A Dangerous Game

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BANG!!!

Nobutaka's smile widened at the thunder that cackled across the city. Few people turned around to look around in confusion, others ignored it. Nobutaka just stood there, reveling in the figure at the window that fell. He turned his head back forward and walked with Micah down the lit sidewalk, basking in the park's beauty.

As the mobster walked off in smug victory, Julian stood there with a look of shock on his face. For a minute he felt deja vu, reminded of Daniel's father during that dinner. The only difference was that a bullet was going through his head.
At first his body felt nothing except the shock his wounded head was still processing. His face wasn't disfigured by the shot, he kept his surprised eyes on Daniel. How must it feel to watch something like this twice in a week, he wondered, albeit vaguely. The momentum of the bullet slammed against Julian and pushed him to the ground, though he felt nothing. His body was slowly processing what was happening, and it began to go completely numb due to going into shock. His senses were quickly shutting down sense there was a wounded brain that could do nothing for them.
Blood dripped down his face in an absurd amount, pooling beneath him. His eyes stayed on Daniel, even after his sight faded. He wanted to look away, maybe even tell the blonde that he was sorry for showing him a sight, but he couldn't do it. He couldn't move.
All he could do was lay there in the darkness.

 

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The blonde commanded the beauty to move in his mind, not wanting to kill them both, although he would take that shot if he needed to. He was so close to a perfect shot, so close to fulfilling his promise he'd made to himself for his father, so close to being a true assassin, that he didn't bother to notice the gleam of that gun that Julian caught. He didn't even hear the frantic pleas of his boyfriend and current accomplice to move. All he could hear was the beating of his heart, the blood in his ears, and the voice of his father telling him that it was time to pull the trigger--
Only to find himself with a pain in his side. He cried out, dropping the rifle to the floor as he fell to the ground, gripping his side. "What the hell, Julian?!" he shouted angrily, cold blue eyes filling with rage as he looked up tot he familiar brunette. Before he could fully register his words, he heard the distinct sound of glass shattering, and of a bullet entering a body.
All he could do was watch in horror as the bullet hit his precious Julian.
"No!"
He thrust himself forward to catch his lover before he fell, eyes losing that familiar coldness and being replaced with hot tears. "Julian! Julian!" he shouted, one hand touching his hair as the other held him to his body. "Juli, please, can you hear me?" His voice was already thick with tears, unlikely to clear anytime soon. His hands were covered in blood as the wound, to the side of his head. With the red blood of the one he loved on his body, Daniel instantly forgot about his mission and stood with his beloved in his arms, only one thing important now.
Daniel ran out of the room, running down the stairs and to his car. It took him seconds to lay Julian in the car, even less to pull out and start speeding towards a hospital. "Don't worry, Juli," he tried to soothe. "Everything will be alright!" He skidded to a stop before a large hospital, carrying the bleeding teen inside and screaming for help. "Someone, please! Please save him!" he shouted, pleading for help. Nurses immediately ran over, but Daniel couldn't let himself be parted from the other. He held his hand all the way through the hospital, only releasing him when he was rolled into the operating room, crying out, "I love you, Juli!" when he could no longer see him.
It was then that Daniel Berry, the prideful son of the Nightingale, fell to his knees and wept, begging for forgiveness from the one person he loved the most.

Micah jumped at the sound of a gunshot, even more so at the wail that followed. He looked up to the sound, ignoring his lover and the pain in his hips as he did. "What was that?" he asked, ears perking at the mournful cries he heard. Taka... He didn't order a hit, did he? During a date? Really?!

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"Nothing." Nobutaka answered simply without looking to his lover. He exerted slight force on the hand that went to Micah's back, making him walk with him. "Just a bird that got shot down."
The area around that hotel, including the park, became grim as a figure was seen running to his car. It roared to life and screeched down the street, nearly slamming against any and every car in its way.

