A co-written story by both @chaotic-orphan and I. Each chapter has both our writing in and we take turns in posting. We are genuinely so proud of this story and have some insane things coming your way so we cannot reccomend more you reading this!
Happy freaking late/early Luca day? I am so so sorry for such a late post, there were health issues with a friend of mine and then unfortunately I had to put my childhood dog down BUT ANYWAY. we move on- its a Luca freaking chapter and I really hope you enjoy!
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First Chapter / Masterlist / Continued from Here
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Luca has no idea what time it was when Flint rips the covers off of Luca and hauls him out of bed so heâs standing. Right there and then as he looked at the asshole smirking infront of him. Luca decided he hated this guy- confirmed.
âGood morning, Cadet, sleeping in? Nice to see how comfortable youâve become here.â
Flint presses a stack of clothes into his arms, black combats and camo just like what Flint wore. âThis is your new uniform. Breakfast is at 04 everyday. You will have thirty minutes to eat, then be ready for early training. Is that understood, Cadet?â
The clothes sit heavy in Lucaâs arms as he blinks hard, desperately pushing sleep aside, as he rocked on his heels in attempt to keep himself upright;
âUhhhh.. yeah..â he sighs, barely conscious as his head slightly droops forward. He forces his eyes open more before cracking his neck, a habit of his every morning.
âPosture Cadet.â Flint gruffs before tilting his head. âAnd did you enjoy eating dirt yesterday? Because we can redo the lesson as long as it takes to sink in. If you like mud we can change it for something more unpleasant.â
Luca grimaces, instantly fixing his posture,
âIt wasnât exactly my favourite, general, guess it was a bitta protein thoughâŠâ
âGood attitude, Cadet. Keep that up and youâll be fine.â Flint says and marches towards the door with his confident stride. âOh, also. You have ten minutes left for breakfast. Better move, cadet.â
âLeft??? how was I supposed to know when to be up??â As flint walks away, Luca puts his uniform on his bed and quickly grabs the general by the arm,
âHold on- this isnât fair!â
Flint goes still. His muscles shift under Lucaâs hand.
He doesnât turn.
âYou should have asked when breakfast was, Cadet.â
Hate hate hate, confirmed comfirmed confirmed.
Flint glances at his watch. âAh. Nineâ oh, no. Eight minutes to go. Better dress.â He shrugs Lucaâs hand off him. âI am not your babysitter like that lieutenant whoâs fond of you, Cadet. You think youâre better than other cadets?Prove it.â
As Flint walks out, Luca can hear him call from the hall. âSeven minutes.â
Luca scoffs, eyes not leaving the direction in which the general walked off in. Uneblievable.
"Eat shitâŠ" he grumbles before quickly getting dressed, ruffling his hair until it looked okay-enough.
One sock, second sock- where are my shoes- fuck...
He hops on one foot, butting on his second boot before lacing them and rushing out the door, slamming the door behind him with a sigh.
He follows the trail he saw Flint leave in and was met with a corridor, one door reading 'Mess hall' on the outside, he barged in, a bored expression on his face as his eyes roam around the room, taking it all in...
There was nobody there.
The room was empty.
No other soul was awake.
Thereâs a clock above the kitchen area, that reads 2.00.
Flint smiles as he comes in with a cup of black steaming coffee. âOh. You didnât ask, either, Cadet.â He says with a satisfied smile. âNewbies make breakfast for the team. Everything you need is in the kitchen. Make sure to impress them. Theyâre a harsh crowd.â
Flint pats Lucaâs shoulder as he walks past him But Luca quickly shoves at the man's hand- only earning him a harsh fist wrapping around Luca's wrist, making him yelp in pain;
âYou are a glutton for punishment it seems, Fletcher. Didnât your parents ever teach you manners?"
Luca's mouth opens to protest but Flint's grip only tightens,
âYou must control your anger, Cadet. It will get you in trouble. I will not turn violent unless I neeed to. NowâŠâ Flintâs boot darts down on Lucaâs ribs. âMy soldiers get angry when they're hungry, it's not a pretty sight. Chop chop!â
Then he leaves.
Luca watches as Flint leaves for a long moment before shoving down his anger- stay on task.
He saw the oats and milk layed out followed by eggs and sausages. Pretty standard- what they were fed in the other base but also pretty much what Luca only knew how to make.
By 04, Luca was sat at a table, etching drawings into the wood with a knife from the kitchen while he tried to pass time, breakfast all set up to be served, piping hot.
The first to enter is a raven haired girl with a shoulder length v-shaped haircut. She looks to be older than Jet, around 22-23.
âOh. He did it to you, huh? When did he wake you?â She asks bluntly, her voice naturally lower. She moves with efficient grace, plating eggs and sausages and bacon onto her plate and grabbing the teapot and a teacup without any flourish. Almost brutal in her movements. âYou look like shit.â
Luca just huffs a laugh, eyes not leaving the table as his knife moves with precise precision. He could only guess the state he looked after losing his best friend yesterday, the bruises from his previous encounter with the dickhead cadets and the utter lack of sleep.
There werenât many girls on his cadet squad- one or two maybe but that was it. The early wake up call and betrayal of the bastard Flint had him in a bad mood and didn't exactly make Luca the most charming to meet at the moment.
âDidnât know theyâve let girls on this godamn team. You make us sandwiches when weâre done training?â
The corner of his mouth quirks up as he wipes away the loose wood thatâs been carved away.
In an instant therreâs a flash of movement and a hand wrapped around Lucaâs throat, pushing the chair back to the ground, a knee on his chest, digging into his ribs and a knife above his eye, the tip almost touching it, making his eyes water. All of this before he had a chance to blink.
âI really hope I didnât hear what I thought I heard,â she says with a blank expression, not letting any emotion slip, as if she was bored.
Luca groans, back arching with pain from the sudden impact of the ground. She was strong- stronger than some of the guys on the cadet team.. he would never let that on though.
âFuck.. well maybe you misheard me,â Luca growls, craning his neck up so heâs almost face to face with the girl, bringing himself ever so slightly closer to the blade as a challenge,
âI said get your ass back to the kitchen because-â
In one quick motion, Luca expertly knocks the knife from the girlâs hand, grabbing her wrists and quickly rolling her over- their positions swapped,
âYouâre fucking weak. Girls have no place in the military.â
The girl doesnât grunt. Instead, she moves her feet in close to her hips, and launches her hips up while yanking her wrists down. Luca jolts forwards, catching himself on his hands, but the girl grabs his elbow with both hands and wrenches it back to her chest before wrapping her foot around the outside of his calf. With another shift of her hips theyâre rolled again and this time she doesnât stop at just pinning him.
A blow to the throat has Luca gasping, and she punches him hard in the face, her knuckles cracking off his cheek, his jaw, slams her fist down on the bridge of his nose.
She doesnât stop. Every punch seems to hit something vital, her knuckles seeming to go through his ribs to punch the air from his lungs, down to his kidneys and distantly, beyond the pain, he knew it would hurt long after the initial blow.
When he tries to recover she punches him in the throat again and blood spurts from Lucaâs nose across her knuckles. An elbow to the breast bone and the girl gets to her feet with the same brutal grace as before. Then, for good measure, she stomps on his crotch and turns, leaving him writhing on the ground as she takes a napkin and wipes the blood away.
Luca lays still on the floor, breath rasping in his throat as he gasps for breath, "F-ff'ck..." He groans, hands grasping between his legs as he despertaley tries to tough out the overwhelming pain.
When he looks up through the curls that fell over his eyes, he sees Veda, powl in hand and walking towards a table to have her breakfast.
Luca's face twists in anger, shakily getting to his feet before wiping down his uniform, Shit- blood had gotten on the fabric, he prayed Flint wouldnt care- maybe he wouldnt even notice.
"Fuckin' asshole.." Luca grumbles, wiping blood from his face before sitting back in his spot he was previosuly sitting at, fixing the chair back on it's four legs. He slumps in the chair, leg bouncing as he seethes with anger. Dumb bitch got my uniform bloody..
The doors open again a few minutes later and a short blonde woman and a giant hulk of a man with a buzz cut walk through together, smiles on their faces at the smell of food.
When Luca looks up, their smiles drop. The blonde- Poppy- tilts her head at him, as if taking in every detail. The man, Ryker, on the other hand looks fit to devour him.
âThought Flint said that was the last of usâŠâ he grumbles, eyes not leaving Luca but he was clearly not talking to the boy.
âI donât like him..â Ryker growls before brushing past him, beginning to plate up the food, Poppy quietly folllowing after him, eyes still studying Luca.
âIâm in the room, asshole, act like it.â
Ryker looks at Luca for a moment, laughing as he bites into his toast, âGot a damn mouth on him tooâŠ.â
âWhat happened to his face?â Poppy asks, her voice soft and airy, feminine. Her words anything but. She reaches a hand out as if to touch Lucaâs nose, but retracts it as Luca's eyes harden on her.
âHe ran his mouth,â Veda says simply before shoveling a spoonful of food into her mouth.
âHeâs young,â Poppy replies, blinking with big doe like eyes. She wore makeup and was a slim build, and short, maybe 4â, her hair distractingly blonde and bright as she looked at Luca with big blue eyes. âYouâre young,â she tells him.
