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“Open fire!”
The sound of gunfire was deafening as they tore through metal, wood, and flesh alike. Billy Coen stood frozen in the middle of it all, wind thick with dust, and gunpowder as it filled his lungs.
His eyes watered violently as he choked on the smoke, cough after cough ripping through his chest, but it did almost nothing to relive him. Around him stood the members of his unit, and the mutilated bodies of innocent villagers. God, what the hell went wrong?
He stumbled, nausea twisting in his stomach as his knees buckled beneath him. A gag tore from his throat, the floor now covered in dark crimson. Their blood.
Billy jerked his hands up like they’d caught fire, the blood running down his palms. His head spun, the cries of the villagers becoming louder and louder, his name on their lips.
Billy
Billy…
“Billy?”
His eyes snapped open hard, and for half a second, he didn’t know where he was. His breath came out ragged as a cold sweat clung to the back of his neck, his pulse hammering while he tried to get ahold of whatever the hell was going on right now.
Something grabbed his arm, and instinct took over before any rational thought could. Billy lurched upright, fingers locking around a wrist. Rebecca gasped softly, and the sound hit him like cold water.
The room was dark, but the pale moonlight that spilled through the window acted as a faint light source, illuminating whatever it touched- including Rebecca sitting beside him on the edge of the mattress, wide eyed and startled beneath his grip.
Billy released her instantly.
“Shit…” His voice came out rough and groggy. “Rebecca- damnit, I didn’t-“
“It’s okay.” Her answer came quickly, despite the surprise still written on her face.
She paused a moment before slowly reaching towards his upper arm. Her hand settled there, carefully against his cold skin, and warming it almost instantly. Billy shivered at the contact, but tensed beneath it anyway.
“You were having a nightmare,” she whispered softly, “I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
Her voice was quiet, warm, and painfully sweet in a way that made something tighten in his chest. Can’t she just mind her own damn business?
“It was nothing,” Billy replied firmly. The answer came automatically, too quick to be believable.
Billy couldn’t help but feel stupid for acting like this in the first place. The last thing he wanted was for Rebecca to be worrying about him. How ridiculous is that?
But judging by the look on her face, it was already too late. And the very- super unconvinced, still worried out her mind- Rebecca wasn’t going anywhere.
Billy almost rolled his eyes at the thought, almost.
Slowly, she let her hand slide a little higher along his arm, thumb brushing lightly against his shoulder in a small attempt to soothe him. The movement was absentminded, gentle.
Billy hated how much he noticed it. Hated how much he liked it- needed it.
“You were yelling.” She spoke quietly after a moment. “Sounded pretty bad.”
Billy exhaled hard through his nose, dragging a hand over his face. “Sorry I woke you.”
“You didn’t.” Rebecca shook her head softly. “I couldn’t fall asleep.”
That made him glance at her properly for the first time since waking up. Moonlight caught against the softer parts of her face, the worried look in her eyes impossible to miss now that he was fully awake. She was such a pain..
And yet she was still touching him. It should’ve been nothing, just innocent comfort.
But Billy couldn’t remember the last time someone touched him like this without violence attached to it. No rough shove, no blood, no orders barked in his ear. Just quiet warmth.
His jaw tightened faintly, get it together, Coen.
Rebecca noticed immediately, her hand flinching away slightly- and God did he miss the contact already.
“Did I hurt you?”
“No.” The answer came out rougher than intended. Billy swallowed once before adding quieter, “…it’s fine.”
Her fingers hesitated for half a second like she was debating whether to pull away completely or settle them back down. Thankfully for Billy, she chose the latter.
“You’re freezing.” She murmured.
“I’m fine, Rebecca.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“Ouch, dollface.”
A tiny breath of amusement left her at that, soft enough that he almost missed it. The sound settled something ugly in his chest in a way he didn’t understand. In a way it shouldn’t have.
Rebecca’s touch shifted again, gentler this time as her hand rubbed slowly over his upper arm. Comforting him without thinking about it. Like it was natural, and it probably was to her, but to him?
Billy shut his eyes briefly. Jesus..
“You don’t gotta do that.” he muttered.
her hand paused, “Do what?”
“This.” He gestured vaguely toward her touching before letting his arm fall again. “M’sorry I startled you. You can go and get some rest now.”
Rebecca stared at him for a second, clearly unconvinced. “Billy.”
“I mean it.”
She went quiet again after that, but still didn’t move away. Instead, after a long pause, her fingers curled slightly against his arm.
“You looked scared.” Something in Billy’s expression flickered at that. God he hated feeling like this, hated being looked at like that. Especially by her.
Because fuck, did he need it.
Billy laughed once under his breath, tired and humorless. “Yeah? Must’ve been one hell of a sight.”
“I’m serious.”
“I know.”
Rebecca watched him carefully, her expression gentling even further, soft tinted lips downturned, eyes wide with worry. Shit that look was dangerous. Nobody should’ve been allowed to look at him like that.
