your ♥♥♥ 's a [ M E S S ] ...

Janus Archimedes Harley. 38. Auror Corporal with MACUSA Eastern Squad.Current Cases: x x x x xPoints: 235

[janusharley-blog]

daniellobo‌:

Since childhood Daniel had been a frightfully light sleeper. The sound of a door closing, no matter where in the house, or the wind howling against the pane of his window, would always draw him out his bed and into that of his parents. With age, and the dissipating fear of what lurked in the dark corners of his house, Daniel grew used being woken up several times throughout the night. Eventually he even came to grow thankful of the habit, liking the fact of how difficult it would be to sneak up on him at his most vulnerable. 

As Janus bolts up beside him, its the creak of the bed that stirs him from his slumber. Instead of turning over to face the other auror though he remains still, eyes still closed and facing the direction of the window at the front of the small room. It was no longer his job to check in on Janus in the middle of the night, he reminds himself, whatever night terrors had woken him now he could deal with on his own. Just the same as he had for the last six years. 

Eyes still shut, he can trace Janus’s movements around the room based off his footsteps, visualizing in his mind the path he takes to presumable is his jacket where his telekit lies. Six years or not, old habits die hard, and he knew all to well by now just what Janus usually sought comfort from when experiencing some kind of distress like that of a bad dream. When the door clicks shut, signaling Janus had stepped outside, Daniel lets out an audible sigh of relief, thankful the other had not tried to stir him awake to go with him. 

Between the blinds of the motel room, Daniel can see the outline of Janus’s tall figure step out and into the pool area. Closing his eyes again, he has every intention of falling asleep again, to put away any thought of just what kind of dream stirred Janus to find solace with a smoke by the pool. As much as he tries though, his thoughts always steer back towards the other auror, until finally he caves in. With a soft groan, he pulls himself out of bed, and towards the door, not bothering to throw on a pair of trousers given the ungodly hour. 

When he reaches Janus he’s just where he last saw him, cigarette between his lips and toes dipped into the cool waters. “When was the last time you think they clean this thing?” he asks from behind him, making no mention of just what had drawn both of them out of the room. Sitting down on the section of concrete beside him, he dips his feet into the water, which was just as chilling as he expected it to be in the middle of a Virginian spring night. 

“You don’t happen to have another of those do you?” he asks, nodding his head in the direction of Janus’s cigarette.” 

Janus is both surprised and unsurprised to hear the door open and close again behind him. He thinks as he’s taking a deep inhale of cigarette smoke, staring up at the stars, that he’ll be prepared for whatever Danny has to say, prepared to deal with the same wave of grief and longing that washes over him every time. But he’s sorely mistaken somehow, again. Danny blindsides him like he always does, not that what he has to say is particularly provocative or shocking… Instead Jan is knocked breathless by how casual and effortless it sounds, as if this were any other night the two of them were together before any of the bullshit that had ruined them. It makes the corners of his eyes sting fiercely, so instead of answering verbally he just wordlessly holds the telekit out to Danny, cracked open, for him to take what he wants. He feels like he’s holding his heart out to him, as stupid as that metaphor seems. And then like a bolt of lightning or a chill of coldness up his spine, it hits him, the missing piece of the puzzle. Suddenly he realizes, as much as he wants to redeem himself and move on from this, he’s also been standing in his own way. Because there’s still something he hasn’t told Danny that he desperately needs to.

For courtesy’s sake, as he’s piecing together how to say this correctly, he sits in quiet silence while Danny takes a cigarette and lights it up. He lets the quiet sit between them as a kind of surrender, a moment of peace and calm before his words shatter everything again.

“I don’t want to keep torturing you by talking about this forever, but there’s something I need to get out, about the attack, about leaving you there…” He pauses but can’t bear to look at Danny because this is going to hurt, like being torn from each other all over again, probably. Once he opens his mouth though, it’s like a flood. “I’ve been trying so hard to drag myself back there and piece together what happened… how I could possibly leave you there like that, and I think I knew for a long time but could never admit that I was just fucking scared, Danny… I was fucking terrified like I was a kid all over again, and they’d just taken everything from me for a second time. It was hard to know… what parts of my life were real, and what had been weaponized against me. And I think there was a part of me… that didn’t trust you.”

As much as he hates himself for it there’s a bit of a pause as he tries to stop his voice from breaking on the confession. He covers the weakness with a flurry of more words. “I didn’t even really trust myself, or any part of my life that had lead to that moment… because I didn’t know where the attack had come from. I think there was a part of me that imagined it was you, or that I’d unknowingly betrayed us to someone through my own mistakes or hubris or something. I just… couldn’t be sure of anything… so I regressed into someone that didn’t trust anyone anymore. Just like before…”

He looks at Danny for the first time since he started saying all of this, as he drags on his half-extinguished cigarette, sparking the embers on the tip back to life again. His fingers are trembling. But somehow despite the fact that it feels like he’s seconds away from this all blowing up in his face, he also feels relieved somehow. It was like that loss was a secret he’d been keeping all this time, even though he wasn’t truly aware of it. However Danny reacted to this, Jan felt like he’d be at peace with it now, like he’d truly explained as much of that awful situation as he could without his judgement being clouded by the pain.

“I’m sorry I didn’t trust you,” he said quietly. His voice feels just big enough to fill the space between them, and it feels warm in a way he hasn’t felt in six years. “For the record, I do now. I trust you with my life.” He smiles; a small thing, but genuine. He’s figuratively putting his heart into Danny’s hands, just as he imagined before. He’s said all he needs to say, all he can say about that night, and now he just wants it to disappear. He doesn’t want this wall between them anymore… and he’s tried every way of tearing it down without success, and decided just as Danny sat down next to him that it was better to climb over it.

“And… I love you… I think that’s important to say, because it should have told me everything I needed to know then. But I didn’t want to be honest with myself because, that would mean admitting I was vulnerable and… I think I had myself convinced I couldn’t survive that way…”

He suddenly doesn’t have anything more to say, but his gaze lingers on Danny’s expression in the abrupt silence that follows. It’s still too early for crickets, so all he hears for a long moment is the rush of wind through the newly budded leaves on the trees in the courtyard. He can’t tear his eyes away for what seems like forever but is probably only a few seconds as he admires the glow of moonlight against Danny’s jaw, longs to reach out and touch it, and then thinks better of it. He blinks slowly enough to force his attention away, turning his eyes up to the night sky again and killing the last of his cigarette decisively. His fingers are still trembling as he flicks it away and it arcs over the pool like a shooting star.

“Anyway… I just needed you to know that. I loved you then, and I still do… even though everything got so spectacularly fucked up. I’m sorry I was too much of an idiot to admit it before.”

[janusharley-blog]

lolatkins‌:

The guest lounge, as the headmistress had called it, was as sinister as the rest of the building. It felt like being stuffed inside an ancient trunk, filled with tapestries, darkness, and dust. Sarchio, the elf that had guided them there, seemed mildly terrified. Nonetheless, that looked to be the norm when it came to every house elf she had seen here. She wasn’t sure whether this was due to the nature of their race, or the so called discipline this place tried to impart on them. Either way, it made her skin crawl. It was useless to explain to her that this was how things worked here, that house elves were born to serve, and they didn’t want or desire any better. When Snow had assigned this case to her, they had had a long talk about that - the man probably knew she was going to be trouble if he didn’t say something. Nonetheless, Lola just couldn’t shake off the feeling that this was simply wrong. 

The little elf bowed a couple times before speaking, his eyes fixed to the floor. “Who should I fetch first, miss, mr.?” The creature’s voice was barely audible. It was apparent he wasn’t used to getting orders from anyone else but Rinaldi. Lola shot a short glance at Janus, before crouching herself to put herself at his same height. It was a sign of respect, one that would surely one way or another reach the headmistress, she guessed. She didn’t really care though. “Hey, don’t worry about it. We’re all right here. Go get the Espinozas first if you can find them, please. If they’re not available, then the Whitakers are just as fine.” At the sound of the word please, the elf finally lifted up his gaze, his eyes widening like two silver plates. 

“Okay miss, yes, yes, right away miss.” For a second Sarchio seemed lost, like he wasn’t sure of what to do next. However, it only took a second before he was out of the room as quickly as he had appeared, leaving Lola and Janus alone for a moment. She didn’t know if Janus disapproved of what she had just done, but knowing him, he was probably finding it amusing more than anything. 

“This is fucked up, Jan. You’ve lived here much longer than me. Is everyone so mean with their-”, her words were interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the other room. Moments after, the Espinozas were shown into the room. The couple was tall, with strong features, but their eyes were kind. Lola wondered if there was a possibility to find some sadness there about the death of the house elf. 

“Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Espinoza. I’m Lola Atkins, and this is my partner Janus. We’re here to investigate the death of your house-elf, and we would like to ask you a couple questions. I know this might be a hard time” It probably wasn’t, but she felt the need to add that part. “but we’re trying to solve this as quickly and efficiently as possible. Tell me, was Hermie the only house-elf under your - employment?”

It was damn refreshing to be in the company of someone like Lola again, someone who fucking cared in a world where not many people did anymore. It was comforting to watch her with Sarchio, to see the gentle side of her that she didn’t put on display for just anyone. He felt privileged to get to view her in this light, to know that it was due to their closeness that she let her guard down around him. It made this awful place just a little more bearable, made him just a bit more comfortable working this case. Of course, it wasn’t quite enough to eclipse the awfulness of the entire situation, which Lo quickly reminded him of once they were alone again.

