#specop fic

[dickd0c]

STRIKE

a lil book about our specops babes. expect smut and maybe love <3

MASTERLIST

chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, chapter four, chapter five, chapter six, chapter seven, chapter eight, chapter nine, chapter ten, chapter eleven, chapter twelve, chapter thirteen, chapter fourteen, chapter fifteen, chapter sixteen, chapter seventeen, chapter eighteen, chapter nineteen, chapter twenty, chapter twenty-one, chapter twenty-two

[dickd0c]

oops

[dickd0c]

STRIKE

CHAPTER TWENTY — “day six”

Nic woke up covered in popcorn.

She was half under a blanket, Alpha's arms and legs tangled with hers. Groaning, she picked her head up to see the bowl was upside down and buttered popcorn was flailed everywhere. the laptop was dangerously close to the edge of the bed, threatening to fall and break at any moment.

Nic carefully got out of the bed, picking the laptop up and putting it on one of the nightstands. She gave a glance to the asleep Alpha before she grabbed her phone and made her way to her own room. There, she brushed her teeth twice since she'd fallen asleep before she could do that the night before. She then took a shower, scrubbing extra hard where she was feeling especially buttery.

Nic quickly dried herself off and dressed casually as usual, putting on her pair of Nike pros that hadn't been ripped and a loose green t shirt that didn't seem very familiar. In fact, as Nic frowned at her reflection, noting how the shirt fell below her shorts and hung so loose on her, she was pretty sure it was someone else's. She shrugged—it was comfortable, and that's all she actually cared about.

Nic walked out her room and down the hallway, back towards Alpha's room. She figured she'd wake him up and help clean up the massive mess since she was partially at fault for it too. However, when she opened the door, he wasn't in bed. Walking inside, she could hear the shower running in his bathroom.

Shrugging, she made her way over to his unmade bed. She picked the bowl up and started the long process of finding stray popcorns to toss them back into the bowl. Huffing as she walked back and forth along the bed, she started cursing herself for being empathetic and wanting to help him out. When all the visible kernels were in the bowl, she set it down and grabbed the blanket to shake it out. Immediately, more popcorn cake falling out, making Nic groan again. She didn't notice the sound of the shower turning off in the bathroom.

She got back to work quickly, scooping the smushed food up and tossing it into the bowl until the whole end was free of popcorn. Smiling proudly, she scoured the floor for stray kernels before setting the bowl down on the nightstand.

Nic turned her attention back to the bed, recoiling at the bitter stains she was just now noticing. She ripped the blanket and the sheets off of the bed, about to go and find him some clean ones when the bathroom door opened.

"Fuck."

Nic whipped around, and the sight made her jaw dropped. She shamelessly dragged her eyes up and down Alpha's body. He was dressed in nothing but a white towel around his waist, hanging low enough for his v-lines to be visible. His tan skin was damp and dewey, and his wavy hair was wet. All around him, steam from the bathroom billowed, making him look like a sultry model from a magazine. When Nic finally looked into his grey eyes, she saw that they were focused on the hem of her shirt.

She glanced down, realizing it probably looked like that shirt was the only thing she was wearing.

"I think," Alpha said slowly, taking a small step forward, "from now on, you should only wear my shirts."

Nic's jaw dropped further.

"And I mean it. Nothing else."

Alpha took another few steps forward until he was right in front of her, so close she could feel the steam coming off his skin. His hand slowly inches forward, making Nic's breath hitch when it slipped just under her shirt to tug gently on the bottom of her shorts.

"Not even these."

"I didn't know it was yours," Nic mumbled, grasping at the green material. "It was just in my closet."

"Keep it," Alpha said with a smirk, placing his two firm hands on her hips and pulling her against his body. Nic liked the feeling of his hard, damp abs against her hands. "Looks better on you than it did on me."

Nic's eyes dropped to the top of Alpha's towel, unable to pull away from the sight until his hand tugged her chin up. Her eyes widened for a moment but soon fluttered shut when he bent down to meet her lips with his. Unlike usual, instead of rough and aggressive, his kiss was slow and sensual. Nic's hands roamed his feverish shoulders and chest. Alpha's hand on her chin moved to the side of her neck, his warm fingers resting gently on her cool skin.

