He bit against the flaming pain shooting from his abdomen, trembling arms cradled their mission close to his chest as long legs ate up the distance separating them and this hole. He heard the cries for him to speed up; the helicopter already hovering from ground, but the distance was still far in his eyes (or that the pain has slowed everything down for him). He felt another bullet whizzed dangerously close to his temple, heat lingering on skin that felt scorched, and another round of cover fire were shot from his team mates.

Grim expression mixed with relief were clear on their faces as he pushes the unconscious female to the floor of the copter, hoisting his battered body to join his friends when a final round of shots from the enemy took the strength from his arms. It was too late for any of them to make a fumbled grab as they watch their team leader drop down the few feet separating the helicopter from ground; the pilot's instructions clear. 

Mission accomplished and get the out, sacrifices be damned.

Yifan heard the final attempt of aimless shots to the sky, pain consuming his being and as he watched his only escape route diminished further away he can only be thankful that at least he'd carried out what they've set out to do. Yifan barely fought against the rough treatment while burly men dragged him by the collar of his army suit, disregarding of the state he was in.

He watched with detached amusement; the trial of his own blood smearing after him. And only when his vision started fuzzing at the edge did he allow blackness to take over.


 

Sooyoung woke to a surprisingly quiet surrounding, the only audible sound is a faint beep and her own slightly labored breathing. Had they left for their night hunt? But it doesn't explain for the soft velvet touch beneath her nor the comfort of something warm around her. Certain places still hurt from when they slapped her around and nicked her with shallow cuts as warning but it was more a mild throb than the usual open wound pain. She didn't hear the nightly buzz of insects hovering around to feast on her little cuts either.

She forced her body to relax. Breath like she normally does before carefully lifting her lids in minute degree.  Being captured and thrown into where communication was limited at best taught her acting skills no schools could depart in such minimum span of time and when her vision told her the surrounding was far from the usual stink hole she was kept in, Sooyoung's eyes popped open to take in the familiar setting of a hospital. 

Her family hospital, to be exact.

Before she could scream for answer, the door opened to reveal tired faces of her parents that brightened up instantly at her alertness. Sooyoung found herself trapped in the warmth she'd yearned for the past week, the pain from her wounds forgotten. Only when a mewl of pain slipped did they let go, looking sheepish.

"What happened?" Her memories were mostly in jumbles but a vague memory tugged at her conscious, struggling to be put forth.

Her parents exchanged a meaningful look. "We've requested for a team to be sent in for your rescue. They completed their mission." Her mother's voice was soft. Cautious.

Sooyoung heard the but in that explanation, was about to ask for more details when her father demanded for her to get more rest, pushing the painkiller into her system and before long she was back to the wonderfully peaceful state.


 

He felt the flesh burn beneath hot coal as Yifan fought the scream crawling for escape, biting hard on lips enough to draw blood. The maniacal laughter surrounding him only strengthen his resolve not to break down for their enjoyment and as the fifth (or was it tenth?) hit came, Yifan focused his attention on the battered face of his mission the day he'd came to retrieve her. He could still remember how painfully skinny the girl was, her hair apparently chopped short by this bunch of sadist that couldn't harm her bad enough to ensure the money they've bargained in return for her relative safe state.

Yifan recalled how the candid shot of her laughing under the sun, a straw hat shielding her from the heat in the summer festival had touched something in his heart; a placed hardened by years of combat that he never thought could experience anything more than remote detachment. What drew his attention was those soft russet tresses that reminded him of autumn's beauty, the scene he once saw as a kid back in Vancouver that made it his favorite season. Yifan wasn't of acquaintance with  Sooyoung but his determination to bring her back wasn't just another request from the higher up. 

When he heard the clank of abandoned metals around him, felt the stillness starts to settle before tiny legs settled on raw bleeding wounds, Yifan knew he was left to be feasted on by the insects for the day. The treatment was fairly contained today and Yifan took solace in how it wasn't his face or somewhere dangerously close to his privates that were taken for torture. 

Yifan didn't bother wasting energy on prying his eyes open, focusing on crawling bit by bit to the small stream a few meters by the camp site. He sometimes curse his luck that the flow wasn't strong enough to wash him away, just enough for fishes to laze beneath the calm surface and for human to stay stationary despite the floating body. At least the water is clean enough to wash the blood off him. His body has been fighting the infection from past wounds and Yifan knew he couldn't hold the fever at bay for long. In the back of his mind, he knew this might be his end.

But the smiling face of a brunette kept that tiny bit of hope up.


