Hey you guys...

It's been a while and I'm sorry for that.
But of course, I'm super grateful for the reviews.
So thank you!

Wolftattoo: I thought I already explained that part a few chapters back. I understand your question, but unfortunately, things arent always that simple.
Abusive relationships are complicated and most of the time, the victim is close to being brainwashed, or so they say.
Despite his bad sides, Charley loved Max and in a way, she was convinced that she needed him to feel whole.
He was all she had at the beginning of the apocalypse and living her new life without him felt empty and scary.
She also knew that he was troubled-minded, that this wasn't who he really was, and every time he said he was sorry, she believed him, for he truly meant every word of it.
Of course, it's not an excuse and Max his behavior was disgusting and disgraceful, but love or power can do strange things to the mind.

Perhaps you think it's naive, but I know from personal experience that some things are hard to understand, even though they seem so simple for people on the outside :)
Not that I have personal experience with abuse, but I'm in therapy for almost three years now, so I listened to many pretty heavy life stories.
But it still how I see things, if you don't agree with that, that's okay, of course.
Everyone experiences things differently.
But I hope you now understand my point of view on this complicated subject.

Styx: thank you so much for your honest reviews on most of my stories.
Especially the last one here made a big impression, simply because you're so right.
Even I got lost in this web of thoughts, making it almost impossible to continue writing this story.
I'm not sure why that happened, perhaps it has something to do with feeling the pressure to write a good story, a story everyone likes and understands.
But by doing that, it became a story where everything is scripted, leaving only little room left for the readers to use their fantasy, which is quite a shame, actually.
Or maybe it's because I was not only stuck in the character's heads but in my own head as well.
Or maybe I'm just searching for my identity as a writer.
It's kind of hard to explain, I guess.

Either way, you said what I already thought and I'm so glad you did.
Because I was feeling so insecure about my writing the past few months, I didn't know why it somehow didn't really work out and why I was starting to lose my motivation to keep going.
But I know now, thanks to you.
It was the confirmation I needed and now I feel this fresh energy again.
So thank you.
And it's also cool to hear that you like my music taste. When I use lyrics in my stories, I also sing them in my head. Hehe.

As for the rest; thank you so much for your endless support.
Means a lot.
Know that I do my best to update all of my stories as much as possible.
I've still got so much in store, especially for this one.
Okay, I'm babbling again, hehe.
Let's get to it.

Enjoy this chapter, hope you like it.
And please, let me know what you think.
I notice that having contact with my readers is one of my greatest motivators to keep going.

:)

Later!

Chapter 33

"Or at least I need to talk to Vinnie but I need your help. It's about Charley. I need to ask him what is going on but I need you to stop me from doing something stupid when I don't like the answer… you know what I'm saying?", Throttle continued in one breath, knowing he was babbling.
Again.
This was starting to get a habit, one he sure as hell didn't appreciate.
And one Modo still wasn't used to, judging the way he looked at his leader and friend.

It was that look again.
The one that told him that he was acting more than just weird.
"I'm not sure if I know. What you're saying, I mean", Modo whispered back before he looked around them to check if everyone was still fast asleep.
When he saw that not a creature was stirred, he pointed his one eye back on Throttle.
"But of course I'll lend you a hand…"
He then raised his bionic hand, one corner of his mouth twitching.
"See what I did there? Lend you a hand?"

Throttle chuckled as he shook his head, not only amused by this stupid pun, but also grateful for Modo's never-ending loyalty.
The guy would probably jump off a cliff if he'd ask him to.
It made him feel a bit sad as well, somehow.
He wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve this, for he wasn't perfect.
Far from it.
And still, Modo was always there, standing with him and beside him.
It was quite remarkable, actually.

"Glad to see you haven't lost your sense of humor, bro…"
The tan-furred leader then laid his hand on Modo's shoulder.
"And thank you. I know this all doesn't make sense to you, but trust me when I say it soon will. All I ask of you is to stop me from doing something stupid. The rest will come as it goes."
Modo patted the hand on his shoulder with a smile before he pulled back the blanket and rose on his feet.
"Got it. Better wake that loudmouth before the sun comes up. My guts are telling me this is one conversation the ladies don't need to hear…"
Throttle gave his bro a small smile as he too climbed back on his feet, his way of telling him that he was right.
Oh, he was right, alright.
No girls allowed.
Not this time.

