Again, Jason couldn't believe his day would turn out like this...fighting monsters in the middle of the desert and getting used to your timely kisses were definitely the last things he expected right now...

Of course, he was enjoying the second one much more, but the First Lieutenant had to regain control of the situation, despite the excitement hadn't subsided yet and both of you were immersed in an awkward silence, while you walked through the catacombs, side by side.

Just now, your hands gripped the gun tightly, but your fingers hadn't forgotten how they had caressed the facial features of the man next to you, exploring his rough chin, cheeks, even his small dimples and Jason did nothing but let you touch him, while he took care of your mouth, sucking your lips with his own so eagerly; but now, there was his fucking rifle in place of your body and just thinking about your pretty waist made him bite his lower lip so badly.

《Uhm, did you say something?》  You asked turning to him; apparently, Jason let out a brief gasp without noticing.

《...nothing really.》  There, he raised his right forearm to put a fist in front of his mouth and fake a short cough.  《It's this fuckin' dust. Just that...nothing really.》

Well, if Nick had been there, he would have known right away that his friend was lying, due to his tendency to repeat the same thing twice, but you just nodded; he wasn't all wrong and you were sure you had eaten a lot of that since you were down there...

You wondered how long it had been since all this mess started.

《Do you know what time is it, by chance?》

Immediately, Jason looked down at his wristwatch, which still seemed to work.

《Mmm, do you really want to know that?》  He snorted amusedly before giving you the final answer  《It's one o'clock in the morning. Nice crap, huh?》

You stopped abruptly and he did the same, without stopping to stare at your shocked expression. It was early afternoon when you left the base and couldn't believe the hours had passed so quickly! Of course, you had been too busy thinking about surviving...

Inside you, wondered how much longer you could have ignored the thirst, the hunger and the pain on your right leg...and if you could have resisted until the end.

《Hey this is no time for daydreaming, I need ya here!》  Jason shook your shoulder, annoyed that your thoughts had put him aside and so you looked him straight in the eye.

《Sorry, I didn't think it had been so long...》  You tried to smile, hiding the concern behind your words  《So, they will have started looking for us, right?》

There, you waited for Jason's answer, to make sure someone on the surface had deigned to send help, but your hopes collapsed just then when you saw him shake his head.

《When Corporal Merwin tried to fix the radio, a bullet crushed his brain before he knew it...we couldn't transmit any signal because of that.》

You remained silent as you turned the gaze towards a random point inside the corridor, illuminated just by the lantern placed on the wall; at this point, all your certainties began to waver, along with you...immediately, Jason put his left arm around your body when it happened.

《I-I had a moment of dizziness, but now I'm better, really!》  You said quickly and Jason didn't seem very convinced, but he eventually let you go, once he was sure you weren't going to fall in front of him.

Maybe, a little break wouldn't hurt, he thought and didn't notice that your eyes had casually fallen on his tattoo, since he hadn't pulled his arm away from you.

《...is that a marine thing or personal taste?》  You asked catching his attention; honestly, you didn't know much about him except what you had read on his ID card and talking about anything else would help you feel better.

Fortunately, Jason didn't seem bothered by your question.

《Both, I think. I did when I joined the Marine Corps.》  He said giving a look at it; although the weak light, you managed to read the "DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR" words, together with the symbol of the world, in particular of the USA, and an eagle watching over it.

《And two years later I did this one, when I was promoted to First Lieutenant.》  After that, Jason pointed a finger at his upper right arm, in a point covered by the sleeve of the T-shirt; curiously, you dared to raise it slightly to observe another eagle, this time staring at you, colorless.

Well, Jason Kolchek was definitely a patriot, proud to serve his nation, maybe with his own life...but that scared you, in a way.

Obviously, he wasn't just a dutiful soldier of the United States, as perhaps he thought of himself, but he was also a man, made of emotions and feelings, as he had always shown when he looked at you with his deep brown eyes...just like now.

《What?》  Jason stared at you with a half smile on his lips, somewhat pleased with how you freely touched him with an amazed expression.

