Prompt 3: Your favorite pair is caught in a life or death situation where one is fatally wounded and this is their last conversation. Release the feels.

Answer: Seth and Richie. They're my ultimate BROTP but I imagine them in a shoot out somewhere and Richie got clipped and this is Seth sobbing uncontrollably.

Richie had never really enjoyed thunderstorms. He liked the rain and he did like to fall asleep to the occasional clap and the lightning with it but when there was heavy downpour it made him restless. The loud banging like an ungodly drum line caused terror that often required Seth to talk him out of whatever psychosis he was on the edge of. Seth was always so good at calming Richie down and reminding him of the riches that would come after the next score and of the future that wasn't so far off—beautiful women, 100 proof liquor, and money they could go sledding down—but this time was different.

In the half sleep, half awake state Richie was in he saw a light above him that blotted out the darkness. The thunderstorm was heavy and even the lightning made clattering noise around them but he was in Seth's arms so he wasn't too afraid. His focus was on the light that was so far away yet so present. He knew he was looking at the unfinished ceiling that was in the process of being turned into an office building but that light was from outer space. He wondered how he could see it with all the rain.

"Richie, Richie, look at me! Look at me!"

His eyes shifted from the light to the exasperated features of his brother's sweating face. What was the matter? It was unlike Seth to be so uncool when Richie was at absolute Zen—they were usually on the same page. And what was he screaming for? There was an unbearable drowsiness cascading over Richard like a fleece blanket and he really, really was not up for a shouting match with his brother. He decided what ever he had done while sleepwalking could be dealt with in the morning.

"Oh, GOD. Fuck! Fuck!"

Wait.

"Fuck, Richie. Just look at me. Okay? Just look at me. You can't…just hold on."

Was Seth crying? Seth NEVER cried. Not a punch to the face, a bullet in the arm, a girl, nothing could make him cry. But sure enough as Richie's eyes phased from blurry to clear he could see the drops—so much more distinct than the beads of sweat—falling down his face in the strangest display of emotion that Richie had ever witnessed. Did he have a bad dream? What could scare him that much?

The thunderstorm was getting heavier, closer, and Richie watched as Seth shouted inaudibly as he threw his arm up and added more lightning to the noise. That was just like Seth. He always had to be seen and heard. Richie wanted to tell him to calm down and go back to sleep. The concrete they were on wasn't comfortable but with his upper body being clutched in Seth's arms Richie felt absolute bliss. If the noise would let up, if Seth would just calm down and tell him a story, Richie could finally rest.

"Please. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, Richie. But please don't go. Fuck. Don't go. I NEED you. Okay? I never said it before. I know I always threatened to leave. I know I said I'd be better without you. But fuck. You know I didn't mean it! Why'd you have to be so stupid? Why'd you have to be a fucking hero? What am I supposed to do without you? What the fuck am I supposed to do? You're all I have okay? If I'm not taking care of you I don't know what else to do. Do you get that? Can you stop being so fucking selfish and think of me for once in your fucking life?"

He felt Seth's hand come down against his features in gentleness that Richie had grown to love. He always wanted to make Seth proud but in the moments when he was affectionate it was clear that he didn't have to try. With all the fighting and the squabbling and the nearly killing each other it was obvious they loved each other. They were brothers. They were family. Nothing could keep them apart.

"I-I'm gonna get us out of here. Okay?"

The tears were nonstop but there was that famous Seth Gecko resolve.

"Stop shooting! Just stop shooting!"

He yelled over the noise but the rain didn't end. Richie's body was crushed by the strength of Seth's embrace and he wished he wasn't so tired. He wanted to tell Seth how much comfort he found in each of their hugs and how much he loved even the simple head pats. He had always known he was different. He had always know Seth would be better off without him but the simple fact that he stayed and took care of him was enough. Everything else, every small gesture, was icing on the cake.

"I need you, Richie. I need you. I fucking need you. I can't do this without you. I can't do this without you. Please, don't make me. Please."

"Seth."

The light that had been so far was suddenly gathering closer. It wasn't zooming but gentle like a feather falling in the wind. It was a strange dance to watch—this way, then that—and for a second Richie was transfixed. The grip on him tightened and he turned his eyes back to his brother. The blood smear and the stumble were far more enchanting than the light.

"Thank you for being my brother."

A harsh sob escaped Seth's throat.

"Thank you for being my friend."

The last word was less than a whisper but Seth heard it. He had only ever heard Richie say those words after moments of absolute terror in a half sleep or half drunk daze when Seth had to be the hero and save the day. But by God, did those words ever make all the shit worth it. Richie's body went limp but his eyes stayed open as if to focus on a hole in the ceiling but Seth knew he wasn't looking at anything anymore. He lifted him close and held his face against his neck as he cried and whispered, "Beautiful women, 100 proof liquor, money you can go sledding down. All for you, little brother. All for you."

In the morning all that was left of the firefight was a floor covered in empty bullet casings and the Gecko brothers hidden behind a makeshift barricade. The suspects were long gone and the floor ice cold but there was the brothers clutched in each other's arms. It didn't take a doctor to know the boys weren't breathing and what made them that way.

It was the end of an era for the Gecko's. A lot of pictures were taken. It made the front news.