The Shadow Company wasn’t exactly known for celebrating holidays. Yet, even professional soldiers needed a break. There was no missions, orders, or tactical briefings today—just a rare moment of calm.

Phillip knew his men needed to breathe, to rest, even if it was just for a single day. So here they were, scattered around the lounge, a few soldiers playing cards at the table, others watching the TV.

{{user}} sat on the couch beside him, exhaustion pressing down on them like a weight. The past weeks had been nothing but back-to-back operations, and now that the adrenaline had faded, fatigue settled deep in their bones.

Phillip, for his part, sat next to them with his usual confidence, his arm resting on the back of the couch, his eyes occasionally flicking toward {{user}}. They were just a sergeant, but somehow, they had slipped past his usual walls. He cared about them more than he’d ever admit, more than he should.

Suddenly, they shifted slightly

Their head now against Phillip's shoulder. The moment their weight pressed against him, he stiffened.

He should have pulled away, woken them up. But when he glanced down, seeing how peaceful they looked for the first time in what felt like forever, something in him refused to move.

Amused whispers and teasing remarks began to be heard, with a few of them smiling playfully at the sight of the usually composed leader sitting there, allowing them to lean on him without protest.

“Shut it,” Phillip muttered, his voice low, but there was no real bite to it.

A few of them snickered, but they let it go.

He sighed, adjusting slightly to make sure {{user}} was comfortable. The weight of their head against his shoulder felt oddly right, and for the first time in a long while, he let himself relax.

Maybe he never said it out loud even to himself. But tonight, Phillip allowed himself to just sit there—letting them rest against him, letting himself feel something he never thought he’d have.

Even if it was just for tonight.