#rhys is going to say something completely fried and it’s going to catch me off guard

[edsbacktattoo]

i’m so excited for all the romance and drama that’s going to inevitably be in season 2 that i keep forgetting that it’s also going to be like. funny.

[moodymelanist]

omg hc idea with gwynriel, where gwyn is really drunk cuz she got back from rita’s with the girls but everyone left already and this is before gwyn and az are like a couple and she’s talking complete nonsense but azriel finds her and is very concerned and tries to help take her to her dorms so she doesnt like fall but while they’re walking gwyn accidentally reveals her feelings towards az

also ps: i really love these thanks for blessing this fandom with your work, appreciate it alot 🥰🥰

omg thank you so much for the kind words, I’m having so much fun writing these and even more fun seeing everyone’s reactions 🥰🥰🥰

okay so modern college au. azriel’s POV. I refuse to believe they’d leave Gwyn behind so I took some liberties with this prompt but I hope you enjoy besties!

Azriel wasn’t expecting Gwyn to be so drunk when he arrived at Rita’s to take her home. He waited outside for a few minutes so he wouldn’t have to pay the cover, and eventually Cassian emerged with Nesta, Gwyn, Emerie, and Mor in tow.

“Azriel!” Gwyn squealed. She almost tripped over herself in her haste to give him a hug, but he managed to catch her in time. “You’re here!”

“Yup,” he said. He awkwardly patted her back as she squeezed her arms around him.

Azriel had been getting a late night snack after working on a paper when Cassian had texted asking if he could take Gwyn home. Cassian would have his hands full trying to wrangle Nesta, Emerie, and Mor back safely to his and Mor’s shared apartment, so Azriel hadn’t minded stepping in. He and Gwyn lived in the same apartment building, so it wasn’t like she was out of the way.

Cassian waved in Azriel’s direction before he started walking away towards wherever he’d parked. Nesta was on Cassian’s back piggy-back style and was sloppily pressing kisses onto his neck, which he didn’t seem to mind one bit. Emerie and Mor were giggling as they supported each other, stopping frequently to feel each other up.

“You’re so pretty,” Gwyn said, giggling. Azriel looked down at where she still had her arms wrapped around him in surprise.

“Uh… thank you?” he said hesitantly. She giggled again before stepping back from him, but he made sure to keep an arm firmly around her shoulders so she wouldn’t run off on him. Nesta and Cassian had both complained on several occasions that Gwyn liked to run off when she got drunk, and Azriel valued his life too much to risk losing Gwyn and having to explain it to Nesta.

“I know I’m not supposed to say guys are pretty or whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes to let him know what she thought of that sentiment, “But you’re definitely the prettiest out of you and your brothers.”

Azriel didn’t know what to do under all this scrutiny from Gwyn, especially when she was complimenting his looks. She was way too out of his league to be saying these kinds of things, so he decided to try and deflect. “Don’t let Rhys hear you say that.”

“Rhys, Smhys,” she said as they slowly started walking to where he’d parked about a block away. He made sure not to go too fast since she was wearing heels and was definitely still drunk. “You’ve always been my favorite.”

“Really?” he asked, surprised. He was used to being in the background considering how loud Cassian was and how much Rhys loved being the center of attention. To hear her dismiss his brother so easily wasn’t something he was used to; everyone swooned over Rhys.

“Really really,” she said, giggling again. “I’m not just saying that. I mean it.”

They managed to reach his car and he helped her get into the passenger seat, making sure to strap her in before jogging around to the drivers side. It was a short drive back to their building, but Gwyn seemed to have other plans.

“Can we stop at McDonald’s?” she asked, her voice just on the edge of a whine. “I’m hungry.”

“Do you have McDonald’s money?” he asked, half-joking.

He knew he’d fucked up when he looked over at her and saw her eyes were filled with unshed tears, and then she was full on crying next to him.

“I — just — wanted — fries,” Gwyn sobbed, hiccuping between her words.

Not wanting to make it worse, Azriel relented quickly. He really needed to work on talking to women if he wanted a chance with her. “Okay, okay, we can get fries.”

He awkwardly patted her on the shoulder before changing course to the 24/7 McDonald’s a few minutes away. She only really stopped crying once she was munching on a large fry, and he held in his sigh of relief as they eventually made their way to the parking garage of their building.

