Chapter Text
**Jaguar's POV**
I walked into the kitchen, Ghost wasn't lying, there was food there. Just a mere sandwich with some ham, nothing more to expect from a guy, I guessed. I doubted that him kissing my hand was the last kiss he was going to give me this trip, I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I was engaged, but this ordeal made me doubt if I would have a better chance. Simon wasn't an ugly man, not at all. At least, that was my opinion. He had short blond hair, while I normally like black or dark brown. He had dark brown eyes, while I normally like bright eyes. But something about him... It gave me flutters. Maybe it was his height, or muscles. I was used to seeing them of course, but damn, he had a fine body. And I always appreciate a man whose taller than me, not necessary, but always wanted.
It's impossible to like someone you barely know.
He was mostly laid back when with the group, even I haven't really seen him genuinely smile or show any other emotion than depression. I couldn't say I was any better, but I have my days. He looked quite shy from a first glance, but soon I could already notice his underlying ego. That has always been something that annoyed me, over-confident men, that think that they can get any women that they wanted. But maybe he wasn't that type of confident, it didn't seem like he liked to date around. Only that kiss was the only thing that made me think that he was quite experienced. I expected something totally different from a guy like him, something less tender I had to admit. It was desperation for sure, it had to be from my part. That was clear. But for some reason, I couldn't get the feeling of his lips of mine. It was getting annoying.
I heard his footsteps following me, entering the kitchen a few minutes later than me.
"Lunch." He grumbled, pointing towards the plate I was in front of.
"No way." The sarcasm almost flew off my answer.
"I'm a good cook, can't you see." He responded in the same excited manner as me.
"I can't see that, no." I sounded unamused. I had such mixed feelings about him, it was confusing me.
Am I supposed to act nice to him? I mean, I did like him in some ways. But what if he gets the wrong idea of me, again? What if something happens and the team finds out that there's a different type of tension going on? He confused me so much, but maybe that was his goal. Maybe he wanted me to feel confused, so I could get me to not think straight about the situation. He couldn't like me for just me, just for my looks and my jokes. Right? He barely knows me.
"What a pity, then." His accent got worse, sighing before walking off to sit on the couch.
"Simon?" I asked, before he could sit down comfortably.
"Yeah?" He looked up at me from in between the open wall towards the kitchen to the living room.
"You agree, right? About what I said?"
"About that we're not compatible, not that I ever would want to date you in the first place, and that my move was unnecessary? Yes." He looked down at the table, at some magazines.
"I didn't assume that you and me would ever end up in a relationship, but great you understood." I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to date him really, but his comment still hurt a bit.
"Why are you bringing it up?"
"Because I don't want us to give each other mixed signals." I stated.
"I already said I understood. What else do you want me to say, Jag?" I wasn't sure if his tone became agitated.
"We literally just had a conversation in my room where u stated that you will wait 'till my fiancé is gone, and now you expect me fully understand that you don't like me?"
"Weren't you the one who started with the flirting?"
"Because I never anticipated that you were going to kiss me."
"Jesus, are you still stuck with that?"
"Why wouldn't I be, Ghost?" I was starting to get slightly frustrated by his inability to understand the impact of his actions onto others. "Tell me, why wouldn't I be stuck with a guy who kissed me and continued flirting with me, and then suddenly acted like an asshole again." My head hurt to much for this bullshit, but I still wanted to make my point. As I explained, I walked over towards one of the cabinets. Hosting painkillers.
"Didn't you do the exact same thing? Hm? I thought you said that the kiss meant nothing, so shut the fuck up!" He raised his tone, on an almost scary angry level. Maintaining his monotone within.
"Don't you dare, I have every right to be confused with you! Understand the fuckin' consequences of your goddamn actions! Of course I will rethink everything, I always have to rethink everything! And me flirting was not an invite!" I was furious. Maybe I did instigate some parts of our problems, but certainly not all. "Grow the fuck up!" At my last part, Ghost decided to get off the couch in an intimidating manner, walking over to me with a strong pace.
