Art & Stuff

he darted his eyes from you and back up at the menu at least twice. "Kaffee mit Milch.. bitte."

you blinked at him. he was massive, and speaking a language you didn't understand. "oh um.. im sorry?"

he suddenly remembered he wasn't back home in Austria. "coffee.. and milk please. whole.. bitte."

bitte means please. cute.

"may i have a name?"

"König." he spelled it out for you

---

"good morning!"

you sounded happy this morning. did you recognize him from the other day? he made it up to the counter, made it to your big doe eyes.

"coffee and milk?"

you did remember.

he supposed not many 7 foot tall Austrian men come to your coffee shop, but it warmed him

"yes, please." he smiled

--

you looked disheveled, eyes tired and hair haphazardly pulled back. you still greeted him with a smile, albeit strained.

"morning," exasperated, but happy to see him.

" morgen," he smiled faintly. "I hope you are well?" he didn't mean to sound so.. obvious. he hoped you didn't take offense.

"oh! yes, just tired," you laughed. he smiled. "coffee and milk?"

" ja, bitte."

---

"guten morgen," this was the first time he spoke to you first.

your smile was so genuine.

"good morning! same as always?"

he nodded and smiled. "danke."

"oh I know that one! thats thank you!"

he was a bit caught off guard, looking up at you when he paid for his coffee. nodding again.

thank you for making my day

---

konig wasn't much of a talker outside of the field. his chatter usually died along with his adrenaline

but you gave him a similar rush. a little tingle in his spine that made him want to talk. made him want to tell you all about his day.

"so, what do you do for work?" no one else was here this early. he started finding himself waking up earlier to see you.

"militär..ry. I'm in the military."

yeah. thats about right.

"oh! cool!"

he assumed you knew nothing about the military. he smiled and nodded

---

"guten mornin!"

"you have been practicing?" he smiled, teased, already pulling out his wallet to pay for his usual coffee with milk.

"maybe a little," you laughed, already sliding him his coffee. you've been having it ready for him earlier each day. you'd spot him through the window and start making it immediately.

The only weapons you had on you was a small handgun that was concealed on the side of your thigh where you could easily reach it through the slit in the fabric, your second and final weapon was a small knife that fit neatly inside the lining of your clutch.

Your hair was usually tied back in a tight bun at the base of your neck, so the loose feeling of it covering your ears and neck felt almost foreign to you. It wasn't often that you got to really dress up for missions but when you did you went all out with your hair and makeup.

The mission you and Ghost had been paired up for was an undercover missing, you would be sneaking into a rather high-profile black market weapon auction to find names of the various clients and donors providing the weapons. You were going to be blending in with the crowd acting as a buyer while Ghost would be acting as your bodyguard as well as actually being your bodyguard.

You leaned against the glass door of the briefing room and pushed it open while reaching your hands up to adjust the thin straps of your dress. As soon as you were inside the room you stopped in your tracks and stared at Ghost who was hunched over the table going over a few things with Price and Laswell. It wasn't the fact that he was in there that made you freeze, it was the fact that he was wearing an all-black tux, his usual skull mask had been swapped for a plain black one to match his suit and blend in a bit more.

“Lieutenant Y/l/n, glad you could join us,” Laswell smirked at you having caught you gawking at Ghost.

You jokingly glared at her, “Sorry I'm late, had to get all prettied up.” You smiled sweetly as you strolled over to lean against the table beside Price, “What fun things are you lot looking at?” You crossed your arms and fiddled with the small gold necklace resting against your chest.

“Floor plans.” Price mumbled without taking his eyes off the papers.

You frowned, “Nothing has changed right? Because I have the layout of that building memorized.” You turned around to look down at the papers, the familir blueprints and floor plans for the large building spread out in front of you.

“You memorized them? We got these last night.” Ghost looked up at you.

His eyes were usually surrounded by a dark grease paint, but tonight the clean pale skin around his eyes peeked through the holes in the mask.

“I couldn't sleep, needed something to do so I memorized the floor plans.” You shrugged and noticed Ghost’s gaze lingering on you as you turned away to face Laswell, “Plans still the same?” You raised an eyebrow while trying to ignore the holes being burned into your exposed skin by Ghost’s stare.

