Goodnight, Goodnight

She slammed the door closed before the driver had a chance to do it for her. She muttered a sorry as she grabbed her bags and watched the cab drive away, leaving plumes of dust in its trail.

She let out a sharp yell, the sound lost in the breeze. She straightened her shoulders as she walked towards the doors, ready for a long bath accompanied with a box of wine that she'd bought duty free at the airport.

The doors opened just as she reached for the handle, revealing Dylan with a concerned look on his face. He met her gaze and crossed his arms.

She gave him a death glare as she passed him, but he ignored her warning and caught up to her, walking along as she made her way to the elevators.

"You know, when agents go radio silent, that means for the duration of the mission. Not the entire trip."

She ignored him and reached the elevator, pushing the button. The hum of the gears sounded, and she tapped her foot, waiting.

"Ana…" Dylan started.

"Not now."

"I know you're not one to follow protocol, Ana but, christ, do you know how worried I – hell, all of us were?"

"Oh so first it's 'you can handle yourself' and then the next it's 'you need help'?"

There was a beat of silence.

"That bad, huh?" Dylan asked.

The elevator doors opened with a ding and they both got on. She waited until the doors closed before Ana let out another sharp, fast yell.

"Okay, it was worse," Dylan muttered to himself.

"I was like Jason fucking Bourne, looking around and thinking up new ideas for weapons. Oh, that pen could go through her eye. With the right force, maybe this sculpture could bash in her skull. If I take apart this clipboard, I could maybe slice her throat."

Both she and Dylan took deep a deep breath together.

"We've both been on countless missions," she started, "thick and thin. Undercover or not," she paused and shook her head, "this was by far the hardest. Spending countless time, alone, with the woman that I want to kill all the while fawning over her and pretending I give a shit about what dress she wears. And the worst part? Marsha said she doesn't have anything planned for a few months – so I'm back at page one, which is nowhere close to knowing anything about what she is doing, and therefore bringing her to justice."

Ana was coming back from a solo mission in New York. It seemed that Marsha Valentine was in dire need of a stylist for a simple family cocktail party. They went through the rounds again, visiting dress stores to find a simple black cocktail dress that could've easily been ordered online – but that was not the prerogative of someone within the 1%. No, they needed to overpay a salary for someone in person to tell them they'd made the right choice along with buying a dress that cost the equal amount it would take to feed a family of six for a month – probably two.

But it was Ana's cover, one that gave her much appreciation for real stylists; not just for having to deal with such people but also for the con job they were pulling.

And even worse, she was invited to the party. So not only was she in the presence of the monster's mother, but of the uncles and aunts and even third cousins – who all pretended that there wasn't a huge red mark on their family, that one of their own had committed one of the most heinous acts of the 21st century, what was termed as the "new modern mass genocide".

Instead all they talked about was Amazon stocks, 'Global Warming' which they stupidly and unfortunately considered a hoax, that Napa Valley was the new hotspot for seasonal homes, and the new versions of Boeing Jets that were apparently all the rage for those who earned more than three million dollars a year.

Ana herself was surprised she'd made it out alive and without gutting the last man who had said 'If you can't survive on a minimum wage, then it means you're just spending excessively' while wearing a thousand dollar suit.

There was a beat of silence, and the elevator doors opened. Ana was on the move again, Dylan following.

"Well, you did set the cover-"

"Don't-"

"Come on, your rogue mission of revenge for Nat led you-"

"And Claire."

Dylan stopped talking… in fact stopped moving. Ana dropped her bags in front of the door to her room and walked back to him, getting in close, her eyes glaring through him.

"You actually thought going after her was only about me?" she asked in a stern voice.

Dylan stared down at her.

"We both keep forgetting, you knew Nat…" she took a deep breath, "and I knew Claire."

Dylan's eyes changed, going softer.

"My mission to New York wasn't just about Nat, Dylan. And just as you were insulted that I didn't ask you to come with me, I'm insulted that you think I went for only one reason."

"Ana-"

"For Claire, Dylan."

He stopped, his eyes turning dark, just the same as she did whenever she heard her twin sister's name.

"There were multiple reasons I executed that rogue mission. But at the forefront… it was them."

Someone clearing their throat echoed down the hall, and they both turned to see Eggsy in a white shirt and slacks, looking awkward with his hands in his pockets. He freed his hands and stood there for a second before clearing his throat again and putting his hands back where they were.

