Chapter Text
J Daniel Atlas stared at the wall of cereal boxes like it was a personal affront to him. He wishes in this moment, and yes, he is aware of the irony, that he could literally just vanish from this stupid supermarket aisle and never have to wander in here again.
This is his third trip in just as many days, and also his third time wondering why Charlie or June couldn’t get off their asses and go instead. Bosco was on house arrest after their most recent ‘heist-go-bad’, so he gets a pass, but for some reason, one of their team being down meant the other two had to stay home with him too.
(If he’s being honest, he doesn’t blame them. Atlas remembers the fear he felt when Bosco separated from them, remembers the fear of hearing a gunshot go off and not knowing if Bosco had made it or not. Remembers the shock and relief of finding him afterward, alive but injured, and he remembers every groan of pain he made afterward. It’s seared into his brain now. So yes, he is annoyed with them for not leaving the apartment and for guilting him over FaceTime to go to the store himself and get them more cereal but of course he couldn’t say no. Not when that meant they would be home, that he would get another excuse to check in on them, to see for himself that Bosco was okay and healing. Not that he would tell them that. No, he was going to groan and complain and get pouty about having to go to the store for them again, but really, really, he felt good knowing that they chose him to call about it. That maybe, just maybe, they see him the same way he is already starting to see them… family.)
He’s so lost in his thoughts that he doesn’t even notice the lady beside him until she bumps his arm. “I always go with this one.” She says, showing him a box of something.
He tilts his head at her. “What?”
“When shopping for my kids,” she gestures to the cart with a baby in the seat and two little ones running around it, “they love this one, and it’s got half the sugar of the other junk. Perfect mix.”
“Oh, I uh…” He’s not sure how to correct her, so instead he just smiles. “Yeah, thanks. They’re always arguing about it at home.”
She laughs at him. “How many do you have?”
“Three.”
“Good luck.” She says sympathetically. “I got these three and one more at school. It’s a hassle.” They both turn and look at the cart, the children laughing loudly. “But you wouldn’t change it for the world, you know?”
She turns back to him, and Atlas realizes she’s looking for some sort of response. “Yeah,” he stutters, “yeah, no, I wouldn’t.”
-
The apartment they have is still incredibly inconvenient, especially considering they could literally afford to live anywhere, but Atlas has stopped complaining about it. He does, however, wish they would stop leaving the damn door unlocked. This is the second time in a row he’s been able to just walk right in here and even though he supposes with The Eye looking out for them they’re a little more safe here, but the worrier in him still wishes they would keep it locked.
As he steps into the apartment, he is greeted by a familiar sight. Bosco, lounging on the couch with pajama bottoms and a ratty t-shirt and Charlie in a sweatshirt and jeans, the two playing the Switch aggressively. Atlas has lost count of how many times he’s told Bosco to take it easy, that he shouldn’t be moving around so much with twelve stitches in his side and a healing army of bruises on his torso, but as per usual, Bosco ignores him.
“He’s back!” June yells as she walks in front of them, gripping Atlas in a hug while reaching around and grabbing the box in the other.
Atlas was still getting used to how tactile June was. He wasn’t even sure she realized she was doing it, but if there were other people in the room, June typically had some sort of physical contact with them. Atlas was very much so not a physical contact person, but over the months they’d known each other June was wearing him down.
June grabbed the box and held it up. “Ew.” She frowned. “This is organic.”
Atlas snatched the box away from her. “Which means it’s better for you.”
She followed behind him as he walked to the kitchen. “But also means it doesn’t taste as good.”
“If you don’t like my cereal choice, then you can go to the store and grab some yourself.”
She jerked her thumb over at Charlie and Bosco, “But then who would watch them?”
Atlas was about to speak, but then stopped. “You know I was going to make a comment about how they’re both grown adults that can watch over themselves, but then I remembered who I was talking about that.”
June gave a triumphant “humph!” as Bosco called out to them from the couch, “Uh, I resent that statement.”
Charlie paused the game and looked over at them. “We’re totally trustworthy.”
“And responsible,” Bosco added.
“That too.”
Atlas just looked at the two of them. “Need I remind the two of you what happened last Tuesday?”
Both boys frowned. Bosco held up a finger, “In my defense-”
June and Atlas both rounded him with a stern look. “No.” She said.
Charlie patted his leg. “Sorry, buddy.”
Bosco frowned. “Listen, one day you guys are going to have to let me out of the apartment. Look!” He lifted up his shirt. “The last of my stitches dissolved! I’m basically healed.”