“Can you walk?” he asked as he parked.

“My feet hurt,” she whined. “Can you carry me?”

This time he didn’t hold in his sigh. He liked Gwyn a lot, but dealing with drunk people wasn’t his favorite thing in the world. “What apartment are you in?”

“I’m on the fourth floor,” she told him.

“So am I,” he said, relieved that he wouldn’t have to walk so far to his own apartment once she was home safely. “I don’t mind carrying you if we’re going to the same place.”

Gwyn smiled brightly and damn if it didn’t transform her entire face into something lovely, even with fresh tear tracks ruining what was left of her makeup. Azriel got out first and made sure to take her keys so she didn’t lose them before bending down to let her climb onto his back.

“You’re my hero,” she said as he walked, nuzzling her face into his neck. She had her heels in one hand and her bag of fries in the other, and he decided to just keep walking until they made it back to her apartment.

“Happy to help,” he said. Inside he his stomach was doing backflips from how close she was to him, especially since he was holding her legs to keep her from slipping off his back.

“I’m serious.” Her breath was warm on his face as she moved to press a kiss to his cheek. “You’re being really nice.”

“Am I normally not nice to you?”

“Not as nice as I’d wish you’d be.”

“Ouch, Berdara.”

Gwyn giggled as they got into the elevator. “You’d be nicer if you took me out on a date.”

Azriel froze as the elevator rose to the fourth floor, not quite sure how to respond. She was drunk off her ass and he didn’t want to take advantage of her in the slightest, but what if she was being honest? What if she really did like him back?

“Ask me again when you’re sober,” he said after a minute. He walked off the elevator and found her apartment relatively quickly, used her key to open the door, and gently set her down just inside her living room.

She pouted as she looked at him before munching thoughtfully on a fry. “But I’m asking you now.”

“I’d love to go on a date with you, but you’re drunk,” he replied. His heart was beating hard in his chest as he looked at her and dared to hope she was actually being serious.

“You said yes,” she said, grinning widely. “No takebacksies!”

Azriel sighed again, but it was much more good-natured. He supposed Gwyn just couldn’t help being so adorable when she was drunk, and who was he to ignore a golden opportunity to spend time with his crush? “Alright, Berdara, no takebacksies. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

[emdythewriter]

Let me be your shield | chapter nine (elriel)

There was grease all over Elain’s hands but she didn’t care because the burger and fries had been exactly what she needed. Azriel had picked the right place for a late dinner. They had ordered and received their food quickly and were now sitting on the hood of the SUV as she sucked down her soda and they picked at the fries. Even though the evening had started out horrible it had ended up pretty amazing.

“What are you smiling at?” Azriel asked as he threw a fry in his mouth, watching her like that’s all he was meant to do. Elain shrugged as she finished her drink and tossed into a nearby trash can. “Nice shot,” he complimented her causing another smile paired with a laugh.

“Thank you,” Elain found herself saying as she ate a fry or two. She was looking down at the basket of them as she continued to talk. Her nerves getting the better of her and making it hard to look at her bodyguard. “For tonight I mean, it would’ve sucked if you weren’t there to make it better.”

“I’m sorry he canceled on you,” Azriel said though he was sure she already knew that. She shrugged it off confirming his suspicions, but he wasn’t done talking. She had opened a door between them earlier on the dance floor and he hoped it hadn’t closed yet. “Was Lucien always this way? Even before the whole scandal.”

“No, he wasn’t,” Elain before pausing. She stopped picking at the fries, setting her hands in her lap before looking down at them, thumbs twiddling. She moved her head again but rather than look at Az she looked toward the road, watching cars zoom by. “He was my everything until six months ago.”

Azriel got the feeling that whatever she was about to tell him was important, maybe even something to do with the nightmares and the way her sisters had acted when he told them about it. “You don’t have to tell me Elain,” he felt the need to say it just in case though they both knew he wasn’t forcing her to do anything she didn’t want, and he never would.

“I want to,” Elain said before taking a deep breath and continuing. “He was good to me when our relationship became official, even before. We used to go on dates once every week, he purposely made sure he didn’t have work so we could. He would make breakfast on weekend mornings and Sundays were our days to laze around the house. He never missed a phone call when he was away, in fact he called me and texted me. He always told me when he would be gone too. Then I got pregnant.”

