When I woke up the next time, I'd almost forgotten Reid was watching over me. I froze for a second when I felt a heavy hand resting on my side, and the strong chest under my head, but my senses quickly informed me this alpha who held me was just my partner. I relaxed and yawned, then rubbed my cheek against Reid.
"Morning," he murmured quietly.
"Morning... Wait... It's not actually morning, right?" I mumbled and peered around.
"Nah. You slept like an hour or so," he told me. "Feeling better now?"
I shrugged. "Haven't decided yet..."
He hummed and hugged me gently. "There's no rush."
"Good..." I murmured and closed my eyes again.
I was still groggy, and keeping my eyes open was a task, so I wasn't even going to try. And Reid kept caressing me without saying a word... I probably would've fallen back to sleep if I'd managed to keep my head empty.
But I didn't, and even though I tried to keep my head empty, I couldn't really stop my thoughts. But I guess... I guess it was safe enough to face what happened. Reid was there to watch over me, so...
Captain... he found them... those people who bought me... I still couldn't believe I wasn't legally adopted. I was bought from a farm, like I was just... cattle. Of course... It should've been obvious... I'd known they just wanted to use me to make babies for sale... I'd learned that the moment I had my first heat. Why did I ever believe I was legally adopted?
Maybe I wasn't ready to face it, after all...
I let out a deep breath and curled tighter around my partner, who probably could tell I was getting a little distressed because he suddenly purred at me lightly. That purr, especially when it continued, calmed me and forced those thoughts out of my head.
He was telling me I was all right now. That everything was fine.
I focused on him until I felt calm enough to think about what Captain did for me last night. Guts and drills...
"They'll have nightmares about me for years to come."
I suppose they would, yes... If they survived... They'd be jailed for years... Up to twenty years, was it? They had stolen twenty years of my life, and now they would lose twenty years of theirs. On top of a few lost body parts...
They were never putting their hands on me ever again...
I was safe from them...
I let out another deep breath. I was done thinking about them. Instead, I focused on Reid and just enjoyed the warmth and closeness. I'd never had this kind of closeness before... I'd never had anyone watch over me while I slept. I'd never had anyone guard me like Reid did. All I'd ever felt was pain...
Reid rested his head against mine and purred a little louder, taking away those bad thoughts again. My omega woke up to listen to this alpha, and soon, a little purr escaped my throat as well. I blushed a little. My omega and I... We'd never done that before. It was odd... But nice...
And honestly... I didn't want to waste my time thinking about those people who bought me. That part of my life was over now. Erased. I survived and got this far, and this life was so much better than I ever dared to hope for. I got to experience all these good things now. This life was my reward, and I refused to let the people from my past ruin that for me.
They got what they deserved, and I had the feeling their torment was far from over.
Eventually, I got too hungry to stay in bed, and no matter how much I enjoyed this closeness with Reid, my growling stomach was getting louder by the minute.
"I might be wrong..." Reid muttered with a smirk. "But I have this weird feeling you may need food."
"Huh... Is that so?" I asked, and my stomach let out another unnatural groan.
"Yeah... Not sure why I'd think that..."
"That is odd."
"All right," Reid said, sat up, and patted my shoulder. "Let's get you something to eat."
"Sure," I said, and let him help me out of the bed.
We were still joking about the very embarrassing sounds my stomach was making when we stepped out of our room and made our way down the hallway, but when we stepped into the living room, we both stopped when we sensed the atmosphere.
Daz and his partners were there, and so were Keita and Chandler. They all sat on the couches and chairs in silence, but the TV wasn't on. Ash and Rio stared at a phone on the coffee table in front of them while Daz was typing a message on his phone by the window. Keita and Chandler both had serious expressions on their faces. They all were clearly waiting for something.
"What's going on?" Reid asked.
Most of them exchanged worried looks before they turned back to us.
"We have a, uh... bit of a small situation," Ash said quietly. "Captain and Nico had a... an argument."
"Oh..." Reid said with a frown. "What happened? I didn't hear anything."
"I heard most of it," Ash said. "Short version, Captain was being a dick about their relationship. Nico had enough of his bullshit and... Our leader got that bullshit thrown right back in his face."
"The longer version, please," Reid said.
"Well, at first, Nico was just upset because Captain keeps lying to us about his solo missions. You know, tried to tell him we're all worried sick and all that, but Captain wasn't listening, as usual," Ash said.
