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A gunshot resonates through the dark, wet alley. Moran’s arm doesn’t falter from his position, his golden eyes wandering from side to side to make sure the victim doesn’t have backup coming. He listens for a few seconds then decides the coast is clear for him to check on the, hopefully dead, body.
The figure, Moran believes, fell into a puddle in the alley, and due to Moran shooting them in the heart, they should be dead. A wound like that would render them useless in any situation, and if they had fallen face first into the puddle, they likely would have drowned in it. A pathetic way to die.
Sliding his pistol into his coat, he approaches the body. He’s not off put by a dead body, he’s dealt with more than he can count. But in this situation, there’s a sense of dread approaching him. A sense that maybe, this time he should just shoot them in the head and make sure they’re gone for good and not check thoroughly like how Sir Moriarty had taught him. Though the feeling lingers, Moran won’t allow himself to do a subpar job. Kneeling next to the body, he checks the neck for a pulse. Nothing. As he moves his hand away from the cold flesh and onto his knee, he notices the familiar blonde color of the figure’s hair. Perhaps it was someone he was acquainted with before?
Curiousity is part of human nature, Moran’s behavior is no exception from this statement. Cautiously, he grabs hold of the figure’s shoulder to flip him over and.
-
Moran wakes up in a cold sweat, sitting upright fast enough to knock his partner off the bed with a quiet thud and “Ow!”
He’s alive, right? He couldn’t have hallucinated that small voice, he couldn’t have imagined the feeling of his embrace for those few moments.
His heart must be beating out of his chest, and his breathing refuses to slow down. The room’s lights flickering on surprise him, only riling him up more. He looks across the room and sees Shinbashi, the man he had just killed, standing by the lamp on their bedside table rubbing his eye.
“It’s...” The blonde yawns and glances at the clock. “Three.. In the morning, Moran...” His voice is drawn out, almost slurred from just waking up. Sleepy he may be, with his messy bangs and stolen shirt from Moran hanging off his shoulder, he’s still very much alive. “Eh..? You look pale as a sheet, y’alright?”
Moran doesn’t know how to answer, his heart still pulsing hard in his chest enough for him to clearly hear it in his head. Shinbashi doesn’t wait for an answer, sliding back into bed with him and hugging his forearm to look up at the taller man. “Moran, answer me, please?”
It takes Moran a few moments to articulate himself, stumbling over his words like Shinbashi’s never heard before. But Shinbashi is a patient soul, gently stroking Moran’s back to calm him down. “You.. You were gone,” is all Moran manages to say, teardrops forming at the corners of his eyes.
Shinbashi, knowing a great deal of Moran’s past already, can piece together what happened from that statement alone. He knows that before he got here, he was an assassin. His lifestyle was killing. Death and killing were all he knew, and the trauma of that caused him to have vivid nightmares. Sometimes involving losing his beloved Shinbashi. This is something Shinbashi can’t hold against his partner. He knows that deep in his heart, he would never lay a scratch on Shinbashi, but the mind is cruel. It shows him things he doesn’t want to see. It wants him to remember his bloody roots.
Laying his cheek against Moran’s bicep, Shinbashi lets out a breathy sigh. “But I’m here now, aren’t I?” He nuzzles his cheek some and squeezes Moran’s arm to drive the point home. “I’m here. I’m alive, living and breathing Arata Shinbashi.” Placing his hand on Moran’s chest, he can feel his heartbeat slow down. “You’re alive too. You’re alive and well, Moran.” Shinbashis hands glide away from Moran’s back and arm as he moves to sit on his knees in front of his partner, reaching out to hold both of his hands. “You’re safe,” he says with a soft, reassuring smile and a light squeeze to each of Moran’s hands.
Moran, being an ex assassin, has been taught how to sense when people are lying or even exaggerating. He senses no lies from his partner. Shinbashi’s words leave him feeling warm, reassured and, most importantly, safe. He can’t say anything yet, but Shinbashi won’t pressure him to respond, instead he simply wipes a tear away from Moran’s face with his hand before cupping his cheek. If he were to describe comfort as one feeling, the feeling of Shinbashi’s hand on his cheek would be just that. Still at a loss for words, he shakily places his larger, calloused hand on top of Shinbashi’s. He’s still so small, Moran notes, but size doesn’t matter when it comes to comfort.
Leaning into Shinbashi’s hand, he smiles softly in the dim light of their lamp, tears no longer flowing. “Thank you.” That’s all he can say for now, but those two words mean the world to Shinbashi in that moment.
“There’s nothing to really thank me for, y’know...!” Shinbashi leans forward and plants a quick kiss on Moran’s cheek. “I love you, don’t forget that, alright? And I promise I’ll NEVER leave you, after all, who’s gonna be my teddy bear then?”
Teddy bear was still a nickname Moran couldn’t quite wrap his head around, but that’s fine. He shuts his eyes and sighs fondly before pulling himself and Shinbashi down onto their bed. Moran holds him tight and the motion is reciprocated from Shinbashi who holds him just as tight. “I love you too. And I promise I’ll always be here to protect you.”
His purpose is no longer to kill every single one of Sir Moriarty’s enemies and gather intel. His purpose is to live, both for himself and his lover. His purpose is to be there for Shinbashi, and Shinbashi will be there for him, too.