Nic's cheeks tinged when she felt their tongues touch. Alpha dug his fingers into her skin, tilting his head a little before slowly pulling away. His breath was calm and steady unlike Nic's soft pants.

Alpha's fingers fluttered down to the hem of her—his—shirt, slowly lifting it up Nic's torso, letting his hands drag across her skin. All the while, he kept steady eye contact with her, a small smirk playing on his lips.

Nic's hands grabbed his to stop them right before he pulled the shirt above her bra. There was an uneasy expression in her face as she averted his gaze and bit her lip. "Alpha..."

"What?" he asked, face dropping. He tilted his head to get a better look at her, hands flying to her face. "What's wrong?"

"I can't..."

His face dropped further, a serious look in his eyes. "Nica, you know you don't have to do anything you don't want with me."

Nic couldn't help but laugh at that, making his serious expression turn confused. "No, what I'm trying to say is... I'm on my period. I really can't."

She had started it the day before. Her birth control was wonderful, and it shortened her period by three days, but she was still stuck with two days of mild flow but shitty cramps.

Nic watched his face carefully, waiting for him to say "well your mouth isn't." That's what her ex boyfriend would always say to her.

Not like Alpha was like her ex.

Well, not like Alpha was her boyfriend in general.

His lips parted as her words washed over him, and his grey eyes lit up in mild amusement. "Oh," he said, scratched his wet hair. "Oh, that's okay. I mean, hope you're not feeling too shitty." His eyes drifted behind her to his bare bed, empty of popcorn. "Did you do that?" he asked, a small smile playing on his lips.

Nic turned around, her hands slipping form his, and she smiled slightly too. "Yeah—you're going to need new sheets, by the way."

Alpha chuckled lowly, his fingers gently clasping around her jaw to make her look at him. His stormy eyes dragged across her face, as he said in that raspy voice, "How do you always manage to ruin my sheets?"

Nic flushes bright red, worming here way out of Alpha's grip and moving towards where she dropped the dirty sheets and blanket. "Shut up," she mumbled, picking them up with a scowl on her face.

Alpha grinned before making his way over to the dresser. Nic glanced at the closet next to him, blushing even deeper as she remembered what was in there. With a deep sigh, she bounded out the room to drop his dirty sheets and blanket in the laundry room. When she got back to his room, he was already dressed and putting clean sheets over his mattress.

Nic watched him finish and throw a blanket over the band haphazardly before placing his surprisingly unharmed pillows back on. She smiled when he turned to look at her and was surprised when she got a big smile back.

"Hey, you need anything?" he asked her, smoothing out a little wrinkle on his bedsheet.

Nic tilted her head, frowning, and Alpha must have seen the look on his face.

"I mean for your period. Are you comfortable?"

Nic tried not to show her surprise when he said the actual word "period." Her ex never did. He'd always recoil when she brought it up or refer to it as "that" if he absolutely had to.

"I—" Nic couldn't find the words as she looked at him with lifted eyebrows. "I'm okay, but thank you, really. I took an Advil for my cramps an hour back, though I don't know if it's doing anything..."

Alpha hesitated before he spoke, his eyes darting away from her momentarily. "Okay, this is going to sound bad, but... are you wearing a pad or a tampon?"

Nic's mouth dropped open as she stared at him with wide eyes. He wouldn't even meet hers, knowing how weird and frankly creepy his question sounded. "Tampon?" she squealed unsurely, wrapping her arms around herself.

Alpha lifted his eyes to her, a wary smirk on his lips. "I think I know how to help with your cramps," he said with a soft chuckle, climbing into the bed so that his back was leaning against his pillows. "C'mere."

Nic climbed onto the bed, kneeling down in front of him with a confused expression playing on her face. Alpha urged her forward, meeting her in the middle with a deep kiss that made Nic forget where she was for a second. He pulled away, smirking slightly.

