Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was an unusually chilly morning for Summer in Los Santos. It was early enough the world around Geoff was bathed in that soft blue light that came before dawn, the soft silence of those early hours only broken by the occasional sound of a biker or jogger passing by, obviously enjoying the scenic view of the beach almost as much as Geoff. Well, maybe a bit better than Geoff, considering how Geoff was being held together only by a cup of coffee in his hand and the promise of a meeting from Burnie.

Before, he would’ve told Burnie to fuck off and plan a meeting at a normal hour in a decent location, but ever since The Roosters’ near-destruction a month ago, most of them others kept things underground, which meant no unnecessary contact and no meetings. It left Geoff missing his friends, with the only person still able to hang around him being Jack. Of course, it wasn’t all bad, seeing as it let Geoff and Jack work out their own plans while The Roosters figured out their stuff, but still, Geoff had all but jumped at the chance to meet with Burnie, especially when Burnie said it was something personal to talk about.

And so, Geoff was sitting on a bench at Vespucci Beach before the break of dawn, waiting for Burnie to get there so they could talk. About what exactly , Geoff didn’t know, but it must’ve been important if Burnie was willing to break the no-meeting rule. 

“It’s pretty nice out this morning, isn’t it?” Burnie said as he came to a stop next to Geoff, causing the seated man to look in a moment of surprise before looking back out the horizon.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s actually pretty cool out, which is weird.”

“I know, right? I actually had to grab my jacket this morning. I even brought my umbrella, since you never know when it’s gonna rain.”

Geoff blinked. It had been a while since they had talked in code, but Geoff was pleased to find that he actually managed to remember quite a bit of it. Burnie, in essence, had just told him that he had a gun on him, just in case something happened.

“You really think there’s that much of a chance?” Geoff asked, sitting up straighter, taking in his surroundings more carefully.

“Given how the weather’s been, well,” Burnie shrugged. “Better safe than sorry.”

Things have been bad, didn’t want to take that chance.

“Yeah…” Geoff stood, taking one final swig of his lukewarm coffee before looking at Burnie. “C’mon, let’s go inside. Unlike you, I didn’t bring my umbrella, and I’d really rather not get rained on.”

I don’t have anything, let’s move somewhere more discreet.

“Lead the way, friend o’ mine. I’ll be right behind you.”

Lead the way, I’ve got your back.

---

Geoff ended up taking Burnie to the cafe where he had bought his coffee, a quiet little place with a back room that could be locked so long as a big enough tip was put in the jar. Finally, after weeks apart due to work and fear, the two Roosters were alone together. They could finally drop the stupid code.

“Alright Burnie, what gives? You’ve been blowing up all my burners for the past three days. You better have some good shit to tell me, or I’m gonna deck you so fuckin’ hard --”

“It’s not-- I don’t have news , exactly,” Burnie began slowly, shooting his hands up into the surrender position when Geoff shifted suddenly, “But! But… I do need to talk to you about something.”

“About what , Burnie? Just spit it out already.”

“I…” Burnie sighed, swallowed, then continued, “I need a favor, Geoff.”

Geoff blinked. Why would Burnie need a favor from Geoff? As far as Burnie and the others knew, Geoff was going with them to Austin to help rebuild. Sure, Geoff probably should’ve told them sooner as opposed to later, especially with the date rapidly approaching, but it was hard, and Geoff had never liked goodbyes all that much.

“Listen, I know you haven’t told us yet, but I already know you and Jack want to stay behind,” Burnie said, placing a hand onto Geoff’s shoulder, “I honestly don’t blame you. I fuckin’ love this city, and a small operation could probably take it by storm, and I know that if anyone can do it, it’s you-- But that’s not the point right now. Right now, I need a favor, and you’re the only one I can ask for it.”

“Alright,” Geoff replied cautiously, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, “Shoot.”

“Alright. About a month before… you know … We had someone contact us. He was going by the name ‘Golden Boy’, and he hacked into our systems within minutes. He wanted to work for us, said he was a fan, so we let him. You remember?” 

Geoff nodded, vaguely recalling the meeting Burnie was talking about. It had been an unprecedented security breach, and probably should’ve been a sign of what was to come, but they hadn’t put too much thought into it at the time, opting to simply hire the guy and hope it went smoothly.

“Yeah, well, the guy was real secretive. He didn’t want to be met in-person, didn’t give out a proper number, hell, we couldn’t contact him directly for a week .”

“ Please tell me this is going somewhere, Burnie. Please for the love of god tell me it has a point.”

“I’m getting there, asshole. Anyways, about two days after the collapse, Golden Boy contacts me, turns out he was found, needed backup, and I was the only one around. Managed to find him, save him, whatever, no big deal, but this guy? This prolific hacker and negotiator?” Burnie ran his fingers through his hair, a strained laugh escaping him. “ Fuck , Geoff, he’s just a fucking kid .”

“ What? ”

“Maybe he’s not a kid , but he’s a hell of a lot younger than he ought to be, especially with some of the shit he’s pulled. Worse, without The Roosters to help him, he’s got nobody Geoff. We can’t support him anymore, and he’s essentially become a giant walking target.”

“Oh no,” Geoff moaned as he realized where the conversation was going. “ Burnie… ”

“C’mon, Geoff,” Burnie pleaded, “We barely have enough to get what we have to Austin and set up there. He’s just a kid down on his luck, he needs someone he can count on.”

“Why me? Aren’t there like, a billion other contacts you could ask? Ones who aren’t going to have to struggle to set up another crew?”

“Geoff, even if I could, I wouldn’t. You and Jack… I just know you’re gonna be what this kid needs .”

“Burnie, look, I get it. You trust me, and you think this kid is better off in Los Santos with people you trust than in Austin while you’re trying to make a new name, but I’m telling you right now, he’s gonna be in a fuck-ton of danger, no matter who he goes with. Hell, he’d probably be safer with you assholes, considering it’s just gonna be Jack and I for a while.”

“That’s the thing , Geoff: He’s not safe anywhere. He’s in way over his head! He’s damn good at what he does, but he’s shit at just about everything else. He needs someone to show him the ropes a bit. The Roosters aren’t going to be a good option for that, there’s too many of us, even with nearly half of us scattered. You and Jack, though? You and Jack can show him how it all works, teach him to take care of himself, at the very least how to shoot a fucking gun .”