Atlas walked over and inspected it. He was right; all that remained of the wound was the scar, a two-inch raised line on his hip. It was still red, puffy, and angry, but the bruises that used to mar his torso had also faded away so much that all that remained were little bits of brown and yellow splotches over some of the worst spots. His face was totally healed now as well, which meant that Atlas, June, and Merritt could at least look at him without feeling guilty.
Atlas’s eyes must have drifted up to his face because Bosco reached his hand up to place his chin on it and move his head left and right. “No bruises on the face, either. Thanks for that, by the way.” He threw that last part at June, who was now standing behind him.
She leaned down to his ear. “Don’t worry, I’m sure it won’t be the last time a girl knocks you out.” She said, kissing his cheek.
Bosco looked at Atlas, “Did you hear that? That sounded like a threat to me.” June blew a kiss at him, and his mouth dropped in faux surprise. “As the only person here who has been punched out by not one, not two, but three members of our team, I say we all have to be nice to me.”
“Well, to be fair,” Charlie adds unhelpfully, “only one of them actually punched you out. The other two just punched you.”
“Oh, wow, thank you.” Atlas backs away and crosses his arms as June smiles. “Sorry if I was slightly concerned about my teammate at the time and didn’t fully knock him out.”
“Teammate?” Bosco sputters. “Is that what I am to you?”
Atlas tilts his head. “Well… yes. Are you not a teammate?”
“I don’t know, I guess, but,” Bosco huffs, “but teammate just sounds so…”
“Unpersonal,” June adds at the same time Charlie says, “Demeaning.”
Bosco points at the two of them. “Yeah, that.”
Atlas holds his hands up. “Listen, sorry if ‘teammate’ was an unsatisfactory word choice.”
The three younger horsemen all looked at him. “And?” Prompted June.
“What do you mean ‘and’?”
“We just thought there would be an ‘and’ there.” Charlie shrugged.
“Yeah,” Bosco adds, “we thought you would tell us how much you love and value us.”
“Do you think,” he asks while holding up the box of cereal, “that I would constantly be running errands for you three if I wasn’t even slightly fond of you?”
June places her hands over her heart, “Aw, guys, did you hear that? He’s fond of us!”
Atlas pinches the bridge of his nose. “You know what? I’m going to take this box of cereal back to the store.”
“No!” Bosco yells sarcastically at the same time June goes, “Yeah, and grab the regular sugary stuff this time!”
Bosco’s laughs stop. “You didn’t get the sugary stuff?”
Of course, that’s what got his attention. “No,” Atlas deadpans, upset and wondering where he went wrong in his life to even be having this conversation right now, “I opted for a healthier option. There’s enough sugar here, anyway.”
“Atlas, I need sugar. How else am I going to get better enough to ever leave this place?”
June laughs and flops on the couch beside him. “I hate to break it to you, big guy.” She pats his knee, “but you’re on house arrest for the foreseeable future.”
Bosco groans and tilts his head back. “Why?” He groans.
Charlie looks at him. “Dude,” he says seriously, “you were shot.”
“Barely shot.” Bosco corrects.
June scoffs. “You could have been lightly shot, but as long as the word ‘shot’ is there, that means you’re on house arrest.”
Atlas knows that he is a world-famous illusionist and magician, but even he is having a hard time following the pace and change of the conversation.
“Look,” he says, gesturing at Bosco, “you will eventually leave the apartment again, but we just want to make sure that we are playing it safe here. Plus, there’s been no word from The Eye yet, so there’s no reason for you to-”
Atlas really should have learned by now to never say anything ever, because as soon as he mentions being out of the contact with the eye the elevator door opens (unlocked again, by the way) and Jack Wilder walks in the room, holding up a tarot card and yelling “Guess who I just heard from?!” and Atlas feels a migraine starting.
Following behind Jack are Lula and Merritt, and Atlas has to admit that he’s disappointed that Henley isn’t behind them. She’s officially apart of the team again, but this time she put special restrictions on what she would and wouldn’t do for The Eye.
“I can’t just leave the country without a moments notice, Danny.” She had told him. “For the big stuff, for the close to home stuff, and with enough heads up I can join you guys but…” He remembers the conflicted look in her face, “as much as I love this family I have another one waiting for me at home too.”
And he gets it. He really does. He didn’t ten years ago when he was young and brash and really only cared about himself and maybe his team, but now? Yeah, he gets it now.
So he doesn’t blame her, and he isn’t mad… but yeah, he’s just a little disappointed.
