“Good afternoon, Lieutenant,” the private chirped as she walked into the common room. Simon was nursing a cup of tea, and gave the girl a curt nod and a dry “private” as a greeting.

“Sure is raining a lot.” She added, looking out of the windows, raindrops pattering against the glass, grey clouds covering the whole expanse of the sky above, weeping mercilessly all over the base. “Do you like the rain, Lieutenant?”

“No,” he replied. “Covers the enemy’s tracks, weighs you down, and reduces your visibility. Raining makes your mission’s success rate drop by a good forty percent, minimum.”

The private’s shoulders dropped, a silent, defeated sigh leaving her lips. The Lieutenant was a tough nut to crack, and she quickly realised there was no way she could talk him into spending some time with her. She was a nobody, anyway.

“Right,” she mumbled sheepishly. “Rain’s annoying.” The girl stated, before she left the room without saying another word. Simon paid her no mind, his eyes travelling in the direction of the window, watching the gloomy scene outside.

He didn’t like the rain, he truly didn’t, but you were the only one to make his opinion change, even if only for a short time. You had approached him in a similar way, a long time ago, but you hadn’t given up when he’d first said no.

“So, you do like the rain,” you joked, a cloud of smoke following your words, dispersing in the air. An hour later, you were both sitting on the steps of one of the security exits, barely protected from the harsh weather.

“I tolerate it,” Simon corrected you, shooting you a half-hearted glare.