Eric, or TheDooo as he was known infamously as, hated his size. He was ruthless, he was violent, he was a bit out of pocket, but he was also only 5'9. Compared to his associates, he was tiny.
The other Eric, or McNasty, loved to gloat about it. Of course, his monster size of 6'3 and extremely broad shoulders made it easy for him to tease him about it, but even Dallas and Matt lorded it over him.
"McNasty, do you have eyes?" Blarg asked through the comms, Dooo creeping along the back. He had his rifle slung across his back, his throwing knives in his hands.
"Yep, dead ahead. Six fuckers in front of the doors though, can I get some backup?" McNasty answered and Dooo immediately changed paths as Blarg said, "Dooo is on his way."
Dooo tuned out as Blarg instructed Soup in some directions, moving easily through the halls. His knives found hallows of throats before anyone could even spot him around corners.
It took him about 15 minutes but he found McNasty, crouched behind a massive pile of boxes. Dooo stayed close to the ground and in the shadows, his black mask and dark blue shirt helping him blend in.
He signaled McNasty from a distance, letting the light glint off one of his knives. McNasty nodded and Dooo quickly flung all 4 of his knives, McNasty using his pistol to take out the final 2 men.
"All clear," McNasty said into the comms, Dooo rushing to move next to him. "Good, get the goods and get out of there, Soup is ready with the car," Blarg directed and the two rushed forward to the door.
Dooo took a moment to retrieve his knives, wiping them carelessly on the dead men's jackets. He'd do a full proper cleanse once they got back to base, blood was not good for the steel his blades were made of.
Dooo opened his bag and quickly took out lock picks, making quick work on the safe while McNasty dug through desk drawers and filing cabinets.
Once Dooo had the safe opened, he quickly took out bank notes, all the cash, and the two USB memory sticks. He slipped them all into his bag and turned around, eyes wide as he noticed someone running over.
"McNasty, get down!" He hissed, diving to the side and pulling his knives out. A man approached the door, a machine gun in his hands. A glower crossed his face as he noticed the open safe and cabinet drawers, holding his gun up to look around.
McNasty signaled Dooo, the latter holding up a knife with a nod. McNasty nodded and adjusted his hold on his pistol, not cocking it to prevent any noises.
Dooo watched the man in the doorway from his reflection against the metal of the desk McNasty was behind. It was disoriented, which would make it a bit harder to aim properly, but he'd seen enough to know approximately where to aim.
He counted down in his head, whipping around the corner and flinging the knife after a split second analysis. The knife flew in the air, the man letting off a few random shots as he fell. The knife had pierced his eye, the man screaming in pain but not dead.
Dooo rushed over with McNasty on his heels, the first ripping his knife out of the man's eye. "Blarg, we've got a man here who's down, but alive, should we bring him back or kill him?" McNasty asked casually, the man glaring at him with his one good eye as Dooo tied his ankles and hands together with zip ties.
"Bring him, we've got one other guard tied up and knocked out, they could have some information. You got the stuff?" Blarg replied and McNasty gave the affirmative.
"Sweet. Come on back then, the place should be clear," he ordered before disconnecting the comms. "You want to carry the bag or the guy?" Dooo asked and McNasty scoffed.
"Please, short stack, you can't carry him," he teased and Dooo glared at him through the holes of his mask. "Fuck you asshole," he snapped, tossing the bag at McNasty and slipping his hands under the man, who was now unconcious but still breathing. He'd bound the guys eye to stop the bleeding long enough for them to get their information.
He easily picked the guy up, thankful he was only probably 200lbs. He had the guy in a fireman carry, walking determinedly out. He could feel a burning ache in his side and an odd pressure in hus chest, but refused to tell McNasty he'd probably gotten shot when the guy fell spraying bullets.
McNasty followed silently, his gun in his hands as they walked through the halls. It was pure spite and anger keeping Dooo on his feet, though his vision was wavering the closer they got to the truck.
Thankfully, they made it with no issues and Dooo dropped the guy into the trunk with the other guard, Soup in the driver's seat and Blarg in the passenger.