“Alright, alright, I know where you’re coming from, but still … Is the kid going to be able to pull his weight? Or am I going to dragging around a half-useless asshole that calls himself ‘Golden Boy’ until one of us gets shot?”

“Well, like I said,” Burnie smirked, and Geoff quite suddenly felt like the canary, not the cat, in the situation. “Kid may suck at just about everything else, but he’s one of the best hackers I’ve ever seen, and, when he’s not getting the shit beat out of him, I heard he’s a damn-good negotiator. I figure those are both things you’re gonna need for your new crew.”

Burnie, the smug fucker, was right . Geoff and Jack, for their all their experience, had little to no actual hacking expertise, and while Geoff could easily con a man blind, actual negotiations had usually been handled by Matt or Burnie. They would’ve needed to hire someone with expertise eventually anyways, and Burnie was all but handing them the answer to one of their biggest problems. Of course, they were also trading that problem for another, seeing as the kid apparently was useless outside of those areas.

Still, with all the reasoning Burnie brought, Geoff found himself sighing, looking up at Burnie resignedly. 

“When and where are we picking him up?”

---

“I still can’t believe you’re staying ,” Matt remarked as he pulled away from the hug he had been pulled into by Jack and Geoff, “You sure you’re gonna be alright?”

“We’ll be fine , Matt,” Jack replied, her voice much more sure than it had sounded earlier that morning, “Just make sure you catch the flight, and try not to forget us, okay?”

“You guys need anything --”

“We’ll call,” Geoff cut Matt off, the goodbye getting way too mushy for Geoff’s emotions to handle, “Now get outta here, ya dick. Show Austin who’s boss.”

Matt laughed, but did as he was told, disappearing into the chaos that was the Los Santos airport. He exchanged a look with Jack just in time to see her put away whatever tissue she had been using to dab away her tears, and he rolled his eyes in faux-annoyance.

“If you’re going to cry every time we say goodbye to these assholes, I’m going to make you stay in the car.”

“Oh, like you could make me do anything ,” Jack retorted, but there was humor in the statement, “Come on, let’s get to Mckenzie before Burnie and Gus decide to leave before we have a chance to say goodbye.”

The drive there was mostly silent, both Jack and Geoff simply remembering the old days. He didn’t know about Jack, but Geoff couldn’t help but think about the future as well, not to mention just how much the past was about to repeat itself. The struggles, the triumphs, the highs and lows, the everything , he was about to have to deal with all that again. And then, on top of all that, Burnie’s favor … Geoff didn’t know how the fuck he was going to handle that , especially considering he hadn’t told Jack about it yet.

“Alright, we’re here. Looks like they haven’t left without us just yet-- Wait,” Jack squinted, leaning forward in her seat as the car pulled to a stop. “Who the fuck is that?

Geoff followed her gaze, his eyes first landing on Burnie, then the younger man next to him. Geoff was frankly surprised his eyes hadn’t hit him first , given the fact that the kid’s navy blue button-up, golden sunglasses, and overall disheveled appearance were a stark contrast to Burnie’s “lowkey but neat” outfit.

“A favor,” Geoff answered Jack, exiting the car with her following closely behind, “C’mon, let’s go meet ‘Golden Boy’.”

As they approached, it was Golden Boy who noticed them first, giving a cheerfully awkward wave to them, a goofy smile on his face. Burnie turned around, his eyes meeting Geoff’s instantly with a nod.

“About time you assholes got here,” Gus exclaimed from the pilot’s seat of the plane, “If it weren’t for Burnie and Gavin, I would’ve left hours ago.”

“Oh, bullshit ,” Burnie retorted, “You know damn well Jack would’ve knocked your ass out of the sky for leaving without a goodbye.”

Geoff couldn’t hear Gus’ grumbling, but he knew it was happening. Jack, meanwhile, was looking Golden Boy, apparently named Gavin, up and down. Burnie glanced between Jack and Geoff for a moment before sighing.

“You forgot to tell Jack, didn’t you?” Burnie asked, exasperated already. Jack looked between Burnie and Geoff, her attention snapped away by the statement.

“Forgot to tell me what ?” She asked, and Geoff coughed awkwardly, clearing his throat.

“Well, ya see, Burnie has this kid right here and realized he couldn’t take care of him, so he asked us if we could. I, uh, agreed.”

Jack stayed silent for a concerningly long amount of time, looking between the three men. Geoff figured she was processing the situation and deciding which emotion would be the best-suited for it. Then, her face slowly pulled into a smug smile as she looked over at Geoff.

“And you say I’m the one with the bleeding heart.”

“Oh, shut up !” Geoff snarked, earning a laugh from Jack and Burnie.

“Alright, I’m gonna go force Gus to give me a goodbye hug. Kid’s got my seal of approval, but you three can work out whatever else you need to amongst yourselves.”

Without another word, she turned and walked towards the plane where Gus was seated, likely still grumbling to himself, leaving Geoff, Burnie, and the kid alone with each other.

“Listen, Geoff,” Burnie started, lowering his voice so only Geoff could hear, “I really appreciate this. I’ve got a good feeling about it, too. I really think this’ll work.”

“I hope so, Burnie. I mean, if the kid can’t hold his own, we’ll help him find somewhere else to go, but I’d really rather not have to deal with that.”

“Not just that, though I’m glad you’re willing to give him a chance. I really think what you two are planning, this new crew? I think it may end up being just as great as The Roosters, if not a bit better.”

“Burnie…”

“Anyways,” Burnie exclaimed, leaning back and gesturing towards the younger man, “Enough of the sappy shit. This, as Gus said earlier, is Gavin Free, aka ‘Golden Boy’.”

“Hello!” Gavin greeted, a wide, excited smile splitting his face, “Nice to finally meet you in person, Geoffry!”

Geoff raised an eyebrow. Okay, so the kid was british, he wasn’t expecting that. Nor was he expecting the enthusiasm, or the name . He watched as Gavin extended a hand for Geoff to shake, and the former Rooster took it.

