The first time Ghost ever held you at gunpoint, you did the last thing he expected.
You grabbed the barrel and shoved it forward, pressing it into your forehead. The cool metal kissed your skin as you looked up at him with bright eyes. Sweet and sultry.
He made a choked sound behind the mask when you cocked your head just slightly, fluttering your lashes, daring him to do it. Pull the trigger.
He couldn't.
He barely caught the edge of your smirk under the moonlight before the gun slipped from his gloved hands and a shot rang out into the night.
The next thing he knew he was on the ground. You shot him in the leg. Not enough to kill him. Just enough to keep him down while you escaped with the intel.
He lay there, splayed out, contemplating his life choices when Soap rounded the corner, eyes wide, gun at the ready.
But he took one look at his masked comrade on the ground and holstered his rifle with a sigh. He grumbled as he hauled Ghost up, slinging one of his massive arms over his shoulders.
“Christ, L.T...again? What are we always tellin' ya about lookin' girls in the bloody eye?"
soulmate first words au where Simon grew up with the words “oh my god, please, don’t.” plastered across his arm in dark black ink. since the moment he could read, he’d been terrified of what that meant. he’d heard those words from him mother enough times when his dad came home drunk and swinging fists towards anything that moved, he’d heard them in back alleys while undercover, some poor woman being groped by a man twice her size, and he’d even heard it once or twice from the poor fucker he’d put a bullet in after interrogations gone wrong. Every time he flinches, wondering if that was his one shot at something good he’d just killed in cold blood. Fitting, for a bastard like him, or so he told himself.
It wasn’t until a night off with the team in some sweaty, sticky bar that he runs into you. As much as he tries to ignore the girl on a shitty date who keeps pushing the man’s hands off her ass and fake laughing at his boring jokes, it grates at him for reasons he can quite grasp. Later, he’ll catch the tail end of a screaming match outside the bar. One that has your date storming off, and you sinking onto the grimy concrete in your nicest outfit. He’ll watch from the shadows, flicking the ash off a cigarette before finally saying, “Want me to kill him for ya?” and when your eyes shoot up to the stranger in disbelief he tacks on, “free of charge.”
He almost can’t make it out through your laughter, wet with lingering tears. “oh my god, please, don’t.” you chuckle, “i wouldn’t last a day in prison.” between the burning on his arm, exactly where those dreaded words are, and the way the air feels like it’s been punched straight from his lungs, simon can’t muster up a reply fast enough.
You, on the other hand, have a smile slowly forming as you rub your own burning mark. “Do you know how worried my parents were when they saw what this said? They put me in preemptive therapy and everything. Thought I’d end up in a gang or something.” The man reaches a hand out, offering to help you stand. “You’re not are you? In a gang I mean?”
Another puff of smoke leaves his lips in what you think might have been the beginning of a laugh. “No, military. Close enough, though.”
Dusting yourself off, you sneak a closer look at the shadowed stranger. your soulmate, a voice inside flutters with childish glee. “Well damn, there go all my mob wife aspirations.”
He sighs, and steps closer to you, just within the light of a flickering street lamp. Now, you can make out his features. Scars cover every inch of exposed skin, twisting and mangling what might have once been a fair face. Under your gaze, he waits cautiously, “Sorry to disappoint.” A double meaning you catch immediately.
You motion back to the bar the both of you had been in earlier, then close your fingers around his with a tug, “Make it up to me, then?”
18+ mdni simon riley is a horrible lay, everyone says.
that’s what you’ve heard around base, from men and women alike. he’s too fucking big, apparently, fucks like the mean bastard that he is. hurts. apparently, he’s so cold he doesn’t even care for his partner. and apparently, every time anyone’s tried to sleep with him, they’ve always stormed out of his room, pissed off at him because his room is a hellhole.
apparently. it’s all word of mouth, but you believe it.
but after the end of the month drinks at the local spoons, you can barely get simon off you, he’s pawing at you with his big hands. the two of you split a cider in two, and he looks at you with his big brown eyes, “y- you’re really fucking hot.” he blurts out, kissing your nose with chapped lips.
his face is red, blushing deeply as you try your best to not flush the same. “and johnny told me you can’t ever think about the pretty lass on floor 3 with the filing cabinet, but guess what, i can.” he kisses you on the side of your head this time, and you’re enjoying his affections.
it’s only back in his room on base that he fumbles with his belt, before he looks at you again, “s-sorry, it’s just, i don’t really get to spend the night with pretty women like you-“
you want to hide your face in his pillows, his room is really fucking nice. he has plants, actual plants growing from gaz, sketch drawings from johnny, photographs of him and the captain.
his cock is huge, hard and leaking, slapping against his stomach, but he still looks at you with his sweet brown eyes, “love, it’s okay if it’s too big…” he sounds dejected already, but you just shake your head, it’s nowhere near as big what the word around base was.
“it’s fine simon-“ you whisper, licking your lips and placing kitten licks on his length, feeling the taste of him coat your tongue.
“no no no-“ he shakes his head, pulling away before his hands touch your wet panties, “fuck, you’re so wet love.”
and then he dives in, tugging them off, before licking at your cunt with a sloppy tongue, he doesn’t have a technique down but whatever the fuck he’s doing it’s good, your legs are shaking as his tongue dips inside you.
“gotta make sure it’s good for you-“ okay, what the fuck was anyone talking about?
he slides into you with ease, and thrusts into you? his hands above your head, his eyes still looking at you. “you’re very fuckin’… mmmph… hot.” he says, with a grin on his scarred face that would look terrifying if it wasn’t for the way his brown eyes shone with sweetness.
it wasn’t long before his cock twitches inside of you, and his eyes roll back, “oh fuck love, right there— fuck!” he was filling you deep, his cum thick in your stomach.
“love?” he asks, whimpering, his head on your chest, “love, did you find it good?” he’s desperate for your fucking approval.
you kiss his head, his soft curls growing out of army regs.
“yes darling.” fuck the word of mouth, did anyone even try this with him?
“th-thank you dove-“ he pants, his cock deep inside you as you keep stroking his hair, feeling his breath even out.
(CW: sounding, impact play, bdsm, use of color system, safe sane consensual, angst, femdom, malesub)
Whatever he might be in the field, he was nothing now.
He knelt, bare of a single stitch, on the floor. She stood before him with a whip in her hand. She’d used it on him just a few minutes prior, lacing his plump ass with sweltering lines. In the present, she trailed his neck and shoulders with it.
Simon kept his eyes trained at the ground. He had no right to gaze upon her unless she allowed the privilege of it. Graciously, she did.
“Look up, mutt!” She spat.
He slowly turned his face upward, taking in her beauty. She was a tall, curvy woman. Her thighs were enough to crush a man, and her breasts too full to fit in his hands. She was fulled clothed, a stark comparison to his nakedness. Her dress was black and red, matching her heels. Her pouty, thick lips were tinted crimson with a lipstick he was dying to see shades of streaked around his cock.
But he had earned no such great reward today. No. Today, he’d earned a punishment.
Thwack! The stinging blow of the whip flashed his mind back a few hours, to the grave mistake he’d made.
The military was holding an event, and each soldier was allowed a plus-one. Simon wasn’t dating anyone, and he knew she would appreciate the consideration, so he asked her to be his date. Simon had never been secretive about his life, despite many assuming otherwise. But when it came to her, there was some sort of reticence. He wasn’t ashamed of her. Nor, as he reminded himself, was it shameful for a grown man to have… arrangements to tend to mutual desires. Still, when Price asked him who she was, with the implication of them dating, he said she was just a hired companion.
The air instantly turned cold. Price and the others fell silent, able to sense he’d fucked up. Simon didn’t have to turn to catch a glimpse of the hurt that flashed her face or of the wrath that rapidly covered the hint of vulnerability she never showed. Simon didn’t know which was scarier. Her hand was clasped in his. The digging of her nails into his flesh was a stark reminder that there would be consequences after.
And that is how he landed in his current predicament. She hadn’t said a word to him till they reached his apartment— Simon hadn’t even broached the thought of them going their separate ways— and she checked his colors and ordered him to prep.
With a cold, cold face, she’d whipped his arse raw. Her voice was tight, controlled. But he could feel the fire of her anger and hurt in every lash she gave. “You didn’t have to tell them we were dating.” Whip! “You didn’t have to tell them we were fucking!” Whip! “You didn’t even have to say we were friends!” Simon screamed with the crack that came next. “But you told them I was HIRED?!” Her voice reached the pitch of a scream. She was breathing hard, her face flushed and her hair mused out of the ordinary.
“I’m sorry, ma’a—.” She slapped him for speaking out of turn. She also slapped him because amidst all the sex and rules and depravity, there were moments it wasn’t just about fucking. There were times, rather than going at it like animals, they’d slow down and gaze into each others’ eyes. Instead of aftercare and parting, they’d snuggle into bed together and talk about everything. There were a few stolen, guilty kisses that felt almost tender, like it could have been love.
And it was that hurt that drove her. But she didn’t show a hint of it through the frigidity in her air. Simon, with all his skills of perception, wouldn’t have known if he didn’t know her that well. Because, after all, it was beginning to not just be about the sex.
Her heels went between his legs. Simon’s face was still tilted, and he didn’t have permission to avert it. He could see the shiny red disappearing under his body. A cold dread sunk into his stomach as she nudged his balls with her heels. She’d stepped on his cock before. She’d made him cum by kicking his sensitive little testicles till they were mottled with bruises. The rough brush of her shoe against his length told him that would be in store again tonight.
“You are my sub. You’re nothing but a toy, a slave for my pleasure. And you will take delight in it.” The implied reference to his being ashamed that night was clear.
“Yes, Mistress.” Simon whispered.
“Good.” Her tone was unsatisfied, but she moved on.
Simon waited on the floor as she undressed. His eyes traveled her body as she tantalizingly stripped off layer by layer. First, the shoes, which she left by him as a reminder. Then the her clothes, slid off and leaving her bare to his hungry view.
She sat on the bed and perched one leg up. Her glistening pink pussy peeked through the dark curls and brown outer lips. She trailed her fingers through her slick and spread it around. She let out a breath at the sensation. She relieved a bit of her pent up tension but avoided paying much attention to her clit or hole.
Keeping on leg up, she started to play with her breasts. She squeezed and kneeled them. She pinched her nipples, rolling them between her fingers. Simon watched on, unable to make her feel good or even ask permission to do so. His dick chubbed up. A drop rose to the tip.
She saw his unspoken desire and laughed at him. Simon clenched his jaw, but she walked over carelessly and slapped him lightly with an order to open. Simon wished she’d lower her breasts so he could suck at them. He wished she’d let him climb on top of her and bury his face in them and milk them and mark them with his—
She shoved her fingers down his throat, making him gag. Then she withdrew her wet fingers and sat back on the bed, using that wetness to stimulate her nipples with a cruel smile. Her pussy started to drip. She let out a breathy moan.
Then, finally, when she couldn’t take it anymore, she lowered her hand and rubbed her clit. Her fingers ran up and down her folds. They spread and mixed and ground against each other.
“Fuck!” She shouted, plunging her fingers in and hooking them just right. She rocked her pelvis. She moved her hips in strokes and circles, riding her fingers and grinding them against her g-spot. Her voice grew louder. The sound of her wetness increased along.
Simon groaned at the sight. “Please…”
She frowned at his whispered plea but was too far gone to discipline him. “Make me cum.”
Simon moved like lightning, attached his face to her cunt and sucking hard.
“Shit!” She screamed. Her body writhed against his face, and he calmly clamped her down and kept going. She could barely speak out of overstimulation. He knew he was playing dirty, defying her authority. But he kept going. His tongue flicked like a blur over her clit, and his fingers twisted and thrusted in her hole. He added more than she had, filling her completely. He knew she was probably feeling a slight sting of the stretch, and he chuckled darkly at the thought.
She whined at the added vibration. “Simon, stop!” She gasped. But he went harder. He kept increasing his strength and speed. She clenched her jaw. Then, she alternated with it dropping open. No sound came out. Her eyes rolled back.
Then, all of a sudden, her body tensed; and a spray came out.
“Simon!” She shrieked as her pussy squirted over and over on his face. Her walls squeezed around him. Her chest heaved with stilted breath. Whines and screamed erupted from her throat. It went on for over thirty seconds. Simon milked it till he was drenched.
He slowly withdrew his fingers and leaned back to look at her. She was drained. Her breasts bobbed lightly when she inhaled. Her jaw lightly gaped, and her eyes were eighty percent closed.
Simon waited there till she recovered. She slowly sat up. Her jaw was set. “You’re overstepping your bounds.”
Simon apologized unrepentantly. There was a smug twitch in his lips. Her jaw worked, and she stayed quiet to reign in her irritation.
“Fuck you speechless, didn’t I?”
“Get my heels.” She ordered instantly.
Simon’s brows furrowed. “Wha—?”
“Didn’t you hear me the first time? Get. My. Heels.”
Simon obeyed. He crawled to where they lay and offered them back to her.
The heels were clean. She had made sure of it. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t clean them more.
“Lick.” She ordered.
His eyes widened; he hesitated. When she angrily opened her mouth, he hurriedly followed her commands. His tongue swirled and lapped over the material. He devoured it the way he’d worked her pussy, and she could feel her arousal come back to life. But she ignored it. She had a task at hand.
She smirked wickedly. “Coat the heel well. It’s for your own good.”
Simon froze. A chill went down his spine, and his actions gained urgency. He lapped rapidly at the heel. He spit and went down on it like he was sucking a cock. She watched in enjoyment, roughly grasping him by the hair and guiding him over the length.
When he was done, he shakily looked up at her. She wrapped her hand around his dick and jerked it to hardness. Simon clenched his jaw to hold in his moans. When it was at full mast, she held the stilleto to his hole.
“Mistress!” He could hold in his gasp. She was planning to sound him?! With her fucking heels??!!
His eyes were wide and innocent. He gazed at her pleasingly. Without a hint of mercy, she demanded, “Color?”
“Green.” He said lowly but surely.
She smiled and began to press it in.
Simon gasped and tensed. He grabbed her by the wrist and held on as she inched it in. His cock was full, stretching around the intrusion. He began to whimper and shake. By the time she had it all the way in, he was trembling like a leaf.
“This is just the beginning.” She whispered cruelly, looking him in the eyes. His grip tightened. Then, she pulled it out.
Simon was barely conscious. She had added lube to the heel and was shallowly thrusting it within his cock. His whole body was alight and focused on that one point of sensation. His nerves felt like liquid electricity was flowing through them, burning him inside out.
“Baby, please.” He begged.
“If you want to cum, you have to do it like this. Cum for me and I’ll let you go.”
He couldn’t. He just couldn’t. He willed his body to orgasm, he willed the torture to stop. But it went on. Time stretched into eternity. His head was scrambled and floating outside his body. he could hear her as if through water.
“There you go.” Her voice was silky, evil. “Cum for me.”
He felt his balls tighten impossibly. She pulled the “sound” all the way out. His body arched high off the bed, and all the air squeezed out of his lungs. His view whitened out. Only she was conscious of the streams that erupted from his dick and the repeated whimpers of her name coming from his mouth.
When Simon came to, he was fully clean and wrapped up on his bed. “Color?” She asked. Her voice was devoid of emotion. But it was soft, and Simon could tell she cared.
“m fine. Said hi to god real quick.” He mumbled sleepily, like he’d just come out of anesthesia.
“Did I go too far?”
“Just right. Just need a moment.”
“Sleep. We’ll talk about it later.” She planted a kiss to his forehead.
Simon shook his head and failed to sit up. “Just need a moment. Tonight was just righ…” And he fell asleep before he could finish.
He woke up a few hours later. It was dark: she had turned off all the lights except the lamp by the sofa she sat on. She was so far away. Simon couldn’t tell through his blurry vision, but she seemed... beaten.
The instant she caught sight of him up, her face hardened. A wicked glimmer sparkled in her eyes, and she hooked her fingers for him to approach her.
Simon went and knelt again before her. “Thank you for tonight, Ma’am.” Her face darkened. That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. She merely grunted. Simon shifted. His heart drooped at her lack of approval. He was too ashamed, but he knew what he really needed to say.
“I’m sorry.”
She froze. Her jaw and throat worked, but her face returned to its untouchable, cruel pedestal. She grunted in acknowledgement of his words. As if she didn’t care. Simon broke his rules. He shifted closer to her and clasped her hands pleadingly.
“I’m really, sorry, love.”
Her eyes flashed at the endearment and she ripped her hands away. Rising to her feet, she pushed past him and walked away.
“Please!” He yelled; he begged. She abruptly stopped and turned around. Her body shook with retrained anger.
“Are you ashamed of me?” Simon discerned the genuine question under the stern mockery in her voice. “No, ma’am.” He stammered. Her eyes flickered. “I’m not asking as your mistress, Simon!” Her voice was as sharp as blades. Simon was lucky she hadn’t brought any out this time. “Are you fucking ashamed of me?” He flinched at her raised volume, at the almost waver while she repeated the question.
Simon gazed up at her. Without a hint of doubt or deceit, he replied. “No.”
Simon didn’t have permission to move. He wasn’t allowed to speak out of line. But he stood up. He stepped closer and closer to her till she was backed up against the bed. She could feel the cool frame against the back of her knees.
He reached up, framing his head in his large hands. He tilted it till she was gazing straight at him the way he’d looked up at her when he kneeled. She swallowed at the intensity in his eyes and at the sudden change in dynamics.
It was as if he wanted to devour her.
“—, I am not ashamed of you. I never have been and never will be. I never should have said what I did or hid from them how much you mean to me.”
She looked down. She lowered her guard and let her emotions play out on her face.
“—.” Simon pleaded softly.
“How much, Simon? How much do I mean to you? I need to know.” Her voice shook, with sadness, with love, with anger and betrayal.
“You mean the world.” Simon quickly said. “You know what us being together all the time means. I don’t need to say it for it to be true.”
“But you hid it, Simon.”
His heart crumbled at the sight of tears springing to her eyes. He hurried to wipe them, handling her as gently as a flower.
“I know. And I’m sorry. I won’t— I’ll tell them. Say you’ll be mine. Make it official, and I’ll tell the world.” He whispered. His hands still framed her cheeks, and his forehead rested against hers. He swallowed. His lips trembled as he waited. He was back under her power, her response holding the ability to break him. He closed his eyes and squeezed them shut. In the darkness, he heard a whisper.
“I’m yours.”
"si com eget me plsd" and then, instead of a location pin, a screenshot of a map with your street barely visible in the corner, which tells him everything he needs to know about the state you're in. he stares at it for a moment. closes his eyes. gets his keys.
you're outside when he pulls up, leaning against the brick wall with your shoes dangling from one hand and your hair half out of whatever careful style it was when you left, and the moment you see his car your entire face brightens and you push off the wall and stumble toward him like he's the best thing you've seen all night.
"simon!!," you say, drawing his name out like it's something you've been saving.
"yeah," he says. "i'm here. come on."
you stumble and crash directly into his side, both arms winding around his waist, your face pressing into his chest with a contented sound that he feels more than hears. he stands with your shoes dangling against his back and your hair tickling his chin and after a moment of trying to help you to walk, he ends up picking you up bridal style and carrying you.
"you're so strong si" you mumble dreamily, staring at him in absolute awe. when he places you into the car and buckles your seatbelt for you, "you're responsible too"
you manage the passenger seat for almost a full minute before you migrate.
he's not entirely sure of the mechanics — one moment you're buckled in beside him, the next you're somehow mostly across the centre console, sideways, your chin on his shoulder and your hand warm and certain on his thigh before he's even made it out of the car park. he pulls over at the first opportunity and sorts your seatbelt properly, reaching across you, and you look up at him while he does it with an expression that has no business being that specific given the circumstances.
