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There was a delicate situation connecting Raiden and Jetstream Sam. Their relationship was flawed, full of holes and void of emotions.
"What’s a soldier to do," Sam had once said, "with death all around and no beauties to aid the tension?"
It was a dark night, Raiden knew that he’d have to pause in his efforts to defeat Desperado for the night. Being a cyborg, he had no reason for sleep, but working too hard for too long can end in malfunctions. Raiden couldn’t afford a breakdown right now.
Raiden stood by one of the buildings in the Japanese-themed floor, hands still blue from his last Zandatsu kill. Cherry blossoms rained down from where he stood. That’s when Sam walked up and they began their exchange.
"You, however," Sam continued, getting closer and closer and brushing a contemplative hand along his own chin, "you are not a bad substitute, pretty boy."
Raiden understood - he understood his desperation, he understood that Sam had few options, he also knew full well that the violent method of two anxious soldiers and how they fucked was far superior to hiring any cheap whore.
So when Sam pressed a loveless open mouthed kiss to Raiden’s lips, Raiden understood and did not pull away.
And that’s how they started, meeting up at random times when the others weren’t watching and just fucking. No care, no real feelings, just selfish and wild attempts to get their rocks off. If the last one to cum was lucky, the other would bother to get him off with a half-assed hand job. This was as caring as they would get.
When Raiden was forced to kill Sam, he was entirely baffled at how much he regretted it.
There was no choice, Desperado had caught Sam by the strings and anyone who interfered with Raiden’s mission had to be killed. The fight was intense, and Raiden didn’t miss the longing looks that the Brazilian gave him when their swords clashed.
When that final, long slash into Sam’s abdomen found to be the last one he needed, Raiden froze, surprised by the deep pain in his chest he felt in that moment.
Sam smiled, reaching forward to brush his lips against the other in a soft, sweet kiss before crumpling to the ground. Raiden watched him die in silence with an absent hand touching his mouth.
"Was this outcome necessary?" Blade Wolf had started, but the Liberian barely paid attention. He gave the body one last glance that spoke of all of the feelings he didn't know he had, before rebuilding his mask of indifference.
"I guess even AIs don't know everything," Raiden replied.
As he walked away with the Murasama in hand, he stared out into the distance of dry, dusty plains and rolling hills. He didn't have much time at all before it was back to the mission, Boris would be calling any second.
"What's a soldier to do with death all around," he had muttered.
And the closeness that makes our jobs so much harder, he had wanted to say, but couldn't find the voice to say it aloud.