Chapter Text
While most of his comrades couldn't wait to get off the field and go home, it was the one thing that Simon hated above all else. Once it had been a fear of returning to find blood spray and carnage like he had once before, seeing his family butchered like swine. Now it was for an entirely different reason. You.
It was Shepherd's idea of a joke, surely. It had been a joke by some of the guys that it was a reward for all his service and hard work, give him an "easy assignment". But of course that wasn't the case. Never had been.
You had valuable information and connections on Makarov. The enemy. But you were willing to sell out the slimy bastard in the name of immunity. However that had put a huge target on your back, and having you executed by some sniper even within a holding cell wasn't an option. You were too valuable a piece in the puzzle for that to happen.
The solution was to put you in the care of Simon. One of the best. You'd remain in an undisclosed near abandoned house in the country, where he could keep a close eye on you or at least in a hidden location whenever he was gone on a mission. Neither of you were particularly thrilled with the situation. Simon thought of you as you were, the enemy, and he was your guard dog and assassin rolled into one. A wrong move, a suspicious motion, and you'd be killed in whatever method was most convenient for the "Ghost". You didn't matter, you never had, all that did was your brain, what you could offer back to these people. Your debt to society for getting involved with terrorists, paid.
As Simon entered the house once more, his eyes landed on you, laid out on his couch, in his space just mindlessly staring at the television. From the looks of you, you'd been in the same position for hours, the boredom on your face entirely evident as you remained numb to his presence.
"I'm back." He commented, even though he knew you were already aware. No one else came and went in this shack, it was just you two sorry losers, with no one in the world who cared about them more than what they could offer.
You lazily move your head to look back at him, he hadn't even bothered to wipe the black paint from his eyes, looking ridiculous in his balaclava. You didn't understand why he cared so much to hide his face. No many was handsome enough in your eyes to need to be this mysterious about something as simple as facial features. But after mentioning it, and a few not so mild threats that left you shaken, you left it alone.
"Welcome back." It was said flatly, since you really couldn't care if he was here or not. When Simon was there, at least you knew that no one would dare break in to kill you. But on the other hand, when he was gone, you felt like you could breathe again without the aggressive presence that he brought with him. Simon was a man who knew that his past was no secret, and expected others to treat him as such. Which they did.
"Anything happen while I was gone?" It was the same question he always asked, whether it was when he went to the shops for a grocery run or was gone for days in the field.
"A package came, left it on the counter." You point to the mail you'd refused to dare and open, despite how much you desperately wanted to know your enemy turned roommate more than anything. Knowledge was half the power that Simon had over you, a department you were sorely lacking in.
Simon's head swivels to you. "You opened the door? Without me here?"
"To get a package, thirty seconds tops. You sound like you'd rather I let someone steal it."
"Thirty seconds is enough for anyone, someone driving by, a resident, hell even a spy could catch a glimpse of you and report it back to Makarov. We'd have to move or worse, you could've been killed."
"I think you're being a bit dramatic."
He doesn't answer, pulling out his com, immediately. "Get into the closet, close the door, I'll check the windows."
"Simon-"
"Do it now-!"
Based on the tone in his voice you stop hesitating and do as he asks, running to the linen closet and hiding inside, shutting the door. You hear him ask command for orders on how to handle the situation before a long period of silence. The only audible sound that comes after is a sigh of relief.
"Come out, it's just supplies from the guys upstairs."
You peek out, seeing Simon leaning against the counter, the adrenaline leaving him to need support after feeling weak. "Everything alright?"
"Don't, ever do something like that again. Everything you do has a consequence to it, everything. Thirty seconds might mean that we have to pack up and move this whole operation." He looks at you now, as if trying to get a read on you. "The worst part is you know all this, we explained it to you. So my question is why. Why risk everything when you know better."
"The monotony is killing me, it's beautiful out there and yet I haven't seen the sunlight in weeks. Both from the holding cell then to here. I thought it would be alright."
While your confession doesn't particularly tug at his heartstrings, Simon can understand where you're coming from at least. He never really thought about what a lack of something so basic like sunlight could do to a person, if anything he always took it for granted.
"As unfortunate as that is, it doesn't change protocol. My missions aren't failures, and I won't have that starting now."
Taking your words to heart and after many perimeter scans, Simon does let you outside, checking his watch and hoping the ten minutes promised would fly by quicker than anticipated. He stood there watching you soak up the sun, hand on the pistol at his side just in case, ready for anything.
You tried to ignore him, taking this moment for yourself. Enjoying what little freedom you could. You knew this would be the best you were going to get. Anything else would be off limits and strictly forbidden. You'd take the wins where you could find them, even if it meant dealing with Simon's piercing stare at all times.
"You know it's hard to enjoy the sun when you're bundled up like that." You comment back to him.
"I'm fine exactly how I am."
"You could at least take off the mask."
He sighs, doing one last scan of the property. "Let's just get you inside where it's safe."
"So soon? Can't we take just a minute longer?"
"Now, or else I can make sure this will never happen again."
Left with no other choice you do as he asks, following him in and watching mournfully as he shuts and bolts the door.
"We need to work on you listening to me the first time. Any hesitation could be fatal for you. If you want to be let off the leash every once and a while you have to obey orders instantly."
You sigh and leave him there to return to your room, the one privacy you were permitted, even though the door had no lock. You hadn't defied his orders, merely asked him a question, but he was so obsessed with making sure he had the utmost control over someone he considered the enemy that he was going to take any possible chance to exert force over you.
"Pout all you want it's not going to change protocol." He calls up after you.
You ignore him, choosing to be alone with your thoughts instead.
You end up dozing off, the digital clock on the bedside table the only indicator that it was the small hours of the morning. Remembering that you didn't have dinner, you tiptoe your way to the kitchen for something to satisfy the discontented rumbling in your stomach. There you're surprised to see Simon, the dim light hiding his features but you could plainly see his lack of mask. Nothing to hide him from you.
He notices your presence and scoots further into the shadows cast by the barely reliable lightbulb in the kitchen. "What are you doing up?"
"I didn't eat."
He nods, fidgeting with the water glass in his hand.
"I could say the same thing about you, you know?" You open the fridge, willing an idea of what to have to come to your mind.
"Couldn't sleep."
"Worried that I'll take off in the night."
A pause. "Something like that."
"Nightmares then." You guessed.
"Something like that." He repeats, a little softer this time.
"You wanna talk about it?"
"Not with the enemy."
You slam the condiments for the sandwich you were going to make onto the counter. "I give up my freedom, my rights just so that your government can have information on Makarov, the least you could do is stop treating me like an enemy."
"I can't trust you, for all I know you could be a double agent."
"And how am I supposed to trust you? I know nothing about you! Not even what you look like!"
He leans forward, resting his elbows on the counter and your breath hitches once you see his scared face completely. "I don't care if you trust me or not, your only job is to listen to me when I'm trying to keep you alive. If we can get through this without killing each other, I call that a success."
For once you're rendered speechless, unsure what to say. You both feel the atmosphere shift, a tension lifting for another one to rise.
"I'm sorry." You say at last. "I'll try and be more cooperative."
Simon nods again, glad you're seeing reason. "And I'll try not to treat you like the enemy."
You glance at him from the corner of your eye, your view of him had shifted slightly. Without the mask he seemed more human, more like a person rather than a machine of death. Maybe with this understanding that you now had, that view of him could continue to change.
