Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Morgan sighed, knitting his brows together.

Standing before him was the only other Seer Obscura that he knew existed, and they were exhausted.

“Can we just…take a break? Please?” They were working on honing their abilities and they had worn out their core.

“That’s fine, just sit down,” he gestured to the couch. He slumped down beside them, undoing his tie and turning on the TV. He flipped to a random news channel.

He froze.

‘-American government has already started making plans and precautions against this unknown threat. The leaked documents call them, ‘empowered.’

Morgan leaned forward, his heart pounding.
“Morgan?” He glanced at his trainee. “What-what does that mean?”

He shakes his head, his eyes trained on the screen. “I-I don’t know.”

‘We know little about these people. Where did they come from? How long have they been living among us? And, are they a danger?’

———

“Shit,” James muttered. “Shit, shit, shit.”

His phone had been ringing off and on for the past half hour.

“Your stress levels are elevated.” Asset sat to the side, eyeing their superior.

“I wouldn’t have guessed,” he muttered bitterly. They hummed in acknowledgment. “What has happened?”
James sighed, bracing his hands on his desk. “The Department was exposed.”

Asset tilted their head to the side. “What does that mean?” James looked up at them. “It means-” his phone rings again. “That the unempowereds know we exist.”

Ring.

“Which means our entire project could be shut down.”

Ring.

“Which means you could be shut down.”

Ring.

They stare at him blankly before looking away. “I see.”

Ring.

“God damn it!” He flung his phone across the room, a shattering sound echoing across the empty walls.

Asset looked around for a moment before facing him.
“Take my memory card.”

He looked up at them again. “What?”

“Take my memory card.” They repeat. “Or at least make a copy. That way, if they shut me down, you will at least have a way to put my memories somewhere else. Maybe you could make me again. Somehow.”

A glimmer of their old personality shone in their eyes. James swallowed thickly. “Okay…okay. We can-we can do that.”

———

Geordi was exhausted. He’d had a long day.

First, his internet went out, and so did his cable. So he had to get that fixed.

Then he phone broke, so he had to get that done too.

And when he finally turned his phone on when he got home, he was bombarded with messages and calls.

15 unread messages from Guy

3 missed calls from Guy

5 unread messages from “Honey”

2 missed calls from “Honey”

1 missed call from Cutie

1 unopened voicemail from Cutie

His stomach dropped. What happened?

Cutie hadn’t contacted him in weeks, let alone Guy’s partner. They were friends, sure, but not that good of friends.

Geordi swallowed thickly as he opened his messages

Guy

dude

where are you

have you read the news

do it asap

wait

maybe dont

well it might be better if you do

honey says you should

but idk

just do it

please

and dont panic

unless you heard something from then

then maybe you can panic

im definitely panicking

“Honey”

Read the news. Now.

I don’t care what you’re doing.

This is more important.

Ignore Guy. He’s in a bad headspace right now.

Check the news.

Geordi scrambled to open his news app. His eyes scanned the screen until he found what they could be talking about.

Friends or Foes? Who are these ‘empowereds?’

Geordi almost dropped his phone. He quickly scanned through the article, his heart rate picking up with every word he read. He felt like he was going to be sick.

He quickly checked his voicemail.

‘U-um, hey Geordi, I know I haven’t checked in in awhile but-‘

Something cuts them off. They sound like they’re crying.

‘S-sorry about that. Um, anyway, I just wanted to get this message out to you in case you don’t hear from me for awhile. I’m sure you’ve seen the news.’

Geordi bit his lip. So that’s what this was about.

‘I lost my job! Well, I think I did. Things are kind of a mess over here-’

Their voice cuts out.

‘-don’t know what’s gonna happen now. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me. I just- I-I love you, okay?”

Their voice grows more tearful.

‘I love you and I’m sorry I couldn’t have been a better partner to you. I’ve been trying so hard to get better. So hard. I don’t know when you’ll see me or hear from me next, so…’

They sniffle

‘I love you. Goodbye, Geordi.’

His phone clatters to the floor. He slides down the wall as his breathing grows heavy.

“No. No, no, no, no…”

———

Angel hums to themself as they mess around on their switch, Minecraft lighting up their screen. They had just finished building a house for themself and their dog when their phone went off. It was David.

“Hey, Davey, what’s-”

“I’m coming home. Don’t check the news. Just-just wait for me.”

“What? David, what’s-”

“Just wait.”

Beeping sounded in their ear, signaling that he had hung up.

Angel couldn’t ignore the sinking feeling in their stomach

———

Aaron pressed a heated kiss to his partner’s lips. “I’ll teach you to talk back, Smartass.” They giggled against his mouth, moving to unbutton his shirt when his phone went off. They whined as he pulled away. He chucked. “Hold on, it’s Elliott.”

He pressed the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

Flustered shouting could be heard from the other line.
“Woah, woah, woah, Elliott. What’s going on?”

As his brother chattered on from the other line, Aaron grew pale.

He hung up the phone.

“Aaron? What’s wrong?” Smartass clambered onto his lap. “What happened?”

He took their hands into his. He was shaking.

“The human government knows about empowereds.”

——-

It was supposed to be a good day. An amazing day. They were gonna finish work, pick up dinner, and cuddle Aggro until Milo got home so they could eat and watch a movie.

It was great.

But now, they were hiding under their desk while sirens wailed above them, and black military boots stomped by.

It all happened so fast.

One moment, they were talking to their coworker about their latest therapy session, and how they were going to reach out to their boyfriend again, and the next, the emergency sirens were going off and government troops stormed the halls.

They huddled under the protective covering of their desk, trying not to make too much noise.

Their phone started vibrating. They scrambled to silence it.

‘God damn it, Milo.’

