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Sebastian stubbed his cigarette out at the bank’s front entrance. “Do you really think she’ll know anything about the robbers’ last mark?”
Joseph shrugged. “Well, Mrs. Constanza worked security there. She must know something about the place, even if she didn’t see anything at the time.”
“Seems like a stretch.”
“And yet, a better prospect than all of the other names on the list.”
“Joseph, there are no other names on the list.”
“Yes, exactly.”
Sebastian grunted and followed Joseph inside. There was a winding line in front of the glassed-off tellers and a single security guard, which struck Sebastian as perhaps a massive oversight in such a large place.
Sebastian nodded to the security guard. “That her?”
“No, but she should be here today. Guess we’ll have to ask them.”
Sebastian watched idly as people went about their business. At the first teller’s station, one woman’s face had fallen while reading the document her customer had passed her. She raised her arms over her face and began shrieking a jumble of “please, no” and “don’t shoot me, please”.
The man standing in front of her desk pulled a sawed-off shotgun on the screaming woman, followed in turn by two other men in line. There was a din of shouting as the crowd hurled themselves into corners or onto the floor; Sebastian and Joseph ducked behind a wall partition, hands ready on their pistols.
“Everybody stay down and stay put, nothing bad has to happen here today,” the lead gunman shouted, now with a green handkerchief pulled over his face.
“Well, this is an excellent fucking coincidence,” Sebastian growled.
Joseph peeked around the corner of the partition. “Do you have your radio on you? That happened so fast, I worry she might not have hit the panic button.”
Sebastian nodded and pulled it out, pressing the button. “Detective Castellanos here; there’s a robbery in progress at Krimson First National Bank. Hostages present. You read all that?”
The radio crackled in reply. “We read you, Detective. Hang tight, we’ll send backup.”
Joseph frowned at the radio. “What are we supposed to do?”
“Not a goddamn thing Joseph, just stay off their radar and let the negotiators handle it.”
Footsteps came, drawing slowly closer to their hiding place. Sebastian braced himself, pistol under his trench-coat. With any luck it would take them too long to notice and he could ambush one of the bastards if they got close enough.
Somewhere behind them, a man shouted. Sebastian couldn’t make out the words, but he was sure he’d caught, “just a kid” and “don’t hurt my son” somewhere in the noise. There was a dull thud and then the man was sobbing.
Joseph had already broken his cover by the time Sebastian realized he was moving.
“Joseph, no-“Sebastian hissed.
He was too late. Sebastian looked over the corner of the partition just in time to see Joseph’s pistol connect with a burly man in a red bandana’s face. Joseph leveled a shot at the man in blue beside him.
That was all the distraction Red needed though; he deftly kneed Joseph in the stomach and whipped him across the face with his shotgun.
Just behind him, a middle aged man with blood running down his face and into his beard clutched onto a terrified toddler, slowly creeping backwards and away from the fight.
“Got some asshole with a gun here,” Red called back, picking up the pistol Joseph dropped, “looks like a cop.”
Sebastian waited behind the wall, gritting his teeth as they let Joseph drop to the ground. The man in blue turned to corner and found Sebastian crouched there.
Sebastian lunged and knocked the man onto his back before he could say anything, kneeling on his ribcage and aiming at Red, now standing over Joseph.
“Looks like we found his partner, too.” Red grabbed Joseph by his collar and shoved the pistol roughly into his mouth. Joseph’s eyes flicked over to Sebastian, trying to hide the obvious fear on his bloodied face. “You sure you want to be pointing that gun at me, buddy?”
Sebastian cursed and lowered his gun.
“That’s a good start,” Red said, grinning. He rammed the pistol harder into Joseph’s mouth, making him drool and choke. “Now why don’t you get off my friend there, and drop your weapon?”
Sebastian didn’t move. Red dropped Joseph to the ground and kicked him savagely in the side.
“You’re running out of time to comply here,” Red said, aiming the pistol at Joseph.
Sebastian slowly stepped off the man beneath him.
“The gun.”
Sebastian hesitated. He could take the shot and maybe neutralize Red before he realized what was happening. Or, he could miscalculate and get Joseph killed.
Joseph cut his time to decide short by diving at Red’s midsection, trying to knock him down.
There was a thunderous crack as the pistol went off. A chorus of screaming from the hostages on the ground joined Sebastian’s own sudden cry. He dropped his pistol in equal parts disbelief and surrender, unaware of the way Blue had pressed his shotgun up against his neck.
“Joseph!”
Sebastian rushed forward, heedless of the gun to his back. “Joseph, fuck.”
Joseph turned towards him slightly and took a gasping breath. Blood splattered his face and spread slowly down his left arm.
Blue prodded Sebastian between the shoulders. “Hey! Get down!”
Red shrugged and waved his hand, looking down at Joseph. “Leave him. The hell is he going to do without a gun?” He swung the gun to aim at Sebastian. “And you. You better keep yourself low to the fucking ground and out of my sight, officer.”
The two turned and walked off to rejoin their leader.
Sebastian fell to Joseph’s side, turning his head and trying to find the source of all the blood. The bullet had hit his shoulder, and while it looked to be exquisitely painful, the slow way it oozed blood was almost a relief. Joseph met his eyes, distant and brimming with tears while he dragged his breath in.
“Hey, stay calm Jo. You’re gonna be fine,” Sebastian said.
Joseph tried to flash him a smile but could only grimace when Sebastian propped him up and pulled off his jacket.
“Shit,” Joseph hissed.
Sebastian strained to finish tearing the sleeve of Joseph’s shirt where the bullet had entered. It took a minute to pull the fabric free. “Sorry.”
Joseph clenched his jaw and groaned while Sebastian looped the torn shirtsleeve around the wound, tying it off tightly to staunch the blood.
“The fuck were you thinking, running at the guy like that?”
“They were assaulting a civilian,” Joseph said, pausing to take in a shuddering breath, “not going to just sit there and…allow collateral damage.”
“Take it easy, slow breaths,” Sebastian sighed. “That doesn’t mean you throw yourself at the motherfuckers like a berserker.”
Sirens cut off whatever retort Joseph had waiting.