"Nico did say something about that this morning," I said. "He sounded really frustrated. And he was upset. And worried."
"You spoke with him?" Ash asked.
"Yeah. We both were up really early. He wasn't very happy about Captain's solo mission," I explained. "It didn't seem like he'd slept much last night."
"Yeah, we're all always worried, and that's what Nico tried to tell him. But then things kind of escalated."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well... Captain didn't let him know he was home already. He came to see you guys after he returned, but never told Nico about it. Nico tried to tell him that he wished Captain would've come to say hi to him first. And Captain..." Ash grimaced before he continued. "He got all... captain on him. Basically, he scolded Nico for feeling threatened by... uh..."
"Me," I guessed quietly. I sat back in my chair and let out a slow breath. "So... It's my fault they had a fight."
"What? No?" Ash said with a frown, but then it clearly clicked. "Oh! No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, no, not like that. No."
"It's not your fault at all," Reid said sternly. "Trust me. It's not. Not at all."
"It's not your fault, believe me. This whole thing has been brewing for a long time now. I've tried to talk to him about it again and again, but he just..." Daz said as well, and sat next to his partners. "I love him, but fuck me, he's..."
"Dense?" Rio offered.
"That," Daz said and sighed. "He's sabotaging his own happiness, but I don't understand why..."
"Oh, that he did, all right," Ash said. "Because lastly, Nico said he wished Captain would treat him more like a mate, and not like his subordinate."
Now they all grimaced.
"Yeah... Captain said he can't be his mate," Ash said, and leaned back in his chair.
"Wow..." Reid muttered. "Then what?"
"Then Nico left. He was very, very upset. And now he's missing," Ash said. "Captain is still looking for him. After I kicked his ass, if I may add."
"Nico isn't answering to anyone," Rio said. "We've all tried to call him, but he turned off his phone real quick."
"He also took a car and left the base. His tag shows he left and hasn't returned," Ash continued.
"We are trying to decide if we should track his license plate, but..." Rio said, wrinkling his nose. "Doesn't feel right."
"Captain really hurt him this time, huh...? They've never fought like this," Reid said.
"Well... Kinda saw it coming, to be fair," Ash said.
"I mean, yeah..."
I listened with one ear while they talked about just how dense Captain was, but I couldn't stop myself from thinking about what Nico said to me weeks ago. Something about me having Captain wrapped around my finger. I'd had a strong feeling Nico was jealous of the attention I was getting from Captain, so...
I mean... Captain was with Reid and me for way over half an hour. If he really didn't even go say hi to his own partner first... And he went on that solo mission because of me... And Nico had been so worried about him. He'd kept checking his phone the entire morning... He'd not even slept well because he was so worried...
And Captain came to me first after returning home... I suddenly had something heavy on my chest.
Fuck... How was this not my fault? Knowing that these issues had been brewing for a while now didn't help almost at all. What did it matter that this was just the last straw? It still happened because of me. And if Nico really was jealous of the attention I was getting... And it really started to look like he was... Who knew how bad things could get? I knew what jealousy could do to people, especially if mates were involved...
The idea scared me, but I knew I had to talk to Nico once he'd get back home.
It just didn't look like he was returning home.
Several hours later, Captain returned without his partner. Everything about him was tense when he climbed up the stairs to greet us. The whole team was waiting for news, but we could all tell he didn't have any just by the look on his face.
"So you didn't find him yet?" Ash was the first to ask.
Captain sighed. "You can't really find a SOU officer who doesn't want to be found..."
"So you really screwed up this time, huh?" Keita asked while getting up from his chair.
"Look. All of you. This doesn't really concern you," Captain began. "You can go now. I'm sure Nico will be back home before curfew, and I'll..."
"And you'll grovel for his forgiveness?" Ash suggested.
"Beg for mercy and promise you stop being a dick to him?" Daz offered.
"You could also accept him as your mate," Ryan added. "You know. Because he's your mate."
"Like I said," Captain said, trying to hold back his frustration as he lifted his both hands up to silence us. "None of your concern."
"Mhh-hm," Daz uttered with raised eyebrows, then turned to usher us all out of the living room.
Reid nudged my arm to get my attention, then gestured for me to follow him into our room. Once there, he closed the door, then sighed and shook his head.
"I don't think Nico is coming back home today," he muttered as he went to sit down on the couch.
"No?"
"To be fair," he said, tilting his head. "I hope he's not coming back home. I love Captain, but fuck, he could use some of his own medicine. He'd get to know what it's like to stay up all night, wondering where he went and if he's all right..."