“Likewise,” Geoff said, giving Gavin’s hand a firm shake before pulling back, “And it’s just Geoff , by the way.”

“Oh, I know. I just wanted to see how you’d react to being called that.”

Oh boy, he was gonna be one of those smartasses, no wonder Burnie liked him so much.

“Alright, now that introductions are over with,” Burnie interjected, looking between Geoff and Gavin with uncharacteristically sad eyes, “I think it’s time for Gus and I to get the fuck out of here before we attract too much attention.”

“Yeah,” Gus called out, “Let’s get a move on!”

Burnie laughed, but there wasn’t much humor in it. As Jack made her way back over, Burnie looked between the three people he was leaving behind, a slight smile on his face.

“Alright, I won’t keep Gus waiting. Wouldn’t want him to start crying--”

“Fuck you!”

“--But just… Be careful, alright? I meant what I said, Geoff. Just keep each other safe, and I know it’ll happen.”

“Thanks, man. C’mere--” Geoff shoved forward, crushing Burnie in a hug, “Don’t die in Austin, alright? I need a fallback plan in case shit hits the fan.”

“We both know you just want people to bitch with when shit doesn’t go your way.”

“Yeah, that too. Now go on, get outta here, remake your dreams, Burns.”

“You too, Ramsey,” Burnie replied, pulling back from Geoff before giving Jack a quick hug as well, then, nodding to Gavin, “Saying ‘stay outta trouble’ is stupid for a kid like you, but I’m gonna say it anyways.”

“And I’ll agree, then get into trouble anyway.”

“Heh,” Burnie chuckled, ruffling Gavin’s hair into an even bigger mess, “Atta boy.”

With a final look to the three of them, Burnie nodded and made his way over the plane, where Gus was rubbing his eyes silently before turning on the engine, Burnie climbing into the co-pilot’s seat with ease. Within minutes, the plane was taking off into the blue, crystal-clear sky, slowly becoming nothing more than a dot on the horizon, leaving the three former Roosters behind in a melancholic silence.

“Well,” Jack said finally, her voice still slightly choked up, “Let’s get Gavin to his new home, huh?”

Chapter Text

It was late, and Geoff knew he should’ve gone to bed a lot earlier, but work kept him more awake than coffee could’ve ever hoped to, and he had a lot of it ahead of him. 

Planning a crew took a lot patience, resources, and time , none of which Geoff had much of anymore. Every day, the new upstarts of Los Santos and old rivals of The Roosters carved and claimed territory, territory that should’ve belonged to him. It was hard enough to evade capture, though, both by other crews and the LSPD alike, taking and keeping territory with a crew made up of three ex-members of the now “washed-out” Roosters? 

Geoff let out a sigh through his nose, taking a sip of his pepsi. It was impossible , Geoff wasn’t sure why he had bothered to think any different. Even back when there were five of them, it had been hard, what had he been thinking, trying to build the crew he dreamt of having with only he and Jack. Even with the surprise addition of a third member, it would be impossible, Geoff accepted that, but…

Geoff looked over at Jack, who had fallen asleep in an armchair about an hour or so prior. She was always there, always had his back, even when he didn’t have his own. She had been so excited for the plan, even with all the potential bumps along the way, and even as Geoff’s faith waned, hers seem to only brighten and explode.

Geoff smiled to himself at that thought. Jack had always done best when the deck was stacked against her. The least Geoff could do, after everything Jack had done for him, was see this through to the end, regardless of what that end would be.

Then, of course, there was Gavin. Gavin was… well, he was Gavin . Burnie hadn’t been kidding when he said the kid was a great hacker, as evidenced by the fact that the brit had been able to glitch the system of an apartment complex to make it seem like they not only owned the place, but that they paid the rent on-time. How Gavin managed the money side, Geoff didn’t want to know, but Gavin promised it wouldn’t lead to men in black suits busting down their door, so it was probably fine.

Still, Gavin, aside from his talents (and lack thereof, in some departments), was an enigma. The brit kept to himself, having taken up the one bedroom in the apartment as both his room and workspace. He only ever came out to eat, and even that was a rarity at times, no matter how much Jack kept pestering him about his shitty food habits. Even when he did come out, any conversation with him was either about random shower-thoughts he had or about work. He never talked about himself, or his past, or anything , and even when he dropped hints of it, it usually only left Geoff and Jack with more questions than answers.

Though, even with all of Gavin’s attempts at secrecy, Geoff knew at least a few things about him: He liked gold, he missed The Roosters despite only having been there for a month, and he really had nowhere else to go. Geoff had promised Burnie he’d take care of Gavin, show him the ropes, and in order to do that, Geoff had to keep working at it, no matter how useless it all seemed at times.

Geoff sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose as he kept staring down at the various papers spread across the sorry excuse they had for a dining room table. Geoff knew he probably looked like a mess, right then, with his white dress shirt half-untucked from his pants, sleeves sloppily rolled up to his elbows, tie half-undone around his neck, not to mention how his hair must’ve looked, with all the times he’d run his hands through it--

He needed to go the fuck to bed, but there was so much work to do, and nowhere near enough time to do it. He, at the very least, needed a break, but any scenario he thought of ended with him falling asleep and being pissed off at himself later for it. What the fuck was he supposed to do ?

The soft sound of the bedroom door clicking open, soon followed by light footsteps and a shadow opening the glass door to the balcony answered, answered his question. Geoff quietly made his way over, careful not to wake up Jack as he did, walking out onto the balcony of their apartment that, despite being devoid of furniture, felt rather crowded with two people standing there. After checking to make sure it was unlocked, he slid the door shut behind him, standing side-by-side in silence with Gavin “Golden Boy” Free himself.

“You’re up late,” Geoff remarked quietly, staring up at the cloudy, starless sky. Gavin let out a soft snort.

“Nah, I’m up early , since I just woke up at nearly 3 AM. In fact, Geoff, so I’m pretty sure you’re the one who’s up late.”

“Bah,” Geoff scoffed as a smile spread across his face, “Time is a buncha bullshit anyways.”

“Right, tell that to Jack, I’m sure she’ll listen.”

