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[anywhere-butt-here]

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[auphaniim]

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[brokenpieces-72]

Repairing Bridges

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TW: gang stuff, past trauma, mentions of death, tell me if there is anything else.

Graves shifts in his chair in the dark of his apartment. He figured this day would come. The tv illuminated the small living space in harsh light. You were safe, he told himself. You told him as much. When he saw you turned off your location he considered texting you. Now he was glad he hadn’t.

Makarov was back. That monster was back and now Graves worked for him. He thought back to when you told him about getting jumped by a few officers. They were his, he could tell. You didn’t tell him, didn’t rat them out. He’d asked them to keep an eye on you while you were having a week to yourself. In that time, he had kept checking up on you. It wasn’t just for you to report to him but to see you were safe. He kept it professional not wanting to get too attached, and vice versa. Losing his partner was bad enough, but he wasn’t about to lose his partner’s kid too.

With you gone and somewhere not even he knew, there was less to worry about. Now he needed to figure out his own next steps. Time would tell for now. Maybe he would take some long vacation, but Makarov was thorough. Could he trust his own officers, after they hurt you?

He switched over the channel not wanting to see the man’s face. The tv continued playing, as he got up, to get a drink for himself. Day off tomorrow. He had a little more than 48 hours. Graves texted Alex. Wouldn’t be surprised if Alex already knew but Farah would need to know as well. Then he thought about Price. Price would already know by now, word would spread to other gangs like the Los Vaqueros easily enough.

As he took more sips of his drink the memories came back. Ones he told himself he wouldn’t let bother him. Makarov’s words of warning, your father’s body, Price’s glare, Soap holding him against the wall… and your scared, sad face full of tears after he had to tell you your dad wouldn’t be coming home again. He blamed himself, wishing he had stepped in, stopped your father, done something either in that moment or before.

Graves texts you.

You didn’t see the text until the next morning. You got up, asked Simon who was already up if you could have a shower.

“I’m not your parent.” He replies. “There’s a towel in your closet though.”

After the shower you come back out, and find Simon crouched in front of black cat eating at some leftover tuna. It’s interesting to see Ghost in a much more calm state. You hadn’t seen him in action but you’d heard he could be lethal, sending more than a few cops to the hospital. Now here he was in dark jeans, a black hoodie and the same scarf over half his face from last night, petting a scrawny feline, who wasn’t intimidated at all.

“Are they yours?” You ask trying to keep your voice down. When you left the bathroom, you could make out snoring in another room. Didn’t want to wake anyone.

“Seen her a few times. People don’t like black cats, so they try to get rid of them.” He says, scratching the cat between the ears. The cat raised its head, welcoming the scratches. When Simon stopped the cat circled him rubbing up against his legs. “Cats don’t get to choose what they look like… owners don’t deserve to be cruel.” He adds in. Simon stood up and turned to you, seeing clean clothes. Black pants, baggie hoodie, a white tshirt. Your wet hair was covered by your beanie, and you already had your red scarf on.

Both of you stand there in awkward silence. Simon’s feline friend was still rubbing against his leg and purring.

“Hungry?” He asks finally.

“Kind of.” You say. Ghost shakes his head. He could understand you being weary still, he wasn’t exactly a bunny rabbit.

“Diner across the street does take out. Ask them what the price is for breakfast. Get yourself something too. You got money?” He asks. You nod, getting your shoes on with another word, taking your card and phone in your back pockets.

Once you get outside into the cold winter morning, your phone buzzes. You check it and find a text from Graves. One sent last night and the other just now.

G: Keep your location off.

G: We need to talk.

You stare at the text message while you walk through the alley, to get to the diner. Your steps are slow as you try to decide what to text back with.

Y/N: getting breakfast right now.

G: Take it back to your place.

G: or where you’re staying.

Y/N: why what’s going on?

G: is anyone with you?

Y/N: not right now.

G: staying with you?

Y/N: Why?

G: Tell me.

Y/N : Tell me why!

You weren’t about to let him get away without giving you answers. You finally reach the diner, and repeat what Ghost told you to, while ordering something for yourself. While you wait at the counter, you look around the quiet mostly empty diner. You notice a larger man in a booth staring at you. At first you turn to look in the same direction he is, then back at him. Definitely staring at you. Keeping your hands in your pockets you look back at him. Two can play at this game. He scoffs after a bit of you both staring.