《I was just thinking how brave, loyal and strong you are Jason. I've never met a guy like you before.》  You said with a shy smile, getting a little embarrassed and the cap boy laughed jokingly.

《Oh I'm sure of that. You're definitely used to the finer ones of the academy.》  He teased you with a cheeky smile  《Sure they've a stick in their ass—》

《That's not what I mean!》  You tried to stop his sentence by causing him another giggle, which made his arms and chest tremble.  《And they're not as perfect as you think...you know, when you're a son or a daughter of a US Army officer, well, you suck in humility and all, but that wasn't true at all. Not for me, at least.》

Jason didn't know your name was well seen in your country, thanks to your father's position among the senior officers; and yet, he didn't give a shit about that, you wouldn't have been like other spoiled and rich assholes even if you were the president's daughter...

But he stayed puzzled when you added another piece of your unknown past.

《So, are you telling me you were dating him?》  When you mentioned this other guy, Jason raised an eyebrow, strangely curious to hear the sequel.

《Not at all. Yes, I "liked" him but I wasn't interested in having that kind of relationship with him...until...》

Right here, you looked away, as you remembered what had happened and Jason looked like he was preparing for the worst...suddenly, the idea that someone else had been in your heart crossed his mind like a runaway train. Whatever relationship there was, he would certainly make you forget it, he thought taking a deep breath.

But for you, just thinking about that guy from your academy made you sure that, neither him nor any other boy inside those walls would ever be like this one, now standing in front of you...in your eyes, Jason Kolchek wasn't just different, but also unique. You were so lucky to be in that Hell with him.

When you smiled internally at that thing, Jason just wanted to repeat the same three fucking words of earlier, so that you could remember them everytime...

Everytime he was in love with you.

But then, he looked up immediately towards the corridor, when thought he heard something else besides your voice...when you noticed that, you remained silent.

《Stay close to me.》  He whispered as he pointed the rifle into the dark, waiting for something to move before your eyes; you held the gun but without aiming, not knowing who could be there with you two...

Until you recognized the sound of human footsteps. With his light, Jason walked slowly and stopped a few meters from a human silhouette, where a pair of arms raised in the air were clearly visible.

《...》

《I come in peace.》

You immediately recognized that voice and then his face partially illuminated by the light.

《Don't you fucking move!》  Suddenly, you heard the man next to you spelled those words, one by one, not at all comfortable to see the Iraqi soldier again.

Well, that was definitely a bad way to put two guys like Jason and Salim in front of each other...you didn't know why, but you had a bad feeling about it, especially when you didn't see Jason lower the weapon at him, with just a metal stake in his hand. Sure, it didn't take long for the Iraqi soldier to realize the "Jason" you went looking for was him.

《I don't mean you any harm. I swear.》  Salim said with the intention of calming the marine's bad mood every time they met, while you watched both of them not do bullshit.

《No shit! I'm the one holding the gun.》  Jason replied sarcastically and with a half smile at the corner of his mouth, sure that his opponent wouldn't lift a finger at him...but it fell instantly when saw his eyes were elsewhere, apparently on your small figure.

《Looking for trouble?》  Jason lowered his chin to the rifle but the visor failed to cover his intimidating gaze.  《Then look at me. Not her.》

Without saying anything, Salim took a deep breath, but you clearly noticed that he had tightened the stake in his palm; well, provoking the American boy because of you was the last thing he wanted to do, but he should have needed a good amount of patience to keep dealing with it...

Of course, this would have been if you hadn't intervened.

《Calm down, we're all in the same boat under here, no?》  You put yourself in front of him, so that he could lose his sights on the other man and listen to your opinion.  《The best way to survive is to watch each other's backs.》

At this point, Salim seemed to relax while Jason wasn't fully convinced. Damn, how could you trust an asshole like him in the same way you trusted him??

《...your friend said "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". That's is not always true, but if we want to live, we must fight together.》  Just then, Salim came to meet you speaking in the same way you had, maybe even more, especially when he referred to Jason as "the sword and the shield".

You couldn't hold back a smile, now curious to know Jason's face, who had stayed dumb up to that moment, not really believing that he wanted to convince him.

