Holy Ground

Dosed

"I come with Pizza!" I grinned holding the boxes up, seeing Buck, Eddie, and Maddie out front. "Also, Mateo."

"My hero." Maddie smiled bringing me inside leaving Buck, Mateo, and Eddie to figure out the couch.

"I'm sorry you were showing me the security app." Maddie smiled at Chim as I walked towards the kitchen.

Once everything was moved in and everyone was getting ready to leave, I turned back to Maddie. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

"I'm sure. I'll be fine." She smiled as I gave her another hug kissing her cheek. "Besides, you need to take your brother home."

"If you need anything you call me. And I'll be right here." I reminded her.

"I know. I'll remember." She softly replied.

"How come Maddie always gets a hug and a kiss on the cheek but we never do. We hardly get hugs, and we're her best friends." I heard Buck complaining.

"Is he really complaining about that?" I asked Maddie with a laugh.

"I think they both are." She pointed out and sure enough Eddie was also talking to my brother.

"Dorks, both of them." I shook my head with a laugh.

"Lexi is Lexi. If you want more hugs, say something, or just hug her she's an extremely physically affection person to people she likes and knows also like physical affection. She probably doesn't want to make either of you uncomfortable." Mateo shrugged like it was simple.

"Why would it make us uncomfortable?" Eddie asked him.

"I'm not saying it would but, trauma manifests differently for everyone. Listen, when Lexi loves people I mean really loves them she worries, they're gonna end up like people from her past, so she tries to hold people at a distance." Mateo told them.

"They do know we can hear them, right?" Maddie asked me quietly as we were standing in the doorway still.

"I don't think they can." I looked at her.

"What do you mean tries to?" Buck asked.

"All of you. Maddie, Athena, May, Harry, Michael, the 118, she isn't holding any of you at a distance anymore. So, if you want more hugs, hug her as often as you two want. She'll thrive under the love." Mateo grinned before turning to us. "Let's go Lexi, I'm tired."

"See ya later, Maddie." I winked at her before walking over to the guys.

I was immediately wrapped into a hug by Buck and Eddie making me laugh and return the hug. "Yeah, I love you nerds too. When is our first movie night?"

"Saturday!" He smiled at me.

"Good I'll be there." I waved at them again before Mateo and I left.

"Movie night?" Mateo asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Chris wants to start having a weekly movie night, and he wants Buck and I to be there. And that kid is just amazing, I'm mean he's a smart one and he's funny too. I can get him to gang up on Buck and Eddie with me." I laughed.

"Oh yeah, because you totally need help with that." Mateo scoffed.

"You're just pissed because I do it to you." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Exactly. You don't need help with it." He rolled his eyes.

"Where's the fun in that?" I teased. "Maybe you'll be the first one we gang up on."

"Please don't." Mateo groaned before checking the time. "I would invite you in, but you have an early shift don't you?"

"Yeah I do." I smiled as I parked the car.