~𝟳𝟴~

TW: Blood

Skip this chapter if you are easily triggered.

(Third person, Lee Know's perspective)

"Okay, let's get this over with so we can get home," an agent on the other team said through the comms before he started counting down. 

But as he counted down from three, all Lee Know could think of was Ava. What was she doing? Was she training? Or was she peacefully sitting on the couch, reading? As soon as he registered the agents around him moving, he snapped out of his dazed state and rushed along after them.

...

The mission went by quickly, mainly because Lee Know was on autopilot. Since the moment they had left the dorms, his thoughts hadn't once left Ava. He knew he should trust her to protect herself, but the longer they stayed away, the bigger the uncomfortable spot on his stomach grew, making him feel queasy. He stood against a wall, staring off into nothing when he heard Hyunjin speak.

"You must be glad this is over so we can go home."

"Yeah, I just miss her so much."

"Aww, look who's love-drunk," Han chimed in.

"Oh, do you have a girlfriend waiting for you?" Harrison, one of the other agents, asked as he walked past them.

"Yeah, but it seems he's gone soft," Andrews, another agent commented, to which Lee Know glared at the back of his head.

Han leaned in closer to his Hyung, lowering his voice to barely above a whisper as he spoke again.

"You know, Chan said there should be enough time for you to call her before we're off again if you want, Hyung."

For the most part, the idea sparked happiness in Lee Know's heart, making a smile rise to his lips. But that uncomfortable spot on his stomach just grew, spreading to his heart and snuffing out his excitement all together. And as he looked at his comm, he knew something was wrong. 

So he dialled Ava's comm number as fast as his fumbling fingers could, anxiety eating away at him. Hyunjin and Han leaned in closer, watching as he typed. The call went through, and the comm rang once. Twice. Three times. Still there was no answer. It felt like Lee Know's heart had stopped beating. He swore under his breath and pushed past Hyunjin and Han, jogging over to Chan.

"Chan, we have to go. Now."

Chan turned around to Lee Know, seeming confused at his sudden rush.

"Lee Know, what-"

"It's Ava."

Those two words seemed to get Chan to understand, worry and anger flashing in his eyes like lightning. He called all the boys together and they were off. But to Lee Know, it felt like they couldn't move fast enough. And his mind started thinking up the worst-case scenarios, leaving him feeling nauseous and afraid.

...

TW: Blood

Skip this part if you are easily triggered. (I will indicate when the trigger warning is over)

Lee Know was the first one in the dorms, practically having broken the door down. But when he saw the blood smears on the walls and carpet at the top of the stairs, he stopped dead. His heart was in his throat, and he felt like he couldn't breathe. He started sprinting again, up the stairs and to Ava's room where the blood smears led. 

Again, he stopped in his tracks at her door, hearing the rest of the members gather behind him. He slowly took a few steps into the room to let the others see what he was seeing. There sat Ava. Gun in hand. Eyes unfocussed. Blood splattered and smeared all over her body. Her hands were trembling, gun still pointed at Damian, who lay flat on his back in a pool of his own blood.

Ava hadn't noticed them yet. She just sat there, staring off into the distance. Lee Know looked back at the members, but they all kept their gazes glued to Ava. So he did the same, turning back to her. He slowly made his way over to her, going to kneel next to her. She still hadn't looked at him. As he knelt down next to her, he could see just how shaken up she was. 

Her breathing was ragged and uneven, her chest rising and falling in irregular intervals, almost stuttering. Her knuckles were white from clutching the gun as her hands shook. Her body seemed to be trembling. Lee Know felt a shard of guilt pierce his heart but pushed it aside. He had to focus on her in that moment. 

He slowly reached out towards her hands to take the gun from her, but as soon as his fingers brushed over her skin, it was like a switch went off in her, making her lurch to life. Her eyes went wide and she swung the gun in his direction, aiming at his chest. She was cowering in the corner of the room, her eyes wild and filled with fear. He pulled sharply away from her, lifting his hands in surrender as his gaze met hers. She seemed so scared.

"It's just me, Lee Know. I won't hurt you."

It seemed as though she was trying to identify him, and then he saw her eyes widen with recognition. She started shaking even more, tears spilling over her cheeks, mixing in with the blood on her skin and trailing tracks through it. He slowly reached out to her hands again, and this time when his fingers touched her hands, she stayed still. He slowly took the gun from her hands, placing it next to him on the ground. 

He had barely started turning back to her when she leapt at him, arms coming around his neck to clutch onto him tightly. Her body shook with sobs. He was slow and hesitant with his movements as he placed his hands on her back. When she didn't flinch or pull away, he tightened his grip around her, pulling her closer to him. A few tears of his own dripped from his eyes, but he didn't care. He was just so relieved that she was alive.

