Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Summary: Ben chuckles, like Jai’s gun isn’t trained on him unwaveringly.
Notes: Another from the
Slash and Trash “The wise thing,” Jai says with a calm he doesn’t feel, “would be to shoot you right where you stand.”
Ben chuckles, like Jai’s gun isn’t trained on him unwaveringly. “Cliché, but true. Taking me in wouldn’t work, and we’ve definitely said everything there was to say.”
“Why are you here?” Jai asks. ‘Here’ is a rundown city in Bolivia, outside a doll factory where someone named Pepito is having a very loud birthday party and where Jai is supposed to meet a contact who can tell him if those rumors about a special ops team murdering children is true. Ben Mercer is not supposed to be here. Then again, Ben Mercer also has a bad habit of not being where he is supposed to be or doing what he is supposed to do. It was Jai’s job to keep him on track, and the one job he ever failed at.
“Tracking a lead. You don’t think I’m here for fun, do you?” Ben cracks a smile. He keeps his hands loose at his sides, stands absolutely relaxed save for the one, almost imperceptible line of tension in his back and the one, quick, nervous twitch to his smile.
There is nothing amused in the smile Jai gives him. “You always did have strange tastes in vacation destinations.”
“This one’s not a beach,” Ben points out and his eyes darken as they both remember Sri Lanka instead of their many arguments about beaches’ lack of cover (Jai) and the many varied games (Ben).
Jai has to meet his contact in half an hour. He has to see for himself about this rogue team before the week is over. He has to do something about Ben. He lowers his gun. “I don’t want to do the wise thing,” he says quietly and doesn’t know why he means it.
Ben nods once, slowly, and the tension eases from him. “Good luck, Jai.”
Jai turns away. “Don’t let me run into you again.”
When he turns back, Ben is gone.