The Breeders

Chromium

It had been a few hours since we stumbled our way back upstairs.. and there was a heavy tension as we gathered for dinner; Sophie having made some cans of ravioli that were somehow still good. I tried my damn best to act like nothing happened, but I'm not quite sure my acting was the best.
"Soo..." There was more than one smirk on the faces near me. I just still puffed up my chest and asked for some silverware.
"Boss.." I looked to Mottie who was giving me some squiggly eyebrows.
"Yeah?" It wasn't like I couldn't have sex with someone. I'm sure it's just more of a shock rather than to tease me about. Hell, I think I've earned a couple hours of pleasure at this point.
"What.. uh.. what happened downstairs?" Mark's face was redder than mine as he started to choke on some water.
"We found a picture of a girl who was abandoned here. Someone I knew from the Fornics." That turned the atmosphere around as Sam coughed, swallowing down the wrong pipe. A lot of people were choking tonight.
"Oh. uh.. I mean.." Mark pulled out the picture to pass around the table.
"I told Mark already, but her name was Melanie. She was a vibrant girl who had amazing baking skills." As the picture circulated, people's attention was pulled to their imaginations as I spoke about her. She was so kind- a bright girl who would have most likely opened her own shop had everything not happened.
I poked at my food before taking a swig of my water and getting up. I handed my food to the nearest person and walked over to Sophie, thanking her for cooking. She only smiled, patting my arm in gratitude.
"And where are you going?" I stretched my arm over my shoulder, grunting as I stretched.
"To go run. I was gonna ask Journey to join me so we can clear our heads." Mark glanced at me with a little more than concern.
"You don't know if those people are still around."
"Would you rather me run in here and get my scent all over everything?" Everent smirked, nudging Doll.
"I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Her face turned a bright pink as I leaned on one leg, hand on my hip.
"Yes, yes. Keep it up." I waited for the tension to slip away before nodding.
"Plus we can go back and grab some more canisters." I went to go back and grabbed the door with my bad hand, hissing as I drew it back.
Several chairs moved at once, a chorus of concern behind me as I unwrapped my hand. It should have been healed by now, what the fuck.
"Go see Everent, holy shit!"
To be fair, it wasn't a bad piece of advice. Rather sound, actually.
"Yes, I know. It looks bad."
"It's infected!" Someone went to touch it and another person smacked their hand.
Almost immediately after, I was in the infirmary with Everent yet again.
"I don't know what you did, but this is really bad." He poured some antiseptic in a clean rag, warning me before pressing in to the wound. The muscles in my jaw couldn't have clenched harder, almost breaking my teeth in the process.
"Everent! What the hell!" I stumbled on my curses, wary of the baby boy next to me. The pain was indescribable, a close tie with what happened at the Fornics. It felt like someone was carefully picking apart each atom, hand stitching the blood cells together before they ripped them apart again. It hurt.
"You guys stay out there! No coming in!" He draped the rag over my hand before shuffling over and grabbing a pair of long ass tongs or tweezers or whatever they were called. He quickly came back though, moving the towel carefully.
"I think there's still some bark in your hand, boss." I groaned, going to grab a rag to clamp down on.
"What are you doing? They still have some good anesthesia here. Not much left, but enough." I relaxed in relief, but not for too long. My hand started to cramp up again so I just groaned while waiting for that damn anesthetia.
"Relax, it'll hurt going in then for a few more minutes until it kicks in."
"Oh, so it's doing nothing but-" A strained noise fell from my throat as he jabbed the needle in.
"A warning Everent! A WARNING would have been nice!" I slammed my hand into the wall as I felt the goddamn anesthesia seep into the wound.
I had never heard a door slam louder, nor had been held faster after that shriek.
A growling was in my ears as more than one chest was on each ear.
"I told you guys to wait out in the hallway. You'll only get germs and grime in the infection!" He moved close and Doll's growling turned into a snarl.
"Fucking christ, let the doctor do his job. Both of you." Mark and Doll finally unraveled themselves from me, not leaving the room, but at least letting me breathe.
"Yes, I get it. You're overprotective of her." He was aimed more at Doll than Mark, but quickly turned. "But that doesn't explain you, newbie." He pointed a pen in Mark's direction, who was holding onto my shoulder still. I mean, to be fair, Doll was doing the exact same thing.
"Get off their cases and fix me." He cocked an eyebrow and I groaned. "Please." He rolled his eyes, grabbing my hand carefully. It wasn't careful enough, or maybe the anesthetic hadn't sunk in yet, but I flinched as he did. Everent immediately dropped my hand and looked to the two towering shifters next to me.
"Boss, you're gonna give me a heart attack." He picked up my hand again, testing the skin around the area. I felt nothing this time, much to everyone's relief.
Within a few minutes of digging, Everent found some small pieces of wood and a very, very small piece of metal. Almost immediately after, he found a bullet and a very large amount of pus that smelled like the ass end of a buffalo which promptly emptied out of the wound that was more or less my hand.
"Okay. A bullet? A bullet. A BULLET??!?" Now a bunch of people shuffled into the room as Everent emptied the pus into a container for easier cleanup. Doll was the one trying to wrap her head around the fact that a bullet had been in my hand, thinking it was recent.
"Doll. I'm going to give you anesthesia is you don't calm down." She scoffed, bewildered that he wasn't more concerned with the metal in my hand.
"Don't worry about it. It's been in there for quite a few years." He pressed on the wound some more to make sure it was empty of puss, then dumped antiseptic on it again and wrapped it up tight. "See? All better." She couldn't muster the strength to look at the pool of ooze in the container next to Everent now, closing her eyes and plugging her nose.
"Are you okay?" Mark took my hand and examined it a bit before Everent smacked it. It earned a growl, of course.
"Cool it, dog toy." Another growl waned in the air as I stood, thanking Everent. He nodded, giving me some aspirin.
"Don't." Mark's aura suddenly dropped as Cassie came in now. The air was still tense, but it wasn't thick enough to cut like a cake. Not yet, anyway.
Not until Mottie entered the room, flicking a thong in my direction.
"And why was that necessary?" He smirked, waiting for the scent to drift to my nose.
"Hey, dreamer. Nose is kinda clogged from tears. What's it smell like." I flung it back at him as my ear shifted backward, a hand on the back of my hip.
"Smells like-" It was suddenly, and violently ripped from his hands, Doll's face a very dark shade of vermillion.
"Why were you in my shit." All eyebrows lifted in the room and Journey escorted everyone out as Jackis made a whimpering noise.
"Talk in one of the other rooms, I don't want him to hear your nasty talks." And with that, we were shoved out of the infirmary.
"Since when did you own thongs?" A cheeky smirk met Doll's stuttering explanation. Well, an attempt of one. She just kept bumbling and mumbling about she felt nice in it and felt feminine. Eventually her ears started to smoke- that's how embarrassed she was.
"Oh. Well. Sorry Doll. But it just smelled like a detergent, that's why I brought it. You washed your clothes in something I haven't seen in forever." Mottie apologized again before Doll shuffled back and away.
"It was.. in one of the rooms downstairs.." And with that, she zipped back to her room, face still just as vermillion.
Once she left the room, the others trickled to their own rooms until there was just three of us: Mark, Me, and Cassie.
She waited until everyone was mostly out of earshot, before turning to us.
There was a glint in her eye that made me squint at her. And then she did the single most stupid thing that someone could do in front of me. Yes, Mark and I were still a new thing. Yes, we weren't ready to tell anyone. No, I didn't think about my next actions.
And I really don't think she did either.
Cassie flirted with Mark. Sure, it could have been a test. Sure. It probably was.
But I think I've only ever felt that angry once in my life. The only time I felt intense emotion after this was further along into the story.

