Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Do you think he’ll give himself up?”

Karadec turned his head, looking at Oz over his shoulder. He had his weapon drawn, gun lowered in front of him and gripped firmly. Behind Oz stood Daphne with her own respective weapon in hand.  

“If he went through all this trouble to keep himself from getting caught, I doubt he’d give up now,” Karadec responded, adjusting his kevlar vest.

Major Crimes had been following a serial killer for a while now, but somehow they’d always been a few steps behind, even with Morgan’s help. But thanks to Morgan, and many sleepless, coffee-fueled nights at the precinct, they were finally able to track the guy down to an old, abandoned warehouse far from the depths of the city. 

It would’ve been a fully organized operation if a life wasn’t at risk. Aside from the fact that they had three bodies already in the morgue, a fourth person was reported missing who matched the killer’s type. It was a race against time before the woman was added to their list of the dead. The lack of backup put an uneasy feeling in Karadec’s stomach, but he tried to put that feeling aside and focus on the mission at hand.

The three of them made it to the warehouse first, taking Karadec’s car and not stopping until they got there. Soto had called and said backup was on the way, but it’s been quiet for a while now and the familiar noise of sirens hadn’t pierced the silence. The sun had long set, and the air around them was unsettling still. Karadec, Oz, and Daphne stood at the back of the warehouse, waiting to enter. But the longer they waited the more likely it was that the woman would be killed and the murderer would get away, and Karadec just couldn’t risk it.

“We’re going to go in,” he whispered, taking his gun out of his holster. Daphne and Oz exchanged quick, nervous glances. He couldn’t blame them, he wasn’t entirely sure of it himself. But they had to make a decision, and in a time sensitive situation such as this, it was the best decision they could make. 

“Aren’t we waiting for backup?” Daphne asked. Karadec shook his head.

“There’s no time. I don’t like it anymore than you do, but we have to. There’s a life at stake.”

“Are you sure?”

Karadec turned to look at Oz. Even in the dark, he could see the hesitance and fear in his eyes. He couldn’t blame him, if Karadec had to be honest he was scared himself. It was a big risk, a stupid one at that even. Even Daphne looked worried, gripping her weapon tight. They were all well trained officers, but without knowing what they’re walking into, that didn’t matter one bit. There was a theory that the killer had multiple accomplices, but no solid evidence was ever found to confirm that. If there actually were, now would be the time to find out.

“I’m sure. We’ll go in and go out,” he reassured him. “If the guy, or anyone, tries to run, backup will be here by the time they do.”

Oz took a deep breath and nodded. Karadec looked over at Daphne, who also gave him a nod. He looked down at the rusty door handle, and wrapped his hand around it. 

“Alright. We’ll go in together, but once we get inside we’ll need to split up and check different areas. We go fast, we go quiet. Don’t engage with anybody if you don’t have to. Our goal is to find our missing woman. Got it?” Karadec explained, looking both his detectives in the eyes, lingering on Oz for just a moment longer. They both nod again. 

With a deep breath, Karadec slowly opened the door. 

The warehouse was full of tall shelves, filled to the brim with metal scraps and other miscellaneous junk. Where there weren’t shelves, large boxes and containers lined the walls, crafting some sort of messed up maze. Dust caked every surface. From a large hole in the ceiling, moonlight spilled down to light up parts of the large room. Even then, it was still too dark to properly see. 

Taking out their flashlights, the three slowly walked in, pausing at the first intersection of shelves.

“I’ll take this one,” Daphne whispered. She disappeared behind walls of boxes and her footsteps slowly faded away. The other two continued on, walking side by side as carefully and quietly as possible. The silence was unnerving, and sweat began to bead up on the back of Karadec’s neck. Everything towered above them and was packed so tightly that it was impossible to see through anything. It really was a maze, and their killer was waiting for them at the end of it.

It was only a moment before they found another intersection, this time breaking off into two different directions.

“I guess this is where we split up,” Karadec said.

“See you on the other side,” Oz replied, flashing a grin before going down one of the aisles. 

Karadec walked forward, holding his gun and flashlight in front of him, carefully looking at everything in his surroundings. It reminded him of one of those corn mazes, how the only sound you ever hear is your own footsteps, the wind whistling around you and whispering things in your ears. Karadec turned left and right so many times he began to wonder if he was actually lost. Suddenly, up ahead, at the far end of the aisle, what looked like a large, open area came into view. He slowed his pace, listening out for any indication of activity. Again, nothing. 

