Work Text:
Almost dying really changes your perception of the world- it changes Jeffrey’s, at least.
If TV and movies have taught him anything, it’s that your life will probably flash before your eyes when you’re dying. So, as Jeffrey is bleeding out on the ground, that’s what he expects to see: Snapshots of his pathetic little life, smoking weed behind the bleachers in high school, getting a lousy job as a pizza delivery guy to fuel his bad habits, and other boring, shitty memories.
That’s not what ends up happening, though.
Instead, Jeffrey sees everything his life could’ve been. He sees all of the good things he could’ve done if he hadn’t agreed to be a sketchy company’s lab rat for a few measly bucks. He sees a future where he’s something more than the weak, pathetic guy he’s always been- a future where he’s somebody to someone, and he doesn’t have to die alone like he is right now.
But, he’s not really alone, is he?
It’s the mention of Wallace that eventually brings him back from the brink- he almost wishes something cooler than that would’ve happened, like he finds the strength to go on from thinking about a better life for himself, but nope. It’s his dead fucking hamster that resuscitates him.
Whatever. He’ll take it. It’s better than being dead.
When he’s a little more coherent and not bleeding out onto the ground anymore, he can hear some voices begin to materialize over his body, which is currently laid out on the floor. Distantly, he realizes that his head is being propped up on something that isn’t the cold, slimy ground, which is strange but that’s a problem for later.
“We should head back to the energy room,” He hears Benito, that asshole, say above his head. “That’s the last place we saw Mikael. Before, ya know, pizza boy killed him.”
“I did’t kill ‘im,” Jeffrey slurs from his place on the floor, but he’s quickly shushed by a voice he can’t see nor does he recognize.
“Maybe we should give Jeff a second here,” He hears Diego’s voice reply, a little sheepishly. When he realizes who’s speaking, Jeffrey immediately remembers that Diego just saved his life, and he never actually thanked the man for that, which is pretty rude of him. So, he opens his mouth to do just that but, before he can, the same voice is shushing him yet again.
“He, uh. He did almost die, after all. Maybe he should take a moment to catch his breath, you know?” Diego continues nervously.
“You’re not looking so great either, Diego,” Lucie points out, and Jeffrey can barely make out the sound of the other man humming in agreement. Then, he hears Benito huff agitatedly under his breath in response, and it’s just so very him.
“Fine,” The doctor sighs, clearly annoyed. “Only five minutes though, clear? We need to go soon, just in case another one of those freaky fucks starts chasing us again. I don’t think Jeffrey is making it out of that a second time.”
“Fuck you,” Jeffrey spits out from his position on the floor. He thinks he raises a hand to flip the doctor off, but he can’t really feel his limbs right now so he’s unsure. But, he doesn’t get a response to either of those things- instead, he hears the sounds of people chatting quietly and footsteps walking away.
He panics internally for a second, afraid they’re going to leave him behind, so he quickly begins to shoot up from the floor. The first thing he realizes when he does this, is that his fucking head really hurts. His brain feels like it’s pounding against his skull, and he has to swallow the bile that immediately rises in the back of his throat. He only makes it about halfway off of the floor before his vision blurs so badly he collapses right back onto the ground-
Or, well, he would’ve collapsed back onto the ground, if there wasn’t something warm and firm there to break his fall instead.
The second thing he realizes is that his head is currently being propped up by someone else’s lap. Someone’s hard and muscular lap.
“Careful,” A husky voice from above him warns- presumably, the owner of the lap. “Get up slowly, before you faint again.” Finally, through process of elimination, he realizes who the voice belongs to. And, when he does, his stomach immediately drops into his ass.
“Luis?” He asks groggily, just in case he’s managed to sustain some sort of traumatic head injury that’s conjuring up images he could only have in his wildest dreams- or, worse, he had died and gone to heaven. Finally, he’s able to blink the crust out of his eyes and force them to look at something that isn’t the blank ceiling.
Sure enough, when he shifts his line of sight, there’s Luis, his dark brown eyes boring down into Jeffrey, looking at him with something akin to concern. “Are you okay?” Luis asks him, his brows furrowing slightly as his eyes roam across Jeffrey’s face.
