(a/n: Taking place after On Belay?, they are sort of together and sort of not; particularly in public.  hehe)

                Ears still ringing through the protective covering, Henry pulled the assault rifle away from his shoulder and looked at Amber next to him who was trying to say something.  “What?” he half-yelled, making her wince.

                She stepped forward and removed the ear muffs with a shake of her head, chuckling at his embarrassed smile as he made sure the safety was on and set the weapon down.  “I said you’re still holding it wrong,” she reiterated, hefting the weapon up to show him accordingly.  “Just because you’re stronger than I am doesn’t mean you can muscle it into obedience,” she raised her brow and handed the gun off again.

                “Like this?” he asked, propping the weapon against his shoulder more snuggly this time and looking at her with a sidelong glance.

                Amber pursed her lips and moved closer, nudging his outer elbow up and pressing the of the gun against his shoulder where it was supposed to rest, completely focused and for the moment, utterly unaware of how close they were standing.  Holding his one arm steady, she leaned forward to sight down the gun and lifted the stock up, adjusting it carefully.  “You have to feel it.  It’s not just a weapon to be tossed around,” she chuckled, turning her amused smile on him.

                Too caught up in watching her profile as she instructed him, the words blew right by Henry and he flushed as she met his gaze, smile faltering when she noticed where her hands were… that her face was a mere few inches away from his.  Caught in each other’s gaze, the space between them gradually disappeared as their lips moved closer.  Oblivious, the tip of the gun fell at the same rate and when it nearly slipped from his unresponsive hand, they both jerked in surprise at the quick reactionary flail to catch it.

“Um… right,” he cleared his throat and nodded, readjusting his grip as he tore his eyes away from hers to focus on the target at the end of the shooting range.  “Let’s give it another try then,” he coughed quickly, flinching when she held something close to his face while looking at him out of the corner of her eyes.

                “Forgetting something?” she asked, the protective earmuffs dangling from her fingers.

                “Ah…”  Slowly, he lowered the weapon and replaced his head covering before focusing on the target once more, fumbling embarrassingly with the safety and then sending a spray of bullets every which way except the target.  Head hung in shame he locked the gun again and handed it off to Amber.  “Here,” he mumbled dejectedly.

                She had to laugh at his rather unimpressive display before shouldering the familiar weapon with ease.  Taking a second to adjust her earplugs, she sighted and tore the target to shreds with a considerably more accurate barrage of ammo.  “Not bad,” she grinned, resting the body of the gun over her shoulder and grinning at Henry who was staring at the demolished target in annoyance.

                “Is there something that you don’t do better than me?” he asked with a forced laugh, taking a deep breath as he scratched the side of his head.

                “I’ll let you know when I find it,” she winked, clapping him firmly on the shoulder with her free hand as she nodded for the exit.

                He gave her a sidelong glance and just laughed; it was all he could do given the circumstances.  Side by side, they made their way out, practically jumping apart when Joon and Jonghyun walked in at the same time toting similar looking weapons over their shoulders.  “Amber!”  “Henry!” the duo greeted at the same time, high fiving each other at the simultaneous introduction.

                Henry gave a sheepish smile and waved while Amber forced a laugh and nodded, “Hey guys.  In for some target practice?” she asked easily enough, shooting Henry a quick, covert glance.

                “He is,” Joon pointed at Jonghyun, adding with a cheeky grin, “but it’s hard to improve perfection.  Ow!” he hissed when the shorter male punched him in the arm playfully.

                “You’re a far cry from perfect, pretty boy,” he chuckled with a shake of his head.

                “You see,” Joon pointed at his ‘wounded’ arm while giving Henry an aggrieved expression, playing up the injury.  “Now I’m broken.  Guess I won’t be able to shoot after all, Jong,” he sighed wistfully.

                “Oh lord,” Amber rolled her eyes.  “You can’t do much worse than Henry so you might as well it up, buttercup,” she grinned, squeaking when she caught sight of Henry’s mock-outraged expression before she ducked away hurriedly.

