Author's notes: Hey guys! This chapter gave me one hell of a beating, lemme tell you. Rorschach wouldn't stay IC, Dan was super boring and vague and the voice and pacing was all off, so I tried something new. So, I ended up writing OH MAH GAWD, PRESENT TENSE!!! I know, weird. But it worked out so much better and now Rorschach's not behaving like a tantruming three year old and Dan has a personality! YAY!
Warnings: This one could maaaybe be implied slash. If you squint. It was unintentional, just how they decided to take the story. Hey, you try fighting with Rorschach and tell me how you end up! XD
Don't own.
9. Friends
It's not the first time they've ever dealt with firearms. It's an inevitability in their business, and guns in and of themselves aren't that much of a problem. What is a problem, however, is the odd time when their owners don't use them immediately in a fight and spring it on them later. So as Nite Owl turns to see that some thug is pulling a gun on his partner when he himself just happens to be on the other end of the alley, he makes the uncharacteristic mistake of not thinking.
He runs.
He doesn't throw himself bodily on Rorschach. Even in a life or death situation, he still respects Rorschach's obsessive personal space disorders. That, and doing so would be more than corny, and he didn't think the other man would appreciate something so maudlin. What he does do is give his little partner an almighty shove, knocking him off his feet and effectively moving him away from the shot. He is prepared for the sting of a bullet hitting the armor and the impending bruise. What he isn't prepared for is the numbing pain and the sound of Kevlar tearing. Caught off guard, he reflexively twists and catches another bullet in his shoulder, just under the clavicle. Stupid move, really. As he falls, his brain (the part that isn't registering the burning, numbing pain) realizes, shit, bullet-piercing rounds?
Over the roaring in his ears, he hears his partner let out a roar that sounds like "NO!" and is tinged with something suspiciously like anguish, but he's beyond caring about that. As he struggles to blink away the pain, he hears more screaming and the sickening crack of bones, the wet slap of fists on bloodied skin and then
They stop.
For a moment, Dan is terrified, terrified that he'd been down too long, that there'd been too many for Rorschach (as stubborn and tenacious and goddam scrappy as he is) to take on his own. Then he feels hands gripping his shoulders, turning him over. Hears a rough, familiar voice asking, "Nite Owl?" And he must have been imagining the tremor in the voice, because he recognizes it as Rorschach's and Rorschach doesn't tremor. No matter what the situation.
He shakes his head slightly and pries open his eyes, "'M all right. Just got… shot." Somewhere in the back in his mind, he knows that humor isn't exactly appropriate, but he can't help crack a shaky smile that probably looks more like a grimace, "I think—can we get to Archie?"
There's an unidentifiable noise from Rorschach and Dan is hauled to his feet. The movement, none too gentle, sends a rush of pain through his arm and to his head. Dan staggers and almost falls over again. Then a thin, hesitant arm wraps around his waist, steadying him. Dan goggles at Rorschach, who is determinedly not looking at him. They make their way to Archie, Rorschach's arm not leaving Daniel's waist even though Dan could probably get on fine by himself now.
There is silence as Rorschach helps Dan out of the top of his Owlsuit and then fetches the medical kit. In the back of his mind, Dan realizes this must be horribly uncomfortable for Rorschach, but every time he offers to take over, Rorschach growls at him wordlessly and Dan takes his cue to shut up. Rorschach's pissed. Dan can tell from the way his shoulders are hunched and the way this hands grip the gauze and the clipped way he talks, leaving out grammar he views as unnecessary.
"Bullet went through arm. Clean wound, not life threatening," he reported shortly, the growl in his voice barely restrained. After a moment, he spoke again, "Will have to remove bullet in shoulder manually. Requires you to hold still. Not life threatening." And without waiting for a reply, he searches around for the tools necessary to get out the bullet.
It hurts like hell, Dan's not gonna lie. Without any sort of anesthesia or painkillers, it feels like Rorschach's ripping out all his nerves in his shoulder. The stitching hurts too, but Dan's been stitched up before, the pain is familiar, almost welcome. He'd never been shot before. Still, he doesn't say anything. He doesn't want to make anything worse and destroy what's left of Rorschach's tenuous control over his rising fury.
The ride home is silent as well. Dan puts Archie on autopilot and settles back in the pilot's chair. Rorschach doesn't sit, however. He roams restlessly about Archie, growling quietly and making fists at his side. Dan gets the impression the vigilante desperately wants someone to punch and that that someone is probably him. Wincing at something that had nothing to do with his throbbing arm, Dan turns his attention to the blipping lights on Archie's console and dreading the explosion when they reach home.
When Archie is parked and shut down, Dan turns to say something to Rorschach, but suddenly and blindingly fast, the other man is on him. Seizing him by the front of his suit, he brings Dan's face close to his own and growls out "Why?" the anger and the frustration and the hint of something akin to residual fear sends chills up Daniel's spine, and he finds he can't really say anything but the truth and hope Rorschach understands.
"Well, before you get too pissed," as if that hasn't already happened, "I wasn't exactly expecting armor-piercing rounds. And," He raises his voice slightly, cutting off whatever reprimand that would readily burst from Rorschach's lips, "You don't have any armor at all. He would've killed you. I'm good for a few bruises if it means I get to keep my friend." He winces inwardly at these words. There he goes again, presuming too much, assuming a familiarity that isn't there. It's all business with Rorschach, nothing more than that.
So Dan is surprised when Rorschach makes one of his surprised noises and sets Daniel down gently. "I am…your friend?' The disbelief in his tone is distinctly heartbreaking and Dan has a sudden, insane urge to hug him.
"Well—well yeah." Dan blushes a little as the next question slips from his lips, "Aren't I yours?"
"Of course." The reply is swift and unbelievable, "A good friend…but…"
Dan blinks, a good friend? It's hard not to show how pleased Dan is with this revelation, but his inner pleasure is short lived because Rorschach is suddenly angry again and is leaning close to his face again.
"Regardless. Never, ever do that again." His voice is terrifying and Dan wonders how he can manage a twisted grin and such a cocky reply.
"I won't if you won't." He retorts, knowing with more certainty than he's ever had in his whole life that were their positions reversed, Rorschach would have done the same thing. Lack of armor be damned.
Rorschach knows it too, because he makes an unhappy noise, but doesn't press the issue. He considers Dan for another moment, "Will you be all right from here?"
Dan smiles, "Yeah, I'm all good. I gotta ice this thing and I'll probably be out for a few days for this to heal." The smile fades; he had forgotten about that. Damn. Just when he makes a significant breakthrough with his partners inflexible walls, something has to get in the way.
Rorschach grunts, "I'll meet you here after patrols, then. Keep you posted." He hesitates, "Should do what you need to speed up recovery time. The city needs every one of us."
Dan's smile is back, because he knows that that's Rorschach for, "Get better soon, I'll miss you on patrols."
"Yeah, I'll be back on my feet before you know it. Don't worry."
Rorschach makes a noise that sounds like a scoff and he turns and walks down the tunnel, melting back into the darkness. Dan smiles wider and his arm and shoulder don't really hurt much right now.
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A/N: YAAAY! This chapter was going to come later, but I think I like it where it is. Hope you enjoyed this, the chapters coming up soon will start getting vaguely important!!