Theo tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling of the warehouse. He had a throbbing headache thanks to Spiro's hit, but he ignored it. He wasn't worried about potentially dying at all. He was worried about what would happen when Cyrus finally arrived. He laughed softly at the thought. How foolish Spiro was. He had no clue—no clue what he was getting himself into. What a fucking idiot. He thought he was one step ahead when, like a dumbass, he had revealed all he knew already. He thought he had given Cyrus a deal. All he had given him was time to plan.

"What are you laughing about?" Spiro grumbled.

"You're going to die," Theo said matter of factly.

"I told Mossberg to come unarmed."

"You kidnapped me, Spiro. You threatened my life. He won't need a weapon to kill you. He's got two fists."

"And if he tries, I'll kill you." Theo looked at him, surprised.

"Just like that, huh? All those years of partnership, and you'll kill me without a second thought?"

"All of our partnership was a lie," Spiro hissed. Theo winced.

"No it wasn't," He objected. "Everything I said I knew about Cyrus was, yes, but we were friends, Spiro. That was never a lie."

"Doesn't matter," Spiro looked at the floor.

"Doesn't it though? We're friends; I can prove it. I know everything there is to know about you. You like your coffee with a ton of cream and sugar, you only own three ties, you hate Policeman's Balls as much as I do, you hardly ever sleep, you haven't had a girlfriend in six years— this is the kind of stuff friends know, Spiro."

"Or the kind of stuff people who were stalking someone to make sure they didn't find out the truth know." Theo sighed. Some people were so stubborn and dumb.

"I don't work with the Hunters," He said. "I only know a bit more than you do. Have I given them tips over the years? Yes. But have I ever been in on or involved in one of their schemes? No."

"I don't trust a word that's coming out of your mouth."

"Well you should."

"Impossible." Theo rolled his eyes.

"The Earth is round!" He declared dramatically. "Do you trust that?"

"Not since you said it, no." Theo groaned, but then the door to the warehouse slammed, and new footsteps echoed. Spiro jumped to his feet, clicking the safety off his gun as Cyrus Mossberg appeared.

Cyrus took in the scene, forcing down the rage and concern in his gut as he noted the caked blood on the side of Theo's head. Theo was tied to a chair, nothing more than simple rope. He stared at Cyrus and forced a small smile, a quiet way to communicate that he was alright, that he wasn't worried or hurt badly— that Cyrus was okay to focus on other things. Things like the fact that Spiro had a gun, a standard police Glock 22, from the looks of it. If the magazine was fully loaded, he had fifteen shots. Fifteen chances to hit Cyrus, Theo, or anyone else until Cyrus could get the gun away from him. Cyrus raised his hands over his head in a symbol of peace.

"Alone and unarmed, just like we agreed." He said, his voice echoing in the room, even though he was lying through his teeth. Kramer and Benny were right outside the door, ready to march in the moment they deemed their presence necessary. Cyrus kept up his usual smugness. Spiro knew he had him between a rock and a hard place by taking Theo, but there was no reason to let him know just how worried Cyrus actually was. He wasn't dumb enough to show fear. So instead, he looked over at Theo and plastered on a sly grin.

"You know, I think this is the first time I haven't enjoyed seeing you tied up," He commented. Theo stared at him, his face caught somewhere between sheer embarrassment and something that read 'I'm going to kill your stupid ass if Spiro doesn't do it first'.

"Good to know you can follow orders like a common thief," Spiro said, smirking like a cat with a canary. He was too cheeky about this, Cyrus thought. He thought he had more power than he did. But that was another one of Cyrus's rules—always have twice the power, and be at least one step ahead. It was nearly impossible to fail that way.

"If he's a common thief, then you're a child playing detective on Halloween," Theo said, his voice hoarse. Cyrus smiled at him. He had no idea how his husband found the heart to make jokes at a time like this, but god, he loved him for it. Spiro glared at them both and raised his gun at Cyrus.

"Sorry to do this in front of you, Theo, but I thought it'd be easier to kill him rather than sit through all the stupid courtroom shit."

"What?" Theo whispered. His eyes went wide and he fought against the rope tying him to the chair. "Don't you dare— you never want to kill him before!"

"Well, that was before I found out my partner was a traitor!" Spiro snapped back at him.

"What happened to justice, you asshole! What happened to wanting to see him behind bars? Just because I lied to you doesn't mean you abandon all your morals!" Theo strained against the rope, looking at Cyrus in sudden fear and panic.

"Why don't you try getting betrayed by your only friend and see how many of your morals survive?" Spiro shouted back at him, never taking his eyes, or his gun, off Cyrus.

"Hold on just a minute here," Cyrus said, walking closer to Spiro. "We had a deal. I held up my side of it, and it's time for you to do the same. Let Theo go." Spiro shook his head.

"He'd know I was the one who killed you. He'd turn me in, press charges or something. I can't let him go." He racked the gun, his finger on the trigger as he stared Cyrus down. "I can't let either of you go." Theo stared back and forth between them, terrified and not knowing the partner before him, but Cyrus kept his cool.

"Too bad," He said, sounding downright disappointed. "Theo always spoke so highly of you." He launched forward, grabbing at the gun and snapping it sideways, so that it was no longer pointed at himself or at Theo. Startled, Spiro pulled the trigger. The shot echoed throughout the warehouse, and Cyrus ripped the gun from Spiro's hand before he could fire again. He turned the gun on him just as the doors to the warehouse burst open and Kramer and Benny marched in.

Well, Benny marched. Kramer flounced his way in as usual.

"Spiro, darling!" Kramer cried, flinging his arms out dramatically. "I had a feeling I'd get a second chance to kill you!" Benny shoved him, a quiet signal to shut the hell up.

"Thought we had a deal," Spiro echoed, his voice growing anxious as the three Hunters surrounded him. Benny untied Theo, and he jumped from the chair, running to Cyrus's side. Cyrus wrapped an arm around him protectively as Kramer forced Spiro into the chair.

"I don't make deals with people who threaten my husband," Cyrus growled. "I kill them." Spiro paled, and the others took a step back. Cyrus was rarely violent, but when he was willing to actually kill someone, things were bad. Very bad. Theo glanced between them, knowing that the other Hunters would not interfere if Cyrus chose to kill Spiro. But he knew both of these men. He knew Cyrus wasn't a killer, and he knew Spiro didn't deserve to die. He had rushed and made a mistake like that before with Marcus. He wouldn't make it again. Spiro had made mistakes, yes. He had tried to kill him, he had threatened both his life and Cyrus's, but he was Spiro. He had been Theo's partner, his friend, for years. He was a good man deep down. He was only doing what he thought he had too. He was on a search for justice, nothing more, and he thought he had found it. This stupid case had driven him mad, and finding out Theo had been lying to him had only sent him over the edge. It was no wonder he had wanted to kill Cyrus. He thought he had no other choice. Spiro didn't deserve to die for that.

Theo knew he could live with having Marcus's blood on his hands, but Spiro's? He didn't think he could bear that one. Not after everything he and his partner had been through, no matter how real or fake it was to either of them. He knew how bad that sounded, but it was true. Spiro meant something to him. He had to after all the years they had worked together, and unlike his partner, he wasn't willing to throw away years of friendship over one incident.

So when Cyrus racked the gun and aimed for Spiro's head, Benny and Kramer watching in stony silence, Theo reached out and grabbed the gun's barrel, preventing his husband from firing.

"No," He said firmly, staring at Spiro's scared expression as Cyrus paused. "Don't."