A little request I got for Marty and Ray friendship fic. It's nice and I slightly hurt Marty. A little. (A lot)
Warning: None
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A soft sigh fell from Marty's lips as he stumbled into his apartment barely awake enough to stand up straight. Who knew that standing still for hours on end could be so exhausting? He really hoped that whatever protests were going on ended soon.
It probably didn't say anything good that he didn't remember what was being protested, but in his defense he had been working nonstop for nearly two weeks and he wasn't sure the protesters knew what was going on anymore.
That didn't change the fact that every cop in LA had been put on high alert. They needed cops at the protests at all times so everyone with a badge was on-call. No time off for anyone. Which annoyed everyone.
Well, not exactly annoyed them, but… The protests were peaceful at the moment in time. They had been since the beginning. Having most of the cops focused on them instead of on real crime drove them all up a wall. They were cops not babysitters.
Those weren't the calls that he made though. He had to follow the higher ups and they said that he was to stand still and watch nothing happen. Which brought him back to wondering how standing still could leave him so sore!
Blue eyes longingly stared at the kitchen as he walked past and went into the bathroom. As much as he wanted to stuff anything edible in his mouth he knew that taking a shower and sleeping were the main things to take care of. No one smelt good after being in the heat for as long as he had.
Pulling his shirt over his head Marty let out a soft groan feeling his joints pop as he stretched. He wanted to revel in the feeling for a moment, but he knew that he didn't have all that much time before he was being called back into work. He had to hurry if he wanted any kind of sleep.
It was times like this that made him wonder about his sanity. He had only been working as a lawyer for a year before he decided that it wasn't the career that he had been looking for. That he needed to do something more.
How that had lead him to join the force was beyond him, but it had. It was the last thing that he had ever thought he would do when he was younger. Now that he was there though and he had a badge it felt right.
This was what he had wanted to do with his life. Well, not the standing under the hot sun feeling as if he had nothing to show for a whole day of work but some very unattractive sweat stains. No one wanted that as their career.
No, what he wanted to do was be a cop. He wanted to help people the same way he had needed help all those years ago. He wanted his life to mean something in the grand scheme of things. He wanted to prove them all wrong.
It might not have been his first choice, but he didn't think it was a bad one. He loved being a lawyer and he loved being a cop. There was no part of him that regretted the decision to change his career path. Well, almost no part of him regretted it.
It had been over two months since he had joined the force. Which was the same amount of time it had been since he had last spoken to his best friend. It was like the guy had suddenly poofed out of his life.
Growing up the two of them had been fairly inseparable after they became friends. They had bonded over having shitty father's and horrible childhoods and neither of them had ever looked back at their friendship.
Marty could still remember having teachers think that the two of them were brothers instead of best friends. They were as close as close could be. You could rarely catch one of them without the other being right by his side. That was just how it had always been.
For a long time it had just been the two of them. Yes, they had other friends and girlfriends came and went, but brothers were for life. It was something that he had never thought he was in danger of losing.
Then he told his friend he wanted to quit law and become a cop… That had not been a pleasant conversation. He had never seen Ray so angry at him before and he had crashed the guy's car when he was teaching him how to drive.
No, Ray might get upset sometimes, but after everything that they had dealt with when it came to their father's both of them had learned to play it cool. At least with each other. No promises for anyone else.
They were each others safe place, for lack of a better word. Nothing they said or did changed what the other thought. They had been through too much together to ever let that be an issue in their friendship.
Marty cursed himself for not knowing better. People sucked. If you put them in a position of power over you than they would abuse it. Especially if that person knew that they had a place in your heart.
As soon as he thought that though he cursed himself for saying something so negative about his best friend. Yes, people sucked, but not everyone was out there to cause pain. It was just easier to remember the bad over the good sometimes.
In truth, he didn't know what he thought about the situation anymore. He had gone from having a best friend that meant everything to him to having no one in his life. All because he had decided that he wanted to be a cop.
It sounded ridiculous when he thought about it. Hell, it had sounded even more ridiculous when Ray had told him what was going to happen. He hadn't bought for one second that the man was going to walk away the first time it was brought up.
Then came the weekend before he graduated the academy. He had gone over to Ray's place deciding that he wanted to have a bit of a celebration about what he was about to achieve. It seemed like a good plan at the time.
