So it begins

The new day didn't bring the usual warmth from the dawning sun. A strong wind blew among the high walls of the canyon, singing the first cold notes of the incoming Fall.

A figure stood on the balcony of the second floor of the Red base, silently watching the tight landscape of the gorge in front of him. He had tried more than once, persistently, to light up one of his cigarettes, but because of the wind, it was useless and he nervously packed it away. He puffed his cheeks annoyed, pulling his coat tighter around his person and regretting to have left his balaclava in his room. He needed to stop smoking anyway, Isabelle would have asked him to keep the cigarettes in his pocket and to forget them, but, he admitted, was way harder than it looked. The stress brought from his conditions led him to smoke more than he wanted to, and the constant coughing made all his friends worry. Antoine sighed and rubbed his eyes with two gloved fingers trying to forget for a moment all his problems, leaving just his Isabelle in his mind. He couldn't help but smile and slightly blush remembering how sweet and caring she's been the last time he visited her, she made him remember how it felt to be loved once again, and he had missed it deeply. She was his new light in his life.

A noise of fast steps caught his attention. About time the boy showed up. Antoine saw him soon appearing in his view running down the dusty road below and giving a quick, brief wave at him, stopping. The Red Spy smiled at the Blu scout and gave him a familiar sign with his index up, pointing at the sky. The young man gave him a thumb up and made few more steps, running down the road toward the only way to the town, but stopped at a whistle and looked back up at Antoine. The spy grabbed his lapels and pulled tight, lifting up his chin at him. Johnathan got his message and pulled his own gilet tighter, then to run off with a smile. They needed to be careful, it was useless taking risks to be found sharing contacts with the enemies.

Antoine chuckled. "Don't get cold, kiddo." He whispered in his language and walked inside for his morning coffee.

They both could say they became a lot fond of each other as Antoine reunited with his dear old friend Isabelle after years of silence. If it wasn't for the Blu scout's full name and other many things in common with his mother, Antoine would have never found her again. That young man resembled his mother a lot, same determination, same strength and apparently even the same stubbornness, and still her same sweetness. That kid shouldn't be in a war zone… He should have gone on like his seven older brothers did, find his own place, someone to love and fully live his life and not being in Blu's suffocating grasp and repeatedly die, respawn, die and respawn again as a guinea pig. He had talked to Isabelle about it, but when she found out what contract Johnny had signed, there was nothing she could do. So, he was protecting him as much as he could, just like he was doing with his own son, Ryan, the Red scout, but that was a worse story.

Knowing Johnny was going to get the usual newspaper from the town down the valley and that he was safe for the day, Antoine relaxed a bit and entered into the kitchen of the base. For a moment he frowned caught by a sudden doubt, he quickly pulled his wallet out from an inner pocket and checked it. He nodded relieved seeing he had not forgotten to leave Johnathan some cash at their secret papers-exchanging spot.

He placed the wallet back and went to hang his coat on the hanger nearby the door tasting already the moment where he'll sit down with his much-welcomed coffee, when he heard a clattering noise from the sink. It was Lawrence James quickly washing the dishes he used for his own breakfast. Antoine frowned, his friend looked… odd that morning, unfocused and quite in a hurry. A devilish smile appeared on the Canadian spy and he quickly cloaked, then to carefully moving toward his friend.

With much surprise, the tall guy didn't seem to notice his presence and he kept washing and mumbling to himself. Antoine was incredibly close to him, yet he couldn't fully understand what he was saying. Something about someone's tastes… he guessed… something else about dressing up, what to wear…tie? Someone hearing a howling last night…?

OH.

"So, what happened last night, mon ami?" He purred in one ear of his.

"HOLY FUCKIN' CHRIST!" The poor sniper almost jumped out of his skin ending with his ass on the floor, panting. "Antoine!" He yelled at the other man, now visible again and having a good laugh. "What the hell, mate?!"

Spy offered him his hand to stand up just to receive a wet and soaped hand. "It was too precious to not take advantage of it, you looked on another planet. I couldn't resist!"

L.J. groaned standing up and drying his hands on his trousers, he never liked being taken by surprise, and seeing Antoine still having a good time out of it drove him mad. Just a second later, a towel landed on the spy's face shutting him up.

"Oof! Oh, mon ami, don't be so touchy." He snorted placing the towel over the other man's shoulder as he returned to his dirty dishes, and walked to the other counter where the coffee machine was.

Once James was done, he stood there waiting for Antoine to get his coffee ready and the two headed to a table in the adjacent room, sitting down together. The big room was silent but for a soft murmur coming from the other side, from Kristof, the Red medic, and Vitaly (Виталий), the Red heavy weapons guy, who were enjoying each other's company in a match of chess.

