Choosing Love

Pulling Rank

A/N

Hey guys! It's been a lifetime since I updated anything but it's so motivating to see the comments and votes pop in when I do. I appreciate it a lot, thanks for sticking with me.

It's not my best writing but here's a couple more so you know how cool you all are. I'm full-time teaching now, so life is hectic, but I'm still here.

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     We were sitting in our first official family meeting as a team of ten, and I could tell by the twitching in Owen's eye that it was not going as he'd planned.

       "Why the hell can't I be family lead?" North thundered. "I'm not good enough?"

       "Mr. Taylor!" Owen hissed, losing his cool, "No one is insulting you, and we have yet to make our vote!"

       "I just said I think you can be impulsive sometimes," Nathan objected. "You've always had our backs, but this sounds like a job for someone who will keep their head in a crisis. I'm sorry bro, but you tend to punch first and ask questions later."

       North frowned at us all, and I could tell he was hurt.

       I leaned over and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You're our warrior, North, but you're also a worrier. You would be good for the job, I think you'd take care of us all really well. But being family lead means you need to keep a level head, and you need to be fair. I think you'd be too quick to put yourself in tough positions and you'd try too hard to keep us all safe from things you know deep down we can handle. Even if you don't end up as family lead, we'll still respect your decisions, that's why we all vote, right?"

       North shot me a surprised look, his eyes soft, and a genuine smile on his face.

       Sean beamed at me. "Perfectly said, Pookster. Remember boys, if it's not a unanimous vote, we don't go ahead. These roles are a formality for the Academy, they're designed to help us, not divide us."

       "I think Kota would be good for family lead." Victor suggested. "He's always planning our schedules anyway, he always knows where we are and what we should be doing."

       Kota blushed slightly, rubbing his hand against his neck. "I wouldn't mind it."

       "Or maybe Sang," Silas offered, smiling at me. "She's good at taking care of us. She pushes us to try new things, but she also knows our limits, sometimes better than we do."

       I grinned back at him, feeling my own cheeks heat up. "Thank you, but I don't think I'm quite as organised as Kota is. I think he's perfect for family lead."

       The others nodded, murmuring agreements.

       "I propose a first vote then - Kota will become our family lead, if we are all agreeable." Owen stated.

       The ten of us spoke, voices overlapping as we said the words, "I am willing, and will obey."

       I wiggled and bounced slightly in my seat, excited that we'd decided on something finally. Luke laughed beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders to keep me still.

       "And now then, to decide on the role of our team liaison to the academy-" Owen began.

       "I am willing and I will obey!" We chimed together, though I only got partway through before bursting into giggles at the look on Owen's face.

       "Oh come on, Mr. B," Gabriel said, "We all know you're the best for the job. You've been Academy the longest, and you're the one that always bails us out when we're in too deep."

       Owen smiled a little, but for him it was significant, and I could tell he was very pleased and touched that we hadn't even needed to discuss it.

       "Then I too am willing, and I will obey."

       "Well then, only one more vote to make before we're done." Sean said cheerfully.

       I frowned, we hadn't discussed this before the meeting. Sean and Owen never left me out of anything, and the three of us had gone over the agenda for this meeting in great detail this morning.

       "We are proposing a third position." Owen continued. "While voting will remain an important part of our decision making process, it will not always be necessary or reasonable to vote on every issue. So for matters both Academy and personal, I'm proposing we select an individual among us who we trust to have our best interests at heart, and who has always demonstrated great empathy for others. They will also have veto powers over initial assignment selections. We hope that this person will be key to resolving any conflicts or misunderstandings before they begin, which I think we can all agree is a very important thing for a family as large as ours. This is a slightly more informal role."

      The boys all shared a quick look after Owen's words before turning to me with bright smiles, their intentions clear.

       I pushed back all my girly emotions that wanted to rush out in the form of super embarrassing snot-crying, and settled for a slightly wobbly smirk as I met the eyes of each of my adopted brothers. "You can call me Captain."

       "Aye Aye Captain!" They cheered.

       The boys laughed at my reaction and we spent a while congratulating Owen and Kota and reassuring each other that nothing was really changing in our dynamic. We all had each others backs anyway, and that would never change.