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Chapter Text

“The first to see a rainbow wins and…go!”

Everyone scrambled to grab their controllers or run to the shelf full of games. Michael smirked and shook his head slightly deciding to take his time loading the game. He peeked at Gavin and saw the man deep in thought while the others begged their games to load faster. Ryan looked frustrated as his game updated and Jack looked pleased that his was finally loading. Too bad for them this victory was already in the bag.

“Um, Geoff, does this count?” Michael asked innocently as the nyan cat start page showed on his screen. Geoff laughed and nodded.

“I was wondering if you or Ray would think of that. Michael wins!”

Michael pumped his fist in victory and chose his sticker, placing it in its rightful place.

“It’s not fair that Geoff’s on here but not all of us,” he commented.

“Well, I’m the host and you’re a bitch. That’s just how it works. Let’s stop.”

Ryan and Ray began talking about who they thought had more victories as Michael made his way back to his desk.

“Good job, Micoo. I would have never thought about nyan cat,” Gavin said.

His best friend grinned and fist bumped him.

“Thanks.”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you genuinely smile today, boi. What’s going on?” he asked quietly.

Michael paused and looked around the room, hoping that no one else heard the question.

“Uh, nothing. Just have a lot on my mind.”

Gavin pursed his lips but didn’t push the matter further. Instead, everyone got on Minecraft to start next week’s let’s play. While waiting for it to load Michael let his mind wander back to what had been bothering him all day.

It happened once a year and it was inevitable. No one at the office except Lindsay knew what got Michael in such an irritable mood. Just as he was starting to get upset, Geoff’s voice cut through the fog.

“Michael! Watch out for the creeper behind you.”

Michael grinned and got into the infamous rage quit persona that helped him get in a better mood. Maybe he would record a rage quit after this to help get some anger out. After an hour of recording, Geoff put his controller down and stretched his back.

“I think that’s enough for the day, guys. We have a few hours tomorrow to finish this but it’s already five and I’m ready to go home.”

Everyone else murmured in agreement. Michael got up to go to the bathroom where his mind started to wander again. Today marked twenty-three years since the accident. He washed his hands and stared at his reflection in the mirror, touching the freckles on his face. He couldn’t remember which parent he actually got them from but he loved that he had something to remember them by. After looking at his reflection a few moments longer, he walked out of the bathroom just to run into someone.

“Shit! Sorry, I didn’t see you there,” he apologized quickly.

The taller man laughed and ruffled his friend’s hair.

“You better watch where you’re going. I’m clumsy enough without your help,” Gavin stated and Michael slapped his hand away.

“You got that right. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go home.”

As Michael turned to walk by he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.

“You know that you can tell me anything, right? I know something’s been bothering you all day.”

Michael grinned minutely and shrugged his friend’s hand away.

“I know, thank you. It’s no big deal, nothing I can’t handle myself,” he replied.

Gavin nodded and smiled back.

“Alright. Be safe going home, boi!”

“You too, Gav.”

They parted ways and Michael made the ten minute drive home. He walked in the lobby of his apartment complex and was almost knocked to the floor by one of his neighbor’s very large dogs.

“No, Scooter! Down! Bad dog!” a blonde woman shouted while attempting to pull on the leash.

Michael gently pushed the dog down and patted his head, causing the dog to roll onto its back and beg for a belly rub.

“Oh my God, I am so sorry about that,” she said in a rush.

Michael shook his head as he bent down to rub the dog’s belly.

“It’s all good. I really like dogs, actually. But isn’t he a bit big for an apartment?”

She opened and closed her mouth, surprised that he wasn’t upset.

“Uh, yeah. I’m just dog sitting for one of my friends while she’s out of town. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before, though. I’m Barbara from 12 B.”

He shook her hand and reached in his pocket for his keys.

“It’s nice to meet you Barbara from 12 B. I’m Michael from 13 A. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get my mail and get some dinner. Good luck with this massive beast.”

She grinned and tucked a lock of hair behind her hair.

“Thanks. Good luck with dinner.”

He watched her as she walked out the door. As nice as it was to meet a few neighbors, he was done with interacting with people for the day. Plus, he had noticed something in his pocket that wasn’t in there this morning. Instead of making a big deal about it he grabbed his mail and took the stairs to his floor. After unlocking the door and throwing his bag on the couch he pulled the note out of his pocket and recognized the hand writing almost immediately.

Michael,

There’s something that the guys need to talk to you about. It’s something we could really use your help with. If you’re interested, get to work a half hour early tomorrow and meet us in the conference room. Hope to see you there.

Gavin

Michael couldn’t think of anything that they’d need his help with, but they sure had caught his interest. He grabbed a few beers and turned the TV on, ready to be done with the day.

Chapter Text

They say that children don’t have a memory before the age of three. That doesn’t stop the sirens from blaring loudly and the red and blue lights remain as blinding as ever. It’s slightly different each time, though. Sometimes he’s the one holding the gun, sometimes he’s an innocent bystander, and sometimes he’s facing the weapon. This time he’s a bystander, watching it happen all over again.

He’s always too afraid to move any further than his current location. This time he’s standing in the living room. It’s dark, three minutes before midnight. By now he had the timing down almost perfect. Sometimes when he’s the bystander he’s back in his three-year-old body but this time it’s his current body. Soon enough the clock would chime and his father would walk out of the bedroom to go the bathroom. He had a bad habit of drinking a glass of water right before bed.

Just like every other time, he hears the pitter-patter of footsteps and sees the bathroom light turn on. In thirty seconds there would be a knock at the door. The person on the other side had been watching for quite some time now and knew the family’s habits. He knew that their young son’s room was on the other side of the house and he rarely woke up in the middle of the night.

The child’s father would go to the bathroom and if he wasn’t back within a few minutes, his wife would go looking for him. She worries ever since he had that heart attack a few years ago. The thirty seconds ran by too quickly for Michael’s liking and the knocking began.

He always keeps his door locked now and doesn’t open it without knowing who is on the other side. The sound of running water from the sink can be heard and the bathroom light is turned off just for the light in the foyer to come alive. The visitor knocks impatiently and Mr. Jones hurries his movement slightly. He wasn’t as worried as he should have been.

Michael’s mother also heard the knocking on the door and was walking out of the bedroom, pulling the belt around her robe tighter. The rest always happens in slow motion. His father opens the door to find a gun pointed between his eyes. He doesn’t get the chance to blink. Before Mrs. Jones even has the chance to scream, or react in any way, she too slumps to the floor after another shot rings out.

Dream Michael turns his head to look down the hall and sees the younger version of himself walking out of his bedroom with his favorite teddy bear. He still keeps that stuffed bear in his closet. The man looks at the small child and tosses him a cell phone. Emergency operators had already been contacted, but it was too late.

Young Michael dropped the bear and ran over to his mother and shook her, trying to get her to wake up and asking why she fell asleep in the foyer. The police arrive in a few minutes and take the crying child from the scene. Instead of staying like he usually does, older Michael decides to follow the killer. He’d never gotten a good look at the man’s face and it made him curious as to who had murdered his parents. The speculation as to the motive was the only thing he ever got from the police. The man ran through the woods behind the house and met a car that was waiting on the other side. There were two other people waiting.

Unable to join them himself, Michael watches as they pull away but can’t stop thinking about the glimpse of the man he just saw. It was too dark for details, but he had a handlebar mustache.

Gasping, Michael sat straight up in bed and looked over at the clock. Four in the morning was too late for him to try and get back to sleep so he decided to take a shower. Once he got the water as hot as he could handle, he thought about the dream. It was rare he didn’t have that dream but every now and again he finds something new that could be relevant. He had long ago given up hope in finding who killed his parents, but he hoped the handlebar mustache lead him on the right track. He was always worried, though, the details in his dreams are just that. Something from his dreams to give him something to think about.

