Word: Déjà Vu

Mentions of future/past dakavendish, few swears, this is before they get kicked from B.O.T.T, 3.4k words

This felt strange.

No, not strange.

Familiar.

It felt familiar, and that's what freaked him out.

Even the words.

"We need you two on a sensitive mission."

So like then.

At least he didn't continue like the rebellion leader did then.

"The agents we'd prefer to have for this job are busy, and this mission is time sensitive, so you two numbskulls are here to take it and hopefully not muck it up. Understood?"

Cavendish was ecstatic. Of course he was. Now, and even then, he was always ecstatic about this type of stuff. Just a little bit more now, here.

"While I'd prefer literally anyone else over you two." Of course you would. "I chose you," Block pointed at Cavendish. "Because you're well versed in legal documents and all that fancy stuff so you'll know exactly what to look for and you." This time, he pointed at Vinnie. Dakota simply stared at him. "Because according to your file, you've got experience in this. I know it's been a while and it's different here, but I'm trusting you in being somewhat competent enough to get what we need. Understood?"

Cavendish nodded enthusiastically, eyes quickly scanning over the file they were given concerning the case. Dakota simply glanced over at the papers before making eye contact with . He didn't give any indication of any emotion, remorse or happiness, as he caught Dakota's eyes. Silently, he took their cue, standing and leading Cavendish by the elbow out the door, the Brit fully engrossed in the documents.

Shit, just why did he have to be part of this mission?

"Alright, I believe I know what I should be looking for- oh, we're in our office! Thank you, for leading me. I was too far gone in the reading. Ah, we should probably pack some supplies, shouldn't we? We'll definitely need the communicator and locator, oh, and maybe-"

The tall Brit didn't seem to notice as his partner stayed unusually quiet, watching him bustle around their shared office space with precision. Well, he didn't notice for too long.

"Vincent? Are you all right?"

Walking up to the Italian, Cavendish lightly pressed his hand against Dakota's forehead. Sighing, the smaller male turned away.

"Don't do that. And don't worry. I'm fine."

Still, despite Dakota's reassurances, Cavendish managed to drag him to his chair, pressing a water bottle he had on his desk into his hands, eyes raking over him to make sure he wasn't sick.

"Seriously, Cav, don't worry. I'm fine, I'm not sick or anything."

"Yes, well, this isn't like you. Do you not want to do the mission? We can return it if you don't want to…"

Awh, jeez, no. Cavendish was doing that thing again, that thing he didn't even realize he was doing, where he would subtly bite the inside of his lip, turn his eyes down. Dakota knew this was such a big thing for him. Well, he didn't really want to relive it again but...Cavendish didn't even get to live it once. A mission like this. Even before they were downgraded to pistachio duty.

As much as he didn't want to relive this, he knew Cavendish wanted to experience it. Who was he to take that away?

And besides, it wasn't like it was as dangerous here as it was there. If anything…

If anything, Dakota now had time travel on his side. Something he could only wish of having so long ago.

"Jeez, Cav, don't do that. Look, I'm okay, see? Don't give the mission back, I'm just tired, that's all. Here- what does the report say and what do we need?"

Though his act wasn't nearly as convincing as he'd hoped, it was just enough for Cavendish to leap up, once more as excited as a toddler receiving candy, as he started pulling out various equipment and ideas.

Dakota forced a smile on his lips, laughing good-naturedly at something a gentleman said. Beside him, Cavendish laughed along with him, wearing yet another three piece suit- at least it wasn't green now. As for Dakota, well- he's never felt so uncomfortable in a suit, even if they were hiding mission critical equipment as comfortably as they could in them.

Behind the man they were talking to, a slender woman in a long sequined red dress wrapped herself around the man's neck, playing with his dark grey bowtie.

"Max, my darling, I'll be right back- I need to check on a few things with Eelore, alright, dear? Oh, and I hope you two are just having the grandest of times!"

Vinnie grinned, raising his champagne glass a few inches. "Thank you miss- we are! It's a lovely party you've set up."

The lady chuckled softly, before planting a huge kiss on the man's cheek that made the duo watching them shuffled a little, uncomfortable. She waved goodbye, and as the man they were speaking to watched her saunter off with a grin, the two time agents nodded to one another. That was their target. Well, more of their target's affair's target. Good enough.

"Excuse me a moment, I need to use the restroom." Cavendish put down his nearly empty glass on the tray of a passing waiter with what seemed to be practiced ease, but Vinnie knew was most likely coincidence.

