"My apologies, but I don't have that crusty, dusty CIA instant coffee. You'll have to arrange with real beans.", you said and poured him a cup of deep, pitch black freshly brewed liquid.

For a moment, Adler eyed the cup before taking a big sip from it. Not a moment later he shrugged and did a face that obviously gave away that he had nothing to complain about.

"I know you like fancy stuff.", he said and huffed.

Adler almost never laughed. The closest to a laugh you've ever earned from him was a chuckle, longer than a second, paired with raised corners of his mouth.

But despite his cold exterior, he had grown on you. A shameful thing to admit, but as long as it didn't get out of hand you had told yourself it would be fine.

Smiling, you leaned against the kitchen counter and watched him sit on that ridiculously small dining table that usually barely fit you. For some reason, the Americans liked things that looked fancy but weren't very functional.

And as much as you loved to laugh about their foolishness sometimes, you had been forced to pick up some sort of similar habits to blend in with the masses.

One example was the unholy amount of coffee that you consumed ever since knowing Adler. You had never been able to get rid of it.

If you were completely honest, it had gotten worse over the years and you had switched from cheap to high quality coffee.

Even if you'd rather die than admit it out loud, he had been the biggest reason why this habit had grown. Ever since you two were close, you two enjoyed a cup of coffee. It was some sort of a ritual from the field.

And when he wasn't around you liked to drink it to remind yourself of how it felt to be in his company.

"You know old habits can't be helped...", you said and took a big sip to calm the strange feeling that was rising inside you.

He nodded, which made the masses of hair on his head bounce.

"I'm the last who'll blame you for that.", he tapped the pack of cigarettes that he had placed on the table next to him.

There were only a few left, barley enough to satisfy his consume for half a day.

You frowned.

"Still smoke that much?", you asked and took a closer look at the packaging, only to be surprised again. "Switched brands?"

He drank his coffee.

"I had to get rid of her one way or another.", he shrugged. "It was her favourite brand, so I had to look for something else."

A soft breath escaped you as you placed the pack back on the table and shook your head.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't there after... the divorce.", you locked eyes with him, or rather believed that he was looking at you through his shades.

He took a deep breath and let it out in such a loud manner that it seemed as if he tried to overplay a sigh.

"You were on a mission, I knew that.", his fingers tightened around the cup. "Our job doesn't leave much time for comforting others."

You pulled a face.

"True. But it still made me feel bad."

"Don't feel bad for serving your country. The people thank you. You keep them save. That needs sacrifices."

Hearing him say those typical, American believes made you want to laugh out loud. But instead, you bit your tongue and swallowed it.

Slowly, you let yourself sink down on the chair next to him.

With a serious look on your face, you rubbed your forehead.

"I know.", you finally pressed out between clenched teeth. "But I felt like a bad friend. I still do."

Adler took another sip.

You remembered this pattern of behaviour.

He was thinking. Every time when he thought about something, he took a moment to do something else, take a drag of a cigarette, drink a sip or just took care of other things at hand.

"You did me a huge favour when you drove across the country to back me up.", he finally said. "You know I don't like talking about it. But I like to remember what you did for me back then. And I still think highly of you because of it."

All of a sudden, weight feel off your shoulders. It was so sudden and relieving that you couldn't help but lower your head to hide a big smile.

"You make me cringe.", you said to overplay the fact that you were still weak for him. "Disgusting."

Now it was his turn to smirk.

"Apologies. But still. I trust you with my life."

"Oh? Sounds like another divorce. Need a place to crash? I've got a big couch. Would definitely fit your big ass."

"Oh, hell no. I'd rather take a bullet from Perseus.", he stopped for a moment. "Speaking of which."

Your shoulders tensed.

"You're fucking with me.", you gasped, both startled and unwilling to believe it.

He nodded.

A satisfied expression appeared on his face.

"Got a signal from his men a few weeks back.", he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a sealed envelope to place it in front of you on the table. "I have no idea what to expect. But the CIA granted me a team. I already got my regular picks."

Gently, your fingers reached out but froze as the soft, white paper touched them.

"Why me?", you suddenly asked and surprised yourself.

Adler let out a deep breath.

"You want the truth?"

"Ha! Fuck yes I do. I mean... don't get me wrong, we both work well together and shit but... we didn't see each other for quite a while. Things might be a bit rusty."

With an agreeing hum, he leaned back and tilted his head to glance at you from the brim of his glasses.

For the first time in years, his bright, blue eyes pierced yours.

The sight made your heart stop for a moment.

"When did that ever happen?", he asked, so confident that it made you shiver. "We can separate for years and always bounce back immediately. When two pieces belong together, time doesn't matter. I need you for this mission. I need you by my side. Not as my right hand but as my partner. (Y/N). Just the two of us."

You took a sharp breath in.

"Always."