《Bit too wordy for my liking...》  As you feared, Jason was on the verge of making fun of the man's English, totally unaccented and far too slow to listen; surely, Salim's manners were better than his bastard friend who had beaten you up, keeping him from pulling the trigger on him.

《But I'm in.》

Finally, he finished the sentence, so that you could throw out the air left in your lungs after all that anxious time. You were relieved to know that Jason had decided to give Salim a chance to come with them...

But when you tried to take a step towards him, Kolchek stopped you by the shoulder.

《He'll go first.》  He ruled by making a simple gesture to the Iraqi one, so you could walk behind him. Salim didn't object, on the contrary was almost amused to hear the younger marine order around.

《Says the American with the gun...》  You opened your eyes wide when you heard that joke, hoping it wouldn't piss off Jason more.

Oh please don't start you too Salim!

《Shut the fuck up and move!》  Jason retorted with narrow eyes, giving one last warning with the rifle to go straight down that dark hallway and this time Salim did it for real.

But before doing the same, you placed your hand on the terribly outstretched arm of the marine, which relaxed when he felt your sudden, but gentle touch on him.

《You made the right choice Jason.》

Well, he had no other choice and just nodded, without losing sight of the Iraqi soldier, who meanwhile was cautiously descending a few steps of a half-destroyed stairway.

《Be careful there. The rock is broken in those spots.》  Salim warned you, but before he could offer any help, Jason jumped out before you.

《Don't worry Y/n, it's not that high.》  There, you accepted the hand he offered you, accompanying you on the descent.

However, when you put your right foot on the ground, the landing caused a shocking pain along your bandaged calf, making you lose your balance on it.

Damn, I knew that...

You squeezed the eyes in pain. Anyway, you didn't fall to the ground, as Salim stopped you on the other side just in time.

《Don't forget that there's still a wound on your leg.》

That new hand on your right shoulder and Salim's smile irritated Jason to death, who immediately pulled you away from him.

《I warn you superman, if you still do shit like that, best believe me you're dead in the following second.》  Suddenly, Jason faced Salim with the intention of threatening him, but the other took a similar step in the same direction.

《I kill vampires, you think I'm afraid of a jarhead?》

Right here, the two Lieutenants looked at each other defiantly; seriously, these two big idiots would have killed each other just for a nonsense and so you slipped between them, with your palms against their chests.

《Stop for a moment and listen to me!》  You raised your voice to catch the attention of the two men, who didn't stop staring at each other  《At this rate, we're not going anywhere, so put your egos aside and think about how to get us out of here alive!》

Once finished, you raised your head to look at both of them, hoping that someone had listened to you. Between the two, Salim was the first one to break eye contact.

《She's right. We all want one thing: get out of here and arguing will only take us away from that goal...do you agree then?》

You and Salim waited for Jason's reply, until you saw him just retract and reposition the rifle towards the corridor without saying anything, not to a fucking sweet-talker like this man; despite his silence, you understood that he had agreed, at least for the moment.

《Good! Let's go then.》  You announced enthusiastically, this time walking behind Jason and in front of Salim, who looked at you with a reassuring expression; sure, he was clearly stubborn on his own, but more mature than the other American in understanding when to put aside pride for the survival of the group, while Jason was more than cocky to allow himself to listen to a certain Iraqi soldier...

You sighed heavily in imagining what you would have been through soon, thanks to these two hotheads.

• • •

The further you went into that endless tunnel, the more the light disappeared behind you, letting you into the darkness...for a moment, it was as if you no longer knew where you were going and your heart pounded faster in your chest.

You suddenly felt lost.

You couldn't see anything. The drafts of air coming from the surrounding walls echoed menacingly in the catacombs, managing to give you a thrill every time.

You had also lost sight of Jason's back, which was just a few meters away from you and your panic only got worse...until a soft pat on your back made you blink repeatedly, as well as interrupting your steps.

《Is everything okay?》  Salim's voice made you turn to him  《I saw you stop suddenly. Is there something wrong?》

Not only that, but the Iraqi Lieutenant also noticed that your body hadn't stopped shaking, worrying him more.

