Chapter Text
God, there was so much red.
Haven had never been a fan of that color, of the idea of blood and the sense of danger, of violence and fire and hatred. Now, of course, all he could think of when he saw red was that- that laser, he supposed, though it seemed almost ludicrous that he would be terrified of a beam of light. But afraid he was, staring dumbstruck at the vidscreen in front of him whilst the gargantuan machines came down and began to tear apart everything Haven had ever known. He could already hear a girl crying down the hall and people shouting, throwing belongings into bags and boxes and arranging rides home. Already his omni-tool was lit up and flashing bright, messages from his sister and his parents and his friends coming in as they heard the news and-
"Haven!"
"I- Ben, are you-" He spun away from the common room's big screen just in time for Ben to tackle him, throwing his arms around his neck and knocking his glasses out of place.
"I'm fine," Ben said, but his green eyes were wide and scared. "Babe, did you see?"
Haven nodded dumbly, gesturing vaguely at the vidscreen. "I- London, yeah." He settled his hands on his boyfriend's waist, more protective than tender. "What do you want to do?"
"I need to see my family," Ben said automatically. "I- I need to get on the first ship out to the Verge. I need to go home."
Something in Haven twisted up unpleasantly. Of course Ben would need to go home. So should- so should he.
At the look on Haven's face, Ben quickly added, "You can come with me, though! My parents would be cool with it, and we could-"
"No, I- I should probably head home, too," Haven said, and Ben looked about as scared as Haven felt. "I- Maybe I can convince them to get off-planet. Or I can say goodbye, at the very least."
"You need to get off Earth, babe," Ben said gently, trying for tender but closer to desperate. Around them the dorm was in chaos while their fellow students arranged rides and contacted family and collected all their things. "I know- I know you haven't ever been off-planet, and Elysium is pretty cold, but I-"
"Ben, I'll be fine," Haven reassured, and forced a smile. He moved a hand to smooth gently over one of Ben's high, dark cheekbones. They took a deep breath in unison, and that made Haven's plastic smile feel a little more real. "You go home. I'll- I'll message you. Do you want me to help you get your things?"
Tears sprung in Ben's eyes and his face contorted into something pained. "Haven, please just come with me. I- If you d-die because you're still here-"
Haven cut him off with a sturdy kiss, a hand on either side of his face. When he pulled back, he pressed their foreheads together. "Darling, we'll be fine. Maybe I'll meet you on Elysium once I say goodbye to Sanctuary and my parents. Don't worry about me."
"I won't do anything but worry about you if you stay here," Ben said, but he swallowed down his fear. "I- I can get my things. And you need to go get yours. We'll, um. We can meet up here, in a half hour. And then we'll say goodbye. And then we'll leave. Okay?"
Haven smiled, kissed Ben once more, and nodded. "Of course. I'll see you in a half hour."
Smiling wetly back at him, Ben nodded once and turned around to run back to his dorm. Haven only paused for a second before doing the same.
"You heading home, Mai?"
Haven nodded, heading straight for his closet to pull out his suitcase. It was probably the oldest thing in the building, metal and cloth and plastic like something out of an old movie. It even had wheels on the bottom, and a finicky handle to drag it by. He threw it open and laid it on the ground before starting for his nice hung-up clothes.
"You don't think you should probably get off planet instead?" His roommate, Keshawn, was laid out on his own bed, doing something weird with his biotics that was making Haven's hair stand up from across the room. Probably practicing his singularity, if the golf-ball sized black hole hovering in the middle of the room was anything to go by.
"That's the long term plan, yes," Haven said, partly distracted. Keshawn threw a pen into his singularity and it caught, floating lazily around the dense sphere of mass effect energy. Or whatever. Haven had never really, uh, got biotics. He was more of a tech guy, like Ben. "But I have to say goodbye, don't I?"
Keshawn snorted. He balled up a piece of paper and it joined the pen in anti-gravity. "Dude, if you take your sweet time, there's not gonna be a 'long term,'" he said. "What, did Ben not invite you to Elysium?"
"He did." Haven moved to the short stack of drawers and started taking armfuls of folded laundry and shoving them into his suitcase. "But I really need to see mom and dad and Sanctuary." He paused, sat up. "What about you? You don't seem eager to get out of here."
"I have a cousin on the Citadel," Keshawn said, smugly. "He's already said I could come stay with him."
"No family here on Earth?"