"Backseats full," Blarg announced and Dooo groaned. "You're fucking my ass," he complained and Blarg raised an eyebrow at him.
"You'll have to-" he started and Dooo cut him off. "If you tell me I have to sit in McNastys lap, I'll slit your fucking throat," he warned and Blarg shrugged.
"Try me. You have to sit in his lap, unless you want to sit in mine," he said cheerfully and Dooo sighed. "Fucking shit tits," he grumbled to himself, knowing he wouldn't be able to hide an injury if he was sitting in McNasty's lap.
McNasty had already climbed into the car and he patted his thighs, grinning under his mask. "Come on, big man, I don't bite. Hard," he said with a wink and Dooo grumbled to himself as he resigned himself to sitting in the others lap.
He hated being so small, he felt like a child when McNasty wrapped an arm around his waist. He tried to subtly shift so the others arm wouldn't press against the burning pain in his ribs, but McNasty caught onto it.
"Dooo. Whats this?" He asked slowly as Soup pulled out of the parking lot, the two in front glancing at him. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it," Dooo said defensively and McNasty grabbed the smallers shirt, easily evading his swats as he pulled it up.
"Son of a bitch, Eric, you got shot?" McNasty demanded, Dooo wincing at the use of his name. McNasty only ever did that if he was truly pissed, concerned, or irritated. And knowing him, he was probably all three at the moment.
"It's barely a scratch, I'm fine," Dooo protested, tugging his shirt back down and trying to shift off McNasty's lap. His head swam and he wavered, McNasty tightening his hold on him.
"Soup, you better step on it, I think he's about to pass out," McNasty said as Dooo's eyes drifted shut, the swaying of the car making him nauseous.
"Eric, hey, stay awake. Fucking hell man, why didn't you say anything," McNasty grumbled, Dooo barely feeling the fingers smacking his face.
"Eric!" He heard very far away as his vision spun violently, his head falling back as everything went black.
He was drowning. He couldn't breath, paranoia and panic making him want to scream but unable to. Where was McNasty? Blarg? Soup? Where were his friends?
"Dooo!" He heard from behind him, his body fighting him as he struggled to turn around to see. He knew that voice, who was it? "Eric, please!"
Oxygen flooded his lungs, his heart racing. He finally turned around, not seeing anyone or anything. It was pitch black, but he could tell he had to walk. He started moving in the direction the voice seemed to have come from, a maniac need to find it filling him.
He didn't belong here, he wasn't supposed to be here. "McNasty? Matt? Soup? Where are you?" He yelled, his pace picking up. He sprinted forward, begging internally to hear the voice again.
"Eric!" It came again, this time closer. A door in front of him, barely visible outside the white outline and polished silver of the handle. He didn't hesitate, yanking the door open only to be blinded.
"Eric?" He heard over the constant beep of a machine, the sound of an air compressor almost deafening. "Hey, can you hear me?"
Dooo blinked his eyes open, squinting against the lights of the room. A familiar face hovered over him, brown eyes tired and long hair a mess.
He blinked confused, his head fuzzy as he tried to remember who this was. He knew him, he did. Something inside him told him this man was important to him, who was he?
"Eric?" The man whispered, his voice achingly familiar. Eric. That sounded right, why did that sound right?
"Eric," Dooo mumbled, his tongue heavy. "You're Eric." Saddened relief crossed the man's face, Dooo realising his hand was being held tightly in the others hand.
"Yeah, I'm Eric. What do you remember?" The man, Eric, asked worriedly and Dooo scrunched his nose, thinking hard.
A warehouse, money, a couple knives in his hands. This man teasing him, an enemy running in. A burning pain, pride and spite.
"McNasty," he breathed, more and more memories flooding in. "We did a heist, the money and files, I- I got shot?" He asked confused, more relief flooding the others face.
"You did, and you- fuck man, you died, twice. The second time they almost didn't get you back, you've been in a coma for two weeks," McNasty said, his voice sounding odd to Dooo's ears.
