Written for the prompt case fic/mission fic at gen prompt bingo. My first ever NCIS: LA fic, hopefully I did okay. I am still on series 1 and have seen a few bits or episodes from later series, the problem of living with people who can spend time just watching tv episodes all day and getting miles ahead.
Eric tried to relax, but it wasn't working, to be able to relax in this situation he needed to be back in ops behind his computer helping direct the team on their mission. He shouldn't be in the driving seat so to speak. He had thought that his first foray into the field would be his last, but once again he was suited and booted to go out into the field. This time he wouldn't be alone thankfully, he would be working alongside Callen, but he was still nervous. He knew that the other man would look after him, but he himself didn't feel as though he would be able to look after his partner on this operation, it made him a liability and he didn't like it.
At least back in ops he could be watching Callen's back scanning the room for him and giving him any information that he needed to protect himself. In ops Eric was great back up, in the field was another matter entirely, especially since he didn't have a gun. He didn't want a gun, he wouldn't be comfortable using one, but he felt bad knowing that if a firefight broke out it would be up to Callen to protect them both. The only thing that he was glad of was that Nell was back in ops and would be feeding them information that would hopefully stop them from facing down the barrel of a gun.
He thought that perhaps they should have sent Nell in with Callen she was less likely to fall apart in the field and she would have been perfect to be Callen's technologically savvy partner, if only Callen's cover wasn't gay. So here Eric was ready to go into a party on Callen's arm so to speak where he would pretend that they were blissfully happy together. He was a techno geek working for a company with military contacts and his partner Callen was a business man, but he didn't concern himself with the type of business that his partner was involved in.
"Jamison is at the bar. Seems as though he has doubled his normal security, he has his normal team on him, but I am spotting extra guards all around the room." Nell's voice sounded in both their ears.
Callen just led Eric further into the room towards the bar in acknowledgement while Eric had to force himself not to reply out loud. He was used to being able to talk freely on missions, he was normally the voice in an Agent's ear, he responded verbally to information. He couldn't now though, not while he was in the field he had to contain himself.
Callen had effortlessly steered them towards their target Mark Jamison reintroducing himself to the man as Garth Richards and introducing Eric as his partner Ernie Blake. Jamison was involved in the buying and selling of government secrets, only buying was a bit of a stretch of phrase, stealing was more the correct term. They knew that he was in the market for a new hacker, his previous one was still at the boatshed with Sam getting all the information they could from him.
Their mission that evening was to get Eric accepted as the man's new hacker and then he would hopefully never have to leave ops again to carry out the rest of the mission. All future exchanges would be made by Callen alone it being safer for Eric to never be spotted with Jamison again so that no connection could be made between them.
Eric impressed the man with his knowledge of technology and accepted him as a replacement hacker before heading to mingle with the rest of the crowd. The main part of the mission for that evening was over, but now came the harder part. He had to pretend that he was in a relationship with Callen and he had to make sure that they were believed or they would have problems walking out of the party alive at the end of the evening. He knew that Jamison's men would be looking for any sign of deception from them.
Somehow, Eric wasn't sure how, he had managed to get through the evening without drawing suspicion on them. They had made it out of the party and back to the apartment that Garth Richards was renting for the duration of the assignment, hoping that they hadn't been followed. Eric took the only bed while Callen threw himself down on the couch for the night. They ended up spending a week working as partners, with Callen dropping Eric off at his 'workplace' and picking him up daily and taking any information that had been gathered to Jamison. It was a week after Eric had started his part of the op that they were able to bring Jamison is for questioning having finally got enough evidence to make their case. They had also gotten a lead on a few of the man's buyers, bigger fish that the team would be looking into next.
Eric was just glad that he was going back to ops, where he was partnered with Nell rather than Callen. He could have conversations with Nell that both of them could follow easily, and he was comfortable in ops. In that apartment with Callen neither of them had much of an idea of what they could do or talk about to pass the time, neither of them having much in common. As far as roles and positions on missions went he never wanted to be stuck playing Callen's partner ever again. If he ever had to go back into the field as somebody's romantic partner he hoped it was any other member of the team. Not only had he and Callen not had much to talk about, the other man had spent a considerable amount of time at that initial party unintentionally injuring him as he kept standing on his feet, crippling his toes, while they had danced together.