Mar 15
Early Picture of Scott Carter
15.3.26
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Early Picture of Scott Carter
15.3.26
Do you want to see this moment in an actual fic?
Then you should definitely go an vote for "doomed from the start" in the @febuwhump prompt poll
BRAVO TEAM FRIEND GROUP ROLLS
A/N: I didn’t want to leave any Bravo members out, so of these aren’t well thought out
Jason: The absolute mess it self explanatory I don’t think we need explanations here for him
Ray: the one that has there life somewhat in order
Sonny: The party animal the amount of time this man had to be picked and not to mention the ship deployment, he the party animal
Trent: Trent gives off dad of the group vibes I think it’s because he’s the medic and sometimes it seems like he’s giving a disappointed look
Brock: The one that keeps to him self but is close with the dad of the group dad and funny one/uncle, he’s also the sassy one too
Clay: The youngest of the group
Full Metal: he’s the funny one, he has great one liners and was classic until the end even in death he was still classic
Bonus for metal: he the funcle aka Fun Uncle, but will also murder your boyfriend/Girlfriend if they lay hands on you (every friend group has one and you know it) 
That is my take on Bravo and there friendship rolls
hello funky people in my phone!
@pacobjitts and I have been fixated on the show Seal Team for the longest time, so I hope this reaches the right people! We’ve been looking for a community to chat about the show and everything else involved, and I do believe a discord server was created at one time- so if anyone out there has a server, or knows about one, feel free to comment/reblog/or shoot either one of us a message! Or if anyone is interested in creating one, let me know!
We appreciate it!
carter family photo
(Rebogs greatly appreciated)
sister
there‘s too little trent in this world, so take this🕺
i hope you like this lol.
reader is clay‘s little sister and her nickname is „missy“, it‘s no indication of her name tho :)
word count: 5k
not proof-read :)
(masterlist)
REQUESTS/ASKS OPEN!!!
You happily smile and run into your brother's arms as soon as you see him. „I missed you big man,“ you laugh.
„Missed you too, Missy,“ Clay whispers into your hair, holding you close for another minute. „Thank you for inviting us,“ he then tells you, breaking the hug with a big smile on his face.
You grin and lightly shove his shoulder. „Of course I‘d invite you. It’s not often you have free time, you know. Besides, I don‘t want to spend Thanksgiving alone.“
When you look behind your older brother you see his team members finally approaching. They were waiting at the beginning of your driveway. They weren‘t all here today though. The team leader, Jason Hayes was with his family, as well as Ray Perry, but the others were invited to your Thanksgiving dinner.
„Hello, welcome,“ you enthusiastically greet them, waving. „Nice to finally meet you all. Clay told me much about you guys!“ You smile at them, shaking hand after hand.
They all smile at you and then one of them starts speaking. „Thanks for the invite. I‘m Sonny. I‘m surprised Blondie never told us about you,“ he tells you and you side-eye Clay before you start laughing.
„I think I need to have a talk with him regarding that matter,“ you tease. „But, let’s not talk about that! Please, come inside.“ You motion them to follow you and walk into your house. It was a little small but perfect for you. You couldn‘t imagine living somewhere else.
They follow you like a bunch of lost puppies and it‘s more than funny to you. You show them your living room and tell them to sit down. You would bring the food shortly, you say.
Clay follows you into the kitchen where you run around humming to yourself. „Are you trying to feed a whole bataillon?“ he laughs and you shriek.
„Jesus Christ!“ You place your hand over your heart. „Don‘t scare me like that!“ you scold him, jabbing your finger at him.
„I’m sorry,“ he laughs, pressing a kiss to your head. „Won‘t do it again. I just wanted to help you,“ he explains, starting to stir the gravy. „Been with these guys for too long.“
„Well, you chose to, didn‘t you?“ you ask putting the pie in the oven. „By the way,“ you look at him. „Who‘s the one with the beard?“
„We all have a beard Missy,“ Clay snorts and you roll your eyes.
„The one who didn‘t talk,“ you explain, tilting your head at your brother. „He only looked at me a bit strangely.“ You place the baking gloves on the counter and wipe a couple hair strands out of your face.
„Could be Brock or Trent. Why you wanna know?“
„He’s cute,“ you say with a shrug and Clay stops stirring. He turns around, eyes wide.
“No. No, no, no! You won’t make a move on one of my teammates!” he almost screams and you only laugh.
“Why not?”
“Because, firstly, I would work with the man fucking my sister, which is already weird enough and, secondly, you know our job,” his voice turns serious. “I don’t want you to…get your heart broken.” Clay averts his gaze, memories of his own breakup with Stella surfacing. She wasn’t able to live with the fear of losing him…
You already had him to worry about but dating another SEAL? He didn’t know if you could take that much stress and uncertainty. He wanted only the best for you.
