Fake Fan Fiction ❯ That Which Does Not Kill You ❯ Something Wicked This Way Comes ( Chapter 2 )

Okay, I'm sorry this one took so long to post, guys. It took forever for me to get it just how I wanted it, and honestly, it still doesn't feel quite right. It's really hard to portray JJ in this kind of light, because he's usually so bouncy and cheerful. So if I didn't do it right, I'm sorry. This is new territory for me, and this chapter is an experiment of sorts.

 

Regardless of lack of decent characterization, I hope you enjoy this chapter at least a little. It's sort of a plot setup of sorts—nothing really happens, but it sets the stage so that something can happen.

 

So…onward, men! -brandishes sword-

 

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Chapter 2—Something Wicked This Way Comes

 

JJ was an unusually jittery person. It was the reason that so many people were annoyed by him, and it was the first thing that Drake had noticed when they'd met. In fact, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for one to assume that that inability to remain calm was what had attracted Drake to the man in the first place.

 

It was one of the things that Drake loved most about his partner. He thoroughly enjoyed that incessant energy, that ever-present bounce in JJ's step, that agitation that sprung, not from nerves, but from a zest for life that was unequaled by anyone that had ever taken up residence in Drake's life

 

But JJ was not jittery now. He never was just before an assignment.

 

JJ loved his job, he really did. He loved it, and he was damn good at it. But no one ever really wants to shoot, for any reason, and JJ was no different.

 

So when he ascended the ladder to the roof that stood across from the bank, giving him a clear view of the goings-on inside and providing a clear shot (should he have to take one), he did so with an unusual tension in his muscles.

 

But JJ was good at his job and he was nothing if not experienced. When the time came, he would pull the trigger with deadly accuracy.

 

And he would do it without remorse.

 

-----

 

Drake watched apprehensively as his lover's face took on a look of grim determination and he started up the ladder. He always felt strangely tense and nervous whenever JJ was called upon to shoot—not because he had no faith in the sharpshooter's skill, but because without a little bit of luck, skill was virtually worthless in a job like JJ's.

 

Still, he couldn't help feeling just a little bit proud as he felt JJ lean up to give him a kiss before running off to his work.

 

God, he loved that man…

 

-----

 

Ryo felt his heart clench in fear as the sun began to set; visibility would be a lot poorer now, but if the hostage negotiator hadn't had any sort of success yet, it didn't seem like she was going to.

 

It looked like JJ would have no choice but to shoot, and to a man whose entire life (or at least, half of it) was inside that bank, the idea of anyone opening fire on the place was absolutely terrifying.

 

Dee wasn't faring much better, but if there was anything the man was good at, it was being strong when strength should have been next to impossible for a person to find.

 

Ryo and Dee had that in common.

 

“Don't worry, guys,” Drake said, coming up to stand beside them and noticing the apprehensive looks on their faces. “JJ's the best in the biz—next to Ryo, of course.” (This earned him a small smile, which reassured him.) “I give it an hour before you've got your kid back and you're all sitting at home forgetting about all of this.”

Ryo smiled. “I know. You're right.”

 

Drake grinned. “Aren't I always?”

 

-----

 

But this time, Drake was wrong…

 

JJ succeeded in his mission, yes; all hostages were released unharmed and Bikky wasted no time in running into the arms of his fathers.

 

The problem?

 

Not everyone left the bank alive.

 

-----

 

JJ sighed in mild irritation as he knelt on the rooftop and watched the goings-on inside the building. It should have been the perfect viewpoint, but the lack of lighting inside the bank severely hindered his view.

 

But JJ had this job for a reason, and the shadows weren't going to deter him from doing it.

 

Time passed slowly. The sun began to set, and still there was no movement inside the bank.

 

JJ's legs had fallen asleep by the time something finally happened.

 

Inside the building, a patch of vanilla-colored hair suddenly shot across the floor, then hit the ground and skidded across the tile. A split second later, Bikky was pulled to his feet and a gun was jammed against his head. Even from here, JJ could see the infuriated look on the boy's face as he kicked his captor in the shins and made another bid for freedom.

 

But this wasn't a fair fight. It was one boy against a grown man with a loaded gun and issues that Freud himself would be baffled by, and JJ knew what he had to do.

 

It felt like hours, but only seconds passed before JJ saw his opening, and he took it.

 

The gun's bang drowned out all other sound, but he found the noise soothing rather than jarring; it was a noise that he was used to.

 

It meant that the job was getting done.

 

The bullet traveled through the window and hit its target with pinpoint accuracy. Bikky jerked free and jumped to the side, the man's gun fell to the floor, and he crumpled after it.

 

The silence was deafening.