You forced your eyes to stay on Laswell as she started talking, “You two will be flying in via helo and meeting a car at the LZ, from there you're going to be heading to the auction hall.” Kate grabbed a small envelope from the end of the table and handed it over to you, “For the duration of this mission your name is Anya Petrova, Ghost is to remain at your side at all times.”

You opened the envelope and pulled out the Russian ID with your picture and fake name on it, “You really think I can pass as Russain?” You looked up at her skeptically.

“You've done it before.” Price glanced over at you.

You shrugged and put the ID in your clutch, “Fair enough.”

The first time you had met the captain he nearly killed you because he had no idea you were an undercover CIA agent, he almost shot you.

“Any questions?” Laswell looked between you and Ghost.

“No ma'am.” Ghost and you spoke at the same time.

“Then let's get this show on the road.”

•••

Ghost was a man of few words, you were not.

So by the time you were nearing the auction hall you were sure you had annoyed the man to death with your constant blabbering about anything and everything that came to your mind. You tended to ramble when you were nervous, and you were always nervous before a mission, especially undercover ones.

When an entire mission hinged on your ability to lie to people's faces and have them believe every word of it, anyone would be stressed when put in that position.

Well, almost everyone.

Ghost didn't seem to be even remotely phased by his new role as Anya Petrova’s bodyguard, he actually fit the role quite well, opening doors for you and offering you his hand to step in and out of the helicopter. His silent presence alone was enough to ward off anyone looking for a fight.

You carefully ran the dark red lipstick along your lips as you stared at your small reflection in the mirror sitting in your palm, your hand steady as you applied the color.

“Do you always wear the mask?” You asked your companion as you checked your face over one last time before snapping the mirror closed and sliding it back into your clutch.

“Yeah.” He grumbled.

You closed your clutch and shifted your position so you were facing him, the small confines of the back seat meant you were both sitting much closer than either of you was comfortable with.

“So how do you eat?”

He didn't roll his eyes but you could tell he wanted to, “I take the mask off.”

“So you don't always wear it.” You made a ‘tsk’ sound with your mouth, “Can't even trust my own bodyguard.” You shook your head.

He pulled his eyes away from you and reached his hand to the pocket Inside the lining of his suit jacket, “Here, your comm.” He handed you the small round device.

You lifted the object and inspected it, you had used one like this on many occasions. You tilted your head to the side so your hair would move away from your ear allowing you to put your comm in, once it was securely in place you smoothed out your hair and turned to look at Ghost again.

“How do I look?” You asked him with a raised brow.

Whether or not he tried to hide it you still caught his eyes drop down to your body for a split second before moving back up to your face, “Like some rich politician’s daughter.” He said before turning his gaze back to the front of the car where the driver sat.

“I'm flattered.”

The large building was now in your view, the long line of dark vehicles in front of it earning your attention, all sorts of men and women were walking up the staircase past the many armed guards. Lights lined the floor along the outside of the building illuminating the white stone pillars along the front, the place looked like it was some kind of palace.

Your back stiffened as the driver pulled into the line of cars and you got closer and closer to the start of your act, your intricate lie to fool every single person outside of the vehicle. You inhaled a deep breath rubbed your palms along the tops of your thighs, a soothing motion to help calm your nerves.

As soon as the driver signaled back to you both that you could get out Ghost climbed out on his side and walked around the car before opening your door for you. He offered you his arm and you gladly took it as you slid out of the car and adjusted the skirt of your dress.

The comforting weight of the gun under your dress was what you focused on as you held onto Ghost’s arm and the two of you began making your way up the stairs along with the rest of the crowd.

“You look nice.” Ghost spoke quietly, his eyes staying forward.

You looked down and smiled faintly, “You clean up pretty good yourself, Riley.” You spoke in your new voice for the first time that night, the heavy Russian accent sounding foreign on your tongue.

This was far from the first time you had worked with The Ghost, it was one of the many times the two of you had been paired up together on a mission. Price and Laswell had learned pretty early on that you both worked well together so they often tried to pair you up whenever they could for these types of jobs.

You kept your hand on Ghost’s arm until the two of you reached the top of the stairs and joined the long line of people being let into the auction. Bags and jackets were being searched by the guards, you knew Ghost had come in with zero weapons but you also knew he didn't need them.

The looming presence of the tall man behind you was a comfort as you approached the armed guards just outside the grand double doors.

