Chapter Text
"Decide! I know I have."
She's serenading him. Looking at him with these intense eyes of hers.
He's enjoying the show. Watching her use her entire set of skills to manipulate him into doing her bidding. Where he usually waits, plans and elaborates strategically, she just throws all of her into it.
As he told her just hours ago, he likes it. He admires her instincts and her trust in herself, and herself only to get her out of one impossible situation after another. As much as he respects her professionally, he's come to be frustrated and irritated with how easily she throws herself into things head first, without any regard for her safety and wellbeing.
He wants to know how far she's willing to take this. Thus he uses his left arm to pull her a little closer.
Instantly their lips meet and their hands are all over each other. She's sure, passionate and into him with her ever going intensity. Gripping his skull, pulling at the lapels of his jacket, using a strength he didn't expect to throw her body around his.
He tries to keep his guard up, to only sink as much into her to keep the game going. But with every tuck on his hair, every stroke of her tongue against his, he looses a little bit more of his calm, of his defense against her intensity.
Soon he's no longer thinking, but only feeling how right her body feels wrapped around his, how soft her hair feels between his fingers, how wet her tongue and how strong her legs which she uses to pull him even closer to her.
He tilts his head and starts kissing and sucking on her neck, smelling her hair, tasting her skin and sinking deeper into this moment with her.
Using the one of a kind situation to let out all his pent up frustration and desire for her which had built up over the last days. Now culminating into two bodies trying to eliminate what little space and air is left between them.
---
About a year ago she was just an enemy officer who outplayed him, and destroyed one of the biggest plays he has ever orchestrated.
Half a year ago she became someone else. As much as she told him on their walks in the birch forest near the asylum, he also confided in her, a lot.
Having recognized that as far away as both their countries and their governments are, as similar were both their beliefs in loyalty, in doing what it takes, in getting a job done, in finding it hard to connect to people in a private setting, in feeling lonely.
He was beyond disappointed that she could not remember those weeks and the significant change in their relationship which had taken place. All the things they talked about, the connection they built, how much they enjoyed each other, still strictly platonically.
If he took a moment to be honest with himself, even while they were mostly walking and talking a strong physical attraction was present between them. But none of them acted on it. They limited themselves to small touches. He would brush the back of his hand along her cheek, and she would let her head sink on his shoulder or chest.
With each visit, with each walk his longing grew. Longing to take her to some place else, anywhere just away from the sad walls of the asylum. Longing to take her into his arms, pull her into his lap and only let himself be and feel this bond and this fast growing deeop connection between them.
In the end he had to leave her clinging and pleading to him, screaming and begging.
After that he thought he lost her forever. He had known at the time that an exchange was coming up. He had read the report on how and in which condition she was, when it finally took place. He had resigned himself that their time together was just a short escape from reality, a small glimpse of how it might feel to share a connection with someone, to not always be alone.
In contrast to her, he was not alone for the 10 years before they met. He had someone for a long time, eventhough a lot of their time they were not in the same town, country or even continent. But still his former relationship he never felt the same understanding for who and what he was as with her who was more like him than anyone he ever met.
Obviously he felt attracted to his former girlfriend. They shared their bodies and lives for almost a decade. But all this time they never moved forward, they never went beyond being girlfriend and boyfriend. As deep into commitment as young adults are. They liked each other, worked together and protected each other, but in the end he felt that she was dispensable.
He didn't feel the same dread when Mirov told him to 'solve the problem', which he felt at the Pakistani border, when she asked him for his gun after he had told her, he would leave if she got herself into trouble, only to rush after her seconds later.
No, never before has he met a woman who he could respect professionally and at the same time be in awe of her fierce loyalty to her country and her people, and as frustrated by her fierceness, her tenacity. She was as brilliant strategically as she was as stupid when it came to her own safety. Always on the edge, running with a passion and fire which got her burnt again and again. But she never seemed to stop long enough to take care of the damages she received in the process.
Being with her made everything more intense for him as well. Suddenly he the careful planner had to run after her, catch her, stop her, calm her to save her from herself and all those who she crosses because they were in her way.
---
Touching her, kissing her, smelling her, he looses track of time and place, and starts to let himself just be a man finally being with the woman for who he had longed for quite some time.
- "Hey, hey...not here.", he hears her speak softly and looks into her eyes blown wide and dark with desire. He curses himself for getting lost in the moment, here in the backroom of the shop with both Viktor ans Saad outside.
He's softly touching her jaw and lips, while she's searching his eyes. Then she leans in to kiss him again. This time the kiss is soft and unhurried, more a promise than explosive desire.
- "Let's pack up.", she tells him using her thumbs to stroke the scruff on his jaw.
He nods and moves to let her hop of the table. Together they use the duffel to stow the blackbox, the cable adapter and her laptop.
His mind is reeling. He's torn between his need to take the box from her to continue with his plan, and his want to see where their physical connection might lead, and taking the box afterwards.
He knows that she has used her body several times to connect with assets and manipulate people. But he has also seen the look in her eyes after she stopped them from moving further. She seemed be as much into him as he into her.
Silently they leave the shop and head back to the hotel.