Mark cocked an eyebrow as she fluttered her eyelashes at him, purring her words out. I don't even remember what she said. It was something like.. how are you holding up in the pack? Has anybody caught his eye yet?
He glanced at me, eyebrows furrowed.
"Cassie." She looked at me, that same glint.
"Oh, is there an issue, Boss?" My nose twitched at her tone. It was exactly in that moment she pressed herself against him.
See, he expressed that he's had multiple partners. That's fine. That's whatever. I wouldn't have done what I did if that was just that.
But it was the look on Mark's face that set me off and the next exchange of words.
"Can.. can you back up, please?"
"What, you don't like this?" She went to grab his hand as mine shot out. Her entire body stiffened as I tried my best to control this.. this seething in my veins.
Then she giggled, speaking before looking at me.
"I knew you two were.." I could feel the dread and fear coming off her as she looked me dead in my eyes.
My teeth were clenched, jaw close to locking. Veins were forming on my arms and I'm sure I had a few on my face and neck. My grip on her arm was immovable and close to breaking it as the words out of my mouth were hollow, threatening. It was venomous and slicing, an even tone of strained calmness.
"If you ever do that again, I'll personally make sure you are skinned alive by rusted nails from the Statue of Liberty." She swallowed, nodding as she backed away from Mark.
"You do not make advances without authorization. Do you understand, Cassendria." Her eyes were shaking and she could hardly speak.
"Y-yes ma'am-" I let go of her arm and she profusely apologized before sprinting away. It took a few minutes for the boiling to subside, but once it did I let out the biggest sigh of my life.
"Is it just me or was that hot." I snorted, rubbing my face in exasperation.
"I hate showing people why I was the technical heir to the leader. People really need to remember how to act." He smiled, leaning his head on mine. I felt him press a kiss into where he leaned.
"Yeah, but I'm grateful." We stood in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again. "I really thought she was a lesbian." I laughed now, patting his arm.
"She's bi, Mark."