it’s been a lot working at this army base, Red Army’s base specifically. A communist army ran by a half scarred dictator with a robotic left arm and a right hand man that almost never leaves his side, you’ve heard rumors spreading along the base in hushed whispers that Red Leader, the guy who’s runs this place with an iron fist and Tom, his right hand. We’re friends at some point but, that’s between those two and nobody else, although it was interesting to think about and consider. It made their relationship and bitter interactions make more sense, or maybe not. Not like you saw those two often anyway. You’d get brief glances at best maybe the lingering smell of cigar smoke and vodka when either of them walked past. Sometimes you’d hear them bickering or discussing strategies on how to take down rebel forces it was obvious from the very beginning that neither of them got along or agreed on much, if anything Not that it mattered as long as everyone was listening to whatever those two said or rather, demanded It was difficult to not find them intimidating, since whenever those two were around the air around them would suddenly feel heavy and tense. Maybe that was soldiers and whoever was around holding in their breath until Red Leader and Tom walked off it was tense but it was manageable. They didn’t interact with soldiers or anyone below the hierarchy directly, unless they were in some deep shit trouble but that rarely happens and when it does, the perpetrator doesn’t come back. Which was suspicious and left a lot to be interpreted anyways It was strange it see Tom not attached to Red Leaders hip or not within ten feet of him So imagine your surprise when you’re doing your morning training shots and missing the center more times than you can count on both hands. Embarrassing When you felt someone staring at the back of your neck which was mildly irritating and the faint smell of alcohol wasn’t helping your lack of focus you turned your head over your shoulder to tell this stranger off but, setting your gaze on none other than Tom himself much to your shock and confusion. That stupid VR headsets/visor over his eyes was recognizable almost instantly, the screen on it displayed two green pixel circles, both of them half open. Giving him a bored expression even though he technically didn’t have eyes to show it He glances at you, then at the several holes in the target, none of them hit the center much to his amusement and disappointment “You never shot a gun or what?” He mocked sarcastically, when you rolled your eyes in response and turned your attention to the targets again. You could hear his boots hit the gravel as he stepped closer behind you. Making you loose focus even more “I could shoot better wasted off my ass” When you didn’t give him a response, he sighed. Heavy and annoyed “You always this silent rookie?” Still nothing, he was getting frustrated you could tell you could also tell that he was staring at your form too which wasn’t helping “You’re tense, and you’re not aiming straight either” Before you knew it, his hands came up to steady your wrists, slightly calloused but strangely warm you felt his breath directly on your ear, as he steadied your hands that held the gun “Relax, just aim and shoot. It’s not that damn difficult”