He tries not to let it show.
With the three new guests, June and Charlie jump off the couch and come over to them, Bosco following behind just a little slower.
The seven of them stand around the table, the same place they stood months ago when Dylan revealed that (surprise!) he wasn’t actually stuck in a Russian prison, rather that he was working deep undercover for The Eye. He had told them then that this was only the beginning, that The Eye was back and open for business.
Atlas was itching for more of an explanation. Once the excitement wore off, he was furious at the fact that Dylan had not only lied to him, but had also allowed them to split up for ten years. He found it hard not to go down a road of ‘what-ifs’, but for now he just decided to live with it until he can confront Dylan about it in person. He’s been down the road of questioning The Eye before and it didn’t go well, so he’ll settle for at least giving Dylan the chance to explain himself later.
In the end he supposes it did all work out, but again he wonders how much of that was The Eye versus how much of it was a twenty something year old’s fifteen year revenge plot, but hey, semantics.
Still, as far as Atlas was concerned, The Eye had some things to answer for.
Jack placed a manilla envelop on the table. “It comes with a projector and a note not to play it till we were all together.”
Atlas picks it up. “Are we sure it’s them?” He doesn’t disguise the look he gives Charlie.
Charlie places his hands up. “Hey, that was a one time deal! Promise. No more pretending to be The Eye.”
“It’s not you I’m worried about. You weren’t the only person to pretend to be The Eye by the way.”
Bosco narrows his eyes at him. “You mean to tell me that you guys are the greatest magicians in the world but you got fooled not once, but twice by people pretending to be The Eye?”
Merritt rounded on him, “Well in our defense, that first time was with the help of my evil twin brother.”
“You have an evil twin brother?” June blurts out.
Lula nodded, “The resemblance is uncanny too.”
Charlie scoffed. “Literally how has this never come up before?”
Atlas shook his head. “Can we focus, please? Jack, do you know if it’s legit or not.”
Jack shook his head. “I didn’t want to test it till we got here. We can play it now, though.”
Jack dumped out the contents of the envelope. The projector was tiny, nothing more than a small disk that Jack placed in the middle of the table. He pressed an almost invisible button on the side and it flicked to life, Dylan’s hologram appearing on the table before them.
“Horsemen!” He clasped his hands together. “You have no idea how good it is to be able to talk to you again.”
Jack smiled and nudged Merritt beside him, but Atlas still felt himself hesitant, held back from enthusiasm by the questions he had. Almost as if reading his mind, Dylan began talking again.
“Now, I know that I wasn’t exactly truthful with my whereabouts these past years, but there’s been a good reason for that. I’ve been working with The Eye to take down a seriously dangerous network of cybercriminals operating out of Eastern Europe, a group that I have been working with them to take down since my fake arrest.” Dylan looked around the room, despite the fact that he was still only a video recording. “We’ve pretty much got the case tied up with a neat little bow on our end, but there’s still one piece of the puzzle we need to solve before we can officially pull the plug on this operation. Please, take another look inside the manilla envelope.”
Atlas reached for it, and despite the fact that it was empty when he first looked at it, when he dumped it out on the table it contained more documents. Photographs and blueprints spilled out on the table.
“This is Andreena Milkova, the last lose thread we need cut before we can end this and I can come home. I believe she also has a connection to another Horseman.”
They all looked at the photos together. Without warning, Charlie grabbed one of the photos. “I know her!” He looked around at all of them. “She worked with Veronika.”
They all looked up at the Dylan hologram. “Milkova has been a close business associate with Veronika Vanderberg for many years now, and I would be lying if I said your recent adventure didn’t put a slight… pause in our plans. See, we were always planning on going after Veronika, but our plan was to topple this cybercrime network and start a domino that would knock down everyone in Mikova and Veronika’s networks. While we were,” Dylan pauses here as if looking for the right phrasing, “... thankful for the assist in taking Veronika Vanderberg down, it did cause us to scramble a bit.”
Charlie rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry guys.”
June reached a hand out to him. “Don’t apologize.”
“Yeah,” Bosco agreed, “it’s not our fault we beat them to it.”
Atlas smiled at them and on the screen, Dylan continued talking. “After our little genius Horseman Mr. Vanderberg,” Charlie couldn’t help but blush slightly at the call out, “threatened all of Veronika’s associates, Milkova went underground. We considered taking down the network without her, but Milkova has the accounts of every single American that purchased the network’s illegal services in the United States. If we were to move without her, we would have no idea who the network’s buyers are or what they intended on using their cyberweapons for, leaving a massive door open for some serious bad actors.”
