The news reported fluffed up her hair as her camera guy counted down. "Events have taken an unsuspected turn, as LA Devils star player, Zero, has no entered the turned over car. As the fire crew work tirelessly to cut the car body open, our sporting hero seems to have taken it upon himself to enter the unsafe car, to rescue his partner, Jude Kinkade, EVP for the Los Angeles Devils. With the safety of the situation deteriorating with each passing moment, the possibility for survival for not only Jude but now Zero as well, seems as daunting concept." As the reporter finished, the camera man zoomed in on the car, but all that could be seen were two feet in designer trainers.

Ж Ж Ж

"Jude? Hey come on, Babe." Zero pleaded. "Open up your eyes." He reached up with one arm and tapped Jude lightly on the face. "Come on, you were only just starting to tell me about the baby's room. I want to know what you'd do with it. Are you going to paint it in neutral colours, like green or yellow, or are you going to wait until we have one with us before we paint it?" Nothing. "Come on, Jude. I need you. I don't know what I'd do without you. You already know you're the first thing I think about all the time... I just... I can't... I don't think I can live without you..." Tears stung Zero's eyes, and one rolled down his cheek. He closed his eyes to force them to go away.

The softest of touches ran down Zero's that he wasn't even sure it happened. He opened his eyes discover it was real. His baby blues look up to meet Jude's beautiful eyes. Zero released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Oh thank God." He exhaled. "Don't ever do that to me again."

Jude simply smiled. "I don't think I can live without you either."

"You heard all that?"

Jude nodded. "Every word. And don't worry, we won't have to rush into the baby stuff just yet."

Zero rolled his eyes. "Rushing is exactly what got us into this mess."

"Speaking of, why are you in here?"

Zero sighed. "Long story short: Chief wouldn't believe me about the pool outside, crew carried on cutting, needed to get you out, came to get you myself." Zero nodded his head as he finished.

"Aww... Very brave of you, but err, how exactly do you plan on getting me down, let alone out of this predicament?"

"Honestly, I thought I'd have been stopped before being able to crawl in." Seeing the look on Jude's face, he added, "I'm improvising."

"Right well, you might want to improvise quickly."

"Really, why is that?" Zero strained to look around Jude to see if there was a way to get him out.

"Because a fire just started." Jude said, completely nonchalant, as if it was normal to be in a situation such as this.

Zero whipped his head around so fast he thought he'd given himself whiplash. Jude was right, as always. A fire had started as was already starting to grow and reach for the dented bonnet of Zero's first gift to Jude.

There was only one thing Zero and Jude could say. "Oh shit."

Ж Ж Ж

"Basketball star, Zero, is still in the car, trying to rescue his lover, Jude, from the wreckage and..." The reporter fell silent as shouts, gasps and a few screams were let out around her. She looked around, her dyed-blonde curls swaying with the movement, as her eyes caught hold of the events unfolding. Turning back to the camera with wide eyes, she continued the report. "It now appears that the ground beneath the car bonnet has caught on fire. I repeat, the ground beneath the car is on fire. Both Zero and Jude are now in perilous danger."

Ж Ж Ж

"Okay, so for this to work, you'll need to undo your seatbelt. I will then catch you, and we shuffle out. Easy peasy."

Jude couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes. "Nothing about this is easy. Besides, I can't feel my left side, so you'll have to catch that side more, but you can't because of the glass spear I am currently skewered on."

"I can work around that." Zero wasn't going to let Jude over think this time, because they didn't have the time. "Come on, I've got you."

"Zero!" The Chief's voice boomed through the car. "Zero! What are you doing in there? Get out now!"

"Not without Jude!" was Zero's simple response.

"Get out of there! What on Earth do you think you're doing?"

"Saving the man I love seen as you neglected to do so!" Zero knew he was being harsh but he needed to focus on Jude, and if being slightly cruel meant achieving that then so be it.

"What do you think we're trying to do?" The Chief questioned. "Now get out of there, before it's too late."

"No!"

"Gideon..." Jude's faint voice interrupted the shouting match, followed by a heavy cough. "Gideon, you need to go now."

"I'm not leaving without you." Zero stated again. "If we don't go together, we don't go at all."

Jude looked as if he was going to protest, but when he saw the look on Gideon's face he knew he meant it. Taking a deep breath, Jude nodded. "You'd better catch me then."

Zero didn't have time to understand what Jude meant by that comment, before Jude had pulled the shard of glass from his side. He released a cry of agony as he did, and fresh blood began to pour from the wound. Zero raised his arms as Jude pressed the seatbelt release. He fell like a sack of spanners falling down a hill. Zero caught Jude and laid him across his body. With his good arm, Jude put as much pressure as he could on his side. He could feel the blood oozing out between his fingers.

"Why did you do that?" Zero's voice was strained from the extra weight.

"If the glass got you then we'd definitely doomed." Jude reasoned. "At least this way, only one of us is in definite mortal jeopardy." He smiled then winced as the pain intensified.

"Don't say that. We're both gonna get out of here and be totally fine with some R&R. You hear me?" Jude nodded.

"Okay here we go." Zero began shuffling out of the car. Jude tried to use his right leg as best he could, and it actually helped. But they weren't moving quick enough, and the flames were now beginning to melt to bonnet of the car. They were both sweating from being this close to that much heat.

"Come on lads, we've nearly got you." The Chief hollered to them.

What felt like forever, Jude and Gideon shuffled but by bit, until they were dragged the rest of the way out by the fire crew. The paramedics were being held back due to possibility of the car exploding.

Zero scrambled out and helped Jude stand up. He was barely conscious, but he was too big for Jude to lift. They stumbled quickly away from the car, along with the fire crew. Behind him, Jude could hear a hissing noise, similar to that which fizzy pop makes and he knew the car was about to blow. Without thinking, he knocked Zero onto the floor and lay on top of him just as the car went up in a wave of heat, smoke and debris.

Zero was pinned to the tarmac, so he didn't feel the pressure or heat as badly. But when he went to sit up, he couldn't. Jude was still lying on top of him. He could feel his clothes were slick with blood, but what sacked him the most was Jude's rapid but shallow breathing. He'd watched enough medical dramas with Jude to know that this wasn't a good sign. Although, neither was having a giant gaping wound in your side either. As his mind feared the worst, the pressure on his back subsided as Jude's weight was relieved.

Jude rolled off Zero and lay flat on his back looking up at the clear blue sky, which was now perforated with the plume of black smoke. He felt as light as a feather, as if all his worries and concerns had been washed away. He felt a sting on his side. His eyes swivelled to see Zero's, dirty and beautiful, pushing his hands firmly onto the wound. Jude smiled. Gideon was indeed beautiful. "You're beautiful." He said. Zero's face became strewn with fear. Jude knew what he needed to say, before it was too late. "I love you, Stupid." The last thing he saw was the Gideon's tear stained face when the world went black.