48. Fastforward
Fluff, timeskip [10-15 years], cold temperatures, dog mention, referenced memory issues, referenced protectiveness, referenced legal proceedings, referenced past character death, fictional politics
AU Masterpost / Previous
“One hot chocolate, extra cream, and one black coffee, two sugars.”
“That’s me - thanks!” Harrison perked up, snagging the drinks from the counter with a polite smile. The barista gave him a wink. “I hope it goes well. He’s quite handsome.”
Harrison flushed, thankful his dark skin helped hide the blush as he thanked her again and left the cafe.
Wolf was waiting outside, Jakki, his service dog, sitting patiently on the snowy sidewalk.
“That was faster than expected.” Wolf hummed, walking with Harrison toward the park. Harrison sipped at his drink, mittened hands a bit clumsy.
“Yeah, I think the barista rushed it - she thought I was taking you on a date or something.” His laugh wasn’t quite genuine, and he knew Wolf could tell.
“I guess it kind of is. In more of a ‘long time, no see’ date than a first date way.” Wolf paused, Jakki tense at his side as a snowball whizzed past his face. A few university students engaged in the first shots of a snowball fight hollered apologies and politely held their fire until Harrison, Wolf, and the dog had made their way past the danger zone.
“Speaking of, how’s Finland?”
“Colder than here in Geneva, if you can imagine.”
“Ugh, I’d rather not. It’s cold enough here as it is.” He didn’t miss the desert, but he wasn’t fond of the icy air this time of year.
“How’s Katie and Awesome?”
“Good - great, honestly. They’re thinking of signing up for Doctors Without Borders for a bit, once Eli’s at his new boarding school fulltime.” A sad smile twitched at Harrison’s face, both at the current prospects and the nephew named for a dear dead friend.
(Somehow, despite everything - the court case of the century, the US tried in The Hague - the truth of Elias’ death never came up. Nor did Merrick’s, for that matter. Harrison tried not to dwell on it; his hands and Wolf’s both bloodied, but no good would come from guilt now.)
“How’s Mel? I heard she was back in the States recently.”
“Yeah, doing reparation work out there with Jennings and the nations. Walker’s there too, mostly just to keep on eye out I think, but she’d say it’s a vacation.”
“Once an agent, always an agent.” Wolf huffed, breath puffing white in the clean, cold air. His face was rounder, more color in his face than Harrison ever remembered. No matter how dark and dreary Finland was, somehow Wolf always looked fresh from a trip to the Mediterranean.
“How about you? How are things going with…?”
“Good. Better.” His smile wasn't quite genuine, and he knew Harrison could tell. “Memory is back, mostly. On good days. Jakki’s been a good help for bad ones.”
The Australian blue heeler perked at her name, but still seriously scanned their surroundings. Her vest was a vibrant neon orange, insulated against the cold.
“And how’s everyone else up there?” Harrison wasn’t sure what details Wolf could spare. He was vaguely aware that Liza, and Casey to an extent, couldn’t quite leave behind their grifts and cons. RJ was a bit of a wildcard, either deeply invested in some obscure hobby or casually taking assassination jobs. He sincerely hoped it was the former. And Ghost…
“They’re fine. Case and RJ are out in the Canary Islands with Liza - retirement party for her. Or so she promises. For real this time.” Wolf shook his head with a smile, dark hair shining and snow speckled. His smile faded a bit. “And Ghost…he’s trying.”
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Harrison took a long sip from his drink, busying himself with watching the ice rink. There were dozens of skaters, some elegant and some markedly less so.
“He’s just…protective is all. Maybe a bit paranoid. And smothering.” Wolf was clearly trying to work humor into his words, so Harrison offered a snort of amusement. “I’ve been arguing with him about this trip for two months.”
“Really?” Harrison raised a brow. He knew the old mercenary was…still dealing with the guilt of what had happened to his former friend and protege. Harrison didn’t realize quite how badly he was overcompensating for lost time.
“Arguing might be too strong a word, but he certainly took some convincing.” Wolf sipped at his coffee. “But we both agreed we could use some…space.”
“If there’s anything I can help with, let me know.” The words were almost automatic. Harrison didn’t even need to say them - it was a given. The two families - one (mostly) civilian, one (not entirely) criminal - had each others’ back over the years, from legal paperwork to therapy sessions.
“I appreciate that, Harrison.” Wolf sighed, leaning into him slightly where they stood watching the skating rink. Jakki huffed at a stranger who passed a little too closely. “I was actually thinking about - if you don’t mind - living down here for a while.”
“Yes - yeah, sure. That’s fine. I mean, hey, if Katie and Awesome do go abroad for a bit I wouldn’t mind having someone else in the house.” Harrison smiled up at him, hoping his excitement and relief wasn’t too noticeable. The way Wolf smiled down at him proved it was, but he didn’t care too much.
“Ghost will want to visit. Often, unfortunately.” The warning in Wolf’s voice was joking.
“We’ve got a guest bedroom. I mean, assuming you don’t mind sharing a room with me or - ”
“I’d like that.” Wolf’s voice was soft, a gloved hand gently taking hold of Harrison’s own mittened fingers. Harrison squeezed back, not letting go even as they started walking home.
AU Masterpost / Previous
(An AU of my Freelancers series)
Taglist: @i-eat-worlds @whumpy-daydreams @stargeode
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Fugue - 13 - The Weight of Everything
Pairing: mShenko
Rating: M
Tags: Angst, Grief, Major (Canonical) Character Death
Summary: Alchera, and the two-year gap.
Chapter Summary: Kaidan meets an unexpected ally. Some ghosts you can’t outrun. There are few problems an explosion can’t solve.
Thank you to @shadesofmauve for betaing!
Chapter 13: The Weight of Everything | Read on Ao3
12 July 2184, Arcturus Stream, Arcturus, SSV Everest
The look on Farrow’s face is not one that is ever followed by good news. Hackett raises an eyebrow when she comes into his office, clears her throat, and glances at the toes of her boots before inhaling and looking him right in the eye.
Before she can open her mouth, Hackett does a mental inventory on how much scotch is left in the cabinet behind his desk, because he’s fairly certain he’s going to need it.
“Rumoi is missing,” she blurts out, ripping the band-aid off.
Son of a bitch.
His fingers curl, but when he speaks, it’s tight and controlled. Professional, even. “When, where, and how did he go missing, and do we have any leads on where he went missing to?”
“Our tail lost him on Nos Astra about seven hours ago,” she says, in a clipped tone that suggests she is fully aware of how much self-control it’s taking not to break his hand against the battle-tested surface of his desk, and she appreciates getting to skip the trip to medical this time. “There were signs of a struggle, and he never returned to his hotel room. Evidence suggests Eclipse mercs.”
He swears between his teeth. “Do we have any leads?”
She bobs her head. “We don’t believe they kept him on Ilium. Intelligence has narrowed it down to five possible ships that smuggled him out.”
“I want info on all five of those ships and where they’re headed, and Intelligence needs to shorten the list so I’m not wasting my time. In the meantime, get me Captain Arellano of the Ain Jalut and Admiral Anderson, in that order.”
“Yes, sir,” she says with a curt nod. After working together this long, Farrow doesn’t need to be told she’s been dismissed.
Hackett gazes out in stony silence after she leaves, tallying up all the ways that Abraham Rumoi in enemy hands could fuck them. After a moment, he gets up and finds the scotch.
Son of a bitch.
Read from the beginning | Read the rest on Ao3 | The Fugue Playlist
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