                “I was distracted!” he denied, immediately chasing after her as she yelped and bolted between both Joon and Jonghyun who stepped aside, moving further when Henry followed in the opening between them.

                “By what?” Joon asked, peering after them quizzically while he adjusted the weapon over his shoulder to rest the on the ground.  “The target?”

                “Don’t hurt her too bad, Henry,” Jonghyun called after the retreating pair.  “We need her for later!”  When Joon gave him a questionable look, Jonghyun slouched slightly in apparent disbelief.  “Missions?  Hello!” he gestured with his free hand.

                “I knew that,” Joon snorted, giving his shoulder a shove.  “I thought you meant for something else.  I don’t know!” he quickly added when his companion looked about to say something else.  “Can we just shoot please?” he asked, pointing at the series of ranges ready for their attention.

                “Heh.  Fine, but loser cleans the weapons today,” Jonghyun grinned, sauntering over to his spot.  Joon face palmed but resolutely took his place at the next one, all thoughts of Henry and Amber’s playful behavior forgotten… for now.

                “I really was distracted,” Henry huffed when he finally caught up to her after waving at Siwon on the treadmill and Sungmin on the lifting floor.  Amber paused at the door to the armory where they had to return the weapon anyway, politely waiting for him.

                She didn’t deign to respond with any verbal answer but rather just smiled at him while she keyed in a different code than the ones that opened all the other doors.  “So was I, but you didn’t see me missing,” she teased, waving him in.  Henry raised his finger to argue but the words died on his lips with a heavy sigh.  “Do you remember how to dismantle and clean it?” she asked, all business once more.

                He scratched the side of his head with one finger and his expression took on a puzzled look.  “Maybe?” he shrugged, stepping close and looking over her shoulder as she set the weapon on the table.

                “Yah!” she yelped when she started to take a step back and bumped right into him instead, feeling his hands catch her arms gently to keep her from stumbling.  “Henry!” she giggled, placing her hands on top of his and giving him an embarrassed glare.

                “What?” he asked, playing innocent with a puffy-cheeked grin.  “I’m just saying you’re probably going to have to show me again,” he shrugged, stealing a quick kiss on her cheek because it was too much of a temptation not too.  “Oof!” he grunted when she nudged him carefully in the ribs with her elbow.

                “That’s cheating,” she told him, pointing her finger at him over her shoulder while she gave him a sidelong look, a smile tugging at her lips even as she tried to play it serious.

                “Oh?  I thought this was,” he smiled, eyes twinkling as he attacked her sides with his fingertips, tickling her at his own peril.

                “Henry!” she laugh-shrieked, immediately darting away and deflecting his hands deftly.  When he made as if to follow, he rather abruptly found himself lying flat on his back, coughing from the unexpected change of position as Amber stood over him, adjusting her position so she’d better be able to assist him in standing from the improvised but controlled take-down she’d managed.

                Groaning, Henry blinked at her and murmured, “I’m pretty sure that’s cheating.”

                “Sorry,” she cringed, giving him a hand up and patting his arm in consolation.  “Here,” she gestured, cupping his cheek with her hand gently.  “Why don’t I take care of the cleaning and I’ll catch up with you later?” she asked with a nervous smile.

                “Giving me a chance to nurse all of my wounded pride?” he asked wistfully, grasping her hand with his and smiling down at her in return.

                “Sorry,” she cringed again, throwing a nervous look at the weapon on the table.

                “It’s okay,” he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.  “I’ll see you later either way,” he assured her, brushing his lips against her palm, delighted when he saw a faint blush tinge her cheeks.

                “Neh,” she nodded, eyes crinkled warmly while she nervously threaded her short hair behind her ear with her free hand.

