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It felt like everything around them was falling apart. The sound of gunshots, the sound of screaming and fighting, the sound of people trying to hold on to their lives as they lay on the dirty floor. This was not at all how the night was supposed to go, it was New Year's Eve for christ's sake, they were supposed to be sitting at the table eating and enjoying each other's presence, not running for their lives down one of the many hallways of the mansion.
A stray bullet hit the wall above Atsumu's head and he turned, shooting his own gun at one of the many men who was following them but had gotten too close for comfort. Not that anything happening right now could be described as "comfortable". Kita had been hit in the shoulder trying to defend Aran and his bleeding was running down his arm bathing his bold black timer that read 00y:00d:00h in dark red. Aran was supporting Kita, his shirt ripped off at the sleeve to wrap the piece of clothing around Kita's shoulder. The missing sleeve revealed a matching dark zeroed-out timer on his skin, a reminder that they belonged together.
Osamu and Suna lead their group, they were in the front, keeping an eye out for enemies and guiding them through the maze of rooms and closed doors that made up their home, their burning and crumbling home. Atsumu could hear Suna muttering something to Kita and Aran correcting him, but he didn’t pay attention to what exactly it was. He was too busy taking mental stock of where they were and recognizing they only had three more hallways to go. That's all that was left to get to the room which contained their way out.
A shot ran past Atsumu, he immediately scanned and shot down the masked person who came in from a side hallway. It's a little funny how in an emergency, their brain was so overloaded that they forgot about crooks and crannies in this place. It’s not that they didn’t know their place like the back of their hand, but more that they were buried under so much stress. One hallway left. Atsumu wiped the sweat from his brow, his eye unintentionally catching on his own timer on his arm. His heart clenched a little at seeing the bold red 00y:14d:08h on his arm.
"No!" Suna shouted from the front and Atsumu heard four shots ring out, bringing him out of his inner thoughts to the harsh present. He watched as Suna supported all of Osamu's falling weight in his arms and pushed him to lean against the wall. "Osamu! Osamu, please, are you-where did it hit you?” Suna tried to not sound panicked as he questioned his brother, but was doing a terrible job of it. A hand brushed up and down Osamu’s arm in what was meant to be a soothing motion. The action highlighted Suna’s and Osamu’s matching black soulmate timers, the ones that had been red until they zeroed out when they met behind a cafe during a mission three years ago.
"It’s fine, think it just about nicked my side," Osamu groaned, the pain evident in his voice while pressing his hand to his side. By the location, Atsumu could already tell that while it wasn't a life threatening shot, it was still painful, but for now their biggest concern would be blood loss and infection, which they could treat once they got out of here. Atsumu made his way to the front, making eye contact with Aran briefly to signal at him to keep an eye to the back.
He reached his brother and looked at him. His eyes were glassy and his breathing heavy. He was clearly in pain. He gave Suna his gun who took it and turned around to keep an eye out for them. They were still not safe, not by a long shot. They were also vulnerable just standing at the end of a hallway with two of them injured, even so, and despite it being very selfish, Atsumu needed to know Osamu was ok before continuing. For his own peace of mind.
He knew that no matter how this night ended, from the moment the first shot rang out, that he’d do anything to ensure his little brother got out as safe as possible. His mind had been a constant stream of ‘ I have to get Osamu out ’ since he’d found his way to Osamu and Suna defending Aran and Kita in the middle of the utter chaos that was supposed to be their New Year’s Eve dinner. That was the only thing he could think of when he’d told Osamu his plan to escape to Kita’s office with a whispered, “I promise we can all get out but I need you to trust me.”
"Hey, ‘Samu, hey you with me?" Atsumu’s hand went up to hold his cheek, forcing Osamu to hold his gaze.
"Yea, yea, just... a little heat. Nothing we've never done before," but his voice was slurred, heavy and breathy in a way that made it obvious that he was holding it together to not seem weak.
"Alright, Don't be stupid now and die on us for not being more careful. We need to make it out of here together, remember? We’re all getting out." He said this before softly tapping his younger brother's cheek and tapping Suna on the back. Suna handed him his gun back and scurried to the back, Atsumu now leading the group to the office. They could hear the sounds of guns and fighting getting closer than they were before.