"Turn around," Alpha ordered, though his voice was less commanding and more comforting than usual.

Nic did just that, feeling his hands grab her and pull her so that they were in the same position as when they were watching the movies. Nic could feel Alpha's chest heaven against her back with his rapid breaths, and she could feel her heart threatening to burst through her chest.

"Relax," Alpha whispered against her ear, bending his knees so his feet lay flat on the bed and urging Nic to do the same with her legs. He moved her legs so they rested against his. "You can stop me at any time, okay? Are you comfortable so far?"

Nic nodded, closing her eyes.

"Words, babygirl."

"Yes," she exhaled, tilting her head back to rest it on his chest.

Nic felt Alpha's hands slowly slide up and down her nearly naked thighs, sending goosebumps all around her body. One hand snakes upwards to lay flat over her hips. The other snaked inwards, gently brushing against her clothed center. Alpha's head dipped down against her neck, and she immediately tilted her head to give him space. His lips, tongue, and teeth worked together to make small marks on her soft skin. His lips pressed warm kisses on her, his teeth nipped are her most sensitive spots, and his tongue left a wet trail from the base of her neck to her jaw and then all the way back down.

Meanwhile, his fingers slowly started moving against her shorts. Nic whimpered softly when they began rubbing circles over her, sending shots of electricity up her body. Her hands darted up behind her to grab Alpha's hair.

"How's this feel?" he whispered, warm lips pressed to her ear. "You want more?"

Nic nodded slightly, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she willed herself not to make too much noise.

"C'mon, Nica, I shouldn't have to keep reminding you," Alpha warned, his fingers suddenly pressing harshly against her core, sending thrills crawling up her spine.

"Yes, please, more," Nic moaned quietly, tugging his hair harshly when he delivered.

Alpha groaned in her ear, sending shivers down her body that were met by shivers crawling up form the stimulation at her core. She twisted her fingers in his damp hair, feeling his fingers speed up over her clothes, wishing more than anything that he could just rip them off.

"Damon," Nic sighed happily, tugging on his hair.

Alpha groaned again. "Fuck... I think I like that almost as much as 'Daddy.'"

Nic flushes slightly, though her face was already red from from the magic Alpha's fingers were working between her thighs. She gasped despite herself when his fingers pushed down hard on her covered clit, knowing instantly as that familiar swirling boiled up in her stomach that her finish was near.

Alpha's fingers stayed there, rubbing harsh circles and occasionally dipping down to palm her center where she so desired to be filled by him. As his hand moved in steady patterns, she could feel his abdominal muscles contracting and moving against her back. She opened her eyes just slightly to watch his hand working at her, licking her lips at the sight of the muscles in his string, veiny arms dancing with every move he made.

Nic twitched, whimpers spilling out of her lips as the first wave of her orgasm slowly filled her up, followed by the rest of it hitting her like a massive wall of water, leaving her thrashing under Alpha's strong arms.

His hand didn't stop working at her, pressing all the right spots and making her feel so damn good even while separated by two layers of cloth.

He finally pulled his hands away from her when her body went limp and her breathing slowed down. With gentle but strong hands, he turned her around and positioned her so that she was straddling him. Alpha cupped her face with his hands, leaning in to meet her with a rough kiss. Nic kissed back, but slower, still dazed from her orgasm, vaguely making a mental note to go clean up in the bathroom. But, as Alpha kissed her, she pressed her palms to his chest, feeling his abs through his shirt.

She could also feel his pounding heart, threatening to leap out of his chest cavity at any moment.

Nic pulled away from the kiss, a weak smile on her lips. "Thank you," she said bashfully, eyes dropping to his neck.

"Anytime, babygirl."