Ana let out a deep breath and turned away.

"Hey," Dylan said lamely.

"Hey," Eggsy replied, taking a few steps forward.

There were more than a couple moments of awkward silence.

"Lincoln, how did-"

"Not now," Dylan intervened.

Eggsy raised an eyebrow, but took a step or two closer, his gaze on her.

Since she took him to Forest Lawn and then got his leader drunk, their repertoire was… different. Before they were circling each other, ready for a fight at the last second. But now… it was as though they were walking on eggshells.

"You 'kay?" he asked, looking only at her.

She opened her mouth to reply but Dylan interrupted.

"She just spent a few days with the woman half-responsible for the largest genocide in humanity's history, how do you think she is?" Dylan asked.

Ana rolled her eyes and pushed Dylan away, surprising even herself as she took a tentative step towards Eggsy.

"He's right… so… yeah. I've been better."

Eggsy continued to stare at her, but then nodded, taking a step back.

"If you can, forward the mission report – two eyes are better than one."

She gave a nod.

He gave a nod back, looked at Dylan and gave another nod, and then walked backwards a few more steps before turning and leaving. He turned the corner and both Ana and Dylan listened to the sound of his footsteps fade away.

She sighed and brought out the key to her room, opening the door before she grabbed her bags and dumped them on the floor next to her small bed.

"Uhm, what in the fresh hell was that?"

"Fresh hell is an oxymoron," she muttered as she slipped off her shoes and fell onto the bed, letting out a deep breath.

Dylan walked forward and sat at her hip, staring her down.

She moved her arm to cover her eyes.

"You were like awkward coworkers who've unintentionally seen each others nudes or something."

She lifted her arm to give him a glare, and then rest it back down.

"Ever since Harry's grave, we've both been… wary."

"Don't forget you got got Arthur drunk."

"That was him! He brought the cider, not me. I mean who the fuck buys hard cider with the intention of getting drunk? It's a tipsy kind of drink, everyone knows that."

Dylan took a deep breath before speaking.

"Well, it's a turn from before. I'm just not sure which one I liked more. I mean that was just… weird."

"You're telling me!"

There was a beat of silence.

"But for me, I prefer what we were before," she said softly, almost at a whisper, "Now he's just… gentle. And he knows the name Jeremy."

"What?!"

"Yeah, exactly. Nightmares are a bitch, right?"

"Ana, this is…"

"It'll be nothing. He now knows the name Jeremy is on the same level as Nat. He won't say them again with me around – he knows the repercussions."

"Bruises. You mean bruises."

She frowned and sat up on the bed, facing Dylan.

"Was that… disappointment I heard in your tone?"

Dylan stared at her, as though waiting for her to come to a realization. When that didn't happen, he sighed.

"It's apparent to everyone but the two of you that you'd make an unstoppable team. And not only that, but you have to know what your own attitude-"

"Okay, if I want a therapy session, I'll call Mrs. Beltran."

Dylan slightly tilted his head.

"Friends are each others pseudo therapists."

"Well, then tone it down."

Dylan drew back. Ana let out a sigh.

"Please, understand I've got jet lag; I've had to spend the last couple of days with a woman I kept alive while every minute thinking of different ways to kill her. And then I come home to Eggsy acting… whatever the hell he was acting like. It's too much, Dylan."

There was a long beat of silence.

"Can I stay?" Dylan asked.

Ana nodded instantly, blinking away wet eyes of gratitude.

After V-Day, the two of them had a hard time sleeping. Ana would turn to a weed brownie or a bottle of wine to suppress her nightmares. For Dylan it got as intense as him sleeping outside in the grass.

That's when she dragged him to an empty room in headquarters with a full bed where they could platonically cuddle but also sleep separate. There was something infinitely relaxing about cuddling with a friend – no expectations, no innuendos. Just two people sharing comfort and warmth, even if sleeping back to back.

She went to the bathroom to wash her face as Dylan toed his shoes off.

They climbed onto the bed, Ana the big spoon, and they both rested their eyes, soon falling asleep.

When Ana woke up she was alone, a small post-it on the pillow reading 'Until next time. Knowing how long you'll sleep, check for leftovers in the kitchen fridge.'

She frowned, but her stomach growled as she checked her watch, telling her it was almost midnight.