You sign and walk towards him. “I know your job,” you confirm, gently placing your hand on his upper arm. “But does a dangerous job mean you guys are unlovable or don’t deserve it?”
You look up at him and he wants to cry. You were right but still, he didn’t want you to love one of them. Without saying anything he pulls you into his arms and keeps you close.
“Don’t…do anything you’ll regret,” he whispers and you tighten your arms around him. You never wanted to let him go. You’ve missed him too much…
“I promise,” you whisper back, a little tear escaping your eye. “Besides, I just said he’s cute. Never said I’ll make a move,” you then immediately joke, breaking the hug with a sniff.
Clay only rolls his eyes, trying to hide his smirk. “Maybe you did but I know you better.”
-
Trent sits on your couch, involved in a heavy discussion about football with Sonny. The Texan couldn’t accept the fact that he was the only hardcore football fan.
“We can watch soccer instead,” Brock retorts with a snort and immediately gains a death glare from Sonny.
„We‘re in America and in America you watch football!“ Sonny proudly exclaims, straightening his back and popping out his chest. „Besides, it‘s a long Thanksgiving tradition!“
Trent just rolls his eyes and pushes himself off the couch. He would look and ask if he could help anywhere. He’s not used to doing nothing. His hands are itching to do something.
When he‘s about to enter your kitchen he sees you and Clay breaking a hug. He decides to wait outside. You haven’t seen your brother in a long time and he wanted to give the two of you some privacy. When he‘s sure he can enter he slightly clears his throat.
You look to the door and smile when you see one of Clay‘s teammates. „Hey,“ you greet him, walking over to shake his hand. „Can I help you with anything?“, you want to know and he shakes his head.
„No, thanks. I actually wanted to ask if I can help you,“ he answers, trying his best to not look too intimidating. His height didn‘t help with that. „I‘m Trent, by the way,“ he’s careful not to stumble over his words.
He was nervous. Why was he nervous? You only were Clay’s sister. He didn’t know you. You didn‘t know him. So, why the hell was he nervous about talking to you?
„Uhm,“ you look around and totally miss the way Clay eyes his friend with a stern gaze (You didn‘t miss it). „I actually do need help, yes. These-“ you point at a couple of pots and the turkey. „-need to be set on the table.“
“Okay,” Trent slightly smiles before he looks at Clay. “You wanna help?” The younger SEAL stares at his friend for a couple seconds before he nods.
“Yea, I’ll tell you where to put it.”
“Great,” Trent mumbles as he picks up the turkey and leaves the kitchen, Clay following him with one of the pots. You look after them with a smile, then a laugh when you hear how your brother instructs his friend.
You decide to head to your living room to call the other guys. „Food‘s ready,“ you smile at them, peaking your head through the door. Sonny immediately stands up and claps his hands.
„That‘s my call!“ the Texan says and Brock snorts. Then he also stands up and walks towards you.
„I hope this isn‘t too much to ask but the dog‘s still in the car and I wanted to know if I‘d be allowed to get him out?“ He lightly tilts his head and you nod, an excited grin on your face.
„Sure! You can go and get him. Clay told me much about Cerberus!“ Relief washes over Brock and he excuses himself to get Cerberus. Normally he always took him with him but he didn‘t know how you‘d react to the shepherd dog.
„I‘m surprised that he didn‘t go crazy already,“ Clay retorts, suddenly by your side. „That dog‘s his life…“
„Well, at least he‘s got someone, no? Dog or not.“ You smile at your brother before you leave him alone to sit down in your dining room. „Are you coming?“ you turn around and he nods before following you.
-
„Missy, it‘s me!“ Your head shoots up when you hear Sonny‘s voice. What was the Texan doing in your house? Not that you didn‘t want him here, you‘ve become amazing friends with Bravo Team since your Thanksgiving dinner but it was 12am, so why was Sonny here?
Your head pops out of the kitchen and you eye Sonny. „What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at work.“
„Trent said I need to step back for a day or two. That fucker got me the wrong way during sparring,“ he explains while he stretches himself on your couch. „You have no problem with me being here, do you? I can also leave if you want me to.“ He looks up at you with a raised eyebrow.
„Oh,“ you smile. „No, you can stay. I have no problem with that.“ You turn to leave to the kitchen again then you turn around once more. „I hope you‘re fine lasagne? Clay asked me to cook it since he‘ll be around for lunch today.“
Sonny starts to grin and stand up immediately. „Did you say lasagne? Count me in Ms.Spenser!“ He follows you to the kitchen like a lost puppy and you laugh at that.
„You really want to compete with Cerberus, do you?“ Sonny only snorts at your question and sits down on one of your kitchen chairs. You laugh and shake your head. „Normally he‘s the one following me to the kitchen like he‘s a saint.“
„He ain‘t a saint,“ Sonny retorts and you grin.
„No, he‘s not. But you are?“ You turn to look at him, just fast enough to see him smirk.
