Chapter Text
Hunter stood on the sidewalk as Wren drove away. She gave him a small wave, and he waved back. Then he watched the back of her car until she turned at the next block and was out of sight. He stood there for a few more moments.
He had a lot of things going through his mind. He was trying to keep his feelings from running away with him, because he didn’t even know what his feelings were. He’d honestly never felt this way about anyone. She’d been on his mind a lot since he first met her when Omega brought her to the festival, and that was a little over a week ago.
When Omega asked if she could invite Wren to their cookout, Hunter tried to keep his reaction neutral. But he was more excited at the thought that she might be there than he’d been about anything in a long time. So when Wren showed up at his job site a few days ago, and said she wanted to check to make sure it was ok that Omega had invited her, he felt like he had actual butterflies in his stomach. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt anything like that.
He didn’t want to let Omega or his brothers know what was going through his mind. He wasn’t ready for whatever their reactions would be. They would all mean well, but he needed to work some things out for himself first, before he tried to explain anything to other people.
***
Hunter didn’t have a lot of experience with women. He had been pretty consumed with his career as a soldier up until a couple of years ago when he had to separate from the Army. Even before he enlisted, in high school, he didn’t date. He was a bit awkward, especially around girls.
The fact that he and his brothers had been home-schooled and kept away from other kids for much of the first thirteen years of his life certainly didn’t help matters. To say they were maladjusted after they were taken from their mother and began going to public school would be an understatement. Add that to the fact that Hunter was very focused on getting ready for the Army and had to work to help with family finances, and he didn’t have time for girls.
When he was in the Army, he didn’t want to have any sort of relationship, because he didn’t think it would be fair to a woman. He’d be gone so much, and he’d seen so many Army marriages end in divorce. He had planned on making the Army his career, so he resigned himself to never getting married, and not even being in a serious relationship. And that was fine. He was a good soldier, earned the rank of Sergeant, and enjoyed what he did as a Scout. He didn’t have to serve in combat, so things were relatively easy for him.
But as the years went by, little things started weighing him down emotionally. Then not-so-little things. Echo was injured first. Badly injured, losing most of both legs and part of an arm. That shook the whole family. Then less than a year later, Wrecker suffered his injury, losing the hearing and sight on his left side. It was after Wrecker’s injury that Crosshair and Tech decided they wouldn’t reenlist after their first enlistment was up. But Hunter had been in longer than them, so he was already into his second enlistment. He couldn’t just quit.
Then the last straw was when Fives was killed. Of course all of the brothers were devastated by that. Their adopted father, Ninety-nine, was devastated. Hunter was home long enough for the funeral and a week’s leave to try to help his family as much as he could. But then he had to get back. All his brothers were free to stay home, but he couldn’t. That was very hard for him. For the first time since he joined the Army, he didn’t really want to be there.
He couldn’t stop thinking about Fives and how he’d never see him again. He thought about Echo and Wrecker whose lives had changed so drastically. And he thought about Crosshair and Tech there helping as much as they could, helping Ninety-nine through his grief. Yet he had to go back to his post in South Korea.
One day Hunter woke up and didn’t want to get out of bed. He did, but he didn’t want to. And that was a really crappy feeling for him. He’d never felt that before. He was always ready to go to work, to do his job. But now he didn’t want to.
And then a few months later, it wasn’t just that he didn’t want to get out of bed, but he couldn’t get out of bed. He couldn’t do it. A fellow sergeant tried everything he could to get Hunter out of bed, but he couldn’t. Hunter was crying and not thinking straight. So they went to tell their Lieutenant. He went to talk to Hunter, but it didn’t help. So they called the doctor.
Hunter ended up in the psych ward of Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington D.C. He spent two months there, recovering. He was put on anti-depressants, went to therapy, including group therapy, which he hated, and the whole while he thought he’d be going back to his unit. But the Army had already moved on from him. They wanted to medically discharge him. He fought them on that. He only had a few months left in his enlistment, so he was able to get them to agree to send him to a temporary post to finish out his time and then be honorably discharged.
But his career choice, the only thing he’d ever planned on doing, was ripped away from him. He loved being a soldier, he loved feeling like he was repaying a debt to so many who had served before him. He felt that because he volunteered, people who didn’t want to join the military didn’t have to. And now that was gone. He was 26 years old, he’d been planning this life since he was 15, and now it was gone. He was lost.