Her words made the slight smile fall from his lips, and he gave her a glance that was a little sympathetic and a little guilty. Before he could attempt to make an explanation though, he was cut off by the return of the house elf and his charges, Hermie’s owners. He scrambled to his feet again and took his spot beside Lola to politely greet them. They seemed pleasant enough at first glance, certainly less assuming and more effortlessly dignified than some of their counterparts. They returned his and Lola’s greetings kindly and Mr. Espinoza held his wife’s hand gently as they sat down together on one of the lounge’s sofas. A bit old fashioned, perhaps, but there was nothing wrong with that he supposed.

“Oh, my dear Hermie…” Mrs. Espinoza lamented, her red lips turning into a grief-stricken frown. Her husband patted the hand he was still holding with his other one, looking at his wife as if he would do anything to get rid of her pain. “Yes… we used to handle the housework ourselves but the manor is… well, it’s just too much for us now with a whole family to take care of… We just needed a little help. Hermie is…” She pauses, sighs. “Well, he was just… lovely… A sweetheart, really, and great with the children. But, he had a lot to learn about taking care of a grand house and since we didn’t have time to teach him, we took the recommendation of our neighbors for the academy… and he seemed to be doing well… When we came to visit, he always had stories to tell us about training with his friend Felix… it seemed like a good environment for him… It’s just a shame that such a gentle creature met his end in a terrible accident like that… Poor Hermie deserved better.”

Mr. Espinoza clenched his fingers around hers, seemed to feel the same swell of sadness as her, clasped her hand to his heart as she finished explaining. Their pain certainly seemed genuine enough to Janus, but to be sure he threw a glance over to Lo for her impression. She’d been excellent so far taking initiative, and he was willing to let her keep it provided her questions stayed on track… What better way to make a real investigator out of her, after all?

[janusharley-blog]

fawnward‌:

Fawn feels the start of a smile as Janus dips into the familiar accent. But he’s wrong, however comforting he means to be. He’s wrong because she has been stupid and it doesn’t happen all the time. Not to her, at least. Never to her. She’s supposed to be better than that. Smarter. A connection with Trip was the point of the assignment, but it should have only been real for one of them.

She shakes her head at his assessment, knowing they’ll just have to disagree on this point. Janus always was a romantic at heart. “I know better,” is all she says to counter his soothing. She knows better. And now she won’t forget it, ever. She’ll pay her dues, bide her time and when she earns the necessary trust back, she’ll get back into the field. Prove it to all her higher-ups that she can be the agent they saw at the beginning of her career. Full of promise and efficiency.

Janus’s question makes her jerk up suddenly, eyes wide at the thought. It isn’t a possibility, so she hasn’t let herself consider it – going back. Seeing Trip. Explaining what happened, who she is, why she’s back. Even if he didn’t hate her for it… “No.” Her eyes dip to middle-distance and in her gaze, she’s imagining a different return – finishing the job. Arresting Trip and the rest of the faction leaders. Dispersing the whole of the group. “I feel…regret,” she answers, snapping from her fantasy to meet Janus’s eyes. “I’m mostly just pissed that I let myself screw up so completely.” He made it clear that he doesn’t feel the same way about her mess-up but Fawn knows just how bad it was. Just how disappointed everyone was with her. Still is.

“Besides, this is better. I don’t want to be– to have feelings for someone like that. It was a fluke thing, really. Time away will give me the chance to get my head straightened out.” Someone like that. Someone like Trip, with his wild hair and his freewheeling laugh and the way he would call her “sensational” and then pull her in for a kiss… No. This is obviously better. She just needs the time. Making herself smile, Fawn adopts a more cheerful tone, “And, you’re here. That’s a very welcome surprise.”

She disagrees, as Janus somehow knew she would. Regardless of how she feels about it, about Trip, what she’s most upset about is being pulled from the mission. It should distance him from Fawn just a bit, after all as logical as he cares to appear most of the time it’s obvious to anyone with eyes that he takes everything to heart too deeply, and she’s being almost cold about this… Jan can’t help but think of Trip and how betrayed he’d feel by this entire conversation… He looks at her and sees her the way she was when the three of them were all together. He wouldn’t have guessed, back then, that she had such a big secret under her belt… but of course, that was the whole point. Even after he’d admitted to her and Trip that he was an auror on the run, she hadn’t let her guard down around him back then, not that he could blame her. She’d just seemed so genuinely happy… Trip too, seemed infatuated with her in his fondest memories. He supposed he was probably guilty of romanticizing things a bit… after all he’d had no reason to suspect her of being deceitful. Still, there was a part of him that wanted to shake her a little and say, “yeah, we all know better… but this isn’t about knowing is it?”

“I understand… nobody likes to make mistakes,” he says instead, although it’s a pretty weak form of support all things considered. He understands distantly, just as someone who has lost something before due to his own folly… as someone who used to care so much about his position that he was willing to put everything he felt aside… “But I believe someone once said something about needing to make them so we can learn… right? Cliched as it is… it’s painfully true every time.” He’s reflecting on his own mistakes now, ones Fawn was a bit familiar with herself, being one of the first people he told about the ambush besides Trip…

“Danny’s alive…” he says suddenly, and he doesn’t know why he chose this moment but now it seems as good as any other. “You know already, I eventually took off to follow the trail and find whoever sold us out… Well, it led me on a six year wild goose chase… but at the end of it I ran into him again, undercover in the Pacific…” He pauses, because she knows exactly what the ambush did to him, what it took away… But there’s something she doesn’t know. “I- I left him there, Fawn… I didn’t realize he survived the attack and… I just ran…” He shakes his head slightly as he recounts the blind panic that had seized him. He offers her a wry smile by way of further explanation. “At least you don’t have any blood on your hands from this… and when they do put you back on the case you won’t have to be afraid of betraying him…”

Maybe that was a little too blunt, even for him. He feels like this conversation isn’t going anywhere anymore, just trapped in the same inescapable circle of sympathy than never really does anything to comfort anyone. Shaking his head slightly, he pats her hand lightly and tries to lighten the mood again. “Listen, you know as well as I do that I’m absolute garbage at this without a drink in my hand… want to resume this lovely conversation at a watering hole of your choice? My treat…”

[janusharley-blog]

callistasole‌:

Something about Sal was suspicious – so suspicious that it was hard to tell whether that meant he was guilty or lying, or if it just meant that that was the kind of person he was, an off-putting kind of person. If it was the latter, she was inclined to say that he’d had nothing to do with the entire thing: after years at this job, she knew that most of the guilty suspects you came across with a plot that seemed this well-calculated went to great lengths to not come across as suspicious during questioning.

But there were the crates of gigglewater in the back room, to take into account, as well as his cryptic answer about not wanting to know the man in black… It was like every piece of evidence they’d found was specifically designed to confuse her instincts

     “Gigglewater,” she answered Janus’ question once she caught up with Janus’ long stride outside of the Inn. “At least a full crate of it, in the storage room. It might not mean anything, but it might mean that he’s lying about having not received a shipment, or that he’d thought to stock up on the stuff ahead of time, well in advance of whatever this plan was meant to accomplish.”

She had been focusing more on observing Sal than on actually listening to the questions Janus was asking during his interrogation, leaving that up to him, and so she takes her notebook back out of her pocket, charmed fountain pen hovering over it as they continued to walk.

     “What about you?”

Janus lit a cigarette as they continued down the street, vaguely in the direction of the Moaning Maiden. He was surprised to hear about the gigglewater, but it was hard to jump on it as a significant point, although it certainly seemed so… There were plenty of legitimate reasons Sal could have for keeping some gigglewater in the back, especially given the recent theft… it wasn’t strong enough to center their investigation on, which was frustrating. He puffed on his cig thoughtfully and tried to piece things together as they walked.

“Was it Kelleigh’s brand?” he inquired without elaborating, for now. If it was, that would certainly cast the barkeep in a suspicious light… If not, well then, they had no leads at all. For obvious reasons, Janus was hoping it would be the former. He hated not having a clear suspect… it felt like there was more room for the guilty party to maneuver without him noticing… Jan got quiet for a moment, processing all the information together to the best of his ability before offering a theory.

“I think it’s obvious he’s lying about something…” he began. “But I’m not sure what about… He’s got… I don’t know, a sort of arrogance about him… There’s definitely something he’s hiding… The gigglewater might be related to it, but then again it could just be a red herring… I’m not sure what he’s up to but I get the feeling it’s not good…” He shrugged almost indifferently, unsatisfied with the answers they’d come up with so far. “Nothing definite yet. Now…” He trailed off as they got within distance of the Maiden, still down the street a distance due to the unique problem it presented them with.

“As for Myrna… it’ll have to be you that talks to her. I uh… live right above here so I’m what you might call an interested party I suppose…” he begins, but he looks at Cal seriously as he elaborates, holding her eye contact. “One thing in particular I did notice with Sal is that he seemed overly eager for us to speak with her… Myrna… well, she has a bit of a dark history. I for one believe that past is behind her… but it is possible she could have been intimidated into something… If nothing else, I believe Sal or whoever the guilty party is might be trying to frame her…” This wasn’t an ideal situation by any means… he was quite fond of Myrna, personally. In part, he wanted to avoid speaking with her directly for selfish reasons, because he didn’t want to have to look into her eyes when she realized she was being suspected, again.

“Now… feel free to interject with any better suggestions… but I was thinking the quickest way to see if she knows anything would be to adopt the disguise of Chet himself… If they really are close, we’ll see that immediately in her reaction, considering he’s supposed to be missing. And if she knows more than she wants to let on, I bet he’s one of the only people she’ll open up to about it… If Chet or Myrna got involved with the wrong people, or if they’re being manipulated by them… it’s not something any auror’s gonna be able to get out of them… While you distract her, I can see if there’s any incriminating evidence around… If my hunch if correct, there could be something planted there.”