Jeffrey should respond to his question- but, maybe it’s blood loss or the fact that he’s a complete fool, because instead Jeffrey finds himself saying, “Luis, I’m… I’m in your lap.” It’s not even a question, because Jeffrey knows he’s in Luis’s lap. But, the thought of the other man letting him take a quick nap on his lap is too bizarre to be true.
Thankfully, Luis just exhales a chuckle at his statement. “Well, yeah,” He replies, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “I wasn’t just gonna let you bleed out all over the floor.”
So he let Jeffrey bleed out all over his lap instead. Well, that was nice of him. Jeffrey isn’t sure he would be nice enough to let some dude he barely knows almost die in his lap…
That thought finally shakes him out of his stupor. He’s been dying in Luis’s lap- he almost died in Luis’s lap. He doesn’t know when he started fading in and out of consciousness, so who knows how long he’s been hanging all over Luis?
Frantically, he attempts to push himself off of the ground- off of Luis’s lap -once again. He fares a little better this time, planting his hands onto the cold ground and getting into a sort of crunch-position. But, yet again, he wrenches himself up too quickly, and he immediately feels his vision begin to swim with nausea.
But, before he has a chance to fall back down onto the ground, a firm hand is pressing into his shoulder blades, helping him sit up the rest of the way. “I just said to be careful,” Luis sighs, almost exasperated. “Get up slowly.”
With the help of the hand on his back, Jeffrey is able to force himself into a sitting position. For a few moments after he’s settled, the hand lingers there, and Jeffrey is almost afraid to breathe. But, finally, Luis drops his arm, and Jeffrey is able to turn himself around so he’s looking at Luis directly.
“Dude, I’m really sorry,” Jeffrey immediately apologizes, waving his arms frantically in Luis’s general direction. “I didn’t mean to, like, die all over you. I hope I didn’t get a bunch of blood on your pants.”
To his surprise, Luis snorts in response, giving Jeffrey a look that can only be described as… Well, as fond. That can’t be right, though. Because why would a guy like Luis ever be looking at Jeffrey with anything even close to fondness?
It must be a trick of the light, Jeffrey convinces himself.
“I was already pretty nasty before you died in my lap, man,” Luis points out, before he lifts his hands and begins to brush off said nastiness with them- probably for Jeffrey’s benefit. “Anyways, it doesn’t bother me. It wouldn’t be the first time.”
He does that a lot, Jeffrey notes; saying things in a casual tone that are decidedly not casual, like mentioning that he’s apparently held someone while they’ve died before. Also, Luis knows how to shoot guns and he’s killed people before, and maybe this information should make Jeffrey feel wary of this guy, but all it does is leave him wanting to know more about him.
“How are you, though?” Luis is quick to change the subject, staring into Jeffrey with those hard, piercing eyes. “Feeling okay? Do you need to lay down again?”
In Jeffrey’s fuddled brain, the question sounds a lot like, “Do you need to lay down in my lap again?” So, he almost says yes, but swallows it down before he can.
“Nah, I’m good,” Jeffrey says instead, even though it isn’t necessarily true. His head is pounding, and he feels like he could throw up the meager contents of his stomach at any moment, and he thinks a slight breeze might be enough to take him out. But, he doesn’t want to seem weaker than he already very much does, so he doesn’t voice any of that aloud.
He holds his hands out in front of himself and clenches them into fists, checking to make sure none of his fingers had broken during the scuffle. His breath immediately strangles him, though, when suddenly Luis is reaching out and taking his hands into his own.
“You’re still shaking really badly, man,” Luis points out, flipping Jeffrey’s hands over and examining them. For a second, Jeffrey almost blurts out that he’s probably shaking so hard because Luis is holding his fucking hands, before he finally realizes just how cold it is in the room.
“Well, yeah,” Jeffrey says, watching with awe as Luis stares down at his hands, almost reverently. “It’s, like, frozen in here. Aren’t you cold?”
“Not really,” Luis responds casually, continuing to hold Jeffrey’s hands while he shrugs. But, when Jeffrey follows the movement of the man’s arms with his eyes, he can’t help but notice the way Luis’s biceps and shoulders shake, obviously fighting off the cold.