When the anniversary of the death of his parents comes around the dreams become more vivid. Tonight he was worried that they’d escalate to when he was adopted just a few short months after his parents were shot. A couple of nobodies adopted him just to get money from the state. He couldn’t be bothered to even say their names.

The father, if one could even call him that, was a chronic alcoholic and couldn’t keep a job. So, he and his wife came up with the great idea that they could just adopt a kid and collect money. It was a plan that worked for quite a while, too.

His wife was no better than him. Sure, she didn’t drink, but she would do whatever it took to keep her husband happy. Michael figures that way she wouldn’t get the beatings he liked to give after his fourth beer. Michael collected his fair share of injuries from the worthless alcoholic and mindlessly ran his thumb over one of the scars on his forearm. He couldn’t remember what he had done to earn it.

His life didn’t even start to turn around until he was a freshman in high school. By then he was a teenager with a bad attitude, trust issues, and a real issue with authority. His adoptive father had said that he couldn’t get kicked out of another school, so he better do right or else he’d be sorry. It was all empty threats by then since he was easily bigger than the man before he even hit his growth spurt. It helped that he always made the wrestling team, too.

It was during practice that anything interesting happened. A sophomore that felt threatened by this new freshman that was good at wrestling decided to take matters into his own hands. He and a few others tried to jump Michael when he was about to head to the locker rooms to change and go home. They got a couple punches in, but Michael got more. The older boys ran with their tails between their legs and a teacher that Michael had never seen before walked up to the now-alone teenager.

“That was pretty impressive, kid. You took on three kids that are older than you and got just a couple bruises. What’s your name?”

Michael glared at the man and his outstretched hand.

“Don’t want to talk to me? That’s cool. But if you change your mind or decide you want to really learn how to fight, call me.”

The stranger handed him a business card.

“Maybe I’ll see you in one of my classes next year, Michael. It was nice meeting you.”

It only took a week for the teenager to make the call. He had still been bullied by some of the other wrestler’s friends and was sick of it. So, he and the stranger made an appointment to meet up and that’s how he met Geoff Ramsey.

Chapter Text

“Alright cock suckers, shut up and sit down,” Geoff’s authoritative voice rang out.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and did as were told. Michael was slightly surprised with how quickly everyone listened to their boss. Although, this was a different setting.

He got in to work an hour early like the note said and waited in the conference room for a few minutes before everyone else walked in. Gavin had a bright smile while Jack looked somber and everyone else landed somewhere in between.

“So, it looks like you got Gavin’s note. You need to understand the seriousness of what’s happening. Once you hear what we have to say, you won’t be able to back out, Michael,” Geoff explained.

He looked around the room and carefully read everyone’s body language. Jack was tense as was Ryan. Ray was relaxed but it was the thumbs-up from Gavin that helped make his decision.

“I’m ready, Geoff. As long as you guys aren’t planning on killing me or anything,” he replied jokingly.

Ray looked thoughtful at the idea but snapped to attention when Geoff clapped.

“Okay, we need to fill Michael in. Do you remember the first time we met?”

The younger lad nodded.

“You helped teach me how to fight.”

“Yes, I did. There’s a reason for that as you’ll see now,” he paused to turn off the lights and Ryan turned on the projector.

“This is a man by the name of Joel Heyman. He’s wanted for several things which include but are not limited to drug manufacturing and distribution, human trafficking, arson, the list goes on and on. The FBI and CIA have been trying to track him down ever since a building burned down that we believe he caused but the charges didn’t stick. An innocent man died in that fire. The previously mentioned dick heads in suits have no idea what they’re doing so Heyman hasn’t been caught.

We get hired by people like the FBI and CIA when they have issues with their tasks. We’ve been after Heyman for several years, now but he’s slippery. At least we’ve gotten further than they ever did. It wasn’t until recently that he got into the human trafficking and the stakes have been raised. We fear he’ll get into more dangerous activities and that soon we won’t be able to stop him. That’s where you come in, Michael.

You’ve proven that you have the ability to fight and I know you’ve dabbled in explosives in the past. We believe that you are the key to taking Heyman down. He doesn’t know who you are which gives us a great advantage.

His right-hand man is Adam Ellis. He looks like a giant teddy bear but he’s killed more people than we have fingers on our hands. He’s the main one you’ll need to watch out for. Heyman is smart but he has a lot on his plate and Ellis is the one who looks for holes in the plans.

Next, we have Matt Hullum. He’s the one that works with Heyman when it comes to planning things like heists. Last week they stole several bars of gold from a bank but thanks to the clean-up crew we can’t prove anything. Matt’s good at what he does but he does tend to get cocky about it.

Barbara Dunkelman is a bombshell blonde that will use her looks against you. Her specialty is conning men to get information and she’s also a great assassin. As long as she trusts you, there won’t be an issue.

Chris Demarais looks like a twink that has no idea what he’s doing but his specialty is also explosives. He’s also good at disguising people and knows how to hop borders. The time he followed me to Italy is still an amazing story to this day.

Lastly, we have Blaine Gibson. He worships Ellis and wants to take his position one day. I doubt that’ll ever happen. He’s hired muscle but that’s about it.

These six are the ones that make up the main group. Heyman only hires the best so we have to make you one of the best. If you can beat Gibson in a fight, you’ll have a chance. What we need you to do is gain their trust and infiltrate the system so we can take them down,” Geoff finished.

Michael looked around the room at the other members. Jack still looked somber but the others were smiling and giving him looks of encouragement.

“This is a lot to take in…”

“We know. But our time is up and we need to get recording,” Ray interrupted.

Geoff looked at the clock and nodded to Ryan who got up and began collecting everything from the meeting.

“The only other ones in this company that are part of this group are Burnie and Gus. Say nothing to no one besides us.”

The group walked back to the Achievement Hunter office and Michael did the best he could to act normal but it was pretty obvious he was failing by the looks Ray was giving him. As he had stated early it was a lot of information to take in. He thought he really knew the five other men in this office but he was clearly mistaken. Who would have thought that Ray of all people was an accomplished assassin. Michael made a mental note to ask Gavin later more about what everyone did. It was going to be a long day.

Chapter Text

Geoff decided to let Michael go home and have the rest of the week off and for that he was grateful. Stopping by a liquor store, he grabbed a six-pack of his favorite beer and pulled up to his apartment. He would definitely need the alcohol to help sort out his thoughts. Walking into the building he had a sense of déjà vu when a very large dog jumped on him, almost making him drop the beer he was holding.

“Shit! I’m so sorry, I thought he’d be better by now,” the familiar blonde said.

Michael chuckled and pet the dog, finally looking at the person he was talking to.

“It’s nice to see you again, Barbara from 12 B.”

She laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“It’s good to see you again, too. Although, by now I think it’s only fair to know each other’s full names since Scooter seems to like you,” she replied.

He paused for a second and used the excuse of petting the dog to think about his answer. After having that meeting with Geoff and the others, he already knew who this woman was.

“Sure, the last name is Jones,” he finally admitted.

Her smile widened and she stuck her hand out.

“Ignoring the fact that we’ve already met, I’m Barbara Dunkelman.”

He accepted the hand shake and switched the beer over to his other hand. An awkward silence followed until he decided to break it.

“I thought you were just watching Scooter for a few days.”

She bent down and started giving the dog a belly rub.

“Oh, my friend’s trip took a few days longer than he was expecting so I agreed to watch this little guy until he came back.”

“I don’t know if I’d call him little,” Michael stated.

She stood up slowly and pulled a pen out of her purse, grabbing his hand and facing the palm up.

