#and ethan is so proud of benji | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

helyiios · 1 year ago

Text

Shitty pedagogy and vaguely masochistic tendencies : a study of Team Hunt handling trainees

(Team Hunt dynamics, Ethan/Benji in the background, 3.1k)

this one goes out to @liass-21 because this is a stupid thing we've brewed yesterday at like 1AM or something

When they'd learnt they'd get a special, week long training with the members of Team Hunt, the new batch of agents in training had felt particularly proud and lucky. A little fearful, too, but they were more than ready to be able to learn from the greats. There were 60 of them, all split in teams of 15. Each member of Team Hunt had agreed to it, except for Luther Stickell, who had told Secretary Hunley, that, he quotes, "could not be fucking bothered."

Which led them to this, standing awkwardly in the middle of a massive amphitheater, in their training clothes, waiting for the legends to deign arrive. When they did, the trainees couldn't help but feel sweat drip down their spines. Would they ever amount to what would be expected of them ? Could they prove their worth ? They sure hoped so.

"Hello, everyone," Ethan fucking Hunt said first, looking extremely relaxed in his teeshirt and jeans, "it's nice to meet you all. I'm Ethan Hunt, special field agent for the IMF, and team leader. As you know, we've been asked to supervise you this week, and we all look forward to it. We all specialise in different areas during missions, but we've all received the same training, which covers everything from honeypot situations to sharpshooting. A week is not a long time to develop your skills, but we're hoping to help you with it. Do your best and you'll be alright. Now, I'll let my team present themselves," he adds, gesturing at the two men and the woman besides him.

She's the first to step forward, also dressed casually, hair in a loose ponytail. Her face is warm, compared to those of the two other men.

"I'm Jane Carter. Field agent. I specialise in hand-to-hand combat, it's very nice to meet you. I hope we will work well together."

"William Brandt," the man in the sharp grey suit says then, raising one hand. "Assistant to the Secretary. I don't go out in the field as much as these two anymore," he adds, pointing at his teammates, "but don't let it fool you. I expect a lot from you all, and I will not go easy on any of you."

He finally turns to the last agent, a tall blond man who was wearing a seemingly fitted navy blue suit and an undone white shirt under—slightly less formal than Brandt, but still less casual than the two others. He'd actually been on his phone the whole time, typing something with his right thumb, face fully focused. There's an awkward silence in the room that lasts for a few seconds, and a cough from Ethan before he actually looks up, blinking and sniffing unceremoniously.

"Right," he mumbles, putting his phone back in his pocket, a heavy British accent lacing his words, "I'm Benjamin Dunn. Field agent and Field technician. Huh. Nice to meet you all."

The trainees look at each other, unanimously deciding that he looked the most unassuming of the bunch. His posture was awkward, and slouched, and so were his words. Clearly, he seemed to be the weakest link.

Ethan Hunt was a legend, someone who defied the odds, Jane Carter looked like she could kill you by just blinking, and William Brandt looked weirdly psychorigid. If anything, whichever team got Benjamin Dunn would be the luckiest. Plus, what was there to expect from a technician ?

They're all split evenly a few minutes later, each team heading out of the room to other ones, specially arranged for their training. Hunt, for some weird reason, had sent an odd look to the team that had drawn Dunn. He had sent an odd look to Dunn period, actually, but none of the trainees tried to really focus on that.

There were various sports and gym-like contraptions in the wide room, some treadmills, ropes, dumbbells, and more. And a desk, too, for some fucking reason. Benji Dunn makes a beeline towards it, sitting loudly in the chair and raising his legs to slam his feet on the table. He looked at his team through his long lashes, decidedly unphased.

"Twenty minutes on the treadmills at 12kmph, or 7.4mph for your Americans," he says mildly. "By the end of the week, I want you to run at 10mph for at least ten minutes."

"WHAT ?!" the vast majority of his team blurts out, eyes wide and mouth hanging low, "but sir, that's not—"

"Official training makes you run at 9mph for ten minutes. Why are you complaining ?"

Some of the men recoil, clearly taken aback by his tone. This was definitely not what they had expected from him.

"But can't we start with some hand-to-hand combat ?" someone else whines, probably feeling bold, "what use is it to run ? We all know how to that."

"Yeah, and you won't have the cardio for a proper fight," Benji replies simply, eyes back on his phone screen. Faint noises come out from it, something oddly familiar, and then they realise—

Was he playing fucking Subway Surfers ?

"What would you know about that ?" a young woman retorts, hands on her hips, "you're a field tech. You probably don't want to teach us combat because you actually don't know how do it."

Benji actually looks up at that, mouth contorting slightly, trying to stay quiet before—

Before he snorts, covering his face and turning away a little to try and hide his hilarity. Now he's full on giggling, which doesn't help with the frustrated blush on the poor woman's face. This goes on for a few seconds before he wipes his eyes, shaking his head slightly. With an exaggerated display of effort he gets back up, cracking his neck and walking over to them. He plants himself in front of the trainee, towering her and cocking his head to the side.

"You're lucky I have one hundred and twenty four blue keys in my game," he begins, "because I was beating my personal record, just now. I'm not teaching you hand-to-hand combat because you wouldn't be good at it. You need to work on your stamina, first."

"Or maybe we can use the element of surprise !" someone behind him shouts, and he groans before stepping aside, watching the other trainee miss him by a few centimeters. He defeatedly watches him try and take a swing at him, moving his hands uselessly in the hair, and he can't help but think about Ilsa. It would've been fun to see her do that thigh movement she always used. Once, Jane had said that she'd found it hot, and he'd gagged.

Whatever. He focuses back on that poor kid who was stalling, throwing hits here and there, and Benji simply kept wobbling from one feet to another to avoid him. It was sort of pathetic, kind of like that time in Vienna when Ethan had to fight that super tall guy.

With a sigh he finally grabs his wrist, twisting it slightly until the trainee had to put a knee down, whimpering in pain. Benji kept twisting, looking at him in sheer disinterest. It was not until he'd heard him beg for him to let go that he steps back, putting his hands back in his pockets. Some other trainees had jumped to their teammate's rescue, looking at his reddening muscles in worry.

"Now," Benji says, tone bored, "can you get on those fucking treadmills ?"

His team looks at him dejectedly, and they all find themselves a spot. There are a few that cannot, due to a lack of enough equipment, and they vaguely wonder if that meant they were safe.

"You all," he however calls out to them, arms crossed, "fifty pushups, fifty bungees. Repeat until I say it's over."

"What the fuck," one of the trainees mutters, and suddenly they're jealous of the assholes who were about to go run.

They get to work, though, even if most of them curse all the way through it. Hours pass, they switch exercises, and they're already sweating buckets.

"I need to go talk to Hunt," Benji then suddenly says, gesturing at them vaguely, "keep on doing what you're doing. There's a camera watching you. If you don't do as told, I'm going to get real fucking annoyed. Got it ?"

They all groan in agreement, and then he's disappeared from the room altogether. They look at each other, some with tears of exhaustion in their eyes, but they get back to their activities nonetheless.

