Author's Note: The idea for this oneshot belongs to PeggsterLover (Thanks for that and for the beta! You're the best!) and the epilogue of her story 'You Can't Protect Everyone'. It's not necessary to know that one in order to understand this one, but I can highly recommend it nonetheless. ;]

Disclaimer: No copyright, no money, just pure fun!

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Agent William Brandt was furious. Boiling point furious. He paced back and forth in the hotel hall that lead to their rooms, muttering curses under his breath along the way. Fortunately, he was alone in the dimly lit corridor, for he didn't know how he would react should another guest feel the need to ask him if he was all right. He was waiting for someone, a certain technician to be exact, who would receive a piece of his mind, should he feel brave enough to show his face. As if on cue, footsteps echoed in the stairwell. Will stopped his pacing and planted his hands firmly on his hips, barely able to contain his anger any longer.

When Benji rounded the corner, unsuspecting, he came face to face with his best friend, all fiery eyes and tense shoulders. He let out a small noise that sounded suspiciously like 'yiep' and tried to spin around on the spot and retreat back to the staircase. Will, however, had anticipated that particular reaction and took two quick steps forward, effectively blocking Benji's escape route.

Benji immediately backed away, hands raised in surrender. "Hey, Will. What's up, man?"

The nervous expression on his face told Will that he knew exactly what was up. Therefore, he decided to stop wasting time and cut right to the chase. "What the hell did you think you were doing? Accepting a drink from that woman?"

Benji avoided his angry eyes and uneasily regarded the floor instead. "I didn't know she was the arms dealer we were looking for!"

Will took a step forward, unsettled by the naivety his friend displayed at times. It could lead to death in their line of work. "One more reason not to accept her offer! You were lucky she was not out to kill you herself and instead left her goons to deal with you once the sedative had taken hold, or I might not have made it there in time!"

His best friend huffed, annoyed by this familiar discussion they seemed to end up having every time he got injured. "Listen, Will. What did I tell you that evening at the bar? It isn't your job to protect me, okay?"

He pulled his key card from the back pocket of his jeans and made his way over to his door. "People get injured in this line of work," he said over his shoulder. "There's nothing you can do about that."

The sound of the door falling shut ended the conversation and left Will standing in the hall, still angry and still disagreeing. All of a sudden, he remembered a particular detail of their conversation at that bar. He couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face. There was one thing he could do.

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The sun shone through the blinds and tickled Benji's nose, waking him from a deep and dreamless slumber. It took a few moments for him to fully regain consciousness. He felt warm and safe, like he had slept for days. Stifling a yawn, he decided to turn his back on the sun and sleep in today, in order to compensate for that last disaster of a mission. However, when he tried to roll over, he found he couldn't.

He was awake in an instant. Looking down at himself, he wasn't able to contain a yell of disbelief and rage when he caught sight of the bubble wrap that went from his knees all the way up to his shoulders, effectively rendering him unable to move.

He let his head fall back onto the pillow with a groan. "Brandt!," he yelled, the irritation evident in his voice. "I will get back at you, you lousy dipshit! Brandt!"

Benji tried to simultaneously wriggle his way out of his plastic prison and recover his breath. To no avail. "Brandt!" When no answer came, he decided to change tactics. There was no use of crying for his best friend who most likely stood right outside his door, laughing so hard he cried. "Ethan! Jane!"

He stopped his battle for a few moments in order to listen for any noises that indicated that the other two team members had heard him. Nothing. Right, he didn't need them! He would free himself! He decided to make his way over to the door and then try again to call for help.

Benji rolled over to the side of the bed and prepared himself for the fall to the ground. Still, he felt the air being squeezed painfully out of his lungs when he collided with the hard floor. Inwardly, he seethed. His revenge would be down-and-dirty! Damn that prick!

He took a few seconds in order to catch his breath before he attempted rolling over the floor towards the door. The movement was accompanied by a series of little 'plops' that annoyed him to no end. The hysterical laughter that floated through the door agitated him even more.

"Brandt, you bastard," he roared. "You will pay for this!"

Benji tried to get to the door even faster, resulting in more 'plops' and more howls of laughter. Half way to the door, he couldn't go any further, his face red and his energy spent. He rolled onto his back, trying to calm himself down in order to recover his breath.

Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop.

"Help...?"

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Thank you for reading! :)

Love, RuinNine