"Already sent them a message, but they're in Charleston. The Reapers have already touched down there. I thought it's best not to bother them."
Haven shivered. "Are they okay? Aren't you worried?"
"If I was any less in control right now, I'd be screaming, man," Keshawn said, and it was obvious he didn't want to say any more on the matter. "You can come with me, if colony life ain't for you. You've never been off Earth, right?"
"No, I haven't, but I can't leave yet." His omni-tool lit up again, and he was reminded that he had messages.
SUBJECT: Reapers
Haven,
Are you alright??? We saw them on the vidscreen, mom and dad are worried sick. Please respond!
Sanctuary
-
Haven,
Respond! Look at your damn omni-tool!!!
Sanctuary-
Haven,
IF YOU'RE DEAD I'M GOING TO BE SO MAD. Also mom is crying. Do you see what you do.
Sanctuary-
Haven,
I knew this would happen if you left home. I told you that it was unsafe. I told you!!
Sanctuary
Haven flushed. Oops.
SUBJECT: RE: Reapers
Ary,
I'm fine! I'm packing right now, I'll be home soon. I was distracted saying goodbye to Benjamin and packing. Are you guys alright?
Haven-
SUBJECT: RE: RE: Reapers
Haven,
Oh thank goodness. I was about to have a heart attack.
We're fine, just scared. Be home soon.
Sanctuary
"Well, if you decide that death by laser doesn't sound fun anymore, you know how to contact me." Keshawn dropped the singularity and and the pen, paper, and memory drive he'd tossed into the field whilst Haven had been busy messaging his sister clattered to the ground all at once. "We'd still be roomies, ha."
Haven smirked and sat back to look around the room for anything else he needed. "Sorry, man, but you're definitely not my first choice. If I get off this rock, I'm goin' after Ben."
"That's gay."
"That's the point."
Keshawn snorted. "I guess it is."
In between bantering with Keshawn and digging through his desk for the essentials (drone kits, several datapads, virtual textbooks, his portable terminal, an old paper notebook and a heavy steel pen, a spare omni-tool, and his glasses case and repair kit), he used up an entire half hour. Through the thin floor, Haven could hear people talking and yelling still, beds and desks knocking against the walls in people's rush to get their stuff and leave. Keshawn didn't move, but Haven supposed he wouldn't be doing nothing if he thought he should be doing something. Another singularity, this one the size of a basketball, came to be in the center of the room. Haven had to catch his suitcase to keep it from flipping over, his toothbrush floating out delicately only to be snatched back out of the air.
"You're getting better at that," Haven said with an edge of annoyance. "If only you would put the same effort into, I dunno, not bothering me."
"I mean, I could, but what fun would that be?" Haven rolled his eyes and zipped up his suitcase, putting it against the wall and outside of the singularity's range. Another moment later, and it dissolved.
"If I had a drone up all the time, you'd be upset," he pointed out.
"Because it likes to set my shit on fire!"
"Haven, are you done?" Ben had appeared in the doorway, his own luggage hovering behind him.
"Yeah, just about," he said, sweeping his gaze around the room one last time for anything he'd forgotten. There was bigger, less essential stuff - his bedding, a map of the galaxy with all the mass relays and their connections, his full-sized private terminal - that he was going to have to leave behind if he wanted to leave quickly, but it wasn't anything he couldn't live without or purchase anew. "And you?"
Ben nodded. "Yeah, I'm- Keshawn, what are you doing?"
The biotic shrugged. "Chillin'."
"I-" Ben's brow furrowed. "Is that what you're supposed to be doing?"
Keshawn shrugged again. "No. But my flight to the Citadel is a week from now anyway, so there's no need to rush."
"Except for the giant killer machines that just touched down in every major population center on the planet!" Ben threw his arm up toward the window, as though looking outside would prove his point. There weren't any Reapers in sight. Apparently Tuscaloosa didn't count as a major population center.
"At least I'm getting off planet! Haven's stayin' here, probably gonna try to talk the Reapers down." He snorted at his own joke. Haven glared.
"I'm getting off planet," he said, firmly. "I just have things to attend to, first."
"The second you see your family, you're gonna lose that reserve," Keshawn said.
"No, I'm not!"