—

"Working hard or hardly working ?" Ethan says as soon as he spots his husband, offering him his brightest smile, "how are they doing ?"

"Why did I agree to this ?" Benji whines, letting his head drop in the crook of the other man's neck, "this is so boring ! They're so boring ! None of them can run at a decent pace !"

"Define decent ?"

"15kmph ?"

"Yeah," Ethan snorts, "that's not decent. Wait—are you torturing those kids ?"

A shrug.

"Benji !"

"What ? They're not kids ! They're, fucking—I dunno, over twenty five ! They're full blow adults, they pay their taxes ! You know what some girl told me ? Huuuuh, you're not making us fight because you're a field tech and you don't know how to !" he says, voice pitched higher and tone full on mocking. "Like, who does she thing she is ?"

"Baby—"

"And when I passed the field exam, they made me run at 17kmph. And I was older than them. Do you know for how long I puked after it ? Mate, it was not pretty. If I can do it, so can they."

"I don't think—"

"Hey, you guys !" Jane calls out as she trots towards them, "all's good ? Training going okay ?"

"Marvelous," Benji sarcastically replies. "You ?"

"Yeah, yeah. They're sweet, sort of. Told them I'd bring them muffins at the end of the week."

"Wow, you actually give a shit about them. Thrilling."

"What, you don't ?" she frowns, "I mean I don't know, I want to make it interesting for them, y'know ?"

Benji scoffs, running a hand through his hair.

"They're big boys and big girls, they can handle themselves. I'm not going to bake them fucking cookies. Like who am I ? Fucking Mother Theresa ?"

"Sometimes," Ethan begins, an amused smile curling his lips, "I forget that we're part of the very exclusive 'people I care about' Benji Dunn club. How many are we in there ? Five ?"

"I mean, six if we count Hunley," his husband shrugs, pursing his lips. "You make me sound like an asshole ! I'm just saying that I'm here to make them field agents. Not to stuff them with your homemade blueberry muffins."

"Wh—you love my blueberry muffins, asshole !"

"I really do," he sighs. "Where's Will ?"

"Introducing them to the art of filling a report correctly," Jane grins, "he was very adamant about that."

"That's so hot I might just wet my pants," Benji grimaces, turning back to look over at the door leading to his room. "I'll head back. God knows what they're all fucking doing. Hopefully not having an orgy."

"Benji—"

"Dude, ew !"

"What ? It's a possibility. I'll see you tonight for drinks," he adds, waving them goodbye before turning on his heels, leaving the two other agents to stare at his back a little dumbfounded.

"You know he's making them run at 9mph ?" Ethan asks his friend, grinning when he sees the shock on her face, "yeah, I had the same reaction."

"I think he's too used to you."

"And I think we forget he finished first of his promotion during the field agent training."

"He's so weird and scary."

"Mm," he simply hums, looking dreamily into the distance. "Anyway. Time to go back, too. Catch you later."

"Yeah, yeah. See you."

Should she also make chocolate chip muffins, she wonders ?

—

At first, Alan Hunley had thought it was a great idea, that whole Hunt thing with the trainees. He'd seen how Ethan had been when he'd started as a mentor, and he deeply believed in his pedagogy. He knew Brandt would not disappoint as well, and he was fairly confident in Carter, too.

Now.

The remaining issue was the last agent. Dunn. Why was it always Dunn ? Was he not tired of wearing him out ? Had the blown up buildings in central London not been enough ? What kind of mental illnesses did he have ?

Scratch that.

What kind of mental illnesses did he not have ?

Was he just like that ?

He stares at the ten reports in front of him. Ten trainees who'd walked out the course on day three, four, and five. Some of them crying. It almost makes him want to laugh, but then he remembers that he has a moral code and actual human feelings, so he doesn't. Instead, he just sighs.

Today was day seven. The last day. Surely Benji Dunn wouldn't be doing anything out of the norm. Right ?

That's the mantra he keeps repeating to himself as he walks down from his office to the special rooms, hoping to get a small glimpse at whatever the fuck Team Hunt was up to. Hopefully, Ethan was not telling them about the benefits of jumping off a plane, or kidnapping the King of England, or anything like that.

At least he hopes so ?

He hears them before he can see them, and he makes his way inside the training room quietly, sitting in a corner to try and not disrupt whatever was happening. Brandt and Dunn were standing in the middle of the room, everyone else watching intently, silence reigning.

"So," Brandt says, tone horribly high pitched, "do you want to have sex with me ?" he asks, and his voice breaks on that last syllable, and then Benji Dunn's folding on the side and audibly retches.

"And this," Ethan immediately says, eyes closed and mouth in a thin line, "is not how you try and deal with a target during a honeypot mission."

"But it can be how you deal with a hierarchic superior," Brandt supplies, index raised, and Jane Carter snorts so loud Hunley's sure that he can see some fucking spit flow out of her mouth. "Don't get too handsy with the marks, though, we're here to get information, not get jailed for sexual assault."

"Yeah, tell that to Ethan," Jane mutters, rolling her eyes.

"Oh for Christ's sake, I kissed you once in Mumbai, and it wasn't even a full kiss ! A peck at most ! Can you please get over it ?!"

"God, when I'm gonna tell Ilsa about it..."

"Ethan's a good kisser, though," Benji offers, hands on his hips, "But I reckon Brandt's too eager on the tongue. Don't get me wrong, it's fun, but it's also really wet."

"I am so delighted to hear about all of that," their Secretary cuts them off, taking them all by surprise as he gets up from his bench and walks towards them, "I see the training is going well. Only 17 people have given up so far ! Ten of which were in your team, agent Dunn ! Congratulations !"

"Ella's getting tested for PTSD," a trainee tells him, and Jane whistles lowly at that.

"Sir," Ethan replies, ever so professional, "it's good to see you. We were—huh, going over honeypot strategies."

"I can see that."

"It's not going too well," Brandt adds.

"I can also see that."

"I wish Luther was there," Benji then suddenly pipes up, making everyone turn to him. "He flirted with me once, he even used his low voice and all. Closest thing I'll ever get to get hit on by Idris Elba," he sadly says. "Shame, really."

"You know," Hunley notes, feeling a vein burst on his forehead, "if I stay here for a minute more, I might be tempted fire all four of you."

"Is that a promise ?" the British agent asks, face eager. "Can we do the pinky thing ?"

"Go back to work," his superior groans, sending death glares to them all. "These kids better be fit for field agent training tonight."

"Yes sir," Ethan nods, watching him stomp out of the room. He stares back at the group, feeling oddly defeated. "Okay, who wants to do some practice target shooting ?"

Everybody cheers.

—

By the end of the week Benji had made fourteen people cry, Brandt had traumatised five of them with his whole administrative kink, Jane had brought them her muffins and Ethan had gotten love letters from twenty trainees. Benji actually made fun of him for it once they'd gotten home, but his husband had gotten sort of defensive, saying he'd found it 'sweet.'

