Chapter Text
‘Yuno didn’t shoot.’
The thought kept raddling around in Raymond’s head as they raced through the city. It was just another vault and their main idea to split up at the boat was quickly dashed as the police shot at their getaway vehicle almost as soon as they saw it. Yuno and Ray spent only a couple of hours flailing in the water and the dock before Tony came crashing through for the pick-up.
Each turn and dive into alleyways widened the gap between their car and the officers, Tony howls with laughter as one of the interceptors became wedged between walls of an alleyway.
Ray drowned out the easy-going banter between the main three, opting instead to focus his thoughts on the fact that Yuno, a bonafide bank buster with who he’s done fifty-odd jobs with, didn’t shoot for him. Yuno, someone he considered a brother and one of his closest friends in the city, didn’t and would not shoot for him.
Ray shakes his head. ‘Focus, Romanov, he probably has a good reason.’ He calms his breathing, watching Yuno lose himself with laughter from Tony’s antics.
‘He has a good reason,’ He repeats resolutely. ‘He has to...’
Ray jostles back as their car leaps off of a jump onto the highway. They quickly get out, the nervous thrum of his heart still persisting as the sirens grow ever closer. Him and Yuno split from Lang and Tony who opt to drive a two-door in the opposite direction of the loot. Ray climbs on the bike like its second nature Yuno shuffling on behind, his nervous high-pitched screams tickling him in such a way it makes him forget the earlier conflict- Yuno didn’t mean any harm, he never does.
“Oh, Jesus!” Yuno wails as they take yet another dangerous jump, Rays joyful laughter trailing behind them. Ray moves through the city like a duck in water, getting much better at feeling out the police response and navigating the city. The chase is arduous, but they somehow get away.
Tucked behind a trashcan at the back of the Vanilla Unicorn, they crouch low giggling as the sirens zoom past them comforted in the knowledge that they were safe.
“Well, that was fun!” Ray says brightly.
“You drove so well today Raymond! There were a couple of tricks that even I didn’t know!” Yuno exclaims excitedly running circles around the man.
“I’ve been trying some new stuff! If you want, I’ll show you some more after we’re fully in the clear yeah?” Ray says with a smile, taking his mask off and shoving it in one of the turned-over trash bins.
“Sure! I love hanging out with you!” Ray is almost blinded by his response, Yuno’s cheerfulness somehow always trumps his own- it was just so…bright.
Yuno had the sense to hid his Sultan nearby, just in case if they evaded in the area they wouldn’t have to lockpick a local car. Ray raises an eyebrow at the beat-up appearance of their ‘get away’ car and Yuno looks sheepish.
“I- ah crashed a couple times getting it here…” Ray snorts and waves his hand dismissively.
“It’s all good baby, call Mr. Lang and see if they need a pickup, I’ll repair the car and we can go get them.” Ray swerves out of their hiding spot and takes his time going to Hayes just in case of the off chance they were followed.
‘If we were followed,’ Raymond’s brain couldn’t help but ask ‘What help would Yuno be? Can’t shoot, can’t sit still for more than five minutes-‘
“Ray?” He snaps out of his toxic line of questioning as Yuno looks at him concerned.
“Sorry brother, what was that?” Ray’s been spacing out a lot lately, more than he should be if he was honest with himself.
“I ah- I was just talking about the heist today…” Yuno hesitatingly approaches.
Oh.
“What about the heist?” Maybe this was it. Maybe this was what Ray’s been waiting for all day, an explanation.
“Well…I did something I ah- kind of regret.” Yuno admits guiltily looking at the floor.
“You can tell me anything baby, you know that!” He waits in anticipation for an explanation or even an apology for not shooting Baas when he had the chance to. A graceful 'it's alright brother' in the back of his mind waiting for the right opening.
“I tripped in the vault and left some DNA- I don’t know if they have me on file or anything but I was panicking before we left, and I haven’t told Mr. Lang yet!” He blurts.
…What?
“What?” Ray says confused.
Ray's phone goes off and in his surprise, he snipes a local, spinning out the car. He lets out an aggravated sigh and puts his phone on silent. As he drives off he watches Yuno desperately try to defend himself.
“I didn’t think it’d leave so much blood I’m sorry!” the hacker cries shoulders slouched and slightly hunched over reminding the Russian of a chastised dog.
There is a pit that grows in Ray.
“…That’s it?” he looks to him through the mirror, demanding eye contact.
“W-what do you mean that’s it? It’s kind of a big deal isn’t it?” He questions looking confused and meeting Rays gaze.
“You didn’t shoot Baas,” He says slowly. “I was flailing in the water with him behind me and you watched him tackle me down.”
“What? That? Wha-“ Yuno flounders “-We didn’t have time Ray we would’ve-“
“-No, we had plenty of time. He was the only one on the scene, Lang and Tony were 20 minutes away, I had all the cash and you made it on the dock first. We. Had. Plenty. Of time.” His anger bubbles just under his words giving them an even sharper edge.
But Yuno, ever the unpredictable man he is, was ready for it.
“Okay, but I didn’t. We can’t go back and change what I did Raymond.” He answers defensively.
“Would you?” He counters.
“Huh?”
“Would you go back and shoot him for me?” Ray repeats glaring daggers in the mirror.
“What’s with this line of questioning Ray? We all got away, didn’t we? What’s the problem?” Yuno says his voice paper-thin and tone borderline sharp.
“The problem is you’re my boy and you’re supposed to have my back! I was defenceless back there and if Tony didn’t show up I would’ve gotten arrested!” He finally lets out.
“But I didn’t need to,” He explains slowly as if talking to a child. “You made it out anyway, crisis avoided.”