[janusharley-blog]

daniellobo‌:

Just as they had back at the diner, the two of them seem to fall back into their old pace, making it easy to forget the large shadow that hung over them the last several weeks since their first run-in at Hattori’s retirement party. Janus’s gaze on him has become less guarded than it has been, even when his back is turned he can feel him looking at him, studying the curves of his back as he bends down to ring up Culpepper on the old rotary phone in the room. He doesn’t necessarily ignore the new attention he’s being given, although he doesn’t quite quite welcome it with open arms either. 

This task proves all the more difficult after they’ve wrapped up for the night, with the conclusion that the only way to truly figure out what the boggart is doing out in the mines is to track it down themselves. He’d faced plenty a boggart in his own time before, but this is the first one he’d ever seen so territorial- and out in the wild no less. These thoughts still plague him as he collapses down on the bed he’d claimed as his own, his head ducked down as he goes through his notebook, adding in their recent findings. 

The work of writing in the notebook isn’t what makes the night any more difficult though, but rather what Janus decides to do while he does it. When he first notices the other auror strip off his shirt he pays no mind, that is until his undershirt comes off, and exposes the new array of tattoos and scars that weren’t there the last time he’d seen him in such a light. He studies them for a moment, trying to piece together each one’s possible meaning, and the origin of the scars, trying to figure out what could be from the ambush, and what could be from afterwards. He doesn’t realize he’s staring until Janus turns around, a playful glint in his eye as he strips down completely- the bastard. 

The complete role reversal isn’t lost on him, as Janus smirks in his direction, a move Daniel had done so many times before in other far flung motel rooms. As Janus had done, he lets his gaze linger as well, taking in the familiar curves and hardened ridges of Janus’s nude form. He doesn’t follow him though when he steps into the bathroom, door wide open, asking for him to join him. True he’d thought of the same moments himself only an hour earlier, but now that Janus was actually infront of him again, he couldn’t do it, not with the story those new scars told still lurking in the back of his mind. 

Realizing he wasn’t going to get any work done after that little show, Daniel flicks off the lamp that sat by his bed, and curls up under the sheets, his eyes shut but still facing in the direction of Janus’s empty bed. When he returns, once again paying no mind to his state of undress, Daniel opens his eyes for a second, his gaze wandering down to the sight of his old lover half-hard still even after the shower. It’s perhaps a testament to just how truly stubborn he was that he still remains in his bed after this, and when Janus calls out his goodnight, he echoes it back, in a short “Night” before turning to face the other side of the room, and away from the temptation that lay only several feet away from him. 

It takes some time for Janus to fall asleep due to the blend of longing and confusion stirring around in his chest. Danny is just a few feet away from him and so he feels like he should do something, because he still wants him just as much as he always has… he doesn’t think that feeling will ever go away, especially if six years of separation and silence has done nothing to change it… But in a morbid kind of way, it’s no different from when he though Danny was dead. Jan’s not lying there waiting for him to cross the distance between them, because he doesn’t really believe that’s going to happen. Things aren’t like how they were before, as much as he wants them to be. And he’s pretty sure Danny doesn’t want him anymore, not that Jan can blame him for that… But if that’s true, then this desire twisted up inside him means nothing; not if whatever existed between them died on the side of that fateful mountain. Jan doesn’t know what to do anymore, doesn’t know what he’s doing to begin with. But it obviously isn’t enough to make up for what he’s broken.

It’s hard to let go of someone when they’re still in the same space, when he still loves them with everything he’s got left and wants to fight for them, so Jan struggles with it in the painfully quiet stillness of the room. He wrestles with his demons in the dark even as they try to drag him down further and further into the bed. There’s a part of him still arguing with his reason, still battling against the decision to keep his distance, to let Danny control what happens between them now… because this was what it has always come down to, somehow… A simple touch, that could fix everything or lead to utter destruction… As much as he wanted to give into that urge, to reach out and feel Danny’s pulse under his fingertips, to see if that would change everything, he can’t now… the demons have subdued him and dragged him under, so far that the filtered streetlight peeking through the blinds of the motel room was only a tiny pinpoint of light now… They’d pulled him below the surface of sleep and cast him headlong into yet another nightmare.

This one is both different and entirely the same as the others. Wherever he is, it’s dark and cold, and there’s nothing but coarse, icy snow below his feet, which are bare. He doesn’t have a coat, and the wind is howling around him in a vortex, carrying with it a chorus of screams that belong to Danny. He’s calling out his name which is the strongest sign Janus has that something is terribly wrong- Danny’s never had a reason to call for him like that before. He runs blindly through the storm, unsure which direction his lover’s voice is coming from, and unsure of how much time he has before it’s too late. Every time he thinks he’s getting closer, a hand swipes at him out of the darkness and rakes claw marks through his exposed, chill skin. And Danny calls him from miles away so that the has to turn around and try to find him all over again. His feet begin to bleed, turning the snow around him red… He doubles back on his own path countless times until finally his legs give out below him and he collapses in a heap, the ground beneath him suddenly as smooth as marble. When he forces his eyes open again against the snow whipping around his head, he sees Danny below him under inches of ice, blood flowing around him like a river… And no matter how much he pounds on the frozen pane between them, he can’t break through. He bloodies his knuckles and fingertips trying, screaming all the while for Danny to wake up. But not even his voice seems able to penetrate the ice.

In an instant, Jan’s awake again, bolted upright in the motel bed panting with exertion as if he’s just run for the many miles he’d imagined in his sleep. His hands and feet too, are unnaturally cold, and he’s covered in a thin sheen of sweat, undoubtedly from his struggle with the demons of his dreams. It takes him a few moments to come back to himself in reality, to remember where he is and what happened to put him in the state he’s in now… When things settle in he unfortunately doesn’t feel any better, the guilt and sadness solidify and drop like a stone weight into his belly. Rubbing his hands over his face, running his fingers back through his hair, he tries to collect himself, get his breathing back under control… but it’s harder than he thought it would be. There’s a crave for the cigarette he inevitably uses to put himself back to sleep at times like these, and the more he resists it, the more his hands begin to tremble.

“Fuck…” he breathes softly, hoping not to wake Danny. He glances over at the other bed… can’t help it really, and luckily it seems his night terrors haven’t woken him up. That, or he’s ignoring it… The thought of it stings a little but, at the same time, he realizes it’s probably for the best… He wouldn’t know what to say if Danny asked him about it anyway… After a few more deep breaths, he quietly stirs, easing up out of the bed and fishing around in his discarded jacket for his telekit until he feels the cool familiar metal against his palm. He treads carefully to the door, hesitates for just a moment before slipping out into the cool night and trying to shut all of that darkness and sorrow away as he closes the door behind him.

He doesn’t want to go far… doesn’t want to give Danny any reason to believe he’s abandoning him again… Thankfully he spots a pool not far away, and his feet carry him to it automatically. He takes a seat on the edge and dips his bare feet in… Although the water is pretty cold, it’s still warmer than he feels right now. He pulls a cigarette out of his telekit and lights it, puffing a few times as he tries to piece the distressing dream back together. Not that it matters much… they’re all similarly disturbing, and as far as he knows they’re not trying to tell him anything but what a failure he is. Nothing new there… He exhales a wreath of smoke that drifts up over his head into the night sky and supposes he should get used to this feeling of perpetual coldness, with none but the stars to keep him company.

[janusharley-blog]

camdensavage‌:

He didn’t actually realize the other was still talking to him until the clap on the shoulder hit him, and he all but jerked around, wondering who was either stupid or ignorant enough to attempt to play that friendly with him. The words took a second to compute, and then he realized that the other was clearly not speaking to the right person, although how he had managed to get his identity so completely wrong was beyond him. Camden had seen the other auror around before–it was nearly impossible to miss him, after all, given how he towered over nearly everyone else–but he wasn’t really familiar. There was no sense of urgency to him, in his eyes; something below the surface, perhaps, that would one day soon be begging for forgiveness from something, looking for penance, but nothing nearly as clear as so much of the other sin he could see in the eyes of colleagues. So, like most everyone else in the office, he had just ignored him. That was clearly over now, though.

All he did in response for a long second was stare up at him blankly, watching the realize dawn on him, feeling his his hand slip from his shoulder, making him feel significantly lighter again.

“Do I?” he asked, voice flat, no real interest clear in the tone. “Well, I’m not him, whoever he is. Camden Savage. That’s who I am. I’ve worked here for a while now, so…” He gestured vaguely in the air with his cigarette, looking up at him half expectantly.

It’d been a while since Janus felt as supremely awkward as he did talking to Camden Savage. He’d heard of him, of course. Even as much as he avoided office gossip as much as possible, it was impossible to ignore the whispers about the preacher and his brother, the exemplary model officer of the department. He was intimidated by them both in different ways, but far more by the man in front of him now whose background was just plain eerie to Jan. There’s no way he ever would have approached him if he’d known who Camden really was… but the circumstances were so odd that Janus couldn’t help but think their meeting was destined, somehow… Then he looked over the stranger’s stiff expression that so remarkably resembled Pól’s without any of the flamboyant warmth he remembered him for, and thought maybe he was reading into it too much.

“My mistake,” he said with a little shrug, his mood shifting gradually from intimidation and embarrassment to cautious interest. “I just returned to the department after being gone for about… six years or so,” he offered as an explanation, carefully watching Camden’s expression. “That’s probably why we haven’t met… I’m Janus Harley, pleased to make your acquaintance Preacher.” He held his hand out for him to shake, if he so chose. “How long’ve you been on the squad?”

