– pax optima rerum;

↪ FILE : AGENT PAX≽≽

「「 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐨 𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐚𝐬. 𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐬. 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐝. 」」

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. – e.e. cummings

✈

West honestly doesn’t care which way they go, as long as they can explore. And feed some animals. The families around them all seem in the moment, creating memories that West knows will stick with the kids for their entire life. He knows because he has those memories, with his father on one side and his dad on the other, swinging him around as they walk and a young West makes what he thinks a monkey sounds like. Monkey World brings back a rush of childhood nostalgic that leaves West feeling giddy and happy to be at the zoo.

“Glad to be here with you buddy.”

West understands the sentiment. Sometimes, he feels like out all of the people at Pantheon, only Matty and Briana really get his vibes. They are fun and full of life, just like West, and not afraid to appear immature or silly. Too many of their fellow agents take themselves way too seriously, like extras in an old James Bond film. West has no illusions like that.

“Right! And the food was the worst.” West shakes his head the memory before a grunting monkey captures his attention. “I actually spit something back into a napkin and had to hide it. I can’t stand that pretentious shit. Woulda rather been on my couch with a beer and pizza.”

☰ 

Monkey World is hard to miss, and as they approach, Mateo sees the lemur enclosure on their left. Children surround it, taking in the early morning playtime on the ground beneath them. He’s curious what they’re looking at, sure it’s hilarious or cute or both, but he takes a moment to not feel hurried, to let himself stay grounded. The lemurs weren’t going anywhere.

That was the thing with Pantheon; it always felt like a race. And yes, he’d always been good under pressure – scrambling in the box on a last-second corner, taking a penalty kick in the NCAA tournament, fighting a deficit in the 75th minute – but it was different then. He didn’t read people as well as he read the game, and by God, trying to read people was exhausting.

“Was it that cheese thing?” He asked, stepping up to the Monkey World door, holding it open for the other man. “I still ate it, but I didn’t enjoy it.” He had always been a garbage disposal since he was a kid. And he wouldn’t turn down free food, no matter how bougie and bizarre. “Definitely would’ve taken some Domino’s over that any day.”

The noise of the monkeys around them crowds out his thoughts for a second, and he’s pulled in at least five different directions. He picks a direction and starts moving, turning back as West catches up. “You got plans once this mission’s done, then? Besides pizza and beer?” He smiles, leaning against the railing, taking in the Emperor Tamarins in front of them.

MISSION 𝟹𝟸𝟸𝟺𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚄*𝟷 TIME: SEPTEMBER 30TH OPEN TO ALL

Kawi rolled his shoulders, ignoring the pain that settled on his ride side as he did so, the rocks having landed everywhere. He coughed, reaching his shirt up to keep more dust from entering his lungs. His mind was racing towards a single conclusion: I have to save myself. But he shook his head quickly to push the thought away. He couldn’t completely ignore it, but coming out of the cave by himself, that wouldn’t work well for his image. 

He heard some coughing to his left and quickly sprang to action, no matter the stabs of pain moving through his shoulder and back. He grabbed the person’s arm, certain it was an arm, could’ve also been a leg. He couldn’t see that much through the settling dust. “Hey, you’re okay. Are you hurt?” He said through fits of coughing. His eyes stung, badly. Tears escaping. He kept his ears on their surroundings, certain he wasn’t going to end up being crushed.

☰

Why was it always small spaces?

Mateo had felt uneasy since they found out their next location. Through the briefing, the prep, the dispatch, he’d felt off. He was afraid. He didn’t like feeling afraid.

This was the part about working with antiquities and artifacts that hadn’t occurred to him when he was first recruited. He hated small spaces, feeling confined, trapped. And the proportion of missions that included those things was far too high for his comfort.

This was why. Whether it was accidental or intentional, the structure’s instability stemming from natural erosion or deliberate tampering, the cave coming down around them, effectively barricading them in this dusty, dank death trap, was the stuff of nightmares. But the burning in his lungs and the eerie silence around him were all too real.

It was only the voice that spoke up behind him that kept him from crumbling. He wasn’t the only one here. He wasn’t alone and abandoned. More importantly, there were other people in trouble. People he could help.

He coughed, trying not to suck in more dust on the inhale, and he tested his extremities. In a perfect world, he wouldn’t have to move, the risk of neurological damage too great from something like this. But he had people counting on him. So he slowly, tenderly moved his arms and legs – he could feel the ground beneath him, and he clenched his hands into fists as he moved. His back didn’t hurt, and his neck felt fine. That would have to be enough for now.

He maneuvered himself gingerly into a position where he could lay eyes on his companion. His body moved – slowly, yes, but without substantive protest – and he counted his blessings. In the darkness, he made out the shape of Kawi, who had apparently moved over to him to check for injuries. Hoarsely, he replied, “Pretty sure that’s my job.”

He winced at the pain in his knee, the sting all too familiar. He looked down at it, part of his subconscious petrified at what he’d find, but he was fine. At least, he looked fine. Given that the thing was more than half titanium and steel, he hoped it’d give him some good mileage.

Careful not to twist too much, he looked over at Kawi before answering. “I think I’m okay. Maybe a concussion, but I’ve had worse.” He begins to move, adjusting his position so he was closer to Kawi. “Where are you hurt?”

✈

He tucks his phone back in his pocket and scans the crowd. There are a lot of families out and about at the zoo, which is not surprising, and a handful of couples walking around. The last time he had been at the zoo with a significant other, he had lost them halfway through the day when he wondered off to the tiger display. Needless to say, date night was ruined that day. West’s eyes land on Mateo’s orange beanie and he picks up his pace to meet him halfway.