So he went back home. He stayed with Ninety-nine for about a month while trying to adjust and until he was able to find work. He got a job working construction with Wrecker. He moved to the town where the rest of his brothers lived, moving in with Echo and Wrecker. Crosshair and Tech were living together at the time, Tech finishing up his college degree, and Crosshair staying on the floor of his campus housing unit. He started working as a night security guard and Echo volunteered at the VA clinic in town.
Echo, Wrecker and Hunter were all under the care of psychologists and psychiatrists at the VA clinic. Hunter saw the psychologist once a month, and the psychiatrist every three months. He was making it ok, but he wasn’t really living. He was just surviving. It took him a year or more to start feeling like his old self again. He would never be the same, but he could at least recognize himself when he looked in the mirror now.
When he came home and was in such a low point in his life, he wasn’t making the best choices. He’d never been a drinker but he started hanging out at the bar down the street from where they lived. Every night. And he started drinking. Wrecker was usually with him and he would keep an eye on him. But there was one night when it was just Crosshair and Hunter. They had been drinking, and getting a little stupid and they made a bet. A bet about who would have the nerve to get a tattoo on their face. So they found a tattoo artist with a reputation for not being picky about who he tattooed, and who looked the other way when they stumbled through the door a little.
The next day, Hunter woke up with a huge bandage on the left side of his face, and Crosshair had one around his right eye. They looked at each other and immediately remembered where they had been the night before. Hunter carefully removed the bandage and saw the left side of his face was covered in a skull tattoo. Crosshair had an actual crosshair around his right eye. They looked at each other and just shook their heads. Well, there was nothing they could do about it now.
Ever since then, Hunter has dealt with people looking at him funny, little kids staring, elderly women looking shocked. Luckily his employer didn’t really care. The only silver lining was that it made him never want to drink again.
***
As he walked back in the house, Omega and Wrecker were sitting in the living room watching TV, and Echo was in the kitchen. It sounded like Tech was taking a shower. There was no sign of Crosshair, so Hunter assumed he was still sleeping.
Hunter went to the living room and sat down. He said to Omega, “So what was the deal with Crosshair? Wren said he’s not the reason she got upset. Do you believe that?”
“Well…it happened right after he said what he said, but…”
“And what did he say?”
“He just asked Wren if she was going to come to the next cookout. But he didn’t say it in a very nice way. It was pretty snotty.”
Hunter started to frown more, his eyebrows drawing in.
Omega hurried on, “And Echo and I told him it wasn’t nice to put her on the spot, and he said that he just wondered if he should prepare for you to act like a fool at the next cookout also.”
Hunter's anger showed in his face, but he didn't blow up.
“I just don’t understand why Cross would have acted like that. There’s no reason to be nasty to Wren. What did she ever do to him?”
“Nothing that I know of. And I can’t imagine they’ve seen each other outside of the times when we were with them.”
Wrecker spoke up, “Maybe he’s just jealous.”
“Jealous of what?!” They didn’t realize Crosshair had come down the stairs and was standing in the doorway of the living room. “Are you talking about me, Wrecker?”
Everyone just looked at him, but then Hunter stood up.
He said, “Cross, what was your problem with Wren tonight?”
“Oh god, that’s what this is about?” He looked at Omega and said, “Did you tattle?”
Omega said, “I didn’t tattle! Hunter asked me what you said, so I told him.”
Hunter spoke up with a hard edge to his voice, “This isn’t about Omega. This is about you and why you felt the need to be nasty to Wren. What did she ever do to you?”
“It’s not what she did to ME, it’s what she has seemed to do to YOU, Hunter. You were acting like an idiot.”
“What are you talking about? She didn’t do anything to me! And how was I acting like an idiot?”
Crosshair sneered, “Oh, don’t feed me that bullshit. I can tell you have a thing for her.”
“Oh, so you were nasty to HER, because you think I have a THING for her?” Hunter continued.
“I wasn’t nasty! She is too sensitive!”
Omega jumped up then, “Hey, she is not TOO sensitive, Crosshair! She’s a very nice person. And I think she would be great for Hunter!” As soon as she said it, she regretted it.
She looked at Hunter, and he was looking at her with his mouth open a little. “Omega…”
“Hunter, I’m not pushing anything! I haven’t said anything to her, and I won’t. I’m not going to push anything, I swear. But…I think…if possible, it would be nice for her to hang around with us some more. For everyone’s sake.”
Crosshair scoffed and walked off towards the kitchen.
Hunter turned to Omega and said, “Why is this so important to you, Meg?”
