I'll find him (Pursuit AU)

Chapter 1: I'll find him

(a/n: READ YBM + BAD END FIRST OR THIS WILL MAKE NO SENSE :D

haha yeah. I'm back...with a new fic...........
look, blame my friend for enabling me (and also helping me come up with some really cool ideas hehe)!!!! we were bouncing ideas off of each other and now...here THIS is. i cant believe this started because of the "john wick kel" joke...

although the title of the fic is "I'll find him", I'm calling this au the Pursuit AU (an au of an au...lmao). it's partially because all the characters look different (or will look different) and also for easy labeling for art!

here are some notes about this fic that I just wanna say:
- please don't expect really good accuracy on the complicated stuff (laws, police, what happens to missing people when found, etc etc) because I just wanna do this for fun and cant be bothered to research super diligently
- I have no clue when this fic is set, but its definitely in the early 2000s. YBM never explicitly stated what time they were in, but they did use phones that had the group chat functionality–that was really it in terms of technology. I'm just going to pretend it was set in the early 2000s/late 1990s like the game. so, this fic is set in the early 2000s too.
- I'm not trying to accurately portray anything with this (just like YBM). I'm just writing characters and a story that isn't supposed to be super realistic. its for fun!
- i hate the name henry so everyones still going to use Hero...even if they wouldnt in reality. i just cant stand calling him anything other than hero LMAO
anyways, enjoy! maybe)

Five years.

Five. Years.

Kel stared down at the missing poster.

After two years of preparing, then three long years of constant searching...

He finally did it.

Each red string guiding connections–each tacked on paper and file–each loose sheet stuck haphazardly into a random binder–

He'd finally gotten everything. He finally pinpointed the exact location of where Sunny was.

Of where Hero trapped him.

Kel ran a hand through his hair, loosening his bun in the process. He let out a deep sigh, staring up at the ceiling.

Finally...

Finally, Kel would save him.

The past years were worth it.

Tirelessly searching, constantly connecting loose puzzle pieces that had no correlation...

Kel took a deep breath.

This was it. He can't screw this up. Tomorrow...he would do it. He already knew that bastard's whole schedule–on the weekdays he'd leave for work in the morning and would be back by sunset. It left him plenty of time to break in and save Sunny.

Sunny...

Kel lifted an arm over his eyes, grimacing.

He hoped desperately that Sunny was okay.

He hoped he wasn't too late.

Kel wished he had started searching sooner, but it was impossible at the time. He was a minor when Sunny was taken. So, he waited until he graduated and had all of the identification he needed–plus a good amount of cash from doing jobs over the years–before leaving town.

Aubrey hadn't wanted him to go–actually, she pretty clearly said he was doing something pointless–but Basil supported his decision. Not really surprising. Basil was the only other person who believed the two were alive.