L.J. noticed them and felt slightly more nervous seeing his own situation. The odd couple never bothered him, Kristof was his and spy's good friend and Vitaly was a nice guy after all, but their presence in that moment made him feel under a reflector.

Antoine waved good morning at them and took his first sip, his eyes fixed on the sniper. He tilted his head at him noticing how out of place his friend felt and cleared his throat. "Would like to go somewhere else?"

James shook his head and bit his lips. "No, no, here's fine. Well… yes, let's say something happened yesterday." He tried to keep his voice as low as he could.

Antoine smirked. "I could tell from the colour of your cheeks, but, please, go on."

James glared at him, but ignored his teasing. "Jean-Claude paid me a visit yesterday and took a heavy weight off his chest." He shyly smiled as he transformed his hands into his werewolf paws through a series of quick snapping sounds. "I can say I was shocked to know we had something else in common."

The Red spy almost chocked on the coffee and coughed a couple of times before sitting up, slightly shaking, looking straight into L.J.'s eyes. "He's one too?!"

The other nodded, slightly pursing his lips out. "Yep." His paws snapping back into human hands. "We had quite a, eh, moment together, we spoke for hours, exchanging things about our transformations and stuff. It looked like a freak show." He chuckled, his mind getting lost in memories again.

Antoine nodded, slowly taking in the news as he took the last sip. "What is he?"

"He's able to transform into a huge bat-creature, pure white and, oh you should see him yourself! He's marvellous!" He was there to add more, but Antoine's smirk and arched brow made him stop, furiously blushing.

"I highly doubt I'll see the same way you do, mon ami, but I'll pay him a visit about this. And," he leaned forward on the table, frowning, "does he know about me, too?"

Sniper scratched his nape, apologetically. "I did not tell him what you are, but I just gave him a hint that you are one like us. I thought it was better that it was you to tell him personally."

Antoine nodded glad, he'll take care of it soon. "I'll contact him then, I'll leave a message to Johnathan later." He sat back down and relaxed. "I was going to contact him anyway, I think we could help each other a lot in our personal affairs."

"He said the same thing some time ago, I do think you could work well together."

"Indeed." His devilish smirk soon reappeared and he entwined his fingers over his stomach, locking his eyes with L.J.'s. "Anyway," the words danced on his sharp tongue, "I bet there's something more, isn't it? Or our ice-hearted sniper here wouldn't be acting sooo….off, am I right?"

"You bloody snake." His eyes closed for a moment as he leaned on a propped hand, his finger scratching his brow. "I…asked him out for dinner."

Antoine's eyes flashed with excitement. "And?"

"He accepted."

"Splendid! When?"

"T-Tonight."

"Glad to hear you don't lose time. You planned something already?"

"Yeah, kinda, I was thinking that maybe I could go for an Italian dinner, I still remember my mom's old family recipes, so you know… an antipasto with bruschetta, a mushroom risotto or some filetto with green salad and lemonif he's not in the mood for the first course. I still have a Chianti bottle in my collection, 1960, maybe it's time to take it out. Then could be also a green apple sorbetto after the meal and….what?"

Antoine was simply staring at him amazed. "I had no idea you were a chef, too."

"I…eh, it's just having Italian relatives can help. Every time I visited them, they gave me something to remember them. It's a classic Italian way I guess, and my father never understood it. He's pure Australian."

Spy snorted. "Lucky guy, aren't you? Seems you don't need any help for tonight then."

"Frankly…I have no idea what to put on."

Kristof and Vanily suddenly turned as James started yelling at Antoine to slow down as he grabbed him by the arm, pulling him away. "Let uncle Antoine help you with that." It was the last thing they heard. Medic and Heavy shrugged exchanging a smile and focused back on their game… kind of.

"So, our L.J. managed a date with someone." The German guy presumed, smirking. Apparently he had heard few bits from their conversation.

"About time he took courage to get out of his shell." The Russian man answered, eyeing the doctor under his blond brows. He gave his long, braided beard a stroke before moving his bishop. Medic seemed a bit too excited about the news, Vitaly could easily tell from the way Kristof was brushing that marvellous front lock of black hair of his with his fingers. "Come on, tell me what you're plotting."

Medic waved it off nonchalantly. "Just a bit curious about the man our L.J. got at his hook. I wonder if he met him downtown."

Vitaly coughed. "How can you say James has met a man?"

"Trust me, I know when I see a homosexual man." He winked, but immediately frowned at the big guy's reaction. He was giving him an unamused face, pouting under his beard. The medic had taken about a month to realize Heavy's flirting few years back and finally see his interest in him.

Kristof sighed and got up, chuckling, he walked around the coffee table and went to sit on Heavy's lap, setting an arm over his shoulders. An heavy arm held him tighter to the bearded guy. "I was thinking to pay him a visit tonight. Just to check if everything goes right."

"You want to spy on him." Heavy grunted, not much surprised.

