Little Fox

Chapter III. Nightmares

Soap sat with the other two in the mess hall, his tail thumping behind him noisily as he gnawed through a tough bit of steak. "So," he said once he was done chewing. "What do we think of the new kid?"

Gaz looked up from his plate, his large wings tucked neatly behind him. "It's nice to have another omega on the team. But I'm not sure if he'll hold up during training." As Soap cocked an eyebrow, he continued. "I mean, you saw how small and scrawny he is. He's worse than I was when Price found me."

Soap looked down at his plate as an image of Gaz, thinner than thread and covered in dirt, flashed through his mind. Now, the hawk hybrid was well muscled, with the ability to out-fly any avian hybrid on base. With a lopsided smirk, Soap remarked quietly, "He's a fighter. Most of the hybrids we find are either dead or suicidal."

It was the grim truth about rescuing other hybrids. They're either shot by the scientists before the TaskForce could get to them, or they take their own life. Stabbing another piece of steak with his fork, Soap looked up to Ghost. "What about you, Lt?"

Ghost sat quietly for a moment, his round black ears twitching as he thought. "He's going to struggle for a while. But I do believe he'll come through." Soap nodded, chewing on a piece of steak slowly.

"Well," Soap mumbled, standing up from the table. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see, ay?"

**

After Soap had finished eating, he grabbed a plate to bring back to Jasper, not wanting the fox to go hungry. As he approached Jasper's door, a sour scent filtered through the crack in the door, making his nose wrinkle in disgust and pity. "Poor kid.."

Pushing the door open slowly, the scent of rotting leaves hit him like a freight train. Setting the plate down on the desk, Soap stepped closer to Jasper's bed, watching the fox toss and turn. Soft whimpers and whines fell from his lips, and his snow white hair was damp with sweat.

Reaching down, Soap brushed his hand against Jasper's bare shoulder, feeling his own scent shift to a more calming one. It was an odd reaction, almost making Soap pull away. Jasper seemed to still, however, the fox's scent returning to normal. Sitting on the edge of the omega's bed, Soap leaned down to take in Jasper's minty scent, the fur along his spine bristling.

"Jasper," he cooed softly. "Wake up." The fox stirred, his breath quickening as he opened his eyes. Jasper sat up with fangs bared, a wild, panicked look in his eyes. Soap lifted his hands in a non-threatening gesture. "Woah, hey now. It's alright, Jasper. It's just me."

Jasper looked around slowly, his fur slowly lying flat as he recognized where he was. His ears droop slightly as he lets out a shaky breath, turning back to Soap and murmuring, "Soap..? How'd you get in here?"

Chuckling softly, Soap stood and moved to the desk, grabbing the plate and taking it back to Jasper. "The door was left open. Here," he gestured to the plate, watching as the fox eyed it. "Brought you something to eat."

Jasper turned away, his voice weak as he murmured, "Not hungry." Soap's large ears drooped slightly, and he pushed the plate closer to the fox.

"You need to eat, kid." Jasper didn't respond, only pushed the plate away. Letting out a frustrated huff, Soap leaned closer and murmured, "If you don't eat, you'll never regain your strength. Without strength, you can't train, and without training, you won't be part of our team."

Jasper turned to gaze at Soap, and the alpha could feel his fur bristle under the fox's ice blue eyes. Slowly, the omega reached out to take the plate from Soap, and he nodded in satisfaction. Attempting to smooth his fur, Soap stood and leaned against the desk, watching as Jasper ate.

Once the omega was done, Soap took the plate from Jasper and set it aside, leaning against the desk once again. "You were having a nightmare, weren't you?" Jasper nodded, and Soap's ears drooped slightly, feeling pity for the fox. "Did Price set you up for therapy yet?"

Jasper's ears were pinned to his head, and he looked away from Soap again. "Yeah.." The soft, sad whine had Soap pushing off of the desk and striding to the side of Jasper's bed before he had time to think. The alpha sat on the edge of the bed again, his pupils blown out as he reached to comfort Jasper.

The omega flinched before leaning into Soap's outstretched hand, hesitantly rubbing his cheek against the alpha's palm. The same electric tingle flowed through Soap, making his fur stand on end and a growl rumble in his chest.

Jasper responded with a growl of his own, the sound almost purr-like as he nuzzled Soap's wrist, close to his scent gland. Soap was frozen in place, torn between comforting the omega and pulling his hand away. The scent of hot metal and raspberries intertwined with one another, creating a heady mix.

"Soap?" Jasper murmured, looking up at the alpha with those piercing blue eyes. Soap nodded, words caught in his throat as Jasper held his gaze. "You really think I could be part of your team, even though I'm an omega?"

Soap's ears twitched, and he tilted his head. "Of course," he says, shifting closer to the omega. Jasper stiffened but didn't pull away, instead leaning closer to Soap. "I mean, you've seen Gaz. He's one of our strongest avian hybrids on base, as well as an omega."

He watched as Jasper hesitated, then whispered softly, "Thank you, Soap." The fox hybrids ice-blue eyes were soft and thankful as he gazed at Soap, making the alpha's heart flip. 'What is it about this omega that makes me react like this?'

Soap's thick tail was thumping against the bed as he held Jasper's gaze, his ocean blues turning to inky blacks as his pupils blew out. "I guess I should let you get back to sleep then, huh?" He mumbles quietly, looking away from the omega, willing his tail to be still.

Jasper almost seemed disappointed as Soap stood, moving to the desk to grab the tray. "I'll.. See you in the morning?" The fox asked, eyeing Soap hopefully as the alpha moved to the door. Soap turned back to Jasper, a gentle, lopsided smile gracing his lips.

"Of course," he conceded, opening the door before continuing. "Sleep well, little fox."