She slowly got out of the bed, rubbing her eyes and forgoing slippers as she walked out of her room, barefoot and in wrinkled clothes as she took the elevator to the main floor. Her bare feet echoed in the halls as she made her way to the kitchen.

Still a little doozy from her nap, she muttered to herself that it better not be Thai food in the fridge, but then let out a sigh of relief after she opened the door and saw a Tupperware container with a post-it reading her name – gnocchi and chicken parmesan inside.

She grabbed the container, the chill from the fridge waking her up slightly. She closed the fridge door and nearly lost her mind when she saw Roxy sitting at the island counter, a bowl of cereal in front of her.

She looked chagrined.

"I said hey, but I reckon you didn't see nor hear me."

Ana nodded, grumbling an apology as she brought out an oven safe dish, transferring the food and setting the heat and the timer as she put it in the oven.

She moved to sit next to Roxy, eyeing the bowl and seeing it was Coco Puffs.

"I hope I didn't steal from anyone's stash-" Roxy started.

"It's Hoover's, so who cares. We all eat it, it drives him insane."

Roxy nodded, smiling around a spoonful of the cereal, chewing and swallowing before she spoke.

"From the time I've spent in his company, can't say I blame you," Roxy said, which had Ana laughing.

"I'm Ana, by the way."

Roxy nodded.

"I know. Eggsy told me, after you… left."

"I ran, but thanks for toning it down."

"Well," Roxy said, moving the spoon around the bowl, "you had a good reason."

Ana stopped, but then connected the dots quickly.

"Ah. So you know."

"Yeah. What I've got with Eggsy is what you've got with Dylan," she said with a smile as she took a spoonful and started chewing.

Ana nodded and grinned at that, glad that the only other female agent knew that friendship with a fellow male agent didn't immediately mean a romantic one, despite what societal norms had taught everyone.

"We were even recruited from the same group."

Ana raised an eyebrow at that.

"How is that possible? Only one recruit from each group gets a spot."

Roxy shrugged, moving her spoon around the bowl, the milk turning chocolate.

"It's a complicated story. Honestly, one that you should hear from him."

Ana rolled her eyes to herself.

"That's up to him."

Roxy turned to look at her.

"What does that mean?"

Ana shrugged.

"Ever since Harry's grave… he's been different."

"I know."

Ana waited for Roxy to continue, and when she didn't, Ana cleared her throat.

"Care to elaborate?" Ana asked.

Roxy looked at her cereal, and then took a deep breath.

"He… feels a lot. His upbringing, his family, the people who tried to tear his family apart…" Roxy took a spoonful of cereal and chewed it quickly before continuing, "He was different after Harry's loss. He became an Agent, yet there was still something there."

Ana watched Roxy warring with herself on what to say and what not to say.

In horrible timing, the oven beeped that it was finished. Ana jumped up, grabbing oven mitts as she brought out the dish, grabbing utensils and sitting next to Roxy again, not bothering to transfer it onto a plate.

"That… something is gone, at least that's what I think," Roxy finished.

Ana blinked at that.

"So that's why he's so weird."

"He was weird before, with whatever is going on between you two."

"Oh come on, that was just…" Ana replied but then stopped, stuck with what word to describe what she and Eggsy had.

"That was just…" Roxy egged her on, the corner of her mouth twitching in a smile.

"It was just… what we were," Ana finished, "and now… now it's just awkward."

She cut into the chicken parmesan, taking a big bite, letting out a fast breath through her nose because the food was still hot.

"A sick part of me wishes we were back to that animosity. At least it felt like something."

Roxy's spoon clattered against the bowl as she fully turned in the stool to stare at Ana.

It was then that she realized what she had said was a mistake.

She grabbed her fork and shoveled the gnocchi into her mouth, dropping the fork and hitting her fist against the counter – the food was still too hot.

"Here, have some chocolate milk," Roxy said, holding up her bowl.

Ana didn't meet her gaze as she grabbed the bowl, moving it so the cereal was on the opposite side as she took a small sip, the cold milk soothing her burnt tongue.

"Thanks," she muttered, handing the bowl back. Roxy stared at her silently, and Ana broke.

"It felt like something because we were angry or pissed off at each-other for some stupid reason or other. Now, it's just… he's being all coy and respectful and I'm sorry but I fucking hate it. I don't even know him and I can tell something is different. It's not... us."