As soon as the couple in front of you was let into the building the guards walked back to you and Ghost, their faces set in a near-permanent scowl as the older one stopped in front of you.

“Name.” He spoke in a thick accent that you immediately identified as Russian.

“Anya Petrova.” You smiled sweetly up at the guard making sure you bat your eyelashes at him a few times as you handed your clutch to him.

The man behind him began checking his tablet, looking to see if your name was on the guest list, it was.

“Who is he?” The man in front of you pointed to Ghost.

You sighed, “Personal security, he's only with me on my father's request.” You rolled your eyes, “The man acts like he doesn't trust me to come here on my own.”

The guard ignored your rambles as he checked the inside of your clutch, all he saw was what you wanted him to see; lipstick, a small compact mirror, a wallet, a half-empty pack of gum, and a few travel makeup wipes. To him, it was just a normal collection of items owned by a girl who he assumed came here to get herself someone to share her bed with tonight.

He handed your clutch back and nodded, “You're both good to go.”

You looked back at Ghost, “Come on.” You grinned at him and started into the building.

•••

The inside of the building was just as grand as the outside. Large crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceilings and the night sky could be seen through the open glass windows lining the roof. The floors were polished so much you could almost see your reflection in them as you walked, your heels clicking loudly.

Ghost stayed right behind you as you maneuvered your way through the crowd into the main area where the auction itself would be taking place. You occasionally felt his hand against the small of your back whenever you would step around someone, his body moving to stand between you and them.

Most of the people around you were laughing loudly and carrying on with their dates while you and Ghost moved to the middle of the room, the feeling of unease that settled in your stomach before you got out of the car had yet to clear.

You stepped up beside Ghost and looped one arm under his resting it against his back, his hand fell into place on your hip as he held you close to him

“Northeast corner of the balcony.” You smiled up at him as if you were just a girl attempting to flirt with her bodyguard.

You saw his eyes flicker up to where you had said, “What about it?”

“There's a doorway there, and that's where I need to be.” You pulled away from him and began searching the crowd, looking for your next victim.

Your eyes settled on one of the men speaking with the guards, a clearly visible earpiece looped around his ear, and the way he was berating the guard letting you know that he was someone in charge.

“And I just found my way in.”

You walked away from Ghost and he followed, “Care to share with the class?” He matched your pace.

“Go blend in, I'm gonna go see if mustache over there wants some company.”

Ghost stopped your march with a hand clamping down on your elbow, “We are supposed to stick together.”

You frowned, “I mean if you wanna go flirt with the guy while I stay back by all means.”

“What? No, I don't want to.” He sighed, his hand moving up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“Grab my butt.” You squinted up at him.

You have never seen Ghost so close to losing his composure, “What?”

“I said grab my butt, and make it look good Riley.”

Ghost’s shoulders slumped for a moment before he straightened his posture, “You had better make this worth it.”

“Whatever you say, sweetheart.” You purred.

He rolled his eyes and a moment later you felt his hand squeeze onto your rear. You jumped right into the act and shoved him away from you, shouting at him in Russain to get away.

Immediately people turned to look at you, and so did the guards.

“Get away from me you disgusting pig!” You shouted at Ghost in Russian, his eyes going wide for a moment before stepping back away from you and stepped into the crowd.

You whirled around and stormed over to the guard you had been eyeing earlier, “Did you see what he did?!”

The man stared at you wide-eyed, “Calm down miss,” He stepped toward you so he was now standing directly in front of you.

You placed your hand on his chest and gripped his jacket, acting as if you were already a bit tipsy, “Aren't you going to do anything?” you leaned into him.

You didn't know where Ghost had disappeared to but you knew wherever he was his eyes were boring into your back as you pressed yourself against the guard, he didn't even notice your other hand unclipping his badge from his belt.

The man cursed under his breath in Russian before pulling your arms off of him, “Go get yourself another drink, you won't care about it in a few minutes.” He groaned.

You stumbled off of him and took a step back, slurring your words together to liven up the act even more, “You're no fun” You frowned but walked back toward the bar set up along the wall anyway.

You slid the security badge inside your clutch and straightened your walk, your hand rising to your ear, “Where you at big guy?” You played off hitting your comm by brushing your hair out of your face.

A moment later Ghost’s rough voice sounded in your ear, “Somewhere with a good view.”