…

A few minutes later…

Throttle looked at his youngest bro with his heart pounding in his chest.
His entire body was on edge, actually.
Although he didn't want to admit it, he knew he was scared.
Not for confronting him, but for what would happen after that.
He was scared that Vinnie would deny it.
That he would lie about what happened on that roof that night.
He would lose it if he did, after all, he had seen it with his own bionic eyes.

But perhaps he was even more scared that Vinnie wouldn't deny it.
That he would tell him the truth he was so desperately looking for.
What if he didn't like the truth?
What if the truth was that he loved her?
Or even worse, that she loved him as well?
What if this whole thing with Pip had no meaning at all because his heart was already belonging to someone else?
Someone with green eyes instead of one green and one blue?
Man.
It might have seemed appealing, to find out the truth.
When he was safely in bed, that is.
Now…
Now it felt impossible.
Surreal even.

But there was one thing that bothered him even more and that was that Vinnie had followed them to the fireplace without too much trouble after they woke him.
He hadn't even whined about them interrupting his beauty sleep or even more to the point; he hadn't even asked what this was all about.
It was as if he knew that this was coming, that this was bound to happen and it made Throttle even more nervous, somehow.
Suspicious, even.

After staring at his fiddling fingers for a while, he glanced back at his youngest bro, who sat across him with his arms leaning on his knees.
His two-colored eyes were fixated on the small fire they made to stay warm and it didn't take a genius to know that the guy was lost in thought.
And it made Throttle wonder…
What was going on in that complicated mind?

Well, since taking him on a Mind Walk without his permission wasn't an option, there was only one way to find out.
The old fashioned way.
And so, after one nervous look at Modo -who sat between him and Vinnie and gave him a reassuring smile in return-, Throttle gathered all his courage and cleared his throat.
"I think it's time we put all our cards on the table. This has gone on long enough and I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of playing this game."

As he was talking, he kept a close eye on Vinnie to see how he would take this, perhaps a bit vague, message.
The young mouse was still staring at the fire, he hadn't even moved, probably trying to look nonchalant or perhaps even disinterested, but let's hear it for body language.
It was ever so slightly, but it was there.
A twitching left ear.
Which was enough for Throttle to know that his young bro was nervous too.
If only he knew if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Probably bad.
By the Gods, this was nerve-wracking, even for him.
Stoker and his stupid ideas.
'Talk to the punk.'
Man.

But okay.
If he had to be completely honest, Stoker was right.
This was one conversation that needed to take place.
Too bad there was so much at stake here.
Not only his bond with Vinnie, but his entire future depended on this conversation.
Vinnie was practically holding his fate in his hands.
And with all due respect, Vinnie was the last mouse he trusted with such a delicate thing as fate.
Still.
"I need to know, Vinnie… I need to know what is going on between you and Charley."

There.
He said it.
With a trembling voice and with no intonation whatsoever, but he said it anyway.
Vinnie visibly tensed by these words, but he still didn't look at him.
Neither did he look at Modo.
He just stared into the flames with a certain intensity, as if he wished they would vaporize him to get out of this awful situation.
But his breathing accelerated, Throttle could hear it over the soft crackle of the fire, thanks to his good hearing.
And so did his heartbeat.

It made him feel nauseous, actually.
Vinnie didn't easily freak out.
But he did now.
Why, though?
Was it because he was scared to tell what happened on that roof?
Or was it more than that?
Was it because what happened on that roof actually meant something?
Did he even want to know?

Yes.
He did.
Not knowing was driving him crazy.
This whole thing was driving him crazy.
He needed clarity, no matter how painful it might be.
And so, he bravely continued.
Because brave he was.
"I just need you to be honest, bro. I can't promise I won't freak out, but this… this is killing me."

As soon as the last word left his mouth, the white-furred rascal jumped at his feet and walked away.
Or at least, that's what Throttle thought, and so did Modo.
As if on cue, they both got back on their feet as well, all ready to stop him for this was one conversation he couldn't get out of, but, as it turned out, that wasn't Vinnie's intention.
He obviously just needed some space because after taking a few steps, he already came to a halt again.