Omega said, “Because I want you to be happy, Hunter. Because you take care of all of us. You do so much for us, and I think it would be nice if you found someone who could be there for you. Differently than the rest of us can be. Like a partner.”
Hunter sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“Are you mad at me?”
“No, I’m not mad at you. You have a big heart, and it’s in the right place.” He held out his arms to her, and she walked the few steps to him and hugged him. “I know you mean well. But please don’t be pushy. I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable.”
“She didn’t act uncomfortable tonight. She acted like she had a good time.”
“I think she did too, kiddo. But she might just be good at faking it. So, will you promise me that you won’t try to force anything between us? We’re adults. If something is going to happen, it will be because of something we do or don’t do.”
Omega nodded, “Ok, I won’t do anything. I didn’t plan on doing anything anyway. But I promise I won’t.”
Hunter hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head. “Thanks, kid. I appreciate that.” And then he said quietly, so hopefully no one else could hear, “And it really is nice of you to want to help me out like this. And I do think Wren is a very nice person. I’m just not sure I’m at a place where I can think about another person like that. And I’m not sure she’s up for it either.”
Omega nodded, “Ok, Hunter. We can just see what happens.”
“Thanks, kid.”
She squeezed around his waist as hard as she could. He laughed and said, “Oh my gosh, you’re getting so strong!! I can already tell a difference from when you first came to live with us.”
“What are you going to do about Crosshair?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’m probably going to drop it for now. Continuing the conversation won’t do any good right now.”
Omega nodded in understanding. They walked towards the kitchen, leaving Wrecker to watch TV, to make sure there was nothing Echo needed help with.
Once in the kitchen, they found Crosshair sitting at the table, sipping his coffee. Echo was finishing cleaning up. Omega went over to him to see if he needed any help. He told her if she’d like to go check on the porch to make sure there was nothing left that needed to be brought in, he’d appreciate it. She bounded off, then realized she was running again, so she slowed down without anyone having to tell her to.
Hunter sat at the table across from Crosshair.
“Crosshair, I don’t quite understand why Wren is a problem for you. But I’m not going to argue with you about it. There’s nothing going on. I doubt there ever will be, she’s pretty shy.”
“I saw the way she looked at you…when we were eating, and then outside when you walked her out…”
“You were watching us?!”
“I wasn’t doing it on purpose, or trying to be a creep. I just happened to be getting up and looked out the window at the same time you were out there. And I saw the way she looked at you, and it seems to me that she’s pretty smitten, for lack of a better word.”
Echo was trying to look discretely at Hunter when Crosshair said that, and he could have sworn he saw a pink tint rise in Hunter’s cheeks. It’s hard to tell with his dark complexion, but it really did look like he was blushing.
Hunter stood up abruptly and said, “I think we’ve rehashed this enough. I’m going to go in and watch TV with Wrecker and Omega, if either of you want to join us. I think Tech already went up to his room. And all I ask, Cross, is that if she does come back, that you keep your thoughts about her, or me and her, to yourself. At least while she’s here.”
“Fine. I’d hate to hurt the poor fragile woman’s feelings.”
Echo had a menacing tone to his voice, “Crosshair…”
Hunter shook his head and went to the living room, sitting on the couch with Wrecker. Omega hadn't found anything left on the porch, so she went and sat in between Wrecker and Hunter.
Once Echo was sure they were out of earshot, he looked at Crosshair and said, “Why does Wren bother you so much?”
“Because I don’t think Hunter is in the best place mentally right now, and I’m worried if he would start dating her, and things didn’t go well, that he’d be worse off than before.”
“So you’re concerned about him? Is that what this is all about?”
“So sue me, I don’t want my brother to be miserable.”
Echo continued, “I’m not going to sue you or tease you. I think it’s really nice of you to watch out for him. Just try to take it easy on her if she comes back. I happen to think she would be very good for Hunter.”
Crosshair rolled his eyes. “You and everyone else, it seems.”
“Well, I don’t think all of us could be wrong.”
“Oh really? I don’t think it would be the first time for that,” and he gave Echo a disdainful look.
Echo just smacked him with his dish towel, and hung it up to dry. He walked into the living room to watch TV also.
Crosshair stayed sitting at the table, sipping his coffee. He would be going to work in a couple of hours, and he really needed to wake up. He would try to back off and leave Hunter and Wren alone. He really would like for Hunter to find someone, he just wasn't sure if it was the right time and if Wren was the right person. But he knew he was outnumbered, so he'd let it go and just be there for Hunter if he needed him. Like Hunter had been there for him, for all of them, so many times in the past.