[A/n]'s eyes had been wide opened for hours as she laid there in her bed. It was not unusual for her to not find sleep, but it was different than usual. Ever since that mission, Chamber had been stuck in her mind and she could not rest. The day before, she spent the day trying to avoid any contact with him, even though it was impossible for her. They had to go report on their successful mission to Brimstone then, they had to do their usual work with the arsenal. Strange to everyone, the camouflage agent had been the quietest all day long. She was such a loudmouth usually that some were worried about her, asking if something had happened. She would change the subject, a bit of blush creeping on her cheeks.

She sighed and checked the time: 3:30. Rolling her eyes, knowing there was no point in staying in bed at this point, she stood up and dressed up in her usual sweatpants. She walked to the cafeteria and met up with Skye.

"Good morning," she greeted, making herself a cup of coffee.

"Good mornin'," she said back. "Haven't seen you around here in a long time. Have you slept?" She kindly asked, smiling at her. She was quite the morning person as she used to work at the farm so she is probably used to waking up at ungodly hours. Both women sometimes saw each other early in the morning when [A/n] would make her God knows how many cups of coffee to not collapse at her desk.

She yawned and grabbed her cup before sitting across the Australian woman. "For about an hour? Maybe two."

"Having troubles again, are we?"

She drank her cup, the warmth of the beverage appeasing her mind for a brief moment. "I guess, yeah." It was not like any of the agents did not know about her insomnia. It happened almost every day until she was found on the ground like a few days ago. But, for once, the reason was different.

Skye observed her in silence, noticing how pensive she was. She never pressed her into knowing what was the cause of her insomnia. Every agent here had a past they did not wish to come back to hence the reason why no one was talking about themselves and no one asking. And most of all, once joining this program, they had to forget all about their past life. "You wanna join me later?"

[A/n] nodded with a smile. "I would love to."

Skye and [A/n] joined each other at 4 am to go running together. It was the Australian agent's routine and she would sometimes drag others with her. [A/n] actually enjoyed running as it cleared her mind. She thought about bringing her earphones but it only brought her back memories that she wished to bury. Just the thought of it made her blush, so she thought it was best to leave it behind for once.

It was very resourceful, she was able to enjoy her running without being disturbed by any unwanted thoughts. The two women talked among themselves as they headed to the shared bathroom. Water was running down her skin, her tense muscles relaxed, and a breath escaped her lips. She felt her body being delivered from a heavyweight and was preventing her from functioning correctly. She changed into clean clothes (yes, new sweatpants), and made her way to her workshop, without forgetting to thank Skye for this new running.

"Will you be there tonight?" [A/n] asked.

Skye shook her head, resting her towel on her shoulders as she followed her friend. "I won't. But I'll wait for the pictures and videos."

The other woman laughed, already picturing how this party will look like. "I'm sure Kj will take lots of videos."

Their mundane conversation brought a smile to [F/n]'s face. It felt nice to speak about trivial things sometimes and not just work. Skye was really easy to talk to and she always seemed to smile, bringing cheerfulness wherever she walked in. Killjoy and Raze had the same kind of spirits, really bringing people up, making jokes, and they made you feel like you could talk about anything and they would listen to you. It was such a great thing to have them around.

They parted ways and [A/n] entered her workshop. Thankfully for her, Chamber was not supposed to be in today, so she could work in peace. "I wonder if he'll be there tonight," she said out loud. Phoenix was organizing a party at the main hall tonight for their last successful missions he had said, but it was only an excuse to party. It was not a bad idea, to be honest, it would lighten the mood before the next major intervention came up. She already knew she would be drunk tonight which was why she hoped he would not be there. When she had one too many drinks, she could not prevent her thoughts from pouring out of her mouth and, after what happened with him last time, she did not know what thoughts would her mind be filled with. She sat down at her desk and start to work on a new weapon design that Chamber and she came up with. She wanted to try to modify one of the sheriffs to match her taste. If she had to fight, might as well have beautiful weapons to look good. That was what Chamber always said: 'We should win big and look good doing it.' A small smile crept on her face at the thought of the French agent.

Suddenly, someone knocked at the door of her workplace. She stood up and opened it to see her two close friends Phoenix and Killjoy. "Hello, you two."

"Morning, [A/n]!" Phoenix was very energetic today, the hype for the party was probably overwhelming him. "You're still there tonight?"