You looked up and sure enough, there he was on the balcony above you, his dark suit blending in with the shadows but his eyes still stood out to you, “Hope you enjoyed the show.” You mumbled as you leaned against the counter of the bar and flagged down the bartender.

“Did you get us a way in that door?” He ignored your previous question.

You placed your clutch on the countertop and tapped it with your finger, “We should be long gone before he realizes it's missing.” you quickly ordered a club soda from the bartender and left a small stack of money on the counter, sauntering away with your drink in hand.

“Go to your right, there is a staircase that leads up here, no guards.” Ghost instructed you.

You frowned as you pushed your way toward the outside of the crowd, “Really? No guards?” You downed the liquid in one swig.

“Not anymore.”

Worked for you.

You spun around and made sure no guards were looking in your direction before ducking under the black rope that covered the opening to the staircase, a sign that said ‘authorized personnel only’ in Russian hung right next to the door that you ignored.

The warm lighting in the stairwell perfectly accented the white marvel floors and walls, the faint glow of the lamps along the walls reflecting off of the windows to create a beautiful luminance.

You held up the bottom of your dress as you walked up the stairs and noticed Ghost at the top waiting for you. You gave him a small smile as you marched up the last few stairs and held your clutch up, before you could say anything he held his fingers up to his mask where his lips were to silence you.

Your smile dropped as you watched him glance over his shoulder.

He cursed under his breath before closing the distance between you both in two large steps, “Sorry about this.” He sighed.

“What?”

His hands went to your waist and pushed you back against the cold wall as his head dipped to your neck, “Guards coming, play along.” He whispered before pulling the bottom of his mask up to reveal his lips.

You didn't have any time to admire what little of his face you could see before he was crashing his lips against yours and kissing you hard. It took you all of two seconds to kiss back and fall into the act —only maybe it wasn't an act to you— your hands flying up to grip the back of his mask which drew a quiet groan from his mouth, you hooked one leg around his hip and pulled him closer to you. One of Ghost’s hands traveled down further until it was resting on your lower back and pulling you closer to him, you didn't think it was even possible for the two of you to get any closer but he proved you wrong as he deepened the kiss.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw two guards freeze in the doorway before immediately turning away and shuffling off.

As soon as they were gone Ghost pulled away from you and gently sat you back down on the ground. Your mind was working a mile a minute as you tried to catch your breath, your head spinning and your heart pounding.

“Sorry about that.” Ghost mumbled while bringing his hand up to wipe the lipstick off of his lips.

You were sure your face was as red as your lips now, “Uh yeah… Yeah.” You didn't know what to say, your mind was blank.

“At least I know a new way to shut you up.” You caught sight of him smirking before he pulled his mask down over his face again.

You glared at him and you knew it had to be a sight, “Next time.” You pointed at him, “I'm shoving you up against the wall.”

He shrugged, “Fine by me.”

You choked on air, “Shut up Simon.” You walked past him and peeked around the corner to make sure the coast was clear.

Your heart was still pounding in your chest as you pulled the key card out of your clutch and handed it behind you for Ghost to grab, he was walking just behind you while scanning the balcony for guards. The two that had caught you in that rather compromising position had scurried away to who knows where, for now, all you cared about was the fact that they weren't there.

“Server room is through that door, should only be a handful of guards inside.” You knelt outside your target door and slipped your hand under your dress to grab the gun strapped to your thigh, “this is for you because I know you like guns.” You handed the small pistol to the large man behind you.

He took it and turned it over, inspecting it, “What is this the world's smallest gun?” He checked the ammo and the silencer.

You rolled your eyes while fishing your knife out of your clutch, “Not exactly a lot of room to hide a shotgun under this dress Ghost.” You left your clutch on the floor while holding the knife tight in your hand, “Ready?”

He nodded and took the security badge from your hand, “Breach on three, you stay right behind me okay?” He looked down at you with a stern look in his eyes, one you could have sworn could pass as concern.

“Yes sir.” You smirked.

He counted quietly and as soon as he said three he scanned the badge and pushed the door open, gun raised in his hand as he pressed forward into the room. You stayed close behind him with your knife held up at the ready.

Ghost fired off three silenced shots before you even saw the men come around the corner, the sound of the gunshots was short and dull.