《...I'm fine, just don't like all this dark. I don't feel very safe.》  You answered by lowering your head on the gun you were holding; you didn't know why, but it couldn't give you the security you were looking for and as if that weren't enough, the fight between him and Jason made you feel so nervous.

However, Salim knew how to make you believe otherwise.

《You don't have to be like that Y/n, because you're not alone...we are here with you so nothing will happen to you. Promise.》

You looked up, without seeing his face clearly, but you were sure he was smiling as he spoke comforting words to heal you.
But that wasn't exactly what you wanted to hear from a father, who was putting all of himself to return to his son...and at the same time was helping a non-compatriot girl like you, whom he didn't even know. It was all so absurd, you thought with a desperate and tired expression.

《What the hell now, why did you stop so suddenly?》  Soon after, another male voice came along with a white light beam pointed straight in your direction; Jason had wondered why he hadn't heard your footsteps behind his anymore and had come back to meet you, in the company of the Iraqi.

But before he could curse about that, you passed him on the side with a normal expression on your face, to assure him that everything was going well.

《Uhm, my leg screwed me for a moment, but nothing serious! I'm fine now.》

You didn't wait for the answer and continued on your way hoping to finally get out of that shitty corridor. Of course, your smile didn't convince Jason at all and looked at the other man with a grim look.

《What the fuck happened?》  Jason ordered taking a step towards him, waiting for a wrong answer to leave him just with a bullet in his head.

《If you really care to know, you should talk with her about it. Not with me.》  Salim decided not to reveal anything of what you said, thus getting a lightning-fast glimpse from the young marine.

《'Course, I don't give a shit about you.》  Jason raised his chin to look him up and down  《Just don't want the little girl to be impressed by my bad ways in dealing with some motherfuckers...》

Once again, Salim noticed that he was threatening him again, but this time he decided to ignore him, definitely felt sorry for you to be paired with some morons, on the other hand...

Anyway, another room awaited you three at the end of that, apparently with no exit.

《That looks like the best way through.》  Jason walked over to what appeared to be a door that opened just vertically.

《The two of us hold up the gate while Y/n can slip on the other side...》  Salim began to explain; there was no other way but lift it up with their bare hands  《...and then one of us will follow her to do the same thing on the other side.》

《Let's do it.》  There, you thought it was a good idea and your level of determination shot up suddenly; Jason stood motionless for a second before kneeling down.

《Don't make rash moves, we don't know what's there.》

So, you positioned yourself between Jason and Salim in front of the gate, waiting for them to create a big enough gap for you to pass through.

Just a couple of seconds and you found yourself on the other side; you didn't know where you were, nor what was around you, since your attention was immediately on the gate, still held up by the two men.

《Go, go!》

You heard Salim say in a panting voice, as he gathered all the strength in his arms to hold the gate for Jason too, who didn't hesitate to crawl under there...but just at that moment, a tremor above your head warned you of a imminent danger and when you saw the figure of Jason emerge, you pulled him away from the door, before it could collapse.

《Get out of there!!》

Because of that, you fell backwards, hitting the back against the hard floor and a groan of pain came out of your mouth; luckily, the rocks had fallen beside without hitting you, but the weight above your body didn't improve the situation and you just kept to moan and cough with your eyes closed, to protect yourself from the dust.

When you rubbed your face, you saw Jason lying on top of you.

《—Dammit!》

You heard him grumble, as he shifted his own weight onto the elbows; gray smoke had settled the chamber, making the vision blurred but you were sure his face was inches from you.

《You okay Y/n!?》

Monstrous creatures were hunting you and at the same time the temple was falling apart above you. Of course, there was nothing okay and as if that weren't enough, now you had the armed body of a grown man on your belly. Just perfect.

《G-get off Jason, you're so damn heavy!》  Your legs were crossed with his, so you couldn't move if he didn't move first; with your hands, you searched for his body armor to push him away, but strangely there was anything and just when the smoke was gone, you discovered the reason.

A sudden heat assaulted your cheeks in embarrassment as you saw his face just above your chest; after falling forward, Jason had accidentally bumped into something soft and warm and when he looked down, even him couldn't believe his own luck.