If one thing was sure, it's that they were not meant to be teaching whatever the fuck their missions required them to do. They were a messy team, full of messy people, who did things out of order and, you guessed it, messily. They'd found it fun, though, as far as fun could go when they'd had ten trainees puke their brains out after one of Benji's exercises (he'd called it automatic cleansing, which Ethan, Jane and Brandt thought was fucking weird,) and they had to promise to Hunley to never interact with young trainees ever again, out of fear of breaking them psychologically before they'd even gotten the chance to get in the field.

Ethan and Benji were spread on their couch that night, slightly tipsy from the drinks their team had shared in honour of the shitshow being over, and the former was fighting an endless battle with his brain to try and not blurt out what he really wanted to say.

"It's hot when you get all authoritative," he finally breaks, sounding insanely lame, averting his gaze from his husband's.

"What ?"

"I mean, when you...give orders," he further explains, trying to play it cool. "It's attractive. Is what I mean."

"Well," Benji snorts, "'course I give orders. I'm the voice in your ear. That's sort of my job."

"Yeah, okay. No need to be so cocky."

"Aw, E. You're so cute when you're flustered."

Ethan brutally blushes, sending him a glare that would've made anyone who wasn't his husband probably piss their pants.

"Not flustered."

"Whatever you say, darling," the other giggles, going back to watch their movie. "I hope none of the kids we've trained are going to die brutally in a traumatising field event," he then says, very calmly. "That'd be a shame."

"You're so weird," Ethan mutters, going to kiss him. "I hope so too."

"Mm."

They stay cuddled by each other's side until they fall asleep.

#mission impossible #mission impossible fic #benji dunn #ethan hunt #william brandt #jane carter #alan hunley

42 notes · View notes

rebeccasteventaylor · 8 months ago

Text

Always quite touched by how proud Ethan can be of Benji sometimes.

I mean - he says it occasionally like ‘I never had a doubt’ or ‘you can do it, I know you can’ but there’s other times, like when Benji says he caused the car crash, when Ethan just looks smug, as if he saying ‘yep, that’s my tech guy, good, isn’t he?’. Or the look on his face when Benji produces the copied disk. Or the way he always looks back at him when Benji is doing his boat thing so skilfully.

I just - I get the feeling Benji hasn’t had that many people be proud of him or praise him in his life, and to have Ethan Hunt be proud of him must be wonderful. And I just love that Ethan is proud of him too.

#benthan

20 notes · View notes

friedcheesemogu · 3 months ago

Note

What are your top 3 Brandt moments in Ghost Protocol? And top 3 in Rogue Nation?

Oh my gosh, what a choice! I suppose I can't just say "EVERY MOMENT HE IS ON SCREEN," can I? I am the William Brandt channel, I chew on a tree when he happens, so it's hard to pick but...

Hmmm.... I guess if I had to pick...

THE DISARMING SCENE

This is one of the hottest moments ever put on film if you ask me, which you did, and I'm obviously correct. The speed at which he reacts to Ethan is so unexpected, and it comes so perfectly after that moment earlier where we saw him suddenly kicking Moreau's bodyguard's ass and went "wait, what...?" I think it shows that as far as team members go, he may be the closest match to Ethan in terms of skill.

I mean this whole scene is incredible, and I think Jeremy Renner does an excellent job of showing how deeply Will feels his failures and his guilt in some very subtle, effective acting.

But I could watch this scene on loop forever.

2. "IF I WERE YOUR HERO WOULD YOU BE MINE..."

For every moment Will hesitates before and after this, this is the time that counts. Like I said in my "essay," Will literally held Ethan's life in his hand. We owe this man for everything Ethan is able to do after, because if he didn't have that reaction time and skill (and the ability to jump into action when it counts), Ethan would have been considerably less pretty a few seconds later.

And then Cobalt would have started a war, etc. etc...

3. SATURN TAKE THE LEAP

This gif is hypnotic for real.

Okay this scene, not just for that remarkable ass, but because I love how he has to psych himself up for it, how nervous he is, and then well... he does it, and immediately gets mixed messages about it. I also think the way he gets back up the fan... silo... thing at the end is great, but like... everything about it is charming.

I feel so strongly about it that I got this. And it means other stuff to, but again, that's a whole other post. But doing what you have to do even though you don't want to do it because you need to, because other people are counting on you... that's this scene. And it resonates with me a lot.

It was a hard choice because I love him being salty at Ethan being rude to him in the car when they "meet." I love his back and forths with Benji. I love when he leans against the side of the train and accidentally opens the wall.

Ghost Protocol is my favorite MI movie, and nothing will ever come close.

I'll admit I'm not as up on Rogue Nation as I could or probably should be because there's not enough Will and I have some probably unpopular opinions but that's neither here nor there.

That being said...

"I CAN NEITHER CONFIRM NOR DENY..."

This salty bitch. Look at him. Look at that beautiful gray suit and that blue tie and his perfect hair forever. He's utterly unfazed and you have a better chance of digging a hole into the Pentagon before you can get inside that man's protective walls around Ethan.

I think people often overlook him because he does a lot of stuff off the field, but again, like in my essay, Will is extremely dedicated to keeping Ethan safe from the inside. He's still the first person Ethan calls when stuff goes bad with Lane, and from that moment he's in it to protect Ethan and their work, even if IMF isn't officially extant at the moment.

2. "I'M SO PROUD OF US"

The line delivery on this gets me every time.

And y'all, he has a point. Ethan has been acting completely unhinged about shit, and he weirdly trusts Ilsa right from the get-go and lets her blindside him again and again. But whatever. Obviously what's also great here is that as annoyed and frustrated as he is, he's still going to go along with the plan and he's still going to potentially compromise himself and all of them if he can't convince Hunley he's on Hunley's side.

But really I just think it's hot when he's a sassy brat.

3. DRIVE IT LIKE THE CAR YOU WISH YOU'D RENTED

Obviously him and Luther bickering in the car itself is charming, but him following Ethan and Benji, watching them flip, then straight up KILLING ONE OF THE MOTORCYCLE DUDES WITH THE CAR which NO ONE ADDRESSES or even CHECKS IF HE'S DEAD because Will is too busy making sure Ethan and Benji is okay and gently touching Ethan to reassure himself he's in one piece oops my bias is showing.

I'd love to see him in more car chases. I'D LOVE TO SEE HIM IN ANYTHING. I do also love the scene with the Prime Minister and how well he plays it, and how good he and Ethan look working together.

There's a fantastic fic by @missionbrandt called "Used to This" which deals with Will's feelings during "Rogue Nation," and it's basically my canon for what's going on with his side of the story. Highly recommended, especially if you have similar predilections to me in the pairing kind of way.

So there you go! Now that I've told you mine, you tell me yours. ;)

#mission impossible #mission impossible ghost protocol #mission impossible rogue nation #william brandt #will brandt #i love him so much i want to punch a hole in the sky

16 notes · View notes

callmearcturus · 1 year ago

Note

writer questions meme: 8, 13, 20 if you please

13. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?

