Purple Hyacinth: Lauki One-shots

Lauki One-shot 1

This much nitroglycerin... this could kill everyone!

Kieran ran into the room, only to find us locked in with the bomb. "Damn it!" Kieran exclaimed, banging a fist into the wall. "Did they ever teach you to defuse bombs in the police academy?!?"

"I'm going to try and see if I can remove the timer, but I wouldn't bet on it. I don't have enough experience, and we can't risk cutting any of these wires." I said, breathing heavily. "If I cut the wrong wire, the explosion could trigger. We need the bomb squad!"

"But we lost that damn walkie-talkie!" Kieran said frantically.

I began to panic, madly scrambling for ideas. "What- What if we pile all the crates far from the door and- and we throw a nitro bottle at it? The door shouldn't be a structural requirement, so it should be able to hold‐" At this point, I was stuttering, nearly out of ideas.

Kieran cut me off, saying, " That's creative, but hell knows what else would collapse. The shockwave may blow the rest of the bottles, and we don't have the time or space to avoid that."

"I know, I know, you're right. What we need is the bomb squad!" I clenched my teeth. Come on, why can't I think of anything? It was then that I realized we had been looking at this backwards. If we couldn't defuse the bomb, then we simply needed to move the bomb away from the nitro crates!

"If we can't defuse the bomb, then we can at least try to get it as far as possible from the basement. We've still got eight minutes left," I said, tightening the tourniquet un my arm. "I'll break down this door even if it kills me."

"On three- One, Two-" Kieran and I slammed our shoulders into the door, each movement sending a jolt of pain through me.

My vision was blurring in and out, and I didn't think I could hold out for much longer. C'mon Lauren, just a few more minutes! You have to make it! I stumbled against the wall, my breath becoming faster and more frantic.

"It's pointless," I heard Kieran say, pulling his mask down. My legs gave out as I slid down the doorframe, eventually coming to a stop as I leaned against the bottom.

I pulled my mask down as well. "Heh... looks like we're gonna die... at least we were able to alert the police," I sighed, having given up on getting out.

"Hopefully everyone was able to get far enough away for when this thing goes off."

"They have to be." They better be. "Even if we do escape, maybe I'll just bleed out." I mumbled, chuckling despite it all. "I mean, who knows, really?" I felt a tear trace a pattern down my cheek, traversing through the layers of blood and grime.

"Lauren-" Kieran started to speak, but I cut him off.

Placing my hand over his, I very quietly said, "Hey, hey, listen. Thank you. Thank you for- for helping me save them." My vision began blurring more frequently. That wasn't a good sign, was it? My thoughts began to become a bit jumbled, but I went on. "Thank you for helping me since the beginning. I'm sorry you have to be stuck here with me. I'm glad we ran into each other that night... I know our partnership is a match made in hell, but... I'm glad it was you."

Kieran turned to me, eyes wide. He managed to let out a light chuckle despite the circumstances, and said, "I'm glad I didn't kill you that night too. Despite the fact that I've been friends with death for quite a while, this isn't how I imagined myself going. But, there are definitely worse people to die with."

He allowed himself a small smile, quickly furrowing his brow as he noticed I was anxiously glancing at the timer on the bomb. Gently, he pulled me into his chest, tucking me under his chin, stroking my hair with his bloodstained gloves. Bloodstained hands. Hands that had taken the lives of the guilty. Hands that had taken the lives of the innocent. Hands that had taken the lives of people I hadn't been able to save.

"It's okay, it's gonna be okay," Keiran said, and those simple words broke me. I don't know if they were meant for me, or if he was trying to reassure himself, but I started shaking, my tears staining his shirt, his hands cradling me as I attempted to stay silent. Fingers trembling, I slowly turned our hands over, intertwining them. God, this feels so right... I wished I could stay like this forever, allowing warmth and security to wash over me like gentle waves. It was like my pain was being chipped away, little by little.. If I was going to die, I was glad I could go out feeling at peace with myself.

Glancing upwards, I could see Keiran about to open his mouth, then closing it just as quickly. A single tear snuck it's way down his chin, and I tucked my head back into his chest, no longer able to see that smile I had grown to love. That smirk of his, letting me know that everything was going to be alright, telling me that he was the Purple Hyacinth, and that he would be able to save us in the end. That smile had been replaced with trembling lips, a face trying to stay strong and keep it together so that I wouldn't be scared in my final moments. Those ocean blue eyes of his, usually glowing with anticipation, were now glistening with tears barely contained at the brim of his eyes.

Why do I always end up making everyone around me miserable? Why do they all die? Dylan, my parents, and now Kieran too? Why does my suffering flow over to affect the lives of those I hold dear?

I heard a low, yet even, voice begin to speak. "Lauren, if this is the end..." I looked up and saw a broken man, someone desperately trying to keep his emotions at bay. Kieran looked down at me, and lost it. Tears streaming down his face, he tucked his head into the crook of my neck, shakily mumbling, "I want to- to tell you that I'm thankful for you. I'm a better person because of you, and life has began to make a bit more sense."

"Heh, a disgraced detective making a notorious assassin a better person... Like I said, a match made in hell.... but not a bad one," I murmured. "Life really dealt us a crappy hand, huh?"

Kieran simply nodded in agreement, pulling me closer to him and kissing my temple. God, that simple action made my heart ache. In a different time, in different circumstances, would I have still fallen this hard? I kind of hoped so. In a different lifetime, maybe.