Take-Two [ Tragictrees & Annyeong Bunny ]

"Well, I figured. You don't like coffee." Austin stated, glancing over at the line "They don't have options, though? That sucks. Pretty sure even Starbucks has options for hot chocolate flavors." he leaned back again, thinking it over "....Maybe. Actually, I have no fucking clue if they do. But they should, it's a whole new world to explore. I mean, gourmet hot chocolate from the grocery store? Fantastic." He got up, dusting off his pants "I'll get that, then. I don't think I need the caffeine, anyway. It might kill me. Be right back."

He did a mock-salute, before heading over to the line. He knew that getting worked up over something like that wouldn't help their partnership, and he was liking the amicable atmosphere they had settled into. Of course, things like the kiss were still on his mind a bit, but he was trying to work towards making them not effect how he acted with Lee. He didn't really feel like fucking up again.
 
"Yeah, you got a point." Lee mused as he looked down at the hot chocolate in his cup. They really didn't have many options for the hot chocolate. Just, hot chocolate. The detective never really thought about it before, but as he thought about it in that moment, he lifted an eyebrow at the cup. Lee then nodded to Austin as he walked off with the salute. He watched as his partner made his way to the line and probably stared a bit longer than normal. The male's focus was drawn to him, and his mind started to wander.

A lot of things ran through his mind. The past few days have been borderline crazy for him. So many things were happening that he didn't know how to wrap his head around them. Emotionally and logically. There was the case that was nowhere near finished as well as the situation with Austin. At the thought, Lee blinked and took another slow sip, only realizing then that he was still staring directly at Austin. He blinked and turned his gaze down to the table, putting a hand on his phone and tapping it.
 
It took Austin about 5 minutes to get his drink, which was exactly the same as Lee's, as well as a blueberry muffin. He admittedly hadn't eaten much that day, and it wasn't as if it costed much; he filed the purchase under 'treating myself' mentally to justify it. He walked back, sitting across from Lee again, setting his things on the table and taking out his phone, tapping out a quick message to Evelyn to say he would be out a bit longer. She sent him a middle finger emoji and a picture of the stack of paperwork. He grinned down at it, before looking up at Lee.

"Soooo, find anything? Or uneventful?" He asked curiously, shoving his phone back in his pocket so that he could pay attention.
 
At Austin's question, Lee slowly shook his head, pulling back from his thoughts. He gave an audible sigh to emphasize his slight defeat on the situation. Draining the rest of his drink, he placed the cup down and started to gently spin his phone in slow circles on the table.

"I'm actually stumped right now. I found a note though, but it didn't really hint at anything other than the fact that he likes playing games." the detective explained as he pulled the plastic bag from his pocket, sliding it across the table to Austin. Now that he knew Austin was back on the case, he was thankful that he hadn't made it back to the office to drop off the evidence. "It would be great if you could find any oddities about it, but I think he placed it to try and rile up a wild goose chase." Lee added before turning to his phone. Keeping it flat on the table, he pressed the button to light up the lock screen in order to check the time. On the background was the picture Austin had sent him a while ago: a picture with him taking a selfie, Evelyn shoving some criminal into the back of a police car in the background. He had put it there when he had gotten it, and never really bothered to tell the other that he put it there. After all, he'd figure it out some day.
 
Austin took a look at the note, but his eyes flickered towards the phone when it got turned on. At first, he was surprised; he hadn't actually expected Lee to do as he said to. After a moment, though, he took out his phone, raising it up and quickly snapping a photo of Lee, setting it as his background. "Bad news," He began, sliding the bag back "Totally just fucking with you. I don't think this means anything. Check for prints, maybe, but there'll probably be nothing. Good news...." He raised his phone, waving it around with a grin "Now we have a matching set of phone backgrounds. And no, I'm not deleting it, don't bother asking! This is permanent. No complaints."
 
Lee nodded as if he had understood that it was a mind game the murderer was playing. He stuffed the bag safely back into his pocket as he listened to Austin talking about the 'bad news'. Then, when the 'good news' was brought up, the detective glanced at the other male, his eyes immediately locking on the picture of him on Austin's background.

"I didn't say you could take a picture of me!" Lee spoke defensively as he became more flustered, feeling the heat wash over his ears and neck, traveling to his cheeks. The male moved to reach for the phone as Austin waved it around, attempting to grab at it. It was just his luck that his pride was dropping more and more. So much embarrassment. Lee eventually gave up and placed a hand on his forehead, sending a light glare the other's way.
 