But that silence didn’t stay for very long, as the sound of two pairs of shoes tapping against the smooth flooring echoed throughout the entire building. 

“Police! Drop your weapon! Hey, I said drop it!” 

Oz’s voice rang out, and the mention of a weapon was the first thing that made Karadec’s stomach drop. The second thing was much, much worse, and sent a cold, violent chill through his body.

A gunshot. Then a second one. And then a third. 

Something clattered against the floor, and the sound of a body hit the ground with an agonizing thud. 

Karadec was running before he had time to think, and he found himself in the center of the room, completely out in the open. At the far end of the room, the silhouette of a man in black stood with a gun half raised, smoke rising from the end of the barrel. At the sight of Karadec, he bolted towards a side door. 

“Hey! Stop!” Karadec yelled, holding up his weapon and firing twice. Both bullets ricocheted off the walls, missing the target. He was out the door before Karadec could fire another shot. From one of the aisles, Daphne came running in, gun raised and pointed at Karadec before she realized he wasn’t the guy they were looking for.

“Out the door,” Karadec said, and she nodded. She ran towards that direction, and when she exited the building, he could hear sirens in the distance. Their backup had finally arrived. 

Of course, something was dreadfully wrong. Karadec hadn’t looked away from the door, aside from a quick glance at Daphne when she came out. The killer had run away in seemingly perfect health, with no indication of being shot even once. But a gun had gone off, of that Karadec was certain, and something had fallen to the ground. Or… somebody. Oz.

He saw it on the floor before he found him. Smudges and smears of dark, red blood across the floor, gleaming underneath the moonlight. Off to the side, discarded, a gun. Next to it, a flashlight, part of it broken from the fall. Karadec, with shaking hands, put his gun back into his holster and with slow, fragile steps, made his way closer. With each step, more blood covered the floor, and his shoes left prints on the ground. There was just so. Much. Blood. 

He wasn’t moving. Blood was still flowing, but Oz wasn’t moving. Karadec dropped to his knees and grabbed Oz by the shoulders, moving his hands up to his neck to feel for a pulse. An awful, gargled breath confirmed that Oz was alive before Karadec could find his artery. Blood poured out of his mouth, covering all of Karadec’s hands. 

“Dammit, Oz?” he asked, holding his face up. His eyes fluttered open, and Karadec could see it. That fear from before. But this time, it was burning a hole into his chest. The man in his arms was terrified. “Oz!”

“Adam?” he choked out, trying to sit up but failing horribly. Karadec pulled Oz up, wrapping one arm around him and his other hand wandering, trying to find the source of the blood. He moved how he was sitting so that Oz could lay somewhat comfortably in his lap. His entire shirt was drenched, utterly soaked, in his own blood. Any pressure Karadec tried to put on where he thought a gunshot wound was just made it worse, pushing out what felt like gallons of more blood out onto the floor. He was losing so much in such a short amount of time, and they were drowning in it. 

He needed to grab his phone, call an ambulance, call Daphne, Soto, anybody. But his hands were currently occupied in saving a life at the moment. 

“Hey!” Karadec called out. “HEY! We have an officer down! We need medical assistance!

His words echoed throughout the warehouse, but nobody responded. They were too far away from anyone for them to hear. Dammit. Dammit. DAMMIT!

“Adam?”

Karadec looked back down at the man in his arms. He had one hand up gripping Karadec’s forearm, tightly holding his shirt like he was scared to let go. His face was terribly pale, sweat beading up and dripping down his forehead. His eyes darted all around, but always returned to looking up at Karadec with that same terrified expression.

“Yeah, yeah I’m right here.”

“I don’t want to die.”

“You’re not going to die.”

“I dunno,” Oz replied with a pained laugh. “Kinda feels like it.”

“Backup’s here. They’re going to figure out we’re not out there and they’ll come looking for us, okay? They’ll find us and everything is going to be okay.” It felt like Karadec was watching himself talk, like nothing was even real. His stomach churned and his body shook, but not even as badly as Oz was. The blood flow had slowed down, but he had lost so much that Karadec was worried that if they didn’t get help now… he had to keep himself from going there. He couldn’t go there, not now. Not when Oz needed him. Shit, there was so much blood. It was all over them, like a second skin. 

