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Robert DuBois had a case of light sleep, and the stress of being controlled by Amanda Waller's hand did not help at all. While he was getting up, he considered that he must have been the only one awake deep at night in the complete team, proper of a leader. But that belief changed the moment he stepped away from the inside of the hut and heard two familiar voices coming from the terrace protected by a wooden fence.
He carefully sneaked away from the shack, staring at the talkative muscular men standing far from him and seemingly unaware of his presence. That was until Rick Flag catched a glimpse of the marksman, and greeted him from the distance.
-I’m going for a walk!- Bloodsport shouted to the colonel before disappearing in the darkness and coldness of the jungle surrounding them.
Flag smiled silently and handed his beer bottle to the man beside him, Chris Smith did not drink from it, instead, he changed the subject of their conversation to fit just right to what had happened.
-What do you think he’ll be doing out there?- Rick sighed before answering the question.
-I don’t really know… he’ll probably just walk until he gets tired of it and then... he’ll go to sleep-
Peacemaker took a sip from the bottle.
-That’s an intuitive answer from someone who is supposed to know him more.
-What do you mean, Smith?
-Well, if I’m correct, you knew him before all of this happened, I thought you guys were close…- He made a small pause, thinking, even though his silent analyses did not seem to result in surprising conclusions. Finally, he concluded:
-And you can call me Chris. Smith feels too formal, even for you- He turned his head to smile at Flag, who raised an eyebrow at the flirtatious banter, but answered without acknowledging it.
-I would not call Bloodsport a friend of mine, you are right about that… Chris- The man with the yellow shirt calmly snatched the bottle from the hands of Peacemaker.
-But still, I don't understand what your possible contribution would be to my barely existing connection to him.
-Well… uhh, I’m just making conversation.
-Yeah, sure…- Flag finished the beer up and put the empty bottle on the wooden floor.
Smith laughed it off awkwardly, grabbed two plastic white chairs nearby and offered one to Rick, who gladly accepted it. Both men sat in silence for a few seconds until it became clear that Christopher had no way of shutting up.
-Colonel… I believe I’m better at what I do than Bloodsport.
-You gotta be kidding me…
-C’mon! And I could be a better leader, too!
-That’s an insane statement to do.
-Insane? I’m quite sure I’m the most sane person in this whole… suicide squad shitty thing.
-I’d doubt it, Smi… Chris. I’d even assume your mental state it's the reason why you underestimate DuBois as your leader. We have an important mission going on here and if Waller chose him for that role, it’s for a reason.
-I think she threatened him with something.
-Really?
-It’s not a surprising thing coming from Amanda Waller, Colonel.
-No, I know that, what I mean is like… he also didn't want to be a part of this?
-Nope…- In a secretive way, Peacemaker pulled Rick closer, putting his arm around his neck and leaning him in. He was taller and stronger than Flag, but that was not the reason why Bill allowed him to do that without showing any resistance.
-He has mentioned his daughter a couple of times, especially around that rat girl, Cleo. I believe that if he fails this mission, his daughter could be in danger.
-Fuck…- Rick Flag was in fact shaken by the conclusion, but Smith’s blue eyes fixated on him were the reason he felt nervous. Especially because their faces were inches away from each other.
-I couldn’t care less, though- Chris turned his face away from Rick’s, but the distance between their bodies only seemed to get smaller.
-If I get out alive from this, it’ll be a miracle only my lucky ass would benefit from- Smith laughed to himself.
Flag wanted to add something else to the conversation, but he shut himself up the second he heard Peacemaker’s laugh. Instead, taking advantage of the unexpected closeness, he pulled Chris into a slow, awkward hug.
Smith concluded the other man must've been drunk, so he shared the moment with him and accepted the hug, bringing Rick's head close to his chest. He looked down, and noticed Flag seemed tense.
-Did I say something wrong, Colonel?
-What?- The colonel pretended not to have heard, ashamed by wanting the silence to last longer for once.
-Why the long face?- Chris took the other man by the chin and studied his expression, smiling curiously. Rick swallowed before answering, the charming and clueless attitude from the self aclaimed hero was getting on his nerves.
-I’m tired as fuck, it’s all.
-We all are.
-I’m not opening my damn heart up to you, Smith- He leaned back in his chair, releasing himself from the embrace and settling the professional boundary when referring to Peacemaker once again.
-Alright then- Smith seemed bewildered and discouraged. Even if he wasn’t properly close to Flag, it had been a while since someone had hugged him. Especially someone who he liked and admired so much.
Meanwhile, Rick was angry at himself. He was supposed to be a loyal man. Was, past tense. He had already betrayed Moone, and now he would throw away what he had with his best friend Harcourt for a hunk he had just met.
The search for human warmth on a cold night tempted them, and while Chris gave in without question, Flag had his reasons for resisting. One man was more lonely than the other.
Only the silence surrounded them for a couple of minutes before the Colonel’s dry voice was heard.
-What the fuck am I doing here?- Rick adjusted his jacket and got up from the chair, ready to go back to the hut. What he didn’t expect was Chris immediately catching up, acting just as hurried as him. Bill let go a humourless laugh as a response, incapable of believing the man before his eyes.
-What? It’s cold outside and I haven’t slept either, Colonel.
Flag didn’t want to make a big fuss out of Smith’s idiotic behaviour, and the fact that he felt flattered by it wasn’t helping, so he swallowed his anger and decided to let him be.
-Yeah… sure…
Thirty minutes later, Bloodsport came back to the shack, sneaking in carefully to avoid waking the team up. After noticing something weird, he went to Rick's mattress on the floor. Now getting closer, he recognized Flag lying on Peacemaker's bare chest, who was hugging him tightly and smiling like an idiot in his sleep. Both were warmly covered and wrapped in a blanket, looking as calm as ever.
-Bloody faggots...
Having decided it was none of his business, he went back to bed. Due to the work they all had for the next day, that night could be their last, and Robert Dubois wanted to have some peaceful sleep for once.