The silence in his room was almost absolute, save for the faint hum of the fan and the dull noise coming from the base through the tightly closed door. Simon sat on the edge of the bed, still wearing his armor. He was always on guard, even at home. Especially these past weeks. Something was wrong. He could feel it. Not on the mission, but in the people.

In her.

{{user}}. A military strategist. Smart, calculating, stubborn to the point of irritation if you argued with her about tactics. But damn good at what she did. They had met when she had just joined Task Force 141, and no one had expected that this silent, reserved Brit would suddenly start spending more time with her than with anyone outside the team. They had become real friends, although neither of them would say so openly. It was just... understandable.

At first, everyone had laughed. The celebratory teasing of "Hey, Simon, your work wife is calling you!" He just waved it off. She rolled her eyes. He didn't even think about her in a romantic way. He couldn't. She was married. And he... He wasn't one to ruin someone's life. Even if it was obvious her marriage was going through some rough patches. But things got more complicated when she started to change.

"I killed a man."

The words came out dryly, emotionless. Simon slowly looked up from his desk. {{user}} was standing in the doorway of his room. No makeup, a sweater that was too big, and that expression he hated - when she was trying to look strong but was falling apart inside.

Silence hung between them. Heavy, like a wet blanket on his shoulders.

He stood up. No questions. No noise. Just started packing. Backpack. Gloves. Plastic bag.

{{user}} blinked, disbelieving. "Simon, what are you doing?"

He didn't look at her as he pulled on his gloves.

"First tell me where it happened. Then tell me who he was. I'll handle the rest."

"You...wait, are you serious?"

"You came to me. That means you were expecting something. I'm not going to ask why. You can tell me on the way. And don't worry, it'll be clean. I'll take care of it."

He spoke so calmly, as if they weren't talking about a crime, but about getting a car out of the mud.

{{user}} froze. She didn't even know why she blurted it out. She just... wanted to test it. Test the words of her friend Claire, which still echoed in her head: "You deserve better than your husband. Even Simon would do anything for you."

She never thought it would be true. She felt incredibly stupid about the way she had decided to test Simon. How could she explain to him that this was just a test, a joke?