“Can I help you?” You ask with some attitude. He scoffs again finally looking away. You take a moment to pull out your phone and snap a photo of the guy. Thankfully your food comes and you’re able to leave. Something about his stare made you uncomfortable, like he was sizing you up. You take a longer route back to the hideout. Couldn’t hurt to be safe.

By the time you arrive Soap is up with a coffee in hand, and at the bar counter of the kitchen. You close the door behind you and set the food on the counter, before sitting next to Soap at the bar. You take out your own container with your breakfast inside, and start eating while Soap gets his. You notice three containers remain. Ghost retrieved his and Gaz emerges from the hall way. Soap is wearing the same clothes as last night, while Gaz just changed his shirt.

“Last one for the cat?” You ask, through mouthful of food.

“Still feeding it?” Soap chimes in, while Ghost rolls his eyes.

“He’ll be here soon.” Gaz says.

“It’s a girl.” You say, thinking you’re still discussing the cat. Only when the door to the unit open do you realize what Gaz meant. Price walks in wearing a long coat. You notice he seems rushed as he takes his jacket off, and makes his way to the kitchen. He gives a quick and curt morning, before getting his breakfast. He too seems to be wearing similar clothes from yesterday. Off white shirt and faded pants.

Ghost is staring, his container hardly touched. He’s watching Price as he looks up and back at him. Price’s eyes look to you, and you look away to take out your phone. You look back to see a silent conversation happening between the two bosses.

Price keeps moving his eyes to the floor while Ghost’s body language goes tense. Ghost clenches a fist, body now facing more to Price and away from you. Ghost shakes his head before pouring a cup of coffee for Price.

“What’s wrong?” You finally ask. Gaz hops up on to the other side of the counter you and Soap are seated at. Price sips the dark coffee sighing, and looking at you.

“Before I answer, I need to know how much you understand about your father.” He says. Before the case you would have said you understood everything. Now though… you weren’t as sure as before.

“I know he did things for good reasons. Trusted you guys.” Not much else you could say.

“Do you trust us?” Price asks, folding his arms and leaning against the counter behind him, staring at you. There was still so much they hadn’t told you. It would take time for you to get the answers that made sense. For now, you didn’t have much of a choice.

“Yes.” You say. There’s a hint of uncertainty in your voice but Price wasn’t about to be picky.

“…Makarov is back in town, and he’s got his old position.” Price says. Everyone freezes in place going dead silent. You’re confused. You didn’t know who Makarov was. The name felt familiar though. Maybe something you heard in passing.

“Unfucking believable.” Soap says.

“News report was last night.” Price confirms.

“Who’s Makarov?” You ask a little nervous now.

“Mafia, has his dirty lil’ fingers everywhere.” Johnny says.

“And he’s the former police commissioner.” Ghost adds. You fidget in your seat. More questions but those could be addressed later.

“What about Milena and Nolan?” Gaz asks. Great more names you were in the dark about. Well, Milena’s you’ve heard before, she’s a businesswoman and socialite. There has been some small rumours about her and her late partners, but no one seemed to pay it any mind.

“More than likely.” Price said. “Alex, Farah and the Los Vaqueros have been made aware and to lay low for now. Don’t need Nolan getting set on anyone until we know what’s going on.”

“What does he look like?” You ask. When you get a loose description you unlock your phone and show Johnny the man you saw at the diner.

“Steamin Jesus…” he says, while Kyle leans back getting a look at the photo. You hold it up to Simon and John. John straightens and comes over to take your phone and get a better look.

“How long ago was this?” He asks.

“Maybe an hour or two by now. Took a longer way to get back just in case. He kept staring at me.” You explain.

“You see him again, you tell us but don’t go near him if you can.” Price orders. You nod and he looks at his everyone in the room. “Right here’s the deal. Makarov is back and he’s gonna have something planned, underground shit and we need to keep our eyes open so nothing goes unnoticed. We need to expose anything and everything he does or is connected to, I don’t care how hare-brained.”

“Yes sir.” Was said by everyone including you. You swore you saw the corner of Price’s mouth turn up for a moment to a smile. Loyalty. If there’s one thing Price had it was that.

