Thread by @cerbykerby

*lies on floor* I want... Mass Effect... but with wangxian...

please, PLEASE imagine newly-appointed Spectre Hanguang-Jun going to the Afterlife Club on Omega because he heard that a powerful mercenary by the name of the Yiling Patriarch frequents there

Lan Wangji's pristinely-kept white armor draws a lot of attention in a place like Omega, but the assault rifle on his back keeps anyone from approaching. He walks into Afterlife and is immediately hit by the smell of sweat, alcohol, and foreign perfume.

It's loud; he can feel the music's bass in his chest as he looks around. He was told that the Yiling Patriarch would be easy to spot, but at an initial glance, no one stands out.

At least almost no one is wearing a helmet. Drinking is difficult with a helmet on, after all.

Aria T'Loak is easy to spot; she's in the most heavily-guarded area of Afterlife. Her guards raise their weapons when Lan Wangji approaches, but he is by far quicker on the draw.

Bored, Aria calls off her guards.

"So they really made a human a Spectre." She looks him up and down. "And a Lan, at that. Those council members are crazy fucks."

Lan Wangji ignores the quip. "I'm looking for the Yiling Patriarch."

She sighs. "You and every gang on Omega. He's not exactly popular around here."

Turns out, ever since the Yiling Patriarch showed up, gangs—especially gangs that deal in trafficking—have been disappearing overnight.

In a place as lawless as Omega, this has gained him many enemies. Nonetheless, despite the gangs' best efforts, he continues to live, and hunt.

"You don't see him as a threat," Lan Wangji observes.

Aria shrugs. "I have no interest in trafficking and he has no interest in power. We have an agreement to stay out of each other's way."

When Lan Wangji asks where the Yiling Patriarch is, Aria answers that he can be found in the lower levels of Afterlife.

"If he blows your head off, I'll send the clean-up bill to the Citadel," she warns him, "so don't be stupid."

The Yiling Patriarch, Lan Wangji finds, is a man of contradictions. He first hears his laughter—loud, hauntingly bright, and oh-so full of life.

Then he watches as a human in black armor body-slams a turian onto the bar counter.

Ah.

Lan Wangji slides into a seat next to him. The Yiling Patriarch looks him over once before throwing back a shot.

"You're a long way from Citadel space, Spectre," he says when he puts his glass down. "Are you here to kill me?"

"No," Lan Wangji answers. "I need your help."

The Yiling Patriarch's laugh is harsh, nothing like what Lan Wangji heard from him only minutes ago. "Why would a Spectre need my help? Do you need people killed?"

"No," Lan Wangji says, again. "I need people found."

That brings—something, to the Yiling Patriarch's face. "And who do you need found?"

"Humans." Lan Wangji waves off a bartender. "Human colonies are disappearing without a trace, and the Council wants to know why."

A snort. "Don't you have any Spectre buddies to help you out?"

"This case is assigned solely to me."

Wei Wuxian accepts another drink from the bartender. "So you ask the most wanted man on Omega to help you look for people. A bit ironic, don't you think?"

Lan Wangji watches him swirl the ice. Lift the cup. Touch its rim to his lips.

"You're Wei Wuxian," he says, without warning. "You were born on Earth, in the Hubei province. You're an N7 marine who graduated from the Systems Alliance special forces program in 2175. Afterwards, you were stationed at Elysium, where—"

He doesn't get the rest out.

Wei Wuxian shoves him against the wall. Hard.

"You did your research, I see." His smile is all menace. "Very well. I can match that, Lan Wangji. I never thought I'd see the day when a rule-abiding Lan is given the power to break any law necessary to get the job done."

Lan Wangji can feel the press of a muzzle against his torso, but he makes no effort to push it away.

"You went against orders," he continues. "Disobeyed your commanding officers. Abandoned your post."

Wei Wuxian tuts. "Don't think I won't shoot you just because you're pretty."

"The reports say you ran away with war criminals," Lan Wangji keeps talking, "but that is false. They were refugees. Innocents. You led them away and built a colony called the Burial Mounds."

Wei Wuxian blinks. His eyes, Lan Wangji notes, are an intriguing shade of grey.

"The colonies that disappeared are much like yours." Lan Wangji doesn't look away, doesn't blink. "Alone, out of Alliance space. Too remote for anyone to care. Gone, without a trace."

The gun's muzzle falls. Wei Wuxian exhales. "Fuck. You don't let up at all, do you?"

"I've heard that you've been tracking anomalies in the Terminus Systems." Lan Wangji searches his gaze. "And that you're very good at finding what is believed to be dead. I want your help."

Wei Wuxian groans and drains his cup. "Of course you do. Fuck. Entire colonies. Gone."

"You will be properly compensated, of course," Lan Wangji adds, as a last bit of incentive, in case Wei Wuxian is still on the fence.

"Compensated." Wei Wuxian's gaze slowly drags down, then up Lan Wangji's body. "Do I get to choose what kind?"

Lan Wangji's mouth goes dry.

But before he can reply, Wei Wuxian shakes his head dismissively.

"Ah, whatever. We can figure the details out on the way." Wei Wuxian holsters his pistol with flourish. "Let's go, handsome. You brought your own ship, I assume?"

-- THE END --

they go back to the ship, wwx shamelessly claims lwj's quarters for himself, and they go through a bunch of missions that are laced with a bunch of sexual tension. eventually they snap and make out furiously in lwj's bed. wwx headbutts a krogan at one point. it's all great fun.

anyways go play mass effect 1, 2, and 3. excellent trilogy, 10/10, I cry every time I hear the galaxy map music.