“Here comes the cavalry. We’ll get you out of here soon Joseph.”
Joseph struggled to stay sitting up, doubling over and gripping his side with a yelp. “Hope so. Between you and me, this hurts like hell.”
Sebastian turned and surveyed the crowd of frightened hostages. The bearded man, still smeared in blood from the laceration on his forehead, offered him a strained smile and a nod. He seemed to be the only one other than Joseph who’d been injured.
“So, what do we do now?” Joseph looked pale and seemed to whimper at the tail of every exhale.
“First of all, don’t touch that,” Sebastian said, swatting at Joseph’s shaking hand as he pressed against the knot of his tourniquet. “Second, we sit here and we don’t try any more fuckin’ heroics while the people outside handle this.”
Joseph might have been about to roll his eyes but winced instead. Sebastian placed his hand against Joseph’s cheek; he felt unnaturally cool and sweat was beading on his face. He drew his hand back in surprise when the radio in his pocket crackled to life again.
He tried to answer it quietly, tucked in the neck of his trench coat. “Castellanos. What’s up?”
“Detective,” the tinny voice on the radio said, “what’s the situation in there?”
“Detective Oda is wounded. There are about, say, twenty or so hostages in here, one with minor injury.”
“Are the assailants in the room right now?”
Sebastian turned, trying to spot any of the handkerchief-wearing men. Only Blue was in view, pacing back and forth in front of the tellers’ station and waving his short-muzzled shotgun menacingly towards the crowd.
“Just one,” Sebastian said, “armed. All three men are armed. Incidentally, neither I nor Detective Oda is armed anymore.”
“Okay. Stay down, don’t engage them. SWAT should be moving in soon.”
The radio went quiet.
-
“Seems like it’s been a while,” Sebastian said.
He had been checking Joseph’s tourniquet every few minutes to see how the blood flow was progressing. The results were not encouraging. He wasn’t clear on how much time had passed but it felt like entirely too long for the police to have not made a single move.
Sebastian pulled the radio out, intent on finding out what the issue was on their end. Boots on the tile behind him drowned out the warm sound of the radio static, but before he could stash it back beneath his coat, Sebastian felt one of the boots connect with the back of his head.
He fell forward and the radio clattered to the floor, spinning a few feet away. Red swept in front of him, grabbing the radio and turning on his heel.
“The fuck is this?”
Sebastian sat up and gave him a dour look. “It’s a fuckin’ radio.”
Red struck Sebastian across the face with the radio.
“Smart ass,” Red sneered, flicking the radio on. “Hello?”
“Detective Castellanos?” the radio tried.
Red arched an eyebrow at Sebastian as he clutched his bloody nose. “Sorry to say, the detective won’t be in contact. Call me Smith.”
“Smith,” the radio repeated, “how can I help you, Mr. Smith?”
“Well, I suppose if you’ve been in contact with this gentleman here, you’re aware of what we’re doing at this establishment. Which leads me to this: if any law enforcement officers decide to break in unannounced, my associates and I wouldn’t be too comfortable.
So, if you value the safety and lives of the people in here, especially the two detectives who have helpfully provided this radio, I’d heavily advise against doing that.”
“So what do you suggest we do to ensure the well being of the people in there?”
Red threw the radio to the ground where it exploded in a miniature shower of plastic and metal.
“Now you two,” Red said, turning to Sebastian and Joseph, “I’m getting tired of having to come back here and tell you to shut up every five minutes. If this job is supposed to go over with no-“he flicked his eyes to Joseph, “-well, minimal bloodshed, you’d better keep quiet.”
“Do you want me to raise my hand to talk?” Sebastian said.
Blue reeled back and punched Sebastian across the face.
Sebastian rubbed the raw spot on his cheek. “Getting real fucking tired of that.”
“Then learn to shut your goddamn mouth.”
“So how long are you guys gonna take? I’m a real busy guy you know,” Sebastian said.
Red sneered and walked forward to kick Joseph viciously in the chest. Joseph hit the ground hard, lying on his back and gasping for air.
Sebastian glowered at Red silently.
“Well what do you know? Looks like I found the ‘off’ button.”
Red and Blue walked back to the front of the bank, leaving Blue to patrol in wide semi-circles around the crowd of hostages. Every now and again he would go to peer out of the glass entrance doors where a crowd of people had gathered behind a police barricade.
Sebastian crept over to Joseph and slid his palm against his lower back, lifting him so he could sit upright.
“Shit,” Joseph wheezed. He reached a trembling arm out and turned Sebastian’s face to the side, blood running from his nose and festooned with bruises. “You look terrible.”
The concern on Sebastian’s face broke into a smile and he chuckled, sitting beside Joseph. He looped his arm around the man’s waist to hold him up.
“How you feeling?” Sebastian asked quietly.
“Don’t seem to be bleeding much.”
“That’s not what I asked. Tell me how you feel.”
Joseph sighed and let himself lean against Sebastian. Sebastian tried to mask his surprise. “In pain. Dizzy. Really tired. Guess we’re just stuck here until they get what they came for.”
Sebastian frowned. “Assuming we have that kind of time.”
“Don’t be dramatic. I’m…okay.”
“No, you think you’re okay. Neither of us is a fucking doctor, and that’s exactly what you need right now.”
Joseph narrowed his eyes. “Sebastian, whatever you’re thinking? I want you to not think about it anymore.”
“If I just wait for him to come back over here-“
“You said no heroics, right? That applies to you, too.”
“-I can knock him down, get his gun, buy us a few seconds to make a run for the door and get you out of here.”
“No.”
“Goddamn it, Joseph-“
Joseph struggled to pull away and look serious. He ended up sagging, gritting his teeth through the burning, throbbing pain.
“As long as we’re here, everyone else is relatively safe. I’m not going to abandon a building full of innocent civilians just because I screwed up and got myself shot, Seb.”
“They’re not stupid enough to kill a fucking cop, or anyone else for that matter. The only thing that’ll happen if I get you out of here is that you get medical attention, and they leave when they were planning on leaving anyway.”
“Your plan includes the distinct possibility of you getting shot and killed,” Joseph snapped.
“And your plan includes the possibility of you dying of blood loss!”
