Author Notes: OH MY GOD IT'S BACK! Sorry this has gone quiet for so long, guys. I'll be trying to get things for this story up much more frequently from now on. Lots is planned, things are getting interesting, and I'm very excited! Enjoy!
"What do you mean, they got Leo?" Yuuri asked, his voice a blend of confusion and fear. He couldn't lose anyone else, couldn't afford to feel that loss again. He hadn't known Leo long, but he knew enough. Leo was a good person, someone they needed to protect.
He'd never seen them all together in one room before. They were usually in different parts of the base, doing their own things. Even when they were talking about targets, it was just those who were going on the job that were involved, but this time, they were all there. All, except Leo. Yuuri's stomach twisted in knots at the mere thought of it. Where was he? Why had they lost him? It didn't make any sense, Leo was normally so careful.
Yuri leaned over a laptop that he'd placed on the table, his fingers frantically typing at the keyboard as he spoke, "Leo was on a job. He went out to talk to a potential client about a target. You know, we have to hear the reason to target them before we make any decisions," He looked up at Yuuri, explaining mostly for his sake, "He was expected to get back to us three hours ago, but we still haven't heard anything from him."
"But that doesn't mean anything. He might be fine, maybe he just lost track of time." Guang Hong spoke up, though his voice remained soft, shaky, his eyes filled with tears. Yuuri figured he was close to Leo, but he'd never seen Guang Hong look so desperate for good news.
"And that's why I checked his tracker," Yuri continued, pressing a button on his laptop and turning it for the others to see. It was hard to tell exactly what they were looking at. All Yuuri could really see of importance was the small green dot in the centre of the screen, "That's Leo. That's his current location. And that," Pressing another button, the screen zoomed out to make the location clearer, "Is the police station at the edge of town."
"The interrogation room, to be exact," Chris chimed in, "If they did get him, they aren't going to hurt him yet. They need to get information out of him first."
"Why didn't you tell us sooner!?" Guang Hong glared, stepping forward.
"You think I knew? This is Nikiforov's case, not mine. He gets priority on this kinda information," Chris frowned, looking back at the computer screen, "The good news is, the first person who'll be talking to him will be Viktor. That means he's safe."
"How can you be so sure?" The tears were now freely falling, Guang Hong's fists clenched tightly at his sides.
Yuuri hesitantly moved closer, resting a hand on Guang Hong's shoulder, trying to comfort him. There was so much tension in the room, but he knew that fighting was only going to make this worse. They had to get through this together. The more they were at each other's throats, the harder it would be to get Leo back safely. Yuuri pulled Guang Hong to his side, speaking softly, "Chris is right. Viktor's not going to hurt him."
If there was one thing Yuuri was certain of, it was Viktor's gentle nature. He'd taken in a dog from the streets and looked after it. He smiled so sweetly, so much kindness in his blue eyes. Viktor wasn't going to hurt anyone, that much he knew. As long as Viktor would be the first one to talk to Leo, they had time to come up with a plan to get him back.
Guang Hong sniffed, wiping the tears from his eyes, "What's the plan?"
OoOoO
"You're making this more difficult than it needs to be," Viktor stared into the eyes of Leo de la Iglesia; fugitive, murderer. He leaned forward in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest, "I can help you here, but you need to work with me. Just tell me who you're working for."
Leo smirked, leaning back in his seat, his eyes glancing over to the security camera in the corner of the room, "I don't know what you're talking about, sir."
"Don't play dumb," Viktor sighed, standing up and pacing around the room, trying to figure out the best course of action. They had Leo. It was a start. It meant they would be able to use this to find the others. Even if they didn't get any information out of Leo, he was sure the others wouldn't leave him there… would they? He didn't know who they were. Maybe it was possible for them to just leave Leo to be punished; sacrifice one for the sake of the others. Leo didn't look concerned, though. Maybe he was just at peace with it. Viktor didn't know. He didn't know anything about this group and it was driving him crazy.
"Look, you can do whatever you want to me, but I'm not telling you anything. You might as well just kill me."
Viktor looked over to Leo, seeing him staring at the camera, "No one's going to hurt you. You're going to go through the same punishment as any other criminal."
Leo looked back at Viktor, his gaze intense as he spoke, "I wasn't talking to you."
OoOoO
"This is suicide," Yuri grumbled, closing his laptop as he turned back to the group, "You know it is."
"We can't just leave him," Chris shrugged, offering a smile, "We can handle this. Don't you have any faith in us, tiger?"