Geoff gave Gavin a look that had the brit wheezing softly, and it was then that Geoff realized that Gavin was also trying to make sure he didn’t wake up Jack. It was always the little things that made Geoff smile.

“Nah, I like my dick where it is, buddy,” Geoff looked out onto the street below, soft smile still on his face, “How’re you holding up in that room of yours?”

“Pretty good, surprisingly,” Gavin replied, leaning against the railing, “Though, ‘s a bit hard to sleep when the people upstairs decide to start goin’ at it at three in the bloody morning .”

That remark had Geoff biting back a full-body laugh, instead letting it out in small giggles and sounds, Gavin soon making similar sounds at Geoff’s reaction. Then, as it died down, Gavin looked at Geoff, really looked at him, and frowned.

“No offense Geoff, but you look like shit. You oughta get some sleep.”

“Oh, what are you, my mom ?” Geoff snapped, not in the mood to be coddled. 

“Nah, pretty sure that’s Jack, but still…” Gavin shifted, his tone sounding more insistent, more… unsure . “You really should take care of yourself a bit better.”

“Pretty rich comin’ from a guy who eats like, twice a week unless someone forces it down his throat.” 

Gavin threw a small glare towards Geoff, but it soon gave way to a heavy sigh as Gavin looked back out towards the road, shaking his head slightly. Geoff got the feeling he had struck a nerve with that snap, which he hadn’t meant to do, but still, Gavin was the last person to be allowed to give any sort of self-care advice. 

“Sorry,” Geoff apologized quietly, biting back his pride, “That was… Not great of me to say.”

“It’s fine,” Gavin replied, though his tone told Geoff that it was not . “You’re probably right.”

“Hey, listen kid, just cause I’m technically your boss doesn’t mean I get a free pass on being a dick to you. There’s a difference between light bullying between friends and me snapping at you for a stupid reason. There’s one you suck it up for and one you get pissed about, and that’s fine .”

Gavin made a small hum of agreement, though he still refused to look Geoff in the eyes. Geoff sighed, looking into the sky and seeing, for the first time all night, the moon poking through the clouds. There wasn’t much, but it was there , and Geoff had a small epiphany, as people tend to do at three in the morning.

“I know things have been… tense . Tense and weird, but you gotta know that no matter what happens, you’ve got a place here, with us. You know that, right?”

“Yeah.”

“That was the most unsure ‘yeah’ I’ve ever heard in my entire life.”

“Was probably the most unsure ‘yeah’ I’ve ever given-- Listen, Geoff,” Gavin turned his whole body to look at Geoff, leaning up against the glass door, his brow furrowed. “I appreciate that you’re trying to make me feel at home ‘nd everything, and I know that Burnie asked you to look after me, but… I don’t do this sort of thing well. It’s bit me in the ass one too many times for me to want it, and the only reason I’ve even stayed this long was ‘cause you ‘nd Jack need me, but after we get established, after we get through all the bullshit, I-- I think--”

“Fuck you.”

That response stopped Gavin in his tracks, leaving the normally silver-tongued man a spluttering mess for several moments before he spoke again, his voice several octaves above normal.

“What? What for?”

“You really think it’ll be that easy to get away? Just say ‘I don’t do friendship or family well’, walk through hell with us, then say ‘welp, time to go back to being some anonymous fuck from nowhere’? You got another thing comin’ kiddo.”

“You-- I-- I don’t care what you think, once this crew is ready, I’m going back behind the screen and not comin’ out till it’s the end of the world.”

“Kid, I’m gonna let you in on a secret, okay? You know The Roosters? That crew we all used to be part of, that I helped create from the ground up with four other assholes? We were supposed to be a one-time thing .”

There was a moment of stunned silence from Gavin, who was now frantically looking Geoff up and down, green eyes searching for any sort of tell or lie before Gavin very quietly spoke, his voice barely a whisper.

“ Really ?” 

“Yeah,” Geoff replied, “Really. The funny thing is, we went through so much together because of it, we went to hell and back and then some, that when it came time to part ways, we couldn’t even think about. We all looked at our money, looked at each other, said ‘fuck that’ and made The Roosters a full-time thing. The others may not admit it, but there was a real long time most of us couldn’t stand each other, ‘specially when we were always working together, but after a while, after going through so much , the bonds you make with people, accidentally or no, shit dude, they’re unbreakable .”

“And what does all that have to do with me?”

“Oh, c’mon. You’re a smart kid, despite evidence to the contrary. I bet you could already say exactly how Jack takes her coffee in the morning.”

“I-- No I can’t--” Gavin protested, but when Geoff crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, Gavin sighed, “Two creams, one sugar. Two sugar if it’s the fancier stuff.”

“You say you don’t do this stuff great, okay, whatever, neither did I , hardly anybody in the business does when they start out, but I’m here to tell you this,” Geoff placed a single hand on Gavin’s shoulder, a soft, comforting smile spreading across his face as he spoke. “You’re gonna have to try a lot harder if you want to push us away, especially after all the bullshit we’re about to go through.”

Gavin just stared at Geoff for a moment, not saying anything, though his mouth was gaping with unsaid words. Eventually, he closed it and, in a blur of motion, pulled Geoff into a tight hug. Geoff froze for a moment, not expecting that response, but eventually relaxed and returned the embrace, rubbing soothing circles into Gavin’s back. He didn’t say anything, not even when he felt wet spots forming on his shirt as Gavin shook with sharp, shuddering breaths. 

Geoff knew that this crew he wanted was probably impossible, that he may very well fail before he even really began, but also knew that he had promises to keep, whether it was to an old friend who had helped him build everything, to a woman who put up with way too much shit with Geoff, or to an enigmatic kid from another country, crying on his shoulder in the early hours of the morning. 

Chapter Text

“Nice work, kid,” Geoff said quietly into the earpiece as he walked away from the ATM, his pace brisk. “You sure the camera didn’t see me?”

“Yup!,” Gavin responded cheerfully, and Geoff swore he could hear the kid tapping onto his keyboard, “If it worked, which it did, all they’re gonna see is the minute or so before you walked you up. Honestly Geoff, looping footage is one of the easiest things I can do, even with this shitty little laptop.”