It wasn't explicitly writing advice, but I can tell you where I learned what my specific style would be. There was a fic in the Dresden Files fandom called "Cross" by LightGetsIn. LGI was a tremendous writer and a very kind mentory-friend who I attended my first fan convention with. Extremely accomplished adult who I looked up to when I was barely an adult.

"Cross" is a story about the limitations of perspective. It was the first story that really drove home the idea that Character A would not have the same knowledge and understanding of the world as Character B.

In "Cross", the POV character is John Marcone, a non-magical mafia boss who is deeply entrenched in the magical world. He has a lot of factual knowledge of how magic works, but he's an Italian-American Catholic. So when he's pulled into doing magical rites to bring another character back to life, he specifically doesn't pick up on the more pagan symbology of what he's doing, but filters it through a Guilty Catholic filter. Hence the name of the fic, "Cross."

And that story, which isn't even my favorite LGI story, probably taught me the most about how to write Close Perspective Third Person, which is my default style. When I'm writing in a characters POV, I rigorously limit what the POV character knows and picks up on. I will plant clues and information that the audience will understand, but the connections a character makes, the reference pools they pull from, their morality and ethics, all of those inform that POV, and what you and I know does not.

That is probably the most important lesson I've ever had in creating my own writing method.

20. Describe your perfect writing conditions.

8 hours of sleep, small breakfast snack like a croissant, decaf beverage, one dextroamphetamine, and no one fucking talk to me for about 2 - 4 hours. I will write 4,000 words.

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

Lets put this under a cut, and I'll give you some DVD commentary. This is from chapter 2 of you'll need a new name to survive this. It's the point where Benji realizes Ethan is stalking him and does that trick to lose him in the bookshop, then sits outside waiting for him.

Only five minutes later, the door opened, and Bell took one step out before freezing, his eyes falling on Benji.

Got you, Benji thought with a sharp little smile. "You didn't even buy a book? Bit rude."

One of the goals of the early chapters of PT AU was establishing Benji's character as boldly as possible because we were essentially telling a story that canon does not. This is YEARS before MI3, where Benji gets two gd scenes.

To me, the tightrope walk was that I wanted Benji to have a reasonable grip on authority, to be shiny and new and out of his depth but still empowered because of his accomplishments. He has managed to land a good job working for the US government, he successfully emigrated before he was 30 years old, he has an apartment and a cat, he's new to everything in the spy world but he also has a steel spine that frankly he's fucking earned.

Which is a long-winded way of saying that Benji is a bitch and I love him so much.

Bell's face was blank, but Benji could almost feel how fast his brain was moving, weighing his options. Eventually, he settled on huffing out a little chuckle and stepping closer to Benji. "Hi."

Meanwhile, Ethan. MI1-era Ethan is very very smart but very very traumatised. His skillset is rooted in controlling people and predicting them. So Benji, a fucking civilian, catching him off-guard like this is like waving a red flag at a bull. Or dangling a steak over a lion enclosure. Benji doesn't know it yet but he's setting himself up to be a tasty treat for Ethan Hunt circa the late 90s.

"Are you going to kill me or something?" Benji asked. "Is that your spook job, are you a hitman?"

The flash of expression on Bell's face was offended. (This makes me laugh every time. Ethan Hunt is not a killer unless he absolutely must be and he will go out of his way to avoid it. Being an assassin is gross and he doesn't want to be perceived at all bc he's a spy but if he MUST be perceived jfc don't assume he's a HITMAN) "What, no. I just…" Grimacing, he looked away, eyes scanning the other pedestrians around them. "Okay, I'm screwing this up, I can admit that. Can we talk somewhere private?"

Benji didn't even have to think about it. "We can talk somewhere public."

Benji is never going to be an IMF agent but his instincts are wildly correct. And that knowledge comes from a different place! He was a gay punk rock vagabond who dropped out of law school, he knows how to keep out of trouble. He is probably the guy who told his other punk friends "if you are arrested do not say a goddamn thing, just ask for your public defender, don't joke, don't be a smartarse, keep your mouth shut."

The smile that took over Bell's face was lovely, transforming his whole face from storm clouds to something more seasonal. "That's honestly a very smart answer, doc. C'mon, there's a bakery nearby. I'll buy you a coffee. Least I can do."

It really was, so Benji nodded and followed him.

They didn't speak until Bell opened the glass door to another shop and held it open for Benji.

"Wrong hand," Benji said, noticing the small wince Bell let out.

"Inside, doc."

If it isn't obvious, all of the observational skills Benji has canonically have been funneled into his preternatural observation of patients.

Basically, if Benji as a character has a specific set of SPECIAL stats, all of those are the same, he just has different tagged skills in this universe.

Canon Benji is probably.... Guns, Science, and Repair. PT Benji has Medicine, Barter, Speech.

"Not a doctor," Benji said. "You know I'm not a doctor."

"What do you want to drink, doc?"

Ethan is being purposefully annoying and I could write a whole post about Ethan's soft power and the way he manipulates people, but that'd be another post. Short version: some people you seduce, some people you act like a wounded gazelle at, and some people you annoy.

Inside the bakery was loud. It was a strangely open floor plan. A long pastry case cordoned off the seating area for the customers. On the other side was just… the bakery. There were ovens and industrial mixers and rolling racks of cooling bread. In the corner, the espresso machine howled with noise as the milk frother worked.

It smelled divine, like living inside a baguette during a spring shower of dark roast coffee.

It also was a constant racket, which Benji mentioned to Bell as he sat down and slid a dark tea with vanilla syrup across to Benji.

"That's the point," Bell said, slouching back in his chair. "It's very difficult to eavesdrop in here."

Well, he wasn't wrong. Looking to another occupied table nearby, Benji briefly tried to pick out a word of what was being said by the woman seated closest to him. Nothing.

"Right, then," Benji said, attention back on Bell. "Why are you following me?"

"Why?" Bell seemed taken aback.

One of the many moments in the early chapters that establish that Ethan's perception of Normal is not anything approaching actual normal.

"Yes, why."

"Normal intelligence collection."

"On your physical therapist?" Benji asked with a barked laugh.

"Yeah." Bell leaned on his elbows, one hand cupping his own jaw and holding his head up as he made uncomfortably direct eye contact. "You really don't know who I am? Or why some of the appointments on your calendar come with no information?"

Pursing his lips, Benji shook his head.

Blowing out a whistle through his teeth, Bell grinned. "Sorry, that's just… it's new. I'm surprised Dr. Falsion didn't clue you in, but I guess she's not technically supposed to." Lifting his mug, he looked down into it. "People do shit they're not technically supposed to all the time in this town."

Ethan's major trauma at this point is being targeted by Kittridge and the Mole Hunt, and his trust in people to do their jobs is at a critical low that it'll never recover from.

"I don't even know your name," Benji sighed, sipping his own drink. It didn't taste at all like iocaine powder, so he was probably safe for the moment.

Bell rested his temple against the knuckles of his hand, his gaze so intense that Benji didn't know how to look away without making it patently obvious he was unsettled. Whatever Bell saw, it made his lips curve up slight. "Alright. Yeah. My name is Ethan. I work for an organization that shouldn't legally exist, so that's why you don't get anything on me. Even CIA jackboots manipulating local governments are realer than I am." He blinked once. "Also, I was an unprofessional shitheel last session, and I apologize."

