"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Gavin deadpanned as he stared at the flat tyres on the getaway vehicle. They hadn't really needed it for speed, just for transport, but somehow a stray bullet had ended up tearing a hole through the rubber rendering the car useless. There wasn't even a spare tyre in the boot and there was no salvaging that tyre.
The sound of leather boots scuffing on the gravel next to him told him that Ryan had caught up with him. "I guess we're walking, then," he said with an emotionless tone. Gavin made sure not to look at Ryan's masked face when he did, the sight combined with the bland voice was unnerving and Gavin hoped Ryan didn't notice his shiver.
Ryan opened up the GPS app on his phone to quickly figure out the quickest way to walk back to their base before putting it away and turning on his heel to walk towards an alleyway without another word. Gavin had to pick up his pace to keep up with Ryan, but he managed it without a problem.
As he walked in the relative darkness – only the occasional streetlights illuminated the area in an orange haze of light – Gavin found himself reflecting back on their recent heist. "I think we did pretty top, this heist."
"Yeah, we certainly didn't do too shabby." Gavin was glad Ryan agreed; it meant he approved of Gavin's work too, and Gavin always strived to impress the older criminal. The two of them were to provide cover during the main firefight; 'fuck shit up' had been their order from Geoff.
The two walked in silence for a while longer before Gavin felt a small drip fall onto his nose. He groaned audibly when the occasional flecks of water slowly transformed into a steady spray of thin rain. Ryan, however, remained silent; only when the rain turned into a downpour of fat rain drops did he do something.
As he removed his mask, Gavin couldn't help but remain transfixed on Ryan's face. It was no secret how fascinated Gavin was by Ryan, and he was particularly interested in the war paint Ryan always donned when on a heist. He would often wear his mask, but only on heists would he carefully paint white, red, and black on his face in an intimidatingly scary pattern.
Now, however, the rain was leaving streaks down his face as the paint ran. If possible, it made the whole look even more off-putting. But for Gavin, that wasn't the case.
"You're always so fascinated whenever I take this off," Ryan commented offhandedly, gesturing to the mask before he hid it in the duffel bag he was carrying over one shoulder.
Gavin's spine went rigid as he snapped his gaze away and focussed on the wet path in front of him. All these times he'd stared at Ryan, he'd never been called out on it before; Ryan usually just smirked and silently permitted the curious gaze as Gavin carefully observed Ryan's every feature. But he only ever watched Ryan when nobody else was watching.
"Tell me, Gavin, is it my ghastly face or the harrowing expression you're most transfixed by?" Ryan asked, and Gavin could feel Ryan's sharp blue eyes staring burning a hole into the side of his face.
Gavin fidgeted with the hem of his sodden shirt for a few moments as he fought to come up with a decent excuse. "You're not ugly," he immediately cringed when his mouth chose to work faster than his brain.
"Oh?" Ryan raised an eyebrow – a swirling mixture of slowly dripping black and red painted on it – and did nothing more. Gavin wasn't fond of the way he could never tell what Ryan was feeling by looking at his expression; it meant that the older criminal always had one up on Gavin and he almost always knew what Gavin was thinking. "And there was me thinking that you were simply staring in awe of how distasteful my face is."
Gavin forced himself to catch Ryan's gaze instead of resolutely staring at the floor. He could do this, he could be confident; he just had to fake it until it was real. But as soon as he held eye-contact with Ryan, he found his gaze wandering again. From the smudged face paint to the smirking lips and attractive jawline it covered. "I don't think anyone with eyes could call your face distasteful. Intimidating, maybe, but definitely not unattractive."
After a few moments of staring at Gavin, evidently deep in-thought and deducing the Brit's every move, Ryan's grin widened in realisation. At first, Gavin thought he was screwed. But then Ryan's expression changed from curious and determined as he glanced over Gavin's face, to pleasantly surprised and clearly interested as he shamelessly looked from Gavin's eyes to his lips and back again.
Gavin hadn't realised he had stopped walking until Ryan was turning to face him, his head tilted in a way that had Gavin unsure of whether he should be terrified or turned on, and somehow he was feeling a concoction of both. Ryan made quick work of backing Gavin against the rough brick of the wall of the alleyway (one Gavin definitely recognised as being two blocks away from their base); but once he was close, he did nothing more than observe, and Gavin did nothing more than panic.
He'd never hated the fact that he couldn't tell what Ryan was thinking more in his life. But as Gavin lifted his gaze from the floor to meet Ryan's eyes once more, he could see the façade of indifference fading as quickly as the face paint was. He could clearly see Ryan part his lips in an intrigued smirk; his gaze darkened with what Gavin desperately wanted to call lust; and he took another step closer to Gavin so that their bodies were less than centimetres apart.
The grin Ryan wore was taunting, as if he was daring Gavin to make a move.
So he did.
Gavin removed his hands from where he'd had them splayed on the wet brick wall behind him, and he cupped Ryan's face, pulling him in close before confidently pressing their lips together in a firm kiss. Ryan, the smug bastard, had evidently been expecting it; his hands found Gavin's waist and he was allowing himself to be tugged downwards slightly due to their minute height difference.
The sensation of Ryan's lips against his combined with the chilling rain falling down on him had Gavin shivering within moments. He parted his lips in surprised when Ryan wrapped his arms around Gavin's lean body even more to share his warmth. Ryan, however, used that moment of distraction to almost tentatively swipe his tongue against Gavin's lips – it was welcomed with desire as Gavin reciprocated the action.
Gavin could taste the watered down paint on Ryan's lips, but under that, it was all Ryan; and boy was Gavin addicted. He kissed fervently and enthusiastically, losing himself in the sensations when Ryan began to steadily move his mouth against Gavin's in tandem. His heart fluttered as Ryan ran his hand through Gavin's dripping wet hair, hand coming to rest at the nape of his neck to maintain the perfect angle of the kiss.
When they finally broke the kiss, heat flooded Gavin's cheeks when he found himself breathing heavily for air, but a breathless chuckle broke free when he opened his eyes to find Ryan looking just as dishevelled as Gavin felt.
He felt a wide grin break out on his face as Ryan littered kisses down Gavin's jaw and neck before burying his wet face in the crook of Gavin's shoulder, nipping playfully at the skin there before pressing one final kiss there and pulling back. Gavin rested his forehead against Ryan's for a few blissful moments of silence before the chill of the cold rain began to set in, leaving Gavin shivering slightly.
Gavin did a double-take when he felt Ryan slip his hand into Gavin's, holding it tightly and giving a gentle tug to encourage him to follow. Ryan bent to pick up his gun-filled duffel bag (he must've dropped it before he kissed Gavin, who was still in shocked awe) and his smile softened into something more akin to fondness when Gavin's hand tightened onto Ryan's slightly as he flinched briefly at a loud clap of thunder and bolt of brilliant white lightning.
The silence they walked back to the base in wasn't awkward or weird at all. They both had a lot to think about and Gavin's heart felt like it skipped a beat every time Ryan's shoulder brushed against his own. The silence was companionable and Gavin felt nothing but comfort as he lost himself in it while they walked.
After reaching the front door to the base, Ryan was the one to drop Gavin's hand to ring the doorbell.
When Michael opened the door and spoke, however, Gavin felt his face flush red with heat when Michael barked out his laughter. "Sweet face paint, Gav."