A/N: I know... sorta similar to quite a few of my other works in this book, but I couldn't help myself!
Leave any ideas you may have in the comments, or just let me know your thoughts!
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Sleep.
Something that most people, including your fellow Teammates, all seem to look forward to after a long day.
For them, it's a chance to finally leave the stresses and worries behind them and just float away as carelessly as one can when on this career path.
But, for you...
You dread sleep.
Every night, the mere thought of laying in your bed, blank gaze wandering the ceiling, sends unpleasant shivers down your spine.
Memories... or maybe they're just figments of your imagination, sprawl out in front of you, the feeling of them so real, it's while you try to achieve sleep that you're convinced reality isn't exactly what everyone makes it out to be.
To you, sleep scares you.
It scares you to have to face the imminent terrors of your own mind just in hopes to earn a scrap of rest.
You're utterly exhausted, sure.
But you can't do it.
You just can't do it.
And as the constant ticking of the clock hanging coldly on the wall of your room continues it's chatter, you sigh heavily, grimacing against yourself.
It's on nights like these that usually, you'd get up and go for a wander, maybe knit with Omen, grab a glass of water and then head back to your bed.
That usually works - by the time you wind up back behind the door to your room, your mind is too exhausted to even muster up anything to use against you.
But on this night in particular, your usual isn't available.
Omen, Brimstone, Viper, Sage and Phoenix are all gone on some week long Mission.
Cypher and Sova are scattered across the globe, chasing leads...
So, needless to say, Base is pretty much empty - void of the fire Radiant's usual upbeat and happy attitude.
Which, to be honest, after the bland events of today, you're really beginning to miss.
"Maybe if I just get up and go for a walk," You murmur lowly, tossing off your covers, your feet hitting the cold floor.
Making your way to the door and into the dimly lit hallway, you softly pad towards the kitchen, the carpet muffling your movements, your thoughts gradually easing off.
A glass of water wouldn't hurt, either.
Humming to yourself, you nab a glass from the cupboard and pour some water, the sounds of your actions no longer muffled - instead, they make you wince.
Someone's bound to be up at this hour. It's not that late, yet.
You leave the kitchen behind, glass of water in hand, your body beginning to wander absentmindedly, your headspace becoming hazier as the minutes go by.
Good. That means I'm getting tired.
Rounding the corner into the Common Area, you find yourself flopping down against the plush cushions of the sofa closest to the rather large and surprisingly expansive bookshelf that sits off to the side of the shared room.
It's a favorite past time of quite a few of your Teammates, yourself included, to settle in with a good book every now and then.
But at the moment, all you can really find the strength to do is watch though a hazy gaze as the water in your glass ripples slightly from the force of you setting it down prior.
A soft yet steady rain patters against the expansive windows that are also present in the room, the glass automatically tinted to almost opaque at this time of night.
No lights are on, well, other than the mandatory ones that line the hallways, but still.
It's dark.
It's quiet.
It's almost... perfect.
Taking one last sip of your water, you finally feel yourself begin to drift, head becoming heavy, eyes instinctively closing...
For quite some time you're at peace.
In that state of almost full sleep, but not quite yet, blissfully unaware of your surroundings and anybody else who might be up at this hour.
But, someone takes notice of your slumbering figure, sprawled out rather haphazardly upon the couch.
With a shake of his head and a soft sigh of amusement, he nears you, grabbing a nearby blanket off the back of a chair as he does so.
"Why are you not in your own quarters, mon amour?"
You barely hear his question from outside your drifting conscious, but when the weight of a soft material meets your figure, that gains your attention.
Grumbling something incomprehensible, you crack your eyes open with a frown, annoyance and genuine curiosity shining in your exhausted gaze.
It takes you a moment to piece together just who is standing at the end of your sofa, passing you a slightly amused smirk, though his gaze carries a trace of concern.
A gaze that is held behind a pair of glasses, adorning the face upon which they sit quite fashionably, even to your sluggish thoughts.
"Why the hell are you up?" You mutter lowly, blinking a few times at the Agent in front of you, the glimmer of previous concern instead replaced by a soft teasing.