With his hands in his pockets, another sign that he wasn't at ease, the young mouse gazed up to the stars and Throttle stared at his tensed back, wishing he could just pull out the words that didn't come.
But he knew he couldn't.
Luckily, he didn't have to wait long.
After heaving a sigh, Vinnie turned around and he finally looked Throttle straight in the eye with a certain determination, perhaps even a bit challenging.
"I slept with her."

Modo looked up with a jerk by hearing this confession, his eye glowing red.
"You did what?!", he exclaimed at the same time that Throttle sighed his response.
"I know."
It was clear that Vinnie, at first, only heard Modo's exclamation and he immediately raised his hands as he did a few steps backward by seeing Modo's rage.
"Whoa, chill bro, it's not what you think. She took advantage of me instead of the other way around, so breathe…"

But he then suddenly froze, probably because Throttle's words now made their way to his brain and after blinking a few times, his eyes darted from Modo to Throttle, shock written upon his face.
"Wait, what? You know?"
Modo, in his turn, looked at their tan-furred buddy as well, his arms folded, but instead of shock, it was confusion that prevailed.
"You knew?"
There was a tone of sadness audible in his heavy voice, telling Throttle that Modo felt left out, which usually would hurt him to the core.
But not now.
And not because he didn't feel guilty for keeping his bro out of the loop because deep down he did, but his brain was rather busy with processing Vinnie's words.
'She took advantage of me instead of the other way around…'

His heart made a little jump and he took a few steps in Vinnie's direction, suddenly scared that he was only hearing things he wanted to hear.
"What did you just say, Vincent?", he demanded, determined to find out the truth, no matter the consequences.
Deep down he knew he was sounding way too compelling, perhaps even a bit too eager, and his body language probably didn't exactly help either, but there was nothing he could do about it right now.
For now, this was just how things were.
Messy and chaotic.

Vinnie looked at Modo to him and back with a furrowed brow, clearly feeling the tension rising, for the grey-furred giant was still looking at Throttle with a certain expectation, waiting for his questions to be answered while the tan-furred leader kept his gaze fixated on the young mouse, also waiting for answers.
If the situation wasn't what it was, it might have been funny.
But it was all but funny.
After one more nervous look towards Modo, Vinnie opened his mouth, probably to answer Throttle's question, but their mutual grey-furred friend beat him to it.
"Can someone please explain to me what is going on here?"

So close.
Goddammit, he was so close.
Without warning, a pang of anger, that maddening anger, made Throttle look at Modo with clenched teeth and fuming eyes, although the last part wasn't visible because of his glasses.
He wasn't one who took out his anger on someone who was entirely innocent and he hated himself for doing it, but it still happened.
"Will you shut up? I'm trying to have a conversation here!"
Already regretting this… out of line response, the enraged leader closed his mouth with teeth clattering.
This wasn't fair.
Far from it.
But dammit, he was just so close.

Modo's face darkened and he folded his arms as his eye flickered red a couple of times.
"Some conversation…", he mumbled before he looked Throttle straight in the eye.
"But by all means, do your thing. I'll just pretend you didn't ask me to help and stay out of it. Right where I belong, I guess."
The pain in his voice made Throttle cringe, and if he had room for it, he would definitely feel guilty.
But he hadn't.
Room for it.
It was harsh and nothing like him, but then again, it was just like he said.
He wasn't perfect.
Far from it.
It was proven once again.

He gave his older bro a look which hopefully told him that he was aware of the fact that he was acting like a jerk, that he would explain everything later but that now wasn't the time to ask questions.
He then focused his attention back on Vinnie, who was still looking from one to another a bit helplessly.
The poor guy was obviously lost about how to handle this tense situation, for he wasn't really the talking type of mouse, but at least he didn't walk away.
Smart move.

"Can you please answer my question?", the tan-furred mouse asked tonelessly while cracking his knuckles, trying very hard to stay calm instead of just grabbing him to shake or even knock the answers out of him.
That would be highly inappropriate.
It was appealing nevertheless.
But he thankfully managed to control himself.
For now.

At first, Vinnie just stared at him, as if he tried to read Throttle's thoughts, but he then heaved a sigh in defeat.
"You heard me. She used me."
It was strange.
This was exactly what he wanted to hear.
But now he finally heard the words, he didn't feel joy.
Nor did he feel relief.
He didn't even feel satisfaction that Charley gave Vinnie a taste of his own medicine.
No, all he felt was confusion, simply because Charley didn't strike him as the kind of woman that slept with everyone who came on her path.
Most certainly not every alien.
"Why?"