"Obviously. You can't go singing without me!" she joked, elbowing the tall man next to her.

"Good to hear! We saw Chamber earlier," he said without any warning. Her heart skipped a beat as soon as she heard his name. "We asked if he planned to come tonight."

"O-oh, great," she stuttered, finding it difficult to stay composed. "What... did he say?"

"At first, he said he wasn't interested," Killjoy stepped in, explaining in detail their conversation. "But when we said you were there and he could not miss your singing, he accepted to come."

"Did he now?" Oh, no. She felt panic rush through her. Why did he have to accept? Part of her was happy to be able to see more of him but the loudest part of her was reconsidering this party.

Her two friends stared at her, eager to obtain more information about what this all meant. "Did something happen that you didn't tell us?" Killjoy asked, frowning.

[A/n] looked away, shyly denying having any knowledge on the matter. "It's no use lying, girl. Tell us now."

She sighed, crossing her arms. They knew her well by now, she could not lie to their faces. "Well, you know how much of a tease Chamber is." They nodded, urging her to go on. "I'm pretty sure he's just gonna show up to bother me, like always."

"Is that all?" they asked, disappointed.

"I don't see any other reason, to be honest."

"And here I thought we would get some spicy stuff," Phoenix sighed and walked away.

"See you later, [A/n]!" Killjoy waved at her and left with the fire agent.

They left as quickly as they arrived, leaving [A/n] alone in her lab. She closed her door and turned her heels to lean back on it. Her previously peaceful mind was quickly replaced by her embarrassed state since the day before. She slid down and sat on the floor, hiding her face behind her knees. [F/n] felt like a high schooler that was going to confess to their crush after months of observing them. This man was so good at driving her crazy and she could not get her head around it. It made her doubt his real intention behind his sudden change of behavior towards her. Was it a game? Was he genuinely warming up to her? Or was he using her? She sighed, knowing it was useless to think about it now. She stood up and went back to her work to forget all about her anxiety until tonight.

"[A/n]! There you are!" Phoenix said as he was installing the mics for the karaoke.

"Sorry! I didn't see the time!" She said as she hurriedly came to his side to help.

Phoenix eyed her up and down, his eyes wide open. "Sheesh, girl. You look good. I didn't know you were going to dress up tonight!"

Her cheeks reddened as she became self-conscious about her appearance all of a sudden. "I don't know, I just felt like it. It feels weird, doesn't it? I'm gonna change back," she said turning her heels to hurry back to her room before someone else saw her.

But Phoenix grabbed her shoulders to stop her from running away. "Nah, nah. Stay as you are, you look great."

Her eyes glanced down at her clothes, still embarrassed. She was wearing ripped slim jeans with her favorite and most expensive pair of sneakers. She had the hardest time deciding on a decent top to match her outfit. She hesitated between the very shirt she wore when he complimented her and a sleepless crop top that she usually wore on special occasions. The shirt was her first choice but as she was about to put it on she realized it would look like she was dressing up for him - when it totally was not the case! She quickly took it off and sent it flying across the room. Her alarm clock warned her that the party was about to start so she put her crop top in a hurry and left right after. And there she was now, ashamed she even thought of wearing something that was unusual for her. Scanning the room with her eyes, she was relieved to see Chamber was not here, yet. She helped Phoenix to finish the preparations in the hall then Breach, Killjoy, and Raze came in, their arms full of drinks for the night. Not all agents will be there as some preferred being in a calm environment but most were to be present. Yoru came a bit late, not even apologizing for it, but it was not a very formal party so people could come in and out as they wished.

The party was about to start but [A/n] could not see the man she was eager to see yet. As she spoke with Breach and Phoenix, her eyes kept wandering elsewhere. The two men did not seem to have noticed, or at least, they did not mention her strange behavior. Suddenly, the man she was hoping for entered the room. He looked as well-dressed as usual, maybe even better tonight. She could not say if it was the alcohol talking or if he really did something to look this amazing. Chamber was greeting the agents one by one as he met them, taking the time to compliment them. Her eyes could not leave his figure, as she became impatient to talk to him. As she was eating him with her insistent gaze, Breach and Phoenix noticed how distracted she suddenly became. They followed her gaze and saw the beautiful French man walking around the party like he owned the place.

"Oh, he finally made his entrance," Breach joked as he drank down his beer.

"[A/n]." She hummed, her eyes still fixated on him. "You know it's rude to stare at people."