[dickd0c]

this is uncool

wattpad took my specops fic down at abt 55k, so for those of u that are here from wattpad, 👋 hi babies i love you.

imma start putting it back up on here and on ao3 whenever i get sent an invitation but yeaaa msg me if ur from wattpad i want friends

[dickd0c]

richard 🥺 ok these shoiod b the last LOL

[dickd0c]

richard!!! love u

[dickd0c]

STRIKE

CHAPTER NINETEEN — “day five, part two”

A while later, Nic found herself walking out of her room and down the hall. There wasn't much to do. She didn't want to text Lucas—she'd just met him and didn't want to come off clingy. Riot was gaming (loudly) in his room. Tank was still at the gym and probably would be for a while, and Athena was definitely still pity shopping.

So she wound up in front of the door to Alpha's room, asking herself why her heart was pounding so fast and her chest was growing so tight. She slowly pushed the door open a few inches, peeking in to see Alpha seated on his bed with his laptop a few feet away from him. He had a massive bowl of popcorn beside him. The lights were off and the curtains were drawn, so the only light illuminating his face was the flashing from his laptop. It had been hours since he'd popped into her room to annoy her, so she wondered how many movies he had watched in that time.

Nic pushed the door open a bit more, sidling in before quietly shutting it behind her. She walked over to the side of the bed, Alpha not even glancing over at her, and lifted the covers so she could sit with him underneath. As she lifted her knees on to the bed, she glanced up at him, noticing something different.

On top of his nose sat a pair of black-framed glasses that reflected the movie on his laptop. Nic had never seen Alpha with glasses before, but she had to admit, he truly pulled them off. Biting her lip, She slid under the covers, sitting up with her legs extended.

Wordlessly, Alpha wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her towards him. Nic nearly fell over, surprised, but she steadied herself and found their bodies so close together their legs were touching. She was angled a little so that her back rested on the side of her chest, and she was nearly sitting on him. He then moved the laptop so it was balancing on top of both of them. Nic didn't fail to notice the arm that stayed around her waist.

It was odd sitting with him like that. He wasn't the most touchy guy in normal situations. He barely cuddled after sex, he didn't even tapped her shoulder if she was in his way. Nic's body stayed tense, feeling his arm get comfortable. He pulled her a little closer so that his hand could rest peacefully on her thigh, but that just forced Nic to resist the urge to squirm.

Nic forced herself to zero in on the movie playing on his laptop. It seemed like a comedy, which kinda surprised her. She figured that he would be the type to watch action or thrillers, but hey, everyone can use a good comedy every now and then. An actor on the screen cracked a joke, and next to her, Alpha let out a humored breath. Nic smiled to herself, feeling her body slowly relax against his.

Between scenes, the screen went black. Though it was dark in the room, it was still light enough for her to be able to see their vague reflections. She looked at Alpha, watching him adjust the glasses resting on his nose. She really did like those glasses on him.

"Damon," Nic said suddenly, as if testing the name out on her tongue. It clearly startled him, though.

"Yeah?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing behind those glasses.

"Nothing. Actually, how old are you?" Nic asked quietly, reaching for the popcorn.

Alpha quirked his eyebrows, as if caught off guard. Nic had to admit, it was a bit random. "Uhh, twenty-one."

"Oh. So you just graduated college, didn't you? Congratulations," she said with a smile, watching him nod and shrug. "What did you major in?"

Alpha gave her a weird look, like making normal conversation was new to him. "Nursing," he said, and Nic could feel his abdomen tense up against her back.

Nic's face brightened. "Oh, that's great! I have a friend who's doing nursing. She says it's really hard. Wow, so you've got your bachelor's?"

Alpha made that face again, looking steadfast at the flashing laptop screen. "Yeah... why are you questioning me, again?"

Nic huffed, turning her face away from him with a small scowl. "Because... I know Tank, Riot, and Athena's ages. I know what they're studying. I know their favorite colors too. But you? I didn't even know you wore glasses."

It was true. She knew a lot about those three. Tank was nineteen, like her, and an athletic training major. Riot was twenty and a communications major. Athena, twenty as well, was a compsci major. Nic learned all of that in one or two weeks, but she just found out the same information about Alpha after nearly two months.

"You didn't even know any of their real names until today," Alpha pointed out in a snarky voice, his abdominal muscles shifting against her back.

