A/N: I'm working on chapter five of 'The Jaws of Death, the Mouth of Hell' rn, but it's coming pretty slowly, so here's another chapter of 'Lagniappes' in the meanwhile. It's from the fourth chapter of JDMH, when Ben and Alex are talking in the kitchen.

Warning: Mild, mild slashy undertones. So mild that they barely exist.

Ben is furious, Alex knows, and the moment Alex steps back into the kitchen, the older spy turns on him. "SCORPIA?" he snarls at the younger man, pinning Alex to the counter with his body. "Have you forgotten everything that happened last time you got involved? Because I'm sure they haven't. Neither have I, for that matter!"

"I couldn't let him go alone," Alex whispered, not protesting the other man's grasp on his shoulders. "Christ, Ben. He's so young."

"Older than you," the dark-haired man counters harshly. "And let's not forget the fact that he's essentially your dead father reincarnated, hmm?"

This time, Alex growls back. "What the hell does that mean?"

"You know exactly what it means," Ben spits, blue eyes crackling with ice. "Army, paras, MI6, his name is John, for God's sake! Your judgement is clouded, you're not thinking straight—"

"And you are?" Alex interrupts, fire flickering in his own eyes. "Don't pretend like this isn't affecting you." He glances pointedly at the strong hands that still restrain him, although he makes no move to shrug them off. "You weren't there."

"No, I wasn't," Ben hisses, "because if I had been, you'd never have agreed to this. I can't believe you—"

"Smithers called me an hour ago to tell me Jones was sending a green agent into SCORPIA," Alex interjects, and Ben halts in the middle of his sentence. Not waiting for the other man to speak, Alex ploughs on. "I went to the bank."

"Of course you did," Ben whispers. His mouth tilts up a little, although the hardness in his eyes remains. "You barged into her office, didn't you." It's not a question.

Alex nods, avoiding that blue gaze. "I had to," he says. "I couldn't risk waiting." His head drops until it's pressed against Ben's shoulder. "If it means anything, she didn't want me to go back."

"No?" Ben asks, voice vibrating in his chest.

"She knows what it could do to me, to you. She knows what SCORPIA means," Alex said, voice slightly muffled by Ben's shirt.

"How could she not?" Ben snaps, but the bite in his voice is mostly gone. "Damn you, Jones," he mutters feelingly, resting his jaw on Alex's hair. "I don't want you to go back."

The words are blunt, honest, and Alex is grateful for their sincerity.

"I don't want to go back," Alex admits, tipping his head back to look into Ben's eyes. "Just thinking about last time – and Jack—" his throat closes, the words choking him, and he closes his eyes.

There's silence between them for a moment, as both remember those hellish months.

Then, "I'm coming with you," Ben tells him, and gratitude washes over Alex.

"Thank you," he murmurs. Sighing, he runs a hand through his hair. "I never wanted to drag you into this, you know."

Ben barks out a laugh. "Don't you know by now? I've been in this since the start. Since Dragon Nine." Alex's chest hitches at the memory, but Ben doesn't apologize, merely watching him without judgement until he gets himself back under control.

"She knew I would do it," Alex says softly. "I could see it in her eyes – she didn't know I was listening, but the moment I walked through her office door, she knew I would do it."

Ben sighs. "I'm generally good at picking up your random trains of thought, but even I don't know where that last one came from." Alex huffs a half-laugh. "We'll deal with your greenie agent – who is most definitely eavesdropping on the steps, by the way – and then you'll tell me everything, d'accord?"

Alex nods. "Okay. Think you could get off me now, you brute?" he teases, and Ben lets up with a huff of laughter.

"We are going to talk later," he promises, eyes stubbornly holding Alex's until he acquiesces. "This isn't something you can brush away, Alex. Don't shut me out."

"We'll talk," Alex agrees tiredly, smiling slightly at his housemate. "For now, though, we'd best get this over with," he grins lopsidedly, jerking his chin towards the steps and lowering his voice. "Chinese for dinner?"

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