Sparrow

2

Sleep was fighting you. You lay in bed just tossing and turning trying to fall asleep. The image of Saad looking directly into your soul was burned into the back of your eyelids.

You decided that you needed to give your brain a break. You stood from your bed and headed for the door. Once you rounded the hallway corner, you noticed a familiar black head resting on the couch. You checked your watch, it was nearly one am. Why was he still sitting out here?

"Lieutenant?" You asked, making sure to hide your face and body around the wall. When no answer came you poked your head around the corner of the wall.

"Ghost?" You whispered again. No answer. You finally gathered the courage to walk around the corner and slowly towards the couch. You covered the lower part of your face with your hand just in case.

Ghost was sitting up on the couch, his head rolled forward and his breathing shallow. He had fallen asleep sitting up. You bent over at the waist to get a better look at his closed eyes behind the skull mask. A smile escaped your lips as you brought your hand down from your face.

After retrieving your water bottle from the fridge you made your way back into the living room. You watched the way he was sleeping. Something about a tall, dangerous man sleeping so still and quiet was so vulnerable.

Before you left to your room, you passed by his shoulder. Maybe it was maternal instinct that took over but you placed your hand gently on his shoulder. To make sure he was okay, alive, comfortable, you didn't know. But it was the wrong decision.

Ghost tensed violently beneath your hand and grabbed your arm. His second arm reaches up to grab your neck. He used his body weight to throw you over the back of the couch, slamming you down on the cushions.

Your eyes widened as you looked up into his cold, empty ones and you grabbed at his wrist around your throat.
"Ghost." You rasped out with what little air you had left.

Ghosts eyes widened and he stumbled back to the other side of the couch. You took a gasping breath and rolled off the couch's end and fell onto all fours on the floor. You were coughing, trying to get the breath back into your lungs.

"Sparrow..." Ghost said quietly, shifting his weight towards you. You held your hand back to keep him away from where you were doubled over on the floor.

You covered the lower part of your face and quickly made your way back to your room. You heard Ghosts heavy steps and string of curses following you. You had gotten to your room first, closing the door behind you and locking it.

You looked in the mirror at yourself, faint red lines forming on your neck. Hopefully not enough to leave a bruise. The shock of it took your breath away more than his feral grip.

Two knocks came from the door.
"Can I please come in?" His voice was quiet. Quieter than you had ever heard him talk before. He probably felt bad, really bad. It was your fault. You knew that he was a man with a troubling past. You should have just let him be.

He had seen your face. Your eyes couldn't be torn away from the mirror while looking at the white scars covering your right cheek. Had he even noticed? Had he noticed how repulsing it was?

"Little bird, please. I'm sorry."
There it was, that nickname that could make you come undone. Did he usually do this to his other partners? With the nicknames? You were frozen in place, you didn't know what to do. You just stared at the scars on your face, hoping that he would eventually go away.

"Simon."

You looked at the door behind you in the mirror. Confusion clouded over you as you waited for him to say something else. When he didn't, you asked; "What?"