The hum of voices and clinking glasses from the auction floor faded as Marcus and Theo slipped into the narrow hallway leading to the second floor. The walls were cold steel, the lighting dim, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch endlessly. Marcus moved ahead, his steps silent and precise, his gun drawn and held low.

Theo followed close behind, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Every step felt heavier, the gravity of their mission pressing down on him. He hated this feeling of being out of control, relying entirely on someone else for survival.

“Stay close,” Marcus whispered, glancing back at him.

Theo smirked faintly, trying to mask his nerves. “What, afraid I’ll wander off?”

“Afraid you’ll get yourself killed,” Marcus replied flatly, his voice low but firm.

They reached a corner, and Marcus raised a hand to signal a stop. He leaned out slightly, peering into the corridor ahead. Two guards were stationed outside a reinforced door at the far end, their postures alert and their weapons visible.

Marcus pulled back, his expression calm but focused. “Two guards, armed. We take them out quietly.”

Theo arched an eyebrow. “We? You mean you. I’m not exactly trained for hand-to-hand combat.”

Marcus gave him a faint smirk. “Then try not to get in the way.”

Before Theo could respond, Marcus was already moving. He slipped forward like a shadow, his movements smooth and deliberate. Theo watched as Marcus approached the guards with lethal precision.

It happened fast. Marcus grabbed the first guard, pulling him back and silencing him with a swift blow to the temple. The second guard barely had time to react before Marcus delivered a sharp elbow to his jaw, sending him crumpling to the ground.

Theo stepped forward, his pulse racing. “You make that look disturbingly easy.”

Marcus bent down, checking the guards to ensure they were unconscious. “That’s the point.”

He glanced up at Theo, his sharp gaze softening just slightly. “You okay?”

Theo hesitated, caught off guard by the question. “I... yeah. I’m fine.”

Marcus stood, his towering presence close enough that Theo could feel the faint heat radiating off him.

“You don’t have to pretend,” Marcus said quietly. “Not with me.”

For a moment, Theo didn’t know what to say. The look in Marcus’s eyes was different—less guarded, more human.

Theo exhaled, a small smile tugging at his lips. “You really know how to ruin a guy’s bravado, don’t you?”

Marcus’s lips twitched in the faintest hint of a smile. “It’s part of the job.”

They stepped through the reinforced door, which opened to reveal a small but high-tech server room. Racks of equipment hummed with life, and a single laptop sat on a desk at the center of the room, its screen displaying the auction interface.

“Rebecca,” Marcus said into his earpiece, “we’re in.”

“Good,” Rebecca replied. “The failsafe is tied to the laptop. You’ll need to disarm it before I can take control of the server.”

“Got it,” Marcus said. He moved to the laptop, his hands deftly navigating the interface.

Theo hovered nearby, his nerves getting the better of him. “How long is this going to take?”

“Longer if you keep talking,” Marcus replied without looking up.

Theo rolled his eyes but stayed quiet, his gaze darting to the doorway every few seconds.

As Marcus worked, the tension in the room grew thicker. The faint hum of the servers felt deafening, each second stretching into an eternity.

Finally, Marcus let out a low grunt. “Failsafe disarmed. Rebecca, it’s all yours.”

“Copy that,” Rebecca said. “I’m uploading the virus now.”

With the immediate threat neutralized, Marcus leaned against the desk, his body relaxing slightly for the first time that night.

Theo stood nearby, watching him. He was struck by how calm Marcus seemed, even after everything they’d been through.

“You don’t get scared, do you?” Theo asked, his voice softer than usual.

Marcus glanced at him, his expression unreadable. “Fear’s not the enemy. Panic is. You learn to push it down, focus on the mission.”

Theo stepped closer, his smirk fading. “I don’t get it. How do you do this? How do you keep going, even when everything’s falling apart?”

Marcus’s gaze softened. “Because someone has to. And because...” He hesitated, his voice dropping. “If I don’t, I lose people. I’ve seen what happens when I fail. I won’t let it happen again.”

Theo’s breath hitched, the raw honesty in Marcus’s voice catching him off guard.

“You won’t fail,” Theo said quietly.

Their eyes met, the tension between them shifting into something else—something unspoken but palpable.

Marcus straightened, his tall frame towering over Theo. “You’re not what I expected,” he said softly.

Theo tilted his head, his voice tinged with curiosity. “Good or bad?”

Marcus smirked faintly. “Still deciding.”

Theo chuckled, stepping even closer until there was barely a breath of space between them. “Well, let me know when you make up your mind.”

For a moment, the world outside the server room faded. The danger, the chaos, the mission—they all disappeared, leaving just the two of them.

Marcus’s gaze lingered on Theo, his normally steely expression softening in a way that made Theo’s chest tighten.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Theo said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Marcus’s hand twitched, as if he was fighting the urge to reach out. “You shouldn’t be.”

“But I am,” Theo replied.

The space between them felt electric, every inch charged with a tension neither of them was ready to name.

Before either could speak, Rebecca’s voice crackled through the earpiece. “Guys, we’ve got a problem.”

Marcus stepped back instantly, the moment shattered. “What is it?”

“The guards are moving. They know you’re there,” Rebecca said. “You’ve got about sixty seconds before they breach the room.”

Marcus’s jaw tightened. “Copy that. We’re moving.”

He turned to Theo, his focus snapping back to the mission. “Stay close. No improvising.”

Theo nodded, the flicker of vulnerability from moments ago replaced by determination.

“Let’s go,” Marcus said.

And just like that, they were back in the game.