Dylan paused. “Thankfully, that’s where you all come in. We want you to find Andreena Milkova, lure her out of hiding, get her to show you the list, then expose her. Once you guys do that, we’ll have everything we need on our end to shut down the network and all of its buyers. Now, this is a tight timeline you all will be working with, and we need to get you all on a flight to LA as soon as possible.”
They all looked at each other, almost all of them with matching smiles of anticipation at another job waiting for them.
“Atlas,” Dylan said, “reach into the manilla envelope and grab the phone.”
Lula looked confused. “But it’s empty…”
Merritt shushed her. “No, no. Never doubt The Eye.”
Atlas took the envelope and sure enough, a small flip phone fell out and started ringing. Atlas answered it and stepped aside. Dylan’s hologram smiled at them. “The rest of you, good luck.”
The blue light of the hologram quickly blinked out and the six of them turned towards Atlas. He was clearly on the phone with someone, pacing as they talked.
He appeared upset as he spoke to whoever was on the other end. “No, I get it.” He nodded his head a few times. “I completely agree.”
Charlie, June, and Bosco all looked at each other as he spoke, Merritt, Jack, and Lula looking just as confused as well.
Atlas stopped pacing. “No, I understand.” Atlas looked up and Bosco knew the second he made eye contact with him what the call was about. Atlas continued speaking as he kept eye contact with him. “No, I’ll tell him. Consider it handled. Right. See you then.”
He flipped the phone closed. “Uh…” He eyed Jack and Merritt. “That was Dylan.”
Jack was the first to speak. “What?” He stepped forward. “What did he have to say?”
Atlas paused and glanced at the phone in his hand. “He basically said that he knows we have lots of questions but that he’ll explain it all after we pull of this trick. In what I believe to be the understatement of the year he said, quote, ‘I know we might have somethings to discuss’.”
Merritt scoffed. “You bet your ass we do.”
“What else did he say?” Lula asked.
“He said there’s a car waiting outside to take us to the airport and everything we need is already in the car. Once we get on the plane he’ll call with more instructions.”
Jack and Merritt high fived each other. “We are so back!” Jack yelled. He took Lula’s hand and spun her. He grinned and hugged Merritt as well.
Charlie and June also looked excited, but Bosco stood beside them, staring at Atlas. Bosco spoke in what Atlas could tell was a very controlled tone. “He said I’m not coming didn’t he?”
All at once the celebrations stopped. Atlas sighed and looked at him. “He told me he knew that you had been hurt, and that The Eye would feel more comfortable if everyone involved was… was at their best and not a liability.”
Bosco scowled at him. “A liability? You think I’m a liability?”
“You were hurt, Bosco. You’re still healing and until you’re one hundred percent Dylan said it would be best if you sit this one out.”
“I’m healed. I’m good to go and you know it, Atlas. Dylan doesn’t know me, doesn’t know what I’m capable of.”
“Look, I am aware of that, but you’re still on the bench right now. I can understand why this might hurt your fragile ego but-”
Atlas immediately realized he said the wrong thing. June and Charlie both yelled “Hey!” at him and Bosco’s expression morphed into something else entirely. Jack and Lula both took steps back and Merritt stepped forward, placing his hand out between the two of them.
“Now hang on,” he said trying to calm down the situation, “I’m sure that Danny didn’t mean-”
Bosco interrupted him. “No, I want to hear what he meant.”
Atlas was having a hard time recognizing the look on Bosco’s face. There was definitely anger there, there was frustration too, but underneath it all Atlas could also see something else. Hurt. Insecurity. God, he didn’t want to be the reason that expression was on the kid’s face.
“Bosco,” he began, moving closer to him, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean that,” he wipes his hand over his face, “damn it I just mean that we can’t spend the whole time worried about you and worried about the trick.”
“I’m more than capable of doing my job just like everyone else, Atlas.”
Atlas mentally curses himself at his innability to communicate things. “I know that you’re capable, and I’m not worried about you doing your job, I’m just… what I’m trying to say is that… basically-”
Thankfully, June steps in for him. She turns to Bosco and grabs his hand. “We all know that you’re capable, but we would all be too worried about you to do anything right. Not because you’re not a great magician or whatever your stupid brain is telling you, but because you were just hurt really bad and we love you so much that we’re all still a little too shook up about it.”