Oz nodded at him like he was listening, but his eyelids were fluttering shut again.

“Lev?”

“Mhm, yeah, hi. I’m here.”

“Stay with me, okay?” The pleading leaked into his voice, and Karadec held him tighter. He was cold, or maybe it was just cold in the warehouse. The trembling hadn’t stopped, and Oz was still sweating buckets. 

He shouldn’t have made them split up. It was stupid idea. Every decision he made was so, so stupid . If he had just waited for backup to arrive, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened. It was all his fault. And now he had to carry the burden of consequence, blood and all. 

“It’s going to be okay, Lev,” he repeated, cupping his face in his hand, trying to keep him awake for just a little bit longer. “It’s going to be okay.”

Chapter Text

He doesn’t remember the ride to the hospital, at least not completely. Bits and pieces float around in his brain; the sound of footsteps surrounding him. Somebody pulling him away from Oz, or somebody pulling Oz away from him. His hands gripping the side of a stretcher, not looking away from the injured man in front of him. Karadec doesn’t remember getting up from the floor of the warehouse, or how or why they let him into the ambulance. He sort of remembers the sirens; they were so loud. What he does remember is how bumpy the ride was, how his feet slid across the floor of the ambulance and he had to hold on to anything to keep from falling over. He still wonders why his feet were sliding so easily, but as he peers down at the dirty soles of his shoes, Karadec realizes it was probably blood. 

He sat alone in the hallway of the E.R. The staff had placed him there when they arrived and he hasn’t moved since. He honestly doesn’t know if he can . It’s cold in the hallway, the brisk AC blowing gently down on him and making it just freezing enough that he doesn’t shiver, but the tips of his fingers feel cool to the touch; just uncomfortable enough to keep him on edge. 

Karadec is aware that he’s alive. He’s breathing, his heart is beating. But the numbness surrounding him makes him think that he might as well be dead. That it could’ve been him. Should’ve been him. His eyes are fixated on the wall in front of him, the pale wallpaper suddenly the most enticing thing in the world. 

Fast-paced footsteps come down the hall, snapping him just enough out of his trance so that he turns his head to see who it is. Daphne, followed closely by Soto and Morgan, made their way to him as fast as they could.

“Adam, are you alright?” Soto asks, taking her place in front of him, peering down with worried eyes. 

“I think so,” he replies, his voice coming out raspy; his throat is dry and in the back of his mind he tells himself to go get a cup of water when he can.

Daphne takes a seat in the chair next to him, looking him up and down, a concerned expression on her face, her gaze lingering on his shirt. Morgan, following Daphne’s eyes, grabs his arm.

“Oh my god are you bleeding?” Without waiting for an answer, she began to paw at him, trying to find a wound that didn’t exist. 

“Morgan- Morgan!” Karadec gently pushes her hands back. She ceased her movements, but the worry in her eyes remained persistent. “I’m fine. It’s…” He trails off, looking over at Daphne, who places her hand on his shoulder and gives it a soft squeeze. “It’s not mine.”

The clarification took Morgan’s worry away from him, but he saw the shift in her distress and watched as she came to the conclusion that what happened was much worse than she thought. Without a word, Morgan took the seat on the other side of Karadec, leaning her head on his shoulder. Usually he would’ve made her move, but right now, he needed all the comfort he could get. Soto had taken her attention away from her detectives and was now pacing in the hallway. 

“Do you know anything about where Oz went?” she asks, pausing to face Karadec again. 

“I don’t know, the paramedics just sat me down here and left. He could be in the O.R. or halfway across the hospital for all I know.” 

With a sigh, Soto joined them and took a seat next to Morgan, sinking into her chair. Karadec leaned his head back, closing his eyes. It was late, and the exhaustion was finally catching up to him, hitting him like a truck. He felt Morgan’s head lift up off his shoulder. 

“We should get you a change of clothes…” she murmurs, squeezing his arm. Eyes still closed, he nods and he hears her shoes tap against the floor, then accompanied by another pair. He opens one eye to see both Morgan and Soto walking off, talking to each other in hushed tones. They turn a corner at the end of the hallway and their footsteps fade away. 

Daphne shifts in her seat next to him, and Karadec turns to face her. She sits with her hands in her lap, gaze fixated on the sickeningly clean floors.

