SONG REC: "BLUE FLAME" - LE SSERAFIM

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She stifled a sob and looked away from her ankle. The pain would have to wait. Outside the VIP room, there was screaming. The room shook as a bomb went off, and shrill yells pierced Yun's ears.

She put a hand on the floor to help herself stand. Lee Know walked in during the struggle and studied the room before dragging his eyes to her.

"You done?"

"Yeah." Yun was finally able to stand and hopped over J. Kon's  body. She winced when her hurt foot touched the floor and put more weight on her other leg to accommodate.

"Then let's go."

She nodded.

Lee Know glanced at her ankle, but said nothing. He walked over to J. Kon, stabbed him in the heart, and walked ahead of Yun.

She limped after him. Her ankle was turning dark purple, and a burning sensation made her want to vomit. But she forced herself to move anyway, knowing that they were running out of time before security or cops came.

It was chaos outside. The smoke bombs made everything foggy, and the grenades had blown everything up. The walls had turned into rubble, and nothing was recognizable. Bodies – which may have been dead or alive – were all over the ground. Yun held her breath so that she wouldn't breath in the chemicals from the bombs.

She dragged her feet, trying to keep up with Lee Know. As they were about to exit the club, Yun stopped walking. She leaned against the wall to take the weight off her feet, sweat dripping off her face.

"Wait, Lee Know," she hissed.

"What did he do?" Lee Know asked normally, as if she wasn't hurt.

"I think he sprained my ankle so it hurts a bit."

He took a minute to observe the ankle. "I would assume so." Alarms were blaring and he motioned for her to stand up straight. "We have to leave now."

She straightened up and walked after him, biting the inside of her cheek to hold back tears. They made it outside and walked half a mile towards the base. When they got to what seemed like a safe alley, Yun stopped and collapsed onto the ground.

Lee Know turned around. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She tried getting up to start walking again but stopped. She started breathing shallow to hold back the pain. "I'm sorry, I know you don't need the burden of an injured person."

"Injuries happen." He got down on a knee beside her. "Can I carry you?"

Yun raised an eyebrow. "Well, you tell me. Can you carry me?"

"I was asking for permission, not questioning my ability." He offered a hand. "Up."

She grabbed his hand and stood. In a blink, he had effortlessly picked her up in a fireman's carry, and his hands were on the back of her thighs.

She laughed nervously. "H-hold on, I don't like this position."

He rolled his eyes. "My bad. Didn't know you were picky about the way I rescued you." But he switched to carrying her bridal style, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He peered down at her once, and then began to run home.

"Sir!" she yelped. "Why are you running so fast with an injured person in your arms?"

He held onto her tighter. "Because I have an injured person in my arms."

They arrived at the base, and Lee Know let go of a hand to press a button on the elevator. He still managed to carry her with one arm, although she believed she deserved half the credit for holding onto his neck so well.

She squeezed her eyes shut as a wave of nausea rolled over her. The shock was wearing off, and her ankle was screaming with every movement.

"Almost there," Lee Know murmured. "Hold on for just a bit longer, Yun."

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled incoherently. "I can do that."

They got to the fourth level, and Lee Know slowly walked towards the Stray Kids' infirmary, trying not to jostle her leg. The members gasped as they saw him walk by with Yun in his arms, but a quick look from him kept them in their seats. Felix brought his hands together to beg the universe for her healthiness, who was sitting beside an exhausted Changbin.

Lee Know gently placed her on the bed in the infirmary and rolled up her pants so that her ankle was revealed. It was turning an ugly shade of purplish-yellow and swelling up quickly.

Yun suddenly laughed, which strangely made her more alert. Lee Know stared at her in intense concern.

"You run a lot faster than I expected with a person in your arms," she explained, with a wide smile on her face. She watched as he grabbed the material he needed.

He worked on her ankle as he spoke. "I could carry you around all day without breaking a sweat, trust me. Three-fucking-gym-racha made sure of that."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Show-off."

He didn't exactly mind her insults. If anything, he enjoyed her quips.

"Was the mission successful?" Yun asked.

"Yes. J. Kon died, didn't he? And his club is destroyed."

She thought about the friends she spared. "Mhm. It was a good club, though. I liked the women there."

"You'll see them again someday." Lee Know studied her wrapped ankle for a second before standing up. "Your ankle should be better in a few days. Since you were, you know, slicing his throat as he twisted your ankle, it didn't have much power in it. You should be fully recovered by next week."

She smiled up at him. "Thank you. I owe you."

He shook his head. "No. Just worry about healing. I'll check up on you again. You don't – and never will – owe me anything."

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As promised, Lee Know came into her room the next day to check up on her ankle. She sat on the edge of the bed, and he squatted down to take a look.

"How is it today?" he said, probing it.

Yun winced. "Sore."

He patted her knee. "You'll be fine. I'll come again tomorrow."

And every single day without fail, Lee Know came back to check up on Yun's ankle. It was strange how the better medics wouldn't check up on her, but she didn't mind. Lee Know hardly ever talked to her in general, and when he did, she enjoyed it.

The missions paused for everybody in Stray Kids.

"When can I start going on missions again?" Yun asked.

"Soon," Lee Know said. "Besides, we don't have any missions to go on yet. Just rest, Yun."

Finally, on the checkup two weeks after the sprain, he announced that she could resume normal activities.

"Don't overexert yourself or injure your ankle again. I don't care or rescue anybody the second time around."

She couldn't help the flash of hurt on her face. Was she really just an 'anybody' to him?

As if he could read her mind, he lowered his eyes. "But as your leader, I'll come back for you."

"Thanks," she murmured.

"Likewise."

Long after he left, the warm feeling in her heart stayed.

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i wonder what that feeling is?