Chapter Text
Chris was in the bar when he saw the news. It seemed like every television in the place was showing news reports from the same location: a burning building against the backdrop of the night sky. Emergency lights reflected off one reporter's skin, painting her in shades of red and blue.
“A few hours ago, Sun Fields Orphanage caught fire. Responders are still trying to contain the blaze. Its cause is currently unknown. The director of the orphanage, Lindsey Betz, has been unavailable for comment.” The grim reporter continued to prattle on with more information.
Why did that sound so familiar? Sun Fields. He knew that name. He recognized Lindsey’s too. But where were they from? There was something he was forgetting. His brain was still too caught up on the day’s customers and unfinished paperwork. Wendy was going to have his head if he didn’t do it correctly this week. She wouldn’t even need her sword to do it.
“No one is believed to have died in the fire and injuries appear to be minimal.” The camera panned around to get a better view of the flames.
They were still dancing tall, despite the number of firefighters currently in frame working to douse them. The view changed again showing a few children in soot-covered clothes crowded around a taller man.
Chelsea came up to his table with a newly filled glass, drawing his attention away from the screen. “It’s awful, isn’t it?”
Chris shrugged and took the drink. “Fires usually are.”
She stood next to his table. The two of them watched as the report continued to show more angles of the collapsed building.
“What do you think caused it?” she asked.
There was a different reporter now, talking to the woman who’d called for help.
“It was probably just someone acting like an idiot.”
“You must be familiar with that kind of action then.”
“I’m familiar with all kinds of action,” he laughed. Chelsea made for good company, now that Pinochle wasn’t actively trying to track her down. It was nice to have someone else who understood the strange world he worked in, even if she stayed on the outskirts. Still, that didn’t stop him from flirting -or trying to steal her card- when he had the chance.
The two of them fell into companionable silence. The bar was almost empty at the beginning of the week. The only other patrons were a group of office workers gathered in the corner. He could hear them grumbling over some new training they’d all have to attend, but otherwise seemed content to go unbothered.
The new reporter gave an update on the fire’s containment. He thought it seemed like an awfully specific detail, but the channel probably wanted to continue coverage as long as they could. It’d be good for their ratings.
He was surprised that they’d gotten permission for overhead shots too. While the reporters were stuck outside the gates, some of the clips they were showing were clearly taken from inside.
Then, he heard a sharp intake of breath. “Chris, bottom left corner.”
He followed Chelsea’s gaze.
“Doesn’t that guy on the ground look an awful lot like-”
“Finn,” he realized in alarm. She was right. There was definitely a blonde man in the corner of the frame, partially obscured by another person talking to him. The two were out of focus, the camera trying to pick up something else about the fire in front of them, but now that it’d been pointed out, it was undeniable.
Now, he knew why he knew those names. Bernard had given him a message earlier that morning. At the time, all he’d cared to comprehend was that he’d be working alone. But, now he remembered. Finn had taken the day off to celebrate Lindsey’s birthday at Sun Fields.
He pushed his chair back harshly, the scraping noise loud and grating in comparison to the quiet atmosphere of the bar. He fumbled slightly as tried to grab his keys from the table and put on his jacket at the same time. Then, he was leaving. “Add this to my tab, won’t you, Chelsea? I’ve gotta go.”
“You know you’ll have to pay for everything you’ve put on there eventually, don't you?” she called out after him.
He flashed her a smile, already halfway through the door. “One day!”
Once he was out the door, he called Finn. It went straight to voicemail. “I just saw the news. I’m coming to get you.”
Sun Fields wasn’t far from where he was. It couldn’t be more than a fifteen minute trip, even with traffic. With his driving, he could make it in half. He’d probably get chastised for it later, but it’s not like he didn’t have a reason.
He tried to call again as soon as he got in his car. No answer. He wasn’t surprised, given the situation. Still, he’d hoped for some kind of response. He couldn’t help but be worried.
The reporters had said there were minimal injuries and sure, he hadn’t looked badly hurt in the few seconds of footage he’d been in, but he had a hard time believing Finn was entirely unscathed. They’d only been partners at Pinochle for a short time, but it was no secret the blonde had a penchant for self-sacrifice and getting himself into trouble, especially when there were bystanders involved. If anyone had gotten hurt in the fire, it would’ve been him.
Chris sighed and dragged a hand down his face. It was no use thinking up worst case scenarios. It’d be better to see what happened for himself.
He gave a quick mental apology to Bernard before careening out of the parking lot, gravel scattering behind his tires.
When he arrived at Sun Fields, after breaking only a handful (or a few dismembered handfuls) of traffic laws, he saw it completely roped off with police tape.
No wonder those reporters were outside.
He may have overlooked a few things in his haste, like any semblance of a plan for getting into the place.
