Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“You could do with a run.”

Wolfe stared at the captain for a moment. Then he palmed the back of Santi's neck, pulled him closer and... kissed him. Santi returned the kiss. Jess blinked. That... what?

“Not today”, Wolfe said softly and gave Santi another quick kiss. “Off you go.” The gentleness in his voice shocked Jess almost as much as the kiss he'd just witnessed.

Santi jogged out of the building and Wolfe turned back to him. “What?”, he said. “Never seen two people kissing before?” Only now did Jess realise that his mouth stood open. He quickly closed it, embarrassed. Then opened it again to say something, but couldn't think of anything. Wolfe raised an eyebrow. He almost looked amused.

“Sorry, sir.”

Chapter Text

Jess crossed the market on his way back to Ptolemy House. He was lost in thought when he saw two familiar looking figures. Were those...?

That were Scholar Wolfe and Captain Santi! What were they doing here? Probably shopping for groceries, but together? Surely Wolfe didn't need a bodyguard for that. Intrigued, he got closer, careful to appear casual, but not be seen by them.

They stopped at a few more stalls, and one or two more things went into the bag the captain was carrying. They didn't seem to be in a hurry, and they acted rather comfortable with each other. What was going on there?

Eventually they seemed to be done and left the stalls behind. That made following them more difficult, but nothing Jess couldn't manage. They came to a quiet neighbourhood. Decent houses, but nothing fancy.

Wolfe walked up to one of the smaller houses, Santi following close behind. The Scholar unlocked the door and the two men disappeared inside. Was that his house then? Jess was surprised. Surely, as a gold band Scholar, he could afford something bigger.

Then his brain caught up. Wait... Was that their house? Wolfe's and Santi's? Were they...? They weren't a couple, were they? Scholar Wolfe, dating someone? That sounded too strange to be true. But unless they were just casually living together, which seemed unlikely, that was what it looked like.

“I assume you have an urgent question for Christopher?” Jess nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned around. Captain Niccolo Santi leaned against a lamppost, watching him with a raised eyebrow. How had he gotten there? “Because otherwise it looks like you were following us. That's rather suspicious of you.”

“I... I'm sorry, sir. I'll leave.” He ducked his head and tried to hurry off.

Santi grabbed his arm, making him stop dead in his tracks. “Be more careful if you want to sneak up on High Garda. Next time, there might be serious consequences.”

“Nic, you've scared the kid enough.” Wolfe had appeared in the doorway of their house. (Definitely theirs, if Wolfe had a nickname for him. And how had both of them managed to catch him by surprise?) “Brightwell, don't you have to study?”

“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. I'll get right to it.” Santi let go of him. Jess had to fight the urge to run back to Ptolemy House. That had not gone as he'd expected. Not at all.

The next day, Jess was sure Wolfe would find an excuse to send him home. But to his surprise, he even excluded him from the draw. He was curious, but thought it best not to ask.

Chapter Text

“You should hear what his friends call him.”

“What? Chris?”

“That's what I call you, and we aren't exactly friends, are we?”

“What is a lover but your best friend?”

“Chris. This isn't the right time or place for flirting.”

“I'm not flirting, I'm stating facts. Also, shut up.” There was a strange tone in Wolfe's voice and Santi did indeed not reply. He did, however, take Wolfe's hand and intertwined their fingers. Wolfe closed his eyes and leaned his head against the headrest of his seat. He looked wary, beyond tired.

Jess decided to drop the matter. For now.

Chapter Text

Santi stood outside the classroom, waiting. He wasn't in uniform for a change, but in casual loose pants and shirt. In his hand he held a bag with two food containers.

Finally, several minutes after class was supposed to be over, the door opened and one of the postulants came out. Chris really was a cruel teacher.

“Oh! Hello Captain”, the postulant said when he spotted him. He seemed startled, but Santi couldn't blame him.

“Postulant”, he said. “Lunch break?”

“Uhm, yeah.”

“Well, go on then.” The poor boy hurried away, obviously glad to avoid a conversation. Clearly not a candidate for the High Garda, that one. A few more postulants had stepped out of the classroom and walked down the corridor. Some greeted him with a nod, but none paid him particularly much attention.

Santi knocked on the open door. About half the postulants were still inside, lagging behind for one reason or another. Chris, too. He sat bent over his Codex, but looked up at the knock. “Got bored at home, Captain?”, he asked. Santi could tell he was trying very hard not to smile.

“No, just didn't want to eat lunch alone.” He went up to him, not bothering to hide his own smile. “And I know you would never forgive me if I didn't bring you a fresh serving of lasagna.” Wolfe's eyes lit up at that.

“Correct. I would briefly consider breaking up with you over that.”