West leans into the hug, loosely keeping his around Mateo’s shoulders as they turn to face the zoo. Matty is one of the good ones, and easily one of his favorite people he has met in his short career at the Pantheon. A lot of the others take themselves so seriously, and West will never be that guy. It just isn’t in it. With Mateo he finds a more kindred soul, eager and fun and open to adventure for the general sake of it. They can wander and wonder together, without a need for a paycheck or mission objective. West is still bouncing on his heels, like a ball of energy just waiting to be unleashed onto the world. Or, in this case, the animal kingdom. 

“I don’t know what the penguin games are but I need to know. Lead the way, bud.”

☰

Mat continues walking before West gives him the go-ahead, on the same wavelength as his friend. He forgoes a map – way more fun that way, he reckons – and starts making his way towards Monkey World. The sounds of kids laughing, birds squawking, and life settles something deep in his bones. He walks with a characteristic shuffle, his hands shoved in the pockets of his shorts. “I don’t know either, but it’s gotta be good, right?” He laughs, navigating them through the paved roads towards the sounds (and more or less smells) of monkeys.

His pace slows, and he moves into step with his friend, standing a full head above him. He remembers teammates that tall and always trying to beat them for headers off set pieces. He thinks he could still get the jump on West if he tried hard enough.

He sighs, breathing in the cool morning air, and lets his eyes close as they walk. “I needed this.” He murmurs, mostly to himself. He’s not used to having close friends outside football, but even they didn’t usually get that deep. It’s still new territory for him, years out, talking about himself. He finds he doesn’t mind if West overhears, though. “Seriously, I felt like a butler in that suit. Why do rich people always have to get fancy to prove they’re rich?”

icaruswest​:

✈

West is lazing around, scrolling through Instagram and trying to figure out which photo he should post. He has a couple of gym selfies queued up, some with shirts and some without, and a new picture of his plane that is bound to get some attention. He’s thumbing through filters when the first of Mateo’s texts come through, and West jumps up so quickly, he nearly falls. The next couple of frantic seconds are spent trying to text with one hand and dress himself with another. His messages come out a bit jumbled and misspelled as he slips a shirt and some mostly-clean socks on. They don’t match, but that’s fine. There are animals waiting for him.

west: I GOTTA FIND PANTSS WAITFOR ME west: srsly matty if u pet a camel w/o me ur DEAD2ME

West nearly jumps on the hood of a taxi to get a ride and he bounces in his seat all the way over. The cab driver is annoyed by the obvious American tourist, so West tips a bit extra for his troubles. He walks so fast it could be considered a jog to get over to the ticket gates, and pays the fee to get inside. Once he’s through the gates, he scans the crowd for Mateo, hoping to find him quick so they can explore the entire zoo ten times over before it closes.

west: where ya at? I just walked in

☵

Mateo sits – a more accurate word would be ‘lounges’ – on one of the brick half-walls that line the main entrance. It’s more crowded than he’d usually like, but today, he doesn’t mind. That brisk, pre-dawn chill still lingers, the trees surrounding them keeping the cold in just a little longer than the rest of the city, and his Californian blood is grateful he went with the bright orange beanie this morning.

He doesn’t have to wait long for a reply, the grin splitting his face as he reads.

mateo: wouldnt dream of it. im offended u even think i would.

He’s glad he’s got someone in his life that gets just as excited as he does about things like this. He’s never had a problem adventuring on his own, but he likes being around his people. The gratitude that spreads through his chest sits and stays there as he swings his feet back and forth.

He takes his time watching the people that walk by. Like he suspected, it’s mostly families – kids pulling their under-caffeinated parents along, already running out of time to see it all – and small school groups, identifiable by their uniforms and hawk-eyed, stern-looking chaperones. He watches them pass as the initial morning rush makes its way through to the exhibits, and he’s just beginning to tap his feet with excess energy, just starting to wish he’d brought a ball with him, when his phone buzzes in his sweatshirt pocket again.

mateo: orange beanie by the entrance. i look like a hi liter.

He stands as he sends the message, looking for likely the only other unaccompanied adult in the area. He smiles wide when he finds him, picking up his pace. “Finally,” he teases, going in for a hug. “Dude, you can feed them biscuits. They’ve got special zoo biscuits. I’ve gonna feed a monkey if it’s the last thing I do.”

These sorts of missions are always weird for Mateo. No matter how long he spends with Pantheon, there's a special kind of adrenaline that gets his blood pumping as he drags a bodyguard out of sight, and even after years as an Iris, he's still not sure if he brings him closer to or further from himself. The penguin suit doesn't help.

He gets up early the morning after the mission, wanting to wander the city before the day began in earnest. It always helps him reset, exploring a new, unfamiliar place with nothing but his thoughts to carry him forward. The sun's barely risen when he heads out, moving without a destination through the waking city streets. It's a few hours into his meandering when he sees a steady stream of people – mostly families – heading down the street. There's life there, he figures, and he follows.

He knows approximately zero Hungarian, but it's hard not to connect the dots when he sees the large banner with a baby monkey looking back at him. It's exactly the sort of impromptu adventure he wants on a day like today, and he only stops from making a beeline to the ticket counter to pull out his phone, ignoring the badge pointing out just how many texts he's left unread, and ring up just the person he can convince to join him so soon after such a stressful evening.

mateo: west wake up mateo: theres a zoo mateo: wanna see some lemurs w me? [location shared]

the signs as text message memes

Source.

GEMINI: