Tuck-and-Roll

His lips lingered, frozen by the intoxicating cocktail of anxiety and excitement. The taste of the person before him, sweet like candy, made him want more.

Oto leaned in, eyes closed, feeling their hand reaching around his back. Fingers slid between his coat and shirt, grabbing at the fabric as they pulled him in tight. His heart had begun beating again. Racing faster than it ever had before.

Gunfire outside the door caused him to flinch. Panic began to set in once again. Beginning to pull away, the other’s grip held him firmly in place before lips parted, and he felt something else.

Tongue?! He panicked, not knowing what to do with his. Isn’t that a little fast for a first time?

His eyes opened wide as, over the shoulder of the grey hoodie, he glanced through the still open window. A face was looking in, the blackened tip of a rifle at the edge of the sill. The figure searched, but the two of them remained hidden to the side.

Their body pressed even more against his, pushing him up against the wall of the compartment as the door flung open. With their hand over his shoulder, they kept him tucked tightly into the corner as a pair of amber eyes locked with his.

They stared at him, their expression neither passionate nor scared, but intent and focused on the moment. Oto could feel their body against his, warm and calm as they held their breath, while gently suckling at his lips.

With a racing heart, he looked once again over their shoulder as the barrel of the gun poked into view. The gunman scanned the space, failing to look behind the narrow cranny hidden by the open door where the two remained locked at the lips.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Gunfire erupted farther down the train car as more screams filled the air and the gunman disappeared from the compartment.

After what felt like an eternity, their lips softly parted. Their sweet taste now gone from his mouth, leaving him cold and wanting more.

“Hey, so—” He began to say softly as a hand slapped over the bottom of his face.

“Shhh.” They strained, slipping their medical mask back over their face as they listened.

Several seconds passed, the grey hoodie being all Oto saw as their figure peeked through the crease between the hinges. They eventually turned back, amber eyes furiously glaring at him.

“Shut up.” They whispered, their voice barely audible over his heavy breathing. “I’m going to remove my hand, and you’re going to stay quiet. Understand? Nod if you understand.”

Oto slowly nodded up and down.

His saviour gradually removed their hand, pressing it to the door and gently closing it enough to give the room necessary to escape the corner.

“That’s a good, pretty boy.” They continued, peaking their head out the door for a moment before returning.

Still pressed in the corner, Oto was now holding his mouth. His fingers gently caressed the damp lips, the memory of the kiss still there as he quietly watched the grey figure look back to him.

“They’re moving down the train.” They whispered. “We need to go to the next car up. Come on.”

They began to move, but Oto remained frozen in place. His father had always told him that if something were to happen, he needed to stay in one place and wait for the police. And that was what he was going to do.

Looking down at his lap, he could see his other trembling hand resting on motionless legs. Even if he wanted to move, Oto wasn’t sure he had the capability.

I never should have done this stupid photo-op! He thought to himself. I’m going to have to fire Sasha. Wait—Sasha! I need to call Sasha…my phone—

He glanced down to where the phone had slid, but the rattling of the train had vibrated it beneath the opposite seat.

Moving to grab it, he stumbled, his weak legs not agreeing with him.

“Ah! Crap!” He yelled out, tumbling over himself and clattering to the ground, kicking the door shut.

As Oto reached under the seat, he could hear footfalls. They approached quickly, and before he had a chance to grab the phone, the door flung open once more.

With a panicked flinch, he looked over his shoulder, expecting to see his grey saviour once again. Instead, he saw a pair of blood-soaked jeans and an equally stained shirt. A man with short hair and black sunglasses looked down at him with a grin.

“Ah, I knew I’d missed something.” His gruff voice speaking as he levelled the semi-automatic with Oto. “Nothing personal, kid. Jobs-a-job.”

“Wait! I can pay!” Oto cried out. “I’m rich!”

The gun fired, breaching the exterior window. Wind began to whistle through the room, stinging at Oto’s ears as he watched a blur of motion beyond the door.

Grey fabric twirled and flipped, wresting control of the weapon from the gunman with relative ease. The saviour’s free hand withdrew something from their hoodie as, with a whip of their wrist, a baton extended. A viper-like strike to the temple was all it took for the goon to stumble back.

Oto watched as the baggy hoodlum, with a baton in their left hand and a gun in the right, stabilized their weapons.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

The weapon fired out of sight as blood splashed against their grey clothing. A thud followed as the original gunman collapsed to the ground, his hand lying limp before the open compartment door.

“Ahhhh!” Oto shrieked at the violence as he pressed his back to the wall. “Don’t kill me!”

The grey figure investigated the room, cocking their head to the side.

“Kill?” They yelled out. “Dude, I just saved your butt twi—crap!”

Gunfire from down the hall caused the hoodlum to dive into the compartment. Wood splintered where they had been standing, and as the gunfire stopped, they leaned back out to return fire.

With hands over his ears, Oto watched as spent bullet casings flew from the grey figure's weapon before a new and unsettling sound filled the air.

Click!

“Crap!”

The grey figure looked back at Oto, their amber eyes sizing him up. With a shrug, they tossed the firearm to the ground.

“Well, I guess you’re on your own then. See’yuh, pretty boy.”

Oto’s heart dropped to his stomach as he reached over to take their free hand.

“No, wait!” He cried out. “Don’t leave me! I can pay you.”

The grey figure hesitated for a moment, looking Oto over once again.

“Three mil.” They quickly spoke before glancing out the door.

“Done!”

“Wow, really?” Their amber eyes looked back at him with a surprised glance. “I should have asked for five.”

“Sure! Whatever you want.”

“My dude, you’re bad at negotiating.” His saviour stood to their feet. “Okay, now follow me.”

As the person began to move, they were suddenly tugged back by Oto’s frozen form. Looking down at his death-grip on their hand, they sighed and leaned back towards him.

“Hey, pretty boy, listen. You gotta move. If you don’t move, we die. Come on.”

“But, I—my dad—”

A baton tapped Oto’s head, causing him to wince in response to the pain. Releasing his grip, he reached for the top of his scalp.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“Focus up! Move or die!”

With a nervous breath, Oto stood to his feet and shadowed the grey figure as they approached the door. He waited behind his saviour, watching as they glanced out into the hall and then back to him.

“Hey, you squeamish?” They asked.

“What?”

“Blood. You okay with blood?”

“Obviously not!” Oto cried out.

“Well—then, just look at me. Only at me. Don’t look anywhere else, okay? Let’s go!”

They took his hand and began to run, and as they did, Oto obeyed his saviour in grey. His eyes remained locked on their back as they raced down the length of the car to the door at the front. Opening the gangway connecting the next train segment, the figure looked back at Oto and then over him.

“Crap!”

Throwing him into the separating space, they slammed the door behind.

Ping! Ping! Ping!

Bullets impacted metal.

His saviour stepped over him as he began to pull himself to his feet.

“Get down!” They suddenly cried out, pushing his head back down as bullets flew through the vision panel of the opposite door.

“We’re trapped?” Oto began to panic once more. “Oh man! I knew the train was a bad idea—”

“Shut up a second.” The grey figure hissed as they thought, processing another option.

With a grimace, they sighed and lifted Oto to his feet.

“Hey, pretty boy…tuck and roll, ‘kay?”

“What?”

Opening the exterior door, the saviour took Oto by the tie, their amber eyes meeting his.

“Tuck. And. Roll.”

And, with a forceful thrust, they threw him from the train.