"you're so good to me," you tell him, with complete sincerity.
"sit still," he says, and pulls back onto the road.
you sit still for thirty seconds. maybe thirty five.
then your hand starts moving on his upper thigh. slow, idle, the kind of absent touch that might be accidental on anyone else but on you, right now, tilted toward him with your eyes tracking his profile you're gazing at him with pure lust.
he watches the road. says nothing. when your hand shifts onto his bulge he picks it up and deposits it back in your own lap without comment.
you put it straight back.
he lets it stay, this time, because clearly moving it isn't working and he's a practical man.
this turns out to be a mistake, because you start rubbing there too. he tries to stare straight forward and focus on the road, but his pants are undeniably getting tighter.
"simon," you say, in a voice that is different from your usual voice — lower, a little slow, the careful diction of someone choosing words through a pleasant haze.
"mm."
"you're so pretty" you say, very seriously.
"not the word most people would use," he says.
"well you are pretty. so pretty si." in some form of cuteness aggression, you lean over the console and softly bite his neck. then you decide its not enough and give sloppy kisses down his neck.
"lovie sit back."
"i am sitting back. i wanna sit on your face though siiii." you mumble against his neck and your nails drag lightly against his bulge. his jaw tightens incrementally. "simon."
"ten minutes," he says. "we're ten minutes away."
"i just want—"
"i know what you want."
"and?"
"and ten minutes."
you consider this for a moment, apparently decide ten minutes is a negotiating position rather than a statement of fact, and say something directly against his ear — low and unhurried and specific enough that every muscle in his body contracts simultaneously. the car remains in its lane. it takes more effort than he would like to admit.
"christ," he says, very quietly, to the windscreen.
"is that a yes," you say, settling back with the satisfaction of someone who knows exactly what they've done.
"it's a keep your hands where they are and let me drive," he says.
you keep your hands where they are. you also keep talking — which, as it turns out, is considerably worse than the hands. a steady, uninhibited stream of observations and suggestions delivered in the candid cheerful tone of someone who has temporarily misplaced their filter, all of it aimed at him, all of it landing exactly where you intend it to. simon drives. he keeps his eyes on the road. he responds to none of it, which he's aware is not the same as not hearing it, and the ten minutes stretch out into something that feels significantly longer than ten minutes.
he gets you inside.
the lift is its own specific trial. you're facing him with your back against the panel, arms loose around his neck, looking up at him with those eyes that have always been a problem. you're talking again, softer now, something about his hands and something else about what you'd like and he reaches past you and hits the button for your floor and keeps his eyes forward and breathes steadily and thinks about absolutely nothing at all.
"you're ignoring me," you say.
"i'm listening to every word," he says, which is true and is the problem.
you stop twice on the way to your door. once to tell him something about his shoulders that he files away against his better judgement, and once to make a suggestion so detailed and vulgur that he stops walking entirely for a moment, stands in the middle of the hallway, and takes a slow breath before continuing. you look pleased with yourself.
he gets you through the door. gets you to the bedroom. you sit on the edge of the bed and reach for him with both hands, expression open and warm and wanting, and he catches your hands gently and holds them.
"lie down," he says.
"come with me," you say.
"in a minute. i'm getting you water."
you lie back against the pillow with a small sound that does nothing helpful for the ache in his pants, and he turns and goes to the kitchen.
when he gets back he sees you face down on the pillow, one arm thrown wide, your shoes finally abandoned somewhere between the door and the bed. there you were, fast asleep in your dream world, a small pool of drool already forming at the corner of your mouth, breathing slow and even and completely, utterly unconscious.
and there simon stood, water glass in hand, watching you, while he was sporting a throbbing hard-on and nothing he could do about it.
I know a lot of people have probably mentioned that Simon Riley eats pussy like a starving man. I would like to humbly put forth the idea that he eats like a dog, sloppy, with just the edge of teeth.
You were used to the hungry way he laps at your folds, the sinful moans of appreciation coming out of his mouth as he eats like his life depends on it.
You weren’t however, prepared for the sharp edge of his teeth just grazing over your sensitive clit. It has your legs jerking, held only in place by a set of strong arms that mercilessly keep them open.
“Simon –” you whimper, your fingers barely finding much to hold onto as you tangle them in his buzz cut. The only response you get is a growl, and a deliberate, slow drag of his canines over your poor bud. Evil.
(Later, you find that your plan to get back at him by giving him the same treatment backfires. Because the moment you graze your teeth against the length of him, the slight edge of pain, the hint of danger, has him cumming so hard down your throat you can’t help but choke on it.)
Simon likes to joke that he's more than a body and will not be objectified, thank you very much, but the joke's on you because, well... bloody hell, you damn well better objectify him.
Your soldier loves it when you swoon over his voice. He also can't help but be a smug knobhead every time he catches you staring, whether he's half or fully naked, and the less said about how handsy you get and the subsequent noise complaints, the more vanilla this stays.
Doesn't help that Simon subtly-but-not-so subtly encourages you like the horny bastard he is, and he'll be the first to admit that he's unashamedly your number one enabler because why the fuck not? Feels good, you like it, he loves it, and all that PT is fuckin' paying off.
And yeah, your book's a good read and all, but you know what else you can have your face buried in? His tits. Perfectly made, perfectly comfortable, and right here for the taking.
Always second guessing yourself with Simon because he’s so big n’ strong. Meanwhile you’re his sweet civilian girlfriend who has to get all your clothes in an extra large.
Simon’s lying on top of you one day, TV on but the sound is off and you’re running your fingers through his blond locks. Just getting long enough to curl— meaning he has to go in for a haircut soon.
“Do you want to go to the gym with me tomorrow?”
You paused everything. Stopped scrolling on your phone, your hand ceasing its soothing pets in his hair with your heart sputtering. Does he think you need to go to the gym? Get into shape more, is that why he’s asking?
Now that you realize it, he’s thumbing over that one part of your waist where it dips. Your bare skin touching his hand suddenly feels sickening.
“Why?”
You ask self-consciously. You haven’t mentioned anything about getting in shape, so did he see something that just made him want you a little thinner?
“Just because?”
His answer only soothes your nerves the tiniest bit. He doesn’t speak like there’s an ulterior motive. But that could just be how Simon always sounds.
“No thank you.”
You whisper as chipper as you can. Simon makes a little noise and fuck, you knew you disappointed him. Now taking your phone and searching up diets that aren’t too noticeable right away.
Meanwhile, it’s just been a little while since you commented on Simon’s muscles and he thought asking you to go with him to the gym would be a sure fire way to hear you compliment him.
Just thinking about Simon who never touched himself or got laid. He was too busy, didn't like anyone, etc. Got top surgery but didn't feel the need for bottom surgery when he had no interesting anything in his or anyone else's pants.
Then you came and after all his life of not caring, he started getting wet regularly. Started thinking about getting fucked, or what it would feel like to cum. Wondered if it was as good as everyone made it out to be.
But he wasn't sure how to approach you. Didn't know how to go about getting himself off. Didn't know much other then his new desires.
A lucky break came through, he heard you talking with a few other soldiers. About how it was always an ego trip to give someone their first taste of pleasure. He waited as long as he could, three days. Then he knocked on his door. You opened the door and he panicked.
"Want an ego trip?" There was silence before he realized he should elaborate. "I heard you talking at the bar a few nights ago."
"Didn't take you as the pimp kind." He hesitated, nerves and desires warring with each other. He could back out or jump fully in.
"Me. I'm talking about me."
And that is what led him to laying naked on your bed as your fingers worked his cunt, giving him his first tastes of pleasure.
"Hows it feel?"
"Weird, but goo-oh." It wasn't hard to get him writhing in the sheets. His pretty pussy soaked as he drew near to his first orgasm.
"You hear that? Hear how wet you are?" The squelching was audible as you worked him. Simon just moaned, eyes rolling back.
"What about this?" A finger slid in easily, Ghost came. His first orgasm tearing through him as he grasped your shoulders, thighs shaking and breath ragged as he cried out.
"More." Simon almost immediately demanded. "I want more."
"Such a greedy cunt." Slipping another finger into him, you gave a few slow and lazy pumps before speeding up. Roughly fingering him and listening to his cries and the wet sounds of his pussy.
"Oh fu-Ah! Ngh!" He couldn't form words, overwhelmed by the feelings. "I-" his legs clamped around your wrist.
"Gunna cum princess? Gunna cum on my fingers?" He tried to respond but his head dropped back as he came, squirting as he wailed.
Ghost isn't just big as in tall. He's the type of big where everything fits him snug. Everything. From head to toe. From his shirts, to his tacticle gear, to his gloves.
When you slept with him for the first time, you expected him to be a normal, average size. You soon came to realize, nothing about this man was average, from his muscles, to this intelligence, to the way his fingers felt inside you.
Despite his size, you expected him to be rough. You only found out he was gentle after he, almost apprehensively, placed his hand on your ass to knead it. He moved slowly into you, holding back as you mewled at the stretch. His other hand went to your hair, gathering it in his hand, but not to tug on it.
He stilled, letting you adjust. Your chest rose and fell in pants and he hadn't even moved yet. You spilled little mewls as he thrust, his chest pressed against your back as his other hand moved to your hip, gripping you so tight it left crescent moon shapes from his nails.
Air struggled to enter your lungs as you buried your head into the pillow beneath you, to which Ghost pulled your hair to rear your head back up, just to hear those pretty little moans. Moans that sounded like a siren song, with a pussy that felt like heaven. You were from heaven.
That's what he thought the first time he met you, to which he instantly shoved down, only for the feeling to fester and boil until he couldn't take it anymore. He tried being mean to you, he tried being dismissive, until he started to feel guilty for doing so. For being cruel to a creature that was made for him. Him and his rough exterior and his large body. But you fit him perfectly. So he tried being soft. And soft he was. Even after your clenching pussy spasmed and came with a final moan from your mouth as he pulled out and spilled his seed on your back.
when simon finally returns home from a months long deployment, it's usually so early in the morning or late at night. you're almost always in a deep sleep by then because he never is able to tell you exactly when he'll return home.
he doesn't text you when he's deployed in general, and he absolutely forbids you from attempting to contact him as well. security reasons—he doesn't want himself to die and the enemy to stumble across your information so easily in his phone. at most you'll get a short voicemail at odd hours of the night from unknown numbers, of him whispering only that he loves you before abruptly hanging up.
so it's just silence from both ends.
when he returns home, he knows it's unlikely for everything to remain the same. sometimes you'll get a haircut, change up the decorations around the house and once even got a new cat. it's become sort of a game, he daydreams on the plane and drive home about just how much you probably changed in the months he was away.
but as he creeps into the bedroom he shares with you, he is completely blindsided by the change that sits to the right side of the bed.
a white baby crib.
he freezes the moment he makes out what it is, flickering his eyes from the crib to your sleeping form on the bed, completely oblivious to your husband's arrival. his mind races, first being concerned about whether you've had proper support during your pregnancy, which he had no knowledge about at all, and second—him realizing just how kept out of the loop he is because of his job as a soldier.
it's like a stab to his chest in the moment, and as he takes careful, silent steps towards the crib he can't stop the shaky exhale that leaves his lungs when his eyes are greeted by the sight of his first child, slumbering and so small and obviously fresh out the womb.
he can't stop himself from stealing a glance at your still sleeping form on the bed. you seriously went through a pregnancy, alone. simon was completely unaware that thousands of miles away that the love of his life went through something so challenging and significant without him. you had his baby. something the two of you had chalked up as too far away in the future to fully grasp onto.
he can't fight the tears that suddenly build up on his waterline. he doesn't even know the fucking name of his own child. he thinks, just by the soft blue of the onesie, that it's a boy.
his fingers, all fucked up and cut from the combat he endured while deployed, twitch with a yearn to feel the baby's skin. and as he reaches out, his fingertips mere inches above he stops and pulls back. he restrains himself, remembers tommy and beth telling simon that the number one rule of having a newborn baby was never to disturb it while it sleeps because of how tedious their sleep schedules are.
so he breathes in deep, clenches his fists tight and tries to feel satisfied at knowing only how his baby looks. simon fights the urge to swaddle and kiss. he shuffles quickly to the bed soon afterwards, practically throwing himself onto the mattress and pulling your unconscious body tightly against him, taking a long sniff of your hair and whispering a soft "thank you" into your scalp.
he, for once, cannot help but feel restless for the morning to come.
Summary: Leon comes home to a quiet house, a broken mug on the floor, and the sinking certainty that something is wrong. You should’ve been there. By the time he finds you, it’s already too late for things to be simple, but not too late to bring you back.
The road stretches out in front of him, long and dim, washed in the amber glow of streetlights that flicker past the windshield in steady intervals. Each one slides over him like a pulse, light, shadow, light again. It's late enough that traffic has thinned to almost nothing, the occasional pair of headlights drifting past like distant ghosts before disappearing into the dark.
It's late. Later than he told you he'd be. His hands rest loosely on the steering wheel, one thumb tapping absently against the sleek, black leather. The radio hums low, something forgettable that he isn't really listening to. His mind is already somewhere else. Somewhere softer.
Home.
There's a quiet kind of anticipation sitting in his chest, steady and familiar. You'll probably be asleep by now, or pretending to be, maybe upset because he didn't text you.
He can already picture it, the faint glow of the lamp, the way you'd shift when he walked in, like you always knew it was him even before he said a word. Maybe you'd mumble something about how late it is, voice thick with sleep, but your arms would still find him anyway. That part never changed, even if you were upset.
Leon exhales, long and slow. He's tired. Not the kind of tired that sleep fixes in a single night, but the kind that lingers in the muscles, in the back of the mind, in the quiet spaces between thoughts. The mission hadn't been catastrophic, nothing that would make headlines or stick with him for years, but it had been enough. Enough to leave his shoulders tight, his reflexes still a fraction too sharp, his awareness just slightly out of step with the calm around him. It takes time for that to fade. It always does.
But you help. Just being near you does something he can't name. Like his body remembers how to stand down, how to unclench, how to exist without scanning every shadow for movement. It's a rare thing; he doesn't take it for granted.
The houses sit quietly, windows dark, the world settled into that deep, unmoving stillness that only comes in the middle of the night. No movement, no noise, just the low hum of distant electricity and the soft crunch of tires against pavement.
Leon slows as he pulls into the driveway, engine idling for a second longer than necessary. The engine clicks as it cools, metal ticking softly in the quiet. His gaze drifts to the front door. Something in his chest tightens. The porch lights are off. He knows you better than that. You'd never shut the porch lights off before he's home.
He lingers for a moment longer than necessary, fingers still resting on the wheel, that feeling brushing again at the edges of his awareness. It would be easy to dismiss it, to chalk it up to fatigue or the remnants of adrenaline that haven't quite settled yet. That happens sometimes. The body takes longer than the mind to understand that it's safe.
"Get a grip," he mutters under his breath, voice low and rough in the confined space of the car.
The night air is cool when he steps out, sharp enough to cut through the lingering haze in his head. It grounds him, brings everything back into focus as he shuts the door and starts toward the house. The walk is short and familiar, each step guided by routine more than by conscious thought. He's done this hundreds of times, returning from missions at odd hours, slipping back into a life that exists in the spaces between everything else.
His keys slide easily into the lock. The mechanism turns with a soft, familiar click. The door opens, and something shifts. It isn't immediate, not something loud or obvious. There's no sign of forced entry, no overturned furniture, no visible disruption waiting to greet him. At a glance, everything is as it should be. The entryway is intact, your shoes still near the door, your jacket hanging in its usual place. The house looks lived in, normal, untouched.
Leon pauses just inside the doorway, one hand still resting lightly against the door as it swings closed behind him. The silence presses in, thicker than it should be, carrying a weight he can't immediately explain. It isn't just quiet, it's still, the kind of stillness that feels unnatural in a space that's usually shared. His gaze moves automatically, sweeping the room with quiet precision. Every detail registers. Every shadow is accounted for. He doesn't think about it. He never has to.
"Hey," he calls out, his voice steady but low, carrying just enough to reach the next room. "I'm home."
The words settle into the silence and go unanswered. That, on its own, isn't unusual. You could be asleep, the house wrapped in the kind of quiet that comes with it. It wouldn't be the first time he's come back late enough to find you already resting, the world reduced to soft breathing and dim light.
Leon steps further inside, closing the door behind him with a soft click that seems louder than it should. The sound echoes faintly, swallowed quickly by the stillness. He shrugs off his jacket, draping it over the back of a chair without looking, his attention already shifting past the entryway and into the rest of the house.
The living room is undisturbed. The couch sits as it always does, a blanket folded neatly over the arm, the pillows on either cushion are perfectly shaped in the corners, and the remote rests in its usual place on the table next to your book.
His jaw tightens almost imperceptibly as he moves past, his focus narrowing toward the kitchen. There's a light on. It's a small detail, the kind most people wouldn't think twice about, but it stands out to him. You don't leave lights on when you go to bed. You never have. It's a habit, one of those small, consistent things that become part of a person without them realizing it.
Leon slows as he approaches, his steps quieter now, more deliberate. "You still up?" he calls again, softer this time, the words carrying less distance.
No answer.
He crosses the threshold into the kitchen and stops. At first, it doesn't fully register. His gaze catches on the shape, the disruption in the otherwise clean lines of the room, but his mind takes a fraction of a second longer to process what he's seeing.
A mug lies shattered on the floor. The pieces are scattered unevenly, some larger, some reduced to sharp fragments that catch the light at odd angles. A dark stain spreads beneath them, long since dried, its edges faintly dull against the tile. It's been there for a while.
Leon doesn't move. His attention fixes on it, sharp and unblinking, his mind beginning to assemble the details whether he wants it to or not. The position. The spread. The way the pieces fell. You dropped the mug. You didn't set it down or knock it over. You dropped it. His mind is already working, already assembling the sequence of events in the only way it knows how, reconstructing motion from stillness, cause from aftermath.
His gaze shifts, slow and deliberate, tracing the subtle disruption in the room. The chair. The scuff along the floor. The angle of it was just slightly off, like it had been forced back rather than pulled. There's no sign of a prolonged struggle, nothing overturned, nothing chaotic. Whatever happened here was quick. His realization settles somewhere deep, heavy, and unwelcome.
Leon exhales quietly, the sound barely audible, and steps further into the kitchen. His boots avoid the larger shards without thought, his path instinctively careful as his attention moves beyond the obvious, searching for what doesn't immediately stand out. That's where the truth usually hides.
His fingers brush lightly along the edge of the counter as he passes, grounding, steadying, before his gaze catches on something near the sink. At first, it doesn't register as anything unusual. Just another piece of the kitchen, another detail in a space he knows well enough to navigate in the dark. But something about it holds his attention a second longer than it should.
Leon steps closer, his expression tightening almost imperceptibly as the details come into focus. It's a casing. Metal, cylindrical, no larger than his thumb. Clean. Intact. Deliberately set, not dropped or discarded.
He doesn't touch it immediately. Instead, he studies it, his gaze narrowing as recognition begins to surface, slow and unwelcome. The design is subtle, almost unremarkable to anyone who doesn't know what they're looking for. No obvious markings, no bright identifiers.
But Leon knows better. He's seen something like this before. His hand moves then, precise and controlled, fingers closing around the casing with practiced care. It's lighter than it looks. His thumb turns it slightly, just enough for the faint etching along its side to catch the light. It's small. Nearly invisible unless you're looking for it. Not exactly Umbrella's symbol, but something newer, built from the debris.
