Chapter 13: Partners
"How come you have this kind of place in another country? Wait–– are you really the owner of this place? Aren't we trespassing or something?" Hanlon checked every corner of the room as he kept asking Sean a lot of questions. After the two of them flee from the scene, Sean brings them to an abandoned building. There is not a single soul on the street and the neighborhood building has also been abandoned. Creepy as may look, especially the sun is setting, and the whole place don't have electricity
"Stop roaming around and come help me tie our hostage! There is nothing to see in this empty room!" Sean scolded while struggling to settle the unconscious boy. After making sure that their hostage won't be able to escape, Hanlon lay down on the floor and stared blankly at the ceiling. Sean glanced at him for a second before he exited the room. Not so long after he left the two there, he came back with a first aid kit on his right hand. Sean kicked the young man at his feet to get his attention. Hanlon looked up to him confusedly as he get up
"What? I wanna take a rest" he grumbled while pouting
"We have to treat your wounds. I don't want to take care of a brat like you" Sean answered as he took out the medicines. Hanlon even became more confused while watching the person in front of him. Sean is such a weirdo. He has a lot of personality, and would change them anytime. He surprised him everyday.
Everyday? Yeah… They see each other almost everyday.
'I didn't ask you to take care of me though. But aren't you literally doing it right now?' Hanlon thought
Sean made sure that he treated every wound Hanlon got. He even made him take off his shirt just to be sure. Fortunately, Sean finished dealing with the young man's wounds right before the room was completely covered with darkness. They both turned on the flashlight of their phone to light up the place.
As creative as he can be, Hanlon found a way to hang his phone above their hostage's head to make it look like they're interrogating him, they're gonna interrogate him though. After Hanlon succeeded in hanging his phone, he proudly showed it to Sean, making the latter chuckle.
"You're really into this kind of stuff, huh?" Sean stated while watching the scene from the distance, crossing his arms
"I've seen a lot of movies like this, and they're so cool" Hanlon beamed
"Do you hate the bad guys in those movies you've watched?" Sean bitterly asked as he gulped down and prepared the gun in his hand. Hanlon failed to notice the man's actions since Sean turned off his flashlight and they are also far from each other. Additionally, Hanlon trusted Sean so much that he let his guard down when he's around him
"Not really. I mean the storyline would be boring without them. Also, aren't those bad guys cool? I like how they execute their plans and such. If those bad guys exist in real life, they are most likely to win in a Battle. Bad guys lose in the fictional world because that's how it's created, that's how it is being perceived" Hanlon's statement made Sean freeze. His eyes fixed at the young man's face. His breath became unsteady, and his hands started to shake. He doesn't know why but suddenly he felt guilty. His mind became clouded that he didn't notice Hanlon approaching him "Why you ask? Are you a fanatic too?" Hanlon's excited voice brings Sean back to reality. He hurriedly put back the gun in his pocket while maintaining his composure
"Not really. Just wanna create a conversation" he answered. The next words that came out from his mouth weren't expected. "Wanna become a partner?" He asked in a daze
Hanlon was taken aback by Sean's question that he didn't get to respond right away. Hanlon is not stupid, he immediately understands the man's words, but he doesn't like it.
"Partner? Do you want me and your wife to fight? Of course not! You should be faithful to Ms. Anacia!" Sean's jaw dropped at the young man's response. He didn't expect the kid to be so stupid to take his questions the wrong way
"No! That's not what I meant, Hanlon. What I'm talking about is, since we've worked together to capture Esposito's son, how about we become partners to solve this matter. After that, we're off" Sean elaborated (not really) to make the young man understand. Hanlon frowned at him and weighed every decision he could make. There's no way he'll drag Sean in a mess he's in. He maybe act impulsively but not when the latter's life is involved
"No, Sean. It's too dangerous. I'll take care of this matter on my own. You go back to Ms. Anacia. Don't make her worried" Hanlon's playful voice wasn't heard. He trained his back to Sean but before he could make a step, the latter's words made him halt
"Why are you chasing that kid, Hanlon?"
"Because he is Esposito's son, an important piece to my mission. I couldn't tell you the details yet since I don't have much information either. But don't worry, I'll tell you everything when I'm already certain. And thank you for helping me a while ago" Sean gritted his teeth as he grabbed the Young man's collar.