"I could ask you the same thing," Chamber replies with a grin, extending a hand down to you.
You begrudgingly take it, the warmth in his touch sending involuntary shivers down your spine.
"Though I believe I already know the answer."
Stumbling to your feet, you find yourself in such unexpected close proximity to the man who had woke you, it earns a deep blush from you, your heart quickening it's pace.
"Enlighten me then, considering you did wake me, after all," You retort, stepping away from him in an attempt to calm your seemingly delirious state, gaze settling on anything but him.
"I've been told that you've always had a bit of a difficult time getting your thoughts to leave you alone, yes?"
Wordlessly, you just nod, intrigued to see where the French sharpshooter is headed down his train of thought.
"And no matter what you take, what magic Sage works on you: your struggle continues."
At this, Chamber pauses, passing you a thin lipped smile.
"I always found that forcing myself to stay awake never helped, in fact, I would argue it might have made it worse."
Realization ripples through you as you stand there in the dim darkness, finally allowing your gaze to rest on the other Agent in the room.
I never even considered his past... he's likely seen quite a bit of which he can never force from his mind...
A pained chuckle escapes from your lips.
Hell, haven't we all?
Tears prick the edges of your eyes, though you don't let them fall - you can't let yourself cry in front of him.
Especially him of all people.
"Why do you care?" You seethe, eyes continuing to blur. "Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be gallivanting around, living the life of luxury like you always do?"
A frown tugs at Chamber's lips, though it fades into a look of understanding, the same glimmer of concern once more shining in his gaze.
"To be frank with you, I am honestly unsure of why I care about you and your well-being," He states plainly, to which you huff. "But the fact still remains that I do and I have, ever since I joined the Protocol."
His words hit you like a knife in the chest, foggy memories of all the times when he's had your back.
Even when you didn't know it.
He's always had an eye out for you - on every front.
That one time... with that Mirror Viper...
And again, with that Mirror Yoru... he nearly put a bullet in my head that day.
All of those times and now this?
"I guess I never said thank you for all of that," You muse softly, eyes darting towards the ground, your demeanor no longer aggressive.
No, rather, a foggy sense of realization and ease fills you, pulling a yawn from your lips.
"There is no need to thank me, mon amour," The man across the room from you nods with a reassuring grin. "All of those times, I was simply doing my job, but this..."
He trails off, stepping towards you, the same hand he'd offered you earlier once more being extended out to you.
"This is working overtime," You joke, taking his hand in yours as the pair of you leave the Common Area behind, and along with it, the gentle rain that had been splashing against the windows keeping you company.
Your synced footsteps echo against the carpet, the feeling of Chamber's hand in yours making your heart do backflips, regardless of how hard you try and contain it.
And the tears that had threatened to spill never did - they've long dried up now.
Leaving just you and he.
And both of your haunted headspaces.
The door to your quarters creaks as you open it and guide the pair of you inside, automatically closing behind you both.
Instinctively, you navigate your way through the dim darkness of your room and slide under the covers of your bed, leaving behind a semi satisfied Chamber.
"Will you be fine until morning?" He hums, adding the same blanket he'd draped over you out in the Common Area to your mound of blankets.
Uncertainty pricks your drifting, foggy thoughts.
Will I be?
"I don't really know," You sigh heavily, blinking a few times.
But then, from the depths of your unconscious mind and flustered thoughts, you shift over in your bed, patting the vacant spot next to you.
"Could you stay? It might help?"
You hate how your voice sounds, echoing back as weak and feeble.
But in reality, you need someone in this moment.
And who better than the very same person that has always cared about you?
Grinning softly, the French sharpshooter nods, wordlessly removing his glasses and setting them aside before settling in at your side.
For a moment, it's awkward.
But as soon as his arms reach for you and pull you closer, securing you to him, an indescribable feeling of safety swells within you.
And as you both begin to drift off into the hands of sleep, accompanied by the rhythmic sound of your mingled breaths, a half believable thought crosses your mind.
I think this is what falling in love is like.