Lucas face softens slightly, finally being spoken to instead of being spoken at.
âIâm twentey,â he speaks plainly, eyes occasionally drifting to Ryker, making sure he was still in his view.
He finally forces himself to step forward, âand I belong on this team just as much as any of you guys do.â
Ryker just laughed dryly before taking a seat by Veda.
He can feel Poppy's eyes on him but he was sort of used to that, girls always seemed to match themselves onto him in some desperate plea for attention. Thatâs why Veda confused him- slightly intriguing him.
Luca just rolls his eyes at Ryker's arrogance, sitting down at the very end of the bench, leg bouncing up and down as his eyes dart around the room, trying to take in everything and everyone.
His eyes meet the desk that he had carved into but he doesnât care, it was too minimalistic for Flint to notice anyways⊠hopefully.
He shrugs as the conversation dies down, âI was seventeen when I joined the cadetes⊠unofficially⊠then.. well they found out I lied about my age but they kept me onâŠâ
âThree years and youâre still a cadet?â Ryker guffaws. âAnd youâre somehow on this team now? My god, Flintâs lost it.â
Lucas face burns red with anger, his hand tightening on the side of the table,
âWasnât exactly because of my skillsâŠâ he growls.
âMore of the lack of them, was it boy?â Ryker asks with the same confident smirk, happy to be riling Luca up.
It was enough to make Luca snap. His hand goes straight for the blade in his pocket but Poppy's hand catches his wrist gently.
She doesnât look at Luca, doesnât make any gestures. Theyâre both quiet as the rest of the team laugh, breaking off into other conversation while eating their breakfast.
Luca takes his hand back, away from Poppy's touch as he sits quietly at the table, leg bouncing wildly.
The doors open and Flint, accompanied by a man by his side, enter.
Flint nods as he is greeted with a series of âMorning, General,â noticeably quiet from Luca, but Flint doesnât comment on it.
The man walking beside Flint is tall and slim with a charming smile, his chocolate brown eyes lock on Luca immediately and he nods his head in greeting.
âMorning, fresh meat,â he says, but in a way that doesnât irritate Luca, as if he was joking with him instead of teasing him like the other people on the team, as if he knew exactly how much Luca was teased this morning.
âMmm, this food smells great. Thank you.â And he plates up some food while Flint inspects the place where his coffee cup was broken that was now cleaned. He walks with his hands behind his back towards Luca, and stares down at him with an unreadable expression.
âI thought I told you to clean up, Cadet,â he murmurs.
Lucas eyes donât leave Harry for a while, taking him in. The way his brown curls sit perfect over his chocolate eyes. He had banter in him but not to hurt Luca. He liked that.
His eyes finally moved to flint with a sigh,
âI didâŠâ he argued back, eyes glaring at the general
Flintâs hand snaps out and grabs Luca by the chin, tilting his head up and inspecting his face and nose.
âThere is still blood here,â Flint says coldly, his eyes scanning Luca. âAnd on your uniform. Do you think it is acceptable to present yourself like this cadet, while in uniform?â
Ryker smirks at Luca from behind Flint, but Luca can only feel his eyes on him, not see them. Flintâs iron grip on his chin was too strong to move. In fact the whole room seemed to go silent as Flint reprimanded Luca. Poppy was quiet beside Luca on the table.
fuck, he didnât mean clean up the mess hall, he thinks- he didnât clean up the blood from this morning.
Luca winces, something growls in his throat as the pain only increases, Flint clearly demanding an answer;
âFuck- oh- oh yeah I forgot⊠sorry Iâll uh.. Iâll do it next time I guessâŠâ
For the first time since sitting down for breakfast, Veda lifts her head from her plate to look at Luca curiously, as though he was suddenly interesting.
But everyone elseâs reaction was different; Rykerâs smile was wiped from his face and Poppy stiffened beside him.
And slowly Luca realised he fucked up somehow, as all air seemed to be vacuumed from the room.
Flintâs expression darkened.
His stomach drops but he can feel everyoneâs eyes on him. Every one of these team mates didnât know him, didnât know what he was capable on and they looked down on him. He had to prove himself after this morning.
He forces a cocky smile- making himself seem confident as he braces himself for whatâs to comeâŠ
âOh yeahh⊠how could I forget!! Your majesty..â
Luca didnât get to finish his words before Flint yanked him to a standing by the throat and turned him towards the door. As Luca throws an arm back, Flint catches him on his upper arm and shifts his grip from his chin to the back of his neck and continues to march Luca forward, never breaking his stride out of the mess hall doors and through the building, taking a different route down a hall Luca didnât see yesterday.
âHow lucky,â Flint hums, voice clipped. âYou get the tour sooner than expected. I hope you ate before this.â
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ROLL CALL MAGGOTS! (the tag-list): @whumplicity @creatureofstories @afternoonfairy @castell-da-near @funnymemedude @hiddencowboybarbarian @hueningplushie @fallenwaltz
Sorry I will add all links later on - also high key dedicated to Castell for beating my ass over not publishing hehehe, hope you enjoy
The walk back to the cabin was quiet, morose. A heavy mood settled over Luca like a suffocating cloud his hand clutched around the photo of him and Jet, scared that if he let go, heâd lose it, and lose Jet with it. The evening air was fresh, crisp, and at least it wasnât raining like the first time Luca trekked up this hill with Flint. He could keep up now. That was an improvement. Something else he could hold onto.
Jet was so proud of him, so excited for him.
But Luca couldnât help but feel tired at todayâs visit to the cadetsâ base. His bones were heavy, and he just wanted to sleep.
Flint opened the door for him and let him walk in first. The smell of meat and vegetables hit him as they walked in the door. His stomach grumbled in response, but Luca ate so much sweet stuff only an hour ago. Still, the smell curled up his nose like an alarm to his body, which woke violently and screamed for real food to satiate him.
Luca walks to the kitchen and grabs two plates down from the cupboard. They ate in relative silence. After a couple minutes of Luca being quiet, Flint sat back in his chair and let his fork rest on the plate.
âI would have thought that a visit to the cadets would liven your spirits.â Luca looks at him. âIt seems to have had the opposite effect.â
âIâm fine.â
Flint stares. âNo, really,â Luca tries, but even he can hear how unconvincing he sounded. He sighs and moves a piece of broccoli around his plate with his fork. âI thought that getting to say goodbye would be easier, but⊠even though some of it was shit, the cadets are the only place Iâve ever feltââ Safe? Normal? Real? Noticed? Loved? He couldnât finish the sentence cause he didnât know himself. He shakes his head. âNevermind. Forget it.â
âI think I give the orders, cadet,â Flint says. When Luca glances up at him and sees the soft smile on Flintâs face he relaxes. He didnât say something insulting. âI understand how hard this transition must be. The last week Iâve spent with you must have been strange. Quiet. Considering how you slept with twenty cadets in a room before.â
âExactly!â Luca says, dropping his fork, his leg bouncing up and down under the table as he picks at his fingers. Something that attracts Flintâs gaze briefly. âAnd itâs not that Iâm not grateful, I am, I just â I justâŠâ
Just what? He wants to scream at himself. Why couldnât he get the words out? Flint must think heâs an illiterate idiot now. Although if he knew Luca knew words like illiterate, heâd probably fall over himself in shock. Or have a heart attack. Luca didnât want to give him a heart attack.
âItâs just change,â Flint supplies. âChange is different. It can be unnerving. Scary, even.â
Luca didnât want to admit to the fear, so instead he looks down at his plate, staring at the broccoli like it was the vegetableâs fault he had all this swirling inside. He picks up his fork again, even though he isnât really feeling hungry.
âYour friend, Second Lieutenant [Jet last name]. The chances of him remaining in the same base as you for another few weeks, nevermind months, is unlikely. Captain Danielsâ spoke very highly of him, his advancement is all but official.â
The news should have settled something in Lucaâs gut, but it didnât. Not yet anyway. He was happy for Jet, of course he was, but⊠Jet moving on meant transferring to another base, and the chances of getting to see him at all would dwindle down to rarely, if at all.
âOh. Thatâs good,â Luca says eventually. Flint stares at him, his eyes kind but inquisitive, as if studying Lucaâs face will reveal his emotions, the wounds within him so he can find the cures. Luca looks up and smiles weakly. âReally. Thatâs great,â and he means it. âIâm happy for him. Heâs⊠heâsâ well, heâs like a brother to me.â
Luca swallows as Flint nods in understanding. He drops his fork again and pushes his hand against the table. âIâm uh, Iâm not very hungry, sir. Can I be excused please?â
Flint studies him another moment. Then he nods. âOf course. Leave the plate, Iâll clean up tonight.â
Luca nods as he stands. âThank you, General.â
Flint watches him as Luca leaves the room and disappears out of sight. He lets out a soft breath as his gaze goes to Lucaâs practically full plate. He steeps his fingers and rests his chin against his thumbs, staring at the spot where Luca sat, his mind working on solutions already to the cadetsâ needs.
*****
The next morning, Flint wakes Luca like normal, and tells him to pack his bag. That theyâre going to his base. That woke Luca up immediately.
âWhat? Your base?â The idea filled him with both excitement and dread.
