Super Secret

Chapter 6- As Admiral Ackbar Once Said

After scouring the hotel to no amend, Susan was nowhere to be seen. The girls had searched high and low for their teammate, checking every room they could, calling out down the winding hallways, leaving no stone unturned.

Ellie couldn't deny the pang of sickness that lurched in her stomach. With every empty room they checked, the girl couldn't help but linger on the idea that something terrible had happened to Susan. And Ellie knew for a fact that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if that was the case.

"Ellie, she's not here," Eleanor addresses her teammate with a breathless puff, "We've checked everywhere, I think we would have at least bumped into her by now."

Ellie's head was spinning a million miles a minute. "But where could she have gone?" she stresses, "It's not like Susan to just pack up and ditch a mission."

"Y'know, I thought you'd be somewhat relieved. You two are always at each other's throats," Eleanor quips, trying to lighten the mood.

"I care about her, Eleanor," Ellie suddenly snaps. She pauses for a brief moment, realising what she had just said before hurriedly rushing to save herself, cheeks turning red, "-Just like I care about you. We're a team first."

Silence consumed the pair for a short time, Ellie's flustered gaze fixated on the ugly hotel carpet whilst Eleanor stared at her teammate wordlessly.

The girl was trying to wrap her head around the implications of what Ellie had just said. The meaning behind her words was undeniable, Eleanor wasn't blind to that, but there was something in the way her stomach fluttered at the thought of Ellie caring about her that she couldn't quite describe. And she couldn't deny how scared it made her feel.

"You're right, I'm sorry," Eleanor nervously breaks the silence, "We've just never been in a situation like this before, I'm trying to figure out how to handle it without losing my shit y'know?"

Ellie eventually cracks a smile, braving eye contact with the other girl. "I feel the exact same with every mission we go on."

The two girls allow themselves to laugh, soaking in the brief moment of normality amongst the train-wreck-of-a-situation they had managed to get themselves into. 

Eleanor knew they should be continuing the search for Susan, but watching Ellie smile and laugh and just getting to spend alone time with the girl made her heart clench with longing. 

She couldn't exactly pinpoint the moment she had started seeing her teammate as more than just a friend and work colleague. Perhaps it was that time she had saved her from a crazed assassin? Or maybe it was the intimate moments they shared at the uniform stands back at base, cracking jokes and laughing about their adventures?

In all honesty, Eleanor wasn't too sure what she'd label herself and her feelings towards Ellie. All the girl knew was that, deep down, she knew she couldn't do anything about it.  

Not when they were teammates.

And especially not when a relationship could potentially jeopardise their future missions as a team. Mr Colour had once warned them against making attachments within the team. He'd always said it would be too risky, that it'd cause too many problems and would lead to emotional, irrational decisions that could end up putting the entire hero organisation in danger.

And on top of that, Eleanor didn't want to even begin thinking about what Susan's reaction would be or whether Ellie even felt the same way. The thought in itself was enough to fuel her crippling anxiety.

So instead, the girl silently basked in the intimate moment, privately pining and drinking in Ellie's presence and warmth for as long as she could.