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Donghyuck's hands were shaking as he covered his ears with his back turned to the scene. His eyes were wild and terrified, staring at the filthy ground while contemplating what the hell he was letting occur. Jesus, with the snap of his fingers he could've stopped them, trapped Jaemin in his life and loved him forever like he really wanted to. But then he'd have been no better than Jeno - a manipulative monster.

It was like the whole world crumbled when the final scream of a gunshot rang out, bypassing his hands and reaching his ears anyway. He flinched, panicking now that there was no turning back.

Holy shit, that dawned on him, there's no turning back!

Spinning around in a flustered motion, he cried out and pulled Taeil and Jeno away from the body by the platform, screaming when he found Jaemin in the exact same state as Mark in the crypt. His lungs ached as a hyperventilation attack came about. Donghyuck fell to his knees beside the new corpse, pulling at his shoulders and begging for this to all be reversed. "No! No, I change my mind! I-I can't do this! I can't do this without you! Please come back to me!"

Sobbing.

Wailing.

Useless pleas that the dead couldn't hear.

Haechan was a mess as he quite quickly got covered in blood. His hands were still trembling like leaves in the wind, and his throat was so raw. "Fuck, what have I done?! What have I fucking done-"

"Lee Donghyuck, compose yourself!" Taeil ordered bravely, crouching down as well and pulling the boy back roughly. The blonde on the ground was very much gone, and for all he'd done, he probably didn't deserve the nicest route out. His white hair was soaked red, his forehead was a mess with crimson liquid dribbling down his face. His skin tone was paling every second....and there was nothing that could be done.

"Don't tell me to fucking compose myself!" The youngest shrieked, "He's all I had left! I'm all alone and he was all I had left!" He uselessly batted the older away, but he knew he was right. This was for the best....and he'd have to accept that.

The gravity of how much he'd have to move on from this though, was something nobody predicted. The future for Haechan was a dark one, with a new main character that didn't describe the enthusiastic boy he'd been when he started.

"I have to go," Jeno murmured while tidying his clothes and avoiding looking at the body. It pinched his stone-cold heart, he'd admit, to see his Jaemin that way. "The train is in half an hour."

"Where the heck are you going?!" Hyuck cried, "Why can you leave this hellhole, but I can't?!"

"Well, Jeno," Taeil muttered, still holding his leader securely as he sobbed all sorts of random words. "I thank you for helping me this time. And I hope our paths never cross again.....at least not like this."

"Of course," the younger nodded briefly while diving his hands into his pockets again with the gun he'd taken back. "I probably won't be back, so this can all remain our little secret." He glanced at Donghyuck for a moment and for once...felt a little empathy. At least they could understand one another's feelings in this regard. "He's going to want to kill himself, and that's natural. I don't care or anything, but I'd keep a close eye on him if he means that much to you."

"Yeah, will do," the oldest nodded. "Thanks. Now go, or else you'll be late."

"Until we meet again."

"If ever."

Like that, the group of four had been whittled down to two, the abandoned station left with the sounds of incurable sadness and whimpers. Taeil cleared his throat and left Haechan alone for a little while, cleaning up Jaemin's remains for now while the leader found his voice.

"B-Bury him in the crypt...." Hyuck demanded.

"Huh?"

"You heard me. Bury him with Renjun and Mark. He deserves that much at least."

The shorter felt this deceased brat deserved next to nothing, but encasing his body in a cement box below the original base wasn't really that big an ask...so he'd do it. "Of course. Are you ready to go?"

"No...." he murmured, dusting himself down and rubbing his face exhaustedly. "But I don't think I'll ever be ready."

"Then follow me."

"Mhm."

Years down the line, one wouldn't have been able to recognise Jupiter's ruler as the same boy who was good with kids, or smiled like the sun....or loved like the hopeless romantic he'd been. His emotions had been firmly severed and disconnected, leaving him a cold, hardened murderer.

So supposedly, two people died in that train station that day.

One an outlaw.

The other his lover.

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