You saw two more men run at Ghost from the side, one of them swinging the but of his gun at his head stunning him. You quickly jumped into action and threw your knife at the one reaching for his radio, successfully stopping him from calling for backup with a knife in his forehead. The second guard lunged at you and slammed into your side, knocking you into the wall before he clamped his hand around your neck and started choking you.

You growled and brought your knee up where it connected directly with his crotch causing him to release you and stumble backward, his hands moving down to cup his groin. Ghost came up behind him and grabbed a hold of his head, his eyes cold as he jerked the man's head to the side. The sound of his neck snapping echoed off of the walls as Ghost dropped his body to the floor and moved over to you.

“You alright?” He looked down at you as you rubbed a hand along your neck, the exposed skin now sore and irritated.

“I'll be fine.” You waved him off and walked past him into the now-empty server room.

The quiet hum of the electronics around you was an almost comforting noise as you approached one of the computers sitting on the desk. You sat down on the stool and pulled yourself close to the desk, luckily for you the guards had neglected to log out when you and Ghost stormed the room.

“You know what you're doing?” Ghost stood behind you while keeping a close eye on the door.

You glanced back at him as you pulled the thick gold bangle off of your wrist, “Now since when did you doubt me?” You raised a brow.

You pulled at the bangle causing it to break apart and reveal a USB Drive inside the bracelet.

“I'll watch the door.” He grumbled.

You made quick work of searching through the various files on the computer, your eyes scanning over them to find the one you needed. As soon as you did you plugged in the drive and began downloading all of it onto the small device, a loading screen appearing in front of you.

“You may want to hurry it up in there, I think they're starting to realize something is up.” Ghost spoke through the earpiece.

“It's almost done downloading, where's our ride?” You stared at the loading bar on the screen, willing it to move faster.

Footsteps sounded behind you and you spun around in your seat to see Ghost standing in the doorway, “Back entrance, we need to go.” He grabbed your knife from the floor where it had fallen and walked over to you.

You stared at the loading bar and as soon as it hit 100% you pulled the drive out of the computer and clipped it back into a bracelet, “Okay I'm good.” You slid the bracelet back onto your wrist and stood.

Ghost pulled his suit jacket off and tossed it to you, “Put that on.”

“Why?” You asked while slipping your arms into the sleeves of the jacket.

He glanced over at you and pointed to his neck, “Your neck is bruised and we need to blend in.”

You pulled the jacket tight around yourself and walked over to Ghost, “I'm following you hot stuff.” You grabbed the knife from his hand and shoved it into the pocket of the jacket.

Ghost lead you out of the server room and grabbed your clutch from the floor.

He had been right in saying the guards knew something was up, the auction room floor was now swarming with guards searching the guests for whoever didn't belong. They still didn't know you were up here so you could use that to your advantage.

You followed behind Ghost as he moved aling the balcony and cut into a side room, the interior of the room looked to be a storage room of some sort, with all sorts of different furniture scattered around the room with white tarps covering them. On the far end of the room was a window that lead to the outside, which was your way out.

“Car is just out there.” Ghost said while walking toward the window.

You leaned against a covered table and slipped your feet out of the heels that had been rubbing your toes for the last hour.

“What are you doing?” Ghost asked from where he now stood next to the open window.

“Taking these wretched shoes off.” You walked over to him with your heels hanging from your fingers, “I have blisters already.”

Ghost held out his hand for you and you took it allowing him to help you up into the window ledge. You ducked down slightly and stepped out onto the shingled awning just outside the window, the drop below you making your stomach turn slightly.

You heard the window shut as Ghost stepped out behind you, “This way.” He spoke quietly as he crouched and walked across the awning.

You followed him silently and listened as yelling erupted from inside, they must have found the dead guards. You smiled to yourself as Ghost stopped in front of you and looked over the edge.

“We jump here.”

You blinked and looked over the edge where your car from earlier was parked, “Age before beauty.” You glanced over at him.

He didn't say anything else as he slid off the edge and landed on the roof of the car with a loud thump and grunt, the metal roof denting under the force of his impact, “Your turn Y/n.” He called up to you, “I'll catch ya.”

You trusted that he would but you still nervously looked over the edge, “Don't you dare drop me.” You dropped your shoes over the edge and watched as he caught them.

“Now you missy.” He stared up at you.

You sighed and pushed yourself off the edge, the wind blowing through your hair as you dropped down and two strong hands grabbed a hold of your waist successfully stopping your fall.

