Shaded Soldiers || Gay MxM || Omegaverse

8. Long Day

After the very intense interview I was put through after dinner, I was thankfully left alone. I returned to my new room, where I spent a moment taking a better look around. Reid had left the base to avoid me, so I was free to explore. Though there really wasn't much to explore. Just the toilet, really. I did go check out the showers when no one was using them and found the laundry room next to it as well.

After that, I took my time unpacking my bags. I still had a strong feeling I was wasting my time, that in a day or two I'd have to pack my bags again and leave. I tried to have a little more faith than that, but... I couldn't stop seeing Stoll smirking at me. He would ruin this for me. I was sure he would.

This was too good to be true.

I plugged in the fridge and my new laptop, and let it download all the updates it needed. It was getting so late I wasn't going to bother Nico about it, though. Maybe tomorrow. There was no hurry. I found clean bedsheets and made the bed. The pillows, the duvet, the mattress... They felt so soft. I carefully sat on it, and sure enough... Fit for a king.

I tossed my head back, closing my eyes, letting out a deep breath. Too fucking good...

The bed was still missing one more thing. I got back up and went to dig through the bag with my equipment, and fished out my biggest, meanest knife with a serrated blade. I never used it in combat, it was too clumsy for that, but people often found it intimidating enough to leave me alone. I pulled it out of its holster, checked the blade, and put it back in. I hid it under my pillow. Just in case...

But now I had run out of things to do. I peered at the TV, but I'd never really watched anything, so I turned my back to it. I probably didn't even know how to turn it on, to be fair.

Honestly, I just wanted to enjoy the silence. I needed a breather, so I sat down on the floor next to my bed and leaned against it. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, trying to clear my head. Not so easy when the scents around me were now free to steal my attention. The window was closed, so all the smells were growing stronger. Especially Reid's. But I was all right with it. I hoped it meant I was already getting used to all these pheromones, but the next heat was probably going to be unbearable...

I shook my head, trying to clear my head again. I heard quiet, muffled talking behind the wall. It wasn't going to be a problem since it was so silent I barely noticed it. I assumed the room next to ours belonged to... I'd never been this bad with names... The group of three. Two Hispanic guys and the young white dude... What the fuck were their names...? I groaned and gave up. They had short names, that was all I could remember.

Great. Now I had to politely find a way to ask for their names again, or hope I didn't need to use them until I learned them...

I laughed and shook my head. I really wished that remembering names would be my biggest problem. But Stoll's words invaded my mind.

"You will get molested here..."

And who would be the first...? Someone from this team?

I rubbed my face, trying to get that specific thought out of my head. But another just as miserable took its place, and I brought my hand to my lower stomach. If I focused, I could feel the Lace in me. It wasn't painful, more like... More like something was pulling on me very, very lightly. Did it mean something? Was it all right, or did that pull mean it was getting infected? But infection should be painful, right? At least that's what I'd heard... I'd read about the Lace, but not enough to calm myself. I wasn't even sure if I was just imagining that light pulling sensation in my guts.

I tried to calm down. Thinking about the Lace gave me anxiety. I wished Stoll had told me the truth about being allowed to get another, safer procedure after six months. I still had five and a half months left. It would go by fast. I just... I just had to pray everything went fine. Forty percent never had any issues with it...