The left corner of Vinnie's mouth curled up a bit, giving him a somewhat arrogant yet amused facial expression.
As if he couldn't wait to tell his beloved and impatient friend why and it made Throttle almost burst out of his fur with confusion and impatience.
"Vinnie, I swear to God, if you…"
"Because you hurt her."
Throttle blinked a few times in surprise, perhaps even disbelief and now it was he who needed some time to process all this.

Vinnie folded his arms as he waited for Throttle to connect the dots, but when he didn't, or at least not fast enough for his taste, the young mouse rolled his eyes as he raised his hands to heaven.
"Honestly, and they say you're smart… Lemme spell it out for you, dude. She loves you. And you rejected her. You hurt her feelings. And so, she became a woman on a warpath. You know how they are when you break their heart. Humans are, as it turns out, no different."
"And, of course, you were aaall willing to help her… process her feelings", Modo opened his mouth again with an arched brow, now aiming all of his anger at the white-furred troublemaker.
Vinnie let his gaze land on the grey-furred giant before he shrugged.
"Well… yeah. You know me, man. I aim to please."
"You aim to get into someone's pants, you mean. I warned you. I warned you to stay away from her... "

Meanwhile, Throttle was still trying to wrap his mind around everything that was happening here.
He tried really hard to stay focussed, but truth be told, the only thing he heard right now was Vinnie's voice echoing through his head.
'She loves you.'
Goosebumps spread throughout his body and his lips twitched as he tried to stop the big smile that was trying to appear on his face, knowing it would make him look goofy, next to the fact that it was badly timed.
'She loves you.'
She loved him.
Everything felt so light, all of a sudden.
Light like a feather.
'She loves you.'
Hope.
Hope was amazing.

But then, Modo's words dawned upon him.
'I warned you to stay away from her.'
"What do you mean, you warned him?", he asked as he looked at Modo with a cocked head.
It was kind of strange and completely out of context, but now it was he who felt left out.
What a mess this was.
And they usually told each other everything.
No secrets.
Time to get back to that.
And so, before Modo could answer his question, he heaved a sigh and held up his hand.
"Look, why don't we just sit down and tell our side of the story one by one. Clearly, we all have something to hide at this point, but that's not who we are. So, about those cards… you guys with me?"

After a short hesitation, it was Vinnie who sat down first, much to Modo's and Throttle's surprise.
Usually, that loudmouth didn't like to talk about other things than panic, chaos and disaster, but it now seemed that even he wanted to get it off his chest, whatever it might mean.
After glancing at Throttle, Modo took place next to Vinnie again.
He was still upset, Throttle could tell, but at least he was willing to listen.
As that crazy smile still tried to curl his lips, Throttle sat down as well and looked around the small group that was his family before his gaze landed on the fire.
Fire was such a strange phenomenon.
So was love.
"Then let us talk."

There was a silence, at first.
A silence they all used to get their facts straight.
To get their emotions back under control.
It was Modo who broke it after a few minutes.
"Vinnie and I had a conversation the day you shot Max. Ya know, when the doc fixed me up…"
He fell silent for a moment and Throttle glanced at Vinnie, somehow expecting him to protest or to tell him that it was nothing, that Modo was making it way too big or whatever would save his skin.

But he didn't.
In fact, he said nothing.
He just let Modo talk.
Because that's what Modo continued to do, eventually.
"Or maybe a conversation is too big of a word. Look, it was obvious you felt something for Charley. You already admitted she did something to you, that night we talked in the garage. But it was clear to me that Vinnie was after her as well. And after our little talk, I knew why…"
"A competition", Throttle filled in when he saw the somewhat disgusted look on Modo's face.
The grey-furred giant nodded, looking a bit surprised when he heard that Throttle had already figured that one out.
"It was all just a game to him, so I warned him to stay away from her. Too late I realized that with that, I made the game even more interesting."

