Chapter 7

Mick spilled into the small dorm, laughing as his arm caught around Paxton’s shoulders. The two of them planned an early dinner, going to order takeout and spend the rest of the night studying. Despite having several years between them and different levels of classes, Paxton was very useful for figuring out some of the technical language in Mick’s flight manuals, and Mick helped Paxton with the more delicate aspects of strategies for airborne combat.

They chuckled together until Mick’s boot slipped into something on the floor. Catching himself thankful to his quick reflexes, he looked down and his face immediately went pale. “Shit.”

Paxton followed his gaze and his eyes widened. Both of them shouted at the same time, “Sam?” “Alyx?” And darted to their respective doors.

Paxton opened his door to find the room empty. He darted out just as the bathroom door creaked open, and he rushed over and scooped Sam up in a tight hug. Mick’s arms wrapped around both of them in an odd triple hug as he peered over Paxton’s shoulder.

“Are you okay?” Both of them were talking in a jumble and over each other. “What happened?”

Paxton pulled back and Mick was forced to follow, Paxton holding her shoulders as he looked her over for injury, Mick circling her to check if she was hurt.

Sam proceeded to tell them how Alyx stormed in, started kicking the crap out of the kitchen, and how she nearly got caught in the crossfire. And how she punched him. “That’s Alyx’s blood?” Mick’s voice was pitched a bit higher than normal, a mix of surprise and impressed as his eyebrows rose. She nodded, ducking her head a smiling sheepishly, but Mick only laughed. “Well, okay then.”

Paxton smirked. “It’s about time someone punched him. Please tell me you got that big honking nose?”

“Hey! Be nice.” Sam scrunched her face, wrinkling her nose at him, but then broke into a small smile. “I might have...”

Mick could feel his eyebrows lifting even higher on his forehead. After almost being attacked by Alyx, punching him in the nose, and hiding in the bathroom afterwards, she was defending his nose? He would need to investigate.

“Okay, I’m going to go find him. You got this?” He pointed at Paxton as he backed towards the door. Paxton nodded and started immediately fussing over Sam, just as Mick tripped over a bag that had been kicked around the floor. “What is this?” He bent down, snagged the string handle, and stood while peering inside, all in one fluid motion. “Did you go shopping?”

Glancing over, she shook her head. “Alyx came in with it. What is it?”

Mick pulled each item out, reading the label before handing it over. Today was full of surprises. He chuckled, as Sam looked at it all with confusion.

“Why does he keep buying me stuff?” She sniffed at one of the bottles, and judging by her face, she was pleased. “I mean, it’s nice, but why?”

Mick sighed. “His parents…” He cleared his throat, changing the direction of his thoughts. “Alyx… he doesn’t really…” Mick awkwardly huffed, trying to laugh it off, but it was clearly forced. “I think he’s trying to apologize?”

Paxton snorted. “That’s what the gift cards and stuff are?” He rolled his eyes. “That guy has issues.”

“Cut it out Paxton.” Sam shook her head, turning to Mick, “But he already said sorry when he left me that avocado.”

Mick shrugged, not wanting to say anything else until he talked to Alyx. He liked Sam, but Alyx and Mick were closer than family, and if something was going on with him, Mick wouldn’t betray that. “I got to go, but I’m pretty sure he wants you to have that stuff.”

Sam was still looking at the bag of bath supplies in confusion, talking softly with Paxton, when Mick left. Knowing Alyx like he did, Mick knew there were a few places he needed to check before calling in the cavalry.

He headed to the on-campus pharmacy first, since Alyx had been bleeding when he left the dorm. Sure enough, he had been there, and had scared the crap out of the pharmacy tech. After assuring the young lady that he would find his friend. Next, he headed to the nearest bathroom, where he found the gauze and skin tape packaging and signs that Alyx cleaned himself up. Mick knew he was close behind, but now he had to choose where to go next. The gym or Carlyle’s apartment.

Mick was not a fan of Carlyle. The snobby redhead tried to recruit him at the same time he recruited Alyx, but Mick didn’t like the vibe of Prime X Flight Company and no amount of money could sway Mick’s gut, but Alyx liked them and signed up. Personally, Mick thought being trapped in a classified desert and being in no-contact with his family (thanks to another disagreement with his father) made Alyx vulnerable to PXF’s manipulations.

Although Mick hoped Alyx was at the gym, he decided to bite the bullet and visit Carlyle’s first. Mick didn’t back down from a challenge.

But the knot of tension in his stomach tightened when he rode the glass and chrome elevator up to the high rise, and he could feel a headache starting when the tall skinny silhouette approached the frosted glass door. This apartment was pretentious as fuck.

Carlyle’s face went from neutral to veiled disdain in an instant. “What do you want?”

“Is Alyx here?” Mick followed Carlyle’s lead and didn’t bother with pleasantries or greetings.

The redhead sighed. “No. But if he was, I wouldn’t tell you.”

Mick rolled his eyes and turned to leave, but was stopped by Carlyle’s voice. “Do I need to be concerned that you don’t know where your alleged best friend is?”

A deep primal instinct warned Mick that there was something hidden in Carlyle’s words, even under the obvious venom and insult, and he turned after a second of hesitation, choosing his words carefully. “Nah, some girl punched him in the nose and he’s hiding out.” He was careful not to mention Sam or any other details, and tried to play it off as casually as he could, as if Alyx were just embarrassed or possibly hiding from the campus police for a bit.

Carlyle just hummed and shut the door without another word, and Mick gratefully headed for the elevator again. With a sigh, he called Paxton. “Hey. You and Sam should eat. I’m heading to the Starclass Gym and it looks like it’s going to take a while.”

“Need any help?”

“Nah, he gets like this sometimes. I can talk him out of it.”

When he reached the gym that Alyx liked to use, because of course the on campus gym wasn’t good enough for him, it was immediately obvious he was here. The gym attendant, Nina, knew him and motioned towards the heavy bags and kickboxing area, and Mick gave her a nod of thanks.

When he walked through the arch separating the free weights from the fighting equipment, he stopped and stared in shock.

Sam had beaten him here.

She was standing between Alyx’s legs as he sat on a low bench, her hands cupping his face as she spoke softly. Mick couldn’t hear what she was saying, but Alyx was looking up at her like she was a glass of ice water in a never ending desert. Mick had never seen that expression on his face, and it shook him.