"You… You know nothing about me and yet you answered my questions without any hesitation. You told me about your mission and the role of that hostage without contemplating! You didn't even know why I'm there but you didn't ask me anything!! Seriously, what is wrong with you!!!" The veins on Sean's forehead and neck became visible. He is so near into punching Hanlon in the face but fortunately, he manage to control himself
"Because I trust you, Sean" Hanlon's response made him let go of the kid's collar. He looks at him in disbelief while taking a step back
"Trust me? You didn't want to be my partner in this matter, saying it's too dangerous for me. Although you've seen me fight, you still claim you're worried about me. I don't understand you, Hanlon. Are you worried about me or you don't really trust me?"
"I didn't ask you any questions because if you wanna say it, you'll just gonna tell it to me. I trust you, Sean, and it's up to you if you'll believe that. I don't want to be your partner because it's too dangerous. You know how immature I am, and what kind of job I have, Sean. I might endanger you or Ms. Anacia. I'm worried about you and your family. It's up to you if you choose to believe or not" Hearing all of these from Hanlon hits him hard. Suddenly, he wanted to hurt himself. Sean really wanted to tell everything to Hanlon but he just couldn't bring himself to do so. Maybe it wasn't Hanlon who didn't trust him, it was him who didn't trust Hanlon at all. He's afraid
"I also have some business with him, Hanlon. Let's just do this together until we solve this matter. That's all"
"You're really persistent" Hanlon forced a smile even though it can be clearly seen from the muscle of his face that he's annoyed
"Don't worry. We're gonna work together until Esposito's case is done. Besides, in the movies the main character would always have a companion, right?" Sean smirked leaving Hanlon speechless. For some reason, he can feel his blood pressure rising
The two waited for the kid to wake up, not until Hanlon's stomach growled. Sean deadpanned while Hanlon pouted. It's already 7 PM so it's natural for him to feel hungry.
"Watch him. I'll go buy us some food" Sean stand up and was ready to leave but Hanlon stopped him
"I'll go"
"Did you bring any vehicle?"
"No"
"Then, stay put" Sean left. After the door was closed, Hanlon made a face. He was really annoyed. Ever since they met, Sean never really let him in argument. No matter how reasonable he is and how nonsense Sean can be, Sean still wins at the end
After he entered in his car, Sean checked for any messages from Anacia. Although he got a lot of phone calls and messages from his work and men, he ignored all of it as he wrote a reply for his fiance. When he successfully sent his message, he started his engine.
"It's time to feed the brats" he muttered as he drove away
It's already 12 in the midnight but Sevilla is still looking into a lot of folders while scrolling through his laptop. Without averting his gaze from the laptop, he grabbed his mug and drank from it. However, he found out that it's already empty, so he stood up from his seat and went to get another mug of coffee. But before he could do so, Yang snatched the mug away from him
"If you're that sleepy, you should sleep" he said as he puts down the mug on the sink
"I'm not sleepy, Linn" he flatly responded and tried to get a new mug, but Yang grabbed his wrist
"This is your 4th mug of coffee within three hours, Jake. Go to sleep already. That case can wait"
Sevilla angrily pulled back his wrist, he then glared to his police companion
"Is that why you came here so that you can (makialam) with my work? Go back to your place, Linn!"
"Yes! I came here so that I can pester you because I know you're gonna drain yourself again. I know how important it is for you to solve these cases, Jake. But don't you think you should be taking care of yourself? If something bad happens to you because of how toxic you live your life, can you still solve these cases?"
Sevilla opened his mouth to respond but he chose not to. He pressed his lips together as he realized what he did wrong a while ago. He knows how worried Yang is since he's been absent for a week now. After getting discharged from the hospital, he only showed himself at the station a couple of times before he disappeared. Yesterday, Yang showed up in front of his house without saying anything. He just entered and settled himself. Sevilla doesn't mind at all as they have known each other since childhood. During the one week he went missing from the station, Sevilla barely slept and ate because he was too focused on the cases he's holding. He only had a chance to eat a proper meal because Yang cooks for him. And now he just acted awfully in front of his friend
"I'm sorry" he muttered after a moment of silence. He really is ashamed of himself
"Go to sleep now, Jake. I'll take care of the mess here" Yang calmly ordered. Without uttering any response, Sevilla turned his back to Yang and started walking to his room. After the detective entered his bedroom, Yang heaved a sigh. He looked at the messy table first before washing the mug that Sevilla used for god knows when was the last time the mug was washed.
