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"SHIT, RETREAT!"
Sonny yelled through the loud bangs of guns and fatal screams of his men, keeping his right hand raised with the specialized gun that was made by a genius inventor under his protection. His head whips left to right, making sure to keep agile and aware of his surroundings since their plan completely failed.
The mafia they have been pursuing has seen through their plan for some reason he would need to look into later on. Well, if he survived this in one piece.
"RETREAT!"
He yelled again at the top of his lungs. The once empty streets they thought were the perfect location to pull their plan now painted red that tasted metallic on his tongue. He hadn't lost much of his manpower because of his quick thinking and comprehension of the current situation but they were lives nonetheless.
There were still warm corpses, grunting and regretting their decisions of fighting ahead. Sonny would do anything to save them but he needs to prioritize the unscathed ones, not only because of his position as a commander but because he won't be able to save them himself. If he pushed his people to save the injured, the number of corpses would just double.
A sigh of relief made it out of his lips as he was able to pull his men away to safety, already making it to their portal that was set up by a sorcerer he was friends with. Anything could happen in their world as long as there are people who get ahead of themselves and covet things that aren't supposed to be for humankind.
They did a number on the mafia they were facing, it wasn't their first raid—and definitely not the last—so something was bound to go wrong the more they attacked the top predator of the crime chain. Though more than anything, he is a hundred percent sure that an insider of VSF tipped the mafia. He's always been sharp in spotting malfeasance inside the organization, he wouldn't last this long as a young competent commander if he doesn't know how to sniff rats out.
Though, Sonny also prioritized his men and did not use them as if they were only pawns in his game of tactical military chess. He truly did care for their lives and tried to value their safety even if it's very ironic since their field of work was naturally a brutal and horrid path to be in.
With that being said, the blond made sure to let everyone get through the portal first, setting his focus on the pathways leading to them in case some got on their tail. It was a particularly small group for a raid and it was for a reason. If it weren't for a potential traitor leaking their plans, they would've been able to go out of the place mostly unscathed.
Sonny watched as the last officer jumped into the portal, already making his way to run to the portal when a dagger was thrown to his side, instantly digging into his vest and into his skin where it penetrated quite profoundly. He hissed but didn't falter, jumping into the portal with no hesitation. He landed on the other side and failed to catch himself with his feet which lead him to fall on his front, making the dagger dig even deeper inside.
With a loud grunt, he shouted, "CLOSE THE PORTAL!"
The officers rushed to his side, carefully flipping him over to his back as Yamino closed the portal with a snap of his fingers. The sorcerer also rushed to the commander, a gloomy look on his face as he examined the wound.
"I'm not a medic, Brisko."
"It's fine, I'm alright."
Yamino swallowed the lump in his throat but with a sigh, he made the other VSF officers step away to give the commander some space. It was regrettable that he wasn't able to call upon his friend who can act as a medic but he also didn't want to stain Violeta's hands with what they do. The boy might be his apprentice but this field of work doesn't compliment everybody.
"I'll pull it out." Sonny knew the consequences of doing so but it was better than nothing. The medic VSF have prepared is probably flawed to some point that Sonny didn't want to get touched by them. Well, even if the medic weren't flawed, he never allowed anyone to touch his bare skin.
Unless it was a certain brunet.
Yamino could only watch with the straightest face he could muster as Sonny pulled the dagger out, immediately making makeshift gauze pads to give them to Sonny. The blond took them with a pained huff, gritting his teeth as he applied pressure on his fairly large wound.
"I'll clean up here, go home."
"Yamino, that's—"
The said male only smiled before he waved his hand in a dismissing motion. "Don't worry, I can call my brother to help me."
Sonny let a sigh slip past his lips before he nodded, pressing harder on his wound when he felt dizzy after the movement of his head. He's losing too much blood.
"Take me home."
———
It was obvious that Alban was terrified as he lowered himself down to his knees in front of Sonny. His shoulders and arms—if not his whole body—were visibly trembling as he opened the buckle on the med kit they have laying around the house.
With a heavy sigh, Alban tried desperately to calm himself but the more that he sees Sonny's bloody abdomen, the more he feels warmth making its way into his eyes. He grabbed a generous gauze pad before soaking it in a basin full of water he hurriedly got alongside the first aid kit. Alban then looked up to Sonny, silently asking him if he got permission to continue knowing this is very serious.
Sonny looked down through gritted teeth that he tried to not show, not wanting to further worry Alban. He knew how much this is affecting the brunet already as if that expression of Alban wouldn't burn in his memory forever. He looked so desperate and so helpless.
There were no words spoken between them but whenever Sonny looks at Alban's eyes, he can hear his worrying concerns and his tearful whimpers. That alone had Sonny reaching his miraculously clean right hand to Alban's cheek which the other subconsciously answered by nuzzling at the said hand.
"Why... Why would you risk yourself..." Alban couldn't help but express his disbelief, shoulders slumped down as he tried to fight back misty tears that were starting to fill his eyes.
The brunet didn't wait for an answer as he lifted Sonny's bloodied shirt, pressing the wet cloth as gently and as slowly as he can with his overly trembling hands. He just can't wrap his head around the fact that Sonny is here in front of him, his abdomen striking red with a nasty stab wound, hiding his pain through gritted teeth that he thought Alban wouldn't be able to notice.
He continued cleaning the wound, an inch away from hyperventilating as he quickly rinses his hands in the basin before dumping the once white gauze pad into the water. He grabbed more gauze pads before putting them on top of the cleaned wound, proceeding to tape it in place with an efficiency of a person who seemed to have done it multiple times than Sonny would've liked.