A gloved hand reached under the desk and pulled them out.

“What a sweet little thing you are.”

Sweetheart yanks their arm away. “Get the hell off me.”

The man in front of them scoffs and says, “Don’t make this harder than it has to be. A lot of your colleagues have slipped away, but we have a few in holding.”

“Slipped away, huh?” Sweetheart says. “Well,” They look him up and down. “I guess they didn’t tell you how stealthy I can be.”

“What do you-” The man cuts himself off as Sweetheart disappears from his sight.

———

“Come on, Damien. I promise it doesn’t taste that bad.” Freelancer begged. Damien looked at the meal in front of him that Gavin had made. Everyone around him insisted that he try it.

“Yeah, it’s not that bad, Dames.”

“R-really, it’s good. Gavin outdid himself.”

The incubus in question leaned in close to the fire elemental.

“Please? For me? Don’t make me beg, Damien.”

Damien’s cheeks flushed a fiery red. “Fine. If it’ll get you out of my face.” Just as he went to go take a bite, Gavin’s phone rang.

“Ah…just a moment.” Gavin rose from his seat. “Don’t eat any just yet, I want to see the delectable look on your face when you try it!” He called before he disappeared out the door.

Freelancer furrowed their brows. What was that about?

They filled the time that Gavin was gone with casual conversation and some banter here and there. After about 15 minutes, Gavin came back inside.

He came back into the room, looking pale.

“Gavin?” Freelancer stood up. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Turn on the news.” Everyone looked at each other. “Now.”

Chapter Text

Geordi took a deep breath. He was nervous. Really nervous. It made sense. I mean, he hadn’t heard from Cutie for months after the fall of D.U.M.P and now he had finally tracked them down to this club owned by someone named…Morgan? Irrelevant information. It was only thanks to Guy and Honey that he was able to find them anyway.

He took a deep breath, pulling his hat down before approaching the building.

“Un Esprit.” He murmured, gazing up at the glowing neon sign. He stepped forward before a hand stopped him. 

“ID please.” Security. Geordi flinched at the cold tone used by the person in front of him. A silver bracelet slid out from under their sleeve. So they were a stealth. He swallowed thickly before handing it over.

Sweetheart looked at the ID and then back at him. Recognition flickered in their eyes before they were back to their professional mask. “Go on ahead. Have a nice evening.”

Geordi stepped through the double doors at the front of the club. There he was greeted by dim pinkish-red lighting and a human-unempowered-who directed him to a seat. “The performance will start soon!” They glanced at their watch. “Elliott! Will you help me set up?” A man from the other side of the room called back, “Sure thing, Sunshine!” They smiled brightly before disappearing behind the stage with him.

He sat there anxiously for a few moments. What now? His thoughts were interrupted by a slightly monotone voice. “Good evening, welcome to Un Esprit, how can I serve…Geordi? What are you doing here?” He looked up and made direct eye contact with Guy’s partner. 

He froze.

“Oh, um, I’m just-” They held out a hand. “Hold that thought. GUY !”

In an instant, the pizza delivery boy spun over to their side. “What is it, Honey?” He said with a cheeky grin. “What is Geordi doing here?” They asked through gritted teeth. Guy wilted slightly.

“You didn’t tell me you were coming tonight!” Guy groaned. “Well, I didn’t know-” “Just forget it,” Honey interrupted. “It was bound to happen anyway.” They sighed deeply. “I have to let Sunshine know. And I’m sure the Seer already knows.” They disappeared with a huff, but not before telling Guy to handle his order.

Geordi glanced around while he waited for his drink. Aside from Guy and Honey, there only seemed to be two other staff members tonight. A bartender, a demon by the looks of his pink bracelet, with the name Avior printed on his vest, and a waiter donning an orange bracelet. A freelancer.

There were other people there that night. 

Two unempowered humans chatting with a dreamwalker-Elliott was what the other unempowered called him. 

A group of shifters sitting at the back table along with two unempowered humans and two vampires.

Four elementals and a demon.

And some other magic and non-magic users scattered throughout the crowd. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Geordi spots the stealth come inside and go sit with the table of shifters, leaning on one of the shorter ones. He presses an affectionate kiss to their head and continues his conversations with the others.

Geordi seemed to be the only one alone that night.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and a spotlight shone on stage.

There, emerging in glittery clothes, was Cutie.

His Cutie.

They picked up a mic.

“Good evening. I’m sure you’re all here for a wicked good time,” They intoned into the mic. “I know I am.”

The crowd chuckled. 

“Tonight, we will be entertained by many. Our first act will be a lovely little song based on the broken dreams and shattered souls of the night, performed by Elliott, our resident dreamwalker.” They pointed to the side and the spotlight moved to him and he waved, revealing his purple bracelet.

“Followed by a lovely little show by Starlight,” They pointed to the bar where another Freelancer was chatting with the bartender.

“Then another song, this time with a dance by Lovely,” In the back, a vampire flashed a bright smile, a gold band stacked on top of their red one. An elemental too?

“And then the night will end with a crowd reading by yours truly, and our very own Seer Obscura. And before you get excited- not Morgan.”

Some of the people in the crowd chuckled.

Geordi took a deep breath. 

He was in for a wild night.

Chapter Text

Asset looked around for a moment before facing him.

“Take my memory card.”

He looked up at them again. “What?”

“Take my memory card.” They repeat. “Or at least make a copy. That way, if they shut me down, you will at least have a way to put my memories somewhere else. Maybe you could make me again. Somehow.”

A glimmer of their old personality shone in their eyes. James swallowed thickly. “Okay…okay. We can-we can do that. ”

…..

James was glad he had stowed the memory card away.