„Never said I was one,“ he answers with a shrug, a full grin now working its way onto his face. „No one‘s a saint,“ he continues, stretching out his legs. „Except for you maybe. You come quite close to one.“
„Why‘s that?“ you ask, sprinkling cheese over the lasagna. You glance at him over your shoulder. He has his hands crossed in his lap and his head laid back, eyes closed. You smile at that sight. If you learned one thing about Sonny it was that he always acted all tough and untouchable but deep down he just wanted peace and calm…
„You‘re nice, you care for us, Trent has a crush on you,“ Sonny starts listing, not paying attention to the fact that he‘d just exposed his brother and you freeze. Trent had what? Surely you must‘ve misheard it. „Jason likes your muffins, Clay isn‘t bitching around that much when he was with you before.“ Sonny opens his eyes and looks at you. „You want me to continue?“
You shake your head and walk over to the oven. „No…“ you sound a bit confused, almost irritated by Sonny‘s words. „You don‘t need to praise me to the heavens, Sonny.“ you force a smile at him. „I‘m just…a normal person. Nothing special.“ You push the lasagna inside and turn the oven on.
Sonny tilts his head at you. Something he said caught you off guard, he can feel it. „Is it because I told you Jace likes your muffins? I was not supposed to tell you but-“
You turn around. „It‘s not the muffins Sonny.“
„Mhh…“ Sonny recalls everything he told you and then his eyes widen. „Oh shit! It‘s what I said about Trent, right? Oh fuck!“ He stands up. „Look, just- I don‘t know… Just because I said it doesn‘t mean it needs to be true!“
You shut him up with your gaze and for a second he just stands in your kitchen staring at you. Then realization hits him. „Oh… You want it to be true, don‘t you?“ You feel blood rush into your cheeks and avert your eyes. Sonny wouldn‘t let you hear the end of it now…
You expect the Texan to crack jokes and maybe laugh but he just looks at you. „You like him“, he then slowly puts the pieces together further and you simply nod along. „Now I own Ray 50$, damn.“
Your eyes widen and you open your mouth. „You had bets on me?“ He can‘t be serious, can he?
„Of course,“ Sonny seems so casual about it. „Ever since you brought Trent soup when he had a cold. You didn‘t even do it for Clay when he was bedridden.“ You don‘t know how to respond to that. If the team knew… did Trent know it too? Your palms start to sweat.
„Does…does he know?“ you carefully ask Sonny and he snorts. Was that a good sign now or a bad one?
„That fucker is as oblivious as Cerb when Brock tells him they‘re going swimming but instead he drags him to the vet.“ You blink at Sonny, not sure what to do with that answer. Sonny sighs. „Long story short, he doesn’t know. He doesn’t even think there's a possibility of you liking him back. That man is so head over heels over you that he tries to find even the slightest excuse to show up at your front door.“
„He…does?“ you’re still surprised by the fact that Trent apparently also likes you. You didn‘t know how to process all this.
„Of course,“ Sonny laughs. „Matter of fact, I‘m 100% sure he’s trying to convince Clay right now to let him come with him. Man‘s desperate to see you.“
You want to answer but then you think for a second. Why was Sonny telling you all this? Why was he breaking Trent‘s trust like that? This wasn‘t normal for Sonny…
„Why are you doing this Sonny?“ You then decide to ask. „Why are you telling me all this? Aren‘t you…betraying Trent right now?“
-
It‘s 11, maybe 11:30pm when you leave work and the cold wind collides with your face. You shiver and pull your jacket faster around you. You should‘ve taken your fucking car instead of walking to work this afternoon. You curse yourself as you quicken your steps and look around almost paranoid.
With Clay being your brother you always were very aware of what was happening around you. Clay made sure to teach you what he thought was necessary for you to know, that included the observation of everything around you and you’ve never been more thankful for it. It made you feel a tad more safe, especially now that you were walking around alone at night.
When you hear footsteps getting close to you you fish for your phone, never being more happy to have Clay on speed dial. You press your phone to your ear, your eyes glancing behind your shoulder. There was someone…
You decide to walk another way back home. One where you walk through the more populated areas of the town. While you try to keep an eye on your surroundings you wait for Clay to pick up. When he doesn‘t you suppress a curse and dial the next number. Sonny.
He would pick up, no? He is always on his phone anyway. But Sonny doesn’t pick up. You try to reach Clay again, then Sonny. They don’t answer.
“Fuck,” you breathe out, glancing behind you again. Whoever was walking behind you was surely following you. You’ve been taking other turns for the third time in a row now and they were still behind you.
You squint at your phone and take a deep breath. Without thinking twice about it you dial Trent’s number. You’re afraid you’ll break your phone with the grip you’re having on it but you try to keep calm. Clay prepared you for situations like this. Kinda.