I hummed and sat down next to him. "I was... I was kind of hoping I'd get to talk to him. Soon. Today..."
"With Nico? Why?"
"You know why..." I mumbled.
He watched me for a moment, then turned to face me. "This is not your fault. Captain had this coming."
"I still want to talk to him," I said. "I think... I have this feeling that Nico doesn't want me here... That he's jealous..."
"I don't think he's jealous," Reid said. "He's just upset with Captain. And angry too. But if you want, I can give you his number. I don't know if he'll answer anytime soon if his phone is turned off."
I considered it, then nodded. "I just want to tell him I'm really sorry about this..."
"It's not your fault," he said again.
"I still feel responsible," I said, grabbing my phone. "I'll send him a message."
Reid nodded and gave me his number. I quickly typed a message, saying I was really sorry for causing trouble, and that I felt bad for what happened, and that if I'd known Captain hadn't come to see him first, I would've kicked him out of our room. I felt a little nervous when I sent it.
"I just want to make sure he's not upset with me," I told Reid when I put the phone away.
"I'm sure he isn't," Reid said reassuringly.
"I don't want any grudges or bad feelings with anyone," I told him, taking a deep breath. "That would suck... If he's even a little upset with me, I want to fix that fast."
Reid gave me a small smile and patted my shoulder. "I'm sure it'll be fine."
"I hope so..." I muttered.
Because at worst, Nico could get me fired from this team... But I tried to convince myself I was blowing this whole thing way out of proportion. But how was I supposed to know? I didn't know Nico that well. I didn't know how he felt about me, or what kind of person he would turn into if he was actually jealous.
We decided to just watch a game after that. It had been a long, shitty day, and the sun would set soon, so there was no point in doing much else. Half an hour into the game, Reid went to see what Captain was up to, but he returned almost immediately.
"He's a little cranky..." he mumbled as he took his seat next to me.
"So... No news from Nico?" I asked.
"He's currently running his license plate," he told me. "I really don't think he'll return today."
"Yeah, it's starting to look like that," I agreed.
We continued watching the game, but only five minutes later, we were interrupted. My phone let out its very first beep. I'd not used to getting messages or calls, so I didn't even realize it was mine until Reid turned to look at me.
"He replied," he said in surprise.
"Huh? Oh!" I hurried to grab my phone, and sure enough, there was a message from Nico.
Suddenly, I was so nervous I felt sick, but I quickly opened the message to get it out of the way. But his reply wasn't what I'd expected.
"Are you alone?" I read out loud, then replied that I was with Reid. It only took seconds for Nico to reply back. "He wants to call me."
"Do you want that?" Reid asked.
"Yeah. I think?" I said, but decided to let Nico call me, anyway.
Again, it took only a short moment before he called me. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself a little before I answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me," Nico said. "I got your message, and I just wanted you to know this isn't your fault at all."
I let out another deep breath. "You sure?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it," he said reassuringly. "It's between me and Captain."
"Okay... Are you all right?" I asked now that I had the opportunity.
"Yeah, yeah... I'm... I just need some time alone, that's all," he said.
"Does that mean you're coming back home soon?" I asked.
There was a long pause of silence at his end. "Not today, no," he finally said slowly. "Listen, tell the guys I'm fine. I'm safe. I just need some time to think."
"I'll do that," I said. "But... Do you want to talk? I'm a good listener."
He snorted a little in amusement. "Thanks, but I'm fine. Don't worry. I'm just... Captain really didn't get what I was trying to tell him. I don't know if he misunderstood me on purpose or what, and that just... That hurt. But it's fine. Don't worry about it. I just need some time to think..."
"What did you try to say to him, then?" I asked.
He let out a deep sigh. "I mean... I thought things were going better between us... Now that I'm in rut, we've been so much closer... So... I just thought I'd be a little bit more special... You know? Just enough that he'd come say hi to me first when he comes home. And I completely get that you needed him to be with you, and that's not an issue at all. It's just..."
"...What?" I asked when he fell silent.
"He just refused to understand why that hi meant so much to me," he said. "And I would've been fine without a hi this time because I know you needed him, but... He got almost mad at me. It's always the same. I'm never going to be special to him. He just lets me believe things are finally getting better, but as soon as I ask for a simple hi he flips out and tells me he can't be my mate and gets distant again..."
"Man... I'm sorry," I said quietly.
