This Day | Gyuhao (Threequel to Youth & The Aged)

- 28

| Chapter Twenty - Eight — I guess this is it, huh? |

When Minghao was a cop, he was anything but happy.

Sure, he'd joined the force only to prove his parents wrong, and to show his worth off to others.... but he never truly loved it. It made him sick almost constantly, and his sore heart could barely take an assault, much less a full on murder.

That's why he was so surprised when he met Mingyu.

He didn't fall for him at first, not immediately, but he does remember loving him within time. It didn't take long, could even be labeled as love at first sight, but Minghao eventually found it in himself to love again.

They've been through hell and back together, they've killed together, almost lost each other, killed for one another....

It was a sick, twisted love at first, only to bloom into the world's most beautiful flower.

Minghao loves him so much.... loves him even more at the fact that he's loved all the same. It's the best gift.

To love and to be loved.

He's looking at how Mingyu sleeps now, watching how his chest rises and falls softly, how his lips look so perfect and his skin seems so clear. He watches Mingyu look gorgeous even in his sleep, how the bridge of his nose meets his cupid's bow so perfectly, how his adam's apple bobs with each little snore.

Minghao feels tears in his eyes.

He takes a deep breath, slowly but surely detaching himself from Mingyu's hold, carefully slipping the man's arm from around his waist and sliding off the bed all in one movement.

He can't risk waking him.

He can't risk the lives of everybody.

It was better to do this alone.

One life was better than hundreds.

Minghao doesn't know if he'll die, thinks he will based off the threats over text alone. But he's determined to fight, even if he has to until his last breath.

That's what he's learned.... that he's worth something, that he shouldn't give up so easily and forget how important he was to many people, to the universe....

To himself.

Mingyu taught him how to love someone else, and Minghao taught himself how to love who he was.

Minghao knows that the Minghao 5 years ago would drop dead if he saw him now, but he doesn't care. Not one bit.

This was him now. He was strong and confident, more than he'd ever be, more than he's ever been.

So no, he's not scared for himself, just frightened over the fact that his family could get hurt. He knows that taking this opportunity would be a 50/50 chance, knowing that Amaranth would either keep their word or come after everybody after killing him.

But, it was worth a shot.

Jungwon was there.

He can't live being on his toes for the rest of his life. Not when everything was finally okay again, not when he has kids who have to make it past being a teenager, who have to live the rest of their lives peacefully.

Minghao bites his lip, tears staining his cheeks as he stares at Mingyu from across the room, bag hooked over his shoulder, several weapons tucked in his belt loop.

This would break him, Minghao knows it would. And he's sorry, he's so fucking sorry, but he has to do this, he has a deep feeling that Amaranth would keep their word....

Or maybe he was just desperate, praying to a God if there was one and hoping and begging for the holy spirit to keep his family safe.

Minghao has to look away from his husband, breath shaky as he sniffles, holding the back of his palm to his lips to muffle multiple cries that so desperately want to crawl up his throat and be free for all to hear.

He's shaking, the adrenaline rough and nerve wracking and it's terrible.

Minghao doesn't leave a note, couldn't even bring himself to write one, instead, just walks out of the room, closing the door behind him ever so softly and carefully making his way down the hallway, slipping on a face mask in the process in hopes to hide his identity.

He almost gets caught once or twice by overnight guards, sighing deeply in relief when they walk right past him.

He makes it outside successfully, and as soon as he does, he's greeted with with beeping of a security camera.

So, tightening his grip on his pocket knife, he aims thoroughly, weapon flying through the air as soon as he throws it, slamming into the lens of the camera.

It immediately shuts off.

Minghao picks up his bag again, cursing when the rain starts to fall and booking it down the alleyway.

After another block or two of running, he makes it to the jet, opening the door and tossing his bag inside quickly.

He perches himself right on the pilot chair, slipping on the headphones and clumsily trying to turn it on, having never flown something this big before.

When he was a cop, sometimes he'd watch the pilots work the helicopters after they'd arrested an inmate, but this seemed a bit different. There were buttons Minghao was confused about, and so many colored switches to the point where he didn't know which ones to flip.

It would be a miracle if he got back to Chicago in one piece, so much so to where he feels miraculous when he starts the engine, looking out the window in panic when it's a little too loud.

He thanks the heavens nobody shows up as soon as it winds up.

He starts off slow, but eventually rides along the pathway enough to where he safely makes it into the air, immediately flipping the wheel to autopilot because he doesn't want to quite literally die this way.

And then he's gone, disappearing into the rainy night like a leaf in the wind.

He watches the hideout get smaller and smaller the further he flies away, all the way up until he can't see it anymore, tears blurring his vision as he finally breaks down, slamming his hands to his face and sobbing so harshly his throat begins to hurt.

He finally just melts into his chair and cries, tears hot and heavy.

There's a painful tug in his heart, as if he were connected to his family by a string and it was being pulled harder and harder with each mile the jet flew.

He tells himself over and over that this would keep everybody safe, than one life was better than multiple....

But it's so painful.

It's so heartbreaking.

Minghao just wants to curl up into a ball and sob until he's in the arms of Mingyu and his kids again, flipping through so many different emotions he loses count.  

This is for the best.

.....Isn't it?