bang [brendon/spencer]
bang
1,863 // PG-13 // Brendon/Spencer
[Prompt: hc_bingo - loss of hearing]
[A/N: As it will be extremely apparent, I know absolutely jack about bombs and defusing them. Enjoy!]
The last thing he remembers right before the world explodes is Spencer yelling at him-Urie? Goddammit, Brendon!-through his comm link. Always with the yelling, Brendon thinks. Spencer's nothing if not predictable.
Then the fireball happens, there's a lot of pain, and everything goes black.
*
It was a normal job.
There'd still been 6 minutes left on the timer and a clear path for the door just in case he needed it. The wire between his fingers was twice as thin as the others, possibly a decoy but maybe not. A second later, though, Brendon had noticed that something was wrong, that something was off. It's while he's tracing a secondary wire, fingers steady along the line, that he realized what it was that was nagging at him.
There was no kill switch.
Brendon frowned, lowering his hands. No kill switch meant no way to disarm it. And that meant somebody wanted it to blow no matter what. The timer blinked at him.
5:13
"Sir."
Sitrep, Urie. Brendon hated that tone in Spencer's voice. He'd heard it enough over the last 8 months, ever since Spencer had transferred into their division. The voice was level, but sheer ice to Brendon's ears. Fuck. It meant that Spencer was pissed and Brendon was the reason. Again.
Jesus, he couldn't win with this guy.
"Someone made sure this girl was gonna blow, Sir. Unable to disarm." Over the comm, he could hear Spencer swearing under his breath. He glanced back at the bomb.
5:01.
"I'm heading out now. You might want to make sure everyone's-"
0:45.
"What the hell?"
Urie? What is it?
Brendon started running.
*
The first thing he sees when he opens his eyes is Spencer's face. Not an unfamiliar sight in and of itself, but the urgency and concern that’s replaced the usual coolness on Spencer’s face is slightly disconcerting. Spencer's mouth starts moving and it's not until Brendon says What? Speak up, Smith-his lips forming the words, the hum in his throat-that Brendon realizes he can't hear a thing.
There's a moment of blind panic and he jerks upright, only to double over in pain a second later. It's a shock, the thousand small pinpricks across his back. Even his legs hurt. Brendon curls up, but raises his head at Spencer’s hand on his shoulder. The more familiar disapproving look is back on Spencer's face. That's a bit comforting at least.
Spencer frowns and Brendon can read the curious what? on his lips. Shaking his head, Brendon pushes himself gingerly off the ground. There are hands helping him up and damn, he can feel the displeasure without even looking at his captain when he shakes them off.
Making it to his feet, Brendon lifts his head, triumphant, but his body chooses that moment to betray him and his knees go out, sending him face-first into Spencer's chest. Hands wrap around his upper arms and Brendon knows his face is turning red. When he finally looks up, Spencer just rolls his eyes at him and tucks an arm carefully around his back. They shuffle toward the ambulance and Brendon finally gets to look around.
Most of his squad is hanging back towards the vans, staying out of the way as the firefighters scramble around the scene. It looks noisy, but Brendon doesn't hear a thing. He tries not to think about it.
Beneath his feet, Brendon feels the ground tremble and he looks over his shoulder in time to see the building's roof collapse, disappearing into a wall of flames. All of a sudden he’s aware of the heat, beating out from where he’d been standing not too long ago. In his head he can hear the snapcracklehiss of the fire.
When his knees go out this time, Spencer just tightens his grip, holding him up.
*
The hospital is frustrating, a long wait in silence, followed by poking and prodding in silence, and finally a silent conversation between Spencer and the doctor. Brendon's practically vibrating in place by the end, his jaw clenched so hard it's starting to ache. He's exhausted, his whole body hurts, and he can't fucking hear a god-damned thing.
Spencer glances over, as if he senses that Brendon's reaching a breaking point. A moment later, he shakes the doctor's hand and moves to help Brendon up. He shoves Spencer's arm away, sliding to his feet. There's a warm puff of air against his cheek that lets him know that Spencer thinks he's being ridiculous, but Brendon doesn't care, he just wants out of this place. He doesn't think about how his boots would slap against the linoleum as they walk down the hallway; he doesn't think about the scratch of pen against paper as Spencer signs them out, or the sound of the car door as he slams it shut.
Although the way it rocks through the car is slightly satisfying.
*
Brendon only freaks out once that evening.
The rush of anger from earlier dissipates, leaving nothing but aching muscles and hunger in its wake. Brendon makes it through the awkward semi-argument he and Spencer have over what kind of pizza to order, toppings scratched out on a leftover receipt until they do a half-and-half. Brendon makes it through Spencer's stubborn refusal to let him pay for his half of said pizza and a few hours later, he finally nods his head in weary resignation when Spencer refuses to leave him alone.
