Chapter Text
The keys to the cellar clinked in Ryan’s hand, the ominous sound the only thing breaking the silence. The four shadowed figures hunched around the door as it was pulled open, quickly slipping in one by one.
When they were safely inside and the door was relocked behind them, they flipped their hoods down and turned to face each other in the darkness.
‘He’s in the lowest level,’ Geoff said, but Ray was already moving off with Michael hot on his heels. Geoff couldn’t find it in him to roll his eyes, instead sharing a look with Ryan and moving to follow. A few tense minutes later they had descended the last of the stairs and were standing in a low ceiling room.
Together, they moved towards the only closed door in the room. Michael glanced at Ray and reached out to turn the knob, hand trembling slightly. With a shaky breath he clasped the handle and turned it, pushing the door inwards and stepping inside.
He heard a quiet intake of breath, and heard rather than saw the hunched figure in the corner shy away from him. Michael tried to speak but couldn’t, found his lips moving soundlessly. He cleared this throat, and when Gavin whimpered slightly, he didn’t try to stop the name that tumbled from his lips.
‘Gavin?’
Ryan flicked the light on and Michael came face to face with the foreign man. He felt his chest seize up at the look of fear on Gavin’s face, the betrayal and the confusion when he saw Ray, but he ignored it in favour of dropping to his knees and wrapping his arms around Gavin.
‘Gavin,’ he whispered, voice hoarse, relief flooding him at seeing him alive and safe even though he was so painfully hurt. ‘Gavin, Gavin, Gavin.’ he said, over and over again, feeling the man in his arms begin to shake. Michael was painfully aware that Gavin wasn’t touching him, wasn’t making a move to touch him back, when he felt thin arms wrap themselves hesitantly around his back.
‘Michael?’ came the whisper, and suddenly he was being squeezed incredibly hard. ‘Michael!’
‘Yeah,’ was all Michael could manage, tears prickling hot and painful in his eyes as he felt Gavin give a hitched sob. ‘I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.’
‘It’s okay,’ Gavin whispered, voice muffled by his shirt. ‘It’s okay.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ Michael repeated, over and over, and he would have apologised until he had no voice except he heard Geoff clear his throat and step forward.
Refusing to let go, Michael pivoted the two of them so they could face Geoff. The man looked pained watching them, but Michael couldn’t name the other emotions that normally showed so vividly in his sleepy eyes.
‘If you’re going to do this, you have to hurry up,’ Geoff warned, trying to be stern and distant, but his voice cracked on the last word and betrayed him.
‘I know,' Michael said, but he couldn’t force himself to let go. He felt Gavin tense in his arms, and he turned to face him, gaze unconsciously zoning in on every injury.
‘Do what?’ Gavin whispered, staring at him. Michael blinked at the fear in his voice, on his face, and he quickly pulled him back to his chest.
‘We’re letting you go,’ Geoff answered for him. The small intake of breath Gavin made was audible in the room.
‘It’s okay, Gav. They’re okay,’ Ray said, in response to some unspoken question.
Steeling himself, Michael forced himself to pull away. He ran his hands down his face and instead of ignoring the injuries on Gavin, forced himself to painstakingly note every single one. His face was bruised and bloody, probably just show, he had several lacerations on his chest, all relatively shallow – for pain, rather than to bleed him out. He had burn marks on his neck and Jesus, all his fingernails were gone. He could assume the same went for his toenails. It was an effective, non-lethal form of torture.
Michael had seen it before. But he’d never, ever, felt guilt like this. Nothing compared to the agony he was feeling. Every single mark on Gavin was a white hot knife to his heart, stabbing over and over and over again.
His fault.
He felt himself stiffen when Gavin ran a hand absentmindedly over one of the cuts, and he was about to apologise again when Gavin sucked a breath in and shrank back, looking terrified. Michael was instantly on high alert, wheeling around to face the threat, and instead saw Ryan stepping out from behind Geoff with an apologetic smile on his face.
Michael glanced back to Gavin, huddling into the wall, and it clicked. ‘Ryan’s not going to hurt you anymore,’ he hushed immediately, reaching out. ‘He’s okay. He’s here to set you free, just like Ray and I.’
‘Don’t forget me, asshole.’ Geoff’s joke was forced, but it lightened the atmosphere a tiny bit.
‘This isn’t some dream?’ Gavin asked, words running together in his rush to get them out. He was glancing between Ryan and Michael rapidly, obviously not sure what to believe. It was Ray who once again acted as a balm and soothed his understandably frayed nerves.
‘I’m too hot to be a figment of your dreams,' he scoffed, pushing past Michael and ruffling Gavin’s hair. He ignored the flinch Gavin gave, and when he made no move to hurt him Gavin nodded.
