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"Why did you do it?!" Hot tears stung Lauren's eyes as she screeched angrily in the leader's ear. Her dagger was plunged deep in his chest, bright red blood pumping steadily around the wound.
"Lauren wha--" Kieran cried. He shook his head violently, trying to clear the stars in his vision. The last thing he remembered was being thrown against the wall, and Lauren's cry of anguish. Messy raven locks pooled around his eyes, but he shoved them away in annoyance. Turquoise eyes met red, and Kieran caught the unmistakable snap in the dying man's psychi.
Kieran didn't even have time to call out a warning before the leader quickly stabbed upwards and lodged a small knife in Lauren's side.
Her eyes widened in surprise, but it was quickly veiled by anger. The leader smirked, "Fuck you."
Lauren knew it was over. Over a decade of sleepless nights, dangerous missions, blood, sweat, and tears, and she still didn't find the answers she was searching for. She shoved the leader to the floor and gave a final kick to his ribcage.
The knife wrenched in her side clattered loudly to the floor, but Lauren didn't mind the noise. It was a welcome sound over the garbled final breaths of the man in front of her. "Pathetic." She spat.
Lauren practically ran over to the leader's desk. She knew she didn't have much time, but if there was something she could find, that would even give her a small answer, she would take it.
The ledger was propped on the ground beside the desk - a massive, worn leather binder. She picked it up and slammed it haphazardly on the oak surface. Quickly flipping to the S's, she found her parents' records and tore them from their bindings before Kieran could even make it over to her.
Lauren's hands started trembling the closer they got to the R's. From blood loss or anxiety, she wasn't sure. Kieran knew better than to disturb her. He quietly tied his cape around her, resting the knot over the wound.
"Dylan…" Lauren cried quietly. Tears welled into her eyes and she bit the back of her fist, fruitlessly willing them back. A huge red 'eliminated' stamp ran across the diagonal of the page, the 'a' covering up most of her childhood friend's face.
Kieran rubbed soothing circles along her back as she traced Dylan's jawline with her index finger. "We have to go." He gently whispered in Lauren's ear before giving her shoulder a small squeeze.
That statement made a switch flip in her. Lauren quickly tore the page out, then flipped to the end, muttering to herself. "One more…"
Kieran's heart swelled when he recognized his cocky smirk staring back at them.
"Your new nickname can be 12, 287," referencing his Phantom Scythe identification number, Lauren chuckled.
"That's more of a mouthful than subordinate." Kieran purred. He reached around Lauren's waist, yanked the page out before folding and tucking it into his boot.
Once they finished replacing the ledger, Lauren turned around and nearly collapsed. She grabbed the lapels of Kieran's coat to steady herself. "We have to go now, the APD will be here soon." His voice had a sense of urgency. "You're in no state to walk, so hold on."
Lauren blindly nodded as Kieran gently scooped her up in a bridal carry. She sighed and relaxed into his chest. 'I shouldn't be this comfortable…' Lauren scolded herself, but the warmth emanating from his body, as well as the gentle thrum of his heart soothed her. Knowing her partner was alive was all she really needed.
~~~
"We need to get you to the hospital." Kieran inspected Lauren's wound once they returned to his apartment. "Although there's no poison, you still lost a lot of blood."
"Kieran, we're wanted criminals!" Lauren rebuffed. The wound in her side was now pulsing with pain since the adrenaline wore off. She winced as she shifted her weight.
Kieran gave her a cheeky smile, "Well darling, I've been a wanted criminal more of my life than not, so I think we'll be alright." He paused and studied her face, "Everything is packed. We can make our grand escape tomorrow." Without thinking, Kieran reached up to tuck a strand of crimson hair behind the shell of Lauren's ear.
The small, intimate gesture caused Lauren's face to flush. She averted her eyes, suddenly shy under the intensity of his gaze and gentleness of his actions.
Kieran wrapped his arm under Lauren's shoulder blades and supported her weight as she slowly slid off the counter. Her boots hit the ground with a soft thud and she flinched at the pain.
"I'm almost thinking about letting you carry me again." A small smile played across her thin lips, although pain was readily apparent in her golden eyes.
Kieran glanced down at her. They were walking very slowly, and hadn't even made it to the front door. "Darling, I might have to if we want to make it there before next week."
Lauren shot him an indignant glare before sighing in defeat. "Do it. The sooner we get this done the better."
Kieran knew Lauren was in more pain now than before. He tried to lift her as gently as possible, almost afraid of breaking her if he made one wrong move.
Lauren's patience was wearing thin, "Come on Kieran! I'm not made of glass!" She huffed a laugh and wrapped her arms around his neck. 'This is the most supportive position.' She told herself, repeating it over and over in her mind.
The chill of the night air caused Lauren to snuggle closer into Kieran's chest, trying to sap his warmth. A light blush crept up Kieran's neck and bloomed across his cheeks. 'Just the cold.' He thought, 'Definitely not Lauren in my arms.' Still, he was glad for the darkness.
~~~
"Help! My girlfriend has been stabbed!" Kieran kicked the emergency room door open.
Nurses rushed to Lauren's aid and quickly brought a bed for him to deposit her on. Kieran placed a delicate kiss to the back of her hand, "I'll be waiting mon amour." It pained him to release her, but the severity of the wound was beyond his level of expertise.
"She'll be transferred to room 203 when the doctor is finished. Would you like me to escort you there?" A kind voice spoke from behind Kieran. Tearing his teary eyes from the door Lauren disappeared behind, Kieran wordlessly nodded and followed through the maze of hallways.
