#commander graves

Lance doesn't mind being little. It happens a lot more than they realised after Alex and Farah pointed it out. They were always a quiet child growing up, self-sufficient enough by the age of 5. So when they regress, almost always after a 'private briefing' with Shepherd, Lance just sits alone in their room playing Papa's Bakeria on their government issue laptop.

Shepherd has learnt through enough trial and error over the years to just have dinner sent to them by a private, the tray left on the floor with three rhythmic knocks [Lance is very specific about the knock pattern]. Lance has always been like this, always been a bit distant after Shepherd visits them.

Sometimes, Alex will sit with them. neither of them talking to each other or even sitting near each other. But most times, Lance sits alone, the music of their game filling the lonely space. They have a sippy cup filled with apple juice on the table next to them, wearing crew-socks and a pair of his softest boxers, a turtleneck he stole from Alex keeping him warm in his perpetually cold room.

It's Shepherd that approaches Philip, calls him in for a quick chat over a glass of bourbon. Philip is tense for the conversation, eyes never straying from the two open files of Lance and Wesley. The threat is vague, but dangerous nonetheless.

The conversation is stilted, full of dancing around terms and subjects, until Shepherd finally reveals his reason for initiating this all.

"I know your boy, Wesley, gets... distracted sometimes. Lance is the same way, his mind wanders too far for his own good. Next time that happens, I want Wesley to sit in with him."

Philip bristles like a stray cat being cornered, stomach twisting over Wesley being called his boy, a title that Shepherd still places upon Philip during 'difficult times'. And then his mind catches up, realises that Shepherd really doesn't know Lance if the man is still calling them a boy. But Philip nods anyways, offers a quick witted remark that he doesn't recall, and leaves before Shepherd decides it's time for Philip to remember his own beginnings.

Two weeks. It takes two weeks for Shepherd to send him a text, and it's at the worst time possible. They've just gotten back from a mission, rough conditions and three dead soldiers, Philip is just getting Wesley into the shower when the text comes in.

"What... What the fuck are those?"

It's not often they 'hung out', usually it was either a literal to fight between Commander Graves and El Sin Nombre, or it was Phillip getting his whole world absolutely shattered by Valeria.

But now? They sat on the couch, watching some shitty sitcom, just... Being around each other?

And of course-

"They're my Crocs, Pumpkin~"

He knew that nickname always pissed her off- hell that's probably why he used it so much! He was a bastard, and he knew the angrier Val got- the rougher she'd be.

"Take them off."

"Nah."

"Phillip."

"Nope, not gonna happen Pumpkin~"

"Phill."

"Pumpk-"

He couldn't even finish that dumb nickname before she was launching herself at him, pinning him to the couch.

"I'll give you one last chance, Phillip. Take them off or I'll beat your fuckin ass with them."

That stupid smirk and- "Pretty threats from such a pretty woman, gonna stick to 'em?"

And if he was sitting funny the next day? He's not gonna talk about it.