It felt as though it had been months since he had last seen his partner. He had survived—hell, they had told him he would be alright but Sebastian still couldn't shake the ever-gnawing feeling of dread that filled his very being. Despite the good news Sebastian had still felt numb when he finally got to visit his companion. He looked horrific, if he were being entirely honest. His head was bandaged, his arm was set in a sling, his leg in a matching cast and, God, Sebastian didn't even want to know what hid underneath his gown. He had sat for what seemed like ages by his side, occasionally slipping that pale, lifeless hand between his own stronger one. It caused his heart to sink each time he realized just how stiff and devoid of movement Joseph was. That wasn't what he was used to—it was agony. Eventually he had been told that he should go home. He was in good hands and, if any changes should arise, they would be sure to alert him to such. It was the absolute last thing Sebastian had wanted to do but it was for the best. He had a daughter at home waiting for him; a daughter who had just been saved from the clutches of evil herself, who nearly lost her young life. He had to be a father, dammit. He couldn't forget that ever again.

A day had passed, a day of working with little to no energy, with moving around the house trying to act somewhat alert and fatherly but falling short. The babysitter took Lily after school, as was usual, and Sebastian left work early. They understood, and of course no one put up a fight about it. Joseph's accident had been the point of interest the entire day. A few had already sent him some get well gifts, but none of them worried as much as the senior detective. He just wanted to be there for one of the people he cared most about. He'd failed him last time, and he'd be damned if he wasn't there now.

So, he found himself before the frail man once more, hand intertwined in his own, a hard gaze watching his colorless face. When he saw brows twitch, watched him flinch ever so slightly and eventually open chocolate hues he was almost positive it was some sort of dream. The haze still surrounded him, followed in every aspect of his life and now was no different.

"Joseph?" His voice was filled with shock, even the slightest hint of anticipation, something to show him he really was okay.

"Augh—fuck."

Sebastian couldn't help but find himself smiling in response to his slip because, God, it meant that he was cognitive and it meant he really was back in the world of the living. He could only find his grip on the other hand tighten, and it was soon joined by a second, holding the limb in place, unthinking.

"Joseph—I never thought I'd be so happy to hear you so irritated."

To see his friend smirk even if slightly was enough to cause his heart to soar. It was cut short when he winced, and struggled to take an adequate breath.

"Yea—I feel like shit. You'd be the same way. What happened? I mean—I know what happened. But what was the damage?" Because he felt like he was falling apart.

"Broken collar bone, broken leg. Your head had a pretty nasty gash. Few cracked ribs; one pierced your lung. You're lucky it wasn't anything more serious that that. You scared the shit out of me, Joseph. I thought you were—fuck, I'm just glad you made it. I'm sorry I said that to you it wasn't what I meant."

Joseph seemed to fall silent after that, which really hadn't been much of a surprise. It was obvious he was still coming to terms with everything that had happened and the man had just woken up from being unconscious for such a long amount of time. Sebastian was just glad he was able to be there when he woke up—to be there for him when he needed it and to have him now awake and coherent once more. When he does move Sebastian finds he's perhaps a bit too anxious; yes, he had just gotten his friend back again but this would do nothing but upset him. He needed to dial it back.

"It wasn't your fault." It was the only thing Joseph could think to say—he looked pensive, as if thinking carefully about what exactly he would tell him. "Honestly, they teach you to do that as a child—before you can even cross the street on your own. I shouldn't have stormed off like that, I'm sorry."

Sebastian wanted to argue but he knew it would be of little use. Right now, he was content with knowing that Joseph was not only alive but that he would be okay and that he still had him. He could discuss that later, all he wanted was to enjoy his company because, really, Sebastian was all that he had in Krimson.

Joseph had left everything back in Canada when he'd joined the KCPD; Sebastian remembered asking his partner one late night before the holidays how he would be spending them and, to his surprise, he had responded that he would be alone. He did visit occasionally, but it was a long trip and he couldn't blame him for not wanting to constantly commit to such a long-distance travel. It had been somewhat disheartening, but Joseph had adamantly stated that he was fine on his own. And, for the most part, he seemed to manage. He was even there for Sebastian when he inevitably found himself on his own. But now was the time Sebastian would stay because he needed someone after something like that, he wanted to be there and he knew Joseph may protest but dammit, this was his partner—his best friend. He wouldn't leave him alone again.

They had talked for what seemed like hours until Sebastian finally had to depart—not without some strong encouragement from the other. He had a daughter at home; he was in good hands there and Lily needed him much more than Joseph did. With that they had said their goodbyes and Sebastian was finally able to feel a weight lift off his shoulders.

"Daddy!"

The voice pulled him out of his momentary trance, and Sebastian quickly met his daughter with open arms, embracing the girl as he did most every night. They did that often, and it was something he'd come to look forward to upon his arrival. Any time he got to see his daughter anymore was time he saw as sacred. People could slip out of one's life in an instant—he could never take that for granted ever again.

"Is Joseph okay?" It warmed his heart to know he had such an extremely empathetic child, one who cared so deeply for others.

It caused a smile to cross his own weathered features, and he gave her a gentle nod in response.

"Yea—he's going to be okay. Maybe we can go visit him soon."

It had been some time since Lily had seen Joseph, but the man took a liking to the girl and vice versa. It had always been amusing to Sebastian to see the no-nonsense detective acting so differently around his once young daughter. He was surprisingly good with children, and had even offered to watch her if the need should ever arise—of course it had been very subtle, but it was appreciated nonetheless. It didn't surprise him to find a smile creeping across Lily's own gentle features, and excitement filled her eyes.

"Yea! I can make him a card so he feels better!"

Sebastian could see she was already itching to run off and do just that and it caused a laugh to escape his lips—God, had that felt good. He realized her bedtime was quickly approaching, and that he most likely should have discouraged her from doing so until the following day. Instead, he simply responds with:
"I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

Because, really, she deserved a little bit of fun every now and then, and it was for a good cause.
_

The proceeding day Lily had not accompanied her father on his trip to the hospital. Joseph had always been a proud man and Sebastian wasn't sure whether or not he would be alright with the young girl seeing him in the state he was in. He figured it was better to be safe than sorry and, if anything, he may appreciate his asking. He also held a, perhaps rather cheesy, arrangement of get well flowers—he figured he may as well add to the growing pile adorning the room, even if it was somewhat awkward to carry and he found himself shifting it around as he waited to reach the floor his room was on.
He felt his stomach clench when the elevator doors opened.

Screams—God, they were screams he never wanted to hear but was familiar with nevertheless. He felt his heart rate increasing, and his legs began to move him through the hall with little resistance. He had prayed they weren't coming from the room but when he burst in he was met with the unconscious detective, and a worried nurse ready to intervene. Sebastian ditched the arrangement, and was quick to but in with the nurse's own disapproval and a quickly approaching doctor. He was going to hurt himself, that was his first thought and what lead to strong hands pressing down on thin shoulders—careful not to injure him any further. He found himself shouting and, to his relief, it hadn't taken much to wake the man from his sleep.

Once more Sebastian felt the urge to vomit rise.

Joseph was pale—too pale, pale enough that it sent Sebastian reeling. He was clearly disoriented, but at the very least he had immediately calmed himself down when his gaze met with Sebastian's own. He could tell his brain was working fast, trying to comprehend everything that was going on, where he was and what had lead him here as others stood by ready to intervene. But nothing happened. His breathing and heart rate stabled—he calmed down and, despite being slightly skeptical, the personnel left when they were shot a dreadful glare by none other than the elder detective.

It left his full attention on Joseph and Joseph alone who currently did not look up to speaking about it.
Sebastian wasn't letting it slide this time, however.

But Joseph surprised him. Just as he was ready to confront him, Joseph had jumped the gun and beat him to it, parting his own lips and breaking the dreadful silence held between them.

"I haven't had any nightmares like that in a while. Must be because I'm away from home." He followed it with a weak laugh, a gesture certainly meant to put Sebastian at ease but instead only worried him further.

It was no wonder Joseph always looked so damn tired all the time. Sebastian could remember when he had been the same way, when he was left alone in his apartment, left with the guilt and horrors STEM had so graciously placed upon him. There were nights he had decided not to sleep at all in order to avoid the terrors that waited him altogether. But Sebastian hadn't been put through what Joseph had; he hadn't been at the mercy of MOBIUS for three long years. He could only imagine what plagued Joseph's own terrors and suddenly the guilt he'd experienced creeped up on him once more. He never should have allowed him to be alone after everything that had happened.

"Joseph, don't bullshit me this time. Does this happen a lot?"

There was silence again, and Sebastian watched his face, examined it for any cracks or slips but of course he saw nothing. He was a good detective for a reason, and a poker face was one of Joseph's very powerful skills.

"Not as often not—not like that, anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if they sedate me or something. I'm a pain in the ass." Once more he laughs because it was the only thing he could think to do after a making a comment like that.

It yet again only manages to make Sebastian uneasy.

"I won't let them do that. God, Joseph, I wish you would've told someone."

It wasn't the time to lecture but he couldn't help but worry about him, about the genuine fear and distress he had seen in his eyes, about what horrors he had been through himself and yet refused to speak of. He needed to break down his walls all over again and he wasn't sure if he would be able to do so.

"It's not that big of a deal. I really just think it's because we're here. Hospitals just—they don't sit well with me anymore. But it's fine, I'll deal with it. It's not the end of the world, right?"

That phrase resonated with him for the rest of the day. Because Sebastian knew damn well what it felt like, he knew how the smell of antiseptic sent a chill down his spine, how white walls and floors sent him back to a place he didn't want to remember. The smell of blood had been nauseating for quite some time, and even the smallest things sent a chill down his spine. There was one profound thought that had come to the front of his mind regarding the whole scenario: he couldn't leave him there.
He knew Joseph would never willingly leave, however, and he couldn't do so on his own in his current condition but leaving him in the hospital to mentally suffer was not an option. He knew that he was going to have to fight a hard battle if he returned with such an ambitious request but he would do it for his partner's own wellbeing.
He did have one card up his sleeve, however, and he would use it to his advantage.

His return home went similar to the way it had for many nights now, though much earlier than the nights prior. It was at dinner that Sebastian decided to bring his plan into motion, one he hoped would not fail him.

"Lily?" Is the way he began the plot.

The wide-eyed girl was quick to look up from her plate, intent on what her father had to say.

"How would you feel if Joseph came and stayed with us for a little while? Until he is feeling better—he's alone in the hospital and I don't want to leave him there like that."
Of course, she had immediately smiled in response to the question—he's so proud of her.

"Yea! He shouldn't have to be there all alone when he could come here! I'll make sure he's comfortable too—I wouldn't want to stay in the hospital either."

"You should come with me to pick him up. He would be really happy to see you. And I'm sure he could use some help getting some things into the car."

Eager as always, she gave a nod of her head, and before Sebastian knew it she pushed herself from the table and was heading off.

"Wait—Lily, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to go make a welcome home sign for when Joseph comes here—he hasn't been to our new house yet so I want to make sure he's happy."

Sebastian mulls the thought over, and of course gave her his approval. Right, his plan came together smoothly. He just hoped it was enough to sway the other.
_

As promised, Sebastian had picked Lily up after school and after swinging by Joseph's apartment. He still had a spare key from back in the day—God, he'd given it to him years ago when he'd been away for a few weeks, asked him to take care of the place. And then it was used if he ever needed him; during one of the worst times in his life. He was lucky he had been able to hold onto it all this time.

He was happy to find the floor was relatively silent during this visit, and when he had entered the room Joseph was attentive, and actually concentrating on the television hanging above his bed. His attention was of course pulled onto the other the moment he'd stepped into the room or, more importantly, on the young girl bounding toward his bed.

"Lily, I didn't expect to see you here."

His voice was one of genuine surprise—Sebastian noted that.

"I wanted to visit you—and I made this." She proudly extended her card out, to which Joseph soon took and admired despite his current lack of vision.

"Thank you, Lily. I really appreciate it. I definitely feel better already."

"Lily," Sebastian had interrupted, and it caused her to turn back and gaze at the man, "isn't there something you wanted to ask Joseph?"

Lily grinned, but it was more so a playful one than anything.

"I was getting to that." And then she turned back to face Joseph. "Dad and I want you to come stay with us until you're all better! We don't want you to be all alone in the hospital; that's not fair. We have a room set up and everything it would be a lot better than being here!"

And Sebastian received the exact reaction he was expecting.

Joseph was genuinely surprised by the offer and it showed on his face; his eyebrows momentarily rose, his lips parted then pursed as he searched for an appropriate way to respond without hurting the young girl's feeling and he was sure every which way fell flat.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to be a bother—I can't really do much right now and it would just inconvenience you two."

"No, we both want you to come! Please, Joseph? We don't want to leave you all alone."

He was stuck weighing his options again, and Sebastian knew Lily was the only person who could break him down. After a few moments a sigh passed his lips, and he found himself responding.

"Alright, if you really want me to then I guess there's no harm in it."

Lily was obviously overjoyed at his response by the wide grin that passed her face. But Joseph wasn't done.

"Hey, did you see the vending machine on the way here? You should ask your dad if you could get something sweet."

"Oh, can I dad?"

Sebastian isn't an idiot—he knew Joseph's motives and played along with his game. He gave his daughter a few ones and watcher her scamper off with a word of warning. It was only then that his attention was pulled back to the obviously fuming man left in the bed before him.

"That was a low blow."

Sebastian shrugged, a smug grin taking hold of his lips.

"Yea—either way I guess you'll be staying with us for a while."

Unfortunately for Joseph, Sebastian knew him a bit too well in the end.