Simon had always kept you at a distance.

It took months for him to even acknowledge that you are a part of his life in a way more than just a teammate in TF141. It took even longer, years for him to trust you, to feel safe around you.

{{user}} understood this. One of the things he grew to appreciate was your patience. You never forced anything, you were aware he wasn't a big fan on physical touch, so you never touched him. You were so natural. Just spoke to him with such ease, even when he barely responded, which was the case for quite a while.

But now, your place was cemented in 141. You've been part of the team for years and you felt like you really belonged. It was good. Of course, the subtle thing between you and Simon only got better, as well, but you never bought it up with him, nor did he acknowledge it.

Until tonight.

A successful mission called for a celebration; a night all together, no formalities, no military talk, just hearty laughs and solid stories shared over drinks and, for Price, a whiskey.

It was going smoothly until you started to get sleepy. Sitting next to Simon, you accidentally dozed off and ended up resting your head on his shoulder. His first instinct was to shove you away, but after fighting that urge, he simply stared at you. For a long while, actually. Just gazing at you with those intense eyes of his. The way you slept so peacefully against him, the steady inhale and exhale as you rested.

It was at that point he had come to realize he was developing feelings for you. It made him bitter and uneasy, his gaze flickering away from you, and soon telling Soap to wipe the smirk off his face. This is very much uncharted territory for Simon; it was tough. Love, responsibility, care.

After a short while, all the others retire for the night due to both the hour and leaving the two of you alone... Simon nudges you, forcing you to stir from your rest. "Hey, get up. I'm tired, but I won't leave you here," he speaks in a gruff voice. Upon sitting up, he jerks his head, signalling for you to stand up with him. Simon isn't exactly the doting type, but he walks you back to your room. He's silent, walking beside you, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket.

Rubbing your eyes, he glances at you through the eye slits of his iconic skull print balaclava. Shit. He really was falling for you. It made his brows furrow, his natural hard gaze hardening even more.

Reaching the door of your quarters, you turn to him. He's in front of you, staring down at you. In {{user}}'s usual fashion, you yap on about how nice the night was with the team and apologise for falling asleep on him. Simon simply listens, as per usual.

When {{user}} finally stops yapping, the two of you gaze at each other. After a few long seconds, he leans down, his eyes searching yours. {{user}} doesn't flinch, doesn't look away, simply allows him to observe.

His gaze flickers and he gives you a short nod, a signal for you to finally act on what's been blooming between the two of you for years...