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“We still have the east flank to cover. Eyes open. Let’s go.” Jason’s words echoed around the open space of the temple. He saw Nick nod once in acknowledgment out of the corner of his eye as they made their way to the edge of the vast room, where they had tied up the enemy Iraqi soldier.
To say Jason was uneasy was an understatement. The man they were approaching subverted everything Jason had been told about Iraqi soldiers. It had been drilled into him that they were a vicious and violent people, who would stop at nothing to kill. Yet the first thing he did was show Jason mercy, when he could have gunned him down on the spot. His words, “no more killing”, still echoed through Jason’s head.
And when they crossed paths again, and Jason had done nothing but threaten him, he had stayed calm and willingly surrendered. Did he have a bigger motive in mind? To trick the Americans and dispatch of them later? Is that why he had allied with Nick? But Nick seemed adamant this man was different, stating there were several moments where he had been unguarded and the man never took the opportunity to use that stake against him. It didn’t make any sense.
But what alarmed Jason the most was that he found the Iraqi man devastatingly attractive. He brought feelings to the surface that Jason had sworn he had buried too deep to reach. Apparently not.
With each step, Jason tried to strengthen his resolve. He was going to stay focused on the mission. They were on enemy soil with unknown combatants and Iraqi soldiers to boot. His situation wasn’t exactly going to improve by having an identity crisis as well. But as he and Nick came to stop in front of their captive, Jason suspected he had his work cut out for him.
“The demons will kill me. You have to untie me!” The man pleaded, forceful but urgent. He pulled against his restraints, grunting from the effort, and Jason had to take a moment to steady himself at the sound. This was hardly the time to get turned on.
He looked towards Nick. “It’s okay, my buddy’s here to protect you,” Jason said, patting Nick on the arm, trying to sound confident.
“Don’t worry, we’ve got this place locked down tight.” Nick did a visual sweep of the area, as if to prove his point. The Iraqi soldier looked skeptical and unimpressed. Nick turned to Jason. “We’ve got work to do. I’m heading out.”
He nodded, and eyed the man in front of him, who watched Nick leave, his face unreadable. Jason silently cursed himself for not immediately following. Now he was left all alone with this man.
When Nick was out of sight and they finally made eye contact again, Jason scrambled for something to say.
“This here’s as safe as it’s gonna get.”
The man shook his head. “I’ll feel a lot safer with a gun in my hand.” Jason scoffed.
“No way am I giving you a weapon. But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna feed you to your demons.” He paused, trying to think of something reassuring to say. “Anything moves, we’ll be here before a prayer leaves your mouth.”
He regretted the words instantly, as he was now looking at said mouth, and thinking of all the things it might be capable of. The man’s lips were fairly full and looked tantalizingly soft.
Jason tried to look away, briefly making eye contact again, which was another mistake because he was met with rich brown eyes that seemed to look right into his soul. So he let his gaze drop back down.
The man parted his lips, almost mockingly, and Jason’s stomach churned. As if he were a marionette, his hand moved on its own and he watched as it cupped the man’s chin, his thumb gliding over his bottom lip. It was just as soft as it looked and Jason bit down on his own lip.
Time seemed to move in slow motion as he allowed his thumb to apply more pressure, slightly exposing the man’s teeth. As Jason relished in the feeling, his brain started catching up with his body, becoming hyper aware that he was caressing a man, an Iraqi soldier no less, that he was holding captive. A man whose name he didn’t even know; Nick had mentioned it and now Jason cursed himself for not committing it to memory.
He froze as his eyes drifted back upwards. He expected to be met with disgust but instead found intrigue and allurement. After a moment, the man spoke.
“What are you waiting for?”
Jason felt the words form under his thumb, shuddering at the warm breath on his skin. He glanced behind him, confirming that Nick was gone, and turned back to the Iraqi. He could stop now, go on like nothing had happened, and ignore the feelings stirring within him.
But he decided to throw caution to the wind; if he was going to die in this vampiric hell, he was going to die knowing the kiss of another man. So he shifted his hand to cradle the back of the Iraqi’s head, and leaned down, pressing their lips together.
It went without saying that Jason was rusty, but that didn’t seem to bother the man. Despite being the one tied up, he quickly became the more dominant of the two, and Jason couldn’t bring himself to care. Kisses bled together as tongues began to explore. Jason slowly became more entranced, reveling in the man’s taste.
The sensation of desire building in him was new and exhilarating. The thought of untying the Iraqi briefly entered his mind when his earpiece crackled to life.
“Hey man, this east flank isn’t going to cover itself.”
Jason tore himself away, whipping around to make sure Nick wasn’t actually in the room. When he confirmed Nick wasn’t, he took a few deep breaths before replying. It was like he had been electrocuted, all good feelings snapped to panic and dread, a cold chill cascading down his body.
“Yeah, I’m comin’,” he said curtly into his earpiece, relieved he didn’t sound as shaky as he felt. When he glanced back at the Iraqi, he was greeted by a cheekily raised eyebrow and Jason flushed hard at the implication of his word choice. That paired with the man’s soft panting and glistening lips left Jason scrambling for words.
“Fuck you!” He blurted, reaching up to straighten his hat and pull it low over his eyes. To his horror, the man’s mouth twitched up, the hint of a smirk, as if to say ‘Oh really?’.
He turned on his heel and made a hasty retreat before he could say anything else. Once he was out of the temple, and more importantly out of the man’s view, he leaned against a wall, desperate to get his breathing and emotions back under control. He was a first lieutenant for fucks sake, how could he be so easily seduced by an enemy soldier who did nothing but sit there and look beautiful? He clenched his teeth and took several more deep breaths. As he set off to find Nick, he took comfort in the knowledge that he wouldn’t have to spend any more alone time with the Iraqi. The last thing he needed was any more temptation.