"Alban..."
Sonny's voice calling his name was all it took for Alban to break down as he let his tears stream down his eyes, suddenly feeling like taking a breath was more taxing than taking in the image of Sonny's injury.
"Ah—hey... Come here, baby." Sonny impulsively pulled Alban to his lap which was immediately answered by Alban trying to stay in place and not let Sonny move him onto his lap.
"Y-Your hurt! I can't—"
"It's fine. Let me. I want—I need to hold you, Alban."
"No! I'll press on your wound and I—"
Alban didn't continue his words as he looked at Sonny's eyes. Even with tears blurring his sight, he can see the desperation, the worry, the genuine concern in Sonny's eyes. It was something that broke him even more.
How can he look at him like that? When he was the one who was sitting there needing treatment...
"Fine but tell me if it hurts..." Alban managed to let out between his loud sobs as he slowly climbed on Sonny's lap as the blond wanted, making sure to be very careful to avoid giving the blond more pain.
The other immediately hugged the male, ignoring the sharp pain that shot through him from the wound he regretted having. Alban panicked and tried to pull him away but soon melted in Sonny's arms when he didn't let him get off as he cried and hiccupped, hands grabbing a handful of Sonny's shirt. He held onto Sonny tightly, his body starting to shake in Sonny's lap as he sobbed like he was trying to catch his breath.
"Hey... Hey, breathe for me, Alban." Sonny whispered as he rubbed Alban's back, holding back his own tears. "Breathe for me, come on."
He had no idea this would happen. He had no idea that the normally very zealous and vibrant phantom thief would've reacted like this from a consequence Sonny and the officers under his care often face having gone and signed up for a game of prolonged rush-in roulette. He had no idea that a wound he usually neglect apart from washing it and downing tons of painkillers would've set Alban off this far that it made him tremble violently and sob so loudly.
"Alban, calm down..." Sonny tried, rubbing the said male's back more comfortingly and soothingly, feeling a different kind of guilt bloom inside of his chest as he felt his shirt soak in Alban's neverending tears.
"Tell me what's going on, hmm? Tell me what I should do, come on, baby."
Alban brought his head up and it made Sonny's heart sink as he looked at Alban's distraught and broken expression. Needless to say, Sonny would never let anything and everything—or anyone and everyone—touch his skin ever again. He would never get injured, ever again.
"I'm sorry, calm down now, hmm?"
Though that didn't make Alban's cries soften, instead he shook his head, some of his tears dropping onto the back of his hands that are still gripping Sonny's shirt. It was suffocating him, the way Sonny was looking at him.
"I... I thought..."
"Hmm? Thought what? Come on, baby, you can do it. Tell me."
"I... I could've lost you..." Alban's voice was quiet and fragile, broken and traumatized. He couldn't look at the older without sobbing even louder, desperately clutching tightly on his shirt thinking he could disappear in a blink. He thought he could open his eyes to an empty chair and bloody gauze pads. He thought Sonny wasn't here and he was just saying the last goodbye to him. Sonny needed nothing else to pull the brunet into a tight hug, silencing his protests with a kiss on his forehead.
"You won't lose me."
"That... That's not guaranteed, Sonny..."
"I know but I won't die. I will never die."
Alban shook his head, wordlessly burying his face in Sonny's neck as he inhaled his natural citrus scent. It was the smell of his shampoo that seeped into the crevice of his neck and it was everything Alban loved.
"I... I want you here..."
"I'll be here."
Alban buried his face deeper into Sonny's neck, gulping the words he desperately wanted to say.
'I love you, Sonny.'
———
Alban inhaled the familiar citrus scent, his eyes staring far off a distance. His eyes were burning from how dry they were but he almost wants to cry again as he took a waft of the scent again. It was Sonny's shampoo that often seeped into the crevice of his neck. It was Sonny's shampoo that often welcomed Alban as he cuddled into him in his sleep until the morning.
Now it was nothing but a reminder that clung to the clothes of someone who broke Alban.
"Liar... You're a liar, Sonny."
The brunet whispered against the last shirt Sonny wore before going to that raid that claimed his life. The last shirt that still had Sonny's trick to calm Alban down when he was freaking out or sobbing his breath away.
Now it couldn't work as Alban loosened the tie that wrapped around his neck like a noose.
"Knox."
Alban looked up to see the familiar array of hair colours, his blood immediately getting unbearable hot in his veins when he came to see Yamino's face. The person who called Sonny that day when he left.
"What are you doing here."
"It's customary for VSF officers to visit their commander."
"He died while he was with you. You have no right to mourn over him when everyone left unscathed while he is now laying inside a coffin!" Alban yelled as new tears raced down his cheeks, not even caring about the other people inside the room.
"Knox, that is not true."
"Yeah? It's not? Then why is he dead? Why, huh?! TELL ME WHY!"
Yamino stood there with no expression on his face besides sympathy even when Alban started punching his chest with no strength as he had already spent it the whole day he was mourning and suffering the consequences he wasn't supposed to feel. The raven took the punches silently, letting Alban collapse on him as he wailed. He didn't say anything when a close friend of Alban took the brunet off of him, taking the glare he received as a sign that he should go. So he did with a last bow in front of the coffin that now contained the person he once admired, stepping out of the room with nothing but a sigh.
"It's the only way to save him, Knox. I'm not sorry."
The car window rolled down when he approached a familiar car that he knew too well who owns it. Yamino smiled down at Kaneshiro, not regretting ratting the young commander out to the leader of the mafia who owns his heart.
"Let's go back home, Shu."