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Jeremy snarled as he was slammed roughly into the pavement, his arms yanked behind him, the taller man holding him still. He struggled and fought but he knew it was hopeless, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened, he was honestly shocked it hadn't happened sooner judging by the career he was in. He growled and snapped but the taller man was a lot stronger than him as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs, slapping them on the lad's wrists.
"Normally this would turn me on but I won't let you have that satisfaction!" he spat.
"Shut the fuck up Fake! We've been trying to nab your crew for years now and finally we have a way to do just that!" the officer growled above him, placing a hand at Jeremy's neck and a knee at his lower back, pinning the lad down to the concrete.
Jeremy wriggled but it was no use. He grumbled, knowing this shithead had nothing on his crew, and the small amount of satisfaction he had that the others had gotten away caused him to smile slightly. He'd sacrificed himself in order to save the others, something he'd been prepared to do since day one of joining the Fake AH Crew. He knew that they wouldn't come for him, wouldn't mount a rescue mission to bust him out of jail, and why would they? He was just the new guy, he was disposable. He hadn't made a mark on the crew or the city yet, he was just the freshest face with nothing to the name. While the thought stung a bit, it also made him a bit happy that the crew wouldn't make an unnecessary and risky move. They'd get someone to replace him in a month or two, and soon they'd be back at full membership and back to heisting like normal.
He wondered if the new guy would be as good a shot as he, if he'd have the same sense of humor, or have a connection to the crew that he'd developed in his short amount of time with them.
His thoughts were interrupted by the cop digging his knee into the small of his back painfully, the lad grunting in pain.
"You done feeling me up or what pal?" he snapped.
"Fuck you!" the cop snarled as he held Jeremy firmly against the pavement, the lad feeling him tensing up and raising his handgun.
What was going on? Shouldn't he be in the back of a police cruiser by now on his way to lock up? Jeremy wriggled until he could glance around, looking for the cause of his delayed imprisonment. His eyes widened when he saw a lone figure silhouetted against some of the flames from one of the explosions the crew had set off. The figure was tall, broad, and stalked forward like an angry lioness protecting her cubs.
"Vagabond?" he breathed quietly, shocked at the appearance of the man. The silent killer moved forward, anger flowing off him like a wave of energy.
"Stay back!" the officer ordered and leveled his gun at the Vagabond's chest, hands shaking. A low rumble bubbled up from within the killer, a rumble that grew into a deep, dangerous laugh that carried no humor. Still, the tall man moved forward.
"I said stay back!" the cop yelled, voice cracking despite himself.
"Please, give it a try, see what happens," Vagabond growled lowly, causing Jeremy's blood to freeze. He'd never heard the man speak, sure he was either mute or had sworn an oath of silence.
The cop pinning him to the pavement swallowed hard and seemed to think about his options for a moment, before dropping his gun and scrambling to get off Jeremy, standing and running. Jeremy heaved a sigh of relief before he glanced towards Vagabond's shoes in front of him.
Why had he come back for him?
Vagabond snorted and squatted down beside the lad, cocking his head to the side as if asking if the younger was okay. Jeremy nodded and wriggled a bit, finally managing to sit up.
"Bitch didn't even leave the keys for the cuffs!" he grumbled.
Vagabond grunted and indicated he wanted Jeremy to turn around, the lad nodding and turning, leaning slightly so the man could go to work on the cuffs. As he worked, Jeremy felt unsure, wondering exactly why the killer had come back for him. He wasn't worth it he told himself, plus Vagabond didn't care about anyone so why would he bother? Unless Geoff ordered him to, but even then that would imply that Geoff found some sort of value in the lad. The more he thought, the deeper he sank into self doubt and depression, just wanting to run away.
Finally Vagabond finished picking the locking mechanism on the cuffs, the metal clattering as it hit the concrete. Jeremy slowly stood and massaged his wrists, looking anywhere but at Vagabond.
"Thanks," he muttered.
"Are you okay?"
Jeremy froze and looked up, staring unbelievingly up at the taller man, getting a fresh reminder of just how tall and broad the man really was, and just how small he was next to the man.
"What?" he asked voice almost quivering.
"I asked if you were okay. Are you injured? Did he hurt you?" Vagabond clarified.
Jeremy shook his head slowly, head spinning at the thought that the Vagabond seemed to care about his well being. He never thought he'd see the day.
