Fight or Flight

Veronica awoke to feathery fingertips tickling her skin. She opened her eyes, squinting at the bright sunlight peeking through the sheer curtains hanging in front of the window. She laid her head on Matt's chest, her head rising and falling with each breath he took. The sheets and comforter were only covering half of her naked body. Memories of last night replayed in her mind.

"Hey," She said quietly, looking up at him through her eyelashes. His light brown hair was a mess and he looked like he’d just woken up himself.

His hands paused for a second before continuing to rub her skin. "Morning."

She could sense that he was tense by his rigid biceps and his long sigh. She wondered if she’d done something wrong last night. "What's wrong?"

"I know this is too early to ask, but was last night a mistake to you?" He flat-out asked.

"What?" She gasped, raising her head to look directly at his face. "No! It wasn't a mistake at all. I like you a lot, Matt. I just wanted to let you know." She thought about it. "Why, do you think it was a mistake?"

"Not at all," He shook his head. "I just wanted to make sure from you."

"Okay," She nodded her head. She wondered if this was the awkward, morning after thing. She should have known he was going to ask that question. She’d pulled away from him for so long, he wasn’t sure if she was just acting on impulse. She reached up, pressing her mouth to his for a quick kiss to reassure him.

"I could get used to that.” His mouth turned up into a cheeky smile and he rested an arm behind his head. "That is, if you want to be with me officially."

"Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" She teased him like a kid. She wasn't even sure if people still did the whole asking each other out thing.

"Yes, I'm asking you to be my girlfriend," He said in an sarcastic tone while rolling his eyes.

She giggled at his "formal" proposal. In a polite, girly manner she responded. "Yes, I'll be your girlfriend, Matt."

"Good," He grinned, showing off his adorable dimples. He pecked her lips again.

It was silent for a couple of minutes. Veronica wondered how she was going to tell Audrey and Nate that she'd done it and gone after Matt. She wondered if Val would care when she found out. Val had said she didn't care, so that was a good sign, Veronica thought. However, Veronica thought about waiting a while before rubbing it in Val's face unless Matt told her himself. After all, Matt did trust Valary.

Veronica slightly shuddered at Matt's touch, trying to control herself after last night. She thought that their first time had been hot and romantic. It was somewhat slow compared to the roughness she was used to with other men, but Matt was different to her. She wanted to take her time with him.

"What happened here?" His deep voice brought her from her thoughts.

She looked at the spot he was referring to. It was a small scar on her upper right arm near her shoulder. The scar was circular with a tiny dip in the skin. It wasn't visible when she wore short-sleeved shirts and it was barely noticeable unless a person really looked at her skin or felt for it. "Oh, this? Just a flesh wound."

"Just a flesh wound," Matt repeated like he was absorbing the information. "Wow."

"What?" Her face turned into a quizzical expression.

"You say it like it's normal," He responded.

"It's normal to me.” She shrugged her shoulders. The scar was made from an enemy bullet in the middle of a firefight in Iraq. Despite her minor injury, she kept on fighting until she absolutely had to pull back to be treated. "I'd rather catch a bullet in a nonfatal area than a major artery or something."

"I guess you're right,” Matt agreed.

"I mean, it hurt like hell but what doesn't kill me makes me stronger," She said, quoting the famous phrase.

"I guess so," Matt said, looking down at her. He continued trailing his fingers down her arm. "What about this?"

She looked at the tattoo he pointed at. It read "Semper Fi" in cursive. It was tattooed in black ink across the underside of her right wrist. "Semper Fi means ‘always loyal’ in Latin. It's the motto in the corps."

He nodded his head, taking in more information. He continued to treat her body like a board game, going from level to level against her skin.

"Keep going and you might find another bullet hole," She joked as his calloused hand ran up her side.

His hand stopped moving, and his eyes gave off a weary expression.

"Er, sorry," She apologized. She forgot that some of her crude jokes were not as funny to other, normal people like they were to her and her comrades. "I was just joking."

He pushed the wrinkled bed sheet to the side to reveal another tattoo just under the curve of her right breast on her ribs. He turned his head to the side to read the black cursive writing."Whatever it takes..."

"It means what it says," Veronica answered the question before he asked. She felt like she was giving him a new, nonsexual tour of her body. "I did everything it took to get to where I am now, and I'll continue to do whatever it takes in the future."

She didn't go too in depth with its meaning, as she felt like he would get bored. However, it was still one of her favorite tattoos. She would absolutely do whatever it takes to protect her country, her family, and her teammates.

"Hm," Matt shrugged. His warm hand trailed down her stomach, teasing her privates and rubbing the inside of her thigh.

"Whoa there," Veronica shrieked in surprise, grabbing his hand under the sheets to stop him. She pulled his hand away with a smirk. "That's enough exploring for one day."

"Aw," He pouted. "Maybe we'll finish next time."

"Yeah, next time," Veronica giggled.

"Are you hungry? I can make breakfast unless you prefer to go out," He offered.

Veronica glanced at his alarm clock for the first time since she woke up. It was nearing ten-thirty. "We can stay here for breakfast. I'll help cook.”

"Alright, then let's go," He nodded, getting up from the bed. “You can put on one of my t-shirts since I don’t really have any clothes that’ll fit you.”

“I have some clothes in my car,” She told him, sitting up and holding the sheets against her chest. She always carried a spare outfit or two in her car just in case. She rarely ever used those emergency outfits, but now she had a reason to. She watched Matt put his boxers back on and then stretch his arms high above his head. Her mouth nearly started salivating at the sight of his back muscles and shoulder blades. She exhaled in contentment, leaning against the headboard. She could get used to this.