“Are you okay?” he whispers. She lifts her head and looks at him, eyes shining with tears. 

“Not really, no,” Daphne replies. “I mean, that’s my best friend and I didn’t even see him there, injured, in that stupid warehouse.” Her voice begins to falter, and she stops talking. It doesn’t stop her lip from quivering and tears to slowly start falling onto her cheeks. Without a word, Karadec wraps his arm around her and pulls her into a sort of hug. It’s the best he could do.

“And you…” She says after a bit of silence, looking up at him from where her head rests on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Maybe it was the way she asked it, or the fact that they were in a hospital, or that he really was that tired, but instead of answering he felt hot, unwanted tears begin to spill out of his eyes. He covered his face with his hands but it didn’t even matter anymore. Daphne pulled him tighter into a hug and they sat in silence, crying for what seemed like forever. With a few sniffles and a lot of deep breaths, the two leaned back in their chairs, faces wet and eyes dry. Karadec looked down at his lap and caught a glimpse of his badge, still attached to his belt. Instead of glistening golden in the hospital lights, it was covered in a dried layer of blood, dark and completely soulless. 

The sun was rising slowly above the city, orange light spilling through the window of Oz’s hospital room. Karadec and the others had stayed long into the night, and found out at around two in the morning that Oz was in fact alright and on his way to the recovery ward. It would be a while before he could have any visitors, but Karadec decided to stay. The fact that Oz was alive and alright was enough for everyone else, and with maybe a little too many hugs for Karadec’s liking, the three women all left together. Daphne instructed him very sternly that he should call or text her the second Oz woke up. He had laughed and assured her he would. 

Morgan and Soto had found him a change of clothes and bag to put his dirty ones in. It wasn’t the most flattering outfit, consisting of a pair of baggy scrub pants and a grey t-shirt with the hospital’s name on the front in green, but it was enough. At some point he had gone to the bathroom, scrubbing all kinds of germs off his hands and picking out dried flecks of blood out from underneath his fingernails until his skin felt raw. 

A nurse had found Karadec about half an hour ago, sitting in the same spot that he was in when they first arrived at the hospital, to tell him that Oz could have visitors now, even if he was fast asleep. It took everything in him to not sprint down the hall. 

Now he sits in an uncomfortable chair next to Oz’s hospital bed watching him sleep, chest rising and falling with each exhausted breath. Karadec himself was feeling the full effects of his own exhaustion, his eyes fluttering shut every once in a while. He hadn’t slept the whole night. His elbow was propped up on the arm of the chair, his hand holding his head up as best it could. He could’ve gotten himself a coffee from the cafeteria, which was not too far from the ward, but just the idea of leaving Oz alone again put a sick, twisted feeling into his stomach that Karadec decided to just wait until he woke up.

In a way he looked kind of peaceful. The blinds in the room were open just enough to have the morning light brighten up the room, casting soft rays of sun onto Oz’s face. The sight of it might’ve made Karadec smile if the fluid bags and tubes in Oz’s arms didn’t remind him why they were there in the first place. 

Karadec, against his better judgement, must have fallen asleep in the next few minutes because the sound of movement made him sit up quickly, eyes snapping open and darting across the room. 

“Woah, hey, didn’t mean to wake you up.” 

Karadec turned to look at Oz, who was awake but still laying in his bed, head turned to the side and resting on his pillow. Karadec brought his hands up to his face and rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the lingering sleepiness. 

“I like your outfit,” Oz said, laughing softly. 

“You can blame Morgan and Selena for this,” he replied, looking down at his clothes. It looked even uglier in the natural light. “Although, my old ones weren’t that much better.”

“Hm, I bet.” Even though he was awake, Oz still sounded tired, and he closed his eyes a little. Speaking of being awake, Karadec took his phone out and opened his contacts to Daphne’s number.

“What are you doing?” Oz asked, opening one eye to look at him.

“Calling Daph. She said she’d kill me if I didn’t call her the second you woke up.” The phone rang for only a few seconds before she answered. Karadec put it on speaker phone. 

“Is he awake?” she asked immediately, her voice coming from the phone at an incredibly loud volume. 

“I am, now get down here before I go back to sleep,” Oz answered, trying to lean over to talk into Karadec’s phone.