He drove by the building as slow as he could without arousing suspicion. The police were keeping a close eye on the perimeter, making sure none of the news channels or busybody onlookers got too close. There was an ongoing fire and investigation after all. They couldn’t have people just wandering around.
If he looked hard enough, he could probably find a way to sneak in. It’s not like the orphanage itself was all that secure and the police couldn’t have eyes everywhere. Still, subtlety was more Vijay’s speciality. Looking around would take time he didn’t particularly care to spend.
But, this wasn’t like a mission. He couldn’t just barge in. There were no players to fight or cards to capture. There was no goal to accomplish. Why had he come at all?
The thoughts clouded his head as he observed the scene in front of him. It was likely Finn wouldn’t even want him here. He didn’t know if the other man considered him a friend. Hell, he didn’t even know if he considered Finn a friend. Really, this whole thing had been irrational and selfish, spurred on by some kind of residual guilt for getting him wrapped up in High Card in the first place.
Chris had gotten worried and felt responsible. That was why he was here. He blamed the five of hearts currently burning a hole in his pocket. He was invulnerable. He threw his life away recklessly and came back each time with a painted smile. But, that’s not something most people could do. Everyone else, his sister, Finn, they can’t do that. They’re lives aren’t like bargaining chips or party tricks. If something did happen, if Finn had gotten hurt, it’d just prove his twisted guilt right. As invulnerable as he was, as much as he tried to shield them, everyone around him always seemed to get hurt.
His motives for coming here weren’t selfless; he could recognize that. But, he figured making sure Finn was okay was the least he deserved.
And he couldn’t do that from inside his car, so he continued down the street to park.
He got out, making sure to shut the door carefully. The poor thing already got enough abuse from his driving and Leo’s habitual door slamming. It didn’t need any more.
Then, he put on his best unassuming face and walked straight up to the edge of the police tape. Anything he felt would do him no good now.
A lot of the officers there were tall with wide, muscular builds. One in particular gave him a menacing glare as he walked past, as if daring him to talk.
Clearly going for intimidation, then. He returned the look with a small grin. If it were any other day, I’d take that bait. Unfortunately, I have a different conversation partner in mind.
He wasn’t sure that he’d have had much of a chance getting past those types, but he would’ve appreciated the challenge. It was so fun to rile those kinds of people up. He might’ve even ended up getting punched. Maybe another day. No, his target was standing at the end of the barricade, clearly trying to avoid being caught up in the entire mess. He’d almost missed them himself during his drive by, too caught up in his thoughts.
“Inspector Young! Fancy seeing you here on a night like this.” Chris’s smile turned sharp as he approached the detective.
The older man glared at the sight of him. They’d seen more than their fair share of each other in the last few months. “Don’t tell me you’re involved in this.”
“I’m sure you know by now that orphanages aren’t my style. I just dropped by to see what was happening. All this commotion has attracted quite the crowd,” he purred. Messing with pushy police officers was always fun, but messing with the jaded inspector was even better. And it yielded much more effective results.
Inspector Young sighed heavily. “I don’t get paid enough to have a beat around the bush with you. What’re you really here for?”
“Must there be a reason? Maybe I showed up, hoping to see you.” Chris put his hands in his pockets and leaned back, relaxing his posture.
The man just stared back at him, waiting.
“Fine.” He rolled his eyes at Young’s unwillingness to play along. The guy clearly needed a vacation. Or anything to give him more excitement in his life. “My coworker was in the fire. I came to check up on him, but he’s beyond your lovely, garish tape.”
“You want me to let you into an active police crime scene,” Inspector Young deadpanned.
Of course it sounds ridiculous when you put it like that. Luckily for him, he knew his target well.
“Well, it’s either that or I find a different way. I’m sure the Chief of Police wouldn’t be too happy if he found out you let someone get past you. Probably better to let me in yourself.”
The man was clearly already exhausted by the conversation. Chris considered it a great accomplishment. It had to be a new record for getting the man to give in.
“Whatever. Just stay out of the way and get out as soon as you can. Makes my life a whole lot easier when you people aren’t around.”
“Always a pleasure, Inspector Young.” Chris ducked under the tape and waved at the officer who’d glared at him before. Word would travel that the inspector himself had let him in. No one would question his presence.
The satisfaction wore off quickly. Now that he was past the tape, it all seemed much more real. He could feel the heat of the flames, hear the officers radios, see the caved in building. It was nothing he hadn’t seen before in the field, but this wasn’t like an abandoned warehouse. It was someone’s home.
It took a few minutes before he could get his bearings. The clips he’d seen on the news had been spliced together and were through smoke-covered camera lenses.
He spotted a man pacing anxiously, one hand holding his phone and the other nervously pulling at his hair. He was saying something about emergency placements and vacancies.