“Shitty?! That thing cost like, three thousand bucks!” Geoff whisper-yelled as he stood at the curb. He heard Gavin make one of his many strange noises, though Geoff recognized it as his “shrugging” sound.

“Yeah, it’s okay . Desktop is always better though, ‘s why we gotta get a van before we do a big heist. I need to make sure I can bring at least half of my gear.”

“Okay, whatever, let’s discuss why that’s literally at the bottom of our priority list after you assholes come to pick me up, alright?”

Geoff assumed the sound of a woman laughing in Gavin’s commline came from Jack, and his suspicions were only confirmed as an unassuming grey sedan pulled up to him, the driver rolling down the window to reveal herself as a very giggly Jack. Geoff rolled his eyes, but the smile on his face was fond as he piled into the passenger-side seat. From the rear-view mirror, Geoff could see Gavin pouting, his various layers of jackets scattered around him like a nest. Geoff laughed softly, shaking his head as he buckled up. Maybe Gavin wasn’t actually a kid, but he certainly acted like one sometimes. Of course, as long as Gavin could keep pulling stunts like withdrawing hundreds of dollars from an ATM machine without having an account, Geoff didn’t care much.

“You two are absolutely fuckin’ ridiculous,” Jack said as they began their ride back to their apartment, “Heaven knows why I put up with it.”

“Because you love us,” Geoff said, and when Jack rolled her eyes, he added, “Well, us and the potential stacks of cash we will soon be providing, once we get everything together.”

“Hm… I do like stacks of money… Logic checks out.”

The three shared a laugh at that before the car fell into a comfortable silence, only interrupted by the soft rock playing from the radio and the occasional tapping sound from the backseat. Every so often, Geoff would look into the mirror to see Gavin staring at the screen of his laptop, his brow furrowed before typing something else and scrolling, repeating the process several times until the brit let out a sharp gasp, clicking the track-pad a bit harder than he probably needed to.

“Everything alright there, bud?” Geoff asked, and Gavin looked up, startled.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Well, nothing important .” Gavin replied. Geoff and Jack exchanged a glance, not buying the statement for one moment. Even with all their time spent together, they still didn’t know much about Gavin, and it had gotten to the point where Jack and Geoff had learned to gently probe Gavin for information, though even that was often met with vague statements and uncomfortable silence. Still, it never hurt to try.

“It’s gotta be important to you, if you’re so focused on it,” Geoff said, “Come on, what’s goin’ on in that big ol’ head of yours?”

The sound Gavin’s laptop being shut caused Geoff to shoot a glance towards the backseat, where he saw Gavin sitting almost like a child who got in trouble: tense, curled up, with his fists in his lap.

“I, uh, used to have this friend back home,” Gavin started, his voice unusually vulnerable, “I haven’t talked to him in ages , ever since I moved to America. I was just doin’ a bit of digging, found his new number, new address, everything.”

“Oh?” Jack prompted after Gavin went silent, “You gonna call him?”

“No, I mean-- Yeah, I mean--“ Gavin sighed, “I dunno. Like I said, it’s been ages , and the last time we saw each other, well… It didn’t end great.”

“Mhm. You’re scared he’s not gonna wanna talk?”

“I don’t know if I’m scared he’s not , or if I’m scared he is . Both situations seem pretty flippin’ bad to me.”

“I can see why,” Geoff interjected, “If the last time y’all talked didn’t end well.”

“What exactly happened, anyways? Maybe he’s forgiven you.” Jack said. Gavin shifted in his seat awkwardly, much stiffer than before.

“I… We used to muck around, the two of us. Me and my B, my B and me. I got into a lot of trouble back then, more than I do now, if you can believe it, but through it all, the good and the bad, my B was there, by my side-- Kinda like you two, actually. Point is: last time we saw each other, I got into something that was way over my head, B tried to help me out, and he got hurt… My B got hurt because of me.”

They drove in silence for several minutes, stomaching the information that Gavin had just given them. It was the most he had ever revealed about himself in the past six months, and it already managed to paint a bit of a picture of who Gavin Free was behind all his bravado and flashiness. Part of Geoff was almost hurt by the fact that Gavin still trusted them so little, that he didn’t feel safe enough to tell them about himself, but he also knew that Gavin had likely been burned before, so he never brought it up. 

“Your 'B',” Jack started quietly, almost hesitantly, “Does he have a name?”

“He…” Gavin paused, and even with his sunglasses, Geoff could tell he was eyeing the driver’s seat warily, “Dan. His name’s Dan.”

“Dan… He sounds nice. He probably misses you, if you two haven’t been in contact for so long.”

“Mhm…” Gavin shifted in his seat, staring down at his phone. Geoff sighed.

“Alright. Here are your options: One, you call him, he hangs up when he realizes who it is and you two never talk again. Two, you don’t call him and you two never talk again and spend your whole life wondering how he is. Three, you call him, he answers, you two reconnect, and work together to get past everything that’s happened, happily ever after.”

“It’s not that simple , Geoff--”

“I know it’s not, kid, but what I’m trying to say is that not doing it and never knowing is a hell of a lot worse than trying it and having a bad outcome.”

“How is it that you act like an utter buffoon half the time, then turn around and pull shit like that out your ass?”

“Special talent,” Geoff replied with a smirk, “Plus some experience. Listen, you don’t have to call him right now, since I’m pretty sure it’s the ass-crack of morning in England, but just… think about it sometime. Let us know how it turns out.”

“Alright…” Gavin muttered, but the way he said it had Geoff thinking it was highly unlikely he actually would. Jack and Geoff exchanged another glance, and the rest of the ride back, as well as the rest of the night, was filled with silence.

Chapter Text

“Son of a bitch ,” Geoff hissed, shoving his phone into his pocket after it went straight to voicemail for the third time, “I’m gonna fuckin’ kill them…”

Geoff had gone out for groceries . He had gone out for milk, bread, and dish soap, nothing more and nothing less, and the moment he let Jack and Gavin out of his sight, something happened . He had been in the bread aisle, trying to remember what brand they got when he had gotten a single text from Jack, one word that struck Geoff harder than any blow: Help.