"Don't you fucking dare! Sit your ass back down." I also walked towards him, giving him a push back towards the direction he came from. To my surprise, he stumbled back just slightly, before grabbing my arm at the spot where the glass shard was just a few days prior. Pushing into my, still very sensitive, stitches with his thumb, trying to get his way with pain. Luckily I also knew enough about that method. I gave him a knee to the groin, making him fall down to one knee, and also let my arm go. I took a step back as he grunted a bit in pain. I looked at my arm, which started bleeding again purely from his pressure. And not so little either. "Fuck! You nasty piece of shit." I spoke through my clenched teeth. Ghost stood up, his expression was one of pure fury. couldn't understand why. I thought, almost grinning. I saw him trying his best to have some self control, trying not to start a fight which might even end in actual nasty injury. I heard some taps coming from the hallway, Vincent's nails making a sound on the hard tiles. He returned from eating some lunch, and walked in us being not so nice to each other. I was still holding my arm up, trying to stop the blood from hitting the freshly mopped floors.
Of course Vincent smelled it, and went to stand by my side. Growling furiously at Ghost, with good reason. He still had bandages around his arm where Vincent bit him, and he was aiming for that exact spot again. There was a lot of silence between us, too much of it.
"I've got no mixed feelings now, don't worry.." I was getting a bit out of breath. He staid quiet for the most part, still trying not to start something he wouldn't be able to finish. He huffed, standing straight. "All it took you was inflicting pain onto one another. Good job. Wouldn't be your first, right?" I sarcastically cheered him on.
"You're nobody to judge that." He snarled back. My blood was now dripping on the floor, us both looking at it.
"Thanks a lot for this, as if I'm not losing enough blood already."
Ghost sighed, unwrapping his arm where Vincent bit him. It looked bruised, red around and in the holes where Vinny's teeth penetrated his skin.
"Have this." He gave me the used bandage.
"You nuts? Do you want me to get an infection too?" I looked at him in shocked confusion, he really was stupid.
"You need something to stop the bleeding. This is the best option for now."
I rolled my eyes, walking away with his dirty cloth. "We literally have new stuff here.." I sighed deeply from out the kitchen, getting scissors and cutting up some new bandages. I wrapped it tightly around my arm, making sure to leave it just loose enough so I wouldn't get that tinteling feeling of my blood circulation being cut off. Vincent stood his ground, even once I was gone, tail up and growling at Casper the Ghost from Temu.
"I'm going." I stated after taking some painkillers, commanding Vin to go with me out the door. It was more then time for a well deserved walk outside, even with the light rain.
Well, our relationship is back to the beginning. No flirting, no suggesting, no talking even with that man-child... oh well, I already have a man that listens and likes me for who I am: Vincent. I wouldn't really mind of my fiancé decided to kiss someone while I'm not there.. I mean, I also did it... I do feel guilty, but in no way am I going to tell him.. absolutely not. I could better beat up myself than have him do it for me.
**Jinxx's POV**
We were walking back to our apartment, as the rain started to fall.
"What are we going to do once back?"
"Communicate with Miguèl and the rest.. They seem to be stuck in a storm right now."
"That sucks. So we only needed to tell them the route? Nothin' else?"
"Correct."
"I could've been with them... This is boring as fuck." He grumbled.
"Okay." I replied blandly.
The clouds started to gather above us, covering the bright sun and speeding up the rainfall. It didn't take long before we had to speed up our walk in order for us not to get fully soaked. We were kind of running or speed-walking through the bushes, trying to make a path for ourselves. It was usual for paths to form once people walked there for longer periods of time, but here they just overgrow in a matter of days. In my rush I tripped over a treeroot sticking out of the muddy earth, and fell. But I never reached the ground, as I was catched by someone.
"Jag? What are you doing here?" She pulled me up, so I could stand on my own. I looked down to see her wet and bloody bandage on her arm, that was not supposed to be there.
"Since when did this happen?" I added.
"Long story. Let's go now, the wind is going to pick up too." She turned to Soap, who was behind me.
"Answer my questions first." I shook my head.
"That's private.. I'll tell you later, okay?" She sighed, wanting me to drop the subject.
"Fine.. Why did you continue to walk even though you knew that there was a storm coming?"
"I wanted to find you, that's all. Now drop your interview and walk with me."
The foliage was providing cover for most of the rain, making only the thickest water droplets fall down and hit us unusually hard in the face.
"One last question: where's Vincent? Is he still at the base?"
"He's somewhere around here.. Let him be. Done now?" She sighed.
I rolled my eyes and decided to walk ahead, Jag and Soap following me back home.