No matter how hard you tried to strike, your body always trembled at the dangerous tonnage of the alien creature. Nobody could help you and although you had a rocket in your hand, it wasn't enough to guide you in the darkness of the hut...you were sure you were going to die at this rate, even after you had tried so hard to survive.

Your arm, your leg, every part of your body was begging to fall to the ground. The problem was, your energy was depleted and that battle never seemed to end, as the sun was taking forever to come out in the sky...the screams of the other three men were audible around you, but unreachable, because you didn't know where they were.

You were left completely alone.

But suddenly, you heard one of the creatures growl hallucinatingly, as if something had caught it off guard; right there, you saw a beam of light go through the roof and head towards the creature, hitting it right in the back until the whole house was filled with daylight again.

You leaned against the wall to get away from the flames which raged over their bodies. Many of them tried to go out from the windows or break through the door to escape from the sun, but as soon as they were out, they turned to black ashes.

《Go fuck yourself, motherfuckers!》 Jason cursed as he watched the creatures uselessly reach for the pit with their burned wings.

《We won.》 Eric noted with a breath, as he threw his flares to the ground to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

《Thank God, we made it!》

Of course, Salim also prayed Him in his language for giving him the strength to fight against those demons and eventually win over them. Anyway, as soon as he found you sitting on the floor resting in the dust, he did the same when positioning himself next to your figure.

《Do you think it's really over this time?》 You asked as you turned in his direction, head lowered as he was still squeezing the metal stake in his palms.

《I assume yes.》 The soldier smiled slightly and leaned his head against the wall behind him 《The war is finally over now.》

You looked at him for a second to understand exactly what he meant by it. At this point, and after all that had happened so far, you didn't even remember why you were there...

《So, what's the first thing you'll do when you get home?》 You asked in a calm voice and imitating Salim's actions, maybe imagining already the answer; in that moment, he closed his eyes and thought about his son at home, waiting for him with a very worried expression...until he ran to hug his father tightly, as soon as he heard the front door open.

《There's nothing else I want but to see him again. I miss my boy so much.》

Sure, Zain had always been a stubborn head, but there was nothing else the Iraqi wanted but to get back to him...or so he just thought, and Salim opened his eyes again when felt some fingers wipe a tear from his cheek.

《Then, you should go before they get here.》 You whispered inches away from his face and with a faint smile. You didn't want anything bad to happen to him.

《Be careful along the way, okay?》

Instead of standing up, Salim turned his torso with your hand still pressed on his cheek. As he well knew, this wasn't what you really wanted, just like he couldn't get you out of his head...and just like he couldn't get the kiss between you two out of his head.

《I will be, thank you Y/n.》 The black-haired man said, playing briefly with a tuft out of your braid on your shoulder 《¹Aetani binafsik, alhabiba.》

For the umpteenth time, you didn't understand what he had said and your eyes just focused on the lips of the man in front of you, tempted to leave another kiss above them.

《You still have to tell me what you're saying.》 You stuck with a raised eyebrow, causing Salim to make an amused expression before staring at your rosy and attractive mouth, eager to get one more taste of them.

《You are the most beautiful thing that has happened to me in a long time.》 Instead, Salim bent down to whisper to you intimately, wishing you any best for your future 《This is what I mean, Y/n.》

For a moment, everything around you seemed to fade away to let you enjoy the presence of this Iraqi, as if nothing else mattered and now that the nightmare was over...or so it was to stay, until you all heard a metallic sound in the distance.

《The helo is here!》 Colonel King bellowed enthusiastically as he made his way to the exit. Jason waited for you and Salim to stand up again when he saw a certain insecurity and fear in the Iraqi's expression.

《Nothing will happen to you as long as we're here, don't worry.》 You saw your brother give a reassuring pat on the other soldier's shoulder, who in the meantime didn't stop walking with his head down.

You really hoped everything was okay, especially after the soldiers got out of the helicopter and pointed their weapons at their "enemy"; Salim just raised his hands in surrender and for this reason, he flew with you to the new destination.

You watched the sunrise spread over the Iraqi desert before taking a deep breath. Very soon, your life would take its normal course again...

• • •

You had lost count of how many times you had hammered your fingers against the table. Maybe, you expected someone to make you questions about what had happened during the mission, but this...this seemed to you simply absurd! They had taken you back to Camp Slayer and, as usual, you should have been rescued and examined. Instead, you had ended up in a question cycle from which you couldn't get out even when you gave the answer...and now you were there, waiting for someone else to take notes on a new sheet of paper while your conditions and your patience got worse over time...