Wide, sightless eyes stayed on Daniel when the profoundly bleeding body was held. Blood colored his face as it gushed from his wound, but there was a thin trail of his pale skin running across his face. Among the thick, red liquid were tears, although it was unclear whether they were from the body's natural reaction or Julian himself.
That expression of surprise didn't leave Julian throughout the entire journey. At the hospital his head was turned so that his wound could be evaluated, forcing that stare to fall on Daniel again. His hand was limp in the other's.

Time lost meaning in the hospital. The white walls offered no comfort for those that waited for loved ones to be healed. Trash TV showed on the small TV screen at the corner of the room, though no one showed interest in it, no one except for kids. Two kids, to be exact, two boys. They punched each other playfully each time they saw a fight on the TV - the parents too concerned about their own situation to be scolding the kids. One boy laughed as the other scowled. It was almost evil how they were like Julian and Daniel when they were kids.
The door swung open with sudden force, and in entered a horrified police officer. "Where is he?" Cameron asked in a breathless, panicked tone. He had received a call not too long ago from this very hospital. A doctor wanted his insurance information for his son. At first Cameron assumed it was a broken arm. His phone fell to the ground when he was told what had happened, he broke countless driving laws to get here. When his question was met with silent surprise, he strode to the front desk and slammed his hands on the counter, causing a few nurses to jump. "Where is my son?!" he practically screamed.

 

[Mayah Playah]

Micah blinked as he was lightly pushed forward, eyes still watching behind him as he walked. He saw that blonde boy bolt to his car, carrying someone else, and it was then that the beauty knew what had been done. His blood ran cold, and those pretty eyes looked back to his lover. "What have you done, Nobutaka?" He gazed in horror at the yakuza. "Who have you hurt this time?"

"Cameron!" cried a slim and attractive man as he rushed into the building and towards the officer. He, too, had received that call while at his hospital some ways away, still wearing the teal scrubs and white lab coat of a surgeon. The doctor was closely joined by a short brunette, who even after days in the hospital without sleep, looked as lovely as ever, albeit tired. He was quiet as he entered, looking instead for his own son, who he easily picked out in the chairs.
Daniel sat, his arms dropped between his legs and his head low. His eyes were closed, he didn't even flinch when the officer stormed in. Instead, he stayed where he was, in silence.
"Oh, Daniel! You're alright!" exhaled Ellery as he hurried to his son, falling to his knees before him and taking the blonde's face in his hands. "Darling, where is Julian?"
He looked up to his mother, then to the operating rooms.
"He's being operated on as we speak?"
"Oh, my son!" wailed Liam as he fell to the ground beside his partner, unable to hold himself up. "My precious, my son!" His hands covered his face, thin shoulders shaking with sobs. Hearing Ellery speak to the teen, he looked up, red eyes suddenly furious. "You- You brute!" He stood, stumbling over to Daniel. "You were supposed to protect him, to keep him safe! This is all your fault!" He raised his hand, bringing it down hard to slap the blonde as hard as he could. "This is all your fault!"
He slapped him again.
"Your fault!"
Again.
"YOUR FAULT!"
Liam was finally restrained by Ellery, whose deep green eyes watched his stoic son, who only took his punishment without a word or a noise.

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Nobutaka was unfazed. "That kid wanted to kill me. Someone like him, he wouldn't stop until he got a bullet through me. If I hadn't done this then it'd be you rushing me to the hospital." His cold eyes fell on the blonde. Death was nothing that impacted him anymore, and innocent or not, he expected Micah to be the same. "You still going to look at me like a monster?"

"Liam!" Cameron shouted as he hooked an arm around his lover's waist and pulled him away from the blonde. It took everything in him to not breakdown and cry. He brought Liam close to him and held him tightly, whispering that everything would be all right, that they'd be able to save Julian in time. He was telling himself this, as well. As he held the smaller male, his cyan eyes hardened into silent fury when he looked at Daniel.
You killed my son, his eyes said for him. Scorn relayed that message. Scorn of a father who was staring at his child's killer.
You killed him.