Phoenix's comment made her realize that she had indeed been eyeing the handsome French agent for quite some time. She quickly tried to come up with an excuse as she wished to avoid any question they would ask. "He's the one who's rude, arriving this late, pretending like he's the guest of honor of something." She crossed her arms, frowning. "I swear, he always needs to feel waited. He's just seeking for attention, all that because he's so good looking and handsome and hot or whatever."

"Well, I'll take that as a compliment," a voice said from behind her. This suave voice sounded way too familiar to her. Sweat ran down her back as she realized that he was standing right there. Slowly, she turned her head and made eye contact with the tall brown-haired man with his usual black glasses that probably coasted more than her entire outfit. Her lips were pressed together, unable to pronounce any words as she stared at his smile. "Bonsoir, mademoiselle. I hope you're enjoying your night so far."

As he said, he grabbed her hand with his and leaned down. [A/n] looked confused for a second but then, she felt a warmth on the back of her hand. It took her a while to register he just kissed her hand. The heat rose up at once and she felt a sudden urge to run away and bury herself alive a thousand feet down so she was to not be found ever again. She parted ways with him and ran to grab more drinks to forget. Chamber straightened up and smirked, a small laugh escaping his thin lips. He watched the woman pouring everything she laid her hands on in her cup before his attention was brought back to the men in front of him.

"Good evening," he greeted, his smile not leaving his face.

Phoenix laughed and rested a hand on Chamber's shoulder. "You made quite an entrance right now, dude. I'm sure [A/n] will be mad at you once she's sober."

Breach joined, chuckling as well. "Just so you know, she's a real pain in the ass to handle when she's drunk. So you better take responsibility for making her drink like this."

He nodded, eyeing the woman who was still drinking, an amused look in his eyes. "I will, do not worry."

Throughout the night, Phoenix and [A/n] had been singing to the top of their lungs, barely able to stay on their own two feet. Chamber had been sitting close by, a glass of whiskey in hand. He had spent his night observing the woman and had been able to discover a new part of her he had not yet encountered. She was very loud when drunk, not that she was not loud normally, but she knew how to party and motivate people to sing along and dance. She seemed shameless, not worrying about what was to come, about people's gazes. Moreover, he had noticed her outfit tonight and he had to admit it looked great on her. He never saw her showing that much skin before and he found it quite ethereal, but also very provocative, very pleasant to the sight he should say. During the whole party, each time the man tried to approach her, she would come up with some stupid excuse to avoid him. Despite how annoying it was, he was enjoying her cute reactions whenever he would come up unexpectedly by her side. He knew he was not just a co-worker anymore to her now and he did not mind it at all, he had rather a great time.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw a silhouette approaching him. He glanced over the silhouette and identified [A/n] walking closer to him. Surprised as she had spent most of her night avoiding him, he put his glass down and stared at her as she fumbled towards him before crashing into the chair next to him loudly. She looked up at him, staring into his beautiful brown eyes. Chamber noticed her glassy eyes,  which was a sign of how drunk she was - not that he did not notice before -, and he saw a tint of something else within her look but he did not manage to decipher it yet. The female agent leaned forward, falling down as she could not stand still anymore, but Chamber was able to catch her in time.

"Oh, là. Attention, mademoiselle. We don't want you to get hurt now, do we?" he said with a grin, pushing her back gently into the chair.

"Chambeeer," her drunk voice called out to him, the sting smell of alcohol feeling his nostrils.

"Yes? Do you need something?"

"Why do you always look soooo good?" she asked, leaning back towards him and he caught her in his arms again.

"I just always look good."

"That's not fair," she exclaimed, getting heavier in his arms as she was getting closer. "You have to get out of my head, okay?" The man listened to her carefully, intrigued by what she had to say. "Because of what you did, I can't work properly and can't sleep." A laugh escaped her lips as she said that. "Well, it doesn't change anything, I never sleep." She burst out laughing, thinking it was the best joke of her life.

"I apologize for that, [A/n]. I did not mean to disturb you," he lied, feeling satisfied with himself that he had an effect on her.

"Well, you did! And you better make up for that!" she yelled, falling off her chair as she tried to stand up. Chamber finally understood what Breach said when he mentioned how annoying she was when drunk. With a sigh, he pulled her back up to sit her down again but she was clinging to his arms.

