With a laugh, Thomas put down his empty cup. He had consumed all his liquids and was ready to leave. "You ready, Alex?"

Alex nodded, also done with his beverage. "Yep. Let's go."

The two men got up, pleased with their date's outcome. They had talked about life, watched a few meme compilations, and enjoyed some drinks. Life was good for them.

They walked over to the trashcan that sat at the back of the coffee shop, throwing away the cups. "So, Alex," Thomas began, but was cut off by someone yelling.

"Freeze!"

It was a man's voice, and it sounded threatening.

The couple's bodies tensed, and they turned to the front door, where a guy in a black mask was standing. He was clutching a gun, and he was pointing it at every human that was in the coffee shop.

Thomas gasped, a bunch of flashbacks coming back...

~Flashback~

Thomas was eating at an Applebees with his friend John. They were having a good old time, talking about guys they thought were hot. But looking back on it, none of the guys were as attractive as Alex.

The conversation shifted to ladies, and the two were telling each other how beautiful the Schuyler sisters were. (Thomas and John were both bisexual.)

As soon as they got to Peggy, there was the sound of someone opening the door and the click of a gun being loaded.

The two young men looked at the robber at the door and had no idea how to react and started screaming, their lives flashing before their very eyes.

The robber pointed his gun at John. "Shut your mouth or I'll shoot."

Thomas' heart gave a lurch. He couldn't stand the thought of losing his best friend.

But John wouldn't shut up. He kept yelling threats at the robber, saying that he was gonna call the cops.

Thomas was frantically trying to get John to stop talking, shaking him. "Come on, man...Be quiet...Come on..," he whispered, nervous that the robber was gonna shoot.

The robber looked annoyed, but didn't shoot. He turned to the cash register and demanded all of the money inside it.

Right as the cashier was about to give him the money, John pulled out his phone and started dialing 911.

Thomas was panicking. Dialing those three numbers could've put John in the hospital.

And they did.

The robber saw this and wheeled around to face John. "Oh, no you don't."

He pulled the trigger, and the bullet hit John right in the chest.

"No!" Thomas screamed.

John's face went completely white as he fell back against the booth, cold sweat dripling down his face. "Ah...Thomas...ambulance..," he kept mumbling.

Thomas was frantically trying to figure out what to do. If he called 911, the bullet would be in his chest also. But if he didn't, his friend would die.

In sheer panic, Thomas grabbed a handful of nalkins and began pressing them down on John's wound.

The napkins were soaked with blood almost immediately.

Thomas noticed this and grabbed more napkins, pushing harder. "It's okay...you're gonna be all right..," he said, his voice weak from fear.

The robber smirked as the cashier handed hin the money. "Thanks, lady," he said smugly. "You're one of the only smart ones around here."

And, just like that, the robber escaped.

Thomas noticed this and grabbed his phone, dialing 911.

"Yes, hello. My friend has been shot in the chest," Thomas said as the 911 people picked up. "189 Pine Street. Thank you. And please hurry..."

The tall boyo hung up, tears flowing down his face. "Come on, John...save your strength and stay alive..."

John gave a weak smile. "Thomas...I don't think I'm gonna make it..."

"No, no! You're gonna be just fine, buddy..," Thomas responded, smiling theough his tears. "The paramedics are on their way..."

But they weren't quick enough.

John fell limp, the life draining from his body.

John, Thomas' best friend, had died.

~Flashback over~

Thomas was beyond terrified. He didn't want a repeat of that. Especially with Alex. He didn't know what he would do if he lost someone so dear to him.

Alex was equally terrified, but his knowledge of common sense told him to stay calm and not say a word.

So that's what he did.

The robber smirked. "Give me all the money in the cash register, or all of you die."

Thomas let out this little squeak, not able to handle the situation.

Scared murmurs rang throughout the shop as the cashier rummaged through the cash register, handing the robber all of the money inside it.

The robber looked dissatisfied at how much was in there. "Is this it?"

The cashier nodded fearfully.

"Huh..," the robber said with an evil smirk. "This doesn't really meet my standards..." He looked around the store and made eye contact with Thomas. "It makes me just wanna..," he loaded his gun and pointed it at Thomas, "shoot this big shot over here."

Thomas' heart was pounding. "P-please don't..."

Despite the voices in Alex's head telling him to save his lover, he stayed perfectly still. It was selfish, but Alex cared about his own life a smidge more than Thomas'. He didn't even wanna imagine what being shot felt like.

"What makes you think you can tell me what to do?!" the robber yelled in an angry tone. "Huh?!"

Thomas opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out. So he shut his mouth again, praying that ths lunatic wouldn't shoot.

No such luck.

The robber fired his gun, and the bullet struck Thomas' side.

Thomas' eyes went wide, pain surrounding the wound. Not 'oh I scraped my knee' pain. He felt 'holy shit I'm gonna die soon' pain.

Alex gasped. He wasn't really expecting the robber to shoot. But when he did, rage filled Alex from head to toe. He wanted to strangle the robber, but his feet seemed as if they were glued to the ground.

The robber ran out of the shop, cackling evilly.

Thomas crumbled to the ground, blood pouring from his side. His vision became blurry, and all he could think about was dying.

Is this the end? Thomas thought, clutching the bullet wound.

Alex knelt down next to Thomas, pulling out his phone and dialing 911. Much like Thomas did when John got shot.

He explained the story to the people, gave them the address of the shop, and they said that they were on their way.

Tears of pain were running down Thomas' face, and he was trembling uncontrollably. "L-Lexi..," he groaned, the pain too much for him.

"Shh...it's gonna be okay, Tommy..," Alex said soothingly. "The ambulance is on its way...you're gonna be just fine..."

But, in reality, Alex couldn't guarantee that.

***

The world was a blur for Thomas as he was lifted into the ambulance. He hoped that he would make it through this alive, as did Alex.

The ride to the hospital was spent by the paramedics trying to stop Thomas' bleeding, but to no avail. On that same ride, a piece of information was shared with Alex that made Alex's heart drop to his feet.

One of the paramedics sighed and turned to Alex. "Mr. Hamilton...he's probably not gonna make it..."

"W-what..?"