Chapter 7

"Look we gotta pick someone." Ray said, as him and Jason walked into their cage room.

"There's no rule that says we have to." Jason argued back.

"I know you don't want to admit it or face reality, but Clay isn't coming back. It's been two weeks and we have had zero contact with him. He sent you one text message that second day and that was it. We're a six man team working with only five, you know how dangerous that is. We need to draft someone. I like Lopez, he seems like he will make a great number two, especially if Clay does come back."

"Number twos get picked by the number ones. They are the ones that have to work closely with each other. From what I have heard Yoder is an old friend of Clay's from Team Three, Clay would most likely draft him." Jason argued.

He wasn't happy with having to draft anyone. He wanted Clay here. He wanted Clay's things in his cage and he wanted to call out Bravo Six and know that Clay was right there ready to jump in. Yes, they hadn't heard from Clay in two weeks, but that doesn't mean Clay wasn't going to come back eventually. He needed space right now, something Jason could understand and respect, but space wasn't forever. Clay could show back up in a few months time looking for his place on the team and his place would be there for him. Clay was Bravo Six, not Lopex, not Yoder, Clay Spenser.

"Which I get, but we need someone that can challenge Clay and keep him from doing something insane or stupid. Yoder's a friend, he'll just go along with it. Lopez won't. Plus Lopez is a foster kid, he will appreciate a family and be loyal to Bravo. He's the right pick. Come on, you trusted my instincts with Clay, trust me here." Ray countered. He didn't want to replace Clay, but this wasn't about replacing him, this was about getting the pieces in place for the future.

Jason let out a huff. He knew Ray wasn't going to let this go and he knew logically they couldn't just keep operating with five guys. That was putting his guys at risk and that was not acceptable to him.

"Fine, but he's not Bravo Six."

"We got Bravo Seven patches." Ray easily agreed. He wasn't planning on having Vic as Bravo Six either. That spot was Clay's for when he was ready to come back home.

"Go let him know he can be here tomorrow. You better hope the guys take this well." Jason warned.

The guys had all been on edge without Clay around. They had relied on his shooting and language skills, but also his mind. He could always seem to come up with a way out of a terrible situation. But it was more than that, he had a way of making you feel like it would be ok. He could keep you calm and level headed without even trying. There was a peace that came from him and without it, they were all feeling it. Ray gave a nod. He knew what Jason was talking about and he was worried about Sonny the most. He was still devastated about what he had done and was not himself. Ray was seriously starting to doubt if he would ever recover from this.

The next morning all of the guys were in the cage room getting their gear ready just in case. They tended to spend more time in this room just so they wouldn't have to see Clay in the hallways. Being able to see Clay and not be able to talk to him was worse than not seeing him at all. Sonny looked over at Clay's cage and saw Cerberus laying down in it. He tended to lay in Clay's cage whenever they were in the room. He missed him just as badly as they all did. Cerberus and Clay had a special bond, more so than him and Brock. Brock had once said that he picked Cerberus, but Cerberus picked Clay. Instead of being upset or insulted Brock was happy about it. He knew should something happen to him, Cerberus would have an amazing life with Clay. He would be loved and happy and Clay would make sure he had a great life and protect him.

None of the guys were looking forward to getting a new team member. They knew it wasn't Vic's fault at all, but it was bad timing. They weren't ready to take on another team member, especially another rookie. Sonny had already decided he wasn't going to like Vic. He wasn't going to like any new guy that wasn't his best friend. The problem was, he had lost his best friend due to his own stupid actions. He had no one to blame but himself. There was no one he could hunt down and kill, all he could do was accept that it was his fault and hope that one day Clay would have forgiven him, though Sonny knew that was not likely to ever happen.

The door to the cage room opened and Vic walked in with all of his gear. He gave them all a warm smile as he spoke. "Hey, I'm Vic Lopez, it's great to meet you guys."

"Come on in brother. We got your cage for you." Ray said, trying to be polite and show Vic some love. He knew the guys were going to be a little hands off right now.

"Thanks." Vic said with a nod, as he went over to Clay's cage thinking that was his.