Azriel watched her flick a tear off her cheek, take in a shaky breath and all he could do was hang off that last word. She had been pregnant and considering she didn’t have a baby he was expecting it didn’t go as planned. He was starting to put the pieces together, the way she reacted to Feyre’s pregnancy should’ve told him a lot.

“Lucien was ecstatic when I told him. So were my sisters and Rhys and Cassian. Then he had to stay long at the studio one night finishing up some last minute scenes. I fell asleep reading because I wanted to wait for him, but by midnight he still wasn’t home. I woke up a few hours later and there was still no sign of Lucien but there was a warm and dark spot on the sheets,” Elain’s voice broke as she said the last few words but she swallowed her sobs and held her head high.

“Elain,” Azriel said reaching out a hand to give her comfort. She took without hesitation and squeezed it. She still wasn’t looking at him but he didn’t care he just wanted her to be able to get through the story.

“I called Lucien and told him something was wrong, but he said he couldn’t leave the studio yet. I hung up and called Nesta who came with Feyre and took me to the emergency room. On the ride there I passed out, I had lost so much blood already and was still losing more. I woke a day or two later I think and only my sisters and father were with me. I asked where Lucien was but they all said he wasn’t answering his phone. He didn’t know what happened until I got home and told him, and when I said the word miscarriage he packed a bag and took the next flight out to I can’t even remember where.”

Azriel gripped her hand harder as she cried, moving closer so he could pull her to his chest and rub small circles into her back. She sobbed into his chest, clutching his button down shirt as she attempted to catch her breath, to finish her story.

“When he finally came back a week later I knew he wasn’t the same person, I could just tell. That was the day everything changed, that was the day I lost him and I’ve never been able to get him back no matter what I do.” Elain cried, clutching him harder. Azriel wrapped his arms around her and didn’t care that the fries were spilling all over the hood he just wanted to comfort his friend, to let her know she wasn’t alone.

“I get the feeling you think all of that is your fault,” Azriel said into her hair when she was finally starting to calm down. “It’s not Elain, it was out of your control and he’s an asshole for treating you like that. You shouldn’t even be with him in my opinion, but I won’t tell you what to do.”

“I think we broke up tonight anyways,” Elain mumbled into his chest with a breathy last. “Tonight was his last chance and he chose his job instead of me once again, like I knew he would if I’m being honest.”

“Then let’s get you home and celebrate,” Azriel said causing her to smile. Elain looked up at him and nodded as he whipped off her tears. He pecked her nose before letting her go and helping her off the hood. “You’re going to be alright.”

“I know,” Elain said smiling at him which was exactly what he wanted to see. “I’m an Archeron.”

“That you are.”

___

When they got back to the townhouse Azriel helped her out and led her to the doorstep of the townhouse. It was dark inside so Elain knew Lucien had at least listened to her or hadn’t even bothered to show up when their call had ended. She unlocked the front door then turned to face Azriel. “Do you want to come in and watch a movie or something?”

“That sounds great,” he replied with a smile as he followed her inside. Elain told him to pick a movie on Netflix while she went and made them a bowl of popcorn. While she waited she grabbed to bottles of water out of her fridge and walked into the living room to give Az his. He was flipping through some old movies when she handed him the water.

“Thank you,” Az said from his spot on the couch as he took the bottle of water from her. He was smiling again something Elain had noticed he did a lot.

“You smile a lot you know that,” she said with a smile of her own, loving this chance to tease him.

“I’m making up for all the times I didn’t get to with the Navy SEAL,” he answered with a shrug but Elain sensed there was something more to it. She had no doubt he had seen some awful stuff over there, hell she knew Rhys suffered from PTSD still. Cassian hid all his trauma behind humor but Nesta had shared with her that he had started going to therapy recently.

“You know I shared my dark past with you,” Elain said hoping this didn’t come out like she was trying to guilt him into talking to her. “But if you ever want to tell me anything, if you can that is, I’m here.” She added a smile for emphasis.

“One day I might take you up on that,” Azriel said as he twisted the cap off his water and took a drink. Elain watched him until the microwave beeped and she headed back to the kitchen. Taking the bag out she poured the contents into a bowl, grabbed her water and headed back to the living room. Taking a seat next to Az she set the bowl on the coffee table and twisted her own cap off for a sip.

