A/N : The part written in Italics is flashback. Don't get confused. Enjoy!

~

"Harvey?"

Rye cursed silently as he watched the blonde boy make his way downstairs. He doesn't know how Andy knew this 'Harvey' guy but what he does know is that Andy is plain stupid for walking out there in danger, when he is completely aware that the Harvey guy is holding a gun and could possibly be hiding other weapons.

"What the hell are you doing, Harv? Let him go!" Andy shouted, trying to sound brave.

"Andy-" Harvey sounded shocked and slightly scared to see the small blonde but quickly recovered from his initial reaction, "Don't get involved."

"No! He is my bestfriend and I've all the rights to get involved!"

Rye watched the interaction silently. The two boys seemed to know each other well but then again, they are from the same university so it wouldn't be a surprise if they happen to be friends. Rye also felt a strange surge of possessiveness overcome him when Harvey spoke Andy's name with a sense of familiarity and hidden affection.

He closed his eyes momentarily before looking over towards Mikey. His bestfriend was looking right back at him. They both exchanged meaningful looks before taking their positions.

Here goes nothing.

~

Andy stared at his 'friend' as he held a gun to Brooklyn's head, the emerald eyed boy almost on the verge of passing out. When Rye had asked him to stay in the room, he had initially planned to obey him. Until he remembered that his only bestfriend is still out there and he might be in danger. 

One of Andy's weaknesses - as he liked to call it - was that he gets attached to people. Too much. And too fast.

Brooklyn had been his bestfriend for as long as he could remember. The blonde boy was there for him on his best and on his worst. And He might come off as rude to his bestfriend most of the time but He loves Brooklyn very dearly and would rather die than let anything happen to him.

Suddenly, a memory flashed into his mind from years ago.

"Hey, Brook?" 16 year old Andy asked.

"Yeah?" Brooklyn replied with his mouth full of food.

"I don't have siblings but sometimes I really do wish that I had someone who could bear my secrets, listen to my rants, annoy the hell out of me and most importantly, just be there for me." Andy's voice was soft as he spoke. Brooklyn had stopped eating to look at his friend.

"And then I look at you Brook," Andy smiled, staring at him softly - which was a rare sight since Andy was usually annoyed with him - before he continued, "I look at you and I realise that if I had a brother, then he'd be like you. Because whenever I reflect upon our relationship, I imagine that's what having a younger brother would be like."

Brooklyn gave him a huge smile before latching onto him.

"I never knew you were such a softie, Andy." He teased, still hugging his bestfriend.

"Shut up, you idiot!"

Andy smiled at the memory before the sound of Brook's whimpers brought him back to reality. Harvey was moving backwards, nearing the main door, using Brooklyn as a shield.

Just then, they heard the sound of two gunshots and before anyone decipher what was happening, the lights went off. A wave of nausea and fear overcame Andy and soon enough, the voices around him became too much too handle; The panicked shouts of University fellows, the police sirens, the commands of officers - It all happened too fast and then all of a sudden, Andy found himself gasping for air; his whole body shaking uncontrollably as memories of that day flashed before his - now teary - eyes.

His vision started to blur and once again, he felt like he was withering away from reality. From this world. He could hear voices all around him, people were scurrying past him, but he couldn't move. It was as if he was stuck in this cruel reality while people moved past him in slow motion.

He was now on the ground; still gasping for air and trying to overcome his hazy vision. He didn't though. He was unable to speak - let alone move.

"Andy?" He heard a familiar voice call out but he couldn't recognise it.

"Darling, please stay with me. You're fine, Andy. I won't let anything happen to you." The same voice assured him, the sound somehow helping Andy to calm down.

And then He was being lifted up in someone's arms; very gently though, as if he was made of fine glass. He assumed it was the same person who spoke to him in such a soothing manner.

The man continued to utter soothing words to him as he carried him to God knows where - Andy was neither in the mood nor position to figure it out as he was quite content in his saviour's arms - It almost felt as if the man was...

His guardian angel.

Andy smiled softly as he drifted away into a - somewhat - peaceful slumber.

'Thank you, My Guardian Angel.'

~

"How could you let him get away?" Blair shouted frustratedly from the other side.

"We apologise, Sir. The power went out exactly after we fired and taking advantage of the panic and frenzy going around, He ran away." Mikey explained. The three of them - Mikey, Rye and Jack - were in a conference call with Blair, reporting the recent events.

"The boy was unharmed?"

"Yes, Brooklyn is completely safe. And judging from the amount of drinks he had, He won't remember half of the things that happened tonight." Mikey answered again. Jack was still a bit shaken up about the attack as it was the first time he jad taken part in a CIA case directly. Rye, on the other hand, had been completely distant since the incident.

"What about the Fowler boy? Rye?" Blair asked and Rye snapped out of his thoughts.

"Yes? Oh-Uh, He is fine." Rye spoke, "At least physically." He added as an afterthought.

"Good. Now, Get to the real report. What was his purpose there? Jack?"

"Y-Yes, Sir!" Jack sounded nervous but proceeded to explain anyway, "I had gone to the bathroom to get away from the noise for a while, when I heard a hushed voice coming from the nearby door. I tried my best to listen in to the conversation on the other side of the door..."

Jack was about to join the party again when he heard a voice coming from the nearby door. His first instinct was to let it pass as nothing since there was so much noise outside and It would make sense if someone came here to make a call or something. However, he was a part of CIA and the agency never takes anything lightly. Moreover, considering the recent crime case they're working on, It would be highly irresponsible of Jack to ignore even the slightest hint of strange activity.