The second he approached the door though Cerberus' head snapped up and he started to growl.

"That's not your cage." Sonny said with an edge to his voice.

"Your's is that one." Jason said, pointing to the other empty cage on the other side of Clay's.

"Sorry, didn't know." Vic said with an apologetic smile.

He had no idea what the big deal was about which cage he used if both were empty, but he was not in a position to comment. He had just been on Bravo all of five minutes, he wasn't going to risk getting kicked off. Being on Bravo was the only team he wanted to be on and he was not going to screw it up without even getting to prove to them why he was the best choice. He was going to be the best rookie they ever had. He was going to prove to them why he was better than any rookie they ever had, including Clay Spenser. Everyone in Green Team had heard what happened to Clay, everyone had opinions on it. Some were like Yoder who were pissed off about the whole situation. Some didn't really care as it didn't affect their lives. While others were like Vic, they thought Clay got exactly what he deserved. All throughout Green Team all anybody talked about was the Golden Boy Clay Spenser. The instructors were obsessed with him; all talking about how he was going to be the future of the Navy. That he was one of the best operatives they had ever had the pleasure of training in close to two decades. He was going to be the future Jason Hayes, blah, blah, blah. Vic was sick and tired of hearing about it all. He couldn't stand Clay and he had never even met him. He couldn't believe his luck that just weeks before the end of Green Team, that Clay would transfer off of Bravo and go to Delta. It was perfect, he would be able to be on Bravo without having to deal with Clay. He could erase his memory within Bravo and carve out his own name and take over Bravo one day.

"It's all good brother. Here's your trident and your patches. You're Bravo Seven." Ray said, as he handed the items over to Vic.

"Where's Bravo Six?" Vic asked, confused.

He was expecting to be Bravo Six and not Seven. There were only six of them, so why not let him have Bravo Six. It wasn't like Clay was ever going to come back. And if he did, he could be Bravo Seven.

"He's taking a break. He'll be back one day." Trent answered.

"Do you really think he'll be back? I don't mean any disrespect, but we all heard what happened. Do you really think he'll be able to move past it all and come back?" Vic asked, keeping his voice gentle so they wouldn't think he was being an asshole about it.

"He'll be back. It'll take him some time, but he'll be back. He's family, and you don't give up on family, not even when they want you to." Jason said confidently. He was going to be getting Clay back, it would take time and a lot of work on their part, but he would be back.

"I look forward to working with him." Vic said with an easy smile.

He was really hoping though that he never had to work with Clay ever. He didn't need to listen to his know it all voice or watch him strut around like he owned the place. The best thing for him would be to stay over on Delta and build his own name away from Bravo. Vic would take care of bravo and prove to them why he is the right person to take over one day. By the time he was done, the guys wouldn't even care about Clay or ever miss him. Bravo was his and he was not about to lose it or give it up to anyone, least of all Clay fucking Spencer.

XXX

Clay had cleaned up his laptop and put it away. He was all caught up on the work for Ash and now he was working on his Russian. It had been two weeks since he had joined Delta and in that time they had been on six missions. It was a lot of one day missions down to different places in Mexico to eliminate cartels that were supplying weapons and funding to terrorist organizations Nationally and Globally. It was good work, plus Clay was making some extra money from the stash that they were taking from the cartels. He had been able to pay off close to fifty grand of the loan. He had been able to get a crappy used truck for a decent price. It was nowhere near as nice as his old truck, but it did let him get around the city without having to walk everywhere. It was better than nothing.

Clay had texted Yoder earlier to see if he wanted to come over for a bit. Him and Yoder had been friends for roughly eight years now. They worked in Team Three together and had gotten close. Him, Yoder and Brian were always together, even living together at one point. Yoder was gay, and Clay was really hoping he would be able to help him make sense of his new found interest in Stokes. Ever since the housewarming party, Clay and Stokes hadn't done anything. They were professional and friendly, but they hadn't done anything again. Clay was still using the cocaine as a way to stay awake when he needed to. Plus it gave him the added bonus of turning his mind off, finally. Clay made sure to put away any drugs that he had in his place so Yoder wouldn't see them. He knew he could confide in Yoder about what has been going on, but he didn't want him to know that he had a large amount of cocaine in his home. There was a knock at his door and Clay went to open it and gave Yoder a smile.