Flint nods. âI think youâre a good fit for the team, and I think by your behaviour over the last week youâre ready to meet your teammates.â
Luca swallows. âWeâre going now?â
âYes. As soon as youâre packed. We will get breakfast there.â
Luca wants to groan, but represses the need and just nods, throwing his blankets off of him. Flint leaves him to pack his rucksack, and within fifteen minutes they are out of the cabin and Flint is locking the door.
A black military car waits outside, and Luca raises an eyebrow at Flint. âWhat? You donât want me to walk all the way with this on?â He asks, gesturing to his bag.
Flint smiles and opens the passenger door to the car. âNonsense. You can put the bag in the car. Youâll be running alongside it.â
Luca swivels his head to Flint. âWhat?!â
âWeâll go slow, donât worry.â
Lucaâs eyes narrow and he can feel his anger simmer, but when he sees the corner of Flintâs lips twitch, he instantly calms.
He scoffs. âYou almost got me.â
âI had you there for a little while.â
âNot even a little.â When Luca opens the backdoor he canât help the relief at not having to run alongside the car gods know how far. And he begrudgingly appreciated Flintâs effort at humour. Even if it did almost give him a heart attack.
The drive takes over half an hour uphill, further into the forests, the trees thickening and rising up and up, Luca watches as the city walls start to come into view followed by the spire from the Palaceâs white stone spire.
The wheels crunch over leaves, twigs and branches as the morning light rises, casting everything in its rich paleness, desaturating colour from leaves and browns of the forest floor. The canopy of leaves above the open roof of the car block out most of the sky overhead, only leaving speckles of sunlight peeking through cheekily in front of them.
But Lucaâs focus switches to the base that they come upon as the trail levels out and a large black gate creaks open in front of them. Flint smiles at Luca from the passenger seat.
âCool, right? Itâs electronic.â Luca wanted to laugh and call Flint a nerd for being so excited over the electric gate that opened at the push of a button on the driverâs remote, but even he couldnât help but think it was cool.
Very cool.
Much like the cadet camp, Flintâs military base is mostly made out of stone, except for the fact that Flintâs base looks far more attractive. The mix of dark wood, porous black stone and smooth grey bricks gives the base a more homely look, rather than the rough-cut stone of the cadetâs base. Luca canât help but feel like this place is a small palace with the sheer size of it, thereâs even a tower that stretches up three stories, which probably isnât that impressive, but it is the biggest building heâs ever seen up close.
âHoly shit,â Luca says before he can help himself and Flint chuckles. Two lanterns hang outside the front door that is set into a stone archway, red clay bricks used as design for the roof. This place must have cost a fortune to build. As Luca gets out of the truck, following Flint, he canât help but feel nerves rupture in his stomach like black boils. What if he gets lost? Heâs absolutely going to get lost in a place like this.
His head turns to the lip of a cliff, and he walks over to it, curiosity guiding his feet. Below the stretch of the hills lay in various shades of green. The yellows of rapeseed fields ready for harvest can be seen further in the distance, and on the hill closest to them Luca can see the training rings from the cadetâs base. Flintâs base was right above it.
Did Flint ever⊠did he see Luca training the other day, picking fights like an angry child? The thought settles thick in his gut and prickles the skin of his neck uncomfortably. Is this how he noticed Luca? From watching above?
Flint walks up beside Luca soundlessly, his boots somehow failing to crunch dirt and twigs under foot, and not for the first time Luca wonders if Flint is even human.
âQuite the view, isnât it?â he hums.
Luca jumps slightly, spinning around to face the man before nodding,
âY-yeah. You can really see everything...â
He hums, looking down at the military base again, the fighting rings. He can even see the cadets sleeping quarters from up here, the lake Luca used to swim in.
âYou can. Itâs a perfect place to see the potential of this yearâs recruits and lieutenants. How some fair, how some excel, and others fall behind. Theyâre what we call cannon fodder.â
Luca's eyebrows furrow. âCannon fodder?â
Flint continues to look down over the camp, his expression unreadable.
âFor the front lines.â Flint turns his head and smiles at Luca. âNot everyone is as lucky as you, cadet.â He turns and walks towards the building, saying over his shoulder, âthey donât have the skills to warrant us giving them a second look.â
Luca sets his jaw, eyes not leaving the soldiers training down below.
âNot everyone is lucky enough to be saved from front line grunt work, cadet. Your attitude would have landed you right there, and it still might if youâre not careful.â The easy sentence reminds Luca that Flint isnât his friend, heâs his general. His superior officer. He swallows as Flintâs footsteps fade away. âThis way, Cadet. Let me show you your new home.â
Yeah, real lucky.
He sighs and follows Flint, fixing the strap of his bag over his shoulder as he takes in the rest of the surroundings of the base. The first thing he notes is that there is a lot of natural light that makes the place feel less gloomy than the cadetsâ quarters, plus the ground was still packed dirt, not the gross gravel that grated on Lucaâs ears and feet every time he walked. Itâs more natural.
He follows Flint inside the base and isnât too surprised to see a plush burgundy carpet lining the middle of the halls. Luca stares at it, his lungs twisting as Flint walks on it in his shoes. It seems too fine to ruin with the muck on his boots, and Luca hesitates. Flint glances over his shoulder at him. His lips tug slightly at the corners.
âEverything alright, Luca?â
Luca looks at him. He nods, shrugs, scoffs. âYeah, me? Iâm fine.â He says breezily and follows Flint onto the carpet, internally cringing and hoping he isnât about to be scolded.
They continue straight, then turn left, into the west wing of the base, and itâs like the base transformed into a quaint little house. The carpets were nicer, the walls homelier. The walls of the base are surprisingly warm, with pictures of people smiling or standing tall and very serious faced as he follows Flint through the hall. His hand automatically goes to his pocket, wrapping his fingers around the picture of him and Jet as he walks.
âThese are the living quarters of the base,â Flint explains with a warm smile as he leads Luca through, past a cosy common room with a roaring fire. Bookshelves, made of the same dark wood as outside, stacked with books take up most of the space of the common room, along with a study desk and gramophone. âItâs where the team relaxes after and before missions, where we live while weâre here. This is what will become your home too, Luca.â
Home.
The word seemed too big for him to comprehend.
An actual home. The worst part is that he could picture himself here, beside the fire, warming up after a long training session with Flint, or drying his hair after a shower. Somewhere safe.
Home has only ever been Jet, not a place. Never a place. Not in a long, long time.
He doesnât say anything as Flint continues past it to a hallway filled with doors.
âYou will get the real tour tomorrow,â Flint says as he stops before a door and grabs the handle. âFor now, this is your room, Cadet.â
Luca steps in, eyes darting around the room before freezing.
âThis?â he asks breathlessly. âAll of it?â
He asks, eyes roaming as he looks at the shelves and the storage space. There is a wardrobe, a desk for him to sit at, a bedside locker and a bed. A bed! Not a cot, an actual bed with a mattress and all! It looked so comfortable that Luca has to restrain himself to stop himself from pouncing on it.
Flint frowns and steps in. âIt is a standard room. Though it wasnât chosen by the other team members so maybe it is on the small side,â he says more to himself than Luca.
Luca's brows furrow more. Small?!?
He perches on the edge of the bed â and yep, it is as soft as a cloud â leg bouncing as he looks around the room. This canât be all for him, surely? It has to be some trick. He bites the inside of his cheek as he waits for Flint to change his mind. To laugh and tell him this was all some cruel trick.
âGet some rest, Cadet. You can have the day to settle in, explore a bit,â Flint says and turns to leave before pointing at a door in your room. âOh, and there is a bathroom through that door,â he says. He leaves and closes the door behind him.
Luca sits in the room for a while. This is his room. His. He owns it.
Thereâs only one bed, he has to be the only one that owns it, right? And Flint called it his. He gets up gingerly, as if the floor is about to slip from under him and bring him back to reality because good things like this didnât happen to him. He wasnât made for good things. He looks at the door to the bathroom and walks towards it.
The door opens and reveals an ensuite. Thereâs only door. Lucaâs door, which means he doesnât have to share it. What is going on? He steps in and grabs the cord beside the door. The room ignites with a faint pinging noise of the light flickering on. In front of him is the sink, a mirror over it revealing his face back to him.
He stares, grimacing at the sight â his cut lip from his previous fisticuffs with Lance scarred over, healing. But the last punches from his recent encounter with Lance and pals opened up the cut over his eyebrow. Faint finger-shaped bruises peaked out from the collar of his shirt and he winced. Flint could definitely see them when they had dinner last night. Fuck. And he told him nothing happened, that he was fine. Shit.
His eyes trail down to his torso, green, blue and purple blooming like a flower from Flintâs posture training. Nothing too serious, but he remembers the pain of it. The shock of it.
He glances at the shower, the towels beside it. He locks the door â there was a lock on the door â undresses and steps into the shower before turning on the water. It hit him gently, covering his entire body with the delicious warmth. It was much warmer than the heated water they got in the main base. His bruises and cuts practically melt under it. He wants to stay in it forever, the pressure felt amazing, he never knew a shower could leave him feeling so clean.