“You have a sense of humor, I like that. Here’s my number…don’t be afraid to call,” she explained.

Michael looked at the black ink on his hand and nodded in return. She gripped the leash on Scooter tighter and walked towards the door, waving before opening it. He waved back and made his way to the elevator. The trip up didn’t take but a few minutes and the first thing he did after walking into the apartment was open a beer.

He wondered if she knew who he really was. Granted, he didn’t even know he’d eventually becoming a…spy. That was the only accurate description he could think of. Geoff had mentioned that she had been known to use her beauty to her advantage but he got the feeling she was genuine when she gave him her number.

He rubbed his face and took the six-pack to the living room, turning on the TV and propping his feet on the coffee table. He couldn’t believe how different his life became in just a few short hours. He was no longer just a guy who got paid to play video games and have people watch some video he’s in. Now he’s involved in something dangerous and possibly even stupid. But there was still a thrill behind the terror.

Before his thoughts could get too carried away he pulled out his phone and dialed a familiar number.

“Hey, Gav. Are you doing anything right now? No? You should come over. We have a lot to talk about.”

He knew his best friend would agree immediately so he got his Xbox and controllers ready. There was nothing like video games to make a serious discussion more bearable. It took a half hour for Gavin to show up but he had more beer in hand.

“Hey, boi. Let’s get bevved up,” he said as a greeting.

Michael grinned and accepted the alcohol that was offered and grabbed a controller to get the game started. They played for a few minutes before Gavin sighed.

“I know it was a lot of information to take in this morning. I’m sorry it was sprung on you like that, but you’ll have to learn how to process information quickly and leave emotion out of it. Geoff’s considering scrapping the videos we worked on since you were so distracted. I know acting normal isn’t easy, but it’s necessary.”

Michael hit the start button to pause the game and turned to face his guest.

“I know, it’ll take some getting used to. I don’t know what to think or do here, Gavin. My whole life just changed,” he explained.

Gavin stole Michael’s controller and unpaused the game, going back to shooting enemies.

“Geoff changed my life, too. But it all ended up before for the better,” he finally replied. Michael looked at him questioningly but he didn’t take his eyes off of the screen.

“Life in England was great, don’t get me wrong, but my family wasn’t involved with the best of people. They ended up owing a lot of money to a lot of bad people. I met Geoff one day when he was there with his family and he helped us out a lot. The only thing was that I had to go and work for him in exchange. I agreed without a second thought. I still don’t regret it.

I work mostly with computers and surveillance. Sometimes I have to go out on the field if we’re short-handed or whatever, but I prefer to be behind the screen. I was the second to join the group of the Achievement Hunters, Jack was the first. I won’t tell you everyone’s story, though. That’s up to them if they want to tell you or not,” Gavin concluded.

Michael turned back to the television screen and was killed a few more enemies before he could think of something to say.

“I’m not necessarily scared of what could happen. But everything changed to drastically so quickly,” he finally admitted.

“I know, my boi. But trust me, everything is going to turn out great and you’ll love working for Geoff. He can be an asshole, but he watches out for his employees.”

Michael nodded and remained quiet for the rest of the night. He knew that talking to Gavin would make him feel better about everything.

Chapter Text

“Alright, dick head. I want to see how good you are with hand-to-hand combat. I know it’s been a while since you’ve had any practice, so let’s get going,” Geoff stated.

Michael nodded and took his stance opposing Jack. He was easily one of the best fighters in the group and it worried the lad a little bit since he hadn’t gotten to practice in so long.

It was clear from the beginning that he was a bit rusty. Jack faked a right-hook, which Michael blocked, but it was a distraction and he punched the lad in the gut. Michael doubled over when the breath got knocked out of him and Jack took the advantage to knock him to the ground and put a boot on his throat.

“Okay, let him up. That round was entirely too quick. Get your shit together, Jones.”

Michael had to bite his tongue to not make a snarky retort. The gents knew that he had been out of practice but that didn’t mean they had to be assholes about it. Jack held his hand out to help Michael up but when Michael grabbed his hand, he pulled him to the ground and climbed on top. Not wanting to hurt the older man, he didn’t hit too hard. Jack scoffed and flipped Michael off of him. He got up and punched the shorter man in the face and knocked his glasses off.

“Jack! What the fuck are you doing?!” Michael shouted.

“You need to think of this like it’s a real fight. You won’t get better otherwise.”

Michael saw red. He didn’t want to hurt anyone purposely but if that’s how he wanted it…

He charged at the larger man and knocked him to the ground. He landed a couple punches to his face before getting up and kicking him in the side.

“How’s that for a real fight?”

When he walked past Geoff he shoved him before walking over the exit.

“Give me a heads up before you guys want to be assholes next time.”

Before he could take his anger out on anyone, Michael decided to find Ray. He seemed to be one of the most level-headed in the group and could usually calm the lad down before he decided to break anything. It didn’t take long to find the Puerto Rican since he was making an achievement guide in the office.

“Hey, Michael. I’m just finishing up here, what’s up?” he asked.

Michael shrugged and took his seat next to his friend.

“Geoff and Jack decided to be assholes so I figured I’d come here before I decided to break someone’s nose or some shit.”

Ray chuckled and took off his headphones.

“Yeah, they can get pretty intense sometimes. I’m just finishing this up if you want to wait a few minutes. Then we can go get lunch or something,” Ray said.

Michael nodded and leaned back in his chair and pulled out his phone. He got through a few rounds of candy crush and it didn’t take Ray long to finished what he was doing. The two decided to go to a Mexican food place not far from the office. Once they sat down and had their chips and salsa, Ray took a deep breath.

“I know this is a lot for you to wrap your head around. Your life just got turned upside-down and some of the guys expect you to just be able to handle it all…would it help if you knew my story?” Ray asked gently.

Michael ate a chip and took a drink of his soda to bide his time. He couldn’t lie that he was curious as to what really got Ray in this business. Ray took the silence as confirmation.

“When I lived in New York, one of my friends got involved in some serious shit. Like he owed a lot of money to some menacing drug dealers shit. He was scared out of his mind when he had to go deliver the money since it was a little late and for some reason I agreed to go with. They definitely had a plan to make him pay. We ended up getting in a brawl with the guys. My friend got shot, unfortunately. But they liked my skills with a gun and a knife and took me under their wing. They taught me how to get around without being seen and to shoot first. Ask questions later if it was even needed.

It didn’t take long for them to start taking advantage of my skills. It started with me doing mediocre jobs like going with some of the dealers to make sure everyone got their money and none of us got hurt. It was easy work until they decided that they wanted more. Then, I was assigned to go out and start collecting debts from people like my friend, Paul. That made me extremely uncomfortable since that’s what got me involved in the first place.

They didn’t care about how I felt as long as I got the job done. After a couple years of working for them I decided I needed a change. Obviously, they weren’t going to let me go without a fight. So, I used the skills that they taught me to escape. I waited for nightfall and had booked a flight just a few days before. I didn’t even know where I was going until I saw my plane ticket. I ended up here in Austin, Texas.

There had been rumors about a company that did the impossible. If the FBI couldn’t handle something, these guys good. I went in search for them and ended up at Rooster Teeth. Scared the shit out of Geoff when I first appeared, too. I didn’t exactly wait to meet him at the front door. Anyway, after having me help with some of the missions that the CIA had given them I proved myself to Geoff and he gave me a permanent spot. I’ve been here ever since,” Ray finished.

Michael finished the last bite of burrito and looked at his friend in amazement. Out of all of the possibilities, he didn’t think of anything like that.

“Shit, Ray. You’re like some kind of assassin.”

Ray spit out the bite he had just taken and started laughing.

“Excuse you but I am the assassin.”