"Of course. Angelo, would you like to come with me to meet my other friends?"

Angelo, Dakota's undercover name, smiled. "I'd love to- but I hope you don't mind, but I see some of my own friends off in the distance, and I'd love to say hello?" Thanks Bal, leaving me to come up with some complicated excuse rather than to use the bathroom.

"Oh, of course, of course! Maybe you could introduce me, hm?" The man, which Dakota completely blanked on the name, winked. Vinnie laughed politely. "Well, I won't take up any more of your time. I hope I'll see you around! Ciao!"

"Ciao!"

Phew, at least that was done with. Cavendish and him had spent the better part of ten minutes with that guy, who, seriously, what was his name?! But, hell, was he boring.

Expertly weaving through guests and rushing waiters, Dakota made his way to the furthest bathrooms in the elegant mansion, hidden in a corridor with not many people around. Stepping in, he was relieved to see Cavendish leaning against the faucet counters, fiddling with his bowtie.

"Honestly, they should have tailored it better."

Vinnie stepped closer to his partner, swatting his hands away to fix the tie himself. What? He knew a few things. "I mean, we did kind of only give them fifteen minutes, tops."

"It's a time-sensitive thing! We couldn't have wasted anymore time messing about with some tie measurements."

"And yet, you're here complaining about them." Dakota raised an eyebrow at him, before stepping back to admire his work, beaming at the begrudgingly said "Thank you."

"Welcome." He quickly checked the stalls, reassuring himself that there was no one else in the bathroom but them. He turned back to Cavendish, hopping up on the granite counters and swinging his legs freely. "Got eyes on the target's affair's target?"

His partner glared at him at the complex title, but answered, "Yes. She was headed up the side stairs, which seems like the stairways that the waiters used. I saw her walking past the first three windows, and turn right. I lost her after that. We should be able to follow her, and, assuming she's heading towards the study, get the directions from there and get what we need. Correct?"

Oh, this seemed too familiar. Even more so than earlier. The planning, the serious tone. The only thing missing was the feeling of don't screw this up or else we're dead.

"Yeah, that seems about right. Turn your jacket inside out- they made the jackets to match the lighter grey of the waiters' jackets, so we should blend right in if we just use the servant stairs." At this point, he was slightly ranting, but he didn't really care. Worst comes to worst, he just won't rant next time, right? "Also, change up your hairstyle. It's too formal."

His words were met with a shocked look. "What? Heavens no, I am not messing up my hair!"

Dakota sighed, getting on his knees on the granite countertops and crawling a little bit to Cavendish. "We need to fit in. Either you do it or I do it." He deadpanned. And after a few seconds of whining, mostly from Cavendish's side for once, Dakota finally got his hair mussed up just enough to make it seem like he was a waiter about to get more champagne trays, than the elegant noble façade he came in with.

"Perfect. Now let's go. We've already wasted a ton of time." Dakota said, hopping off the sink countertops and readjusting his jacket, Cavendish doing the same. They exited the bathroom, immediately turning to the left to follow another waiter, allowing him to use his card on the special servant card swipe door to get inside.

Following Cavendish's earlier directions with ease, they were quick to find a large dark oak door, adorned with fancy engravings. It didn't seem to have a lock or camera or any similar protection on it. That was good. That gave them an easy opening.

They tip toed towards the door, Dakota behind Cavendish. For some reason, the already small ball of anxiety in his gut grew larger and larger as they snuck slowly towards the door. He wasn't sure why it was there, he wasn't sure what could go wrong-

Party, fancy party. Fancy clothes. Fancy speak. Fancy names.

Quick change. Fast movements. Easy acting.

Slow shuffling. Decorated door. Rising excitement. Documents soon.

Creaking door. Shots fired. Muffled screams. Near death.

"Cavendish, stop!"

Vinnie blanched as Balthazar turned towards him, eyes widened in alarm. "Dakota!" he whisper-yelled. "Be quiet! You'll get us caught! What are you yelling for anyways?"

Not his Cavendish.

Well, it was.

But it wasn't.

This wasn't the same mission.

This was different.

"Vincent?"

Oh god that name.

"Are you alright?"

Dakota looked up, shocked to see Cavendish so close to him, so in his personal bubble. He was looking him over with worried eyes, a hand that Dakota just now noticed wrapped tightly around his bicep, as if to keep him from falling. He wasn't going to fall. Though, it might be a good thing that Cavendish had his arm there. He might fall.