Nic rolled her eyes but stayed silent. Partly because he was right and that was awkward, and partly because she wasn't in the mood to get him angry.

Alpha sighed, long and loud, and Nic nearly turned around to tell him off for being unreasonably irritable when he spoke again.

"Green," he said in a quiet and raspy voice.

Nic smiled to herself. "Mine's purple," she said softly, leaning comfortably into his chest. His arm tightened around her and his thumb started rubbing circles on her thigh. A brief glance at Alpha told Nic that he was doing so absentmindedly.

"So..." Nic thought out loud, thinking of a question to ask him. She just wanted to keep him talking. "Are you going to be getting a job?"

Alpha cleared his throat, clearly unfamiliar with talking so much with someone he didn't already know well. "I'm going for my master's actually, so I won't have time for a full time job."

Nic didn't know jack shit about nursing. She had made up that friend she had mentioned.

"You really like nursing, huh?"

Alpha just shrugged, but Nic could see the small smile that he swallowed back.

Nic slowly let her head fall back to rest on Alpha's shoulder, feeling his body tense under her before it slowly relaxed. She watched the movie, smiling slightly as the actors cracked corny jokes and managed to get into sticky situations every ten minutes. Every once in a while, Alpha would chuckle lowly, making her let out a small laugh of her own. She hadn't heard Alpha laugh this much in...

Ever.

There were still so many questions she all of a sudden wanted to ask. There were so many things she didn't know about him, so many things she didn't even know about the others. Come to think of it, she'd never had a single conversation with any of them about their or her family life. Maybe a few brief ones, but the fact that Athena had homophobic parents was honestly the most she knew.

Nic looked down at the strong hand resting on her thigh, wondering what Alpha's family was like. A heavy pit in her stomach told her that it was probably a bad idea to ask.

A few minutes later, the movie came to a sappy end, where the short balding man finally kissed his stunning, sweet ex-wife. Alpha chuckled, a rumbling sound that made his chest vibrate against Nic's back as his fingers reached for the laptop and fiddled with it.

"What do you want to watch next?" he asked her, catching her by surprise.

"Um... something horror, maybe," she replied.

"Alright, try not to hold my hand too hard," he said, sounding amused as he scrolled for movies.

Nic rolled her eyes. "I don't scare that easily," she proclaimed, and Alpha's hand tightened around her thigh.

"We'll see..." he mused, clicking on a movie and letting it play. He then moved the lap top between his legs. His hands shifted to Nic's hips, catching her by surprise when they lifted her and pulled her over with ease.

Nic landed between his spread legs, feelings arms wrap around her torso to pull her back tight against his flexed chest. Alpha's head dipped to the side of hers, mouth brushing against her ear as he whispered.

"If you get scared, I'll be holding you."

Nic's heart pounded against her chest, and she was sure that he could somehow hear it. She sat there, slightly dazed, trying to figure out if his words were supposed to be sexual or sweet.

The first scene played out on the screen, sharp blades slicing a woman's head clear off.

Stomach churning, Nic hoped it wasn't sexual.

As the movie progressed, Alpha's arms seemed to grow tighter around her. Nic wasn't sure if that was for her comfort or his, because every time something gory took place on screen, she'd flinch violently, but he'd gasp in shock.

"Oh, I don't think I'll be touching the popcorn," Nic nearly gagged when the killer cut open a man's abdomen and took an organ into his hands.

Alpha nodded, briefly moving an arm away from her to push the popcorn bowl away. He wrapped his arm back around her, resting his chin in the crook of her neck. He still hadn't shaved, so his light scruff scratched the sensitive skin on her neck. Nic tilted her head and rubbed her face against his ever so slightly, enjoying the feeling of his scruff against her cheek.

"What are you doing?" Alpha whispered, his hands moving to grab hold of her waist, fingers digging into her skin.

Nic froze, grateful for the dark room covering up her pink cheeks. She shifted her head away from him, feeling her embarrassment pool up in her tightening chest. She cleared her throat—"Sorry."