“Trent? It’s me. Am I interrupting something?” you let out a relieved breath when he answers. “Could you do me a favor?” you’re even more relieved when he immediately answers with a yes. “I’m on my way back home from work and there’s someone follow-“ you can’t even finish your sentence before you hear him get up and grab his keys.
He asks you where you are and you quickly send him your live location. He promises you he’ll be there as fast as he can and your legs nearly give out from the sudden reassurance. You thank him over and over, quickening your steps once again.
“I’ll be there in 15,” you hear Trent say and you visibly relax. “Stay where you are, try to find a crowd or something close to that. I’m gonna stay in the line,” he explains and you nod, telling him you’ll do the best you can.
Your eyes scan the buildings surrounding you and then fall onto a small 24/7 shop. There surely was someone who could keep you company while Trent arrives, right?
“There’s a uh store,” you carefully say, your feet walking yourself over there almost by themselves. As expected Trent tells you to enter and look out for someone.
A small ‘ding’ signals you entering the store and you immediately start to hide between the shelves. And you were right to do so because only seconds later the bell rings again. You take a deep breath and grab one of the baking mixtures to look busy.
Then you call Trent’s name again. “I’m pretty sure they followed me into the store,” you quietly say, trying to glance around as unsuspiciously as possible. You pause for a second, the grip around the baking mix tightening. “Please tell me you’re here soon…”
“5 minutes,” he tells you, flooring the throttle of his truck. “5 minutes, then I’m there.” His grip on the steering wheel turns his knuckles white and he needs to keep himself calm more than ever.
On the battlefield he never was that nervous. His brothers could take care of themselves but you… You couldn’t.
Yes, Clay probably taught you basic self defense, he thinks but still. He could protect you better than you ever could…
When he arrives at your location he doesn’t bother properly parking his truck. He jumps out and tries to calmly walk towards the store but it‘s like his feet are itching.
He raises his phone, looking at the still ongoing call. „I‘m here,“ he tells you and then he opens the door. You‘re in his arms before he can even blink.
He stumbles two steps backwards before he can wrap his arms around you. „It‘s okay, it‘s okay,“ he says, his hand finding its way to the back of your head, keeping you close to him. „You’re not alone anymore.“
„God, that man was creepy,“ you breathlessly laugh, breaking the hug. You immediately miss the warmth Trent generated and heavily blush. „I‘m sorry for calling you so out of the blue-“ you want to apologize but he’s raising his hand to stop you.
„No, none of that. You can call me whenever you need. I‘m always there for you,“ he explains, looking you deep in the eyes. „Now, did you see the man? Do you know who he is?“
Trent‘s eyes narrow and the sparkling got replaced by a dangerous look. You shiver and swallow. You turn so you stand beside Trent and then you nod into the direction of a man. „That‘s him,“ you say. „He‘s been following me for at least three blocks.“
Trent looks at the man, then at you. „My truck‘s outside. Gimme three minutes and I‘ll join you there. I don‘t want you to witness this.“ He looks at you again and you nod.
„Okay. I‘ll go and wait…outside.“ You turn your back to Trent and leave, adrenaline pumping through your veins. You knew what he was gonna do. He‘ll nicely confront the man and probably calmly tell him to fuck off.
You stand beside his truck, already climbing in since it‘s still running and you can already see yourself patching up his bloody knuckles later. You sigh when you think about that. Sometimes you thought that he was just chasing trouble…
-
„Why are you looking at me like that?“ you mumble into your pillow, your eyes heavy with sleep.
„You’re pretty,“ Trent says and you can hear the smile in his voice. You quietly laugh and rub your eyes. Then you sit up in your bed and look at him. He sits on the floor, his back popped up against a wall.
„How long‘ve you been watching me?“ you want to know, smiling at him. He accompanied you home after the incident the night before and he refused to leave…
You offered him your couch, your bed even but he declined. So, he probably was awake the whole night, making sure you’re safe.
“I woke up about two hours ago,” he lies, placing his arms on his bent legs. “I made breakfast,” he then tells you, standing up with a low grunt. “Get ready, then we can eat.” He smiles before he leaves your room.
You quickly stand up and throw on some clothes before you rush to the bathroom to get ready. On the other side of your flat stood Trent in your kitchen, asking himself if he was going crazy.
He couldn’t think straight whenever he was with you and damn, it was showing. Telling you you look pretty while you just woke up? Watching you sleep in the first place? What the hell was he going through?
He wasn’t unfamiliar with being in love, that’s what brought him his two ex wives… So, he really wasn’t new to it but why was he acting so weird with you now? It shouldn’t be weird, no?
“You made all this?” your voice pulls him out of his thoughts and he looks at you. Fuck, you were even more beautiful now… How was he supposed to look past that and just…be normal?
„I did, yeah,“ he smiles, hiding his fidgeting hands behind his back. You grin up at him, the crinkles around your eyes showing and he just feels like he’s falling in love with you all over again.
