lieutenant.

It was another late night call, always unexpected and never a thing to look forward to. The sad thing about his line of work, was every day he went in, usually meant another death- and be it android or human- a life was a life. It was why he took no joy in showing up to a fresh crime scene, the air biting and cold, hat hiding messy hair and sweatshirt making it seem like he rolled fresh out of bed. Yet appearance didn’t matter, not to him- not usually- only suddenly aware of just how shitty he looked when he caught sight of a face he least expected.

A pen hung loose from between his lips, stopping to pluck it free as he scratched notes onto a clipboard in hand. Quiet, casual, gaze flickered over to the man with a soft hum, a lopsided grin touching his features briefly as he spoke. “Yeah- didn’t think I’d see you of all people out here. They recently put you on android homicide or somethin’? What’d you do to piss the captain off this time?” He knew well Hank was never on his best behavior, always showing up late, or not at all, long nights out meant late days into the office, hungover and miserable from what he could tell. Not that they ever had much time to speak, their schedules seemingly opposite given most days- and his work more isolated from the rest of the PD. Reason why he wouldn’t waste the opportunity to chat with the lieutenant, not knowing if- or when he’d see him again.

“No offense- but I didn’t think you were the type to wanna, y’know- work with androids and all that.” 

      There was a moment where Hank's eyes lingered on Sam's pen - his brain unhelpfully fixated where it had been just seconds ago - before he cleared his throat, adjusting his coat with a huff. He had an image to maintain. Spine straight, even as it creaked back into place, Hank crossed his arms firmly over his chest with a quiet huff as he stared out at the scene. And if his mind kept flashing back to that stupid pen? He wouldn’t show it. 

      “ That obvious, huh, ” he muttered, grimacing as he tried not to let shame creep into his subconscious. He forced a mask of indifference and exhaustion as he shrugged a shoulder lamely, throat unbearably tight as he struggled to find his words. “ You could say I pissed Fowler off. Thought I’d lost my job, if I’m honest. Just. . . got a department change, that’s all. Not as spry as I used to be which means I’m useless for chasing down Red Ice dealers, ” there was a pained twinge to his voice as he forced out a chuckle at his own self deprecation. The passing of Cole left unsaid as the source of his career shift. 

      " What the hell are you doing out here? ” 

      Ripping back the hood of his protective gear, Hank could only gawk at the lone figure standing just at the edge of the cave. Beside him, swaddled in his own attire, the large St. Bernard let out a low tired rumble from his spot on the floor -- but did little more than that. Some guard dog. With a snort and a withering look shot at his furry companion, Hank pushed himself away from the wall and began stalking toward the other. Expression stern and mouth set into a thin, fierce line. 

      “ This was supposed to be my job, Bridges. Through some serious shit BT territory. You’re not supposed to be here -- ” he tried to sound firm and irritated, but the waver in his voice was enough to out his concern. Tired eyes bright but not with excitement -- fear. Relief. Ire. “ You know damn well this job is nearly suicidal. ” 

       " . . . Connor. ” 

protector / protectee - accepting

      “ Yeah I know you won’t because I’m still coming with you. ” 

      There’s defiance in every motion as he yanked on his coat, expression stern and unrelenting as he shot her a critical look. Hell, he even made a show of plucking up his pistol and snapping ammo into place before holstering it with a deft motion. When it was concealed properly, the lieutenant finally turned and made direct eye contact – arms folding over his chest. As authoritative as he could muster even as his put upon persona cracked and the faintest glimmer of humour shone in his eyes.

protector / protectee - accepting

       “ – Connor. ” 

      It was the calm before the storm in that moment - the precinct fading into the background as white noise. Shifting his weight from foot to foot, Hank tried to flash as reassuring a smile as he could. But even he knew it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Knew the tension could be seen on every angle of his person. It was a shit job but someone had to do it. He didn’t want to dwell on the fact he had been labeled internally as expendable no matter how Fowler tried to placate him. 

      A hand rose hesitantly before landing on the Android’s shoulder and squeezing firmly. “ You and I both know you can’t go. You’ve got a gleaming target on your back and your damn temple. One look at you and they’d try to dissemble you and sell you on the black market, ” he murmured, voice low and tired eyes soft. A rare show of emotion for the lieutenant and a necessary one at that., “ These assholes need to be taken down before they hurt anymore humans or androids, and if that means walking into the lion’s den? Then I’m gonna do it. And you’ll be not far behind with the rest of the team when I give the signal. ” 

protector / protectee - accepting

      A quiet huff of strained laughter left him, head shaking as he stared hard at the ground. He could feel his goddamn blood pressure rising with each passing moment and frankly? He could tear his own hair out at this rate. In all his years Hank had never met anyone as stubborn as an Android – and that was saying something coming from him. 