She couldn't see it, but Alpha frowned, looking confused. "No, I didn't mean it like that," he said, dipping his head back down to rest in her neck. He then winded as a body fell from forty stories up in the movie, flinching as it landed with a loud thud. "Shit..." he muttered into Nic's neck, burrowing nearly his entire face into it so that just his eyes could peek out and see what happened next.

Nic laugher lightly, moving her hands to rest on top of each of his and give them a light squeeze. "Look who's scared now," she teased, feeling his hands tighten their grip on her.

"I was just pretending to make you feel better," he responded arrogantly, and Nic could practically hear his smirk.

"You keep telling yourself that," she cooed, moving her hands back to rest in her lap.

Alpha didn't respond. He just pulled her tighter against him, if that was even possible. Nic grinned to herself despite the gory scenes before her eyes, catching herself sometimes flinching on purpose so that his fingers would rub circles on her skin.

She never thought he'd touch her like that. It was new, it was different. It was nice.

[dickd0c]

STRIKE

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN — “day five, part one”

"Who's Lucas?"

Nic's eyes shot open. She turned her head to see Alpha standing by her side of the bed, looking down at her phone that was resting on the bedside table. She frowned and turned onto her side, grabbing her phone.

"Were you going through my phone?" she asked accusatively, sitting up as she rubbed her bleary eyes.

"No," Alpha shrugged, face stoney. "I was just checking the time and saw his notification. What was he doing texting you at 1:00 AM?"

"Why does it matter?" Nic replied, giving him an odd look. "He's a friend, that's all."

"If he's a friend, why are you getting defensive?" Alpha retorted, narrowing those cold eyes down at her. He then shook his head and straightened his back. "Know what? Never mind, you're right. It really doesn't matter. But get ready, Athena wants to talk to all of us."

Nic watched Alpha walk away before she pulled her phone out and swiped it open.

Lucas Received 1:17 AM you there?

Lucas Sent 9:06 AM hey :) how was your interview btw?

Nic waited a few moments, about to turn her phone off and get up when the three little dots at the bottom of the screen popped up.

Lucas Received 9:07 AM morning :)

Lucas Received 9:07 not bad, they didn't seem to mind that I smelled like coffee

Lucas Sent 9:08 AM good, I hope we get to work together then

Nic smiled and turned her phone off, hurrying to her room to get ready. She didn't waste time just basking in the shower like she normally would, but got right to work scrubbing her body and washing her hair. She got dressed in the usual lounge shorts and sweat pants, choosing not to put any product in her wet hair as she walked out her room and towards the living room where she assumed everyone else would be.

She walked in and saw Riot and Athena already sitting there, and she plopped herself down on the empty loveseat.

"So... what did you wanna talk about?" Nic asked Athena, cross her legs and getting comfortable.

"Let's wait for Tank," she responded, looking a little irritated, though not at anyone in particular.

Alpha walked over from the kitchen with a glass of water, nestling into a seat beside Riot as he raised the cup to his lips. "What's taking him so long?" he mused, eyes momentarily flicking to Nic.

"You know how he is about his hair," Riot said with an amused smile, leaning back into the sofa.

Nic frowned, a confused expression on her face. "But it always looks messy," she noted.

"Floppy," Tank corrected, sounding clearly offended. Nic turned her head to see him walking into the living room with a pout on his face, giving a glare to everyone else. "It's floppy, not messy, and it takes effort." He plopped down onto the loveseat beside Nic with a grunt, sighing as he leaned into it.

Nic rolled her eyes, which made him nudge her playfully.

Athena cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention. Nic saw the distressed look on her face and frowned, concerned.

"Are you okay? What's going on?" she asked, leaning forward a little.

Athena sighed, glancing away before looking back and making eye contact with Nic. "My parents are throwing a party," she said mournfully, as if she had told Nic that her grandmother had just passed away.

Next to Nic, Tank inhaled a sharp breath like a hiss. Riot reached over to pat a comforting hand on Athena's back. Even Alpha had something close to a sympathetic look on his statuesque face. Meanwhile, Nic was sitting there befuddled.