“What are we watching?” Elain asked as they watched the red circle rotate on the screen, showing that there was something loading.

“One of my favorites,” Azriel said as the opening credits started. “The Sandlot.”

“Really?” Elain asked slightly surprised that her bodyguard would be into a movie about a group of kids playing baseball all summer long.

“It’s a classic,” Azriel said like it was obvious. “Plus I have a great memory of Rhys’s mom taking the three of us to see it at a drive-in one summer when we were kids. After the first time we begged her to go back every time it showed until one of us could drive on our own. I lost my virginity in the back seat of truck while Benny was hitting a home run.” Elain couldn’t help but laugh.

“Your kidding?” She said through giggles.

“Yeah I am,” Az said before leaning forward and taking a handful of popcorn and eating it. “About the virginity thing the rest is true.”

“What’s the real virginity story?” Elain asked too curious now.

“You don’t want to hear it,” he said with a look in his eyes that told her she needed to stop asking questions.

“Fine.” she said rolling her eyes and taking a handful of popcorn as well before curling into the cushions. “But I’ll get you to tell me one day.” Azriel scoffed as if he was daring her to try, and if he wasn’t before he sure as hell was now.

They watched the movie in almost complete silence, there were moments where one of them made a comment or two. Elain had seen the movie once when she was young, something her father had showed them of course, but she had forgotten how good the movie was. Even knowing that she began to drift off at the end and only woke when Azriel was laying her underneath the covers of her bed.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said as Elain sat up, rubbing her tired eyes. Az took a seat next to her on the bed, looking her over. “You should get some sleep, you’ve had a long day.” He wasn’t wrong about that but Elain didn’t want to close her eyes again until she said goodbye to him.

“Thank you for everything tonight Azriel,” she said smiling at him brightly even though she was on the verge of passing out again and he could see it.

“No need to thank me,” Azriel said as he tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ear.

“I still am,” Elain said. He smiled at her, watching her intently. Her brown eyes moved across his face, landing multiple times on his lips. “I feel like kissing you,” she found herself saying. Something about being tired made her tongue loose.

“You shouldn’t,” Az said though by the way he was looking at her lips she had the feeling he wanted the same thing.

“I’m going to,” Elain mumbled and then she did. Leaning forward she pressed her mouth to his. It was soft and sweet and warm the kiss. Az moved his hands to cup her face and neck while hers rested on his arms. His tongue slipped in a little but nothing heated up. They were both too tired to do that tonight, but there was a promise that it would.

“Goodnight Elain,” Azriel whispered against her mouth when he finally pulled back. The kiss had felt like ten minutes long when she had the feeling it had really ben ten seconds.

“Goodnight Azriel,” Elain replied before falling back onto her pillow and falling asleep with a smile on her face. Az smiled too as he left her room and her house, locking the door behind him. Considering how shitty the night had started for her he was glad she had ended her day with a smile. He hoped he could continue to make that happen as he walked across the street and into his own bed.

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[peicesofrhys]

Bloody Hell

Butch:

-As soon as I was well enough to walk, I was up and moving through the mansion. I didn’t realize what I was doing until I got half way through the process. I was doing a headcount. It was stupid and I knew it but that didn’t stop me from continuing. I needed to know that everyone was here, safe, alright. I couldn’t imagine losing someone else like I lost Mike. I’d already made the phone calls to all of my human family members. They were alive and confused as to why I was calling. Joyce hadn’t been allowed to call them for fear that her husband would find her that way.-

-No one in the mansion knew what I was about either. Here I was barely able to move around, clutching my wounded stomach, trying to look natural with small talk. It was awkward to say the least. Sometimes I gave up all pretenses and did a simple once over of the room before leaving. Let them think what they wanted to, I was chasing a darker feeling that something else was wrong. I was going to find out sometime later that while I was away the Omega slipped through the cracks and took someone else that I cared about.-

-I saved one person for last because I felt that V would have told me if something had happened to our housemate. Suddenly I didn’t know. I was doubting everything. I couldn’t run back to the Pit because my internal organs were busy trying to stitch themselves back together after having a bullet ricochet through them. So I shambled. Quickly. Grabbing the wall often to keep myself upright. Shit. If something was wrong with him I wouldn’t know what to do.-