“Oz! Oh my god, I’m on my way right now.” Keys jingled from her end, and a door opened and closed. “I’ll be there in a minute. Adam, I swear if he’s asleep by the time I get there-”

“Don’t worry,” he replied, laughing. “I’ll keep him awake.” 

“Good, okay, bye!” Daphne hung up, and Karadec put his phone back into his pocket. Oz was laughing and smiling, much more awake than he was before. But his laughter was cut short as he clutched his stomach in pain. He closed his eyes tight and hissed through clenched teeth, folding over on himself. In a flash, Karadec was up and standing close against the bed, knees pressed against the edge of the mattress. One hand rested on Oz’s arm, while the other went to grip his shoulder. The pain seemed to subside as soon as it came, and Oz leaned his head back against his pillow, looking up at the man next to him.

“I’m okay,” he whispered, but his eyes shone from held back tears, and Karadec could feel that his body was still tense. He said nothing in response, only holding Oz’s arm tighter. “Really, I’m okay.”

There were so many things that Karadec wanted to say in that moment. But all he managed to get out was, “We got the guy.”

Oz grinned, eyes lighting up in a way that made Karadec smile as well. 

“Good. But man, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little mad I wasn’t there to see him get arrested,” he replied, a look of disappointment replacing the smile on his face. 

“Don’t worry. That guy is never going to see the outside of a jail cell ever again. Not after what he did.” Karadec wanted to think that he meant for what the killer did to his three dead victims and the kidnapped woman, but the only person he could think about was Oz. 

But to Karadec’s relief and, for some reason, disappointment, Oz seemed to interpret what he said as the former. “That woman, did you find her? Is she okay?”

“We got her out just fine. She was a little shaken, but she’ll recover well enough.”

Oz nodded, the answer seeming to satisfy his question. Karadec couldn’t help but think about the gnawing feeling in his stomach. The worry, albeit less than before, that plagued him ever since they got to the hospital, as he stared at himself in the bathroom mirror covered in blood and unable to recognize his own face. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice much quieter than before, the words coming out of his mouth tentatively. 

“You asked me that already. I told you, I’m okay,” Oz said, giving Karadec’s hand a squeeze. He let out a deep sigh, squeezing Oz’s hand back maybe just a little bit tighter.

“You almost died,” he murmured, looking down at their hands clasped together. 

“But I didn’t.”

“But you could’ve .” Karadec lifted his head, looking into Oz’s eyes. “I should’ve waited for backup. I knew it was risky and I went ahead with it anyway. I almost got you killed.” He tried to move away, taking his hand away from Oz’s, but the other man held on tighter and pulled him right back. 

“You think this is your fault?” Karadec didn’t answer. “How is this your fault? You didn’t shoot me, and you sure as hell didn’t force me to go in there.” The frustration on Oz’s face seeped into his words.

“I trust you to make the best decision,” he continued, sitting up straight in his bed and looking Karadec square in the eye, their hands still held together firmly. “And I never would’ve gone in if I thought otherwise. I knew that there was a risk, there’s a risk every day with what we do. There’s always a possibility of getting injured, and there’s nothing we can do about it if it happens. Even if we had waited for backup to arrive, who knows if we would’ve caught the guy. That woman could’ve ended up dead. There was no sure outcome, and you did the best you could with what you had. And if I had the chance to change anything, I’d choose to keep trusting you. You did the right thing, Adam.”

His body moved before his mind could process what Oz had said. Gently, and with great, overwhelming conviction, Karadec leaned over the side of the bed and pulled him close. Cupping his cheek softly, he pressed his lips against Oz’s, eyes fluttering shut, blocking out all other feelings aside from the one that coursed through his body. The tension in his chest seemed to thaw in seconds, nothing else mattering in that moment other than him . Karadec felt as Oz’s hand came up to the back of his neck, pulling him even deeper into the kiss. 

Everything he had ever worried about seemed to all fade away. Oz was safe, he hadn’t failed like he thought he did. Karadec’s finger’s moved their way up to Oz’s hair, holding the back of his head gently. He felt a smile pressed against his lips, Oz grinning in response. The smile was contagious, spreading to Karadec’s own lips, and soon they were both smiling into each other, matching the brightness of the morning sun. 

“You believe me now when I tell you I’m fine?” Oz whispered, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth, still smiling. Karadec laughed, pressing their foreheads together softly. 

