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Lily's tiny hand was gripping Sebastian's sweaty palm, as he gave her a reassuring squeeze. He hadn't expected to be back at Mobius' doorstep so soon... and he should have known better that they'd have a backup facility.
"Daddy, is Uncle Joseph okay?"
His daughter's words, echoing in the sterile space of the empty lab, sent chills straight to his soul.
"I hope so, sweetie."
His voice steady, unwavering, despite the very real fear that was spiking through him in shockwaves. The words were spoken with a threatening glare towards Kidman, whose high-heels were clicking down the hallway as she led them further into the twisted bowels of the place. She may have helped them take down Mobius, save Lily and get them out alive... but god only knew if he could forgive her for what she had allowed her organization to do to Joseph.
Joseph, whom he'd known for the better part of a decade, and had always remained loyally by his side. His partner, who supported him even when he was a complete shitshow and always helped carry the weight.
God, he missed him.
Further traversing, they came to the end of the hallway, pausing before a rather alarming-looking room marked "quarantine." Blinking lights flashed above the windowless door, and Sebastian watched as Kidman deftly typed on a keypad near the entrance. His brow was tightly knitted when she turned to him, the doorlock loosening with a metallic and rather threatening clank, followed by some beeping.
"He's inside," she said, businesslike. She glanced down at Lily. "Sebastian... he may not be who he used to be. He's... been through a lot. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"We've come this far," Sebastian said, deadpan. Betraying the wave of emotions that threatened to drown him alive.
With a curt nod, Kidman pushed the heavy door open, leading he and Lily inside. The room was dark, until she flicked a light on, illuminating the small space like a medical ward. Fluorescent, too-bright. Sebastian squinted, and when his vision adjusted, his eyes focused on the centerpiece of the room... a familiar bathtub filled with opaque liquid, with an unconscious man laying within.
Lily wrapped her arms around his waist, clearly alarmed, and Sebastian patted her head. He didn't want her to see this, but she'd begged to come along. She was a tough girl... and although he was always protective of her, he was also incredibly proud.
"Hey, it's okay," he said, but he uttered the words for himself, too.
None of this was okay.
Joseph, to his relief, wasn't some brain floating idly in a jar... but he wasn't well, either.
Sebastian hardly took in the shelves of medical supplies, the large monitor next to the bathtub where his beloved partner lay. His amber eyes focused intensely on Joseph, who was hooked up to various machines, several via needles in his arms. Keeping him alive, probably. Or feeding him bullshit.
The man was nearly stripped, wearing a simple short-sleeved shirt, and what looked like a pair of shorts, given his bare knees, almost as colorless as the liquid he was kept in.
The words were choked when Sebastian looked helplessly to Kidman, who was standing there, silently, her arms crossed. Her face was expressionless, lips tight.
"Can you wake him up?"
Kidman again nodded, moving to a nearby cabinet and procuring a syringe and vial.
Sebastian watched her carefully, as she filled the needle and moved to the side of the bathtub. She leaned over Joseph, injecting into his neck, as Sebastian winced. Lily clung to him more tightly.
"You've got about a minute," she said, once she disposed of the needle. "I can't guarantee what he'll be like once he comes around."
It was Sebastian's turn to give a solemn nod.
"Stay with Kidman, all right?" he said, bending low to give Lily a hug. Lily liked her. She'd be all right. Besides, he didn't want her in there... in case Joseph was unwell. He also didn't want to confuse the poor man in case he wasn't privy to Lily being alive.
"It'll be ok," Sebastian continued. "I love you, Lily. I'm gonna spend some time with Uncle Joseph."
"Love you too, dad. Tell Uncle Jo I miss him, ok?"
"Yeah. Of course, baby."
"Good luck, Sebastian." Kidman obediently took Lily's hand, leading her out of the room, and with the thud of that metallic door shutting behind them, Sebastian moved to the edge of the tub, preparing himself for the worst.
He only had a few moments to observe Joseph's pallid features, noticing how gaunt and sickly he looked. Surely not the healthy-looking man he'd known years ago... full of life, of vibrancy...
God, three years. It felt like a goddamned eternity.
"Fuck, Joseph," Sebastian cursed quietly. "What did they do to you..."
As he reached to take Joseph's hand, mindful of the needle inserted there, Joseph stirred. His eyes didn't flutter like a usual person coming into wakefulness. Rather, his eyes were instantly opened, staring upwards at the ceiling like he saw death itself.
Wide. Terrified. Haunted.
Joseph gasped violently, as if air was spilling into his lungs for the first time, jolting upright with a splash. Sebastian released his hand, eyes frantically darting over him.
What was he supposed to do?!
Instinct taking over, he did what came naturally.
"Joseph!" He yelled out his name, hopefully not loud enough to startle him further. It was more from the sheer fact that he saw him actually moving. Alive. "Hey, hey, I've got you... calm down, okay?"
God, he had to get him out of that hideous liquid. It looked, and smelled, horrible.
Again mindful of where he was hooked up to several IV lines and tubes, Sebastian effortlessly reached into the tub, hooking his elbows beneath Joseph's underarms and knees, and pulled the flailing man into his lap. He lowered him as gently as he could to the tiled floor, with Joseph in his lap.
It was heartbreaking, the way Joseph was hyperventilating, and attempting to get away as if his life depended on it. But Sebastian held him tightly against his chest, refusing to let him go.
"Where am I?!" Joseph's voice was hoarse, weak, and utterly frantic. "Oh, god! They're going to hurt me... please, don't let them..."
"No one's going to touch you ever again," Sebastian promised, swallowing a lump forming in his throat. "Breathe for me, Joseph."
Rocking him slightly, Joseph's panicked gasps continued to punctuate the silence of the room, and when at last, he calmed a bit, though his body was still violently shaking, his chestnut eyes met Sebastian's for the first time in three years.
"Seb...?" His pale hand reached up to touch his freshly-shaven face. "Am I... dreaming?"
"Not this time." Sebastian smiled for him, though it took all his strength not to break down right then and there.
"I... thought you were dead," Joseph said quietly, almost too quietly to hear.
Sebastian cradled the back of Joseph's head, fingers running through his dampened hair. "Hey, I thought you were, too."
"I'm--" He struggled for words, his lips looking unbearably chapped and dry. "Where am I? How long have I been here?"
"Let's... not talk about that." Sebastian shook his head. Now wasn't the time. "Listen, Joseph, what's important is that I'm here now. And I swear to god..."
At last, the unavoidable tears spilled, upon seeing Joseph's wide-eyed features staring up at him, relief visibly washing over his broken body. Sebastian pressed his forehead to Joseph's, clutching him as if his life depended on it.
In many ways, it absolutely did.
"--I'm not going anywhere. Not now... not ever..."
Joseph's lips trembled, his eyes just as watery as Seb's. "Promise?"
"I promise, partner."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Sebastian pressed his lips to Joseph's... years of guilt, pain, and loneliness releasing at the touch of the other man's lips. Though they were far from being out of the woods, holding Joseph, seeing him alive, was almost too good to be true.
Moving to take Joseph's hand within his own, and giving it a gentle squeeze as they kissed, he'd be damned if anyone took his loved ones from him ever again.