Work Text:
Jude listened to the sound of Buck speaking over the radio set with another firefighter, pulling his phone from his pocket when it buzzed. Zero had sent him a selfie of himself sitting on the couch with a bowl of cereal, his mouth hanging open with the spoon sticking out of it.
Gid <3 :
Eating dinner :)
Jude opened up the camera before angling it up, sticking his tongue out slightly from the side, holding up a peace sign. He added it to the text thread, smiling a little while he searched for an emoji
J :
In the truck!!
Jude set his phone down on his lap, his brows furrowing when Buck yelled out, Jude’s world suddenly getting turned upside down. Heat engulfed the truck, Jude’s body crushed under the weight of the metal, Buck in a similar position, on his stomach instead of on his back. They gave each other a look, both of their eyes slipping shut.
He didn’t know if they were going to make it home.
+
Zero’s phone buzzed insistently, moving from one end of the table to the other. He finally picked it up, sliding it open, putting it to his ear.
“What.” Lionel’s shaky breathing was what met Zero. He sat up, setting the bowl of cereal onto the table. “Lionel?”
“Turn on channel five.” She whispered, and he did so, his stomach dropping to his ass.
He turned the volume up, sitting on the edge of his seat.
“A shocking and devastating turn of events has hit the streets of LA. The One Eighteen firetruck has been flipped over from a bomb strike, another bomb threat added to the long list. From what we know from our sources, Firefighter Evan Buckley and EVP Jude Kinkade from the Los Angeles Devils are trapped underneath the weight of the truck. We do not know their condition. This is Anna Joy, signing off.”
Zero quickly jumped up from the couch, searching quickly for any clothes he could find. He found a pair of his sweatpants, and slipped on a pair of shoes. He rushed his way out of the room and to Jude’s front door, foregoing keys to his car. The accident had happened three blocks away from Jude, and Zero knew he could make the trek.
Adrenaline fueled his steps, and soon he was breaking out into a sprint, cutting corners, eventually joining the crowd that had formed around the firetruck. Police were holding the civilians back, Zero trying to push his way through.
“Sir!” A firm voice admonished him, his eyes meeting Sergeant Grant’s. He knew her from around town, had his own run-ins with her a few times.
“I need to get in there.” His voice shook, and she shook her head, recognition crossing her face.
“You’re Zero, right?” She asked, and he nodded. “Who’s in there?” He swallowed, his eyes darting past hers, Jude’s limp form greeting him. Sergeant Grant looked to where his eyes had fallen, her lips parting.
“Please.” Zero begged brokenly, Sergeant Grant looking between him and the truck.
“If I let you in there, you do not interfere with the crew. You move when they tell you to move. You get out of there if they say so.” Zero agreed readily, Sergeant Grant leading him over, ignoring the protests from the crowd.
Zero dropped down to his knees in front of Jude, his hands immediately reaching out to grab hold of him, one hand resting itself over Jude’s heart, the other one grabbing his outstretched hand. Zero felt the way his heart stopped when he thought he couldn’t feel the beating of Jude’s heart, his hand squeezing Jude’s tightly.
It was only when he felt Jude’s hand squeeze back when he took a fresh breath of air, his eyes meeting Jude’s, a tired smile on his face.
“What’re you doin’ here?” Jude whispered, and Zero laughed, tears falling freely from his eyes, shaking his head.
He craned his neck down, pressing a shaky kiss to Jude’s forehead, breathing him in. He pulled away to look at Jude, tilting his head a little.
“Trying to get you home, stupid.” He whispered back, and Jude’s smile was so blinding, Zero thought this must’ve been a dream.
It was short lived when the truck shifted, both Jude and Buckley, the firefighter Jude was with, both groaned and gasped, a pained whimper coming from Zero’s left. He looked over, one of the crew members from the one eighteen had his eyes trained on Buckley, looking just about as horrified and worried as Zero looked.
“Zero, I’m gonna need you to move. A paramedic needs to get in where you are, you need to move.” Sergeant Grant’s voice spoke to Zero’s right, and he shook his head adamantly, the hand in Jude’s refusing to move.
“Gid… go. I’ll be okay.” Zero shook his head, a broken noise leaving his throat.
It seemed that he didn’t have a choice in the matter anyways, as there were large arms wrapping themselves under his pits and around his chest, pulling him back and away from Jude. He went to protest, but the voice was suddenly in his ear, one he recognized. Derek.
“Bro, we gotta let them work. Jude won’t get better if we’re in the way.” We? Zero looked behind Derek’s shoulder to find the whole team, Lionel, and Pete standing together. Behind them were the Devil Girls. Jelena, Kyle, and Ahsha worried their bottom lips between their teeth, their eyes trained on the paramedic helping Jude.
Zero let himself be taken back to where everyone was standing, his hands gripping onto the railing that had been put up from the police.
He couldn’t lose Jude, he just couldn’t.
+
Jude and Buck felt their hands find each other for support, both of them yelling out when the truck shifted again, pressing down onto their legs. Jude licked his lips, clearing his throat to speak up, hoping it didn’t reveal how scared he was.
“What if… what if you guys let the crowd tip the truck back up, so–so Buck and I don’t have the weight on us anymore.” Everyone’s eyes snapped to his, but he could tell they really were thinking about it, considering it.
He really hoped they did.
+
When Zero heard the suggestion, he was the first to cross over the barricade, get right up against where Jude was laying. He kept his eyes firmly on Jude, pushing up and out when the Captain and Sergeant said so. Zero heard the groan that came from Jude and Buckley, watching as a paramedic expertly slid Jude out and away from under the truck, the guy Zero saw before tending to Buckley. The crowd watched as the two of them were taken away from the scene, Zero’s feet carrying him to Jude’s side, grasping his hands.
He winced when he took in Jude’s state, his legs bleeding, his hands gripping onto Zero’s for dear life. Zero let him squeeze as much as he wanted, climbing into the back of the ambulance with Jude and the paramedics, his heart stuttering in his chest when Jude’s eyes slipped shut, the heart monitor he was hooked up to flatlining.
Jude was flat lining.
Zero was pushed away while the paramedics performed compressions, alternating between pressing down onto his chest and trying to get air flow into Jude. He felt his walls come crashing down, felt the way his knees buckled.
Zero couldn’t lose Jude, he couldn’t.