You walk into the break room, scanning the room. Ghost is sitting at the far table, sipping his tea, eyes fixed on something distant. The usual tension between you both is thicker today, though neither of you has acknowledged it. He glances up as you approach, meeting your eyes for a brief moment, before looking back down at his cup.

You walk over, offering a small nod to your team on the couch, and taking a seat beside him. His gaze briefly flickers to you, and you can feel the weight of the silence, the air thick with things unsaid.

He gives a small smirk from behind his mask, but his voice is steady, betraying nothing. “You’re late. Price won’t like that.”

You sit a bit closer than necessary, your knee brushing his under the table. The tension is almost unbearable now, but you force yourself to stay calm, pretending like this isn’t the thousandth time you’ve felt this pull between you two. “Yeah, well, sometimes the mission doesn’t go as planned.” You lock eyes with him, letting the implication linger, daring him to respond.

His gaze flickers briefly to the rest of the team, then back to you. It’s a fleeting look, but you can tell he’s calculating something, weighing the moment. “Distractions aren’t good for either of us. You know that.”

You lean in slightly, your voice quiet as you look around the room, making sure no one’s listening, though you both know it’s not the others that matter right now. “Doesn’t stop you from looking, though.”

For a brief moment, Ghost stiffens. His hand twitches, but his expression stays hidden behind the mask. You don’t miss the way his eyes narrow slightly, or the shift in his posture that betrays the unspoken thoughts in his mind.

His voice drops lower, softer now, but with the same professional edge as always. “Keep your focus. The mission comes first.”

His words are final, but the air between you both feels charged. Both of you know the truth, but neither of you are willing to acknowledge it out loud. Yet.