Chapter Text
Ever since Giann started the NXX team with Neil and Vyn, it became nigh impossible for him to accurately gauge just what the fuck would happen next in his life. Biggest case in point; he and Neil were targeted by Heirson goons, he and Neil had fell for it, and he and Neil had to go completely dark to protect the people in their lives that mattered to them.
And ‘going dark’ was nothing Giann had expected either. Both in having to do it and how it actually works because sue him, Giann’s only reference for being on the downlow was cheesy action movies. Neil ‘Undercover Expert’ Hume has never let him live it down the entire time they both had to fuck off to a literal cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere far, far away. Which, fine, Neil knew better than he did on this front, Giann understood that, and it did make sense. Isolated like this, they can’t be found or used as bargaining chips. However, it also meant a total blackout on communications. Sans heavily encrypted updates DAVIS periodically sent them so they could continue planning and investigating behind the scenes, they couldn’t contact anyone in Stellis. Not their friends, not their families, not even Vyn who already had the context of the NXX. The risk of putting them in danger was too high.
Giann couldn’t risk letting Marius know he was okay. Because that’d make him a target too.
And just when Giann was almost getting used to the routine of soul crushing paranoia and frustration that he couldn’t do more in the current circumstances, he and Neil just had to get kidnapped by the damn people that pushed them to this. Of course. Like he said, who the hell knows what’ll happen next.
“I mean—” Neil said after Giann told him about this mantra. Trapped in their high-tech prison cell, Neil grinned. “—If you never know what comes next, that means there’s a non zero percent chance we can get out of this alive since we’re not expecting it.”
Giann squinted at him, “Well, now that you said it, it’s definitely not gonna happen.”
“Well, now that you say it won’t happen, it definitely could.”
“Is this how you do shit in court?”
“Nah, it’s just fun to mess with you. Gallows humor, y’know?”
And they sure as hell were in the gallows.
But Neil’s reasoning—as shaky as it was—actually comes through in the form of a daring rescue from the NXX Investigation Team that took on the mantle in Neil and Giann’s absence. This part is the bit that decided to look straight out of a cheesy action movie: Neil and Giann beat up as bait, the new team nobly yet stupidly spurred by it, security breaches, Marius kicking the door to their cell down while Giann wheezed for him to get the hell out of here, Marius being a little shit and pointedly not doing that as he busted them out, chaos, shootouts, just—the whole damn shebang.
It’s a bit tough to remember all the details. Giann spent a good portion of the rescue bickering with Marius because 1) Marius was being an idiot and 2) the banter seemed to keep Marius calm enough that he kept his head on straight and didn’t cry, or something. And yeah, in all the fuckery of everything, what mattered most in that moment was that Giann didn’t wanna see him cry.
Vyn was there. Artem was there too, helping out Neil along with 2 new people he doesn’t recognize. Giann witnesses Artem sharpshooting with a handgun, the green eyed girl tasing guards and barking out orders, and—holy fuck, did the fluffy haired dude just snap someone’s neck? And why does Vyn have a crossbow? The OG NXX was not this badass, what the hell?
“We’re awesome, thank you very much,” Marius said as he dragged Giann out of the facility. Oh, did Giann say that last bit out loud? Kinda hard to be fully cognizant with all his injuries.
“Don’t…brag.”
“Not bragging, just laying down the facts!” Marius told him smugly. Then, his tone went a little softer. “They’re really something else.”
And at the time, Giann thought he’d imagined the vaguely lovestruck vibes in Marius’ voice. Or maybe he just didn’t get much time to think about it at all because the concussion he got in the earlier getting-beat-up bit of the rescue decided to dropkick his brain into oblivion at just that moment.
The last thing he heard then was Marius swearing, his voice wavering, and his words painfully honest as he said “No, no, no, you’re not allowed to leave me again, fucking hang on.”
So he hangs on.
And they all get out of it alive.