He figured it was best to disguise himself as any old coworker for now, just making friendly conversation. He preferred to approach things that way when he could manage it, when there was no reason for either of the to suspect each other although, of course, Jan was suspicious of almost everyone these days. “You know a Pól Kilduff, from Boston? I could swear you were his brother, truly…”

[janusharley-blog]

aurormolina‌:

As they are escorted to where Ms. Bishop is waiting for them, Jo makes sure to do exactly as Janus had instructed, making mental notes of whatever seemed important about the vast estate. They’d never seen anything like it in all their years of studying magizoology. Their father had taken them to a couple sanctuaries in the past, but most of them were more just nature preserves, nothing like the pristine lawns and well maintained property of this place. It was clear that Ms. Bishop took great care of her sanctuary, and no doubt cared deeply for her jackalopes contained within. 

Before they even make it to where Ms. Bishop is seated, they pick up the scent of one of the magical creatures, but only the one. It’s just as they’re about to alert Janus to this when they spot the very creature in the witch’s lap. It’s a beautiful thing, by far the most exotic looking jackalope they’d ever seen. They have to stop themself from asking the woman a dozen questions about the rare looking jackalope, reminding themself now was not the time or place for such questions. 

Hanging back behind Janus they let him do the talking, once again trying to get a feel for the fields and meadows around them. Off in the distance just down a small slopping hill they spot a large shed, just off the side of the barn Eula had mentioned. Their nose is telling them that there are no more jackalopes in the vicinity except for the one in Eula’s lap, but something is telling them that shed is somewhere to look when they have the opportunity. Just then, they spot two young wixes exit the shed in question, the taller of the two talking rapidly, his arms moving in wide motions, as the other nods quietly. They must be the two interns the case file mentioned, they think. After they’re done with Eula maybe they can head down to talk to them, possibly even have them show them around the other buildings.

Turning back to Eula they smile down at her and the rabbit, as Janus goes to soothe her. “Was there anything suspicious in the time leading up to the herd’s disappearance? Any neighbors notice anything strange?” 

“No, although granted the closest neighbor is miles down the road, so it wouldn’t be difficult for them to miss anything”, the witch sighs, her attentions turning towards the one jackalope she still had. “We have some basic protection spells around the property’s perimeter, nothing too advanced but enough to alert us should anyone unknown try to enter the sanctuary. None of us heard any alarms go off that night though, so whoever did it must have broken through the wards. The interns, Billy and Lee have been searching the property to see if they could find just where they could have broken through, but so far they haven’t found anything. It’s almost as if my jackalopes just vanished from thin air.” 

Billy and Lee were clearly their next stop in this investigation, Jo thinks as they look back out to where the two wixes were now, cleaning out the barn by the looks of it. Looking up towards Janus they nod their head in the two interns’ direction, letting him know that if he was ready, they could head their next. 

Turning towards Eula again, Jo smiles before reaching down to pet the small jackalope in her lap. “Don’t worry Ms. Bishop, we’ll bring them back home.” 

Eula looks up at them fondly for a moment, a faint smile spreading across her features. “Thank you, sweetheart.” 

When he stands up again and glances over to his partner, he’s happy to see that Jo’s already followed his advice. They’re gesturing outside to where the interns are surveying the property, just as Ms. Bishop explained. He nods back to confirm their plan, stepping back a bit from Eula’s chair as they step into the space instead. Janus is grateful to be paired with Jo for this case, not just because they’re getting along, but because they seem to respect him enough that they’re working well together on top of that. He’d worked so hard for the respect he attained in Eastern Squad in the first place; now that he had left and come back in such a controversial fashion, his grip on it seemed tenuous at best. There’d been a part of him that was worried he’d struggle on his first few cases back, but this made him feel confident instead, and comfortable, oddly enough.

It helped that Jo was clearly comfortable here, that they wanted to help just as much as he did. Watching them with Eula brought a soft little smile to his face that he had trouble shaking even when they looked back at him. Jan had learned a bit more about them at breakfast and was particularly fascinated by their magizoological background. He was eager to hear their input on all of this, when they had a minute to themselves again- it was certainly an odd crime… jackalope poaching hadn’t been happening on a large scale for quite a while now, since the creatures were much like no-maj rabbits in their procreative abilities… The demand for their antlers simply wasn’t high enough to justify slaughtering them… if he had to guess at this point, Jan thought there might be some kind of blackmail scheme in the works… This place was certainly large enough that it had to have had a considerable amount of money poured into it, and it seemed to more or less be entirely thanks to the efforts of Ms. Bishop… Anyone who knew about this place might have realized that Eula would do absolutely anything to keep her jackalopes safe and figured they could make some easy money off of her…

Once they wrap up with their preliminary interview and gather a few more details about the daily operations of the place and the schedules for the staff members, Jan finds the quickest path out towards the grounds where Jo had pointed out the barn. The interns aren’t far off, but both have their backs turned to the two of them, facing a particular direction off into the surrounding forest, away from the main entrance. He eliminates the distance between them in a few paces, calling out in an attempt to avoid startling them.

“Hello,” he says, and despite his efforts the two of them turn sharply and seem intimidated when they first see him towering over them. Jan is taken off guard for just a moment before deciding to use the surprise to his advantage. He nods over in the direction they were just looking, putting his hands in his pockets subtly to signal to them that he wasn’t planning on threatening them. “What’s over there?” he wonders. The two of them exchange a look, hesitate just long enough that he’s suspicious for a fraction of a second before their answer makes him rethink things.

“We think that’s where the thieves went,” the slightly taller one says, with a slight tone of certainty that seems odd. Janus is suddenly very interested in this theory, but he bites back his reaction, giving the statement a moment to hang on the air before acknowledging it, almost as if he doubts him.

“I thought there was no evidence of the theft?” he challenges. Unexpectedly, the intern’s expression doesn’t falter in the slightest, although his companion seems a tad more uncomfortable.

“There’s not,” he answers. “I mean, there’s no tracks or anything… but that’s the only way they could have gone… There’s no way through the front gate at night for wix or no-maj… that rose is Eula’s best charm- no way someone could have removed it and put it back like that… And the rest of the grounds are surrounded by some pretty dense forest… Except that corner there… there’s an old logging trail that comes up pretty close to the pasture… It’s the only place anyone could have gotten close enough to the property to break through the wards.” Janus is reservedly impressed with his postulation, and he notes that the intern offered up information about the grounds willingly… it seemed unlikely that he’d do so if he was in any way guilty. However, it felt like they were hiding something, he couldn’t entirely drop his guard yet. Still, he relaxes and hold his hand out politely to ease the tension between them.

“I’m Janus, this is Jo… we’re the officers with MACUSA investigating on Ms. Bishop’s behalf… but it seems like you knew that already,” he says with a little smile.

“I’m Billy,” the tall intern returns as he clasps his hand and then reaches out to shake Jo’s as well. “And this is Lee- Zaina told us you’d be out to see the grounds after you talked to Eula…” He trails off a little awkwardly. “Where do you want to start, officers?”

Janus has to bite the inside of his cheek not to smirk at the obvious suck-up tone to Billy’s voice, and the hunch he has about what’s going to happen next. He shrugs offhandedly and gestures behind them, back towards the barn the two interns had just emerged from. “How about there?”

As expected, they both tense up, Lee especially. But in the next second, Billy coolly steps in to intervene before their reactions can be questioned.

“Sure,” he says with a shrug, and again there’s some cockiness about him that Jan immediately notices, and there’s a feeling telling him that there’s something important in there…

But somehow there’s nothing… Lee still seems like someone’s holding an ice cube right up against his brain stem, but the more Janus studies him the more it seems like he’s just always like that… after all his expression hasn’t changed much since they first met and he awkwardly shook his hand in silence after Billy introduced him, without making eye contact… Maybe the kid was just weird. Janus couldn’t tell anymore, apparently. It had been too long since he’d been around teenagers.

Jan stares for a long few moments around the completely inconspicuous barn, then glances at Jo with a slightly confused, mostly questioning expression.

“Find anything interesting?” he asks, hoping if nothing else that they could sense something that he couldn’t.

[janusharley-blog]

daniellobo‌:

“Sounds about right,” he nods as he falls into step beside Janus, “good luck with that by the way.” The slight tease was nothing more than just that, even if it had been years since their last case together, they both knew fully well, that when it came to working with witnesses and suspects of the younger variety Daniel was best left out of it. Even the teenagers, as old as they were considering just what they’d been doing out in the woods that night, were a bit too immature for his liking, which Janus doesn’t forget too point out of course. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he grumbles, waving him off before taking the offered cigarette. He takes a deep drag from it, not thinking too much on how intimate the gesture was until he hands it back to him, eyes meeting his for a moment before quickly looking back away. Shoving his hands in his pocket he lets out a sigh, “I won’t terrorize them too much, just get what I can then get out of there. Make sure you get the exact locations of where the kids saw the thing, yeah? I have a feeling this is all gonna boil down to us just hunting the damn fucker in the woods, if we can’t find anything else more concrete.” 

Slipping back into the vehicle he waits for Janus to step in before driving off in the direction of the kids’ street to drop him off, before he goes on to hunt down the teen couple and elderly man. 

Two hours later

By the time he returns to the motel, Daniel has found little more about the creature from his trio of witnesses, other than the thing smelled rancid and liked peeping on teenagers while they necked in a car. He does manage to get some more details on the thing’s general location though, and with those paired with whatever Janus found, they should be able to narrow down an exact location on just where in the woods the creature liked to dwell. 

With Janus still not back yet, he goes ahead and sets up their small work space within the motel room. Taking down the large faded forest scene that hung up on the room’s yellowing wallpaper, he begins pinning up the various pieces of their case file, he tries not to think too much about how familiar the whole process is, even without Janus there he could practically imagine him behind him, voicing theory after theory as Daniel hangs up each fact of the case. By the time he’s finished, the wall above the dresser is nearly filled, with a large map of the area serving as its center piece. On it are several sets of red lines and x’s, marking each of the witnesses known locations and monster sightings. 