 

Her wounds were slowly fading off to light bruises and scars and while Sooyoung was more than happy to be back in the safety of her family, something nagged at her conscious. She'd stopped hurting physically but her heart ached for something she couldn't phantom. When her parents evaded a proper answer to how she was saved, Sooyoung's curiosity only grew stronger but try as she might, the only memory of her back in the remote corner of the world was being cut in the middle of her chest, the knife not deep enough to kill but enough for her to feel the skin splice apart. She'd screamed her agony then and promptly blanked out to the point she found herself back to the familiar setting of her family's hospital.

A quick knock to her ward had her holding the sigh of exasperation. How was she ever going to get the point that she was perfectly fine to her parents for them not to hover?

Plastering a wide smile on her face, Sooyoung was caught off guard at the small group of male entering, hands reaching out to smooth stray tendrils in an automatic move(not to mention they're one young good looking bunch, could you blame her?). The male with plush lips and olive complex came forward with a stride that elude grace and confidence, bending to accommodate her eye level.

"How are you feeling Sooyoung ssi? I'm Kim Jongin, one of the few sent out to retrieve you from those thugs." His voice was soothingly deep and Sooyoung allowed the gratitude to show in her eyes when she took his callous hand in hers.

"Thank you for the visit. I'm healing fine." Her smile was genuine and a round of introduction was made to the small pack of them. 
Sooyoung'd never heard of such formal visits from the teams sent on mission and she wondered about their motive when the petite looking male, Baekhyun, spoke.

"Sooyoung ssi, the reason why we're here today is partially to check on you. The other reason is that we need you to send a request to our higher ups for us to retrieve our team leader back." A foreboding image flashed in the back of her mind; of a man with sandy blond hair, fierce eyes and gentle hand.

Sooyoung instantly knew he was the one they were talking about.

She was almost afraid to ask what happened, afraid to know that a man had exchanged his life for hers and when Zitao confirmed her suspicion, Sooyoung didn't hesitate to grab the phone by her bedside. It is good to have connection in the military thanks to her brother, Siwon, who happened to be a hotshot among the defense official. It didn't take long for her request to be put through and it was an hour later when Siwon called back with good news.

"Know that I've pulled plenty of strings for you, twerp. I expect lifelong free medical check-up from you personally, no excuses. You know how Dad loves to take a few extra vaccine jabs at me just because he can." Sooyoung didn't bother refuting him, promising him everything and just when she disconnected the call, Luhan hung up his as well.

"Thank you. It would have taken us another week or so to gain approval for Yifan's rescue mission. You've cleared lots of paperwork for us, Sooyoung ssi." Yixing bowed low to her and she reached over to pull him up.

"I was the one who caused this. I knew something was off but my parents refuse to say anything. Thank you for coming over today. I'm sure you're called back for your mission briefing?" They raised brows at her and Sooyoung chuckled. Having Siwon in the military made her knowledgeable of protocols females usually shun and she was glad for this. At least she knew that Siwon's request has been processed and the guy who'd risked his life would be saved.

As they bowed their parting, Sooyoung grabbed on to Jongin's hand, "His name is Yifan?" The male nodded and she squeezed those hands that'd protected more than harm hard, "Find him and bring him back, please. To this hospital." Scribbling her number on a stray napkin, Sooyoung pressed it into his palm and with a small prayer, sent them off.

She'd only hope she was a diligent enough follower for her prayers to be answered.


 

He didn't know how long he's been left in the swarm since their last onslaught. They were ruthless this time, shoving rusted blade to inner thighs, his back and chest, running light blades enough to draw blood on his that Yifan had let out a muffled scream. He'd rather they shove the blade to his heart and end his life here but they were a sadistic bunch. For the restless night they went without women, they took his pain as a mean to . Yifan closed his eyes to the vision of those rotten teeth against cracked lips as their leader took a freshly heated coal with raised arm, about to throw it on badly bleeding body when a crack was heard.

Yifan thought he'll once again lose conscious when no additional pain came. Almost hesitant, he pried badly swollen eyes to take in the chaos around him and... wait, is that Baekhyun taking down a male twice his size in a slam down? Yifan must be out of it more than he thought. It can't be that his team is overwhelming the camp site with weapons blasting, throwing the place into a mayhem. 

"Duizhang." Zitao blocked his view to the scene unfolding before them, carefully bringing up his almost torn body in sturdy arms and kept to a light jog away from the bloodshed. Yifan felt the bone deep pain in every jostle of Zitao's movement and held the whimper when the younger lifted his limp form up to the roaring helicopter, a worried Junmyun hovering above him the moment Yifan was laid on the transport. As the onsite medic infused fluids into his barely surviving body, face contorted in hatred at the sight of their team leader's condition, Yifan reached out to grabbed at Junmyun's wrist.

