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It should be a welcome reprieve after slaying yet another nightmarish creature... and from the back of a moving vehicle, no less.
But it isn't a reprieve at all.
Instead, Joseph's blood is gushing through his fingertips, slick against black leather gloves.
One moment, Sebastian is having a conversation about Joseph's latest findings regarding their strange predicament and admiring his sharp-wit and intelligence... and the next, he's watching him crumple into the fetal position, crying out in agony. A sniper-shot, of all things.
The younger man collapses against the seat of the bus with dead weight, but Sebastian is too sluggish to react at first, too slow to catch him as he falls, as if in slow-motion.
"Joseph, no!"
When he gains his bearings, and realization kicks in like an electric jolt to the brain, Sebastian is by his partner's side. He places one hand upon Joseph's hip, and the other clutches his knee as he looks him over. He hopes it's comforting.
From experience, he knows how much pain he's in. It's immediately obvious where he's been hit, as his vest quickly stains a deep crimson, seeping through at a startling rate. The entry wound is just above his right hip, and doesn't look to have penetrated any internal organs. He's lucky. It doesn't make the situation any less serious, though. The bleeding is going to be severe. Joseph's palms are clutched to the wound, and his face is contorted in agony. Sebastian moves his hand from Joseph's hip, up to his shoulder...
...and he realizes how useless he feels.
Normally, he'd be far more prepared for something like this... or could at least have the reassurance that Joseph would soon be taken away in an ambulance, in good hands. Sebastian isn't sure if his own roughened, bloodstained hands are good enough to get him through this.
They're far from home, far from anything here. Hell, he still doesn't know where here is... but he knows that it's a world apart from any sort of help, and Joseph is bleeding in his arms.
He blurts an order to Kidman, who's currently operating the vehicle, unsure of what else to do.
"Just get us out of here!"
She immediately does as she's told, and the bus is in motion again, careening around a few pieces of debris that effectively blocks their path.
Sebastian shakes his head, focusing all of his attention on Joseph, his frustration growing. It's welling up inside of him. He wants more than anything to take a hold of his hip flask and deny that this is even happening. Just drown it all away, a tried and true tactic...
But he supposes that it's only fair that he should feel pain, too. Only of a different sort. It starts in his chest and spreads to his limbs. Cold, numb... real.
This could be it.
His partner starts to writhe in his seat, craning his neck as he groans miserably, and Sebastian gives Joseph's knee a reassuring squeeze.
He can't let him die. Not from this. By god, if he's going down, he'd better be taken by some infernal monster, beyond his control or his power... but not from a fucking gunshot wound.
Suddenly, he's consumed by a torrent of memories... years old now, simply scars that he wears and never shows, but they're rushing back to his thoughts as if they'd occurred just yesterday. It reminds him of Myra, his beloved wife, and the first time he confessed his feelings for her. Just like Joseph, he watched her, his partner, take a bullet right before his eyes, and could do nothing about it...
All he could do was tell her how he felt... because he may not get another chance.
He attempts to blockade his reminiscing with a stoic grimace, but the dam is already broken... and he knows what he has to do, whether he likes it or not.
Though he knows it's no use lamenting things he has no control over, or so he's been told... Sebastian truly wishes he could give Joseph the same care and dignity that he'd given Myra. Spoken when he's on the road to recovery, when he's not spilling his own blood everywhere, when they're alone, when he's ready.
Sebastian knows that he's not ready.
He is utterly unprepared.
But it's now or quite literally, never. It occurs to him that he's been down on one knee this whole time. He fights back a sardonic laugh at the irony.
When he speaks, the words are strangled in his throat. They almost choke him.
"Joseph, I--"
He's cut off as Kidman shouts over the noise of the rickety moving bus, something about an ambulance in the distance. The vehicle pulls to a whining, harsh stop as she slams on the breaks... jostling both he and Joseph. He tightens his grip upon the other man, keeping him steady.
The news of potential aid seems unreal, like a beacon of hope in this hellish place, and he's not about to take that for granted. In a heartbeat, Sebastian is standing at the ready... but not before taking one last look at Joseph. Just in case it's too late by the time he returns.
Joseph's eyes are glazed over as he looks up at him, meeting his gaze steadily for a brief moment before he collapses back against his seat and gasps, clutching at his side.
Although it's kind of her, Sebastian outright refuses Juli's offer of making her way across the desolate wasteland that used to be Krimson. Or perhaps still is... somewhere in time. It's not that she's not capable. Kidman is, if nothing else, a persistent and independent woman. But Joseph is his partner, his responsibility... and he'll be damned if he doesn't scour through that ambulance and find something, anything that can help his injured companion. His friend.
Hand gun already drawn, Sebastian finds himself exiting the bus and looking out towards the tangled mess of twisted metal. It's a maze of overturned cars, collapsed buildings and exposed rebar. The slashed-open belly of some dream-like industrial beast.
Already, the Haunted can smell the blood on him. They start swarming... and Sebastian is hellbent on making them pay.