"Just a bit." He smirked. "Would you accompany me?"

Vitaly rolled his eyes and stood up, holding the doctor close to his chest as if he weighted like a feather. Their foreheads touched as Medic clung around his neck and their lips brushed one's against the other's as Heavy made few steps forward. He chuckled, let out a loud "Ah!" before letting the doctor heavily fall back on his sofa. "No, doctor, can't tonight, poker night." And he trotted out of the room, cheerfully whistling.

Medic carelessly sprawled on the sofa, closed his eyes and shook his head, smiling. He knew Vitaly would have refused, he's always been the reserved kind of guy. He stood up, pulled his clothes straight, boxed the chess pieces and wandered off searching for Eddie. There was no way Engineer was going to miss the show.

"Do you really have to?" James complained while Antoine was emptying his little, narrow wardrobe. Sniper didn't have many things to wear, just the essentials and the Red Company shirts, plus things from Australia and Italy he had just stocked away in the very back of the wardrobe and almost never used.

"I need to check every clothe you ha- oh, what are these?" He buried his arm in the narrow space and took out a couple of white thin slippers with bunny ears and two black buttons as eyes. His smile transformed into a grin as he saw L.J.'s face becoming as red as a tomato. "I'm thinking to make you wear these tonight."

"Give me those!" He quickly snatched them away from the Spy's hand and threw them over the bunk over his head.

Antoine was really trying to not laugh. "The big, bad wolf with bunny slippers." A snort escaped and he had to make a great effort to remain serious.

James pouted and looked away, crossing his arms. "My mom made them for me."

Spy did not comment on that, he placed the slippers at his side caressing one long soft ear. Useless to say he found those adorable. I should get a pair for Isabelle. He thought and went to check the clothes on the sofa he had set aside. There was not much, but after all, they all looked pretty good. He picked a pair of silky khaki trousers and gave them a nice stretch. "Try these on."

Sniper gave him a confused look, there was not much privacy in his van and there was no way he was going to strip in front of him.

7.45pm. L.J.'s van.

L.J. was at his hob eagerly finishing cooking the risotto and the tenderloin, adding the last condiments, waiting for them to get the right grade of cooking. He had specifically left the meat being a bit late, he couldn't know if Jean-Claude was going to have both portions or just one. He was ready in any case.

He lowered the fire and moved to the table removing his "Kiss the cook" apron, which Antoine much insisted him to have. He thought it was an "extra point to cuteness", just like the bunny slippers. L.J. straightened his shirt and sat down, the bunnies moving under his wriggling toes. Sniper would never say it out loud, but he was proud of those slippers, he had pretend to really not want to wear them that evening, despite Antoine's insisting, and he had worn them complaining. Well, Antoine had made everything he could to force him to wear them, even stealing all the shoes he found in the van. He'll never know L.J. was actually planning to wear them anyway.

He nervously checked the clock. It was the 5th time already in the last 10 minutes. He puffed, trying to relax a bit and looked down at the table he had set for the dinner again. He slightly moved one fork back into place, moved the other a bit farer from the knife, rotated the wine glasses, grabbing them at the stem, just to check that there were no flaws anywhere… He recalled himself, saying that everything was perfect and there was no need for the nth check.

He got up and went to the mirror he had hidden in the wardrobe. A pull here and there on his shirt, a brush on his trousers, a last check to his hair and his just-shaved face, his sunburns were still there, perfectly trimmed as always… L.J. placed his hands on his hips and nodded satisfied. He indeed looked handsome that night, and he still had to thank Antoine for his help. His clothes had been cleaned and ironed and all looked as new. He wasn't wearing big things, just simple things that matched perfectly his person: a white elegant shirt, with the top-front decorated with light brown and golden tribal adornments, and the back with a very simplified light brown, almost invisible, representation of wings; khaki trousers with darker snake skin patterns at the end of each leg; and…bunny slippers.

He was perfect.

7.50 pm. BLU base.

"Can you please get out of there?" It was the 3rd time Thomas asked, knocking on the bathroom's door.

"Just one moment!" An angry voice answered from the other side.

"Come onnnn, you're gonna be late!" The Blu soldier knocked on the door again, angrily. "That's it, maggot! You're going to get out this instant OR I'LL FUCKING BLOW THE WHOLE PLACE!"

Luckily the door opened and nobody died that evening.

"How do I look?" Jean-Claude asked, opening his arms to let the brother have a nice look.

Thomas growled annoyed. "As always. Now just GO."

So much pain to be ready for a date, just to end being kicked out the building by the soldier.

7.58pm. RED Base.

"Still nothing?" Medic asked, looking outside the window.

"Nah." Engie mumbled, passing him the binoculars. "Maybe his date is just running late."