Ethan apologizes here because Benji has earned his respect. And also by earning his respect, Ethan is also aware that Benji is not going to be so easy to maneuver around, so he fesses up that he was a prick, softly setting up a different tactic with Benji.

Benji felt his eyes going wider and wider with every sentence until it was a little hard to breathe. So his patient wasn't the American equivalent of an MI5 or MI6 so much as an MI8?

That did sort of start to explain what a pain in the ass he was.

"Shame," Benji managed after a moment of sitting fairly gobsmacked. "I was getting attached to 'Bell.' But I appreciate… all that. Thanks." He frowned. "Are you saying all this because you're actually sorry or are you sick of being stonewalled?"

Benji has a much more cynical mind than Ethan is the funny thing. Benji gets arguably more accurate reads on people than Ethan does. Or, Ethan gets accurate reads but he is continuously poisoned by the hope that people will be better than he expects. So FUNCTIONALLY, Ethan is an optimist and Benji is a realist.

Bell— Ethan— grinned. "That's a very good question. You actually have great instincts, doc. You did a surprisingly good job of shaking me when I was tailing you, especially for a civilian."

One of my favorite running gags is Benji being impossible to tail, so I'm glad we really drove it home the first time it happened. I love consistency in longfic.

"Again: thanks. Don't suppose you'll answer my other question?"

Ethan sipped his coffee, his smile visible around the edge of his cup.

"Right," Benji sighed. At least this felt like progress. And at least he probably wasn't going to be disappeared by a government assassin. That was a relief.

So this entire bit is Ethan reassessing Benji and pivoting his methods and tactics, setting up for a better way of handling Benji. And also being kind of charmed by him.

#relaxed-and-extremely-uneasy #talking about writing #pt benji au

19 notes · View notes

love2write2626 · 2 years ago

Text

Our Love in a Rogue Nation 7

Sorry for the delay! Please comment and let me know what you think!

Chapter 7

I sat in the room listening to the group discuss their next plan of action. Ok honestly I was tuning them out, at the moment I am admiring my beautiful engagement ring, I can’t believe I am getting married to Ethan. We had never discussed marriage, there was a small part of me that worried, that he was interested in marriage.

“You ok baby?” Ethan whispered to me, I looked up and smiled

“Yeah, just admiring my ring” I whispered back. He kissed my cheek, and just as if nothing happened, he went back to his conversation with the guys. As I tuned back in, it seems we had hit a speed bump, when it comes to the red box which meant that the drive is double encrypted.

“So, what your saying is there is no Ledger, which means we have no proof that the Syndicate even exists… so now we’re back to square one, except now we are all wanted by the CIA… I am so proud of us” Brandt said

“I have a question” I butted into the conversation. “Why is there a Redbox sitting in a private data base in Morocco?” every one looked at me pondering my question “and for that matter why would Lane want it, if he can’t open it?” I added

“Well, if Lane wants it you know he was a plan to open it” Benji said, Luther looked back at Ethan and I. My eyes got wide when it clicked

“He’s going to kidnap the prime minister” Luther said

“Yes he is” Ethan said

“Do we need to warn somebody?” I asked

“Yes, MI6” Brandt answered, he grabbed his phone when Ethan said

“Brandt, wait put the phone down, lets just think about this for a minute” I stood up walking closer to Ethan and gently placed my hand on his shoulder

“Ethan…” I mumbled

“Let me think a minute” he said

“No, Ethan we need to warn the British government, and not gamble with the prime minister’s life… just so you can beat the guy who has beaten you at every turn.” I saw a slight look of hurt in Ethan’s eyes

“Is that what you think this is?”

“I think, you are incapable of seeing another way right now. I think you need to maybe take a step back”

“Brandt, think about what you are saying” I stepped in “Sometimes Ethan is the only one who can see the way things need to be done” I said

“You, have no right to say anything right now. Ashley, you are smart but you are too close to Ethan, which means you will defend him at every turn, and that can lead some serious problems.” I cowered back a little in all the time I have known Brandt he has never once raised his voice at me, and I hate confrontation

“Brandt, you better watch your tone, Ashley is here to help just as much as everyone else here. You don’t ever raise your voice at her again” he stood up and got closer to Brandt “Am I clear?” Brandt didn’t reply he gave a simple nod of the head

“Ethan, we need to warn the British” Brandt said

“Maybe, that’s exactly what Lane wants us to do” Ethan said, now yelling

“Ethan enough! We are going to warn the British”

“No, we are going to find Lane, and we are going to get him, before he takes the Prime Minister” Ethan said. As I was listening to them argue, I started to feel pain run through my body… Damn the pain medicine must be wearing off. Ethan saw me stumble back a little, and rushed to my side “Baby sit down, you still need to rest… do you want some more pain meds?” he asked

“No, I don’t want to become dependent on those” Once I was sitting down, I leaned over a little to where Ethan is kneeling next to me and placed a light kiss on his cheek, which made his smile a little

“Ok, fine Ethan how exactly do you plan on finding Lane?” just as he asked the question the tablet next to Luther beeped, indicating his software had picked up on Ilsa’s most recent location, and Ethan turned to Brandt and gave him a cocky smirk. Brandt sighed

“Who’s going to drive?” Brandt asked in defeat

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Baby, I need you to wait in the car” I sighed

“Ethan I can help”

“You are still healing, and I just don’t want anything to happen to you… please wait in the car” I nodded knowing Ethan wasn’t going to let this go “I love you” he mumbled. I leaned over pulling his face closer to me and bringing our lips together. We both moaned into the kiss, this is the must real kiss we have had since I woke up in the hospital bed. After a minute, we broke apart

“I love you too” I whispered. We rested our foreheads together for a minute but jumped apart when we heard a banging on the window.

“Quit snogging my sister, and lets go” Benji said, I rolled my eyes, and Ethan pulled away from me

“Make sure you lock the door” Ethan said before getting out and walking away

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once Ethan left, I decided to close my eyes for a few minutes and I was honestly close to sleep when there was a tapping on my window. I jumped awake, and was scared to see a very large man standing there. He used his hand indicating he wanted me to roll my window down. I rolled it down only a little so I could hear him

“Hey, any chance you can give me a jump? My battery is dead, please? I’m desperate.. my wife just went into labor and I need to get to the hospital”

“Oh, sorry! Of course” I got out of the car, so I could walk to the drivers side “Where are you parked?” I asked

“It doesn’t matter” he said

“What?” I asked confused, then before I could do anything else he grabbed me and put a white cloth over my face… and the last thoughts that went through my mind before I blacked out was ‘How could I be so stupud?’