"Finally," he heard Aran say when they turned the corner to see the door they'd been looking for come to view. Kita pulled out the keychain from his pocket, and they were unlocking the door when they saw men coming down the hall. Not their men. The next moments were a blur, but one second they were in the hall, and the next the five of them were in the room, Osamu and Atsumu and Suna trying to close the door, to no avail.
There was pushing and shoving from the other side and every time someone bumped the door, Osamu let out a hurt sound that Atsumu hated with his entire being. The click of the lock sounding when Atsumu finally got the door shut was the best sound they heard all night, even if the constant banging brought no real relief. Not with who-know-how-many men trying to break the door down. Aran and Kita went to the other side of the room, to the hidden slot by the window, and opened the door. "Come on, it's here," Aran called to them as he helped Kita into the open slot big enough for a person to slip out.
Atsumu looked at Osamu and at the hole in the wall and then at Suna. Suna looked back at him and Atsumu saw in his eyes the moment that it all clicked.
Someone had to stay behind.
He nodded and Atsumu sighed in relief that he wouldn’t have to fight him on this. They both shared the mutual understanding that Osamu had to make it out. "Come on Osamu." Suna grabbed Osamu's hand to pull him along but the gray-haired man pulled back.
"Atsumu, come on." Damn it. Atsumu had hoped Osamu wouldn't notice him not moving until it was too late.
"I'll catch ya in a bit, 'Samu. I need to hold the door for a second. As if on queue they heard gunshots directed at the hinges of the door, which was re-enforced but not magical. Atsumu pushed all his weight against it in fear of it somehow bursting open before the others got out.
"What no, what are you doing? Come on!" Suna tried to grab and pull Osamu away, whose voice was rising in distress, with no success.
"Hurry up you guys, we don't have much time, Kita and Osamu need medical help." Aran was back and he looked at the three standing there seemingly wasting time.
"Aran, help Suna get Osamu out, I need to-" another loud bang, "you guys need to get out now. I'll buy you some time."
"You don't need to! 'Tsumu, you're being ridiculous! Come on!" Osamu had made it back to where Atsumu was leaning against the door. "You promised we'd all get out!"
"'Samu, 'Samu, listen."
"No! Let's go!"
"Osamu! They know we're in here! They will tear the walls and the tiles apart looking for our exit. They’ll do anything to get rid of Kita, I can buy you guys some time, but you need to go now. They're tearing apart the door and I don’t know how long it’s going to hold. Think of Ma, of Kita, of Aran, of Suna . If they find that door too soon it's over for everyone. I can distract them, that’s what I’m best at. So, please, get out. Now ! Go!" Osamu was too busy hugging and clinging onto his brother to notice Aran come behind him and grab him.
"No! Atsumu! No!" Osamu's face was covered in tears and snot and he kicked out and struggled against Aran, but their childhood friend had always been the strongest. "No! Please! Atsumu! You promised!Atsumu! You promised !" Osamu scratched and tried to fight his way out of the arms gripping him but all that he succeeded in doing was in letting out helpless sobs.
Atsumu turned to Suna, who looked at him with regret. The five of them had so much history, and at the end of the night, they would go out with not much more than screaming pleas and hopeless begging. "Take care of him for me ok? And tell my ma I love her.” Atsumu looked down at his arm. The red timer reading 00y:14d:08h staring back at him. “And if you-if you guys happen to meet someone, 14 days from now, who looks like they might have been my type. Tell them, could you tell them I was really looking forward to meeting them? That I’m-I’m really sorry I couldn’t make it.” Suna nodded his head, and Atsumu could see tears in his eyes.
"Now go, get them out." Suna looked like he was about to walk towards the door but instead ran back to hug Atsumu one last time before going after the others and shutting the small door behind him. The door’s edges seemed to disappear among the wall's decorative texture. And as Atsumu observed this the door behind him finally caved under the force of the men on the other side. Atsumu shut his eyes and readied his gun. If he was going down, he'd be going down with a fight. All that mattered, in the end, is that he got Osamu out.
Several miles away, a man sat on his couch, reading a book when he felt his arm itch like it never had before. He lifted his long sleeve to look at his soulmate timer, just in time to watch it turn from bold red to a faded black. It read 00y:14d:08h.