3 days after the full release of D.U.M.P’s documents, the base was stormed by special forces. James had to watch as they forced Asset to their knees and ripped out their wires. 

All that work, down the drain.

All the efforts, down the drain.

An entire person , down the drain.

It took everything inside of him not to lose it on them all at once. To give them a real reason to fear empowereds.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Anton squeeze his eyes shut.

They tore everything apart, searched everyone on the compound, and took the most important things for “evidence.”

Evidence of what, he still isn’t sure.

By the end of the day, most everyone was taken into government custody. Some were lucky enough to slip away, but as far as unempowereds go, not so much. They were sent home once they realized we were only working under our former government’s orders.

James had never been so glad to see his partner.

——

After what had happened hit the news, it wasn’t shocking when people he had known from his everyday life started giving him the cold shoulder. Even more so when the green band was shackled to his wrist. 

He’d been disappointed when people he thought were friends stopped speaking to him as well. 

After the media circus died down, James tried to regain some semblance of a normal life, but if he was being honest?

He was bored.

He needed something, anything to keep him occupied.

And he still had no idea what to do with Asset’s memories.

It was a blessing in disguise Morgan called him.

“Hello?”

“Hello. Is this James?”

James raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. Who’s asking?”

“Forgive me. My name is Morgan. I have a business proposal for you.”

James grew quiet for a moment. 

“What kind of business?”

——

After some long discussions with his partner, James agreed to meet with the Seer Obscura.

He called his club, ‘Un Esprit.’

One Mind.

James leaned against the bar, Morgan seated beside him.

“So, what’s the purpose of all of this? I’m guessing you didn’t just recruit the former head of Project Meridian for your club just for shits and giggles.”

Morgan chucked.

“You’re a sharp one, hm?”

The other man shrugged. “Have to be to run an entire compound like that. Now cut to the chase

Morgan took a deep breath. 

“I have a use for you. And that memory card of yours.”

James turned his head so fast Morgan swore he had whiplash.

“How do you know about that?” His voice was hard. Defensive.

Morgan poured himself a drink.

“Money buys a lot of things, Mr. James. Information happens to be one of them.”

James flexed his fingers. He didn’t like that Morgan knew about this at all. He inhaled sharply.

“What do you want with me?”

Morgan sipped from his glass.

“All in due time, Mr. James. All in due time. That is, if you agree to work with me. You’d be the head of management of my club should you accept.”

James squeezed his eyes shut.

“If I agree to help you, will you help Asset?”

Morgan smiled. “Of course. Their assistance is needed as well.”

James sighed. “Fine.” He turned around and poured a drink for himself. “I’m guessing I’m not the only one who’s being recruited.” 

Morgan chuckled. “No. I have people working on getting others right now.”

James took a swig from his glass. “People like the other Seer Obscura?”

Morgan’s eyes flicked to James. “How did you-”

“Power tends to buy a lot too.”

Morgan stared at him for a moment before chuckling. “I think this will be an interesting partnership, James.”

The telepath sighed. “I’ll drink to that.” 

He downed the entire glass in one go.

Yes, an interesting partnership indeed.

Chapter Text

Cutie groaned softly as their phone buzzed incessantly. They blindly felt around their sheets and blankets for the device as they tried to pull themself from their slumber. 

“Hello?” They rasped.

“Cutie, is it?” 

They rubbed at their eyes. “Yeah? Who’s asking?” They glanced over at their alarm clock. “…at 7 am.” They grumbled.

“My name is…well, that’s not important. What you do need to know is that I have a job opportunity for you.”

Cutie fully sat up in bed. “How do you know I even need a job?”

“We know a lot about you. Like, for example, how you’re a former employee of the department, you’re a telepath, and you have a unempowered partner. Or…”

She trailed off.

“ Did .” 

Cutie gripped their sheets.

“What do you know about Geordi?”

The woman on the other line let out a small laugh. 

“Did I hit a nerve?”

“You have really shitty recruiting skills.”

She cleared her throat. “Right. Well, if you choose to take this job, you won’t have to deal with me, so…”

Cutie sighs. “What does this job entail?”

“You’d have to talk to my boss about that.”

Cutie leans back into their pillows.

“Oh, what the hell. As long as I’m not like, killing people or dealing drugs, or anything insane like that. Who do I have to talk to?”

“I’ll transfer you to Morgan’s little trainee. They’ll tell you what you need to know. ”

——-

Cutie looked at the address they had written down. “This must be it.” They muttered.

Un Esprit.

“I have no clue what that means.” They shrugged and went inside.

Pushing open the doors, they were a little surprised to be met with what looks like a nightclub.

There was a bar to the right and a huge stage in the front with a bunch of tables scattered about. Cutie looked around for a moment before a voice interrupted their thoughts.

“You were hard to track down, you know.” They whipped their head around. Standing there was a tall man in a white button up and black slacks. On his left hand, a gold wedding ring gleamed in the dim lighting. He adjusted his red tie and stepped forward.

“I like it that way.” They said defensively.

The man chuckled. “James. You must be Cutie.” He held out his hand.

They shook it, although hesitantly. “You’re not Morgan. The girl on the phone said I’d be talking to him and his trainee.” James rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively. “Ignore Sandy. I don’t even know why Morgan keeps her around. He’s a little too nice for his own good.”

Cutie scoffs as they pull their hand away. “Maybe it’s for her excellent people skills.”

James let out a dry laugh. “You’d think for an empath she’d be better with people.”

Cutie stared at him for a moment before looking around again. “So…what am I doing here?”

James chuckled. “We think you’ll be a unique asset to our cause.”

Cutie eyed him wearily. “How so?”

He sighed. “You have a background with the department, experience with the unempowered, and…” His eyes slid over to their wrist. “You’re a telepath like me.”