„You didn‘t have to,“ you laugh, crossing your arms in front of your body. „This is- You didn‘t need to-“ you want to finish your sentence but Trent interrupts you. He gently leads you towards your table and pulls back a chair for you.
„I wanted to,“ he simply says. „Besides I already got the call that I need to leave soon, so I just wanted to make you happy before I and the team vanish for god knows how long again.“ He sits down opposite to you and fills your and his glass with orange juice.
„Will Clay pick you up?“ you ask, taking a sip of your orange juice. Trent shakes his head saying something about Clay not being allowed to know he was here and that Sonny wouldn‘t let him hear the end of it if he found out that he spent the night at yours.
You only laugh at that and continue to eat your breakfast. „I can drive you?“ you then suggest but he kindly denies.
„I can drive on my own Missy, don‘t worry. Besides, don’t you have to work today?“ Trent chews on his bread roll, curiously eying you but you just shake your head. You wouldn‘t need to work the next three days.
-
Your lungs sting as you run into the ER. You look around, panic in your eyes, your body shaking.
“Ma’am? Can we help you?” a young nurse asks, clearly worried. “Is everything okay?” She gently places a hand on your arm and your head snaps towards her.
“Clay Spenser. Where is he?” you rasp out, eyes teary. “I’ve been told he’s here.” Your voice breaks and the first tears run down your cheeks.
The nurse nods along and carefully leads you down a hallway. “I’m afraid we can’t help you but my colleague can surely tell you which room he is.” She smiles at you and you want to smile back but you just…can’t.
After half an hour of asking around you’re finally led to your brother’s room, your throat dry. You didn‘t know anything about his condition. Everything they told you was that he was being treated in the hospital.
„One of his friends is also in there,“ you’re informed as you come to a hold in front of the room. „We can ask him to leave at any moment though since he does not count as family.“
You only smile at the nurse. „No need for that. I…know him.“ You didn‘t know who of Bravo was with your brother right now but nevertheless you knew him. And besides, this team was family. They maybe didn‘t share the same DNA but the same blood was adorning their hands.
When the nurse was sure you were fine on your own she left you at the door, a comforting hand on your shoulder before she walked away. You stare at the door, taking a deep breath and opening it with trembling hands.
You pushed it open, your breath hitching when you notice all the monitors scattered around the room and the endless beeping of said machines.
You can see someone move and walk towards you in the corner of your eye. You know who it is when he lays his arms around you, pulling you into his embrace.
Trent doesn’t say a word while you cry, only holding you close and keeping a hand comfortingly on your back. He felt a bit helpless right now, not really knowing what to do but all you needed was just him holding you…
„Thank you for staying with him,“ you whisper after a couple moments, sniffing and breaking the hug. You want to wipe away your tears, feeling embarrassed for losing control like that but he gently wraps his hands around your wrists, pulling them away from your face.
You’re confused for a moment but then he pulls out a tissue and carefully starts to wipe away your tears. You feel like you could start to cry all over again.
„Thank you,“ you sniff again but he just shakes his head.
„You don‘t need to thank me.“ Then he pulls you into his arms again, planting a kiss on your head. „You both are family.“ Trent breaks the hug and cups your face with gentle hands.
„I know you’re scared for him right now,“ Trent glances into the direction of the bed where Clay was laying. „But he’s stable. He‘s pulling through. He’s a strong one.“
Your hand reaches out to place it over his, pulling them from your face and holding them in yours. You say nothing, only holding his hands and working up the courage to finally look at your brother.
„How did it happen?“ you ask, your voice almost being stuck in your throat.
„That’s…classified. I‘m sorry,“ Trent says in a quiet voice. „But, he’s got a couple of broken ribs, his lungs have seen better days and the fingers of his right hand are broken.“
Fresh tears gather in your eyes as you listen to Trent, letting go of him with trembling hands and walking towards Clay. „I told him that his job would demand its tribute sooner or later. He didn‘t listen…“ You sniff, carefully sitting down at the edge of the bed. „He never listens to me…“
-
“I thought you’d kill me as soon as I wake up,” Clay breathlessly laughs while you take a look at his bandages. He was currently laying on your couch, letting himself be treated by you.
“I would’ve,” you mumble. “If it weren’t for Trent.” You reach for the bandage tape and rip off a piece to place it over his arm brace so the bandage would stay in place.
Clay looks at you, tilting his head. “You like him, don’t you?” he then carefully asks and you halt for a second.
“What if I do?” you return the question, avoiding his gaze and fumbling with the tape in your hands.
You can feel your brother looking at you anyway, his eyes burning into your head. “I’d probably try and beat him up.”
“You would fail.”
