Arthur says goodbye to his men with a severe nod, reminding them to rest and spend time with their families before the squad is assigned to another mission; also thanking them for the good work they did. Some of those soldiers are still young and he knows that they need words of support to feel proud of their own achievements and hard work. Although it sounds too cheesy for his own taste, Arthur feels that they are like his family— and he is in charge of taking care of them and taking them home safe and sound.

"Hey Art!" Mike, his second in command, runs to catch up with him. "The boys and I are going to the bar. Will you come with us?" Arthur growled in response, shaking his head as he took his backpack from the van; putting the insurance on his weapons before storing them in his belt.

"No, man. Thank you. I have to go with my girl." He murmured under the mask, ignoring how good the words ’my girl’ sounded on his tongue and the mocking look of his best friend. "Come on, stop the bullshit and leave once and for all. Your wife and children are waiting for you." Both said goodbye with a handshake and walked away in different directions. Arthur took his bike, securing his backpack before starting at full speed. The last mission had been complicated, he needed to be alone.

Alone with her.

Before arriving at her place, Arthur made a stop at the supermarket, buying her favorite chocolates and walking to a nearby flower shop to get a bouquet of flowers with her favorite. This time he drove at a moderate speed so that the flowers would not be mistreated along the way. It was basic human decency to bring flowers in good condition to a girl, even if you didn't like that girl. Right?

But she was not at home.

"She went to lunch with a co-worker." Maya, her roommate, had said. Well, fuck.

"Do you know where’s she?" Arthur asked, his voice sounding more demanding and cold than he had ever wanted. And after thanking Maya with a nod, he walked to his bike and drove quickly to where she was; this time without worrying too much about the flowers in the back briefcase. There were only a couple of minutes left for Arthur to arrive at the irritably picturesque cafeteria where his girl was.

"Hello, beautiful." Arthur growled, both looked at him instantly, her face lighting up while he looked confused. "Hey, little man, sorry but I need to get my girl back and take her home." A sly smile formed on his lips, winking at him in a mocking way.