"Is that a bad thing?" she asked, sounding dumb as hell.

Tank leaned over to mumble in her ear. "They're not on good terms," he explained, using his hands while talking. "Her parents aren't the type of homophobic parents to disown her. No, they're still in denial. And they're still trying to send her to conversion therapy."

Nic scowled fiercely, as if she were scowling to Athena's parents themselves. "They sound absolutely shitty," she decided, softening her gaze when Athena looked at her.

"Yeah, um, they're making me come," Athena sighed, massaging her temples with her hands. "Well, not making me, but I have to go. It's their anniversary, you know? But I can't go alone..."

It took the rest a few moments to realize what Athena was asking for, and then the room was filled with "of course!" and "anything for you" and "we'll make sure you don't have to talk to them." Nic smiled as reassuringly as she could as she watched Riot pull Athena into a side hug.

Then something struck her.

"Wait," she said suddenly, turning to Tank as her mind was filled with memories of the first time she talked to the four of them. They had told her that they couldn't tell her their "real" names, and somehow, Nic hadn't questioned it (I usually hate when ppl interrupt the story with their notes......but I can't......someone let me know how I forgot to bring up the whole real name shit....please don't rip on Nic in the comments RIP ON ME LMAO).

"What?" Tank turned to her, eyebrow quirked.

"Did your parents... really name you guys Tank, Alpha, Athena, and Riot?" she asked, an incredulous expression on her face.

Tank grinned that lopsided grin, a bellowing laughter escaping from his mouth attracting the attention of the other three people in the room. He turned to them, wiping a tear with his thumb, and said, "She thinks these are our real names!"

Nic quickly scrambled for recovery, trying to talk over the amused comments flying at her, saying, "No! I'm just wondering what they really are!"

Athena, now grinning widely, choked out a response amidst her laughter. "These are not our real names, how thick would our parents have to be? Though Athena is my middle name, so that's where we got mine from."

"So you guys chose these nicknames?" Nic asked, frowning.

"Yeah," Riot nodded, "and they kinda stuck. So we use them as aliases in protests, and even with each other. "

Kinda like the Marauders, Nic thought to herself. She was a bit of a Harry Potter nerd back in middle school, having bought the entire book series. They were soft covers, not hard covers, so she wasn't that crazy (yes, I am talking about myself).

"So... what are your names?" she asked softly, tilting her head.

Tank stuck his hand out for her to shake, doing so firmly when she slipped hers into it. "Kaden Slater! You can call me Kade, though I prefer Slater. Or just Tank. Tank's good too."

Nic grinned, shaking her head a little.

"Ivy," Athena said with a distracted smile. "Ivy Athena Fischer. Everyone usually calls me Athena, except for my parents." A distasteful look came on her face, but she quickly shook it away.

"Miles Forrester, pleased to meet you," Riot said with a friendly wink, making Nic laugh softly. "Riot's a childhood nickname."

Alpha cleared his throat. "Damon. Damon Hale," he said gruffly, making Nic strain to hear him clearly.

Damon. She liked that name, it suited him.

"I can remember this," she said with an uneasy chuckle, earning her small chuckles from the others. "Slater, Ivy, Miles, and Damon," she said, pointing at each respective person. "So when's the party?"

"This weekend," Athena replied glumly, pulling her knees to her chin. "In three days, on Saturday. It's a thirty minute drive, forty-five with traffic."

"We'll be there the whole time," Riot said, rubbing her back.

"I know, I know—but so will they."

After a few more minutes of comforting Athena, they all disbanded to do whatever they needed to do. Athena ran to the grocery store, saying she needed to distract herself, but Nic could just tell that she was really heading to the mall. Tank went out to the gym, complaining about how Riot made him miss his workout the day before he kept asking him to play video games. Riot rolled his eyes and retreated into his room to do who knows what—maybe play more video games. Damon did the same, closing his door with an excessively loud slam that made Nic jump in her spot and roll her eyes.

