“Zeus, Ajax, how many more?” Mason snaps into his comms, gripping the batarian around the neck. The eyes blink at him and a wet sound gurgles from its throat.
“Three, and they’re mine,” Nico’s voice answers, followed by a muffed ‘fuck you’ and a biotic boom that echos through the metal plates of the ship.
A moment later, Maddox’s voice joins Nico’s swearing in Mason’s ear, hooting loudly. “Neutralized!” he crows.
Mason smiles thinly. The batarian in his grasp flails as Mason’s fingers squeeze a little tighter around the alien’s throat and he lifts his Carnifex. “Time’s up, asshole.”
The disrupter round to the head splatters blood against the cargo bay walls.
“Well,” Ethan says mildly as he approaches, smoothing down the lapels of his stylish ensemble. “I would have put a singularity in his brain if it was up to me.”
Mason snorts as he shoves the lifeless body to the side and steps over it. “Too messy. Would have ruined your suit.”
“Can’t have that,” Ethan chuckles darkly then stands there with feigned innocence when Mason gestures impatiently at the lifeless body at his feet. “What?”
“Help me get this thing to the airlock.”
“But, Huntsman,” Ethan mocks him. “The suit.”
Mason rolls his eyes but doesn’t bother to argue. He dissipates his biotic barrier with a low thrum. The tension still vibrates under his skin but he’ll figure out a way to work it off later. He eyes Ethan, not a hair out of place although there’s blood across the knuckles of one hand that Ethan casually wipes away with a pristinely white handkerchief pulled from his breast pocket. “Did you run into trouble?”
“No. Just a minor disagreement with one of the crew.”
“Handled, Mason. They’re fine. Just needed to ensure they weren’t going to get in our way.”
“Just confined them to quarters for the duration of our little skirmish. Most of them won’t even know we’ve been boarded.”
“Nice work,” Mason grunts, a second before Ethan steps close and captures his chin in his hand. There’s a slight ping as Ethan’s biotics quiver faintly against his own as he turns Mason’s face, examining him with a critical eye. “What is it?”
“You’re bleeding. Don’t tell me you let them get the jump on you?”
Ethan holds his jaw for a moment longer before his thumb ghosts over his lips in a whisper of a promise. The space between them sparks but if it’s just their latent biotic energy or something else, Mason doesn’t let himself dwell.
“Get up to the bridge,” he orders Ethan, drawing back and trying to put the way Ethan’s eyes turned to dark gold out of his mind. “And take Nico with you.”
Ethan’s hand drops and he steps away. “Understood,” he answers curtly. He spares Mason a final glance before he disappears through the doorway.
Mason pulls up the holographic map on his omni tool and focuses on the comms again, taking note of Nico and Maddox’s positions as they sweep through the halls on the lower decks. “Ajax, get your ass down to the cargo bay. Now.”
There’s a heartbeat of silence before an incredulous and slightly petulant, “Now?”
“The fuck did I just say?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Ajax mutters, slight static dulling his response. “On my way.”
Mason spares a moment to take a breath. Their plan worked - mission successful, team intact, cruiser secured.
And one less slaver ring to terrorise the galaxy.
“The Golden Goose,” Mason snorts later under the refined chatter of the luxury pleasure liner’s crew celebrations. These people huddled around blackjack tables and drinking Peruvian whiskey had no idea what a close call they just had. “What a ridiculous name for a ship. That’s just asking for trouble.”
Ethan flicks an imaginary piece of lint off his shoulder as he stands beside Mason to watch the festivities. “Good thing we happened to be in the neighbourhood.”
“Right,” Mason says mockingly, even if he spares half a moment to drag his gaze over his teammate and admire the taunt lines of a perfectly tailored suit across broad shoulders. Days ago, Ethan had brought him Intel detailing rumours of Batarian pirates lurking on the edges of council space preparing to attack human crewed ships but when they had turned their attentions to one of Cerberus’s own cruisers, Tatsu had decided to send in the 37’s. Ethan had posed as one of the passengers while the rest of them lurked in the shadows, waiting for their trap to be sprung. “And the cargo hold full of Noverian rum had nothing to do with it, huh?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Huntsman. Although some Asari Honey Mead would have fetched a better price on the open market if you ask me.”
There’s a shout of laughter as the celebration continues. The captain wanders over to greet them briefly, already a few drinks into his cups. He shakes their hands before moving on and Mason catches sight of Zeus and Ajax somewhere in the crowd.
Ethan peels himself away from the wall with the intention to join the party but Mason reaches for his wrist before he can get too far.
“Hey.” He keeps his voice just loud enough to hear over the raucous babble. Restless energy still sparks along his spine, a charge left over from the fight that leaves him irritated and hungry for one single thing in particular. “Save some energy for me later, huh?”
Ethan’s brow raises and his smile is slow. “Well, now,” he drawls, voice suddenly husky and lower than before. “I'll have to check my dance card.”
The spark prickles again. There’s a sudden pounding behind Mason’s ribs, like he’s about to drop into a combat zone. He locks eyes with Ethan, gaze skittering over the lines of his lips, his jaw and the expanse of his shoulders. He swallows thickly.
“Do me a favour… Tear it up tonight.”
Ethan unexpectedly goes still and for a moment, Mason wonders if he’s misjudged.
“That's a big ask, Huntsman. What are you offering?”
Mason releases Ethan's wrist then and leans back, ignoring the sudden tightness in his chest. He was skirting the edge here, pushing boundaries that they had never steadfastly established, wondering how much Ethan might let him have.
He feigns an annoyed roll of his eyes and says mockingly, “Do I really have to say it?”
He doesn’t, and Ethan advances closer, large and looming and fuck, he's not that much bigger than Mason but somehow he seems to eclipse the sun, the moon and all the planets until he’s Mason’s entire universe.
It’s just their sparks, Mason tells himself. Their weird little biotic harmony, nothing more.
But his eyes zero in on the curve of Ethan’s mouth and longing curls somewhere deep in Mason’s gut. “Well?” he demands, impatient when Ethan takes too long to answer.
“And skip this delightful party?” Ethan says blandly. He plants a wide hand against the wall beside Mason’s head and leans in, his breath is warm and sweet from the whiskey. Of course Ethan wouldn't debase himself with anything less. “After all the trouble we went to secure it?”
Mason lifts his chin. “Party of two.”
Ethan’s other hand finds its way to the base of Mason’s throat and his thumb rubs against Mason's pulse. The weight of his touch sends heat straight to Mason's groin.
“Hmm. We’ve always worked better together, haven’t we,” Ethan murmurs, right before he kisses him.
