Wanted : A MiniCat Fanfiction

Chapter 26 ~ He Must

Z POV:

"Didn't get much sleep?" Tyler asked me as I walked into the kitchen.
I felt terrible.
Tanner had wrapped her arms around me all night, trying to get me to sleep, but I couldn't.
It was like torture.
I saw my friends die over and over again, and the worse thing about that, is that it might actually happen.
My hair was a mess and I vomited once or twice to where I had to get a shower.
I was out of uniform, wearing sweats and a T-shirt.
I haven't been out of uniform in years.
Dried tears crusted my cheeks.
"Tyler..." I whispered, almost running over to him.
I wrapped my arms around him and started crying again, almost pulling him backwards out of the chair.
"Z? What the hell?" He asked.
"Tyler, I'm so sorry. You and Craig..." I felt so horrible.
I kept replaying the thought of him getting shot in the head, sending Tanner into a fit and Mini screaming cries of pain and misery.
I opened my eyes again and looked at him.
"Z, are you okay? Everything will be okay. You're just paranoid." He said, calming me.
"I love you, Tyler. You're my brother." I said.
He sighed.
"I love you too, Z."
Craig walked in.
"Are you okay?" He asked.

Craig POV:

She looked like shit.
I'll be honest.
But she was up and functioning, but she just seemed so worried.
"I'll never leave you guys. I'll always protect you. No matter what. Understand?" She asked.
I nodded and Tyler did, too.
She smiled.
"Good. Now I'm getting my ass dressed."
I walked over to Tyler and put a hand on him.
"Poor girl was up all night." I sighed, sotting down next to him.
He nodded and sighed.
"She cried all night. And she vomited. She sounded like she was dying on the inside."
I genuinely felt bad for Z.
None of us knew why she had become so clingy or paranoid lately. She seems so out of it and depressed that I worried for her.
I put my hand on Tyler's.
He closed his eyes and pulled it away.
I looked at him, confused.
He sighed and opened his eyes again.

Tyler POV:

"Ty..?" He asked, his voice full of confusion and worry.
"Mini, we shouldn't be together while this all is go-" I tried to begin.
He stood up.
"Are you breaking up with me?"
Tears filled his eyes already.
"Craig. We're going to War. I don't want you to-" I stood up, too.
Nogla had sat down a second or two ago and he now looked at us.
"Tyler, we're together. That's all I want. That's all I ever wanted." He said, shaking his head.
"Craig! We're going to War. We're in a relationship. One of us may die. That's why it's the best time now to just break the bond we have so that-" I tried.
"So that I won't remember you, TYLER? SO THAT I'LL JUST FORGET ALL ABOUT YOU WHEN YOU'RE DEAD? YOU THINK THAT'S GONNA WORK!?"

Craig POV:

I couldn't control it anymore.
Hot tears started streaming down my cheeks.
"Yeah." He said in a cracked voice.
"We finally end up together, after all these years of me LOVING you, and now you want to go apart? The time I need you most?" I asked him, trying to calm down.
He looked at me.
"Craig! I don't want you to suffer!" I yelled.
Nogla was beside Mini already, drying his tears.
I gritted my teeth.
I'm a horrible boyfriend.
"SUFFER? Tyler, the only reason I'd suffer would be that I wouldn't get to hold your hand one last time before you went in that field. We'd probably die together. The only thing I'd suffer from would be that I wouldn't get to love you as much as I wanted to these last few days."
I finally sighed and walked forward, pulling his crying body into a hug.
He hugged me back. Nogla ran out to go somewhere.
"I love you." He whispered over my shoulder, my head in his chest.
I smiled.
"I love you too,"
I gripped him closer.
"I always have."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Z POV:

"Working in the junkyard today, Princess."
Tanner creaked open my door and looked inside.
I nodded.
I was lying to my left side, facing away from the door, on top of my bed, looking out the covered window.
It's hard to believe that I've only seen sunlight out of the black curtains only a few times in years.
"Are you okay?" She walked in and shut the door, sitting down next to me, rubbing my leg as comfort.
I nodded.
"I know that look. What's eatin' you, darlin'?" She sighed.
"I've just been feeling a little sick. I can't help but wonder what we're doing after the war." I said.
She looked at me.
"When it's just me and you?"
I nodded, lying again.
She sighed.
"What do you want to do?"
"I want my family. I want to find them. But I don't know if I could do it. I'm scared." I confessed.
Tanner would be the only person I'd ever figure to tell I was scared.
"Sweetie, don't doubt yourself. You're perfect, they'd love you. Never give up on your dreams. If you tried hard enough," she smiled.
"They'd become a reality."
I smiled and held her hand.
"I was thinking about dying Ev's computer to check them down." I confessed.
She sighed.
"That's dangerous. But it's excellent. It may work..." She grinned.
I nodded.
"Want me to make the boys lay off ya?" She asked.
I nodded.
"Thank you."
"Thank you, too, Princess."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tyler POV:

Evan walked in, serious and tense as always.
"Wildcat and MiniLadd?" He asked.
Delirious was beside him, a look of concern or paranoia etched into his features.
Evan was serious, Delirious was paranoid.
The lion fell in love with the coward.

"Yes, Master?" We both bowed to him.
I remember our old, immature selves when we were just kids.

I figured only Jon would be the one to get on his knees and bow down in front of me to call me Master...

Evan had said that.
But now he's grown up and matured.
He takes things seriously.
He wants us to flourish.

"Craig will be fighting with us."

My pulse started racing.

"No, he isn't." I assured him.

Master shook his head.

"He must."