Leon's jaw tightens, a muscle in his cheek flickering once as the last piece slides into place. This wasn't random. It wasn't a break-in. It wasn't chance, or opportunity, or someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. This was deliberate, targeted, and whoever did it wanted him to know.
The air in the room feels different now, heavier, like the walls themselves are closing in around the realization. Leon's grip on the casing tightens just slightly before he forces it to ease, control reasserting itself with practiced precision. Emotion can come later.
Right now, he needs clarity. He sets the casing back down exactly where he found it, careful not to disturb its position any more than necessary, and reaches for his phone. The motion is smooth and efficient, his mind already several steps ahead, pulling threads together and mapping out what comes next.
There are only a handful of people in the world who would leave something like this behind. Fewer still would dare to use it as a message.
The phone rings once. Twice.
Leon's gaze drifts back to the shattered mug on the floor, to the silence that's settled into every corner of the house, and for a brief moment, something flickers beneath the surface. It's cold and dangerous, leaving no room for panic.
The line clicks, and he wastes no time. "I need everything you have on Victor Gideon."
THREE HOURS EARLIER
The quiet in the house isn't unsettling. It settles around you like something familiar, something earned after a long day, the kind of silence that doesn't press too heavily but instead exists in soft layers. The lamp in the living room casts a warm, golden glow that pools gently over the couch and the edges of the coffee table, leaving the rest of the house in a comfortable dimness. Outside, the night has already taken hold, the world reduced to distant sounds that barely reach you, a passing car, the faint whisper of wind brushing against the windows, nothing that demands your attention.
You sit curled into the corner of the couch, one leg tucked beneath you, a book open in your hands. The pages shift slightly under your fingers as you read, though your focus drifts more than it settles. Your eyes move across the lines, but the words don't always stay with you, slipping away as your thoughts circle back to the same place they've been returning to all evening. You glance at the clock without fully meaning to, then back down at the page, then toward the door, a quiet, unconscious pattern that repeats itself before you even realize you're doing it.
Sometimes he doesn't have a chance to tell you he's going to be late. You knew that. You told yourself you wouldn't wait up this time. But here you are.
A small breath leaves you, something softer than a sigh, as you tilt your head back against the couch cushion. The book dips slightly in your hands, your thumb still marking your place even as your attention drifts completely away from it. It's not worry that keeps you awake, not exactly. You're used to this part of his life, the late nights, the unpredictability, the quiet spaces between when he leaves and when he comes back. It doesn't scare you the way it might have once. Not anymore. But that doesn't mean you don't feel it.
You sit up a little straighter after a moment, closing the book carefully and setting it aside on the table. The room feels just a touch too quiet now, the kind of quiet that makes you aware of your own breathing, your own movement, the small sounds that would normally go unnoticed. Your gaze drifts again, this time lingering on the front door, as if you could will it to open just by watching it long enough.
You push yourself up from the couch instead, the fabric shifting softly beneath you as your feet meet the cool floor. You fix the pillow in the corner of the couch, pushing it back and fluffing it up. The movement feels natural, easy, like slipping into a routine you didn't realize you'd already decided on. If you're going to stay up, you might as well make it count for something.
The kitchen light clicks on with a soft snap, brightening the space in an instant. The contrast from the dim living room is enough to pull you fully into the present, your surroundings sharpening into focus as you move further in. Everything is where it should be. Clean counters. Familiar shapes. The quiet hum of appliances that fill the silence just enough to keep it from feeling empty.
The coffee maker hums to life as you set it going, the low, steady sound filling the room in a way that makes it feel less still. You lean lightly against the counter while you wait, arms folding loosely as your gaze drifts again, unfocused now, pulled back into thought.
You wonder how the mission went. Whether it was one of the easier ones or something that left its mark in quieter ways. Leon never comes back unchanged, not really. Even on the good days, there's always something lingering beneath the surface, something in the way he holds himself, the way his eyes settle on things just a second longer than they should. You've learned to read those details over time, to understand them without needing him to explain.
Your expression softens without you realizing it. You'll see it the moment he walks through the door. You always do. And you'll meet him there, the way you always do. Sometimes with quiet, sometimes with warmth, sometimes with both. It's never something you plan out, never something you rehearse. It just happens, instinctively, the same way breathing does.
The coffee maker clicks softly as it finishes, the sound pulling you gently back into the present. You reach for the mug, wrapping your hands around it as the heat seeps into your skin, steady and grounding. For a moment, you just stand there, letting the warmth settle into your palms, letting the quiet exist around you again.
Your gaze drifts toward the doorway, toward the darker stretch of the hallway beyond it, and a faint smile touches your lips, subtle enough that you barely notice it. "C'mon," you murmur under your breath, your voice soft in the stillness. "You're taking too long."
You hear a soft tick against the window, like maybe a branch in the wind tapping against the glass. You look over, a weird feeling pooling in your stomach. At first, it's just a feeling, a subtle shift that brushes against your awareness without fully forming into thought.
You straighten a little, your fingers tightening just slightly around the mug as your gaze moves across the kitchen. Everything looks the same. Nothing has changed. The counters are clean. The light is steady. The space is exactly as you left it. And yet, the feeling lingers.
You listen more closely this time, your attention sharpening as you try to pinpoint what caused it. For a moment, there's nothing. Just the quiet hum of the house, the faint buzz of electricity, the soft settling of something far away.
Another sound. It's faint. Quick. Easy to miss if you weren't already paying attention.
Your head turns toward it immediately, your brows knitting slightly as your pulse gives a small, unexpected jump. "Leon?" you call, the name leaving you instinctively, hope threading through it before you can stop it.
The silence that answers is immediate.
Your grip tightens around the mug, the heat suddenly too noticeable, too sharp against your skin as your awareness shifts, sharpening into something more alert. "Hello?" you try again, quieter now, your voice carrying less distance, less certainty.
No response. But the silence has changed. It isn't empty anymore. It feels occupied. Your breath slows, shallow without you meaning it to be, as your eyes move carefully across the room, tracking shadows, edges, the negative space between things. Your body has gone still, instinct taking over in a way your mind hasn't quite caught up with yet.
There's a presence here. You can't see it. But you can feel it. A subtle awareness presses at the back of your neck, a quiet, unmistakable certainty that settles in before you can rationalize it away. You're not alone.
The realization doesn't come all at once. It unfolds slowly, like something being revealed piece by piece, each second stretching just long enough to let it sink deeper. Your heart picks up, not racing yet, but faster, heavier, each beat more noticeable than the last.
You take a small step back without thinking, your fingers brushing against the edge of the counter as if anchoring yourself to something solid. The kitchen suddenly feels too open, too exposed, every angle unfamiliar in a way it never has before.
There's a shift behind you, closer this time, unmistakable. Your breath catches as you start to turn, instinct finally overriding hesitation. But you don't get to finish turning.
The movement behind you is faster than your body can react to, faster than your mind can process, a sudden shift in the air that collapses the space between awareness and action into nothing. One second you're standing there, breath caught somewhere between instinct and realization, and the next there's a hand on you, firm and unyielding.
It clamps around your arm and wrenches you backward with a force that steals the ground out from under your feet. The world tilts sharply, your balance gone before you can even try to recover it. The counter digs briefly into your hip as you're pulled away from it, your body twisting on instinct, a startled breath tearing from your chest before you can stop it.
The mug slips from your hand. You don't feel it leave your fingers so much as realize it's gone, the warmth vanishing in an instant as gravity takes over. There's a split second where it hangs in the air, suspended between what was and what's about to happen.
Then it shatters. The sound is sharp. Violent in the quiet. Ceramic breaking against tile in a way that feels far too loud, far too final, the pieces scattering outward in a jagged arc as dark liquid splashes and spreads across the floor. It happens in the background of everything else, but it sticks, imprinting itself in your mind even as everything around you spirals out of control.
Your hands come up instinctively, grabbing at the arm holding you, fingers digging in as you try to twist free, your breath coming faster now, sharper. "Hey!" The word breaks out of you, half-formed, more reflex than intention, your voice catching as your body fights to regain control.
It doesn't work. The grip on you tightens, not frantic, not rushed, but controlled in a way that's somehow worse. Whoever is behind you knows exactly what they're doing. There's no hesitation in the movement, no wasted motion, just precision.
Your shoulder is forced back, your balance shifting again as your heel catches against the tile. For a brief, disorienting second, your gaze catches on the floor, on the shattered remains of the mug, on the dark stain already beginning to spread outward between the pieces.
Your heart is pounding harder now, the rhythm uneven, loud in your ears as adrenaline begins to surge, your thoughts scrambling to catch up with what's happening. You're not confused anymore. This is real, and this is happening to you.
You try again to pull free, your other hand coming up, reaching back, searching for anything you can grab onto, anything you can use. Your fingers brush fabric, then something harder beneath it, but before you can react, before you can even see, something presses against your face.
A cloth, rough and sudden. Your breath catches as the smell hits you, sharp and chemical, unfamiliar and immediately wrong. You jerk back on instinct, your body reacting before your mind can fully understand it, but the hold on you doesn't falter; it tightens.
Your lungs burn as you try not to breathe it in, your head turning sharply to the side, your movements desperate now, less controlled. Your hands come up again, grabbing, pushing, nails digging into anything they can find as panic begins to break through the edges of your control.
"Stop—" The word comes out strained, uneven, your voice already weakening as the world tilts again, the edges of your vision beginning to blur.
The room starts to slip, the sharp lines of the kitchen softening, distorting at the edges as your strength begins to falter. Your movements slow, not by choice, but because your body is betraying you, your limbs growing heavier with each passing second.
Your gaze drops again, unfocused now, catching one last glimpse of the floor. The shattered mug. The spreading stain. A moment frozen in place, already turning into something that will be left behind.
Your chest tightens as you try to pull in one more clean breath, but it doesn't come the way it should. Everything feels distant, like you're being pulled away from it piece by piece, your awareness slipping no matter how hard you fight to hold onto it.
The last thing you feel is the grip on you shifting, steady, controlled, as your body gives in. The last thing you hear is the quiet sound of movement in the house that was never empty, and then nothing.
Consciousness doesn't return in a clean, merciful line. It comes apart and back together in fragments, thin slivers of awareness pushing through a heavy, resistant fog that clings to you no matter how hard your body tries to surface. At first, there's no sense of where you are, no clear thought to anchor to, only sensation. A dull, distant awareness of your own weight presses against something solid beneath you, your limbs feeling slow and unresponsive, as though they belong to someone else entirely. There's a strange disconnect between intention and movement, like the signal is there but the response is delayed, muffled.
Sound finds you next, seeping in gradually rather than arriving all at once. A low, mechanical hum settles into your awareness, steady and unwavering, its presence so constant it almost feels like part of you rather than something external. It doesn't fluctuate or shift in tone. It simply exists, filling the silence in a way that makes the space feel controlled, contained. Beneath it, there's something softer, less predictable, a faint, irregular noise that might be water or machinery or something else entirely. It's too distant to identify, but close enough to remind you that you're not in a place meant for comfort.
Your breathing deepens unevenly as your body begins to catch up, each inhale dragging in air that feels heavier than it should, as though it carries a weight your lungs don't quite know how to process. Your chest rises a little too quickly, then steadies, then falters again as your system struggles to find a rhythm that feels natural.
When your eyes finally open, the light doesn't welcome you. It hits too harshly at first, blurring your vision into indistinct shapes and washed-out edges that refuse to settle into anything recognizable. You blink slowly, your lashes dragging as if even that small movement requires more effort than it should. The second attempt is steadier, your vision beginning to sharpen in reluctant increments until the ceiling above you comes into focus.
It's all wrong. That realization settles almost immediately, cutting clean through the haze with a clarity that feels almost jarring. The surface above you is smooth and industrial, broken only by faint seams that run in measured lines across it. A light fixture is embedded neatly overhead, its glow sterile and uninviting, casting illumination that feels functional rather than warm. There is no softness to it, no variation. It simply exists to reveal.
Your stomach tightens. Memory doesn't return gently. It forces its way in, sharp and fragmented, each piece colliding with the next in a way that leaves no room for denial. The kitchen. The quiet. The shift in the air. The hand. The smell. The mug.
Your breath catches, the reaction immediate and involuntary as your body attempts to respond before your mind can fully process. You try to sit up, the movement sudden, instinctive, driven by a need to orient yourself, to do something. The world tilts in response, your equilibrium failing you for a split second as your muscles protest the motion. A wave of dizziness pulls at the edges of your vision, the room threatening to slip out of focus again as your body struggles to cooperate.
Something stops you. The resistance is immediate, firm enough to halt your movement without jerking you back. It takes a second for your mind to catch up, for your gaze to drop and register what your body has already begun to understand.
Your wrists are bound. The realization lands heavy and cold, your pulse spiking in response as your hands instinctively pull against the restraint. The movement is quick, uncoordinated, driven more by reflex than thought, but the result is immediate and unchanging. There's no give, they're tight, and hold you down exactly like they're supposed to.
You slow, not because you want to, but because you have to, your breathing sharpening as you force yourself to look more closely. The material is unfamiliar, smooth against your skin but unyielding beneath your grip. It is not rope, not anything improvised or hastily applied. It feels intentional and manufactured. Meant to hold without question.
Your fingers flex against it again, more deliberately this time, searching for a shift, for anything, any weakness in its structure. There are none.
A slow breath moves through you, deeper this time, though it still catches slightly at the end as your chest tightens. Panic presses at the edges of your awareness, sharp and insistent, but it doesn't overtake you. Not yet anyway. You hold it there, contained, forcing yourself to focus on what you can control instead of what you can't.
The room is small, but not claustrophobic. Contained in a way that feels deliberate rather than accidental. The walls match the ceiling, the same sterile material, seamless and uninterrupted. There are no windows, no variation in texture or color, nothing to suggest time or place. The space feels isolated, cut off from anything beyond it.
Across from you, a door is set into the wall. It's solid, featureless from your side, with no visible handle or mechanism to open it. It blends almost too well into its surroundings, as though it is meant to go unnoticed until it becomes relevant.
Your shoulders tense slightly as your gaze drops again, taking in your position more carefully now. Your arms are secured in front of you rather than behind, which feels intentional in a way you don't like. It allows for movement, but not freedom. It gives the illusion of control while ensuring you have none.
A slow, measured breath fills your lungs as you force your body to settle, your thoughts beginning to align despite the lingering fog. You swallow, your throat dry, the motion grounding in its simplicity.
"Think..." you whisper, barely audible.
You piece it together as best you can, working backward from what you know. You were at home. You were waiting. You were safe until you weren't. The shift from one to the other had been fast. Too fast to fully process, too controlled to have been random. Whoever took you knew what they were doing. There had been no hesitation and no fumbling.
Your chest tightens again, thinking of Leon. The thought of him lands heavier than anything else, threading through the fear and the confusion with a sharp, undeniable weight. He wasn't there. He didn't see it happen. He doesn't know where you are. But one thing is certain, he'll know something is wrong. He'll know it the second he sees the porch lights off and the shattered mug.
Your eyes close briefly, not in defeat, but in focus, as you draw in another slow breath. He'll see it and he'll understand. And when he does he'll come looking.
The thought isn't really hopeful in the way you might expect. It's not fragile or uncertain either. It's something you hold onto without question. He will come.
Your eyes open again, sharper now, your awareness settling into something more controlled, more deliberate. Your gaze moves across the room once more, but this time with purpose, taking in every detail, every possible variable: the walls, the door, the light, the sound.
You're not safe. But you're not helpless. And whoever brought you here? They made one simple mistake, and that was taking you away from Leon.
The kitchen doesn't change. Even as Leon steps back, even as he forces himself to take in the full space again from a distance, nothing shifts, nothing rearranges itself into something easier to accept. The shattered ceramic still litters the floor in the same uneven arc, the dried coffee staining the tile in a way that speaks too clearly of time passed. The chair remains slightly out of place, the scuff mark near its leg catching the light just enough to make it impossible to ignore.
Everything is exactly as it was. And that's the problem. Leon's gaze moves slowly, deliberately, retracing the scene with sharper focus now that the initial shock has burned away into something colder. He doesn't rush. He never does. Every detail matters, and he knows better than to miss something because he moved too fast. His eyes track the path of disruption, from the counter to the floor, from the chair to the empty space where you should be.
He reconstructs it without thinking.
You were standing here. The mug in your hand. The machine still warm, recently used. You hadn't been waiting long. Maybe you were thinking about him, maybe you were distracted, maybe you didn't hear the first movement behind you. That's when the contact must have happened.
The mug drops. Shatters. You don't get the chance to react properly before you're already being restrained. There's no sign of prolonged struggle, which means whoever took you didn't need one. They knew exactly how to handle it. How to end it before it could escalate. All signs point to Victor.
Leon's jaw tightens slightly, the muscle flickering once as the image settles into place.
Staying won't give him anything new.
Finding you will.
He moves with purpose now, the transition so clean it almost feels like a switch has been flipped somewhere beneath the surface. The part of him that came home, the part that allowed himself to think about warmth, about rest, about you waiting on the couch, is gone. What's left is sharper, focused. Built for this, but wishing it wasn't you he was looking for.
"I need everything you have on Victor Gideon." Leon says, his tone even, stripped of anything unnecessary. There's no hesitation in it, no lead-in, no explanation offered before the request.
"That's not a name you drop casually," Hunnigan replies, quietly. "What happened?"
Leon steps out of the kitchen as he speaks, his gaze sweeping once through the living room, not searching anymore, just confirming. The space feels wrong now in a way that can't be fixed, the absence too loud to ignore.
"She's gone."
Hunnigan doesn't respond right away. He can hear it in the silence, the shift from listening to processing, the moment where this stops being a call and becomes a situation.
"When?" she asks.
"Within the last few hours," Leon answers, already moving toward the door. His free hand reaches for his jacket without looking, pulling it back on in one smooth motion. "It was a surprise attack."
"You're sure it's him."
Again, not a question.
Leon's expression doesn't change, but something in his posture tightens, something subtle that only shows if you know where to look. "I'm sure."
There's the faint sound of keys on the other end, fast and efficient, the rhythm of someone digging through things that aren't meant to be found easily. Leon steps outside as she works, the cool air hitting him again, sharper now, more grounding. The quiet of the neighborhood hasn't changed, but it feels different to him now, like a layer has been stripped back.
"Gideon's been buried for years," Hunnigan says after a moment, her voice threading through the line with a tighter edge. "Everything tied to Project Elpis was wiped or sealed. Official channels won't give us much."
"I don't need official," Leon replies, already moving toward his car. His steps are quick but controlled, each one placed with intent. "I need what slipped through."
"You'll have it," she says. There's no hesitation there, no pushback. She knows how this goes. "Give me a few minutes. I'll start with old Umbrella splinter data and see what overlaps."
Leon opens the car door but doesn't get in right away. His hand rests briefly against the frame, his gaze lifting toward the dark stretch of road ahead, his mind already moving beyond this moment, beyond this place.
"Leon," Hunnigan adds, her tone shifting just slightly. Not softer, but more deliberate. "If Gideon's involved, this isn't just leverage. He doesn't operate like that."
Leon's grip tightens almost imperceptibly against the door. "I know." Which means this isn't just about taking you. It's about using you.
The thought settles in without resistance, cold and immediate, but it doesn't derail him. It sharpens him further, narrows his focus into something that doesn't leave room for hesitation.
"I'll send you anything I find," Hunnigan continues. "Locations, contacts, even rumors. But Leon... don't disappear on me."
He exhales quietly, the sound barely audible over the line, more a release of breath than anything else. "I won't."