"You'll get wrinkles from all that frowning." He rasped. The last sight he saw before passing out were the relieved faces of all s.


 

Sooyoung ignored the pleas from her parents as she strode towards the operation theater, determination clear in her every step that took her closer to the male who'd not only saved her life, but exchanged his for hers. Sooyoung had experienced first-hand what those bastards could do but she could never be prepared for the sorry sight that greeted her. Yifan's condition, laid out bare before her, had her usually steady hands trembling. Bile rose at the back of and had it not been for her resolve to patch Yifan up with her own hands, Sooyoung might have bailed at going through with this.

Breaking the attachment-free code she goes by every operation, Sooyoung reached out to carefully slip light fingers down a once flawless face now littered with ugly cuts and cursed. Her heart clenched painfully while she breath through the guilt weighing down on her. 

She can do this.

"Stay with me, Yifan. I'll get you through this." Sooyoung's eyes steeled, hands gaining control as she prepped her medical team before the hours long operation went underway.


 

He could barely move (and honestly, he didn't want to) but when the brightness behind his lids pulled him from the comfortable realm of dreaming, Yifan slowly pried his heavy lids open, flinching unwillingly against the bright light from the window. He immediately regret the small movement when pain consumed him from everywhere and just when he thought he was back in the insect infested forest, the smell of disinfectant hit his senses and a wash of white registered before him.

Where is he...

His breath hitched at the sight of cropped brown locks by his bedside and hands that never act on their own did so now, reaching out to sift it through soft strands. His touch had her stirring when he caught himself snagged by large brown eyes, still laced with sleep. Yifan wondered if his physical appearance was that horrifying when she snapped to attention, eyes instantly alert when he bit his lips from the pain of having his hand lifted so abruptly as it fell to the bed with a thud.

"Oh . I'm sorry, it's just that, you're awake and you're supposed to still be resting and are you feeling pain do you need more painkiller oh my god let me... I'm sorry." Sooyoung paused at his(attempt) chuckling. She's supposed to be a professional at this, damn it.

"I'd have thought you were scared off by my appearance that you jolted awake like that. It'd have hurt me." Yifan tried a smile on his face only to have it limited and she waved him off.

"I'd seen the before and I still managed to operate on you just fine. You appearance is the least of concern when it comes to scaring me off. And you're banned from smiling too much until the stitches come off, so bed rest till you're healed. I'm Choi Sooyoung, but you already know that since you're the hero that I never got to thank. So, Thank you." The photo did little justice compared to seeing her smile up close(despite the heavy eye bags) like this and Yifan was thankful for the bandages around his face that hid the color rising.

"Wu Yifan, and you're welcome. Wait, you said before... You operated for me?" Yifan knew she was one of the doctors working in her family hospital but he'd never expected for her to be the one that stitched him back(and make him not want to waste her effort, so rest it is).

Sooyoung nodded, staring into those serious set of eyes, lacing her own fingers with his bandaged ones. Hands that protected her despite them being strangers. It was an instinctive move when she lifted his covered hands to her lips, kissing it better.

Yifan stilled at the form of affection, uncomfortable with the quick thuds of his heart and it was a small reprieve when she settled back on her seat, fingers still laced with his.

"Isn't it natural for me to want to save your life after you risked it for mine? I'm not a huge believer in kindness, Yifan. Not until you came, swoop me from a nightmare and took my place in that hole. Being a surgeon makes me immune to grotesque wounds but for the first time, I felt nausea at the sight of your body cut open like that. It wasn't repulsive but I felt myself hurt along with you. It might be selfish of me to barge into your life like this but Wu Yifan, I'm staying until you're fully recovered and even then, I might not leave your side." He saw a faint blush on those high cheekbones but her hand remained with his.

Yifan was a man of few words and more often than not, he chose to listen without commenting but for the first time, he was floored to silence. He might not want to admit that he's tired of getting injured from missions only to return to a house with the bed being his only consolation after the tired work. Yifan once dreamed of having his own family, living in a house with those cliché picket fence that female gushed about while his children run free in the yard and he'll look on with a faceless female by his side. Years of being in the team had slowly, but surely, pushed foolish wish like this out of his mind but as he watched the crown of Sooyoung's head(she'd some avid interest in those stray threads from his bandaged hand for some reason), the imagery Yifan once had rushed up to greet him in stark clarity. What was different was how the once unknown female by his side now has a face and name he could pair with.

Reaching out once again for her short dark locks softly curling around her face, Yifan recalled how he'd linked it to his memory of autumn back in his hometown, the brief interval of comfort the season had given him when he was a child. When Sooyoung finally held his gaze again, Yifan thought that perhaps the comfort he'd felt then wouldn't just be another memory anymore