"Hey man." Clay said, as he stepped back.

"Hey, long time no see." Yoder said, as he stepped in.

"How ya feeling?"

Yoder had finished SERE just a couple of days ago and Clay knew how much that could suck.

"I'm good. A little sore in the ribs, but it's all good."

"You want a drink?" Clay asked.

"Beer if you got it." Yoder said, as he took in the house.

Clay made his way over to the fridge and pulled out two beers.

"Nice place. So I know all about the shit with Bravo and your apartment. I also know about the hundred grand in debt. What I don't know is how you can afford this place." Yoder said, as he took the offered beer.

"Who told you about the rest?" Clay asked, as he didn't talk to Yoder about it yet.

"Everyone. It's been going all around DEVGRU and Green Team what happened to you. The other teams have been talking and it was pretty noticeable when you were rolling with Delta. Plus the punishments that were given down." Yoder answered as he headed down the hallway to check out the house.

"What punishments?" This was the first Clay was hearing about this. He had done his best to ignore the whispers of everyone. He wanted to forget and move on, you couldn't do that if you were constantly hearing shit about it.

"Upper Brass heard what happened and they demoted everyone involved down a number. Plus each team dished out their own punishments. Sonny is not allowed to have any alcohol, plus he has to do whatever the guys or Davis asks him to do, no matter what it is. Blockhead was sent to the reform program for six months where he may earn his place back within the team. Ricky was put in as a Green Team instructor for the next six months. Jackson was demoted to support team until he can earn his way back."

"I didn't know. I've been trying to stay away from all of that."

"Probably for the best. You are the wrong party. How did you get this place? I know a loan for the amount you had to get would eat up almost all of your monthly salary." Yoder said, as he saw the hot tub out back.

"Ash was in town, he invited me to dinner and offered me a job doing translations for him. I work for free and in exchange he pays the rent and utilities on this place. It was one of his safe houses for the company. It was either say yes or be homeless. Honestly, it hasn't been that bad. The work is easy and I can do it when I am not working. Plus, this is a really nice place." Clay answered, as they made their way to the couch.

"It is a nice place and at least you won't be sleeping on the streets. I was worried when I heard about what happened. It wasn't like you could sleep in the dorms with me. I'm glad that you have a safe place to stay."

"So, you that new Bravo Six?"

It was team selection day and Clay was very curious to see who would be taking his new spot. They weren't getting anyone on Delta, because Clay was there now. Maddoc felt like they didn't need anyone else within their unit. He also suspected it would be harder to have someone new when they were dirty.

"Nope, Alpha Six. Bravo passed me over."

"Fuck off, no way. You're the best within Green Team."

That was shocking to Clay. Yoder was at the top, they were stupid to not pick him.

"Well, I wouldn't have wanted to be on Bravo anyways with what they did to you. But they picked Vic Lopez."

"Wow. He's an idiot. He's also a middle of the road guy. Why would they pick him over you?"

"No idea. I overheard though that he was Ray's choice and not Jason's. I guess Ray thinks Vic would be a great number two for Bravo. I think they are stupid for picking him. But I also think they are idiots for what they did to you so they deserve each other. Besides, Alpha is awesome. I'm happy with the draft."

"As long as you are happy that's all I care about. Alpha is a good team and Derek is really awesome to work with." Clay was happy with Yoder being on Alpha, he would be safe.

"What's going on with you? How has it been being on Delta?"

Yoder was a little worried about Clay. He knew Delta ran differently and was more like Team Three. He had seen Clay come to life being in Bravo and he had really grown in his potential being mentored by Jason Hayes. Now he was going backwards in a sense and Yoder wasn't too happy about that. He didn't blame Clay for wanting off of Bravo, he would have as well if they did to him what they did to Clay. Still, that didn't ease Yoder's worries.

