Take-Two [ Tragictrees & Annyeong Bunny ]

"Welcome to hell." Austin greeted cheerfully, looking at him, before exhaling and shutting his eyes "Okay. You have gloves on you? Rubber ones that you use for evidence should do fine. I'm in early shock stages, I think, which is why my legs are elevated and I'm raising my arm. Don't move my legs. Arm might drop, please don't let it, shock is a bitch. Anyway, knife is still stuck in there to slow bleeding, but when you take it out, it'll probably start gushing." He took another deep breath "Ah, great. I'm breathing fine, that's a plus. Okay. You're going to need to dress the wound, but other that, you're going to need a makeshift tourniquet. It won't be on long, but, uh....shit. What was the size? That's important."

He shifted, wincing, before continuing "4 centimeters sounds right. Yea. 4 centimeters wide, that's how big the strip of cloth is gonna need to be at least, just cut my shirt. It's ruined anyway. Uh, basically, if it's under 4 centimeters, you're gonna risk nerve damage in my arm. That aside, I'm going to be in a lot of pain which is why I'm giving you instructions now." He lowered his arm a bit, getting tired of holding it up and looking like a lunatic "Basically, you'll be cutting off my blood flow. Because I like my blood to stay in my me. Basically, tie that shit around my arm once, place something you can use to twist in the middle. Well, on top, and then tie the clothe again over that, and then twist the hell out of it. Tight as you can. Make sure it stays. Then.....then emergency room, please. I want to keep my arm."
 
Lee immediately pulled a pair of gloves from his back pocket. He carried them everywhere, since he was a detective. Quickly pulling them on, he set his jaw and moved close. He paused as he listened carefully, while also eyeing the blood that was dripping down Austin's arm. It didn't make him hesitate, but he kept a watchful eye on it. Letting his mind take over with the directions, he eyed the length of the bottom on Austin's shirt and pulled it hard, vertically, the sound of tearing cloth echoing in the empty room. Making sure he didn't have less than 4 cm, Lee did as he was instructed. Holding the cloth with one hand, he placed his hand on the knife, making sure to keep Austin's arm up.

"Don't move." Lee warned, for him and Austin both. Gripping the knife tight, he pulled upward as hard as he could, while holding his other hand over his wound, blocking the artery. And then, blood was everywhere. Lee's eyes widened as he felt the warmth of the blood splash on his face and neck, and it felt like his world was moving in slow motion. However, he didn't stop moving. As quick as he could, Lee wrapped the cloth above the gushing wound, using the knife that was in his arm to twist the cloth. He twisted it hard, not knowing how tight it was supposed to be, but figured when the blood stopped flowing, it was tight enough. Holding it in place, Lee grabbed the second, thicker piece of cloth he had torn, and wrapped it tightly around the wound. He wanted to scream as blood dripped onto his forearms and inside his gloves. Swallowing, He quickly moved to help Austin stand.

"Okay, come on, let's go. It'll be too long to wait for an ambulance. I'll drive you." Lee spoke almost mechanically, trying his hardest to keep his emotions together. Putting Austin's uninjured arm over his shoulder, he led the male to his car, leaning the seat back so he could lift his legs on his dashboard. Then, he ran to the drivers side and got in, rushing Austin to the emergency room.
 
In the car, Austin was practically grinding his teeth. It was painful, and he was getting light-headed, spots crowding his vision. But...it could have been worse. Lee could've just not called. He could still be in the warehouse, because he was stubborn. And then he'd go into shock, and everything would get infected, and god, you could kind of die from a arm wound, couldn't you? He hadn't thought of that. Not that he minded dying, but if he had, then no one would take care of his cat, and that....that would be bad.

He let out a breath, his hand on his good side gripping the arm rest, before he glanced at Lee. The guy wasn't doing well himself. He hadn't thought about that. Squeamish, maybe? "Hey. Hey. You did good. Thanks." He spoke up, though it was strained "Bonafide junior fuckin' medic, that's what you are." Then, he fell quiet, simply focusing on not cussing very loudly due to pain.

---
​
Austin, of course, was out of commission for a bit. He had taken up just working a cold case in his office-slash-home, not bothering to go out. His form of social interaction was his cat and his cousin, and sometimes the delivery guy, though it was just a concerned 'hi, how are you?' usually. That was fine. He even had time to tidy up, making things actually neat. Of course, more red strings were added to his cork board, and his desk was covered in files.