"Oh, wait, wait, wait, I see something." He adjusted the focus a bit better and suddenly gasped. "Oh mein Gott, werden Sie es nicht glauben!"

"Speak English, doc."

Kristof slammed the binoculars in Eddie's face. "Look who appeared at his door!"

Growling and trying to get free from Medic's hold, he hardly managed to see through the glass, but once he pushed the other man off him, he gladly took a peek, but remained pretty shocked. "The spah?! James's datin' the Blu spah?!"

In a second he felt his collar being abruptly pulled, strangling him. "Come on, Eddie, let's go! We don't have time to lose!"

And so they rushed downstairs, running through the long corridors of the base, yet neither of them realized they had caught someone's attention.

Jean-Claude made the last steps with his heart in his throat. He stopped in front of the van's door, uncloaked and took a deep breath, feeling his body shivering under the cold wind and under the pressure of nervousness. He pulled his long coat tighter at his chest, carefully trying to not squeeze the chocolate box he had brought, and knocked. In a couple of seconds the door opened showing the proud Aussie shining with warmth from seeing him in front of him. They shared a shy smile and L.J. quickly let him in to avoid making him freeze outside.

"Bonsoir, garou."

"G-Good evening, spook." Sniper offered to get his coat and helped him out of it. He had just placed it on the hanger when he got a chocolate box set in front of him.

"I got something for you." Jean-Claude almost whispered, stealing a chuckle from the other man as he got it in his hands.

"You shouldn't have. Thanks." He put it on the windowsill, right next to the table, for later and went to pull out the chair for him. "Please, have a seat. I hope you're hungry."

That little act of chivalry touched the spy and he went closer, head up. "I'm actually starving." But he didn't sit down. "Before I sit down, I have a proposition."

James looked at him confused and he got even more confused when Spy slowly took his hand, gently squeezed it, and guided it to his neck.

"Would you help me removing my balaclava, monsieur?"

The shooter's fingers automatically stiffened and he gulped, feeling his cheeks quickly getting hot. Though, he gave him a quick nod and tried to work around the foulard Spy had knotted around his neck. He opened it just enough to reach the brim of the balaclava with both hands. He had to blink few times, he was starting to lose his famous focus and his fingers were slightly trembling. He, who was famous for his impeccable aim and stillness at the trigger, was shaking while freeing his friend from his mask. Maybe it was because their noses were almost touching…

Spy moved his hands behind his back and stared at the man standing before him, chin up and devilish grin on his face. If he wanted he could easily reach up and kiss him, but it wasn't that way he wanted it, so he waited, resisted and enjoyed the show, teasing here and there in the meantime.

James's hands were gentle and careful despite the trembling, he pulled the balaclava up smoothly, made little effort around the chin and the nose and made sure to follow the spy's hair wave as he reached the top, he pulled the front brim over his head and let it drop behind, ending with his arms around Jean-Claude's neck. The spy had closed his eyes in the progress and when he opened them again, he really couldn't hold a snort at how red the shy sniper was in face, but tried to keep composed. "Merci, garou." But also tried to get just an inch closer to the taller man.

L.J. froze. They had never gotten so close. Not that he found it unpleasant, he… just wasn't ready in that moment, he only had found himself stuck with his arms around his neck. The spook had got him good.

After what seemed an eternity, L.J. moved his arms off him and handed him the balaclava. He took a step back and led him to his seat, then to go to the hub, where he could take a free deep breath. "What would you like? I have risotto with mushrooms and tenderloin."

Spy had sat himself comfortable and was removing his gloves. "Oh, I'd like to try both. There's such a delicious smell here that's inviting me to try every speciality you prepared."

Sniper smiled at the compliment and started to plate the risotto.

"Oh, what you got here, garou?"

James had to turn to see what the Spy meant. He was curiously looking at the decanter on the table he had previously set and filled with the red wine. He served an elegant portion of risotto each and grabbed a dark empty bottle atop the fridge to let him see. "I assure you it's not blood, spook." He joked, but Jean-Claude had remained speechless as he read the ticket on the bottle. That made James chuckle as he sat down and filled their glasses. "I…kept it for a special occasion." He could feel his ears getting hot.

Spy looked up at him completely overwhelmed, he surely was expecting something big from L.J. for that evening, their evening, but that was too much. He knew about his relatives in Italy, but that was just…just too much!

James lifted his glass for a toast, but seemed a bit concern seeing Jean-Claude's face when he too lifted his. "Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, no, no, mon cher, just…very surprised." He shyly smiled.

Sniper snorted relieved. "To you, spook."

Spy shook his head and corrected him. "To us."

They made their glasses touch into a cheerful note and had a taste of perfume and savour. A quite nostalgic taste for the both of them.

"Oh, by the way, nice bunnies." Spy joyfully said before he took the first bite, making the taller man melt into a new blush attack.