"It's different. We do different types of operations. We've been focusing on shutting down terrorist organization's money supply. It's mostly just taking out different cartels. I've been to Mexico six times in the past two weeks."

"Damn. You must be tired. Normally teams are gone for a few days on one operation and then you get a few days off before getting spun up again. You're going basically every other day."

"Ya it's a lot, but the ops are fast so it's not too bad. We have a tour next month so I'll get to see what that is like. They go into the Valley so it'll be different. I'm learning Russian right now both for the team and for Ash."

"Because you need to know another language?" Yoder teased.

"I get a bonus from work and from Ash for learning a new language. Plus Maddoc likes the initiative. I like learning new things, you know that."

"I do know that. How has it been working with the guys?"

"They're good. Um… something did happen and it's got me all confused. I was hoping you would be able to help me out with it."

"Alright." Yoder said, more than willing to help Clay out.

"I need you to kiss me."

Clay could see the shock and confusion spread across Yoder's face. That wasn't what he was expecting, not that Clay could blame him at all.

"I'm going to need more than that." Yoder simply said.

"The first day I was with Delta, I didn't have a place to crash so Stokes said I could crash with him. When I got there he had a girl over, Candy, and we had some pizza and drinks. Because Delta goes into areas where there is drugs, they are often inhaling the fumes. Stokes had some blow and Molly with him. Maddoc wanted me to do a bit of it to ensure I wouldn't have a bad reaction to it if I inhaled any in the field." Clay started.

"You did cocaine and Molly? That's not like you at all." Yoder said, worried about what affect being on Delta would have on Clay.

"I know, but it was just to make sure I wouldn't have a bad reaction in the field. They don't get drug tested because they are around it so much. I did it, it was different. We were all drunk and high and one thing led to another and I was in the middle of a threesome."

"Ok, not the smartest thing you've done, but I'm still not sure how this relates to you wanting me to kiss you." Yoder said, as he went to take a drink.

"I gave Stokes head."

Yoder just barely managed to not spit out his beer. He swallowed it as he choked a bit on it.

"You did what?"

"It kinda happened. He kissed me and then the next thing I know I'm eating Candy out while he's fucking her from behind and his dick was in my mouth in between thrusts. Then she was riding me and he was fucking my mouth and throat." Clay finished before he took a drink.

"Ok." Yoder said; he was trying to process all of this. Clay was straight as an arrow, at least he thought he was. "Things can get out of hand when you are having a threesome. I've been told anyways, I've never done it and clearly I've never been with a woman. You were all drunk and high, that makes your thinking compromised. It was just once right?"

"The next morning I told Stokes it would never happen again. I thought that would be it. Any pleasure I got from it, I chalked it up to the Molly. Then after our first operation together Stokes took it upon himself to send six very attractive girls over to my place. Him and Keith showed up a few minutes later with more drugs and booze. We partied and Keith went off into the second bedroom with two girls, the other four passed out. I went into my bedroom to try and sleep, just as I laid down the door opened and Stokes walked in."

"Was he just as drunk and high as you?"

"No I was worse. On that op, when we did the raid I shot a combatant, I shot a bunch of them, but the one combatant had an AK47 on us. I didn't realise how young he was until I saw him dead on the ground. He was sixteen, maybe seventeen. I've never killed a child before, it got to me. I was just trying to blow off some steam, I went a little crazy."

Yoder could hear the pain still in his voice from it. He had never taken a life of a child, but he knew guys that had and it destroyed them forever. They turned to drugs, drinking and suicide. Yoder didn't want that for Clay. He also didn't like that Clay seemed to always be drunk or high when Stokes does something with him.

"I'm sorry man, that's rough. I get why you would need to blow off some steam, but you normally do that with a drink. You've never done drugs. I'm not judging, you know I never would, I just don't want you to lose everything by getting involved with drugs. What happened between you and Stokes?"

"He came onto the bed and started to kiss my neck. We were already naked from being in the hot tub. He started touching me and I don't know we just started to fool around. I gave him head and it felt good. I didn't expect for anything crazy to happen, but we ended up having sex."