《So, Miss Kolchek, can you tell me what your background is?》 A woman asked as she stopped in front of your table, wearing a radiation suit and a gas mask.

Again with the boring questions...

《As I said, I'm a physical therapist from New York...after I performed an important and dutiful service for my country when the Twin Towers fell, I received a medal in recognition of the commitment I made...for being an old patient of mine, Lieutenant Colonel Eric King knew my med skills very well, so he decided to take me with him and help him during his mission...until we sank into this Hell, made of millennial remains of a temple which was hiding a sleeping people of creatures that only God knows where the hell they come from!!》

You took a short break before continuing later.

《Now, is this enough for you??》

You couldn't see the woman's expression, but judging by the way she quickly updated her notes, she seemed satisfied with the result.

Until there was another uncomfortable question..

《So, did you have some sort of relationship with Colonel King that affected the outcome of the mission...?》

When the woman put down the pen to cross her fingers and look at you, you knew they didn't give a damn what you had just said.

《He was a married man, 'course I've never had any other kind of interest for him.》 You clenched the fists on your knees, as you watched the masked woman with a frustrated expression 《You may not have noticed it yet, but we were about to get killed down there!》

Just then, another person in suit motioned for her to withdraw with him in private, leaving you alone again. Seriously, you were hoping this bullshit wouldn't last much longer and wondering if the others were doing better than you...

《How's it going with the analysis team, Agent Brooks?》 The man asked his colleague outside the room, where you were sitting.

《The ISG team took heavy losses. But it wasn't a complete disaster, in fact we had pulled out some infected bodies from there...》 The masked woman talked about her search results and in particular, the last sentence caught the other's attention.

《And who were they?》

《The CIA Field Officer Rachel King and USMC Force Recon Marine Sergeant Nicolas Kay.》 Brooks answered in an almost cold tone 《However, the sergeant was dead before contracting the disease. And Rachel, well, you should go to see what a monster she's turned into...》

《Poor bastards.》 Agent Miller joked sarcastically and with the slightest respect 《And what about the other soldier? Did he cooperate or couldn't utter a word in English?》

《The opposite. He said more than was necessary.》 The masked woman smirked as she remembered the answers of the Iraqi man 《But he will stay under observation, along with the rest of the group. We'll proceed with the blood samples soon.》

Miller nodded and there, he stretched his gaze towards the inside of the room, where only you were present. He couldn't help but nod in the direction of his left forearm.

《What about the bite, is it infected or not?》

《We don't know yet, hope to complete our studies in time if the outcome is positive...》 Brooks started walking toward the corridor with the other next, where it happened to spot First Lieutenant Kolchek yelling at one of the other scientists, sent by CENTCOM.

《So...what do you make of it all?》 The woman turned to Miller to hear his opinion, who was heading towards the decontamination area in the meantime.

《It doesn't matter what I think. Only thing that matters is controlling the flow of information...》 This time, it was the masked man's turn to behave with total indifference, both towards the rescued team and towards their tale of survival in the Sumerian temple.

《As far as the world knows, not a damn thing happened here.》

• • •

IRAQ - June 5th, 2003
CAMP SLAYER

You had been staring at the gray ceiling for a while. As it seemed to you, you had been in there for a longer time, with further questions and constant medical visits. Unfortunately for them, your results kept to be negative and there was no risk of contagion through the bite, on the contrary it was healing very well, now that you had received the proper care...however, you didn't know how long your stay would last, not to mention the fact you hadn't seen anyone during those days.

Including Salim.

You kept seeing his face even after you closed your eyes to sleep. His smile and gentle touch were what you remembered best...you wished you could have seen him at that very moment.

I hope you are well, Salim...

Suddenly, the knock of the door woke you up from your transitory state and you stood up almost automatically, thinking it was the usual visit they came to pay you. But your eyes widened in surprise when you saw your twin brother, instead.

《Jason!?》 You were pretty shocked to see him without a cap anyway 《W-when did you go out? And how did you do–》

《Glad to see ya well too, sis.》 Right there, you remembered how you had said that during your first meeting, so you pouted when you saw him mocking with an amused smirk now 《And what the heck are you doing in here, don't tell me you're still under analysis!》

《What? Nobody told me anythin'...》 You blinked confusedly, obviously you missed something. Meanwhile, your brother made his way into your room.

《Well, we'll be able to leave the camp for good this time.》 The marine answered as he looked around, casually picking up an Arabic magazine you had placed on a table 《Holy shit, how do ya figure this stuff out!? How much did Salim fuckin' learn you?》

《That's English dubbed, you dumbass.》 You rolled the eyes before sitting down on your bed next to him 《And not really, I couldn't understand most of his words...so, when are we gonna get outta here?》

Despite himself, Jason noticed the change in your face when he mentioned Salim's name and put his arm around your shoulders.