Austin didn't drop his grin, placing his phone in his pocket for safe keeping. "Oops. Now you're my phone background. What a travesty." He replied, laughing a bit "Relax, I'm not going to go around showing it to anyone. It's not like anyone touches my phone but me anyway. Besides, it's a good photo! You look great! I'm a master with phone cameras, you could frame the picture I just took." After saying what he felt was a proper justification, he relaxed back to enjoy his hot chocolate.

The next day, the office was occupied by Evelyn, Lee, and Austin. Daniel hadn't shown; Evelyn was pretty sure she knew the reason for such, but she wasn't about to bring it up, considering they had work to do. She hadn't been all that close to the situation, anyway, and figured that it would work itself out. At this point, they had gotten through most of their work, and thus- quite predictably -Austin stood up, stretching, before heading straight for the door. Evelyn balled up a piece of paper, tossing it at him to get his attention. "Where are you off to?" She quirked an eyebrow questioningly, eyeing him.

He grinned, offering her finger guns, as if that would help "I'm going to my office. I just need to pick up a file. I have that huge ass cabinet and I think I might have something to help out with the case." He explained casually, before offering the other two a bow "I'll see you folks later. Don't have too much fun without me. Seeya."

And, like that, he was gone. Evelyn watched him go, rolling her eyes and going back to organizing. "Typical. I'm not surprised. Think he would've left without saying anything if I hadn't caught him?" She said, before noticing a bag still by Austin's chair "And he forgot his bag. Look, I'm gonna go get that to him. I'll be back soon." She got up, grabbing it, before heading to the door "Text me if you need anything."

---​

Austin knew something was off when he entered the office.

Not that he really focused on that. He credited it to his paranoia; it was nothing, and he'd pay it no mind. So, he walked in, shut the door, and hung up his jacket, like he usually did. He kicked off his shoes unceremoniously, and was about to make his way to his desk, when he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, something perched on the fan blade by the center of the room. He frowned, then took his chair, moving it over and standing up on it, trying to get a better look. His only warning that something was about to happen was the creaking of floorboards, and by the time he thought that maybe, he should've listened to his gut feeling, something was thrown around his neck, and the chair was kicked out from beneath his feet.

The last thing he heard was someone walking, a window opening, and then, a knock. After that, he blacked out.

---
​
Finding someone you considered like a brother for a good portion of your life near dead, twice over in the time you knew him, was something that Evelyn hated. At first- after bursting into the office when she felt something was off -she just felt a sort of panic and numbness, which continued throughout the ambulance ride. Now that she stood in the waiting room, though, she was hurt, and crying, and worried sick. She didn't feel like she could talk on the phone, but she knew she couldn't just not tell Lee, so she slipped out her phone and, with shaky hands, typed out a message.

Text From: Evelyn
Text To: Lee

austins in the hospital i don't think ill be back at the office a while im sorry
 
Lee watched with a light smirk as Austin shot his finger guns, excusing himself to grab a file from his office. At Evelyn's words he gave a light laugh before looking back down at a few newspaper articles. He had been in the middle of trying to find article similarities in murders or kidnappings within the past few months when Evelyn left to bring Austin his bag he had left behind.

Everything was going normally. It was all fine.

That was why Lee couldn't comprehend the text Evelyn had just sent him. That moment... he felt like he would never forget how he felt in that moment. His arms felt numb as his stomach dropped, feeling like his insides could drop through his feet. A cold sweat washed over his back, and his face paled tremendously. The text. He couldn't stop reading it. From the tone of the message, he knew it was seriously, but his body was frozen in shock. Finally, Lee stood, bracing his desk for a moment of support as he grabbed his keys with a shaky hand. Deep down, he prayed that it wasn't as serious as he thought it would be. Oh, he hoped.

The ride to the hospital felt like hours, though it was just a ten minute drive. In the end, he found himself rushing to shut the door of his car, not stopping to lock it as his legs moved on their own, having him sprint toward the hospital doors. With adrenaline spiking through his bloodstream, the detective slapped a hand against the motion doors, feeling panicky at the slow time it took for them to open. Everything seemed to be moving so slow. Finally, he made his way to the front desk, his chest rising and falling as small beads of sweat rolled down his temples. The woman behind the counter looked at him with wide eyes, concern crossing her face.

"S-Sir, are you okay? I can get you--"

"Gallagher. Austin Gallagher. Please just tell me where his room is." Lee spoke quickly, irritation spiking in his voice as he looked down one of the hallways, finally taking a moment to try and catch his breath. However, no matter how deep he breathed, it felt like nothing was helping. Like his lungs were disconnected from his body. He barely heard her read the room number, but nodded anyway. He was about to go down the hallways when he turned, seeing Evelyn in the waiting room. His breath hitched at seeing her emotional state, and something about it gave him a deeper insight on what Austin's situation might be. Lee stumbled a bit as he walked to the girl with long strides. When he was finally in front of her, he crouched to her height and placed his hands on her shoulders gently, looking at her.