"Vinnie, you're incredibly pale and your breathing is fast! Goodness, are you alright? What's wrong?"

Oh, how does he tell him?

"N-nothing. Just-"

Just what? How could he say what he felt? This overwhelming sense of déjà vu, so similar it made him sick.

"Just what? What's wrong?"

"I-I-I-" He stammered. He couldn't get the words out. "J-just déjà vu…?"

The Brit stared at him until he squirmed. "Pardon me?"

And that was it. It was all he could take. He raised the arm that wasn't being pinned by Cavendish, pressing the heel of his palm against his eye, closing the one that was visible as his sunglasses raised. He didn't want to break down on this. Not here.

"Goodness- Vinnie, please, tell me what's wrong. Why are you doing...this...right now? What's going on?"

Vinnie knew that Cavendish couldn't quite piece together what was going on, hell, not even Dakota could. But, the way he worded it...still hurt.

"Cav, I-I'm sorry, I didn't- I didn't mean to do this, I just-" He stopped, taking a deep breath and letting his glasses return to their original position. Fuck it, if he was going to do this, he might as well do it now. Besides, he knew he wasn't going to get through with the mission without at least giving Cavendish some warning of his fears. And there was a high chance of him going back in time anyway, with a mission like this.

"Do you remember… what Block said about me being...experienced in this? And it being 'different' and 'awhile'?"

Cavendish quirked an eyebrow. "Yes…?"

Another deep breath. "He was referring to...ah, where I'm from."

"Where you're...oh. Oh! The...the Mississippi Purchase Timeline?"

Dakota flinched at the name of what used to be home. "Yea...anyways...me and...my partner…" No way was he going to tell Cav that they were partners then, too. More even. That was a story for another time. "We were doing a similar mission. Almost step by step. We didn't have time travel then. We couldn't afford to mess up." Shit, getting too close to secrets he was dealing with in this timeline. "Me and my partner...we did everything you and I did right now...the same...he opened the door and...they were waiting for us. I thought...I thought I'd lost him that day."

Cavendish reached out, using the cuff of his suit to wipe away tears that Dakota hadn't even noticed. He couldn't help it. He'd been so scared for his husband that day. He didn't have time travel to go back like he did now. He just had the few pieces of cloth that he'd ripped from his clothes to wrap around his husband's injuries, and pray that he was going to be okay. That day scared him for so long, he wouldn't let Cavendish do field missions for weeks after healing. It wasn't a fond memory.

And now, when the déjà vu hit...even though he knew he could go back if needed, it felt like he couldn't again. Like he'd relive that all over again. Worse.

"Oh, Vinnie. I'm sorry. I didn't know. Why didn't you say anything? We could have offered the mission to someone else."

The Italian sniffed, wiping away leftover tears behind his glasses. He couldn't believe he'd actually broken down like that, even admitting Mississippi Cavendish's near-death experience. He was threading thin today, wasn't he.

"I knew that you really wanted to do this mission. All we do is pistachio missions. I know you wanted to, so...yeah."

He peeked past his sunglasses, surprised to see Cavendish rolling his eyes. "Dakota- I mean, yes, this mission is amazing for me- I'm very glad we were chosen to complete it. However, if you can't do it, we still could have given it to someone else. I'd prefer having you comfortable and hearing your god awful puns on a boring pistachio mission than you being near panic and uncomfortable on a more prominent mission. Understood?"

He was stunned. Sure, they'd grown close since they started working together but...Dakota wasn't ever sure they were as close as he and his Cavendish had been. This Cavendish was more strict about his personal space, he was harder to get to open up. In truth…

He wasn't too sure if Cavendish cared enough...if he'd go back like Dakota did.

Guess he knew now.

He let out a soft chuckle. "Thanks, Cav. Though...my jokes aren't that bad, are they?"

Cavendish returned his smile, squeezing his hand. "They are. Revolting, in fact."

"Well, that's just rude-"

"You asked!"

Soft, muffled laughter filled the small corridor they were in. As it faded, Cavendish asked, "How do you feel now? I can go in and finish the mission if you'd like?"

Vinnie shook his head, straightening his back. "Nah, I'm fine. I'm, heh. I'm sorry for freaking out like that...I-"

"Vincent."

He looked up. Cavendish met his eyesight.

"Don't apologize for that. To be honest, I'm just glad I could help. I'm, ah, not quite the best at these types of things. But I'm glad I could help."