Joseph’s face contorted in what could have been pain or annoyance. Possibly both. “Quit talking like that. The SWAT team is right outside. All we have to do is stay down and not endanger anyone! Or are you forgetting that we’re responsible for these people here?”
Sebastian growled and slumped forward. “So what, we just wait here?”
A few moments passed in silence; Joseph was staring, eyes half-lidded, into the middle distance. Sebastian felt a cold tendril of fear creep up his spine.
He patted Joseph’s leg. “Hey. You still with me?”
Joseph nodded slowly and leaned back, swearing softly when it put pressure on his injured shoulder.
“You should lie down,” Sebastian said quietly.
To his surprise, Joseph just nodded again and tried to slip down onto his back. He fell more heavily than he intended and was left whimpering while he clutched his left arm, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.
Sebastian rubbed his good shoulder in an attempt at what little comfort he could manage. He looked around and noticed that at least half the hostages had turned to stare at them. They must’ve gotten a little loud.
The middle aged man from before caught Sebastian’s eye and silently mouthed something that looked like ’Is he okay?’ while gesturing at Joseph. Sebastian flashed him a tired smile and nodded. He hoped he wasn’t lying about that.
–
Sebastian wasn’t clear on how much time had passed while they waited, but it must have been at least an hour. Despite his efforts to tie Joseph’s tourniquet as tightly as possible, blood continued to seep out in an ever-widening circle against the fabric.
He watched his partner’s chest rise and fall with his shallow breathing, interrupted by coughing fits and the sounds of distress Joseph tried fruitlessly to hide.
He felt helpless; his plan of running Joseph out of there wasn’t a real possibility anymore. The man wasn’t in any condition to walk quickly, much less run.
Sebastian reached over to wipe the cool sweat from Joseph’s forehead.
There was a loud crack as the glass doors burst open.
Five men, unrecognizable in their black body armor, marched in with their shields raised. Sebastian pitched himself forward onto his feet, heedless of the sound of boots getting louder behind him.
“Hey! I’ve got an injured officer here-“
A muscular pair of arms pulled Sebastian down, forcing him to kneel hard on the ground. Ahead of him, the man in green walked to meet the SWAT officers.
Sebastian twisted to look behind him and saw Blue crouched next to a young woman, mute with horror at the rifle barrel pressed under her chin.
All five of the SWAT team lowered their weapons automatically.
“That’s good,” Green said coolly, “now, any chance I could talk to one of the persons in charge of all this?”
One of the SWAT team stepped forward and handed him a radio. Green began pacing back and forth in front of them as Blue released Sebastian, talking too low to be heard properly. The woman behind Sebastian whimpered.
Joseph stirred and craned his neck up, trying to get his right arm underneath him. “Wh-what’s going on?”
Sebastian crawled over and helped him up. “Shh. Something’s up.”
Green’s voice on the radio was loud now, sounding one crescendo away from total rage. “Yes, you assume correctly: I will kill one of these hostages if your men take another step into this facility.
Furthermore, I will continue killing them, one by one, for every step they take after that. It is possible you’ll subdue us, but you risk losing quite a few hostages. Really, my only request is that you fuck off and leave us to our business. Now tell me; are you amenable to that solution?”
“Shit,” Sebastian breathed. He wasn’t so sure anymore that the criminals were too sensible to use violence. Subdued sounds of shock and despair rippled through the assembled hostages; the woman up against the rifle began to weep openly.
Joseph struggled to his feet, lurching forward a few steps. Red turned his gun to where Joseph stood, swaying and clutching his right arm to his body.
“Joseph, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Sebastian hissed, trying to grab for Joseph and pull him back.
Green spun around to see the source of the commotion. “Will one of you get that cop back on the fucking ground?”
“Let the civilians go,” Joseph said, voice strained.
Red advanced, shoving his rifle hard into Joseph’s sternum, knocking him back slightly.
Joseph swallowed and tried again. “Let the civilians go, and I’ll stay behind. A cop is more than enough to bargain with, right?’
Green lowered his radio and considered Joseph for few tense seconds.
Sebastian crouched, heart hammering in his throat, ready for the inevitable moment that he’d have to sprint and try to knock Joseph out of their range of fire.
Green’s eyes never left Joseph as he spoke into the radio. “That sound good to you? The cop stays; I let the civilians go free.”
Another tense moment passed.
“All right, let’s do that Smith,” the voice on the radio crackled.
Green gestured with his rifle and the two others dropped their own weapons and moved in a circle to herd the hostages out. The people filed out, walking briskly and glancing nervously to Joseph as they passed. One by one, they passed the SWAT team and broke into a run out the doors.
When the last hostage had fled, Sebastian stood and took a tentative step forward, unsurprised when a rifle pressed to his back.
Sebastian raised his hands and nodded towards Joseph. “Listen, this guy’s injured. If he dies on your watch, you know exactly what kind of shit you’ll be in. Let him go with the civilians and I’ll stay behind.”
Something heavy connected with the back of Sebastian’s head and he was tumbling forward, vision white in a sunburst of pain. When he opened his eyes again his vision was swimming, but he could see Joseph saying something with a panicked expression. Sebastian couldn’t hear him past the ringing in his ears.
Red slammed the butt of his rifle against the wound in Joseph’s shoulder. Sebastian threw himself forward unsteadily, scrabbling towards his partner as he crumpled to the ground. The first thing he heard when the static in his head began to subside was Joseph, screaming and coughing in a desperate fit to breathe.
The SWAT team was gone now, barely visible behind the barricade outside. Joseph was curled on the ground, shuddering while blood drooled through his clenched teeth. Sebastian managed to get his feet under him and pitched forward, reaching out to hold onto Joseph, any part of him.
Before he could close the distance between them, a pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders and dragged him backwards while his legs milled uselessly against the tile.
He struggled against the grip, forced to watch as Blue swung Joseph across his shoulder like a sack of flour, badly jarring against his arm- which must have been broken by now- and eliciting a series of sobbing breaths from him.
Red dragged Sebastian through a narrow doorway and dropped him next to the abandoned chairs behind the bank tellers’ stations, a wall of bulletproof glass towering over him on one side. Blue followed through the doorway and Sebastian shoved at Red, trying to get at the man holding Joseph.
