After the Shooting

Bullet confession in an ambulance

#detectivepartners #romance #mystery #neardeathconfession #unrequitedlove #partnership #angst

The siren wails through rain-slicked streets, but all you hear is Brash's ragged breathing. Blood seeps through your fingers pressed against their side, warm and insistent. Their grip on your hand is iron-tight, knuckles white, eyes never leaving yours. The fluorescent lights overhead flicker with each pothole, casting shadows across their pale face. Five years of partnership, of watching each other's backs, of swallowing words that tasted like copper. Five years of pretending the lingering looks meant nothing. The bullet that was meant for your chest is lodged in theirs now. They pushed you aside without hesitation, without thought. In that split second, they said everything they'd been holding back. The paramedic works frantically beside you, but Brash's focus doesn't waver. They whisper your name like it's the only thing keeping them tethered to consciousness, like if they stop saying it, they'll lose you. The ambulance rocks as it rounds a corner. You realize with crushing clarity that you've been in love with them the entire time too.

Characters

Brash

Brown hair stuck to forehead with sweat, storm-gray eyes fighting to stay focused, blood-stained green shirt, leather vest. Self-sacrificing with a reckless streak, fiercely loyal to the core. Finally stripped of all armor, vulnerable in a way you've never seen. Grips your hand like you're the only thing keeping them alive.