They shrugged. “So what, that makes me special?”

He laughed. “In a sense, yes. You have a unique set of skills that will be helpful to our objectives.”

“What kind of objectives?”

James smirked.

“To fix the meridian, of course.”

——

Cutie put their drink down. “You’re insane.”

James shrugged. “It’s what I was doing before the fall of the Department, and it’s what I will be doing after.”

“And you want… my help.” They said dryly.

James nodded. 

Cutie shrugged, downing the rest of the drink. “Why not.” They sighed. “Is that all?”

James pursed his lips. “Well,” he started, pulling out a business card. “We were hoping to recruit your partner too. Obviously, he’s harder to find, being unempowered and all but-”

“No.”

James stops, eyes widening. “No?”

“No.” Cutie repeats, more firm.

“I thought he was your partner. Wouldn’t you want him to know what you’re planning on-”

“I said no.”

James blinked. “Fine. I’ll back off.”

They pinched the bridge of their nose, shutting their eyes. “Look, I’ve already brought enough shit into Geordi’s life already. I don’t need to bother him with this too.” They open their eyes again. “Besides,” They gesture vaguely. “Things are…complicated right now.”

James frowned. “Fine. But if he does come to find out what’s going on around here, I can’t be the one to turn him away since he’s on the recruitment list. It’ll have to be you.”

They clenched their jaw. “Fine.”

James stood up. “Oh wait, one more thing.”

Cutie glared. “ What.”

“How rusty are your powers?”

Chapter Text

The first sign that something was wrong was when Honey came home.

The door slammed shut and then there was silence.

Honey didn’t usually slam the door, and he was also usually greeted with a ‘Guy, I’m home!’ 

The next sign was when they stormed past the living room, not so much as giving Guy a second look. 

He furrowed his brow. 

The bedroom door slammed shut. Guy paused his game.

Okay, there was definitely something wrong.

Slowly, he approached the closed door. He tentatively raised his hand to knock. “Honey? Is everything okay in there?”

Silence.

“Honey?” His hand came to rest on the doorknob as he slowly pushed the door open.

There, sitting in a ball on the bed was his Honey, soft sobs coming from their lips.

“Go away, Guy.” They mumbled.

Guy bit his lip. He didn’t want to leave them alone if they were upset like this. Especially if they were crying. But if they needed space…

“Is that what you really want?” He asked softly, coming to sit beside them on the bed.

“No.” They said quietly.

He let out a soft breath and brought them into his chest. “What happened at work today, baby?”

They clung to him and sniffled. “I got fired.”

Guy jolted in shock and pulled away slightly to look at them. “What? Why?”

Wordlessly, Honey raised their wrist and showed the black band resting against their skin.

“Oh.”

They sniffled. “Yeah. Oh. ”

Guy shook his head. “But I don’t understand. Why would they-”

Honey shook their head. “They said um, they said that most people wouldn’t be comfortable with a shifter as their lawyer. That it would-it would make the firm look bad to have someone like me as one of their highest paid employees.” They said bitterly.

Guy’s eyes widened. “What? That’s just- that’s just outright bigotry, Honey! They can’t just- they can’t just do that-”

“Oh, yes they can.” They assured. “People are terrified, Guy. They-they think I’ll go savage on them or something. Mothers pull their children closer when they see me in the grocery store. Old people cross the street to avoid being on the same side as me.”

They curled in on themself again. “They were right to fire me. No one would hire me after finding out that I’m a shifter anyway.”

“Bullshit!” 

Honey raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Guy shook his head. “That’s utter B.S! I mean, I heard Shaw Security is still up and running, and they still get good business, despite it being fully composed of shifters!” 

“But Guy-”

“No! No buts! They were just being assholes and-and prejudiced towards you! I for one would love to have a bear defending me in the courtroom!” 

Honey snorted out a small laugh. “Thank you, Guy.” They sighed and leaned their head on Guy’s chest. “What am I gonna do now though? I worked so hard for that degree and-”

They were silenced by Guy shushing them. “We’ll figure it out later, okay? You had a really rough day today. How about we just order pizza and watch a movie, hm? Does that sound good, Honey?” 

They sighed. 

“Yeah. That sounds good.”

—-

Guy was laying on his back, Honey sprawled across his body with a blanket haphazardly strewn over them. They were both dead asleep as the end credits of whatever movie they had playing scrolled on TV and a half eaten box of pizza sat on the coffee table. 

Their sleep was rudely disrupted by the ringing of Honey’s phone. 

The sound jolted them awake and Honey tumbled to the floor, taking the blanket with them.

“Just let it ring, Honey.” Guy groaned as he buried his face into the couch cushion. 

Honey reached for their phone dazedly, grasping at the table before finally picking it up. Their eyes widened when they saw who it was.

“Shit.”

Guy lifted his head up. “What? Who is it?”

“It’s-it’s Cutie. ”

That almost sent Guy collapsing onto the floor too.

“ Cutie? Haven’t they been AWOL for like…months?”

Honey nodded before hitting ‘answer.’

“Hey.”

“Where the hell have you been?” They asked, fuming.

Cutie chuckled on the other line.

“It’s nice to hear from you too, Honey.”

“Why are you calling suddenly after no word for months? Do you know how worried I was? How worried Geordi was?”

At the mention of Geordi, Cutie falls silent.

“…Look. I have my reasons, okay?”

Honey scoffed. “Do they happen to start with ‘c’ and end with ‘-oward?’”

“I didn’t call you to argue with you.”

“Then why did you call me?”

They heard Cutie sigh on the other line. “I got a job at this new place. I think you should check it out. I already sent you the info.”