"Don't call me that."
"Sara, Yuuri. I want you two on this job. Sara's stealth will be imperative," Seung-gil spoke, his authority shining through as he stepped forward, "Chris will assist you."
"What about me!?" Guang Hong's eyes were red from his tears, frustration clear in his voice as it cracked, "I have to help him, boss. I have to be there."
"No. You're too emotional for this," Moving closer, Seung-gil rested a hand on Guang Hong's shoulder, "I know Leo's important to you, but the way you are now, you'll get the others killed. Stay here. Leo would want you safe anyway."
"But… I can't do nothing…" Guang Hong's voice was filled with defeat as he stared at the floor. It was obvious he just wanted to help, just wanted to be there to know that Leo was okay, but it wasn't that simple. As much as Yuuri wanted to bring him with them, he knew Seung-gil was right. It was too dangerous. Guang Hong's emotions were too high right now, they couldn't focus on protecting him and getting Leo back. It was too risky.
Moving closer, Yuuri made sure Guang Hong was looking into his eyes, speaking with sincerity, "I promise you I will bring him back safely. Nothing will happen to him."
OoOoO
Viktor looked to the camera, then to Leo, then back again. Who was he talking to? He would've assumed maybe the people he worked with, but Leo wouldn't be telling them to kill him, so who? There were plenty of people working in the precinct, but Viktor had the highest clearance when it came to this case. Running a hand through silver hair, Viktor stepped closer, kneeling to Leo's level and speaking softly, "You're going to need to give me some answers here."
Leo nodded to himself, glancing around the room as he spoke, "I know you won't hurt me, detective. But that doesn't mean I'm safe here. You'll come back here in the morning and find out that someone 'had to kill me,' that I was trying to escape, or something. I won't survive the night, but it won't be your fault."
Viktor frowned, trying to understand. There was no one in the precinct who wanted to kill Leo, not that he knew of. His mind kept playing through the snippets of information he'd been given over the last few weeks. Chris telling him to look at why the victims were chosen, the walls he'd hit so many times when he tried to do that research. He didn't know. He didn't understand. Leo knew things, but he wasn't giving it away, not easily. Still, it was clear he wanted to, clear he was trying to give Viktor information. Leo kept glancing to the camera, and Viktor knew; Leo was trying to give him what he wanted without anyone else finding out. Viktor nodded hesitantly, looking back to the man sitting in front of him, speaking gently, "What do you want me to know?"
Leo moved closer, whispering against Viktor's ear, his words sending a chill down the detective's spine, "We're not the bad guys. You are."
OoOoO
It was several hours before they were ready for the mission. Yuuri could only sit and wait as the others prepared. There wasn't much he could do. Yuuri wasn't exactly good for these kinds of missions, at least that's what he thought. He shot to kill. Headshots were what he was good at, but this was different. They didn't want to kill anyone at the precinct. Despite the fact that they were being hunted by those people, they weren't the bad ones. The higher ups were the problem, and Yuuri had no intention of killing someone who didn't deserve to die. Instead, Yuuri was preparing himself to aim for parts of the body that wouldn't be fatal. Still, Chris had assured him that he was a last resort, that they had no intention of hurting anyone. Yuuri was simply there to ensure they got out safely.
Chris had been talking to Sara and Yuri the entire time they were preparing, and Yuuri hadn't the faintest clue what he'd been planning. There was no point in asking. They all seemed so busy and Yuuri was scared he'd only slow things down. They didn't have time for questions. Every second that Leo was there was a second closer to complications. The sooner they got this done, the better.
Eventually the plan was set. Yuuri and Sara had slipped on as many layers as they could comfortably manage, attempting to obscure their identity. Yuuri's gloved fingers shook as he thought about the mission, knowing that there was more to this than just saving Leo. This was Viktor's territory. If Viktor saw him and realised who he was, it would be all over. Maybe meeting up had been a bad idea. Maybe he should've just stayed away and let Viktor forget about him. But the thought of Viktor forgetting about him set a whole new wave of pain through him, the thought that he was just another face in the crowd to this man who was so filled with kindness, the one thing that had made him feel normal since he'd come to the Capitol. Yuuri didn't want to think about never having met Viktor. Maybe it made this more difficult, but it would always be worth it.