As he steps out of the shower, he wraps the towel that hung over a hook around his waist before looking at his reflection in the mirror. He forces his eyes away, unlocking the door and walking out into his room. Nobody was there waiting for him. He walks over to his door and locks it, surprised when the lock clicks into place.
He dresses in his casual civilian clothes, wearing one of Jetâs old jumpers and a pair of black tracksuit bottoms. Just wearing the familiar sweater and having the rest of the day to himself was amazing. He unpacked his meagre belongings, hanging up his uniform so it wouldnât wrinkle. He stocks his shirts, folding them to place them in.
Finally, he takes out the picture of him and Jet from his pocket and puts it on the bedside table beside him. Two of Jetâs jumpers and the picture was all he had to take with him from Jet, but it was enough. He sits on the bed and looks at the door, his stomach grumbling.
Maybe he could risk the exploration of the base.
Maybe in a while.
But for now, he just sat and took in the size of his room, the silence and he let out a breath he has been holding ever since Jet dragged him into Captain Danielsâ office.
Home.
Yeah, weâll see.
*****
ROLL CALL MAGGOTS! (the tag-list): @whumplicity @creatureofstories @afternoonfairy @castell-da-near @funnymemedude @hiddencowboybarbarian @hueningplushie @fallenwaltz
Hey everyone, hanging my head in shame as I post this icl... (not that theres anything wrong with posting this- i just personally feel bad asking ppl for help LOL)
As some of my mutuals have been in the know of my previous years on here, i grew up in an awful household that no kid deserved to grow up in. I am now moved out into my other parent's and although it is not as bad, the situation is still emotionally draining and isnt the healthiest space.
I was not kept on in my winter job which absoloutely broke my heart because my ultimate plan was to move out into college accomodation. Having to financially soley rely on myself to sort out accomodation, I am reaching out to absoloutely anyone who would be willing to donate in any support. Liking, sharing, reblogging- whatever, it will 100% help because I understand everyone has their own shit to deal with <3
Through putting money towards my dog's cancer treatment and the bills, my money is declining and what college I can go to is very much on the fence due to my finances and accomodation.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, any any any support is appreciated so much, thank you <3
Heyy, my name is Lee, as a 19 year old who has left an absuive⊠Lee Sullavain needs your support for college accomodation to give a student
Happy Luca day!!! Let's just get straight into it!
Chapter One / Masterpost / Continued from here
---
Despite what had happened, he had an extra pep in his step. It had been months since Jet and Luca had been off grounds together, it brought back fond memories.
âWell at least we left early for the shuttle,â Jet says, nodding at the bus pulling into the station. âMeans we werenât late.â
As the shuttle's engine hums hums and the camp morphs into a gentle blur outside its windows, Jet and Luca settle in two seats near the centre of the shuttle. It had been a while since Luca had left the grounds, it was a privalege that most soldiers had to earn- Luca, of course had long lost that privalege along with countless of others.
The military grounds, surrounded by forestry and woodlands soon began to stretch out to trails of dirt wtch then slowly began to stretch into the classs one paved roads that indicated the stone city was approaching.
It was a beatiful town, its riches were evident but never hid the remaining evidence of the toll it had taken from the war. While most buildings had been rebuilt, the more non-salvagable ones were left almost as memoires. Multiple plaques and flowers stood proudly, celebrating and commemerating the fallen soldiers that had fallen. The remaining soldiers however also showed evidence of the war- missing limps- sometimes two at a time- battle scars some physical some mental. But it was something that brought the town together. Although the war tore down the town, it only brought the people closer and made the town stronger.
The shuttle stops and the two soldiers thanked the driver before walking out. Jet couldn't help but smile fondly as Luca looked around him, his emerald eyes practicaly sparkling with anticipation.
"Pretty great, huh?"
"I forgot how much I loved it here."
"Yeah well maybe if you keep up your little father-son runs, you can charm your way into more visits here- OW-"
Luca thumps him upside his head with a devilish smirk, "Yeah, whatever, let's get your book because your the biggest suck up known to man."
The bookstore was close to empty. Jet spoke to the bookkeeper for most of their time there as Luca walked along the aisles of books, running his finger along each spine he walked by- as if he could read their stories from a simple touch.
He watches as Jet hands over the money over one of the bookshelves, pulling on one of the spines of the books as he studies the blurb. He only half read it, not really caring much. Reading was never his thing, he always made fun of Jet for having such a love for it.
"Ready to go?"
Luca shoves the book back to where it was with a smile and nods and they leave the bookstore, Jet thanking the bookeeper again.
The bell rings as Jet opens the door for the pair and Luca steps in. The aroma instantly hitting him and he closes his eyes for a moment. Jet places a gentle hand against the nape of Lucaâs neck as they joined the team.
âNothing has changed here,â Luca smiled as he looked around.
âGrab the usual seat,â Jet tells him, âIâll grab the hot chocolate.â
Luca happily walks to the seat at the window that looked to the town, the streets, the people, the life. Everything that they served to protect.
Jet comes back with two plates of sweet treats, chocolate cake, lemon tart, muffins, gingerbread, cookies and grins at Luca sheepishly
I may have bought the entire shop,â he jokes. âBut just for today, just for a special occasion. A congratulations on your promotion.â
Lucas eyes blow wide, âHoly shitâ he laughs, âThank you, JetâŠthis is⊠wow..â his face burnt red as his gratitude overfilled him.
Jet grins as he slides into the opposite seat. âWell, I have a feeling all youâll be eating with Flint is protein and leaves so, a little treat might be nice before you go, hey?â Jetâs black eyes smile at Luca as he sets the plate in front of him, delighted that Luca was happy.
Luca smiles and does what he always does; with a knife he cuts every baked good in a straight and even half, âYeah definitely donât tell Flint about this,â Luca smiles as he licks chocolate from his thumb.
Jet laughs and picks up a piece of muffin. âYour secretâs safe with me,â he winks.
Luca wants to smile, to enjoy his time, but something ate him inside at the thought of this possibly being the last moment with Jet like this.
The hot chocolate arrives shortly after, and so does the owner, an older woman in her sixties, Sarah, who always doted on the two boys. She was a robust woman, but you wouldnât think it by her fragile looking figure, like a harsh wind could snap the bones beneath elastic skin. She has a kind face and wispy grey hair that refuse to ever tie back into her low bun.
âJet told me you got a promotion,â she says with her harsh voice, over-pronouncing hard consonants like her Tâs and Dâs, like the Northerners of Norkwitch do. Luca smiles up at her, knowing this was her warm tone. âItâs very special. Very exciting, boy.â She pinches his cheeks in one tiny hand and smiles widely down at him. âI am very proud of you. Little troublemaker, huh? Onto bigger and better things.â
A blush spreads across Lucas face and he smiles, âThanks, Sarah, guess you were right, a pretty face does get you far,â he winks, laughing as the woman swats him on the shoulder. He fakes an offended expression.
âYeah yeah, well you deserve it, you know youâre my favorite cadette.â
Lucas smile grows, âand you know that youâre my favourite hot chocolate maker.â
She lifts her towel as if to smack him, her lips pulling back into a laughing scowl. âI better be your only hot chocolate maker, eh?â
She turns to Jet with shining eyes. âI found that thing you wanted. Would you like it now?â
Jet looks at Luca and back at Sarah. âYes, please. If itâs no trouble.â
"If it was trouble I wouldnât do it, please,â she says with a dismissive wave and goes to the counter, walking like a woman thirty years younger than her.
Lucas brows furrow, his smile still on his face, âWhatâs the aul one on about?â He asks, head tilting slightly.
Jet grins at him, biting into a muffin. âYouâll see,â he says, âHave patience young cadet.â
Sarah returns with a camera that prints photos as theyâre taken.
Itâs a big clunky piece of cogs and machinery that looks far too heavy for Sarah to hold up but sheâs carrying it like itâs nothing.
âI know Sarah has the pictures for the food and I asked her if she would take one of us, so you can take it with you,â Jet says with a grin. âI donât know how far away youâll be or if weâll even get a chance to see each other anymore butâŠâ
Jet raises his eyes to meet Lucaâs, something somber in his eyes that Luca never saw before. âWhether you want one or not, I want one, so weâre doing it,â he says, holding his head high.
Luca blinks hard and clears his throat, âFuck you, lieutenant you soft prick,â he kicks Jet under the table but Jet only laughs, âCome here, son of a bitch.â
âIâll whack you both with the wooden spoon if you boys donât mind your language,â Sarah huffs. As the boys laugh, the flash goes off twice and two photos print.
Luca stares at the photo on the shuttle back to base, stuffed from the amount of sweet treats that Jet bought topped with the hot chocolate. He stares at Jetâs coal black eyes, that somehow looked bright with so much laughter and joy and life, like heâs never known struggle. Luca stares at his own eyes, the same brightness to them, the kind heâs never seen in them before.
Besides military issued photographs, Luca canât remember if he had any before. Not any that were for him at least, and Jet did it like it was nothing. It feels too big in his hands, too precious, like he might break it if he stares too long so he tears his gaze away and tunes back into whatever Jet was saying.
Luca blinks and shakes his head, âShit- sorry- I heard nothing-â
Jet laughs, rolling his eyes and he swats Luca playfully, âWell atleast itâs safe to say that the cadettes havenât changed you.â Luca smirks and swats Jet back.