“Put him down, for fuck’s sake!”
Blue deposited Joseph gracelessly onto the ground and gingerly lifted his bloodied arm with a mocking grin.
Sebastian froze.
Blue shoved hard on Joseph’s arm from behind, laughing when he fell over and curled into a ball. Joseph bit down on his hand to stifle the sound he made.
“Now, you two sit quietly while we finish up here,” Red said, gesturing to Blue, “I’m putting Smith here outside this door. If either of you get too noisy or rambunctious, he’ll put a stop to it post-haste, right?”
Sebastian dropped to his knees in front of Joseph and sneered at Red.
Red planted his boot gingerly on Joseph’s hip and glared at Sebastian meaningfully. “I said: right?”
“Right,” Sebastian hissed through his teeth.
“Good.” Both men left through the doorway, slamming it behind them.
The silence still buzzed for Sebastian and anything he looked at had the habit of splitting and re-forming erratically. He held his hand out over Joseph, unsure of where exactly it was safe to touch him. He settled on his face.
“Jo. Hey buddy, you still with me?”
Joseph turned his head listlessly towards Sebastian and tried to nod, the movement interrupted by a hiss of pain. Sebastian braced him so Joseph could pull himself up and lean against the wall.
He rested his palm against Joseph’s chin and tilted his face so he could see the damage; there was blood dripping from his nose down to his chin, with more staining his lips and teeth. Ugly bruises purpled along his face and neck, and his left arm hung uselessly from where the tourniquet was stained a uniform red.
“S-Seb?”
“Yeah?”
“Think I’m gonna puke.”
Sebastian grabbed one of the small trash bins under the tellers’ desks and crouched beside Joseph, holding onto his waist while Joseph retched noisily into the bin.
“Joseph?”
Joseph didn’t look at him, just stayed heaving and shaking against his side. “Mhm?”
“That’s not…blood you’re vomiting, is it?”
Joseph managed to rasp in a way that suggested laughter. “Calm down. Pretty sure I just bit through my tongue.”
Sebastian relaxed a little. “Oh. Good, I guess.”
“Don’t suppose…there’s any water ‘round here?” Joseph said quietly.
Sebastian settled him as carefully as he could against the wall and stood. “I’ll see what I can find.”
Sebastian paced the corridor that ran behind the desks and found an unlocked door marked “Employees Only”. He peeked inside to find a small break room.
“The fuck you doing over there?” Blue bellowed.
Sebastian went to knock on the door. “Hey. Can we use this bathroom back here, or what?”
There was a moment of silence. “Sure. Go fuckin’ crazy.”
Sebastian ran back to the break room and threw open the mini fridge to inspect it. He tucked a frozen gel-pack and a few water bottles into the crook of his arm, turning to see if there was anything else useful nearby. All he could find was a neat stack of small hand-towels on the microwave; he wrapped one around the ice pack and shoved the others into his pocket.
Joseph was breathing shallowly against the wall, eyes closed and jaw clenched. Sebastian’s first impulse was just to let the battered man rest, but he could see where blood was blooming in dark patches against his vest and trickling down his bare arm. He tore one of the towels in half to make a long strip and shook Joseph awake, an unsettling fear slinking along underneath his skin.
Joseph opened his eyes a crack.
“Sorry about this partner,” Sebastian mumbled. He tied the strip of towel over the gunshot wound, pulling it tight and pressing against Joseph so he couldn’t thrash or pull away.
“Fuck!”
“Sorry,” Sebastian said tightly. He tugged on the knot to ensure it was flush to the wound.
Joseph curled his fingers into a fist, tears tracking through the blood caked on his face. Sebastian uncapped a water bottle and offered it to Joseph.
“Fuck, fuck,” Joseph whimpered. His hand shook as he took the bottle, sloshing water onto the floor. Sebastian wrapped his hand around Joseph’s to hold it steady while he drank. He only managed a few mouthfuls before grimacing and handing the bottle back.
“Ought to drink more than that,” Sebastian said.
Joseph shook his head. “Can’t. I’ll just puke again. Rather not.”
Sebastian waited until Joseph’s trembling subsided a little. He soaked a hand towel with water and pressed it to Joseph’s forehead, trying to clean up the worst of the blood staining his skin.
“Sorry again,” Sebastian mumbled. He patted the wet cloth against the worst of the bruising along Joseph’s jaw and neck, apologizing repeatedly when the water stung the small lacerations there.
Sebastian dropped the bloodied rag and cupped Joseph’s cheek. “How you feeling?”
Joseph had paled considerably. “Not great.”
“I’m being serious.”
“Don’t feel right. Feel…fuzzy. Indistinct.”
Sebastian’s voice softened. “Maybe you ought to lie down.”
Joseph shook his head, though he had difficulty keeping his eyes open. Sebastian slid down the wall to sit beside him and carefully, slowly, pulled Joseph down.
He propped Joseph’s shoulders against his crossed knees, leaving his head tucked against Sebastian’s hip. He lolled to look up at Sebastian, eyes unfocused and still brimming with tears.
“Th’ hell are you doing, Seb?”
“Elevation to slow the blood loss,” Sebastian stated matter-of-factly.
He pressed the wrapped ice pack against Joseph’s wound, squeezing his other shoulder in silent apology. “And an ice-compress, also to slow blood loss.”
“Wow…I actually didn’t think you’d been paying attention in First Aid.”
Sebastian brushed Joseph’s hair back from his eyes. “I hope you’re glad to be wrong about that.”
Joseph’s voice sounded distant. “Just this once, yeah. I am.”
–
Sebastian startled out of his drowsing state by a loud sound, somewhere far off. Joseph lay heavily in his lap, too tired to complain about the indignity of it.
His left hand was now limp where he had gripped Sebastian’s knee as paroxysms of pain tore through him with every slight movement. He had passed into a fitful sleep; shallow breaths intermingled with half-conscious groans.
T
he sun slanted through the window, flaring bright before it sank into the early evening and illuminated them. Sebastian spent a long few moments considering Joseph while he slept, the way the vivid orange glow highlighted the graceful lines of his face, the hollows of his bruised neck.