Yuuri leaned against the wall in the dark alley outside the precinct, Sara beside him as they waited. They wouldn't have to wait long, that's what Chris had promised. The only part of the plan he'd been let in on was Chris' role. He had gotten some chemicals from Sara, mixed it into a bottle of wine, and had the intention of making a toast with those still inside; a toast to the successful capture of Leo de la Iglesia. There was something ironic about it, knowing that it was all going to end with them taking Leo back.
"What happens after this?" Yuuri asked curiously, hoping to get some answers. It wasn't exactly good for him to be left out of the plan.
Sara smile, leaning her shoulder against Yuuri's, "I know you think we have a plan, but we don't. Not really. Once Chris puts them to sleep, we go in, get Leo, and get out."
Yuuri nodded hesitantly, "What about Chris? He's not disguised. Won't people know it was him?"
"I'm guessing that's what he was talking to Yuri about. Maybe Yuri's going to delete the CCTV footage and then Chris can just pretend he was knocked out, too." Sara shrugged.
It wasn't the best plan, but it was all they had under such short notice. It was risky, there were so many things that could go wrong, but they didn't have time to think about it. They just had to get in and get out. If they were seen, it was just collateral damage. So long as they all made it out alive, they could think about everything else later.
The door to the alleyway opened and Yuuri jumped, looking behind them to see Chris gesturing for them to get inside, "We need to move fast."
"Why, what's going on?" Yuuri followed Sara inside, his stomach churning with nerves, knowing that he was exactly where the police wanted them to be, that this was what they'd been avoiding.
"Viktor's car's out front. He's in the building, I just don't know where. We have to do this quickly." Chris' voice had never been so serious before. Normally he was so sure of himself, so easy to crack jokes, to flirt, to make light of the situation. Yuuri had never seen him like this before and it only served to fuel the anxiety within him.
They had to move fast. That was the thought that continued to swim through Yuuri's mind as they followed Chris into the precinct, letting him lead them to the room they'd been keeping Leo locked up in. It was strange; how quiet the building was. Yuuri had expected phones ringing, chatter, something. As they moved through the building, it made sense. Chris had managed to put everyone to sleep, some crumpled over their desks, others laying on the floor, but it was obvious that they were all breathing, their steady breaths causing their chests to rise and fall. Yuuri was more relieved to find a room full of sleeping people than anything else. There was still a fear deep down that maybe they would just kill them all. He wanted to believe he was working with the right people. If he had walked into a room of dead bodies, Yuuri wasn't sure what he would've done.
Opening a door, Chris gestured for them to go inside. The room was small, but well lit. The only thing they could see within was a table in the centre of the room, Leo sitting with his hands cuffed to it. Leo looked up at them, smiling, "Took you guys long enough."
"I don't have the keys, think you can handle it?" Chris looked between Leo and Sara, then back to Yuuri and offering him a reassuring smile. It always seemed to be this way. Chris was always trying to reassure Yuuri, to tell him that things were going to be okay. It was just that this one time, he wasn't so sure they would. There was so much on the line.
Pulling a bobby pin from her hair, Sara stepped forward, "No problem, just guard the door."
Chris nodded, turning to Yuuri, "I'll be standing outside just in case. You stay by the door and keep an ear out. I might need you," Yuuri nodded hesitantly, reaching for the gun at his side. He didn't want to have to shoot anyone, but he knew that he had to protect Chris, had to protect all of them. It was hard to believe that his life had taken this kind of turn. He wanted to be normal, but now he was a criminal. It couldn't be denied. Chris moved closer, resting a hand on Yuuri's shoulder, "Hey, relax. We'll be fine. We've gotten out of worse situations than this before."
Yuuri could only watch as Chris stepped out of the room, leaning against the door and listening closely. He kept telling himself that this was in his hands, that if anything was to happen, he had to help Chris get out of there. Sara could handle Leo, he had to help Chris. It was the only thing that made sense to him. Sara wouldn't take long with the cuffs. They'd be able to leave soon and then all of this could be over.
"Viktor! What are you doing here so late?" Yuuri could hear Chris' voice through the door and his whole body tensed. Viktor was there. He was right there. At any moment, everything could go wrong.
"Keeping an eye on our new suspect. What're you doing here?" There was a pause, "Where'd everyone else go? It's never this quiet around here."
Yuuri chewed his lip nervously, his hand inching towards his gun. He didn't want to do anything, didn't want to hurt Viktor. He had made a promise to protect his friends, but Viktor was a good person, he couldn't hurt him, could he? Hesitantly, Yuuri pulled the gun from his side, holding it close, prepared for the worst. He couldn't let anything happen to the others, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to actually harm Viktor.
