Last days at home

"Girlfriend?" Alec asked, his face twisting.

"Yeah, you know: blonde, fair tanned skin and turbulent green eyes?" Deacon bit his lower lip, waiting for the tantrum he knew was coming.

Once Allen knew who he was referring to.

A long couple of seconds passed when Alec finally realized, looking at Deacon dead in the eyes, only to roll them away from him with a disgusted expression.

Deacon laughed out loud, rolling in the ground as he held his guts.

"Every time." He said in between laughs. The air pushing out of his lungs making him feel dizzy. "You really can't stand Bianca, can you."

"And who does?" Alec retorted.

"Fair point." Deacon dried the tear in his face with one of his palms, finally straightening up his back. "I always wondered why she's so dry and—well, just so angry all the time."

"Only God knows if he even exists. You know I tried to talk to her when we joined the army."

"Yeah, I also remember how you drooled all over when you first gave her a look." Deacon smirked, waiting again for his reaction.

Alec looked at him with narrowed eyes. "You don't get to tell me that. You even asked her out."

Deacon's eyes looked past Alec, as if remembering something terrible. "One of the worst humiliations I've ever been through."

Alec's light gray eyes squinted, remembering how his best friend stood in place with a plate full of food flipped on the top of his head.

"That's why I can't stand her. What's the point of humiliating people just because? She could've just said no." Alec threw his body on the fake grass again, feeling it tickling his arms as he folded them behind his head.

"Maybe she just needs a little love." Deacon joked, feeling a jolt of pain in his arm. "Ouch, man." He bitterly scrubbed the pain away. "See? You still have a crush on her.

Alec rose in a flash, ready to hit him for a second time.

"Shut up." He stopped midair, smiling playfully. "Besides, you know she's not my type."

"Right, you like them blonde." He rolled his eyes. "You still have a crush on her." He mumbled, quickly dodging Alec's kick. "You say you don't, but you look at her all the time."

"Cuz I feel sorry for her?" He replied, as if it was obvious. "I wonder if she pushes people away on purpose, or if she's just a bitch by nature."

"The fact that you're still wondering that after ten years is what I'm talking about." He rose his hands up in surrender. "There's nothing wrong with that. I mean, she's hot."

"She being hot is no excuse for treating people like shit."

Deacon didn't reply right away, but rather started making some funny noises. Alec watched him tremble a little, his back towards him.

"What?" He narrowed his eyes.

Deacon turned around, on the verge of crying. He was trying not to laugh, but to no avail.

"You just admitted she's hot." He barely mumbled between laughs.

The words didn't leave his mouth entirely when Alec was already tackling him down. A friendly fight unraveled, only done when they broke one of Alec's mom greenery pots.

Scared, they stood still and in complete silence, waiting for his mother's arrival. But nothing moved in the upper floor. With a knowing look, both left it even, quickly deleting every evidence of what happened.

And with that, they called it a night.

The next few days passed in a flash, leaving dread of sadness and longing in both of them, as well as their family. It was not enough time to make up for ten years of distance; yet they made of it the best days they could.

Ten years of what could be considered, by definition, torture. Ten years of watching their comrades die trying, and not knowing if they could even make it. Countless, dangerous trials, both in virtual reality and in real file.

Years of only "enjoying" the presence of your family through a webcam once a month, since non-military people were not allowed in; or privates out. 

Thankfully, now that they're officially over the Private title, they get to leave base grounds for three weeks in a year; and they could pick out when to use their free time.

Deacon and Alec left with a heavy heart on Monday morning, being the ceremony stated for that Tuesday. They had the rest of the day to move their things to the pilot base in sector Z, A massive, hexagonal building with more than five hundred floors, where all pilots were to live from now on.

They didn't have many things to move out, though, as the military life was a simple one. Sleep, eat, train, get your ass kicked, repeat.

Among the military ranks, Privates that belonged to the S class were renowned assets to the military power. As well as being the toughest class to achieve, given the training they're subjected to. 

As some sort of "consolation" gift, or what they call it: a "very well-earned reward", Tsys pilots get to live in a private, one-room apartment. Given the fact that there are only nine in the world, and three in each Nation, it was only reasonable to give the so-called heroes some privileges.

It was a tiny place, with enough space to fit a kitchen, bedroom, living room and a bathroom in one corner. 

Alec left all his belongings in the floor next to the black leather sofa and walked towards the window that displayed a beautiful, green scenary. He watched the leaves move with the wind, closing his eyes as he imagined how the soft breeze would feel like.

Birds chirping, river water flowing endlessly. A handful of peace you could only find there, in that squared piece of glass. And a peace that didn't last long, when the power went off for a second; erasing that beautiful place and replacing it for a huge, hollow building with bright white lights.

His gray eyes turned light blue, mirroring the sigh in front of him, as he looked up and down what was his future from now on.

The Tsys 09.