-I hadn’t even been back to the Pit since Boston. I was stuck in the PT room sucking food through a straw because my stomach couldn’t digest it right. I started moving faster, feeling a sense of urgency that I couldn’t really place. No doubt it was something that I should talk to Mary about. I tucked that into a file for another day, or never, probably never.-

-I punched in the code to the Pit and it seemed like waiting for the beep was taking too long. I hit the door loudly, no doubt looking and sounding like an idiot. Didn’t care. I practically fell through the door when it opened, catching myself at the last minute.-

RHYS!?!! -I belted the name out as loud as I could. Please don’t let anything be wrong with him.- RHYS ARE YOU HERE?!! -Yelling wasn’t helping me any. I pulled something out of alignment, I could feel it. I looked down to the hand that was holding my stomach and saw that it was bloody.- Fuck…. -I slumped to the ground, propping my back up against the wall. Great, now I was going to have to visit the doc again.-

Rhys: 

“You’re a little fucking nancy, aren’t ya?” The young male voice echoed through the headphones as he took charge of the mission. The fuck cut me off and even stole my weapons when he did it too. We’d been at this particular game for nearly four hours now and this twelve year old just played me like chump. What a little prick. 

“Eat shit.” I growled into the mic before pulling the bitchiest of all bitch moves. My fingers moved in a blur across the controller and before he could cross the finish line I murdered our other teammate and used a stolen grenade to blow everyone to kingdom come. Game Over blinked repeatedly on all four screens that were set up in the middle of the room while the rest of the team cursed and yelled at each other. 

I cut it all off with a few keystrokes and sat back in the chair. I was hungry. 

There was contemplation about going up to the main house or just having it brought to the pit. Do I take a chance that someone, namely one of the Brothers, spotting me? The last time I had a run in with anyone other than Vishous, I was met with a snort and growl, some insipid questions and cold stares. I can’t count the times I repeated my story but there were doubts still lingering around this place. You can’t disguise distrust. 

Ordering in it was. I called up for a few burgers, cheese fries and a chocolate milkshake. I would need to feed as well. I hated it so I left that to a later time. It was awkward and I didn’t understand why in the fuck those girls did it so willingly. I never asked either. I’d rather wallow in my ignorance. 

I was finishing up in the bathroom when I heard the code being punched in. Finally. That guy took his sweet time. 

“I’m famished, mate. Did you have to kill the cow or what?” The bang against the door had my brow raised and I looked around the room for a weapon. Yes, I was that jumpy. But before I could locate anything other than a few keyboards and a baseball bat that I think was signed by some guy, the door opened and Butch fell in with a heavy scent of blood following him like a puppy. He was yelling like I wasn’t standing right here but he was in bad shape and probably didn’t even see me. 

“The fuck …?” I was tripping over myself to get to him. “When did you get back and why are you bleeding all over the fucking floor?” No one tells me shit around this place. Not even Vishous. Him and I would be having a talk later. Dick. “And why are you yelling like that? You know I never leave this hell hole.” I laughed even though nothing about this was funny. Well, not that funny. “And whatever his Majesty said I did, I didn’t do … I swear to Lassiter.” 

Butch:

-I blinked a few times to clear my vision.- Rhys? -That was definitely his voice. There was no mistaking that. I was being stupid. Of course he was okay. Everyone was okay. This was just me freaking out. Still... I felt like I could breathe easier knowing for sure. I raised a hand and lightly ran my fingers over his face. Yep. Not me just seeing things. I let out a heavy sigh and let my hand fall.-

I must look like an idiot right now. -I laughed, drooping my head forward.- Obviously you leave sometimes or you wouldn't be worried about what the King was saying about you. -My head tilted to the side and I lifted a questioning brow. There was a story there and it didn't take a detective to figure that out. I almost felt bad for Wrath.-

Swearing to Lassiter sounds really wrong and kinda dirty. I'm still not going to get used to that one no matter what anyone says.

-I braced myself for the pain and pushed up off the ground. I couldn't stay down or they would be taking me out of here in a stretcher and I wouldn't see the outside of a PT room for days. I let out a wicked sounding hiss as I slowly rose. Every ounce of concentration was poured into getting myself the hell off the floor. I hadn't puzzled out how I was going to make it back down the tunnels yet. This was hard enough.-

Rhys: 

Nah, not more than usual.” I quipped. There was no other way to keep my own wits about me with Butch weaving around like he was going to topple over at any moment. “And who said anything about being worried? I was only saying …fecking hell, B.” I moved quickly to get one shoulder wedge under his and an arm around his waist. He had a good six or so inches on me but I could handle it. Or we were both going down. “You think you could drag your ass back to the PT with my help or do I need to find the Candy man or V?” Either way, Butch needed that wound closed up good and proper. 