The line goes silent, an understanding quiet from Hunnigan as she works on her end. She'll dig, pull threads, and find what she can. Leon doesn't wait for it to be enough. He gets into the car, the engine turning over with a low, steady sound that cuts clean through the stillness. His hands settle on the wheel, familiar, steady, but there's a difference now in the way he holds it, a tension that wasn't there before, something coiled beneath the surface.
The car pulls out of the driveway, tires rolling over pavement with quiet intent as the house disappears behind him, shrinking into the dark like something already past. Somewhere out there, you're still breathing, and Leon is going to make sure it stays that way.
Time doesn't move the way it should in a place like this. It stretches, folds in on itself, becomes something difficult to measure without anything familiar to anchor it. The steady hum in the room never changes, never rises or falls, and without windows or shifting light, there is no natural rhythm to follow. You're left with your own breathing, your own thoughts, the subtle shifts in your body as the only markers that time is passing at all.
You've tried to count it. At first, it felt like something you could control, something to hold onto. Seconds stacking into minutes, minutes into something longer, a quiet attempt to impose order onto a place that clearly wasn't designed to have any. But the effort didn't last. Your focus slipped, your thoughts pulled elsewhere, and somewhere along the way, the numbers stopped meaning anything.
Now, you rely on smaller things. The way the air feels against your skin. The slight stiffness settling into your shoulders. The faint dryness in your throat that comes and goes in waves. They're not precise, but they're real, and right now that's enough.
You shift slightly where you sit, the movement careful, deliberate, testing the limits of what the restraints allow without drawing unnecessary strain. They haven't loosened. Not even slightly. Whatever they're made of, whatever mechanism holds them in place, it was designed with intention, with the expectation that resistance would come.
Your gaze drifts across the room again, slower now, more practiced. The walls haven't changed. The door remains closed, silent, offering nothing in the way of clues. There are no seams visible from this side, no indication of how or when it might open. The light overhead continues its steady, sterile glow, unchanging, indifferent.
It would be easy to let the stillness get to you. Easy to let your thoughts spiral, to fill the silence with fear, with everything you don't know, everything you can't control. The uncertainty presses at the edges, persistent, waiting for an opening.
Leon is still on your mind. But the thoughts come quieter than before. You picture him the way you last saw him, not physically, but in memory, in the small details that always stick. The way he moves when he's tired but trying not to show it. The way his voice softens just slightly when he's talking to you, even if he doesn't realize it. Surely he's on his way by now. He has to be looking for you already.
A sound breaks through your thoughts. It's subtle, like a door somewhere else in the building closing. Your body stills instinctively, your breathing slowing as your focus sharpens, every sense narrowing toward the source.
It's nearly silent, the kind of movement designed not to draw attention, but you feel it more than you hear it. A faint change in pressure, a slight adjustment in the air as the seam of the door separates just enough to allow it to open.
The light in the hallway beyond is dimmer, cooler, casting a muted contrast against the sterile brightness of the room. A figure steps through it, their movement unhurried and controlled, immediately setting the tone of the space. He's in no rush. And he probably doesn't need to be.
The door closes behind him with the same quiet precision, sealing the room again as if it had never opened at all. Your gaze lifts to meet him fully now, your posture tightening despite your effort to remain composed. Every instinct in your body sharpens at once, awareness spiking as you take him in.
There's nothing subtle about the wrongness of him. He stands just within the light, and it reveals too much all at once. His frame is tall but uneven in a way that isn't immediately obvious until you look closer, his posture held upright with deliberate control rather than natural ease. The long coat he wears hangs heavily from his shoulders, patterned and textured in a way that feels almost ornamental at a distance, but up close only adds to the sense that everything about him has been chosen with intention rather than comfort.
His skin is the first thing that truly settles in. It's pale, but not in any natural sense of the word. The color sits wrong, stretched thin across his face and neck with a texture that looks almost brittle, as if it might crack under pressure. Faint, branching lines run beneath the surface, subtle but visible, like fractures that were never meant to heal properly. They trace along his jaw, disappear beneath the collar of his coat, and reappear again near his mouth, where they pull slightly when he speaks, distorting the movement just enough to make it feel off.
Your focus shifts higher to his eyes. Or what's been done to them. Metal curves along his temple and cheek, anchoring multiple lenses over one eye, each one different in size, each catching the light in a way that makes it impossible to tell where he's actually looking. One lens glows faintly, a dull, artificial point of red that remains steady even as he moves, unblinking, unchanging.
"You're awake," he says finally.
Your jaw tightens slightly, but you don't respond immediately. You hold his gaze instead, steady despite the tension coiling beneath your ribs, refusing to give him anything more than what he can already see.
He takes a step closer. Then another. Each one is deliberate, controlled, the distance between you closing in a way that feels calculated rather than threatening. He stops just outside your reach, his attention never leaving you, his expression unchanged.
"Good," he continues, as if confirming something to himself rather than speaking to you directly. "That makes this easier."
Your fingers curl slightly against the restraint, the motion subtle, controlled, as your mind begins to work again, piecing together what you can from what little you've been given.
"Where am I?" you ask, your voice steady despite the dryness in your throat.
He doesn't answer right away. Instead, his gaze shifts briefly, taking in your position, the restraints, the room, as if reviewing something already familiar. When his attention returns to you, there's something faintly different in it now. Interest.
"That's not the question you should be asking," he replies. A small pause follows, just long enough to make the silence feel intentional. "You should be asking why."
Your stomach tightens, but your expression doesn't change. You don't give him the satisfaction of a reaction, even as the weight of his words settles in. Because he's right. You know as well as he does that this was planned.
His head tilts slightly, studying you in a way that feels less like observation and more like evaluation, as though he's measuring something you can't see.
"Tell me," he says, his tone still calm, still clinical. "How long do you think it will take him to find you?"
Your breath steadies, your shoulders squaring just slightly as you meet his gaze without hesitation.
"...Not long," you answer.
For the first time, something shifts in his expression. It isn't a smile, but it's damn close.
"Good," he says quietly. "Maybe he will enjoy this show."
Even as every instinct in your body urges you to, even as the weight of his attention presses heavier with each passing second, you hold your gaze steady. There's something instinctive about it, something that refuses to give him more than he already has. If he's studying you, measuring you, the least you can do is make sure what he sees isn't fear.
His head tilts slightly, the movement small, almost thoughtful, as though he's adjusting his perspective rather than reacting to anything you've done. The lenses over his eye catch the light as he shifts, reflecting it in fractured pieces that make it impossible to track where his focus truly settles.
"Confidence," he says quietly, more to himself than to you. "Interesting."
The word doesn't sound like praise. It sounds like a note he says out loud.
Your fingers tighten slightly against the restraint, the motion subtle, controlled, your body grounding itself in something physical as your mind continues to work. Every word he says matters. Every reaction, every pause. You don't know what he's looking for yet, but you can feel the structure of it, the way this interaction isn't random. It's being observed.
"People tend to default to fear in unfamiliar environments," he continues, his tone calm, measured in a way that never rises or falls enough to offer you anything to read. "It's efficient. Predictable. Useful, in its own way."
He takes another step closer, closing what little distance remains between you. Not enough to invade your space completely, but enough that you can see the fine details more clearly now, the unnatural texture of his skin, the faint pull of those fractured lines when he speaks, the stillness of him that never quite resolves into something human.
"You didn't," he adds.
You don't respond immediately. Your throat is still dry, your body still adjusting, but your mind is sharper now than it was when you first woke up. You weigh your words before you let them go, not out of fear, but out of instinct.
"I don't know what you want yet," you say finally, your voice steady despite the tension coiled beneath it. "Seems like a waste to panic before I do."
There's a pause. It stretches just long enough to feel intentional, to make you aware of the silence again, of the hum threading through it, of the way his attention sharpens just slightly in response.
"Efficiency through restraint," he murmurs, almost thoughtfully. "You're already adapting."
Your chest tightens slightly at that, the implication settling in before you can stop it. This isn't just a conversation. It never was. Every response, every choice you make, is feeding into something larger, something you still can't fully see.
"You're trying to understand the situation before reacting to it," he says. "That's... uncommon, given the circumstances." Another small pause. "Encouraging."
Your jaw tightens, but you don't let it show beyond that. You don't give him the reaction he might be looking for, even as your mind starts connecting pieces you didn't want to consider.
Encouraging. Not for you. For him.
"For what?" you ask, the question leaving you before you can stop it, quieter than before but no less steady.
This time, he doesn't answer immediately. His gaze shifts, not away from you, but through you, as if he's considering how much to say, how much to reveal. When his focus settles again, there's that same faint edge of interest behind it, something clinical and precise.
"You're not here by accident," he says. "Of course, I'm sure you've noticed that already."
Your breath slows, just slightly, your body stilling in a way that has nothing to do with the restraints. He knows you knew that already. You felt it the moment you woke up, the moment everything about this place told you it had been planned.
"That still doesn't explain why." Another pause, longer this time.
He studies you in silence, the kind that feels less like hesitation and more like calibration, as though he's deciding how to frame something in a way that serves his purpose best. When he speaks again, his voice hasn't changed, but the weight behind it has.
"Your physiology is unusual," he says, the words chosen carefully, deliberately. "Your system doesn't respond the way it should. Exposure markers without degradation. Cellular stress without collapse. You maintain equilibrium where others don't."
Your stomach drops. You don't interrupt him, but your mind begins to run wild.
"You've been exposed before," he continues, his voice lowering just enough to feel more precise, more deliberate. "Not directly. Not in a controlled environment. But enough to register. Enough for your body to adapt."
"That's why you were viable," he continues, stepping just slightly closer again, close enough now that there's no distance left to soften the details of him. "Your body doesn't reject. It regulates. That makes you exceptionally useful."
"And Leon?" you ask before you can stop yourself, the question slipping through the cracks of your control, quieter now, edged with something you don't fully let surface.
His gaze sharpens just slightly. The reaction is immediate, though subtle, the kind you would miss if you weren't already watching for it. For the first time since he entered the room, his focus shifts in a way that feels more deliberate, more precise.
"Ah," he says softly. He's not surprised. "So that's where your thoughts go."
Your chest tightens, but you don't look away. You won't give him that. He watches you for another moment, that same quiet assessment settling back into place before he continues.
"He is not the reason you're here," he says. "He is the reason this works."
The distinction is small, but it changes everything. Your breath catches, just slightly, the meaning threading through his words before you can fully stop it. This isn't about leverage. Not in the way you expected. Not in the way it should be. This is something else.
"You're measuring him," you say, the realization forming as you speak it, your voice quieter now, more focused. "Through me."
That almost-smile returns faintly.
"Not just him," he replies. "Both of you."
The room feels smaller now. Tighter, like the walls have shifted inward without actually moving.
"You are the constant," he continues, his tone returning to that same calm, clinical cadence. "He is the variable. Time, distance, stress. All measurable. All predictable to a degree."
Another pause.
"But what interests me," he adds, his gaze settling fully on you again, "is where those predictions fail."
The hum in the room seems louder now, but maybe you're just more aware of it, more aware of everything. Whatever this is, it didn't start when you woke up. It started without your knowledge, without Leon's knowledge, long before this kidnapping.
The road stretches forward in a long, unbroken line, disappearing into darkness that feels thicker the further it goes. The headlights carve a narrow path through it, illuminating just enough of what's ahead to keep moving, but never enough to feel certain about what comes next. It's the kind of drive Leon has made countless times before, late hours, empty roads, the quiet space between one mission and the next. Usually, it gives him time to think, to let the tension settle, to put distance between what happened and what comes after.
Tonight, though, it does none of that.
The engine hums steadily beneath his hands, the vibration traveling up through the steering wheel and settling into his arms, a constant, grounding presence that does little to ease the pressure building in his chest. His grip is firm, controlled, but tighter than it needs to be, the leather faintly creaking under his fingers before he forces it to relax again. His gaze stays locked on the road ahead, sharp and unwavering, but his mind isn't there.
It keeps going back to the house, the silence, the space you were supposed to be when he came through the door. He's already reconstructed it more times than he can count, every detail, every shift, every second leading up to the moment you were taken. Not because he doubts what happened, but because that's how he works. He breaks things down until there's nothing left to question, nothing left to guess.
But there's still something missing. A gap he can't quite fill yet. And until he does, everything feels slightly out of reach.
His phone cuts through the silence. The sound is sharp against the steady hum of the engine, immediate and unwelcome, and Leon answers it without hesitation, his thumb moving across the screen before the second ring can finish.
"Talk to me."
On the other end, Hunnigan wastes no time. There's a tightness in her voice that wasn't there before, something controlled but unmistakable, the kind of tone she uses when what she's about to say matters more than the way she says it.
"I found something," she says. "But you're not going to like it."
Leon's expression doesn't change, but his attention sharpens, narrowing further as his grip adjusts slightly on the wheel. "Start talking."
There's a faint pause, the quiet sound of keys in the background as she pulls something up, cross-checking even as she speaks.
"I went back through what's left of the Elpis records," she says. "Most of it's been scrubbed, but there are fragments, overlapping data sets that didn't get fully erased. Personnel logs, incident reports, civilian exposure lists."
Leon's jaw tightens just slightly. "Get to it."
"Your wife's name is in one of the files."
Leon doesn't respond immediately. His grip tightens without permission, the leather pressing back against his palm before he forces his hand to ease again.
"That's not possible," he says finally, his voice low and even, but there's something under it now. Not disbelief.
"It shouldn't be," Hunnigan replies. "But it is."
The silence that follows stretches just long enough to make it feel heavier than it should.
"There was an incident," she continues. "Years ago. Small-scale containment breach tied to an off-site Elpis facility. It never went public. No major outbreak, no media coverage. It was contained quickly and buried even faster."
Leon's eyes flick briefly to the side, catching his own reflection in the mirror for a fraction of a second before returning to the road. His focus splits, part of him still driving, the rest already moving through what she's saying, fitting it into something that makes sense.
"Location?" he says.
"I'm sending it," she replies. "But listen first."
He doesn't interrupt again.
"There was a civilian exposure list," she says. "People in proximity to the breach. Most of them showed standard symptoms. Some didn't survive. A handful were flagged for follow-up monitoring and she was on that list."
The confirmation settles into him slowly, like something sinking deeper the longer it stays there. It doesn't hit all at once. It builds, piece by piece, until there's no space left to ignore it.
"She never told me," Leon says.
The words are quiet, more to himself than to her, but they carry weight all the same.
Hunnigan exhales softly on the other end. "She might not have known the full extent of it," she says. "Or it was downplayed. Low-risk exposure, no visible symptoms, something they monitor quietly and then classify out of relevance."
Leon's jaw shifts, tension settling in his shoulders as he processes that. It doesn't sit right. None of it does. "Define monitored."
"Periodic evaluations," Hunnigan answers. "Bloodwork, cellular scans, long-term observation. Nothing invasive on record, but enough to track irregularities."
Irregularities.
"What kind?" Leon asks.
There's the sound of keys again, faster this time. "Adaptive response markers," she says. "Her system didn't react the way it should have. No degradation, no instability. It just stabilized. Balanced itself out."
Leon's grip tightens again before he reins it in, the motion controlled but deliberate. The road ahead blurs slightly at the edges, not from distraction, but from the weight of what's settling into place.
"She was exposed," he says, the words quieter now, more grounded.
"Yes."
"And he knows."
"That's the part we can't ignore," Hunnigan replies. "If Gideon has access to those records, or if he's been tracking survivors from that incident, then this wasn't random."
Leon doesn't need her to finish. He already understands.
"There's more," she says after a moment. "The facility tied to that breach... it was never fully decommissioned. Officially, it was abandoned. Unofficially, there are signs of recent activity. Power draws. Data pings. Someone's been using it."
Leon's focus sharpens instantly, something locking into place with quiet certainty. "Send everything."
"I just did."
The phone vibrates in his hand, the incoming data lighting the screen briefly. He glances at it just long enough to confirm coordinates, then looks back to the road, his path already adjusting in his mind before the turn even comes into view.
"If her biology is what we think it is, then she's not just leverage."
Leon cuts her off, his voice sharper this time, but not raised. "I know what she is."
There's a brief silence after that, not tense, just understood. Because to him, none of that changes the only thing that matters. You're still you.
"Be careful," Hunnigan says quietly.
Leon doesn't respond. Instead, his foot presses down on the accelerator, the car surging forward just slightly as the dark road stretches ahead, no longer empty, no longer uncertain. Now it leads somewhere. All that's left is direction. Somewhere at the end of it is you.
Gideon's hand doesn't move quickly. There is no rush in him, no sudden motion that might trigger instinct before thought. Everything he does is measured, deliberate, as if even the timing has already been calculated. His fingers close around your wrist with quiet precision, the contact firm enough to hold, but not forceful enough to bruise. It's control without struggle, restraint without effort.
Your shoulders tense, your muscles tightening instinctively as your other hand pulls once against the restraint before you force it still again. You don't give him more than that.
"Try to remain still," he says, his voice low, even, not unkind but entirely without comfort. "Movement interferes with consistency."
Instead, you focus on the pressure of his hand, on the grounding weight of it, on the way your breathing moves in and out of your chest as you force it to slow. You tell yourself to watch. To remember. If this is happening, then it matters how.
His other hand comes into view. A small device rests between his fingers, compact and precise, more clinical than threatening at first glance. The casing is metallic, clean, designed for efficiency rather than intimidation. A narrow chamber holds a clear substance that catches the light just enough to make it visible without revealing anything about what it actually is.
Your stomach tightens. "What is that?" you ask, the question quieter than you intend, but steady enough to hold.
Gideon doesn't look at the device. He's watching you.
"A variable," he says.
Your grip tightens slightly against the restraint, your breath slowing again as you brace yourself without meaning to. Your body knows before your mind fully accepts it. There's no time to argue, no space to negotiate.
He adjusts your wrist, turning it just enough to expose the inside of your arm. A sharp, precise pressure breaks the surface of your skin. A quick, controlled intrusion that sends a reflexive jolt through your system before you can stop it. The substance pushed into your system with practiced ease before the device withdraws just as smoothly as it entered. Gideon releases your wrist immediately after, stepping back without hesitation.
You don't speak. You can't even really try. Any words dissolve somewhere between your chest and your throat as the sensation deepens, spreading through you in a way that is impossible to ignore now. What began as something subtle, something easy to question, shifts into something far more defined, far more present. Heat blooms beneath your skin, not sharp or burning, but insistent, like your body is trying to correct something it doesn't understand.
Your breathing falters, then steadies, then falters again as you try to regain control over it. Each inhale feels just slightly heavier than the last, your lungs working harder for something that should come naturally. Your shoulders tense, pulling inward without permission as your muscles react to the unfamiliar strain. It doesn't hurt but the sensation is wrong.
Your fingers curl against the restraint, tightening instinctively as your pulse begins to climb, each beat more noticeable than the last. You can feel it in your wrists, in your throat, in the space just behind your ribs, a steady, growing rhythm that feels just slightly out of sync with everything else.
You force a breath in slowly, deliberately, holding it for a second before letting it out through your nose, trying to anchor yourself to something familiar, something controlled. It works, for a moment. The sharp edge of the sensation dulls just slightly, enough to give you the illusion of stability.
Gideon watches all of it. He hasn't moved from where he stepped back, his posture unchanged, his gaze fixed on you with that same clinical precision. There's no urgency in him, no concern, only observation, as though everything happening is exactly as expected.
"Elevated response," he says quietly, almost to himself. "But contained."
The words settle into the space around you, detached and measured, like he's reading from something already written rather than reacting to what he sees.
You swallow again, your throat tightening as the heat shifts, pulling inward now, concentrating somewhere deeper in your chest. For a brief moment, it feels like your body is bracing for something worse, something sharper, something that hasn't fully arrived yet. Your shoulders draw back as you try to sit straighter, your body instinctively fighting the sensation, pushing against it rather than giving in. Your breath comes faster for a second, then you force it to slow again, dragging it back under control one piece at a time.
