This was suggested by a lovely anonymous on Tumblr, so many thanks to them for the idea! Hope you like!
When Ezekiel Jones first met Jake Stone, he'd nearly run out of the Library right then and there. Not even the hundreds upon thousands of magical artifacts could keep him there if this Oklahoman wasn't who he said he was. After all, how could a man have such an uncanny resemblance to the world's best hitter? It had to be him, right?
He hadn't thought that he'd pulled any jobs large enough to warrant the attention of a man like Eliot Spencer, but in his line of business, you never knew. What if he'd stolen something of particular importance to the retrieval specialist? What if he'd gotten in the way of a hit? If he had, then he was utterly screwed. You didn't cross Eliot Spencer and make it out alive. It simply didn't happen.
He'd started out carefully and subtly, as he did with all jobs. He asked simple questions; Are you any good in a fight? Got any family? His questions were either answered simply or deflected casually, but none of the answers he did manage to get out of Jake pointed to him having any ties to a certain world-famous hitter.
The more Ezekiel continued to work with and get to know Jacob Stone, the more the man became detached from Eliot Spencer. Jake was a smart man, and caring - a bit too caring if Ezekiel did say so himself, but nothing like the killer that Spencer was known to be. The uncanny resemblance had to be some kind of a coincidence, right?
He'd read somewhere once that there were at least seven people in the world who looked like you, maybe this was just a case of that? It didn't make much sense, logically, but dealing with magic on a daily basis, Ezekiel gradually warmed up to the idea. Besides, they'd been working so long together and he hadn't gotten killed, so Jake couldn't be all that bad, right?
As time wore on, however, the thought refused to leave Ezekiel's mind. All evidence separated Jake Stone from Eliot Spencer, but as a thief, he knew that coincidences didn't just happen. They never did.
His questions were finally answered after a job one night in Portland. Jake had suggested they visit a bar; a little celebration for their hard work, he'd said. It had been a relatively simple mission - get the artifact, throw it in the annex so Jenkins could have a look at it, move along. But Jake had insisted they grab a drink to celebrate before they went home.
"It'll be fun!" The Oklahoman insisted. "I've got a cousin who's been here before, he says Portland's got the best bars ever."
Ezekiel doubted that, but Cassandra seemed enchanted by the idea, and Colonel Baird was indifferent, so off to the bar they went.
They eventually came across a Brewery, where Jake finally stopped them and herded them inside. It was rather large, but otherwise nothing special in Ezekiel's mind. Stone, on the other hand, was smiling like a schoolboy on a field trip whilst looking through their selections.
Ezekiel's bored gaze eventually wandered to the doorway of the kitchen, which he could just barely see from their table. The others were discussing what they would order, but he tuned it out easily, his eyes focusing on a mop of brown hair standing in the doorway. He wasn't sure why, but something about the cook standing there seemed eerily familiar.
Then, the long-haired brunette turned, and Ezekiel was greeted with a face he definitely recognized. He sat there, gaping wide-eyed at the man, wondering how he had managed to end up in the same city as such a man, let alone the same building.
It was Eliot Spencer - the man who looked just like Jake Stone. He was there, at the Brewery, cooking and- talking to a man and a woman? It didn't make much sense. Eliot Spencer worked alone, he didn't have any friends. Was this another Eliot Spencer look-alike? It couldn't be. Perhaps they were just hiring him for a job- but, if they were, then why was he cooking for them?
Ezekiel blinked, and the man was suddenly walking towards them. Interestingly, and perhaps luckily, he wasn't looking at Ezekiel. No, he was looking directly at Jake.
"Uh-" Ezekiel pointed to the steadily approaching man, prompting Jake to turn in his seat. Something in the Oklahoman's expression changed then, though Ezekiel couldn't quite make out what it was.
"Jake," The Eliot Spencer look-alike (Ezekiel refused to believe it was really him) began as he approached.
He was cut off when Jake stood suddenly. He opened an arm as he stepped towards the man, looking as though he was about to pull him into a tight hug.
But what came next was not a hug. No, it was a heavy slug to the jaw, sending the other stumbling backwards, a surprised look on his face.
The entirety of the table which had previously housed Jake wore a similar expression, gaping at the two men. The rest of the brewery, however, seemed relatively unfazed as if this were a thing that happened frequently.
There were now two people standing behind the Eliot Spencer look-alike, the taller man putting a hand on his shoulder which he coldly brushed off. They were the two he'd been talking to earlier, Ezekiel noted.
"Are you-?" The black man started, but he was quickly cut off by the shorter.
"I'm fine," he muttered. "Just family business." This was apparently all the two needed, as they then backed away from the brunette before turning to each other and shrugging.
"Fourteen years!" Jake suddenly shouted. All people listening wore a confused face, save for the one man whom the shouting was directed towards.
"I haven't seen you in fourteen years Eliot!" Jake was still shouting , bringing forward the attention of the rest of the bar's various patrons.
Well, now Ezekiel knew that it was definitely Eliot Spencer. But how were they related, and what was Jake shouting on about? They hadn't seen each other in fourteen years apparently, but what did that entail?
"Let's take this somewhere else," the nameless black man suggested suddenly, his tone having all of the loudness but none of the command. "There's a room upstairs if you guys wanna, uh...catch up."
At his suggestion, Eliot turned back to Jake. His face seemed blank, but it belied a sense a desperation. After a momentary pause, Jake nodded slowly.
"Fine, but we talk alone," he said, clearly still angry. Eliot nodded in agreement.
The blonde woman, her face unreadable to Ezekiel, gestured for the two men to follow her. As they walked away, Ezekiel looked to Cassandra and Baird, wondering if they were just going to let Jake run off with Eliot Spencer. Both women shrugged simultaneously, though the Colonel's lips were pulled to a thin line, as if she was holding back her every urge to call the boys back. Cassandra didn't seem to be familiar with Eliot Spencer, which didn't surprise Ezekiel in the slightest.
"So," a voice cut into Ezekiel's thoughts - the nameless black man's, specifically. "You guys, uh...want a drink or something?"
Thanks for reading! There will definitely be more to come soon, and if you liked, be sure to drop a review! It means a lot and gives writers the motivation to keep on writin'.