There wasn’t any time to break out the first aid kit that was stashed near the Toys, not that I had a clue as to what to do. 

I got us through the door but not before I hit the intercom to spit out a S.O.S. “I got a bleeder on the way back to PT. Could use an extra pair of hands or even a small truck.” I chuckled at my own joke. It was nervous in tone with how much of Butch’s weight I took on. It meant he wasn’t doing so hot. I had to bite my tongue so hard it nearly bled to keep from asking what was going on. Where he had been. Who did this to him. I doubted he would answer anyway. 

“Don’t kick my arse for this later.” I winced and shoved my hand down around where it seemed the majority of the blood was coming from and clamped it down as if my life depended on it. “If you can get those feet moving, now would be the time.” 

Butch:

I'm in tip top shape. I don't know what you are going on about. -The room went back and forth and I tried to keep it from tipping completely over.- I don't know but if you could keep the ground from tilting that would be awesome. -I perched it against the wall closed my eyes to keep from getting dizzy.-

Candy man?... -My brain was definitely not firing on all cylinders because it took me too long to figure that one out.- Rhage?! -I huffed out a laugh.- That's a good one. ~The candy man can~ -I started humming the tune halfheartedly.-

Oh. There he is. -I leaned heavily on Rhys when I felt him at my side.- Come on, no need to bother those worry warts. We can make it. -I might have overestimated my ability to put one foot in front of the other.- Come on, Butch. You can do this. You've been through worse than a stupid bullet to the gut. In fact, it was just the other day that you got your ass beat into the floorboards. This is nothing.

-I was mostly rambling and it came out all halted, in half steps. I felt bad for Rhys cause there was no way we were going to make it all the way there but I was too damn stubborn to worry anyone else over it.-

Look! It's the door! -I took a stumble step and almost fell again when I tried to swat away his hand from the intercom.- Well shit... Now you've gone and done it. You know the Mother Hen is going to descend upon us any minute now. 

-I didn't get much more out because Mr. Wise Guy decided to apply all the damn pressure in the world to the wound.- HOLY SHIT!!! -I fell into Rhys, grabbing onto him tightly. My stomach turned to the spin cycle and I puked down Rhys's back.-

Rhys: 

I froze. It took my mind a moment to wrap around the fact that Butch just emptied the contents of his stomach down the back of my shirt and possibly my pants as well. The scent clogged my nose and I immediately ceased breathing. Not entirely but enough that I could manage to keep the bile that rose in my throat down. 

“Yeah … we are going to chat about that later.” I gritted out through clenched teeth. “Bloody hell.” 

Before I could force Butch to back the fuck up out of the door, Rhage appeared. And oh was he amused with the situation happening here. ‘I ran my ass off for this? C’mon.’ He was all grin and lollipop but he managed to get most of Butch, who was limp noodle by now, over his arm and down the hall way with me taking up the slack. I most likely wasn’t needed in this scenario but my hand was still clamped over the wound. ‘He will be fine if you want to run back to your hole, Rhys.’ Rhage was still all smiles when he said the words but the glare was obvious. Besides Butch and V, he was the least likely of the Brothers to kill me in my sleep. Didn’t mean he liked me. 

“I think I’ll stick around this time, fuck you very much.” I muttered. Rhage shrugged and we continued on to the PT suite. 

Butch:

-It took a few minutes of haze to realize what I'd just done. Oh damn, he was never going to let me live this one down. You don't just throw up on someone and expect them to be cool afterward.- I. Am. SO. Sorry. Sweet Jesus... -I couldn't emphasize that more.-

Oh look! It's the Candy Man! -There was a lot of grunting and groaning involved with shifting the rest of my weight over to Rhage. I hated how useless I was right now. My feet were nothing more than decoration. All of my weight was between these two guys.-

-From my unique position between the two I could actually feel the tension. If I had thrown up on one of the Brothers Rhage would be slinging all kinds of quips back and forth. It would be natural and expected. This was far from it. It wasn't open hostility, but it was close.-

Knock it off Rhage. He's holding my intestines in right now. Don't make me puke on you too. I don't think I have much left to give up. 