He then arranged the folder and file on the table, shut down the laptop, pushed back the chair, and sweeped the floor. Seeing the clean area that Jake usually used, Yang's corner of the lips, curved
Yang prepared the sofa before he lay down on it. Although Hanlon's room is currently empty, he didn't dare to use it as he respects the privacy of their naughty officer. Hanlon may not be a part of the police force, they still see him as one of them, it's just that they can't impulsively bring the young man with them as he is an important person. The director of the secret service has instructed them to specially take care of Hanlon, and make sure that no harm will come to him. They actually don't have the details regarding the young man's identity but since it's an order from someone higher than them, and is a decent request, they all obliged.
Yang waited for five minutes before he decided to close his eyes.
"He must be asleep" he said in his mind
Sean didn't waste any time. As soon as he bought food from a five star restaurant, he immediately went back. Fortunately, the distance is not that long, making him arrive back at the haunted place after 25 minutes.
When he entered the room again, Sean saw that their hostage was already awake. Hanlon is talking to him but the boy is just sending him death glare and doesn't open his mouth at all.
"I'm back" Sean announced. Hanlon's eyes suddenly lit up after hearing the voice of his friend. He immediately approached him and helped him with the foods.
While Hanlon is preparing their dinner. Sean examined the boy. Both of them were just checking each other and didn't say anything. Hanlon called Sean, he gave him his food before taking another one. Sean thought Hanlon would eat it but instead he gave the food to the hostage
"I can't untie you for safety measures, so I'll be feeding you" Hanlon casually said while placing the piece of steak in front of Esposito's son's mouth. Both the kid and Sean were surprised by the young man's actions. They even thought that Hanlon was just playing around but seeing how serious he is, the kid accepted the food without saying anything. He's too hungry to reject the offer, and to overthink if the food is poisonous.
Hanlon was gentle with him, and is really doing his best to make the boy eat without struggling. Sean on the other hand watches the two with knitting eyebrows while eating his food. He let the young man feed their hostage as they really don't want to harm him at all.
"I bought this food because his stomach was growling out of hunger, and yet he chose to feed that human instead of curing his own growling stomach" Sean thought. After some time of watching them from a distance, Sean couldn't take it anymore. He took one last bite before drinking water. He then approached Hanlon, and handed him his leftovers.
"You should eat. You're hungry. I'll feed him in your place" he said while frowning
"You didn't finish your food"
"I'm not really hungry, you know. Eat it" Hanlon was about to decline but remembering how persistent Sean can be, he just accepted the food
"Are you sure you can do it?" Hanlon asked
"What do you take me for?" Sean scowled as he grabbed the food in Hanlon's hand, intended for their hostage
Hanlon left his post as he looked at the two with worries. As soon as Sean started to feed their hostage, the boy starter to cough non-stop
"What the f*ck" Sean cussed
Hanlon immediately put down the food and went to them. He helped the boy get over from being choked while Sean is still couldn't believe what just happened
"I'll eat later, Sean" Halon said while taking back the food for the boy from Sean's hands. The latter just silently left them, and patiently waited for them to finish.
After feeding the boy, Hanlon also eats his food. When all of them were already full, they started the main point of the situation
Hanlon approached Sean, he looked so serious and full of authority. For some reason, Sean couldn't help but to be intimidated by the young man's demeanor
"Before anything else, for the last time, Sean, go home" Hanlon said coldly. The man frowned even more as he kept their eye contact. There's no way he'll back down
"No, Hanlon. Let's become partners" he smirked. The young man didn't respond for a while as he was waiting for the other to change his mind but it didn't happen
"Are you sure?"
"Let's get started then" Sean responded and started to march to go to their hostage. Hanlon heaved a sigh. He knows, there will be no turning back
'What a pain in the *ss'
Author's Note
Sean: Hanlon is so stupid!
Meanwhile
Hanlon: *unintentionally made him stupid