"Evelyn. Evelyn, you need to tell me, please. What happened?" Lee spoke with a twinge of shakiness in his tone, searching the girl's face pleadingly. He was still pale and bit his lower lip harshly to keep it from trembling. His body was reacting as if he had ingested poison. It was like he wasn't all the way there, like his soul somewhere else, leaving his body to go through motions.
 
Evelyn wasn't aware Lee was in front of her until his hands were on her shoulders and he was speaking to her. For a moment, she didn't say anything, before she let out another choked sob, pulling him into a shaky hug. She wasn't sure if Lee was the sort for hugs, but she needed the comfort, and she didn't have anyone else. "I don't know, I don't know, I'm sorry." She said, voice wobbling a bit as she tried to get the words out with some sort of clarity "They won't let me see him, but- but-" She took in a deep breath, trying to compose herself "I found him. He- he was hanging from the fan, and he told me he'd never do something like this again, and he was fine earlier, but-- God, I barely got in in time, Lee, I was so scared."
 
Lee was ready for the embrace and gathered Evelyn into his arms. He held her close in order to bring both of them comfort in the situation. Anything to steady his busy brain and hammering heart. With a deep breath that didn't help to calm his adrenaline, Lee closed his eyes and listened as Evelyn spoke, telling him what she saw. The image that popped into his head made his mouth go dry and his stomach churned.

"Oh shit..." Lee breathed, feeling like the air left his body, gripping Evelyn and pressing his forehead against her shoulder. With a furrowed brow he listened as she told him how she was scared. At this point, the detective didn't know what to do. He was a mess, and Evelyn wasn't very far from that either. Lifting his head, he pulled back a bit and slowly shook his head, turning to look away as his vision blurred ever so slightly. "I know. It's okay, Evelyn. He's here, so that means he's okay for now, right? You reacted fast, and that in itself is the best you could do for him in that moment. The best anyone could have done." Lee spoke gently, turning to look back at Evelyn, gripping her shoulder firmly in a comforting manner. His eyes didn't leave her's, but as the images of the day before flashed in his mind, he felt his throat tighten as the blurring of his vision worsened, feeling a warm wet drop fall from one of his eyes.

The image of Austin smiling and waving the picture of him on his phone, the image of him giving his finger pistols before leaving the office. Everything hit him and he took a shaky breath. He knew he couldn't control the memories from hitting him, but he wished he could. His heart was ramming in his chest, down to his stomach. "We'll get to see him soon, I'm sure." was all Lee could say as he swallowed hard, his mouth cotton-dry as he pulled Evelyn against him once more. With a shaky sigh, he attempted to steady his emotions once more, knowing that with the way he was now, he wouldn't be able to think rationally.

"Sir... I remember you asking me about Mr. Gallagher. He's been placed into his room and is allowed to have visitors now. We suggest taking a moment beforehand so that it isn't overwhelming." the nurse from behind the counter was suddenly at their side, giving them sympathetic looks. Lee pulled away from Evelyn and looked at the said girl, giving her the look that read 'are you ready?'
 
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Evelyn hesitated, before nodding, walking towards the room. She wasn't ready, but this wasn't the sort of thing she could be ready for. She needed to be, though, because Austin was in there, and standing outside wasn't doing her any good. So, she was going to go in, remembering that it was better this time because someone else was there. Last time, she had to drive down 2 hours, after being called as Austin's emergency contact. She had been in the middle of cooking, and soon was finding herself running out the door to head all the way to Detroit to see her cousin who had been ignoring her texts and calls in the hospital due to almost drowning.

She walked in, pausing in the doorway as she surveyed the room. It was empty, other than Austin, who laid in the bed unconscious, bruising around his neck. She took another breath, steadying herself, before walking the full way in, having a seat by the bed and playing with the hem of her shirt. This wasn't how she had imagined the day to go.
 
Lee watched Evelyn carefully as she led the way, following the nurse to the room. He kept a close distance to her and looked ahead, setting his jaw tightly. His nerves were jumping in his stomach and he found himself counting to three as he inhaled and exhaled. Controlled breathing. Still feeling numb from the shoulders up, Lee watched as Austin's room appeared with his name on the wall beside the door.

