Shaded Soldiers || Gay MxM || Omegaverse

34. Ruined Lives

That night, almost the entire team was hanging out with Reid and me outside in the parking lot where our truck was still parked, enjoying the fresh air before calling it a night. And of course, since Captain and Nico weren't there, everyone wanted to know what happened in Charlottesville.

"So? Did he beg?" Ash asked quietly that evening.

"Not as much as I'd hoped..." Reid muttered back. "But I'm pretty sure he cried a little."

"No...! Not his secret weapon...!" Ash groaned and dropped his head down in defeat. "That bastard..."

I chuckled in amusement. "I mean, he kind of begged Nico to come back. And he didn't say that Nico wasn't his mate this time."

"He almost did," Reid noted.

"But he couldn't do it," I said.

"But he did actually have to convince Nico to come back? Nico didn't just let him have his way without a fight?" Ryan asked.

"I mean, he was pretty stern with him," I said, and almost all of them let out a collective sigh. "But Captain did beg, so..."

"Was it at least convincing? Like, would you guys have forgiven him?" Ash asked.

"I would have," I said without hesitation.

"Yeah... Captain was pretty broken," Reid agreed quietly.

"We, I suppose I can live with that. But if this happens one more time..." Ash trailed off and acted like he was strangling someone.

"For sure," Rio agreed.

"And at least Nico is back home now," Keita said softly. "Chandler was about to have a heart attack worrying over him."

"I was not," Chandler said, and laughed loudly. "But I may have a couple of new ulcers now."

I chuckled at the joke with the rest of them, but my omega told me Captain was coming.

"We're busted," I muttered quietly, and a few seconds later, the door opened in the middle of the truck.

Captain peered outside, spotted us, then frowned. "What's with the gossip club?"

"We're not gossiping!" Ash exclaimed.

"We're just getting some fresh air," Chandler said.

"And we thought you'd like a moment alone with your partner," Daz added with a grin.

"Definitely not gossiping," I said.

Captain's gaze jumped from person to person. "Uh-huh," he said without believing us for a second. "Get your butts inside. We made you all some evening snacks."

The word, snacks, got us all moving, and a moment later, we all were cramped around the long dinner table inside the truck. I was sitting between Reid and Ash on the couch, and both of them made sure not to squish me. I was grateful for that, because sitting so closely in the middle of the entire team without a lot of elbow room made me a little claustrophobic, especially since I couldn't leave if Reid didn't stand up first. Even my omega was feeling a little timid in a situation like that, but little by little, we both calmed down.

I was quite tired after the trip to get Nico back home, so I mostly just listened with one ear while the rest chatted. Nico himself seemed exhausted, which was driving Captain nuts with worry. If he wasn't making sure Nico was all right, he kept taking quick sniffs of his scent, which told me his alpha was just as stressed as he was. Once, Nico excused himself to use the bathroom, and Captain had to force himself to stay seated. The entire time his partner was away, he kept glancing at the bathroom door, and when Nico returned, he took in his scent again. Twice.