Instead of being greeted by the guy he had known since he was a child though he got… Marty had no idea what he got. All he knew was the man that had answered the door was not his best friend in any way, shape, or form.
He had been so angry. Yelling things that the almost cop had never thought he'd hear from the other man. It was a complete 180. For the first time in their whole friendship he saw Ray's father in him.
According to Ray they would lose everything that they had if he became a cop. All the trust that they had built would be gone. They wouldn't be able to talk to each other like they used to. It would all be over.
A part of him understood where the man was coming from. He did make a living in the darker side of the law. It wasn't as if a criminal like him could truly talk to a cop like Marty. At least, not without getting in trouble.
Even with that knowledge though Marty hadn't thought that hard on it. Yes, they would have to steer clear of those types of conversations, but they did that anyway. Ray's profession was just an underlying thing that was never brought up by either of them.
It had been because of that that he had ignored his friends warning. He had just figured that the man was being a little too paranoid. He'd realize that they'd still be the same people after some time to process the change.
They had been through worse together. They had caused worse together. Him carrying around a badge wasn't going to erase that anytime soon. How could he have been so stupid to actually fall for that lie?
Ray was his best friend though. There should be nothing that stopped them from being that. That was exactly what had happened. He was completely alone and he had no idea if his dream had been worth it or if he had made the mistake of a life time.
Knowing that he was heading for a dark place Marty shook his head and quickly pulled off the last of his uniform and hopped into the shower. He had too much to do to let himself to lost in his mind with something like that.
Turning on the water he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. If he could finish his shower and get into bed he might be able to get at least three hours of sleep. That was pretty good in his mind.
It wasn't long before he was climbing out of the shower and falling onto his bed not bothering to get dressed. His head wasn't even on the pillow before he was fast asleep. Something he was actually happy about. He did not want to toss and turn.
If felt like no time had passed before he heard his phone going off loudly. Everything in him wanted to ignore it and go back to sleep for the next few weeks. Instead he answered it already heading to his closet to get dressed.
As he had expected he was being called into work. He didn't get any more details than his partner was five minutes from his place and that his ass better be ready when he got there. His partner was a lovely person when he didn't get any sleep.
Marty moved quickly to get dressed and get outside so he didn't have to listen to the other man bitch at him. The last thing he wanted to hear was another lecture about proper police procedure. He listened to enough of those.
True to his word he was outside as soon as the squad car pulled up in front of his apartment. He forced himself to bite his tongue as he slid into the passengers' seat. It was too early for people to deal with him at his most talkative without a bullet going through him.
"Where are we off to?" Marty questioned trying to get in the right frame of mind.
"Restaurant," his partner practically growled out taking a corner too quickly, "Reports of two men fighting and threatening each other. Owner called it in. No injuries or gun shots reported yet."
"Sounds like a fun time."
The rest of their ride was quiet and he hated it. Quiet had never been a good thing growing it. It meant that his father was around and something was about to happen. The man always got deadly silent before he erupted. It was the calm before the storm and the storm always came.
No one would believe him if he said how little he talked when he was younger. They wouldn't believe that the reason he talked so much now was because of how scared he was that silence meant he was going to be hit.
He worked his ass off to make sure that things weren't quiet. Once he had a place of his own he even bought a radio that he kept on no matter what he was doing. Sleeping, showering, eating breakfast, and everything in-between. He needed the sound to stay sane.
Ray had actually been the one to suggest it to him. After the fiftieth time of being called at two in the morning because Marty just couldn't handle the silence anymore he had had to do something to help his friend.
At least that's what he said. A part of the cop always wondered if maybe he just wanted him to leave him alone for awhile. He was supposed to be an adult. He didn't need his best friend staying up with him because he was afraid of the silence.
Feeling the car come to a stop he swallowed back the panic of his memories and got into work mode. At the moment in time he was not a little kid hiding from his father. He was a cop that was being counted on to stay calm and in control.
He could do that. It was what he wanted to do. Protect people that couldn't protect themselves. That was the reason that he had thrown away his friendship. To save someone like he wished someone had saved him.
Climbing out of the car he place a hand on his gun as he heard screaming coming from inside. He barely glanced at his partner needing to see what he was doing when a shot echoed from the restaurant.