It's not until he's picked up his acoustic, brushing his fingers across the strings, that something starts to tear inside him a little. He lays his cheek against the worn wood, feels it as he picks out a melody. It's one of his favorites, one of the first things he learned. There's something like pity on Spencer's face when Brendon looks up, and it's only then that the panic rises in his chest.
As the last of the vibrations against his cheek fade away, he stands abruptly. He ignores the way his hand shakes when he places the guitar back on its stand. There's a brush against his arm as he passes by Spencer, but he ignores that as well. He wants a shower.
The water hits his skin but he can’t hear it, so Brendon closes his eyes and stands there until it runs cold.
*
There's a moment of absolute panic as his eyes snap open to nothing but darkness. A light falling in from the hallway hits the edges of his vision and Brendon takes a deep breath. He’s not sure what woke him, but curiosity makes him slide out of bed.
Spencer's on his knees carefully picking up pieces of broken glass when Brendon walks into the kitchen. He recognizes the last of his Lion King collection on one large shard before Spencer raises a hand in warning. Brendon can hear the stop in his head, in Spencer's frustrated tone and he retorts, Trust you to find my last actual glass glass. There's guilt on Spencer's face but Brendon waves it away, reaching between the counter and the fridge for his broom. There's some gesturing to his bare feet, mouth turned down in disapproval, but Brendon ignores it. He's gotten pretty good at it over the last few months.
From the corner of his eye, he sees Spencer dump the larger pieces in the trash. He's still startled when a hand reaches out and wraps around the broom he’s holding. Brendon refuses to let go when Spencer tugs and he looks up, frowning. Always the same look on Spencer's face, Jesus.
What the fuck, Smith? He can feel the rumble of words in his throat and wanders vaguely if he's too loud. Then he thinks fuck it, he's kind of pissed and he's allowed to be loud, even if he can't hear himself. His hands tighten on the broom as Spencer tugs again, lips moving. I can fucking sweep, Brendon snarls. Spencer's mouth moves again and there’s another gesture toward Brendon's bare feet. Rolling his eyes, Brendon steps back. There's a sharp pain in his foot and he grits his teeth, refusing to give Spencer an I-told-you-so satisfaction and jerks on the broom handle.
Spencer gives him a thoroughly unimpressed look and then stares pointedly down at Brendon's injured foot. After a moment, he lets go of the broom and drags a chair out from the table. Even if he can't hear, Brendon knows a commanding tone when he sees it. Spencer's mouth rolls around a Now and Brendon sighs, giving up.
His ass hits the chair and he huffs out another huge sigh as Spencer kneels down to look at his foot. Brendon resolutely doesn't think about how Spencer's fingers slide across the top of his foot, the way they wrap around his ankle as he lifts it up to get a better look. Spencer's breath kind of tickles and Brendon can't help the slight twitch. He ignores the twist in his belly when Spencer's grip tightens. Spencer frowns up at him and Brendon looks away.
"-I swear to god, Urie, if you weren't so good at not getting shit blown up, today notwithstanding, I'd have kicked your fantastic ass off this team months ago."
Spencer’s head is down, his words muttered low, but Brendon heard them clear as a bell. His surprised gasp is covered by Spencer pulling the glass out of his foot. It stings, making Brendon wince. Spencer glances up and Brendon stares at the cabinets on the opposite side of the kitchen. I can hear again keeps spinning around his head, along with Spencer likes my ass.
That really kind of explains a whole lot about the last year.
Brendon stands abruptly, wincing again as his foot twinges. There's not a whole lot space between the two of them and Brendon grins up at Spencer. "Thanks." He watches Spencer swallow then turn away a second later, rolling his eyes.
"I seriously don't need this shit," Spencer mumbles. "Stupid crushes on stupid subordinates are not going to win you any points with the team, Smith." He grabs the broom that Brendon set against the counter and starts sweeping the remaining pieces of broken glass.
Brendon watches as Spencer finishes up, dumping the remains in the trash. When he turns around, Brendon grins. Eyes narrowing in suspicion, Spencer growls out, "What?"
Brendon's smile widens. Spencer’s look turns uneasy and a second later, panic flashes across his face.
"You totally heard that, didn't you?" He runs a hand over his face, cheeks beginning to turn red. "Fuck. Look, Urie-"
"It would definitely win points with me though," Brendon interrupts, stepping in close. "I can pretty much guarantee it."
Spencer shakes his head. "Giant pain in my ass, Urie." He doesn’t stop Brendon’s arms from sliding over his shoulders.
"Only if you ask nicely," Brendon responds. There's a hand sliding low on his back, pulling him in even closer. Brendon hums appreciatively even as Spencer rolls his eyes again.
"I'll call the shots. I am your boss, you know."