There was something aching at the base of Sebastian’s throat. Maybe it was the edge of desperation their situation gave him, but he felt like he was running out of time to come clean, if not to Joseph, then to himself. It had taken disaster to drag the same confession out of him once before.
Maybe Sebastian was just afraid that everything else would play out the same way if he came out and admitted his feelings. He wondered if losing someone was less painful if they’d never known how he’d felt. He couldn’t think about that though; he couldn’t see losing Joseph as an eventuality.
“You stuck around and did what you could when everything around me was going to hell. Only seems fair I try and do the same for you,” Sebastian said to himself, carding his fingers through Joseph’s hair.
There were footsteps now, coming slowly, and the men shouting to each other. Sebastian just stared resolutely at Joseph, thumb trailing along his cheek and jaw while his lungs filled with worry.
Sebastian chuckled grimly to himself. “Why is it that every time I want to come out and tell the truth to someone I care about, they’re always half-dead?”
One of the robbers’ voices came from beyond the partition. “What do you mean, they haven’t left? There aren’t any clear exits?”
“We’re surrounded on all sides.”
“Well, maybe the motherfuckers need a friendly little reminder what the stakes are. Load this all up, and we’ll grab one of our ‘friends’ for an informative show.”
Sebastian tensed and wrapped his arm around Joseph’s torso, heart hammering in his throat. Joseph stirred, flicking his gaze up to Sebastian’s face.
“S’going on?” Joseph said in a dry rattle.
Sebastian hauled Joseph up in his lap so he could rest with his good arm against Sebastian’s chest. “Nothing important, Jo. Gonna get you out of here soon.”
“Thank god.”
Sebastian hesitated, listening to the increasingly distant sound of the criminals talking amongst themselves. They were going to use one of them as a threat, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let them take Joseph.
It occurred to him that when he went with the man, there was chance he wouldn’t come back. Which left him in a precarious position: make a move that would ruin everything, or die not knowing.
He had had enough uncertainty. If this was going to be the end of him, Sebastian wanted to say a proper goodbye.
He caught Joseph’s chin and pulled his face up to kiss him chastely on the mouth.
He wasn’t surprised when Joseph’s eyes flew open and his hand landed on Sebastian’s chest, startled even through the haze of blood loss and pain.
He was surprised when Joseph’s mouth pressed back against his, insistent and warm. Joseph gathered Sebastian’s shirt weakly in his first and tried to press against him, mouth opened slightly; invitingly.
Sebastian obliged, carefully leaning in and moving so his lips could close against Joseph’s, feeling the warmth of their intermingling breaths before he reluctantly pulled back.
His timing was lucky; footsteps approached the door and it cracked against the wall with the force they threw it open with.
Red frowned at the two of them. “Well, I hate to break up whatever the fuck is going on, but I’m going to need Glasses over there to come with-“
“You can take me instead. I’m just as fuckin’ good,” Sebastian interrupted.
“You can drop your little inferiority complex and get over here, then.”
Joseph let go of Sebastian’s shirt as he stood, moving Joseph so he could lean against the wall. As soon as he was up, Red grabbed Sebastian and jerked his arms to pin them behind his back.
“Sebastian- what’s going on?”
Red cut in first. “Your friend here volunteered to put on a little show for our negotiators. You can stay here and hope to God for his sake that it works.”
Joseph’s eyes widened and he tried to stand, stumbling and landing on his hands and knees. “Sebastian, no-“
“It’ll be okay. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Joseph’s voice was unsteady with panic. “You can’t do this-“
Red kneed Joseph in the side as he tried to stand again, sprawling him across the carpet. “Maybe I will take you instead.”
Sebastian freed his arms and punched Red in the gut, delighting in the way the air rushed out of the large man all at once.
Red grabbed Sebastian by the shoulders and slammed his head against the doorjamb. “One more fucking mistake out of you, and I’m not even going to wait for an audience to redecorate with your goddamn brains. Now get going.”
Sebastian sneered as Red re-pinned his arms against his back and steered him out the door. He twisted to look back at Joseph, managing a smile that was probably too bloody to be very reassuring before he was shoved into the hallway.
–
Blue bound his hands with cord as soon as he was beyond the door.
“Well? We gonna get this little show over with?” Sebastian said, voice thick with the blood in his nose.
Blue punched him between the shoulder blades before gripping his shoulder and steering him down the corridor, flanked by the other two men.
Red and Blue shoved Sebastian to his knees in front of the glass doors, a tight know of police officers gathered just in front of the barricade. They looked grim but otherwise didn’t seem to react to Sebastian’s predicament at all.
Two rifle barrels pressed up against the back of his head, like a grim halo of firearms. Someone tied a handkerchief over his eyes, and he heard the warm crackling of the radio.
“Mr. Smith?”
“Yes, hello.”
“What do you want?”
The man with the radio clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “I can’t help but notice that there’s still a pretty heavy barricade around this whole building. Now, when I suggested you leave us to our business, I’d hoped that would include the knowledge that we would like to leave safely. Is that something we can agree on?”
“I’m not certain we can, Mr. Smith.”
“Interesting. Because I was about to say that if we can’t agree on that, and we are not allowed to leave safely, well, I’m afraid your associates won’t be allowed to leave safely either. I take it you’re probably acquainted with this man on the ground here?”
“Yes.”
Sebastian heard the hammers being pulled back on the rifles, the movement vibrating through his teeth. Impractical, perhaps, but Sebastian had to admit it was an intimidating effect. The silence on the other end of the radio confirmed that they felt the same way about it.
“Okay Smith, let’s talk about this. How can we come to an agreement?”
“I’m not interested in talking about anything,” the robber said, “all I want is for you to tell me that you’ll clear the east side of the building.”
Faintly in the distance, Sebastian heard a door opening followed by heavy, uneven steps. His blood felt like it had gone cold.
Joseph, no, Sebastian thought frantically, pulling forward. All he could do was hope that none of the men noticed him out there.
“Hey, what the fuck? Get your ass back behind the counter!” one of the voices behind Sebastian bellowed, the pressure from a rifle retreating.
