen and he didn’t care. The only thing Sehun wants is for Luhan to be safe. He will do everything in his power to keep Luhan safe.

Sehun wipes away Luhan’s tears with the pad of his thumb. “Luhan.” He whispers. “If you had let them take you I would’ve killed every last one of them to get you back. Those people are evil and I won’t let them have you. Ever.”

Luhan’s eyes widen. “B-but you wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me.” He says sheepishly. “They didn’t want you, only me Sehun. I shouldn’t have dragged you into—“ Sehun cuts Luhan off by pressing their lips together softly.

It’s innocent, much to innocent for Sehun but they don’t have the time to waste and Sehun get let himself get lost in Luhan right now. Sehun pulls away first, he rests his forehead against Luhan’s. Luhan’s hands intertwine with Sehun’s. “Sehun.” Luhan whispers softly.

Sehun sighs. “We have to keep moving.”

They pull their heads apart but keep their hands together. “We should be there by nightfall.” Sehun says.

They break apart and continue walking on as the sun beats down on them. The heat making it near impossible to move fast enough to actually get anywhere. Sehun has a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach but there are no other options. They have to keep going.

-

Sehun watches the setting sun. It would be a stunning sight if it weren’t for their current situation. They walked hours and hours and still there was no sign of Jongin’s hideout. Sehun started to worry a few hours ago, he isn’t even sure what he is looking for, Jongin was so vague about the descrition just in case someone was listening into the phone conversation. They may have gotten lost out here, it wouldn’t be a hard thing to accomplish, not when everything looks the same, endless sand. Sehun is pretty sure that they have been walking in a mostly straight line just like Jongin told them to, but there is no sign of any life out here at all.

“Sehun.” Luhan whines. He’s been lagging behind for a long while now but Sehun has managed to coax him to keep walking somehow. Sehun stops walking and turns around. Luhan doesn’t look good. He was pale before but now he looks almost lifeless. The desert is beating them both down and Sehun doesn’t think they will last much longer out here, not like this. They have to get to the hideout soon.

“Let’s take a break. It’s going to get really dark really fast.” Sehun says. He watches Luhan drop into the sand onto his stomach like the gravity is too strong to resist any longer. Sehun plops down onto his next to Luhan.

“We should’ve brought more food and water.” Luhan says rolling from his stomach onto his back. Luhan stares up at the darkening sky. Sehun studies Luhan’s face. He doesn’t look so good and it’s only been a little less than ten hours since they started their trek through the desert. Luhan suddenly turns as if sensing Sehun’s eyes on him. “Sehun are we actually going to make it out of this alive? Be honest with me. I don’t have much hope but lying in this situation is useless.”

Sehun stares down at Luhan. “Honestly? I don’t think so.” Sehun says. He looks down at his hands. “If they don’t find us before we make it to safety then our odds go up but even so they know where we are just not where we are. I think it’s inevitable they’ll eventually find us.”  They really want you, he wants to say but doesn’t. Whoever is after Luhan has money and the means to get him at all costs and they seem willing to do so.

Luhan snorts. “They chased me half way across the globe, they’ll definitely find us.”

Something eats at Sehun. The questions he never asked, never had time actually, but he needs to ask it now.

“What do they want from you? Why are they even after you? What did you do?”

Luhan in a breath. Sehun feels a small oun