A long breath fell from your lips as you stared directly at Ghost’s chest, his grip on you tightening for a moment before going slack and releasing you.

“Let's get out of here before they lock down the area.” Ghost jumped off of the roof with your shoes still in his hand while reaching up to give you his other hand.

You grabbed it tight and slid down off the car, your feet connecting with the wet pavement, “Thanks.”

Ghost opened your door for you before walking around to the driver's side and climbing into the front seat. The keys had been left in the car for you so it didn't take long before Ghost was speeding down the driveway onto the main road.

•••

You sat with your legs crossed in front of you on the edge of the table in the briefing room, a makeup wipe in hand as you worked on removing the cosmetics from your face. Ghost was sitting silently in the chair to your left while Laswell and Price looked over the information you had both retrieved.

You still wore your dress and Ghost’s jacket but you now had on a pair of thick black socks so you didn't need to walk around barefoot, you refused to put the heels back on. Ghost had shed a few pieces of his outfit as well and now lacked his tie, his dress black shirt was now unbuttoned a bit at the top and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows putting his tattoos on full display.

“Did I get it all off?” You looked at Ghost as you folded up the stained makeup wipe.

He glanced up at your face, his eyes scanning over you for a second, ”Yeah, looks like it.”

“You guys did a good job out there tonight,” Laswell spoke, pulling both of your eyes to her, “We have the names of dozens of weapons suppliers.”

“Locations are there too right?” You crossed one leg over your knee and leaned on your arm.

Price nodded, “We are going to be sending out groups to raid them in the next few days, we need to catch them before they move.”

“Go get some rest you too, you both look exhausted.” Kate’s voice softened.

You frowned, “Sure you don't need us?”

“If we do we will let you know, for now enjoy some down time.”

Ghost didn't need to be told twice, he was out of his seat and out the door before you were even off the table. You hopped onto the floor and followed behind him, your sock-clad feet padding along the cold tiled floor as you moved.

“Ghost,” You called out to him as you jogged up beside him and slipped his jacket off your shoulders, “This is yours.” You handed it to him.

He furrowed his brows as he took the black jacket from your hand, “You did a good job out there Y/n.” He met your eyes.

You smiled and looked down at your socks, “Thanks, it's always fun working with you, Simon.” You didn't use his first name often, “Gotta say, I didn't know you were such a good kisser.” You smirked.

He held your stare, “I think you just liked being manhandled.” He shrugged and walked away.

Your mouth fell open as you stared at his back, “And what if I did?” You called out.

On other nights, he would startle during his sleep from the nightmares that just never seem to go away, and you would get up to wake him if he did not already jolt up first. Whether he talks about the horrors he's seen or keeps them to himself, he will always pull your body closer, seeking comfort in it. Then you both would doze off again while holding onto each other more firmly.

There may be nights when he experiences both of them at the same time. But the one thing that remains unchanged is how Simon somehow always wakes up earlier than you, even after a restless slumber. Until now.

You were surprised to see that his eyes were still shut. His arms were still locked around your figure in the same way they had been the night before.

Traces of light shone through the blinds you swore you closed the day before. It didn’t matter that much anyway. In fact, you were thankful for the light which highlighted his already stunning features littered with tiny scars. The temptation to brush away the hair from his face is powerful, but you quickly shut the thought down, afraid of waking Simon up from a well-deserved rest.

Instead, you stare at his peaceful state with admiration for who knows how long.

Sometime later, he moves against the sheets beneath him and slowly opens his eyes. He blinks his eyes repeatedly to adjust to the lighting and the sight of you looking back at him.

"Were you watching me this whole time?" Simon mumbles, his morning voice apparent.

You let out a hum, too tired to nod your head.

"Would be creepy if it were someone else."

"Then it’s a good thing I’m not. Besides, is it so wrong for me to appreciate this?" you reply while gently caressing the side of his face.

Simon closes his eyes for a brief moment at the feeling of your hand’s movement. "I guess not."

You continue to trace his features while he looks at you with the softest gaze no other has ever had the pleasure of witnessing. He lets out a soft groan at the brushing of your fingers against his hair.

"We should get ready soon," he says, planting his hand over yours and stroking your knuckles with his coarse fingers. "But I got a feeling you don't like the sound of that."

