A/N: This is meh. It started out as one thing and wandered. Apologies. Also, I am literally the worst with titles. What even is this? Ugh.

****

Sleep always came easy to you.

It was a running joke with the Team that you could almost fall asleep anywhere - regardless the situation or time.

And you'd embraced it.

Being able to catch a few minutes of shut eye whenever you were able was a very good trait to have, especially in your field of work.

But ever since that... Mission...

You'd watched from the car you'd been sitting waiting in...

The sudden explosions...

The screams of terror...

The shaking of the ground...

The young parents who'd been standing for a photo in front of the masterpiece of architecture now staring death in the face, their child hidden away by their arms in a vain attempt to escape the inevitable.

And amongst all that bedlam, your eyes widened in utter shock, a familiar figure frantically sprinting towards where you sat.

You heard his name fall from your lips in such urgency... such desperation...

Tears pricked your eyes as heat and agony beyond immeasurable radiated through your body, your senses overtaken by pain...

A gasp that sounds more like a scream to your sudden hearing, escapes you as you come to, bolting completely upright from where you'd once lay, tossing the covers off of your figure.

Sweat glistens on your forehead as you raise a shaky hand to wipe it away, your wild gaze wandering the dim darkness of the room.

"That's not what happened," You assure yourself aloud, voice barely above a whisper as you swing your feet over the edge of the bed, bare skin making contact with the cold floor.

I'm fine.

He's fine.

We're all fine.

Your current surroundings are enough proof of that.

After the incident at the Kremlin, to which triggered the President to initiate Ghost Protocol throughout the entire IMF, you and the rest of your teammates had been forced to scatter to the wind.

And even though the Secretary ensured a cache was stocked and at the ready for the now five of you, that hadn't been enough.

The train car the stash was located in was compromised, hence your current lodging situation - a rather dingy three bedroom apartment located in some remote town.

Somehow, you'd wound up with a room all to your self - and it dawned on you that maybe Jane Carter didn't entirely trust you.

Or maybe she also wanted her own space.

After all, she had just lost a Partner back in Budapest.

Sighing heavily, your feet pad against the surprisingly plush carpet towards the duffel bag that had been tossed into your room previously.

You squint through the darkness, unzipping the bag and feeling around for something that feels like a sweater, feeling a chill quickly coming on.

After a few moment of rummaging and nearly giving up, your fingers brush over a soft material, the article of clothing feeling large enough to be what you're looking for.

So, you silently slip it over your shoulders and pad into the main area, wincing at the coolness of the tiles.

A single light is lit in a rather decrepit looking lamp on the far side of the room, a silhouette standing in front of the window, adorned with a flurry of raindrops flanked by utter darkness.

The figure is familiar - you can tell those shoulders and biceps from anywhere - and the hair just gives it away.

As you silently wander deeper into the living area, the silhouette turns to greet you with an even more familiar look of compassion, a sorrow glistening in his green gaze.

"I heard you scream," Ethan muses softly as you continue towards him, almost as if your fatigued body simply carries you on a sort of autopilot.

"I was just about to come check on you when I heard your door open."

With a shaky huff of relief, you find yourself melting into your Partner's open arms, your face instinctively burying itself into the crook of his neck.

"I couldn't do anything," You croak, tears threatening to spill as haunting memories of the real Kremlin incident begin to pour into your mind - the image of those young parents staring death in the face seeming to be permanently ingrained.

"I just had to watch as they all died... and I thought you..."

You finally feel the arms around you tighten in an embrace, a familiar set of lips being pressed against your forehead in a vain attempt to ease your troubled and anxious state.

"It's alright," The man holding you murmurs, the sound rumbling in his chest slightly as one of the arms that had been at the small of your back disappears. "You're alright. Look at me, Y/N."

A rough yet gentle hand slides beneath your chin, instinctively forcing your hazy gaze to meet his.

And even through your blurry eyes, you're still absolutely mesmerized by Ethan's gaze - something about it always draws you in... it always seems to make you feel... safe.

"We're here. We're alive. And we have to fight until our very last breaths to make sure Hendricks doesn't kill anyone else."

At this, you sigh shakily, blinking a few times as if to try and shrug away your tears.

"It just feels so impossible, Ethan," You whisper sadly, an anguish swelling within you. "We've had the odds stacked against us before, but this..."

The pair of you stand there for a moment, searching for any sort of thing to say, though you both come up empty, the rain against the glass the only sound keeping you company.

"We'll make it work. We have to," He finally speaks, tone sounding so small for a moment, it catches you off guard.

But before you can question it, Ethan shifts his focus back to you, stepping out of the embrace and taking a seat on the couch, wordlessly beckoning you to join him.

So you do, snuggling into his larger frame once more, still unable to shake the haunting feelings from your headspace.

If we had just been quicker to react...

We could've done something...

Could've stopped it...

"I'm just so tired," You yawn aloud, your head beginning to throb from fatigue, your tears long gone but gaze still blurring. "I'm tired of being tired."

Your Partner shifts towards you slightly, draping an arm around your shoulders and holding you close, his fingers running soothing circles against the fabric there.

"This has been going on far before the Kremlin," He states, a questioning in his tone seeking an answer from you.

To which all you can do is nod.