The two quickly finished their meal after realizing they had to get back to the office soon.

“Thanks for telling me your story, Ray. It helps.”

The shorter man nodded and punched Michael lightly in the shoulder.

“Anytime, man.”

They walked the short distance back to the office and everyone was at their computers.

“Since the dick heads are finally back we can get to recording the GTA that Ryan planned. I’ll go ahead and let you explain this one, it’s weird as fuck,” Geoff announced.

Ryan went into the lengthy explanation and Michael tuned him out halfway through instead turning his attention to his best friend. Gavin was making stupid faces and mocking Geoff in a few different ways. Michael sniggered and took a drink of his water so it wouldn’t be too obvious. Things would be a lot harder if he didn’t have the lads.

Chapter Text

“It’s a good thing that we recorded everything earlier this week because we don’t have time today,” Geoff said.

Ryan took the last bite of his sandwich and wiped off his hands.

“We’ve heard reports that Heyman is planning another heist. We want to stop him before anything bad happens but we’d have to move quickly. Michael, we’re going to have to get you involved a lot sooner than anticipated,” he explained.

Michael nodded and put his headphones away.

“Inside sources say that Heyman is going to be out for the day. So, we’re going to have Michael, Gavin, Jack, and Ray go out and check out the place. First you’ll check out where we think the heist will happen and then the Heyman headquarters. Geoff and I are going to stay behind and keep an eye on things.”

Michael raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“I thought Gavin was the computer guy.”

The brit shrugged and spun around in his chair.

“Typically, yeah. But when it comes to Heyman I want to be one of the ones to take him down personally.”

Everyone nodded in understanding but it left Michael with unanswered questions. Deciding to wait to ask he grabbed the book bag that Ryan offered him.

“This has everything that you’ll need for the trip. You won’t be doing anything over-the-top but just in case. I want you with at least one of the other members at all times until you learn what you’re doing,” Ryan stated.

Slightly annoyed, Michael agreed. He knew he could take care of himself but it wasn’t worth the argument. Instead, he followed the other three out to the car waiting in the front.

“For the sake of time we’re just going to explain everything on the way. Heyman is planning on hitting a bank. One that has a good reputation and high security. I think it gives him an ego boost or some shit to go after places like this. Anyway, we have a rough idea of what time he’ll be going and how much money he plans to steal. What I want you to do, Michael, is open a checking account and distract the tellers while Gavin and I go get the information we need. Jack will help with the distraction.

Gavin, we’ll have a few minutes to get what we need. I’m looking for work schedules, how much money each member has in their account, blah blah blah. I know you’ll find what we need. Ryan and Geoff tried hacking in from the office but we kept getting error messages so it’s time to go in and get what we need. Alright, let’s quit wasting time and get going,” Ray said as he took command.

Gavin got his laptop in his bag and nodded to the others. Everyone got out of the car and Ray and Gavin went to the back of the bank while Michael and Jack walked through the front doors. They smiled at the security guard who nodded in return and went back to talking to the other security guard.

Michael made his way to one teller while Jack went to another.

“Hello. How can I help you?” the pretty blonde asked.

“I’d like to open a checking account,” Michael replied while she pulled out a piece of paper.

While going through the motions Michael kept glancing at Jack, waiting for the signal. Gavin had given him an ear piece and would tell him when they got the information. So far he had made no movement.

“What was your name again, sir?”

Michael shook his head to snap out of his thoughts.

“Johnson. Michael Johnson.”

The woman went back to typing on the computer while the younger man steadied his breathing. He knew he technically wasn’t doing anything illegal or dangerous, it was just nerve-wracking knowing what the others were doing. Although he guessed he could be considered an accomplice even though they were just trying to help. It took a few more minutes but he finally noticed the minute movements Jack made with his hand. It was the signal.

He wrapped up his business and thanked the woman for his time stating that he’d be back later to deposit money into his account. She had already moved on to something else and Jack grabbed the younger lad’s arm while he walked by, guiding him outside.

“You hid it pretty well but why the hell were you so nervous?” he asked.

Michael took a deep breath.

“I know we’re just trying to help but it’s still illegal. Breaking into the bank’s secure records isn’t anything to just bat an eye at.”

Jack paused and then burst out laughing. Michael looked at him in confusion as the older man knelt to the floor and attempted to compose himself. After a moment he wiped a tear from his eye and stood back up straight.

“If that’s all it takes to get you scared, Jones, then maybe you’re not cut out for the job. I know that it’s not what you want to hear but it’s the truth. What happened to the guy that could beat someone up just for looking at him funny?”

The shorter man clamped his mouth shut and looked anywhere except the person he was talking to.

“Things change,” was the only reply he gave.

Sensing that he had hit a nerve, Jack closed his mouth and looked around for the car that they had driven in. Ray and Gavin should be out of the building any minute. He distracted himself by kicking around a few rocks until the younger men walked outside.

“Sorry, we had to talk our way out of the room. A couple security guards noticed us while we were walking out but we just played dumb like we didn’t know where we were going. For such a supposedly secure bank those security guards really are stupid,” Ray said.

Michael and Jack chuckled at the two and waited for the car to come back around.

“We got what we needed. Let’s go show Michael where Heyman’s hide out is. And dude? Relax a bit you haven’t even gotten to kill anyone yet.”

Jack rolled his eyes at Michael’s reaction and got in the car. They all sat in silence during the short drive to Heyman’s hide out.

“We’re not going to go in since I’m pretty sure that there’s someone here. But here’s some blueprints of the layout and we have all the information you’ll need on the employees. Geoff had a change of plans for what we’re going to do about his heist. Instead of you fighting Blaine and all that, we’re going to have you help them escape, Michael. We’ll have all of our guys on the scene so they can’t get away without your help. It’s actually not a bad plan, surprisingly. But we can talk about it more when we get back to the office,” Gavin explained.

Michael wasn’t happy with the first plan but this just takes the cake.

Chapter Text

“I have to say…I’m quite impressed with your work, Michael,” Joel stated.

Michael nodded and made sure to keep his expression blank.

“Usually I have you do some sort of task to make your way in but I think you did enough for us today. So, I’ll spare Blaine the humiliation of fighting you and have you start immediately. You’ll work with him for now, actually. Learning the ropes and everything,” he explained.

Michael remained silent and got up when Joel did.

“Adam will escort you out and take you downstairs. That’s probably where your new best friend is.”

Michael followed the large man like instructed. The plan had gone as smooth as silk. Once the guys were able to find out the times of everything, they showed up a few minutes early to the bank. Gavin and Ryan stayed in the van while Geoff, Jack, and Ray got in their hiding spots. They had dropped Michael off a few blocks down so he could run up on the scene. It didn’t take long for Gavin to spot the van and make sure everyone was in place.

Geoff had told everyone to wait for his signal to make any moves. The day before he had had Michael plant some small explosives around the bank. The lad was shaking with nerves as he walked down the street and towards where everyone was. This was his first mission and he knew he couldn’t screw this up. Pushing all of the bad thoughts of what could go wrong to the back of his mind, he slowed his pace and waited for the cue.

Blaine went in first, at least that’s who he thought it looked like. They were all wearing black masks and had the same type of gun. It was only a matter of seconds before he heard the shouting for everyone to get down and a couple of warning shots rang out. Joel went in next and was followed by Adam.

Geoff waited somewhat impatiently and once the guys walked out with the bags full of money, he made the move. Jack sprang into action first, shooting a couple of bullets at the criminals. He purposefully missed them and it got their attention quickly.

“What the fuck?!” Adam cursed loudly.

Ray took the opportunity to detonate the explosives and cause more confusion. The blast was enough to shake everyone but not enough to cause much harm. Joel was the first to gather his sense and fire a few shots at the men. The three of them surrounded the criminals with their guns raised.