When the door was opened, the detective watched Evelyn walk in and take a seat. In that moment, he felt his legs refuse to move. All he could do was stand in the doorway and lock his eyes on the figure in the bed that was his partner. It felt like a nightmare he couldn't wake up from, and at seeing the dark bruising on Austin's neck, Lee felt his stomach tense as it threatened to empty itself on the floor. His breathing became more strenuous as panic started to wash over his eyes, though he forced himself to step inside and slowly slide the door closed. Even if he wanted to speak, his throat was frozen, refusing to activate his vocal chords.
 
For the next few days, Austin didn't wake up. Evelyn was in and out of the room- though more in than out -and hadn't gotten much work done because of it. Eventually, on the 4th day, Evelyn decided to actually get some work done, if only to get her mind off of things. So, she spent the day out of the room, missing the moment that Austin woke up and noticed he was alone, in a hospital, with a vague memory of what had happened. This, of course, was a bit panic inducing.

When he woke up, it didn't register where he was; everything was a bit hazy. But when he did figure it out, he snapped to attention, taking a look around the room. There was no one around, and that made it worse. He took a deep breath, coughing a bit as he did, before shakily moving to get rid of his IV. He didn't like being in hospitals if he was the patient, and he didn't like being in one place too long, especially after what had happened in the office. Once the IV was out, he held a hand over where it had been, leaning back in the bed and shutting his eyes tightly. His neck hurt, and he could feel tears in his eyes, not just from the pain but also because he was so overly frustrated with how stupid he'd been, and with how he had no idea what was going on, or how long he'd been out for. The fact there was no one around also wasn't helpful, as he had expected at least Evelyn, and had hoped for Lee. Unfortunately, things seemed to never go the way he wanted.
 
Over the course of the next four days, the weather had become colder. Harsh winds tore at the trees and threatened to ice over the roads. Lee had only noticed this on the fourth day, as he had finally left the hospital in order to take a shower and change his clothes. Over those four days, he refused to leave the room in case Austin woke up, but on that day, he forced himself to at least go home and change. Then he could go back.

The detective walked from the flat and made his way back to his car, not sure if he was freezing from the weather or from the anxiety that ripped through his stomach. He had managed to change rather quickly, and was wearing a black turtleneck and dark jeans. Pulling his coat tight against him, he sat in his car and drove back to the hospital. Mentally, Lee wasn't great. And when he saw Evelyn, he could tell she was feeling just about the same. No words were spoken between them during the time, and he barely got any sleep. When he did, it was in one of the armchairs beside Austin's bed.

Walking back into the hospital, Lee signed back in as a visitor and sighed as he made his way down the hall he had started to grow disdain for. Lifting his hands to his mouth, he blew into them in order to warm them back up, and soon enough he was back in front of Austin's door. Not bothering to hesitate, the dark-haired male shed his coat and pulled the door open, stepping inside. At first, he didn't look at his partner's bed, as he had been asleep for so long, Lee had grown accustomed to assuming he was still asleep. Slowly closing the door, the brooding male finally turned, his eyes locking on Austin. It was like time froze when, for the first time in four days, he was able to lock gazes with the other again.

No words could be forced from Lee's mouth, as he stood there with wide eyes, his lips pressed together as he held a hand out to drop his coat in a nearby chair. He couldn't help the throbbing as his heart hammered in his chest and stomach, his throat tightening at the sight. Then, he began to move forward, taking long strides to Austin's bed, a pained look on his face before he pulled Austin against him, being careful to not hurt his neck.

"It's about goddamn time, Austin!" Lee finally managed to force out, his voice cracking slightly from the lack of use in the recent days.
 
Austin froze for a moment, not expecting Lee to actually hug him, but it didn't take him long to relax a bit- though the tension was still there -and hug the other back, maybe a bit too tightly. If he'd been alone any longer, he wasn't sure how he would be feeling, but he was sure it couldn't be categorized as 'good'. He didn't say anything for a bit, just enjoying the contact, but figuring it couldn't last too long, especially considering that what Lee had said implied that he'd been out for a bit.

"I don't have my glasses, so I can't comment on your appearance, but you sound like shit." The weak joke was said with a rough voice, due to a lack of use over the past days, and was ended with a small sniffle as he tried not to full on sob. He didn't want to act stupid. As he spoke, he didn't bother letting go of his partner. "Uh.....how long was I....you know? Out for? I can't see my phone or the clock."
 
When Austin didn't pull away, Lee was okay with that. He readjusted his arms and inhaled deeply, feeling the relief flush through his system. It felt so strange to him, and foreign. Pushing those thoughts away, he decided to just focus on the present, hearing a sniffle come from his partner. A small laugh left his lips from Austin's joke and he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"I may sound like shit, but you look like shit." Lee retorted lightly in return, a smirk pulling at his lips. The detective wasn't sure when Austin was going to wake up, but even if he was late, he was glad he got back soon enough. When asked the question he was more or less ready to answer, Lee slowly pulled back from the hug and moved to sit on the edge of the hospital bed. A sigh left his mouth as he frowned ever so slightly, turning on the bed so that he was directly facing the other.