As the shuttle comes to a slow, they get off at their stop. The gravel crunches under their military boots as they walk through the grounds. Luca has his hands in his pockets, grip tight on the photo and he finally breaks the silence,
âThank you for today- it was way too much and uhmâŠâ he swallows hard
âI hope this isnât.. the end..â
âDonât be daft,â Jet says, messing up Lucaâs hair again before shoving his head away to Lucaâs disgruntled: hey! âThis isnât the last time. Thereâs always family day. And the Renewal festival, and all those other boring ceremonies that we can actually look forward to now!â
âWell I always look forward to family day,â Luca says with a smirk.
âShe doesnât actually love you more than me,â Jet says hotly. âShe just has to say that because youâre small and fragile andââ
âBetter looking,â Luca adds with a sympathetic nod before patting Jet on the back. âI know it must be hard for you.â
Jet slaps his hand away, âOh, now youâre getting it, prick,â He playfully grabs Lucas shirt and jostles the cadete, making him laugh.
A man clears his throat and both Luca and Jet immediately stand at attention, backs straight and arms behind their backs as Flint stands before them.
Flintâs eyes scan the both of them, something unreadable in his stare as he assesses the pair. âAt ease, soldiers,â Flint says, his smooth, intense tone carrying the command like a spell releasing them from their positions.
He walks up to Jet in the same confident way that he strides up and downhill, like the world moved for him and not the other way around.
"You are Second Lieutenant Turner, yes?â
Jetâs eyes widen again at being acknowledged by the general. He stands a little taller and puffs out his chest. âYes sir, General.â
âI understand you were responsible for Cadet Fletcherâs monitoring of behaviour for the last few weeks?â
Jet falters for a split second but nods, âYes, general, cadete fletcher has been under my watch over the past months,â
Luca eyes Flint cautiously, his heartbeat racing.
Flint hums. âYour reports have been essential in helping me make my decision, second lieutenant. Thank you for your diligent work.â He extends a hand to Jet, his elbow at a perfect 90 degree angle. Jet blinks at the General with wide eyes before he grins. He takes the Generalâs hand and nods at him. âThank you sir. It has been a pleasure to help.â
Lucas shoulders relax and he smiles slightly, the corners of his mouth quirking ever so slightly into a smile.
âI guess you could say that my behaviour helped, Jet, no?â He smirked but instantly prepared for a slap or a punch of some sort.
Jet shot him an exasperated look that said: bro⊠just let me have this. While Flint merely cocked an unimpressed brow at him.
âNot the right moment, got it.â He shuts his mouth and his eyes fall to the ground once more. Thereâs a silence and Lucas stomach churns. He knew it was coming. Knew that it was his time where heâd be leaning jet nowâŠ
Flint steps away and says, âIâll give you both a moment,â before he walks back to the administration building.
âYouâre welcome,â Jet says. Luca glances up at him, to see Jet forcing a cocky grin that was twinged with sadness. âIâm the reason you got promoted,â he says.
The second Luca's vision glosses with tears he collapses into Jet's arms as he hugs him as tight as ever. Their chests rise and fall in an unfamiliar way but both silently agreed they werenât crying if anyone asked.
âAsshole..â Luca whispers before a sob cuts him off, his arms wrapping tighter around the second lieutenant.
âAnnoying, arrogant little shit,â Jet replies, his voice cracking with emotion as he tightens his grip on Luca. âIâm gonna miss you,â he whispers, his hand going to the back of Lucaâs head and pushing him further into Jetâs shoulder. âI love you bro,â he sniffs. âAnd donâtâ you better write. You hear me?â
Luca huffs a shaky breath and nods, âlove you too..â his voice cracks but he doesnât care.
They stay like that for a moment before they force thselves away. Luca looks at jets equally tear stained face and he shoves him, âYou look like shit.â
Jet laughs and shoves Luca harder, âI could say the exact same you prick.â
As Luca rounds the corner, he lets out a shaky breath but forces his face sober as he reaches Flint.
Flint, kindly, doesnât mention Lucaâs puffy eyes. âAre you ready to go?â
Luca nods, âYes sir,â his voice is quieter and his eyes distant as he sniffs.
âExcellent,â he says and they start back up the hill to the cabin, leaving the cadetsâ training camp behind. Luca clutches the photo in his pocket as he walks, and it feels like heâs taking a little bit of the goodness with him.
---
ROLL CALL MAGGOTS! (the tag-list): @whumplicity @creatureofstories @afternoonfairy @castell-da-near @funnymemedude @hiddencowboybarbarian @hueningplushie @fallenwaltz
Happy Luca day!!! Let's just get straight into it!
Chapter One / Masterpost / Continued from here
---
Despite what had happened, he had an extra pep in his step. It had been months since Jet and Luca had been off grounds together, it brought back fond memories.
âWell at least we left early for the shuttle,â Jet says, nodding at the bus pulling into the station. âMeans we werenât late.â
As the shuttle's engine hums hums and the camp morphs into a gentle blur outside its windows, Jet and Luca settle in two seats near the centre of the shuttle. It had been a while since Luca had left the grounds, it was a privalege that most soldiers had to earn- Luca, of course had long lost that privalege along with countless of others.
The military grounds, surrounded by forestry and woodlands soon began to stretch out to trails of dirt wtch then slowly began to stretch into the classs one paved roads that indicated the stone city was approaching.
It was a beatiful town, its riches were evident but never hid the remaining evidence of the toll it had taken from the war. While most buildings had been rebuilt, the more non-salvagable ones were left almost as memoires. Multiple plaques and flowers stood proudly, celebrating and commemerating the fallen soldiers that had fallen. The remaining soldiers however also showed evidence of the war- missing limps- sometimes two at a time- battle scars some physical some mental. But it was something that brought the town together. Although the war tore down the town, it only brought the people closer and made the town stronger.
The shuttle stops and the two soldiers thanked the driver before walking out. Jet couldn't help but smile fondly as Luca looked around him, his emerald eyes practicaly sparkling with anticipation.
"Pretty great, huh?"
"I forgot how much I loved it here."
"Yeah well maybe if you keep up your little father-son runs, you can charm your way into more visits here- OW-"
Luca thumps him upside his head with a devilish smirk, "Yeah, whatever, let's get your book because your the biggest suck up known to man."
The bookstore was close to empty. Jet spoke to the bookkeeper for most of their time there as Luca walked along the aisles of books, running his finger along each spine he walked by- as if he could read their stories from a simple touch.
He watches as Jet hands over the money over one of the bookshelves, pulling on one of the spines of the books as he studies the blurb. He only half read it, not really caring much. Reading was never his thing, he always made fun of Jet for having such a love for it.
"Ready to go?"
Luca shoves the book back to where it was with a smile and nods and they leave the bookstore, Jet thanking the bookeeper again.
The bell rings as Jet opens the door for the pair and Luca steps in. The aroma instantly hitting him and he closes his eyes for a moment. Jet places a gentle hand against the nape of Lucaâs neck as they joined the team.
âNothing has changed here,â Luca smiled as he looked around.
âGrab the usual seat,â Jet tells him, âIâll grab the hot chocolate.â
Luca happily walks to the seat at the window that looked to the town, the streets, the people, the life. Everything that they served to protect.
Jet comes back with two plates of sweet treats, chocolate cake, lemon tart, muffins, gingerbread, cookies and grins at Luca sheepishly
I may have bought the entire shop,â he jokes. âBut just for today, just for a special occasion. A congratulations on your promotion.â
Lucas eyes blow wide, âHoly shitâ he laughs, âThank you, JetâŠthis is⊠wow..â his face burnt red as his gratitude overfilled him.
Jet grins as he slides into the opposite seat. âWell, I have a feeling all youâll be eating with Flint is protein and leaves so, a little treat might be nice before you go, hey?â Jetâs black eyes smile at Luca as he sets the plate in front of him, delighted that Luca was happy.
Luca smiles and does what he always does; with a knife he cuts every baked good in a straight and even half, âYeah definitely donât tell Flint about this,â Luca smiles as he licks chocolate from his thumb.
Jet laughs and picks up a piece of muffin. âYour secretâs safe with me,â he winks.
Luca wants to smile, to enjoy his time, but something ate him inside at the thought of this possibly being the last moment with Jet like this.
The hot chocolate arrives shortly after, and so does the owner, an older woman in her sixties, Sarah, who always doted on the two boys. She was a robust woman, but you wouldnât think it by her fragile looking figure, like a harsh wind could snap the bones beneath elastic skin. She has a kind face and wispy grey hair that refuse to ever tie back into her low bun.
âJet told me you got a promotion,â she says with her harsh voice, over-pronouncing hard consonants like her Tâs and Dâs, like the Northerners of Norkwitch do. Luca smiles up at her, knowing this was her warm tone. âItâs very special. Very exciting, boy.â She pinches his cheeks in one tiny hand and smiles widely down at him. âI am very proud of you. Little troublemaker, huh? Onto bigger and better things.â
A blush spreads across Lucas face and he smiles, âThanks, Sarah, guess you were right, a pretty face does get you far,â he winks, laughing as the woman swats him on the shoulder. He fakes an offended expression.