Sure, if Jason Kolchek could have chosen where to die that day, definitely would have been on a nice pair of boobs. And not on anyone's, but on the only ones that belonged to that pretty girl lying under him just right now...

《Hey, what's going on over there? Are you okay?》  But suddenly, Salim's voice broke through the other side of the rubble.

《Yes! What about you?》  You answered immediately, after Jason finally decided to help you get up, now with a clear blush on his face.

《I'm still alive. Thanks for asking.》  You chuckled when he said that, until you met Jason's eyes beside you, again with the rifle in hand as he watched closely another path behind you.

...there's no way he wants to leave Salim behind on purpose, right??

But fortunately, the Iraqi didn't seem to notice that uncomfortable silence and in the end you moved towards the fallen rocks, ignoring Jason for now.

《Seems to be a passage here, I just need to clear it from my side. Wait a moment, okay?》  You assured him, trying to move the rocks with your own hands...but it was fucking heavy and the first one was enough to make you dripping with sweat.

Damn, I can't do this all by myself!

《Help me here Jason...please.》  You said turning towards him, so that Salim wouldn't hear that, getting a serious expression from the marine.

Yeah, Jason wanted to let him rot under there, but his decision was questioned when he saw your rosy lips half parted, as they spoke to him and your doe eyes desperately begging for his help...seriously, why this girl had to make such a cute face for a man like that, he thought snorting and at the same time putting aside his rifle to bend down with you.

《Fuck! I'll do it so stop looking at me like this.》  He grunted again as he moved the rocks one after the other.  《But remember. All this shit...it's on him. If people like him hadn't ambushed us, none of this would've happened.》

You couldn't blame his words completely and this time Salim was forced to hear that without being able to reply, until he raised the head curiously when you started speaking again.

《Yeah, and the ambush distracted us from what was going on under our feet, but you can't blame a single man without even knowing him, what makes you believe he wanted to be in this desert, shooting at us? If I'm not mistaken, you weren't feverish for the mission this morning either...》

But the talk was suspended when you and Jason raised together a gate similar to the other one, but which wasn't possible to see from the other chamber; in any case, Salim managed to rejoin you, thanking both of you.

You exchanged a genuine smile with the black haired man as Jason stared silently, before taking a step towards you and bringing the last conversation with him.

《I'm doing my duty Y/n. That's all, isn't that what you've been doing since the day you arrived at the camp?》  The marine said sternly, showing few emotions in his words, compared to what he had done before.

Soon, Jason should have regretted those words, but not before he heard your answer.

《...I've been doing it since the day I started walking alone in my life.》

Jason looked at you confused and irritated, clearly not having understood what you meant, until he met Salim's reproachful gaze, who had perfectly understood what kind of loneliness you had in mind...and the next emptiness that would haunt that person forever.

Jason stared at you even after you walked away from them, not willing to talk about personal matters now...definitely, you didn't want to show any weak side to anyone again.

After that, Salim took the opportunity to have a few words in private with the marine.

《I shouldn't be the one to tell you, but what she was trying to say, is that her parents are no longer alive. Did you really not know?》

When he said that, he spied the reaction of the younger soldier, who in the meantime had tightened his lips and grip on the rifle.

《Hell of course not, she never told me about it before...shit.》  Jason looked down at the idea that he had done such a bullshit.

《I'm just a fucking asshole.》

《Oh I have no doubts about it my friend, but I don't think you're just that, like you said...sorry for my bluntness, but you need to improve your manners with a woman who is younger and definitely smarter than you.》

Suddenly, Salim patted Jason's shoulder confidently, getting a raised eyebrow from the marine in return.

《You know what? You talk too much. I think you need to give your old mouth some rest.》  The cap boy pointed a finger at the Iraqi one, as he freed himself from his palm and Salim chuckled behind his back, while he was turning in your direction.

It wasn't much progress, but at least Jason wasn't interested in killing him, especially after he had heard Salim call him oddly "my friend".

Maybe, he's not that asshole after all... He thought, as picked up his trusty metal vampire-slaying stake in his hands and kept through that dusty labyrinth with the American couple.