                Releasing her hand, Henry walked off a bit stiffly as he was smarting, just a little mind you, from being unceremoniously dropped to the ground.  Heading for the sleeping halls, he waved distractedly to those few crew members he passed and promptly plopped himself down on his bed face first, noticing belatedly that Donghae was in residence for a change.

                “What happened to you?” he laughed lightly, sitting up straighter in bed and swinging his legs over the side to regard his sibling in amusement, setting the book he was reading to the side.

                “Ergh…” Henry groaned from his pillow, leaving both hands where they were on either side of his head.

                “That good, aye?” his brother shook his head.  He waited patiently until Henry finally shifted and sat upright, cross legged on his bed, and looked back at him with a pensive expression.

                “She’s good at everything…” he grumbled, toying with the hem of his pant leg between nervous fingers, not meeting his brother’s eyes.  The unspoken thought of, ‘But I’m not,’ remained thankfully unsaid by both parties.

                “Ah,” Donghae nodded in immediate understanding.  He shrugged and offered, “You lift more than her.”

                “That doesn’t count,” Henry retorted immediately.  It really didn’t since that was almost always a given.  “She climbs, shoots, plays, fights and oh so many other things better than me and I don’t even begin to know how to compare,” he slumped where he sat, clearly at a loss.

                Donghae snorted and ran one hand through his hair.  “She’s not better at everything and you know it.  You just haven’t found something… obvious yet,” he amended with a grin.

                “Thanks hyung.  What would I ever do without you?” Henry laughed as he looked up from under the wall of bangs that had fallen into his face.  He took a breath and puffed out his cheeks, prompting more laughter from his brother, before he had to chuckle at himself and waved the elder away.  “I’m going to disappear for a bit.  See you later, Hae,” he waved, trying to roll backwards off the bed in what would have been a very cool maneuver.  “Yah!” he yelped, flailing upon landing, using the bed for support so he didn’t face plant on the floor.

                Donghae covered his face with one hand and murmured, “I didn’t see that.”

                “Of course you didn’t,” Henry laughed once, standing up and pretending as if that hadn’t just happened.  His pride bruised yet again, he at least maintained his posture this time until he got out of the room.  Sighing heavily at his dastardly luck today, he ambled into the military sleeping hall and snagged the odd shaped case sequestered under Jonghyun’s bed.

                When they’d discovered they had a mutual love of playing guitar, the shorter male had offered the use of his instrument since Henry hadn’t brought one along himself.  It wasn’t his violin but it would do in a pinch.  He left a hastily scrawled note stolen from another member of personnel resting in the room and headed out.

Quickly, he hurried off to the vehicle transport bay, waving at Youngbae who was working on his beloved tank with Seungri standing in attendance, offering teasing commentary from the top of the vehicle.  It had taken some convincing to actually be allowed to use the area but since there wasn’t much that really happened in the hold, it was permissible enough and aside from the occasional sound coming from the skeleton crew attending the vehicles, there wasn’t much distraction either.

                If he pulled the cloth cover down too, he could mostly hide inside the back of it and listen to the muted sounds of the strung notes absorbed by the simple barrier.  There was just enough ambient light to see by and through the small crack in the back of the truck, he could watch Seungri nodding his head along to the sound, the quiet tune extending further than he would have thought but it made him smile all the same.  Music always did that to him.

                Several refrains and improvised riffs later, his hands paused where they were when he noticed someone else peering into the crack in the cloth, her chin resting on her hands on the tailgate, just watching him.  Slightly embarrassed, he set the guitar down in his lap and focused on her, “How long have you been there for?”

                She climbed into the back with a fluid and practiced grace he envied, and knelt in front of him.  “I knew you could play but damn…” she grinned, pulling her knees up to her chest as she wrapped her arms around her legs when she sat down before him.  “Will you play some more?” she asked, looking at him with her chin propped on the tops of her knees.

                Relaxing slightly, Henry smiled and hefted the guitar again.  “Sure,” he nodded, readjusting his grip and plucking at the strings gently.  “Did Jong tell you where I was?” he asked, focusing on the music.