“It’s about time we catch you, fucker. I’ve been after your ass for far too long,” Geoff said.

Joel was back-to-back with Adam while Blaine was desperately looking for a way out.

“There’s no point in trying to run, Gibson. We’re not letting you get away this time,” Ray said with slight smugness in his voice.

As they started closing in, Michael saw the signal from Geoff to make his move. He ran in with a gun raised and stopped a few feet short of the men.

“Don’t you make another fucking move, Ramsey,” he stated with authority.

Geoff grimaced at the lad but didn’t move his gun.

“Jones, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. Why don’t you run along and play with someone besides yourself.”

“As much fun as that sounds, I don’t really want to. I’m getting real sick and tired of you interfering in other people’s business. Now why don’t you lower your gun like a good boy and let these gentlemen go.”

Jack laughed and pointed his gun at Michael.

“That’s not going to happen. Take Geoff’s advice here and run off while you still can.”

“I tried to play nice but you guys really love to make things difficult,” Michael retorted.

“Okay, what the hell is going on here?” Joel finally asked.

“None of your fucking business, Heyman. Now come with us so I can finally close this damn case,” Geoff replied.

That’s when Michael made the first shot, hitting Geoff in the leg. The older man fell to the ground in pain and Blaine saw the opportunity. He kicked Ray in the shin and grabbed Joel’s arm and started towards the alley.

“No! They’ve got guys back there. Follow me!” Michael exclaimed.

After a second of hesitation Adam nodded and started running towards the younger man while the others followed. He led them down a few blocks before going into an alley with the others close on his tail. Once they all caught their breath Joel pulled out his phone and hit a few keys on the pad.

“I’m going to have Matt pick us up. Even with Ramsey trying to make things go to shit, we still got the money. Now for the important question. Who the fuck are you?”

Michael gulped and put his gun away to bide his time.

“Michael Jones. Me and Ramsey go back a few years to when he busted me for narcotics. He ruined my reputation and destroyed everything I had made for myself. I didn’t want him doing that to you guys, too.”

Joel had a thoughtful expression but before he could say anything a black van pulled up.

“Ride’s here. Why don’t you come with us? I’d love to talk to you more,” he offered.

The lad followed them into the van as a confirmation and that’s how he got to where he is now. It was a long walk to the basement to find the blonde guy from earlier. Adam wasn’t one to say much so Michael just walked along in silence.

“Here we are. You know where Joel’s office is if you need something,” Adam said shortly. He didn’t give Michael the chance to reply before walking away.

“What’s up new guy?” Blaine asked. He was wiping off a knife with a rag as he made his way over. Continuing, “I’m sure you had a fun talk with the boss. He told me I’d be showing you around and introducing you to people. So let the fun begin.”

The two of them walked back out of the basement and took an elevator to the main floor.

“There’s only a three floors in this place if we’re counting the basement. The main floor is the reception area and the conference rooms. The second floor is all of the offices and the basement is for training. It’s pretty easy to learn your way around,” Blaine explained.

Michael nodded and followed him around the floors, memorizing all of the different rooms. There wasn’t much to it and he was confident he’d learn the place rather quickly. This seemed almost too easy.

Chapter Text

“So, they’re falling for it?” Gavin asked.

Michael grinned and nodded while reaching for another beer out of the fridge.

“Yeah. I’m kind of surprised of how it easy it’s been to convince them,” Michael replied.

Gavin made grabby hands and Michael handed him the beer and reached for another one.

“Do you not know how to use your legs anymore?”
The younger man chuckled and shook his head. He turned around and turned on his laptop, patting the seat next to him.

“There’s some stuff that Geoff wants me to show you how to do. Since none of us can get in to steal information from the computers, I’ll show you.”

The curly-haired man spit out his beer when he started laughing.

“Gav, if I can make my own bombs I think I can hack a computer.”

The lad shrugged and typed a few things into the computer.

“I have faith in you, boi. Now get your butt over here so I can show you a few things.”

As it turned out, learning how to hack a computer was a lot harder for Michael than he originally thought. There was a lot of steps to remember and he wasn’t too confident in his abilities.

“So, I click on that and then I can access the system?”

Gavin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“No, there’s a couple of things you have to do first. Especially with how much of their stuff is probably encrypted. I wonder if you can get your own work laptop or some shit just so I can do this myself,” he murmured.

Michael threw an empty beer can at his friend’s head.

“Hey! We can’t all be computer geniuses.”

“Aw, Michael, you called me a genius,” Gavin gushed.

Michael threw another empty beer can which missed and landed next to his intended target instead. For some reason this got Gavin laughing and he couldn’t stop.

“Dude, what is your problem?” Michael asked while trying to hold back his own laughter.

“I should have probably stopped a couple of beers ago,” he replied.

The shorter man ruffled Gavin’s hair as he took his seat next to him. He had slightly miscalculated where he would sit and ended up closer than he thought. The lad looked up and noticed that Gavin was looking at him intently with an expression that he had never seen before.

“Gav?”

Instead of replying, Gavin leaned in slowly making sure to give Michael time to make his own decision of how things would go. But he didn’t pull back like Gavin thought he would. Alternatively he leaned in and captured the other man’s lips with his own. Nothing happened at first with both of them shocked that this even was happening. After a couple of awkward seconds Gavin started moving his lips slowly and ran his hands through Michael’s curly hair.

Michael responded by running his hands up Gavin’s sides and letting one hand rest on the other man’s cheek. They kissed slowly for a few minutes until Gavin bit Michael’s lower lip and pulled back, his face flushed.

“Did we just…?”

It took Michael a moment to respond still being dazed from the kiss.

“I didn’t even know you were gay,” he finally stated.

Gavin stared at him and blinked a couple of times before laughing loudly.

“After that amazing kiss that’s what you have to say?”

He ruffled his best friend’s hair and rested his hand on his knee.

“Do we need to talk about this or…?”

Michael shook his head and grabbed the hand that was resting on his knee, holding it firmly.

“Or is definitely better if it involves my bedroom.”

“You sure don’t have to ask me twice.”

“They did it! They finally banged! Ray, you owe me twenty bucks,” Geoff said the next day when the boys walked into the office.

Gavin sputter indignantly and Michael chuckled as he walked over to his desk.

“How could you bloody tell?”

Ryan was the first to say, “You both have that post-sex glow on your faces. And we’ve had a bet going around for the office for a while now about when you guys would finally realize your feelings for each other. If you had done this just a week ago I would have won a hundred dollars from Burnie,” he muttered.

“Hey they just made me fifty dollars richer so I have nothing to complain about,” Jack stated.

Michael threw a piece of the stuffed tower of pimps at the group and murmured something that sounded like “mind your own fucking business.”

“Alright dick heads, back to work. How’s it going in Heyman’s office?” Geoff questioned.

“It seems like it’s going pretty well, actually. Joel trusted me pretty quickly after ‘saving’ them and Blaine follows his lead. Adam still seems a bit hostile but I think that’s just his personality with everyone besides his boss. Barbara actually lives in my building but she’s a totally different person to work with. Matt acts like an idiot but he’s actually pretty smart. When I go in tomorrow I’ll hack the system like Gav showed me last night,” Michael reported.

Ray sniggered and coughed in a poor attempt to cover it up.

“I’m sure that’s not the only thing he hacked last night.”

Chapter Text

“I don’t know, Joel. I just get a weird feeling when it comes to him…” Adam trailed off.

Joel sighed in annoyance and leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head. He glared as his favorite employee for a few seconds debating on what to say first.

“Adam, you know you’re the best of everyone here besides me. But this isn’t the first time you’ve gotten a ‘weird feeling’ when it comes to new employees. You just don’t know how to trust.”