-I tried to move my feet to keep up but it was pretty apparent that such action was fruitless. I gave up and all but rag-dolled it between the two of them. So stupid of me to run out of there when I did. What was I thinking?-

Everyone is safe... That's all that matters...

-I knew I was mumbling at this point and no one was probably listening anyway. Who cares? I had made sure that everyone I cared about was free from the Omega. I passed out before I reached the PT suite, drifting silently into a darkness that I'd been avoiding.-

Rhys:

I shook my head at Butch. “He’s fine. A bit of a knob but he can’t help himself. It’s all the sugar.” That earned a raised brow from Rhage. A good one. As if he were surprised at the come back. Not that it was anything great. But I was the new guy. New-ish. I’ve been here for a few years now but that was like mere moments when it came to this race. 

‘I’ll send the doc in.’ Rhage stated. He stood by the door for a moment after he got Butch situated in the private room. ‘Shower is just past that door and there are some scrubs in the closet. It’s good you called for help, Rhys. We will always come for one of ours.’ Rhage nodded and left me alone with an unconscious cop. I won’t lie. I smelled like death and rotten hot dogs and something I didn’t want to think about. There was a moment of hesitation about leaving Butch there, knocked out, exposed while I changed but when the doc walked in and gave me a gobsmacked expression, I hightailed to the shower. 

The scrubs were three sizes too big. I don’t know if Hulk practiced medicine here as well or if I was /that/ much smaller than these guys but damn. Maybe I needed more use out of the gym that was always open with fighters learning … to fight. Fight what? Don’t have a clue. All conversations ceased when I walked in a room. I was given the information that I needed which wasn’t much. A cock tease really. 

The doc finished up with a nasty looking wound on Butch with a quiet pace that I was left in awe of. I had seen her briefly. Once when I came to the house and two times more for a few blood tests and such. Someone, most likely the king guy, was giving it a go to figure out what I was. Good luck to him. I’ve been trying that for my entire life. 

‘He’s fine.’ A soft voice floated across the room. ‘Make sure he stays put though would you. And he needs to feed. Soon.’ There was zero concern about leaving me with him. No, there was nothing but concern and affection? I couldn’t place the feeling that this female gave off but it was a nice change. 

 “Ah. Yeah … one of those girls. Got it.” I nodded. Because I knew how to summon the blood angels. Sure. 

Then I was left with Butch. It was quiet. The whir of a machine that had a display next to him and the distinct thump of six chamber heart. The way he was bleeding all over the pit I wasn’t sure if it would still be going strong by the time we got here. Rhage seemed less concerned which was oddly comforting. This has happened before. There was a leather chair that I dragged across the linoleum floor and plopped my ass in it. 

“One time,”  I began, ‘this really big prick of guy puked all over me for saving his life. There he was bleeding out like an arsehole and he goes and loses his lunch all over my favorite shirt.” I lowered my voice as if telling a secret. “Little does he know, it was one of his, had all these designs on it. Gucci? Something expensive I’m sure. Anyway, he’s going to be right pissed when he realizes I just tossed into the hazardous waste bin.” 

I went on with stupid little quips. Filled Butch in on the goings on in the world of Fortnite. How that bitch of kid stole all my shit. Remarked on Fritz impeccable culinary skills and how I’d manage to befriend Lassiter. That dude was all metal and sunshine and oddness. But I liked it. 

At some point I drifted off mumbling about Maury and did what I always did … I fell right into a place I’d never been. A house. Butch was there. Yelling. Fighting some white haired fellows like that one who shot me. This was different. I felt the ominous stench of evil like it was a layer of sweat on my skin. I thought I was screaming. I swear I was. My eyes flew open to see the harsh fluorescents of the PT room and my mouth was wide open like a fly trap but no sound was coming out. I was frozen in the chair though my eyes scanned the room to find Butch still out like a light. Snoring like a bear. What felt like an eternity ended up being just a few minutes and I was free from the paralysis that gripped me after I wondered into someone else’s subconscious. We were working on it yet it freaked my shit out and now … there was an awareness to what Butch had been through these past months. A subtle ache bloomed in my chest and I found myself clawing at it before I shut my eyes again.