“I know.” His hand reaches for yours and you finally look up. “I know what I told you when you first met them and…I still mean it but I can’t control who you love.” Clay pauses for a second, his gaze softening. “If you love him then so it be… Besides, he also has a thing for you but I think you know that already.” Clay starts to chuckle at the end of his sentence, his thumb carefully stroking the back of your hand.
“Guard your heart Missy. Don’t give it to the next best asshole.”
“Are you saying your friend is an asshole?” Your eyes widen with surprise.
“That’s not what I said!” Clay immediately shakes his head. “He’s a good guy—I know that for sure—but there are dudes who aren’t as amazing as lovely Trent. I’m asking you to be careful about them.”
You slightly smile before you sigh and stand up. “I don’t think you have to worry about me Clay. I’ll be fine as long as you don’t decide to run into a grenade anytime soon again.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose,” he grumbles, rolling his eyes in a joking manner. “Sonny said the path was clear.”
-
“You think he’s okay with this?” Trent carefully asks as he intertwines his fingers with yours.
“I don’t care what he thinks,” you reply, leaning against him, looking down at your hands. “I’m a grown up. I can do what I want.”
Trent chuckles, glancing at you with a gentle smile. “Do I need to expect the big-brother-talk?” He then wants to know. He needed to know what he needed to prepare for when he saw Clay again.
“More of a big-brother-beating,” you snort with a laugh. “I told him he’d lose and he knows it too but he wants to try anyway.”
“I promise I won’t be too hard on him,” Trent laughs, pressing a kiss to your head. “He’s still not cleared to operate so I need to look after him anyway.”
You don’t reply to that, only enjoying the moment, finally in Trent’s arms, without having to worry about anything in the world. You knew that sooner or later you’d be confronted by his job and its bad sides but right now you didn’t care about that.
You were with him and that was wall what you needed right now.
Full Metal - Secrets
Summary: Be mindful of your words in case your coworkers hear them or you'll never hear the end of it.
Warnings: friends with benefits but wondering if its more, a hidden relationship, angsty sort of fluff
Her unit had been disbanded and absorbed into others while she'd gotten thrown into Bravo. It wasn't the worst thing that could have happened to her, they'd known each other for some time now. That was the one thing about the military most people couldn't fathom, how humans of all backgrounds, etc. could mingle albeit in a dark humor-filled sort of harmony.
She wasn't exactly looking forward to another long stretch in JBAD, she'd already spent six months there before her unit was split up. Only had less than a month stateside before getting sent back with Bravo, but there never seemed to be a dull moment when those idiots were involved on a deployment.
"So when do we get to meet this fella of yours?" Sonny had been badgering her since dinner.
"Never," she snorted a laugh poking a stick into the firepit.
They'd been sitting around the fire and the ramshackle tiki bar Bravo had rebuilt. Trying to unwind and relax after a stressful couple of weeks.
"I think it's only fair we get to judge whether he's good enough for you." Ray forever the fatherly/older brother since she'd joined their demented team. He grinned around the fire at all his brothers who seemed to agree.
She quickly snuck a glance at Metal expecting him to be lost in a thoughtful daze staring at the flames but his gaze was locked on her. The smallest of smiles barely curling up at the edges of his mouth, almost unnoticeable, but she knew that look.
"He's..." mulling over her words carefully. "It's complicated."
"Oh, so he's married." Jason teased, erupting in laughter when she spit out her beer in shock at the implication.
"What?! No! I mean he was a long, long time ago but not now." Her death glare was nowhere as intimidating as she'd like it to be. Perhaps that was why some of the guys jokingly called her 'Cinnamon Roll'.
"He too short and you're embarrassed by it?" Sonny quipped with a wink.
"Tall," she chuckled, her grin turned mischievous. "I climb that fine specimen of an Alpha male like a tree." Her brothers-in-arms groaned grossed out at her statement ending in annoyed laughter.
"Why's it complicated then?" Clay eyed her suspiciously. He had that nagging feeling, that one of knowing something's off but you can't put your finger on just what.
She let herself get lost in the flames. Watching the embers crackle and burst into the air. It was easier when they weren't in the same unit, now everything had to be hush hush. They had to constantly look over their shoulder wondering if they were making it too obvious.
"I'm invoking the 5th," she sighed slumping back into her chair. "I'll pay a case a piece stateside."
"Have we met him already?" Brock petted Cerberus beside him.
Her eyes locked on Metal's again but all she could think of staring into those endless stormy orbs was him coming out of the shower dripping wet with a towel wrapped low around his waist and a hungry look in his eyes. The same look he was giving her now.
"Possibly," she gulped wishing for a change in the subject but none of them seemed to want to drop it since she'd accidentally said the word 'boyfriend' three days ago.
It was a slip of the tongue. They hadn't 'declared' anything between them. It wasn't like they'd had the 'talk'. Both of them we having fun and not willing to make a fuss about whatever they were. It'd been an endless joyride and now that she thought about it, one that'd been going on for almost two years.
