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summertime in the blue sky, your hand in my hand
cold beer with some moonshine and our toes in the sand
that look in your blue eyes, it makes me lose my mind
i pull you closer, i'm so glad your finally mine
— dixon dallas; like whiskey
Since the moment of vulnerability Simon had shown to Gaz on that unfortunate night, it was like a switch flipped and their dynamic changed overnight.
They went from a sergeant and lieutenant to something more. There was something different—something softer and kinder between the two. Though they struggled to put official words and titles to whatever they had, they knew that they liked each other. They knew that something was there—that it was special and precious.
To be completely honest, Gaz and Ghost had been pretty content with not defining what they are. They were moving along the road slowly, but it was a pace they were really happy with.
Though they never shared a proper kiss or a quick night in bed, there were smaller gestures that they exchanged in secret: a peck on the nose or shoulder, the brushing of hands, interlocking pinkies, borderline cuddling, etc etc. The moments were soft, quick, and full of… love? Yeah, love was the right word.
.
.
.
One day, Gaz had realized that he and Ghost had started pushing the border of 'just being really close friends' to its very limit. He realized that what he felt for Ghost was genuine love and that he wanted something more. He hoped Ghost felt the same way, and despite the little voice in the back of his mind that whispered his hesitancy—he knew Ghost felt something similar.
He decided that they had been beating around the bush long enough, that this little back-and-forth dance had played on for too long.
So, when he had finally cleared up his schedule by completing every single task he needed to do that day, he sought out the infamous Ghost.
He checked the commons, his usual smoking spot, and his office before deciding that he must have been in his barrack.
Knock knock…
Gaz knocked softly on the door. Ghost hummed out in response.
"Who is it?" He called out.
"Just me," Gaz responded with a smile on his face.
The door opened and he was confronted with a very disheveled, very tired looking Ghost… no, not Ghost—Simon Riley.
He was wearing something much more comfortable: a worn out balaclava that looked soft, a gray sweatshirt, and a pair of loose fitting jeans. In comparison to what Gaz had changed into earlier, they looked as though they were about to head out to relax at a nearby bar.
"What do you need, Garrick?" Simon asked, leaning on the door frame with tired eyes.
"I need to talk to you, sir."
Simon stood up straight and let Kyle walk into his room before closing the door.
"Did something happen?"
"No, no… well, not really?" Kyle tried to explain. "I wanted to talk about… us."
"Us?"
"Yeah," Kyle began to twist a loose string on the hem of his shirt as he thought about his next words.
"The way that we are… I want you to know that I really, really like you Simon. I want to have something with you, and I just…"
Simon looked deeply into Kyle's eyes with an expression that could not be named. Kyle's sentence trailed off into silence, and Simon smiled underneath his mask.
"I like you too, Kyle. I would love something more, but I don't want it to get in the way of our jobs."
Kyle thought for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked for some kind of solution—some kind of compromise. Simon loved how he looked when he was lost in thought, all the small twitches in his face and the way his fangs peeked out when he smiled really wide.
"We could have something like this, we just can't let it interfere."
"We could make it work," Simon nodded along. He walked towards Kyle and let his hands grasp the other man's hips in such a delicate way that Kyle felt his cheeks heat up. Simon stared at Kyle's lips and how delicious they looked.
"If you plan on kissing me," Kyle whispered, "I'd rather taste those lips, not that mask."
Simon's cheeks flushed red as his eyes widened. Damn he was bold.
Kyle slipped his hands under Simon's mask, lifting the fabric up to the bridge of his nose before leaving it there. He leaned in and finally… finally their lips touched.
The kiss was soft and full of love. Not passionate, not desperate—full of genuine love and slow moving.
When they broke apart, they couldn't help but smile at one another with lovesick eyes.
They laughed together.
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Months later, as the seasons shift and the cold breezes become few and far in between, summer is born once again.
Gaz had always loved summer because that meant that his annual leave could be used to chill out at the beach near his home. The summer meant the sun on his skin and the warmth of the day.
For Gaz, he was fucking ecstatic for the next week. He could go back home to his family and hang out with his sisters and tell stories to his little nephews.
He brought this up to Ghost in the morning before their day got busy.
"Do you have any plans?" Gaz had asked.
Ghost fell quiet for a moment before his took a sip of his tea and shrugged his shoulders.
"Nah. Don't usually take my leaves for the summer. Don't have much to do," Ghost admitted.
"You should take your leave for me. You came to meet my family and then we can spend some time at the beach. I can show you some of my favorite restaurants nearby too."
There was a shine in Gaz's eyes as he spoke. Ghost felt as though he could no longer say no to the man.
.
.
.
One flight booked later, and both men are packing their suitcases and getting ready to leave at around 4am. It's early in the morning and both Kyle and Simon are beyond exhausted, but Simon had been on edge for the last couple of hours.
