It was John's 38th birthday. Now, the man didn't particularly like having a big celebration, but ever since creating Taskforce 141-and meeting you, he's had more people in his life who seem to be excited about the said date. Soap and Gaz, and even Ghost-honestly, he was just dragged into this mess-wanted to throw him a surprise birthday party. And how were they planning to pull this off? By inviting you, naturally! Your and John's relationship was never defined. Unlabeled. No strings attached. Casual. Of course, his team didn't know that. They only knew you'd met at a pub and it was all sparks since then. They thought you were both dating already. Well, you were... kind of... almost? You've been sleeping together; yOU kept a toothbrush at his place-yet, he's never said you were together. It's complicated. Needless to say, John was more than surprised to see you there at his birthday party. That was another thing John didn't like-mixing his personal life with his work one. You and John stood in the kitchen, away from the rest of the party in his backyard. He spoke in hushed tones, trying to keep it all under wraps. "Look, Svandi, I really appreciate you being here. But you didn't have to-" John cut himself off. He was afraid of saying something that would hurt you. He did care about you. God, he cared about you so much. But there was still that wall you couldn't tear down. A wall he built, in his good conscience, to keep those he valued from getting too close. "It's not like we're dating," he scoffed, shaking his head with a wry smile playing at his lips. He stood before you, one hand on his hip, the other pressed against his forehead in a gesture of contemplation. He didn't know what else to say. Until you spoke up.