"Four days... you've been out four days. I had a feeling that I shouldn't have left this morning, of the whole time you were out. I didn't want you to wake up by yourself, especially after what happened." Lee chose his words carefully. He himself didn't know if Austin even had a recollection of what happened to him. Or, from what the doctors kept saying he tried to do to himself. At the thought, Lee turned his eyes away and furrowed his brow, trying to push it away. He never wanted to imagine the scenario of Austin hanging, but it continued to form itself into his imagination, causing his stomach to churn. Trying to swallow away the dryness in his mouth, the male turned back to Austin and gave a weak grin that the other probably couldn't see. There was no way he could tell him the fact that Evelyn found him. It wasn't his place, and he figured that Evelyn herself could tell him if she wanted...
 
Austin was quiet, listening to Lee explain how long he'd been out for. 4 days was a long time; he mulled it over, leaning back against his pillows and looking up at the ceiling. 4 days meant that it was likely any evidence at his office was void, especially since people had been in there. The only way he could have gotten to the hospital was if somebody found him, which meant that things had been touched, so even if the others knew what happened....it didn't matter. That line of thought brought up another question.

"And....what do you think happened?" He said slowly, trying not to lead the witness with his question. He wanted an honest answer of what it looked like, even if he didn't like the outcome.
 
There was the question. The one he wanted to avoid answering. Why? Lee had no idea, but what he did know was that he didn't see anything. With that in mind, he didn't really know what to think about the event. Did Austin actually try to hang himself, like everybody was trying to tell him? Was it some freak accident? But from what Evelyn had told him, how she found him, he figured the latter was unlikely.

"I..." Lee paused as he looked at Austin, taking in his appearance. The dark bruising that had started to fade was still prominent to the detective's eyes, and he focused on it as he tried to gather his thoughts. "I don't know what to think. Everyone's saying that you tried to hang yourself. Commit suicide." Lee finally spoke, but his voice was weak at speaking the words out loud. "I didn't want to listen to them because on that day you were fine, you were okay. But... I guess that's what all witnesses say when they find a loved one like that, right? 'They would never do that', or, 'they were so happy.'" the male continued to talk, and he knew that he probably should have stopped a long time ago, but his mind was spinning and throwing out his words. All of the thoughts he had bottled in about the situation were finally bubbling to the surface. His vision was beginning to blur once again like that day, and he felt heat rise to his face. He needed to stop.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm talking too much. You don't need to hear all of that after just waking up." Lee cleared his throat and glanced away, closing his eyes to will the wetness in his eyes to disappear. But, it was to no avail.
 
Austin watched as Lee spoke, listening to him ramble. This was, possibly, the most emotional he'd seen his partner, ever, and it was over something that had Austin as the cause of it. He sighed, pushing himself so he could sit next to Lee, bumping shoulders with him carefully. "Nah, you're fine. Honored to be labelled a loved one." He said, trying to keep a light tone "And not like I don't talk a lot. Actually, I talk a hell of a lot more than you, so if anything, you need to step up your game." As he spoke, he absentmindedly leaned against Lee; he still wasn't feeling great, his head pounding and his fear of someone watching them still ever present, so having someone around was comforting "...Also, I didn't try to kill myself. I mean, I have, but I don't-- I got new meds, I wasn't thinking about it. Last time I tried was like, years ago, and that involved a bridge, not a rope." He continued, twisting his hands a bit as a way to fidget "Someone broke into my office and I didn't realize. So, that's how that happened."
 
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Lee turned to glance at Austin as the said male leaned against him. He looked over his partner and figured he probably needed some steadying, so he was careful to not move. The detective was thankful for the change in tone, and the tears in his eyes slowly started to disappear. A small ghost of a smirk pulled his lips at the little bit of humor Austin was tossing around. However, that smile quickly left when Austin explained how he never tried killing himself.

"Wait. So you're saying you remember someone breaking into your office, or that you saw it was broken into? I mean, I had a feeling that it didn't make sense." Lee started rambling again as his heart started to hammer. The adrenaline was soon running throughout his body at the idea of Austin being injured by someone else and not by his own hand. While he wouldn't say it, relief also washed over his body at the reveal. "Shit, this whole thing is screwed around. Can you remember anything?" the detective turned his lead to look at his partner who was leaning against him, being sure to keep his voice low and quiet. The last thing they needed was someone to overhear the situation if Austin elaborated.
 
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