That was a conversation they needed to have but neither had the greatest experiences with healthy relationships in the past. Both were too used to partners who were selfish and toxic, people who made red flags seem green until they weren't.
It was easy at the Bulkhead to act like friends. To play it off like it was just competitiveness while playing darts or pool and not the sexual tension buzzing between them counting down the minutes until they could be alone.
"What's the dumbest reason someone broke up with you?" Clay was phishing for information and he knew he'd get some by the way her eyebrows knit together in thought.
"Kool-aid." Her whole body shook in laughter.
"Say what now?" Confusion on Sonny seemed to be a constant lately.
"I was dumped for being as he put it 'a grown ass woman who still drinks Kool-Aid', but I ain't ashamed of it." Her whole face lit up laughing. "I have a cupboard full of packets and containers of mix, even have Jammers in my fridge. It's childish and fucking terrible for me but I don't care. They were the only part of my childhood that didn't suck."
"Favorite flavor?" Metal's gruff voice sent a chill up her spine.
In all the time he'd been to her place he never once commented on her drink of choice. He'd cock a brow, shake his head with a soft laugh and motion his hand for her to fork one of the drinks over. There wasn't anything as amusing as watching Scott 'Full Metal' Carter in all his formidable stature holding a tiny drink pouch in one hand and carefully attempting to puncture a straw through it with the other.
"Blue Raspberry Lemonade, Grape or Black Cherry." She answered wistfully breaking eye contact with Metal. He had a knack for making her feel certain ways without even realizing it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"The hell is that?" Sonny walked towards a bunk in their shared hut. A small haul of Kool-Aid on her bed.
"Maybe she got a package?" Clay was too exhausted to argue or care, he only thought of sleep.
"And someone opened it?! Think before you speak." Jason grumbled tossing a dirty t-shirt at Clay's face. "There's no box, no trash dipshit. She's been in command with Davis the last couple of hours. If she knew it was there she would have been shouting it from the rooftops."
"Son of a bitch it's one of us!" Sonny sat up in his bunk suddenly wide awake, eyeballing the others for the tiniest shred of guilt.
"Married in case you forgot." Ray chimed in feeling eyes on him.
"And I'm with Stella," but Clay's mind kept working, staring around the room.
"Don't look at me," Jason raised his hands in defeat. "I've got something going with Mandy."
"You still got that thing going with Davis?" Clay nodded toward Sonny.
"That was a fuckin' secret but yeah Blondie Donahue." A rolled-up sweaty pair of socks flew threw the air at Clay, Sonny aimed square in the middle of his face.
"You and Davis?" Jason raised an eye nodding impressed.
"Yeah, but that's not the focus right now." Sonny rubbed his chin in thought. "Whatdn't no one else around that night to have heard the convo so clearly it's one of us."
"That leaves Brock, Trent, and Metal." Clay was grinning like a Cheshire cat glancing between the three of them.
"Well boys," Jason folded his arms and leaned against his bunk amused. "Fess up, which one?"
"Not Brock," Ray was quick to respond analyzing his brothers.
"And why not?" The feeling of offense oozing from Brock.
"Because you'll never love a woman as much as you do your dogs and you've never been married." The haughty Sherlock-like response from Clay and them all laughing.
Trent and Metal stood a few feet apart from each other exchanging stoic glances before shrugging their shoulders. Trent knew, he knew from the first game of pool he saw those two playing that something was brewing. He knew a lot more than he let on but he wasn't about to sell out either of them... yet.
"Why does it matter?" Trent posed the question to the others but he had a point. Why did it matter? "It ain't interfering with work and clearly she's happy."
"Cuz I think we all wanna know whose the lucky bastard making her that damned happy." The laugh that snorted from Clay didn't cause the chain reaction he was going for.
"That sombitch deserves a case or two just for landing her in the first place." Sonny flopped in his bunk muttering away about the 'luckiest bastard alive'.
Neither Metal nor Trent would say a word to the aggravation of the others, not even when she came back and squealed excitedly over the mystery gifts. Metal watched her from the corner of his eye from his top bunk though. Smiling to himself behind the book he'd been failing to read too enamored by the way her nose scrunched. Overjoyed and on cloud nine, smiling like a kid at Christmas.
"What'd all that cost ya?" Trent stood beside his bunk blocking his view of her.
Something as simple as Kool-aid or just treats in general was and always would be a hot commodity, especially in a place like JBAD. Bartering and trading were commonplace for such things, hard to find, hard to get your hands on unless you wanted to wait months for mail.
Metal should have known, should have been prepared for this deployment better but it wasn't until she had let the word 'boyfriend' slip from her mouth that he found himself getting serious maybe even slightly territorial over her. Falling for her had been easy but admitting that she might feel the same had been harder until she called him 'boyfriend'.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Bravo had been watching Metal, Trent, and her more closely. Every move, glance, every spoken word that could possibly hold some hint. They observed the interactions between the three, how close together they sat, how close they walked together. Was the way she smacked their shoulder just playful banter or did it mean something else?