Too late. There were footsteps, and then the sound of a fist connecting with flesh and Joseph falling into a coughing fit. Sebastian swiveled his body in the direction of the scuffle and was rewarded with a sound crack to the back of his skull.
A heavy sigh came in fuzzy over the radio static. “Consider it done, Mr. Smith.”
“Excellent. These gentlemen will be free to leave in fifteen minutes. Please refrain from trying to enter the building during that time.”
The radio clicked off and the gun barrel was pulled from Sebastian’s head. He released the breath he’d been holding.
The robbers left Sebastian kneeling there, footsteps disappearing across the bank, still bound and blindfolded. He heard Joseph coming towards him again with deliberate, scraping steps.
“Sebastian,” he whispered, “you okay?”
Sebastian frowned. “You shouldn’t have come out here. Why the fuck didn’t you stay put? I swear you are trying to get yourself killed.”
Joseph’s voice sounded small, though he couldn’t have been more than several feet away. “I…couldn’t let them just-just execute you.”
Sebastian laughed; he couldn’t help it. “And you were going to come hobbling in, unarmed, to rescue me?”
He felt Joseph clumsily pull at the knot that bound his wrists. “I don’t see you complaining now.”
With his hands free Sebastian ripped off the blindfold and spun to face Joseph. He was pale and sweating again, shivering all over from the strain of moving himself over to Sebastian. Sebastian led him away slowly; behind one of the partitions nearby so none of the news cameras could record Joseph’s sorry state.
Sebastian tried to set Joseph down, catching him when he lost his balance and fell over all at once. He lowered himself with Joseph in his arms, curled awkwardly against Sebastian’s chest.
“Thanks, Joseph,” Sebastian said.
“Y-you scared the shit out of me, Seb.”
“Sorry.”
Sebastian pulled Joseph to him tighter, wincing with the sudden pang of regret. “Christ, I’m so sorry Joseph.”
“You aren’t the one who robbed the bank.”
“No, but I-I couldn’t do anything to keep you safe. I’m supposed to keep shit like this from happening to you.”
“And I’m supposed…to not blindly put you in a situation like that,” Joseph said, taking measured breaths between every few words, as though the mere act of talking exhausted him. “Besides, how does…volunteering to get killed for me…not count as keeping me safe?”
“I have a lot to make up to you.”
“Not saying I agree…but, I could think of something.”
“Oh? Like what?”
“Like before…in the teller’s room…”
Sebastian blinked, heat flushing across his face. “You mean…”
Joseph flashed him a shy smile and tugged feebly on his shirt collar. Sebastian followed his lead, shifting Joseph’s face up towards his and pressing their lips together gently.
“How sure are you that this isn’t the blood loss talking?” Sebastian mumbled against his cheek.
“Fairly sure,” Joseph said.
“You know I plan on double-checking that once you’re out of the hospital.”
Joseph kissed him again, trailing shaking fingers along Sebastian’s cheek. “I hope so. I’d hate for this…to have been some kind of show of pity for me.”
“You know I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“I know.”
Joseph’s little show of trust just about wrenched Sebastian’s heart sideways out of his chest. He couldn’t dwell on that though, because soon they heard cars, revving up and skidding out before being drowned out by the number of police cruisers blaring their way in pursuit.
“Guess they took off. I think it’s safe to leave now,” Sebastian said.
Joseph shifted and made to stand up.
“No, no, stop moving. I don’t want you-“ Sebastian said.
“Walking?”
“No. I don’t want you doing anything.”
Joseph sighed. “Then how exactly do I leave?”
Sebastian wrapped his arms underneath Joseph’s back and knees, lifting to carry him bridal-fashion. He’d been careful to make sure Joseph’s injured shoulder wasn’t pressed up against his chest; Joseph’s left arm hung limply, blood gathering in his palm and trailing down his fingers.
“Sebastian…th-this is-“
“You’ve been bleeding for hours. I don’t want you walking if you don’t have to.”
“-undignified,” Joseph finished, grimacing. He closed his eyes and let out a long, shuddering breath but didn’t struggle or try to move.
Sebastian almost wished he’d put up more of a fight about it. It would have made him feel better about his condition; Joseph must have been exhausted to just give up.
He moved as quickly as he could without jostling his partner and leaned backwards against the doors to open them. The light that flooded his eyes seemed almost unbearable compared to the dimly lit bank and all around him were people- officers, SWAT teams, reporters and more, chattering to a deafening roar as he emerged.
Sebastian tried to ignore the sound and staggered over to the EMS vehicle alongside the fire department’s van.
A reporter in a ridiculous-looking suit ducked in front of him. “Detective, can you tell us-“
Sebastian shouldered the man as hard as could, his frustration turned violent. Luckily the EMS team wheeled a gurney over to him, eliminating the opportunity for any other media employees to get manhandled.
He lay Joseph down as carefully as he could. Without missing a beat, the paramedics secured him to the gurney while Sebastian just stood there, hand over Joseph’s, and felt useless.
They began to wheel the stretcher away, forcing Sebastian to let go and watch forlornly as he was loaded into the ambulance. He wanted to grab one of the paramedics and ask if he could ride with them, but there was a cop walking towards him with a determined expression.
“Detective Castellanos?”
“Yeah, that’s me. Hey, look, I don’t mean to cut you off but my partner’s in that ambulance there and I really should-“
“I’m Agent Salzburg, with the FBI. Sir, I have quite a few very important questions to ask you.”
“Can’t it wait? I need to get to the hospital and-“
“No, no it cannot wait. I understand you’re probably under a lot of stress right now, but there are serious consequences if you do not cooperate and answer our questions. Now, are you in need of immediate medical attention?”
Sebastian’s mouth tightened into a grim line. He could lie, say ‘yes’, and he’d end up at the hospital, that much closer to Joseph. Still, he hated the idea of treatment, and was alarmed at the warning in the FBI agent’s tone.
“No. I’m fine.”
“Good, then come with me down to the office. You can trust the medical professionals to look after your partner for the time being.”
Sebastian scowled and followed after him.