Honestly, Dakota thought that Cavendish did very well helping him. He knew emotions and the like weren't the male's strong suit. That's why he appreciated Cavendish's attempt so much more.

"Yeah, thanks. Uhm- are you ready? We should probably finish this up quickly. We wasted time talking…"

Ugh, what an awkward way to get back to the issue at hand. Why'd he have to say it like that?

"Right! I'm sure the mistress will be back soon. I can find the documents quickly, and you keep watch over the door?"

Dakota nodded, but was quick to grab Cavendish's hand as he turned around, a hint of the earlier déjà vu sparking fear in him. "Dakota?"

"Sorry- but stay to the side of the door. There might be someone inside."

Cavendish nodded, and silently the two moved to the edges of the big double door. They drew their guns, wordlessly switching it to stun.

Slowly, Dakota used the butt of his gun to pull on the handle, opening it up just a crack. Shuffling back against the wall, he used his toe to open the heavy door with a little struggle. Almost as soon as it moved, the two flinched, gunshots echoing loud and clear in the small corridor, one or two even making it past the door. They stayed still and counted out nine shots, likely two guns, until it stopped.

Staying in the shadows, they kept still as soft footsteps shuffled over to the door. Dakota readied his gun, aiming eye level. As soon as someone stepped into his viewing range, he shot, hearing a garbled yell as the stun mechanisms froze their muscles, ducking as a shot sounded. Just as quickly, Cavendish burst into the room, Dakota hot on his heels, firing at the one other person in the room. Another gurgled yell, a thud, then silence.

Staying back to back, they observed the room. Apart from the fallen two, who the duo could now see were the mistress and a bodyguard, they were alone in the library-turned-study. Oh, and some cameras.

"Okay, quick." Dakota pushed his partner towards the desk lying in the middle of the circular room, pulling out a device given to them by the tech department to short circuit cameras. "Find the documents we need and let's go. Those shots were loud, people are gonna start coming to find out what's wrong."

Without replying, Cavendish started searching through drawers, while Dakota easily fried the cameras, some he could see and some that were (badly) hidden. He felt a spark of pride when Cavendish waved a few papers in the air, grinning wide. He'd forgotten the excitement of a genuine mission. Don't get him wrong, the calmness of the pistachio selling (well, semi calmness. Murphy's Law made sure of that.) was all well and nice, but the feeling of missions like this was also nostalgic.

"Nice going, Cav. Help me tie them up and let's get the hell out of here."

"Agreed."

They were quick in doing just that, and slipping out past the window as they heard footsteps through the door they'd entered. Slowly scraping their way down the outside wall clad in vines, they grinned at each other. Running back to their rented fancy time vehicle, they couldn't help it as they laughed, whooping quietly.

Because, holy shit. A real mission with this Cavendish without having to go back in time?! It was borderlining a miracle!

"We did it! Holy shit, we actually did a real mission!"

Cavendish laughed, not even bothering to correct Dakota's profanity. "We did! I can't believe it! Oh, I can't wait to see 's face once we give him these!"

"That'll be something to see!"

Dakota chuckled, stretching out his legs. Damn, he can't wait to get out of this suit. He watched the strange movements outside their time vehicle, letting the adrenaline die down. He still couldn't believe that they'd actually gotten through this, without anything happening to Cavendish.

Miracles, oh miracles.

"Dakota?"

Said male glanced over at the Brit, who kept his eyes straight forward, hands tight on the wheel, still smiling. "Yeah, Cav?"

His hands lessened the pressure. "You know...if you want to talk about it, you can. I know I probably won't understand it- you said the two timelines are very different, after all. But...I can listen, if you need to talk?" He sent a side glance to Dakota, smiling lightly.

And he returned the smile, something in him relieved. "Yeah...thanks Cav. Maybe I'll tell you about it one day." Even though he really didn't have any intention of unburying memories and secrets that he'd forced six feet down, he still felt relief and warmth at the gesture. "Means a lot."

And as they skidded out of the time jump, Dakota just hoped he wouldn't have anymore freaky déjà vu.

Remember when I said I'd try to keep these short? Yeah, so apparently I lied XD And yea, I have a headcanon that Dakota came from the Mississippi Purchase Timeline, and they were husbands because why not :D

Anyways, thank you for reading! Reviews are loved, hope ya have a good morning/afternoon/evening/night and drink sum water!