Another wave moves through you, stronger this time, your muscles tightening in response as the heat spreads again, this time more evenly, less chaotic. It rolls through your arms, your chest, your core, like something searching for imbalance and failing to find it.
Your brow furrows slightly.
That's new. The initial spike of discomfort doesn't escalate the way you expect it to. Instead of building into pain, it... evens out. The sharp edges smooth, the irregular rhythm of your pulse settling into something steadier, something controlled despite the foreign presence still threading through your system.
Gideon's head tilts slightly as he watches the shift happen, the lenses over his eye catching the light as he adjusts his angle just enough to follow the change more closely.
"There it is," he murmurs.
The words are quiet and they carry something like confirmation in them. You feel it too. The wrongness doesn't disappear, but it changes, becoming something your body can hold rather than something it's fighting. The heat lingers, but it no longer spikes unpredictably. Your pulse steadies, your muscles easing just slightly as the initial strain fades into something more controlled.
The realization settles in slowly, unwelcome but undeniable.
You draw in another breath, deeper this time, testing it, measuring it the same way he is. It comes easier now. Not normal, not entirely, but closer than it should be given what just happened.
"What did you do?" you ask again, your voice quieter now, steadier despite everything.
Gideon doesn't answer immediately. His gaze remains fixed on you, tracking every shift, every subtle adjustment in your posture, your breathing, your expression.
"A baseline disruptor," he says after a moment. "Something that should introduce instability."
Your jaw tightens.
"Should." His head tilts again, that same small, thoughtful motion.
"In most cases, it does," he replies. "The body rejects it. Overcompensates. Breaks equilibrium in an attempt to regain it."
His gaze sharpens just slightly. "Yours didn't."
You swallow again, your throat less dry now, your body still humming faintly with the aftereffects of whatever he introduced.
"You're watching for failure," you say, the realization forming as you speak it, your voice gaining a slight edge despite your control.
A faint shift crosses his expression again, not quite a smile, but something that acknowledges the accuracy of it. "Yes."
The answer is simple.
"And when you don't get it?" you press, your fingers tightening slightly against the restraint again, grounding yourself in something solid as your mind continues to move.
"Then I adjust," he says.
Your chest tightens again, but not from the lingering effects of whatever he gave you. This could be just the beginning. Gideon steps back slightly, creating distance again now that the immediate observation is complete. His attention doesn't leave you, but his posture shifts just enough to signal that this phase, whatever it was, has reached its conclusion.
"For now," he adds quietly, almost as an afterthought, "you stabilize."
The second time, there is no warning. You see it in the shift of his posture, in the way he reaches for the panel again with the same precision, but there's something different now. Not in his movement, or in his expression, but in the certainty that settles into the space around him.
He's no longer observing you. He's about to escalate this.
Your body tenses before he even turns back toward you, every muscle tightening instinctively as your pulse begins to climb again. The lingering effects of the first injection haven't fully faded. You can still feel it beneath your skin, that faint, controlled hum of something unfamiliar that your body has somehow contained.
Gideon steps back into your space, the device in his hand similar in shape to the first, but not identical. The chamber holds something darker this time, the liquid catching the light in a way that makes it impossible to mistake the difference.
"That one didn't break me," you say quietly, your voice steadier than you feel. "So now you're going to try harder."
He doesn't deny it. "Adjustment is necessary," he replies, his tone as calm as before. "The first response confirmed baseline stability. This will test the limits of it."
You close your eyes and think of anything else. Home. Leon. He'll be here soon, you know it. Your fingers curl against the restraints again.
"He's still a variable." Gideon adds, almost absently.
"You mean me," you say.
"No, you're the constant."
Before you can respond, before you can push back against it, his hand closes around your wrist again, firm and controlled. This time, you don't pull away. Not because you don't want to, but because you already know it won't matter.
You brace. The injection comes faster. The pressure is sharper this time, the intrusion deeper, less subtle. Your breath catches immediately, your body reacting before you can suppress it, a sharp inhale breaking through your control as your muscles tense hard against the restraint.
It hits hard. There's no delay this time, no gradual creep. The sensation floods through you all at once, a violent surge beneath your skin that feels like your body is being pulled in two different directions at the same time. Heat spikes instantly, sharper than before, not spreading evenly but crashing through your system in jagged waves that refuse to settle.
Your breath breaks. You don't mean to. You want to keep quiet, composed. But the sound tears out of you anyway, raw and uncontrolled as your back arches slightly against the chair, your muscles tightening in a way you can't stop. It hurts and it hurts deep. Your chest constricts, your lungs struggling to pull in air as your pulse spikes violently, each beat slamming harder than the last. The heat turns into something sharper, something that burns through your limbs and settles in your core, like your body is trying to reject something it can't.
You try to fight it instinctively. Your hands clench, your shoulders pulling tight as you try to force your breathing back under control, but it slips, stutters, breaks again as another wave hits. Another sound escapes, and you don't recognize it at first, then you realize it's you.
Leon continues moving in. There is no space for distraction, no room for anything beyond the task in front of him. His breathing is steady, his pulse controlled, his body moving with the kind of precision that comes from years of experience and instinct working in perfect alignment.
When he reaches the door, he waits, listens. At first he hears nothing and reaches for the handle. Just the faint hum of something internal, too low to identify clearly from outside, too consistent to ignore completely. It's the kind of sound that suggests machinery, containment, something running beneath the surface where it can't be seen.
Then he hears it. Faint, distant, but unmistakable. A sound that doesn't belong to the building. His body stills instantly, every sense sharpening as his head tilts just slightly, his focus shifting inward, past the walls, past the structure, toward the source.
It comes again. Muffled and broken. Something in him snaps. He knows that sound, even distorted beneath layers of concrete and distance. He knows your voice, and you're not speaking this time, you're in pain.
Leon's hand closes around the handle, the controlled precision changing into something sharper, something faster as his entire focus locks onto one singular point. You're here. And you're close enough to hear.
Inside, the pain doesn't fade. It only builds. Another wave crashes through you, harder than the last, tearing through whatever control you managed to hold onto as your body fights something it doesn't understand. Your breath fractures again, your chest tightening painfully as you try to pull in air that won't come fast enough. Your vision blurs at the edges, the room tilting slightly as your muscles strain, your entire body reacting in ways you can't stop.
Gideon just stands there watching. Unphased by your struggle. Focused on whatever it is he's trying to figure out now.
"Instability present," he murmurs, his voice distant against the rush of sensation flooding your system. "But not catastrophic."
Your hands clench harder, your body trembling now, caught between resisting and adapting, between breaking and holding. Another scream tears from you, louder this time, less controlled. Somewhere beyond the walls, Leon is moving as fast he as can, getting closer with every second.
The door doesn't creak. It opens easily. Leon notices as he slips inside, his movement controlled and immediate, his body already adjusting to the change in the environment before the door fully closes behind him. The night are disappears in an instant, replaced by something cooler, denser, the faint sterile scent of filtered air layered over something metallic and difficult to place.
The darkness inside isn't complete. Low-level lighting runs along the edges of the corridor ahead, thin strips embedded into the walls that cast a dim, clinical glow across smooth surfaces. It isn't enough to illuminate everything, but it doesn't need to. It's designed for navigation, not comfort.
Leon pauses just inside the threshold out of instinct. His gaze moves quickly, but not carelessly, tracking the length of the corridor, the corners, the ceiling, the floor. Every surface is too clean, too controlled, the kind of space that isn't meant to be lived in, only used. There are no visible cameras, no obvious surveillance, but that doesn't mean he isn't being watched.
Leon steps forward. His footfalls are silent against the smooth flooring, his weight shifting with practiced precision as he moves deeper into the corridor. The hum he heard outside is louder now, no longer distant, but integrated into the structure itself. It vibrates faintly through the walls, through the floor, through the air.
Every doorway he passes is closed, seamless against the walls, giving nothing away about what might be behind them. There are no signs, no labels, nothing to indicate function or direction. The only thing that keeps him directionally bound is the sound of your pained screams.
Leon's jaw tightens slightly as he continues forward, his mind mapping the space as he goes, committing every turn, every distance, every possible exit to memory. If something goes wrong, he needs a way out. He needs a way to you. The thought sharpens his focus further.
Another scream escapes you. Leon stops. Not abruptly, but enough that his entire body stills, his head turning just slightly as he isolates it. The corridor stretches ahead in two directions at the next intersection, identical in structure, identical in lighting, offering no immediate indication of which path leads where.
Something shifts in Leon instantly, something deeper than instinct, something that bypasses thought entirely. His chest tightens hard, his breath shortening for a fraction of a second before it steadies again, forced back under control through sheer discipline.
He moves faster now, but not reckless, his steps still placed with precision as he turns down the corridor where the sound came from. The distance closes quickly, the hum of the facility growing louder as he goes, layered now with something else.
Every second stretches. Every step matters. He passes another door, then another, his gaze flicking briefly toward each one, searching for anything that stands out, anything that breaks the pattern. Then he sees a difference.
One of the doors ahead is slightly recessed compared to the others, its surface broken by a narrow panel along the side, faintly illuminated in a way that suggests active use. It isn't obvious. It isn't meant to be.
Leon slows as he approaches, his body lowering just slightly, his hand moving instinctively toward his weapon as he positions himself beside the frame rather than directly in front of it. His breathing steadies again, controlled, measured, his focus narrowing to a single point.
Another pained sound escapes your throat and Leon knows that you're in the other side. For a brief moment, everything compresses, the space, the sound, the distance between where he is and where you're collapsing into something immediate and undeniable.
He reaches for the panel. His fingers hover for half a second, assessing, calculating. Locked, most likely. Secured in a way that won't respond to a simple override. So he doesn't try. Instead, he shifts his stance slightly, his weight settling, his grip tightening as he prepares to force it. Inside, the sound rises again. Sharper. More raw. And that's all it takes.
Leon moves. The impact is controlled, precise, his force directed at the weakest point of the frame rather than the center. The panel cracks first, a sharp fracture that breaks the seal just enough to compromise the structure. He doesn't stop there. A second, stronger hit. The mechanism gives. The door buckles inward with a dull, heavy sound, the controlled quiet of the facility breaking for the first time since he entered. Leon doesn't wait for it to settle. He pushes through.
Inside, the world doesn't make sense all at once. It comes in fragments. The dim lights are too bright. The air is too cold. The sound of your own breathing breaking apart as another wave crashes through you, your body no longer able to hold the same control it did before. The heat has turned into something sharper, something that burns through your system in uneven pulses that refuse to stabilize.
Your hands are clenched tight enough to ache, fingernails cutting through your palm, your muscles trembling under the strain as your chest rises and falls too fast, too shallow.
The door breaks. The sound cuts through everything. Sharp. Violent. Wrong.
Your head jerks instinctively toward it, your vision struggling to focus, the edges still blurred, the room tilting just slightly as your body tries to keep up with everything happening at once. For a split second, you don't understand what you're seeing. A familiar shape, quick movements. Another yell rips through you, the pain washing through your entire body again.
Gideon turns slightly, a full smirk playing on his lips as he recognizes who came through the door. He doesn't startle and doesn't retreat. He wanted this moment, he waited for this moment.
Leon.
The room seems to hold itself in suspension, the harsh overhead light cutting everything into sharp, unforgiving clarity. There is no shadow deep enough to hide in here, no corner untouched by the sterile brightness that reveals every detail whether it should be seen or not. The hum of the facility continues beneath it all, steady and mechanical, a constant reminder that this place was built for function, not for the moment unfolding inside it. The only sound to be heard now is your panicked breathing between screams.
Leon stands just inside the broken doorway, his body angled slightly forward, not quite advancing, not quite holding back. His breathing is controlled, but not calm, each inhale measured, each exhale tight, like something is being forced into place rather than settling naturally.
His gaze doesn't go to Gideon first. It goes to you. It finds you immediately, as if there was never any question where you would be, as if every step he took through the facility had already narrowed down to this exact point. His eyes move over you quickly at first, instinctively checking, assessing, searching for what's been done, what's still happening, what he might already be too late to stop.
He sees the tension in your body, the way your hands are clenched too tightly against the restraints, the uneven rise and fall of your chest as your breathing struggles to keep pace with something inside you that hasn't settled. The faint tremor running through your muscles isn't subtle enough to miss, not to him.
His jaw tightens. Something shifts behind his eyes, something darker, sharper, but it doesn't break through his control. Not yet.
"Leon—" Your voice doesn't come out the way you expect it to. It catches halfway, thinner than it should be, pulled tight by everything still moving through your system. Even saying his name takes more effort than it should, your breath hitching slightly as you try to push past it. But he hears it.
"I've got you," he says, his voice low, steady in a way that feels deliberate, like he's anchoring both of you at the same time. There's no hesitation in it, no question, just certainty, even if the situation in front of him doesn't offer any.
Gideon moves, turning with the same measured precision he's carried through every moment so far, his posture unchanged, his attention shifting from you to Leon as though the interruption is simply another variable entering the equation.
He studies Leon in silence for a moment, his head tilting slightly as if adjusting to a new data point rather than reacting to a threat.
"Earlier than projected," he says, his words calm. Observational.
Leon's attention shifts then, just enough to acknowledge him, but not enough to lose sight of you. His body remains angled between you and Gideon, instinctively placing himself in that space, that line, even before he's fully closed the distance.
"You picked the wrong person," Leon says, his tone controlled but edged now, something tight beneath it that doesn't quite surface but doesn't hide either.
Gideon doesn't react to the threat. If anything, his focus sharpens.
"No," he replies. "I selected precisely the right one."
Leon's gaze flickers back to you, just for a second, taking in the way your shoulders tense again as another wave moves through you, the way your breathing stutters despite your effort to keep it steady. Grunts of pain escape your lips.
"What did you do to her?" he asks.
There's no softness in his voice. Gideon doesn't answer immediately. Instead, his gaze shifts between the two of you, not weighing, not comparing, but observing, as if this moment itself is something worth studying.
"A controlled introduction," he says finally. "A stressor designed to disrupt equilibrium."
Your fingers tighten again as another pulse moves through you, your body reacting despite your efforts to contain it. You try to steady your breathing, to keep yourself grounded, but the sensation hasn't fully faded. It lingers beneath your skin, quieter than before, but still present, still wrong.
"And?" he presses, his voice lower now, more dangerous.
Gideon's expression doesn't change. "She stabilized. Handling it quite well actually."
The words hang in the air. Leon's jaw tightens harder, his focus snapping fully to Gideon now, the meaning settling in faster than it should.
"That wasn't supposed to happen," he says.
Gideon's head tilts again, that same small, deliberate motion.
"Not typically," he agrees. "But she is not a typical subject."
Your chest rises sharply again as another smaller wave moves through you, your body still adjusting, still reacting in ways you can't fully control. You grit your teeth against it, forcing yourself to stay present, to stay aware, because Leon is here now, and that changes everything.
Leon takes a step forward slowly. His attention splits again, half on Gideon, half on you, calculating distance, timing, risk. Every movement is deliberate, every shift controlled, but there's something coiled beneath it now, something that's getting harder to keep contained the longer he stands there.
"You're done," Leon says.
Gideon doesn't move to stop him. Doesn't reach for anything. Doesn't even step back.
"If that were true," he says quietly, "you wouldn't have made it this far."
Leon moves again, faster this time. He closes the distance between you in a matter of seconds, his focus narrowing completely as he reaches your side. His hands come to the restraints immediately, his touch careful despite the urgency behind it, his fingers checking the mechanism, the material, the way it's secured.
"Hey," he says, softer now, his voice dropping just enough to reach you through everything else. "Stay with me, alright?"
Your head tilts slightly toward him, your vision still not fully steady, but clearer now than it was before. Being this close to him, hearing him, it cuts through some of the noise, some of the disorientation.
"I'm—" You try to answer, but the words falter as your breath catches again, your body still not fully cooperating.
"Observe," he says softly. The word is almost lost beneath the sound of your breathing, but Leon hears it.
"I'm not part of your experiment," Leon says.
Gideon's gaze doesn't waver. "You already are."
Leon's grip tightens slightly against the restraint before he forces it to ease, his focus snapping back to you, back to what matters. The mechanism gives slightly under his touch, not completely, but it gives you some relief.
"Almost there," he murmurs, his voice low, steady, meant for you alone.
Your breathing hasn't fully settled, but it's better than it was. The violent spikes have dulled into something more contained, your body still reacting, still adjusting, but no longer overwhelming you completely. You hold onto his voice, onto the presence of him beside you, grounding yourself in something real while everything else still feels just slightly out of place.
"Leon..." Your voice is quieter now, strained but clearer, your fingers twitching faintly against the restraint as you try to steady yourself.
He glances at you briefly, just enough to confirm you're still with him, still holding on. "I've got you," he says again. And for a second, you believe it.
His hands still against the restraint, his body pauses just long enough to register the change before his head lifts, his attention snapping back toward Gideon. "You should have left when you had the opportunity, Leon."
Leon's jaw tightens, his posture shifting almost imperceptibly as he angles himself more fully between you and Gideon, his body placing itself there without thought, without hesitation.
"You're done," he says, quieter now, but edged with something harder, something less controlled.
Gideon's head tilts slightly. And then he moves. There's no warning, no buildup. One moment, he stands across the room, the next, he's there, the space between them collapsing in an instant. Leon reacts on instinct, his body turning, his arm coming up to intercept. But Gideon doesn't strike. He grips Leon's shoulder, then the force hits.
Leon's footing breaks as he's yanked sideways with a strength that doesn't belong to anything natural. The world shifts violently, the ground slamming into his back with a force that knocks the breath from his lungs before he can brace against it.
The impact echoes through the room, sharp and final.
"Leon!" The sound leaves you before you can stop it, your voice breaking through the space with a sharp edge of fear you can't contain this time.
Even as the air rushes back into his lungs in a strained inhale, his body rolls with the impact, momentum carrying him through the motion as he pushes himself back up. There's no pause, no recovery beyond what's absolutely necessary. His focus snaps back immediately, locking onto Gideon with a precision that overrides everything else.
Something in Gideon begins to change. A tension that wasn't there before, something coiling inward rather than expanding outward. His posture tightens, his shoulders drawing slightly as though containing something that no longer fits cleanly within him. The fractured lines beneath his skin darken, spreading in faint, branching patterns that pulse subtly with something alive.
You gasp because you can see it now. Something moving under his skin.
"Adaptation requires progression," Gideon says, his voice lower now, heavier, as though it's being pulled from somewhere deeper.
The mechanical apparatus over his eye flickers, the lenses shifting rapidly, adjusting in small, precise movements as if recalibrating to match whatever is happening inside him.
Leon's stance lowers instinctively, his weight settling, his body aligning for impact as his gaze tracks every shift, every unnatural movement.
"Yeah," he mutters under his breath, quieter, sharper. "Saw that coming."
A sound comes next. It's wet and wrong. A tearing pressure beneath the surface that builds for just a second too long before it breaks. His arm jerks slightly, not in pain, but in adjustment, his fingers flexing once, twice, before something forces its way through. The fabric of his sleeve splits as dark, sinewy appendages push outward, emerging from beneath the skin with a violent, organic motion that defies anything natural.
They unfurl rapidly, extending outward with unsettling control, each one moving with a purpose that suggests awareness rather than randomness.
Leon doesn't wait. He moves first.
The moment the tendrils fully extend, he closes the distance, fast and direct, his movement cutting through the space before Gideon can fully settle into whatever he's becoming. His strike is precise, aimed to disrupt, to interrupt the transformation before it completes.