The first one he sees, he doesn't even bother using a weapon. No, instead he wants the satisfaction of feeling the impact of his fist connecting with their face... punching it in the nose so hard that there's an audible crunch of bone and cartilage... surely jamming it up into its brain.
The creature drops to the ground, dead. He lights a match and watches the body burn.
This is war.
More surround him as he fires shots with impeccable aim. Straight for the head. It's a rule he'd never live by on the force... often slowing down suspects by aiming for the shoulder or a leg instead of shooting to kill. It's protocol, unless aggravated. From years by his side, he knows that Joseph prefers neither, and would rather bypass having to hurt someone, even if it means his own life being in danger. Whenever Sebastian would get a little too reckless in hot pursuit of some offender, Joseph would lecture him on his work ethic.
Just one of the many ways they differ.
As he reloads his gun, the Haunted close in on him with bloodthirsty groans. Sebastian's thoughts are once again focused on his partner.
He wonders how he's holding up.
His brief lapse in concentration nearly costs him his life, as he catches one of the creatures quickly approaching out of his peripheral vision. Before he can react, their sticky, bloodstained hands are swiftly wrapped around Sebastian's neck in a sturdy choke-hold. He looks them in the eye, or what remains of them as they glow ethereally. He wants to turn away, but he's transfixed. Their deranged features seem to morph, and suddenly he sees Joseph in place of them. He can still see it so visibly, what he looked like when he turned and nearly choked him to death, and he's disturbed by the thought.
Perhaps there are worse fates than bleeding out from a gunshot wound.
There's a struggle as he bares his teeth, fighting against them, and he manages to gain the upper hand. With one good shove, he's free of their grip. As he stumbles backwards, he fires off another shot....
... and the monster's head explodes with an impressive display of gore, adding a new spatter to his pinstriped vest. Sebastian regains his footing and continues to pave the way ahead, the red and blue lights of the ambulance guiding him.
He's unaware of how much time elapses, but he prays it's not too late. Anything that comes his way, he cuts them down. Men, women. Old, young. A bullet, a bolt, a kick to the head. Sebastian uses everything he has at his disposal... kills everything that dares interfere with his mission, fueled by the rage of vengeance, and the determination to save his partner.
There's no way in hell he's letting him go just yet.
They get a few hits in here and there, of course. But the slice of a blade or the clawing of nails against his flesh are mere annoyances. Like so many things in his life, he's simply become numb to it.
At long last, he makes it to the ambulance, a little worse for wear as he scrambles onto the back of the truck. As he casts a weary glance over his shoulder, the road that he paved looks like the goddamned apocalypse. Bodies strewn everywhere, smoke billowing, and the smell of burnt flesh lingering in the air.
Sebastian looks around, feeling oddly nostalgic. The last time he was in the back of one of these, he was with Myra... holding her hand as they rushed her to the ER. God, that was so many years ago, now. It feels like an eternity.
He can't help but wonder if Kidman is attending to Joseph while he's away, and he somehow doubts it.
There's no time to be wasted in stalling, and Sebastian begins scavenging through cabinets and drawers. Thank god, he finds some medicine in syringe form, some medical tape,.. and most importantly, a hemostatic. A bandage that will promote the clotting of Joseph's gunshot wound, and could very well save his life.
The items are pocketed, leaving just as quickly as he came. The trip back is just as harrowing. Nothing is ever simple, but he doesn't expect it to be.
He makes it nearly back to the bus with the same violent gusto, when he hears Kidman yelling for him from across the street. His heart sinks with dread in his chest, fearing the worst... when he realizes that the Haunted are swarming the vehicle faster than she can single-handedly pick them off.
His own ammunition is low, but he aids her in the onslaught as they mow their assailants down in unison. She's a damned good shot, and so is he... but fighting alongside Kidman is still new to him. They're not synchronized like he and Joseph are. She seems eager to make herself look good, jumping straight into the fray... far from Joseph's tactic, who is always content to allow Sebastian to take the lead and provide back-up.
At last, the area seems safe... at least momentarily, and Sebastian follows Juli onto the bus.
In a heartbeat, he's beside his partner.
Joseph is still languidly curled up onto the seat, and Sebastian notices the startling pool that's dripping all over his chair, and the deep red stain that's soaking him from the hip all the way down to his thigh.
There's nothing to be said, so Sebastian doesn't say anything... merely focuses on the task at hand as he takes hold of Joseph's shoulders, aiding him back into an upright position so he can work. From there, he gently guides Joseph's arm away from where it's protectively draped across his midsection.
Sebastian feels particularly clumsy as he kneels before his partner and begins half-undressing him. There's really no other way to gain access to the wound... so he does it as quickly and respectfully as he possibly can. His vest is unbuttoned first, allowing him to un-tuck his ruined dress shirt from his pants...
... and god it's a lot of blood. He's not sure how Joseph is still conscious.
Somehow it feels so different than all of the violence that he's witnessed, or caused, in this godforsaken place. It's personal, and he prays that this will be enough to save him... like he saved Myra all those years ago.