He was currently taking a break from looking over old evidence, coddling his cat as he paced. His hair, frankly, was a mess, and he had on his circular glasses instead of his shades. A loose, tan sweater had replaced his usual 'bad-boy' getup, as Evie liked to call it, and he had cat leggings and no shoes. It was his comfort outfit; what he wore when no one was going to see him, because they didn't know where the hell he was.

He raised up his cat, cooing at her a little with a grin, a dull pain throbbing where his wound still was. His office, at this point, was covered with different cat toys and objects. Her tower sat in the corner. He would admit he had gone overboard, but she clearly deserved all of it. "Muffin, you're an angel. I love you. You're a stunning, gorgeous being. A doll."

She just meowed in reply, and that was enough.
 
Over the next few days, Lee was still trying to wrap his head around... everything, really. A girl was still missing, and her parents were starting to give up hope, thinking she was dead. For some reason, hearing that had made him feel anxious and confused. He didn't know why, but he felt like he could imagine how the little girl felt, being all alone. However, in that moment, he was still putting together new clues on his whiteboard, linking them with the old locations. It was no surprise that the kidnapper had moved on to a new place after Austin's accident. Even that event still scarred Lee's brain. He still remembered the feel of the blood and felt a chill run along his back.

"I have to find her... even if everyone else gives up." Lee muttered to himself. He pressed his chin against his fist in thought. He knew where to go with the investigation, but he needed to put together a few more things beforehand. He hadn't seen Austin since the accident, and he didn't even know where he lived. He needed to ask him if he saw anything else that day before he got hit by the trap. There had to be a trap there for a reason. He knew who to try and ask, though.

Text From: Lee
Text To: Evelyn

Hey, I know it's a really random question, but do you know where Austin lives? I need to ask him some case-related questions, so it's important. Thanks.

Lee also, in a way, wanted to make sure the guy was healing. He wanted to take credit for his work, after all. He went through hell and back to fix that wound, even if he was a detective.
 
Evelyn Harris really loved her cousin.

Not in a weird way. Seriously. They were practically siblings, and had lived with one another for years. Sure, they didn't look alike at all- he was a pasty white Irish guy who had to retake passport photos because he blended in with the white background and she had extremely visible vitiligo and hair that refused to be anything but kinky -but they were family, and that was that. They talked daily, called daily, and would be hanging out daily if not for the distance.

So, obviously when someone finally agreed to partner with him for longer than 5 seconds, she had to check the guy out. And he happened to be interesting and a decent person, so she hadn't blocked his number after the fact. This didn't mean that she wasn't surprised to receive a text from him, anyway. Her phone buzzed off to the side of her mock-up desk, and she frowned, grabbing it to see who was bothering her.

Text From: Evelyn
Text To: Lee

Not a weird question at all. Heard that he was an idiot and took a knife to the arm, so it's understandable. Last he told me, which was like yesterday, he's in some swanky apartment complex on fifth street. Apartment 204, I think.
 
Text From: Lee
Text To: Evelyn

Okay, thanks for the help.

And with that, Lee decided to leave his flat. He was eager to leave anyway, since it was bugging him that he hadn't found the girl yet. At least, this way, he could ask Austin why he chose to go to that warehouse out of the three locations. Quickly, he changed out of his sweats and slipped on his typical black pants and this time, a brown longsleeve button-up. He grabbed his keys and his sunglasses, heading to the elevator. Now that he had thought about it, Austin had never talked about his place of living. Once he got to his car, Lee pulled up his GPS and put in Austin's address, following in until he reached an apartment complex. It didn't look bad, but it was farther from the department than he thought.

Walking up to the right number, making sure to double check, he pressed his lips together. Lee rang the door bell and followed it with three knocks before taking a step back. He took off his sunglasses and hung them on his shirt. From the inside, he thought he could hear... a cat?
 
It wasn't really an apartment complex.

It was actually a bunch of offices. Austin hadn't chosen to tell Evelyn this, instead acting as if it was an uppity rich-person apartment complex when he gave the address. He didn't feel like worrying her over the fact he didn't have a kitchen. Or a bed room. He was lucky enough to have a bathroom with, weirdly enough, a shower, but that's as far as his luck went.