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ethan’s P.O.V

I ran as fast as I could to the parking garage, Brandt and I got to the black van where Ashley was just in time for the ‘Bone Doctor’ to speed off

“I lost her in crowd” Luther said as he ran up behind us

“SHE SET US UP, SHE KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN” Brandt yelled

“No! Only Lane knows what’s going to happen” our conversation was interrupted by my phone ringing, I quickly answered it having a good idea of who it was. “I swear Lane, if you hurt her in anyway” he cut me off

“I have a job for you Ethan” I let out and angry huff but said

“I’m listening”

“Your Mission should you choose to accept it, is to bring me the unlocked disc by Midnight.” He paused for what I am assuming was for a dramatic effect “Now say the words please”

“I accept” I mumbled before the line went dead.

“What does he want, Ethan?” Luther asked

“He wants the unlocked disc by Midnight”

“Ethan, there is only one person on this earth who can unlock that disc”

“I know”

“Ethan…” Brandt started

“We have to take the Prime Minister”

HOPE YOU ENJOYED! I’LL TRY TO GET THE NEXT CHAPTER UP SOON! LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK IN THE COMMENTS

#mission impossible #mission impossible rogue nation #mission impossible fallout #mention mission impossible #mission impossible dead reckoning #ethan hunt #william brandt #luther #ilsa faust #solomon lane #ethan hunt x reader #original female character

31 notes · View notes

rebeccalouisaferguson · 2 years ago

Text

"It was one of the earliest conversations. We were on the set of Top Gun, we were already talking about it," says the filmmaker, referring to last year's Joseph Kosinski-directed Top Gun: Maverick, which McQuarrie co-wrote. "We knew that that emotional arc was of a certain emotional tone... Ilsa is a wonderful character, and a character of which I am enormously proud, and Rebecca is an actor of such unmitigated power and presence."

He continued, "And yet, where we had gone with the character from Rogue to Fallout...[the] place you took that character would either make less of her, it would suddenly become frivolous... or she would just become a romantic interest, and it was never about creating a character who was defined by her love story with Ethan Hunt. Their relationship transcends a traditional loving story... They're doomed to be together and yet doomed never to be together... It felt like that story was looking for its resolution and so we said this has got to happen."

McQuarrie goes on to explain that his and Cruise's decision to conclude Faust's story dovetailed with their desire to give a sense of genuine stakes to the movie.

"What really needs to happen in the story is the stakes have to be real, they can't be implied," says the director. "We have to have the courage to let [Ethan] fail and it has to cost, the mission has to cost, and without that, the villain simply will not have a threat…what you're seeing in the escalation of the story is what it costs Ethan personally in Venice."

When asked if the pair had considered the possibility of killing off Simon Pegg's Benji Dunn or Ving Rhames' Luther Stickell, the director said "we explored them all" before ominously pointing out that the recent film is, after all, just Part One of the tale.

#rebecca ferguson #mission impossible dead reckoning part one #mission impossible #mi7 spoilers #mi7 #film #christopher mcquarrie

25 notes · View notes

liverpool-enjoyer · 2 years ago

Text

FHSGAKJLFHAJ DEAD RECKONING!!!!

it was amazing. it was perfect in every way. down to the last minute detail. most fun ive had in a theater since 2018. if you could only see ONE movie this entire year, this should be it

SPOILERS UNDER CUT

proud member a the "ilsa is still alive" conspiracy theorist club

so many things to say,,, i fuckin loved poms character. that dude was fuckin CRAZY ohmygosh i love her so much

vanessa kirby you outsold!!! i loved how much we got to see alanna!! n it was so impressive seeing vanessa pretend to be someone pretending to be her. its a difficult task n she did an amazing job.

one smol thing tho,,, you mean to tell me three trained superspies didnt think to get grace some colored contacts to impersonate alanna??? n zola didnt realize that his sister suddenly had a different eye color?? i mean i dont have sublings but i imagine if i woke up with a different eye color my family would notice

the way grace made this movie her bitch >>>

luther coming in clutch n lowkey being the backbone a this team again!!!

benji,,, oh, benji. proving yet again why hes my favorite. every time i see him hes even more endearing

n my main man,,, ethan <3 oh tom cruise HOW do you outdo yourself again n again n again.

all in all the stunts were beyond perfect. im not good with words but jus TRUST ME bro. it was so intense n suspenseful i was literally sweating (knees weak, arms heavy). jus as fallout was before it, its nonstop action. n jus as fallout was before it, its perfect

#honestly my moots probly wont read this now that i think abt #but i couldnt NOT share my thoughts on the movie ive waited a quarter a my life to see #mission impossible #mission impossible dead reckoning part one #mission impossible dead reckoning #ilsa faust #paris mission impossible #vanessa kirby #alanna mitsopolis #white widow #grace mission impossible #luther stickell #benji dunn #ethan hunt #tom cruise #mission impossible fallout

40 notes · View notes

ladywaffles · 2 years ago

Note

Kisses 12 or 17 for Ilsa/Ethan, please!! 🥰

thank you! i hope this is just as sappy as you wished for <3

spoilers for mi7 under the cut!

kisses on the corner of the mouth + kisses as a promise

send me a list, a number, and a mission: impossible pairing!

It’s amazing, given the life they lead, that she and Ethan still get to experience some firsts together.

“I’ve never been to Venice,” she tells him, curling herself around his body.

“Neither have I,” and it’s like a shock is sent straight down her spine. Ethan, the man of many faces, is openly sharing his past with her. Despite his hyper-competence, everyone in their field knows that Ethan Hunt is a bleeding heart, and he keeps his past under tight wraps because of it. He won’t give anyone any advantage to hurt the people he loves most.

To be this open, this vulnerable… she’s never felt more like Ethan trusts her than in this moment.

“You know, I’ve never been to a masquerade, either,” he says.

“Aren’t the IMF famous for their masks?” she teases him. “You must have attended so many galas in masks, at this point.”

“Yes, but never when the rest of the party have also been in masks,” he replies.

“This should be a nice change of pace then.” She squeezes his shoulder and starts to head back to Benji and Luther, but Ethan stops her.

“Wait, just—wait,” he says, grabbing her hand. “Stay here for a moment. Just a little longer.”

She grins. “Alright.”

They turn to face the canals of Venice together. St. Mark’s Campanile stands proud over the skyline, and the Doge’s Palace is just visible on the edge of the horizon. Gondolas and speedboats alike crisscross the waterways, ferrying tourists and residents around the city as they go about their days.

She never truly regretted her choice of occupation until recently, and even then, it’s a bit of a stretch. As much as it would be nice to get out of the game and have a life, she never would have met Ethan if she didn’t say yes to that MI6 recruiter when she was a fresh-faced Oxbridge graduate—and Ethan Hunt is the only person in the world she wants to share the quiet life with.

Time is running out. Soon they’ll have to go back into the lion’s den. They will face off with a woman with a taste for the finer crimes in life and a man who would delight in Ethan’s suffering.

She still remembers what Luther said to her, the last time they faced these kinds of odds.

He’s a good man. He cares about you, Ilsa. More than he can admit. That’s one more worry than he can handle right now.

Ilsa turns to look at him, and she wishes she could live in this moment forever: Ethan holding her hand as they take a moment for themselves in the city of masks, the sun forming a halo behind Ethan’s head.

