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Flynn had been trying to get closer to Chief for a while now, he found the other to be extremely interesting. Mainly because this was the one person he'd met who came close to being as strong as him. And sure, he'd since learned that a lot of that was because of added strength from Chief's suit, but it was still impressive. He'd encountered many beings, and even the literal demons hardly made him break a sweat. Having someone who could hold their own against him was like a breath of fresh air, and the fact that they had the chance to get to know each other and hadn't met via needing to kill each other or some other life threatening scenario was something he wasn't going to take for granted.
Chief being a space marine was also extremely cool. He loved to sit and listen as the other recalled stories of the planets he'd been to, the aliens he'd encountered. In return, Flynn shared stories of his time in hell, describing some of the nastiest demons he'd faced and how he'd managed to kill them.
Chief seemed genuinely interested, asking for more details and saying what he'd have done if he were in Flynn's place. Which usually led to Flynn explaining why Chief's plans wouldn't work, that demons and aliens were two very different things and needed entirely different strategies. This could result in them strategizing for hours, not only on Chief's end but Flynn liked thinking of how he'd hypothetically handle facing off against aliens. (Apparently 'rip and tear' and 'just charge in and pummel them' wasn't a valid plan, many of the creatures Chief faced had reliable long range attacks, and some were parasites that were extremely dangerous if you didn't know how to handle them. Personally, Flynn didn't see the big deal with that, he was sure his suit would protect him and he'd be able to destroy the parasites before they had a chance to get near him, but he didn't argue too much. He wasn't the one who had fought them, so what did he know)
Sometimes Chief would even stop what he was doing so he could have these conversations. And considering Flynn had never seen the other willingly hang out with anyone else outside of training or drills, he couldn't help being a bit proud of himself.
To be fair, technically the two of them weren't spending much time together outside of official military business either. A lot of their interactions took place while Chief was busy, Flynn would seek him out while he was in the middle of something and they'd talk during that.
He figured maybe he should stop that, he wouldn't want Chief to get in trouble for slacking off or something like that. But hey, it wasn't his fault the guy was so hard to track down otherwise. If Chief wasn't training then he almost always seemed to be in his private quarters, at least as far as Flynn could tell, he never saw him out and about. And he didn't feel like they were close enough yet for him to just barge into Chief's room.
So, the obvious solution was to get to know each other better so he'd know where else to find Chief.
This didn't produce the results he expected. He'd asked what Chief liked to do when he was off duty, and in response all he got was a blank stare. That's what he assumed, at least. It was hard to tell through the helmet, but he figured if it were a judgmental look or a glare then Chief would've said something.
He thought his question was pretty clear, but he elaborated anyway. Asking if Chief had any hobbies, interests, anything of the sort. For several seconds all he got was the same empty look, and then "Do you want to spend more time with me?"
Yes? That's why he asked? "Is that... Okay?" Maybe he'd misread their interactions before and Chief had no interest in anything outside a professional relationship, maybe he was being really weird right now.
"Fine by me."
Or maybe not. Thank god, that would've been pretty embarrassing.
After that, Chief agreed to start meeting up during his downtime. He'd seek Flynn out in between drills and training sessions. A lot of what they did was the same as before, but now they could focus their full attention on each other without worrying about it interrupting something important.
In doing this, Flynn learned surprisingly little. He finally got to know Chief's real name, John. (Why it took so long for him to ask for that, he wasn't sure) And once they got to eat together and he saw Chief's face when the other took off the helmet. (He looked... About how Flynn had pictured him. Pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a military man. Hair buzzed extremely short, a bit of a stubble, some scars here and there. The dusting of freckles was unexpected, but not unwelcome)
It was a little frustrating, while Chief could talk a lot when he was in the right mood, he shared almost nothing. He would tell tale after tale about his various experiences saving planets and recall times where he'd almost died but figured out what to do right in the nick of time, but never actually said a thing about himself. Like, Flynn already knew he was a badass war hero, that was the first thing he learned when they met. He didn't need any more convincing of that.
But, it wasn't like he could force information out of the other. Maybe Chief considered a lot of his personal information too personal and this was the only thing he was comfortable talking about. That was fine, it just meant Flynn needed to try harder to befriend him.
He shared some things about himself, nothing crazy but just enough to show that he was fine with opening up. He talked about Daisy, skipping past the details of what exactly happened to her. He rambled about his hobbies a bit, talking about the different tricks he could do with his skateboard or his progress in the games he was currently playing through. Sometimes he would carry a figurine on him so he could show it off.
Chief didn't seem bored by any of this, thankfully. In fact he listened intently, nodding along and asking questions to prompt Flynn into saying more.
It was pretty nice. It had been a while since Flynn had someone to discuss the things he was passionate about with. Don't get him wrong, he loved discussing his time in hell and all the different ways he knew how to kill a demon, but sometimes he wanted someone to talk about more casual things with.
He would've been happy with things staying like that for a while, the two of them had a good routine going. The time spent during their breaks was a pleasant change from the usual monotony of military life. But then, somehow, things got even better.
Flynn brought up the fact that he played guitar in his free time, not trying to brag or anything but he was proud of this particular skill. He couldn't help listing off all the songs he knew how to play, as well as the ones he wanted to learn.
After he finished, Chief was silent for a couple seconds. And then, right when Flynn was going to ask if there was a problem, "Could you teach me?"
Naturally, he was shocked. This was the first time Chief had expressed interest in the things he did beyond offering the occasional question or comment. He always seemed content just listening, never having any desire to participate. Until now, that is.