When he heard knocking, he assumed it was the postman, so he called out "One minute!" And took the time to readjust Muffin in his arms. Then, he walked to the door, glasses slipping down his nose slightly as he opened it. "Hi, sorry, I was just-...Oh." His pleasant tone dropped almost instantly, and he looked absolutely mortified. Which, he was. Lee was not supposed to see where he lived, ever. Muffin meowed, batting at his face with a paw, snapping him out of his slight panic "Uh....hey. Hi. Hello. What- What exactly are you doing here? No offense. Just....yeah."
 
Lee blinked when Austin opened the door. His eyes glanced over the male and took in his appearance. He fought to hold back a smirk, but the corner of his mouth twitched, and he hoped Austin wouldn't see it. He then cleared his throat and regained his composure.

"I needed to ask some questions about the kidnapping case. Once I get those answered, I could leave." Lee explained, his eyes then moving to the cat. He blinked as he made eye contact with it, feeling the odd urge to boop its nose. He might not have liked people, but that didn't mean he didn't like animals. "Cute." he said simply, his face and voice contrasting to the word. "So, can I come in, or do you want anyone here to hear?" Lee peeked to look behind Austin at the inside of his room... or, er... office, the best he could. This was definitely not an apartment. "Huh..."
 
Austin sighed a bit, adjusting his arms for Muffin with a frown. Then, he stepped away from the door, allowing Lee to enter the room. "A text would've been nice. Like, a slight warning. But, welcome to casa de Austin, I guess. Or casa de Muffin, at this point." He paused, before turning to him and holding up the cat. "Muffin. She's a queen. She rules my heart." Then, he placed her on top of her tower gently, giving her one last pet before heading to his desk.

He casually started to clean up the cold case files, and hoped that Lee would be indifferent enough to not ask about the cork board. "So. Questions. What's up? I'm not sure I'll be able to help, but I'll make an honest attempt. I'd, uh, offer you a drink but I just have a shitton of five hour energy's right now, so...yeah."
 
"I have a feeling that if I warned you about me coming, you wouldn't have answered the door at all. I've had experience." Lee said simply as he followed Austin inside. It wasn't clean and organized like his flat, and there were cat toys everywhere. His eyes lingered on Muffin as Austin put her on her tower. He stepped slightly closer to the cat and looked at her. When asked what he wanted, Lee turned to glance at Austin before standing to his full height, putting his hands in his pockets.

"I wanted to ask about the day you were attacked. More importantly, what made you want to go to the warehouse instead of the the other two locations. Surely you got a lead on something if you ran into a trap. I also was wondering if you had seen anything else before running into the trap." Lee asked nonchalantly as his eyes scanned the room, his detective side feeling curious about the new environment. He had seen the cork board when he walked in, but made no sign that he acknowledged it. There were a lot of red cords, so he assumed it was something Austin was investigating on his own. There wasn't any need to question him about it.
 
"Uh, okay, first of all, I would've answered the door, and I would've actually changed into something other than this. I'd also ask how you got my address. We'll put a pin in that though." Austin paused, eyes flickering between Lee and Muffin, before taking a seat in his office chair and folding his arms "You can pet her if you want. Or hold her, too, she's not temperamental. She likes the attention." He picked up a rubix cube from across his desk, fiddling with it "Relax a bit."

"Anyway...Uh, educated guess and about 10 minutes of looking at traffic cams." He answered, rolling his shoulder and wincing a little. He'd been stabbed. Right. "If you want to run the plate, I have the number still written down. As for if I saw anything....well, no. I didn't really make it that far before the whole stabbing, and I kind of blanked out after that."
 
Lee slowly walked forward and gently tapped the cat's head. His parents never got animals, since they always assumed he would be too aggressive with them or something. He listened to Austin talk and awkwardly turned from the cat, putting his hands in his pockets. Pacing back and forth, Lee slowly nodded and glanced at the other detective.

"Okay... I don't think the plate would do me any good, since he might've ditched the car by now. However, I think you might have been on to something by heading to the warehouse. There wouldn't be a trap set up there for nothing.. especially if there were two other locations that would have thrown the police off anyway." Lee spoke his thoughts out loud, his gaze staring through Austin without meaning to. Then, he pulled from his thoughts, watching the other male adjust his arm.

"How's that holding up?" Lee asked matter-of-factly. He didn't feel sentimental, per say, but he knew it was common courtesy to give someone your condolences. Yeah, something like that.
 
"Oh, it's fine. I mean, could be worse. No nerve or tissue damage, even though it'll leave a nasty scar. I still have an arm, so I really can't complain." Austin replied, shrugging a bit, though moving his good shoulder more than the other "Thanks, by the way. For helping. I, uh...yea, you seemed pretty uncomfortable with the blood and all, so sorry about that."