《A couple of days, maybe even tomorrow.》 He explained staring at the opposite wall 《Just enough time for CENTCOM to clean this place up and down, you know...》

You looked up at that news, so they were doing something irregular here...not that you were really focused on that anyway, in fact something was troubling you in your heart...

《I see...how's Eric doing?》 It wasn't what you were really thinking but Jason just shrugged.

《The colonel has a lot to clean up after the mess he'd done, don't forget we've been down there thanks to his "perfect" Caelus program...》 Jason made the quotes gesture in the air, with the intent of joking and you cracked a smile. At this point, you asked another question.

《...what about Salim?》

《I don't know, probably they're still holding him in the cell. He's a POW, after all.》 When he explained to you the meaning of that acronym, your heart started to beat in full agitation. You feared something bad was happening to him.

《The war is over. There's no reason to keep him locked up here anymore, right?》 You deduced without hiding a slight tremor in your voice 《What if they didn't give him any medical treatment? They should be reported for kidnapping!》

You jumped to your feet and your brother did the same with the idea of ​​calming you. Though the "House of Ashes" was about to become a foreign thing to you all, he didn't understand why you were still thinking about the Iraqi guy...

Until he remembered that scene. And a simple question crossed his brain.

《Y/n...do you like Salim, by chance?》

You didn't know why you had been silent for a while, maybe because you were afraid of your brother's reaction in a way. But the truth was, you didn't need to answer that and just blushed in fury, thus getting a stunned Jason Kolchek.

《Fuck, I knew it!》 When he said that in a desperate tone, you raised a questioning eyebrow for not understanding, until you wanted to sink back underground for the ensuing embarrassment.

《So...you two were really kiss–》

《Damn Jason, is this really matter?! Are you serious?》 You interrupted him to avoid listening to anything else and Jason scratched the back of his neck with a deep sigh, before losing balance on the bed, he didn't know why the hell he had said that and right now, he felt just as embarrassed as you!

《B-by the way! Do you know where his room is?》 After that, you asked bluntly and that piqued Jason's interest again, but shook his head immediately after.

《Negative, those bastards kept the exact location of the cells to themselves.》 The other sighed not being able to help you 《Just that, an agent named Brooks told me you were here. Maybe she could...》

You remembered her, she was the same woman who came to visit you every day, if she had helped Jason there was a chance she would have helped you too...

You just had to give her a good reason to do it, of course.

• • •

After promising Jason you would see him later - as well as not worrying him, you went out looking for Agent Brooks, before looking for Salim. The problem was, you didn't know where she was and that place seemed like a real labyrinth for how big the palace was...

And now? Where I go!?

There, you heard the voices of people in the distance and tried to follow them, until you found two men talking to each other.

《—No, she is downstairs...by the way, Brooks must be crazy, how can keep a dirty Iraqi in here?!》 The first started to say, leaving the colleague speechless.

《—Hell, think he spits on his own food, that motherfucker! Believe me, If I could I would have already put a bullet in that head.》

Really, you wanted to stay a little bit just to punch those bastards on their faces, but you had other things to do and so, you quietly walked away from them to reach the stairs, where you heard Brooks was. Another couple of minutes and you found her in a hall, busy reading some docs.

But you didn't care and just walked inside.

《What are you doing here, Miss Kolchek?》 Brooks recognized you immediately, but you didn't, since the woman was without the gas mask 《I didn't expect you to be out yet...something happened?》

《No, ma'am, but I'm here to make a request...about the Iraqi man.》

When you said that, the woman sat up straight with her elbows resting on the desk, clearly it seemed like a topic off limits to them.

《He's under the responsibility of CENTCOM. He'll have to stay here until–》

《Until what? Are you waiting for him to die in this place, away from home and his son!?》 Instinctively, you rattled your voice when you questioned her command 《This is unfair and you know it too. Why can't you do something?》

《Because we already have. The Lieutenant refused to give us answers. He also didn't allow us to treat him medically, I can't do anything else for him.》 In this way, Brooks seemed to justify her actions but you didn't, not when you learned the conditions in which Salim was forced to stay...

And here was the perfect opportunity to make your move.

《I can take care of that. He trusts me.》 Right there, you gently placed your palms on the counter, hoping the federal agent would accept.

《Absolutely not. You are a civilian, Dr. Kolchek, you must not be in contact with–》

《Let me see him and I'll keep my mouth shut about all of this.》 You risked big with this sort of blackmail, but you weren't going to give up so easily; instead of getting angry, Brooks just sighed, as if she had no way of letting you know what was going on.

