Is this destiny?

~ Frankfurt ~

Friday

September 4

Oni and Michael reached their hotel just before dinner. They were tired from all the traveling so they ordered room service for tonight, and went to freshen up by the time food arrives.

During dinner, Oni got her laptop and they discussed their mission plans. They will spend one week in Frankfurt watching three locations.

For the first one, they suspect that it\'s an administrative base which is in the historic area of the city, and that is their main target for this mission. This is the same building they scouted in June for one afternoon before abandoning their mission.

The other two locations are in the industrial area and have large square footage. Oni believes that they are training or storage facilities. They will scout those two as well, but that has lower priority.

Their main target appears to be a residential building, but the modified floorplan which combines apartments tells them that there is something going on and Oni and Michael are determined to find out what that \'something\' is. The lack of electronic surveillance is reinforcing their belief that this location is important. And there is a chance this might be THE location they are searching for; the one with historic data on missions where Michael can get his answers related to why was his team wiped out and he was chased by assassins.

The base in the historic area of the city is the one Oni and Michael scouted last time. On that afternoon, the relationship between Oni and Michael was strained due to Marija. There, Oni met Robert and Michael was so out of it that he ended up stalking them. He never admitted to Oni that he followed her that evening.

At that time, both Oni and Michael were confused and insecure, but things are much different now. Their bond is strong and it\'s getting stronger by the day, reflecting the strength of their love for each other.

Every time their eyes meet, they break into a smile involuntarily and that is one of the reasons why Michael was not keen to come to this mission. He is happy and he does not want to jeopardize it. Sure, it\'s just a scouting mission, but every mission carries a risk with it and if there is one thing he does not want to risk, that is Oni\'s safety. Or her happiness.

Back to the present…

Michael and Oni finished their dinner and are in the living room of their hotel suite, talking about the mission...

"Promise me that you will stay in the back.", Michael demanded.

Oni exhaled. "Are you in the protective mode again?"

"I was always protective of you.", he responded matter-of-factly.

Oni will not deny that he was always protective of her, but since they are dating, it\'s getting worse. She pursed her lips. "There was a time when we went on missions, the real ones with fighting and explosions. Throughout the whole summer, we went on two trips to the base, and both times you stood in front of me like we are facing enemies and not our army members. During our camping trip, you treated me like I am a fragile princess; you collected double the firewood with an excuse that I shouldn\'t strain myself and you panicked when I scratched my arm on the bush while foraging for berries. And don\'t make me recount all the times when you waited for me after work and glared at my boss because he made me work overtime."

Michael blinked at Oni innocently. "Can you blame me? There was a time when you were my precious comrade. But now, you are my precious everything. Who will protect you if not me?"

She wanted to argue with him that she is NOT a delicate princess, but his words only made her smile goofily.

Michael inched closer. "Those army members don\'t deserve to see your beauty. If you ever strain your muscles, that should happen in the bed with me, and your perfect skin should not be scratched by anything, not even a bush. That boss was part of a two-month long internship, but he was taking advantage of your brilliance like you are dispensable. With me around, no one gets to bully you in any way and that applies to friends, foes, and plants."

His commanding voice was full of love and Oni couldn\'t find words to retaliate. She loves that he is so protective of her.

He gave her a light kiss on the lips and when Oni opened her eyes she saw that he is looking at her passionately.

"Don\'t we have a mission tonight?", Oni reminded him that after dinner (and short rest) they should start scouting their first target.

"Let\'s not rush. We traveled for quite some time and we are tired. I suggest that we stay in and… recharge."

Oni did her best to suppress her grin. She knows that he is talking about making love. "You don\'t look like you want to rest."

"I said recharge, not rest. Those are two different things…"

Oni laughed. She could not believe that he said that with a straight face.

"So… what do you say?", he asked expectantly.

"With you, I am always up for some… recharging.", Oni responded through giggles.

Michael\'s face broke into a grin. He lifted Oni in one smooth move and carried her to the bedroom.

…

Saturday

September 5

7:36 AM

Oni woke up in Michael\'s embrace, her favorite place.

She hugged him tightly and pressed herself against his body while taking in a deep breath.

"Good morning.", he said drowsily.

"Sorry for waking you up, but I couldn\'t help myself. You are too handsome.", she admitted, making him let out a low chuckle.

Oni looked up at him and smiled to the point of her cheeks hurting.

Michael turned to the side and cradled Oni in his arms. He kissed her temple and buried his face in her hair.

Oni listened to his breathing which was slowing down and voiced her observation: "You want to sleep longer…"

"Am I that obvious?", he mumbled back.

Oni\'s eyes lit up mischievously. "Must be the age."

Michael\'s eyes sprang open. "What?"

Oni grinned, happy to see that she hit a nerve. She loves to tease him. "I read that as you get older, your body needs more rest, and the time zone difference is hard on elderly people, so it\'s OK. Sleep longer…"

Michael growled in displeasure. "Elderly?"

Oni felt that his hold on her is tightening and two seconds later, he started tickling her. Oni squirmed to escape, unsuccessfully.

"Michael… love…", she pleaded breathlessly. "You said that no one gets to bully me."

"Hmm…", he hummed in confirmation. "Other than me."

"My protector is a bully! I take it back! You are not old! You are perfect! Everything you do is perfect!"

Michael was happy with this show of strength and that she took it back. No matter how much he dotes on her, Oni needs to show respect. And every time she makes a mistake to call him old, he will punish her with a serious dose of tickling. 

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