“You’re shaking, too,” Jeffrey points out, not unkindly. In response, Luis just tightens his grip on Jeffrey’s hands, as if keeping tension in his body will somehow make him less cold- or, at least, less visibly cold. It’s such an immature gesture from a mostly stoic guy, and the thought makes a slight smile stretch on Jeffrey’s lips.
“Okay, but I think you’re mostly shaking from adrenaline, you know?” Luis explains, before he flips his hands so that the back of Jeffrey’s are resting on Luis’s palms. They both watch as Jeffrey’s fingers begin to twitch and shake, while Luis’s sturdy hands keep them aloft.
“I guess almost dying will fill you with a ton of adrenaline?” Jeffrey muses as he stares at the way his body shakes without his permission. He thinks he remembers something like that from highschool biology; his body was preparing for fight or flight (probably flight, if he’s being realistic), and now all of his extra adrenaline from doing neither is making him all jumpy.
He wrenches his eyes away from his own hands and looks towards Luis to get his opinion, since the other man obviously knows more about near-death experiences than Jeffrey. But, to his surprise, Luis has his gaze firmly fixated on Jeffrey, his face scrunched up in what can only be described as guilt.
“I’m sorry,” He apologizes, and Jeffrey can’t help but furrow his brows in confusion. What could Luis possibly have to be sorry for?
Noticing Jeffrey’s confused expression, he adds, “I shouldn’t have left you out here to die. I was supposed to be protecting everyone, and those fucking monsters almost killed you. They were this close, man.”
Normally, Jeffrey would probably be too busy freaking out about contemplating his own near death to console Luis- but, for some reason, he doesn’t want to do anything but assuage the other man’s guilty conscience. Luis is a total badass who has absolutely no problem punching ugly monsters in the face- he shouldn’t have to feel anything but pride for everything he’s done for all of them today.
He tells Luis as much, “Dude, don’t even worry about it. You were awesome just now!” When Luis’s face morphs into one of disbelief, Jeffrey can’t help but flip his wrists around so he can squeeze the other man’s hands properly. “Seriously! You should’ve seen yourself man! With the gun, and then the lighter, and the way you punched those ugly motherfuckers in the face. You’re incredible!”
And, it’s probably just because of the cold air around them, but Jeffrey watches as Luis’s nose brightens in a delightful shade of pink. He gets the urge to tease the other man about it but, of course, he holds his tongue.
“I don’t know what I would’ve done if you died, man,” Luis admits, softly and gruffly. Despite his blush, his eyes look unbearably sad, and Jeffrey knows this is the face of someone who has had to see people he’s cared about die before. All Jeffrey wants to do is wipe that expression away- forever, preferably.
Before he has a second to actually think about what he’s doing, Jeffrey leans forward ever so slightly, as he reorients his hands so their fingers tangle together. He expects Luis to immediately yank his hands away, tell Jeffrey that he was just checking him for injuries and he doesn’t have to make it weird- but, he doesn’t.
Instead, Luis just turns his own wrists so that their fingers can intertwine properly- and, just like that, they’re holding hands.
Jeffrey shoots the other man what he hopes is a reassuring grin, as he squeezes Luis’s hands and says, “But, the point is I didn’t die. I’m right here, dude.” To emphasize this, Jeffrey squeezes Luis’s hands for a second time, before continuing, “And, maybe you don’t feel too great about yourself right now, but there’s not a doubt in my mind that, if another ugly fuck tries to bite my face off again, you’ll be there to save me.”
“You’re Superman after all, remember?” Jeffrey exclaims, not a drop of insincerity in his tone.
For a few moments, Luis stares at him silently, that same look of doubt and desperation on his face. But, then, to Jeffrey’s delight, the other man’s lips finally pull into a reluctant smile.
“I told you, it’s Super-Mexican,” Luis corrects him playfully, squeezing Jeffrey’s hands in return. In response, Jeffrey barks out a surprised laugh, which only makes Luis’s smile brighter.
“Sure, man, whatever you want,” Jeffrey agrees quickly, voice soft. For a few seconds, they just stare at each other, both grinning a bit too happily for their current situation. They both gaze at each other for what should be an uncomfortably long time- especially since Jeffrey usually hates eye contact -but for whatever reason (he knows exactly what the reason is), he can’t bring himself to look away.
