Happy New Year everyone! Hope 2022 will be a good year and you'll be able to enjoy it to the fullest! :)

This chapter is published earlier than usual as both as a present but mostly as an excuse as I want you to be able to read the next chapters faster!

Please enjoy!

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The sunset soon showed itself, announcing the start of the next mission. [A/n] and Chamber walked in the small ship in their fighting gear. Chamber was well dressed as always, he did not really have different clothes when on missions or for every day. However, for [A/n], she was wearing a full-on stealth suit. It was all black with some armored parts like shoulders and chest to protect her. She also had a mask to hide her mouth and nose, it helped her focus on her breathing when she was in stealth mode. Chamber started the ship and they flew off to their mission. They had a few hours' drives to reach the South of France so they had time to relax inside before it started. [F/n] was sitting in the back, her earphones on. Her music helped her relax before a mission. She was not really nervous when on the field but if she thought too much about it beforehand, only the worst-case scenarios would pop in her mind. Suddenly, she felt something moving to her side. The agent opened her eyes and noticed her partner sitting down next to her while looking down at her. As he seemed to have something to say, she took off one of her earphones.

"Désolé, I hope I did not bother you," he kindly asked. She shook her head with a smile.

"Not at all. Sorry, I probably look a bit too serious."

He rested his head on both of his hands as he leaned down. "You sure do. Are you nervous, mademoiselle?"

"Not really," she answered honestly. "Music is just really soothing, don't you think? It helps me focus on something else and not overwork my brain."

Then, he leaned closer to her bringing a hand behind one of her ears. [A/n]'s heart skipped a beat and she felt a certain warmth climbing to her cheeks. He looked so handsome up close, she thought as she stared into his brown eyes. "Would you mind if we listened together?"

She struggled to make out an answer with words so she just gave him one earpiece and they leaned closer to listen together. They were not allowed to bring personal belongings on missions as it could contain personal information about the agents or the protocol. However, the device she was holding was a very old one and its only purpose was to store music and play them so it did not cause any trouble to have it on her. Chamber was surprised to see such devices still existed but found it quite handy at times such as this.

The female agent had a harder time concentrating on her music now as Chamber occupied her thoughts. She was able to observe his features much closer than usual. She hated to admit it but this man was really charismatic. Not only did he seem to have no flaws outside, he also seemed to be able to do about everything. Earlier that day, she learned he could cook, now he could pilot a ship. She could not help but be in awe. Her eyes wandered from his facial features to his arms and chest. The French man was even working out was what she thought when staring at his muscles. His body seemed quite muscular for a sniper. Sure this weapon was heavy but it was not the most physical position on a battlefield. It was not like she was not muscular herself but the way his suit would embrace his forms, showing his biceps... Her mind was asking to see more of it. To prevent more disturbing thoughts to take over her mind, she bit down her lips which helped her break from this trance. She finally stopped staring at his muscles and looked back up at him to see him stare back. Her blush reappeared at once when she realized he probably saw her wandering eyes.

"Is something wrong, [A/n]?" His tone was very low, his voice sounding seductive. He moved closer to stare right into her eyes making sure she would not lose eye contact. She knew he was toying with her, but she could not resist him at the moment. She tried to break free from him, backing in her chair but he would only get closer. "Why are you backing away? Am I scaring you?" His voice sounded like a whisper, provoking her almost, and she would lie if she said it was not turning her on at the moment. His face grew closer and closer, bringing his lips to her ear. "I hope you're not getting any strange ideas right now."

A shiver ran down her back. God, have mercy! He knew how to turn her crazy with just a few words. Her brain could not think straight anymore and her heartbeat was loudly banging in her ears. He brought a hand under her chin and made her look up so she would only focus on him. "I know he said he had seen women naked before or something," she thought, "but God damn, what is this? I can't do anything!" She felt powerless under his gaze as he seemed to have total control over her. She was his prey, ready to be eaten whenever he wished.

A sudden chuckle escaped his lips which was followed by a smirk. Then, he pulled away, sitting back straight in his chair and putting on the earpiece. "I didn't know you were listening to this type of music, [A/n]. It is quite surprising."

Her brain stopped functioning correctly after this. Was that all in her head? Did she just imagine it? Chamber seemed to act like nothing had happened which made her even more confused. She started to wonder if she really daydreamed about Chamber flirting with her. She pressed a hand to her heart and felt it was still beating faster than the speed of light. Finally, she was able to move and she looked at the man right next to her to see him smirking with his eyes close. She was sure then it was not a dream.