Nic followed suit, going into her room and shutting the door far more gently. She tossed herself onto her bed, whipping her phone out of her pocket and looking at her text messages. She ignored all of them, except for Lucas's.

Lucas Received 9:10 AM same. I  wonder who the third could be

Lucas Sent 11:28 AM probably not the girl who stormed out crying

Lucas Received 12:29 AM 😂😂 no probably not

Lucas Received 11:29 AM hey Nic?

Lucas Sent 11:29 AM what's up?

Nic frowned at her phone when she didn't get a reply back for a minute, then two minutes, and then three minutes. She sighed, about to toss it to the other end of her bed, when it suddenly started ringing. She squinted then brightened up when she saw the name displayed. Immediately, she pressed the little green button and brought the phone up to her ear.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, eyes bright, and then immediately started wondering if she sounded too enthusiastic. Perhaps a simple "hello" would have been better.

"Nic!" Lucas immediately greeted back. "How are you?"

"I'm good, thank you," Nic responded. Lucas was silent on his end for a few seconds, and Nic facepalmed as quietly as she could. What did you expect , huh? "I'm good, thank you," you're about as interesting as drywall.

"Listen, I was wondering..."

Nic straightened up when Lucas's warm voice met her ear again. She coughed out, "Yeah?"

With closed eyes, she could imagine him rubbing the back of his neck.

"Are you free this weekend? I thought maybe we could go out for coffee or something," he chuckled, sounding a bit nervous even through the phone.

Nic's mouth dropped, her eyes wide. She shook her legs in the air like a crazy person while racking her mind for the right thing to say.

"Uhh... hello?"

"Yes!" Too enthusiastic. She cleared her throat and sat up straight. "Yes, I am free, at least on Sunday. And I'd love to go out for coffee."

"Great! We'll probably know if we got the job by then. If we did, it'll be celebratory, if we didn't... let's turn coffee into drinks."

Nic laughed softly, rubbing her own neck with her hand. She was surprised to find her cheeks burning a little.

"I like your laugh," Lucas said quietly into the phone, making her cheeks tinge darker.

"Thank you," she said meekly, laying back down with her now-dried curly hair flailed around her head like the rays off the sun. "I like yours too."

"Nicy, I don't think I laughed." No, but he laughed while he was saying that, voice muffled by something that was probably his palm so he didn't embarrass her too much.

Nic paled, not even noticing the nickname, just completely horrified by her terrible brain-fart. "Oh..."

Lucas laughed again, clear and light-hearted, making Nic smile to herself shamefully. "Don't worry about it. I'll text you, we'll work the details out."

"Okay," Nic said, rubbing her hand on her forehead. "Have a great day," she said with a smile he could probably hear through the phone.

"You too, Nicy."

There was a click and the line disconnected. Nic hung up on her end, letting the phone fall out of her hand and beside her. She closed her eyes and smiled peacefully, thinking about Sunday when the door creaked open. She shot her head up and opened her eyes to see Alpha standing in her doorway with a quirked eyebrow.

"Who was that?" he asked, dragging his eyes up and down her body, eyes steely as ever. When they made eye contact again, Nic shivered. His jaw clenched before he spoke again. "Luke?"

Nic rolled her eyes. "Why do you care? And why were you eavesdropping?" she spat, sitting up with a huff and tugging the sleeves of her sweatshirt down to cover her hands.

"I wasn't," Alpha said with an annoyed huff, rolling his own eyes at her. "I was coming to ask if you wanted to watch a movie with me and heard you." His eyes looked a little offended, which was a new look on him.

"Oh," Nic said, eyes averting to the side awkwardly. She felt a little guilty, snapping at him like that, but he was clearly trying to provoke her.

"Whatever," Alpha said, his default smirk back on his face. "If you plan to keep that attitude you can keep taking to Luke. Maybe he'll cry on your shoulder. Find me if you wanna have some fun."

Nic threw a pillow at Alpha right as he ducked out of the doorway and closed the door, resulting with the pillow just hitting her door. She groaned in frustration, pummeling her fists against her mattress.