      “ No, Connor. Your job is to outshine us human workers and prove our incompetency as well as render us obsolete to the corporate shareholders, ” he couldn’t stop the biting words as he raised the burger to his mouth and ripped a piece out of it. It was far from dignified but his testy mood stopped him from caring. “ Look – I don’t need nannying like I’m about to expire any goddamn moment. I’ve been doing this job for twenty odd years and I’m still standing strong in spite of what you might hear. This is my work. This is what I do. And I don’t need you or anyone else to take care of me. ” 

     Steve was right. They’d been struggling to find different areas to raid and find food, so whatever they came across was worth checking out. That included the boarded up cabin in the woods they’d just stumbled across. It was risky with just the two of them, since there was always a chance of being outnumbered by a group of people who’d already claimed this place as their own. There was little to no room for errors in this cruel and unforgiving world. One mistake could easily be one’s last, and Carl no longer had the protection from his dad or Daryl or anyone else from the group that had become a family. They were gone.

     Despite Steve being protected behind walls since the beginning of the outbreak (much like the Alexandrian’s), Carl thought he was proving himself to be a pretty good ally. In fact, he was able to hold his own better than a lot of the inexperienced survivors at Alexandria, who he had also helped teach how to aim a gun, how to use a knife, and where to target the walkers. Where improvement was needed or knowledge seemed to be lacking, Carl would speak up to give Steve tips or advice. Was it fool-proof? No, but it was things he had learned during his years of fighting off the dead. He had to be doing something right to survive outside of Alexandria for as long as he had.

     From the trees, Carl studied the seemingly empty cabin carefully. Apart from the occasional rustling of the leaves in the wind, it was silent. Perhaps, though, that would change once they entered the cabin. The dead were at their loudest when in pursuit of something–or rather, someone. “It might be empty, but…It’s at least worth checking out.” If anything, it would be a place to rest for a while and provide shelter. Slow and cautious steps began to carry Carl forward while Steve continued to speak behind him. If this place was in use by someone, they would have to be careful and watch their step. He still remembered some years ago when he came across Morgan’s territory with Michonne and Rick. There’d been a lot of dangerous traps set up.

     Upon hearing a sudden yelp behind him, Carl immediately drew his gun and turned around, finger on the trigger and prepared to shoot at whatever threat presented itself. He would only fire if absolutely necessary, since it was always a risk to use a gun without a silencer. It was a loud weapon and could be especially dangerous in the woods, attracting walkers from all directions. What he saw when he turned around, however, wasn’t a walker or a person. Instead, he saw Steve hanging upside down with a rope fastened tightly around his ankle. He was okay, much to Carl’s relief, but for how long? If there were traps set up around here, then it was likely that somebody was staying here and there was no telling when they’d be back. Maybe they were even still in the house.

     “Calm down before somebody hears you,” Carl attempted to hush Steve, his head turning to look back at the cabin in hopes that nobody was emerging from the door. There was nothing, so he quickly holstered his gun and instead took out his knife. “You’re just stuck in a trap. Hold on, I’ll cut you down.” His gaze followed the rope from Steve’s ankle all the way down to where it was set up. There, he knelt down on his knees and began sawing the sharp blade against the material.

@bitterbadge· @starcourtking·

      Rucksack heavy on his shoulder and air crisp, Hank could almost feel semi normal as he trudged alongside the large dog. Like he’d just gone shopping. A relatively peaceful supply run into the small cottage town without a walker in sight. It was too good to be true. Mirthless laughter rumbled out of him as he adjusted the shotgun over his shoulder and turned down a familiar path, mindful of the scent marked bear traps he’d set up along the way. He hadn’t a care in the world until Sumo perked up and began snarling low in his throat, setting Hank off with a sharp breath and the immediate snap of the safety being released. 

      “ Easy -- heel. Wait for those cocksuckers to show, ” he muttered to his companion as he began to slowly walk towards home. The woods were eerily quiet . . . until a shout of alarm echoed throughout and a series of tripped traps went off. Hank pressed forward, expression hardened as he rounded the final bend toward home. There, up in the trees -- a young man flailing about as the other tried to release him. He wasted no time, footfalls heavy as he approached the pair and aligned the shot gun right to the kneeling kid’s temple. 