Ana let out a sigh and closed her eyes, knowing that she had just dug herself into a deeper hole with Eggsy's best friend.

She should've taken the food back to her room and watched Grey's Anatomy on Netflix.

"You gave him the answer to the question that all of us have been asking since that day-"

"What do you mean-"

"We didn't know what really happened to Harry. We didn't have the means to go and bring him back – we found out that the then Arthur was already implanted with a chip-"

"Implanted with what?"

"A chip," another voice said, and they both turned to see Eggy standing in the doorway, his hair mussed, wearing sweats and an undershirt.

There was a long beat of silence.

"Okay, so you've both said it was 'a chip', but that doesn't explain shit."

Eggsy walked forward, grabbing a stool on the other side of the island and taking a seat before grabbing Roxy's cereal bowl and spooning down a gulp.

Roxy muttered with a grin as she got up and grabbed another bowl and spoon, taking the milk out of the fridge as she poured herself another bowl - and more into Eggsy's bowl after he pushed it forward with a smile.

Ana took the moment to grab another bite from her dish, the food finally at the right temperature to eat. She snuck a glance at Eggsy to find him staring her down.

She cleared her throat as she looked away, combing her hand through her hair but it got caught in a tangle, and she softly tugged until it came free.

"Valentine implanted chips behind the ear of any bugga that agreed to his plan. They were 'safe' from the SIM cards effects," Eggsy started.

"But it also had a fail safe in case anyone tried to talk about the plan to anyone else," Roxy finished.

Eggsy nodded as he took another spoonful of cereal.

"You Yankees have terrible chocolate, but this is pretty damn good," Eggsy muttered.

Ana only stared at a fixed point above Eggy's head.

"The Compound Massacre…" she faded off, and Eggsy nodded. "That explains the decapitated bodies with no heads. We thought… we thought some sicko had come around and collected them – the bodies being so high in rank and what not. I mean Valentine even contacted famous athletes..."

Roxy and Eggsy hummed as they ate their cereal. Ana herself dug into her food, the three of them chewing in silence.

Roxy cleared her throat and sipped the last of the milk, emptying her bowl. She stood up and brought it to the sink, rinsing her bowl and spoon before placing them in the dishwasher – Ana and Eggsy watching her every move.

"Well," Roxy said, turning to them, "I'm off."

Both of them erupted into excuses, but Roxy shook her head, a faint grin on her lips as she left the two of them alone.

Ana turned to look at Eggsy, who stared back at her as he brought a spoonful of cereal to his mouth, crunching down.

Ana kept his gaze as she cut off a slice of the chicken, also chewing as she stared back.

They both chewed and swallowed, not breaking eye contact.

"Roxy told me you both were in the same recruitment group," she started, taking a forkful of the gnocchi.

Eggy only stared, taking another spoonful of the cereal.

"That's impossible," she continued, "since only one is chosen from each group. She said I should hear the explanation from you."

Eggsy took a deep breath through his nose as he swallowed, dropping his spoon into the bowl.

"We both need explanations from each other. You in a sharin' mood now? Maybe I should wait until you're exhausted, then I'll finally hear somethin' from ya."

She stared at him, her empty fork hanging in the air.

So much for something different.

They were right back where they started.

At least she had the comfort of knowing it wasn't her this time.

She dropped her fork and stood up, grabbing the dish; she'd finish it in her room. Seems that Grey's Anatomy was on the schedule after all.

"I've shared more than you. You owe me a share, not the other way. But I shouldn't be surprised by the typical male expecting more than what he gives. I dealt with that my entire life, why should you be any different?" she snapped, walking the other way around the island counter and towards the doorway out.

"Linc," he said harshly.

Her brain told her to keep walking, but her feet betrayed her and she stopped, but stayed facing away.

She heard him let out a sigh.

"Gary."

She hesitated.

"My name is Gary."

She turned slowly on her heel, meeting his gaze.

She raised an eyebrow and he shrugged.

"Eggy's my nickname for that. What's Ana a nickname for?" he asked.

She snorted and turned back around.

"Nice try," she said as she walked away, the grin she was fighting to hold back coming forward.

Thanks for reading, and as always, please leave a review!

Goodnight, Goodnight by Hot Hot Heat