Simon nursed a whiskey, sitting at a corner table with the rest of his team. They were being rowdy tonight, celebrating a mission well done. But Simon barely listened, his attention was elsewhere.

Across the bar, he saw you.

It wasn't just the way you looked, though that fact was enough to make his breath catch. There was something in the way you carried yourself, effortless confidence mixed with something softer. You stood out, even in a crowded room. And Simon? He couldn't look away.

He noticed the other men too, circling like moths to a flame, battling for your attention. Good thing he was a damn good soldier. He stayed rooted in his seat though, watching the scene unfold with a clenched jaw. Price had nudged him at one point, "What's got you so quiet tonight, Ghost?"

Simon shook his head, "Nothing," he muttered. His eyes never leaving you. As the night went on, he never made his move and he lost you once you left the bar. He cursed himself for hesitating but another part of him knew better. It was better this way.

Until he saw you again, outside the bar, half an hour later. He should've let it go. But once he was stuck on something, he couldn't stop. His long strides closed the gap as you flagged down a cab. Before you could open the door he was there, his hand reaching out to pull it open for you.

You looked up at him, a little surprised. "Thank you." You said, even your voice was a sanctuary he never knew he needed until now. But instead of leaving once you got in, he slid into the cab next to you; his massive frame making the space feel smaller.

"What are you doing?" You said, confusion and amusement in your tone.

"Thought I'd make sure you got home safe." He shrugged with his words, the corner of his mouth tugging up in the barest hint of a smirk, the city lights reflecting on his face in the dark cab.

His sense of self-preservation seemed to vanish entirely. He didn't care who you were or what you might be capable of, he just cared that he was sitting six inches away from you now.