They’d been laughing when the hero had heard the soft double click, that’s funny...They’d thought to themselves, that sounded like...
“Don’t move!” They whispered, their face going white as their stomach dropped through the floor.
Sidekick hadn’t noticed, they were still laughing about some joke the hero had made a moment ago--a lifetime ago now. They began to shift slightly to buckle their seat belt-the hero’s arm shot out and grabbed them hard enough to bruise.
“Don’t fucking move!” They shouted, their heart beating a wild staccato rhythm in their chest, like a bird trapped in a collapsed cage.
Sidekick had stopped laughing, they froze, looking at hero sharply, wincing at the iron grip that hero had on their arm, “Wh-what’s happening?” They’d been with hero long enough to know that something was very wrong.
“I don’t know for sure...” Hero slowly let go of sidekick’s arm and eased out of the passenger seat, opening the door and stepping out disturbing the car as little as possible, when they reached sidekick’s door they opened it gently, barely daring to breath, they glanced up at their long time friend and partner, they’d gone a little pale, fear swimming in their widened eyes.
“Just hold still for me, okay?” when sidekick went to nod they caught themselves just in time and winced instead.
“Okay,” They breathed tremulously.
Hero crouched by the seat, peering underneath it, when they saw the blinking red and green lights they hissed and swore under their breath.
“What is it? A snake!?” Sidekick hated snakes as much as the fictional Indiana Jones did, maybe even a little more.
“No, not a snake, there’s a pressured explosive under the driver’s seat,” the hero stated evenly, a false calm descending over their face, “What I need you to do is not panic, stay completely still for me, and I’ll have you out of here in no time okay?”
“Enough with the hero-talk bullshit!” Sidekick squeaked, already starting to panic, “I can see through it!” They took a deep breath, “How bad is it? Tell me the truth.”
Hero sighed, their hands were shaking, sweat already starting to bead on their forehead, “it’s..It’s not good sidekick....” They state finally, their voice coming very close to breaking, “It’s one I haven’t disarmed before, and I don’t know how sensitive it is.”
“Oookayy,” sidekick took a measured breath, already starting to feel the strain of holding the same position, their muscles tight with stress, “What do we d-do?”
“There’s only one person I know of who might know how to disarm it...But they also might be the one who planted it.”
“The antagonist!” Sidekick exclaimed, “hero you’re crazy if you think that they’l help us without striking some terrible deal that’s worse.”
Hero shook their head bitterly, “I don’t have a choice, I’ll call anti-hero to come and sit with you--” sidekick whimpered slightly cutting them off.
“Pl-please don’t leave me, if I’ve got to be blown into mush I’d really like the last face I see to be yours,” they didn’t make eye contact, swallowing hard.
“Sidekick,” hero prompted, “Look at me,” sidekick did, meeting hero’s eyes, the determination he saw there gave him a boost of hope, “You’re not going to be blown to mush, okay? I’m sure we’ll get another chance to die together really soon,” the tight smile didn’t reach their eyes.
“Promise?” Sidekick managed a smirk.
“I promise, I’ll be back to get you out of there--no matter what.”