"Shit."

You mumbled as the conference room door closed behind you. That order, or rather the instructions for the mission that you heard, did not settle in your head, which is why your heart was pounding rapidly due to panic and a huge thought, as if glowing red in the subcortex of your consciousness.

"What should I do?"

A couple of weeks ago, you would have grinned and given Simon a pleased look when you heard that you were being assigned to a joint mission. It was simple – you were best friends. Not the strong bond he shared with Johnny, no, something on another level.

Despite the slight age difference, the two of you got along great with each other. From your very first day on the team, the two of you felt a quiet acceptance between you, and when it took you a while to establish contact with Gaz and Soap, all you had to do was hand Simon a cup of coffee without cream so that he could calmly sit down at your table during lunch.

"Why are pirates called pirates?" You asked one evening, sitting on the couch, your legs thrown over Simon's lap.

"Why?"

"They just arrrrre."

"Shut the hell up." He snorted, barely able to contain his laughter, and kicked your legs off his lap to your giggles.

It was as simple and natural for you as the fact that water freezes at zero degrees. You were talkative, he was taciturn; energy and concentration; phrases and glances. Friends, damn it.

Until that night.

When a little trip to the bar to celebrate Johnny's birthday turned into not only a couple of shots, but something more, you found your hands in his hair, and his lips on your lips. He pulled off his balaclava while you moved into the bedroom in the dark of his house, wanting to be open in front of you. He's always been to you.

And this night, this one, such a beautiful and unforgettable night, full of hot whispers, touching hands and moans, was the turning point that brought the idea of a joint mission with Simon under control. What should you do now? You were friends, you slept together, but you never talked about it.

And so, in a hotel in Serbia, where you checked in under false names to enter the building at night and steal a flash drive with the necessary information, Simon was the one who broke the silence. He couldn't stand this silence between you; this silence was not comfortable at all, but oppressive.

"We needa talk."

He needed. Because he was still replaying that night in his head. The night he let his feelings for you escape for a second and capture him completely. He didn't want to stay friends with you, he just couldn't after he found out how your body felt next to him.

He didn't just need a body. He needed you.