‘Okay,’ he murmured, but he still stayed far from Ryan.
Michael swallowed down the lump in his throat and turned to Geoff. ‘What’s the plan, boss?’ he managed to ask. Geoff offered him a small smile that he quickly gave up on, instead beckoning Michael to the side and leaving Gavin and Ray to talk.
Ray pulled Gavin into his arms and that’s the last thing Michael saw before Geoff spun him around, looking more serious than Michael had ever seen him.
‘You’re sure about-’
‘Yes, Geoff.’
‘Alright. I know, I just wanted to…’
Michael understood. ‘I’m gunna miss you so fuckin’ much, Geoffrey. You have no idea.’
Geoff nodded and sniffed forcefully before pulling Michael into a tight embrace. ‘You keep in contact with me, you understand? I don’t care how, just keep it subtle. I’ll understand.’
‘I promise, Geoff. You’re like a dad to me. I love you, honest to god, you and Griffon. Make sure they know, and know I still love them. You’re family to me. I’m sorry…’ he began to trail off before he swallowed and met Geoff’s gaze. ‘I’m sorry. But I have to.’
Geoff nodded and just hugged him again. ‘Come back and visit, one day.’ Michael laughed. ‘When you have little you and Gavin’s running around, terrorising the place…’
Neither of them commented on how unlikely the idea of returning here seemed. Communication would be near impossible, because Geoff would be the first one they watched. He’d be under scrutiny and any comms would be carefully observed.
But they could do it. Ray was an assassin, and Michael and Geoff prestigious bounty hunters. They wouldn’t let anything come between them.
Geoff nodded one last time and let them go. ‘Don’t tell me where you’re going. Just go, and don’t get caught.’
‘I know,’ Michael nodded, and Geoff clapped him on the shoulders, hands hesitating there before finally breaking contact with him one last time. Michael felt a yearning, a pain that he’d be leaving his life, his family.
He swallowed hard and moved away, striding forward and wrapping his arms around Gavin, feeling him alive and safe and protected in his arms. ‘I swear on my fucking life, nobody is going to hurt you,’ he murmured into Gavin’s shoulder, and instead of making a slight about it Gavin just nodded and hugged him gingerly back.
‘I believe you.’
‘I love you.’
Two beats of silence, followed by a shy smile. ‘Promise?’
‘Promise.’
Michael released Gavin from his embrace and they both straightened, still holding close to one another.
‘I love you too, you dope. Have, for a long time.’
Michael smiled, glancing up and around at the men surrounding them. ‘Promise?’
Gavin laughed. ‘Promise.’
‘You guys are so sickly cute I think I’m glad you’re leaving,’ Geoff tried to joke, but the wetness reflected in his eyes gave him away. Michael blinked back his own tears before offering him a smile, and the older man just wiped his eyes and crossed his tattooed arms, chewing on his lip to prevent himself from crying. Michael turned and offered a hand to Ryan. Ryan didn’t hesitate before accepting it, and they ended up in a quick hug when Michael decided a handshake didn’t quite cover the gratitude he felt. Ray spoke up.
‘If either of you or your associates need anything, just ask around for Brownman. Someone will get word to me, and we’ll take care of it for you. It’s the least I can do.’
‘Thank you,’ Geoff nodded, still sniffing. ‘Now go, before I change my mind and drag you back.’
‘Yeah, okay.’ Michael turned back to Gavin, moving quickly back to his side. The hunter nodded at Ray and the assassin ducked, allowing Gavin to climb easily onto his back. They moved quickly up to exit of the building, the gate towering foreboding and final only metres away.
Michael, Ray and Gavin shared a glance before they nodded and Michael turned and threw his arms around Geoff in one last hug. ‘You be good,’ Geoff managed, and Michael felt a lump form in his throat. ‘Be safe.’
‘I will, Geoff. I’ll come back, some day.’
Geoff nodded and forced himself back, wiping at his watery eyes with the back of his hand.
‘Goodbye,’ Michael said, and his voice cracked. With a final wave to the two shadowed figures standing at the entrance to the building, the three remaining men turned to face one another.
‘We’ll be okay, Michael,’ Gavin whispered, sensing the man’s pain. Michael nodded and leaned in to kiss him.
‘What about me?’ Ray teased, and Gavin leaned around to give him a peck on the cheek. Michael laughed, a sound that bubbled up and made everything seem a little more bearable. ‘That’s more like it. Think of it like this: It’s a whole new fucking adventure.’ Ray grinned, and Michael smiled.
‘Well, lads,' he murmured, sharing a look with them before turning to face the world ahead. 'Let’s do this.’
Together they began to run.
They didn’t look back.