 

-----

 

There had only been one other time in the entire course of his career when JJ's aim had been less than absolutely perfect.

 

The target had died in that instance, too.

 

JJ hadn't felt any better about it then, but this time there was one notable difference. This time, Drake was there to hold him and murmur comforting words and love him regardless of all the reasons he shouldn't have to.

 

Drake was the one thing that kept JJ sane as he watched the criminal being taken out on a stretcher, a sheet pulled over his head to hide the wide, sightless eyes that would stare upward without seeing until such time as someone decided to close them.

 

Ryo and Dee didn't stay long; Ryo was anxious to get Bikky home and to the sleep that the boy had missed out on for well over twenty-four hours. So the two stayed just long enough to hug JJ, thank him, offer their support, and extract a promise from the blue-haired man that he would call if they could be of any help at all.

 

The two looked preoccupied and decidedly concerned as they left the scene, but it was nothing compared to what Drake looked like as he listened to JJ give his report to the commissioner. He didn't say anything, didn't do anything; he simply stood there, careful to just be close.

 

-----

 

The sun was peeking over the horizon by the time they finally returned to JJ's apartment. JJ went immediately to the bedroom, his movements mechanical as he grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom without saying a word to his lover.

 

Drake sighed heavily as he changed and dropped onto the bed, listening to the shower in the next room and frowning deeply.

 

What the hell was he going to say to JJ?

 

The frown became more pronounced. Drake already knew the answer. There was nothing to say.

 

And that was a very, very difficult thing to accept.

 

He was still lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, when a weight dropped down on the bed next to him and a warm body curled up next to his. His arms came up to hold JJ in a tight, possessive grip, and he buried his face in the abnormally colored hair that had tucked itself neatly under his chin.

 

JJ lay there in silence for a long while, his body abnormally tense against Drake's. Usually, when they lay together like this, the man was almost boneless, completely relaxed; now, however, his muscles were like stone and he didn't even seem to notice who he was holding on to.

 

Then, all of a sudden, he expelled all of his breath in a huge sigh and his body relaxed as leaned up to plant a kiss on his lover's cheek. “I love you, Drake.”

 

Drake blinked in confusion and looked down at him. “I love you, too.”

 

Several more minutes of quiet passed.

 

“JJ, are you okay?”

 

After a pause, JJ replied, “No.”

 

“Oh.”

 

JJ chuckled. “I will be, though. I promise.”

 

“…You shouldn't make promises like that.”

 

“Why not?” JJ asked, propping his chin on Drake's chest and meeting his eyes. “I was fine last time.”

 

Drake blinked. “Last time?”

 

JJ nodded. “I'm a sharpshooter, Drake. Do you really think this is the first time I've killed somebody?”

 

There was a long silence, during which Drake gave his boyfriend a long, searching look. “No. But I also don't think you're fooling you any more than you're fooling me.”

 

There was no answer, aside from JJ's averted gaze.

 

“You know you can talk to me, JJ. About anything.”

 

“…I know.” A pause, then he continued in a softer tone. “But…there's really not much to say, is there? It happened. I can't change it, I can't fix it. I just have to…live with it. And I can live with it, Drake.”

 

Drake studied him for another moment, then pulled him in for a soft, gentle kiss. “I know you can. And…I'm here for you. Always, okay?”

 

JJ chuckled ruefully. “And that makes you…pretty much the best thing that ever happened to me, doesn't it?”

 

It was Drake's turn to laugh now. “Do I sense just the slightest bit of sarcasm, Mr. Adams?”

 

“No, of course not.” JJ's eyes were serious as they met Drake's. “I'm completely serious, love.”

 

“For the first time ever,” Drake replied, his eyes twinkling with humor as he pulled JJ close for a long, deep kiss that expressed everything he couldn't put into words.

 

-----

 

That night, for the first time in a very long time, JJ had a nightmare.

 

He didn't remember it when he woke up; all he knew was that his heart was doing its level best to pound its way out of his chest, he was covered in a thick sheen of sweat and his arms were clinging to Drake like a lifeline.

 

Drake, for his part, held his lover and whispered soothing words; he didn't even think about what he was saying. He just said whatever came into his head, and it must have helped, because JJ eventually stopped trembling. In fact, he stopped moving completely, though his arms never loosened their hold on the man next to him.

 

“Are you okay?” Drake asked, at least a quarter of an hour after the shaking stopped.

 

JJ nodded.

 

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

 

He shook his head.

 

“Okay. Go back to sleep. I'll be right here, okay? I won't leave, I promise.”

 

“Okay. Love you.”

 

Drake smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of JJ's head. “I love you, too.”

 

Always.