SWAT Ed: Fox & Bull (Nothing Special 8)

“Is this what you call saving our goddamn careers, Law?” the blond one scolded his friend. “Look at us! You’re not back in my life for five fuckin’ minutes and I’m already caught up in your shit again.”

“I told you!” Ruxs yelled.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Green muttered. “That statement was platonic enough.”

“I don’t know.” Ronowski, God’s first officer and lead interrogator, huffed around a laugh. “It sounded a bit intimate to me.”

“Agreed. It means nothing.” God kept watching. “Judge says that to me every time I visit.”

Fox continued staring through the glass.

“After I get out of here… if I get out here—” The blond shot vicious green eyes at the man across from him. “—I never wanna see your face again, Law”

That last statement was a verbal punch, which looked as if the dark one took directly to the solar plexus. Others might not have noticed; but Fox sure did.

“I don’t know, Cash. I’m picking up a serious Ruxs and Green vibe from these two.” Day rubbed his hand over his chest. “That feeling when two trains are about to collide, and you know the crash is going to be so cataclysmic that the wreckage will cover the ground for miles.”

“Complete devastation,” Ruxs whispered, as if his soul’s inner peace resided somewhere within destruction and anarchy.

“Y’all are taking bets on whether they’re gay?” Fox finally put together. Damn, he was glad he didn’t have to leave these crazy motherfuckers. He inched closer to the window so he could hear the dark one speaking.

“Wesley. Calm down. If you’ll shut your big mouth for five minutes and let me talk, I’ll tell you what my plan was, and this right here—”

The guy cut his friend off again. “This right here… got us arrested for interfering with a police investigation, Law.”

The dark one fidgeted in his chair as if he had a habit he couldn’t satisfy because of his current predicament. “Jesus, Wes. Can you use that damn head of yours for once?” he said in his smoky voice.

That was the best way Fox could think to describe it.

“I’m asking you to trust me for once,” the man pleaded with hope lacing his rough voice.

“I’m in for a hundred,” Fox called out. “They’re gay.”

Whoops and cheers went up, and Fox smiled, keeping his eyes on the riveting show. “Who are they, anyway?”

“Don’t know yet,” God barked. “Free. Where’s my shit?”

“Please,” Fox corrected.

God sucked his teeth, ignoring him.

“Tech is on his way down now,” Free answered, his eyes on the glass.

“Interfering with an investigation. Are you serious?” the dark one bit out incredulously, his hazel eyes flashing with anger. “Those cops were about to be burned to death. We saved their lives, Wes. What would they have charged us with if we’d shoved one of them out of the line of fire, huh?” He turned his mean gaze to the window, speaking to them while staring at his own reflection. “Fucking assaulting an officer.”

“I like him,” Ruxs offered.

“The good thing about your opinion, Ruxs, is that it doesn’t fuckin’ matter,” Day said, uninterested.

Tech walked in with a slim file on their two pseudo-heroes.

“Let’s hear it,” Syn said.

“You’re not gonna believe this. Wesley Drake and Lawson Sheppard, twenty-seven and twenty-eight, both grew up in the rough parts of Atlanta. Lawson has some juvie shit on here that’s sealed, but I’ll unblock that later.” Tech continued. “The cool part… they both went to Georgia IT and majored in chemistry and pyrotechnics. Wesley’s done a lot of explosive stunt work and movie graphics in Hollywood, and Lawson, the dark-haired one, had a very popular career there too. And get this… his unique specialty… is smoke and vapors.”

No shit. That black smoke was like nothing Fox had ever seen before, and it’d been enough of an illusion to distract and disorient their attackers.

Day took the files and started reading some more. “Fuck. There are tons of articles on them. And not the good kind.” Day’s eyes widened. “They’ve been blackballed from the show business industry for setting a diva on fire at a charity concert they both worked on.”

“Oh, hell yeah. I really fuckin’ like them now.” Ruxs barged his way to the front, shoving God over as he did.

“They’re childhood friends turned industry rivals,” Tech finished.

“Fuck my life. More trouble.” Syn shook his head and left the room as if he could already read his lieutenant’s intentions.

Day dropped his head. “Please don’t do it, Cash. Not again. Not these two.”

“I’m in the middle of a damn meth war, Leo… and fate just dropped two fearless-ass chemists in my lap. Don’t be afraid of my good karma, I’m not.” God took the file from his husband and shoved it at Fox. “These guys are mine. You and Free make that happen.”

Fox took the folder that was rammed into his chest. “Can you say please and thank you, God?”