"You fucked him?" Stokes asked, looking for clarification.

"Nope, he was in me. Woke up the next morning and he was still in me. The thing is, I remember enjoying it. I remember I couldn't stop moaning. The next morning I was in the shower and Stokes walked in with me. He said I didn't have to try and label anything or try and figure out if I'm bi-sexual or anything. I kept thinking it was the drugs, it had to be the Molly that made everything feel so good. But then out of nowhere he kissed me and I liked it."

"Well, I think he's right, you don't need to try and label yourself as something. Sometimes sexuality is something you understand from a very young age. Sometimes it's discovered at a time when you least expect it. What matters is if it feels good."

"And that is why I need you to kiss me. I need to know if it's the drugs or if it's just Stokes or if I am attracted to guys and I have no idea about it. I could go and pick up some guy in a bar, but I don't want to put myself at risk of him trying to get more out of me. I trust you with my life and I know if I say stop, you'll stop. I gotta know D."

Yoder wasn't sure this was a good idea, but he also knew Clay. He needed answers, his mind didn't work where he could leave a question alone. He needed to know the answers or his mind would constantly think about it. A kiss between friends could make things complicated, but they had been through war, so a kiss was simple enough. Yoder also didn't like the idea of Clay being out there in some bar picking up a complete stranger. There was no telling what could happen to him.

"Alright, but you get control. Pull away whenever you want. And for the record, I am only doing this because I don't want to get a call from a hospital because you went out and picked the wrong guy to try and kiss."

"That's what makes you a good friend." Clay said with a warm smile.

Yoder moved closer and Clay turned fully towards Yoder. This was awkward, but Clay was hoping he would at least get his answers from this. Clay let out a breath before he moved in and softly placed his lips against Yoder's. A jolt of electricity shot through the both of them and Clay placed his lips harder against Yoder's. Yoder easily kissed him back and he was surprised by the pleasure he was feeling from it. He had never looked at Clay in a sexual way before. Clay was straight, so there was no point in checking him out or allowing himself to feel anything. Yet the second their lips touched, it was fire. Clay moved his hand over and placed it on the bottom of Yoder's jaw, deepening the kiss. Yoder did the same to Clay, all too happy to keep kissing him. When he felt Clay's tongue against his lips, asking for permission, Yoder easily opened his mouth and welcomed Clay's tongue. Yoder gave a soft moan as their tongues danced together. All too soon Clay had to pull back so they could catch their breaths. Neither pulled back far though, they stayed close and kept their hand on the other.

"Wow." Clay said softly.

"Ya." Yoder easily agreed.

"Well, that settles it, I'm bi."

"We should probably stop." Yoder said, but he made no move to move away.

"Do you want to stop?"

"Fuck no."

"Good."

Clay pulled Yoder back in for a kiss and all control was gone on both parties. Yoder pulled Clay down as he laid back on the couch. Clay went between Yoder's open legs and lined themselves up so their dicks pressed against each other. Yoder moved his hands down to Clay's jeaned ass and pressed him hard against him. Clay rubbed his hips against Yoder's, causing them both to moan as their hard ons rubbed against each other. They both started to thrust against each other, but feeling the other through the clothes was not enough for either of them. Yoder pulled back this time and spoke.

"I need to feel you inside of me."

That one sentence sent electricity all down Clay's body. He had never wanted something so badly before in his life.

"Bedroom." Was all Clay said.

Clay moved back, but pulled Yoder in for a kiss as they got up off the couch. Clay led Yoder down the hallway to his bedroom as they continued to kiss. Yoder and Clay broke the kiss long enough to pull each other's shirts off, before their mouths were back on each other. Both moved their hands down to the other's belt and they started to open the other's jeans. The very second they could their hand went down the other's front, grabbing onto the other's hard on. Both moaned at the skin on skin contact just as they entered Clay's bedroom.

(Dirty version is available on my AO3 account)

A/N: Another chapter is done yay! This one is shorter, but the next two will be longer ones. We got the tour coming up and next chapter will feature a joint operation with Delta and Bravo!

Review they keep me going and make me feel all tingly.