in the quiet loop. (solid snake x reader)

04 - who dares, wins?

The words were out before you could stop them. There was a beat of silence, then slowly, Hal turned his head to look at you. He raised his eyebrows, lips twitching at the edges. He didn't say anything, but the look was loud enough. Your face burned as the weight of your words registered.

"You think I'm attractive?" Snake's voice came through again. This time it was dry, but teasing in a way you rarely ever heard from him.

You opened your mouth, but didn't speak. The heat in your chest climbed up your throat.

"Is that why you're watching me that closely?" He added, his voice dipping lower, the faintest smirk behind the static.

You swallowed as you replied. "Someone has to."

The codec clicked softly, cutting off the line. But you were certain that just before it went dead, you heard the faintest chuckle from him. You looked at the camera feed, seeing something even rarer from Solid Snake.

A smile.

Hal leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, giving you a knowing look now. He didn't need to say a word.

"Shut up," you muttered under your breath.

----

The equipment hummed softly under the low whir of cooling fans. The surveillance feed flickered with muted video, cameras now tracking routine movement across the Big Shell. Snake had gone dark for a moment with no gunfire, no comms chatter, and no biometric spikes.

You leaned back in your chair, letting your eyes close for a second. The adrenaline was finally waning, replaced by the heaviness of exhaustion and the slow ache in your chest. Hal's fingers stopped clacking on his keyboard.

"You okay?" He asked gently, as if he wasn't sure whether to break the silence.

You opened your eyes and gave him a half-smile. "Define okay."

He offered a small laugh and swiveled in his chair to face you fully. His expression, usually lit up by a dozen screens, was different now. Less of a technician, and more of a friend.

"You've held it together better than most people would. Especially being thrown into... well, this."

You nodded slowly, staring at the screens. "I think I stopped feeling normal the second I agreed to help you steal a corpse."

That got a snort out of him. But then, his face settled again, more thoughtful. "It's not just the mission though, is it?"

You didn't answer right away.

Hal looked down at his hands, then laced them together over his lap. "I'm not gonna pretend I understand everything going on in Snake's head," he said quietly. "But I've known him long enough to see the patterns. He's always been good at keeping people at arm's length."

You glanced at him, sensing there was more behind that.

"There was someone before. Back in Shadow Moses. She was... important to him. They fought side by side. She saw him, and I think that scared the hell out of him."

"He didn't let her stay, did he?" You asked softly.

Hal shook his head. "He never let himself believe he could. Snake... he's got this idea that his life doesn't allow room for things like that."

You exhaled, resting your hand on the edge of the console. "And yet he flirts like it's second nature."

That made Hal smile, more amused now. "Oh, yeah. That part's real. He flirts when he's cornered. It's like a reflex."