Ethan looks back at her, and she can see it in his eyes that Luther was telling the truth. He might never say it out loud, but she knows it. She leans in and presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth, loathe to ruin the fragile peace they are enjoying with a true kiss. It is her promise to Ethan: I will do my best to stay alive. I will do everything in my power to come back to you, to come back to this. Don’t count us out yet.

“Thank you,” she says earnestly.

“Thank you for sharing it with me,” he replies as the sun dips below the horizon.

#ask #mission impossible #mi7 #mi7 spoilers #ethanilsa

7 notes · View notes

justabigassnerd · 1 year ago

Note

How would Ethan, IIsa and the team react lil hunt going on her first solo mission? But also watching her in the security cameras making sure she’s ok

https://youtube.com/shorts/MMWOePvFK1w?si=K8APKivmiWtjWtyj

very good question!

I believe that Lil’ Hunt wouldn’t go on any missions of her own until she’s an adult and shown interest in wanting to join the IMF because the last thing Ethan wants to do is force her into it

if she decides that the IMF is what she truly wants, Ethan will ensure she goes through proper intensive training to ensure she’s ready for any missions

if/when she has a solo mission Ethan and the team would occasionally check security cameras if they could and Benji & Luther would have her location tracked at all time. they have full faith in her that she’ll be able to complete the mission and of course she does! she’s a Hunt after all and they’re all so proud of her

keep the Lil’ Hunt q’s coming!

much love <3

#justabigassnerd #justabigassnerd rambles #justabigassnerd answers #justabigassnerd's amazing anons #justabigassnerd's anons <3 #anon #anon answered

4 notes · View notes

18crazybutcutealsopsycho · 2 years ago

Text

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning

Part 3

Ethan Hunt X OC! Reader (Lucy)

Body descriptions / Curvy

A little steamy here. Don’t worry, I have a plan for these 2.

I feel more visual aids help

Huh, what’ Ethan replies almost in shock.

‘To go to a party… or should I say “gala” I’ll need a good outfit. Maybe a gun. Ooh do you think I’ll need a parachute? I’ll need a comma to keep in touch and maybe a new phone?’ I ramble on, with Ethan smirking amused at my reaction.

Fast forward to the “gala” and it’s finally settling in what I am strapped into. No gun, but Ethan is watching me like a hawk.

Flawless black floor length with a tasteful thigh high slit. The black silk dress is a little snug but with my ankle heels and silver clutch (filled with a false key, lipgloss, mints and new phone including a new drivers license with the name “Lucy Moore”) I feel rather bad-ass.

My mark was the son of the director, David Clerk, he is the manager of the museum and thus will have the key card with access to all. With Benji in their security system and cameras there is no angle we won’t expect company.

As I make my way over to the bar, I have Ethan in my ear reassuring me. ‘You need to be yourself. Relax your shoulders you’re like a hunchback. Thats not attractive? You need to swish your hair.’ ‘Ethan I swear to got shut the hell up- I don’t need advice from someone who could pick up anyone in here if he so wanted to. Shut up and let me do my thing’ I snap back to him.

I walk over to the VIP section, I accidentally trip up the drinks girl and the tray of drinks she is carrying falls on me, soaking the £300 dress. Ouch. As I bend down to apologise a man from behind speaks up.

‘Please, let the girl do her job, let me apologise for the clumsy staff. Are you alright?’ Jason asks me.

‘Ah- Oh- Well, yes I am all better now, I’m Lucy… Lucy Moore and you are?’ I ask with a sly chuckle and a smile. As he takes my hand and sits me next to him, he chats to me, really trying to sell himself. I shudder as I feel the cold seeping under my skin.

Jason, David Clerk’s son, stands and removes his suit jacket and offers to place it on my shoulders which I gracefully accept. The offer of a drink is accepted and he walks away to the bar. I subtly feel the jacket and find the access card. I make eye contact with him at the bar and send him a friendly smile.

I check my clutch and remove the false key and replace it. As he comes back I have a brush of the drink to my lip and lie through my teeth about going to the bathroom- before I can leave he takes his jacket back and I head off to the south side of the museum.

‘Well, well aren’t you surprising, you had him eating out of your hand. I’m very proud.’ Ethan says sarcastically. I smile at him, regardless if the comment was a little backhanded.

As we sleek down the hall Benji shouts down the comms ‘Guard is coming round the corner hide’ we freeze instantly and without a second thought Ethan pushes me against the wall and he kisses me, roaming his hands up my leg. The guard sees us and blatantly ignores us. I reckon he’s not paid enough for this.

As Ethan releases me, I breathe deeply, feeling him all over me and invading each of my senses. The scent of sweat and some fancy cologne almost has me dripping as if that kiss wasn’t enough. He looks at me and pulls my hand as we run down the hallway.

I swipe the card against the access point and the door opens automatically. We wander through and locate his office. Benji tells us that the key is locked behind a painting. Classic. A safe behind a painting.

The keypad is small, the buttons light up in yellow. The passcode is 4 numbers. Benji quickly searches to find a 4-digit code. I remember loosely from Jason and I’ conversation, he started working at the Museum on the 25th May. I press in 2-5-0-5. The safe beeps and open.

The key is in a small box and I grab it just in time before Benji calls out that there are guards by the door we were supposed to exit.

We both look at each other.

#mission impossible #ethan hunt #Ethan hunt smut

5 notes · View notes

airlocksandaviaries · 10 months ago

Text

ETHAN TELLING EVERYONE HES PROUD OF THEM and Benji being like “buddy we gotta take care of you first” SO CUTE HHHHFH

!!! THIS POST IS FROM FORWARD IN TIME, IN LATE 2025, WHEN MADS IS WATCHING HIS DIGITAL COPY OF MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING PART 2 !!!

Final Movie in the Mission Saga!! Who’s ready for DR part 2 babeyyyy

#mads liveblogs mi #unreality

103 notes · View notes

helyiios · 1 year ago

Text

Frosted tips and friendly political terrorism

Or that one time Benji got butthurt and almost made British Intelligence collapse in return.

“Yeah, yeah,” Luther says, “I did hack into some pretty important databases back in the day. Still do sometimes, when I’m really bored.”

“Have you ever done that, Benji ?” Ilsa jokingly asks to her friend, staring at him over her pint of beer. “Is it a hacker, huh, tech thing, to hack into, I don’t know, the Pentagon ?”

Benji stares back, mouth barely open. He’s thinking deeply about her words, considering his options. He could lie and brush the question off, or he could humour them. And anyway, he was already more than a little flushed, so his usual restraint regarding his past was down. Not smart, but funny nonetheless.

“I tried to get into MI6, when I was 20,” he offers, voice light. That seems to take his friends aback.

“Really ?” Ethan asks, “I didn’t know that.”

“It was a little before I worked for the weaponry tech firm, I think, two years before ? Something like that.”

“And you didn’t…stick to MI6 ?” Ilsa wonders, an eyebrow raised, “what a miss, we could’ve maybe gotten to know each other.”

