Chapter Text
-
Red, red is the first thing Milo saw when he slowly made his way into his apartment window by the fire escape. Still in his lightly bloodied green jacket and black bandanna covering the bottom half of his face, he wouldn’t usually come in this way but he had noticed a large black SUV next to his building and felt a bad feeling as he had just beat a wealthy man’s traffickers for hire.
Red and the smell of iron, as Milo landed on his feet in his small and narrow hallway he saw a bloodied stream on the wall almost as if someone were telling him to follow it, someone who wanted Milo to see what was at the end of his hallway, he slowly made his way down the hall with his knife in his hands and knuckles turning white from the grip he had on the blade.
As he approached his living room he could see broken glass on the floor and the coffee table knocked over, he held in his breath as he saw a small blood puddle leading to a body.
Milo closed his eyes for a second hoping he was maybe hallucinating but when he opened them the body was still there, Henry his fiancé laid on his back with arms splayed out and legs slightly bent, he had bruises over his face and his glasses were embedded into his broken nose.
Milos eyes slowly scanned from his love's face down to his chest where the blood was coming from, something had been deeply carved into Henry’s chest.
He got closer trying to keep himself together but failing as he fell to his knees by his fiancées side, he took his shaking hand and checked the pulse but Henry’s skin was cold and there was no air coming from his nose, his eyes opened and mouth apart likely from taking his last breath.
Milo scanned Henry’s chest and could make out what had been carved into his lover's chest, it was two lines over an x.
Milo shuddered as he realised that symbol was a branding used by the group of drug traffickers he had been tailing, tears were clouding his vision and he dropped the knife he was still gripping not caring if the intruders were still in his apartment, Milo slowly put his lips to his fiancées lips and caressed his head brushing his black wavy hair off his face showing the forming black eye.
He closed Henry’s eyes and looked up at his now destroyed apartment that he had shared with his fiancée for only a year now, Milo noticed his front door was still intact indicating they most likely were holding weapons to threaten Henry with as he wouldn’t risk putting up a fight and was aware what Milo was doing at night and why he’d come home bruised and bleeding, but Henry didn’t mind he took to helping with Milos wounds and would help him track people he was perusing.
Milo was hesitant when he first revealed to Henry that he was what you’d call a ‘vigilante’ but that only intrigued Henry and brought them closer.
Now as Henry lay dead on there apartment floor that was suppose to be in a safer location, he knew they most likely asked him for Milo's identity and other information but judging by the beating he was most likely giving them no answers, He smiled knowing even in the face of death his fiancée tried to protect him. Tears were falling down his face now running streaks thru the black makeup he’d put around his eyes to have some disguise to his upper face but still wanting his enemies to see his eyes, bile was starting to rise in his throat and he clasped his hand to his mouth trying to hold in a sob.
He screamed Milo screamed in agony, guilt and heartache. He screamed until his throat was raw not caring if his neighbour’s heard.
Milo's throat raw and the smell of iron still in the air he slowly stands up his legs almost giving out under him, he makes his way to the bedroom and grabs a sheet from their closet and lays it over Henry’s body crossing his lovers arms over his chest and kissing his lips for the last time.
Milo sat on the couch looking at his lovers now sheet covered body and a small red spot forming from underneath, he sits looking for minutes or hours he’s not sure but his head was in over drive a million thoughts and a million scenarios playing out where he gets home sooner and his fiancé is still alive.
Milo does something he hasn’t done in years swearing to never utter the words or take part in it again,
“Padre nuestro”
he begins in a hushed voice as he prays a small prayer making a cross with his finger like he was made to do when he was forced to attend church as a child,
he prays that Henry is welcomed and accepted without judgement not even believing in whoever he was praying to but Henry did, Henry still a believer in someone being up there watching over us, that’s who Milo prayed to he hoped whoever was listing wouldn’t reject it because of Milos unbelieving soul.
An hour had passed since Milo came home to find his fiancées body and no sound of sirens had come into hearing distance, he wasn’t to surprised if no one had called as he was in an apartment of either elderly who couldn’t hear or people that minded their business, he was starting to get a headache from the tension he had all over his body and pure rage, anger and wanting revenge still rattling thru his entire being.