But one of the tendrils reacts faster. It lashes out, snapping forward with unnatural speed, wrapping tightly around Leon's arm mid-motion. The grip is immediate, constricting hard enough to halt him completely, the pressure sharp and unyielding. Leon's jaw tightens as he tries to pull free, his muscles straining against it.
You see it before it happens, faint arcs of electricity flickering along the length of the appendage, gathering, intensifying, the air around it crackling with something volatile. You try to call to Leon but another wave of pain rushes through you, head to toe, halting everything and stealing your voice, your breath, your mind.
The discharge hits. It tears through Leon in a sharp, violent burst, his body locking for a split second under the force of it before the sound breaks from him, low and strained, forced out despite his control. The tendril releases him just as quickly. He's thrown back, his body hitting the ground hard enough to echo again, the impact reverberating through the room.
Leon lies unmoving on the floor and it's the most helpless you've ever been. Restrained with no way to help your husband, who is only here to save you.
His hand presses against the floor, his body pushing up again, slower this time, but no less determined. His breathing is heavier now, sharper, each inhale drawn in with effort, but his focus hasn't shifted a single time.
Across from him, Gideon stands taller. The human shape is still there, but it's no longer dominant. The tendrils move slowly behind him, shifting, adjusting, as if testing their range, their strength, their control. The air around him feels charged now, faint arcs of energy flickering intermittently, unstable but contained.
"This is where it becomes meaningful," Gideon says, his voice steady despite everything else.
The room doesn't hold its shape for long. It gives in stages, like something under pressure, finally reaching the point where it can no longer hold.
At first, it's only the sound. A low, strained groan somewhere deep within the structure, metal bending where it was never meant to, the clean lines of the facility distorting under the weight of what Gideon is becoming. The sterile hum that once filled the space flickers, falters, then surges unevenly, as if the systems built to sustain control are now struggling to contain it.
Gideon stands at the center of it, no longer still in the way he had been before, but not uncontrolled either. The transformation does not make him wild. It makes him larger, more present, more impossible to ignore. The tendrils extending from his body shift with a purpose that's no longer exploratory. They coil and stretch in slow, deliberate motions, each movement accompanied by faint arcs of electricity that crackle through the air and dissipate against the walls in sharp, fleeting bursts of light.
Leon watches him without retreating. His breathing is heavier now, his chest rising and falling with effort, but there's no hesitation in the way he holds his ground. His body adjusts in small, precise ways, weight shifting, stance lowering, every muscle aligning with instinct and experience. He's already recalculating, already adapting to something that should not exist, because that is what survival has always required of him.
Gideon tilts his head, the mechanical lenses over his eye flickering rapidly as they track Leon's movement. "You continue to respond within projected thresholds," he says, his voice altered now, layered faintly with something deeper that resonates beneath the words. "Even under escalating conditions."
Leon doesn't answer. There's no space for it, no value in it. The moment Gideon's tendrils shift inward, drawing close to his body as the electricity along them intensifies, Leon understands what's coming. The air sharpens, the faint scent of ozone thickening as the energy builds, no longer scattered but concentrated, focused into something far more dangerous.
He moves before it releases. The discharge tears through the space where he stood a fraction of a second before, a violent arc of electricity that slams into the far wall with enough force to fracture the surface, the impact flashing white-hot before fading into smoke and sparks. The light burns briefly across Leon's vision, but he doesn't slow. He uses the opening created by the attack, the brief window where Gideon's focus shifts to recalibrate, and closes the distance instead of retreating.
The first strike lands cleanly. It snaps Gideon's head to the side, not with enough force to drop him, but enough to confirm what Leon needs to know. The thing in front of him can still be hit. It can still be interrupted. It can still be fought.
The response is immediate. The tendrils lash outward with far less restraint than before, their movements sharper, more aggressive, each strike aimed not just to stop Leon but to overwhelm him. He pivots through the first, deflects the second, the impact sending a jolt up his arm that he absorbs without breaking rhythm. The third comes from behind, forcing him to drop low, the appendage slicing through the air just above him before slamming into the wall hard enough to crack it further.
The room is coming apart now. Panels loosen and fall, fragments of the controlled environment scattering across the floor as the fight pushes beyond anything it was designed to contain. The hum of the facility distorts into something uneven, lights flickering in brief, erratic pulses that cast the entire space in shifting brightness.
It's all too much for your body as you fight whatever is coursing through your veins. The flashing lights, the pain bursting in waves. Darkness creeps at the edges of your vision as you watch Leon try to take down Gideon.
Gideon steps forward into the chaos, his movement heavier now, less human in its weight but no less precise. "Damage acknowledged," he says, the words strained slightly as the transformation continues to push through him. "Adaptation required."
The tendrils retract again, but not in retreat. They coil tightly around him, drawing inward as the electricity intensifies along their length, brighter now, more volatile. Leon recognizes the shift immediately, his posture tightening as his focus sharpens further. This is not another strike. This is an escalation.
Gideon's body convulses with sudden force, the remaining structure of his human form breaking further as the mutation surges forward. The tendrils expand again, thicker, longer, their movement more erratic as the transformation accelerates. His frame distorts, growing beyond its original shape, the balance of control giving way to something far more aggressive, far less contained.
The walls crack under the pressure. Metal groans and bends as the space struggles to hold him, the controlled environment collapsing into something unstable and dangerous.
He moves through the chaos, faster now, more direct, his path cutting between the snapping tendrils and crackling arcs of energy with a precision that leaves no room for hesitation. One shot strikes his shoulder as he passes, the impact heavy enough to stagger him a step, but he doesn't stop. He can't. Another slams into the ground beside him, sending debris upward in a sharp burst that grazes his side, but he pushes through it, closing the distance before Gideon can fully adjust.
This time, Leon commits. There's no testing strike, no probing movement. Everything aligns into a single, decisive action as he drives forward, his focus narrowing to a singular point. The moment opens, brief and dangerous, and he takes it.
The shot lands. The sound cuts through the chaos, sharp and final, the impact hitting with enough force to break through what remains of Gideon's structure. For a fraction of a second, everything seems to hold, the movement, the sound, the space itself pausing as the effect settles in.
Gideon collapses. The tendrils recoil violently, the electricity along them snapping out in erratic bursts before dying completely. Gideon's form distorts further, not expanding now but breaking down, the structure of it failing in on itself as the mutation loses cohesion. The surface of him shifts, softens, destabilizes, the defined shape melting into something unrecognizable. He doesn't fall, but dissolves.
The mass that was Gideon collapses inward, losing form, losing structure, the remnants of his transformation breaking apart into something viscous, unstable, spreading across the fractured floor in uneven, darkened pools. The last of the energy dissipates into the air, leaving behind only the fading hum of a facility no longer fully functioning.
The silence that follows doesn't feel real. It settles too suddenly, too completely, pressing in around the room like something waiting to be acknowledged. Moments ago, everything had been noise and motion and impact, the air alive with electricity and strain, the structure itself fighting to hold together under the weight of what had been happening inside it. Now, all of that is gone, leaving behind only the faint, uneven hum of failing systems and the quiet drip of something cooling against the fractured floor.
Leon doesn't move right away. His chest rises and falls with heavier breaths than he'd allow himself under normal circumstances, each inhale dragging in air that still smells faintly of ozone and heat. The tension hasn't left his body yet. It lingers in his shoulders, in the set of his jaw, in the way his fingers flex once at his side like they're still expecting resistance.
His gaze remains fixed for a second longer on what's left of Gideon, the dark, formless remains spread across the floor where something controlled and deliberate once stood. There's no movement there now, no sign of reformation, no indication that anything is coming back from it. Just the aftermath of something that pushed too far and lost its shape completely.
Only when that certainty settles does Leon turn. Everything that had been held tight during the fight, all that focus, all that precision, redirects in an instant, snapping back to you with a force that feels almost physical. His eyes find you quickly, already expecting to see you where he left you, restrained, struggling, still fighting through whatever Gideon put into your system.
You're there. You're upright. The restraints still hold you in place, your body angled slightly forward where you'd been straining against them earlier. But the tension is gone. The movement is gone.
Leon's chest tightens sharply.
"Hey..." The word leaves him before he's even fully crossed the distance, his steps closing the space between you faster now, no longer measured, no longer cautious. The control he held onto through the fight slips just enough to let urgency through.
He reaches you in seconds, hands coming up to your cheeks. "Hey, hey—" His voice drops, softer but edged now, the words coming quicker than before as he leans closer, his gaze scanning your face, searching for any sign of response. "Come on, stay with me."
Your skin is warm beneath his hand, warmer than it should be, the heat lingering from whatever Gideon forced into your system. Your pulse is there too, faint but steady against his fingers, a rhythm that reassures him just enough to keep moving, to keep focused. But your eyes don't open.
Leon exhales through his nose, the breath sharper than he intends as he shifts his grip, his hand sliding more securely along your arm as he checks you over with quick, practiced movements. There are no visible wounds beyond the restraint, no obvious signs of physical damage from the outside, but that doesn't mean anything here.
"What did he do to you..." he mutters under his breath, the question not meant for an answer, just something that slips out as his mind tries to piece together what he's seeing with what he already knows.
He adjusts his position, moving closer, his hands returning to the mechanism with more urgency than before, but not less care. His fingers find the weakened point he'd started working earlier, the subtle give in the structure that hadn't been enough then but might be now.
"Alright," he murmurs, quieter again, as if you can hear him even like this. "I've got you, sweetheart. Just hold on."
His grip tightens slightly as he applies pressure, shifting his angle and forcing the mechanism in a way that strains against it rather than working with it. The material resists at first, holding firm like it was designed to, but Leon doesn't stop. He adjusts again, changes direction, increases force just enough to push it past its limit without snapping it in a way that could hurt you.
Finally, the first wrist comes loose. Leon doesn't hesitate. He works the opening immediately, pulling it wider, freeing your other wrist carefully but quickly, his hand catching yours the second it's loose, steadying it before it can fall.
"Got it," he breathes, more to himself than anything else.
For a second, he doesn't move you.
He just stays there, one hand still around yours, the other hovering near your shoulder like he's bracing for something, like he's expecting you to wake up, to react, to do something. When you don't, the tension shifts again. Softer this time. More careful.
Leon slides his arm behind your back, supporting your weight as he eases you forward, out of the position the restraints held you in. Your body doesn't resist. It leans into him instead, unsteady, the lack of awareness making the movement feel heavier than it should.
"I've got you," he says again, quieter now, the words closer to a promise than anything else.
He adjusts his hold, one arm secure around you, the other steadying your head as he lowers you just enough to get a better look at you. His thumb brushes lightly along your cheek without thinking, grounding himself in the contact as much as he's checking you.
Leon's jaw tightens slightly, but he doesn't let it spiral. Not now. Not when you're right here, when you're breathing, when he can still do something about it.
"Come on," he murmurs, his voice low and steady again as he shifts his grip, preparing to move. "You're not staying here."
The facility groans faintly around them, a reminder that whatever stability it had before is gone now, systems failing slowly in the aftermath of Gideon's collapse. The lights flicker once, then again, the hum dipping unevenly as something deeper in the structure begins to shut down.
Leon doesn't wait to see how far it goes. He gathers you more securely against him, lifting you carefully, mindful of your condition, of the way your body still hasn't fully recovered from whatever was done to it. His movements are controlled again, but the urgency is back, sharper now, focused entirely on getting you out.
As he turns toward the broken doorway, his grip tightens just slightly, not enough to hurt, just enough to make sure you're there.
The facility doesn't sound the same on the way out. What had once been a steady, controlled hum has fractured into something uneven, strained, like the structure itself is struggling to keep up with systems that are failing faster than they can compensate. The lights flicker overhead in irregular pulses, casting the corridor in shifting bands of brightness and shadow that make the space feel unstable, unfamiliar, even though Leon had just moved through it minutes before with absolute clarity.
Your weight is secure against him, one arm braced firmly around your back, the other supporting you beneath your legs as he moves through the corridor with controlled urgency. Every step is precise despite the pace, his body adjusting instinctively to keep you steady, to minimize the jarring motion that might make things worse.
Your head rests against his shoulder, your breathing warm against his neck, uneven but present. He keeps track of it without thinking, each inhale and exhale a quiet reassurance that cuts through everything else.
"Almost out," he murmurs, more to himself than to you, his voice low and steady even as the world around him shifts.
The door he forced open earlier hangs unevenly now, the frame warped just enough to leave it partially ajar. Cool night air seeps through the opening, cutting through the sterile atmosphere behind him and bringing with it the scent of damp earth and open space.
Freedom.
Leon doesn't hesitate. He pushes through, stepping out into the night in one smooth motion, the shift in environment immediate and grounding. The air is colder here, cleaner, and for the first time since he entered the facility, his lungs pull in a breath that doesn't feel heavy.
The car is exactly where he left it, partially obscured by the treeline, its dark silhouette blending into the surroundings. He heads straight for it, his pace steady but urgent, every second outside the facility a step further away from everything that just happened.
Your body shifts slightly in his arms. At first, it's subtle. A change in weight. A small, uncoordinated movement that could easily be dismissed as nothing. But Leon feels it immediately. His grip tightens just slightly, enough to steady you as his gaze drops briefly, searching your face for confirmation.
Your brows furrow faintly as your breathing changes.
"Hey," he says, softer now, his voice dropping instinctively as he adjusts his hold just enough to support you better. "Easy. You're alright."
"...Leon?" The word comes out quiet, rough around the edges, like your voice hasn't fully returned yet.
He hears it immediately.
"I'm here," he answers without hesitation, his voice closer now, steadier, like he's anchoring you through the haze. "I've got you."
Your eyes open slowly, the night sky above you blurred at first, shifting slightly with each step he takes. It takes a second for things to settle, for your vision to catch up enough to focus, and when it does, you see him again. Up close and real, not the image you forced yourself to see while Gideon was tormenting you.
Your fingers twitch weakly against his jacket, the movement small but intentional as you try to ground yourself in something you recognize.
"I told... told him you'd save me." You barely get out. "You're... okay?"
"I'm fine," he says, though it's not the point. "You're the one I'm worried about."
You let out a faint breath, something that might almost be a laugh if your body had the strength for it. It fades quickly as a dull ache rolls through you again, your muscles tightening instinctively before easing.
"Feel like... a million bucks..." you murmur.
Leon reaches the car quickly, shifting his hold just enough to open the passenger door without setting you down, his movements efficient despite the care behind them. He lowers you into the seat gently, one hand steadying your back as the other guides your legs in, making sure you're settled before pulling back.
For a moment, he doesn't close the door. His hand lingers briefly against your shoulder, his gaze scanning your face again, checking, confirming, making sure you're still with him.
"I'm right here," he says quietly, reaching up to caress your cheek.
You nod faintly, your head resting back against the seat, your body still heavy, still not fully your own, but more present than before.
Leon closes the door and rounds the car quickly, sliding into the driver's seat and starting the engine without hesitation. The headlights cut through the darkness ahead, illuminating the path back in a way that feels far more real than anything inside that facility ever did.
As the car pulls away, the building disappears behind them, swallowed by the trees and the night as if it was never meant to be found. For a few minutes, there's only the sound of the road under the tires.
Leon taps a few buttons on his infotainment screen. The dial tone sounds in the car.
"Leon?" Hunnigan's voice comes through, alert immediately.
"I found her," he says.
There's a pause. Then relief, quiet but unmistakable. "Is she—"
"She's alive," he cuts in, glancing briefly toward you before returning his focus forward. "But Gideon got to her first. He injected something. I don't know what."
Your eyes shift toward him slightly at that, your focus hazy but present enough to follow the conversation. There's a brief sound of typing on the other end.
"If it's Elpis-related, it's not going to be simple," Hunnigan says. "You need to get her checked out as soon as possible. I can pull what I have on Gideon's compounds, but if he refined anything—"
"Bringing her now," Leon says, his tone firm, leaving no room for argument.
There's a pause.
"Understood," Hunnigan replies, quieter now. "Monitor her until then. Watch for instability, changes in heart rate, neurological response, anything abnormal."
Leon's grip tightens slightly on the wheel. "Yeah," he says. "Already am."
"I'll send you everything I find," she adds. "Leon, you did well."
He doesn't respond to that. He ends the call a second later, the quiet of the car settling in again as the road stretches ahead.
Your head turns slightly toward him, your voice softer now, more grounded despite the lingering exhaustion. "...You always do that," you murmur.
He glances at you briefly. "Do what?"
"Act like... you weren't worried," you say, your words slower now, but clearer.
Something in his expression softens, just slightly. "I was," he admits.
The answer is simple. Honest. And it sits between you in a way that doesn't need anything added.
The road carries you forward, the distance between where you were and where you're going growing with every second. It still feels longer on the way back. The distance hasn't changed, but every second now carries weight Leon didn't have time to feel before. The urgency hasn't left him. It's just changed shape, sharpened into something quieter, more focused, more dangerous in its own way.
He doesn't take the direct route home. He turns off sooner than expected, the car shifting onto a narrower road that disappears deeper into the trees. The headlights carve through the darkness in long, steady beams, illuminating a path that doesn't look like it leads anywhere permanent.
You notice the change, even through the lingering haze. Your head shifts slightly against the seat, your eyes half-lidded but tracking the unfamiliar surroundings as best you can.
"This isn't home," you murmur, your voice still softer than usual, weighed down by exhaustion and something else you can't quite place.
Leon glances at you briefly, just long enough to confirm you're still with him.
"No," he says. "Not yet."
The road narrows further before it opens into something unexpected, a structure set back from the tree line, low and unmarked, its exterior deliberately unremarkable in the same way the facility had been, but cleaner, maintained. A single light glows near the entrance, steady and controlled. Safe. Or as close as it gets.
Leon pulls up without slowing more than necessary, the engine cutting the moment the car stops. He's out of the vehicle in seconds, moving around to your side, the door opening before you fully register the shift.
"I've got you," he says again, quieter now as he reaches in, one arm sliding behind your back, the other beneath your legs as he lifts you carefully from the seat.
Your body responds this time. Weakly. Your hand finds his jacket again, fingers curling into the fabric without thinking, holding on as the ground shifts beneath you.
"Leon..." you breathe, your voice unsteady but present.
"I know," he murmurs. "Just trust me."
The door to the building opens before he reaches it. Hunnigan stands inside, already moving and prepared. There's no surprise in her expression, no wasted time on relief, just immediate focus as her eyes take you in, assessing faster than words could keep up.
"This way," she says, stepping aside.
Leon doesn't stop. The interior is brighter, cleaner, the air carrying that same clinical sharpness, but without the wrongness that clung to Gideon's facility. This feels controlled in a different way. Not experimental. It's protective.
He follows her down a short corridor and into a room already set up, equipment active, monitors ready, everything positioned with intention.
"Set her here," Hunnigan directs.
Leon lowers you onto the table with care, his hands lingering just a second longer than necessary as he makes sure you're stable before pulling back. He doesn't step far and doesn't look away.
A nurse comes over immediately, her hands steady as she begins checking vitals, attaching sensors, her focus sharp and efficient.
"Heart rate elevated but stable," she murmurs, more to herself than to either of you. "Temperature's up, not unexpected."
You flinch slightly at the contact, your body still sensitive, still not fully under your control as the lingering effects of the injection continue to hum beneath your skin.
"What did he give her?" Leon asks, his voice low, controlled, but tighter than before.
She doesn't answer right away. She moves quickly, pulling a sample, running it through a portable analyzer already humming to life on the counter beside her.
"Give me a second," she says.
The machine processes faster than anything standard, its quiet mechanical sounds filling the space between your uneven breathing and the tension settling heavier in the room.