âYeah yeah, well you deserve it, you know youâre my favorite cadette.â
Lucas smile grows, âand you know that youâre my favourite hot chocolate maker.â
She lifts her towel as if to smack him, her lips pulling back into a laughing scowl. âI better be your only hot chocolate maker, eh?â
She turns to Jet with shining eyes. âI found that thing you wanted. Would you like it now?â
Jet looks at Luca and back at Sarah. âYes, please. If itâs no trouble.â
"If it was trouble I wouldnât do it, please,â she says with a dismissive wave and goes to the counter, walking like a woman thirty years younger than her.
Lucas brows furrow, his smile still on his face, âWhatâs the aul one on about?â He asks, head tilting slightly.
Jet grins at him, biting into a muffin. âYouâll see,â he says, âHave patience young cadet.â
Sarah returns with a camera that prints photos as theyâre taken.
Itâs a big clunky piece of cogs and machinery that looks far too heavy for Sarah to hold up but sheâs carrying it like itâs nothing.
âI know Sarah has the pictures for the food and I asked her if she would take one of us, so you can take it with you,â Jet says with a grin. âI donât know how far away youâll be or if weâll even get a chance to see each other anymore butâŠâ
Jet raises his eyes to meet Lucaâs, something somber in his eyes that Luca never saw before. âWhether you want one or not, I want one, so weâre doing it,â he says, holding his head high.
Luca blinks hard and clears his throat, âFuck you, lieutenant you soft prick,â he kicks Jet under the table but Jet only laughs, âCome here, son of a bitch.â
âIâll whack you both with the wooden spoon if you boys donât mind your language,â Sarah huffs. As the boys laugh, the flash goes off twice and two photos print.
Luca stares at the photo on the shuttle back to base, stuffed from the amount of sweet treats that Jet bought topped with the hot chocolate. He stares at Jetâs coal black eyes, that somehow looked bright with so much laughter and joy and life, like heâs never known struggle. Luca stares at his own eyes, the same brightness to them, the kind heâs never seen in them before.
Besides military issued photographs, Luca canât remember if he had any before. Not any that were for him at least, and Jet did it like it was nothing. It feels too big in his hands, too precious, like he might break it if he stares too long so he tears his gaze away and tunes back into whatever Jet was saying.
Luca blinks and shakes his head, âShit- sorry- I heard nothing-â
Jet laughs, rolling his eyes and he swats Luca playfully, âWell atleast itâs safe to say that the cadettes havenât changed you.â Luca smirks and swats Jet back.
As the shuttle comes to a slow, they get off at their stop. The gravel crunches under their military boots as they walk through the grounds. Luca has his hands in his pockets, grip tight on the photo and he finally breaks the silence,
âThank you for today- it was way too much and uhmâŠâ he swallows hard
âI hope this isnât.. the end..â
âDonât be daft,â Jet says, messing up Lucaâs hair again before shoving his head away to Lucaâs disgruntled: hey! âThis isnât the last time. Thereâs always family day. And the Renewal festival, and all those other boring ceremonies that we can actually look forward to now!â
âWell I always look forward to family day,â Luca says with a smirk.
âShe doesnât actually love you more than me,â Jet says hotly. âShe just has to say that because youâre small and fragile andââ
âBetter looking,â Luca adds with a sympathetic nod before patting Jet on the back. âI know it must be hard for you.â
Jet slaps his hand away, âOh, now youâre getting it, prick,â He playfully grabs Lucas shirt and jostles the cadete, making him laugh.
A man clears his throat and both Luca and Jet immediately stand at attention, backs straight and arms behind their backs as Flint stands before them.
Flintâs eyes scan the both of them, something unreadable in his stare as he assesses the pair. âAt ease, soldiers,â Flint says, his smooth, intense tone carrying the command like a spell releasing them from their positions.
He walks up to Jet in the same confident way that he strides up and downhill, like the world moved for him and not the other way around.
"You are Second Lieutenant Turner, yes?â
Jetâs eyes widen again at being acknowledged by the general. He stands a little taller and puffs out his chest. âYes sir, General.â
âI understand you were responsible for Cadet Fletcherâs monitoring of behaviour for the last few weeks?â
Jet falters for a split second but nods, âYes, general, cadete fletcher has been under my watch over the past months,â
Luca eyes Flint cautiously, his heartbeat racing.
Flint hums. âYour reports have been essential in helping me make my decision, second lieutenant. Thank you for your diligent work.â He extends a hand to Jet, his elbow at a perfect 90 degree angle. Jet blinks at the General with wide eyes before he grins. He takes the Generalâs hand and nods at him. âThank you sir. It has been a pleasure to help.â
Lucas shoulders relax and he smiles slightly, the corners of his mouth quirking ever so slightly into a smile.
âI guess you could say that my behaviour helped, Jet, no?â He smirked but instantly prepared for a slap or a punch of some sort.
Jet shot him an exasperated look that said: bro⊠just let me have this. While Flint merely cocked an unimpressed brow at him.
âNot the right moment, got it.â He shuts his mouth and his eyes fall to the ground once more. Thereâs a silence and Lucas stomach churns. He knew it was coming. Knew that it was his time where heâd be leaning jet nowâŠ
Flint steps away and says, âIâll give you both a moment,â before he walks back to the administration building.
âYouâre welcome,â Jet says. Luca glances up at him, to see Jet forcing a cocky grin that was twinged with sadness. âIâm the reason you got promoted,â he says.
The second Luca's vision glosses with tears he collapses into Jet's arms as he hugs him as tight as ever. Their chests rise and fall in an unfamiliar way but both silently agreed they werenât crying if anyone asked.
âAsshole..â Luca whispers before a sob cuts him off, his arms wrapping tighter around the second lieutenant.
âAnnoying, arrogant little shit,â Jet replies, his voice cracking with emotion as he tightens his grip on Luca. âIâm gonna miss you,â he whispers, his hand going to the back of Lucaâs head and pushing him further into Jetâs shoulder. âI love you bro,â he sniffs. âAnd donâtâ you better write. You hear me?â
Luca huffs a shaky breath and nods, âlove you too..â his voice cracks but he doesnât care.
They stay like that for a moment before they force thselves away. Luca looks at jets equally tear stained face and he shoves him, âYou look like shit.â
Jet laughs and shoves Luca harder, âI could say the exact same you prick.â
As Luca rounds the corner, he lets out a shaky breath but forces his face sober as he reaches Flint.
Flint, kindly, doesnât mention Lucaâs puffy eyes. âAre you ready to go?â
Luca nods, âYes sir,â his voice is quieter and his eyes distant as he sniffs.
âExcellent,â he says and they start back up the hill to the cabin, leaving the cadetsâ training camp behind. Luca clutches the photo in his pocket as he walks, and it feels like heâs taking a little bit of the goodness with him.
---
ROLL CALL MAGGOTS! (the tag-list): @whumplicity @creatureofstories @afternoonfairy @castell-da-near @funnymemedude @hiddencowboybarbarian @hueningplushie @fallenwaltz
The door opens and whumper is already waiting with their arms crossed, eyes brimming with anger, âYouâre late,â they grit out.
âNo shitâ whumpee responds, closing the door behind them and putting their bag down.
Silence, âAre you going to tell me why?â
Whumpee furrows their brows, âWell you didnât phrase it as a question.â
Whumper takes a step forward and whumpee responds with a half step back, âWhy the hell were you late?â Their voice was as sharp as glass and burned like a sudden cut.
âIâm back now so what does it matter,â they brush off, trying to push past whumper.
But whumper grips their arm tight, pulling them back to glare at them. Whumpeeâs breath hitches slightly and they can feel their arm threatening to go limp under their grasp. They have to clear their throat before speaking again, âI just had to catch up on some work I missed. Remember all those off days you made me take? I had to make it all up.â
âThree hours worth?â
Something inside whumpee whipped around in frustration, maybe it was the exhaustion, but they heard themselves saying: âA lot more actually. And tomorrow Iâll have to get in early to finish the rest of it. You see in the real world, the one outside of these fucking walls, shit like that has consequences-â
A slap rang out in the room. Whumpeeâs cheek burned as tears stung their eyes and throat, the one still tracing the words they had pent up in their mind, caught up in itself yet nowhere at all from the surprise of the blow. And before they could think their hand clutched into a fist and their knuckles collided with whumperâs face.
It was a wide swing and it hurt like hell, but as they watched whumper groan, shuffling on their heel to hold their face, they knew they weren't the only one in pain.
A few silent seconds past. The air seemed to still around whumpee and strangle their heart, like a frozen painting in real time. Just enough time between the strokes for the situation to settle in their mind. They weren't taking it back. Even if they did it's not like it would change anything.
The look in whumperâs eyes told them that. They glared at them from above their fingers, a vein flickering on the side of their head like a warning. And whumpee just stood like a deer in headlights.
The next few moments blurred in a mix of anger and swings. Whumper ended up with a purplish bruise on their face and a bloody nose. And whumpee, like usual, ended up on the floor, curling over their stomach as Whumper kicked them again.
