bulletproof [riot×tank]

chapter 5 - i'm not leaving without him

Riot:

Pling!

I got a message.
I jumped on my bed and searched for my phone in the mess of pillows and blankets.
I finally found it and rolled on my back.
Lucky as I am the phone is about to fall in my face and break my nose I thought when I unlocked it and read the message.
It was from Tank and my heart skipped a beat. It was weird what I was feeling when I thought about him. I was constantly smiling.

U coming today?

To the protest?

No, to my wedding dumbass

I rolled my eyes. But to be honest: my question was stupid.

Oh...then yes. Can't wait to meet the lucky one

Can't stop laughing

I'll be there soon

K

He has a thing for long answers.

I sighed and put my phone away. I lay on my back and stared at the ceiling.
I liked Tank. Of course I did.
But he acted strange lately.
He distanced himself more and more from me and I didn't know why. Ever since he saw my bruises he's been talking to me the most important thing. I had to put all my energy into getting a conversation done.
Tough.
After all, he had stopped asking about my injuries. He seemed to have his own explanation. I had no idea what it was, but he didn't seem to worry anymore, so...
I sighed and rubbed my forehead. I really should get up. Scorp had asked me where I was too.

I rolled off my bed, gave the sheets a wistful look and went to my bathroom.
I leaned on the sink and looked in the mirror. I had tied my dreadlocks back into a low ponytail, which I now opened.
I scrutinized myself in the mirror.
My right eye was still dark purple, but didn' hurt when I moved it. My lip was ruptured and my left cheekbone was still a bit bluish.
But all in one it had become much better. It hardly hurt anymore.
It wasn't that bad from the beginning I told myself.
It's all right, isn't it?
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
It's all right.
It's all right.
You're alone. He's not here. He can't hurt you. Don't be scared.
You're a grown man. Don't be scared.
Breathe. Breathe.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and I flinched and quickly wiped over my eyes.
"Yeah?"
Aiden, my roommate, opened the door and smiled slightly.
"Hey uhm... I'm leaving now. Sarah's waiting for me. Are you sure you don't want to come with us? This will be fun I promise"
I smiled.
"Yeah I'm sure. Have fun and give Sarah a hug from me okay?" Sarah was his girlfriend.
Aiden nodded.
"Okay..." He sighed and I felt his eyes on my face scanning me.
"You look better" I turned to make him stop analyzing me.
"Thanks"
"You know that we can still report them if you want to, right?" He asked and seemed really worried. I appreciated it but it made me uncomfortable. I felt weak.
He didn't know what happened. Nobody did.
"No it's fine. I could barely see their faces." I lied.
Aiden gave up. He knew that he wouldn't be able to change my mind.
"Okay... Stay safe Bro."
"Always... Have fun"
"We will" He smiled and closed the door.
I heard him leaving the apartment.
I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around myself. The silence was loud and crushing.

Pling!

Are you making another stop in Russia or are you lost? What the fuck takes u so long?

I'm on my way

Hurry up the police dragged the military with them

Fuck.

"Hey" I said and jogged to Tank, Faceless and Scorpion.
I was glad I finally found them. Took me almost half an hour.
"Finally. The lost boy returns" Tank muttered. He was pissed.
"Hey Riot. It's nice to see you" I imitated him. "Thank you Tankie. You're so nice"
"You're ridiculous"
"And you are-"
"Okayyyyy we are all very happy to see each other" Scorpion interrupted me and tried his best to keep us calm. Tank and I stared at each other and I'm pretty sure if looks could kill I'd be dead now. Even though I couldn't see his facial expression.
"I'm sorry I'm late. But now I'm here"
"Took you long enough. What were you doing?" Tank asked but didn't wait for an answer. He turned around and pointed at the crowd of people infornt of us.
"We got a problem here"

I pulled my eyebrows together.
The military had formed a barrier between the police and the protesters. With batons and these weird shields as big as a man, they stood there and repelled the people.
"What should we do about... This?" Faceless asked "The police is one thing but the military..."
I sighed and looked at Tank.
"What do you think?"
"I think we might look too aggressive to go to the front" he admitted. I nodded slowly.
"It's still... Well 'peaceful'" I made quotes.
Scorpion and Faceless weren't convinced at all.
"We can't just stand here." Scorpion said.
"When they see us, they know we're ready to fight. Before they let it get this far, they will attack first. We provoke them" I tried to explain.
Tank shook his head and walked up and down. He was obviously dissatisfied with all this.
"Scorpion is right"
Scorpion looked up and seemed more proud than ever in his life. Faceless patted him appreciatively the shoulder.

"We can't just risk other people's safety"
"Let's be real... They'll attack either way. They always do. They didn't bring in the military for nothing."
"Nevertheless, we will only provoke them"
Tank inhaled deeply and stretched out.
"Okay, Riot. Either we're doing more than converting oxygen into carbon dioxide, or we're doing... what the hell we're here for."
I opened my mouth and closed it again because I didn't know what to say.
"I'll take this as a sign of insight" Tank said and walked past me towards the police.
"He's not in a good mood today", Scorpion muttered and stood next to me. I nodded.
"I wouldn't have noticed."

And then out of nowhere, something exploded.
"Oh fuck", Faceless said.
"No, fuck. Not again." I muttered.
The people ran into us and away from the gas, which spread like a deadly unstoppable plague.
"We have to get out of here", Scorpion yelled at me, but I shook my head.
I ran into the crowd and was immediately greeted by the gas. My eyes were burning like hell but I could stand it.
There were comparatively few people on the ground. I helped two boys who had stumbled. Scorp and Faceless who were right behind me did the same.
People's screams rang in my ears.
"The police are arresting people" a voice roared through the noises and everyone hurried even more.

"Riot! Stop!" Scorpion held me by the arm. "We have to get out of here. You know damn well if we get arrested... It's over"
I shook my head. Adrenaline was pumped through my body and I pulled my arm away.
"Tank is still in there"
"He can take care of himself" Faceless tried to convince me.
"I don't care. I'm not leaving without him"
"This is madness"

I ignored them and fought my way through the crowd.
"Tank! Tank, where the fuck are you?" I looked around, searching for him.
Fuck, my eyes.
"Tank? Goddammit... TANK!"
When I pushed a woman aside, I saw him.
He knelt on the ground, had lowered his head. A cop bent over him.
"Tank no-"

_____________________________________
Hope y'all good <3

Thanks for reading

~anon