Hold Me Close (Spec Ops Guy/Tank x Reader)

Chapter 12

Scales rolled her eyes before pulling a piece of gum out and throwing it Riot, who looked at it disgusted, but he stood up nonetheless, and walked to a secluded part of the courtyard. Compared to the lousy man he was trading with, Riot was significantly taller. Sure, the trader was somewhat decent-looking, but Riot was god-tier, as was the rest of the squad. Tank crossed his arms, before laying his head on the table, making you look down at him. "Something wrong?" You asked as you raked your fingers through his hair, earning you a shy look. "Mm, just a bit tired, I guess, considering the bed's aren't too comfortable. Also lonely, I don't have a cellmate, and Riot and Chief are at the end of the hallway." Luckily, the table the group sat at was against a wall, so you sat against it, and Tank positioned himself so where his head was in your lap, and you were holding him comfortably. He opened his eyes, and watched as you started braiding his long hair. Once you noticed he was staring at you, you winked at him, and watched him squirm, his face flushing.

After a few minutes, Riot came back holding a cook book, looking perplexed. He took his spot on the bench once more, before throwing the book in Scales's direction. "You go find the next person, I'm sure it's one of the cooks or the lunch ladies," he said plainly, before you reached for it. "Gimme gimme!" After you'd gotten it, you skimmed through the pages, looking for a name, until you came to the last page. Beatrice Johnson. "I could've sworn I've seen that name somewhere," you muttered to yourself, before you remembered. "The lunch lady that gave me a lot of breakfast!" You gasped, and the others looked at you confused, except for Scales. "Hold on, little bean, I've got to give her her book back," you told Tank, whose face flushed again, this time like wildfire due to the pet name you'd given him. "C-can I come with? Just to protect you," he murmured softly, and right then and there was the moment he captivated your heart entirely. His flustered and shy voice made you melt inside, it warmed your heart immensely. You nodded, and he stood up, holding your hand and squeezing it gently.

The two of you standing brought attention almost immediately, mostly because of the giant beside you, but also because you were heading to the lunch line, which was practically empty. One of the lunch ladies gave you a stank eye, but once she saw that you were carrying Beatrice's book, she waved her over. "Bea, they found your book!" She muttered, and Beatrice came almost immediately. "Oh, thank goodness! All my recipes are still in here!" She chimed as she took ahold of the book, reading through its pages. "Oh, thank you baby," she walked out of the kitchen and hugged you, thanking you over and over. She turned to everyone in the courtyard, and called out, "Dearies! My cook book has been found, and I can finally make my desserts again! Peach cobbler for everyone tonight!" A loud chorus erupted throughout the cafeteria and courtyard, clearly excited about dinner.