The flashing blue lights cast warped shadows on the brick alley walls. Rain had started to fall—soft, cold drops that kissed the city like it didn't know what had just happened.
Yuu crouched in the alley, holding Kenji close, trying to keep pressure on the wound he hadn't even noticed at first.
It wasn't until Kenji's body sagged against him, weak and pale, that Yuu saw the blood.
Not just a scrape.
Stab wound.
Lower abdomen.
Deep.
Kenji was losing blood. Fast.
"Please, please stay with me," Yuu whispered, voice trembling. "Just—just keep looking at me, okay? You're going to be okay."
Kenji's lips were pale. He nodded faintly, but his body was cold in Yuu's arms, like the warmth was slipping away with every second.
When the ambulance arrived, Yuu shouted for them, his voice raw.
"Here! He's bleeding—he's been stabbed!"
The paramedics moved fast. One of them gently pulled Yuu aside as the others worked on Kenji—cutting away fabric, applying pressure, inserting an IV.
"He's got a deep laceration," one muttered. "Pulse is weak. Prep for trauma care en route."
Yuu tried to climb into the ambulance, but they held him back.
"We'll meet you there," a paramedic said firmly.
"I'm his husband," Yuu snapped, voice sharp with panic. "I'm going with him."
The man hesitated—then nodded. "Get in. Just stay out of the way."
Inside, Yuu held Kenji's hand as the paramedics worked. Kenji drifted in and out of consciousness, eyes fluttering, lips moving without sound.
"You're strong," Yuu whispered, brushing hair from his forehead. "Don't you dare leave me now, Kenji Takahashi."
The hospital was a blur of lights and rushing people. They wheeled Kenji through a set of double doors and left Yuu behind.
Yuu stood frozen in the hallway, blood on his hands, heart in his throat.
He couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
Could only hope