Prompt: Hiding

Title: Running And Hiding

Fandom: Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Warnings: Mentions of gun violence and bullet wounds, hospitals.

Word Count: 2,112

Synopsis: After getting separated from her Team while being pursed through the streets of Paris, Agent Y/N L/N must push on through her pain and continue onwards, finding a spot to wait out the rain after getting back in contact with her Team. But when the very same people who'd chased her through the city streets show up and box them in, will she manage to make it out?

----

Running And Hiding

Exhausted.

You haven't felt this worn out in a long, long time.

You could swear you're sleeping on your feet at this point.

But you can't give up yet; you've made it this far - by some sort of miracle.

Somehow, your muddled thoughts can't even recognize how you'd been forced away from the rest of your Team.

Ethan, Benji, Luther...

They'd been forced to continue on without you after the Paris Police Force had nearly caught up with you after you had to bail from the motorcycle you'd been riding.

And all your Partner could do was glance over his shoulder and watch you drag yourself from the twisted pile of wreckage, stumbling back to your feet and desperately attempting to continue your escape.

Which you continue, stopping every now and then, your back resting against the cool brick walls of the rather stunning buildings that line the streets.

If it wasn't for your dire situation, you're almost positive that you'd have time to admire the gorgeous Parisian architecture.

But this...

Oh, this is beyond dire.

Sighing heavily, you let out of hiss of agony as you attempt yet again to put weight on your right ankle, only to fail.

Broken - maybe sprained.

Your thoughts are clouded - your judgment impaired.

It's a situation you've been trained for, over and over again back in your younger days.

But in all your time spent in the field...

You'd never been completely alone - hiding from everything and everyone.

At this point, who knows who's after you.

The Paris Police, maybe the CIA again, oh, and let's not forget the leftovers from the Syndicate, now calling themselves the Apostles.

Everything that could've gone wrong has gone wrong.

It should've dawned on you how tough things were going to get on whatever the hell this adventure has turned out to be, back in Berlin when the Apostles had managed to nab the first core of plutonium.

And even after all the complications with John Lark and the White Widow...

You grumble lowly in frustration, mustering up whatever courage you have left as you continue on down yet another poorly lit alleyway, hobbling along on one foot.

The sun is almost below the horizon now.

What had once bathed your weary figure in an orange, warm glow is gradually fading away into an inky blackness, sort of like your own state of mind and body.

You need to find somewhere to get out of the elements for the night, there's no argument with yourself there.

It's just a matter of finding somewhere to achieve that.

Maybe I can nab a cell phone... get in contact with Ethan and the Team...

Your heart aches at that thought, the pain catching you off guard slightly, though you accept it.

They'll find me... They wouldn't just leave me...

You allow your thoughts to wander for a moment as you stop to catch your breath under a lamppost, your breath billowing up past you in a cloud as the cold of the darkness begins to seep into your bones.

I've just got to let them know where to find me.

But, where there's open communication...

All the moths will come rushing to the flame.

****

Somehow, you'd managed to find some shelter out of the wind in some dingy looking warehouse, somewhere along the Seine.

The weather had almost instantly shifted the minute you'd stumbled into a woman exiting a nearby store, fumbling through her rather expensive purse and slipping her phone into your sleeve.

She'd been none the wiser as you'd stepped away in an almost genuinely dazed state, some rather angry sounding French being tossed your way as you both had carried on.

A steady rain beats down outside, splashing against the already quickly forming puddles.

You sit silently on the concrete floor, your back up against one of the thousands of large, metal shelves, the glow of the phone screen in your grasp, the only light illuminating your surroundings.

The slightly ajar garage door that you'd snuck through prior is still open, even after your vain attempts to close it behind you, the cold wind still managing to nip at the tips of your fingers.

You'd sent a message to the number you'd practically ingrained in your mind before the Team had all gone their separate ways and the chaos began.

Now, it's merely the waiting game.

And all you can hope is that your Team finds you first.

Drifting in and out of a seemingly fevered sleep, you urge yourself to stay awake - stay alert - only to continually struggle more, your body unwilling to cooperate fully.

But then, footsteps.

Your legs that had been sprawled out in front of you are quietly and quickly pulled into your chest as you sit there, fully aware of just how loud your breathing is in the incredibly quiet space.

The rain has eased up slightly, the obnoxious sound of it no longer filling the void.

A panic begins to ripple through you as you watch with wide eyes, a foot step through the puddle in front of the slightly open garage door you're sitting on the other side of...

It's raised slightly, a piercing squeak echoing in your skull...

A light blinds you as you raise a hand in a vain attempt to see just who's nearing your crumpled, defeated figure...
"Y/N," Is all you hear the newcomer breathe in relief, instantly lowering the light from where it had been shining in your face, frantic paces hastily reaching your side. "You're gonna be alright. We're gonna get you out of here."

Now it's your turn to sigh in relief, the familiarity of the voice and the steady hand resting on your shoulder bringing you instant comfort as you lean into his touch.

"You found me," You joke weakly, your hazy gaze wandering towards the features of Ethan Hunt, who looks equally as relieved as he hooks an arm beneath you and helps you back to your feet.

Though you nearly crumble as he moves away for a moment, stooping to retrieve his pistol from the cold, cement floor before returning to your side, leaning heavily on his for support.