–
Sebastian was surprised at how very little trouble they were in by the time the agent flanked by a few of his superiors let him leave. He had told them everything, even Joseph’s somewhat reckless charge to spare the civilians, seeing that there would be witnesses. He had been worried that they’d see it as an affront to the department and sack Joseph on the spot.
In the end, all he got was a toothless sermon on responsibility, the assertion that Detective Oda had comported himself respectably with public safety in mind, and the news that they had caught the robbers despite a fifteen minute head start. That bit of news satisfied Sebastian immensely.
Sebastian drove to his apartment and stuffed some spare clothes into a bag before heading to the hospital. It concerned him that things continued to swim and split in his vision, but he could see the road and steer the car straight, which was good enough for him.
He knew Joseph would be furious if he knew Sebastian was driving with a concussion. Sebastian hoped he would be too out of it to figure that out.
It was quiet in the hospital, the way hospitals always seemed unnervingly quiet to him. A nurse had helpfully guided him to where Joseph was in post-surgical care and Sebastian stood at the door to the room, taking in timed breaths to keep calm.
Joseph was asleep in the first bed visible from the doorway, looking pale and drawn. There was a curtain partitioning him from the next bed and Sebastian saw a few curious heads poke out at the intrusion. He nodded to them, not having the energy to so much as smile. He dropped into a chair by the bedside, after nudging it closer so that he could hold onto Joseph’s hand.
There was a pulse there, slow and steady, that reassured Sebastian. He’d known that he was alive, would have been called and told otherwise, but somehow the act of touching his living partner was the only thing he trusted enough to calm down.
The throbbing in Sebastian’s head insinuated itself all over, becoming an inescapable thrum of pain. It was hard to keep his eyes open. Sebastian put his head down on the edge of the bed and let himself drift off to uneasy sleep.
–
“Seb? Seb, wake up.”
Sebastian shot up, casting about in momentary panic for any sign of danger. All he found was Joseph, looking at him with a strained expression.
“Sebastian, are you alright?”
Sebastian flashed him a lopsided grin. “Fine, I’m fine. How-how’re you-“
“I’ve been better.”
“Have you talked to the doctor, or- why are you in the surgery center? Is everything okay?”
Joseph shrugged and winced. “No idea. I don’t remember too much, past you carrying me out of the bank…”
Sebastian’s face fell. “Well, shit. Hold on, I’m gonna go see if I can find a doctor.”
“Don’t bother. You know that’s not how things work around here; you’ll just annoy them. I’m sure they’ll show up sooner or later.”
“But-“
“It’s a hospital, Seb. If anything had gone wrong, I’m sure they fixed it.”
Sebastian slumped against the bed. “Fine.”
He took a moment to look Joseph over. He was covered in bandages; shoulder and arm wrapped and set in a sling, gauze taped across his nose, and butterfly bandages taping shut all kinds of shallow cuts along his face and neck.
Joseph met his gaze questioningly.
“You look terrible,” Sebastian said, frowning.
“Look who’s talking. How can you even see right with your eye swollen like that? It’s a miracle if you don’t have a concussion.”
Sebastian snorted. They sat there in companionable silence, Sebastian’s hand still firmly wrapped around Joseph’s. He had felt considerably more awkward about that after Joseph had awoken, but felt like it would be weirder if he just let go and pretended as though it hadn’t happened at all.
After a while, Joseph turned his hand so he could lace their fingers together, smiling wanly. It made something hard to define tighten in Sebastian’s chest.
“So,” Sebastian said, looking away pointedly to stare at the wall. “About what you said before, uh, at the bank-“
The creak and quiet shutting of the door interrupted him and they released each other’s hands simultaneously. A middle aged woman with her sandy hair swept into a bun walked over to Joseph’s bed, not even pausing to look up from her paperwork until Sebastian cleared his throat.
She dropped the clipboard and extended her hand. “Oh, hello there. Dr. Hudson. And you are?”
“Detective Castellanos.”
Dr. Hudson’s brows knitted together. “I’m sorry, are you here on official police business, or…?”
“Oh, no. Just, uh, visiting my partner here.”
Her expression only furrowed into deeper confusion. “Partner?”
Sebastian’s face went blank and he felt heat spread up his neck. “Partners, yes. We’re detectives. Detective partners.”
Joseph looked as though he were trying very hard to hold back laughter. Sebastian shot him a glare and turned back to the doctor.
“I was concerned regarding his condition. Why was he in surgery?” Sebastian said.
“Ah, yes. The surgery was to remove buckshot from his shoulder. He was also treated for,” Dr. Hudson clucked her tongue and flitted through the pages on the clipboard. “A broken humerus, minor fracture to the scapula, several cracked ribs, pulmonary contusion, moderate blood loss, minor lacerations to the chest, face, and neck, aaand…that’s about it!”
Sebastian looked distraught. “Is he-“
“He’ll be just fine.” She turned to Joseph. “Just don’t engage in any strenuous activity for a few weeks, don’t use that arm for about a month, and change the dressing over the entry wound every week until your follow-up. Might want to get your, um, partner to help out with that.”
Sebastian flexed his jaw. “Any prescriptions he should be aware of?”
Dr. Hudson glanced between Sebastian and Joseph suspiciously. “Well, I can release him with some Percocet to handle the pain and there’s a requisite course of antibiotics. The pharmacist can give you the dosing instructions.”
She glanced over to Sebastian. “Are you going to be his primary caretaker?”
Sebastian and Joseph answered “yes” and “no” simultaneously.
Dr. Hudson shrugged with a weary smile. “Okay. Any questions?”
“No,” Joseph said tightly.
She nodded and turned on her heel, striding out of the room before anyone else could speak up.
Joseph turned to Sebastian as soon as the door shut behind her. “What the hell was all that about?”
Sebastian scrubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Look, I just want to make sure-“
“I’m capable of taking care of myself.”
“I know that, I just-“
“Then why are you commandeering my medical care like you’re my father or something?”
“That’s not the fucking point, I know you can. I just-“
There was a rustling from the curtain and a woman’s angry face poked out. “Can you guys tone down the language over there?”
“Hey, fuck you,” Sebastian snapped, pulling the curtain closed again.
There was a pause and suddenly Joseph had clapped his hand over his mouth, trying to stifle the laughter from bubbling up. After a few seconds he bent over, coughing and wrapping his arm around his chest.