For the first time in eight months, Brendon is totally okay with that.
master list
1,863 // PG-13 // Brendon/Spencer
[Prompt: hc_bingo - loss of hearing]
[A/N: As it will be extremely apparent, I know absolutely jack about bombs and defusing them. Enjoy!]
The last thing he remembers right before the world explodes is Spencer yelling at him-Urie? Goddammit, Brendon!-through his comm link. Always with the yelling, Brendon thinks. Spencer's nothing if not predictable.
Then the fireball happens, there's a lot of pain, and everything goes black.
*
It was a normal job.
There'd still been 6 minutes left on the timer and a clear path for the door just in case he needed it. The wire between his fingers was twice as thin as the others, possibly a decoy but maybe not. A second later, though, Brendon had noticed that something was wrong, that something was off. It's while he's tracing a secondary wire, fingers steady along the line, that he realized what it was that was nagging at him.
There was no kill switch.
Brendon frowned, lowering his hands. No kill switch meant no way to disarm it. And that meant somebody wanted it to blow no matter what. The timer blinked at him.
5:13
"Sir."
Sitrep, Urie. Brendon hated that tone in Spencer's voice. He'd heard it enough over the last 8 months, ever since Spencer had transferred into their division. The voice was level, but sheer ice to Brendon's ears. Fuck. It meant that Spencer was pissed and Brendon was the reason. Again.
Jesus, he couldn't win with this guy.
"Someone made sure this girl was gonna blow, Sir. Unable to disarm." Over the comm, he could hear Spencer swearing under his breath. He glanced back at the bomb.
5:01.
"I'm heading out now. You might want to make sure everyone's-"
0:45.
"What the hell?"
Urie? What is it?
Brendon started running.
*
The first thing he sees when he opens his eyes is Spencer's face. Not an unfamiliar sight in and of itself, but the urgency and concern that’s replaced the usual coolness on Spencer’s face is slightly disconcerting. Spencer's mouth starts moving and it's not until Brendon says What? Speak up, Smith-his lips forming the words, the hum in his throat-that Brendon realizes he can't hear a thing.
There's a moment of blind panic and he jerks upright, only to double over in pain a second later. It's a shock, the thousand small pinpricks across his back. Even his legs hurt. Brendon curls up, but raises his head at Spencer’s hand on his shoulder. The more familiar disapproving look is back on Spencer's face. That's a bit comforting at least.
Spencer frowns and Brendon can read the curious what? on his lips. Shaking his head, Brendon pushes himself gingerly off the ground. There are hands helping him up and damn, he can feel the displeasure without even looking at his captain when he shakes them off.
Making it to his feet, Brendon lifts his head, triumphant, but his body chooses that moment to betray him and his knees go out, sending him face-first into Spencer's chest. Hands wrap around his upper arms and Brendon knows his face is turning red. When he finally looks up, Spencer just rolls his eyes at him and tucks an arm carefully around his back. They shuffle toward the ambulance and Brendon finally gets to look around.
Most of his squad is hanging back towards the vans, staying out of the way as the firefighters scramble around the scene. It looks noisy, but Brendon doesn't hear a thing. He tries not to think about it.
Beneath his feet, Brendon feels the ground tremble and he looks over his shoulder in time to see the building's roof collapse, disappearing into a wall of flames. All of a sudden he’s aware of the heat, beating out from where he’d been standing not too long ago. In his head he can hear the snapcracklehiss of the fire.
When his knees go out this time, Spencer just tightens his grip, holding him up.
*
The hospital is frustrating, a long wait in silence, followed by poking and prodding in silence, and finally a silent conversation between Spencer and the doctor. Brendon's practically vibrating in place by the end, his jaw clenched so hard it's starting to ache. He's exhausted, his whole body hurts, and he can't fucking hear a god-damned thing.
Spencer glances over, as if he senses that Brendon's reaching a breaking point. A moment later, he shakes the doctor's hand and moves to help Brendon up. He shoves Spencer's arm away, sliding to his feet. There's a warm puff of air against his cheek that lets him know that Spencer thinks he's being ridiculous, but Brendon doesn't care, he just wants out of this place. He doesn't think about how his boots would slap against the linoleum as they walk down the hallway; he doesn't think about the scratch of pen against paper as Spencer signs them out, or the sound of the car door as he slams it shut.
Although the way it rocks through the car is slightly satisfying.
*
Brendon only freaks out once that evening.
The rush of anger from earlier dissipates, leaving nothing but aching muscles and hunger in its wake. Brendon makes it through the awkward semi-argument he and Spencer have over what kind of pizza to order, toppings scratched out on a leftover receipt until they do a half-and-half. Brendon makes it through Spencer's stubborn refusal to let him pay for his half of said pizza and a few hours later, he finally nods his head in weary resignation when Spencer refuses to leave him alone.