Kieran never liked hospitals. The acrid chemicals hardly masked the sickening scent of death. A smell he was all too familiar with. After settling in a chair that was only slightly more comfortable than a rock, Kieran glanced down at his palms. HER blood stained them. The blood just kept spreading. Across his fingers, up his arms, everywhere. He rushed to the sink and desperately tried to scrub it off, but it just kept growing, consuming every inch of flesh.
Kieran collapsed on his knees, eyes screwed shut while his forehead pressed against the cool metal of the still-running sink. "STOP!" He reached up and roughly pulled his hair from the ribbon. Raven locks pooled around deft fingers and he yanked. The sharp pain in his scalp caused his eyes to water, but he dare not let any tears fall. Not until Lauren was back. Not until Lauren was safe.
After a few deep breaths and listening to the soothing whoosh of the faucet, Kieran pushed himself from the ground and turned the sink off. He refused to look at any exposed part of his body, opting to turn and face the door.
What seemed like hours ticked by before Lauren was wheeled into the room. Devoid of hesitation, Kieran laced their fingers and turned to face the doctor. 'Remember. Play your part.' The phrase blared in his head, but this just felt so right. "How is she?" Kieran softly asked. He rubbed his thumb soothingly over the back of her hand, but she was passed out.
"Surprisingly alright." The doctor said, "Wasn't very deep and missed everything important. She's very lucky. Here…" he reached into his pocket and pulled out two bottles. "are her pills. Red bottle is 1 every 12 hours with food. Blue bottle is 1 every 4 hours. Instructions are also on the labels." The doctor pushed his glasses up before giving Kieran a curt nod and disappearing.
Kieran looked down at Lauren's peacefully sleeping form and gave her a gentle smile. His hand itched for some paper and charcoal to preserve this moment between them, but his thoughts were suddenly jarred when she gave his hand a small squeeze.
"Lauren…" he breathed and nuzzled his cheek into their joined hands. "I was so worried."
Lauren gave him a weak smile, "What happened to your ribbon subordinate?" She pushed some of the unruly locks of hair out of his eyes. "You look like a dirty mop."
Kieran deadpanned, but produced the ribbon. Lauren simply chuckled and extricated her hand before gathering his hair and tying it back. Her hand lingered on his cheek for several seconds longer. "Kieran."
His bright blue eyes met her gold ones, "Yes?"
"Let's go. Now." Still stiff, she slowly pushed herself to a sitting position, legs dangling off the edge of the bed.
"We're on the second floor, but there's a pipe right next to the window. You just have to be careful sliding down." Kieran passed her boots and clothes and turned around so Lauren had some privacy.
She wasted no time changing and tapped Kieran's shoulder, signaling it was time for them to make their escape.
Kieran offered his arm as support, but stubborn as ever Lauren completely ignored him and strode over to the window. She shoved the glass pane out of the way, grabbed the pipe, and swung her body out.
"What happened to being careful?" Kieran laughed as he followed, landing silently on the grass beside her.
Lauren simply winked in response. As they weaved through the alleyways, Kieran spoke softly, "Lots of memories in these streets." He reached up and ran his hand along the worn brick surface of a building.
"When did you get so sentimental subordinate? Come on," Lauren tugged his sleeve. "We're almost there."
She reminded him of a child in a candy store, eyes bright and excited, and eagerly tugging him along. This was another time he wished he could whip out his sketchbook, but he swept his gaze over her, mapping out every detail. When his attention focused on their surroundings, Kieran realized they were already at the ticket counter.
"Two tickets to Mount Sinestra please. A sleeper cabin."
"You're in luck. Boarding begins in 10 minutes." The lady at the counter exchanged the cash Lauren offered with the tickets.
"Thank you." Kieran smiled and snatched one of the tickets from Lauren's hand before tucking it in his shirt pocket.
"Quite the catch you got there," the woman joked at Lauren.
Lauren opened her mouth to rebuke, before Kieran interjected. "Au contraire. It is I who has caught the most wonderful soul." He gently laced their fingers together and gave a small squeeze. "It's our 5 year anniversary, and I've always wanted to take her somewhere picturesque. But even still, I doubt it will rival her beauty." Kieran locked eyes with her and smiled broadly, before turning back to the lady at the counter and waved goodbye.
Lauren blushed furiously, "Is someone feeling shy?" Kieran leaned down and whispered in her ear.
The feeling of his warm breath caused Lauren to shiver. She looked over her shoulder; his icy eyes were trained on her, and a cocky grin spread wide.
What she would give to see that confidence wiped off his face.
Without thinking, she reached her hand back, gripped the soft hairs at the back of his neck, and brought their lips together.
The kiss was featherlight, only lasting a second, but Kieran's pupils blew wide and his complexion was more akin to a tomato than his usual paleness.
Lauren tapped her chin thoughtfully before turning and strolling towards the train. "Is someone feeling shy?" She laughed heartily before climbing aboard.
Kieran scrambled to follow her. "No fair!"
"All's fair in love and war."
"Love…" Kieran sighed happily. He followed the sound of Lauren's giddy laughs to their sleeper car and helped her settle before crouching between her legs.
"Lauren. I love you. And there's no one else I'd rather spend my forever with." He squeezed her knees. "Only if you'll have me though."
"Always," was the only answer Lauren gave him before pressing her lips to his again. The start of their new forever began now.