Santi clutched his chest in mock outrage. “Good thing I have it right here then”, he said, lifting the bag. “Come on, let's find a quiet spot outside. I'm sure you could use some fresh air.”

They went to a small park nearby and sat down in the shade of a fig tree. Santi took out the food containers and handed one to Chris. Guessing his appetite was impossible these days, so he'd decided on equal portions for them.

While eating they told each other about their day so far. Chris, of course, complained about incompetent postulants who asked stupid questions and couldn't give the simplest answers. Santi told him about the neighbour's kitten. She'd gotten stuck in their palm tree, unable to get down on her own. But when Santi had freed her, she'd gone right back up the tree. Chris shook his head at that, but smiled. He'd probably have berated the kitten for wasting his time, but in the gentle tone he reserved for cats.

After lunch they sat in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying each other's company. Alexandria seemed more quiet in the noon hours, more peaceful. The heat certainly played its part in that.

“How's the shoulder?”, Santi asked. It had been sore this morning. Sore enough that Chris had mentioned it.

“I can manage.” Santi held back a sigh, just moved over to sit behind Chris. He rubbed the offending part, and when Chris didn't protest, started massaging the shoulder as best he could through layers of clothing. He felt Chris relax under his touch.

All too soon break was over and they headed back to the university. Santi kept Chris company while they waited for the postulants to return. The bell rang, signalling the start of class, but there were still a few missing. Strangely, Chris didn't seem to mind. “Lunch break is an hour. I kept them in longer, so they get to stay out longer”, he said. Not such a cruel teacher after all.

But that only delayed his departure by a few minutes. “Alright. Looks like your postulants are all here again. I better leave them to your mercy”, Santi said, getting up, then added more quietly, “Message me when you're on your way home. I'll draw you a bath.”

Chris nodded. Santi made to leave, but Chris grabbed his hand. “Nic?” He turned back, raising an eyebrow. Chris leaned in and kissed him. Santi was a bit surprised he would do that right in front of the entire class, but returned the kiss, because he'd be damned if he tried to hide their love when Chris did not. “Thank you. For coming over.”

Santi grinned. “Any time, amore mio.”

Chapter Text

It had been a while since they'd gone to a bar other than the Hive, but this evening, they'd both felt like it. They'd ordered a quick meal as well, but were mostly here to enjoy the wine.

By now they were almost two bottles in and Wolfe was very much aware of the effects that had on him. Because he sat on Nic's lap, straddling him and kissing him. Nic's hands lay on either side of his thighs, dangerously close to his backside.

It was a rather public display, but he didn't much care. They weren't the only couple in the room engaging in such activities. Besides, he was drunk, both on wine and on the sensation of Nic's lips. And it brought back memories of the old days, when they'd been young and scenes like this more common.

Between kisses, Nic looked him right in the eyes, his face neutral in a way that made Wolfe want to go home and straight to their bedroom. Neither of them said a word, but they knew they had the same thought. Later then.

After the next round of kisses, Wolfe leaned forward and rested his forehead against his lover's shoulder. Closed his eyes, enjoyed Nic's presence.

Nic's head shifted, as if nodding in greeting. “Some of your postulants just walked in”, he said.

“Did they now?” That would make leaving interesting. As far as he was aware, their relationship wasn't common knowledge among them.

“They seemed a bit surprised to see me, but I don't think they recognised you.” Fair enough. Sitting on Nic's lap like this, his back was to the door, his face entirely hidden. “They picked a table near the door. They're trying not to stare, but they're clearly curious”, Nic went on.

“Who?”, Wolfe asked, sitting back again, his hands on Nic's waist now.

“Brightwell.” He gave him a kiss. “Schreiber.” Another kiss. “Santiago.” Kiss. “Portero.” Kiss. Nic listed off more names, each earning him another kiss. “Seif.”

Wolfe drew back sharply. “Seif?! Oh come on. She wouldn't go to a bar.”

“You caught me”, Nic said with a sheepish grin. “I'll make up for it when we get home.”

“You better!”

“Speaking of which, we should get going. I'll go pay the tab, you finish your drink, okay?” Wolfe nodded and gave him a quick kiss.

Then he swung off Nic's lap to sit on the chair beside him, giving him a good view of the postulants. Brightwell stared at him; even from a distance Wolfe could see the surprise written all over his face. The others turned as well to see who had caught the boy's attention. Wolfe raised his glass at them, amused at their expressions. They nodded awkwardly and turned away again.

“I see you're enjoying yourself”, Nic said as he returned to their table.

“You should've seen their faces.”

“I did.” Nic pulled him up and right into another kiss. Good to know they both couldn't get enough of each other.

“There aren't nearly as many as you listed”, Wolfe said when they parted.

“Oh, was I not supposed to name your entire class?” That earned him a flick to the arm. “Okay okay, sorry. Your kisses were just too motivating.”