“No, I didn’t manage to pass one of the tests,” Benji replies, the picture perfect of casual.

“Weapon evaluation ?”

“Psych.”

“How do you manage to fuck up a psych exam ?” Brandt snorts, albeit not unkindly, “all you have to do is agree with the examiner and maybe lie a little.”

“Well,” his friend shrugs, downing a good portion of his beer, “I was 20. I was young, unstable, and overall very angry.”

“When aren’t you ?” Luther jokes.

“Oh, you’ve not met little me. I was a shit show, if I’m honest. Anyway, I got rejected from MI6. It really, really hurt my ego.”

Ethan laughs into his glass, cheeks and ears nicely reddened by the alcohol. It was so rare for the younger man to admit to having an actual self-esteem, but it wasn’t all too bad.

“So I hacked MI6,” Benji finishes off, shrugging again.

“You what ?!”

“Yeah, yeah. Fucked with their access codes, made them even more encrypted, and then I leaked private information from really well secured and hidden chats. There was a lot of dick pics in there,” he laughs. “There was also some talks of treason, I think, but it’s not like I remember it perfectly. I was just wounded in my pride, so I leaked everything to the, huh, agents and workers at MI6. Then I erased my traces, and never looked back. Really fun times, it was when I had frosted tips and an eyebrow piercing.”

He looks at the table again, taking in each of his friends’ reactions. Brandt and Luther were smirking like idiots, Ethan looked genuinely impressed, and Ilsa was…

He frowns.

Ilsa had blanched, and looked like she might faint at any second.

“You good, mate ?” he asks worriedly, reaching out to pet her hand, “you look a little unwell.”

“Benji, tell me you’re joking.”

“Huh ? About what ? The private chats thing ?”

A nod.

“What ? No, I’m not. Why would I lie about that ? It’d be lame.”

“You did not,” she starts, clearly struggling with finding her words, “cause the Great fucking Leak.”

It’s his turn to look surprised, looking at the others for precision.

“What, it has a n—you guys named it ?”

“Oh, I remember it !” Ethan suddenly exclaims, “I was a bit new to the IMF too, but I’d heard of it. MI6 was furious, apparently. Someone had hacked into their system and the IMF and them couldn’t work hand in hand for a little while. They also had to fire and disavow a bunch of agents, I think ? Made a lot of noise, in the milieu.”

“And you’re telling me, the author of one of the most massive MI6 fuckups is you ?” Luther says, barking out a proud laugh at Benji, shaking his shoulder happily, “man, we’re in the presence of a celebrity !”

“I wasn’t at MI6 when it happened,” Ilsa adds, still very pale, “but it drove my superiors mad that they never caught the person who did it.”

Benji pouts, leaning back on his seat, arms crossed.

“Well, Jesus. I never knew you guys got so pissed at my little joke.”

“It has nothing of a joke !”

“I mean, the IMF knows,” he still protests, “I had to mention it when they recruited me.”

“Hunley knows ?!” Brandt yelps, “that’s crazy, man.”

“Hunley, Brassel, Kittridge,” Benji doesn’t appear too phased, “they actually kept me in the basement for a little while when I got given the Choice.”

“You mean, with the other techies ?” Luther asks, “I mean, I do recall meeting you there.”

“Yeah, yeah. After the weapons disaster I caused at the firm, and when they learnt for MI6, they told me to keep it on the down low. They actually insisted that I stayed on L-2 clearance for a bunch of years,” he sighs, “so I was just,” he gestures vaguely, his beer held safely in his left hand, “doing boring shit for some time. That is, until you and Ethan came to me asking for the Rabbit’s Foot, an’ all.”

“What,” Ilsa frowns, “was the IMF scared of you, or what ?”

“I mean, I tried to look as unassuming as possible. Fat, bald little technician,” her friend grins, eyes mischievous, “I mean, it’s not like I had killed anyone.”

He grimaces.

“Not directly, at least.”

“Sounds like they tried to contain you to low ranking tasks in case you’d feel yourself get bored enough to hack into our databases,” Ethan notes, slightly turned on by his boyfriend’s revelations. “How come they let you join the field agent program ?”

“I told them I grew a conscience after meeting you,” Benji laughs, and they all know he’s only half joking. “No, more seriously, I was way more stable by then. I pinky promised them I’d be a good boy, and that I’d listen to orders. I mean, have you seen yourself, E ? Thank God I’m here to hold you back, am I right ?”

“What I’m hearing is that we have two manic freaks in our team,” Brandt supplies, cheek resting limply on his closed fist. “Benji, be a sweetheart and keep your prescriptions up to date.”

“Oh, bugger off. Being L-2 was boring, though, y’know ? I was obviously better than the other technicians, so I sort of ended up doing my own stuff in my little corner. They said they found me broody,” he groans, rolling his eyes. “I’m glad I don’t have to talk to them anymore. Hey Will, did you know I fucked with the CIA’s codes during that time Ethan was away ? I kept it lowkey, but remember how you guys kept having connexion problems, and identification issues, especially with our passes, and rem—oh, oh !” he yells excitedly, pointing at him, “remember that time Hunley turned his work computer on and loud porn sounds came out ?”

“What ? That happened ?” Ethan worries, a little grossed out, “in public ?”

“Yeah ! And it was me ! I created him a whole file of porn with the nastiest things out there, there was some piss king, incest, grandma stuff and all—not that I’m judging, in there, it took them a week to clean his computer completely !”

“I’m starting to wonder if you’d taken your meds, during those six months,” Luther snorts. “Wish I’d seen that, though.”

“Yeah, no shit you failed the psych exam,” Ilsa grumbles. “Remind me to never annoy you. Ever.”

“I’m just a tech guy,” Benji unashamedly lies, smiling wide, fangs sharp. “Say, who’s up for round four ? It’s on me,” he adds, getting up without waiting for a response and trotting up to the bar.

The remaining agents stare at each other, a little disabused.

“Your boyfriend is terrifying,” the British agent says flatly, looking at her friend. “What is wrong with him ? I’m saying this with all the love I have for him.”

“The word you’re looking for is batshit crazy,” Brandt supplies with a cackle. “The whole porn thing was actually insane. I wish I’d taken a video.”

“That’s part of the charm,” Ethan simply replies, eyeing his partner up and down, watching him collect their drinks, his gaze setting on the other’s rounded ass. Mm, those pants really shaped it nicely, he thinks. “Anyway, don’t be mean to him when he’s paying for drinks.”

“I wasn’t,” Luther calls out, index raised. “I think it’s thrilling, that he’s that weird. What a fun guy. We’ll have to exchange anecdotes more often.”

“He’s not wei—“

“Eh, sort of.”

“I mean, aren’t we all ?” Ilsa offers graciously, “it’s sort of part of the job.”

There’s a contemplative silence.

“Hey, did I mishear or did Benji say he used to have frosted tips ?”

#mission impossible #mission impossible fic #benji dunn #ethan hunt #ilsa faust #luther stickell #william brandt #this is me pushing the insane benji agenda <3

36 notes · View notes