But before your Partner can utter a word, yet another familiar tone interrupts your now calmer thoughts, his accent bringing a smile to your face.

"Of course we found you! Locations aren't that hard to track, you know!" Benji exclaims as he ducks through the garage door, slamming his fist against the opening mechanism to open it fully, revealing yet another familiar figure.

"We wouldn't just leave you behind," Luther nods, gesturing knowingly to the man keeping you upright at your side. "Ethan wouldn't let us even if we wanted to."

"You're hilarious, Luther," Is all you can croak in reply, though a grateful grin tugs at your lips. "But do you think it would be possible to save this for when we get back somewhere where we won't be ambushed?"

Almost as if on cue, the squealing of tires and many, hurried booted footsteps echo throughout the thin walls surrounding the four of you, growing closer by the second.

"They're out the back!" A voice screams as darkly clad figures appear above you, lining the catwalks of the warehouse, their rifles all pointed down where you stand.

And then, bullets fly.

"Shit!" You barely hear Benji exclaim in surprise as he and Luther split up and run for cover, cowering behind the two farthest shelves, their firearms out and at the ready.

Meanwhile, your back is once more pressed against the cool metal, your thoughts no longer calm.

"Can you run?" Ethan questions sternly from your side, wincing as a bullet pings against the wider, larger shelf you're both stuck behind.
"I'll make it work," You muse in reply, the feeling of adrenaline beginning to flood your system. "My right ankle though. I think it's broken."

At this, your Partner merely passes you a look of something you've seen far too many times over the course of this plutonium fueled chase across the world.

Desperation.

"Just go!"

"We'll cover you both! Just get the hell out of here!"

Your Teammate's voices sound garbled to you, their tones tinged with their own rampant emotions.

But when the feeling of Ethan's steady hand on your shoulder finally resonates with you, it becomes clear.

"On the count of three, ready?"

All you can do is nod as the man at your side counts you down.

And when he reaches three, you take off at a pained sprint, crying out in pain as you do so, the sounds of your Teammates returning fire to cover you flooding your senses.

You're almost there... You can see the glimmering waters of the Seine rippling beneath the glow of the streetlights... You can practically feel the rain upon your skin...

An all too familiar searing hot pain trickles through you as your knees suddenly give out, your vision tunneling, your body lurching forward, out into the rain.

"Man down, Ethan! Man down!"

"She's hit!"

Their voices are fading...

As the pain takes over...

And the last thing you remember is the feeling of the cool rain splashing gently upon your already paling skin.

****

A steady, rather obnoxious beeping is what pulls you from your slumber.

You barely hear yourself cry out in a whimper of pain, your eyelids heavy as you struggle to open them, the insides of them almost feeling like sandpaper.

Someone else is here... There's a certain pressure in your hand...

Blinking against the light a few times, you silently take in your bearings, the unpleasant, pungent smell of chemical cleanliness reaching your nose.

A hospital.

Groaning once more, you twist your head slightly, struggling to see just who else is here with you.

And as your still blurry gaze wanders over to the chair sitting at your bedside, a genuine smile tugs at the edges of your dry, cracked lips.

Your Partner is sitting at your side, his head bowed, eyes shut, chest falling up and down rhythmically.

He's asleep... No doubt taking advantage of the momentary safety a place such as this has to offer.

"Ethan," You urge softly, voice hoarse, your hand that he holds squeezing lightly. "Ethan."

Upon hearing his name fall from your lips, his head almost instantly raises, his eyes blinking a few times as if to fully comprehend the situation before he turns to you, a softly relieved smile on his lips.

"How bad is it?" You inquire, wanting to rid the pair of you from the elephant in the room as soon as possible.

"Well, you were right about your ankle. When you bailed off of that motorcycle, you certainly did a number on it."

"And the gunshot wound?"

"Just grazed your side, thankfully," Ethan explains, giving your hand a reassuring squeeze. "We'll get out of here once they bring up some pain meds."

At this, your heart sinks a bit as you lean closer to him, gaze quickly glancing around the room, ensuring no one is listening.

"How are we supposed to get to the other two cores now?" You murmur, voice so low, your Partner leans even closer.

"We'll figure that out once you're out of here and your ankle is on the mend. For now though..."

His voice trails off as he places a hand to your cheek, using his thumb to wipe away a stray tear you hadn't even recognized had fallen.

You almost sheepishly find yourself leaning into Ethan's compassionate touch, a pang of relief yet a looming sense of foreboding tugging at your thoughts.

In this state, you won't be able to be by his side when things ramp up again.

You won't be there to watch his back...

Wordlessly, you raise your own trembling hand to his cheek, feeling the slightest bit of stubble growing back beneath your fingertips.

"We'll make it work," He assures breathily, offering a reassuring smile, grasping your wrist and setting your hand back at your side before making his way to his feet, his handsomely familiar features staring down at you.

"We always do."

And before you can even react or form any sort of objection, your Partner leans in and swiftly plants a kiss to your forehead, passing you a slightly cheeky grin as he pulls away.

"I'm just gonna go see if I can find some water or something, I'll be back."

Blushing weakly, you simply nod, a truth ringing in his tone.

You know he will be.

Ethan found you once and he'll always continue to find you...

Until the pair of you can stop running and instead, hide away from the world...

Together.