Neil isn’t going to let him live this one down either, is he…
-
Well, that’s what Neil would’ve done immediately if he didn’t get bashed in the head during the rescue, that is. He got hit hard enough that the fucker had to be put in a medically induced coma for a week, and now Giann’s got nobody to commiserate with about being bedridden due to injuries. It sucks, and he loudly complains about it to any non-medical staff person who comes into his hospital room.
Which, currently, has only been Marius.
“Y’know, a lot people call me whiny and insufferable and blah blah blah—” Marius says around a spoonful of fruit from a fruit cup. “—and they really have no fucking idea that I had to have gotten it from somewhere.”
“Stop eating my fruit,” Giann grumbles, swatting at Marius who annoyingly dodges and scoots away from the hospital bed. “Those are mine. And you have to be nice, I’m traumatized and injured.”
“Oh, so now you’re traumatized injured?” He snickers. “Just yesterday you were like ‘I’m fine, let me help with the investigation now!’”
This calls for the big guns now, “Stop eating my fruit or I’m telling everyone all the embarrassing cutesy nicknames Dad and I call you.”
Marius squints at him. “You wouldn’t.”
Giann smiles serenely, “Wouldn’t I?”
It’s almost like everything was like how it was. But it’s evidently very much not.
Yesterday, when Giann woke up after the rescue, he found himself at a hospital room and had a grand three seconds of processing that before Marius slammed the door open, rambling questions on if Giann is feeling okay in a way that reminds him of how he had talked to a smaller, younger Marius years ago. Once Marius was appeased that Giann is Not Dying and Not Feeling Like He’s Dying, he explained the situation: Neil is okay and just has to snooze for a few days so the swelling in his brain chills out, the Heirson operatives have gone into hiding but they won’t go far with the media’s eyes on them, the rest of the team is investigating so Giann and Neil can recover and nobody outside the team knows about them so that they can be safe and—
By that point, Giann had to stop Marius’ spiel and pull him in for a hug. And they both let themselves fall apart.
Today, Marius is back to being a little shit, and Giann lets him. He knows there’s probably more feelings to unpack, both on Marius’ end and on Giann’s but…getting through all of this will take time. And Giann’s ready to be there every step of the way.
He has to. After all, he was gone for so long and—
“Yooooo,” Marius tosses an unopened fruit cup onto Giann’s lap. “You’re zoning out. Are you okay?”
Giann pulls away from his thoughts and smiles reassuringly, “I’m okay. Just have a lot on my mind.”
“You better not be thinking about work or cases.”
“I’m not, I’m—” He was gone for a long time. What happened during all these months he was gone? What does he have to make up for? What will he have to relearn and will he, well...succeed? “—I'm mostly thinking about everything I missed.”
“Huh? Like, what, who won this year’s Stellis Beauty Pageant?”
Giann rolls his eyes. “No, dumbass, like what’s been happening with you? Aside from PAX and NXX shit, that is. I’ve kinda got a lot to catch up on, so has anything big happened?”
“Understatement of the fuckin’ century,” Marius laughs.
“Give me the top 3 as a starting point?”
“Okay, top 3 big things it is then.” Marius says with a playful vibe that Giann recognizes as him about to make this somewhat of a game. "First up, DAVIS is sentient now. I know you said not to include NXX stuff, but DAVIS is a bro so he doesn’t count.”
“Ah, that was bound to happen eventually.” Giann shrugs, peeling open the fruit cup and taking a few spoonfuls. Seems the game is that Marius is trying to shock him, and Giann doesn’t like losing.
Undeterred, Marius continues. “Dad officiated a marriage.”
Unaffected, Giann asks, “What kind of marriage?”
“Between two of the koi fish in the pond at the estate, Dmitri and Annalise. Legal and with papers and everything. He finally did an eccentric rich guy stunt.”
“He’s in his 60s, he’s got the right. Congrats to the happy couple.” Giann happily munches on diced peaches and the sweet victory of Marius failing to rattle him. “And the last big thing I missed?”
Marius smirks, “I’m in a romantic relationship rest of the current NXX Investigation Team in a super cool polycule setup.”
Giann loses all the composure the media loved to praise him for and nearly chokes on his fruit. “What?”