Not after everything.
“You don’t have to pretend everything’s fine, not with me.” She whispered.
Billy’s throat tightened unexpectedly. For a second he didn’t- couldn’t answer her at all.
Just when he thought his heart couldn’t ache anymore than it was, Rebecca shifted closer without warning, slow enough to give him time to stop her if he wanted.
But of course, he didn’t.
The mattress creaked softly beneath her knees as she moved beside him properly now, shoulder brushing lightly against his arm warm.
So fucking warm.
“We can just..” Rebecca hesitated briefly before speaking quieter. “Stay like this for a minute, if you want.”
Billy went still at that.
She said it so casually, so gently. Like she had no idea what those words did to him, what she did to him.
His eyes dropped to where her hand still rested against his arm, so small compared to him- soft. Still there.
Something deep in his chest twisted suddenly, sharp enough to almost piss him off.
Rebecca must’ve noticed the shift in his breathing, because her brows furrowed slightly. “Billy?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, Billy leaned back fully against the mattress again, exhaustion dragging through every inch of him now that the adrenaline had finally begun to wear off.
Then finally, with one slow exhale he shifted farther onto the mattress. The movement was wordless, an unspoken invitation.
Rebecca hesitated only for a second before following his lead.
The old bunk creaked softly beneath them as she carefully laid down beside him, turning onto her side once she settled. Billy did the same after a moment, rolling toward her until they faced each other.
They were close, close enough that Billy could feel the warmth coming off her immediately, could see the faint rise and fall of her breathing.
Moonlight caught softly on her face, along her lashes and the curve of her lips. God, was she beautiful.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. The silence wasn’t awkward exactly, just- heavy? Quiet in a way that made everything else louder.
Billy could feel her breathing, the warmth of it ghosting faintly across his face. And it was driving him insane.
“Are you okay now?” Rebecca asked quietly after a moment.
Billy stared at her for a moment before letting out a deep sigh, “You always this persistent?”
Her brow twitched slightly, “You’re dodging again.”
He looked away from her then, eyes drifting towards the dark ceiling above them. “Didn’t realize you were a detective, too.”
Rebecca didn’t argue, and silence fell over the both of them. It was quiet except for the creak of the old mattress beneath Rebecca’s shifting weight.
That’s when Billy felt it, soft fingertips brushing carefully against the side of his head.
His entire body locked up as Rebecca’s hand moved carefully through the shorter dark strands near his temple, gentle and unhurried. Almost like she wasn’t even thinking about it. But Christ, he definitely was.
His breath caught so hard it almost hurt.
“Becca.”
“Hm?” She hummed.
Billy swallowed once, “You gotta quit doin’ that.”
Her fingers paused slightly, “You don’t like it?”
The question alone almost made him laugh. Didn’t like it? Fuck, he loved it.
Billy shut his eyes briefly as her fingertips brushed lightly against his scalp again. It sent an ache through him, something deep, and starving.
“…didn’t say that.”
Rebecca watched him carefully, her hand still resting near his hairline. “Then what’s wrong?”
Billy huffed quietly before responding, “M’not used to this.”
“To.. what?”
His eyes flickered back to hers finally. There was something raw in his expression now.
“The touching.” He paused a second before muttering quieter, “The someone givin’ a shit part too.”
The words left his mouth before he could stop them. Rebecca went still, and Billy immediately regretted saying it out loud, “Forget I said that.”
But Rebecca didn’t laugh, didn’t tease him. If anything her expression only softened further, a small frown on her lips.
“Billy.” She said quietly, almost sad.
“Don’t do that either.”
“What now?”
“Lookin’ at me like I’m some miserable asshole.”
A tiny smile tugged at the corner of her mouth despite herself, “You said it, not me.”
Billy rolled his eyes instantly. “There she is, was wonderin’ where Officer Chambers ran off to.”
Rebecca laughed softly under her breath, her flingers slipping through his hair again. But this time was different, he didn’t tense, didn’t fight it, instead- before he could think better of it- he leaned into her touch ever so slightly.
The second he realized he’d done it, annoyance flashed across his face immediately. Rebecca noticed, and she wasn’t gonna let it go that easy.
A quieter smile appeared on her lips now, awfully close to a smirk. “You like it.”
Billy groaned in response, “Christ, don’t start.”
“You do.” She replied, amused now.
Billy stared at her a long second before muttering, defeated, “Yeah. Alright? Happy?”
Rebecca’s smile widened just a little.
And hell, seeing that expression directed at him made something warm fill his chest.
“You’re gonna make me soft, Chambers.”
“I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”
Billy looked at her, really looked. Moonlight spilling across her face, a soft smile across her lips, eyes heavy with care, the warmth of her absolutely contagious.
And suddenly the ache in his heart felt almost unbearable.
That’s when he realized he was in way too deep now, and Rebecca was the only thing holding him together.