Rendezvous | Philip Graves x Reader |

Chapter Ten: I'm Worthy

That same morning, you were exhausted, the thoughts still lingering from the way you thought of Graves. You did everything to avoid seeing him, any small sign of him in the area, and you would tuck your tail and run. How could you face someone, especially one of your superiors, after thinking of them like that?

Soap didn't exactly help with your sleep deprivation, only giving you about another hour of sleep before waking you up and asking if you wanted to walk to breakfast with him. You accepted, but when you went to clean yourself up in the bathroom, you started to notice bags forming under your eyes. The lack of sleep wasn't helping. But maybe some of the other soldiers were struggling to sleep, and it wasn't just a you problem. But most of those other soldiers probably weren't hoping that Graves would show up at their door and make them feel a way they haven't in years. The thought of it had a slight blush forming on your cheeks. You quickly splashed water on your face and watched in the mirror as the water dripped off. You grabbed the hand towel next to the sink and patted your face dry. Letting out a sigh, you straightened yourself up, throwing your hair into a bun and changing out of the clothes you wore last night. You walked out of the bathroom, saving your shower for after breakfast, meeting Soap out in the hall.

"Does it always take you this long to wake yourself up in the mornings?" he teased after you shut the door behind you, receiving an irritated glare from you. He chuckled, seeing the irritation on your face, "I'll take that as a maybe."

You rolled your eyes, "No, I just got distracted and lost in thought." You crossed your arms as the two of you started to walk, "Have there been any new updates from Price or Laswell if we'll be going back out into the field anytime soon?" This was obviously a quick way of changing the subject before Soap had any time to dig into it and ask more questions, and it seemed to have worked.

"Already up and willing to work, I see," he said with a soft chuckle, "Yeah tomorrow, but you're not going out there with us."

Your head jerked over to look at him, "What? What the hell do you mean I'm not going?" Your eyes were narrowed almost like daggers digging into Soap as you waited for an answer.

He held his hands up defensively when he saw the way you were looking at him, "Woah there, lass. After Price learned of your little injury, you got back on the last one. He wanted you to stay back and rest for a little while. He just doesn't want you to fall behind and potentially end up in an even worse condition."

"Why are you the one telling me this? Why haven't I heard a single thing from Price?" You placed your hand on your hip as you continued to walk to the canteen, trying to hide your anger and frustration.

He shrugged his shoulders, "You know how the Captain is. He's always busy. Just follow his orders. It's for the better."

You let out a frustrated sigh, "It's not even that bad anymore," you complained under your breath.

He laughed, "Oh, come on, your legs are black and blue like the deepest parts of the ocean. You can keep lying to yourself, but you know the Captain is right." He lightly nudged your shoulder as he walked next to you.

You sighed as you looked down at the ground, "It doesn't hurt. My legs are just bruised, it's not like I'm missing my entire fucking leg." You slipped your hands into your pockets as you looked ahead, "Can I at least know who you're going on the mission with?"

He raised a brow as he looked over at you, "Hm? Has anyone ever told you that you ask a lot of questions?" His head tilted to the side, looking at you like a curious child, "Just the usual. Ghost, Alejandro, Rudy, and air support from Graves and his Shadows."