Willing himself not to fall into another flashback, he tugs Joseph's shirt up and rolls the material around his thin waist to keep it out of the way. As his calloused hands briefly graze the softness of Joseph's skin, he can feel how cold and clammy he is in comparison. Sebastian's mouth twists into a frown as he examines the wound.
Joseph's dress pants are high-waisted, obscuring a portion of the bullet hole. Sebastian debates it for only a brief moment, and then reaches for Joseph's belt to unclasp it. He looks up and gauges Joseph's reaction before unbuttoning his pants. To his surprise, he doesn't make a sound as he regards him, simply accepts it and trusts his judgment, giving a wan nod of consent.
Sebastian's apologies are the unspoken variety, and in spite of the horrible situation they're in, that frown twitches back into the faintest of smirks.
That's when he glances off to the side, and notices that Kidman is watching.
"Do you mind?" he grumbles, just loudly enough for her to hear. If nothing else, Joseph deserves the decency of privacy. She's observing them from the front of the bus with detached interest. Nothing new there. Kidman takes the hint and sits back down in the driver's seat, turning her sight away from them, for now. If Joseph were more lucid, he knows he'd be flustered by their audience.
Unzipping Joseph's pants gives Sebastian just enough room to see the lower half of the wound, right above the prominent curve of his hip bone. The bullet hole is bubbling and leaky as it oozes with a constant stream, and he figures it's a good time to offer some reassuring words.
"Stay with me, Joseph," he says, sparing a glance up at Joseph's pallid features, where beads of perspiration are gathering.
It doesn't hold the weight of what he wished to express earlier, but it's something.
It seemed to help him back in the church, so he readies the syringe that he procured from the ambulance. Before he can protest being jabbed for the second time today, Sebastian sticks the needle into the fleshy part of Joseph's thigh. It easily pierces through the fabric of his pants, and as he presses down on the plunger, there's a soft whine issued from the other man's lips. This time, Sebastian mutters a sincere apology, but in a moment, he's finished with the injection. That's nearly the worst of it.
If nothing else, he's remarkably proud of how Joseph is handling the situation.
From there, the sealed package of the blood-clotting bandage is swiftly ripped open, and he removes it. He's about to make use of it when Joseph reaches out to rest a gloved hand upon Sebastian's shoulder... clutching to him and effectively causing him to pause.
"Seb..."
Joseph's brown eyes are wide and watery from the sheer amount of pain he's in, and Sebastian wants more than anything to comfort him.. to let him know that he's cared for, that he needs his partner...
... but there's no time for such things, and not enough words to properly express. Tearing his gaze away from Joseph's face, he places the hemostatic agent against the open wound.
Joseph exhales a shaking, shuddering groan as Sebastian presses down, hard... just a small amount of blood seeping through his fingertips, now. Minutes pass with nothing but the sound of Joseph's shallow breathing, and Sebastian can hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.
As the bleeding stanches, so does his desire to let any further sentiments flow.
Joseph is alive... he's safe... and that's what matters.
When he finds that it's done the trick, Sebastian lessens the pressure and tapes the bandage down. They both look like they've been to a slaughterhouse, and in part, it's true.
Offering another brief smile as he once again allows himself to regard his wounded companion, Sebastian begins to make Joseph decent again. He fixes his pants first, and works his way up. When he reaches the topmost button of his vest, allowing a large hand to splay across his chest, Sebastian's attention is directed over Joseph's shoulder.
"Shit."
The Haunted are circling around the broken bus, with another swarm fast approaching. They need to leave. Now. With their lack of supplies, combined with Joseph's weakened state, they can't risk another attack.
"Get us out of here, fast!" Sebastian shouts to Kidman, and her stiletto heel is immediately to the pedal. His eyes go wide when he realizes that she's about to take on a pile of obstructing cars dead-on. This is going to be a bumpy ride.
As quickly as he can, Sebastian moves from his kneeling position to seat himself beside Joseph on the bus's seat. He wraps a protective arm around his shoulders, to be sure that he's not jostled around too much.
He gives him a light shake, when he notices that he's not particularly responsive.
"You still with me?"
"Seb..." Joseph manages weakly, as he looks up at him from behind his glasses. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it." For a moment, it's all he's about to say in all of his brevity... but then he adds: "Anything for my partner."
It's true... and preventing him from bleeding out is really the least he can do.
Joseph has always provided him with the utmost care. Though he often doesn't voice his appreciation of the other man, he realizes how thankful he is for the invaluable partnership that they share. When Sebastian was at his absolute lowest, Joseph showed his undivided attention and endless support... even if it didn't go appreciated at the time. It's more than he could ask for, and probably more than he deserves.
Sebastian turns his head, more to regard Joseph than anything, and his lips brush against his forehead. It's an accident, but he lingers for a couple of seconds, breathing words against his feverish skin.
"You'd better hang in there, because you and my job are all I've got left."
It's only a half-joke, and it earns him a strained chuckle from his partner that fades into a cough.
Grip tightening around the other man as the bus speeds off into the unknown, he doesn't know what he'd ever do without him... and hopes such a thing never comes to pass. As Joseph rests his head against his broad shoulder, closing his eyes with a sigh... he has a pretty good feeling that it's mutual.
