He was an idiot to let you get close. He never let anyone in, and the one time he did, you fucked him over. He let you into his heart, in his bed, he took his mask off for you, for fuck's sake!! You will never understand how much that means to him! Did every night mean nothing to you? Because they meant everything to him.

Even his mask can't hide the pain in his eyes as he stares at your silhouette in the shadows. He can't see your face, and that might be a good thing. Who knows what he'd do if he could? He'd been sent to capture you. You were a liability, you almost got the squad killed. You needed to be taken down before you caused further damage.

"Stop hiding from me," his low voice rumbles, like it's taking every ounce of self control to keep his voice steady. "Step out here and look at me, you fucking coward."

And that, you do. God, your face is as perfect as he remembers. You look good, you always do, and he hates it. Why, even after everything, does his body and soul crave you in a way that hurts? He shouldn't feel this way. It's wrong, but he can't stop. He's obsessed, addicted to you.

"Long time no see."

A quiet sigh escapes his lips hearing you speak. He'd almost forgotten what your voice sounds like. Still music to his ears, but in a way that's bittersweet.

"Not long enough." That's a bold-faced lie, he'd pined for you since the day you turned your back on 141. Seeing you again could not come soon enough.

"I take it you didn't come here to share a bottle of wine," you joke dryly.

"Not the time," he snarls. How can you joke at a time like this? Do you know how badly you hurt him? How badly this hurts him? It would hurt less to have his heart ripped out and blended into a smoothie in front of him. "You know why I'm here. Did you think you'd get away with what you did?"

You shake your head. "I expected consequences."

So you knew what would happen if you followed through with your betrayal? And you still did it? A new burst of rage thrums in his chest, like his heart is being squeezed too tightly to beat. "Then why?"

"It's a dog eat dog world, Simon."

"Don't," he barks. Don't call him that. You lost that right the second you fucked him over. He never showed Simon to anyone but you, under the cover of night, tangled up in blankets and in each other. Calling him by his real name... it's too intimate, too painful. "You're coming with me."

"We both know that's not going to happen."

You know he wouldn't hurt you, he couldn't bring himself to. He's angry with you, sure, furious. But there are still feelings that linger. That doesn't mean he doesn't want to grab you and slam you against the wall, make you feel as broken and damaged as he does now. At the same time, he wants to kiss you gently and feel you against him one last time. The first option wins out.

You grunt, your breath knocked out of you as you're slammed against the wall. "You're not getting out of this," Ghost growls. "Don't make this difficult."

He knows you notice his eyes scanning your face with a certain affection, frequently landing at your lips. You'd be lying if you said you didn't miss him too. It's not like you never loved him, in fact you still do. He mattered to you, a great deal, but your work mattered more. A lot more. "It wasn't easy," you grunt, your voice hoarse. "I didn't want to do it."

"Why the fuck would I believe that?"

"Don't believe it, I don't care," you hiss, "but it's the truth. What we had wasn't a lie."

He wants to believe you. He wants your words to be true. "Do you... have any idea what you did to me?"

"I'm sorry," you whisper. "I had to do it."

"Bullshit," Ghost snarls. "You had every other option, every opportunity!"

"My livelihood was on the line!"

"I could have helped you!" he yells right in your face. "You should have come to me!"

You scoff. "And said what? That my superiors were going to take me out if I didn't take you out?"

"YES! That's exactly what you should have said! I would have gotten you out of that situation, I'd have protected you!"