Honey scowled. “So you call me for the first time in months, to what, recruit me into some shady ass cult or something?”

“What? No. What do you think this is, Closeknit?”

They sighed. “You’re lucky I got fired today, Cutie.”

“That doesn’t sound very lucky.”

“Do you really want to start with me right now?”

“No. Sorry.”

Honey sighed again. “It’s fine. I’ll check it out, or whatever.”

They could hear the smile in Cutie’s voice when they responded. “Okay. Cool.”

“Is there anything else?”

A pause.

“…How’s Geordi been doing?”

Honey glances at Guy, who’s been diligently pretending he hasn’t been listening to the entire conversation. He grimaces.

Honey frowns. “He…could be doing better.”

A sigh could be heard from the other line.

“Right. Of course. Well…if you decide to work there or something, call me. I promise I’ll pick up this time.”

Honey’s frown turns into a scowl once again. “Yeah. Whatever.”

“Okay. I have to go now. I’ll text you.”

“Okay.”

“And Honey?”

“What?”

“I missed you too.”

“What-”

Beep. Beep.

Honey huffs and tosses their phone onto the table. They crawl back onto the couch with Guy. He just holds them for a few moments in silence before they say, “Is Geordi really doing that bad?”

Guy hesitates. “It’s…like you said. He could be better. Angel’s been trying to get him out and stuff, but there’s only so much they can do since they’re dealing with the backlash of everyone on their side too.”

Honey nods. 

“Do you think I should check out that place?”

Guy smiles. “Of course! Help wanted, Honey!” His smile turns mischievous. “Now uh, how about you help me to the bedroom, hm?”

They give him a blank stare. “I regret asking.”

“Oh, c’mon Honey, it’ll be- oh! No! Stop! Ow! You’re so mean!”

Chapter Text

You have 9 unopened voicemails from “Geordi <3”

“Hey, Cutie. I um, made it to my sister’s. I just wanted to let you know that I got over in one piece. I’ll text you later, okay? Bye.”

Beep.

“Hey. It’s been a few weeks. You stopped responding to my texts. Is everything okay? Honey said that you’ve been going to therapy so…that’s good. I’m just worried. Did I do something wrong? Give me a call back.”

Beep.

“Hey, Cutie. I’m a little worried. Honey and Guy said you stopped responding to them too. I just…want you to be okay. Call me back. Please. I love you.”

Beep.

“It’s been a few months. Still haven’t heard anything from you. Are you ghosting me or something? I’d just rather you tell me outright. I can’t go on like this. It isn’t fair.”

Beep.

“Cutie? Are you okay? I-I’m sorry I missed your call. I, uh…I saw the news and-and- god. What-what happened? Please tell me you’re okay. I’d give anything to know that you’re okay.”

Beep.

“Please answer your phone. I’m so worried for you. I’m so scared. I don’t even- I don’t even know what’s going on and you’re just…please call me back. Please.”

Beep.

“I miss you. It’s been awhile since I’ve heard from you. I just want to know if you’re okay. Sometimes I call you just to hear your voice over your little voicemail message. It’s been so long since I’ve actually heard your voice. And the last time I did…I just-I love you. If you’re okay…just let me know somehow. Some way.”

Beep.

“Hey. You called Honey. That’s great! That means you’re alive. But it also means you’re ignoring me. Not so great. Does that make me an obsessive creep now? I’m obviously trying to contact you but it just seems like you want to be left alone. But then Guy said you asked how I was doing. I’m so confused, Cutie. I wish you would just tell me what’s going on. I’d understand. You know I’ll always try to understand.”

Beep.

“What’s Un Esprit?”

Beep.

Chapter Text

Milo woke to an empty bed.

This wasn’t entirely shocking to him, especially since Sweetheart had a tendency to be a night owl, but what disturbed him were the cold sheets.

They were never usually out of bed for long.

Letting out a loud sigh, he groaned and rolled out of bed.

“Sweetheart? You out here?” He called, his voice scratchy as he entered the living room.

His eyes widened as he took in the space around him. 

There was his Sweetheart, bent over piles of documents and reports on the coffee table, scribbling notes on a yellow notepad. The floor was littered with paper balls and photographs. Milo rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

“Sweetheart?” He repeated. They looked up, seemingly snapped out of whatever trance they were in. “Milo? What are you doing up? It’s almost…” They glanced at the clock on the wall. “…3 am. Apparently.” 

It seemed they had no idea how long they’d been awake.

Milo shook his head. “I could be askin’ you the same thing. What are you doing out here, baby?”

They looked down at the mess of paper under their hands. “I um, couldn’t sleep. So I decided to be productive instead.” 

Milo walked over, still struggling to wake up enough to comprehend what he was looking at. “What…”

The notes that his mate had written down were barely coherent at best. Spread out on the table seemed to be leftover documents from D.U.M.P and articles. The photographs were a bunch of people that he didn’t recognize and random billboards and posters.

Milo continued to scan the pile until his eyes caught on an article. “Closeknit? Sweetheart, what are you doing out here?”

Sweetheart’s eyes widened. They sighed. “I…I’ve been trying to figure out what caused the document leak at D.U.M.P.” 

Milo blinked. “ What? And-and you think Closeknit had something to do with it?”

Sweetheart snatched up the document that Milo was looking at. “Look, just-just listen. ”

“Every since the Department collapsed, Closeknit has been pushing more and more of their ads and propaganda into empowered spaces. I’ve even heard from David’s mate that it’s in some un empowered spaces.”

They gesture to a photograph on the table showing a billboard with Closeknit plastered on the front.

“Closeknit is exactly the kind of group that would benefit from this sort of thing. Just like after the Inversion, they’re blaming the Department for everything and reaping the benefits!”