                “With a little persuasion,” she grinned, hiding her face behind her knees when he looked up at her with a raised brow.  “I couldn’t find you,” she defended herself, tapping her fingers in time with the beat.

                He kept his thoughts to himself, since that was the idea in general, but he found he rather liked having her nearby.  “You can play some, right?” he asked, peering up at her with a gentle expression as he stilled the strings under his fingers.

                “Eh.  A bit,” she agreed with a hesitant nod.

                “Let’s hear it,” he offered, sliding close to hand off the instrument, watching while she unfolded enough to take the proffered item.

                “Really?” she asked with a light chuckle, uncertainly adjusting it.  She used to play but with the extensive training and her profession, unlike Jonghyun, she hadn’t really kept up with it and as a result, her fingers were rusty, plucking at the strings and strumming chords that were a bit off.  “Aish…” she winced after another pained sound while Henry watched in mute amusement.  “It’s not funny,” she pouted, setting the guitar on top of her thighs.

                “Maybe just a little,” he admitted, grabbing her hands lightly in his and placing her fingers on the strings once more.  “Try like this,” he urged, positioning her fingers on the neck of the guitar, holding them lightly in place with his.

                “Erm…” she frowned when that wasn’t quite the sound either of them wanted either.

                “Here,” Henry urged, slipping around behind her to reach his arms on either side, guiding her fingers and hands in a more hands-on approach.  Kneeling behind her with his chest pressing lightly against her back and his hands holding hers, he was intently aware of their proximity.

                So was Amber…  “So, like this?” she asked, waiting for his fingers to shift enough that she could resume, leaning against him slightly.  A simple turn of her head let her feel his warm breath ghost across her cheek and she flushed again, giggling uncharacteristically.  She found she did that a lot around him…

                Henry swallowed and hummed in agreement.  “Perfect,” he whispered, not even looking at her hands anymore, his eyes studying her profile instead, the way her nose wrinkled slightly when she tried to focus and how her almond shaped eyes narrowed with her concentration.  Her lips thinned somewhat and then softened into a warm smile at the comment and she turned more to look at him.

                Rather belatedly, she understood he wasn’t exactly talking about her playing.  Her hands paused on the instrument and she planted a kiss on the corner of his mouth, blushing cutely when he froze for a second.  “Found something,” she told him quietly, grabbing his hand to replace it on the neck of the guitar instead of hers.

                “Huh?” he asked in response, briefly confused, even as he settled more comfortably against her, resting his chin on her shoulder and bracing the guitar against her body, his arms pressed against hers.

                “You’re better at the guitar.  Hands down,” she chuckled, nodding to herself confidently.

                “Well what do you know,” he mused with a smile, pressing his lips to the side of her head tenderly.

                “Play for me?” she asked in a quiet tone, turning ever so slightly to snuggle against his chest, her head resting in the crook of his neck while she watched his hands, waiting for them to move again.

                Warmed by the request and the way she fit so beautifully against him, he felt his cheeks flush and smiled.  “I think I can manage that.  Any requests?” he prompted, strumming the strings playfully.

                “Hmm.  Surprise me,” she smiled, pulling back just enough to look up at him.  Taking his chance, he ducked his head and placed his lips against hers, smiling around the kiss.  “Or you can do that,” she murmured in a rush as she ducked her head, cheeks burning.

                “Surprise,” he teased, beginning the notes of his first song.  He didn’t know what he was playing either but he strummed as the notes and chords came to him, connecting a song that was all whimsy, some sense and vastly improvised.  Still, as he felt her settle against him, her fingers tapping against his leg while he played, he couldn’t help but think how nice it was to be better at something they could both enjoy.  Judging by her silence, and the absolutely adorable smile playing on her lips, he didn’t think she minded either.

(a/n: For KtiKat1991 - I hope you enjoyed it!  They're awkwardly adorable.  hehe)