Adam slammed his hand on the desk causing his boss to jump and sit normally.

“That’s just the thing, Joel. You can’t just trust anyone in this profession. You never know who’s going to turn on your back. This guy just came out of nowhere! For all we know, he could be working for Ramsey or some shit.”

Joel narrowed his eyes and moved his hands to his desk and interlaced his fingers, looking at the younger man with cold hard eyes.

“Are you suggesting about yourself?” he questioned.

The bodyguard opened and closed his mouth with a hurt expression.

“We’ve been in this together since the beginning, Joel. If I hadn’t turned on you then, why would I now?” Adam retorted.

“That settles it, then. You do not have my permission to look further into Michael Jones’s past and you are not to treat him any different than any other employees. Understood?”

Adam’s nostrils flared but he didn’t say anything else. He minutely nodded his head and walked out the door without being dismissed. Joel decided to let it go; he knew when to pick and choose his battles.

-----

“No, Geoff, you’re not listening to-”

“Shut the fuck up, dick head. Everything is going to plan don’t get paranoid.”

“I’m not getting paranoid!” Michael yelled, “I know he’s suspicious of me! I overheard him talking to Joel in his office the other day. Joel defended me but still…Adam has a lot of rank over there.”

Geoff sighed and paused the game he was playing. This was a conversation they had already had twice that morning but Michael refused to let it go.

“Yes, Adam has a lot of rank but Joel believes in you and that’s what is most important right now. Don’t worry your pretty little head about Adam unless he causes direct interference,” Geoff stated in a commanding tone.

Michael huffed and crossed his arms, glaring at his boss.

“You need to give me something that’ll keep him off of my back. Information or some shit. It doesn’t have to be anything that’ll cause too much harm but give me something.”

Geoff turned his chair back towards his computer screen and resumed his game. When he didn’t answer right away Michael stormed off and went to the kitchen. Fuming, he slammed his soda down on one of the tables causing Ryan to peek around the corner.

“Hey, we’re just setting up for the Patch. What’s wrong?” he asked.

The younger lad shrugged and opened his soda after letting it be for a little bit. The last thing he needed was soda to get sprayed everywhere.

“C’mon, man. It’s showing on your face that something’s wrong. Is it Geoff?”

Michael nodded and took a drink then patted the seat next to him so Ryan would come over.

“I know that Ellis is getting the right idea about why I’m really working for Heyman but Geoff won’t listen to me. He said that as long as Heyman is on my side that there’s nothing to worry about,” he explained.

Ryan nodded and tapped his chin.

“Geoff’s a great boss and everything but he can be in denial pretty easily when it comes to stuff like that. You need something that’ll throw Ellis off of your scent. I know that Geoff thinks that he’s a big idiot but he might even be smarter than Heyman. I’ll look into some things and see what information you could give him that might be valuable.”

Michael smiled gratefully and threw his now empty soda can into the trash bin.

“Thanks, Ryan. You’re a real life-saver.”

“Anytime. You know I’d do anything for Gavin’s boyfriend,” he added with a wink.

Michael laughed and shoved him away when Gus came around the corner and told him they were ready to shoot the Patch.

Michael decided to stay and watch so he wouldn’t have to deal with being alone with Geoff in the office. Ryan had been right about Geoff easily being in denial about things. He sometimes thought that he was good enough that nothing could go wrong with their plans. You’d think that after all of their failed attempts with Heyman that he’d be more understanding.

Once they finished recording the Patch Ryan walked with Michael back to the office and Geoff was nowhere to be found.

“We’ll need to do this quick so boss man doesn’t find out until it’s too late for him to do anything about it,” Ryan said as he took his seat at his desk.

It only took a few minutes for him to log in and pull up information. He was reading it too fast for Michael to be able to keep up so he decided to sit at his own desk and make it at least look like he was doing something productive.

“Bingo! You remember when you told Geoff about them wanting to rob another bank? Well, it looks like the plans changed and he does want to try and get them there after all. What you can do is tell Ellis so they can cancel it or whatever. I might even try and convince Geoff to…hmm. Don’t worry, I’ll figure the rest of this out. But tell Ellis that and I think it’ll help make him trust you,” Ryan finished.

Michael finished his text message to Ellis telling him that he wanted to meet him for lunch in twenty minutes.

“I owe you, Haywood.”

“Well, you could tell me where Gavin is hiding my stuffed Edgar.”

-----

Ellis showed up to the restaurant ten minutes late, as usual. Michael really wasn’t surprised. He had already gotten a table and waved the large man over once he saw him walk in.

“Okay, I’m here. What do you need to tell me?” he asked before even sitting down.

“I got into the Achievement Hunter office last night. You’d think that they would worry more about locking their doors but anyway, Ryan’s computer was in there and I found some interesting stuff.”

Adam finally took a seat and sat back looking at Michael intently.

“Continue.”

Chapter Text

“You’re the best, Ryan. I seriously owe you for saving my ass,” Michael said as he walked into the office.

Ryan chuckled and turned away from his computer.

“Anytime. Did you get what I asked for?”

The younger man opened his bag and threw the stuffed cow. Ryan caught it with ease with one hand and Gavin sputtered in response.

“Why’d you bloody give that back to him?!”

The older man chuckled and stroked the fuzzy animal.

“He owed me and you took Edgar. I will be getting payback for this just so you know.”

Gavin gulped and turned back towards his computer, smartly not responding. Geoff walked in with a serious expression and plopped down in his chair.

“What’s up, Geoff?” Jack questioned.

“For whatever reason Heyman decided to not rob the bank and I was sitting there like an idiot waiting for them for a few hours. I recognized Gibson as he walked by and I know he recognized me. Those assholes had to know that something was up.”

Ryan and Michael exchanged a knowing look but decided against saying anything.

“Anyway, there’s not much we can do until we get more information. So let’s get to recording, assholes.”

They got as far ahead as they could before a couple of them started getting frustrated and decided to call it a day.

“Hey, Geoff. I’m going to stay behind for a bit and see what I can figure out about Heyman for my trip over there tomorrow,” Michael stated as the other man was getting everything ready to go home.

“You sure? We’re making steaks at my place and Grif’s back in town for a little bit.”

Michael nodded and Geoff shrugged, walking out of the office and leaving Michael by himself. He spent an hour looking through files and finding out what he could about his other employees when he found an interesting file labeled ‘Michael.’

He looked around to double check that he was alone. He knew that logically no one could get in without him noticing but he had a feeling this wasn’t something that he was supposed to be seeing. Satisfied that he was truly alone he double-clicked the folder and found several documents inside. He decided to click on the one marked ‘Observation’ first.

July 24, 1987

Born, a healthy male. We ran our tests once he was removed from his parents. He passed all of them extraordinarily well. Begin planning.

August 24, 1987

Slightly accelerated growth, showing positive signs.

There were logs each month very similar to that but nothing caught his eye until he saw a date that made his blood run cold and the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

September 4, 1990

Parents are dead and child is in protective custody. Will move in once a report has been made.

All of the observations were short and simple. But it was enough for Michael to start to piece together what he was reading. He skimmed through most of them until another strange one caught his eye.

November 15, 2002

GR made the move. He said he has to think about it.

He had to think pretty hard to remember that date exactly. It took him a few minutes but a lightbulb finally dinged. That was the day that he met Geoff and considered taking him up on the offer to start teaching him how to fight.

November 17, 2002

He accepted. Things are going to plan.

January 4, 2006

He has started learning about explosives. Does not fit in with the plan but will more than likely prove to be beneficial.