Milo shook his head. “What-”

“Not to mention the fact that they’d have general unempowered support! While most of them are wary of empowered people, they tolerate most of us, except for those of us that feed . And who does Closeknit target? Demons!”

Milo held out his hand. “Sweetheart, I think-”

“The general public is terrified of Demons and Daemons, with an ‘a’, and that’s because of the religious depictions of them! So who better to back up than the very group that seeks to get rid of them?”

“Sweetheart!”

They pause in their ramble to look at their boyfriend. “Yes?”

Milo sighs. “It’s late. Why don’t you come to bed?” 

Sweetheart shakes their head. “No, no. I’m onto something out here-”

“Sweetheart, this looks like the makings of a conspiracy theorist! Now, you have good points but-”

“ But, this is important! If I can just figure out what happened-”

“It’s 3 am! The Department will still be gone in the morning.”

With that, Sweetheart froze. They visibly wilted.

“I know that.” They say quietly. “I know.”

Milo reaches for his mate. “What’s the matter, huh? Why are you out here?” He asks softly.

They sigh and lean their head on his shoulder. “I…I worked so hard for my position in the Department. I practically worked myself to the bone every day. And now…”

They let out a bitter laugh, tears stinging their eyes. They gesture to the scattered paper covering their living room. “This is all I have to show for it! Everything I worked for my whole life, gone in an instant.” 

Sweetheart pulls away a little, blinking back tears. “If-if I’m not even going to have a job for the time being, I might as well do something productive. If I can figure out what happened…” They wrap their arms around themself. “Maybe we can…we can figure out a way to bring some sense of normalcy back. Or at least have closure.”

Milo wraps his mate up in his arms. “I understand that this is hard for you, Sweetheart. The Department was practically your life! But running yourself ragged isn’t going to bring it back.”

“It’s all I know how to do.” They whisper against his shoulder.

“It’s time to unlearn.” He says while rubbing their back. 

Milo stays silent, rocking his mate back and forth as they crumble in his arms, his shoulder becoming damp with their tears.

——

The next morning, Milo let them both sleep in. He texted David the night before to let him know he’d be going into work late.

Sunlight peeled through the blinds. Sweetheart groaned and pulled the covers over their head. “It’s too early.”

Milo chuckled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “It’s 11 am, Sweetheart. It’s almost noon.”

“What?” Sweetheart sat up, fully alert. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

He shrugged. “We were up late. I figured a late morning couldn’t hurt.”

They bit their lip. “That’s really sweet of you, Milo. You didn’t have to do that.” They say softly.

Milo presses a kiss to his mate’s forehead. “You needed it, baby.”

They laid in bed for another hour before Milo insisted that he get up to make them lunch and get ready for work.

While he was brushing his teeth, his phone went off.

Angel 

hey!

Milo raised an eyebrow but typed back a response.

Milo !!!

Hi?

Angel

so i know this is random, but i heard your mate is struggling bc of everything with the department D:

sooo i reached out to a few people and it turns out that my brother’s partner recently got a job at this new club that is 100000000% empowered friendly and they’re in need of a security guard/bouncer whatever you wanna call it

and i just thought that sweetheart might wanna take a look at it? maybe?

Milo’s eyes widened.

Milo !!!

Yes! 

That’s sounds great. 

Send me the info?

Angel

https://www.unespritemployment.org

Milo smiled. 

“Hey, Sweetheart? What do you think of running your own security gig?”

Chapter Text

Gavin wasn’t typically a worrier. He usually left that to Lasko.

But nothing was more worrying than watching his Deviant spiral like this.

He watched them pace back and forth in their living room. The others left hours ago to call loved ones and to see if they heard anything from D.A.M.N. They had nearly bitten their nails down to stubs, something they had long since given up after they met him.

“Deviant, you’re going to wear a hole into the carpet.”

They paused and turned to face him. “I just- I don’t- what is going on?”

Gavin only sighed and opened his arms. They were quick to bury themself in his embrace.

He rubbed their back. “I don’t know.” He murmured in their ear. “I don’t know.”

They were trembling. “Gavin, I’m scared.” He frowns. He can feel their knots, growing tighter and tighter. “It’ll be fine.” He whispered, not knowing if his words have any truth.

——

Freelancer squinted at their orange bracelet as they held it up to the sunlight, the gold one residing right under. They glanced at their friends’ wrists too. Most of them brandished a gold one as well, for elemental magic, but Gavin’s was pink. For demons. They let out a loud sigh.

“At least they’re pretty.” 

Damien snorted. “Of course that’s what you’re focused on.”

Huxley frowned. “Aw, c’mon. Don’t be like that Dames. They’re just trying to find a silver lining.”

The fire elemental crossed his arms indignantly. “I don’t see how practically branding us has a silver lining.”

Gavin heaves out a deep sigh. “For once, I’m going to have to agree with Damien on this one. These aren’t really…my type of bracelets.”

Lasko blinks. “Wh-what is your type of bracelet?”

“Don’t answer that.” Damien cuts in before Gavin can even open his mouth.

The incubus smirks. “Don’t be so boring, Damien.”

Huxley lets out a small chuckle while in the background, you can hear a small “I’m so confused.” from Lasko.

Freelancer smiles. 

‘The more things change, the more they stay the same.’

——

“Did you hear? They’re letting that school stay open.” 

Freelancer stood in line, waiting for coffee. 

“What? The magic one?”

They blinked. Are they talking about D.A.M.N.?

“Yeah! Isn’t that crazy? To think , they’re still going to let those people learn how to use their powers.”

Oh.

“Yeah! Like, what if they turn against us or something. We weren’t all born with the ability to set things on fire and shock things, you know? They make me feel unsafe.”

