Notverysassy,Cassy

it's the occupational hazard; the designated sniper is used to hiding away in high positions, still and unmoving for hours at a time, he unintentionally does the same thing on base.

a couple of rooftops he occupies have low lights, making his figure look like a skinwalker and scaring the shit out of anyone who accidentally walks by. merrick once screamed so loud, even keegs flinched. the only one who doesn't react, more than used to the silent presence of the sergeant is logan. the younger walker, who also prefers not to stick out anywhere he goes, more than content to follow, either be it his brother or the rest of the ghosts. he never talks, moves like a shadow and stays far enough, but near at the same time.

keegan notices, albeit a bit later than he'd like. he respects the kid, truly impressed by his skills and training, trusts him to have his back, but logan has a tendency to disappear, and no one else seems to bother with it. he asked hesh, once, but the brother just gave him a rundown version of: he just needs some alone time. russ hated to admit to getting attached, didn't like the idea of getting too close to someone, not after ajax, but the kid just sort of... did it. got under keegan's skin, made him look twice when he barely should've done that at all. so, he looks. takes him a while to find him, logan picking more discreet sites than a random rooftop, and it strikes him how haunted the kid seems to be. always a faraway look in his eyes, the sort of vacant stare that makes him look out of this world - it's also worrying. keegan talks, then. about nothing in particular, voice growing husky too soon, not sufficiently used on a day to day basis, but he pushes through anyway. it becomes routine, their nightly meetings filled with comforting company and a general ease. logan starts signing after a while too, finally sharing what goes on in that head of his, and keegan listens with a dumb smile on his face, his chest filling with warmth each time he gets the kid to laugh or react more passionately.

he also loses it on a random mission when some asshole grabs logan. goes practically berserk, only getting an earful from merrick and a curious look from hesh. all he can think though, is the concern thrown his way by the younger man, coupled with the stuttering of his heart and a distant thought.