The alley still smelled of blood.
Ayu's legs trembled as she followed Luv out of the mess they'd left behind. Every step squelched against the wet pavement. She didn't dare look back. She knew what she'd see—the twisted bodies, the dark stains, the proof of what she had just done.
When they finally reached a crumbling warehouse at the edge of the street, Luv stopped. He kicked the rusted door open, scanned the shadows inside, then motioned for her to enter.
"Sit," he ordered softly.
She obeyed without argument, sinking onto an overturned crate. The knife was still in her hand. Her knuckles were white, her fingers stiff, like her body had forgotten how to let go.
Luv crouched in front of her. He didn't ask—he simply pried the weapon from her grasp and set it aside. Her fingers spasmed at the loss of it. She hated how weak she felt.
Her hands were trembling. Her breath came in sharp bursts. And then it hit her—the memory. The sound of her blade cutting into flesh, the look in the man's eyes when he realized she'd stabbed him.
Her stomach lurched. She bent forward and retched until her throat burned. Nothing came out but bile.
Through it all, Luv didn't move. He just waited, his black eyes steady, unreadable.
When she finally lifted her head, tears streaked her cheeks. "I… I killed him. I really…" Her voice cracked. "I didn't even think. I just… I didn't want to die."
Luv didn't say it's fine. He didn't say you had no choice. Instead, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a small roll of bandages, and held them out to her.
"Give me your arm," he said.
She blinked, confused. Only then did she notice the gash across her forearm, the blood dripping slowly down her wrist. She hadn't even felt it through the chaos.
He cleaned the wound with water from his flask, his touch surprisingly careful, almost gentle. His face stayed expressionless, but his hands… his hands were steady. Skilled.
"You're shaking," he muttered.
"Of course I'm shaking," she snapped, her voice breaking. "I almost died. We almost died. You… you killed them like it was nothing, Luv. Like you've done it a thousand times."
His fingers paused for a second before he resumed wrapping the bandage. "Because I have," he said simply.
She stared at him, stunned. He didn't elaborate. He didn't need to. The weight in his voice told her enough.
Silence filled the warehouse, broken only by the faint drip of rainwater through the roof. Ayu bit her lip, fighting the tears threatening to spill again.
"Luv," she whispered, "how do you do it? How do you stay calm when everything is falling apart?"
He tied off the bandage and finally met her eyes. His own were dark, unreadable pools. "I stopped feeling a long time ago," he said. "That's the only way to survive."
Her chest ached at the emptiness in his tone. She wanted to tell him he was wrong. That feeling nothing wasn't living. But the words stuck in her throat. Because right now, she needed his strength more than she needed comfort.
Luv stood and extended his hand to her again, just as he had in the alley. "You don't have to feel nothing," he said. "You just have to stay alive. I'll handle the rest."
Her breath caught. Slowly, she reached out, placing her trembling hand in his.
For the first time that night, she didn't feel completely alone.