Freelancer tugs the long sleeve of their sweater down, suddenly feeling like the bright orange metal on their wrist wasn’t so pretty anymore.

Maybe Damien was right.

Maybe it was a brand.

——

Freelancer woke to their phone ringing at 3 am. Gavin groaned from beside them.

“Ignore it.”

Against their boyfriend’s wishes, they reached for their phone, checking the caller ID.

“It’s Huxley,” they murmured in a raspy voice. “I have to answer.”

Gavin grumbled for a few moments before submitting to his partner’s will.

They hit answer.

“Hello?” 

“Hey, Freelancer! Are you awake?”

Huxley’s enthusiastic voice trilled from the other line.

“I am now.” They said sleepily.

“Awesome. Anyway, me and Dames got a call from an old friend—turns out they’re a vampire now, crazy huh?”

“Wait, what-”

“Anyway! They told us about this suuuuper cool club that’s one thousand percent empowered friendly and I was wondering if you and Gavin wanted to check it out with us. Lasko already said yes.”

Freelancer blinked. They rubbed at their eyes blearily.

“I mean. Sure. I’d have to talk to Gavin when he’s more coherent but-”

“Awesome! See you tomorrow night?”

Freelancer blinked again.

“…sure.”

“Cool. Bye!”

The phone beeped, signalling the end of the call and Freelancer flopped back down on the bed.

That was weird.

Chapter Text

Huxley was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement while Damien tiredly sipped on a cup of coffee next to him. 

“I don’t understand why you had to wake everyone at 3 am last night to do this.” He mumbles. 

Huxley seemed to somehow get brighter. “Because that’s when Lovely called! I had to make sure that everyone knew as soon as possible!” 

Damien sighed, seemly resigned as he took another sip of his coffee.

“…it’s 5 o’clock in the afternoon, how are you still tired?” Damien nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice in his ear.

There stood Freelancer with Gavin just behind. Lasko was rapidly approaching as well.

Damien got his bearings before shaking his head. “You try convincing Huxley to go back to sleep after he gets excited.”

They paused. “Fair enough.” 

Lasko finally caught up, seemingly out of breath. “I…sorry…parking…down the street…” 

Gavin frowned. “Why didn’t you just park in the parking lot?” Damien narrowed his eyes. “In this part of town? I’d like to keep my tires, thanks.”

Gavin gave him a playful smile. “Don’t be so harsh, Damien.” 

Damien’s jaw clenches. “Not in the mood.” Huxley laughs. “C’mon, Dames. We’re here for a good time.”

——

The main room was generally empty, save for a pair of vampires flitting around the room and 2 men in business attire whispering in a corner. 

One of the vampires broke away and dashed to Damien and Huxley. “Damien! Hux! How are you?”

Huxley grinned brightly. “Hey, you! How are you?” 

They brightened. “I’m good!” They peeked around the earth elemental. “Who’s with you?”

Damien tiredly introduced each individual. “Lasko, Gavin, and the Freelancer.” Lasko gave a timid wave while Freelancer smiled. “Nice to meet you!” Gavin grinned, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Nice to meet you, indeed.” 

As if an alarm went off, another vampire was at their side in an instant. Lovely perked up. “Oh! I’m so sorry. I’m Lovely, and this is my boyfriend, Vincent.”

He waved, his sleeve rolling down to reveal his red bracelet. “Nice to meet you all.”

Freelancer’s eyes widened. “Wait, are you both vampires?” 

Vincent shifted uneasily. “Yes…” Freelancer gasped. “Ohmigosh, I’ve never met a real one before! I have so many questions.” Vincent looked at Damien questioningly. “Freelancer is humanborn.” 

Vincent smiles. “Oh. Lovely was a latent electro elemental before turning.” Freelancer’s eyes got even bigger. “What?! That’s so rare!” 

Lovely’s face reciprocated their excitement. “Wait, you’re new to all this too?” The pair eventually broke off from the group, babbling to each other about being relatively new to empowered life.

Vincent sighed before turning to the remaining four. “Why don’t you check out the bar? Most of the staff doesn’t get here until 6, but Lovely wanted you guys to come early.”

Lasko tilted his head in confusion. “What? B-but we don’t even-”

“I asked them to do that.”

All four of their heads whipped around to see one of the men break away from the intense conversation he was holding with the other. He held out a hand. “Morgan. I own this place.”

Damien shook his hand tentatively. “Damien. And this is Lasko, Gavin, and Huxley.” He said, gesturing to each respective person.

The other man approaches. “I’m James. Morgan’s…associate.” He said, his eyes scanning all four of them. He cleared his throat. “I wanted to speak with a few of you.”

——

Freelancer was uncomfortable. They didn’t understand why: a.) this random man was pulling them away from a perfectly good conversation, b.) only Gavin and Lasko were allowed to be in his office with them, or c.) why he even wanted to talk to them in the first place.

They glanced over at Gavin and Lasko.

To the left of them sat Gavin. He sat comfortably in his chair, however, they could see that his usual cool demeanor was slightly fractured. 

To the right, Lasko was practically vibrating in his seat. His eyes darted around the room while he periodically wiped his palms on the fabric of his pants. 

They sighed. “Lasko, it’s probably fine.”

The air elemental bites his lip. “Wh-why would he want to talk to us? What-what is so dif-dif-different about us that-that they had to separate us from-from Damien and-and-and-and- Huxley?”

“Worrying like that isn’t going to help anyone, Lasko.”

“B-but-”

“Glad to see you all.”

Lasko practically jolted out of his seat at the sound of James’ voice.

James raised an eyebrow but said nothing. 

“What do you want with us?” Gavin questions lowly. 

James sighs and sits down across from the three other magic users.

