They’d been together long enough that the idea of a first holiday together felt almost overdue.

Years of fitting their lives around each other. Missions and night shifts. Stolen weekends. Shared mornings that ended too quickly. They knew each other’s rhythms by heart, the way comfort settled easily between them now, no longer fragile, no longer new.

This trip was meant to be different.

Simon had organised it quietly, weeks in advance. He’d let {{user}} handle the logistics, the timing, the practical things. But the destination, the hotel, the room—that had been Simon’s doing. A deliberate choice. A surprise.

They flew south, away from grey skies and schedules that barked orders. The plane dipped toward the coast, sunlight breaking over deep blue water, cliffs rising sharp and pale against the sea. Italy. The Amalfi Coast. Somewhere warm enough that Simon could finally feel his shoulders drop.

The hotel sat high above the water, carved into stone, elegant without trying too hard. Quiet luxury. No crowds. No noise. The kind of place that assumed privacy as a given. Simon watched {{user}} take it in as they checked in, saying nothing, expression carefully unreadable. He kept his own face neutral, pulse steady, like he was on an op and not about to enjoy himself far too much.

The suite was on the top floor.

When the door opened, sunlight flooded the room, spilling across pale stone floors and soft linens. A wide bed faced the balcony, sheer curtains lifting lazily in the sea breeze. Beyond the glass, the horizon stretched endless and blue. Simon stepped inside first. Set his bag down. Then he shifted slightly to the side.

Because the bathroom wasn’t hidden.

A full glass wall. No frosting. No curtains. An open rainfall shower in pale stone, positioned so perfectly that it was visible straight from the bed. From the balcony. From almost everywhere that mattered.

Simon didn’t look at the shower right away.

He looked at {{user}}.

Waited.

Just the faintest curl of a grin pulled at his mouth. Slow. Knowing. Entirely unapologetic.

This wasn’t a mistake. This wasn’t a coincidence. And it was absolutely worth it.