He snorted at that. “Let's go. You need to make up for that as well.”

When they passed the postulants' table, he noted their tension. They tried very hard not to look at them. But Wolfe just couldn't resist a remark. “Don't stay out too late, you have class tomorrow.”

“So do you, amore”, Nic said and dragged him along. “Night, kids!”

Outside, they both burst into laughter.

Chapter Text

They had been walking all over Alexandria since morning, following Wolfe and his High Garda shadow. They were visiting historically significant sights, which was very important for their general education, according to the Scholar.

Jess had stopped paying attention... a while ago. The sun was beating down on them and he was exhausted. Either he still wasn't accustomed to the Alexandrian climate, or it was especially hot today. Probably both.

He wasn't the only one. Some fared better, or didn't show it as much, but half the class was visibly tired and drenched in sweat. Not Wolfe, he seemed unbothered by the heat, even in his layers of black clothes.

Though it seemed Captain Santi did notice. “Come on, Christopher, give your students a break”, he said when Wolfe was about to lead them to the next point of interest.

“There won't be any breaks once they get a contract. As you know”, Wolfe replied without breaking stride.

“Give me a break?”, Santi said, sounding hopeful. That made the Scholar stop.

Wolfe's voice dropped to barely above a whisper; Jess could just make it out. “You're abusing your power, Captain.”

A grin spread on Santi's face. “Not my fault you can't say no to me.”

“Fuck you, Nic.” Nic?

The captain raised an eyebrow. “Since when?”

Jess could've sworn he saw a flicker of embarrassment cross Wolfe's face, but only for a second. The Scholar took a step closer to Santi and looked at him provocatively. “Fuck me then.”

Santi blushed furiously. “Scholar! There are minors present!”, he exclaimed.

“Not my problem. You started it.” Wolfe smirked, clearly enjoying the situation. “Now, what about your break? You better use my goodwill before I change my mind.”

“Oh, you evil creature. You will pay for this.” Wolfe was about to reply, but Santi cut him off. “No, don't you dare say it!” A wicked grin spread on Wolfe's face. Santi ignored him and turned to the rest of them. “Who wants to know where you can get the best ice cream in Alexandria?”

Jess was confused, and judging by the looks on some of the other postulants' faces, he wasn't alone. They looked at Wolfe uncertainly.

The Scholar sighed. “He's Italian, you can trust his opinion.”

“Excuse you? Opinion?! Amore mio! You were there when we sampled every single ice cream shop in the city! This is a fact, researched and peer-reviewed just like any of your scientific papers.”

“Fine. You can trust the conclusion of his extensive study which is totally not based on personal taste -” “Which you agreed on!” “Which I agreed on. Lead the way, Captain.”

This sudden change in tone from Wolfe was too much for Jess' heat-exhausted brain. It was not at all what he would've expected from the man. Or from Santi, for that matter. But he decided not to think on it now and instead just followed the group.

It wasn't a short walk, but the promise of ice cream on the other end made it a lot more bearable for Jess.

“That doesn't look Italian”, Thomas said when they arrived at a café.

“Nope, Moroccan. It's a bit of a sacrilege, but Omar knows what he's doing”, Santi said.

Meanwhile, Wolfe had sat down at a table in front of the building. He motioned for them to go on. “Any preferences, amore?”, Santi called out to him.

Wolfe shook his head. “Do your worst.”

“He should know better than to say that”, Santi mumbled under his breath.

Inside it was refreshingly cool. Jess' eyes were still adjusting to the dimmer light when a man called out to them. “Niccolo! My favourite customer!”, he greeted. “But where is your ray of sunshine?”

“I left him outside to recharge, so he won't be all gloomy tonight.”

“Grumpy Scholar is no fun in bed, huh?”

Santi threw up his hands. “What is it with everyone being inappropriate around teenagers today?”

“With all due respect, Captain, but you kind of invited that one”, Jess said. He was a bit annoyed that he acted like they were all innocent children that needed protection from such talk.

“Silence, postulant. Only Chris may call me out on that.” Jess just shrugged and turned to look at the options.

While everyone was still deciding, Santi ordered. “Omar, would you be so kind to put a biscuit and one of those little umbrellas in the mango scoop?”, he asked.

“Are you trying to annoy poor Christopher?”

“He gave me permission.” Jess looked up to see the grin on the Captain's face.

“I doubt that”, Omar said. “But as long as I don't have to listen to his complaints, sure, do as you please.” He handed Santi the requested sundae, biscuit and umbrella included.

When Jess and Thomas left the café with their cones, Wolfe and Santi were sitting at the table together, sharing their ice cream. Santi had put an arm around the Scholar's shoulders and was idly playing with a strand of his hair.