He checked his gun again, making sure it was still fully loaded as he made his way down the halls to his apartment. Their apartment. He could already see the broken door wide open, signs of a struggle and forced entry as he slowly entered the trashed apartment. He kept his gun at the ready, his breathing slow and quiet as he made his way around the living room, trying to find any sign of--

“Jack!” Geoff exclaimed as he saw the unconscious redhead laying on the floor. He knelt next to her, turning her onto her back to check for wounds, letting out a shaky sigh of relief when he realized it was just some massive bruising. He carefully sat her up against the nearest wall, taking care not to jostle her too much, in case something was wrong that he couldn’t see. Slowly, Jack opened her eyes, smiling softly as her gaze met Geoff’s.

“Hey Geoff… Knew you’d get here… Eventually…” Jack whispered, shifting and wincing.

“Take it easy, Jack,” Geoff said quietly as he gently forced her to sit still, “Stay here, I’m going to try and find Gavin.”

“Gavin? He…” Jack suddenly shot up, gasping in pain as she did so, but the pain didn’t deter her from continuing, “They took him. He managed to wipe his stuff, put it on a drive he hid, but they took him.”

“ Fuck ,” Geoff swore, then, punching a wall as he stood, “Son of a fucking bitch !”

Jack leaned against the wall as she struggled to her feet, Geoff helping her as she did so. Her hand went straight to her side as she tried to stagger forward, causing her to lose her balance, Geoff barely managing to catch her in time.

“ Shit ,” She growled through gritted teeth, “We gotta get him back.”

“I know, and we will, but first we gotta figure out where they took him. Then, how we’re gonna get him back.”

“The port,” Jack muttered, looking at Geoff, “Before I blacked out, I heard them say something about shipping containers. I think they took him to the port.” 

“You get anything else?”

“Something about a shield logo, a shield logo with skulls.”

“Alright, part one down. I’ll think of a part two on the way--”

“I’m coming with you--”

“The hell you are. You can barely stand Jack, you’re not coming with me to--”

“ Geoff Lazer Ramsey ,” Jack growled, and Geoff froze in place, “You listen to me and listen well: I’m going with you to save our kid. I can’t fight, but I can still drive , and whatever hasty scheme you come up with to save Gavin is gonna need a quick getaway, so shut the fuck up, let me grab Gavin’s drive, and help me get downstairs so we can kick some ass .”

Geoff wanted to argue, but the fiery determination in Jack’s eyes killed any argument he had before it even began, so instead, he swallowed and nodded.

“Alright then. Now, start making that plan, boss.”

---

The moment that Gavin’s limp form was shoved into the backseat of the car and Geoff all but jumped into the passenger seat, Jack slammed on the gas in an effort to get away from the group of very pissed-off individuals.

“You call that a plan?!” Jack shouted as she took a sharp turn that left Geoff’s head spinning. 

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“We are currently being chased by an SUV and two-- no, three assholes on motorcycles, Geoff!”

“And we have Gavin the backseat, do we not?”

“If we survive this, I’m going to kill you.”

“Yeah, well we gotta survive first, so drive ! I’ll see if I can get these assholes off our tail…” Geoff pulled out his pistol, rolling down the window so he could lean out of it and shoot. Now, shooting had never really been Geoff’s forte, but he was a decent enough shot that he could get a couple bullets lodged into one of the SUV’s tires, causing the large vehicle to spin off the road. The motorcycles, however, were a very different story. They kept weaving and ducking out of the way, undeterred by the bullets whizzing by them until Geoff ran out of ammo, forcing him to duck back into the car to reload.

“Alright, new plan!” Jack said, jerking the steering wheel so that the car was now heading straight into the Palomino Highlands, “Lose ‘em offroad!”

“Jack, they’re on motorcycles . We’re in a car . I think they’ve got an advantage!”

“Look at those things! They were made for speed, probably road-racing, not off-roading!”

“Neither was our fucking car !” Geoff shouted as they hit a particularly hard bump. He heard a soft snort from the back seat, causing Geoff’s head to whirl around.

“Whuzzit-- What’s goin’ on?” Gavin asked sluggishly, looking up at Geoff’s panicked face, giving the older man a perfect view of Gavin’s facial injuries that they’d have to get properly looked at later. “Geoff?”

“Welcome back, kid! We’re in a bit of trouble right now, so keep your head low and listen to Jack, alright?” Geoff tried to give a reassuring smile as Gavin nodded, though he wasn’t sure how effective it really was.

Eventually, they managed to somehow lose two of the motorcyclists, but the last one kept on their tail all throughout the highlands, Jack having to make a lot of fancy and dangerous maneuvers that left Geoff almost hoping he’d get shot so he could pass out and not have to deal with the way she was driving. That wasn’t to say he wasn’t impressed , but he rather liked it when all four wheels were on the ground and going a nice, calm speed. It was just a personal preference. 

“Son of a bitch--” Jack shouted, and Geoff could feel one of the tires be shot out, “Okay, Gav, how coherent are you and how much can you move?”

“Kind of, and some, why?”

“When I say so, we need to jump out, roll, and play dead, alright?”

“ What ?” Geoff demanded, “Are you fucking crazy? We won’t need to play dead, we will be dead!”

“Geoff, do you trust me or not?”

“I…” Geoff sighed, mentally swearing at himself, “I trust you.”

“Good. Everybody, jump and roll now !”

Three car doors opened and three bodies came tumbling out at much higher velocities than they probably should have, but luckily for Geoff, he mostly just ended up with a few cuts and bruises. The second part of Jack’s plan came into play as the last cyclist came to a stop, watching the car crash hard into a tree. Geoff stayed as still as he could, watching the cyclist dismount the vehicle with his gun in-hand, slowly making his way over to the much-too-still body of Gavin.

Then, to Geoff’s horror, Gavin groaned , and the gunman was aiming at him, and--

“No!” Geoff shouted, running and tackling the man to the ground, the gun skidding away as the two wrestled, trading blows between Geoff’s bare face and the guy’s motorcycle helmet, which Geoff kept trying the wrench off of him. Meanwhile, Geoff could see Jack slowly pull herself up, making her way over to where the gun was, and he could barely make out Gavin slowly crawling away from the two fighting men.

