“You never have enough time to eat anymore,” she admonishes, reaching up to place a soft kiss against his cheek. She’d go down to the makeshift office he’d made for himself in the local police department, if she thought they’d let her in to see him, just to demand he take a break, breathe, eat a sandwich. But this was happening so close -
She knew he was worried about her, about Theo, about the life they’d built up. It was easier to come home on time when it wasn’t happening right in your neighborhood. When your friends and family weren’t seen as potential targets and victims down the road. It was why she was doing as much as she could to make his life easier at home - taking the midnight feedings, letting him rest as much as he could, not worrying him when Theo had a fever until she had it under control again.
“I made your favorite,” she promised him, leaving his side only to grab the plates she’d just loaded with food, “and Theo’s with Oliver for the night - so it’s just you and me. I know you probably have to go back too early in the morning, but for tonight - it’s your night. Whatever you want, you get.”
“I know,” Harlan sighs, knowing full well he can’t live off coffee and whatever he finds around the station for much longer. Merrick is always thoughtful enough to make sure he slows down and takes care of himself. If he wasn’t going on runs to clear his head he feared how the stress would look on his body.
Without Merrick this job would likely swallow him whole. He’d be a good agent but a terrible partner and father. She brought balance to his life. Harlan kisses her quickly before immediatly taking his plate to the table. A good steak, potatoe, and veggie combination was a tradition started by his father. A symbol of a well earned accomplishment or a memorable meal to mark a special occasion. It still carried that comfort for him to this day.
“Somehow I think you knew I needed this more than I did,” he says beaming in her direction. “Tell me about your day,” he insists already feeling the weight of the day fall from his shoulders.
“I’m already a step ahead of you,” Harlan says handing over the cup with Holly’s coffee. “I still think they should put it on the menu, ‘Holly’s Heartattack in a Cup’ has a nice ring to it.”
harlan had been working later than normal since the news had come out; on the one hand, he didn’t have to travel to worcester or boston every day for work, but on the other, there was an actual serial killer somewhere in their small town ( more than likely ). he was exhausted, and having a wife and an infant at home waiting for him probably only heightened his stress, instead of lowering it.
so she’d asked oliver to babysit for the night - her brother was great with theo, and merrick was hoping harlan would be home early enough for the two of them to spend some time together. she’d spent the greater part of the afternoon preparing - cleaning the house ( which, admittedly, had gotten a bit chaotic lately ) and making him his favorite meal. she’d even donned something besides sweatpants - a simple dress she’d worn on one of their first dates, not quite the 50s housewife she basically had turned into, but close enough.
dinner was just being placed on the table when she heard the door open, harlan’s keys being thrown on the table in the entrance way. “perfect timing,” she called out, letting him know where she was, the candles lit and the smell of food hopefully wafting towards him. “i just got everything ready for us. i hope you’re ready to be wooed, mr. west, because it’s date night.”
Harlan knew the reality of the job when he signed up for it. He came face to face with some of society’s most unsettling aspects in hopes of creating a less cruel world. A world he would be happy to raise his son in. Except it was far easier dealing with these realities from the Worcester office. Harlan had become so good at compartmentalizing that he almost forgot bad things could happen in his own town. He’d take the commute back any day.
Stress already begins to roll off his shoulders when he hears the sound of Merrick’s voice beckoning him from the kitchen. He appears in the doorway, the unruly mess of curls atop his head and askew tie alerting what kind of day he’s had, but despite it all he has a smile just for her.