He adjusted slightly and felt Ava wince, hearing her suck in a stuttering breath through her teeth. He tried pulling away from her, but she just tightened her grip around him.

"Don't let me go yet. Please," she said. Her voice was hoarse and soft, almost like she had been choked.

"Ava, I have to check your wounds. I don't want to accidentally hurt you while holding you."

She gave no response. She just stayed where she was, clinging to him. He slowly brought his hand up, gently resting it on the back of her head.

"Ava, please."

Again there was no response. Lee Know was just about to give up on asking when she slowly shifted away from him, looking into his eyes. He smiled sadly at her and saw her gaze flick to the members before moving to the ground. Lee Know looked over at the members as well, his gaze meeting Chan's. Chan seemed to get the message. He got all the boys' attention and took them out. When Lee Know heard them all go down the stairs, he turned his attention back to Ava. 

Her hands were balled into fists, the material of his shirt caught between her fingers. He gently took her hands, loosening them from his shirt to press kisses to her knuckles. He could feel the dried blood on her skin against his lips, but he didn't care. She was his only worry in that moment. He slowly got up, helping her up as well. He slowly took her to his room, closing and locking the door behind him. He let her take a seat on the bed, kneeling in front of her on the floor. She bit her lip nervously.

"Ava, if you don't want me to check, that's fine too. I'm just worried. But if it'll be too much I don't have-"

"No it's fine. I just..."

She didn't finish her sentence, and Lee Know got the feeling she wouldn't no matter how long he let the silence drift on. So his eyes started scanning over every inch of Ava's blood-coated body. He noticed there was a lot more blood on her left shoulder than the right which piqued his interest. He got up off the floor and leaned in slowly. 

Ava's shirt was soaked through with blood, so much so that when Lee Know tried to pull it up to look at her shoulder, it stuck to the skin. The sticky substance covered his fingers, but it didn't bother him in the least. He was too busy inspecting Ava's wound. There was a huge gash on Ava's shoulder, so deep he was worried the bone was exposed. And when his fingers brushed against Ava's arm so he could get a better look, she winced and pulled away.

"Sorry. Is it the gash that hurts?"

"Yeah, but I think it's dislocated too."

Lee Know hesitated and looked at Ava, who seemed slightly confused as to why he had suddenly stopped. In reality, he was silently trying to ask for permission to do what he was about to do. He had no idea how she would react, but he had to get a better look at her shoulder. So he took the short sleeve of her shirt with both his hands, and with one quick movement, ripped it clear of the seams. 

His sudden action seemed to startle Ava. She flinched and clenched her hands into fists, but when he gently touched her arm again, she seemed to calm down. He pushed the shirt up a bit further and saw that Ava's suspicion was right. Her shoulder was a canvas of purple, blue and red splotches. It was definitely dislocated. He sighed heavily and felt the shard of guilt twist in his heart.

"Are there any other wounds you know of?" he asked softly, looking up at her again.

"My ribs and probably my throat as well."

At the mention of her ribs, Lee Know's gaze snapped up. He knew he would have to lift Ava's shirt to be able to see, and he knew she probably knew that as well. As their gazes met, he could see how she realised what had to happen. She clenched her hands into fists again before taking the hem of her shirt, slowly rolling it up. Then she lifted it, barely a centimetre at a time, past her bellybutton. 

The shirt hadn't even gone past her ribs yet, but Lee Know could clearly see the huge bruise forming there. The higher she lifted the shirt, the bigger and darker the bruise got. Lee Know sucked in a slow breath at the size and severity of it. It was definitely not just a bruise. Something was wrong. Very wrong. The ribs were at least fractured. And that was what worried him. It could so easily be something worse.

Her body trembled and it seemed like lifting her shirt hurt her greatly, so Lee Know gently took her hands, bringing them down again. He knew she wouldn't want to go to hospital, but if she didn't, she could die of internal bleeding and they wouldn't even know until she dropped dead. So as he looked at her, his gaze pleading, he asked the question he already knew the answer to.

"Can we take you to the hospital?"

But Ava surprised Lee Know with her response, his eyes going wide.

"Yes, if it'll make you happy."

End of TW

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A/N

heyy guys ;)

sorry for leaving you all on a cliffhanger in the previous chapter, but i hope this one made up for it a little bit :P this chapter is actually perfectly timed without me even trying to time it that way, because today i saw we hit 18 K reads!!! i honestly can't believe it. the amount of support this book has gotten has really proven to me that i am actually not as crappy of a writer as i think ;)

anyway, i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and i will see you in the next one <3