Leon's attention doesn't leave you. Your eyes drift toward him, unfocused at first, then clearer as your body fights its way back toward something resembling normal.
"I'm okay," you try, your voice softer now, but he doesn't buy it.
"I know," he says, but it doesn't sound like agreement.
It sounds like reassurance for himself more than anyone.
The machine beeps. Hunnigan's attention snaps to it immediately, her eyes scanning the results as they populate across the screen. Her expression tightens, just slightly, something small but enough for Leon to catch it.
"What is it?" he asks.
She exhales quietly. "It's a modified Elpis compound," she says. "Derivative strain. Designed to destabilize cellular response and force rapid adaptation."
"And?"
The nurse looks at you, then at the screen, chiming in. "It should've caused systemic failure," she says. "Organ stress, neurological breakdown... worst case, full collapse."
Your stomach drops faintly, even through the haze.
"But it didn't," Leon says.
"No," Hunnigan replies. "It didn't."
She taps the screen lightly, pulling up another set of data.
"Her system compensated," she continues. "Regulated instead of rejecting. It's stabilizing the compound instead of letting it spread."
"What does that mean?" you ask.
"It means you're not in immediate danger," the nurse says. "But it also means whatever he put into you isn't gone."
Your fingers curl slightly against the surface beneath you, your breathing steadying more now as the worst of the earlier effects fade into something duller, more manageable.
"...so I'm not dying tonight?" you ask, your voice quiet, but clearer now.
Hunnigan looks at you directly.
"No," she says. "You're not."
Leon exhales, probably louder than he intended. It's the first real release of tension since he found you. Hunnigan's gaze shifts back to the screen.
"But we're going to need to monitor you," she adds. "Closely."
The house is quiet when the door opens. Not the heavy, suffocating quiet Leon had walked into earlier, the kind that had pressed in on him with something wrong beneath it. This is different. Softer. The kind of quiet that belongs to a place waiting to be filled again, not one that’s already been emptied. Still, when he steps inside with you in his arms, something in him tightens.
For a split second, the image overlaps, the broken stillness from before, the absence, the space where you should have been. It flickers through him before he can stop it. Then you shift against him.
Leon exhales slowly, the breath quieter this time, less controlled, as he nudges the door closed behind him with his foot. The soft click of it sealing shut sounds louder than it should, final in a way that settles something deep in his chest. You're here, and that's what matters.
“I can walk,” you murmur against him, your voice still a little worn, a little softer than usual, but stronger than it was before.
He doesn’t answer right away. His grip doesn’t loosen either.
“I know,” he says after a second, glancing down at you briefly. “You don’t have to.”
You huff a faint breath that turns into a smile, your hand shifting slightly where it rests against his jacket, fingers brushing the fabric like you’re reminding yourself he’s real, too.
“You’re stubborn,” you mumble.
“Yeah,” he replies. “You married me anyway.”
You break out into a sleepy grin. He carries you further into the house, his steps slower now, no urgency pushing him forward anymore, just care. The rest of the house comes into view, familiar in a way that almost feels surreal after everything that came before it.
Then he stumbles upon the kitchen. The light is left on, the chair is still slid out, and the broken mug is still there. Ceramic shards scattered across the tile, the dark stain long since dried where coffee had spilled and been left behind, frozen in the moment everything went wrong.
You follow his gaze, your brow knitting faintly as your eyes settle on it, memory catching up in pieces, the last normal moment before everything had been ripped away.
“And that was my favorite one too,” you murmur quietly.
Leon exhales, something in his chest shifting again, not sharp this time, not panic or urgency, just something quieter, something closer to relief tangled up with the remnants of everything else.
“I’ll get you a new one,” he says.
He carries you past the kitchen, leaving the broken pieces where they are for now. It can wait. None of that matters in this moment, not compared to the weight in his arms, the warmth of you against him, the quiet proof that he didn’t lose you.
When he reaches the couch, he finally lowers you carefully, his movements slow and deliberate as he eases you down into the cushions. This time, he doesn’t pull away immediately. His hands linger on your, one at your back and the other at your arm. He's not ready to let go just yet.
Instead, your hand finds his wrist again, your fingers curling lightly around it before he can step back, holding him there in a way that’s gentle but unmistakable.
“Stay,” you murmur.
He shifts instead, sitting beside you, close enough that your shoulders touch, his body angled toward yours without thinking. For a second, neither of you says anything, the quiet settling in around you again, but this time it feels different. It's safe and full.
Your head tips slightly toward him, your body leaning just enough that he reacts without hesitation, his arm coming around you instinctively, pulling you closer, steadying you against his side. You melt into him naturally, more dramatically than usual.
His hand moves slowly along your back, his thumb brushing lightly in absent, repetitive motions that feel more like habit than thought.
"When you weren't home, I thought..." his words drop quietly. They don't come easily.
You tilt your head slightly, your cheek brushing his shoulder as you glance up at him. “I know,” you say softly.
You don’t make him finish it. You don’t need to. His jaw tightens faintly, his arm around you pulling just a little closer, like the thought alone is enough to make him hold on tighter. You shift slightly, turning more toward him despite the lingering heaviness in your body, your hand sliding up from his wrist to his chest, fingers curling into the fabric there as you steady yourself.
“I’m here,” you murmur.
This time, it’s for him. His gaze drops to you, something in it softer now, less guarded, the edges worn down by everything that’s already passed.
“I know,” he says.
You study him for a second longer, then lean in, closing the small space between you. The kiss is gentle, slow, less about reassurance and more about presence. Your hand stays against his chest, grounding yourself in the steady rhythm beneath it as his hand comes up to your jaw, holding you there with quiet care. There's no urgency; it's just warmth and you.
He leans into it fully this time, the tension finally easing from his shoulders as he lets himself settle into something that doesn’t require fighting, doesn’t require thinking, doesn’t require anything except being here with you.
When he pulls back, it’s only slightly, his forehead resting against yours, his breath steadying in a way it hasn’t since before any of this started.
“Next time,” you murmur softly, a faint hint of teasing threading through the exhaustion, “I’m making tea instead.”
That almost makes him laugh. “Yeah,” he says quietly. “Safer choice.”
The quiet stretches around you, soft and steady, the kind that doesn’t press in or demand anything. It just exists, wrapping around the two of you like something familiar, something earned.
You don’t realize how heavy your body feels until you try to move again. It’s subtle at first, a shift against him, your muscles protesting just enough to remind you that you’re still recovering, still not fully back to yourself. The exhaustion settles deeper now that everything else has quieted, pulling at you in a way that’s harder to ignore.
"We have to get cleaned up, sweetheart," he says, kissing your head.
"Okay," you reply, half asleep.
Before you can argue, before you can insist on anything else, his arm shifts around you, steady and sure as he moves to stand. The motion is smooth, practiced, like he’s done this before, like taking care of you has always come this naturally. Your arm slides around his shoulders without hesitation, your body settling against him with a quiet acceptance that feels as natural as breathing.
“You’re really not going to let me walk, are you?” you murmur, your voice softer now, edged with tired amusement.
“No,” he replies simply.
The two of you move together down the hall, slowly, quietly. The bathroom light flicks on, warm and soft, filling the space in a way that feels almost jarring after everything else. It’s normal, ordinary, safe. He sets you down on the closed toilet lid. Leon moves ahead just enough to start the water, adjusting it carefully, testing the temperature with his hand before letting it run. Steam begins to rise slowly, curling into the air and softening the edges of the room.
You lean lightly against the counter, watching him through the haze of exhaustion, the small, familiar movements grounding you in a way nothing else quite has yet.
“You do this a lot,” you murmur faintly.
He glances back at you, brow lifting just slightly. “Take care of you?” he asks.
You nod once. Something in his expression softens, just a fraction.
“I always will,” he says quietly.
He steps back toward you then, slower now, his hands gentler as they come to rest at your arms, steadying you again. His gaze flickers briefly over your face, checking, making sure you’re still with him, still present.
“Can you stand?” he asks.
You nod. “I think so.”
He doesn’t completely take your word for it. He stays close anyway. Careful and patient. There’s no rush in what comes next. Just a quiet understanding between you as he helps you out of your clothes, his movements respectful, unhurried, like this isn’t something to get through, but something to do right. His hands are steady, never lingering where they shouldn’t, never pulling away too quickly either.
When you step into the bath, the warmth surrounds you immediately, sinking into your muscles in a way that makes your breath catch softly in your chest. You lower yourself slowly, the water rising around you, easing tension you didn’t even realize you were still holding. It’s not just relief, it’s release.
Your shoulders drop, your head tipping back slightly against the edge as your eyes close for a second, letting yourself settle into it. Leon stays close. Not in the water yet, but right there beside the tub, one hand resting lightly along the edge, his attention still entirely on you.
“Too hot?” he asks quietly.
You shake your head, your voice softer now. "Perfect."
He nods once, then reaches for the shampoo, his movements slower, more deliberate as he shifts closer. His hand brushes lightly against your shoulder first, a silent check, a pause to make sure you’re with him.
You tilt your head slightly in response, and that's all he needs. His fingers move through your hair gently, working the shampoo in with care that feels like heaven. There’s no rush, no distraction, just the steady rhythm of his hands, the quiet presence of him there with you. The tension leaves you in pieces.
Your head leans back a little more, your eyes slipping closed again as you let yourself relax into it, into the warmth of him.
“You’re really good at this,” you murmur, your voice barely above the sound of the water.
When he rinses your hair, one hand steadies at the back of your neck, careful, protective, making sure the water doesn’t hit too hard, doesn’t pull you out of the quiet you’ve finally found. You lean into that touch without thinking.
By the time he's done, the air feels different. You feel lighter, cleaner, safer. He lingers for a second, his hand still resting lightly along the edge of the tub as he watches you settle deeper into the water. The tension that had been sitting in your shoulders has eased; your breathing is slower now, your body finally beginning to let go of everything it had been holding on to.
His gaze shifts, thoughtful. “You sure you’re steady?” he asks quietly.
You open your eyes just enough to look at him, the faintest hint of a smile returning. “I’m not going anywhere,” you murmur.
He exhales softly, then moves, slower this time. There’s no hesitation in it, just a quiet decision as he steps back, shedding the last of his own clothes with the same unhurried care he showed you. It’s simple, practical, like this is just the next step.
Then he steps into the bath behind you. The water shifts around him, rising slightly, warmth settling over both of you as he lowers himself carefully, mindful of your space, of your balance, of everything you’ve just been through. His movements are controlled, even here, even now, but there’s something softer in them too, something that isn’t about precision anymore.
You feel the warmth of his chest against your back. His arm comes around you almost immediately, instinctively, resting lightly across your middle, not pulling you in too tightly, just enough to steady you, to keep you anchored there with him.
You exhale, slow and quiet. “That’s better,” you murmur.
A faint breath leaves him, something just short of a laugh. “Yeah,” he says softly. “Yeah, it is.”
The water laps gently against the sides of the tub, the only sound in the room aside from your breathing, which has finally evened out into something calm, something steady. The warmth sinks deeper now, loosening what little tension remains, dulling the last edges of pain into something manageable.
Leon’s hand shifts slightly against you, his thumb brushing absent, slow patterns along your arm. It’s not deliberate, not something he’s thinking about. It’s just there, familiar, grounding, something he’s done a hundred times before in quieter moments.
“You still with me?” he asks after a while, his voice low, close to your ear.
You nod faintly, your head tipping back just enough to rest lightly against his shoulder.
“Yeah,” you whisper. “Just tired.”
“I know.”
His hand tightens just a fraction, then eases again, like he’s reminding himself you’re here, that he doesn’t have to hold on so tightly anymore.
You reach back slightly, your fingers finding his arm where it rests around you, tracing lightly over his skin without thinking. It’s a small movement, but it’s enough to pull his attention fully to you again.
“You okay?” you ask, softer now.
There’s a pause. “I am now,” he admits.
You tilt your head just enough to look up at him, your gaze meeting his in the soft, warm light of the room. For a second, neither of you moves, the space between you close but unhurried.
Then you lean in. The kiss is gentle, slower than before, your hand coming up to rest lightly against his jaw as your lips meet his. There’s no urgency in it, no need to prove anything, just quiet reassurance, the simple fact that you’re both here, both real, both okay.
He responds just as softly, his hand shifting from your arm to your side, holding you there with a steady, careful touch as he leans into it. It lingers just long enough to mean something, to settle into something real, before he pulls back slightly, his forehead resting against yours.
"I was scared," he murmurs.
"I know," you whisper. "Me too."
His eyes close briefly at that, his breath steadying as he leans into your touch for just a second. The water cools slowly around you, but neither of you moves right away. There’s no rush to leave this moment, no urgency pulling you forward. Just warmth, and quiet, and the steady presence of each other. Eventually, though, he shifts.
“Come on,” he murmurs gently. “Let’s get dried off and get to bed.”
Leon reaches for a towel immediately, wrapping it around your shoulders before you can even think about it, his hands moving with that same practiced gentleness as he draws you closer, drying your hair first, slow and careful, working through it like he had in the water.
Another towel follows, this one warmer, softer as he drapes it around you and guides you to sit on the edge of the tub for a second, making sure you’re steady before stepping back just enough to grab fresh clothes.
He helps you again, keeping you steady as he eases the fabric over your arms, adjusts it at your shoulders, and makes sure you're comfortable before moving on. By the time you're both dressed, the whole world has softened. The sharp edges from before have faded into something else.
Leon’s hand finds yours without thinking as he leads you back toward the bedroom, his thumb brushing lightly over your knuckles as you walk. You don’t pull away. If anything, your grip tightens slightly, grounding yourself in the warmth of him, in the steady presence that hasn’t left your side since he found you.
When you reach the bed, he slows, turning slightly toward you instead of immediately guiding you down. For a second, you just stand there.
"Thank you, Leon," you say quietly, looking at his tired eyes.
The words are simple, but they carry everything behind them, everything you don’t need to explain because he already knows. Leon’s expression softens in that small, almost imperceptible way it does when something gets past his guard. He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, his free hand comes up, resting gently at your jaw as he leans in just enough to press a soft, lingering kiss to your lips.
“I love you, okay?” he murmurs against you, his voice low, steady, like he needs you to hear it, to hold onto it.
Your breath catches just slightly, something warm settling in your chest as you meet his gaze.
“I love you too,” you reply, just as soft.
He leans his forehead briefly against yours, then shifts, guiding you gently down onto the bed, his hand never quite leaving you as he settles beside you moments later.
You turn toward him instinctively. He meets you there. His arm wraps around you, pulling you close, your body fitting against his like it always has, like it always will. The exhaustion is heavier now, pulling at you in a way that’s impossible to fight, but it doesn’t feel overwhelming anymore.
Your hands come up to rest against his chest, and you listen to the steady sound of his heart where your head lies near his chest. Leon’s hand moves once along your back, then stills, holding you there as the quiet settles in fully around you.
When sleep finally comes, it's gentle and safe. And this time, home finally feels like home again.
-----
My requests are open! <3 I would love to hear from you!
Thank you to @sisterlucifergraphics for the red moon divider!
Ghost was trembling heavily, chest heaving. You held him against your chest, his head resting in the crook of your neck. He let out a soft whine.
You had rubber gloves on your hands. They were soaked with lube. You gently rubbed the tip of the sound over Ghost's slit. Poor thing, Ghost already looked all out of it.
Soap sat in a chair a few feet away, watching the show you were putting on for him.
You carefully pressed the tip of the sound into his slit, listening to his high-pitched squeal. Your free hand swept over Ghost's hair to soothe him. Ghost slumped against you, whimpering softly.
"He already looks so fucked out and ye've barely got any of the sound in 'im yet." Soap comments, watching Ghost twitch and whine.
You smirk at Soap, "He always gets like this when I sound him."
You press the sound deeper. Ghost whines, his hips twitching upward. You press a soft kiss to his forehead. You press the sound down to the hilt.
Ghost lets out a pathetic noise. His cock is twitching repeatedly, his tip nearly purple.
"Christ, look at his cock..." Soap groans, jerking his cock to Ghost's whines.
You slowly thrust the sound in and out of Ghost's cock. Ghost repeatedly whines and shivers, trembling in your hold.
"You want to cum, baby?" You ask Ghost, moving the sound at a steady pace. Ghost nods desperately, whining your name softly.
You kept the sound in as you jerked Ghost off. He whined desperately, begging you to take the sound out. "Please, please, please, I wanna cum, please..."
You just sighed, kissing Ghost's temple. You carefully removed the sound. Ghost whines in relief, panting heavily. His cock dribbles precum heavily.
You jerk Ghost off quickly and roughly. Ghost bucks up desperately into your hand, begging to be allowed to cum. You decide to let him cum. You rub his tip with one hand and work his shaft with the other.
Soap laughs at the fucked out expression on Ghost's face. Soap jerks himself off calmly, like he was just watching some porn video he found online.
Ghost bucks up into your hand, spilling his cum all over you. Fucking pathetic how quick he cums.
Simon Riley being your cruise ship crush, the one you couldn’t keep your eyes off when you first laid your gaze on him.
It was just as you lost one of those zombie shooting games, a family that wore clothing that screamed nothing but old money and probably generational wealth staring you down. “Do you mind?” To be fair, it was your fifth time playing the game, so you scrambled away fairly quickly to the next closest one. Though, as soon as you landed your hands on the new set of controls, a voice had perked up behind you.
“I.. was actually using that.”
The tall man standing behind you was terrifying to say the least, and you probably hallucinated a glare in his eyes because you stepped back immediately. “I’m so sorry.” Though instead of running away this time, you just stopped and stared, quite literally admiring the view.
He was wearing a hoodie but you could see the ripple of his muscles beneath, and even though he had a cap on his head, you could make out the blonde tufts of hair peeking behind. But what really had you enthralled was how soft his eyes were, velvety and deep though you could bet they’d be like honey in the light.
—-
It’s cooler in the evening, a breeze soothes your body compared to the sweltering heat earlier that day. The kids are in the pool, adults with martinis in hand and a movie is set to play soon. Eventually, you settle on the emptier side of the deck on an unused pool floatie, a glass of juice in your hand; the waiter was nice enough to give you one for free. The movie has started to air, the familiar intro of nearly every Hollywood movie echoing around the top deck of the cruise ship.
“You mind if i sit ‘ere?”
A gruff voice snaps you out of your trance, a familiar one at that too. You look up, recognising the man from before, cap still lowered slightly over his eyes, and you quickly nod, shuffling up. “Yeah, sorry. You’d be doing me a favour actually.”
“How so?”
You look away sheepishly, and then point to that same family a few metres away from him. “I kind of lost track of time on one game and they were staring me down. Just looking at them makes me embarrassed.”
He just chuckles in response to your hushed words, though it’s not like the movie isn’t extremely loud anyway. “You here on your own?’ You blink, suddenly forgetting your entire life when he looks at you like that, eyes directed deep into your own. It takes you a moment to recover before you shake your head quickly.
“My family are here too, but they all have their own plans, so kind of.. Are you?” He probably wasn’t, and his friends would return too, or even his wife– you would be honestly surprised if someone hadn’t snatched him up yet.
“Was supposed to be here with a friend, but we kind of fell out last month. I’m on my own.”
“Oh, that’s rough..Sorry.”
It falls silent, and you decide to not speak any further unless he does. After all, he might just want some peace and quiet, not someone yapping into his ear. As the movie continues, you quietly shift, growing uncomfortable and a little bit bored. You figured whatever movie they put on would be good, but you suddenly feel very antsy knowing this hulk of a man is sitting centimeters away from you. The family from before gets up as their kid starts to grow tired, young enough to act out so they are probably taking him back to their room. You’re debating getting up at the same time as them, so you can make a quick escape and not disturb anyone else around. As usual, you end up overthinking it so much, as soon as you build the courage to stand, they’ve already disappeared.
