Chapter Text
1409 hours, 09/12/2020
Sitting on the sofa in office 1504 on the 15th floor of the Royal & General Bank, Agent Benjamin Daniels had decided that life was good. He had caught up on paperwork from a simple, non-life-threatening mission, was drinking a cup of steaming vanilla latte that he had grabbed during his lunch break from Liverpool Street Station and feeling pretty good about life. He’d managed to avoid the slightly more clingy of his co-workers and was ahead of everything Christmassy that he had to do as well. Not to mention that his senior-ranking partner was in a meeting about something and he got the peace and quiet of his office for once. Yes, life was go -
“She cannot do this to me!”
Scratch that, life was looking a lot less rosy. Senior Agent Alexander Johnathon Rider had just returned from his meeting and with none of his usual tact, slammed open his office door to announce his arrival. What had gotten him so riled up that he had lost the control he valued so much, mused Ben. Alex was pacing the floor of his office, swearing in Russian and looking every bit his teenaged 17-year-old self. Knowing that interrupting such a rant would end badly, Ben waited until the senior agent had lost steam and flopped down in the corporate chair behind his desk, swinging his legs over the arm on one side and resting his back on the other.
“So, are you allowed to tell me what happened?” Ben tried, not really expected an answer.
Alex just sighed. “I might as well, before it hits the gossip mill downstairs,” He uprighted himself, then frowned and went back to his original position.
Ben contemplated that his senior agent might be liquid.
“So, the briefing was rather routine at the beginning. Until Mrs Jones announced that she’s at a conference for a few days in Berlin. 7 days to be exact. But, she says that she wants to stay off work for a few days - 5 more days. 12 days in total out of the country.”
Ben frowned. “Who’s going to handle the division for 12 days? And in the run-up to Christmas as well.”
“That is exactly what I asked. And do you know what they said? They said, ‘Why, Agent Rider, how funny that you ask that, considering that you are the highest-ranking agent after the Head of Special Operations’. So, for the 12 bloody days, I am supposed to be handling the entire division. Ben, I didn’t even know that my clearance was high enough for taking over as the Chief Executive!”
Okay, so that was a total lie. Alex knew exactly how high his clearance was even if he didn’t like flaunting it and the - wait, what? Alex was running point for 12 days? Ben felt his jaw drop as he finally registered the conversation.
“Can’t, um, anyone else do it?” he asked rather weakly.
Alex either didn’t notice the high pitch Ben’s voice had hit or more likely couldn’t find it in himself to care. “I wish. Nobody else wants to, saying that they have very important plans. I have plans, as well, Ben! Ugh, how do you think everyone would react if I ran away to Scandinavia?”
The ridiculousness of the whole situation finally hit Ben like a truck and he started laughing. Of all the monumentally bad ideas he had heard of (and there had been too many to count), saying that a seventeen year old should hold the division together like they were asking of Alex was the worst.
“Shut the bloody hell up, it isn’t funny.” Alex shot his junior partner a Look.
Ben just laughed harder, slumping on the sofa and almost crying due to the exertion.
Ping! Alex’s phone lit up with a text notification and he looked down at the glowing screen. “Oh, it looks like James and Paul are in London and want to meet for coffee. You’re not helping anything, bloody useless you are Ben. Stop laughing and come on, you’re still on my protection detail.”