“Shit.”
“You okay?” Sebastian said.
“Yeah, just hurts to laugh.”
Sebastian sat down and dragged his hand down his face, staring at the ceiling. “I’m sorry. I- I was worried. I want to help. I didn’t mean to…undermine you or anything.”
Joseph sobered and smiled sadly at Sebastian. “It’s alright.”
“Just…you don’t have to take care of everything by yourself, you know.”
Joseph paused, looking him over seriously.
Sebastian took his hand again and squeezed it reassuringly, though he wasn’t sure which one of them he was trying to reassure. “Listen, I know it can’t have been easy for you…all of that, with me, after Myra…” Sebastian paused to clear his throat.
Joseph’s face fell. “Sebastian, you don’t have to-“
Sebastian’s voice sounded thick. “What I’m trying to say, is that I want to help and this is the least I can do for you.”
“Okay, Seb.”
Sebastian looked up sharply. “Okay?”
“Yeah, okay. If you really want to help, it’s okay.”
“Oh.” Sebastian looked away abruptly, as though he had been struck dumb by self-consciousness.
“So,” Joseph said into the ensuing silence, “what you were saying about the bank, before we were interrupted?”
That didn’t help Sebastian’s composure any; he glanced about as though he were suddenly very interested in the trappings of the hospital room. “Yeah?”
“I thought you planned on asking me about whether or not I regretted…what happened back there. If it was all pain and blood loss or something like that.”
“Well, I can’t do that now,” Sebastian said, “you’re probably all hopped up on pain meds and shit.”
Joseph rolled his eyes. “I don’t seem reasonably lucid to you?”
Sebastian hesitated, rolling his thumb against Joseph’s knuckles. He stood, leaning over to place his hand at the back of Joseph’s neck and pulled in close until their lips were just centimeters apart, noses brushing.
“Any second thoughts yet?” Sebastian said quietly.
Joseph shook his head and pulled Sebastian’s mouth flush to his. Sebastian tilted his head to let his lips work against Joseph’s languidly.
Joseph pulled back, pressing a soft kiss to the crook of Sebastian’s jaw. “Jesus, I thought I was going to lose you,” he whispered.
Sebastian wasn’t sure if he was referring to the incident at the bank, or possibly something else, something farther back in their history. The thought made Sebastian’s stomach drop with the heavy weight of his regret.
He kissed Joseph again in a silent, desperate apology; running his thumb along his cheek and parting his lips, letting his tongue trace against Joseph’s hesitantly.
Sebastian had always imagined that Joseph would be shyer, somehow. He didn’t mind admitting he was wrong, with the way Joseph yielded underneath him, enmeshing their mouths like it was the last time they’d ever see each other.
He cupped Joseph’s face with both hands, occasionally wandering to stroke over the hollow of his throat or run through his hair. Joseph’s tongue rolled across his, briefly closing their kiss to nip at his bottom lip, hot breath washing over each other’s skin.
Neither of them heard the door open.
“Mr. Oda, just here to administer- oh!” To her credit, the nurse didn’t even fumble the small tray she carried.
Sebastian stumbled back guiltily and made a show of brushing his hair back. It didn’t look anywhere near as casual as he’d wanted it to. Joseph gripped the edge of his blanket, staring resolutely at a spot in his lap. Luckily it was hard to see the way his face had colored in the dim light.
“Well, that’s reunions for you,” she said cheerfully. “Mr. Oda, I’m going to administer another dose of antibiotics and painkillers for you, alright?”
Joseph glanced at Sebastian and nodded.
The nurse readied her two syringes and fed them into Joseph’s IV. “Well, that’s all. Take it easy, gentlemen.”
She walked out briskly, pulling the curtain closed behind here. Sebastian wished desperately that he had considered that.
“Well. That certainly brings that to a screeching halt,” Sebastian murmured.
Joseph chuckled nervously. “I suppose it serves us right. Not the sort of thing to do in the middle of the hospital.”
Sebastian dropped into his chair. “Well, at least not without closing the curtain.”
They sat together, just listening to the intermittent beep of the machinery. Sebastian fidgeted with his hands.
“Hey, Joseph.”
“Yeah?”
“I was going to ask, if you, uh…if you wanted to come stay with me when you check out tomorrow. Y’know. For recovery’s sake.”
Joseph raised an eyebrow. “Recovery, hm?”
“I just figured you might…idunno, need an extra set of hands or something?”
There was an uncomfortable beat of silence.
Sebastian blanched. “Wait, no, I didn’t mean like-“
Joseph tried to keep his face straight but erupted into a grin, squeezing Sebastian’s arm in a conciliatory gesture. “Unfortunate timing.”
Sebastian gave him a wry smile. “Well, still. The offer’s open.”
Joseph reached forward with a yawn and touched the top of Sebastian’s hand, movement slow and his gaze heavy-lidded.
‘I’d like that, Seb,” he said sedately.
“Now, get some rest before the drugs really kick in and you start saying weird shit.”
Joseph’s eyes were already closed, hand relaxing against Sebastian’s. Sebastian held onto his hand, staring contemplatively at his partner for a long time. Eventually he let go, pulling the blanket up over Joseph and pausing to run a hand through his hair.
Sebastian leaned over and kissed his forehead. He fought down the agonizing sensation of familiarity at the scene, at the fact that he had been in a very similar position before. It stung at a very raw place inside him, made him feel the stab of guilt that he was betraying her.
She was gone though. Joseph was there, and while he had no intention of losing Joseph too, he was determined to make sure nothing happened without him knowing the truth. Even if Joseph weren’t awake or sober enough to hear or understand it yet. Sebastian had to believe there’d be time for him to repeat himself later.
“Love you,” Sebastian whispered against Joseph’s skin, stroking his hair back.
He took a moment to swallow down the tumult of emotions threatening to break out of him in a fit of confused sobbing. Instead, he laced his fingers around Joseph’s hand and tried to focus on the warm, steady pulse there, hoping his own heartbeat would slow to match it.
Sebastian fell asleep with his head against the back of the chair, counting the seconds between each heartbeat.