Ben didn’t look like he believed him. "Just a couple months ago you said you were gonna take that job on that water world in Artemis Tau, but then you went home for vacation and now-"
"I wanted to focus on my studies," Haven said, but he flushed - Ben was right. They both were. He'd been endlessly excited to go to Proteus, put his engineering to work helping the scientists there study the possibility of underwater colonies, but his family had put a damper on that as soon as he told them. They were firmly Terra Firma, of the opinion that humanity should have destroyed the Charon relay as soon as they'd found it, and big fans of keeping humanity as isolated as possible. Every chance Haven had to get off planet was discouraged and disparaged until he meekly acquiesced to staying earthbound. "Besides, I don't want to do engineering anyway, I'm majoring in crimino-"
"What I'm saying is you need to get off planet!" Ben interrupted, frustration evident. "Send Sanctuary a message from the ship, I don't care, we all need to be gone!"
"I invited him to the Citadel with me," Keshawn added."Turned me down."
"I'm coming to Elysium, Ben, I promise," Haven said. "But I'm saying goodbye in person, okay? I've already made up my mind. That's my plan."
"So was Artemis Tau," Ben grumbled, then sighed. "Fine. Do you have a ride?" Haven shook his head, and Ben sighed again. "Call a cab, then. My aunt is picking me up in two hours."
"What do you suppose we do while we wait?" Haven asked, already arranging a ride on his omni-tool. Right as he finished, Ben put a hand on his chest and drew it up around his neck. Keshawn made a retching noise.
"My roommates are already gone," Ben said, and his frustration seemed to have melted away as he leaned close to Haven. "I can think of a couple ways to waste time."
"Oh my god, get out!" Keshawn groaned, and hand in hand, Haven and Ben did just that.
--
"Haven!"
Haven didn't have time to get a foot in the door before he was being dragged inside by his collar, Sanctuary being rough as ever with her little brother. She slammed the door shut behind him as the skycab flew off, out of place among the streetcars and paved roads of Haven's Terra Firma hometown. Though he hadn't realized it until he was in high school and got his first extranet connection, their little neighborhood looked like something straight out of the early to mid 21st century, cars powered by gasoline. Haven's poor vision was an obvious sign of this upbringing - his family didn't believe in gene therapy. Which is why he wore glasses.
"Ary, I'm fine," he said, untangling himself from her while she tried to hug him. He left his suitcase by the door and made his way to the living room, where his parents waited.
They scarcely had time to catch up before they heard it.
Haven had heard a Reaper horn on TV just earlier that day, when the news had shown the synthetics touching down. It hadn't been the first time he'd heard it, of course. Reapers were on the news constantly, video footage of the fall of Khar'shan and other planets where they touched down, the unearthly hum-buzz of something more ancient than anyone on Earth could imagine. Haven had seen the scarlet beams and been frozen in fear, in helplessness knowing that they would get to Earth eventually, they had to, it was only a matter of time.
Hearing it for real was so much worse.
Without any filtering on, no armor or helmet or protection, he slammed his hands over his ears and bent double, cringing at the sheer volume. Sanctuary screamed while she and their parents followed Haven's lead. As soon as it started it was over, but then there was a distant crash and crunch, people screaming and old combustion engines roaring to life, barely audible over the ringing in Haven's ears. He sprinted for the front room, passing his suitcase in the hall to look out the double-wide front window.
Outside a Reaper had touched down. It was a mile away, maybe, massive and black and setting things ablaze at random, it seemed. The whole world seemed to have gone black and white, the evening sky going dark with smoke and ash, punctuated by roars of the horn and beams of light, red streaks of sunset scarcely visible through the artificial clouds.
"What are we going to do?" Sanctuary was at his back in an instant, eyes wide and staring at the monster in the distance. Watching its- it's feet? Were they feet? The whole thing looked like a bug or an alien hand, eerie and wrong. Haven shook his head.
"I don't-" His hands were shaking, breath coming quick. "I- I-"
"I'm calling the police!" their mother announced, scurrying to the kitchen to use the modified landline.
Haven couldn't move, staring at the Reaper out the window. All he could think was that he should have gone with Ben, he could be on a ship right now, getting away and going- but then, his family would be trapped-
"Haven, Sanctuary, away from the window!" their father boomed, having not even gotten up from the sofa. Haven couldn't move, but Sanctuary grabbed his arm and dragged him away.
"What are we going to do?" Sanctuary asked again, this time directed at their father. Haven dropped himself in an armchair, putting his face in his hands and trying to control his breathing.