Therefore, He leaned against the door and tried to listen in to the conversation. Not being in this field of CIA had its disadvantages as Jack was only able to catch bits and pieces of the conversation.

"...arrived... not that I know of... 11pm... Cocaine and Marijuana... no.. okay.. yes boss..."

But those bits and pieces were enough to confirm Jack's suspicions and a second later, he found himself kicking the door open and walking in.

Only to find Harvey Cantwell.

What?

Harvey stared at him in shock and Jack could confirm that his face held the same expression. Harvey Cantwell is associated with mafia? Or at least, drug dealing, judging from his recent conversation.

The young gangster looked like Jack caught him in the middle of a crime - Which he ironically did - before suddenly composing himself and pocketing his phone.

"Do I know you?" He was putting on an act.

"Cut the crap! I heard your conversation." Jack stated Seriously.

"Oh really? And here I thought that I was going to get past you and your stupid comrades without much of a hassle. Huh? Junior agent of Technology department, Jack Duff." The way Harvey said his name and status made him frown. It was as if he was mocking his abilities as an agent.
Jack might not be a skilled fighter but he sure as hell knows his way around technology and computer science.

"Who are you and whom do you work for?" Jack questioned.

"Do you really expect an answer? Man, you guys are more dumb than I imagined." Harvey chuckled. Jack glared at him, pulling out his gun. But before he could load it, The door opened to reveal a drunk Brook looking confused. In less than a minute, Brook was in Harvey's grasp and a gun was being held to his newly made friend.

"... I wasn't expecting him to jump Brooklyn like that. This is my fault and I'm sincerely very sorry." Jack apologised nervously.

"I agree that you should have been more careful, Jack. You are not meant to take part in fights - unless it's absolutely necessary - Your job was to gather information about any possible suspects. If you happen to come across a similar situation in future, remember to inform your seniors - namely Mikey and Ryan - instead of taking matters in your own hand." Blair reprimanded him.

"We managed to shoot him in left arm before he left. If he was associated with mafia then they must know by now that we're onto them." Mikey stated.

"Another thing which keeps worrying me is that He knew Jack's name and his position in the agency. We don't know how much more they know about us, therefore, we have to keep our guard up at all times. Specially you, Rye." Blair spoke.

"I understand."

It was silent for a while before Rye spoke up again.

"He was not an associate." He said thoughtfully.

"Why do you think so?"

"Because Mafias don't leak information to associates. They only keep it to the inner circle, just like us."

"In that case, he is probably part of the real gang and from the 'inner circle' as you referred." Mikey spoke this time.

"I see. Well, I'd leave you to your duties now. Be careful and remember to stay on high alert at all times." Blair said and hung up, ending the group call.

Rye sighed and threw his phone on the bed. This isn't the first time that he had been frustrated about a case. Rye is generally not a patient person and even though, several years of hard training had somehow improved his inability to control his emotions much better, there were still times when he had a hard time dealing with himself.

The problem was not even the case itself - rather it was a certain blonde boy with gorgeous blue eyes. And It irked Rye.

It annoyed him beyond imagination that this certain boy is the reason behind his frustrations.

Suddenly, A knock interrupted Rye's inner turmoil and after letting out an exasperated groan, He went to open the door. The sight he was faced with wasn't one he expected but He wasn't complaining either. 

There he stood - the reason behind Rye's frustrations - in all his glory; clad in a black nightgown which reached his knees, showing off his creamy legs. His eyes were cast downward, hiding those beautiful blue orbs that Rye often finds himself getting lost into. His expression was unreadable but Rye could see a tiny hint of blush on his cheeks.

Andy Fowler was effortlessly beautiful.

Quite Annoying and Sassy at times; but still effortlessly beautiful.

There was no doubt about it.

"Did you need anything?" Rye found himself asking; his voice coming out deeper than he intended. Andy's blush intensified and He started to stutter.

"I-I just wanted to th-thank you for saving me, again."

"You don't need to thank me." Rye knew that no matter how gorgeous this boy is, he is still a part of Rye's mission and therefore, not someone he could allow to get close to him. The need to say something else grew and before Rye could think clearly, the words were out.

"That is my job. I get paid for it."

Andy's expression faltered and something akin to disappointment and hurt flashed across his face.

"Right." He replied, rubbing his arms awkwardly.

"Anything else you wanted to say? I was about to sleep."

Rye had expected Andy to give a sassy reply or even shout at him - since the boy doesn't let anyone speak to him like that - but Andy gave him a small smile and whispered,

"I apologise for not listening to you earlier at the party. It was stupid of me to walk out into danger like that."

Rye felt a wave of guilt washing over him when he saw Andy struggling to get the words out without crying, however, before Rye could utter a response, Andy ran away quickly.

He clenched his jaw and leaned against the door. He had to get a grip over himself.

He couldn't let Andy get in the way of his mission.

~

Hello people! How are you all? I swear I wasn't dead. I was just lost on the path of life 😂 Jk, I'm currently at my cousins' house for a month and It's so hectic here. It's hard to write or even read Much.

But I felt like you guys deserved something for sticking with my unusual updating schedule so here's a chapter. From here on, there will be loads of sexual tension and angst 😉❤

-Vanishaloveslarry 💫