《Alright. I'll give you the time to do your checks. You can find what you need in the surgery back here, then an agent will escort you to the cell...》 She finally said as wrote something on a note sheet 《I hope you'll keep your word with this, Miss Kolchek.》

After that, you took the keys to the surgery before thanking with a slight nod.

《Sure. Thank you ma'am.》

Of course, it wasn't just that, but for now it was what you could do. To be able to see Salim again...

• • •

By now, you were very close and soon, the only thing that separated you from Salim was the door between you.

The guard merely opened the door and closed it immediately, in case the prisoner intended to escape. But he seemed far from wanting to do that and you just saw him sitting there, with his back to the door as he sat on the bed.

It had been five, very long days since you hadn't seen Salim anymore and now that you were just a few meters away from him, your heart was beating rapidly. The man turned slightly towards the door, probably expecting another of those American shrinks to ask him more questions about the chemical weapons...

But he found you, instead.

《How...how are you here?》 His low, surprised voice accompanied him from standing up from the bed, even him didn't know what to say at that amazing moment.

You stood at the door admiring him, until you took a step forward. He did the same and like you, he was also wearing a pair of camouflage clothes, given to him by the camp. His beard was slowly growing on his face and something told you he was more worn out than before.

《I'm so happy to see you, Salim...》 You tried to smile, but nothing seemed to defeat the sadness he wore in his eyes. Moreover, you had noticed that a tray had been left with food still on it, in a corner of the room.

《Are you 'kay? What have they done to you–》

《Please, you don't have to do that.》 Confused by his answer, you placed a hand on his shoulder and luckily, Salim didn't move away. But he didn't even try to get closer to you...he looked terribly exhausted.

《I heard you're not gettin' any med care from them, that's why I'm here.》 You explained as you placed your bag on the table and looked into it. Maybe a razor would make him feel better, although that wasn't bad at all...he was sexier that way and you knew it from the fact that you kept eyeing him.

You were about to pull on a pair of surgical gloves, when Salim grabbed your wrist with such intensity, the same one he was having in his dark eyes. You were sure he was angry at that moment...

Instead, he was shaking like a leaf and his hand slid to massage your fingers internally, as if he wanted to hug you right away.

《You have to tell me what those assholes did to you.》 But there, Salim didn't care that much more to ask you one thing, something that was afflicting him from inside.

《Tell me Y/n...why did you kiss me down there?》

Actually, this was an interesting question for you too, because you didn't know why you did that. There was no reasonable explanation.

《Don't know, maybe 'cause I wanted.》 You simply shrugged, but your reaction escaped as if nothing had happened and Salim's gaze looked even more serious.

《So, are you telling me this isn't important to you?》 He asked, looking even more deeply 《Because for me it is, Y/n. A lot.》

You raised the hands to him and stroked the short black beard that came out of his chin. Honestly, you expected it to sting you, instead it was awfully soft!

《Of course, I don't kiss someone if I'm not interested! And you interest me a lot, Salim...》 You tilted your head, along with a dimpled smile on your lips, actually you weren't the type of person to confess your feelings so easily...but with Salim was different and there, you were intent on letting him know, in a way or another.

《Even if I speak and pray in a different language than yours? What about my age then, you are much younger than me...are you really okay with all of this?》

《Does that really make a difference to you?》 At that point, you answered as you crossed your arms around his neck, closing the distance with this man. And the more you did it, the more you gave him reason to go further...

《...why? How old are you, Salim?》

Suddenly, his face and ears went incredibly red when he raised four fingers under your eyes. You resisted from screaming in shock.

《Y-y-you're forty!? Seriously!?》 The Iraqi soldier nodded with a chuckle to see you so surprised, you really didn't expect Salim to be ten years older than you!

《But...you don't look that old at all.》

The Iraqi's mouth let out a curious "oh" before holding back another laugh, clearly your reaction was rather peculiar, but he liked it all the same.

《I'm happy about it then.》 Salim sighed as he closed his bigger arms around your waist 《Otherwise, I wouldn't want you to be interested in an old man like me...》

You rolled your eyes in amusement at the idea of ​​falling in love with someone like that, until you were trapped by those chocolate brown eyes, which only sparkled when they looked directly at you.

《...I don't care if you were.》

You waited for the answer, but you didn't get it, as Salim was too concentrated on counting the freckles on your cheeks to be able to speak...his hands were caressing your small back gently, depriving you of the possibility of running away, but you didn't want that anyway. After those days spent in solitary confinement, feeling you next to him was the thing he wished most of all.