“Hm. Maybe.”

Oz hummed, which turned into a quiet giggle. His hands had moved up into Karadec’s hair, his fingertips running lightly against his scalp. If he could stay like this forever, Karadec thought, then he would. Ideally not in a hospital, but at the moment he could care less, his mind already floating to cloud nine. 

“Oz!”

A loud voice echoed through the room, startling the two. While Oz froze in place, muscles tensing up in shock, Karadec lept back and stumbled into his seat. The chair legs let out an awful, pained screech as they moved across the floor. So much for cloud nine. 

Standing in the doorway, panting as if she’d run a mile, was Daphne, eyes wide and fingers gripping the doorframe as if she’d fall down if she let go. Without any further hesitation, she sprinted between the two men, launching herself into a carefully calculated bear hug with her best friend. Oz let out an “oof!” as her arms wrapped around his torso. 

“Daph. Daph! That kinda hurts” he wheezed out. She immediately moved back, half sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, apologizing profusely as their conversation turned into a jumble of words and laughter. 

Karadec’s attention was still at the doorway, where he noticed Soto and Morgan lingering, both holding coffee cups. Soto smiled warmly at him, and he was wondering how long they’d been standing there until he looked over at Morgan, whose jaw was dropped cartoonishly low and eyes as wide as they were able to go. Heat crept up the back of his neck and his face flushed red from embarrassment. They saw. 

Laughing to herself, Soto strolled across the room and patted Karadec on the shoulder before joining Daphne and Oz by the bed. Karadec sighed, face still warm, and shoved his hands in his pockets. Morgan continued to stand in the doorway, her shocked gaze piercing a hole through his body. Without anywhere else to look, he gave her a tight lipped smile, hoping, praying even, that she’d drop it. Which, of course, she did not.

Morgan finally remembered that she could move, and her heels tapped against the smooth hospital floor as she all but ran over to him, eyes still wide. She stopped mere inches from him, her gaze terrifyingly unrelenting. 

“Um. Hi,” he said, feeling the full effects of embarrassment, and admittedly, a little bit of fear. 

“Hi Adam . So when was I going to find out that you two were a thing, huh?” She took a sip of her coffee, still not dropping her gaze.

“It’s not a thing .”

“Oh, really?” Morgan snorted, placing her free hand on her hip and raising an eyebrow. “Because that looked like a thing. Like, more than a thing. A thing-thing.”

“Can you please stop saying the word ‘thing’?”

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Okay, whatever.” She poked him in the arm. “I’m mad at you by the way.”

“For what??”

“For not telling me! We’re partner’s Karadec, we share things. That is something you know how to do, right? Share?”

This time it was his turn to roll his eyes. “Morgan, my personal life is none of your business.”

“Yes it is!” she retorted. “I help you solve cases, and in return I get to be unreasonably nosy! That’s the deal, mister. That, and free childcare.” 

“Hey,” Soto called from the other side of the room, laughing a little. The two turned to face her. “Do you two think that you can stop arguing like toddlers? You have plenty of time to do that at the precinct.”

Morgan lifted a finger and pointed it accusatorily at Karadec. “He started it.”

Before he could even react, Morgan’s attention was already pulled elsewhere as she made her way over to the side of the hospital bed by the window to stand next to Soto, who was still laughing at their petty argument. Daphne was nestled on the other side of the hospital bed close to the door, leaning against Oz’s blanket-covered legs. Oz himself was sitting up straight for the first time since he woke up, laughing and smiling as Morgan skipped across the room. The whole room was bright and happy, and for the first time since he arrived at the hospital, Karadec felt alright. 

Smiling to himself, he walked over to the bed to complete the impromptu group huddle, taking his respective place closest to Oz. He peered up at him with those same sparkling eyes, and before Karadec could do anything about it, snuck a quick kiss to the side of his cheek. His face lit up red, but didn’t stay like that for long as the room erupted into soft giggles and affectionate laughter. 

Morgan snickered into Soto’s shoulder, Soto herself smiling; Daphne laughing with her head turned so he wouldn’t see, but he definitely heard. She eventually turned to look at him, the look in her eyes conveying all that Karadec needed to know. And Oz, of course Oz, smiling the biggest and brightest of them all. Yeah, everything was alright.