With that task done, he moves to the bathroom, using the moment to himself to take a shower without having to think of Janus’s haunting presence being so close by. Clicking the door shut, he locks it for good measure before shedding off layer after layer, the action a far cry from how he used to carry himself when he and Janus first were put on a case together. Back then he didn’t undress behind closed doors, or any barrier for that matter. Instead he made his intentions and attraction fully known, intentionally parading his bare form around the small confines of whatever dingy hotel room they were in, taking great pleasure from the looks he would catch Janus giving him. 

It seemed lately that everything he did, from the most menial task to interviewing suspects, reminded him of the life he once had before. Even now, as he was stepping into the shower, letting the warm water beat down on the slopes of his shoulders, his mind wanders back to another time. A time when he kept the bathroom door wide open, hoping for the other auror to discover him, of the pleasant sound of the shower curtain being pulled back, and the feeling of the other auror’s tongue against the nape of his neck as he licked at the droplets of water that collected there. So caught up in the memories of the past, he doesn’t even realize he’s begun to touch himself, his hand following the path that Janus’s once took. He’s soon brought back to the present however, when he hears the front door shut from outside the bathroom.

Eyes snapping open, he turns the water to freezing, letting the bone chilling temperature help snap him back to reality before he steps out of the shower. Quickly drying himself off he pulls his trousers back on, and tugs on his white undershirt. Turning to the mirror, he pays special attention to make sure the shirt’s sleeve is covering up the inked jackrabbit that was currently slumbering on his arm, before heading back out into the room. 

“So,” he lets out a breath of air as his eyes meet Janus’s. “Did you find anything?” 

Jan gets back later than he expected, but he feels like he’s gotten sufficient information out of the kids, and more than that he actually had fun with them... which is such a nice pace from his usual anxiety around other adults that he doesn’t even realize he’s still smiling as he crosses the threshold of the motel room. Distantly, he registers the sound of running water as he comes in, but he doesn’t really piece together what that means until unbidden images flood into his mind of other rooms, other showers... other versions of himself and Danny together... Oddly enough, instead of feeling awkward about it, Jan just feels this warmth blossom over his chest that he hasn’t felt in ages... He think it might be fondness, or happiness... He’s not awfully familiar with positive emotions these days and so he’s not really sure. Regardless, whether it’s wise or not he lets those memories wash over him as he settles into their shared domestic space, setting his things down on the empty bed and shedding his jacket to make himself more comfortable.

As he turns to examine the wall, he tosses his jacket aside and unbuttons his shirt sleeves to roll them up, unbuttoning the first few buttons at his collar as well so he doesn’t feel quite so stuffy. As he expected, Danny’s already laid out all the information they’ve collected so far in an organized manner over the atrocious yellow and olive patterned wallpaper, and the information summarized there seems to support the conclusion he’s come to after interviewing the kids... He goes about adding his own findings- statements and descriptions from the kids, a few drawings, and of course a red x where they encountered the creature. He’s about to add something else when he hears the door to the bathroom open, and despite himself he can’t help but turn his head as Danny emerges.

It’s a little harder to maintain a cool facade than he’d like, seeing him in a state he was intimately familiar with, the memories of Danny’s body wet beneath his hands and his mouth flooding his mind more vividly with each step the other takes towards him. But instead of looking away this time, instead of letting himself be ashamed, he just smiles warmly and openly. He wants Danny to feel as warm as he does again, wants to be responsible for making him feel good like he used to... But now’s not the time for that... not yet at least... Maybe he’s being overly optimistic in imagining a time like that might come again, but if he doesn’t hold onto that hope then what the fuck is he even doing here, trying to fix this?

“Yeah, I think we’re dealing with a boggart, for sure...” he prefaces, turning to the kids’ drawings now pinned to the wall and gesturing lightly. “They argued over the description of it so much that eventually I just had each of them draw it and well... they’re all different... One’s got a clown nose, one’s got teeth, one makes a rattling noise like a snake... Other than something unknown... what else could it be, right?” He flips through his file until he comes across the map he took with him and then steps up to the wall to add the location of their sighting to the one on the wall. He gestures to the red x, which seems to be in a strange place compared to the others... off on its own where the others make something of a line...

“They told me about this... fort thing they have in the woods... it’s not far from the entrance of an old mine right... here...” he explains, circling a smaller spot nearby and looking back at Danny as he continues. “But here’s the most interesting part... after they saw this creature, it chased them away on their bikes...” Turning back to the map again, he draws a line along the path they said they were pursued... It swoops along the outer edge of the forest, running a distance of about a half mile, forming a curve that connects it back towards the other sites. When he’s done, he almost laughs at the picture that is formed. “Look at that,” he says almost incredulously, as he realizes the locations of the various encounters form something of a half-circle around a certain area... “Looks like those mines might be where it’s established its territory... I wonder what it’s doing there...?”

It feels good to be doing this again, even if it’s not the same as before... Janus falls comfortably into the rest of their evaluation, going over a plan for tomorrow, talking to Bernard about the creature over the odd device of the no-maj phone on the nightstand... By the time they’ve finished, he’s sore and a little tired, and nothing sounds better than a shower before bed... Once upon a time, it was him changing behind the closed door, having private and steamy thoughts about Danny in the shower... but a lot has changed since then, and his inhibitions are thoroughly nonexistent now... He’s already unbuttoning his shirt before he can think about how Danny might react, and then it seems silly to stop now... Helpfully, his mind chooses this moment to remember Fitz’s thoughts on the subject... And maybe it’s a silly thing to risk, but he’s feeling bold somehow... and more than that he still wants Danny to know how he feels about him, even if it’s going to blow up in his face.

He doesn’t look at Danny beyond the quick glance he gives him as he stands up from the bed, still removing his button-up. He circles around the bed towards the bathroom, taking his time as first his shirt and undershirt and then his trousers all fall to the floor, until he’s naked as the day he was born for Danny’s viewing pleasure... There’s a mess of tattoos and countless scars that weren’t there before, his body a tapestry of those six years the two of them have spent apart and the way the world has worn on him... The heart on his forearm beats quickly and glows brightly because the thing Janus has always wanted is only feet away from him... the roses on his shoulder are blooming for what seems like the first time in as many years... Before he slips away into the bathroom, he spares one more look over his shoulder, just curious to see if his little show is having any kind of effect... His smile as he looks at Danny is still warm, and a little mischievous, but it only lasts a fleeting moment as he slips away into the shower, leaving the door open to continue the show... It’s hard not to let his imagination get the better of him in the shower, not to give into the desire he’s feeling, beginning to pool in the pit of his stomach. But his muscles are sore and so he just leans into the hot spray of water and tries to let some of the tension melt out of them.

By the time he finishes, he feels better but the prospect of facing Danny again is somewhat intimidating... The shower did little to assuage his desires, in fact he’s half-hard just from the heat of the water and the memories it draws to mind again... Still, he’s done tiptoeing around the other auror and the feelings he still has for him so intensely... he doesn’t want to run or hide anymore... After opening the curtain, he dries himself off haphazardly before stepping back out into the main room, still dripping water, with the towel held loosely around his hips. He fetches some pjs from his bag and lets the towel fall away again so he can dress himself before reclining with a sigh on his respective bed, arms folded behind his head. They’ve probably got a long day tomorrow, but he finds himself wanting to stay up and talk like they used to... about everything and nothing... He wants to get shitty late-night food and laugh with him over stories of the kids hanging off of him like a tree... wants to hear how he intimidated a couple of teenagers and probably got along absurdly well with some curmudgeony old man... but especially after his little show, he feels like he’d be asking too much...

“Night Danny,” he says instead, trying to settle in for the night. It’s hard to be so still when in his mind there are images of Danny pressing in close to him, and the memory of his lover’s hands all over his body. But he has to be content with that, for now, until Danny decides otherwise, because he’s determined not to fuck this up, this time.

[janusharley-blog]

wintersyaoranmonroe‌:

He hums along with Janus’ words, watching curiously as the smoke from his cigarette is swept away in the wind back across the bridge, in a seemingly unnatural pattern. Certainly vortexy, or maybe some sort of portal that had been opened to the in between world. It reminds him of something he’s heard about in the British Ministry, in their department investigating strange happenings and grand questions. A veil that leads to a place on the other side, somewhere connecting life and death. “Yeah, seems like there’s some kind of portal, maybe? Spirit portal, connecting the bridge to the other side?” he speculates as he smokes, doing the same, blowing a puff of smoke that way, watching it flow unnaturally.  

“Agreed, we’ll head to the Eagle and Flag, speech with her, and see if we can find the ghost as well. Let’s literally cross this bridge, see if we feel anything odd as we cross. I usually don’t like being so feely on a case, but this definitely seems like the sort of thing we’re going to have to trust our feelings on and go from there,” he nodded. He like concrete things, having real leads to follow and clues to look for, specific instances of the problem besides strange feelings and stranger sightings, but there’s nothing to do about that here. All they have is what’s in the case file, after all, and they’d have to build their own suspicions from there. He’s hoping it’ll be simple enough once they actually start talking to people about what they’ve seen and felt, but this one seems like the type to have more to it than what it seems on the surface.

“I almost feel like we should hold hands as we cross, but I won’t subject you to my sweaty palms,” he says with a laugh, because even as the strange feeling creeps up his spine, making him worry something is about to happen, he can’t help but deflect, joke. “Onward and upward, then, yeah?” Without waiting for a reply, he starts across the bridge, moving slowly, hand instinctually at his wand just in case, letting the feeling of paranoia that only seems to get stronger wash over him as he starts across. It feels weird, that’s for damn sure. Something is definitely wrong with it, though, what, is hard to say. He’s not anywhere near an expert on the spiritual or anything having to do with ghosts, and he has to wonder what kind of fluke would cause something like this.