The rest of the flight went smoothly without much talk, [A/n] spent most of her time trying to forget what just happened. Chamber announced their landing, his attitude back to normal since he boldly flirted with her right before an important mission. He maneuvered the vehicle easily and the landing went on without any problems. They were about an hour by foot away from their destination so - it was the safest way to go by door and they would be able to move more easily without being seen this way. Their route had already been prepared and they had studied it carefully before leaving earlier. They moved from streets to streets where lights did not strike, always on the watch for anything strange in the area. Finally, they were closing from their place of action. They looked at the surrounding buildings and Chamber pointed to one of them and they hurried to break inside to reach the roof. While Chamber was settling down his stuff, [A/n] was scouting the area with her binoculars. She noticed that the place was still quite lively, people were transporting goods to nearby ships on the port. Marseille was a city right next to the Mediterranean sea and a lot of merchandise was being transported back and forth. It was possible that some illegal stuff was hidden inside some of them which resulted in the action of the Valorant Protocol. The woman retraced her path with her binoculars, not noticing anything that would prevent her from moving forward. She saw the building she was supposed to investigate and saw an open door in a corner. That was her way in. She looked back at Chamber who already had his sniper in his hands, his golden tattoos having totally disappeared. Her attention quickly shifted as she did not want to be distracted once more. After confirmation from her partner, she moved out to investigate, activating her camouflage.

It was difficult for Chamber to follow her as she moved on. Sometimes he would notice her shadow on the ground as she moved forward but she knew how to hide any traces of herself. Her camouflage ability was truly magnificent and stroke his interest ever since he heard of it. She could reflect her environment with her body, making her almost invisible. The biggest weakness to her power as a Radiant was her shadow that was still visible.

"Chamber," she called out to him through their earpieces. "I'm sensing danger around me can you check? I'm about 5 meters away from the open door to the left. You should see part of my shadow behind a pile of boxes."

Her other ability was this sense of danger, she could feel anything that her brain characterized as a threat within a five meters radius. Something else that Chamber desired from her. He checked with his scope to see if he was able to see her. "I see you," he said after looking around. "Two men are walking by. Stay hidden, I will tell you when they have left."

So far, everything went according to plan. The camouflage agent had been able to make her way towards the warehouse without encountering anything that would have put her in any sort of danger. Once she had the green light, she hurried to the door. Her sense of danger did not warn her of any more danger as she stood by the door. "Alright, I'm going in."

"I won't be able to see you from here. It is all on you, [A/n]," Chamber warned as he looked at the door with scoop.

She nodded even though she knew he would not be able to see her. "Count on me," she whispered and walked inside.

It was very quiet once she was in. She looked around, not noticing anything that would threaten her yet. She moved with the shadows inside the warehouse, always on the lookout for any sign of illegal radianite technologies or a spike. Then, her sense of danger was triggered by something. She looked everywhere and saw a group of men with an object in their hands that looked exactly like a spike.

"Bingo," she whispered. She grabbed her vandal from her back and pondered on her next action. "Chamber, I see a spike."

"Is it planted yet?"

"No, but a group of armed men is carrying it somewhere." She explained the situation in full detail to his partner to come up with a plan. "How is it looking outside?"

"Very calm. You are free to act, people are far away."

"Okay. I will need to engage in combat. I don't think, I'll be able to just kindly ask them to give it to me."

Chamber chuckled. "I will take care of anyone trying to disturb your 'conversation' with the gentlemen."

The other agent smiled and aimed at the men inside. "How kind of you. I'll make sure to pay you back."

"How about a restaurant?"

"You're probably going to ask a fancy restaurant and I don't have the money for that. How about going to the cinema then?" They made plans for after the mission to lighten the mood. Strangely enough, they had the same odd habit to make jokes in the most heated moment.

"Ça me va. Let's decide on our way back," he finished, finger on the trigger aiming at the area around the warehouse. "Let's play then."

The two agents reached the ship, sweating. Chamber hurriedly took off whereas [A/n] put the spike down on the hard ground and buckled up her belt. Once out of sight from anyone following them, the assassin was able to put on autopilot, flying off to the headquarters. He heard [A/n] talking behind him as she reported on their successful mission, letting the base know they should be there soon. She did not get into details, preferring to do it face to face. Finally, she was able to take a break. A sigh escaped her lips as she hung up on the commander, her body relaxing. Chamber stared at her amused. He enjoyed how expressive she was whether she was alone or with others. She was always able to impress him, especially today - he was finally able to observe her on a mission at full capacity. He wanted her, needed her, and he was going to get her, no matter the cost.

"Aaah," the woman let out a loud sigh, breaking him from his thoughts. "I wished I had time to go sightseeing!" She exclaimed.

"You want to visit France?" he wondered, walking next to her.

"Yes," she admitted with a pout. "I've always wanted to visit this country, especially Paris. It seems like such a beautiful city."

Chamber suddenly had an idea. If he wanted to get closer to her, it was a chance of a lifetime. "Dans ce cas, do you wish to go together soon? I live in Paris so I could guide you through the city. You could even stay at my place for some time if you wish."

Unable to believe what he just said, she blinked a few times and stared at him in disbelief. "What's wrong with you lately? You clearly changed your attitude towards me."

"Is that a no?"

"Obviously that's a yes. You better keep your promise!" she warned him, her arms crossed and her expression serious to emphasize that he had no choice but to stay true to his words.

"C'est promis, princesse."

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"Désolé" = Sorry

"Ça me va" = Sounds good to me

"Dans ce cas" = Then, as a matter of fact, etc.

"C'est promis, princesse" = It's a promise, princess / I promise you, princess