"Live," their father said with certainty. He didn't look the slightest bit perturbed by the Reaper threat. Mostly just annoyed. "There's a bunker under the high school. We'll probably go hide from the aliens there." He huffed, shaking his head. "What have I always said? This is what happens when humans leave Earth! They bring death and destruction back with them!"
Haven forced himself to sit up while Sanctuary nodded her agreement. "If we didn't ever leave, the Reapers probably wouldn't know we were here!"
"Are you- are you joking?" Haven asked, and couldn't help the look he gave her. He- sometimes he forgot how stupid his family was when it came to this kind of thing. She glared at him. "Oh, wow, okay. Wow. I need a minute to process that."
"Oh, shut up, Haven," she sneered, and there was the real Sanctuary. Great. "If we never revealed our location to the aliens-"
"They would still know where we are! The Reapers are more ancient than all of humanity, probably, and more advanced than we can dream! Plus, the Charon relay is in our system, we're not hard to find!" He sighed. "Do you guys take pride in being insanely ignorant?"
"Now you listen here, young man-"
"The Alliance are sending marines to escort us to the bunker," their mother called from the kitchen, hanging the phone on the wall noisily and coming back into the living room. "We need to get our things. Quan, get up and go get the suitcases-"
"I can't go to the bunker, I'm going to Elysium!" he burst out. All his family froze and stared at him.
"Why?" His mother's eyes welled up already, but that meant almost nothing. She cried over everything.
"I-"
"That's where his boyfriend's from, right?" Sanctuary said, glaring at him. "I knew that colony kid was a bad influence, I-"
"You liked Ben!"
"That's not the point!" their father shouted. "Haven Mai, you are staying here on Earth. You are coming to that bunker with the rest of us and you will stay there until it is safe, and then you will go back to school and-"
"Dad, I'm twenty-one! I'm- I'm grown and in college and I don't want to die having never left Earth!" There was a roar of the Reaper horn but it was louder than before - closer. Haven's stomach clenched and he felt sick, flushed. "You can't tell me what to do anymore!"
"So you're going to abandon your family in the middle of a war?" Sanctuary hissed. "That's what this is - this isn't just Commander Shepard fighting aliens a hundred systems away! The Reapers are here!"
"I- Sanctuary, I know, but I-" Reaper horn. That explosion sounded so close, Haven imagined he could feel the heat on the back of his neck. He clenched his teeth. "I need to leave. I- I only came to say goodbye, just in case-" He shook his head. "I'm leaving."
"Your ship will be shot down before you even leave the atmosphere, Haven," his father said, stern. "I've seen three already on the news."
Haven's heart skipped a beat. What if Ben-? He shook his head. "I- no, I have to leave, I have to call-"
"No." And for some reason that denial was enough, combined with the loudest sounding of the horn yet far. Haven slumped his shoulders in and nodded. He let himself be led to the living room and sat back in his chair. The moment the attention was off him, he pulled up his omni-tool.
SUBJECT: Sorry
Ben,
It's too dangerous right now. There's a Reaper nearby and there are marines evacuating the town. I'd try to get a ride, but Dad says that there are ships being shot down before they can leave the atmosphere. Are you okay?
Haven-
SUBJECT: RE: Sorry
Haven,
I knew this would happen!! I am very upset with you!!!! But mostly just worried!!!!! Try to stay safe!!!!!!
Benjamin-
SUBJECT: RE: RE: Sorry
Ben,
We're leaving the house now. I'll message you later, the officer says we can't use omni-tools even from the bunker. The Reapers can detect and track all signals. I should have listened to you, but my family needs me here. Not that I have much choice.
Sorry. I love you.
Haven-
SUBJECT: RE: RE: RE: Sorry
Haven,
Message me as soon as you can!!!!!!! I love you, too!!
Ben
Haven spent the entirety of the war in that bunker, surrounded by his family and everyone he'd grown up with. Almost a year underground, in uncomfortable bunks and watched by Alliance marines that no one in town had ever supported or even wished to, now that they were the only reason the townspeople were alive. A year full of terror and ignorant remarks, of the sounds of war overhead. They were allowed to leave, but every shriek of a banshee or roar of a brute or howl of a Reaper convinced Haven that to leave was to die. One entire party of people that had gone up for fresh air and to stretch their legs never came back, and they only learned of their fate from a frantic marine, uniform singed and covered head to toe in blood and oil and filth.
It was a year before he had the chance to message Ben back. A whole year of silence on both ends, and after hearing news of a Reaper landing on Elysium- well.
Haven never responded.