It's not until he's picked up his acoustic, brushing his fingers across the strings, that something starts to tear inside him a little. He lays his cheek against the worn wood, feels it as he picks out a melody. It's one of his favorites, one of the first things he learned. There's something like pity on Spencer's face when Brendon looks up, and it's only then that the panic rises in his chest.
As the last of the vibrations against his cheek fade away, he stands abruptly. He ignores the way his hand shakes when he places the guitar back on its stand. There's a brush against his arm as he passes by Spencer, but he ignores that as well. He wants a shower.
The water hits his skin but he can’t hear it, so Brendon closes his eyes and stands there until it runs cold.
*
There's a moment of absolute panic as his eyes snap open to nothing but darkness. A light falling in from the hallway hits the edges of his vision and Brendon takes a deep breath. He’s not sure what woke him, but curiosity makes him slide out of bed.
Spencer's on his knees carefully picking up pieces of broken glass when Brendon walks into the kitchen. He recognizes the last of his Lion King collection on one large shard before Spencer raises a hand in warning. Brendon can hear the stop in his head, in Spencer's frustrated tone and he retorts, Trust you to find my last actual glass glass. There's guilt on Spencer's face but Brendon waves it away, reaching between the counter and the fridge for his broom. There's some gesturing to his bare feet, mouth turned down in disapproval, but Brendon ignores it. He's gotten pretty good at it over the last few months.
From the corner of his eye, he sees Spencer dump the larger pieces in the trash. He's still startled when a hand reaches out and wraps around the broom he’s holding. Brendon refuses to let go when Spencer tugs and he looks up, frowning. Always the same look on Spencer's face, Jesus.
What the fuck, Smith? He can feel the rumble of words in his throat and wanders vaguely if he's too loud. Then he thinks fuck it, he's kind of pissed and he's allowed to be loud, even if he can't hear himself. His hands tighten on the broom as Spencer tugs again, lips moving. I can fucking sweep, Brendon snarls. Spencer's mouth moves again and there’s another gesture toward Brendon's bare feet. Rolling his eyes, Brendon steps back. There's a sharp pain in his foot and he grits his teeth, refusing to give Spencer an I-told-you-so satisfaction and jerks on the broom handle.
Spencer gives him a thoroughly unimpressed look and then stares pointedly down at Brendon's injured foot. After a moment, he lets go of the broom and drags a chair out from the table. Even if he can't hear, Brendon knows a commanding tone when he sees it. Spencer's mouth rolls around a Now and Brendon sighs, giving up.
His ass hits the chair and he huffs out another huge sigh as Spencer kneels down to look at his foot. Brendon resolutely doesn't think about how Spencer's fingers slide across the top of his foot, the way they wrap around his ankle as he lifts it up to get a better look. Spencer's breath kind of tickles and Brendon can't help the slight twitch. He ignores the twist in his belly when Spencer's grip tightens. Spencer frowns up at him and Brendon looks away.
"-I swear to god, Urie, if you weren't so good at not getting shit blown up, today notwithstanding, I'd have kicked your fantastic ass off this team months ago."
Spencer’s head is down, his words muttered low, but Brendon heard them clear as a bell. His surprised gasp is covered by Spencer pulling the glass out of his foot. It stings, making Brendon wince. Spencer glances up and Brendon stares at the cabinets on the opposite side of the kitchen. I can hear again keeps spinning around his head, along with Spencer likes my ass.
That really kind of explains a whole lot about the last year.
Brendon stands abruptly, wincing again as his foot twinges. There's not a whole lot space between the two of them and Brendon grins up at Spencer. "Thanks." He watches Spencer swallow then turn away a second later, rolling his eyes.
"I seriously don't need this shit," Spencer mumbles. "Stupid crushes on stupid subordinates are not going to win you any points with the team, Smith." He grabs the broom that Brendon set against the counter and starts sweeping the remaining pieces of broken glass.
Brendon watches as Spencer finishes up, dumping the remains in the trash. When he turns around, Brendon grins. Eyes narrowing in suspicion, Spencer growls out, "What?"
Brendon's smile widens. Spencer’s look turns uneasy and a second later, panic flashes across his face.
"You totally heard that, didn't you?" He runs a hand over his face, cheeks beginning to turn red. "Fuck. Look, Urie-"
"It would definitely win points with me though," Brendon interrupts, stepping in close. "I can pretty much guarantee it."
Spencer shakes his head. "Giant pain in my ass, Urie." He doesn’t stop Brendon’s arms from sliding over his shoulders.
"Only if you ask nicely," Brendon responds. There's a hand sliding low on his back, pulling him in even closer. Brendon hums appreciatively even as Spencer rolls his eyes again.
"I'll call the shots. I am your boss, you know."
For the first time in eight months, Brendon is totally okay with that.
master list