Winter is perceptive. Even if Jan doesn’t know him terribly well beyond the odd encounter at the bar, he can see that much... and maybe it’s not surprising, given his history not only as an auror but as a soldier, but it is interesting. While certainly intellectual, while he’s out in the field himself he tends to operate mostly on intuition, collecting data only to confirm what he’s already sensing all around him. Winter seems... closed off to that kind of approach for whatever reason, and he says about as much... Janus is sure he has his instincts, just like any decent auror, but their source seems different somehow, derived from what he can plainly see and evaluate in front of him... He knows it’s probably easier for him that way, given the things he’d undoubtedly done and seen in the war... but honestly he can’t imagine not being able to rely on his own feelings to help guide him... Jan certainly wouldn’t be where he was right now, standing almost shoulder to shoulder with him in companionable enough quiet, if he hadn’t followed his gut nearly the whole way there.

“Ready when you are,” he nods as Winter lays out their plan and they move towards the bridge, laughing easily at his friendly joke. Oddly enough, Janus had been thinking much the same thing, that they should maintain some kind of physical connection so they hopefully aren’t separated by whatever power or entity was hanging around preying on unsuspecting pedestrians. But being on such unfamiliar terms with Winter, he’s not entirely sure the gesture would be welcome. Instead, as they begin to cross, Jan silently puts his hand on his partner’s shoulder; not gripping tightly, just resting there solid enough to be felt so they’d both notice the change if something were to get between them. The atmosphere on the bridge is almost electric- he feels the fine hairs on the back of his neck and along his arms stand on end, and the cryosphinx skull tattoo on his neck burns more and more and more the further they walk... What’s most remarkable to Janus is that the air around him seems entirely dead, and impossibly cold... apart from a steadily moaning wind and the oddly muffled sound of their footfalls, there’s nothing... not even birds singing.

He notices the instant it starts snowing, because it’s so sudden and because it’s paired with the strong stench of blood in a way that is horrifyingly familiar... For a moment, his heart leaps into a panic, but by Winter’s lack of reaction he deduces that the other auror isn’t necessarily experiencing the same thing he is... This is further confirmed when the snow that falls on his hand isn’t cold like it should be... and rather than melt away, it doesn’t appear to accumulate at all. He doesn’t know what to make of that, but he’s willing to save it until after they’ve made it to the other side safely to know for sure. Apart from that, there doesn’t seem to be much out of the ordinary... but he’s still a little relieved when his feet touch solid ground again. He slips his hand carefully off Winter’s shoulder and glances at his watch, noting the time.

“Notice anything?” he asks, glancing over to him once he’s confirmed that their trip didn’t take them more than the necessary few minutes of walking. The Eagle and Flag isn’t far off... he can see an American flag waving over an appropriately sized and located building just down the hill. He doesn’t think there’s any more they can learn here just now, not until they know what they’re looking for at least...

[janusharley-blog]

fawnward‌:

There’s a long moment where Fawn thinks that she may have read Jan wrong, that he might actually be angry with her. But, then again, it is quite the thing to learn and he likely just needs a moment or two to adjust, consider what it all means. So she just stands, eyes drifting from his face to her own feet, waiting. When she glances back up, though, there’s a warm expression blossoming over his face. She can’t help but return it. There’s the odd desire to dive against his chest, hide in an embrace. That was the Fawn she was when she knew Janus before, though. That was the Fawn she was with Trip. Instead, she just smiles back and admits, a little surprised to find it’s the truth, “I missed you too.”

In the next moment, he’s got her arm in hand and is steering her through the office. She loses track of where he’s taking her but trusts him enough. He has questions, of course, questions that couldn’t exactly be asked in the middle of the bustling auror corral. When they’re sitting in the far corner of the apparent breakroom, Fawn settles herself so no one can see her mouth but she can still keep an eye on the door. It’s not exactly top secret, but the investigation is on-going and she already fucked up terribly once.

bshe answers slowly, leaving it just at that for a moment. “No, we didn’t arrest him. Or anyone else. It…” It’s complicated, she wants to say, but that’s a lie, isn’t it? It isn’t complicated. It’s the oldest story in the book, actually, the first thing they warn you against when you go undercover. Don’t get attached. They’re all marks, they’re all suspects, they’re all criminals, it’s all a job. And Fawn, almost ten years into her line, forgot all that. Like a recruit barely out of the Academy.

“I made a mistake actually,” she finally confesses. Her eyes are on the tabletop, fingers scrubbing at the surface a little. “Nothing was compromised and no one was hurt or anything, but they pulled me off it. And they were right too.” When she thinks she can stand it, Fawn looks up to meet his eyes. Janus was there. Janus was close to Trip, saw them together. It doesn’t take a genius to do the math, to figure out that she let her guard done, fell into her feelings, let it be real.

Panic (or is it something else?) raises in her chest and she swallows against it. Dropping her eyes again, she tries to speak but ends up with only a sigh. Another try and she manages to mutter out, “I was real stupid.”

It takes her a moment to explain, but somehow Janus feels like he already knows what she’s about to say anyway. There’s something about her body language... as undetectable as she is out in the field there’s something here and now that he recognizes in her, plain as the daylight on her face that’s cutting in sharply through the blinds. The simplest term he has for it is heartbreak, but the truth is he doesn’t know the depth of her feelings, really. He can only guess, can only compare it to the pieces of his own heart he’s still trying to reassemble. He assumes it’s pretty bad, if it was enough to pull her from the case entirely. That should make it easier to relate to her in this moment, but instead he finds himself painfully clueless as to what to say. He reaches out and covers her hand with his across the table, and squeezes lightly to let her know he’s there even though he can’t find the words right now.

Janus understands more than she probably realizes, but then again he supposes that’s part of the disconnect- she’s maybe gotten close to someone else before, but not like this; not to the point that it’s still affecting her even now when Trip’s probably 400 miles away or more. But in his case, it’s something he’s encountered enough to be... almost used to it by now, in a strange way. His entire life has been a series of entanglements that blur the lines between who he’s meant to be as an auror and who he truly is when it comes down to the crucial moments. It’s been a long time since he was newly heartbroken... it feels like eons now, and so that’s why he’s lost for a moment as he looks at her.

“I’m sorry darlin’...” He can’t help the hint of the southern drawl that colors his words, especially not when it was how he always spoke around Fawn before. "You’re not stupid,” he says seriously, shaking his head a bit. “You got emotional... happens all the time... It doesn’t make you any less capable and intelligent than you are, Fawn. This kind of work can be isolating even at the best of times... Especially when you spend so long with someone, I think it’s inevitable that you’ll develop some connection to them.” He pauses, unsure again where to steer the conversation from here. He supposes an honest question wouldn’t hurt, but as it’s not entirely an innocent or law-abiding question, he decides to keep his voice down.

“Do you... want to go back? I mean... ignoring the protocol and the case and everything else... How do you feel about it now that it’s changed?”

[janusharley-blog]

lolatkins‌:

“Perhaps I would, but that doesn’t mean I want to. You know I’d always want you in my life, given the choice.”, Lola winked at him rather cheekily. By now Janus knew her enough to realise her flirtations were basically her way of communicating. They had always been. It was easier that way. Despite her almost too quick of a temper, her charm had also been a weapon she had used many a times to open doors that shouldn’t have been open for her. She suspected it had been a big part of the reason Snow had taken her under his wing, on top of her wit and her instincts. She didn’t doubt herself, and she was sure the Chief wouldn’t have risked what he did if she hadn’t done a good job; but still she couldn’t help but believe her charming personality had definitely helped.

“There seem to be a lot of those here in New York.”, she sighed, her gaze going from the massive building to Janus once more. “Bigots, I mean. Both wixen and no-majs.” Lola not only didn’t understand that frame of mind, but pretty much detested it, and she was mercilessly about it. She had seen people like Cassie, born to a conservative family, and yet willing to put past every prejudice; so in her mind there was no excuse. Being an asshole was a choice, not a circumstance.

As they started walking towards the academy, she felt her blood boiling already. Nonetheless she knew she needed to keep her cool. There was no use to upset a person of interest before even interrogating them. There was no way in hell they were going to get anything out of the infamous Signora Rinaldi if she started acting like a child. It was easier said than done, though - especially at the sight of such a monstrous place. The decor was exactly how she had been expecting, and even though she was dying to say something, or to at least roll her eyes, she mirrored Janus’ attitude and kept her expression emotionless. It was for the best, she reminded herself. Still, she let her partner do the talking. It was one thing to stay calm as she was quiet, but keeping her anger in check while speaking was going to be a whole other challenge she wanted to delay as much as possible.

As the little house-elf at the elevator considered their request and stared at her jacket, she sent him a brief but encouraging smile. Instead of fulfilling its purpose, the gesture seemed to scare the creature, and he immediately looked down as if the sole idea of some sort of shown appreciation could get him in trouble. Lola couldn’t help but frown, looking away. Just as she was about to say something about what had just happened, the lift started moving and they were quickly directed to the top floor. It only took a short moment before they were called.

Once again, Lola let Janus go ahead. He was the leading Auror after all; though that was just a simple excuse to avoid confronting this awful woman in front of them. He took a seat, but she herself decided to stay standing. There was something eerie about the whole place, and this office seemed to be the centre of everything. Janus’ voice, however, was perfectly polite and smooth when he spoke. She couldn’t help but let her lips curve into a little smile. He definitely was more talented than her when it came to hide his emotions; which made sense, given the fact that he had been undercover for a long time. Since the introductions had been swiftly done, she didn’t even bother in confirming the given information - however she did notice the evident look of disdain coming from the headmistress. As much as she wanted to, she didn’t return the gesture.