He stayed still a moment longer, before getting up again, not seeming to be able to sit still for more than two seconds "Also sorry for not being able to help more. I remember jack shit, for the most part. Maybe check the cams? That's really all I got for you at this point." He dusted off his sweater, before bending down and starting to clean up some of the cat toys, just to have something to do.
 
Lee gave a small, slightly awkward nod as he cleared his throat. The blood was only a problem when it touched him, and he had no idea why. Feeling a chill roll down his spine, he tugged a cuff uncomfortably.

"It wasn't that big of a deal. It was my job, I guess." Lee responded, watching Austin stand. "And it's fine, I figured you might have just run in on a whim, and that the chance of you seeing anything before the attack would be slim." he added, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looked around the room. He stepped back toward the door as his eyes continued to look.

"I'm not going to lie, I was expecting worse." Lee said with a humorless smirk as he locked gazes with Austin. "But anyway, at least I know you're not dead, and where to head to next." the tall brooding detective gave another nod and exhaled, turning his eyes to the ceiling. He figured it was time for him to go anyway, so that he could still find the girl alive.
 
"Yea, not dead yet, check back in like a week." Austin replied, standing up straight, arms now filled with cat toys "Status might change by then. Anyway, go, get. You have things to be doing and I'm not being useful, so like, leave me to be a lonely cat lady. And call next time so I don't look like an idiot, alright?" He unceremoniously dumped the toys on the couch, and watched as Muffin jumped from her tower and wandered to the toys, most likely to spread them back around the room that had just been cleaned "Also tell me if you find her. The girl. I feel like shit that I can't help."
 
As Austin turned to dump the toys, Lee couldn't help but smirk at the "old cat lady" comment. He couldn't help but see it as the other male back to him, telling him to get a move on. Then, at being told to let him know about the girl's condition upon finding her, Lee turned his eyes to the ground, pulling at his cuffs.

"Yeah.. Okay, sure." Lee responded, slightly awkward, before clearing his throat. He knew it must have been devastating to not be able to help find the girl, especially after having been assigned the case. "It'll be no problem, I have a feeling she'll still be alive." Lee restated, less awkward this time as he turned for the door.

"Then, I'm leaving first." Lee commented as he opened the door, turning to bow his head ever so slightly in politeness, his eyes still locked on Austin before he turned and left. Closing the door behind him, he exhaled and rolled his neck, feeling his adrenaline surge as he headed back to his car. He would find that girl soon... he could feel it.
 
Austin hadn't planned to be back for a week or so.

Really, he hadn't been planning to. He was doing his side-work, so it wasn't as if he had a lack of things to do, and Evie was sufficient enough as far as social interaction went. Besides, his arm was still injured; getting back out there to get stabbed again? That wasn't high on his to-do list. But, it really wasn't his choice. It just sort of happened, and by that it was meant that he literally stumbled across a crime scene when he was going out to pick up some fast food.

He really didn't notice it at first, because he was just focused on getting his chinese food and then holing up again, but then he noticed an odd-looking car in the parking lot, with someone sitting in it, who had something sticking straight out of their chest. Generally, that wasn't a good sign; he would know. He got stabbed. So, he went to check it out, pulling latex gloves out of his pocket and putting them on, just in case. Then, he tried the door handle. Surprisingly, it was unlocked, and opened to reveal a man stabbed through the chest with a spear, with a lack of blood that suggested that he had been planted there, and a smell that suggested that this hadn't happened recently, and he'd been in the hot car for a while.

Austin gagged a little to himself, before something on the dashboard caught his eye. He hesitated, before reaching over and grabbing it. A note? He flicked it open, reading the contents, before freezing.

Oh.

Oh.

That wasn't great. Or, maybe it was. He wasn't sure; new evidence was fantastic, but a murder certainly was not. Especially when it was connected to him. He grimaced, before pocketing the note. No one needed to see that. Then, he took out his phone, dialing Lee's number and calling it.

"So," he began, not bothering to introduce himself, trying to keep the slight edge of panic and anxiety out of his voice. "I found our spear. Remember the spear? Because I sure do, since I found it."
 
"We really can't thank you enough Detective Lee." the young girl's father was solemn, but thankful. The girl was safe, that was true... but not unscathed. Lee slowly bowed his head politely to the man and his distressed wife, who has crying into his chest.