They groaned, a cry slipping past their lips as they grimaced in pain. Whumpee flinched as whumperâs foot lifted again, their shoulder blades hitting the door with a thud, the arms around their stomach coming up to shield their head instead.
But no kick came. Whumper hauled them off the ground by their shirt and whumpeeâs feet shuffled to follow the motion. Their vision blurred as they were spun around and their face was suddenly shoved against the door, âYou wanna rethink your earlier statement?â whumper grit in their ear, making them flinch again.
Whumpee was panting. Tears painted the portrait now, their sternum ached from suddenly being stretched upright and they were unable to take in a full breath. They clawed at the hands pinning them, they couldn't speak past the lump in their throat.
Whumpeeâs arm was twisted and pinned behind their back. They let out a cry as whumper continued to push their wrist up, going further with each passing second until whumpee didn't have a choice, âO-okay! Mâ sorry I'm sorry, stop!â
With a shove whumper let them collapse to the ground. They quickly pulled their arm to cradle it, hissing through their teeth. They sighed as they watched whumper walk away, muscles pinching with the action, only for that breath to catch in their chest at what whumper said next:
âCall your boss, you won't be going to work tomorrow.â
Read part one // Masterpost // Continued from Here
For the first time in like... a month (sorry) HAPPY FRICKEN LUCA DAY!!!
*****
âI knew it would be you causing trouble,â a warm voice says behind Luca.
Jet.
Lucaâs eyes widen as he turns his head to face the Second Lieutenant, barely hearing the retreating footsteps of Lance and his group of cowards. He wants to cry with relief at the sound of his voice. Even though it was only a few days since he last saw Jet, it felt so much longer.
He gets to his feet. âGods, Iâm so relieved to see you,â he beams, the pain suddenly forgotten as he grabs Jetâs shoulder and pulls him in. Jet returns the hug, squeezing Luca tight.
âYou little shit,â Jet says fondly, breathing out a sigh of relief, like he couldnât believe he was seeing Luca again either.
âIâm just glad youâre okay,â Jet says then laughs. âI mean, as okay as you can be.â He pulls away and puts his hands on Lucaâs shoulders looking him over to make sure he was actually okay before nodding to himself.
Luca lets out a laugh. âThanks for that,â he says, turning his head to where Lance and his friends were. âJealous pricks donât want me here.â He laughs, biting his cheek as he tries to hide his guilt. âI told Flint that I was friends with the other cadettes.â
Jet hooks his arm around Lucaâs shoulders and steers him towards the Lieutenantsâ mess hall.
âOh Yeah, Mr Popular over here. All those friendship fights, and fun fists to the face and best friend beatings. They donât know you got promoted to Flintâs team. Nobody does. Flintâs quite⊠secretive about things like that. I was told to keep it quiet, so donât you go running your mouth about it while youâre here, or Iâll give you some friendship fists to the face, got it?â
âGods, I feel like his mistress with all the secrets.â Jet laughs and swats Luca, rolling his eyes.
âWhy is it so secretive though?â Luca asks, relief flooding him at being brought to the lieutenantsâ mess hall for lunch instead of the cadets one. It didnât matter now though. He wasnât a cadet here anymore, at least, not in the normal sense. Â
They grab trays for food and get in line. âI donât know,â Jet replies. âHeâs not like other generals. Heâs⊠different. Iâve only heard vague stories about him, but his achievements of him and his team are well known. He makes sure that news gets around.â
After they collect their lunch, they find a table alone towards the back of the room. Once they settle, Jet continues. âFlint is like a bold child â apparently â during meetings with high command. He demands things, like normal things, like better conditions and equipment for troops, and not just his team either, but heâs not afraid to speak his mind and I think thatâs why a lot of people respect him. Then of course thereâs the noble born generals that despise him because what he demands costs more of their familyâs money,â Jet says, digging into the food.
Luca watches him, taking it in with a hum, âWell, shit. Yeah, he seems - interesting.â He glances around casually, making sure a certain lieutenant wasnât around before looking back at Jet.
âHas heâŠâ Jet begins but stops himself and tries again. âHas he been okay with you? Heâs not like⊠mistreating you or anything?â
Luca smiles, âah come on now, J, donât be getting all soft on me now.â Jet laughs but Luca can sense the tension in him still. âHeâs been good,â Luca adds, âwe went on a fatherly run this morning.â
Jet kicks Luca under the table at the comment and smirks at him as he bites into his bread. âA fatherly run?â Jet repeats slowly, raising his brows. âHeâs like a dad?â Jet blinks and sits back, confusion clear on his face. âWhat?â
âIt was a joke dude, Gods, donât tell me the lieutenants have made you lose your humour.â
 âYou just think youâre all high and mighty now that you got into Flintâs team,â Jet teases good naturedly. âI donât know what Iâm gonna do around here. Itâs been so quiet without a dark-haired little shit running around.â
Luca laughs, trying to push down the stinging in his chest. He smirks as he stabs his food with a fork. âYeah, and I donât know what Iâll do without some jackass ruining all my fun.â
Jet chuckles lightly. It fades as he looks up at Luca, his features sobering up to something too big that Luca didnât want to acknowledge. âIâll always be here for you Luca,â he says, his voice soft yet firm. âYou know that. Youâre like an annoying little brother to me, and I love you like one. And yâknow⊠weâll still get to see each other on family day. Or my mother will kill me,â he says with a wry grin as his black eyes meet Lucaâs. âJust⊠Iâm happy for you. I hope your new position will be good for you. I know it will. But yeah⊠just so you knowâŠâ Jet looks away and coughs, drumming his fingers on the table nervously.
Luca wants to make fun of him, try and laugh and make some joke to lighten the mood but he doesnât find the words. He stabs his food, moving around his tray as his dying hunger. He clears his throat. âThank you⊠for everything. I-Iâm sorry for you know,â he pauses and a slow smirk spread across his face, green eyes glimmering, âgiving you grey hair with stress.â
Jetâs head snaps to Luca and he slams his hands on the table before pointing a finger at the cadet. âI donât have grey hair you little shit!â
Luca bursts out laughing. âAlright, tell your roots that, dude, not me.â
Jet kicks him under the table again. âI should have left you with the wolves,â he growls. âTell your roots that,â Jet mocks in a high-pitched voice before scoffing and folding his arms across his chest. âMy roots are picture perfect. Beautiful. Stunning. Gorgeous, how dare you. You little fuck.â
Luca laughs. âOi, knock it off, gonna get god damn shin splints because of you!â
âWell then stop being a splint in my shin!â Jet yells back. Then he pauses. Considers what he said. âWait, hold on, I meantââ Lucaâs already laughing and Jet groans. He kicks him again. âStop being an annoying little shit, thatâs what I meant. Oh, you are just the worst. Yâknow what, I would get grey hair with you. Youâre like a toddler.â
Luca shakes his head with a laugh as he takes a bite of his food. âYou know who I wonât miss? Lance, the prick.â
âLance, god.â Jet says with a groan, running his hand down his face. âHeâs been throwing his dick around since youâve left, saying you were holding them all back and now they can actually get things done. Idiot.â
Jet goes for his water and pauses as he looks over Lucaâs shoulder. âHuh. Speaking of pricks. Wonder what thatâs about.â
Luca follows Jetâs gaze until his eyes settle on First Lieutenant Riley walking with Captain Daniels.
âFuuuuck.â Luca winces, his back hunching as he tries to make himself discreet.
âHey, itâs fine, theyâve already passed us, they wonât see you,â Jet tells him. His voice is so plain and certain that Luca canât help but trust him. âWhat is it?â Jet asks when Luca turns back to face him. âDo you know what thatâs about?â
But heâs not fine. It could be anything. Flint was meeting with Daniels today. What if he was meeting with him to investigate all the behavioural reports on Luca? Get the facts from the source of the accusers rather than reading them? Fuck. Why would Flint even do that? To see what he was working with? Was Flint having second thoughts in taking Luca? He canât drop him now, surely. He couldnât put him back in the cadets now?!
âHey, Fletcher!â Jet says, suddenly beside Luca, his hand a reassuring weight on his shoulder. Lucaâs eyes snap to his. âWhy donât we do something? Go somewhere off base.â
Luca startles slightly at the sudden presence. âY-yeah, that sounds good,â he smiles, wishing Jet could just take him, protect him from the firsts, the cadets, the captains. Protect him if Flint really did change his mind.
âA couple of people are going to the lake, so thatâs out,â Jet says, taking Lucaâs reputation into account. âBut we could head into town? Get that hot chocolate you love? It can be like a yâknowâŠâ like a proper goodbye goes unsaid as Jet pinches the back of his neck.
Luca smiles brightly, a sour taste in his mouth, eyes glistening. âSounds good. Iâd really like that.â
 âGood.â He starts messing up Lucaâs hair until Luca slaps his hands away with a grin. âAlright,â he says, grabbing his tray to put away. âCome on.â
Luca grabs his tray and they both throw it in the pile of trays that built up by the food counter. As they step out, Lucaâs eyes scan the perimeter, checking for Lance or one of the firsts. Jet walks beside Luca, seemingly oblivious to the threats that surround Luca here. âWe can get one of the shuttles,â Jet says, slipping down one of the shortcuts towards the gates of camps.
