As The Result Of a Bet

4 - Missing in Action

Okay, Turducken Army (im calling you that now) I have Permition from PricklyTrash to add her into the story. So, in comes...um... Vixen Trish, Vicky for short. On to the story!

Jack's PoV:

After that day, I treat Mark with a lot more respect, and we've become great friends. It turns out that Mark had PTSD from his experience, which only came on rarely. When it did, however, like the time we were walking around town, and he saw a shock collar in the window of a collar shop, he would react extinctively and try to run, or hide, or protect himself. Sometimes he would actually turn full dog and run a long ways away, only to come back to the house later. He reminded me so much of-
No. Stop thinking about him, and move on. He's probably gone, and you know it.
Then a day came when Mark asked me a question that made it all spill out.
That day is nearly a full three months after Mark told his story.
We are hanging out, playing a video game, when Mark asked me, "hey, so I noticed when I first got here, that room was already set up, but from what Ken tells me, you and Felix had like five hours notice. Everything was set up as if it was already there, and I'm curious. Was that room already there? I mean, like, already set up that way?"
I sigh and put my controller down, getting ready to tell the story.
"Yeah, it was already there. Felix used to have another Inu. He was reported missing in action seven months ago, and there's a slim chance that he's ali-ive."
My voice hitched on the last word, but I forced myself to move on.
We miss him. His name was-"
"JACK!!!" Felix shouted down the stairs. Loud thumps indicate that Felix is running down the stairs, and he arrives, mouth open, tears streaming down his face.
I feel my ears perk up curiously, and I stand up.
"Yeah Felix?"
Felix shakes his head as if to clear it. The he says the five words that I've hoped for for the last half of a year.
"They found him. He's alive."
Felix whispers, and my heart goes numb.
Then I get over my shock and run to Felix and embrace him, without meaning to I start crying.
"Is he...is he coming home?"
Felix nods, his eyes betraying that if he opened his mouth he would start crying.
"When?" I ask, still slightly in shock.
"Two weeks." Felix whispers again.
"Who?"
I look over at Mark, still on the couch. He's looking at me in slight confusion.
"Who's coming back?" he asks again, and all I can say is, "Thomas."

(Timeskip brought to you by my battery dying)

Two weeks have gone by since that day, and the excitment in the house was building. After finding out Thomas is alive, we've worked pretty hard to make more room for him. We bought another dog bed for Mark so that thomas could have his bed back, and bought Mark a dresser so that he could move his clothes too. We touched up the room to make it perfect, then we went crazy and cleaned the whole house. Now we are heading to the military airfield, where we can take Thomas home. My heart is exploding in my chest as I think of seeing Thomas again. He had been the big brother I never had for five years before he deployed. And now he's coming home, safe and sound.
Mark seems nervous, but he says that's what it's like whenever he meets another Inu.
"Hey Mark? Are you an alpha, beta or omega? Just curious."
Mark looks at me, and says, "I'm a beta. Do you know what Thomas is?"
I nod and grin, remembering.
"He always said he was-IS an alpha."
"Oh,great." Mark exclaims, groaning and puting his face in his hands.
"Oh, I bet you two will get along fine, don't worry."
We park and I jump out excitedly. We walk over to the big building and a seargent meets us there, leading us to a med bay.
"Don't worry," the seargent says nicely, noticing my expression, "we're only doing a checkup for Thomas. He kinda just showed up at our door, banged on it a lot, and said he was colonel Thomas [insert last name that I was too lazy to come up with], and that he was overdue in getting home. He was having a rough time, but he made it okay. Just...don't wake him up with your hands. Poke him with a stick or something. He's got PTSD like you wouldn't believe."
He chuckles a little at the end of his sentence.
He leads us to a room and knocks on a door, it's opened by a doctor who nods and leads us inside. Mark stays outside, saying we should go in first since we're family.
We walk in and sitting on the examination table, looking bored, was Thomas.
"Hey Tom, your family's here."
Tom looks up and the biggest grin I've ever seen him wear spreads across his face. His black hair covering some of his forehead, his black ears sticking up straight and his tail wagging furiously back and forth.
"Jackaboy!" he shouts, and runs up to me, much to the dismay of the doctor, to hug me. And I've never felt more safe. Tom takes a deep breath of my scent, then stops, his eyes opening wide.
"What? Where is that coming from?"
He let's go of me and sniffs around the room, stopping at the door.
"Did you guys bring someone with you?"
Felix nods, "you can meet him once the doctor says your good to go."
Tom looks at the doctor, who gestures to the observation table.
Ten minutes later, the doctor gives Tom the OK and he rushes out of the room, where Mark was sitting on a chair in the hall, waiting.
"Oh!" Mark says, looking at Tom and standing up.
"You must be Tom! It's so nice to finally meet yo-"
Mark stops and sniffs the air, his eyes going wide and confused. He smells the air again, as if to try and tell himself it's not there.
Meanwhile, Felix and I watch as Tom sniffs the air, tracking a scent no one else could see. Mark's sniffing around now too, and the two slowly sniff up to each other. They stop and stare at each other.
"What's your name?" Tom asks.
"It's Mark. I read it on my collar when I learned to read. Another stray taught me on the streets."
Tom's eyes look like they're gonna pop out of his head.
He grabs Mark and pulls him into an embrace, and to my surprise, I can see Mark hugging back in response.
"Where were you!?!" Tom shouts, "I thought you were dead!"
"Where were YOU!?!?!" Mark shouts in return, not angrily but happily.
"I thought you left me!!"
I look over at Felix and he mouths to me, "what?"
I shrug, not knowing myself.
After maybe ten full minutes of hugging, Mark and Tom pull apart and Tom looks at me and Felix.
"Guys!! How did you find my little brother!?!?!"

AN:
I LITERALLY GOT THIS DONE LIKE TEN MINUTES BEFORE I FLY TO THE MAINLAND FROM HAWAII!! Also, surprise! Bet you didn't expect that, did you? Be ready, I'm not holding anything back from the next chapter.
Also, Vixen Trish not coming in this chapter, but next chapter instead!(because I wanted to make this longer but cant cause Im about to fly for like six hours)

Turduckens, UNITE!!!
-MusiCore

PS I changed it to TheKingTurducken