When Rinaldi spoke again, however, Lola snapped. Crossing her arms, she made her voice heard for the first time since walking into the office. “We can solve this case quickly, as long as you cooperate as much as possible. I’m afraid we’re going to have to ask you a couple questions, and we’re also going to have to ask you to contact both the people who lived with the deceased elf, and the witness with their respective family. I understand we can’t talk to them without their presence.”

Janus smiled warmly at Lola’s response, feeling the affection of it more deeply than he expected. Maybe it was because he’d been particularly depressed lately, dealing with the stress of coming back and trying to navigate his relationship with Danny without it blowing up in his face. But regardless of why it touched him so much, he was so grateful for her company right now that he could burst. Sure, he could shrug efficiently into the cold demeanor this case required of him, and probably be effective in doing so whether she was there with him or not. But he knew it would be infinitely more fun and interesting with her around, and that she’d watch over his heart for him while he was pretending he didn’t have one at all. He could always rely on her for that.

It was hard not to reach for Lola as they made their way through the grim environment of the academy, to offer the familiar comfort that would settle them both in this terrible place. But even if there were only a collection of nosy paintings of old, grim looking wix on the walls to witness it, Janus wouldn’t put it past them to report any affection or signs of weakness directly to the headmistress for exploitative use... He didn’t like this place at all, it felt an awful lot like the very walls were scrutinizing their every move... By the time they’d gotten to the top floor, he had quite the chill up his spine that he had to resist the urge to shiver away. Luckily, keeping his back stiff and straight lent itself to the icy demeanor he was personifying, and it was clear by her reception so far that Ms. Rinaldi believed it, at least for now...

When the time came, Lola played her part absurdly well, as if she was born to do it... which, Jan supposes, she was. After all, she was just being herself, really. It was easily his favorite thing about her, her unshakable self-confidence and comfort in her own skin. It made for an excellent partner, it turned out... in crime or law enforcement as luck would have it. He willfully resisted the urge to chuckle by clearing his throat and smiling at the headmistress, ready to follow up with his part of the act - smoothing over the rough edges.

“Merely a formality of course,” he said in a reassuring tone, sounding disgustingly elitist if he did say so himself. “There’s no reason our line of inquiry should disrupt any part of the daily operations of your illustrious academy.”

Ms. Rinaldi appraised Lola with a complicated look- she clearly wasn’t intimidated, but rather than consider the younger auror with anger or even disdain, there was something more beneath her own elegant mask that suggested... not entirely unpleasant feelings. Possibly even interest, of a sort? Janus decided to put a pin in that observation until later when he and Lola could converse privately again.

“Fine,” she sighed at long last, as if the entire thing were an inconvenience to her. She snapped her fingers and within an instant, a house elf appeared next to her desk dressed in a worn sack that still said potatoes in large, bold letters across the middle. “See these officers to the guest lounge on the third floor. And then fetch the Espinozas, as well as Felix and the Whitakers, so they can answer a few questions.” She didn’t look up to acknowledge the elf as she spoke.

“If you don’t mind Signora, we do have a few questions for you directly... we could get through them quickly while we wait for the others to arrive,” Janus pressed as politely as he could. Rinaldi shook her head immediately.

“No, I’m far too busy for that now,” she answered. “I’ll be occupied with my morning correspondences until lunch period, which occurs precisely at twelve noon. And anyway, Sarchio won’t be long in fetching them, he handles all of my personal affairs promptly. He was trained at the most prestigious academy in the world... at the time, of course. I’ll call for you when I have time for your questions.” She waved her hand dismissively, which had the double effect of setting her swarm of quills back to work behind her head and opening the door they’d previously entered through. Seeing there was no more arguing the point, Janus rose gracefully and smiled again.

“Thank you for permitting us some of your valuable time, Signora.” Sarchio escorted the two of them silently out of the office and back down two floors to the aforementioned lounge before disapparating, leaving them alone in the stuffy, formal room. Janus couldn’t even tell where the walls truly were due to the enormous tapestries covering them. While they should have held the warmth in sufficiently, he found quite the opposite was true; even with a fire burning a few feet away from them, the room was freezing. Still, he was more comfortable there in Lola’s company than he’d been in the headmistress’ office. He sighed and threw himself into an armchair by the fire.

“Well...what an introduction, eh Lo?” 

[janusharley-blog]

camdensavage‌:

wednesday, late afternoon, eastern squad offices       ( open. )

He wasn’t very fond of spending more time than necessary in the offices, the lighting oppressive, the mood of the company even more so, constant reminders of all the sin and evil in the world in not just the cases being discussed, but the people themselves. When he was young, when Becker had made him play aurors as children, he had always imagined noble heroes, white knights with strict moral codes upholding the law, but that wasn’t the reality. Not that it was a surprise, considering what he’d seen of the world, what this world had done to Becker. So he held no amount of love for any of it, really, and it wasn’t a fact that he made an effort to hide; in his mind, it was all a necessary evil of doing what he felt was right. If he had to live among sin, so be it. 

But he had a case, so here he was, sitting at his desk, cigarette in bandaged palm, mulling over if there was any possible way to pass it along on someone else. He had complained about visiting home, but this wasn’t what he had in mind. Either way, Camden could feel the eyes on the back of his head, and even trivial conversation felt like a better option than staring at the file.

“You can say hello, if you want. I won’t bite.”

Jan had been back for a little while now and yet it seemed he hadn’t been the most observant in all that time. How else could he have missed Pól Kilduff, of all people; one of the most remarkable men he’d ever known? His presence in Eastern Squad definitely seemed like something significant enough that he might have sent a letter telling him so, but Janus had been gone for so long, he supposed the other auror had just gotten used to not hearing from him. But now there was so much to talk about, to catch up on. Obviously something drastic had taken place to bring Pól here of all places... he’d always condemned authority to much to ever agree to a MACUSA job. And of course, there was a part of Jan that liked the idea of having another familiar face so close, one that might help him navigate what was quickly beginning to feel like a complex web closing over his nose and mouth, smothering him... He was so deliriously excited to see his old flame sitting there for a moment that part of him entirely forgot to be suspicious, and more than that he looked over the entirely wrong accent spilling from his familiar mouth.

“Pól, what the hell are you doing here man? It’s been ages...” he said by way of greeting, clapping a hand on his shoulder in a friendly manner before he could really think about it. “What’d they do that wore you down enough to join ranks with us suits huh?” It was an odd thing, but in the seconds of silence that followed he slowly pieced together through various information that he was not speaking to who he thought he was. There wasn’t anything that struck him as obviously different right away, but then it suddenly felt so wrong, maybe because of the way his intimate greeting was coldly received... 

“Wait you’re uh...” He slipped his hand off of the auror’s shoulder haltingly, feeling more awkward by the second. “You’re not who I though you were, sorry...” He cleared his throat and backed up to what felt like a more appropriate conversational distance, stopping only when the back of his knees hit the desk behind him. “It’s amazing... you look just like him... well, almost...”

[janusharley-blog]

lolatkins‌:

With a single glance she can tell Janus has noticed something’s going on. She is never this transparent. In fact, the only reason she has been unmasked at all it’s because it’s him looking at her now. Most people wouldn’t even see what is behind her loud, rambunctious surface. Suddenly she feels the need to explain, to tell him everything that has happened so far; to confess how out of place she feels, how awkward she’s made things between her and Winter - and how strange she feels about it; about him. Lola wishes she could explain everything, right here right now, but she also knows that this is not the time. Parties like these aren’t the places to have heart to heart talks. Besides, she’s going to need more alcohol if she’s going to get through that conversation. Nonetheless, she welcomes his hand in hers. It’s a sign that he knows as well as she does that there will be a better chance for them to truly talk to each other. She returns the pointed look as she gives his hand an affectionate squeeze. 

It’s a familiar gesture, for both of them; and one Lola isn’t really used to. She’s known for being very touchy-feely with people - maybe something to with with her Latin heritage - but this somehow has always felt much more intimate, almost like a way of communication between them. “That’s right.”, she replies, nodding. “Something about a too big of a fish for a small pond? Or was it the other way around?” Lola shrugs, rolling her eyes. “Whatever, it doesn’t matter, you know what I meant.” She ends her sentence with a chuckle. His next words make her smile, more genuinely this time. “I know you didn’t.” She mockingly gasps at his remark. “I hope that’s a good thing. Honestly, it would be far more interesting if there was some sort of tell around people you have been sleeping with. You know, maybe someone from the past.”, she trails off, because she’s positive Janus is going to understand exactly what she means by that. 

“They do, but if you think about it, everyone here is a bit of a liar, don’t you think? Everyone tries to behave so politely, so prim and proper, trying to make people believe they’re here for other reason than getting power for themselves.”, Lola sighs. “Whatever you choose, I’m sure I’ll like. I trust you.” The statement might seem casual, but it was also evident that she wasn’t just talking about the music selection. 

It’s strange to think that he and Lola truly know each other intimately enough to communicate without words like they’re doing right now when they haven’t known each other for very long at all... a handful of years at the most, and certainly not in constant contact in all that time. And yet somehow, Jan felt more comfortable around her than he did in a roomful of people he’d be acquainted with for much longer. Obviously he could acknowledge the difference between a relationship with a work colleague and someone he actually considered a friend like Lola, but it was more than that somehow. Jan didn’t have many close relationships with people but he was beginning to notice that those he did have were significantly more important to him than the casual friendships he observed in others, as far as he could tell. He didn’t really do casual, as it turned out... “Either way, I think I resent the assumption that I’m a fish at all... Fish are pretty stupid, if you ask me... I like to think we’re both a little more... capable,” he said with a matching shrug and a little laugh. 