Instead of going through any more of this, for fear of getting caught, Michael printed out everything that he could and turned off the computer. He put all of the papers into a folder and rushed out of the office, getting to his apartment as soon as he could. Once the door was locked behind him and a beer in hand he made his way to the living room and spread out all of the papers. It was a lot of information to take in. He texted Geoff to let him know that he wouldn’t be in to work tomorrow and picked up right where he left off.

August 2011

He started at RT.

February 17, 2015

He is doing well on the project. It should be over soon enough.

Finishing reading all of the observations, Michael didn’t even notice when the sun went down and his beer got warm having been forgotten on the table. This couldn’t be right. There was no way that they could have planned his whole life like this. There was no way that they could know everything about him. There was no way that they planned his parent’s death just to take down one gang. He put the observations back in the folder and picked up another paper at random.

It was a blueprint of his apartment and there were red circles in various parts. Two in the living room, one in his bedroom, and one in the kitchen…he looked up to the left towards the general direction of one of the red circles. He had never noticed it, but it was so small and insignificant that he wouldn’t have seen the small lens without looking for it.

Getting up he climbed on top of the couch and looked at the camera closer. So this is how they knew everything about him. He thought about ripping it out but that would be too obvious. They couldn’t know that he was on to them. As far as he was concerned it just looked as though he was working on the plan. He knew he had to take the upper hand while he could.

Michael sat back down on the couch and put away all of the papers and kept the folder on the table. There was no point in hiding it since they’d know where it would be. There was also no point in locking his door since they probably had their own ways to get in. There was nothing he could do today, so he got his pajamas on and laid down in bed. He had a lot of his own planning to do.

Chapter Text

It very hard for Michael to try and act normal around his boss when he knew the truth. He wanted to find out what the others knew about all of this, too. When Geoff suggested that they all go out to lunch, Michael politely declined saying he had too much work to do and Gavin stayed behind to help his boyfriend. Michael smiled at him happily and waited for the others to leave before saying anything. Once the door was closed, the older man faced the younger.

“How much do you know about me, Gavin?”

Gavin tapped his chin and spun his chair around, back and forth, while thinking of the appropriate answer.

“I know that you’re from New Jersey, that your favorite color is green, and that you’re the best boyfriend ever?” he finally responded, making it sound slightly more like a question than an answer.

“And what about when it comes to this mission?”

Gavin paused and looked at his boyfriend hard for a few seconds. It was getting to the point where Michael would feel uncomfortable if he wasn’t in such a bad mood.

“I know that we wouldn’t be where we are without you,” was the simply reply.

Michael still suspected that Gavin knew more than he was letting on, but he didn’t want to push anything and make the man suspicious. So, instead, he smiled and ruffled the taller man’s hair.

“Aw, you’re so sweet, Gav.”

Gavin chuckled and knocked his hand away, leaning in close for a kiss which Michael gave. They turned to their respective computers and got to work, ultimately deciding to record a Play Pals so they wouldn’t have to worry about it later in the week.

Once the others got back to the office Michael went about his business acting like nothing had changed. He threw out the idea to question everyone and see what they knew so he wouldn’t look suspicious. He decided to wait and play his cards when he and Geoff were alone. It was during the final hour of work that Geoff cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention.

“Thanks to Michael, we now have enough information on Heyman to finally make an arrest. But we’re going to have to be smart about this. Tomorrow I want you guys here early so we can make the final plan and finally get this son of a bitch,” he stated.

Everyone nodded with smiles on their faces. Finally, the mission that they had been working on for a very long time was coming to a close. Well, that wouldn’t happen if Michael could do anything about it. Once it was time to go home people made their way out the door, chatting excitedly about what would happen tomorrow. Right as Geoff was about to leave, Michael got his attention.

“Hey, Geoff, you got a second?”

The older man nodded and walked over the lad. It wasn’t until then that Michael noticed how much taller Geoff was and how intimidating the man could look without even trying.

“What is it, Michael? If you’re nervous about the meeting tomorrow, it’s nothing to be nervous about. You’ve done great so far and I know you can do this,” he said with a reassuring smile which, in turn, caused Michael to smile.

“So, when were you planning on telling me that you caused my parents deaths?” he asked innocently.

Geoff stopped moving and momentarily looked like a statue. He had an expression that Michael had never seen before and he couldn’t quite make it out. It looked somewhere between a mix of anger and surprise.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Michael. I think it’s time that you went home.”

“Oh, really? So I can finish reading all of the documentation you have on me from the day I was born? I didn’t think I needed to finish it since I got the gist, but if you insist.”

Now Geoff clenched his fist and his jaw was straining. Michael could even see the muscles tightening in the man’s neck.

“How did you find those documents?”

Michael shrugged and crossed his arms, leaning casually against the door of the office.

“Something I stumbled upon while finishing up some work yesterday. It’s clever, really, how far you went for this. That’s quite a bit of planning, especially the part where you murder two innocent people.”

Geoff tried to even out his breathing and not say something snarky to the lad. He knew he was in hot water. He opened his mouth to say something but Michael interrupted.

“I quit.”

With that, he turned on his heel and walked out the door before giving the older man a chance to respond.

----

Michael hadn’t been planning on going out after the confrontation but he found himself at a local bar that was only a few blocks from his apartment. He took an empty seat at the bar and ordered a jack and coke, nursing it while thinking about everything he had discovered. It took him a moment to realize the seat next to him had an occupant. He turned and recognized the familiar blonde hair and bright brown eyes.

“Hey, Barbara. What are you doing here?”

She smiled and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

“I saw your car out in the parking lot so I thought I’d come in and keep you company. I’ll have one of whatever he’s having,” she said to the bartender.

The man handed her the drink and she took a sip, making a face. Michael chuckled as he took another drink of his.

“Not a fan of jack and coke, huh?”

She shook her head but took another sip, anyway.

“I don’t hate it but it sure isn’t my favorite drink.”

There was silence for a few minutes while Michael struggled to think of anything to say. Thankfully, Barbara took it upon herself to start the conversation back up.

“So, are you any good at pool?”

Michael chuckled and grabbed his drink, making his way to the pool table.

“You get it set up while I grab another drink,” Barbara suggested.

Michael agreed easily and did as asked while waiting for her. They played a couple games which ended in a tie and Michael had had one drink too many. He was staggering towards the front door when Barbara grabbed his arm and guided him to a booth nearby.

“Sit down and relax. I’m going to grab you some water and maybe we have a serious conversation. You look like you’ve got something on your mind,” she said.

Michael nodded and laid his head on the table. He was nearly asleep when she came back with the water that she promised and sat across from him.

“What’s on your mind tonight, Michael? You haven’t been as chatty as normal.”

The alcohol was definitely taking its toll on Michael’s thoughts. He was having trouble keeping on one track, constantly thinking about anything else other than what he discovered.

“I really shouldn’t be telling you this, but…”

He told her everything, from the beginning. He knew he’d be in deep shit since she worked for Heyman, but he also thought that if he gave them a heads up that they may not be so mad. Boy, was he wrong. She gently guided him out of the restaurant and into a black car that was waiting in an alley nearby. Once they were seated, Michael looked around the alley and towards the parking lot. That’s when he remembered that he walked to the bar.

“Let’s go for a little drive, shall we?” a deep voice questioned from the front seat.

Chapter Text

That was a voice that Michael recognized immediately and caused him to break out in a cold sweat. It was by no means anyone friendly and certainly not anyone that Michael would want to piss off. Unfortunately, he succeeded in the latter.

“So I was right about my suspicions of you,” Ellis stated.

Michael tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He suddenly wished that he hadn’t quit until tomorrow, maybe then his team would have come to save him. But no, he screwed himself over and got himself into this mess and he could get himself out. It would just take some quick thinking. Even as he tried to come up with a plan, he secretly hoped that the others would catch on soon enough to what was happening.

