The boat drifted into the dock and Ghost grabbed Soap's hand to lift him out. The Sergeant was practically vibrating, his eyes aglow with a broad smile.

"That was bloody wild, L.T.!" the Sergeant beamed. "It was like the sun exploded!"

He laughed and gave Soap a shove onto the dock. "I was there, too, mate, I saw it."

"Never in my days did I think I was gonna detonate a missile." He raked his fingers through his high-and-tight hair and rolled back into a stretch. "Steamin' baby Jesus, it feels good to be a badass."

Alejandro met him with a handshake before pulling him into a hug, slapping his back with three loud thuds. "You were impressive, hermano, now you've got another feather in your cap."

As they walked away, Ghost helped Noveleen out of the boat and they both paused, their eyes searching each other before they finally looked away. The joyful chatter from the others faded to distant, quiet murmurs and Ghost nudged her along. "You fought well today."

"So did you." She kept her pace even with his at a slow saunter, noticing only then that Ghost wasn't making his usual long strides. "You think we'll do it again?"

He looked away into the horizon where flashes of lightning in far-away storms made out where the water ended and the skies began. "I hope so. But only if you don't try to get yourself killed again."

Novaleen chuckled and shoved his shoulder playfully. Her smile faded and she sighed. "Hey, umm... about earlier..."

"Don't worry about it..."

"No, I shouldn't have snapped at you, that was stupid of me and I'm sorry." She crossed her arms, looking down at the ground as she walked. "It was nice of you to check on me."

Simon swallowed, feeling his stomach churning nervously. "You said you had gone to Graves because I hurt you..."

"I was pushing your boundaries the other night; I shouldn't have been hurt by it."

His heavy eyes narrowed. "You weren't hurt because I set a boundary, you were hurt because of what I said when I did it." She pursed her lips, unable to deny his claim, and he continued. "I've been through a lot, Novaleen. My experiences define me. But I don't have the metals or the scars to show for it- not for most of it, anyway. This mask is my identity now. Sometimes I don't recognize myself without it."

She furrowed her, gently touching the scar on her face. "Scars are sort of overrated anyway..."

He squeezed his hand around her arm and she looked at him. "My point is: that is what I should have told you the other night, not what I said. It's been a long time since I trusted anyone. I'm not used to being that vulnerable."

"About showing your face?"

"It's not about my face..."

"Then what are you afraid of?"

He was quiet, allowing a long silence between them before he found the words to speak. "I don't even like who I am most days. Why would I introduce someone I don't like to someone I do l-"

"Y'all stop lallygagging back there??" called Graves, shielding his eyes from the rain. "C'mon, I'm tired of being wet, let's roll!"

"Sorry, Philip, we're coming!" She looked back at Simon once more, green eyes alight. "What were you saying..?"

Ghost shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Just accept my apology, eh?"

Her grin was soft and she pressed on ahead of him. "Accepted, Ghost." She touched his arm and jogged head to get to Graves' Jeep. "Alright, I'm here. We ready?"

He locked eyes with her, brows raised inquisitively. "All good..?"

"Yeah. We're good." She sent him a bright smile and opened the door, swinging herself inside. As she settled in her seat, she noticed that he hadn't moved yet. "You good?" He didn't reply, staring at the rest of the group and she furrowed her brows. "Philip..?"

"... Yeah. Let's get out of here and wrap this shit up." He clapped his hands loudly. "Alright, let's go, let's go! Load up!"

She watched as Soap and Ghost got into another Jeep and Ghost's face was trained on hers in the sideview mirror. Novaleen breathed deeply, noticing the fluttering feeling in her chest again. She didn't want to start falling for him again. She couldn't. But after hearing him starting to open up, she couldn't help the magnetism she felt like the day they had met for the second time.

The driver's side door opened and Graves started the vehicle, his face tense. His lips were pursed as he wetted them with his tongue and he nodded when the engine purred. "Alright..." He glanced over at Novaleen as he put it in drive. "We're almost done with this crap. You about ready to be home?"

She couldn't pull her eyes off of Simon in the other car and she grinned softly. "Maybe... But I suppose I wouldn't mind having to fight a little longer..."

"Yeah?"

Her finger traced over his face in the glass and she settled deeper into her seat. "Yeah. It wouldn't be so bad having to fight with these guys some more. They're good people."

Graves chuckled mildly. "Don't get too attached, NAG. It'll be better for your heart."