“I think I could stand to be wooed,” Harlan smirks, closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around her slender frame. “It smells great in here. It’s almost like you knew I wouldn’t have time to eat lunch or something,” he chuckles.
nickname(s): his mom used to call him harry, various and misc depending on muse.
age: 26
date of birth: october 2nd, 1996 / libra
hometown: buffalo, new york.
current location: mullen falls, ma.
occupation: fbi agent (criminal, cyber, response and services branch)
gender: cis male
pronouns: he/him
orientation: heterosexual
religion: agnostic
species: human
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
face claim: dylan arnold
hair colour: dark brown
eye colour: blue
height: 6 ft
piercings: n/a
clothing style: dress shirts, ties, and slacks for work. very casual at home and around town. lots of t-shirts, jeans, sneakers, denim jackets, and wool sweaters.
usual expression:
HEALTH
addictions: n/a
drug use: smoked weed socially in college but never really enjoyed himself
music: indie folk. prefers music with a calming presence. elliott smith, jeff buckley, nick cave, bright eyes, etc.
movies: not much of a movie guy but watches lots of docs with merrick and animated movies with theo.
books: mostly non fiction (true crime, history, etc.) also the occasional thriller or mystery if he is reading for himself
food: he basically lived off simple foods from when he was fourteen through college because he fended for himself. thinks a diner burger and milkshake is the height of luxury.
FAMILY
wife & son: merrick wood west and theo west.
inlaws: holly, oliver, whitney, & billy wood.
mother: kendra west. disappeared when harlan was fourteen and sent his life in a completely different direction.
father: mathias west. their relationship never quite recovered after his mother’s disappearance. three years ago he remarried and now harlan has a little brother just a little over a year older than his own son.
step family: kara & conrad. kara and mathias got married a year before the decade anniversary of kendra’s passing and before he could get accustomed to the idea of his father remarried they were having a little one on the way. harlan is still working through his complicated feelings of the new additions to his family.
BIOGRAPHY
the first thirteen years of harlan’s life would have been pulled straight from the brushstrokes of a norman rockwell painting. with a set of loving parents, mathias and kendra west, and a happy middle class home harlan was raised in the suburbs of buffalo, new york. harlan was free to be a curious and adventurous child as he spent equal amounts of time diving into stacks of books at the local library and playing various sports. however that idyllic suburban life came to a screeching halt the winter kendra west went missing. harlan was fourteen and it was unlike his mother not to make it to one of his wrestling matches. as he returned home to an empty house he pushed away his feelings of fear and convinced himself she was just in rochester visiting his aunt and uncle like she did every other week. it wasn’t until his father returned home and he seemed just as confused that panic started to set in.
the next few years of harlan’s life was a whirlwind of local media prying into his family’s life and painted his father as a main suspect even well after the authorities cleared his name. it came as no surprise when mathias decided to move his son to the opposite coast putting some distance between him and all the trauma that tormented them both. on the outside harlan tried to appear as a typical teenager, he didn’t want to give anybody the opportunity to use his past to hurt him. he made good grades and continued playing sports but every ounce of his free time was poured into following every minuscule lead in his mother’s case. harlan even went as far as staying with his family in new york over his summer vacations. however all those leads drove him to nothing but dead ends, except all his effort hadn’t been for naught.
turns out harlan’s intuition and persistence lead him down a completely different rabbit hole and on his quest to find answers about his mother he helped unravel an unrelated series of disappearances in the buffalo area. in the subsequent books and media created about the solving of the case his identity was always kept under wraps, but he always kept in touch with the detectives he worked most closely with. one even became a mentor of sorts when harlan showed interest in joining the bureau.
in the coming years harlan earned dual degrees in criminal justice and computer science before working for two years as a crime analyst gaining his necessary work experience to apply to bureau. when his time at the academy came to an end he stayed in virginia working in the criminal, cyber, response, and services branch. while he was initially unhappy with remaining in virginia he was ultimately happy that he did because the life of the young agent would soon change forever but this time for the better.
he met merrick wood in a dimly lit bar when they were the only two people paying any attention to the court proceeding of a murder trial instead of the variety of sports games playing on the other TVs. a night of talking turned into a first date and within a year the pair were married. initially they were going to hold off on starting a family but life had other plans and before long their son theo entered the world. when merrick suggested the move to massachusetts to be closer to her sister he knew there was no other choice. he knew how important it was to keep family close. harlan was able to transfer to the worcester office and occasionally making the trip into boston when necessary.
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