"It's my pleasure... I'm just glad I managed to find her just in time." Lee moved his eyes to the hospital room holding the little girl, his gaze softening at the memory of finding her...

After leaving Austin's home, Lee had immediately made his way to the abandoned warehouse in search for clues up the stairs where Austin had been attacked. Upon reaching the next floor, he searched each and every room, and was close to giving up and moving on, when he saw something. In the corner of the last room, he saw two small things written in blood: 118 #5

Lee had felt his gut squeeze at the realization that it wasn't the kidnapper's blood or handwriting, as he wouldn't have given himself away like that. Without needing to think, he rushed to 118th street, and calculated that #5 must have meant the fifth room of the large apartment complex on that street. He had slammed the door open and walked in on... a sight. A scarring sight.

The kidnapper had been holding her by her hair, keeping her still as he carved different designs and words into her skin. Feeling his stomach drop, he felt his adrenaline kick in, and in seconds he and the kidnapper had been rolling around on the floor, Lee yanking the knife from the man's hands. He somehow managed to knock the kidnapper unconscious before stumbling to the girl. She looked about 12. His fear of contact with blood was buried into the back of his mind as he watched her life start to fade from her eyes. Within minutes, he had managed to get her to the hospital and safe.

Lee pulled from his thoughts and slowly extended a hand, watching the father take it firmly, his eyes starting to water like his wife's. No more words needed to be said in that moment. It was a brutal case, and Lee had never cared for ones involving children... he had a soft spot for them. Then, as the parents walked back into the hospital room, Lee pulled out his phone as it started to vibrate. Knowing who it must've been, he held the phone to his ear and listened at the other spoke. He seemed to speak urgently, almost a bit panicked, but Lee kept that to himself as his eyes widened in shock.

"What the hell? What do you mean you found it? Where are you?" Lee asked, his voice taking an assertive edge as he felt his adrenaline start to pick up again. He was still a mess from the last case: bloodstains all over his shirt, his hands, and his face, his hair was disheveled, and he looked like he had just murdered someone, much less saved them. However, he didn't think about that as he started to head to his car, in complete focus mode.
 
"I mean that I found it, there's not much that can mean! Like, the sort of 'I found it' that means it's right in front of me, that sort of 'I found it'! Of course, it's a little worse for wear, but it's to be expected since it's sticking out of some guys chest. Oh, did I forget to mention? I also found a dead body. So, murder. That's fun." Austin rambled, now a few feet from the car, deciding that looking at it for too long was uncomfortable "I'm literally outside my office-apartment-whatever. Like, I'm in the parking lot of the place I live. Which makes this even more fun. Also, it smells extremely bad so I think it's been here a while."

At this point, he had started pacing back and forth, hoping that no one else would notice this mess until the rest of the police were notified. He wasn't sure why he decided to call Lee instead of the department. Actually, he was sure, but he really thought he could exhibit more self control. Apparently not. "Just get here eventually, please. There's only so much I can do with one set of gloved hands and a dead guy."
 
Lee cursed mentally as he slipped into his car, buckling his seat belt. Based off of Austin's rambling, he assumed it must have been worse than he expected. And probably the fact that it was outside of his house. That could have been more nerve-racking than anything.

"Okay, okay, let's calm down a bit." Lee spoke quickly as he started the engine, turning on his bluetooth ear piece. As he reversed, he felt his mind start to turn their cogs. "I'll be there in a bit, just make sure nobody sees the body and starts crowding it. That will just make things worse. We'll also tell the department after investigating so we don't cause a panic to the people at your complex." Lee instructed as he stepped on the gas. In a few minutes time, he was in front of Austin's complex and made sure to park away from the crime scene, so as not to create suspicion.

Making his way to Austin, Lee slipped on his sunglasses and a pair of latex gloves from his back pocket. He looked inside and tsked, setting his jaw. It really was the spear, and the smell was atrocious. He didn't have to be a coroner to know that the body had been dead for quite some time. Feeling eyes on him, Lee turned his eyes to people passing by and remembered his appearance. He quickly buttoned his suit closed, thankful he had worn one that day to cover the bloodstains on his dress shirt.

"Alright... open the door for me and I'll do some quick investigating. We want to make this quick before our souls rot with this smell." Lee grimaced, holding the back of his gloved hand under his nose as he turned his gaze to Austin.
 
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