"Sniper," Spy's hissing voice echoed oddly through the night, "Where are you, you fool?"

Sniper's hand pressed against Spy's mouth while the rest of his body pressed against Spy's back. His lips whispered against Spy's ear, "Yer the fool, Spook."

Spy cloaked and the two crept hand in hand away from the bases. Sniper's camper van was parked almost half a mile away, and neither mercenary spoke until they were safely locked inside.

"You know not to uncloak so close to the RED base," Sniper gently tugged at Spy's blue tie.

"Désolé," Spy pushed away the RED's hands and removed the tie himself, "I could not wait to see you."

"You?" Sniper scoffed, "Mr. Patience? I seen you cloak in a corner for literally hours on end. Well, I ain't actually seen you, but, you know..."

"Patience for a kill is one thing, Cher. Patience for a lover is entirely different."

Sniper did not respond while he undid Spy's buttons one by one. Before Sniper could pull the shirt off entirely, Spy pressed a still-gloved palm against Sniper's chest. Sniper pulled back, confusion on his face, "Spook?"

"This is important," Spy looked away and took a deep breath. When he eventually looked back to Sniper's eyes, he continued, "My contract ends next Friday. I am returning to France."

Sniper took an angry step backwards, "And when were yeh plannin' on tellin' me?"

Spy looked away again, focusing his gaze on his feet instead, "... Now."

"Well, ain't that bloody perfect!"

"Cher..."

"Don't you "Cher" me, you!"

"I did not want to say it—"

"Then don't!"

"I did not want the words to make it real. I wanted... I want to stay with you, but... I would stay here if I could."

"Like hell you would! Teufort's a bloody... a bloody... Well, it's terrible! An' if BLU's anything like RED, they'd have such a fit."

Spy smiled softly. He could still not bring himself to look Sniper in the eyes yet, but he could turn his gaze to Sniper's shoes instead of his own, "You have such a way with words, Cher."

"Now ain't the time for makin' fun!"

"It is not an insult. You are charming. To me."

Sniper lightly touched Spy's chin, bringing his face up. Sniper stared into his lover's eyes for a long moment, "You... really don't wanna leave..."

"I would stay with you forever if I could."

"France is," Sniper's voice cracked, "France is a long way away."

Spy tried to look away, but Sniper's hand was still on his chin. Sniper leaned down so their forehead's touched.

"When... How long... Your..."

Spy couldn't find the words, but Sniper knew what he meant, "Contract's up in seven months, twenty-four days. Not that I'm countin'."

"Of course not," Spy murmured, "Eight months."

"Yeah... You hadn't said nuthin', so I thought I'd be outta here first. God, I was sucha fool... Was gonna say something, ya know. Prolly when there was six months left."

"If you could find the words, you would be a stronger man than I."

Sniper brought his head lower, to nuzzle at Spy's neck, "Maybe... Tried to tell ya when it was a year left, actually. That, uh... didn't happen."

"Eight months... It could be worse. I could be waiting years for you."

"W... Waiting?" Sniper pulled back to look Spy in the eyes, but he kept his hands possessively on Spy's shoulders.

"It will be the longest eight months of my life, of course, but at least that will give me time to get everything in order. I wouldn't expect you to up and move to France if it meant having you live in a motel. This way, I have time to find us a nice house. Something with a view. You'd like that, I think."

"Spook? What are you t-talking about?"

"That is very presumptuous of me, isn't it? Would you prefer a home in Australia? The weather does not suit me, but for you, I would make an exception. I would make any exception," Sniper's jaw worked uselessly, trying to respond. When it became obvious he wasn't going to say anything, Spy continued, "Unless... Unless you would not have me? One week and then we go our separate ways?" Spy brought a hand up to bite his nails, a habit he thought he had rid himself of decades prior, but his glove prevented him.

"You're afraid I don't want you?" Sniper asked at last. Spy swallowed. Sniper stroked his cheek and smiled, a smile that filled Spy with hope for the first time in weeks, "I want you. I want you, Spy. For as long as you will have me, and maybe even longer, I want you."

Spy blinked away the tears he refused to let fall, "This... is not one of your rude, Australian jokes is it?"

"No," Sniper laughed, "Not unless you're a hippie under that mask... Well, maybe even then. I, uh, I would make any... exception for you, too, ya know," the last part was spoken haltingly, awkwardly, but honestly.

"So you will come to me, when you are free of RED?"

"Of course. Didn't think I'd be able to find you, though. Not a sneaky BLU like you. Thought you'd cloak into the night and never be heard from again... So, uh, what's it like in France, anyway?"

"Beautiful. But it is colder than Teufort or Australia."

"That wouldn't be so bad... Not if I had someone to keep me warm at night?"

"I think I know just the man."