What's the worst that can happen when you're forced to co-captain with your rival?
Nova Shields can't stand Leo Hendrix. She hates his arrogance and obnoxiousness, that crooked smirk he does when he thinks he's right. Leo can't stand Nova's wits, t...
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LEO === ==== ==== ==== 07/06/2002 Phoenix, Arizona Redhawk Base ==== ==== ==== ====
Having Nova Shields sob into my chest wasn't on my mental itinerary when I knocked on her door.
I'd expected a snarky comeback, maybe another slap, possibly even a solid "fuck off" followed by the door slammed in my face. But this? Her body trembling against mine, face buried in my shirt, fists clutching the fabric like it was the only solid thing left in her world?
Yeah. I wasn't ready for that.
But I don't pull away.
I let her stay there, pressed close, her shoulders shaking as she cries silently into me. I hold her. Not tightly, just enough to let her know I'm here, not moving.
I stay quiet. There's nothing I can say that won't sound hollow. "It'll be okay" doesn't mean shit in this world. Not when you're built out of wreckage like we are.
Her story plays on repeat in my head. How her mom vanished without a trace, how her dad turned into a paranoid war vet and trained her like she was born for combat. How the one person who should've protected her, her own brother, left. I'd always known she was fire. Now I see the ashes she was born from.
When the sobs finally ease, she pulls away. Just like that, it's over. She's switched back. Straightens her posture, wipes her eyes, tugs her shorts down a little like she can erase everything that just happened.
"Sorry about that," she mutters, not looking at me. "Didn't mean to start crying."
I want to tell her not to be sorry. That anyone would've broken under all that. But instead, I just shrug, keeping my voice low.
"It's alright. I'm... sorry you had to go through that. You are allowed to cry in front of me, you know? Despite everything."
She nods, tight-lipped, focused on her bandage like it's the most interesting thing in the room. The silence hangs between us, thick and unspoken, and I know she's already regretting letting me see her like this.
I hesitate. "Your brother never came back, huh?"
She shakes her head. "I'm glad he didn't."
That lands heavy. Her tone is flat, but the words slice. She means it. Whatever he did, she means it.
I want to ask more, but I don't. Her expression makes it clear she's said enough. I push up off the bed slowly, boots hitting the floor with a dull thud. She watches me the whole time. Quiet, cautious, that steel guard back in place like nothing ever cracked.
"I'll leave you alone for a while," I say, hand on her door handle.
She doesn't respond. Just watches. I nod once, open the door, and step out, closing it behind me.