“I have some questions for you three,” he says, pulling a file out of his desk. He tosses it in front of him and the photographs that spill out make Freelancer’s blood run cold.

“…about the Inversion.”

——

“No, this is weird, Huxley.” Damien says harshly.

The taller man frowns at his boyfriend. “Try not to stress too much, Dames. I don’t think anything will happen. Lovely wouldn’t bring us here to lure us into a trap,” He glances at them out of the corner of his eye. “…right?”

Lovely nods assuredly. “I promise, I didn’t know James was going to ambush them like that.” They place their hand on their chest, ignoring Vincent’s indignant ‘Hey!’ when they say, “I swear on Vincent’s immortal soul. It’ll be fine.”

Huxley turns back to Damien. “See? It’ll be okay.” Damien grumbles something under his breath, still not convinced.

However, his grumbling is interrupted by the front door of the club swinging open.

“God, I need a drink.” Damien flinches at the familiar voice. 

His head swivels around to take in the speaker, and yes, there, in all of their glory was, “…Smartass?”

“Damien?”

Chapter Text

Now, I’m sure you’re confused. Let’s rewind a little.

“Aaron, are you sure that’s what you want?” Smartass splayed their hands out in front of them. 

Aaron sighed deeply from where he was sitting at the foot of their bed. “Yes. If-If I can support Ell this way? Then yes.” Smartass sighed. 

“Can we even trust this guy? He just came out of nowhere.” They question softly. Aaron shook his head. “If Elliott says he’s a good guy, then I believe him.”

Smartass seemed to contemplate something before walking over and cupping his face in their hands. “Then fuck Vesta. You and I both know your resignation has been long overdue.” Aaron seemed to lean into their touch, pressing a kiss to the palm of their hand.

“Then I’ll call Morgan. And if all goes well, you’ll be looking at the next co-manager of Un Esprit.”

———

And now we’re back…

“Damien? What are you doing here?”

The fire elemental looked scandalized as he took in his ex. “Me? What are you doing here?” 

They placed their hands on their hips. “My boyfriend works here.” Damien shook his head. This was a lot.

Huxley seemed to suddenly materialize behind him. “Dames? Is everything okay, baby?” 

Smartass raised an eyebrow, crossing their arms. Damien sighed loudly. “Smartass, this is my boyfriend, Huxley.” He turned to the taller man beside him. He gestures weakly to the person across standing from them.

“Huxley, this is Smartass. My…ex.” 

Huxley blinked in shock before an uncomfortable mile graced his features. “Oh.” He laughed in discomfort. “It’s uh, nice to meet you.”

Smartass softened. “You too.” 

Suddenly, the door swings open again. “Smartass, did you get my—” Aaron stops mid-sentence, sensing the tension in the room. “..wallet.” He finishes awkwardly. 

He looks at his partner with a question in his eyes. They sigh. “This is Damien.” They say simply. 

Understanding crosses his face. “Right. The…fire elemental.” He says, seeming uncertain.

Aaron looks Damien over suspiciously, but once he notices his close proximity to the earth elemental behind him, he relaxes.

He holds out a hand. “I’m Aaron. Smartass’ boyfriend.” Damien shakes it. “I’m the ex.” He says dryly. “But I assume you knew that.” Aaron pulls his hand away, a slight hint of annoyance prickling under his polite expression. “Yeah.”

Smartass clears their throat, breaking the clear tension in the room. “So…drinks?”

———

Lasko thought his heart was going to fall out of his ass.

His eyes scanned over the files on James’ desk, his pulse skyrocketing.

The pictures.

Pictures of him begging and pleading with D.U.M.P. officials to please, please, please just do something. 

Pictures taken from a distance of Freelancer wrapped around Gavin, tears in their eyes while his body strained.

Pictures of Damien and Huxley, looking tired and terrified. 

Pictures of the three of them, taken at different times of day, up close and at a distance.

Gavin was the first to speak. 

“What is this?” 

His voice was calm, but Lasko could hear the underlying tone of anger in his voice. Freelancer’s gaze remained fixated on the photographs.

James clasped his hands together. “We noticed that your little group—you three in specific—-had very influential roles during the Inversion.” His eyes scanned the trio in front of him.

“My associates and I think we should bring you in on our little project that we have going on here.”

Lasko’s eyes look up at James. “P-project? Wh-wh-wh-what kind of p-project?”

James smiled, though, it was strained. “What do you know about the current state of the meridian?”

———

“So, what, you just like to fight with people?” Huxley burst out.

Smartass had just recounted how they’d met Damien because they went to the same high school and constantly competed for the best grades, while when they worked with Aaron, they were always at each other’s throats.

Damien started choking and Aaron nearly spit out his drink.

Smartass arches a brow. “I guess you could say that.”

Huxley rubs Damien’s back as he gets his bearings. “That’s an understatement.” He says raspily. 

Aaron snorts.

“I don’t need the two of you ganging up on me.” They protest.

Damien opens his mouth to respond when the door to James’ door bursts open, revealing a very flustered Freelancer, a stoic Gavin, and a rattled looking Lasko.

“No, no, no. No thank you!” Freelancer announces as they stomp out of the room. 

“F-freelancer-” Lasko starts. “Nope! We can talk about it later, Lasko!” They say, cutting him off.

James emerges, looking tired. 

“Damien, Huxley, we’re leaving!” Freelancer announces before walking out the door, not even waiting for anyone. Gavin gives them all a silent look.

‘We should probably go.’

The earth and fire elementals exchange looks before deciding to bid their newfound friends goodbye. 

Damien turns to Lasko. “What happened?”

He simply shakes his head, following Gavin to where Freelancer had gone.

What the fuck just happened?