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“Shu, your regular customer is here!”
“Don't call him a regular customer!” Shu rolls his eyes as he hits Claude with his clipboard, only to be met with more laughter. True enough when he steps out of ER after finishing his rounds, he sees that familiar cat-eared black hoodie by the vending machine.
“No banks to rob today, Boss?”
The loud clatter of metal resounds the area. Promptly, the man grabs for the items he bought – a pack of chocolate chip cookies and a can of coffee, which he immediately hands to Shu.
“Too boring,” he says. “People might need their money for the holidays, anyway.”
“So thoughtful.”
“Hey, I can be nice!”
Shu laughs as he pops the tab open, taking a huge swig of his coffee. He's never really liked vending machine coffees, the taste too metallic for his liking. But most times he just has to make do with what he has, given the hectic life in the ER and the most convenient caffeine Shu can get is from the vending machine.
He doesn't know how he managed to pique the interest of Luca Kaneshiro, the town's notorious leader of the infamous gang Golden Cubs. Shu is just an ordinary trauma surgeon finally clocking out after 32 hours of being on his feet.
He was standing in front of the darned vending machine, mindlessly choosing 8D when he felt something cold, hard, and metallic being pressed on his waist.
Well.
It isn't as if this is his first time being held hostage. In a town like this, such an occurrence is common. Normal, even. It's just a matter of hoping that the gang member doesn't take away your life.
“Can you at least let me drink my coffee first?” Shu says, nonchalant. “I won't sound the alarm. Just let me be caffeinated.”
The man nods. “Do it fast,” he says. “If I don't get to rob at least one bank, you're screwed.” Oh, he has a smooth sounding voice. Shu would have loved to take his time to appreciate it if he isn't being threatened at the moment.
He has half the mind to headbutt the guy. Kick him in the balls. Disarm him. He's trained for that.
Instead, Shu grabs his can of coffee and follows the man to his car obediently.
“You're surprisingly docile for a hostage.” The man chuckles, stepping on the gas pedal as they speed past the hospital, running through traffic lights and swerving from one lane to another. Shu feels his heart rate pick up from the rush, his coffee lays unopened.
“I just wanted this to be over with so I can go home and sleep.” He gives himself a pat on the back for not sounding nervous the more the needle on the speedometer rises.
“You think you can still sleep after this?”
No.
“I hope so.”
The man hums. “We're still ways ahead from the bank,” he says. “Go ahead and sleep. I'll just wake you up when it's showtime.”
They never did end up robbing a bank that night. They went to five different banks, all of which had been robbed by smaller gangs already. Instead, they ended up eating burgers at 4 am.
“What is something you've always wanted to see, Doc?” Boss asks. Shu slaps his hand away when he tries to grab for his fries.
“Fireworks.”
“You haven't seen one? Ever?”
“I have,” Shu says. “It's just that I haven't seen one in a long while ever since I started my residency, I think. I can't remember when's the last time I actually celebrated New Year. Gotta be on your feet, y'know? And on the times that I'm outside, it's because I'm tending to an emergency call to even notice the fireworks.”
Boss hums, apropos of nothing.
The sun has fully risen by the time Boss drops Shu off to his apartment.
“Take care, Doc,” he yells from his car. “Don't get yourself hostaged by anyone again.”
“Mm don't do more crimes then, Boss.” Shu waves goodbye, watching as the sleek black car roars away from his sight.
At present, Luca offers his pack of cookies to Shu while they sit by the curb, playing I Spy and counting the cars passing by.
By the entrance of the ER, Shu can see Claude peeking with that mischievous grin of his. When he notices Shu looking, he leaves momentarily, only to return with Elira from Reception, pointing at them. Elira puckers her lips and points at the gang leader.
“Your friends look like they're having fun.”
“Don't mind them.” Shu stands up and gathers their trash, ignoring the warm flush on his cheeks at the insinuation. Wow, would you look at that? It's hot in winter. Yeah. Global warming.
It's almost midnight, almost the end of the year and the start of the new. Any time now, the calls will arrive – someone's hand got burned. Worse, a firecracker exploded on them. There is no such thing as rest for someone like Shu.
Unless…
“Thanks for the coffee, Boss.” He smiles earnestly. Even in that brief moment, Shu is able to get some sort of celebration outside of his normal. But just as he nears the ER, he feels an arm wrap around his waist and a pressure pressing on his temple.
Unlike the first time this happened, the gun is Luca's finger.
“I'm taking your precious doctor hostage,” Luca says in that suave voice of his to Claude and Elira who are still standing guard by the door. Shu holds his hands up in fake surrender.
If he leans in closer to Luca's chest, well… nobody has to know.
Despite being separated by glass, Shu can hear Elira's shrieks and Claude's laughter as Luca pulls him away.
“I thought you're not robbing a bank today.”
“I'm not.” The gang leader chuckles. “But I'm still taking you hostage.”
Luca's arm never really left Shu's waist even as he leads them to where the familiar black sports car is parked. Wordlessly, Shu walks toward the passenger seat and buckles his seatbelt. The familiar smooth hum of the engine roars to life and it’s not long before the hospital vanishes from their view.
Life at the ER is crazy enough. Yet still, Luca manages to add even more thrill, taking Shu to places he has never been to in his car that goes beyond speed limits.
He's out there saving lives.
And Luca is here giving more excitement to Shu's life.
Wow, that sounds… corny.
It's bad enough that he's gotten the interest of the leader of Golden Cubs. It's worse that Shu has placed his full trust on him. He doesn't know where they're headed to. He just trusts Luca to take him wherever.
They speed past the streets, the buildings and the bright LED lights turning into a myriad of colors until they reach the relatively quieter part of town. Still, people are outside of their homes, blowing horns and clanging what seem like pot lids.
Oh.
Right.
It's almost midnight.
Which means…
Shu takes a quick glance at Luca. His eyes are focused on the road before them, still in that relaxed state even as the car accelerates further, that familiar smirk gracing his lips.
He can't help but hide a smile of his own.
“You should have just told me you'd take me to go see fireworks.”
Beside him, Luca chuckles. “Aww, but that won't be fun if I spoiled the surprise!”
There's still five minutes before the clock strikes 12. From a distance, Shu can see fireworks lighting up the sky. Some people can't wait, it seems.
And he, too, can't wait to see what more exciting adventures next year holds for him and the gang leader.