Blindsided

Reflections

ᴤᴤᴤᴤᴤ

First stop, the convenience store.

Sehun had really wanted to avoid looking at Namjoo, but it seemed some kind of invisible force was intent on making it happen. He saw his reflection in her face. The same bruises turning their noses an unsightly blue.

After paying for his purchase he walked back out with the door swinging shut behind him. Taken by a slight surprise when he saw Namjoo still sitting in his car. Part of him expecting her to have left by the time he returned.

She had been so heated up earlier he swore she could have punched him. Making the trek toward his car he opened the passenger door, calling, "Get out."

When her eyes landed on him, he held out an icepack. "Put this on your face for a few minutes."

If she wasn't aware, her nose was swelling exactly like his was. Her entire head had to be throbbing, because his was doing just that. Swinging her leg out one at a time she snatched the icepack from him and slumped onto the hood of his car. Sehun joined her on the side facing the street, void of traffic. Every ten minutes a vehicle blew past, but otherwise the streets were pretty empty.

Just the two of them next to the 24-hour convenience store. A lone clerk inside and now on his phone.

"Want to tell me about it?" he asked.

The fight, he meant. How she had turned up at the house. What had occurred word for word from her perspective.

"No." She still sounded pissed. She held the icepack tightly. Sitting far from him. Eyes on a spot in the street.

"If you have something to say," he said, "I'd rather you tell me. I don't like being taken by surprise."

She remained still and silent like she hadn't heard him.

"Where is your phone?" he asked.

She still stubbornly didn't answer.

"There was a robbery tonight." Finally, a reaction from her. "You should have answered. I told you before, that if you're a part of the team, not to go off on your own."

"Are you lecturing me right now?" Her voice possessed much animosity. That flare again in her eyes.

"Yes." He said. "Because what you did tonight might be brave, but was very foolish of you."

"I protected a child from an adult who intended to kill her," Namjoo spoke through gritted teeth. "But then I see, you're still heartless as ever. What would a detective like you know?"

She shoved the icepack against his chest. Turned toward his car, opened the door to retrieve her backpack, made sure to shoot him a glare before walking off. Sehun stared after her. Huffed a breath and got back into his car. Tossing the bag and icepack onto the passenger's seat listening to the bottle of pain killers inside rattle.

ᴤᴤᴤᴤᴤ

A shower made everything worse. Namjoo bled a little more when she stretched her arms up to take her top off. Her ribs were sore. Every cut from every stab she had received stung so bad she wanted to curl up and cry.

But no one was here for her and she had no one to depend on.

Namjoo was also used to this.

Watching the bloody water swirl down the drain she inhaled a shaky breath. Stepping toward the sink counter she grabbed the fresh bandages the nurse had handed her and plastered them over her cuts. The pain was a bitch that made her grit her teeth and hiss. Other than the menacing pain she was worried, but there was nothing more she could do tonight. In this shape she was as useless as a fowl with an injured leg.