"Oh fuck, I was supposed to text Matt and Soup," he mumbled, letting go of Dooo's hand. The smaller man felt a pinch in his chest at the sudden cool air on his palm, surprising him.
"Where-?" He started before he coughed, tears filling his eyes at the sudden rush of pain that shot through his chest. "Hey hey hey, breathe man, take it easy. Here, take a drink," McNasty said hurriedly, dropping his phone on the floor as he rushed to pick up a cup with a straw in it.
The coolness of the water flooded Dooo's mouth, the relief nearly dizzying as it coated his throat. He swallowed hard a few times once McNasty had pulled the cup away, trying not to cough again.
"Where are we? How bad was-?" He cut off, seeing the flash of pain cross McNastys face. Dooo felt a hint of guilt, the exhaustion and stress extremely clear on the others face.
"Two bullets hit you. One grazed your ribs and one went into your ribcage. It ruptured your liver, and if we'd been any slower, you wouldn't have survived making it here to the hospital. We didn't bother going to base, this was too much for even Smii7y to do anything with," he said quietly and Dooo winced.
He hadn't even realized how bad he'd gotten hurt. Adrenaline and spite had kept him moving, his pride getting in the way and making him refuse to let anyone know he'd been hurt.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his guilt intensifying. McNasty sighed, sitting back in his chair but keeping his eyes on Dooo. It was almost as if he was scared to look away, like if he did, Dooo would vanish.
"We're your team, Dooo. And more than that, we're your best friends, your family. If you're hurt, you tell us. Why didn't you say anything? If I'd known how badly you were hurt, I wouldn't have let you carry that asshole," McNasty said quietly and Dooo shrugged before wincing, deciding not to do that again.
"I got tired of feeling like I was the weakest because I'm the smallest," he said quietly, finally voicing the thing that had been bothering him since they'd started gaining traction as a gang.
McNasty frowned, confusion and a hint of guilt in his eyes. "Every single one of us know that regardless of your size, you're fucking terrifying man. You're strong as shit, and I don't think any of us want to try and take you on one on on.
"Do I tease you about your height? Sure, but mostly because it's funny as shit seeing you, a badass fighter and lethal weapon, jump to grab something from the top shelf. But it's also cute as shit," he said, flushing a bit, and Dooo glanced at him surprised.
Before he could say anything, a nurse walked in. "Oh! You're awake!" She said surprised, tossing McNasty a look but the man looked unrepentant.
"Let me call the doctor then I'll take your vitals," she said easily, pressing a button on the wall before turning to the monitor tracking Dooo's heartbeat, blood pressure and other things he didn't know.
McNasty slipped out the door while she was doing this, making Dooo frown. He'd have to track him down to talk later, he wasn't about to get out of this conversation. He'd been called cute by McNasty a hundred times, but this time, Dooo knew it was meant differently from usual.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dooo was frustrated as fuck. They'd refused to let him go home for almost a week, wanting to monitor his liver, hemoglobin levels and white cell count to make sure there was no internal bleeding or infection.
Matt and Soup had visited a dozen times during that week, and even Smii7y, Grizzy and Yumi had stopped by. But McNasty never returned. And Dooo wouldn't admit that his absence hurt him more than the healing wound in his side.
Matt and Soup showed up to take him back to base once he was discharged, Dooo's heart falling when once again, McNasty failed to appear. Matt seemed to have caught his expression, but didn't give any reaction to it outside a slightly knowing glance.
The trip home was quick, Matt and Soup arguing over something completely stupid but Dooo checked out of the conversation. He was trying to prepare a speech in his head, but knew once he confronted McNasty it would all vanish.
They pulled up to the base, Dooo smiling faintly at the comforting sight of his home for the last 4 years. Once Matt had the truck parked, Soup jumped out and moved around to help Dooo out.
"He's more than likely on the roof," Matt said calmly, Dooo blinking surprised at him. Matt smiled wryly, raising an eyebrow as his blueish grey eyes shined with amusement.
