To Love a Criminal ((MIKE ZACHARIAS X OC))

Chapter 14

That night, Silica decided to have a sit down with her squad at dinner. She had neglected to do so since joining them, and found herself enjoying their company as light chatter fluttered about the table.

Silica sat silently with her cheek in her hand, watching lazily as Brutus and Avery argued over who was right about what Silica's position in their formation should be: at the forefront or the rear.

Avery claimed that having her at the head of the group would be best, considering that she was the muscle of the group, and that having her lead would cut out the most time it would take her to get to an incoming Titan.

However, Brutus countered with the exact opposite, saying that the designated squad captain was always supposed to be leading the fray of the squad. That, and with Silica at the tail, it would be better for further protection of their group as a whole.

Silica didn't particularly care one way or the other, and soon tuned out of the conversation with her attention wandering about the mess hall. She had glanced in Garrett's direction to see the same disinterested expression on his face, and how he pushed around the gruel on his tray whilst leaning his weight on his elbows. Garrett wasn't the type to get wound up in pointless arguments, and wasn't really the type to talk at all. Despite this, both Avery and Brutus have told her that he becomes very vociferous when on Expeditions; taking that it was his job to identify Titan class and behavior.

Sighing briefly, Silica shifted her eyes away from Garrett and toward the ajar double doors of the mess hall. A few late soldiers came in as she glanced toward the setting sun outside, and squinted her eyes at the realization that Mike was nowhere to be seen. Again.

Turning her head toward the inner portion of the room, she scanned the heads of cadets in search of sandy brown hair, and came up with nothing familiar with a frown implanting itself on her face.

"Hey," Avery said, setting a hand on her forearm to get Silica's attention. She turned her attention to her squad captain. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Silica replied curtly, letting the hand that supported her cheek fall onto her table. "Just thinking."

"Care to clarify?" Avery sang in integument, leaning forward with an expectant smile on her face.

"Nothing important," said Silica in response, pushing herself up from her chair to stand. "I'm gonna turn in."

"So soon?" Brutus chimed from the opposing side of the table, brow quirked in question as he looked up at her.

"It's been a long day," Silica justified, straightening out her waist jacket as she proceeded to make it toward the doors. "I'll catch you guys tomorrow."

"Sleep well, Sil." Garrett called as she walked off, receiving nothing but a wave of farewell as Silica walked away.

On her way out, she was sure to snag a few pieces of bread to take back to the dorms with her. She was sure — if nowhere else — that Mike would either be tucked away in his room, or perched on the roof of the dormitory. She scanned the courtyard as she walked briskly toward the housing building, and slipped inside after another quick look around of the base grounds.

With pep in her step, Silica climbed the few flights of stairs it took to reach Mike's room, and knocked her knuckles against the wooden surface three times before inching the door open.

Peeping her head in, she saw Mike laying on his back in bed, one arm flung over his eyes and the other resting motionlessly on his chest. The thin duvet was tossed across his lower body, leaving his bare chest and covered legs visible as Silica slipped into the room.

She inched in quietly and gently placed the bread she snagged on Mike's desk whilst organizing a few reports that laid strewn on the surface. Silica thus proceeded to pick up the pair of pants that laid on the floor, and folded them over the back of the desk chair; a routine she had been used to doing for the past few days.