I know I know. It's neither the right place, nor the right time for this...but I can't help but—!

You were thinking to yourself, until an unexpected event confused your ideas. Right there, your eyes were wide open as they saw the older man lean towards you and place his lips on yours like a sweet caress; you weren't the only one wanting this, apparently, but Salim seemed to be careful not to step too far.

《S-Salim...》 You whispered against his breath and he released his grip on you almost immediately. On the contrary, you tightened yours around his wide shoulders.

《Don't! Please keep doing that Salim, it's so nice...》

Cornered by your pleas, the Iraqi Lieutenant let himself fall again on your welcoming mouth, this time in a more intense way, bowing his head to better delve into their delicate taste. Albeit with some hiccups because of the height gap, you could follow his movements on tiptoe, leaning against his body...definitely, that long kiss ignited something in you that had been extinguished and especially for Salim, it was a fire almost impossible to put out...after a few seconds, his hands were already on your thighs and they lifted you easily to bring you to sit on the bed.

《I don't want to do anything that will make you hate me, Y/n.》 Salim was able to tell when he parted from you, looking with eyes full of desire, but at the same time also concern for your opinion 《That's why I ask you to stop me, if I'm doing something wrong.》

Your lips and cheeks were flushed from the feeling you were having and the way he treated you was so lovely. How could you let him stop??

《Okay dear.》 You smiled, grabbing the collar of his black T-shirt to lure him back to you mischievously 《But I know perfectly well that you won't do me any harm. You protected me from those monsters with your large, metal stake, remember?》

Of course, that strange allusion made Salim chuckle in amusement, probably to cover the embarrassment caused to him by your impudence and for this, Salim made you lie down on the mattress with a gentle push.

《I warn you ²fatatan, don't wake my sleeping dog.》

A warm shiver ran down your back hearing his voice, so hoarse and deep in forcing the English accent, whatever that word meant in Arabic it sounded so hot to your ears...

You kissed him again. There, his hands found their way on your hips, as your fingers played with his soft black hair. With his tongue, Salim filled your mouth lovingly and you had no choice but to let him have control over you.

[Allah, you taste so good...] Again, it sounded like he was bursting and you absolutely wanted to know what he was saying in his language. But you flinched when his grip tightened around your body, no way Salim's hand was so big that it made you so small under him!

《Please, I want to know what you're sayin'!》 Just then, you requested in a high-pitched tone because of his fleshy lips on your neck; the way Salim kissed and sucked on your skin was wonderfully slow and gentle, which just made your desire growing more...and that was well appreciated, because the Iraqi backed away to look you straight in the eyes.

《You are so delightful in my eyes Y/n, and I'm afraid I won't be able to stop if I keep going like this...》

Hell, you wanted him to talk more like this, kiss and touch you as if you owned him. By now, it was clear that you wanted Salim the same way he wanted you, regardless of the barriers that separated you two...yet, you wondered if it was really possible to override them definitively.

Could we be like this, one day?

That was what you wondered in that moment, as you held the man who was your savior for you, and the enemy for the others, straight into your arms.

《...》

《Time's up, doc!!》

Soon, the only barrier that separated you and Salim from the rest of the world was broken when the voice of one of the agents warned you to leave the room. You answered quickly, before rolling out of bed and giving yourself a quick fix.

《I...I have to go now.》 You tried to look at the Iraqi soldier in a composed way, but your emotions betrayed you when you let a tear fall 《Take care of yourself and your son, okay?》

But instead of standing still as you walked away, Salim locked you for one last, intense hug before you reached the door. And before all of this was over between you two.

《And you promise me you'll do the same for you.》 The older man said as he buried his face in your shoulder and there, Salim felt like the most vulnerable person on Earth.

And you together with him, as if you had found something precious that you could never let go.

《Salim, you must know that I...》

Suddenly, another loud knocking on the door speeded things up and to prevent Salim from being unfairly punished, you ended any physical contact with him once and for all, before the guard stormed inside the cell to come and take you...and no more words were said until the door closed with just Salim inside.

He forced one of his brave smiles, hoping for a better coming for both of you.

Hoping for a future with you by his side.

" ³'Uhibuk, ya nur eayni."

For day and night, Salim Othman never stopped praying this in his head. Even when he heard the American plane flying from Iraq, without seeing you again...

- - -

Notes:

¹Aetani binafsik, alhabiba : "Take care of yourself, sweetheart"

²fatatan : "girl, babe"

³'Uhibuk, ya nur eayni : "I love you, light of my eyes".