âOh, actually, I needed to stop by the bookstore too,â Jet says, âone of the captains recommended a book byââ
âMaybe you should do less reading and more working,â someone says, cutting Jet off mid-sentence. âOr maybe, less sucking up to the captains.â
The voice came from in front of Jet blocking the exit from the alley and he stops, his jaw ticking as he stares at the owner.
âGrant. Great. Nice to see ya pal, if youâll excuse us.â
âNot so fast.â A hand clamps down on Lucaâs shoulder, fingers digging into his collarbone. Luca glances behind him and sees another of Lieutenant Rileyâs friends. Heâs tall and broad, maybe the size of Luca and Jet standing side by side.
Lucaâs eyes widen and he growls, instantly trying to pull the grip off of him, but he freezes as he sees the man. For fuckâs sake. âLeave us alone.â Luca growls, looking to Jet to see if he was okay.
âWe just wanna ask some questions, Fletcher,â the brute says. Luca couldnât remember his name. Thomas? Robert? Thombert? Something like that. He shoved Luca against the wall with his massive hand, almost knocking the breath from Lucaâs lungs. Jet turns back and grabs the bruteâs arm, trying to push him off but the brute didnât move an inch. âGet off him! Heâs just a fucking kid, what does he know?â
An arm snakes over Jetâs torso and Jet huffs out a snarl, pushing back against his attacker. âCalm down, Jetty-boo, we just wanna talk to the lad.â
âFuck off! What do you wanna know anyways? You donât have to hurt him to ask him a fucking question.â
âBut heâs so pretty when heâs covered in cuts and bruises,â Grant coos.
Luca feels sick as he looks at Grant, trying to catch his breath. He tries to shove the brute off of him with a grunt, âGet off of me, prick!â
âYou know whatâs funny, Second Lieutenant?â Grant asks, holding Jet to his chest as he struggles. âRiley gets called to the Captainâs quarters the day this little waste of space appears in camp again. Ainât that a coincidence, Albrecht?â
âDoesnât seem like a coincidence to me,â the brute replies, flattening his hand on Lucaâs chest and pushing against his ribs. Albrecht. That was his name. Luca knew it was something stupid.
âLook we have somewhere to be,â Jet growls. âSo, if youâd just get to the fucking point so we can all move on, thatâd be great.â
Luca wanted nothing more than to run to Jet, let him protect him and get him out of this. But at the same time, he wanted to be the hero, to knock Albrecht off of him and save Jet and himself the trouble. He wanted to be the strong one, for once.
He continues to fight against Albrecht, teeth bared.
âLet go! I swear to god Iâll kill you!â
Albrecht puts his free hand on Lucaâs throat and picks him off the ground like he weighs nothing. Luca gasps and kicks his legs, trying to get the brute in the balls but he was standing too far away for Luca to reach. âFor fuckâs sake just ask what you want!â Jet yells, throwing an elbow back at Grant and sweeping his legs from under him. Before he could reach Luca though another person slammed into Jet, tackling him at the hips and Jet went down. âHe canâtââ Jet yelled between struggles of trying not to get his hands pinned. ââfucking answer if youâre- FUCK! Let him go!â
The other guy managed to pin Jet to the ground, putting his knees on Jetâs biceps and his hands on his wrists to keep him down. Grant steps over Jet and walks to Luca whose face is purple at this point and nods at Albrecht to let him down. Albrecht drops Luca but grabs him by the scruff of his shirt to keep him up, slamming him against the wall, knuckles digging into his collar bones.
âWhy did Daniels want to talk to Riley all of a sudden, Fletcher?â
Luca splutters, coughing and wheezing as his words aimlessly flail. Oxygen floods into his lungs, making him dizzier and his hand wraps around the wrist of the hand holding him to steady himself. Breaths heavy and forced.
âDonât⊠knowâŠâ he pants
âNo?â Grant asks, grabbing Lucaâs chin and tilting his head up to look Grant in the eyes, a pout on his lips. âYou canât think of any reason?â
Jet growls and struggles to get free. âUgh! He said he doesnât know and he doesnât!â
Luca grits his teeth, breath still heavy. âI donât f-ffâcknâ know!â He growls, digging his nails into the skin of the man who held him. He doesnât dare to look at Jet.
âAlright.â Grant says and lets go of Luca, strolling casually over to Jet.
âFuck off Grant,â Jet growls, struggling to pulls his arms free of the other guy on him. Luca couldnât see the other Lieutenantâs face from this angle.
âHeyâŠâ Luca says, his voice cracking. âHey. Lea-leave Jet alone. I donât know! I donât know why heâs talking to Riley I swear.â
Grant grins at Luca while he lifts the tip of his boot over Jetâs neck, hovering, the threat clear. âNo? You canât think of anything?â
Lucaâs thrashing picks up. âIâm getting discharged!â He growls, hoping the lie sits so Jet wonât be hurt. âOkay?? Flint has to sign off on my discharge papers, thatâs it! We just wanted to spend our last day together you prick!â
Grant pauses, and all eyes go to Luca. "What?"
Luca shoves against Albrecht's hand. "They're kicking me out, because of you lot, and fucking Riley's reports on me, so get the fuck off of me and let us go."
"It's the last time you'll ever see me, alright?!" he pants, his voice filling the alley. His eyes go to Jetâs for a moment, the look they share is quiet, but it says everything. Luca forces his eyes away, looking at grant, âlet us go.â
Grant looks at Jet, before looking at Albrecht and nodding. Albrecht lets go of Luca and Luca jerks himself out of his grip. He gets to the guy on top of Jet and yanks him off with a huff. Grant puts his hand up to stop the other from attacking Luca.
"Let them go," he says as Luca helps Jet up. "You can happily wave him off. The last time we ever have to beat up the little shit."
Luca doesnât move until Jet does and they walk away swiftly. Lucaâs heartbeat thrummed in his ears as his footsteps matches Jetâs. Jet doesn't speak until they are clear of the gates and waiting at the stop for the shuttles into town.
"Luca, I'm sorry. I tried to get him off you," he says, his voice filled with guilt.
âHuh? Why are you apologizing?â He laughs lightly but he can still feel the grip around his neck. He thought he was going to die in the hands of that monster.
Before Jet can answer though, Luca pats him lightly on the back. âCâmon, letâs not let those bastards ruin our day.â
Jet tries for a smile, running a hand through his hair before he grins genuinely. "Yeah. You're right," he says with a sigh. "Fucking arseholes. You really saved my ass back there," he says, beaming at Luca. he messes up his hair again with a laugh. "For once."
Luca laughs with him but can't help leaning into the touch. âYeah yeah, donât say I never did anything for ya."
*****
To Be Continued
ROLL CALL MAGGOTS! (aka the tag-list): @imgoingtobiteyounow @whumplicity @creatureofstories @afternoonfairy @castell-da-near @funnymemedude @hiddencowboybarbarian @hueningplushie @fallenwaltz
HELLO HELLO!!! I AM SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY, IT WAS MY FAULT, I was not in the headspace for uploading stuff in February and then @whumpasaurus101 beat me within an inch of my life and I have been healing in hospital ever since (/j) but seriously, February was just crazy but I AM BACK NOW and this series will go back to its regularly scheduled Friday uploads. :)
Hey everyone, hanging my head in shame as I post this icl... (not that theres anything wrong with posting this- i just personally feel bad asking ppl for help LOL)
As some of my mutuals have been in the know of my previous years on here, i grew up in an awful household that no kid deserved to grow up in. I am now moved out into my other parent's and although it is not as bad, the situation is still emotionally draining and isnt the healthiest space.
I was not kept on in my winter job which absoloutely broke my heart because my ultimate plan was to move out into college accomodation. Having to financially soley rely on myself to sort out accomodation, I am reaching out to absoloutely anyone who would be willing to donate in any support. Liking, sharing, reblogging- whatever, it will 100% help because I understand everyone has their own shit to deal with <3
Through putting money towards my dog's cancer treatment and the bills, my money is declining and what college I can go to is very much on the fence due to my finances and accomodation.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, any any any support is appreciated so much, thank you <3
Heyy, my name is Lee, as a 19 year old who has left an absuive⊠Lee Sullavain needs your support for college accomodation to give a student
Hey everyone, hanging my head in shame as I post this icl... (not that theres anything wrong with posting this- i just personally feel bad asking ppl for help LOL)
As some of my mutuals have been in the know of my previous years on here, i grew up in an awful household that no kid deserved to grow up in. I am now moved out into my other parent's and although it is not as bad, the situation is still emotionally draining and isnt the healthiest space.
I was not kept on in my winter job which absoloutely broke my heart because my ultimate plan was to move out into college accomodation. Having to financially soley rely on myself to sort out accomodation, I am reaching out to absoloutely anyone who would be willing to donate in any support. Liking, sharing, reblogging- whatever, it will 100% help because I understand everyone has their own shit to deal with <3
Through putting money towards my dog's cancer treatment and the bills, my money is declining and what college I can go to is very much on the fence due to my finances and accomodation.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, any any any support is appreciated so much, thank you <3
Heyy, my name is Lee, as a 19 year old who has left an absuive⊠Lee Sullavain needs your support for college accomodation to give a student