"Well," he started, pondering on his next move, "what am I supposed to do with you now?" The woman just laughed it off, a stupid smile drawing on her lips. Regarding her state, it was probably better to put her to sleep at this point. He stood up, still holding her close, and told her: "Shall we go, then? You need to rest now."

"But I'm not sleepyyy," she protested, this time trying to break free from him.

"You never are." His comment made her chuckle and she stopped trying to leave his embrace. He sat her down on a chair and went to his knees, his back to her. "Climb on, I will carry you there."

His behavior was very gentleman-like and brought a blush to her already burning cheeks. She gladly hoped on his back and held him close. He stood up and started to walk off the party but he was stopped by Killjoy and Phoenix. "You stop right there, young man!" Killjoy said, raising a hand between him and them. He rose an eyebrow, unsure of what they wanted from him. "Where are you taking this lady?"

"To her room," he answered honestly. "She can't even stand, there's no point for her to stay, she would be better in a nice and warm bed."

"And what can make us believe you wouldn't do something weird to her?" Phoenix crossed his arms, a bit more sober than earlier.

Chamber refrained himself from rolling his eyes. "Who are you taking me for? I would not do such a thing to someone barely conscious."

"You better, man. Or you'll have both of us on your back to make you live a nightmare," Phoenix finished, frowning.

As Chamber walked away from them, the two friends stared at them, wary of him but knew his gentlemanly behavior well enough to realize he would not try anything she did not want to. But Killjoy had a strange feeling about him, she knew he was up to something. The weight of his back was getting heavy and, unfortunately for him, their quarters were the farthest away from the party. He sighed, wondering why he did that but carried her anyway. [A/n] stayed quiet during the trip, her head resting on his shoulder, the piggyback soothing her to sleep. She took this opportunity to breathe him in, the smell of his cologne tickling her nose. After a good two or three minutes of walking, they reached the door to her quarters. He struggled to open it with the dead weight on his back, and, once he managed to, he carried her inside and put her down on her chair. He turned his attention to her unmade bed, wondering how she could live in such a mess. He put her covers aside, and carried her back, in his arms this time, before gently laying her down on her bed, bringing the cover over her body. Her eyes were closed the whole time, letting the man do whatever he wanted. As he stared down at her, he saw how vulnerable she looked. She always appeared so strong and untouchable when she was not inside her room, but it had been twice already that he saw this vulnerable state she was in when not facing the harshness of the outside world. He was quite fond of this side of her, strangely enough, it was something only him had been able to see. He crouched down next to her and stared at her sleepy face. Suddenly, flashes of their conversation back in the ship came back to his mind. A smirk formed on his lips, remembering her flustered reactions. He was tempted to do it once more, embarrassing her for long enough that she would turn red and he would be able to hear her heart pounding, proving to him that deep down she desired him. To be honest, he was surprised at how simple it was to turn her crazy about him. He thought it would be a tiring task regarding their difficult start. How glad he was that she was starting to be interested in him. With a smile, he brought a hand to her face, gently stroking her cheek. The woman frowned, leaning closer to his hand, longing for his touch. As he was about to leave, [A/n] took a hold of the hand that previously stoke her cheek, preventing him to leave.

"Don't go," she mumbled, her voice was hoarse from all the screaming.

"But you need to sleep, [A/n]. I can not stay with you," he explained to her in a smooth and gentle voice.

"Then, sleep with me."

He was surprised by her demand, unsure of how to respond. He crouched back down to be on the same eye level as her. "I can not do that either. You are drunk and I don't want to die yet," he said, referring to her two friends' warning from earlier.

"Just laid down next to me, please," she begged him, her glassy eyes staring right back into his sober ones.

He sighed but complied after a few seconds of calculating his options. Her pleading eyes had an odd effect on him which made it harder to refuse her selfish demands. He took off his shoes, carefully placed them down next to her bed, and laid on the bed next to her. He barely had time to make himself home that she buried her head in his chest. He thought about how boldly she was when she was drunk. "You have to promise me you will not puke then. This suit is expensive."

"I never puke," she mumbled, bringing an arm around his chest as she made herself comfortable.

Chamber looked unease for a moment, wondering if it was that good of an idea to stay with her. However, when he glanced down at her, he saw how peaceful she looked, already falling asleep, and he concluded that it would be fine for once.

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Quite a long chapter compared to the others! The next one is quite long as well and is quite interesting I would say eheh