Archive of Our Own ^beta

Kaz had been on the edge all day, and to the soldiers he seemed even more angry than he usually was. Usually Kaz ignored the stares and whispers of the men, but today he was having none of it.

So today - after exercising his legs a bit before noon, feeling his leg (and a half) aching even more after the impromptu walking session - he had locked himself inside his office, going through paperwork. Paperwork that wasn't even due until a few more days. He refused to let himself dwell in his thoughts too much and tried to keep his mind strictly on the paper. He wasn't even going to glance to the direction of the calendar that hung on the wall.

He tried summoning enough strength to his already aching hand, trying his hardest to write with his only remaining limp that still could hold a pen. Before everything that happened in Afganistan, he mainly used his right hand. After he was released from Mother Base's medical wing, he was forced to write everything with his left. It proved to be quite a task, but at the moment he was doing good enough.

He fell into a rhythm, drowning out all the noises that the few electronics inside his room made, as well as the muffled talking on the hallway behind his door, as the men made their way anywhere else but his office.

So concentrated he was on the task, that he didn't even realize the small knock on his door until it was forced open and something furry quickly made his way inside. Kaz didn't even have the time to voice his distaste, before DD was already next to his chair, wagging his tail and trying his best to lick Kaz's face.

Kaz was frowning, trying his best to keep DD at an arms length. He loved the dog, he really did (even if he was never going to let anyone know just how much), but he didn't like having DD at his office, spreading his fur all over the place and leaving the floor dirty.

"DD, down!" At the command, DD sat down, tail still wagging and staring intently at Kaz. Kaz hadn't even realized Ocelot had made his way inside, closing the door silently behind him.

The wannabe cowboy strided right behind Kaz's desk, spurs making a familiar sound Kaz was too used to already. Kaz tried his best not to look like death, flexing his sore hand. His pen had dropped to the floor after DD's 'attack', but he wasn't going to try and pick it up while Ocelot was there to see his terrible attempts.

"How are you today, Miller?" Ocelot asked, the smile evident even in his voice. He was rustling something behind his back, but Kaz wasn't going to ask about it. His mood turned even more sour. Just for today he wanted to be left alone.

"Horrible. But that's nothing new, right?" He smiled sarcastically, hoping with all his might that Ocelot would just leave. DD had lied down on the floor next to Kaz's legs, his tail slowly wagging onto Kaz's flesh and blood leg.

"And what would you say if I made that day just a bit better?" Ocelot smiled even wider. Like a cat that got the cream. Kaz just eyed the other man suspiciously and waited for him to continue.

Ocelot finally revealed what he was hiding behind his back and presented Kaz a rectangular box that was wrapped in plain red wrapping paper.

Kaz eyed the thing for a while, until he realized what it was. A gift.

"You.. how did you.. ?" he stammered, not sure if he should be angry or actually a bit happy. His mouth remained a straight line as he accepted the gift.

"Your files say a lot about you. So, happy birthday," Ocelot said, scratching his cheek with his gloved hand, his face showing a weird emotion that Kaz didn't want to ponder too much on.

Kaz snarled. "I would appreciate it if you didn't go snooping around," he said, trying to tone down the venom in his voice. After everything that had happened, Kaz didn't care for much about his birthdays. It was just a reminder that he was getting older and that he could never go back to what he once had had.

But it seemed that Ocelot had no ill intentions, so Kaz tried his best to open the damn gift. It didn't seem to want to tear, no matter how much he tried. In defeat, he handed the box to Ocelot, who took it without comment and tore the wrapping away in a way that seemed so easy. He handed the contents to Kaz.

It was a sleek dark blue box, with Kaz's full name on the cover. Kaz didn't know what to expect, so he set the box on his desk and opened it with a slightly shaking hand.

Inside was a kiseru, a japanese smoking pipe. The mouth piece and bowl were made from shiny metal, with bamboo stretching in between. It seemed to be a high quality product and Kaz wondered if Ocelot had it custom-made.

He swallowed and kept staring at the pipe, not really knowing what to say. He jolted in his chair when he realized Ocelot had appeared right next to him, trying his best to avoid the dog on the floor. The russian put both of his hands on the chair, on either side of Kaz's body and stared solemnly at his comrade. Kaz didn't know what was going through the other man's mind, but he wondered if Ocelot thought the kiseru had brought up unnecessary memories to Kaz, about MSF, about John-- no, he wasn't going to go there right now.

Kaz swallowed again, his mouth gone dry and looked up straight to Ocelot's eyes. "I wasn't really expecting this, but.. Thank you, I appreciate it." He even tried to form a small smile.

Ocelot seemed to consider the other man for a while, but sighed and Kaz saw him smile for a split second until he felt Ocelot's lips on his own. It was just a quick kiss, but Kaz answered it nevertheless.

The kiss was over quickly, Ocelot's hand reaching to stroke Kaz's cheek and in the next moment the cowboy was already at the door, calling for DD to follow him.

"I gotta run, but Snake said he would throw a party for you tonight," Ocelot announced, smiling to himself when Kaz let out a dramatic sigh.

"Also, there will be a special party held for you at my room tonight. Just the two of us," Ocelot added, winking and left Kaz's office with a final wave of his hand, DD following right behind him.

As the door closed, Kaz was left alone once again. He twirled the kiseru on his hand and felt himself smile a genuine smile.