Charlie comes forward and grabs his other hand. “Nobody is doubting your talent. We just need you to be safe. Say the word and we’ll stay too, either all of us or none of us.”
Charlie and Bosco look at June and she nods. Atlas sees his shot and takes it. “Bosco, trust me when I say that all this is is us being worried about you because we care about you. Give yourself time to heal and believe me when I say you will have hundreds more opportunities to run around and jump off buildings with us.”
“Come on, kiddo,” Merritt adds, “Give yourself a breather and join us on the next one.”
Bosco looks around at all of them and Atlas is relieved to see the hurt leave his face. Instead he sees it replaced by a determination, a steel resolve. “Okay.” He nods. He points at Atlas. “But I’m going on the next one.”
Atlas holds his hands up. “You have my word.”
Behind them all, a clap startles them. “Wow, guys! That was really touching! Seriously giving family bonding, I love it!” Lula beams at them, her hands clasped together. “My family was never like that.”
Jack smiles and places his hand on her shoulder. “Great timing, babe.”
Despite the trust they have in The Eye, there are still a few things they want to grab before heading off to the airport. Merrit, Jack, and Lula all commandeer the car waiting for them and complain to the driver until he agrees to take them back to their respective apartments and Charlie, June, and Atlas pack up stuff at the apartment.
Bosco sits on the barstool watching them, his arms crossed. “I still, for the record, think this is bullshit.”
“Trust me when I say,” Atlas says grabbing the contents of the manilla envelope and placing them back inside, “you have made that point known.”
Charlie walks up to Bosco. “Remember that the pizza place you like is closed on Sundays so if you want to get some food for tomorrow you should probably call them now.”
Bosco raises his eyebrows at him. “You know that I have lived alone before and survived before I knew you, right?”
June appears behind Charlie, “No offense, but I met you when you lived alone without us and you were a hot mess.”
Charlie nods his head. “Just do me a favor and humor me, okay?”
Bosco groans at them. “Yes, mom and dad.”
“I’ll keep my phone on me so you can message if there are any problems.” Charlie adds. At this point Bosco has his hand on his and June’s shoulders and is walking them towards the elevator.
“And remember to turn the alarm on at night.” June adds.
“Yes, I will do all that.” Bosco agrees.
Charlie turns to him. “Remember to take your medication in the morning and in-”
“Guys!” Bosco stops them and they turn to face him. “I will manage without you for a week. I promise.”
The two of them stare and him and then simultaneously wrap him in a hug. “You better.” June says in his ear.
Bosco pulls back. “Now go kick some ass.” He pushes them into the elevator. “And take pictures!” He adds.
As the doors close and it goes down he can still hear them on the other side. “Love you!” They both shout.
“Yeah, yeah, love you too!”
As soon as the doors close, Atlas watches Bosco take a deep sigh. The smile immediately leaves his face.
He turns around and jumps when he sees Atlas is still standing there. “Jesus Christ!” He yells. “Why are you just standing there?”
Atlas frowns. “I’ve literally been here the whole time.”
Bosco rubs his face with his hands. “Maybe you were right about the still healing part. God I didn’t even see you there.”
“Listen,” Atlas begins hesitantly, “I know I’m really bad at this… communicating my feelings thing.”
Bosco’s eyebrows shoot up. “Oh really? I haven’t noticed.”
“Yeah, yeah whatever smartass. I just…” Atlas wrings his hands together. “You understand that we’re leaving you here because…. Because we love you right?”
It looks like the wind has been knocked out of him. Whatever sarcastic reply he had ready to go has vanished. Instead, Bosco swallows. “Yeah. I love you guys too.”
“Seriously, if you need anything… anything at all, just call me.”
Bosco nods. “Yeah, promise I will.”
Atlas hesitates. “If it’s an emergency, just dial it, let it ring twice, hang up, and call again. I’ll know to drop everything and answer.”
“Got it. Two rings, hang up, call again.”
“I mean it, Bosco. Be safe.”
“I am amused at how much trouble you think I am capable of getting into in the apartment by myself for a week but yes… I promise I will be safe.” Atlas just nods and Bosco smiles at him. “You know,” Bosco says holding out his arms, “this would be the perfect opportunity for a hug.”
Atlas laughs at him. “Okay, moment over, I’m leaving now.”
Atlas makes his way to the elevator and Bosco frowns at him. “It was such a touching moment though!”
“Nope, you ruined it!”
“You’re just emotionally unavailable!”
Atlas has one final thought as the elevator door closes. “Don’t forget to lock the door behind me!”