This story will mostly be told in a series of drabbles. The storyline will still be linear, but most chapters can be considered to be like an episode.
Chapter 1 Rating: PG
The boys of the Mustang unit knew just how to bring a good week to a close. Jean Havoc, Heymans Breda, Kain Fuery, and Vato Falman all gathered at their favorite pub, which provided good food and good alcohol to wash it down.
The pub also attracted the college crowd, but no one except Falman seemed to mind. The other three often preoccupied themselves with admiring the college ladies who always seemed to travel in groups.
This particular evening, the fellows gathered at a table by the bar chowing down on bar food and taking turns scoping out pretty young faces in the crowd. Breda noticed a girl sitting by her lonesome at the bar, perusing a book while sipping a glass of red wine. Her long black hair was wavy save for the strands in front that framed her face in ringlets. Her green eyes held a look of interest as she scanned the pages studiously.
"When do you ever see a girl that gorgeous reading alone in a bar?" said Breda, sounding scandalized.
"Go talk to her," challenged Havoc. Breda's eyes widened.
"What?! Are you crazy?" hissed Breda.
After about twenty minutes of the men ogling her and trying to hype each other up to go talk to her, a sharp cough caught their attention. They collectively turned their gazes to see that the girl had noticed them. She smiled and did a tiny wave with her fingers. The men blushed.
"Hi. Why don't you join us? You don't need to sit alone," said Breda, gathering his wit before the others. He flashed her a friendly grin. Falman and Fuery exchanged impressed looks. Normally Havoc was the one to make the first move.
"Really? Well...sure," said the girl, blushing and smiling. She closed her textbook and dismounted her stool. Curiously, she knelt down and seemed to be untying something from the stool legs. When she straightened, they could see she was holding one end of a leash. A brown and white collie wearing a blue vest stretched and yawned after stepping out from its resting place underneath the bar.
"Augh!" Breda nearly knocked the entire table over trying to put something between himself and the dog. He scrambled to the other side, gripping the backs of Falman's and Fuery's chairs. The girl paused, eyeing Breda with concern.
"Breda! Be cool!" hissed Fuery over his shoulder. Falman was hastily trying to prevent the redheaded man from climbing atop them and their chairs.
"Did you not like dogs?" The girl said, brow furrowed. "I can just go sit back where I was if it's a problem." The disappointed look in her eye was like a needle to his heart. Breda instantly stopped trying to scale his friends.
"No! No, you can stay! Um...if it stays on that side of the table and never comes over here, I guess it won't be a problem," said Breda, blushing furiously and pulling up a different chair, looking anywhere but the direction of the dog.
"At least he's not trying to climb the chandelier," muttered Havoc. He turned to the girl, grinning. "Here. You can take Breda's old seat."
"Er, thanks," said the girl, sitting. She looked down at the dog and tapped the side of her chair. The dog sat beside her calmly. "This is Mitzy, by the way. She's a service dog. That's why she has the vest."
"She's cute!" cooed Fuery.
"And what about this cutie's name?" asked Jean, pointing to the girl. She raised an eyebrow at him and smiled.
"...so lame…" whispered Falman, shaking his head. Fuery snickered and Breda rolled his eyes, starting to calm down.
"I'm Grace. So...do you fine gents have names?"
"I'm Jean Havoc, then there's Kain Fuery and Vato Falman. Heymans Breda is the twitchy one over there." Jean pointed everyone out. Breda glared at his introduction.
"Nice to meet you all," said Grace, smiling at the others. She cut her eyes toward Havoc. "And Jean? I'm actually the twitchy one, you could say. I have epilepsy and Mitzy helps warn me when I'm about to have a seizure."
There was a beat of silence before the other men frowned at Jean. He froze, the color draining from his face as his cigarette fizzled out.
"Sorry." The other guys hadn't seen Jean look so put out since his last breakup.
"It's alright. Just wanted you to know," said Grace cooly. She placed her wine glass on the table and passed Breda the beer mug he had abandoned so abruptly. He nodded in thanks and downed the rest of it. "So. How did you guys all become friends?"
"We're all in the military," said Falman, shrugging. "I guess we all got close working in the same unit."
"Yep. A lot of missions and dodging bullets together," said Breda. Grace looked impressed.
"Damn. You guys must be badass," she said, looking around the table in admiration. Fuery hid his face bashfully while Falman, Havoc, and Breda nearly did spit-takes due to astonishment. Grace giggled at their reactions.
"Yeah, you could call us that," said Breda, grinning. "Has a nice ring to it."
"There you go, then. Cheers to the Badass Crew!" Grace raised her glass. They laughed and clinked glasses to the nickname.
"Enough about us. Let the lady talk!" said Jean. Grace blushed.
"There's not much to say, really. I take my nursing exam soon and then I'll be able to study and practice with an old doctor friend here in town. I want to combine my research with...my craft...to hopefully improve the medical field."
"Your craft?" Falman pressed. Grace's eyes darted around the room before she tossed back the rest of her wine.
"I guess you can say I already have experience with certain methods of healing," she said.
"You're being very cryptic," observed Breda, narrowing his eyes a bit. Grace smiled at him.
"Don't guys like a little mystery?" She eyed him flirtatiously, tracing a finger over the rim of her wine glass. Havoc and Fuery stared at her wistfully, while Falman's eyes darted curiously between Breda and Grace.
"I love a mystery as much as the next guy, but I really enjoy unraveling a good secret or two," said Breda softly, fixing the girl with a smirk. She blushed and averted her eyes, biting her bottom lip and smiling.
"When did Breda get some game?" whispered Fuery to Havoc. Havoc looked like he wasn't sure whether to feel proud or disgusted. The conversations continued as the group drank and chatted the night away. To Falman and Fuery's amusement, Havoc and Breda were acting like two peacocks showboating for the lady's attention.
"Well, would you look at the time?" said Grace, checking her watch. "It's getting a bit late for me and I have an early class tomorrow." She stood, and so did Havoc and Breda.
"I'll walk you out!" The two men said in unison before turning to one another and glaring. Her eyes darted between them, her expression amused.
"I appreciate it, but I'm fine. I'm staying at the dorms just across the street." She picked up her book and hugged it to her chest. "Hopefully I can see you badasses here next Friday." She bid them all farewell before turning to leave, but not before aiming a demure smile and wink Breda's way. Breda slowly edged himself around the table, glad that Mitzy the collie wasn't looking in his direction.
"Hey, Grace?" he called. She turned back around at his voice, eyebrows raised in curiosity. "Would you mind if I got your number?" She looked astonished at first before her look softened into a smile. She reached into her shirt pocket and pulled out a pen.
"Here. Give me your hand." She signaled for Mitzy to stay put before stepping closer. Breda held out his palm to her and she cradled it in hers as she scribbled her phone number and a little message on his skin. He found himself pondering the length of her eyelashes and scent of her perfume as they stood in close proximity. She finally looked up and smiled, letting go of his hand. "Well...goodnight."
"Goodnight."
The guys all waited until Grace passed the threshold of the bar before swarming Breda to see his hand.