Their impromptu staring contest is broken by Luis opening his mouth to say, “You know, when we get out of here, we should get some pizza.”
Apparently, because Jeffrey is an idiot, his brain doesn’t process this statement properly, and instead of a normal response he says, “Yeah, sure man, I can deliver you a pizza whenever you want.”
To his horror, Luis snorts at his words, his eyes crinkling in amusement. But, even amidst Jeffrey’s own embarrassment, he still can’t help but notice how good Luis looks when he’s truly, genuinely happy.
“No, I mean like. Us. We should get pizza,” Luis clarifies, and Jeffrey is stunned, because why the hell would the G.I Joe doll turned walking, talking male model want to get pizza with him? Mistaking Jeffrey’s stunned amazement for confusion, Luis adds, “Like… Together?”
“Yeah, okay,” Jeffrey replies dumbly, still stunned. Luis’s smile suddenly turns bashful, and Jeffrey never thought he’d get to use the word bashful to describe the usually aloof man.
Jeffrey makes Luis bashful. Huh. What a crazy realization.
And, because Jeffrey is apparently addicted to self-sabotage, he clumsily adds, “It’s a date, then.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, he wishes he could grab them and shove them back in, into the deepest recesses of his rotted brain, because why the fuck did he say that?
He wouldn’t blame Luis if the man decided to finally shut things down here- Jeffrey expects him to do that, actually. He was already pushing his luck when he decided to thread their fingers together; there’s no way Luis would let Jeffrey think this interaction was anything other than platonic.
But, to his surprise, Luis doesn’t drop his hands and give him a disgusted look like he anticipates. Instead, the man just continues to smile gently at him, as he says, “Sure. It’s a date.”
And… Jeffrey now has a date. With the hottest man he’s ever seen in his entire life.
Wild.
“Alright, time’s up!” Benito’s grating voice calls out from somewhere Jeffrey can’t see. He resists the urge to groan and roll his eyes as the other man continues, “Let’s move, people! I’d like to get out of here today, please.”
Luis gives him a reluctant smile as he says, “You heard him. Let’s go.” Finally, to Jeffrey’s disappointment, Luis releases his grip on his hands, before pushing himself off of the ground.
But, that’s okay. Because he has a date to look forward to, after all. The sooner they all get out of here, the sooner he’ll get to go on a date with probably the man of his dreams. Obviously, that’s all the encouragement he needs.
So, Jeffrey shifts his position on the floor, planting his hands on the ground and saying a quick prayer that he doesn’t immediately pass out when he stands up. But, before he gets a chance to rise from the ground, a large hand is suddenly entering his field of vision.
And, when he shifts his gaze up, there’s Luis, giving him a friendly smile and offering to help him up. Usually, Jeffrey hates feeling this weak, but, distantly, he realizes that he doesn’t mind making an exception for today.
Jeffrey immediately takes the offered hand, before Luis is pulling him off of the floor with just one arm, like Jeffrey’s body weight is absolutely nothing to him. Although, this makes sense, considering Luis had carried him only a little while ago.
The memory makes blood rush to Jeffrey’s cheeks, and he prays that Luis doesn’t notice his embarrassment.
He must not though, because, before Jeffrey can even blink, Luis is throwing an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close. “You’re still super cold, man,” Luis explains, running a hand up and down Jeffrey’s arm- to warm him up, apparently. “Let’s get out of here before you freeze to death.”
Jeffrey certainly doesn’t feel cold anymore- with the arm wrapped around him and the flush in his cheeks, Jeffrey actually thinks he may be on fire. But, if Luis is only holding him because he wants to warm Jeffrey up, he’s certainly not going to contradict him.
“Sounds good,” Jeffrey replies, as casually as he’s able to. He lets Luis lead him towards the energy room- even though he’s actually the one who knows where that is, not Luis, but whatever -and fights the urge to rest his cheek on the other man’s shoulder.
But, in the meantime, he’s comforted by the idea that, maybe someday, he won’t have to fight that urge anymore. He’s not sure when exactly that someday will come, but he’s willing to wait as long as he needs to for it to become a reality.
For now, all he has to do is survive. And, he realizes that he just might be able to, as long as he has Luis by his side.