Then your phone buzzes in Price’s hand. He notices the name but makes no comment as he hands it back to you. You check the name, and excuse yourself, getting you boots on and stepping outside.

You answer it just before it goes to voicemail.

“Hello?”

“Y/N? We need to talk.” You hear Graves on the other end. He sounds tired, and nervous.

“Yeah what is it?” You answer, trying to keep your hesitation out of your voice.

“I mean in person. Are you able to meet with me, or have you skipped town?”

“No no… I’m just uh… sorry was just eating breakfast. What’s wrong?”

There’s a long pause in the other end. For a moment you wonder if the signal is lost. Then you hear a sigh.

“Y/N… there’s a lot I’ve got to tell you. In person. When can you meet?” He asks.

“Couple hours maybe?” You say uneasy.

“I’ll send you my location. Come alone.” He instructs before hanging up. You pop your head back into the apartment. Everyone looks at you from the kitchen.

“Can someone give me a ride?”

Rudolfo helped Alejandro back into their hide out, both of them exhausted and bloodied. They expected some resistance during their shipment raid but not that high.

Rudolfo gets Alejandro into a chair before making his way carefully and slowly to the first aid kit.

“You broken Hermano?” Alejandro asks. Rudolfo almost chuckles. Man was nearly on a his death bed, and asking him if he was okay.

“More intact than you.” Rudolfo says, focusing on the injuries. Alejandro, still running on adrenaline gives a large grin, chuckling painfully. His mind was racing and clouded at the same time. The shipment was a big one but holy hell, the amount of security, and their weapons… he’d seen swat teams less armed.

Rudolfo helps him get his jacket off, to a bloodied white tank top underneath. Rudolfo assesses the damage before getting up and going to the bridge, giving Alejandro a strong bottle of liquor. Full the pain now. He winced himself feeling a couple of casings in his arm. Alejandro had taken the brunt of it though.

“You think that little cop told them?” Alejandro wonders aloud.

“Not likely. They haven’t talked to us. Unless Soap has told them something.” Rudolfo says, starting to tend to the bullet wounds.

“Or we have yet to be told something.” Alejandro speculates.

Kyle gives you a ride to the address you’re given, parking some distance away. He’s insistent on coming with you but you’re firm. No one comes with you.

You meet Graves by a river, with small boulders along the edge. Near the shore of the river you see Graves pacing. Thinking back there was never a time you could recall of Graves sitting still. He’s wearing casual clothes, along with a coat and leather gloves. Looks nervous too. Slowly you make your way down to him. As you get closer, he looks up hearing you approach. You don’t look up at him until you reach the shore focused more on your footing.

Then he hugs you. It’s a protective one, a relieved one like you just came out of the hospital. You squirm out of it, feeling annoyed. He was giving you shit not that long ago, and now he was acting all protective? Yeah no, he didn’t get to do that without talking.

“You okay? You’re safe?” He asks. You nod.

“What do you want?” You ask him, wanting to get this over with. Graves shifts a little looking around.

“How much time you got?” He asks.

“If this is some bull shit to get me beat up again-“

“That wasn’t supposed to happen!” He says.

“Wasn’t suppose-the hell does that mean?!” You demand.

“Y/N, a lot has happened and a shit ton is about to happen, so can you please just-”

“No.”

“What?!”

“No, you need to tell me what the hell is going on and what has been going on! I was nearly beaten to death by a bunch of blues, and out of nowhere you want to meet in private. Tell me what the fuck is going on!” You tell him. You’re done. You want answers and Graves clearly had some. He looks down at his feet. Wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed or proud of your backbone.

“I asked some of my buddies down at the precinct to check in on you, that was it, and only it.” He says, firmly. You cross your arms. “When you told me about them attacking you, I was pissed off.”

“You knew about dad and the 141?” It was hardly a question. Graves solemnly nods.

“Why the fuck was I put on this case then?!” You ask. “I was going to find out.”

“…because I hoped you would be the key to bringing your dad back.” Graves admits.

“What…?”