Flynn said yes, of course. He'd have to be crazy to decline. Sure, he'd never actually taught anyone how to play guitar before, but he was sure he could figure it out.
They agreed on a time for Chief to meet him in his room, deciding on sometime later that night. He made sure to specify that Chief should show up without the armor, it'd be easier to hold the guitar that way. He normally wouldn't think he'd need to say that, but he'd never seen the other without the armor before, the most Chief had taken off around him was the helmet. No harm in making sure.
Later, while he was waiting, he found himself pacing. He wasn't sure if he was nervous or excited, probably a little of both. He hoped everything went well and Chief ended up having fun, it'd kinda suck if he ended up boring or annoying his friend.
He'd tuned his guitar first thing when he got back to his room, and had checked it at least twice after the fact just to make sure it was right. He also cleaned up a little, not enough to make the place spotless since he definitely didn't have time for that, but to make enough room for the two of them to sit comfortably.
He wasn't left alone with his thoughts for too long, because Chief arrived right on time.
The first thing Flynn noticed was that Chief was a lot slimmer than he'd expected. That wasn't to say he was a twig or anything, but much of the muscle on him was leaner and less immediately obvious. He was definitely still very strong, but in comparison to Flynn who had shoulders almost wider than most doorways and biceps like pythons, it was pretty funny. It was hard not to tease him about it. (Another time, definitely)
Chief took a quick look around the room, seeming unsure of what to do before Flynn gestured for him to sit down on the bed.
Of course, he took a seat next to Chief before picking up the guitar and explaining what to do. Where to put your fingers on the strings to make certain noises, how to correctly hold it. He played a few chords as an example, just a quick and simple tune, before asking if Chief understood.
Chief 'hmm'd before asking if Flynn could play a little more, just so he could be sure he knew what to do of course.
Obviously, he complied. He initially was only gonna go for a couple minutes, but he let himself be egged into playing three whole songs in a row. It wasn't even like Chief went out of his way to ask for this, but seeing the little smile on the other's face made it hard to resist. Not to mention how relaxed the other seemed, resting his face in the palm of one of his hands as he watched, eyes hardly leaving Flynn's hands for a second, only for the few times he glanced up at Flynn's face.
Eventually though, Flynn remembered the reason for them meeting up. He paused in what he was doing, saying that he'd probably demonstrated enough for Chief to have a basic idea of what to do before handing the guitar over.
Chief, while he'd seemed more than happy to just watch and listen, didn't hesitate. He flashed a grin that was only a few inches away from being a smirk before gripping the instrument. Once it sat comfortably in his hands, he wasted no time strumming.
Immediately, it was clear he was trying to mimic one of the songs Flynn had played. He couldn't get it quite right though, the chords he was playing ranged from only slightly off to not even in the same ballpark. This was clearly frustrating him a bit, his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth was set into a hard line. After a few more failed attempts, that changed into a full on scowl.
As amusing as it was to watch him pout and struggle, Flynn decided to intervene. (Mostly cause he didn't wanna end up having to replace one of the strings of his guitar) He carefully rested his hands over Chief's, adjusting the one that wasn't being used for strumming, explaining that Chief needed to move his fingers a little bit higher during this part, or hold the strings down a little bit tighter during another part.
Admittedly, he probably didn't need to be so hands on with his explanation, but he liked the wide-eyed look he got when he initially made physical contact, which he was half sure was accompanied by a blush but he couldn't be one hundred percent sure, that might've been the lighting in the room playing tricks on him.
He also tried offering some reassurance, saying that Chief shouldn't be discouraged by not playing like an expert on his first try. In his experience, learning how to be good at playing guitar had been a lot more stressful and difficult than learning how to use any of the weapons he'd killed creatures with over the years. This stuff took patience.
That seemed to help, Chief nodded and tried again. He stumbled quite a few times, but each time he got something right or made it further in the song than he had before, Flynn reacted with praise and encouragement.
They kept at it for a few hours, eventually switching things up so Chief could try something else. This probably lasted a lot longer than it should've, considering they had responsibilities and stuff to attend to tomorrow. Things that required physical exertion, which would be harder if they didn't get enough sleep.
This seemed worth it, though. They could make up for any sleep they lost another night.
However, it was soon made clear that Chief must have had a schedule he was very used to. He usually went to bed at a certain time every night and got up at the same time every day. After a while he started yawning, and messing up more frequently. He tried to fix his mistakes, but couldn't seem to get his fingers to cooperate.
Before he had time to get frustrated again, Flynn suggested he take a break. (He would've suggested that Chief just leave and they pick this up again another day, but he wasn't quite ready for that. It felt too soon for their night to end)
Chief apologized, but Flynn insisted that he didn't mind playing a little more while Chief rested his hands. And Chief brightened up at that, getting himself situated so he could comfortably watch his friend.
Predictably, this didn't last very long. Flynn didn't even get through two whole songs before he was interrupted by a quiet snore, and he looked up to see Chief leaning back against the wall, conked right the fuck out.
He sighed, unable to fight a smile as he set the guitar aside. Briefly he considered sleeping on the floor, since it would be rude to wake the other, but ultimately he decided against it. He was too damn old for that, he'd wake up sore in like twenty different places.
So, he sat himself next to Chief and pulled a blanket over the two of them. Chief made a quiet noise of contentment, shifting so his head was resting against Flynn's shoulder.