A hint of regret flickered across his face and Throttle's heart made a little jump when he realized that his big and loyal friend felt guilty.
Even worse, he was about to apologize, which was completely unnecessary.
And so, again, he held up his hand to stop Modo before he could say something.
"Please, Modo, don't. I'm the one who should apologize. I never should've yelled to you as I did only minutes ago. You didn't deserve that. I'm sorry."

Modo shrugged a bit uncomfortably.
"It's okay. I know that when it comes to Charley, all bets are off."
He was right.
Still.
"Maybe, but that doesn't give me the right to treat you the way I did."
Another silence followed, but eventually, Modo gave Throttle a small nod, telling the tan-furred leader that he was forgiven.
Of course he was.
This was Modo.
He always forgave.
It was a trade that was just as remarkable as his loyalty.
It still felt good, though.
To be forgiven.
Especially in times like these.

"It wasn't just a competition, ya know."
Both Modo and Throttle looked up a bit surprised before their gaze landed on their youngest bro, who was fiddling with his tail.
"Not everything is just a game to me…", he added as he glanced at Modo from under his lashes with a frown before he looked back at the fire.
"There was more to it. Much more."
Again, Throttle's heart made a little dance when he heard these words because didn't he just say minutes ago that Charley loved him?

"What do you mean, more to it?", he asked, his husky voice even more raspy than usual, but damn, what a ride this whole thing was.
A wild ride, with a lot of treacherous turns close to the edge of a cliff.
Dangerous.
Unnerving.
Insane.
Vinnie kept his eyes lowered, his left ear twitching with every heartbeat now.

It was obvious to Throttle that this was hard for him to talk about and it suddenly hit him like a spaceship.
He now finally realized what this was about.
He actually wondered how he missed it, especially after the call with Stoker.
There were many things the young mouse never spoke about, but there was only one thing that could make him this unhappy.
This uncomfortable.
This… sad.
Harley.

"She did something to me as well. I wasn't entirely sure what it was, but only her scent was enough to drive me nuts. I simply couldn't stay away from her… not even when I knew you liked her… I tried though… I really tried."
His voice broke a little and Throttle's eyes grew big behind his glasses in surprise, for he had never seen Vinnie this vulnerable.
It appeared that Stoker was right about at least one thing.
When approached properly, the young mouse was obviously capable of having a deeper conversation.
He couldn't help himself but feel a bit proud.
Proud of his young bro for getting out of his comfort zone to give him the answers he so desperately needed.
Maybe their bond wasn't at risk at all here.
Maybe this whole thing would make their bond even stronger...

"But I gave in, that night on the roof and gosh, it's killing me. I never should've given in. I betrayed you, that night, and… well, it was a mistake. I thought it was worth it but it wasn't", Vinnie explained with fits and starts, still avoiding Throttle's gaze.
But that was okay.
He didn't need to look into Vinnie's peculiar eyes to know that he was being sincere here.
Because he was.
He felt guilty.
And not just a little.

A big part of his anger, the one he was so desperately trying to keep from taking over control, vanished like smoke in the wind when he heard the vulnerability in Vinnie's voice.
It was somehow good to know that the guy was capable of feeling anything else than an adrenaline rush after all.
But there was still one thing that wasn't entirely clear to him.
"You said there was more to it. What did you mean by that?", he repeated the question softly, knowing now that subtlety was in order here.

As he was still staring at the fire, Vinnie's right hand slowly reached towards his chest and his fingers enclosed the medallion that was thoroughly hidden under his shirt.
The medallion from which Throttle knew he wore twenty-four-seven ever since that day.
That horrible day.
They all lost something that day.
It all came with being a Freedom Fighter.
Everyone paid their price, no exception.
And so did Vinnie.

He had lost the love of his life and Throttle could still hear the heartbroken scream echoing through his head.
The scream in pain and disbelief, coming out of Vinnie's mouth moments after Harley let out her last breath.
Even though that day was blurry and full of holes, it was this blood-curdling scream that haunted him in his dreams ever since.
Even now, his fur bristled by only thinking about it and he quickly shook off the sinister thoughts.

Vinnie shivered as well, probably reliving the same memory as him and he let the medallion go as if it was on fire.
When his furry fingers grabbed a hold of his tail again, he finally looked up and Throttle was taken back by the pain that was readable in his eyes.
"Harley. She reminds me of Harley…"
So there it was.
The truth.
Because he knew it was.
He wouldn't lie about this, never.
Still, to hear him say it out loud was both heartbreaking and hopeful.
And he had no idea what to say, a thing that didn't happen that often.
Vinnie seemed to have the same problem.