 

[Mayah Playah]

"He's a child, Nobutaka!" cried Micah as he shoved himself away from the man, his expression turning into disgust. "A young boy, trying to avenge his father, trying to live up to his legacy. I don't see you as a monster anymore, but it's moments like these I wish you hadn't come to see me in that hospital. I don't care if I'd be dead today. At least I wouldn't see the man I love murdering babies." He exhaled slowly, backing away again, then turning and starting to walk away. "I'm going home."

Collapsing in his strong lover's arms, the man wept for the loss of his beautiful son, memories flooding his mind of the fiery brunette who had stolen his heart so completely at such a young age. "My boy," he whimpered, fingers clutching Cameron's shirt as he wet it with his tears, himself not sure how such a small body could hold so much water.
The designer was sitting beside his son, wrapping his arms around the blonde and stroking his back, eyes on the couple before him. "It was an accident, I know it," he tried to reason. "I just... I just know it."
Daniel didn't make a sound, still stoic as he was held in his mother's arms, eyes closed and ignoring the pain he felt, both from the doctor's blows and Cameron's eyes' accusation. He knew it was true. He had killed Julian. He hand't pulled the trigger, but he may as well have.

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Nobutaka watched Micah yell at him and walk away on his own, no doubt ignoring the difficulty his body had been giving him earlier. As the blonde left, the mobster sighed and rubbed the back of his head. When Micah was like this then there was no talking him down. If only he realized that mercy didn't exist in this kind of lifestyle. I wonder when he'll stop believing in all this fantasy crap of saving everyone without killing anyone, he thought to himself. Not bothering to chase after his date, he turned and continued his stroll down the park. It was his only time to walk around the public peacefully, and he wasn't going to pass that up. Oh well, at least I already got sex out of him for the day.

Hours had passed. Cameron spent most of it holding Liam and trying to keep himself together. There were many things he wanted to yell at Daniel, and Ellery for protecting him. There were many punches he wanted to throw himself, but he was too tired. All he wanted was to see a doctor come in and tell him that Julian would live and be fine. That's all.
His wish was granted.
It felt like two in the morning by the time anything changed. Cameron was contemplating telling Fredrich what had happened, telling him that he succeeding in having a murderer for a son, when a doctor walked into the room. His face was grim and exhausted. It didn't reassure the officer.
"You are Mr. Rieux's father?" he asked Cameron, whom was still holding Liam.
"Yes." he answered quietly then looked at Liam. "This is my partner. We're both his guardians."
The doctor nodded, unfazed by a same-sex relationship, and looked down at the clipboard in his arms. "Your son is very lucky." he started, instantly brightening the room. "The bullet missed the brain stem by an inch and passed through his head. The worst of the damage came from shards of his skull that got lodged into his brain. So far it doesn't seem as though heavy damage has been dealt to his cerebellum or cerebrum, so he shouldn't be handicapped in anyway, should he wake up." He murmured the last part. "The frontal lobe seems to have gotten the worst of all the damage, so if he wakes up I'd like to see how he is with retaining memories."
Cameron felt a heavy weight lift off his shoulders. Julian was still alive, he was still alive! Held back tears finally poured out of his eyes. He didn't care about how the doctor emphasized on if Julian would even wake up. All that mattered was that he wasn't dead.

 

[Mayah Playah]

Micah walked in silence until he reached the end of the street, looking back into the park to see if he could catch sight of the man he'd shared a bed with all this time. He couldn't. With a sigh, he looked back tot he blinking hand-shaped light that told him not to walk. "Why do I even bother with him?" he asked the light, crossing his arms. "If he really loved me, he'd chase after me." Micah looked back to the park, and seeing no one behind him, returned his gaze to the sign that turned into a white walking man. "I guess I'm just someone to f-ck, after all." Somehow not surprised, Micah kept walking, choosing not to look back again.

Liam, however, wasn't so hopeful. He let the hop die when he heard if. "What are the chances he will wake?" he questioned, still tightly clinging to Cameron's side, his entire body weak and aching from crying.
The designer roused his son, shaking his shoulders. "Daniel! Daniel, he's alive!" he said, beaming with happiness and deciding not to dwell like Liam. Daniel didn't respond, guilt stealing his tongue, although his eyes did lighten a little.