"We know you've been wanting to see McNasty the last week, and we've been fighting with him all week to come see you. He's running scared, so go kick his ass in gear so he might actually get some sleep for the first time in three weeks," he said firmly, gently pushing Dooo forward.
Dooo was shaky, but was able to walk. He'd spent the last 4 days with therapists in the hospital making sure he could move around on his own before releasing him. He wasn't supposed to overdo it, but he could do some.
Getting to the roof though, might be more than he was supposed to do. There was only two floors and then the ladder to the hatch, but it was still a lot more than he was supposed to do.
Regardless, he was going to do it. He needed words with McNasty, on why he was avoiding him. He stubbornly forced his feet forward, even as his lungs ached for air and his chest ached from the blood pumping.
He made it to the ladder and leaned against it a moment, taking slow, careful breaths as to not aggravate his wounds before forcing his way up the ladder.
McNasty was sitting on the wall, a beer in his hand. He turned when he heard the hatch door open, his eyes widening as he took in Dooo struggling to move up.
"You fucking dipshit, what are you doing? Matt let you come up here alone?" McNasty hissed, dropping his beer and rushing over to carefully lift Dooo in his arms and carry him over to the wall.
"I needed to come see you," Dooo said softly, McNasty frowning confused as he looked away. "Why?" He asked flatly and Dooo frowned.
"Cause you've been avoiding me since I woke up. What, were you wishing I'd died instead?" He retorted, anger clear in his tone.
McNasty grabbed his arms tightly, fury simmering in his eyes. The anger vanished in Dooo, shock mixed with a tiny hint of fear filling him instead. The last time he'd seen McNasty look this angry he'd nearly torn a man's head off.
"Don't you ever joke like that, Eric," McNasty hissed, Dooo swallowing as he nodded quickly. McNasty's grip lessened, but he didn't let go.
"I don't think you realise it. You were on my lap when you passed out. You- you died when I carried you inside that hospital. You didn't have a goddamn pulse, you weren't breathing, you were fucking bleeding out in my arms and I couldn't do jackshit about it.
"I didn't know if they got you back, I didn't know you'd died two more times on the table, I didn't know anything for fucking 9 hours after they took you from me. I sat beside you for two fucking weeks just waiting for you to wake up, hoping you woke up.
"And seeing you open your eyes and- and not fucking recognise me for a moment, I swear something fucking died inside me. The relief I felt when you started remembering still suffocates me, even now. So don't ever make those jokes again, Eric, okay? I- I can't-" he cut off his rant, Dooo staring wide eyed at him speechless.
He took the jump, shaking McNasty's hands off him before pushing forward. His lips landed on the tallers, McNasty freezing in surprise before harshly yanking Dooo to his chest and kissing back.
Emotions flooded his veins, his heart racing even as he ignored the pain in his wounds. The feel of McNasty's hands on his waist and his chest against his own overwhelmed it, his arms lifting to wind around McNasty's neck.
It could have been seconds, it could have been minutes, Dooo didn't know at all, but eventually they broke the kiss even though he didn't pull away from the embrace.
"Next time, talk to me. I promise you, Eric, I'm not going anywhere. Nothing will ever take me from you, I promise," he whispered, not reacting to the sheen of tears in the tallers eyes.
He could count on one hand how many times he'd ever seen McNasty cry in the 7 years he'd known him. And by that, he meant this was the third time ever.
He moved to cradle McNasty's cheek in his hand, his thumb moving to catch the single tear slipping down the others face. "I'll hold you to that. I can't lose you," McNasty whispered, Dooo smiling faintly.
"You won't. I'll always come back to you, no matter what happens," he promised, McNasty smiling softly before dipping down to kiss Dooo softly.
Idk where I was going with this ngl. I just wanted angst with a happy ending, which appears to be most of my stories. Anyway, quick one shot, I think this is my second story ever with the Goons as main? Idk, I hope yall enjoyed though! I'll be posting random one shots probably, though I've got a Frouse horror AU imma be posting starting Friday lol see you there! (If yall like frouse at least) kisses!!
~Banana