Currently, she was sat between Trent and Metal in their rec room playing video games. The rest of Bravo around the room in various angles studying them like specimens behind glass.
"Ghost is gorgeous," she mumbled. Elbows on her knees leaning forward watching the cut scene in-game.
Metal raised an eye distracted by her statement. Staring at her, watching the twinkle in her eyes glimmer by the light of the big screen. Too busy wishing for even a minute alone with her to notice she sniped his character while he wasn't looking.
"You don't even know what he looks like under that balaclava." Trent hissed through clenched teeth determined to not let her win.
"He's hot." The dreamy sigh that slipped from her mouth had Metal in a chokehold. "A voice like that, mmm. That man needs to step outta this game and growl 'good girl' in my ear."
Scott knew what she was doing, hoping to keep Trent distracted, to get him thinking, talking. The controller in Metal's hand however was slowly breaking under pressure. The cracking noises of the plastic from his death grip were not quite loud enough yet for others to notice. All the comments he wanted to quip back with, a reminder of all the times he was the one whispering 'good girl' in her ear feeling her squirming beneath him.
"You're conceded, typical woman." Trent's body jerked to the side of the couch when he saw her character on screen taking a shot at him as if his movement would translate to his character on screen. A sign he was an old-school gamer.
"And you're jealous no one's said that about you," she snapped back, eyes glued to the TV screen.
"Not what you said last night, love," Trent said it so casually yet filled with smug cockiness. "Oh yeah, right there, right there, don't stop Trent."
She wasn't expecting that from him, not that level of teasing in front of everyone. Her body was rigid and buzzing in anger. Glaring at him not caring that he killed her character in-game.
"You fuckin' suck!" A shrill growl erupted from her as she slammed the controller into his chest.
"And you swallow, so what?!" Trent gloating at finally getting a win over her.
None of them had ever heard that sound from her before, the dramatic on the verge of unhinged groan as she stormed out of the hut slamming the door behind her. The death glare Metal shot toward Trent before tossing his controller at Trent with less force than he deserved taking his leave.
"So ... it's ... you?" Sonny quirked an eye confused.
Metal's phone vibrated from the side of the couch he'd occupied saving Trent from answering. Clay was the first to catch a glance at the picture as the phone continued to ring. It was of her and Metal lighting up that tiny screen.
He stood behind her, arms crossed over her chest. His chin resting atop her head. She had the sweetest smile on her face, a love-drunk glimmer in her eyes that was mirrored in Metals. The men of Bravo all stared down at the phone and each other. Scott Carter was the last one they thought she was dating. It just didn't seem possible but maybe it was the right fit. She was the embodiment of sunshine and him the walking living breathing stereotypical grump.
"I'll be damned." Clay was befuddled and pissed because he'd just lost $100 so sure it was Trent.
"Crazy ass son of a bitch," Jason chuckled.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
She was the last one to gather at the firepit that night. None of the men talking, just silence staring into the flames. She stood within arm's length of Metal, leaning close to the fire and warming her hands. Ignoring all of them and pissed at herself for earlier.
She never intended nor wanted to ever act like that around them, to give them ammunition to tease her over later. To admit that sometimes she was a typical woman, that shit bothered her. That she'd rather stomp away from an annoyance than punch it in the fucking face and admit he got under her skin.
Metal smirked, swiftly grabbing her around the waist and pulling her onto his lap, arms locking her in place. His chin nuzzled in the crook of her neck.
"What are you doing?!?!" Failing at keeping the squeak in her voice she tried to free herself from his grip, but he only smirked.
"They know," kissing her cheek.
"Are you crazy??" Not the slightest amused at his antics, fingers curled around his trying to pull them from her. "What about Blackburn?"
"No one cares," Metal reassured her lacing their fingers together. "Dipshits saw my phone."
All of Bravo watched her slowly relaxing against Metal, letting her eyes close as she got comfortable until she sat up with a start peering curiously at Metal.
"What... what's on your phone?"
He pulled out his phone and handed it to her, fighting back a smile as the screen lit up. The reflection of the picture glowed in her eyes. She was close enough to the smoke from the fire to blame that on the water pooling up against her lashes a fact that only made him hold her tighter.
"So... " Clay nodded his head as if mulling over his words. "Metal's... your boyfriend?"
"That I am." Metal boasted sitting up a bit straighter. He said those words proudly and yet he knew he was answering the unspoken question between him and her. "Love ya," he whispered in her ear, spoken just loud enough for her.
"You know he's got bodies buried somewhere. That don't creep you out?" Sonny half joked, half worried.
"Who do you think helps dig the holes?" She deadpanned cuddling into Metal stealing a quick kiss.