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Upon hearing Liam, the doctor closed his eyes. The air became tense once more, so compacted that hope seemed to suffocate within its tight grip. Cameron found his own hope slowly dying down as he realized the reason the doctor had looked so grim.
"He's in a coma, at the moment." the doctor announced. "That chances of him waking up are... slim."
"How slim?" Cameron asked quickly, feeling his heart sink all over again.
"... The way his body is handling the attack, I'd say he has a little over a thirty percent chance of waking."

 

[Mayah Playah]

Liam inhaled shakily, his fingers growing cold. This couldn't be how he lost his baby. This couldn't be how Julian was taken from them. "Cameron, call your father," he said quietly before nodding to the doctor. "Thank you. May we see him soon?" His fingers reached up to clutch a small necklace that Julian had given him years ago for Mother's Day. It had him and Cameron on one side, with Julian on the other side, and he'd treasured it so completely all these years.

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The doctor nodded. As Cameron moved away from Liam and the others to call his father, the doctor told him the location of the room Julian was in was at. It was on the third floor, the fifth to the right of the elevator doors.
Inside the room was nothing too surprising. It was a dull shade of gray that had gotten even darker with the moonlight pouring through the window. Upon entering, one would find themselves greeted by the monotonous beep of a heart monitor. Depressing as it sounding, it also provided hope, for it proved that Julian was still alive.
There was only one light on, and it banished away the shadows clawing at the occupied hospital bed. Laying in that bed was Julian. His eyes were closed in the deep coma he was under. A tube went through his nose and his mouth, doing the breathing for him, and bandages covered his head. It was heartbreaking seeing the once youthful boy now shackled to his bed, weakly grasping at life.

 

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Ellery and Daniel stayed down in the waiting room, allowing Liam to go up on his own. The doctor dreaded each step, still seeing in his mind those memories of his son when he was younger. Fighting back more tears that he didn't know he still had, the man stopped in front of the door. He had to recompose himself, then gently pushed the door open. Instantly, he gasped, those tears he'd tried to force down popping right back up. "Julian," he whispered, taking small steps until he got over to the bed and leaning over it. One shaky hand moved to touched the boy's cheek, the mother letting out a sob. "Oh... Oh, Julian!"

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Julian did nothing. His eyes didn't flutter, his body didn't twitch, the heart monitor didn't change. He just laid there, limp and quiet.
"There are many cases where talking to the patient has riled them from their comas." the doctor said from the doorway of the room. Hands in his pockets, he walked in yet kept a safe distance. "If you have the time then I suggest paying him a visit. The mind subconsciously registers what people tell it, so you never know when your words will reach him." He pulled one hand out to look at his watch. "It's late. I'll allow you to stay past visiting hours, but next time you'll have to leave after time's up. We'll call you if he wakes up." That being said, he gave them a nod of condolences and left to find the officer and discuss the method of payment.

 

[Mayah Playah]

Liam listened to the doctor speak, nodding his farewell and his thanks when the man left. His eyes never left his son's face, which he stroked as he began to speak. "I don't know if you can hear me, but I want you to know how much I love you," he whispered, leaning up a little to kiss his child's forehead. "You're the most important thing in my life, and I still have so much to teach you. You have to wake up, Julian. For me, for your father, even for Daniel... Especially for Daniel. We need you here with us. We need you, Julian." He stopped speaking, unable to continue. It hurt too much.

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Julian did nothing except lie down and let the machines breathe for him. His hand was cold compared to Liam's trembling ones. Even though he was clinging to life by a few threads, he looked peaceful in his deep, long sleep.

Eventually Cameron returned after settling costs with the hospital. He walked towards the slumped figure that was his lover and gently set a hand on his shoulder. "Come on." he said softly. His eyes didn't go to his son. He couldn't handle seeing him like that. "We should go. Julian'd get pretty mad at us if he woke up to see us passed out on his bed." he attempted to joke, but all he was doing was bringing more tears to his eyes.