He let out a sad sigh. "So... Yeah... I'm not coming home today... I need time."
"Captain is running your license plates," I told him. "He's been looking for you ever since you left."
"He is?" he asked softly.
"Yeah."
"No!" Reid suddenly said loudly. "Tell him not to come home. Captain needs to taste his own medicine. Tell him!"
Nico laughed. "Tell Reid I'm not coming home."
I forwarded his message.
"Good," Reid said with a snort. "And tell him I'm sorry Captain put him through this crap again... He really needs to pull his head out of his ass."
"You heard him?" I asked Nico.
"I did, yeah," he said. "And thank you. Both of you. I do feel better now. Let the guys know I'm all right, and..."
I waited patiently for him to continue. Nico let out a breath, but this one had more strength in it, like he'd made up his mind.
"No, actually, could you please tell Captain I'm not coming home," he said.
"What?" I asked with a frown.
"Yeah. I don't feel like coming back," he said. "I hate the army, anyway. So if he still wants me to come back home, he needs to find me and convince me to return."
I chuckled at his words. "I do like the sound of that."
"I'm done being his free time toy," Nico said. "He can't keep banging me and still keep me at arm's length. I'm worth more than that."
"Agreed," I said. "But you'll be all right, right? Are you staying with anyone?"
"I'll be fine," he said reassuringly. "I'm not giving any clues."
"Right," I said, and chuckled. "Well, I guess I'll see you as soon as Captain pulls his head out of his ass."
He sighed. "If that will ever happen..."
"I have a funny feeling it'll happen sooner than you think," I told him.
"Right... Anyway. Thanks for listening. I need to get going," he said.
"No worries. Take care of yourself," I told him.
"I will. Bye."
"Bye," I said, and hung up.
"So...?" Reid raised his eyebrow.
"I have a message to deliver," I said, and got up from the couch.
I glanced out the window while I waited for Reid to get up as well. The sun was already setting... What a long day it had been...
Reid followed me in curiosity when I left our room. The guys were in their rooms, but most of their doors were open, probably so they could eavesdrop.
"Captain?" I asked loudly.
"He's in the tech room," Reid told me.
"I'm here," Captain spoke and a few seconds later, he climbed up the stairs.
"I got a hold on Nico," I told him.
His eyes widened. "You did?"
I nodded. "He wanted us all to know that he's all right and somewhere safe."
"And?" Captain asked hastily, while the others hurried out of their rooms to listen.
"And..." I said and breathed out. "He's not coming back unless you can find him and convince him to come back."
"All right, Nico!" the guys cheered triumphantly.
Captain glared at us all, then stopped to stare at me. "This is not a game."
"No, it isn't," I said. "He's done being your free time toy. His words, not mine. So... If you want him back, he would like you to work for it."
"Is that so...?"
"Uh-huh," I said.
"Did he happen to say where he went?" he asked.
"Nope. You'll have to figure it out on your own," I said.
He let out a deep breath. He was so not happy with any of us... He turned his back to us, paced a little, then let out a frustrated growl.
"Fine..." he said slowly. "I'll find him."
"Good. And you better bring him back home," Ash said.
"You can't just keep playing with his emotions," Daz agreed.
"He is your true mate. We all can see that," Reid added. "So you better actually convince him. Not just kidnap him and force him to come back."
Captain was about to open his mouth, but he was interrupted.
"And this is our concern," Ash said sternly. "You're more than just our captain, and he's our brother. You will ruin this family if you won't accept him."
Captain glanced at us all, one by one, then sighed. "Let me just find him first."
There were some disappointed sighs going on.
"I'll have to get to work," Captain said, and headed back to the stairs. "If you hear anything from him, let me–"
His phone rang. We all held our breaths as he hurriedly searched for his phone, but when he finally had it in his hand, he frowned at the screen.
"Is it Nico?" Ash asked.
"No..." Captain spoke in disappointment, sighed, and brought the phone up to his ear. "Captain Tom Hale."
We all quieted down to let him speak, but I guess no one was paying attention to it. Not until we all heard someone shouting at the other end.
"Michael is under attack! They're breaking into his home with guns! We're on our way, but we need backup!"
"What?" Captain said sharply, turning back to us.
"Get your asses over there! Now!"
Ream subs can read about the fight that happened between Captain and Nico, and how Ash tried to put some sense into Captain ;) + Reid's background story, Gambit, is now finished, and Nico's background story, Apollo, is continuing!