It wasn't close to being the first time he had heard that noise, but he felt himself freeze nonetheless. Another shot came from inside shattering a window. Everything around him blurred for a second before going black. He felt as if he couldn't breathe.
His eyes were wide and his body was shaking. He had never been in a firefight before. It was only his second month on the job! What was he supposed to do? There had to be something in his training that would help. Right?!
Blinking a few times he waited for his partner to come into focus. He needed the older man to tell him what he was supposed to do. It felt as if hours had passed before the world started to come back.
He suddenly wished that he hadn't been trying so hard when a sharp pain crashed over him. He couldn't even say where the pain was coming from. It was as if it had encompassed all of him. It had been awhile since he had felt pain like that.
Groaning he looked up and saw his partner leaning over him blood splattered on the side of his face. Wait- Why was he leaning over him? Since when was he laying on the ground? They were in the middle of a gun fight. The last thing he should be doing was laying down.
With that thought in his mind he tried to ignore the pain and stand up. He had to get up and help. He had to do something. As he tried to come a hand rested on his chest pushing him back down and keeping him in place.
For a moment he tried to fight the hand, but it was so much stronger than him. Why was it so much stronger? He couldn't let himself be weak right then. His partner needed him He had to get up and help.
"You're fine, kid," a voice suddenly broke through his thoughts, "The ambulance is almost here. Just hold on."
It took a moment for the words to sink in, but when they did he felt more confused than he had before. Why were they waiting for an ambulance? Had something happened in the restaurant when he wasn't paying attention?
Marty opened his mouth to question what was going on, but all that came out was a wet cough that brought more pain to him. Underneath the pain he was vaguely aware that something dripping down his lips and chin, but he couldn't figure it out.
As he stared up at his partner the world started to fade out around him once more. It suddenly hit him that maybe something was wrong with him. He needed to get past the fog and pay attention, but there was such a peace in it. One that he hadn't felt in awhile. It was all too easy to let himself fall.
"And the fucker actually bought the snake! I mean, I'm not scared of snakes, but what kind of dumbass buys an anaconda? He's totally gonna get eaten."
Blinking his eyes open Marty laid there wondering what was going on. The last thing he remembered was his partner waking him up saying they had a call. What had happened and why did he feel like he had been hit by a truck and was floating away?
Looking around the room he tried to get his eyes to focus but everything was blurry. It made him feel a little sick to his stomach. He vaguely hoped that he wasn't in need of some glasses. He did not want to deal with that.
Beside him the voice continued to tell a random story. A voice in the back of his mind told him to listen closely, but all the words seemed to be running together. The only thing that he knew for a fact, at least hoped it was fact, was that he recognized the voice.
Laying there quietly he tried to place where he knew it from. Like everything else though it was just out of his reach. It was a fight to get himself to focus on anything and at the moment the last thing he wanted to do was fight.
Even with that thought though he did his best to push past the fog and pay attention to what was going on around him. It was slow but the world started to come back to him making him instantly wish he hadn't tried so hard.
The first thing he noticed was how noisy yet quiet it was. Random beeps and footsteps came from all around him though it seemed so much like it should be there that after a moment it was fairly easy to push it to the back of his mind.
Other than that he could hear people talking. Most of them were fairly far away and he couldn't really understand what was being said. The only person he could really hear was the person sitting next to him. It was so easy to understand what he was saying. Even if it made no sense.
"Can you believe that kid?" the voice cut through his thoughts, "He called me boring. Me! What part of me is boring? Just because I'm not stupid enough to buy a snake that might kill me does not mean I'm boring!"
Turning his head to the side Marty stared at the blurry figure waiting for it to come into focus. Before that could happen though the person was getting up and rushing out of his sight. The sick feeling came back making him swallow roughly so he didn't puke.
A new voice came into play slightly louder than the other person had been. A soft whine left his lips when he realized that he was the focus of the attention and they wanted to pull him out of the fog quicker than he wanted.
Not wanting to deal with people Marty attempted to curl himself into a ball only to have a shot of pain course through him. Gasping tears filled his eyes and he stupidly continued to try to curl into a ball.
A pair of strong hands moved to his shoulders to uncurl him and keep him in place while he attempted to move. He didn't want to be laying flat with people over him he wanted to hide away from it all.
"Stop fighting me, Marty," a voice demanded as the hands tightened on him, "I got you, little brother. Just stop fighting. I got you. You're safe."