"Your observational skills are getting better," you tease, knowing full well he is an elite operator.

"Alright, just a few more minutes and then we'll get up." 

"Don't think I'm gonna leave this bed for a while. Better hope the boys don't mind us being late."

"I don't give a damn what they think."

Chuckling at his remark, you bring yourself impossibly closer to him and lay your cheeks against his chest. He tightens his grip on you and moves his chin to rest atop your head. You both listen to each other’s steady and slow breaths. A silence so comforting envelops the room, a contrast to the gunfire and explosions you were accustomed to hearing on the battlefield.

You look up and shoot him a quick smile. "We really needed this, y'know? Just a day where we don't have to constantly worry about preventing an all-out war or if we would even survive."

Your comments fall on deaf ears, as Simon didn’t reply, simply offering a quiet hum while he drifts away into your embrace. Content with his acceptance to go back into his rest, you peck the back of his hand and rub it softly so as to not wake him up.

- though there were those long moments where you all had to keep quiet and hold your breath. those moments that lasted for hours where you just had to stare through your scope in hopes your target would pop his head out. those moments where you were ready to just jump from the roof.

- but there were also your little breaks with ghost where you two momentarily stepped down the stairs to stretch out before switching places. ghost and you would share a look or two and sometimes soap would chime in over comms usually teasing one or both of you. you'd both roll your eyes before taking your places again.

- there was also ghost's terrible sense of humor and soap's incomprehensible accent. but through it all, you made it. and maybe those things are endearing about them. just a little bit.

- basically, it was a long mission. and you were extremely tired. so was soap who was already passed out sitting across from you on the plane and you knew ghost had to be though he didn't show it. he never did.

- you'd seen him sleep before on those week and month or more long missions. but it was almost rare. he always seemed to be the last to fall asleep, like he had to be. but you had seen him sleep. it wasn't exactly anything special, he looked like any of the other guys sleeping but it was nice to see him get some rest.

- you, too, had that habit of needing to be the last asleep. at least usually. you could go without sleep far longer than most of the squad. and that habit is what gave you the rare view of a sleeping ghost. again, it wasn't exactly anything special but it was a nice sight. it helped you sleep, too, knowing that he could. you trust his instincts and if he felt safe so could you.

- but back to the present. soap snores from the other side as you slowly blink, trying to keep awake just till you get back, you think. but it's not working. not at all. the hum of the plane mixed with your lack of sleep in the past three days, the presence of two of your closest and most trusted friends, and the mind-numbing boredom taking over hit you like a train.

- you kept blinking, trying to keep yourself awake but you couldn't fight it anymore. you gave in to sleep, closing your burning and dry eyes, immediate relief flooding your body. soon after that, your body slumps a little, leaning onto ghost.

- as soon as your head touches his shoulder, he looks over at you. he's not expecting you to be passed out on his shoulder and he's actually at a bit of a loss. he doesn't want to wake you, you deserve the rest but he isn't the greatest at dealing with social interaction. especially an interaction where someone is so close to him (and he's not stabbing them with a knife or gunning them down).

- at first, he tries to ignore it sort of, just sit there and let you rest without acknowledgment and keeping his eyes forward and on soap who somehow is just peacefully snoring away. then again he thinks it's better this way, soap would just tease him or say something stupid (which really aren't that different from each other).

- then, seeing as the only other person around beside you and him is asleep, he looks at you for a little while. ghost thinks it's nice to see you sleep. he knew you were just like him, able to go forever without sleep, and yet in this moment you were slumped against him. he knew you had seen him sleeping before. he knew that some nights, long nights where he could hear you unable to stop moving around or just audibly unable to sleep that you'd watch him, the rise and fall of his chest, and after a little while you, too, could finally fall asleep. he wondered why. he hadn't noticed you do the same with anyone else. so why him?

- he knew probably too much but he couldn't answer his own questions. he didn't feel like he could ask you for some reason. like leaving it unanswered was better. for the both of you. more for himself. it was difficult being close to people. he wouldn't want to get too close too fast though now that he thought about it, he hasn't thought the same about soap or anyone else on the squad really—just you. for some reason.

- ghost looks back over to soap who is still asleep, thank heavens, and then back at you again. he turns away before the pilot can announce that you'll all be back in three hours.

- ghost sighs and turns to you yet again before accepting his fate. this shouldn't be so bad. you're just sleeping on his shoulder.