The banter is refreshing... it’s nice to not have to watch what he’s saying for once. Even around people he likes, lately, he feels like he’s had to skirt around what he’s really been thinking or feeling... and it’s become damaging for him to think of himself that way- as a person that can only upset with his words. It’s nice to realize he has the power to comfort again, or that it never left him in the first place. In the next moment he’s torn from his thoughts by Lo’s implication, which he honestly doesn’t know how to appropriately respond to, at this point. He’s long forgotten what the graceful way to be visibly flustered in public is, if he ever knew it at all... His face flushes and he clears his throat a little uncomfortably, just a step away from tugging at the collar of his turtleneck for a little more room to swallow. His face falls into something not quite happy, struggling for optimistic and falling just short of it while it feels like his heart is still across the estate somewhere in an unseen room. He shrugs again lightly, tracing his fingers over the piano keys idly as he selects a song. “Hate to break it to you Lo but there’s nothing to tell, there...”

He starts playing without much of a pause to reflect on his own melancholic words, because it’ll ruin the up-tempo of the song he’s playing now, which he remembers vaguely as the song he heard the first time he stepped into the bar where he’d met her. Predictably, she’d been dancing when he first walked in...

[janusharley-blog]

Ebbingdale's & Quintana Wands!

your character’s fashion sense, what they tend to wear on a daily basis

At work, Janus usually wears dark or khaki slacks, with a suit jacket or sports coat over a simple pull-over or button-up shirt. He doesn’t often vary from this uniform as he’s found it a nice middle ground between looking professional in the office and feeling comfortable out in the field. He doesn’t often wear bright colors at work as he values his neutrals for their ability to help make him inconspicuous when he needs to be. He’s never without his wand, in its holster, and his telekit which he carries in his inner left breast pocket of his jacket. He also wears a watch on the inside of his left wrist while he’s working (a gift from his uncle Kaleb, although he’d never say so). He prefers not to wear a tie if he can help it. He prefers tailored jackets instead, although he does clean up nicely in a full suit.

Casually, he wears more denim, and a lot of dark and neutral shades with the occasional pop of color. He tends to prefer warm and earthy tones. He has several striped and plaid shirts, although he doesn’t wear them often, generally preferring simple textures or solids. He has a fondness for bulky, warm sweaters and turtlenecks. He’s almost constantly in his glasses in a domestic setting, although he can go without them most of the time, as he needs them mostly for reading. His sleeves are perpetually pushed up around his elbows when he’s at home, as this is his ideal comfort state.

 a time you had to use force in a case

Back when he was still working with the local auror division in San Diego, Jan was forced to turn his wand on his partner. Rocco had infiltrated a gang of werewolves that had been abducting and turning vulnerable and impressionable kids to increase their ranks. They’d been successful in controlling their recruits largely because they had developed a drug which increased aggression and obedience, which the pack leaders fed to them in increasingly potent doses. The drugged pack members lived on a ranch commune where they were indoctrinated and manipulated through violence by the alphas. During a confrontation there, it became clear to Janus that Rocco was under the influence of a particularly strong batch of these drugs, and when he took out his wand to defend himself, it resulted in a duel which attracted the attention of other gang members.

With a bit of backup, Janus was able to break the drug’s influence over Rocco and together they eventually subdued the other aggressors of the fight, including the three leaders responsible for the bulk of the abuse perpetrated there. Unfortunately, there were several casualties, including a pair of recently turned siblings that Rocco had grown close to. Janus & Rocco were reprimanded for not handing the case over to MACUSA when it was discovered that the werewolf pack had been abducting young victims from Mexico as well as the southern region of California. However, Rocco still received a promotion and a special commendation for service while under duress… which they accepted before promptly retiring from the force. Although Jan doesn’t regret doing what he had to for the sake of both Rocco and the case, he does feel guilty about how he left things with his former partner.

[janusharley-blog]

lakeith stanfield!

EMORY STONECYPHER – Daphne, AL.

A person of interest from one of Janus’ first cases for MACUSA Central Squad, involving a string of robberies perpetrated by no-majs who then claimed to have no recollection of committing the crimes. Emory was the fifth such victim- he robbed a bank in Mobile, and was recovered some hours later walking along the opposite shore of Mobile Bay in a delirious state, babbling something to himself. When he was picked up by local police it was his statement, subsequently mocked in the no-maj papers, that captured the attention of aurors. Despite being interrogated for ten hours, and providing a series of clean drug tests, Emory insisted on being hypnotized to rob the bank by a man wielding a wand and a snake that he seemed to be able to speak to directly. The case was immediately taken over by MACUSA and handed to a Corporal with significant experience handling no-maj related cases. Janus was in his first month with Central Squad when he was assigned as his partner for the case. 

What was most interesting to the two of them was that Emory remembered some of the events that transpired whereas none of the other suspects involved had any memories whatsoever. At first, they suspected that whoever had performed a memory charm on him had not done as thorough of a job as they had with the others, that perhaps something had happened causing them to rush. But it was Janus that eventually noticed another discrepancy… Although he seemed entirely unaware of it, Emory could do things like slowly inch a glass of water across a table without touching it. Lights also tended to go a bit haywire around him… Evidence like this is what lead Jan to believe that he possibly had magical abilities, a suspicion that was later confirmed through several means… Emory’s great-grandmother on his mother’s side had been a witch, but she had passed away giving birth to her daughter and the truth had died with her. After this revelation, it became clear that Emory had retained some memories from the robbery due to his latent magical skill, likely including a degree of natural occlumency.

With Emory’s cooperation and the assistance of a memory charm specialist, Janus and his partner eventually identified the perpetrator as Selden Sayer, a local wixen religious fanatic and parseltongue who had established a snake-handling cult around the area. He’d been using the Imperius Curse to make no-majs rob banks in order to further fund his church, where he preached the virtues of pureblood supremacy. Emory’s testimony helped MACUSA make a case against Sayer and bring him in, and also lead to the release of the other no-maj suspects that had been Imperiused. Last Janus heard, Emory was living in his hometown of Daphne with his halfblood partner, and that the two of them run a daycare for local wixen children still too young for Ilvermorny.

[janusharley-blog]

lolatkins‌:

“Good, because you know I don’t like melancholic music. It makes us feel too much, and we can’t have that, can we?” Lola winked, but she knew Janus was easily going to see what was hiding behind the gesture. He always did, and perhaps that was one of the reasons she felt so deeply connected to him. They both had so much to hide; almost as if they had spent their lives pretending to be other people. Hell, perhaps that was exactly what they were doing right now, one way or another. She surely knew she wasn’t who she said she was, and that was the point of even being there. Nevertheless, things were different when she was around Janus. She didn’t have to hide, she didn’t have to worry constantly about letting something slip. It was almost like being herself, as much as that was possible. 

She closed her eyes briefly as the music came to a stop. The murmur outside their own little bubble took over once more, but now it sounded empty compared to the tune she had heard seconds before. “Gracias querido.”, she replied, the Spanish rolling easily off her tongue as she opened her eyes again. “you look great as well. I don’t think anyone can tell we’re like fishes out of our pond. That’s how it goes, right? The saying.” His next question made her smirk, and she leaned a little closer. “Real money? Who has that kind of privilege, please. I made Snow buy it. Don’t worry, I’m not sleeping with him, not even flirting, before you say anything. I think he just got extremely scared when I told him I was planning on wearing all leathers.” Lola shrugged. “It’s all a lie, sugar. I’m used to lying. You are too. You look like a politician.” It was a compliment, but at the same time it wasn’t. She made sure to make her point by pulling a disgusted face, even if she let a soft chuckle escape her lips right afterwards. 

Lola isn’t usually one to be morose, that’s far more his modus operandi than hers, and so it stands out to him as peculiar enough to stop and take note of. “Of course not, we don’t address our feelings directly in this house...” he returns sarcastically. Jan shoots her an odd sideways glance, brow lifted slightly as if to ask what’s eating her... he won’t go so far as to ask her outright in the middle of a sea of people. They’re both supposed to be keeping cover, after all... as comfortable as they are with one another, they can’t be their authentic selves without drawing unwanted attention and derisive looks from some of their superiors. Still, he reaches out to sympathetically grip her hand, tiny compared to his. It had been a while, but he figured the gesture would be familiar nonetheless. In Cuba he’d used the brief, warm contact to communicate a lot of things- concern, reassurance, comfort... now he meant it to say that he was there for her, if she needed. He figured they’d find time to talk soon, after the formality of the gala had passed and they could go back to their usual routine. It had been too long, he was already looking forward to hanging out with her again like they used to.

He laughs softly, stifling it from something louder at her use of the expression. “Close enough,” he said. “There’s something about big and small fish I think...” He shrugs a little, fluidly. It’s times like this that he seems almost graceful- he’s calm and happy, talking to someone he likes, and he’s successfully distracted himself from the near-constant paranoia that something is about to go wrong. His size doesn’t seem as awkward or intimidating when he’s seated at the piano bench, long legs folded under him. He doesn’t even seem as sad as he usually is, especially with the way he grins and laughs again at her next comment. “For the record, I never thought you were,” he clarifies. “I hate to break it to you, Lo, but you have something of a tell around people you’ve slept with...” He winks right back at her because the playful teasing has been a part of their friendship since day one. And just as easily, she turns it right back around on him.

“In this one instance, I’ll take that as a compliment... politicians do make the best liars, after all,” he grinned, turning back to the piano after a moment and laying his fingers over the keys without taking his eyes off her. “Anything in particular you wanna hear, doll? Or is energetic the only criteria?”

[tramampoline]

told the flatwoods monster i like her dress and she blushed in a series of pulsating red flashes and now there’s spots in my vision