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This short story of ours begins in a dirty abandoned basement. Yeah I know not a very ideal place for any kind of a story but bear with the author for a while, will you?
A tall ash blonde let out a groan spitting out blood again as he then turned to level one of the men around him with a fierce glare.
"Why don’t you just do us all a favor and disappear?" Is what he then muttered, loud enough to be heard in the otherwise silent and echo-filled basement.
Not liking the attitude, the man the other addressed, nodded towards one of the other men in the room.
"Hey, kid. don’t get cocky."
The "kid" in question only grinned a bloody grin which only served to agitate the men around him more. Even making one of them grab his blood soaked hair to tug it upwards to face him, waiting for his boss, who then kneeled in front of the beat up man and looked at him with a malicious smirk.
"So… where would you rather die? Here, or –"
But before the man could FINISH, there was another voice echoing around.
"How about we ask you that same question instead?"
That made everyone turn to look at the newcomer.
"Who the fuck are you?" The so-called boss demanded, jumping up which in turn made the henchman holding the ash-blonde's hair let go with such force that his head hit the floor with a resonating thud.
The sound and groan that came from the fallen male made the newcomer clench his jaw but otherwise show no emotion. He did want to, but at the same time knew that these men would notice everything and the black haired man was aware his emotions will only bode bad for the man he was trying to save.
"Hmm, I am not obligated to answer that question" He then sassed with a careless shrug.
"You better watch it!" Another henchman hollered, rushing towards the seemingly unarmed man, trying to use his fists. He barely managed to get close enough, before having his arm twisted backward.
"One: don’t you touch me again. Two: don’t you even dare try to touch me again." was the acid retort uttered by the black haired man. A smirk gracing his features at the satisfying crack of a bone that reverberated around.
At that balant display of an outsider hurting one of them, all hell broke loose.
Thankfully the handsome man wasn't suicidal enough to come alone so the moment the other side attacked, his team who were hiding entered the basement to take care of things.
The moment he was sure his team had it under control he immediately ran towards the beaten up man and cradled his head.
"Taemin? Yah Lee Taemin can you hear me?" he frantically asked, finally letting his fear show at the state the other was in.
The ash blonde, let out a pained groan as he slowly blinked his eyes open.
"Hyung?"
"Yes, it's me, I am sorry it took so long. It took me a while to find you, because someone stubbornly decided to go alone!"
Taemin let out a coughing laugh "Even at this state, you nag at me Kibum."
Kibum let out a teary snort back "Well someone has to…"
Taemin chuckled weakly before suddenly cutting off and closing his eyes.
Noticing that, made the man above him panic and shake the younger softly but urgently.
"Tae?! Taemin!! You can't close your eyes! Not now!"
When there was still no answer, Kibum's shaking got more frantic. "Yah Lee Taemin, listen to me and open those gorgeous eyes!!!"
When a few minutes passed with no change, the tears Kibum tried to hold back fell freely from beautiful brown orbs.
"No, no, no, no, don’t go…please. You can't do this to me now! Not when I finally found my reason to smile every waking moment. You can't just turn my world upside down and cruelly take it away, so you better open those enchanting eyes or I swear to God I will burn the world down!"
"Aish hyung… why are you so loud my head is already killing me, since if you hadn't noticed, it repeatedly got hit and then I hit the ground with it…A man can't rest properly anymore… "
Kibum blinked several times before looking at the man whose head was still in his lap.
"You… you… you little shit!! You scared me, you asshole!" Kibum hollered and hit the younger's chest after getting over his shock.
"Ouch! Yah hyung… I am already beaten up enough as it is, I don't need other bruises…"
"You deserved that one! And you know it!!!" The older said admonishingly but then he sighed as his voice softened. "You really scared me, so please don't do that again Taemin… don't go rushing into danger alone!"
"Mian hyung, but this was my fight, I didn't want to involve you in it…"
Kibum looked at the man he loved with an expression screaming how much of an idiot the younger was.
"How many times will I have to say it so you understand? Ever since we made our vows no fight is yours alone. I share the good and the bad Taemin… how do you think I would have felt if I got here too late?"
"...I know, I heard you… I am sorry hyung. I never meant for it to seem like I was pranking you but I am just so exhausted and everywhere hurts. I just want to rest." Taemin said as he opened his eyes to look at the man above him and muster the most apologetic gaze he could.
And that was all it took for the other man to melt and forgive.
Both of them were so wrapped up in each other that neither one noticed the battle gradually growing quieter. Well until Taemin twisted his head to look around at all the baddies on the floor.
"We got really good at it, didn't we? Winning." He muttered, turning back to the love of his life.
Kibum glanced around too before looking back "Yeah… but see you said it yourself… we! So next time If you dare go alone! I swear to God, I will be the one to beat your ass!!!!"
"Aigoo, but, well, my father always said, if you have the shot, you take it. So I did, I just didn't know it would be this bad."
Kibum sighed again exasperated but fond "I will say it again, you are an idiot!"
"Maybe so but you know what was my driving force? You, us, this" he then weakly gestured between them "is worth fighting for."
At those words the older, more emotional one, immediately teared up and carefully grabbed the younger's smaller hands to pull him up. Taemin’s startled "Hyung" got cut off as Kibum carefully pulled him in a tight hug, being mindful of his injured body.
"Kibum?"
"Let me just hold you like this for a while, please…"
"That's all fine but… you’re squeezing me too tight. I can't breathe." Taemin mumbled against Kibum's shoulder.
Kibum didn't say anything, just relaxed his hold and continued hugging the younger. It was only after he felt he got enough that he pulled away to put a strand of Taemin’s blood caked hair away from his face. He then let out a sigh at the sight of the swollen eye and the bruises forming on Taemin’s ethereally statuesque face.
Taemin, noticing that, reached to grab Kibum's hand and squeeze it.
"I will be okay, Kibum, I promise. I have had worse, at least I wasn't shot this time… thankfully you got here in time."
Kibum shuddered at the reminder of a past long gone before sighing "You know, I would kiss you but I don't fancy tasting copper since contrary to popular belief I am not an actual vampire."
The first part of the sentence made the younger pout only to end in a laugh as he was well aware of the rumors going around about his husband's dangerously devilish and young looks.
"Then let's get away from here, the sooner we do, the quicker I can get better and the quicker I can receive your kisses!"
That statement was met by an eye roll, accompanied by a fond sigh. The older then put his arm around his husband's waist to slowly help him out as their team surrounded them. Some of them unscathed, some injured but all importantly alive.
While the husbands weren't strangers to these kinds of situations, they still felt immensely grateful to have come out of another one without any dire consequences. They could only hope this would be the last time they would have to sacrifice their lives as well as their own happiness for something that haunted them from their own past.