- you trust him enough to sleep on his shoulder.

- that hits ghost like a ton of bricks. he trusts you too of course but- he's gotta let it sink in and he does, pondering in silence as his two partners sleep soundly.

- he won't go to sleep himself. he never can that easily but for another reason too. to protect you and johnny. make sure the plane lands where it's supposed to, you get where you're supposed to, and no possible stowaways could surprise any of you.

You’re dragged towards the wall with him as he leans on it for support, pushing yourself free as he bends down, retching. his vomit nearly hits your shoes as you stumble backwards.

“Ugh, gross, Johnny,” Ghost’s disappointed voice and Gaz’s laugh come from behind you as Soap chokes out the last of it.

“No, no, no, don’t pass out, cmon,” Your attempts to help him up are weak, he’s a heavy, sturdy man, and you’re pretty drunk too. “Come onn, we’re almost back,”

You’re basically carrying him with how much of his weight he’s put on you, feet dragging against the pavement. The alcohol in your system isn’t the only reason you can’t understand his unintelligible mumbling in your ear.

“I know, big guy,” you tell him soothingly, struggling to walk in a straight line.

“Will one of you- Help me for fucks sake!” You turn to the two unhelpful men behind you, who’ve just been watching and snickering. Ghost, who is likely the most sober, wordlessly walks over and effortlessly scoops Soap from your arms, throwing him over his shoulder before continuing to walk silently. You and Gaz make eye contact, then giggle as you stumble after them, almost having to jog to keep up with Ghost’s pace.

You help Ghost lob Soap onto the couch, throwing a blanket over him and leaving a trash can next to the couch. the adrenaline and energy from the night out has worn off now, leaving your brain feeling cloudy and a shooting headache making you wobble. the guest bedroom is all set up, but ghost takes it upon himself to walk you to your room anyway. you’re sober enough to walk on your own, but you lean on his arm anyway, relishing in the rare contact he wouldn’t normally allow.

you flip into bed and roll over, sighing in relief as the pressure is taken away from your limbs. Ghost is uncharacteristically careful, starting to tuck you in, making sure the blanket covers you.

“aww, you’re so caring, tucking me in?” you tease, rolling onto your stomach and looking up at him flirtatiously. he doesn’t answer you, your words making him step back and halt his movements.

“i was just teasing!” you sit up, grabbing at his arm quickly to prevent his leaving. neither of you say anything for a moment, but he lets you idly run your thumb over the tattoos covering his arm.

“will you… stay? with me?” you ask softly.

“you’re drunk,” he says flatly. what a gentleman.

“no! i don’t mean- like that, just…” you trail off, not sure what you’re asking for exactly. you just don’t want him to leave.

“…and i’m not that drunk,” you mumble.

when he reaches over and clicks off the lights, shrouding you in darkness, you expect to hear his footsteps receding. instead, his arm never leaves your hand, and he silently sits next to you on the bed. still in the clothes he wore out, he lays down next to you. not touching you, but he lets you keep hold of his arm, holding it against your body as you settle in.

your room’s bitter cold contrasts the heat simon is radiating, and if he’s overheating he doesn’t say anything when you cling to him for warmth. in the darkness, you cant see anything, but your eyes are wide open. this is… unusual. he’s laying unnaturally stiffly next to you, and you feel a prickle of guilt in the back of your mind for making him stay. you let your grip loosen on him as you settle in and get comfortable, only now processing the boundaries you’ve crossed.

his warmth is missing when you let go of his arm, leaving you to curl up on your side. suddenly, simon is on his side, too, pulling you against his body again in one swift movement. while both wide awake, neither of you say anything. your cheeks are burning hot, but you cuddle closer to simon anyway, desperate to feel his body heat. moments pass, and the drumming of his heart near your ear and steady breathing have lulled you almost entirely to sleep.

unbeknownst to you, your steadying breathing has done nearly the same for him. Simon hasn’t felt this relaxed in months, despite his uncertainty from moments earlier. he’s glad you asked him to stay, your body molded against his and your rhythmic heartbeat against his skin calming him in ways he didn’t know possible, years of high anxiety situations and stress beginning to melt away. he thought about how pretty you looked tonight, he’d only seen you in uniform previously, and while you do make it work, seeing your hair and makeup done for going out took his breathe away.