He felt as though his heart was racing at a million miles per second. He was nervous to meet Kyle's family. It was a big step in their relationship—to meet the other's family, and Simon was much more panicked than Kyle was.
The airport was full of people, which did not help Simon's nerves in the slightest. Even with clothing that covered any ounce of skin, a black mask to cover the bottom of his face, and a hat to further cover up his face—he still felt as though everyone was looking at him, that they were judging him.
His thoughts were quickly put to a full stop when Kyle slipped and intertwined their hands together. The man just rubbed his thumb over the back of Simon's palm in a soothing manner that worked its magic quickly.
The rest of the flight didn't seem so bad after that.
That previous panic had very quickly returned to the front of Simon's mind the minute Kyle called his older sister, Millie, to pick them up from the airport.
Although it was just one family member out of around five, Simon still felt nervous.
But Kyle? Kyle was beyond excited. He hadn't seen his older sister in years. He had so many things to tell her.
They spotted the car and Kyle happily jogged over while Simon slowly trailed behind.
"There he is!" An older, more feminine voice called out with joy.
Kyle and Millie hugged each other tightly as Millie couldn't help but fuss over the man.
"Look at you!" She said, then, she noticed the tall man in the distance. "And look at you, mister. You're tall."
Kyle chuckled to himself. Simon gave a small smile.
"I'm Millie. Kyle has said so much about you." Kyle blushed in embarrassment.
"My name's Simon."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Simon."
Maybe this whole meeting-the-family-thing wasn't going to be so bad after all.
.
.
.
The rest of the Garrick family had been just as sweet and kind. They were all so loving and joyful, and they accepted Simon as one of their own.
They didn't question his mask and were—surprisingly—very compromising when he came to things he was a little more uncomfortable with, like eating in front of everyone.
Simon had met Kyle's mother (Jennie), his younger sister (Maxine), and his twin nephews (Daryll & Preston). He had already met Millie, the older sister, but he had yet to meet Kyle's father. The man was too busy at work, but they would meet each other later.
For now, they had a trip to the beach all ready and planned.
.
.
.
It was a relatively short drive to the nearest beach and it was absolutely beautiful. The sand was clean and shimmered in the sunlight the same way that Kyle's eyes would sparkle under moonlight. Not one speck of trash to be seen for miles.
Even the calm waves sparkled with every movement, like a hypnotic dance.
The family that had also decided to go down to the beach with them (Millie, Maxine, and the twins) had quickly set up base. A couple umbrellas, a cooler, towels, and some beach chairs.
Kyle was quick to drag Simon into the water after applying some sunscreen. The man was as pale as paper and he burned as quickly as gasoline.
The water was cold, almost frigid.
Kyle couldn't help but wrap his arms around himself for warmth as he laughed. Simon wasn't doing any better. The man sucked in his breath, trying to face the frozen water head-on.
Then, the perfect idea had struck him.
"Hey!" Kyle called out. Simon splashed heaps of water at the poor man, and at first, he had tried to swim away from the cold water. But, as he started to get used to the coolness of the water, he began splashing water back.
Simon would never admit it out loud to anyone else, but the man shrieked in response.
The splashing quickly turned into playful wrestling, which the twins copied on the sand. It was a funny scene for the sisters to watch. Two children fought on the dry sand while two overgrown children fought and squealed in the water.
The fighting quickly tired out the men as they trudged back onto land with huge, childish smiles on both of their faces. They were tired, wet, and out of breath, but they were also pretty hungry.
Lucky, the coolers had some homemade sandwiches and chips, which Simon and Kyle had quickly devoured.
It was then that Mille and Maxine had decided to step into the water with the twins while the other two men bathed in the warm sunlight.
Kyle stared at Simon, who was now wearing sunglasses and staring out at the water.
Oh how he loved the man. He was a sight to see, and was even more enticing to look at when completely drenched.
"You got a staring problem, sergeant?" Simon asked, still looking out in the distance.
"Yes, sir. You're quite the sight to look at."
Simon's cheeks flushed a light pink color. He cleared his throat and finally decided to look at his partner.
"It's hard keeping my hands off of you sometimes, sir," Kyle admitted, a lustful look in his eyes.
"Why don't you do something about that then," Simon responded, a smirk plastered underneath his mask.
Kyle shuffled over and straddled the man's hips. He slid his hands over Simon's wet skin with a look in his eyes.
"Beautiful," Kyle uttered.
He leaned down to meet the man's lips with a kiss full of passion and need. It was rough and fast and… and wonderful.
Simon couldn't hold back the soft moan that left his lips, and Kyle couldn't hold back the grin that grew on his face in response.
"Get a room, you two!" Maxine called out. Millie began a laughing fit, which the twins followed despite having no idea what was funny.
Unbeknownst to the couple, they had no clue that Kyle's sisters had started approaching them. They broke apart their kiss so quickly that Simon almost got whiplash.
They were beyond embarrassed about getting caught.