"Everyone went home. So should you, you've been working too hard."
There was a soft chuckle, and Yuuri knew immediately that it was Viktor, a soft, friendly sound that he'd quickly grown fond of, "Thanks, but there are some things I need to look into before I head home."
Yuuri glanced over his shoulder when he heard the click of Leo's cuffs unlocking, a loud clattering sound as they hit the table. Yuuri flinched, turning back to the door as he heard Viktor speak once more, "What was that?"
"I'm sure it was just Leo fighting with his cuffs, nothing unusual," Chris tried. It wasn't exactly convincing. Another moment of silence passed before Chris was speaking again, "Listen Viktor, about what we were talking about at the last crime scene. About the victims?"
"Yeah?"
"I've been doing some research and I think you should go through some of these files. They might prove to be… enlightening."
Yuuri frowned as he listened to them, trying to understand what Chris was talking about. He couldn't know. There was no way for Yuuri to decipher the conversation. He simply made a mental note to ask Chris when they got back to base.
"What is it?"
Looking over his shoulder, Yuuri saw Sara and Leo making their way to his side, ready to leave. They just had to find a way out. Moving closer to the door, Yuuri gently knocked twice against the wood finish, signalling for Chris. They had to get out. They had to leave now before things got too dangerous. He wasn't even sure how long the rest of the people in the precinct would be knocked out for.
"Just look into it. It's important," Another pause came from the other side of the door before Yuuri heard Chris speak again, his words causing his heart to sink, "I'm afraid this is goodbye, old friend."
There was a sound on the other side of the door, but Yuuri wasn't sure what it was. Before he knew what was happening, Chris had opened the door and pulled them out, "Go!"
They didn't waste any time, running down the hallway. They had to get out. It was now or never. Viktor was the only one there who could stop them. Looking back, Yuuri could see Viktor chasing after them, gun in hand, and that fear in the back of his mind came back. He had to stop him. Yuuri couldn't let Viktor hurt any of them. As he ran with the others, Yuuri aimed his gun at Viktor, his hand shaking. This man was important. He couldn't deny it. Viktor was the first good thing to come into his life since all this mess had begun, someone who made him happy, who helped him forget all of the pain he'd been put through. He couldn't do it. He couldn't hurt Viktor.
Instead, Yuuri shot at the ground in front of him, causing Viktor to stop in his tracks. Maybe he could hold him off without hurting him. That way no one would have to go through any pain. Viktor wasn't the bad guy here. Yuuri was certain of it. As Viktor held up his gun, Yuuri shot at the floor in front of him again, but it didn't seem to phase him, a single shot ringing out from Viktor's gun.
It was a sudden pain, so surprising, but so sharp as it sliced through his skin, causing Yuuri to drop his gun and cry out in agony as the bullet pierced through his arm. He hesitated, reaching for his gun, but Chris grabbed his good arm, tugging him forward, "Leave it, we have to move!"
Tears stung at Yuuri's eyes as they made it outside, being dragged towards a nearby car. It all felt like a blur as he was hauled into the vehicle, the sound of tires screeching against asphalt as they rushed to make their escape.
OoOoO
"Leo!" Guang Hong was first to welcome them back to the base, though it was really more for Leo's benefit than anyone else. They could only watch as Guang Hong threw himself at Leo, his arms wrapped firmly around his neck as he pressed their lips together, tears in his eyes. Leo looked shocked, but didn't pull away, resting his hands on Guang Hong's waist. It never really occurred to Yuuri; how important Leo really was to Guang Hong. Not until that moment, seeing how emotional he was.
Leo chuckled as he pulled away, resting their heads together, "If I'd known it'd just take getting caught to get you to kiss me, I'd have done it a long time ago."
"Don't say that!" Guang Hong slapped Leo's arm, though there didn't seem to be much force behind it. Resting his head against Leo's shoulder, he spoke softly, "I thought they were going to kill you…"
Leo held him closer, smiling to himself, "Can't get rid of me that easily. Besides, Yuuri's the one who took a bullet for me."
Looking up from Leo, Guang Hong's eyes went wide. He rushed over to Yuuri, touching his arm tentatively, "We… we need to get Mila. She can patch you up."
Yuuri smiled fondly, happy to see he had made friends who cared so much for each other. At least he knew he was in safe hands.
"And Yuuri?"
"Yeah?"
Guang Hong wrapped his arms around Yuuri's waist, pulling him into a hug, "Thank you. For keeping your promise."