"Ever since you took that Prison Assignment that we so conveniently had to break you out of."

"You can't sleep right when I'm not around?"

"That's one way of putting it, yeah," You admit sheepishly, a light blush dusting your cheeks.

At this, Ethan passes you a warm smile, swooping in so quickly and stealing a kiss, that you barely comprehend that his lips had been on yours until a few seconds later.

"If you're going to kiss me, at least do it properly."

"What fun would that be?"

With a surprising surge of courage suddenly chorusing through you - wether from the fatigue or the suddenness of the situation, you can't quite tell - you find yourself grabbing the hem of the shirt he wears and pulling him down to you, lips locking in their usual dance.

Though this kiss doesn't carry the usual heat and neediness.

No, rather, it's a desperation fueled by haunting memories of the past... and looming threats of the future.

But it still carries a certain hint of hope, a hope and optimism that leaves you breathless as he shifts away, chuckling at your unusual boldness.

"I think you need to sleep - you're too daring when you're like this."

"You like it. Admit it."

"I'm not-" The man at your side pauses, a chuckle falling from his lips as you sleepily grin in a certain knowing.

As a yawn overtakes you and a rumble of distant thunder rattles through your weary figure, you allow your body to sink deeper into the couch cushions and the side of your Partner, his breathing and rhythmic heartbeat lulling you.

"I'm not going anywhere," You barely hear Ethan's warm tone sound from above you, something soft being pulled across both of you.

And before you can even attempt to reply with some sort of response, you find yourself floating through a light slumber, with your Partner's presence warding off your haunted memories.

****

"Would you look at that. I knew we'd find them together eventually!"

"Just let them sleep, Benji."

"L/N hasn't been sleeping good. Not since Ethan disappeared, anyway. Hasn't been very much fun to work with, either."

"Are you sure? Because she's always been just as lovely to me as she usually is... on her good days anyways."

You're slow to come to as familiar chatter pulls you from your slumber, your eyes cracking open ever so slightly to survey your surroundings.

The smell of coffee lingers in the air, accompanied by a hint of cinnamon - no doubt the cheap pre-packaged roll of cinnamon buns Benji had nabbed off the convenience store shelf yesterday...

And surprisingly, Ethan is still at your side, your head resting against his shoulder enough proof of that fact.

Even in his unconscious state, you feel his loose grip around your torso, hand simply resting there.

His head is bowed, eyes shut, hair falling over his eyes, breathing deep and rhythmic.

But, your sudden movements accompanied by the Team's chatter must stir him, his other free hand raising to the back of his neck, a groan falling from his lips as he comes to, sitting up and blinking a few times.

"I guess we didn't make it to a bed," He mumbles drowsily, green gaze focusing solely on you as he passes you a small smile.

The morning sunlight pouring in through the window catches his eyes just right - almost illuminating his usual glimmer of optimism even brighter.

"I guess not," You murmur back, a blush rising to your cheeks at the sudden silence that blankets the room.

Ethan simply chuckles, the arm around you giving you a reassuring squeeze before he clambers to his feet, his figure wandering towards the kitchen, no doubt seeking a cup of coffee.

Leaving just you and Agent Benji Dunn, a knowing grin plastered on his features where he sits across from you, mug off to the side, laptop in his lap, fingers dancing over the keyboard.

He spares a glance towards you though, shaking his head with a chuckle.

"In all the years I've known Ethan, I have never quite seen that side of him until this morning!"

Confusion pricks your thoughts as you toss the blanket off of your lap, only to grimace inwardly, realization dawning on you when your gaze falls on the piece of clothing you'd grabbed in your daze last night.

One of Ethan's shirts - a black long sleeve Henley, judging by the collar's buttons.

Benji seems to notice your sudden shift in demeanor, his grin growing sympathetic.

"It's all good things, Y/N. And I assure you - he won't be leaving anytime soon. At least, not if he can help it."

"What makes you say that?" You inquire, scooting forward in your seat slightly, tone lowering.

The technician's grin fades into something slightly more serious, honesty shining in his gaze.

"He cares about you - far more than I think either of you truly realize."

Almost as if on cue, Ethan strides back into the living room, two cups of coffee in hand.

Passing one to you, a soft grin of thanks tugs on your features as you cradle the warm mug in between your hands, the feeling grounding you back to the present and keeping you there - rather than retreating into your thoughts.

To your surprise though, your Partner makes no move to join you at your side once more.

Rather, he takes a sip from his mug, gaze wandering you over to which you pass him a questioning glance.

"What?"

"Nice shirt."

Allowing a heat to rise on your cheeks, you shrug sheepishly.

"It's comfortable. That's all that matters."

Sharing a glance and exchanging words that need only eyes to convey, Ethan just shakes his head with a huff of a laugh before turning on his heel and making his way towards the breakfast bar where Brandt sits, seeming to be browsing whatever local newspaper was in this apartment.

And all you can do is sit there, finally feeling as at ease as somebody in your line of work can be.

"I told you so," Benji's teasing tone breaks you from your train of thought, earning a scolding look from you.

No matter what the next few hours, days, weeks, months - even, hold, you know you won't be alone.

Ethan is back.

He's got your back and you've got his.

Because that's what Partners do, right?