“What’s wrong?” A cold hand settles on your arm and you almost jump, eyes wide as you look back over to him.
“I was going to go to the bathroom.. But I just lost my chance..”
All of a sudden, he holds your wrist and pulls you up, before promptly pulling you along and out of the crowd through the doors and back to the corridors again. “Think they’re this way.’ With his.. guidance , you make it to the bathrooms and you go inside with a quick thanks for helping you out of that situation. Right, he probably wanted to get out too. When you leave, he’s on the opposite end of the hall, waiting for you to return.
“I wasn’t planning to go back– did you miss the movie to wait for me? I’m so sorry-” You begin but he just laughs again, shaking his head to silence your string of apologies.
“No worries, I hated that movie anyway. I’ll walk you back to your room.”
A small smile graces your lips at his offer, a quiet thump starting to grow louder in your chest with each step you take. He asks you small questions on the way, and you dont complain once, feeling like your mind is floating on a cloud. When you finally reach your room, he stops, letting you tap your keycard against the door. “You wanna hit the pool tomorrow morning?”
“S-sure, what time?”
“I’ll text you it.’
He puts his number into your phone, and you put yours into his, before excusing yourself with red hot cheeks and closing the room door firm behind you. Simon. It was written there in the contact page. You needed to sleep very early tonight.
—-------
A pounding excitement is already in your heart when you wake up, and it only grows bigger when you check your phone for any message from him. You exit onto the outer deck as the sun still barely has risen, noticing the few people loitering around to watch it fully rise. He’s already sat there, lips curving into a smirk as you approach.
From there it’s like all the romcoms you’ve ever watched mashed into one, days going by where you only get closer to one another. Early morning swims become a regular occurrence, and sometimes you even grab dinner with him, though he never seems to be around at lunch. It doesn’t bother you though, because your phone lighting up shows he wants to do the stupid indoor obstacle course and you don't even hesitate to get up and head there right away.
The only times you feel nervous with him is when you get caught admiring him, his head turning and catching you by surprise– he looked pretty damn focused on the setting sun but he always seemed constantly aware of his surroundings. You were on the highest deck, a small viewing point that he had helped you climb the ladder to, grabbing your waist and lifting you up. Now you gripped the railing he leaned his arms on, instead now he was staring directly at you. Just like that first day you were enthralled by the softness his eyes had, no matter how sharp his other features are.
“Y’alright?” He tilts his head, and you nod, looking down at the pool below, where you held your first actual conversation. It’d been two weeks since then, but somehow it felt like an eternity ago and yesterday all at the same time. You snicker as you see that same family as before, the one that had intimidated anyone in their way.
“What’s up with them anyway? They act so posh, you think they own the cruise ship or something?”
His breath hitches for a second, and he looks over at you, that same cap hiding his blonde hair that you so desperately wanted to feel beneath your fingertips. “Uh, yeah– yeah, they probably do. Act like right snobs.”
You snort at that; the conviction in his voice is nothing short of amusing especially since he tended to act pretty calm except from the time a kid knocked the ice cream right out of your hand. “Little shit” he had muttered as he stepped up to buy you another one, not letting you argue your way out of it.
Goosebumps rise on your arms, the last sliver of the sun disappearing beneath the horizon and all of a sudden he puts an arm around your shoulders, and steers you back to the ladder. “C’mon, should go back down now before it gets too dark.”
—--------------
It’s a few days later when the cruise ship finally stops off at its first city, a quaint little town in Italy. You nervously knock at his room door, having finally built up the courage all week to ask him to explore with you. However, you’re met with nothing but silence, and the room door beside his opens. “Already left, heard him on the phone to someone.”
Oh.
You shook any worries out of your head– maybe he was just meeting a friend out there? So you took your own things, and joined the rest of the passengers into the city and the cruise owned tour bus. Though, you couldn't stop yourself for too long, texting him soon after to ask if he'd like to at least grab dinner with you. To your surprise, he doesn't answer until the end of the day, apologising about being very busy with something and he wouldn’t be free for at least another day. So, you reluctantly let it slide, knowing he probably would never mean to cause you harm, or anything of the like. Maybe he’s just feeling a bit ill.
You’re picking at your food at breakfast the day the cruise ship starts moving again, when you feel a palm on your shoulder, and then the chair being dragged out beside you. “Sorry, love, didn’t mean to leave you. Just had some plans already from months ago.”
Love. It was probably unintentional, a pet name that slipped out since he was still waiting for your answer with not even a hint of a reaction on his face. Of course you just shake your head, dismissing any bad feelings that may have swelled up over the past few days. “It’s okay, I should've asked you in advance.”
“You wanna hit the pool again? Missed you this mornin’ “
You were there this morning though– you couldn't sleep, and there was nothing better to do anyway. “I was there.”
“Must’ve been a different one then– c’mon.”
—---------------
Glow in the dark sticks, bracelets, necklaces and even hats– everyone was wearing at least one if not two of them as they entered the dark room. The lights slowly started to come on too, the music already loud drowning out cheers and the clinking of glasses as friends took their first shots of the night. It was disco night on the cruise ship, more for the adults, but kids were welcome to sit in the booths too with some fun mocktails at a discount. You stood to the side, phone nervously in hand as you watched more and more people enter yet still no sign of Simon in the slightest. He confirmed he would come earlier, promised even, but still there was no show of him at all. Even that snobby family was sitting in a booth, the mother sipping her wine and you’re surprised this is even the type of scene for them.
Minutes turn into an hour, and then another, until still he doesn't reply and there’s only an hour left until the bar closes and everyone heads back to their rooms. It’s well past midnight now, and even the woman bartending has been nice enough to talk to you throughout the night. Well at least you made a friend here. Some guy did try to hit on you though, a scot from his noticeable accent and he even told you the guy you were waiting for was probably an idiot. Or you assume he said that– you couldn't exactly understand what he had said over the loud music. Still, you rejected him, nicely of course, and decided to walk back to your room, upset and lonely once more.
“I’m so sorry, I got a really bad stomach bug, and have been in bed for hours. Must’ve passed out. Sorry.”
You sigh as you stare at your phone, feeling guilty for thinking he had intentionally stood you up. Of course he wouldn't, he could never.
You offered to help him the next day, asking if he wanted breakfast dropped off, but apparently the guy next door had been nice enough to bring him some already. Still, you worried about him all day, already forgetting that he stood you up and focused more on his health instead. He assured you he’d be fine though, and insisted you do some activities you wanted to try, so reluctantly you listened.
—-----------
You’re up on that same vantage point when you hear the ladder made a soft creak, the sound of someone likely coming up. It’s been three days, and you’ve been worried sick, but there’s nothing much you can do but wait for him to feel better. In your hands is the small origami bird you made, during one of those silly workshops. It was the one you wanted to go with him, but it’d have to do for now.
You turn, preparing to leave and let the newcomer enjoy their time up here only to be face to face with Simon, his lips pulled into a gentle smirk as he slowly approaches. “Hiding out up here, hm?”
“Well it’s not like you asked me to hang out.” You frown back, but he knows it’s nothing more than a playful jab, his hand gently taking yours.
“Came to collect you, actually.”
Soon enough, he’s pulled you to a little table on the far side of the outdoor restaurant, the chairs set up right against the railings so you can look over at the sea and the horizon beyond. It’s late, probably too late for dinner, but he calls the waiter over anyway, confirming that you’re here.
There are a few other people around, some families, some couples who mirror your exact selves, though you try to not think about that too hard, instead focusing on that posh family from before.
“Really? It’s like they follow us wherever we go..” You groan, stubbornly moving your gaze away from them so they dont haunt you anymore. He just chuckles, though his breath did catch like before, and nods.
“Don’t know how people go on months long cruises–i’d get sick of the same faces.”
Before you can think about it further, the waiter brings over two mocktails, and then some starters. Garlic prawns served with lemon and some courgettes and parsley, and another platter of chicken gyozas. More come until you have at least five assortments of starters on your table, your eyes wide at the professionalism done with each dish. Simon just gestures for you to eat, and so you hesitantly try each one, smile growing bigger with each new flavour that hits your mouth.
Talking with him over dinner like this is more than you wanted, than any disco or any silly city excursion. He makes silly jokes but ones that make you crumble nonetheless, and his intelligence is obvious in every response he gives to you.
“This was soo good, Simon! I didn’t even think cruise ship food could be this good!” You had mainly been eating at a restaurant on the complete opposite side of the ship, so this was a surprise for you to say the least. “I’m stuffed, I think i’ve been fed for three days..”
“Glad you liked it, but you’re not done till I say you are.” He calls over the waiter, who takes his card and processes the payment, even when you try to argue to pay half. Then, as you both stand, he takes your hand again.
-
“Simon.. That damn family…” You groan as he drags you to the poolside, which is far quieter today because of something else happening on the other side of the ship. To be honest, you were going to ask him to go with you, but you figured he’d likely say no again.
“Shh, just ignore them. C’mon we get such a good view from here.”
You lean over the railing, looking out at the sea below, the lapping waves and the darkness beginning to swallow the sun’s last rays of the day. “It’s just the sea..” You mumble, despite loving it nonetheless, the salty breeze and the coolness running up your sleeves.
“No, silly.” He gently grabs your chin, turning your head to look back at the ship. For a moment you’re confused, wondering why you’d even want to look at the ship, until you hear the soft whistle and a shot of white burst into a million different colours in the sky. It keeps on going, getting better with each one that fills the entire night sky. It’s captivating, and romantic, and you don't even bat an eye when that damn annoying family start whispering, concerned looks across the father’s face.
Simon’s arm has settled around your back, settling on your hip as he protectively squeezes you close to him, before kissing you on the cheek. That’s what breaks you out of the trance, your eyes wide when you turn your head just for your nose to bump his unmasked face. He lets out a low chuckle, purposefully touching noses to whisper. “Can I kiss you?”
Another firework explodes in the sky as your hands lock behind his neck, his own hands tight on your waist as your lips lock, entranced by each other.
—-------------
The cruise would end soon. You had one more pit stop, and you were determined to spend this part of the trip with him before the day-long ride back to where you departed. In your hands you cradled a gift for him, fingers running over the ridges of the little clay turtle laying on his back. A pretty cute tray if you do say so yourself, seeing as you made it in a workshop the other week.
You stood in the main hall, closer to the quieter side of deck, after having texted him an hour ago to meet you out here. It was early enough that he surely hadn't left yet, and to be honest, there was something else you planned too.
It’d been a while of knowing him now, and ever since that kiss the other night you were buzzing with excitement. If that wasn't proof enough you didn't know what was. You needed to know how he felt, if he wanted to actually be with you. Hell, you’d be the happiest person alive if you actually got to see him again after this cruise.
As the time passes, you lean against the wall, watching early risers start heading out to where the ship is docked today. Other families had just woke up for breakfast, slowly crowding the halls with hungry kids and sometimes even a hungover parent. Yikes.
You wait longer, and longer, checking your phone only to recieve no notification. A shame really, it probably was your own fault for telling him so last minute. Damnit, what if he had another plan already?
It’s ironic that you happen to see that posh family again, making you roll your eyes. What is even the point of a cruise like this if they look so miserable? The poor kids you think, well at least they got to play in the arcade that one time. It was always a core childhood memory for you too.
You tuck your phone into your pocket, ready to give up when suddenly loud boots echo in the hallways. Confused, you snap your head towards the other side of the long hall, seeing military personnel file in and most surprisingly, the father of the posh family curses loudly and starts to fight one of the soldiers if not for another helping him subdue him. Some of the other cruisegoers flee, and even you back up, terrified by the guns suddenly pointed around the area and the ones strapped on their backs.
“Yer coming with us.” The Scot from the bar is there, dressed in full military gear, his knee on the man's back as another soldier handcuffs him, other members going to escort the mother and child out of the cruise. Then the soldiers start filing in too, strapped and ready and then there at the front of it.
“Good work, Simon.” A soldier and a hat shakes the hand of the man you’ve given your heart for, dressed in the uniform himself. He smiles at the man, pulling up a surgical mask as a rough hand of the Scot pats his back. “We fuckin got em!”
All the weeks you gave up for him, the days you watched his facial expressions change. That damn family always lingered nearby, and whenever you spoke, it was always dismissed just as fast.
You were just part of a cover story, an alibi. A distraction so they wouldn't see the operation going behind it. A fake love, just to dangle you so you’d hide him from view.
The turtle drops from your hands, smashing against the floor at your feet. Simon turns where he stands, looking towards the source of the noise to lock eyes with you. His face is hidden now, but you feel like you’re seeing the true him instead. How ironic.
You should’ve known it was too good to be true, you think, stepping away as fast as you can, and dashing down the corridor as soon as you pass his line of view. You should’ve seen the signs.
t141 are used to simon muttering about his missus. to be honest johnny and kyle thought he was insane, because there is no way in hell lieutenant simon 'ghost' riley has a wife. especially one that he describes to be so soft and sweet.
when they pry and ask about you, he happily tells details, but will never disclose your name or show them a photo. he just has to keep you alllll to himself. naturally kyle and johnny don't believe him.
then simon starts arriving on base with lunches. real good lunches. johnny watches in envy as simon will lift his mask over his mouth and open his little (big) box, juicy steak covered in a real nice sauce.
"y'must be an awful good cook sir" johnny mutters, entranced in the smell of good food.
"told ya my missus makes it for me" simon would grunt. he silently pockets the small notes you would leave him.
i miss u <3
or
im proud of u <3
or
want u to fuck me real good tonight ;)
he would pocket the latter to jerk off to in his office later.
one day simon forgets his lunch. and being the everso caring and worrying wife, you rush down to the base to bring it to him.
when a pretty thing such as yourself arrives on base, the recruits can't keep their eyes off you. especially johnny who approaches awful confident.
"you lost lass?" he can't help his eyes drifting to your pretty tits spilling over your top.
"no" you bat your pretty lashes at him, "my husband left his lunch at home, i thought i could give it to him!"
johnny nearly fell to his knees in agony when you said husband. sighing he said, "aye then, do you know his rank or platoon number?"
you hum trying to recall. "i think task 141, his name is simon riley." you quickly reconfirm, "oh wait everyone here calls him ghost"
johnny stops dead in his tracks.
"you're LT's wife?"
you look up at him with a pretty smile and nod proudly. johnny had to hold back a groan, god you were beautiful.
and you were real.
you follow behind johnny while he leads you to simon and when you reach his office, johnny knocks once.
"come in" is grunted out slightly harshly
any hostility is quickly wiped off simon's face when he sees his pretty little wife standing next to his sergeant.
"hi si! you forgot your lunch" and you almost gallop over to simon in excitement holding out his lunchbox for him.
fuck. when is it johnny's turn :(
"you're excused soap" simon grunts, "although i'll get you to escort her back off base so stick around."
thats how johnny ends up sitting outside simon's office getting having to listen to the clattering of items on simon's desk as well as your sweet moans and whimpers while simon thanks you for making his lunch.
he can't stop staring at you when you stumble out on shaking legs with messed up hair and smudged lipgloss.
he has got to tell kyle that not only are you real, but you're fucking ethereal.
18+ mdni simon riley is a horrible lay, everyone says.
that’s what you’ve heard around base, from men and women alike. he’s too fucking big, apparently, fucks like the mean bastard that he is. hurts. apparently, he’s so cold he doesn’t even care for his partner. and apparently, every time anyone’s tried to sleep with him, they’ve always stormed out of his room, pissed off at him because his room is a hellhole.
apparently. it’s all word of mouth, but you believe it.
but after the end of the month drinks at the local spoons, you can barely get simon off you, he’s pawing at you with his big hands. the two of you split a cider in two, and he looks at you with his big brown eyes, “y- you’re really fucking hot.” he blurts out, kissing your nose with chapped lips.
his face is red, blushing deeply as you try your best to not flush the same. “and johnny told me you can’t ever think about the pretty lass on floor 3 with the filing cabinet, but guess what, i can.” he kisses you on the side of your head this time, and you’re enjoying his affections.
it’s only back in his room on base that he fumbles with his belt, before he looks at you again, “s-sorry, it’s just, i don’t really get to spend the night with pretty women like you-“
you want to hide your face in his pillows, his room is really fucking nice. he has plants, actual plants growing from gaz, sketch drawings from johnny, photographs of him and the captain.
his cock is huge, hard and leaking, slapping against his stomach, but he still looks at you with his sweet brown eyes, “love, it’s okay if it’s too big…” he sounds dejected already, but you just shake your head, it’s nowhere near as big what the word around base was.
“it’s fine simon-“ you whisper, licking your lips and placing kitten licks on his length, feeling the taste of him coat your tongue.
“no no no-“ he shakes his head, pulling away before his hands touch your wet panties, “fuck, you’re so wet love.”
and then he dives in, tugging them off, before licking at your cunt with a sloppy tongue, he doesn’t have a technique down but whatever the fuck he’s doing it’s good, your legs are shaking as his tongue dips inside you.
“gotta make sure it’s good for you-“ okay, what the fuck was anyone talking about?
he slides into you with ease, and thrusts into you? his hands above your head, his eyes still looking at you. “you’re very fuckin’… mmmph… hot.” he says, with a grin on his scarred face that would look terrifying if it wasn’t for the way his brown eyes shone with sweetness.
it wasn’t long before his cock twitches inside of you, and his eyes roll back, “oh fuck love, right there— fuck!” he was filling you deep, his cum thick in your stomach.
“love?” he asks, whimpering, his head on your chest, “love, did you find it good?” he’s desperate for your fucking approval.
you kiss his head, his soft curls growing out of army regs.
“yes darling.” fuck the word of mouth, did anyone even try this with him?
“th-thank you dove-“ he pants, his cock deep inside you as you keep stroking his hair, feeling his breath even out.
being a soldiers wife is cute and all but imagine military!reader, who went through hell and ripped through societal norms to just be in the military. an analyst, a sharpshooter, insanely talented and constantly undermined. reader who always tries to tears through the next layer of bullshit between what she wants because she grew up with the mentality that “a girl can do anything a boy can, maybe even better.”
toxic!price, who looks at you, the almost feral newbie he gets, and instead of seeing a soldier, he sees a sweet thing, all with big eyes and curls. he sees you walk around the room with sweet steps, and smiles every time you come near him because you wear makeup and smell nice because of the perfume. always keeps you on the sidelines and away from the action, has you sitting in the evac helicopter as “backup” rather than being in the field even if he knows you’re as good as any of his other soldiers.
see he doesn’t think a sweet little lady like you should be on the field, better thinks a lady like you would be better off married to a military man like him, keep his house clean and his bed warm. and so you keep getting assigned to tidy his desk and catch his calls, rather than collect information. he’s always got an arm around your waist, a hand on you, patting your head or giving you a sign of affection when you do something simple, like bring flowers to “brighten up” the office.
he thinks a woman has no place in the military, and laughs when he sees you in the shooting range, makes a joke about how your hands are too soft to hold a gun.
and simon, who looks at you with such devotion and admiration when you point the gun and fire cleanly into the target. simon who watches you with an open mouth as you shoot with furrowed brows, simon who’s seen you drag him out of a building, covered in his blood. simon who’s been pinned down with you whilst sparring in the gym, simon who thinks your eyes are as sharp as flint rather than the softness that price sees.
simon who doesn’t think he has a chance with you, since price very clearly has his eyes on you. simon who listens to your rants rather than pushes you away, simon who dreams of the lean muscle under the t-shirts you wear. simon ghost riley, stuck thinking about a woman he wishes would flip him over on the gym mat and make out with him there.