Geoff wasn’t a great fighter, either. He could do enough to keep himself safe, but even then, he was best with a knife, or brass knuckles, or some kind of weapon. Hand-to-hand with nothing else? Geoff soon wound up on his back, staring up into the black visor of the motorcyclist as he tried in vain to block his punches. If he survived, all three of them were going to have matching black-eyes.

“Hey cocksucker,” Jack’s stone-cold voice rang out, “Get up before I blow your fucking brains out.”

The other man froze, slowly turning to see Jack holding a gun to him. He raised his hands in surrender, slowly standing up and looking between the three of them.

“Helmet off, now .”

The biker did as he was told, revealing a face full of black, red, and white paint, pitch black hair, and icy blue eyes. At first, Geoff could only think about how familiar the bastard looked, then--

“You’re The Vagabond, aren’t you?” Jack asked, earning a smile from the man.

“I thought The Roosters left Los Santos,” The Vagabond replied, “What are you three doing here? Got left behind? Had some unfinished business?”

“We’re not with them anymore, jackass,” Geoff spat, standing and wincing as he did so, “Just like you don’t seem to be.”

“This is my city. Couldn’t leave it behind, not even for The Roosters.”

“Yeah, well, neither could we,” Jack said, keeping the gun trained on the mercenary, “Your current employers don’t seem very happy about that.”

“Oh, they’re pissed . They thought The Roosters were trying to make a comeback, I think they’ll be pretty happy it’s just a bunch of wash-outs trying to start their own thing.”

“Oh, fuck you,” Geoff snarled, “Just shoot him, Jack.”

“With pleasure,” Jack said, pulling the trigger. Then again. And again. Nothing but empty clicks filled the air. “What the--”

“Gun’s empty, Jack ,” The Vagabond purred, “Wasn’t planning on killing any of you. I just wanted to see what I would have to be dealing with.”

“You sack of shit , I oughta--”

“Oughta what , Geoff ? Get your ass kicked again?”

“Yo--” Gavin wheezed out, turning the group’s head towards him, “You’re not being very nice, James .”

The Vagabond froze, still as a statue. Jack and Geoff stared in absolute shock. Nobody knew who The Vagabond was, not even his employers, and Gavin has just first-named the man.

“Who?” The Vagabond asked in an obvious desperate attempt to save face, which only caused Gavin to chuckle and cough as the brit shakily got to his feet.

“James Ryan Haywood. ‘S your name, right?”

“How do you--”

“I know a lot of things, lovely James, and unless you want everyone else in Los Santos to know them, too,” Gavin stared straight at The Vagabond, looking menacing in spite of his busted-up face and unsteady footing. “You’re gonna walk away and tell your employers to leave us alone .”

The Vagabond-- James , stared at Gavin with nothing but pure contempt and rage , but he put the helmet back on his head, making his way back to his motorcycle and starting it up. Before he sped off, he shouted over the noise of the idling bike,

“Good luck, assholes, ‘cause you’re gonna need it! You’ll know when to call me.”

And with that, there were only three very injured and very tired ex-Roosters sitting in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a slip of paper with a number on it.

Chapter Text

Geoff hated asking for favors, especially when it came to asking for expensive things, but there was no way in hell he was going to let his new crew try to start in another shitty, poorly-guarded apartment on the edge of town. No, instead, Geoff swallowed his pride and waited for the phone to pick up.

“Geoff?” Burnie’s voice crackled to life over the phone speaker, “Is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” Geoff replied, though his voice was much hollower than he meant for it to be. 

“ Shit , dude, how are you? How are things going? Is Gavin okay?”

“Yeah, well, no ,” Geoff sighed, wishing he had thought about what he was going to say ahead of time, “It’s… It’s been a time , Burnie. I need to ask for a favor.”

“Whatever you need, buddy, but what the hell happened?”

“Well, for starters, we ran into The Vagabond.”

“Oh shit .”

---

“I can’t believe Burnie still had real estate in Los Santos…” Jack muttered as she helped Gavin with his crutches enter the doorway, “Much less a fucking penthouse .”

“Burnie said it was a backup plan,” Geoff explained, dropping their final bags onto the floor of the furnished penthouse without much ceremony, “In case they ever needed to stay somewhere in Los Santos again. They have a couple others, so he didn’t mind handing this one over to us, since we’re going to be getting more use out of it.”

“At least we’ll all have our own rooms, now,” Jack said cheerfully, “And Gavin won’t have to sleep with his computers.”

“You do realize I never minded that, right?” Gavin asked as he lowered himself into one of the two couches, careful of his ankle brace, “I actually preferred it, in fact. Made work and sleep a helluva lot easier.”

“Mhm,” Jack hummed, “It also made avoiding us much easier. That’s not gonna fly anymore, kiddo.”

Gavin let out a long groan of annoyance, but there was a slight smile to his face that made Geoff smile as well. Jack began moving her stuff to her own room, declaring that she was going to take a shower and a nap, shooting anyone who tried to interrupt, so that left Gavin and Geoff alone in the living room, just sitting there in silence.

“I, uh,” Gavin began, shifting in his seat slightly, “I called Dan last night, while you and Jack were bein’ patched up.”

“Oh shit,” Geoff said, sitting in the other couch and leaning forward, “What happened?”

“Don’t tell Jack, because I’ll never hear the end of it, but she was right. He picked up, and once I told him who it was, he said he missed me,” Gavin let out a soft laugh, though Geoff could practically hear the tears welling up in Gavin’s eyes. “My B actually missed me, even after I got him hurt.”

“Well, the way you were talking about him, it’s not really surprising.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“This guy stuck by your side through everything . He didn’t care how often you got in trouble, or how often he got in trouble: You were his friend, and that’s all that mattered.” Geoff watched as Gavin looked down at his ankle, wringing his hands uncomfortably. There was something else, something Gavin wasn’t bringing up. “C’mon kid, you think Jack and I haven’t gotten each other in trouble before? You were there when we came to rescue you, you saw my disaster of a plan and Jack’s demonic driving. We stick by each other because we know that no matter how much trouble we get each other into, even if we get each other hurt, the other one will always be there to help us out.”

“What’re you trying to say?”