"I-I'm fine Vagabond, thanks," he whispered.
A firm but gentle hand grasped his arm and he looked down, seeing the gent had reached out and was touching him. He looked back up at the older man, noticing for the first time just how blue his eyes were. He felt the man guide him to the car where he'd parked, the lad sitting down in the passenger seat while the Vagabond hopped into the driver's, speeding away. Jeremy didn't even notice the car ride, too lost in thought, too confused to notice where they were going or how much time had transpired before they were coming to a halt, Vagabond letting out a sigh as he killed the engine and stared out the windshield.
"Talk," he said, not an order or a harsh command, but a prompt urging him on.
"Y-you came back...for me?" Jeremy wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement of confusion. Vagabond looked at him, head cocked to the side as if confused.
"Yeah? Why wouldn't I?" he asked.
"I-I...but..." Jeremy couldn't form words, sputtering and fumbling over what he wanted to say.
"Did...did you think we'd leave you behind?" Vagabond asked, sounding almost startled, Jeremy sure it was just his imagination. He looked away, and down.
"I'm just the new guy, I'm expendable," he muttered.
Silence filled the space between them, Jeremy hating himself for feeling this way and showing weakness to his fellow crew member. He didn't think before what it would be like to have people that actually cared, that thought of him as family or important enough to risk everything for. Tears filled his eyes and he was glad he wasn't looking into Vagabond's face.
"Fuck you!"
He was startled by the sudden outburst and looked up, eyes wide, instincts telling him to escape from the car and run as far and as fast as he could. Vagabond was staring at him across the car, hand gripping the steering wheel almost white knuckled.
"Huh?"
"You heard me. How could you think that we'd leave you behind, sacrifice you to a terrible fate?! Why would you think we'd do something like that to one of our own?" Vagabond spat, voice hurt instead of angry.
"'One of your own'?" Jeremy echoed, eyes brimming again.
"Jeremy? Do you not think that you're one of us? That you matter to the crew? Why would we have hired you if we didn't want you as one of us? This isn't a temporary thing that fringes on whether or not you do everything just right, or if you prove yourself worthy at every opportunity," Vagabond said more gently this time.
Jeremy couldn't hold back the tears any longer, hot tears streaming down his cheeks as the words of the most dangerous killer in the state broke him. He'd never been told he was valued, or that he mattered. He'd always had to prove he was worth something, that he could be useful, and when his usefulness ran out he was cast aside. This was new, strange, scary. He wasn't sure how to process other than crying. Vagabond placed a hand on his back and rubbed soothing circles there, unsure exactly how to help but remembered seeing Geoff and Jack doing this same thing while trying to comfort others.
"I'm sorry, you must think I'm such a fucking baby or a weakling," Jeremy sobbed.
"Never," Vagabond said gently and pulled the lad closer into a hug, the lad latching onto the older man as he cried.
"We care about you Jeremy, never forget that. You have value and you matter to us; not because you can provide a service or are an extra body, but because you're you! You bring so much to the table, you make our family complete, you work hard, you laugh and give as good as you take, you matter so much to us. To me," Vagabond spoke softly, voice trailing off at the end.
"What?" Jeremy wasn't sure he'd heard that right as he tried to calm himself, pulling slightly away from the other.
"You matter to me, Lil' J. You make me feel things that I'd forgotten I could feel; happiness, joy, human," Vagabond explained, almost embarrassed.
"I-I matter to y-you? The Vagabond?" Jeremy still wasn't sure he'd heard correctly.
Vagabond seemed to pause before pulling away a little, Jeremy thinking he'd upset the older man and ruined any form of friendship they'd had, until he saw that the man before him was reaching up and removing his mask. He gasped as the soft features of a handsome man gazed back at him; cheeks pink and turning red with embarrassment, piercingly blue eyes, a crooked nose, and laugh lines at the eyes and corners of the mouth. He was shocked into silence as he stared with wide eyes as his crew mate.
"Ryan."
"What?" he asked, snapping back to reality.
"My name's Ryan. You don't have to call me Vagabond anymore," Ryan said with a small, shy smile, feeling naked without his mask.
"Ryan?" Jeremy asked cautiously.
"Yes?"
"Thank you, for everything," the lad smiled a small smile.
"Anytime Lil' J, anytime," Ryan chuckled and pulled the lad in for another hug, the lad feeling like he finally belonged.