For a moment, they both just stared at each other, but when his lower lip started to tremble, Vinnie jumped at his feet again and walked to the small tree close to him.
He rested his right hand against the tree trunk while his left hand rubbed his face, his shoulders slumped.
Throttle shared a worried and perhaps even a bit shocked look with Modo, but they both said nothing.
They just gave him the time he needed to grab himself together.
There was nothing that could ease the raw pain their youngest bro was feeling right now.
They could tell, after all, they had their losses as well.

Still, Throttle kept a close eye on the white-furred youngster, who lowered his left hand and looked up at the stars again, the tip of his tail dancing like a feather in the wind.
His entire body radiated pain and it was now when Throttle once again realized how broken his usually happy bro was by the loss of Harley.
It was sometimes so easy to forget, for he never spoke about her.
But not now.
Certainly not now.

"I… I just miss her… so, so much…", Vinnie whispered into nothingness, still gazing up, as if he hoped she was there, looking back at him.
But she wasn't.
He was never going to be able to look into her eyes and see her looking back.
Never.
Death was scary.
Death was permanent.
Death was another word for agony.
For loneliness.

It was then when Throttle couldn't hold himself back any longer.
Instead of being angry, he only felt compassion and the need to comfort his little bro, and so, he slowly rose on his feet and approached the heartbroken mouse with a certain caution, all to make sure that Vinnie wouldn't feel cornered by him.
But the latter didn't move and the tan-furred mouse slowly came to a halt nearly behind him.

After a short hesitation, for he didn't want to startle his sad friend or something like that, he lifted his hand and laid it on his tensed shoulder.
"I know, Vin, I know… We all miss her. She was… amazing", he said softly because that was the truth.
"She was, bro, she definitely was", Modo added his contribution to the conversation, wildly nodding in agreement.
"She was even more than that. She was my best friend... "
Again, Vinnie's voice almost broke, but he then seemed to realize what was happening here, for he suddenly straightened his back and wiped off his nose before he turned around to face Throttle with, again, determination written upon his face.

"You wanna know the truth? You wanna know why I gave in that night? Fine. It's because Charley gave me back what I needed the most. A friend. Someone who could help me feel again. Or maybe even more important, who could help me heal. I trust her. She makes me feel... safe…"
A frown appeared on his young face when he said these words and his slightly swollen eyes narrowed a bit, but he then shook his head and took Throttle's shoulders into a firm grip.
"But you need to know that my heart remained closed that night. It belonged to someone else and so does hers…"
His hands slid off Throttle's shoulders and he put them in his pocket, clearly having no idea where to leave them before he looked his friend and leader in the eye again.
"It was just sex, Throttle. It was stupid and perhaps not entirely meaningless, but still just sex. A one-time thing."

Hm.
Slowly, all the pieces of the puzzle were falling together nicely and Throttle felt his body relax a bit.
But there was, again, something that had caught his attention.
"Belonged. You said your heart belonged to someone else. I suppose you mean Harley by that. But… you said belonged. As in, past tense…"
A blush colored Vinnie's cheeks red, which wasn't that hard to miss thanks to his white fur, not even in the dim light of the fire.
But even more important, the pain in his eyes got accompanied by something else.
Something warmer.
Something that looked a lot like hope.
"I ah… I thought it would always belong to her, but… but then…", the poor guy stuttered as he shuffled his feet, his tail wrapped around his leg for comfort.
"You met Pip", Modo filled in for him, now understanding why their beloved adrenaline junkie was acting so weird lately.
It must be so confusing, to feel your heart open up to someone else without any warning.
"You like her."

As Throttle watched the young mouse, a huge weight fell off his shoulder.
It wasn't because Vinnie responded to Modo's conclusion, for he didn't, but the answer lay in his peculiar eyes.
The eyes never lie.
"What happened at the barn? You know, when you and Charley were outside?", he asked without thinking, his instinct telling him it was an important question, although he had no idea why.
Vinnie shrugged.
"I told her you love her."
Both Modo and Throttle stared at the young mouse with their mouths dropped, for this was the last thing they both expected to hear.
"You… You told her? But… why?", Throttle eventually managed to bring out, still highly shocked by this revelation.