“Your father opened up cases we couldn’t get access to because of warrants and policies and laws. If it weren’t for your father there are cases we would never have looked into. We needed that again. The 141 don’t trust me, but they would trust you. When you told me you wanted off the case, I realized I screwed up, you weren’t ready. I was worried about you still, but didn’t want to risk tipping off the gangs that we knew each other.” He explains.

“…you were using my dad’s name basically.” You said not wanting to show any empathy. “So what changed? Why are you telling me this now?”

“…your father’s killer is the new chief commissioner.” He puts bluntly.

It’s like a big rock was thrown at your chest. You knew Makarov was back…you didn’t know he killed your father. Graves kept that from you. Makarov was mafia, maybe he was paid. Did the 141 know? This was almost too much and you felt yourself running out of air, the world spinning around you. Suddenly Graves is holding you up by your shoulders leading you to a rock to sit on.

Graves helps you through your sudden attack, helping you breath and keeping you from passing out. Naming your surroundings by your senses while you fight the memories. You weren’t there when he died. Graves came to you one night while you were home alone. You greeted him at the door with hug around his waist. Usually he would gently peel you off of him, but on this night he got on his knees and hugged you when you came over to him. When you asked him where your father was, he nearly broke down himself. You remembered him hugging you and picking you up to take up to bed, and asking the same question.

“You doing better…” he asks finally. You take deep breath and nod your head.

“I promised your father I would look out for you… encouraging you to be a cop meant you would stay under Makarov’s radar and no one would go after you. Makarov left I thought that would be the end, but it wasn’t, he’s back now, and I have to keep you safe, do you understand.”

“No.”

“Y/N-“

“I’m not running away… I’m not going to be a cop either. You can’t keep me out of it anymore. I’m a fucking adult, I’m not a child.”

“I made a promis-“

“I’m in this now! I’m not running from it!” You yell at him. Graves sighs, frustrated.

“…where are you staying?” He asks.

“None of your business.” You say crossing your arms. Graves is starting to get fed up with your attitude. He almost chuckles, giving you a smile.

“You’re right it’s not.” He confesses. “Do me a favour then. Adult to adult.”

“Sure.” You shrug.

“Stay safe. Now I don’t need to know what you’re doing, in fact the less I know the better. Keep me semi-posted. Made a promise to keep you safe to your dad before he passed. I can’t stop you from being your own person. Should have known that day one of meeting you, but be careful. Makarov has his hands in a lot of places, and I’ll be on a leash. If I try leaving who knows what will happen. Can at least try to keep the others in check.”

“Got it.” You say. There’s silence with only the rushing water to fill it. He sits down next to you on the rock, thinking of how to change the subject.

“Saw the mural you made on Soap’s Turf.” He says, over the rushing water. “Shit you are talented with a spray can. Should never have told you to change, could’ve made a good life for yourself.”

“I have one now.” You tell him. “One with good friends.”

“You need any of your stuff out of the apartment? Dropped off or anything?” He offers.

“Could probably go pick it up now, before I head back.” You say.

“It’s my day off.” He mentions. “If you really want we can get something to eat, give you one day of normalcy before shit hits the fan. Show me the other murals.”

“I have one I still need to make… got interrupted the last time, think I owe them one.” You exclaim.

“Think you could do it tomorrow?” He asks.

“I should start it today… but I could eat first.” You know Graves is going through it to, whether it’s his own fault or not. Graves while not the best father figure, was there for you. He was there for your dad. In the end he was still the one who stood up for you in precinct. You wanted to give him some normality before you both parted ways.

“Let the gang know we may be a bit. Otherwise I think Gaz will be sitting and waiting in that car for some time.” Graves says standing up. You watch him slowly climb the boulders back to the top where the road was. You follow after him after texting Gaz you would be going with Graves for a bit.

Graves is nice enough to drop you off at your apartment and let you grab a couple things, including your art supplies. Then he takes you to a specific location.

There you get to work on the mural you had offered the Los Voqueros. Bridges need to be remade and rebuilt. They may not be the most sturdy, but it was simply a matter of creating more support.

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[guiltyoflovin]

Forgot to post this important picture of patrick staring at a cup

[missbiddle]

Phew 🥵

[arcana-madness]

So

Im a full fledged shift supervisor now, and it feels so odd holy shit

[evalkojori]

resting tomorrow because holy shit i need it

[daprogrammer]