“I’m trying to say that Dan probably never blamed you for getting him hurt, and even if he did, he knew you cared. I’m saying he’s loyal, and that he’s your friend, and that you probably should’ve called him a lot sooner.”

Gavin stayed silent, staring at Geoff, gaping like a fish out of water for several moments. It always struck Geoff just how different Gavin looked without his sunglasses, how much more he looked like Gavin and not Golden Boy . 

“I… I’m sorry I got you and Jack in all this trouble,” Gavin finally spoke, looking down into his lap again, and Geoff's heart broke as the brit's voice cracked, “I really tried not to, but I must’ve tripped something while I was digging somewhere, and they found me, and it’s all my fault --”

“Hey,” Geoff said, voice stern as he got up and carefully sat next to the younger man, “It’s okay . Like I said a long time ago, you’re gonna have to try a lot harder to push us away, kiddo. I mean it.”

Gavin smiled at that, despite the tears now overflowing from his eyes, and pulled Geoff into another hug, which caused both men to flinch back slightly. 

---

Eventually, Geoff managed to help get Gavin moved into his own room, promising to help the brit set up his computers after the young man got some rest, and so Geoff was sitting on his own in the living room, watching the news with disinterest as he slowly dozed off.

That is, he was , until a breaking news story caught his eye.

“ Reports say the fire at Pier 400 began at an unregistered shipping unit being held there, and that several bodies were found within the unit shortly after the inferno was contained. Police have yet to give any official statements, but several people are saying that the container may have belonged to a small crew simply known as ‘The Agency’. With the cause of the fire being unknown, many are left to wonder: Is this the work of a member scorned, or is there another crew out there trying to stir things up in Los Santos once more-- ”

Geoff’s mouth hung open as he stared at the images of the place that they had rescued Gavin from, warped metal and body bags surrounding where the main structure once stood. He couldn’t believe his eyes, and he wondered just what the hell happened. Then, he remembered what The Vagabond had said.  

“I’ll know when to call you, huh?” Geoff said quietly, pulling out his phone and the piece of paper the mercenary had left behind. “Alright, Mr. Haywood, I’ll bite. Let’s see if you can help us get off the ground.”

Chapter Text

Ryan loved San Andreas. He loved the quiet countryside, the crowded city, the unsuspecting but overly-cautious civilians, all of it . He loved the rush of power he got when he won a fight, when he saw the terror in the eyes of some jackass who had thought it was okay to fuck with some poor woman minding her business, loved that he was, with or without The Roosters, a top dog in Los Santos. He loved the freedom that brought, and the cash wasn’t a bad bonus. 

When The Roosters collapsed under the weight of their own power, Ryan had been okay for the most part, but his reputation had been given a slight tarnish, simply because he had decided to stay on a sinking ship as long as he could, because he had enjoyed his time there. It hadn’t taken long to gain most of his credibility back, but he learned to never stay with anyone too long, never stay with anyone big, never stay , no matter how much he liked it. Luckily for him, it never mattered much, as no other job ever compared to what it was like in The Roosters, even if he had only been with them for a year. 

The job with The Agency had actually been a continuation of an older one, one that he had enjoyed alongside a friend of his, though when Ryan had returned after losing The Roosters, the younger man was gone, having left not long after Ryan had. Ryan often wondered how his battle buddy was doing, and if he had even left Los Santos.

Ryan smiled to himself, the breeze blowing softly across the hillside. No, Jeremy was a lot like Ryan: He loved Los Santos too much to leave it. It tended to be a running theme with people Ryan took a quick liking to.

Suddenly, Ryan’s work phone began to buzz in his pocket, and his smile grew. Without even looking at the caller ID, he answered.

“Mr. Ramsey. I figured I’d hear from you.”

---

“You know, in hindsight,” The taller man with shaggy hair said as the clippers buzzed, “Maybe bright fluorescent colors weren’t the best idea for a  dye-job.”

“Oh come on ,” The shorter, soon-to-be-bald man replied, “How else was I supposed to keep with my aesthetic?”

“Maybe, oh, I dunno, keeping the mask?” The tallest man with neatly styled hair said, earning a snort from the shaggy-haired man and an eye roll from the shorter man.

“Yeah, whatever. Zed? Axial? Go fuck yourselves.”

“You first, Rimmy .”

---

A young man with an explosive anger stood on the sidewalk, watching the abandoned building from across the street with a dangerous twinkle in his eyes, the blue-haired woman next to him excitedly urging him to just hit the damn button already . 

With extreme pleasure, he did, and watched the old drughouse explode in a torrent of fire and sound. It didn’t matter, The Roosters were gone anyways. Not like anybody needed the old place.

As they walked towards their car, the young man’s phone buzzed. Confused, he stopped and took it out of his pocket, motioning for his wife to go on ahead as he answered it.

“Hello?”

“Hello Mr. Jones,” The voice on the line said, “I have a job for you.”

---

“ Target’s in the building, tell me when you have eyes on him. ”

The man in the purple hoodie stared down the scope of his bright pink sniper, somehow managing to hide his location while being literally the opposite of stealthy. Silently, he scanned the crowd, looking for his target--

“Got him,” The sniper said into the comm, “Man, this guy’s one ugly motherfucker. Can I take the shot?”

A pause. 

“ Take-- ”

Boom . Another shot rang out, not from the his gun, and the target dropped dead.

“What the-- Who stole my kill?!”

“ Sorry man, ” A new voice came over the comm channel, one he didn’t recognize, “ New kid on the block has to start making a name for himself somehow. ”

“What? Who the fuck are you?”

“ People call me The Sauce, and that’s all you’ll get to know. Really, I am sorry about stealing that kill though. Better luck next time, Rose. ”

“Hey--!” The sniper gaped as the line was cut, leaving nothing but static in his ear. He looked around, looking for “The Sauce”, but couldn’t see him anywhere.

“Mother fucker …” The sniper muttered, packing up his gear, “Ah well… More free time for me, I guess.”

---

A young woman stepped out of Los Santos airport with nothing more than a duffel bag, a suitcase, and the need to cause chaos. A wicked grin grew across her face as she already began to hear cop sirens in the distance, followed by shouting and gunshots. 

She was going to have fun in Los Santos, she knew it.