That must be Lindsey. Chris distantly recognized him from a photo he’d seen before. What an awful birthday he’s been having.
Lindsey would probably have an idea of where Finn was hiding, but he looked too busy to bother. Plus, it’s not like he knew the guy. Talking to him would probably just raise questions. No, there was no need to ask him. He could find Finn on his own. The place wasn’t that big and there weren’t many hiding spots, considering most of them were currently being burnt to a crisp.
He kept walking.
Eventually, Chris saw his partner, sitting against a section of fence, curled in on himself. The harsh red and blue lights flashed on the other side, casting dark shadows over him. It looked like he hadn’t moved from where he’d been when Chelsea had spotted him in the corner of the news. He walked closer but Finn didn’t seem to notice.
“There you are.”
Finn looked up at him. Confusion danced across his face. He blinked slowly a few times, as if he wasn’t entirely aware of his surroundings. “Chris? What’re you doing here?”
He winced at the empty tone. Finn was normally so much livelier. “This place is all over the news right now. I tried calling, but you didn’t answer your phone.”
“Sorry.”
“I was worried about you.” Chris stretched out his hand to help him off the ground.
Finn batted it away. “I’m fine.”
He didn’t get up.
“You sure don’t look like it.” And it was true. Finn looked the worst out of everyone he’d seen so far. His clothes were torn, stained with what looked to be dried blood. Soot covered his face and left gray streaks in his blonde hair. Burns decorated his exposed skin.
“I am.”
“You don’t have to be. No one would be after something like this.”
“Well,” Finn turned his gaze back to the dwindling flames. “Maybe I don’t deserve to be.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“This is all my fault. Lindsey was right about not coming back here.”
“Finn, whatever happened wasn’t on you. You didn’t cause this.”
“You don’t get it!” Finn’s voice cracked at the sudden outburst. “The only reason Bobby Ball showed up here was to get to me. If I hadn’t insisted on throwing that stupid birthday party, Sun Fields would still be here. This place would have still had a chance.”
Bobby Ball had been here? The guilt in his chest reared its ugly head once again.
This was the Klondike’s doing then. Pinochle was not going to be happy when they heard about this. “You may not be ready to hear this yet, but you showing up today wouldn’t have changed anything. The Klondike’s are monsters. They would’ve hunted down everything you cared about eventually.”
Finn’s posture only curled in more, until his chin was resting on his knees. “It’s all my fault.”
“That isn’t what I’m saying. It’s just... They’ve picked their side and you’ve picked yours. You can’t change that. We live in a dangerous world, more dangerous than most people’s. But, you can’t live your life always wondering if everything you do will be used against you. If you do that, you aren’t ever going to live at all. And you’re a good person. You deserve a life filled with good things.” The words spilled out before he could fully recognize what he was saying and how untrue they sounded to his own ears.
Chris swore he saw unshed tears gathering in those green eyes. He wasn’t sure what to do. For all that he charmed and flirted, handling people’s emotions wasn’t a skill he really had. He couldn’t even handle his own. It was so much easier to smile and joke, but that wasn’t what Finn needed.
He settled for sitting down next to him. He threw an arm around his shoulders in what he hoped was a comforting weight.
It must work because Finn doesn’t move away.
“If you’re going to blame someone, blame the Klondikes. You could blame me if you want to. I’m the one who recruited you into this mess after all. But, don’t blame yourself. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Finn was clearly done talking for the night. That was fine. Chris didn’t think he knew what else to say either. Instead, he rested his head against the fence and let his fingers play with the hair at the nape of Finn’s neck. They could watch the fire die together, and with it, Finn’s past.
“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll take you back to your apartment. Just let me know.”
It turned out Finn didn’t have to say anything at all. Hours later, long after the firefighters had left and Lindsey had found places for everyone to stay, Inspector Young came to kick them out. Chris hadn’t even realized the man was still there.
It took some wrangling, but he managed to get Finn into his car. His partner was quiet the entire ride back to his apartment, staring blankly at the road ahead of them.
Chris kept glancing at him as he drove. The ash in his hair, the empty expression, the way the passing lights seemed to reflect off of his skin like he was nothing more than a ghost. It’d been a long time since he’d seen someone look so broken.
Time, he sighed. He just needs time.
Even going slower than he normally would, the drive was a short one, only lasting a few minutes. Finn had originally gotten the place with Sun Fields in mind, so it was a distance that was meant to be walked. Not that he was in any shape to be walking right now.
Chris was thankful for the short trip. The silence in the car was too stifling, too heavy.
When they got there, Finn made it clear he didn’t want to be around him any longer than he had to. He got out of the car without a word and disappeared through the building's door.
Chris let him. Pretty words, no matter how sincere, wouldn’t heal the memory of today.