Number One (a UA fanfic)

XI

"We should go back, it's getting late-" Eden checked their watch. "It's eleven o'clock, now."

"I see-" Luther nods as he stood up, having his hand out to offer Eden to grab it. Eden did and they both start to leave the park.

"It would be great if we do this more often," Luther says. "I really enjoy spending more time with you."

"Noted, and I do enjoy spending more time with you too." Eden nods. "You're really sweet and cuddly."

"Nah, that's not me."

"Seriously!" Eden fought back. "You're like so awkward at first but you're beginning to loosen up and you're such a sweet guy, you're really cuddly too!"

"I'm not cuddly."

"You never objected when I asked to cuddle you," Eden retorted, looking up to Luther. Just then Luther realises that he's letting Eden wrap their hands around his own in a clingy manner like a koala bear, but he's not subjecting.

"I guess so-" Luther shrugged. He really likes this, being close and cuddly. He likes it that Eden is clinging onto him, they look so cute and lovely and so little. "You're warm and you're cute as a puppy, why should I object?"

"Aww, I'm cute?" Eden pulled apart to hold their chest with their fake-and-exaggerated touched look. Luther chuckled as he nudged on Eden.

"You've always been cute," Luther answers, playing with their cornrows. "How do you braid them like this?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, that's a lot of braiding," Luther elaborated on his question. "You must have a shit lot of patience."

"Nah, it's just fifteen minutes for me-" Eden shrugged. "I'm pretty much used to it, so it went fast."

"Does it hurt with all the pulling?"

"It's not like it's not manageable-" Eden shrugged. "It can get annoying especially when my hair isn't really tame to style but most of the times it's manageable and sometimes I enjoy it too, especially when my hair would cooperate with ease."

"I see Allison often boiling the edges of her hair after braiding them, do you do the same too?" Luther asked again. "I mean, yours aren't as long so is it possible for you?"

"Mine is armpit length so it's still possible for me to boil the ends so it doesn't go all frilly," Eden answered. "Some people with shorter hair don't, though."

"Ahh, I see." Luther smiled as he nodded. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks." Eden smiled as the view of the shophouse grew closer to them, Eden took out the keys to open the lock to the door.

Eden jumped away from the door as they heard a couple of loud gunshots directed to them, Luther immediately pulling them closer to him. Luther can feel his heartbeat racing in his chest, Eden looked visibly distressed as Luther can see them closing their ears and closing their eyes shut. Luther cursed as he noticed that the door wasn't unlocked yet, which means their 'safe haven' is unreachable. Luther thought about pushing Eden so hard to break the door and put them at safety, but he doesn't think it's safe enough to do that. The bullets may fly again and shoot Eden right then and there.

Luther closed his eyes. He will not let Eden die, not tonight. They will continue their lives as shopkeepers and live their lives down low, nothing too glamorous and nothing too demanding that either of them would feel overwhelmed, enough money to go on holidays occasionally but that's it. Just a simple life between two friends. No one is going to shoot his friend, not tonight. No one's gonna die.

"What the hell?" Luther stood up straight to see who their attacker is, but he couldn't truly make sense of their face. Luther can make sense that they're light-skinned and possibly old from the pale wrinkly skin around the black mask they're wearing, holding a machine gun. Next to the attacker with a machine gun is another attacker with a baseball bat, seemingly ready to beat the shit out of them both.

Luther wasted no time as he lunged forward to pull away from the gun- which he had failed as the person pulled back their gun. It's gun-pulling war, now. The attacker with the baseball bat repeatedly hit Luther's body with the baseball bat. Luther groaned in pain, but he's not giving up now. Not when the life of his friend is at stake.

"Who are you?" Luther barked, finally having a hold on the gun. The person didn't give an answer as they kicked Luther's shin, stumbling him from his feet, forcing him to weaken his grip on the gun which led to the attacker swiping back at ease. The attacker wasted no time and letting go a few shots, leaving Luther shook as Eden fell down, crimson lacquering their stomach.

Luther wanted to run towards his friend but both attackers held him back. Luther struggled against the grips as he kept pulling away, determined to come and check up on his friend's dead body.

"No!" Luther yelled. "Let me go! Eden!"

"Your friend's dead, as you will if you fight," an attacker whispered in his ear. Luther wanted to snap 'how do you know?' but knew that the blood spilt out too much already and Eden was unmoving, so he knew that attacker is right. Still, there's a possibility that they're wrong.

"No!" Luther yelled as he pinned the attacker on his back down the ground, planning to disarm the person with his weight. He then can feel a thick plastic pointed on his head and looked up to see the other attacker holding him down by the sling point. The attacker wasted no time as they turned their machine gun back up and shot Luther's body a few times, leaving him with such intense pain as three bullets sit in him deeply.

"Ow!" Was the last thing he croaked before he lets darkness take over him, his mind thinking about Eden.