Vinnie rolled his eyes.
"Why are you guys always so surprised when I do the right thing? I'm not entirely dead inside, ya know. Geez", he muttered under his breath but then he smiled as he playfully punching Throttle's arm.
"I was just tired of watching you two skirting around each other. Seriously, it was almost painful to watch. I mean, even I can see that you both are crazy about each other but just too scared to admit it. So I decided to give fate a little push. No biggie, man."

But then, his smile vanished like smoke in the wind, so did his twinkling eyes as his amusement got replaced by guilt again.
"It was the least I could do after betraying you the way I did. Besides… you belong to her. Not to Carbine. Her. And her alone. I hope you can see that now."
Throttle was still staring at him as if he just fell out of the sky or stepped out of the fire, for he had never met this side of Vinnie.
Of course, he knew he had his heart in the right place.
But being this open…
It was… kind of mind-blowing, actually.
Refreshing, too.

The white-furred mouse clearly took his silence for something else and so, he opened his mouth again.
Like he always did when things got quiet.
He didn't like quiet.
But there was more to it.
There was this unexplainable need to set things straight.
He was willing to do everything to make it right again.
And with everything, he meant everything.
"Look, you have every right to be mad at me. But before you knock the light out of my eyes, I want you to know that I'm sorry. I really am. I'm sorry for interfering with things that weren't my business…"

Vinnie looked over his shoulder in the direction of where the girls were still sleeping like they didn't have a single care in the world before he looked back at Throttle, his eyes burning with regret.
"But please, don't be mad at her. We all do stupid things sometimes. We all make mistakes, one worse than the other. Especially in a world this broken… Especially after everything she has been through. Just… cut her some slack."
"Okay, who are you and what did you do to Vinnie?", Modo asked, completely blown away by hearing the young rascal apologizing, a thing he had never done before because of his never ending pride.
Not just that, he also cared about Charley's fate more than his own, which was almost scary, to say the least.
He really was growing up.

Vinnie glared at Modo as he folded his arms, somehow insulted by his older bro's comment.
"I'm still me. I will always be me 'cause there ain't no single mouse in the world who can be as cool as I am. There's only one Vinnie the Great and he's standing right in front of ya", he told Modo with his chin in the air.
"Thank the Mothers of Mars there is. It's already hard enough to live with one Vinnie, let alone two", the grey-furred giant retorted, rolling his eye.
"Hey. You love me. You're just too stubborn to admit it", Vinnie said while smiling his most charming smile, clearly using this moment to diffuse some of the tension.
Which was his good right.

Throttle was still standing there, staring at, or no, through Vinnie as he let everything that was happening here sink in.
Modo was right, this was highly irregular.
But so refreshing at the same time.
It made him realize...
"I'm not mad at you", he suddenly blurted out, straight through their bickering.

Both Vinnie and Modo fell silent and looked at the frozen tan-furred mouse, who finally came back to senses thanks to their gaze almost burning a hole in his skull.
"I'm not mad at you", he repeated as he now looked Vinnie straight in the eye and he meant it with everything he had in him.
But the white-furred youngster clearly wasn't convinced, for he gave his friend a bit of a suspicious look.
"You're not?", he eventually asked with narrowed eyes and a frown on his face.
"Why not? I would be, if I were you. I stole your girl."
"Technically, you didn't really steal her, bro. Because if I have to believe you, she never belonged to you", Throttle said calmly, but Vinnie still didn't trust it.
"Well, that's true, but still… it was nasty."
"That it was…-", the tan-furred mouse smiled a bit mischievous as he looked at his right hand, how it closed into a clenched fist with a certain grace.
",-... indeed."

Without hesitation, he lashed out and he hit his beloved friend square on the nose.
Vinnie stumbled backward as his hand already reached for his now bleeding nose, but he didn't make any attempt to get back at Throttle.
"Okay, I deserved that", he breathed, his voice sounding muted due to the hand that was covering his nose and mouth.
"You did", Throttle agreed, still smiling.
Man, that felt good.
Real good.

Modo turned his head the other way to hide his smile, feeling relieved that everything might turn out well after all.
Even better, maybe everything would go back to the way it was, eventually.
Or at least with the three of them, for Mars was still lost.
But their friendship wasn't.
Clearly, it wasn't.