-----

“Geoff, you can’t be serious,” Gavin said in astonishment. He couldn’t believe that his boyfriend would just up and leave like that, especially without saying anything to him.

“I can’t believe you would do something like this,” Ryan said quietly.

Jack was sitting in his chair with his arms crossed and glaring at his boss. So far, no one was on Geoff’s side in this argument.

“He’s not a fucking pawn, Geoff. You can’t just control someone’s whole life like that!” Ray exclaimed. Geoff had at least been hoping that Ray would be with him.

“You don’t even like the kid, why do you care?” he questioned the shorter man.

Ray’s nostrils flared and he pulled his pocket knife making sure to do some intricate tricks to intimidate his boss.

“I may not like the guy but this is just…”

Jack shook his head in disgust and stood up at the same time as Ryan.

“Let’s go, lads. I think our business is done here,” Jack stated shortly.

“Guys, c’mon. Sure what I did was fucked up but you can’t just leave like this! We’re so close to closing this case!” Geoff exclaimed.

Ryan, the only other in the room besides Gavin, paused and his knuckles turned white strained against the door knob.

“I can’t even look at you right now, Geoff.”

He left and slammed the door causing things to shake on the shelves.

“They can’t know that I found out this stuff recently, Geoff. As long as they don’t know I might be able to bring them back to our side. But you get one thing straight, Geoffrey, you better apologize to my boyfriend and make sure he’s doing just fine,” Gavin stated in a low menacing voice.

Geoff sighed and ran his hand through his hair. There was nothing he could do besides trust Gavin to make things right. Once the lad left, he felt his phone start vibrating on his desk. He considered ignoring it, but silently hoped it was Michael so he could make things right. Recognizing the number, he answered but a familiar voice was speaking before he could say anything.

“We know everything, Ramsey. Your boy here, Michael? Yeah, he spilled things pretty quickly after Barbara gave him a few drinks. He’s ours now, Ramsey. Unless…”

Ellis’s voice trailed off and Geoff had to bite his cheek to not say the wrong thing.

“Unless what?”

Ellis chuckled and there was shuffling in the background of the call. Geoff’s blood ran cold when he realized the severity of the situation.

“Well, I’m glad you asked. Unless you call off this whole case and give Heyman a clean track record in the next twenty-four hours. And that’s him being generous, we all know how bad his record is stained red,” Ellis explained calmly.

Geoff gripped the phone to the point where he thought he might break it. Taking a deep breath he tried to settle his thoughts and make it sound like he wasn’t terrified.

“Why would I do that? Jones is a traitor, I don’t care what you do with him.”

Ellis paused before answering.

“Then we’ll be sure to send you pictures of what’s left of him at the end of the twenty-four hours, Ramsey. Tick tock.”

There was a click and the phone went dead. Geoff knew that he would have to get the others back, but that it would be difficult to get them to listen to him. So he decided to call Gavin first.

-----

“It would appear that you really pissed Ramsey off there, Michael. This will make things a bit more interesting for us but I’m not complaining,” Ellis said.

They had placed a blindfold over his eyes and a rag to gag him. The large man had taken off the ear plugs so he could talk to the man. Instead of replying, Michael just sat and acted like he couldn’t hear his former co-worker.

“You know…we don’t take too kindly to people turning on us. Although, in your case, it would appear that you were never even for us to turn against us. That’s just another mark against you, Michael. And you know that old saying, three strikes and you are out. Your first mistake was being a double spy then pissing Ramsey off to the point where he may not say that the Heyman case is closed. That makes things very difficult but still, interesting. We like a little bit of a challenge every now and again.”

Michael still did not acknowledge that he had even heard Adam talk until he felt a very large hand come in contact with his face. The slap was shocking, especially since he couldn’t see.

“I expect at least a nod from you, Michael. It’s pretty rude to not even acknowledge me. I could make your stay in one of our facilities either a hay ride or another evening in hell. But this is entirely up to you,” Ellis continued threateningly.

Michael was at least glad that Geoff knew, or had an idea, of the kind of situation he was in. If Michael knew Geoff like he thought he did, he knew the man was bluffing.

Chapter Text

So much time had passed that Michael was starting to believe that his old teammates really were not coming for him. It was hard to keep track of time since he was left in a small room with no windows but he guessed it to be at least a couple of weeks.

It had been the same routine from day one. Adam dragged him to the main building but took the lad downstairs. At least, that’s what Michael assumed since they kept the blindfold on him. He was thrown roughly into a dark room with cement floors. All that was in there was a bucket and a sleeping bag with a thin pillow. It was a room that Michael had heard about never really took the time to find.

Adam had taken away the offending fabric from Michael’s eyes so the lad could adjust to his new surroundings.

“If you do what we ask we’ll bring you food and let you shower now and again. If not, you’ll be stuck in here for a very very long time, Michael. Do you understand?”

Michael just shrugged in response and Adam scoffed but said nothing more, instead slamming the door closed and leaving Michael alone with his thoughts.

He fucked up and he knew that he fucked up. Why did he have to go to that bar and spill his guts to Barbara when he know what kind of woman she was? He should have known better than to get drunk. But moping about it now wasn’t going to get him out of this predicament. He knew that there wasn’t much he could do except hope that Geoff and the others would come to his rescue. He couldn’t stand feeling like the damsel in distress.

-----

“Thank you, guys. I don’t know what I would have done if you wouldn’t have come,” Geoff said.

Ryan held up a hand to silence the man and glared at him through narrow eyes.

“We’re not here for you, Geoff. We’re here for Michael and because Gavin asked us to.  You are still on our shit list.”

Geoff nodded and sat down.

“I don’t know how much Gavin told you but Michael’s in some serious trouble. It sounds like he spilled the plans to Barbara and now they’re holding him captive. I can’t save him without the help of you guys.”

Jack looked surprised while Ryan looked suspicious and Ray remained indifferent like he usually did. Gavin had the most fearful expression as was expected. It was his boyfriend that had been kidnapped after all.

“Does anyone have any ideas? I’m at a loss for once,” Geoff admitted.

“How do we know that you won’t try to do something to Michael for leaving us in the first place? Not saying that he didn’t have a right to,” Ryan stated.

Geoff looked down and twisted his hands nervously.

“You think he’d honestly trust me enough again after everything that happened? I just want to get him out safely so he can try to continue his life,” the boss explained honestly.

Ryan searched his eyes and seemed to be pleased with what he found.

“Alright. Well, Jack, I think it’s time for us to implement plan 182.”

Jack nodded and turned towards his computer, hitting a few keys before papers started coming out of the printer.

“What’s plan 182?” Gavin asked.

At the mention of the plan, Ray’s face lit up and he pulled out his switch blade to clean under his nails.

“Only the best plan that these idiots have come up with,” Ray replied.

-----

“How long have I been here?” Michael asked the next time that Adam came down. He guessed that he had a visitor once a day.

“That doesn’t really matter. Shouldn’t you be more concerned about living?”
Michael shrugged and sat against the wall furthest from the door.

“You really don’t scare me, Ellis,” he said with what he hoped was confidence.

Adam stood up straighter in the doorway and came towards the lad menacingly.

“Oh, I don’t? That’s great to know, Michael.”

He picked the lad up by the collar of his dirty shirt and shook him, hitting his head against the wall.

“I’ve been trying to be the nice guy. But if you’d rather me start hurting you, I can do that just the same,” Adam added.

When he hit Michael’s head against the wall the second time, the younger man started to black out. Adam let him go and watched with a smile as the lad slid slowly to the floor.

“They’re not coming for you, Michael. You’ll give us the rest of the information before too long.”

Michael barely registered what the man said as he slipped in and out of consciousness.