It took a moment for the man's words to filter through but when they did Marty felt himself starting to calm down a little. He knew he knew that voice. It was someone that he could trust. If they wanted him to calm down than that was what he was going to do.
As he stopped fighting the hands helped him move back so he was laying flat though one of them didn't leave his shoulder. Once he quit moving though his mind went into overdrive causing his heart to sped up.
The voice had called him 'little brother'. There was only one person that ever called him that. Opening his eyes Marty waited for the man above him to come into focus hoping that it was the person that he was missing.
It took a moment for the man to come into focus but he felt a wave of happiness fill him when he saw Ray leaning over him. Without realizing it he reached up to rest a hand on his friends holding on tightly praying that he wouldn't disappear.
"Hey, it's okay, Marty," Ray offered brushing a hand through his hair, "I'm right here. You're okay. Everything's okay."
"R-Ray," he croaked out painfully.
"No, no, don't do that. Just lay there and let the doctors do their thing. Okay?"
"Doc-"
"What did I just say? Pay attention to the doctor, little brother. I'm not going anywhere."
The hand gripping his didn't let go as the doctor pulled his attention away with questions as he poked and prodded his body. Marty tried to do what Ray wanted but he just couldn't focus on what was going on.
Even as he went the answer the questions though he was already forgetting what the answer was. He was too tired to even try. He didn't have it in him to lay there listening to someone that was intent on making him think.
Turning his head to his best friend the cop stared tiredly up at him. A soft, sad smile was on the man's lips as he looked down at him. Letting his eyes fall shut he squeezed Ray's hand hoping he understood what wasn't being said.
"I think he's done," Ray stated calmly to the doctor.
Marty could still hear the doctor talking, but he had changed his direction and was talking to Ray now. Something he was glad for. As much as he knew that he should be paying attention he was too out of it to be of any help to anyone.
Vaguely he could hear footsteps leaving the room, but he didn't bother opening his eyes to look to see what was going on. All he did was lay there letting the silence wash over him as his mind started to fog once more.
"I know you're still awake, Marty," Ray said after a few moments of silence.
"Tired," he tried to say though it was barely a whisper.
"Getting shot does that to a person."
A muted surge of panic shot through the cop causing him to open his eyes and look at the other man. Ray still had that sad smile on his lips though now it was joined by more than a little bit of anger in his eyes.
"W-What?" Marty stuttered out not sure if he heard right.
"Yeah, you got shot," Ray answered squeezing his hand before shaking his head, "This is why I didn't want you to be a cop, brother. I knew this would happen."
"You- You said..."
"I know what I said. That doesn't… Look, Marty, I hate this. I fucking hate this. You're in a hospital bed. Do you get that? You're in a hospital bed because some fucker thought it was a good idea to shoot at the cops. That's what people do. They shoot at cops. News flash. You're a cop now!
"And the doctors. They weren't sure you were going to make it. You had lost a lot of blood before they were able to get you on the table. You're damn lucky that all the bullet did was make you lose blood since you did get shot in the chest!
"And what do I get to do through out the whole thing? Sit here and worry. And that was only after I found out that you had gotten hurt. Which I might not have heard at all. You could have been alone in here because I didn't hear that you needed me.
"You're my little brother, man. I'm supposed to… I'm supposed to protect you. I'm supposed to keep you out of situations like this. Like I tried to do when we were kids. How the hell am I supposed to do that now if you're running head first into danger like some idiot?"
Hearing the pain in his friends voice Marty felt tears filling his eyes. He hadn't thought about everything that would happen to Ray when he decided to join the police force. He had just wanted to follow his heart.
All he had ever wanted to do was keep people safe. Like Ray had done for him. A lot of people out there didn't have someone that cared about them the way the other man cared about him. He wanted to be that person for someone else.
"Don't need protection," Marty offered softly.
"Yeah right. You-" Ray started to answer angrily.
"Need my brother."
Ray fell silent at that. After a moment of neither of them talking Marty felt his eyes slip shut as he was pulled under the fog once more. For a second he wanted to fight it and stay awake. As tired as he had been he wanted nothing more than to lay there talking to his friend.
"You're an asshole," Ray muttered with a sigh.
"Good teacher," Marty replied with a slight smile
"Shut up and go to sleep. Pain in the ass, little brothers."