      “ That’s enough of that, bright eyes. Why don’t you step back from there nice and slow, ” came the rumbling words before Hank let out a shrill little whistle. Sumo lunged from the bushes toward his side as Hank looked at the flailing kid with a frown, “ Sumo, you make sure he stops his squealing unless he wants to draw every walker within a three mile radius. ” 

      A pause before Hank glanced between the pair, expression hard and posture tense. “ The hell you two knuckle heads plan on doing out here? If robbing is what you’re after -- you best rethink your life choices. And you -- ” a pointed look at the kid hanging upside down, tutting under his breath, “ Ever heard of watch where you’re stepping? It’s a miracle you missed the traps. ” 

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐎𝐍 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐀 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐊  has him rolling his shoulders and standing a little straighter.     don’t look back ,  don’t look back .     he can’t afford to look back ,  not when his groupies are there watching with preying eyes ,  and especially not after refusing hank’s offer like that .     swallowing his pride for once in his life ,  and it felt…  strange .     he hopes he didn’t just make the wrong choice .     a breath escapes ,  one that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding ,  as he steps inside the run down building of where he usually preforms .     no one’s here ,  the bar closed for the evening ,  giving him perfect opportunity to rifle through his phone for any sort of olive branch .     nothing .     he can already feel his heart start to sink ,  growing desperate to the point that his voice starts to rise in volume the more dead ends he comes to .     he needs something .     and after several calls and paces back and forth under the dim lights ,  he had cast his line and caught one .

johnny doesn’t even question the now empty back alley ,  his groupies already forgotten as he hastily stumbles down the stairs towards the cop .     “ hank !! ”     a wide smile stretches across his face ,  positively brimming with pride .     was this what it was like to do the right thing ?     “ river street .     it’s about three blocks from here .     apartment building on the verge of collapse .     friend o’ mine said he knew a guy who used to get his fix from there , ”     he raises a hand in mock surrender ,     “ he’s workin’ on gettin’ clean ,  mind you , ”     he gently taps hank’s chest ,     “ but get this ,  last time he was there ,  he saw two chicks putzing about in the kitchen .     they might be your girls ,  anderson .  ”

but before hank could turn ,  johnny reaches out to grab his arm ,  his human one gripping the cop’s bicep .     not too hard ,  but just enough to gain his attention .     he momentarily blinks in surprise at how solid the muscle is under his touch .     he quickly shakes his head ,  deterring back to what’s important .     “ i’m coming with you , ”     his voice is low ,  suddenly grave as the seriousness of the situation sets in .     “ hank listen ,  that’s a bad street down there .     your backup’s not gonna get to you in time if we leave now , ”     his hand trails down hank’s arm ,  eyes glancing down to watch the motion .     “ if anything should happen to you… ”     he trails off ,  the mask starting to slip back off his face .     and for a split second ,  his eyes widen as if the weight of the words hits him .     he scrambles to collect himself ,  to collect johnny back up .     “ who else am i gonna pester when i get arrested again ? ”     that cocky smile returns ,  but it wavers . 

      Motions slow as he tapped idly on the phone's archaic keypad, he nearly missed the heavy and assured steps that came towards him. Tired eyes swung upward as Johnny came back into view and it took everything in Hank’s power not to squirm under that look or smile. Jesus he was a goddamn homicide investigator. This sort of shit shouldn’t shake him as much as it did . . . And yet -- 

      “ Took you long enough, ” came the immediate and reflexive snark as he shoved the phone back into his coat, arms crossing tightly over his chest. Gaze intent and mouth set into a resolutely grim line, he listened. Waited. A sharp inhale and grunt as he finally turned away - brows knit together tightly. Feet already in motion to leave, he came to an abrupt halt as his attention was drawn right back from his thoughts. 

                                                                                 I’m coming with you. 

      Silence hung heavily between them as he stared Johnny down - weighing his options. Connor would be on his way from their alternative lead. Johnny, damn the guy, was right. “ I . . . Goddamn it, Silverhand. You think I’m gonna let some civilian follow me into a damn drug lord’s den just like that? That wasn’t the deal. It was the money and the record, ” he trailed off with a grimacing scowl, head turned away and free hand scrubbing tiredly over his eyes. That smile of his. No wonder he could talk himself out of anything.