“That’s not the point!“ He stresses.
“The point of the getaway wasn’t to get away? What?” Yuno interrupts still talking slowly as if willing Ray to see how ridiculous he was being.
They drive through Hayes with a weight that they've never had between them before, an uncomfortable and defensive weight.
“Oi, Hands up!” A voice booms behind them suddenly as a car rolls in. Their identity obscured with the tinted windows of a local sultan, there is a gun hanging out the window. “You finish a bank deposit perchance? Love robbing bank busters makes me feel like a fucking bawler.”
“Oh Jesus!” Yuno yells in mock fear, giggling as he scrambles his way to the car recognising the voice. “Randy!”
Always one to break the tension, intentional or not, there is a cough of a laugh as Randy rolls down the window and shouts out “Yuno!” The others in the car greet the hacker in a chorus of calls and whoops of similar exuberance.
“Randy,” Ray deflates in relief “You got us brother! I was ready to go Rambo all up on your ass!”
“Oh Jesus” Randy parrots back to them in mock terror “Yuno, you wouldn’t let him do that to me would you!?”
“Of course not!” Yuno comforts, walking circles around their car. “I’d make sure he wouldn’t Randy! I’ll teach him a lesson!”
“You’d shoot him for me? Aw, you're so cute- taking out your boy for little old me, knew you were CG at heart~” Randy says offhandedly, seemingly saying whatever he believes will fluster the hacker most. In any sense, he’s achieved what he wanted and Yuno is a stuttering mess of denials.
“What?” Raymond asks confused, the conversation moving much too fast for the poor man to follow.
“Yuno! We missed you man, why haven’t we seen you around lately?” A nonchalant Ramee asks in the back seat. He is sandwiched between Randy and Taco and the hacker has to crane his neck to see him.
“Oh, you know- I’ve been doing stuff out of the city lately! Hanging out with some pretty cool people too…” He teases bouncing on the balls of his feet.
“Cool people huh?” Ramee snorts “Playing dogshit games, probably right?”
Yuno’s loud laugh is muffled under his mask before “Well, I don’t think they particularly enjoyed it no!”
“Ah, hey guys! It’s good to see you!” Ray greets them cheerily, absently noticing how they seemed much nicer than when he last interacted with them by himself. He met them outside of the apartments as early as yesterday and their small yet cordial conversation seemed like the best anyone could get out of them for someone outside their gang, at least thats what he thought...Ray sees Yunos bright eyes- their easy smiles and casual invitations of jobs and, the pit in his stomach grows just a little bigger.
“Sup Ray.” Ramee greets almost awkwardly, the only one willing to engage the russian, before Randy shoots a warning shot behind the two men.
“Right well you have about 20 seconds before the cops get here for that and catch you for robbing a bank so- see you around Yuno!” Randy shouts winding the window up.
“See ya Yuno!” “Bye Yuno~” There is a chorus of goodbyes as they peel out of the shed, raucous laughter and violent threats spilling out of the car.
Yuno happily waves at their retreating form chuckling at the vulgar insults and taunts they spat at each other and feeling suddenly very glad that his family was a little more on the calm side. As he hops back into the passenger seat, he checks his phone and sees a long line of missed calls by Lang Buddha himself.
“Huh…” Ray stares blankly at the exit CG left out of. ‘Did they not hear me?’ he thinks self-consciously. ‘Did I do something wrong?’
“Ray has ah-has, Mr. Lang, been calling you?” Yuno questions moving the pondering Ray to the other seat as he jumps into the driver’s paying for the repairs.
“What? Oh- ah, let me check.” Ray snaps out of his daze and gets out his phone only for it to vibrate in his palm, the man calling him himself.
“What’s up baby? You need any- “Ray is cut off sharply.
“-What do you think Raymond!? We got tailed and now we’ve got an interceptor on us!” Lang screams his anger burning through the phone. “Where the hell were you!?”
“We were getting the car repaired- where are you right now!?” He stammers jumping to the driver’s seat and booking it out of the shed.
“What’s happening?” Yuno questions his body flung up as the car takes a particularly harsh jump. “Ow!”
“Sorry brother we gotta move fast here,” He apologises before switching to business mode. “Mr. Lang can you stay on the phone with me? Where did you end up?”
“Meet us at the Red Parking lot! Be ready for a shootout.” And the line goes dead, a flurry of excitement and anxiety rises up Raymond’s chest blooming into an insatiable hunger for blood.
“Ray?” Yuno peers at him cautiously. “What’s happening? Is Mr. Lang and Tony okay?”
“Yuno,” Ray spins around, his foot sinking onto the accelerate towards the Parking lot. “time to get your gun out.”
“This again?” He huffs, crossing his arms “Ray just let it go man, I didn’t shoot because I didn’t need to- “
Raymond isn’t a petty man, but everyone had a boiling point, and he was getting a little sick of Yuno always getting the benefit of the doubt. “-Or didn’t know how to…”
“What was that?” His sickly-sweet voice asks.
But the reply dies as they reach the parking lot, the police cars already circling, Ray zooms past and goes to the top level.
‘What if they leave you here...’ that voice persists again. ‘What if your family leaves you here to shoot for them and your left alone with Yuno.’
But an even darker voice whispers just under his heartache. ‘…What if they take Yuno with them and leave you to take the fall?’
And Ray hates it, he hates himself, he hates how his hands grips the wheel tighter and tighter- hates that he can't even argue with that ugly voice in his head because he knows that if shit hit the fan- without a shadow of a doubt if they had to choose between him and Yuno, it wouldn't be him.