Vinnie put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a black bandana, softly cursing under his breath because of the blood that still poured out of his nose.
"But you knew. You knew what happened on that roof. How?", he asked as he held the bandana against his nose in the hope the pressure would stop the bleeding.
"That's simple. I saw you", Throttle answered dryly.
The white-furred mouse blinked a few times and despite the pain and blood, he wrinkled his nose, clearly not amused by this fact.
"Well, this isn't awkward at all…", he mumbled, but then his eyes grew big, as if he just remembered something, something important.
"I knew it. I knew there was something familiar about that scent… it was you. Gosh, how did I miss that…?"

He then trailed off again and looked at Throttle with his head tilted and both ears twitching, not able to hide his curiosity, which wasn't surprising at all.
He always had been a bit too curious for his own good.
Even now, he wanted to know everything.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Or me, for that matter", Modo joined the conversation again.
"Yeah, or Modo. I was about to say that, bro. Geez, you and your big mouth", Vinnie muttered under his breath, but his lips curled into a small smile.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were the big talker now all of a sudden", the grey-furred giant retorted, allegedly surprised but smiling as well.

"How can you not know? I mean, he talks all the time. He rarely shut up", Throttle chuckled, feeling about a hundred kilos lighter now the truth was out.
She loved him.
Man.
"I meant talking other things than bullshit, bro", Modo snickered.
"Hey! I never talk bullshit. I'm a good talker. Words love me and I love them. We have a great relationship", Vinnie protested as he lowered his hand and looked at the blood-stained bandana.
"Complicated, yes, but great nevertheless."

"Ugh. If you gentlemice will excuse me, I think I'm going to go throw up on something now", Modo grumbled, sticking out his tongue but his one eye was twinkling with amusement.
Vinnie didn't respond, suddenly very busy trying to stop his bleeding nose.
The grey-furred giant shook his head, still amused, before his gaze landed on Throttle.
"But seriously, why didn't you say anything? This doesn't feel like the kind of secret you wanna carry alone."

Throttle's smile slowly faded, for Modo was right.
It had been a secret too heavy to carry.
Even if it was only for a short matter of time, for it was only yesterday that it happened, it had been too heavy.
But he didn't carry it alone.
Not really.
"I told Stoker."

Modo's eye grew big, it even took Vinnie's attention, who gasped in surprise.
"You spoke to Stoker? And you didn't tell? Holy shit, man, and here I was, thinking I'm the one tight as a clam."
His nose was still bleeding, Throttle saw, but he still didn't feel guilty.
Nor did he regret it.
It was like Vinnie said; he deserved it.

"How is he doing?", Modo asked, worried and caring like always.
"He's fine, given the circumstances. Carbine found some meds that slow down the infection, which gives us a bit more time."
"But that's not what you've been talking about, or is it?", Vinnie asked, already holding the bandana against his nose again.
"No. It's not. I told him everything. I did because I had no idea what to do, not anymore. I was just so confused. Lost, even. But we had a good talk. And, as it turns out, he was right. About everything."

"Oh, now it all makes sense. Thanks, bro, for explaining it all. Really helps", the white-furred mouse muttered under his breath, sarcastic as ever.
"It soon will. Make sense. Trust me. All you have to do is follow your heart", Throttle smiled, not even remotely insulted by Vinnie's attitude.
"You're already on the right path, baby bro. Just keep moving forward.'
Vinnie gave him a confused look, but he said nothing, which was highly unusual.
Perhaps because he wasn't so confused as he pretended to be.
Perhaps he knew perfectly well what his friend and leader was talking about.

Modo kept quiet as well, which was a bit less unusual.
It wasn't because he didn't have questions, for he did.
But he also trusted Throttle.
And if the guy said that things would make sense in a while, then they would make sense in a while.
It's as simple as that.

After heaving a sigh, one in relief, actually, he rose on his feet.
With his left hand, he grabbed Throttle by the shirt while using the other one to grab Vinnie.
Without saying a word, he drew them both closer so he could put an arm around their shoulders to pull them into a tight hug.
"No more secrets, okay?"
Throttle and Vinnie shared a look before they both smiled.
"No more secrets."